A New Player in the Force

(Anakin’s POV)

As he wandered through this section of the docking ring of the station they’d stopped at, Anakin wondered how much longer they’d be here. It wasn’t that he wasn’t enjoying looking at the various ships and trying to determine what modifications had been applied, or wondering about the few he’d never seen before. Far from it in fact, and he was glad his armour was recording everything he was seeing as he’d go over the ships when they left. It was more that he wanted to get on with his training and get to the point where he could build a lightsaber.

He understood that he wasn’t ready for that yet, as he had far to go in his training, but the fact he still had to find a crystal was starting to annoy him. For most of it, he’d enjoyed his training with the Matukai, and was overjoyed to know now how to guide the Force through his body to be stronger, faster, and hopefully smarter. However, a Jedi without a lightsaber felt wrong to him. Though he did wonder if he’d ever be a proper Jedi.

From what Cam, Simvyl, Bo, and others had told him, the Jedi wouldn’t have helped Naboo if not for Cam’s actions. Even then, they only sent two Jedi along whereas the Mandalorians and Lokella sent thousands of warriors. Anakin didn’t blame Cam for his mother’s death – that anger was reserved for Decca the Hutt – but he felt that the Jedi and Republic should’ve done more to help Naboo. If they had, then the Lokella wouldn’t have sent most of their fleet to help, and his mother would still be alive.

Anakin wished she’d been here to see him become a Jedi and see him in his armour. While not the beskar that Cam and Bo wore, Anakin adored the armour and had already made a few alterations to it that Cam hadn’t been against, such as increasing the velocity the grappling cable fired at. That change granted the cable greater range and decreased the time it took before it could be used.

Thinking of his mother and his time on Karvoss II in the desert turned his mind to Tatooine. While Anakin was happy with how his life had gone since he’d been rescued from that place by Cam, he missed his friends like Kister and Pala from back then and wished to free them like Cam had freed him and his mother. Cam had listened every time he’d spoken of wanting to free them, to grant them the chances he’d had because of Cam. While Cam agreed they should be free as well, he kept saying they had to be cautious.

Tatooine was controlled by two powerful Hutts, something Anakin knew as before Watto had owned them, they’d belonged to Gardulla the Hutt. He’d just not realised how powerful she and Jabba were until Cam explained that they controlled two of the biggest Hutt clans and going after them would have most, if not all, of the galaxy’s bounty hunters after them. Learning that Gardulla was Decca’s mother added another layer of connections between them, though it didn’t change Anakin’s desire to get revenge for his mother’s death.

Decca might not have fired the shot that killed his Mother, but it was his credits that paid for the pirates that attacked them. Just as he’d been behind previous attacks on the Lokella and the one who’d controlled the system before Cam and Master Dooku had freed the people there. That meant whenever Anakin thought about the Hutt, the fire within him, one demanding he destroy the Hutt, burned brighter than the twin suns of Tatooine. Almost as if a dragon stirred, ready to wake and destroy whatever stood in its path.

Anakin knew he shouldn’t think about such thoughts, nor, privately, enjoy the idea of destroying Decca, the other Hutts, and those who engaged in slavery, but he did. It wasn’t the Jedi way, but he knew he wasn’t going to be a good Jedi. Which, given their choices to not help those in need, to sit back and do nothing when people were in danger, didn’t upset Anakin as much as it might once have done.

Cam – who Anakin considered more like his brother than father – spoke about how a Jedi shouldn’t draw on those darker impulses; and how they should be released into the Force. Or at least Cam had before Naboo had been invaded and Anakin’s mother had died. Since then, or at least they’d left that swamp world, Anakin had sensed the same fury in Cam, though it wasn’t aimed toward Decca and the Hutts.

For Cam, those flames burnt because of Trandoshans, the Lady Vosa who’d saved his sister Lia, and a few others whom Anakin didn’t yet know of. Thinking about it over the last few months, Anakin realised that he’d always sensed that fire, that dragon’s roar, inside Cam, but after the swamp world it wasn’t as muted. As if whatever happened to Cam there – something that terrified Cam so much that he’d needed Anakin’s help – had removed something that hid Cam within the Force.

Danger had radiated semi-freely from Cam since then, however, Anakin knew it was not aimed at him. At least not most of the time. There were evenings, which had grown more common since they’d landed on Karvoss II, where that danger had broadened and deepened: as if another was with Cam in his quarters as the danger was focused, precise instead of the all-consuming inferno it could be when Cam was angered. Yet Anakin had searched Cam’s quarters when Cam had been at Raven’s controls or otherwise engaged and found no hint of what was generating the danger.

Anakin knew he shouldn’t search Cam’s quarters like that, and that Raven was probably telling Cam he was there, but something about that focused, older, power called to Anakin. As if he needed to know what was causing it and understand it for himself. One day, Anakin hoped Cam would tell him what he was doing, but until then he’d remain patient. Cam was his… brother, friend, father, and Master, yet none of those titles felt right to Anakin. Cam was… he wasn’t sure what exactly, beyond the one person Anakin knew he could count on. The one person in the entire galaxy that would stand with him no matter what.

He laughed gently as he walked, clearing thoughts of darkness in Cam and their odd situation. Anakin understood the Force wanted them to be together, but he was still getting used to the strange dynamic that existed between them.

“Something funny?”

Anakin stopped and turned, seeing the one who’d spoken was a Trandoshan. He didn’t have issues with the species like Cam, but Cam’s hatred of them had soured Anakin on them. Along with Gamorreans, Trandoshans were often seen as enforcers for the Hutts and other slavers on Tatooine, and as the hulking alien stepped forward, one clawed hand resting over a blaster, the HUD of Anakin’s armour quickly scanned the alien and his equipment.

The blaster the claw was resting over was illegal in the Republic, though Anakin suspected that even on the Core worlds the Trandoshan would not be stopped by security, or would avoid the more heavily policed docking areas. From that, and the rifle slung over its back, and the vibroblade on the other hip, it didn’t take a genius to understand this alien was a pirate, bounty hunter, slaver, or some odd combination of all three.

The HUD then provided details on the bay behind the Trandoshan. There were two ships there, though only one was clear enough for the HUD to match against records. The ship was in dire need of repairs, to say nothing of a new paint job, and blaster marks scorched the hull in over a hundred locations: and that was just what was visible to the HUD.

“Yeah, that hunk of junk you call a ship,” Anakin shot back. Cam and Simvyl had warned him to be careful of his tendency to reply quickly, but Anakin didn’t feel like being nice to this alien. Not when he was trying to threaten him simply because he was bigger. “Looks like it should be towing garbage.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry. I meant to say towed away as garbage.” Behind him, a coughing bark came from Simvyl suggesting the Cathar had bit back his amusement at Anakin’s remark. That made Anakin smile, though the Trandoshan couldn’t see it because of the armour.

“Why you little…”

The sound of a blaster rushing from a holster, along with Simvyl stepping forward between Anakin and the Trandoshan and placing a hand to gently push Anakin back, cut off the insult the giant lizard planned to use.

“Now, now,” Simvyl said slowly, his voice low and Anakin saw his finger resting on the trigger, as if Simvyl expected trouble. “Let’s not do anything stupid.”

Anakin was again glad of the armour as it hid the look of confusion that rushed over his face. Trandoshans, in his opinion, were slow in the head with only Gamorreans and Klatooinian being slower.

The Trandoshan looked from him to Simvyl and then back. “Is this one your pet?” It asked, and Anakin tried to take a step forward, angered at anyone suggesting his friend was a slave. “Or perhaps your master?” That had Simvyl give Anakin a gentle push back even as the HUD noted the tensing of the Cathar’s muscles and the emergence of a dozen Trandoshans deeper in the bay who were now stirring at the commotion.

Most had been out of sight while others were moving supplies, but many had turned, catching sight of what was occurring at the entrance to the bay they’d taken over. Each was armed similarly to the one they were dealing with, and Anakin was drawing on that information, using Cam’s teaching to determine which blasters were the most dangerous, and how best to avoid them if a battle broke out.

He could feel the Force flow through him, accelerating his thoughts and motions as his mind worked to prepare a plan of escape if things turned sour. As much as he’d disliked it at the end, the training with Instructor Kefe was helping him draw upon the Force to be ready for combat.

“He’s the son of my friend,” Simvyl replied, his voice having dropped deeper. Anakin could sense Simvyl drawing on the Force, readying himself for combat just as he was doing. The pistol in Simvyl’s hand, while still kept low, was now aimed at the Trandoshan’s knee and at this range, Anakin knew Simvyl wouldn’t miss. The Cathar’s other hand left Anakin’s chest and slid back to his lower back, where a vibroblade rested.

Unlike Cam’s, Simvyl’s blade wasn’t made of beskar, but Anakin knew his friend was skilled with it. He’d enjoyed watching Cam and Simvyl spar with their blades, each moving faster than they had before because of the Matukai training. Neither was going for the kill, and Anakin knew Cam was holding back more than Simvyl, but they were looking to hurt each other as, from how Simvyl had explained it, the only way to train properly was to attempt to hurt your opponent. If one practised holding back, then when the time came to use a weapon for real, then your instincts would be incorrect, and you’d likely die.

Simvyl’s style was markedly different from Cam’s, but they moved so fluidly, so naturally with a blade-in-hand, that, to Anakin it was more akin to dancing than fighting.

“A Cathar friends with a Mandalorian?” The Trandoshan said, having recognized Anakin’s armour, and assumed the father was also a Mando. The alien snorted in amusement. “Guess your people know their rightful place.”

Anakin moved forward, a string of insults in a dozen tongues ready to be fired at the alien. However, before he could get them out, Simvyl had stepped into his path, cutting off his sight of the Trandoshan. “I lack the time, patience, or energy to waste educating one as absent-minded as yourself.” Anakin smirked at the dismissal buried in the insult before the Cathar turned slightly, placing his free hand on Anakin’s shoulder. “Come. Let us leave this being to his fallacies and return to your father.”

After giving the Trandoshan a final glare – not that the alien could see it through the armour, Anakin turned. However, when he did, he stopped after only a single step. The HUD was reporting a group of eight Trandoshans approaching from the direction they had to go to get back to Raven.

Around them and the new group of Trandoshans, others were glancing around and moving back. At the same time, the Force was shifting in ways Anakin recognized easily as indicating danger was approaching.

Knowing what was about to happen, Anakin readied himself and using the Battlenet and the Force reached out to Cam. He felt he could handle one of the aliens, and Simvyl several more, but at odds of nearly ten-to-one, and with them trapped between two groups, they’d need help and quickly.

At that moment, the group of Trandoshans approaching them stopped, their hands drifting toward their weapons while the HUD informed him that the one that had first spoken to them, was now smiling, exposing rows of sharp, dirty yellow teeth.

“Shab.”

… …

… …

(Cam’s POV)

“Thanks for your business. If you’re ever passing through here again, please don’t hesitate to visit Basso’s Brilliant Bazaar for all your vessel’s needs, nor to recommend Basso to your friends.”

I waved dismissively to Basso as I turned, having fuck-all intention of ever coming to this system, or dealing with the Toydarian, ever again. While Basso had been able to secure the higher quality fuel that Raven preferred – and after deepening my bond with her I refused to ever contemplate giving her anything but the best quality as I didn’t want to experience her annoyance and anger at having to consume inferior products – his prices were, to put it gently, exorbitant. Even when considering that we were at the edge of Republic Space readying ourselves to venture into Wild Space and spend time training with the Shapers of Kro Var.

Even with being in my armour as I moved around this station, and Fenrir at my side, it’d taken longer than I’d hoped to get the fuel for Raven and secure supplies. HK and R2 had overseen the delivery, checked everything was as it should, and had Raven test some of the fuel before I’d paid the remainder of the costs to Basso. My caution came from not trusting anyone on this station as far as Anakin could throw them, which was only further enhanced when I’d seen two different security teams take open bribes to not examine cargo entering the station.

As was usual with each location we visited, Anakin had wandered off to explore the docking bays, wanting to see what ships were present. Simvyl was with him today simply because, given the clientele in this backwater, the odds of HK inciting violence were high enough that I didn’t want him near my Padawan. That said, given what I’d seen on the station, I suspected Anakin could incite a riot here with the wrong phrase or comment, which was why I’d given him the usual speech of minding his manners unless someone started things.

“Easy there,” I said as I reached the exit to Basso’s office, my hand going down to pet Fenrir on his head. “He was honest.” Fenrir’s opinion of the Toydarian had been lower than mine, and the threat of the tuk’ata chasing him around, before ripping him to shreds, had ensured Basso was honest in his dealings with me.

As I stepped through the door, re-entering the chaos of the promenade of the station, and once more being glad of the armour given various smells in the air, I paused. The Force was rippling oddly as if it expected trouble. I took a step toward where Raven was docked, planning to leave the bay and then head around the docking ring externally to collect Anakin and Simvyl. At the same time, I opened the Battlenet to HK and Anakin.

“Query: Yes Master?” the droid replied quickly. However, before I could ask him to ready Raven, the Force shifted, and the feed from Anakin’s armour connected to mine. Seeing him and Simvyl standing near a Trandoshan had me growling, my hatred for that race rising at seeing them on the station and close to my family.

“Ready Raven for combat!” I barked as I started running toward where Anakin and Simvyl were, knowing what was about to happen as the Battlenet reported they were being surrounded by nearly two dozen Trandoshans. “Anakin’s in trouble!”

The Force came to me, empowering my body and pushing me forward faster than I’d normally be capable of. At my heels, I could sense Fenrir drawing on it as well, keeping pace with me.

“Affirmative: Yes, Master. Good hunting,” HK responded, a hint of his disappointment at missing out on battle evident in his vocals.

The moment the channel closed, one of the Trandoshans flanking them from behind opened fire. I snarled in fury as Simvyl pushed Anakin to one side, letting the bolt strike the Trandoshan that had been in front of them. As the beast stumbled back from the friendly fire, Simvyl’s blaster spoke. Three bolts raced out, striking the stumbling lizard in its knee and groin.

Furious at the attack, I demanded the Force do more even as Simvyl fired two more bolts at the falling lizard, striking the beast in the face. The Force bent to my desire, and the world around me slowed as I surged forward. Hot power raced through me as the Battlenet reported the first of the walking handbags was dead, the corpse still twitching even as chaos engulfed the location.

Simvyl managed to get Anakin and himself behind some crates, offering cover from the ambushing group of trannies, but I knew it wouldn’t last. Once those in the hangar emerged, they’d be badly flanked.

“HEY!” The voice called out as I pushed forward, drawing my attention from the Battlenet. A human in uniform – A member of the corrupt security force – was holding out a hand, demanding I stop. “Stop!” He added, making it clearer even as the other hand moved pathetically slowly toward his sidearm.

As I rushed toward him, my hand rose, and the Force reacted to my wishes. The man, along with the three others with him at the checkpoint, was lifted up. Another step from me, and they were flying back, and by the time I’d taken a further two steps, all of them were down. They’d slammed into each other, a wall, and a large container.

Diluted, pained groans emerged from them as me and Fenrir charged through the destroyed checkpoint, their status already forgotten as the Battlenet continued to feed me details, as my anger and rage threatened to consume the station for allowing those beasts anywhere near my friends, my family.

Reports of Anakin’s rising panic came through the Battlenet at the same time I crashed through two beings carrying something. The object exploded in a shower of pieces as my armour shattered it, allowing me to leave the promenade.

The corridors now were narrower, but still full of people, though all of them were slowing, the Force pushing me to speeds that left them little better than statues for me to avoid or destroy as I raced to my target. Fenrir’s rage mixed with mine, driving my fury to new heights. When we reached those lizards, he was going to enjoy ripping them to shreds, though not as much as I was.

Simvyl moved slowly as well, the Force not able to enable him to move as quickly as I was. Still, he was fighting well, shifting their location before the lizards in the bay could emerge, his blaster firing rapidly, enabling them to move relatively safely.

Even as I vaulted two green-skinned aliens, I reached out through the Force, calming Anakin. A moment later, his vitals dropped, returning to normal levels and I felt relief flooding from into the Force; that I was coming to help, settled his thoughts.

A moment later, he lifted a vambrace, and the grappling cable in it launched. Before it’d even reached his target, Anakin had detached it from his armour, and as I slid around a corner, I smiled, enjoying the sight of the climbing apparatus first striking one lizard in the arm and then the cable wrapping around it and another beast, causing them to stumble.

Delight surged through me as Simvyl took advantage of that, his blaster singing out to strike the pair, driving them back into another beast. His bolts caught their blasters, rendering them useless for the remainder of the battle.

As the Cathar again pushed Anakin, shifting their location, memories of every encounter I’d had with the aliens he was fighting flowed back into my thoughts. From them trying to steal my glory after my verd’goten, to random encounters in various locations; each time, they were looking to kill me to please their god. Every memory served only to fuel the raging inferno that powered me forward, and demanding that when I reached them, none survived their mistake of attacking my son.

Even with time slowing for those around me, it seemed the message of what was happening was getting through. People were slowly moving, doing their best to give way to the armoured Mandalorian and giant hulking war beast at my heels. Their actions didn’t matter though, as where I couldn’t find a path around them, the Force ensured they were out of my way.

Simvyl and Anakin reached new cover, though as he slipped behind a barrel, Simvyl took a bolt in the calf. The only thing that soothed my anger from growing further was that it had been a glancing blow, not one that would place him out of the fight or cripple him and that it hadn’t been Anakin that’d been struck.

He’d found a blaster and was firing back, though his shots lacked the accuracy of Simvyl’s. Still, it was good he was defending himself even if that did nothing to lessen my rage, nor stop the flames inside from growing ever higher as the lizards continued their attacks.

Fenrir’s wrath was rising alongside mine, the need to brutalise those attacking his pack, his family mixing with my yearning to eviscerate the shabuire that dared attack our family.

Each bolt that came at them added fuel to the fire, each shot they took bringing me ever-increasing pleasure. The people around me slipped away, their presence nothing more than obstacles to overcome to reach my family, to protect them and destroy those dumb enough to threaten it.

Rounding the final corner that would take me to the section of the docking ring where the battle was taking place, I slid to a stop. “Argh!” I screamed, my fist slamming into the closed door before me. When the metal didn’t bend, didn’t deform as the Force struck it with my first, I pounded it again, and a third and fourth time.

Seeing just clearly enough through the fog of fury enveloping my thoughts, I understood this was a blast door. For a moment I considered Phasing through the door, however, that was dismissed. I’d not attempted to use that power since truly connecting to the Force. Beyond risking myself in the attempt, I’d be forced to leave Fenrir behind, denying an ally we may need.

I thrust a hand forward, ripping the Force to me and used it to grasp the blast doors. The Force took a moment to respond, as if unwilling to help, and my rage surged, demanding its help. My other hand joined the first, and slowly, after what felt like an eternity, pained groans came from the doors.

Time crawled along as the sounds grew greater until, eventually, the HUD reported the doors shifting; the gears that held them in place straining and failing to resist my demands. Light finally shone through as the thick doors, designed to protect one section of the station from another in the event of a hull breach, slowly pulled back, the metal unable to deny my will.

I kept my focus on the doors, pouring my rage alongside the Force into opening them further, needing a gap large enough for myself and Fenrir to leap through. That helped ease the internal flames, however, they rose to new, previously unobtainable heights as new data came in from the Battlenet.

Anakin was down, the cover he and Simvyl had been using having been shredded by a grenade. His vitals were stable, which was all that enabled me to retain control over what I was doing. Simvyl, however, wasn’t as lucky.

Minus the armour, Anakin and I wore, he’d taken shrapnel in several places. The wounds, while not instantly fatal, would need tending to soon or he’d soon be at death’s door.

Before my thoughts could turn to losing the Antarian Ranger, Fenrir was moving. The gap between the doors was large enough for him to rush through, and a split-second later, I followed.

As I landed in a roll, the doors slammed closed behind us, and as the roll ended, I pushed myself to my feet, surging forward.

The Battlenet was reporting the Trandoshans were closing on my downed family, and as I neared the corner separating me from the battlefield, they reached the pair.

I tried to keep my thoughts clear, tried to stay rational as I took in the damage that had been wrought on the area. However, the second I saw the first target, the concept of thinking rationally deserted me.

The Battlenet reported the lizards had reached my family, Anakin tossed over the shoulder of one while two more started dragging the wounded Simvyl. The idea that, instead of simply killing them, they planned to take them away, to do Force-knew what with them, drove any remaining hint of restraint from my thoughts.

Rounding the final corner, all worries of what might happen vanished as the first four targets came into sight. Their backs were to me even as I raced toward them, beskad drawn and shoto lightsaber ignited.

The one closest to me started to turn, drawn by the sounds of my boots crashing against the floor. The others followed as Fenrir roared and leapt.

Blades sliced out, burning and cutting through flesh; steam rose, and blood boiled as plasma slid through meat like a hot knife through butter.

The sounds of pained grunts and screams, the last cut off as Fenrir clamped his mighty jaws down on his target, sent pleasure surging through me. Yet, those I’d just rushed past weren’t my target.

Further ahead, at the entrance to the bay, I saw my targets. Three lizards dragging and carrying my family.

They and the others turned at the sounds, blasters raising to engage, even as Fenrir howled in delight.

Simvyl stirred, claws flashing out and slashing at his captors.

Anakin squirmed, driving an elbow into the face of his abductor, making the beast stumble.

I slid to one side, avoiding the first, frantic bolts toward me; my lightsaber flicking out and slapping back the pathetic attempts to harm me.

Simvyl slid free of his captors after striking one in the groin. The one carrying Anakin reached the ramp to their ship.

My blades swooped out, slashing through meat, carving me a path toward the vessel. Toward my son.

Twenty steps became ten.

The Force tried to do something, but my focus was on my target.

At five steps something crashed into my knee: knocking me to the side.

I turned as I fell, bringing my blade down; though only the hilt crashed into the scaly skull of the dumb lizard who’d tackled me.

I grunted as my side smashed into a crate, shattering it, and sending debris everywhere.

I twisted as I struck the ground, bringing my beskad around, driving the blade through the skull of the beast who’d dared touch me. The blade sent blood splattering from its mouth and jaw as the tip emerged, before striking the creature’s chest.

Rolling as I bounced off the deck, I controlled my landing, ensuring I was ready to move as I stopped skidding over the floor.

Flares of fury rose as the HUD reported engines igniting, those flames rising higher as I realised it was the ship Anakin had been taken onto.

I stepped forward, ready to charge the ramp only to see it’d closed. The vessel now rising slowly from the deck.

Voices whispered to me, telling me I was about to lose Anakin. That there was nothing I could do. Not unless I used their advice.

My free hand thrust out my hand curling into a claw, calling the Force to my aid.

It was slow to react, causing my anger to rise further, generating flickers of black energy that danced between my fingertips.

Around me, those beasts not yet on a vessel yet still alive froze as that energy raced from my palm, slamming into the airborne vessel.

The ship shuddered, encouraging me and having the whispered promises of what I’d do to those who hurt my family grow louder.

Sparks cascaded over the hull, smoke rising from the engine that bore the brunt of my attack, yet the vessel continued to move away.

My other came up, lightsaber depowering as it fell from my grasp, and sent more tendrils of black energy slamming into the ship.

That ship wasn’t leaving, not while the Force did as I commanded.

Smoke turned to fire before the engine exploded. The ship dropped, the hull scraping against the station’s walls. The other two engines burned brighter, taking up the strain even as I directed my fury against them.

Suddenly, the Force shifted. The voices warned me of a nuisance.

I turned, wanting to burn whatever threat was nearing. The walls of the bay screeched, brunt, and ignited as Force energy left a jarring scar along them.

Before I could bring my fury to bear on whatever foul beast dared attack me, the creature crashed into my side, knocking me back.

As the black energy flickered away, sparing the escaping vessel from my fury, I turned my focus to whatever soon-to-be-dead creature had stopped my attack; and stopped me from saving Anakin.

Claws slashed at my armour, pathetically attempting to hurt me, which only served to further enrage me as I was knocked over.

As my back struck the ground, my fists slammed into the beast’s skull, dark energy flickering around the gauntlets while the Force pushed my strength to insane levels.

The creature’s skull caved in, unable to take the power of my blows. The claws fell limply against my armour.

One fist struck the animal again, driving it from my body and sending it tumbling away; green liquid marking the path the corpse took.

Standing quickly, I lifted my hands toward the scrapping vessel.

The blood on my gauntlets burned away as black energy surged from them, reaching out toward their target; needing to shatter the pathetic frame of the cage that held my son.

Time slowed as I pushed everything into my attack, as the Force made everything else around me unable to move, unable to challenge my power.

Yet, just as my fury threatened to overwhelm its prey, the energy splashed away, striking an invisible barrier.

I screamed into the Force, enraged that the station was denying me my prey. That it was allowing those animals to escape with my son.

I turned, ready to lash out at the station, to shatter it so I could resume my attack to free Anakin, only for a groan to reach my lips.

A downed lizard was nearby, part of its face badly burnt by blaster fire, the voices begged me to destroy it, to remind others why they were all beneath me.

With a new focus, I thrust out a hand, black energy slamming into the beast and cooking it alive even as it screamed in pain.

The Force warned of an attack, the HUD directing me to the object moving patiently slowly through the air.

A flick of my hand, and the object changed direction, hurtling back toward its source.

Turning back to my true prey, the voices whispered for me to destroy everything. I resisted them, my attention only on saving my family.

Another roar escaped me, one that drove back everything nearby.

In the time I’d been distracted, the vessel had slipped from view.

I turned, my boot denting the deck as I stalked towards a nearby living target.

It lay on the ground, one hand clasped pathetically over the other shoulder, trying vainly to remove the blade embedded past the hilt there.

Green blood flowed from the wound, soaking the deck, which delighted me.

My boot slammed into its chest and pinned it to the ground. “Where are they heading?” I demanded, pulling the shoto to my hand and igniting it.

The beast muttered something so quiet, that the armour couldn’t pick it up. Blood flowed from its mouth.

Infuriated at the lack of help, I lifted my foot and then drove it down again, the Force doing as I demanded to strengthen the blow.

The chest of the beast crashed and cracked inward; blood, bone and sinew were sent flying as I destroyed its body.

Twisting my heel, ensuring the pathetic creature was ground beneath me, I turned, searching for another source of information.

A familiar snarl drew my attention, my anger easing slightly as I saw Fenrir standing watch over Simvyl.

The Cathar was wounded; the HUD reported four blaster burns and a dozen cuts, all of which were bleeding.

Regaining my focus, I rushed toward him, his eyes drawn to the squelching of my boot as I neared.

Knowing his condition before I reached him, I pulled bacta patches from my belt as I slid to a halt at his side.

Inside rage burnt at his failure to protect Anakin, and those hushed voices returned, demanding I punish Simvyl for the failure. I pushed those away, knowing he couldn’t have done much better against the odds he faced, and that, once healed, he’d join me in hunting those responsible down and rewarding them for their choices.

“S-sorry,” he murmured as I placed the first patch against his calf, easing the pain from the initial wound. At the same time, the HUD worked to determine which wounds needed bacta and which didn’t. While the cuts from claws shouldn’t need much to heal, I’d still want him to clean them. You never knew what those lizards carried.

“You did what you could.” My tone was cold and business-like as I worked to restrain my anger. He wasn’t the cause nor target of it and didn’t need to endure it. “Fenrir, stay,” I said as I stood a moment later, patches now covering the more serious wounds while others rested beside the Cathar so he could apply them himself.

Fenrir growled, not liking the order, but obeyed as I turned, moving toward the exit from the bay. I had to get to Anakin, which meant getting to Raven first.

I opened the Battlenet, wanting to determine the quickest route to my vessel, even considering Teleporting there to expedite matters. I was cautious about doing so, but it would be the fastest way to reach Raven. Or it would’ve if she was still in her bay.

“Query: Has the battle finished Master?” HK asked as I turned, looking to where my target had fled and seeing the wonderful, incredible sight of Raven entering.

“H… She let you fly her?” I asked the droid, trying to work out how Raven had gotten here without me at the controls. While she could stomach others watching her while we travelled through hyperspace, that was the extent of her leash for allowing anyone but me to be in command.

“Answer: No, Master. The vessel is still reluctant to allow me to take the helm.” I bit back an unwelcome – purely because of timing – burst of amusement at HK’s answer. “Explanation: The ship chose to fly herself here. It seems it understood the severity of the situation. Addendum: If I had been ten-point-three-two seconds slower she would have departed without me.”

“Huh.”

Any response beyond that didn’t come as I watched Raven guide herself into the bay. She turned over the spot where Anakin’s captors had fled from and without even landing, began to lower her ramp as I approached.

Pausing as I reached the ramp, I turned, seeing that Simvyl had stood and was using Fenrir as a crutch.

“Wha!” Simvyl panicked for a moment as he was lifted from the deck, several of the bacta patches slipping from his grasp as it frantically flailed to recover.

“Relax,” I said as I pulled my hand to my chest, dragging the floating Cathar to me.

“I…, thanks,” he said softly as I lowered him onto the ramp. It wasn’t touching the deck as Raven wasn’t landing, so I’d had to lift him to speed things up.

“You’re welcome. Fenrir,” I said as the tuk’ata reached my side, “escort him to the medibay and then wait.”

The tuk’ata leapt onto the ramp and gently pushed the Cathar deeper into Raven. Once the path was clear, I leapt up, the ramp beginning to close as soon as my boots touched the deck.

“Good girl,” I said, running my fingertips over her skin.

The lights around me flickered, Raven happy to have me back onboard mixed with fear for Anakin, and a moment later I was running through her corridors.

“Statement: The ship is ready for departure, Master,” HK offered as I entered the cockpit. “Shields and missiles are ready.”

“Good.” I slid into my chair, the seat sliding to partially encompass me, and strengthening my bond to Raven even as she eased herself out of the bay.

“Query: Who has taken the young builder, Master?”

“Trandoshans.” The word came out in a growl, one enhanced by the armour giving it a deeper, more metallic sound.

The communication channel was bleeping, demanding attention. That was either the station’s dockmaster or possibly even security as the HUD had detected some arriving just as we left. Regardless, they could fuck off as I had other things to deal with, and if I saw security I’d struggle to contain my rage at them letting those beasts onto the station in the first place.

“Observation: It has been some time since I’ve hunted them, Master. Loading tactical subsets and tactics for the species.”

“Once we’ve got Anakin back, you’ve got free reign,” I said as my hands closed around Raven’s controls. While the armour dulled the connection, it still brought me comfort to be back here.

“Exclamation: How exciting, Master. I look forward to demonstrating my skill.”

I didn’t reply to his comment, instead focusing on the system we were in. Raven’s sensors were scanning every nearby vessel while I was pushing out into the Force. Thousands of vessels were moving around, as while this was a minor system in Republic terms, it had a population of over a billion.

Closing my eyes, I dove into the Force, Raven at my side. Reaching outward, it didn’t take long to find Anakin’s presence. While he hid it from others, with the bond we shared, finding it was as simple as finding fresh water while standing next to a mountain stream. “There.”

Raven turned before I even moved the controls, vectoring toward our prey. We cut across the nose of a transport three- or four-times Raven’s size, letting us see the panicked reaction of the pilot as we skimmed the other vessel’s hull.

Emerging around the transport, Raven pulled up our target; the smoke trailing from the destroyed engine made it easy to find. “Thank you,” I said to Raven, letting her know how grateful I was for her actions and response to my needs. In response, extra power poured into her thrusters, pushing us toward our prey.

Raven ducked, dove, and slid past any vessel that crossed our path, her intent toward the lizard’s ship clear to all. It didn’t take them long to realise we were hunting them, and it pushed forward faster, though, with one of their sublight engines destroyed, they had no hope of escaping us.

“Target engines only,” I ordered as we cleared the last vessel between us and the beasts who’d taken my son.

As the missile racks locked on, Raven alerted me to a half-dozen ships closing on us from behind. They were coming from two vectors, and given their shared markings and size, it was clear they were station or system patrol craft. None would reach us before we engaged the lizards, but I wasn’t taking the chance they’d try and stop us boarding.

“This is Jedi Knight Cameron Shan,” I said into the comm channel Raven opened with the closest patrol craft. “The vessel we’re bearing down upon is crewed by Trandoshans who’ve kidnapped my s… my Padawan. Stay back or I will consider you hostile.”

I closed the channel after sending my threat, not concerned about how they might respond. This close locking onto Anakin’s emotions was easy. Given how dull they felt, I suspected the lizards had stunned him to avoid him causing a problem. That meant they’d likely removed his armour as it would block all but the strongest – and those most dangerous – stun devices. Since Anakin didn’t have a Padawan braid, or at least I’d not insisted he tie one into his hair while we were leaning into my status as Mando’ade, the lizards shouldn’t know they’d captured a Force user, which meant they wouldn’t have secured him properly.

Still, the fact they’d laid hands upon my son, never mind hurt him, meant the whispers were back. They made clear the lizards deserved to pay, preferably slowly and painfully, for their actions, and while I was struggling to not give in to those suggestions, I was rejecting them for now. The reason for that wasn’t some attempt to remain honourable, but because I was sensing others nearby Anakin. Given their presences were frightened and chaotic, I suspected the beast who’d captured them, were either slavers or enjoyed hunting children. Once those children were, along with Anakin, safe, then HK would have free reign; so much so that I’d be willing to watch how he dealt with the creatures, perhaps even insisting he ensure their deaths were slow and painful.

A desire to send those walking boots to meet their gods embarrassed and defeated rushed through me as we neared range for the missiles. It would be a fitting reward for them and their false idol.

Four missiles streaked away from under Raven’s wings, the launchers having reached maximum range. I watched the surge forward, bearing down on their target, ready to stop my prey in its tracks and leave them weak and ripe for extermination.

“NO!” I screamed as, just before the missiles struck, the target jumped to hyperspace. I pushed back, the urge to lash out only tempered by knowledge I couldn’t, wouldn’t hurt Raven in my fury. “Kriff! Kriff! Kriff!” I roared, clenching my fists so that I swore I heard the beskar groan in protest.

“Statement: Plotting flight vector and determining routes to Trandosha or known pirate havens.”

After taking a deep breath, promising to find Anakin and butcher every lizard near him, if not in the entire galaxy, I leaned forward. “I sensed others on the vessel. They might be gathering children for hunts.”

“Amendment: Altering search patterns for worlds that are remotely inhabited and similar to Trandoshan homeworld. Addendum: Factoring in closeness to nearby systems with strong security forces or Republic influence. Assessment: Primary list of locations will be available in ten-point-three-two minutes. However, it will take another sixteen-point-seven-three minutes to prepare rankings based on probability of use.”

I growled, angered at my failing to protect Anakin. It wasn’t that I’d lost him that rankled though, it was that instead of the Jedi or Banite Sith taking my Padawan, son, and the Force-damned Chosen One, it was a group of shabuire walking handbags. I’d never liked Trandoshans, but in that moment, they might be the single thing I hated most in the galaxy. Beyond even my fury toward Vosa about what she’d put me through. Haran, even the Vong had more honour than those overgrown, self-indulgent lizards.

The rage to head to Trandosha and burn it to ash, to turn every monument to the Scorekeeper to glass and soak them in the blood of his failed worshippers surged through me, burning like a beacon of pure, unrestrained hatred within the Force. I wasn’t sure how long I sat there, breathing deeply, pushing what anger I could into the Force and bottling the rest deep down inside, but eventually, I recovered enough that images of the multitude of ways I could butcher and skin Trandoshans slipped from the forefront of my thoughts.

The communication console was beeping incessantly, system security and defence no doubt frantically trying to reach me. Looking at it, I considered ignoring the hails and jumping after the lizards, but without knowledge of where they might head, there was little point. Raven would overshoot them with ease, and then I’d have no way to know where to go.

Perhaps, I realised, it was better to speak with the station’s commander. They should have records of the Trandoshans’ vessel, including, hopefully, details of where it’d come from. If not, then there were some Trandoshans who had survived the battle in the bay. I was sure they’d be more than willing to tell me where they’d come from, and where their companions had fled. If not, then HK would be more than capable of extracting any relevant data from them before they were exterminated like the vermin they were.

… …