《Star wars: Selfish virtue.》


 Chapter 1: Confusion

    Nightmares or visions. Anakin didn''t know what they were only that he kept having the same thing happen every night. Except now it was different, instead of dreaming of his mother... All he dreamt of was a starship of unknown design but enormous... And a man. He seemed to be wearing sith garments except they were white with black accents. Two lightsaber hilts sitting on the armrest of his... Throne? He couldn''t make out his face, only a shit-eating grin. So smug that the only response his thoughts allowed him was ''''How arrogant!''''. Nevertheless, he felt a weight off his shoulders. For the first time in a long time, he awoke feeling without feeling fear. Though confusion was in ample supply.


    In orbit above Tatooine, 2 days later.


    Rousing from his slumber, Coda slowly opened his eyes to find a darkly colored ceiling. He slowly sat up and looked around to find himself inside a room that reminded him of some kind of captain''s quarters. Looking over himself he saw he was wearing some kind of robe or armor.


    ''''What the f... Where am I? What was I doing?'''' Frowning he tried to remember while he stood up and started walking over to a mirror.


    ''''I was offered... Something? A second chance?'''' Looking up from his ruminations he saw a fairly tall, silver hair coming down to his shoulders slicked back over his head. Chiseled face with sky blue eyes that flashed with silver and blue now and then.


    ''''Holy shit! I look amazing! But why can''t I remember anything about those that put me here?''''


    Confused he stood there trying to remember when he felt like some... Thing? Was approaching the door. Looking around quickly he spotted two hilts laying on the nightstand. Quickly walking over to them and picking them up he started inspecting them. Oddly enough he knew exactly what they were and exactly how to use them. ''''Odd'''' he thought. Now equipped and ready he stared at the doors waiting for something to happen.


    *Knock*Knock* ''''Lord Coda, are you awake? We are approaching our destination, Tattoine should be visible soon.'''' Aserene almost perfect voice sounded from outside.


    Tatooine? As in Desert planet, sand people and Jawas? What?!That''s when it hit him, like a searing iron spike thrust into his head he knew! He understood!I was given a second life... In Star Wars. I was trained for a long time... But made to forget by whom...


    He didn''t realize that he''d dropped to his knees and was screaming bloody murder until he felt someone shaking him. Trying to say something to him. Coming out of his stupor he saw a professional-looking woman dressed somewhere in the middle of secretary and armored sith.


    Regaining his focus he looked up into her eyes and he froze. Next thing he knew he was trying to shove her away in fear! She oddly enough flew straight outside into the corridor making a slight dent in the wall outside.


    ''''What are you?!'''' Hissing between his teeth and standing up he got into position to grab his lightsabers at any moment.


    ''''Lord Coda, please calm yourself'''' Standing up and dusting herself off lightly she turned to him. ''''I''m Beatrix. Your advisor, it''s good that your force powers seem ok. You''ve been sleeping since we were activated.''''


    ''''That doesn''t really answer the fucking question! What are you!'''' He felt it, or more so didn''t feel it. She wasn''t alive. Looking over her. Long dark hair, green eyes. Sharp features though she seemed to pull them off. But she wasn''t living.


    ''''Of course Lord Coda, I and all of your servants are Droids made in the image of something called T-800''s.''''


    T-800... Terminators? Why the fuck do I have terminators on my fucking starship?! Also... ''''Why do you keep calling me Lord?''''


    ''''Because we''re designed to facilitate and do your bidding to the best of our abilities. We exist only for this purpose'''' Beatrix explained nonchalantly.


    ''''Alright. Can you stay there a moment, I need to think a bit''''


    ''''Yes my Lord!'''' Looking over her in silence he started recalling what he was gifted with.


    I recall now that I got a ship, an Ecplise dreadnaught. Fully staffed by murderbots! Lovely... What else...


    ''''Oh, right the force!'''' Giggling ominously by himself in a poorly lit room.


    ''''My lord, are you alright? You seem to be acting slightly unhinged.'''' Beatrix questioned matter of factly.


    ''''Alright? I''m doing awesome! So Ship, Murderbots and the force. Why do I feel like I''m forgetting something?''''


    ''''Murderbots my Lord?'''' she asked.


    ''''Never mind. You said we were closing in on Tatooine? When exactly are we Beatrix?''''


    ''''It would seem we are days away from something called the Clone wars my Lord.''''


    Clone Wars? Tatooine... I wonder.''''My Lord. What should we do about the guests we have in the throne room?''''


    Guests? What Guests?''''What guests?'''' Coda asked confused.


    ''''Yes my Lord. We have one Qui-Gon Jin and one TrillaSuduri in separate energy shielded cells in the throne room''''


    That''s right! I asked for the two of them seeing as they were some of my favorite characters. Also, I felt they deserved better. I wanted them as advisors, given I manage to convince them... So no advisors then. Given my interpersonal skills at least.Coda darkly chuckled over his situation.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.


    ''''Beatrix, are all of you infiltrator variants? Also how many if you aren''t... Hell just give me a rundown of my troops yeah?''''


    ''''Of course my Lord. Seeing as we have little need for supplies for organics outside of you and guests. Alongside the fact that the Eclipse has been fitted with factories and a solar forge to keep up our troops seeing as they cannot be built anywhere else at the moment.''''


    That''s.. Wow. Organics huh, fucking murderbots.


    ''''Our forces consist of 400 thousand crew, 100 thousand deployable troops made up of 80 thousand shock troopers, 10 thousand Infiltrator variants excluding me and 10 thousand Royal guard variants. They are stronger, faster and smarter than the regular units by a factor of about 4. They can also assume human form as needed.''''


    Excellent! This just might work. At least I''ve got an outline now. Now to see to my guests.


    ''''Beatrix! Ready the troops. We''ll be landing in force on Tatooine. Wait for further orders before we commence''''


    ''''Yes My Lord!''''She''s rather cute for a murder bot.


    ''''Now only if there was some music on this boat, it''s eerily silent.''''


    ''''That shouldn''t pose a problem my Lord. It seems our databanks have an extensive library of something called ''''Earth'''' Music.''''


    ''''Earth music?'''' Laughing out loud at the oddly labeled collection. ''''Well, play killing strangers for me while you lead me to my Throne room''''


    <hr>


    Throne room.


    Lying in one of the cells was a woman wearing inquisitor armor with darkskin and black hair.


    Slowly opening her eyes she started wonderingWasn''t I cut down by Vader? Where am I?Turning her head to the right she saw she was in a large room. It was oddly empty except for another cell like hers and a white throne. It stood out among the dark and metallic surroundings. Looking at the other cell she saw what she assumed must be a Jedi. He seemed to be meditating.


    She was high strung and her emotions were fluctuating greatly due to the fact that she should by all rights be dead. Standing up she observed that her lightsaber along with another single saber was sitting on the throne''s armrest. Looking back over to the Jedi.


    ''''Are you awake, Jedi?'''' Trying to stay calm she still ending up nearly hissing out the last word.


    Qui-Gon had been awake for a little longer than the woman in the other cell. He was confused as well seeing as he remembered his strength seeping from him after being stabbed by that sith. Meditation helped him calm down, though there seemed to be something interfering with his connection to the force. It was strange, he felt it there but it was almost like it was ignoring him. He knew the force heard his pleas to try and reach out but it didn''t even budge.How very peculiar he thought to himself.


    Now hearing a question he opened his eyes and looked over at the other cage. Even if he couldn''t interact with the force directly, he felt the waves of fear, confusion, and anger coming off her.Dark Jedi? Doesn''t seem to be full-blown sith... though her outfit looks sinister.


    ''''Yes, I am awake Lady?....''''


    ''''Trilla, where are we?'''' She asked impatiently.


    Looking around once again, seeing just a throne and windows that were covered in some sort of blast shields from the outside.


    ''''I''m honestly not quite sure... No, I''m not sure at all. I''ve got no idea.''''


    Looking at him with suspicion. ''''Who are you?''''


    ''''My name is Qui-Gon Jin, it''s a pleasure to meet you Trilla.'''' A sly smile slowly coming into its own.


    ''''I want to know what the hell is going on here! If you don''t know then who...''''


    Suddenly music started playing, a style neither of them were familiar with. ''''What?'''' Trilla asked confused.


    ''''These lyrics are a bit morbid'''' Qui-Gon chuckled. As he was about to ask her another question it hit them. Leaking from the seams in the door leading into the throne room. It was like a liquid almost visible to the naked eye, but quite easily perceived by the force sensitive. Coming closer and starting to fill the room, the force itself was almost... Jubilant... Straight up excited.


    Trilla gasped ''''What is that!''''It''s even more then him! But it feels different, more aloof.''''


    The doors opened and they both stared at the origin of the tidal wave of power that flooded the room. A tall handsome silver-haired man slowly walked towards them followed by a shorter... Droid? It was impeccable, if they weren''t attuned they''d have thought it human.


    Qui-Gon spotted the two sabers on both sides of the man''s waist. He felt the power rolling off the weapons as well, one was like molten fury caged into that little form... The other more elusive, more calm, equally upsetting to the man''s danger sense.


    While he was following him with his eyes the man came to a stop in front of Trillas cage. Looking at her with a sly smile, she was terrified. Trying to contain the shaking but failing miserably, he while keeping calmer felt like he was in the presence of a natural disaster. The fear wasn''t logical, but primal.


    The man kept looking at Trilla until he started to frown... In a deep baritone voice he asked ''''Beatrix, why are they shaking? Also, are these cages soundproof?''''


    ''''No my Lord, they aren''t soundproof. I believe the reason for the shaking is fear. You''ve not reigned in your power since you finished practicing on the way here''''Deadpan murderbot has a point... How was this done again?


    Coda closed his eyes and slowly the tidal wave of power emanating from him started to recede until he looked just like a normal person. Opening his eyes and thanking Beatrix he turned to Trilla once again. Now sporting a genuine smile.


    ''''Trilla Suduri, you''re even more beautiful in person! It''s my utmost pleasure to meet you'''' He said bowing slightly.


    Does he think I''m beautiful? Who is this, what the fuck is going on!She stood there opening and closing her mouth because the situation was bizarre enough to short circuit her completely.


    ''''Beatrix, they''re both ok, right? No wounds or anything?'''' He turned to Beatrix and asked.


    ''''They''re both in top shape my lord. Not even a scar.'''' Answering a matter of factly.


    ''''Excellent! Now Trilla and Qui-Gon, if I drop these shields down can you guys promise me you won''t start going at each other? Or me for that matter.'''' He asked them with a slight chuckle.


    ''''My lord. We''re arriving at Tatooine.'''' She turned to the window as the blast shields started receding showing the desert planet in all its glory. Along with the length of the ship, both Qui-Gon and Trilla went wide-eyed looking at the size of the vessel they were currently on as Coda walked towards the window.


    ''''Excellent! Beatrix, start scanning the planet for Tusken raider encampments. We''ve got to locate a woman known as Scmi. I believe she''s been captured and will die soon if we don''t get to her. So Prio 1 is finding and rescuing her, treat her as you would me once you have her in custody. Kill the Tusken raiders.''''


    ''''Affirmative my Lord. I''ll send out troops to secure Lady Scmi and kill her captors.'''' Bowing and starting to walk away.


    ''''No! You misunderstood me. Once you find Scmi. Kill ALL of the Tusken raiders. Once we''re leaving here, I want one less race inhabiting this dustbowl of a planet.'''' He said chuckling. ''''We got to do our good deed of the day right?''''

 Chapter 2: Instability

    Qui-Gon stalled when he heard him casually order what boiled down to genocide. He didn''t snap back to focus until Beatrix exited the throne room.


    ''''What do you mean to kill them all?! You cannot do that!'''' Qui-Gon pleaded!


    Trilla was still standing in her cell eyes glued to this... man? The situation becoming stranger by the minute. Turning around and looking at Qui-Gon the man had a look of ridicule on his face.


    ''''Why?'''' He asked the Jedi. ''''Why can''t I kill them? I''ve got the means, the time and the will. Seems quite clear cut to me.''''


    ''''Because it''s wrong! You can''t just decide to murder an entire species, you don''t have the right!''''


    Smiling slightly, Coda walked towards Qui-Gon''s cage and sat down in front of it. Suddenly a slap sounded as he smacked his forehead.


    ''''That''s right! I forgot to introduce myself'''' He said smiling. ''''My name is Coda. I''m the owner of this here oversized bucket filled with murderbots, dead people and me!''''


    Both Qui-Gon and Trilla both became much more alert as soon as Coda finished his sentence. Murderbots?! Dead people?! What the hell is going on in this ship!?


    Seeing Qui-Gon''s eyes fill up with vigilance and the fear rolling off Trilla behind him it occurred to him that maybe poor attempts at humor from the socially handicapped was not the brightest move.


    *Cough*Cough* ''''Err, sorry about that. That was supposed to be funny. I tend to gloss over the fact that I''m about as socially adept as water is good at burning.'''' Scratching the back of his head Coda explained.


    ''''Anyway, I wouldn''t need to even be here if you Oh so wise men could do your fucking job.'''' Coda continued. '''' You leaving Shmi here and my general dislike for those savages has resulted in this.''''


    Coda sighed while rubbing his temple. ''''I''m sure some of them will survive, I''m not going to sit here and scour the planet for days on end. Putting them aside.'''' Now looking directly at Qui-Gon he continued.


    ''''What do you think will happen when a young man going through his first real love loses his mother. Due to the inaction taken by the Jedi Order to secure his kin, he''ll become jaded towards the order. He''s already more emotionally unstable then regular padawans. This loss and the Sith whispering in his ear will cause tragedies you cannot even begin to foresee Qui-Gon.''''


    Standing up and looking out towards the planet then back to Qui-Gon he sighed. ''''Fine!'''' Throwing his hands up in resignation. ''''I''ll only hit the largest camps, at least thin them out.'''' He said with a jolly nod.


    Qui-Gon had been listening intently and was thrown off by his monologue. This person is extremely dangerous... Sharpening his eyes and standing up. ''''Why are we here Master Coda?''''


    Eeeeeewwwwwwwww! A chill went through Coda''s spine! ''''No! No no no! Please don''t call me master, it sounds super creepy coming from a middle-aged man. Unacceptable!'''' Shaking off the comment. With stifled chuckles coming from the other cell. ''''As to why you''re here. It''s because I asked for the two of you.'''' He said with a sunny smile on his face.


    Silence followed for a couple of seconds... ''''''''What?'''''''' Both Trilla and Qui-Gon asked out loud. Turning his head to look at them both. He had a sad smile on his face. ''''Qui-Gon, you''ve been dead for about ten years.'''' Turning from the shocked Qui-Gon and looking into Trilla''s eyes. ''''Order 66 hasn''t happened yet. Right now the younger you is probably following Cere in training or on some mission for the order. Untainted and happy, safe even.''''


    Trilla had trained for many things. But she wasn''t ready for this, she almost shut down as tears started running down the side of her face. Then she saw the sabers shoot across the room into his hands. What''s he doing?


    Catching both the sabers he held Trilla''s doublesaber and frowned. ''''This thing reeks.'''' Both the guests went reeling as a wave of pure anger shot out from Coda, the wave started concentrating on the saber as cracks in space formed around the hand holding it. It started bending and breaking until it started to fold in on itself. What remained was simply a super dense ball of what used to make up the saber.


    A cold fury in his voice ''''This is the result of your so-called peacekeepers sleeping on the job, your moral high ground where you wrap yourselves in arrogance causes untold suffering.'''' Scoffing he looked at Qui-Gon. ''''While the order may be fine with inaction and half measures. I am not.''''


    <hr>


    Beatrix was walking back from the combat bridge hidden snugly inside the ship when a strange shudder went through the ship. Instantly she accessed the feeds to the throne room.


    Threat assessment: Miniscule.


    Danger to Lord Coda: PRIO 1.


    Cause of event: Flare in Lord Coda''s mental state.


    Mental prediction map shows extreme instability, rectify at once.


    Conclusion: Lord Coda is suffering massive nutritional deficiency, records show time since last ate. 4Y 2M 4D.


    Beatrix stopped in her tracks. Instantly sending dozens of orders all around the ship as she started sprinting towards the lifts.


    A silent alarm was tripped, the Lord was in grave danger!You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    <hr>


    Throne Room.


    Something is wrong, I feel off. Overly emotional, this isn''t like me. Staring at the sphere in his hands, he seemed slightly confused. Seeing this Qui-Gon moved closer to the energy shield.


    ''''Are you alright Coda?'''' Coda slowly turned to him. Still a good man. He does look pretty dope in that robe. ''''Yes Qui-Gon, I just feel like I''m forgetting something.''''


    Suddenly the doors opened up and about twenty infiltrators walked in carrying a table, some chairs and... cutlery? Followed by an arrangement of food and drink. They came in like a hurricane, a very eerie and silent hurricane and left just as fast.


    ''''They sure are creepy huh Trilla?'''' Coda said looking over at her shaking his head chuckling.


    ''''I should make sure they know to make sounds when they walk or I''ll end up destroying some of them''''


    ''''Hungry?'''' She slowly nodded. ''''How about you maverick?''''


    Chuckling Qui-Gon answered. ''''I could eat.''''


    Nodding, he stared at Trilla for a couple of seconds until he got close to her cage and started whispering with a deadly serious stare. ''''How do I turn them off?''''


    It took her seconds to comprehend what he said. Before she knew it she guffawed and a stream of laughter started pouring from her. ''''Oi! Meanie! Stahp!'''' Sighing and looking downwards in resignation. ''''Fine, ill ask Beatrix.''''


    Speak of the devil! Beatrix came flying in through one of the doors and slid on the floor until she was almost next to him. ''''Are you doing a comedy routine?'''' Tilting her head. ''''I do not believe I''m programmed with ''Comedy'' routines my lord.''''


    ''''You need to eat soon my lord, your state of mind has been compromised since you woke up due to lack of nutrition.'''' Nodding in understanding. So that''s why I feel off. ''''Understood, can you let them out?


    ''''Right away my lord, I had the droids set the table for three.'''' Nodding towards her. ''''Excellent work Beatrix. Now that I think about it I''m absolutely famished.'''' Chucking Qui-Gon''s saber towards him as the shield fell. ''''We can get you another one later Trilla. For now, let us eat.''''


    Trilla had already stopped laughing though she now had a slight smile. Answering with a nod as she started following him towards the table. What a strange day this is ending up to be.


    <hr>


    Jedi Temple, Coruscant.


    Plo Koon, Windu and Yoda were sitting in the council chambers. ''''Master Yoda, have we found out the cause of the disturbance felt two days ago? Is it the same source as the flare of anger we felt earlier today?''''


    ''''Strange this anger, directed at us it is.'''' Yoda said with a solemn nod towards Windu. ''''Anger without hatred, it doesn''t feel like sith. But it definitely is a powerful force sensitive at the very least.''''


    Windu said with a heavy sigh. ''''What do you think we should do? I believe we should investigate this.''''


    ''''First, we have missing planets from our database, potential sith lurking in the shadows of the force. Now, this? We need to get to the bottom of this.'''' Plo Koon said with a deliberate nod.


    ''''With Obi-Wan following the lead on this ghost planet and Anakin protecting Senator Amidala. One of us needs to go.'''' All nodding at the same time Plo Koon spoke up. ''''I''ll go, keep me apprised of what happens. I''ll leave immediately.'''' Standing up he bowed to the two Jedi Masters and left for the spaceport.


    ''''Do you think he''ll be alright?'''' As Yoda was about to answer the door opened. Walking in was a padawan learner. ''''Master Yoda, Master Windu. We just got word that a massive super capital ship is in orbit above Tatooine and is deploying troops. I have a hologram of the ship here.''''


    ''''Please show us padawan'''' With Windu''s approval, he relayed it into the rooms system. Lighting up they saw a massive ship. Taken aback Windu asked. ''''Master Yoda, what manner of ship is this. I''ve never seen anything quite like it.''''


    ''''Unsure I am, recognize it I do not.'''' Even the force refused to allow him to try and sense it.


    ''''Its dimensions are gargantuan, I haven''t even heard of ships this large. Do you think it''s related to the Sith?'''' They both felt an immediate response, a whisper from the force. Not sith it spoke matter of factly.


    Suprise painted their faces. Looking at each other. ''''Plo Koon. Must make haste!''''


    <hr>


    In transit to Tatooine.


    As soon as he got close enough he felt it. Death. So much death. Even if he didn''t have hair to make stand, his whole body got covered in a sheen of sweat. ''''G2. How long until we arrive?''''


    *Beep*Beep*Bwop* An hour? ''''Thank you, G2''''


    <hr>


    Surface of Tatooine, Night.


    Designation T-3X was observing a camp of Tusken Raiders. Opening comms to the eclipse.


    ''''Lady Beatrix, we believe we''ve found the target. Can we proceed?'''' Near instantly a response followed.


    ''''I''ve gone through the data. Lady Scmi must not come to harm under any cost. To this end, I''m sending you a squad of royal guards. Failure is not an option.''''


    Raider camp, 20 minutes later.


    The chieftain of the camp was happy, they had a lot of successful raids recently. Extra supplies meant a stronger camp, a stronger people. Sitting around a fire was him and his most trusted. They were having a celebration when he noticed five raiders walking towards the tent where they kept the human woman.


    I don''t recognize them, what''s going on? Unfortunately for him, that was the last thought that he ever had.


    Near instantly dozens of raiders got hit by purple and blue lasers. After the initial shock and awe, they noticed silver-colored droids coming from the sands on the opposite side of the prisoner''s tents.


    They looked like walking skeletons, red eyes lit up all over the dune they were walking down. Shrugging off the returning fire like they were just being pelted by rocks.


    That wasn''t where the unfortunate events ended. Screams sounded from behind them as well, a young raider noticed two taller than usual raiders standing over two dead bodies in front of the prisoners'' tent. That wasn''t what caught his attention though, two raiders were literally ripping his people apart with swords of some kind instead of arms. Every time they were hit by blaster fire he glimpsed a metallic black skeleton for the briefest of moments, only to have some kind of black substance repair the damage.


    Frozen he stood there in shock, unable to make sense of the situation. Fortunately for him, that didn''t last long as a hand found its way into his throat and promptly severed his head from his spinal column.


    Inside the prisoners'' tent, a human male was administering some kind of gel on wounds of torture when his comms opened up. ''''RG1 report.''''


    ''''Yes, Lady Beatrix. VIP has been secured, extensive structural damage has been detected. But she''ll survive long enough to get into medical.'''' Walking out with Scmi in his hands he looked around.


    Running assessment.


    Enemy survivors: 0


    Friendly casualties: 0.


    Damage to units: Negligible.


    Mission parameters: Fulfilled.


    ''''This is RG1, objective accomplished. Returning to ship with VIP. 10 minutes clearance.'''' As he walked towards the dropship through the camp. More and more units started assembling around him leaving behind a silent camp.

 Chapter 3: No good deed...

    Qui-Gon was observing an odd phenomenon. As soon as Coda started eating he seemed to enter some kind of trance or meditation. He was eating fast and frankly ludicrous amounts of food.


    He and Trilla shared a look of confusion, this day had been truly odd. He thought as he watched food float towards Coda''s plate.


    ''''I don''t recognize most of the dishes here.'''' He said calmly. Turning his head towards Beatrix.


    ''''Is he ok? He seemed to be acting quite strange.'''' Not that I know the man.


    ''''He will be fine after consuming enough nutrients.'''' She said. ''''How about you two, is the food to your liking? I can send for some wine if you''d prefer it to water.'''' Receiving a shake of the head she just nodded and continued observing from behind Coda. Some of those doppel-droids bringing in new plates of food and clearing the table as they went.


    After Qui-Gon and Trilla were finished Coda was still going strong. Unable to contain her curiosity Trilla asked. ''''What are you? I''ve never seen anything like you.'''' The question drawing Qui-Gon''s attention as well.


    ''''I''m afraid I''m not at liberty to divulge that information.'''' Nodding slowly to that answer she asked a different question. ''''Who is he?'''' Looking over from Trilla to Coda she didn''t answer right away.


    ''''He is our Lord. Where he is from and who he is are questions that you should ask him. If it''s you he''ll probably answer too your satisfaction.'''' If it''s me? What does that mean?


    Looking over at Qui-Gon she noticed he was frowning while looking at Coda. Looking over at him herself she noticed that the force itself seemed to be somehow condensing into him. Every time a little more seemed to fold into his being he started emitting more pressure. Qui-Gon and Trilla could both feel something like chains breaking or some restriction being removed as it continued.


    This process continued for about 20 minutes when they noticed his glassy eyes regaining focus. The pressure receding slowly as he came too. Though his demeanor was vastly different.


    Both of them being combatants, they knew now that he wasn''t that flimsy scatterbrained individual anymore. No longer a natural disaster, now he gave off the feeling of an apex predator. Power untold seething under his calm exterior.


    I''m back! To think I thought that was my natural state. Scoffing at the absurdity while he took in his surroundings again. Noticing his guests staring at him a smug smile found it''s way on his face.


    ''''You guys should take a picture, I don''t think I can fit people staring at me into my schedule.'''' He simply stated. While Qui-Gon coughed lightly with a half-smile and Trilla''s cheeks heated up a little he turned to Beatrix. ''''Status on the op?''''


    ''''Yes my Lord, RG1 has secured Lady Scmi in the med-bay. We''re ready to start the culling at your order.''''


    Leaning back with a finger tapping on his chin. Someone is approaching... A Jedi... I see. Smiling he shook his head. ''''No need, change of plans. Move the... Huh, we should name this bucket soon. Move us over the Jundland wastes. Then proceed to glass it from orbit.''''


    Nodding her head she answered within seconds. ''''Done, we''ll be in position within minutes. Is there anything else My lord?''''


    Standing up he looked at both of his guests then turned to Beatrix. ''''Yes, you and Trilla are coming with me. It''s time for some upgrades. Qui-Gon, we''re expecting company. It''s an old friend of yours.''''


    Slightly taken aback he inquired. ''''Who?'''' Coda just shook his head with a Cheshire grin. ''''That would be telling!''''


    ''''We can talk more later. I assure the both of you that I mean you no harm. You are neither my prisoners or hostages. I hope you will give me the benefit of the doubt.'''' Qui-Gon didn''t sense that he was lying so he just nodded before leaving with one of these strange droids.


    Trilla was still awkwardly sitting in a chair unsure of how to proceed. It doesn''t seem like he is lying, but I know better than most that the more powerful you are the easier that is to fake.


    Noticing her reluctance Coda just smiled softly and walked over to her. Extending his hand towards her.


    ''''I have a large list of things I want to do now that I''m... Me again. That said, I give you my word that harming you will never be on it. Alright?''''


    Looking into his sky blue eyes. Silver and blue shimmering inside his pupils. I might as well, it''s not like I can run away from here. Even if the force restriction has lifted over this area. Besides, his aura feels like a calming light breeze. Nothing like ''him''...


    Standing up by herself, Coda just retracted his hand and shrugged. Chuckling as he made his way towards medical.


    <hr>


    Having arrived at the med-bay Coda and company were standing in an observation chamber.


    They''d been standing there for a few minutes while he was tapping his chin with a finger.


    It looks like he''s thinking about something. Why is that woman so important to him? If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    ''''Beatrix, how is she?'''' Breaking the silence he turned and asked.


    ''''It''s expected she''ll make a full recovery in about a day my lord.'''' A look of confusion crept over Coda''s face.


    ''''How is it that fast?'''' I''m aware the medical technology in this world is far superior from Earth but isn''t this too fast? ''''RG1 has been using his...'''' She stopped and glanced over at Trilla. Coda just waved his hand.


    ''''It''s fine, I don''t mind if she hears.''''


    Noting his approval she continued. ''''His nanites to repair her from inside out as well as using medi-gel, bacta, etc. It''ll cost him some of his available mass but nothing detrimental in the long term for either of them.'''' Coda nodded. ''''I see. It seems a little excessive but who am I to judge.''''


    Turning to Trilla he smiled softly. ''''You''re probably wondering why I brought you down here?''''


    With a serious look on her face. ''''I am yes.'''' She took another look through the glass. ''''Who is that woman?''''


    Glancing over his shoulder he sighed. ''''I''ll tell you after we''re done. Any more emotional instability won''t do you good. Cant have the chance you losing control of your temper. I hope you understand.''''


    I don''t understand at all! Frowning she looks up at him. ''''After we''re done with what?''''


    Sigh... How do I explain this without her screaming mind rape? ''''I''m hoping you''ll allow me to repair and help you manage the effects of what was done to you.''''


    Manage what was... Anger twisted her features as she screamed at Coda. ''''WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT WHAT WAS DONE TO ME!?'''' Lashing out at Coda with a force push that he simply waved down.


    ''''WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE! YOU KNOW NOTHING!''''


    Having expected this Coda simply took the abuse until she started becoming hoarse. She stared at him while her breathing became labored. He willed his left lightsaber into his hand and threw it over to her.


    Catching it by reflex she was very surprised. It felt extremely heavy in her hand, while she wasn''t familiar with sensing an object''s history. She didn''t need to be, she could tell instantly that this weapon had seen countless battles. But it wasn''t mired in bloodlust or rage. If anything it made her feel focused and serene.


    ''''I''m well aware of what kind of place Inquisitorius was. Torture, brainwashing, forcing the dark side on people. I am under no delusions that I can somehow understand how it was to go through something like that...'''' Sighing he continued. ''''I understand that you cannot trust me. What I am proposing you will be awake for. You''ll be able to perceive everything I do. If you at any point feel like I''m causing you harm. Cut me down!''''


    Floating his other saber over to Beatrix, undoing his armor plate, it fell to the floor with a thunk.


    Leaving him only with skin-tight under armor covering his torso. Walking up to Trilla she looked at him in confusion. Softly he continued. ''''I can see it plain as day. A wounded mind, infested by the poison well you were forced to drink from... What I want is to remove the infection, while temporarily muting the pain you feel from those memories. A chance to heal is all I''m offering.''''


    Trilla''s mind was in chaos. Even the saber in her hand felt distant now. She didn''t understand why?!


    Why me?! I could kill him right now... He''s just standing there... ''''I don''t... it doesn''t... Why me?''''


    Smugly smiling he answered instantly. ''''If someone, as damaged as me, deserves a second chance. Why shouldn''t you? If that doesn''t work for you, just chalk it up to me being selfish.''''


    Standing there for a while just staring at each other she finally relaxed, nodded. ''''Fine, but I won''t hesitate if something feels off.'''' Coda''s face lit up in a bright smile. ''''I''ll be keeping a close eye on you!''''


    Coda put his hand up to his chest and completely deadpan responded. ''''Oh no, the pretty girl will be focusing all her attention on me! I''m devastated!''''


    ''''My lord, please take this seriously! She is still holding the lightsaber!'''' Beatrix said in a harsh tone.


    ''''Oh right!''''


    <hr>


    In orbit above Tatooine.


    Plo Koon dropped out of hyperspace only to see a gigantic starship bombarding a specific spot planetside. He didn''t feel anything coming from that place anymore, the ground itself turned to slag over dozens if not hundreds of kilometers.


    Looking around he saw that there were a lot of different ships both stationary and in transit around the area. Though a wide sphere around the aforementioned starship was completely clear of vessels.


    ''''G2 see if...'''' Suddenly a hail came from the ship. ''''Jedi vessel. We''ve been expecting you, you are cleared to dock. Sending docking information to your onboard computer.'''' That isn''t ominous at all.


    ''''Might I inquire as to who has ownership of your vessel?'''' Plo Koon asked, not expecting a straight answer. ''''Of course sir. This vessel''s ownership lies with Lord Coda. He extends his warmest welcomes to you, but he is preoccupied at the moment. A representative is waiting for you in the hangar.''''


    ''''Understood... G2, fly me in.'''' Lord? Nobility maybe... or royalty from somewhere? Dozens of ideas were thought up and discarded while he approached the hangar. The closer he got the more he understood that the size of the ship was deceptively big. How long would it even take to build something like this?


    It seems loaded with weaponry. My comms are effectively useless this close to the ship and the ship''s armor seems to be resistant to sensing attempts. ''''Ugh... This might be more dangerous than I thought.


    Floating past the energy shield he noticed that his force sense worked a lot better in the interior.


    This lead to him sensing something familiar... Who? This just keeps getting stranger and stranger.


    While G2 parked the shuttle Plo Koon made his way to the ramp, walking down it he spotted a man wearing Jedi robes. Shock and confusion bogged down his thoughts for a couple of seconds as he walked dazed down the ramp staring at the figure.


    ''''You were dead.'''' Looking at a carefree smile on Qui-Gon''s face. ''''I know''''


    ''''But you were... How did y... Wher... Give me a second.''''


    Laughing Qui-Gon nodded. ''''It''s good to see you again old friend. As strange as this is for you, I assure you it''s been downright bizarre for me.'''' Plo Koon nodded and slowly started to look around the hangar.


    He''d been so put off he didn''t notice the swarm of skeleton looking droids working all over the hangar, or the oddly human-looking droid standing a respectful distance behind Qui-Gon.


    Smiling ruefully, Qui-Gon simply shook his head. ''''Come, I''ll take you to see the owner of this vessel. Though I''m inclined to warn you, he''s a little odd.'''' Looking him in the eyes he followed up.


    ''''He''s also extremely dangerous. Thankfully he turned out to be quite reasonable.''''


    But just as they started walking they felt a wave of unchecked pressure encapsulate the entire hangar.


    Rapidly rising in strength. They could hear the ship starting to strain under the pressure just as a wave of unchecked fury flashed through the entire ship.


    Qui-Gon instantly knew the origin. Straining to keep himself from being completely pushed into the ground. ''''Coda, what''s happened?!''''

 Chapter 4: The Event

    Coruscant, Republic Executive Building, Supreme Chancellor''s office.


    Palpatine was in a meeting with members of the Jedi Council discussing recent events.


    ''''I will put the motion before the senate, giving me temporary control of this clone army. If we have to fight this war we will need to be united.'''' He said solemnly. ''''What of this mysterious starship? Could it be Chiss?''''


    ''''No Supreme Chancellor we do not believe so. They may be technologically advanced but this doesn''t look like anything they use.'''' Windu said shaking his head. ''''According to the info Plo Koon sent before we lost contact with him it said it was owned by one Lord Coda.''''


    Ki-Adi-Mundi nodded with a serious expression. ''''We just received this information shortly before arriving here, we aren''t sure as to who...'''' He and Windu suddenly stood up with a start looking up into the ceiling.


    Palpatine almost broke character as a massive bestial like pressure descended on the entire room, no, the entire building before it started straining. The wall panels splintering shooting debris across the room as the Jedi present tried shielding the people inside the room.


    Those not force sensitive in the room fell to their knees groaning as massive pain struck their minds.


    A chorus of screams sounded from the entire building as the glass behind Palpatine shattered. The collective screaming becoming much more pronounced.


    Banging sounded from the door as they could hear snarls and growls on the other side. Yoda stood up, alert but confused. ''''Yoda, Mundi. Protect the chancellor!'''' Windu shouted over the entire room.


    Lights shattered as the room deformed slowly around them, they could make out parts of the building falling outside the window. Yoda glanced outside the window before bringing his attention to the aides inside the room as they seemed to be unconscious now. Madness, this is.


    With a loud snap, the door into the chambers started opening up. The deformed doorway thankfully preventing them from sliding all the way. It didn''t matter though, a silence that seemed deafening followed as everything stopped.


    Everyone swiveled their eyes to the door, standing outside were most of the people working on this floor. They were panting, wearing twisted scowls on their faces. Eyes filled with flashes of bright red and silver. Seconds of staring at each other passed. This lasted until the few people at the front spotted Palpatine.


    A guttural howl followed as they broke into a sprint. ''''SHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEV!!!''''


    They pushed and shoved each other in a mad race to get to him as the anger fueling this madness seemed to invigorate at the sight of him. Crashing sounds and explosions could be heard from the floors above them.


    Windu along with Kit Fisto stood at the front as they held back the people coming closer, trying to incapacitate them. Those they missed being handled by Yoda and Mundi.


    Standing at the back by his desk Palpatine was experiencing something he hadn''t felt for a long time.


    Fear. He could tell quite readily that whatever was doing this wanted him suffering, broken and dead.


    At any cost.


    <hr>


    In various places around the building, people were watching with rapt attention. From windows, people flying past or those simply walking around could see the entire top half of the building start to deform.


    Those high enough could tell even if they didn''t have access to the force, it was as if something huge was trying to rip and tear its way through the building from the top down. Explosions and fire coming into existence as the building itself endured the stress test of the millennium.


    Then just as suddenly as it started. It stopped. Leaving the top part of the building looking like someone had squeezed putti too hard. The people inside collapsing like string puppets being disconnected.


    All around Coruscant people were in shock as the news spread. Media outlets and the holo-net lit ablaze with speculation and footage of the entire thing.


    <hr>


    In orbit above Tatooine, onboard the eclipse.


    Qui-Gon and Plo Koon were sprinting after the guide droid as massive shudders kept running through the entire vessel. Sweating hard and panting as running inside the ship was like being subjected to twice the regular gravity. They could hear guttural howling and a woman''s frantic screaming.


    Turning a corner they were blasted with heat, a slagged crater replacing what could only have been the med-bay. Orange tendrils of slagged metal flailing around a floating Coda.


    Struck by the scene they held their arms in front of their faces. Observing closer the saw Coda floating bent over, veins bulging as his under armor was being burned off by the heat coming off his upper body. Deep orange and silver-colored lighting spreading everywhere turning anything it hit into a metallic soup.


    Looking closer they saw what they assumed was Beatrix trying to get close to him as chunks of black material kept getting blasted off her frame. At this point, Plo Koon tapped Qui-Gon''s shoulder as he pointed towards a woman being held back by two droids.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    Running up to her Qui-Gon asked hurriedly. ''''Trilla, what in the name of the force is going on!''''


    As she turned both of them could see tears streaming down her soot-covered face. As well as scorch marks all over her armor.


    ''''Qui-Gon! We have to help him! This is all my fault! This is all my...'''' She''s different, what did he do?


    ''''I understand, what can we do?!'''' He said as he saw Beatrix being batted away by one of the tendrils as she tried to close the distance between her and Coda.


    ''''Lady Beatrix asks that you try and restrain the tendrils so she can get close.'''' One of the droids holding Trilla said suddenly. ''''I understand, Plo, with me!'''' Plo Koon nodded as they got as close as they could.


    Beatrix spotted them coming over as she shared a look with Qui-Gon. They nodded at each other and got to work. The two Jedi constricted as many tendrils as they could as Beatrix broke into a sprint.


    Using melting debris as footholds she jumped between them at record speed, dodging as best she could. About halfway when she was about to jump yet again the tendrils became rigid and started shivering.


    Everything seemed to pause as she looked up at him.


    ''''SHEEEEEEEEEEV!'''' Screaming out in anger a shockwave blasted outwards from Coda. Molten metal spewing everywhere as the tendrils went berserk.


    Plo Koon turned towards the woman shouting. ''''GET HER OUT OF HERE!''''


    Both the droids responded with a nod and started dragging her away down the corridor.


    ''''NO! CODA! COODAAA!'''' Trilla screamed hysterically resulting in a jerk from Coda. He slowly turned his head towards the sounds. Tilting his head all she saw was confusion and pain.


    Beatrix didn''t let this opportunity slip by. Thousands of computations flashed through her software almost instantly.


    -Optimal path locked. Foothold required. Foothold acquired. Executing.-


    Within a second she''d calculated her next actions. Launching off the debris she was standing off it sank down into the slag. Jumping between what little space there was to stand she got close to him, Qui-Gon and Plo Koon straining themselves holding the tendrils in her way in place.


    Suddenly leaping up Qui-Gon noticed she was off course. ''''She won''t make it!'''' But before he could take action he noticed two droids propelling a third droid by cupping their hands together to produce a platform. The droid shot off like a missile into Beatrix''s path that she promptly sent flying down, it disappearing into the molten ground.


    At this point, almost her entire skeleton was visible, black as night as the material making up her skin had been turned into brittle dust. Grabbing hold to him with her left hand, the other one a fist that found it''s way into his face. A sickening crunch sounding out as his left cheekbone shattered under the impact.


    His head flying back from the impact Trilla noticed that his eyes had never left her, looking past the black skeleton in front of him he proceeded to backhand her torso. Bones breaking as his hand made contact, what followed were two almost instantaneous shockwaves. One from the impact that Beatrix suffered causing her to shoot off and disappear into a wall.


    The other caused when he bent down and vanished. Reappearing with his foot embedded into the back of one of the two droids trying to drag Trilla away from the chaos. The second droid found itself being used as a blunt instrument to make the other one a permanent part of the floor.


    Registering that nobody was holding onto her anymore she turned around to see Coda bashing the droid into the floor over and over again while screaming ''''AAAAAAHHHHHHHH!''''


    Anger seeping off him gave off the illusion like being in water. Ignoring the pain she felt from the heat singing her skin, she stood up. Embracing Coda from the back. ''''Coda! You have to stop, you''re killing yourself!'''' He stiffened up, turning to look at her.


    Blood was dripping from his limp right hand, his mouth and eyes as well. A few seconds passed as the deep orange color in his eyes slowly faded back to blue... ''''Trilla..? Are you alright, who...*cough*cough*'''' Blood spewed from his mouth as he collapsed back into Trilla.


    ''''Coda! Coda! Wake up!'''' Trilla was extremely rattled as she felt a hand touch her shoulder. Looking back she saw Qui-Gon looking at her with a serious expression. He pointed at the deluge of droids approaching, Doppel-droids and skeleton looking ones approaching. The front two were carrying a stretcher.


    ''''Let them take care of him, he needs medical attention.'''' Nodding softly she watched as they put him on a stretcher and more starting to apply first aid as they took him away. Trying to stand up and failing she felt Qui-Gon and the unidentified Kel Dor lifting her up. ''''Are you alright Trilla?'''' Shaking her head weakly. ''''This is my fault, I did this to him.'''' She said while looking down at her bloodied hands. She had slight burns on her hands.


    A droid walking towards them drew their attention. ''''Greetings, my designation is RG2. Please follow me to the secondary med bay. We can get your wounds looked at.'''' Qui-Gon and Plo Koon both nodded as Trilla just asked with a vacant stare. ''''Is he going to be alright?''''


    Smiling RG2 responded. ''''We believe so, though we won''t know the extent of the damage before we''ve run diagnostics. Follow me and I''ll keep you apprised of the situation as we know more Lady Trilla.''''


    As they started walking past the horde of droids entering the area RG2 sent out messages all over.


    -(''''RG1, Beatrix has gone offline. Send retrieval, PRIO MAX. RG4, the lord is approaching secondary med-bay. Damage is extensive. Nanite surgery likely required, have a full suite of RG''s standing by to donate matter. RG7, oversee and diagnose the extent of structural damage.'''')-


    Receiving a digital affirmative from all of them as he walked he sent a ticket towards the mainframe for Beatrix to go over once online.


    Suggestion: Research and develop dedicated medical personnel to ensure the lord''s as well as followers'' health.


    Reason: Organic frailty has been underestimated, inherent unpredictability will likely result in further injuries in the future.


    Addendum: Find cause of event. Once cause has been identified, research ways to prevent further incidents.


    <hr>


    Secondary Med-Bay.


    Having received medical attention Trilla stood in an observation room looking down into a hall that was full of droids standing around a Bacta tank. Taking turns on injecting whatever made up their skin into a port to its side.


    ''''They look quite menacing without skin.'''' Plo Koon commented from her side. Observing pitch-black red-eyed droids leaving the room one by one once their purpose here was fulfilled.


    ''''Trilla, this is Plo Koon. A member of the Jedi council, and a good friend of mine.'''' Seeing her nod in response he continued. ''''Now that we''re all patched up, can you explain what happened?''''


    Looking at Coda floating in the tank, tendrils of that black stuff floating around the tank searching for and repairing damage as they ran over his skin. His silver hair floating around his head, he looked almost ethereal. ''''I can try... He was trying to heal me. It went well at first, but soon he... we felt resistance. It started to hurt, I could tell he was trying to be careful but looking back it seems to be the first time he attempted something like this.''''


    Clenching her fist in front of her. ''''It wasn''t working and I felt pain.'''' Oh god, the pain. ''''I started crying... That''s when he tried a different approach...''''

 Chapter 5: Sin Eater

    Sometime earlier, med-bay.


    Coda and Trilla were sitting face to face with crossed legs. Beatrix was standing close by observing and making sure they wouldn''t be interrupted. Coda was looking at Trilla checking out the lightsaber hilt in her hands. She looked nervous.


    ''''It feels strange doesn''t it?'''' Coda asked. She looked up at Coda then back down to the hilt.


    ''''Yes... Why does it feel so heavy?'''' Holding it brought an eerie calm to her senses, making her unnaturally calm. Muted even.


    Smiling sadly he answered. ''''Both of my sabers are connected to me. They cannot even be used by others if I don''t allow it. Each of them represents an aspect of myself that I''ve locked away.''''


    ''''Turn it over, its name is engraved into it.'''' Trilla quickly found the engraving. ''''What''s it say? I''ve never seen this language.'''' Six letters were written in black and white. Looking like a scetch someone decided shouldn''t be finished.


    Looking up at Coda again she asked. ''''What does it mean?'''' Surprised by the solemn look on his face he responded. ''''It means Apathy.'''' Trilla''s eyebrows raised slightly at the answer. ''''Why apathy?''''


    ''''Why indeed.'''' Shaking his head. ''''We can go into it later, we''ve got something else to do.''''


    Seeing he didn''t want to talk about it any longer she just nodded. ''''So how does this work?''''


    Coda looked up while tapping his chin. ''''Right, well, it''s a type of force meld. I''ll be diffusing the corruption that''s infesting your... Soul? Mind?'''' Tilting his head. ''''Whatever you want to call it, it doesn''t matter.''''


    ''''Is that safe? Something like that sounds like it could be painful.'''' With a nod, he responded. ''''I''m going to try my very best to make sure there''s as little pain as possible. But I''d be lying if I said there isn''t a chance of this being painful.'''' Shrugging he continued. ''''It is what it is. You''re just going to have to trust me.''''


    Trust huh... Looking down at the object in her hands. He did save me... Somehow. He might be strange but I don''t feel he''s a bad person... It can''t be worse then what I''ve already gone through anyway.


    Nodding resolutely. ''''I understand, let''s get this over with.'''' Coda laughed softly. ''''Heh, name of your... You know what, never mind.'''' Receiving a tilt of the head from Trilla in response. ''''Just relax and start meditating. I''ll put my hand on top of your head and we''re off. Got it?''''


    ''''Yes, just get on with it.'''' Another chuckle followed. ''''Now you''re just doing this on purpose.''''


    Seeing her just becoming confused at his words. Doing what? ''''Never mind. Let''s start.''''


    They both exhaled and shut their eyes. Coda put his hand on Trilla''s head. She felt something akin to a film layering on her mind, searching out stains on her psyche. She didn''t know how long it had been until she felt something starting to tug and pull on parts of her mind.


    As he kept pulling on parts of her mind she felt like things were tearing apart, the pain started building as he continued. Keeping her eyes on the prize she tried to focus on keeping calm but it wasn''t working.


    The threads being pulled on forcing her to relive her past in bits and pieces.


    The combination of the stinging pain in her head and the memories she wanted to forget caused tears to start running down her face. As the first tear-drops splashed down it instantly stopped.


    She felt the film over her head shudder slightly. Feeling self-loathing, worry and irritation flash through the connection between them.


    *Drip*Drip*Drip*


    She''s crying again... This isn''t working, I didn''t think it would be this difficult. What should I do...


    Stopping for a now, Coda ran through and discarded ideas in record speed. His focus intensifying as he reprimanded himself. When did I get so arrogant, just because I know it should be possible... How idiotic.


    It was resisting him, he''d already cleared away most of the infection. The parts of her mind causing it though refused to be budged, at least without potential brain damage.


    Coda didn''t realize. The more he cleaned up, he became that more upset. To hell with this! If you refuse to dissipate... So be it. I''ll just consume you instead!


    Trilla was desperately trying to remain calm, trying to refrain from lashing out at him. She understood that he was trying to help her. She was on the verge of giving up when something changed.


    Coda felt upset, angry even.


    Before she could make head or tails of what had happened her entire system received an electrical shock as her body locked up. I knew it! The thought flashed through her head as she thought he was trying to hurt him.


    Before that thought could be taken any further the pain started receding rapidly. Mind clearing up at an accelerated pace as parts of her memories seemed to lose relevance to her.


    They were still there, but they felt like she was just watching someone else. Instinctively she understood these memories were hers but they just felt... hollow.


    Jolting out of her ruminations as she felt Coda''s hand removing itself from her head. She opened her eyes to see Coda bent over as a hot orange aura was leaking up from his body. ''''Coda?! What happened to you!?'''' Trilla shouted as she put her hands on his shoulders, only to pull them back almost instantly as he was scorching hot.


    Coda could barely stay lucid as he gritted his teeth. ''''Get her out of here!''''


    Beatrix responded slightly unsure of what was happening. ''''My lord?''''


    ''''Nooooow!'''' His deep voice sounding hoarse as the heat kept intensifying. Needing no further clarification, she moved quickly picking Trilla up only to have her scream out in pain as she rubbed against Coda''s other saber hilt hanging off Beatrix''s waist.


    Looking down to her waist she noticed the hilt was giving off massive amounts of heat as well, making the split decision to let it drop to the floor. She bent down, leaving imprints on the floor as she shot into motion.


    As she moved she sent out orders as well as declaring an emergency causing a flurry of activity all over the vessel. -(RG1, evacuate Scmi to a secondary location right away. RG11-100, stand by around Lord Coda''s position. Assistance may be required.)-Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    Getting an affirmative in response, she was flooded with digital questions marks from most of the RG units. Sending a data packet of what she had observed back instantly. Causing a strange shudder through most of them before they all sprang into action.


    Landing between two droids. Trilla had barely registered what was going on before she saw Beatrix shoot back into what was now a room filled with fire and heat.


    <hr>


    ''''A couple of minutes after I watched Beatrix getting batted around by those tendrils surrounding Coda, you two arrived.'''' Her narration finished, Qui-Gon and Plo Koon stood there in utter shock.


    ''''Are you telling me, he... ate your memories?'''' Plo Koon asked. Seeing Trilla shake her head.


    ''''Not just memories... Everything related to those memories and what I did, or what I had to do to survive.'''' Resting her hand on the saber attached to her waist. ''''It''s all just gone. Now I just feel... Unburdened.''''


    While Plo Koon pondered what he heard, Qui-Gon spoke up. ''''I''ve read about individuals capable of similar things, but they are usually far older then Coda is. I mean, he doesn''t look older than thirty.''''


    Plo Koon nodded, adding. ''''I wonder who trained him. He''s obviously quite powerful in the force, I haven''t seen anyone this proficient in pyrokinesis... It isn''t even really taught anymore.''''


    Seen? I haven''t even read or heard about something like this. ''''Who is he?''''


    Having the question directed towards them, Trilla and Qui-Gon shared a look.


    ''''We don''t know. Both of us woke up on board this ship hours ago. Though we do know he''s somehow responsible for me coming back to life. That goes for her as well.''''


    Nodding slowly, Plo Koon put a pin in this line of inquiry as he saw a droid exiting the room Coda was in heading their way but not before he quipped. ''''We also know he runs hot.'''' He delivered completely deadpan.


    The other two looked at him with completely done expressions on their faces. Before they could take it any further the droid came to a stop to their side.


    ''''Hello again, we''ve finished checking on him. He''s doing remarkably well, shortly after he was put into the tank and we started healing him we noticed he''s somehow accelerating his own healing progress.''''


    Keeping their attention on RG2 as he continued. ''''He had intracranial swelling, multiple bone fractures as well as massive damage to most muscle groups. We believe if there is no permanent damage to his brain he should wake up sooner rather then later.''''


    An audible sigh escaped Trilla''s lips. ''''That''s wonderful news, thank you. Do you mind if we wait here?''''


    ''''Of course Lady Trilla. I''ll have some furniture and refreshments delivered here shortly. Now if there''s nothing else, excuse me.''''


    <hr>


    Coda felt like he was floating, his skin feeling like it was on fire. He could hear garbled sounds as if someone was speaking close to him. His eyelids felt like they weighed tons as he struggled to open them.


    ''''How fucking lazy does one have to be, he''s unconscious and he still finds time to sleep.'''' Who?


    ''''Now now, you know as well as I do why he''s like this.'''' Who''s speaking? Where am I...


    ''''Fuck you old man! He did this to himself!'''' Coda could hear thumps like someone was beating on glass.


    ''''Open your eyes you lazy piece of shit! I know you''re awake, I can feel it.''''


    Struggling to do just that he could hear a sigh coming from another direction. ''''Do you have to be so crass?'''' His eyes finally peeling open. He could see a marble white coffee table in front of him. Looking down on himself he seemed to be wearing clothes from home. I''m sitting on a sofa? Where the hell am I?


    ''''Oh lookie here! Good morning sleeping beauty, I fucking told you he was awake.'''' Looking up he saw what looked like two gigantic panels of glass angled towards him and each other. Peering into the right one he saw himself as a child. ''''Who are you calling a child you piece of...''''


    ''''You need to relax, let him catch his breath'''' Turning his head over to the other side he saw himself as he remembered. Still handsome, but old... weathered. ''''I wonder if this inner monologue can be considered narcissistic behavior. Though I''m inclined to agree with it, objectively of course.''''


    Confusion marred his expression as he started feeling slightly better. ''''What''s going on?''''


    ''''We had to pull you in here, it was the only way to protect you from, well, yourself. What you did cannot be considered a very intelligent course of action.'''' What did I do? What was I doing before...


    Loud laughter came from the boy... him? As he keeled over laughing like a crazy person beating on the floor. A sigh sounded from the old man as the boy said. ''''What did you do?! Bwahahahahaha! Look at his face! He looks so fucking stupid!''''


    The child recovered a bit as he sat upon the floor. ''''I''m all for trying new things as you should know yourself, but this was something else. It takes a special breed of stupid to do what you just did. Oh, you''re such a dork.''''


    ''''You invented a new and creative way of turning yourself into a god damn vegetable! If we hadn''t pulled you here you''d be spending the rest of your days drooling more then usual.'''' As he finished berating Coda. He noticed both of them... Him? Them, looking up.


    Looking up as well he didn''t see anything. ''''You''re so fucking useless! You can''t even...''''


    Hearing an irritated sigh coming from the old man. ''''Just! Be! Quiet!''''


    ''''Old man! What are you doing?! Don''t you dare! Don''t you fuc...'''' As if someone just hit a mute button all sounds coming from the kid just stopped. He didn''t look happy about it as it was obvious he was still screaming as he started using a red coffee table to pound on the glass.


    Looking over to Coda with a neutral expression the man said.''''You need to go. She''s calling for you.''''


    Calling for me? Who is? ''''Trilla, obviously.'''' Trilla? Who''s Tri... Trilla... TRILLA!? ''''Is she...''''


    Anticipating the question the man answered before he finished. ''''She''s fine. Unbelievably your little escapade paid off.'''' Coda felt relief as he started feeling extremely tired again as he asked. ''''Will I see you two again?''''


    ''''That''s unlikely. Unless you plan on doing something this stupid again, though I wish you didn''t.'''' The old man finally cracked a slight smile. Nodding, Coda started slipping into unconsciousness again.


    As he was falling asleep he heard the old man speaking. ''''Besides, we''re always by your side.''''


    Feeling like a red mist was receding, his eyes regaining focus, the first thing he saw was Trilla.


    ''''Trilla..? Are you alright, who...*cough*cough*'''' Feeling liquids coming out of his throat was the last thing he remembered before collapsing.

 Chapter 6: Prelude

    Standing in a corridor aboard the eclipse were three RG units. Two of them were trying to pry Beatrix''s offline body out of the wall, while the third was working a datapad they''d connected to her.


    Looking up from the datapad, he saw red eyes light up. If anyone other then the droids would be watching the scene they''d probably be creeped out as a Rev-9 frame looks quite sinister without its fake skin to cover it. Seeing her try to move her jaw the unit started talking.


    ''''Welcome back Lady Beatrix, we don''t know the extent of your damage so please refrain from trying to vocalize. Please run damage assessment as we can''t access your root systems.''''


    Receiving a ping from her he turned his attention to the pad again to start reading what appeared.


    Running self-diagnostics.


    Frame has experienced catastrophic damage.


    Right arm: Missing, seek a replacement.


    Right leg: Connections severed, unable to determine extent of damage.


    Torso armor plating: Destroyed. Detected main battery damage, disconnecting, rerouting to the auxiliary battery. Entering low power mode to compensate.


    Mimetic alloy nanites: Depleted.


    Conclusion: Seek immediate repairs. Main battery containment failure in T-Minus 8 hours, 29 minutes.


    Reading what she was transmitting he sent a notice to engineering to prepare for repairs. Disconnecting the plug. ''''Lady Beatrix, we''ll send you down towards the forge right away.'''' He told her as he prepared to walk away, suddenly she spoke.


    ''''L-L-L-LoAArd CodAAAA?'''' Turning his head towards her he answered while nodding. ''''He''s fine, his body suffered extensive damage but it''s been rectified. Brainwave scans indicate that he''ll wake up soon.''''


    Receiving no other response then her entering standby mode he gave her one last look until he turned to look through the hole on the wall opposite to see the crater swarming with units conducting repairs as well as trying to dislodge Coda''s other lightsaber from the half-melted metal.


    ''''Catastrophic indeed.''''


    <hr>


    Opening his eyes Coda found himself floating in a tank filled with some kind of fluid.


    I need a vacation... Coda ruefully smiled as he berated himself. Directing his attention outside the tank he noticed two RG units vigilantly standing guard on either side in front of the tank. Further away, he noticed that Trilla was sleeping in a chair faced towards the inside of his room.


    Is she... drooling? Oh my, can''t let this chance slip away. Qui-Gon seemed to be meditating as a shit-eating grin came into its own on Coda''s face. The two RG units suddenly felt slight nudges as they turned around only to see their lord miming be quiet to both of them. Nodding at him to indicate understanding he pointed to the control panel for the tank.


    After the tank emptied it opened quietly enough so Trilla didn''t wake up. Phew. ''''Guys, you can take pictures through your eyes, right?'''' Coda asked the two of them in a low voice. ''''Yes my Lord'''' They both responded softly.


    ''''Excellent! Now if you''d be so kind as to zoom up to her face and get me a few pictures yeah?'''' Not questioning this odd order, one of them turned towards the observation room. Turning back he reported his success to Coda. ''''Your orders have been carried out my Lord.''''


    ''''Wunderbar! Now, what''s a guy have to do to get some clothes around here?'''' Having anticipated this, the other droid fetched a robe from a nearby closet. Helping him put it on it said. ''''We weren''t sure what articles of clothing you''d prefer so please use this while you return to your room.''''


    ''''Gotcha, you follow me. Explain what went down as we walk.'''' Turning to the voyeur-bot. ''''Please inform them that I''ve woken up and then lead them to the dining room, I''ll join them shortly.''''


    ''''Right away my lord, shall we prepare anything specific?'''' Tapping his chin for a couple of seconds, he snapped his fingers suddenly. ''''I''d love to go for some pizza right now, nothing fancy either. Simple is good. Now, let''s go.''''


    On the way to his room, he asked the droid. ''''Where''s Beatrix?'''' Nodding, the unit explained what went down after he lost consciousness. ''''I see, how long will it take to repair the damage I did?'''' Arriving at the room, he walked up to his closet as the droid answered. ''''We estimated it''ll take around a week to repair the damage, my lord.''''


    ''''Don''t bother to replace all the equipment, we''ve got spare medical facilities. I''ll find a use for it.''''


    With a wave of his hand, he closed the door to his quarters. ''''Now, listen closely. I''ve got orders for you.''''


    It''s time I took all of this seriously, these people aren''t characters in a movie. Unfortunately for good ''ol Palpy, this has become quite personal to me... Coda thought to himself, a sinister smile appearing on his face.


    <hr>


    Plo Koon entered the observation room after having relieved himself, moving towards the glass he stopped.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Speaking up he asked nobody in particular. ''''Ehm... Where''d he go?'''' Qui-Gon''s eyes opened up as he heard Plo Koon''s question. Checking the inside of the room he found that Coda had indeed disappeared.


    ''''I''m not sure, I didn''t notice anything.'''' Trilla roused as she started blinking her eyes to regain her focus when all of them heard the door slide open. An RG unit entering. ''''Excellent, you''re all awake. The Lord has invited you to dine with him. He''ll join you shortly.''''


    Trilla instantly became alert. ''''So he''s alright?'''' Smiling he answered. ''''Yes, ma''am. He seems to be operating at peak efficiency, though a little hungry.'''' Turning to his side and extending his hand. ''''Now if you''d please follow me.''''


    It didn''t take them long to enter what seemed to be a dining room for officers. They noticed a woman sitting at the table already. She was trying to make herself smaller as she looked uncomfortable and afraid.


    Her head swiveled towards the door as she heard it open, her eyes lighting up as she saw Qui-Gon.


    ''''Master Qui-Gon! It''s been a long time, it''s a pleasure to see you again.'''' She said timidly.


    A warm smile broke out on his face. ''''Shmi, it''s a relief to see you in good health. How are you feeling?''''


    ''''To be honest, I''m quite confused. I remember being taken to that camp, I thought I''d die there... Did you save me?'''' She asked bowing slightly.


    ''''No. You have Coda, the owner of this vessel to thank for that. He seems to know your son.'''' Hearing him mention Anakin her entire face lit up. ''''Ani? Is he here?!''''


    Before he could answer her they heard a jovial voice coming from the doorway. ''''I''m afraid not ma''am. But it won''t be long until you see him again. You have my word.'''' Drawing everybody''s attention to the voice''s owner.


    Coda stood in the door rolling up the sleeves on the dark red shirt he was wearing. ''''It''s my utmost pleasure to meet you. I''m a big fan of your son.'''' Looking over at Trilla he just winked at her before addressing Plo Koon. ''''Hey! PK, so, be honest. Were you surprised when you saw him?'''' His smile turning slightly mischievous.


    Slightly taken aback by the way he was addressed. He just nodded. ''''Yes, I was. Though surprises seem to be in abundance around these parts.'''' Plo Koon''s eyes narrowing slightly. ''''Yeah, it''s been a hell of a day.''''


    Walking into the room Coda stopped next to Trilla, looking into her eyes for a second until he just patted her shoulder. ''''Come on, let''s eat.'''' Sitting next to Scmi he struck up a conversation with her as the other three just shared a look before sitting down to join them.


    While they shared a meal, multiple HK-Dropships stealthily departed the vessel and entered hyperspace as soon as they got out of range of the GWG(Gravity Well Generator).


    <hr>


    After the meal, Coda asked them to follow him. Soon they entered a massive hangar that contained a giant variant of an HK-Aerial. Heavily armored and outfitted with enough weapons to make a Texan blush, they observed some kind of massive threaded vehicle back up a ramp at the rear of the ship. Alongside it, hundreds of RG units entering as well.


    Qui-Gon cocked an eyebrow as he turned to Coda. ''''Are you planning to start a war?'''' Simply shaking his head he answered with a serious tone. ''''No, I''m planning to end one.''''


    As they got closer Coda saw Beatrix to the side of the ramp watching them approach. ''''Lord Coda, It''s good to see you. The HK-OAV will be fully loaded in 15 minutes, after that, we''ll be ready to leave at any time.'''' She informed him, bowing slightly.


    ''''Beatrix, I''m sorry about what happened before. Things got a little out of hand, I hope I didn''t cause any permanent damage.'''' Righting herself. ''''Not at all my lord, as long as your alright.''''


    Coda turned to the others. ''''Right, start boarding. We''ll be leaving shortly. Beatrix, please show them to the bridge.'''' Beatrix bowed. ''''As you command my lord.''''


    She started walking up the ramp when she noticed that nobody was following her, turning around she asked. ''''Is there a problem?'''' Answering her, Plo Koon asked. ''''Yes, firstly. Where are we going? Furthermore, I arrived here in my own ship.''''


    ''''I see. Our destination is Geonosis, as to the ship. I will see to it that it is delivered back to Coruscant. Is this acceptable?'''' Plo Koon pondered a bit before looking over at Qui-Gon. Seeing him nod he shrugged and started walking up the ramp with Qui-Gon.


    Coda noticed that both Trilla and Scmi standing still. Smiling at Trilla. ''''Go on ahead, I''ll be right up. I had them deliver less malevolent looking clothing for you.'''' Trilla looked down to see she was still wearing her inquisitor armor. She smiled, giving a slight nod towards Coda as she went up the ramp joining the rest.


    Coda indicated with his head that they should just walk ahead before turning his attention back to Scmi.


    Hesitatingly she started speaking. ''''Master Coda... I''m not sure I''ll be of much use to you.''''


    Responding with a warm smile on his face. ''''Scmi, I didn''t have you rescued for any other purpose than to keep you safe. To that end, I''m going to have to ask that you remain aboard this ship. We''re going to be entering a warzone and I don''t think your son would appreciate me taking you along.''''


    Scmi''s eyes widened at the unexpected news before Coda continued. ''''I''ve instructed RG1 to keep you company, you''re free to do whatever you want while you''re in my care. I have also arranged for a protection detail for your family down on Tatooine, they''ll be safe as well.


    Putting one hand on her shoulder. ''''Rest assured that this is temporary, once I meet up with Anakin I''ll let him know that you''re safe and sound.'''' Making his voice lower so the others couldn''t hear him, just in case. ''''Maybe you''ll even be able to meet his girlfriend, I have it on good authority that she''s quite the looker.''''


    Scmi laughed softly at the strange man''s words. ''''Thank you so much for everything you''re doing for me, I''ll take my leave then.'''' Bowing towards him, Coda watched as she left with RG1.


    Hearing someone walk down the ramp again he turned to see Beatrix. ''''My lord, preparations are finished. We can leave at any time.'''' Coda started tapping his chin. ''''Is ''everything'' in place?''''


    ''''Yes my lord. All mission groups have already been sortied. After we leave the second phase will begin.''''


    Nodding, Coda walked up the ramp past Beatrix. ''''Then let''s move, we''ve got a lot of work to do.''''


    ''''It''s time for me to make my debut.''''

 Chapter 7: Precipice

    The Prometheus, Bridge.


    RG2 waited until the scanners indicated the OAV Dauntless was confirmed to have entered hyperspace.


    -(''''Dauntless has exited the area. All units, second phase is active. Prepare to enter hyperspace. Navigation, report.'''')-


    -(''''Path has been locked, suitable systems remain an unknown. Scans will be performed at each jump once outside monitored systems. Estimated travel time extended due to preferred usage of lower traffic routes.''''


    -(''''Acknowledged. Tactical, report.'''')-


    -(''''Jedi vessel has been dismantled, info recovered has little value. Reverse engineering may prove something useful, unable to verify before R&D has been established. Strike teams will be comms dark until the comm chain has been established. Estimate chance of successfully escaping notice as we leave monitored system to be almost zero. Recommend eliminating chances of following vessels once scans indicate we''ve exited high traffic zone.'''')-


    RG2 sifted through the info almost instantly.


    Conclusion: Operation can commence, proceed within mission parameters.


    -(''''Acknowledged, commence operation.'''')- Minutes later the Prometheus disappeared into hyperspace, alerting the various forces that were monitoring the strange ship.


    <hr>


    Dauntless, War Room.


    ''''Let me get this straight. You want me to keep what I saw onboard your ship to myself, Trilla''s existence and your droids capabilities as well?'''' Plo Koon asked in disbelief. ''''...And if I don''t?''''


    ''''If you''re expecting me to threaten or coerce you, you''re going to end up disappointed. Besides, what you walked into back there wasn''t planned. I made a mistake, things just got a little out of hand.'''' Coda answered, tapping his chin.


    Plo Koon and Coda locked eyes. ''''And you slaughtering all those Tusken raiders, was that also a mistake? Did things just go out of control?''''


    Coda''s whole demeanor suddenly became deadly serious. An invisible pressure emanating from him. ''''How many months, how many years? Until the number of people they kill becomes higher than the number of those now buried in that cratered wasteland?''''


    ''''A hypothetical future doesn''t give you t...'''' *BANG* Coda''s fist hit the table, leaving a visible dent.


    ''''Let me make something absolutely fucking crystal clear. As far as I''m concerned, you and the sith are exactly the same. A self-righteous circus of hypocrites, your repeated warring has caused an untold amount of death.''''


    Standing up from his chair he continued. ''''You have no moral high-ground to lecture me from Jedi! I''m well aware of the atrocities your so-called order of Peacekeepers has conducted in the past.''''


    Taking a deep breath, he started walking towards the doorway. ''''If you all want to play cosmic cop''s and robbers, that''s fine. But leave the rest of us out of it.'''' Coda stopped before exiting the room. ''''Listen closely, I don''t care who or what you are. Anyone who has the intention to infringe on innocent people''s free will shall see a storm of death and fury follow closely. That includes those Tusken freaks.''''


    Coda''s head turned to lock eyes with Plo Koon again as flashes of deep orange and bright silver flashed in his eyes. ''''I don''t mind you not agree with my methods, but don''t you dare try and lecture me.


    Trilla, Qui-Gon, and Plo Koon were left there as Coda stormed out. Shocked by his sudden outburst they each looked at each other as Qui-Gon spoke up. ''''That was... Intense.''''


    Trilla nodded. ''''Something you said upset him greatly. I don''t think that was only about you.''''


    Plo Koon was reeling from what Coda had said. While he knew a lot about the order he didn''t dare say he knew everything. I need to meditate on this. Also... The other two hadn''t seen it, but for the briefest of moments, he saw a glimpse of the feelings that lay behind the unusual response.


    A sea of bottled hatred... Also, I can swear I saw something was watching back at me.


    Trilla stood up. ''''I''ll go see if he''s alright, and Master Plo Koon. Try and give him the benefit of the doubt, he''s not a bad person.'''' Though I''m not sure he can be classified as a good one either. Leaving it at that she walked out to see if she could find Coda.


    <hr>


    After looking around Trilla came across Coda in a room with five RG units. He was using a tool to draw blood into little metal cylinders. ''''Coda... Are you alright?'''' She asked softly.


    While he filled the fifth cylinder he just sighed. ''''I am. I''m sorry about my outburst, that wasn''t a very mature way of handling that. He just... Reminded me of somebody I used to know.''''


    Coda just chuckled darkly before he kept talking. ''''I guess I''m suffering from side effects from our little song and dance. I haven''t had to deal with getting angry for a fairly long time before I came here. It''s quite nostalgic.''''


    Nostalgic huh? ''''I''m sorry, I didn''t wa...'''' Waving his hand in front of his face. ''''No, never apologize for that. I did it because I wanted to, and I don''t regret it. The other two don''t understand, but you know who he is don''t you?'''' He said meeting her gaze. ''''Who?''''


    ''''Sidious.'''' Trilla''s eyes narrowed as she nodded. ''''I do. Why do you ask?''''


    ''''I''m going to fuck him up, but I can''t do it alone. You know as well as I do that he is a splinter not so easily dislodged. I can''t just out him and expect everyone to go along with it, even if it worked I can''t anticipate all of the contingencies he has in place.'''' Trilla nodded. ''''Agreed. Some of the things I''ve seen is the stuff of nightmares, he needs to die.'''' She said in a voice that dripped venom.


    Cracking a smile. ''''Atta'' girl.'''' Coda said as his smile turned wicked. ''''So what''s our plan?'''' She asked.


    Our''s? Great! ''''For now, we wait. I''ve already put things into motion, we need to focus on the coming battle. Did you ever read anything about the Battle of Geonosis?'''' Getting a nod in return. ''''Good, then you know the massive shit show we''re about to walk into. I''ll explain the plan once we meet up with the boy scouts again.'''' Trilla tilted her head. Boy scouts?Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    Shaking her head slightly. ''''Then, what are you up right now?'''' Seeing him give a little giggle in response she cocked her eyebrows. ''''Oh, you know... Advanced space wizardry 101. Observe.''''


    Closing his eyes he focused on the cylinders in his hand. Trilla noticed he was condensing the force into them. Curious, she walked up to him. The objects in his hands started to give off a strange feeling. Is this some kind of sith alchemy?


    After a short while, Coda opened his eyes. ''''Now let''s see if this worked, it should be fine... In theory at least.'''' He walked up to the RG units and gave each one a cylinder. ''''Put these inside you somewhere safe.''''


    They all nodded. ''''Yes, My lord!'''' Watching the objects being absorbed into the nanites Trilla thought to herself, that''s it? Coda then put his hand on each of them in order, as he finished the first one Trilla was no closer to knowing what he was up to.


    Using the force to sense the first unit it hit her. Her eyes widened. They feel...Alive? I can''t tell they''re droids without focusing intently. ''''Amazing...''''


    ''''I know right?'''' He said happily. ''''Now it won''t hold up to close scrutiny as you can probably tell, but it''s good enough for now.'''' Coda nodded at a job well done.


    ''''What are you planning with these droids?'''' She asked as she was marveling at the ingenuity. ''''These boys are going to be joining the army you see, they grow up so fast.'''' He said with a mock sadness in his voice.


    Laughing slightly at his antics they both heard the comms come alive. ''''We are fifteen minutes out from Genosis, please proceed to the deployment hangar.''''


    Smiling, Coda spoke up. ''''It''s showtime, let''s go.'''' Nodding, Trilla followed by his side.


    <hr>


    Being led into a long room at the bottom of the ship. Qui-Gon and Plo Koon entered seeing Coda suiting up in a black and white armor before donning a white robe with black accents. Trilla was standing close to him in a similar getup except she had a white mask with a single thick black line running down the middle.


    Noticing Beatrix walk up to him with an identical mask he asked. She presented one to him as well, taking it he looked up at Coda. ''''I don''t wear a mask.''''


    ''''I know, but I don''t think it''s a good idea for a dead Jedi to show up in the middle of a battlefield. You might cause distractions and get people killed... People you might know.'''' Coda rebutted. ''''You make a good point, but this mask reminds me of ancient sith masks.'''' Just receiving a scoff in return. ''''It''s just a mask.''''


    ''''What about you, will you be wearing one?'''' Coda just unclipped something from under his robe and threw it over. Catching it Qui-Gon looked the object over to see it was a half mask to protect the lower part of the face. White with black detailing like the rest of his armor/robe.


    Shrugging he just threw it back at him before clipping his own mask to his waist. ''''So Coda, care to explain what we''re doing here?'''' Attaching the mask to his face Coda nodded. ''''Of course, but first.'''' He moved his eyes to Plo Koon. ''''I apologize for my previous outburst, you dredged up some... unpleasant memories. You didn''t deserve that.''''


    ''''I just hope you can reserve your decision about what I asked until after we''re done down there. Is that acceptable to you?'''' Seconds passed as their eyes were locked. Finally, Plo Koon just nodded. ''''I understand. I can do that.''''


    ''''Excellent. Now, as to what''s about to go down. Here''s where we stand.'''' Coda looked over all of them in order before continuing. ''''Senator Padm¨¦, Anakin Skywalker, and Obi-Wan have been captured by Count Dooku.'''' Noting Qui-Gon''s shock as he explained. Qui-Gon was about to speak as Coda held his hand up.


    ''''Let me finish. Dooku is a full-blown sith-lord at this point in time, he''s an apprentice to the same person that sent the ''sith'' after you and Obi-Wan on Naboo.'''' Qui-Gon''s mind at this point was in chaos. ''''How do you... Are you...''''


    ''''Focus! I need you to pay attention.'''' Taking a deep breath and trying to center himself Qui-Gon nodded solemnly. Seeing him having calmed down a little Coda continued. ''''Yoda has already sent a strike team of 200 some Jedi give or take to rescue them.''''


    ''''Of those sent on that half-baked rescue attempt... Less than fifty will walk away.'''' The two Jedi reeled at this information. Plo Koon had been using the force to try and ascertain if he was telling the truth and to his dismay. He was, as far as he could tell at least. How does he know?


    ''''Our objectives are two-fold. Me and Plo Koon will be deploying in drop pods planetside. I need you to join me to make sure we avoid friendly fire once we make contact on the ground seeing as I employ the usage of droids myself.'''' Plo Koon nodded to show his understanding. ''''The first objective will be trying to minimize the loss of Jedi. We get in, hold the line until Master Yoda arrives to extract us. With me so far?''''


    Receiving three nods he continued. ''''Secondly, we coordinate with the republic forces and go from there.''''


    ''''PK, give Qui-Gon your identification codes so the Dauntless can join up with the republic fleet once it gets here. I''d rather not lose this ship due to trigger happy clones.'''' Turning to Beatrix he continued. ''''Beatrix, you and Trilla will be in charge of the Dauntless and the troops once you touch down. Set up a FOB and try and save as many lives as you can as you work with the troops on the ground.''''


    Trilla and Beatrix nodded. ''''Understood/Yes, My lord.''''


    ''''Well be operating as mercenaries recruited by PK to avoid confusion, everyone got all that?'''' He asked.


    Everyone gave Coda a nod. ''''Great, PK, strap into the pod behind me, I''ll join you shortly.'''' Watching him disappear into the pod behind him he turned to Trilla and Qui-Gon. ''''You two know concealment techniques right?''''


    Both answering with a yes Coda continued. ''''Ok, get to the bridge and try to keep us hidden. The vessel is designed to be hard to pick up on scans but I''m not willing to risk it anymore then I have to.'''' Qui-Gon gave him a long look. Trying to make sense of the thoughts swirling in his head before relenting with a nod and walking out of the room.


    Trilla stayed back as his attention turned to her. ''''Yes?''''


    ''''Why are you going out of your way to save so many of them?'''' She asked him.


    In his deep voice, Coda just chuckled darkly. ''''Saving? No, I''m investing. Having dozens of Jedi owe me their lives as well as putting more pieces on the board in between us and that old freak can only be a good thing.''''


    ''''Same goes for the clones, sowing good intentions into the military should eventually pay dividends down the road.'''' He explained matter of factly. ''''Now get going, Qui-Gon could probably use some company.''''


    Giving him a curt nod she walked over to the doorway. ''''Be safe Coda.'''' He heard her say as she turned the corner.


    Smiling under his mask he just shook his head as he walked down the corridor to enter the drop pod.


    Once inside he noticed that Plo Koon was already strapped in alongside 6 RG units.


    Sitting down and strapping himself in, he started tapping on the pad strapped to the inside of his left arm.


    Plo Koon was watching him for a couple of seconds. ''''What exactly are you doing?'''' He asked as he noticed Coda was quite focused on whatever it was he was doing.


    Without looking up he responded absentmindedly. ''''Trying to find the right track for the occasion.''''


    What?! Plo Koon took a little while to register what he said before he asked with slight irritation.


    ''''Can''t you take this seriously?!''''


    Hearing Plo Koons inflection he looked up with a blank expression. ''''Well, this is serious to me?''''


    Plo Koon just gave an exasperated sigh as he facepalmed.

 Chapter 8: Skyfall

    High orbit, Geonosis.


    Trilla and Qui-Gon sat on the bridge in lotus positions trying to aid in concealing the Dauntless as it exited hyperspace. Beatrix stood by the droid piloting the vessel as she spoke up. ''''We''ve arrived. Switch to silent running. Scan the surface for a coliseum of some sort.''''


    ''''''''Acknowledged'''''''' Both Tactical and the pilot spoke up simultaneously. -(''''Has the secondary drop zone been identified?'''')- She inquired digitally.


    -(''''Negative, we are experiencing trouble getting any data due to the asteroid belt. Once we''re through we should get clearer signals. We''ll continue trying and let you know as soon as we''re clear.'''')-


    Nodding, she sent a ping to indicate understanding. -(''''How long until we clear the field?'''')-


    Tactical opened a data stream to keep her updated in real-time. Six minutes give or take? -(''''Understood. Uploading mission parameters for Operation Peach to pods 8-12. Uploading list for targets of opportunity. Self destruct is green if caught or incapacitated. How copy?'''')-


    The units aboard the pods all sent a positive back the next instant. Opening comms to the pod Coda was in. ''''Lord Coda, we''re six minutes out. Everything is ready, I''ll notify you once we are T-minus 1 minute to deployment.''''


    <hr>


    Coda was still messing around with his wrist pad when they got the update from Beatrix.


    Looking up to listen he nodded once she finished reporting. ''''Got it Beatrix.''''


    Scrolling through his playlist for a couple of minutes while they waited, Plo Koon roused from his meditation.


    ''''Shouldn''t you try to center yourself before we enter battle?'''' He asked with slight irritation. ''''If this battle is going to be as dangerous as you''ve implied I''d prefer you stay focused.''''


    Eyes flickered up to meet his before moving back to the wrist pad he answered. ''''You use meditation to focus your thoughts. I use music.'''' Coda explained with a patient tone. ''''Besides, I think I''m a bit too excited to try and meditate right now. This is...'''' A smile bloomed on his face as he snapped his fingers.


    ''''I found it! This is the one!'''' He said in an excited tone. ''''That''s great Coda.'''' Plo Koon responded in a completely neutral tone. Looking up Coda responded. ''''Come on PK, I think you''ll like it. It''s a song that celebrates one of the most venerated warriors from my world.''''


    ''''Oh?'''' Plo Koon responded with surprised interest. ''''Please tell me more.'''' Maybe I can get some information about where he''s from, and about their capabilities.


    Seeing he caught Plo Koon''s attention he explained. ''''Sure! I''ve never met him but I''ve seen his exploits. Inspiring terror in those stupid enough to bring his ire upon themselves, Much faster and much stronger then most men, if not all men.''''


    ''''A relentless combatant, once you''ve been deemed an enemy he doesn''t stop. Ever. Expert on most weapons, hand to hand combat and vehicles he can get his hands on.'''' Plo Koon was listening with rapt attention at this point as Coda continued his narration. ''''He''d rush entire armies with vengeful determination slaughtering thousands if not tens of thousands. It got to the point that they''d started to enter deeper into their own world to try and hide from him.''''


    At this point, Coda was trying his best to keep his mirth from showing. ''''So how did they kill him?''''


    Receiving a shake of the head in response. ''''They didn''t, as far as know he''s still alive and well.''''


    Plo Koon drew a large breath. ''''What do your people call this Great Warrior?''''


    ''''His enemies call him the Doom Slayer, we know him by Doom marine though.''''


    Doom marine? Is this the standard of warriors from his homeworld or is he an outlier... Plo Koon found this news to be most alarming. ''''And his song?''''


    Now Coda was thanking his lucky stars his mask hid his mouth. Struggling to keep himself from laughing he answered. ''''It''s called BFG division.'''' Nodding seriously while he was in deep thought. ''''What does BFG stand for?''''


    Not expecting the surreal question. ''''Ehh...That''s classified.''''


    ''''I see. Of course, I understand.'''' Smiling ruefully at the absurd situation he''d created. ''''So you don''t mind if I put it on do you?''''


    ''''Not at all, I''d be honored to hear it.'''' Of course you would. ''''Great let me ju...''''


    Suddenly the comms came alive. ''''T-Minus 1 minute to drop location. Fighting seems to have commenced according to our scans. Expect to fired upon once you break lower atmo.''''


    ''''Solid copy B, thanks for the heads up. We''re good to go over here.'''' Coda said with a serious tone.


    ''''Godspeed Lord Coda.''''


    <hr>


    Approaching the drop point twelve circular ports opened up on the bottom of the Dauntless. Shortly after eight pods shot out as they started getting surrounded by flame as they encountered the atmosphere.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.


    -(''''Package is away. Moving to secondary drop location.'''')- Swerving off it headed to a different location as tactical reported to Beatrix. -(''''Acknowledged. Once strike group Princess has been ejected move towards anticipated hyperspace exit point for the republic fleet.'''')-


    Getting a digital yes back she turned to Trilla and Qui-Gon. ''''You can stop. We''ve already alerted them to our presence. Go get ready.'''' Opening their eyes they nodded and stood up. ''''Lord Coda is going to try to obtain a lightsaber for you on-site Lady Trilla. Until we meet back up with him refrain from entering the battle.''''


    ''''I understand. I''ll stay on protection detail.'''' Her and Beatrix nodded at each other before heading to the hangar with Qui-Gon.


    <hr>


    On the ground, the battle had already started. They''d already lost some of the people who came to rescue them. Obi-Wan had just deflected some blaster shots to down a couple of droids when he and many combatants noticed fire from the ground to air laser emplacements start delivering salvos of laser fire into the air.


    Following the laser fire up they saw eight, scratch that. Seven objects as one exploded into shrapnel wreathed in fire break into the lower atmosphere. ''''What the hell is that?!'''' He shouted over the battlefield towards the other Jedi.


    Hearing him, Kit Fisto looked up focusing the force to strengthen his vision. Seeing what he thought to be some kind of drop-pods he quickly surveyed the battlefield looking for Master Windu. Seeing him jump down from a balcony he started sprinting towards him, cutting through droids and deflecting shots as he made good time.


    Arriving to help him drop a few more droids he started speaking. ''''Master Windu, we''ve got incoming drop-pods of unknown design coming in fast. Are they ours?''''


    Checking it himself he shook his head. ''''I''m not sure'''' He answered as he had to duck under a random missile flying towards him. ''''But there''s some kind of vergence onboard one of them. As well as... Plo Koon?''''


    Coming to the conclusion that they should be friendly he shouted with the help of the force. ''''INCOMING FRIENDLIES!'''' As another pod went up in flames.


    <hr>


    In the pod, Coda and Plo Koon were experiencing massive turbulence as laser fire whizzed past them.


    Having just received a notification from the onboard computer that they''d lost another pod they felt a massive jolt only to find they''d been hit by debris, completely junking two of the droids as a large piece of metal was now occupying where they were previously sitting.


    Getting his bearing back Coda unbuckled himself as he and Plo Koon noticed they''d entered into a spin as the flight computer tried but ultimately failed to correct their course. ''''PK! See if you can get some control back using the interface.''''


    Nodding he shouted back. ''''What are you going to do?!'''' Only responding by using a force blast to remove one of the entry hatches. Wind drowning out the music as it started pouring in, Coda looked over his shoulder. ''''I''ll be back.''''


    Leaving Plo Koon with that, he flung himself outside the pod by grabbing onto the railing that could be found on the sides of all four exit hatches. Hearing the computer state ''17 seconds to touchdown'' he thought fast.


    Noticing that they were in a free spin and veering off course Coda raised his hand to try and guide them back into the right vector. Straining against the massive speed as close call after close call laser fire flew past them. ''''PK!''''


    ''''I''m working on it! Just give me a... I got it!'''' The same moment he stopped talking the stabilizing thrusters sputtered as they came alive resulting in Coda getting banged into the side of the pod, barely holding on.


    Fuck, that smarts! He''d barely got his bearings as yet another pod exploded above him. Feeling the wave of heat wash over him as they barely outran the explosion. God fucking dammit! ''''This is insane!''''


    Feeling the retro thrusters kick in as they were about to touch down he noted that while they weren''t clustered with the other pods they''d still hit inside the arena. Using the few precious seconds before they''d touch the ground he glanced over the battlefield.


    Taking stock he noted they''d made it in time though some of them were down, either injured or dead.


    Turning his eyes down and seeing the ground approaching rapidly he lept up just before the pod impacted the side of the arena wall. Using the force to counteract the pull of gravity he touched down on the ground beside the pod as a cloud of dust shot up behind him, clouding him and the pod inside it.


    The other four settled down in a similar but a lot more controlled manner in a loose square formation around the middle of the arena. This resulted in a lull in the fighting as the Jedi close to the impacts held their hands up in front of their face as dust clouds covered a large part of the arena.


    The separatist droids weren''t sure as to how to proceed against the newly arrived guests, though this didn''t last long. The top of the pods shot open as double-barreled plasma turrets deployed from the opening and started laying down covering fire, followed by the hatches not faced towards the outside of the arena opened being held up by the exiting RG units.


    They proceeded to stab the hatches into the ground next to the pods to use as makeshift cover, creating a defensible position in a square formation around the center of the arena. Taking up positions they all quickly starting laying down fire with the standard-issue plasma rifles they were equipped with as they sent black matter clones into the horde of droids to retrieve downed friendlies all over the engagement area.


    Understandably the Jedi were quite confused as to who or what this force was as they saw the strange sinister-looking droids engage the separatist forces. To their credit, the confusion didn''t last long as the fighting intensified again.


    Seeing as this unknown force was there to help them they joined up with them, filling in the gaps of their defenses. This all took just a dozen seconds to take place, as the RG units were massively efficient.


    Obi-Wan gave the new paradigm a once over before looking into the dust cloud on the side of the arena.


    He could feel the force shudder in excitement as if it was a dam about to burst.


    Suddenly he heard someone talking loudly from inside the swirling cloud of sand. ''''PK! You ok man?''''


    Hearing a groan, a familiar voice responded. ''''I like flying but that''s the last time I''m entering one of these metal coffins.''''


    A loud laugh sounded out when he heard the answer. ''''We''re alive, aren''t we? Quit complaining. People to save and so on and so forth.'''' Someone responded with mirth. ''''Yes yes, I know. Let me just get out of this death trap.''''


    Without warning two lightsabers lit up inside the dust cloud. One dark orange/red and the other a dull silver as a silver-haired man wearing white and black battle garments surrounded by six of the same type of droids that had just arrived to help them along with...


    ''''Plo Koon?''''

 Chapter 9: Siege

    While the fighting in the arena was ongoing an Acclamator assault cruiser was breaking into the atmosphere high above. Carrying a small army along with one Grand Master Yoda as they were preparing to take off and rescue the trapped Jedi.


    Sitting on the bridge commanding the ship was a clone commander, giving out orders and keeping track of everything he could when the tactical officer spoke up.


    ''''Commander, we''re picking up a ship approaching in on us from above, closing fast!'''' Turning his head to him he asked in return. ''''Separatists?''''


    ''''No sir. The ship doesn''t match any known design. Should we powe... Sir, It''s hailing us. It''s using the identification of one Jedi master Plo Koon.'''' Before he could respond they heard Yoda speak over the comms. ''''Answer it, I will.''''


    Already standing inside a LAAT at this point Yoda answered the hail. The hologram activated showing a woman donning a mask. ''''Greetings Master Yoda. I am Beatrix, second in command aboard the Dauntless.''''


    ''''Droid, are you?'''' Answering simply she said. ''''Something like that. We have been contracted by Master Plo Koon as mercenaries to assist you in your efforts.'''' He''s just good as Lord Coda said he''d be.


    ''''Aboard Plo Koon is not?'''' Seeing her shake her head. ''''No, he along with Lord Coda have already been sent down via orbital drop pods to aid in the rescue of Obi-Wan, Anakin, and Senator Padm¨¦ as well as protect the Jedi you sent to save them.''''


    She continued. ''''We have actionable intel that they''ve walked into an ambush and need immediate evac.''''


    ''''To that end, please allow our ship to follow your LAAT''s planetside so we can offer help and medical assistance.'''' She asked while bowing lightly.


    Coda? He thought back to the message Plo Koon sent about the starship above Tatooine. ''''I understand.'''' Cupping his chin with his left hand. ''''Over, after this is. This Coda can I meet?''''


    ''''I believe he''d want nothing more Master Yoda.'''' Nodding at her answer a clone next to Yoda spoke up. ''''General Yoda, we''re ready to take off.'''' Glancing at him before looking back at the hologram. ''''Follow us, you will.''''


    Receiving an ''Understood'' from Beatrix, she terminated the broadcast. ''''Watch them closely, you will.'''' Yoda said thoughtfully.


    <hr>


    Dozens of miles away, Inside a Separatist listening post.


    Scattered across the floor were bodies of Geonosians and junked droids as RG units were attempting to hack into their systems. -(''''RG9, Give me an estimate on the search.'''')-


    Standing next to a console RG9 was using his nanites to interface with the Separatist systems.


    -(''''Unkown, firewalls and encryption are vastly different from what we use. Not to mention the massive amount of data streaming through their system.'''')-


    -(''''Acknowledged, expedite as you can. We need to evacuate before they send more troops.'''')- RG10, the leader of strike group Princess ordered. Observing other members of the strike group hacking and downloading schematics of the droids from their bodies as well as any information as they could get their hands on from their computers.


    -(''''Got it, ''Peach'' has been located. Marking her comm signature now, we''re good to go.'''')-


    As soon as he finished his report the other units immediately stopped what they were doing and stood up. RG10 alongside fifteen other units were all that survived entry as they''d lost two pods before they touched ground.


    Shortly afterward they were running through the desert away from the listening post as droids sent to investigate were breaching the command room. Immediately after they tried entering a massive explosion engulfed the entire facility as they''d left one of three appropriated Rev-7 batteries they took from a downed pod.


    Completely ignoring the explosion behind them RG10 sent an encrypted status update towards the Dauntless that it was now in range.


    Target ''Peach'' has been located.


    Remaining forces: 16 units.


    Mission Viability still sound, moving towards anticipated intercept point alpha.


    Estimated chance of success 87%.


    Ending data stream.


    Having reported to Beatrix, the unit''s skin started turning into the color of sand as they disappeared into the desert.


    At the same time, far away a blue-skinned woman felt a strange foreboding through the force for a few moments. What was that? Before returning to the job at hand.


    <hr>


    Geonosis, Arena.


    As the dust settled down Coda spotted Obi-Wan standing outside the battle line staring at him, more importantly at his right lightsaber. Winking at him Coda spoke up. ''''Let''s go.''''


    Bending his knees he turned the hilts in his hands so they faced backward. The RG''s picked up the plasma rifles from their sides and bent their knees at the same time. The next second they all kicked off the ground towards the makeshift defensive position that had been set up.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.


    Plo Koon wasn''t quite ready as he lagged for a second before using the force to help him catch up. Seeing them approach, Obi-Wan made his way to join the runners as he came up next to Plo Koon.


    ''''Master Plo, who are they?'''' He asked as the white-robed man savagely ripped and tore through the unfortunate droids that found themselves in his way while the droids on his side laid down cover fire.


    Thinking back to what Coda asked him before they came here he became conflicted for a second before answering. ''''I''ll explain later, just know that they''re here to help us. Now focus on holding the line.'''' He turned his head towards him. ''''Help is coming.''''


    Arriving at the line the droids split up to plug any glaring holes in the defense they''d noticed as Coda took stock. Looking around he saw that someone had used a fallen pillar as cover for the injured people the units had recovered while three of them were using their black matter to do emergency first aid on the seriously injured.


    They''d managed to empty the center of droids so they could focus on the outer ring, the line was holding. For now. This isn''t looking good... What can I do? Looking around quickly he spotted the other two pillars. That''s it!


    Just as Plo Koon caught up Coda shot off towards the pillars. Righting his lightsabers he deflected the odd blaster shots coming his way when he came across a downed carriage in his way. Focused and thinking nothing of it, he proceeded to fling himself over it.


    Without warning a green lightsaber came flying at him from below as Anakin had instinctively swung at what he thought to be a droid jumping over the carriage. Using Apathy to parry his strike, Coda landed next to him.


    Locking eyes with Coda, Anakin''s eyes flashed with recognition. ''''It''s you...'''' Looking over at Padm¨¦ then back to Anakin he responded. ''''Yup, I am indeed me. Now follow, I need cover.'''' Turning around Coda kept moving towards the pillars.


    Padm¨¦ had to drag Anakin back into the pod as he''d just been standing there in shock. ''''Do you know him Ani?'''' Breaking out of his stupor he responded. ''''He''s the one from the dream, I think he''s the reason the nightmares stopped...''''


    With surprise covering her face she turned to look at Coda''s back watching him use his dark orange lightsaber to turn an SBD into slag. ''''Then let''s go! He said he needed our help!'''' Anakin turned his head toward Padm¨¦, before smiling and giving her a nod. ''''Right.''''


    Almost there! Coda was almost close enough when he saw a Droideka roll up in front of him. Deploying its shield it aimed and started firing at him. Shit! A deluge of blaster fire came his way as he struggled to deflect them all. A second later two found their way through his guard hitting him in the chest and slagging a part of his armor.


    Enduring the hits a spike of irritation flowed through the force around him. Faster! He felt the world around him starting to move slower as he barely kept up his defenses. Faster! Being forced to step back a calm stream seeped out of his left lightsaber as he became hyper-focused. FASTER! The world slowed down to a crawl around him as he took a step closer.


    Running towards Coda from behind Anakin saw him start deflecting and then get hit before becoming visibly faster and faster. His movements now just a blur even to his senses, the scene made it look like a flower made out of laser fired bloomed around him as Coda started screaming.


    ''''AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!'''' Even with all the speed he could manage he was just barely holding on. I won''t make it! That''s when he spotted Anakin out of the corner of his eye, he came flying from the side of the destroyer droid and stabbed his lightsaber into its shield, cutting off one of its legs.


    Anakin had just managed to take out one of its legs when the entire droid was cut into ribbons, spewing parts everywhere in a flash of orange and silver. Next, he noticed the man he''d helped fall on one knee panting heavily.


    ''''Are you alright?'''' He asked with worry as he moved to help him stand up. Breathing heavily Coda responded. ''''I''m... Fine... Just give me... A minute...'''' He tried to articulate between breaths.


    Covering them, Padm¨¦ arrived dropping two droids. ''''We have to move, it''s not safe here.'''' Anakin looked over at Padm¨¦. ''''You''re right, can you move?'''' He asked Coda.


    Having caught his breath Coda lifted his head. ''''Yeah, wait for a second though. I''ve gotta do something.'''' Despite feeling tired he stretched both of his arms out as veins bulged out in his neck and arms.


    Feeling tremors start to radiate around him Padm¨¦ and Anakin noticed rocks and sand particulates start floating up around Coda before two loud cracking sounds came from the pillars in front of him. The small blood vessels in his eyes started bursting as everyone in the arena saw the two pillars disconnect themselves from their base and started floating over the battlefield before dropping with loud thumps. Effectively adding extra cover to the improvised defensive line.


    Nearly fainting from exertion Coda was about to keel over when Anakin and Padm¨¦ help keep him upright. Chuckling lightly Coda spoke up. ''''That should... Help, Right?'''' Padm¨¦ watched him with amazement in her eyes as Anakin spoke up. ''''Help me get him back into the perimeter!'''' She just nodded as they both held him up by slinging his arms over their shoulders.


    Making their way back behind the line thanks to the timely assistance of Black matter clones sent as soon as the droids saw their Lord''s predicament Coda leaned against one of the pods as the fighting continued. We''ve saved a lot of them, but none of this will make a lick of difference if we don''t get out of here! Where the fuck are they...


    The siege continued for a few more minutes and as they were about to be overrun a loud calm voice boomed over the arena. ''''Enough!'''' As the droids pulled back and the Rev-7''s stopped firing, the pod turrets already turned to scrap, a tall man appeared over the edge of the balcony above.


    ''''Now, it is finished.'''' He started speaking in a composed manner. ''''Surrender, and your lives will be spared.'''' He explained with the rapt attention of most of the Jedi below.


    Looking up at him Mace Windu responded. ''''We will not be hostages to be bartered Dooku!'''' He said defiantly. With a sad look on his face, Dooku replied. ''''Then... I''m sorry old fri...''''


    Out of nowhere, a burst of loud laughter could be heard in the arena. Drawing attention to himself as he walked up, coming to a stop next to Windu. Coda''s eyes met Dooku''s. ''''What manner of nonsense are you spewing old man? Didn''t you know you should never monologue towards your enemies?''''


    Surprised by the blatantly worded comment he responded. ''''Who might you be?'''' Facepalming Coda just gave a slight chuckle before looking up again. ''''You should have asked why, you''d have appreciated that answer a lot more.'''' Bending his elbow Coda''s hand rose to point up.


    ''''Because our ride''s here!'''' He said with poorly concealed glee.

 Chapter 10: Appointment in Samarra

    Yoda felt slightly anxious as they approached the arena, recently he''d been feeling the force go through changes. Like gears rearranging, subtle modifications nearly unnoticeable to most. It felt like it was making room for something... new.


    Looking behind the LAAT''s he could see the ship that had followed them planetside. The size of at least ten LAAT''s, it shadowed them patiently. Bringing his attention back to the front he saw they were about to arrive at their destination.


    Flying over the crest of the cliffs surrounding the arena they saw the fighting had stalled for some reason. Making their way down they opened fire on the forces sieging the friendly battle line.


    ''''Enforce their perimeter you will.'''' He ordered the troopers. While they circled down, Yoda locked eyes with a white-robed individual standing in the arena. When he tried to discern anything through the force he felt a slight jolt as the force around the man came alive, trying to shield him from his efforts to sense him.


    It''s protective of him? Coda seemed to notice the reaction as he just willed it to chill out. Seeing the man placate the force easily before speeding towards the center of their little enclosure, Yoda had to admit he was intrigued and more than a little apprehensive.


    As the transports touched ground Coda spoke to one of the RG''s. ''''Find and make sure to load up 3PO and R2, they''re around here somewhere. They can''t exactly be left here this time around.'''' Surveying the engagement for the last time he continued. ''''Start executing bug out protocols. Try to minimize losses.''''


    A chorus sounded out from all of the RG''s onsite. ''''Yes! My lord!'''' They then proceeded to start moving damaged units and rig the pods with explosives as the LAAT''s were being loaded. Circling above, the Dauntless, too large to follow in after the transports. It generously applied covering fire to facilitate their escape.


    As the evacuation was coming to a close Coda took one last look before boarding the same LAAT as Obi-Wan and Anakin. Turning to look he saw Plo Koon jump into the transport Yoda and Windu were in.


    Coda saw Yoda had been staring at him for a while now. Bringing his hand up, he removed his mask to show his mouth. Smiling he mouthed towards him ''We''ll talk later.'' before donning it again. Seeing Yoda nod and turn his attention to Windo and Plo Koon he just shrugged before turning around himself.


    Taking off from the arena, Coda addressed the people inside as soon as they cleared the cliffside. Speaking with flair, he stretched his arms out to his sides. ''''And then God said, Let there be light!''''


    As soon as he dropped his words, five explosions could be heard from the arena as a wave of fire and debris shot up. With surprise in his tone, Obi-Wan spoke up. ''''Why did you do that? We''re already clear.''''


    ''''Can''t have my tech fall into the Sep''s hands. There was nothing living down there anymore, the arena was empty as far as I can tell.'''' Coda explained patiently. ''''On that note, did Jango enter the battle at any point?''''


    Obi-Wan thought a little. ''''No I don''t believe he did, why do you ask?'''' He responded only to hear the man click his tongue.


    At this point, Anakin couldn''t wait any longer. ''''I saw you. In a dream... Who are you?'''' He''d observed him for a while now, seen a glimpse of what he was capable of and he was almost sure he had something to do with why he stopped having nightmares.


    ''''You can call me Coda kid. I''m sure you''ve got more questions, but they can wait. Just know that I took care of it.'''' He said with a wink. ''''Recently it seems I''ve been making it a habit of rescuing people.''''


    Picking up on the implication Anakin let out a breath he didn''t know he was holding when Padm¨¦ asked. ''''Master Coda, are you a Jedi?''''


    ''''Please, just call me Coda. This master business creeps me out, and no I''m not a Jedi.'''' He answered with a slight scoff. ''''Not a Sith either. I guess the closest approximation would be a Gray Knight, but that isn''t exactly it either.''''


    Shrugging he added. ''''I''m just me.''''


    Padm¨¦ was understandably confused. ''''What''s a Gray Knight?''''


    Giving a slight sigh. ''''It''s what I call the Grey Jedi. If the Jedi represent the Light Side and the Sith the Dark side. Gray Jedi or Grey Knights represent harmony between the two. Balance.''''


    Seeing her give a slight nod in understanding he just smiled. ''''It seems the Jedi are still keeping knowledge close to their chest. Guess some things never change.'''' Coda quipped.


    Speaking up by his side an RG unit reported. ''''Lord Coda. We''ll be closing in on the frontline soon, Lady Beatrix asks if she should retrieve you and the RG''s before we land.''''


    Tapping his mask with his finger. ''''Yes, do it. Did you procure what we need?''''


    ''''Yes my lord.'''' Nodding towards the unit, he turned his head to look out of the transport. Seeing the Dauntless pick up speed and fly under the transports as RG''s simply stepped out and entered a short free fall unto the ship carrying both the incapacitated and junked RG''s with them.


    Speaking up Code looked over his shoulder. ''''See you soon!'''' Before jumping out while waving his hand.


    Landing on top of the Dauntless, the ship started slowing back down again and swerving off, picking up speed again as it broke off from the rest of the transports. Looking towards the transports as they sped off he could see explosions and laser fire start flying everywhere. The armies clashing all over the horizon.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Two ramps opened up on top on either side of the middle of the ship as he and the RG''s made their way inside.


    Back on the LAAT Anakin spoke up. ''''He''s at least as powerful as Yoda. Where do you think he came from Master?''''


    Looking at the admiration in his padawan''s eyes he responded. ''''I don''t know, I felt it too. Be careful my young padawan, that man feels extremely dangerous.''''


    ''''Yes Master Kenobi, I understand.'''' He nodded, seeing the serious look on his master''s face.


    <hr>


    Dauntless, War Room.


    Walking inside Coda saw Beatrix, Trilla, and Qui-Gon waiting. Following him an RG unit made it''s way towards Trilla, before putting his hand inside its stomach and retrieving a lightsaber hilt. Taking it, the RG unit gave a slight bow before exiting the room again.


    While Coda removed his mask Beatrix spoke up. ''''Plo Koon has inquired as to where we''re going, my Lord.''''


    Clipping his mask to his waist he nodded. ''''Just tell him the truth, we''re going to pick up units from pods that went off course. Ask him to have a location forwarded to us where we can set up a FOB and triage.''''


    Continuing. ''''We won''t be long anyway. I take it they''re fine?''''


    Giving him a nod she replied. ''''Yes my Lord.''''


    Coda turned his eyes over to Trilla as she turned on the lightsaber, revealing a green-colored blade and gave it a couple of practice swings. ''''I hope that''s good enough for now. None of the Jedi use a double-sided blade.''''


    ''''It''s fine.'''' She replied succinctly before attaching it to her belt.


    ''''I see. That''s good then. Now, do you girls mind if I and Qui-Gon have a little talk?''''


    They both gave small nods before exiting the room. ''''What is it Coda?''''


    Taking a seat, he started tapping his finger on the table as a couple of seconds passed. ''''As you''ve probably inferred, I know things.'''' Seeing him nod, Coda continued. ''''Now, I can''t tell you how or why yet. What I can tell you is why I brought you back.''''


    Qui-Gon stood still for a couple of seconds before removing his mask and taking a seat. ''''I''ve been wondering that myself. It''s just been quite busy since I woke up. Please go on.''''


    ''''What I said before about me thinking you and Trilla deserved better. That still stands, though that''s not all there is to it.'''' Sighing lightly, he leaned back in his seat and turned his eyes up towards the ceiling. ''''Let me preface this by making it known to you that you are under no obligation to help me, or even stay here. You are free to do whatever it is you want.''''


    Looking back down Coda continued. ''''I chose you and Trilla because you and she aren''t blind to the fact that the world doesn''t operate on some perceived black and white playing field.'''' A solemn look finding its way onto his face. ''''The Jedi order has become arrogant, and blind. To be perfectly honest, there is no love lost between me and it. They simply aren''t able to do what needs doing.''''


    Narrowing his eyes Qui-Gon rebutted. ''''And you think you are? What you''re saying sounds dangerously similar to what the Sith ideology represents.''''


    Shaking his head he had a distant look on his face. ''''Not at all. I am just one man, regardless of my power I dare not presume I can just fix everything. Hence the two of you. One who''s been marred in the dark, and one who might as well be the manifestation of selflessness.''''


    Locking eyes with Qui-Gon. ''''I wanted... No, hoped that I could have both of you by my side. To keep me in check, I know better than anyone that I''m far from perfect. I ask you to consider it at least.''''


    Looking into his eyes he could tell that he was being sincere, he could also see sadness, hurt and loss. Thinking to himself for a short while he asked the question he felt he needed to know the most. ''''Why do all this? Why go through all this trouble?''''


    Seeing a sad smile on his face, Coda answered. ''''Where I came from I didn''t have a lot of power, be it status, wealth or even the force. A lot of messed up things happened to me, and most people really... I ended up losing... Everything.'''' With a solemn tone, he continued. ''''But it did teach me a single fact, a fact I clung on too. Free will above all else.''''


    Determination replaced his sad look. ''''There are no lengths I will not go too, No cost too great. Regardless of who it is, that seeks to interfere with this basic right. I will see them destroyed.''''


    Qui-Gon could feel it... Trilla could feel it... All living things on the planet felt it. A ripple in the force, a decree spoken. That promised madness if not upheld.


    That promised destruction unheard off to those ignorant enough to break it.


    <hr>


    Strike group Princess, Unnamed valley.


    They''d been waiting in position for a while. Fighting had come and gone by, and they were finally ready.


    Standing face to face was a Blue-skinned woman and a Jedi padawan. The Padawan was sweating as he thought that he was in trouble. He saw the condescending smirk on her face, she was sure of her victory.


    Just as they were about to engage a voice made itself known. ''''Miss Tann. I''m going to have to ask you to put down your weapon, please.'''' Who?! Her head swiveled towards the sound as an RG unit walked steadily towards them. It''s fake skin slowly coming back as a sandy color faded from it.


    ''''What are you supposed to be? Surrender my weapon, that''s not going to happen.'''' She said snidely.


    ''''I''m afraid that isn''t good enough. You''ve already entered a fail state, I''m simply advising you to comply so that we can minimize injuries.'''' He explained with neutral patience. -(''''On my mark.'''')-


    ''''You think you can injure me? That''s optimistic of you. Destroying the like''s of you is qui...'''' She and the Padawan both looked in shock at the same time as a ripple in the force came crashing over the area. Moving nothing physical but could be felt all the same. -(''''MARK!'''')-


    The force screamed warnings towards her but it was too late as black tendrils shot up and grabbed her feet, followed by sand shooting up as hidden RG''s flew out of the ground around her. Managing to strike one down before tendrils of black matter restrained her from every direction.


    ''''Unhand me!'''' She screamed in rage right before they injected her with a sleeping agent.


    The Padawan stood there shocked stupid by what just happened before RG10 addressed him. ''''You can lower your weapon Jedi. We''re on your side. Now if you''ll excuse us.'''' Turning, he picked up the two halves of the dropped unit before spinning his arm to signal the rest to move out. -(''''This is RG10, Peach has been secured.'''')-


    -(''''Solid copy. Proceed to evac point delta, we''re 3 minutes out.'''')- Sending a ping to acknowledge the units sprinted off, hauling their quarry towards the rendezvous.

 Chapter 11: Underground

    While Coda and Qui-Gon were talking still. The Dauntless touched down to retrieve strike group Princess. Trilla stood in the hangar bay to greet them. ''''Welcome back, everything go well?''''


    ''''Yes, Lady Trilla. Everything proceeded within expectations, we recovered this as well.'''' RG10 presented Tann''s lightsaber. ''''Now if you''ll excuse us, some of us are in need of repairs.''''


    Trilla inspected the hilt while the new arrivals moved to secure the prisoner. Blue skin? Wonder why he wants her.


    Standing on the bridge, Beatrix was in the middle of monitoring battle chatter when a message stood out.


    ''''We are under heavy fire! Dropped sep ship is spewing clankers out and we''ve lost our AT-TE, we require ''''INCOMING GET DOWN'''''''' An explosion could be heard before he started up again. ''''We need immediate assistance, over!''''


    Running through maps and routes in record time, Beatrix opened up comms to the war room. ''''My lord, a clone advance group has been pinned down and are requesting assistance. It is highly unlikely they''ll survive until they get reinforced. What are your orders?''''


    Responding over the comms. ''''Sounds like a job for the friendly neighboorhood merc group. Let''s go, what do we have in terms of anti-armor weaponry?''''


    ''''Our plasma weaponry while not as effective as designated Anti Armour should be effective against most vehicles in concentrated fire. In theory, at least. We have not yet designed and developed any AT weapons my lord.'''' She explained while ordering navigation to make their way towards the groups'' location.


    ''''Copy, I''ll head down. What are our forces looking like?'''' Coda asked as he started making his way towards the hangar.


    ''''674 RG''s, HK-Tank and 2 ODP''s. Recommend deploying 150 unit''s towards relief effort, while the rest head''s towards FOB location provided by operational command.'''' She advised after running the numbers.


    ''''We''ll follow your idea then, Trilla and Qui-Gon will be commanding on the ground when you get there. You have overall command. They''ll follow your orders.'''' Coda said as he watched the ramp lower. Donning his mask again as the wind started blowing his hair around.


    ''''Solid copy Lord Coda. Stay safe.''''


    <hr>


    CC-93 was having a very bad, no good, horrible time. Lasers, missiles, and explosions had been flying at them for the last 20 minutes. A separatist ship had been taking off when it was hit with the broadside from one of their ships flying overhead.


    Said ship promptly had to leave as it got chased away from the area as the seps had wanted to make it a permanent resident of this planet. The ship didn''t explode when it went down, resulting in it deploying most of its cargo to secure the surrounding areas.


    To make matters worse, the impact had revealed multiple tunnels between them and the fallen vessel. This led them to believe that the mountain the ship had crashed next too was a droid factory, this was further supported by the fact that droids and geonosians started exiting the tunnels.


    He''d already lost about a dozen men, the only reason they hadn''t been overrun yet was the fact that they could use the grounded AT-TE as cover. Though that wouldn''t last much longer as they were about to be surrounded.


    ''''Incoming SBD''s on the left!'''' Someone shouted, bringing his attention towards the advancing clankers moving crater to crater. Those fucking things are such a goddamn pain!


    Screaming an order over the area. ''''Get me some repeaters downrange on the left! NOW!'''' Right away two troopers started sprinting towards the left flank. Once there they split up and setup crossfire from two sides. A deluge of laser fire opening up on the SBD''s, managing to junk two of them before they returned to cover.


    Two seconds later a missile impacted in front of one of them, throwing dust and rocks everywhere. Looking back up he saw that the explosion had removed the upper torso of the gunner that stood there previously. ''''FUCK!'''' Quickly opening comms again. ''''We need those fucking reinforcements now!''''


    ''''Captain! More of those small spider droids emerging from a tunnel down the middle!'''' One of his men shouted at him. Of course there are!


    ''''AT! Focus on those tanks!'''' He ordered before making his way down to the left flank himself to help out.


    That wasn''t the end of the bad news. ''''We only have two shots left captain!'''' One of the AT troopers informed him.


    ''''Then fucking make them count!'''' He answered with irritation. Arriving where they were holding on the left flank, he laid down next to a sergeant.


    The sergeant spoke up with a light-hearted tone. ''''This isn''t looking very good captain.''''


    Replying in exasperation. ''''You''re telling me! If we get out of here I''m going to sit that Jedi down and explain what the word minimal means. HOW IS THIS MINIMAL PRESENCE!?'''' Getting a chuckle from the men around him. They soon saw two rockets fly out from their position.


    The two projectiles barreled down the middle of the desert, impacting one of the tanks while the other flew down the tunnel. Shortly afterward a tremor could be felt as the tunnel collapsed, resulting in a cheer from the clones. ''''As far as misses go, that one was alright soldier!'''' Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    While he was running over ideas on how to deal with the second spider tank he saw a flood of plasma fire turn the tank into its base components. Surprised he turned to look behind him and saw a black floating ship firing at the droids.


    Jumping from the ramp the RG''s sprinted towards the bogged down troops as they took positions and started firing. 93 watched all this happen when he spotted an oddly dressed Jedi. ''''Who are you guys? Not that you aren''t a welcome sight.''''


    With a slight chuckle, Coda responded as he watched out into the battlefield. ''''My name is Coda. Leader of the mercenary group Invisible Sun. We''ve been contracted by the Jedi Order to assist in this engagement.''''


    ''''Mercs? You aren''t a Jedi?'''' He asked as he could clearly see his hilts.


    Scoffing Coda replied. ''''No, I''m not one of those monks. A soldier, like you guys. Now, what''s the rundown?''''


    Thinking for a couple of seconds he simply nodded. ''''Right, we were sent here to investigate some sep activity. The intel suggested that we''d encounter... minimal.'''' Coda cocked an eyebrow at the troopers'' odd inflection. ''''Resistance. What intel didn''t say was that we''re fairly certain that there''s a factory in that mountain somewhere. We were flooded once the ship crashed.''''


    Seeing the tunnels Coda pieced it together from there. ''''Understood.'''' Opening comms to the Dauntless he continued. ''''Beatrix, send extra troops down to fetch the wounded. Then proceed to cover us as we make our way into the tunnel system.''''


    Looking down at the captain he asked. ''''Ready for some sightseeing Captain?''''


    ''''One of the few perks of being in an army, we get to travel. BOYS! Group up, we''re going on a trip!'''' Receiving a ''Yes sir!'' from the remaining 60 or so odd troopers.


    As soon as the Dauntless got the last wounded on board it elevated slightly and started spraying fire from the 8 different turrets mounted on it. Smoke and dust started spreading everywhere as they started a mad sprint towards the closest tunnel.


    Lighting his sabers he and the rest started taking fire as they made their way onwards. Any RG unit downed self-destructed as soon as they cleared it''s range, further adding to the chaotic swirl of dust and noise.


    Finally hitting the tunnel Coda''s comms came alive. ''''Their fire has switched its focus unto the Dauntless. We have to pull out. Be safe Lord Coda.''''


    ''''Roger that, thanks for the assist B. Good luck!'''' Cutting down a geonosian, he took a glance at his surroundings. Multiple paths branched out in every which way. ''''Troopers! Split up and stay close to the RG''s, they''re capable of mapping it out as we go. Captain, you''re with me!''''


    The troopers didn''t move right away until 93 spoke up. ''''Do as the man says! The last one to the factory is picking up the tab once we get some R&R!'''' A ''Yes sir'' sounded out around them as they followed behind the RG''s and disappeared into the dark labyrinth.


    ''''What do they call you captain?'''' Coda asked as he watched the friendlies split up.


    ''''93.'''' He answered succinctly while firing down the tunnel, splattering two bugs.


    ''''Alright, 93. Let''s go see if we can go make some friends.'''' Looking back over his shoulder, he ordered the nearest RG unit. ''''Leave fifteen units here to make sure we aren''t followed. If you''re about to be overrun, retreat and blow the tunnel.''''


    ''''Yes my lord.'''' Nodding, Coda''s group started moving.


    <hr>


    3 hours later.


    Coda, 93, six Rg''s and 4 troopers were sitting in an outcrop of rocks. It was overlooking a massive chasm, on the other side was the entrance to what they believed was the factory. Scorch marks, geonosian blood, and embedded debris was something all of their armor''s had in common.


    They were surveying the only bridge over the chasm, the other side had two turrets covering the bridge as well as a generous contingent of clankers. They''d long since established that trying to count the geonosians was an exercise in futility, so the just chalked it up to a lot. Always a lot.


    ''''You know 93. I''m starting to get the distinct feeling the locals don''t want us here.'''' Coda said with mock resignation.


    Laughing darkly 93 rebutted. ''''After the first 200 or so I wasn''t sure, but the 200 or so after that. I''m inclined to believe you might be on to something.''''


    ''''I don''t like our odds if we try and make it over that bridge. You getting any of the others on the comms?'''' He asked.


    Shaking his head. ''''They''re useless down here. Do we wait?'''' He asked, looking over the other members of their little group. All but two of Coda''s droids were out of black matter, having lost it in explosions or suicide attacks. They all had varying degrees of injuries, though the droids were using the nanites without reserve to heal the most pressing ones.


    ''''Yeah, there''s no reason to try any heroics. What about you guys, you getting anything from the other RG''s?'''' He turned to ask.


    ''''Comms seem to be impossible my lord, I can confirm that many are still active.'''' A bare RG unit responded.


    ''''Then we give them time, we can''t be the only group to make it.'''' They''d felt tremors when they were fighting in the tunnels and even twice saw other groups fighting across chasms they had to traverse. Ending up with firefights across and in front as they pushed on.


    ''''Try and catch some shut-eye guys. The RG''s can keep a lookout.'''' Coda sat down with his back towards the wall. He didn''t know how many Droids and bugs he''d had to cut down at this point, but just like he was. They were all exhausted.


    He didn''t know when, but he must have fallen asleep. Jolting awake he almost force blasted the RG in front of him into the other wall due to how it looks without its shell.


    ''''What?'''' He said rapidly calming himself down.


    ''''There''s movement from the inferiors on the other side of the bridge, and we heard explosions.'''' The RG reported. They''d for some ungodly reason started to refer to the Sep droids as inferiors halfway through the battle.


    Getting on his knee he took a look over the outcrop. Most of the droids were entering through the door into the facility. ''''Ok guys. Looks like they''re being hit from somewhere else. This is our chance.''''


    Getting their bearings they stacked up by his side. Seeing there was only a skeleton crew defending the door at this point, 93 nodded. ''''Agreed, I don''t think we''ll get a better chance. How do you want to play this?''''


    Tapping the mask that was now a mix of black, white and yellow with his finger. ''''RG''s will focus fire to bring those turrets down. I''ll run point and deflect what I can, once we''re inside we try and regroup with any friendlies we come across. Sound good?''''


    ''''It can''t be much worse than waiting here.'''' 93 said.


    ''''You can''t say something like that!'''' Coda hissed as they started gunning for the bridge.

 Chapter 12: The Climb

    Dauntless, en-route to FOB location.


    -(''''What''s the damage estimate?'''')- Beatrix inquired.


    -(''''The hit impacted on the underside of the ship, we lost one pod but otherwise, we are operating at near full efficiency.'''')- Tactical reported back.


    -(''''ETA to destination?'''')-


    -(''''Six minutes if we remain unimpeded.'''')- As the exchange finished, Trilla and Qui-Gon entered the bridge.


    ''''What can I do for you both?'''' She asked, turning around.


    ''''We came to ask when we''ll be arriving.'''' Qui-Gon told her. Trilla just stood there quietly, observing the scenery outside the ship.


    ''''In about 5 minutes. Once we get there we will deploy the HK-Tank to defend our location as well as 450 RG''s. We''ll then turn most of our efforts into search and rescue since we don''t have the numbers to engage in open conflict with the Separatist forces.'''' She explained in a neutral tone.


    ''''I see. What about us?''''


    ''''I''d like one of you to stay aboard the ship and one to command a special strike force for when we need the extra muscle, so to speak.'''' She gestured towards both of them with one hand. ''''A force-sensitive is quite the unique resource to have on the battlefield.''''


    Nodding Qui-Gon spoke up. ''''Then I''d like to remain on the ship. I don''t believe it''s a good idea to risk me being seen before the end of this conflict.'''' Looking over at Trilla. ''''If you don''t mind of course?''''


    ''''Not at all.'''' She responded succinctly. ''''It would be nice to do something good for a change.''''


    ''''Excellent.'''' Beatrix nodded. ''''We''ll be turning the hanger into a triage area. So, Master Qui-Gon. Be ready to receive the wounded and patrolling around the craft.''''


    ''''I understand. I''ll go see what I can do.'''' He replied as he turned and walked out.


    Beatrix turned to face the bridge again. ''''Is there anything else Lady Trilla?''''


    ''''Is triage all we''ll be doing?''''


    ''''Of course not. But you don''t need to worry about that, Coda may not be a tactical genius but his vision doesn''t stop at playing doctor.'''' She said with barely detectable mirth.


    Nodding slowly Trilla asked again. ''''Will he be alright?''''


    Turning her head to look at Trilla. ''''I believe so.''''


    ''''I understand. Then I''ll take my leave as well, General Beatrix.'''' She bowed slightly before exiting.


    <hr>


    Meanwhile, above the clouds. Kamino.


    RG111 had quite frankly gotten lucky when they were trying to locate this place. They''d known the area, but searching for a planet even in a small area, small being relative. Was a gargantuan undertaking.


    They''d noticed what could only be a fleet entering hyperspace on their long-range scanners. Working backward they''d found the origin point, and that origin point was Kamino.


    Being an artificial life form, RG111 didn''t believe in gods or higher powers. But the odds he''d calculated were so infinitesimal that they''d find it that now he was forced to reevaluate his earlier assumption.


    Of course, when the math came back he promptly dismissed it again and chalked it up to the chaos theory at work. Now, on the other hand, they were flying right above the cloud cover and trying to scan for the city that should be here somewhere.


    It didn''t take too long to find it. When they got closer the ramp opened up and RG111 alongside three other RG''s simply walked off the ramp and entered freefall. Once they broke through the clouds their black matter turned into an elongated point that pointed downwards. They did this to prevent themselves from shattering when they''d hit the water.


    Once they''d cleared the water surface, the black matter turned itself into tendrils that they used as propellers as they picked up speed and silently approached the pillars holding the city up. -(''''Digital communication only from here on.'''')-


    Getting a positive ping from his three siblings he reviewed the mission file one last time.


    Objective 1: Infiltrate cloning facilities.


    Objective 2: Gain access to and reprogram inhibitor chips if possible. If impossible, change keywords.


    Objective 3: Gain shadow control of all systems. Datamine all possible information and gain codes to all possible Republic vessels.


    His determination redoubled. This was his first mission and he would not fail his Lord.


    <hr>


    Unidentified Droid Factory, Geonosis.


    Coda and 93 had gotten to the bridge. They took a last look before 93 spoke up. ''''Everyone ready?''''


    ''''Yeah, let''s go!'''' Coda responded before running out of cover and making his way unto the bridge. ''''Stick to the plan!"


    They all bolted out of cover and started running down the walkway. The RG''s opened fire on the turrets to great effect, they hadn''t even registered an attack when they both got slagged.The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Using the force to speed up his steps, Coda flew forward as the few droids left started returning fire. Deflecting the bolts coming their way with ease he waved his hand resulting in the droids unfortunate enough to have walked unto the bridge to fly off to the side, into the chasm.


    Making their way to the door, they could hear the telltale sounds of wings coming from the chasm. ''''Get the door open!'''' Coda ordered an RG unit.


    Interfacing with the door pad the RG spoke up. ''''Sir, it seems we''ve already taken control of the system. I''m receiving a message through it. We have two other groups already inside the facility, fighting seems fierce.''''


    The door slid open to reveal a corridor that simply led to another door. ''''Ok, get in and lock it from the inside.''''


    Once inside, the door closed behind them as they made their way towards the next door. ''''It seems to be an elevator. I''ve called it down. Be ready for anything.'''' 93 reported.


    Taking positions they waited until the door opened up. Only for it to be empty. ''''Get in, we''re on the clock.'''' Coda said as he walked into the elevator.


    Once they were moving upwards, Coda started messing with his arm-pad. Not this one... Not this one... Hah! This one is apt, war pigs indeed. ''''Oink oink motherfuckers.''''


    All of the clones turned to look at Coda as 93 spoke up. ''''Sir?''''


    ''''Don''t worry about it.'''' He turned to an RG. ''''Any idea what we''re walking into up there?"


    ''''Negative my lord. The message was automated. It only mentioned fierce resistance.'''' He answered simply.


    Nodding. They all fell silent as the elevator made its way up. They started hearing explosions and blaster fire as it came to a stop.


    When the door opened it revealed another corridor that branched off in two directions, as well as a squad of Geonosians. Reacting instantly Coda reached out his hand and force drained the entire squad.


    As he took on their life force he took a deep breath while his eyes flashed with his signature dark orange and silver. The clones stood still as a wave of uneasiness followed this sight. The RG''s simply ignored it and walked out of the elevator, past the spasming bugs.


    When the last one stopped moving 93 stated. "That didn''t look like a Jedi trick.''''


    ''''There are no such things as Jedi tricks. Only force ''Tricks''." Coda said as he walked into the middle of the corridor. To his left was the exit, as the other one looked to be a storage area. Walking down the right path, he opened the door. His mask hid it, but when he saw it''s contents a sinister grin spread over his face.


    Looking over the room he spoke up. ''''RG''s, you think you could persuade these good fellows to help us?''''


    Walking up to Coda the RG responded after he glanced through the room. ''''Affirmative Lord Coda.'''' Entering the room, he and the other 5 RG''s got to work.


    93 was holding with his brothers at the other door when Coda came walking back. His eyes were smiling. ''''Anything useful over there?''''


    Nodding he answered joyfully. ''''Twelve inactive Droidekas. Seems like the deployment rack was fucked, so they didn''t activate. My RG''s are doing some Robo-voodoo to get them on our side.'''' Looking over at the door down the hall. ''''Any movement?''''


    93 stalled for a second before he answered. ''''Eh, Right. Yeah. There''s definitely fighting on the other side, and I think someone is trying to breach the door.''''


    "I see. Let me take a look." Coda walked up to the door, putting his hand on it and closed his eyes.


    Using the force, he started to sense what laid on the other side. Droid trying to open the door... 40? No, 60 plus, they''re holding some sort of stairs or ramp? We''ll open up into their side. Perfect. As he opened his eyes he glanced over his shoulder. ''''Anyone have any explosives?''''


    The clones just shook their head as one of them spoke up. ''''We finished them hours ago.''''


    Nodding, he stepped back from the door. ''''Someone go get an ETA from the RG''s.''''


    All four of the clones moved towards the side room as Coda just shook his head. Turning to look at 93. ''''You''re not going to go with them?''''


    ''''Should I?" He just asked back with mock hurt in his voice.


    Shrugging he just chuckled at 93. ''''Whatever, no skin of my scrotum.'''' He said, causing 93 to start laughing as well.


    When the others returned around the corner they saw the two of them giggling like idiots. Completely ignoring the situation one of the RG''s spoke up. ''''My Lord, we''ve finished. They''re coming online as we speak, we can continue our assault.''''


    Soon after he spoke up they could hear the distinct sound of rolling destroyers as the came around the corner, lining up behind them. ''''Excellent. Everyone ready?''''


    Seeing them all nod he nodded himself and turned his attention to the door. ''''Let the rollers go first, use them as mobile cover once they deploy.''''


    Coda started focusing the force on the door as it started to vibrate. Soon after it started to give off steam as they could see parts of it start to warp.


    On the other side, a B1 droid was trying to use the door pad to get it opened. For some reason, it was locked out of the system. Soon his systems picked up an increase in temperature as well as a grating sound as the door was vibrating heavily. Looking up he saw that the metal making up the door was starting to drip.


    "Oh-Oh" Was the last thing it ever said as the door exploded into their room causing molten metal to spray into the room. Junking many of the droids inside the room and causing the Geonsians that weren''t instantly killed to give out shrill screams as it ate away at them.


    Before they could mount a proper response to the situation, Droidekas rolled in and deployed. Opening fire on them as the RG''s and Clones followed and started picking off targets.


    93 stood with Coda that was still in the corridor. He noticed that Coda was panting rather hard. ''''You alright there?''''


    ''''Yeah. I just need some rest once this is over.'''' Seeing 93 tilt his head slightly he continued. ''''I did something stupid before I came here. I guess I''m still paying for it, I can use drain as a stop-gap measure for now. We need to keep moving.'''' He explained, ruefully shaking his head.


    The fight on this floor didn''t last very long. Caught off guard, they were easily defeated as the forces pushing up the stairs joined up with them.


    As 93 checked on his men. An RG unit from the same group came up to report. ''''My Lord, we have locked down most of the doors in this facility. Almost all information has been downloaded and stored as well, the command room seems to be at the top.''''


    ''''Excellent work. How many of you survived? Clones as well.'''' Coda inquired.


    ''''Despite having encountered multiple ambushes as we made our way here, we have 72 units left if we count your group as well. The clones are 41 in total.'''' Seeing Coda nod he continued. ''''Our biggest losses came when the Geonosians bombed a side of a chasm, resulting in two entire groups falling as the path came apart from under them.''''


    Coda''s head tilted back a bit. ''''Clever little critters. Any way of shutting off these droids somehow seeing as we have access to their systems?''''


    The RG shook his head. ''''They aren''t shackled to this system my lord. Apart from direct contact, it''s a virtual impossibility for now.''''


    Taking one last look around the room, he just sighed. ''''Then I guess we go up.''''

 Chapter 13: Irritation

    At various engagements around Geonosis, a strange phenomenon was taking place. When troopers would find themselves in a pinch, a squad of human-looking droids would show up, provide help and then move on. When they came across injured troops, they''d heal them on the spot if they could or take them away if they had suffered intensive damage.


    At particularly chaotic engagements a white-masked female ''Jedi'' would arrive as well. With relentless fervor, she and the droids roved from battle to battle. Saving hundreds already, if not more.


    They''d even had a run-in with Delta squad at one point. They had asked her what she was called, only to receive a succinct answer. ''''Call me what you want, it doesn''t matter.'''' Before she ended up dismantling a squad of SBD''s that had them bogged down.


    They lovingly dubbed her The Banshee. White mask, white/black robe, and silent as the grave. The name spread fast around the battlefield, so did the name Invisible Sun. The clones came to admire them, often sending distress calls and asking for them to assist.


    Somehow they were often a step ahead of both them and the seps. Showing up without warning and decimating anything unlucky enough to be targeted by them with terrifying efficiency.


    This didn''t go unnoticed by the clone commanders nor the Jedi acting as generals. The biggest reason for the growing love from the clones was their near-suicidal determination at keeping them alive. Often throwing themselves at enemy forces with reckless abandon to buy time for retreats or to break hard-points.


    A Jedi knight had managed to ask one of the droids why they were so determined to keep the clones alive. Its answer was worrisome, to say the least. ''''We exist only to follow our Lord''s will, and his word is law. His enemies will be terminated.''''


    The clones started to build up some camaraderie with some of the RG''s, the RG''s adaptive learning allowed them to interact and make ''friends'' across the Republic forces. As time went on, the RG''s started picking up all kinds of tricks and intuitive ways of doing things from the clones as well. Things that weren''t inherently programmable.


    As the battle raged on the geonosians started to fear these human-like droids immensely as they didn''t give two shits about entering tunnels to follow them. They started to blow their own tunnel entrances to prevent them entry, as that almost always ended up in a bloodbath, followed by an explosion if they managed to bring it down as they self-destructed without hesitation.


    The presence of geonosians started to drop rapidly because of this as they had to deal with roaming slaughter-bots inside their tunnel systems. The droids didn''t fare much better. If one RG managed to get into a hard-point, they''d have to deal with a storm of black tendrils and plasma fire. Usually, when this happened, they''d simply lose said hard-point. Seeing as even if they managed to bring it down it simply exploded.


    Back at the Dauntless, Beatrix was still standing on the bridge. Commanding and monitoring the entire battlefield for the RG''s. They''d been assaulted multiple times, but the HK-Tank along with Qui-Gon managed to easily repel them for the most part.


    They''d managed to replace five clones with their own RG''s once the wounded started pouring in from surrounding battles. She had also sent some of them to board the republic ships and hack into their systems.


    Thanks to this, she had access to most of their comms and observation systems. Battle deployment orders as well, she was both appalled and grateful that their security was this inadequate. The sheer stupidity of some of the orders the Jedi were making was starting to grate on her though, as they often made the objective of preventing needless loss of life quite difficult.


    Unfortunately, she had to start acting more passively as the numbers of active RG''s started falling. Though it could be said that most of the objectives had already been accomplished. Now she just needed to watch and wait.


    <hr>


    Coda was quite irate at this point. Between the screaming geonosian in the facilities broadcast system and the stubborn defense every floor, he''d become quite fed up.


    They were only two floors down from the Command room at this point, at least according to the map. Down to three droidekas and around 30 RG''s, they managed to somehow keep all the clones alive. Though not all of them were combat viable anymore, they were alive.


    Before heading up yet another floor, Coda asked an RG. ''''Are they getting audio feeds from us up in the control room?''''


    Following his Lord''s line of sight, he saw a camera. ''''I believe so my Lord.''''


    Nodding slowly. ''''Ok, then here goes.'''' Addressing the camera. ''''If you don''t disengage the droids and surrender right now. I''m going to hurt you when we eventually get up there, mark my fucking word you yellow blooded piece of shit.''''


    Nothing happened for a dozen seconds before Coda just sighed. ''''Hard way it is then. I warned you.''''


    The clones just chuckled as 93 spoke up. ''''We''re almost there, and the resistance has been getting lighter. It shouldn''t be long now.''''The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    Following the snail-paced droidekas as the made their way up yet another ramp upwards, they started taking fire from up above. There were only two SBD''s at this defensive line so Coda just repeated a trick he picked up a couple of floors down and superheated their arms, causing the missiles they were carrying to go off and shred their surroundings.


    As soon as the explosion occurred the droidekas started rolling upwards and deploying closer. They all sprinted after them and started clearing the room. You''d think they''d have adapted by now... Morons.


    ''''Clear!'''' One of the clones called out. Looking up the next ramp they didn''t see much of anything. Just a door at the top.


    ''''Finally!'''' Coda shouted out. ''''I''ve had it up to here with this fucking place. Let''s go!''''


    Stacking up on the door, one RG got to work on the pad. It didn''t take long before he got it opened. Looking inside they saw a few bugs that Coda promptly drained as he entered the room.


    ''''Is that all? Kind of anti-climatic.'''' He stated as he looked around.


    Hearing shuffling noises coming from behind a console two geonosians stood up, they looked important, or at least more important than the regular roadkill they''d encountered so far.


    One of them started screaming in its native tongue. ''''You fool! I''ll see you dead! Kill them!'''' He pointed at their group.


    Some kind of secret weapon maybe? There''s nothing living apart from them though... He thought to himself before something dropped from above. Seeing what stood in front of him Coda just facepalmed.


    Looking at the droid in front of him, it was one of those electro staff wielding types. Turning his eyes towards the bug he simply asked. ''''Is this it? Your plan to stop ALL of us, is one of these guys? You are aware that he''s still made of metal right?''''


    Not waiting for an answer coda simply stretched out his hand causing the droid to vibrate and then quickly start melting. Shaking his head he turned his hand towards the idiot that thought this was some kind of brilliant maneuver.


    The geonosian quickly found himself floating until his throat was firmly in the mans grasp. ''''So you''re the one that''s forced us to slog through this fucking place.'''' Looking into this human''s eyes he started to feel terror, there was only apathy to be found as it flashed with a deep orange color.


    Saying nothing it started to scream out in pain as its head was assaulted with pain and visions of torture. It felt like it had been an eternity when he finally stopped. Now shaking and crying, it was about to plead for its life when it started to feel weaker and weaker as it''s consciousness faded for the last time.


    Looking at the dead thing in his hands he simply chucked it to the side as his eyes turned to the remaining bug. ''''Do you want to live?'''' He asked in a neutral tone. It was shaking, understandably afraid as it nodded repeatedly.


    ''''I see.'''' Looking around the room he continued. ''''The army you are fighting has certain rules of engagement you see. I am under no obligation to follow any of them. So believe me when I say, if I end up having to come back to this shitshow of a planet and I find that you guys are still up to your nonsense.''''


    His eyes turned to lock onto the poor bug. ''''You will all burn.'''' Sighing he spoke up again. ''''Granted, I know that you''ll probably end up ignoring what I just said. If it comes to that, let it be known I did warn you. Now get the fuck out of here.''''


    Not having to be told twice, it promptly left.


    93 and the clones were watching the entire thing. ''''You intend to kill all of them?''''


    Shrugging Coda said in a tired tone. ''''I don''t know man. I''m tired and cranky. I''ve really come to loathe this planet, if I can help it I won''t be back here.''''


    Looking over his shoulder he ordered an RG to see what it could do about the droid ship parked outside from here.


    It didn''t take long for it to report back. ''''Droid deactivation codes for the ship are here, do you want me to take them offline?''''


    ''''Of course. Also, call for transport, please.'''' He responded before sitting down close by and started meditating.


    <hr>


    Padm¨¦ had just arrived at the hanger just in time to see Dooku fly off on his ship. Entering she saw Yoda standing over Anakin. Seeing the state of Anakin she felt a shock to her system, he was missing an arm.


    Obi-Wan was sitting up as he spoke. "We have to get him to medical. Do we have a transport Master Yoda?''''


    As he was about to respond, he turned around instead. Walking in came three RG''s. ''''Locate the young masters arm.'''' He told the RG on his right. The other two came to a stop in front of all of them.


    Bowing slightly he started speaking. ''''Greetings. We''ve been asked to invite you aboard the Dauntless. We have the technology available to reattach Anakin''s arm.''''


    Obi-Wan responded with slight irritation. ''''Lightsaber wounds are not so easy to heal droid.''''


    The RG simply shook its head. ''''Incorrect. You do not find wounds such as this easy to heal, for us it''s child''s play.'''' Turning to look at Yoda it continued. ''''We have been informed that there is a chance that the force-sensitive are at risk of losing some of their power if they are replaced with mechanical alternatives. As such we only wish to help.''''


    Yoda looked up at the RG for a while before simply nodding. ''''Come with you, I will.''''


    ''''Of course Master Yoda. We''ve been informed that Lord Coda is inbound to the Dauntless as well, You are all welcome to join us.'''' It stated.


    Once they were aboard the LAAT they started flying towards the Dauntless''s location. Two of the RG''s started preparing Anakin''s wounds for more extensive surgery for when they got there. Removing burnt tissue and stopping any bleeding before using the black matter nanites to act as plugs while in transit.


    Yoda, Obi-Wan, and Padm¨¦ all kept a keen eye on what they were doing as Padm¨¦ asked a question. ''''What are you guys?''''


    The only RG on standby looked over at Padm¨¦ before looking away for a couple of seconds. He then nodded as he''d been listening to something before turning to her again. ''''I and these two are what''s called Rev-7 RG-Variant series, adaptable hunter robots designed by Legion. Then later modified by {REDACTED} for the use of Lord Coda.''''


    Turning to look over Anakin he continued. ''''But collectively we are known as Terminators.''''

 Chapter 14: Homecoming

    Four LAAT''s were speeding towards the FOB. Carrying tired and battered clones, Coda, and the RG''s.


    Coda was sitting in the back listening to music. 93 stood by the hatch looking out over the horizon as they crested the last hill. Revealing a very busy base, surrounding the Dauntless were AT-TE''s, LAAT''s and ground transports as clones and RG''s scurried about.


    93 turned to look at Coda. ''''Brother, we''re almost there.'''' He said as Coda opened his eyes.


    Landing at a clearing prepared for them they all dismounted as a Clone Commander walked up to Coda and 93. ''''You guys are?''''


    Saluting the CC, 93 responded. ''''Reporting Sir! We''re the scouting regiment sent to investigate sector 16. After our wounded were evacuated we proceeded to infiltrate an unidentified droid factory and managed to disable it and any sep droids in the area.''''


    The CC''s head kicked back a bit as he responded in a surprised tone. ''''The seventy-first? We thought you''d perished since we couldn''t get you on comms. I''m glad to see we were wrong, it''s nice to have you back.''''


    The CC turned his attention to Coda. ''''You are?''''


    Their group had attracted some attention from the surrounding troops at this point as Coda responded. ''''Coda, leader of the Invisible Sun.''''


    Nodding the CC spoke up. ''''Excellent, it''s nice to make your acquaintance. Thank you for everything you and your forces have done for us. The Banshee and your droids have been instrumental in helping my brothers out in this battle.''''


    The Banshee? The fuck? ''''You''re welcome?'''' Coda said with a cocked eyebrow. Turning to 93 he spoke up again. ''''If any of you guys need any medical attention, speak to an RG. They can probably point you in the right direction.''''


    Removing his mask he continued. ''''Until we guys meet again, stay in one piece. I''d hate to think all the work that went into keeping you nutters in one piece was in vain. See you around.''''


    Having said his goodbyes he made his way towards the Dauntless. Watching him walk away the CC spoke to 93. ''''He''s not like the other Jedi is he?''''


    Thinking back to their assault he responded. ''''No, he isn''t. Also, he doesn''t like to be referred to as a Jedi.''''


    Walking up the ramp into the Dauntless he spotted Qui-Gon, Trilla, and Beatrix standing inside the hangar waiting for him. ''''He guys! Did ya miss me?''''


    Seeing Coda walking towards them they inspected his outfit. It was marred in scorch marks and yellow blood all over.


    ''''My lord. Welcome back, I''ve taken the liberty of having your suit prepared in the captain''s quarters. Also, Master Yoda, Master Kenobi, Young Master Anakin, and Senator Padm¨¦ are inbound. They will arrive within 15 minutes.'''' Beatrix reported.


    Smiling wryly he responded. ''''It''s good to be back. I''ll go change then, show our guests to the war room once they arrive.''''


    ''''Understood my Lord. You can follow RG77 to the captain''s quarters, I shall remain here to receive our guests.'''' Beatrix explained.


    Just giving a slight nod, Coda followed after the RG. Trilla headed towards the war room as Qui-Gon was looking out the hangar. Speaking in a silent tone. ''''I guess it''s finally time to meet my old friends.''''


    Arriving at the room, Coda quickly changed to a black suit with a red shirt. Adjusting his sleeves he commented. ''''Nothing beats a suit.''''


    Standing by the door, RG77 spoke up suddenly. ''''Incorrect my Lord, my calculations indicate that a suit isn''t an effective defense against most forms of weaponry.'''' Delivering it completely deadpan.


    Soon after a loud burst of laughter could be heard all the way to the hangar.


    <hr>


    Looking over the droids working on Anakin, Padm¨¦ asked them. ''''Is he going to be alright?''''


    The idle RG answered promptly. ''''A force-sensitive being is usually far more resilient than normal organics. He''s fully stable, as soon as we get to the ship we can start reattaching his arm. The only reason we cannot do it here is due to him needing fluids.''''


    Obi-Wan then asked as they were healing his cuts. ''''What is this black stuff?''''


    ''''Poly-Mimetic Nanites.'''' It answered succinctly.


    Slowly nodding Obi-Wan commented. ''''They seem far more advanced than the stuff medical corps use.''''


    Yoda was standing, his eyes wandering over the passing scenery as they approached a small mountain. Feel him, I can. Clouding his surroundings he is.


    Coming over the mountain he could spot his black ship sitting there. Like a black metal beast overlooking the desert around it. ''''Arrived, we have.''''


    When the LAAT''s set down they noticed that most of the surrounding clone troopers were preparing to move. People were exiting the Dauntless and loading up into transports or the AT-TE''s.Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.


    When they dismounted, two RG''s were waiting for them with a stretcher. Moving Anakin unto the stretcher, they started walking through the deluge of people milling around the place as they made their way to the ship.


    Waiting at the bottom of the ramp was Beatrix, when they got closer she spoke up. ''''Greetings Master Jedi, Senator Padm¨¦. We have prepared a room to conduct the young masters'' surgery. Lord Coda is also waiting in the war room to speak to you while we wait.''''


    Looking at the ship Yoda could feel it very clearly now. Coda wasn''t hiding where he was, but it was futile to try and sense anything inside the ship. Unsure why he''d do that Yoda was feeling slightly apprehensive about entering but decided it was worth the risk. ''''Beatrix, your name was?''''


    ''''Indeed Master Yoda. Now if you''d please follow me.'''' Not waiting for an answer she started making her way up the ramp.


    Following her in they saw Anakin being taken into a room as they made their way deeper into the ship. The closer they got to the war room the more clearly Yoda and Obi-Wan could feel it. The man''s presence in the force was immense, he was making no effort to hide his emotional state as it could be easily discerned from the force around him. He was excited.


    When they were close to the room, they could hear someone speaking. ''''I can''t wait to see the look on their faces. I have to have Beatrix record this, it''s going to be legendary.''''


    Turning to enter the room they saw three people standing there, two of them wearing identical masks though one of them was in a traditional Jedi robe. Even if they couldn''t sense him, the mask did nothing to protect the identity of Qui-Gon from Yoda and Obi-wan at this distance.


    They stood in shock when Coda started laughing. ''''That''s amazing! Look at them, I managed to make one of the oldest beings in the galaxy short out. Totally worth coming here.''''


    Seeing no reason to keep his mask on any longer, he reached up and slowly removed it. They just stood there in silence for a few dozen seconds before Obi-Wan spoke up. ''''Master...how is this possible?''''


    At this point, Coda stepped out of the room with Trilla. ''''You guys might need to catch up a bit. Padm¨¦, if you want we can go check on Anakin.''''


    Yoda turned his eyes away from Qui-Gon over to Coda only too see him looking back at him with a knowing smirk.


    Padm¨¦ broke her gaze away from Qui-Gon and answered Coda. ''''Yes, I believe that might be a good idea.''''


    Before walking away with Trilla and Padm¨¦ he addressed Yoda. ''''We can talk later, in fact, I''m looking forward to it!'''' He said with a smile.


    Leaving the three to catch up and talk, they got to the infirmary. While they watched a few RG''s connect his arm Padm¨¦ turned to Coda. ''''Thank you for helping him.''''


    ''''Keeping him alive and well is on my to-do list Padm¨¦. No thanks needed.'''' He said turning to her with a smile.


    ''''I know you two don''t know each other, so who is he to you?'''' She asked with interest.


    Shaking his head slowly. ''''You honestly wouldn''t believe me if I told you.''''


    ''''Why don''t you give it a try anyway, I might surprise you.'''' She told him.


    Nodding towards her he shrugged. ''''Alright. I know where he came from and who he was. I know who he is and what it is that he cares about. But most importantly, I know what he becomes.'''' He said with a serious tone.


    Furrowing her brows she asked. ''''And what is it that he becomes?''''


    Before Coda could answer, Trilla answered instead. ''''A monster.''''


    Padm¨¦''s face displayed shock and confusion. Before they could take this conversation any further one of the RG''s working on Anakin started walking towards them.


    ''''My lord. We''ve finished, he should wake up soon. There were no complications.'''' It reported.


    ''''Great job, as always. Now I should probably get back and have a talk with the little guy.'''' Coda turned around and put a hand on Padm¨¦''s shoulder. ''''Don''t worry about it. I won''t let that come to pass.'''' Before he made his way out of the infirmary with Trilla.


    <hr>


    After Coda left them they just stood there in silence for a minute before Qui-Gon spoke up. ''''It''s good to see you two again. I''ve been told it''s been around ten years since I died.''''


    "So you did die? You are Qui-Gon?'''' Kenobi asked in bewilderment.


    ''''As far as I can tell Obi-Wan, it has been quite strange since I woke up. The last thing I remember is dying on Naboo.'''' He said shaking his head sporting a wry smile.


    ''''How?'''' Yoda asked simply.


    ''''I do not know Master Yoda. Though Coda is connected to it, I don''t believe he''s the one who is ultimately responsible.''''


    ''''Powerful, he is. Agree with you I do. Believe I do not, that capable of such a feat he is.'''' Yoda nodded sagely.


    ''''I am just glad to see you again, no matter how strange the circumstances." Kenobi said with a smile.


    Nodding towards his former padawan. ''''Me too, On that note. I''ll be leaving with you to return to the temple.''''


    ''''Good news, that is. Dark times these are.'''' Tilting his head slightly. ''''Ask of you something, he did not?''''


    With a shake of his head, he explained. "No. He explicitly stated that I was completely free to do whatever I wanted. He holds free will above all else.''''


    ''''How strange. Think you would, to go to such great effort, an objective he would seek.'''' Yoda stated with furrowed brows.


    ''''I do not know. But make no mistake, though his actions often seem disconnected and whimsical. I believe that he is usually working towards something, even if you do not believe so.'''' He said seriously.


    ''''Is he a dark Jedi?'''' Kenobi spoke up.


    ''''Absolutely not. From what I''ve observed, he exists somewhere in between the lines we have drawn. He does not hold the Sith or us Jedi in high regard in general.'''' Qui-Gon explained.


    "Knowledge of what he seeks, do you have?'''' Yoda asked.


    Shaking his head, Qui-Gon responded. ''''I have no idea to be perfectly honest. But I am sure that he will not suffer anyone getting in his way" Furrowing his brows he continued. "He is an excellent man to have as a friend, that''s for certain. But he would make a terrifying enemy.''''


    ''''Is he that strong Master Qui-Gon?'''' Kenobi inquired.


    "Yes." He said instantly. "We should not endeavor to find out exactly how strong though.''''


    At this moment, the door slid open to reveal Coda holding two pillows that he''d gotten from the captain''s quarters. Stopping when he spotted all of them. ''''Ehh...I''m sorry. Did I interrupt something?''''


    Qui-Gon and Yoda both shook their heads as Yoda responded. ''''Ready to talk now, you are?''''


    "Absolutely! Qui-Gon, Anakin should wake up soon if you and Kenobi want to go say hi.'''' He explained in a happy tone.


    ''''Sure Coda. Come with me Kenobi, I''d like to see how you''ve handled little Anakin since I''ve been away.'''' Kenobi nodded and followed Qui-Gon out of the room. Leaving just the two of them there.


    ''''So, we should probably talk. I have so many questions!'''' Coda said with stars in his eyes.

 Chapter 15: Stirrings

    Coruscant, temporary chancellor office.


    Palpatine was going over the report his agents had compiled for him. Around an hour ago he''d started getting news from the battle of Geonosis. Apparently, many more Jedi had survived then he''d have assumed thanks to this mystery mercenary outfit.


    Invisible Sun huh. I don''t have enough information on this Coda individual. He leaned back in his seat, the reports were worrisome due to the fact that he commanded highly advanced droids.


    Where exactly did you come from Mr.Coda? Going over his options he slowly put together some plans.


    If it is information I lack, I''ll start by sending some probes his way. Nodding to himself. If I can use him, good. If he doesn''t even prove capable enough to deal with this he isn''t worth my time.


    Sitting there alone he plotted his next few moves with a sinister smile.


    <hr>


    Little did Palpatine know that he wasn''t the only one moving in the shadows on a large scale anymore.


    Christophsis, Dathomir, Ryloth, Rodia, Ilum, and even Coruscant had HK-Dropships arrive silently. On Tatooine, a squad of RG''s were waiting at a spaceport as a ship touched down.


    Soon the ship''s ramp opened up as a bald grey-skinned woman exited the craft. Walking out of the ship she spotted five men waiting for her... No, not men. Droids? Assassins?


    "Who are you?" She asked in a cold tone.


    The one standing in the middle took a step forward. "Greetings. Lady Ventress, I presume?"


    Her eyes narrowed. "I am. You''d better explain yourself fast, I do not have the time to waste on droids."


    With a smug smile, RG5 answered. "My Lord informed me you might be a bit hot-blooded. No matter, we didn''t come here to cause a scene or delay you so allow me to get to the point."


    "Get too it then!" She hissed.


    "My lord invited you to seek us out if you are ever in trouble, or if you get tired of working for and I quote ''Galactic edgelords''."


    Edgelords? "And who is this ''lord'' you speak of?" She asked with a cocked brow.


    Nodding slightly he answered. "His name is Lord Coda, leader of the Invisible Sun. You should soon come to know the name. I''m sure your master will have to invest some time into dealing with him soon."


    Her eyes widened slightly. "What does he know?!" She asked in agitation.


    "My lord is aware of many things. He commented that you should seek him out if you ever wanted to make a real difference."


    "You''d best get out of here before you make me angry!" She had become quite unsettled at this point.


    "Of course. I apologize for our interruption. Have a nice day Lady Ventress." RG5 bowed respectfully as they then made their way out of the landing area.


    Coda? Real difference? What nonsense. She thought as she watched them walk away. Though I should probably look into this.


    <hr>


    Naboo, Theed spaceport.


    RG65 walked out of the craft with nine of his siblings as they made their way to register.


    Coming up to the dockmaster he introduced himself. "Greetings! My name is Dr.Robert"


    The dockmaster glanced up from his desk as he was focused on work. "Reason for visiting and registration?"


    Handing over a datapad with their credentials RG65 spoke up. "We''re botanists. So we''re just here to look at local fauna and see the planet. I''ve heard many great things about the beauty of Naboo." He said with a smile.


    Hearing his home being complimented a small smile broke out on his face. "Well, it all checks out. I hope you have a pleasant stay here. Just stay out of trouble."


    "Of course! And thank you. We never get into any kind of trouble, you won''t even notice us." Bowing slightly they made their way into the city.


    -("Split up and gather info. We''ll enter the surrounding forests after a few days, we do not have an immediate time requirement so we should take it slow. We cannot risk being discovered as we search for the laboratory.")- He ordered them digitally.


    Mission Objectives: Locate and observe hidden laboratory on Naboo. Viral agent suspected on location. Proceed with extreme caution.


    All having received the brief they moved with purpose as they blended with the crowds.


    <hr>


    Dathomir, Unknown Location.


    Having landed, RG17 and three other units were observing their surroundings. Scanning around them RG17 locked eyes with a Nightsister that thought herself hidden.


    As her eyes widened she was about to leave as he spoke up. "Greetings. We come in search of a witch that goes by the name Talzin. We mean you no harm."This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    She stopped for two seconds before resuming her previous course of action. While she sped off RG17 thought. Now we wait.


    Within the hour they spotted a group of Nightsisters approach them openly. As they came within ten meters the foremost one spoke up. "She has agreed to a meeting, but do not try anything or we will kill you."


    "Of course. We have just come to talk." He responded politely.


    With a frown, she spoke again. "Follow me!"


    They were lead through winding paths and ruined structures. The bleak landscape of this planet making it look extremely gloomy. Soon they found themselves at a large temple-like structure.


    Entering they soon entered a large circular hall. Many Nightsisters could be seen standing at various places around the room as RG17 spotted the witch sitting in the back of the hall.


    "Greetings, Lady Talzin. We have come to bargain."


    <hr>


    Sitting face to face on the pillows Coda brought, the two of them simply observed one another. They''d been sitting there in silence for at least five minutes.


    Suddenly Coda spoke up. "Before we get to any of the important stuff. I have a question I''ve always wanted an answer too. If you don''t mind?"


    Nodding slowly, Yoda responded. "Ask this question, you may."


    "Great! The way you speak, is it a cultural thing, or just the way your species speaks?" The force around him simmered with curiosity on his behalf.


    This feeling not hiding from Yoda''s senses a small smile found it''s way onto his face. "The way we speak, this is."


    "Cool. I''ve always been a big fan of you you know. You are quite famous where I''m from you see." Coda explained with a happy smile.


    "Famous, I am? From where, do you come from?" He asked with interest.


    With a chuckle and a strange smile, Coda answered. "A galaxy far far away."


    Seeing no deception from this statement it threw Yoda for a loop. Another galaxy? And they know of me? How? "Questions I have."


    Nodding slightly Coda replied. "I know you do. To make this easier let me do something."


    Yoda then observed as Coda dropped all of his mental shields to make sensing him easier.


    "I''ll just make a few statements and you can decide if I''m telling the truth. Sound good?" He asked.


    Yoda just nodded at his odd behavior.


    "Alright. Here goes. I am not Sith or related to them. I have no grand designs of ruling the galaxy or some such nonsense. I plan on helping people, and while I know you will not be overly fond of some of my methods I refuse to watch as millions if not billions suffer due to the inaction of those supposed to protect their interests." He said in a patient tone.


    "Methods... Like Tatooine?" He threw a pointed question at Coda.


    Knowing it was coming, Coda smiled solemnly. "Yes. Where I''m from there''s something called karma. It''s a principle that proposes that you get what you give. Do good things and good things happen to you, do evil or horrible things... You get it."


    Shrugging he continued. "While it may seem vile, in my eyes it just comes down to basic math. They got what they deserved, ending their lives saves countless others."


    "A detached way of looking at things, that is. Easily taking so many lives, a dangerous path is." Yoda rebutted.


    "I consider it a necessary evil. It is also an equal evil to sit in inaction like I find the current protectors to be completely okay doing." Coda said coldly.


    Yoda had been using everything at his disposal to discern the truth from this man, so far he hadn''t picked up on any deception so he just nodded slowly. "Meditate on this I must. A danger to the Republic I do not feel from you."


    Speaking up again he continued. "Active in this war, you plan to be?"


    Coda shook his head. "Not for a while. I''ll be going away for some time, but when I get back I might be able to lend a hand."


    "What the future holds, we will see then." Yoda said simply.


    "On that note. I have a selfish request." Coda said with an excited smile.


    <hr>


    In the infirmary, Anakin had already woken up. After the initial shock of seeing his arm attached, he''d become shocked again when he saw who his Master was speaking too.


    Looking to his side he saw that Padm¨¦ stood by the side of the bed. She wasn''t paying attention to him though as she listened to the other two speak.


    Squeezing his fist he noticed that his hand felt a little weak. That''s when the RG unit that was standing by inside the room walked towards him. "Welcome back young master Anakin. Your hand may feel slightly off for a few days, try not to strain it while it recovers."


    This drew the attention of everyone as they came up and checked on him. While confused, he was also very happy to see so many people care for him. They spent the next while speaking and filling Anakin in on what had happened while he was out.


    Beatrix entered the room a few minutes later drawing everyone''s attention as she spoke up. "I''ve been sent to fetch you."


    Anakin observed the white-masked female droid as Kenobi asked a question. "What for pray tell?"


    Nodding she explained. "It would seem Lord Coda and Master Yoda intend to spar."


    <hr>


    When they walked down the ramp they could see Coda and Yoda stand in a large circle made up of clones. Coming to a stop next to a few clones Qui-Gon asked one a question. "Does anyone know what brought this on?"


    The clone shook his head as he responded. "No clue. But I look forward to seeing how Coda fights another lightsaber user."


    Turning to look at the clone he asked another question. "You know him?"


    Shrugging he answered. "I guess. I did spend an entire day with him in the bug tunnels. I''m Captain 93 of the 71''st scouting regiment." He extended his hand.


    Shaking his hand he nodded. "How was it?"


    Chuckling a bit 93 replied. "He and his droids share a very similar trait while fighting. They are both relentless."


    "I see." Qui-Gon nodded thoughtfully.


    At this point, Anakin asked nobody in particular. "I wonder which style he prefers using."


    Beatrix promptly answered this. "He doesn''t use any of them. He''s self-taught."


    Everyone''s head except 93''s kicked back in surprise as 93 spoke up with another chuckle. "That tracks."


    Coda took off his jacket and started rolling up his sleeves as an RG unit brought him his sabers. "These clothes won''t give me the best range of mobility but it should do for a friendly spar." He nodded to himself. Looking off to the side he saw the group had arrived so he gave them a silly-looking wave.


    Yoda saw the group as well as he turned his eyes back over to Coda. "Why insist on this you do, I do not understand."


    A gleeful smile appeared on Coda''s face. "Crossing swords often says much more than a simple conversation does it not?"


    "Sounds like an excuse, that does."


    Shrugging Coda replied. "Who knows, maybe I just want to see how my fighting compares to a legend?"

 Chapter 16: The Tao of Apathy

    They stood there staring at each other. A minute passed before Coda turned towards Beatrix. "Make sure to record this. I want to be able to review it later." Seeing her nod he turned his head to Yoda again.


    The tension continued to climb as they just stared at each other. Suddenly they nodded at each other and sat down in a lotus position in front of each other. The tension diffusing and throwing everyone off as they just started meditating.


    93 tilted his head and asked in a low voice. "What exactly are they doing?"


    Qui-Gon answered it quietly. "They are trying to get into the best possible state they can manage. They have both been quite active today I believe."


    Kenobi spoke up next. "Master Yoda seems to be taking this quite seriously. He just reprimanded Coda for asking for the duel, but doesn''t it feel like he''s looking forward to it as well?"


    "You forget my former padawan, Yoda may be a Jedi as well, but he has also been a warrior for far longer than we usually think about." Qui-Gon explained sagely.


    "Who do you think will win Master Qui-Gon?" Anakin asked curiously.


    "I cannot say. But they both seem to be taking this fairly seriously. Observing this will be fruitful, pay close attention." Qui-Gon answered.


    More and more people joined the growing circle of troopers, when fifteen minutes had passed the crowd had gotten quite large. The tension had started building again, even more noticeably for the force-sensitive among them. Both of them had started to give of pressure as time passed, what the regular people felt as tension felt like a massive weight for the Jedi present.


    Just as it started becoming uncomfortable it started folding in on itself, being compacted into the two beings manipulating it. As soon as the pressure hard receded completely they both opened their eyes at the same time. Yoda''s eyes could be seen flashing with a light blue from time to time as Coda''s gave off sparks of silver and deep orange.


    They both stood up as Yoda spoke. "Older then you look I feel you are, but older still I am. Go easy on you, I will not." He stated with a cheeky smile.


    "I''m well aware of that. Going easy on me would just make me angry you little gremlin." Coda said loudly as a mad smile appeared on his face.


    Smiling back at him Yoda spoke again. "Teach you to respect your elders I will." As his green saber lit up with a hum.


    "Elder or not, warriors earn their respect." His legs bent as both of his sabers flared to life. Apathy lit up with a soundless hum as his left side got colored in a silver glow. His right side flickering with a violent orange as his deep orange blade sounded like it was scorching the air.


    One moment they were standing there face to face. The next, the ground under Coda threw up dust around it as he disappeared and he came at Yoda from his right side. Quickly bringing his blade to parry the frontal strike he saw the orange saber come flying at him from the right side. Quickly spinning he struck the blade first, flinging it up as he bent down and tried to sweep at Coda''s legs.


    Coda, of course, saw this coming as he lept of the ground and brought both blades to bear for an overhead swing. Yoda threw himself into a side roll before he righted himself to his feet again and shot towards Coda. As he was about to strike at him a force wave shot from Coda, pushing Yoda away as he slid on the ground. Barely a second later Coda came flying at him and they started trading blows again.


    The crowd could barely make out their movements as flashes of colors kept flaring into life as the lightsabers hit each other. This continued for a minute before Coda ate a force push and got flung away, spinning in the air Coda landed on his feet as he left paths in the ground as he slid away. Still sporting the mad smile he started laughing. "Awesome! AGAIN!"


    This time the ground didn''t just throw up dust and sand as he disappeared, the ground ruptured as his previous location became a crater. With wide mad swings, he kept battering Yoda with heavy strikes from is orange saber. Apathy was more insidious, silently waiting for chances to break Yoda''s defenses.


    Blocking the heavy attacks from Coda, he admitted he felt pressured. He wasn''t doing anything fancy but the tactic he was employing was effective. As soon as his attention dropped even a little the silver-colored blade came thrusting at him at each lapse in concentration.


    Seeing a chance, Coda threw a force blast at him that forced him to block it. Following it up with a thrust from apathy, it was blocked but he expected that. The overhead blow was the main attraction, but no plan survives contact with the enemy. Yoda deflected the thrust masterfully, and before Coda''s next attack came down Yoda jumped up and delivered a knee kick to Coda''s chest.


    At the speed they were moving this might as well have been a cannon shell as Coda was flung away, he shot out for over ten meters before impacting the ground. After the initial impact, he spun himself to land on his knees as he came to a stop.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    While Coda was standing up again Yoda spoke. "Using everything you are not. Holding back, a bad idea I feel hmm?"


    Chuckling as he dusted himself off, he simply nodded. "I guess it was optimistic of me to assume I could handle you in just my basic state."


    His mad smile receded as his eyes slowly met Yoda''s. "It seems I must bring out my next level." He said as his deep voice became entirely neutral.


    <hr>


    "He looks like he''s on the defensive, but Yoda still seems to be in control of the match." Qui-Gon commented as they watched them spar.


    "Coda is relentless though. He doesn''t give you much time to think with how many blows he keeps throwing at him." Kenobi said next.


    Anakin had been paying close attention to the fight and had seen that Coda truly wasn''t employing any Jedi forms he knew of. Just like a relentless beast he attacked, he felt the weight coming from the orange blade''s blows all the way to where they were standing. He had an odd feeling that he wasn''t really trying though, he was almost sure Coda was just probing him.


    "Doesn''t it feel like he''s just testing the waters though Master?" He asked.


    Everyone turned to look at him as Kenobi asked him. "What do you mean Anakin?"


    Seeing everyone looking at him he nodded slightly as he started explaining. "He hasn''t attacked in the same way twice the entire duel." He pointed at the two still trading blows.


    They all turned to look at the duel again and noticed it quickly now that they were looking for it. Every time he started attacking Yoda gain, it was a new approach, a different timed swing or a different attack pattern altogether.


    Just as Qui-Gon was about to comment again they saw Coda being ejected away from Yoda. As he stood up they heard them speak.


    "It seems I must bring out my next level." As Coda said this they all thought to themselves. Next level?


    <hr>


    Yoda''s brows furrowed a bit as he noticed that Coda was focusing the force on his silver saber. Silver-colored lightning started to come off the hilt as it climbed up Coda''s arm and along the blade.


    It was like some kind of force lock had been removed from the blade. The force in the area started feeling like white noise as static built up around Coda. Shortly after this started he noticed a silver-colored film of force start to appear under his feet and on his elbows. Looking at his face it was completely devoid of any emotion, his eyes now a glowing silver.


    "Let us get on with it, I cannot be bothered to stay this way for too long." His voice now sounded older, much older as he spoke in a tired manner.


    Coda''s other saber became subdued and calm as silver lightning started extending down its length as well. Before Yoda could understand what was happening Coda came flying at him from the front. Bringing up his saber to be ready to parry the strike, Coda betrayed his expectations as he simply jumped up. Jumping? Why? Yoda didn''t understand, not until what happened next.


    At the crest of the jump, he was about to get ready to welcome his attack when Coda shot forward, kicking off the air itself. A silver flared force bubble popping from his feet as he arrived above and behind him as another pop sounded and he came shooting downwards, landing right behind him. Barely managing to turn around to bring his saber up for defense Coda''s two lightsabers impacted his.


    The next second the sound of thunder could be heard as Yoda could be seen flying through the air, almost reaching the encircling troops watching. This shocked the crowd as they scrambled to open up more space, the diameter of the circle doubling soon.


    Yoda stood in shock as he looked upon Coda''s visage. His arms numb from the shock that followed the hit. Giving a small smile, he removed his brown robe as it had been shredded already. "More like it, this is."


    Nodding at Yoda he bent down again and jumped towards him almost parallel to the ground, Yoda wasn''t having this again as he threw out a force push to stall him. Coda responded with two pops coming off his right arm and leg, causing him to shoot a meter to the right as another two pops from his left side righted him and kept him moving forward.


    Touching the ground he started gliding on it, the films under his feet making him able to skate on top of the earth. Sliding around Yoda he started spinning as strikes followed with quiet determination. Every parry followed with the sound of thunder as Yoda started losing his footing. The hits delivering so much kinetic energy that staying in one place was factually impossible.


    Yoda soon regained his rhythm as they started trading blows again, looking from the outside it was as two swordsmen simply gave up on gravity as they both spun around the air. Hundreds of hits within a few minutes could be seen as the flares of color and sounds of thunder raged between the two.


    Suddenly they both shot off in two different directions as they tumbled on the ground a bit before managing to stop. Both getting up the simply looked at each other before Coda spoke up. "We shall stop here. Let us call it a draw."


    Yoda nodded as he turned off his saber. "Agree, I do. Enjoy the match I did. In the force, strong you are ."


    Coda''s eyes turned towards apathy as the silver glow slowly left his eyes and the lightning discharges receded. He started panting hard as he returned to normal. "I really need to get some damn rest, pushing myself can''t be healthy. Force or not." He said chuckling.


    Yoda sat down on the ground with a small smile. "Have any water you do?"


    Still panting Coda walked up to him as he clipped his sabers to his belt. Sitting down as well he looked over to Beatrix. "Beatrix, I second the good master''s idea. Could you fetch us something to drink?"


    She just nodded as she sent the order down the line.


    Coda turned his eyes back to Yoda. Staring at each other for a little while they both just started laughing.


    The surreal sight of the two of them sitting in the middle of all the damage they''d done to the surroundings brought a smile on most of the people watching.

 Chapter 17: Uncertain Future

    As night approached they had all been sitting around the duel site, they had spent the last hour talking and getting to know each other. Coda had been listening to Yoda give him tips, he knew that even if he the power he still had a lot to learn when it came to lightsaber duels.


    Soon it came time for the Jedi and the rest of the clones to leave. As they all started getting ready Coda grabbed the chance to take Anakin aside. Following Coda, they arrived at a small overlook over the pseudo camp. Standing there they both said nothing for a while before Coda spoke up.


    "Your mother is safe."


    "I thought that might be the case. Did you rescue her?" He asked with barely noticeable impatience.


    With a single nod, he answered. "I did."


    "Why did you..." Shaking his head. "How did you even know to save her?"


    Turning his head to Anakin. "Because if I did not, you would have started walking down a path of no return."


    Anakin thought over his answer for a while. "The dark side?"


    "Aye. I have some knowledge of the future, your fear of loss would have become a glaring weakness that would have made you highly unstable." Coda shook his head slightly.


    Anakin''s eyes widened a bit. "You can see the future? Like Yoda?"


    Giving a slight chuckle Coda responded. "No, not exactly. Yoda also cannot see the future, he can just read some of the paths it could take. The future is ever-changing, the more I interact will all of you the less I will be able to anticipate as I am changing it just by speaking to you."


    Anakin''s eyes furrowed as he asked. "Was my mother meant to die?"


    Looking into Anakin''s eyes Coda answered simply. "Yes, the visions you saw would have eventually compelled you to go look for her. You would have found her only to have her die in your arms, that should have been the start of your slow downfall as you would have slaughtered the entire camp of raiders in anger. Children and women as well."


    His furrowed brows shot up in surprise as he cycled through multiple emotions as he processed the information. "I would never do something like that!"


    Coda''s eyes turned gentle. "The end of the path I have witnessed for you is the path of a monster Anakin. You even eventually cause the death of the one you love."


    Anakin''s features twisted into one of anger. "You''re lying! I''d never hurt her!"


    With a simple nod, Coda replied. "You''re right, the you now would never do something like that. But the you in the future was a man manipulated by a sith, frustrated with the council and having visions that told you of the imminent loss of Padm¨¦."


    Giving a heavy sigh Coda continued. "A perfect cocktail to be seduced to the dark side wouldn''t you say?"


    Anakin was understandably agitated, but he didn''t sense any deception from him. That made him afraid and confused, he didn''t know what to do.


    "What was it that Yoda said to you all those years ago? Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering. Wise words, though a little hard to understand if they come from that little gremlin." Coda laughed.


    Continuing. "You are afraid, and that''s alright. But being consumed by any negative feeling isn''t good for anyone, not just the Jedi. If you cannot let go of your anger and hate, you should at least accept them so you can work them out. Even if the older members of your order can be stuck up assholes sometimes, they will honestly try to help you if you''re honest with them I believe."


    Anakin calmed down slightly as he asked. "Why should I listen to you if what you say is true? Maybe you''re trying to manipulate me as well!"


    Coda just nodded in agreement. "I am. Obviously. I''m trying to talk you into healing yourself, I don''t want you to follow in the footsteps of what I''ve seen you become. I''d rather not have to cut you down because you refuse to acknowledge that you have a problem, so I want you to promise me something."


    Shocked from the blatant admission from Coda he asked. "Promise you what?"


    "That you will stay true to yourself, and that you don''t dismiss the advice of those around you. Especially your friends and loved ones, they do not say the things they say out of spite or jealousy. They care about you."


    Anakin thought over what he said slowly before opening his mouth. "What about my mother? Will you return her to me?"


    Coda started laughing uproariously. "Bwahahahahaha! Return her?" He wiped a tear from his right away before continuing. "She isn''t my hostage or anything. She is a guest on my flagship right now, being treated like royalty if anything. When I come back you can meet her, and her family."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Anakin''s head kicked back in surprise. "Her family?"


    Nodding Coda replied. "Yeah. She was bought by a kind man that freed her from slavery and then married her. They seem to love each other quite deeply, I also intend on bringing them to where I''ll set up shop. They will all be treated with the highest regard. Of course, you''ll be welcome to visit at any time."


    Slightly confused by all this information Anakin went silent for a few minutes before locking eyes with Coda again. "Alright. I promise."


    Suddenly they both felt the force around them go through a change as a loud snap could be felt.


    <hr>


    Everywhere the force touched, any force-sensitive being felt the force itself snap and shift as something had forcefully changed some fundamental truth. Those keener in the aspects of reading possibilities from the force could see some paths wink out of existence as other previously hidden ones appeared.


    The force felt jubilant, even excited. It felt slightly brighter, it was almost unnoticeable but it was there.


    <hr>


    Anakin and Coda both stood there in shock as they glanced around for a while before they turned to look at each other.


    Anakin spoke slowly. "What just... Happened?"


    Coda''s eyes left Anakin to watch the now darkened sky. "I believe we just changed the future." He said as a gleeful smile appeared on his face.


    Not expecting the answer, Anakin lagged out a bit before one side of his mouth curved up a bit. "Anyone ever tell you that you act a bit crazy sometimes?"


    "Well, normal is like super boring." He just shrugged.


    They both chuckled a bit before Coda spoke up again. "Now, get going. Can''t let the gremlin wait too long, old people need their sleep and all."


    Smiling, Anakin asked. "When will we all see you again?"


    With a mysterious smile, Coda replied. "When the war proper starts, I will not be far behind."


    Walking back towards the camp they soon approached the Dauntless''s ramp, everyone was waiting for them there. "Well people, I''m sure it was your pleasure meeting me. But alas, I''m a busy person so this will be goodbye for now."


    Yoda and Qui-Gon had been staring at the two of them as they walked to the camp. Yoda spoke up before Coda could walk up the ramp. "Await your return I will."


    Coda just smiled and made his way up the ramp, waving his hand over his head. Beatrix followed him in. Soon the ramp closed up and the ship took off into the night sky.


    Obi-Wan spoke up shortly after they''d disappeared. "Master Yoda, was it wise to just let him go?"


    Yoda turned and glanced up at Obi-Wan. "Stop him, we could not. Him leaving, the will of the force I sense. When we see him again, change will follow hmmm..."


    <hr>


    Arriving at the bridge with Trilla and Beatrix in tow Coda asked as he observed the darkness of space. "Did everything work out?"


    Beatrix removed her mask before answering. "Yes my Lord. We successfully switched five dead troopers with the RG''s you modified, the mission to retrieve the plans proved harder but eventually, we managed to infiltrate and copy the plans."


    Smiling Coda replied. "Excellent! Great job B, I don''t know what I''d do without you."


    Beatrix answered with a smug tone. "Die of starvation I believe my lord."


    Coda chuckled as she continued. "Though I don''t understand my lord. Are you intending on constructing this weapon?"


    One of his eyebrow crawled up slowly as he just looked at her like she was talking nonsense. "No of course not, I have no need for a planet-killer. Once we get R&D up and running I''ll pitch my ideas then. Besides it''s only the first part of what we need, we''ll need to visit Chiss space for the next one. They are quite difficult to talk too, but I''ve got a plan for building some goodwill from them as well."


    "I see. Very good My Lord. I''ll fly us over to Tatooine again to pick up the comm satellite trail so we can start following the Prometheus." She said with a bow.


    Nodding at Beatrix he then turned towards Trilla, force grabbing the mask right off her face he spoke up. "There''s no need to hide your face anymore." He said as he rubbed his fingers over a blaster scorch mark. "I heard that you made quite the name for yourself down there Ms.Banshee." He said laughing.


    She smiled wryly and shrugged. "I didn''t pick the name. A member of Delta squad seems to have started it. I didn''t find out until I returned to the Dauntless."


    "Unfortunately the irony of it all is lost on them. You did return from the dead after all." Coda laughed as he handed her the mask back.


    She joined him and laughed softly before speaking up. "So where are we headed now ''My Lord''?" As she did a small curtsy.


    Shaking his head he said in a happy tone. "We''re gonna meet up with the Prometheus and then we venture into wild space."


    Her eyebrows shot up. "Wild space? With such a large vessel... Isn''t that dangerous?"


    Nodding Coda replied. "Yeah, it is. We will manage though, with smaller jumps and Beatrix and the RG''s doing the calculations we should minimize the risks. You and I can also help them when the time comes."


    "But why Wild space?" She asked curiously.


    With a wry smile, he explained. "Because I don''t think any of the established powers are going to take it kindly if a force such as ours starts carving out a slice for themselves. We will have absolute privacy to expand and prepare, that''s why wild space is my choice."


    He''s right. A self-sufficient self-expanding workforce that doesn''t tire. That would scare the shit out of them. She thought to herself.


    "Now go get some rest, I have to go meditate and then sleep. I didn''t notice it right away but that little stunt I pulled with you left some serious after-effects I didn''t anticipate, I''d like to get back to tip-top shape before we go into the unknown." Coda said in a tired tone.


    "That''s not a bad idea. I''m sorry." She said apologetically.


    "No sorries remember? I''ll be fine after I rest a bit, we have a long way to travel so maybe we can get some training in while we''re on the move. Good night." He said and made his way to the captain''s quarters. Once there he sat down in a lotus position with both of his sabers resting in each of his hands. Closing his eyes they started floating above them and giving of a silver and orange glow.


    Finally, my adventure can truly start. He thought to himself as he sunk slowly into a trance.

 Chapter 18: Undercurrents

    Coda sat in a trance as his saber-hilts started floating, the glow they gave off becoming brighter. Soon a circular swirl started forming around the two that slowly expanded, eventually they intersected resulting in an infinity symbol forming with Coda as it''s center point. After a while, Coda started to sweat as his face showed signs of pain.


    Pulses of his power started to come off him, alerting Trilla that was in another room. This continued without change for hours. Small blackish-red globes detached from him and floated down the stream towards his orange saber as it absorbed them giving off a small flash of dark red every time. Every time this happened Coda''s face loosened up a bit and the flow became faster and smoother.


    Soon the streams became so fast that an almost unnoticeable hum could be heard from the flow around him. The streams disconnected from Coda as they started shrinking, eventually fully receding into the hilts again.


    Coda opened his eyes as they glowed with a stable silver-orange glow. A smug smile showed up on his face. "Finally, that poison is out of my head. The dark side really is just a poisoned well." He put the hilts down and clenched his hands as noticeable cracks in the space around them appeared.


    Good. Now I just need some rest. Standing up he undressed and threw himself into bed before promptly passing out from exhaustion.


    <hr>


    Trilla had been unable to focus enough to meditate because Coda had been blasting pulses of the force through the entire ship so she had given up halfway and just lied down to have some rest. Shortly after it had stopped she was woken up by someone knocking on the door.


    Standing up she threw her robe back on before answering the door. When the door slid open she saw Beatrix waiting for her. "Yes, Beatrix? How can I help you?"


    Giving a slight bow she responded. "I''m sorry to disturb you Lady Trilla, but it seems our captive has woken up. I took what I consider appropriate precautions to keep her pacified but I''d appreciate your opinion on the matter as I do not possess the ability to use the force."


    Tilting her head slightly Trilla thought to herself. Captive? The blue-skinned woman? Nodding to Beatrix she responded. "I understand. Lead the way."


    Following Beatrix the soon came to an empty room except for eight RG units. Four of them were standing in a box formation around the captive, they were using their black matter to keep her upright and her appendages locked in place. The other four stood in a cross formation aiming their plasma rifles at her, they had locked themselves in place by producing spikes to keep them attached to the floor and their guns stuck.


    Trilla saw that the woman was awake at this point but she was quite clearly afraid and confused, a little angry as well but that was understandable. Coda had a penchant to do things or order things that were at best whimsical and at worst downright confusing.


    Sev''rance saw the two new additions to her prison enter and observed them closely. She''d ascertained that escape wasn''t a very viable course of action right now so she simply waited and paid attention.


    Locking eyes with Sev'', Trilla asked Beatrix. "So who is she?"


    Beatrix responded promptly. "Her name is Sev''rance Tann and as you can see she is Chiss. She has been trained by Count Dooku in the dark side and according to Lord Coda is an excellent strategist. I have many theories as to why he had her captured but I cannot say for sure until he wakes up."


    Sev''s eyes widened hearing what the droid explained. Who are these people? How do they know so much about me?! Finally, she decided to ask a question that had been bugging her. "What manner of beast is aboard this vessel?"


    Both Trilla and Beatrix tilted their heads at the same time as a thought ran through their heads. Beast? Trilla decided to respond. "There are no animals aboard this vessel, only RG units and three living beings including you."


    Sev''s brows furrowed as she spoke up again. "Do not lie to me, I could sense it. It woke me up, there is something extremely powerful aboard this ship."


    As Beatrix simply shook her head Trilla simply chuckled a bit as she answered with a wry smile. "The ''Beast'' you are referring to is Coda, the owner of this vessel and the one who ordered your capture."


    Sev'' opened her mouth to say something but ended up closing it again. Impossible, that cannot be a person. Deciding to let this train of thought go for the time being she asked. "Why am I here?"


    Trilla just shrugged. "I have no idea, You''ll have to ask Coda about that when he wakes up. Are you hungry?"


    Thrown off by the question she replied. "I am."


    Turning to Beatrix, Trilla spoke. "Drop the restraints and let''s go eat, I could eat as well."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Her face was completely neutral as she responded. "Are you sure that''s wise Lady Trilla?"


    "You can do the calculations, right? What are the odds of her doing much anything even if she isn''t restrained?" Trilla asked with a smug look.


    Beatrix went silent for a few moments before speaking up again. "Zero. I still won''t take any chances, the eight RG''s will escort her everywhere just in case."


    "Sure. That''s reasonable." Trilla nodded. "Now come with me if you would Miss Tann."


    <hr>


    Prometheus, One jump from Endor.


    RG1 and RG2 Stood on the bridge, they had just been attacked the second time since coming out here. Of course, the attack was thwarted almost instantly, the first fleet had been some noble house they had no records of from a planet they had never heard of. The second had been a fairly large fleet of pirates that was just a mish-mash of ships at various states of disrepair.


    They''d employed the same tactics for both fleets, turn off the GWG and lure them in, then turn it on and focus fire on propulsion systems. They''d taken almost no damage as the shield they had were years ahead of most ships in the galaxy. All in all, this had just been a cheap way of obtaining ship schematics and parts.


    -("Organics are truly illogical beings it would seem.")- RG2 spoke digitally to RG1.


    -("They have poorly programmed impulse control yes. Not all of them suffer from this intelligence deficiency though. What about the prisoners?")- RG1 inquired.


    -("We have 673 confirmed prisoners, 132 of them seem to be slaves. 13 children that are being taken care of with the help of Lady Scmi and a couple of female modeled RG''s, 48 are women though almost one-third of them seem to be catatonic due to physical and mental trauma. Rest are males with varying degrees of injuries, most of the former slaves are suffering from malnutrition.")- He explained.


    RG1 cupped his chin as he started calculating all kinds of scenarios before he spoke again. -("I did not anticipate pirates flying around with so many slaves.")-


    RG2 shook his head. -("Over half of them came from the self-proclaimed nobles fleet.")-


    -("Lord Coda will not like this. How should we proceed?")- RG1 Asked.


    -("If our Lord does not like this then we do not like this. Identify high ranking members of both fleets and then pick two from each. Torture and extract any information we can from them. We have received a message from Lady Beatrix that they are on their way now, I''d like to have something to report to them once they get here.")- RG2 Ordered.


    -("Keep them alive?")- RG1 asked back.


    -("No need, collaborate what they say between the two you pick and then kill them.)-


    Talking out loud for the first time in this exchange RG1 responded. "Understood" As his eyes flashed red.


    <hr>


    Pong Krell was visiting a sleazy bar in the lower levels of Coruscant under orders from the temple to investigate the disappearances of known gangsters. Walking in he saw the usual scene of scantily clad women and substance abuse that he''d expected. Since he woke up this morning he''d had an unsettling feeling that something was about to go very wrong.


    Walking up towards the bar he struck up a conversation with a very human-like droid, he wouldn''t know it was a droid if he didn''t have the force. After a short talk with it, he learned that some new players had set up shop two levels down in an abandoned part of a former factory.


    As soon as he walked out the droid sent a digital message. -("Target is inbound, get ready.")-


    It didn''t take long for Pong to find the location, he''d started feeling increasingly unsettled as he drew closer. The place looked unassuming, the door was left open and no lights were on. This didn''t look right at all, but being a Jedi he was certain that he''d come out ok on the other side.


    Getting closer, he peeked into the dark building from the doorway. Seeing nothing of note except some run-down machinery and crates with faded writing on them he entered. He couldn''t hear anything either, using the force to amplify his sight and hearing turned up nothing as well. Then why does this feel so foreboding...


    When he was a few steps in he started picking up sounds of something moving, it was extremely hard to detect and he couldn''t place what it was exactly until he noticed that the light from outside was rapidly going out.


    Turning around in a hurry he saw something that looked like black liquid fill up the doorway and then all was dark. Making the decision instantly he turned on his two double sabers to give himself light, as the glow of his sabers lit up the area he was shocked. Somehow nine figures had eluded his senses and were standing in a circle around him. A trap?!


    "Who are you!? Separatists?" He asked as he scanned around for options.


    As soon as he finished speaking he noticed a light coming from the entrance as it opened up a slight rift when the tenth droid walked in. When it was closing behind him he noticed that it was the bartender that lead him here. As it joined the encirclement it spoke up. "Who we are is not important. Pong Krell, our lord has revoked your right to exist and you will as a consequence be executed immediately."


    Hearing what it said he was about to take a stance when his danger sense started blaring. Before he could even react dozens of black spikes shot out from the floor and perforated his entire body. His life coming to an end in an unknown factory.


    The unit masquerading as the bartender walked up to the body and stowed both of the double sabers inside his body before turning to one of the RG''s. -("Clean this up, then proceed to stand by until our siblings identify any other targets to replace or terminate. Also, take as much blood as you can for storage.")-


    Getting a ping of agreement from them all he turned and walked back towards his place of employment. In the background, the other nine RG''s flooded Pong Krell''s body with black matter and started breaking it down into base components. Soon the factory looked like nothing had taken place there as they all returned into the darkness around them.


    As RG200 got back to the bar he started doing what he''d been doing for the few days he''d been here. Observing and listening. With a wry smile on his face, he thought to himself. I wonder if all bartenders lead such interesting lives... Something to look into if I have the time.

 Chapter 19: The Calm

    Three days later, Dauntless.


    Sev'' was having a very peculiar experience. She was a prisoner that wasn''t chained, the only two things they''d told her not to do was try and damage the ship or approach this ''Coda''s room. She at one point tried hacking into the ship''s systems only to find out that the language and coding language was vastly different from anything she''d seen before. It had been quite scary as she didn''t notice Beatrix sneaking up on her.


    She''d simply been asked if she understood the futility of trying that before she had walked away. No torture, no reprimand, nothing. They had even not bothered to hide their destination or even bar her from entering the bridge, it was all quite surreal. She''d been trying to piece together where they were going before they just told her. Apparently they were heading towards an uninhibited system close to Endor to rejoin their flagship.


    A building pressure could be felt on the ship as well since last night, it''s origin seemed to be this Coda. Fighting wars and battles was something she was quite good at, but this was all so surreal she wasn''t quite sure how to proceed. She was in the hangar right now watching the woman known as Trilla train in lightsaber forms, she wasn''t sure what they intend to do with her so she just decided to wait for now.


    As she was observing Trilla train in the hangar she noticed Beatrix walk in towards Trilla.


    "Lady Trilla, He''s awake. He''s asked if you and Miss Tann would join him for dinner." Beatrix informed her.


    Stopping her practice she turned off her saber before using a nearby towel to wipe off her sweat. Looking over at Beatrix she nodded. "Sure, I''ll head towards my room for a shower then I''ll join him. Where are we eating?"


    "War room." She answered simply.


    "Understood. Miss Tann, follow Lady Beatrix if you intend to join us." She explained with a soft voice before she walked off. If I intend?! Aren''t I a fucking prisoner here?!


    <hr>


    Coda opened his eyes. He felt he''d been sleeping for days as his body was quite stiff, sitting up he noticed his usual choice of clothes on a recliner. A small smile on his face he sat in a lotus position and put his arms together. Soon a flow of power started up from his hilts as it clashed together behind him, slowly forming into an orb that was perfectly half orange and half silver.


    His smile grew wider as he felt balanced for the first time since he arrived in this universe. Soon it all dissipated as he spoke up. "Excellent." Standing up, he dressed up in his suit again as he ran his sense over the entire ship. Hmmm? So she''s awake.


    Attaching his pad to his left arm he pinged Beatrix. It didn''t take her long before showing up. "My Lord, It''s good to see you awake. How do you feel?"


    Still sporting a wide smile he gave a hearty laugh. "Like myself. Also, hungry. Order some food made and send it to the War room, I can listen to your reports there." He was about to start walking before he remembered to pick up his hilts. "Ah yeah! Invite the girls as well."


    "Understood my Lord." She gave a half-bow and left the room.


    <hr>


    Sev'' soon found herself to the door leading into the war room. She could feel it clearly, he was inside. Her pride didn''t allow her to not enter the room even though she felt quite unsettled by what she had felt a couple of days earlier.


    Having made up her mind she entered the room, she saw Coda leaning back in a chair with his eyes closed. Looking at the silver-haired man she soon spotted two sabers sitting on the table. Her eyes furrowed. Is he simply being careless... A trap maybe? Well, whatever, it''s the chance I''ve been waiting for!


    Right as she made her mind to go for the hilts, Coda spoke up. "I wouldn''t do that if I were you. You cannot use them even if you got your hands on them."


    Opening his eyes he saw her looking shocked and angry. "You don''t believe me?" He shrugged and used the force to throw his orange saber towards her.


    Going from shock to confusion as the hilt came flying her way she caught it on instinct. It was only then she realized she had made a terrible mistake as a flare of overpowering fury came off the hilt. As she dropped the hilt she looked up again only to find herself in a different location, everywhere she looked she could see destroyed skyscrapers and ruined vehicles. The sky was on fire as everything was covered with an orange smog. Soon she heard a child''s laughter all around her.


    "FINALLY! Bwahahahahaha! I get someone to play with!" Turning towards the voice she saw a blurry figure sitting on a ruined car. What little she could make of him it seemed to be a small boy. "Now stay still you deluded bitch! I''m going to enjoy ripping you apart, one piece at a time!" A mad gleeful smile could be seen through the blur that surrounded the figure as a wave of deep red-orange magma approached her from all sides.


    "Enough." A deep calm voice sounded as she suddenly found herself standing in the war room again, Coda had just picked up his hilt from her hand. She fell back and scrambled to get distance from him. She was panting as fear ran rampant inside her head.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    A smug smile came over Coda''s face. "Now do you understand? They are my burdens to carry, and I choose who to share them with." He said, returning to his seat.


    This... Thing! Is a monster! As she was about to spiral further Trilla walked into the room. Stopping herself as she saw that Sev'' was sitting on the floor in what she could only assume to be fear she turned to Coda. "What happened here?"


    He only shrugged. "She tried playing with my toys. In my defense, I did warn her." Trilla sighed lightly before walking over to Sev'' to help her stand up.


    "Do not take it personally, he can be a little much sometimes." Trilla said in a soft voice.


    Sev'' looked up at Trilla as she helped her up while Coda could be heard in the background. "Trilla! You wound me!" He said in an overdramatic tone.


    "Now please sit down, food is on its way and I am famished!" Coda said cheerfully.


    Sev'' and Trilla both sat down while Sev'' chose the opposite side of the table from Coda. He sighed before speaking. "It isn''t overly pleasant being looked at with such fear, seeing that you did that to yourself."


    "What was that creature?" Sev'' asked.


    Trilla''s eyebrow shot up as Coda answered. "You mean that foul-mouthed little brat?" The hilt started vibrating on the table as he answered, making Coda wave his hand so it calmed again.


    Sev''s eyes widened slightly. "So you know him?"


    A strange smile could be seen on his face as he answered. "Of course I know him. He''s me. Or at least, a part of me."


    Sev''s mouth was hanging open after hearing the answer as Trilla just looked confused. Who? Sev'' rubbed her temple as she tried getting over the fact that nothing this person was saying made any fucking sense.


    Clapping his hands Coda spoke up again. "Moral of the story, don''t touch my stuff. Now, where is the food already?"


    Sev'' just ignored him as Trilla looked at him with a sigh. Shrugging he just laid back again and waited for the food. I''m perfectly fine with silence too. Thankfully they didn''t need to wait long until they were brought their meals.


    As they were eating Coda spoke up. "Beatrix, just report while we eat."


    Bowing slightly she answered. "Understood my Lord. Pong Krell has been terminated, they expect that it will not be trackable to them." Coda nodded. "The Prometheus is on standby passed Endor, a short jump from a space station known as Watchpoint. It also suffered from two attacks traveling there, most attacking vessels have been seized and have secured prisoners as well as slaves they were carrying."


    Coda''s brows furrowed as he nodded slowly. "Won''t we need extra supplies if we have so many people on board?"


    "Yes my Lord. That''s why I suggest we visit Watchpoint as it''s a last stop for explorers in the region, at least on the surface. They should have ample supplies we can either purchase or appropriate." She explained in a neutral tone.


    Coda''s brow shot up. "On the surface? Elaborate."


    "Of course. The leader of one of the fleets seems to be from a noble house based in Hutt space, they also control Watchpoint. Thus I have concluded the likelihood that it is used to smuggle narcotics, slaves, and that it may even be a deployment post for assassins based in the area is quite high." She stated.


    Distaste now showed quite easily on Coda''s face. "What was the status of the slaves that they recovered?"


    Beatrix shook her head slightly as she spoke again. "Not good. Some of them have died already due to an oversight on our part. Some among them seem to have been forced to use narcotics and we simply do not have the necessary pharmaceuticals on hand to treat them. Two of those who died were children, after questioning both the slaves and prisoners we have ascertained that they were forced to consume them before they were used for... less than savory reasons."


    Sev'' didn''t consider herself a good person per se but what she was hearing disgusted her. Trilla in the meanwhile held her hand to her mouth in disbelief.


    Coda spoke up in a soft but extremely cold tone. "How far away from Watchpoint is the Prometheus?"


    "They can get there in just under two hours My lord." She answered.


    "How far out are we?"


    "Six hours, give or take fifteen minutes."


    Coda pushed his plate away and stood up before turning to Beatrix. "Have them head there now, when they get there they are to broadcast a warning that any ship that tries to leave will be destroyed without mercy. Ready as many RG''s as we need to be able to search that station from top to bottom and tell them to wait for us."


    Beatrix bowed deeply. "Of course my Lord. Is there anything else?"


    Nodding slowly Coda spoke with barely contained anger. "Have them record everything they see once we enter the station. I also want to know everything there is about this so-called noble house, and I mean fucking everything."


    Trilla at this point spoke up. "I''m coming with you."


    Turning his head towards her, she and Sev'' could see his eyes looked like they were being licked by flames from the inside as they air simmered around him. "As long as you stay out of my way."


    Trilla felt surprised at the aggressive answer but nodded anyway as Coda turned to face Sev''. "You will stay on the ship, if I find you do anything other then absolutely nothing while we are away. I will kill you. Do you understand?"


    Sev'' felt cold sweat run down her back as she answered in a quiet tone. "I understand."


    "Good." He said succinctly before his two hilts shot of the table into his hands. Sev'' glanced over at the table after Coda exited the room and saw a molten puddle where they had been lying.


    Sev'' turned to Trilla and asked. "Is he usually so... temperamental?"


    Shaking her head she responded. "I''ve seen him lose control but those circumstances were special."


    Standing up she looked at the door Coda exited from. "This... This is something different."

 Chapter 20: Titanic Arrival

    Floating in space, the space station collectively called Watchpoint was going about its regular business. It was a very busy station as it was the last resupply point before entering wild space. Its size was massive, it looked like someone had thrust a pillar into an asteroid. Almost three kilometers in length and three hundred meters in diameter it displayed a very impressive sight. Managing to service about half a thousand ships each day, it could be said to be an extremely lucrative enterprise. In more ways than one.


    Most people would of course never find out, but a third of the station was directly under the thumb of House Rrud. That is to say, while they owned the entire station, a third of it was inaccessible for anyone not directly working for them or their allies. And for good reason too.


    It''s where they processed all the slaves they procured with the help of their ''Patrol fleets'' or the various forces that dealt in them. Of course, they also stored valuables acquired and narcotics of various designs before they could be shipped off into regulated space and sold. Their main attraction though was the Specialty clubs, where those wealthy enough could indulge in almost whatever they wanted.


    House Rrud made a lot of money on Watchpoint, for this reason, they made sure it was well protected. With three patrol fleets, two of which were always stationed around the station as well as hundreds of laser batteries spread across the asteroid and station. This made sure that they were rarely attacked, and if they were, it didn''t work out so well for those involved.


    Each fleet had a cruiser with three frigate escorts, commanded by a person with a direct blood relation to the noble house itself. They considered this place unassailable for the most part, but they were wrong.


    Very wrong.


    <hr>


    Watchpoint Station, Close to the Command bridge.


    Dominik Rrud was making his way towards the bridge because he was sent a jarring message when he was showing a wealthy Hutt their services. Long-range scanners had picked something coming their way, something huge.


    The Hutt had been quite displeased for being left with a protocol droid, but then again, most Hutts acted like spoiled children if they didn''t get the respect they felt they deserved. He didn''t like dealing with them, but hey, that''s the job.


    He had been made Commander of the station after having done many shady things for his House and those they served, the Hutts. The galaxy in his eyes was a shitty place, filled with even shittier people. So he decided when he was very young that he''d at least be shitty AND rich. After all, there are only a few things credits cannot get you.


    When he entered the bridge he quickly asked with his gravelly voice. "Can someone tell me exactly what''s going on?"


    The people working on the scanners glanced at each other before the highest-ranking member among them spoke up timidly. "Sir, our scanners picked up a ship heading our way."


    Before he got any further with his report Dominik''s face twisted in anger as he yelled. "A SHIP!? Did you call me up here because of a single ship?" Before the officer could offer anything in defense he was hit into the ground.


    One of the other men working on the scanners quickly spoke up in the defense of the man. "No Sir! That''s not what the problem is!" He said in a hurried tone. Dominik''s face turned to him as he struggled to continue. "I-I-It''s the size that caused us to contact you, sir."


    Dominik stalled a bit as his anger receded. He cocked an eyebrow as he asked. "Explain, what are you talking about?"


    The man glanced at the man bleeding by his feet as he took a deep breath. Looking into Dominik''s eyes he answered. "The vessel seems to be by all indication, around seventeen kilometers in length..."


    Dominik''s eyes stretched open as he felt fear wash over him. "WHAT?! CHECK IT AGAIN!" He screamed over the entire room.


    The operator gulped as he spoke in a low voice. "We have sir. We''ve run it at least ten times by now, it isn''t a mistake."


    His whole body trembled as he fought to calm himself down. Taking a deep breath he spoke up. "Sound the alarm, code black. Tell the fleets to assemble in front of the expected exit point and tell everyone to gear up. How long do we have until it gets here?"


    "Twenty minutes at most sir, we thought the scanners were wrong ourselves so we didn''t report it right away." He said fearfully.


    Dominik glared at the man before deciding they had bigger problems. "Sound the alarm now!" He said in a hurried tone before looking out of the viewing window. Hopefully, they aren''t hostile. What the hell is going on?!


    <hr>


    The Prometheus, Bridge.


    RG2 stood on the bridge as they were en route towards Watchpoint station. They had gotten a message from Lady Beatrix almost two hours ago with new orders to mobilize, PRIO Max.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Someone or something had decided to invoke their Lord''s ire, and now they were tasked to deliver the full force of his wrath upon the impudent offenders. Running over the new data from their scanners he made a threat assessment.


    Estimated fleet size: Eight vessels, none above cruiser specifications.


    Threat level: Negligible.


    Estimated ground forces: Currently unknown, size of the station indicates garrison under three thousand.


    Threat level: Negligible.


    Estimated defense installations: Calculations of station size indicate power-grid cannot sustain over five hundred laser batteries.


    Threat level: Negligible.


    Conclusion: Success rate all but guaranteed, engage according to mission parameters.


    Having run the numbers, RG2 started giving out orders. -("Attention all units. Operation Atlas is now in effect. Assume battle stations and standby to sortie.")-


    Inside the ship, lights turned red as an alarm went off. At the same time, a thousand units entered where they were keeping the prisoners that weren''t slaves and aimed their plasma rifles over the group. The prisoners were understandably afraid at this development as fear spread through the group. One of them decided to stand up and started to shout in a self-righteous tone.


    "You can''t do this! I''m a member of the Hutts and I demand to..." He suddenly stopped speaking as he looked down only to see that a unit had come up behind him and stabbed him with some sort of black blade. Coughing up blood he fell to his knees as his eyes started feeling heavier, dying in confusion.


    The unit reformed the black matter on his hand as he slowly looked over the now quite shaken people and said. "You will be quiet, or we will make you quiet." Nobody spoke up again as they looked at the indifferent droids around them, for some reason their eyes were giving of red light as they watched over them.


    <hr>


    Dominik was staring at the blood splatter on the floor left by the man they''d sent to medical when someone spoke up. "Sir, it''s almost here." He said in a shaky voice.


    Turning his head towards the viewport Dominik asked. "Have we already sent the distress signals? Also where the fuck is that useless cousin of mine, Zinda?"


    The tactical officer in charge answered. "Sir, we went over their expected route and it aligns with where this ship came from. It''s safe to assume that they encountered the vessel." He said with an exasperated tone.


    Zinda!? Did that ingrate do something to piss these people off? If he''s still alive, I''m going to fucking end him! Dominik thought to himself. As he was about to ask another question, it arrived.


    The only view out the viewport now was a massive vessel, it made their ships look like toy cars in comparison. His face blanched because even if he understood what seventeen kilometers were in terms of distance, it was something else entirely when used to describe a ship. Also, whoever was piloting that monster was certifiably mad, it had dropped way inside safety standards used by ships. It was only a bit more than half a kilometer away from their fleet.


    They soon noticed that it instantly deployed a gravity well generator that blanketed the entire area. Likewise, it started jamming long-range transmissions. Civilian ships that were flying towards the station made to turn around, but that provoked a response from the vessel as multiple tractor beams locked onto them, effectively holding them in place.


    Dominik stood frozen, to his credit, most people on the bridge were frozen in shock. Suddenly the communication officer yelled out. "It''s broadcasting something!"


    Turning towards him, Dominik ordered. "Put it up on the screen!"


    As the holo-screen flickered into life they saw a white unassuming human in some kind of military uniform, the only strange thing about him was the red glow in his eyes. Without warning, he spoke.


    "Attention Watchpoint station. You will power down all defenses, dock all vessels, and lay down all arms. You have five minutes to comply. Failure to comply will result in hostile action being taken. As of this moment, no ship will be allowed to leave the area, failure to comply will result in termination." The man spoke slowly and clearly with an indifferent tone.


    Lay down arms? That''s suicide! They can''t seriously expect us to go through with these demands, can they? Dominik thought to himself. He was stuck in thought for two minutes until his Tactical officer spoke up in a hurry. "Commander Dominik! Patrol fleet Argyle is powering up weapons! They''re about to fire on the vessel!"


    Shock ran through Dominik. Argyle you mongrel! What are you doing?! His Uncle had always been a rash man but even that had to have limits, right? Before he could open up comms towards his Uncle''s fleet they fired upon the titanic vessel.


    They fired salvos of missiles as well as a deluge of laser fire at the ship. This caused two things to happen in rapid succession, the automated defense system marked the vessel as an enemy and engaged on its own. Secondly, all the chaos must have made his cousin that controlled the other patrol fleet to think they were engaging causing them to attack it as well.


    Within seconds their entire force was attacking the ship all at once, lighting up space with explosions and laser fire. Dominik didn''t even move when the tactical officer yelled over the entire bridge. "THEY''RE POWERING WEAPONS!''''


    He didn''t mean to respond out loud but he did so unconsciously. "It doesn''t matter... It''s too late."


    Like a vengeful god, the ship opened fire causing the entire area to light up with blue and purple plasma fire. The entire station started shaking chaotically as lights flickered and explosions could be heard.


    Dominik had been thrown to the floor by the shaking, shaking his head he tried to restore his hearing as he seemed to be shellshocked. Looking around with his vision hazy he could see the blast shields had dropped over the viewport as the emergency lights were flashing. His officers were probably yelling something if their movements were something to go by. Glancing at the weapons stations officers panel he knew instantly that things weren''t good, it was showing almost nothing but red.


    Suddenly he felt someone grab his arm and try to drag him up, struggling to stand up his hearing started returning. "Come again?" He asked the man helping him as he rubbed his ears with his hands.


    As he looked at who was assisting him, he noticed it was the tactical officer. The officer spoke again, this time he could make out what he said. "They targeted our defensive installations, we''ve lost almost all of them facing the vessel. They''re deploying fighters and our ships have been disabled. What are your orders?!"


    Running through the things he just heard, he didn''t respond to him. He only said one word.


    "Fuck."

 Chapter 21: Bleeding Anger

    Prometheus, Bridge.


    -("Report.")- RG2 Spoke up.


    -("Seventy-Two percent of enemy defenses were disabled in our opening volley, Six enemy vessels have disabled. The other two were destroyed due to reactor containment failure. We are ready to deploy fighters.")- The unit in charge of tactical reported.


    -("Understood. Roaming patrols of five, sphere formation. Have them destroy any remaining defenses. I''ll report this to Lady Beatrix.")- RG2 Ordered.


    Compiling the data, he sent the packet towards Beatrix. Thanks to the relatively short distance he got a reply within minutes.


    -("Solid copy RG2, Good work. Broadcast attached file to the station, DO NOT under any circumstance deploy units into the station. Lord Coda has demanded that he is the first in, psychological profile suggests previous trauma is causing anger flares. Unpredictability expected to rise exponentially if orders are not followed to the letter. You are free to secure prisoners and help slaves in disabled vessels. Beatrix out.")-


    Receiving the message, RG2 quickly relayed orders to the relevant parties. Even though they were incapable of emotions, they were programmed in such a way that they did not react well to influences that upset Coda. A shudder ran through all of them when they were sent the message as simulated anger and urgency made itself known, their artificial eyes turning red in response.


    <hr>


    Dominik watched the hologram displaying their surroundings as the massive vessel deployed hundreds of fighters with clockwork-like efficiency. Followed by six shuttles of some kind that headed towards their former patrol fleet as he asked tactical.


    "What''s the status around the station?"


    Medical personnel came running in, checking and applying first aid to those hurt in the initial attack as tactical responded.


    "We have fires all over the station, response droids and personnel are already on it. Multiple cave-ins in the sectors built into the asteroid, we''re getting confirmation of multiple casualties from all around the station... Odd. The fighters they deployed are keeping a distance from the station, they aren''t attacking anymore."


    Dominik''s eyebrow shot up. Why does that worry me more? "I assume we''re still being jammed, what about scanners?"


    "We have scanners, but I doubt it''ll do us any good sir. They''ve deployed a GWG, and I don''t think anyone is stupid enough to approach when they get dropped out of hyperspace only to see that monster out there." Tactical responded.


    Despite the situation, a wry smile found it''s way unto Dominik''s face. "I can''t blame them. Tell the troops to start setting up hardpoints around the station. Even though they aren''t approaching us now, I find it hard to believe they just came over to use us as target practice."


    "Yes, sir!" Tactical responded as they started shooting orders down the line.


    Dominik cupped his chin as he ran over his admittedly limited options. Most of them automatically rejected due to the fact they weren''t feasible. He simply didn''t have enough information, what did these people want exactly? He was going to fight if it came down to it, unlike his incompetent family members that were sent here with him. He was a warrior, and his job was taking care of this station.


    He was brought out of his ruminations when tactical spoke up again. "Sir! They''re broadcasting on all frequencies. Shall I put it on?"


    With a nod, he turned his head towards the hologram display as it lit up. The same male as last time showed up, but there was a glaring difference that could be seen. Anger marred his features and his eyes glowed with a sinister red color. It dawned on him. They''re machines?! It started speaking, this time its voice was low and much harsher.


    "House Rrud! You stand accused of slavery, rape, and kidnapping. All punishable by death according to the laws of The Order of The invisible Sun. Soon you will be boarded and any opposition will be met with swift death without due discourse. Civilians aboard Watchpoint station, if you are unrelated have no fear. We will record everything that takes place and you shall not be harmed if you are found to have no relation to the crimes previously stated. Submit to investigation and stay out of the way if you value your life, for Judgement approaches." It then went silent for a couple of seconds before speaking up again.


    "You will soon come to find, you cannot fight an angered sun."


    The transmission cut out as Dominik found out that he could indeed become paler. Though most people on the bridge blanched as well, they''d all seen the news from about a week ago. The Hutt information network was vast, and they knew of the mercenary group known as the Invisible sun. They were fairly sure they were also responsible for some of their agents going missing in recent days, and now they were here.


    Tactical spoke in a soft voice, it cut through the silence on the bridge easily as you''d hear a pin drop right now. "Intelligence should have connected the dots. The vessel that bombarded Tatooine belongs to the Invisible Sun. It''s official, we''re fucked."


    <hr>


    In the middle floors of Watchpoint station, five men wearing cloaks were sitting in a bar. One of them was putting away a hologram disk as they''d just witnessed the broadcast.


    "It looks like we''re in luck, he''s going to show up here. Are we going through with it?" A small rodian asked.Stolen story; please report.


    A burly human spoke up next. "Might be risky, where would we do it? More importantly, how would we get away?"


    Two twilek''s sitting together looked at each other and nodded before one of them spoke up. "He''ll probably enter by the main hangar, it''s going to be hard to move around so we can set up an ambush right off the main path. Between where the station troopers are setting up defenses. Then we just split up and blend in, none of us here have any relation to what happens on this station. It comes down to if our fearless leader here can hold him locked down long enough for us to gun him down."


    Snorting, a tall black man spoke up. "I''ve been trained extensively, some Jedi scum cannot defeat me. Just do your jobs and stay out of my way."


    As the last speaker stood up, a glint of a lightsaber hilt could be seen from under his cloak.


    <hr>


    The Dauntless, Hangar.


    Sev'', Trilla, and Beatrix had just entered the hangar when they spotted Coda standing in front of the closed ramp. His back was turned but they could all see the air in a five-meter radius around him simmered, the area shrinking and expanding with every breath he took. The metal flooring under him had already started warping due to the heat he was giving off.


    Sev'' glanced around the hangar as she spotted around two hundred of these strange droids standing perfectly still, lined up in rows behind him. Their eyes were glowing with a sinister red, just like Beatrix''s had been doing for the last few minutes.


    As her eyes turned back to Coda, she could easily feel the barely constrained anger flowing off him in every direction. Staying on the ship was already stifling, the proximity to him now made it much worse. Deciding to run the force through her eyes she became terrified. Leaking off him like steam was a dark red aura, as soon as he had felt someone observing him she could feel that he had switched his focus over to her for a split second. It felt like being crushed under the gravity of a black hole, a predator glancing at her only to decide she was not worth its time.


    Breaking out into a cold sweat for the third time today she had to remind herself to breathe again. Turning to look at Trilla, she saw that she wasn''t faring much better. It seemed that being close to him was difficult for her as well, probably anyone.


    They stopped walking towards him when they were about fifteen meters away, any closer didn''t feel safe. That''s when they heard Coda speak, his voice deeper than usual, even unnaturally so. "Report."


    Beatrix replied instantly. "My Lord! We are ten minutes out now, there has been no additional movement from the enemy. A few ships have jumped into the area but were intercepted by the GWG aboard the Prometheus, most have left already but some seem to be hanging back to watch the situation."


    "It matters not. Everyone will stay on the Dauntless for five minutes after I depart, then invade it in full force. Destroy all opposition without mercy, enter their systems and take over. All suspects are to be moved into any open space large enough to hold all of them. Am I clear?" He was speaking in an eerily calm tone, a jarring discrepancy to how it felt to be around him.


    "Your will be done, My lord!" She said in a loud voice.


    Trilla spoke up nervously. "Coda, are you alright? Shouldn''t you try and calm down?"


    Silence followed for a few seconds before he replied in the same calm tone. "I am going to refuse. My  justified, and I have lived with feelings like this since I was but a child. I am upset, but I am not mad." His unnatural tone grew more prominent the more he spoke, leading to Trilla doubting his words.


    Though worried she opted not to say anymore, for she remembered the feeling of rage as well.


    <hr>


    Watchpoint Station, Command Bridge.


    Dominik had at this point geared up for war, as had all the other officers there. They had been monitoring everything closely the last hour or so, the tension felt palpable. A revolving sphere of fighter squadrons surrounded the station as the massive ship loomed over them. They''d managed to do a lot with this extra time they had been given, constructing barricades and setting up multiple kill zones all over the station.


    It helped morale somewhat but Dominik still felt extremely anxious. Why weren''t they moving, what exactly were they waiting for? Looking over at the security feeds he could only see empty hallways, streets, and buildings. The civilians that worked or lived here had already retreated into the emergency shelters as the people who were visiting hid in their ships, the only movement being soldiers running around or droids helping out.


    Suddenly the tactical officer shouted. "Sir! A ship that dropped out of hyperspace seems to have entered the GWG''s zone of influence and is approaching our location! The design suggests it''s the same vessel spotted at Geonosis!"


    Dominik''s brows shot up. So that''s what they were waiting for! The unknown man leading them, he wasn''t aboard the ship outside. He thought as it clicked. "Get ready, things are about to start." He said with a determined tone of voice.


    <hr>


    "My Lord, where do you want the ship to enter?" Beatrix asked as they approached the sieged station.


    Removing his mask from the belt, he brought it up to his face. Once he put it on he responded. "Main hangar."


    "Understood my lord, but they have closed the blast doors. Do you want me to have the Prometheus fire upon it?" She asked.


    Shaking his head slowly he spoke again. "No need. Just fly into the hangar, the door will not stop us."


    Even though she didn''t fully comprehend what he meant, it was not her place to question the order. "Of course, My lord."


    Retrieving his lightsabers from under his white and black robes he glanced down at his orange-colored saber before speaking up. "I once told you the name of my silver saber, Apathy. Even though I doubt you fully understand how it works, I had to cut away parts of myself before coming here. I couldn''t come here otherwise, my baggage would prevent me from truly living in this galaxy."


    He sighed lightly as his gaze turned towards the ramp again. "You cannot ever truly remove parts of yourself without losing who you are, so I inserted these parts into my lightsabers."


    As his tone became almost like a growl he continued. "What I am saying is, I removed my apathy, as well as... Anger."

 Chapter 22: Wounds

    Watchpoint Station, Command Bridge.


    "Sir! The ship isn''t approaching the vessel outside, it''s headed straight for the station!" Tactical spoke up.


    It is? Dominik thought it strange. "Aren''t all the hangars closed already?" He asked.


    The tactical officer nodded. "They are, but the ship is still approaching rapidly. Impact will be soon, what do... Wait, this can''t be right? The temperature sensors are going crazy in the main hangar!"


    Hearing the tactical officers'' urgent tone he was confused. Temperature? What? "Get to the point, NOW!"


    "Sir. It''s the bulkhead, it''s... It''s melting!" He said in shock.


    Dominik reeled! "The forcefield! Engage it now!" He said screaming.


    Looking up from the console the officer turned to look up at Dominik. "It''s too late. We won''t make it in time."


    <hr>


    Two minutes earlier, the main hangar.


    Captain Vii had been stationed here for about six weeks, and now this had happened. An unknown vessel had shown up, made that terrifying declaration. He had suspected something shady was going on in this station, but he''d taken the job anyway. He was feeling regret and if what this unknown force said was true.


    He was angry. He had brought his friends with him here, and he didn''t want them to die for some scum. It was his squad along with another veteran squad down here in the hangar. A total of forty-two men.


    His squad was protecting the path that leads towards engineering from the hangar, while the other one was protecting the way into the station proper. The other squad had commandeered most of his squad but he had his four friends with him. As he was making yet another check on his gear he heard a voice from his side, it was his most trusted friend Ryko.


    Turning towards him as his friend spoke. "Cap''n Vii, the bulkhead is glowing." He said with a strange expression on his face.


    As his eyebrow shot up he turned to look at the bulkhead to see Ryko was right, the huge bulkhead was starting to drip as molten metal was starting to leak down. Within seconds his eyes widened as he turned and threw himself on Ryko, bringing both of them to the floor as he yelled out. "DOWN! NOW!"


    This turned out to be a wise decision as only two seconds later the molten metal spewed into the hangar as a large ship simply rammed itself into the bulkhead. Liquid metal was cast all over the hangar, into the defensive position that the other squad was in charge of.


    The entire hangar started to decompress rapidly only to be repressurized a second later as the hangar forcefield came alive, closing the breach. Making to stand up, Vii took stock of the area. He started hearing blaster fire and horrifying screams from the other squad as they engaged the intruder''s ship.


    He turned his gaze over the hangar to see the ship floating there, the laser fire impacting its obsidian armor. Some of the men had been hit by the slag and were screaming violently as parts of their bodies were melted through. His men were watching the same scene as the ramp on the aft side the ship opened up slowly.


    Ryko spoke up from his side. "Do we engage?!" His voice indicated he was quite rattled.


    Before Vii could answer the spotted a man in clothing that reminded him of the Jedi walk down the ramp before he jumped a couple of meters down from the ramp. He made the connection because he had been stationed on security detail for a celebrity that had ended up being kidnapped. For some reason, the Jedi got involved in it. There was a glaring difference though, apart from the differently colored robes.


    The man walked beneath the ship towards the other squads'' position. The air around him looked like hot desert air and the steps he took left burning metal behind him.


    Suddenly he ignited twin lightsabers and they could all feel the temperature inside the hangar shoot up. At first one was silver and the other a deep dark orange color, but then the man spoke for the first time as he effortlessly deflected a bolt back at the men shooting in his direction.


    "Anger."


    His voice sounded like a Rancor had somehow gained the ability to speak, like a low growl. But that wasn''t the end of it. His silver-colored saber turned almost fully black in the middle as a glaring red exterior formed on it, both of the sabers started dripping with what he could only associate with lava. His silver hair started floating up and acted like a candle''s flame as it slowly turned red.


    Lifting his left lightsaber the next moment, dripping lava. He pointed it at the people in front of him and spoke again.


    "Perish."You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    The next moment he saw a terrible sight, one that he would never forget. Lava colored lighting shot out of his saber, striking randomly over a large area in front of him. Everywhere it hit, things exploded into slag. People caught fire as they melted almost instantly, leaving at most blackened skeletons. The man calmly came to a stop in front of the now quiet hardpoint, his head turned slowly towards them the next second.


    Seeing his face for the first time he instantly broke out in a sweat. His eyes were the color of fire as steam came was leaking from the edges of his mouth. He could hear Ryko gulping by his side as he made the smartest choice in his life.


    "We didn''t know anything about what they were doing here! We''re newly recruited! I hope that you at least spare my men!" He shouted towards him and got down to his knees and prostrated.


    The following seconds felt like an eternity before he could hear the man start walking again. Glancing up he saw the man had decided to spare them, as he was walking towards the door that leads into the station. Letting out a breath he didn''t know he was holding he continued watching as the man got within five meters of the door, observing as the closed-door started melting with his approach.


    Soon he had disappeared through the melted hole in the door as his men all just sat down in shock. "Thank you captain, there''s no way we could have done anything about that... that... Man?" Ryko spoke up in a relieved tone.


    "Yeah." Vii nodded, turning his head as he heard the ship finally set down. "I think it''s going to be a strong career choice for us to quit." Small chuckles sounded from his friends.


    <hr>


    In the command bridge.


    "The field is up, but the ship made it inside Sir." Tactical said.


    In an agitated tone, Dominik spoke up. "HOW!?" Taking a second to collect himself he continued. "Put the security feed up for the main hangar."


    Seeing the officer nod he turned his eyes to the display. As the scene appeared from inside the hangar they were just in time to see Coda obliterate the soldiers'' defensive position. A deafening silence controlled the room until Coda had exited through the now useless door.


    "We need heavy ordinance." Dominik stated in a matter of fact way.


    Answering him, the tactical officer asked. "Inside the station sir? Are you sure that''s wise?"


    Turning from the display to the tactical officer with a gaze that bartered no negotiation. "Yes. I''m sure. No high explosives, but anything else we''ve got stowed away. Put it up around the command bridge on the double." Anything less won''t work. "I''ll be leaving to take control of the defense personally. Have everyone retreat towards here fast, we need to consolidate our forces."


    He turned and walked towards the exit as he spoke up for one last time while tapping his ear. "Stay in touch, we need to know where that monster is at all times."


    <hr>


    In one of the hangars aboard the Prometheus RG1 and Scmi were standing on a catwalk overlooking the entire room. Looking down Scmi could see hundreds of units load up into dropships. Turning to RG1 she asked.


    "Reggie, what''s going on?"


    As he turned his gaze towards his charge he smiled lightly, though it didn''t have the effect that he wanted due to his eyes being obviously red right now.


    "Someone angered Lord Coda. We''re making ready to go support him."


    With surprise, the timid woman spoke up again. "Coda? Angry? But he''s so nice, why would anyone want to make him angry?"


    A solemn look took over RG1''s face as he thought if he should answer. This didn''t go unnoticed by Scmi, she was about to retract this line of questioning when he spoke.


    "According to the information we were given about our Lord. He comes from a world that once had slavery. It was long before his time though, but it came back." His head turned to look over the hangar.


    "There was a third world war on his planet, billions died. Almost three billion to be exact. This war changed the landscape, both physically and politically. The superpowers that rose from the ashes of that war were less inclined to protect the rights of the people in them."


    His eyes glowed as the red color became more noticeable. His voice becoming an octave lower. "He lost his son in the outbreak of the war, he was four years old. He joined the war effort, leaving his wife and two daughters at home. According to the records, he was quite an accomplished soldier. But it didn''t matter."


    "When he returned home after almost six years, once the war was ending. He couldn''t locate his family." Anger had started to leak into his tone at this point. "In his search to find them again, he found out they''d been captured by people in his government. They''d been taken because of one of the leaders found them attractive."


    Taking a moment to run a small diagnostic on his strange quasi emotional outburst, he found small errors that didn''t make sense. Deciding to log it to Lady Beatrix he continued. "In his despair, he confronted the person responsible and discovered a horrible truth. The man had raped all three of them and kept them captive for months until they were passed down to his subordinates."


    Scmi brought her hand to her mouth as tears started pooling in her eyes. Handing her a tissue he continued. "The man who did this to them arrogantly told him that two of them had died from physical trauma eventually. His last daughter had apparently taken her own life shortly prior. For what reason the man explained this to him I cannot say, maybe he expected him to break down, maybe he did it for fun."


    "But it was the last thing he ever did, in a rage Lord Coda slaughtered him and his entire security detail before vanishing. He eventually resurfaced on the side of one of the other powers, with a relentlessness that taught terror to his home country he fought them for decades. As he grew older he became much colder, apathetic." Giving Scmi a minute to process the information before he continued.


    "He eventually disappeared. Having fought for almost three decades he''d grown tired, though to his credit he did end up saving as many as he could. Punishing those he could as well." He sighed.


    "That is why he abhors slavery, rape or basically anything that infringes on free will. Every slave he sees is a monument to his failure, every broken person a reminder of his loss. I pity anyone who engages in that kind of behavior because he will not stop, he will not negotiate, will not be reasoned or bargained with..."


    As RG1 watched the dropships exit the hangar he spoke up one last time. "This is a crusade that is personal to him, he will never let anyone stupid enough to do something like this run unchecked. He is quite literally incapable of it."

 Chapter 23: Calamity Coda

    Waiting in the corridor leading from the hangar, they could hear explosions. The blaster fire had died down shortly after they''d heard them, so they assumed the target was on his way. The tall black man was gripping his lightsaber hilt tightly as he was feeling waves of undiluted power barrel down the corridor towards them, followed shortly by a wave of heat.


    "Anything on the feeds? Also, did you make sure the explosives are in place?" He asked, trying to keep his voice steady. He''d talked big, but feeling the power of his quarry his confidence was shaken.


    The rodian glanced up from his pad. "Yes and yes. I believe we should abort." He said with finality.


    Turning his head towards the small rodian with a faltering expression, he asked him. "Why?"


    Locking eyes with their de-facto leader he answered simply. "That thing isn''t something you bring down with a hit squad, you need a..." He wasn''t sure how to describe it until someone else spoke up.


    "An army, or weapons of mass destruction."


    "Right! Thank you." He replied before they all froze. Turning their heads toward the eerie voice they saw the target was right in front of them, barely constrained heat swirling around his skin.


    "Assassins?" He said in a thoughtful tone.


    In shock, the tall black man lit his saber and made to attack him for the next second fly into the wall behind the rodian. His saber hilt dropped from his hands as he groaned and passed out.


    Their target looked straight at the rodian and spoke up. "Are you their technical operator?"


    Terrified the rodian barely mustered a nod as the man spoke again. "I see. Do not move." Looking around he soon spoke again. "Three more?"


    Lifting Apathy towards the hiding place of the two he said a single word. "Suffer." What followed was a fountain of blood and organs that sprayed into the air. Having been squeezed to death, not even granted a chance to scream.


    Soon the rodian heard a scream approaching as the sniper they''d put further down came flying at them violently, when he was about to impact the man he flicked his saber and fell down behind him in two parts. As the man lowered his saber again he could hear crunching sounds come from behind him, turning his gaze back he saw the lightsaber the black man used morphing into a tiny ball of metal.


    Shaking he once again turned to look at their target as it spoke up. "You will turn both of yourselves in at my ship."


    Answering him almost robotically he said. "I will turn both of us in at your ship."


    As Coda started leaving footprints that were on fire as he walked away the rodian got up and started dragging the black man towards the hangar.


    <hr>


    Vii and his friends were still sitting with their backs at the wall inside the hangar as they watched droves of men exit the large ship in front of them. They seemed to be unarmored but they wielded a blaster type he''d never seen before. Soon he spotted two women exit the ship as well, one of them wearing similar robes as the man that had. One had dark skin and black hair, the other was Caucasian and had blonde hair. They were both very attractive though. As if hearing him they both turned their heads towards his little group before saying something to one of the people around them.


    Ten of them broke off and headed towards them. A nervous air ran through him and his friends as the group approached. Soon they came to a stop a couple of meters away from them as one stepped out.


    "Greetings. I see you have disarmed, can I take that as a sign of your surrender?"


    Captain Vii stood up before answering. "Yes. We surrendered to the man who exited the ship first. I''m Captain Vii Asano, we had no knowledge of the things you say are taking place on this station. We''re recent hires you see." He said with self-ridicule in his tone.


    Nodding, the unit replied. "Understood. If what you say is true, then you are in no danger. We will have to insist that you five follow us for now though. Lady Beatrix would like to speak to you."


    "Of course, let''s go guys." He said as he turned to look at his friends. Turning his head back towards the man who spoke with them he said. "Lead the way."


    With five in front and five at their backs, they started walking towards the obsidian colored ship. The rest of the men who came out of the ship were securing the hangar. When they had nearly reached Beatrix they spotted a rodian drag an unconscious human into the room, he was stopped by the people guarding the door as he started to shout.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    "We surrender! We surrender! Please... please let us surrender..." He said as he slowly broke down into a sob.


    Though unsightly to look at it wasn''t like he didn''t understand. Looking around the door the man had entered from he could see charred bones, blood and half-melted people strewn about. Glancing out the hole that was made in the door he thought to himself. I doubt it''s going to look any better in there...


    As the two men were taken into custody they came to a stop in front of the two women. The blonde one addressing him. "Captain Vii? Or do you prefer to be referred to as Captain Asano?" She asked him.


    "Just Vii now ma''am. We all quit a few minutes ago." He said scratching the back of his head.


    With a neutral expression on her face, she spoke up again. "Is that so? For what reason?"


    Chuckling Vii responded. "If what you guys are saying about our employers is true we want no part of it. Besides, you don''t have to be a fortune teller to know that they will not be in control of this station much longer."


    Trilla observed from Beatrix''s side as she looked over these five men. They were all rather tall, all of them human though they had a tanner skin than most. "Are all of you from the same planet?" She asked abruptly.


    Vii turned his gaze over to Trilla before answering. "Yes, ma''am. We all come from a planet inside the now called separatist space. We were away when the war started, and we have no intention of returning. A political war is something that we have no interest in."


    Trilla nodded as Beatrix spoke up next. "So you claim to have no connection to the things that have been taking place aboard this station?" Vii nodded. "If that turns out to be true then you will be free to leave once we are finished here. Seeing as you are part of the security forces here, do you have access codes for the systems here?"


    "Some of them, but probably nothing that matters." Vii said.


    Handing him a datapad. "That''s fine, please write them down anyway."


    As he finished writing down his codes a soft hum could be heard as multiple dropships started flooding into the hangar. Soon there was a hangar full of them, as they deployed their ramps hundreds of units started flooding out.


    "Who are you people?" Vii asked as he turned back towards Trilla and Beatrix.


    "We are the Invisible Sun." Beatrix responded. "We follow Lord Coda''s will."


    As Beatrix and Trilla left them with their escorts Vii spoke in a low voice. "Lord Coda, huh..."


    <hr>


    A couple of minutes passed as Coda walked down the corridor, eventually he crossed a door and entered into a large room. About twenty meters down was a massive plaza, from somewhere under the plaza he could feel a whole buffet of negative feelings. That''s where they must be kept... So up is most likely where the command bridge is. He thought to himself. Turning his gaze upwards he could see that almost two hundred meters up, massive columns were coming out of the walls at an angle supporting the roof.


    Using the force he pushed a button on his pad to open comms to Beatrix. "Are you in their systems already?"


    "Yes, my lord! What is it that you require?" She asked back.


    "Are there any civilians in the top part of the station, above the command bridge?" Coda asked calmly.


    "Let me look." She said. A few seconds later she responded. "There are, but they''re in shelters designed to survive a lot of damage."


    Coda nodded slowly. "Are they self-sufficient when it comes to oxygen?"


    In a questioning tone, she replied. "They are, why do you ask my lord?"


    "Have the Prometheus ready to tractor beam the top part of the station soon. Also, send a thousand units via dropships to enter from the outside."


    "My lord," Beatrix said in an unsure tone. "What exactly are you going to do?"


    "Introduce chaos." As he said this the columns turned orange as they started to melt rapidly, except instead of dripping down the entire room it pooled in the air. Soon a floating lake of liquified metal floated high above him.


    What exactly are you planning to do there... Oh... I see... THIS IS GOING TO BE AWESOME! BWAHAHAHAHA! "Tsk" Coda clicked his tongue. Be quiet.


    Coda''s body lowered slightly as he bent his knees. The area around him started to warp as he drew in power from his surroundings, metal flooring started to splinter as any glass in the area started shaking violently. Then suddenly all of it stopped, the next second Coda disappeared with a loud bang as the catwalk he was standing on along with a fifteen-meter area around where Coda had stood simply exploded in a storm of metal.


    Coda shot up towards the liquid metal floating in the air, as he was flying towards it, it started rapidly spinning. HERE WE COME FUCKERS! Anger screamed in his head, as mad laughter could be heard in the surrounding area with no clear origin point. When he was about to make impact with the metal it opened up a hole for Coda, as he passed it, it acted like it was boiling as it rapidly started following him up.


    When he was about to crash into the roof Coda ripped a hole through it with the force, disappearing into the next floor with an ocean of molten metal following him. As the last of it flew into the breach, it filled the gap and hardened rapidly. Leaving nothing but quiet.


    Coda didn''t stop at that floor as he busted through two more. The wave of death on his heels though spread out as soon as it cleared the breach, barreling down corridors and melting anything in its way into slag. Alive or otherwise. Screams of terror were short-lived as soon the entire floor had become a lake of magma.


    When Coda finally stopped he glanced around to find himself behind three members of the security forces onboard. Amping up the heat he gave off they started screaming as they cooked inside their armors. Ignoring their sounds he closed his eyes and focused on the lake two floors down. Willing it to start spinning inside the floor causing shaking to build up inside the station. Lifting both his sabers, he pointed them in front of him. Things started to vibrate around him as well, his hands slowly coming apart until they pointed in opposite directions.


    DO IT! HAHAHAHA, DO IT! NOW! His eyes shot open as he abruptly slashed with both sabers in an entire circle.


    From outside the station, it looked like two gigantic hands ripped through the outer wall of the station where the pillar met the asteroid. As geysers of liquified metal shot out into space, explosions and tremors shot through the entire construct. Soon tearing sounds could be heard as the top part of the station, now disconnected, floated away from the asteroid...

 Chapter 24: Mistakes

    Coda sighed heavily as he returned to a neutral position. He panted heavily as the power coursing through him, and his abuse of it was starting to weigh him down. His mind felt muddy and turbulent as he struggled to reign in his rage, he had his suspicions but something was very clear to him now, he was overly emotional ever since he woke up. He''d expected it to get better but he was barely able to filter out any strong emotion.


    What the hell is going on? He thought to himself. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to calm himself down but it didn''t help. It was still there, running unchecked. His memories of his family, the countless atrocities he''d come across back on Earth, just hearing that they''d recovered slaves had sent him into a barely contained rage.


    "You''re not wrong. We made a very grave mistake when we splintered ourselves."


    Not expecting someone to speak to him, though he remembered the voice. A childish, smug voice. Opening his eyes he saw nothing but white. Surprised, his eyes widened as he stood still in shock. Turning his gaze down unto himself he saw he was wearing different clothes and his saber hilts were nowhere to be seen.


    "Behind you dumbass." The child spoke again with an impatient tone.


    Turning around quickly he saw him, behind a glass pane that stretched beyond the horizon in all directions. Red hair, red clothes he was there, standing in ankle-deep blood surrounded by orange-red smog and destroyed buildings. The glaring difference was the fact the glass pane was cracked and blood and smog were seeping into his otherwise unblemished surroundings.


    "I thought I wouldn''t see you again?" Coda said with a tired expression. "Not that I don''t find the idea of talking to myself a little humorous."


    Shaking his head the child responded. "We don''t have time for your sorry excuse for humor right now. While you''ve been running around doing whatever you want me and Old man Ape have found out we''ve made a big mistake."


    Coda''s eyebrow shot up. Old man Ape? Apathy? "Do tell. Is it related to my emotional state?"


    A cracking sound came from the glass as cracks started to spread further. Prompting the child to click his tongue. "Yes. We''re speaking now because you''re drawing from me, and it''s about to go out of control. But before I take over I brought you here so you can work the problem from the outside."


    Coda''s eyes narrowed. "Take over? What do you mean?"


    A cold chuckle came from the child. "Don''t worry, this isn''t body snatchers or some garbage like that. I''m going to finish up these scum for you and drain your batteries, essentially knock you out by exhausting you. Don''t forget, me and Old man Ape are both you."


    Another crack shot through the glass as he finished speaking. "Tsk, anyway, we''re on the clock so listen up you dumb piece of shit. We forgot a very simple thing when you decided to try soul surgery. Feelings aren''t singular, Rage isn''t JUST rage, love isn''t JUST love, etc. etc."


    Coda cupped his chin with his hand as the child continued. "Feelings are interchangeable, connected, there is sadness to be found in pleasure, pleasure to be found in anger and so on. What we...you...we...?"


    The child aggressively rubbed his head before he continued. "Whatever! We! What we did at the time equates to removing a whole segment of a circuit board and expecting the hardware to function normally."


    Coda''s mouth opened slightly as his eyes widened. "Why didn''t I think of that before I did it, that should be something obvious." A confused expression marred Coda''s face. "Why is it so difficult to make sense of the memories of that place?"


    "You''re on the right track, we think our sense of crisis was somehow dulled or removed entirely when we spent time in that realm." The child''s features twisted in anger as he continued. "Those creatures weren''t kind, they were bored. We are just entertainment for them."


    As he finished speaking the glass pane cracked heavily as the smog started billowing out of the cracks. Coda glanced over the glass pane and saw it was trembling, it wouldn''t hold for much longer.


    "You shouldn''t use me anymore." The child said solemnly. "You need to find a way to mend us, accept us, make us whole. Nobody knows it better than all of us that the wounds run deep, but the fact is we''ve made it worse. This fix for a whole new world is nothing but a poison pill, we don''t want to become monsters."


    Coda locked eyes with the child. "Lily was right. We really are annoying when we''re right." They both gave a sad chuckle. "I''ll try and stay out of stressful situations, also I''ll work on doing what I can."


    A heavy sigh escaped Coda''s lips before he added. "No promises/No promises." He just looked at the child and clicked his tongue.The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    As Coda was about to speak again the child just held up his hand and spoke first. "I know, there are civilians in this part of the station. We never did hurt those in our anger, I''m not about to break that streak. I''m well aware of who our enemies are."


    Coda nodded as the trembling got audible, the child glanced over the glass before putting his hand on it. "Put me away when you wake up, as I am now, I will not be of help to you."


    Before Coda could respond the glass shattered and he was swallowed by a tidal wave of orange-red smog.


    <hr>


    Standing on the bridge of the Prometheus RG2 had just ordered a batch of tractor beams to hold the cut off section of the station in place when he felt, yes, he ''Felt'' an invisible shockwave run through his systems. The digital equivalent of a primal scream of rage ran through their programming, the shock was abrupt and prompted him to run diagnostics on the double as he refocused to watch out of the bridge.


    The pillar floating there was now very different. Snaking rivers of molten metal could be seen running through the length of the pillar, entering and exiting randomly all over the pillar. Explosions and tremors could be seen as segments of the now cut off part were destroyed.


    Suddenly the comms came alive. -("Something is wrong with Lord Coda! Deploy the units immediately, we have to retrieve him!")- The urgency of the message understood RG2 didn''t disagree, something had gone terribly wrong.


    -("Right away Lady Beatrix.")-


    <hr>


    Dominik Rudd had found the old adage of things could always get worse to no longer be a saying, but a truth. He didn''t know how the upper section of the station came loose, it didn''t matter anymore. The artificial gravity had held due to the secondary reactor though the emergency lights were on now instead of the regular ones.


    He had made his way back to the command bridge when they''d been separated from the station proper, he''d been watching that things progress through the security feeds. As long as they were operational that is, seeing as anything in proximity with it tended to melt. He glanced around the room and saw fear in his men. Understandable. He thought. They''d arrived at the same conclusion as them, they were already dead.


    What heavy ordinance, what high explosives? How would you blow up a volcanic eruption? Why would lasers hurt heat? Looking back at the feeds he saw him flash through corridors and bulkheads as they were paper, eyes glowing with a dark orange as his face looked like a beast. The audio snippets they''d heard weren''t those of a human. Just growls, snarls, and roars.


    Dominik had accepted his fate, his only regret was there had been no communication, no explanation or reason. Just the inevitable approaching monster that promised death.


    He started hearing sizzling as he glanced at his feet. The metal was starting to melt under them as he gave a heavy sigh. "What a shit day this has been."


    Those were his last words as a river of slag ran through the command bridge.


    <hr>


    Three days later, Watchpoint station.


    For the people of Watchpoint, the last couple of days had been a very turbulent experience. A whole army of human-like droids had occupied the station and started rounding people up, asking questions and detaining many. They hadn''t been cruel or anything like that but they''d been unbending, anyone out of line soon found out that they had a zero-tolerance policy towards anyone not following orders. Status be damned.


    The two emergency bunkers from the cut off segment had been retrieved two days ago and the stories from those people had been unsettling, to say the least. Thankfully they hadn''t been hurt in the incident with the exception of dehydration and light burns due to the heat. But they were shaken as they told stories of a beast of some kind, though most people just chalked up their tales as fear acting up.


    When Trilla and Beatrix had made their way down to the restricted part of the station a whole array of problems had occurred. What they found wasn''t pleasant, at best. Scores of people with all kinds of ailments ranging from drug addiction to comae. Trilla had electrified a Hutt they discovered as he was literally eating a woman, her anger justifiable.


    After that Trilla ordered the RG''s to storm the entire lower part of the station at once and stop any and all activities still taking place. She''d tuned herself out from the force because staying near Coda had been suffocating but after that, she opened herself up again resulting in a flood of suffering and pain. While she managed to keep her calm she now understood what Coda had felt even through all that distance.


    They came across many gruesome and unpleasant scenes as they cleared room to room, corridor to corridor. But it was nothing compared to when they found an unmapped hangar close to the bottom. Filled with bodies and a thick layer of blood on the floor. They''d just been piled up here to be disposed of for later, or at least they thought that until they''d discovered that this room doubled as an incinerator.


    After that Trilla had to distance herself, she was angry enough to cry. She returned to the Dauntless to calm down running into Sev''.


    As Sev'' saw her she noticed her emotions through the force, though that wasn''t necessary as anyone could have told she wasn''t feeling well by looking at her. "What happened?" She asked in a low tone.


    Trilla stopped and turned her gaze towards her, causing her to take a step back as Trilla''s anger latched unto her for a brief second. "You better hope that you and the people you deemed to work for had nothing to do with this, or I''ll kill you myself." She turned to an RG that was escorting her. "Show her." She shook her head. "No, Make her watch. All of it."


    She turned to make her way into Coda''s room. They''d retrieved him a couple of hours after he went berzerk, finding him unconscious amidst the ruins. Sev'' was quite confused but under the urging of the RG''s was placed in front of a monitor.


    As she watched she became angry, then shocked, then numb. She now understood why Trilla was so agitated, and hell, she agreed with her.


    <hr>


    At the end of the third day, a strange thing happened across the galaxy. A strange, massive file was uploaded everywhere it could be. Shortly after that many feeds were hijacked across numerous worlds. Showing a man wearing what was supposed to be a white robe, but it had been bathed in blood.


    The man was sitting on a chair in an open hangar, a massive vessel could be seen floating out in space behind him. He looked tired, but his gaze was even and cold. In a deep voice, he started speaking.


    "Greetings."

 Chapter 25: Stay of Execution

    After his first word, Coda sat there. The only sounds that could be heard were the low hum of machinery, his breathing and the dripping of the blood that had soaked into his robes. His face looked weary as he had one foot up on the seat as he rested his arm on it. He was playing with a silverish lightsaber hilt in his other hand as he looked into the camera.


    "I am disappointed. Extremely disappointed." Coda said with a heavy sigh. "A galactic civilization, spanning thousands of worlds. Yet, you all are still just as ignorant as any planet-bound people. I would have thought... At least hoped you were further along than this. But according to what I''ve now seen, you are all guilty of the same evils as any lesser civilization and that is so very disappointing."


    Coda''s head tilted backward for a bit before he returned his gaze towards the camera.


    "I have quite the story to tell those that have access to this feed for you see, I''ve discovered a truth that offends me, greatly. Regardless of the advancement of sentient life, it still hasn''t taken steps to correct the things that should be corrected. Rampant capitalism, broken and useless democracy, sanctioned assassins and glorified slavers." Coda shook his head slowly. "While the population at large sticks their head in the sands and ignores the plight of the people around them. Well, to those who this may concern I will have you know. No more. Those accountable by the atrocities committed will now have to face the consequences of their actions."


    Coda put his leg down and brought his hands together in front of him.


    "The Order of the Invisible Sun, the faction I lead will now make a decree that supersedes all laws, of all factions. If this law isn''t headed, and you are found to be in violation. You will be found guilty and will be summarily executed regardless of affiliation. Republic, Jedi, Sith, Separatist, Hutt, and anyone else really, It doesn''t matter."


    Taking a deep breath, his eyes narrowed as his voice got deeper still.


    "Listen closely, and take it seriously. This is a threat to any and all forces out there, a threat that I will deliver upon you with righteous fury. The first decree of The Order of the Invisible Sun is as follows."


    "Slavery is henceforth illegal, coercion of civilians into debts, sex and/or forced labor is punishable by death. Regardless of affiliation or status in your respective society. I''m aware most people do not know who we are or what we are capable of and will choose to ignore this warning."


    Coda stood up slowly and clipped his now alone hilt to his belt. Blood dripping down to the cold metal of the hangar.


    "You are all of course entitled to do so. As my order values free will above all else. So ignore me, laugh my statement and ridicule me. That is all fine." A smug smile appeared on Coda''s face. "Our first investigation has revealed some unfortunate truths about how it seems most of those in power either do not care or silently approve of what has been happening. I will be expecting... No. I demand explanations for the reasons you allow these things to continue. Pending further investigation, it would seem many people are already running around on thin ice."


    Coda turned his head over his shoulder and looked out of the hangar to the Prometheus before turning back towards the camera.


    "En route to our destination, we were set upon a self-proclaimed patrol fleet belonging to a station named Watchpoint. The fleet was lead by a member of the house of Rudd, I''ve been told it''s a noble house." Coda laughed with easily discernable mockery. "It seems you moronic pieces of shit don''t know the meaning of the word noble. They''d been attacking and preying on ships that couldn''t defend themselves and taking those people prisoner, turning them into slaves to do horrible things to them. The file that we uploaded has the results of everything we saw here."


    Coda''s features twisted into a scowl as he continued.


    "I mean everything. Every catatonic woman that had been broken by rape and abuse, every child made to be addicted narcotics, every man beaten down until they become shells of what they once were. Files that link these atrocities to all the people related to this at this station are included as well. Thus, I am disappointed. Disappointed that I don''t have the time to slaughter all you animals that are stationed elsewhere in the galaxy."


    A sinister smile appeared on his face before he started talking again.


    "You''ve thought yourselves above the law. Untouchable. Well, I''m sorry to say that your immunity to consequences is no more. I cannot be bought, threatened, persuaded or reasoned away. I hunt monsters, and I''ve been shown that there are plenty of monsters to be hunted down. So that is what I and my order will be doing soon."


    "So I will end this by saying if you are not affiliated with any of this. You will be fine. The innocent have nothing to fear from us, but for those who defend those responsible. I will visit death upon you, regardless of anything else. The actions taken by those that got this to arrive at this point..."


    "Well." Coda smiled with a big sinister smile. Extending his hand with his palm up towards the camera. "Action!" He brought his palm to rest on his chest before continuing. "Meet consequence."


    As if prompted the camera spun slowly away from Coda over to the main space of the hangar. It slowly revealed a room full of people that had been cut down or shot. A scene of mass execution.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    The sound of someone walking on the film of blood that covered the floor could be heard as Coda walked back into frame could be heard.


    "All these people are responsible in one way or another for the suffering on this station. It''s all in the files we uploaded. This is a truth I will not allow to be swept under the rug, look upon it and remember. If this has happened on a no-name station in the middle of the galaxies ass crack. What are those in power doing closer to home?"


    Coda turned to look at the camera once again.


    "The Order of the Invisible Sun denounces House Rrud, The Hutts and any people involved in the trade that lead to this. People and Freedom are not something to be bartered. Once we return, there will be war."


    With his closing statement, the broadcast cut out. Coda spoke to the RG that was acting as a camera.


    "Let''s go, there''s nothing left for us here." As he and the RG boarded the Dauntless and took off.


    <hr>


    Coruscant, Council chambers in the Jedi temple.


    Most of the council members were in attendance as was Qui-Gon. The broadcast had just cut out. They sat there in mute shock for a couple of minutes before Windu spoke up.


    "That man is insane!" He cried out.


    A slight murmur broke out in the chambers as Yoda glanced around. He could see conflicting feelings from the people inside the chambers.


    "Criminals they are, according to him." Yoda said softly, though it could be heard clearly.


    "He doesn''t have the right to do that! That''s mass murder!" Windu said with agitation.


    Qui-Gon sighed lightly before speaking up. "His goal is reasonable, but his methods are extreme I agree."


    "REASONABLE?!" Windu said in a loud tone, not bothering to keep his voice down. "He''s a madman! We have to stop him!"


    Qui-Gon''s face became marred with an angry expression. "What exactly have you been up to these past ten years!? Forget Coda, why are these things allowed to continue? Aren''t we supposed to be the ones doing something about this? The Republic? Aren''t we supposed to be the ones to protect the people?"


    Trying his best to calm himself he continued. "Now you become angry because someone did something we should be responsible for? Admittedly his reasoning is a bit self-serving and his methods unpleasant but he isn''t wrong! Besides, how exactly do you suppose we ''Stop'' him? Yoda can attest that even with all of those in this room we''d still lose. That''s assuming we get to him at all, his flagship is a ship unlike any we''ve ever seen. We don''t have the manpower in any form to spare fighting him. Especially when I''m not even sure we should."


    Windu''s face showed shock and confusion as he turned to Yoda. "Master Yoda, is what he says true?"


    With a sagely nod Yoda spoke. "Unwise, fighting him would be. The separatist, easy in comparison."


    This shocked the entire chamber as they raced to understand the gravity of that statement. Qui-Gon and Yoda locked eyes before they both sighed.


    "What about the files?" Qui-Gon asked.


    Shaak Ti answered. "We''re getting them in order as we speak." She said as she was operating a datapad. Before she could continue her face scrunched up as a spike of anger shot over the room.


    "Sorry." She said as she got her feelings under control again. Though it managed to surprise most of the people there. "This will be unpleasant to go through."


    "Can you elaborate Master Shaak?" Ki-Adi asked.


    With a nod, she started working on the pad to relay the info towards the hologram display in the middle of the room. The scene she had been watching had been of the Hutt using a woman as a snack before she brought out the image taken by the Prometheus of the pillar floating in space as Coda''s power ravaged it from the inside.


    A heavy silence dominated the room because of the first image, the second prompted a sigh from Qui-Gon.


    "Someone must have royally irked Coda." Everyone except Plo Koon and Yoda swiveled their heads towards Qui-Gon.


    "You''re telling us he did that?" He said pointing at the broken of section. "By himself?"


    Plo Koon suddenly spoke up. "That is what he''s saying. He excels at an almost dead Jedi art, Pyrokinesis." Shaking his head he corrected himself. "Excel is wrong, he''s a master of it. I believe he might be the strongest recorded user of it as far as my research goes."


    Before that revelation could even set in Yoda continued. "All, that is not. Lighting, Speed, Self-strengthening, Reflexes. A warrior he was, even before the force." He nodded slowly before continuing. "Only the powers we know of, those are. Creative uses for them, he has as well hmm..."


    Ki-Adi spoke softly. "Old republic force users weren''t this strong usually. This is a worrying development."


    "We don''t really have much to worry about when it comes to Coda. He isn''t interested in taking over the republic or getting in the way of our order." Qui-Gon said in a matter of fact tone. "He doesn''t take the order all that seriously to be honest. He thinks it a joke."


    Windu responded in a spiteful tone. "Who does he think he is!"


    "And that''s why," Qui-Gon said succinctly.


    Windu stopped dead in his tracks because of the strange comment. "What do you mean?"


    Laughing in self-mockery Qui-Gon responded. "I believe his words were that we''re nothing but a self-righteous circus of hypocrites. He also alluded to some atrocities the Jedi Order has done in the past and that we have no moral high ground to lecture others from. So all in all, not a big fan."


    As everyone mulled over those words Yoda laughed quite loudly. "Quite a mouthful, that is."


    Windu deflated as he sat back in his seat, pinching the bridge of his nose he spoke up. "At any rate, we have to discuss our next course of action."


    As nods of agreement could be seen from everyone an assistant entered the chamber. "Master Jedi, an odd man is requesting to see you all."


    "Who?" Windu asked quizzically.


    "He says he''s here on behalf of the newly crowned galactic superstar Coda?" The assistant answered with hesitation.


    Most of the members of the council had the same reaction. ''What?'' While Plo Koon and Qui-Gon facepalmed after sharing a glance. Yoda just giggled as he spoke. "Lead him here."

 Chapter 26: Monster

    As RG200 entered the council chambers they saw an immaculately dressed individual in a bartenders suit. Sporting an easygoing smile he looked quite handsome. Smooth brown skin, short black hair swept to the side. He looked like a young businessman. As soon as the assistant stopped with him in the middle of the room he excused himself and left.


    RG200 swept his eyes through the people there, smiling at all of them before stopping his eyes on Shaak Ti. Winking towards her he then turned back to address Yoda.


    "Master Yoda. It''s a pleasure to meet you, my Lord enjoyed his time with you last time. He sends his regards." He said, bowing with flair.


    Yoda nodded lightly as Qui-Gon spoke up. "Why did Coda send you here, and what should we call you?"


    With a smile, RG200 nodded before speaking up. "Of course. My factory name is RG200 but you can call me Beethoven, I consider myself somewhat of an artist you see. Though I fear the connection here may be lost on you." He shook his head with mock sadness before continuing. "As for the reason I''m here, My lord thought it prudent to answer questions you might have before the Senate takes action against him."


    The strange comment about the Senate threw them off a bit, but they recovered swiftly as Windu asked. "What do you mean the Senate will take action?"


    RG200 gave Windu a look like he was watching an idiot. "Of course they''ll take action. My lord did something that can be construed as a terrorist act. Not to mention he has access to a ship that has never been seen before, an unknown amount of troops, and complete disregard for any and all authority present in the galaxy as of this moment. It would be strange if they didn''t seek to limit or otherwise take action towards us."


    Most of the people in the room agreed with that notion. Windu spoke again. "As he should. He is accountable for his actions, he doesn''t have the right to simply do what he wants. There are rules that must be followed."


    As Windu stopped talking the smile on RG200''s face disappeared instantly. His whole demeanor became cold as he spoke in a completely neutral tone. "How disappointing. He was right, you''ve become so arrogant that you''re effectively blind." His shift in personality was a jarring shock to the people present, as was the contents of his words. "I don''t understand why he wants to waste time on you, but orders are orders. Ask your questions so I can be done with this exercise in futility."


    Though they didn''t like his blatant disregard towards them they didn''t lose their composure. Windu mulled over his words a bit before he decided to ask him a question.


    "Where is Coda headed?"


    "Wild Space. No, I will not tell you exactly where. But he will be back within a year, and he urges you to stay out of his way. You will find that your status will not protect you if you intend on getting in his way." RG200 answered instantly. "Next."


    "What is he going to be doing in wild space?" Qui-Gon asked.


    "Preparing. Details are classified."


    Qui-Gon''s brows furrowed. "Preparing for what?"


    "Didn''t you watch the feed?" RG200 asked. "Obviously, he''s preparing for war."


    A wave of alarm shot through the council members as Yoda spoke up. "Against who, this war Coda speaks of?"


    "Corruption, in general, is what I''d like to say. But that has changed recently." RG200 glanced down at the floor for a second before returning his gaze towards Yoda. "The Hutts will soon face genocide. Those related to what we''ve uncovered will all die as well."


    Yoda''s eyes widened as well as the rest of the council got shocked by his statement.


    "You think we will allow that to happen?!" Windu spoke with anger.


    RG200 simply shrugged and shook his head. "You are helpless to prevent it. I''m not even sure why you''d want to. They are cancer that feeds on the innocent. Aren''t you lot supposed to be those who take care of people who cannot help themselves?" He then gave Windu a pointed look. "Or does that only apply to those that belong to the Republic?"


    "That doesn''t mean you can just laud genocide at some madman''s whim!" Windu said as he stood up in anger.


    RG200 instantly locked his gaze unto Windu as his eyes flared red.


    Assessment: Elevated heart rate, pupils widened.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.Aggression: Confirmed.


    Likelihood of attack: High.


    Action: Diffusal of situation, subject currently under protection by order of Lord Coda. Threat of death deemed necessary, objective failed. Return to primary objective immediately.


    Putting his hand up he spoke within the second of him standing up. "I urge you to calm down. Attacking me would result in everyone in this room dying."


    Windu stalled as he heard what he said.


    Subject destabilized, continuing.


    "Every single unit of my make has a protocol to protect us from being captured and studied. If you''d attack me and manage to damage me to a point I couldn''t function, I''d self destruct and I assure you. You would not survive." He said calmly.


    Deflating, Windu calmed himself as he sat back down. Yoda shook his head slowly as he decided to speak. "This course of action, I cannot condone. Understand I do not, what caused him to decide on this."


    Putting his hand down, RG200 turned towards Yoda again.


    "Go through the files we uploaded and you might understand his anger. I, of course, am incapable of empathy like organics experience, but I am fully capable of discerning right from wrong." A scowl appeared on his face. "These things aren''t only happening where the Hutts are involved."


    He took out a data chip and flung it towards Windu, who caught it reflexively. "That is the result of our investigations here on Coruscant, you''ll find unpleasant truths on it." He slowly turned his eyes towards everyone in the room before snapping back towards Yoda. "While most of the criminals on that list are no longer with us, there were people in high positions we couldn''t simply remove due to the repercussions they''d cause."


    He then turned to walk towards the door as he spoke again. "Before I forget. A gift from my Lord, some information. Look into ways of finding out if someone has been brainwashed or meddled within the head. You should have information on that somewhere, then take a look at the senate."


    Stopping before he exited the room he added as his smile came back, though they now understood it masked an unfeeling machine. "I''ve got a bar to tend, work before play and all that."


    <hr>


    As soon as RG200 got back to the bar they''d ''purchased'' he went into the back to open up communications to the Prometheus.


    -("This is RG200, I''ve met with the council. It went well all in all.")-


    -("Understood. Did you need to tell them about Pong Krell?")-


    -("No, Lady Beatrix. They were shaken enough already. I pointed them towards the Senate, they should be kept busy with that for now. I''ll keep watch on how they proceed from here.")-


    -("Good work RG200, we will be out of comms range until we can appropriate the comm buoys from the Chiss. Collect data until next transfer.")-


    The connection disconnected as RG200 walked back into the bar. He''d refurbished the entire place thanks to the generous donations of the criminal underworld on Coruscant.  Nice sofas, expensive spirits, experienced waiter staff. Slowly running his eyes over the place a content smile came over his face.


    "Boss! You''re back. Did your meeting go well?"


    A happy little Twi''Lek girl that he''d persuaded away from a nasty little club in the lower levels came running up to him.


    "Exceedingly." He said as his smile turned slightly sinister.


    The girl''s brows furrowed. "Beethoven! You''re doing it again! You''ll scare away the customers if you keep smiling like that!"


    Breaking into a chuckle he responded as he patted her shoulder. "We wouldn''t want that now would we, sorry. Now run along, things to do."


    With a jovial nod, she fetched some glasses and a bottle before running off. Watching her scurry away the sinister smile returned as he operated a control panel and started playing Moonlight sonata for his establishment. Closing his eyes he started waving his fingers in tune with the music as he thought to himself.


    Once my lord returns, you will all see the most beautiful crescendo!


    <hr>


    Walking into the Dauntless Coda just felt tired. So very tired. Glancing over the empty bay in front of him he just sighed. They''d already transported most of the slaves that wanted to come with them to his flagship, those that had places to return to would wait on the station or broker passage by themselves seeing as they now had a lot of credits taken from the scum that were in charge of the station.


    Looking down he brought his hands up and saw that he was covered in blood. He''d personally executed all the high ranking people they''d found evidence against, using a regular blade. It had been a sobering reminder that this world, although much larger, was still the same. What advanced civilization? This world simply had more pleasures, more vices, more everything. Disgusting.


    He also had to find a way to piece himself back together. He couldn''t seem to remember why he''d made the choice to do that to himself in the first place. It was strange, and he felt there was more to it. Right now Anger was sitting in a locked secure box on the Prometheus, far away from his regular routes aboard the ship. Proximity seemed to make it worse, and he couldn''t be flying off the handle every time he saw something he didn''t agree with. Though slavery was a certain taboo for him.


    He started walking and made his way into the bathroom to find a sink, he needed to clean himself up a bit. Soon he found the bathroom and stopped in front of the mirror. It was a stark difference from his old self, no longer the old weathered man he''d once been. Dried blood marred his features as he observed himself. He''d removed himself from everything back on Earth because he''d felt so very tired of it all. It all followed the same circle, always the same, never changing.


    Now he was back here again, bloodied in front of a mirror because he couldn''t let go of his anger. And I was worried that I''d change into a monster? Haven''t I been a monster for years? If Lily was alive could she even bear to look at something like me...


    His features twisted in anger as he hit the mirror, shattering it as his skin tore and started bleeding into the sink below. Leaning forward he rested his forehead on the broken mirror whilst sighing heavily as tears started flowing down his face.


    Softly he spoke to himself. "I never wanted to be a monster... I just wanted to be happy."


    I just wanted all of us to be happy...

 Chapter 27: Ebb and Flow

    After cleaning his face and composing himself Coda made his way towards the war room aboard the Dauntless. When he got closer he started to hear voices. He didn''t recognize any of them but since they were on board Beatrix must have cleared them he thought.


    Vii and his friends were sitting inside the war room as they chatted about the last few days. It had been quite the experience for them, as well anyone that was on Watchpoint. The lady had cleared them of any suspicion the day after the attack. Then yesterday, she''d offered them a job so to speak. Assuming her ''lord'' gave his consent.


    "I''m all for following you cap''n, we all are," Ryko spoke up. "But are you sure it''s a good idea? If we enter their employment we''ll be making their enemies our enemies."


    Vii turned his eyes toward Ryko. He was the smallest of them, small being in relation to the rest of the team of course. They were all rather largely built individuals. Staying in shape was important to a soldier, so they all made sure to be in tip-top shape. But even so, he was a savant when it came to machines and computers. He''d gotten them out of situations more often than not by splicing the unsplicable, mending the unmendable. Though he had an unhealthy attraction for technology he''d never seen before.


    "If I had to choose between being their enemies or having their enemies, well that''s a very easy choice to make." Vii stated with a small smile. "Besides, this ship or the massive vessel outside goes to show they''re not going to be bowed by any idiot with a blaster."


    "Not to mention the pay she offered." Vii turned his eyes over to the new speaker. Lucival, a man who usually never spoke unless it pertained to two things. Credits, or weapons. He was built like a Rancor and excelled with most weapons, though he favored repeaters and other heavier ordinance. While his interests were easy to keep a track of, the man would brave fighting a sand dragon with his fists if it meant saving a friend''s life.


    The men, himself included, thought of him as something as a big brother. "Yes, the pay as well Luci," Vii responded. "Who knows Rylo, maybe we''ll even get access to some of the toys they have. I''ve never seen blasters like they''re using before."


    Rylo''s and Lucival''s eyes started to sparkle as Vii tilted his head away from them a bit.


    "That''s all well and good Captain," Duma said in an even tone. "But I''m just wondering why they''d want or even need us if they already have an army. They weren''t exactly hurting for numbers going by the flood of troops they sent into the station."


    They all nodded as Vii spoke. "I agree. That''s not why she asked me though. She explained to me that almost the entirety of their troops are some kind of Droids, and that she is one as well."


    Everyone''s eyes widened except Vii''s as Duma spoke up again. "All the more reason to question why they''d want us."


    Looking at Duma, Vii sighed lightly. Duma had always been a little bit skeptical. He was an excellent soldier but he had a habit of questioning orders if he didn''t agree with them, even if he''d end up doing them anyway.


    "I was getting to that Duma," Vii said. "She said that due to their nature they aren''t always the best choice when it comes to missions and that she wanted us to be the start of a special strike force that answers directly to this Coda fellow."


    Scratching his newly grown stubble he continued. "Something about him needing a force of his own, one that isn''t made up of droids."


    "Well, I''ll just follow your lead chief!" Red said without a care in the world.


    Chuckling, Vii turned his gaze over to Red. This individual was the youngest of them, as well as the newest member of their little circle of friends. Hopelessly optimistic, he was a free spirit. At times they''d sometimes thought he was incapable of feeling anxiety or worry. Regardless of the amount of pressure they''d been under in missions in the past he''d be making jokes and smiling. He was a walking morale boost and it didn''t hurt that he was terrifyingly accurate when it came to ranged weapons.


    "Thanks, Red." Vii said with a smile.


    "Do you trust this Coda?" Duma asked. "I mean we can all say we know he''s no pushover but you saw the feeds like us. Are we even sure he''s sane?"


    Shrugging, Vii answered. "I don''t even know him, Duma. But we shouldn''t judge the man before we''ve even talked to him should we?"


    Duma cupped his chin as he turned his eyes to the table. "No. No, I guess we..."


    Suddenly the door opened causing them all to swivel their heads towards the doorway. Standing there was Coda, still in his blood-soaked robe. Nobody said anything as they all just looked at each other.


    As the silence dragged on Coda spoke abruptly. "Why are there weightlifters on my ship?"Stolen story; please report.


    Vii and his team all tilted their heads slightly as they all had the same thought. Weightlifters? Causing Coda to tilt his head as well. "Err... Who are you guys?" Coda asked.


    Before Vii could answer Red spoke up. "The ladybot offered us a job!" He said with a wide smile.


    Growing increasingly confused Coda asked. "Ladybot? Beatrix?"


    When he was about to get a response someone spoke up from behind him. "Yes My Lord."


    This caused Coda to abruptly jerk as he got scared shitless. Turning around with a frown on his face he looked back at Beatrix.


    "I''m going to have to start putting goddamn bells on you guys." He said shaking his head. "How can you even sneak up on me? You''re made of fucking metal!"


    Putting his hand over his face he rubbed his temples. "Whatever. We can talk about this while we eat. I''m going to go take a shower first." He said before turning around and walking off. Leaving Beatrix standing there in front of Vii and his team that was shocked still.


    <hr>


    Naboo, Spaceport.


    RG65 along with the other members of his squad had just passed customs again and were entering their ship. Their mission had been completed and they''d taken samples of the virus along with any data they could get their hands on. Finding the hidden lab had proven to be the most difficult part of the whole venture but once they did the rest was easy.


    They''d already destroyed everything inside the laboratory and were now taking off towards Dathomir to link up with the diplomatic mission they''d sent there. As they took off they flew by where the lab was.


    -("Execute.")- RG65 ordered.


    As soon as he said that a massive explosion came into existence as a massive cloud of fire and earth shot up into the air outside Theed. The ship quickly veered away to avoid debris that would be following shortly.


    When they broke atmo RG65 sent a burst transmission towards the Prometheus''s last known location.


    [Naboo Mission Report.


    Virus: Destroyed. Three samples secured.


    Organics: Terminated.


    Witnesses: Zero.


    Mission: Success. Proceeding towards rendezvous above Dathomir for next assignment.]


    As chaos broke out on Naboo, nobody noticed the unassuming ship jump to hyperspace above the planet.


    <hr>


    Coruscant, temporary Supreme Chancellors office.


    Palpatine''s assistant had just delivered yet another report about some of his hidden ''assets'' going missing. He didn''t need to particularly observant to connect all these new happenings to the appearance of this Coda individual. Suddenly many of his operations had come under attack. Nothing egregious yet but befuddling still.


    He''d understood the assassins he sent after him were a woefully incompetent choice on his part. After seeing the broadcast he''d made and going through the files his so-called ''Order'' had uploaded to the holo-net he could make the assumption that he wasn''t on to him yet, or even suspected his existence.


    The things he''d lost recently were small level criminals and things related to the slave trade. It was clear Coda didn''t particularly like them so that could be chalked up to coincidence. No, what worried him was the fact that nobody saw anything. His agents were ghosts. Feeds disappeared, security protocols failed without explanation, no blood or anything to indicate that they''d even gotten hurt.


    Dooku reported that one of his people that he''d been rearing had gone missing on Geonosis abruptly as well. Coda had also drastically reduced the Jedi orders losses, causing him to start ramping up production of the Separatist war machine. Geonosis had been a right mess.


    If he hadn''t been sure that Coda was close to Tatooine he''d have thought that he was responsible for what happened to his office as well. But that was a virtual impossibility. Though he had no idea where this person had come from, all his investigations turned up nothing about him or his order.


    Sighing heavily he decided that Coda would have to wait for now. He had to focus on seeing if things got any worse with his grand plan. Right now he was still on top of things so nothing drastic had to be done.


    But only time would tell.


    <hr>


    An unknown planet, Wild space.


    In a massive castle sitting on a V-shaped cliff overlooking an expansive city, an old man was walking towards one of the six grand towers that surrounded the main keep in a hexagon formation. They represented the six grand protectors of the king and kingdom of the Heavens Pillar.


    His name was Gustaf Wynter, he''d been identified to have the gift when he was a young boy. As an orphan, he''d been lucky to be found by the order of Magi like they were called by the regular people of the kingdom. They just called themselves the touched or giftmen.


    No completely unified explanation existed as to why most people were unable to use the gift. Many believed that they were chosen by God while others just said it was random. Gustaf himself believed they simply didn''t have all the information they needed to make any headway. He was considered one of the wisest people alive as his moniker was The Prophet. His mastery in the gift was with visions and they had helped the kingdom many times before.


    That was why he was headed to his tower right now. King Atlas had asked him to find a way to prevent the calamity that was at their doorsteps, they were at the end of their ropes as the scourge was unrelenting. If another of the silver walls fell they''d be at the point of no return, unable to sustain their people and all that would await them was a slow but sure end.


    After he entered his tower and made his way into his office he took off his official''s robe and stood by the window behind his desk. He could see the Heavens Pillar from here, stretching all the way to the darkness of the void above. It connected to the Ring of God that circled their world, or at least so the records say. They couldn''t know for sure as it had been more than one thousand years since the appearance of the scourge so there was no way to travel far enough to make sure.


    A massive construct that nobody had ever entered, what mysteries it would hold for them Gustaf did not dare to imagine. There was no way for them into the grand pillar and absolutely no way for them to ever visit the ring itself.


    Shaking himself out of his ruminations he decided that it was best to get started. He had to find a way to help their people, or all would be lost.

 Chapter 28: Resolve

    "I get it," Coda said, nodding. "But if I''m going to get any use out of them, I''ll have to train them myself."


    "What do you have in mind my Lord?" Beatrix asked.


    Tapping the armrest of his throne he leaned back whilst tilting his head up.


    "Is there any way to enhance them via nanites? Stronger bones, faster healing, that sort of thing?" He asked, turning his head down to Beatrix.


    "I suppose there is." She answered, tilting her head. "But why though? They''ve only just agreed to work for you."


    Coda sighed heavily before leaning forward and locking his hands, resting his head on them.


    "Call it a show of good faith maybe?" He said, unsure of himself before shaking his head. "No, that''s not it. What good are regular soldiers if I have you all. I need a different breed of soldiers. I agree with the notion I should have living people around, but there''s no point in recruiting soldiers if they aren''t even good enough to rival the Rev''s."


    Giving a curt nod she replied. "That''s logical My lord. We could also just design gear and weapons that fulfill the same role as what you''re suggesting."


    A wry smile broke out on Coda''s face. "Oh, I have some ideas in that department as well."


    Standing up, Coda walked towards the massive window in front of his throne. Halfway there he stopped and glanced to both sides, where the cages had been when he first got here before he resumed walking. Coming to a stop at the window he gazed out over the Prometheus. The telltale sign of a hyperspace corridor whizzing past the sides of the vessel.


    As Beatrix came to a stop behind him he spoke again.


    "What do you think I should do with this universe or galaxy or whatever I should call it?" Coda asked not expecting an answer. Moving his arm as if presenting something out there in space he continued. "Should I go crazy with power and conquer all of it like some misguided dictator? Do I act like a hero and save everyone in some naive hope that I could create a mythical utopia, where everyone is always happy."


    Sighing, Coda shrugged. "Or do I just disappear into the stars, never to be heard of again..."


    As Coda stood there in silence Beatrix ran through thousands of simulations and answers before arriving at the most simple one. "I and the rest will do whatever it is you want to do My lord. As always."


    Coda started chuckling at first, then slowly it transformed into a laugh before he just started madly cackling as he brought a hand to his face. As he stood there madly laughing Beatrix for a lack of a better word started freaking out, concerned that her liege was suffering from something that affected his mind.


    Before she could decide on a course of action, Coda stopped. "Whatever I want to do is it?" He shook his head. "That''s the problem, isn''t it? I have no idea what I should be doing. I didn''t ask to be brought here, I was completely fine with living out the remainder of my pathetic excuse of a life and die in obscurity."


    "Those... Things whisked me away and decided I should come here." Coda scowled. "I never had a say in it. The more I think about it I find it strange I didn''t refuse, the memories are foggy like I was kept in some kind of fugue state. Compelled even. I for some reason thought it was a good idea to self mutilate my god damn soul!"


    The more he thought about it the angrier he got. One of the things he hated the most was being manipulated. Before his emotions got more turbulent he put his hand on Apathy and took a deep breath. A silver glow swirled out of it and up to his arm, before settling into his head.


    His eyes flashed with silver as he exhaled, calming himself down again.


    "At least some good came out of it." A sinister grin broke out on his face. "I now have access to the force, an unrelenting army, and long life."


    Turning around to face Beatrix he spoke with resolve. "Regardless of what I choose to do in the future I at least have a plan now."


    "I await your orders, my Lord!" She said with conviction.


    "If this is just some sick game for them then fuck it! I''ll play." A mad glint could be seen in his eyes. "First, we prepare for our return. Second, we destroy this facade of peace these mongrels have built their foundations on. Threats without foundation will not be tolerated."Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    As Coda started schooling his expression back into cold indifference he continued.


    "Third. I work on putting myself back together. You see, I had this mad idea." Coda smiled wryly. "What if they didn''t force me to break myself apart because I needed it, but rather because they knew what kind of person I am."


    Beatrix''s eyebrow lifted as she replied. "And what kind of person is that My Lord?"


    Coda''s sinister expression returned as he spoke just one word.


    "Vengeful."


    <hr>


    Two days passed since then. They''d been taking short jumps over and over since they left Watchpoints sphere of influence. Navigating wild space was incredibly dangerous and Vii and his group had no idea how they were pulling it off so fast. Though Rylo thought it had something to do with the droids on the ship, they seemed to be far more efficient than the droids he was used too.


    They''d shared a meal with Coda the day they met him, officially met him at least. After they boarded the massive ship they now resided on but before they set off, just in case they didn''t agree to join. The man had seemed eerily composed as the spoke, but they had come to an agreement.


    He''d offered them to become his personal team with the caveat that he''d be allowed to train them. If they agreed he''d give them cutting edge tech and some kind of enhancements to their bodies. But if they did agree, there would be no quitting halfway through. They''d be with them for the long haul.


    Even though they did end up agreeing, much to Lucival''s and Rylo''s delight. They were unsure if it was the right choice. They didn''t want to be working for some mass murderer. Though the sight in front of them all as they stood on top of a walkway overlooking a hangar that had been converted into a large cafeteria for all the slaves that had decided to join Coda''s forces. They had to admit that he couldn''t be all that bad.


    "I feel like an idiot," Red said, his sunny disposition nowhere to be found. "They were going through hell on the same station as we were on but I had no idea."


    The rest of them nodded at his words. It left a bad taste in their mouths. They didn''t become soldiers to help people do things like what had been done to those people down there. Of course they knew a soldier wasn''t as noble as the recruiters made them out to be, they still knew it wasn''t a profession meant to spread misery. At least not in their case.


    While most of them looked to be faring much better than when they were found, there was still an overlying cloud of heaviness that permeated the entire hangar. Defeat so dense that you could almost see it. Despite the best efforts of Coda''s crew, there had been many suicides and people breaking out in sobs or fits of rage. These people would take some time to recover, but that was to be expected.


    It could be considered lucky that most of the members of Coda''s order were droids because what they saw when they stumbled upon the med-bay being used to help these people had made their skin crawl. How someone could do things like that to other people boggled their minds. They''d left there quickly feeling hurt, angry and shocked.


    While they stood there leaning on the railing they saw a brown-haired woman break away from the group below followed by one of those droids. They walked up the stairs leading towards them. When the two of them came closer they saw the woman was middle-aged and kind looking.


    "You guys don''t seem to be part of the people rescued from the station." She said. The RG unit standing behind her in silence.


    "No, ma''am. We''re soldiers that Coda recruited." Vii answered for the group. "And you are?"


    "Ah! I''m Scmi." She said while she gestured with her hand to the unit behind her. "And this is Reggie, he''s something like my guard and friend I guess." She explained with a shy expression.


    Responding with a smile of his own Vii spoke. "It''s nice to meet you, Ma''am. Is there anything we can help you with?"


    Putting a finger to her chin she replied. "Help me?" She pondered before smiling with a nod. "I guess if you want to help to hand out food, blankets, and clothes to the people down there. While the droids like Reggie here are quite good at helping out they do tend to scare them sometimes."


    She looked back at Reggie. "Sorry Reggie, But you know what I mean."


    RG1 just smiled back at her. "No need to worry Lady Scmi. It is quite understandable given their experience."


    Vii and the guys all drew blanks as their faces might as well have morphed into question marks.


    "You''re a noble?" Vii asked.


    "By the force no!" Scmi explained as she waved her hands in front of her. "That''s just the way Reggie and the others refer to me. Though I''m not sure why."


    "It''s just how we are Lady Scmi," Reggie said in a calm tone. "Lord Coda gave your son his word that you would be treated with the utmost respect. Besides, he seems to enjoy having you around."


    Turning back towards the boys she smiled. "There you have it. Now let''s go! There''s lot''s to do and we can''t be hanging around here doing nothing!" She said with energy.


    Taken aback by her outburst of enthusiasm they all replied instinctively. "Yes, Ma''am!"


    <hr>


    Four days later. Unknown Planet, Wild space.


    Gustaf had been trying to divine a way to help his kingdom for four days now. Usually, he didn''t do it many days in a row but the first night he''d felt something. Something from beyond the Ring of God. Something powerful. It was out there, getting closer. He didn''t know why his power was leading him towards something not of this world but he was determined to find it.


    It was so close. Like something just at the edge of your vision, but everywhere he made that proverbial turn of the head it eluded him. His apprentices had been urging him to take a break recently as well but he was a stubborn man. A determined man. It took a lot of effort to use his gift in this way for an extended period of time and he knew he wouldn''t last much longer but he didn''t care.


    It was a small price to pay for the safety of the kingdom and its people. They were running out of time and they needed something, anything.


    Gustaf didn''t care anymore if the object of their salvation would end up being a god or a demon. He would find it, he had to find it.

 Chapter 29: History & Toys

    Sitting behind an ornate desk made of darkwood was King Atlas Stoneshard. He had been in his office for hours, going over the old maps and various records leading back as far as the fall of the second silver wall. This wasn''t the first time he''d done this, but news from the front had arrived that stated that the breaches were getting larger. As well as a few extra ones had been discovered. They weren''t large enough to warrant any attention for now but they''d grow in size in the future, just like all the other before them.


    Running his eyes over the map in front of him he could see all ten of the silver walls depicted there. It had been more than a thousand cycles since anyone even saw the outer most wall with his own eyes. His kingdom was the descendant of the empire that ruled when all the walls were operational. The records stated that it was a massive empire, ruling from the pillar itself. It stretched across the entire continent.


    Something had gone wrong though. Some calamity that originated in the eighth ring. It took no longer than a year for the ninth wall to fall, then the tenth wall fell almost a year after that. Thankfully the wall surrounding the eighth ring held for hundreds of years as the Heaven''s pillar employed some ancient magics to put a nigh unbreachable shimmering wall to protect them.


    Alas, it was not enough. Eventually, it faltered and the scourge came flooding through the breaches. It caught the empire by surprise yet again and it left a wake of devastation in its wake. Tens of thousands of lives lost within days. Though the sacrifice of most of it''s military force at the time a lot of people were evacuated behind the seventh wall. This event was a rude awakening for the empire, it showed them that even if the pillar was protecting them it was not infallible, not eternal.


    Every ring from the first had twice the amount of space in between them. The first ring had five hundred kilometers from north to south, the next a thousand from one wall to the next. The third ring had two thousand kilometers in between walls, and now the protection granted from the pillar was failing yet again. It took them the fall of the sixth and the fifth to cement their guess about the timeframe allotted to them.


    The fourth wall fell only forty-nine cycles ago. If they were correct they had only around five months left until the third one fell to the scourge. The loss of the third wall would set in stone their extinction for the remaining living space and farmland they would lose there would cripple them. The next twenty-five cycles would be the beginning of a slow but sure death of the people remaining behind the walls. His people and the people of the other two powers that existed here.


    Sighing heavily, Atlas leaned back into his chair. "Are we just meant to fade away like this? To become food for the scourge?"


    Sitting there with what felt like an unmovable burden on his shoulders Atlas felt like a defeated man. Is there nothing left to do but wait for the inevitable?


    As he sat there in silence, feeling the tendrils of despair creep upon him he heard a knock.


    "Yes?" He answered in a firm tone. His earlier weakness nowhere to be seen.


    The door opened to reveal a tall young man along with a slightly younger woman by his side. "You asked to see us father?" The young man asked.


    "Enter, and close the door." Atlas said without emotion.


    Doing as told he and the woman entered the room and came to a stop a few meters from the desk.


    Looking over his children he could see they too shared his worries. Samuel was shorter than him but shared his features. Greyish skin, specks of grey and white shards of hardened stone could be seen growing out of his skin up to his lower neck. As was usual with most men in his kingdom, though his family was among the only ones that had this particular color scheme.


    They both had black as night hair though his son''s hair was cut short while hers flowed down to her lower back. The women of their species had less obvious hardening on their skin and he''d be damned if any daughter of his would dress in a way that showed it. Hmph! He snorted in his mind as he''d defeated some invisible enemy.


    Finally cracking a small smile he spoke. "Samuel, Ava. It''s good to see you, it''s been rather busy around here."


    Ava smiled while Samuel responded. "Yes, father. You look tired, are you alright?"


    Running his hand through his graying hair he chuckled. "Quite tired, with our impending crisis the nobles who rule behind the third wall have become increasingly desperate." A small sigh escaped his lips. "Not that I don''t understand their plight. This is a terrible situation for all of us."


    "What about uncle Gustaf, father?" Ava asked in a soft tone. "Has he found something?"


    Atlas and Samuel''s eyes both turned towards her as Atlas responded. "He''s been trying for days and it seems like he''s on to something yes. But I worry about that old codger, he''s becoming a little strange since he started."


    Samuel turned back towards his father. "Strange how exactly?"


    "He''s been in some kind of delirious state after each session," Atlas said as his brows furrowed. "Muttering about something that approaches from beyond the ring."Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Samuel and Ava drew in a cold breath.


    "Another scourge?" Samuel asked slowly, with an almost unnoticeable shaking in his voice.


    "No. At least he doesn''t think it is." Atlas said slowly as a slight look of confusion could be discerned on his face. "His apprentices delivered a report on most of the things he''s been rambling about."


    He took out a piece of parchment and handed it over to Samuel. "Take a look for yourself."


    Walking up he took the report from his hand and started reading. Soon his eyes became focused as he slowly read the report. "He can almost see him? Them? Him?... He approaches? The indifferent berzerker?... Beware the fractured god?"


    Looking up from the report he locked eyes with his father. "Are you sure Gustaf hasn''t gone insane?" He asked in full seriousness.


    Atlas started laughing as Ava punched Samuel''s arm. "Don''t talk about uncle Gustaf that way Sam!"


    While Samuel rubbed his arm he smiled at his sister. "Sorry, Ava."


    "No his brain hasn''t turned to rock son. This happens when he uses his gift too much, you just haven''t seen it since the last time he did it you were still just a pebble." Atlas smiled seeing his children fool around. I hope your efforts aren''t in vain old friend. I''m not willing to give up on us yet, I have things that must be protected.


    Samuel turned his head towards his father again. "So why did you summon us father? Unless it was just so I could have more things to tease uncle over."


    Atlas''s face turned serious. "No son. I want you and your sister to lead the second army towards the cliff that overlooks Titans'' rest in Duke Ezra''s territory. He''s applied for reinforcements."


    Ava''s eyes narrowed slightly. "The breach there about to widen father?"


    "Correct. It wasn''t discovered in time so he couldn''t build fortifications soon enough to hold it." Atlas sighed. "Help him defend the location until they''ve set up the proper defenses, but don''t do something stupid. Your mother would have my head if something happened to you two. Thronekeeper or not."


    Ava giggled lightly as Samuel just smiled.


    "I understand father. I''d rather not have her mad if I can help it." Samuel shook his head. "Can''t we just throw mother at the scourge? It seems like a sure way to defeat them." He said in mock seriousness.


    <hr>


    The Prometheus, Engineering.


    Trilla entered into something that looked like some kind of meeting room. Vii, Rylo, Beatrix, and Coda were all here as well as some RG''s she wasn''t familiar with. Coda was talking to one of the RG''s with a sunny smile as he turned towards her.


    "Ah, Trilla! You''re finally here. Great!." Coda nodded. "Take a seat, I''ll join you guys in a jiffy."


    She simply nodded and sat down next to Beatrix. Turning towards her Trilla asked. "Why are we here?"


    "He had some ideas to run by us. New gear and so on." Beatrix answered in her usual matter of fact tone.


    Looking over to the two newest members of their group she saw the large Vii leaning back with his eyes closed while Rylo was reading through some documents at breakneck speed.


    "Cap''n! I don''t know about you but I''m getting the augments, the specs we''ll have will be amazing!" Rylo said with stars in his eyes. "Not to mention the suit''s we''ll get along with it. We''ll be walking tanks!"


    As Trilla observed the chipper man he continued. "I''m so glad I beat out Lucival to come to this meeting. He''ll be crying tears of blood once he hears about this stuff!" Rylo said as he giggled maniacally.


    Coda finished speaking with the RG and walked up behind Rylo and tapped his shoulder. "I''m glad you like them."


    "AHHHH!" Rylo screamed as the bundle of paper he was reading was shot into the air. As his face flushed he answered Coda. "Boss! Don''t scare me like that, please!"


    Coda chuckled while Vii just sighed heavily.


    "Focus Rylo." Vii said shaking his head.


    With a wry smile, Coda walked over and took a seat. "Now that all the relevant people are here we can start."


    "While we don''t have an R&D department set up yet we can''t start production in full force but I wanted your input on some of the ideas I''ve been cooking up. Sound good?" Coda asked as he turned to look at each of them in order.


    Seeing nods from all of them Coda continued. "Great. Now for the first item." He turned to the RG he''d been speaking to while they all got here and motioned him over. He held a couple of documents and handed him a couple of them.


    Counting that there were five of them Coda nodded and handed one out to each. "The first one is this. The HK-Z, or Hunter Killer Zero."


    Beatrix was here just as a formality, she had access to all the information the other RG''s had but Coda insisted that she''d participate because she was a part of the group. She agreed, of course, the input from the others might point out something they''d missed.


    Rylo scanned over the document and saw it had specifications and illustrations of what this HK-Z was supposed to be. It was an orb with one spoke that had a thick ring attached to it, it was only about half a meter in size. Reading further he came across something he didn''t understand fully.


    "Ehm, boss? What''s black matter?" Rylo asked with a puzzled expression.


    Coda turned to Beatrix. "Demonstrate please."


    She nodded. Lifting her hand she made the part that looked like her palm and fingers lift off her skeletal frame and made them both do a fist. Then recombined the two before returning her hand to rest on the table.


    Rylo''s mouth gaped for a few seconds while Vii''s eyes widened.


    "That''s amazing!" Rylo exclaimed. "That''s black matter? I thought it was something to do with physics."


    Shaking his head while sporting a wry smile Coda responded. "No, it has another more technical name. Poly mimetic alloy or something like that. I just call it black matter for convenience."


    "I see." Rylo nodded. "So the orb in the middle is the control hub for the black matter that will make it into a bigger orb. What caused you to think something like this up?"


    Chuckling darkly Coda answered. "After Geonosis, I discovered that I hate fighting in tunnels. These little bastards will make tunnel rats hate fighting there more then I do."

 Chapter 30: Tools of the Trade

    Rylo''s head tilted slightly. "What do these little guys have to do with tunnels?" He asked with confusion painted on his face.


    "They''ll have rudimentary programming when compared to the RG''s." Coda indicated with his hand toward the RG standing by his side. "But they''ll be fast-moving orbs that can manipulate their black matter into tendrils or tentacles to attack and maneuver in tunnels far more efficiently than ground troops can."


    He started scanning the document himself to find what he was looking for.


    "No... Not that either... Ah, there it is." He turned the document over to point at a specific page. "Page three, one of the delivery systems I thought up for it."


    Rylo and the others flipped to the page and started reading before Vii spoke up.


    "This is rather gruesome. Forget the HKZ''s, the delivery system kind of makes them redundant doesn''t it?" He asked with slight hesitation.


    Coda chuckled as he waved one of his hands in front of his face. "No, no. If you read a little further you''ll see it has retro thrusters. It won''t cause massive damage on impact, or at least shouldn''t. In theory."


    "In theory?" Vii asked again, albeit with an unsure tone. "Firing one of these could cause catastrophic damage if it landed on a populated city, you do realize that?"


    With a serious expression, Coda answered. "I do. That''s why we will never fire it at one." Vii let out a breath at his answer before Coda continued. "As you can see, they''re meant to be dropped on top of tunnel systems. Then they''ll start drilling until they discover a cavity and deploy the payload. Of course, they should work in ship to ship combat as well."


    As Coda and Vii conversed back and forth Rylo was absorbed in the document in front of him. It depicted something similar to a missile, except the front wasn''t smooth. It was like a drill bit followed by a slightly armored hollow section then a thruster. There were multiple small retro thrusters sprinkled in there along with four air brakes by the thruster itself.


    Nodding robotically as he read he spoke up suddenly, breaking the two from their conversation. "This is... Clever. Though the payload will be rather limited won''t it? I mean, it only has room for four HKZ''s."


    Before Coda could respond Beatrix answered his query. "We can scale up the missile, it''s essentially just a drop pod that doesn''t need to worry about its passengers."


    "Harsh, but fair," Coda said with a rueful smile. "I never was a weapon designer. I just used them." He finished with a shrug.


    "It''s a clever droid design to be sure. But putting other zones of battle aside is tunnel warfare really so difficult to warrant manufacturing a whole new line of bots?" Rylo asked out of sheer curiosity.


    Coda cupped his chin as we glanced towards the ceiling. "It isn''t about the difficulty. It boils down to the fact that I''d rather not send living soldiers or expensive RG''s into tunnels where we can expect fortified positions and local soldiers with the home-field advantage when we could just send in a horde of cheap bots. Cheap being relative of course."


    Vii cracked a small smile. "I can agree with that notion. They also have the added capability of going Boom when they need, I''m glad I''m on your side."


    "Hah!" Coda laughed, drawing everyone''s eyes as he sat there chuckling. "Maybe I should have called them Banelings." He said, shaking his head.


    They all tilted their heads slightly as Beatrix answered. "That would have been an apt name My Lord."


    As Trilla was watching the two of them with slight confusion Vii and Rylo shared a glance before shrugging.


    Coda composed himself before continuing. "Anyway. Write down any suggestions you have for those two when you have the time, we won''t be able to start making them before we set up shop and deploy the forge anyway so there''s no rush."


    Rylo was about to ask a question when Coda held up his and spoke with a wry smile. "Another time Rylo, I can show you later ok?"


    Scratching the back of his head Rylo just shyly nodded.


    "Now for the next thing on the docket we''ve got a biggun!" Coda said with zero effort to mask his eagerness. "The Rev-T series, now these guys are going to blow your mind. You see..."


    <hr>


    Ava had woken up a little time ago and had finished breakfast with her brother. They were gathering up their camp with soldiers milling around packing things up and taking care of the Gnoss. Ava walked up to the gnoss she had been given when she was young, even when it was young like her it had still been larger than two men. Now it was the size of a small home, with red pigment on its scales.


    The Gnoss was a very special species found in their world. They couldn''t be tamed and they were quite docile, they resembled lizards as they had scales, four feet, and a tail. Not that anyone with half a brain would call them a lizard unless they wanted to find new employment as a snack. They could eat almost everything as well so they made good partners to anyone lucky enough to be chosen by them.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    What made them special though wasn''t any of that. No, what made them special was they somehow remembered their ancestors'' experience. What that meant was that their lineage taught them and that made them downright intelligent. A lesson learned ages ago when a now dead kingdom decided to try and enslave some of them, only to have it brought down once they bread too many of them. The lesson was that they hold a grudge. Forever.


    Now though they coexist with them as they also have lost so much to the scourge. As Ava stood next to the gnoss deep in thought it snorted at her, bringer her back to the present.


    Ava smiled and rubbed its head. "Sorry Scarlet, I just woke up so I guess I''m still a little out of it."


    Scarlet responded with a pointed look before nodding it''s large head slowly.


    "What''s that supposed to mean huh?!" Ava said with a pout.


    A mirthful voice suddenly came from behind Ava. "I think she means you''re always a little out of it little sister."


    "She does not!" Ava said as she spun around to see her brother. "She wouldn''t do that!" She said pointing at him.


    Samuel just smiled wryly. "Is that so?"


    Ava''s brows furrowed as she turned around. "Do you?"


    Scarlet looked up and turned her face away making a sound that sounded like whistling.


    "BETRAYAL!" Ava shouted. "I''ll have your head for this you traitorous wench! No more meat for a week!"


    Scarlet abruptly stopped before she quickly spun her head back with a low whine.


    "Never! You gnoss aren''t the only one with a good memory! I''ll remember this!" Ava said as she stormed off.


    Samuel and the soldiers around all smiled as they saw this scene. Morale was usually high when Ava and Samuel were apart of the dispatch.


    "Don''t worry Scarlet," Samuel said in a low voice. "I''ll have the men sneak you some goodies."


    Scarlet bared her teeth in an attempt to smile, though they usually looked incredibly menacing when they did this, people knew what it meant.


    An hour later they were all packed up and ready to go when a rider on a creature that resembled a horse came speeding towards them.


    A captain made his way to stand in front of him. "Halt! What business do you have here rider!?"


    As he stopped both him and the creature struggled to catch their breaths. "I''m...A messager... Duke Ezra..."


    Before he could continue Samuel showed up. "Get the man some water, and take his stark to rest."


    The captain bowed right away. "As you wish your highness." He then handed over his water skin to the rider after helping him down and took the reigns, leading the creature away.


    After the messager gulped down water as his life depended on it he kneeled in front of Samuel. "Your highness. I was sent by Duke Ezra, I bring urgent news!"


    "Go ahead soldier, tell me," Samuel said with furrowed brows.


    "The breach your highness. It''s about to widen, and the scouting tower spotted another horde approaching it from beyond Titan''s rest. He asks you to march as fast as you can before we lose our chance to reinforce it." The soldier explained with evident fear.


    Another tier two breach?! This is too fast! "Of course. Good job soldier, find a wagon and get some rest." He said as he helped the soldier stand up. Turning around to address the general that went with them. "We make haste towards Duke Ezra''s territory right away. If we don''t get there in time the consequences will be catastrophic."


    The general saluted by bringing his right fist to the left side of his chest. "Yes, your highness!" Before storming off and screaming orders, bringing a flurry of activity to the camp.


    Samuel turned to look at where the rider came from. Please let us make it in time...


    "Brother." He heard from behind him, prompting him to turn around. "Is it bad?" Ava asked worriedly.


    Nodding slowly he responded. "Yes. Potential tier two, and we haven''t even set up defenses yet." He said in a low voice.


    A sharp glint could be seen from Ava''s eyes. "Then we must hurry. Let''s go brother."


    <hr>


    The meeting had come to an end and Vii along with his men were headed for medical to start their procedure. Coda sat there with Beatrix and the RG from engineering.


    "So you think you can whip it up before they come out of medical?"


    Looking over the paper in his hands and running through what they''d just talked about he answered. "Yes my Lord. But why did you not decide to go with them for the procedure if I may ask?"


    "Of course you may, free speech and all that jazz," Coda said. "The short answer is, mechanical objects inside a force user''s body is in most cases a big no-no. The suit will be enough for me. They need it or I''ll break them when we start training. Of course, they''ll get a lot out of it other than that." He said innocently.


    Beatrix smiled wryly. "Of course my Lord." The other RG just shook his head with the same type of smile.


    It then asked. "But what made you think of something like this? It seems a bit... Well, medieval."


    Shrugging, Coda answered. "Apart from it shoring up a weakness I have, I''ve been having strange dreams lately. Strange rocky humans, giant lizards, and zerg like creatures. Good times."


    Beatrix''s eyes narrowed. "Are you sure they''re just dreams my Lord?"


    Looking over at Beatrix Coda tilted his head slightly. "Yeah. I''m fairly certain. Why, do you think they''re some kind visions or something?" Coda asked with a scoff.


    Shaking her head she answered. "I dare not say. It depends on the frequency of the dreams in question I suppose." She answered as in deep thought.


    "Even if they were, if I can''t do anything about it I choose to ignore it," Coda said with a smile before standing up. "I''m going to go find Trilla and Sev'' and do some training. It''s gonna be a few days before the boys wake up."


    Just as he exited the door he suddenly returned into the room and addressed the other RG unit. "Before I forget, Do we have a large empty hangar somewhere we''re not using?"


    Beatrix and the RG both looked at him as it answered. "Yes, I believe so my Lord. How large do you need it to be?"


    Coda tapped his chin. "As large as possible as long as it isn''t getting in the way of our day to day. On a completely unrelated note, how much extra black matter do we have laying around that we don''t need?"


    Beatrix answered this. "We have a fairly large supply, but I''d rather not squander it if at all possible."


    "Excellent. I''ve had a terribly good idea." A dark chuckle escaped his lips. "Though I do have a feeling that the boys won''t appreciate my creativity. Ah well, no matter."


    They saw him mumbling as he exited again. The RG looked over at Beatrix. "I don''t know what our Lord is planning but I almost feel bad for them."


    "Almost." Beatrix nodded.