A New Player in the Force

A few hours later, I found myself standing in the main landing bay as the Jedi vessel – which was one of the raiders that Dooku took with him – touched down.

In that time – beyond dealing with a few more minor, annoying issues for the Lokella – I’d mentally gone over the possible reasons for a High Council member to accompany Dooku back to this system.

While there was a chance it was simply to satiate his curiosity about the Pius Dea ship, I was more inclined to believe that the High Council, or at least a faction within it, had all but ordered Dooku to allow a member to accompany him.

As far as I knew, Koon wasn’t a member of this faction that I felt was centred around Windu and Belfarr, so he may have been the neutral choice, but until I knew where he stood concerning me and my position within the Order, I was going to have to be careful about what I said around him. Which probably also rang true for any Jedi assigned to study this massive vessel.

Though given the fact the engines had been destroyed at some point in the past – whether from whatever event caused it to become stranded here or the general wear-and-tear of time, I couldn’t say – the Lokella had taken to referring to it as a station and named it. One, like many of the names they had chosen, I had a feeling was less going to be than thrilled about.

“Why have other Jedi come with Master Dooku?” Maan asked from my far right where he stood with Baalta. On my left were Pad and a Rodian named Tweq. These four comprised the leadership of the Lokella, which I guess, was why so much useless crud was brought to me as they couldn’t make decisions with four votes.

This situation, which I had only just learnt about, explained why I had had to deal with so many issues over the past few days and why I now stood with this ruling council to greet the Jedi.

“As I explained before, this ship is ancient. I suppose that the Jedi, who were active in the galaxy even back then, have an interest in the history of the place and any knowledge it might contain in its databanks.”

“They will not force us to return to the Republic?”

I gave Tweq a shake of my head. “Unlikely. While I admit my knowledge of salvage law is lacking, I think the fact you are in control of this vessel and the system grants you some protection from being forcibly removed.”

“If they try to make us…” Pad growled out as the ramp hissed and began to lower.

“Then you’ll be leaving,” I replied with another shake of my head. “All of them are more powerful and better trained than I with the Force. Master Koon is a member of the High Council while Master Fay is… far older than her appearance belies.” That was a half-truth. Since I was now considered a Vergence in the Force like Anakin, the depths of my power were beyond any current Jedi.

However, the part about the lack of training was most certainly true. I lacked the real-world experience of using the Force in a real battle, outside of a few small instances, that beings like Fay, Dooku and Koon had accumulated. With time, however, that disadvantage would be removed.

“You like her,” Baalta whispered as she gave me a gentle push with her elbow, only to suck in her breath as the Jedi stepped onto the temple-ship. “Hmm, oh hello there.” A shiver went up my spine at the way she said those words.

I felt my brow rise as I saw the three Jedi Masters I expected, plus Jocasta Nu, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Knight Pana and one other who I did not recognize exit the raider. My eyes travelled to the youngest, and only unknown, of the arriving Jedi.

The Twi’lek looked to be in her mid-teens and had a skin tone that was royal purple which had me mentally wondering which of her and Baalta had the darker shade of purple. And if the colour was the same shade all over.

I shook my head, clearing those thoughts – and cursed the beginning of puberty – as I considered why everyone else was here. Master Nu, and the two who were following her, were almost certainly here to study the Pius Dea vessel. Fay and Dooku were here because of me, with Koon having been sent by the High Council. However, seeing Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan again was a surprise.

Maan stepped forward and bowed, “Master Jedi, welcome to the ShaDo system.”

I bit my tongue to avoid groaning at him using the name the Lokella had chosen for the system.

“I was unaware this system had any official name,” Plo Koon stated calmly even as his eyes found mine.

“We chose the name a few days ago. It honours those who helped free us from our enslavement,” Tweq explained as I saw Fay’s lip twitch.

“Hmm, that would be Master Dooku and Padawan Shan, correct?” Tweq nodded in answer to the council member’s question. “I must admit, I am curious about why the student comes before the teacher.”

“With respect, we owe Mtael more than Jedi Master Dooku,” Maan explained as Baalta gave me another gentle elbow poke. “His actions during the reprisal are the reason any of us are here to greet your arrival.”

“That sounds like a most interesting story,” Koon said, rubbing the base of his breathing mask. “One I, and my fellow Jedi, would greatly like to hear. Ah, but where are my manners. I am Jedi Master Plo Koon, representative of the Jedi High Council. These are Jedi Masters Fay and Jinn and Padawan Kenobi and over there is Jedi Master Nu and her support staff; Knight Pana and Padawan Sitra. I believe you are already acquainted with Master Dooku.”

My eyes turned back to Nu’s party, as I placed a name to the Padawan. Sitra was not a name I could remember hearing from my time as an Initiate. However, given that my interactions back then had centred around only one of ten clans, that wasn’t a huge surprise.

“I am Maan Lonwin. This is Tweq Ruhn, Baalta Iradel and Pad Keba. We along with Padawan Shan comprise the governing council of the Lokella.”

“What?!” I called out, my head snapping around to look at the leaders of the Lokella so fast I swore I heard my neck crack. “I never… When… What?” I paused, ignored the chuckles from everyone except Dooku and Pad – though the Jedi did at least smile at my reaction – and took a second to process that I had somehow been placed on this council without my prior knowledge; or permission.

In retrospect, it fully explained why the Lokella had been coming to me for weeks to handle small issues before the battle, and why I was involved in almost every decision taken since. But it left me in an awkward position.

“I was not told about this,” I said slowly, having gotten my emotions under control. “And if I was, I would not have accepted.”

“That is why we didn’t inform you directly, Mtael,” Baalta replied with a grin that exposed a few teeth as she leaned against me and I kept my eyes up, ignoring the way her breasts rubbed against my shoulder. “You are far too noble to seek such a position.”

“Yet without your actions, we would all either be dead or still enslaved. For that, your position was unanimous,” Maan finished as I spotted Obi-Wan cover his face with his robes, which made me glare at him. Though that only served to make his amusement even more obvious as his shoulders began to shake.

“Indeed? Then I am now even more intrigued as to what a mere Padawan, even one as skilled as young Cameron here, did that would grant him such an esteemed position,” Koon said in a tone that did nothing to hide his amusement at my situation and reaction. “Perhaps we might retire so you can regale us with the story?”

“Of course, Master Jedi,” Maan replied with a small bow. “We have prepared one of the smaller rooms on this station as a conference room.”

“I thought this was a starship?” Obi-Wan blurted out, earning him a short glare from Dooku.

“It is. However, without working engines, and given its location in orbit of the planet below, we have decided to refer to it as a station. It avoids confusion as to its function,” Tweq replied. He was in charge of the technical and engineering areas of Lokella operations and had been the first to suggest the designation change. I wasn’t aware of the name given to it yet, but I had a bad feeling it was going to be another name that I disliked.

“Of course, though perhaps you could arrange for someone to escort Master Nu and her team to the main computer terminal. They are eager to begin their investigations regarding this impressive structure’s history.”

“Certainly,” Maan called off to one of the children floating around the place and directed them to act as guides for Nu and her team.

Those teenagers, when not following me around like a pack of lost dogs or running messages between areas of the station that still lacked internal comms, spent most of their time in one of the grand halls that I had helped convert into a training centre.

“Was Tedra accepted into the Order?” I asked Dooku as I fell into step beside him and Fay. Koon was at the front with Maan and Tweq as Baalta had moved up close to Obi-Wan. While Obi-Wan seemed unsure of why that was, the way his eyes roamed her body indicated he wasn’t upset about the situation, even as I fought off a sudden wave of envy at seeing him close to her.

Pad, as always, followed along at the rear, muttering a few things under his breath.

Thankfully, since the attack – and then the failed attempt to attack the Mandalorians – he’d become more isolated among the Lokella as it seemed that news of his delay in following my orders had resulted in the deaths of team three.

While I doubted it would have made any difference if he had listened, the perception that he’d been more willing to put himself above others in a time of crisis had cost him a good deal of support. Though sadly not enough to remove him from the governing council.

“While there were a few reservations, she was placed with one of the Initiate clans,” Dooku responded. “The Council was curious about what we had discovered here, and upon learning about this craft, felt they needed to examine it; hence why Masters Koon and Nu, and her team, accompanied Master Fay back.”

“And I felt that learning something about the history of the Republic would do Obi-Wan some good,” Qui-Gon added in, and I glanced around to see that Baalta had hooked her arm around Obi-Wan’s, both of them smiling as they talked quietly to each other.

A frown passed across my brow as I pushed down a sudden feeling of jealousy before I turned my attention back to where we were going while silently cursing, again, the early onset of puberty.

“How did the Lokella fare during the battle?” Dooku asked, seemingly unbothered by my reaction to Baalta’s closeness to Obi-Wan, though I caught the faintest of smiles dancing over Fay’s lips.

“Ah, so this is the Butcher,” Nia’s voice cut off my reply as we reached an intersection to find her leaning against a doorframe that led to one of the converted halls where combat training took place.

“I beg your pardon?” Dooku asked, his hand moving slowly towards his lightsaber as his eyes locked on Nia; or more likely, the Death Watch logo on her armour. Though that emblem now had a sliver bar across it.

“Be at ease Jedi. I do not wish to fight you, nor do I any longer follow the ways of Death Watch,” she paused and gave me a wink at that. “I merely wished to meet the man responsible for training the adiik’s bajur. And the Butcher of Galidraan.”

Dooku’s knuckles whitened as he gripped the hilt of his lightsaber. “That battle was… a mistake. One brought on by the failure of the Order to investigate before acting.”

My eyes shifted from Dooku to Koon, but he seemed unbothered by his fellow Jedi’s harsh words at the lack of foresight shown by the High Council, who had sanctioned the mission.

“It was a good battle,” Nia replied slowly. “While I am not overjoyed that it led to the death of several of my fellow Mandalorians, they died as warriors. For that, and the behaviour of your Padawan, I bear you no ill will.”

She paused and turned her attention to me even as she spoke once more to Dooku. “Your hibir, your Padawan, fights well, a testament to your training.”

I could hear Dooku take a few measured breaths before he replied.

“While I do not concern myself that he impresses a member of Death Watch, neither I nor Master Fay can claim all the credit for his abilities. Young Cameron is… gifted in a way few Jedi are.”

Dooku’s words were measured and precise, but it was easy for everyone to catch the insult aimed at Nia’s former life choice.

Nia did not respond however, instead, she gave me another once-over before turning to glance behind her.

After a subtle nod, another of her group came out of the room where she had come from, Thur Ordo.

He licked his lips twice before he spoke. “Master Jedi, I am Thur Ordo, and I was wondering if you might confirm something for me,” he began, his fingers gently tapping against his leg until Nia glared at him.

Thur was in his early twenties – twenty-two according to Observe – and while not particularly tall, was broad-shouldered and well-built. He, like the other Mandalorians, had spent time training the Lokella, but I caught him glancing my way often when I entered the room. Perhaps this impromptu meeting would reveal why.

“And what is that?” Dooku began, though I noted that he shared a blink-and-you’d-miss-it look with Fay.

“During the battle, your Padawan stated he was the descendant of the Jedi Knight Bastila Shan and the Sith Lord Revan. Is this true?”

Every Jedi turned to look at me, and while all were curious about why I had revealed that, only Dooku showed any sign of annoyance as his brow began to knot.

“I was challenged by their leader and he stated his name and clan. I felt it appropriate to reply in kind,” I explained, unconcerned with the gazes of four Jedi Masters upon me.

“As he should have,” Nia added, drawing the attention of Koon and Jinn. Fay and Dooku focused on me. “It was a good duel until Girk dishonoured himself.”

[Did you plan this?] Dooku asked in my mind.

[No, master. I was seeking a way to end the battle without any further loss of life.]

[And this required you to reveal your ancestry? To a group of Mandalorians?] Fay asked, making me realise this was a telepathic group chat.

[Their leader identified himself fully, and from what I have learnt about their people, there was a fair chance he’d not accept my challenge if I didn’t respond in kind. I didn’t see much of an issue with it as what I said referred to people dead for millennia.]

[We will discuss this matter at a later date,] Dooku stated with certainty before he turned to look at the pair of Mandalorians. “While neither I nor Master Fay are concerned about his familial bloodlines, the Padawan is indeed the descendant of Bastila Shan and Revan.”

“Th-this is confirmed by the Jedi Council?” Thur asked, his eyes wide, as he turned to Koon, who nodded.

“Indeed. While we were, reluctant, to believe his story, every piece of evidence supported it. As such, the Jedi Council has accepted it. As has the Chancellor of the Republic.” Koon explained, doing an admirable job of ignoring the crap I’d had to deal with from council member Belfarr since arriving in this era regarding my ancestry and early time in the Order.

“This is a waste of time,” Pad muttered, drawing my attention. His lekku twitched and he shuffled back half a step as both Mandalorians fixed him with glares that would have left the Twi’lek a pile of ash if they were capable of doing so.

I made a quick mental note to ask if such a thing was possible with the Force, though I was well aware if anything like that did exist, it would be a dark side power, even as Koon spoke once more.

“Perhaps we might table discussions regarding the Padawan’s lineage until after the debriefing,” he said in his usual, slightly muffled voice. “Would you be willing to join us?” he asked Nia and Thur. “I am curious how two former members of a terrorist organization ended up in this place.”

Nia gave him a half-grin that exposed a few of her teeth. “Provided we are not required to reveal anything I have already stated we won’t.” Her smile widened as she looked at me, as did everyone else.

“I, uh, may have cut a deal with the Mandalorians to learn more about who was responsible for this operation and the attack,” I explained. “And the true leaders are under guard a few levels for here to await justice from the Republic.”

Ok, it was more Nia stating her terms and me agreeing to them as, firstly, they were willing to reveal who was behind the operation, and secondly, I’d hoped they’d leave soon after.

Instead, they had stayed, apparently to confirm my lineage, though why that was important to them, I didn’t know. Hopefully, the meeting might reveal some of the reasons why.

As for the attackers facing justice, it was unlikely. This system, while nominally in Republic space, was so close to Hutt space that I suspected the Republic would wash their hands of the whole thing to avoid upsetting the Hutts. Which was just bullshit, but something that could be used to galvanise the Lokella in their fight against slavery.

“A logical decision Padawan, and one I may have well made in your place,” Koon said before turning back to Nia and Thur. “Very well. I will honour the deal Padawan Shan has negotiated.”

Nia smirked “Good.”

“Excellent, now I believe we have dallied long enough,” Koon stated as he turned to face Tweq and Maan.

“Yes, right this way.”

Maan took the lead and we began to walk, Nia and Thur falling into step behind myself, Fay and Dooku.

Neither of my masters spoke, and the closer we got to the conference room, the more I was dreading how the Lokella would play up my actions during the attack. And the way the other Jedi would react to the Lokella’s descriptions.

… …

Two hours later, after listening to the Lokella, and Nia, detail the battle – and sing my praises to the Jedi – I found myself in a smaller room with both my masters and Plo Koon.

“While I will leave this discussion to your masters, I will state that I am impressed with your actions here. Even if they were, perhaps, unorthodox,” Plo began, his mask hiding enough of his face that I couldn’t read anything from it. “Also, I believe that Master Giiett may wish to speak with you when you return to the Temple about both your findings of Decca the Hutt’s actions and your path within the Order.”

He gave both Fay and Dooku nods, which they returned, before leaving the room, the doors hissing closed behind him.

The three of us stood in silence before Fay sighed.

“Cameron, while we are impressed with your actions in the battle, and your ease with Battle Meditation, we are concerned that you may have gone too far in invoking fear in the minds of the attackers and by speaking directly to the minds of the Lokella,” she began. Her voice was gentle, but there was a hint of concern in her tone. “Do you understand why?”

“For the attackers, it was a mistake,” I began slowly, having figured this talk was coming and already decided on my reasoning. “I just wanted them to leave without attacking and hoped that scaring them would be successful in driving them away to avoid loss of life.”

“While the end goal is preferred, influencing the minds of others to invoke fear is not something the High Council would approve of,” Dooku said as I took note of the fact that he did not say he had an issue with my actions towards the attackers.

“Yes, Master.”

“And the Lokella? Do you understand why this action is considered a more troublesome action than invoking fear in others?” Fay asked slowly, her eyes locking on to mine even as the interface noted an attempt to sense my emotional state.

“Because influencing minds is dangerous and, if not understood, a path that easily leads to the dark side,” I replied, quoting from one of my early lessons with Master Rancisis about the effects of Battle Meditation.

“Yes. What you were not told when you began your training with Battle Meditation, was that being able to directly plant words and thoughts in the mind of another can allow a user of the Force to not only alter someone’s memories but even if taken to the extreme, allow one to control the minds of others.” Explained Dooku, his lips pinched to one side.

I ignored the new Force Power alert notices that appeared as I countered. “I didn’t force my way into Baalta’s mind, or any of the others. They opened themselves to me.”

Fay raised an open hand, her palm facing me. “We are aware of that, and her words were truthful when she revealed this to us and Master Koon. However, many in the Order would not believe you or would seek to… caution you about what you did.

“While we do not agree with those individuals, we need you to be aware that they exist.”

I nodded. “I think I know who you are talking about,” I said as images of Windu and Belfarr appeared in my mind’s eye. They had been the most vocal about me being a Jedi and the way I did things and I could see them trying to use what had happened here to paint me in a bad light.

“Good, now there are a few other issues we wish to discuss.” Fay moved to a small table in the room and sat, Dooku and I following.

“While you have been travelling with Master Dooku, I have visited several of the relocation sites for the Shadda-Bi-Borans. While most are doing well, in no small part to the steady supply of money being routed to them from your first literacy masterpiece, one colony has failed. About three million beings perished before the remainder could be evacuated in time.”

My brow creased at hearing that. Forgetting about the quest, just having that many beings die was not an easy thing to hear.

“The deaths are not your fault,” Fay added, likely having sensed my discomfort through our Force Bond, “the planet was struck by a rogue meteor that was not discovered in the initial scans of the system.”

“Master Fay is correct. Indeed, without your actions and support, I sense a great many more Borans would have died when their star began to die, and the planet’s ecosystem collapsed.”

“I know. But I’m still angry about the initial reaction of people on Coruscant, and I would assume beyond, to their plight. I mean, wearing kerchiefs and armbands made of Shadda silk? That’s nothing but paper support.”

Fay smiled, though her lips were pressed tightly together. “Sadly, many in the galaxy will only offer words of support instead of taking action.”

“Deeds not actions are what matter,” Dooku added in agreement. “A fact sadly lost on many; civilian and Jedi alike.”

A moment of silence passed between the three of us before Fay spoke.

“On a related note, I have spoken to the publishing site regarding your next work of fiction. They are preparing to publish it; however, I discovered that a flaw was made in the release of ‘Fellowship of the Ring’.

“It appears, either due to an error on young Miss Naberrie’s part, or that of the publishers, that your first work was initially only published across Coruscant and its sector. This allowed the more unscrupulous publishers to release the book across other sectors without either your consent or with any intention of sending the proceeds to the Refugee Relief Movement.”

“Can we recover those funds?” I asked as I quickly handled the numbers in my head. If Fellowship sold sixty million copies across Coruscant, a planet with a population of around a trillion people, earning the RRM over eight million credits, then it should have sold for two or three times that, at least, across the galaxy.

My brow knotted as I realised, money earmarked for relief efforts had been taken by those other publishers and I had to take a deep breath to calm myself.

“While it is possible, the litigation would take years to clear the courts, and then there is the likely chance of them trying to overturn any decision that went against them,” Dooku explained with a tone that hinted at his annoyance about a related subject.

“True. To counter this, your publishers are establishing rights for your next work, and anything else you publish, in every sector from the Deep Core to the Outer-Rim. It will take time, but they have assured me that they will not release the Two Towers until they have done so.” Fay added, detailing the actions that were going to take place.

I nodded, only to pause as a random thought that kept bouncing around my head came back to the forefront.

“Um, why are you both so... comfortable with me publishing these stories, and making millions in credits from them?” The way of the Jedi prohibited the acquisition of wealth, yet neither of my masters had argued against me publishing either ‘The Fellowship’ or the ‘Two Towers’.

The pair shared a look before Dooku answered.

“While we are not overly comfortable with you earning credits so brazenly, we understand that your motivations are to help others, for example, the Borans, and to fund the goals of the coalition. Neither Master Fay nor I are blind to the simple fact that accomplishing what has been discussed will require significant capital. And since we agree with you that this is not a matter for any outside the Order, or even our group currently, we are willing to look past our concerns. For now.”

“We would, however, like to know what your plans are with the new book,” Fay tacked on as she leaned forward, her lips twisting upwards.

“I, um, was thinking that I could divert some of the funds to help the Lokella. I mean, they currently only have three beaten-down patrol ships and a freighter for defence. Not to mention that they lack supplies to establish a small colony on the surface and prepare defences for any reprisal from the Decca the Hutt, or attacks for random pirates or slavers.” I replied, starting slowly to make it seem like I was unsure of my intentions. Which I was.

I had not been expecting the information that I’d lost millions of credits because of unscrupulous arseholes around the galaxy.

With the, hopefully, massive increase in my credit flow, I was going to have to think carefully about how to use the rest of the funds.

“That is a worthy goal. One we are more than willing to help you accomplish,” Dooku said, the slightest of smiles beginning to creep onto his face. “And your other plans?”

“I, uh, don’t have any,” I replied as I scratched the back of my neck. “I wasn’t expecting to learn about the loss of credits from Fellowship.”

“Understandable. Perhaps it would help if, over the coming days, we discussed possible ventures that might serve our goals, though only in private.” Fay suggested.

“Yes, master.”

“Yes. I will speak with Qui-Gon and see if he has any suggestions of his own,” Dooku added as he stood. “Now, however, I think Master Fay would be interested in a tour of Mtael’s Gift.”

I groaned loudly at him using the name given to the station as Fay also stood. I did not approve of the name, but after hearing the first choice – Shan’s Legacy – I had to accept that it would only resonate with those who knew that I was Mtael to the Lokella. As I stood and began to follow the two Jedi Masters, I opened the notices.

Force Power Discovered!

Dominate Mind

The ability to take control of the mind of another.

While difficult to resist, those with great mental fortitude and/or a strong connection to the Force have a chance to do so.

It is regarded as a dark side power by most.

…

WARNING!

Dominate Mind is locked until Telepathy, Mind Probe and Alter Mind are all at Master:50 or greater.

…

Force Power Discovered!

Alter Mind

The ability to subtly remove the memories of other living beings.

At higher levels, it is possible to implant false memories that are indistinguishable from real ones.

…

WARNING!

Alter Mind is locked until Compulsion is at Savant:1 or greater and Mind Probe and Telepathy are at Professional:1 or greater.

…

It was interesting that Alter Mind was not considered ‘dark’, though I imagined that the High Council regarded it in a less than favourable light due to what it could lead to.

Both powers were currently out of my reach due to the interface placing restrictions on my direction of growth. And while I was not happy about that, I could see why having the grounding in other powers made sense.

I waved away the notices and followed my masters from the room to begin their tour of the station.

… …

… …

“This is the room I wished to show you,” Nia started as I, Fay and Dooku followed her into a room I couldn’t remember entering over the last month.

Like most rooms on the station, it was empty, lacking any sign of the formerly ornate decoration of a Pius Dea cathedral ship. However, unlike the larger great halls that I suspected had been sued for worship, the walls of this room were made of what appeared to be a unique alloy. It had a starkly different colour and texture than what was uniform within the rest of the station. Positioned around the room were several empty racks that looked to have held a variety of weapons in the distant past.

There were three small doors along the left side of the room that, thanks to my minimap having an overlay of the station’s corridors, I knew led to the holding cells where the leaders of the attack were being detained.

“Judging from the empty racks, I would guess that this was one of the training rooms used by Pius Dea soldiers,” Dooku offered, having spotted the same rack as I had.

“Yes, but that is not the main reason why I brought you here,” Nia said as she moved towards a raised platform with a circular console at the far end of the room. Its location gave it clear lines of sight of the whole place, and I suspected that it was used as a monitoring station.

“To be clear, this is not a prelude to an attack,” Nia added as she moved behind the console. “I simply felt that you needed to be made aware of what this room is capable of.”

“Continue,” Dooku stated through a tightened jaw while I noted the colour had drained a little from Fay’s cheeks. The two seemingly had a suspicion about what Nia was about to do.

There was a loud rumble and a hum as the walls started to vibrate very quickly. Almost becoming a haze. In fact, it seemed that the entire room we were in was becoming hazy. The air grew heavy, oppressive, and dense, and I felt as though a current was running along my skin.

Then, without any further warning, I heard a sharp, high-pitched sound and slapped my hands over my ears in an attempt to muffle it even as I noted Dooku stagger and Fay double over and fall to the floor as a warning notification flashed in my interface.

WARNING!

Force disruption field encountered.

While inside the field, all Force powers cost 1500% more to use and you suffer stamina loss at a rate of 1STAM/second.

…

Before any of us could call out, the field lifted, and the warning vanished.

“A… Force... Suppression... Field.” Dooku explained slowly, his words separated by his breaths. Fay had slowly risen from the floor to a kneeling position, trying to catch her breath while I was able to stand fully now that the deafening noise was gone.

“Are you ok?” I asked her, concerned. While it was indeed severely uncomfortable, neither Dooku nor I had as adverse of a reaction as she did.

“It...will pass,” Fay murmured.

“I guess...the rumours are true then,” Dooku said, still taking halting breaths. “I had my suspicions, as your people don't age quite as well as you.”

“When five-hundred years old we reach, look as good we will not, hmm?” I said in my best Yoda impression. Three sets of incredulous eyes turned to me, although likely for different reasons.

“Five? Try Seven,” Fay corrected gently.

My eyebrows flew up. Even though I knew she was old, I didn't expect her to be that old. She was in fact, closer to Yoda's age than Yaddle was!

“But in any case,” She continued, rising from the floor. “It does lead to some harsh drawbacks when dealing with restraints meant for Jedi.”

I shuddered, not wanting to think about how that would feel to have relied on the Force for that long, only to have it cut off, even temporarily. If that was what a disruption field felt like, I couldn't even begin to think of the pain involved when a being was cut off from the Force permanently.

I suspected that the reason I was not as severely affected by the field was due to the interface, but I couldn’t reveal that and began thinking of excuses for the questions that were incoming. Nor could I comment on the fact the room disrupted the Force, not suppressed it as Dooku had said.

“Yes. I believe this room was used by the Pius Dea to either fight with or torture captured Jedi,” Nia explained as she moved back over to us, her eyes lingering on Fay “I do apologize for your increased discomfort, Master Jedi. I did not know how gravely it would affect you, nor was it my intent to exploit such a vulnerability.” Fay nodded her forgiveness, and Nia's eyes travelled to me. “You seem less disorientated than your masters.”

I shrugged. “Probably because I’m younger, and thus less in tune with the Force, or because I learnt how to go without it before joining the Order.” I bullshitted.

“Perhaps. Regardless, the fact that you can endure it says much about your character,” Nia said, her eyes for the hundredth time – I had been counting – examined me closely. “Most impressive.”

“That was indeed…unpleasant,” Fay said as she stood tall, the colour returning to her cheeks. “But beyond revealing this to us, why did you bring us here?”

Nia sized Fay up before chuckling. “Very well. I brought you here as I wish to spar with your Padawan in a place that nullifies his connection to the Force.” I noted a quest alert had been generated and opened it.

Quest Alert!

Proof of Power [ɸ]

Prove your defeat of her husband was no fluke, nor because of your connection to the Force.

Rating: B

Objectives:

(i) Survive five minutes in a spar with Nia Vizsla in a location that, supposedly negates your Force Connection.

(ii) Win by drawing first blood

Bonus: ?

Rewards:

(i) 2000XP

A reputation increase with former Death Watch members on the Mtael’s Gift station.

(ii) 800XP

A large reputation increase with Nia Vizsla.

Failure:

-800XP

A loss of reputation with former Death Watch members the Mtael’s Gift station.

Accept?

Yes/No

(30)

…

“For what purpose?” Dooku demanded as he stepped between me and Nia. I ignored the name of the station chosen by the Lokella as best I could. While I understood their reasoning behind it, I disliked the place being named after me.

“I wish to judge if he beat my husband with skill or the Force,” Nia replied not reacting in the slightest to Dooku’s protective gesture. “The spar would be until first blood or until five minutes have elapsed.”

“I’m game,” I answered, accepting the challenge and quest before the counter expired. While the field would restrict my Force abilities, with a fifteen hundred per cent increase in cost, that only made Precognition cost nine hundred FP a minute. After countering that with my regen of two-thirty, I could run the power for the entirety of the spar without issue and still have room to use at least two of Speed, Bullet-Time and Enhance Stat even with Telepathic-Shield still running (and now costing 300FP per minute). I discounted Speed and Bullet-Time as they would be too noticeable, but a sudden boost to my strength or agility at the right moment could possibly help me not just survive but win the duel.

“Padawan?” Dooku asked, turning his head to look at me.

“I’ll be fine. If she attempts anything, I have an entire station willing to hunt her down as well as eight Jedi,” I replied, which made Nia chuckle at the implied threat.

“He is right. If I wished him harm, I would have arranged this spar before you Jedi had arrived.”

“Be at peace Dooku,” Fay said, placing her hand on his shoulder. “She is being truthful, though there is more to her desire to spar than she had revealed.”

“As is to be expected of Death Watch, even former members,” Dooku growled out before the tension left his body, making his shoulders slump, and he stepped back. “Very well. But if you attempt to harm Cameron…”

“Understood,” Nia replied dismissively to the open-ended threat before walking across the room.

After removing my robes and handing my lightsaber to Dooku, I moved to the centre of the room.

She smiled as she spotted something hanging from my belt.

“Good, you still have it,” she said as I unsheathed the blade that Girk had thrown me before our duel.

The day after the attack, I had gone to return it to Nia, but she insisted I keep it saying; “You defeated Girk in combat, then ended him for his dishonour. By rite of combat, it is yours now.”

I had accepted that reluctantly, though that changed once I used Observe on the blade and discovered it was made of beskar. Now it was permanently attached to my belt, with one of the phrik-coated knives stored safely in my Inventory.

I watched as she reached the console, trying not to smirk as my masters both shimmied towards the door and braced themselves, and flicked on the disruption field. I grimaced at the noise, but thanks to knowing it was coming this time I was ready for it.

“Prepare yourself,” Nia stated as she pulled a knife of her own from her belt and stepped towards me.

Thanks to Precognition, I knew when and where every thrust, feint and attack she used was going and was easily able to avoid them, though I made sure to not be too obvious in doing so.

The time allowed me to note that her style, while still being aggressive, placed more emphasis on precision and speed than Beskar’rev; the martial art that Girk had used. Which made sense as Nia’s frame was far more flexible and agile than Girk’s.

I shifted backwards with one foot, barely avoiding a thrust and cursed my mind for letting it wander to the shape of Nia’s form.

“Concentrate,” Nia growled out even as she attacked again, having sensed my mind wandering.

Realising that I could easily survive the five minutes – thanks to Precognition – I decided to go on the offensive.

I activated Enhance Stat for Agility – knowing I could only run it for a minute under the force suppression field – and waited.

When Nia next attacked, I bent quicker than before, thanks to the force boost, and latched a hand onto Nia’s forearm.

Her eyes widened as I twisted and pulled, making her tumble past me.

She rolled, coming up to face me, her blade still in hand and snarled.

“I believe that is the spar,” Dooku stated.

Nia’s eyes darted to him, and he tapped his shoulder. She touched her own and blinked at finding her fingers stained red.

She chuckled once, then stood, slipping her blade back into her belt. “Most impressive.” Pivoting, she turned to Fay and Dooku. “Your Padawan serves you well.”

Fay smiled at her, though Dooku’s face did not indicate how he felt.

“You fought differently from your husband,” I commented as I slid my blade back into its sheath.

“Yes. That was Beskar’pel: Iron Skin in Basic. It focuses on movement and fluidity in attacks. Girk, as you are aware, fought with Beskar’rev; Iron Fist.”

I nodded. “Yeah, Thur had shown me the basics of style,” I replied. Thur had been kind enough to do so, and since that skill was now at Novice:10, I could train it without supervision. Just as I hoped I could do with Beskar’pel before the Mandalorians left. “Though I think your style would suit me more.”

Nia nodded as her lips crept upwards. “Yes, your current build, while far stronger than I would expect for one your age, is more suitable for Beskar’pel. If your masters agree, I am willing to show you the basics. On one condition.”

“Which is?” Dooku asked as he stepped closer to me, his hand once more moving towards his waist.

“That before he is thirteen, Cameron visits Mandalore, and Ordo,” Nia replied, and I felt my brow rise in a mixture of surprise and confusion.

“You wish for him to undergo the verd'goten?” Fay asked, making my head turn to her. Though not before seeing Nia’s brow rise.

“You… While that is not the only reason, I will not deny that that is something he should do once he arrives in Mandalorian space.” Nia explained, her eyes now locked on Fay, as were my own.

Nothing in any of our conversations of the last few years had hinted that she knew anything about Mandalorian culture. Then again, I had never spoken with her directly about the planet/people/culture. Only with Dooku.

“And the other reason you wish for him to visit?” Dooku asked, though his tone made it sound more like a demand as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“There is… a legend among many Mandalorians, especially Clan Ordo. While I am not well versed in it, Thur has told me the generalities. If young Cameron is truly a child of Revan…” Her voice trailed off and she turned to face me. Her eyebrows tilted downwards at the edges. “If he is, then it could change a great many things,” She finished, her voice now softer as her smile became tighter.

“We would like to know more than that.” Dooku’s tone was still firm.

Nia faced him, her body shifting to match his stance. “I am sure you would. However, it is an internal matter and while I do not place much importance on Republic or Jedi laws, the rights of member systems prevent you from demanding to know more than we are willing to reveal.” Her tone was clipped and precise, reminding me of times in my old life when I had asked for information that was above my pay grade.

“We will consider your offer,” Fay stated gently, attempting to defuse the stand-off between the two. “However, any such visit is unlikely for now as we and Cameron are needed here.”

Nia lowered her head at Fay's words. “Understandable. Still, the offer to visit stands, even if that is after your Padawan has reached the age of responsibility.”

Without saying anything more, or offering a goodbye, Nia walked past us and exited the room.

I watched her go, silently wondering what legend her people held about Revan. And how it linked to me. Was this linked to the hidden quest he had left me or was it due to actions taken by Canderous during his time as Mandalore?

Whatever the reason, I was curious, and I had been pushing Dooku to allow me to travel to the world.

“You are interested in what she has said,” Fay stated having picked up my thoughts through the Force Bond we shared.

“Yes. To know about my past, about my family…” I paused and sighed, running a hand through my hair, and instinctively flicking away the Padawan braid. “I know it isn’t the Jedi way…”

“But you wish to know more about your ancestry,” Dooku finished. I nodded and he grunted. “While I am, adverse, to letting you head to Mandalore, to deny you the chance to discover your roots would be hypocritical.” He paused, and after a moment, waved his hand to close the door with the Force.

“How much do you know of my past?”

I shrugged. “I know you were Yoda’s Padawan and that you came from an important family in the Outer Rim. But beyond that, and a few rumours that I think are nothing more than gossip, that’s it.”

“What you know is true. My family, the House of Dooku, is one of the six ruling families of Serenno. By chance or will of the Force, I met my family when I was a youngling. My father… was not a fan of the Jedi, though I did spend time connecting with my sister, Jenza. While the High Council frown upon us learning about our families, or making connections outside the Order, they fail to see that it is those connections that drive us to serve the galaxy. Not a corrupt and decadent Republic.” Dooku paused and closed his eyes. He sighed deeply before opening his eyes and meeting mine. “Thus, once we have finished here if the Force wills it, we will travel to Mandalore.”

I fought and failed, to keep a smile from my face.

“However, we will not be abandoning these people. Not after you have restored their faith in the Jedi and the Force,” he continued before his lips twitched and he turned towards the door. “Nor will I neglect the opportunity to enjoy their idolization of your actions.”

“Oh, come on,” I groaned out, which only made Fay laugh gently as she turned as well. “I thought it was against the Jedi way to allow people to idolise you?”

“It is,” Fay replied as they reached the door. “However, it is not us they are idolising. And it will motivate us to ensure you do not become enamoured with the Lokella’s newfound devotion to you.”

The doors closed behind them as a cold shiver went up my spine. While I knew they were joking, I had a bad feeling about where this would lead.

Ignoring the concern about the teasing the two were going to unleash on me regarding my status among the Lokella, I opened my newest notifications.

Quest Completed

Proof of Power [ɸ]

Objectives:

(i) Survive five minutes in a spar with Nia Vizsla in a location that, supposedly negates your Force Connection.

(ii) Win the spar [Yes]

[?] Do not use any overt force powers in the spar [No]

Rewards:

(i) 2000XP (+200XP)

A reputation increase with former Death Watch members on the Mtael’s Gift station.

(ii) 800XP (+80XP)

A large reputation increase with Nia Vizsla.

…

LEVEL UP!

Level: 20 ->21

FP: +650

PP: +2

STAM: +38

SP: +3

SKP: 20

…

Skill Learnt!

Martial Art: Beskar’pel

One of two traditional fighting styles of the Mando’ade.

Emphasizes fast, flowing, continuous strikes to take down opponents.

…

I smirked as began to leave the room. Boosted Growth was such a useful perk and I’d gained another new skill.

… …

… …

“On what planet is this fair?” I asked as I stood in one of the converted training rooms looking across the sparring area at Obi-Wan Kenobi, Rachi Sitra and Nodro Pana. All three were still wearing their robes; mine was lying in a heap beside my masters as I was not sparring in that. It just got in the way.

“You have handily defeated each of them in duels throughout the week,” Dooku replied from where he stood off to one side with Fay, Qui-Gon and a handful of Lokella, including Baalta who had started spending a lot of time around Obi-Wan. “We feel it would be a truer test of your skills if you engaged multiple opponents.”

“But three on one?” I countered as they all unclipped their lightsabers from their belts. Oh sure, I had a quest for this – One over Three, which was C ranked – but that wasn’t a factor in my reaction to the spar. The fact that I was expected to face off against more than one lightsaber-wielding opponent was.

“While we do not expect you to win, nor do we ever expect you to need to face off against multiple lightsaber-wielding foes at once, we wish to examine just how far you have come in your training,” Koon explained as his face shifted and I just knew he was smiling under his respirator.

“Hmm, I believe that Padawan Shan is correct,” Dooku muttered as he rubbed his beard. “The spar is unbalanced.”

I felt a tug at my waist, and my lightsaber flew across the room, into Dooku’s outstretched hand.

“Your goal remains the same, survive five minutes or win by defeating all three of your opponents,” he stated as he gripped my lightsaber, the corners of his lips twitching upwards as he spoke. “There is no shame in losing against superior odds.” A notice flashed in the corner of my interface, but I ignored it as I rapidly adjusted my strategy for the spar.

“Just do the best you can,” Fay added in, her smile easier to spot than Dooku’s, “though if you lose, I expect a song.” She finished, making me chuckle. Ever since discovering I was writing songs; she had been pushing for me to sing for her. I had avoided singing for her so far as I didn’t want to sing in a child’s voice.

Baalta turned to Fay and whispered something as I glared at Dooku, though it failed to have any effect on the older man, before turning back to face the other three Jedi even as I mentally cursed him out for making this harder than it had been.

I considered each in turn.

Nodro, while the oldest, was easily the weakest of the three with a lightsaber and was barely proficient with Niman.

Rachi, while the youngest of the three, was amazingly comfortable with her blade, favouring Shii-Cho with elements of Shien mixed in.

Obi-Wan was probably the most competent with the blade, favouring Ataru like Qui-Gon, though he lacked the force reserves to keep the style up for… my thoughts trailed off as I watched Obi-Wan settle into a Soresu stance.

My brow creased as I wondered why he was adopting a defensive stance when his side had a clear advantage, only to realise that he knew that even without my lightsaber I was a threat.

Obi-Wan’s change to Soresu told me he expected me to go all out early with Force-powered attacks, which made sense as it was the logical thing to do.

Yet, with the levels of my Precognition, Speed and Bullet-Time force powers – which thanks to my now increased regen could be run for double the length of this spar and I had just activated – I planned to do things differently.

“Begin.”

The moment Dooku called out, Rachi leapt into an attack, and Pana also stepped forward while Obi-Wan braced.

I watched as Rachi began her descent; her blade gripped tightly in two hands behind her head for a downward smash as she landed. The attack was a textbook Ataru manoeuvre, designed to overpower an opponent. Yet against someone able to see and move quicker than most, it was doomed to fail.

I slid backwards as her blade smashed down and my elbow struck her where her kidneys would be if she were Human.

Even as she grunted – which appeared to be happening in slow motion – I moved my hand to her wrists and struck again, weakening her grip on her blade.

A warning from the Force had me feeling my body move almost unconsciously as Pana’s green blade slid past me, crackling as it glanced against Rachi’s lightsaber.

I slid backwards and leapt, letting the green blade sail harmlessly under me, even as I twisted in mid-air and struck Pana in the chest with a spinning heel.

As he tumbled away, again in what felt like slow motion to me, I landed and let myself fall forwards and kicked out like a horse.

“Oof!”

Rachi’s blue blade stabbed fruitlessly at the air where my head had been and I heard her grunt as my feet connected with her chest.

I pushed up from the position on the ground, pivoted and moved towards the girl as she stumbled backwards quicker than she could react.

Her eyes widened as my hands gripped her lightsaber hilt and I pulled her blade towards me, ripping it from her grasp. Before she could fully comprehend what I had done, I sent her tumbling away with a Force Blast, though I made sure the power was only enough to send her tumbling out of the sparring circle and into some of the Lokella who were watching instead. No point in hurting the girl, especially not one as cute as her.

I turned back to face Pana, lightsaber in hand, and saw he had regained his balance; and that Obi-Wan had moved up beside him.

A glance and quick use of Observe at Rachi’s lightsaber had me frowning. The blade was not attuned to me, meaning it wasn’t ideal – though what that meant in exact terms, the interface wouldn’t say – nor was it efficient for Makashi since it was a standard hilt.

Still, it would have to do.

Pana and Obi-Wan shared a look before splitting with each headed to opposite sides of the sparring area.

I knew it was the best option for them, as it took advantage of an inherent flaw in Makashi if the practitioner wasn’t skilled enough: The fact the form struggled against more than one opponent. Thankfully for me, my physical stats were all 20, putting them above average for a Human, and with my skill with Makashi maxed out, I suspected I could overcome the weakness of facing two adversaries. Throw in the fact that most of my combat-orientated Force Powers were in the Master range, with Precognition being almost maxed out, and I felt I had a fair chance of winning the spar.

My body seemed to move of its own accord as I ducked and pivoted; avoiding a probing stab by Pana before I raised my blade and pushed away an attack from Obi-Wan.

I lifted one leg, avoiding a sweep from Pana, then spun it to catch Obi-Wan in his ribs.

He shuffled backwards, a hand coming to his chest, but I was unable to exploit the situation as Pana stepped up behind me.

My lack of height helped as I tilted my body almost unnaturally to avoid his elbow before I gave his foot a quick pull with the Force.

He lost his balance and stumbled before falling to the floor. However, my killing strike was blocked by Obi-Wan who then began to try and push my blade upwards with his own; seeming to strain as he did so.

I fought against the push for a moment, before going with it. Letting the momentum carry me I pivoted, my elbow clipping Obi-Wan as he lost his balance when I suddenly stopped pushing against his blade.

Both opponents stepped backwards, restoring the distance between us.

“You have adapted Force-based attacks into Makashi,” Pana commented as he and Obi-Wan readied themselves. “Unusual.”

I smirked. “Why should I do what someone expects,” I replied before moving forward and attacking with a Djem So kata.

Given the way both sets of eyes widened, I knew my attack had surprised them, and I fuelled that confusion by stopping short and throwing a Force Blast at them.

Obi-Wan, having duelled me the most and aware of my tendency to adapt Force-based attacks into my combat, leapt high above the blast.

Pana was not so lucky, and while not all of the blast caught him, enough did that he was sent spinning backwards, though not far enough to drive him from the combat area.

Again, I was unable to take advantage of Pana’s situation as Obi-Wan came down from his leap almost on top of me. That forced me to twist and block the strike.

Obi-Wan rolled away, my acquired lightsaber a split-second too slow to tag him and came to a stop in a position that again forced me to deal with my two opponents on opposite sides of the ring.

Following a wordless agreement, they both came at me at the same time.

I blocked a stab from Obi-Wan, tilted to avoid Pana’s thrust and then pushed Obi-Wan’s next attack passed me so that he blocked Pana’s slash for me.

Using their unintended collision, I used the Force to push myself backwards far enough that their separate angles of attack merged.

The pattern of the spar continued.

They attacked together, their angles of approach changing with each phase of the spar. I was able to handle these attacks with ease and often managed to place one of them in a position of weakness, only for the other to prevent me from exploiting that weakness.

After the seventh such phase of the spar, I could sense them both beginning to tire. Obi-Wan, while skilled, lacked the force potential to keep up this kind of duel for long and Pana was more interested in being a historian than a warrior, thus he lacked the stamina of many other Jedi.

“The time limit has expired,” Koon called out, setting off a wave of applause from the Lokella as a quest completion notice appeared in the bottom corner of my interface.

I ignored that, instead I moved towards Obi-Wan. “Started learning Soresu?” I asked.

He shrugged. “After our first spar and my master’s words about the weaknesses of Ataru, I felt learning a second Form was prudent. Soresu felt… right.”

I chuckled at hearing him say that. I had never given much thought to the various styles of lightsaber combat in my old life, though after learning them in this one, I had quickly realised that Obi-Wan had changed his form after the death of Qui-Gon.

Learning that he had started that change earlier due to my actions was unexpected and learning that even now Soresu called to him amused me.

“When something just ‘feels right’, it is usually the will of the Force telling you something,” Pana said with a small smile of his own.

“Knight Pana speaks the truth,” Dooku added as he approached with the other Jedi. “Padawan Kenobi, your Ataru, while passable, is unsuitable for fighting opponents that you cannot overpower quickly. Soresu is a suitable counter to this issue if one that lacks finesse and the ability to exploit any discovered weaknesses.”

“Yes, Master,” Obi-Wan replied after a moment where he seemed unsure of what to say.

“A most impressive performance from all of you,” Koon said. “Knight Pana, Padawan Kenobi; when faced with a difficult opponent, you quickly began to work together to engage him and cover for each other.”

Pana laughed once. “We had to. We are all aware of just how skilled Padawan Shan is with a lightsaber. To do anything less would have handed him the fight instantly.”

“Indeed.” Koon turned to face me. “Padawan, your ability to adapt on the move to situations where you are outnumbered and overpowered is impressive. Few Jedi can engage and survive multiple attackers so successfully on their first attempt.”

“With respect, Master Koon, I think that if not for the time limit, Cameron would have won,” Obi-Wan offered.

I kept my face as neutral as possible, even if I agreed, and noted that Dooku’s lips twitched in amusement.

“I agree with your assessment of the spar, Padawan,” Koon replied. “Yet that does not take anything away from your performance. Your fellow Padawan is, gifted, with a lightsaber. Especially with Makashi.”

“Your blade,” Dooku said bluntly as he held out my lightsaber. I took it, then realised I was still holding Rachi’s.

“If you will excuse me, masters,” the males nodded while Fay smiled with a tilted head.

I walked quickly towards where Rachi was standing. A frown marred her face as she looked down at the floor.

“I think you dropped this,” I said with a small grin as I held out her lightsaber.

Her head snapped up at my voice as her eyes caught mine and her cheeks turned a darker shade of purple as our hands met when she reached for her weapon.

“Th-thanks,” she mumbled before looking back at the floor.

“Is something wrong?” I asked, not liking the way her brow crinkled.

“N-no,” She replied quietly as she clipped his lightsaber to her belt.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. I took you out first as you were the greatest threat,” I said, placing my hand on her shoulder as I spoke.

“R-Really?” She asked as her head turned so our eyes could meet.

I smiled and nodded. “Yeah. You change styles more than either Obi-Wan or Knight Pana, which makes you the most troublesome to engage.”

The frown broke and the corners of her lips began to twitch upwards. “I guess. But you still took me out so easily.”

“Master Dooku has repeatedly stressed the importance of removing threats quickly and controlling the narrative of a fight,” I replied with a shrug. “Though it was nice to not be the one getting tossed around like a toy.”

Rachi laughed gently. It was a soft, sweet sound and only my experience of puberty prevented me from glancing down at the way her developing chest bounced as she laughed.

“I can understand that. No offence, but your master scares me a little.”

Now it was my turn to chuckle. “He does that to everyone. But I assure you that underneath it all he’s as soft as Bantha wool.”

That had her laughing once more, this time loud enough that several people glanced my way. Baalta, from where she was standing with Obi-Wan, smiled at me even as her eyebrows arched upwards.

“Somehow I doubt that,” Rachi stated once she stopped laughing. Her smile fell and she bit her bottom lip. “You know, when you arrived at the Temple, I did some reading about your ancestor.”

“Oh?” I asked, curious about where that had come from even as one of my eyebrows rose.

“Y-yeah. I, I’ve always had a passion for history,” she began, whispering the word ‘passion’, “and discovering that there was a living, breathing example of it in the Temple…”

Her words trailed off and I leaned back and extended my arms outward with palms up. “So, what do you think?” I asked before pirouetting.

She lightly slapped my shoulder, which brought back the darker shape of purple to her cheeks. “Stop that!”

We both laughed for a moment before she spoke again.

“Wh-what I wanted to know was, are the stories in the archives about Revan true?”

“Which ones,” I asked. I had read the records. While accurate, they lacked detail and were very bland in their style.

“About how he fell, then came back to the light. About how he fell for Bastila and saved her from the dark side,” her brow rose as she spoke, and she began to lean towards me. “About how their love saved them both?”

“You got all that from the records?” I asked, trying to ignore just how close she was, and the fact I could now easily detect that she smelt of old paper with a hint of mint.

Her cheeks darkened again, and she leaned even closer as her voice dropped to a whisper. “I may have browsed some of the restricted files on Revan and searched the HoloNet for more details.”

“Smart girl,” I whispered back, making the dark purple spread further up her cheeks.

I thought occurred to me as I considered her words, one that evolved into an idea I could exploit. “Well, my grandfather, their son, did tell me the story of how they met a few times. If you like I’d be happy to retell it to you?”

“You would? Thank you!”

Before I knew it, she’d wrapped her arms around me and pulled our bodies together.

It took a lot of restraint to control myself as her chest pressed against mine and her scent overwhelmed everything else. I was thankful, and a little upset, when she pulled back.

Her face was dark purple from her jaw to the tips of her lekku, and I knew my cheeks were probably a little red because of her display.

“Uh, um…” I rubbed the back of my neck as I felt the eyes of everyone in the room now upon us. “Yeah. I’d be happy to tell you the story. Though perhaps at a later date?”

Her eyes darted around the room, growing large as she looked to where I knew the other Jedi – bar Obi-Wan, who was creeping away from the room with Baalta at his side – were standing.

I knew that Fay was going to tease me about this, but I could live with it. Rachi was nice enough to be around, and she’d given me an idea for another series of novels to publish; ones based around the events of KOTOR 1 and 2.

As her cheeks once more turned a dark shade of purple I opened and dismissed the notices. As I suspected the dual quest – Three into One – had been upgraded to B. I’d also completed part of the bonus for taking out Rachi in the time limit and thus I’d earned a total of 2750XP for the quest.

Thank you, Dooku.

“I, uh, um… bye,” Rachi spluttered out before leaving the room at a pace only just below running, which made me chuckle.

If nothing else, having a Padawan my age around was going to make for a nice change of pace.

… …

… …