“Are you sure this is what you wish to do?” Fay asked me as we stood at one of the many viewing stations dotted around the space station we were standing on.

“It is, master,” I replied as I watched an older model YT-series freighter lift-off while, behind it, an Action VI class bulk freighter came into land. “This matters to Master Dooku and I feel helping him is the right thing to do.” Fay took a moment to reply, during which I continued to watch the various starships coming and going from this station as we orbited high above Lantillies in the Mid Rim.

“While I agree with you that this is important to Master Dooku and determining the fate of his former Padawan will help him heal the wound he still carries, I cannot agree with the methods he wishes to use,” I heard her move and when I glanced her way saw she was now looking down at me. “The Bando Gora are not a group to be taken lightly. There are rumours that their leadership is engaged in the worship of the Dark Side and the last time a Jedi force went after them, very few survived.” She sighed and shook her head. “Just… be careful. I do not want to lose you to them the same way Komari Vosa was lost to Dooku.”

“I will be careful, master. And I’ll do my best to make sure Master Dooku is as well,” I added. That earned a small smile from her before she sighed and turned away from the viewport. I followed on afterward, and soon we were walking away from the view station.

“I do wish you were coming with us,” I added as we stepped out onto the main concourse of the station. Several people glanced our way with some deliberately moving to avoid us. Either they were simply showing respect to the Order or they felt that a Jedi brought bad luck to them. While the latter was silly, there was some logic in that, as outside of Coruscant and a few places with secondary academies or centres of learning like Corellia, the odds of running into a Jedi were slim; suggesting they were on business for the Senate or the local judiciary forces.

While I was behind Fay slightly, and thus couldn’t see her face, I could sense her displeasure in the Force. Though that was directed at Dooku and not me. While I hadn’t overheard the argument the pair had a few nights ago, I’d felt their annoyance. At a guess, Fay had an issue with us going after the Bando Gora directly, likely seeing it as an unnecessary risk. However, due to the unique situation with me having two masters, I was given the right to choose who to follow in this situation and chose to stick with Dooku.

After I had, Dooku had given me and Bo a briefing on the Bando Gora and his former Padawan. While the information about Vosa was generally recycled information for me, for Bo it was a surprise to hear Padawans could be kicked from the Order. She’d made a few sly digs since the briefing about Jedi wasting resources and members they’d spent decades training, but Dooku hadn’t risen to the bait.

After going over those points, Dooku explained that during my year on Mandalore, he had spent time searching for links to the Bando Gora. He’d taken out a few smaller operations, but nothing so far had led him to learn where their main base was, nor what fate had befallen Vosa. However, he was more hopeful about a lead we would be working on. Hean Castim was a human whose name had come up in several of Dooku’s investigations, and since he was also wanted in dozens of systems on charges ranging from kidnapping to slavery, it was within a Jedi’s purview to seek him out and arrest him.

Dooku had discovered that Castim frequented a trade station in the Comkin system in the Inner Rim. His plan was to locate Castim, persuade him to talk – before turning him over to the authorities – then follow this lead until it led him to the Bando Gora. From what I could gather, Fay felt Dooku was becoming obsessed with this mission and that it wasn’t in keeping with the ideals of the Order to pursue it. As such, she was leaving us today.

I knew she wasn’t happy about me choosing to go with Dooku, but she accepted it. Fay understood why, but still felt we were being too aggressive about our approach.

Privately, I was aware that I still had the quest to change Dooku’s fate and Vosa was linked to that. In addition, it irritated me that, instead of sending a larger, better-prepared strike force to deal with the Bando Gora, the High Council had all but swept the incident under the rug. There was also the fact that, if I had to move openly against the Republic – as I was beginning to suspect, especially if there was no way to prevent the rise of Palpatine to Chancellor – then Dooku was far more likely to support my actions than Fay.

Thus, with all that in mind, and the fact that I’d end up spending several more months quietly reflecting on the Force while doing nothing to prepare for the battles to come if I went with Fay, my choice had been an easy one.

“I know. However, without going over points already discussed, I cannot bring myself to support the plan of action chosen by Master Dooku.” Fay replied as we slipped between three Trandoshans and there was a moment where I wanted to kill all of them, but I didn’t act on that desire. Apart from it angering Fay, and likely forcing me off this mission with Dooku, the public spectacle of a Jedi randomly slaughtering three Republic citizens wasn’t something I was willing to give to the Sith. “I am also concerned by your apparent choice to constantly place yourself in dangerous and volatile situations, even before your Knight Trials are completed.”

I fought to keep a smirk from forming on my face as I replied. “I don’t go looking for trouble, master. Though it does seem to enjoy finding me.” That wasn’t entirely true if I considered my former life. There I’d chosen to join the military, making a conscious choice to fight, and as it turned out, die for my country. As for my new life, while I wasn’t actively looking for dangerous situations, I certainly preferred adventure to months of meditating on the Force.

Now, to be clear, I understood why that was needed, or I did now after our retreat on Aesolian, but if I’d been forced to spend the last several years inside the Jedi Temple doing that every day, with little chance for a change of pace… Well, I’d likely have either left the Order or become known as a troublemaker. Though the latter was true anyway I guessed.

Fay laughed softly at my reply. “That is true of any Jedi who follows the will of the Force and ventures out into the wider galaxy. Though I have noticed a pattern that when combat occurs or could occur, you tend to rush in.” As we reached an elevator, she turned and looked at me while we waited. “I cannot fault your reasons for doing so. Helping to defend the innocent is a noble cause, but I must caution you against making combat your first choice. The Force seeks balance and harmony, not conflict. By engaging in such regular fighting, I am concerned that if you are not mindful of your thoughts and feelings, it could lead you down a dark path.”

“I, I understand and agree with your warning, master. However, as I said, I don’t go looking for trouble.” I answered as the door pinged, telling us the elevator was here. “I can also promise you that I’m not rushing into a fight because I want to kill others. I just… I want to help and while I know there are times when words would work better, so far most of the moments where I can help haven’t been ones where diplomacy would work.”

We stepped into the elevator, ignoring the Togruta family already there. As we began to descend, falling through the levels towards the docking bays for smaller, non-freight vessels, Fay spoke again.

“That has been true, but I hope that after our meditative retreat, you now understand and recognize why a Jedi needs to consider diplomacy before combat. I don’t deny that combat is needed in certain situations, but a Jedi must consider all possible choices in any given situation and only choose… aggressive negotiations when all others have failed. To do otherwise when one is strong in the Force risks allowing the Dark Side to twist and corrupt you so that your once noble goals become twisted beyond recognition.”

A smile came to my face at her using the term “aggressive negotiations”, which I hid by looking at the Togruta child. Once my moment of amusement had passed, I turned back to face Fay. “I do, master. And I promise that I’ll try to be more… conscientious of my actions before I take them. However, I won’t sit around and do nothing when it would risk the lives of others.”

“That is all I can ask for,” she said as the elevator slid to a stop, and seeing it was our floor, we disembarked. Once we’d done so, she turned and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I know there are moments, which are becoming more frequent, where you doubt not just the Order and our ways but the choices I and Master Dooku have made. I need you to understand that we are always doing what we think is best for you. You have a good and strong heart, but that can often lead people into doing the wrong things for the right reasons.”

“My grandfather used to say that ‘the road to hell was paved with good intentions’,” I commented, making her smile.

“An accurate, if antique, saying.” She squeezed my shoulder gently. “Your heart has, so far, been in the right place, but, and I’m sorry to have to remind you of this, the road the Force has you on has not been, and will not be an easy one. Just remember that no matter what happens, I will have confidence in you to do what is right and just; even when I don’t agree with your methods.”

“I,” I paused, unsure of how to respond to that, and licked my lips. The searing image of a burning Coruscant flashed across my mind, but I was able to dispel it almost instantly. “Thank you, master,” I mumbled out. The faith and conviction in her words of support were humbling. While some of that was likely linked to her trust in the Force, and the visions it had provided to her and others about my role to play, I could sense that she meant it on a personal level as well. I could only pray that that trust wouldn’t be misplaced.

“You are most welcome, my Padawan, but now it is time for us to depart,” she said, taking a step back and letting her hand slide from my shoulder. “The Ne’tra Sartr is waiting for you, and I feel leaving Miss Kryze alone to spin her heels for too long is inviting trouble the Force would otherwise wish us to avoid.” That made me chuckle.

“That is indeed true, master,” I replied as I thought about our time together since we’d left Mandalore.

Bo had, once she’d calmed down, realised that I wasn’t the one to blame for her appearance on the ship, which had made her first holocall with Adonai something everyone on the ship had overheard. After that, she’d settled down, with our daily spars and me teaching her some parts of lightsaber forms that she could use with her beskad. Amusingly, she’d taken a liking to the more acrobatic moves of Ataru, or at least the ones she could mimic with her jetpack. Plus, she’d bonded with both HK and Anakin, with the latter being a welcome surprise. However, if she was left caged up in the ship with little to do or forced to repeat the same daily patterns over and over, then she did get restless.

Then again, I could be much the same. I understood the need for constant practice, but spending half a year outside the wire, so to speak, wasn’t something I enjoyed.

“May the Force be with you, Master,” I said after the moment of contemplation, bowing to Fay.

“And with you as well, Padawan.”

With that, she turned and headed off. I watched as she disappeared into the crowd of beings heading towards the commercial starliner docking ports. While I didn’t know where she was going, mainly because she would likely allow the Force to guide her where it wanted her to be, I knew she’d be fine and that, once this mission was over, we would see each other again.

I turned myself and headed down the quieter path towards the personal starship docking area. As I entered the general facility, I saw several people looking my way and chuckled as I saw the dockmaster arguing with a Rodian. As I caught his eyes, he gave me a nod after I indicated we were leaving. He then jerked his hand towards his office so that I could settle my fee with his staff. As I walked there, I wondered how good this lead of Dooku’s would be, and how long it would take to determine Vosa’s fate.

… …

----------------------------------------

… …

“How much longer are we going to waste here tonight?” Bo asked as we sat in a dark back corner of the bar (and I used that term generously) in the Comkin system that Dooku’s information suggested Castim frequently came here. “He’s not coming tonight, just like he hasn’t for the last two weeks!”

It’d only taken a few days to reach the trading station, but after discovering the bar in question was, to put it mildly, rundown, Dooku had determined that Bo and I would handle the stakeout while he monitored from another location. Yet after two weeks of spending my evenings in this womp-rat-infested osik-hole, Bo was beginning to reach the end of her rope. Frankly, I wasn’t much better and I was worried that I’d end up spending my birthday in this vile, useless, hole-in-the-wall establishment.

“I know, but this is the only lead we have on our target,” I replied softly, leaning over and placing my hand on hers. I was doing that not because we’d magically grown close over the last few weeks, but because part of our cover was to be a couple of young Mandalorians who were enjoying some private time away from the war (and clearly not wanting to be found if we were coming to this pisshole). Sadly, apart from being given licence to drink, and thus levelling up Resistance: Bio-Chemical and Purge Toxin repeatedly, nothing of any note had happened. And that was saying nothing of the swill this place served.

I looked down at my mug, swished the contents around then downed the last of this round while doing my best to hide a grimace. This kriffing brew somehow made Budweiser taste like kriffing champagne, to say nothing of a good single malt. Which, as the remembered taste of one passed through my mind, resulted in me sneering at the offending mug in my hand and wondering what the galaxy had to offer that could rival a good single malt.

“Only good part is we’re not paying for this out of our pocket,” I muttered as I dropped the mug on the table as if it offended me.

Bo glared at me before grumbling and downing the last of her own mug. “I know, but this osik is so bad.” She spat out as she slammed her mug into the table. “And if I have to deal with one more shabuir coming over and trying to get me to leave so they can ‘show me their guns’, I’ll kill them!”

“While I can understand your disdain for the current locale, it would be preferable if you did not engage in wanton brutality Miss Kryze,” Dooku spoke through our shared comms. Ours were open so he could hear and record everything in the bar within range for analysis while the cameras on Bo’s helmet were active and recording. Since there wasn’t a spare helmet on the Ne’tra Sartr, I’d gone without one for my disguise, though thanks to Eidetic Memory, I knew every regular face in here, though only focused on any human that came through the door. “While such a decision may alleviate your boredom, and would likely not be out of character for such an establishment, it would compromise this operation and risk having our target flee into the underground, forcing us to resume our search from the beginning.”

Bo rolled her eyes in response to Dooku, which made me smirk even if it was becoming clear she was getting antsy. Little movements of her hands and jerky shifts of her shoulder were clear signs of someone growing restless. “How about when we get back to the ship we spar?” I asked as something nearby shattered. My hand reached hers. To anyone watching it would’ve come across as a hint of something going on between us, but I did it as a precaution. With her so irritable, it wouldn’t take much to set her off. “Better you burn off that energy with me than waste your time on these di’kute.”

Bo’s eyes narrowed at my hand before she chuckled once at my comment. “That does sound far more enjoyable than burning this place to the ground,” she replied before pulling her hand back from mine slowly. “I just hope you have the stamina to keep up.”

I laughed and leaned back into my seat. “As I recall, when all is said and done, I’m always the last one standing.” That made her snort. “Besides, you know how serious I am about my exercises,” I added, enjoying the double entendres I was using. Nothing was going on between me and Bo, and never would, but to anyone listening in, it would certainly sound like there was, thus keeping our cover intact.

Bo let her eyes wander over me as a smile came to her face. “Aye, I know. And how long and energetic they can be.” she added, seemingly enjoying the little game we’d started. She shifted her eyes away from me and raised her hand. “Two more.” She called out as a Rodian walked past my shoulder. As he walked away, I let my eyes wander over the place, though they focused more on the door than the central bar area. Seeing no new human entering or already inside, I turned my attention back to Bo.

“Still nothing,” I whispered so that only Dooku and Bo would hear me over the comms.

“Unfortunate but not unexpected,” Dooku replied. There was a short pause before he continued. “Continue surveillance for another hour then leave.”

“Easy for you to say, outside of the company, there’s nothing about this locale that endears itself to me,” I muttered while channelling Dooku’s dry tone as well as I could. Bo chuckled and I felt a faint sense of amusement in the Force.

“I see that you are learning more from me than just lightsaber techniques and understanding of the Force, Padawan. Perhaps there is hope for you after all.” A faint click meant Dooku had closed the channel leaving me unable to retort. That made Bo’s chuckle develop into a laugh and a shake of her head.

“What?” I asked, which only made her laugh more. I waited for her to stop; one eyebrow raised in a questioning expression.

“It’s nothing,” she began as the Rodian waiter returned with our latest round of pig’s swill, “it’s just that…”

Our heads snapped around at hearing blaster fire from outside. I saw Bo tense in anticipation, likely hoping whatever was going on outside would spill into here and allow her to burn off some excess energy. Wanting to know what was going on, I reached out through the Force, trying to sense the emotions of those outside the bar.

“Huh,” I muttered as my Force probe brushed up against a familiar presence. “What’s she doing here?” I mumbled. I stood, indicating for Bo to follow, and moved towards the door. My hand drifted to my belt, only for me to remember that I didn’t have my lightsaber on hand as my fingers brushed the grip of a pistol I was wearing as part of my disguise. Though at least to sell the look, Dooku had permitted me to carry my beskad. While it wasn’t my lightsaber, it was lightyears better than a kriffing vibroblade.

As I moved towards the door, Bo just behind as I pushed past people standing around for whatever reason, I empowered my combat Force abilities. Those now included Physical Enhancement which I’d long since maxed out along with Object Enhancement. From the rough tests I’d run, I could now easily dent durasteel with a punch without feeling any pain from it. I suspected I could do more damage than that, but after Fay discovered the fist-sized dent in a bulkhead on the Ne’tra Sartr and had given me another lecture about not using the Force so frivolously, I’d not tried to take it further. Plus, I’d rather not break my ship with a misplaced punch.

I knew Bo was hot on my heels as I heard the tell-tale sound of her helmet seals engaging and could sense her growing excitement and anticipation just as I pushed my way towards the door. Most of the traffic was people trying to catch a glimpse of whatever was going on outside without going outside, but that just meant I had to be a touch more forceful to get past the gathering crowd than I’d have expected.

I took a step outside, only to pull my head back as the Force called out a warning. A split second later, a blaster bolt sailed right past my eyes. The light from the bolt blinded me as it shot through where my head had just been, and the smell of ozone filled my nostrils.

“Finally, some fun!” Bo called out as she slid past me on the same side the bolt had come from. After she’d stepped out into the corridor, and once I’d channelled the Force to remove the blinking light from my vision, I followed her. My pistol slid from its holster as I looked down the tunnel that posed as the road in this section of the station.

The sounds of blaster fire made it easy to know where to look, though what caught my attention – and I’d been expecting ever since sensing the presence through the Force – was the purple lightsaber that was deflecting the bolts. Blue lekku swung in the air behind the blade and I smirked as I watched the Rutian Twi’lek chase after her target while blocking his sporadic fire.

“Friend of yours?” Bo asked as she lifted her blasters to join in.

“Aye,” I replied as I diverted my attention from Aayla to the person shooting at her. My brow rose in surprise at seeing who she was engaged with. “And looks like she’s after the same thing we are.”

“Haar!” Bo exclaimed, likely because her helmet cameras had identified the shooter as Hean Castim. “What are the odds of that?” She asked as she fired off two bolts for her pistols. They missed as Castim slipped into an alley.

“When the Force is concerned, pretty good I’d say,” I remarked as we saw Aayla run into the alley in pursuit of Castim.

I took off after them, the Force empowering me to move faster and slide between people in the street who were beginning to emerge from cover now that the fighting had moved away. Though through the Force I could sense that most were generally unperturbed about the sudden outbreak of violence here, which suggested this was a semi-regular occurrence in this section of the station.

Once I reached the alley, I failed to see Aayla or Castim in it, though thanks to the Minimap, I knew where Aayla was. When combined with the fact I’d already scouted every road, alley, maintenance shaft, and the like over the last two weeks, I could work out where they were roughly heading.

“They went that way!” Bo called out as I headed down the street, then slipped down a narrow passageway between two buildings.

“Trust me!” I shouted back, then used the Force to empower my legs. A refuse container was blocking the passageway, and as I landed on the other side, I heard Bo’s jetpack flare to life confirming she was following me.

We exited into another street. People here were ambling about with little concern for the distant sound of blaster fire and while it was quieter than the street we’d come from, due to being narrower, it felt more crowded. As I pushed my way past two Duros who were stumbling around, I silently wondered once more where the kriff the local security forces were, and just how much were they paid to turn a blind eye to this section of the station. In the two weeks that we’d been coming to this district, I’d yet to see any law enforcement personnel or droids in it. Oh, they were stationed at the entrance to the district, but not inside, making this place a lawless area of the station. Of course, that was likely why it attracted people like Castim and his ilk.

As we reached an intersection, the Force called out. I dove forward and caught sight of a tray flying over me.

“Sithspit!” a familiar voice called out from where the tray had gone and as I came out of my dive and roll, I whirled around with my blaster drawn towards where it had originated from. There I saw Castim, his eyes widening as he saw my blaster aimed at him. He turned and pushed his way past a Togruta, hoping to escape.

“Nope,” I growled as I reached out with the Force, “I am NOT going on another wild chase!”

I clenched my free hand and was rewarded with a cry of shock before flicking my wrist up, sending Castim into the ceiling, then dragging him towards me along it. I didn’t pay any heed when he screamed out as his knee smashed an overhead light, though any pain he’d felt from that was surpassed when I brought him down face-first into the floor in front of me.

Bo stalked forward, holstering her pistols, then as Castim raised his head in confusion, she smashed her armour

ured fist into his face. “That’s for making me wait in that osik’palon for two weeks!” She spat at him, though he was unconscious before his head once more hit the floor.

“Hey! That’s my… Cam?!” Aayla called out as she came forward to challenge Bo only to stop as she saw my face.

I stood and smiled as I holstered my pistol. “Evening Aayla. Fancy meeting you here.” I replied jovially as Bo leaned down next to Castim.

“Um, yeah, I…” she paused and looked at Bo as the sound of cuffs locking reached our ears. “Who’s she?” she asked, jerking her head towards the redhead.

“Right, where are my manners,” I said with a smirk. “This is Bo-Katan of Clan Kryze. She’s…well, I guess you can call her a travelling companion of mine.” I explained to Aayla. “Bo, this is Padawan Aayla Secura, a friend of mine from the Temple back when we were both in Dragon Clan.”

“Dragon Clan?” Bo asked, her amusement at the name carrying through her helmet’s speakers. I chuckled as I caught the link between that and my verd’goten.

“Yes, that was the name of our Initiate clan back before we became Padawans,” Aayla explained as the joke flew right over her lekku. She stepped towards Bo and extended a hand. “And if you’re a friend of Cam’s, then you’re one of mine too.”

Bo’s head tilted down to see the hand. There was a moment of silence before Bo scoffed and shook her hand. “Di’kute Jetii…” she muttered before grasping Aayla’s forearm. Aayla took a moment to seal the clasp, though barely a second after she did, Bo pulled her arm back.

“So why are you after this reprobate?” I asked as I casually lifted the man off the floor with the Force. Just to be sure he wasn’t going to die on me, I used Observe which confirmed he only had a mild concussion and a cracked rib. Nothing that couldn’t be easily healed with some bacta once we were back on the Ne’tra Sartr.

“We were tasked with locating and arresting him,” Aayla explained as the Castim floated beside me, “he’s wanted in over two dozen systems on charges of smuggling, trading in restricted creatures, and slavery.” She added as we started to walk. “Why are you two here?”

“Funnily enough, we’re also looking for him,” I answered as people saw us and shifted out of our way. Seeing two Mandalorians and a Jedi walking around together with a body floating between them was enough to make most beings step back. Even if we were all just teens, people here seemed to have decent self-preservation instincts. “Master Dooku wishes to speak with him about a personal matter.”

Aayla stepped beside me, forcing Bo to walk in the rear. There was a brief spike in irritation from the Mandalorian, but she didn’t comment on it. Likely she was more focused on making sure Castim stayed secured and that we weren’t ambushed by any possible associates of Castim that had seen us capture him.

We’d come into sight of the nearest entrance to the district when Aayla’s communicator beeped. She pulled it from her belt. “Yes, master?”

“Have you sighted Castim yet?” The voice of Quinlan Vos came through the commlink.

Aayla glanced my way and smirked. “Yes, and I’ve managed to capture him with the help of a friend.”

“Knight Vos, it has been some time since we’ve spoken, so I’m not sure you’d remember my voice,” I began after Aayla gave me a subtle nod.” I’m Cameron Shan, Padawan to Masters Dooku and Fay.”

“I remember you, Padawan. Hard to forget the Initiate who walked through walls during his Trials.” Vos replied, an amused edge to his voice. “Though why you’re here is something I find myself curious about.”

I smiled as I responded. “I feel Master Dooku would be better suited to that. Our ship is docked in personal bay Besh-17. Master Dooku is waiting for me to bring Castim to him there so you can speak with him about your shared interest in this waste of space.”

Vos chuckled through the comm. “That is certainly a nicer term for him than I would’ve used, but accurate nonetheless. Very well, I am currently near the main promenade of the station, but I’ll make my way down to meet all of you in the bay you’ve specified. Aayla, I trust between you and Padawan Shan, you can keep Castim secured until you arrive in the bay?”

After a roll of her eyes and a glance at the unconscious and floating man in question, Aayla replied. “Yes, master.” As she did, her lekku twitched about halfway down.

“Then I shall see you there.” The channel closed with an audible click and Aayla placed her communicator back in her belt. A moment later we rounded the final corner to reach the exit to the district. However, as I looked at the checkpoint I saw several guards eyeing us carefully – an unconscious man floating along between three people did draw attention – while between us and them were a group of about a dozen beings. As one they turned and looked warily at us with most having either a blaster in hand or with their hand centimetres away from one.

Three of the group stepped forward and the lead one, a Klatooinian, snarled.

From behind me, I heard Bo chuckle. “Please, draw your weapons,” she said loud enough for everyone to hear as I felt a spike in her excitement and anticipation. “I haven’t had a real fight in days and I’m getting restless.”

“What, our spars aren’t enough to keep you happy?” I asked as one of my hands hovered over my weapons.

Bo laughed even as I felt Aayla’s eyes upon me. “Oh, you certainly know how to keep things fun, but nothing beats the thrill of a real fight.”

“Release him.” the Klatooinian growled, seemingly unimpressed with the little byplay between us.

“You sure you want to go down this road?” I asked as, from the corner of my eyes, I saw Aayla had slid into an opening stance of Ataru. While the form had its uses, in a semi-confined space like this, most of its advantages were negated.

“Release him now!” the Klatooinian replied.

“Your funeral,” I muttered and reached for my pistol. If it’d just been me and Bo, I’d have happily shot first, but with Aayla here I’d prefer the High Council weren’t given another instance of me acting un-Jedi-like to hold over my head. Thus, I didn’t move as fast as I could.

That meant one of the group at the checkpoint drew and fired their blaster before I did. Of course, just because I was moving slow didn’t mean I wasn’t channelling the Force. The bolt said harmlessly past me as I leaned to one side. The sentient never got the chance to fire a second shot as I struck him centre-mass with two bolts for my pistol.

Pandemonium fell over the checkpoint as those not involved in the impromptu shootout ran for cover. The security guards ducked behind their protected counters, proving just how ineffective they were while the group blocking our path opened fire on mass. Not wanting to take the chance that Castim would be killed by the incoming fire – which was a risk as the group seemed more interested in killing Bo, Aayla and me than saving him – I threw up a Force Barrier.

I knew I relied on the power heavily, but when all my enemy combatants, so far, had been blaster-wielders, it was a logical first defensive power to use.

As their bolts slammed into the unexpected wall of Force energy, Aayla and Bo both went airborne. Bo had likely suspected I’d use Barrier to defend our position as it was a common tactic I’d used in our spars, while Aayla was using her preferred lightsaber form.

Bo’s bolts rained down on the larger group as Aayla landed in the trio at the front. She slashed through two blasters quickly, then ducked a wild swing from the third of the trio. Seeing the Klatooinian who’d lost his blaster but not his hand reached for a knife, I moved forward. Before he could fully unsheathe it, I removed his hand with my beskad, spraying him with his blood.

He stumbled backwards in shock, something I took advantage of by hitting him with a blast of Force energy. As he slammed into the nearest wall, I drove the hilt of the beskad into the throat of the other who’d lost his blaster. He stepped backwards, grasping at his throat, Aayla used the Force to take out his legs, making him slam face-first into the deck.

With the third already out of the fight – two blaster markers on his chest confirming who was responsible – I turned my attention to the second group. With four down, including the one I’d shot at the start, those remaining were quickly realising they were outgunned. Of course, that didn’t stop Bo from shooting them, nor Aayla and I from continuing the attack until they were all taken out.

When the last thug fell, I leaned down and used his clothes to clean the blood from my beskad. I wasn’t happy that we’d had to kill most of them, but they’d brought this on themselves by not backing down.

“That was disappointing,” Bo commented as she landed.

“They were common thugs, not soldiers,” I replied as I sheathed my beskad. “They likely thought that with four-to-one odds they could take two Mandalorians and a Jedi.”

“But you’re a Jedi,” Aayla commented with a frown.

I chuckled and tapped the chest plate of the armour I was wearing. “I look like a Mandalorian, which is part of my cover,” I explained, cutting off her next comment/question. “Now, unless either of you lovely ladies wishes to stay here and wait for their friends to arrive,” I suspected Bo would’ve done so if we didn’t have a prisoner to deliver, “I suggest we get moving.”

“Fine, but we’re still sparring later, right? I barely worked up a sweat with those di’kute.” Bo commented, making Aayla’s eyes widen, and her cheeks darken slightly.

I gave the guards at the checkpoint a pointed glance as we walked through, almost daring them to try something. Thankfully for them, they showed more intelligence than the thugs and waved us through without even a cursory check.

The walk to the elevators that led to the docking bays was boring, save for the growing confusion and curiosity that was radiating from Aayla in waves. Force, I suspected even Bo could sense it given how much it was making Aayla light up like a beacon in the Force.

As the three of us - well four if you counted the still floating and unconscious Castim - entered the elevator, Aayla turned to me and asked the question she’d been dying to ask since we’d passed through the checkpoint.

“Why is she with you?” She blurted out, “And why do you have that?” She added, pointing at my beskad.

I smiled at her, channelling one of Fay’s patented ‘I know more than you do’ looks. “Long story.”

… …

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… …

“Of all the planets in the galaxy, why the shab did it have to be this one Castim directed us to?” I muttered moments after we’d dropped out of hyperspace to see the Sith-cursed shithole of Tatooine and its twin suns.

From the co-pilot’s seat, Vos chuckled. “It could be worse. At least we don’t have to go to Nar Shaddaa or Sleheyron.” After meeting us in the docking bay and speaking with Dooku, Vos had joined my master in interrogating Castim. Though calling it an interrogation was a bit of a misnomer as instead of an aggressive interview, Dooku had simply overwhelmed the man’s meagre mental defences and plucked the answers from Castim’s mind. While he was more careful than I would have been to not leave Castim a drooling mess on the floor, that had still gotten us the name of the man’s contact with the Bando Gora; Gardulla the Hutt.

After dropping Castim off with what I hoped had been non-corrupt judiciary forces in another system, we’d flown to a planet that I was starting to think was cursed by the Force. I know it came up in the movies a lot, but I’d now been here three times inside a year and only once had that been by choice. That had me wondering once more if the Force had some sort of twisted sense of humour that enjoyed torturing those touched by it.

Still, after dropping off Castim, Vos had decided that, with their mission from the Jedi Council over, they’d stick around and assist Dooku with his mission. While Dooku was accepting of the extra help – the Bando Gora did take out a Jedi strike team the last time the Order had clashed with them – he didn’t seem impressed with either of our fellow Jedi.

Vos wasn’t much like he’d been in his appearance in the Clone Wars. The jovial, devil-may-care attitude shown by that version was nowhere to be found in this one. Instead, there was a strict, demanding Jedi with a slightly short temper and a sharp, sarcastic sense of humour that I enjoyed. Yet, underneath this outwardly off-putting persona, it was easy to see the bond between him and Aayla, and how much he cared for her.

He’d settled into life on the Ne’tra Sartr quickly and taken over the co-pilot seat from Bo; something the redhead was glad for as she had little interest in flying if it didn’t involve her jetpack. He and Aayla helped with general maintenance of the ship, though there was little of that. Even with it being essentially a prototype of an enlarged Kom’rk-class transport, I’d only found a handful of issues since we’d left Mandalore.

I’d also spent a fair bit of time sparring with him. While Dooku was dismissive of Vos’ preferred form of Ataru, seeing a skilled practitioner of Ataru move was giving me more ideas about incorporating some of the footwork into my personal style. Plus, unlike Aayla, Vos was a difficult opponent for me to fight.

While the confines of the ship limited a lot of what he could do with Ataru, he was highly skilled at the form. I also noticed that he’d adopted many elements of Shien and Djem So into his style. As such, from the dozen spars we’d had over the last week and a bit getting here, the count was five wins for him, five for me and two draws. I’d also sparred with Aayla but, Force bless her, she wasn’t an even match up for me. She was further behind me than Serra was when I’d last sparred with her, so most of our spars had turned into tutoring sessions. Kriff, even sparring with Bo wasn’t going well for Aayla. Bo was up eleven to one, though she was finding the chance to spar with someone different enjoyable, and it was a good test of how far she’d come with her beskad to put her up against a young Jedi Padawan.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“I’d prefer those places to here,” I shot back as my mind returned to my first trip to this shithole, the dragon and the walking lizard that had almost killed me. Since there were no orbital facilities around the planet, we were free to approach without challenge, though we’d still have to deal with the Hutt-controlled price-gouging of the docking masters once we landed. “I know I shouldn’t say it, but I hate this planet.”

“A Jedi shouldn’t deal in such absolutes, Padawan, but since seeing the recording of your trial here, such a reaction is understandable, and I can sympathise with your desire to be elsewhere,” Vos commented before chuckling. “Though why you didn’t take off the bracers is beyond me.”

“I forgot ok!” I snapped back, trying my best to not re-enter the memory of that ‘fight’. “I was more interested in getting the osik away. Then, when I remembered about them, the shabyc things didn’t want to come off!”

Once more he chuckled. “I see you picked up more than just combat techniques and your red-haired passenger from the Mandalorians. Still, I understand why you’re angry and why you did what you did. Any rational being in such a situation would face a fight or flight response, with those with common sense choosing the latter.” He paused for a moment. “And I suspect that, in a similar situation, most Jedi would’ve tried to use the Force to defend themselves; forgetting about the bracers entirely and getting themselves killed.”

“Then get turned into dragon chow,” I added, drawing a sharp laugh from him.

“Most likely.” Silence fell over the cockpit as I eased the ship into the atmosphere. The winds were, thankfully, not as severe as they’d been the last time, which limited the amount of chop I faced and how drastically visibility was reduced.

“I find myself impressed with the skill of the Mandalorians,” Vos commented as I dropped us through lower still. “This ship is large enough to function as a large freighter, yet she’s better armed and protected than a judicial cruiser, and moves like something half her size.”

“I’ll have Bo pass along your compliments the next time she speaks to her father. This ship was built to his specifications.”

“And that is another thing I’m still trying to fully understand.” He continued, seemingly ignoring my comment. “Finding common ground between Mandalorians and Jedi is… a rare event. That you have the daughter of the leader of their people travelling with you is, well, shocking really. I know you’ve both explained the reasons why she’s here, but I can’t see any reason she has for not leaving beyond her word not to.”

“Bo’s reasons for staying are her own,” I answered slowly as the canyons of the Jundland Wastes came into view. Vos was right that, since we’d left Aesolian, Bo could’ve left at any point she’d wanted. Yet, after a long holocall with her father, she’d stopped threatening to do so, instead only jokingly suggesting she might leave. I couldn’t say for sure why that was, but I doubted the alliance between our clans – something neither Vos nor Aayla were aware of – was a reason for her staying, nor the agreement between her father and me. Perhaps one day she’d reveal why she stayed, but I wasn’t counting on it.

“Of that, I’m sure. Still, seeing a Jedi and Mandalorian working and fighting side by side…” he paused, “Well, to many in our Order, it would be a surprise. Some would be concerned, given your family legacy. More so, I’d fathom, if they know about your completion of their trial of adulthood.”

“Do you have something you’d like to ask, Knight Vos?” I inquired, wondering if he was going with this where I suspected. After nearly two weeks of run-arounds and snide comments about Bo and me and our situation, I was reaching the end of my rope with him regarding the topic. “Or do you just enjoy needling people to get a reaction?”

And again, Vos chuckled, though this time it stoked a small ember of anger within me. “I don’t deny that I enjoy getting under your skin, Padawan. Apart from bringing me amusement, I find that agitated and annoyed people often reveal things they’d rather not. Though as for any direct question regarding you and miss Kryze, no. You’re both young and growing. Just be mindful that, if anything does happen between you, many in the Order would demand you end it before you are knighted.”

To prevent myself from remarking on the insanity of the idea of Bo and I hooking up – something that has been commented on by several people now – I bit my lip. Ignoring the chances of that being, in my mind, closer to zero than one, there were also thoughts floating around my head regarding the Order and its failings.

To keep myself distracted, I focused on what was outside the Ne’tra Sartr. The outskirts of Mos Espa were coming into view. We’d land there and then arrange passage to Gardulla’s residence which was a few hours north of the city in the Dune Sea. Aayla had asked why we didn’t just fly there and Dooku explained that, apart from the likely presence of defence measures, landing directly outside the residence of a powerful Hutt like Gardulla was an insult. It made it appear that you considered yourself above them and would severely limit the chances of a diplomatic mission succeeding.

Of course, that didn’t do anything to dissuade the idea in my head of carpet bombing Gardulla’s residence and Jabba’s palace. Not that I was going to do it in the Ne’tra Sartr as that would lead to blowback on the Mandalorians, but the idea had appeal. Possibly in the future, I’d find a way to act on the idea, but not today.

For today, I was more concerned about Decca – Gardulla’s son and the former slave owner of the Lokella – being present. While it was unlikely that he’d know me by face, his presence could complicate matters immensely.

… …

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I shook my leg after stepping out of the large speeder we’d taken from Mos Espa to Gardulla’s residence. Though calling it a residence was a bit like calling a mansion a detached house. While true, it did nothing to hint at the size of the place we were now standing in front of. This place was more a palace than a house, and judging by the turrets that tracked our approach, a well-defended one at that.

“I kriffing hate sand,” I all but spat out as more of the annoying stuff slipped into my boot. “Gets kriffing everywhere.”

“While I agree that this planet is a less than appealing place to visit once more, perhaps you might keep your concerns to yourself,” Dooku commented without glancing back at me. “Insulting the home of our host isn’t the most appropriate way to begin negotiations.” He added before he started to walk towards the main entrance, where two Gamorreans stood guard.

“I guess I’ll just have to make up for Cam then,” Bo muttered behind me, making Aayla giggle as they brought up the rear. Vos was walking at Dooku’s right shoulder while I was between the senior Jedi and the girls. The pair had, when Bo wasn’t schooling Aayla in spars, struck up a strange sort of relationship. They weren’t friends, though it could develop that way, but ever since Aayla had come on board and Bo had gotten past the issue of Aayla being a very sheltered Jedi so far, they’d started spending time together.

That was fine with me as it meant I didn’t have to spend too much time around Bo, thus giving me time to concentrate on improving my skills around the starship and with HK. It also meant that Dooku wasn’t commenting on Bo’s inability to relax like a Jedi did as more people meant more distractions for the trigger-happy girl.

Aayla seemed fine with losing the spars, taking each as a learning experience, which I think helped endear her to Bo. Now if the Twi’lek would stop being so damn gentle in spars she’d be better prepared for real combat. While she’d handled herself well in the Comkin system, she’d been looking to unarm and disable those thugs. Against more skilled and dangerous opponents, not going for a kill shot when the opportunity presented itself was asking for trouble. That was something Bo had made clear in their spars as Aayla had picked up several small nicks from Bo’s electro-blade. While not fatal, the location of the cuts made it clear that they could easily have been. Thankfully, while Vos wasn’t happy about his Padawan being cut, Aayla understood the point Bo was making. Or so I hoped.

“If you cannot restrain yourself while we are here, Miss Kryze, I must insist you remain with the ship,” Dooku commented, a slight edge to his tone. “While I understand your displeasure with having to interact with the Hutts, the less we irritate Gardulla, the sooner we can vacate this planet and resume our mission.”

I smirked at the shutdown from my master, even as I heard Bo grumble behind us. A chuckle from Aayla was accompanied by the hiss of Bo’s helmet seals engaging. Somehow, I just knew Bo would be making comments throughout the meeting while her helmet speakers were turned off. Likely ones about how easy it would be to kill Gardulla and her minions, which was something I’d agree with and probably support at a different time.

The Hutts, while not the only criminal issue in the galaxy, were the single biggest source of organized crime that existed. They didn’t control every illicit trade, but they had their fingers in so many pots that cutting them off would destabilise the entire criminal underworld for years, if not decades. Still, I understood that wanting to remove the Hutts and truly doing so were massively different concepts.

The Hutts were such a large and powerful group that, after existing even before the early days of the Republic, twenty-five thousand years ago, taking them out with anything less than dozens of fleets of Star Destroyers would be next to impossible. Still, even if a day when I could move openly against the Hutts was decades away, I wasn’t going to pass up the chance to observe the inner workings of one of the most powerful members of the Hutt cartel within their private citadel. You never knew when such information would be useful – to me or others – in the future.

… …

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… …

“Sensors on passive.” Vos semi-ordered as we slid back into normal space. We were dropping out just inside the Oort cloud of this system as we’d been informed it was the location of a semi-major smuggling and slaving operation meant I wasn’t taking any chances. Hence why HK was currently plugged into the weapons console.

Gardulla had supplied this location (in the Tantajoc system) after some negotiations with Dooku. While she’d been reluctant to divulge anything, Dooku promised that when the time came to disclose our mission to the Jedi High Council and the Senate, no mention of her involvement – in any way – would be revealed. Gardulla had accepted this, on the condition that if any links to other Hutts were discovered, those would be revealed. From talking with Vos and Dooku once we’d left Tatooine, I’d learnt that it meant the operation we were now approaching had likely fallen from Gardulla’s hands into the control of another Hutt. Dooku suspected this was Jabba as he was aware of a growing cold war between the two. He postulated that Gardulla would use the embarrassment of Jabba being linked to a slaving operation in Republic space to embarrass him to the other Hutt kajidics (crime families in all but name) that ran Hutt space.

While a part of me was sickened that the Hutts could be so casual about being involved in active slavery operations, the fact the Hutts acted like the crime families from old mafia movies in my former life was amusing, in context. Still, the blatant disregard of others by Gardulla and other Hutts made me even more inclined to eventually go after the species. While genocide wasn’t something I ever thought I’d consider, for the Hutts, it might well be the only choice. Though to take out the Hutts, then secure, stabilise, and - most likely - control, their territory would require a massive amount of manpower and firepower. Likely on par with what I imagined the Galactic Empire could bring to bear.

On a more personal note, I’d had the “honour” of meeting Decca, though he had failed to recognize me. Something I’d confirmed just before we’d left via Observe. I’d been concerned at the way he’d seemingly watched me during the meeting with his ‘mother’, but according to my special ability, he didn’t realise that Dooku and I were the ones to take down his operations in the now-named ShaDo system. Still, his face – as fugly as it was – was committed to memory along with Gardulla’s and anyone in her palace that wasn’t collared or acting like staff. While I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get a shot to take those beings (and I used the word loosely) out, I knew there’d come a day when Decca would make a direct move against the Lokella. Possibly arranged by one or two of the employed mercenaries I’d met that day.

Still, we’d left the meeting unscathed, and left that sand-covered osik’palon planet behind (and if I never had to return other than to free the slaves/kill the Hutts it would be too soon) and made our way here, to the Tantajo system. Since the system was a few jumps off the Perlemian Trade Route – which, I had to admit, made it a good place to base such an operation from – it’d taken us about 2 weeks; though some of that time was taken up by us stopping to refuel and learn about the system before flying in blind. Due to some things that we’d heard about the size of the operation here, which didn’t entirely match with what Gardulla had told us, we’d chosen to exit hyperspace at the edge of the system.

While Bo had been more than happy to jump closer and engage the slavers instantly, Dooku felt – and Vos and I agreed – that a slower, more cautious approach was better. I remembered the few operations in my old life where we’d gone in without good intel. While I’d come home from all of them, those operations had been the most perilous and I’d lost a few brothers in arms in them.

“Derogatory: I am fully aware of the functions I have to fulfil during this operation, meatbag. Unlike you, I do not suffer from unstable programming that only serves to distract me.” HK replied to Vos’ comment with his usual blunt and insulting tone. Vos grumbled quietly, which brought a small smile to my face. Ever since coming onboard, Vos had taken a dislike to HK, one the droid was more than happy to exacerbate.

Through the Force, I felt Dooku’s amusement at our fellow Jedi’s reaction, though I doubted there was any external reaction to the exchange.

“I still fail to see why you’re allowing a protocol droid to handle the sensors and weapons,” Vos eventually commented. “His programming isn’t designed for it, nor is his personality matrix suited for household chores.”

“Revan programmed him this way on purpose,” I replied before HK could get a word in. While the droid knew not to reveal the truth of his purpose, too many subtle slips might clue Dooku into the truth of HK’s primary function. Plus, letting HK needle Vos was a distraction while an operation was active; something I couldn’t abide. “And I can’t believe I’m the one saying this, but your focus should be on the mission and not HK’s speech patterns.”

“My Padawan is correct, Knight Vos. While I agree with you that the droid’s mannerisms are… unusual, we have more pressing issues to deal with. It would be beneficial to all of us if you gave your full attention to what is outside of this vessel than allowing yourself to be distracted by the aural idiosyncrasies of the droid.” Dooku added. While his words were polite, the casual put-down of Vos made my smile grow larger.

Vos didn’t reply, though HK gave a single chuckle. Moving the mission forward, I powered up the sub-light engines. From Republic records, this system only had one habitable planet, which was on the far side of the system, but there was always the chance the slavers were semi-competent and had some patrols wandering the system in case outsiders stumbled on their operation.

“How long will our approach take?” Dooku asked as we moved towards the sixth – and outer – planet in the system. It was a large, blue gas giant with, at least, three dozen moons of various sizes, though that was all the Republic records mentioned about it. Like the rest of the system, the details were sparse.

“It’ll depend on what forces they’ve got in orbit and near their basecamp,” I replied. “If they’re even halfway intelligent, we’ll need to approach from the far side of the planet to avoid detection. The Ne’tra Sartr’s capable of taking on anything they might have, but if we go in guns blazing, we risk them wiping the base’s computers of anything useful or threatening the slaves to force us to back off.”

While Dooku likely already knew this, I suspected he used these little moments as ways to see how I thought tactically. Plus, he might get some satisfaction in showing how much farther along in my non-Force training I was than Aayla. While he rarely ever showed it, Dooku did feel pride in how quickly I was learning and growing under his tutelage.

“Very well. I shall return to my quarters to meditate. Contact me if the situation changes, but otherwise, I will return with Padawan Secura to relieve you both in four hours.”

“Yes, Master.” A moment later the door to the cockpit opened and closed.

“Looks like we’ve got the first watch,” Vos commented a few moments after the door had closed. “I’ll carry out checks on non-critical systems just to be on the safe side while you fly us closer. Can the droid do the same for the weapon systems?”

“Condescending Reassurance: Of course, meatbag. Additional Query: Would the meatbag also like me to prepare your evening meal while I carry out the eighty-fourth check of our primary, secondary, and tertiary offensive and defensive systems over the last six hours?”

I didn’t even try to stop myself from chuckling at HK’s behaviour. While I’d step in again if it became a distraction, hearing him speak down to everyone around me wasn’t something I’d ever grow tired of. Vos was an entertaining target as the man seemed the most likely to respond in kind, while Aayla regularly became perturbed by HK’s remarks. Dooku and Fay just ignored them while Bo, at least since learning who the droid had fought alongside, seemed amused to be insulted by HK. Though ever since Bo had started helping me with what weapons to give HK once he was up and about, the droid had toned down his remarks around her.

Honestly, I was beginning to suspect that, once deployed in combat, Bo was going to become my version of Canderous alongside HK as we kicked arse.

… …

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… …

As I leaned back to avoid the massive paw with claws longer than my hand, I grunted in annoyance. Even as my lightsaber came up and removed said paw, and the immense feline it was attached to howled in pain, my frustration at this situation continued to grow.

“When this mission is over I’m going to kill your master!” I snapped at Aayla as I thrust forward, impaling the feline through the neck with my lightsaber.

“How is this his fault?” She shot back even as she leapt onto a high branch of a nearby tree; avoiding another massive feline as it pounced on her former position.

Said feline was struck six times with blaster bolts, once in each eye then four in the neck, making it slump to the ground dead. “Because he’s the shabuir who suggested this attack plan!” Bo spat as she floated above the ground, using her jetpack to keep herself out of reach of the cats.

A growl from behind me followed by a warning from the Force, had me rolling to one side then sending a blast of Force energy towards where I’d just been. The largest member of this pack – likely the alpha – howled in pain as it was slammed into a tree.

“Woah!” Aayla muttered as she almost fell from the tree as it shook under the force of the alpha’s impact.

The beast slumped to the floor, but my attention was taken by a roar to my right. I turned to see the only other – according to my minimap – remaining feline charging towards me. I leaned back, avoiding its pounce, and slid my blade along the underside of the beast, once more filling the air with the smell of cooked meat. It fell to the ground, a four-inch-deep cut running from between its front legs to its tail, dead.

The alpha hollered, drawing my attention back to it. It took a step forward, its eyes narrowing as it saw me standing beside the dead body of the last of its pack, and I could see its legs tense for an attack. The Force flowed through me, helping me know when and how the attack would come and I readied myself; sliding into an adapted Ataru stance while keeping my grip set for a simple deflecting Makashi strike. Just as the beast moved forward, bolts rained down from above, and it roared in pain before slumping to the ground, sliding to a stop about half a metre from me.

“I could’ve taken it.” I remarked to Bo as I looked up at her before stepping closer and driving my lightsaber through the alpha’s skull.

“You’re welcome,” Bo replied as she descended, “and that’s four to me.”

I chuckled as I relaxed my stance. Of course, Bo would see this as a competition. The pack of ten was never a true threat to us, and we’d have avoided them entirely if they hadn’t been attracted to our drop site. Likely they’d been drawn by the sounds of my ship hovering above the trees before the three of us had disembarked, then attacked, thinking us easy prey.

“A tie then,” I replied as she landed next to me, holstering her pistols as she did. Aayla jumped down just behind Bo, a frown on her face. “We didn’t go looking to kill them, Aayla. It was the will of the Force that they happened to be here when we landed.” I said, figuring she was probably upset that we’d had to kill the entire pack to defend ourselves.

“I know. It’s just… It’s not fair.” she responded before sighing.

“It was them or us,” Bo countered bluntly. “And if not for the Sartr coming under attack, we’d have given ourselves away with this skirmish.” She added, getting me to look up.

Somewhere up above, likely back in space, my ship was engaged in a fight with two or three slaver vessels. We’d taken our time approaching the planet, spending nearly two weeks tracking ships coming and going before we’d initiated our attack plan. There’d always been three ships in orbit of the planet and while I knew the Ne’tra Sartr could handle them, we needed to take the base reasonably quickly to avoid mission failure.

As such, Vos had suggested - and Dooku had agreed - that Aayla, Bo and I would drop onto the planet a few kilometres from the base then trek through the forest to reach it. Vos and Dooku would remain on the ship then, once I gave a signal, they’d attack the ships in orbit while we snuck into the base and secured their command-and-control centre.

Of course, that had all been shot to shit not long after we’d dropped, as just as the Sartr was pulling back, it came under fire from one of the ships in orbit. I’d seen two ships drop into the atmosphere to engage the Sartr, both looking to be about the size of a small corvette. While I didn’t doubt my ship could handle that – it notr only matched them in size, but was heavily armed for its weight class, like all Mandalorian ships were – them coming under attack meant stealth was no longer an option. Something that was even less likely given our run-in with the local fauna.

“Master Vos didn’t know we’d be attacked like this,” Aayla said, feeling a need to defend her master even as she depowered her lightsaber.

“He literally said before we jumped that nothing would go wrong,” I countered as I used my lightsaber to point around us at the dead pack of forest cats. “And why have you turned off your lightsaber? We’re in hostile territory with them aware of our presence.” I commented even as I saw a group of beings rapidly approaching us from the direction of the slaver base.

As if willed by the Force, the tree Aayla had just jumped down from groaned then fell to the ground with an almighty crash. The sound echoed around us as we lost vision from the dirt and dust that was thrown into the air from the fall.

Coughing in the dust, I pushed the Force out from me, blasting back the dust cloud in a wave. Aayla looked at me between coughs and grimaced. “I…”

Whatever she was going to say was cut off as the Force warned of danger and, on instinct, I erected a barrier in the direction it warned about. Blaster fire erupted from the treeline, though most impacted against the invisible wall I’d raised. I saw the briefest look of surprise pass over Aayla’s face as she glanced my way and worked out that I’d thrown up the barrier.

I knew I could call upon the Force faster than most other Jedi – something that’d likely saved my life a few times already – but that wasn’t unique, just abnormal for someone my age, a very useful perk of the interface.

A few bolts missed the barrier, though that was due to poor marksmanship by our attackers, not my barrier failing. The sound of a jetpack engaging let me know Bo was heading airborne, which was followed a second later by the sound of Aayla’s lightsaber reigniting.

According to my Detection-boosted minimap, we’d been ambushed by about a dozen sentients, and given they were attacking us from the direction of the base, it wasn’t much of a leap to assume that’s where they’d come from. However, given the loud and rapid incoming fire, I suspected at least one of them had a heavy repeating blaster cannon of some sort, if not a tripod-mounted repeating cannon.

“What do we do?” Aayla asked, a sliver of fear emanating from her into the Force. I glanced her way, even as more bolts struck my barrier and Bo began to return fire, to see her gripping her lightsaber tightly.

“Teach them the error of their ways,” I replied as I lifted my lightsaber-wielding hand and summoned the Force to it. The air grew thick around my hand before I thrust it forward, pushing the gathered energy, now concentrated in an invisible sphere, towards the treeline. It struck with the fury of a god, shredding trees, bushes, and bodies at its point of impact, while those further away were whisked from their roots and sent hurtling away. Something exploded, adding a ring of fire to my Force blast and making the waves of erupting Force energy seemingly dance before my eyes. The edges of the flame-tips blast fizzled harmlessly against my barrier while branches, rocks and even a few limbs impacted the unseen wall, then slid to the ground.

An almost lazy sweep of my arm generated a gust of wind powerful enough to clear the devastation between us and the source of the explosion; sending the debris tumbling away to the right. That allowed me to see the destruction I’d unleashed. Though the Force Blast had only travelled about thirty metres, it’d carved a divot through the ground until it hit whatever exploded. There, all that remained was a three-metre-wide crater, and on the edges, a few groans came from the slavers who were unlucky enough to have survived my counterattack. Bolts resumed raining down from above, ending the groans as Bo finished them off.

Less than half a minute later Bo landed and holstered her pistols. “Well, if they didn’t know we were coming before they sure as osik do now,” she remarked, which made me chuckle before she scoffed. “I suppose you couldn't have left some for me.”

“Not like they would have been any fun,” I remarked as I finally lowered the barrier and took a step towards the devastation I’d caused. “Untrained thugs aren't really a challenge.”

According to Detection, only a single slaver was left alive.

Figuring he might be willing to provide information for medical aid, I walked towards the carnage. Bo was at my side in an instant, with Aayla taking a moment before following.

“Kriff, Cam,” Aayla muttered as we reached the edge of the crater. “When did you get so…”

“Violent?” I suggested as she trailed off. “After having my life flash before my eyes while face-to-snout with a kriffing dragon, I realised that this galaxy was out to kill me, all of us, really. I’m not going to pussy-foot my way through things anymore. If someone wants to hurt or kill me or my friends, I’ll respond appropriately.” I explained as I made my way around the crater towards a flattened tree that was wider than me. “I know it skirts the Jedi way, but this isn’t the Temple, Aayla. This is the wider, wilder galaxy and things out here will try to kill you if they can. Kriff, some people will actively target us just because we’re Jedi and have no compunctions about killing innocents to get to us.”

Technically, this wasn’t a revelation for me, merely a return to the way I’d approached combat in my former life. Serving in an elite unit like the SAS taught me that enemy combatants would always be out for my blood. Killing them first was just the smart thing to do. So far in my new life, the need for overwhelming firepower hadn’t been needed, but as I’d just proved, I had no issues with going big to end a battle quickly. After all, there was no such thing as overkill.

Still, I was glad that Fay wasn’t around as I’d rather avoid another lecture on using the Force offensively. I enjoyed having her as one of my Jedi masters, but there was no denying that we had very different approaches as to how to approach certain situations. I doubted Dooku would have any issue with my actions against the slavers, though he might wonder why I didn’t do such a thing against the kriffing cats.

“T-that’s not the Jedi way…” Aayla began only to stop and gag. Clearly, someone had forgotten to use the Force to block the smell of burnt bodies.

“Thank Manda…” Bo muttered just quietly enough that I could hear her as I turned to look at Aayla. Her cheeks had lost a lot of their colour while her lekku were twitching erratically, almost as if they were vibrating. She then turned around to block her view of the devastation I’d caused.

“Aayla, first, use the Force to limit your breathing. It’ll help with the smell,” I offered as Breath Control was how I was countering the smell I was more than familiar with. “Secondly, I’m still a Jedi. I still believe in the ideals of the Order,” or most of it at least, but she didn’t need to know that. “That said, when battle comes, shying away from it because it’s ‘not the Jedi way’ is how I suspect many Jedi end up dying. The Force doesn’t make us unbeatable and believing it does is, to me, almost as big a flaw as blindly following the Galactic Senate.” I paused as the colour returned to her cheeks and she turned to face me. “These beings, and I use that very loosely, actively engage in the enslaving of sentients. That, and the trading in endangered or illegal animals and substances makes them an affront to everything the Jedi Order is supposed to stand for.”

“I, I guess I see your point.” Aayla began, her lekku no longer twitching randomly. “But the Code teaches us to show compassion to all,” she continued as she slowly turned back to face me. The colour had returned to her cheeks, and she looked steadier.

“I’ll save my compassion for those in need or deserving of it.” I countered as I turned and resumed walking towards the upturned tree. A groan came from behind it and as I leapt onto it, I looked down to see the last remaining slaver. The Duros was barely hanging on. Both legs were trapped under the trunk, and barring a large dose of bacta, I doubted they could be saved, while one of his arms was bent at such an ungodly angle that the bone had pierced the skin of his forearm, soaking the ground with his blood. His chest and much of his face were charred black and all in all, I figured he only had a few more minutes before the pain and blood loss ended him.

“F-force…” Aayla muttered from my right, and I turned to see her and Bo had come around the fallen tree and seen the Duros.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I leapt down beside the Duros and used the Force to heal some of his wounds. In the long run, it would only delay the inevitable, but that’s what I needed. “How many are in the base?” I asked softly. “Tell me and I’ll take away the rest of your pain.”

“Or don’t and die slowly and painfully.” Bo added unhelpfully. The Duros was already dying, and from the look in his eyes, he knew it. Even without the Force, I knew Aayla was uneasy with us interrogating a dying man, but she had the sense to stay quiet instead of wasting valuable seconds.

“Arg… Trddh…” The Duros groaned out. I leaned closer, lifting his head so that I could hear anything he whispered. Sadly, as I did, his blood-red eyes seemed to lose their lustre and he went limp.

“Kriff,” I muttered after using Observe to confirm he only had seconds left. As I dropped his head to the ground, I briefly considered using Mind Probe. However, doing that with Aayla present was risky, to say nothing of entering the dying mind of an alien whose biology I only barely understood. I looked up at Bo and shrugged. “Guess we’re flying in blind.”

“Says the Jedi to the Mandalorian with a jetpack.” Bo retorted, and I just knew she was smiling under her helmet. The jetpack was something near and dear to her and she never missed a chance to use it.

“True, but if you go above the treeline, they’ll see you coming and there’s a limit to how clearly I can sense others through the Force,” I replied as I stood. “I know there are a lot of sentients over there, but exact details of how many and where are, at this range, far, far beyond me.”

“Nice to see even you have limits.” Bo replied and again I just knew she was smirking.

“I wish Master Vos was here,” Aayla commented slowly, making me wonder if having her along was a mistake. “He’s one of the few Jedi who can use psychometry,” she continued, and I turned to look at her. I couldn’t recall that power coming up in his only appearance in the show. Though, now that I considered it, the moment where he seemed to know which way Ziro went on Nal Hutta could’ve been him using that power and not his skill at tracking. “It’s, um, a really rare ability that allows a user to learn details about someone or thing by touching them.” She explained, having taken my expression as I considered my memories as a sign that I was confused about what she’d just said.

“That sounds like bantha-osik.” Bo muttered even as I saw and opened a new Interface notice.

Force Power Discovered!

Psychometry

This is the ability to use the Force to gain an understanding of an object’s history. Specifically, one can learn about the previous users of the object and where it was used.

...

WARNING!

As you don’t have a natural affinity for this ability, nor have taken a perk to gain such an affinity, several restrictions are in place.

XP gains for this power are reduced by a factor of 10 and you will be unable to take the ability above Professional: 1 without the relevant perk.

Said perk will be available from level 30 onwards.

...

And just like that, the hope of a new and unusual power was undercut by the Interface placing massive restrictions on it. Still, once I considered the limitations, they started to make sense. The implications of this power were frightening. Knowing who had used what and where and when sounded cool, but what if it engaged on a weapon used to kill someone I cared about; or anyone in general for that matter. Would I then have to relive that moment over and over in my mind, or experience what the killer had felt when they ended a life? That sounded like a one-way street to sociopathy.

“It’s probably for the best Vos isn’t here,” I commented as I put aside the new power. “If he was, Bo and I might well have broken his nose for how kriffed this plan has become.” Bo snorted in amusement at the idea. “Still, we can only hope that this group was, if not most of their forces, then some of their better fighters. Otherwise, the attack could prove troublesome.”

“You say troublesome, I say fun.” Bo replied with a chuckle. I glanced at her, wondering once more just how someone could be so battle-mad. While I didn’t deny that a part of me enjoyed combat, I didn’t go actively looking for it. Though thanks to the Force, trouble and combat did seem to not only have my address but the keys to my front door.

Not bothering to respond, I started walking towards the slaver base. Bo, taking the hint, slipped to the rear and even though she knew I could sense lifeforms at a far greater range than her sensors, still checked every bush for someone I’d missed. The fact I heard a lightsaber engaging behind me let me know that Aayla had learnt her lesson, at least for now, and would be keeping her blade powered as we moved. Though given we were trying to move stealthily, it wasn’t the best time for her to apply that lesson.

While that was a relief, and while I considered Aayla a friend, it was clear she was far too naïve about the wider galaxy. From what she’d told me, Vos took her out of the temple at least once a year since she’d become her Padawan, but from the last few weeks, it was becoming clear that he’d been keeping her safe. At least until this mission. Being willing to depower her primary weapon – and consider reclipping it to her belt – while in hostile territory was a mistake many Jedi would make, which might be why so many died on Geonosis. The lack of a fighter’s instinct to be ready to do what they must would’ve, and did, cost many Jedi their lives.

Perhaps once this mission was over, Bo and I could teach Aayla why trusting that a battle was over and that the Force would warn you in time wasn’t a valid reason to lower your guard in a combat situation. I knew that in the original timeline, she’d survived the Clone Wars, well until Order 66. However, with things having changed dramatically this time around, I wanted to make sure she, and all my friends in the Order, survived what was to come. Or at least, be better prepared for the chaos and carnage that awaited the galaxy.

… …

----------------------------------------

… …

It took us a touch over two hours to get to a point where we could see the walls of the compound. I already knew how many were inside with the minimap showing 300 signs, though the vast majority weren’t sentient. Or weren’t sentient according to the minimap. Most of the sentients were grouped near the far edge of the compound in three groups of about twenty each. Those had to be newly captured prisoners that hadn’t been taken to slave markets for sale or were held for ransom if they would earn the salvers more credits from that.

However, we’d had to stop once we were about a hundred metres from the walls of the compound as, in an irritating display of intelligence, the slavers cleared that area around their base.

Given the local fauna, of which we’d run into a herd of wild pigs between here and the failed ambush. Thankfully the local variant of warthogs had shown more sense than the cats and decided to not attack us. Though that might’ve been because I’d used the Force to generate strong winds between them and us.

“Just our luck that we get not only well-fortified but competent slavers.” Bo remarked as she scanned the wall with her helmet. Apart from clearing a no-man's-land between the compound and the thick forest foliage, there were turrets on the walls with two such installations having firing arcs on our current location. Plus, given that the side we were on was the quieter side of the base, I doubted the defences would be weaker at other parts of the wall.

“Just means we’ll have to earn our victory.” While not the Jedi way, it was something I knew Bo would agree with, which was proven when she chuckled.

I reached out through the Force, searching for the flow of energy that indicated the turrets. Once I could sense those, I started tracking the flow of energy. I followed the power out of the turrets, along the power lines that ran along the walls, making a note of the other eight turrets that dotted the outer wall, then back towards the centre of the compound. The power grew brighter – meaning the cables were transferring more power – as they led to two more complexes. The one shining like a beacon would be the power plant while the other was likely the command centre. Power ran towards and around four different groups of people in such a way that I was sure those were prisoners. Four other buildings which were full of animals had power running through them, marking them out as cages.

“How are we going to deal with the turrets?” Aayla asked as she lowered a set of macrobinoculars she’d brought with her. Unlike me, she wasn’t well trained in using the Force to augment her sight, so like Bo, had to rely on technology.

I smirked as I glanced her way. “I think a variation of what I did during our Initiate trials. You remember the obstacle course?”

Aayla smiled light a moment later, likely after remembering how that’d gone for me. “How could I forget? No Initiate’s come close to your time. Kriff, according to Master Vos, there’s only one Jedi Master he knows of that uses the same tricks.” She replied.

“And how exactly did you deal with that obstacle course?” Bo asked as looked at both of us.

I smirked at the armoured Mandalorian. Though instead of saying anything, I depowered my lightsaber, reactivated the few combat abilities that I’d disabled to conserve my Force reserves, then let the world dissolve into a silver glow.

As the silver faded from my vision, I felt gravity take effect. A glance down showed the twin barrels of the turret I’d teleported to, along with a single slaver next to it. The gentle roar of my lightsaber engaging, by now a familiar sound, drew roar Rodian’s attention, and he looked up, his blaster sliding from its holster, only for my blade to slide down as I landed, carving a deep canyon in his chest.

Before the body had even struck the ground, I flicked my wrist. Dirt sizzled as the tip of my blade ran through the ground, then sparks flew as the blade sliced through the turret. Sparks began to appear from where I’d sliced the power converter, but I didn’t pay it any attention as my vision once more filled with a silver light.

As the light faded for a second time, I found myself above another turret. Like the first, this was on the opposite of the compound from where Aayla and Bo were waiting, though not near the prisoners or caged animals. The plan was to cause a ruckus at this section of the wall, then a few minutes later, assault the wall where Aayla and Bo were. Hopefully, this would draw most of the slavers to a section of the compound not near our assault and away from the slaves, removing the risk of them using the prisoners as shields.

I landed with my lightsaber pointed down, driving it deep into this turret, then I let the world dissolve into silver for a third time. As the light once more faded, I found myself appearing above the third turret I’d targeted. This one, as I’d expected, had two slavers nearby, though one of them glanced up as gravity kicked in. Whether it was random chance, or he saw the flash of silver light as I teleported, I didn’t know, though watching his eyes bulge as I fell beside him, my lightsaber bisecting him from head to toe, was morbidly amusing.

“Wha…” was all the second slaver was able to get out before my hand shot out to crush his throat with a meaty crunch. As the Duros struggled to breathe, I stepped forward and thrust my blade through his heart, then turned and slashed through the turret at the same point as on the previous two.

A moment later I reappeared behind Bo and Aayla, finding a pistol aimed at my head. “How rude,” I commented as Bo lowered her blaster.

“So, what di…” Bo’s words died in her throat as three explosions in quick succession erupted from the compound. Even from where we were it was easy to see all three had been on the far side, and soon pillars of smoke began to rise into the air. “Oh. . . impressive,” Bo commented after a second, “though why didn’t you attack the ones nearest us? Or go after the power generators directly?”

“Targeting the ones near us would’ve drawn the slavers to our location. While that might’ve been fun for you, the mission is to secure the compound not level it,” I retorted, earning a grunt from Bo, “as for the power generator, there are nearly a hundred prisoners and twice that number of beasts. I’d rather not have all that kind of chaos running wild while we attack.” I finished before stepping out into no-mans-land.

The two turrets that could fire on me turned, but before either could unleash their streams of blaster fire at me, I sent a massive Force Blast at the nearest one. The air rippled as the ball of Force energy surged through the air, kicking up waves of air contortion that were bigger than me, before it slammed into the wall under the turret. Both objects were obliterated, and I saw one of the barrels glinting high in the air. I quickly grabbed it as it was heading into the compound, and turned my attention to the second turret, only to watch as a tree slammed into that. To be sure it was taken out, I threw the cannon barrel I was levitating into it like a spear, making that turret erupt in a fireball that likely destroyed anything nearby.

A glance back showed Aayla breathing heavily, which confirmed she’d launched the tree when I’d concentrated on the nearest turret. Even if she was still stuck in the Jedi’s peaceful approach, it showed she could think on her feet if given a little bit of time. I’d have to make sure to reduce that delay as much as possible in training before this mission was over.

“That was dramatic.” Bo commented though I suspected she was just upset she hadn’t been able to get involved.

“Inside now.” I called out before accelerating myself forward with the Force. I reached the remains of the nearest turret, and the ruined remains of a five-metre section of the wall, a moment later. While the wall and turret were gone, the amount of rumble there had formed an ad-hoc replacement defensive measure. The sound of a jetpack behind me let me know Bo had arrived, and a small dust cloud being kicked up meant Aayla had joined her.

“Most of their forces should be caught between my distraction and their barracks or the command centre.” I explained as I walked cautiously over the rumble. While I could Phase or Teleport to deal with it, I’d prefer to not do so on the remote chance I’d need to heavily exert my Force reserves once inside the compound. “Bo, stay low but cause as much chaos as you can, and feel free to take down any slavers you run into. Aayla and I will make for the centre of the compound.”

“Understood.” Bo replied before her jetpack engaged and she lifted off. She flew overhead, though she stayed low enough that any remaining turrets or slavers couldn’t see her over the tops of the nearest buildings. While that’d limit how effective the jetpack would be, I had little doubt she’d have no trouble with any slavers she ran into.

“Why the central buildings?” Aayla asked as we moved forward.

“That’s the power generator and a building that I suspect doubles as both their barracks and a command centre,” I replied as I reached the edge of the closest building to the wall. A flick of my wrist upwards was followed by a scream of terror, and I glanced up to see a random slaver soaring up. “If we can secure the command centre, then not only will we have the base, but we can get in contact with our masters and secure the data we came here for,” I add as the slaver stopped moving upwards. “Plus, if we take the command centre, we’ll have control of the remaining turrets.” I finished as another scream of terror came from the slaver as he realised that he was now falling.

“Ah,” Aayla commented before I heard her lightsaber moving. A blaster bolt flew towards us, then back the way it’d come as Aayla redirected it. A groan followed soon after, though I paid it no heed as the slaver it’d likely come from disappeared from the minimap; indicating he was dead. As was the one who’s just returned to the ground.

With those two taken care of, and no one else within twenty metres of us, I let the Force enhance my speed, feeling it concentrating behind me as Aayla kept up. The few buildings between us and the central area of the compound passed by in an instant before I brought us to a stop just before we reached what I suspected was the command centre as there was a decent-sized open area between us and the centre. Absently, I realised that this space, while not large enough for the Ne’tra Sartr, could easily allow the smallest slaver vessels to land.

“There’s a dozen or so inside,” I whispered to Aayla, “keep up.”

I didn’t wait for a reply as I stepped into the small open area between our current cover and the command centre. We’d only taken a few steps when the beings inside moved and a door on the side facing us opened. I tensed in expectation as around ten aliens burst out, all with their blasters or vibroblades in hand.

“There! Kill them!” a Weequay near the back of the group called out. His comrades followed his instruction, forcing me and Aayla into defensive stances as blaster bolts hurtled towards us.

After moving a few metres, I noted that while I’d taken out three of our attackers with redirected fire, Aayla hadn’t managed to take down any. Now, that might be because she lacked the skill with her lightsaber to do that. However, given that in our last fight she’d shied away from killing, I suspected her lack of a kill count was due to her Jedi upbringing. I considered calling her out on it now, but that ran the risk of distracting her. I would be safer and wiser to speak with her afterwards.

An explosion on the far side of the base reached my ears, and I could only assume that Bo was engaging the slavers over there. Hopefully, there’d be some left alive for questioning afterwards.

“Sithspit!” Aayla spat out and I saw she’d ducked behind a crate, one hand coming to her shoulder.

“You alright?” I called out as I took out another slaver with a redirected bolt.

“Yeah, they just got a lucky hit,” she replied. A moment later I felt the Force move around her and assumed she’d used it to heal the wound; or at least, numb the pain. While it was good that she could heal herself and the wound wasn’t serious, having a friend of mine get injured infuriated me.

“Time to end this.” I muttered as I leaned back to dodge a pair of bolts, then flicked a few fingers from my right hand. A split second later, two crates hurtled away from me. Since some slavers were using them as cover, they collided with them with one taking the corner of a crate flush in the face. His neck snapped back at an obscene angle even as the crate continued to fly, smashing against the wall of the command centre as the body slumped backwards. The other slavers were luckier, though one was clipped on his leg, which sent him sprawling on the ground.

Another flick of my fingers, even as I deflected more bolts, sent that slaver hurtling into his friends who’d scampered behind another set of crates. He screamed as his leg was twisted horribly by the edge of a crate, though a moment later his scream was joined by three others as I sent them, and the crates they’d been using as cover, soaring into the air.

“Inside!”

That command came from the same Weequay who’d ordered the others to attack us, suggesting he was a senior member; thus, someone I wanted alive for questioning. As the remaining group retreated, another fell to a deflected bolt, though this came from Aayla, not me. That made me smile, even given the seriousness of the situation.

The Weequay I now marked as the leader was the first inside and three more managed to slip inside. Before any more could join them, I pulled the remaining slavers towards me abruptly. Their looks of confusion and fear only lasted a few seconds before they lay dead at my feet with the faint smell of burnt flesh filling the air.

I surged forward, reaching the door just in time to see the external lock turn red and indicate it wouldn’t open from the outside. Through the Force, I sensed the Weequay and one other slaver move deeper into the building while the remaining two stayed close to the door. Suspecting those two were waiting to ambush/delay us once we entered so the others could wipe the computers, I depowered my lightsaber, walked along the wall until I was a metre past the waiting pair then let the Force flow through me.

The familiar, uncomfortable tingling sensation rippled over my body as I phased through the walls, and the active power cables within it, until I emerged in the dark interior. In front of me, I saw the two slavers ducking behind an overturned table, blasters aimed at the door.

Both turned as a faint howl, now familiar to me, echoed in the darkened, stilled corridor. They’d barely turned enough to realise I was behind them before I attacked. One lost a hand, screaming even as the other lost his head. I then struck the one-handed Duros with a burst of Force energy, and he slumped to the floor unconscious. While it would’ve been easier to kill him, I wanted more than one prisoner to provide corroboration for anything the Weequay leader told me.

“Come on.” I said to Aayla after I’d moved over and unlocked the door before heading down the corridor towards the centre of the building where the two last slavers I hope were now located.

“That always creeps me out.” Aayla whispered from behind me as we moved quickly but carefully through the darkened corridor towards what I hoped was the main door to the command-and-control room. Phasing was such a strange power that it unnerved Aayla and others, which was something I liked about it.

“Which is why it works so well,” I replied with a smirk she couldn’t see. “Here,” I added as I slid to a stop at the door that, if I was judging things right, led to where the last two slavers were. I could sense other life signs nearby, both sentients and beasts, but since none were right next to a slaver – for now – they weren’t being used as shields or bargaining chips.

A simple gesture channelling the Force, had the door opening, though that was followed by multiple bolts that impacted harmlessly against the far wall. “You’ll never take us alive, Jedi!” Tthe Weequay shouted. I looked at Aayla who was on the far side of the door and rolled my eyes.

“D-did he really just say that?” She asked, her eyes wide.

“Sadly yes,” I replied, “and somehow I suspect he’s not the first nor will he be the last, to say something that stupid.” I continued before I reached out through the Force to where both slavers were. Once I was sure I had them with the Force, I flicked a finger.

“Aargh!” came the voice of the other slaver as both were propelled upwards. That was followed by twin thunks as they struck the ceiling. With that, I stepped into the room and glanced up at them as they struggled against the invisible power pinning them to the ceiling.

“You were saying?” I asked the Weequay as I took in the room. The room was dominated by a large table while dotted around the walls were various computer stations, including the communication station, along with an older R-series astromech droid that was trying to hide in a corner. Before the Weequay, or the Rodian with him, could say anything, I pushed a wave of the Force towards them, and they both turned limp.

“Check the back room,” I said to Aayla as I brought the two unconscious aliens down from the ceiling, “I’ll secure these two then work on opening a channel to the Sartr.” While there were other sentients through there, neither had moved since the attack had started which suggested they were non-hostile. Aayla slid past me as I dropped the two slavers on the central table, and once she was gone, I pulled two sets of standard cuffs from my Inventory.

At that, I turned and walked towards the communication station only for Aayla to call out. “Cam, c-can you come in here?” Her voice wasn’t steady and I could sense confusion, revulsion and a little fear radiating from her.

I moved quickly over to the back room. Once inside, I noted the various crates and containers near the door that were, if the few opened ones were any indication, filled full of credits, spice and other items of value. Next to Aayla was a table littered in credit chits, a small canister of what appeared to be a red narcotic and maybe a dozen death sticks. There were also three datapads lying there that I’d have to look over later for intel. However, what drew my attention were the other occupants of the room.

On a large bed – that could easily hold five or six people – were two female Twi’leks that were severely underdressed. While that alone angered me, the bruising on their arms and legs and the way they cowered in fear as they saw me had me fighting an urge to turn around and educate the two captured slavers on their behaviour. However, I was stopped from doing this by the cage that was at the foot of the bed, and the small dog-like creature within it.

The dog appeared no bigger than a collie, yet was clearly a pup, and had black fur that almost seemed to suck in the light. There were small, underdeveloped spikes running down the length of its spine and as its two azure eyes locked onto me, I felt a jolt. As if the Force was trying to tell me something about this animal was important.

“C-cam…” Aayla started but my focus was on the pup as I took a step forward. On the bed, I heard the Twi’leks move but I kept my eyes on the pup as I knelt in front of its cage. As I moved my hand to the front of the cage, the pup moved back and growled rather pathetically. That unleashed another ripple of anger through me, and I knew the next time the Weequay spoke I’d have to be very careful of my thoughts and feelings.

Yet as I let the ripple of anger wash over and away from me, the pup tilted its head. Almost as if it could sense my feelings in the Force.

“Easy there little one…” I said softly and quietly as I undid the latch on the cage door. “I’m not going to hurt you.” I added as I slid my hand partially into the cage. The long tail of the pup flicked once before its eyes shifted from mine to my hand.

[Stay still.] I mentally commanded Aayla as I knew that building trust with any animal started from the first interactions. Doubly so for creatures like this who’d clearly been abused by their previous owners.

I kept still, ignoring the whimpers of confusion coming from the Twi’leks on the bed, and waited patiently while releasing calm feelings into the Force. Slowly, clearly unsure if it was wise to do so, the pup inched forward. Once it was close enough, it took a cautious sniff of my hand. This was followed by another, longer sniff. Its’ ears perked up and it took a step closer, then pushed its head against my palm. I smiled at the gesture and slowly moved my fingers to scratch it behind the ears. The pup all but cooed at my action and pushed its head up into my hand.

Bestial Force Bond Available

You have started to form a bond with a creature with a strong connection to the Force.

If you accept the bond, then with time, you will gain a loyal and faithful companion along with other benefits linked to its species and affinity in the Force.

However, if the bond is severed, either by choice or by force, there is a chance the creature will turn on and attack you.

...

Accept the bond?

Yes/No

...

I pondered the choice. I’d never seen or heard of a Jedi bonding with an animal, but for those with a strong affinity for beasts, it was likely something that could – and probably did in the past – exist. However, forming a bond was clearly a risky thing, as I’d still need to train the pup. Plus, there was how others would feel about me bonding with – and in some eyes, possibly enslaving – a beast. Yet, when the pup once more pushed its head into my hand, I felt a… pull from the Force; one drawing me towards the pup. It was almost as if the Force itself wanted me to bond with the beast. While I was hesitant to do exactly what it wished, so far, the Force hadn’t been wrong in where it had guided me, at least in the long run.

As such, I accepted the bond, and a moment later the pup leapt at me. I barely managed to avoid falling over as it licked at my face. “Oi, stop that!” I got out between laughs even as another notice appeared.

Bestial Force Bond Formed

You have formed a strong bond within the Force with a beast.

This bond can grow stronger with time and training.

However, keeping the bond active results in a permanent drain on your Force Power.

...

Bond Cost: 120FP/min

...

The bond cost made sense, but why it was so high was unclear. None of the powers I had maxed out and had constantly running drained that much. Kriff, even all together they were only fifty per cent more costly to run. Yet, when I looked into the eyes of the pup, I wondered if there was more to it than met the eye.

No animal so far, save perhaps the greater krayt dragon, had shown the same sense of intelligence that the pup had as it looked up at me. Its tongue was still trying to lick my face even as I held it back as gently as I could and still be able to stop its licking attack while its bright blue eyes seemed more alive since I’d accepted the bond. I couldn’t help but smile at its antics, which resulted in it copying, or trying to, my action. That exposed a row of still developing but undoubtedly sharp teeth.

“C-Cam…” I turned to look at Aayla following her weak, almost fearful words even as I gently pushed the pup into my lap and started scratching it. It let out a content whine as I saw Aayla look both surprised and fearful. She glanced at the pup, which seemed to know she was looking at it. For some reason, it growled at her, making her take a step back.

“Shh, she’s a friend…” I said to the pup even as I continued scratching it. “What’s wrong?” I asked Aayla, drawing her attention to me.

“Th-that beast… I, I think it’s a Sith creation,” she all but whispered even as the pup whined in happiness as I scratched it under the chin. “I can sense the Dark Side around it.” The pup chose that moment to bark; well yelp since it was a pup, and I turned back to look at it.

Curious if there was anything to Aayla’s concern, I used Observe, and immediately regretted it.

??? (No name currently)

Level: 3

Species: Tuk’ata

Health: 70% (malnourished, abused)

Age: 2 months

Threat Potential: Minimal

Loyalty: Cameron Shan (50% – Force bonded)

This tuk’ata is bonded to you.

Tuk’atas are powerful war beasts originally created by Sith magic to do their master’s bidding.

When fully grown, they have been known to be bigger than kath hounds and far more dangerous.

In addition, with the right training and control, a fully-grown tuk’ata is more than capable of killing skilled Force users.

...

“Osik, Dooku’s going to kill me…” I muttered upon realising that I’d bonded with something capable of killing Jedi.

“I’d be more worried about the High Council.” Aayla added, unintentionally adding to my concern.

Kriffing great.

… …

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