3.08 Fire and Blood
… …
I leaned back, letting Raven enjoy the shifting of energies that began rushing over her hull as she slipped into hyperspace. A loud sigh slipped from me, relieved to finally be away from Coruscant; or more accurately to be free from interactions with the Banite Sith that now ruled the Republic as its Co-Chancellors.
A series of whistles and pops drew my attention, and I turned to see R2 and HK standing behind me. “Agreement: The astromech is correct, Master. You seem unnaturally pleased to be departing the system. Query: Was the attention of the females not to your liking?”
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “No, HK. There was nothing wrong with Padmé or Miraj. I’m just glad to finally be able to slip away from being drawn into politics. Again.”
HK’s photoreceptors mimicked Human reaction by blinking. “Analysis: You continue to proclaim to dislike politics, Master, yet on multiple occasions you have shown an ability to convince others to do as you wish. The clear examples of this are with the group designated the Lokella and the gathering of forces assembled for the liberation of Naboo. In the words of the Creator, you have the knack for getting things done and gathering others to help you.”
“Both of those were based on combat situations, HK. I much prefer leading others into battle than standing inside a gilded suite and speaking with others who lack the resolve to back up their words. At least on the battlefield, it’s clear who you are fighting and what you need to do.”
“Affirmative: That is indeed true, Master. The Creator also spoke of preferring the battlefield to deal with the internal matters of the Jedi and Republic. At least when he chose to return to their Order for the whining meatbag.” I bit the inside of my lips, knowing he was speaking of Bastila and, as amusing as it was, not wanting to have him impersonate her again. “Request: Might I suggest we find some pitiful group of meatbags? Ones that would improve the galaxy by their removal. It may well alleviate some of your stress.”
Chuckling, I shook my head. “As tempting as the offer is, I’ll pass. We need to collect Anakin.” I reached into my robes and pulled out a small datacard. “I need to give him this.” Turning the datacard over in my fingers, I continued. “It’s the schematics for the 3P0 series of protocol droids.”
Technically, the information on that datacard was classified and trademarked information, belonging to Cybot Galactica. However, as the series had been in existence for over a hundred years, and were close to ubiquitous throughout the Republic – or at least the developed parts of it – they weren’t as secure as CG might wish. Add in that, if you went down a few levels into Coruscant’s under-levels everything and anything was for sale, acquiring the schematics wasn’t that difficult. Nor expensive.
What I saw on those levels, even when only a few dozen below the glittering surface of the Republic Capital, were more signs that the Jewel of the Republic was nothing more than a sham. On the surface, it was everything it claimed to be, but the moment one looked at it with anything approaching an inquisitive glance, the façade faded away, revealing the rotten, corrupted core that was the heart of galactic governance.
I had used that corruption to my advantage here, but it had been hard to not scourge many of those I encountered from existence. Or at least more than I already had. It wasn’t my fault that several groups, seeing a Mandalorian in beskar, thought they could kill me and take my armour. Nor was it my fault that, after their pathetic attempt at an ambush had failed, even if by some miracle of the Force, Republic security investigated the matter, there was nothing left of that scum to identify them.
At the mention of a protocol droid, R2 whined amusingly loudly and the smile I wore grew wider. Even though C-3P0 would never exist in this timeline – not with the project I had in mind for Anakin – it seemed R2’s issues with that droid, or at least its series, existed with my R2 as well.
“Translation: The astromech is concerned you feel we are unable to handle anything you might need a droid for. A sentiment I completely agree with, Master.”
“If I intended for Anakin to build a basic protocol droid, then I’d have found something like these,” I waved the datacard in the air, “years ago. No, what I want him to do, given his fondness for technology, which you can both attest to, is create something superior. And, with what I hope he will create, I think you will both be interested in offering suggestions for what will, from the outside, look like a simple and pathetic protocol droid.”
HK’s photoreceptors flickered again, and I swore I could hear the circuits in his brain sparking as he processed my words and deduced my intentions. “Speculation: This new droid would be designed for far more than just service, would it not, Master? Perhaps intended for covert insertions and eliminations.”
I clicked my tongue as I used my free hand to create a finger-gun and shot the ancient assassin droid. “Got it in one. Which is why, among other things, I want Anakin to alter the kill switch all 3P0 series droids have. Oh, there would still be a physical one on its frame, but it wouldn’t shut down the droid. The true button would be located internally where only Anakin, I, or if you managed to damage the external shell, either of you could target it.”
Leaning forward, I continued before HK could complain about the possibility of him being replaced. “I know you were designed for assassinations, and are scarily good at it. However, in this era, your frame is rather unusual. Add in that the cover art for the second book of the Knights of the Old Republic series will have you on it, and it will be hard for you to quietly slip into a place that I might need you to go for those gentle removals of undesirables.”
“I don’t expect I will have much need of such removals, but I’m not naive enough to believe there will never be the chance that I won’t prefer that to other methods. Converting a 3P0 model into something that was something more than capable of carrying out such actions without being detected nor traced back to me, is a smart way to prepare for those moments. With your programming and R2’s growing skills with circumventing systems, I believe both of you would be extremely interested in helping my son with this project.”
When I stopped, R2 let out a long, deep whistle. My smile widened at hearing that and then seeing HK, in an organic gesture, placing a hand on his chin: or at least what would be considered his chin. “Conjecture: While any such droid would be massively inferior to myself, there is wisdom in your words, Master. Having support,” R2 beeped angrily,” Correction: Further support on such missions could, conceivably, increase the odds of any mission being completed with all objectives achieved. Addendum: There are many missions on which the Creator and previous Masters sent me where, while I completed the assignment, it would have been far more efficient to have capable support.” His hand came down from his chin. “Retraction: Based on your statements, Master, I rescind my concerns about adding another droid to our collective.”
R2 beeped in agreement. “I’m glad you approve,” I said, slipping the datacard back into my robes. “However, which of your suggestions are applied to the project is entirely up to Anakin,” I continued as I spun back around, returning my focus to Raven’s displays. “I’m sure that, once he gets over his excitement of my challenge, he would be more than receptive to your suggestions for this potential droid he might be creating.”
“Musing: Yes, Master. I already have seventy-nine potential improvements that could be made to the external design to improve the droid in a variety of ways. Contemplative: Does this interest in the creation of a covert insertion droid you wish for the Young Builder to create pertain to something that occurred on the Republic capital, Master?”
“Not directly,” I replied with a shake of my head. “I’m just simply thinking ahead to possible instances where it might be useful to have such an agent in our ranks. As you well know, I prefer to meet my opponents on the battlefield, but I’m nowhere near stupid enough to believe that ideal is shared by the majority of those who would seek to challenge me. There will be cases where, as you discovered with Revan and others, the removal of a target is easier to achieve without the need for large-scale combat.”
Against anyone on my level or beyond, I doubted even a group of droids as skilled as HK would have much luck. Certainly not against a well-trained Jedi Master or Sith Lord. However, even on Coruscant, such sentients composed an insignificant percentage of the population. More often than not, my targets would be non-Force users. Obvious targets currently would be those like Sate Pestage who were so close to Chancellors Palpatine and Damask that they had to know the truth of who those two truly were.
I knew that someone as loyal as Sate wouldn’t be an easy target, but I knew HK could take him out and make it appear an accident. Yet HK was known to the Sith, so his being anywhere near Sate’s location if the attaché died might draw questions I’d prefer to avoid. That was one place where a third droid, one unknown to anyone outside my closest circle of friends and family, could operate with ease.
There would be other times, such as long-term undercover operations, or scouting in places I might not be able to enter, where a seemingly innocent-looking protocol droid would be useful. One such potential place was within the Jedi Temple. A droid wouldn’t be able to enter the Vaults, but they would be able to access computers that I might otherwise not be able to. Well, if I didn’t want anyone linking me to a theoretical data breach at any rate.
The same logic could be applied to others, such as high-ranking figures in organisations, mega-corporations and the like that would form the CIS. Sliding a droid loyal to me into their ranks had the potential to be extremely useful. Which was perhaps why, if Anakin completed the project I had for him to an acceptable level, I might have more than a single droid made. Not that anyone else bar me would know of that, at least for some time.
“Observation: This project is an unexpected decision by you, Master. However, it is one I greatly approve of. Not only does the ability to insert an agent into enemy forces, either for deep reconnaissance or target acquisition or removal, but for helping to improve the skills of the Young Builder. Query: If this was not brought on by events on Coruscant, might I ask why it has come to your mind now?”
“Just acting on several expressions I heard in my youth. The most apt are ‘it is better to have and not need than need and not have,’ ‘if one seeks peace, they must prepare for war’, and ‘sometimes you need a turbolaser, sometimes a surgeon’s blade’. While we aren’t at war now, I can sense one coming. The storms I sense growing in the Republic might not lead to all-out war, but there will be places where I will have to intervene. As I know, even with both of you, Anakin, Simvyl, Fenrir and Raven at my side, I cannot be everywhere at once.”
“Assessment: Again, there is logic in your words, Master. It continues to please me to see your awareness of the dangers that exist in the galaxy.”
“I’m glad you approve.”
“Addendum: While the expressions expected meatbag inefficiency, they are accurate. I must, however, admit to being unfamiliar with the last one.”
I chuckled. “It was one my grandfather used to say. At the time, I didn’t understand it, but as I’ve matured I’ve seen the value in those words.”
What I was avoiding here was that those words, in a more primitive form, had come from my grandfather in my former life. I’d heard similar examples of it from others throughout both lives and found giving it some personal spin worked well. Oh, I was sure I wasn’t the first sentient in the galaxy to express that thought, not even in those words, but I had yet to hear it from another.
“Query: I am curious why a former Chancellor of the Old Republic would use such a phrase.”
“As am I, HK. Sadly, I’ll never be able to ask him when and where he learnt it. I do hope that, if Anakin is up to the task, we might see the expressions in action in a few years.”
“Assessment: I believe we will, Master. The Young Builder is extremely gifted with improving the superior form of droids. I have no doubt he will be capable of emulating my Creator as you hope.” There was a pause before he continued. “Contemplative: With permission, I would like time to consider further concealed alterations that could be added to this droid.”
“Go ahead, and take R2 with you. He might not have your understanding of what could be of use, but he might have ideas you fail to consider. Or at least considered less important than others.” There was a series of beeps from R2 and a second later I heard the cockpit’s door slide open and then close.
Knowing I was now alone, I leaned back in my chair. Raven could handle flying herself along the current hyperspace lane. As my eyes began to close, my mind drifted back to events of Coruscant, starting with the premiere of Fellowship of the Ring.
Just as with the original sources, the novel had been changed for movie format. From what I’d read of some early reviews, there had been some complaints regarding that, but overall, the reviews were overwhelmingly positive. Padmé and Miraj had said as much at the main afterparty for the premiere, with both saying the casting for Aragon was good, though I suspected both ladies felt I would’ve been a more suitable lead.
The actor, along with the rest of the cast, were well received, but in my mind, they weren’t on-par with the cast when I’d seen the movie in my former life. That was likely a bias on my part, along with a feeling that I was disrespecting the work of Tolkien by re-publishing his work in this galaxy, but it was an opinion that no one would ever hear of.
After the premiere, I’d run into my publicist, Shokvo, in the corridors of the theatre. From what he was saying, it sounded like the movie was going to have a better opening week on Coruscant than first thought. Much of that came from the fact the Co-Chancellors had both attended it, turning the movie into something of a requirement for anyone in the corridors of power to observe. Using that, the early screenings across the Core were selling out rapidly. So much so that the latest projections had me earning at least three hundred million credits by the end of the week.
If the movie had the legs of other movies that had debuted to such success, then within a month I could be looking at north of a billion credits from my cut of the production. According to Shokvo that was only the lower end of the current projections, and didn’t consider any merchandise that would be sold because of the movie. Even if that was where it stayed and carried through with the other two productions, then I was looking at having at least five billion credits to my name simply from the holomovies within three years. When added to my current, and still growing, take which was a little north of one-point-three billion credits from my novels, and the expected interest in turning the Knights of the Old Republic series into holonovels, then I could see my net worth top ten billion credits long before the Clone Wars began.
That number, or any of them really, sounded impressive if compared to my former life. However, in this life, in this galaxy, it was but a drop in the ocean. Damask Holdings, for example, had a profit margin of nearly a hundred billion credits last year, held assets worth over fifty times that, and had a market capitalisation of nearly a quadrillion credits. And Damask Holdings was, while incredibly powerful, not even in the top one hundred companies in the galaxy.
Truthfully, seeing how much mega-corporations such as the Trade Federation and Techno Union were worth was frankly, terrifying. They could offer bounties for someone’s head that would easily be worth more than the entire GDP of many mid-sized Republic worlds.
Yet even though it barely scratched the surface of the financial might of my likely opponents in the coming wars, several billion credits had some use. Cash in Hand had long since been completed, but beyond gathering the credits I had little use for that many currently. Save for preparing for what was to come. I had around three hundred million in my Inventory, with the rest spread out between Clan Shan accounts with supposedly isolated Mando’ade banking institutions, several dummy accounts, and the primary account for payment for my work.
While I was going to be busy with training alongside Anakin for a while yet, I planned to hire a suitable Mando’ade accountant, if such a thing existed, to begin investing in companies that would be useful for the coming decades. Mandalmotors and Incom were two such companies, as while they were major ship producers they weren't as massive as KDY, CDC, and SST, but that was a benefit. Investing what I had would grant me more influence in the companies than those larger ones, and using smaller companies, while limiting the ability to create technology and warships – once those were needed – they were more likely to be ignored by the major players in the lead up to the coming war.
Returning my thoughts to the planet I’d just left; I wondered what the next moves of the Co-Chancellors would be. The reveal of Master C’baoth’s plan to send a mission into the Unknown Regions was an interesting one. If it had happened in the other timeline, then Sidious would’ve worked to ensure the mission failed. He couldn’t have a colony protected by Jedi existing after he executed Order 66. More than likely, the mission had suffered some form of failure, costing the lives of everyone onboard it.
In this timeline, however, with the threat of the Vong hanging overhead, I wondered if that would still be this project’s – Outbound Flight was the working name for the proposal – fate. I knew the Vong didn’t come from the Unknown Regions, yet for all I could be certain of that, and make that clear to the Co-Chancellors, they couldn’t simply take my word on the matter. That was why the plan for Outbound Flight would if they took on half of the suggestions I’d given them during our discussions in the days leading up to the premiere, be far more likely to succeed. Or at least succeed in part.
The Jedi on the mission would still, in the eyes of the Banite Sith, have to die. That was a certainty. The trick was ensuring it happened slowly, to not draw the attention of the High Council enough that they requested sending more Jedi to support the project. I didn’t know how the Banite Sith were going to manage that, but I knew they would.
I could also admit to being curious as to what existed in the Unknown Regions. Half of the stories and rumours I’d heard and read about the large expanse of unexplored space were terrifying, and that was being kind. I doubted there was anything out there that, if it arrived in the known galaxy during the Clone Wars or after, could challenge the military might on display, but I’d rather nothing from that region ever emerged into the Republic’s borders. Working to take down the Banite Sith and train the Chosen One was hard enough to do without races that harvested the souls of others, or living, sentient, slime. Those things could fuck off back to whatever hell-inspired holes they’d crawled out of.
Now, while I’d managed to avoid too much interaction with the Co-Chancellors at the afterparty, others had approached me to speak. Thanks to Observe and the Force, I knew most of them were only doing so to see if I might offer some route into the confidence of one or both Chancellors. Those beings I politely dismissed, though some didn’t take the gentle hints and as this was a public location where I had to behave, I couldn’t persuade them to leave in the manner I might’ve liked. In those cases, I was saved by my constant companions for the party; Padmé Amidala and Miraj Scintel.
As I’d feared, once the premiere was over, Miraj had sought me out hurriedly, ensuring she and her parents attended the same afterparty as I, Padmé, and the Co-Chancellors. Walking from the theatre with two royals at my sides had drawn a lot of attention from the media waiting outside, though thankfully no call had come from the Temple regarding the situation.
At the afterparty, the two royals had spent the entire time I was there either at my side or close enough to it that they could reinsert themselves into any conversation I was involved in. While that was useful for extracting me from people who wouldn’t take the gentle hint that I didn’t wish to continue speaking with them, at others it was a hassle.
The pair hadn’t instantly hit it off, both seemingly seeing the other as a challenge to having my attention. As the evening had worn on, Padmé had brought up that I had given her a lightfoil and taught her the basics of using it. Miraj, seeking a chance to prove she was better in some way than Padmé, had insisted they spar before they departed Coruscant. I had tried to dissuade them from the spar, making clear that I didn’t think it was a wise choice to do so, however, Padmé had agreed.
That spar should be happening about now and about the only upside to it happening, beyond me making sure I wasn’t present for it and thus wasn’t forced to pick sides, was that Chancellor Palpatine and King Medas had made clear to both ladies that they would only be sparring and not outright duelling. I did note that while Medas had made that clear to his daughter, he approved of the duel, which given the Zygerrian mentality that the strong should rule the weak wasn’t a shock. All I could hope was that however the spar went – and I expected Miraj to win as she was older, stronger, better trained, and Zygerrians were physically superior in many useful ways for a duel – I hoped it didn’t evolve into something more than a polite rivalry.
I wouldn’t deny that there was a part of me that was amused and, if I was being entirely honest with myself, pleased to see females fighting for my attention. However, I didn’t want them to start despising each other as both, if I played my cards right, had roles to play in the way I was trying to shape the future to my advantage. Plus, if things went badly, it might result in diplomatic fallout between their planets, and by extension Chancellor Palpatine. While I might enjoy the annoyance that issue would cause him, it would be something he would hold over me, and I feared how he might, without revealing it, use it to have me help the plan he and Plagueis were slowly bringing to fruition.
A nudge through the Force from Raven, had me opening my eyes. “I’m okay lass,” I said gently, placing my right hand – the natural one – on a section of her skin. “Just thinking about things, nothing to worry about.”
The panel around my hand flickered with various light patterns and I felt Raven’s relief that I wasn’t troubled too deeply by events happening on the planet we’d just left. Raven was perhaps the only female who was close to me that I didn’t fear growing jealous over the attention I received from others. That, perhaps, might be because she was in many ways more like a daughter than a partner; or perhaps she understood that because of the bond we shared, she would never be challenged when seeking my attention.
Closing my eyes again, I pushed thoughts of Coruscant and those I’d left there aside. When I woke I’d need to start planning out the next leg of my and Anakin’s training. Until then, I would enjoy some, hopefully peaceful, rest.
… …
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… …
I moved toward Anakin’s cabin, and once there pressed the buzzer to let him know I was outside. After nearly ten seconds, when he failed to respond in any way, I pressed the buzzer again. Once more, Anakin didn’t respond. I knew he was fine; I could sense him easily through the Force, his thoughts centred on a particular matter – one I suspected I knew – but he wasn’t responding to my call.
“Raven,” I said softly to the ship, and a second later the door hissed open. “Thanks.”
Stepping inside his quarters, I saw him sitting at his desk, leaning intently over a clutch of datapads. Moving closer, I saw that, as I’d suspected, he was working on the project I’d given him not long after we’d left the Lokella system. The top pad contained the schematics of the 3P0 series droids that I’d given him. One of the others, based on the detailed weapon descriptions mentioned, had come from HK, yet it was the one in Anakin’s hand that drew my attention as I moved closer.
Much of what was on the pad was beyond me, even if my Mechanics [Droids] skill was in the low Master tier, but from what I could see, he was hard at work altering the internal circuitry of the droid in ways that, even with my limited understanding, knew would be both more efficient and much more expensive. Cost wasn’t going to be an issue, though I hoped the finished product didn’t end up costing more than a freighter, as that would be a large amount of credits to sink into something I might not need. At least for the next few years.
Looking back at HK’s pad as I came closer, I saw that while most of the displayed suggestions seemed logical, many likely violated some Republic statute. That was to be expected of HK, as he felt such statutes – and I agreed in some cases – were merely suggestions that could be followed if one wished. Much of them also went far beyond what a droid designed for espionage, infiltration, and even assassination might need, but I knew HK was simply being through in the options he offered to Anakin. The other pads were either a collection of publicly available details on other types of droids, which I assumed were being used by Anakin for new ideas for his droid, or files that I couldn’t make heads or tails of.
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“Anakin,” I said once near him, however, his focus remained on the pads before him, his fingers tapping away at the one he held, or sliding through technical displays on the others.
I wanted to speak with him about our intended destination of the Shapers of Kro Var. The planet was classed as being in Wild Space, and as such there were no commonly used hyperspace routes that led to their system. The closest I could get was taking first the Corellian Trade spine and then slipping over to the Great Gran Run. That, amusingly, would take us in the general direction of Endor, however, we’d be turning off those better known – relatively speaking – hyperspace routes onto ones that were barely used. I’d make sure to stop on a world in the sector to confirm the maps I’d gained from the Celebratus Archives were accurate because the last thing I wanted to do was get lost in the depths of nowhere, or worse, from faulty navigational data.
“Anakin,” I said again when he failed to even acknowledge my presence. As before, he failed to respond and when I spoke the third time, my hand reached out for his shoulder, and I gave a gentle nudge through the Force. “An’ika.”
I wasn’t sure which of the three actions I’d taken broke the spell he was under, but he jerked back and blinked. “Huh? Cam? When did you get here?”
“Just a moment ago,” I replied with a grin. “I know you’re enjoying your project,” I gestured with my hand, slipping it from his shoulder and indicating the datapads on his desk, “however, I was hoping to speak with you about where we’re heading, and learn what you learnt from Master Dooku while I was away.”
I’d not spent time on Matel’s Gift beyond collecting my son. While I could have done so, I was concerned Dooku would wish me to spend time there, refining my training under his gaze. As useful as that might be, and how I wasn’t opposed to it, I wanted to move on to the next sect I wished to train with.
“Ah, um, okay.” Anakin put down his pad and looked up at me, though his eyes seemed conflicted. “I mean, Master Dooku’s very skilled but, well…. he’s not you.”
My grin grew as I moved over the room, figuring I’d use his bunk to sit since he occupied the only chair in the quarters. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
Anakin chuckled and then shook his head. “It is. I know you’re not my father b…”
“We might not share blood, An’ika,” I cut in, “but I am your father. The Jedi and Republic might not accept that, but I swore a vow when I adopted you and brought you into my family, into my clan. I would move the stars themselves to keep you from harm, and destroy anyone or thing that threatened your safety.”
I spoke with conviction, making clear I meant every word I said, and I sensed Anakin’s mind shift back to his ordeal at the hands of those shabyr lizards who had dared take him from my side. Even with that group dead and sent to their god in disgrace, the urge to unleash hell upon the entire species still burnt brightly within me. The only reasons I’d not done so, were first that I’d struggle to protect Anakin if I unleashed a blood feud on an entire species, and that such an action, as I was now, wasn’t one I was capable of completing.
“I…” He gulped though there was no fear in the action. “I know.” I nodded, pleased he understood that and that he wasn’t going to dwell on his experience. At least not currently. “Um, I didn’t do much training with Master Dooku. He wanted me to spend time meditating to gain more self-control.”
“Oof,” I muttered remembering many such lessons and meditations on the matter, from both Dooku and Fay. Normally after I’d done something reckless or dangerous, which was an almost amusingly common occurrence.
Fay had expected me to meditate on how I might’ve resolved those situations more peacefully, or at least without inflicting so much pain onto others, while Dooku focused more on making sure that, when such situations occurred in the future, I reacted with more consideration and thought before rushing into the fray. The lessons from him had sunk in better than Fay’s, but I knew that if placed under stress, I still moved too quickly at times, not thinking if there were other ways to approach the situation.
“What about the others? Did you spend time with your sister?”
“Yes!” Anakin snapped back excitedly, any discomfort with his time training with Dooku washed away by the joy he felt when thinking about his sister. “I mean, she can’t talk or really play with me, but just sitting with her and Ferox…” His voice trailed off as a wide and honest smile spread over his face. One that was infectious. “Oh! I, um, spent time with Miss Vosa as well,” he added once he’d recovered from his bout of joy.
My brow rose at hearing that. I knew Vosa was interested in Anakin, and had tried to help save Shmi when the station had been attacked, but I was still reluctant to have her near him. Her interest wasn’t, thankfully, as deranged as it had been toward me, but she had sensed his power when Shmi had died.
Dooku might’ve been accepting of her being near Anakin, but I wasn’t, and I’d be sending him a message asking for his reasoning on the matter. He might’ve been, and in many ways still was, my Master, however, Anakin was my responsibility.
“Yeah, she wanted to see what I’d learnt.” One of his hands grasped his pad in a sign he was concerned about something. “She, um, she didn’t seem happy about what I’d learnt and offered some suggestions to help me grow stronger.”
“I would be interested in hearing and seeing what those were later,” I said as calmly as I could manage. Anakin didn’t have my issues with Vosa, even liking her for trying to save his mother, but even then, with his willingness to see the good in everyone, he knew I didn’t want her around him. The fact he’d at least told me about the interactions he’d had with the former Bando Gora leader was a sign he enjoyed and wanted to keep my respect and trust. “Moving on, what do you know of the Shapers of Kro Var?”
“Um… Just what was on the datapad you gave me,” he replied. I leaned forward, wanting for him to continue, and from the way he shrunk into his chair, I suspected he’d forgotten much about the Shapers. “Um, they use the Force to control what they consider the elements. Fire, water, wind, and earth.”
That was accurate, though the files had added that while most Shapers focused on only a single element, some could shape more than one element while the most powerful of their order were rumoured to be able to control the base elements and more powerful ones. Those reports hadn’t been confirmed by the records I had access to but, knowing what I did of the Force, it should be possible for anyone with sufficient training to control the elements and more natural forces.
Now, we’d not be staying with the Shapers long enough to learn how to shape all four base elements, but I felt we’d get a good understanding of their techniques. Perhaps even gain insights into using such things that were missing from Jedi teachings.
“What else?” I prodded when Anakin stayed quiet after his initial statement.
“Uh… The Jedi consider them a Dark Side cult but because they’re isolated and don’t move around the Republic, the Jedi generally ignore them.”
“True enough.” If the Jedi were truly interested in bringing balance to the Force by defeating the Dark Side, they’d move to remove cults like the Shapers, or the Nightsisters of Dathomir, especially as to most of the Order, the Sith were gone; assigned to history as a failed order. Instead of doing that, the High Council, and through them the rest of the Order, allowed themselves to be guided and ordered around by a Senate that was so corrupt that it represented a challenge to the Jedi’s belief of balance.
Thinking about the Nightsisters, my thoughts returned to when I had considered learning from them. Or at least one of the other clans of the Witches of Dathomir. The idea had quickly been dismissed as every clan believed that males were little better than slaves and breeding stock. While I would be interested in learning how they tamed rancors enough that they could be ridden, I had no interest in spending the rest of my life in chains.
Anakin’s face scrunched up as he tried to remember the rest of the data on the Shapers that I’d shared with them. wanting to see how much he could recall; I stayed silent as he ransacked his memories. “They… um… they dislike the Jedi.”
“Yes, but why?”
“Because of how they… how we use the Force.”
My lips twitched at his slip. I was training him with an inclination toward Jedi philosophies, but a little over a year since I’d adopted him, it was clear that path didn’t hold as much appeal as he might’ve expected a few years prior.
“Specifically?” I asked, figuring I could use this discussion or at least the time before it became about the exact details of our time with the Shapers as a teaching moment. There was more value in learning, remembering, and then recalling something than having it stated over and over to you by others.
“Because we can move things with a gesture.”
“The gesture isn’t technically needed,” I replied gently. “Or at least, I don’t think it is. To me, it’s very much about training yourself to do something without thinking. Much like the concept of muscle memory, and how repetition of the various velocities means that, when battle comes, you know how to move your lightsaber without having to think heavily about it. You can immerse yourself in the moment, focusing on everything around you and trust yourself to know how to react and when.” I raised my hand. “To me, this,” I flicked my fingers up, raising the datapad with the 3P0 schematics on it into the air, “shouldn’t need the gesture to be done, though I still do it because it is what I expect to happen when I wish the Force to obey me.”
I had been experimenting with moving objects without gestures, simply because of the potential advantage it would offer in a multitude of situations. It was doable, though without the gesture the action was more difficult. I was training myself to find it easier, as the ability to manipulate objects without the telltale sign of a Force user doing so, had great potential use, at least most of the time. On Kro Var, such an act would be problematic at best.
“Returning to the Shapers, they believe that using the Force in unseen ways is abhorrent. So, the more common abilities a Jedi might use of Telekinesis or Telepathy are downright outlawed in their society. If we are caught displaying those powers, then at best we face life imprisonment. At worst, they’d try to execute us.
As Anakin gulped, one hand rising to his neck, I knew that they’d not kill us on the spot. Instead, we’d be prepared for some form of custom for executions. That would take time to arrange, so we’d be imprisoned for a short while, which would be more than enough time for HK, R2 and Fenrir – who the last I saw him was resting in the central area of the ship – to free us.
“Yeah,” I said, gesturing to Anakin’s hand that was near his throat. “That is why, while we are on their planet, we won’t be mentioning that we’re Jedi. Not at any point in our training. As far as they are to know, we are Mando’ade: buir bal ad. I expect that they will train us, but that we’ll have to do so without our armour as the Shapers retain a distrust of technology. We’ll likely have to do our training in simple robes they provide.”
“What about your arm?” Anakin blurted out, bringing up a point I’d already considered before coming here.
“We’ll have to see what they decide. I hope they will understand that I need it, and I’ll lean into that by hiding the fact I’m comfortable with my right hand as much as my left, but if they demand I remove it, I will. They shouldn’t see a problem with me losing a limb in combat, they are, after all, a warrior culture. I’m sure they’ve had far worse happen when Shapers battle to settle matters. The odds they’ve not seen worse injuries than mine are about as good as a Wookie marrying a Trandoshan.”
As intended, Anakin laughed weakly at the bad joke. It was clear both from his body language and through the Force, that he hadn’t fully recovered from his ordeal at the hands of those lizards, though I didn’t think he ever would entirely move past it. Such traumatic events had a way of leaving long-lasting impressions on someone no matter how mature or strong they were.
Ideally, he would release the feelings linked to those memories into the Force, and I should teach him how to do that. However, I knew he wouldn’t. He took everything far too personally, much as I did, and it would be hypocritical of me to say he should do that when I didn’t. Yes, I couldn’t because of Eidetic Memory, but that didn’t mean I couldn’t learn to let go of much of the anger as it formed.
“What about HK and R2?”
“They will remain on Raven, as will Simvyl. He has some Force potential, as all sentients do, but I don’t think he’d be able to learn to draw on any element in the time we’re going to be present. That doesn’t mean he’ll be idle, as I expect he’ll focus on the training he received with the Matukai and Echani. However, that is up to him. All I’ll ask is that he keeps an eye on Raven, and along with HK makes sure no one decides to do anything funny to her.”
I doubted anything would happen, but since Raven was unusual, there was always the chance that someone might take an undue interest in her. HK and Simvyl would have clear rules of engagement if such an event occurred, and even if HK disliked them, he would obey them.
“Now, we still have several weeks until we reach Kro Var, but I want you to practise for our time there. There will be no mental usage of the Force until we arrive.”
“What about during lightsaber training?”
“Any external mental use of the Force,” I clarified, my smile widening at him seeing the mistake in my words. It hadn’t been intentional, but it was good to see his mind was alert to flaws in orders. “Drawing the Force inward, as we learnt to do with the Matukai, shouldn’t be an issue. Not least as it’s highly unlikely that the Shapers could sense us drawing the Force inward. Haran, I’d be shocked if they didn’t do something similar themselves.”
Anakin nodded, understanding my words, though he stopped a moment later and then frowned. “Won’t they ask about why we’re coming to them for training?”
“They will,” I responded with a chuckle. “Which is why we’ll be shifting the truth of certain events slightly.” I leaned forward, so he could hear the tale, based heavily on half-truths, that we’d be spinning for the benefit of the Shapers.
… …
----------------------------------------
… …
I watched as Raven’s ramp descended, my eyes alert to any threat that might be outside. I couldn’t sense anyone that close, but that didn’t mean I was going to lower my guard. “Remember, no sudden movements.”
“I know,” Anakin responded with an annoyed sigh. Given I’d been making clear the rules for him to follow while we were here, focusing on the story we’d be spinning and how to conduct ourselves during the first few days, several times a day over the last few weeks, I could understand his irritation. That didn’t, however, mean I wasn’t going to slip in one final warning.
When we’d arrived in-system, it had been clear the Shapers didn’t have much in the way of a centralised government or technology. There was no station in orbit, nor any single channel to speak to someone on the planet. Once in upper orbit, Raven’s sensors had detected various groupings of people dotted around the planet's four continents. There wasn’t anything bigger than a small city – by Earth standards – on the planet, but I’d avoided going to such a centralised location, as there was more chance of running into another visitor who might recognise me.
Instead, trusting the Force to guide me where I wanted to go, we’d flown over the most uninhabited continent. Most of the people there lived in mobile groups, seemingly travelling from one location to the next. There were a few large structures which, based on the scans, seemed to be temples or monuments, but I avoided them as well on the chance they might be sacred.
In the end, the Force had led me to what appeared to be a permanent settlement of around a thousand sentients. As we’d flown over, I’d sensed their reluctance and concern at our arrival, and as such I’d landed Raven a few kilometres from the settlement. We’d remained here waiting, and now, about three hours later, a group of Shapers had approached.
None carried blasters or anything as advanced, preferring blades and other simpler, but not ineffective, weapons. Seeing that, and thinking I could use it to my advantage, I’d removed every weapon I visibly carried bar my beskad. My gauntlets and replacement limb still had everything installed in them, though to hide the fact I had the replacement arm, I wore black gloves over both hands.
I had considered adding the Sith war blade Hego Damask had gifted me as well, but I dismissed the idea. To the naked eye, the blade appeared to be nothing more than an old, but exquisitely crafted weapon. However, one trained to sense the Force as Shapers might well be, should be able to detect the Force within it, a hint that the Force had been used during the blade’s creation. Thus, it remained in my Inventory, which was true of anything linked to the Jedi or Sith that might give us away. Even items I’d kept in hidden compartments on Raven were in there, as I wasn’t taking any chances.
“Observation: I have already computed the most efficient pattern to remove potential threats, Master. Along with the next three hundred and forty-two. If your oratory skills are insufficient to persuade the local meatbags that we come in… peace, I stand ready to assist.”
“I think I’ll be up to the task,” I replied, ignoring the subtle hints at my potential inability to speak my way out of trouble, and HK having to be peaceful. “And don’t activate any of those plans until I command it.”
I knew he wouldn’t act without orders, but I wanted to be sure. Plus, he and R2 would be remaining on Raven while Anakin and I spoke with these Shapers. My son’s part, or at least his ability to convince the Shapers that his story was a hundred per cent truthful, was going to make or break our odds of being trained with this tribe.
If he wasn’t up to it, it wasn’t a huge matter. There were other tribes to which we could head. I just hoped things didn’t turn sour in our first encounter, as while I knew I could take everyone out there with ease, I didn’t want to place Anakin in danger.
… …
“When the Trandoshan came close to me, I panicked,” Anakin said slowly, hints of fear and anger in his tone, body language, and unintentionally emanating through the Force. “H-he was going to kill me, so I wanted him gone. I brought my hands up to protect myself, but…” he looked down at his hands for a moment, “something happened. I felt something react to my wishes and the world exploded. Dust and sand were thrown up, and when it cleared enough I… I saw the alien had been blown away and had a metal pole sticking out his chest.”
I stood at Anakin’s side, one hand on his shoulder for comfort as he detailed events on that planet. Or at least the events we were basing our reasons for coming here around. He’d done well, steering clear of my Jedi training, slipping around it when he spoke of how we’d met, the Lokella, the death of his mother, and then my adoption of him under Mando’ade law.
The biggest shift was the one he’d just made, suggesting he’d used either the wind or some form of explosion to knock back and kill that Trandoshan, and while I kept my eyes on my son, I tried to watch the Shaper who was standing with us in the building we were in. The building was at the edge of the settlement and was where the scouting party who’d come to Raven had brought us. at least after I’d convinced them we’d come to seek training with their people.
“How exactly did you manage to push back a being much larger, and I assume stronger, than yourself?” The question came from Aranaris, a member of the villages’ tribal council. He wasn’t that old, looking to be in his forties or fifties, but he was a council member. I suspected that was why he had so many tattoos over his upper body. Almost all seemed to be stylised flames, though around his waist the tattoos appeared to be more akin to rocks.
The men who’d brought us here had all had tattoos as well, though they’d only had flames ranging from those covering their arms to the leaders of the group having them over their chests. I was curious about the reason for the tattoos, both in number and style, but that could wait until, provided things went well with Aranaris, we were accepted for training.
“Um,” I felt Anakin gulp and as he looked up at me, I offered a nod of encouragement. Even without the ability to sense the Force, anyone could tell he was hesitant about the question and possibly slightly unsettled. Whether that came from not trusting himself to fool Aranaris, or because of some lingering issue with killing the lizard, I couldn’t say, but I felt the elder would believe it was the former, and thus it would help sell Anakin’s story. It might also, if we were lucky, have Aranaris dismiss any small flaws in the story Anakin was spinning. “I don’t really know sir. I mean, I wanted him gone, but at the time I don’t know how it happened.” He looked up at me again. “Thanks to my father, I know now that it was the Force coming to my aid, but at the time I was too shocked to think about what I’d done.”
“When my son reacted as he did, I was little more than a hundred metres away around a large pile of debris,” I said, cutting in and shifting Aranaris’ attention to me. “The sensors in my armour detected shifts in air pressure and temperature, which had me pushing myself faster to reach him.
“When he came into sight, I saw one Trandoshan impaled on a metal skewer, his flesh burnt and smoking and his life all but over. Another was poaching Anakin, my son kneeling on the ground staring at his hands in shock, which took all of my attention. I understand your people distrust technology, but if you wish I can provide a recording of what I saw that day.”
The recording was one I’d worked on with the droids, altering recordings and data to show what we wanted it to show. The odds were Aranaris wouldn’t want to see it, given the Shapers’ distrust of technology, but I wanted it ready on the off chance he did want it. The distaste of technology had extended to us, and Anakin and I had only been allowed inside the settlement, so to speak, after we removed our armour. We still wore the underweave and I still had my arm attached, and my beskad was at my hip, but the rest was back on Raven.
I knew Bo and others wouldn’t have been happy about me removing my armour to gain entrance to the settlement, but this wasn’t training a Mando’ade could do. Well, except perhaps for Naz and those like her who had enough Force Potential to conceivably learn some Force disciplines.
Aranaris looked at us carefully, judging our words. What I didn’t sense was him searching for the truth in the Force, which was a relief. While I knew I could hide the fallacies in our story from him, I wasn’t certain Anakin could. “It sounds as if your son can control the cleansing flames,” He said slowly, measuring his words. “Not an uncommon display when one with The Gift is in danger. Still, I must ask why you came to us instead of heading to others with understanding, however flawed, of The Gift. Such as the Jedi.”
I scowled for a split second before dismissing the expression. “I won’t get into the full history of my people and the Jetii, but it is best described as a lack of trust and in some cases respect between us. Don’t get me wrong, many Jetii have the potential to be great warriors, but instead of embracing that, they choose to remain loyal lap dogs of the Tsad Droten: The Republic.
“They placed themselves in servitude of the Republic, as deeply flawed as it is, after the same conflict that galactic records show drove your ancestors to this world.” Aranaris nodded, knowing at least some of what I spoke of. “A few centuries after that, as my ancestors united under a strong leader, the Jetii feared what we might do. Without investigation of our motives, they convinced the Republic to strike our worlds, reducing much of the surfaces to barren waste.
“We were making no moves toward war with anyone. Haran, we were just emerging from a period of multiple civil wars over who should lead us. Yet the Jetii chose to attack without provocation. They sought to destroy our culture and crush our will, but they failed to understand something. All Mando’ade follow a code; the Resol’nare. Sentients have and will continue to die for causes, but ideals never die. Something the Jetii should understand, yet chose not to when bombarding our worlds from orbit.
“Some of my people, after the events of the Dral’Han as we called it, chose to abandon our ways, and follow the Republic. They are dar’manda: traitors. It is only now, over eight hundred years later, that we have cast off the yoke of those traitors and reclaimed our worlds in the name of the Resol’nare!”
I paused there, taking a few breaths to restrain some of the anger I’d let slip out as I’d spoken. While I didn’t hold the hatred of the Jedi and Republic that many Mando’ade did, I understood the sentiment, and it was easy to draw upon the rage that was buried deep inside me to suggest I hated the Jedi.
Once calmer, I squeezed Anakin’s shoulder. “Even if that history, and far, far more, didn’t exist between my people and the Jetii, I wouldn’t ask them to train my son. They would take him from me, deny me the chance to see him ever again claiming it was their right to train him, and that our ways were insignificant compared to their beliefs.”
“Your people place that much importance on a child even if it doesn’t share your blood?”
“Yes. To us, family isn’t simply those you share blood with. It’s those who fight beside you in battle, those who you choose to risk everything to protect, and who would burn the stars from the sky to help them.” I looked down at Anakin and smiled. “When I first met him and his mother, they were slaves. I managed to free them easily enough and take them to a group of similarly free slaves. However, a little over a year ago, an attack funded by the Hutts,” Anakin scowled at the mention of the giant slugs, “resulted in the death, among others, of his mother. Sensing his need to become stronger and gain vengeance, I adopted him and have been training him in the ways of my people ever since.”
Aranaris listened attentively as I spoke, hopefully catching the emotions in my tone as he weighed my words. He wouldn’t use the Force to get a sense of me, at least not intentionally, but I felt the story Anakin and I had crafted was good enough that it would fool an unsuspecting Jedi Knight, though perhaps not a Master. Even without the Force, he was mature enough to be able to read the subtle signs in someone’s body language to catch if they believed what they were saying. Thanks to years of being a friend of Chancellor Palpatine, I’d subtly learnt from a true master how to deceive anyone, though I knew I was far from his current level, never mind where he would go in the coming years.
Time drew on as we stood in silence, waiting for Aranaris to comment.
I find little in your words or body to suggest deception,” he eventually said. “The boy will be trained with our young. However, I have yet to hear why you feel you should be trained alongside him.”
I chuckled, knowing this would come but wanting to appear amused at my lack of explanation. Everything, even my comments on the issues between the Jedi and Mando’ade, was focused on getting Anakin permission to train with the Shapers. That was because his story was based on facts, from a certain point of view. Mine at least, was going to be based on a complete fallacy.
Hiding that I had, at least before Natural Selection, been able to control the four base elements of the Shapers' philosophy was going to be my greatest challenge while here. Amusingly, taking Natural Selection helped there as while I had all the lessons in my head, including the more scientific ones from Jedi Masters like Plo Koon, I’d yet to spend any real time working on harnessing them since the change. That was because I had always intended to head to the Shapers for training. Now I was going to have to lean heavily into my Social Skills to convince him of what I was about to say, putting them through another test, though one I considered far easier than continuing to hide what I was and what I knew from the Banite Sith.
To that end, I had a quest designed for me to raise Deception and Persuasion by, at a base 50 levels by the end of my training with the Shapers. If I failed, either by not being accepted for training or a lack of effort, then it’d cost me a decent chunk of XP, but it was worth the effort.
I was around halfway to Level 32, which would be another Perk Point. I was leaning toward taking Stat Boost, so my combined physical stats would have their limit lifted to 75. From what I could determine, that was the absolute peak that a Human could reach. While I was happy with how my life had gone, I did wonder if perhaps I’d made a mistake during character creation in taking Human as my species. However, there was nothing I could do about that, nor was it worth wasting time wondering about what might have been. Instead, I turned my attention to Aranaris and began spinning my spiel.
“After I’d rescued him from the Trandoshans, and ensured they never repeated their customs on others,” that drew a short nod of approval from Aranaris, “I asked a medic I trust implicitly to test Anakin. From what he said, Anakin has the potential to be extremely powerful in the Force.” Aranaris looked at Anakin heavily, trying to judge the truth in my words. “On a hunch, I had the medic test me as well. Throughout my life there’d been moments where I’d moved a touch faster than I should’ve, or when I knew instinctively what was about to happen a moment before it did. Until Anakin’s ordeal I had put all that down to training, but understanding that Anakin could use the Force, I grew curious. I was shocked to discover that while nowhere near as potentially powerful as my son, I could learn to use the Force.”
“Given what you have revealed about the Jedi, how did that make you feel?”
“For the first hour or so, I felt wrong. As if I’d been infected by the failings of the Republic. However, with time to consider it, I saw it as another weapon in my arsenal, one I needed to learn how to wield for it to have worth.”
Around us, I could feel the Force shifting, hinting the decision was in the air. Part of me wished to use the Force to help ensure Aranaris made the choice I wanted, and I knew the Force would do that if I so demanded. However, there was a chance that Aranaris would sense what I was doing, and realise I wasn’t the simple mercenary I claimed to be.
“You are not the first people to come to our world seeking training, though the first to visit my village in my lifetime.” He leaned closer. “Most visitors head to one of the larger settlements elsewhere on the planet, so why did you come to us?”
I shrugged. “A hunch I guess. The less people know that Mandalorians are here training, the less likely it is that the Jedi get wind. As much as I’d enjoy showing them how they’ve failed as warriors, I won’t put my son at unnecessary risk.” I smirked. “Just to be clear, your people are not the first we’ve approached and trained with. We spent around half a year with the Matukai. They’re another group of Force users outside the Jedi’s influence, with a focus on drawing the Force inward to make the body stronger and faster.”
I didn’t know if the Shapers knew anything about other Force sects beyond the Jedi, or if they used the Force in similar ways to the Matukai. By revealing this now, I could explain away instances where Anakin and I moved faster than we might otherwise be able to in advance. That should mitigate the risk of anyone questioning our story.
“Such training is offered to those we consider Apprentices. The second true rank of warriors among our people.” He leaned back, one hand coming up to stroke a long beard. “It will be interesting to see how someone does knowing such techniques before learning to shape their first element. As it will to see how an adult with some understanding of how to use The Gift does in training. Perhaps it might even offer new insights into the training of our warriors.”
I nodded, pleased he wasn’t upset about us training to draw the Force inward, and that he could already see the benefits of having us train with his tribe. There was an undertone of something, perhaps uncertainty over our story, but if he wasn’t going to touch on that concern, I wasn’t going to ask about it. The less he openly questioned our story, the less likely he was to see through the lie in it until, I hoped, we were finished with his training and off-world.
“I will speak with the other Elders,” Aranaris added, making me smile. He moved toward the door of the room, though as I moved to follow he gestured for us to wait. “You are to remain here as my guests until a decision has been reached.”
I disliked being confined in the room, not least when I could easily sense the dozen Shaper warriors around the building waiting for any sign we were a threat. However, if the roles were reversed, I’d have done the same.
“How long will that take?” Anakin blurted out.
Aranaris stopped and turned back to us. I feared he might dislike the question, but as he offered Anakin a warm smile, I knew that wouldn’t happen. “I see the impertinence of youth is a universal constant,” he said as his eyes found me.
“Only in those with the desire to make their mark on the galaxy,” I replied with a grin.
That drew a short chuckle from the Shaper Elder. “Very true.” He returned his attention to Anakin. “Based on what you and your father have told me, I’m inclined to accept your presence among the tribe. Now I have to convince the other Elders of that, but my voice carries enough weight that I don’t foresee it taking more than an hour or two at most.”
Anakin accepted that, and Aranaris left the room. While the door was open, I saw two Shapers standing there. They had accompanied Aranaris to this meeting, but it appeared that they would be remaining behind. More security to ensure we didn’t do anything rash.
Like those that met us at Raven, they carried simpler weapons; one with a sword, the other an axe. Their eyes, as had been the case for any that had seen us, had been drawn to my beskad. I was unsure if I’d be allowed to train with it, at least for the entirety of our stay here, but it offered me a potential inroad to getting better acquainted with the warriors of the tribe. As would their tattoos.
The meanings seemed clear, and I was sure Adas would be interested in them as well. The holocron was curious about the Shapers and had asked me to speak with him at least once during my training so he might learn about their culture. The ancient Sith King – a true Sith unlike those of Bane’s lineage who bore little in common with the original beliefs of the species the name had come from – was wiser than he let on. Or at least knew how to withhold enough information to keep me interested in continuing to learn from him.
I understood what he sought from me, and I understood the dangers of heading down that road. But with me unable to ever let go of my emotions – good or bad – the Jedi path wasn’t one I could walk. Certainly not the path the current High Council was taking the Order down. That road led only to one place, which I was intent on stopping.
The trick for me was to learn from Adas without losing myself to his ideals, or the depths of the Dark Side before I was able to master it as I wished.
… …