ã€ŠA Sith? During The Fallã€‹


 1. Not the Korriban I know

    I awoke to a series of electronic beeps. The noises were decidedly mechanical, loud, and distinctly the type of thing that would occur when a sci-fi ship was experiencing an emergency. With the noise, my vision slowly came. First colors, with an array of bright reds and blues piercing the blackness. Then shapes, and finally, I could make out that I was sitting in some type of cockpit with a terminal in front of me.

    I was greeted by a red and black console that blared warnings. Both visually and auditorily it made sure I knew that something was wrong. Utilitarian lettering appeared and indicated that I crash-landed. There was a breach in the hull, and the engines were destroyed. Thankfully, it seemed that the reactors were stable, and the ship itself was stationary.

    Looking over the cockpit and computer console got my lethargic brain moving, and I realized why the place looked familiar.

    This was my personal Fury-Class Interceptor inside The Old Republic remakes. Years ago, back when I was just a kid, I spent hours playing both Knights Of The Old Republic and then later Star Wars: The Old Republic, but the two games had eventually been discontinued. With the new PS8 VR System both were remade into a single massive RPG that bridged the story gap. With the new generation of tech, it even fleshed out many of the planets and plots featured in the originals. Everything was made much larger, and they added in thousands of new storylines. Needless to say, I was addicted.

    I thrust my hand out with my finger pointing straight in front of me. It was the system¡¯s universal way of opening the menu. Ever since waking up, I was getting a serious headache. Meaning it was time to finish my gaming for the night. Besides, I had work tomorrow.

    Nothing happened. No light blue menu came into my view. I repeated the action a few times before giving up in bewilderment. The game might have glitched out. No type of menu or HUD could be found whatsoever. None of the ability displays I was used to nor status screens were visible. It was like I entered cinematic mode but had no way of leaving it. So instead, I moved to pull off the VR goggles.

    The PS8 VR system was essentially a fully functioning VR gyro-ball. Every real-world movement translated to an in-game movement. Thus, taking off my VR headset should have released me from the game.

    Except I never touched them. There was no apparatus around my head, just bare skin.

    What?!

    I bolted from the cockpit chair and ran to the ship¡¯s bathroom where a full-length mirror was readily available. A cursory glance at my surroundings told me the ship, while immobile, hadn¡¯t suffered any serious internal damage. That said, anything not mounted or bolted to the walls/floor were strewn across the floor. It made for quite a mess.

    My heart was pounding at the possibility that I was trapped somewhere in the game or worse, that it was real. I¡¯m not sure what I expected in the mirror. Everything else appeared the same it did in the game, so why would my body be any different. I looked exactly like my character. Staring back at me in the mirror was Darth Zaros. Yes, even in my 30¡¯s I was paying respect to the best god in the RuneScape Pantheon.

    I was menacing. I was the embodiment of evil in the galaxy. I was a member of the ancient race that gave dark side users their name.

    I was a bulky and blood-red humanoid that stood tall and imposing with glowing golden eyes. Small bone spurs jutted out of my square jaw, and close-cropped black hair grew on my head. While I was what people called a Sith Pureblood, my design kept me very humanoid. I only had a few small facial ridges and didn¡¯t have the weird tentacle-like face appendages that many purebloods sported. Heavy black and silver armor hung from my body, protecting and obscuring the mass of red skinned muscles underneath it. A long black cape clasped around my neck and ended just above my ankles.

    In front of the mirror, I once again felt around my body. There should have been a VR apparatus around it that I could remove. But, there was nothing. I was just touching either my armor or exposed skin. Even worse, there was a direct feeling that accompanied my touches, as if it was my real skin and not the simulated touch of a VR suit.

    There and then, the man called the Empire''s Wrath, a man that had bested countless and killed thousands, sank to his knees. The real me, the me that was a simple nerd felt like crying. My body didn¡¯t respond to the request though. My eyes stayed dry; my heartrate calm. Yet inside my mind whirled like a storm.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°2V, give me a diagnostic,¡± I told the vaguely humanoid droid. The two of us were standing in front of the fried sub-light engines. They were exceptionally destroyed. Even with the power off, acrid smoke could be seen escaping the terminal.

    ¡°With the spare parts from storage, I should be able to get our engines running serviceably. I have already enlisted X2-C3 for hull repairs,¡± it replied in its typical monotone.

    ¡°And the hyperspace engines?¡±

    ¡°¡­They appear to have been completely destroyed and we do not have enough spare equipment to repair them,¡± the droid replied, this time betraying its monotone programming with some apprehension. 2V-R8 was a seneschal droid. That meant he was a servant droid. Over the years, he received enough upgrades to fulfill many duties. He can translate, fly a ship, perform scans, repair things, and even fire a blaster. He¡¯s a terrible shot though, and when 2V has to start shooting, shit has hit the fan. Probably the weirdest thing about the droid is that he thinks I might decommission him every time something goes wrong. It''s probably his most illogical quirk, I mean if I was going to get rid of him, I wouldn''t have spent so much money on upgrades.

    ¡°No need to be nervous, I more or less expected that to be the case. Can you at least tell me where the hell we landed?¡±

    "According to our star charts, we are in the mountainous region south of the academy on Korriban, sir.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s great! I was kind of worried about getting back here from wild space. So why hasn¡¯t anyone showed up to investigate a crashed interceptor?¡±

    ¡°That is just it, sir. We have been using all of the imperial signals but have not received a reply¡­ In fact, lifeform readings show the planet to be almost completely deserted.¡±

    I turned to the droid with wide eyes before exclaiming, ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± Korriban was the heart of the Empire and the home world of the Sith. Every force sensitive kid in our swath of the galaxy should be here.

    ¡°Sir, there are no lifeforms detected at the academy. Almost all of the main centers of organic life have been abandoned with only a few forms detected throughout the planet. Almost none of these zones were occupied when we last visited Korriban.¡±

    ¡°So they moved the school? We were on Korriban only a few months ago¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but none of the transmissions we intercepted were in the imperial codes.¡±

    I rubbed my temples in frustration before replying. ¡°Ok fine, I¡¯ll do some recon. How¡¯s the Eclipse looking?¡±

    ¡°It survived the crash landing admirably, would you like me to prep it for you?¡± the droid replied.

    ¡°That would be great.¡±

    One good thing about being absolutely addicted to a game, especially as an adult with a job, is that when you actually find yourself isekaied inside, you¡¯re spoiled for choice. For years I spent cash on this game for memberships, DLCs, and even to pay other players for their in game items.

    When I crashed, I was wearing the Malgus styled set of armor. It had the mechanical appearance that the Sith Lord was known for. I was an absolute Malgus fan-boy ever since I saw the first SWTOR cinematic. His storylines afterwards further cemented him as my favorite archetype. I strived to replicate it in the game. Sure, we had our differences, I mean I wasn''t going to murder my wife any time soon. But his ideology made him one of the best dark side users. In fact, the best reforms that the empire adopted, like the movements towards inter-species equality, were practices that Malgus was using decades ago.

    Sure I was a bloodthirsty fighter in game, basically a murder-hobo having spent hours completing raids and fighting in the arenas. But, I always chose the fair options and respected my enemies. I wasn''t much for tricks and deceit during the storylines. Sure they had their place in forcing someone to battle, but it was always better to fight honorably. Hell I even gave my crew second chances and tried to limit how often I used fear to control my underlings. When I did take dark-side decisions, they were for the good of the empire or when I felt the outcome was deserved. My decisions were hard but fair, just like Malgus. I even went out of my way to be nice every now and again, though it didn''t do much to reduce the body count I left in my wake.

    Now, one of the problems with reality was that my current attire was covered in grime and sweat by the time we finished examining the ship. Unlike when I was in the game, I would have to regularly change outfits and clean them I supposed.

    Thus, I donned the Warden Armor set. I had thought about the Praetorian Armor, but it seemed a little over the top for a recon mission. Despite it being one of my favorite sets, the praetorian pieces were far too flashy with their wild spiky shoulder pads and red coloring.

    Soon I was decked out in form-fitting black athletic-wear topped with thick black armor plating on my vital spots. Choosing to mix and match a bit, I placed the praetorian helmet around my head. It integrated with the rest of my armor surprisingly well and a HUD activated with hiss causing the suit to become airtight.

    The helmet''s head fin was a little too much for my taste, but it was that or the weird gas-mask-esque helmets that the Sith seemed to hand out like candy. Honestly, not every head piece needs to be a breathing apparatus. A real helmet would also prove especially useful at blocking the harsh winds kicked up via the highspeed travel.

    The Aratech Eclipse was a sleek speeder bike. It was all black and made of sharp aerodynamic angles. In the game, it wasn¡¯t that fast. Here and now though, it certainly looked like the type of machine that could break the sound barrier.

    ¡°Any word from Vette or the others?¡± I asked 2V as I climbed onto the bike.

    ¡°No sir.¡± His reply left me disappointed. It would have been nice to have the old crew, especially if they were real people now. My memories of them were muddled in this regard. On one hand I remembered them as the NPC''s I spent time with in the game. On the other hand, I now had memories of them from Zaros''s mind added on. These were incredibly humanizing memories, and made it hard to think of them as anything less than friends.

    This hit the hardest with Vette. In game, she was my characters romantic partner. To me, it was just another part of the story. To Zaros, she was an indispensable part of his life. She was a constant source of comfort and assistance. I also now had my head filled with more than a few scenes with her that never would have made it in the pg-13 games. More than that, the thought that Zaros, that I may not ever see her again left me feeling hurt and exposed.

    The foreign...memories made my head hurt. I thought back to Korriban proper and playing as a student. But there was more to it. I had a memories of classes, training, lightsaber forms. Physical memories, bodily memories. I remembered the way it felt to swing a sword, to get into the stance. Not just as a holographic game, but the physical feeling of doing those things.

    ¡°Somehow, I¡¯m not surprised¡­¡± I said as I checked my equipment with a grimace. On my belt was my trusty saber handle. It was nothing flashy, but instead the rather clunky design typical of the Old Republic. On my back hung an imperial enforcer blaster rifle. I never used it in the game. As a Sith Warrior you were really only meant to use a lightsaber. But it seemed like a waste to not bring it with me.

    ¡°Well, keep trying to get in touch but don¡¯t do anything to bring attention to us," I told 2V.

    ¡°Yes Sir,¡± the droid replied.

    The speeder was fast, exceptionally so. That being said, I could push that speed far more than I expected. In the real world, getting up over a hundred miles an hour was¡­kind of scary. Even in a car, it was easy to feel out of control. On the speeder though, hovering a few meters in the air meant almost no terrain problems. More importantly, the high speeds felt almost comfortably slow. I could easily perceive everything, down to the smallest speck of dirt kicked up by the rush of my vehicle. No matter how fast I pushed the machine, it didn¡¯t matter. I was able to keep the bike straight and avoid anything. Images of future obstacles appeared in my head running alongside my visual perception allowing me to see¡­ no, feel any turns I would need to make before they happened.

    Korriban was mostly how I remembered it. A barren desert wasteland, that is. The lack of flora and fauna didn¡¯t really bother me, though it was surprising to not see any type of sentient activity. After a few hours of travel, one would have usually run into some group of people. Mourners, temple workers, raiders, and/or students; in-game you could usually find at least one of these groups while exploring the wastelands.

    The coordinates 2V gave me led to a small village, a hamlet really, of¡­ farmers? That¡¯s definitely not something I ever thought Korriban would have. They must have seen me flying towards them. I wasn''t hard to spot with a large dust trail blooming out behind my craft.

    A loud horn sounded and caused a flurry of activity before I managed to make it into their midst. Their few dozen houses were arrayed in protective circles with a large grassy field in the center. The structures were basically huts. Only one of them looked to be any taller than a single story and most looked to be about the size of a studio apartment. The entire area was protected by a palisade and metal spikes. The only opening in the defenses was a crudely-made spiky metal gate.

    People and animals clambered through the gate in a hurry. Apparently the horn was a warning signal for their herds to find safety within the village should someone approach. Long before I arrived the gate was barred and two large spear-wielding Togruta stood by it. The two men were wearing ragged but heavy brown robes with cloth wraps on their arms and legs.

    Upon seeing that they weren¡¯t going to open the gate for me, I whipped the speeder sideways and performed the typical sliding bike stop. It kicked up an inordinate amount of dust. The two men were momentarily surprised by the display. They only recovered their menacing aura long after I stepped out of the thick dust cloud and into their view.

    ¡°State your business or be on your way stranger,¡± the man on the right said. He was the older looking and slightly larger of the two guards. His voice was gruff and the decorative white lines on his face were shifted at odd angles further adding to his grimace.

    I cocked my head in slight confusion before a startling amount of anger permeated through me.

    ¡°Stranger? I should strike you down for not recognizing your betters,¡± I replied with more than a few drops of haughty venom.

    The reference to violence set the two men on the edge, and they both raised their weapons, some type of energy spear, towards me.

    Their continued hostility fanned the flames of my anger, causing it to almost bubble over like a pot. I fingered the thick handle of my saber.

    Why am I talking to a bunch of farmers when it would be so easy to end them¡­

    Wait, what? Why am I so ready to murder a few villagers?

    I took a deep breath and pulled my hand away from the saber before mindfully rubbing my hands together. ¡°You really don¡¯t recognize me?¡± I replied after a few moments.

    ¡°Should we? At most you look like some warrior,¡± the Togruta Replied.

    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen this helmet before?!¡± I asked in confusion. ¡°Ya know? The one that designates the elite protectors of the emperor himself?¡±

    I received no other reply than their blank stares. I took that as a no, so I removed my helmet and flourished my hand towards my now exposed face. ¡°Does this ring a bell? You¡¯re on Korriban for Ragnos¡¯s sake, there¡¯s no way you wouldn¡¯t recognize a true Sith," I demanded.

    ¡°¡­what¡¯s a shith?¡± the younger Togruta asked after looking from me to his older partner.

    ¡°A Sith! You peasant bumpkin,¡± I replied, my haughty tone reemerging along with my seemingly easy to stoke anger. ¡°You know the rulers of this world, the wicked and iron-fisted elites like me that crush all who dare oppose us.¡±

    ¡°Move along, we¡¯ve got no time for the ravings of a man driven crazy by the deserts. This is Moraband and I doubt you''re a member of the Commerce Guild," the older man replied.

    I was about to let out another burst of anger, until he said those last words.

    ¡°The Commerce Guild? Those weird-looking corrupt aliens from¡­¡± I meant to say the Clone Wars, but the words caught in my throat for a moment. My arms fell to my side, while my grip on the helmet loosened. ¡°Wh-who is the Chancellor of the Republic?!¡±

    ¡°You really must have been in the desert for a while if you haven¡¯t heard of Chancelor Palpatine,¡± the younger of the two said with a chuckle.

    ¡°Palpatine¡­¡± I said to no one in particular. ¡°There¡¯s a war going on then?¡± The imperious tone I had taken before evaporated at this point.

    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s been going for a while now, maybe three years. Funny you brought up Palpatine, just yesterday we heard he was almost kid-¡°

    ¡°-napped,¡± I said, finishing his sentence. ¡°and the leader of the separatists was killed by the Jedi Strike force that saved him. Am I right?¡±

    They both nodded, causing my shoulders to slump.

    ¡°You guys sell any alcohol? I¡¯ve got thousands of imperial credits¡­¡± I said before trailing off again when I reached into my pack and spotted the imperial coins that were more than a thousand years out of use. In the other pouch were various pieces of survival tech and plenty of rations. I pulled out the pouches and dropped them at their feet.

    ¡°I¡¯ve some things I can use to barter. You can hold onto my blaster if need be," I said instead.

    ¡°Imperishables?¡± the older man said upon inspecting them.

    I nodded in response before explaining that they were military-grade rations and covered the entirety of a person¡¯s nutritional needs. Hell, they even tasted pretty good, something I only found out on the trip over. Ok, good might be an overstatement, but they were certainly palatable.

    He thought for a moment before giving me a curt nod and holding out his hand for my blaster. I handed over the Enforcer, though I made no move to hand my lightsaber. The two men didn''t seem to notice.

    The two men opened the gate and allowed me to walk the bike inside.

    ¡°Back to business everyone, he¡¯s just a passing trader. We¡¯ll be at the hall,¡± The older guard called to the rest of the village. He must have been trusted to an extent because the villagers quickly emerged from their homes and went back to their different trades. In less than a few moments, the near empty village burst with life.

    The younger man stayed by the gate as some herdsman and animals were brought back outside to graze on the sparse prairie grass that grew around the palisade. Up close it was quite clear just how¡­rustic this group of people were. Their huts were well built but created out of an odd set of patchwork materials. There wasn''t a lot of technology around either. Everything save for the pumps and moisture traps looked hand powered.

    I got several curious and several more suspicious looks from the various citizens of the small town. It was an oddly diverse cast of cannon species. The Togruta and Twi¡¯leks made up a clear majority, though there were a number of other species like a few Bith and Ghand. There were surprisingly few humans though.

    The older guard followed me inside and directed me to park the bike next to the only two-story building in town. It was apparently a type of community hall, meeting house, and tavern that the townsfolk used. Inside was a bar but no bartender, tables but no hostess. The place was empty and quiet save for a soft holovid that played a continuous news stream on the wall. The older guard motioned me towards the nearest stool before stepping behind the bar and dusting off a glass.

    ¡°What are you having?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll take a shot of something gross, and then maybe something medium to wash it down. I doubt you have any landsharks?,¡± I replied as I took a seat.

    ¡°You want meat?¡± he asked while grabbing a bottle of blue liquid. He poured it into a smaller glass. Then he poured a dark brown liquid into a larger mug before pushing them both towards me.

    ¡°It¡¯s not meat its a...have you ever heard of beer? Its like a fermented grain.¡±

    ¡°Are you stupid? That''s a beer next to your Azure Fire?¡± the man said with a grin. I looked at the shot glass with renewed suspicion. Gross beer I can handle, but I had no clue what Azure Fire was.

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you pour yourself some too. My treat.¡± I said, returning his grin.

    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t while I am on patrol.¡±

    ¡°Hah, fine. Then pour me a double instead,¡± I replied. ¡°And, tell me your name while you¡¯re at it.¡±

    ¡°Suden, I¡¯m the headsman for the town. Now you can tell me yours,¡± he said as he poured another two glasses.

    ¡°Nice to meet you Suden,¡± I said while we shook hands. ¡°I¡¯m Darth- you can just call me Zaros.  Now drink these with me, or I¡¯ll just force you to waste those two glasses," I continued. I almost physically cringed at calling myself Darth Zaros when I tried to give him my name. It all felt a little too edgy.

    He smirked before relenting to my weak trick. We picked up the blue shots in unison and threw them back. It was tongue curling-ly bad, about as bad as the type of vodka that comes in plastic bottles one would find at a college party. On top of the normal disgusting taste of alcohol it had a serious heat to it, like a mixture of cinnamon, cayenne, jalapenos, and whiskey. I almost spit it out. But I was eventually able to force myself to swallow. Though it took a massive gulp of the surprisingly normal beer to get the taste out of my mouth.

    I sighed with some contentment before leaning back into the stool. ¡°So why are you people farming on this hell-scape?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Gotta get food somehow,¡± he replied.

    ¡°I meant that no one in this village could have been born here, you¡¯re all from off-world.¡±

    ¡°I was born here¡­but I understand what you meant, most of the villagers here immigrated or ran away from the spaceport. The short answer? Korriban is hard to live on, but it¡¯s safe from the war. The separatists could hardly care about it since it has less wealth than Jakku. Hell, the place is a tax-free zone simply because it would cost more to collect than it would be worth.¡±

    ¡°So you¡¯re refugees?¡±

    ¡°Some, some are freed-slaves. Others are just too poor to afford a ticket off-world no matter how hard they try.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.

    ¡°Is it expensive to leave?¡±

    ¡°Not particularly, its just hard for someone here to scrape any real number of credits together.¡±

    ¡°Is it hard to get credits, or is it just hard to keep them?¡± I asked. Their clear wariness at my first arrival was more than enough information to guess that this place was far from peaceful.

    Suden gave me a suspicious look. ¡°We¡¯re more than capable of keeping our credits safe¡­¡± he replied. His attitude betrayed the man¡¯s words, and it was clear there was more to the story than he was letting on. ¡°But, I would be lying if I said it got any easier here.¡±

    I waved him off with one hand while I took another sip. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not in the business of thieving from farmers. I only asked since my starship needs a new hyperdrive,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯d rather not be surprised by roving thieves on my way to get it fixed.¡±

    ¡°Well, yes there are more than a few who take what they can.¡±

    We chatted like that for around an hour. I learned that Suden¡¯s parents had first come to Korriban as settlers before the clone wars. Years ago, the place was growing in wealth due to the civilization brought by thousands of pioneers willing to try and tame the rocky deserts. It was a tax-free zone, so for a time money flowed to take advantage. With the onset of war, the area had become somewhat of a neutral zone. The Commerce Guild had a theoretical reign of the space, though more than a few pirates exerted control in the area. As we discussed before, the place was just too poor for the confederacy to have much of a presence. Suden believed the same went for the Republic, as they didn¡¯t seem willing to contest the area.

    ¡°But what brought your parents here? I thought Togruta mostly stayed in communes.¡± Sadness emanated from Suden for a moment as he cupped his glass with both hands.

    ¡°They never told me, I imagine it wasn¡¯t a happy story. It was hard, but we Togruta have a tendency to find each other; find community even in the far-flung planets of the outer rim.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that means you wouldn¡¯t be willing to work as a hired gun?¡± I replied.

    ¡°No, I have my place here. But now you¡¯ve really piqued my interest. A red man comes out of the desert offering food and talk then requesting guns for hire?¡±

    For the rest of the conversation I did my best to sound convincing while answering his probing questions. Though it was hard to decide on a backstory. Was I the simple human computer-nerd from earth? Or the bloodthirsty but honorable Sith Warrior from the Old Republic? I mean what were my goals here. Could I even get back to my old life? Instead, I explained that I was on the planet due to a crash and was in need of a new hyperspace engine, among other things. Muscle of any kind would be welcome in the coming days though.

    Apparently, the only place to find anything like a hyperdrive would be in Dreshdae, about a day¡¯s ride via speeder from here. I was happy to know that the city was still there. That being said, Suden hadn¡¯t heard of either the cities of Vardin nor Kaniset. Both were massive ports back in the day. He knew of the ruins and the tombs but not that they are called the Valley of the Dark Lords. He certainly never heard of the Academy.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been here your whole life and haven¡¯t bothered investigating any of the ruins? They¡¯d probably have more than enough trinkets to keep a whole village supplied,¡± I said to change the subject.

    ¡°Hah, I¡¯m no fool. Almost no one comes back from trips into those accursed areas. It got to be so bad, I stopped any of my people from venturing near any of them.¡±

    Nobody comes back? Sure, the graves of Sith lords were dangerous, especially in the expanded lore. But in-game, the area wasn¡¯t a death trap. You could raid certain ruins and temples easily, even as a low-level player. Though even as a low level player character you''re constantly reminded about how special you are. So relatively easy for a young Zaros may be impossibly hard for a someone normal.

    ¡°They aren¡¯t that dangerous; I¡¯ve raided more than my fair-¡° I began to say before the same horn I heard on my approach sounded.

    ¡°Expecting more company today?¡± I asked.

    Suden shook his head, before running out of the tavern, spear in hand. I downed my drink then, after a moment of consideration, finished Suden¡¯s as well before leisurely following him outside. By the time I was back out into the hot sun, my drinking companion had already made it to the gates where there was a commotion. Another dust cloud was kicked up by what looked like a speeder gang.

    ¡°I thought this place was too poor for collections,¡± I muttered under my breath.

    Around a dozen speeders manned by what looked like a bunch of Weequays were arrayed around the closed gates. Behind them were a larger boxier hovercraft resembling a freighter.

    ¡°Well, well, Suden. I told ya we was gonna be back,¡± the lead Weequay said in a raspy voice. His dark reptilian skin was mostly covered by a thick flowing shirt and tight breeches. A dark cape hung from his back, while a wide-brimmed hat kept his face shaded. His facial ridges were set in a sadistic smirk that showed off sharpened teeth. ¡°Have ya prepared yer promised tribute?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ve never made any promises with your kind Tenno, so move out,¡± replied Suden. He and the other guard were taking cover behind the gate. Their spears were sticking out of small holes in the structure, their tips sticking out towards the visitors.

    ¡°Come naw, Suden. Payments be made in credit, resources, er if you¡¯re unable to pay in traditional methods, I¡¯m sure we canna fill out some stock from among yer fine stock of people¡­¡± Tenno replied. Then he motioned towards the men behind him who produced their blaster pistols. Some were pointed at the gates, though surprisingly most were pointed away from us. Following their sights, it was clear that they were pointing towards the various pumps and moisture collectors. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong Suden, I wouldn¡¯t wantcha crops gettin parched.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± I whispered to the younger guard after crouching behind him. The unexpected sound surprised him and he nearly jumped out of his robes.

    ¡°Gah! Don¡¯t do that. That¡¯s the Tennowatt Gang, moved in a few weeks ago, extorting anyone they can.¡±

    ¡°And you haven¡¯t bothered shooting them yet?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s maybe two other blasters in the settlement besides our range-spears,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Three actually since you¡¯re holding onto mine somewhere,¡± I corrected him. I felt oddly calm for the situation. Realistically speaking this was the first time I had ever been around real operable guns or had them pointed in my general direction. Back on Earth, I would have been shitting bricks. But here, now, I was as calm as I would be on the couch watching an action flick. Which is to say, not falling asleep, but with only a slightly raised heartbeat.

    ¡°Oh yeah, here-¡° he replied before pulling out my enforcer from his robes.

    ¡°Actually, just hold on to that for now. Did those idiots just threaten slavery on your people? How many are in the gang besides them?¡±

    ¡°Uh ok, and yes and I¡¯m not sure, the other villages reported the same amount of bandits in their visits.¡±

    ¡°Enough! Clear out or I¡¯ll start shooting!¡± Yelled Suden. While our sidebar had been going on, he and Tenno had been having a deteriorating back and forth on the payments.

    ¡°Have it yer way Suden, I¡¯ll give you till the count a ten to change your mind. 10¡­¡±

    ¡°Suden!¡± I hissed. ¡°Will you be able to repair the pumps?¡±

    ¡°8¡±

    ¡°Maybe some of them, but we don¡¯t have the parts for everything, he¡¯s basically telling us to pay or starve.¡±

    ¡°4¡±

    ¡°Do you mind if I take care of this for you?¡± I said while freeing my saber handle from my belt slot.

    ¡°2¡±

    ¡°Of course, be my guest,¡± he replied with sarcasm.

    Without answering, I rocketed into the air over the gate. I tipped end over end in a tight front flip, igniting my blade in the process. With a flourish, I drove the blade into the ground between the semi-circle of speeders and energy¡­ no, the force pulsed out of me in all directions causing a small shockwave to ripple through the ground and air. The force, the power of it felt incredibly good, like a rush of adrenaline and ecstasy. It made me feel dangerous and important. It felt like using it would allow me to do anything I wanted.

    A general shriek arose from the gang members when they were thrown off their bikes. As they groaned on the ground, I rose to my feet and lifted my left hand out towards their leader. More power coursed through me and around my hand. I commanded the force to lift Tenno while invisible pressure began to build around his neck.

    Tenno began coughing and pulled his hands up to his throats, scratching and clawing away at the invisible tendrils constricting his airways. His squirming body slowly drifted towards me before I caught him under the shoulder with my left arm and brought my lightsaber to his throat.

    Only after I was sure he was secured in my grip did I release the force-choke.

    ¡°Now, Tenno right? Shall we renegotiate?¡± I said.

    Tenno just sputtered and gasped for a few moments as he regained some oxygen.

    ¡°Maybe I should give you a 10-count before I cut off your head,¡± I said while growing impatient. By this point, the men around us had gotten up and leveled their pistols in my direction.

    ¡°Let em down er we gonna shoot!¡± one of the Weequay snarled. He and the rest of them were much younger than Tenno. Hell, they barely looked legal.

    ¡°Yeah-no, I¡¯m not doing that. How about you put your pistols on the ground and raise your hands above your head, or your leader will lose his, and then you will each lose yours for defying me,¡± I said as I brought the blade to within just a few centimeters of the Tenno¡¯s neck. At that distance the heat would have grown incredibly uncomfortable.

    ¡°Wait, wait. Do as he said lads, my neck just started workin again, I don¡¯t plan on losing it now.¡± For a moment nothing happened. Then one of the flightier gang members tried to back away from the situation. He was stopped in his tracks when a well-placed blaster-shot knocked his gun from hands. That seemed to convince the rest as a dozen clanks could be heard from the men dropping their weapons.

    ¡°Nice shot Suden. Do you and uhh.. the kiddo still got your guns trained on them?¡± I called out.

    ¡°That was the kiddo''s handiwork, and our weapons are ready Zaros. What¡¯s the plan?¡±

    ¡°Why don¡¯t you come to collect these weapons and tow the speeders into town, then we can all have a nice chat with the Tennowatts.

    A few minutes later, the would-be extortionists were patted down and disarmed of all their weapons, even a few hidden boot knives and some hand-made one-shot zippo blasters. They were further restrained with ropes and knelt on the scraggy prairie grass of the town¡¯s common area. The once feared raiders were restrained a few feet from lazily grazing animals and even a few children running about.

    Just after we finished, my communicator beeped with a call from 2V. I opened the device in my upturned palm, and a holographic recreation of the droid appeared.

    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ve gotten our engines back online, and the hull repairs were finished. We still have no hyperdrive, and I haven¡¯t been able to get in touch with any members of the crew or any imperial stations for that matter,¡± the droid stated.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry too much about communications, it¡¯s not a priority. Why don¡¯t you bring the ship round to my coordinates?¡±

    ¡°Yes Sir!¡± the droid replied before I cut the signal.

    ¡°What do you want to do with them?¡± asked the younger guard. He had been keeping a polite distance while the call held, but joined me once it was over. ¡°By the way, my name is Alhoy, not kiddo.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I get it. Anyways, I really have no clue. Um, killing them is probably not an option?" I asked, to which he shook his head. "¡­we could stuff them inside their own cargo hauler and send it into the desert?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure that will work either,¡± replied Alhoy.

    ¡°It was more or less a joke. I think I have a brig, though I¡¯ve never tried to keep fifteen people inside," I replied.

    Then what, I fly around the galaxy with a bunch of halfwit wannabee bandits for the rest of my life? I suppose I could just drop them off at the next planet. If I left them alive on Korriban they''d just go back to raiding.

    ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll fit?¡± inquired Suden who joined us after checking on our prisoner¡¯s bonds.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll make them fit.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll drop them off in the next habitable system, that should keep them out of your hair, and they won¡¯t be uncomfortable for all that long,¡± I explained.

    ¡°You are leaving then?¡± Suden asked.

    I scratched my head before replying with, ¡°There¡¯s a lot to do, the galaxy will be a little hectic in the next few weeks believe it or not; next few days even.¡± I motioned towards the freighter and assorted speeders before continuing. ¡°More importantly what will you all do with your newfound riches?¡±

    ¡°The speeders are yours by right, the cargo is stolen and should be returned though,¡± Suden said without giving the situation much thought.

    ¡°Hah, keep the spoils. Those rusty bikes are an insult to my Eclipse anyways and those blasters won¡¯t do me any good," I replied while motioning to the gorgeous piece of equipment. "You all are probably too good for this planet; give me a call and I¡¯ll relocate you somewhere more suited for the generous type.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡± asked Alhoy a little indignantly. I took a few moments to ponder how best to explain it.

    ¡°You guys don¡¯t know what Sith are right?¡±

    The two warriors shook their heads.

    ¡°But you do at least know of the Jedi?¡±

    ¡°Of course! Ah is that what you are? It all makes sense now,¡± cried Alhoy with enthusiasm. ¡°You have the sword and used the magic of the force!¡± For some reason, I felt incredible irritation at his misnomer of me.

    ¡°No, I¡¯m not a Jedi,¡± I said matter-of-factly. ¡°That¡¯s beside the point, this entire planet is covered in evil magic and the dark side of the force. That¡¯s why it¡¯s so hard to grow or make anything here. I¡¯m kind of surprised you all haven¡¯t become lawless rage-filled fighters under its corruption.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re kidding right?¡± replied Suden. ¡°Could this planet really poison our minds?¡±

    ¡°I don''t know. Sometimes that''s how it works, while other times it doesn''t matter. But, there are definitely safer and easier places to make a living if you guys want to get off-world. My ship only has fifteen beds or so, but between the various rooms and cargo hold it could easily handle your sixty or so villagers especially if we only travel for a few hours.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­an incredible offer actually, but I would need to discuss it with the rest of the village elders,¡± Suden replied.

    ¡°You¡¯ve got time, I¡¯m gonna be doing some mildly dangerous activities for the next few weeks, but afterward I hopefully shouldn¡¯t have any serious responsibilities stopping me from helping out.¡±

    ¡°Where would we go?¡±

    ¡°There are plenty of places better than Korriban. Hell, if you like deserts, I can think of three other worlds with less dark side corruption off the top of my head.¡± I replied while looking off into the distance where I could feel the force emanating from the Valley of the Dark Lords. ¡°Anyways, my offer for a hired gun still stands, I could use some muscle even if for just a few days.¡±

    ¡°No, my place is here. I¡¯ll be plenty busy trying to sort out these goods and training up a few of the villagers with our newly found weapons,¡± he replied.

    ¡°I¡­I could come with,¡± Alhoy said. ¡°If you¡¯d want me¡­ and if Suden will let me.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a free man Alhoy, I¡¯d rather you stay with us, but I could never force you,¡± answered Suden.

    By that point the Fury was in view, flying along at a good clip in the air. The three of us escorted our captives outside the village to a decent landing zone.

    ¡°So, where¡¯d you learn to shoot?¡± I asked him as the ship was setting down.

    ¡°My sister and I often hunt when the harvests can¡¯t fill our stomachs, well we used to at least,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Not anymore?¡±

    ¡°I still go, but a few months back some creature almost killed us both while we hunted shyracks. It was huge, almost like rancor. We managed to bring it down, but not before it ravaged her leg. Now she¡¯s stuck in the village.¡±

    ¡°Big like a Rancor? Did it have large spikes on its head and thick skin?¡±

    ¡°Yes, actually.¡±

    ¡°A terentatek then...seems like you went out of your way to hunt shyracks inside one of the tombs.¡±

    "We may have gotten...ambitious in our attempts to make credits," he replied.

    "But you bested the beast?"

    ¡°Well yes, she and I did it together. I was providing shots from a distance when she got hurt.¡±

    ¡°Bring her here. I assume you kept a trophy? If the two of you can kill a beast like that, she¡¯s earned a place on the ship just as you have.¡±

    ¡°But her leg¡­¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, I have a working med bay that is more than capable of fixing a messed-up leg. In the worst-case scenario, we could just put a prosthetic on her,¡± I said nonchalantly. Rather than being mollified, Alhoy¡¯s face became worried at the mention of cybernetics, so I added, ¡°That last part was a joke, I wouldn¡¯t force robotics onto someone unwilling, now go get her.¡±

    Technically speaking, there was no brig on the Fury, so we stripped the conference room of anything that could cause a problem, removed the furniture, and wired the door to lock from the outside. By the time our new guests were settled in, Alhoy returned carrying his sister and a large horn in his arms. As far as I could tell, it looked like a terentatek spine.

    The two certainly looked related. While Suden¡¯s skin was a lighter orange, theirs was a much darker red. They also had almost identical white patterns adorning their faces and striped red and white montrals. The easiest way to tell them apart was their physiques. Alhoy had a clear warriors build, mostly bulk and muscle like Suden. His sister seemed far more agile with her lean and sinewy muscles.

    ¡°Medbay is over here,¡± I told them as I opened up its doors and had them follow me in. "Lay her on one of the beds, while 2V gets the tank ready.¡±

    2V got to work prepping the kolto tank even before I finished speaking.

    ¡°Your ship is¡­ a little intimidating,¡± the girl told me once she was propped up on the bed.

    ¡°Yeah, it was designed to be. Get used to it though. In a few years, this style of the ship will be all over the galaxy,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m Zaros by the way. I was told you¡¯re a decent shot,¡± I said while putting out a hand to shake. She grasped it with a decent grip.

    ¡°The name is Alha, I can shoot well even now, though I¡¯m much better when both legs work,¡± she said and motioned to her left leg. The knee had taken a beating to the point that it was surprising she still had a lower leg. Her lower leg was barely hanging on with possible torn tendons. Unlike her healthy right leg, it had atrophied almost to the bone.

    ¡°I¡¯ll heal you regardless of your answer, but do you want to work for me? It may...no, will be dangerous,¡± I said after looking her over.

    ¡°Heal this leg and I¡¯ll follow you across the galaxy,¡± she said with hopeful eyes.

    ¡°The tank is ready sir,¡± interjected 2V. Alha allowed herself to be picked up by the droid who got to work attaching a mask and various tubes to her body once she was suspended by a few cords inside the tank. Once she was enclosed, it slowly filled with a blue liquid until no air was left in the tank. The girl nervously looked around with her eyes, before the sedatives began to knock her out.

    ¡°How long will it take?¡± Alhoy asked me once she was asleep.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure actually, what do you think 2V?¡±

    ¡°The healing itself won¡¯t take more than a few hours, though there is much scarring that will need to be removed before her flesh regenerates correctly,¡± it replied impassively.

    ¡°There you have it. Now let¡¯s get out of here unless you wanna watch the scalpels at work,¡± I said as I led him back into the main hold.

    Suden was waiting for us by the hollo-terminal after having entered the village¡¯s signal code into it. ¡°Here is where we part friend. I hope I¡¯m not being too forward in calling you such,¡± he said to me.

    ¡°You aren¡¯t. I consider anyone who will share a few drinks with me worthy of being called a friend,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ll stay in touch, if your people decide to leave I can be back in around a week. But, there¡¯s a decent chance things will go sideways by then, so I¡¯ll keep you updated,¡± I replied. The two of us clasped hands before he left the ship and I handed him a transponder. Once he safely offboarded, the ramp receded, and our propulsion engines slowly lifted us into the air.

    As we made our way over to Dreshdae, I had a chance to see what kind of armor suited Alhoy. We settled on the male version of the Shae Vizla armor. It was Mandalorian of course, which could cause some problems should we run into any fanatics, but by this point, they should all be caught up in the Republic invasion of Mandalore. After that it would be their own civil war. And after that it would be their rebellion against the empire.

    In game, the Beskar armor didn¡¯t provide any tangible benefits but here in the real universe it could turn someone into a tank. Even the side arms and jetpack worked, which would give my new ally many options in battle should he master these gadgets. I had 2V manually disable them. I didn¡¯t want him accidentally lighting my ship on fire. Sadly, the helmet and almost all my helmets were fitted for people without montrals and headtails so he wouldn¡¯t be fully armored for now. He further chose a rather long-barreled scoped-blaster and small pistol from my storage. For the life of me, I couldn¡¯t recall either blasters¡¯ name. It was getting harder to differentiate the various weapons without any game text. God forbid I try to tell my sabers apart, save for the differing designs like the pike, most of the handles looked identical at this point.

    ¡°Now you look like a proper gun,¡± I told him once he had the armor correctly worn. It had taken him a few tries to fit all the pieces of armor together until 2V took over and forcefully placed everything together for him. ¡°You may want to keep this covered though,¡± I told him as I handed over a thick black cloak.

    ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡±

    ¡°Some may take offense to you wearing such a ¡­ distinctive set of armor,¡± I told him.

    ¡°Who? Why? Why am I even wearing it?¡±

    ¡°Just some idiots who are too busy killing each other to notice us right now. You¡¯re wearing it because the benefits outweigh any downsides to wearing it,¡± I replied. ¡°Just stick close to me and wear the cloak overtop. That way, I doubt any would-be disgruntled mando will cause you trouble.¡±

    ¡°This¡­is Mandalorian armor? Beskar?¡±

    ¡°Yeah so try not to get lost. I rather like this armor set and it would be an inconvenience to hunt you down for it,¡± I told him.

    ¡°Did you kill the previous wearer and win it by right of combat?¡±

    ¡°Nah, I bought it online, there¡¯s a second set in there for your sister too,¡± I replied before thinking a moment. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure Shae Vizla, she¡¯s the one who this stuff is modeled after, was still running about when I got stuck here. Though, she¡¯s long dead by now.¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Sir, we are entering the cities airspace, I¡¯m receiving landing signals from the freeports, shall I respond?¡± 2V interjected, causing us both to look towards the outdoor windows. Dreshdae was in the same area as in the game, though the city was far different, far smaller than it used to be. It was situated on the edge of steep cliffs. Grim stainless-steel structures jutted out from the yellow dirt of Korriban. The architecture was mostly metal cylinders, though various structures ranging from brick huts to tents crowded the streets.

    ¡°Do what you need to, but I¡¯m not paying for parking,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I suppose we can set down outside the city center sir.¡±

    ¡°That works for me, keep the ship ready and get Alha dressed if she¡¯s finished treatment before we¡¯re back. I hope it goes without saying that I don¡¯t want any unauthorized entries,¡± I instructed my droid.

    ¡°X2, you¡¯re with us, let¡¯s move out.¡±

    The astromech droid responded with a long series of beeps that roughly translated to: Lets go.

    The night was quickly falling on the barren landscape when we left the Fury. It reminded me of the passage of time and caused me some slight anxiety. I crashed in the morning and by the time I had sorted everything out we already lost a day. ¡°You¡¯re sure that the Chancellor was rescued yesterday?¡± I said to Alhoy as we trekked towards the city gates.

    ¡°We watched the battle in real-time over the holo-vid back at the tavern. I¡¯m pretty sure most of the galaxy tuned into it. It¡¯s not every day a fleet raids Coruscant,¡± he replied. His phrasing made me chuckle. One of the expansions from the remakes allowed you to fight alongside Malgus during the sack of Coruscant. It was an event I thoroughly enjoyed and replayed more than a few times on different accounts.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m tight on cash, so we¡¯re just going to have to requisition some pieces of equipment,¡± I replied as we stopped by a roadside terminal. X2 released a peg from one of its compartments and slipped it into the port. It began whirring and spinning as the droid accessed the city¡¯s computers. ¡°There¡¯s commerce guild offices in the city, which also means there will be a commerce guild dock for their ships as well,¡± I explained in a low voice.

    ¡°Wait you want to steal from the guild?¡± Alhoy hissed at me, a little too loudly for comfort.

    I gave him a glare before responding, ¡°Yes that is the plan and it¡¯s not as risky as you seem to believe. The guild is collapsing. In a few more days their assets will be absorbed back into the republic and their leaders executed. No one will notice a scrapped ship in that time,¡± I explained. ¡°A backwater office like this isn¡¯t used for anything important. The workers here are essentially being punished, so we aren¡¯t dealing with anyone competent.¡±

    ¡°That sounds surprisingly convincing, but how do you know they¡¯re finished?¡±

    ¡°You watched the battle of Coruscant, the separatists lost their largest fleet and their leader. Grievous barely escaped with his life and the Jedi have already tracked him down. A strike team is probably on the way as we speak. When the separatists fall so too will the guild and they won¡¯t just be allowed to re-enter the fold after causing such destruction across the galaxy.¡±

    X2 let out a series of beeps, signifying it had completed the task. The droid let us know that the nearest commerce guild shipyard was situated on the cliffside underneath a set of guild offices. So, the three of us headed that way.

    The streets of Dreshdae were a busy lot, especially after nightfall. Drunken idiots and roughnecks prowled around outside of bars. The three of us passed by more than a few fistfights on our way to the cliffsides. Thankfully, the two of us cut such an intimidating image, bedecked in our heavy armor that no one felt like bothering us. That and I was releasing a small amount of my intimidating aura to ward away any fools.

    Like the rest of the city, the Guild Offices were a set of three large shiny cylinders, connected via crisscrossing covered bridges. Their sleek designs would have been impressive, but the lack of upkeep on the buildings were obvious as rust and dirt had built up around the outside.

    Instead of marching right up to the gate, I pulled my companions into an alley within line of sight on the main entrance about half a city block away.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan, we just march in and steal a shuttle capable of hyperspace?¡± asked Alhoy.

    X2 let out a series of beeps, which basically translated to ¡°The storage lists indicated no spare hyperdrives planet-side, thus any drive will need to be ripped from some other ship.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated than that. You and X2 will fly down the cliffs and upon my signal enter the docks. I will walk in the front door and cause a disturbance. Once the droids hear a lightsaber wielder is cutting them down, they will concentrate their forces to stop me. While that¡¯s happening I expect you two to have commandeered a shuttle and brought it back to the interceptor. I will do what I can to keep them occupied but try not to let them follow you.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s just one problem in that plan, Zaros. I haven¡¯t tried this jetpack out, I don¡¯t even know how to turn it on.¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°X2 was transferred control of your gadgets on the ship, just hold onto him and you two will be there in no time,¡± I explained. ¡°Now go!¡±

    With that, X2 shot out a cord that wrapped around Alhoy¡¯s waist before his jetpack ignited sending both of them into the sky. ¡°Wait wait wait!¡± Alhoy squeeked, as he was sent out of sight.

    I casually walked over to the front doors where three B1 battle droids were stationed with blasters in hand. They were motionless, almost as if they were powered down, though I knew otherwise.

    When I was a few feet away, I waved at them with my unpowered lightsaber in hand. ¡°Excuse me, Excuse me, can you help me out with some directions?¡± I called out.

    The three droids shot to attention, as one responded in that annoying voice all B1s were programmed with. ¡°Stop right there, this area is restricted to only guild employees,¡± one of the droids called out.

    ¡°Yeah, and if you don¡¯t leave we are obligated to open fire,¡± another said.

    The third droid nodded and said, "roger, roger."

    ¡°No need for that,¡± I replied as I kept walking towards them. ¡°Like I said, I¡¯m just lost and in need of information.¡±

    The droids didn¡¯t seem to buy it as they all cocked their guns in my direction. ¡°This is your last warning,¡± the third droid stated.

    Obviously, I didn¡¯t heed them. I ignited my red blade, which elicited gasps of horror from the three droids.

    ¡°Jedi!¡±

    ¡°Shoot him!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m calling for backup!¡±

    The three of them yelled out at the same time while they palmed the triggers on their blasters, sending a slew of red bolts in my direction. I reacted immediately and subconsciously. My blade moved in a flurry deflecting the bolts in all directions. With a little more will channeled into my arms, I was able to deflect a bolt straight into the body of one of the droids. It crumpled to the ground in a smoking pile.

    I continued to deflect their bolts as I moved forward. In a few steps I was able to close the distance with a force powered charge and knock the two droids back. In two slashes, I dispatched the disoriented fighters.

    By this point, the structure¡¯s alarm was going off. Good, now if I cut a path to some random room, most of the droids should follow.

    A single slash to the wall terminal did the trick in opening the otherwise locked doors. I¡¯m not entirely sure why that worked, it seemed like a serious design flaw in security, but the Star Wars universe was never great in that department. Depending on the state of just about every door, you could either lock or unlock it by destroying the terminal.

    Once inside, I sent a signal to X2 letting him know they can start their operation.

    With that out of the way, I could really let loose within the lifeless halls of the guild offices. I breathed in deeply before pulling the force into me. I called upon the same feelings of annoyance and anger I felt throughout the day to empower me. It was intoxicating and I let out a roar that reverberated throughout the hallways. As it echoed and faded, I could begin to make out the clanking boots of droids. I picked up speed and began sprinting throughout the compound letting myself be guided to their whereabouts.

    I turned a corner and was met with a group of battle droids. They wasted no time in firing upon me but my Juggernaut training left my defenses impenetrable. My blade blocked all their blasts long enough for me to force smash the floor beneath them sending out a shockwave that knocked them all to the ground. In a frenzy, I set upon the weak droids and cut them down.

    This scene played out more than a few times. Room to room, hallway to hallway, droids fell to the floor the same way each time. Though thankfully by the time my anger was quenched and my brow perspired, my transponder began beeping.

    When I opened it, a holographic miniature of Alhoy appeared. ¡°Zaros, we¡¯re clear of the city, and are circling around to the Fury as we speak,¡± he reported.

    ¡°Good, I was just getting bored here. I¡¯ll be out momentarily but don¡¯t wait up. I want that hyperdrive switched over ASAP,¡± I replied.

    ¡°We¡¯re on it!"

    I gathered a few thermal detonators from the fallen droids before making my way towards the front doors. I experienced little resistance on the way. Once outside, I turned and threw the half dozen grenades back inside before sprinting into the night. I was away and down the street before they went off, causing a series of explosions that would cripple the offices for the time being.

 2. Conversation on Kashyyk

    ¡°So, what is this dangerous mission you¡¯ve picked us up for?¡± asked Alha. She was wearing the other set of Vizla armor with two blaster pistols at her side. The three of us were seated around the holoterminal in the main hold, while 2V served refreshments. We were leaving Korriban behind, though the new hyperdrive hadn¡¯t been fully integrated, it was only a matter of minutes.

    ¡°How much do you two know about the Jedi?¡± I answered her question with a question both to get my thoughts together and to better understand how to explain my situation.

    ¡°They¡¯re sorcerers and the protectors of the republic,¡± interjected Alhoy.

    ¡°They¡¯re also the GAR¡¯s leaders,¡± stated Alha. ¡°Anywhere the republic is fighting, you can probably find a Jedi.¡±

    ¡°Correct. I assume you also know of dark Jedi, fallen Jedi, and the dark side?¡±

    ¡°Are you talking about Dooku? The Republic news channels have been calling him a Dark Jedi for a while now,¡± asked Alha.

    ¡°Well yes, he is a Dark Jedi, but in the past and among the Jedi they were known as the Sith. They are the greatest enemies of the Jedi,¡± I said.

    ¡°Wait, at the gate, you called yourself a Sith!¡± exclaimed Alhoy. ¡°Listen, I¡¯m all for making money, and we are in your debt for saving my sister, but I¡¯m not exactly sure about fighting the Jedi¡­¡±

    ¡°Good because we aren¡¯t fighting the Jedi, we¡¯re planning on saving them. Or at least a save as many as we can. They¡¯ve been caught in quite the trap,¡± I explained. ¡°I am a Sith in more ways than one, but I¡¯m not affiliated with Dooku or his master. I just happen to have knowledge of their plots.¡±

    ¡°But you¡¯re still their enemy?

    I nodded.

    "So why save them?¡±

    ¡°For a few reasons, but the most important is that I don¡¯t belong here. It will take time for me to figure out how to get home. The Jedi may leave me alone, but Sidious will take offense at my mere presence in the Galaxy. If there''s one thing the Sith hate more than the Jedi, its unaffiliated Sith.¡±

    Getting home, if I even wanted to do so, would be tough. The way I saw it, there were two options: Technology or Magic. Presumably, there was some kind of tech in the galaxy that would allow me to hop universes, though I wasn''t privy to any knowledge on them. There were certain force based places that might give me an answer. Off the top of my head, the Whills and their priestesses might know how to get home. The issue is that they were hidden behind an unenterable nebula. You basically needed an invite to get it. There was also a chance the Father knew. Being an almost omniscient god of the force would mean he had to have some answers. Too bad he was long dead. I sure as hell wasn''t going near the Mother. A picture of that tall ethereal woman with too many sharp teeth flashed in my mind when I thought of her causing me to shudder. Finally, there was that magic mirror on Ahch-To which should at least give me a hint. Much like a fairy tail it would answer your questions, though it would do it in such a vague way that you may end up knowing less information afterwards.

    If I did end up going the technology route, I would probably have to look towards one of the builder species. Star Wars was one of those universes where the ancient aliens often had the best tech. Between the Rakata, Celestials, the Kwa, and the Iokath, I wouldn''t be surprised if somebody had a time machine or a universe...hopping machine.

    On the ship, I tried to explain our more immediate situation to my companions. How the entire war was a ruse, the two sides were played off each other in order to amass power in Sidious¡¯s hands. How Skywalker would lead an assault on the Jedi Temple while the clone armies all across the Galaxy cut down their Jedi Generals.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying that Palpatine has been the bad guy this whole time?¡± Alhoy blurted out.

    ¡°Pretty much. Each step in the war has given him more power over the republic. He currently has control of the banks and the military. The military itself has expanded to include police forces, intelligence, and jails. His new emergency powers have given him control over the legislature and the other apparatuses of power in the Galaxy,¡± I explained.

    ¡°So, I ask again, what exactly is the mission?¡± Alha says.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not¡­entirely sure what to do. I really don¡¯t know how I compare in strength against the current force users in the Galaxy. I¡¯d usually do something like just go straight to kill Palpatine, but he''s supposed to be the most powerful Sith of all time. He''s also incredibly well protected," I replied.

    "I think our best bet is to get in contact with Master Yoda. If my understanding of the timeline is correct, then he will have gotten to Kashyyk earlier today. We have until Coruscant''s sunset tomorrow before all hell breaks loose," I explained.

    ¡°Ok, Master Yoda sounds like the right path,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Its¡­not that simple. I¡¯m a warrior of the dark side and a true Sith. The Jedi have been looking for exactly someone who fits my description ever since the clone wars began. Almost any Jedi we meet will waste no time in trying to arrest me," I explained. I thought for a moment, then said. "Yoda is an enigma though. He''s more open minded than most, but you never really know what he thinks since he only ever speaks in riddles and platitudes.¡±

    ¡°Is there anyone else who would listen?¡± asked Alhoy as he bit into a block of rations.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, the Jedi are a religious group first and foremost. Using the Dark Side is akin to their greatest blasphemy. For the last few thousand years, dark side users have hidden in the gutters on the outer rim, reduced to boogeymen; hunted upon their first signs,¡± I explained. I pondered the thought though.

    Mace Windu, as cool as he is from a spectator¡¯s view, was out. Sure he might listen, but then he¡¯d just attack Sidious and die. That''s if he even listened to me and didn''t try to attack me on sight. I didn¡¯t know enough about the other Masters save for Kenobi and Yoda to even consider them as options. Kenobi was still on Coruscant at the moment...but getting there too early may tip Palpatine off. The ugly bastard has a knack for tracking down dark side users across the galaxy.

    The more I thought about it the more it seemed like Yoda was the best option, his word carried the most weight and he can probably get the information to the rest of the Jedi if I could convince him.

    ¡°Set a course for Kashyyk, and I¡¯ll have a message prepared to explain the situation for Yoda,¡± I explained while rubbing my temple. ¡°Then, I¡¯ll meet with him alone. That way you two can spring me from jail if it doesn¡¯t go well.¡± It was a gamble to even talk to the man. I doubted these two would be any help in the situation, so it was better to have them wait it out.

    I was really going out on a limb here. It wasn''t just about weakening Sidious. I...had a duty to save those idiots. Yoda, Kenobi, plenty of Jedi were good people. They made the galaxy a better place. Besides, they seemed cool enough. I just couldn''t help myself. It''s like seeing your neighbors house on fire. The least I could do is let them know.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°Speak the truth, you do, at least in reference to your powers. In mysterious ways, the force works. Accept your parlay I will. Awaiting your presence in my base near Kachirho, I am,¡± the small projection of Master Yoda said in a ponderous tone. It was almost comical to see him confused about the whole situation.

    ¡°Thank you¡­ Master Yoda, I will come alone and submit to any searches necessary to appear before you,¡± I replied while channeling my best business like demeanor from my previous life and cut the coms before it broke. Mentally, I understood the need to be respectful and tempered while on the call. Physically and emotionally, I found it hard to not lace my words with arrogance and disdain when dealing with such a powerful Jedi. These were the same group of people that glassed Korriban and forced the surviving Sith species to run for their lives. Zaros remembered that all too well. He trained his whole life to enact that revenge.

    ¡°Well, that¡¯s that, make sure to look over those training modules while I¡¯m gone. I can¡¯t have my droids piloting your jetpacks forever,¡± I said as I made my way to the landing ramp. I looked back for a moment at Alhoy and X2 before saying, "Well, maybe I could let them have control."This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

    It was early morning on the Galactic Standard Day/Night schedule, though it was midnight on Kashyyk when we touched down. It was a dark night, with barely any moon exposed, but the sun would soon be rising over the steel landscape of Coruscant. We were slowly but surely running out of time and should this meeting not go as planned, the best I would be able to do is swoop in and save a bunch of Jedi on my own.

    I turned back and gave a wave as the Fury took off to find a safe place to hide out in space, leaving me on my own. Well, on my own, save for the fifteen restrained bandits on the ground behind me.

    Kashyyk and the Forward Command center were exactly as they were in Revenge of the Sith. Impossibly tall trees rose out of the sandy beaches. The entire place would make a great view if there weren¡¯t thousands of bodies and flaming metal slag pieces strewn across the beach. We landed far enough away from the fighting to avoid danger, but even from here, one could make out the mixture of blue and red blaster fire going on between the two forces.

    Turning around, I was greeted by a squadron of arc troopers who all had their guns at the ready. ¡°We¡¯ve been asked to confiscate your lightsaber,¡± their leader explained. He, like the others, was decked out in green markings that accented their otherwise pure white armor. In one hand he held a small pistol while the other reached out, expecting me to hand him my saber.

    I didn¡¯t want to disappoint him, so I promptly tossed the weapon into his hand. ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll want to search me next?¡± I said whilst assuming a spread position.

    Two of his men came forward and patted me down. As I hadn¡¯t brought anything else, the search proved fruitless.

    ¡°You, done yet?¡± I asked them as they got a little too handsy around my backside.

    ¡°He¡¯s clear,¡± the clone to my right said, completely disregarding my question. ¡°What about the¡­prisoners?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re your problem now, free them or throw them in jail, it doesn¡¯t really matter.¡±

    ¡°Why are they here?¡± asked the lead Arc trooper.

    ¡°I ran into some bandits and didn¡¯t have a chance to dump them anywhere else,¡± I replied.

    "And you''re dumping them on us?" he retorted.

    "I could kill them instead?" I replied and raised turned my left hand towards the sky. With a small amount of the force, I gradually lifted up Tenno off the ground.

    The troopers didn''t react other than to tense up with their guns.

    Tenno began to choke. He clawed at the ghostly bonds around his neck.

    ¡°Fine! We''ll take them. Follow us and try not to make any sudden movements,¡± the lead Arc trooper said before turning and marching along at a decent clip. A few of his men stayed behind to process the Tennowatts.

    I was led along a winding path into the tree based city. Once inside a massive tree, we climbed hundreds of stairs into one of the large trees structures until we came to a circular room with large comfortable couches. Trying to act the part of an arrogant Sith I lazed onto one of them and stretched my legs. The troopers arranged themselves at the edges of the rooms, never allowing their hands to stray far from their weapons.

    ¡°So, will he be here soon? Or should I put in an order for refreshments?¡± I asked the lead trooper.

    He said nothing and remained perfectly still as if he didn¡¯t even hear me speak. After waiting a few moments for him to say something, I sighed and leaned back against the couch. I was still wearing the warden armor from yesterday, though I forwent any headgear. I had thought about keeping my face covered throughout my dealings with Yoda but had ultimately decided against it. Subterfuge was never my strong point, and any type of failed deception against the wizened master would just make him think worse of me. So instead, my admittedly handsome red face was out in all its glory.

    Refreshments were served by a small quirky droid that was denoted by some combination of letters and numbers I forgot, which made me anxious at just how long this was going to take. To ward off those feelings I found myself trying to make small talk with the statuesque guards.

    ¡°Did you lot see action on Coruscant? I¡¯m told Grievous cut quite a path through clones and Jedi alike. I heard he left Shaak Ti grievously wounded and hanging by a thread..."

    "Did you know that just about every attack on Coruscant was a turning point in a galactic struggle?¡± I asked the room. Nobody responded.

    ¡°Thousands of years ago, Naga Sadow lost the Great Hyperspace war on Coruscant. Literally made it to the steps of the Jedi Temple before he lost.¡±

    ¡°A thousand years later, a surprise attack on the galactic capital allowed the resurgent Sith Empire to carve out half the Galaxy as their fief.¡±

    ¡°Now that was a battle! The Jedi temple was in flames while Darth Malgus dueled Master Ven Zallow.¡±

    ¡°Better yet, we broke into that damned temple by crashing- this is the best part- crashing a stolen republic transport into the place. The impact almost took the whole ziggurat down. You should have seen their faces when the ship opened up and dozens of Sith Warriors sprinted into the inner sanctums of the Jedi.¡±

    ¡°Speak as if you were there, you do. Quite odd. Took place millennia ago, the Sack of Coruscant did,¡± Yoda said as the doors in front of me opened and the short Jedi stepped through at a slow pace guided by his cane.

    My mouth opened in surprise as I realized my mistake too late. Somewhere along the line, I stopped talking like the spectator I was on Earth and rather like the Sith Warrior who had really experienced these events.

    ¡°Yes, well I am an odd man that is for sure,¡± I said whilst recovering from the tongue slip. I rose to my feet and gave a slight bow to the esteemed Jedi. ¡°Thank you for meeting with me, Master Yoda.¡± Again, I was forced to channel my previous work experience instead of allowing my emotions to come to the front.

    ¡°Yes, an odd Sith indeed,¡± he replied before taking a seat across from me. ¡°Your name freely will you give?¡±

    ¡°Of course, I¡¯m Dar- er, just Zaros, call me Zaros.¡± At the mention of my name, something flashed across Yoda''s face.

    ¡°An urgent message to deliver, you have?¡±

    I scanned the room for a moment and then hardened the expression on my face. ¡°A while ago, you were experiencing a problem with inhibitor chips in a few clones. It led to an assassination attempt on the chancellor?¡±

    Yoda cocked his head for a moment, then gave me a nod to continue.

    ¡°But the Jedi temple never got a real chance to run their own independent scans on the chips, am I right?¡±

    The green master narrowed his eyes for a moment before shaking his head.

    "You also know that Count Dooku was the one who instituted the Clones after he left the Jedi. Yet you chose not to release this information to the public..."

    Yoda didn''t react to that statement.

    "And what did that malfunctioning clone keep saying after he shot a Jedi knight in the head? Something about killing all the Jedi and following orders?¡±

    ¡°He didn¡¯t malfunction, he got sick. Where are you going with this?¡± demanded the previously silent ARC commander from his position behind Yoda.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll get to the point. You were deceived. There is no such thing as an inhibitor chip and even if there was, nobody would waste the time and resources to hide it as an organic chip. Those are command chips hidden inside the minds of each clone. Care to guess what the hidden command is?¡±

    ¡°Stop this! We have sworn an oath to the republic, to our brothers in arms and among the Jedi!¡± shouted the commander, losing all pretense of cool-headedness before Yoda silenced him.

    ¡°A grave accusation against my men you have made,¡± replied Yoda.

    ¡°Not against them, I believe every clone is a loyal soldier to the republic and to the Jedi. I certainly don¡¯t believe in Kaminoans though. And I believe even less in the shady deal Sifo Dyas and Darth Tyrannus made with them in order to create your clone allies. So, I ask you another question, who stopped your people from reviewing these inhibitor chips?¡±

    ¡°Chancellor Palpatine¡­¡± Yoda said the words so softly they were almost imperceptible. I nodded.

    ¡°Who benefitted from this war the most? Who commanded Anakin Skywalker to kill Dooku before he could be questioned? Whose political power became unquestionable after the attack on Coruscant?¡±

    ¡°Saying that Palpatine is Sidious, you are?¡±

    ¡°Obviously!¡± I said getting slightly annoyed. ¡°He literally chuckles and monologues the moment your backs are turned! It¡¯s really obvious. There''s Sith memorabilia in his office!¡±

    ¡°For a Sith to stay so close, so long undetected, immense power he would need to wield,¡± replied Yoda.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware; in terms of power, he¡¯s probably stronger than Vitiate...stronger than any Sith I can think of. He¡¯s the culmination of the rule of two. Generations of masters and apprentices, each stronger than the one that came before them. Hell, there¡¯s a reason he¡¯s been burning through his own apprentices. He can¡¯t even find anyone close to taking over for him,¡± I replied. "Well, he was burning through apprentices, though that has come to an end."

    "Gave up on teaching, he has?"

    "No, but your council just handed him the only person in the galaxy capable of taking his place."

    ¡°Anakin? Easier to believe, is it not, that you are the Sith we¡¯ve been searching for?¡±

    ¡°Trying to convince you to remove a few chips and return to Coruscant isn¡¯t the masterstroke move you seem to think it is. Listen, if you don¡¯t believe me it¡¯s¡­well not your funeral but just about every Jedi in the galaxy instead. That includes all the younglings and padawans waiting helplessly in the temple, so if you don¡¯t believe me then we have nothing more to say to each other,¡± I replied.

    "Even so, not so easily believed, your words are. Advantages a Sith always seek," Yoda mused.

    "I...have no love for Sidious," I replied.

    "Not seeking an alliance?" he said, digging deeper.

    I gnashed my teeth. "As if I would," I replied before getting to my feet.

    As I stood, most of the guns in the room were trained on me. ¡°Sir, he¡¯s clearly some type of darkside user. And he¡¯s hinted at far too much top-secret knowledge we can¡¯t just let him leave our custody,¡± stated the commander. Before he could resist, my saber flew off his belt and ignited in my hands.

    ¡°The only reason I¡¯ve been in your custody was that I allowed it to be so,¡± I snarled.

    ¡°Enough, enough,¡± Yoda said calmly before he forced my saber to shut off with the force. That surprised the hell out of me, and I started to press the power button aggressively.

    ¡°Free to leave you are. Under consideration, I have taken your words," Yoda continued. It brought my attention back to the conversation.

    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s a better outcome than I could have hoped for. Please, stay alert. I swear on my name that by the time night falls on Coruscant, your clones will be forced to turn on you and the rest of the order, at least tell your people to be on guard.¡± I pulled out a Sith Holocron and tossed it to him. ¡°This has all the information we just discussed, among other things.¡±

    ¡°A promise of vigilance, I can easily give. May the force be with you, Wrath of the Empire.¡±

 3. Extraction from Coruscant

    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Alha asked as she followed me up the ramp. Heavy rain had began falling by the time we reconvened. It was mid-morning on Coruscant at that point.

    ¡°Could have been better, could have been worse,¡± I replied. ¡°If I¡¯m being honest, I¡¯m not sure how much good it will do. There¡¯s a possibility this conversation saved the Jedi, though it also could have just caused Sidious to invoke Order 66 sooner,¡± I explained. Worse, I was even more concerned with Sidious''s power after the meeting. That green rat read me like a book, yet he''s been fooled by Palpatine for years.

    ¡°How so?¡± She asked.

    ¡°I''m not omniscient, I just happen to know the general idea of the trap. It¡¯s conceivable that there are more strings in this web we haven''t seen. Sidious could have the Jedi under observation. If, say, a few hundred of them go AWOL and return to Coruscant, he will know something has gone wrong,¡± I explained. ¡°In that scenario, he is denied a checkmate of total annihilation, but he would still invoke 66 and the Jedi would probably still be ousted from the Republic," I explained.

    "With an army of millions of clones, most Jedi would die long before they get a chance to face the emperor. And a protracted war would favor Palpatine. It''s not just the clones, he still has control over the separatist droid armies as well," I continued.

    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, why don¡¯t we just do something ourselves?¡± she asked.

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it, the only other thing I can think of is to head straight to Coruscant and provide damage control for this mess ourselves.¡±

    ¡°Sounds like a plan to me,¡± Interjected Alhoy.

    ¡°That was not a plan, a plan has steps and goals. Anyways, we would need to arrive just as the assault on the temple begins," I reply.

    ¡°We saw our fair share of danger on Korriban ¡­ but why not get there beforehand?¡± Alha said. She seemed very interested in this rescue mission.

    ¡°At best, getting there early to give a warning will be ineffectual. Mace Windu probably won¡¯t give me an audience. It¡¯s more likely that he would arrest me on the spot, then I¡¯d just be a sitting duck for the takeover. He¡¯s not the type to parlay with a Sith Lord.¡±

    ¡°So we go in guns blazing? Heroes of the galaxy descending in at the last moment to save the day?¡± Alha said with a chuckle. ¡°It sounds like the perfect Togrutan Holovid Drama!¡±

    ¡°It probably won¡¯t go down like that,¡± I replied. Then I thought about it for a moment. Was I willing to let those innocent kids die? I could deal with him cutting a path through the Jedi Knights. They were real combatants. But, all the younglings too? What if we were the only ones who could help?

    With a defeated sigh, I finally said, ¡°2V set a course for Coruscant¡±

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°It¡¯s like a jewel, floating in the middle of space,¡± Alha said as we looked upon the ecumenopolis. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it¡­¡±

    ¡°I know what you mean, it looks amazing from a distance, it still looks good from the upper levels, but it quickly loses its luster the closer you get to the surface,¡± I replied. ¡°Naboo, Alderaan, even watching the sunset from the rooftop bar on Mos Espa offers a better vista.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to compare the views when you take us to all those places,¡± she replied while smirking. Then she grew more serious and said, ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡±

    During the trip, I had time to better organize my thoughts. Just because we couldn''t warn the Jedi, didn''t mean we couldn''t get there early to help them.

    ¡°The attack on the temple is supposed to take place around sunset, but if Yoda makes a move, it could happen long before then. So, we¡¯ll touch down within view of the temple, as soon as we see a column of troopers marching towards the place we swoop in and pick up anyone who is willing to leave and get the hell out of there,¡± I explained.

    ¡°That is a surprisingly simple plan¡­¡± Alhoy said with a hint of apprehension. "Shouldn''t we help defend the temple?"

    ¡°Simple doesn¡¯t mean easy. And have you been paying attention to anything I said? Every clone in the Coruscant garrison will be moving on the temple, there is no defense. At best you can delay."

    "There will be a blockade around the temple screening all inbound and outbound traffic," I state, while zooming in on the area around the temple. The hologram settles on a small port just above the underworld. ¡°So we park within it or at least as close as we can get.¡±

    ¡°From there, Alha and I will enter the temple while you stay with the ship.¡± I said as a holograph of the Fury appeared to float above the temple. ¡°We will gather everyone we can in the council chambers and once the signal is given you and 2V will provide the evac.¡± At the mention of the evac, a red pulse appeared at the top of one of the towers in the temple.

    ¡°The good news is that the clones use almost no air support in the initial attack. For some reason, its carried out by strictly boots on the ground. So, we should have a few minutes before any starfighters arrive.¡±

    ¡°Why park so close if there¡¯s no air support?¡±

    ¡°Our ship will trigger the need for air support, so the later we¡¯re in the air, the later they will be too. Flying in from a distance will just give them more time to scramble their fighters.¡±

    ¡°Will they just let you walk into the temple?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a religious building. Pilgrims and the public will probably be allowed in to pay their respects. Back in my day there used to actually be a sizeable area open to the public, but it closed before nightfall. The Jedi are traditionalists, so I doubt they will have changed that policy. We just get in, hide until the firefight starts, then save the day."

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°I think it looks even better up close, like a mountain range made out of metal, except it¡¯s the whole planet,¡± said Alha while we climbed the hundreds of steps up to the front gate of the temple.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t anywhere near the surface. The surface is hundreds of meters below us where people live in filth and darkness,¡± I replied. "The actual surface of this planet is almost unlivable. Only mutants and monsters make that place a home."

    ¡°Oh¡­Oh it really is like a mountain range then.¡±

    ¡°I suppose it is.¡±

    The two of us followed the stream of pilgrims and public visitors up the steps leading to the temple proper. About halfway up from where we started, there was a line of scanner-wielding temple workers searching the visitors, presumably for contraband and weapons.

    ¡°Beautiful weather isn¡¯t it?¡± I said when it was our turn to be scanned.

    The brunette human temple worker nodded with a smile. ¡°It is! Peaceful weather hopefully foretells a peaceful future now that the war is winding down,¡± she replied then moved forward to scan me.

    I made a small and slow movement with my hands, while slowly saying, ¡°You have already scanned us, and found nothing. Time to move on.¡± The force swirled into the woman''s head while I did this.

    The worker looked at me for a moment then mindlessly repeated the phrase before letting us in. Technically we didn¡¯t need any weapons for the next stage of the plan. I wasn''t planning on fighting, but it wasn¡¯t like I was planning on giving them up either.

    At the top of the stairs, various groups headed by padawans, and Jedi scholars were prepping groups of people to lead the pilgrims and visitors on tours. The two of us chose one at random and stayed at the rear of a small group.

    ¡°So, what can I expect on a tour?¡± Alha asked as we set ourselves of at the back of a small group.

    ¡°There are some places I was curious about, but I''ve never been here...as a tourist. So, I''m not entirely sure," I replied.

    ¡°Then, how¡¯d you know about all of this?¡± She said motioning towards the tour group.

    ¡°I was once invited to visit the place by a Jedi Grandmaster,¡± I explained before pointing at a collection box the tourists were throwing change into. ¡°I imagine it also helps the padawans practice courtesy and public speaking, but that¡¯s also pure conjecture.¡±

    "A grandmaster? like Yoda? I thought you guys were mortal enemies?" Alha asked.

    "Well, yeah but we had to team up to stop a guy from wiping out all life in the galaxy," I replied. Before she could ask anymore questions I turned and scanned for our tour guide.

    ¡°Excuse me, young lad,¡± I said with a wave towards our Padawan group tour leader. ¡°Is there any place we can pay respects to Tarre Vizla, my companion here is something of an admirer,¡± I explained before exposing some of her beskar plates through her robes.

    ¡°Of course, his monument and empty blade holder are available to the public!¡± he said in a chipper tone. ¡°I am Padawan Zett, by the way. Is there anywhere else you had in mind?¡±

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to have a memorial area for Satele Shan?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The grandmaster? Her likeness is in quite a few areas, though my personal favorite is in the Hall of Grandmasters.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, Padawan. We¡¯ll be in your care¡­I don¡¯t suppose the Archives and Room of a Thousand Fountains are open to the public?¡± I replied with a smile.

    ¡°Sadly, you will need to apply to enter either space, the library and archives are very accommodating for researchers. Though the process can be lengthy, it is considered fair. The Room of Fountains is considered a mediation space, so access is not often given¡­¡±

    ¡°No worries.¡±

    The Jedi temple was probably one of the most beautiful structures in the galaxy. The large stone and metal structures were covered in runes, carvings, and other pieces of art. The gardens adorning the exterior were a welcome green in the expanse of unnatural colors around Coruscant. It was peaceful there.

    From my point of view, it was too peaceful. Like the calm before the storm, a hush had descended upon the place. Or maybe it felt like the temple was completely isolated. The bustle of the city was completely lost even in the outer courtyards; not muffled but completely gone. Entering the temple grounds was like leaving Coruscant proper behind.

    Even worse the entire place dripped with the light side. Between the many Jedi and light side artifacts, I felt constantly on edge. It was like everything reminded me that I was out of place here. Korriban was positively reassuring at this point.

    We arrived inside the temple just after lunch. But, the massive structure was far too large to explore in a day, even for the publicly accessible areas. It was a small disapointment all things considered, as we would probably not make it back for a while, if ever.

    As the tour was winding down, we politely removed ourselves to the bathroom, though the only lockable one we found was a small-unisex stall. It was incredibly tight fit. Between my bulky frame and our armor sets, there was barely any room to move.

    I slumped onto the toilet which freed up some room. Alho leaned onto the sink. My legs had some minor aches from walking around the temple for hours.

    ¡°For an enemy of the Jedi, you sure did know a lot about the various topics of the tour,¡± she said after a while.

    ¡°Know thy enemy and whatnot,¡± I replied. Times like this made me question why smartphones weren¡¯t a thing people in the galaxy used. Sure, there were datapads and tablets, but none of those seemed to have any games installed.

    ¡°You knew more about ancient Jedi history than our tour guide,¡± she replied after a long silence.

    ¡°What are you getting at?¡±

    ¡°Nothing really, you just don¡¯t look like the scholarly type.¡± She replied.

    ¡°And what type do I look like?¡±

    ¡°Well, if I¡¯m being honest; you give off more of brawny but brainless aura, just from your looks though,¡± she replied.

    ¡°You¡¯re saying I look dumb?¡±

    ¡°Not dumb, just that you don¡¯t look like the kind of person who spends hours in front of a holocaster¡­¡± she said trailing off. ¡°I feel like there¡¯s no chance of saving this conversation at this point.¡±

    I waved her off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I kind of get what you meant. If it makes you feel better, I didn¡¯t do any special training to get this; I more or less woke up one day with all these muscles.¡±

    ¡°I guess that makes sense,¡± she replied sarcastically.

    ¡°Nothing in this galaxy ever makes sense,¡± I replied before changing the subject. ¡°Now that we¡¯re stuck hiding in a bathroom for a while, I gotta ask if this galactic adventure is living up to your standards?¡±This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    ¡°The current mission is a little doom and gloom for my tastes, but I doubt they are all like this,¡± she said. ¡°But I can¡¯t complain, two days ago I was wasting away inside a desert hut. Now I¡¯m at the literal center of the galaxy.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not the real center of the Galaxy, they just arbitrarily made it coordinate 0 for convenience. And you¡¯d be surprised how often this galaxy needs saving,¡± I replied. ¡°I quite literally can¡¯t imagine what it''s like during an extended peacetime.¡±

    ¡°Really why is that?¡±

    ¡°¡­We should check in with Alhoy, it¡¯s been too long since we heard from him,¡± I said. In part because I was worried about not having checked in but mostly to change the subject. I was veering into some seriously meta-conversation on how I only know the Star Wars galaxy from media that needed conflict to tell a story.

    ¡°How¡¯s it looking out there?¡± I said after activating the com piece on my wrist. There was no response. ¡°Alhoy, come in? Alhoy can you hear me?¡±

    ¡°Do you think someone¡¯s blocking our coms?¡± I said after a moment.

    ¡°I have no idea, is there any way to tell?

    Except, I didn¡¯t hear her. At that moment, thousands of visions entered my mind. They flew by too quickly to comprehend accurately the individuals in them, but each one was a death caused by betrayal. Screams of pain pulsed out across the Galaxy.

    When the scenes ended, I gasped for air. For some reason, I was hopelessly out of breath. When I refocused my eyes, Alha was in my face and holding me by the shoulders. Concern was in her eyes.

    ¡°Are you ok? You went catatonic for a while there¡­¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s begun, and I don¡¯t think our meeting with Yoda changed much. We need to leave now,¡± I explained. We both took a few moments to ready our arms and ditch the cloaks before opening the door.

    When we left the bathroom, a series of explosions rocked the temple sending dust and plaster cascading down from the ceiling. ¡°Alhoy, what was that?!¡± I asked into my wrist-com.

    ¡°Rocket fire from a distance¡­They just took out the temple hangars,¡± he replied. Oh now he plans on answering. "Thank the gods you answered, I''ve had X2 trying to reestablish coms for hours."

    ¡°Rockets? All the more reason for us not to be in the air longer than necessary,¡± I said.

    The main hall was a flurry of activity. People were frantically running about; some were screaming others crying. Most had just felt the vanishing of the only family they had ever known, then moments later were forced to confront a similar fate.

    Another shockwave shook the ground. This one emanated from the center of the hall.

    An old and weary-looking Cosian stood amidst the rabble with both hands clutching a cane. He hit the floor a few more times, each one sending out a shockwave. ¡°Hysterics will help no one. We must defend the temple,¡± he said once everyone had quieted down. ¡°All non-combatants must vacate the ground level. Anyone capable should ready themselves for battle!¡±

    As he was speaking a glowering middle-aged human entered the hall. He had long brown hair and was dressed in the tan robes of the Jedi. ¡°The clones are attacking, they just cut down the outer guards! I and my padawans will take the front gates. Master Sinube, you should take the younglings into the council chambers, the doors are force operated and will serve as an ample deterrent to the attackers,¡± he said once he was standing in the center of the hall.

    ¡°Master Cin¡­¡± the older Jedi began to say.

    ¡°We can help with that!¡± I interjected quite loudly. Most of the faces turned to our spot by the bathroom door. It was mildly unnerving since most of those faces were Jedi preparing to fight to the death.

    ¡°And who would our mysterious savior be?¡± questioned Master Sinube.

    ¡°We were visiting during the public hours but seem to have been locked in with the rest of you. Unlike everyone else though we have a working starship capable of offering evac,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Oddly convenient,¡± Master Cin called out.

    ¡°I think we all know the force works in mysterious ways,¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly how many people can fit, but we have a lot of roo-¡° I said before another explosion racked the temple grounds. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this! Everyone who wants to leave, head for the council chambers! Anyone set on defending this decaying rock can stay!¡± I yelled and began walking towards the staircase.

    I found my path blocked by a green lightsaber. It slowly moved and pointed towards my saber handle at my belt.

    "What''s the big, idea?!" shouted Alha from behind me.

    ¡°Your words are sweet, Sith, but your darkness betrays your intentions. Did you think we would just allow you further into our sanctum?¡± Cin asked. At the mention of the Jedi¡¯s ancient enemy, most of the lightsabers in the hallway activated.

    ¡°We can try to evac in the courtyards, but it would put us needlessly close to the fighting,¡± I replied while trying to remain calm.

    ¡°A Sith in the temple while the lives of Jedi around the galaxy blink out of existence?¡± he questioned me again.

    ¡°I can promise you that I had no part in this. In fact, if you don¡¯t leave with me, Anakin Skywalker and the 501<sup>st</sup> will cut you all down to a man,¡± I replied through gritted teeth. My anger was rising at just how inept these Jedi were. At least their ancestors were willing to work with the old me when it benefited the greater good.

    ¡°Enough!¡± exclaimed Sinube. ¡°He speaks the truth; we can all feel an incredible darkness descending upon the temple. Whoever is leading that army is our true enemy. We will accept your help.¡±

    Sinube turned to the crowd. ¡°All younglings and Padawans will make their way to the council chambers. Master Cin will hold the perimeter. Has anyone seen Master Nu? We must salvage what we can from the archives. Master Shaak Ti is still recovering, we must aid her escape. .¡±

    ¡°Do what you must and bring what you can, but we leave ASAP,¡± I replied before force-pushing the green lightsaber out of my way.

    With our argument over, order descended upon the room. Soon teams were organized to finish the various tasks. In a matter of seconds, the only ones still around were Alha, Sinube, and me.

    ¡°What will you do?¡± I asked the elderly man.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? I shall hold the line,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Yeah-no. Cin will give his life for our retreat, you¡¯re coming with us,¡± I said before hefting the old man onto my shoulders. ¡°Besides, these kids will need some guidance.¡±

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°That¡¯s it 2V bring her in nice and slow,¡± I said into my wrist-com. I was currently standing next to a large hole that had just been cut into the windows of the council chamber as the Fury levitated towards us. Keeping her grounded had paid off as no fighters were in the air, though that could change at any time. Far below, blaster fire crisscrossed the courtyards deflected by an ever fewer number of lightsabers.

    Behind me were all the younglings we could find in the panic. Thankfully, Master Nu was there to usher everyone about, though she also had her hands full. Slumped against her shoulder was a sickly and almost lifeless Shaak-Ti who hadn¡¯t yet recovered from her second loss to Greivous.

    ¡°Enough of this, put me down!¡± demanded the old master.

    ¡°No can do,¡± I replied. I first set the wizened old Jedi down off my shoulder when we first arrived.  This only left him able to try and lock the doors with himself on the other side.

    ¡°Quiet down old man,¡± Nu interjected. ¡°We all felt how quickly Cin was defeated, your sacrifice would be a needless death and buy us no time.¡±

    "Thank you for being reasonable Master Nu," I reply. "I''m sorry we had to burn the library. I can only guess how great a loss it was."

    "On a day where I felt the death of my people? Some old books are nothing," she replied with a grimace.

    Outside, the landing ramps of the Fury extended towards the window, before hitting the side of the building with a satisfactory clunk.

    ¡°Docking complete, Sir,¡± came the report from 2V.

    ¡°You heard the droid, everyone in the ship!¡± I commanded. With that, the fiftyish force-sensitive kids and teens began clambering onto the Fury. The process took longer than I hoped, not the least because many of them were laden with sacks of holodisks and other Jedi artifacts. Master Nu had done what she could in salvaging important texts and destroying whatever she couldn¡¯t bring with her though I had my apprehensions. For a group of ascetics, they certainly had a lot of crap to bring.

    Everything was going great until there were only three children left in the room and a rocket crashed into the bottom of the Fury. The deflectors held stable, but the explosion pushed the ship against the tower causing a groaning of steel and the tower to shake horribly. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough, the locks for the entrance door were beginning to unravel. They groaned and creaked as someone was forcing them open.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ve got company!¡± Alha said.

    ¡°I see that,¡± I replied. ¡°Your turn old man!¡± I yelled before tossing him onto the ramp into the waiting arms of Alhoy. If it wasn¡¯t for his mag boots, the kid would have been sent flying from the force. I turned my attention to the door and commanded the force to hold it closed.

    Another rocket hit the bottom of the ship. This one pushed it away from the tower by a few meters. 2V began bringing it closer to the tower again, but I stopped and said over the coms, ¡°Stay clear, you¡¯re too easy to hit when docked.¡±

    ¡°Alha, ferry them over, I¡¯ll buy us time,¡± I commanded before igniting my saber.

    The force that was trying to open the lock let go only for a blue saber blade to pierce the doors and begin carving out a circle from the metal.

    ¡°As if I¡¯d let it be that easy,¡± I muttered to myself. Whilst still holding the lock with my left hand, I built up a powerful force-push with my right. Just before the assailant was about halfway through the door, I reversed my force on the lock, slamming it open as quickly as possible. At the same time, I unleashed all the built up power I had saved into my right.

    It had the intended result.

    When the doors flung open, Anakin was momentarily caught off guard with his saber pulled in an awkward position. He didn¡¯t have a chance to block my push and was sent flying back into the hall. Then, I forced the doors closed once again, before looking back.

    Alha had delivered the first child and was already picking up the second.

    The blue saber returned to the door and completed its path in cutting a circle out of the door. Feeling his next move, I channeled another force push into the circular sheet of metal.

    Our opposing powers met the cutout of the door with a small shockwave that stabilized after a moment. Then the metal began crimping from opposing pushes. Finally my fears were realized. My feet started to slide across the ground as I was being overpowered. He was pushing me back.

    A gasp from behind caused me to chance a look. The last kid to leave was Zett.

    ¡°Anakin?! It really is you, why¡­why!?¡± the padawan exclaimed. He saw me looking and our vision met. His eyes were like saucers. God, he looked so scared.

    My sliding was beginning to gain momentum, so before I lost my footing I angled the force and pushed the door to the left. Anakin¡¯s power sent the disk crashing through the windows and out of the temple. It left with such force that I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if it cleared the entire compound on the way out.

    I could feel sweat dripping down my face from the effort, though I didn¡¯t have long to register it.

    In a flash, Anakin leaped towards me and brought his saber down in a crushing overhead slash. I guarded against it with my own saber, though the force of the attack forced me to my knee. The power of the chosen one was no joke.

    ¡°You know, I always wanted to have a conversation with you,¡± I said through gritted teeth. Up close, you could really see just how much of the dark side he was channeling. His normally blue eyes were ringed with the same gold of mine; of a true Sith. His skin was a pallid white, while dark circles ringed his eyes.

    Confusion flashed across his face. Which was understandable, I mean you break into the Jedi council chambers expecting to find some defenseless kids to murder and instead you¡¯re greeted by a demonesque alien wielding a Sith¡¯s blade.

    In his moment of confusion, I shifted my weight and changed the leverage on my blade. The change meant Anakin¡¯s blade slid down my blade to the left. I combined the movement with a force push from my blade hand to send him flying away from me. The move didn¡¯t do any damage though. Instead, Anakin did a backflip through the air and landed on his feet.

    ¡°Who¡­what are you?!¡± he demanded.

    ¡°I¡¯ve been known by a few names. I doubt my monikers would mean anything to someone as ignorant as you,¡± I replied.

    He rushed me and we exchanged blows while red and blue sparks showered the air around us. Each exchange reverberated with power. Our blows were strengthened by the force and any lesser fighters would have been sent flying. After a particularly hard hit between our blades, we backed off again. I took a step to the right and began circling him. Anakin followed suit.

    ¡°Really, you should be thanking me. If I wasn¡¯t here you¡¯d have to add child killer to your transgressions. Now you¡¯re just a traitor and a murderer.¡± I took a discreet step backward while we circled.

    ¡°The Jedi betrayed me long before I ever took up arms against them,¡± he snarled. I just shook my head while taking another step back.

    "Leaving the order was always an option; you didn''t need to kill everybody," I replied.

    "I...I had to, they won''t let me walk the path I need to walk," he replied. "I need the power to protect¡­ everyone." I took another step back, this time bringing me to the outer edge of the room.

    We continued to circle each other until it brought me back to the windows. Then, I said, ¡°Listen, I¡¯d love to debate you on this, but I¡¯m a busy guy and you just used up all your time with me. Just know that worse men have found redemption from worse deeds." Then I fell backwards through the window.

    As I entered freefall, Alha swooped down with her jetpack and clasped her hands under my arms.

    ¡°A little warning would be nice. You nearly gave me a heart attack!¡± she yelled into my ear.

    ¡°It¡¯s not like I would die; I can just slow my fall with the force,¡± I replied. Technically, that wouldn¡¯t even be the farthest fall I ever landed, though that was when I was still in-game. It was still one hell of a rush as I had never base jumped in real life.

    The Fury was starting to take heavier fire by this point. Large blaster bolts and some AA lasers were joining the rockets in the assault of the vehicle by the time we made it to the ramp. I turned around for a moment. Anakin was shouting something from the window, though I couldn¡¯t make it out from over the sounds of battle.

    ¡°2V, get us out of here!¡± I yelled. The droid wasted no time in punching the sub-light engines to the max. Instead of the feeling of acceleration the ship just rocked back and forth.

    Back at the tower, Anakin''s outstretched hand was pulling our ship down with the force.

    "This kid literally won''t let go..." I said before readying a powerful force-blast. I was just about to release it when a slew of blaster fire and a small rocket shot towards the tower from behind me.

    Anakin was forced to block the accurate blaster shots with his lightsaber which left him defenseless against the missile. It struck true against the tower and knocked him back from the window. Immediately the freed ship lurched forward before picking up speed.

    ¡°Alha, Alhoy, man the side turrets!¡± I commanded as I made my way to the cockpit. In the game, dogfights had been one of my favorite pastimes. The Fury had survived her fair share of battles and engagements, though I would have preferred my trusty Quell starfighter.

    ¡°2V, I¡¯m taking over. Get our hyperdrive prepped. I want it engaged at the first opportunity,¡± I said. I strapped in and pressed a few buttons that engaged my control panel. All around deflectors were at 70 -an explosion rattled the ship- 62%.

    ¡°Three incoming fighters, sir. They are gaining on us at an alarming speed,¡± 2V indicated.

    ¡°We will need to retrofit these engines,¡± I replied. ¡°They were cutting edge three thousand years ago, but we¡¯re probably one of the slower ships our size now.¡±

    I thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Disengage the forward deflectors, reroute any nonessential power to the engines and the rear.¡±

    ¡°But sir, if anyone gets in front of us-¡°

    ¡°Anyone in front of us will find themselves within my sights,¡± I said, cutting him off. He complied and the rear deflectors were back up to 80% while our engines picked up some speed.

    The three ARC starfighters were now firmly on our tail, forcing me to try to evade them while still climbing out of the atmosphere.

    ¡°Rear shields are at 74%, 30 seconds till we can jump,¡± 2V intoned.

    My two turrets were firing in completely different patterns. Alhoy on the left seemed willing to only shoot when he was close to hitting. His two barrels were firing like a rifle, as in once every second. Alha on the other hand didn¡¯t take her finger off the trigger until her gun batteries overheated. Yet between the two of them, they were able to keep our enemies on their toes.

    Two of the fighters seemed willing to fire at us from the trailing position. The third pushed his speed up and tried to get below us. He probably wanted to engage us with his rear turret.

    ¡°Shields are at 61%, 20 sec-¡°

    Getting so close was a big mistake. I slammed the power down for a moment, causing him to overshoot, then accelerated again. The maneuver caused everything not nailed down in the back to crash onto the floors.

    It only took a moment for him to enter my sights and I engaged the forward blasters. Both his wings were ripped off in the fire. The craft immediately lost altitude and plummeted towards the surface in a spinning wreck.

    ¡°-onds to jump, never mind, recalculating.¡±

    The downside to such a maneuver was that the lower speeds made it far easier for our rear enemies to maneuver. The ship rattled from explosion after explosion as I brought us back up to speed.

    ¡°Deflectors are reaching critical condition, 32- no, 25%!¡± yelled 2V with some concern.

    ¡°I can see the numbers 2V, just focus on the jump, how long?¡±

    ¡°10 seconds!¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t you two hit anything?!¡± I yelled over the comms.

    ¡°7 seconds!¡± An explosion rocked the rear of the ship. The shields fell to 10%.

    ¡°I¡¯m trying!¡± yelled Alha.

    ¡°5 seconds!¡±

    ¡°Just do it and stop trying!¡± I commanded. Just then one of the fighters erupted into smoke.

    ¡°Nice shot!¡± I yelled. The shields had dropped to 5%.

    ¡°1 second! Initiating Jump sequence!¡±

    Space stretched out before us; the stars blurred into long lines. Then with a shudder and bump, we entered hyperspace.

 4. Scenes of 66

    It was almost nightfall on Coruscant before Yoda had completed his objective. For the past few minutes, he had been blasting every encrypted Jedi communications channel with the same message: The clones have been compromised by their inhibitor chips. They will be forced to attack and kill us all tonight. Palpatine is the Dark Lord of the Sith.

    Now, in a dark communication room aboard a Jedi light cruiser that was readying itself for a hyperspace jump; Yoda stood in front of a holographic display of all the Jedi Council members he could get a hold of. He lost valuable time in trying to ratify the claims of the confusingly helpful Sith. For the first time in his life, it was a mistake not to take a Dark lord at his word. It took most of the day to decode the chips. That was time he''d never get back.

    With him were two inhibitor chips and behind him were the very first clones who he managed to save. Master Luminara sat in deep meditation in a chair near the door. She was the only other Jedi assigned to Kashyyk with him.

    It was a paltry few who answered his call. Obi-Wan stood as a hologram to the right. Plo Koon answered from his cockpit in the middle of a dogfight. That was it. Probably due to the Galactic surge of separatist forces, just about every other active Master couldn¡¯t answer the call or quite possibly didn¡¯t receive any transmissions. The most disconcerting thing was that none of the members on Coruscant answered.

    The pieces of the puzzle were all falling together, and they didn¡¯t seem to have enough time to stop it.

    ¡°¡­to Coruscant, I go. Confront Sidious I will.¡± The ancient grandmaster of the Jedi finished explaining the situation. ¡°Upon us is our greatest failure. Too late to save the Republic it may be,¡± he continued.

    ¡°I am making preparations to leave, I have already gotten Commander Cody¡¯s chip removed,¡± replied Obi-Wan. ¡°At the earliest, I can be on Coruscant in a few hours. Cody will stay to try and bring the rest of the 212<sup>th</sup> back into the fold.¡±

    ¡°Many mistakes; many wrong choices brought us to this¡­¡± Koon pondered for a moment. He was undoubtedly thinking back on all the warning signs they had dismissed in the past few years. ¡°I will be entering hyperspace post haste to meet you there."

    ¡°May the force be with you,¡± the three of them repeated to each other before cutting off the comms.

    Yoda sighed and then sat back, exhausted from the day¡¯s events.

    Removing and analyzing the chips took away the precious few hours that he wished to get back. After uncovering their sinister nature, it proved incredibly hard to get the word out. As if the separatists knew Yoda had important news to disperse, they began blocking long-range comms early in the day. Then they reopened a space theatre when more separatist ships poured out of hyperspace into the atmosphere of Kashyyk. Yoda was given a terrible choice or rather terrible lack of choice. Abandon his Wookie allies to this greater separatist force and return to Coruscant or stay and abandon his students on Coruscant.

    It was never a choice though. Yoda was currently on that small cruiser with a handpicked group of around 100 clone soldiers. They broke through the Separatist fleet outside Kashyyk and made way to jump onto the straightest route towards Coruscant. Even on this ship, the free clones were outnumbered by the clones with chips. Though they worked round the clock to remove them from everyone on board, there was a chance that this mysterious order 66 would go out before enough of his men were cured and he would be faced with their unwilling mutiny.

    <hr><hr>

    The Albedo Brave, a Venator-class cruiser hung silently in orbit around Bracca. Inside the ship¡¯s medical bay was a massive seven-foot-tall Lasat. Around him, over a hundred medical droids were busy performing brain surgery.

    Earlier in the day, Grandmaster Yoda sent out a call for all Jedi to be especially vigilant tonight. It was an almost laughably cryptic message. Be on alert? We¡¯re in the middle of a planetary invasion, of course, we¡¯re staying vigilant. And yet¡­it came from the most respected Jedi in the galaxy. Thus, it had set him on edge for some oncoming ambush by separatist forces.

    Less than an hour ago, he learned that the reason for such a message was far worse than any droid ambush. Now he was surrounded by a ticking time bomb. His entire fleet could turn at any moment.

    The current plan was to inoculate every high-ranking officer first. Then even without having removed all the chips, those men would hopefully be able to order the removal of the rest even after the chips took over.

    He pulled out his com unit and hailed the bridge. A holograph of a clone commander with a noticeable bandage on his head appeared. ¡°How are you feeling Onner?¡± the Jedi master asked. His trusted Commander¡¯s original designation was CT-1117 but everyone that wasn''t a Kaminoan referred to him as ¡°Onner.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re still a little groggy General Tapal, but nothing we haven¡¯t faced before. Right boys?" the commander said. A chorus of cheers came from behind him. "Compared to the gas attacks from the Salvagers this is nothing. We should have everything under control for your departure,¡± the commander explained.

    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯ll make my way to the hangars. I¡¯m sorry to leave you with so many responsibilities,¡± the knight replied before exiting the med bay. Outside were lines of unarmed clones waiting to be processed. They saluted the general as he walked by. Only small contingents of the clones could be processed at a time. It wasn''t an easy or quick operation. Furthermore, there was still ongoing hostilities. Many were still needed to man the vessel, more were armed and running various missions in the sector to route out any remaining separatists. Recalling them all would have completely undone the work they were sent to do and left them open to an outside attack.

    ¡°You¡¯ve shoulder so much for us, I think it¡¯s high time we start paying you back, sir,¡± the clone responded.

    ¡°It¡­it¡¯s been an honor, may the force be with you,¡± the knight said.

    ¡°May the force be with you, general,¡± the clone replied before the two ended their communications.

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to make it to the Hangars. From the door, he could see his trusty R3 astromechs were scrambling around the two Jedi Interceptors making last minute preps. He had sustained minor damage in the assault on the planetary forces, but the droids had more than enough time to finish repairs. His small red headed padawan was there too, currently fueling up his own fighter.

    Just as he made to step into the hangar, he staggered and almost fell over. Visions were invading his mind. At the same time, his com unit pinged. He could just make out the words of Onner alerting him of communications from Palpatine as he recovered.

    ¡°Cal! Get in the ship, we¡¯re leaving now!¡± the knight ordered.

    ¡°Yes, master!¡± the dutiful padawan said before removing the hose and jumping into the cockpit.

    Tapal sprinted over to his own ship and leaped impossibly far and landed impossibly gracefully into the cockpit. His R3 unit clambered in and started launch preparations.

    Onner pinged his comms again and his holographic representation appeared before Tapal. ¡°Sir! It¡¯s worse than we expected. The men won¡¯t listen to our orders!¡±This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    ¡°What do you mean they aren¡¯t following orders?¡± Tapal asked incredulously. Clones never disobeyed without good reason.

    ¡°We¡¯re being called traitors to the Republic for commanding them to stand down. In their eyes I¡¯ve already been removed from the chain of command. The medbay has already been cleared...it was a slaughter. We¡¯ve remotely locked down the armory, but plenty of clones are still armed,¡± the commander explained. By this point, the two Jedi fighters were ready to take off. ¡°You must leave, or we won¡¯t be able to seal the Hangars.¡±

    ¡°And leave you to die?¡± Tapal snapped back.

    ¡°They¡¯re already trying to burn through the blast doors, sir! You have to go, or you¡¯ll get locked in,¡± he argued.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m sorry Onner, it shouldn¡¯t have come to this,¡± the knight said as the two ships began taking off.

    ¡°Just get out of here, a number of pilots have already made it to the other hangars and are trying to release their own ships,¡± came his reply.

    The two starfighters took off and exited the hangars. Behind them, the blast shields slowly closed, locking down the ships contingent of fighters for the time being.

    ¡°Don¡¯t look back Cal, just get connected to your hyperspace ring and go!¡± Tapal ordered. The rings were close to the edge of the system and were one of the major flaws of using Jedi starfighters as transport. The sleek and optimal design didn¡¯t have room for an onboard hyperdrive, which meant any jumps required the clunky apparatus to be connected from the outside.

    Behind them, an explosion seared through the bridge of the Albedo. Before long fighters were pouring out of the ships hangars heading straight for the two Jedi.

    <hr><hr>

    On the Venator-class cruiser, The Tribunal, there was a particularly well-defended prison cell. Two lone clone troopers made their way over to this cell. Their orders were to execute the force wielder inside. The two men didn¡¯t think much of the assignment. After this assignment was over, they had to hunt and kill a Jedi on board. For some reason that future objective didn¡¯t bring with it the same feelings of relief and even joy they felt when they were ordered to kill this prisoner.

    They opened the outer blast doors and stepped into the dark room. In front of them, completely immobilized was Darth Maul, the former ruler of Mandalore and underworld crime boss. The clone on the right pressed a few buttons on the wall-pad and the outer shell of his containment unit was released.

    They raised their blasters and fired! But just before doing so, an almost imperceptibly small amount of the force shifted their aim. Their shots didn¡¯t connect with Maul¡¯s body. Instead, they hit the restraints keeping his hands locked down.

    They went to fire again, but in a flash Maul''s hands were balled into fists and the two clones found their necks constricted while they were lifted off the floor. Maul made another small movement, and the force around their necks increased until it was too much and shattered their bones. Then with another small flourish, he pressed the buttons on the wall-pad, which released the rest of his body from their restraints.

    He stepped out of his containment unit, stretched his legs, and then cracked his neck from side to side. ¡°Well Sidious, never send a nexu to do a Rankor¡¯s job. He stretched his arms out to either to their full length before pulling them back towards his body. Metal wall panels were torn asunder and began floating around him. With his new shields, he calmly walked out of the prison and entered the hallways. Screams of pained and dying 501<sup>st</sup> clones could soon be heard as he made his way over to the hyperdrives.

    <hr><hr>

    Ahsoka, Rex, Jesse, and half a dozen arc troopers were huddled in a storage closet near the Hangars of that same venator.

    Communicating with ships traveling through hyperspace was notoriously finicky. When Yoda¡¯s transmission finally came in, Ahsoka rushed as many of her men as she could into the med bay for immediate surgery. She barely had enough time to save this group before Palpatine¡¯s call went out across the galaxy. The med-bay quickly turned into a warzone as she and her men were forced to fight their way out. They lost more than a few trusted allies along the way.

    The room was cramped and pitch-black but otherwise safe. R7, who had probably been the MVP of this whole operation had scrambled the ship¡¯s security systems which allowed them to make their way here. Now he was standing guard outside the closet, lest any clones try to come in.

    ¡°Have you been able to get through to anyone, Rex?¡± Ahsoka asked. She was nervously pacing in what little space she had. Rex was kneeling on the floor with a datapad in his hands. A cord ran from it into a wall socket connecting him to the ship¡¯s computers.

    ¡°No. Once they took the bridge they locked down all long-range communications. We¡¯re flying dark unless we take the bridge or get to a shuttle,¡± the grizzled veteran replied.

    ¡°We will just have to grab one once we exit hyperspace,¡± she replied. ¡°R7 will stay behind to override the hangar doors for us. It¡¯ll be close but we should have enough time to make it out.¡±

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe we¡¯ve been forced to abandon our brothers like this,¡± lamented Jesse. He was basically spitting the words out.

    ¡°In this state, they aren¡¯t our brothers,¡± replied Rex. ¡°Those bastards on Kamino¡­ they¡¯ve tried to make us no better than droids!¡± Rex cried the last half of his sentence before punching the wall.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing we can do for them now. We are just putting them all in danger the longer we stay. If we can meet up with Anakin... I know he¡¯ll have a way to bring everyone back. I¡¯m sure of it,¡± Ahsoka said while trying to reassure both her men and herself.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯m picking up some weird chatter on the shipboard comms¡­its almost like¡­Maul¡¯s loose! And he¡¯s made it to-¡° Rex began saying but was cut off when explosions rocked the ship. The entire cruiser shook from the blast and then everyone was thrown from their feet. Rex¡¯s datapad went flying across the floor.

    When he finally grabbed it, he couldn¡¯t contain the shock on his face. ¡°We¡¯ve exited hyperspace!¡± he said.

    ¡°We¡¯re already back at Coruscant?¡± Asoka asked.

    ¡°No, the hyperdrive exploded, the rear half of the ship is in shreds¡­we have to get out of here!¡±

    <hr><hr>

    A lone attack shuttle was flying low through the forested canyons on the planet of Kaller. Inside were five men who barely resembled their reg. clone counterparts and the two Jedi they had just saved from being hunted down by those regs.

    ¡°Haha, things got a little hairy back there, I¡¯m not gonna lie,¡± said Wrecker.

    About half an hour ago, every republic force on the planet was preparing for a final push against the separatist droids. Then Billaba and her Padawan went AWOL after receiving some type of secret communication. Things got even crazier a few minutes later, as just about every reg. in the army started claiming she and the padawan turned traitor. Luckily, using Hunter¡¯s tracking skills along with the Marauder, Clone force 99 was able to catch up with the duo long before anyone else did.

    ¡°Sorry about almost cutting your head off¡­ I couldn¡¯t be sure you weren¡¯t¡­¡± The female Jedi said as she put her hand on the small shoulder cut she had given the massive clone. Even with the force, running from roving bands of clones had left the woman exhausted. She could barely hold herself up at this point. Caleb was in even worse of a condition.  Yet, it was her duty to heal the man.  So she began to concentrate and pull the force around them into his cut.  With how weak she was at the moment, it took all of her concentration.

    ¡°Like the others?¡± Hunter said, finishing her sentence. ¡°We don¡¯t share a lot of similarities with the regs, as you¡¯ve no doubt noticed.¡±

    ¡°What is our next course of action Hunter? General Billaba?¡± asked Tech from the cockpit.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Master Yoda didn¡¯t indicate a rendezvous in his message,¡± she replied. ¡°I do know that this goes all the way to the top. Palpatine has ordered every clone to turn on the Jedi,¡± she explained.

    ¡°Well¡­if you don¡¯t have business elsewhere, we may need to make a pitstop, though I doubt you¡¯ll want to be with us when it happens,¡± Hunter said cautiously.

    ¡°A pitstop?¡± asked the young padawan.

    ¡°If what you say about the Kaminoans and the Chip is true, then we need to go save the last member of our squad. She¡¯s currently on Kamino,¡± he replied.

    ¡°You think there are more irregulars back on Kamino?¡± Billaba asked.

    ¡°Just one as far as we- CROSSHAIR NO!¡± yelled Hunter.

    Unbeknownst to everyone aboard the Marauder, Crosshair had silently made his way behind the Jedi Master. Like the expert killer he was, he didn¡¯t make his intentions known until the last moment. While everyone was deep in discussion, he raised the blaster to the back of Billaba¡¯s head to kill her execution-style.

    ¡°Good soldiers follow orders,¡± he whispered.

    Just as he took the shot, Wrecker spun into action. He was the closest to the two of them. With his massive bear claw, he grabbed the gun forcing it out of position.

    The blaster fired but Wrecker''s intervention managed to stop it from blowing through the Jedi¡¯s skull.

    Billaba still slumped to the ground. A hole was blown into the right side of her chest.

    ¡°Master no!¡± cried her padawan Caleb. In a fit of rage he activated his lightsaber and slashed through Crosshair¡¯s wrist, severing it from his body and dropping the blaster to the floor. The blow also connected with Wrecker who was trying to restrain the man and his massive hand fell to the floor with a thump.

    ¡°Echo, take the wheel; Tech, I need first aid back here immediately!¡± ordered Hunter. He ran back into the hold and helped the injured Wrecker restrain Crosshair. ¡°And you, put that damned laser sword away kid!¡± he yelled at the stricken Padawan.

    The words were lost on the boy though. He had already picked up his master into his arms and began sobbing.

 5. Training on Alderaan

    ¡°Now that was a rush!¡± shouted Alha as she burst onto the bridge.

    ¡°Agreed! did you see that last shot before we jumped?!¡± cried Alhoy who came in from the other side. They were both positively giddy.

    ¡°You did well. Though, Alha, spray and pray is not always the way to go. Sure it makes it hard for our enemies to maneuver but it also stops you from aiming properly.¡± I said, admonishing her. ¡°2V break out the good stuff, the bottle of that aged Kaasian Brew,¡± I requested of the droid.

    ¡°The spirits we took from Baras¡¯s fortress, sir?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± I replied. I felt good about accomplishing our first mission, but for some reason, I just wasn¡¯t as happy as my companions. It¡¯s not that I was upset¡­there was just an odd feeling.

    I followed 2V out of the cockpit at first hoping to ask the two Jedi masters if they wanted to share a drink, though upon entering the main hold I knew that would be a mistake. The younglings were worse for wear. Some had been battered around in the maneuvers and sported bruises here and there. More importantly, the atmosphere in the hold was the opposite of our victorious celebrations in the cockpit. Most of the kids were huddled together around Master Sinube, many of them were crying.

    Where my companions and I had just won an important engagement and probably helped to save the Jedi¡¯s future, the kids in the hold had just witnessed and probably felt almost all the Jedi in the galaxy die. Their home was taken by force and their place in the Republic was lost. Their entire surrogate family had perished in one big blip. This was the greatest loss they ever faced.

    I walked over to the pantry and pulled out some of the rations. They weren¡¯t the best comfort food, how could grey bricks of nutrition be, but the kids might feel better with it in their stomachs.

    ¡°Sinube, when you¡¯re ready come to the cockpit, we should discuss our next moves,¡± I said after handing out the bricks. The weary old man nodded, before going back to patting the backs of crying children.

    Nu was tending to Shaak Ti in the med-bay when I popped in to tell her about the meeting. The Togruta was holding steady, though I doubted that being thrown into a ship and jostled around for the past few hours did any good for her wounds.

    Back in the cockpit, my two companions were still riding that high when 2V brought the blood-red drink with three glasses. The three of us raised our cups to a job well done and sipped the alcohol. It was surprisingly smooth. Technically, Zaros had drank quite a bit of the stuff, but I didn''t know what to expect.

    I held up my red glass after a few sips. ¡°Legend has it that each bottle is baptized in the blood of a fallen jedi¡­¡± I said wistfully. Both Alha and Alhoy shivered before setting down their glasses.

    ¡°Is that¡­why it has that weird aftertaste?,¡± Alhoy complained.

    ¡°What aftertaste? This is some of the most expensive stuff you can find, even more so since the empire fell,¡± I explain.

    ¡°Ugh the more I drink, the more it reminds me of blood¡­¡± said Alha feigning sickness¡­or maybe not feigning it.

    We shared a few drinks like that for a time before Nu and Sinube finally joined us. I offered them a drink, just not of the Kaasian Brew. Something told me they might take offense to it. In a weird way, it kind of seemed like cannibalism to me if they were to drink it. Sinube declined, but Nu was more than willing to sip on something. 2V obliged the woman with some other spirits.

    ¡°Our first stop is Alderaan, we need a safe place to fuel up,¡± I said after everyone had settled in.

    ¡°Why Alderaan? We should make our way to the outer rim,¡± argued Nu. ¡°We need to be on a planet no one will look to.¡±

    ¡°Bail Organa, among others, are already organizing a resistance¡­an alliance of rebels,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Bail? Bail was Palpatine¡¯s staunch ally throughout the war, a veritable lap dog! It¡¯s far more likely this is a trap,¡± She persisted.

    ¡°Listen, you don¡¯t really have a say where we go, I was just planning on keeping you informed. And I can guarantee that Bail will never support Palpatine again,¡± I replied. ¡°More importantly, haven¡¯t either of you received word from Yoda?¡±

    ¡°Earlier in the day, before the attack we received a concerning transmission, though all he said was to stay vigilant for a possible galaxy-wide threat¡­well at least we know what he was talking about now,¡± Sinube said. ¡°Just as we were leaving Coruscant we received the tail end of a transmission but lost the signal once we jumped,¡± he further explained.

    ¡°Do you have a way to contact him?¡± I asked the two Jedi.

    ¡°We have the same channels he used,¡± Nu explains.

    ¡°Try to get in touch, if we don¡¯t catch him, that eccentric bastard will go hide on a swamp and leave you all to your fates,¡± I explain.

    ¡°Master Yoda is the most dedicated Jedi in the galaxy¡­¡± Sinube began. ¡°But we don¡¯t know where he is, and we can¡¯t broadcast ourselves blindly whilst on the run.¡±

    ¡°Get in touch with Polis Massa. Obi-Wan will be there eventually, Yoda will as well.¡± I reply. ¡°So all in favor of Alderaan?¡± I ask after turning towards my companions.

    ¡°I¡¯d love to go,¡± said Alha while Alhoy nodded vigorously.

    Then I turned back to the two Jedi Masters and said, ¡°Looks like a unanimous decision.¡±

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°I¡¯ll admit it, you were right about the view,¡± said Alha. She and I were relaxing on one of the many balconies adorning the Royal towers of Aldera. The capital city of Aldera was a futurist¡¯s wet dream. The main structures of the city were massive towers plated with chrome reminiscent of a Naboo liner. There wasn¡¯t a hard angle in sight. It stood at the edge of a tall cliff upon a verdant and temperate mountain. It was an impossible settlement of futuristic civilization among the untamed wilderness; a testament to the riches and technology of Alderaan.

    I leaned against the railing and rubbed my hands against my newly gained onderon silk robes. The stuff was positively luxurious. There was a reason all the richest people in the galaxy like Padme and Dooku wore the stuff. Died glossy black, draped loosely across my body, and secured with wraps; it certainly gave me an air of mystery and sorcerous power. Who knew I¡¯d have to move into a different universe before I understood fine fabrics.

    ¡°You¡¯re way too proud of that,¡± Alhoy said as he joined us on the balcony.

    ¡°I agree. Maybe you should branch out to different colors as well,¡± Alha said.

    ¡°The universal rule of the Sith is that you are only allowed certain colors: Black, Red, Silver¡­maybe purple and sometimes gold. And as long as you¡¯re on my payroll, those will be your choices too.¡±

    They both let out a mild groan, though I really couldn¡¯t see the problem. We looked like a real team of dark siders in our impenetrably black robes. Alha¡¯s silks were wrapped tightly around her almost like a bodysuit. Alhoy went with a looser design, though his silk top left the front of his chest almost completely bare.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

    I handed my disgruntled¡­friends, yep they¡¯re friends, a pair of crystalline Alderaanian glasses before raising my own in a toast. We clink and drink before I turn around to look down on the courtyard. Far below, many of the Jedi younglings could be seen running about playing some game. Some laughter and shouts echoed up to our position. We stayed like that for a while, just relaxing and basking in the peace of Alderaan. Maybe we should just hang out here for a while.

    That sentiment lasted all of a few hours. After we ate dinner that night, I began to feel restless. In bed, I tossed and turned unable to find sleep despite the exertions from the last few days. In the real world, the amount of galivanting I just did would have put me down for a few days.

    Once I did close my eyes, I found myself back on Coruscant, back in the Jedi Council chambers. Nobody was around. Anakin was cutting through the doors. I jammed them open and moved to force-push him back into the hallway, smirking at the trick.

    Anakin didn''t budge. He pushed back. Soon we¡¯re in an all-out battle of wills. I slid back once again. I tried to deflect his force to the side; the blast annihilated the windows.

    He laughed and sent a powerful blast of force at me. I summoned my own to fight against it, but it was completely overwhelmed and sent hurtling through the opened window. I free-fell down the side of the tower. No one was there to catch me and I was forced to reach out with the force and pull myself to the side of the tower. I ignited my blade and stabbed it into the stone to slow my fall.

    I slid to a stop halfway down. A figure rocketed past me at blinding speed. Suddenly I was ripped from the tower and sent flying towards the courtyard. The figure hit the ground with a terrible thud, and I was slung across the ground and sent rolling.

    I struggled to my feet just in time to sense dark energy coming at me once again. I looked up and saw Anakin flying at me. There was no confusion on his face anymore no doubt, just anger. He came down at me with another powerful overhead slash. I reached up with my blade to defend.

    My guard was broken, and the searing blade hurtled towards me. ¡°The empire¡¯s wrath, undefeated no more,¡± Vader¡¯s deep, mechanical voice taunted me just as the blade connected.

    I awoke in a cold sweat and instinctively reached out my hand towards my blade. It came to me in a comforting snap and lit up the dark room with the blood red glow. I pulled on a simple robe, leaving my armor behind. Out the sliding glass doors; I strode onto the balcony before hopping off the side. I plummeted down to the courtyard below before channeling the force to slow my fall. By the time I touched down, I landed with the same force as a normal step.

    The Fury was parked in the royal hangars. Well, it was a hangar owned by the Royal family, though it was more like a finely carved cave in the cliffside below the city. It was a place only known to a select few in order to keep our now infamous ship out of prying eyes. We were offered these fine accommodations by the Queen when she saw the kind of cargo we were smuggling onto her planet. It was after hours so the hangar was completely darkened with only some moonlight coming in from the cliff opening. I sat down on the floor of the hangar underneath the cockpit and crossed my legs.

    Save for a few isolated attempts here and there, I never meditated in my previous life. I spent hours training my avatar though and sat through plenty of lore dumps and mystical cutscenes. So I tried my best to follow along what I remembered. My subconscious and muscle memories also helped in this situation. Just like everything else with this body, the feelings required to use the force came naturally.

    My blade floated out of my hand and stopped a few feet from my face and then ignited. It''s blood red light illuminated the dark hangar while it floated perfectly still.

    Then I slowly enveloped the ship with the force; commanded it to do so; dominated it into its place. The ship creaked and groaned. I poured more of my will into the effort, forced it to bend around the ship. Finally, after an exhausting amount of forced control, it lifted a few inches off the ground.

    By this point, sweat droplets dripped off my body but never landed on the ground. They glided along until they left my skin but were immediately caught up in the pull. Soon many droplets were floating around me.

    From there it was a simple game of mental torture. Keep the ship in the air for as long as possible. Control and subdue the force. Bend it to your own devices for as long as poss-

    ¡°Training! I was worried you were running away!¡± cried Alha with amusement. Sweat droplets splattered across the ground and the ship fell back onto its landing pegs with a crash.

    ¡°Agh!¡± I growled in anger and reached out with my open hand towards the sound. I wrapped the force around her body and when I closed my hand into a fist, it constricted, locking her arms to her sides and her legs together. With a pull of my wrist, she was sent hurtling towards me before suddenly stopping a foot away from my still levitating lightsaber.

    ¡°Zaros!¡± she yelled. Her voice cracked with fear.

    I opened my eyes at the emotion and saw her face illuminated by the red light of my saber. Her genuine fear at the possibility of being bisected brought back my mental control.

    I released my grip on the force completely. The saber shut off and clattered to the ground, while Alha fell onto her stomach.

    ¡°I¡­I¡¯m sorry!¡± I said as I rushed to help her up. ¡°I¡¯ve been on edge, something hasn¡¯t agreed with me all day¡­I¡¯m not trying to make excuses, I just lost control¡­¡± I explained.

    Our eyes met when I pulled her up to her feet. The fear was still there, but also envy. ¡°I get it; I shouldn¡¯t have interrupted you while training your magics.¡± She replied. ¡°It¡¯s an incredible power, when you dueled that Jedi at the temple, it was like two gods clashing amongst the heavens,¡± she added.

    ¡°Most fights aren¡¯t that¡­climactic,¡± I reply. ¡°Hell, with enough blasters, many force users become just another target.¡±

    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡± She began to say almost shyly.

    ¡°You¡¯re going to ask me to teach you?¡±

    ¡°No no, I wouldn¡¯t presume, but is there a way to learn?¡±

    ¡°I have no clue, I¡¯ve never taught anyone¡­not even myself,¡± I reply. ¡°I don¡¯t sense much of the force from you¡­though George once said that anyone could use it.¡±

    I thought for a moment then answered, ¡°What the hell, it won¡¯t kill you. Don¡¯t get your hopes up though. You¡¯ll never be like the man I fought at the tower. A few thousand years¡¯ worth of prophecy resulted in his powers.¡±

    ¡°Oh thank you! Can you give me a lightsaber too?¡± she asked

    ¡°No.¡± I answered in a stern voice. ¡°Lightsabers aren¡¯t just some fancy swords, they¡¯re like a tool; a conduit that aids in using the force,¡± I explained.

    I restored my lightsaber to its previous floating position and then it ignited.

    ¡°For Jedi, they must journey to one of the sacred planets that harbor Kyber Crystals. Once they make it to one of these planets, they are given a trial. Should they overcome it, they are matched with their fated crystal. It¡¯s symbolic of how a Jedi must submit to the will of the force,¡± I explain.

    ¡°So for me to get a lightsaber, I have to dig around in a cave for some crystals?¡±

    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t train you as a Jedi. A Sith must take their first lightsaber. I plundered mine from the tomb of Naga Sadow. Most kill Jedi or other Sith for theirs. It signifies your willingness to defy the will of the force, to shape destiny,¡± I reply.

    I rummaged through my pants pocket before finding one of the ancient imperial credits I can¡¯t seem to get rid of and tossed it to her. ¡°You¡¯re like thirty steps too far ahead anyway. If you can¡¯t dominate this worthless credit, then you can¡¯t wield a lightsaber.¡±

    ¡°Dominate?¡±

    ¡°Yep, the force flows through everything in the universe. Jedi request its help and the Will of the force grants them power. Sith take control of the force, shift it into unnatural positions to fit our wants. We dominate it,¡± I explain.

    ¡°So, if I want it enough, I can force this junk metal to float?¡± she asked. When she explained it like that, a lightbulb went off in my head.

    ¡°If you can¡¯t even accomplish a feat like this then you will never be a Sith,¡± I said in a condescending tone. ¡°You have until I complete my mediations tonight,¡± I added on at the end.

    ¡°Wait what? But you still haven¡¯t told me what to do!¡±

    ¡°Must I repeat myself?¡± I asked. Without waiting for her response, I mockingly said. "You. Reach. Out. With. Your. Will. And. Dominate. The. Force. If you disturb my meditations again for the rest of the night, I will consider this test a failure.¡±

    With that, I closed my eyes and began my meditations anew.

    <hr><hr>

    A single ray of sun peeked through the mountainside and shone across my face. By this point, my entire body was shaking from the effort of holding the force at bay for hours. Using the force in this way, was like damning a river. The force wanted to snap back, move into its natural flow. The longer you held it, the greater the buildup. More than a few times, the strain was almost too much and caused me to momentarily drop the ship, only to catch it with renewed will. The heat of the sunlight signaled an end to my ordeal. With a crash, the ship fell to the ground and my saber fell into my outstretched hand.

    I opened my eyes and turned my stiff neck to look at Alha. Her eyes went wide when she realized the night had ended.

    ¡°No. No, I almost had it, I swear. I just need more time!¡± she yelled as she got to her feet.

    ¡°I almost laughed, but I¡¯m too tired,¡± I replied.

    ¡°The determination to try all night, the desperation to accomplish your task, the anger at failure, you felt all of that throughout the night, correct?¡± I asked.

    She nodded, "But I can do it! I''m sur-" she started to say before I waved her off.

    ¡°No one learns to use the force in a single night. You¡¯re weaker than most, you started later than most. You¡¯re at a general disadvantage, so if you were to pursue this path, it must be with reckless abandon and absolute determination," I explain. "Your first test was to tough it out all night through failure."

    "You!" she said in anger, though her smile quickly shined through.

    "Oh, I almost forgot. If you try to take one of my sabers from the ship, I am honor-bound to kill you."

 6. A Council for the Establishment of an Alliance to Restore the Republic

    I took a deep breath outside Queen Organa¡¯s council chambers. Dressed once more in my black silk fineries, I added a hood for effect. Now I really looked the part of a Dark Council member. To signify her as my new fledgling initiate, I gifted Alha a similar draped hood and cape. Alhoy was there as well. On one hand, I felt like I was playing favorites, but on the other, I would not force such training on him. Apprentices must seek out power, not have it forced upon them.

    Stepping up to the arched door frame, it automatically opened in swirling fashion. Like everything else on Alderaan, the room was beautiful. The almost pure white chamber was accented with Alderaanean coats of arms. It was shaped like an oval with a domed ceiling. On the far end, the Queen presided on a raised gilded chair. She was dressed in her typical royal blue robes and crown of braided hair. The center of the room contained a marble conference table with a simple but elegant holovid unit in the center.

    Probably the drabbest thing in the room was the assembled Jedi. Masters Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi, though tired had come out of the last few days unscathed; physically at least. It was a pleasant surprise to see Plo Koon. The surprise was less pleasant when I realized he was missing his entire right arm and part of the adjoining shoulder. Aparently he had tried to assist Yoda in the duel against Sidious but to disastrous results. Jocasta Nu and Sinube were their normal ancient selves. Shaak-Ti seemed a little better than the last time I saw her. She was at least conscious, but looked exceptionally frail.

    Finally, there were two clones that were seated closest to the door. Though I didn¡¯t recognize them apart from other clones, they were apparently Commanders Cody and Wolffe.

    ¡°Hello there,¡± I said as I walked into the room.

    I took the last seat available which put me across from Yoda, who took the seat closest to the queen. The siblings leaned against the wall behind me.

    Upon feeling my presence, Plo narrowed his eyes. ¡°I am not entirely convinced that we can trust this being Queen Organa. He is a self proclaimed Sith Lord. His people never give more than they take,¡± he said while turning towards the Queen.

    ¡°I must concur, it is most irregular, basically heretical, for us to allow such an individual within our fold,¡± said Obi-Wan.

    "I am inclined to agree. Have we not suffered enough at the hands of the Sith?" interjected Shaak-Ti.

    I¡¯m not gonna lie. It stings when one of your favorite characters dislike you. But I didn¡¯t let it show. I just gave him a toothy grin. ¡°Suffered? I believe it was a Jedi who led the attack on the temple. Speaking of the devil, Obi-Wan. Please, Please tell me you made sure Anakin died on Mustafar?¡±

    ¡°I left his fate to the force¡­¡± He replied.

    ¡°You left a man to burn by the side of the volcano. I¡¯ll let you in on a little secret. He survived. The emperor is hard at work fixing the his body with cybernetics as we speak,¡± I admonished him. I turned to Yoda and said, ¡°Were my instructions on the holocron not clear enough?¡±

    ¡°I didn''t have a chance to read them all,¡± Obi-Wan answered instead. ¡°I did what the force would have me do,¡± he explained.

    ¡°I have many things I would like to say to you Master Kenobi, but I will keep them to myself. They would not prove useful at this point,¡± I said while staring at him and clenching my right fist so hard it began to shake.

    ¡°Lord Zaros has more than proven his necessity in the past few days. Now, let¡¯s get down to business gentlemen,¡± the Queen said judicially.

    "Palpatine has solidified his support base and won the final vote to give him absolute power over the Republic. That Republic has died and in its place an empire has risen," she explained while addressing the assembled peoples.

    "We are assembled here to discuss the next steps in resisting him before all is lost," she concluded.

    ¡°Wayward Jedi we must find. Weak they are when isolated amongst the stars,¡± Yoda said.

    ¡°With known Jedi defectors and the temple under Sidious¡¯s control, we can no longer trust the old encryptions,¡± Plo Koon explained. ¡°Without stable coms, every living Jedi has become an island unto themselves, unable to bridge the gap between each other.¡±

    ¡°Is there no code or signal that can be activated for Jedi to find?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Anything they can find¡­Anakin can as well,¡± Master Nu explained.

    ¡°We are not even sure who survived other than those at this table,¡± Sinube lamented.

    ¡°Ahsoka Tano, Cere Junda, Caleb Dume all should have survived,¡± I said while counting them on my fingers. ¡°There are probably others that I¡¯m forgetting though.¡±

    ¡°Ahsoka!¡± Obi-Wan exclaimed. ¡°Do you know where they are?¡±

    ¡°Caleb might still be on Kaller. I haven¡¯t the slightest idea about the others,¡± I replied.

    ¡°How are you privy to this information?¡± asked Kenobi.

    ¡°I¡¯m an extradimensional traveler, who¡¯s foreseen the future. Though now that it¡¯s changed, I¡¯m slowly losing my ability to provide useable information,¡± I explained.

    ¡°What? Please be seriou-¡± Kenobi started to say.

    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s absurd Kenobi, you literally met some force-gods a few years ago." I retorted. "Speaking of the gods of Mortis...We should really talk about the implications of that later," I added quickly. I was only then realizing just how many galaxy wide threats there were.

    ¡°Force-gods? Perhaps we should table the discussion on locating Jedi,¡± said Plo Koon.

    ¡°Yes...er No, one thing at a time. Sidious is currently organizing a group of hunters. He¡¯s calling them inquisitors, masters at hunting down Jedi. Maybe a similar organization of detectives would prove useful to your people?¡± I offered.

    ¡°¡­I agree,¡± Kenobi said warily. ¡°Anyone assigned to such a mission would need to be smart, flexible, capable of covert operations, and have the ability to stay hidden¡­¡± he said.

    As he spoke, everyone in the room slowly began to stare at him. ¡°¡­ they would preferably have a history in detection and intelligence¡­ why are you all giving me that look?¡±

    ¡°Master Kenobi, have you not just described yourself?¡± Plo Koon asked him.

    ¡°No, I have been tasked with a greater responsibility,¡± Kenobi replied.

    ¡°Your little responsibility wouldn¡¯t be put in danger just because you¡¯re on assignment. Shouldn¡¯t that responsibility be treated with the same care as all the other young-er responsibilities?¡± I asked and only narrowly managed to keep up the thinly veiled secret.

    Kenobi narrowed his eyes before saying, ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°It feels like you¡¯re overly attached to this responsibility,¡± I replied.

    ¡°The child is of the utmost importance, he must be kept hidden,¡± he said.

    It was my turn to narrow my eyes. ¡°Hidden, yes. But the other younglings will be hidden as well. Surely you weren¡¯t planning on¡­oh, I don¡¯t know, running off to some desert and not teaching him the ways of the force properly?¡± I replied, knowing full well that was what he planned. I really did not think the man should be waiting on Tatooine for the next two decades. Then it dawned on me. Kenobi could not be allowed to spend his life on Tatooine. His time there would directly cause the rise of Darth Krayt.

    ¡°We¡­¡± he began to say, but I cut him off.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never cared for your way of doing things in the past. That should come as no surprise. But I¡¯ll tell you this. If he-¡° I stopped and looked over towards Bail. ¡°-And his sister, aren¡¯t being taught the ways of the force by the age of ten, I¡¯ll make the decision for you and teach them the dark side,¡± I threatened. Well, I would consider this course of action, should I still be here.

    ¡°I won¡¯t have you deny them their talent, especially if it is as powerful as I believe it to be," I continued.

    Kenobi slammed his hand on the table at the provocation. ¡°I will be forced to cut you down before that happens.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t want to teach them as much as you don¡¯t want me to teach them, if only because I don¡¯t need that type of monster loosed onto the galaxy. But I just want it to be known that not teaching them makes absolutely no sense,¡± I replied. After a pause, I added, ¡°And don¡¯t you dare tell me that the force wills it, so help me...¡±

    Nu cut us off and said, ¡°You are both getting off-topic. Kenobi, we-¡° and the she gave me a look, ¡°the Jedi here at least, make up the ruling council. If we deem you are the one for the job, then you will do it,¡± she explained. Then she turned to the rest of the group and said, ¡°We must find a safe haven and reestablish the academy.¡±This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

    ¡°The younglings need safety and stability for the future,¡± Sinube said in agreement.

    Everyone nodded at the sentiment.

    I faked a cough and then raised my hand.

    ¡°An idea, you seem to have?¡± Yoda acknowledged.

    ¡°Well, you have quite a few options,¡± I began. ¡°Yoda, I¡¯m aware that you already have a sanctum in mind. Do you think it¡¯s a suitable place?¡±

    ¡°Unsure I am. Much life there is on Dagobah, but so too death.¡± Yoda said after a moment of thought. ¡°More evil than good, it may be for the unready.¡±

    ¡°I suppose that means you¡¯re against Ahch-To,¡± I said absentmindedly.

    ¡°Are you saying the fabled first Jedi temple is tainted by darkness?¡± inquired Obi-Wan.

    ¡°Je¡¯daii. The first Je¡¯daii temple does have darkness. Every Je¡¯daii temple had both light and darkness. It is the same with the moons of Tython. It was the same on Mortis until you-,¡± I began to say before I stopped myself. I had made a self-promise not to continue bringing up the Jedi¡¯s failures.

    ¡°I¡¯m getting off-topic again. Dagobah and Ahch-To offer the safest havens from the empire," I offered.

    ¡°The archives have no evidence of anyone having visited Ahch-To in living memory. It was lost to time,¡± Nu replied. ¡°Or is its location another archaic piece of the knowledge you possess?¡±

    ¡°No¡­what do you mean nobody has traveled there? Wasn''t there a star compass in the archives?¡± I asked incredulously.

    ¡°The star-compasses have been lost for millennia,¡± she said matter-of-factly. I narrowed my eyes.

    I went silent and leaned back in my chair for a few moments. She could have been telling the truth. The only compass I knew of would only be recovered from Palpatine years from now. It was only my assumption that he stole it from the Jedi Temple. But, Sidious and the Baneites have been collecting trinkets for a thousand years. He easily could have been in possession of the compass the whole time. Or he could have plundered it from any number of planets that he now ruled with an iron fist.

    ¡°Fine, then why don¡¯t you all just pick a random uninhabited planet and make that your academy?¡± I said with annoyance.

    In the following conversation, Yoda announced that he would still enter hermitage on Dagobah to finish his training, though he would at least wait until the Jedi found a new home. Several uninhabited and uncharted planets were discussed though the Jedi decided not to choose until they surveyed them personally.

    Afterward, talk turned to the alliance forces. The 41<sup>st</sup>, under Yoda, found the most success in resisting order 66. Commander Gree, once freed from his chip, was able to hold onto three Arquitens light cruisers with around three hundred soldiers. The 212<sup>th</sup> came in a close second with two hundred troopers and two light cruisers. Commander Wolffe and 104<sup>th </sup>were almost trapped on their Venator. Though they were able to disable the ship and flee aboard its contingent of shuttles and fighters. Only 150 troopers made it out. The free clones rendezvoused somewhere in Hutt Space that I couldn¡¯t pronounce nor remember.

    Alderaan and Chandrila already pledged their support of the alliance, though it would be discreet and mostly off the books. Everything else was up in the air though. It seemed Bail''s group of 2000 weren''t exactly going to offer up their systems as a war zone.

    The conversation was going swimmingly until it turned to the leadership of the newly formed forces. The Queen assumed the Jedi would once more lead the fight now that their ancient enemy had resurfaced. They had other plans.

    ¡°No more fight, have we left to give,¡± Yoda said. ¡°Lost our way¡­almost lost the future, we have,¡± he explained.

    With a single look around the table, one could understand where Yoda was coming from. Everyone, there was either ancient or suffering from wounds, both mental and physical. Aside from Shaak Ti and Kenobi, the entirety of the Jedi order consisted of a one-armed master, three elders, and around fifty kids. They just weren¡¯t in a place to fight.

    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with licking your wounds,¡± I said. ¡°So long as you come back stronger and better able to fight against your enemies.¡±

    That sentiment got a surprising number of nods.

    ¡°The clones under our charge need to be given a choice as well,¡± Kenobi said after a moment. ¡°They fulfilled their duty, should they not be allowed to retire as well?¡±

    Everyone turned to the two commanders at the far side of the room. Aside from reporting on the fighting during Order 66, they had stayed under the radar. It looked like they hadn¡¯t even thought of themselves as decision-makers here.

    Cody was the first to talk. ¡°Captain Rex and I had a few conversations during the war¡­ about what we would do after the fighting stopped. Neither of us could imagine a life without fighting, so we planned on joining some planetary defense force,¡± he said.

    Then Wolffe said, ¡°Every clone should have a choice to fight. For too long we just accepted that it was our place to defend the Republic. Now millions of my brothers are enslaved and don¡¯t even have the illusion of choice.¡± Then he sighed before adding, ¡°but my choice is already made. I have a commitment to save the rest of my men.¡±

    ¡°Is it that easy?¡± I asked. ¡°You¡¯re all deserters now. Sure, your men can choose to lay down their arms and become farmers somewhere, but they¡¯ll be hunted down just like the Jedi.¡±

    ¡°Just as the Jedi can hide without scorn, so can my men,¡± replied Wolffe. ¡°What will you do?¡±

    ¡°Saving the Jedi wasn¡¯t enough?¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯ve got some errands to run. If I¡¯m still around when the fighting starts, feel free to give me a call,¡± I explained before sliding a communicator on the table.

    The meeting essentially ended with that for me. There were other issues of course. Logistics, current allies, future allies, a load of things I wasn¡¯t concerned with. It was nothing my specialized knowledge could really help with either.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan now, oh great lord of the Sith?¡± asked Alhoy.

    The two of us were standing next to the Fury while some droids loaded up the last of the cargo for us. We stayed on Alderaan for another day after the meeting, which was just long enough to get the sublight engines refitted. I also managed to convince one of the local mechanics to get us a signature key modulator, since our ship¡¯s old key was probably all over the imperial fleet as a high priority target. X2 also got some upgrades, though his three-thousand-year-old programming was surprisingly good when compared to the current state of the universe.

    ¡°First we amass resources and allies,¡± I reply. ¡°Hey careful with that!¡± I admonished one of the droids. It had just dropped one of the containers ¡°Those were a gift from the Queen!¡±

    ¡°What for?¡±

    ¡°We¡¯ll be searching for artifacts, whispers, basically anything that might explain why I¡¯m here and anything that might help. It¡¯ll be easier to do if we aren¡¯t just a band of three,¡± I explained. Then I sighed and added, ¡°they will also help us keep Sidious and his rebuilt apprentice off of our backs.¡±

    ¡°Where to first?¡±

    ¡°Dathomir.¡±

    ¡°That backwater planet can¡¯t be a good place to find allies or resources¡­¡± he replied. By that point, the last of the crates were loaded into storage so I began walking up the ramp.

    Without looking back as I entered the ship I told him, ¡°I found you on a backwater planet as well.¡±

    The Aldaaranea skies were clear, and take-off was easy. Within minutes, we were out of the atmosphere and jumped to hyperspace, which allowed me to relinquish controls to 2V. Alha seated herself in a quiet corner, still trying to dominate the credit. Alhoy had taken over the main table, while he polished his long rifle.

    I walked past the two without saying anything and into the cargo hold. It only took a few minutes of rummaging around all the new crap we received to find the old training swords I hadn¡¯t used since the first time I left Korriban. I also pulled out an old vibrosword and brought it with.

    ¡°I come bearing gifts,¡± I announced once I stepped back into the main hold. Without warning, I tossed the training sword over to Alha, who caught it admirably well. It was a testament to the natural athleticism that came with growing up as a hunter I supposed. I laid the vibroblade against the wall and brandished my own training sword.

    ¡°Nothing for me?¡± Asked Alhoy.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were looking to be schooled,¡± I replied.

    He shrugged before answering, ¡°I¡¯m not¡­it just looked cool.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll get you an extra vibroblade or something then, but the only reason you would use this,¡± I replied while waving the activated training blade around. ¡°Is to learn to use a lightsaber.¡±

    I walked into the open center of main hold and motioned for Alha to join me.

    ¡°Now we shall do an exercise that was apparently quite popular between teachers and younglings on Dromund Kaas,¡± I explained. ¡°You will strike at me for a minute. Should you fail to land a blow, I will strike you.¡±

    Alhoy perked up, and swiveled his seat away from the table to get a better look.

    ¡°Alhoy, set a time for us,¡± I commanded.

    He nodded before pressing a few buttons on the table and a holographic clock appeared. A countdown began on it to signal the start.

    Alha got into a wide stance, a suitable set for powerful strikes.

    3¡­2¡­1¡­and a small horn sounded at 0. Alha lunged towards me with impressive speed. I raised my trainer to swipe hers away from right to left, only for her to change directions.

    She pulled her stab back, and instead swung it around her head with a slash to my now vacated right.

    It didn¡¯t work.

    I easily moved my own sword back and batted the blade away with little effort.

    Alha fought admirably. To any normal person, her slashes and stabs would have been dangerously efficient. She further understood the use of feints and continued to employ them. She was trying her best to get behind me by constantly circling and moving about.

    Though, by the time the minute was waning she grew desperate. She followed up her latest feint and unleashed a flurry of blows. When that proved ineffective she began trying to hit me with all her might to break my guard. Soon, She was letting herself get terribly off balance and ruined her footwork.

    ¡°Come Acolyte. Try harder, or I¡¯ll be forced to discipline you.¡± I said while warding off her blade.

    ¡°Maybe I should have demonstrated the pain these cause. The Sith Academy is a curious institution, these swords are tuned to cause the most pain without serious injury,¡± I explained.

    That seemed to do the trick. She redoubled her efforts even as fatigue kicked in. When the minute was finally up, she was a sweating mess and out of breath. She was still trying to take swipes even as the bell rang, though by that point they were little more than wild swings. People rarely realize just how tough a minute of complete and utter action does to the body.

    ¡°Many Sith revel in granting others pain, especially those weaker than themselves,¡± I said as I raised my blade.

    ¡°I can''t claim to enjoy this. I believe the only worthy opponent is one capable of fighting back,¡± I explained as I gave her a hard strike aimed at her abdomen. She tried to block the swing with her own sword, but the defense was weak and the blade was sent flying through the air. The shock was delivered instantly, and Alha cried out before collapsing to one knee.

    I crouched down to her eye level and looked her over for a second. Doing something like this before I became Zaros would have been unthinkable. Hell, outside of the game, I¡¯d never even been in a fight before. Yet I knew that was how the Sith were taught, enough lore from the various Star Wars stories had told me as much. Zaros''s memories reassured me. Pain was how he learned. It raised him to impossible heights.

    I stared into her eyes. ¡°Pain is a necessary teacher. It inflicts memories that one never forgets, but pain without a lesson is meaningless,¡± I explained as I offered her a hand.

    She grabbed it and I pulled her to her feet. ¡°What was the lesson here?¡± she asked while rubbing the sore spot on her side.

    ¡°There are many lessons to learn from this exercise. Some of them are things you must learn yourself, but since you performed so admirably I will explain two of them to you,¡± I said. ¡°Allow the pain to teach you, to motivate you to do better. But should the pain cause you to fear, cause you to give up, it will have weeded out those who are too weak to learn our ways.¡±

    Her discarded sword, which had come to stop on the far side of the room flew into my open left hand. I offered it to her again. ¡°The second lesson is that you must use the force to stand a chance. Your physical strength is important but without enhancing your power with the force you will never break my guard,¡± I explained. ¡°This pain is a motivator to help you dominate the force around you.¡±

    She grinned. ¡°Brother, restart the clock,¡± she commanded.

 7. Fighting on Dathomir

    ¡°I¡¯m serious, what kind of allies can we find out here¡­and don¡¯t give me that crap about how you found us,¡± Alhoy said as we stepped off the ship. We touched down in the middle of a mountainous red forest with mists closing in around us. The place smelled of death and decay. The trees were lifeless and without leaves. The ground was a disgusting mixture of mud and slime.

    Between the destruction caused by Grievous''s attack and the dark rituals the Nightsisters invoked to defend themselves, Dathomir was in ruins. Well, this part of Dathomir was in ruins. There were other sects of witches, though none had wielded the power that the Nightsisters could. Their weakness allowed them to survive. Where the Nightsisters became rivals to Sidious and needed to be crushed, the other sects weren''t even on his radar. What was left of the Nightsister''s territory was either completely destroyed or covered in so much rubble that it would take excavation equipment to unearth their secrets.

    ¡°There are¡­or were a group of witches here. They can use the dark side in mysterious ways. I believe if we can get one on board, they¡¯ll make a good compliment to the crew,¡± I explained.

    ¡°What kind of mysterious ways?¡± asked Alha, who perked up once she heard about them using the force.

    ¡°Most importantly, they can create potent illusions,¡± I replied. ¡°As powerful as I am, my abilities are limited to more direct means,¡± I continued, before feeling a small ping of danger ripple through the force.

    ¡°Illusions?¡±

    I nodded and then said to her, ¡°Now, close your eyes and see if you can sense anything¡­out of the ordinary about our surroundings?¡±

    She did as I commanded and cocked her head in a few odd directions. Then after a few moments, she said, ¡°There are people, watching us from along the ridges. More of them are approaching our ship from all sides, we¡¯re going to be attacked!¡±

    ¡°Impressive Alha,¡± I exclaimed. I was astonished at how perceptive she was. It should have taken a lot more time to hone her force sens-.

    ¡°What¡¯s so great about that, any Togruta worth their salt should be able to make them out,¡± Alhoy complained and indicated at his head growths.

    ¡°Crinking Montrals,¡± I muttered. ¡°We¡¯ll need a way to isolate your senses next time. Enough teaching for now,¡± I said before reaching my hand out to the ridge. Without having a complete visual, I was able to pick out my target by seeing him and visualizing his position through the force. It wasn¡¯t unlike an infrared vision able to pierce through the small rocks and foliage. I reached out and used the power to grab him and soon enough an incapacitated Zabrak male was floating towards us.

    ¡°Tsk, Tsk. Quite the welcome,¡± I said as to the levitating Zabrak.

    ¡°You are not welcome here,¡± he strained to reply.

    ¡°You have one chance. Take us to Viscus or I¡¯ll have your entire clan ended,¡± I offered once he was a few feet away.

    To answer, he spat in my face.

    I touched my cheek with my unoccupied left hand and wiped the slimy substance from it. After examining his handiwork and anger flared inside me. I closed my hand into a fist and his neck snapped from the pressure in correspondence to the move. His death and the corresponding ripple in the force gave me a feeling of power. It only serves to heighten the anger I felt at his disrespect.

    ¡°Kill them.¡± I commanded my two companions before igniting my blade. I had planned on either not fighting or, if fighting occurred, allowing the siblings to do it and possibly better examine their skills. It had only been a few days since they came aboard and while they had performed admirably, I couldn¡¯t very well rank their skills against others without seeing more live combat.

    Though that plan went out the window the moment that moof-milker didn¡¯t even bother to parlay.

    Through the force, I could feel twelve warriors spread out around us. One of them was left on the ridge about sixty feet up with an energy-bow. Three were approaching from the front while the rest circled around from the back. They had some talent, as most wouldn¡¯t have seen them coming. Though, my group was hardly ¡°most¡±.

    Alhoy jetted into the air, while Alha unsheathed her new vibroblade and settled into an attack stance. Not that I cared much at the moment, I was solely focused on killing everything in front of me.

    Allowing my rage to guide me, I ripped the fool with an energy bow off the tall ridge with a whipping motion. At the same time I tossed my saber at one of the Zabraks in front of me. In the time it took for the blade to slice his head off, I had already leaped into the air towards the other two. While the first warrior died with a scream upon realizing his fate as he fell, the second had no time to react before his head tumbled to the ground.

    The saber returned to me just as I was coming down for a force smash between them. Unlike the droids and the teenage pirates, these men did have some martial training, and they knew to get out of my reach before they were blown to the ground.

    The two then charged me from opposite sides. One wielded a spiked club, while the other brandished a menacing sickled blade. They could have been armed with a thousand blades and it still wouldn''t have mattered. I sent the first man flying into one of the dead trees with a force push. He hit the bark hard enough for something to crack, whether it was the tree or his back, I couldn¡¯t tell, though I felt no death coming from him. The other warrior''s sickle was sliced in half when he tried to break my guard while I was bent down. The fool really thought a glorified farming tool would stand up against a lightsaber.

    I rose to my feet and towered over the lean, yellow-skinned humanoid.

    ¡°Did you really think any of you were a match for me?¡± I said as I twirled my blade. I raised it for a slash and mocked him some more, ¡°The Nightsisters are like playthings compared to the monsters I¡¯ve fought. And you? You¡¯re basically just their breeding slave¡­¡±

    His face was hardened, but he couldn¡¯t hide the fear in his eyes. Scenes of Ventress brutalizing the Nightbrothers during Savage¡¯s selection came to mind. Then I remembered how the Nightsisters forced him to kill his own brother as he begged for mercy. My anger dissipated and the euphoric power faded with it.

    They were just slaves, forced to defend against any visitors. I lowered the blade slowly and shakily. Part of me was asking to raise it again and finish the deed, though I denied it. Some of them must survive, it was the smart thing to do. We needed a guide.

    But...man this really sealed the deal. In my real life I wouldn''t have been able to do something like this. Killing came so easily to me, fighting came so easily to me. This wasn''t normal.

    Instead of a killing slash, he received a punch to the face that may have broken his nose, but also definitely knocked him out of the fight.

    Back at the ship, my companions were fairing with mixed results. Against the technologically inferior tribesmen, Alhoy was unstoppable. Up in the air he was safe from their melee weapons, and energy bows were useless against beskar. On the trip over, he even had time to rig up the helmet to fit around his head tails, albeit awkwardly. Now he sported the time honored T-visor and full head protection of a mandalorian. He was covering Alha with blaster fire while shooting others where he could. He was clearly unused to the unsteadiness inherent in flying and didn¡¯t have the same precision shots.

    Two dead Nightbrothers with slashes through their chests were evidence that Alha had been successful in killing the warriors. But just as I got back to them she received the butt end of staff to the cheek which sent her reeling.

    I restrained the offending warrior with the force as he went to continue the assault on her.

    ¡°Enough!¡± I yelled. My voice boomed throughout the valley. It was carried and amplified by the force and laced with an aura of intimidation. In a sense, it sounded like multiple voices speaking as one being stacked on top of each other. For a moment, everyone stopped moving, even Alha and Alhoy turned to look at me in shock.

    ¡°You can continue to die, or you can take us to Viscus. I¡¯ve stopped myself once, it won¡¯t happen a second time,¡± I explained. Of the thirteen that originally attacked, only four still stood. They looked at each other and then nodded.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

    Among them, one stepped up beside the still restrained warrior, his skin was a deep orange, almost red color. ¡°We can take you to our new leader, but Viscus is dead,¡± he explained.

    ¡°¡­Malicos then?¡± I asked.

    The warrior nodded. I frowned. I really only needed the leader as someone who could lead me to Merrin. Viscus would be easier to deal with than Malicos, though meeting him may become a teachable moment for Alha.

    ¡°Collect your dead, check on your wounded. We have a kolto tank that will help with any injuries. Then take us to Malicos,¡± I offered.

    ¡°Your terms are generous¡­,¡± the orange man replied. He looked to the other survivors, probably for advice, though they stayed silent. After a few moments, he accepted the offer.

    Alhoy made our wounded guests comfortable in the medbay while Alha joined me on the way to Malicos. I assumed we¡¯d be led to the Nightbrother village, but instead Tyros, that was what the orange warrior was called, brought us farther into the twisted woods, toward a set of jagged mountains that stretched up at an incredible angle.

    ¡°When did Malicos arrive?¡± I asked him while we trudged through the muck.

    ¡°A party of warriors brought him to the village two days ago. They found him battered in a starship wreck,¡± he replied.

    ¡°¡­and then Viscus decided to kill him, but that didn¡¯t go according to plan, correct?¡±

    Tyros stared at me for a second in bewilderment and then nodded.

    ¡°And what do you think of him?¡±

    ¡°He is a powerful warrior, but he does not think of us as his brother,¡± he replied.

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked.

    He turned to me with a grim face. ¡°He wields pain and death as a tool against my brothers. He does not follow our ways,¡± he explained.

    ¡°And Merrin allows this?¡±

    ¡°She¡­¡± he stopped himself and then opened and closed his mouth a few times, trying to formulate the right words. ¡°He knows things¡­with him she can rebuild the clan,¡± he said once the right words came.

    I felt Malicos before I saw him. His presence, unlike the almost natural state of dark side decay that emanated from Dathomir, was a whirl of negative emotions. We were just outside the ruins of a Nightsister temple when I stopped our group.

    I turned to Alha and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure when we arrived, but this will be a good lesson for you. You expressed an interest in power, and I told you it won¡¯t kill you. That is the truth to an extent.¡± I thought for a moment, drawing on my twin sets of knowledge and experiences before continuing. ¡°The dark side is a power of destruction, but we are not immune to that destruction. We use it just as it tries to use us, do you know what that means?¡±

    Alha rubbed a finger along her cheek in thought for a few moments. Then said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Maybe that the dark side will try to force us to do things we don¡¯t want to do.¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­and no. I will ask you again after we meet Malicos,¡± I replied and then continued on into the structure.

    We found Malicos in the cloistered courtyard of the temple proper. He was seated on the ground in its center with a ragged brown cloak obscuring his features. In front of him were his two lightsabers, disassembled, with their crystals laid bare. They were still blue, though faint red sparks crackled around them.

    The courtyard was a wreck. Columns had fallen, walls collapsed, and menacing vines had grown into it. While the bodies had been removed, blood and blaster marks on the stonework and craters in the ground made it clear that this was a battlefield.

    Without looking up, he called out to us and said, ¡°have you come to finish me off?¡±

    I didn¡¯t bother answering his question and instead said, ¡°Already bleeding your crystals? Days ago, you were a true believer.¡±

    Malicos looked up and pulled his hood back, revealing his muddy face and bedraggled brown hair with grey streaks. While he wasn¡¯t showing all the symptoms of dark side usage, his brown eyes had small rings of yellow within them. ¡°You know me?¡±

    ¡°I know of you,¡± I corrected him. ¡°I¡¯m here to speak with Merrin, though I¡¯m not foolish enough to search for her.¡±

    Malicos narrowed his eyes. The man reeked of emotions and projected them with every move. His fear at being discovered by outsiders combined with suspicion at the mention of his newfound ally. ¡°What¡¯s your business with the Clan Mother?¡± he inquired. His sabers began to reassemble themselves.

    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you like to know, Jedi,¡± I replied. Then I gave him a smile, ¡°Too bad a Nightbrother¡¯s place is not to question the business of a Nightsister,¡± I replied.

    Malicos twitched. ¡°As I am also Merrin¡¯s mentor, I advise you to leave. You have no place here,¡± he stated with annoyance.

    ¡°I really do plan on leaving, but not without speaking to Merrin,¡± I replied. Then I cupped my hands around my mouth and began calling for her.

    That really set him off though. His blades finished assembling and shot into his hands as he stood up. His cloak parted a bit and showed off the fresh scarring from where he carved into his chest. ¡°Leave! Tyros show them out now!¡± he commanded.

    The Zabrak didn¡¯t move; though even if he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t. I was already restraining his body before he had a chance.

    ¡°Merrin, I know what you¡¯ve gone through, and I know where another Nightsister lives!¡± I called out.

    ¡°Get out! Get out!¡± Malicos roared and ignited his two blades.

    ¡°We already did this today,¡± I replied lazily as I ignited my own and stepped forward to meet him.

    ¡°You!¡± Malicos screamed before rushing me. He swung at me with wild ferocity, though there was a surprising lack of power behind the attacks. Compared to Anakin¡¯s strength with the blade, Malicos felt downright weak. When I was able to press my own attacks, he was soon sent back and pushed off balance.

    After a particularly hard clash that almost knocked him over, Malicos leaped back into the center of the courtyard. ¡°Come to finish the job? How did you find me? Probe droid? Track my ship? Track me?¡± he rattled off manically.

    ¡°I¡¯m really not here for you,¡± I tried to explain.

    ¡°Hah!¡± he exclaimed before channeling the force into the sections of a broken column behind him. In the next moment three large sections, one after another were sent flying through the air at me. The first, I cut vertically in half. The trick to destroying a projectile in this way, I instinctively knew, was that you couldn¡¯t just cut it with the blade. If you did that, you would just have two pieces of whatever you cut, still flying towards your body. Instead, a force barrier had to be created along the blade at an angle to send the pieces safely past you. I diverted the second with the force to the left. While the third section received its own vertical slice. I was about finished with the spat at that point.

    As soon as he sent the third piece at me, he was already closing the distance with an incredibly fast dash. Both of his sabers closed in on me from opposite directions. Instead of contesting his blades with my own saber, I dropped it from my hand and filled my body with the force.

    With both my grips freed, I caught Mallicos¡¯s wrists and pulled him towards me. As I did that, I stepped forward and kicked his crotch. It landed perfectly, and Mallicos let out a gurgled noise before beginning to go limp. For good measure, I increased my grip on his arms and began twisting his wrist until he dropped his sabers, then tossed him away towards the far end of the courtyard. He came to a rolling stop just before hitting the rear wall.

    When I was retrieving all the sabers, the giggling laughter of a girl reverberated through the courtyard. It originated from the empty bough of a twisted vine near the top of the left-hand wall. When I looked up at it, the laughter stopped abruptly. A girl sitting on the vine materialized. She was no older than twelve or thirteen years old.

    ¡°What-¡° she began to say in her childish and vaguely Romanian voice only to stop in surprise. She coughed and then continued. This time her voice was twinged with an unnaturally low tone overlayed onto her own voice, ¡°What brings you to a temple of the Nightsisters?¡±

    ¡°As I said before, I know the location of another Nightsister and¡­well the possible location of a second. I¡¯ll give you the information, I¡¯ll even deliver you there, but I require your help in return,¡± I explained.

    ¡°How can I trust you? Trust that you even know what you say?¡± she replied.

    ¡°Her name is Shelish, she left the planet before your clan was destroyed. The other one is a girl named Yenna,¡± I explained.

    She regarded me with suspicion before a green flashed across her eyes. Then she brightened up and jumped down to the courtyard.

    ¡°Where¡¯s sister-Shelish!?¡± she demanded after running up to me.

    Merrin didn¡¯t take long to convince after that. In fact, it took longer to lug the books, stone tablets, and ritual materials to the ship. Once Merrin realized this would be an extended trip, she took just about anything that might prove useful. I imagine, if she had the strength, she would even try to dig up the Nightsister¡¯s main altar and load it onto the ship.

    ¡°Do you remember what I asked earlier?¡± I said to Alha as we loaded the ship. ¡°How would you describe Tarron Malicos?¡±

    I was carrying a cauldron of the green ichor using the force. Alha was struggling along with a similar one in her hands.

    ¡°He looked like he hadn¡¯t used a refresher in days,¡± she said firmly.

    I rolled my eyes and she gave me a confused look.

    ¡°Yes, but what about his personality; his demeanor. Sum it up in a few words,¡± I replied.

    She set the cauldron down on the landing ramp. ¡°He seemed irritable. Maybe also rude, erratic, and quick to anger. I mean he wouldn¡¯t listen to a word we said. Then he attacked you,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Would you believe me if I told you he was none of those things a few days ago?¡± I asked. She gave me a weird look and shook her head. So, I continued, ¡°Malicos was a Jedi, probably a decent one. I would bet my life that he was patient and kind; caring even.¡±

    ¡°Then¡­¡± she began to say.

    ¡°Yes, he is now a practitioner of the dark side. Did you see how he disassembled his lightsabers before we arrived? Why do you think that is?¡±

    ¡°Maintenance?¡± she offered.

    ¡°He was completing an important ritual in casting aside his Jedi teachings and becoming¡­well not a Sith, but a dark Jedi I suppose. He doesn¡¯t even realize it, or maybe he does, but he¡¯s given himself over to dark side and it¡¯s changed him,¡± I explained.

    ¡°That drastic of a change in such a few short days?¡± she asked incredulously.

    ¡°Yes, though he should mellow out into more of an angry and duplicitous schemer in a few years. The same happened with that guy Anakin we fought in the Temple,¡± I explained. ¡°Just as we try to control the dark side, it is trying to control us.¡±

    ¡°What about you? Why are you so normal?¡±

    It was my turn to look at her with confusion. ¡°I just killed a bunch of those warriors in a rage. I nearly killed you because the dark side influenced my actions. But I understand what you mean. If I had to guess, it¡¯s because those Jedi are treating the dark like their trusted light. To gain power from the light, you must listen to it. There¡¯s no harm in doing so, since it is like a trusted companion. The Dark is like a devious and dangerous monster. Despite taking its power, you can never trust it and never listen to it,¡± I explained.

 8. A New Supreme Martial Commander

    Bandomeer used to be a lush agricultural world. It probably could have stayed that way and still flourished as a trade depot. The system was at a crossroads between two highways, the Hydian Way and the Braxant Run, meaning freight and trade were a constant as people transferred between the two. With the two forms of income, Bandomeer would have been better off than most in the outer rim. That was until they found ionite, a rare material, and turned the planet¡¯s crust into one big strip mine. The toxic wastes that such massive mining operations created were visible even from our vantage points on one of the system¡¯s various trade stations. Now there was no farming on the desolate rock, no forests either. They gave them all up to get at their expensive ores.

    Much like the trade routes were highways, the trade stations were glorified pit stops. Crappy food, refueling stations, bad lodging, and a large concentration of the seedier type of people were all stock standard when you entered a place like this. As a collection point for the Braxant Run, all manner of goods flowed through here at a constant rate. Raw materials, foodstuffs, and now with the end of the clone wars, millions of decommissioned droids could readily be found for the right price.

    Luckily the price for what we needed was low. Not because what I needed was cheap, but rather we found the best trade partners in the galaxy hanging about the station: Jawas.

    I¡¯m not sure what brought them out here, but it probably had something to do with their love of wastelands and junk. The Bandomeer system had both in good supply.

    ¡°It looks perfect!¡± I exclaimed as the four short, hooded figures unveiled the order we placed.

    ¡°This piece of junk?¡± Alhoy asked before reaching out to the vaguely humanoid-looking scraps of droid that they had found for us.

    Just before he touched it, one of the Jawas slapped his hand away with what looked like a tiny riding crop. ¡°Nyeta! Shumeneez un toyneepa!¡± the Jawa exclaimed while holding out an upturned palm.

    ¡°He is currently requesting payment, sir,¡± 2V translated for us. The droid looked mildly uncomfortable having been summoned out of the ship, though if I¡¯m being honest he always looked nervous around me.

    I nodded and tossed a very small pouch of credits into his hand. The other Jawas rushed him to inspect it, all with cries of ¡°Utinni!¡± Not wanting a renege on the deal, the group of them rushed off in an excited huddle before disappearing into the shadows.

    ¡°Now you can touch the droid, Alhoy. And by that I mean, pick it up and get it onto the ship before anyone sees,¡± I hissed.

    ¡°Fine fine, I don¡¯t see the rush though. I can¡¯t imagine anyone stealing this piece of junk,¡± he retorted before straining to heft the robot into his arms.

    ¡°This was a very valuable part of the clone wars. Sure, it¡¯s junk now, but the imps want them destroyed as soon as possible for a reason,¡± I explained. ¡°Now shut it till we are back on the ship.¡±

    Alhoy had worked up a sweat and resorted to dragging the unit by the time we were up the ship¡¯s ramp. I would have helped with a force-lift, but it was always best to keep a low profile. In the main hold, our new find elicited an interesting look from Alha, though she soon returned to staring holes into her credit stick.

    ¡°Another droid? This place stinks enough as it is,¡± Merrin said while looking with narrowed eyes between 2V and X2. The sentiment elicited a series of indignant beeps from X2. 2V profusely apologized about the smell and began cleaning himself with a powerfully scented liquid meant for getting stains off the floors.

    ¡°Merrin, please stop menacing 2V, he really thinks any failings will cause his decommissioning,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Maybe, he should,¡± she replied while a hateful aura radiated off of her. 2V sensed her malice and his scrubbing intensified.

    ¡°Stop that. You two, set a course for Agamar,¡± I commanded the droids. ¡°Alhoy, set him on the table, and let¡¯s get the droid dissected,¡± I continued.

    2V visually flinched at the imagery on his way out. Alhoy was all too happy to have the droid ripped to pieces. Even Merrin volunteered to help, though I was forced to remind her not to damage the interior when she got overzealous with her glowing green knife.

    Soon enough just about every chip, processor, and wire were exposed on the droid that had been completely stripped of its decorative plating. I ran my fingers along the machine, looking for any evidence of damaged memory chips.

    ¡°So can you please just tell us what the deal with this thing is?¡± asked Alhoy after watching me search for a while.

    ¡°What do you know about super tactical droids?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Always answering a question with a question,¡± he grumbled. I just waited for a real answer.

    Alhoy was unwilling to give it to me for a few awkward moments, then he gave up.

    ¡°Fine, I know they were the separatist generals. The old tactical droids were always being spoofed on late-night holovids. But the newer ones had a surprising victory ratio. It made the old separatist channels almost hopeful about the war,¡± he explained.

    I nodded with a grin.

    ¡°Super tactical droids were almost never taken captive during the war. Even when they were, their advanced anti-interrogation protocols meant they were useless captives,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Why would you interrogate a droid?¡± he asked. ¡°Just pull out the memory or hack into its head,¡± he continued.

    ¡°I had a decent hunch, but I wasn¡¯t sure until I found this,¡± I said as I exposed the circuitry in the very center of the droid¡¯s bulky torso. Inside, where the rest of the droid was still pristine, was a single cubed compartment corroded almost completely by acid. The exterior had a small injector with a clear and empty vial.

    ¡°As generals, they are privy to confidential and important information regarding Separatist fleet movements, weapons depots¡­just about anything related to the war so that they could better come up with their own strategies,¡± I explained. ¡°Yet, the Republic almost never cracked them, probably because they didn¡¯t store their secrets in their head. Instead, that information would have to be separate from the rest of the systems. In case anything happened to the droid, it would be independently destroyed,¡± I continued.

    ¡°So, this droid is useless because it¡¯s been deactivated?¡± Merrin asked while twirling a vibroblade.

    ¡°Not useless, but it served an important purpose,¡± I replied. ¡°And before you ask, no you can¡¯t carve it up, I want to bring it back online eventually.¡±

    ¡°More droids?¡± she asked exasperated.

    ¡°Well get used to it. We are going to be getting a large infusion of droid forces if everything goes our way,¡± I explained.

    ¡°What? Why?!¡± she exclaimed.

    <hr><hr>

    Agamar, especially the area where a particular DH-Omni support vessel lay wrecked was a cold rocky planet. Sure, it supported life, and there were even sentients living on it somewhere, but not where the ship stood. In fact, the ridge it was on had almost no signs of life whatsoever. Other than the massive ship, the only thing around us was snow and rock. DH-Omni support vessels were troop and supply haulers that resembled two halves of a sphere connected by a centra rod, vaguely like a dumbbell. For this particular DH, one of those sphere halves was almost completely crushed from the impact, while the other received far less damage. Thus, it came to rest at an odd angle on the ground.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Even with the desolate landscape, my small landing party got a surprisingly warm welcome from three B1s who came out to meet us.

    ¡°Greetings! I am Unit B1-256, my commander has sent me to ascertain your intentions,¡± the lead droid said as we walked up to the structure.

    ¡°Extend my greetings to General Kalani,¡± I replied politely. ¡°Inform him that I wish to speak with him immediately regarding the shutdown order relayed by to all separatist armies. This information is top-secret and must be heard in person, not transmitted,¡± I explained.

    ¡°One moment please,¡± B1-256 said, before pressing a finger against his communicator. He then relayed that information over the communicator went silent for a few moments and said, ¡°General Kalani has invited you to the bridge, please relinquish your weapons esteemed guests.¡±

    I smiled and nodded. For the current job, I chose to wear the black silk robes from Alderaan, while my saber was safely hidden inside one of X2¡¯s compartments. B1s were notoriously easy to fool and didn¡¯t bother searching my astromech droid without being told to do so.

    I opened the robes to show that I had nothing to hide and then nodded to Alhoy. He began the lengthy process of emptying himself of dangerous items. Flame thrower cuffs, blasters pistols, a blaster gauntlet, rockets, a shiny new vibroknife, and his long rifle meant that the B1 assigned to carrying our stuff was soon struggling to carry it all. That said, it also didn¡¯t matter since X2 also had a pair of pistols hidden.

    ¡°Would you like refreshments?¡± 256 asked us once we entered the ship¡¯s hangars.

    ¡°You have any coffee?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, sorry,¡± 256 replied.

    ¡°Tea?¡±

    ¡°No, sorry,¡± 256 said.

    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be fine without,¡± I replied slightly annoyed.

    The hangar, despite the crash, was surprisingly intact. Though there didn¡¯t seem to be any fighters or vulture droids, three neimoidian shuttles looked ready to fly. There were at least fifty B1s, ten super battle droids, and twelve droidekas.  They were either on standby or performing various tasks. On top of that, crates upon crates of military supplies filled the area. It was a goldmine and would make an admirable consolation prize.

    Kalani was waiting for us on the bridge. Super Tactical Droids often almost looked custom-made. They each had gilded plates, with designs etched into them and unique colors. Kalani was dark green with a swirling gold pattern on his outer plates. The one back in the ship, though rusted and banged up still retained his deep blue painting and some evidence of gold geometric gilding.

    The general turned to face us as I sat down on one of the bridge¡¯s chairs and Alhoy took up position behind me. Besides our escort, two other B1s flanked the super tactical droid.

    ¡°I am told you have information regarding the shut down order issued to every command droid?¡± Kalani asked us in a slow and mechanical voice. Super Tactical Droids had a penchant for sounding methodical and never seemed to be excitable unlike most other droids.

    ¡°More than that, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve found it suspicious that we were so suddenly commanded to lay down our weapons?¡± I asked.

    ¡°That is precisely why I chose to refuse the order,¡± Kalani replied.

    ¡°Well, it was a costly and effective trick by the Republic. The entire executive council was destroyed, which allowed turncoats to issue the command,¡± I explained. It was technically the truth as the Confederacy¡¯s Parliament never approved the shutdown order and it was never issued by the official leader of the Separatists.

    ¡°I estimated as much,¡± the droid replied.

    I shrugged. ¡°Thus, a great responsibility has fallen onto my shoulders. I am now the Supreme Martial Commander of our forces. My first task is to take stock and assemble what remains of our forces,¡± I explained. Said forces, were shrinking by the moment as Republic forces rounded up the deactivated forces and sent them to foundry worlds.

    ¡°By what authority are you the Supreme Commander?¡± Kalani asked.

    ¡°A secret emergency meeting of what¡¯s left of the parliament assigned me the job,¡± I explained nonchalantly. ¡°At this point, we need to establish a guerilla resistance since most of our forge worlds have already been taken.¡±

    ¡°What is your name? I do not recognize you from any leadership roles,¡± said Kalani. I couldn¡¯t tell if he was just asking for confirmation or if he was suspicious. Nothing in his voice betrayed his intentions and the force was no good in giving me information on droids.

    ¡°I¡¯m Darth Zaros; you could say I was something of an associate to the Count. I never held office before now, though that shouldn¡¯t be a surprise since our entire command structure was wiped out,¡± I said.

    ¡°Have you any form of identification?¡± Kalani asked without much time to process the information.

    ¡°No, and it would be too dangerous to travel with any since I have only a few protectors. Now, I¡¯m going to need a list of any bases, untouched ships, supply drops, even factories that may not have been taken by the Republic,¡± I explained.

    ¡°I cannot comply. You must supply me with the necessary command identification for me to relinquish control,¡± Kalani replied. ¡°If that is all, I must ask you to leave as you do not have the necessary security clearance to remain on my ship.¡±

    I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples in feigned frustration to buy some time while I created an image of the droid¡¯s anatomy in my mind. After spending the entire trip to Agamar memorizing the interior of a super tactical droid, it wasn¡¯t the hardest thing to do. It still required a lot of concentration to do.

    My first idea was to simply crush the acid device with the force. That said, intricate force control wasn¡¯t my best area of practice. Sith Warriors were trained for strength and power. It was almost miraculous that I had enough control to restrain a person without crushing them to a pulp, so I decided it was best not to try. I had a decent chance of crushing the entire memory cache.

    ¡°Very well, I will return with the required documentation if I can,¡± I said. With a clear vision in my head, I stood up and offered my hand to Kalani for a shake. Kalani accepted it.

    At the same time, I snapped with my left hand, signaling for X2 to deploy my saber. It popped into the air and in flash was sucked into my hand. Kalani had no time to react before I pulled him in and ignited the blade. It created a surgical cut. As precisely as my body''s years of experience allowed, I pierced what I hoped to be the acid injector. Then I gave him another slash to the wires around the power unit, causing his body to go limp. It was near instant and needed to be, just about anything could have triggered those injectors.

    The inept B1s didn¡¯t have a chance to react. I charged the two in the front, slashing them down in quick order, while Alhoy dispatched the other three in the room with the pistols hidden by X2.

    ¡°You¡¯re up,¡± I ordered the astromech. It beeped an affirmative response and then rolled over to the deactivated general. An impressive and slightly unnerving array of sharp and/or hot tools appeared out of the droid, all of which got to work on the Kalani. Alhoy set about rearming himself while I sat back down in my original seat and relaxed.

    Within minutes, X2 gave another set of beeps, letting us know that the operation was about to be complete. Both Alhoy and I snapped back to attention as the red lights returned to Kalani¡¯s eyes. The general turned its head from left to right, taking in the carnage of the room for a moment before settling its sights on me.

    ¡°Supreme Commander? I¡¯m sorry for this sight, I seem to have lost power for a moment,¡± Kalani said after scrambling to his feet.

    So, the operation was a success.

    Plan A was to simply convince Kalani that I was the new Separatist leader. It¡¯s probably a good thing he didn¡¯t believe us since that would have shown he was almost unusably inept. Plan B was slightly more intricate and involved first destroying Kalani¡¯s ability to trigger his memory erasure protocols. Then after cutting his power, X2 was able to overwrite his memory and current protocols so he would recognize me as the new leader.

    ¡°Good to have you back Kalani. Don¡¯t worry, it¡¯s not your fault I simply couldn¡¯t contain my anger when I learned you weren¡¯t going to be serving tea for our meeting,¡± I offered with a dismissive wave. ¡°Luckily my personal astromech was on hand to patch you up.¡±

    ¡°My apologies. I will have better refreshments next time you visit. To what do I owe the pleasure, sir?¡± Kalani replied.

    ¡°We are regrouping. Believe it or not, you are basically the last officer I have left. I need your technical knowledge in locating arms, troops, and supplies that are still out of the Republic¡¯s reach,¡± I explained.

    ¡°How would you like to proceed?¡±

    ¡°You''ll be on your own for a bit. I have a list of wants, but for everything else use your own discretion. Bring everything you can back online,¡± I explained, before handing him a data-pad outlining my main goals. I really just wanted a few cruisers, some BX droids, and as many IG-100s as he could find. With a small force like that, we could basically become pirate kings and slowly grow a powerbase.

    Kalani nodded and began examining the pad.

    ¡°Secrecy is the name of the game, play it safe and make sure everything you find isn¡¯t tracked. There¡¯s a forested moon orbiting Yavin inside the Yavin system, it¡¯s heavy enough to conceal quite a large force for now. Mass there for the rendezvous,¡± I explained before getting up.

    "Oh yeah, I have an offline tactical droid on the ship, have him brought out and repaired. As I said, we need all the help we can get," I said over my shoulder as we left.

 9. Gathering Forces

    ¡°But I really feel like I¡¯m not improving,¡± complained Alha as we walked down the dirty streets of Ord Mantell City.

    ¡°Your swordsmanship has gotten better, you¡¯ve gotten physically stronger, and you managed to fend off a few nightbrothers. That¡¯s no small feat,¡± I explained.

    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about that!¡± She retorted. ¡°I can¡¯t feel it. I can¡¯t even lift that damn coin!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s been less than a few weeks. This takes time¡­¡± I tried to explain.

    ¡°And now you have me sparring that damned kid. It¡¯s embarrassing! If you''re going to beat lessons into me at least do it yourself!¡± she exclaimed.

    ¡°Use my name when you are speaking of me,¡± Merrin cut in. ¡°It¡¯s nothing to be ashamed about. The sisters trained me from a young age.¡±

    Merrin didn''t need to leave the starship with us, but she seemed interested in checking out other planets. It was her first time off Dathomir, and Ord Mantell was nothing like that swamp.

    ¡°Yeah kid, I¡¯ve been fighting since I was little too,¡± she retorted.

    ¡°Backyard scraps on some desert planet hardly compare to being trained by some of the best warriors in the galaxy,¡± Merrin replied.

    "Backyard scraps? I fought slavers! I killed a terentatak!" she replied. I rolled my eyes. Weeks ago she didn''t even know that beast was a terentatak.

    "A terentatak? the Nightsisters taught me to kill and tame beasts like rancors," Merrin replied.

    ¡°If they were so good-¡° Alha started to say.

    ¡°Would you look at that! We¡¯re here¡± I said to cut her off. I could tell where this conversation was going, and I didn¡¯t need Alha opening that can of worms. Besides, we were at our destination in one of the seediest parts of the city.

    Cid¡¯s Parlor fits all the characteristics of a dive bar. It was in a dark alley off the main streets. It was below street level, and you entered by walking downs a flight of stairs to the door. The interior was the type of dirty that seemed impossible to clean. Years of gunk and rust buildup gave it plenty of permanent stains and discoloring. There were also almost no patrons.

    The parlor was split between a bar, booths, and some arcade-style games. Almost all of the areas were empty of people. The few patrons inside were either in a complete stupor, looked ready to pull a vibroknife at a moment¡¯s notice, or both. Which was odd, since it was only around lunchtime.

    ¡°Here, go crazy,¡± I said and handed a pouch of credits to Merrin.

    ¡°Why would this make me crazy?¡± she asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech. Just check out a few of the arcade games, and try not to hurt anyone,¡± I explained before giving her a push towards the games. Merrin had proven to be an odd combination of mature and incredibly inexperienced since we picked her up. That''s probably what happens when you grow up on a backwater world without your family.

    ¡°Play games? I¡¯m not a child¡­¡± she muttered but headed towards the nearest game console anyways.

    I took a seat at the bar and Alha followed suit.

    ¡°What did I say about mentioning her family?¡± I said with annoyance to Alha once Merrin was out of earshot.

    ¡°I know¡­it just slipped out,¡± she replied.

    ¡°No more slips, losing your family is tough enough, especially the way it happened... She doesn¡¯t need someone reminding her about it,¡± I snapped.

    ¡°Yeah, I would know,¡± she replied.

    ¡°What¡¯ll it be?¡± asked the female trandoshian behind the bar in a surly tone. She sounded a lot reminiscent of a middle-aged smoker from New York.

    I glanced over at the taps to choose a drink, though I realized I had no idea what any of the flavors meant. ¡°Do you have any spotchka?¡± I replied.

    She raised an eye-ridge as if to say, ¡°are you sure?¡± before actually saying, ¡°Comin right up.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re also looking to hire a team,¡± I said as she filled our drinks.

    ¡°Try the guilds on Carajam or Navaro. You won¡¯t find anything like that here,¡± she replied, trying to dismiss the notion.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t looking for mercs or bounty hunters,¡± I replied. ¡°I need a team I can trust. Maybe a set of specialized ex-soldiers?¡±

    The trandoshian looked like she was about to spit out another surly come back but she was cut off when a loud bang could be heard from the gaming machines. They were followed by a few expletives from Merrin. She was currently venting her frustration at losing some type of block-stacking game.

    ¡°Control your brat! Who brings a kid to the bar anyway?¡± she said.

    I flicked a finger out with the force, sending a small push that hit Merrin in the back of the head.

    She turned and glared at me. I glared back long enough for her to break eye contact.

    Just as I turned back around, I heard a distinctly New Zealand accent come from over by the gaming systems. ¡°Ah yeah, I had some troubles with Pillars of Geonosis too,¡± the new girl said. She was short and blonde and resembled a certain famous bounty hunter.

    ¡°Yeah, who houses a kid at a bar anyway?¡± I said with a smirk at the bartender. ¡°Listen Cid, how about we talk more in your office,¡± I continued. Then I moved to show off my saber handle, just to let her know that I wasn¡¯t asking.

    <hr><hr>

    Kalani examined the datasets laid out before him. The droid was currently aboard the bridge of the newly dubbed Munificent-1. It was a large ship, but not massive. It was vaguely beetle-shaped, with sloping armor covering a skeletal interior. Unlike previous leaders that usually asked for the impossible, the new supreme commander was asking for relatively little of the droid.

    The Supreme Commander had only made three specific requests. The three munificent class frigates and contingents of BX-series droids he required were the kind of tasks Kalani could accomplish with relatively little risk. Sure, the third task of trying to collect IG-100s was proving more difficult but hardly unnecessary. A true Supreme Martial Commander must be protected by IG-100s as was protocol. The added directives of ¡°playing it safe and being discreet¡± had effectively tied his hands on that front for the moment. Magnaguards were rarely supplied to any but the highest officers, thus it was unlikely that they would be found outside of the most important installations.

    In fact, things were proceeding exactly according to Kalani¡¯s calculations. The first three Munificents were found and requisitioned almost immediately. They were stationed by a deep space supply depot. The station was little more than a refuel and resupply spot in a barren system near the Toprawa system. The large platform of tanks and crates floated just at the edge of the system, almost outside of the stars gravity.

    The station was relatively unimportant but with the massive number of ships under the CIS¡¯s command, the three frigates he requested would have been an incredibly light defense fleet even for this type of station. That''s because they weren''t the only ships defending the station. There were an additional four munificents resting in space around the depot, while a further two lucrehulks were docked for resupply when everything shut down.

    That made a good start to the fleet for now, though it was less than a single percentage of the forces Supreme Martial Commander Zaros would have been commanding a month ago. By previous metrics, even the current ships would make a paltry First-Fleet. For a man as high ranking as Zaros, the First-Fleet must at least have a Providence-Class Cruiser or better yet the larger star-destroyer variant. That would be a true flagship for the Supreme Commander.

    With a few clicks on the command board, Kalani brought up a holograph of the galaxy. Several systems on the map displayed the same marking that led him to this position. Then he held a hand to his head and activated the communicator. ¡°Telro, you will head to the Calrosi system aboard Munificent-2, a probe has come back with signs of a derelict fleet there. I will be moving through the rest of the southern systems we have scouted,¡± Kalani commanded.

    ¡°The Supreme Commander will be most pleased, Kalani. It has been far too long since we have over-delivered in such a way,¡± Telro replied over the communicator.

    ¡°I concur. Commander Zaros seems to have underestimated our abilities. An early victory like this will show him our value,¡± Kalani replied. Kalani didn''t have emotions or even emotive processors, but he estimated that if he did, overachieving in such a fashion would have certainly caused him joy.

    <hr><hr>

    Caleb¡¯s day had started out normal enough. Or at least as normal as it got after being labeled a traitor of the republic. When they got off Kaller, the group immediately left for Kamino. That had been a nerve-wracking affair to say the least. But it was nothing Clone Force 99 didn¡¯t have covered. The commandos basically marched into the place, grabbed Omega, and flew out before anyone could really ask questions.The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    Then the group made for Ord Mantell which has since become their new home while Billaba recovers. They couldn¡¯t afford a bacta-tank, though they did have enough bacta-patches to at least stop her internal bleeding. The blaster shot from Crosshair essentially burned out a chunk of her lungs, an almost fatal wound had Billaba not been a Jedi master. Caleb had no skill at healing, and Billaba has been far too weak to self-heal cauterized wounds in the ensuing weeks. It was all she could do to stay stable. Thus, it was down to recovering the hard way. That basically meant bed rest inside Cid¡¯s bar.

    That was the other thing. The group had turned into a set of odd-jobbers working under Cid. The trandosian was apparently an old Jedi informant, though, with their treachery, she was forced to become a glorified mercenary dispatcher.

    The Bad Batch was often off on missions of all sorts. Free a rancor here, save some group there, deliver guns, deliver supplies, etc. etc. The only other mission of note came early on when they all decided to remove their chips on Brakka. With Crosshair either constantly tied up, constantly sedated, or both, removing the inhibitor chips was a necessity to keep everyone safe. That guy never seemed to be in a good mood either. Caleb used to chalk it up to the inhibitor chip, but once it was removed Crosshair never got any nicer.

    That said, none of these fun missions ever seemed to involve Caleb or his new friend Omega. Sure they could tag along on certain supply runs, but anytime the job involved danger, they were pushed out. They were constantly being left back at Cid¡¯s bar while the Bad Batch traveled across the galaxy. Omega, he could understand, but Caleb was a fully trained padawan. He had literally been in battle a few weeks ago. He was their ranking officer, but now he was forced to hang out in a dirty bar most days.

    So, like usual, Caleb spent the morning meditating and going through his forms. He would periodically check on his master to make sure she was comfortable but other than that the day was his.

    He was just finishing up that day¡¯s saber exercises in the storage room when he started to get the weirdest feeling. It wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad feeling, like the danger you would feel right before a fight. It certainly had nothing on the despair he felt just as Order 66 hit. But, it wasn''t a good feeling. It started off more like an annoying itch or the tickle of when a bug crawls across your skin.

    Once he realized it was there, it only got worse. When he checked on Billaba, she was out cold, so he couldn''t use her council. Yet his feeling just got worse. It slowly morphed into a feeling of oppression or claustrophobia, like when you sit in a dark room and can¡¯t see anything around you.

    ¡°Omega, did anything weird happen today? It¡¯s like¡­I¡¯ve been on edge for a while now,¡± Caleb said as he entered the bar¡¯s main room. Omega was over by the gaming consoles with some teenage girl. That was an odd sight itself. In all their time here, the only kids that ever came into Cid¡¯s bar were the two of them.

    ¡°See the trick is you have to press the button a few moments before you think you¡¯re supposed to press it, like this,¡± Omega said as she taught the girl the trick to the old machine. True to her word, every time she hit the button, the moving blocks stacked onto each other perfectly. ¡°What was that Caleb?¡± she said, only turning around after completing the stack.

    ¡°Did you see anything suspicious?¡± He asked again. Then he eyed the new girl. She was about as tall as him and probably a human. Though her features all looked like a normal humanoid, it was her odd coloring that set her apart. Her skin was pearl white, almost a little gray. Her hair was silvery-white while a series of grey markings adorned her face.

    She noticed him checking on her and gave him an annoyed once over in response.

    ¡°Nothing crazy. Oh, this is Merrin, her friends are here on business with Cid,¡± she explained, then she turned to Merrin. ¡°This is Caleb, he¡¯s been staying with us for a while. What kind of mission do your friends need completing?¡± she asked the girl.

    ¡°My companions? I suppose he is planning some type of heist or something and felt your team was right for the job,¡± she explained. ¡°I didn¡¯t care to listen to the details.¡±

    ¡°And you get to go with?!¡± exclaimed Omega.

    ¡°I would assume so. Otherwise, they would not have gone out of the way to recruit me,¡± she replied.

    The oppressive feeling hadn¡¯t gotten any better when Caleb entered the barroom. If anything, it slowly got worse as they talked with Merrin. He stumbled for a moment, then sat down on one of the stools.

    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Omega asked. It had taken her a few moments to notice him as teaching Merrin the ins and outs of video games had kept her attention.

    ¡°No¡­I don¡¯t know. I feel darkness. It¡¯s like if someone pressed a shroud over your head,¡± he began to say before he detected a surge of energy. A flash of danger exploded through the force, like an alarm originating from Cid¡¯s office.

    Caleb bolted to the door and fingered his hidden saber handle that he kept tucked into a wide pack on his belt. When he burst into Cid¡¯s office he was greeted with a terrifying sight. A massive red man, probably a Zeltron, had her by the collar. In an impressive feat of strength, he had her lifted into the air with a single arm. More alarming though was the red lightsaber in his other hand.

    ¡°You¡¯ve been testing my patience Cid. I came as a friend, but if you keep leading me around-,¡± the man was saying as he brought the saber close to her body.

    ¡°Put her down!¡± Caleb yelled before igniting his own blade.

    The brute turned around looked over with an annoyed glance, before turning his attention back to Cid. Then he looked back at Caleb again and just stared at the boy for a few moments. His face slowly lost the scowl as it morphed into a look of confusion and then finally one of realization.

    ¡°Kanan?¡± he said.

    ¡°Who?¡± Caleb replied.

    The man dropped Cid, who slumped back into her chair before turning his full attention to Caleb. He nodded towards the Togrutan woman who unsheathed a vibroblade and placed it near Cid¡¯s neck.

    The sense of fatality that Caleb had felt a moment before dissipated. The oppressive feeling of the dark side did not though. If anything, it was far worse inside the office.

    ¡°You. Your name is... I¡¯m blanking here. You¡¯re a padawan to...uh, Master Barbados. No, that¡¯s not right,¡± he said while scratching his head.

    Caleb had no idea what he was talking about, but he was clearly dangerous. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± he asked trying to hide the fear in his voice.

    The man looked around before he gave me a smirk. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We¡¯re negotiating, now shut your blade off before you cut yourself, er Jacob?¡± he replied.

    ¡°My names Caleb! And I know what you are, Sith!¡± he yelled. By that point, Merrin and Omega were peeking in from the door. Merrin looked interested, but otherwise unperturbed. Omega''s eyes were wide at the goings on and didn''t seem able to process everything.

    ¡°I knew that. It was on the tip of my tongue,¡± the man said. Then he reached out with his left hand and the oppressive darkness in the room deepened. Caleb tried to take a step back, but his limbs didn¡¯t respond. Instead, he felt a crushing sensation as his legs were forced together and his arms were pushed down to his sides. A pressure on his wrist forced him to drop his blade which clattered down to the floor. Once he was fully immobilized, his body slowly floated over to a chair before being forcibly pressed down into it.

    ¡°Stay like that till you calm down boy,¡± he said, then he turned towards the doorway. ¡°You two might as well come in at this point.¡±

    Omega and Merrin slowly complied, and the door slammed shut behind them. Only then did the man turn his attention back to Cid.

    ¡°Now Cid. You claim to know nothing about a group of enhanced clones, but for some reason, you¡¯re harboring their little sister?¡±

    <hr><hr>

    My jaw dropped when we exited hyperspace in the Yavin System.

    ¡°Hail them! Get Kalani on the line. I need an explanation for this,¡± I commanded 2V.

    2V rushed over to the holo-communicator at the center of the bridge before nervously typing at the keyboard. Within a few moments, we were greeted by the classic blue holographic image of¡­ a T-1?

    ¡°Greetings Supreme Commander, we were awaiting your arrival. You may proceed with your approach,¡± the droid said.

    I glanced back out the front window, where a pair of lucrehulks were resting in orbit of Yavin-4. The two massive ships were flanked by another five munificents. Then I turned back towards the droid.

    ¡°Where is Kalani?¡± I demanded.

    ¡°As per your orders High Admiral Kalani and High General Telro are continuing with the reactivation and recovery efforts,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Ok, but I thought I gave him a list¡­wait. I never promoted him to High Admiral! And who¡¯s this Telro?¡± I demanded.

    ¡°My apologies sir, acting-high admiral. As per protocol, the position needed to be filled and he was the next in line. Acting High General Telro is the designation for the T-2 droid that you recovered yourself, sir,¡± the droid explained.

    ¡°And they left¡­you in charge of the fleet, um¡­¡± I said, still stumbling over my words.

    ¡°Yes Sir, I am TX-25 and acting-captain of the newly designated Lucrehulk-1 and current ranking officer of the First-Fleet,¡± the droid offered.

    I was almost afraid to ask about the implications, but I still managed to spit out the words, ¡°¡­First-Fleet?¡±

    ¡°Yes Sir, according to protocols, your flagship must have a sizeable attachment. Once the roles have been fulfilled, we will begin assigning ships to the next fleet,¡± TX-25 explained.

    Flagships? Secondary Fleets? Damn Lucrehulks?

    This was getting out of hand. I wanted a small and stealthy set of ships capable of raiding, theft, and piracy; meaning I wanted a few munificents. Lucrehulks were not the type of ship you could raid with. In fact, they were basically just orbital stations fitted with hyperdrives. They lumbered about with massive complements of droids and most certainly could not stay hidden easily. Nor would anyone in the galaxy see me riding in that massive ship that dwarfed a Venator and believe it was just another freighter. And yes, I understood the irony in that sentiment.

    Just as I was beginning to figure this out, I felt the shudder of a ship exit hyperspace near us. When I looked out of the viewfinder sure enough-

    ¡°Sir, we are being hailed by the Marauder,¡± 2V informed me.

    ¡°Fair enough. TX, I¡¯ll talk to you more once we¡¯ve docked. I expect an honor guard,¡± I said while trying to recover my dignity as a leader.

    The hologram of the tactical droid was replaced by one of Hunter, the leader of the Bad Batch.

    ¡°You said you had a frigate. You didn¡¯t say anything about droid command ships, I ain¡¯t taking the shuttle anywhere near those death traps,¡± Hunter said with suspicion.

    ¡°Suit yourself, I¡¯ll be stretching my legs for a while though. Feel free to float around until everything is ready to go,¡± I replied, then cut off the transmission.

    I was deep in thought as I entered the main hold. Maybe my plans for the future would require some recalculations. Two lucrehulks meant something like two hundred thousand battle droids. Sure, the large majority of those were B1s but that also meant thousands of B2s and droidekas. Even B1s had their uses outside of battle. With some engineering software, they were more than capable of providing a cheap workforce. Maybe we should find a base out in wild space, maybe a mineral rich planet. Kidnap a few engineers, mining experts, maybe even a few geonosians, and set up a foundry¡­

    ¡°Thank you again, sir, er, Lord Zaros,¡± Caleb said. The boy must have exited the medical bay while I was lost in thought. He looked nervous, though that wasn¡¯t anything unusual. Just about anytime I laid my eyes on him he flinched.

    ¡°How is she?¡± I replied.

    ¡°Good thankfully. Much better inside the kolto-tank. She stabilized as soon as it filled,¡± he replied.

    ¡°She would be even better if she hadn¡¯t freaked out over nothing,¡± I said. The memory of my first meeting with Master Billaba was something I could laugh about now, even if it had been incredibly annoying at the time.

    ¡°Well¡­it¡¯s just not every day you wake up to... well a Sith Lord staring at you,¡± Caleb replied.

    ¡°Examining her wound, and she tried to pull a saber on me,¡± I corrected him with an accusatory look.

    ¡°I apologize, sir. And thank you again,¡± Caleb said with a deferential bow. The boy''s attitude had certainly improved since our first meeting.

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Anyways, it looks like we can update her treatment to bacta when we get over to my lucrehulk,¡± I replied. Bacta was superior to kolto in just about every way. Where kolto allowed you to regenerate from fatal wounds, bacta was akin to a miracle salve. So long as the base structure of an organ was still there, bacta would ensure a recovery. The stuff wasn''t cheap though, and unless you were incredibly rich, or at least the captain of a well stocked battleship, then you wouldn''t have ready access.

    ¡°That¡¯s great! Er- did you just say l-lucrehulk?¡±

 10. Infiltration of Nur

    ¡°Let me get this straight. You know about a secret prison where captured Jedi are tortured in the Mustafar system. But, you don¡¯t know exactly where it is, just that it¡¯s not on Mustafar itself,¡± Hunter summarized the previous proceedings. It had been a few days since we were welcomed by the unexpectedly large fleet in the Yavin system. Thankfully it didn¡¯t take that long to convince the Bad Batch to come aboard. I suspect part of that came from the guilt of allowing their Jedi friends to board the Lucrehulk-1 alone.

    The capital ship was massive. It certainly dwarfed my fury, which itself was close to the size of a house. My small transport barely took up any space inside the ship¡¯s spacious hangar and that was only one of many bays.

    Our group made an odd assortment sitting around the round holotable on the Lucrehulk-1¡¯s bridge. Billaba, with the help of fancy surgical droids and top-of-the-line bactatanks on board the ship, was able to attend, though she needed a cane just to enter the room. Her young padawan stood behind her seat, still doing his best to protect and assist her. Across from them the various of members of the Bad Batch crowded around the table save for Crosshair who, like a typical brooder, leaned against one of the windows and stared out into space. I sat in the captain¡¯s seat, flanked by the siblings. Across from me sat Acting High General Telro, newly returned from his ship recovering sortie.

    That was another spectacle. It shocked me enough to find a fleet waiting for me. I was floored to wake up the next day to find two recusant dreadnaughts, a trio of omni-support ships, and four more munificents entering our system. It might have even had me worried had TX not been positively, well not joyful, but certainly a droid equivalent when his communicator picked up Telro¡¯s channels.

    ¡°Yeah that sounds about right,¡± I replied as I tapped my fingers on the table.

    ¡°And you want a small strike team to infiltrate it, even though you now have an entire fleet under your command?¡± Crosshair asked without turning around.

    ¡°Two reasons. First, these ships are worth more than our targets, especially since I have no way of replacing them. Second, I don¡¯t want the place leveled from a massive firefight. If there is a jailbreak, they will just increase security, but if there¡¯s no fortress left they may just pick a new black site,¡± I explained.

    ¡°So, what¡¯s the plan?¡± asked Hunter.

    ¡°Well, Merrin will get us in close. Then I figure it¡¯s up to Tech and Echo to grant us entry to the place. After that, Wrecker, Alha, and I will take point while you, Alhoy, and Crosshair back us up,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Wait, how is that girl supposed to get us close?¡± questioned Tech.

    I turned over to Merrin who was seated on one of the consoles and engrossed in a datapad. Upon feeling my gaze, she looked up. ¡°Feeling up for a demonstration?¡± I asked.

    She nodded before vanishing from sight in a flash of green light.

    ¡°She can do that for my entire ship. As you can see, we won¡¯t have an issue getting up close,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Do you have any schematics or blueprints?¡± asked Echo.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t that your job? I mean that¡¯s the whole point of bringing you slicers along. Well, that and all the other tech-related issues,¡± I replied.

    ¡°What kind of forces are we going up against?¡± asked Hunter.

    ¡°Not sure the number but expect a fully staffed garrison along with purge-troopers and inquisitors,¡± I explained. ¡°Purge troopers are clones specialized in killing Jedi and the inquisitors are mostly Jedi turncoats,¡± I continued upon seeing their confused looks.

    ¡°Traitors?!¡± Caleb said incredulously. Billaba¡¯s expression darkened at the idea.

    ¡°Definitely; some are. I¡¯m pretty sure the Grand Inquisitor didn¡¯t take much to convince. For others, it¡¯s more like being broken or brainwashed,¡± I replied.

    ¡°If that is the case, then I have a duty to try and heal them,¡± said Billaba.

    ¡°Me too!¡± said Caleb with enthusiasm.

    His sentiment was met with various forms of no from everyone at the table save for Telro, who offered, ¡°Jedi padawans are exceptional fighters.¡±

    ¡°Not the time, Telro,¡± I complained. ¡°Besides, I¡¯d rather have both of you on the first shuttle to Alderaan.¡±

    ¡°I must insist. This is my duty as both a master and member of the council,¡± she replied.

    I folded my arms and said, ¡°I won¡¯t be taking prisoners, I won¡¯t be talking these people off the edge.¡±

    ¡°You just said it¡¯s not their fault,¡± said Caleb.

    ¡°It¡¯s not a rhakgoul¡¯s fault either,¡± I replied. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll see the light if you offer a hand or maybe they¡¯ll cut it off. It¡¯s not my job to babysit you while you offer mid-battle therapy,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Regardless, it is my duty to be there,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Perhaps,¡± I replied noncommittally before pivoting. ¡°Telro will take a small group of three munificents close to Mustafar. If we absolutely need an extraction, he should be able to aid us. Any other questions?¡±

    The group looked around at each other, before everyone seemingly shook their heads.

    ¡°Then get a good night¡¯s sleep, we leave early tomorrow,¡± I said. With that, everyone went their separate ways save for Telro, who requested my time afterwards.

    ¡°Sir, according to my calculations, installations like this are often guarded by at least a venator. The field success rate of munificents against such a ship has been quite low,¡± the droid reported.

    ¡°Fine. Boot up the simulator and we¡¯ll see what you¡¯ve all been doing wrong,¡± I replied.

    <hr><hr>

    Alha¡¯s blade flashed down from above her head in an admirably powerful cut. Yet, it was easily redirected by Merrin with inhuman speed and precision. Almost immediately after the two blunted blades clanged together, Merrin was already redirecting her shorter sword into a thrust. Alha took longer to recover and was forced to clumsily dodge out of the way long enough to bring her blade back into a guard position.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    Then they clashed again. This time the conflict was initiated by Merrin¡¯s uppercut. With recently trained precision, Alha dodged back then through muscle memory, she automatically counterattacked with an impressively quick slash. The speed of her blade was able to catch Merrin off guard who didn¡¯t have her defense ready. Nor was she able to step out of the way, and instead she received the heavy blow into her padded side. It staggered her, though from the muffled sound it made upon contact, I could tell it didn¡¯t do any damage.

    The two had been at exercising together for most of the day and that was the first hit Alha was able to land. Had Merrin been attacking at full strength from the beginning, it never would have gotten this far, but it was a clear example of Alha¡¯s improvement. She didn¡¯t let the details bother her either, as she jumped up in the excitement and let out a triumphant yell.

    Merrin was often cool-headed, but she was also a teenage dark side user. So, she wasn¡¯t above revenge. As they got ready for their next bout she smiled before small trails of green magical smoke began to emanate from her body. She was no longer restraining herself and in an expertly quick move, she struck Alha¡¯s chest with a strengthened blow. It knocked the larger woman to her butt, and Alha left out a frustrated huff.

    ¡°I think we¡¯ll call it there,¡± I said from the landing ramp of the Fury. The two of them had claimed a large section of hangar space around the ship as their sparring grounds for our time on the Lucrehulk-1.

    Though it definitely wasn¡¯t a Sith tradition, the two shook hands before removing their practice gear. That was my own rule, a carry-over from my time playing sports as a kid. I¡¯m not sure if it helped reduce the tensions that often came with fighting, but it didn¡¯t seem like it would hurt.

    ¡°Are the others ready?¡± asked Alha once she made her way over to me.

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ve already docked the Marauder, so hurry it up,¡± I replied. She and Merrin picked up the pace at my prodding.

    With everyone on board, the Fury left the massive freighter-turned battleship and docked with one of the three cruisers that had broken off from the rest of the fleet. Once we were locked in, Telro alerted us of the impending hyperspace jump and we were off.

    With the blue lights of space passing by Alha joined me on the bridge. Without saying a word she drained her water flask and slammed it down onto one of the counters. ¡°Is it weird that I often want to pull out my vibrosword and wipe that smirk off her face,¡± she asked me after a few moments. Besides 2V, we were the only ones in the area.

    I looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ¡°Possibly. Would you act on that want?,¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, No I¡­¡± She paused and thought for a moment. ¡°I¡¯m thankful that she is willing to even help make me stronger I suppose,¡± she finally said.

    ¡°Intrusive thoughts are the norm for those who follow the path of the dark side. Sometimes it is harmless or even worthwhile to act on it. Most of the time they are just noise that must be ignored,¡± I explained. ¡°Sure, it may give you satisfaction in the moment, but why not try and kill Merrin?¡±

    She looked at me like an incomprehensible alien. ¡°She¡¯s just a kid and it would be wrong!¡± she hissed.

    ¡°Exactly, but examine this more logically,¡± I replied. ¡°For example, remember when I chose not to kill those bandits?¡±

    She nodded.

    ¡°They were slavers and thieves preying upon the poor. They deserved punishment, even death. Why do you think I chose not to grant it?¡± I asked. ¡°I certainly wanted to. In that moment, I knew it would fill me with a feeling of power and catharsis.¡±

    ¡°But you chose to hand them over to the republic?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes, but why?¡± I prodded.

    ¡°Because it was wrong. They were defenseless?¡± she asked, suddenly unsure of herself.

    ¡°Well, no. It didn¡¯t really matter that they were defenseless. But yes, it went against my own code. I wasn¡¯t some judge or executioner. Besides, would your brother have volunteered the two of you if he thought I was some bloodthirsty murderer?¡±

    ¡°Probably not,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Sometimes it is your code, sometimes it¡¯s just logic. Whatever you need to stop yourself from listening to those thoughts is an important part of not becoming some dark-addled idiot like Malicos,¡± I replied. This was a lesson I knew from my memories as Zaros. While those around him, or me, became ever more crazed by the dark side. A select few like Darth Marr were able to bend it to their will and not the other way around. Many saw it as a weakness, hell even Jaesa made it seem like I was some sort of light side reformer in the empire. That itself was kind of embarrassing. Every time I spared somebody, she made it seem like I was some paragon of virtue.

    ¡°I guess that makes sense. Wait, then why did you spare Malicos?¡± she asked.

    I looked at her with a smile. ¡°If the time comes for you to take a lightsaber, he¡¯s a perfect candidate,¡± I explained. ¡°Besides, humiliating him gave me far more pleasure than killing him would have.¡±

    <hr><hr>

    You have to hand it to Separatist intelligence they were pretty efficient. Had the CIS not been hamstrung by Dooku and Sidious the entire time, they might have stood a chance at winning the war. Throughout it they made detailed maps of the rim, even the most obscure and worthless systems received surveys in the name of the war effort. One such system brought us exceptionally close to Mustafar. It wasn¡¯t much. There was no infrastructure, just a few asteroid belts and gas giants floating around a small red star. It was an exceptionally short jump to Mustafar. Since the system was now an imperial black site, it meant that its defenses weren¡¯t spread out to surrounding systems, or at least this specific system, in order to maintain its secrecy. Once we were settled in, we sent out a probe droid to inspect the place and then got ready.

    By the time the Bad Batch transferred to my ship, the probe was back and relayed basic information about the system. Most importantly, Fortress Inquisitorious was on Nur, a water moon in the system. Had I remembered it was underwater, we probably could have narrowed the information down without the probe. There was a single venator in the system, though from the image it was already stripped of its red paint and instead showed off a pure imperial grey.

    We jumped into the system, just on the edge of the gravity well and made sure to hide behind a set of asteroids. Then it was all up to Merrin.

    ¡°You got this,¡± I said before my more human nerves got to me. ¡°You do have this right?¡± She seemed confident enough when I brought up the idea the first time. Even though I knew she could do this at some point, she was far younger than in the game.

    ¡°Of course. I once veiled a family of rancors to scare¡­Ilyana,¡± she replied. She rarely talked about her fallen friend, and it seemed like we just backdoored our way into a heavy conversation.

    ¡°You get this done and the next thing on the list is Shelish,¡± I replied as I put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

    Merrin sat down upon a mediation rug, closed her eyes, and began the ritual. Much like in the game it involved chanting an incantation over some type of crystal talisman. Green tendrils of smoke spread out from her and leached into the hull of the ship. After a few moments, the chanting stopped but Merrin remained seated and concentrating on the stone.

    ¡°Did it work,¡± asked Wrecker who lumbered over and would have grabbed the girl''s shoulder had I not slapped his hand away.

    In response, Merrin¡¯s eyelids squeezed shut harder, but she gave a nod.

    From there we flew straight for Nur. It was unnerving enough to get near a massive capital ship with such an impressive armament. It was worse to pass underneath it in order to enter the atmosphere of the moon. We got past the ship without incident though.

    Our descent was slow and uneventful, though everyone¡¯s nerves were still on edge. We may have been invisible, but there was a still a chance a rogue scanner would pick us up.

    Finally, almost dreadfully slow the ship made it to the surface. Entering the water made our previous pace look like top speed though. So as to not kick up massive ripples in the water, I had to creep down at a snails pace in order to submerge it. Then it was a matter of laying the ship down on an underwater bank that was low enough to keep it hidden from the air.

    The effort clearly drained Merrin. She was breathing heavily, and her face was scrunched in concentration. I patted her on the shoulder and said, ¡°That¡¯s enough, think you''ll be ready to go when we get back?"

    In response, she released her spell and laid back onto the rug. After a moment she opened her eyes and gave me a nod.

    With the ship safely underwater the landing party geared up and stepped into the airlock at the back.

    ¡°You can fly right?¡± I said to Caleb. I was the last one to step into the airlock.

    ¡°Of course!¡± he replied.

    ¡°Then keep the comms open kid, if anything crazy happens we may need you to swing by and pick us up,¡± I said.

    ¡°You can count on me!¡± he said with a smile.

    With that I closed the door and put on my aquata. When I turned around, everyone else looked ready, so I pressed a few buttons and water began filling the room.

 11. A Prison Break

    The thing about swimming in videogames is that you¡¯re often not told how crinking cold it is. Sure, Cal made this same swim, but this moon isn¡¯t exactly tropical. Even worse we were doing this in the dead of night. Luckily, my advanced, er, well, three-thousand-year-old, warden armor¡¯s under-suit seemed mostly waterproof, though my face had no such protection.

    So, we swam through the cold and dark. We were led along mostly by Tech, who navigated with some homing gadget.

    Did I mention how cold it was?

    I could feel the fortress before I saw it. The entire place emanated the same kind of dark side energy that my body remembered from its time at the Sith academy, though far weaker and not nearly as deeply engrained. It made sense, this place was training dark siders, but there were very few and none would reach the highs and depraved lows that graduates of the academy might. Tech led us through an underwater cave that eventually opened up to a much larger area. There, I got my first real look at the massive castle.

    With harsh black architecture, it descended into the depths, stopping just above a large underwater lava pit. The place was permanently illuminated by the red glow of the pit, giving the black structure a red hue. Tech led us over to the nearest hatch of one of the lower pillars, which to everyone¡¯s surprise opened without the need for any cutting or hacking through the system. I might have suspected a trap if it hadn¡¯t happened in the Fallen Order game.

    From there I took the lead and enhanced myself with the force. Like a bullet, I shot into the hatch and up out of the water. I landed on the dock in between four exceptionally confused troopers.

    ¡°Hey! You-¡° one began saying. He was silenced in a moment. The others didn¡¯t have a chance to call for backup before four helmets respectively fell to the floor along with their lifeless bodies.

    ¡°Maybe give me some warning before you do that,¡± complained Tech as he climbed out of the waters with everyone else. ¡°I almost dropped my datapad.¡±

    ¡°Ahhh don¡¯t be soo jumpy,¡± said Wrecker as he clapped his brother on the shoulder. It was a little too hard and Tech almost fumbled his datapad again. ¡°Besides, better that than getting shot at while you climb out the water.¡±

    ¡°Enough chatter. Tech, Echo, get us into the system. I want a map and I want to know everything we can,¡± commanded Hunter. It was a good thing I brought them. My plans usually just revolved around brute-forcing myself through obstacles. I certainly had no way to open doors save for cutting them or breaking their consoles at least. Maybe they will be able to keep this infiltration more covert.

    ¡°On it!¡± they both replied before rushing over to the set of large computers to the right.

    ¡°This place is disgusting,¡± Billaba stated as she wrung out her hair.

    ¡°I was going to say nostalgic, but that works too,¡± I said with a smirk.

    Hunter walked past the two of us and knelt down to the dead troopers. ¡°You made short work of them,¡± he said as he examined the bodies. He lifted one of the helmets and saw that they were clones.

    ¡°My blades don¡¯t have a stun setting,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I guess not,¡± he said with a quick glance to my sheathed handle.

    ¡°We¡¯re in! I¡¯m transferring schematics to everyone¡¯s coms now,¡± Tech said. ¡°Looks like this place is a series of concentric structures. We¡¯re in the outermost area. We¡¯ll have to make it past through the inner fortress since the prison is near the center,¡± he explained. He was right, the holographic map showed what almost looked like a medieval fortress. There was the outer area, an inner curtain wall, and then an interior keep where the prison was. Finally, in the very center was the massive spire that jutted out of the water.

    ¡°Alright form up and let¡¯s get this door open,¡± commanded Hunter. Our small strike force took up places around the door as Echo stuck his hand-jack into the door panel and began spinning its lock. Billaba and I took the center, while the others stayed back and to the sides in order to line up shots.

    The door opened up into a tubular hallway that allowed one to look out into the water. Four guards were stationed in the area. Three went down in an instant of blaster fire. One lucky trooper was at the far end. He fired a wild shot, towards us before trying to get to the other side of his door. Billaba deflected the bolt, while I reached out with the force and yanked the trooper with all my might. He was sent sliding across the floor towards us. I took point down the hall, stopping only to end the stunned trooper with a slash before making it to the next door.

    ¡°Any chatter?¡± Crosshair asked Tech as we got set up for the next room.

    ¡°Nothing yet, I¡¯m currently playing a loop on their security cams, so as long as we keep it quiet on our end, they won¡¯t be on to us,¡± Tech explained. As evidence, he held up a security cam view of our hallway that showed four bored troopers instead of our ragtag group of infiltrators.

    ¡°I can feel a group of force users, apart from the prisoners,¡± said Billaba before we opened the next area.

    ¡°Close or far?¡± I asked, before also reaching out with the force to probe the fortress.

    ¡°Farther in; the center spire maybe,¡± she replied.

    I confirmed her sentiment when I brushed up against their presence. ¡°Well, then we will need to pick up the pace,¡± I said.

    ¡°Why?¡± she replied.

    ¡°If they probe for us, especially while I¡¯m fighting they¡¯ll find me. I only have a basic understanding of concealment,¡± I explained. It was true. The majority of Zaros¡¯s skills, my skills, were taught on the battlefield. My time at the Sith Academy was incredibly short since I was fast-tracked. Well, it wasn¡¯t like the Empire¡¯s Wrath was doing stealth missions, so it barely ever came up.

    She gave me an incredulous look. I couldn¡¯t blame her, hiding your presence was a specialty among modern Sith, and Jedi were probably no different.

    Despite this, we made it smoothly to the keep-area without much resistance. Sure, we had to dump a annoying amount of bodies in every storage room we could find on the way. But otherwise, we cut a path through the place with ruthless efficiency. Between Crosshair¡¯s and Alhoys (admittedly less) precision shots and a few rampages from Wrecker, the guards on duty were easily dispatched. Which is how we found ourselves waiting outside the cell block within minutes.

    ¡°How many guards?¡± I asked Billaba, who was probing the large room with her powers.

    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell, some might be crowded out by the force sensitives so maybe twenty or thirty guards,¡± she said. ¡°Luckily it doesn¡¯t feel like any inquisitors are there though.¡±

    I tsked in annoyance. "It¡¯s unavoidable then. Let¡¯s do this quickly and grab all the prisoners. Tech you have a roster for us?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll transfer it over now,¡± he replied.

    I scanned through the document spying for a specific name. It didn¡¯t take long, since the list was alphabetical. Offee was near the middle. While every other prisoner was listed in the cell block, she was currently placed in the reconditioning room. I double-checked the map, and then let out another disappointed tsk. That room was in the area past the Cell Block, even closer to the main spire.

    ¡°New plan everyone, I¡¯ll cut a path over to the far door. Everyone else can mop it up,¡± I said. Then scanned our little group. ¡°Get the prison doors open and start shuttling the prisoners out, and I¡¯ll let you know if I need back-up.¡±

    ¡°What? why?¡± asked Alha.

    ¡°Objective number one is currently being tortured, probably. She¡¯s in the next room over, it¡¯ll be better if I just go myself,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Fair enough. Everyone get ready, we¡¯re breaching in 5,¡± Hunter stated. That shut us all up as our group settled into our respective battle stances.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

    When Hunter¡¯s count hit zero, we burst through the door. The Cell Block was the largest room we¡¯d seen so far. It had five levels and we entered on the third. The first was a wide floor though the platform didn¡¯t meet the walls. Instead it was separated by a drop into the lava below. The walls were lined with twelve hexagonal cell-halls secured by ray shields. The second floor was a simple metal platform that followed along the wall on all sides of the room. It had an identical array of cells. The control center was to the far left and separated from the room by a thick window. Almost every other floor was identical to the second. The stairs to the first floor were in the center of the room. The entire place, much like the rest of the fortress had a sinister red and black theme going on. Most of the troopers were concentrated on the first level, though others were spread out throughout all of the platformed levels.

    To me, it was just a blur. I grabbed onto the force and filled my body with its power just before the door was opened. Blaster fire ripped through the air around me as I jumped from one platform to the next and landed in front of the control room. The three guards stationed around the terminal soon found themselves thrown off the ledge by a massive force push, while my ignited sword began cutting a hole through the glass. There was a guard stationed inside the control room. He was bent over the systems frantically pressing buttons, though he suddenly found himself held into the air by his throat as the breath was squeezed out of his body.

    Before hopping in myself, I chanced a look around the room. Crosshair set himself up at our entrance way and quickly picked off two guards from the top level. In conjunction with this, Alhoy activated his jetpack and flew to the newly cleared vantage point before setting up his own overwatch. Wrecker was, well wrecking. He swung around a massive shotgun and seemingly hit guards with it just as often as he actually shot the thing. Billaba had jumped down to the first floor and was cutting a path through the main block of soldiers, while Alha backed her up. Hunter, Tech, and Echo were quickly making their way to my location, probably hoping to lock down the area.

    I pushed the now-molten circle of glass into the room which fell to the floor with a crash. Then I awkwardly dove into the room, doing my best not to let the heated glass touch me on the way. I was forced to basically dive onto the ground. They always made it look so simple in the movies, I thought as I scrambled to my feet. By this point, someone had managed to trip the alarms, which caused annoying warning lights and emergency sounds to begin playing.

    The controls were foreign to me. The thing had close to a hundred buttons. Sure, most were labeled, but the sheer amount made it worrisome to even touch one without knowing what they do. Clearly, the empire didn¡¯t align with Steve Jobs¡¯ philosophy of design. Thankfully, despite the delay, the ¡°Main Door¡± button was slightly larger and more imposing than the rest. Once I pressed it, the massive double-blast door began to creep open at the far side of the room.

    I also took the time, mostly pressing a few random buttons to try and shut off the alarms and lock the other entrances. Somehow the warning lights stopped flashing, but the alarm only got louder. I had no idea if I was able to lock the doors. I almost slashed the console in annoyance, but figured the others could make better use of it.

    In the main room, the fighting was still pretty heavy.

    Billaba was getting bogged down by the sheer number of soldiers on the first level and was forced on the defensive. She was blocking shots left and right from the expert troopers that began to fan out from various directions. Alha wasn¡¯t up to that level, but her new energy buckler and beskar armor were more than making up for it as she shook off blaster shots. Alhoy, after clearing out the uppermost levels, was now focused on providing cover fire for Hunter¡¯s group as they made their way over to me. Wrecker was¡­wrecking his way to help on the first floor while Crosshair was finally set up for over-watch and was soon sending expert shots all over the place.

    The main door mechanism was pretty slow and still hadn¡¯t fully unlocked by the time I clambered awkwardly out the small hole I made. I definitely should have made this cut larger.

    With another force-assisted jump, I flew into the center of the troopers on the first level like a rocket. I drew upon my well of power before landing and readied a massive shockwave of force that sent many of the men to the ground upon my landing.

    It was more than enough to tip the tide and allow Billaba and Alha to press their attacks. I gave the two an ok sign before slipping through the crack in the door.

    There were quite a few guards in the hallway heading towards the prison block. For me this was just more of the same. I rushed each as quickly as I could and dispatched them with efficient slashes. The doors here hadn''t been locked down yet, so it only took a few button presses to make it into the the torture chamber.

    ¡°Holy Shit,¡± I whispered to myself as I stepped into the next room. The door opened into a large room with pits open to the lava below. Strapped down in the center and mostly obscured by a particularly evil-looking machine was my target. The reconditioning device was a metal table in an upright position. Two metal arms, filled to the brim with menacing devices, were laid overtop and mostly obscured her body. Thankfully, it didn¡¯t appear to be actively hurting her at the moment but wouldn¡¯t have been a comfy resting spot.

    There was a technician on duty in the room, he was dressed in the dark armor of the purge troopers. He promptly opened fire with a side pistol, though I easily knocked his shots back at his own gun knocking it to the ground. Then I reached out with my left hand and gripped him with the force. I used just enough power to make it incredibly uncomfortable, but hopefully not enough that his body crumpled from the pressure.

    ¡°You will undo her bindings, or I will crush you like the bug you are,¡± I commanded while increasing the pressure.

    ¡°Ok, ok, I can do that,¡± the man struggled to say.

    I turned him towards the monitor before releasing him, though by this point I also had my blade ready to strike.

    The man complied and after a few moments, the devices moved away from her while the table settled down into a resting position and her binds unlocked.

    That¡¯s when I got my first real look at exactly what they had done to the poor woman. Her head was shaved, and she looked emaciated. Her pale green face was gaunt though surprisingly serene while she was unconscious. I¡¯m not even sure how to describe the rest of what they did, though it was bad. She was missing her entire right arm, and both legs had been cut off at different lengths. Her left arm was still intact. A mercy? Or they just hadn¡¯t gotten around to it yet?

    When I got in close to scoop her up, I could here her mumbling the old Jedi mantra faintly. ¡°I am one with the force, the force is with me,¡± she struggled to repeat. Either she was deep in a trance in order to shield herself or they broke through her mental defenses by this point and her mind had been lost.

    With her awkwardly lifted against my left shoulder, I turned and pointed the tip of my blade at the neck of the soldier.

    ¡°Now choose. Death or get on the table,¡± I commanded.

    ¡°W-what?¡± He asked.

    ¡°I can''t just leave you to spring the alarms. Either I toss you into the lava pit or you get locked up so I can leave,¡± I lied. Let''s be honest this wasn¡¯t about holding him down. It was about the fact that he probably stood there and watched or even pressed the buttons to make it happen. The thought of someone, probably inflicting multiple rounds of torture set my teeth to grind. Especially so when I had my sights set on that someone becoming my ally. And for what? To turn the girl into an inquisitor? If she held out this long, I doubted a few more rounds would do anything other than cause her a slow death. They''d end up taking the fourth limb from a mindless girl and then probably dump her in the lava.

    The man faltered. He seemed to understand the situation, which made his crimes all the worse. So, I gave him a little motivation by pushing the blade just under his helmet where it began to singe his armor.

    He gulped and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get on the table.¡± So, I allowed him to move over to it slowly and crawl up onto it.

    ¡°Wait, remove your helmet as well,¡± I commanded. He complied and quickly revealed the now ubiquitous face of Jengo Fett. Unlike his older brothers though, he hadn¡¯t modified anything on it to stand out. No tattoos, piercings, hair dye; he just had the stock standard close-cropped black hair and clean face.

    I pressed a button on the machine that locked his limbs down tight to the table.

    ¡°What¡¯s your name soldier?¡± I asked as I dialed up the machine.

    ¡°CT-9487/066,¡± he replied.

    I gave him an odd look. He must be fresh. Active-duty clones loathed to tell you their number and almost always had some type of nickname they went by. I guess that could be a GAR thing and not looked upon nicely in the empire.

    I shrugged and turned the device to its lightest setting, a mercy I supposed, and started it up. I didn¡¯t look back on the way out, but I heard the table rise into position.

    "This shouldn''t kill you, but it might fry the chip in your head," I said. "Maybe come find me if it does."

    Before leaving I slashed the door panel with my saber and stepped through as they began to close. I could hear the high pitch whirring of the machine as it slowly descended onto him just before the doors closed behind me. My previous self might have been disgusted by the pain I could hear and feel, but at this point, it just felt good.

    The mission back at the prison block was proceeding, though not without complications. The guards were all down, but many of the prisoners seemed to have received treatment like Barriss¡¯s. It wasn¡¯t as drastic, but they were underfed, terrified, and often missing a body part. There were twenty-three of them and all were children or teens. With this many injured, running back to the ship would be slow.

    ¡°This everyone?¡± I asked when I finally stepped back into the main door.

    ¡°The list checks out,¡± answered Tech.

    ¡°Any reinforcements yet?¡±

    ¡°We closed most of the blast doors, so it¡¯ll take a while for troopers to cut through them,¡± he explained.

    ¡°Hopefully long enough to leave,¡± I replied.

    It took minutes just to get all of them out of the prison block, minutes we didn¡¯t really have.

    ¡°Maybe we should have brought hover-carts,¡± I noted as we finally got them into the hallway to make our retreat.

    ¡°You¡¯re the one who didn¡¯t want to bring his precious droids,¡± remarked Hunter who was holding two younglings in his arms.

    ¡°They¡¯re here!¡± warned Billaba. Then from across the room, a red lightsaber emerged from the main doors. It slowly cut a path through it.

    I looked around. Wrecker had like five children in his arms. Tech and Echo were the only ones without their hands full, while the rest were doing what they could to ferry everyone out. I passed Bariss over to them, then turned to Billaba.

    ¡°I suppose you¡¯ll get your chance to play therapist,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯ll delay them. Have the kids bring the ship around and give us a call when you¡¯re ready.¡±

    Billaba nodded before passing a child off to Echo. Then the two of us ignited our blades and stepped back into the prison block.

 12. The Battle of Fortress Inquisitorious

    Captain Relquan looked out over his beautiful ship, the Guardian, from his vantage point on the bridge. Everything was running smoothly on the massive v-shaped carrier. Nothing beat a Venator. Sure, those new victory-class ships brought more firepower to a fight, but they gave up too much. Meanwhile the Venator was a true workhorse. Ship-to-ship combat, plenty of fighters, and more than enough carrying space to act as a troop transport; there was a reason it was indispensable.

    Need to lock down a system? Send a few Venators and you¡¯ll have all three zones of combat covered. Not that Tarkin understood. Ever since that boney vulture became the new leader of the armed forces, more and more Venators were being scrapped and replaced. It was a travesty that even his Guardian was set for Bracca in a few months.

    ¡°Sir, we¡¯re receiving a request for aid from the fortress.¡± His communications officer roused the man from his musings with a report.

    ¡°What? A prison riot?¡± he asked. There was nothing down there but broken children.

    ¡°No sir, it appears to be a prison break,¡± the officer replied.

    ¡°Scramble the LAAT¡¯s then, send a whole shift out. If they are calling for back-up it will have been serious,¡± the captain commanded.

    ¡°Yes sir!¡± the officer replied before getting back on the coms.

    Relquan thought for a moment. ¡°Did they receive outside help?¡± the captain asked.

    ¡°It appears someone broke into the fortress, sir¡± came the reply.

    ¡°Scramble the V-19s and have them run patrols looking for a starship. Cast a wide net, I don''t want anything escaping the atmosphere,¡± Relquan commanded. His flyboys never seemed to get any action. The Guardian had always been a patrol boat, so it rarely made it to the front lines. That was why they were still using outdated starfighters and hadn¡¯t been given the headhunters like everyone else. It¡¯ll be a good practice run for them if nothing else.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to see a victory do this,¡± he muttered to himself as the massive hangar opened on the bow of the ship. The moving doors ran almost the entirety of the ship¡¯s topside and allowed an near immediate launch of its full compliment of fighters. Soon a steady stream of Torrent fighters and landing craft were flying out and away towards the surface of Nur.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°It¡¯s our time to shine,¡± said Caleb. He was sitting in the pilot¡¯s chair of the Fury. Wanting to be as useful as possible, he spent the entire time since the others left going over the various controls of the ship. It was a good thing he did it. The system was totally foreign to any other starship he had ever flown, and as a padawan, he had plenty of chances to fly starships.

    Everything was incredibly clunky and low-tech. It had more in common with an antique hover-hauler than a starfighter.

    ¡°Did they get in contact?¡± asked Merrin, who jogged into the bridge.

    ¡°Yep, looking for a pick-up,¡± Caleb replied slowly powering up the engines. ¡°I¡¯ll try to keep it in the water, so you shouldn¡¯t have to give us camo yet.¡±

    ¡°Fair enough,¡± she replied before taking a bite from one of Zaros¡¯s nutrient blocks and plopping down into the captain¡¯s chair.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°Alright brothers and sisters, those of you who chose this path please move to the right. You¡¯re with me. If you were coerced, kindly take it up with Master Billaba to the left,¡± I said to the five inquisitors in front of us. I really wanted to fight the Inquisitors. It was like every nerve; every feeling in my body was telling me to go to battle. Again, I was reminded just how different I was now. In my old life, I would not be wanting to fight. I would not be actively trying to anger people with laser swords. And yet, now I was totally ok with it.

    None of them moved. I tried to recognize them, though I could only remember two. The massive hulking woman was Ninth Sister, while the tall, green-faced man was the Fifth Brother. There was a petite woman wearing a black helmet who might have been the Seventh Sister, but I couldn¡¯t be sure. The other two also seemed familiar but I couldn¡¯t remember their numbers. They were a tan, white-haired man dressed like a space ninja and a short and a green-faced man with a weird helmet that obscured his eyes

    ¡°I suppose that means they don¡¯t want saving,¡± I said to Billaba.

    She ignored me and instead addressed them. ¡°There is no need for us to fight. Please come with us! Nothing is keeping you here,¡± she offered. Her voice was filled with compassion and tinged with guilt.

    ¡°You don¡¯t understand the strength of our leash,¡± replied the Ninth Sister.

    ¡°There is nowhere safe from the master,¡± said the girl who I figured out was the Seventh Sister

    ¡°Oh well, you tried Master Jedi,¡± I said before spreading my legs and settling into a fighting stance.

    ¡°Please, we need not come to blows,¡± she pleaded. "We can keep you safe, I swear it."

    ¡°Your death will bring us much favor Billaba. You are very high on the list,¡± Fifth Brother said.

    In response, Billaba closed her eyes for a moment and then settled into the classic Soresu stance. Her blade was held high above her head and her left hand outstretched towards the opponents.

    My own form was a kind of rough Juyo, it had all the vicious offense and little of the grace. Perfect for utilizing my overwhelming strength and power.

    The five in front of us activated their sabers and slowly crept forward to try and surround us. Inquisitors used a special type of lightsaber. It was dual-bladed, but also featured a circular hand guard that covered the entire handle. Once they had ample room, they began spinning their blades in unison before slowly coming together. The special guards allowed the blades to spin in complete circles, much like the classic opening move Greivous would employ. They were trying to box us in, but even now it was hard to take these gimmicky tactics seriously. Spinning sabers almost never worked. Sure, they looked cool and made great blaster shields, but they weren¡¯t very effective against a saber.

    I rushed the inquisitor, the space ninja, to the far right and clashed blades with him. The force of the attack stopped his blades mid-spin. My strength quickly overwhelmed and would have brought him to his knees had I not been forced to evade a slash from the Ninth Sister. The two of them squared up against me and the dance began in earnest.

    Billaba was faring well. Her graceful use of the more her defensive form allowed her to hold her own with deceptive ease. Each of her movements, no matter how small, were calculated for maximum effect as she dodged and parried everything that came her way. Soresu wouldn''t often give you knockout blows, but it would allow you to last a long time in a fight.

    The Fifth Brother joined in the fight against me, and their united onslaught forced me onto the back foot. Both the Fifth and Ninth were physically powerful, while the Ninja, though much weaker, was far better at positioning himself in my weakest positions.

    Just after I blocked an overhead cut from the ninth and dodged the Fifth¡¯s horizontal slash, the Ninja was able to pierce through my left shoulder armor with a lunge. It immediately burned through my skin. The searing pain from my shoulder muscles being literally cooked forced me to jump back out of range. I could smell the burnt skin and feel my arm losing strength.

    To stave off the pain and weakness, I drew on more of the dark side than I had since coming here. As the pain subsided and strength coursed through me, my vision narrowed, and my senses aligned. It blocked out all save for the three inquisitors in front of me. Before now, it had felt almost like playtime. Probably because of how they were portrayed, I didn¡¯t take the Inquisitors seriously. That would change starting now.

    I let out a guttural roar. The noise twisted itself into an unnatural sound by the dark side. Then I changed my stance to Shien and let the battle rage consume me.

    With an almost empty mind, I launched myself at the three. The ninth brought her blade up to defend against my own overhead slash. Our blades met, so I allowed mine to travel down until it met her hand guard. Though the robust metal didn¡¯t yield at first, I channeled more strength into the blade to try and break it.

    Before I could finish the Fifth tried to step in and attack my back, though he was caught off guard when my left hand reached out and sent him tumbling across the floor with a force push.

    The Ninth¡¯s guard broke and her saber short-circuited. I was about to stab deeply into her chest but was forced to pivot and bat away the Ninja¡¯s blade before it impaled my head. The strength of my spin and swipe forced him to stumble and gave me a wide opening. I wasn''t able to take advantage of it though.

    Suddenly two massive arms picked me up and locked my arms to my side. The now saber-less Ninth was trying to restrain me and give an opening to her teammates.

    The Ninja jumped to his feet.

    I tried to simply break her grip with my own strength, but her long arms were locked together and prevented me from using any leverage. Instead, I was forced to whip my head back with all my might and catch her chin. While she stumbled from the blow, I maneuvered my blade to cut through her hand. It was sloppy, and I ended up cutting through my armor and singing my own chest in the process. It didn¡¯t matter, I wasn¡¯t feeling pain at this point. Besides, it did the job.

    With a screech, her grip broke, and I jumped towards the now charging Ninja.

    On his own though, he was no match for me. We exchanged clashes, but each one was liable to send the man¡¯s saber flying from his hands. Retreat and deflect was all he could do. With a few more attacks he would be finished.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    He was only saved when the Fifth came flying towards us in a great leap forcing me to break off my onslaught. The man jumped and telegraphed himself far too soon, which allowed me to ready another powerful force push. It caught him in the air like a massive punch and sent him spinning end over end back from where he came.

    The ninja jumped back, he was too exhausted from our clash to press any advantage. It gave me a moment to look around. The Ninth, now down a saber and a hand was retreating away from the battle. The Fifth barely caught himself. Instead of landing on his head, he flipped over and came to a sliding stop on his feet. Our eyes met and instead of charging me again, he ran towards Billaba.

    She had taken no damage thus far, but also dealt very little. There were several burn marks on her two opponents, though they were shallow and hadn¡¯t really slowed them down.

    I returned to my other opponent. After catching his breath, he seemed wary to engage, especially since his allies had abandoned him. Instead, he tried to stalk around me. It didn¡¯t matter, once again I pressed the attack. Each time we clashed, I slowly overpowered the weaker man. With one particularly hard overhead slash he was forced to his knees when he tried to defend from above.

    Using my previous strategy, I accelerated my slash¡¯s movement on the downswing. When the two swords clashed, my blade traveled down his own and cut into his saber guard. To stop this, he activated the saber¡¯s spinning action, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough to move my blade. Instead, I cut through and with a flourish removed both his hands. He slumped to his knees in pain and screamed out. I raised my sword and readied a clean slash to kill the man.

    Again, I was forced to stop my attack when I felt ping of danger from Billaba¡¯s location. Trusting in my force senses, I spun and immediately launched my blade as hard as I could to where I felt it needed to go. It spun in the air at an incredible speed before clashing with Fifth brother¡¯s blade. He had maneuvered behind Billaba and raised his saber in a powerful overhead swing. Billaba couldn''t dodge and was currently held in place by the Seventh''s blade. Thus the Fifth would have bisected the woman had my own blade not knocked his own off its trajectory.

    I sprinted over to her with leaps and bounds while calling my blade back to me. Just as it re-entered my grip, I swung it above my head and attacked with my own overhead swipe. Fifth was much stronger than the Ninja I fought and held up admirably well as we clashed.

    From behind me I heard a man screech in pain and could tell Billaba had disarmed one of her opponents finally. By that time my seething rage was slowing down. I was starting to feel more of the pain in my body with each swing of my sword.

    Just as I was back to a normal state, my com pinged.

    ¡°We¡¯re ready to go, but¡­¡± came Alha¡¯s voice over my com as we retreated.

    ¡°But what?!¡± I shouted while our blades locked again.

    ¡°They scrambled their fighters,¡± she said.

    ¡°Fine, call in the cavalry,¡± I said as I jumped back and away from the fifth brother. ¡°Billaba, we¡¯re done!¡±

    ¡°Good to hear,¡± she said while ducking under a swing from the Seventh. With quick footwork, she managed to position herself inside the woman¡¯s reach and delivered another shallow cut. The pain caught Seventh off guard and allowed Billaba to channel her own force push that sent the woman towards the large doors.

    Billaba crossed the distance between us in a flash, and the two of us made our way to the exit. The Fifth didn¡¯t give up the chase though and he caught up to us by the time we were out into the tubular hallway. He didn¡¯t seem to understand that the trap was set, so I enlightened him.

    I readied another force push, though this time he finally put up his own protection to defend against it.

    The blast never hit him though. Instead it broke the glass above him and sent a torrent of water into his face, and quickly started to fill up the hallway. We made it into the diving-room and Billaba broke the terminal to seal the door. The two of us then dove into the water and made it to the fury, which had docked with the outside hatch.

    Caleb must have seen us close the door because, without a moment¡¯s notice, we immediately went near vertical and shot out of the water. Both of us were thrown to the back of the hatch. The g-forces made it annoyingly hard to open up the hatch into the main hold. Worse, the ship suddenly shuttered from an explosion, telling me we were probably not invisible.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°We¡¯ve found the ship, sir!¡± cried one of the officers on the bridge.

    ¡°Good, bring it on screen,¡± Captain Relquan said. A view of the skies above the Fortress Inquisitorious appeared. At first, nothing was in sight save for what looked like an explosion in the water. Then a few shots that looked like they were firing randomly ended up connecting with something. As they did, an entire starship appeared in the air rocketing away from the fortress.

    ¡°What model is that? I¡¯ve never seen such a craft,¡± remarked the communications officer.

    ¡°Of course, you have. It¡¯s one of the most wanted in the galaxy,¡± replied the Relquan before bringing up a report from Coruscant. Sure enough, the two ships were identical.

    ¡°Redirect all fighters, I want that ship out of the sk-¡° he began to command before being cut off by hyperspace alerts from one of the scanners.

    ¡°Three ships are about to exit hyperspace, sir!¡± cried the scan-operator.

    ¡°How large?!¡± questioned Relquan.

    ¡°At least cruisers. They¡¯re going to exit behind us!¡±

    ¡°Full power to the engines, get us in position!¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir!¡± replied the pilot before pushing the accelerator forward and activating the repulsors. The ship groaned as it started to swing around.

    ¡°Kriff! Get fighter command! I want enough protection broken off that kriffing ship to give us a defense. And scramble the bombers!¡± roared Relquan before picking up the mike connected to the ship-wide announcement system. ¡°All hands to battle stations, this is not a drill!¡±

    <hr><hr>

    The Munificent-2 shuddered as it and its two counterparts came out of hyperspace. Immediately, the shipboard computers brought up a holo-map of the battlefield. The M2 was in the center of the formation. The M3 came out of hyperspace above and to the left, while the M4 arrived far below. It was an unorthodox formation to be sure.

    All three ships coordinated with the computerized efficiency. The sublight engines roared to life while a stream of vulture droids immediately activated and began leaving the hangars en masse. In a matter of seconds 144 of the droid star fighters swarmed towards the Venator ahead of them.

    As they were moving forward, the three ships were able to begin firing their long-range Ion cannons. Each ship had two of these guns set in a forward position and soon a stream of massive blue bolts were firing at full power from them.

    ¡°Reduce speed. All power to forward guns and deflectors,¡± Telro commanded into the coms.

    All he recieved was "roger, roger." in return.

    In unison, they all slowed and the two heavy turbo lasers at the front of each ship began firing alongside their ion counterparts. The alternating blasts began ripping into the Venator¡¯s shields. At this rate, they were bound to fail within minutes.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°Why aren¡¯t those Y-Wings in the air yet?!¡± roared Relquan. The hair under his cap was growing increasingly wet.

    ¡°They weren¡¯t cycled to the front of the hangar when the other fighters left. The mechanism only restarted when we got the warnings, sir.¡±

    ¡°I didn¡¯t think flight control was filled with nerf herders, I¡¯ll have their head if-¡° Relquan was stopped midsentence when a series of explosions rocked the ship. He ran to the window and saw the issue. A few squadrons of vultures had just let loose their payloads on the massive open hangar. They were underneath the ships shields and were able to send a barrage of missiles into the unprotected hangar. Everything inside was reduced to fire and slag.

    ¡°Kriff! Get that hangar shut yesterday!¡± he barked. ¡°Break off all fighters, we need protection!¡±

    ¡°That might not be an issue sir,¡± explained the ship¡¯s scanner. ¡°The vultures have already bypassed us and are heading straight for our torrents.¡±

    ¡°Are our fighters aware?!¡±

    <hr><hr>

    Things were not looking good from Calebs point of view. This clunky transport was not built for dogfighting. Sure, Alhoy and Crosshair were doing a great job in keeping things off our tail, but the number of fighters on our trail were growing exponentially. More and more squadrons were appearing out of nowhere. Soon it would be too much for the ship.

    ¡°What¡¯s our status 2V??¡± he yelled.

    ¡°Rear shields are at 30%, sir.¡±

    ¡°Does this rust bucket go any faster?¡± he cried. As if in answer, another explosion rocked the ship. Then, what looked like a hundred fighters started pinging his scanner.

    ¡°More fighters?!¡± cried Merrin. Her cool persona was completely shed at this point.

    ¡°Yes!¡± replied Caleb.

    ¡°No wait, those are vultures. I can¡¯t believe there¡¯d come a day that I was happy to see vultures,¡± he said with a laugh. For years the droid fighters had filled the boy with dread. They were some of the fastest ships in the galaxy and droids had no conscience with their payloads. It didn''t matter how many you shot down either, since they were being built so fast. They were like a never ending flock of death.

    A stream of red plasma bolts filled the sky and erupted around the ship. The V-19 torrents that surrounded them utterly melted away in the crossfire as the vulture droids screamed past them. It was a near perfect kill zone since the torrents were trailing our ship like a massive tail and weren¡¯t prepared for the onslaught.

    Just then a thoroughly waterlogged Sith Lord crawled into the near vertical bridge. With a force-assisted jump he made it to the co-pilot¡¯s chair and settled in.

    ¡°How we lookin kid?¡± he asked as he went over the controls.

    ¡°Surprisingly good,¡± Caleb replied. Despite the now chaotic battlefield around them, there were almost no torrents still on their trail. Most had either broken off the attack to enter the dogfight or were shot down at this point.

    ¡°I¡¯m taking the helm. Let¡¯s get the crink out of here,¡± he said.

    "Are you sure you can fly with that arm?" asked Caleb. As if realizing it for the first time, the man noticed he had been operating the controls without using his left hand.

    "Ahh whatever, just don''t crash and keep us away from their flak guns," he replied.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°Shields are not looking good!¡± explained the one of the officers. "We are below 50%!" Relquan didn''t need to hear the numbers to understand their predicament. The shield was visibly straining at the onslaught of ion blasts and turbo lasers.

    ¡°Add it to the list,¡± replied Relquan. ¡°Alright, we have to rush them. We won¡¯t be getting any fighter support, but if we can get a broadside, they¡¯ll melt in seconds.¡±

    ¡°Increasing speed, sir!" said the helmsman before slamming the accelerator forward. Most thought Venators were jacks of all trades. But there was one thing that they excelled at above most other capital ships. Their top sub-light speed was incredible.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°The Venator is rushing us Commander Telro,¡± one of the B1¡¯s informed the super tactical droid.

    ¡°Its just as the Supreme Martial Commander expected,¡± Telro noted. ¡°Full reverse but keep us facing the enemy ship.¡± In unison, the M2 and M3 began moving backwards without turning their guns away from the Venator. The M4 was doing a similar maneuver but it was angled so that it slowly dipped farther below the other ships. The three never let up their stream of lasers and ion blasts.

    <hr><hr>

    "They seem to be retreating," reported one of the officers.

    "What are you on about? They''re still firing on us," replied Relquan. He had since sat back down in the captain''s chair but was nervously tapping his foot.

    "Well they are in a full reverse," explained the officer.

    "What does that matter? Our top speed should be 3x their reverse speed, just stay the course!" Relquan commanded. These were just droids, it would be an embarrassment to lose here.

    "Sir...we''ve lost almost our entire compliment of fighters," reported the communications officer.

    "...Kriff! How long till our batteries are in range?"

    <hr><hr>

    "M4 is in position, the Venator has reached its top speed as well," reported the B1.

    "Noted. Begin Zaros Formation B," replied Telro. The M4 began to roll in space and didn''t stop until it was upside down. Then all three ships moved forward together.

    The current formation took advantage of a Munificent''s strengths while trying to minimize a Venator''s. Where a Venator''s large guns were placed on top of the ship and couldn''t shoot below it. The majority of a Munificent''s guns, save it''s forward facing installations, were placed on the bottom and could not shoot above. The M2 was only slightly above the Venator, so that it could fire its guns while still hiding behind its heavy forward armor and shields. The M3 would stay above, behind, and to the left of the M2. This would allow it to engage its full armament, while staying protected from any batteries blocked by the bridge and the M2. The M4 was where the formation differed from ship doctrine. Far below the rest of the ships and upside down, it would ideally have an unobstructed view of the Venator''s unprotected underside.

    To defend against it, the Venator would be forced to get onto the M4''s level. At full speed, such a maneuver would expose the entire top deck of the ship to every gun Telro had at his command.

 13. Goodbyes and Reunions

    The Fury was flying at top speed out of the atmosphere. Our ride was considerably smoother now that no enemy starfighters were chasing it down. Instead we were leaving behind the massive dogfight in the skies over Nur. It was a pitched battle as red blaster fire filled the sky in every direction. Both visually and from the scanners though, it was clear that every moment fewer and fewer Torrents were in the air.

    ¡°This is crazy, vultures shouldn¡¯t be able to match clone starfighters. There weren¡¯t even that many,¡± remarked Caleb.

    ¡°True, but this is simply a defeat in detail,¡± I remarked after checking the scanners again.

    ¡°A what?¡± he asked.

    I gave the kid a quizzical look. I would have chuckled too if the movement wouldn¡¯t agitate my chest burns, which seemed to be far deeper than I thought at first.

    ¡°You were training to be a commander, weren¡¯t you? Those torrents weren¡¯t ready for any vultures to attack. The ones behind us were caught off guard and destroyed. The rest were were too spread out from their patrols to mount a coherent defense. So, in each engagement, our vultures had overwhelming numbers. This is a defeat in detail, even if by circumstance,¡± I explained.

    ¡°That¡­makes a lot of sense,¡± remarked Caleb. The Venator was now looming ahead of us, so he slowed down and began turning to take a wide birth. Upon checking our shields, I noticed that we had recharged close to full capacity.

    ¡°No, take us straight for their engines,¡± I redirected him.

    ¡°But you said-¡°

    ¡°Yeah, I didn¡¯t expect us to make it out of the skies this intact,¡± I cut him off. ¡°We have a payload of concussion missiles to send,¡± I replied. The Fury wasn¡¯t the most highly armed ship. In fact, it paled in comparison to many ships its size, but it wasn¡¯t a slouch either. Two laser turrets, two front-facing laser cannons, and a sizeable payload of concussion missiles were more than enough to get the job done. Any more armaments and you¡¯d either slow it down or draw power from other important systems like the shields.

    Caleb complied and turned the controls enough to give us a heading that went for a shallow dive near the engines of the capital ship.

    ¡°So, where¡¯d you learn that defeat in detail thing?¡± he asked me.

    ¡°The better question is what the hell Billaba was teaching you about commanding armies,¡± I replied.

    The scanner pinged a few groups of fighters heading our way. I would have been worried, but the rear-viewer made it clear they were droids.

    ¡°They must be almost finished at this point,¡± I remarked. Caleb nodded as close to fifty fighters screamed past us at blinding speeds. Vultures were about as fast as a tie-fighter making them faster than the soon-to-be-famous x-wing. They were smaller and cheaper, but had about the same amount of firepower as an x-wing too.

    ¡°I may have over planned for this battle,¡± I mused. Before we even got close to Venator, the swarm of vultures let loose its entire armament of concussion missiles beneath the ship¡¯s shields causing a series of explosions around their turbo-laser batteries.

    As we closed in for our bombing run, I dialed up Telro for a status report.

    ¡°Minimal damage to our capital ships thus far. We lost twenty-two star fighters, a number far below my previous calculations,¡± the droid explained over the coms.

    ¡°Mine as well. Don¡¯t bother rearming those squadrons that are returning, just have them dock. And have the rest of our fighters redirect their last runs towards their engines so we can leave,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Sir, should we not press the advantage and destroy the ship?¡± asked Telro. By this point, we were in range, so I used my one good arm to flick open the button-cap and pressed down hard on the launcher. A slew of silver and blue rockets slammed into their main engines unimpeded before detonating beneath the ship¡¯s armor. It was probably a cool explosion, but we didn¡¯t get a good look since Caleb took us below the Venator to escape the blast zone.

    ¡°Nah, it would be a waste of missiles. I¡¯d wager she was set for the scrap yard anyway,¡± I explained.

    ¡°I will proceed with the readjustments,¡± replied Telro before we cut the line.

    Just as we cleared the front of the Venator and made it into open space, another set of explosions plumed out from behind the large ship. Out of the fire and smoke, the rest of the vultures blasted by us at blinding speeds.

    ¡°We really need to upgrade our sub-light engines,¡± I remarked as the swarm closed in on their respective munificents.

    <hr><hr>

    Holding on for dear life while the ship rocked back in forth from explosions was becoming the norm inside the bridge of the Guardian. So, Relquan was no longer surprised when another set knocked out one of their main engines while a steady stream of blasts rocked their hull from all sides.

    By the time he steadied himself, a single bright spot appeared on the horizon. That damned black ship that caused this whole mess was right in front of them.

    ¡°There it is!¡± he yelled frantically. ¡°I want everything we have shooting at that kriffin-¡° he was cut off once more when a significantly larger explosion sent him to the floor.

    The poor man couldn¡¯t even get up before the ship was rocked with a second shudder from explosions and bright blue flashes of electricity. Then the bridge went dark.

    Instead of trying to stand, Relquan just rolled over onto his back. ¡°Status report, anyone?¡±

    ¡°We just lost all power. I believe a few ion blasts made it past the failing shields,¡± one of his men responded.

    Relquan groaned before crawling to his feet. He looked out of the transparisteel viewports just in time to see the three munificents that had disabled their ship slowly turn and then accelerate impossibly fast as they entered hyperspace.

    ¡°OK lads, new objective. Our shipboard recorders were scrubbed by the ion attacks. I want it noted that a massive remnant fleet attacked us with overwhelming firepower. Is that clear?¡±

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°Kriff that stings!¡± I grumbled. The local anesthetic wasn¡¯t completely set before the damn 2-1B surgical droid started cutting my burns out. I¡¯m pretty sure he didn¡¯t do it on purpose, but you never know. One look at the menacing robot doctor would be enough to scare a child away from the hospital for good. I¡¯m not sure who designed them, but by God, it looked more like a torture droid than something made for healing.

    ¡°My apologies, but there are many wounds to heal,¡± it offered. I just closed my eyes and tried to accept my fate as I let it go to work. One of the main issues with bacta was that it didn¡¯t properly regenerate cauterized flesh. Sure, you¡¯d survive as it patched you up with scar tissue, but for true regeneration, you needed clean cuts.

    ¡°Is this a good time?¡± asked Billaba from the door of the medbay. We were currently docked with the M2 in a derelict system to the galactic south.

    ¡°As good as any. What¡¯s up?¡± I replied through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I was hoping to discuss our next steps,¡± she explained.

    ¡°Urgh!¡± I groaned as the droid removed an uncomfortable amount of burned flesh from my shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s fine, I have some things to say but I wasn¡¯t sure how to bring them up,¡± I replied.

    She nodded and closed the door behind her, leaving only the two of us and an unconscious Bariss in the room. I was seated on one of the operating tables so Billaba took one of the waiting chairs beside it. Bariss was currently in the bacta-tank whilst being pumped full of nutrients. The healing required a lot of energy and that wasn¡¯t something her body had in spades. She also still hadn¡¯t awoken from whatever trance we found her in.

    ¡°You mentioned there was a large group of Jedi survivors,¡± she started.

    ¡°Yeah, but your nerf herding council never told me where their hiding place was,¡± I replied. Then I added, ¡°It may have been my fault. I got a little heated over their training methods at our last meeting.¡±

    ¡°But you thought we should take the younglings to Alderaan,¡± she stated.

    ¡°The Queen, or Bail, or someone will know their location, or at least how to find them. But¡­¡± I started to explain before faltering for the words.

    ¡°But what?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to say this,¡± I replied before taking a deep breath. This had been bugging me ever since we met the two on Ord Mantell. So, I went for it and launched into a complete explanation of what I was trying to say. I told her how she wasn¡¯t supposed to survive. Caleb should have changed his name and gone on the run. He and General Cham Syndulla¡¯s daughter, Hera, would fall in love and find happiness together. I got momentarily distracted talking about Cham''s rebelion. Eventually I got back on track though and discussed how, with Caleb''s support, she would become one of the most important leaders of the rebellion and then later the New Republic.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    When I finished, there was a ponderous silence between the two of us for a while. Then she said, ¡°if that was my, our fate, then it would have come to pass. If Caleb is meant to leave the order-¡°

    ¡°Not leave. He falls in love as a Jedi and dies as a Jedi,¡± I said cutting her off.

    She regarded me with a strange look.

    ¡°He was the proof or maybe the exception. His attachments did nothing but make him a better person,¡± I explained.

    ¡°The code is quite clear on this front Lord Zaros,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Kriff your code Master Billaba!¡± I said with exasperation. ¡°Listen I¡¯m not telling you to drop the kid off on Ryloth or even abandon the entire code. Just don¡¯t make him feel guilty about his feelings and don''t try to keep the two away from each other,¡± I explained.

    ¡°I will take it under consideration,¡± she replied. Then she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. We sat in silence for a while. The only noise came from the vitals monitor on the bacta tank and my occasional gripe with the 2-1B.

    Billaba was the first to break the silence. ¡°Tell me of the girl,¡± she finally said.

    ¡°The girl?¡± I asked.

    ¡°As he is my padawan, I should get to know his supposed future wife,¡± she replied. I looked over at her. Gone was the serene and emotionless face of a Jedi Master. It was replaced by a playful smile, reminiscent of a matchmaking mother.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never actually met her, but she¡¯s supposed to become an expert pilot¡­¡±

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°This place is disgusting,¡± I said as we stepped off the Fury¡¯s landing ramp. Alha and Alhoy nodded while Merrin looked offended.

    ¡°¡­I was going to say nostalgic,¡± she replied. Oh, how the tables have turned.

    It was only a few hours ago that our various groups chose to go our separate ways. The Bad Batch went back to Ord Mantell. Cid was in dire need of their team for some type of gun running. I gave Billaba and her younglings a neimoidian shuttle for their trip to Alderaan. I''ll be honest those shuttles are like a dime a dozen at this point. We have so many between all the ships we found and they''re utterly worthless save for as a freighter and troop transport.

    Telro made the long trip back to Yavin where he and Kalani would group-up before heading to the new staging point out in the unknown regions. Once I realized just how large our fleet had become, I knew Yavin wouldn¡¯t be a good hiding spot. Instead, we needed to be farther off the grid. So, I instructed them to head for the long-forgotten Parnassos system. Though it was still on some star maps, the system was declared void of life after Con Star Mining fell apart. I was reasonably sure nobody would be going there for decades.

    Thus, we were back down to the original crew and an unconscious Bariss.

    There was an awkward moment before Billaba left. She was under the assumption that Bariss would be leaving with them. It seemed to take her unawares when I was adamant that she wouldn¡¯t be heading back with the Jedi. The girl was no longer a part of the order. Sure, she had more than served her sentence for bombing the temple with all she experienced since. That didn''t mean she could go back though. Besides, I didn¡¯t break her out of prison and cause a space battle just to give her over to a group that was my reluctant ally at best. She would hopefully be useful in the future.

    Before that though, I had promises to fulfill. Namely, we were on the eleventh moon of Jhas, Jhas Krill. We were stepping out onto the disgusting tropical swamp, to finally reunite Merrin with an adult Nightsister.

    The scanner indicated a small structure about a mile to the north of where we landed, so we set off on a hike through the muddy ground and stagnant waters.

    What started off as an uncomfortable walk, slowly morphed into something more sinister though.

    As we got closer to the place, the shadows grew longer and seemed to morph into odd shapes. The trees looked more gnarled, and the swamp felt generally more hostile. Many of the moon¡¯s animals seemed to stay away and disappear. All the animals that is save for the bugs which gradually became more prevalent. Soon the singsong of nature was replaced by nothing but an incessant buzzing.

    ¡°There¡¯s certainly magic here,¡± I noted.

    ¡°Sister Shelish was always quite talented,¡± replied Merrin. She was in a good mood. The normally cool and collected girl was showing a very uncharacteristically toothy smile.

    ¡°Agh!¡± screamed Alhoy who jumped and splashed mud everywhere. When he saw me wiping the grime from my clothes he explained, ¡°I saw something. A shadow or a monster!¡±

    I rolled my eyes. ¡°I¡¯m more likely to kill you than whatever you thought you saw,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Was that supposed to be comforting?¡± he said with a little less fear in his voice.

    Alha smacked her neck. ¡°I¡¯m more worried about these bugs,¡± she said while showing everyone the remains of some large alien mosquito.

    Then an impossibly tall and awkwardly lanky dark figure appeared before us. Though almost none of its features could be seen, its striking red eyes did stand out.

    ¡°Who approaches my domain?¡± the creature said with an almost familiar unnatural voice. Completely undaunted, Merrin ran towards the it.

    ¡°Sister!¡± she yelled before jumping into the creature. She was fully enveloped by the darkness and disappeared.

    ¡°Merrin!¡± cried Alhoy before staggering forward a few steps.

    I sighed at his continued fear of the place. ¡°Come on, its just an illusion,¡± I explained. Then I stepped forward and through the dark illusion.

    On the other side, the swamp was back to normal. The trees and animals were back, and the shadows were no longer twisting and curling in unnatural positions. The bugs didn''t seem to decrease though.

    ¡°Oh, wow did you find-¡° Alhoy started to say when he came through the shadow before I wacked his chest. In front of us, Merrin had found her sister. And, for the second time today, I saw a side to her I hadn¡¯t yet seen.

    Shelish was there. Much like every other Nightsister, her skin was pure white, and her hair was silver. Unlike how I remembered her though, she was far younger. It made sense since her portrayal back on Earth was after the Death Star exploded the first time. That was around twenty years in the future. I¡¯d probably guess she was in her twenties or early thirties at the moment.

    Merrin attached to herself to the sister¡¯s hip with a massive hug. Tears streamed down her face as she repeated, ¡°It was so hard. It was just so hard!¡±

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°Jhas tea?¡± she asked as we entered the wooden hut. Shelish had a small compound that she had built in on a small bit of dry upland. The largest of these was her own hut, though there were other buildings that seemed to function as a shed and workshop.

    ¡°If you¡¯re offering,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Good, the firewood is by the door, be a dear for me,¡± she said without turning around.

    I nodded to Alhoy, who stepped back outside while grumbling to himself. Meanwhile, Shelish led us to a parlor with a few gnarled wooden chairs and a small open fireplace. It had a rudimentary teakettle hanging over the top. There must have already been water inside, because all Shelish did was add a few leaf clumps in after she had the fire going. What came out was a disconcertingly grey steaming liquid which she served to us in wooden cups.

    ¡°I take it you are here for more than a mere reunion?¡± she asked after we sat and sipped the bitter teas for a while. I glanced over at Merrin as she sat close to her sister. Her eyes were still puffy from letting out what was at least a year¡¯s worth of loneliness and repressed feelings.

    ¡°While bringing Merrin was the primary goal, I am aware of your abilities. I would be willing to offer you a possible alliance,¡± I explained.

    She made a show of spitting to the side before replying, ¡°an alliance with your kind? Do you think I don¡¯t know what happened to Mother Talzin?¡±

    ¡°Please. I am not Sidious, and you are not Talzin. I will enjoy it if our relationship becomes something friendlier, but I am prepared to offer you information in return for a specific service and leave it at that,¡± I replied.

    ¡°If you speak of what I think you do, then you had best deliver some important information,¡± she said.

    ¡°Two nightsisters are better than one, and I am happy that Merrin will be able to complete her studies under you,¡± I replied with a nod to the young girl. ¡°But I do know the general location of a third sister. More importantly, I know what makes her special,¡± I continued.

    ¡°And in return, you would ask for my magic?¡±

    ¡°Well, not for me,¡± I said with a smile before gesturing towards Alha. ¡°For her.¡±

    ¡°Me?!¡± Alha asked incredulously.

    ¡°You asked to be my apprentice,¡± I replied. ¡°Though I am training you, your current self may never be able to call upon the force, but¡­¡±

    ¡°But she can do something with her magic?¡± she answered me, and everyone turned to Shelish.

    ¡°I can, though it is costly for me and not the most pleasant experience for you,¡± she replied definitively.

    ¡°Woah Woah, shouldn¡¯t we talk about this first?¡± interjected Alhoy.

    I turned to look at my two companions before replying, ¡°Obviously I¡¯m not going to force her, and it¡¯s not like we have to do this right now.¡±

    ¡°I would also need to decide if what you have is worth what you ask,¡± interjected Shelish.

    I sighed and then said, ¡°I¡¯ll be honest. Some of this is speculation. What do you know about beings made of clay and given life by their creators?¡±

    She cocked her head then answered, ¡°you speak of golems?¡±

    ¡°Possibly. There is a Nightsister who was born when a witch crafted her body of the earth of Dathomir and gave her life through the planet''s ichor,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Impossible! Such a creature would be little more than a droid,¡± she dismissed the idea.

    I turned to Merrin and asked if she remembered when I spoke of Yenna. She nodded.

    So, I asked if she was like a droid.

    Merrin shook her head and then questioned my motives, ¡°What is that supposed to mean? Yenna was just like everyone else.¡±

    ¡°Talzin kept many secrets, and Yenna¡¯s birth was one you weren''t privy to,¡± I explained.

    ¡°And she still lives?¡± asked Shelish.

    ¡°I made sure many of our sisters joined our ancestors, but she was not among them. I couldn¡¯t find any traces of her,¡± explained Merrin.

    From there I explained the stories of clay-born from back on earth, especially the Greek myths of human creation and the Pseudo-Greek story of Wonder Woman¡¯s origin as a clay person. I also tried to explain how force-related births seemed to have power in the galaxy and mentioned Anakin¡¯s possible origin. A girl born of the ichor that coursed with the power of the force would not be unlike how Sidious manipulated his birth.

    ¡°Why tell us this though? Why not find the girl yourself?¡± she asked.

    ¡°I can barely teach Alha how to swordfight. Some girl with powers beyond her control isn¡¯t exactly something I have time for,¡± I said with a shrug. That was the truth. I had entertained the idea of finding Yenna but ultimately abandoned it for that reason. Well, that and the fact that I wasn¡¯t too interested in scouring the northern mid-rim for a single kid. That alone could take months, and we were already running a pretty high profile.

    Shelish nodded, but then didn¡¯t say anything else while she sipped her tea.

    ¡°Then would you empower her?¡± I asked after a while.

    Shelish drained the last of her tea before setting the cup to the side. She put her hand on Merrin¡¯s shoulder. The girl looked up and nodded at her sister. Shelish seemed to take note of her acceptance and finally replied, ¡°I will, but only if it¡¯s what she wants.¡±

    Everyone turned to Alha, who divided her attention between us. First she stared into her brother¡¯s eyes. I couldn¡¯t see her face, but I could read the apprehension on his face. Then she turned to me and searched my own face as if she was looking for clues. I noticed her glance first to my chest, then to my shoulder before she filled with determination. She finally turned back to Shelish and replied, ¡°I do. I do want it.¡±

    Alhoy jumped out of his seat. ¡°I thought we were going to talk about this?¡± he yelled. He looked incredulous at the quick development.

    Shelish on the other hand looked a miffed at the outburst.

    ¡°Maybe you two can discuss this outside. As I said, this doesn¡¯t have to happen so fast,¡± I offered.

    ¡°Good,¡± Alhoy replied before grabbing Alha by the hand and pulling her out the front door. Their departure left the three of us in awkward silence.

    ¡°Could I trouble you for a refill?¡± I asked, and Shelish obliged.

 14. Just another Day on Jhas

    Despite not being in the room anymore, the siblings¡¯ argument had grown loud enough to be heard from it. I couldn¡¯t make out exactly what they were saying, but I knew that tensions were rising.

    I could go and calm them down.

    Instead, I took another sip of the tea and tried to ignore it.

    ¡°You know, at first I really didn¡¯t like this, but it¡¯s starting to grow on me,¡± I said to Shelish.

    ¡°Mmm, it is an acquired taste,¡± she replied while doing her best to ignore the spat as well.

    ¡°I¡¯ll have to break out the Kaasian Red if you¡¯re ever on board the Fury,¡± I said with a chuckle before remembering a very important detail. ¡°Listen, about her power-up, I don¡¯t want any funny business.¡±

    ¡°Funny Business?¡± she repeated back to me like it was a foreign language.

    ¡°You know exactly what I¡¯m talking about. No mind controls or hypnosis, none of that. I¡¯m not looking for some force-sensitive servant and I don¡¯t need something like Savage,¡± I explained.

    ¡°As you said, I¡¯m not Talzin,¡± she replied coolly. ¡°How long do you expect them to be at it?¡± she asked me.

    ¡°Not sure really. Did you have plans?¡± I replied before crossing my legs.

    ¡°Does it look like much happens here?¡± she asked with a smirk.

    ¡°No, but I¡¯m sure motherhood has its fair share of complications,¡± I said with my own smirk. She bristled at the realization that I knew she had a child. Her cool smile was replaced by an icy glare.

    Sure, her kid should have been completely hidden. There were certainly no signs in her hut that any children were there. Then again, the only reason I remembered Shelish in the first place was through her daughter. The girl would end up becoming the renowned assassin, Deathstick. I mean who chooses a drug as their professional moniker? The real-world equivalent would be a hitman named cocaine or ecstasy. Well, ecstasy isn¡¯t that bad of a name, maybe she was on to something.

    ¡°Or maybe it¡¯s your dealings with the Kouhun? Now I can imagine that probably keeps you busy,¡± I continued. The Kouhun was a particularly effective group of assassins that were active in this backwater sector. In the future, her daughter would be their leader. If anything though, it made sense that a talented Nightsister like Shelish would have been involved as well.

    ¡°You¡¯ve made your point,¡± she replied. ¡°Like I already said, I have no intentions of warping your friend¡¯s mind,¡± she continued.

    I gave her a nod and a smile before raising my teacup. ¡°To our friendship,¡± I toasted.

    With my fears assuaged for the moment, I allowed myself to relax. The siblings can take have all the discussions they need. It¡¯s about time I had a little rest before something crazy happened. The past few weeks were a whirlwind of activity, and this wasn¡¯t an accident. Kenobi was too weak-willed to end Anakin, meaning we had, at most, a few months of free activity before he returned as Vader from his little vision quest for a new lightsaber. Sidious was similarly busy with reorganizing the Republic. The Jedi may have fallen in a single day, but the mountains of paperwork and oversight needed to kill the Republic would take a few months.

    So of course, my communicator started beeping.

    ¡°What? What could possibly be happening 2V?¡± I said into the device.

    ¡°There¡¯s a situation, sir,¡± the droid replied in a panic.

    I groaned, and Merrin chuckled.

    ¡°There better be a situation. Just tell me what¡¯s up?¡± I demanded.

    ¡°2-1B just alerted me that our new guest is attacking him!,¡± he replied.

    I jumped out of the chair and spilled what was left of my tea in the process. The grey liquid went all over Shelish¡¯s floor. The fa?ade of an all-knowing Sith was wiped away by the leaf-water.

    I took a moment to smooth out my robes. ¡°Sorry about that. As you can surmise, I gotta go,¡± I said to the two women before sprinting out of the house.

    In the yard, Alha was holding Alhoy by the shoulders as they argued. ¡°A power to protect you! To finally be the big sister I was supp-¡° she stopped her retort upon seeing me burst from the door.

    ¡°Something up?¡± Alhoy asked upon regaining his own composure. By that point I had already blown past the two was springing down the path to my ship.

    ¡°Our guest woke up. Feel free to continue your discussion!¡± I called over my shoulder before disappearing into the forest.

    While I told them not to worry, I did have a gut feeling that something annoying was about to happen. That¡¯s just the thing about being a force-user. Gut feelings were just the force¡¯s way of telling you what was going to happen.

    I thought that annoyance would just be replacing my medical droid and maybe needing to get 2V repaired after calming down our guest. But it seemed Bariss had other plans. Just as I made it back to the clearing where the Fury was, I could make out a figure through the viewports on the bridge. Then the engines came online, and it started to take off.

    It was already in the air when I got close, so I didn¡¯t have the time to make it to the now closing landing ramp. Instead, I launched myself up onto the top of the wing and began climbing my way over to the bridge.

    By the time I got there, the ship had cleared the tree lines and started to switch from using the repulsors to the actual engines in order to accelerate. When I got the chance to peer in through the windows, I might have laughed if I wasn¡¯t so furious.

    Have you ever seen a bald, one-limbed, and slimy-with-bacta Mirialan trying to operate a starship in just her underwear? I can only imagine she had made it this far through some creative uses of the force. She was even wearing the seat harness just to stop herself from falling out of the chair. Her one good arm was on the wheel. The other buttons and levers required for piloting were seemingly moving on their own as she manipulated them with the force.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.

    I activated my saber, and with a wince, stuck it through the transparisteel window in order to anchor myself. I really hated damaging my ship. The Fury was a one-of-a-kind at this point and spare parts would probably need to be custom made!

    Then I reached out with the force to take control of the wheel from Bariss. It wasn¡¯t terribly difficult to rip it from her hands. Her once well-trained muscles had atrophied significantly in prison. The much harder part was steering the ship. The Fury lurched back and forth as I spent valuable time overcompensating each turn to try to get the thing back on track.

    Once the wheel was locked out of her hands, Bariss gave me an angry look. Then she chose to push the accelerator forward, which soon sent us flying. The force of it almost knocked me off the window, and I had to empower my hand just to keep a hold of my lightsaber.

    To stop her, I took my attention off the wheel and instead slammed the accelerator back with the force. The mechanism bent at an odd angle, while the lurch from full speed to nothing left the engines sputtering.

    In response, Bariss used that moment to turn the wheel as hard as she could. The ship lurched wildly again as it began spinning in the air. I was once more forced to redouble my efforts in just hanging on to my saber as the centrifugal force pulled my body away from the window.

    Thoroughly through with her games, I ripped the wheel out of her hands again. In my anger though, I put far too much strength into the movement and the controls came clean off the console.

    With no controls and the engines failing from our previous fight over the accelerator, the ship started to plummet towards the ground. We weren¡¯t that far up. The ship was only a treelength or two above the forest, but we picked up a dangerous amount of horizontal speed in the little scuffle for control.

    I switched tactics and used the force to anchor myself to the window and then began to cut a hole in it. ¡°Switch to the co-pilot console!¡± I yelled.

    The girl began pressing random controls on the console.

    ¡°No that¡¯s the-¡° I tried to explain, but my voice was drowned out by the concussion missiles releasing around me.

    I finished cutting through the window and ripped the section out of the way. I was out of time though, as the ship began smashing into the tops of the trees sending branches, leaves, and splinters around me. I threw my saber into the cockpit. It spun through the air and cut her out of the pilot¡¯s chair. With a quick flick of my wrist, Bariss was shot through the window. In a flash, I caught her and jumped away from the soon-to-be crash.

    I flipped, then stabilized through the air as I came to a surprisingly light landing on my feet. It didn¡¯t matter, I could only stare as my ship cut a path through the swampy forest and then came to a crashing halt on the surface.

    ¡°My Fury¡­¡± I whispered to myself.

    It was only after a series of explosions manifested in the atmosphere that I was shocked out of my stupor. Bariss began squirming in my grip, and I was all too happy to let her go. She fell to the mud with a splat, then glared up at me as if she expected some other outcome.

    I stared back and began visibly shaking in anger, before I repeated more loudly, ¡°My Fury!¡±

    I should just crush her. That¡¯s what she deserves for hurting my ship!

    My hands flexed into fists so hard that I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if my fingernails dug into my skin. Then I struck. I punched and punched; each hit landed so hard that they sent small shocks through the air. By the time I had worked out my anger, I was breathing heavily from the exertion. The massive swamp tree beside the two of us was barely standing from all the blows it weathered. I took a deep breath and pushed it over, sending it crashing to the ground away from us.

    I turned back to Bariss who was still lying in the mud and said, ¡°ok, I think I can handle an explanation now.¡±

    She just stared at me. She no longer had the defiant frown she wore as she was trying to steal my ship. Instead, it was replaced by the type of fearful expression you might wear when facing down a charging rhino.

    When it was clear she wasn¡¯t ready, or possibly able, to say anything, I sighed and said, ¡°fine, I¡¯ll go first.¡±

    ¡°Welcome to Jhas, not that it matters. I was hoping to leave this bug-infested place sooner rather than later. You¡¯re no longer in custody. My team and I rescued you from inquisitors along with the rest of their kidnapped children," I explained.

    ¡°The kids? You got them out of the prison?¡± she said and finally latched onto the conversation.

    ¡°Yeah, I sent them off with Master Billaba to go find the newly hidden Jedi academy,¡± I explained.

    ¡°No, no, no, everyone¡¯s dead. They showed me. The clones they turned on us! It¡¯s a trick!¡± she said while growing more frantic.

    ¡°Yes, many died. And you were all tricked,¡± I explained as I took off my black cloak. ¡°But many survived, and after we raided the prison, many more will survive,¡± I continued in the best calm and reassuring tone I could muster.

    ¡°No, I saw it! Nobody listened to me,¡± she was starting to yell.

    ¡°I am listening,¡± I replied and handed her the cloak. ¡°But I¡¯d be a much better listener after we use the refresher and get you some real clothes,¡± I explained.

    She seemed to understand the sentiment and wrapped it around herself. Then I held out my hand to pull her up.

    She regarded me for a second, then accepted it. I doubt she understood that I was going to be carrying her though. She let out a small, embarrassed noise when I set her against my shoulder.

    On the walk back to the ship I tried my best to explain the circumstances. Bariss was very sensitive to the force. That¡¯s why she knew something was wrong with the clone wars. That¡¯s why she was able to see through some of Sidious''s shadows. So, I bit the bullet and just explained who I was and how we got in this situation.

    ¡°You, an ancient Sith Lord, fought off Anakin Skywalker, who apparently fell to the dark side and is also now a Sith, while I was gone, just to save some younglings?¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s like a thousand holovids of my ship saving them from the temple,¡± I replied.  Most of them were attached to bounty pucks at this time though.

    ¡°Why though? Why save me? Why save the kids from the prison?¡± She questioned.

    ¡°Well, I could never be Sidious¡¯s apprentice and he doesn¡¯t suffer rivals. Maybe I want to use you. Maybe I think I could use the Jedi to fight him off,¡± I replied. Then I looked up at the sky and thought of Jaesa and the alliance before saying, ¡°or maybe one of my best friends used to be a Jedi.¡±

    The Fury didn¡¯t look great. The wings, which extended far past the bridge, were lodged into the mud so far that much of the base was resting on the ground. The landing gear wasn¡¯t deployed, which meant the ramp couldn¡¯t be extended.

    I activated my handheld communicator and contacted X2, who thankfully survived the crash. At my behest, he tried to boot up the repulsors to dislodge the ship but couldn¡¯t get them online.

    ¡°Ok buddy, try to release the feet and see if that lifts us up,¡± I explained.

    I received an affirmative set of beeps before the rear landing gear opened and extended without issue. The front didn¡¯t move, so I walked over to get a better look. Sure enough, the compartments couldn¡¯t open on account of being driven into the dirt.

    I reached out with my free hand and began the slow process of lifting the front out with the force. Having done this type of heavy lifting before I knew how arduous the task was. Yet, it moved out of the mud with surprising ease. It took almost no effort before the wingtips were freed from the mud and the legs began to unfold.

    ¡°You alright?¡± I asked Bariss after confirming that the legs were locked out. Using the force in that way tended to give you tunnel vision, so it was only after I finished that I noticed her breathing heavily.

    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t I be?¡± she asked while looking away.

    ¡°Never mind,¡± I replied. Then we walked back towards the now descending entrance ramp. The hull wasn¡¯t looking good from the crash. Nothing looked unfixable, but we were probably going to be planet-side for a while.

    Before we made it in, the siblings flew out of the air and landed on the ramp behind us.

    ¡°You know Zaros, you really shouldn¡¯t be drinking and flying,¡± Alha said with a forced chuckle. She knew how much I liked my ship and probably thought it might be comforting to make light of the situation.

    ¡°Our guest is awake?¡± exclaimed Alhoy when I turned around.

    ¡°Yeah, can you take over? She could use some help getting changed,¡± I said to Alha.

 15. Reorganization and Rituals

    ¡°Care to tell me what that was all about?¡± I said to Alhoy. The two of us were currently giving X2 a hand in inspecting and repairing the hull while Alha assisted Bariss. I wasn¡¯t an engineer by any means, but had learned rudimentary understanding of how to use power tools from Zaros¡¯s memories. So, even he wasn¡¯t above welding panels back on the ships¡¯ frame.

    Alhoy was beside me, hammering one of the other durasteel panels back into place. Alhoy went slack jawed for a few moments and then retorted, ¡°Shouldn¡¯t I be asking you that?¡±

    ¡°We can all discuss the crash together, but I¡¯m more interested in how you acted back at the hut,¡± I replied.

    ¡°At the hut? Do you mean having magic used on my sister? Why shouldn¡¯t we talk about it first?¡± he asked.

    I stopped welding the panels together and turned a burning set of yellow eyes on him. ¡°I said we would have time to discuss it. I¡¯m asking why you threw a fit in front of a potential business partner,¡± I explained coldly.

    He flinched for a moment then looked away and went back to hammering his panel. ¡°Alha trusts you, so as soon as you offered something like that up, it was like you endorsed it as the right thing to do,¡± he replied.

    ¡°Well yeah, I do think she should do it,¡± I said after restarting my own work.

    ¡°That is the problem. If you think it¡¯s the right thing to do, then she won¡¯t even give it a thought,¡± he explained.

    Then before I could answer he continued, ¡°She¡¯s done everything you asked, even everything you suggested, and she still thinks it¡¯s not enough.¡±

    ¡°Of course. Anyone who really wants to improve will acknowledge that they could be doing more,¡± I replied.

    ¡°You don¡¯t get it; she¡¯s always been like this. She thinks it¡¯s her job to do everything she can to protect me, to protect you, to protect her family,¡± he replied.

    I stopped working again. ¡°Listen, I like you two a lot, but we¡¯ve known each other for less than two months-¡° I started to say.

    ¡°Two months of constant fighting; two months where you personally trained her, saved us in fights. Kriff you gave us this entirely new life. Of course, we¡¯re family!¡± retorted Alhoy. ¡°We had to basically drag her out of the prison when you stayed behind. She wanted to help that much. She only left when Hunter convinced she would be useless in that type of duel,¡± he explained.

    I was stunned, but I shouldn¡¯t have been. I was attached to them; to the point that I was making illogical decisions. Sure, Alhoy was a good shot and a decent fighter, but it would be years before he could really match a trained killer like a Mandalorian. Tactically speaking, I should¡¯ve been making plans to, if not ditch him, then recruit other better gunners on the team. Instead, my plans were purely based on training him and getting better gadgets.

    My relationship with Alha was even worse in this aspect. The girl wasn¡¯t even force sensitive as far as I could tell. Yet I was taking a significant amount of time to train and now power her up. Hell, I beat Malicos so easily that I could have become their leader and forced one of the nightbrothers to join me and turned it into a weapon. I didn¡¯t. Instead, I¡¯ve been making plans based on the assumption that the siblings would be with me for the long haul.

    ¡°That¡¯s all the more reason she needs this. If she¡¯s that driven, then she needs to be able to back it up, or she¡¯ll just get herself killed,¡± I replied after a while.

    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to lose her,¡± he said quietly.

    ¡°We won¡¯t,¡± I assured him.

    <hr><hr>

    Bariss wobbled, then almost fell before Alhoy caught her; saving her from hitting the hard floor of the cargo hull. I hadn¡¯t taken stock of my, admittedly chaotic and unorganized hold the entire time. It wasn¡¯t exactly my fault. In-game, your items just appeared in your inventory and stash when you needed them, which made it easy to hoard. When I landed on Korriban, all of that was somehow transformed into a slew of crates, chests, and storage lockers all filled to the brim with items accumulated over years of play. Some bought, others won as trophies, but all disorganized to the point I¡¯d forgotten exactly what was there. Add in the rewards from Alderaan and multiple dogfights throwing everything around and the place was basically a maze.

    Sure, I had time before now to search through it. Yet, every time I even entertained the idea of organizing the place, excuses for doing anything else came easily. Except now we had nothing on our plate. Shelish informed us that the ritual could only take place at midnight and the Fury wouldn¡¯t be ready to fly until tomorrow. So, it was decided we would check if there was anything of use in the hold while we waited.

    ¡°You ok?¡± he asked as he helped her find some footing.

    ¡°I¡¯m fine, it¡¯s just much harder than I expected,¡± she replied.

    ¡°We could still go with the backpack,¡± I interjected.

    ¡°No, this feels amazing. I haven¡¯t walked in months,¡± she said wistfully. The woman was currently balanced on 2V¡¯s unwillingly donated legs and dressed in one of my many sets of black robes. We didn¡¯t have the time or parts to make a proper cybernetic connection, so the pieces were operating with the barest of nerve controls instead of a cerebral link. It was a rough solution, though it would have to do until a real specialist could work on the issue.

    ¡°Is this a toy ship?¡± asked Alhoy. He was holding up my remote-controlled Ebon Hawk that she fished out from a pile of other items.

    ¡°It is¡­a remote-controlled model,¡± I replied carefully.

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that type is it a YT?¡± asked Alhoy.

    ¡°That¡¯s the Ebon Hawk, I¡¯m not sure the make, though it was originally a freighter,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Why do you have a toy freighter?¡± he asked.

    ¡°It¡¯s like a status symbol I guess, and it¡¯s not just a freighter. The ship was famously used by Revan and Meetra Surik,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Who?¡± the siblings said at the same time.

    ¡°Maybe Bariss can enlighten you on the history of two heroes. No doubt the Jedi have kept their stories alive through the years,¡± I replied before going back to my search.

    Bariss raised an eyebrow at me. Then said, ¡°It is a cautionary tale. Revan fell to the dark side after leading an unsanctioned war against the Mandalorians. Surik was a follower of his until he forced her to commit an unspeakable act. Afterward, she cut herself off from the force and went into exile.¡±

    I stopped my rummaging and looked up. ¡°Revan I can understand, but that¡¯s all they taught you about Surik?¡± I asked incredulously.

    ¡°It is a story from the Old Republic, thousands of years old. I¡¯m sure some things were lost along the way,¡± she said with a shrug.

    ¡°Revan redeemed himself and ended a dark Jedi empire. Meetra Surik saved the galaxy from a triumvirate looking to destroy the force itself. Yet somehow, only the parts where they failed survived?¡± I retorted.

    ¡°Oh this could help you get around!¡± Interjected Alha. She was holding an exceptionally long saber handle up. After activating one of its mechanisms, the handle telescoped out into the size of a staff.

    ¡°That!¡± I shouted as I scrambled over to her. ¡°Is not a walking stick,¡± I continued once I grabbed it out of her hands. By activating the pike¡¯s other mechanism, a blue lightsaber appeared from the top.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t know your collection included spears,¡± Alha replied.

    ¡°They¡¯re called pikes,¡± I corrected.

    ¡°Collection? No doubt trophies from your conquests,¡± Bariss said with a hint of disgust.

    ¡°Some,¡± I replied with annoyance. I deactivated the pike and tossed it to Bariss, who unsteadily caught it.

    ¡°Most, like that one, are recreations of famous weapons that I purchased,¡± I explained.

    ¡°You should examine the rest of his collection! I particularly like the beautiful purple blade with diagonal cross guards,¡± Alha interjected.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

    ¡°The dark honor gua- wait when did you get into my collection?¡±

    ¡°We spend a lot of time on the ship,¡± She replied.

    I just shook my head then examined the rest of the hold. Over the course of a few hours, we took stock of and straightened the place up as much as possible. What at once appeared like the ship¡¯s dumping grounds had morphed into a particularly well-kept space that was easy to move around in. Everything was now arranged in rows, sorted into types, and labeled.

    Of course, this all took place under the watchful eye of 2V, who had been chomping at the bit to clean the place up. It was anathema to his programming to allow such a mess, though as a true servant droid he couldn¡¯t rearrange the place without my watch. It was probably ironic that he only got the chance to see it done and not participate. Without his legs, he was propped against the wall with a data-pad in hand. The poor droid settled for label-making and record keeping.

    ¡°2V how¡¯s the list coming along?¡±

    ¡°I believe everything has been fully catalogued, sir.¡± 2V replied. I walked down the isles for a few moments. I knew there was a lot of stuff from the games, but now I could really visualize it. I mean an entire corner of the hold was taken up by the forty sets of armor and twelve assorted robes I accumulated. Another held close to thirty different blasters and weapons like an electro blade and Zakuulian pike.

    That Ebon Hawk wasn¡¯t the only toy we found either, and much like when you are cleaning an attic, many mildly amusing things came up. It was particularly funny when Alhoy accidentally turned on the holodancer which reached a significant state of undress by the time he shut it off. We even found my old RE-1 scout pet. The droid was basically programmed like a friendly cat. So, I¡¯ll leave you with the imagery of it zoning in on Bariss as the only person in the room not trying to attract its attention. It promptly climbed onto her shoulder and entered rest mode.

    ¡°And our funds?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Aside from the two million in worthless ancient credits? We still have 201,672 republic credits from Queen Organna,¡± the droid said. Even the republic credits were unusable at the moment. The Empire was now in the process of switching over to imperial credits. We would need working chain codes to have ours transferred. I seemed to have become somewhat of a Tantalus with money. Every time I had it in hand, it was useless. Don¡¯t even get me started on how we broke open the Lucrehulk war chests only to find that they were filled with the now-worthless CIS credits.

    Our lack of funds is in part what drove us to our current activity. Sure, it needed to happen simply because it was a mess, but we needed to figure out exactly what we were working with. I also wanted to see if there were any HK parts lying around. One of his arms or a pair of legs would have served well until Baris received real cybernetics instead of the far flimsier parts from 2V.

    Ultimately it proved fruitless, and we couldn¡¯t even find anything of his, which meant we would have to make another trip to the Mustafar system. Between the copy of HK-47 and the forgotten research and development station there, we would have all the schematics for creating a powerful army. Though, any such trip would have to wait until the system had calmed down from our recent excursion.

    A knock at the door to the hold took me out of my musings. It was Merrin who had come to tell us, ¡°My sister is ready for the ritual.¡±

    <hr><hr>

    The ritual didn¡¯t take place in Shelish¡¯s hut. Instead, we were led over to what I originally thought was a shed. The building was just one large room with the roof exposed, giving it a vaulted ceiling. By that point, the cool night air created swamp mists that seemed to descend upon her little compound. The ritual site was no different, as a grey mist seemed to obscure the floor entirely. Oddly though, it didn¡¯t rise beyond this point and stayed around a foot from the ground.

    Six green braziers, burning the ichor of Dathomir lit up as we walked in. They were arranged in a circle around a human-sized stone slab that lay in the center of the room. The hooded figure of Shelish stood at its head and beckoned us in.

    As we entered, Merrin had us stand near the door and only allowed Alha to go farther in. She seemed to almost lose her nerves at this point and turned towards us. Alhoy offered his hands, and she readily grasped them. Then she looked at me, and I offered a reassuring nod.

    ¡°The worst thing that can happen, is that it ends in failure. Then we¡¯ll just hunt down some Sith artifacts instead,¡± I lied. There were probably worse things than failure and I really didn¡¯t want to hand her something like the Mask of Nihilus. Hell, I only ever saw this ritual happen once. Shelish assured me it was relatively safe, though I wasn¡¯t totally sure if our definitions of the word matched.

    She gave me a weak smile and then hugged Alhoy. They stayed like that for a while before she finally withdrew and followed Merrin. From there the girl had Alha undress down to her underwear before helping her up onto the stone.

    As she did, Merrin warned her, ¡°this will hurt.¡±

    Merrin took up a position opposite of Shelish, who simply noted, ¡°Let us begin.¡±

    The two nightsisters began chanting in an unintelligible language. Their hands glowed a sickening green as they channeled their magics. The braziers grew brighter and green smoke descended from them before mixing with the natural mists of the swamp. From Merrins hands, green tendrils snaked their way around Alha¡¯s limbs and pulled them taught to the stone. Almost immediately after that finished, the green smoke coalesced around the stone and ascended around it.

    More tendrils of green appeared from the smoke and wrapped around Alha¡¯s body. The nightsister¡¯s chants grew louder and faster. Then like an invading force, the smoke seeped into Alha and she began to scream. She convulsed in pain and pulled against her bonds to the point that Merrin was straining to keep her down.

    Alhoy almost jumped in to stop the whole thing, but I held him in place with an impossibly strong grip. I too had my misgivings, but at this point, I knew instinctively that the worst thing to do would be to stop the ritual.

    At this point, the smoke had almost entirely obscured her body. Only her head was exposed, but this too was quickly being covered by the smoke. Soon it was just her face, then her mouth. Then the screaming stopped, muffled completely by the magic.

    What emerged from the smoke after an uncomfortably long time was a changed Alha. Now far more muscular and even a little taller, she really looked the part of a warrior. In a fantasy setting, as opposed to a science fantasy setting, she would have easily slotted into the barbarian role. Her shoulders were boulders, and her abs could probably grate cheese.

    "Wow," was all I could muster for a moment.

    "How do you feel!?" exclaimed Alhoy as he ran up to her.

    "Oddly good, but that was probably worse than when I almost lost my leg," she replied while scooping up her brother in a hug. She lifted him easily into the air and twirled him around.

    "Wait till you earn your tattoos," I replied.

    "There''s no way tattoos could top that," she said.

    "You''d be surpised," I said with a smirk. Pincerbugs, the traditional Sith tattooing method, should not be underestimated. From Zaros''s memories, the few tattoos that he got led him to almost destroy the ritual site in a rage induced force storm.

    Alha just shrugged and then turned her attention to Merrin.

    "tHiS WiLl HuRt?!" She said with a sneer. "I ought to tie you up, you little harpy!" she yelled before pouncing on the young teen.

    Merrin squeaked in resistance and tried to fight the now gargantuan woman off of her. It was no use. Now far stronger and faster, Alha had scooped the girl up.

    Thankfully, and to Merrin''s relief, the bear-hug maneuver she used didn''t break anything. Though that relief turned to embarrassment, when she ended up being carted around like a ragdoll.

    "Thank you," I said to Shelish and stuck my hand out for a shake.

    She accepted the gesture with a smile and offered, "You are welcome. May she serve you as a great warrior."

    "I was being serious. When I brought up the alliance," I then said.

    "We shall see. I apparently have another Sister to find," she replied.

    "And afterwards?"

    "I imagine the other clans will take this opportunity to keep the Nightsisters weak."

    "Give me a call. I''m sure my team is more than able to kill some witches," I replied.

    "Come on Merrin, I thought you were raised by the greatest warriors and I was just a country bumpkin?" taunted Alha. She was enjoying this too much.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°That was¡­intense,¡± Bariss said to me on the walk back. She was quiet for a while and that was the first thing she said to me since we said our goodbyes.

    Oddly enough, Alha found it hard to part from Merrin. She even shed a few tears after squeezing the girl into a crushing hug. Maybe she was just lamenting that she wouldn''t be able to pay the girl back for all their sparring sessions. Maybe she had mentally adopted her into our group. Whatever the reason, I wasn''t too worried. We''d see the Nightsisters again someday, especially since Shelish had more or less come around to my idea of an alliance.

    ¡°Yeah. This isn¡¯t something that happens every day with us, so I hope it wasn¡¯t too great of a turn-off,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Why did I punch you on my tenth birthday?¡± Alhoy was interrogating Alha.

    ¡°Easy. I was mad you wouldn¡¯t share, so I knocked over the sweets that Suden gave you,¡± she replied. In doing so the credit that floated just above her hand dropped to the ground and I could feel a flair of annoyance radiate out of her.

    ¡°Ok that checks then what about¡­¡± he replied. He had been asking her intrusive questions since she got off the table. At first, it was probably to make sure she was the same Alha he always knew. At this point, halfway into the trek back to the ship, I can only imagine it was some kind of coping mechanism for the fact that she was bigger than him now.

    ¡°Turn off, as in you wanted to make a good impression?¡± she asked. ¡°Does that mean I could leave?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I want to make a good impression. And originally you were allowed to leave whenever, but now you¡¯ll have to at least work off all the repair costs of crashing my ship,¡± I said. ¡°There¡¯s also the cost of your new limbs. Let¡¯s just say you¡¯ll be with us for a while,¡± I continued.

    ¡°Fair enough, she muttered.

    "That was a joke, but I do want you on the team," I replied.

    "Why me?  Why should I join?" she asked.

    "First, you''re a trained fighter not affiliated with the Jedi.  As for why you should join up...maybe decide after you''ve been with us for a while," I explained.

    She thought for a moment, then said, "it is for the greater good that I keep an eye on any rogue Sith galivanting around the galaxy,¡± she replied.

    Then, probably to herself, she mumbled, ¡°it is not like I have anyone else to turn to.¡±

    The conversation stopped for a while after that. Bariss seemed to be working through some thoughts, though she suddenly asked, ¡°Where are we planning on getting replacements for my limbs?¡±

    ¡°There are two places in the galaxy where money is king,¡± I replied. ¡°I don¡¯t trust Hutt surgeons not to steal your liver, so we¡¯ll be heading to the corporate sector for the operation. We do have to pick up an archaeologist on the way though,¡± I continued.

    She looked at me for a second, then asked, ¡°What does an archaeologist have to do with the corporate sector?¡±

    ¡°Nothing, Aphra¡¯s house is just on the way,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Ok, then why do you need an archaeologist?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Why does anyone need an archaeologist? To find artifacts,¡± I replied.

    ¡°And if he doesn¡¯t want to come with us?¡±

    ¡°Don''t worry, I''ll make a good impression. Besides, we¡¯re going to make sure his wife isn¡¯t murdered by raiders, so even if we have to kidnap him, it¡¯ll be for his own good,¡± I replied.

    Again, Bariss went silent.

 16. Archaeologists and Upgrades

    Aphra¡¯s home was in the university district of a small backwater moon in the outer rim. It was a peaceful place. It hadn¡¯t seen much of the clone wars and got just enough galactic attention to scare off pirates. The university district was particularly safe. Save for the rocky and xeno-naturalistic architecture, the place would have fit right in with middle-America. Every home had a decent amount of yard space, and everyone seemed friendly enough when I asked for directions. The place was idyllic in its own way; especially Aphra¡¯s house which was situated on a hill and looked over the small city that surrounded it.

    So, it should have come as no surprise when one of the ¡°Dr. Aphras¡± answered the door after I knocked. Well, the five-year-old girl in front of me would someday become a doctor of archaeology. Chelli Aphra, the daughter of Lona and Korin Aphra was supposed to go on galactic spanning adventures two decades from now. Hell, she¡¯d even manage to finesse Darth Vader. All the while, she would uncover countless ancient artifacts, some of which would prove incredibly useful or incredibly dangerous, or both.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± She asked while holding the door.

    ¡°Yes little one, I¡¯m here to see your father,¡± I replied with a smile.

    ¡°That might be hard, mom and dad are fighting,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Oh, what for?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± she replied.

    I scratched my head for a second. ¡°Oh. Um, I can wait. Can I come in or should I stay out here?¡± I asked.

    ¡°One second,¡± she replied in a singsong voice before closing the door in my face. From outside I could hear her feet pound away down the hall. She yelled something I couldn¡¯t quite make out. Another voice yelled back, then a chaotic number of footsteps could be heard before the house grew silent again.

    Finally, the door reopened. This time it was a blonde woman in a tank top. She had blue circuitry, presumably tattoos, running down from her shoulders to her forearms. The woman before me was Lona Aphra, the soon-to-be estranged wife of Dr. Korin Aphra. Had I not arrived, she would take their daughter and head off to some rustic planet looking for safety. The irony is that their new home would come under attack by raiders. She would die and Chelli would be sent back to her father. The whole experience would traumatize their daughter to the point that she would never have a healthy relationship for the rest of her life.

    ¡°Can I help you?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Mrs. Aphra I presume?¡± I asked, to which she nodded. ¡°Then yeah, I need to have a chat with you and your husband. I recently acquired some information about the Ordu Aspectu, and I was told that he would be the best man for the job,¡± I explained.

    ¡°He has open office hours at the university, go find him there tomorrow,¡± she said before moving to close the door. During the conversation, I had my hands clasped in front of me to facilitate the type of respectful businesslike demeanor I had from my previous life.

    With the movement of a finger, I grasped the door in place with the force.

    She strained to close the it, not understanding why it was stuck. She put her shoulder into it and even tried to pound it closed before stopping in a huff.

    ¡°Do you need any help?¡± I offered while barely containing my laughter. In the name of Ragnos, I loved the force.

    ¡°Can you please leave,¡± she replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I cannot,¡± I said before gently pushing her out of the doorway and striding in. The door closed behind me.

    ¡°What are you doing?!¡± she said incredulously.

    I ignored her and walked further in and headed down the hall towards their basement. The door was open, so I continued down the stairs to Korin Aphra¡¯s office.

    So engrossed in his work was the scholar, that he didn¡¯t even notice my entrance. He stayed seated and had all his attention on some datapads and materials on his desk. I prowled around the sides of the room inspecting the various antiques and trinkets he had.

    That was until Lona got her bearings and followed me down the steps with Chelli hot on her heels.

    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing!?¡± she again demanded this time from the stairs.

    ¡°Just finishing up some research, I thought we just had this conversation,¡± Korin replied.

    ¡°I am not speaking to you, dear. I¡¯m talking to the intruder who¡¯s going through your papers!¡± she yelled.

    That finally got the man¡¯s attention. He almost fell to the floor trying to get out of his chair and face me.

    With them all finally in the room, I forced the door to close behind her. Then I picked up one of the trinkets from his pile. It was an old grimy necklace with the symbol of the Ordu on it.

    ¡°That¡¯s an antique!¡± he cried.

    I nodded and then said, ¡°sure looks like it.¡± I tossed it over to him, causing the man to fumble around in order to catch it.

    ¡°Who- Why are you here?¡± he asked, he had maneuvered himself between me and the rest of the family.

    I pulled his chair to me from across the room and sat down. Then I leaned back and crossed my legs before saying, ¡°Me? I¡¯m here to lead you to the Ordu Aspectu."

    That certainly got his attention. The Ordu Aspectu was Korin''s life work. He spent time on other topics but mostly researched offshoots of the Jedi. The Ordu was one such offshoot that managed to not get massacred by the Jedi. Perhaps they just weren''t dark enough to warrant genocide and exile from the galaxy''s protectors the way the Sith were. No the Ordu managed to destroy itself without the Jedi.

    It was kind of obvious just how obsessed Korrin was with this ancient order. It¡¯s certainly hard to blame his wife for leaving, though she should¡¯ve chosen a better destination. Hell, she could have stayed on this damn moon and just moved a few hours away, instead of some other rock in the Outer Rim.

    ¡°You know about the Ordu?¡± he asked. Lona just palmed her face with both hands.

    ¡°Not only do I know about them, but I also know how to find the Citadel of Rur,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Impossible, I¡¯ve spent my entire life on this. How did you find the Citadel?¡± he questioned.

    I removed my dark hood and fully exposed my face to the group, before replying, ¡°I¡¯m something of an artifact myself.¡±

    He stared at me for a few moments and then muttered, ¡°Yellow eyes¡­red skin¡­facial ridges¡­¡± He collected his thoughts before exclaiming, ¡°It¡¯s impossible, but... you¡¯re a Sith?¡±

    ¡°Of course!¡± I replied. ¡°I¡¯ll show you how to find Rur, even let you publish anything you want regarding it. In return, you¡¯ll work for me as my personal archaeologist,¡± I offered.

    ¡°I-¡° he began to say before receiving a pinch from his wife. She was now holding Chelli in her arms and looking quite cross at this entire situation.

    ¡°You are not about to say yes to him?!¡± she hissed. ¡°You¡¯ve told me hundreds of stories about the Sith and their schemes.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­a little racist, depending on how you''re using the word¡± I replied. Sure, the Sith were basically designed for the dark side. And sure, I was also the other kind of Sith, but she was really jumping to conclusions. There was a Jedi Sith, I think. ¡°Besides, this isn¡¯t an evil scheme. I doubt either of you thinks the Jedi are evil and I¡¯m basically working with them,¡± I explained.

    ¡°You¡¯re working with the Jedi?¡± she questioned.

    ¡°I saved the Jedi,¡± I replied. "You can check the wanted posters, my ship was the one that rescued them from Coruscant," I explained.

    ¡°We would need the crystals from the university archives,¡± Korin said, probably more to himself than anyone else. He really hadn¡¯t been following the rest of our conversation and was fixated on his goal of finding the Ordu.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that, I have a crack team infiltrating the university as we speak,¡± I explained. While I was grabbing the Aphras, the siblings and X2 were tasked with stealing everything they could from the university archives. It had an almost unimaginable amount of artifacts and clues that could lead us to important finds.

    ¡°You¡¯re stealing from the university?¡± he demanded.

    ¡°Oh please, not like you haven¡¯t thought of it before,¡± I replied. That was rich coming from him. In less than a year, he would end up doing the exact same thing. Sure, he only stole the artifacts because the empire had them slated for destruction, but that also figured into my decision to steal the stuff.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°You must know that this is the best path for your future. The Jedi have become taboo, do you really think a professor who specializes in their history will be allowed to continue his works,¡± I argued.

    ¡°¡­there have been some movements towards censoring my work,¡± he said thoughtfully.

    ¡°They¡¯re censoring you?¡± Lona questioned her husband.

    ¡°Well, no not yet. But the administration has started to¡­encourage me against discussing certain topics with the students,¡± he replied sheepishly.

    ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell me?! I can¡¯t believe I gave up my tenure for this,¡± she hissed.

    Just then, a light appeared out of the circular window in the office. I received a bad feeling about it. Forgetting about our differences for the moment, our small group turned to look out. There seemed to have been a small explosion, and now fire emanating from one of the buildings in the distance.

    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know if that¡¯s-¡° I began to ask.

    ¡°-The University!¡± exclaimed Korin.

    ¡°Those nerf-herders¡± I muttered to myself, then I brought up my communicator. ¡°2V, I¡¯m gonna need that pick-up for our group ASAP,¡± I said into it.

    ¡°We are on our way, Sir,¡± he replied. Since losing his legs, the poor droid was essentially installed into the copilot¡¯s seat so he could stay useful.

    ¡°We are not leaving with you,¡± Lona replied firmly.

    ¡°Oh, were you planning on staying here Lona? Or were you planning on running off to some remote farming planet?¡± I replied.

    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked incredulously.

    ¡°You can¡¯t stand how Korin neglects you and Chelli. Well let me tell you a secret. He¡¯s not going to give up this obsession. He¡¯ll just keep pushing until he finds the Ordu,¡± I replied coldly. ¡°So yeah, you will all leave here with me tonight.¡±

    ¡°I¡­how did you know my name, how did you know my daughter¡¯s name?¡± she asked, taken aback.

    ¡°I know everything, and I know the best thing you can do for your family is to come with me,¡± I replied almost maniacally. Outside the window, the university fire had grown far larger and was probably jumping between buildings at this point.

    I could hear the sounds of a ship approaching, and 2V said over the communicator, ¡°We¡¯re just outside your location, sir.¡±

    ¡°Good; you''ll see an opening,¡± I replied. I reached out with my left hand and leveled a heavy force blast against the windowed wall. It burst apart in bricks and earth, exposing a large hole to the outside. 2V took note of this and backed the Fury up to that side of the hill and opened the ramp.

    I reached out with the force and pulled Chelli towards me. She flew through the air with a squeek, out of Lona¡¯s hands, and landed in my arms. I made sure to make it a gentle landing but also secured her tightly.

    ¡°Pack your things. We leave immediately.¡±

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°Care to explain, why you left the university in ruins?¡± I seethed at the two. We were currently on the bridge as we hurtled through hyperspace. It was just the three of us since I asked Bariss to play therapist for the now uprooted family. She was the most suited for these types of things. Jedi training, unlike its Sith counterpart, often included conflict resolution and empathetic negotiating. They made the perfect skills for convincing people you were on their side.

    ¡°It was my-¡° Alha began but was cut off by her brother who answered at the same time.

    ¡°It was my fault. We were discovered by some armed guards and when I tried to disarm one, their tibanna gas cartridge exploded,¡± he explained.

    The two looked at each other for a second.

    ¡°But it¡¯s my fault we got caught,¡± Alha interjected. ¡°Everything was going fine until I set off the alarms.¡±

    ¡°How did you manage that?¡± I replied while rubbing my temples.

    ¡°I may have tried to use the force to grab something, but ended up knocking over a statue,¡± she explained sheepishly.

    ¡°How big?¡±

    ¡°What?¡± she asked.

    ¡°How big was the statue?¡± I asked again.

    She looked stumped for a few moments, then raised her hand above her head to show its height. ¡°It was a stone carving of some warrior,¡± she explained.

    ¡°So, you caused a fire by making a trick shot,¡± I said while looking at Alhoy. ¡°And you managed to channel enough of the force to knock over a very heavy statue?¡± I continued turning my focus to Alha.

    They nodded.

    ¡°Damnit, I¡¯m not even mad now,¡± I replied. The two of them grinned. ¡°But this failure deserves punishment. Alha we will be upping our sparring time,¡± I explained.

    She looked a little crestfallen at the thought of spending more time being whipped by my training sword.

    ¡°And, since Alhoy is such a good shot, he¡¯ll be joining us to learn better hand-to-hand fighting,¡± I said with a smile. He adopted a similar defeated disposition upon hearing the news, but before either could respond I turned and strode into the main hold.

    There, the nervous-looking Aphras were seated at the main table, while Bariss did her best to calm them down.

    ¡°Have you a better understanding of the situation?¡± I asked the group while taking a seat beside Bariss. On the way in I grabbed a nutrition bar and began to unwrap it.

    ¡°That you¡¯ll let us go once you¡¯ve gotten what you¡¯re looking for?¡± asked Lona.

    ¡°Well yes, but you also understand that your husband will soon be unemployed. There isn¡¯t a need for Jedi scholars within the empire,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Even better,¡± she replied while squeezing her husband¡¯s arm. ¡°We¡¯ll find the citadel and put all this behind us.¡±

    ¡°The citadel and freedom is your payment, finding artifacts for me is the price,¡± I stipulated.

    ¡°Fine, fine. So where are we going now?¡± she demanded.

    <hr><hr>

    The Corporate Sector is essentially the most cyber-punk the galaxy gets. The large swath of systems at the edge of known space is controlled by a council of corporations; meaning it¡¯s controlled purely by money and power. During the Republic the sector was quite small, sitting at only a hundred or so systems that straddled the Hydian way. Starting with the Clone Wars, it quickly expanded. The region became a reward zone for loyal corporations who were granted great power within the system. It was a genius move since many of the greatest corporations in the galaxy sided with the separatist, and the sector managed to coerce some of them into switching sides.

    In the last few months, the sector was granted a charter to expand its area into thousands of new star systems. It also became a haven for all the surviving corporatists that weren¡¯t murdered on Mustafar at the end of the war. Both of these events led to an unimaginable boom for the area. Planets like Bonnadan and Etti IV were in the midst of building revolutions, as their massive cities and industries expanded rapidly.

    Bonnadan, the planet we found ourselves on, had some of the largest starports and factory cities in the galaxy. The mass industrialization had rendered the planet toxic with only life support systems and mass air purifiers in the population centers keeping people alive. A green haze permeated most of the world, not that one could really tell that from the offices I was waiting in.

    In fact, the pristine white room, where I sat in a plush white chair, showed none of the pollutions of the outside world. Rakoth Custom Arms was, as far as I could tell, a remnant of Backtoid Armor Workshop. Its parent company ceased to exist once its holdings were nationalized by the empire at the end of the clone wars. Just like most separatists, its minor leaders ran to the sector with everything they could take once their bosses caught the wrong end of a lightsaber.

    We arrived in the morning, but it was already the afternoon. I grew impatient. It may have been too long of a wait, but the BCA was currently installing custom fabricated limbs for Bariss, who herself was still in the operating room. Just as I was getting ready to storm the place, a nurse droid entered the room.

    ¡°Well, is it done yet?¡± I demanded.

    But instead of answering, the droid simply moved out of the way and Bariss entered the room on her own. If you weren¡¯t looking closely, you might not have even noticed that the woman now had metal limbs. While we didn¡¯t use synthetic skin, they were plated in custom molded phrik armor that was painted to match her natural green skin. The mat coloring and artfully molded plates could fool most people into thinking the limbs were all natural.

    If it was up to me, her new limbs would have been filled to the brim with lethal gadgets. I really envisioned her as the perfect fighter with digitigrade legs and clawed feet. Her arm would have a cable gun and flamethrower if I had my way. But Bariss was something of a naturalist. She wanted no assistance and was almost against having the phrik plating, which I had to convince her on. I didn¡¯t want to press her too hard with upgrades either. Ultimately they would be her limbs. I can only imagine living with body parts that seemed foreign since my own body was perfectly intact, so I dropped the issue.

    ¡°How do you feel?¡± I asked her.

    ¡°Perfect!¡± she said with enthusiasm, before doing a spin and then crouching down into a fighting stance. ¡°They warned me that it may take a few weeks for my brain to fully meld with the new limbs, but I have not noticed any problems thus far,¡± she explained with a smile.

    ¡°That¡¯s good, now let¡¯s get out of here,¡± I said and started to leave.

    ¡°You shall find no complaints from me,¡± she replied.

    Our trip to Bonnadan was deceptively long. First, the team, save for Bariss, had to get chain codes. We could have done this sooner, but I was avoiding it out of principle. Chain codes meant taxes, and I was not trying to make my enemies any stronger. I also didn¡¯t love the fact that, should we get a rap, our codes could be tracked from at least a few miles out.

    Our republic credits were exchanged for the imperial ones that held sway even this far out in the galaxy. From there, we split up. Alhoy would watch the ship and our guests. Alha had to get her armor resized and refit, while I had to accompany Bariss since she couldn¡¯t get a chain code and wouldn''t be able to make such large purchases. Jedi biometrics were compromised, so standing for a chain code was tantamount to sending a letter to the emperor explaining where you were. The various purchases took close to 50,000 credits, which wasn¡¯t all that much in the grand scheme of things. But much like when you pay in cash and slowly see your wallet empty, it certainly hurt.

    Rakoth Customs was situated in the city center of Space Port One, so named because it was the first and largest of the ten major ports on the planet. The locals just called it Bonnadan City though. Much like the business we just exited, this area was clean and sterilized. Massive skyscrapers stretched towards the green-tinged space and the streets were wide and well kept.

    Our ship, on the other hand, was parked on the far outskirts that held many of the old mines and factories. Sure, it was cheaper to park hours away, but it was also important to keep a low profile with one of the hottest ships in the galaxy.

    It was halfway into our journey, just as night fell that Bariss whispered, ¡°I am receiving feelings of danger from the force.¡± We had mostly left the clean and advanced city behind at this point and were entering the dirtier and much more lawless city blocks.

    ¡°Me as well,¡± I replied. For the last half hour of walking, I felt as though we were being watched. I¡¯m pretty sure I spotted a person or two following us, but I couldn¡¯t ID them up to this point.

    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a trap?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Probably, but I wonder if they fully understand their quarry,¡± I said with a smirk.

    ¡°They certainly seem prepared,¡± I remarked. The two of us were wearing large black cloaks with hoods that obscured our bodies. I reached into my folds and readied my saber.

    ¡°Should we double back and try to lose them?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Did you really just ask me that?¡± I replied.

    She shrugged but similarly readied the recreation of Senya¡¯s lightsaber pike that she was using as a walking stick before her operation.

    Our path led us to a dark alley between two abandoned buildings. The streets were suspiciously empty. It was a comically obvious place for an attack, so I wasn¡¯t surprised when a mass of fur stepped up to block the exit and our two followers did the same from where we came in.

    ¡°I¡¯ll give you this one chance to walk away and say you took a wrong turn,¡± I called out to them and ignited my blade.

    ¡°Not a chance, the bounty on your head alone is worth more than we made last year,¡± a woman¡¯s voice replied from above us.

    ¡°Wow,¡± was all I could say in response. There¡¯s no way these two-bit hunters were ready for this.

 17. Success and Failure

    ¡°We can bring you in-¡° she began to rattle off the classic bounty hunter line to me.

    ¡°Cold! If you¡¯re not prepared to kill, then you¡¯ll have completely wasted my time,¡± I yelled, cutting her off. With that, I began scaling the buildings by jumping back and forth between the alley walls.

    I made it about halfway before a hail of blaster bolts rained down from her position. It wasn¡¯t enough to hit me but slowed me down. I was forced to split my concentration between deflecting bolts and scaling the walls.

    Below me, Bariss engaged the two foes at the rear of the alley, while the large creature, that was clearly a wookie, charged her with an electro staff.

    I soon had the mystery attacker in my line of sight. The heavily armored and helmeted woman was set up in a sniping position at the top of the building to the left. Her blaster was set to full-automatic and sprayed bolts in a continuous stream until I was just a few jumps from her position.

    She seemed to understand the futility of that strategy as I got closer and instead tossed a smoke bomb around her position. I sprinted right into the cloud, only to be greeted by a spout of flames to the face. My assailant had used the smokescreen to backtrack and set up her wrist flamethrower.

    I moved with just enough time to redirect the flames using a force shield. The flames didn''t roast my face, but the acrid smell of burnt hair let me know that some had managed to ruin my stylish cut.

    She wasn¡¯t finished with her tricks though. Just before I got within striking distance, electrical webbing shot out from the tank below the barrel of her blaster. This might have worked in her favor if I didn¡¯t have a lightsaber. In a flash, the net was split into four pieces. It took even less time before her blaster fell apart from another few slashes.

    She almost had time to pull out a vibro-knife but was soon screaming in pain. The hand that reached for the knife dropped from her side. A force-assisted punch to her helmet left the armor cracked, and she fell to the ground.

    ¡°Crink, that hurt,¡± she muttered through strained breaths.

    ¡°This shouldn¡¯t,¡± I replied. One last slice took her out of the fight for good. Then, I set about scrounging her body for information. There wasn¡¯t much, a couple of credit sticks, a few other gadgets, and a bounty puck. Then I turned my attention down to the alley where Bariss was fighting.

    I wanted her on the team to, in gaming terms, fill out the supporting role. I knew beforehand that she was skilled in healing. Since she came aboard she revealed that she also learned to exorcise moderate amounts of dark side corruption; both were skills she gained from Stass Allie. I suspected that she had a better ability to pierce the veil than most Jedi. She was already able to use instinctive astrogation. That skill required some ability with future sight. More importantly, she was able to see the Clone Wars for the farce they were. Such a feat may have required a strong ability to see into the future. She was either able to push through the shroud set up by Sidious or use her critical thinking skills to piece it together on her own. Well, it could have been both.

    Thus, it was a nice bonus that she could also make a suitable combatant for the team. In the alley below, Bariss was like a blur. She was exceptionally light on her new legs and blasted towards the two thugs at the back of the alley.

    She used the retractable pike as her weapon. From what I understood, she formally trained to use the traditional lightsaber, though she had skill in dual-wielding. That said, it didn¡¯t look like she minded the heavier weight of the pike. Her swings sliced through the air with practiced fluidity, cutting apart the blasters of the two men. Just as the Wookie reached her, she blasted everyone back with dual force pushes.

    The two humans were sent flying out into the street and didn¡¯t get back up. The Wookie was knocked down, but the famously hardy species was back up in no time.

    Though the creature¡¯s strength was legendary, it was no match for Bariss¡¯s speed. The two charged each other and with a single well-timed strike, she cut down the Wookie and came to a sliding halt well past his body.

    With the fighting done and nothing else left to do, I dropped down beside her.

    ¡°Check this out,¡± I said and tossed her the bounty puck.

    She activated it, and my holographic image appeared. Underneath it was the title, Unknown Jedi Conspirator and a corresponding bounty of ninety thousand credits.

    ¡°Nothing with my image?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Not on her. I assume she didn¡¯t know you would be traveling with us,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m probably a special case anyway. I can only imagine Sidious¡¯s reaction when Vader tattled to him about my existence,¡± I continued.

    ¡°Is it possible they made the connection to your chain code?¡± she asked as we left the scene.

    ¡°Not likely, we were much more careful during that outing, and I force tricked the clerks who did the paperwork,¡± I explained. ¡°Today though, we spent a significant amount of time in the open.¡±

    ¡°I believe it is time to leave then,¡± she replied.

    I nodded in agreement.

    <hr><hr>

    We landed the Fury inside the massive structure that could one day become the hangar for the Rebel base on Yavin IV. The temple was an ancient and large stone pyramid. It was predated the Great Galactic War by over a thousand years.

    It originally served as a sort of living tomb for Naga Sadow who, after losing the Great Hyperspace War faced exile. He and his enslaved Massassi warriors built the giant temple and Sadow hibernated below until a worthy apprentice unearthed him. It didn''t work out. The man who woke Sadow up just murdered him instead of taking him as a master. It was later coopted by another famous Sith Lord, Exar Kun. He would use it as his power base while he waged his own war against the Jedi. I¡¯m sure others used the place since, but Aphra only needed it to find the Ordu Aspectu.

    Alha and Alhoy would accompany our archaeologist family on Aphra¡¯s quest to find the beacon, but as their group ascended into the rest of the temple, but I held Bariss back from following them.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t we going with them?¡± she asked.

    ¡°No, I doubt there¡¯s anything that will explode, so the siblings should be fine. More importantly, I vaguely remember reading about a great Massassi warrior that slept underneath the temple,¡± I explained. As we talked, I ran my hands along the wall of the Hangar. Supposedly there would be a hidden door that led into the catacombs.

    ¡°And you want me to accompany you in order to wake him up?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Can you just explain why?¡±

    Before I answered her, my hand touched the false wall. With a slight use of the force to power the mechanism, the door slid open. The stones ground against themselves and then came to stop with a satisfying clunk revealing a passage to the basement. I lit up my lightsaber and stepped down into the dark. Bariss was quick to follow with her borrowed blue pike lighting held in front of her.

    On the way down, I explained the history of the temple. I also educated her on how great the Massassi were. Originally they were the warrior caste of the first Sith Empire. Generations of selective breeding and Sith alchemy eventually turned them into a distinct offshoot of the species. They grew larger and taller than the stock I was from. They were made less intelligent, but also became incredibly loyal to their masters. Their loyalty was unique among the Sith species and made them very useful subjects. Physically, they still retained many of the Sith features like face tentacles, bone spurs, and red skin but were far more beastly.

    ¡°So, this temple was constructed by the Massassi?¡± Bariss clarified once I finished. We were deep under the temple now. I had no map but allowed the force to guide me along to the eventual destination.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

    ¡°Yes, Naga Sadow ordered them create it,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Sadow and the Massassi were Sith correct?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Again, yes. But, not all Massassi are trained in Sith arts. Most were just soldiers,¡± I explained.

    ¡°If the Ordu was a Jedi order, what were they doing here?¡± she pressed.

    ¡°The place acts as a beacon that connects to their citadel. I already explained this,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Yes, but why did they choose this Sith temple?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know, why does anyone make this crinking moon a part of their plans,¡± I replied with exasperation. Yavin was up there with Tatooine in how often weird stuff happened there for no reason. You would think this forested moon was the center of the universe.

    ¡°It just feels suspicious. This place is filled with dark energy. If they were as righteous as Aphra claims, why were they so interested in this dark temple?¡± she explained. Bariss certainly had a brain. The Ordu''s ultimate goal was remarkably Sith-like.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think about it too hard. Sadow was dead and the Massassi were long extinct by the time the Ordu came,¡± I offered.

    We reached the end of a hallway, and I could feel that we were at our destination.

    ¡°This is it,¡± I said. I again pressed the force into the wall, and its mechanisms opened before us.

    ¡°The ancient Massassi warrior is in there?¡± she asked once we we entered the large room. She was pointing at a large cylinder in the center. It was made of transparisteel, or some other type of glass, and filled with liquid. It was far too cloudy to make out any shapes from within the chamber though.

    ¡°Yeah. I read that Exar Kun¡¯s greatest warrior was placed in the isolation chamber so that he could be awakened to guard the temple,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Won¡¯t he just attack us as trespassers then?¡± she asked.

    I thought for a moment. Then said, ¡°I assumed he would just recognize me as his superior. But if he attacks I should be more than enough to subdue him."

    ¡°That¡¯s not- Oh whatever, let¡¯s do this,¡± she replied.

    At the base of the chamber, there were a series of computers, somehow still in working order. As when I pressed a few buttons they came to life. Very few in this day and age would have been able to read the controls on the machine since it was written in the Sith language. Most didn¡¯t grow up thousands of years ago inside the Sith empire though.

    With surprising ease, I found the awakening procedure and booted it up.

    Tubes began to drain the liquid away, but soon I realized something was wrong. Bariss ever the empath began to suspect something as well.

    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not sure what that is. It doesn¡¯t look like any of the Massassi I knew,¡± I explained. The creature inside the chamber looked more like a green reptile than a Massassi. The beast was massive and far larger than what I expected. It was less like a humanoid and more like a quadruped.

    Then its eyes opened. Though they were yellow, they were also slits in a reptilian fashion. Worse, once it looked around the room and focused its attention on Baris, feral rage filled the room. It came with such an intensity that we both got into our stances.

    With a glass cracking roar, the creature shoved a claw through the cylinder. It had an incredibly strong grip. That strength was used to crush and pull the glass apart until it shattered into an opening.

    The beast was impossibly fast. It even rivaled my own speed as it jumped out of the chamber towards us.

    I moved to intercept with a horizontal slash. The creature, no matter how strong, was still unarmed in the face of a lightsaber. Or so I thought.

    The lizard blocked my blade with the back of its clawed hand, leaving both Bariss and I stunned. I drug the sword up its arm and was relieved to see it burn into the creature¡¯s less protected flesh.

    With a screech, it jumped back to circle around us. Not wanting to face another powerful charge I jumped in and began slashing away at the beast. It held up well against the onslaught with its resistant claws. I couldn''t land any strikes, and it''s strength was more than enough to stop my blade.

    Bariss, meanwhile, circled around and stabbed into the beast from behind.

    With a horrible screech, it stopped blocking my attacks and instead tackled me. The force of the movement got underneath my guard. So, instead of pushing against the attack, I rolled backwards with its movements and with a force-empowered kick, tossed the beast behind me. It struck one of the load-bearing columns in the room and continued on straight through it.

    The collision caused that entire section of the temple to shake, bringing dust down around us.

    Fear filled the room and replaced the feral rage coming from the beast. When it got back to its feet, it regarded us warily before leaving through the door we opened.

    The abrupt end to the fight left me stunned, and I could only watch it go before my mind began working again.

    ¡°What the kriff was that?!¡± I yelled and looked around the room. Bariss seemed like she was about to answer me, so I added, ¡°that was rhetorical.¡± There was supposed to be an eight foot tall red warrior in there, so why was did a twelve foot long green lizard emerge from stasis?

    ¡°Fine,¡± she replied. Then she dialed up Alhoy on her communicator.

    ¡°Be on the lookout for a dangerous¡­lizard creature,¡± she said into the device.

    ¡°Does that have anything to do with the quakes we¡¯ve been feeling up here?¡± Alhoy asked.

    ¡°Yes. Be advised it has saber-resistant claws. Its hide is exceptionally tough. Our strikes caused shallow cuts at best. A stab was able to pierce the creature more deeply,¡± explained Bariss.

    ¡°Ok¡­.where did this thing come from?¡± asked Alhoy.

    ¡°I¡¯m sure your master will explain everything,¡± Bariss said. It sounded like she was smirking. I wasn¡¯t sure because I made my way back to the console. There was a significant amount of information on the device, and I was hoping to figure out the situation with it.

    Again, it didn¡¯t take long to find what I was looking for. The computer console had a surprisingly large amount of information on the Massassi. Basically It was almost like their entire history on Yavin was collected here. Finally, I made it to the part about Exar Kun and this creature.

    The answers left me seething and the console didn¡¯t survive my small fit of rage.

    ¡°What? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Bariss ran over to me. By that point the computer and isolation chamber had been reduced to rubble.

    ¡°That was the Massassi we were looking for,¡± I replied through gritted teeth.

    ¡°I thought you said-¡°

    ¡°I know what I said. That beast used to be a man named Kalgrath, but Exar Kun mutated him into that mindless animal,¡± I explained. I walked towards the exit and waved for her to follow me.

    ¡°You said Exar Kun controlled the Massassi here for a time, why would he mutate them?¡±

    ¡°Not sure. I guess we could go ask him,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Go ask him?¡±

    ¡°The idiot tied his consciousness to another temple on Yavin. The records on the console say he sacrificed most of the Massassi on the moon to become immortal.¡±

    ¡°He became an immortal temple?¡±

    ¡°Well, he might call it immortality, but it¡¯s a lot more like purgatory. Especially since he¡¯s been stuck on this deserted moon for thousands of years.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s an immortal Sith Lord here?¡± she said half hysterical at the news.

    ¡°If you consider that immortality, then there¡¯s like thirty immortal Sith lords,¡± I replied nonchalantly as we climbed the stairs.

    ¡°T-thirty, where? We should destroy them!¡±

    I froze for a moment. ¡°You do understand that I acquired the rank of Sith Lord,¡± I replied.

    ¡°That¡¯s different. What about Exar Kun, you said his spirit is here?¡±

    I wheeled on the woman and stuck my face uncomfortably close to hers. ¡°Exar Kun would eat your mind. He so enjoys turning good little Jedi into his pawns,¡± I replied. That man relished the chance to make someone a user of the dark side more than anyone else I¡¯ve ever read about. Give him a few millennia of boredom, and he¡¯d probably blow a wall in the effort to turn her.

    Without waiting for her response, I turned around and continued climbing up the steps toward the Ordu Aspectu chambers.

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Every famous Sith Lord gets a specialty they are known for. One of Kun¡¯s was corrupting people. His saber was apparently so thick with the dark side that the Jedi had to lock it away from their members. It was too alluring and caused many to falter just in its presence,¡± I replied. ¡°If you went into that temple, he¡¯d fill your head and overwhelm your senses.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve trained my mind defenses,¡± she retorted.

    ¡°It¡¯s not up for discussion. If I ever go into that temple, I¡¯ll be alone. If you ever go into that temple without my permission, I¡¯ll leave you stranded here,¡± I replied definitively. I didn¡¯t need some deranged cultist in my crew.

    I did eventually plan to raid the place. Sidious had a monopoly on many of the best Sith Holocrons. Yet, kun¡¯s temple was untouched somehow. He should have information on Sith Alchemy, Essence Transfer, and even the type of mass essence drain that my old boss was famous for. If I was going to survive, thrive even, in this place I couldn¡¯t stay a simple warrior. Yavin was evidence enough of that. Warriors were used; Sith Lords were the users.

    When we finally made it to the Ordu¡¯s chambers, we were greeted with a bright golden light.

    The sun was filtering in through the windows and blue crystals shined like stars in a pattern on the floor. A large device in the center of the room was concentrating the sunlight and refracting it into a beam that pointed towards something in space.

    ¡°I assume this means it worked?¡± I said after my eyes adjusted. The archaeology group was spread out in the room and excitement was in the air. Korin was using some type of navigational device to record the coordinates from the beam. He was also humming to himself while doing it. Alha and Alhoy both had visible smiles at the beautiful sight. Even Loni seemed to be enjoying herself despite the distaste she¡¯s shown for her husband¡¯s obsessions. Chelli was scooped up into her arms. Her eyes were wide in wonder.

    ¡°I believe so,¡± Alhoy reported.

    ¡°No giant lizard sightings?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Thankfully nothing,¡± he replied.

    The device in Korin¡¯s hands beeped. Then he turned around and shouted, ¡°We¡¯ve done it! This could be the Citadel¡¯s location!¡± He was practically jumping up and down.

    After picking up his wife and daughter in a hug, he turned towards me and said, ¡°We must go at once! This is the find of the century!¡±

    I sighed. ¡°We should talk about the Citadel on the ship. Don¡¯t get your hopes up. We are not going to head there for a while,¡± I explained.

    ¡°What why? This is the penultimate stop. We are at the threshold,¡± he argued.

    ¡°For starters, you still owe me before I take you to the Citadel. There are also certain things you should know about the place before we go,¡± I replied.

    ¡°If you were just going to deny me at this stage, why bring us here?¡± he pushed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not here for you. I was here to find another crew member and it just happened to be the same place you wanted to go,¡± I replied before turning and heading to leave.

    ¡°New crew member?¡± the siblings asked together.

    ¡°It didn¡¯t work out. An immortal Sith temple turned him into a lizard,¡± Bariss explained in a serious tone.

 18. Teachable Moments

    I swung an uppercut towards Alha with the training saber. The attack was filled with the Force, making it nearly unstoppable for a normal person. Yet, she blocked the blow with her own blade. The two swords met with a clash, and the sound reverberated loudly around the Fury.

    Our ship was hurtling through hyperspace on its way outside of imperial control. We left Yavin in a hurry after finding the Ordu coordinates. It was less about my fear of that lizard and more a combination of annoyance and my own lost patience. We were finally heading to Parnassos. If all went well, it would serve as our home base, and I couldn''t wait to test the prospects.

    I followed up the swing with a flurry of probing attacks. Each slash and stab came almost randomly as I allowed the force to guide my combinations. Each time, Alha managed to block the hits. Each time, the clash of our swords rang out across the ship. It was a testament to the magic ichor of Dathomir just how powerful Alha became. She was leagues ahead of where she was a week ago.

    There were many unnatural ways to gain more power with the force. Most of these paths revolved around the collection of artifacts. The problem with these artifacts is that they were usually corrupted by the will of their creators. Whether by design or simply through osmosis, items like the Mask of Nihilus contained pieces of their master¡¯s spirit. When you used them, you were basically allowing yourself to be prepared as a vessel for their rebirth.

    Ichor, though it granted the same benefits, was different. It was a raw wellspring of the force, untainted by some twisted creator. By simply living on Dathomir and utilizing the ichor, Shelish¡¯s people naturally became force sensitive. The nightsister¡¯s ritual recreated this phenomenon by embedding the green liquid within Alha and integrating it into her very being. If you were to cut Alha, she would bleed, but that blood would be green and steaming with the mists of ichor. Inside her, running through her veins, it gave her strength and connected her to the force.

    This power was just a starting point. Like a slab of iron, it would take countless hours in the forge to be useful.

    ¡°You¡¯re doing particularly well today,¡± I commented as we continued to trade attacks.

    She smiled, but before she could respond, one of my blows pierced through her defenses. She received a hard whack to her side. The combined pain of the stun blade and a force-assisted blow led her to falter. Before I could land a second blow, she instinctively leaped back. Even a reaction like that was an improvement.

    ¡°Maybe I spoke too soon,¡± I said before charging her. I upped the intensity by channeling more of the force into my hits. Within seconds, Alha was backed up against the wall. Her positioning took away her mobility. With a flourish of my sword, I caused her blade to be sent rolling across the floor.

    ¡°Have you memorized the code?¡± I asked with my dull blade pointed towards her neck.

    She nodded. ¡°Peace is a lie, there is only passion,¡± she said between heaving breaths.

    I lowered my blade and called hers to me. It shot across the room and landed in my left hand.

    ¡°Good. Do you have any thoughts?¡± I replied and handed her the blade.

    ¡°Thoughts?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s an esoteric phrase, what do you think it means?¡± I replied.

    ¡°Peace is a lie¡­¡± she said slowly. We walked back to the center of our little training area on the main hold before she found an answer. ¡°Then conflict is inevitable, so you must be prepared for it,¡± she said.

    ¡°That¡¯s one way to think about it,¡± I replied. ¡°Conflict isn¡¯t just inevitable; it is a natural state of the universe. To embrace conflict is to embrace one¡¯s natural state. Through conflict we become better,¡± I replied.

    ¡°There is peace though. People live their whole lives without fighting,¡± countered Bariss from the side. She was regularly attending our sparing lessons in order to better familiarize herself with the pike and her new limbs. Because she was not my apprentice, I did offer to let her use one of my other blades. She refused though, on the grounds that they felt far too dark for her comfort. I couldn''t really fault her logic. I never used the saber pike and only got it on a whim. The rest of my blades had seen a considerable amount of combat.

    ¡°What of them? Have you experienced a life like this?¡± I asked them both.

    ¡°Well, no,¡± she answered, and Alha shook her head. I knew neither of them had. Bariss spent her youth in the Clone Wars while Alha grew up eking out an existence on Korriban.

    ¡°There is respite, but no lasting peace. At least now there isn''t. Unless something happens, the next few hundred years will be filled with constant struggles. Conflict comes, why should we not find joy in those periods in the same way we enjoy respite?¡±

    ¡°That was rhetorical. Just think on it," I said. "But since you''re so interested in the lesson, maybe you and Alha can go a few rounds," I continued.

    <hr><hr>

    I needed some good news after the disappointment on Yavin. My dreams of a Massassi honor guard or crew member weren''t totally crushed. I knew there were some still out there in the unknown region, but it would be a while before I had time to find them. So, that personal ambition was on the back burner.

    When we finally entered the Parnassos system I received a series of happy surprises. Communications were kept purposefully dark since the system became our new rendezvous point. Secrecy was of the utmost importance and I didn''t want any signs that the place was in use.

    I updated Kalani''s objectives when we parted from High General Telro after the Battle of Nur. The first objective was to finish gathering all the remnants they could find before finally entering the system. After their initial success, I allowed Kalani to really pursue as many leads as possible. I can only describe the fleet that greeted us when we arrived as an utter success.

    The full fleet was arranged in a defensive stance around Parnassos, the type-1 continental world that gave the system its name. The most impressive ships were a single providence-class dreadnaught and two recusant-class dreadnaughts. Providences were the flag ships of any major Separatist fleet. Their dreadnought versions were an upscaled design of the iconic ship.

    Behind them were five lucrehulks, and ten omni-supply ships. Those massive ships were further protected by six recusant-class destroyers and eighteen munificent-class frigates. There was a smattering of other ships inside the formation. I could see a handful of gozanti cruisers and at least two Genososian cruisers. The fleet was large. Sure, it wasn¡¯t large enough to go up against the Empire. But this much fire power put me on the same level as the other warlords of the galaxy.

    The second objective was to disable and take over the Parnassos orbital defense system. Our ships were in orbit near those defensive satellites There wasn¡¯t an active battle going on, so I felt sure in assuming they had completed that objective as well.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.

    Onboard the providence dreadnought, which was indeed our new flagship, awaited the third objective Kalani completed. When I stepped off the Fury¡¯s landing ramp a unit of magnaguards awaited me. There were thirteen of the beautiful droids standing at attention, awaiting their Supreme Martial Commander. They were perfectly still with their electro staffs resting against the ground. The only movement came from their white capes flapping in the air circulating around the hangar.

    I couldn¡¯t help myself. I ran up to the nearest one and began prodding and poking the droid in an excited inspection.

    ¡°Magnificent!¡± I shouted excitedly.

    Who needs Massassi guards? They have nothing on these fearsome-looking terminators. At this point, I was pretty insulated against fanning out. I¡¯d been in the universe for a few months and had memories of over thirty years from Zaros. But damnit, I¡¯ve always wanted a magnaguard. I should produce more. We should make a million of these and send them out across the galax-

    ¡°Master?¡± Alha said and placed a hand on my shoulder.

    I straightened up and smoothed out my robes for a moment. Then I turned around and said, ¡°Yes?¡±

    ¡°I think Admiral Kalani is waiting for us,¡± she replied and pointed away from the guards. Sure enough, Kalani was there flanked by his personal commando droid guards.

    ¡°So he is,¡± I replied and strode over to the super tactical droid.

    ¡°Supreme Commander, it is pleasing for you to have joined us,¡± he said in greeting.

    ¡°You¡¯ve outdone yourself Kalani. What do droids enjoy? Oil Baths?¡± I said with a smile.

    ¡°Your congratulations are reward enough,¡± the droid replied.

    ¡°Nonsense! So how goes our little project?¡± I asked as I started towards the bridge.

    ¡°We dispatched a sizeable workforce to begin removing the radioactive materials. Our original scouting parties malfunctioned from the radiation. We were forced to decommission them. The current force received better shielding and has maintained productivity,¡± he explained. Removing and/or neutralizing the nuclear remnants that were poisoning the planet was the fourth objective.

    Parnassos used to be a profitable mining and agricultural world. A nuclear explosion destroyed an entire city and turned half of a continent into a wasteland. It further poisoned the oceans, created purple deserts, and resulted in some insane weather phenomena. The whole situation could have been easily reversed if swift action was taken, but the corporation, Con Star Mining, that owned the planet went bankrupt from the issues. Its new owners chose to cover everything up and scrubbed the planet from all official records. Millions of colonists were left on their own while civilization crumbled around them. This happened around fifty years ago.

    It wasn¡¯t all destroyed though. The lethal radiation was contained mostly to a single continent. The other landmasses of the world were still livable, though the changing weather patterns reduced their yields considerably. Without any solution though, these places would eventually become lifeless as more radiation leached towards them. The entire planet would probably share the same fate in a few centuries.

    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I replied. ¡°And the natives?¡±

    ¡°The probability that they saw our ships is high. Our orbital formation leaves us visible to the naked eye, but we haven¡¯t made any contact yet,¡± he explained.

    ¡°That¡¯s good. We need to be careful with our exposure,¡± I replied. The surviving people of Parnassos were the largest obstacle. I doubt many of them want to stay on this hell of a planet. They would probably take the first ship off-world. I can¡¯t afford any loose ends like that. To the rest of the galaxy, Parnassos doesn¡¯t exist, and I intend to keep it that way. Thus, the theft of any space faring vehicles was the most dangerous thing that could happen. The silver lining was that they had very little technology. When Con Star pulled out, they took what they could salvage. The rest broke down over time and most of the survivors did not have the mechanical knowledge to keep them running forever.

    ¡°What can you tell me about the planet?¡± I asked once our group was on the bridge.

    Kalani brought up a hologram of Parnassos. Several beacons blinked into existence on the globe. ¡°There are six sizeable population centers outside of the dead zones. The largest is here,¡± the droid explained and pointed to one of the beacons.

    ¡°Cleo station was an industrial city used for refining and fabricating. It occupies a favorable position far from the dead zones. Scans indicate a thriving farming community bolstered by an untainted aquifer,¡± Kalani continued.

    ¡°I assume you¡¯re suggesting this as our new capital,¡± I replied.

    ¡°It is a strategically important city. With the area as our stronghold, our units can be sent out to assert control over the mines on the rest of the continent,¡± said Kalani.

    ¡°Fine, let¡¯s go with overwhelming force. I¡¯m sure seeing a few massive transport ships descend from the heavens will cow them into submission," I said to the room.

    ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t?¡± Bariss asked.

    ¡°An overwhelming victory will,¡± I replied.

    ¡°We should at least parlay,¡± She offered.

    ¡°Of course! How will they surrender otherwise?¡± I asked.

    <hr><hr>

    The Fury dropped us off on the top of a hill overlooking the station. Behind us was a full complement of fifty droid landing craft. Each ship was longer than two football fields and wider than three. Spilling forth were countless snail tanks, droid hover tanks, multi-troop transports, and platoon attack crafts. Hundreds of B1s buzzed around on STAP speeders to scout the surrounding area. It all took only a matter of minutes for thousands of vehicles to begin moving like a tidal wave towards Cleo station. With a single command, over a hundred thousand battle droids could be deployed from the various vehicles just as quickly.

    ¡°Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken,¡± I recited to Alha. As we stood looking toward our conquest.

    She looked at me and nodded.

    ¡°People often claim that the Sith seek only power. Those who do forget that it is just another steppingstone in the code,¡± I explained to her.

    ¡°Power leads to freedom,¡± she offered.

    I nodded to her with a smile. ¡°Power protects your own freedom, without power you are at the whims of others,¡± I replied and then turned to call one of the armored-assault-hover tanks over to pick us up.

    ¡°Power is the spring of all virtues. Without it, sentiments like love or hate become meaningless,¡± I further explained while as the tank made its way over.

    The four of us climbed onto the vehicle, and I ordered the tank commander to press ahead of the column. My plan was to meet with the leaders while they could see our forces. I figured it would be polite to do it with as few men as possible. That said, I doubted they could even damage this tank before it could raze the city.

    The area outside of Cleo Station was a large arid grassland. Most of it looked less than ideal for farming, as it seemed only scraggly prairie grass grew in abundance. Closer to the settlement, the farmland was visible. Probably due to irrigation, there were hundreds of grain fields, all growing quite well.

    On the way down to the city, we passed a smattering of outlying farm houses. They looked very recently abandoned and I sensed no one lying in wait. If they left their homes for the seemingly safer cities upon seeing our landing crafts, then they were afraid. If they were afraid, then at least part of my message was already delivered.

    Cleo station was defended by a crude palisade. It was a combination of old buildings, spikes, and large sheets of metal pulled into the streets to block entry. Facing us was a rudimentary gatehouse with armed guards standing atop it. They were dressed in ragged armor. Some of it looked to be left over from the security forces, while others were just wearing sheets of scavenged metal on their torsos. I spotted a blaster or two, but most of them wielded jagged spears.

    ¡°Halt! Who¡­What are you?! Why have you come?¡± called a man from the top of the gate.

    ¡°You heard the man,¡± I said and pounded on the side of the tank.

    ¡°Roger, Roger,¡± replied the droid. When the tank stopped, I jumped off and away from the tank towards the palisade gates.

    ¡°I¡¯ll answer your questions in order!¡± I yelled back. Then I infused the force into my voice causing it to come out in different tones all stacked on top of each other at the same time. ¡°I am Darth Zaros. A lord of the Sith. I have come to claim this city and all who inhabit it. Come out and parlay or perish!¡± I proclaimed.

    ¡°T-the council of elders rules here,¡± the man yelled back. Then something caught his attention from within the city for a few moments. Afterward, he added, ¡°W-What claim do you have over us?¡±

    I gestured towards the hill. When I did, the rears of every MTT opened and massive racks of droids descended. Tens of thousands of droids began marching out from behind the vehicles and arranging themselves in perfect battalion lines. Every second more and more spilled out like an endless fountain of gleaming silver and orange metal.

    ¡°Call an emergency meeting of your council! I and my delegation will attend!¡± I yelled back.

 19. Gaining Control

    ¡°Lord Zaros promises security and wealth. We have medicine that far exceeds your current abilities. We also have the ability to create better infrastructure for the city,¡± Bariss said with her hands outstretched. She was currently addressing the assembled council of Cleo station. In front of her, arranged on ramshackle chairs were the five elders who made up the council. Around our meeting, pressed as close as they could get, were probably all of the citizens of the station.

    It was decided, quite easily, that Bariss would play the carrot to my stick. So, I was happy to let her offer the world so long as she stayed within the bounds of what I was willing to give. And to these people, what we had to offer was basically a set of impossible-to-refuse comforts and necessities.

    ¡°Our droids can rebuild the city in its entirety. You can have new wells, better irrigation, power generators, and indoor plumbing,¡± Bariss explained.

    ¡°And what would you have us do in return?¡± questioned one of the humans on the council. He was probably the only one I would consider an actual elder. He looked to be over seventy years old with tanned leathery skin and pure white hair.

    Bariss looked at me and I nodded in return.

    ¡°We require sole access to the old factories and foundries. The fabricators that you have lost power to. We may need to confiscate other structures as well, but we would be willing to compensate for anything we take,¡± she offered.

    I rolled my eyes.

    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± the old man asked suspiciously.

    ¡°You would also accept me as your unquestionable lea-¡° I began to say.

    ¡°We are offering civilization. There would be laws of course¡­and a power structure. Citizens of any society have duties as well. But the benefits would surely outweigh any costs,¡± Bariss quickly explained after cutting me off.

    ¡°And your leeader heeere, would beee at theee heeead?¡± another councilmember asked. This elder was a Gand. The insectoid was wearing tattered but thick robes and a respirator that seemed to elongate some of his words.

    ¡°Obviously,¡± I replied after pushing past Bariss.

    ¡°Is it brave or stupid to walk into our midst?¡± asked a third council member with a chortle. This one was a Dug. The reptilian creature had arms longer than its diminutive legs. Its snout was settled into a sneer as if it knew something I didn¡¯t.

    More telling than his sneer was danger radiating off it. That danger was mirrored in many of the people scattered around us. It was¡­infectious. As I felt their willingness to kill wash over me, it seemed to seep into me.

    I continued forward until my proximity with the council members elicited a general unsheathing of weapons.

    Then I continued onward towards the Dug. It had two Dug guards standing, I guess you could call it standing though Dugs stood on their hands, behind it with weapons raised. As I got closer, they lowered their spears in front of the councilmember to ward me off from getting closer.

    I continued walking closer, so they raised the jagged weapons towards my neck.

    I only stopped when the blades were inches from my neck.

    Then I said, ¡°I¡¯m motivated by neither bravery nor ignorance. Harming me or my group would be the worst decision of your life.¡±

    ¡°Did you take this meeting to surrender, or did you take it because your enemy¡¯s leader would present himself helplessly among you?¡± I asked before the Dug could answer.

    ¡°Lord Zaros, we are here to negotiate,¡± Interjected the human.

    ¡°That may be your plan, but I wonder if your compatriots shared it. I mean, wouldn¡¯t this be the perfect chance to kill the enemy¡¯s leader? I¡¯m sure the worm in front of me is thinking just that,¡± I replied without taking my eyes of the Dug.

    ¡°Weee can offer you protection from the raiders! You¡¯ve seen our army. That isn¡¯t even close to the whole thing. Those ships in the sky all answer to Zaros!¡± Bariss said quickly. She sensed the same danger I did, but she was probably also sensing my own lethal intentions.

    ¡°Yeah, all you have to do is swear your loyalty to me,¡± I added and then crept closer to the Dug. I only stopped after I pressed my own neck against the tip of the spears.

    ¡°Take him!¡± yelled the Dug councilmember.

    A few members of the crowd leaped out towards me, but the councilmember¡¯s two guards didn¡¯t budge. Instead with a flick of my left wrist, their spears moved away from my neck and reoriented themselves until they were pressing into the councilmember¡¯s skin.

    ¡°Let¡¯s not get too hasty everyone,¡± I said as I turned around to face the other combatants. With my right hand, I froze them in place.

    ¡°What are you fools doing, why-¡° the Dug sputtered.

    ¡°Alhoy, do you have the holodisk I gave you on the way here?¡± I said, cutting off the now sweating Dug.

    ¡°Uh¡­yeah. Is that something important?¡± he asked while he had his right arm raised towards the crowd. His flamethrower was ready to go at a moment¡¯s notice. My companions were all on edge. Though we weren¡¯t allowed to bring weapons to the meeting, the primitives here had no clue what a lightsaber was. Thus, Bariss had unsheathed her Pike. Alha wasn¡¯t so lucky. Her vibroblade was an obvious weapon, though she hardly needed it in her current state.

    ¡°Just pop it into your datapad and search up the punishments for threatening a Sith Lord,¡± I replied. The disk in question was a gag item from my time in the game. As the Empire¡¯s Wrath, I was basically an executive officer of the True Sith Empire. When you attained the title, the player was given a holodisk of the Empire¡¯s laws and regulations. I never bothered to look at the thing until we cleaned out my cargo hold.

    ¡°Okay¡­¡± he said. There was an awkward silence as he rummaged through his bag, then slotted the disk into his datapad. It continued as he searched for the article and only ended when he said, ¡°Ahah!¡±

    ¡°Should someone of an unworthy, yadayadayda, defy a lord of the Sith with violence they¡­are you sure about this Zaros?¡± he asked suddenly unsure of what he was reading.

    ¡°Oh, just read the crinking thing,¡± I replied while getting impatient.

    ¡°The offender,¡± He took a deep breath before continuing, ¡°should be put to death.¡±

    ¡°And the footnote additions?¡± I asked.

    ¡°By order of Empress Acina, the offender must be made to wait until after three generations of their bloodline have been reduced to ash before their eyes so they may fully repent their mistakes,¡± he finished reluctantly.

    ¡°Now, I count at least six people who have made threatening movements towards us,¡± I explained. ¡°I think the man who gave the orders would also be included. So, let¡¯s say you¡¯ve just jeopardized the lives of seven families,¡± I continued after turning around and facing the Dug councilmember.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    ¡°Wee neeeed not go so far, Lord Zaros,¡± the Gand hurriedly.

    ¡°Yeah! I think we understand the situation!¡± yelled the human member.

    ¡°So, you submit?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Well¡­we uh,¡± the old man began to say, sweat was beading around his face.

    So, I simply lifted the would-be combatants into the air. The crowd around us pushed back in shrieks and gasps. They were finally realizing that something weird, something beyond their capabilities was happening.

    ¡°I came here as mercy. I have little use for your people at the moment, but I do require this city. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s lifeless or not,¡± I explained while staring into the eyes of the Dug. Then I ignited my lightsaber.

    ¡°I vote for surrender!¡± yelled the old man.

    ¡°I agreeee,¡± the Gand quickly complied.

    ¡°I-I vote for surrendering,¡± the Dug choked out.

    ¡°So, is this a majority ruling or do I need your votes too?¡± I asked after tearing my gaze from the Dug so that I could look at the other members.

    The last two, a middle-aged woman and a dark green Rodian both quickly expressed their surrender.

    ¡°Great!¡± I said with a toothy grin, before tossing the would-be attackers back into the crowd and pushing the Dug¡¯s guards onto the ground.

    I sheathed my saber and placed it back on my belt. Everyone seemed to relax for a moment as the tension faded away.

    ¡°But that¡¯s not enough,¡± I said with a shrug. At the same time, the Dug councilmember was lifted into the air and slowly floated into the center of our little meeting space. The whole time he struggled to escape his bonds. With a flick of my other wrist, I grabbed onto four of the crude weapons from the guards and tossed them at the feet of the other councilmembers.

    ¡°W-what are you doing?¡± sputtered the elderly man.

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious what I want? Kill him and swear allegiance to me.¡±

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe this!¡± hissed Bariss. As soon as Telro and the droid army marched into the city and established the command center, she pulled me into one of the empty alleyways and was dead set on giving me a piece of her mind.

    The city center was a flurry of activity thanks to the efficient super tactical droid. All the residents of the city had been ordered to their homes so that our teams could sweep the place door to door with teams of droids. They would be carrying out registrations, searches, and surveys of the city populace simultaneously. Teams of engineers and repair droids were dispatched to the now decrepit factories and foundries of the city, while others were roving the city to inspect the state of its infrastructure.

    ¡°That we took the city so easily and with minimal bloodshed?¡± I asked with a smile.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you just¡­and now are you going to murder his family too?¡± She questioned with genuine concern written across her green face.

    ¡°First, that wouldn¡¯t be murder. It¡¯s more like execution, and why would I do that?¡±

    ¡°Your imperial laws said so!¡± she countered.

    ¡°As far as I know, Empress Acina and the True Sith Empire is long dead,¡± I replied. ¡°So, I¡¯m not bound by her little addition or their laws. Kriff, I only used it as a scary prop anyways,¡± I explained.

    ¡°As far as you know?¡± she asked. Of course she would latch onto that detail.

    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she didn¡¯t become a Sith spirit, but I¡¯ve never been to her temple so it¡¯s not- We¡¯re getting off-topic,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I got no enjoyment from that man¡¯s death,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Oh? I sure felt bloodlust radiating out of you!¡± she retorted.

    ¡°Get off it. In one action, I forced a surrender, caused their leaders to become complicit in our regime, and killed off someone willing to attack us during negotiations!¡± I replied while counting with my fingers.

    ¡°He was weak! His people weren¡¯t a threat to any of us! We could have easily navigated this without killing him!¡±

    ¡°They needed to understand we mean business! Sure, they can¡¯t hurt me or you, but how long until that snake was sabotaging our droids and stealing blasters?¡± I questioned.

    ¡°We could have executed them after we found him guilty of something!¡±

    "This is rich coming from the Temple Bomber herself! I¡¯m not here to make friends. I¡¯m trying to build a kriffing powerbase!¡± I shouted at her. I was probably getting too worked up over this little disagreement.

    ¡°You! T-That was one of the greatest mistakes of my life,¡± she said, suddenly much more quietly than the rest of our conversation. Then she spun and began walking off. I definitely got too heated during this argument.

    ¡°Wait, wait! I¡¯m sorry,¡± I said after running after her. ¡°It was a low blow. I¡¯m sorry¡± I continued.

    She didn¡¯t respond and kept walking.

    ¡°Listen, I didn¡¯t think¡­that event¡­was something that bugged you like this,¡± I explained.

    ¡°That event? You mean when I threw away all my friends, disgraced the code, killed innocents, and then found myself all alone as the empire stole what little dignity I had left?¡±

    ¡°No! no. I meant that you were right about how the Jedi shouldn¡¯t have been in the war. So, in my head, I may have minimized the other things,¡± I admitted.

    ¡°You thought smugness would carry me through that gauntlet?¡±

    ¡°I already apologized,¡± I said with my hands up.

    ¡°What do you want? That I not kill our subjects indiscriminately? Fine, done. It¡¯s not like I was planning on practicing my murder skills on them,¡± I continued.

    ¡°Things like this require trials and deliberations! There should be a process!¡± she said.

    ¡°You want a constitution? Write one yourself!¡± I retorted.

    ¡°Fine. I will do just that,¡± She accepted before turning around and walking back toward the command center.

    ¡°Fine!¡± I called after her.

    ¡°Good!¡± she said over her shoulder.

    ¡°Good!¡± I replied. Then I realized the implications of such a role.

    ¡°Wait, I¡¯ll make edits of course, and I reserve the right to line-item veto!¡± I said as I ran after her.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°You¡¯re giving me a house?¡± Lona asked after barging into my new office. I was currently set up in what was probably meant to be city hall before civilization fell apart.

    It had been a few days since we took the city, and I was only now able to tie up various loose ends. One of these was moving the Aphras down to the planet so they stopped eating up room and energy on my ships.

    ¡°A house and a small patch of farmland. Our arrangement will last a while,¡± I explained without looking up from my datapad. There was so much paperwork to go over. Telro, Kalani, and the various other tactical droids were drumming up reports at an alarming rate. Everything got a report. New well? Report. Stolen item? Report. Child tripped in the street? Report. I was too worried I might miss something actually important if I skipped them so, of course, I had to read everything.

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid that I¡¯ll make a run for it?¡±

    ¡°To where? Outside of our little green zone, this planet is a wasteland. The only way off is via one of my shuttles, and I can easily have it blown up,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Well-¡° she started to say.

    ¡°Listen, I had a look at your file,¡± I said and cut her off. Then I pulled up her information on the datapad and slid it across my desk. ¡°This Dr. Lona Aphra has a PHD in Chemistry with further degrees in horticulture and botany correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m no-¡°

    ¡°Not gonna work for me?¡± I finished her sentence and finally looked up.

    ¡°Frankly, I don¡¯t care if you twiddle your thumbs for the duration of your time here, and it will be a long time. But the people down there have been subsisting on crap food for years. I just thought that your expertise could be put to good use,¡± I explained while motioning towards the window behind me.

    Outside, life had gotten back to normal for much of the city. Sure there was some signs of unrest, but at the moment, nothing had boiled over.

    People were going about their daily routines. It was just that now there were thousands of droids doing all manner of jobs alongside them. The large majority of the droids were B1s and most of those had been reprogrammed for engineering and technical jobs. They weren''t true technicians, but they could build basic structures and repair just about anything within their database. The rest of the B1s and B2s were serving as a garrison and police. There were so many, I had them posted at almost every street corner. In addition there were now countless gonks, mice, repair droids, and maintenance droids rushing about the place.

    A hurried knocking sound came from the door.

    I waved her off and said, ¡°head down to the front office, you¡¯ll find a key and your new entourage there.¡±

    ¡°Entourage?¡± she asked.

    The knocking at the door came again.

    ¡°Your bodyguards and servant droid, I can¡¯t have you accidentally dying in my care,¡± I replied. That would be rich. Losing the Aphras by accident was the last thing I needed. Then I turned my attention to the door. ¡°Come in!¡± I called out.

    One of the regular tactical droids made his way in and rushed past Lona. ¡°Supreme Commander, we have located a raider outpost. I require your permission to send out a search and destroy party,¡± it reported.

    ¡°No need!¡± I said and stood up from my chair. I was positively beaming at this news. ¡°Show me the coordinates, I¡¯ll take care of it myself!¡± I continued.

    ¡°Commander, that would be against protocols,¡± the droid replied.

    I just waved him off, as I threw on my outdoor cloak and made my way towards the door. I barely made it into the hall when I was accosted by Alha and Alhoy though. They were tripping over each other to tell me something.

    ¡°Suden got in contact!¡± Alha reported.

    ¡°Apparently there were quite a few farming communities that want to leave!¡± Alhoy explained.

    ¡°So, he sent a transmission asking for a pick-up!¡± Alha jumped in.

    ¡°That¡¯s great, I¡¯ll ready-¡° I began to say before stopping. I looked from the tactical droid, to the datapads on my desk, to Lona, and then finally back at the siblings.

    ¡°You two can take one of the transports and retrieve them,¡± I said instead. It was a little disappointing that I had to give up on one of our treks through the stars. I just had to make up for it one way or another.

 20. Developing Parnassos

    Ahead of me, and quickly gaining ground was a terrified wasteland-raider. He had just witnessed two of his allies get cut down within the blink of an eye while they sat around their evening campfire. So, he did what any rational person would do in that situation. He ran for his life towards the barren mountains and away from Cleo station.

    I could have ended him any number of ways, but I was feeling adventurous. I reached out with my left hand and began channeling the force into it.

    Zaros was a singular force user among millions. He breezed through the Sith Academy, and often skipped whole lessons because his affinity was so high. He was so strong, that he was taken in as an apprentice by a member of the Dark Council. He was so powerful, that his master eventually betrayed him out of sheer fear. Instead of dying, he was recruited to work directly under the Emperor as his enforcer and eventually took his revenge by slaying his old master in single combat.

    Every power I used so far was something that Zaros employed regularly. Everything I tried from that repertoire came as easily as if I had done it a thousand times. This was probably because Zaros had done it over a thousand times. I could imbue my physical body with the force to make it stronger and faster. I could produce sounds waves so terrible and filled with the dark side that they caused physical damage and stunned my opponents. My affinity for telekinesis and lightsaber fighting were similarly powerful. The list goes on.

    This wasn¡¯t the case when I tried to use other force powers.

    With my hand forward and my fingers stretched out I tried to manifest force lightning. But, I really had no clue what I was doing. I concentrated power on my outstretched hand and the force began to swirl around my hand. For the briefest of moments, I thought I saw a spark. Then it just dissipated into a series of small explosions.

    Zaros had no clue how to create force lightning. Thus, I had no clue how to create force lightning.

    My target probably thought he was getting away at that point. But soon his feet found no purchase on the ground and he stopped moving forward. Instead he gained speed in the opposite direction as the force flung him through the air towards my waiting lightsaber. It was a quick death as he was impaled upon it.

    ¡°Telro, mark Sector 12-23 as cleared for now. I just engaged and eliminated the last group of raiders from the report,¡± I said into my helmet-communicator.

    ¡°Roger, Roger,¡± the droid replied.

    ¡°Did the probes pick up anything else worth checking out?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Yes, but I already dispatched other hunting parties, Sir.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s no fun!¡±

    ¡°It is best for you to return, sir. There is a meeting scheduled to discuss the power generation facilities,¡± the droid reported.

    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± I replied with a sigh before cutting the call. It had been a busy day before I took the speeder up here to work off the steam. It was probably telling just how much I had really become Zaros when killing raiders was less stressful than paperwork.

    This whole operation was getting to be an annoying amount of work. Sure, I needed a powerbase. It was that or spending the next few years on the run while trying to figure everything out.

    Sure, I didn¡¯t trust anyone to rule except me. But even in the few days, I¡¯ve had control of the city, it was really getting to the point that I needed people to delegate tasks to.

    Our energy issue was one such problem that should be prime for delegation. As of now, we were transferring some of the backup reactors from our ships down to the surface. We had enough of these to power the city, foundries, fabricators, and our newly acquired mines. But we only had enough fuel to keep the facilities running for about half a year at full capacity. We could push it to a full year if we emptied the ship reserves, but I was hoping to have this figured out before then.

    The issue was that I knew absolutely nothing about energy. I didn¡¯t know where the fuel came from. I didn¡¯t know how it was made. I didn¡¯t even know how the reactors made power if I¡¯m being honest. Was it fusion? Did it just burn fuel? Nobody here knows and I haven¡¯t had a chance to really talk with any real engineers about it yet.

    But who could I give this job to? Droid technicians could build and repair things, but they didn¡¯t have any initiative. Without overseers, they weren¡¯t going to be able to work on complex projects. Our faction needed specialists, or I¡¯d soon lose the forces that I just amassed. Without enough power, we¡¯d have to start rationing energy and deactivating droids.

    With these thoughts in mind, I stalked back to the raider campsite. It wasn¡¯t much. Just a small covered fire and a few tents with various packs. Most disturbingly, there was a vaguely green humanoid leg, roasting atop the heat.

    I dialed up Barriss.

    ¡°Agh!¡± came a pained moan from someone in the background of the call.

    ¡°I really can¡¯t talk right now,¡± a tired Barriss said through the communicator. The former Jedi had taken it upon herself to oversee the city¡¯s burgeoning clinic. As Cleo was at best a preindustrial city before we came along, there were plenty of diseases, injuries, and conditions that had long gone untreated. Barriss was a famed healer, trained in both force-assisted procedures and more general medicinal practices. So, she was perfect for the job.

    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if any Rodians came in with missing legs,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I¡¯d have to-¡° her response was interrupted by the sound of a bone-cracking and another pained wail.

    ¡°I would have to check the logs,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Maybe see if anyone was reported missing too,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I¡¯ll do that when I¡¯m not treating debilitating injuries,¡± she replied. Then after a moment added, ¡°do I even want to know why?¡±

    ¡°Cannibals,¡± I replied.

    ¡°Oh.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, there¡¯s like an entire spit-roast leg here,¡± I replied. Then I knocked it into the fire so it would burn up. Can''t have skinwolves getting a taste for humanoid.

    ¡°I really didn¡¯t need the details,¡± she replied squeamishly.

    ¡°Speaking of food, how have the nutrition bars gone over?¡± I asked as I made my way back to the Eclipse.

    ¡°They seemed suspicious at first, but now I would call it successful,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Did you do the bite thing?¡±

    ¡°The bite thing?¡± she said, then seemed to understand what I meant. ¡°Yeah, I had to stop though, I was full to bursting after so many bar samples.¡±

    ¡°As long as they know they¡¯re edible,¡± I replied.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.

    ¡°It is a good outreach program,¡± she replied. ¡°But I am worried about our supplies.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± I replied. Most of the CIS ships we took did have small stockpiles of nutrient packs. But they were only meant as supplies for the small and often nonexistent officer core. We could only hand out the nutrient-rich food for a short amount of time without refilling somewhere.

    ¡°Well, stop by the energy meeting if you finish breaking bones,¡± I replied.

    ¡°I¡¯m resetting bones. I¡¯d have more time if we used the Bacta.¡±

    ¡°If you think our food supply is getting low, do I have news for you,¡± I replied and sped off towards the city.

    <hr><hr>

    One of the first new additions outside Cleo station were the newly minted brickfields. Day and night, B1s toiled in the dirt to churn out building materials. The natives squatted in any building in the city that they could get their hands on before we came along. They invaded the factories and foundries, the office buildings, and the former power station. They further built-up shacks, huts, and stands along the inner-city streets.

    We needed those key buildings, and I wanted the streets as wide as possible for our large vehicles, so that meant uprooting hundreds, if not thousands of people. I wasn¡¯t too keen on having the place crowded with the homeless, thus the new brickworks. It¡¯s not like we didn¡¯t have the manpower to get a redevelopment project done.

    The second thing that stood out was the massive Tri-Droids patrolling the suburbs and outskirts. They were large, offered a high vantage point, and imposing. In part, these fifty-foot-tall droids were why I wanted the streets enlarged. They were a constant reminder of the power we wielded, but as of right now, they couldn¡¯t make it downtown without crushing somebody¡¯s makeshift house and probably the occupants too.

    One of the first cleared zones was the new power generation facilities. It was the same building as the old power generation facilities, but everything rusted together years ago by this point. Unlike the fabricators, almost nothing in the old generators was salvageable.

    Once the place was stripped, a defensible perimeter was created around it and further guarded by a contingent of B2s and B1s.

    They waved me through at the roadblock, and Telro was waiting for me just outside the main doors.

    It was certainly cool to see a team of B1s and DUM repair droids rushing about the place. The interior of the building was like controlled chaos, at least I hoped it was controlled. Teams of the droids bolted and welded various parts together to retrofit the new generators in place.

    Listening to Telro give me report after report about our fuel prospects was far less interesting. It all really boiled down to a few things.

    First, we needed solid fuel converters. We had the perfect spot for them, as our solar system sported more than one gas giant. The problem was that an installation large enough to keep our forces fueled would be positively massive. It would have to be at least as large as a space station, which meant we couldn¡¯t just steal one. Apparently it took about five tons of hydrogen to charge a single fuel cell. Capital ships burned up hundreds of fuel cells on their own. The same went for city generators.

    Second, we needed tibanna gas. That miracle fuel was used in everything. Blasters, repulsors, and hyperdrives all needed tibanna gas for one thing or another. It wasn¡¯t the rarest substance in the galaxy, but it wasn¡¯t something you could just get anywhere. In the known galaxy there were not that many places that produced the stuff. The Empire sported millions of star systems yet there were less than a hundred gas producers.

    Finally, we would eventually need hyperfuel. That resource was some of the rarest stuff in the galaxy. The best form of it, coaxium, could only be found in a single system as far as I knew. The good news was that I didn¡¯t plan on having most of my ships leave the system for a long time. But this was only a temporary fix, especially because we would need a steady supply stream of freighters making their way to the system eventually.

    The long fix for all our problems was to send out scouting parties into the Unknown Regions. We could probably find a system with tibanna eventually that way. We might even find one of the lower grade hyperfuels like clouzon.

    Technically, Parnassos was in the unknown regions, but it really wasn¡¯t. The system was actually just on the western edge of known space. There were stable hyperspace lanes into Parnassos from the east. There weren¡¯t stable lanes exiting the system to the west, nor anywhere else in the Unknown Regions.

    That¡¯s why they were unknown. Without predictable lanes, ships would often find themselves pulled out of hyperspace as they passed too close to gravity wells. At best this would make trips exponentially longer than in known space. Worse, you were liable to get ripped out of hyperspace into something dangerous like an asteroid field.

    For now, this all added up to one thing. We would be heading back out into the galaxy. I was loathed to leave the various projects in the city alone though, which was how I found myself calling a meeting the next day.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°I¡¯ll be gone for a time and I¡¯m taking Barriss with me, so now¡¯s your last chance to offer up any concerns,¡± I said to the room of assembled people in my office. The four orginal elders along with their new fifth replacement stood together in the center of the room. Telro was there along with two other tactical droids and a few menacing magnaguards. The most surprising addition in the room was Lona, who had finally accepted a position managing the city¡¯s agricultural infrastructure.

    She was also the first to speak. ¡°Will you be taking my husband?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes. Next?¡± I replied.

    Her shoulders slumped and her face drew taught.

    ¡°Then, I have a list of possible ideas,¡± she replied and held out a datapad.

    I took it and looked it over. It was mostly specific plants and crops we should introduce to the planet. Though one thing did catch my eye.

    ¡°You want me to get nerfs?¡± I asked with mild amusement.

    ¡°They¡¯re the type of hardy herd animals that can survive this world. Them or banthas,¡± she answered.

    ¡°Fair enough. Does anyone else have anything?¡± I asked the group.

    ¡°My lord,¡± the elderly man, I think his name was Korse, started to say. I beamed at his word choice. I could certainly get used to that.

    ¡°Some of my people were upset about your¡­the, um, relocation project?¡± he explained.

    ¡°Have they not gotten new homes?¡± I asked; suddenly far less happy.

    ¡°They have. It¡¯s just¡­¡± Korse faltered.

    ¡°Our people are just finding this all so fast,¡± said the Rodian.

    ¡°Are these grumbles or overt actions?¡± I replied.

    ¡°No!¡± Korse jumped in. ¡°We jus-¡°

    ¡°Then isn¡¯t this still your problem?¡± I asked the group. The whole point in keeping these nerf herders was so that they could smooth over the populace.

    ¡°They¡¯ll be fine once they¡¯ve settled into the new housing and realized how nice internal plumbing is,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Y-yes my lord,¡± the elderly man choked out.

    ¡°Good,¡± I said while flashing my teeth.

    ¡°Now for the real reason, I called you all here: A warning. I suspect some of you, some in this city, may find my absence as an opportunity,¡± I explained while rising out of my seat.

    ¡°It is not. Telro will have absolute authority to protect my interests. I doubt any of you want a Tri-Droid looking in through your window,¡± I said before a pause to let the implications sink in.

    ¡°More importantly, should I find any annoyances or self-inflicted setbacks, I will not hesitate to root out the fools. Anyone stupid enough to try something is a danger to everyone. I will strive to do the merciful thing and end them swiftly,¡± I explained.

    ¡°Is that clear?¡± I asked.

    The room stayed silent.

    ¡°Is. That. Clear?¡± I repeated.

    After that, I got smatterings of ¡°Yes, milords¡± from the elders while Lona just nodded her head.

    <hr><hr>

    ¡°It needs a better name than G1,¡± Barriss said as we stepped off the transport onto the Geonosian Cruiser. It, designed and built by the Geonosian bugs, was meant to be a large transport and support ship. At close to 800 meters long, the ship kind of resembled a thin Venator with a large ventral fin on the bow. They were lightly armed but had a significant amount of carrying space and large hangars. Very few of these ships saw combat, especially because the Separatists couldn¡¯t keep control of the bugs¡¯ shipyards for very long.

    In all, it was the best ship we had for playing pretend merchants. The design didn¡¯t scream separatist remnants and it was easily refitted for carrying cargo instead of troops.

    ¡°Like what?¡± I asked. In the hangar, we were greeted by the crew made up mostly of BX and B1 droids as we made our way to the bridge.

    ¡°Maybe the Resplendent?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling it. That sounds like a luxury liner,¡± I replied.

    ¡°What about the Recovery?¡±

    ¡°Too nice. It sounds like a medical frigate.¡±

    ¡°The Abundant?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect name. It will be the first in a fleet of ships that bring abundance to Parnassos,¡± she explained.

    ¡°Yeah, I get it. Are you just going to keep throwing out names?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I¡¯ve got time. I mean how long does it take to go¡­where are we going first?¡± she said once we entered the ship¡¯s bridge.

    ¡°Mimban. We have to track down a few things,¡± I said and began inputting the coordinates into the hyperdrive.

    ¡°Mimban¡­I guess we could find some nerfs there, but there are much closer planets with larger herds,¡± she replied.

    ¡°We aren¡¯t going there for nerfs,¡± I said with a chuckle. ¡°In order, we are going to wake up a Jedi from stasis, exorcise an ancient Sith spirit, and recover the Kaiburr crystal,¡± I explained.

    ¡°That¡­er¡­sounds like a lot. Is this Jedi going to turn out to be a lizard too?¡±

    ¡°No, Celeste is very much a human,¡± I replied. The coordinates were set, and the ship began to pick up speed.

    ¡°And the spirit?¡±

    ¡°Pick your poison. Saving the galaxy, personal vendetta, justice? It doesn¡¯t matter. He deserves eternal chaos just because I never want to see a rakghoul again,¡± I said with a shrug.

    Before she could answer, the ship began to shake. The stars stretched out before us, and the telltale blue storm of hyperspace replaced real-space.

 21. A Developing Situation

    ¡°Did you find anything?¡± Alha yelled over to her brother. She certainly could not find anything. There was no noise, no movement, and no life in the area.

    ¡°No! Did you?¡± Alhoy called back from the smoking husk of their old town hall. His voice was strained with worry. She could hear him tearing through the debris in the same frantic way she was.

    Alha didn¡¯t bother answering him. Instead, she ran over to the next smoking pile of a hut and began pulling apart the ruins. There had to be a sign. Some reason for the destruction around them.

    Their old village, their old home was destroyed. She dug through the burnt steel and charred pieces. It was all that was left of the hut she grew up in.

    It all started when they arrived in the system. As soon as their ships made it to Korriban, she started to get a bad feeling. At the time, she chalked it up to the way the wasteland planet radiated dark energy.

    Zaros explained to her that Korriban was a nexus of the dark side. That was the whole reason normal people like the townsfolk shouldn''t be there. She didn¡¯t really understand what that meant though. That was until the moment she was standing on the bridge of their ship and staring out at the yellow planet. A miasma coated the entire planet and tendrils of the dark side extended out from it. It was like all those times Zaros got angry, except it was constant and the size of a planet.

    As they descended towards the village, those tendrils reached out to her. They filled her with power but also muddled her head. It was like she was constantly channeling the force, except she wasn''t trying to.

    But, her worries only increased as she couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that something terrible had happened.

    It was only when they saw the smoke on the approach that she realized what the force was telling her.

    A series of beeps from X2-C3 brought her thoughts back to the present. The droid was banging on a large sheet of metal that was trapped by other materials in the adjacent hut. When she looked over, it began spinning and producing an incredibly annoying metallic noise.

    Alha didn¡¯t speak droid, but it was clear he wanted her attention.

    When she got over to the droid, a claw popped out from it and gripped onto the metal. It tried to drag it free but didn¡¯t have the strength.

    It seemed X2 wanted help, so she obliged and began uncovering the metal from debris. Once it was cleared, she easily lifted the metal away to expose a half-burnt bedroll.

    Confused at what made this so important, Alha looked back over to X2.

    In another series of beeps that resembled a huff, the droid grabbed onto the bedroll and pulled it out of the way. It revealed a small trap door!

    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that from the beginning!?¡± she hissed before pulling the door up and shining a light into the depths.

    ¡°Alhoy get over here!¡± she called out.

    Then she hopped down into the hidden basement and began searching through the boxes and crates. There, huddled in the far corner, were two kids. They looked dehydrated and barely alive as they clung together.

    <hr><hr>

    Barriss kneeled by our new captives and channeled the force into healing their wounds. A faint but warm light extended out of her hands and gently removed the facial bruises from their leader. Schurk-Heren was a male Yakora. That meant he was basically a humanoid camel with a large black mustache. When the bruises were cleared, she moved to his broken arm.

    Schurk-Heren was lucky enough, or rather unlucky enough, to have found the Jebble Box. He was currently trying to sell the thing, though he found the prospect difficult. The box was woth a fortune, but it also had a penchant for causing betrayals, backstabs, and even an all-out war at one point. The owners of the box may have just been unlucky, but it was probably the contents of the box that caused these issues.

    Shurk had no clue what was inside the box. Almost nobody did, save for me and a particularly sleazy historian working for Palpatine. Believe it or not, a broken arm and some bruises were a far better fate than what would happen should the smuggler get in contact with that historian.

    Inside that box was the Muur Talisman. For thousands of years that talisman has been a threat to all life in the galaxy. It was the source of the Rakghoul Plague. The saliva-born plague and the talisman itself were able to turn any near-human, saved for force users, into disgusting and mindless drones. It was a particularly gruesome fate, as the infected were conscious as their skin ripped apart from the transformation.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    The Talisman was made all the worse because it was inhabited by the spirit of one of the original exiles from the Jedi order. Karness Muur went all the way back to the Hundred Years Darkness. Muur didn¡¯t particularly enjoy being a spirit, so he was constantly on the lookout for a powerful host. His talisman acted much like a parasite in this regard. Sure, it would grant you power over the rakghouls and the dark side. But, you would constantly have a creepy ghost probing your mind to see if he could kick out your consciousness.

    It would be all too simple if the box just had the talisman though. No, the talisman already had a host. Her name was Celeste Morne, a Jedi shadow sworn to destroy the Sith. They did kill her family and leave her a child orphan, so I couldn¡¯t grudge her that. That said, her little vendetta was kind of annoying, since it wasn''t even a Sith that killed her family. No, it was a dark Jedi. My people were huddled together in some far flung corner of the galaxy at the time.

    ¡°I¡¯m sorry my...companion got so rough with you,¡± she said. The man winced. It was probably an uncomfortable feeling to have your bone pulled back together with the force.

    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize, the trash pulled a blaster on me,¡± I retorted before pulling out my canteen and taking a sip of water. We were currently in the brig onboard the Abundant.

    Barriss ignored me and kept talking with the camel-man. ¡°But we really need that box. It is for the greater good of the galaxy that you tell us the coordinates,¡± she asked the man. She then pulled the rag gag from his mouth so he could answer.

    Instead, he spat into her face and the water in my own mouth sprayed out in a cloud.

    ¡°Torture me all ya like, I¡¯m not telling you two drukheads nothin,¡± he hissed.

    ¡°I didn¡¯t plan on it,¡± Barriss muttered. She glared at me as I tried to stifle a laugh. Luckily I was saved by the beeping of my communicator.

    ¡°Oh, I gotta take this. Don¡¯t torture anyone before I get back,¡± I said and excused myself into the hallway.

    I activated the communicator and a hologram of Alha appeared.

    ¡°Hey, what¡¯s up?¡± I said with a smile. Barriss was fine, but everything was business with her. The sibs could handle a few broken bones without getting on my back about it.

    They were still on their way to Korriban by the time we left the Parnassos system for Mimban. I hadn¡¯t heard much from the two, other than a report we received as they switched hyperplanes on the way.

    ¡°It¡¯s bad Zaros!¡± Alha exclaimed.

    My smile dropped.

    ¡°What¡¯s bad?¡± I asked.

    ¡°The village was gone! Everything was burnt to a crisp!¡± She explained.

    ¡°Your village?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Ok ok, tell me everything,¡± I said.

    ¡°We could see the smoke on the way down. The place was deserted, destroyed,¡± she explained.

    ¡°Was everyone killed or was it deserted?¡± I tried to clarify her word choice.

    ¡°We think they were taken. There were some kids. It- It took a while to get them to talk,¡± she explained.

    ¡°What did they say?¡±

    ¡°That cat peo- that doesn¡¯t matter! I think it was a Zygerrian raid!¡± her tiny hologram yelled at me.

    ¡°A slaving trip?¡± I asked. Zygerrians were notorious slavers. They were famed across the galaxy for their ruthless raids. They had success in the business even under the Republic. The new Empire was even more willing to work with their slaver clans.

    ¡°I don¡¯t think those scum lickers would be here on a charity mission!¡± Alha cried.

    She was incredibly worked up by this point. I mean, she started the conversation understandably high-strung, but she was punching the walls once she started talking about the Zygerrians.

    ¡°I called to let you know that we are heading after them,¡± she finally said.

    ¡°Right now? It¡¯ll take a few days for us to get there,¡± I explained.

    ¡°We have to, the whole village might be separated if we wait too long,¡± she said.

    ¡°You are a big girl now,¡± I acknowledged.

    ¡°I¡¯ll finish up here and we will head right for Zygerrian space. Leave a beacon or something. I want updates before you two do anything crazy,¡± I replied.

    ¡°We will. I promise,¡± she said.

    ¡°Good. May the force serve you,¡± I replied.

    ¡°And you, master¡± she replied and then cut the feed.

    I turned my attention back to the brig.

    ¡°There¡¯s a very dangerous item inside that box and we are the only ones who can handle it,¡± Barriss pleaded with the man.

    ¡°Heal my friends and then maybe-¡° Shurk was saying before I slammed the door open. It was either the loud noise or the dark energy that wafted around me which shut him up.

    This little charade was fun while it lasted, but now I had shit to do.

    ¡°Listen here you piece of trash, I don¡¯t mind you wasting her time,¡± I said while motioning to Barriss.

    ¡°But now you¡¯re wasting mine. So, here¡¯s the deal. Tell me which barren moon you left the box on right now or I¡¯ll take a limb for each time I have to ask again,¡± I threatened while activating my lightsaber.

    It didn¡¯t take long for him to spill the beans after that.

    The smugglers had been planning on selling the box to some crime lord on Mimban. That meant they needed the box close but couldn¡¯t keep it on hand in case they were double-crossed. I¡¯m pretty sure they were going to be double-crossed and that¡¯s why they would try to eventually sell the thing to a historian. The whole operation would end with them meeting Vader a few months from now, and I¡¯d say I was a little more accommodating than he would be.

    Finding the box was a walk in the park, as they left it on some barren moon.

    It was what came after that posed problems. Unlike Vader, I wasn¡¯t going to just cut it open as soon as we found the thing. No, I wanted to do this with at least some forethought.

    Luckily there was a particularly powerful force nexus conveniently located on Mimban. This nexus contained the legendary Kaiburr Crystal. The crystal increased one¡¯s power with the force drastically while they held it.

    So, the plan was to wake up Celeste once we were inside the temple that housed the crystal. From there, Barriss would utilize the crystal to enhance her skills in cleansing the dark side corruption. This boost would hopefully be enough to banish Muur and cleanse the talisman. With the talisman off the board, and one of hopefully many giant kyber crystal in hand, we¡¯d be good to go.

    Celeste could do whatever. I¡¯m sure she would cause some type of problem, but I wasn¡¯t worried about fighting a single Jedi if need be.

    It all added up quite nicely in my head.

 22. The Mimban Mash-Up

    3963 BBY, Jebble: An Ice Planet near Taris and the staging grounds for the Mandalorian Neo-Crusaders

    ¡°Do it!¡± Celeste said to Zayne. She sank to her knees and presented her neck. This was her duty as a Jedi. She dedicated her entire life to eradicating the Sith and this was no different. On countless missions, she never failed to complete the objective. Marka Ragnos¡¯s last epistle? Destroyed. The eye of Horak-mul was locked away because of her. She even managed to recover the lightsaber of Exar Kun and prevent it from tempting any other Jedi to the dark. Now though, she was too great a liability to be left alive.

    She had been measured, and she had been found wanting.

    It took only a few moments for the Muur Talisman to corrupt her. Moments for her to draw on its powers and commit unthinkable atrocities. Sure, she used that power for the greater good. She even destroyed an entire Mandalorian invasion force with it. In the process she had saved Alderaan from and its peaceful citizens from devastation.

    Below their vantage point on the cliff, the snows of Jebble ran red, and the valley was in a state of carnage. What few Mandalorian warriors weren¡¯t turned into rakghouls by the talisman, were quickly being overrun by the hordes under her command. Soon an army of millions all answered unquestionably to her. An unthinking horde of zombie-creatures would do anything she asked.

    She had to die. If she lived, the plague would spread and Karness, that damned sorcerer would continue to whisper in her ear. He would let her draw on more and more power. Eventually, she could destroy all who opposed the Jedi and the Republic. In doing so, she would just replace one evil with another. For Karness would take hold, empowered by her usage of the talisman.

    ¡°Strike me down and run!¡± She pleaded. It wasn¡¯t just about stopping her. She deserved death after what she had just done. She hadn''t taken prisoners and indiscriminately changed all who were in the valley.

    ¡°It will come for you, so you have to go!¡± she explained. The talisman would latch onto any sapient it could once she died.

    Zayne knelt down and grabbed her hands in his own.

    ¡°No, I won¡¯t kill a friend. Besides, I have an idea!¡± He replied. His voice was filled with confidence like he had all the answers. For the first time since she met him, this child knew something that she did not. How did this bumbling oaf survive and turn out to be such a good kid? She thought.

    Then he pulled her up and dragged her back into the compound. There, among the other Sith artifacts that the Mandalorians collected, was a black box. It was an isolation chamber.

    ¡°Lord Dreypa¡¯s Obliette!¡± Celeste said once she realized what it was. It was on the list of Sith artifacts she had studied her whole life. Dreypa was Muur¡¯s greatest rival, and his chamber was built specifically to counteract the Sith Lord¡¯s powers. Inside of her, Muur screamed at the realization. He clawed at her mind in the hopes of stopping her. This was his most hated device. Dreypa would finally have his victory and Muur would be stuck inside the chamber, possibly forever.

    There was nothing Muur could do though. She had stopped tapping into his power and brought up her mental shields against him. He could complain all he wanted, but at the moment, she could still contain him.

    ¡°Yeah, Pulsipher explained how it worked before he¡­well ya know,¡± Zayne explained. Pulsipher, the Mandalorian commander that collected all the items in the room became just another rakghoul at Celeste''s behest.

    ¡°It was designed to contain it, to contain me. It¡¯s the safest way,¡± Celeste whispered. Without a second thought, she stepped up to the chamber and began to get in. All the while, Muur pounded at her mental shields.

    Celeste pulled out a necklace from beneath her armor and handed it to Zayne. It was a red charm with three sides. ¡°It¡¯s a key. It will get you into the covenant compound,¡± she explained to him. ¡°The researchers may be able to remove it safely.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll remove it once Zayne and I are dead!¡± grumbled Gryph. The Zayne''s Snivvian companion did not look happy about going straight to the people that had framed them for murder.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s alright. Celeste, we¡¯ll make sure you get there,¡± Zayne replied.

    ¡°You really didn¡¯t kill those kids?¡± Celeste said. She had her doubts ever since meeting these two. Not only were they incredibly unskilled fighters, but they had consistently displayed purity of heart since encountering her. They would bumble around and cause problems, but they also stopped to help anyone in their path. It could have been an act, an incredibly elaborate and convincing act. Or, she had been sent to kill the wrong traitors.

    Zayne shook his head with a grim smile. He was happy someone finally believed him, but it was hard to experience joy when anyone discussed his friends¡¯ deaths.

    ¡°Then you must reach Krynda. She would never have allowed this to happen. She will know what to do,¡± Celeste pleaded.

    Zayne looked unsure. He had heard of this Krynda before, but he still had no idea who she was. He sure wasn¡¯t in love with the idea of talking to the boss of a bunch of murders either.

    ¡°She¡¯s devoted to the light, Zayne. She¡¯s not evil,¡± she said and grabbed his hands. Celeste knew Kyrnda was a good person. Her old master was the only one who could clear this mess up.

    He nodded. ¡°If she¡¯s like you, then there¡¯s hope,¡± Zayne said.

    ¡°Thank you,¡± Celeste replied. Then she released him and leaned back.

    Zayne activated the mechanism, and the lid began to close around her. Just before all light and sound left her, Zayne said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, it won¡¯t take long. I will see you later.¡±

    <hr><hr>

    19 BBY (or Year 0 of the New Imperial Calendar if you asked somebody), Mimban: A jungle and mine ridden world.

    One of the four B1s following us tripped and fell to the ground. The black Jebble Box it was carrying fell along with it and hit the mud.

    Just as I turned around to curse at them, two more of the bumbling droids ran up and grabbed that side of the box. Together, they lifted it back into the air, and we resumed our trek.

    This part of Mimban was a giant jungle. The trees were so high and so old that they even covered the temple. We landed close to a mile away from the it. The jungle density forced us to find a clearing, so we set down near one of the many rivers in the area. From there, it was an annoying walk through humidity and heat.

    ¡°How did a Jedi come to possess the talisman? And why a stasis chamber?¡± Barriss asked. She was ahead of me on the trail we were following.

    ¡°Do you want the long or the short?¡± I asked.

    ¡°I believe we have more than enough time,¡± she replied while motioning towards the winding path in front of us.

    ¡°Fine,¡± I said and thought for a moment. ¡°It¡¯s a tale about not blindly listening to the force. Or rather, it¡¯s a story about making your own decisions,¡± I said with my best story-teller''s voice.

    ¡°Oh, now I¡¯m enthralled,¡± Barriss said sarcastically.

    ¡°There was a cabal of Jedi that formed after the poorly named Great Sith War-¡°

    ¡°Poorly named? It split the republic,¡± Barriss cut in.

    ¡°Are you joking?!¡± I asked with serious annoyance. If there was one thing I knew, it¡¯s that the Great Sith War involved almost no Sith.

    Barriss turned around to face me and shook her head in confusion.

    ¡°It was a Jedi civil war. Exar Kun wasn¡¯t a real Sith, he was just an incredibly powerful dark Jedi. The real Sith, my people, were hiding out in the Outer Rim at the time,¡± I retorted.

    ¡°He was taught by Friddon Nad!¡±

    ¡°Also not a Sith, just a Dark Jedi,¡± I replied.

    ¡°What exactly are your criteria for being a Sith?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s a culture and maybe also a religion,¡± I replied. ¡°We had teachings, philosophies, an entire history,¡± I continued while growing more indignant for some reason. It was probably a hang-up from the Zarosian side of my personality.

    ¡°Those two bumbling idiots learned the incantations, but nothing about what it meant to actually be a Sith. How would you like it if some random force-using crusaders attacked us and we called it the Great Jedi war?¡± I said after reigning it in. All this talk about pretenders almost sent me into a diatribe about Bane.

    ¡°The Sith didn¡¯t recognize Exar Kun?¡± asked Barriss while scratching her head.

    ¡°There was a millennia-old Dark Lord of the Sith at the time, nobody in the know was following that Jedi. Anyways, after they defeated Exar Kun, the Jedi got paranoid against all things Sith. In that atmosphere, a group called the First WatchCircle, became a secret cabal that dedicated themselves to destroying all of my people¡¯s remnants,¡± I replied.

    ¡°There have been many zealous ones throughout our history,¡± Barriss said while ducking under a vine.

    ¡°Five masters in the cabal received a prophecy. Their best interpretation was that their five padawans would cause irreparable damage to the Jedi and the Republic,¡± I continued while ducking under the same vine.

    ¡°So, they¡­¡± Barriss began to say. She seemed to understand where this was going.

    ¡°Yes, they murdered their padawans in cold blood,¡± I finished her sentence.

    ¡°How did they know? How did they come to that decision?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Between them, all that has been built will fall,¡± I recited the last line of the prophecy. ¡°The masters saw their demise at the hands of a figure. For whatever reason, they thought that figure was actually their padawans.¡±

    ¡°I can only assume they killed the wrong people?¡± asked Barriss.

    ¡°The murdered weren¡¯t harboring plans on destroying the Jedi. The prophecy spoke of the masters instead. They destroyed themselves and all they built in their quest to stop their own destruction,¡± I explained.

    ¡°They never questioned their path. They thought no darkness existed within themselves, so they believed that their padawans were the ones who would destroy everything,¡± I continued.

    ¡°They sound like amateurs. I find it hard to believe the force would lead more understanding Jedi to such disastrous results,¡± Barriss replied.

    ¡°Why give them such vague visions in the first place?¡± I retorted.

    ¡°Regardless, had they just listened to their own conscience and kept to their own morals, then they wouldn¡¯t have made this mistake. None of them felt darkness in their students. None of them wanted to hurt those kids, but they did it because they thought the force willed it,¡± I said before she could answer.

    ¡°So, Celeste was one of those murderous masters?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Oh no. One of the padawans, a particularly lucky kid named Zayne Carickk, got away. Celeste was a Jedi Shadow, so they  sent her to finish the job. She would have killed the boy too, but a rakghoul plague outbreak stopped them from coming to blows. She had time to see with her own eyes that the child they sent her to kill was not capable of destroying the Jedi. She chose to trust him instead,¡± I explained.

    ¡°It sounds more like the force chose her to help the boy,¡± she offered.

    ¡°The force or her own conclusion, it doesn''t matter to me. Each of us already knows what¡¯s right even without the force. It''s hard to imagine a normal person coming to the same conclusion as these Jedi," I replied.

    ¡°So how did she get into the box?¡±

    ¡°Oh yeah, the rakghouls were caused by the Muur Talisman. In trying to stop the outbreak, they had to get the talisman. Except, that talisman is sapient and capable of latching onto people,¡± I explained.

    ¡°The talisman attached itself to Celeste then?¡± she asked.

    ¡°Yes, so to stop her from destroying the galaxy, they put her inside this stasis chamber until they could figure out how to get the talisman off,¡± I replied.

    ¡°So, they never learned how to remove it and left her there?¡± Barriss asked.

    ¡°They might have been able to help her, but Mandalorians orbitally bombarded the world. Her allies had no clue just how strong the box was, so they assumed she died along with everything else on Jebble.¡±

    ¡°Now you have really lost me. Why were the Mandalorians involved?¡±

    ¡°So, you¡¯ve heard of the Mandalorian Wars right?¡±

    ¡°There are close to a forty different major Mandalorian Wars¡­¡± She replied cautiously.

    <hr><hr>

    Ranroon Orbital Refueling Station, Just Outside of Zygerrian Space

    ¡°This might be worse than when you tried to use shyrack guts to lure in more shyracks,¡± Alha grumbled from her seat at their little table. She was currently dressed in a very skimpy outfit, made all the more skimpy because it didn''t fit her. They found this, along with a few other scandalous outfits inside a crate labeled with the name Vette. The only thing hiding her shame at the moment was the large hooded cloak wrapped around her, which she clung tightly to.

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you think baring some skin is similar to getting caked in¡­no I can¡¯t even say it I might gag,¡± he replied from his spot. He was similarly cloaked, though underneath his were layers of beskar armor.

    The two of them were at a spacer cantina and had taken up a dark corner in the back as the scum and villainy rotated in and out of the place.

    From across the room, in a group noticeably louder than the rest of the rowdy crowd came a whack. It was followed by a crash as a Rodian was sent reeling into a table. Soon, his assailant set upon the man. He grabbed him by the shirt and started pounding into his face with his free fist.

    After an uncomfortably long time, the attacker seemed to feel he had done enough damage and allowed his victim to slump to the floor. He turned back to his own table, raised his hands, and received a flurry of cheers from his mates in response.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    Those ruffians were why they came to this drinking spot. They were also why Alha was dressed in such a manner. Zygerrian raiders were known to frequent this bar on their way to and from drop-offs. The feline humanoids were known for causing trouble anywhere they went. It was something in their culture that forced them to throw their weight around wherever they could. If you really wanted to find a group of Zygerrians, all you had to do was pick the sleaziest bar in town, the type that doesn''t ban people for murder, and wait there until a group showed up.

    Alha stared dumbly at the scene and was only brought back to reality when she felt a sharp pain in her shin. Alhoy had just kicked her!

    ¡°Alright, go on!¡± he hissed and made a shooing motion with his hands.

    She closed her eyes and grit her teeth for a few moments. ¡°For the village,¡± she whispered as she slowly got up from her chair. She pulled the tie-string on the cloak and let it fall to the ground. A cold shiver ran down her back. It was either from shame or the frigid wind of the circulation units that now had access to most of her body.

    She paused, swallowed some bile, then forced a smile and sauntered over to the still celebrating Zygerrian.

    ¡°Hey big boy!¡± she said with all her might. When he turned to face her, she reached out and slid her hand along his shoulder. It took all of her will-power not to kill him right then and there.

    ¡°I really love a man who can fight. How about I buy y-you a drink and we get to know each other,¡± she managed to spit out in a convincing enough manner.

    The muscular feline gave her an appraising look that was not unlike a butcher examining meat. He seemed to like what he saw because he gave her a drunken grin.

    ¡°Refreshments always taste better after some exercise,¡± he replied. Zygerrians usually sported an eastern-European accent, and he was no exception.

    ¡°Great,¡± she muttered as she grabbed his hand and led him towards the main bar.

    ¡°Whar?¡¯ he asked with a slight slur and used his free hand to take a pass at her nearly exposed butt.

    Alha whirled around and stuck a finger into his chest before recovering from her anger. Instead of a hard poke, she ran the finger down his chest.

    ¡°I was thinking we could do a little exercise of our own. Maybe somewhere more private once we have our drinks?" she said and managed not to cut his throat then and there.

    <hr><hr>

    Date Unknown, Dreypa''s Void

    ¡°I cannot believe I attached myself to such a fool,¡± Karness lamented in a raspy voice. It had to be the millionth time he made that sentiment clear.

    Celeste wasn¡¯t sure when he had begun to appear before her. As she floated in the darkness, she lost all track of time. They could have been there a few days or a few years for all she knew. Somewhere along the way, he had joined her. Company was company, she mused. Yet, it was hard to call this any better than eternal loneliness.

    For starters, Karness looked terrible. Celeste wasn¡¯t sure how spirits worked. One would assume that an ethereal entity had the ability to shape itself in any way. Yet Karness stayed old. His thin white hair hung down off his head where the bald spots hadn¡¯t taken root. His nails were far too long, like sharpened claws, and his skin was wrinkled and filled with sunspots. Somehow though, he was still imposing. As they floated in the dark, he towered over her and still maintained a wide frame.

    Probably the only saving grace was that spirits didn''t smell, or maybe it was her floating consciousness that couldn''t smell. Regardless, he looked like he smelled and he didn''t so she was thankful for that small mercy.

    ¡°We¡¯ve been here forever. Your friends clearly abandoned you. I doubt that child was ever your ally to begin with. I wouldn¡¯t put killing those filthy padawans past him!¡± he continued.

    ¡°Yes! Maybe he would have been a more suitable host,¡± Karness said and began cackling.

    ¡°Even if that were true, I¡¯ve done my duty by locking you here,¡± Celeste replied. His words cut deep though. She had known Zayne for less than a few days. Maybe he denied her death just so he could keep her in limbo for eternity. It wouldn''t certainly be a worse fate than having been returned to the force. Maybe Zayne was a schemer. Maybe he really was an incredibly powerful force user. Somehow he managed to flee from everyone except for her up to that point. With a single trick, he had managed to even remove her from his life.

    Even if Zayne wasn¡¯t a murderous dark Jedi, that meant far worse things. If those padawans had been murdered by their masters, by her mentors, then what had she been doing all her life? She trusted them, trusted the Jedi to uphold their duty. How could five of the greatest men and women she had ever known do something like that to their own students?

    ¡°Bah! I¡¯ve nothing but time. We could float for millennia, and I¡¯ll be fine. Someone will need my power, but you¡¯ll be all alone," Karness continued.

    "The Jedi tear themselves apart all the time. Take me and mine for example. Ever since Xendor, no, ever since Daegen the Jedi have produced their own destruction," he said with a laugh.

    "Shut it," was all she said in reply.

    "Admit it, the harder you cling to the light, the easier it is to fal-"

    A flash of light cut the old geezer off. In a second, their entire world was filled with a blinding, almost searing, brightness as the void melted away. Then she felt someone grabbing her body under her arms. She couldn¡¯t move though; couldn¡¯t wake up to see what was happening.

    <hr><hr>

    The Temple of Pomejema, Mimban

    ¡°This temple¡­it¡¯s positively prehistoric!¡± exclaimed the hologram of Aphra. ¡°Bring me closer to this column, I must have a sample!¡± he demanded of the droid holding his communicator. The kidnapped archaeologist, ever the man with tunnel vision, had near thrown a fit when I told him he wouldn¡¯t be allowed to come with us. The only way to get him to shut up¡­well, not the only way, was to have a droid cart his simulacrum around while he made observations.

    The temple was a sight though. It was probably as ancient to me as I was to the rest of this galaxy. The vaguely Mesoamerican pyramid was made of pure black stone. The construction was a mystery because it was impossible to see any connecting lines between blocks. Meaning, they were either carved whole or fused in some way. Regardless, even after the millennia, the rocks were shiny; oily almost. Only the most adventurous vines and ivies were able to gain a foothold on the temple.

    ¡°Roger, Roger,¡± the B1 responded dutifully, though I could hear a note of annoyance in the poor droid. B1s, aside from being absolutely terrible in combat, had the odd ability to develop personalities. Most became surprisingly humorous. Sure, most of it was dark, self-deprecating humor. But when it takes you a round of shots just to hit a single standing clone thirty yards away, the only thing you can do is laugh at yourself.

    I turned to my much more capable BX droid captain. These machines did not have a sense of humor. I was pretty sure they didn¡¯t experience joy, but they sometimes exhibited sadistic natures. It was never so overt as the joy HKs got when they killed. They weren¡¯t kicking puppies, but you could often find BX droids pumping a few too many shots into their enemies or using fear tactics. They did so even after their built-in scanners should have been telling relaying signs of death. That said, they were much better soldiers in every capacity than any other droids in the CIS army, especially because they could hit the broad side of a barn.

    ¡°Sweep the area, I do not want any humanoids in the vicinity,¡± I commanded it.

    In a deeper voice than its B1 counterpart, the BX captain replied, ¡°Roger, roger.¡± With a single nod to its subordinates, the group of fighters vanished into the jungle surrounding the old temple. That was another thing. The way they moved was in itself a form of psychological warfare. They were fast, but more importantly, their elastic bodies defied gravity as they bounded over underbrush and under vines.

    ¡°The rest of you, cart that damn box into the central chamber,¡± I said to the now eight B1s that were straining to carry the Jebble Box.

    They replied with, ¡°Roger, roger,¡± and followed me into the temple proper. Noticeably absent was Barriss, who rushed ahead upon feeling the power of the Kaiburr crystal. I didn''t judge, since it was certainly intoxicating. Even from outside the temple, a force-sensitive could feel the power flowing through the temple and into the crystal.

    We found the young not-Jedi right where I thought we would. Her hand was outstretched a few feet from a massive statue that dominated the center of the main chamber. It was made from the same oily black stone as the rest of the temple. Though its lower half was humanoid, its head was dominated by tentacles.

    Typically, a scene like this might have been a cause for concern, or at least caution. Aesthetically, this whole place screamed dark side. But it was actually built by the native Mimbanese to worship some god of healing. I¡¯m not sure what creature from the Cthulu mythos visited and gave that impression though. The healing wasn''t totally off, though I doubt this Pomejema was doing any of it. The crystal was doing all the heavy lifting.

    Whatever it was, the place had contained nothing of the dark side. It wasn¡¯t necessarily bathed in the light either, but it was powerful in the force. It drew the force in and centered it on the statue, or more aptly, the massive gem inside the chest of the statue.

    Kyber crystals usually fit in the palm of your hands. The Kaiburr Crystal, which was placed inside the statue was bigger than my head. It gently pulsed with the force, which is probably what Barriss was feeling for.

    ¡°It¡¯s¡­alive,¡± Barriss said in a low voice as we joined her inside.

    ¡°If you say so,¡± I replied while shrugging my shoulders. ¡°Feel free to grab onto it, I¡¯m pretty sure it doesn¡¯t bite,¡± I explained.

    The droids set down the box near the statue and then retreated to the far corners of the room. The only troops I wanted anywhere near us were the two magnaguards who stood watch stoically. The only noise they made came from the high-frequency hum of their electrostaffs, which gave off a purple glow in the dark room.

    Barriss slowly moved towards the gem and touched it with her hands. She let out a long breath, to the point that all the oxygen seemed to leave her body when she touched the gem.

    Then incredibly gently, she pulled the gem free and cradled it to her chest. With her eyes wide, she turned and began examining everything in the room.

    I raised my eyebrow. Is she alright?

    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just¡­feeling everything right now,¡± she replied.

    Did she just-

    She squinted her eyes almost shut. ¡°Yes. I can see...and feel the force. Everything is clearer; louder, especially you¡± she replied.

    ¡°So, it¡¯s working then?¡± I asked.

    She nodded, though she still seemed pretty spaced out.

    And then we waited. We couldn''t just start this procedure without word of a cleared perimeter. It only took a few minutes for the proficient BX droids to confirm one around the temple. It was still an awkward amount of time to spend with only someone high on the force and some menacing magnaguards as conversation partners. That said, if we were going to create an army of new droids they needed to be based on the BX models. HKs were good, but I still didn¡¯t trust HK-47 not to secretly make his own army and attack all life in the galaxy. Anyone who refers to people as meatbags, probably doesn''t care too much about lifeforms.

    I shook my head, that was all for the future.

    ¡°You ready?¡± I asked Barriss.

    ¡°I¡­believe so,¡± she replied. She pulled out a chalk piece from somewhere and drew an almost perfect circle. While gripping the gem to her chest, she sat on the ground with her legs crossed.

    ¡°Alright¡­should I expect some blast of light? Do you need to touch the amulet or can you do it from there?¡± I replied with only a small amount of concern in my voice.

    ¡°I can¡¯t break my concentration. You¡¯ll need to bring the amulet to me so that I can do this,¡± she replied.

    ¡°Everyone be on guard,¡± I said before igniting my blade and cutting the box open.

    The blade easily cut through the years of different crusts that encased the box and released the mechanism with a hiss. Steam or mist of some kind filled the room for a moment before I pushed it all out.

    There, laying in the pod was a severe-looking woman. Even in her deep slumber, she had a scowl on her face, as if everything she ever encountered was one grim annoyance. Her hair was pulled back and braided into a ponytail. It was jet black and seemed to have never been cut, since it descended almost to her feet. She was armored in what I can only describe as a crop-top breastplate with vambraces on her arms and tassets on her hips. Standing out against the blues and silvers of her outfit, was the gold and ruby talisman of Karness Muur attached to her neck. Like some type of metal insect, its legs had reached out and latched onto, or maybe into, her.

    ¡°Here goes nothing,¡± I muttered before grabbing her under the shoulder and pulling her out of the pod¡¯s bed. Getting this close to the talisman gave me goosebumps both from my mild phobia of insects and because it pulsed with incredible power. I certainly didn¡¯t want this creepy-crawly too close to my neck. This might have been a holdover from my own personality. Though it seemed to really affect me. So, maybe Zaros didn¡¯t like insects either. It was made all the worse because I knew the talisman would jump ship to a more powerful vessel if it could. And I was probably the most powerful vessel this side of Coruscant.

    So, instead of getting her into a more comfortable princess carry, I more or less gripped Celeste in the same way you might hold a feral cat. That is to say, with my arms outstretched as far as possible. With nothing to support her head, it rolled to the side, while her legs swung in the air.

    About halfway to Barriss, who was now deeply entrenched in her meditation, Celeste¡¯s body went rigid and her head shot up.

    She took a deep gasping breath, as if her bodily functions were only now restarting.

    ¡°Zayne?¡± she tried to call out, though millennia of un-use turned it into a whisper.

    ¡°Shit!¡± I said and picked up the pace to lay her down next to Barriss.

    ¡°Have the Jedi come- why are you holding me like this?!¡± she said and began squirming.

    ¡°Would you sit still? We¡¯re trying to destroy the amulet!¡± I retorted. I pulled her closer to Barriss, who began to reach out with her left hand towards the amulet. To the naked eye, it would have looked like her hand was bare. But to any force-sensitive, it was positively wreathed in a glowing white aura. It was a lot of power, the crystal allowed her to focus more of the force than I could in my current state.

    ¡°Then Zayne made it?¡± she asked.

    Before I could answer her, she looked towards the empty space in the room. I followed her gaze and could almost make out something shimmering in the air.

    ¡°Millenia?¡± she said to nobody. Then she turned and almost squirmed out of my grip. I channeled the force into my body and strengthened my hands to stop her from moving.

    ¡°Who are yo- the darkness!¡± she hissed. He movements became far more powerful as she used the force to strengthen herself. Her squirming was supplemented by a heavy kick that connected with my stomach. It almost knocked the breath out of me, but I just trucked through and drug her closer to Barriss.

    ¡°That¡¯s not important. We really are trying to destroy the amulet,¡± I said through gritted teeth.

    ¡°Wait! Stop! He knows what you¡¯re doing!¡± she yelled. It didn¡¯t matter if he knew. It was pretty obvious what we were trying to accomplish. Well, obvious to everyone except this crazed Jedi.

    I pulled the woman within inches of Barriss hand, but she never stopped kicking wildly. Though she didn¡¯t land a hit on Barriss a few more connected with me and one last one disturbed the chalk circle. That was enough to break her concentration.

    That was bad. In a flash, the talisman uncurled from her neck. Seeing the bug-like object move, I instinctively threw Celeste away from me and jumped back so that it wouldn''t touch me. Her light body sailed through the air towards the wall. It was such an automatic reaction that it overrode my training.

    In a split second, I realized that the talisman wasn¡¯t heading for me. Instead, it jumped straight for Barriss¡¯s neck. It''s claws unsheathed and expanded as it dove through the air.

    Luckily, I was able to recover and reached out with my left hand. The talisman froze in the air only inches from her neck. Barriss stumbled backward in response and almost dropped the Kaiburr crystal. By this point, any semblance of her concentration was gone.

    Unluckily, this talisman felt like one of the heaviest things I had ever lifted. It wasn¡¯t because the talisman itself was heavy. It was powerful in the force and began resisting my attempts to hold it down. It soon took both my hands and all my attention to keep it under control.

    ¡°Do something!¡± I hissed at Barriss.

    ¡°On it!¡± she grumbled as she fished out her chalk once more and redrew the circle.

    Away from us, a yellow lightsaber ignited in the dark corner of the room where Celeste landed.

    ¡°What foul sorcery are you planning, Sith?¡± she asked as she warily approached.

    ¡°You sound like an idiot,¡± I replied in annoyance. At this point, the amount of force I was channeling just to hold the small object in the air was becoming absurd. More absurd was the fact that the shimmering figure I saw before started to take shape. It swirled around the talisman and then traveled over to the space behind me.

    ¡°Joe, Barry! Care to do your job?¡± I yelled at the two magnaguards. ¡°Everybody else ready your guns, but don¡¯t fire!¡± I commanded. I didn¡¯t need wild blaster shots getting deflected towards us.

    ¡°Roger, roger!¡± the B1s replied before cocking their E-5 guns into position. The magnaguards silently moved into a protective position. Their white robes trailed behind them and the only noise came from their servomotors and electrostaffs as they got into their fighting stances.

    Barriss reset into her position and started to once more channel the force through the focusing power of the Kaiburr crystal.

    ¡°I see now. It¡¯s not her power, just the crystal!¡± said a disembodied voice. Then the talisman shifted in the air and aimed itself at me.

    A cold hand rested itself on my shoulder. It was ethereal, red, and attached to a man I knew to be Karness Muur. It felt gross, and I realized that it wasn¡¯t the insectoid nature of the talisman, but Karness¡¯s spirit that made me feel disgusted.

    ¡°I can feel how much you need more power. Look at you, like a child struggling to contain me,¡± he whispered after pulling himself in close to my ear. I shuddered at how kriffing weird this guy was.

    ¡°I¡¯m not interested,¡± I muttered. It all sounded great, but no one in their right mind would ever consider this deal.

    ¡°I can feel your fear though. I can see how you¡¯ve been scurrying around like a rat in the dark; too scared to face the true players in the galaxy,¡± he continued as his spirit wrapped itself around me.

    I ignored him and looked at Barriss. ¡°Any day now!¡± I yelled. In turn, she ignored me. In her hand, she summoned a blinding amount of the force again and held it out towards the amulet.

    ¡°You needn¡¯t be. Just accept my power. I could become a fine teacher,¡± he said with his slimy voice. He was so weird and old, I just wanted him to stop talking to me.

    "Shut it! I cannot express how little I care for your offers of power you slimy old-" I began to shout.

    I was cut off when Barriss completed whatever ritual was required to attack Karness. With her massed power, she grabbed onto the talisman and a blinding white light filled the room.

    Karness screeched in pain for a few moments and then went silent. In fact, the whole room descended into silence. Celeste, who had been fighting with my guards even stopped in awe, and the light momentarily overloaded the visual receptors for all the droids.

    When it receded, the talisman was gone. Karness was no more. We had done what the Jedi should have all those millennia ago. There would be no more exile for him, only death. There would be no hidden rivals to disturb my path. And there certainly wouldn''t be any more kriffing rakghouls.

    But I wasn''t totally satisfied. I assumed Barriss''s power would just expunge the amulet''s power and not destroy it completely. At the very least it made for a good study material. It''s ability to prolong life was a top notch power, that I certainly wanted. I wasn''t entirely sure the natural lifespan of a Sith. The dark side ate at our bodies far less than it would a normal human. People like Ragnos lived for hundreds of years and stayed strong and healthy for most of it. They certainly didn''t grow into disgusting lifeforms like Sidious.

    The clash of electrostaff and lightsaber stirred me from my thoughts. Celeste was slowly overpowering my magnaguards, so I ignited my own saber and stepped towards her.

    "Now, what should we do with the wayward shadow?" I mused.