《A Young Girl's War Between the Stars [Youjo Senki/Star Wars]》


 01

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    01


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Skies over Berun, final day of the Great War.


    <hr>


    I always knew I would die bloody, but this? This is just unfair!


    Magic bullets pinged off of a single, tiny, angled hexagonal shield panel, not stopped cold but deflected just far enough from my body to miss before the panel flickered out. The sky was thick with enemy and allied troops alike, but the German forces were outnumbered three to one. American, Russy, and units from every other major faction in the war had come together to try an aerial siege of the capital.


    The enemy had a numerical advantage and an advantage in arms an ammunition. Quantity was quite the quality of its own, today. Thankfully, things weren¡¯t entirely lopsided. We had the home field advantage. We knew the territory and we lived here, so we didn¡¯t have to waste mana getting here. Our equipment and supplies were here and we didn¡¯t have to ship them in, then waste men and mages to guard them. However, with this many enemies on the field, conserving mana and ammunition and staying in the fight as long as possible was the name of the game. Otherwise, whoever ran out of resources first would lose.


    I returned fire with a short burst from my SMG with one hand as I split my focus, drew my knife in my off hand, and activated a mage blade spell. The enemy mage, American judging by the uniform, went wide eyed in surprise when I abruptly rushed in, closing the distance between us as I accelerated far faster than anything I had displayed so far¡ªnot my top speed, just the difference in our body mass and ability to accelerate with the same amount of force. Being a tiny, starved orphan still had its perks. He got his shield up just in time to catch the blade as my momentum carried us several yards through the sky¡ªbut not before the barrel of my SMG got under the shield.


    A second burst to the gut and the shield flickered out as my weapon clicked dry, the last of my ammunition spent. He screamed and I closed in with my knife. I didn¡¯t kill him. No, instead, I severed his dominant arm at the elbow. He began to fall as I grabbed his rifle and pulled a pair of spare magazines off of his vest, letting my SMG dangle off of its strap as I took up a new weapon and kicked him away.


    A dead soldier gives the enemy more fuel for his anger and redistributes the resources that would have gone to him to his friends. A wounded enemy, on the other hand, took up enemy resources. And as I watched two other enemy soldiers fly in to catch him as he sent out a call for help, I lined up my new rifle and popped off a few rounds into the back of one. The remaining soldier was forced to choose and picked the one I¡¯d disarmed, even as his buddy hit a roof and went limp. He was still moving so if he didn¡¯t bleed out in the next three minutes, there was a chance his friends would send someone down to get him. Grinning, I decided to give them that chance and turned away, keeping in mind where he was as I took in the battle going on around us.


    The magical radio waves were a cacophony of soldiers calling out orders, status updates, cries for help, demands for ammunition¡ªand that was just on our side. The encrypted frequencies the enemies used were just as busy. So, ignoring the radio since there was no clear way of getting orders through one way or another over the din at the moment, I used a combat formula to alter my perception of time for a moment¡ªthe battle slowing around me and allowing me to finally find my men, for the first time in the last several minutes since we¡¯d been separated.


    I spotted Weiss first, just in time to see the big man speared through by bayonets in a pincer attack¡ªone from the front, one from the rear¡ªeven as a third soldier raised a trench shotgun to his head and ended my subordinate¡¯s career. My heart clenched in my chest and my teeth ground in my head so loud I could hear them over the gunfire and explosions as I took off in that direction.


    A flash of an explosion just off to the right of where Weiss had died and I spotted Granz¡ªor what was left of him as an explosive formula had destroyed everything from the waist down. Beside his remains, Schwarzkopf had been blasted out of the explosion, a spherical barrier surrounding him momentarily, before multiple lines of rifle fire tore into it. The shield collapsed and another of my subordinates was riddled with bullets.


    That scene repeated itself over and over as I saw more and more of my people fighting and dying. And for what? For a government that had been too foolish to listen to my warnings every step of the way? Who had mismanaged this entire war from start to finish? Who had expanded and rushed ahead, when they should have struck and withdrawn after that very first incursion¡ªmaybe committed a retaliatory decapitation strike, but not¡­ not what had happened. Not steamrolling an enemy so quickly, so thoroughly, that it terrified the rest of our neighbors into jumping on us in a mad, suicidal frenzy that only grew the longer we lasted.


    A bullet pinged off of my shield again and I returned fire reflexively, pulled from my thoughts and forced to focus on the present. Part of me wanted to call it. Break into the radio channels and order a complete surrender, if only to spare my men. I felt I owed them that much, to do whatever it took to see their lives spared. The other part, however, knew the bitter truth. That surrender would just be a prelude to a very short, very vicious series of show trials, where they would invent new crimes and retroactively find us guilty of them, then the loyal subordinates I cared for would be put to death by firing squad.


    No. Better to fight here and now, down to the last man, than to see them dishonored and made monsters by kangaroo courts. If we were to die, we would do so as soldiers. As men, not monsters.


    Checking the cursed computation orb¡¯s mana storage, I considered the trump card at my disposal. I hadn¡¯t wanted to use it for this. I had wanted to fight and win on my own terms. But with more of my people dying by the second, that was looking less and less likely.


    If we could force them to withdraw, kill enough of them all at once, it could bring them to a standstill. Alternately¡­ Decapitation strike. Take out their leadership and leave them confused. We know where they mustered from. The Russy have one camp, the Americans and literally everyone else are using another as their CP. It¡¯s just¡­ getting through all of that is going to be hard. I could do it, but it¡¯d be more likely to succeed with some troops.


    Finally, I spotted who I had been looking for this entire time. Not my best soldier, but the most loyal. The one who had been with me the longest, and who would act without question or hesitation.


    Visha was flying with the remnants of Weiss and Granz¡¯s squads, moving quickly through the streets below and drawing anyone stupid enough to chase them into an ambush. I shot off towards them, maneuvering down ahead of them, behind the ambushers, slipping down between the buildings. Soon enough, I heard the ambush kick off and moved to join them. By the time I made it, they were mopping up and I had nothing to do.


    ¡°Colonel, ma¡¯am!¡± Visha snapped off a salute as she saw me, quickly mirrored by the others.


    I returned it reflexively as I surveyed the men. All told, they numbered just over three squadrons¡ªeighteen people total. ¡°I¡¯m glad I found you. We have a new mission. Everyone stay low and follow me. We¡¯re going to resupply, then move.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± Visha nodded, and a moment later, we were moving. The older woman moved up beside me and quietly asked, ¡°Ma¡¯am, have you seen anyone else?¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I can confirm Weiss, Granz, and Schwarzkopf are KIA. As far as I could tell, the rest of the unit is scattered and either being picked apart, or have joined up with other squads.¡±


    Visha paled, turning to look at me wide-eyed. ¡°Weiss? Granz too? They¡¯re, they¡¯re both dead?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I confirmed, and she turned away, closing her eyes for a moment as she reached up and wiped at them. Taking a breath, a look of unnatural calm settled over her face. I had seen Viktoriya angry before. Angry, frightened, and a whole host of other things over the years. This was the first time I¡¯d seen her like this.


    ¡°What¡¯s the plan?¡±


    I smiled. This was why I liked her. Even when she was at her worst, Visha would focus on whatever was necessary to complete the mission and survive. Weiss was the most competent. A man I could trust to carry out any task I gave him. Granz was the most charismatic, with that boyish charm of his. He was what we in my former HR career called a retriever¡ªsomeone who made friends and could see to the group¡¯s morale. Visha however knew that if she stuck to my side and did as I said, her odds of survival increased exponentially. It was why she had become my wingman in addition to my adjutant whenever the situation allowed for it.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to force the enemy to withdraw.¡±


    Visha thought for only a moment before smiling. It was a nasty smile, entirely full of teeth and beautiful. ¡°Decapitation strike, then.¡±


    She really knew me too well. This was the value of a well-trained subordinate¡ªthe ability to anticipate my plans and needs and do what it took to see them taken care of. It was something the commies didn¡¯t understand, could never understand as they didn¡¯t place any value on the individual. The Americans understood, but they were killing my precious subordinates so they should also understand why I¡¯d have to take measures to stop it.


    We quickly landed outside one of the many hidden supply depots we had set up in the city, passing through the security checkpoint and into the building. The inside was even more hectic than the radio chatter had led me to believe as we quickly began rearming. I dropped off the stolen rifle along with my SMG and instead picked up a sniper rifle.


    ¡°Long range engagement?¡± Visha asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan. It¡¯s going to be too thick to hit them from up close, so we¡¯re just not going to bother. Instead, we¡¯ll ascent to eight thousand, above their normal flight ceiling, then we¡¯ll bombard the enemy. Sniping formula with an explosive formula. Then we¡¯ll tie them together with a joint casting ritual and blast their CP off the map.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Visha agreed and quickly had the men swapping out their weapons for longer range rifles.


    ¡°Lt. Col. von Degurechaff!¡± a runner called as he came rushing up to our group. ¡°Urgent call for you, ma¡¯am!¡±


    Frowning, I cast a glance at Visha who sent her a smile in return. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready by the time you¡¯re done, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Sighing, I followed the runner over to the side, where one of a dozen communications officers handed me a phone¡ªone of many hard lines that had been recently added to the building and connected directly to HQ. ¡°Lt. Col von Degurechaff speaking. My unit is about to sortie, so we don¡¯t have much time.¡±


    There. That was about as respectfully as I could say ¡®who the hell are you and why are you wasting my time?!¡¯ when someone above me in the chain of command was doing something stupid.


    ¡°Lieutenant Colonel,¡± General Zettour greeted, and Tanya felt herself coming to attention at the voice of her immediate superior. ¡°I¡¯m glad I managed to get ahold of you. This won¡¯t take long, I promise. I would like your opinion on something.¡±


    ¡°Very well, sir,¡± she agreed. Absently, I watched as Visha moved over to the coffee pot in front of the north window, fixing two cups of coffee while I spoke on the phone. Real coffee since they were in the capital, not the ersatz crap we had to make do with in the field.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°In the past, you have shown a remarkable foresight that only later, with the benefit of hindsight, did certain elements grasp. As you are no doubt aware, things are not going well for us today. The Emperor is considering a full surrender. What are your thoughts on that?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± I hissed. ¡°Unless you want to be painted as the villain, put through a show trial, found guilty of made up crimes, and then summarily executed and your name and those of everyone who served under you forever tarnished. History is written by the victor and revised by the self-proclaimed victims, or anyone with an axe to grind really. I could live with being known as the Devil of the Rhine for the rest of time, but what they¡¯ll do to our country, and our people, if we surrender? Those are crimes that will never see the light of day, or will be excused as justice in the face of the so-called crimes we committed. Surrender is a one way rail that ends in the rape of our people and the financial crippling of our nation for the next fifty years.¡±


    The man was silent, contemplative for a moment, before asking, ¡°Then what would you suggest?¡±


    ¡°Let me do my job. I have a unit preparing to lead a decapitation strike against the enemy command post as we speak. I¡ª¡±


    A flash of light through one of the north facing windows interrupted my. Light so bright it left me blind for just a moment, before magic compensated. Following behind it was a sound above din of all the people talking around her. An explosion loud enough to rupture my eardrums. Then, I watched as the world slowed down. The walls on the north side of the building, the side I was facing, exploded inwards. Fire and debris flowed inwards, like watching the tide come in. Visha¡¯s uniform, hair, and skin caught fire and I could do nothing but watch in slow motion as my closest friend died.


    Until it all stopped.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, heathen,¡± Zettour¡¯s voice spoke into my ear, but I knew it wasn¡¯t my superior and friend speaking.


    ¡°Let me guess, you set my death in motion thirty minutes ago,¡± I growled, and the devil on the other end of the phone chuckled.


    ¡°That I did.¡±


    Forcing myself to breathe and not scream and rage at the devil for what I could even now still see happening, I asked, ¡°You had the Americans drop a nuke just to take me out? I¡¯m flattered. But you should really know when to just take no for an answer! It gets a bit creepy after the first few times.¡±


    ¡°For you? No. It¡¯s just a happy coincidence that you¡¯re here, now, and can do nothing about it. This war and its end will inspire a new generation of faithful. A resurgence in faith that this world desperately needs. Your image recorded in combat praising me, will elevate you to sainthood. And while you may not be burned at the stake, being eliminated by the world¡¯s first nuclear weapon is close enough. You will be this world¡¯s Joan of Arc.¡±


    ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late. It has already been set in motion. Faith has been restored, and for that I have you to thank.¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I clapped twice. ¡°Good for you. Though I suppose I have you to thank for something as well. Before you sent me to this world, I had no one I truly cared for. And you¡¯ve just killed everyone I¡¯ve ever cared about to achieve your goal.¡±


    ¡°Everyone dies.¡± The words were callous and I heard the phone creak in my hand. I wasn¡¯t afraid anymore. Not of the slowly moving wave of nuclear fire heading my way and bringing to mind memories from my first life, of videos of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the almost universal fear every Japanese person had of dying in such a blast. I wasn¡¯t even afraid of what would happen after, of the promised permanent death Being X had warned me of when we first met. I was too angry to care. ¡°Unlike you, most of them are already on their way to a better place. Even little Viktoriya.¡±


    ¡°What next for me, then? Another world? Another failed attempt on your part to make me pray to you in earnest? You can make me vomit words from my mouth, but I¡¯ll never mean it. And after this? Knowing what you¡¯re really after now? I¡¯ll be doing everything I can to subvert you and lead whatever place you send me to a future without the need for a self-proclaimed god. You won¡¯t win this.¡±


    The devil on the other end of the line hummed. ¡°Still you have learned nothing. Very well. You will die and be cast out. Out of this world and outside of the protection of Heaven, outside of the cycle of reincarnation.¡±


    Taking a breath, I let it all out in a sigh. I couldn¡¯t kill this bastard. Couldn¡¯t even see or touch him, unless he willed it so. Maybe he wasn¡¯t Big ¡®G¡¯ God, but he was as far beyond me as I was beyond a normal soldier¡ªno, not even that. A soldier stood an actual chance of killing me if I wasn¡¯t prepared. As I was beyond me as I was beyond an infant. And all of this? It was just him getting the last word in. Taunting me, in his victory.


    I was angry. I hated him for what he had done. But anger without direction was useless. A distraction. In the end, if I couldn¡¯t kill him the only revenge I could have would be petty. At best, I could ruin his little moment. He wanted to gloat. So all I had to do was stop playing his game.


    ¡°Any last words, before¡ª¡±


    I fired up a flight spell and a barrier, opening the Type 95 and its stored mana wide. Dropping the phone, I accelerated¡ªnot away from the blast, but into it. What was left of Visha folded over double as I tackled her around the waist and the shield snapped up. Reversing course was out, I¡¯d just be trapped in the building, and I could already feel things speeding up again.


    Instead, I adjusted the shape of the shield around us, tapering it and diving into the blast wave. Out the front of the building as my clothes began to smolder in the heat, and then up and over, just high enough to clear the building. I whipped around and poured on the speed even as I smelled burning hair and felt my skin starting to blister.


    We shot out of the leading edge of the blast and I had just a moment to adjust the shield again, pulling it back into a sphere, and dumping the last of the mana into it. The blast wave caught up and the world became a jumbled, tumbling mess of pain as my clothes and hair caught fire.


    The last thing I remembered was slamming in the ground as the shield finally failed.


    <hr>


    Somehow, waking up after dying the second time was even more of a surprise than it had been the first time it happened¡ªbut I was thankful for it. Even if it meant that once again, I was stuck in the body of an infant.


    It beats the alternative, anyway, I mused, staring up at the bland ceiling above me for just a moment before all the frustration, anger, pain, and loss hit all at once. I wailed my lungs out as I thrashed.


    The reaction was instant as I felt feelings wash over me. Calm, love, warmth. They weren¡¯t my own feelings. I knew my own mind, my own mental state, and I wasn¡¯t feeling any of that at the moment. So while I was surprised, I was more annoyed at whatever was happening. I pushed back and the feelings stopped, jerked away like someone touching a hot stove.


    I heard footsteps from nearby, retreating as someone left the room. Good. I wanted to be left alone for a while. At least until I could get a handle on what I was feeling. Grief wasn¡¯t something that would go away instantly, I knew, but I¡¯d at least like some privacy until I regained my composure. It was¡­ embarrassing to be seen like this. Bawling my eyes out like, well, like a child.


    Eventually, I stopped crying and screaming. What was left was a hollow, empty feeling. I could feel everything else faintly, but at the moment all I felt was tired. That is, until I felt something else. Another foreign sensation.


    Tentatively at first, I felt cautious curiosity, then more feelings of warmth and concern. Footsteps approached and I heard a door open nearby. I turned my head and looked as someone entered the room. More emotions that weren¡¯t my own pushed into my mind¡ªall positive, but I didn¡¯t like the idea of someone tampering with my mind or emotions.


    What is this? Some kind of telepathy? Empathy? This must be a different world then, because even in a world with magic, we didn¡¯t have those sorts of spells. The human mind was too complex to even achieve basic telepathic communication.


    My suspicion was confirmed a moment later as a woman leaned over the crib I was laying in. I stared in shock. She recoiled as she felt my shock, radiating confusion and hurt. She opened her mouth and began to speak, but not in any language I understood. Confused, I just stared at her as she stared back.


    The woman was quite obviously not human. Oh, sure, she looked human. Human form. Two arms, two legs, torso, head, face, hair. Except humans aren¡¯t red. Well, I take that back. Humans can be pink or red, but not that shade of red. Bright, fresh blood red, from head to foot. And unless we dye it, we don¡¯t generally have pink hair. And yet, there it was. Distinctly alien.


    A horrible thought occurred as I recalled that there was something else I knew of that had red skin¡­ Did that asshole Being X actually send me to hell?!


    I laughed. It came out as more of a cherubic giggle, but still. Apparently, that didn¡¯t agree with the empathic woman, who apparently didn¡¯t like my dark humor. She turned and ran from the room, feelings of terror rolling off of her until she was far enough away that I couldn¡¯t sense it.


    What did I do? I just laughed. Strange. But interesting!


    Interesting because apparently I could sense emotions too, and project them given her reactions. And every time I had, there was a faint tickle of something that came along with it. Not magic, but definitely something foreign to me¡ªor at least foreign to my mind.


    My mind¡¯s awareness of my body and power had been sharpened by years in the military training to be an aerial mage in my last life, then even more years honing that skill in combat so that I could be aware of every minute change within myself. Every dram of mana mattered when I wasn¡¯t using the Type 95, so learning to feel the power within oneself was a necessity. So looking within and feeling a foreign power there, feeling it in use when the woman projected her emotions at me, or when I did the same back at her reflexively when I was upset, all came naturally. The only difference was in just what I was feeling¡ªthe mental skill to examine it worked, regardless.


    Some would say that I was distracting myself from my feelings, but they would be wrong. It was perfectly rational to be curious about one¡¯s environment and circumstances when they had just been reincarnated. Again. And into strange circumstances, no less. I was not ¡®repressing¡¯ and anyone who thought otherwise could take their psychobabble and shove it.


    On the subject of self-examination, that did raise a rather pertinent question. If the woman who had been with me was red, what did that make me? Was red the standard, or was she the exception? I had to know.


    Working my arm out from under the blanket, I quickly had an answer to at least half of that question. I was a pinkish red. A little lighter than the other woman, but clearly not a human skin tone. Now, I just needed to know if that was normal or not. Being red in a world of blue people might be a bad thing, for all I knew. I didn¡¯t have enough information to judge at the moment. All I knew for certain was that: I was a child, I was red, and I had been born female again.


    So I¡¯ve found myself as an infant again. Somehow, despite being ¡®cast out¡¯ by that devil Being X. And I haven¡¯t heard him gloat even once since I woke up. Is he gone for good, or just biding his time? Somehow, I doubt he¡¯s entirely done with me. But until he reveals himself again, all I can do is wait and prepare. Prepare under the assumption that he plans to set me up to destroy my life again.


    Luckily, I already had experience with starting over. I had done it once before, I could do it again. This time, at least, I¡¯d have the experiences from the last time to go on.


    First things first. I need to speak and read the language. Gathering accurate, detailed information is locked behind that barrier until I surmount it. From prior experience, it¡¯s going to take months before I¡¯m fluent enough with the spoken word to really start digging in, and a year or two before I¡¯ll be able to reliably speak.


    Learning the language would take time, but thankfully there were other things I could be doing at the same time. I needed to get myself mobile and walking again, soonest. That would also take time to develop the muscles, coordination, and balance necessary. The sooner I could do that, the sooner I could rid myself of the indignities of being a child and having to rely on others for basic things. Once I got old enough, I would need to get myself into top physical form again, to be ready for whatever Being X planned to throw at me.


    There was something else I could do, however. Something I could start right this moment, in fact. The power inside me needed to be examined, studied, and experimented with until I knew it inside and out, the same way I knew my magic. That I could at least do on my own. No need for other people to teach me until I understood the language. By the time I got to where I could be taught, I wanted to have the same sort of fine control over it that I¡¯d had over my magic.


    With that decided, I settled in and began experimenting with the power inside me. The very first thing I did was try a basic formula. The power wasn¡¯t magic, but maybe it would work similarly. So, I began the simplest formula I knew¡ªthe one they taught every mage recruit first thing. It was a simple spell to create a light near the body. Most people chose to attach it to their hand, or the end of a rifle, but I preferred the free floating light as it was far more versatile. It was so simple that there was no way to mess it up. Even a recruit fresh on their first day should be able to do it.


    Pulling on the power, I spun up the formula and fed it in, observing the way the power worked with the formula. I felt the draw of energy and, a moment later, a single point of light formed above the bed and began to emit a soft white glow. I grinned, marking that as a success.


    That is, until I felt woozy and, shifting my focus back inside, saw that my reserve of energy was falling precipitously. I quickly cut the light out as I felt exhaustion was over me. So detecting and projecting emotions uses way less power than making a light, and my reserves are tiny. Of course they are. I¡¯m at best a few days old. I¡¯ll work on them. But first¡­ a nap.


    I fell asleep quickly and deeply. In my dreams, I watched Visha burn to death before I made it to her. We both burned up in the blast. We survived, but the allied forces captured us and put us on trial. I woke to the image of standing before a field firing squad, lined up beside the rest of my men as Russy troops gunned us down one by one and kicked us into a trench.


    I winced as I woke up, my mind bombarded on all sides by feelings that weren¡¯t my own. Focusing, I pulled on the power within me and envisioned a shield around my mind. The world went quiet and I looked around. My surroundings had changed drastically. Gone was the nice house I¡¯d woken up in and the young woman looking at me with concern. In their place were a shabby looking room, a bed with scratchy sheets, and an older woman¡ªalso a shade of red¡ªwho looked like she spent most of her days frowning.


    The old woman studied me in confusion, before I felt her reach out with her own power. I brushed it away and she chuckled, saying something and shaking her head, before lifting me up and bringing up a bottle.


    For some reason, I had been relocated. The surroundings had a cheap, well-used and abused quality I was all too uncomfortably familiar with. Even the woman was familiar in that way. Someone well meaning but exhausted and overworked.


    Did¡­ did they dump me into an orphanage? ¡­Who am I kidding? Of course they did. Being X wouldn¡¯t have it any other way. Bastard!


    This was only a minor setback. I¡¯d dealt with it inn my second life just fine, after all. I already knew how things worked. I just needed to prepare myself and then¡­ assert dominance.


    It¡¯s funny just how similar an orphanage is to a prison. Find the biggest, meanest, nastiest son of a bitch on the yard and beat him bloody, and no one will mess with you after. That¡¯s still some time off though, so I have time to prepare. Lots of time and many things I need to do.

 02

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    02


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Zeltros, 43 BBY.


    <hr>


    A lot can change in six years. For me, most of that change came in the form of knowledge and perspective.


    Once I got a handle on the language, and got my hands on a network connected tablet as part of my education (they called them data pads here), I was able to start gathering information and both verify and expand upon things I¡¯d heard in conversation. One of the first things I¡¯d heard and wanted to check on was what and more importantly where my people were.


    The ¡®where¡¯ turned out to be a planet named Zeltros and the ¡®what,¡¯ Zeltron.


    No one, not even the local internet equivalent, had heard of ¡®Earth¡¯ as a planet. Further searches turned up that we weren¡¯t even in the Milky Way! The galaxy we were in was spiral shaped, like the Milky Way, but I couldn¡¯t even say for sure if we weren¡¯t just in the same galaxy by a different name or far, far away from the place I had called home for two lives. My guess was on the second one though. I had a feeling that when Being X had said he would cast me out, he wasn¡¯t kidding.


    Zeltros was just one of many, many inhabited worlds in this galaxy, connected to the others by a galaxy spanning network of hyperspace lanes allowing for interstellar faster than light travel. It was located in the Inner Rim of the galaxy, between the area defined as the Core Colonies where all of the most populous and wealthiest planets were, and the Expansion Region, which was the start of the frontier¡ªthe galactic equivalent of the Wild West.


    Despite being outside of the core, the planet was ludicrously wealthy and primarily made its money off of tourism, with a dash of trade. Zeltros was a temperate garden world, much like Earth, save that it was cleaner. It was effectively a resort planet and our primary product was¡­ ourselves.


    That is how I learned the truth of what we were, as a people¡ªand the reason why certain things were the way they were.


    Zeltrons, I learned, were a species derived from humanity. Close enough to interbreed, genetically divergent enough to count as a new genus. We were just one of many, included among the likes of Sephi, Borneck, Etti, Chiss, Hapans, Tof, and more. Physically, Zeltrons had skin tones in shades of red¡ªfrom light pink up through crimson. Hair colors were generally reds, but also blue, black, brown, silver, and white.


    A few things made us stand out from the rest of the ¡®near human¡¯ crowd, however¡ªand were the reason Zeltros was a resort planet.


    Firstly, Zeltrons were all beautiful. Given that and the unnatural hair coloring, I was betting on there having been some genetic engineering at some point in our past. There was no such thing as an ugly Zeltron, unless they were physically scarred. Every woman I had seen outside of the orphanage was mouth wateringly enticing to my tastes and I imagined puberty was going to be hell for me and a test of my willpower and self-restraint like none before. Even the men were anywhere between handsome and pretty on the masculinity scale, with even the most rugged of them still looking like he had stepped off the set of a Hollywood movie on his worst day.


    Secondly, as I had discovered for myself, we were all mildly telepathic¡ªempathic, specifically. We were an entire race of people who could sense and project emotions.


    Growing up here reminded me of my first life in Japan, in a way. The walls were paper thin and you could hear everything going on in the neighbors¡¯ homes, so privacy was an illusion you were allowed until you started making too much noise. Or, on the flip side, if you were too quiet people might start thinking there was something wrong with you. In this case, the walls were the ones around your mind, and all of your neighbors were nosy and liked to pry, and if your walls were too thick that was also a problem.


    Not finally, but the last most notable difference, was that we naturally produced pheromones, making us more attractive and likable. Even the children produced them! Though, at least with children, the effect was less sexual and more seemed to trigger paternal instincts. When puberty hit, that¡¯s when we gained conscious control over their production and they changed to a more sexual nature.


    Imagine my surprise when I learned that the reason my new home was the vacation destination du jour was because its people were the ¡®life of the party.¡¯ We were biological social lubricant! The pheromones were basically applying beer goggles to everyone exposed to them¡ªeither by inhalation, skin contact, or contact with our bodily fluids.


    As a former Japanese salaryman, I had been party to more than my fair share of mandatory social drinking with my coworkers and superiors and I knew the effect even a mild impairment would have on someone. Combine that with the fact that we¡¯re naturally sexually attractive and who would say ¡®no?¡¯ It was, as some might say, a recipe for a good time. The empathy on top of it just seemed like overkill, when every Zeltron within range could tell if someone was enjoying themselves or not, and actively nudge them into doing so by projecting their own happy thoughts towards whoever wasn¡¯t feeling it.


    To put it simply¡­ I was reborn into this world on the Planet of the Hippies. The Planet of like, Free Love, man. Not as a normal human being¡ªoh, no! No, I was reincarnated as a universal sexual party favor according to the rest of the galaxy!


    Throwing a party? Having an orgy? Trying to curry favor with your local politician of choice? Don¡¯t forget to bring a Zeltron! The more the merrier!


    I didn¡¯t even have the benefit of being able to say that it was a planet-wide prostitution paradise for anyone with a galactic passport, or the credits and a ship to get here. No, you see, prostitutes get paid and my people¡­ they did it for free!


    At least, on a personal basis, the vast majority didn¡¯t charge for sex. There were exceptions, of course¡ªbut those were escorts, not prostitutes. I guess you could say that technically, the government pimped us out and they were the ones getting paid, then turned around and oh so benevolently paid everyone a percentage of the profits as a monthly stipend, a sort of universal basic income.


    On the one hand, it reeked of communism and offended my financial sensibilities. I hated the idea of someone getting paid for another person¡¯s labor.


    On the other hand, I kind of had to respect the game. Our government knew their product (their people) and they knew we provided services (sex), so why not benefit by charging admission at the door, then just pay everyone a cut of the proceeds?


    We didn¡¯t pay taxes, the government paid us from the taxes and revenue they made off of visitors. It wasn¡¯t communism or even socialism, it was technically a wage for an unofficial service the government quietly encouraged its people to participate in, and the majority of those people willingly dove into face first.


    ¡­Just because we got paid didn¡¯t mean I had to like it.


    But even with all of that¡­ The strange, huge new universe full of alien life. The involuntary change in species. The reputation that was sure to follow me around in the future. What upset me the most was that they wouldn¡¯t leave me alone and let me quietly opt out! This bunch of social busybodies were entirely too interested in poking their noses into my business for my own good!


    They took my unwillingness to participate or interact with certain people and my tendency to shut myself off emotionally as some sort of challenge. They never stopped to think that perhaps they were the problem, not me. No, I was a calm, rational, logical human being Zeltron who could make her own decisions and chose to abstain voluntarily and thought our planet¡¯s culture was a degenerate cesspool of filth, excess, and debauchery.


    I was the sane one! Everyone else on this planet was crazy.


    Alcoholism? Never heard of it. We¡¯ve got two livers so we can drink twice as much!


    Substance abuse? Addiction? Damage to internal organs? We had medical technology to counteract all of those negative effects, so you could mainline the latest designer drugs with no detrimental effects.


    Sex addition? Inability to pair bond? Trivializing the most intimate thing two (or more) consenting adults can do? Oh, and let¡¯s not forget about the city-wide underground orgies any time enough teenagers hit critical mass and all got together! No, those are just part of our culture or I was blowing things out of proportion or had outdated views on sexual relations.


    Stable, loving, monogamous marriage and a nuclear family? You would have to be some sort of selfish, possessive, degenerate prude to want to monopolize a person!


    No, I was the weird one. I was the outcast for always being a downer, or a wet blanket¡ªa mood killer.


    Literally from the day after my birth, in fact. The one time I actually couldn¡¯t keep a lid on things, it had convinced my mother to dump me off at an orphanage. I had actually tracked her down and asked why. It wasn¡¯t hard. Everyone was registered in the system and public transit was free and readily available. It turns out that when a child feels the sort of loss of a battle hardened soldier finally breaking down after seeing their comrades killed and everything they fought for destroyed, it kind of¡­ terrifies normal people. After all, what would a newborn have to complain about?


    This planet sucked and I wanted off of it. Thankfully, that option was available to me, once I got a little older. Ten more years and I could sign on with a freighter crew or something and work to pay for passage pretty much anywhere I wanted to go. I was already looking into options, actually.


    Apparently, the more civilized parts of the galaxy¡ªthe core, that is¡ªwere run by a galactic republic, the aptly and creatively named Grand Republic, or just the Republic for short. They were the ones who set the calender and clocks, who controlled the banks and set the value of the galactic standard credit. And despite my¡­ misgivings about the way they seemed to be heading down the slope of mismanagement, corruption, vice, graft, and all of the other signs of a dying empire circling the drain, they were still the best option out there.


    One lifetime with a desk job career in Human Resources and a second with years in the military and practical experience managing people, materiel, and more (in addition to my combat experience) had convinced me that the perfect fusion of those two roles would likely lie in the Republic Navy. If I had been allowed to join the Imperial Navy during my last life instead of being fast tracked through the aerial mage course due to my magic potential, I could have had that comfy life in the rear I had been dreaming of since waking up in the German Empire.


    This time, I wouldn¡¯t be making the mistake of signing up to be what was essentially a cross between a foot soldier and a fighter pilot. No, Plan A was to join the Republic Navy and work my way up the chain of command. If I could get my own command and go do long, boring, routine patrols well out away from any hint of potential combat, sitting back on my ship with my feet up and collecting a pay check, I¡¯d consider that a win. A successful career.


    Now if only there wasn¡¯t so much chatter on the galactic internet about rising taxes, tariffs, and the Trade Federation. I didn¡¯t like what I was seeing, and if I was adding everything up correctly, there was only one possible outcome¡ª


    <hr>


    ¡°You¡¯re scowling again. What is it this time? The economy? The state of society?¡±


    I looked up from the data pad as the Matron entered my bedroom. In an orphanage, space was at a premium. Normally, I wouldn¡¯t be allowed such a luxury and would instead be crammed into a room with at least three other kids, all in bunk beds. There was just the minor problem that I disliked having roommates intensely, and since we were a species of empaths, my options were limited to either keeping my mental walls up all the time, or letting them know how I really felt.


    Keeping myself shielded against casual observation was extremely unnerving to be in the same room with, apparently. I was effectively cutting myself off from one of our primary senses that way. Imagine being in a room with someone and you can¡¯t hear a thing they do, only to look over and suddenly realize they¡¯re there. That was a complaint my former roommates had given repeatedly, until I eventually capitulated and went with the second option.


    That proved to be a mistake, as it turned out. This world and its people are¡­ soft. Not weak, per se, but very sensitive, emotionally speaking. Which, one would think, would be the exact opposite case! If you¡¯re able to listen in to and experience others¡¯ emotions, then surely you would build up more of a resistance to negative emotions and feeling bad. That was not the case at all for most of these people, especially not the children.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    That softness was so present within the children of the orphanage that there weren¡¯t even any bullies. No little boys pushing others around or hitting them. No little girls practicing their manipulation, lying, and other games. No one causing problems. It was a bit creepy actually, to see children so well behaved, because their emotional maturity skyrocketed from an early age due to being able to feel what others felt¡ªat least, in some ways. They were less prone to be offensive, but again, soft because of it.


    Letting down my mental defenses when I came into my bedroom to find my roommates, or when they came in, was sort of like shouting at them that I was bothered by their presence, disliked them, and wanted them to go away. Constantly. It never stopped unless they went away. Now, imagine someone doing that when you¡¯re trying to sleep. If you snore a little too loudly, only to be woken up by shouting. It¡¯s untenable. And the worst part was, I couldn¡¯t exactly help it when I myself was asleep or close to it.


    Sometimes, I wondered if that made me the orphanage bully. But it wasn¡¯t as though I was going out of my way or intentionally trying to hurt them, so I quickly dismissed that notion.


    So, because I was apparently a literal pain to be around, I was given a room to myself. With a bedroom of my own and a datapad to keep myself entertained, outside of leaving my room to ¡®play¡¯ (read: keep myself fit and healthy while building strength, flexibility, and reflexes using the orphanage¡¯s playground equipment), eat, or shower, I generally kept to myself and happily kept myself occupied learning. And a happy Tanya is a Tanya who blends in socially and doesn¡¯t stand out in the background emotional clutter. Everyone benefited from this arrangement, compared to any of the alternatives.


    Of course, not everything is all light reading and there are some things a person is just not happy to learn. Learning through the galactic news of financial and political instability affecting shipping, trade, tariffs, taxes, and thus the economies of multiple worlds and my future as a potential Republic Navy recruit if the navy couldn¡¯t afford to pay me, let alone outfit and fuel their ships was not good news or light reading. There was also the risk of joining when it seemed a war was almost inevitable, looming some time in the not so distant future.


    I didn¡¯t want to fight in another war. At the same time, I wanted my freedom and a career path that would set me up to retire comfortably. I was already running a risk/reward evaluation and still coming out on the side of reluctantly joining up. But it had me worried.


    ¡°Trade.¡± When the woman raised an eyebrow, I explained. ¡°There is some political instability between the Core and the Inner Rim¡ªa few skirmishes breaking out here and there. The Trade Federation is complaining about increasing taxes and tariffs, and having to source materials from different places causing changes in prices due to opportunistic price gouging or use alternate routes which create delays and increases fuel costs. These costs will obviously be passed on to the consumer, creating inflation with no rise in pay to compensate.¡±


    The Matron sat on the bed on the empty bunk opposite my own, studying me as she radiated mild amusement, curiosity, and worry. ¡°And why does that have you scowling?¡±


    Tapping the data pad, I brought up my latest findings and passed it to her. The older woman looked it over for a few moments before shaking her head. ¡°I don¡¯t understand. What do stock prices have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t tell just by looking at their names. I had to do some research to find those, after all. They aren¡¯t widely known, because they¡¯re all based in the frontier. Out in the Expansion Region and Mid Rim. These are areas that the Trade Federation has been expanding into aggressively, going back thirty years, with help from their good friends the IGBC¡ªthe Banking Clan. Those companies are all on planets that have had scuffles with the Trade Federation in the past¡ªjust a few planets on a very long list that covers a multitude of goods used both in daily life and by the Republic¡¯s various military assets. They were blockades, really. And then, for some reason, those blockaded planets later signed some exclusive trade deals with the Trade Federation for whatever it was they produce, only for the blockade to coincidentally lift. Then, to the surprise of literally no one who understands finance, the prices on whatever goods those planets were exporting went up¡ªsometimes as little at fifty percent, sometimes as high as a one thousand percent increase. The destination for the majority of those goods? The Core and the Inner Rim. We¡¯re seeing the beginnings of hyperinflation in the inner systems. Even we haven¡¯t been unaffected by all of this. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that the price of certain staple goods that are imported from the Expansion Region¡¯s agri-worlds, such as flour and sugar, have gone up? Those now have exclusive trade deals with the Trade Federation.¡±


    ¡°And these companies?¡± the Matron wagged the data pad, growing more worried the more I laid it out for her.


    I smiled and for some strange reason, the Matron flinched. I carefully hid my amusement. I had no idea why, it was the same smile I always used, but for some reason it always drew out a peculiar reaction in others.


    By which I meant, for a brief moment, the woman was terrified of something before she repressed the emotion. And she wasn¡¯t unique in that reaction. Personally, I thought it was strange. I had a beautiful smile¡ªI¡¯d know, I¡¯d tried it on myself in the mirror more than enough to know what it looked like, in two lifetimes. If they were going to react like that, it really only made me want to do it more.


    It did make me wonder if that wasn¡¯t what everyone who saw me smiling like that in my previous life felt¡­ It might go a way towards explaining some of the strange things my enemies liked to shout at me when we fought. Epithets like devil or demon.


    ¡°The first? An orbital works. A shipyard that produces large, bulk troop transport and vehicle carriers. The second? A heavy weapons manufacturing plant. They make hover tanks and other such craft. The other three are all droid factories specializing in combat droids. One makes the B1 series of battle droids. Small, light, cheap, fast, and easy to produce. Reviews say their targeting algorithms and AI are crap, but put enough of them together and continuous fire will handle most problems. Another makes the B2, the B1¡¯s bigger, angrier brother. Just as dumb, but much harder to kill. They¡¯re shock troops, essentially. Meant to be sent in to soak up fire while someone maneuvers B1s into a flanking position. The third produces something called a droideka, or destroyer droid. They can curl into a ball and roll themselves where they need to go. Fast, heavily armed, and they have energy shields. They¡¯re basically mobile turrets.¡±


    The Matron had begun to pale the longer I went on. Finally, she swallowed thickly as fear briefly rolled off of her before she shut it out. ¡°And¡­ the stocks of those all went up?¡±


    ¡°Massively.¡±


    ¡°Which would mean¡­¡±


    ¡°It means that business is booming,¡± I nodded, confirming what she didn¡¯t want to say. ¡°Someone has made some very large purchases recently. You could make the argument that militaries replace their hardware all the time and this could simply be a case of cycling in new equipment. Normally, I¡¯d agree, if it weren¡¯t for everything else going on around it. Put it all together and it paints a very grim picture for the future. I estimate ten, maybe twenty years before a war breaks out between the Republic and the Trade Federation¡ªwhich would really be a war between the Republic and the IGBC, using the Trade Federation as a proxy.¡±


    Sighing, the older woman slumped in a bit on herself. ¡°I see. That is¡­ distressing.¡± Her red eyes bored into my blue. ¡°I don¡¯t see how it would concern you in particular, though.¡±


    ¡°I was planning to join the Republic Navy when I got old enough to leave.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± the Matron winced. ¡°Yes, I see now.¡± Sighing, she powered off the datapad and stood, putting on a stern look even as she radiated concern. ¡°I think that¡¯s enough reading for today. Go outside. Go play. Go do something else and stop worrying about all of this. You¡¯re upsetting the other children. You can worry about adult problems when you become an adult.¡±


    ¡°The children of today inherit today¡¯s problems tomorrow, if the adults of today fail to handle them,¡± I grumbled, but pushed myself off the bed and gathered up my jacket. We were fully into fall and while the climate in the Northern Province was generally mild, it was still cool enough to need one. Grabbing my datapad back, I slid it into one of my jacket pockets. I took a moment to pull my silver hair back into a short tail so it wouldn¡¯t hang loose, then made my way outside.


    Sparing a glance at the playground, I considered it and the two children there for a moment, also here instead of at school today. As soon as I stepped into view however, the previously happy children all turned wary and unwelcoming. That was fine. I generally stuck to using the equipment when they weren¡¯t around anyway. There was somewhere else I could go instead.


    Making my way to the public transit station, I settled in to wait for a train, taking out my tablet and powering it back on so I could check the local news. Humming, I skimmed over the headlines on my way to the finance column.


    If I had some money, I could really play the intergalactic stock market right now and make a killing. With years of advance notice, I might even be rich enough to retire without going into the navy by the time I get old enough to.


    A headline briefly caught my eye and I raised an eyebrow. ¡®Jedi Master and Council member to meet with officials regarding offer to join the Galactic Republic.¡¯


    I¡¯d heard of the Jedi before, of course. They came up numerous times during my deep dives into recent local and galactic history¡ªand grew more and more prominent the further back I went. Thousands of years, in fact. They were a semi-monastic, pseudo-religious order of what closely resembled battle monks and lately seemed to serve almost as an extension of the Republic itself. They were peacekeepers, problem solvers, and diplomats. They believed in something called The Force¡ªa sort of universal energy field, around and inside everything and everyone, which seemed to have a will of its own according to their beliefs.


    It wasn¡¯t belief in any one specific deity, but rather, the way I understood it, it was kind of like a concept I was familiar with from my first life, having been born Japanese. When a living being died, their essence returned to the Force. That included the souls of sentient beings. So, in a way, veneration of the Force was a form of ancestor worship, in addition to a belief in a greater driving will.


    I didn¡¯t necessarily agree with it, but I will say that it didn¡¯t make me twitchy and start looking for a rifle. If they wanted to worship some universal energy field, that was fine with me. Especially since I could actively prove it existed any time I felt like it, given that my powers used that same energy and I could draw in more from the world around me or interact with it any time I wanted.


    Still, what are the odds this is related to the pattern I¡¯m seeing? I¡¯ll need to look at a map and go through headlines to see if there are other worlds where similar meetings are taking place. If the Core is trying to use the Inner Rim as a shield against the Trade Federation in the Expansion Region and outwards, then I don¡¯t want to be here and should start looking into moving that timetable for leaving up.


    Eventually, the monorail came and I climbed aboard. It was a short, half hour ride to my destination, and when I stepped out onto the platform the difference between now and when I¡¯d gotten on was like night and day. I breathed a sigh of relief as I took in the emotional silence around me, before I started walking.


    As it turns out, not everyone on the Party Planet of the Free Love Hippies followed the whole vibe of the place full time. A planet still needed a functioning government and other institutions to run. And given that this was a planet full of empaths, or rather humanoid lie detectors, it made sense that those who went into politics would learn how to shield their minds.


    Nearly the entire district that served as the seat of power for the Northern Province of Zeltros was a sea of emotional calm. Even the basics such as janitorial services and food service were taken care of droids, so as not to disturb the silence. For most Zeltrons, I imagined it was unnerving. It would be like, for a human on Earth, walking into a crowded mall only for it to be dead silent.


    The reality was, the silence was a tool. You see, in that sea of silence, any emotion at all stood out. Which meant that foreign dignitaries were super easy to spot and read for my people.


    As for myself, as long as I kept generally out of sight, no one complained about my presence. I blended into the background here, with my mental shields up. As long as no one saw me, I might as well be invisi¡ª


    ¡°Now, that is rather interesting.¡±


    I blinked, my head whipping to the side as I spotted movement coming out of one of the nearby restaurants. For a moment, I mentally kicked myself for falling into the same trap as the locals¡ªrelying too much on my empathic sense to feel out those around me and not enough on my eyes and ears. Lt. Col. Tanya von Degurechaff would have had one of her subordinates doing PT until doomsday for that mistake.


    I met eyes with a man coming out, carrying a takeout bag and a drink. The first thing I noticed was that he was human¡ªjust a standard, baseline human. He was an older man, white, with a beard and hair that were turning more salt than pepper with age. He was tall, easily two meters and change, and the way he moved and carried himself had the soldier in me sitting up and taking notice, like recognizing like. He wore a brown robe over his clothes, and when he shifted the bag he was carrying I spotted something that looked vaguely like a flashlight stuck to the side of his belt.


    He was also a complete damned void to my empathy. Despite his amused smile, not a trace of whatever he was feeling slipped out.


    ¡°It¡¯s rare to see a child with that sort of mental control, especially among your people,¡± he mused. Studying me for a moment, his smile widened fractionally and he nodded. ¡°It¡¯s a pleasant day. Would you mind humoring an old man? Come sit with me. Have you eaten?¡±


    His words reminded me that I hadn¡¯t had lunch yet, so I shook my head. ¡°I have not. I left before lunch time. Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain.¡± He placed his bag and cup down on one of the tables outside and gestured towards one of the seats. I raised an eyebrow as it scraped along the ground two feet, moving back from the table. ¡°Sit, please. I¡¯ll be right back.¡±


    I watched as he made his way back into the restaurant. Shrugging, I moved over to the table and sat down, waiting patient for him to return. The situation was a bit strange, but I was curious. I might have been worried, but he didn¡¯t seem like the type to offer me candy that he kept in his van just around the corner, and if he did¡­


    I reached down and checked the knife in my jacket pocket, making sure it was ready. I highly doubted anyone would be prepared to deal with an invisible mage blade that could extend well beyond the distance between myself and the seat across the table, removing limbs or parting their head from their shoulders, if it came down to a fight.


    The older man returned a moment later and sat. ¡°We won¡¯t have to wait long,¡± he informed me, before bowing slightly at the waist where he sat. ¡°I am Jedi Master Dooku. And who do I have the pleasure of speaking with, young lady?¡±


    Huh. Wasn¡¯t expecting to actually meet the guy.


    ¡°Tanya. I was just reading about you. I expected you to be in talks with the government for most of the day. This is¡­ quite the coincidence.¡±


    The old man chuckled. ¡°We took recess for lunch. As for our meeting, ¡®coincidence¡¯ is sometimes just another name for the will of the Force. I¡¯ve found that time and time again, it has guided me to where I need to be and who I need to meet, when I need to meet them. So tell me, young Tanya. Should you not be in school?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°I home school myself. I¡¯m not allowed to attend a normal public school.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ll humor me, what brings you here today?¡±


    Letting out a chuckle of my own, I smiled. To my surprise, the old man didn¡¯t flinch, and I still didn¡¯t sense a thing off of him. ¡°I got kicked out and told to go play, or do literally anything other than continue reading. Apparently, I was bothering the other children. The Matron complained that I was worrying too much.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± he asked, curiosity in his tone. ¡°Not to diminish your worries, but surely a child has little to worry about beyond the typical worries of children.¡±


    Shaking my head, I pulled out my tablet and brought up what I had shown the Matron. ¡°Have a look and tell me what you think.¡±


    The Jedi Dooku read over the list of companies and stock increases and his genial smile slowly fell. Slowly, he looked up and met my eyes across the table. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me what you believe this means?¡±


    Shrugging, I launched into the explanation I had given the matron. Dooku began nodding along as I spoke, clearly familiar with everything I was saying. Finally, he pushed the tablet back to me as another order of food and a drink came out. He opened the food up and presented me with the new batch¡ªspicy noodles, vegetables, and a meat not unlike chicken.


    ¡°You say you¡¯re interested in joining the Republic Navy?¡± he asked, and I nodded. Humming, the old man studied me for a moment longer before asking, ¡°Have you considered a career in politics instead?¡±


    Leaning closer, I asked, ¡°What did you have in mind?¡±

 03

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    03


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Zeltros, 43 BBY.


    <hr>


    I can¡¯t believe I am actively falling for ¡®There¡¯s candy back in my space ship, little girl.¡¯


    It wasn¡¯t that simple, of course.


    The old man in this scenario was a Jedi master and member of their council, and a diplomat here on official business. The Jedi had a reputation for being exactly the sort of Lawful Good that an offer like the one I¡¯d been given was no doubt genuine.


    The candy in question was only the thing I was most concerned with: my future. Namely, the possibility of a stable future and a ticket off of Zeltros now. Then there was the unspoken understanding that I would be trained to use the Force by a group who had been refining the process for thousands of years. I felt I had done alright on my own, but seeing the master Jedi use telekinesis so casually, I couldn¡¯t help but suspect I was doing something wrong¡ªlacking some understanding of it that they had and I didn¡¯t in my fumbling around and experimenting with converting what I knew to this new system.


    In the end, I made what was either going to be the dumbest or smartest decision of this lifetime. I chose to get in the metaphorical van.


    ¡°Tanya? You¡¯re back late. What are you doing?¡± the matron asked as I packed.


    ¡°Packing. I¡¯m late because I met Jedi Master Dooku on my walk and he offered me a position with the Jedi. I spent the afternoon sitting quietly and listening in while he conducted negotiations,¡± I answered, throwing the last of my important clothes into the bag. I¡¯d asked what I should pack and the answer came down to not much. I was mostly just packing my underthings and tablet, because even clothes would be provided for me¡ªbut it would help if I had some of my own going in. I kept a couple of changes of my normal clothes just in case. They would provide me with a tablet there, but I didn¡¯t want to lose the notes I had accumulated, so I¡¯d be taking it with me.


    The Jedi lived a very ascetic lifestyle when it came to possessions¡ªespecially the so-called younglings. The children in training. That wasn¡¯t to say one couldn¡¯t have personal belongings or even wealth, and not all Jedi kept strictly to that tradition. In fact, acquiring wealth for the purpose of advancing the Jedi¡¯s goals and one¡¯s own missions as a Jedi was encouraged.


    Frowning, the Matron crossed her arms. ¡°We¡¯ll see about that. Where is this supposed Jedi?¡±


    ¡°He told me to meet him at his ship,¡± I shrugged, slinging my bag over my shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come with you.¡±


    Nodding, I made for the door. The Matron paused only to let one of her helpers among the older children know she would be gone an hour or so and to start preparing the evening meal. Then, we were outside and making our way to the public transit. A ride to the correct spaceport later, I followed the signs towards the berth Master Dooku had told me to find.


    The ship currently docked in the berth was about what I had come to expect from most Republic designs: angular, blocky, and ugly, valuing function entirely over form. It was small enough to be crewed by one, perhaps with a small complement of droids, but looked large enough to have its own living quarters.


    One about that size would be nice to have. Travel where I like, no sleeping in the pilot¡¯s chair, a kitchen, restroom and shower.


    ¡°There you are,¡± the Jedi master walked down the ramp leading into the ship. Spotting the Matron, he smiled and asked, ¡°Who¡¯s this?¡±


    ¡°The Matron of the orphanage,¡± I answered as he waved me past him, starting up the ramp. Turning, I gave the woman a polite bow. ¡°Thank you for taking care of me these past years. I know it hasn¡¯t been easy.¡±


    The woman sighed, before nodding. ¡°You don¡¯t have to leave, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I think it¡¯s better for everyone that I do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be just a moment, padawan. Follow the hall to your left when you enter and you¡¯ll find a set of unused guest quarters on your right. They are yours for the duration of our journey,¡± Dooku instructed and I nodded, letting him have a moment in private with the Matron.


    I found the room right where he said it would be and put my things down. The room was small, but livable¡ªwith a nicely sized bed that folded into the wall to save space, a toilet/sink combo that did likewise, and a small desk/table that also folded in with a chair magnetized to the floor. A rug covered most of the floor space and, given the way everything could just be folded up into the walls or moved into a corner, I had a feeling that was an intentional design choice and the quarters likely doubled as a training room. Possibly meditation as well, given the transparent metal window that one wall was that could be ¡®closed,¡¯ or rather become opaque with the touch of a button.


    There was a knock at the door as I finished up inspecting everything and I turned to find the Jedi standing there with a smile on his face. ¡°Are you ready for your first lesson, padawan?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± I nodded, turning and giving him my attention, waiting for instruction. Instead, he motioned for me to follow.


    ¡°While I am not a stickler for protocol, many of my colleagues are. The proper term for addressing one¡¯s teacher is master, while the apprentice is either that or padawan. If they have a rank, such as knight or consular, use that. When addressing the Jedi Council, either councilor or master are appropriate.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± I nodded and he smiled as we passed through a door into a cockpit.


    ¡°Take a seat and strap in,¡± Dooku instructed, gesturing to the seat beside him. I did as I was instructed and he gestured at the controls. ¡°What do you see?¡±


    ¡°Flight controls,¡± I answered immediately. ¡°I don¡¯t know the specifics, beyond that this is the control yoke and this is a throttle.¡±


    The old man nodded and leaned back in his chair, his brown eyes watching me like a hawk. ¡°Close your eyes, then open your mind. Listen to the Force. Feel it within and around you. Reach out with it. Don¡¯t try to wrest it under your control, instead let it guide you. As you do, focus on the desire to power the ship up for takeoff.¡±


    Considering him for a moment as he watched, I eventually nodded and closed my eyes. I lowered my mental shields for a moment and winced at the volume¡ªthe spaceport was even rowdier than the city, because here it was a concentration of alien species all with conflicting emotions, desires, and thoughts. At least among the other Zeltrons, the usual prevailing thought/emotion was happy with a side of horny. I could tune that out even without the shields.


    Dooku chuckled and I cracked an eye open. ¡°That¡¯s my mistake. You don¡¯t need to open yourself up with that sense,¡± he explained, and I immediately raised my mental shields again. ¡°Feel the Force within yourself and open yourself to the feeling of it around you.¡±


    Oh, I realized what he was actually talking about. It was effectively the same thing as sensing mana in the environment, except with this new power. The so-called ¡®Force.¡¯ I¡¯d been practicing that for years already¡ªsince I was born, in fact. I¡¯d never felt it guiding me, however.


    I reached out with my senses and felt out the cockpit, following his instructions on trying to focus on starting the ship at the same time. I felt the controls around and in front of me. Something stood out from everything else. I wouldn¡¯t call it any kind of guiding force. Not really. It felt like an¡­ echo? Kind of like fingerprints or wear marks showing which keys on a keypad or keyboard had been used most often.


    Undoing the harness on my seat, I reached out and flipped a switch on my left, pressed a series of buttons on my right, then hit another button on the left. The ship hummed to life around us. Feeling what came next, I hit another button and felt the ship shudder as the ramp retracted and the hatch closed. Opening my eyes, I looked over the readouts and saw that they all sort of felt right.


    ¡°This is such a cheat skill,¡± I muttered, shaking my head, to a chuckle from the old Jedi.


    ¡°How do you feel about taking us out of the dock and into space?¡±


    I looked over the controls and found a simple visual display for communications with the spaceport. Tapping the buttons, I cycled through options before I found what I was looking for¡ªclearance to take off. A moment later, we were approved and given a vector and speed. After that, everything was just¡­ moving and pressing things in the right sequence and following those impressions. Soon enough, we were in the black, the planet glowing blue below us and other ships and the space stations and satellites showing up on sensor readouts.


    For a moment, I sat there and stared out the window into space. Sure, having any kind of windows on a space ship instead of view screens seemed like a horrible design flaw, but at the moment, I was willing to let it go just for the view. Nothing but the black of space, the glow of the moon and the planet below, the twinkling of stars and things in orbit.


    Carefully, I eased my mental walls down. I nearly breathed a sigh of relief when all I could feel was the void that was Dooku and the faint collective feeling that was Zeltros from below¡ªno individual mental presence discernible, just a mess of excitement, happiness, sexual arousal, sexual gratification, and the usual ¡®emotional party soup¡¯ I was accustomed to.


    ¡°It¡¯s quiet,¡± I smiled, and the old man nodded.


    ¡°Space tends to be, yes. Planets with large populations can be a bit overwhelming for a Jedi¡¯s senses, and I imagine that will be doubly so with you. But it seems you¡¯re well on your way to learning how to deal with it. Which is good, because our destination is the most populated planet in the core. If you would, please lay in a course for Coruscant and make the jump to hyperspace.¡±


    Now, how do I¡­? I wondered, before the right panel stood out. A bit of tapping brought up a list of common destinations, with Coruscant right at the top. From there, the computer did the hard work and all I had to do was engage the auto-pilot, letting the ship adjust its course automatically before making the jump itself. A timer began counting down and I idly checked the map.


    Zeltros was in the galactic east/northeast of the Inner Rim, right on the Trellen Trade Route. It would be roughly twelve hours along that hyperspace lane, then the ship would drop out of hyperspace, change course, and get on the Hydian Way. From there, it was thirty-six hours to the next interchange, where we would then move to the Perlemian Trade Route. It would be another thirteen hours to Coruscant from there. All told, two and a half days worth of travel¡ªon a twenty-four hour time scale. Which oddly enough, most of this universe used because that was the length of a day in Coruscant, and Coruscant was kind of the standard due to being the economic center of the universe in many ways.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.


    I pushed those idle thoughts aside and instead turned towards my senses. As beautiful as the light show through the transparent metal hull was, I wanted to experience it with my more esoteric senses.


    To my empathic sense, it felt strangely like stepping into¡­ a dark forest. It was silent save for very distant echoes that might have been something, and a sort of lingering feeling that made my skin crawl and triggered who knows how many years of human, and then Zeltron evolution. I shut myself off, metaphorically crouching and hiding in a bush and trying to pretend I wasn¡¯t there, because instinct told me something might be even if my logical brain couldn¡¯t see or sense anything.


    To my mana, or rather Force senses, it felt like we were flying through a river of the stuff. As though it were concentrated here¡ªlike veins pumping the energy through the body of the universe. I felt strangely¡­ more sensitive. As with the empathic sense, there were sort of lingering echoes of ages gone by, but nothing distinct enough to make out.


    The old Jedi sat observing me in silence for a few moments before nodding. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s best not to leave oneself exposed in hyperspace. You have good instincts. There are, of course, tales of entities that live within the hyperspace lanes themselves, especially the further one gets from the core. As with all tales told by spacefarers, there is perhaps some grain of truth to them. Even the most powerful Jedi tread carefully here and dare not open themselves up too much. After all, there are remnants of things in the universe, dark things, that are naturally drawn to the light and will strike at any vulnerable mind if the opportunity arises. Guard yourself well here, padawan.¡±


    ¡°Dark things such as¡­?¡± I prompted and the old man smiled.


    ¡°Have you heard of the Sith?¡± he asked, and I shook my head. ¡°We¡¯ve done much to erase them from history, through the years. You could consider them something of a dark counterpart to the Jedi order. Where Jedi seek peace, Sith sought war. Where Jedi strive for harmony, Sith caused chaos. Jedi fight to preserve life, Sith left nothing but death in their wake. Powerful force users sometimes leave some of themselves behind when they die. Lingering echoes. Ghosts in the Force, one could say. A Sith ghost is perhaps even more dangerous than a living one. They can use most of the powers they used in life and can even slip inside and attempt to steal a young, vulnerable Force user¡¯s body. And that is just one of the many provable things we have evidence of, lurking in the dark.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be careful,¡± I agreed, firming up my mental walls and pulling my sense of the Force in, attempting to make my presence smaller.


    Nodding, Dooku gestured at the controls. ¡°What did you think?¡±


    I considered it for a moment before frowning. ¡°It was too easy. I understand perhaps a quarter of what I was doing.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± he asked, prompting me to continue.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it. I don¡¯t like the idea of,¡± I cut myself off, but the thought resonated. I don¡¯t like the idea of being a puppet to some Force, some universal will I don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s not to the level of Being X and the compulsion orb, obviously. I reached for it. I sought help and the Force provided. But¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea that I¡¯m not in control of my own actions, or that I¡¯m acting out actions I don¡¯t understand just because something says I should.¡±


    The old man nodded slowly. ¡°You seek control. Over yourself, your mind, and your own actions.¡±


    ¡°Well, yes,¡± I agreed. ¡°Mastery of oneself is important and a goal everyone should strive for. Also, the sanctity of one¡¯s own mind should be inviolate. That it isn¡¯t is worrying. The idea of giving up that control to some universal force for unknown and unknowable goals is¡­¡± I shook my head.


    Master Dooku nodded. ¡°I agree. That is what we teach at the Jedi temple. Self-control and mastery of the self, in body, mind, and spirit. Through that mastery comes the ability to secure oneself against malicious forces.¡± Seeing I was nodding along, he addressed my last point. ¡°As for the Force¡­ you are not giving yourself over to it to allow it to manipulate your actions, nor should you. Not unless you are prepared to accept everything that comes with that life. It is a difficult thing to do. I only know of one who has fully embraced it. For the rest of us, we see the Force as more of a helpful companion offering advice. It¡¯s wise to follow its guidance, especially when it warns of impending danger, but you are free to make your own choices.¡±


    Slowly, I relaxed at those words. The brief fear that I might have gotten myself into some kind of cult dedicated to turning themselves into meat puppets for an eldritch horror energy being ebbed. Across from me, the Jedi stood and gestured for me to follow.


    ¡°Let us begin the next lesson. Much like the first, this one will involve your sense of the Force,¡± he explained as he walked into the ship¡¯s small lounge area. A press of a button had the holo table descending into the floor, clearing up the space. Dooku held out his hand and, a moment later, a couple of small orbs floated out from his bedroom. Both of them lit up, coming to life as they powered on and hovered in place. ¡°These are training drones. When activated, they will shoot a low intensity laser at you. Your goal is to use the Force to predict when they¡¯ll shoot and from where, and to not get hit. As you progress longer without being hit, the pain level of the laser will increase, as will the frequency of their shots, while the patterns they fly will grow more random and more difficult to predict. When you¡¯re hit, the lasers will reset to their last level.¡±


    ¡°How long will they go?¡± I asked, studying the orbs.


    ¡°As long as you¡¯re willing to continue. They use voice commands, so to begin say the phrase ¡®begin training session¡¯ and to end, simply call out ¡®stop.¡¯ You can manually set the intensity and difficulty, but for now, it¡¯s probably best to let it adjust to your own learning curve,¡± the older man explained, moving back to the corner of the room. ¡°You¡¯ll do this exercise without a blindfold until you grow accustomed to it, then we will begin cutting off your senses until you are using only the Force. First a blindfold, then a helmet that blocks out both sight and sound.¡±


    ¡°So I just dodge?¡± I asked, and the older man nodded, an amused smile on his face.


    ¡°If you can.¡±


    If I can? I raised an eyebrow. I had a feeling this was some sort of test, to make sure I was actually physically qualified for the job. Or perhaps to determine if I was worth his time taking on as an apprentice, or if I should be put with the general population of students/hopefuls. The lure of freedom, the ability to get paid to cruise around the galaxy and do diplomacy, outside of any specific planetary or universal command structure, was too good to pass up. I needed to impress him so I would be fast tracked onto that future easy career track.


    ¡°Begin training session,¡± I called out and the two spherical drones began moving. I opened my sense of the Force up and listened as I tracked them with my eyes and ears. The sharpness I had gained with years of experience as a veteran aerial mage had dulled a bit over the years, even with my own training disguised as play, but I intended to knock the rust off before we reached Coruscant.


    <hr>


    I was right to bring her. The Force led her to me, Jedi Master Dooku mused as he watched the young Zeltron girl dance between shots of laser fire. She moved quickly, her head on a swivel as she tracked the two drones firing on her, using the least amount of energy necessary to shift aside, dodge, and reposition as needed.


    Her movements started off a bit shaky. To Dooku, it was a bit like seeing a Jedi who had been injured and bedridden for a while starting their training again. The instincts were there but there was a disconnect between what the mind knew and what the body could do¡ªa gap that the person recovering needed to bridge, the challenge of mastering their own body again to overcome.


    And yet¡­ the longer it dragged on, the smoother she got. She stopped having to work so hard to focus on everything as senses other than sight took precedence when the drones began moving fast enough and putting themselves in positions where she couldn¡¯t just turn her head a little to look between them¡ªnot without triggering the one she was putting her back to to shoot at her as its programming kicked in and took advantage. She had to move more, but she wasn¡¯t winded at all. He mentally raised his estimate of her base physical prowess, because everything she was doing was done purely under the power of her own muscles and efforts¡ªnot a hint of her using the Force to move herself.


    Eventually, the lasers started coming two and three in a second and one of them managed to connect. It was a glancing blow to the arm and would have been non-lethal, but it was enough to register as a loss in the drones¡¯ programming. As a Jedi Master, Dooku had taken on three padawans to date¡ªRael Averross, Qui-Gon Jinn, and¡­ the third student he didn¡¯t like to think about, given what had happened. Suffice it to say, he had some experience teaching young padawans. Generally, he knew what to expect in any given situation.


    In this case, he had seen padawans who had been training for years get frustrated or cry out in pain at the higher pain settings, when they got far enough along into a training routine. Young Tanya, on the other hand¡­


    The girl panted, reaching up and pushing some of the white hair that had fallen out of place from her face. She was breathing hard now, but he wouldn¡¯t say she was exhausted¡ªjust taking a moment to catch her breath. What worried him was the way she touched her arm, which would likely be tingling now as a reminder of the pain and to be more careful next time, and the smile on her face. Something about it sent a shiver down the old Jedi¡¯s back, setting off instincts that told him this girl was dangerous despite her appearance. It was similar to the feeling he¡¯d gotten when he had sat down across from her at that restaurant.


    That hadn¡¯t been malicious intent, blood lust, or a desire to kill¡ªthose he all recognized. Nor was it the look of madness. No, it had been more like¡­ sitting across from an older Jedi who had just come from a war zone and was still on edge, still assessing everyone around them, measuring them, and deciding how best to kill them if they became a threat¡ªand that self-assured certainty that they could do the deed if the need arose.


    This, on the other hand, was harder to quantify. She clearly enjoyed it and liked the thought of the challenge. There was excitement there, and a bit of pride.


    ¡°Begin training session.¡±


    He raised an eyebrow as she went right back to it without a word of complaint, her smile shifting from that threatening one that made his hair stand on end to something more pleasant. He didn¡¯t need to reach out with his senses to guess at what she was feeling in the moment. He had seen battle meditation, or training as meditation, enough among the other Jedi to recognize it on sight¡ªand the girl was a natural. It was like she was born to it.


    Dooku watched, evaluating her form as she continued to improve. The improvements were smaller, but they came more frequently now, as she quickly adapted. He let his mind wander as her motions flowed smoothly, until eventually that smile returned and she leapt. She snagged one of the drones out of the air as it was about to fire, rolled, then brought the drone up to fire at the second one. The second drone dropped to the ground as its programming registered the hit as having disabled it while the second beeped and stopped charging since she wasn¡¯t letting go¡ªmarking her the winner of this round.


    Tanya tossed the drone into the air. ¡°Begin training session.¡±


    After a bit of introspection on the source of his unease, Dooku realized what it was that was bothering him. What it was that set his instincts off. It was survival instinct, buried deep in the human psyche. Who knew how many years and generations of evolution that had been imprinted upon humans and human offshoots to recognize certain signs, certain patterns. Like seeing a face in the bushes, or eyes in the dark. Some part of him recognized her as a predator.


    That wasn¡¯t necessarily a bad thing and wouldn¡¯t automatically rule her out of being a Jedi. They still needed warriors with that killer instinct, even if most of their number were made up of those who would rather study and engage in soft diplomacy. As long as she wasn¡¯t some sort of irrational, thrill seeking psychopath who took enjoyment from murder, it wasn¡¯t a problem.


    Or at least, it wouldn¡¯t be if she were older. In a child? Those sorts of traits should be worrying. They would be, in fact, if Dooku hadn¡¯t spoken with her. She was mature for her age¡ªperhaps more mature than some grown Jedi he could name. Which, in a way, was almost as concerning. He knew that emotional maturity came soon for children of Zeltros¡ªit had to, given their nature and talents. But mental maturity as Tanya showed was an entirely different beast. She was lightyears ahead of where she should be, compared to her peers.


    It was clear from the way she spoke and acted that she preferred logic and reason. And yet, her actions and the emotions she displayed¡ªnot through her empathy, but in her body language and expressions¡ªshowed that she very much enjoyed the physical rush of simulated violence. It was¡­ balanced, between reason and action. Of course, he couldn¡¯t be certain until she was put through the fire, tested by the trials of life, and came out the other side, but Dooku had a good feeling about her.


    The more he thought about it, the more certain he grew that the Force had in fact brought her to him. The only hurdle now would be convincing the council to take her in and train her. She wasn¡¯t quite too old and without family of her own, there were no ties or attachments for them to worry about. The problem was that she was obviously quite willful.


    I¡¯m getting on in years, now. I wouldn¡¯t mind stepping down from the Jedi council to take on a final padawan and train her myself, if it came down to it. Perhaps I could bring her to Serenno¡­


    <hr>


    I was feeling a bit ragged by the time the ship dropped out of hyperspace above Coruscant, but I wouldn¡¯t say it was any worse than my days in the war college in Germany¡ªand certainly better than my college days in Japan, or the subsequent life of a corporate office drone. I was sleepy, physically sore, and had little numb spots all over but I felt like I had made progress.


    I was much more confident about what I was doing when Dooku asked me to take us in and set us down at the spaceport nearest the Jedi temple, thanks to the hours I had spent at night studying everything I could on both general flight controls and those for this specific model of ship. I still used the Force to guide my actions, but this time I understood the reasoning behind it and what I was actually doing as I pressed buttons, flipped switches, and brought us in under manual control instead of letting the autopilot handle it.


    As the ship fell through the atmosphere in a corridor cleared for us by the space port, I began to understand what the older man had meant about the Force offering advice and not being a puppet to it. I was coming in hotter than it recommended, but my own experience as an aerial mage and my reading up on the ship and its capabilities told me both that it could handle it and I could easily recover closer to the ground. It didn¡¯t try to take control of me and make me do as it suggested¡ªinstead, it adjusted to what I was doing and seemed to pick the best possible path from there.


    ¡°I¡¯ve sent word ahead to the council. They¡¯re expecting us,¡± the older Jedi informed me as we touched down.


    Once we were docked and I had the ship shut off, I looked over and asked, ¡°Do you have any advice for me?¡±


    Dooku hummed as he stood and we headed for the exit, where I grabbed the bag I¡¯d left there this morning, expecting us to arrive around mid-day ship/local time (which was actually closer to evening according to my internal clock, still set for Zeltros). Finally, the old man nodded. ¡°Be honest and don¡¯t be afraid.¡±


    ¡°What can I expect?¡±


    ¡°They will conduct a series of tests to verify your sensitivity to the Force and ability to harness it. After that, they will ask you a series of questions to gauge your intent and reactions while probing you with the Force and feeling out how you react. Now do take care not to accidentally block their attempts, padawan. The rest of the council might take it poorly.¡±


    Turning, I sent him a raised eyebrow and the old man sent me a sly smile. Message received. It sounds like any group of executives or ranking officers. There are always disagreements, either with individuals or the body as a whole. It seems Master Dooku would like me to tweak their noses a bit for him. Well, he did me a big favor by bringing me here and introducing me. It would be rude not to return the favor. It may reflect a bit poorly upon my job interview, but¡­ one of their criteria is use of the Force and another is obviously someone who can keep their emotions in check. This would satisfy both of those and if they complain, I can feign ignorance and claim it¡¯s a force of habit from shutting out other Zeltrons.


    With my mind made up, I followed Dooku to a cab driven by a droid and we set out for the temple.

 04

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    04


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Coruscant, 43 BBY.


    <hr>


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to wait out here, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Dooku said, as we reached a waiting room below the Jedi Council chambers. ¡°I must give my report on the results of our negotiations with Zeltros first. I expect it shouldn¡¯t be long.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± I nodded, moving over and taking a seat on one of the couches there after dropping my bag down on top of it. The older man smiled and gave me a nod, before striding through the doors and into an elevator.


    Taking out my tablet, I connected to the local network and began working to pass the time. I started with a search of the Jedi and who I was likely dealing with. That took some time, because the Jedi were apparently pretty secretive and didn¡¯t like to advertise. There were accounts, however. News articles. They couldn¡¯t hide everything, and a bit of digging had me a group of names and faces to go along with them. Of those, I narrowed it down to who I suspected I would actually need to convince.


    Grand Master Yoda was at the top of the list. Tiny. Green. Old. Not human, but humanoid. ¡®Enigmatic¡¯ or ¡®cryptic¡¯ according to interviews of those who had worked with him.


    Master Ki-Adi-Mundi was just below him. A member of a near-human species. His head¡­ looked like a penis, if I¡¯m being honest. He was regarded as intelligent, wise, possessed of ¡®noble thinking,¡¯ logical, and stoic. Reading between the lines and listening to the man¡¯s own words, he was full of himself, quick to leap to a conclusion, and stubborn once he made up his mind about something. The sort to make a grave error, then later act as though he had no hand in it. From everything I saw, I knew his type well. He was a middle manager who had ascended to the level of his incompetence as upper management, given more power and authority than he deserved, and it had only further over inflated his sense of self worth.


    Master Mace Windu. Human, male, age thirty. Black.


    It was still a mystery how this galaxy, which had never heard of Earth, had Earth human phenotypes that had taken hundreds of thousands of years of divergent evolution to develop spread across it. It honestly left me wondering if there might be a grain of truth to the stories of those people accused of wearing tinfoil hats and claiming to have been probed, or abducted. Regardless of the mystery, as curious as it was, it mattered little overall and less at the moment.


    Windu was¡­ a curious case. On the one hand, everything I read, all of the holovid and audio clips, painted the man as an asshole if I¡¯m being blunt. On the other hand, the things he said, his opinions on certain topics regarding corruption, civil unrest within the Republic, the Senate and their relationship with the order¡ªthey were either similar to conclusions I had come to already, or sounded like I would agree with them with more information on the subject. He seemed like a very by the book kind of person. A traditionalist within a very traditional order. Digging deeper however, the man was a bit of a contradiction¡ªas the traditionalist had developed his own lightsaber style, of which not much was known to the public, save for a few recordings of him in combat. Watching those compared to other recorded instances of Jedi lightsaber combat, I could only conclude that it was much more aggressive, unpredictable, and ferocious. Savage, really.


    There were others, of course. Twelve in total, from what I could gather. Of those, few were as pivotal in making decisions as those three and Dooku himself¡ªand most of them could be considered to fall into faction lines behind one of the primary three on my list. That, or they picked and chose who to support depending on the issue.


    Master Dooku appeared to be generally aligned with Grand Master Yoda and Master Windu. Sifo-Dyas was another human male whose views I found to align him mostly in Windu¡¯s faction. Coleman Trebor, Saesee Tinn, and Plo Koon all tended to align with either Mundi or Yoda.


    It was, in short, a convoluted mess of bureaucratic hell the likes of which wouldn¡¯t be out of place in a board of directors back on Earth. And just like home, all I needed to do was convince a few key voices and the rest would fall in line. I¡¯d done similar countless times across two previous lifetimes; this was nothing new to me.


    Be confident and show it. Look into their eyes. Answer questions directly and concisely, and don¡¯t give anything extra. If given an opportunity, contradict at least one of them, preferably someone who already seemed to be leaning against me, and use simple logic to demonstrate why they¡¯re wrong while not making them out to be a fool. And finally, remember that in any interview you are interviewing them as much as they¡¯re interviewing you. Don¡¯t come hat in hand begging for a job. You have the power to walk away and that gives you leverage.


    At this point, I was as forearmed as I was going to get. I didn¡¯t see much of a point doing more research on the council. Dooku had already been in there over an hour, so at a guess, they weren¡¯t just here to discuss his visit to Zeltros and taking me on as a student. If that was the case, it could be a while longer before I was called in.


    With that in mind, I pulled up my information on the potential war brewing and began fleshing things out a bit more. Now that I was on Coruscant, I had access to much more up to date records, without the interstellar lag of waiting on information to update between planets, as this was the information hub of the universe in addition to the financial hub.


    I was deep into updating my stock charts and adding new entries for more companies under the umbrella of the IBC and starting to get hungry and irritable several hours later when the elevator door finally opened. Looking up, I saw it was Dooku, who waved for me to join him. Saving my updates, I tucked the tablet away into a pocket and made my way over to stand beside him.


    ¡°They¡¯re in a poor mood,¡± he murmured as the doors closed.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t take Zeltros remaining neutral and unaligned well, did they?¡± I asked, and he shook his head.


    ¡°They did not. The senate will see it as a slight. And due to how closely the senate and the Council work, some among the Council also see it as such.¡±


    ¡°What did they expect? The planet makes more money by maintaining its neutrality and skirting several laws of the Republic¡ªmostly those about the use of recreational drugs and prostitution. Joining would mean they¡¯d have to implement those laws and potentially lose money, clients, and business, along with increased taxes to pay for planetary and galactic defense fleets that would never actually show up. Their choices were either keep your sovereignty and keep making money as you have been or lose your sovereignty, lose half your income, and pay for fleets to protect the Core. Even a child could see that¡¯s a bad deal.¡±


    Before we could continue, the elevator opened, depositing us at the top of one of the Jedi Temple¡¯s towers. I followed Dooku inside, moving to stand in the center of a group of chairs as he took his own seat to my left. I took a moment to take in the view of my first sunset on Coruscant from this height. Buildings were lit up as far as the eye could see, creating great canyons of steel and glass¡ªor whatever they used here¡ªthat led down to the dark below. Air cars zipped by in orderly lines, long strings of headlights and tail lights marking out traffic jams in the sky.


    ¡°Beautiful, is it not?¡± an older sounding voice asked, and I turned to find a short, old, green alien sending me a smile.


    Recognizing him as Yoda from the photos and videos I¡¯d studied, I shook my head. ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Mundi asked, drawing my gaze to the left. I kept my eyes on him and not the giant penis that was his head¡ªeven more penis-like in real life than in the vids.


    ¡°Impressive? Yes, certainly. Beautiful? No. It¡¯s not natural. No trees, no grass, no water. Just mile after endless mile of city, and who knows how many people pressed in shoulder to shoulder. It¡¯s cold, impersonal, and stripped of everything that would give it life.¡±


    ¡°Mm. I see,¡± the green man murmured, before looking to his left. ¡°Let us proceed.¡±


    Windu cleared his throat and took out a tablet of his own. ¡°I¡¯m going to view a series of images and I want you to give your best guess as to what each one is.¡±


    Remote viewing? That¡¯s a thing the Force can do? I wondered, raising an eyebrow even as I nodded. Interesting. I¡¯ll need to practice that later! It could be very useful.


    ¡°Begin.¡±


    Reaching out with the Force, I felt the Jedi around me, the temple and the concentrated Force energy flowing within it, the city around us and its people¡ª Frowning, I narrowed the scope of my senses, focusing on just the room. Reaching across the space between me and Windu, to the tablet. As I did, I felt the Jedi around me reaching out, attempting to probe my mind, only to come up against my mental shield. Many of them stopped at that, but a few persisted, feeling around it for weaknesses.


    ¡°It¡¯s a blaster. Model¡­ DL-44.¡±


    DL-44 my beloved~! A pistol that looks like a Mauser with some scifi junk slapped on, that can convert into a sniper with just a few attachments? Beautiful! Truly, this new galaxy is better than any so-called heaven for a true military otaku!


    The slide advanced silently and I considered it for a moment. ¡°Star ship. YT-1300 freighter.¡±


    Another slide. ¡°Sphere.¡±


    And so it went for about ten minutes, before they were finally satisfied. With that result, at least. Many of them radiated dissatisfaction and even frustration at their attempts being blocked, but none of them had tried to force the issue. I wasn¡¯t entirely certain that I had enough power to keep out a concerted effort, or if it being my mind gave me any sort of advantage over intrusion attempts.


    ¡°How feel you?¡± Yoda finally asked.


    Fighting down a yawn, I smiled. ¡°Tired. Hungry. A bit irritable because I¡¯ve had perhaps six hours of sleep over the last three days while I crammed in as much study and work as I could. I¡¯m running on caff fumes and those are about to run out.¡±


    ¡°A distraction. Dissembling,¡± Mundi frowned, and I raised an eyebrow. He was one of the ones most frustrated at being unable to get through.


    ¡°Master Yoda asked a question, I answered truthfully. If that wasn¡¯t the answer you want, perhaps you aren¡¯t asking the right question, master Mundi.¡±


    The alien man leaned forward in his seat slightly. ¡°Why do you shield your mind from us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like the answer to that as well,¡± Windu murmured, glancing to Dooku, who leaned back in his seat and smiled.


    A quiet cough came from behind me and I glanced backwards, to see a younger human man wearing an amused look¡ªSifo-Dyas, I recalled from my research. ¡°Gentlemen, there is a rather¡­ obvious answer.¡± The other Jedi turned to look at him and he looked a bit embarrassed. ¡°She¡¯s a Zeltron.¡±


    ¡°Yes. And?¡± one of the others asked.


    Dyas sighed. ¡°They¡¯ve all got the ah, empathic thing. Naturally. They¡¯re also, you know¡­ a party planet.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    The man gestured at me. ¡°She¡¯s a child. Why wouldn¡¯t she learn to shut that out, to the point where she just does it full time now?¡±This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    There were some mutterings among the other Jedi and, from everything I heard, no one could contradict him because none of them had any experience with Zeltron children. Clearing my throat, I spoke up. ¡°It is as master Dyas says. Although, to my knowledge, I¡¯m not typical of Zeltron children in that way. However, due to that experience, I typically guard my mind closely. And while not as¡­ uncomfortable as Zeltros, Coruscant is quite ¡®loud¡¯ and chaotic compared to Zeltros. On Zeltros, it was a constant barrage of a few simple emotions¡ªhappiness, arousal, and sometimes other things mixed in. It was easy to tune out. Here, it¡¯s a never ending barrage of a million conflicting emotions. Completely discordant. So, my apologies, but I won¡¯t be opening myself up any time soon. At least, not until I¡¯ve had time to adjust to the noise.¡±


    There were looks and a few murmurs, before eventually the green grandmaster cut in. ¡°Allow it, we shall. Deliberate, this council must. Please wait outside.¡±


    I nodded and turned for the elevator, only for Dooku to speak up. ¡°Master Yoda, if I may?¡±


    ¡°Hoh? Something to say, have you?¡± the old alien radiated amusement for some reason. ¡°Very well.¡±


    ¡°Not I,¡± Dooku chuckled. ¡°No, it¡¯s best to hear it from her own lips.¡± Turning a look on me, he nodded. ¡°Tell the council what you told me.¡±


    Nodding, I pulled my tablet from my pocket. ¡°I¡¯ve updated a few things and revised some estimates since we landed, thanks to the lack of lag on interstellar data requests. Some things have also advanced,¡± I murmured, shaking my head. Looking up, I swept my gaze over the eyes of the three men who had proved to be mostly in charge. Then, I gave the same report I had given twice now, with the most recent updates¡ªupdates which moved the timetable up and expanded the scale of the coming conflict, and more thoroughly and clearly outlined the IBC¡¯s involvement and their goals.


    As I spoke, I watched them, listening to their emotions while keeping my own sealed inside behind a one-way wall while I filtered out everything from beyond the room¡ªa little trick I didn¡¯t intend to let them know I was capable of. At first, I was met with skepticism and amusement in equal parts from different members of the council. Only a few people actually took interest at first. Dooku, of course. Yoda, as he eyed me with a focus that would have unnerved me if I were an actual child. And, strangely enough, Dyas for some reason¡ªthe man practically perked up and sat on the edge of his seat.


    Then, I got to the meat of the report. The amusement dropped away immediately. People like Windu actually started taking it seriously. A wave of alarm rippled through the council, though skeptics remained¡ªlike Mundi. That is, until I decided to handle him personally.


    Walking up, I handed him the tablet. ¡°These are the most up to date charts and graphs, along with the intergalactic stock market graph for the last hundred years, with the period of time where these troubles began highlighted.¡±


    Mundi looked it over and, as he did, I felt his skepticism fade. Slowly, the man nodded as a frown worked its way onto his face. Eventually, he passed it to Yoda and the tablet began to make its way around the group.


    ¡°In conclusion, masters,¡± I returned to the center of the circle, ¡°the banking clan is preparing for a war. Not today or tomorrow, but ten years from now¡ªwith a margin of error of two years to either side, though most likely on the side of waiting and building their forces a bit more.¡±


    The three Jedi I was focusing on exchanged looks, before Windu gestured towards the elevator. ¡°You said you were hungry. The cafeteria should be serving dinner about now. Take the elevator down and help yourself.¡±


    ¡°Where¡ª¡± I began to ask, and the man¡¯s lips quirked up into an amused smile. ¡°Use the Force to find it. Understood.¡± I glanced at Dooku and added, ¡°I¡¯ll return to the waiting room when I finish.¡±


    With that, I made my way to the elevator.


    <hr>


    Dooku sat back and crossed his arms, stifling his smile as the council erupted the moment the girl left. Nearby, Yoda watched him, meeting his eyes with a knowing look. After a few minutes of pandemonium and arguing, the old grandmaster clacked his walking stick on the floor twice. The room fell silent.


    ¡°Right you were, to bring her before us,¡± Yoda nodded.¡°As I said, I have reason to believe the Force itself brought her to me,¡± Dooku reiterated what he had said in their earlier meeting. ¡°This is where she belongs.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for this now. We need to act on this information immediately¡ª¡± Windu began, only for Dooku to interrupt.


    ¡°We have plenty of time. Eight to twelve years worth of time,¡± the older man¡¯s tone was firm. ¡°What is an extra hour to decide the fate of the one who brought us this warning going to cost us, when as we all well know that it¡¯s past the end of the business day and many of those whom we would contact about this matter will not pick up outside of those hours, even for us? No. Best to decide now, then begin discussions as to how best to handle it.¡±


    Windu and several others all clamored to speak at the same time, only for another clack of Yoda¡¯s staff on the floor to silence them. ¡°Correct, Dooku is. Time, we have. A decision must be made. Put it to a vote, we shall. Master Mundi?¡±


    The Cerean reached up and stroked his beard. ¡°I don¡¯t like that her mind is hidden from us,¡± he frowned. ¡°That being said, her work stands for itself. It¡¯s thorough. Meticulous. She spent the time waiting researching us and further fleshing out the information she gathered. We could use a mind like that.¡±


    Yoda turned and looked to Windu. The human considered for a moment. ¡°She¡¯s stubborn. I suspect we¡¯re going to have another Qui-Gon Jinn on our hands.¡±


    ¡°Need that, we do not,¡± Yoda murmured.


    ¡°Perhaps not in the same way. I get the feeling she¡¯ll follow the letter of any order she disagrees with, or find ways to creatively misinterpret them,¡± Windu continued. ¡°You saw it in the way she answered.¡± Steepling his fingers, his gaze shifted between Yoda and Dooku as he thought. Finally, he nodded. ¡°As Mundi said, she could be useful in any sort of intelligence gathering, research, or analytical role. However, as master Dyas pointed out, she is a natural empath due to being a Zeltron, and more sensitive to that sort of thing than your average Jedi. Yes, she shields her mind, and while that unknown is somewhat worrying, we can determine her intent through her actions¡ªwhich, so far, have been to pass what she knew along to us. Be that through her own design or the will of the Force. It also seems to allow her greater control over her emotions than some who have attained the rank of master themselves. She¡¯s intelligent, mature, driven, and aware of the Force. She¡¯ll find a way to train herself if we don¡¯t. Better we take her in where we can keep an eye on her and influence her training and education, than leaving her to her own devices, perhaps to come back and bite us later. I say fast track her for a role as a Consular.¡±


    ¡°There is a darkness within her. Far more than would be acceptable for an adult Jedi, let alone a child, and we cannot account for it. Cannot explain why that is. I vote against.¡±


    And so it went, as opinions were voiced around the circle as Dooku watched and listened, and made note of who leaned which way and their reasons for doing so. The vote was close¡ªtoo close for his liking. The more pragmatic minds wanted to bring her in, either to use her or as Windu had said, to tie down a potential loose cannon. Unfortunately, several of their number were entirely against the idea, for one reason or another¡ªthe black box that was the girl¡¯s mind, her rebellious streak, or more likely as he suspected it was the very same thing about her that had him fighting off the reflex to reach for his lightsaber from time to time.


    Finally, the discussion came back to his own former master, Yoda. The old alien hummed for a moment before nodding. ¡°Decided by majority, it is. Train her, we will not.¡±


    Dooku nodded and stood. ¡°Very well. Thank you for your time, councilors. Then effective immediately, I hereby tender my resignation from this council and the Jedi order.¡± The room erupted into noise and Dooku raised his voice. ¡°I will take young Tanya with me and train her myself, to make sure that she doesn¡¯t fall into the wrong hands. We wouldn¡¯t want the banking clan getting their hands on her. Or the Hutts.¡±


    That silenced the chamber. Leaning forward, Mundi asked, ¡°You would leave the order over one girl? Why?¡±


    ¡°¡­Is it the prophecy?¡± Windu asked, drawing the eyes of the room to himself.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be certain,¡± Dooku shook his head. ¡°She fits several of the criteria. Strong in the Force. As some have argued, there is a darkness within her, but where you see darkness I see a balance of the Force.¡± Meeting Windu¡¯s eyes, he continued, ¡°And as you especially well know, an inner darkness does not necessarily mean evil.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t know that for certain,¡± Windu argued, and Dooku nodded.


    ¡°That is true. I sense much fear in you, in this council.¡± Several of them looked upset at being called out, but he continued. ¡°We can only trust in the Force. The only way to know for sure is with time, and allowing her to learn. Teach her to harness it in ways that aren¡¯t destructive to herself and those around her. Or would you have me do nothing? Send her on her way and see where fate sends her? No. I can¡¯t, in good conscience, allow that to happen.¡±


    ¡°Much is shrouded about her future,¡± Yoda hummed. ¡°But right you are, perhaps. Better we keep her close, than others with more nefarious goals we allow to claim her.¡± Looking towards those who had voted nay, he continued, ¡°Urge you to reconsider, I do.¡±


    A moment later, one of the few women on the council, Jocasta Nu, sighed. ¡°Perhaps Dooku is correct. For what is balance without the presence of opposing forces? I¡¯ll change my vote. Bring her in. Send her to me. If she wishes to learn, there is a place for her in the library.¡±


    Nodding, Yoda tapped his cane on the ground. ¡°Settled, the matter is. She will be taught. Reconvene tomorrow, we shall, to speak of this news. Until then, tread carefully we must. Warn the banking clan and their allies, we must not. Meditate upon this, I will. Recommend you do the same.¡±


    With that, the old master stood and started for the elevator, the meeting over. Dooku stood and joined him as others began breaking off into groups to talk. Windu followed and, as the elevator was about to close, Dyas squeezed in.


    The younger man grinned as the elevator began to descend the tower. ¡°I¡¯d like to speak with her more, once she¡¯s settled in.¡±


    Humming, Yoda turned a look up at him. ¡°A vision of the future, you have had?¡±


    Dyas nodded. ¡°Last night, in fact. I foresaw a war. Not with whom specifically, or when exactly, but a war. Lots of droids. Lots of human troops. And a great many Jedi casualties.¡±


    ¡°And you think this is related to the girl?¡± Windu asked, and Dyas nodded.


    ¡°Absolutely. The droids, weapons, and ships in her report were the ones from my vision. Without a doubt.¡± A determined look crossed his face. ¡°If master Dooku is too busy or changes his mind, I¡¯ll take her on as an apprentice myself, in a few years.¡±


    Dooku chuckled. ¡°I doubt you¡¯ll get the chance.¡±


    ¡°What have you done?¡± Yoda asked, narrowing his eyes at his former apprentice.


    The human smiled. ¡°Nothing much. I just gave her some preliminary training, to pass the time on the journey here from Zeltros. I set her against a pair of training drones.¡±


    Curious, Windu asked, ¡°How did she do?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll let you see that for yourselves. Seeing is believing, after all. I will say that her dedication is remarkable. She has that rare combination of being a natural talent and the sort of work ethic to take advantage of it. She spent no less than twelve hours a day with the drones, broken up by time spent studying flight manuals so she could better understand what the Force was guiding her to do when I had her fly the ship.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± Dyas muttered. ¡°She¡¯s, what? Six? Seven?¡±


    ¡°Six,¡± Dooku confirmed.


    ¡°Not normal. Are you thinking she¡¯ll blow through the usual training?¡±


    ¡°I believe she will complete it exactly as instructed,¡± Dooku shook his head, then smiled and added, ¡°And then find other ways to occupy herself.¡±


    ¡°Another Qui-gon,¡± Yoda muttered as the elevator came to a stop. ¡°See for ourselves, we shall. Her training, I will begin tomorrow, with the other younglings.¡±


    ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll get her settled into quarters.¡± Starting for the cafeteria, Dooku paused, ¡°I believe it would be best to keep her separate from the other younglings. Give her a room to herself, as we do for older padawans. When I spoke with the matron of the orphanage where she had been living, that was how things were arranged for everyone¡¯s mutual comfort.¡±


    ¡°Right, the Zeltron thing,¡± Dyas mused.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t give her preferential treatment,¡± Windu shook his head.


    Dyas chuckled. ¡°Sure. Let¡¯s not take her race and circumstances into consideration. While you¡¯re at it, why don¡¯t you go tell those Jedi we¡¯re making the exceptions on marriage for that they¡¯re no longer allowed?¡±


    Windu frowned but said nothing. It was well known that he didn¡¯t like there being any exceptions, special consideration, or anything that remotely looked like favoritism among their ranks. Yoda cut off the argument with a nod. ¡°Do as you must.¡±


    With that, they went their separate ways. Dooku found the cafeteria only a few minutes later. Looking over it, he raised an eyebrow at what he found.


    It seems she¡¯s made a friend.


    <hr>


    The cafeteria was like any number of cafeterias I had been in across two lifetimes. The line was long and slower than it needed to be. The atmosphere was chaotic and noisy. The whole place was divided up into groups and cliques that I didn¡¯t understand beyond being able to separate them by age and sometimes race, as some species tended to group together.


    At least the food looks good. Smells good, too, I mused as I selected protein that looked vaguely beef-like covered in some kind of sticky sauce, some vegetables, and a few other things. The offers on drinks varied between water, tea, different fruit juices, and several different types of milk. I didn¡¯t want to imagine the animal that was sourced from, so I reached out with the Force and a desire to find the one I¡¯d like best and ended up with a glass of red-orange juice.


    As the only one not wearing robes, I stood out. Between the Force and my empathic sense, I could literally feel every set of eyes watching me and the air of curiosity filling the room. There was also something else.


    Glancing around, I spotted the tables on the far end, where older padawans were sitting. A few of them were looking my way and smiling, occasionally joking with their friends. Given the feelings of amusement and arousal¡ªthe second thankfully not specifically directed at me¡ªit wasn¡¯t hard to guess what they were talking about.


    My people¡¯s reputation precedes me. Great. This is going to be a thing going forward, isn¡¯t it? Now that I¡¯m off Zeltros, I¡¯ll have to deal with the assumption that ¡®Zeltron equals easy lay/party favor.¡¯ Damn! ¡­Well, it¡¯s better than the alternative of being stuck there.


    Shaking my head, I made my way to an empty table and took a seat. Taking up the two-pronged fork, I began to methodically destroy my meal. The meat tasted like beef with the consistency of veal and the sauce turned out to be something tangy and a bit spicy. The fruits and vegetables were all a new experience, but good¡ªsave for some bits of something the Force warned me off of and I shoved to the side of my plate. The drink tasted like nothing I¡¯d ever had before¡ªsweet and light, and left me wanting more.


    ¡°First day?¡±


    I looked up as someone put a plate down across from me and plopped down in the seat. It was a human girl of perhaps thirteen or fourteen, with light brown hair, blue-gray eyes, and wearing the same robes as everyone else¡ªsave that she had a brown over-robe on. There was a lightsaber similar to the ones I¡¯d seen Dooku and the council members wearing attached to her side. That and the over-robe told me she was probably not a student here, but actually some Jedi master¡¯s apprentice.


    She radiated curiosity, amusement, and patience as she waited, starting to eat her own meal that looked and smelled like chicken and salad. Finally, I nodded. ¡°Tanya,¡± I introduced myself, holding out my hand.


    The girl beamed. ¡°Obi-wan Kenobi. So~,¡± she leaned in and grinned. ¡°I¡¯ve heard Zeltros is a pretty fun place to visit¡­¡±


    I let out a disgusted sigh. At the same time, her emotions shifted to teasing and more amusement, even as her eyes slid towards the older students at the end of the hall.


    This Onee-san Kenobi is going to give me a headache.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not talk about it.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± she nodded. ¡°What would you like to talk about, Tanya?¡±


    Considering her for a moment, I nodded towards the lightsaber at her side. ¡°Where do I get one of those?¡±


    The girl beamed. ¡°You¡¯ll need to go through the Gathering. If you¡¯ve just come, then you will likely have to wait a while for a few more initiates¡ªenough to bother making a trip to a planet to collect a kyber crystal. I was sent to Ilum, but there are a few others. There, you¡¯ll undergo a trial and pass through the labyrinth before finding your crystal. When you get back, you¡¯ll construct your first lightsaber.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I murmured. ¡°Can you tell me about the construction process?¡±


    ¡°Of course!¡± she agreed, and I listened intently as she went on to describe the individual parts that went into creating a lightsaber and the entire process of using the Force to put them together.

 05

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    05


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Coruscant, 43 BBY.


    <hr>


    The first day of my new future career, I mused, pulling on the robes that had been delivered to my quarters, well before the sun rose according to the clock displaying the local time. Taking a few moments to stretch out and limber up, I stuffed my tablet in my pocket, left my quarters, and set out for the cafeteria. The smell of breakfast, caff, and other things filled the air as I entered, to find the place vacant save for a few older Jedi masters and the cooking staff and serving droids.


    Making my way to the line, I grabbed a tray and loaded up with what was labeled as scrambled eggs of some sort, a few of the better vegetables I remembered from the previous night¡¯s meal, and a serving of something that looked like chicken. I followed that with a big mug of the local coffee equivalent sweetened to my linking and made my way to a table. I demolished my breakfast quickly and did away with my tray.


    Alright, things here seem to be set up to encourage the use of the Force in all things. No signage, no room numbers, no labels on even the restroom. So if you want to get somewhere, either ask someone or use the Force to find it, then memorize the route. Likewise, no one has given me any sort of schedule, or told me where I should be or what I should be doing. So I have to assume that is my first test. Find out where I¡¯m supposed to be and when.


    Reaching out with the Force as I sipped the last of my cup of caff, I felt the rhythm of the temple around me. The ebb and flow, the paths and routines of those within worn into it over time, like water wearing down stone until it carves its own route. When felt like not particularly soon and the where¡­ I dropped my cup off and followed the flow.


    Finding an empty room when I arrived, I sat down on a cushion off to the side and took out my tablet. I started with local news and the stock market before moving on to news from abroad, connecting the ticks in certain stock prices with events being reported.


    Grain prices are up again and, as luck would have it, the Trade Federation have blockaded another agri-world that ships to the core. Wonderful. As much as I love capitalism, exploitative hostile takeovers and expansion only lead one place. Having one company come in and strangle competition by forcibly absorbing the competition is bad for everyone.


    The free market stops being free. The cycle of inflation begins. This leads to eventual starvation, then war as enough people are unable to put food on their tables. Heads roll. A new regime takes over. Rampant government intervention spreads like a cancer in an attempt to fix the market and make sure it never happens again, ironically further strangling the market. And so on, and so forth as the whole song and dance repeats itself, constantly digging itself deeper into a rut until it collapses entirely, dragging everything down with it and leaving the survivors to pick up the pieces. Dips, market correction, and crashes are inevitable and actually good for the system in the long run, but you always have someone arguing that their organization is too big to fail and needs to be protected from consequences¡ª


    ¡°Early, you are.¡±


    Looking up at the voice, I saw the green form of master Yoda had quietly joined me on a nearby cushion. ¡°I¡¯m an early riser. Force of habit.¡±


    ¡°Mm, I see.¡± Nodding towards the tablet, he asked, ¡°What troubles you?¡±


    Going back over my thoughts, I realized where the spiral had kicked off and sighed. ¡°Seeing the market inflate by the hour and watching the clock count down to war. The Trade Federation is blockading another agri-world. Price of grain shipped from that world just skyrocketed. It¡¯ll take about a week for the prices to change on everything here in the core to reflect it. By this time next week, the cost of bread from the primary supplier on Coruscant will be double what it is now, until they find another source for flour. Which will be from,¡± I flicked at the tablet, ¡°this planet. Also in the rim. Most likely next on the list of planets to get a visit from the Trade Federation.¡±


    The old master hummed, sending me a shrewd look. ¡°Predict where they will strike next, you can?¡±


    I waved the tablet. ¡°This may as well be a step-by-step guide. All you have to do is follow the money. Take the grain. They blockade a world. They raise the price of exported grain. The people that depend on that grain switch suppliers, going for either the next cheapest option at the time or the closest to a main trade route¡ªwhich is also usually the cheapest because of shipping costs. The Trade Federation follows the money and goes after that planet next. And so on and so forth. Except they¡¯re also doing it for fruits, vegetables, meat production¡ªthe entire food supply is under attack.¡±


    Nodding, the old man said, ¡°Make a report, you will.¡± A sardonic look crossed his face for a moment and he added, ¡°Understandable even by children, it must be.¡±


    I fought down a smile. ¡°So, make it so easy even a politician can read it?¡±


    The old master chuckled and nodded, before hopping to his feet. A moment later, I heard the hurried sound of many little feet hitting the floor approaching. ¡°Later. First, lessons.¡±


    Putting away my tablet, I stood as well. A moment later, a herd of children rushed in, all roughly around my physical age. All of them quickly went to a cabinet in the corner and began pulling out what looked to my eyes like over-sized colanders covered in LEDs and putting them on their heads. As they finished donning their headgear, they took up positions around the room¡ªnot quite orderly rows, but close enough, and with enough distance that they wouldn¡¯t hit each other. Then, they brought out the small lightsabers at their sides and flicked them on.


    The sound of a dozen sabers coming to life filled the room and my heart pounded in excitement. The military otaku in me wanted nothing more than to tear one apart and learn how it worked, and then use it on something. I had seen enough vids to know these things were capable of cutting, burning, or melting through just about anything.


    But giving a deadly dangerous weapon like that to children? Seems irresponsible, I mused, making my way to the cabinet and pulling out a metal salad bowl of my own. Frowning, I held off on putting it on for now. Instead, I turned and sent master Yoda a quizzical look. ¡°What do they do, master?¡±


    ¡°Amplify reception of the Force. Enhance your Force sensitivity, they do.¡±


    I considered it a moment before putting it back. ¡°No thanks.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± the master asked, reaching into his robe sleeve and pulling out a saber identical to the ones the other students had, before tossing it to me.


    Catching the weapon, I moved over to an empty spot beside the other students. ¡°I¡¯d rather improve on my own than use a,¡± I almost said crutch but caught myself, ¡°training tool.¡±


    The old Jedi chuckled and gestured. From a crate beside the locker, a bunch of drones rose up, one tracking out in front of each of us. A moment later, I heard the whine of multiple lasers charging and thumbed the loaner saber in my hands on, lighting up a blue beam of light in front of me. ¡°What¡¯s the goal here, master Yoda? To just deflect shots, or reflect them back at the drone?¡±


    ¡°Confident, are you?¡± he asked, as I raised the blade and intercepted a shot, sending it into the ceiling. ¡°Avoid being hit, you must. Reflect them, if you can.¡±


    Nodding, I focused on the drone and settled into the rhythm of blocking and dodging, having gotten a feel for how the drones escalated on the flight to Coruscant. I had never held a lightsaber before, but I had used swords¡ªin my first life and my second. In the first, sports had been required in both high school and college, and while I hadn¡¯t kept up with them later in life due to time constraints, I had taken both kendo and later fencing. In the Empire, those sabers on the uniform weren¡¯t for show¡ªthey taught us how to use them. So I wasn¡¯t completely starting from zero when it came to how to hold one of these¡ªI just had to ignore all the stuff about edge alignment.


    Actually hitting a ¡®laser¡¯ (actually a very under powered plasma bolt) in flight was easier than you¡¯d think. All you really needed to do was put the blade where the bolt was going to be, before it got there. The before part of that was a bit harder than just dodging, but very doable. Once I could consistently block them, I began playing around with the blade angle to learn the angles to properly reflect them. I used the Force a bit to guide me to get an example, then ignored it for the angles in favor of calculating them myself¡ªsomething I had been taught to do in the Empire to calculate bullet and spell trajectories and either dodge or shield; the only difference this time was that I needed to also calculate a return trajectory based on the angle of the shot, angle of the blade, and even the force I put into any intercepting strike.


    It was fun and entirely too soon, the class ended. Yoda dismissed everyone and from there, the students made their way to an indoor training room¡ªwith me following them, as that¡¯s where the groove worn into the routine of this place in the Force led. I didn¡¯t recognize the Jedi master overseeing the training, but I made an effort to memorize his name and face when he introduced himself. From there, he used the Force to lift a bunch of sections of the floor and turn the room into an obstacle course¡ªalbeit a fairly simple one. Then, he turned us loose and instructed us to navigate to one end of the room and back. Shrugging, I took off running.


    Eventually, the day ended for the children at lunch time. I collected a plate and found a seat, and soon found myself joined by the same girl I¡¯d spoken to the previous night. Obi, as she had eventually asked me to call her by the time we parted ways last night, sat across from me with a smile. ¡°How did you like your first day of training?¡±


    I studied the girl across from me for a moment as I ate, thinking it over. Finally, I asked, ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡±


    ¡°We have the entire rest of the day free.¡±


    The girl chuckled. ¡°Yes, of course you do. You¡¯re supposed to play! Or meditate, read. It¡¯s free study time. You¡¯re young. Going too hard will hurt your body. This is the time for rest and relaxation. Later, the lessons will get longer and more difficult.¡±


    ¡°And if I wanted to do more training?¡± I asked, and she sent me a look that silently seemed to question my sanity.


    ¡°You could, I guess. Just don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I know the limits of my own body.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± she nodded.


    ¡°What are you working on? You¡¯ve already been taken on as a padawan by master Jinn. Why are you even still at the academy?¡± I asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°We come and go,¡± Obi smiled. ¡°I go with him when he has missions off world, but when he doesn¡¯t, we stay here.¡± Her smile fell and she looked a bit annoyed. ¡°Master has me practicing the basics of lightsaber forms. Again.¡±


    Hearing and sensing her frustration, I asked, ¡°Aren¡¯t the basics fundamental for building on? With a good grasp of the basics, you shouldn¡¯t even technically need anything more advanced.¡±


    Obi¡¯s blue eyes narrowed into a glare at me and she pouted. ¡°You sound like master Qui-Gon.¡±


    I hummed, stuffing food into my mouth and chewing as I thought it over. Having acquaintances, even friends, not just among my peers but among those above and below me had paid off across two lifetimes. I saw no reason not to continue the trend now. Obi was a genial sort it seemed, but had taken an interest in me in particular for some reason. Why not expand on that and strengthen the forming bond?


    I was fairly certain I knew something she didn¡¯t here. A lesson I had learned in my first life that carried over into my second and now my third. I suspected I knew exactly why her master was having her focus on the basics and didn¡¯t want to get into the more esoteric stuff yet. The problem was that she was young and frustrated by what she saw as a lack of progress. She didn¡¯t need me telling her things she had likely already heard. What she needed was a sympathetic ear, which I was happy to give for the later reciprocity and expectation of being able to use our bond to call in favors from each other¡ªbut it wasn¡¯t the only thing she needed. No, what she needed was a demonstration of the lesson her master was trying to impart, that came not from someone lecturing her and telling her things she wasn¡¯t receptive to at the moment. She needed some way for the lesson to bypass her stubbornness and mental defenses, without leaving her feeling slighted in the process.


    I can do that, I mused, finally looking up from my plate as I took a sip of my juice.


    ¡°When do we start training in lightsaber forms?¡± I asked with a small, excited smile. After all, I actually was excited about all of this. It was a new twist on old lessons and included a lot of new technology, techniques, and weapons. I couldn¡¯t wait to get my hands on a blaster¡­


    ¡°Soon. They like to get the younglings up to a general fitness level and make sure they¡¯re going to be responsible with them before they start swinging them around,¡± she smiled, before looking Tanya over. ¡°But¡­ it looks like you¡¯re already well beyond the minimum level and you seem far too mature for your age.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a compliment.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t! You¡¯re too serious!¡± Obi laughed. ¡°You should learn to enjoy life more while you still can.¡± Studying me for a moment, she sighed. ¡°But I see you¡¯re the type who enjoys all of this stuff more than the average initiate. So, how about a lesson?¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    ¡°Oh?¡± I asked, perking up eagerly as she asked the question I was working my way around to.


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t have anything else to do this afternoon, so I wouldn¡¯t mind showing you the basics.¡±


    Looking over my plate, I quickly finished off my meat and downed the rest of my juice before standing. ¡°Let¡¯s go, then.¡±


    ¡°So eager~,¡± she chuckled, following behind me with her own tray. ¡°Is this why masters take students? Because you¡¯re so cute?¡±


    I rolled my eyes at the teasing. Soon enough, we found ourselves in a training room. Obi studied me as she considered where to begin. Finally, she shook her head. The girl radiated a mixture of emotions as she came to a decision¡ªannoyance, resignation, ironic amusement, and more. ¡°Alright. Get your training saber out. We¡¯ll start with the basics.¡±


    I hid a smile and followed her instructions to the letter as she guided me through everything, occasionally asking questions. ¡°So, I have a question not really related to the lesson.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m listening,¡± she nodded, watching as I slowly moved through a basic overhead slashing motion, repeating it slowly but with increasing speed over time.


    ¡°The lightsaber¡¯s blade is made of plasma, like a blaster bolt, but more concentrated. It shouldn¡¯t weigh anything at all. Maybe as much as a sheet of paper rolled up into the same length. And holding it still, the weight hasn¡¯t actually changed. But when I move it¡­¡±


    ¡°Why is there resistance, but no actual weight?¡± Obi asked, and I nodded. ¡°Because energy flows from the crystal, into the blade, and back constantly. You¡¯re fighting to keep that stable as it moves through atmosphere, the planet¡¯s magnetic field, and even the Force itself. Eventually, you¡¯ll get to the point where you can wield one one-handed, by using the Force to help contain and move the blade. Then, you¡¯ll even get to the point where you can impart something like mass to the blade using the Force, for heavier hits¡ªmeaning that you loop back around to using two hands, because it¡¯s easier to break an opponent¡¯s guard that way. So the lessons you learn to begin with stay relevant later.¡±


    I nodded, shifting my focus back to moving the blade. As I did, I felt a change come over Obi-wan. A feeling of realization and shock, then rueful resignation. Quietly, she muttered, ¡°I guess it¡¯s true what they say. You sometimes learn more by teaching.¡±


    She reached out and I sighed as she patted my head. ¡°We should do this more often.¡±


    That was how I gained an afternoon training partner, at least while Obi was on Coruscant. Only for the afternoon though, as she liked to meditate in the evening. As for myself, I found my way to the library and got stuck in to do research. While I would love to do a deep dive on their thousands of years of collected history, I was there searching for more practical applications to knowledge. Specifically, I wanted anything they had on the Force without the hokey pseudo-religious overtones¡ªI wanted a scientific perspective on the Force. Anything I could use to further bridge the gaps between the magical formulas I knew and this universe¡¯s existing framework.


    <hr>


    I looked up as someone joined me at the isolated library table I¡¯d found to study at one evening, barely a week into my time at the temple. Blinking at the smiling form of Sifo-Dyas, I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Good evening, master Dyas.¡±


    ¡°Good evening to you as well,¡± he nodded. ¡°How are you settling in?¡±


    Marking the page in the book I was reading, I set it down and leaned back in my seat. ¡°Fairly well, so far. I have few complaints.¡±


    ¡°But you do have a few,¡± he acknowledged, and I nodded. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me of them and I¡¯ll see what I can do?¡±


    Considering it for a moment, I voiced my concerns. ¡°I feel as though my time is being wasted with some lessons.¡± At his curious look, I elaborated. ¡°The early morning sessions with the others my age. I¡¯ve already grasped the lessons and advanced past their level. I¡¯ve taken to using time in my late afternoons to train in private with more drones.¡±


    I had taken the two sessions and combined them, after asking Obi for a little help with the Force-based telekinesis that the masters used to rearrange the obstacle course room. I couldn¡¯t hold everything in place in the air yet, but moving static obstacles onto the ground and stacking blocks was easy enough. Every late afternoon, I made a new obstacle course for myself, released a trio of drones, and ran the course while deflecting or reflecting blasts from the drones.


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s been noticed,¡± he murmured, nodding. ¡°When someone moves up from one drone to three within a week, the other masters can¡¯t help but notice. Many of us have been speaking about it, privately. There isn¡¯t a consensus on what to do with you. Some of us want to move you up to more advanced lessons, because at this point you¡¯re already doing it yourself. There are some problems with that, however. Certain masters feel it would be showing favoritism. Others feel that you would be advancing too rapidly¡ªthat you should take being in the basic lessons as a hidden lesson in patience. Others, like myself, don¡¯t like seeing raw talent wasted but the concerns of the others prevent us from acting in more direct ways.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± I sighed. ¡°Then I¡¯ll continue as I have been.¡±


    ¡°Or,¡± master Dyas interjected, and I paused. ¡°There is no rule against not attending those classes, especially if you¡¯re doing something better yourself. Results speak for themselves, after all.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re saying¡ª¡±


    Dyas held up his hands, shaking his head. ¡°No, no. I¡¯m not telling you to do anything. I¡¯m simply¡­ pointing out a loophole in our rules. I would hate for there to be some sort of misunderstanding and have you miss valuable lessons!¡±


    The man grinned, shooting me a wink, and I nodded. ¡°I see. Yes, thank you for that master Dyas. I¡¯ll make sure not to miss any valuable lessons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great,¡± he chuckled. ¡°It seems like your schedule is more busy than the typical youngling, but I was wondering if perhaps you had a bit of time to spare?¡±


    Understanding the request being made as a favor for a favor, I smiled. ¡°As it turns out, I may have some time in the late afternoons.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. I went back over that report you gave when you joined. I liked the work. Very solid. Very thorough. You seem to have a good grasp of economics and the consequences of market forces on the wider political stage¡­¡± When I nodded, he continued. ¡°And I assume that means you can do the inverse. Infer effects on the market from the political goings on in the galaxy?¡±


    ¡°Easily, with enough data,¡± I confirmed. ¡°Coruscant being the data center of the galaxy, all I really need is time.¡±


    The master¡¯s grin grew wider. ¡°Great. How would you like to help me with a little project? You see, the order has had some financial difficulties over the last few years. Since before this whole mess with the Trade Federation started, really. Mismanagement of funds. Cutbacks in donations from the senate.¡±


    ¡°Political pressure,¡± I interpreted and he nodded.


    ¡°Unfortunately, over the last couple hundred years, we¡¯ve become almost entirely dependent on funds from the senate and wealthy donors to survive. Ships, fuel, maintenance¡ªthese things aren¡¯t cheap, you know.¡±


    ¡°Of course. The order has minimum operating costs to send Jedi out.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± he nodded. ¡°I happen to have a few credits set aside as an emergency fund. I was wondering if you¡¯d like to help me decide where to put them to make the most money off of them?¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡± A brief thought to my own wants and needs reminded me there were things on my wish list that I¡¯d like to buy, and I didn¡¯t have much money at the moment¡ªjust what little I¡¯d brought from Zeltros. ¡°For a fee. Work should always be compensated, and I work commensurate to pay.¡±


    ¡°Naturally! The traditionalists don¡¯t understand that the ascetic lifestyle isn¡¯t for everyone. Sometimes, it¡¯s nice to be able to buy a little something for yourself. A nice meal, some comfortable sheets.¡±


    ¡°A blaster,¡± I added, and he raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Most of the order frowns on those, but you know what? Sometimes, it really is just better to be able to deal with a problem without having to get right up in its face,¡± Dyas grinned. ¡°What do you say to ten percent of the profits?¡±


    ¡°Twenty,¡± I countered automatically.


    ¡°Fifteen,¡± Dyas offered and I nodded, reaching out a hand to him, which he shook with a grin.


    ¡°Should we focus on short term investments, mid-term, or long term? Do you want high risk high pay, or low risk but steady pay?¡±


    ¡°All of the above. Whatever you think works best. Just keep in mind that we have a time limit of, say¡­ seven years.¡±


    I saw where he was going immediately and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll need to know how much I have to work with. The amount will change how I invest. A small purchase of shares will go unnoticed, but a large purchase will be noticed and can change the outcome.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send the information to your terminal,¡± he nodded to my tablet. ¡°Work out what you think is best, send it back to me, and I¡¯ll take care of it. Then keep me advised when we need to do anything with it.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± I agreed, and with that, master Dyas stood.


    ¡°In the meantime, how about a lesson?¡±


    I closed up my book and grabbed it and my tablet and began following him. ¡°What sort of lesson?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Dyas hummed, considering. ¡°You¡¯ve been learning how to predict blaster bolts shot from drones using the Force.¡± It wasn¡¯t a question, but I nodded regardless. ¡°That¡¯s just one aspect of the larger field that is precognition through the Force. With enough power and skill, you can even receive visions of the future. You should be careful of them, of course, because you might set yourself down a path you otherwise wouldn¡¯t. The future isn¡¯t set in stone, but it¡¯s very easy to trap yourself. Still, it¡¯s still a very useful thing to study. How about I get you started with something a little simpler? A form of precognition that won¡¯t wind up hurting you. Something a bit more general than combat precognition or even the typical sense of danger?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°Knowing how to be in the right place, at the right time, to meet the right people¡­¡±


    <hr>


    It took over a month, but eventually they gathered enough new students to justify a trip. There were eight of us crammed onto a small ship for a trip out to the Unknown Regions and Ilum. It was two weeks there and back¡ªmost of that time spent in a jump off of any of the normal hyperspace routes, one that had faded into the annals of history as Ilum no longer received much in the way of traffic save for the Jedi pilgrimages.


    Of the students, aside from myself, four were female and three were male. It was a mixture of human and near-human species, pretty typical of what I had seen in the academy so far. For some reason, after the first day being stuck in the ship, they gave me a lot of space. I wasn¡¯t entirely sure why, really. All I did was my usual routine of training and research. For some reason, that intimidated them¡ªI could feel the emotion coming off of them, along with a bit of fear. I¡¯d even caught a conversation where master Jinn had reassured them that no, what I was doing wouldn¡¯t be expected of them any time soon.


    I was pretty sure they were just afraid of hard work.


    Luckily, I wasn¡¯t entirely bored on this trip. Master Jinn and his padawan had apparently drawn the short straw this time, so I spent much of my time when I wasn¡¯t working on personal things with Obi. Too much time, really.


    The ship was small and quarters were limited, which meant everyone had to share. Master Jinn had his own private quarters, as was his right as ranking officer. Obi had her personal quarters¡ªperks of being the second in command. The rest of the kids were crammed between one more room with four bunks for the girls and the living room for the boys. That would have left one of the girls the odd one out, or sleeping on the floor, but Obi took pity on me. That, or someone had filled master Jinn on my sleeping arrangements. Either way, I wound up bunking with Obi, with the older girl using me as a body pillow. I didn¡¯t mind too much, if only because her presence wasn¡¯t psychically grating against my own when I tried to sleep. In fact, it was actually rather soothing.


    Regardless, when we touched down on Ilum, I was happy to finally be able to stretch my legs as we stepped out of the ship¡­ and onto the ice, where I was immediately annoyed that my tiny body was losing heat. I spun up one of the formulas I¡¯d gotten working in recent days, producing a weak shield¡ªit wasn¡¯t omni-directional nor was it enough to stop a blaster yet, but it was enough to shield me from the wind or make an umbrella.


    Since that only fended off the wind but didn¡¯t stop the loss of heat to the cold air, I split my focus and tried another. It was a simple formula I hadn¡¯t tried yet just because I hadn¡¯t had a need, but one we had made extensive use of during the Russy campaign in the Empire. It took a few moments, but eventually, I felt warmth spread through my body and let out a happy sigh.


    Master Jinn and Obi-Wan both took note immediately but chose not to comment, even as both radiated surprise, curiosity, and in Obi¡¯s case amusement. The pair led us some distance away from the ship to an ancient temple, covered in ice and snow. We stepped inside and I let my shield fall as we got out of the wind.


    ¡°Gather around, everyone,¡± master Jinn called, and the group of students stopped staring wide-eyed at the empty temple. ¡°This is perhaps the most important trial you will ever undertake as a Jedi. In this temple, you will be tested. Your courage, endurance, determination, wit, and even your character. A different challenge awaits each of you, depending on the path you choose. And at the end of that path, your lightsaber crystal.¡±


    Looking around, he met all of our eyes, a grave expression on his face. ¡°I warn you, this trial is not for the faint of heart. Initiates have died in the past. We cannot follow you, as the path is yours alone to walk. The danger is very real. If you feel you are not ready, say so now. There is no shame in acknowledging your limits. You can return to the temple for further study and practice, until you feel confident that you are ready.¡±


    Qui-Gon waited for a few moments and, eventually, one of the girls cracked and rushed over to his side, looking ashamed. He merely smiled and rested a hand on her shoulder. ¡°Very well, then. For those who wish to proceed, you may begin. But be aware, there is a time limit. You have until sunset, before the entrance freezes over¡ªafter which, you¡¯ll be stuck inside. May the Force be with you.¡±


    As the other students turned and began wandering into the temple, I sat down and closed my eyes. Reaching out with the Force, I felt the temple around me and the wellspring or convergence of Force it was built upon just like the one on Coruscant. Focusing on my desire to find the crystal that was best suited to me, I felt a pull in the Force and stood.


    The pull led me through a door none of the others had taken, then down a side path, eventually coming to a section where the hall abruptly ended with a room to either side. Feeling the pull going through the wall, I spun up a mage blade and cut a hole in the wall, before giving the chunk of ice a good shove with the Force. The circular chunk fell through, revealing a natural path behind it.


    Stepping through, I continued, into the dark. Another formula produced a small bead of light above my head. The passage I was in looked old¡ªand like it hadn¡¯t been traveled in hundreds of years, if not longer. Not since they put up the wall, however long ago. It slowly sloped downwards, before ending in a larger cave, jagged teeth of ice on the floor and ceiling both and a slow drip from above where light barely filtered down from the surface.


    At first, I didn¡¯t see a way through and thought I would need to make my own path again, but the Force guided me almost straight to a crack in the wall. It was just narrow enough for someone of my size to slip through. I squeezed my way in, the ice scraping my back and chest as I slowly went, until popping out the other side into a much narrower sloping tunnel.


    More walking, more navigating around obstacles, ever downwards. Through more caverns and ever narrower tunnels and cracks in the walls, floor, and occasionally ceiling. I didn¡¯t feel particularly close to the source of the pull after well over three hours according to my chronometer, to my consternation.


    It was as I was crossing one particular cavern bisected by a rushing river of icy cold water that I heard something and, abruptly, felt danger within the Force. It came again a moment later as a low snapping sound. I turned up the output on my light formula and switched it to directional mode, casting out a beam of light, only to see nothing but the cavern and the water. Nothing living to make any sort of sound on the ice.


    So what¡­?


    The answer came to me at the same time the Force warned me to jump back. I made the leap, only for the ground to crack and split below me as the ice gave way. I fell, a torrent of water coming with it as the river abruptly diverted down the new sinkhole¡ªhundred, if not thousands of feet deep, if my perception in the Force was right.


    Shit, shit, shit! No! I won¡¯t die down here hunting for some magic rock!


    I reacted on instinct, dropping my warming formula and firing up a flight formula. I¡¯d tried before, a few times over the years, and it had never worked. I could never quite make the conversion from mana to Force.


    In my panic, I tried again. I threw out entire sections of the formula and replaced them with things that I¡¯d perfected with other formulas I¡¯d managed to get working. Then, I dumped Force into it.


    The formula sputtered and for a moment, I slowed. It gave out a moment later and I began tumbling in the air.


    Come on! Come on! Fly damn you!!!


    The formula roared to life around me as I felt my energy reserves drop precipitously. It wasn¡¯t enough to stop my fall, but it was enough to slow it. To direct it. I felt a tug from the force and launched myself at the cave wall, dropping the light formula as I waited until the last second. Slashing forward, a mage blade sprang to life and ripped a hole in the wall, just in time for me to fall into another tunnel, this one sloped far down.


    I landed with a crunch on my side even as I rolled. The world turned end over end in a confusing jumble, my body bouncing off of several large pieces of ice and breaking through, knocking the wind from me and leaving me stunned. Until eventually, I slammed into something hard enough that I felt something in my chest give. It might have been another stalagmite or it might have been the wall¡ªI had no way to tell.


    There was a brief pain, and then nothing. Nothing but cold and dark as I drifted off.

 06

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    06


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Ilum, 43 BBY.


    <hr>


    Pain welled up from somewhere below, and with it the certainty that someone close to her was in danger. Obi-wan snapped out of her meditation and shot up, leaving the warmth of the transport ship. She found master Qui-Gon standing inside the temple, a concerned look on his face as he concentrated his senses downwards.


    ¡°Master,¡± she began, and he nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware. Another of the initiates is hurt.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Tanya.¡± When he simply nodded, she frowned. ¡°I¡¯ll go retrieve them¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, Obi-wan. Stay,¡± the master shook his head.


    ¡°But master¡ª!¡±


    The older man sent her a small smile. ¡°Have faith, apprentice. In your friend and in the Force.¡± He turned away and a discontented noise escaped her lips. ¡°Sometimes, it is only true adversity which reveals our strength.¡±


    Obi-wan frowned, biting her bottom lip. ¡°I don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Perhaps, instead of wasting your time fretting in here, you should do something useful. Such as preparing the first aid supplies for when they return.¡± A smile pulled at his lips as he turned a teasing look on her. ¡°If you want to fret over her, you can do so then.¡±


    ¡°Nn.¡± Making a frustrated face, Obi-wan turned and hurried for the ship. Behind her, she heard her master chuckle, which only increased her frustration.


    <hr>


    ¡°Nnn~ fuuuck.¡±


    I don¡¯t normally curse. I consider it a sign of a lazy mind unable to properly convey how they feel or what they think without relying on expletives to either add emphasis or fill dead air¡ªthe equivalent to ¡®ah¡¯ or ¡®um¡¯ in someone¡¯s speech, as their mind has to take a moment to catch up to their mouth. It takes exceptional circumstances to bring me to that point. As it turns out, most of those exceptional circumstances tend to be life or death situations, or the immediate aftermath.


    Case in point: two cracked ribs, one dislocated shoulder, one cracked arm. The only spots of good news was that they were all on the left side, so all of the pain was concentrated to one area, I didn¡¯t appear to have punctured a lung and none of the bones were poking out of my skin, and I had gotten cold enough to have gone mostly numb to it.


    The bad news? I was lost. Underground, in the dark, in an ice cave, soaking wet and approaching hypothermia.


    I felt that my current situation warranted it.


    Taking a shallow breath, I forced myself to sit up, painfully unsticking my frozen and possibly frostbitten skin from the ice. Closing my eyes, I centered my mind using meditation exercises taught to me as a mage in my second life. Then, once I was calm, I reached out with the Force. First, I felt within myself, confirming my state.


    I was happy to note that only one of those ribs was cracked and the other was just severely bruised and even a bit dented. The arm break was a hairline fracture. Neither were nothing that a stim pack, some bacta gel, and a bit of rest wouldn¡¯t see me walking off in a day. Those stim packs and the bacta gel were both back on the ship, in the first aid kit. Unfortunately, I didn¡¯t have any on me.


    Note to self: make a first aid kit. It wouldn¡¯t even have to be big. A can of bacta spray, stim pack, compression bandage, and a knife. Won¡¯t help me right now. So¡­ Looks like I¡¯m going to have to wing it. Again.


    Shifting my focus away from my wounds, I checked my energy reserve and sighed. I was running on fumes. The Force, for all my problems adapting formulas to it, worked surprisingly similarly to mana. The body generated it naturally, typically regenerating with food and rest. I¡¯d had a short little blackout, but no actual rest. Nor did I have so much as a protein bar¡ªanother thing I¡¯d have to add to any emergency kit. I would not be caught unprepared again.


    Still, being unable to regenerate my energy supply internally at the moment didn¡¯t mean I was out of options. Much as with mana, it was possible to draw the Force in from the environment¡ªand at the moment, I was sitting in the heart of some kind of nexus, wellspring, or meeting of ley lines of the Force. The stuff was all around me. So, I reached out and began pulling it to me.


    The Force jumped, rushing into my body like I¡¯d stuck my mouth onto a tap and opened it up all the way. For a moment, I nearly choked at the sheer volume, but I managed to get it under control. I felt my energy reserves rapidly refilling and sighed quietly with relief.


    Once I was close to what felt like topped up, I spun up that warmth formula again and groaned as heat spread through my body. This was both a blessing and a curse, because the pain came back as I thawed out. Gritting my teeth, I got to the ¡®winging it¡¯ part I had been dreading.


    Alright. I think I know what happened with the flight formula, I mused, mentally going back over those last few chaotic seconds. There at the end, I had stopped trying to force it, trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. Instead, I had Forced it¡ªthat is, let the Force itself guide me towards something that would work. And it had! The problem was that the flight formula was fairly mana intensive to begin with, which meant it was going to drink down the Force similarly. I hadn¡¯t had enough to give, while also sparing enough for a mage blade to open a path in the wall, and the mental strain of juggling both formulas.


    Sure, I could mentally juggle three without a computation orb normally¡ªback in the Empire, anyway. And as long as they were simple things I had practiced and drilled to the point of being able to use them reflexively. Flight, mage blade, and a few others such as the shield and explosive formula were on that list. But since I was having to convert from mana to Force, I wasn¡¯t quite there on the reflex part yet. It wasn¡¯t second nature.


    But I think I have a way to bridge the gap with more formulas. At least, I hoped I did.


    Calling to mind one of those I could run as second nature, and typically did in combat, I opened myself up a bit wider to the Force and tried to guide it into working. After a few moments, the math changed and resolved itself, old variables and pieces of the equation falling off as new ones took their place, while the underlying principle and effects remained unchanged.


    My eyes fluttered and a grin spread across my lips as the heady mixture of anesthetic and stimulant kicked in. Pain faded away and the slowly growing siren song of sleep was banished.


    Ahh, magical methe~! The most useful formula! Instant acting, low mana cost, and one hundred percent non-addictive. How could I ever live without you?


    Opening my eyes, I spun up a third formula, the extra focus granted by the combat stimulant allowing me to ignore the strain for now. Light filled the area I¡¯d found myself in and I looked around. It was another tunnel, of course. I was lucky I hadn¡¯t tried to stand, or I¡¯d have likely slipped and gone sliding down.


    Although¡­ that sounds kind of fun. And it would be faster. I¡¯m already this far in. I¡¯m not going to stop until I get what I¡¯ve come here for. I can find my way out after I get the magic rock I need to make the glowy sword go vroom.


    Shaking my head, I checked my Force reserves before continuing. I was still sipping at the Force all around me, so even with the drain of three active low to medium intensity formulas, I could pull in more than I was losing. I was fine on that for now.


    In the future though, what if I¡¯m stuck somewhere that isn¡¯t a Force tap? I need some way to store more for later. A thought occurred and I blinked. No, some way to fix it. For all its faults, the Type 95 was so far ahead of its time as to be a miracle. Being able to store infinite mana to save for a rainy day was more useful than having four cores and more spell slots than any four mages on the field outside of my own. I remember what it felt like¡­ Can I duplicate it?


    Giving it some thought, then sending the thought towards the Force itself and not getting a definitive no, I decided to try it. Later. Not now. No, now I needed to see, not freeze, and above all else not feel pain. I could play around with storing Force later.


    What I wouldn¡¯t give for a computation orb. Even the crappiest single core orb in existence. With that, I could just have it store mana, or Force, for me. Automatically. Then do any spells I wanted manually. How hard would it even be to make one? I had to field strip enough of them for maintenance¡ªeven that damned compulsion orb. They were all just fancy watches with some extra gearing and special material. Elinium, for mana channeling¡ªand in the Type 95¡¯s case, storage. Maybe there¡¯s some kind of material that naturally absorbs and channels the Force that could substitute for it? I could just make my own¡­


    Cold water dripped on my head and I blinked, looking up. Shaking my head, I fought to focus my thoughts on the here and now. As I did, I remembered there was some reason I didn¡¯t like relying on the combat stimulant formula. I seemed to recall that it was partly because it made my mind wander a bit¡ªmy mind became so fast that I couldn¡¯t contain all of my thoughts. But there something else. Some other reason¡­


    Well, if it¡¯s important, I¡¯ll surely remember it.


    Shrugging¡ªmentally, not with my shoulder¡ªI carefully stood and braced myself against an ice pillar. Looking down the dark slope, I grinned and pushed off, using the Force to guide my body to keep me from colliding with something as I slid further down into the dark.


    <hr>


    I checked my chronometer and frowned as it confirmed what my stomach already knew. It was late and I was getting hungry and thirsty. Thankfully, the Force was being extra helpful at the moment. When I put the question to it about food and water, it kept pointing in the same direction as the mysterious crystal it was leaning me towards.


    Soon enough, I heard rushing water again. More than that though, I felt a subtle change underfoot coinciding with a darkening of the walls. Looking carefully, I saw that the ice was getting thinner the deeper I went and, in fact, it seemed that I was heading into an area that was made entirely of stone.


    Something clicked and clacked on the stone up ahead and I frowned, feeling a faint undercurrent of danger in the Force. Shifting the ball of light to a directed beam, I spotted several large creatures that looked like crabs the size of large dogs huddled around a large pool of water, fed by water dripping from the ceiling, and running off in a stream across the room and into a crack in the floor. A thought to the Force towards food and I grinned as they scuttled towards me, waving their big pincers.


    ¡°Well, hello there~!¡± I murmured, licking my lips. ¡°You want to eat me, I want to eat you. No one has any room to complain about what happens next. Ah, just wish I¡¯d packed butter.¡±


    I couldn¡¯t juggle enough formulas, so I dropped the one keeping me warm for the moment. The crabs approached warily and I waited. When one got close enough, I flicked out my hand and summoned a mage blade. Just for a moment. Just long enough to slice through its shell and head area. It dropped dead and I dodged back from a snapping claw from the other one, another mage blade taking the claw off at the joint for its attack, before I came in and stabbed it in the head as well. The third one turned and began fleeing towards the water, but I leapt after it, landing on top of its shell and stabbing down before cutting the formula.


    The last crab collapsed and I breathed, allowing my adrenaline settle a bit. Finally, I got moving.


    The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    With the guidance of the Force, I separated off the claws and kicked the rest of them towards the edge of the room. Opening up a claw with a mage blade, I began separating out meat. ¡°Been a while since I last had sushi,¡± I murmured, studying the meat.


    The Force told me it was safe to eat, so cut off a slice and dug in. To my surprise, while chewy, it was amazingly savory. Making a happy noise, I began stuffing my face. When I had my fill of crab, I filled up on water as well. Grabbing the last un-cracked claw, I turned my warming formula back on and continued on my way with a full stomach and enough leftovers to hopefully tide me over until I could make it back to the surface.


    <hr>


    ¡°Master.¡±


    Master Qui-Gon looked up from his plate as Obi stared at him, her own meal untouched. Further in the ship, they could hear the younglings talking excitedly about their adventures, and their crystals. All of them had returned well before sundown¡ªeven the Twi¡¯lek girl who had been injured. All but one, that is.


    ¡°Night has fallen,¡± Obi pointed out, a bit of her worry seeping into her words.


    ¡°It has,¡± Qui-Gon nodded, taking a sip of his tea. ¡°We should turn in soon.¡±


    ¡°Master.¡±


    ¡°Obi-wan.¡± The girl fell silent at his gentle but stern voice. Looking into her eyes, he sighed and shook his head. ¡°Reach out with the Force. What do you feel?¡±


    ¡°She feels strange, as she has since she woke up. Completely open, still.¡± He looked at her expectantly and she focused harder. ¡°She¡¯s¡­ satisfied? Not hungry anymore.¡±


    ¡°Does it feel like she¡¯s in danger?¡±


    Obi extended her senses a bit and slowly shook her head. ¡°No. But it feels like she¡¯s going deeper. Much further and she¡¯ll be too hard for me to pick out from the Force in and around the temple.¡±


    Qui-Gon nodded. ¡°Be at ease. I can still sense her clearly and will for some time.¡±


    Sighing, Obi grumbled, ¡°How much deeper is she intending to go? I wasn¡¯t even aware the temple extended that far. How is she even going to make it back up to the surface?¡±


    ¡°Before the temple was built here, it was a holy site. I¡¯m sure there are structures deeper below ground than anyone has visited in millennia¡ªand secret, hidden, or partially collapsed exits leading back to the surface. If your young friend is resourceful, she will be able to find her way back.¡±


    ¡°And if not?¡±


    Meeting her eyes, the other Jedi shook his head. ¡°I am not allowed to intervene. It is her trial. Fate must decide.¡± Obi felt her fists clench at her side as frustration mounted within her. Turning away, Qui-Gon murmured, ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve never been a stickler for the rules. And I¡¯m sure by now my apprentice has picked up some of my bad habits. I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she ran off to rescue her friend the moment I turned my back. Perhaps one could even argue that inspiring such loyalty among friends is one way to pass the trial¡­¡±


    Obi-wan turned towards the door, only to pause as her master turned back. ¡°But let¡¯s give her a little more time to work it out for herself, hm?¡±


    Obi deflated. Now that she had been given the okay to go, but told to wait a bit longer, she felt like a weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. She could act, but¡­ Tanya didn¡¯t feel like she was in any danger at the moment. It wouldn¡¯t hurt to give her some more time, would it?


    Letting out a quiet sigh, she turned and hurried for her quarters, locking the door behind her and tossing herself onto the bed. Grabbing her pillow, she turned onto her side and wrapped herself around it, closing her eyes as she tried to get some rest.


    <hr>


    I had noticed it for a while now, but the moisture on the walls now confirmed it. The air was getting warmer. It was possible that this site was chosen specifically for its proximity to geothermal vents or the like, and those that built the temple had simply forgotten they were down here¡ªor stupidly decided not to tap into the natural heat from below to warm the temple.


    They¡¯re Jedi. Monks. I give it even odds that they thought, ¡®nah, it¡¯ll be good character development to freeze our bits off.¡¯


    Rolling my eyes, I dropped my warming formula as the air grew warmer around me. Eventually, I spotted a corner and frowned as I thought I saw the play of light and shadows. Temporarily killing the output from my light formula, I confirmed my suspicions¡ªgreen, blue, purple, and a few other shades of light danced off of the wall ahead, along with the familiar ripple of the play of light off of water.


    I hurried ahead, rounding the corner, then stopped as the passage opened up before me. I shut off the light formula as I didn¡¯t need it. Crystal formations filled the room, lighting it with a multitude of colors. They hung from the ceiling, stretched up from the floor, and covered the walls. The room was filled with pools of water, some of them bubbling, others just steaming, as water ebbed and flowed from below, rising and falling slowly even as I watched. Off to the edges of the room, there appeared to be cooler pools of water, where I caught the occasional glimpse of fish flitting about¡ªfrom the size of my finger to the size of my arm.


    Good thing, too. I¡¯m starting to get hungry again and I¡¯m out of crab.


    The lure of food wasn¡¯t enough to distract me from my prize, however. My eyes were pulled towards the center of the room, and the crystal pillars there. Every other crystal within the room was either blue, green, or purple¡ªor some shade of one of those. But in the center? Yellow, orange, gold¡­ but those weren¡¯t what caught my eye. No, I knew mine the moment I saw it.


    Hurrying over, I approached a pillar that reached from floor to ceiling like many of the others. The light coming off of it was a bright white, like the reflection off of a piece of silver polished to a shine.


    Reaching out with the force, I felt a piece resonate with me, before breaking off. Carefully catching it, I pulled it to myself. A chunk the size of my fist landed in my palm. One of the protruding crystals broke off and I realized that the smaller one was about the size I would need for a lightsaber. The larger one, I didn¡¯t know exactly what to do with at the moment, but having a backup source of crystal would be handy.


    I tucked the big crystal away in my robe and reached out to the rest of the room, probing it with the Force. Feeling that everything here felt safe aside from the bubbling pools, which were obviously too hot, I decided to take some time to rest.


    It was late into my second day down here and I was getting tired even with the combat stimulant formula, but I couldn¡¯t stop. I couldn¡¯t allow myself to sleep. If I went to sleep, I wouldn¡¯t be able to keep the formula dulling the pain up, which would mean wouldn¡¯t be able to sleep because of the pain anyway.


    Taking a few moments to snag a big fish out of one of the cool pools, I ate another meal of fresh sushi and tossed the remains back into the pool for the other fish to eat. Then, I undressed and began dipping my fingers in the various hot pools. Finding one to my liking, I settled in up to my neck and closed my eyes.


    Turning my focus inwards, I drew in and circulated the Force within me the same way I would when practicing mana control exercises. As I did, I idly sent more of the energy towards my arm and ribs, hoping to perhaps speed up the healing process. Then, I let my mind drift, falling into a meditative state as I rested.


    Eventually, after long enough that I started getting hungry again, I climbed out of the water and got dressed. My arm and ribs felt a little better, but I wasn¡¯t sure if that was the warm mineral water or the Force, or maybe my mind playing tricks on me. I took a few minutes to catch and eat another fish before setting out again, once more following the Force as it guided me across the cavern to an exit¡ªthis one with actual stairs carved out, albeit rough. But it was a good sign. It meant that people had once come down here and this was likely a path back to the surface.


    Taking my new crystal in hand, I fed it a bit of the Force, playing with it as I went. I quickly discovered that it produced more light the more Force I gave it, so I didn¡¯t need my light formula going forward. Instead, I practiced my telekinesis using the Force by holding the smaller of the two crystals in place above me and feeding it enough energy to light the way, while I held the bigger chunk in my hand and felt it out.


    What am I going to do with you? Make an armory of lightsabers? Maybe stick one in a blaster? Or maybe¡­ I could try out that idea I had.


    <hr>


    Daylight! Finally!


    I picked up the pace as I hurried through the cave. Ahead, I could hear wind, but that was fine. I¡¯d be out of the damned cave system and could find my back to the ship from wherever I was.


    Slipping my crystals back into my robes, I frowned as a smell assaulted my nose. It was¡­ moist and warm. Kind of like wet dog, but rank. Along with that was the stink of rotting meat.


    Just my luck that I come out in some predator¡¯s den. Well, let¡¯s hope no one¡¯s home and it¡¯s out hunting lunch.


    Making my way forward, I found myself coming out in a wider cave. A pile of rotten, half-eaten meat lay off to one side and I wrinkled my nose at the stench. Shed fur and what looked like scales covered the floor of the cave as I hurried through, not seeing any actual living animals. Finally, I was outside and in the cold Ilum wind, thankfully whipping away the stench of the cave.


    Casting a shield formula, I put it between me and the wind and looked around, surveying the landscape. It didn¡¯t take long to spot the Jedi temple. It was perhaps two miles to my west, given the position of the sun and what I knew of the planet and our location on it, along with the time of day. Taking a breath, I started walking.


    It wasn¡¯t long before danger blared at me in the Force and I turned to look as something came barreling at me through the lightly falling snow, whipped along by the wind. It was big. Roughly the size and shape of a gorilla. Covered in fur save for its face and belly, which were covered in scales. It opened its mouth and roared, exposing three rows of very sharp looking teeth.


    It seems I¡¯ve found the resident of the cave, I mused as a smile pulled at my lips and I turned to face it. There was no point to running. The damned thing was fast and I was in no state to go running across the ice, and potentially risk falling into a fissure. It would run me down before I got twenty feet. No, I¡¯d just have to face it head on.


    A laugh escaped as I stalked towards it. The big beast slowed its approach and began to warily circle me, apparently reevaluating its approach given that I wasn¡¯t trying to run.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter? I thought you wanted to eat me. Not scared, are you? I¡¯m just a tiny, harmless little girl. Come on~! Seventy pounds of lean meat, right here!¡±


    Finally, it got over whatever instinct had given it pause and charged, spreading its arms like it intended to tackle me. ¡°Give us a hug~!¡± I laughed, and swung my good arm straight up. A mage blade hummed to life, the only sign of the invisible blade¡¯s passing the disturbed snow in the air and a trail of blood that bisected the beast. Momentum carried it forward and the two halves split as I grabbed them with the Force and yanked, sending them spinning to either side of me. Hot blood rolled over me, soaking me from head to toe, and I grunted as I remembered the shield just a moment too late to actually do anything with it.


    For some reason, I found it absolutely hilarious. I couldn¡¯t help myself as I started laughing.


    The look on that stupid thing¡¯s face when it realized it was dead~! Ahh~, that¡¯s what you get! Maybe I should go looking for more of them? Cull the local population a bit! They¡¯re a threat to travelers. Surely no one would complain if I just¡­ took care of the problem.


    The wind shifted a bit and the cold air brought me back to my senses, reminding me that I needed to get to the ship to get treatment. Maybe do a little alien lizard gorilla genocide after I fix my arm. Oh! I could test my new lightsaber on them! They would make marvelous test subjects! Wunderbar~. What a great idea! Sometimes, I even amaze myself. But first, get out of the cold. And get a shower. I can already feel it sticking. Yuck.


    Blowing out an annoyed breath, I turned and started walking for the temple. I didn¡¯t have to go long before I heard a new noise rapidly approaching¡ªa kind of high pitched, constant whine. Frowning, I prepared myself to use another mage blade, when I spotted something coming on fast through the snow. A speeder bike slid to a stop in the air as the brown robed form of Obi leapt off and landed practically on top of me. The emotions rolling off of her nearly knocked me off my feet¡ªpanic, concern, worry, leftover frustration, discontent, and anger.


    ¡°What happened?! Are you hurt? You¡¯re covered in blood!¡±


    I sighed as she began poking and prodding me, with her fingers and the Force. I carefully kept my arm and ribs away from her questing fingers but otherwise endured her fretting.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, mostly. The blood isn¡¯t mine. It came from some big creature that attacked me. I could use a medkit though. I¡¯ve got a broken arm and rib,¡± I reported, and she nodded.


    ¡°Come on, let¡¯s get you back to the ship,¡± the girl hurried me over to the speeder as she began to calm after seeing that I seemed to be mostly okay. Pulling off her brown over robe, she wrapped me up in it before carefully hefting me up onto the seat and climbing on behind me.


    I sighed and relaxed back into the larger girl¡¯s warm embrace as she took off, angling my shield to keep the wind off of us as we went. Looking over the bike, I hummed, a grin pulling at my lips. ¡°You¡¯re going to have to teach me how to ride one of these.¡±


    ¡°Sure. Later. When we get back,¡± she agreed easily.


    The ride back was quick, with Obi flying us right up the rear ramp where she parked the speeder, before dragging me towards the one washroom. Obi called towards the front of the ship as she shoved me into the bathroom. ¡°Master! She¡¯s back, we¡¯re ready for takeoff!¡±


    A moment later, she squeezed in with me and I found myself assaulted as she quickly stripped me out of my robes and pushed me into the shower, before joining me. ¡°I can do it myself,¡± I protested, only for the girl to glare.


    ¡°Quiet. You¡¯re down an arm and you¡¯re filthy. I¡¯ll clean you up first, then we¡¯ll treat the arm and the ribs. Then, you need sleep!¡±


    Rolling my eyes, I sighed and endured as she proceeded to scrub then thoroughly examine me to check for any injuries she had missed. I closed my eyes and drifted for a few moments under the hot spray and the feeling of hands scrubbing my hair. I must have drifted because I suddenly jerked and nearly slipped and fell a few moments later.


    Obi pulled me out of the shower after that and helped me dry off, before grabbing me a change of clothes out of her room. Once I was dressed, she gathered our dirty clothes and threw them into the ship¡¯s cleaner, after pulling out my crystals. Then, she deposited me on her bed with my crystals and opened up the first aid kit. Soon enough, I had a bacta wrap around my arm and over the ribs and she hit me with some kind of hypo spray type injector that left me pleasantly numb.


    With a sigh, I finally dropped the combat stimulant/anesthetic formula. Immediately, I collapsed backwards onto the bed as my vision swam. Everything came flooding back as the stimulants wore off within seconds.


    Ah. Right. I remember now. The reason why I disliked using that formula. ¡®Methe Tanya¡¯ is a little¡­ extra sometimes.


    ¡°Sleep,¡± the older girl ordered, arranging me on the bed and throwing the covers over me as she sat up at my side, pulling one knee up and resting her chin on it, blue eyes studying me where I lay. ¡°You need to rest. Give the bacta time to work.¡±


    Yawning, I closed my eyes and shifted a bit to get comfortable. Considering the now much happier emotions radiating off of the girl, I cracked an eye open and studied her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Considering how to ask what I wanted to know, I eventually gave a mental shrug and decided to just be blunt. ¡°We barely know each other, but you¡¯ve been all in since the moment we met. Why?¡±


    The girl hummed quietly, thinking about it. Finally, she smiled. ¡°You¡¯re too cute to wear such a serious face all the time. That¡¯s what made me come over in the first place. Something about that cute face and that too serious attitude makes me want to find ways to make you loosen up.¡±


    ¡°Ah yes, of course. How could I forget? It¡¯s a law of the universe. Cute is justice.¡±


    Obi giggled. ¡°Heh! I like that!¡± After a moment, her smile dipped a bit and she looked away. ¡°Also, I felt like if I didn¡¯t, you¡¯d be perfectly happy burying yourself in training, studying, and whatever else and only making acquaintances, never friends. You seem like the kind of person who needs someone to look after them and make sure they don¡¯t focus entirely on work. Which is really weird for a kid, you know! Everyone else was too busy giggling about stupid things to see it, so I did it myself.¡±


    She hadn¡¯t done it to gain anything, or leverage any connection in the future. She had just reached out because I looked too serious and alone. Because she felt like it was the right thing to do, and because she genuinely cared. That much was obvious, by the way she felt. Obi didn¡¯t exactly conceal her feelings most of the time and I couldn¡¯t detect a hint of deception or ulterior motive.


    It left me floored, if I¡¯m being honest. Viktoriya was the closest I had come to a friend in the years since my forced reincarnation, and that relationship was burdened by the distance of rank. I didn¡¯t know what to say, except perhaps, ¡°Thanks.¡±


    Chuckling, Obi shifted under the covers and, minding my arm and ribs, carefully wrapped herself around me like a human dakimakura. ¡°You¡¯re even cuter when you¡¯re all embarrassed and don¡¯t know what to say. It kind of makes me want to embarrass you more, just to see that cute face!¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t bullying against the Jedi code somewhere? Something, something, bullying is the path to the dark side,¡± I grumbled, closing my eyes as Obi giggled.

 07

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    07


    <hr>


    Coruscant, 43 BBY.


    <hr>


    ¡°How is she doing?¡± Dooku asked, looking down on the sparring ring from the observation booth, where the red skinned, white haired form of Tanya stood across from another student¡ªa green skinned Twi¡¯lek female who looked to be in one of the more senior classes to Tanya¡¯s own. The Twi¡¯lek was easily three years Tanya¡¯s senior, towering over her in height and with superior reach.


    A tone sounded and the pair ignited their lightsabers, a green blade for the green girl, while Dooku¡¯s prospective student¡¯s own blade was white with a silver core¡ªrare in and of itself and almost unheard of for coming from Ilum.


    He remembered the report on that event. The later exploration and discovering just how deep she went. The revelation of the deep cave structure below the temple. The state Qui-Gon¡¯s padawan Obi-wan had found her in, after apparently killing a gorgodon. Somehow. Unarmed. With a cut that neatly bisected the creature vertically¡ªso thin a lightsaber couldn¡¯t have managed due to the width of the plasma blade and without any of the telltale burns of a lightsaber. It was just one more mystery surrounding the girl.


    ¡°Hmm. Advancing quickly, she is,¡± Yoda murmured from where he stood beside Dooku. ¡°Too quickly, perhaps.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Dooku raised an eyebrow, an amused smile quirking his lips up. Yoda frowned at that. ¡°How so?¡±


    Down below, the Twi¡¯lek student rushed Tanya, swinging her saber in one of the opening Form IV patterns. The Zeltron girl skipped back a step as the Twi¡¯lek leapt into the air, before coming down in a spinning slash that would have sent the smaller girl to the ground if it connected. Tanya shifted side-on to her target and lunged forward, a single forward thrust of her lightsaber connecting with the other girl¡¯s chest and sending her sprawling.


    A chime sounded and Tanya stepped back to her starting position as the green girl picked herself up, frustration radiating off of her that Dooku could feel from the booth. Tanya, meanwhile, was silent in the Force¡ªhidden behind her mental shields. Her body language showed she was being cautious, calculating, and taking the fight seriously¡ªbut she showed no signs of emotion at all. Her focus was entirely on her sparring partner.


    ¡°Too willful, some of the council feel she is. Impatient. Unwilling to wait, or accept being told to wait. Skirt the rules, then justify her actions with results, she does. Mm, yes. Someone I know, she sounds like.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my understanding that she has been spending time with Qui-Gon¡¯s apprentice,¡± Dooku chuckled.


    ¡°Meant you, I did,¡± Yoda grumbled, leaning on his cane and moving closer to the window. ¡°Hard to read in the Force, she is. Not hard at all, if one but looks and listens. Speak louder than words, actions do. Unsatisfied with her progress, she is, and so she advances without guidance. Very dangerous, the path she walks.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps someone should actually guide her, instead of leaving her to her own devices,¡± Dooku nodded as the chime sounded below and the Twi¡¯lek began slowly circling Tanya, apparently taking her seriously this time.


    Deciding to take advantage of her longer reach, she approached more cautiously, resorting to probing strikes while maintaining her guard with Form III. Tanya moved to counter the taller girl, matching her pace and occasionally parrying a strike when she couldn¡¯t dodge, sticking to the most basic of the basics.


    Abruptly, the larger girl lunged forward, coming down hard with an overhead swing, keeping her body outside of the reach of Tanya¡¯s lightsaber. Tanya stepped in, bringing her blade up in a move that, if the sabers weren¡¯t in training mode, would have seen the Twi¡¯lek girl¡¯s wrists severed on Tanya¡¯s blade from the force of her own blow¡ªthat is, if the larger girl didn¡¯t stop herself in time.


    Managing to just halt the blow, the taller girl grabbed Tanya¡¯s dominant wrist. This turned out to be a mistake, as the smaller girl let go of her saber, at the same time she stepped in and jumped into a knee strike to the Twi¡¯lek¡¯s groin. The green girl doubled over with a quiet squeal of pain as Tanya caught her saber in her off hand and whipped it around to smack it into the taller girl¡¯s side in a strike that would have bisected her.


    The tone sounded again and Tanya shut off her saber, offering the older girl a hand up. Slapping it away, the Twi¡¯lek girl lunged forward in a swipe at Tanya¡¯s head. Tanya ducked and swung her saber at the same time, activating it and disarming the other girl with a strike to the wrist, catching the green saber and drawing it to her with the Force. A moment later, she had the older girl¡¯s neck scissored between argent and green sabers.


    The tone sounded again and this time, the Jedi master monitoring the class stepped out into the ring¡ªa human woman named Depa Billaba, Mace Windu¡¯s former student recently made master herself. Dooku watched as Tanya shut off the other girl¡¯s lightsaber and tossed it to the master, before heading off to the side, to stand beside the other students waiting for their turn.


    ¡°Quick to react in unconventional ways, she is. Sometimes violent, painful ways. Not honorable. Not taught here,¡± Yoda assessed, and Dooku frowned at the judgment he heard in the old alien¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Against an opponent twice her size and mass, should she not take every advantage she can make for herself?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Yoda shook his head. ¡°Win the battle, it may¡ªwhile losing the war. Not the physical war, but the war of the self. The battle between light and dark. An advantage sought here today, instead of taking the lesson in loss and humility. An advantage sought tomorrow, heeding the call of the dark side of the Force. Creates a pattern, it does. Trains one to think only in one direction, instead of reflecting upon one¡¯s actions and seeking alternate paths, alternate solutions.¡± Waving his hand down to the Twi¡¯lek girl storming out of the room, Yoda sighed. ¡°Create needless conflict, pain, and suffering, it does.¡±


    Dooku raised an eyebrow, before scoffing quietly. ¡°You would advise her to lose? Why? To sooth the other girl¡¯s ego? Allow her to save face? No, if there is a lesson in humility to be learned here master, it¡¯s that you shouldn¡¯t underestimate your opponent, and that you shouldn¡¯t allow your emotions to get the better of you when faced with defeat, especially not in a simple spar. But they¡¯re children¡ª¡±


    ¡°Last thing she is, a child,¡± Yoda shook his head. ¡°Feel it too, you do. Treat her not as a child, I have seen.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Dooku admitted.


    The old alien turned to look up at Dooku. ¡°On her advancement, agree with you the council majority does not. Seek a way to slow her we do, without causing resentment.¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯ve been holding meetings without me,¡± Dooku sent his former master a rueful look.


    ¡°Too close to see objectively, many of the council feel you are. After your last student, worry you we did not want.¡±


    Dooku frowned, but otherwise kept his reaction in check. It was a cheap shot, but his former master wasn¡¯t wrong. The council were approaching the issue of Tanya cautiously¡ªperhaps too cautiously, in his opinion. Unfortunately, it seemed many of them had made up their minds to take the ¡®wait and see¡¯ approach and in the meantime, wanted to try to slow her advancement to a more manageable pace, which just wasn¡¯t going to happen because Tanya herself was too determined, too stubborn to let anything slow her down.


    Then the best thing to do would be to try to placate them and at the same time, give her experiences she wouldn¡¯t get here. Unofficially take her on as a padawan early, but without actually saying as much.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take her off-world, then,¡± he said, as Tanya moved into the ring again for another turn. This time, Depa joined herself and Dooku frowned. ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s a mission suitable to taking her along.¡±


    ¡°Your padawan, she is not,¡± Yoda pointed out, but Dooku didn¡¯t sense that he was actually denying the request.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t actually hear an objection.¡±


    Yoda chuckled quietly and nodded. ¡°Out of sight, out of mind. But voluntary, it must be. Agree, she must.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure she will.¡±


    Dooku winced as, down below, Depa began to soundly thrash the Zeltron girl¡ªgoing all in with Form VII. There was no malice in the act, but Dooku couldn¡¯t help but feel this was the council¡¯s wishes finally coming to a head and the instructor trying to hammer the point into the girl¡¯s head. And perhaps a lesson Windu himself wanted to send, not necessarily to Tanya, but to others who thought they were good enough to warrant advancing faster than their peers, given the man¡¯s near fanatical loathing of anything that could be perceived as favoritism or special treatment.


    And yet¡­


    Tanya ducked under a swing into a sliding slash at the instructor¡¯s knees, that the older woman leapt over, bringing her foot down and trying to kick Tanya in the head, only for the girl to roll out and retaliate with a slash at the offending leg. Depa pushed the smaller girl relentlessly, quickly increasing her speed as she went on the offensive. When the hits started coming, the buzzer didn¡¯t sound this time¡ªsomething Tanya noticed immediately as she was punished for trying to back off and reset.


    As Dooku watched, Tanya¡¯s stance firmed up. Her parries and dodges came faster, using less energy as she fell deeper into the groove he recognized of two Force users using precognition to attempt to defeat each other. The hits piled on as the instructor continued, not giving Tanya any time to rest¡ªeventually adding in kicks, punches, and other unorthodox moves. Things Vaapad allowed for that other forms didn¡¯t.


    Dooku smiled as the girl he had found simply rolled with the hits. Picked herself up when she was knocked down. Learned from every mistake she made and corrected herself. Improved as he watched. All with that smile on her face that even now, was beginning to unnerve the instructor facing her.


    Beside him, Yoda hummed, studying the fight going on as his displeasure began to show. Dooku couldn¡¯t help but needle his former master, just a bit. ¡°It seems that in trying to force her to see your point of view, you¡¯ve only given her what she truly wanted. A challenge.¡±


    And then, down below, everything changed as the fight ended in an instant.


    Depa¡¯s blue lightsaber came down in a swing that would have caught Tanya in the face as Tanya leapt up into the strike. Only, it didn¡¯t.


    There was a sudden shift in the Force and a brief flash as the lightsaber slammed into a small, translucent blue hexagon floating in front of Tanya¡¯s head and angled off to the side. The lightsaber slid off the shield, missing Tanya entirely as the instructor¡¯s brown eyes went wide in momentary shock. The red girl then somehow accelerated with another burst of Force, the white-silver lightsaber in her hand, already in motion, connected with the instructor¡¯s neck in a solid blow as Tanya flew past and landed on her feet. It didn¡¯t do much more than force Depa to take a step back, but that didn¡¯t matter. A strike like that would have left her a head shorter.


    The buzzer didn¡¯t sound, but it didn¡¯t need to as the room fell silent. Turning around, the Zeltron girl shut off her lightsaber and hooked it to her belt, before bowing. ¡°Thank you for the lesson, master. I¡¯ll be sure to put it to good use.¡±


    Then, before Depa could recover from her shock, Tanya strode out of the room, the automatic door sliding shut behind her. Taking a breath, Dooku let it out quietly. ¡°I will be taking her with me tonight.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Inform the council, I will,¡± the old master nodded. ¡°Tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    <hr>


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty nice shiner you¡¯ve got.¡±


    I rolled my eyes, glancing up from my reading as master Dyas settled in across from me. ¡°Thank you. I earned it from master Depa.¡±


    Blinking, master Dyas looked me over, then reached out with the Force¡ªnot to probe my mind, but to check my body. He frowned, then his eyes were drawn to the book I was reading from. After a moment, he nodded. ¡°Yes, I suppose this would be a good excuse to learn how to heal with the Force. I¡¯ll warn you, not everyone can use this method. Don¡¯t be disappointed if it eludes you. There are other, less efficient methods that are easier to learn.¡±


    Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll learn those as well,¡± I nodded, closing the book and raising an eyebrow expectantly.


    The master smiled at that, before reaching into his robes and pulling out a compressed bacta spray. ¡°I had a feeling I should bring one of these with me. Now I know why. If it turns out you don¡¯t need it, keep it. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll come in useful at some point.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± I took it and tucked it away into my robes.


    As I did, master Dyas asked, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t happen to know how to find out if a large sum of credits had been moved around, would you? You know, in case something were to happen and we needed to recover the money.¡±


    Chuckling, I hummed in thought as I considered the question and what he was really asking¡ªif he wanted to disappear a large sum of money, how would he keep someone like me from finding it.


    So, how would I defeat myself?


    ¡°Look for large transfers in a short period of time. One big transfer would obviously stand out, of course,¡± I said, and master Dyas nodded along. ¡°Ten, twenty, even a hundred smaller transfers might also arouse suspicion to the trained eye. At the very least, they would make me want to perform an audit. Track down who spent the money and have them justify the purchase and provide receipts. But a thousand, much smaller purchases over a period of six months to a year? Especially if they were made regularly, and by the same people, over and over? With boring names like ¡®office supplies,¡¯ ¡®sanitation products,¡¯ or¡­¡±


    I thought over what I knew of the temple and began ticking things off on my fingers. ¡°Food items we don¡¯t bulk order. Medical supplies that need to be replaced regularly. Uniforms and clothing items. Common lightsaber components that would be replaced during routine maintenance, such as the emitters on the training sabers¡ªthose things have to be replaced all the time. No one would notice any of those, because they¡¯re so ordinary, so mundane, so easily explained that no one would even think to question it. Especially if it were spread out across several other masters all ordering different things at different but routine times. Most trained auditors would look at that, shrug, and move on unless they were doing a deep dive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty clever!¡± Dyas laughed. ¡°I would¡¯ve never thought of that! So, what if they do all of that? Go out of their way to hide the spending, but I find it anyway, because I¡¯m doing a deep dive like you said. How would I find out where it went?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s much harder,¡± I shook my head. ¡°There will be a record of where the credits were sent, of course. This many credits to so-and-so account at that business on this date and time. But that¡¯s only the first step in the chain, because you won¡¯t have access to their accounts to find out where the money went from there. If our hypothetical thief was brain dead, he or she sent all the money to one place and you might be able to apply pressure in an official legal inquiry, but that would take time. It¡¯d be faster to slip in and ask,¡± I mimed waving my hand in front of him and stressed the words, ¡°Would you mind looking up an account for me?¡±


    ¡°Assuming it¡¯s not a droid, or a species immune to the mind touch, then you¡¯re in trouble!¡± the man opposite me grinned.


    ¡°Exactly. The most vulnerable part of any system is the people that use and operate it.¡± I¡¯d had to deal with more than my fair share of those in two lives. What was the point of having a login password if you put it on a sticky note stuck to your monitor? Likewise, what was the point of encrypted communications if you¡¯re dumb enough to broadcast in the clear? That second one had almost seen me execute someone else¡¯s subordinate for endangering an entire operation¡­


    ¡°If our intrepid money launderer is smart, however, they can make it much harder for us. For instance, by going to several different banks and setting up accounts with very mundane sounding business names. Fly By Night Transport. Coruscant Import Company. Things like that. So bland, so name on the label, that it looks legitimate at first glance. Then, you buy your ¡®food¡¯ from one, your ¡®toilet paper¡¯ from another, your ¡®replacement lightsaber components¡¯ from yet another, and so on. Then all of those bank accounts transfer the funds they¡¯ve received to a new account at a separate bank. Then do it again, just to be sure. Before finally, they would send it all to between one and ten accounts to hold all of the funds depending on how much we¡¯re talking about. Again, an account with a very mundane sounding business name, such as Coruscant Investment Management Firm.¡±


    Humming, master Dyas asked, ¡°And then we¡¯re just out of luck for tracking it down? What about using the Force?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯d be more of an expert on that than me,¡± I shrugged, then winced as the motion made one of my bruised muscles twinge. ¡°Can the Force guide you through that many layers of disconnection, not even touching the hands of a living person but ones and zeros being flipped inside a computer database somewhere to indicate money moved?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried anything like that, but I¡¯d imagine it would be very time consuming.¡±


    ¡°By which point, the money is long gone. A money transfer moves at the speed of data, after all. It¡¯s not like they physically move the credits around between the banks. It¡¯s all digital these days, unless you deposit physical credits somewhere or request them. So all of that shuffling could take place over the course of five minutes by someone setting up an automated script and then the thief could have the money spent or transferred off-world before you ever caught wind that something was wrong, let alone launched an investigation.¡±


    Considering that, master Dyas murmured, ¡°Then the only real defense is to try to prevent it from happening in the first place¡­¡±


    ¡°Which we would need a dedicated department for.¡± I paused, then asked, ¡°We do have such a department, don¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the master shook his head. ¡°We usually assign a few people to handle audits once every year. Usually older, unattached initiates or padawans who are on leave.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bad. Perhaps you should bring it up to the council?¡± I suggested, and he nodded slowly.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll do that.¡± An annoyed look flashed across his face before he shook his head and grinned ruefully. ¡°And knowing my luck, they¡¯ll decide I¡¯m volunteering myself for the position!¡±


    ¡°You have my sympathy,¡± I chuckled.


    ¡°Forget your sympathy, I could use your help! Don¡¯t make me do this alone!¡± he begged, but I could tell he was joking by the amusement coming off of him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to look up the going rate on Coruscant for a professional auditor, but I believe we could work out a deal,¡± I nodded, playing along with him.


    Master Dyas gasped. ¡°And you¡¯ll want to be paid, too? In money?! No way! I can¡¯t afford that. How would you feel about payment in secret Jedi techniques?¡±


    I snorted. ¡°No sale.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re no fun,¡± he grumbled, before pushing his seat back and standing. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll get out of your hair and let you get back to studying. Oh, and I managed to find a bit more money in the budget for you to play with, so I¡¯ve sent you an updated spreadsheet. Let me know when you¡¯ve had a chance to look at it.¡±


    ¡°That will probably be tomorrow, but I will,¡± I agreed, and he smiled, reaching out and patting my head before hurrying off. I blew a stray strand of white hair out of my face and reached up to fix it, before getting back to my reading.


    Sacrifice one¡¯s vitality and life essence to incite regenerative healing in the target. Restore vitality through rest or meditation. The directions seem simple enough. Just use the Force to touch upon your own life essence¡­


    <hr>


    A knock sounded at my door and I reached out with the Force, hitting the unlock switch. A moment later, Dooku entered, pausing as he found me hunched over my bedroom table with my lightsaber disassembled. The older man chuckled as he approached, looking it over.


    ¡°I remember I was a bit obsessive over my first lightsaber as well.¡±


    I continued running a lightly oiled cloth over the metal, nodding absently as I directed a brush to gently scrub at the emitter using Force telekinesis. ¡°I like to keep my weapons clean and ready.¡±


    ¡°A good habit, but not one you¡¯ll always be able to maintain. Luckily, lightsabers are very resilient¡ªmore so than you think.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± I shrugged, before asking, ¡°Just stopping by for a visit?¡±


    Dooku chuckled. ¡°An old man can¡¯t simply want to check in and see how you¡¯re doing?¡± I turned and sent him a knowing look. Dooku smiled and nodded. ¡°Very well. To business, then. How would you feel about leaving the temple?¡±


    I blinked, a frown coming to my face. Leave the temple? I had only been here eight months! I¡¯d barely scratched the surface of what I could learn, because I¡¯d found myself inexplicably stymied at nearly every turn! If I were the paranoid sort, I would think someone was trying to keep me from learning, except that couldn¡¯t be true, because that was the entire purpose of this place and people like Obi, her own master Qui-Gon Jinn, and master Sifo-Dyas all had no problems teaching me when they were around or had time, if I happened to come across them.


    On the other hand, the last sparring session today was a bit excessive even by my standards. Fun though! Next time, warn me before we go full contact and do away with the standard scoring and time limit rules. I do have to wonder if it wasn¡¯t some sort of attempt to discourage me, however. Perhaps petty revenge for dealing with my sparring partner the way I did.


    If I did have to leave the temple and quit at this Jedi thing, I had enough money in an account thanks to helping master Dyas that I could survive on my own for the next several years. I would probably go back to the idea about joining the Republic Navy, even knowing that a war was definitely coming. Now though, I had a few more tricks up my sleeve. I could perhaps persuade someone to make sure I was assigned far out away from the conflict¡­


    ¡°Temporarily, of course,¡± Dooku continued, and my spiraling thoughts stopped. ¡°I¡¯ve taken a mission on to go out and investigate Dathomir, in the Outer Rim.¡±


    I had the names and profiles of all of the Core and Inner Rim planets memorized and was currently working on the Outer Rim, but I had yet to come across Dathomir. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, and I doubt you would have. It¡¯s not something that the Jedi Council likes to talk about. Dathomir has been used as a penal colony for nearly a thousand years and, before that, the ancient Sith had an academy there somewhere. The Council doesn¡¯t like not knowing what¡¯s going on there, so they occasionally send someone to quietly poke around, mingle with the people, and make sure that nothing untoward is going on. And also, check on something we were forced to leave there, some time ago.¡±


    So, it¡¯s Space Australia. I wonder if the local wildlife is just as dangerous. ¡­With the Force? Probably more so.


    Nodding, I felt myself slipping back into the role of Tanya the soldier as I summarized, ¡°Intelligence gathering in a hostile environment, then. What¡¯s the expected mission duration?¡±


    At that, Dooku¡¯s smile turned a bit mischievous. ¡°We should be thorough in our investigation, young Tanya. Not rush things. You should take this as a lesson in patience,¡± the words had a certain ironic ring to them as they left his mouth, and I felt as he deliberately showed his own annoyance at the words. Someone, likely the council, had gotten under his skin with that one and this seemed to me like a case of malicious compliance.


    Well, if he wants to mess with the Council, I don¡¯t mind helping.


    ¡°It could be as short as a month on Dathomir, to as long as six months,¡± Dooku continued. ¡°In fact, events could transpire which could see us there for a year or more. That¡¯s not entirely uncommon on long term information gathering missions, and Dathomir is a large, mostly undeveloped planet. We wouldn¡¯t be traveling by speeder, as that would draw too much attention.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I murmured, before nodding. ¡°I¡¯ll start packing.¡±


    Grabbing the components of my lightsaber in the Force, I began putting it back together. I had opted to go with a fairly simple design for my very first lightsaber. The body looked like round tube of brushed aluminum with a rubberized grip. There was a simple external horizontal ring that served as a switch just under the emitter with only four settings: off, on, non-lethal, and another off setting, in that order. The emitter had a shroud over the top in case I needed to rest my hand there for extra leverage. Inside was a standard power pack and field charging unit to use the Force to recharge it if needed.


    The whole thing came in at just about a foot in length. When extended, a normal blade would be roughly four feet, nine inches in length. I had done a bit of fine tuning in the months since getting my weapon. A fifteen percent reduction in blade size corresponded to a fifteen percent increase in either power output or runtime. I opted for more runtime, sacrificing nine inches of length to be able to use it for longer if I needed. Of course, being that I was already small and with a short reach, this cut my reach with the blade even further. So, I had come up with a way of increasing that reach during my solo training, involving projecting a mage blade formula from the tip of the saber¡ªeffectively doubling the length of the blade with a second, invisible blade if I wanted.


    As soon as the last component clicked into place and everything felt secure, I clipped the saber to my belt and began packing. I had taken one of my free evenings to leave the Jedi temple and do a little exploring of the local shops, once the money started coming in from working with master Dyas. Given how woefully unprepared I had been on Ilum, I wasn¡¯t going to make the same mistake again. So I¡¯d bought a few things.


    I had cut everything down to fit in a single relatively small bag, with a diagonal strap across my body. Inside, was a small med kit and some survival supplies, a few light toiletries, with room to fit a couple of changes of clothes. I stuffed two sets of robes, underthings, and extra socks in, along with a thicker over robe for if it got cold, and a dark poncho to deal with rain.


    A second bag contained camping supplies for an indefinite stay outdoors. I had been camping a few times in my youth in Japan, while large portions of my time in the German Empire was effectively one long ¡®camping trip.¡¯ I had plenty of experience learning what essentials to bring and what I could cut out. So when I¡¯d visited stores dedicated both to high end recreational camping and actual pioneers moving out to settle some new planet, I¡¯d been amazed at some of the space-age options available. Even the simplest of things, like my skillet, were just plain better by virtue of weighing virtually nothing compared to cast iron. The second bag was bulkier than the first, but might have weighed ten pounds, total. I could carry it all day.


    Tossing my tablet in as well, I pulled it on and hurried to follow master Dooku, who had moved outside. As we were leaving the temple, we came across Obi-wan returning from the city. The older girl raised an eyebrow upon seeing us and sent me a smile. ¡°Going somewhere?¡±


    Master Dooku moved away and waited at the taxi for me. ¡°Off world for a mission.¡±


    ¡°How long will you be gone?¡± Obi asked, curious and a bit concerned.


    ¡°A few months, maybe. Could be longer.¡±


    Sighing, she said, ¡°Vidcom me when you can.¡±


    Obi had been the one to take me out of the temple and get one of the handheld hologram transceivers¡ªthe closest local equivalent to a cell phone¡ªso we already had each other¡¯s contact information. Nodding, I patted the pocket where I kept it. ¡°Will do.¡±


    Blowing out a breath, she pulled me into a hug and squeezed, making me wince as she put pressure on my bruises. Pulling back, she ruffled my hair and gave me a push towards the taxi. ¡°I¡¯ll see you when you get back.¡±


    The girl hurried inside as it began to sprinkle and I climbed into the taxi beside Dooku. It was pouring down by the time we made it to the spaceport and boarded his ship. Strapping into my seat after stowing my things, I asked, ¡°What can you tell me about the locals?¡±


    Dooku gestured towards the controls and, taking the hint, I went through the pre-flight sequence, then requested clearance for launch. As I worked, he spoke. ¡°There are several factions on Dathomir, many clans, but the group we most often make contact with are the Witches of Dathomir, or Daughters of Allya. They are essentially the local equivalent to Jedi given that they are descended from the exiled fallen Jedi, Allya. We will be visiting the various clans and making contact, learning what we can, and extending the hand of friendship.¡±


    ¡°Coming around to fly the Jedi flag and remind them we exist?¡± I surmised as I lifted off and took us out, and Dooku chuckled, nodding.


    ¡°Essentially. Or perhaps not. Perhaps it would be best to approach under the guise of simple travelers, the victims of a malfunction with their star ship who were forced to crash land.¡± Sending me an amused look, he said, ¡°I¡¯ll leave it up to you and go along with whatever you decide. Consider this a learning experience in planning and executing a mission, padawan.¡±


    A grin pulled at my lips. Master Dooku was speaking my language. As we ascended and I began laying in a course for Dathomir, I started mentally dusting off a few more skills from my previous life.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± Dooku murmured, and I glanced over. ¡°We¡¯ll be focusing on lightsaber forms for a time. I¡¯ve seen your progress and I believe it¡¯s time for you to move beyond the basics. Had you known more, your fight with master Depa Billaba would have been less one-sided. And make no mistake, that was a fight, not a training session. The Council, and in particular Depa¡¯s own former master, Mace Windu, wanted to make an example and send a message, to you and to others.¡±


    Frowning, I went back over the fight in my mind and nodded. ¡°I see. That explains it, then.¡±


    ¡°Quite. Mace developed the Vaapad variant of Form VII, which is what she was using. However, Form II¡ªMakashi, that is¡ªwas developed specifically for lightsaber duels and still tends to come out on top in one on one fights. As it happens, I am a master of Makashi myself, and I would very much like to see a rematch between my student and Mace¡¯s, once you¡¯ve been properly trained.¡±


    My frown shifted back into a smile. ¡°I¡¯d like that, too.¡±

 08

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    08


    <hr>


    Commissioned by user.


    <hr>


    Dathomir, 43 BBY.


    <hr>


    Dathomir was not what I was expecting. Not by a long shot. I had expected some kind of brutal hell world where the inhabitants barely scraped by. Where everything was either poisonous, carnivorous, or both. Instead, what I saw was a fairly standard M-class temperate world¡ªmountainous and covered in jungle, forests, and the occasional desert.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let its beauty deceive you, padawan,¡± Dooku warned as I began our entry into the atmosphere. ¡°It is quite dangerous, I assure you.¡±


    ¡°All of the most beautiful things in nature tend to be,¡± I nodded, concentrating on getting us down in one piece with my own skill, not relying on the Force.


    ¡°Have you decided where you want to begin?¡±


    Reaching over, I brought up the planetary map with one hand and zoomed in. ¡°The majority of the clans all live within one general location¡ªa stretch of land that follows the track of these rivers¡ªthe Frenzied River and Dreaming River. If we start to the west near the Great Canyon, we can head east through the Red Hills, cut south to the Frenzied River, then further south to the Misty Falls, then cut west and head north back to our ship.¡±


    ¡°Traveling downriver is easier than up,¡± Dooku pointed out, and I hummed.


    ¡°Reverse it, hike our way up the hills, into the mountains, up to the canyon, then ride the river back down?¡± When the old man merely smiled, I shrugged and adjusted course. It didn¡¯t particularly matter to me, so long as we got the job done. Yes, master Dooku had given the mission to me to plan and carry out, and had even said he would let me take the lead for much of it, but the truth was that it was so open ended that I had a lot of mission flexibility.


    Spotting a good place to put down in a clearing on a spit of land between a river and a large lake, I eased the ship down and brought us in for a soft landing. Shutting off the ship, I undid my straps and made for my quarters to grab my things. Taking out my communicator, I went ahead and fulfilled my promise to Obi by placing a call. Remembering that it was actually very late on Coruscant, I wasn¡¯t surprised when instead of being greeted by Obi¡¯s image, I was met with an option to record a message.


    ¡°We made it here. Local time is about ten hours behind Coruscant, so it might be difficult to talk. I¡¯m setting this thing to not receive calls to keep from disturbing the local wildlife, so just leave a message. I¡¯ll check in again later.¡±


    Disconnecting, I pocketed the communicator and made one last check of my bag to make sure I had everything I felt I¡¯d need. Then, I picked up the second, larger bag and slung it into place over the day pack.


    I found Dooku waiting outside, carrying his own backpack. He reached out and hit the ramp control as I stepped off, sealing the hatch behind us. Sending me an amused look, the old man asked, ¡°Where should we go from here, padawan?¡±


    Looking around, I hummed, considering our options. ¡°According to the records, the nearest clan should be the Singing Mountain clan, to the west,¡± I pointed towards a series of mountains rising in the distance. ¡°But we¡¯ll need to cross the river to get there. The easiest on foot would be the¡­ Frenzied River clan, to the north.¡±


    When Dooku merely sent me a patient look, waiting for me to decide and not giving any indication one way or another which he preferred, I turned away and opened myself up to the Force and my empathic sense, listening to everything around me¡­ And immediately winced, looking around as danger radiated from nearly every direction around us.


    Dooku chuckled. ¡°I warned you. Dathomir¡¯s beauty hides its danger.¡± I let out an annoyed breath and the old man only looked more amused. ¡°It¡¯s confusing, isn¡¯t it? Focus, padawan. Separate vague, nebulous potential danger from more immediate dangers.¡±


    I considered his words and nodded. ¡°So, treat this whole planet as a Force sensitivity training ground.¡±


    ¡°If it helps you to think of it that way.¡±


    Closing my eyes, I did as he suggested, slowly learning to filter out the less immediate dangers, or the ones that felt further away than a mile unless it was above a certain danger threshold. I didn¡¯t need to know about some poison frog or something that could kill me dead five miles away when there was a¡­


    I cracked open my eyes and looked down. Only a few yards away, a tiny lizard with mottled skin rested on a rock, sunning itself and watching us. The tail, I noticed, seemed to have a stinger at the end. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°That, my dear padawan, is a Dathomiri rock dragon. Their poison is quite lethal, capable of killing even a fully grown rancor.¡±


    ¡°So leave the lizards alone,¡± I murmured.


    ¡°Or,¡± Dooku spoke up, and I recognized his teaching tone immediately, ¡°convince them to leave you alone. You have not yet learned the mind touch skill. This would be a good opportunity. Alternately, you have talents of your own, do you not? That trait natural to the Zeltrons.¡±


    Nodding, I moved closer to the rock and crouched down. ¡°Reach out with the Force and the power of your mind. Try to impress upon it your thoughts and desires. Do not take control of it, for that is the way of the dark side. Merely suggest, even if the suggestion is sternly worded and made forcefully. You must not take away its free will or ability to resist.¡±


    Don¡¯t grab it and pull, just give it a nudge, I interpreted. Reaching out towards the creature with my hand, I extended my will through the Force and felt its mind. It was simple. Small. There was barely any resistance at all. I pushed my will out towards it, urging it to crawl into my hand and not sting me. A moment later, the brown lizard moved, quickly crawling across the rocks and into my palm.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good start. Keep practicing,¡± Dooku nodded, a smile coming to his face.


    I released the lizard and stood, brushing off my hand. ¡°Being able to convince one animal to approach and ignore its natural instincts doesn¡¯t help much when there are hundreds of them around,¡± I mused, and the old man simply waited. Seeing he was letting me figure it out myself again, I turned my attention back to the tools I had to work with.


    On the one hand, the Force. The problem was, this planet was lousy with the stuff. To the point that my senses were kind of washed out with it after some distance. It wasn¡¯t quite as concentrated as the two Jedi temples I¡¯d been in, but it was thick enough that I could run a low cost formula or two basically indefinitely if I wanted. Thick enough to mess with perceptions. And then there was the fact that I was still figuring out sorting out the various presences and potential dangers.


    My empathic sense, on the other hand, was much clearer. Simple minds produced simple emotions and those were easy to detect, understand, and filter as needed. The only complex mind nearby was Dooku, who for once wasn¡¯t shielding his mind from me. The old man radiated kindness, patience, understanding, pride, and a bit of amusement. He was enjoying himself. Moreover, he was proud that his student was catching on so quickly, with just a hint here and there.


    It was¡­ awkwardly embarrassing in a way, and yet good in another. It was something I had never experienced before. Even in my first life, my parents were the absentee sort who spent much of their time working, and had certain expectations I needed to meet, and when I did it was almost never met with any sort of praise because those things were expected of me and it quickly became understood that meeting expectations shouldn¡¯t be met with praise¡ªonly exceeding expectations should, or would.


    I didn¡¯t like the way reflecting on it made me feel, so I pushed it aside to deal with never. Instead, I focused on the other minds around me. If I was going to clear the path to keep from stepping on something that could kill me with a pinprick, I couldn¡¯t do it one at a time. The best way to do that then would be to make those animals flee from us.


    And what would trigger the flight response better than a little fear?


    Digging into my memories, I focused on one in particular. My first combat encounter as an aerial mage. Being told that I needed to find a way to hold off an entire enemy team of mages by myself so reinforcements could arrive. Effectively being ordered to go die for my country, to buy reinforcements and the artillery below five minutes. The fear. The way it made my heart pound in my chest. The certainty of meaningless death.


    Around us, animals scattered, some screeching or making other sounds as they panicked. Dooku reached out and laid a hand on my shoulder. ¡°It is good to know fear and not give in to it. Perhaps you should narrow your focus a bit, however. We don¡¯t want to arouse the ire of something that will respond to fear by attacking.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± I dialed it back a bit and the two of us set off walking.


    <hr>


    Unpredictable weather was apparently fairly common on planets high in the Force, unless environmental factors prevented it¡ªsuch as on Tattoine, a desert planet under two suns, where the weather was miserable desert heat worldwide, broken by the occasional sandstorm. On Dathomir, that meant freak storms. Big, nasty, storms. Torrential rain, high winds, hail, lightning¡ªthe works.


    Once more, my Force senses were bombarded by the feeling of danger from all around. From the storm, lightning, wind, hail, limbs breaking and falling, terrain made slick, and more. Dooku had pulled the hood up on his over robe and was using Force telekinesis to keep the worst of it away from him, while I¡¯d pulled on my poncho and had a shield formula going to intercept hail and limbs¡ªthe occasional small blue hexagon of the field popping into being and stopping golf ball sized balls of ice that would¡¯ve put dents in my head.


    I almost missed it when formless danger all around became sharp and immediate, and likely would have if not for the fact that I sensed the emotions of something new. A more complex mind, but not enough to call truly sapient. Hungry, angry, violent¡ªbut afraid of something. Fleeing.


    It shoved its way through the trees from our right, snuffling loudly from its overgrown nose as two beady black eyes locked onto us. A large mouth opened, exposing big, uneven, sharp teeth as it drooled.


    The creature was at least fifteen feet tall, but was currently hunched into itself a bit with all of the lightning popping around. It was bipedal, with big, clawed four fingered hands and somewhat stubby legs. Its skin was a mottled brown, covered in mud and dirt, and it looked like a mountain of muscle.


    ¡°What is it?¡± I whispered, not moving as it stood on the edge of the forest, seemingly deciding whether or not to attack.


    ¡°That, padawan, is a rancor. Highly aggressive, territorial, and violent, but just intelligent enough to recognize most sentient life as a threat and stay away, unless provoked,¡± Dooku answered quietly. ¡°What will you do now?¡±


    Of course he¡¯s just leaving it to me! I mentally groused, considering the big beast. Alright, let¡¯s try to discourage it.


    Reaching out and narrowing my focus, I projected fear onto the creature. The response I got was like throwing gasoline on a fire as it reacted to fear with anger and roared. ¡°Damn,¡± I muttered and switched tactics. Instead of an emotional reaction, I tried a mental nudge¡ªwell, more of a shove for such a big beast. I projected the idea that we weren¡¯t worth its time and it should leave.


    The touch of the Force and the command only set it off, and the fire I¡¯d stoked with fear became an inferno. The creature reared up and let out a roar that shook my bones. ¡°The hard way it is,¡± I grumbled, pulling my lightsaber off my belt and igniting it, the silver-white beam hissing and popping in the rain as drops hit and were instantly vaporized. The lightsaber briefly drew its eyes before it charged, heavy steps thumping the ground hard enough for me to feel through my feet.


    I ran away from master Dooku as it got close, inside its reach and at an angle, forcing it to try to turn to follow. The ground, wet with rain, turned to mud under its feet and it slipped as it both tried to turn and reach out for me with one of its giant hands. I rolled out and swiped the saber at its hand, only to be met with resistance. Glancing at the hand, I saw I¡¯d only scored a burn mark across its tough hide. Frowning, I checked the saber and found that yes, it was set to normal operation.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    ¡°It¡¯s resistant to blaster bolts, heat, and plasma,¡± Dooku called helpfully from the side. A glance showed he had his own lightsaber in hand but not activated¡ªso he would back me up if he felt I needed it, but was otherwise letting me handle it.


    Resistant doesn¡¯t mean immune. Just need more exposure and somewhere to get a kill shot in.


    Despite being as big as it was, the rancor was surprisingly fast and nimble. It got back to its feet and approached more cautiously this time, even angrier than before but even more determined to make a meal out of me. It was wary of the lightsaber now, but it was still dumb and persistent enough to try.


    Leading with its injured arm, it tried to swat me. I jumped over the massive swing and rushed in close before it could recover. I slid across the mud into a thrust that terminated in the rancor¡¯s knee, going for something that would slow it down. It took a moment, but the force of the thrust and the relative thinness of the skin over the joint compared to elsewhere allowed the saber to punch through and I nearly gagged on the stink of burning flesh, blood, and meat as the rancor howled, jerking away and nearly taking my weapon with it¡ªinstead only managing to make its wound worse as it tore open and ruined the joint.


    A hand slammed down where I¡¯d been as I dodged out of the way and leapt backwards, out of reach. The big creature tested its right leg, only to find it wouldn¡¯t support weight. So it used its right arm as a crutch as it began plodding towards me again, murder in its eyes. But it was slowed, and with an arm out of commission, it was harder for it to attack¡ªor defend.


    One childhood spent playing video games against over sized bosses like this had taught me what to look for as likely weaknesses and a second childhood as an aerial mage gave me the actual skill I¡¯d need for what I intended. The math came as second nature to me as I spun up a targeting formula¡ªone of those internal support formulas that didn¡¯t act on the world, but on the user. In this case, it took in external data, such as range to target, elevation, crosswind, and obstructions, and plotted out the perfect shot. It didn¡¯t see much use in close combat and was either used for recon or generally attached to a sniping formula.


    I dropped my lightsaber and the silver tube froze in the air as I caught it with the force. It turned, tilting the silver-white blade towards the rancor¡¯s face as it approached and I waited. When it next put its right hand on the ground, I fired, launching the saber with a force push for its right eye. The rancor didn¡¯t have time to blink before the plasma blade punched through the soft, squishy eye and out the back¡ªinto its brain box.


    Catching the saber before the hilt went inside, I wiggled it around a bit as the creature stood there, shaking for a moment¡ªtwitching, really. Until all the emotion drained away from it and the danger I¡¯d felt from it in the force dissipated. It collapsed forward with a thump as I pulled the saber back to my hand.


    That¡¯s when I noticed it. Without the rancor¡¯s overwhelming presence blocking out everything nearby, I picked up several more smaller but much¡­ sharper sources of potential danger nearby, and the emotions coming off of them. Most of them were impressed, while one in particular was furious. Looking up at the trees, I spotted several figures among the branches overhead. They were hard to make out in the dark and the storm, but the occasional flash of lightning lit things up well enough to make out that they were human.


    Lightning flashed and the angry one jumped down. I expected a hard landing in the muck the forest floor had become, but no. At the last moment, I felt the Force from her and the woman slowed, before landing lightly enough to not make a sound.


    I should learn how to do that. If you can just slow a fall like that¡­ It has to be some application of Force telekinesis.


    I was pulled from my thoughts as the angry woman leveled a spear at me. Raising an eyebrow, I studied her as I shifted into a defensive stance, raising my lightsaber. I had called her a woman, but that was wrong. A young woman would be more accurate. I guessed her age to be in her early to mid-teens. She had long, dark red hair pulled back under a hooded cloak, some of it peeking out from under the hood. Under the light of my blade, I could make out the red and blue dye of her clothes and leather armor, and the gold and silver accents that her decorations and/or metal armor gave at the shins, biceps, and over the stomach. The spear was a light wood, with a large metal blade attached to the end, making it more like a glaive or poleaxe.


    ¡°That was mine and you killed it, trespasser,¡± the girl hissed, green eyes glaring at me from under the hood.


    ¡°It attacked us and I defended myself. Sorry if that was your prey¡ª¡±


    I found myself cut off as the girl radiated fury and spat, ¡°It wasn¡¯t prey! It was to be my mount! And now you¡¯ve interrupted my rite of passage¡ª!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Alaya,¡± one of the other women called as the rest of the group jumped down, making for six in total. All of them looked to be in their late teens through the twenties, with the oldest perhaps thirty. The one who had spoken wore a more elaborate silver headpiece than the others. The weapons the older ones carried all hummed faintly and I could see some pieces of tech further down from the blade, telling me they were some sort of vibro-weapon. ¡°Calm yourself.¡±


    ¡°But she¡ª!¡± Alaya began, only to shut up as the older woman silenced her with a glare. ¡°Yes, hunt leader.¡±


    The leader nodded and shifted her attention to myself and Dooku. Her eyes flicked from my lit lightsaber to the one Dooku was just now slipping back under his robe. Brown eyes met my blue. ¡°Peace, young one. There is no need for that,¡± she nodded at the lightsaber. Taking my cue from master Dooku, I shut it off and reattached it to my belt. ¡°Good. Sisters, we have honored guests. Two of you run ahead and inform the clan mother. The rest of you, spread out and make sure nothing disturbs us.¡±


    The other women obeyed, even if the youngest among them looked annoyed at having to do so. Once they were gone and only the leader was left, she turned away and began walking, carrying her halberd over her shoulder. ¡°Come, Jedi. The Singing Mountain Clan extends its hospitality to you. Let us get in out of the rain.¡±


    ¡°We thank you for the hospitality,¡± Dooku nodded, moving up to walk beside her as I trailed along behind. ¡°It has been some time since my order last visited. Can you tell us the current state of affairs among the clans?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave that to the clan mother,¡± the leader shook her head, though there was a hint of amusement in her voice. ¡°She rarely gets guests and it¡¯s rarer still that we get one from off world.¡± She turned and eyed Dooku up visibly and I raised an eyebrow at the emotions coming off of her¡ªa bit of arousal and, oddly, disappointment. ¡°Rarer still to receive such a fine specimen.¡±


    Dooku chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m sure an old man like myself is of little interest.¡±


    ¡°Quite the contrary. That weapon at your side. The way you carry yourself. Your eyes. It all speaks of a seasoned warrior who has stood the test of time. Experience and strength are attractive in their own right. Alas, the clan mother awaits, and while you¡¯ll be gone eventually, I have to live with her.¡±


    Was I hearing this right? Were my senses playing up? Because it sounded like she was just flat out telling master Dooku she would proposition him, but her ¡®clan mother¡¯ had first dibs.


    ¡°Who is the current clan mother for the Singing Mountain?¡± Dooku asked, neatly sidestepping that entire conversation.


    ¡°That would be Mother Augwynne Djo, who recently won the title. She is young, but wise, competent, and strong. Under her rule, we have begun attempting to deepen relations with the other clans¡­¡±


    <hr>


    I had seen the view coming in from the air, but seeing it from the ground, on the mountain, was an entirely different thing. Out below us was a carpet of green, shrouded in fog and rain at the moment. Above us, huge chunks of rock floated through the air, suspended by the Force itself where the Force came together beneath the mountain and rushed out the top, to scatter across the surrounding land.


    The village we had been led to occupied a mostly cleared section of land near the top of the mountain, protected by tall walls of stone and wood. The houses were all wood construction, with a few structures around the perimeter built into trees that had been left¡ªwatch posts, from what I could tell. The houses were all lit by the glow of fires inside, most people having apparently decided to turn in given the rain.


    ¡°This way,¡± our escort waved us towards a large structure that had been carved into the side of the mountain at the back of the village.


    We entered through a wooden door and I almost sighed at the difference in temperature and humidity. Somehow, they had air conditioning¡ªand it worked well, given the condensation on the stone walls.


    Our guide wiped the mud off her boots in the little entryway we had found ourselves in, before removing her boots and continuing deeper. When master Dooku took his off as well, I followed his example and we followed the leader down a thickly carpeted hallway, past rooms on either side, to the rear of the structure.


    Through a draped fur door, we were led to something that looked sort of like an office and a library. Shelf after shelf of books and scrolls filled the room, lit by a warm, yellow orange glow from artificial lighting spaced regularly along the ceiling and in the room¡¯s corners. A stack of data discs and a reader sat on their own shelves, beside what looked like a holo-com table that had been ripped straight out of a ship.


    A human woman with red hair sat at a low table, reading a scroll and sipping at a cup of tea. Like the others, she wore tight fitting cloth clothing, though hers was dyed purple with blue accents and in an actual dress, as opposed to the more mobile pants and tops of the hunters and she lacked the armor they wore. A silver crown adorned her head, six tall and thin spikes on it curving up and back away from her face. As our escort had said, she looked young¡ªperhaps in her mid-twenties at most. She was beautiful by human standards.


    She looked up as we entered, eyes a darker shade of blue than my own studying us, and I felt her reach out with the Force¡ªfeeling us out. I slammed my mind shut and the woman raised an eyebrow, a smile pulling at her lips. ¡°Tenel, thank you for bringing our guests. I¡¯ll take care of them from here. Inform the others that our guests are free to come and go as they please.¡±


    Tenel bowed her head, touching a fist to her chest. ¡°Of course, mother.¡±


    Our escort left and the redhead stood, giving us a smile as she bowed slightly at the waist. ¡°I am Augwynne Djo, clan mother for the Singing Mountain clan. Be welcome here, guests.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ms. Djo,¡± Dooku returned the bow with one of his own, at the same angle I noticed. ¡°I am Jedi Master Dooku, of the Jedi Council. This is my apprentice, Tanya.¡±


    ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± I bowed as well and the woman¡¯s smile widened.


    ¡°So serious. She¡¯s cute,¡± she murmured, before gesturing to a pair of cushions across the table from her. ¡°Please, sit. Join me. Tea?¡±


    ¡°That would be delightful,¡± Dooku agreed, quickly taking a seat as I did likewise beside him.


    Augwynne gestured and a pair of cups flew out of a nearby cabinet to the desk as she lifted a steaming pot and began to pour. ¡°Honey?¡±


    Once our drinks were poured and we¡¯d had a moment to taste them, she leaned forward, studying us intently. ¡°I assume you¡¯re here for the regularly scheduled check in and not to make another attempt on the Chu¡¯unthor?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow at the unfamiliar word while Dooku nodded. ¡°That is correct. Although, if you cared to make an exception and allow my padawan access, I would be grateful.¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the woman across from us considered the proposal and I felt her reaching out for me in the Force again¡ªnot my mind this time, but probing my body and the Force around me. Not particularly liking it, I reached out with the Force myself and attempted to swat her attempts away. She laughed, leaning back where she sat. ¡°She¡¯s feisty! I like it!¡±


    Frowning, I asked, ¡°What is ¡®the Chu¡¯unthor?¡¯¡±


    Shaking his head as he chuckled, Dooku answered, ¡°It is a praxeum ship. It is,¡± Augwynne sent him a raised eyebrow and he corrected himself, ¡°was an academy ship, built hundreds of years ago for the purpose of housing and training Jedi recruits. The Chu¡¯unthor crash landed here almost three hundred years ago. Master Yoda and a group of other Jedi were sent to rescue those aboard and secure the ship. Unfortunately¡­¡±


    ¡°We found it first,¡± Augwynne grinned. ¡°It¡¯s been a point of contention between our people ever since. Your council believes the Chu¡¯unthor and everything on it is theirs,¡± she gestured at Dooku, who nodded. ¡°We claim salvage rights. The ship and everything on it is ours.¡±


    Frowning, I thought back to what master Dooku had told me about the planet before we arrived. ¡°And since the population is largely formed of the descendants of prisoners, exiles, and outcasts¡ªand the Witches of Dathomir especially are descended from a former Jedi¡ªthe claim holds more weight than most.¡± My eyed turned towards the lights and the holo-com table. I thought back to the weapons the hunters all carried. ¡°You¡¯re stripping it for useful parts and using the facilities. Using materials left there to train your people.¡±


    The redhead¡¯s expression shifted from amusement to confusion as she looked at me in a new light. She looked to Dooku, who merely smiled in response. ¡°Interesting,¡± she murmured, before her eyes met mine again. ¡°You¡¯re correct. Any technology we can salvage is a valuable resource, due to our lack of infrastructure and preference for the simpler life here. A few improvements here and there, such as better weapons, lights, climate control, and things to aid us in agriculture are welcome, but we don¡¯t want to move much further beyond where we are now as a society. We¡¯re much more in tune with nature, the elements, and the Force here.¡±


    ¡°And are you still keeping males as slaves, or has your society evolved past that?¡± Dooku arched an eyebrow and the clan mother winced. Seeing my confusion, he explained, ¡°The tribes of Dathomir are all dominated by their females¡ªa practice which has carried on since the time of their founder.¡±


    ¡°Because the environment is harsh here and it requires the Force just to survive,¡± Augwynne glared back over the table. ¡°And no, my clan no longer enslaves males.¡±


    ¡°No, the culture just encourages them to enslave themselves,¡± master Dooku¡¯s answer caused Augwynne to sigh. ¡°Do the other clans still kill males who are born Force sensitive?¡±


    Another wince from the redhead told me all I needed to know there. ¡°We¡¯re just one clan. I can¡¯t change everything everywhere in a single generation. Even here, it¡¯s hard to convince the older women to actually value men as something more than breeding studs and menial labor.¡±


    ¡°A matriarchal society equivalent to a hunter-gatherer period?¡± I asked, and Dooku nodded.


    Augwynne sighed. Quietly, she asked, ¡°And how would you fix it, without inciting rebellion and instigating a civil war that would wipe out much of our population?¡± Looking to me, she continued, ¡°I mean that earnestly. Things can¡¯t be allowed to continue as they are, or in a hundred years we¡¯ll be down to less than half a dozen tribes fighting over a handful of shriveled up male slaves, who are all related to every woman of every tribe in some way. Importing new males from elsewhere only pushes the problem off on future generations without resolving the underlying issues.¡±


    Turning back to Dooku, she asked, ¡°If you have any wisdom to share, master Jedi, I will listen.¡±


    Dooku sipped at his tea for a few moments as he considered. Finally, he nodded. ¡°Let us see if we can¡¯t work out some kind of solution together. We will be here for a while and this is but one of many things I would like to discuss.¡±


    A grin pulled at the redhead¡¯s lips and she nodded. ¡°I look forward to it.¡± Picking up her own cup, she took a sip and cut her eyes back over to me. ¡°Tell me, how old is your padawan, master Dooku?¡±


    ¡°Seven now, I believe,¡± he said, looking to me for confirmation as I nodded.


    ¡°Perfect. She¡¯s just the right age to start the first stage of the rites of adulthood.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± I asked, and she grinned.


    ¡°It¡¯s a coming of age ceremony. We hold one at age seven, when a girl stops being a child and earns her place as a member of the tribe, becoming a hunter and warrior in her own right. A second is held at age fourteen, and if she passes she is officially considered an adult. The third, at age twenty-one, where she becomes a matron¡ªthose with responsibility who oversee the children and the training of the younger generations. The next coming of age ceremony is when she becomes a mother, and the last when she becomes too old to hunt and fight and instead shares her wisdom with the rest of the clan.¡±


    She cast a glance at Dooku. ¡°Your student is bright, but at that age, I know it¡¯s difficult to sit still for long. They¡¯re always full of energy. This is the best time to take advantage of that.¡±


    The older man nodded. ¡°Quite.¡±


    ¡°Tanya, was it? How would you feel about joining the girls your age for training?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be willing to try it,¡± I nodded.


    Dooku chuckled, drawing Augwynne¡¯s attention. ¡°You¡¯ll find she picks things up quickly. It may be best to evaluate her and adjust as you go.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± the redhead asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the reasons I brought her with me. It was causing some internal strife within the temple.¡±


    ¡°Very interesting,¡± Augwynne hummed. ¡°Okay. There are guest rooms and a shower back down the hall. My own room is further in, so you¡¯re free to rest in any of them. You won¡¯t be disturbed. Food will be brought shortly, but starting tomorrow, I expect you to join the children on the hunt. Those who don¡¯t work, don¡¯t eat. Your master will be working in another way, so don¡¯t worry about him. Go on, now,¡± she waved a hand towards the door in a clear dismissal.


    I wondered briefly what other way she meant as I stood, before the woman turned her focus back to Dooku and aggressive sexual tension filled the room. ¡°Now, master Dooku, let us put away work for the rest of the evening.¡± She gestured and the table cleared of everything but the tea and cups, everything moving off to shelves in the room. ¡°Why don¡¯t you regale me with tales of far off lands?¡±


    ¡°A story for a story, perhaps,¡± he smiled, and I slipped through the leather divider, making my way down the hall.


    I wonder what sort of training their children undergo. I suppose I¡¯ll find out tomorrow.

 09

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    09


    <hr>


    Commissioned by user.


    <hr>


    Dathomir, 43 BBY.


    <hr>


    The next morning, I woke early and made my way outside, finding a spot of open ground nearby to work in. After stretching out and doing a few exercises to warm up, I settled into practicing with my lightsaber, falling into the familiar pattern of strikes as I worked on the basics as Obi-wan had taught me.


    I felt and saw an older woman approach, stopping at the edge of the area where I was training. ¡°I¡¯ve been informed you¡¯ll be joining us.¡±


    Finishing out one last strike, I shut off the lightsaber and stuck it on my belt before turning to the newcomer. ¡°Yes. Your clan mother extended the invitation to me. I¡¯ll be in your care.¡±


    The woman nodded and waved for me to follow. ¡°I am the captain overseeing training of the children. You can address me as captain or leader. We rise with the sun. You¡¯ll start every morning by coming to the trail head,¡± she instructed, picking up into a jog as I ran along behind her. ¡°The trail is an obstacle course and splits into three paths, marked with red, blue, and purple markers. Red is for beginners. Blue is for those of intermediate skill level and will require a certain level of mastery over both your body and the Force. Purple is for those who have a mastery of both their bodies and the Force. You will start on the red path for today and I will follow to evaluate your progress. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°I do, captain.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± she slowed as we approached a trail marked off with an archway, from which dangled ribbons of red, blue, and purple cloth. ¡°Follow the trail around the mountain back to the village. After which, we¡¯ll have breakfast. Then, we hunt. Go. I¡¯ll be behind you.¡±


    Nodding, I took off down the path at a run. It wasn¡¯t long at all before the trail split off, with red strips on the left path and blue and purple to the right. I broke left, following the trail through the forest. Soon enough, I came across the first obstacles¡ªropes tied across the trail in a web-like pattern, but little more than hurdles. Hurdles to normal people, anyway. I hopped on top of the first line, moving with the swaying of the rope as it held my weight and jumping to the next, and the next. Sure, it used the Force a bit, but that was its own form of training.


    The next obstacle was a series of logs that had been planted vertically between ground level and a ledge several yards above, where the trail continued. They were barely wide enough to step on with one foot and looked sturdy enough, but the path up was pretty obvious. A fall wouldn¡¯t be fatal, just painful, and it would require starting over. I leapt onto the first and, keeping my momentum, skipped up the path, grabbing onto the tops of poles and pulling myself up where I couldn¡¯t quite make the jumps.


    The next challenge was a series of balance beams over a shallow mud puddle, clearly one of those ¡®fall in and start over¡¯ challenges. I flew by that and moved onto a set of hanging wooden poles¡ªbamboo or something like it¡ªthat required me to swing across, catch the next one, and repeat that several times before crossing to the other side. I couldn¡¯t quite make the jump to catch the first, but a kick off of the pole it was suspended from let me catch it and swing myself over.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you use the Force to move yourself?¡±


    I nearly landed face first on the dismount as the captain landed beside me and her voice interrupted the focused, almost meditative state I¡¯d fallen into. Sending her a curious look, I answered, ¡°I do for some things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve noticed. You use it mostly for balance and timing,¡± she pointed out, and I nodded. ¡°You don¡¯t use it to increase your strength or speed. We could be nearly finished by now if you did. So I ask again, why don¡¯t you?¡±


    Confused, I slowed to a jog as I answered. ¡°That would defeat the point, wouldn¡¯t it? The Force is a force multiplier when it comes to physical enhancement. Simplifying it a lot, if you can lift one hundred pounds without it then with it you can lift two to three hundred. If you train to lift one-fifty without, you could lift three hundred to four-fifty with. But if you use it full time to lift two hundred pounds, you only maintain, not increase what you can lift.¡±


    ¡°Ahh,¡± the older woman murmured, nodding. ¡°Yes, you could look at it like that. However, the alternative to your little example is to just lift more. Run more. Practice more. Do more. That way, not only are you training your body, but also training with the Force. Then, it comes naturally to you. So, instead of using it bringing a sudden surge of strength and leaving you momentarily out of sorts and having to adjust, you¡¯ve adjusted to it over time. You¡¯re comfortable with it and with your body. You use it in everything you do. You don¡¯t crack a cup just by holding it, but at the same time you can punch your fist through a stone wall. Your physical condition is important, but using the Force is more important. It shouldn¡¯t come as second nature, or like using a new limb, it should be as natural and without thought or effort as breathing.¡±


    I slowed to a stop and turned to look at her. ¡°Is that what you do here?¡±


    The brunette smiled. ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°¡­The children too?¡±


    She chuckled. ¡°Things are placed just out of reach, just slightly beyond their ability to jump to, to encourage them to use the Force. This course is meant to lay the foundation for the sort of physical skills and casual Force use we use every day to hunt and protect the village. You are just physically exceptional enough to not need to use it for the majority of things.¡±


    ¡°And when they can run the course in an acceptable time frame, they move up to the next,¡± I guessed, and she nodded. ¡°I see.¡±


    Taking a breath, I channeled the Force within my body, then took off running. At first, I almost face-planted as I found I couldn¡¯t keep up. Then, after a few moments, my mind and perceptions caught up and it felt like I was moving at a normal run. The difference was, I could feel the momentum of my motion, the energy in every step as I didn¡¯t so much run as sprung or leapt between steps, clearing yards between each step. The rest of the course, I spent relearning my limits and adjusting to what would become my new normal.


    When we finally made it back to the village, the captain led me to a communal mess hall, where we loaded up plates and sat down to eat. I felt the stares of everyone in the hall and more than a few less than subtle probes with the Force that I smacked away. As I began eating, the captain asked, ¡°I heard you killed a rancor yesterday.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t a question, but I nodded in answer. ¡°Yes. I wasn¡¯t expecting to find an animal that¡¯s actually resistant to a lightsaber.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re tough,¡± she agreed, studying me. ¡°You told me that before today, you weren¡¯t increasing your strength or speed with the Force?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± I confirmed. I had used other techniques a few times, as the situation called for it, but, ¡°Generally, I only use it to enhance perception, for balance, or precognition.¡±


    ¡°Then you took down the rancor with just the strength of your own body.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°I used the Force to throw my lightsaber there at the end, but yes. Why?¡±


    The woman chuckled and shook her head. ¡°No reason.¡±


    Somehow, I doubted that, but I let it go. Soon enough, we finished breakfast and she led me over to a group of girls a little older than myself¡ªperhaps ten or eleven years old. All of them had a fairly basic looking halberd, though they were all shorter than the ones the adults used to account for their height disparity.


    ¡°Alright girls. We have a guest today, so let¡¯s show her how it¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡±¡± they answered in sync, and took off as one towards a hut off to one side of the village. I followed along and raised an eyebrow as they began collecting bows, stringing them, and putting on quivers full of arrows. They followed that up with sturdy looking leather backpacks.


    ¡°What kind of game are we hunting?¡± I asked as I entered the room at the captain¡¯s direction and she walked over to a rack of bows, before finding one appropriate to my size that she then strung for me.


    ¡°What do you want to eat?¡± she asked with a grin.


    ¡°So you eat what you kill?¡± I asked, and the captain nodded. ¡°How much should you collect?¡±


    The captain waved a hand dismissively as she showed me how to attach a quiver, then handed me a sack¡ªor rather a game bag¡ªlike the others. ¡°You¡¯ll get the hang of it.¡±


    I shrugged and followed the others out. They took off down a trail leading down from the mountain, to a series of vines that had been woven together and tied off using boulders as anchors. I watched as they jumped onto the large vine and slid down, a few of them taking shots at large birds as they passed, using the Force to guide arrows to strike, then bringing back the arrow and bird and slipping the prey into their bags.


    ¡°Go on. It¡¯s fun, I promise,¡± the captain sent me an encouraging smile and I nodded, before jumping onto the vine.


    The Force kept me upright as I began sliding down, the wind whipping at my hair and clothes, and a grin pulled at my lips as I enjoyed the closest thing to flight I¡¯d felt in a while. Spotting one of the birds the others were taking down, I pulled an arrow and drew, reaching out with the Force to predict where it would be and the flight of the arrow, before loosing. A small explosion of feathers announced a hit and I jerked it back in with the Force, catching the arrow and working the now limp bird off into the bag over my shoulder, and nearly losing it in the process since I couldn¡¯t quite tell where the lip of the bag was.


    When we reached the trees, the other children stayed in the treetops, jumping from limb to limb, so I followed their lead. Opening myself up, I felt for animals as we went and took my cues both from the Force and the others on what to shoot and what to let pass as I worked to fill my bag. When we passed over a stream, I took a moment to spear a few fish the same way and add those to the pile.


    By the time noon came around, our bags were nearly full and much heavier. The trek back left my legs burning, but it was the good kind of burn. When we returned, the kids all dropped their bows and arrows off where we¡¯d gotten them before, before dropping the bags off at another hut, where I could smell blood and other not so great smells thick in the air.


    ¡°We process them next?¡± I asked, and the captain shook her head as I left my bag with the others.


    If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ¡°No. Women hunt, men clean the meat and prepare the meals,¡± she shook her head. ¡°Come, let¡¯s get lunch, then¡­ Hm. We should get you a weapon.¡±


    Thanks to the army survival training of my second life, I knew how to clean and prepare most animals killed in the field, so I didn¡¯t press the issue. If I didn¡¯t have that knowledge, I would have made a point later on of stopping by and learning. Being able to keep oneself fed in the field was an essential skill, especially if supplies were slim or resupply was just not coming.


    ¡°I have a weapon,¡± I pointed out, tapping the saber at my side.


    The captain shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s too loud. It¡¯ll scare away the game the moment you turn it on. Besides, we don¡¯t want to burn everything we touch with it. You¡¯ll need some new clothes, too.¡±


    I frowned, picking at my Jedi robe. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this?¡±


    ¡°It offers no protection. Also, it stands out. And you already stand out with that pretty white hair and red skin.¡±


    If wearing the uniform and dressing like the natives means I¡¯ll stop catching so many sideways looks and will prevent trouble in the future, I probably should. Nodding, I trailed along as we hit the meal hall again.


    That evening, after getting outfitted for a poleaxe and a new set of clothes, I met master Dooku for lightsaber training. The sun had already fallen behind the mountains and it felt like the whole village had gathered to watch as we swept across one of the training fields, his blue lightsaber clashing with my silver-white in a series of rapid clashes that flashed over the surroundings.


    ¡°How was your day?¡± he asked in between clashes, and I was again reminded that the man was a master when it came to this, given the fact that he wasn¡¯t even winded.


    ¡°Productive,¡± I got out, having been run ragged most of the day and starting to flag. I swatted aside a probing attack and retaliated with a thrust, only to have to roll out as he easily turned it aside. ¡°I feel like I¡¯m actually making progress again.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he nodded, stepping into a new offensive flurry of strikes. ¡°Don¡¯t work yourself too hard.¡±


    I forced myself to parry and block the strikes instead of dodging, leaving my arms trembling from the exertion. ¡°I know my limits.¡±


    Forced to disengage, I backed off and took up a defensive stance, circling master Dooku as he moved towards me one slow step at a time. The old man was toying with me and we both knew it. Sucking down air, I considered my options. Eventually, I decided to gamble on one last exchange.


    Rushing in, I dove forward, rolling over his first lazy swipe. My lightsaber was nearly to his ankles when he jumped, flipping easily over the strike. I dodged, only to feel something thump the side of my head as Dooku landed.


    ¡°That was good,¡± Dooku commented, shutting off his lightsaber. ¡°But remember, retreat is always an option.¡±


    ¡°It was a spar,¡± I pointed out as I shut off my own saber and put it away.


    The old man smiled, and I bore with it as he reached out and patted the top of my head. ¡°Yes, and you could have easily bowed out and conceded it. You chose to continue. Do not push yourself so hard that you burn out.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± I agreed. ¡°But better to push through the pain now and suffer a loss, than to not have what I need later and end up dead, in a situation where I can¡¯t retreat.¡±


    Seeing the fight was over, the crowd began to disperse and we made our way inside Augwynne¡¯s home. I hit the shower and by the time I was done, our meal had been delivered by someone. I found Dooku and Augwynne deep in conversation when I joined them and, judging by the way she was sitting beside him and hanging off of Dooku¡¯s every word, it seemed things were going pretty well for the old man.


    Is this what they mean by being a third wheel? I wondered as I picked up the atmosphere, and the general feelings coming off of both. While it was sexually charged, it was not the sort of thing I was accustomed to on Zeltros. It was much more intimate and far less casual. I felt like I was intruding just entering the room.


    It was a new feeling for me, as I had generally never cared about that sort of thing before. Even back in Japan, I only obeyed the social norms about things like this to blend in. Now, however¡­ Master Dooku had more than earned my respect and Augwynne was our host. I decided to give them some space and not interrupt whatever was happening between them.


    I wished them a good night and grabbed my plate, before heading to my room. After a quick meal, I dug out my tablet and got to work reading. The reception was awful and laggy, so I had to put in requests for things and allow them to download. Thankfully, the previous night I had put in a request for several books.


    Opening the first, I settled into bed and started to read Programming and Penetration Testing for Beginners. Hacking, or ¡®slicing¡¯ as it was called locally, seemed like a good skill to have¡ªand as with piloting, I would prefer to have actual skill and then back that skill up with the Force than to rely entirely upon the Force as a crutch.


    <hr>


    Dathomir, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    Snow poured in near whiteout conditions and lightning popped around me as I followed the purple trail markers, retracing the path mostly by memory but careful of ice buildup on the stone. Danger flared in the Force from above and I moved, at the same time creating a dome of Force above me as I closed my eyes.


    Lightning flashed bright enough to blind and deafen me, momentarily stunning me as my body went a bit tingly from the shock of it hitting my shield and splashing off, before finding ground. Landing on a rock outcropping, I paused for just a moment to breathe and cycle the Force, tapping into my life force and feeling exhaustion hit me as sight, hearing, and sensation was returned.


    As soon as I could, I began moving again, launching myself to the peak of the mountain. Feeling more than seeing the big, slowly rotating floating rocks above me, I timed my leap, judged the windage, then jumped. The Force propelled me upwards and my hand slapped the rock, a bit of telekinesis in the form of a pull briefly sticking it to its surface, before I adjusted, aimed for the next one, and kicked off, repeating the process until I made it to the biggest floating rock.


    Finding what I was looking for, I collected a hunk of silver metal that had been planted there and left to steep in the Force for years¡ªjust one of many. Studying them, they looked like they were likely parts of an asteroid that had fallen to the planet at some point. I couldn¡¯t readily identify the metal, but it practically glowed with Force. Slipping it into my pack, I took a running leap and jumped. Full on flight was still beyond me, being that the flight formula was too expensive to use for more than a couple of seconds at a time, but gliding was actually surprisingly easy.


    I turned and dove for the village, skipping the latter half of the trail as the goal of the trial was completed. Touching down lightly just outside Augwynne¡¯s home, I headed inside and pulled out the chunk of metal, passing through the leather curtain separating the library and placing the piece of metal on her desk.


    Augwynne hadn¡¯t changed much over the last several months, but those changes that were there stood out. Not exactly the most obvious was that she looked happy and practically radiated happy, contented emotions nearly constantly. She was much more relaxed these days, too.


    Both of those probably had to do with the fact that she was pregnant and looked ready to pop any day now.


    Apparently, master Dooku had fallen for her charms at some point. By which I mean, Augwynne launched a full on frontal assault and refused to retreat, until the old man was worn down enough to finally capitulate. After that, well¡­ I needed to practice shielding my mind anyway.


    Apparently, they had a deal. If it was a boy, Dooku would take him to raise elsewhere, away from the problems of Dathomir society and their treatment of their own men¡ªas even with his help, they had yet to come up with a workable solution to the issue that didn¡¯t end in civil war or take more than three generations to see through. If it was a girl, Augwynne would keep her, to raise as her successor and one of the Witches of Dathomir.


    Considering master Dooku could have peeked with the Force and determined which sex the child would be from the moment of conception, I could only assume he was sticking around for more sentimental reasons. Knowing what I did of the Jedi order and their thoughts on attachments, this was going to end poorly. Either way, I would be keeping my mouth shut. I knew the value of secrecy and master Dooku had helped me more than once. I felt like I owed him a favor or two.


    ¡°Congratulations. You¡¯ve passed your first trial,¡± the redhead smiled. ¡°Normally there would be a bit of a ceremony, but I know you¡¯re not the type to enjoy that sort of thing.¡±


    ¡°And it might upset some people,¡± I murmured, and Augwynne nodded.


    ¡°That too. Especially given that this wasn¡¯t the usual trial, or reward.¡±


    ¡°So, what do I do with this?¡± I asked, nodding towards the silvery lump of metal. ¡°And what is it?¡±


    Augwynne chuckled. ¡°That is a chunk of a meteor that broke up above the planet some hundred odd years ago. We used some sensors salvaged from the Chu¡¯unthor to analyze it. It¡¯s songsteel. Light, tough, and highly resistant to energy weapons. Technically, I shouldn¡¯t let you have this, as it¡¯s reserved only for clan mothers and their daughters. My crown is made of it,¡± she reached up and pulled it off, handing it to me. I turned it over in my hands, feeling just how light it was, before handing it back.


    ¡°As for what you do with it¡­ You¡¯ve seen the wreck of the Chu¡¯unthor during your hunts. I¡¯m giving you permission to make the trip out, but you should try to avoid being seen. I¡¯d like to avoid the hassle of having to listen to the old women complain about letting an outsider, let alone a Jedi, into the ship. Songsteel is incredibly difficult to work with. We don¡¯t have the equipment here in the village and can¡¯t transport the forge from the ship as it¡¯s just too large and too delicate. You¡¯ll need to enter the ship and use its facilities. The section you need to enter has power, so you won¡¯t have to worry about that. Feel free to use whatever else you want to while you¡¯re there. To get in, you need to look under the starboard wing, where it¡¯s dipping into the water. There¡¯s a hatch on the underside that our clan has used for years now.¡±


    Nodding, I grabbed my chunk of metal and put it in my bag, before making my way to my quarters. Digging through my things, I found a fist sized hunk of silver-white kyber crystal waiting for me, which pulsed faintly as I touched it. Tossing that into my bag as well, I pulled my hood up and headed outside, determined to make the trek now, while there were fewer people outside to question where I was going or what I was doing.


    I stepped out into the snowstorm then disappeared as I spun up a very basic illusion formula¡ªnot invisibility, but something that would effectively copy a section of the area around me and display it over my body. In this case, I looked like just another patch of falling snow to the casual observer. For the not so casual observer, I closed off my mind, making sure none of my emotions or thoughts would leak while at the same time cranking up my sensitivity so I could make sure nothing was following or observing me. Then, I reached inside myself, to my presence within the Force, and drew it all inward¡ªmimicking the stealth techniques I had learned for hiding mana in my last life. Unless someone touched me or actively swept the area with the Force themselves, I would be less than a whisper in the Force.


    I hurried along the outskirts of the village, my steps silent as I moved to the vine leading down to the forest. Jumping on, I slid down in near silence and hopped into the trees. I kept up the stealth just in case one of the other hunting parties was out and about as I made my way towards the huge, crashed ship visible from the village above.


    Eventually, I found the ship right where I knew it would be. The design was honestly not what I was expecting for a space ship, let alone some kind of flying Jedi academy. For one thing, it was flat. I had no idea why they chose a flat design when a thicker, three dimensional design would have given them much more area to work within¡ªespecially if they never intended to land the thing. Space docks were common, so it wasn¡¯t like they ever needed to take it down into a planet¡¯s atmosphere to have it worked on if it needed maintenance or repairs.


    Shaking my head and putting away thoughts of space ship design principles to ponder on later, I made my way around to the starboard side, where the wing was listing into the water. Moving along the bank under it, I quickly found the access hatch I had been told about¡ªhidden behind some bushes that didn¡¯t quite look like they belonged given that they were typically found near the mountain, not near water like this. They also felt to my senses as though they had been encouraged to grow using some Force technique¡ªlikely one of the ¡®spells¡¯ the tribe used.


    I was no stranger to magic, having been an aerial mage in my second life. I had lived and breathed magic for a while and even now, I was still using the things I had learned to apply them to the Force. But the Force wasn¡¯t magic. It wasn¡¯t mana. And as I had quickly learned, the vast majority of the so-called spells the Dathomiri Witches used were actually just applications of what I classified as Force telekinesis.


    That was an issue I had with the Jedi mindset¡ªwhy break down pushing, pulling, squeezing, and other things into their own individual named skills when they were all just applications of one skill? It made no sense.


    But I digress. Most of the ¡®spells¡¯ used here were just applications of the Force, and once I understood that, learning them was simple. They over-complicated things with prayers to their gods (which I refused to indulge in, given my prior experience with a self-proclaimed god) and mysticism, but nearly everything I had seen to date could be quantified as an application of telekinesis or other psychic feats, such as precognition, influencing the mind, reading the mind, or even my own ability to perceive and broadcast emotions. Even enhancing one¡¯s strength, speed, durability and so on with the Force fell under the umbrella of an application of telekinesis.


    Nearly everything. Case in point: plant growth. I had seen them use it before. I knew they were using the Force for it. I had yet to figure out the how as it seemed to be a branch of Force use divergent from the typical ESPer-like abilities I had seen Jedi use. Likewise, I had seen a few of the older ladies teleport. Not hide themselves under invisibility and move quickly, but legitimately teleport. I wanted that one bad, but I was still working on figuring it out.


    Parting the bushes, I hit the hatch release and slipped into the ship. The entire thing was tilted a few degrees off, so it was like walking uphill as I followed Augwynne¡¯s instructions towards the forge area. Just as she had said, as soon as I entered the proper area, the emergency lights came on and I was able to follow the signage to the forge.


    Inside the forge room, the lights came on fully and I whistled at what I found. The room was meticulously clean, with several different machines all placed around it and storage lockers containing different materials and even some completed parts for lightsabers. Examining the equipment, I found not just a forge, but also an interface for designing custom parts and a fabricator to take whatever materials were put in and use them to make whatever design had been put in.


    Taking off my bag, I removed my chunk of songsteel and kyber crystal. The crystal, I set on the design table for now, while I put the songsteel into the forge and quickly set it to melt it down into bars. I watched for a few moments as force fields engaged and the forge quickly heated up, scanners analyzing the metal, determining its melting point, and bringing it up to temperature before the force fields began working on it.


    Letting that work, I moved over to the design terminal and sat down. Cracking my knuckles, I considered the interface and what I wanted. I had been considering it for a while, but now I believed I finally had the means to produce what I wanted¡ªand out of such a high quality, Force enriched material no less. I couldn¡¯t pass up the chance.


    Reaching out to the Force, I let it guide my hands as I began drawing out clockwork mechanisms¡ªpartly from memory, partly by letting the Force fill in the gaps.


    Four clockwork computers working together inside a single housing¡­

 10

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    10


    <hr>


    Commissioned by TheMaskedMarauder.


    <hr>


    Dathomir, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    I closed up the project I was working on with a twist and a quiet click as the case sealed into place. Taking it up, I looked the contraption over. It looked like a blank silver pocket watch attached to a thin chain of the same silvery metal. Clicking the button at the top, the cover opened to reveal the clear face and internal mechanisms. Reaching into it, I fed it a trickle of the Force and activated the battery. Immediately, all four mechanisms inside began ticking away, working in their default configuration.


    Probing the computation orb in my hand, I fed it a simple equation using the Force. It didn¡¯t respond and I sighed, feeling a bit disappointed even though I knew it wasn¡¯t complete. What I could feel off of it said it was working fine and keeping time accurately, ticking away four times over as each individual identical core worked. The problem was that it lacked the ability to interpret the Force at the moment. It could interact with it, given the songsteel it was made of was steeped in the stuff, but it couldn¡¯t actually understand commands being input yet. For that, I needed to learn more about the Force. I could try to brute force it, leaning on the Force the entire time to make the inscriptions necessary to allow it to work, but I¡¯d rather not go about it blindly and risk damaging it and wasting materials. It seemed I would be spending some time in the library once we got back to the temple.


    Slipping the chain around my neck, I dropped the incomplete computation orb down the front of my shirt, feeling the cold metal rest against my chest and quickly warm to my body temperature. A shiver ran through my body and for a moment, I thought it was just a reaction to the cold. However, a moment later, I felt it again¡ªalong with a distinct sense of close and sharp danger. Opening my mind a bit, I felt it then¡ªseveral sources of anger and malice. Directed malice, all pointed my general direction.


    What I was sensing wasn¡¯t the local wildlife, but people. Five, by my count. I was almost certain that they weren¡¯t of the Singing Mountain Clan, but what clan they did belong to didn¡¯t matter, as they clearly intended to do me harm.


    Well, it wasn¡¯t only people. With all of them, I felt other presences. Four somewhat large, roughly dog-sized animal minds that felt twisted to my senses and a large number of much smaller presences. Each one of those creatures felt somehow attached to one of the women present. It felt something vaguely like the Mind Trick, but more complete. Like¡­ a metaphysical hand wrapped around the minds of the creatures and strangling them. As though each woman were actively dominating their mind with the Force.


    With a start, I realized I recognized this feeling¡ªor something like it. Not the technique itself, but the¡­ taste or smell that came with it, in the Force. Perhaps it was just being away from Coruscant and on a planet brimming with the wild Force that was neither inherently light nor dark, but between what I was feeling now and what I remembered of Coruscant and Ilum both, it felt like what the Jedi described as the ¡®dark side¡¯ of the Force. Negative and, in this case, inherently wrong¡ªevil, even. Perhaps not the technique itself, but in the application¡ªI wasn¡¯t sure on that part.


    What I was sure of was that I had felt it before. Back on Coruscant, in fact. The Jedi temple had been soaked with it and it wasn¡¯t until sensing it again up close after having been away from it for some time now that I realized that perhaps there was something going on with the temple on Coruscant. It was something to ask master Dooku about. Later. After I escaped my current predicament.


    Grabbing my things, I secured them about my person and shut off the equipment, even as I activated my camouflage formula and suppressed my presence in the Force further. Quietly, I slipped back the way I had come, only to realize that they had already found the entrance and boarded the ship. Three of them entered while one remained at the door and the last¡­ it felt like they were making their way up along the top of the ship, seeking a way down inside from the top.


    I had only two options now. The first, to try and evade confrontation as I was pursued through the ship, find an alternate exit, and then escape into the forest. The second, to take the fight to my pursuers.


    A grin pulled at my lips as I silently moved towards the enemy as they began to spread out, turning the whole scenario on its head as supposed prey became the predator. They had no idea what they were dealing with. I had almost as much experience with the quiet, close in work with a knife or a trench shovel, creeping across enemy lines and through trenches, cutting throats and bashing in heads in the dark as I did flying around and shooting down enemy mages.


    I felt them casting about with the Force in strange ways as they went¡ªlike grasping tendrils of Force questing through the dark, touching and examining everything they came across as I felt their intent to search. It felt more primitive in my mind than even the simplest detection formula to ping out and ascertain enemy locations¡ªlike most of the local magic, I felt I could do better with a formula. However, after a bit of watching and study, I realized that wasn¡¯t the case. Like radar or sonar, active magical detection formulas sent out a burst of energy and measured a return when they detected anything living, and especially another mage. However, they also alerted anyone getting pinged to an enemy presence.


    These tentacle like protrusions of the Force didn¡¯t do that. In fact, they barely even registered in the Force and their emissions were almost nil¡ªand even felt something like just another current in the Force. With enough observation, I came to realize that they were actually really very stealthy when it came down to it.


    It¡¯s just that they¡¯re coming up against someone with years fighting a war in an active combat zone against multiple enemy mages and expecting them to be just as sneaky as me. When you train to be able to pick up an infiltrating mage by their passive mana signature in your sleep so as to not have to worry about getting your throat cut in the middle of the night, picking up someone using any kind of active formula nearby becomes second nature. My senses are just that much better than what they¡¯re expecting.


    Still, the ¡®spell¡¯ they were using wasn¡¯t entirely worthless. I could see ways it could come in handy, especially against something that didn¡¯t show up as a presence in the Force, since they worked off of physical detection¡ªthat is, touch. I made a mental note to try and reverse engineer my own version of it later, when I had some time.


    Reaching to the small of my back, I pulled my new knife from its sheath, feeling one of them approaching, along with whatever animal was accompanying them. Slipping into a side room, I leapt and planted myself against the ceiling, using only the tension of my muscles to hold myself up. A clicking of many legs echoed off the walls almost drowning out the quiet footsteps of a humanoid padding through the dark. I slowed my breathing, willing my heart to slow down and not pound quite so loud. They stopped beside the room I was hiding in as they had with every room they¡¯d passed, tendrils of Force slipping inside and feeling over the room. I could faintly see the tendrils as they crept into the room¡ªa faint greenish glow and a presence that looked wispy and almost gaseous. In the dark, it stood out too much, giving away the user¡¯s presence.


    When they found nothing, the unlucky enemies moved on, continuing down the hallway. I silently eased myself down to the floor, creeping out of the room and into the hall behind my pursuer. For just a moment, I shook my head at her sloppy approach. Here she was with a Force technique that could presumably detect people around herself and she couldn¡¯t be bothered to point some of those tendrils behind themselves, leaving her back wide open.


    Unprofessional, I mused, creeping closer. Looking around her, I found the source of the clicking noises. It was a spider, roughly knee high. Obviously alien in biology, but it looked very spider-like, with its eight legs, body shape, and hairy exterior.


    When I was nearly on top of her, I jumped and struck¡ªone hand going over her mouth as I landed in the middle of her back, the other hand driving the knife forward. The woman was dead before it could even become a fight as my blade separated brain from brain stem. She dropped and I shifted my weight, making sure she landed on her face.


    The spider turned as it suddenly found its mind freed. It paused and I felt its insect brain trying to decide if it should attack what looked like prey, or run now that it was free. I made the decision for it with a flick of my wrist, sending the dagger flying and burying it in the spider¡¯s head. It fell, its limbs twitching in death throes.


    I fell still and listened¡ªopening myself a bit more to the Force and my empathic sense. There was no sense that any of them had heard the quiet scuffle or body falling. No sudden sharp emotions. Nothing that would indicate that I had been discovered or that they had detected the death of their friend.


    Feeling them continuing their search, I rolled my hunter over and examined her. She was human, with long, dark hair done in multiple braids and a pale complexion¡ªhidden by the black and white face paint she wore, but I could make it out where the paint had smeared onto the deck when she¡¯d collapsed. She wore an outfit similar to my own, but dyed in black, dark red, and gray. Checking her belt, I found a bag with what I recognized as what the locals used for ¡®spell components¡¯ for some of their supposed magic, along with a dagger and a few other odds and ends. Nothing worth keeping, aside from her weapon.


    Still, if this is another clan intruding on the Singing Mountain Clan¡¯s territory, then I should alert Augwynne when I get back.


    With that decided, I grabbed the spell component bag and tied it to my own belt. Hopefully, between the bag and its contents, the description of their clothes, along with the spiders, someone should be able to identify who they were. That finished, I collected both the woman¡¯s knife and my own, then wiped the blood and spider guts off on the woman¡¯s clothes before moving on quickly.


    Coming to an intersection, I took the right path and hurried down it towards my next target. It wasn¡¯t long before I quickly came to another intersection, only to pause as my senses warned me. Looking down to where the Force drew my eyes, I found several strands of spider web across the door. There was a gap in the center that looked just big enough however, so I walked back a few paces before running and diving through it, tucking myself into a roll as I hit the floor on the other side and coming up just short of the webs on the opposite side of the intersection.


    Turning left, I made my way down the corridor, following the line of webs down the center of the floor as they occasionally split off to cover various doors. An idea came to mind and I found another empty room. Slipping between the webs, I pulled my knife out and set up against the ceiling again. Taking a breath, I closed my eyes and reached into the Force. With a flick of the wrist, I sent the dagger I¡¯d looted out of the room and flying down the hall the way I had come. When it came to another door, I jerked it into the web, breaking one of the individual strands near the bottom before jerking the knife back towards me.


    The reaction was immediate, as I felt a sense of hunger from the spider and alarm from the handler, before they both came rushing down the corridor back towards me. I waited and, as soon as the spider rushed by, I launched myself out of the door. The woman had no time to react before I was on her, my knife in the side of her neck and the other flying through the air as the spider turned, only to get skewered.


    After another moment to listen, I checked her over as well and finding nothing of value aside from her knife, I collected the weapon and moved on to the next. As I stalked the third, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder about their not sensing danger in the Force. Was that just something they couldn¡¯t do? Were they too preoccupied keeping their pets on a leash to sense impending death? Or was it that with my Force presence held tightly within my body and as small as I could make it, they just didn¡¯t perceive me until it was too late¡ªthe same as slipping up on enemy mages? It would require testing¡ªunder conditions I could control and against someone I should expect to be able to sense me. That, or I could ask Augwynne if these were just barely trained initiates. They looked to be in their late teens to mid-twenties, so I supposed that could be the case.


    The third fell as easily as the first two, but this time I caught its spider and instead of killing it, I risked using the Force. Reaching out to it, I gave it the impression that it should run for the exit it had entered from and that it should be very, very afraid of me. It let out a shriek and took off running, following the trail of its webbing back to the exit. I followed close on its heels, disregarding stealth¡ªafter all, the guard on the door would be expecting one of their own following.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work!


    The spider burst out of the hatch and I flung two of the stolen knives I¡¯d been collecting as trophies. I heard a quiet ¡°Huh?¡± from outside, before reaching out with the Force and jerking the knives back¡ªsending one into her spider and aiming the other for her left lung, just under the heart. There was a sound of surprise, then a thump of metal hitting meat. A feeling of pain and panic welled up from the woman and I ran out of the door, just in time to stop her from shouting as I knocked her to the ground and pinned her down, my own knife to her throat and my hand clamping down on her mouth.


    ¡°Shh,¡± I whispered, feeling out for the last woman. I felt her some distance away on top of the ship, apparently unaware of what was going on. When I was satisfied, I lifted my hand from my prisoner¡¯s mouth slightly. ¡°Which clan are you with, where did you come from, why are you here?¡±


    She tried to spit at me, but I covered her mouth, then slapped her across the face for it¡ªleaving behind a smear of her own saliva. Glaring¡ªor no, not glaring. Squinting as she tried to turn her head away from the diffuse light coming in from overhead, she hissed out, ¡°Spiderclan has been watching the Jedi ship for weeks, outsider. Hoping one of you would come along so we could have some fun with a little hunt. We welcome you into the Nightspider cave¡ªyou would be a feast for our pets!¡±


    Well, that answered the who, the why, and where¡ªthis ¡®Spider clan,¡¯ from a ¡®night spider cave,¡¯ and for the purpose of entertaining themselves by hunting and killing anyone unfortunate enough to cross their path. It was utterly senseless, but¡­ I couldn¡¯t say that wasn¡¯t the way of the galaxy in some places. Dathomir wasn¡¯t exactly a beacon of civilized, polite society, after all.


    Putting my knife away, I jerked the one inside her out, making sure to angle it upwards on the pull so it caught her heart. I didn¡¯t have to wait long before she went limp beneath me, passing out from internal blood loss. Collecting another knife, I went after the last one, deciding that I couldn¡¯t just leave her here to harass anyone else who came by.


    Creeping up the exterior of the ship and keeping to the shadows, I eventually spotted a dark form through the snow coming down. As I got closer, I saw that this one was dressed differently¡ªwearing a long, thick black robe over her other garb and wearing some kind of upturned, almost bowl-shaped hat, which dangled cloth with writing on it. She knelt in the center of some sort of depression in the hull surrounded by her spiders on the outermost edges¡ªpossibly what had once been a communications array.


    ¡°I wondered when you would come, outsider.¡±


    I blinked, before understanding dawned. It wasn¡¯t that she didn¡¯t sense me killing the others. She did. She just didn¡¯t care.


    ¡°The Fanged God whispered of your presence. With every death, my sisters told me of you.¡± Standing, the woman¡¯s presence in the Force became a towering shadow, looming over us. She turned towards me, revealing a woman who looked to be in her forties at a guess. It was hard to tell however, given the way her skin looked¡­ almost eaten away in places. Her eyes were a burning gold that set me on edge. I had only seen eyes that shade two places before¡ªon the brat sent by Being X to kill me and on myself in the mirror when using the Type 95.


    No. There¡¯s no way! He said¡ª! That train of thought came crashing to a halt before it even left the station. Was I really going to trust that lying devil Being X not to go back on his word and find some way of messing with me, even as far as he¡¯d flung me outside of his influence? That was assuming he even had, which would itself mean taking him at his word! I¡¯d been a fool¡ª


    ¡°¡ªthey were weak. You are strong. Join the Nightsisters. Swear your loyalty to the Fanged God¡ª¡±


    My eye twitched at the thought of having anything to do with any supposed ¡®gods.¡¯ Reaching down, I pulled my lightsaber off of my belt, hidden as it had been under the cloak I¡¯d worn to ward off the cold and the snow. The woman hissed and recoiled as the thrum of my blade filled the air along with the hissing of snow vaporizing as it hit the blade, the white-silver glow gleaming.


    ¡°Jedi!¡±


    There was no talking after that. The webs I¡¯d spotted beneath her lit up in a sickly green glow and I reacted. Four knives lifted out of their sheathes on my belt and zipped through the air ahead of me as I approached the woman at a steady walk. She didn¡¯t even bother shielding as she drew up what looked like a mixture between green fire and lightning between her hands and threw it at me.


    Several small, hexagonal shields sprang up between me and the witch, catching the bolt, which dripped something green that hissed and burned where it fell to the ground. I held the shield up, feeling my reserves dropping precipitously as she kept the assault up¡ªsplitting my focus between holding the shield, walking, and directing the knives.


    Four of the eight small spiders around her died before she even realized they were my true target and the beam she was trying to hammer me into the ship with abruptly lost strength. By the time she realized what was happening, the other four spiders were dead and she had to drop the bolt entirely to shield as I had the blades loop back around towards her back, allowing me to drop my own shield. They pinged off the green shield and the witch sneered, before pulling a pair of thin, shining swords from the sheathes on her belt¡ªthe way they caught the light of my blade and the faint ringing they made as they left their sheathes told me they were probably songsteel.


    ¡°Die Jedi!¡± the woman roared, throwing herself at me and swinging wildly. For just a moment, I was confused¡ªshe wasn¡¯t using any actual form or technique, just a wild swing of the blades. Then, it hit me as my danger sense registered that the blades themselves were deadly dangerous in the Force. It was a feeling I had become intimately familiar with in my time on Dathomir, in fact, and it only came from one source¡ªthe rock dragon.


    Poisoned blades. Don¡¯t need any kind of skill if you expect your enemy to die from a scratch, I mused, settling into Form II and meeting her wild attack head on.


    We traded blows back and forth, me testing her defenses as the witch tried to get through my own. When it quickly became apparent that she was outclassed in pure sword skill, she tried a different track. Green lightning arched over and between her blades and I prepared, watching and waiting for my moment to strike.


    A blast of lightning arched towards me and I leapt forward, propelling myself with the Force and a push from a flight formula. At the same time, I closed my eyes and created another hexagonal shield to eat the blast. Green and blue clashed and exploded in a blinding flash and over the roar, I heard the woman yelp in pain.


    Dark clothes. Pale complexions. Spider companions. Lived in a cave. The squinting when I put a prisoner on her back and her hood was pulled back enough that she couldn¡¯t shield her eyes. It was a bit of a gamble that they were light sensitive from too much time in the dark, but a well-reasoned one. And it paid off, as the witch flinched away, bringing her hands up to shield her eyes.


    One good swing took both of her wrists off even as she jerked back, just out of the reach of my saber. Unfortunately for her, not out of the range of the Mage Blade that I had been holding ready, shooting out of the end of the saber and finishing the job. Her head thumped as it hit the deck and rolled in the snow, falling out of her hat and painting the deck red as both head and body bled out.


    I took a moment to catch my breath and assess, making sure no one else was around. Once I was sure I wasn¡¯t still in immediate danger, I shut off my lightsaber and attached it to my belt. Bending down, I began the time honored tradition of looting the dead as I called my knives back to me.


    The two songsteel swords went back in their sheathes¡ªvery damned carefully, at that. I would be cleaning them off and replacing the sheathes as soon as possible. Deadly poison was only good circumstantially, and if you ran the risk of killing yourself or an ally with it, it was just better to avoid it entirely.


    The swords themselves were roughly two feet long each¡ªthin, double edged, and somewhat curved. They were more like rapiers than sabers, though without any kind of protection for the hand. Even a cursory examination showed they were fine blades¡ªlikely made in the Chu¡¯unthor¡¯s forge, which begged the question of how they¡¯d ended up in an enemy¡¯s hands.


    Tucking them away on my belt, I continued the looting. The only other piece of value was a golden hair ornament in the shape of a triangle with a raised half sphere in its center that had been hidden by the ugly hat. Humming, I chuckled and tucked it away in a pocket. I¡¯d wash it up later and present it to Obi when we got back as a souvenir.


    Once I was sure I had everything I wanted, I made my way back inside the ship. I took a few minutes to throw the swords into the furnace and set it to low, to burn off the poison, while I told the ship to fabricate two new sheathes to fit them.


    While that cooked, I began the process of using the Force to lift and haul the bodies outside to be burned. I didn¡¯t want anyone complaining that I had left corpses to rot inside the ship I wasn¡¯t technically supposed to be in.


    <hr>


    ¡°You¡¯ve been gone a while, padawan,¡± Dooku mused as I joined him and Augwynne for supper.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy,¡± I nodded, fixing myself a plate. ¡°The metal was difficult to work.¡±


    ¡°I told you so,¡± the redhead chuckled.


    ¡°I also ran into some trouble.¡±


    Dooku raised an eyebrow at that. ¡°What sort of trouble?¡±


    Pulling out my souvenirs, I laid them out on the table, along with the bag of ¡®reagents.¡¯ ¡°A group of five women from a different clan. They had spiders with them that they were using the Force to control. They came with hostile intent and interrogation made it clear that they intended to attack anyone who showed up on sight.¡±


    ¡°Nightsisters,¡± Augwynne murmured, perusing the contents of the bag. ¡°The Spiderclan. You¡¯re lucky. If they had captured you, they would have fed you to their pets. Good work,¡± she looked up and sent me a smile. ¡°That said, it¡¯s worrying that they got this close. I¡¯ll need to speak with the patrols about it.¡±


    ¡°It can wait until the morning,¡± Dooku murmured, and Augwynne nodded. ¡°Well? Go on then. Let¡¯s see what you¡¯ve made.¡±


    Considering for a moment as I chewed my food, I eventually shrugged and used the Force to pull out my lightsaber, which was now slightly more than twice the length it had been. With a pair of twists, the assembly came apart, revealing a pair of near identical sabers and a fist sized metal tube. Along with it came my sheathed knife, replacing the one I had been given for skinning animals¡ªbecause you never knew when you¡¯d need a piece of sharp metal over a lightsaber or Mage Blade for whatever reason. As I¡¯d had proved for me today, sometimes a knife was just the better choice.


    Moving the tube up in the air, I triggered the internal mechanism and it expanded to the first extension setting, changing it from roughly four inches in length to two feet. A second twist had it extend to four feet, and a third to six. There were still enough sections inside to adjust it out another four feet, but it would be unwieldy and cumbersome for a weapon¡ªbut then, if I was having to extend it that far, it would be to use it as a tool. As a weapon, it made an excellent addition to one or both lightsabers, giving me reach that my height and limbs didn¡¯t allow me yet¡ªan advantage that would be invaluable regardless of my size, really. That, and I had gotten used to the reach the poleaxe gave me. Having it on demand would be nice.


    Master Dooku nodded, pulling the staff down and collapsing it back into its compact form. ¡°Impressive. Very light, but strong. Capable of stopping a lightsaber, for a time.¡± Handing it back, he took up the second lightsaber and examined it. ¡°You incorporated some of the metal into your lightsabers?¡±


    ¡°I replaced the emitter, emitter matrix, and added an emitter shroud. Songsteel is more heat resistant, so the emitters will last longer and require less maintenance and cleaning to remove carbon scoring,¡± I explained, taking both sabers back, attaching the extending pole to the end of my primary saber and putting the second saber on my opposite hip.


    ¡°Was that all? Because that was a pretty big chunk of songsteel,¡± Augwynne sent me a curious look, and I frowned.


    ¡°No,¡± I confirmed. Reaching up, I grabbed the new necklace around my neck and held up what had taken up the majority of my time in the workshop.


    It was roughly the size of a pocket watch when I¡¯d finished with it¡ªit even looked like one, in fact. Round, with none of the decorative frills and embellishments of previous operation orbs I¡¯d used in the German Empire. The casing, gears, and internal mechanisms were all made of songsteel, aside from the very small battery I¡¯d installed, to keep it going should I stop putting Force into it and keep it from burning Force it had stored to keep running¡ªa battery practically identical to the ones in our lightsabers, save that it was miniaturized. Where in previous computation orbs elinium had been used, I had replaced it with kyber crystal, meticulously shaped to specification by the forge in the Chu¡¯unthor. The ¡®glass¡¯ face was actually a thin layer of kyber crystal itself, allowing me to see the mechanisms inside and verify they were moving correctly.


    Carefully pulling it off, I passed it to Augwynne. The redhead turned it over in her hands, before clicking the button on the top and opening the cover. Studying the mechanisms, she looked confused. ¡°What¡¯s it do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, yet.¡± It wasn¡¯t exactly a complaint, but I couldn¡¯t help but feel a bit annoyed. ¡°It¡¯s not finished. When it¡¯s finished, it will be able to do the equations necessary to use more complex formulas.¡±


    Augwynne blinked, before handing it back. ¡°So, a magical computer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, actually,¡± I nodded, snapping the front cover closed.


    The woman huffed and shook her head. ¡°I don¡¯t see how you can dismiss everything we do as just applications of the Force, then turn around and claim that what you intend to do with mathematics is magic.¡±


    ¡°One requires a level of complexity and precision that the other does not.¡± Also, one was based off of actual, literal magic learned from my second life, but she didn¡¯t need to know that.


    Augwynne sighed. ¡°For someone so smart, you can be so closed-minded.¡±


    ¡°Logical,¡± I countered with a smile. It was a familiar argument. ¡°I prefer verifiable fact to belief. Hard evidence to faith. Mathematics and science to superstition, ritual, and prayer.¡±


    ¡°If it works,¡± master Dooku cut in before we could devolve into yet another philosophical argument, ¡°then every Jedi will want one.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re welcome to make their own. They¡¯re also welcome to spend years training and learning the math and mental skills necessary. Unfortunately for them, just having a computation orb doesn¡¯t mean you can use formulas. You have to know how to input them, interpret them, and cast them. You also need to be able to split your attention between two to three things at once. It¡¯s not something where you can substitute skill by leaning on the Force for assistance.¡±


    ¡°Mm. Something I doubt many among the Order have the patience for,¡± Dooku murmured. As I began putting away my things, including the spoils of war, he said, ¡°I¡¯ve received a transmission.¡±


    ¡°The council?¡± I asked, and master Dooku nodded.


    ¡°My¡­ sister,¡± he admitted, and I raised an eyebrow. ¡°There is a matter on Serenno. She contacted the order for aid and master Sifo-Dyas contacted me. We have a few days to prepare, then we must return to Coruscant where we will meet master Dyas and I will address the Senate to request aid for Serenno. I estimate we will be on Coruscant for perhaps a week before we set off again.¡±


    Nodding, I looked pointedly at Augwynne and asked, ¡°What about¡­?¡±


    The redhead chuckled. ¡°It should be any day now.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± I murmured, finishing off the last of my meal. Looking to Dooku, I asked, ¡°What happens if the Senate refuses aid?¡±


    ¡°They are duty bound to provide it.¡± I sent him a skeptical look and he gave a rueful smile. ¡°But that seems to be a common complaint lately¡ªthe Senate not honoring their commitments to protect their member planets from predation. If it comes to that, then the Jedi Council will send someone to Serenno to attempt to negotiate peace. Myself and perhaps one or two other Jedi and their padawans. I would, of course, be including you.¡±


    Humming, I leaned back in my seat. ¡°Is this a ground conflict or a space conflict?¡±


    ¡°A little of both. Pirates began raiding Serenno. After which, my younger sister hired Abyssin mercenaries to protect the planet, due to my older brother Ramil¡¯s lack of response. Now, it seems someone has bought out the mercenaries and is attempting a coup of Serenno.¡±


    ¡°Probably Ramil,¡± Augwynne pointed out, and when I sent her a questioning look, she shrugged. ¡°Think about it. Who stands to gain the most?¡±


    ¡°I fear you are likely correct,¡± Dooku sighed, before sending me a curious look. ¡°Did you have something in mind?¡±


    ¡°Just a thought,¡± I shrugged. ¡°Why not hire mercenaries to deal with mercenaries? There¡¯s probably some group out there whose services could be bought and stay bought if it were the Jedi doing the purchasing.¡±


    Reaching up, Dooku stroked his beard in thought. ¡°You may be correct. I seem to recall that the Mandalorians are in the middle of their own civil war and the Pacifists have requested our aid, which the Council has been in deliberations over for nearly a year. Perhaps we could help each other¡­¡±

 11

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    11


    <hr>


    Commissioned by TheMaskedMarauder.


    <hr>


    Dathomir, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    Looking at master Dooku holding his newborn daughter for what may be the last time, I kept silent as he and Augwynne shared a quiet moment. The man was calm on the surface, but every now and then, I felt his emotions flare up revealing the storm he was keeping tightly in check. Just from the little bits I saw, he was a mess of pride, joy, sorrow, anger, longing, and more¡ªfelt in brief flashes so intense I¡¯d had to wall myself off completely and still felt the occasional outburst slam against my mental walls.


    There was nothing more to say on the matter, really. He had made up his mind to adhere to the Jedi code, regardless of the fact that this was perhaps the moment when he regretted it most. Nothing I said would change his mind¡ªat least, not today.


    Personally however, I couldn¡¯t help but wonder if the Jedi weren¡¯t insane, with their ¡®no attachments¡¯ rule. That a man couldn¡¯t have a family in the true sense because connections lead to fear, fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering as master Yoda so eloquently put it in one of his many lectures to the younglings. Ironically, that missed the fact that connections with other people made us stronger by giving us a network of people we could call on when we needed aid¡ªthat we could draw strength, skill, ideas, and other resources from. You should do everything you could to make and encourage connections with others and earn their loyalty. Even I knew that!


    ¡­Certainly, it took fighting a war and living in the trenches for a few years to drill that particular lesson in and teach me the true value of other people as more than useful ¡®human resources¡¯ or meat shields, but I¡¯d learned in the end! And it galled to see that lesson I¡¯d learned in the loss of the people I held dear to nuclear fire and the petty spite of a false god just¡­ discarded as problematic.


    Something to look into when I get back. I¡¯ll dive into the Archives and see if I can find anything on it. Records of stable, normal relationships not falling to the dark side. Maybe I can track down when the change was made and why.


    It was a problem for later. For now, I had more pressing concerns. Namely, research on Serenno. I needed data and I had hit a roadblock on my searching. The map data I found was all horribly out of date and something told me that was intentional. I was going to be doing some legwork tracking down whatever I could once we got back to Coruscant. If we were going to be engaging in a ground war, information was key. I wouldn¡¯t go in blind if I had a say in it. I wanted to know the layout of every potential combat zone well in advance, and then I¡¯d update that information once we got there¡ªbut the less I had to update, the better.


    I also needed to dedicate some time in the archives to studying these ¡®Mandalorians.¡¯ Their customs, history, what to expect. I didn¡¯t want to embarrass myself or masters Dooku and Dyas when we got there¡ªor worse, commit some avoidable faux pas, offend someone, and destroy our chances of recruiting their aid before we ever got a foot in the door. The Japanese salaryman in me wouldn¡¯t stand for the shame of being the reason we were unable to recruit allies to our cause, because I didn¡¯t take the time to learn that you were supposed to bow exactly forty-five degrees to be polite and anything more was an insult, while anything less was considered not showing proper respect.


    I was pulled from my thoughts as Dooku sighed and handed off their daughter to Augwynne. ¡°Look after Allaya.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Augwynne smiled. ¡°You should visit when you can.¡±


    Dooku began to make a denial, but after a moment, he nodded once. ¡°As I can.¡±


    Augwynne¡¯s attention shifted to me, her eyes meeting mine. ¡°Seven years. Make sure you¡¯re here for your second trial.¡±


    I nodded, giving her a smile. ¡°I will,¡± I agreed, before glancing at Dooku and giving voice to a thought I¡¯d been considering for a while. ¡°Maybe she¡¯ll be ready for a different kind of training by then.¡±


    ¡°Is that allowed?¡± Augwynne asked.


    Master Dooku made to answer, but I quickly cut him off. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know. I¡¯d just be returning a favor that was done for me. If the council learned of it after the fact and informed me it was against the rules, I would of course apologize for the breach in protocol and promise not to do it again.¡±


    Dooku chuckled, his hand landing on my shoulder. ¡°Yes, it is a shame no one took the time to formally educate you on this matter, Tanya. It must have slipped my mind, what with everything going on with Serenno. And speaking of, I believe it¡¯s time we depart. Are you ready?¡±


    ¡°Everything is packed and ready.¡±


    ¡°Good. Then let us be off. Augwynne, it has been a pleasure.¡±


    The woman smirked. ¡°The feeling¡¯s mutual. Don¡¯t be a stranger, Dooku.¡±


    We left her in her office as Allaya began to squirm and make hungry baby noises, collecting our packs as we left. We passed the trip back to the ship in silence¡ªunbothered even by the native wildlife. When we reached the ship, I stowed my gear and made my way up to the cockpit. Master Dooku had already taken his seat and gestured at the controls.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you get us underway, padawan?¡± he asked, leaning back in his chair and watching.


    I nodded and began the preflight sequence. As I worked, I quietly said, ¡°There may be an issue with the flight recorder. It may not properly record us on our way back from Serenno¡­¡±


    Dooku sighed, then shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll function just fine.¡± At my raised eyebrow, he gave a soft smile. ¡°I worry that if I return any time soon, I won¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± I nodded, looking away. ¡°Serenno is a war zone, is it not? Even a master Jedi could be overrun and overwhelmed, or simply hit with an orbital bombardment and vaporized¡­¡±


    The old man chuckled as the ship shook and began to lift off. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be just fine. I still have much left to do as a Jedi. Chief among them, seeing to you.¡±


    ¡°As you say, master. Setting course for Coruscant.¡±


    ¡°Have you had any luck getting those maps?¡± he asked, his tone curious.


    I shook my head. ¡°Nothing less than a decade old. Smells like foul play.¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Dooku agreed. ¡°Unfortunately, I won¡¯t have the time to look into it when we return.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already made plans to start looking. I¡¯ll check our Library and the records first to see if anyone has been there recently, then move on to the planet¡¯s data center if I need to. If it¡¯s been edited or deleted, there will be an audit log and likely backups. If this is enemy action, then hopefully our enemy is technically illiterate. Unfortunately, we can¡¯t count on the enemy being incompetent, so I have other options in mind. Surely, someone on Coruscant has been to Serenno recently and, if so, their ship would have automatically taken and stored scans¡ªnot as detailed as we¡¯d like, but it should at least give us an idea of what we¡¯re going into.¡±


    Master Dooku hummed, considering for a moment. ¡°There are free traders, outside of the Trade Federation. We have contacts within their ranks. I¡¯ll get you the contact information you would need to reach out to them.¡±


    ¡°You suspect they¡¯re involved?¡± I asked, and he nodded once.


    ¡°The possibility is there. And if they aren¡¯t, it¡¯s still better that we don¡¯t draw their attention and let them know we¡¯re aware of their plans.¡±


    ¡°Avoiding them would just as surely tip them off. Any break of pattern in our dealing with them,¡± I pointed out.


    ¡°Yes. That is why we¡¯re conducting business as usual for the moment. But in instances like this, there is always a risk of espionage, information leakage, and retaliation. I would rather keep you away from them than put you directly within their grasp, in case they¡¯ve learned what we know and that you were the one who brought it to our attention.¡±


    That made sense. There didn¡¯t even need to be a traitor among the Jedi for the information to get out. Poor IT security or simply overhearing someone say the wrong thing at the wrong time could account for it. With that in mind, I made a mental note to be extra mindful of my surroundings when I went out to work on this project once we got back. Perhaps I should request some backup? It couldn¡¯t hurt.


    Soon enough, we were out of Dathomir¡¯s atmosphere and into hyperspace. I made my way to my cabin and got to work, busying myself with my latest self-improvement project since I couldn¡¯t work on the Serenno problem until we arrived. Today¡¯s book? Intelligent Systems: Droid Construction, Maintenance, Repair, and Modification.


    I had spent my free time on Dathomir training my mind by learning programming and slicing when I wasn¡¯t training my body. Six hours a night every night and I had completed all of the classes available in the Technical University of Coruscant¡¯s online self-study course¡ªone of many such institutions that had deals with the Jedi order to offer courses and certifications free or at a steeply reduced rate.


    Of course, just having a certification did not mean I was ready to start trying my hand at slicing into anything more complicated than my tablet or the ship¡¯s non-essential computers. Nothing I would trust my life with. I was still studying, learning, and developing my skills. There was also a list of equipment I¡¯d need to buy once I got back. There was only so much I could do with my tablet and by repurposing some extra wires and parts from the ship, after all.


    One day, I aimed to have the skills and equipment necessary to get in and out of any secure facility I needed to breach, pass through whatever security was present, and do whatever it was I was there to do¡ªall without leaving a trace of my presence behind, until it was far too late to do anything about it. But I felt like I was nowhere near that goal yet.


    In that proposed scenario, it would be a droid carrier or factory I¡¯d be infiltrating, likely with the intent of either destroying it or subverting their forces to our cause. I felt like my goals there were entirely practical and reasonable, considering we were perhaps a decade out from a war where our enemy had foolishly decided to make up the bulk of their army with automated forces subject to hacking, reprogramming, and turning against their masters. If I could end even one battle without a shot fired or a life lost, I¡¯d consider it time well spent.


    Which was why I was now moving on from pure programming to working with droids. I knew the models the enemy were manufacturing. I had been studying the forums discussing the issues around their software and digging through pirated copies of the base programming the things ran on to get an idea of what I would need to do, and in doing so I¡¯d realized that a lot of it was very droid specific¡ªespecially the logic/emotion engines running even the basic B1-series battle droids. I wasn¡¯t sure why anyone would want to equip a droid meant for combat with emotions, but if it could be exploited, I wanted to know how.


    <hr>


    ¡°You¡¯re making a face.¡±


    I nodded, pulling my mental shields in tighter and reinforcing them against the noise of Coruscant. That wasn¡¯t the source of my discomfort, however. No, it was twofold.


    Firstly, there was a smell. The planet reeked. Coming back to it after being on Dathomir for so long, with nothing but fresh air and none of the industrial pollutants, exhaust, and other odors just made Coruscant¡¯s noxious funk just made it that much worse. It stood out in a bad way. Like walking into a platoon¡¯s shared latrine the morning after bratwurst and sauerkraut night.


    The other part was the dark side of the Force. Dathomir had had more, given that it was a wild planet with both light and dark in a natural balance, but here¡­ Coruscant wasn¡¯t a wild planet. It was entirely tamed eons ago. It wasn¡¯t the presence of the dark that was a problem, it was the relative lack of light to balance it, and it seemed like it just¡­ fed on itself and grew. A planet full of trillions of people, many of whom were being actively exploited, most of them miserable¡ªit was a malignant soup that strangled most of the light here.


    And worst of all? The moment we got close to the Jedi temple, I realized that it was sitting on what might as well be a geyser of the stuff, where the dark side was even more concentrated. Maybe it was the training on Dathomir making me highly aware of them but the closer we got, the less I liked it, as it felt like stepping through a veil that interfered with my Force senses.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    Before I could think too much on it, we were greeted by a pair of familiar faces in the form of master Dyas and Obi, the latter hanging back a bit and letting master Dyas go first. He nodded in greeting to master Dooku and sent me a brief smile. ¡°You just got in and I know you¡¯d prefer to take some time to settle back in, but I¡¯m afraid duty calls. The Council wants to meet about Serenno, then we have a meeting with some of the senators we¡¯ll need to sway before you speak to the rest. The senator from Naboo expressed his interest in the matter, in particular.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Dooku murmured. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯ve met them. Who is it?¡±


    ¡°Sheev Palpatine. He¡¯s about twenty years your junior,¡± Dyas grinned, his tone teasing.


    Master Dooku didn¡¯t rise to the bait. Instead, he took off his pack and offered it to me. ¡°Tanya, would you be so kind as to return this to my quarters?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± I agreed, taking the bag.


    ¡°We will speak later, then. Let me know if you need help,¡± he nodded and gestured towards master Dyas as the two walked away. ¡°Have the Council suggested what it is they¡¯re hoping to achieve with the intervention on Serenno?¡±


    ¡°Well¡­¡±


    I stopped paying attention as I was suddenly pulled into a hug and my face pulled into a small pair of breasts. ¡°Welcome back,¡± Obi greeted, squeezing tightly.


    I let go of the bag with one hand to return the hug. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Letting go quickly, she stepped back and visibly looked me over, before a teasing look came over her face. She tilted her head, bringing one hand up to partially cover her lips, but her tone told me she was barely holding in her laughter. ¡°What are you wearing?!¡±


    https://img3.gelbooru.com//images/a3/68/a368a90d0d5efd6a0cb37f29468078f4.png


    It was a particularly bratty look and part of me, the part that was Lt. Col. Tanya von Degurechaff, wanted to throttle her! PT her until she passed out, then wake her up and do it again! The part that was a Japanese salaryman recognized the look in a completely different context, mostly involving mesugaki tags¡­


    Wires crossed somewhere in my head and I felt myself blush. ¡°Shut up! It¡¯s what the locals wore! And I outgrew all of my other clothes, besides,¡± I grumbled, brushing past her and hurrying for the temple entrance. It was not a retreat, tactical or otherwise! I was just¡­ advancing in another direction. I had work to do, after all! I didn¡¯t have time to stand there and be teased and feel confused about it!


    Obi let out a strangled laugh and hurried to follow, her longer legs quickly letting her catch up as she walked by my side. ¡°Is this why you stopped sending pictures and never sent video messages?¡±


    My eye twitched as she hit the nail on the head. ¡°Reception on Dathomir was poor and they don¡¯t have their own infrastructure to support data transmission. I had to route everything through the ship. Sending those sorts of things would have needlessly wasted time and resources.¡±


    ¡°Uh huh. Sure~.¡± I could feel her amusement at this range. ¡°Well, it¡¯s a good thing you¡¯re back now. We can go get you some new robes that fit and I can take pictures¡ª¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± I hissed.


    ¡°Oooh, scary~! Ufufufu~. So cute!¡±


    I let out a strained sigh as I reached out to the Force and followed it towards master Dooku¡¯s quarters. ¡°Enough about that. If you¡¯re not busy, I would appreciate some help.¡±


    Obi straightened up immediately, her attitude shifting from playful teasing to serious. ¡°Master Qui-Gon told me we were going to be going with you, master Dooku, and master Dyas to handle the Serenno issue, so I¡¯m free. What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Maps,¡± I answered simply as we found master Dooku¡¯s quarters. I opened the door long enough to drop his pack off before closing it up. Considering my next stop, I decided on getting new robes first and began heading that direction. ¡°Everything I was able to dig up while on Dathomir was outdated by ten years and I didn¡¯t have a good enough connection to dig further. We need to check the archives and the records to see if we have any more up to date maps or if someone was out that way recently, and if so if they have maps. If we don¡¯t have anything within the last year, we¡¯ll need to seek outside sources. Master Dooku gave me a list of contacts to run down. He also said I probably shouldn¡¯t go alone if we need to speak with them in person, so I would appreciate your company, if you¡¯re willing?¡±


    Obi¡¯s smile returned and she nodded. ¡°Sure, I can help with that. I wouldn¡¯t want anything bad to happen to my cute Tanya when I just got her back.¡±


    I let out an exasperated sigh and she bumped into my side with her own. ¡°Thank you. It¡¯s early in the day so I¡¯m sure we can get most of that knocked out today and still have time to look around for some parts and things I need. And that reminds me¡­¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± Obi asked as I pulled my pack off and opened it up, finding the cloth wrapped item in the middle I was looking for. Taking it out, I closed the pack up and settled it back where it belonged. Obi raised an eyebrow as I offered her the small bundle. ¡°What¡¯s this? Don¡¯t tell me you got one of those outfits in my size! I, I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to wear something like that!¡±


    ¡°What are you¡ªno!¡± I protested, earning a giggle in response. ¡°Just open it.¡±


    Obi unfolded the cloth and made a quiet, appreciative noise as she took it in. ¡°Ooh, pretty! Thank you!¡± she grinned, and I quickly found myself wrapped in another hug. ¡°But I didn¡¯t get you anything!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± I waved her off.


    ¡°Sooo, where¡¯d you get it?¡± Obi asked as she let go and began playing with her hair to get it on. To my amusement, and her annoyance, once she had it in place the fringe of her bangs covered it and was too short to really brush out of the way and stay there. She made an irritated little huff but didn¡¯t comment on it.


    ¡°I took it from a Spiderclan Nightsister assassin trying to kill me.¡±


    Obi stumbled briefly, before turning a wide-eyed look on me. ¡°A what?!¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I should start at the beginning,¡± I murmured, fighting off my smile at getting her back for the earlier teasing about my clothes.


    ¡°You think?! Ta~nya~! Don¡¯t mess with me like that!¡±


    <hr>


    After a shower and a change into my new clothes, we hit the library and began searching. Deciding on an appropriate division of labor, it was decided that I would be digging through our digital and physical records for any maps of Serenno newer than a decade old, while Obi would look into the mission logs and run down anyone who had actually been there, then go talk to them. I was pretty sure she picked that job just because she didn¡¯t want to do actual research, but she was here and helping, so I wasn¡¯t going to complain about the help she offered.


    Besides, she was cute and personable, and relatively well-liked within the temple whereas I had a reputation now, as I¡¯d learned even just walking through the halls. It would be far easier to turn Obi¡¯s weaponized moe into getting the information we needed out of other Jedi than trying to overcome the fact that people seemed to think I was either some hothead, or had usurped Obi for the position of troublemaker in the making¡ªor as they put it, the next Qui-Gon.


    She may be his padawan, but apparently the temple rumor mill didn¡¯t really have any dirt on her. Whereas my ¡®duel to the pain¡¯ with master Billaba had spread and become common knowledge in the time we were on Dathomir¡ªwith each retelling apparently having further contorted a simple fun sparring session into first a spar gone bad, then a lesson in hard knocks turned on its head, followed by a fight between a master and a student, then an actual duel, and finally a live lightsaber duel where I was threatened bodily harm and removal from the Order over hurting another innocent youngling that I then won and then had to flee and I was only back and not dead because I was master Dooku¡¯s new student and nepotism won the day as he had seniority as a master over master Billaba.


    Worse than the rumors, I had to put up with more teasing! Obi had been relentless and I was seriously considering developing a Force Grab-and-shake technique just for her.


    Her being a pill aside, Obi proved more useful than I did in our little scavenger hunt. My research turned up nothing. Maps and figures twenty years old at least, that had apparently been neglected given that a check of the records showed not less than three separate visits to Serenno. That sort of lackadaisical attitude towards information gathering and record keeping would have seen Lt. Col. von Degurechaff requesting a transfer to a pillbox for someone if I¡¯d found out about it! My people knew better!


    That the Jedi didn¡¯t, or just didn¡¯t care¡­ it told me they were getting soft. Soft, fat, and lazy. It was a sign that nothing had threatened them lately and they were starting to slip. Things like this were symptomatic of a larger organizational problem. In both corporate and military hierarchies, attitudes of those at the top were reflected in the work of those at the bottom¡ªas above, so below, as it were. Those small mistakes, lapses, slips, and neglect of duties added up, compounding and eating away at an organization from within like a spiritual cancer.


    In a corporate environment, it led to loss of productivity, errors that required redoing work or recalls on products, losses in revenue, and if it kept up eventually it would lead to failure. In a military environment, that sort of lack of care and attention led directly to preventable deaths when people got careless, inattentive, and lost their edge.


    It was worrying, especially with a war we would definitely be pulled into on the horizon. And no amount of effort on my part, filing my own reports and submitting my own data gathered from Dathomir and other places in the future, would truly change anything if I couldn¡¯t change the underlying attitude¡ªwhich I couldn¡¯t do without being in a position of power. It was a frustratingly familiar situation¡ªseeing a problem coming miles ahead, pointing it out, only to see that ultimately it didn¡¯t matter much or if it did, it was far too late to stop what was happening and could only be used to react, the initiative completely lost.


    Unfortunately, for as useful as Obi was in running down the last Jedi to visit Serenno, that was still five years ago¡ªwell before this mess kicked off. It may as well be a hundred years ago for as much as it would help us figure out what was going on now.


    No, perhaps I was being too pessimistic there. It was recent enough to serve as something we could work with and there were other sources of data I could find and use along with what we now had to update it. If I had to, I¡¯d dig into property records, tax records, building permits, and the like as that stuff was all backed up offsite from most planets right here on Coruscant as an extra-planetary off-site backup. I highly doubted any slicer who had messed with the most recent map data would have been so thorough as to also delete all of that. It¡¯d take time, but I could work with a five year window. Maybe write a little program to search for those records, find any blueprints and relevant location data, then feed them into the digital map we had to update it¡­


    That would only be if we didn¡¯t have any luck at our next two stops, however.


    Obi and I climbed out of the automated air car as it set down on the roof of the planet¡¯s tertiary backup data hub. These complexes were essentially huge server farms, storing and backing up all of the data that flowed through Coruscant. The way I understood the planetary network structure after my research on the subject, it went like this:


    Data came into the network of satellites around Coruscant and was beamed down to various receivers on the planet. It was then sent off to the primary data transfer network which handled all of the storage and access requests coming in from across the galaxy and the primary backup network where it would go into Read Only mode and never be overwritten, only incrementally updated with each update logged. From there, it could be accessed from any hub within each network, which handled all of the load balancing to minimize lag on requests.


    At my suggestion, we skipped the active network altogether, since it was compromised¡ªthere was no point in wasting time trying to sort out why that was right now, when a report sent in would do, after we got what we wanted. Instead, we went after the backup network, where the data didn¡¯t get deleted¡ªor at least, it shouldn¡¯t be. Which was why we were at the tertiary hub instead of the primary or secondary, just in case someone had gotten clever and organized a convenient server room fire to physically destroy the storage media.


    Making our way across the small landing zone, past a commercial aircar labeling it as Coruscant Technical Solutions, we headed inside to the main security desk. Obi smiled at the guard on duty¡ªa green Twi''lek man sitting in front of a bunch of screens showing cameras. The man frowned as we approached.


    ¡°Huh. Busy today,¡± he mused, before shaking his head. ¡°How can we help the Jedi Order?¡±


    Obi smiled and leaned against the desk. ¡°We¡¯d like to see about accessing some data. You see, we¡¯ve found what we think is an error with something on the main network and we¡¯d like to see the backup data from the last few months to confirm. The data is critical to an ongoing operation, you see?¡±


    The guard frowned at that. ¡°Sure, let me call the boss. He¡¯s not gonna like this. First, trouble with some of our gear, now Jedi coming in and reporting tampering,¡± he shook his head and reached for a dumb phone on the desk.


    ¡°Wait,¡± I held up a hand and he looked up as he picked up the receiver. ¡°That was today?¡±


    ¡°Well yeah. Repair guy came by with some paperwork and orders from up top to replace some data storage units in one of the server rooms¡ª¡±


    I leapt over the desk and pushed him aside demanding, ¡°Which one is it?!¡±


    ¡°Uh, this one,¡± he brought up the camera feed, showing a human-looking man, though when he turned towards the cameras we could make out bony ridges around his eyes and forehead, and a wider nose. ¡°Imzig guy. Name tag said, uh¡­ Atris? Something like that.¡±


    Obi hopped over and joined me in looking at the monitor as the man worked. ¡°Did you call and confirm he was supposed to be here?¡± she asked, and the guard rolled his eyes.


    ¡°Listen, I don¡¯t tell you how to swing a lightsaber around, you don¡¯t tell me how to do my job. We got an email this morning about it, saying to expect it. It¡¯s just a routine repair.¡±


    There was a flash from the screen and the man turned and began to run for the door, leaving behind a smoking piece of equipment. I could hear the grinding of my own teeth and Obi turned a smile on the guard. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, but is it standard practice to shoot the computer with a blaster when it stops working?¡±


    ¡°¡­Pretty sure it¡¯s not,¡± he muttered, standing and pulling the blaster pistol from his belt. ¡°He¡¯s gotta come back this way to get out.¡±


    ¡°Good. Put that away and take cover. We¡¯d like to question him,¡± I instructed, pulling out my lightsaber as Obi did likewise and we moved to take up positions behind some decorative pillars in the lobby near the elevator he would be exiting from.


    A few moments later, the elevator opened and the man came dashing out, only to slide to a stop as Obi stepped out, the familiar snap-hiss and buzz of the blue blade springing to life very much like this universe¡¯s equivalent to the sound of a shotgun being racked for the effect it produced. I used the distraction to step out silently behind him, my own saber ready but not on. Obi smiled as she took up a battle stance. ¡°Surrender peacefully and come with us.¡±


    The man fumbled the blaster pistol at his belt before pulling it out. I watched in what felt like slow motion as he raised it to his head, radiating terror. My lightsaber snapped to life and he flinched, squeezing the trigger and sending a shot into the roof as he spun to look behind him¡ªtoo late as the white-silver blade swung through the air and caught the blaster, destroying it and the hand holding it.


    Before he could truly process the pain, Oni was on him, her saber on training mode as she swept his legs out from under him and sent him to the ground. He clutched his ruined hand to his chest as we held him in place, the threat of our lightsabers and the ruin of his hand warning enough I felt to cooperate, or else.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to ask you some questions and you¡¯re going to answer honestly,¡± I smiled, and the man shivered.¡°You don¡¯t have a choice in the matter,¡± Obi murmured, twitching one of her hands and I felt as he visibly calmed.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t have a choice. I¡¯ll answer your questions.¡±


    I sent Obi an impressed look. ¡°Should I be concerned about how good at that you are?¡±


    The girl grinned. ¡°Surely not. Ufufu~.¡±


    ¡°So, definitely,¡± I shook my head and she only grinned wider. I turned my focus back to our prisoner. ¡°What was on the drive you destroyed?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t know. We were given a numbered unit to pull and destroy, not told what was on it.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Obi asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°Lots of people from different companies. We thought it was just, you know, some senator wanting their dirty laundry cleaned up before it could be aired.¡±


    ¡°You were given internal unit numbers?¡± I asked, and he nodded.


    I turned and sent Obi a look, to which she nodded. The guard, who had come out of cover and joined us, hissed the thought we were both thinking. ¡°Fucking inside job.¡±

 12

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    12


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Coruscant, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    It didn¡¯t take long to question our captive and get the information we needed out of him¡ªnot with Obi making sure he was willing to answer every question put to him. It left me with more questions and a very uneasy feeling about the whole situation, and no answers or relief in sight. For instance¡­


    Who would have reason to go to this much trouble to hide <u>map data</u>? The destruction of data was unquestionably enemy action, which implied that the answer was, generally speaking, the enemy.


    Which led to the next questions: Who is the enemy? Or perhaps more accurately, who here on Coruscant would have an interest in seeing Serenno fall into enemy hands, the knowledge of what was going on and what they needed to do to help further their cause, and the connections to hire an intermediary party to get the job done quietly? Obviously, the answer to that question would be someone who had done this before¡­ which implied some things I didn¡¯t like.


    Obi had given voice to those thoughts herself, with the quiet comment, ¡°Master warned me not to get involved with politicians¡­¡±


    Why had he tried to kill himself? I had asked that only as we were wrapping up, but the answer he had given was perhaps the most worrying of all.


    The people who had hired him, after meeting in person to hand off the proper credentials and paperwork, along with a blaster, had threatened to kill his family if he ran his mouth or got captured and gave away anything that could identify them. Not that he could¡ªthey had been pretty thorough in covering their immediate tracks. Whoever they were, that they had worn full environmental suits to the meeting and used a protocol droid which had been given a script to read, so he couldn¡¯t even identify their species. I had some thoughts towards investigating places that might rent out droids, but¡­ our captive said it looked old, so there was every chance that it was a second or third-hand used purchase paid for in cash, or at least the equivalent, in physical credit chits. Given how common droid ownership was and how popular protocol droids were, I suspected that was a dead end.


    One question we could answer, or at least I hoped, was what did the maps show that was worth going to this much trouble to destroy the data? Not immediately, but eventually. With some research. Because in the end, we did manage to get our hands on the data we needed. It took speaking with the local site administrator and having him put out a message to all of his peers to refuse anyone showing up for ¡®maintenance¡¯ anytime soon, then requesting that one of the data centers that hadn¡¯t been hit yet send them a copy of the data. He loaded a drive up for us with the data on it himself after we verified it was the real thing before we went on our way, handing the entire thing over to Coruscant¡¯s police to deal with. It was less than a year old and showed the latest official survey of Serenno prior to the start of the civil war.


    As we boarded the skycar, Obi asked, ¡°Do you think this will help?¡±


    ¡°It must show something they didn¡¯t want anyone to see,¡± I murmured, my fingers idly drumming on the small rectangle in my pocket. Thinking it over, I quickly came to a decision. Pulling out my tablet, I went to the message Dooku had sent me with contact information for non-Federation traders. ¡°I think we should go knock on a few doors.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Obi asked, sending me a curious look.


    ¡°Mm. Someone has been there more recently. I want what they have. With that, we¡¯ll have three points in time: five years ago, just before the civil war, and after the war began. With that, I can make a program to compare the three and tell us what¡¯s different. I can get more points of data by having it pull recent land and building purchases, permits for construction and maintenance, tax records, and that sort of thing.¡±


    Nodding, she asked, ¡°What will that tell us?¡±


    I grinned. ¡°Everything they wanted to hide. If they had just left it alone, we¡¯d have just gotten the maps and gone in without looking too closely. Now I¡¯m curious!¡±


    ¡°Huhu~. It¡¯s cute when you get all excited,¡± Obi grinned, and I felt my cheeks heat up as I sent her an annoyed look. ¡°Just tell me where to go first.¡±


    From there, we spent the rest of the evening and into the early night talking to freighter pilots¡ªthe equivalent of space truckers. It took a while, but eventually we managed to find someone who knew someone, who knew someone through four or five levels of connection in that chain, and we were able to catch up to a woman who had been to Serenno within the last month just before she was due to take off hauling a load of supplies to some mid-rim agri-world. She parted with the data her computer had recorded for a small fee and the promise that whatever we were doing with it, we wouldn¡¯t mention her or her ship.


    Our last stop was a store to buy me a much beefier computer than the tablet I had been working out of. A laptop specifically, or the local equivalent at any rate. It looked very much like a ruggedized laptop and functioned practically the same way¡ªthey just called it a ¡®portable computer.¡¯


    I had noticed that this universe was a bit weird when it came to tech development. They had things like working FTL, lightsabers, blasters, flying cars, and genuine AI, but the concept of a cell phone was apparently alien to them. Oh sure, there were the small communication devices like the ones Obi and I used, and there were tablets like mine, but no one had thought to just stick those two things together and miniaturize them.


    I didn¡¯t know all that much about IT in my first world, but I¡¯d worked in HR and establishing and nurturing connections to other departments was part of the job. To that end, I¡¯d tried to get in good with every department in the company, including the IT department. I¡¯d spoken with them enough, and overheard enough of their complaints about our company and ¡®users¡¯ as they called everyone who wasn¡¯t IT and thus an administrator, to pick up some things.


    What I¡¯d learned by osmosis seemed to imply that Coruscant¡¯s and the wider universe¡¯s network infrastructure was weird in a few ways. Both very paranoid when it came to securing data and entirely too trusting in the same breath. The closest comparison I could come up with was to ask, why would every European Union country decide to host all of their off-site data in, say, France? Yes, they¡¯re all part of a larger governmental union, but each of those are still sovereign countries entrusting a supposedly neutral third party to hold onto copies of things that might be important, if not necessarily secret.


    The only answer I had was the same one I had for the other technological gaps and oddities. That the current state of the universe was a jumbled up mess countless civilizations spanning tens, if not hundreds of thousands of years, all building on the bones of previous civilizations¡¯ technology and a lot of things had just been declared good enough and not developed much further. For instance, we didn¡¯t all use the same type of FTL because it was the only option available. We all used the same method of FTL because it was developed thousands of years ago, it worked, and it was good enough, so why bother looking into alternative methods of faster than light travel when that¡¯s what we¡¯ve always used and it¡¯s proven tech?


    It was a puzzle, but not particularly important at the moment. Maybe later, if I could find a way to exploit it and introduce a few ideas for things they didn¡¯t have. But that was years down the road and not something I could worry about right now.


    The moment we got back, I shut myself away in my room and got to work. I quickly lost track of time as I settled into the thing every corporate Japanese salaryman had come to dread and yet had burned into their very soul: the death march. Yes, even people with jobs that shouldn¡¯t require long overtime hours had been subject to it. Many companies liked to use it as incentive to spur their employees on.


    We all suffer together!


    Your coworkers can¡¯t go home until you¡¯re done! Work faster!


    Oddly enough, that hadn¡¯t changed much in my second life. Except it became much more serious. You can¡¯t go home until the war ends. Or, if you sleep now, you could get your entire unit killed!


    I was used to it and knew how to prepare. I¡¯d brought a couple of trays with meals from the cafeteria and an entire carafe of what passed for coffee before locking myself in¡ªafter putting a note on the door in Basic threatening dire consequences if I was disturbed in the next thirty-six hours.


    Obi apparently either decided that warning didn¡¯t apply to her, or took it as a challenge. Thankfully, she was quiet and didn¡¯t distract me much, except to drape herself over my shoulders to watch, or bring fresh food and caffeine. I say ¡®much¡¯ though because there was one incident¡­


    The sound of liquid pouring and the scent of coffee were familiar. So familiar that I responded entirely by reflex. ¡°Thank you, Visha.¡±


    ¡°Hm? Who¡¯s Visha?¡±


    I blinked, looking up, to find Obi standing beside me with a carafe of space coffee. Shaking my head, I picked up my cup and took a sip. ¡°¡­A friend.¡±


    She looked like she wanted to ask about it, but after a moment, the older girl simply smiled and nodded. I was grateful that she left it at that. I didn¡¯t want to have to try to explain things. Instead, I drained the cup and got back to it, putting thoughts of another life and the people I had lost aside. It was something I had gotten good at, over the years since waking up in this universe.


    <hr>


    It was dark, my surroundings lit only by the familiar, baleful light of flares. The smell of the dead and dying filled my nose and mouth¡ªblood, shit, piss, gut shot. The moaning, crying, and praying of wounded and terrified men and women was the lullaby I had long since learned to go to sleep to, punctuated by the occasional gunshot, burst of machine gun fire, or pounding of mortar or artillery like a thunder storm getting closer.


    I could feel and smell Viktoriya curled up behind me on the single cot we shared to save space and for the extra body heat, shivering in her sleep and for a moment, my heart lurched, but I couldn¡¯t remember why. Something about it felt wrong but I couldn¡¯t put my finger on why.


    What woke me up? I wondered, my brain hazy with sleep deprivation. That happens on the front lines, when you spend weeks at a time fighting in the trenches. Eventually, it just becomes a dull, constant pain behind the eyes and an all over ache that never seems to go away, sapping away at the will to do anything at all.


    I felt something brushing at the edges of my senses. It wrapped around me like smoke, carrying the stink of death and making it hard to breathe, hard to see, hard to sense anything. It seeped into my pores, through my nose, down my throat, into my eyes and I felt it reaching inside me¡ªsquirming around, digging deep into my brain, phantom tendrils brushing over memories of the Great War and all the things that made me angry, sad, but it seemed especially interested in the things that made me afraid¡­


    Something pounded nearby. Mortar fire? No. Someone pounding down the door to the barracks¡ª Barracks? In the trenches?


    My thoughts scattered as the door gave way to a form silhouetted from behind by the light of flares. I didn¡¯t recognize the outline¡ªsomething about it stood out as out of place. It was an enemy soldier, clearly wearing an American uniform and shouting in English¡­ with the head spikes of a Zabrak. Red and black skin. Gold eyes. He held up a weapon and two red lightsaber blades ignited.


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    I reacted purely on reflex. I didn¡¯t have a weapon handy, but at this range, I didn¡¯t need it. An explosion formula flared to life and I pointed at him, releasing it as he charged¡ª


    An explosion knocked me out of bed and I thumped onto the floor, stunned as I wondered what the hell was going on. Dust filled the air and I coughed, reaching out with the Force and making a wide, telekinetic sweep to disperse it. Sitting up, I looked around my room. Everything seemed intact inside, but through the door, I could see the wall to the room across the hallway had been demolished¡ªblasted into rubble. A Jedi student lay in the hall on his back, not moving. Grabbing my robe, I threw it on over my under things and stepped outside, quickly checking him as other students came running to investigate.


    Reaching out with the Force, I found the boy¡ªa tan Zabrak I recognized vaguely from a few of the more advanced lessons I attended¡ªmostly unharmed, aside from a minor concussion, a ruptured ear drum, and a couple of cracked bones. Reaching inside myself, I tapped into my life force and touched his head, reaching out and touching his own life force and coaxing it into doing the majority of the work using the healing technique I had pretty much mastered in my time on Dathomir¡ªit had been a requirement given how much strain I¡¯d put my body under and how many injuries I took daily just from everyday practice against other Force users. I¡¯d gotten many long hours of practice in using it and by now, I was well versed in healing not just myself but others.


    Zabraks are known for their dense skulls. For one of them to have gotten a concussion, the blast had to be pretty big, I mused, turning my head to examine the damaged wall and the mostly empty room beyond as more students gathered to see what was going on, standing around uselessly. Looking at the blast pattern, I hummed quietly.


    Concussive. No heat. Low yield. No shrapnel other than the stone of the wall. I don¡¯t see the remains of any kind of casing. Judging by the blast pattern, something hit the wall and blasted it inwards, not outwards¡ªso it was more akin to a shaped charge. He only caught the barest edge of the explosion. No smoke and nothing smells off. Just lingering Force in the air¡ªmore than the usual. What caused it?


    A thought crossed my mind¡ªthat I had somehow sleep-cast an explosive formula, but I discounted it almost as soon as I had it. I had been working on converting magical formulas over to use the Force instead of mana for years now and that one had always eluded it, being both too complex and too power intensive to get working¡ªat least, without a computation orb. There was very little chance that I had cast something purely on reflex that I had been unable to do consciously.


    Some doubt remained, however. Little chance, but not zero¡­ And if I did, that means it¡¯s possible. I have to question him to see if he saw what happened.


    My thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a group of four Jedi wearing more ornate robes and face masks¡ªtemple guards¡ªand another that, judging by the marking on the bag she carried, was from the medical corps. One of the temple guards immediately demanded, ¡°What happened here?¡±


    I made to answer, only to cut off as the medic knelt and began examining both the zabrak and myself, along with what I was doing to him. Several of the other students began explaining how they heard an explosion and rushed to check it out, while the medic quietly looked at me and raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± she nodded, laying a hand over my own and feeling along as I worked. ¡°Where did you learn this technique?¡±


    ¡°The library,¡± I shrugged. ¡°I just got back from a mission to Dathomir. I spent a lot of time practicing it on myself and others.¡±


    The auburn haired woman chuckled, a smile pulling at her lips. ¡°I imagine. You¡¯re nearly finished. He should wake soon. Do you want me to take over, or do you want to finish it?¡±


    ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± I nodded, and she quickly took over, picking up the technique of coaxing the boy¡¯s life energy to heal himself just as I had done.


    I stood and dusted myself off, and the temple guard who had been questioning everyone directed his attention to me. ¡°Tell me what happened.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± I shook my head. ¡°I was asleep. He opened my door for some reason, then I was thrown out of my bed by an explosion.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see anything? Sense anything? Anyone fleeing the area? Malicious intent?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, no. I dressed and came outside, then began rendering first aid.¡± The guard made an annoyed sound, but nodded. ¡°If the area¡¯s secure and we¡¯re not in any danger of an attack, I¡¯d like to get back to bed if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    The man tilted his head, radiating curiosity and incredulity. ¡°An explosion just happened right outside your door and you¡¯re just going to go back to sleep?¡±


    I shrugged. ¡°It¡¯s not the first time, and I¡¯ve been up for the last¡­¡± I tapped into the incomplete computation orb dangling from my neck, ¡°seventy-nine hours. I¡¯d only been asleep for four when this happened.¡±


    ¡°¡®Not the first¡ª¡¯¡± the man quietly repeated, before shaking his head and looking to the medic. ¡°Did you clear her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s fine,¡± the woman agreed. ¡°My other patient is waking.¡±


    The boy on the ground jerked, then sat up with the medic¡¯s help. ¡°¡­What happened?¡± he asked, looking around in confusion. ¡°Why¡¯s everyone staring at me?¡±


    ¡°We were hoping to ask you that,¡± the medic smiled. ¡°What were you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± he scratched his head and thought about it for a moment, before spotting me. ¡°Oh, right! Master Mundi sent me to get Tanya. He said the Council wants to speak with her.¡±


    I held in the annoyed sigh I wanted to let out, even as my eye twitched. Before I could say anything, the guard asked, ¡°So you came down the hall to her room. Did you notice anyone suspicious nearby? Anything that looked out of place?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the boy shook his head. ¡°I knocked on her door and when she didn¡¯t answer, I knocked harder. After a few minutes, I opened it. After that¡­ I don¡¯t know? I remember ducking, and then a loud boom behind me.¡±


    The temple guard turned back to me, radiating suspicion and worry. ¡°Did you throw something at him?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± I moved to cut that line of questioning off by pointing out the obvious. ¡°Firstly, I don¡¯t have any grenades. They¡¯re on my list of tools to acquire, but I haven¡¯t had time.¡± Incredulity radiated off the guard, but I continued. ¡°Secondly, a grenade would have done much more damage. Depending on the type, either he would have been left as little more than red mist and fragments of meat and bone, or the entire hallway would be scorched and he¡¯d be nothing but a charred corpse. Look at the wall. See how the debris goes in for the most part, not out? That indicates a shaped charge of some sort. No debris from the casing means it was either an energy weapon, or the casing was a material that burned up entirely upon detonation.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right, captain,¡± one of the other guards confirmed, from the other side of the hole where they had apparently gone in to inspect the room. ¡°Definitely a shaped charge. On a proxy sensor maybe? Went off a couple of seconds after the kid arrived, so¡­¡±


    The guard captain crossed his arms over his chest. ¡°That would mean someone breached the temple¡¯s security, made their way to the student dormitories, and randomly planted an explosive across from a student¡¯s room¡ªand did it wrong. All while somehow not alerting an entire temple¡¯s worth of Jedi¡¯s Force senses that should have alerted them to the danger.¡±


    ¡°Come off it,¡± the medic stood, brushing her legs off. ¡°We all know security is minimum at best in most areas and we get guests coming and going all the time. Someone could easily just walk right in if they wanted to, claiming they were visiting a student or master. As for the rest¡­¡±


    ¡°A third party,¡± I murmured, drawing their attention as dots began connecting in my head and I began to suspect another possibility¡ªsomething much more likely than accidentally doing something in my sleep that I hadn¡¯t been able to replicate while awake. ¡°A few days ago, Obi-wan and I encountered a man who had been hired as part of a plot to destroy data. A contractor paid to do a job and not told anything beyond exactly what was needed to do the job. It¡¯s¡­ possible that in intercepting, questioning, and turning him over to Coruscant police that we might have upset the party that hired him, or whoever hired that party to hide him. From there, it wouldn¡¯t be difficult to ascertain our identities¡ªwe didn¡¯t exactly hide who we were. One could theoretically hire a courier, have them deliver a parcel, learn the location of my and Obi-wan¡¯s rooms, plant it on the wall across from the¡ª¡±


    I blinked, a thrill of fear running through me. ¡°You should go check Obi-wan¡¯s room for a second explosive.¡±


    The guard captain jerked his head at two of his men and nodded. They blurred away down the hall. As they left, I finished, ¡°If the courier had no ill intent and the device was inert until it was remotely activated or something like that, then it¡¯s possible that it wouldn¡¯t have been sensed until the last moment.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll look into this,¡± the guard captain sighed, before turning to his last remaining man. ¡°Go get someone down here to start collecting evidence.¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± the last guard left quickly.


    ¡°Well, if we¡¯re done here, I¡¯m going back to my infirmary for the rest of my shift,¡± the medic nodded, before sending me a smile. ¡°You should visit some time. Talent like yours shouldn¡¯t be wasted! You¡¯ve got a place in the MedCorps if you want it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider it,¡± I nodded, before heading back into my room as everyone began clearing out. I quickly swapped out my night robe for my regular clothes and robe, got my boots on, and made my way through the temple towards the Council chambers.


    The elevator opened and I stepped into the room to find only four members gathered¡ªMaster Dooku, Master Yoda, Master Windu, and Master Mundi. Stepping into the center of the room, I gave a respectful half bow. ¡°Masters. You called.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Windu pointed out, the question of why implied.


    ¡°I was sleeping and there was an explosion,¡± I answered simply.


    ¡°Explosion, you say?¡± Yoda asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Something blew up the wall across from my room when a student came to get me. The temple guards are looking into it. I have reason to believe it may be related to the investigation Obi-wan and I undertook, regarding the Serenno map data,¡± I sent a look towards Master Dooku who nodded, a concerned look on his face.


    ¡°Troubling news indeed. Were you able to discover anything?¡±


    ¡°We did,¡± I confirmed. ¡°I just spent the last several days coding a program to collate the data and tell us what was so important that it would apparently motivate someone to attempt to kill to cover it up. I¡¯ll spare you the boring details. It should be finished running by the time we¡¯re ready to leave, and if not, then before we get to Mandalore. If that was all¡­?¡± I asked, eager to get back to my warm bed and sleep.


    ¡°It was not,¡± Master Mundi spoke up, and I turned a questioning look on him. ¡°We¡¯ve gone over the report on the events that transpired on Dathomir and spoken with Master Dooku. In the report, you stated that you killed several natives.¡±


    I frowned as I felt an undercurrent of worry travel through the room¡ªor at least, from two of the three masters present, with Masters Dooku and Windu being the exceptions. Dooku felt calm as ever, while Windu felt¡­ expectant? Like he was waiting for something. ¡°In self-defense, yes.¡±


    ¡°The report stated that you were hidden and then sought them out, stalking them through the wreckage of the Chu¡¯unthor and killing them. Those actions don¡¯t so much fall under the conventional definition of ¡®self-defense¡¯ as they do ¡®assassination.¡¯ Why did you not try to escape? Why did you seek out combat?¡±


    Taking a breath, I shifted my gaze from Mundi to Yoda, then Windu, and finally Dooku. Yoda looked expectant, but somehow disappointed. Windu still just looked like he was waiting. While Dooku¡­ Master Dooku smiled encouragingly and nodded minutely. Taking that as the signal to proceed, I straightened up, coming to parade rest.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware that I was going to be put on trial for the actions I took to defend myself and our allies against a hostile force actively hunting anyone in the area when I compiled that report. If that¡¯s the case, I request to be allowed to consult with legal counsel before this continues any further.¡±


    ¡°A trial this is not,¡± Yoda shook his head, briefly turning a reproachful look on Mundi. ¡°Wish to understand your motives and actions, we do.¡±


    Windu laced his fingers and leaned forward a bit in his chair. ¡°We¡¯ve read the report, yes. But we want to hear it from you. Tell us what happened.¡±


    I took a breath in and held it for a moment, before nodding. ¡°Very well. I finished up my personal projects in the Chu¡¯unthor¡¯s machine shop and began to leave the ship. I detected several hostile presences outside the ship entering it and beginning to search for me. With two outside waiting for someone to try to flee, I didn¡¯t want to put myself between their forces. So, I engaged in stealth tactics, isolating and eliminating the enemies within the ship to avoid alerting the rest and having to fight multiple opponents in an enclosed space. Once the enemies inside were eliminated, I took out the guard on the door, then went after the last threat both to gather more information and ensure that I didn¡¯t leave anyone behind who could perhaps track me back to our allies, then return with allies and start a larger conflict when we weren¡¯t prepared for it. I questioned her and she confirmed that her forces were there to kill whoever had been in the ship. She offered to recruit me into their tribe and I politely declined. Negotiations broke down after that and a fight ensued. I won.¡±


    ¡°As I told you,¡± Dooku spoke up, looking amused, ¡°a tactically sound, well-reasoned decision on Tanya¡¯s part. Were it anyone else, we wouldn¡¯t even be having this discussion.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not anyone else,¡± Mundi pointed out. ¡°Your emotions cloud your judgment, Master Dooku. You forget that this is a child. Not even a Padawan yet. We don¡¯t teach those sorts of tactics to just anyone, and certainly not to our younglings. Is this something she learned on Dathomir, or is it a sign of something more? We need to know.¡±


    ¡°They do,¡± I answered, drawing the ire of the man with the disturbingly penis-like head. ¡°Dathomir¡¯s biome is extremely hostile. Due to this, flora and fauna both have adapted against predation, either by means of poison, camouflage, natural weapons or defenses like spines, and the like. Hunting on Dathomir requires both stealth and precision.¡±


    Everything I said was one hundred percent true. It was also a lie, in that I didn¡¯t learn using stealth tactics against enemies on Dathomir. No, I honed that particular skill in the trenches, sneaking under the line of machine gun fire, avoiding the sight of snipers and the detection of mages, to be able to slip close enough to introduce someone to the business end of my combat knife¡ªor teach them the wonders of the trench shovel.


    ¡°Did you enjoy it?¡± Master Windu asked.


    ¡°Hm?¡± I sent him a curious look. ¡°Enjoy what, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Killing them.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± I nodded. ¡°If you mean, did I enjoy the battle? Then yes. Absolutely. I¡¯m not some battle junkie, but I won¡¯t deny that coming out the victor of a good fight feels amazing.¡±


    Windu shook his head. ¡°No, I meant the taking of life. You killed five people. Ended their lives. Normally, a Padawan¡¯s first kill leaves them sick, shaken for days later¡ªif not longer. It breaks some entirely. And yet, here you stand. Completely unaffected. So we have to ask, did you enjoy it?¡±


    I sent the man a confused look. ¡°Yes. Of course I did. Why wouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    All three of the masters aside from Dooku shifted nervously and I continued. ¡°They must have known I was a child from whatever tracks they found, and still they intended to kill me. These were not good people, they were murderers. They came at me with the intent to kill, and enjoy doing it, because I was a child. Their goal was to set up an ambush and kill anyone else who came by as well. I am satisfied and happy that I ended a threat to myself and others. I am happy to be alive, to have survived an attempt upon my life by a numerically superior force. And I will not lose a moment of sleep over it. I¡¯ll sleep soundly knowing that I did the world of Dathomir a service and avoided the fate of being fed to their spiders.¡±


    Dooku chuckled and I looked over to see the man grinning. ¡°Again, I told you. You were worried for nothing.¡±


    ¡°Surely you must concede that this is¡ª¡± Mundi began, only for Yoda to raise a hand and cut him off.


    ¡°Return to your quarters, you may. That is all for now,¡± he sent me a nod.


    ¡°Thank you, Master,¡± I sighed. Yawning, I turned and made my way towards the elevator.


    Stepping inside, I heard Mundi continue. ¡°It¡¯s not normal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve found that with Tanya, little is,¡± Dooku murmured as the doors slid closed.

 13

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    13


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Coruscant, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    ¡°There you are!¡±


    I blinked, looking up from my perusal of the library catalog system as master Dyas approached with a smile. ¡°Master Dyas,¡± I nodded, and he grinned wider.


    ¡°Tanya. Have you got a moment?¡± he asked, and I nodded, turning away from the computer.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± I agreed, raising an eyebrow as he pulled over a seat and sat down beside me and pulled out a tablet, before handing it over.


    ¡°Have a look.¡±


    Taking the tablet, I looked over the data and whistled quietly. ¡°That is quite the sum.¡±


    Master Dyas nodded. ¡°I just followed along with what you did with the amount I¡¯ve had you playing with, using the temple¡¯s funds, after a bit of, ah, fundraising,¡± he gave a cheeky grin.


    I nodded along, not questioning it at all. If he had visited some wealthy patrons and encouraged them to donate to the temple out of the goodness of their hearts, who was I to look deeper into the methods used? I was certain that, as a Jedi master and a member of the Council himself, they were all above board. After all, if no one else on the Council, the Jedi governing body, questioned or complained about the potential use of Force techniques to manipulate the outcome of such a ¡®fundraising drive,¡¯ then that was tacit approval in and of itself.


    ¡°So, why come to me?¡± I asked, curious what he needed my help for.


    Master Dyas looked embarrassed. ¡°Ah, well, you see¡­ If certain parties and individuals realize how much we¡¯ve managed to collect, they¡¯ll use that as an excuse to cut our funding next year. How would you suggest avoiding that?¡±


    ¡°Spend it,¡± I answered instantly. I didn¡¯t even have to think on it.


    This was just common practice among departments in both my first and second world. Any budgetary savings saw your budget reduced by that amount the next year, whereas if you went over budget, your budget obviously needed to be increased for the next year. It was a truly insane mindset that discouraged saving and fiscal responsibility in favor of irresponsible spending and poor budgeting! I went on to explain that to master Dyas, almost word for word.


    ¡°I see,¡± he murmured. ¡°But what if we wanted to keep most of it? Sure, we should absolutely buy a few more ships and pay for the maintenance, repairs, and upgrades on what we have, what with the war coming. Maybe look into buying a bunch of components and supplies we might need and sticking them away somewhere safe for when they¡¯re needed. But what if we needed a very large sum of money sitting around to make a big purchase?¡±


    ¡°Mm,¡± I nodded, leaning back in my chair. ¡°You remembered the ways I said it would be difficult for any investigator to track down a sum of money if someone wanted to disappear it?¡± I asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°The process is very similar. When a company does this semi-legally, they do it using what we call shell companies, or subsidiaries. Company A creates Company B, which is a legal fiction. It technically has no employees, no physical location, etc.. Except it does also technically have employees as contractors¡ªsome of Company A¡¯s, in fact. Those employees are actually employed by both, at least on paper¡ªif you want to cover all your bases. They may never actually do work for Company B, or if they do, it¡¯s just in the same role as they have in Company A, and you only pay them once because they¡¯re just doing the job you¡¯ve already paid them for as employees of Company A. You then use Company B to sell Company A a service. Information security, internal auditing, tax filing, financial advice, legal counsel, and so on¡ªall services instead of goods. Non-physical things, the value of which can then be set and agreed upon between Company A and Company B.


    ¡°Then! You have to pay Company B¡¯s employees. Except, they¡¯ve already been paid once by Company A and they never did more work than they would have under their normal contract. So all of that money can go straight into your pocket. That way, you get paid twice¡ªyou just make sure to take Company B¡¯s pay out of the payroll for Company A. Minus taxes, of course. Taxes are how they always get you. Ironically, the tax collection departments of most governments don¡¯t care if you¡¯re doing crime, only that they get their cut. Many of them have systems built in for reporting profits from illicit gains, just not actually named as such. If you deal in stolen goods, for instance, they have a check box for ¡®funds collected for the sale of goods procured through scavenging¡¯ or something like that¡ªthe legal equivalent of ¡®if you say it fell of the back of a truck, then it fell off the back of a truck, and as long as we get our share we¡¯re going to keep quiet about it.¡¯


    ¡°Then, once you¡¯ve paid your taxes, you stick all of that money in a bank account tied to Company B, completely separate from Company A¡¯s funds and only ever report the funds from Company A when doing financial reviews for investors¡ªor in this case, those providing charitable donations. Some of them will surely recognize what¡¯s going on, but as it¡¯s a tax deductible write-off on their part, they may be willing to give you even more money, so long as some of that money comes back to them through some other channel, such as by selling the temple, I mean Company A services. That ends up in an agreement that looks something like: ¡®I will give you X credits, you get to keep a percentage less than the tax rate, then you buy services from my own shell company or you buy all of your goods from me with physical credits tax free and neither of us reports the sale.¡¯¡±


    Master Dyas hummed, stroking his chin in thought. ¡°I see. And when it¡¯s time to make that large purchase, I suppose I¡¯d want to use physical credits.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± I confirmed. ¡°There is are inherent risks in transporting and using large sums of physical credits, however. They can always be stolen. The person you¡¯re buying from can claim to have never received the funds and you can¡¯t have your bank reverse the charge. Pirates, if you try to take them into space. Sometimes, the bank itself or someone working for the bank may decide they want to collect those credits and may hire mercenaries to take them back. Police using civil asset forfeiture laws because carrying physical money looks suspicious¡­¡±


    The man chuckled, reaching out and patting my shoulder. ¡°You worry too much. I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine. But I might take some guards with me, just in case, if it comes to that. In the meantime, keep working on the account you have access to. I want to see what you can do with it. Now!¡± he clapped his hands and gestured towards the data terminal I was using to look through the catalog. ¡°What were you looking for? Maybe I can help.¡±


    I nodded as a frown pulled at my lips. ¡°I¡¯m doing a research project out of personal curiosity, looking into the history of the Jedi Order, the origins of its tenets and core rules, the rise and fall of the Sith, and other things.¡±


    ¡°Quite the heavy reading list,¡± master Dyas murmured, nodding. Sighing, he shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, most of the knowledge you seek has either been lost to us or¡­ sanitized. Have you looked into the various divisions that make up the Order?¡±


    ¡°Only a cursory look,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Did you know there are actually four Jedi councils?¡± he asked, and at my raised eyebrow, laughed. ¡°I know. Some days, that seems like four too many, believe me! The one you¡¯ve already dealt with is the Jedi High Council. We¡¯re the ones in charge of everything. Below us are the Council of Reassignment, the Council of Reconciliation, and the Council of First Knowledge. That¡¯s the one responsible for managing what we, as an order, know¡ªand what we allow the wider universe to know. They technically outrank even the High Council when it comes to certain forbidden knowledge.¡± He eyed me curiously for a moment before asking, ¡°I missed your interview with the other High Council members. That little encounter on Dathomir, against the Nightsisters. I heard you used stealth tactics to take them down?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± I confirmed.


    Master Dyas hummed, nodding once. ¡°Then you might be a fit for the Shadow program, actually. They¡¯re a group within the Order who focus on stealth techniques and infiltration, and mostly work for the Council of First Knowledge. They¡¯re the ones going out and gathering, or destroying, anything deemed forbidden by that council.¡±


    ¡°I was given an offer to join the Medical Corps yesterday,¡± I shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m undecided on where I would go.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a few years off, so no need to worry too much about it now. Anyway, the Council of First Knowledge. They have their own private archive. A Bogan Collection containing all sorts of relics, holocrons, and unedited information, hidden within the Archives section. It¡¯s not actually all that difficult to find. Just behind Kaneer¡¯s window, in fact. The security on it is really bad¡ªonly a magnetic lock. It mostly relies on people not knowing it¡¯s there. I ah,¡± he chuckled, scratching at the back of his head, ¡°I might have broken in a time or two to do a little browsing myself.¡±


    ¡°Master Dyas, a rule breaker? Surely not,¡± I smiled, earning a laugh from the man.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m no Qui-Gon,¡± he leaned in and winked, lowering his voice. ¡°But that¡¯s because you don¡¯t get a reputation if you don¡¯t get caught! We just got unlucky that time.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°You should ask master Dooku about it sometime.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± I asked, curious.


    ¡°How do you think we got caught?¡± he chuckled. ¡°He had a vision and accidentally destroyed half the room. Some of the things in there apparently don¡¯t react well to poking.¡±


    Pushing himself to his feet, master Dyas grinned. ¡°Of course, I trust you wouldn¡¯t abuse that knowledge to go sneaking in. After all, there¡¯s no way you wouldn¡¯t get caught, especially if you wandered off with one of their books. All of them are digitized on their own private server, cut off from the rest of the Archive network, so if a book went missing it¡¯s not like we¡¯d lose the information on it. But you don¡¯t want a Shadow showing up in your quarters and finding you reading the forbidden literature! They definitely would, too. Eventually. Once they noticed it was missing. They¡¯d search almost every room in the temple for anything that went missing.¡±


    ¡°But if nothing went missing,¡± I murmured, and he shrugged.


    ¡°Then why would they bother looking? Anyway, good luck on your research. Have fun,¡± he waved and took off, leaving me sitting there.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    Closing out the screen I had been browsing, I stood and made my way around the library, keeping track of everyone present. After a while, I eventually found the ¡®window¡¯ in question¡ªa back lit piece of glass with a monitor behind it, showing an exterior view. I could see how it would fool most passers-by. Reaching out, I probed it with my senses and touched the sides, pulling and pushing this way and that.


    Magnetic lock, I confirmed, finding the lock in question with a narrow, directed sensory probe slipped through the tiny crack between the ¡®window¡¯ and the wall, similar to the ones that had been used against me on Dathomir. Every lock has a key or switch. So, how do they unlock this one?


    Following the feeling of the wiring, I back traced it through the library a ways, before coming to a small statue not far away. Probing that as well, I found a seam. A bit of prodding revealed that the head would twist slightly to the side with enough force, which tripped the lock on the door.


    I reset the lock and moved away, making my way to the row of servers in the back of the main archives room. Looking around, I noted the make and model, along with the connection interfaces¡ªassuming that any servers in the forbidden archive would likely be the same, or an earlier model. From there, it was back to my room to collect my tablet and do a little research on the model we had and previous models, and any current known but unpatched vulnerabilities.


    Once I had an idea of what I would need, I changed out of my temple robe and into a set of normal clothes I¡¯d bought while I was out with Obi to blend in. Tucking my lightsaber under my jacket, I left the temple and took a little shopping trip for some tools. It seemed I would be pulling another all-nighter doing some more coding, but if master Dyas was right, it would be worth it.


    <hr>


    The statue clicked and I hurried to the door, pulling it open and slipping inside. I checked the inside and found what I had expected¡ªnot far in, another switch to unlock the door from the inside. I left the door open and reset the statue, before closing the door behind me so no one would be able to look and tell that it had been opened.


    Clicking on the red light of the flashlight I¡¯d brought, I dropped my optical camouflage technique and hurried down the hall. It was covered in spiderwebs and didn¡¯t look as though it had been disturbed in years¡ªwhich made sense, if no one ever really came down here, except to store something recently found or when someone got caught breaking in. A look around showed the place didn¡¯t even have security measures¡ªno laser emitters, no motion sensors, not even cameras.


    Shaking my head, I found the main room and held off on looking around, instead going straight back to the lighted server sitting in a corner. Reaching under my robe, I pulled a new tool off of my belt and found the standard droid access data port. Plugging it in, I tapped the small screen and the little device came to life.


    It was a Frankenstein¡¯s monster of different pieces of tech that I¡¯d spent two days cobbling together and a couple more coding for. There was a small screen taken from a maintenance display panel for a star fighter, two small handheld diagnostic computers that had been repurposed and linked to each other, a small physical keyboard, a storage drive for whatever data it pulled, and a cable soldered to a droid data access probe of the kind seen on an astromech¡ªI had made a few other cables just in case, but I¡¯d discovered that the droid ports were all identical, standardized, and hadn¡¯t been changed or updated in over a thousand years and damn near everything bigger than a laptop had one.


    Tapping away at the keyboard for a moment, I smiled as I saw it connect to the server. Selecting the program I wanted, I ran the custom data extraction tool I¡¯d slapped together¡ªa combination security/encryption cracker, search algorithm, and file copy utility. One of the many benefits of an open source code repository was that nearly every bit of this thing had been pre-written by someone else, just as different parts of other things. All I¡¯d needed to do was cut out the parts I needed, stitch them together, and make sure they worked together. Then, I¡¯d stuck in the search terms I wanted to look for, along with a command to generate a list of every file on the server so I could look them over and determine if I wanted to come back and get something specific later.


    In this case, I was not just searching for the information I¡¯d told master Dyas about, but I had decided to have it dig up anything on the Mandalorians as well. Everything I¡¯d read so far had the feeling of sanitized works¡ªI wanted the nitty gritty, the dark and dirty past that would give us some kind of edge in the coming negotiations with them.


    Sticking my new tool to the server via the magnet on the back, I left it to run silently and had a look around. There were all kinds of relics suspended on repulsor pads, kept behind glass cases, locked securely behind force fields, or just sitting out in the open on shelves. Books, scrolls, weapons of all kinds including lightsabers, armor pieces, pieces of jewelry, strange crystals that radiated with the Force that I had only read about¡ªholocrons.


    Moving through the collection, I reached out with my Force senses, carefully feeling everything around. Some of it didn¡¯t feel like much of anything at all. Other things felt particularly powerful in the Force¡ªmany of the pieces steeped in the Dark side, while others were surprisingly light, and a few felt¡­ familiar. Natural. Balanced, almost¡ªmaybe a little to one side or the other.


    My senses touched something in particular and I turned, finding myself drawn that direction. Following the pull, I found a strange looking holocron¡ªa clear geometric crystal sitting atop a base of organic looking red material, like a big piece of coral. In terms of dimensions, it was relatively small¡ªthe base would fit in the palm of my hand, but was large enough vertically that I couldn¡¯t close both hands around it. It felt dark in the Force, but not necessarily evil¡ªnot dripping with malice, bloodlust, and barely leashed insanity like some of the things down here. Definitely a Sith artifact, but not one of the immediately dangerous ones.


    The holocron sat by itself, on a shelf with no label, no security, nothing to make it stand out from anything else¡ªthere were many more eye catching displays nearby, in fact. And yet, it pulled at my attention¡ªor rather, it stood out to my senses. It wasn¡¯t as though it was actively reacting to my presence. A few of the pieces in here had done that and I¡¯d immediately pulled away¡ªthe feeling of some of the things in here trying to influence me, calling out to me, had me itching to respond with a mage blade and destroy them all. This one didn¡¯t do that. It just stood out.


    Curious, I reached out and carefully probed it with the Force directly. When it didn¡¯t react, I picked it up. That¡¯s when I felt it react, reaching out with the Force and feeling me, probing me in return. I almost dropped it, but it stopped before I could. I felt Force gather within it and, a moment later, something flickered into view off to my right.


    A human man stood, studying me as I studied him. He looked¡­ normal. Not at all what I was expecting, really. Tall and large, classically masculine one could say, with a square jaw, short brown hair, and blue eyes. He wore fairly plain brown robes and a rusty red hooded half-cloak.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s interesting,¡± he murmured.


    I raised an eyebrow, reaching out to the projection. To my senses, it felt very much like a hologram or illusion, created using the Force. ¡°Who, or what, are you?¡±


    The image of a man smiled. ¡°I am one of the gatekeepers who guard and oversee this holocron and test those who would seek the knowledge within. I am little more than an echo, a memory of the man who created me. A partial copy of his mind.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± I murmured, nodding. It¡¯s possible to copy memories and personality? Interesting! This bears looking into. Later. ¡°And that man was¡­?¡±


    ¡°Ajunta Pall.¡± His tone said he expected me to know the name and, when I shook my head, he frowned. ¡°You have not heard of me? What year is it, and where are we?¡±


    ¡°In the forbidden archive of the Jedi temple on Coruscant. The year is¡­¡±


    I told him the year and his frown deepened. ¡°Nearly seven millennia since my creator¡¯s death and over nine hundred years since someone last used this holocron, and in that time, they have erased the name of Ajunta Pall. Tell me, what of the Sith Order?¡±


    ¡°Destroyed nearly a thousand years ago, I believe,¡± I answered honestly. ¡°At least, that is what the histories say. That¡¯s why I¡¯m here. I have reason to believe that we¡¯re being lied to, so I came in search of knowledge.¡±


    A smirk pulled at the illusion¡¯s lips for a moment and he nodded. ¡°I see. You have found it. But are you worthy to learn it? We shall find out.¡±


    The artifact reached out and, before I could stop it, I felt it probing again¡ªnot just the Force within me, but deeper. Reaching into my memories. Quickly ghosting over more recent stuff, before it hit paydirt. Every battle. Every victory. Every kill. Every moment of bloodcurdling terror. Every moment huddled in the trenches fearing for my life, soaked in the stench of the blood, mud, and shit of the front lines. Stopping on the moment I had acted in defiance of a being who claimed to be God, diving into nuclear hellfire in a futile effort to save one of the very few people I actually cared about.


    The probing retreated and I glared at the illusion, feeling my heart pounding at the vivid memory of that moment¡ªthe pain of my body burning up, between mana burning my body from the inside out and nuclear fire burning it from the outside in. ¡°Never do that again.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to. I know you now, Tanya von Degurechaff. This holocron and the knowledge herein is yours and I appoint you its new keeper. Safeguard it from those who would seek to destroy knowledge.¡±


    With that, the illusion disappeared. I slipped it into the bag on my belt as I breathed and willed my heart to slow. My anger faded over the next few moments and I went back to browsing. I would look at the holocron later, when I had time and privacy. Now was neither the time nor the place¡ªnot if I wanted to avoid getting caught.


    Master Dyas said I shouldn¡¯t take anything, but I don¡¯t feel comfortable leaving it here. It wasn¡¯t theft when the artifact in question had chosen me, though I doubt the other Jedi would see it that way. With that in mind, I made a mental note to find some way to hide it soon¡ªoutside of simply carrying it on my person at all times.


    One more curiosity caught my eye on my way back to check on the progress my slicing tool had made¡ªa lightsaber floating on a repulsor pad. It even had a label: the lightsaber of Exar Kun.


    It was definitely the lightsaber and not the name ¡®Exar-kun¡¯ that drew my attention.


    Looking closer, I saw there were two emitters, but the handle was only wide enough for one adult sized hand¡ªunlike my own version of a double-bladed lightsaber, which was just two lightsabers joined together at the end, capable of separating as needed or being attached to the songsteel pole. Curious, I probed it and found that like many things here, it was closer towards the middle than either light or dark. Gray, you could say.


    Picking it up, wary for any more alien probes, I spun it in my hand, testing the weight of it. It was impeccably balanced. Just a little thick for my hand, but then, I was young and it felt like it would be a near perfect fit when I was older. Thumbing the activation switch for one side, I raised an eyebrow at the brilliant blue blade that sprung forth.


    I thought Sith weapons were historically red? I mused, playing with the other buttons. I quickly discovered it had settings for length and power output¡ªfar more granular settings than my own, in fact, which left me wondering at the reasoning behind it. Spinning it around, I activated the other side and carefully flipped it through a few strikes. It felt comfortable in my hand. Right, really. Almost as good as my own sabers.


    Shutting it off, I considered putting it back, before shaking my head and sticking it in the pouch with the holocron. I was already stealing one artifact and data, what was one more at this point? Besides, I could actually use this one relatively openly, as long as I swapped out the current crystals with some chips off the big one in my room and claim I built it myself.


    No one would think it weird to have a backup backup lightsaber, right? Right. That was a perfectly normal thing to do. No one wanted to be disarmed, after all.


    There was the question of what one could do with more lightsabers than hands to wield them, but the answer to that was simple. I¡¯d use the Force! Keep whatever enemy I was fighting busy with the ones in my hands, then use the last one to attack them from angles they didn¡¯t expect.


    It was definitely useful and not something I grabbed on impulse because it looked cool and called to my inner weapon otaku! ¡­I was already regretting not taking the time to go spend some of my funds on a blaster pistol before the mission. I¡¯d have to do that tomorrow, before we left.


    Finding the data pull was done, I disconnected my tool and shut it off, then slipped out of the archive room to head to my quarters. I had some work to do before dawn and not a lot of time to do it.


    <hr>


    ¡°You look awful. Did you sleep at all?¡± Obi asked as I joined her in the hall, carrying a thermos of space coffee that I was slowly draining as we walked. Ahead of us, masters Dooku, Dyas, and Qui-Gon walked together, speaking quietly as they led us from the temple.


    Shifting my bag on my back, I grunted. ¡°Not really, no.¡±


    Swapping out the crystals on Exar-kun¡¯s lightsaber hadn¡¯t taken long at all, once I figured out how to safely disassemble it. All told, it had taken maybe two hours to clean it, cut new crystals, check the components and rush down to get some replacement parts for things that looked like they could stand to be replaced before they failed, swap out everything, and put it back together.


    No, what had kept me up until the sun rose and Obi knocked on my door was going over the data on the Mandalorians on my laptop¡ªand then getting distracted by the findings from the comparison between the map data when that finished in the middle of my reading. I would need another day or two to go over everything I needed to, but we¡¯d have plenty of time in hyperspace on the trip to Mandalore to do that.


    ¡°You work too much,¡± she sighed, shaking her head.


    ¡°Yes, well, I¡¯d rather suffer now and be prepared going in than suffer later, go in unprepared, and potentially die,¡± I retorted, perhaps a bit snippier than I meant to.


    Obi hummed and nodded, falling back a step. Before I could do anything more than look back to see what she was doing, her hands were on me, rubbing at my shoulders and neck. ¡°Relax~. It¡¯ll be fine. We¡¯ve got plenty of time to prepare. You should take a nap.¡±


    Considering it for a few moments, I nodded. ¡°I will. Once we¡¯re in hyperspace.¡±


    She shook her head but didn¡¯t press. We took a pair of aircars to the spaceport. ¡°We¡¯ll be taking two ships for this mission,¡± master Dyas explained as we arrived. ¡°Just in case we need to split up, or if we need to provide transport and protection. Better to prepare ahead of time for these things, you know?¡±


    ¡°With that in mind,¡± master Qui-Gon turned a knowing look on Obi. ¡°Padawan, why don¡¯t you accompany master Dooku and Tanya?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure, master?¡± Obi asked, and he nodded.


    ¡°You can spend the time training together.¡±


    Obi beamed happily and gave her master a quick hug in thanks, earning a chuckle from the man. Dooku smiled, shaking his head before turning his attention to me. ¡°Any word on the data?¡±


    ¡°My program finished putting everything together last night. I¡¯ll need a couple of days to go over it before I give you my report.¡±


    The older man nodded, even as Qui-Gon raised an eyebrow. ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll leave it to you.¡±


    ¡°Do we have time for me to go purchase some supplies I forgot before we leave?¡± I asked, and Dooku sent me a curious look.


    ¡°What did you forget?¡±


    ¡°A blaster. If we¡¯re going to be going into a war zone, I¡¯d like a weapon with more range than a thrown lightsaber.¡±


    At that, all three of the masters chuckled. I sent them a confused look, Obi beside me radiating curiosity. ¡°What¡¯s so funny?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea and we should probably all get some, but,¡± master Dyas trailed off with a mischievous grin.


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to Mandalore,¡± master Qui-Gon pointed out. At my curious look, he elaborated, ¡°They¡¯re mercenaries and specialize in that sort of combat. You¡¯ll be able to get one there, and they don¡¯t deal in junk. Just as we each construct a quality lightsaber for ourselves and take great care of it, the Mandalorians take pride in their own weapons. While the blaster is certainly not as elegant as a lightsaber, it it not nearly as clumsy as some masters claim. In the end, they¡¯re both tools to be used towards the same goal¡ªkeeping the owner alive and completing the mission. They are tradesmen whose trade is war. They know their tools. They will have already sorted through and collected the best weapons for themselves, so anything you get from them will likely be better than what you would find anywhere else.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange something when we arrive,¡± master Dooku promised, before gesturing towards the ship. ¡°Let¡¯s be on our way. I look forward to hearing what you¡¯ve discovered.¡±


    With that, we boarded and stowed our gear. Taking my customary seat in the cockpit, with Obi taking the seat directly behind me, I ran through the usual checks then got us into the air.

 14

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    14


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Hyperspace, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    ¡°You¡¯re distracted,¡± Obi commented as I was forced to duck away from a swing I had failed to parry, her blue blade passing through the air where my head had been.


    I rolled, swinging my silver-white blade at her ankles and forcing her to jump over, then dodge back as I followed up with a swipe at her knees with the blade in my other hand. ¡°I¡¯m thinking,¡± I admitted, snapping both blades into a cross-block to catch her overhand swing.


    Obi recovered quickly, pulling back and using her longer reach to probe my defenses. A little smirk pulled at her lips. ¡°Yes, I could tell. You always get that constipated look when you do a big think.¡±


    ¡°Consti-!¡± My eye twitched and I leapt at her, the older girl giggling as she batted away my blows, circling to the left as we moved around the ship¡¯s small training space. ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Sure, sure,¡± she agreed, nodding, radiating teasing as she did. ¡°You want to talk about it, or do you want to keep going?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± I grunted, snapping the ends of my lightsabers together and coming at her again as I worked my way through practicing with my tools. After all, what was the point of having different weapons for options if you never practiced with or used them? Obi didn¡¯t mind at all, since it kept her own skills sharp against different weapon types than a standard lightsaber or sword equivalent.


    ¡°Go on then,¡± she encouraged, kicking out and nearly catching my knee as I danced back, pulling her leg out of the way just before the white-silver blade would have hit.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind? Tell big sis!¡± I snorted softly and she let out a quiet, ¡°Ufufu~,¡± once more reminding me why I called her Onee-san Kenobi in the privacy of my own mind sometimes. She was at that age where sometimes, her mood and the age gap between us left her acting in pretty much exactly that role¡­ while other times, she could be an absolute gremlin and a troublemaker when she wanted attention.


    Moving in for another clash, I began speaking. ¡°I¡¯m still putting together my report on the data, but,¡± I slid under a swing, aiming for her waist, only for Obi to leap over me. I was forced to bring one of the saber blades around to protect the back of my head. ¡°It looks like someone began preparing for this years ago. There are tunnels under every major city, leading below every governmental building or stronghold. New tunnels. Oh sure, they¡¯re all labeled as things like ¡®sewer maintenance access¡¯ or ¡®emergency evacuation route¡¯ and the like, but none of them actually connect to the buildings they pass beneath or near. It¡¯s like they were left intentionally unfinished. The walls are thin though.¡±


    Obi frowned as she came after me with a basic combination, swinging her saber in a very predictable pattern until the last second, when she changed the angle of her swing and I nearly missed a parry. ¡°How thin?¡±


    ¡°Thin enough that blasting charges could presumably breach them,¡± I answered, moving in close to try and get inside her reach. ¡°Some of those tunnels are large enough to fit heavy equipment through. Others, big enough for people. Some just,¡± I twisted, letting a jab sail by to catch her on the wrist, bringing our score even again, ¡°circle the building foundations, as though they were put there to make it easier to access the structural supports for quick demolition.¡±


    Obi pulled back, shutting off her lightsaber and, when I saw she was calling a halt to training and not just trying for a fakeout, I shut off my own and stowed them as she did likewise. She gestured for me to follow and I did as she led me to the small galley. The older girl poured us both a cup of cold water before we moved into the rec room and took seats on the couch there.


    ¡°That explains why they wanted the data hidden,¡± she murmured, sipping at her drink.


    ¡°No,¡± I shook my head, and she raised an eyebrow. ¡°It¡¯s certainly damning by itself,¡± I admitted, ¡°but that¡¯s not why they tried to hide it.¡± Seeing her expectant look and feeling the girl¡¯s impatience, I drew it out just a bit, enjoying her frustration as I sipped at my own water. Finally, I lowered it to my lap and told her. ¡°The job was big. Serenno isn¡¯t the most developed planet, but it¡¯s still too large a job for the local companies to handle. They had to call in contractors from off-planet.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± the brunette nodded. ¡°But I don¡¯t follow. What do contractors have to do with a cover-up?¡±


    ¡°Everything.¡± At her raised eyebrow, I asked, ¡°Suppose you¡¯re engaged in a conspiracy to engage in a hostile takeover, but it requires a lot of work that you¡¯re just not prepared or equipped to do. You need to bring in outside help to get the job done. Who do you look towards to hire, to keep the work quiet?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying¡­ whoever is involved hired the people they¡¯re working with?¡± Obi asked, a frown pulling at her lips as she did.


    ¡°I think so. Who would be least likely to talk or leak the information, but someone invested in seeing the hostile takeover come to fruition? Someone already involved. With skin in the game, so to speak.¡±


    Nodding, she took another sip before asking, ¡°Then you know who they are?¡±


    ¡°Better.¡± I began ticking off points on my fingers. ¡°I know who hired them. How much the contract was for¡ªa lot, mind you. Something like five times market value, in fact. I know who owns those companies, and who owns them¡ªor at least, who¡¯s pulling the strings. Charitable donations, tax records, campaign contributions, these things are all publicly available information.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t keep me in suspense,¡± she huffed.


    ¡°Several senators, all with ties to the Trade Federation and the Banking Clan. I have their names on my computer. The construction companies were used to launder money to fund their reelection campaigns, pay bribes, and the like.¡±


    Obi nodded, finishing off her water. ¡°So now we know the senate, Trade Federation, and Banking Clan are involved in the events on Serenno. I¡¯m sure the masters suspected. Is that what was troubling you?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°No, but I needed to lay the groundwork for the actual problem.¡±


    ¡°Which is¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Obi echoed curiously.


    ¡°Why Serenno? It¡¯s an Outer Rim planet with little in the way of value to the Trade Federation. They aren¡¯t on the list of big exporters to the Core.¡± Sighing in frustration, I brought a hand up to scrub through my white hair. ¡°Space combat isn¡¯t like ground, sea, or air combat! Space is huge. You can¡¯t just¡­ pick a town along a major highway and turn it into a choke point, or set up a naval blockade of a river and cut off supplies to everything downstream, or just shoot everything flying down and claim air superiority allowing you to shoot at enemies on the ground and water with near impunity. If something¡¯s in the way in space, you just go around it! And then there¡¯s hyperspace! You can¡¯t blockade hyperspace! It¡¯s not possible¡ª¡±


    ¡°Uhh,¡± Obi murmured, and I blinked, pulled out of my building rant. ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of an interdictor then?¡±


    ¡°¡­A what?¡± I asked, my gut twisting as my mind raced ahead, breaking down the root word. Interdictor. Interdiction. Interdict. To destroy, damage, or cut off, such as an enemy supply line, by means of firepower.


    ¡°An interdictor is a kind of ship that produces an interdiction field. Clever name, right?¡± Obi chuckled. ¡°They¡¯re super illegal for anyone but the Republic Navy to own, because pirates use them to take over trade lanes and force ships to drop out of hyperspace. Not exactly sure how it works, but it trips the hyperdrive fail-safe to not, you know, fly into a planet or a star. It¡¯s not exactly new technology either.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ it¡¯s possible to cut off a hyperspace lane?¡± When Obi nodded, I shot to my feet, dropping my cup on the table as I hurried into my room. She followed a moment later as I sat down in front of my computer.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Obi asked, as I began putting in data requests.


    I answered as I worked, fingers flying over the keyboard. ¡°Putting in a request for data. I need all of the planets the Trade Federation have blockaded.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    I held up a finger to indicate she should wait. Obi shrugged and moved away, dropping on my bed and looking around idly. Eventually, I finished what I was doing¡ªnow I just had to wait for the data to come back. Until then, I took what I had already¡ªtaking a galaxy map and dropping in the names of every planet I was aware of that the Trade Federation had blockaded, along with Serenno. My list wasn¡¯t comprehensive or up to date¡ªit was at least a year out of date, in fact. But it was a good start. Good enough to see the pattern starting to form.


    ¡°They¡¯ve taken planets on every major hyperspace lane leading into the Core.¡±


    Obi looked up from where she had grabbed my pillow and rolled onto her side, curling around it. ¡°Yeah? I thought you said they were just following the money.¡±


    ¡°Yes and no. They are, and that accounts for some of the worlds they¡¯ve taken¡ªbut not all, and it always bugged me why they went after some seemingly inconsequential worlds. But if I¡¯m right, they could choke off travel to and from the core. Blockade every major route with a fleet and interdictors and force everyone going through to pass through their checkpoint. Conduct inspections. Demand ¡®fees¡¯ to pass. Disallow certain things to go Coreward entirely. It wouldn¡¯t completely cut off the Core, obviously. There are still several agri-worlds in the core, or very close to it, that are used to feed Coruscant and other planets entirely dependent upon imports. But it¡¯d cause prices to skyrocket and limit the movement of troops and other goods. It would apply pressure.¡±


    Humming, Obi asked, ¡°So, then the plan is to complete their droid army, and then what? Ransom the core?¡±


    ¡°Maybe?¡± I shrugged. ¡°I would need more information to ascertain their intentions. It will obviously become clearer the closer we come to the deadline, but by then, it will be too late. I¡¯ll inform Masters Dooku, Dyas, and Qui-Gon of my suspicions when I brief them¡­ which will need to be pushed back another day while I adjust for the new information.¡±


    Obi sighed and I could practically feel her eyes boring into my skull. ¡°Don¡¯t make me drag you out of this room because you got sucked in. Again.¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°I won¡¯t forget to eat again. It was one time.¡±


    ¡°Mhmm,¡± she hummed. ¡°You¡¯re not doing anything right now. Come meditate with me.¡±


    Nodding, I stood as she rolled off the bed and folded it into the wall. She left the room for a moment to go to her own room and I took that time to sit down and make myself comfortable, pulling my incomplete computation orb out and laying it in my lap. Obi returned with a set of candles and lit them, before shutting out the light and joining me on the rug, leaving the room lit only by the light of hyperspace coming in through the transparent metal windows and the candles.


    Obi relaxed beside me, her breathing going even and slow. Taking a breath, I opened myself and reached out, at the same time I focused on the orb and what I needed to do to make it work. Suggestions and impressions came, and the orb hovered just over my lap. I felt as the Force filled it, burning in tiny lines and other patterns in an almost microscopic level of detail, picking up from where I had left off last time.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    I had no idea how long it was going to take to complete the orb, but I wasn¡¯t going to rush it. I¡¯d put in as much time as I could practically put in, between everything else I needed to do. It was just going to take as long as it was going to take.


    Which, considering I was using the Force to permanently bridge the gap between magic formulas and the nearest equivalent, what I believed was called Force Sorcery, to allow me to cast without having to do the conversions manually every time and instead allow the orb to do it, it would be worth the effort. I was effectively converting an engine (the orb) to run off of diesel fuel (the Force) when it took gasoline (mana), and I didn¡¯t want the engine to fail, or explode, to take the metaphor to its fiery conclusion.


    I want to fly again¡­


    <hr>


    In orbit over Mandalore, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    ¡°¡­that¡¯s where the battle space on and over Serenno stood, as of last month, which is the newest data we were able to get and the role I believe it plays in the enemy¡¯s overall strategy.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look good,¡± Master Dyas murmured, studying the holo screen in Master Dooku¡¯s ship from where he sat on the couch.


    Beside him, Master Qui-Gon leaned forward, looking more closely at the hyperspace lane map before asking, ¡°How sure of this are you?¡±


    ¡°Are interdiction vessels a thing the enemy possibly has?¡± I asked, and the three took a moment to trade looks, before Qui-Gon nodded. ¡°Then very. It makes sense, and it explains their movements over the last several years. They¡¯ve been preparing for a while. I¡¯m waiting on data to come back, but I might be able to get a list of ship classifications they¡¯ve purchased. Does an interdiction field require a specific kind of vessel?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, no,¡± Master Dyas shook his head. ¡°To my knowledge, you could convert any cargo hauler into one. It¡¯s the prime choice for pirates. Turn one of their less valuable ships into an interdictor, then swarm whatever drops out of hyperspace with their attack craft.¡±


    ¡°So there¡¯s little point trying to figure out which ones are being used as interdictors just from the records,¡± I murmured, nodding.


    ¡°Were you able to determine who it was that ordered the new construction on Serenno?¡± Master Dooku asked, and I nodded.


    ¡°Friends and allies to Ramil. Most likely at his direction.¡±


    The older Master sighed, before nodding once. ¡°We suspected as much, but to have it confirmed¡­¡± He shook his head. ¡°At least we know, going in, that Ramil is to blame for this and we can ignore any pleas of ignorance or innocence.¡±


    ¡°On the brighter side,¡± Master Dyas tried, gesturing to the map of Serenno, ¡°we¡¯ve got an idea of where their ground forces are bunkered down.¡±


    ¡°Bunkered being the key word,¡± Qui-Gon muttered. ¡°Those structures are all highly defensible and meant to withstand orbital bombardment. If, or perhaps when, the fighting breaks out, their layout may force us to assault them head on, straight down the mouths of the choke points they¡¯ve turned their entrances into.¡±


    ¡°Bring up the schematics again please, padawan,¡± Master Dooku instructed and I did so. ¡°They use a limited number of patterns in their construction, so assaulting one bunker should be little different from assaulting any others. Once we¡¯ve worked out a proper plan of attack, it should be a simple matter of repeating it for each and keeping word from spreading of how we took the others.¡±


    Standing, Qui-Gon moved closer to the map and tapped at two different points. ¡°The front entrance or the tunnels. Those are our only real options.¡±


    ¡°Ah, Master?¡± Obi asked, and the man turned a smile on her. ¡°What about the obvious third answer?¡±


    ¡°The air duct?¡± Qui-Gon asked, and Obi nodded. ¡°It¡¯s too narrow for even you to fit through.¡±


    ¡°I could fit,¡± I pointed out, and the Masters exchanged a look. ¡°I am aware of the dangers involved. The ventilation shaft at the top connects with the rest of the base via the network of ducts. They¡¯re all large enough that I could drop down the shaft then crawl my way to anywhere in the base. From there, we could coordinate an assault on either the front or rear entrance, or both simultaneously, and I could attack the defenders from behind while they¡¯re distracted. Down the shaft, through the vents, start the assault, hit the front entrance, back into the vents while you move to clear the base, hit the rear entrance, join in the mop up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± Master Qui-Gon shook his head.


    Master Dyas hummed, nodding in agreement with Master Qui-Gon. ¡°Are you sure you could, Tanya?¡±


    ¡°Positive. I have options available for stealth.¡± At their curious looks, I shrugged and activated an optical camouflage formula. ¡°I can keep this running indefinitely,¡± I admitted, before shutting it off, just as Obi reached out to poke me.


    Master Dyas grinned, while Master Qui-Gon sent Master Dooku a curious look. ¡°Did you know she could do that?¡±


    Master Dooku chuckled. ¡°I saw her use it a time or two on Dathomir. I suspect it¡¯s how she dealt with her assailants in the Chu''unthor?¡± the last he directed as a question at me, and I nodded.


    ¡°I have to ask, since it¡¯s been on the council¡¯s minds for a while now and they¡¯ve been wringing their hands about it,¡± Master Dyas began. When I nodded, he continued, ¡°Where did you learn how to do that? Is that something they teach on Zeltros?¡±


    ¡°And then there was what she did on Ilum,¡± Master Qui-Gon nodded, his attention shifting back to me. ¡°Shielding herself from the wind, warming herself, and cutting down a beast attacking her with a single stroke cleaner than a lightsaber.¡±


    Obi joined in, narrowing her eyes at me. ¡°She likes to make little shields sometimes if we¡¯re sparring and she misses a block or parry, and can¡¯t simply dodge away. It¡¯s frustrating.¡±


    ¡°My introduction to her was a breakdown of the economic factors that would lead to the coming war,¡± Master Dooku chuckled. ¡°Something even the temple missed.¡±


    ¡°It is not something I learned on Zeltros, no,¡± I murmured, shutting down my laptop connected to the holo display. I considered what to tell them as I busied my hands changing the display to show the planet below us. Should I make something up or tell the truth? Of course, there was a good chance that between three Jedi masters, they would quickly determine the truth of any statement I made. Perhaps I should just refuse to answer? Was that an option?


    ¡°The Dathomir incident has the reactionaries on the High Council talking about removing her from the Order,¡± Master Dyas pointed out, to which Master Dooku nodded and Master Qui-Gon frowned. Focusing on me, he continued, ¡°You could set them at ease with an answer.¡±


    ¡°That seems a bit extreme.¡±


    ¡°She dropped five bodies and didn¡¯t blink,¡± Master Dyas shrugged. ¡°That worries some people. I¡¯m not one of them, but I can understand their concern.¡±


    ¡°They would do well to remember their own teachings,¡± Master Dooku grumbled.


    ¡°You obviously have a theory,¡± Master Qui-Gon turned to Master Dooku. ¡°Care to share?¡±


    ¡°Mm. I do,¡± Master Dooku confirmed. ¡°But I would like to hear it from Tanya herself.¡±


    Taking a breath, I asked, ¡°Are you aware of the theory of reincarnation? Living one life, only to be reborn into another.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Master Qui-Gon nodded. ¡°That would explain it.¡±


    Obi looked between the three Masters and myself, wearing a confused look. ¡°That can happen? It¡¯s real?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s actually not that uncommon,¡± Master Dyas chuckled. ¡°Especially with those who are Force sensitive. Sometimes, we transcend the crude matter of our bodies into true luminous beings. Guardian spirits, Force apparitions, Force ghosts. Coming back isn¡¯t as far fetched as you would think.¡±


    Master Dooku leaned forward on his seat, studying me intently. ¡°It is as I suspected. You were a soldier, were you not?¡±


    I nodded once. ¡°I was a normal person first, living a peaceful life on a relatively peaceful world. The second time, I was reborn before the start of a war that spread across the world and became a child soldier fighting to survive and defend my home. It was either volunteer or be drafted, so I volunteered, then quickly advanced into a leadership role using the experience from my first life. This is my third time.¡± Turning a look on Master Dyas, I admitted, ¡°The ones on Dathomir weren¡¯t my first. Officially, my confirmed kill count is in the triple digits. By the standards of my last life, they were¡­ just a boring Tuesday. A footnote in an after action report.¡±


    Shifting my gaze to Master Dooku, I added, ¡°It¡¯s what convinced me to try to join the Republic Navy. That way, I could put my previous skills to use, while at the same time ensuring I was far from any conflict. Which led to investigating things, and the discoveries of the coming war¡­ And suddenly, the Navy looked less and less viable for a choice of career path.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Master Dyas murmured. Looking to Master Dooku, he said, ¡°The High Council isn¡¯t going to like it.¡±


    ¡°Of those on the Council, only Master Yoda and Master Windu would truly take this revelation as anything other than a danger. Windu sees danger everywhere of course, but I believe that it would actually allay many of his concerns, knowing that he was dealing with a veteran of a war. Master Yoda would be concerned, but would not change his opinion. As for the rest¡­¡± Master Dooku trailed off and the other two masters frowned.


    ¡°It would give the reactionaries all the more reason to have her removed,¡± Master Dyas said what they were all thinking. ¡°The Traditionalists would side with them, since she¡¯s rocked the boat a bit too much for their liking. That, and they don¡¯t like that she¡¯s not purely on the light side of the Force¡ªwhich, given her past, I¡¯m surprised it¡¯s not worse.¡±


    ¡°Removing her from the Order would be a mistake, and a loss,¡± Master Qui-Gon shook his head.


    Looking to the other two masters, Master Dooku asked, ¡°Then we are in agreement?¡±


    Master Qui-Gon hummed, before a smile pulled at his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t know about the two of you, but I¡¯m sure that between the coming conflict and my duties to my padawan, it¡¯s possible I may forget this conversation even happened. I doubt I¡¯ll remember it when it comes time to write my report on the events surrounding Mandalore and Serenno.¡±


    Nodding, Master Dyas grinned. ¡°As for me, well, you know how it is. I sometimes get so lost in my visions that I forget what¡¯s even real anymore. Perhaps I hallucinated this entire conversation.¡±


    Chuckling, Master Dooku turned a stern look on Obi and myself. ¡°You are not to speak of this with anyone outside of this room going forward. Not until Tanya is a Master herself.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Obi nodded.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have spoken of it at all, but you asked,¡± I pointed out, to which Master Dooku nodded. ¡°If that¡¯s all¡­?¡±


    The three masters traded looks before Master Dooku nodded. ¡°It is. We should all get some rest. We¡¯ll descend to the planet in a few hours, in time to coincide with the morning on the continent where this meeting is taking place. In the meantime, I will get in touch with our contacts on the surface and arrange for some things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll speak with the leader of the New Mandalorians if you¡¯ll contact the True Mandalorians,¡± Master Qui-Gon suggested as he and Master Dooku both stood.


    Master Dooku nodded in agreement and I tuned out their conversation as I left the room, collecting my laptop and heading for my bedroom. Putting the laptop on my desk, I was unsurprised when Obi joined me a few moments later, carrying her candles. Looking up, I found her smiling as she set them up and patted the rug beside her when she sat.


    I turned out the lights and took a seat as she lit the candles. ¡°You don¡¯t seem bothered,¡± I pointed out, taking off my computation orb and cradling it in my lap.


    ¡°I knew you were a bit strange the moment I first saw you,¡± she giggled. ¡°This just makes me more curious, not less. Will you tell me about it?¡±


    I considered for a few moments, before eventually nodding. ¡°Not today.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be today,¡± she agreed. ¡°I can wait.¡± After a moment, she shook her head, ¡°No, there is one thing I want to know!¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re older than me?¡±


    I rolled my eyes. ¡°Out of everything, that¡¯s what you decide to focus on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s important!¡± Obi protested, and I sighed.


    ¡°Yes. I was in my twenties the first time I died, then died around your age the second time. At minimum, I¡¯d say I¡¯m at least as old as Master Qui-Gon, mentally speaking.¡±


    ¡°Mmm,¡± Obi hummed, studying me intensely. Finally, she shook her head and reached over, pulling me into a one-armed hug. ¡°Nope! Can¡¯t see it! You¡¯re still just my cute Tanya!¡±


    ¡°Are we going to meditate, or are you going to hug me?¡± I grumbled, only to let out an involuntary squawk as she pulled me into her lap and thumped her chin down on top of my head.


    ¡°I can do both,¡± I heard the annoyingly smug grin in her answer as she squeezed me tightly.


    Repressing a sigh, I opened myself up and focused on the orb¡ªonly to immediately have to metaphysically smack away Obi¡¯s curious fingers. ¡°Hands off,¡± I warned. ¡°It¡¯s delicate.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± she asked, reaching out and probing the computation orb. ¡°It feels weird. Like, really strong in the Force, and¡­ getting stronger?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to passively absorb and store Force, yes,¡± I confirmed. ¡°My shields and other things run off of math. This is a physical calculator to do most of the math for me, so I can do more spells at the same time. When it¡¯s finished¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Obi radiated curiosity.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯ll be able to fly. Hopefully.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you already know how to fly a ship?¡±


    I blinked, shifting in her arms a bit to look at her. ¡°Not a ship. Under my own power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡± she trailed off when I raised an eyebrow. An incredulous look passed over her face, before she smirked. ¡°Prove it.¡±


    ¡°I will, when it¡¯s finished. And for that, I need you to keep your grubby little fingers off of it while I work,¡± I groused, turning away and going back to my meditation.


    ¡°No fun at all,¡± Obi pouted, but I felt her relax around me and settle into her own meditation.


    For some reason, the work seemed to go faster.


    <hr>


    ¡°Are we sure we should be taking her into this?¡± Sifo-Dyas asked as he heard the door to Tanya¡¯s quarters close.


    ¡°She has experience,¡± Qui-Gon pointed out, and Master Dyas nodded.


    ¡°Yes, but that¡¯s not what I meant. I don¡¯t agree with everything the High Council is worrying about, but I have to ask, is she going to be okay, psychologically speaking? She¡¯s effectively stepping into a new war after a seven year break between now and the last one. And then there¡¯s the question of how being in a child body affects an adult mind.¡±


    ¡°I would think that her actions show she has a firm grasp on the situation,¡± Dooku chided.


    Sifo-Dyas sent Dooku a frustrated look. ¡°I¡¯m not saying she doesn¡¯t. I¡¯m questioning the wisdom of sending a child soldier war veteran into an active combat zone¡ªone who happens to be a Jedi in training. Grown men have fallen from less mental stress.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t.¡±


    At the absolute surety in Dooku¡¯s words, the other two masters sent him a curious look. Finally, Sifo-Dyas asked, ¡°What makes you so sure?¡±


    ¡°The prophecy?¡± Qui-Gon guessed. ¡°The Traditionalists would likely call the thought heretical, but if someone were going to bring balance to the Force then it would stand to reason that they themselves be balanced in the Force¡ªand as far as I can tell, she is almost directly in the center between light and dark.¡±


    ¡°I sensed it when we first met,¡± Dooku admitted. ¡°It felt like the hand of the Force guiding me to her. And yes,¡± he nodded to Qui-Gon, ¡°the thought did cross my mind. I¡¯m not certain, however. Master Dyas, your talents lie more in the realm of future sight. Can you give us any insight?¡±


    Sifo-Dyas shook his head. ¡°No, that¡¯s the weird thing. I felt it too, what you described,¡± he nodded to Dooku, ¡°so I looked into it. Tried to see what the future looked like, centered on Tanya. It¡¯s¡­ blurry. Less certain than anything I¡¯ve tried to view before. The coming war? That may as well be set in stone.¡± Frowning, he murmured, ¡°There was one thing that bothered me. A vision of her a few years from now. Ten or so, at a guess. She was dressed all in black and using a red lightsaber.¡±


    ¡°Sith?¡± Qui-Gon whispered, and Sifo-Dyas slowly shook his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so. I¡¯ve seen visions of Sith before. They always feel a certain way. Dark, evil. This was just¡­ Tanya exactly as she is. It was more like,¡± he struggled for a moment to find the words to explain it. ¡°It felt like she was wearing the uniform but not the enemy?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s worrying,¡± Qui-Gon sighed. ¡°What would necessitate dressing up like a Sith?¡±


    ¡°Infiltration,¡± Dooku answered immediately. ¡°But you said that vision was a decade off.¡±


    ¡°Around that,¡± Sifo-Dyas nodded.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a concern for another day. For now, let us worry about securing the aid of the Mandalorians and dealing with the situation on Serenno.¡± Master Dyas made to speak, but Dooku held up a hand. ¡°If she were at all unsure about going into combat, I¡¯m sure Tanya would have said so. I care for her well-being as well, but I will trust her judgment.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I¡¯ll agree, but consider it under protest,¡± Sifo-Dyas nodded. ¡°We¡¯ll keep an eye on her in the meantime.¡±


    ¡°And with that, I believe we have some calls to make,¡± Qui-Gon turned and left for the airlock connecting their two ships.

 15

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    15


    <hr>


    Commissioned by Atin.


    <hr>


    Mandalore, Sundari, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    Looking out over the desert as I brought us in to land at one of the massive enclosed cities, I frowned at what I saw. Mandalore was a world with an environment devastated by war. From orbit, we had only seen a few large green and blue spots left in the wild¡ªless than thirty percent of the planet. My research showed that once, the planet had been very Earth-like. Now, large tracts of it were desert. The majority of their habitation was in big cities built as cubes or domes to make an environment a bit more hospitable to life. Sundari was under one such dome.


    ¡°I hate deserts,¡± Obi whined from the seat behind me, and I couldn¡¯t help but agree.


    ¡°Nothing quite tests an army¡¯s resolve, fortitude, and resourcefulness like a desert campaign,¡± I murmured, shaking my head.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Master Dooku raised an eyebrow and I felt his desire to hear more in that one syllable.


    ¡°Almost anywhere else, you can find food, water, and other resources fairly easily. When waging war anywhere but a desert, you expect to be able to either establish trade or forcibly acquire certain goods and services from the locals because there typically tend to be locals to acquire them from, with their own infrastructure, manufacturing base, agriculture, and the like. In a desert, depending on the type of desert¡­ There is no solid ground upon which to construct a building, if it¡¯s all sand. But you can work around that, with tents and other temporary structures. Except there are no building materials present locally. Little to no wood, and almost certainly no trees large enough to cut down to turn into building materials, so you have to bring your own with you. Water is also scarce and sometimes contaminated. There is little to no food, depending on where you are.


    ¡°A desert campaign depends almost entirely upon logistics and your ability to bring the things you need in, and keep bringing them in. A missed supply of perishables means your men go on half rations, which leaves them tired, hungry, and angry and reduces their ability to fight. A missed supply of ammunition and suddenly, they¡¯re left rationing that and trying to convince the enemy they have more than they do. Fighting power and morale are constantly on the decline, because of those factors, in addition to other environmental factors. It¡¯s hot during the day and cold at night. Sand and fecal dust get everywhere¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡± Obi demanded, and I felt disgust radiating off of her.


    I grinned and nodded. ¡°Oh yes. There are no restrooms, no toilets in the desert. You have to dig a latrine. That¡¯s just basic sanitation. We do it because we don¡¯t want to contaminate our camps. But you see, if there are any local populations, especially wandering tribal populations, then they don¡¯t always do that. In fact, most just cop a squat wherever the need takes them, sometimes even right in their own camps. During the day this dries out and over time, it breaks down under wind and sand, and becomes little more than dust mixed in with the sand.¡± I smiled and turned to look at her over my shoulder. ¡°Right until it hits something wet. Like your nostrils. Or your mouth. Or whatever water you¡¯re drinking. Then suddenly, the smell and taste are in everything.¡±


    Obi gagged and I saw Master Dooku¡¯s lips twitching as he fought down a smile of his own. I turned back to the instruments and continued. ¡°It contaminates all of the water eventually, so you start having to decontaminate it. And the easiest, cheapest way to do so given your lack of resources is to filter and add alcohol just to be sure. Of course, with water being strictly rationed, personal hygiene isn¡¯t going to be what you¡¯re used to. Forget daily showers. You might get to take a sponge bath using about a gallon of water a night, if you¡¯re lucky. The stench of body odor becomes a thing you just become accustomed to. You stop really noticing it until it gets really bad. Then there are the bodies. Forget the enemy corpses, getting your own fallen men home is almost impossible, and many of them are simply consigned to the sand¡­¡±


    Thinking back on that, I let out a quiet sigh as I followed the path we had been assigned and brought us into one of the big hangars. ¡°I¡¯ve fought in heat, cold, mud, rain, snow, ice, in the sky, mountains, forests, sea, and desert. In trenches, crawling through the mud, blood, and shit under artillery bombardment and sniper fire in the dead of night to cross the no man¡¯s land and advance our lines an inch at a time. I would rather fight anywhere else than another desert. Never again. I refuse. Send someone else.¡±


    The ship thumped down in our landing space and I hit the button for the engine shutdown sequence as Master Dooku stood. I followed him and Obi out of the cockpit back to my quarters and grabbed my bag. I was leaving most of my gear in the ship, since I wasn¡¯t expecting to need any of the wilderness survival equipment. Instead, I was just bringing a couple of changes of clothes. Everything important, I was leaving behind, just in case.


    We were diplomats trying to broker some kind of deal between the Mandalorian factions and some people might not appreciate the idea of any sort of deal, or someone sticking their noses in where they felt they didn¡¯t belong. Killing a diplomatic envoy was a time honored tactic in war¡ªsometimes even done as part of a false flag operation by the faction the diplomats were ostensibly supporting, simply as an excuse to point to them and rally supporters behind the idea that they were being persecuted or otherwise under attack. I wouldn¡¯t say I expected there to be an attack, but I wouldn¡¯t be surprised if there was. And since I knew we were staying in a hotel for the duration of our time on Mandalore, and the enemy knew that as well, I wasn¡¯t bringing anything from the ship that I wasn¡¯t willing to see destroyed if someone were to, say, hit the building with a rocket attack.


    I would have worried more about the ship as well, but these were self-contained cities with very limited space and docking bays notoriously contained highly flammable, explosive, and toxic substances like fuel, not to mention whatever payload any given ship was carrying in the way of armament. There was a good chance that trying to blow up a ship would have unintended consequences that could be disastrous for the city as a whole, up to and including overwhelming the air filtration system with noxious fumes and smoke. No, no one would risk something that flashy in a docking bay. They might try to break into the ship, however. Personally, if I were going to do it, I¡¯d plant remote explosives on an enemy ship, wait for them to leave the city, then have them detonate on a proximity timer when they got far enough away. That was just something we¡¯d have to prepare for and plan around.


    Masters Qui-Gon and Dyas joined us as we left the ships and locked them down and our group made our way out of the hangar, to an elevator. We were waved through what passed for customs with the Masters showing some sort of diplomatic identification and soon out onto street level. Looking around, I found myself fairly impressed by the architecture. Sure, it was just another city, but this one had buildings hanging from the ceiling. It seemed they had done everything they could not to waste space, while still leaving enough for it to feel relatively open and not claustrophobic.


    We took a speeder to the inverted building near where the negotiations were being hosted and quickly settled into our rooms in a massive suite at the bottom of the tower¡ªwhat would have been the top on a normal building. Obi and I shared one room, while the Masters each had their own separate room. Once we were settled in and freshened up, we left the hotel for the conference center where the summit was being hosted.


    Once inside, we were directed into a large room with raised stadium seating, already starting to fill in with interested parties as, even if this wasn¡¯t open to the public, there were plenty of people supporting both sides: investors, political allies, and the like¡ªnot to mention all of the support staff running back and forth, some civilian, some clearly military. Already, there was shouting from several people gathered in the center¡ªand in the middle of it all, an older human man and a younger human woman. In fact, looking around, I realized I was one of a very small number of people who were anything other than pure human.


    The man looked to be in his fifties at a guess, but given the longer life expectancies in this universe and improved medical technology to improve looks and slow aging, he could be twice that. He had short black hair with a bit of gray in it and black stubble. He wore the same armor that I saw the more militarized Mandalorians wearing¡ªthe armor having been painted over gray with red accents, and a red half cape on his back.


    I want armor like that. But it looks heavy and speed and agility are the key to a lot of a Jedi¡¯s physical techniques. I¡¯d need to test. And even then, there¡¯s not much point to getting it now. Wait until I finish growing before investing in armor.


    The woman was young, maybe twenty. Her blonde hair was short and wavy, and the bangs were kept out of her face by some kind of metal headpiece with a red jewel in the center¡ªI hesitated to call it a tiara or crown just because of the lack of decoration or frills. She wore a dark red and gray dress that went down to mid thigh, knee high boots, and a red cape of her own.


    Despite the man having a good head and a half of height on her, the woman stood her ground, matching him in escalating volume and gesturing. It was loud enough that we could hear them going at it from the door, but there was enough noise from other arguing parties that it was hard to pick out any one conversation.


    A feeling I couldn¡¯t put a name to radiated off of Obi and I glanced over, seeing her utterly fixated on the blonde, having gone a bit starry eyed. It took a few steps, but I finally placed it as something like adoration, mixed with infatuation and more than a bit of lust. Mentally, I sighed.


    Really? Now of all times, you discover your libido? I¡¯m going to have to talk to her and make sure she focuses on the mission, aren¡¯t I? Assuming Master Qui-Gon doesn¡¯t beat me to it. Although¡­ no. The man¡¯s very ¡®free spirited.¡¯ He may encourage it, as long as it doesn¡¯t interfere with what we¡¯re doing. You don¡¯t mix work with pleasure! Not on the job! That can come after. Or after hours, at the very least.


    ¡°It seems they¡¯ve started without us,¡± Master Qui-Gon chuckled.


    Master Dyas shook his head. ¡°I don¡¯t see this coming to a resolution any time soon.¡±


    ¡°Let us take control of the situation first.¡± So saying, Master Dooku hurried forward and the crowd of people parted to make way.


    Spinning up a silencing formula, I set it to wide area and dropped it over the floor space ahead of us. I nearly sighed as blessed silence settled over the area. It took only a moment for everyone who wasn¡¯t us to notice they¡¯d been forcibly shut up and start looking around in confusion. They spotted us and I dropped the formula.


    Master Dooku smiled as sound returned to the room. ¡°Greetings. I see you¡¯re all very lively this morning. That¡¯s good. Let us put that enthusiasm to work resolving the issues between your two factions. I am Jedi Master Dooku and these are Masters Sifo-Dyas and Qui-Gon Jinn, my padawan Tanya and Qui-Gon¡¯s padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure to meet you,¡± Qui-Gon smiled, giving a small bow of greeting. He was echoed a moment later by Master Dyas. Obi silently bowed and I followed her example.


    Keen, gray eyes took us in as the older man assessed us. ¡°Jaster Mereel. Mand¡¯alor of the Mandalorian clans,¡± the man introduced himself, shaking hands with Masters Dooku, Qui-Gon, and Dyas in turn. ¡°I lead the True Mandalorian faction.¡±


    ¡°Duchess Satine Kryze. I am the leader of the New Mandalorian pacifist faction,¡± the blonde smiled, bright green eyes sweeping over us as she radiated¡­ hope and optimism. Those eyes lingered briefly on me in curiosity before shifting to Obi last and it was like a spark passed between them¡ªa small but noticeable ripple in the Force. Her smile brightened just a bit before she turned her attention back to Dooku and the others, but I could feel the effect it had on Obi¡ªthe girl¡¯s heart practically started vibrating as she lit up.


    And it¡¯s mutual. This is going to be a thing, isn¡¯t it?


    It wasn¡¯t that the idea of those two having some kind of fling or relationship bothered me on a personal level. No, it bothered me on a professional level. The saying don¡¯t shit where you eat exists for good reason!


    Putting it out of my mind for now, I refocused on what was going on. Jaster gestured off to the side and a younger man in green and red painted armor stepped up. ¡°This is Jango Fett. He¡¯ll keep your girls busy while we work.¡±


    Jango Fett was a man in his twenties or so, perhaps a little older than Satine. He had ear length wavy dark hair that, combined with the military bearing, made the part of me that was Lt. Col. von Degurechaff want to find a pair of trimmers and buzz that shit down from the ladies¡¯ man look he had to a regulation haircut. He looked over me and Obi briefly before turning his attention back to Jaster, waiting for instructions.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Obi spoke up, a sheepish grin on her face, ¡°Master, is it alright if I stay? I¡¯d like to listen in.¡±


    Qui-Gon turned an amused, knowing look on Obi-Wan, before nodding. ¡°Very well, padawan. If that¡¯s what you want.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Obi agreed, nodding. Looking to me, she asked, ¡°You don¡¯t mind, do you?¡±


    I shook my head. ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have a feeling this will take a while. I¡¯d rather take the opportunity to train.¡±


    After all, I¡¯d dealt with more than my fair share of politics¡ªboth corporate and military¡ªbetween two lives. I had a general idea of how things were going to go, now that the mediators had arrived. Master Dooku would likely separate the leaders of both factions and assign one Master to each, so they could go over their side¡¯s views and just what exactly it was they wanted in more detail, without the other faction butting in. Since there were three of them, one Master¡ªpossibly Dooku himself, if he was taking the lead on this and wanted to look unbiased¡ªwould schmooze with the backers representing both sides.


    That would likely take the full day just to get the initial quick and dirty rundown out of the way. We¡¯d go back to the hotel, the Masters would share what they had learned and compare notes, then come up with an initial strategy. They might take several days to speak with Mereel and Kryze more in depth, perhaps do some touring and meet with their backers behind closed doors.


    It would probably be at least a week, perhaps two, before both sides came together again¡ªthis time in a more controlled environment, with fewer people present. Preferably a closed door negotiation. Master Dooku, presumably, would then lay out what each side wanted, where they agreed, where they disagreed, and start working on what each was willing to concede on¡ªwhere they were willing to give ground, meet in the middle, or what they were willing to trade. Kryze and Mereel would then take that back to their people, then come back with revised demands and concessions, and so on and so forth, until eventually a deal was struck.


    That could take months. Which was time we really didn¡¯t have given the Serenno situation, so I had to assume that after the initial fact finding, Master Dooku would hand everything off to one of the other two Masters, then the rest of us would head to Serenno¡ªplus the people we managed to hire for the job.


    Either way, it was time I could be training with this universe¡¯s firearms. My inner military otaku was already salivating at the prospect of getting my hands on a blaster.


    Besides, there was another reason for sending me away¡ªone Master Dooku and I had discussed before landing. Out of sight, out of mind. The less time I spent under their scrutiny and in their presence, the less importance they would place on me. Which would give the Masters a chance to have me show up a few times during important negotiations for one reason or another and leverage my natural gifts as a Zeltron when they were needed. I could provide a relatively unbiased second opinion on all parties involved, that way.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s settled,¡± Dooku nodded, sending me a smile before turning to Jango. ¡°I leave my student in your hands.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her,¡± Jango agreed. When Jaster nodded, he turned for the exit we¡¯d just come out of and gestured for me to follow. I fell into step with him as we left the conference hall or whatever function the structure served. Once we were out of the din of noise, he began speaking. ¡°I¡¯ve been instructed to evaluate where you stand and proceed from there at my discretion. Have you ever handled a blaster before?¡±


    ¡°I have not,¡± I shook my head. ¡°Only, what I believe you call slug throwers.¡±


    The man nodded, pulling his helmet off of his belt and sticking it over his head as we left the building and got into a speeder taxi. ¡°So some experience with something similar. Alright. I¡¯ll run you through the rules on the way.¡±


    I had a feeling they were pretty similar to the rules of firearms I was familiar with from my training in the Imperial military, and I wasn¡¯t disappointed. Still, I listened diligently just in case there were some new points. The basics were all the same: don¡¯t point it at anything you don¡¯t intend to kill, always be sure of your target and what¡¯s around and behind it, treat it as if it¡¯s loaded unless you¡¯ve verified it¡¯s unloaded. There were really only so many ways of trying to get across the point that they were dangerous and would kill someone if you weren¡¯t careful.


    A few new rules included always removing the power pack from a blaster when it went into storage, because a faulty power pack by itself was relatively harmless, but a faulty power pack connected to a blaster could blow a hole in a space ship. Never fire inside a civilian ship, most of their hulls weren¡¯t rated to take the hit, and would rapidly vent into space. Perform regular maintenance before use, unless you had some desire to replace whatever hand you were using with a prosthetic.


    By the time he finished, we had arrived at the hangar and Jango led me to a ship that wouldn¡¯t look terribly out of place on Earth. The basic design of what I recognized from my hobbyist research as an AIAT/i was that of an amphibious seaplane with very oversized engines and particularly stubby wings. Amphibious Interstellar Assault Transport/infantry. The name said it all: it was a gunship capable of interstellar travel and landing in either water or on land, whose purpose was to deliver infantry troops and provide close air support if needed.


    The ship was a bit smaller than the ones we had traveled here in. More cramped, with not a lot in the way of personal space. Instead, a large section of the interior had been converted into weapons storage and a machine room to do weapon and gear maintenance. Making sure their gear was working and maintained was more important than creature comforts I supposed¡ªespecially if this ship was just one of many that accompanied a larger ship, where such facilities could be had and accommodate the crews of several such smaller vessels.


    I followed Jango up to the cockpit, where he pulled off his helmet and thumped down into the pilot¡¯s seat. Turning on the computer, it briefly displayed the ship¡¯s designation as JAST07, before going to standby. ¡°Do you know how to fly?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± I confirmed.


    The man grinned and gestured at the controls for the co-pilot¡¯s seat. ¡°Show me.¡±


    Nodding, I sat and looked over the controls, finding they were fairly standard and mostly what I was expecting, with a few additions. I began putting in the sequence to lift off and soon enough, I was guiding us out of the hangar and then out of the domed city. ¡°Where to?¡±


    Jango hummed, bringing up a map as I slowly climbed, circling the city. ¡°North by northwest, bearing 120. One hundred and seventy miles, give or take. There¡¯s some large rock formations out in the desert. We can set down there in the shade. Plenty of space to do some weapons training and not damage anything important.¡±


    I turned the ship onto the proper bearing and throttled up. Once we were clear of local air traffic, I set the ship on auto pilot and leaned back in my seat, looking out the window at the barren landscape passing by beneath and around us.


    For a time, I felt Jango¡¯s curiosity, before he finally asked, ¡°Are you a Jedi foundling?¡±


    ¡°Hm?¡± I raised an eyebrow, turning to him with a questioning look.


    ¡°An orphan they found and took in,¡± he explained.


    Chuckling, I turned back to the window. ¡°Yes and no. I was abandoned after birth and left in an orphanage. Life wasn¡¯t particularly hard on Zeltros. We had what we needed and the only real expectations on us as children were that we attend school and not cause trouble for the matron. I was looking into career options one day and happened to cross paths with Master Dooku. He took me in practically on the spot.¡±


    ¡°Why bring a child to Mandalore during a civil war?¡±


    I raised an eyebrow. ¡°Would that stop someone like your own leader from bringing someone he was training?¡±


    Jango chuckled. ¡°Nah. It didn¡¯t. Just thought the Jedi would be more careful with their, what was it? Padawans?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Though I¡¯m not officially one yet, it¡¯s all but a given at this point. As for why bring me, in spite of my age? I have something of a reputation in the temple and Master Dooku doesn¡¯t particularly enjoy being there too long at a time himself. There was also a request for aid from his home planet Serenno that he needed to deal with.¡±


    ¡°What kind of reputation could a girl your age have?¡± The man radiated suspicion, doubt, and the beginnings of disgust¡ªnot at me, but I couldn¡¯t tell what those feelings might be directed at. I wondered what that was about for a moment, before he asked, ¡°¡­Because you¡¯re a Zeltron?¡±


    I let out a quiet groan and brought up a hand to my face. ¡°No. Well, yes, but not for the reason you¡¯re thinking. It¡¯s specifically because I¡¯m not like my peers and dislike what my planet and most of my people have been reduced to that I¡¯m looked at as something of an oddity. The Zeltron who isn¡¯t a vapid, happy, mindless clown. If I were older, it¡¯d also be because I wasn¡¯t a living party favor and sexual aid.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it? Because you don¡¯t act how they expect?¡± he asked, most of those feelings fading, save for the skepticism.


    ¡°Well, it might have had something to do with the five kills on Dathomir,¡± I murmured, shrugging. ¡°It was self-defense. The council really shouldn¡¯t even worry about it. It was five against one where they decided to hunt me through a massive, downed space ship in the dark. It¡¯s not my fault that I was better at it than them. One could almost describe what happened as suicide by Jedi at that point, really.¡±


    Slowly, Jango turned from where he¡¯d been watching out the front window, fixing his dark eyes on me. I turned, silver-blue eyes meeting his brown. I waited as he considered, evaluating me. After a few moments, he looked away. ¡°You¡¯re blooded.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I can see why that might bother a group of people who have been reduced from an order of warrior monks to glorified politicians, middlemen, and negotiators. Do they even teach you your own history at that temple?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any courses on history being taught to those in my age range.¡± Frowning, I asked, ¡°What history are you referring to?¡±


    ¡°Just that Mandalorians, Jedi, and Sith have a complex shared history. One of yours is directly responsible for why we were fractured into tribes and why we¡¯re even here today.¡± Turning a confused look on me when I shook my head, he asked, ¡°They haven¡¯t taught you about the Jedi Knight Revan? His support of Canderous Ordo?¡±


    I shook my head again. ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard those names.¡±


    Jango hummed, looking away as the console beeped, letting us know we were approaching our destination. ¡°Would you like to learn?¡±


    It would help me to understand the true underlying reasons for the conflict, if I understood why they split in the first place. If they simply assumed that the Jedi know, because this Revan was one of ours so of course we would teach about him as part of our own history, then not knowing would be a liability and lead to misunderstanding if not outright talking past one another. It would be like¡­ The British wanting to negotiate with Japan on behalf of China and the person the British sent not only being unaware of Japan and China¡¯s history of animosity towards each other, but Britain¡¯s own hand in that given their interest in trade.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Come with me this evening, after the negotiations. I¡¯ll take you to see Jaster. The old man tells it better and has probably forgotten more than I¡¯ll remember about it.¡±


    I nodded and took the controls, bringing us down and looking around for a shady spot to park. It only took a minute to find one and I brought the ship in for a nice, smooth landing on the sand beneath a large rocky crag jutting up out of the sand at an angle.


    We headed to the back of the ship after shutting it off and Jango opened up the armory and machine room, where he began taking out weapons and laying them out on the table. ¡°These are all spares, so no one¡¯s going to care if we borrow them, or if one or two go missing.¡±


    I watched as he worked for a few moments, picking out a selection of blasters from pistols to rifles, and even a heavier gun that looked like it could be mounted on a turret. Taking out a toolkit, he began placing tools on the table. ¡°Let¡¯s start with maintenance. I¡¯m going to teach you how to field strip everything on this table. Now, where should we start?¡±


    ¡°Verify that each weapon¡¯s power pack has been removed,¡± I answered, and he nodded, gesturing me towards the table.


    What followed was a process I was intimately familiar with from my last life, if modified for new weapons. Jango showed me how to break down and field strip every weapon, clean it, verify there were no issues, then put them back together. The entire process took a few hours given just how many guns he had selected, but I was fine with that. I knew I would be using them soon and I didn¡¯t mind cleaning and maintaining them if it meant I wouldn¡¯t accidentally blow my hands off.


    Finally, we finished with maintenance and he collected a bunch of power packs, a can of spray paint, and a folding table, leaving me in charge of carrying the blasters outside. When I simply picked them and the table up using the Force, he chuckled and led me out of the ship, where we set up the table at the base of the ramp.


    While I laid out the weapons and power packs, Jango moved over to a rock formation and painted a simple man-shaped target onto it before moving back to the table. ¡°Alright, let¡¯s try out the pistols first,¡± he instructed and pointed to the one furthest to the left¡ªthe smallest of the lot. ¡°That¡¯s a holdout blaster. Aiming works pretty much the same as it does for a slug thrower. As it¡¯s a plasma weapon, there is less recoil, but there¡¯s still some. Go ahead and give it a try.¡±


    Nodding, I took up the weapon and slotted in the power pack. Verifying it was charged, I made sure it wasn¡¯t on safe and took aim, before firing. As he¡¯d said, there was a very minor recoil¡ªless even than I remembered there being with the 9mm Parabellum I was familiar with for Imperial sidearms. The blaster bolt hit pretty much exactly where I¡¯d aimed and I hummed.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± I began, spinning up a formula to start taking measurements and firing off a second round¡ªmeasuring the gravity of the planet, rotation, magnetic field strength, and the rise, drop, and speed of the projectile, ¡°are blaster bolts affected by a planet¡¯s gravity, magnetic field, wind, rain?¡±


    ¡°Gravity, only minutely. You won¡¯t really notice before the magnetic field holding the plasma in disintegrates at the end of its effective range. Magnetic fields are a yes, but they have to be really strong to affect a shot. The planet¡¯s magnetic field will cause a shot to start to drop, but again, it¡¯ll hit the end of its effective range before you need to worry about it unless you¡¯re using some big sniper. Unlike solid projectiles, windage isn¡¯t a problem to consider, outside of atmosphere reducing the range of your shot. Water will reduce it even further.¡±


    Nodding along as Jango explained, I turned away from the target and aimed out into the desert. I took three shots with the holdout blaster, measuring and noting each shot, before moving on to the next blaster on the table and doing the same. Then the next, and so on. After the fifth he asked, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Math,¡± I answered distractedly. ¡°When you account for or eliminate all other variables, such as gravity, magnetic fields, the planet¡¯s rotation, wind, rain and you know your constants¡ªthat is your weapon¡¯s range and its projectile¡¯s speed¡ªthen the only variables left to account for are an enemy¡¯s current position, speed, range to target, concealment, cover, and armor rating¡­ and I can detect and determine all of those. Being able to look up a weapon¡¯s specs on the network is nice, but those are in a controlled environment, not real world numbers. I have a very long list of those numbers written down and many of them memorized, but being able to compare published numbers to real world data allows me to determine how much variance there is between the two and adjust. I¡¯ll have to do it for every planet and even multiple environments and conditions on those planets for complete precision, but I¡¯ll settle for close enough.¡±


    Confused, Jango asked, ¡°And then what?¡±


    I turned a smile on him and, for some reason, the man¡¯s hand jerked towards his holster only to freeze halfway. ¡°Imagine what you could do if you had the world¡¯s most accurate targeting computer in your head.¡±


    He considered it for a few moments before humming. ¡°Prove it. We¡¯ve got a target launcher we use for practicing against moving targets.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun~,¡± I turned my attention back to the weapons and the man hurried away into the ship, very carefully controlling his body language so as to not show just how bothered he was.


    I had no idea what set him off. I was having a great time!

 16

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    16


    <hr>


    Commissioned by TheMaskedMarauder.


    <hr>


    Mandalore, Sundari Outskirts, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    Jaster Mereel sat in his tent, sipping a drink as he went over the notes of the day¡¯s events. Leaning back in his camp chair, he sighed as he stretched, enjoying being out of his armor for the day.


    The Jedi had shown up to the negotiations and separated their two groups, so they could speak privately. Jaster had spent most of the day speaking with the young Master Sifo-Dyas, outlining exactly what it was his side wanted. He had thought that the True Mandalorians¡¯ wants were simple, but the longer he and those close to him spoke with the Jedi, the more complicated things seemed to get.


    Jedi do tend to complicate things, he mused, thinking back on the other Jedi Master with them. He recognized Dooku, of course. The man hadn¡¯t changed much since the last time Jaster saw him, even if Jaster himself had a few more gray hairs. Galidraan could have been a disaster, but thankfully the old Jedi Master had seen reason. When it came to light that the call for aid to the Jedi had come not from the lawful government of Galidraan or from oppressed citizens in need of aid, but rather Deathwatch scum trying to use the Jedi to kill the True Mandalorians on the planet working a job, Master Dooku had been rightfully perturbed. Together, they had driven most of the Deathwatch off of the planet¡ªthose they didn¡¯t kill, anyway.


    Hearing footsteps at the front of his large tent, Jaster looked up as Jango pushed his way inside. He slugged back the last of his glass and put the tablet down, grabbing a second glass and filling it and his own, before offering the second to Jango. He studied the man who he¡¯d taken in as a son as Jango pulled his helmet off, brushed his hair out of his eyes, and took the drink. Jaster raised an eyebrow when Jango slugged the drink back and poured another.


    A grin pulled at Jaster¡¯s lips as he took a sip, before asking, ¡°Surely one Jedi youngling couldn¡¯t have been that bad.¡±


    Jango sent Jaster a knowing look, then shook his head. ¡°It wasn¡¯t what you¡¯re thinking. I was never that bad¡ª¡±


    ¡°You were a moody little shit as a teenager,¡± Jaster countered and, after a moment, Jango grudgingly nodded. ¡°Why do you think we spent so much time around cantinas, boy? It was so you¡¯d run off, get drunk, get laid, and get that shit out of your system.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair,¡± Jango grunted. ¡°But no, she wasn¡¯t like that.¡± He grinned, ¡°But I¡¯ll let you see for yourself. She¡¯s outside. I told her you¡¯d tell her about Revan and Canderous Ordo. Apparently, the Jedi have been neglecting their own history.¡±


    Jaster frowned at that, wondering if it was an issue with the youngling¡¯s education, or a symptom of some larger problem within the Jedi Order. If it was the first, that was easily remedied. If it was the second, however, then that may explain some things. It also didn¡¯t bode particularly well for negotiations. But he¡¯d wait and see.


    ¡°Alright. Bring her in.¡±


    Jango nodded and started for the entrance, only to pause and turn. ¡°One more thing. She¡¯s blooded.¡±


    That made Jaster sit up a bit straighter. ¡°That so?¡± he asked, and Jango nodded. ¡°She seem off?¡±


    The younger man barked a laugh. ¡°Depends on what you mean. She doesn¡¯t seem broken up about it, or like she¡¯s gone stab happy. But she gets these moments¡­¡± He trailed off, shivering once. ¡°It¡¯s fucking unsettling. It¡¯s like looking at some apex predator cub.¡±


    Scoffing, Jaster waved towards the entrance. ¡°Alright, bring her in and let papa deal with the scary little girl.¡±


    ¡°Oh fuck you,¡± Jango rolled his eyes, stomping towards the entrance as Jaster laughed behind him.


    Jango pushed open the tent flap and waved the young girl in. She followed Jango in and as she did, Jaster looked her over. She was small¡ªyoung too. Maybe ten galactic standard years at most, but probably younger.


    White hair, silver-blue eyes, pinkish red skin but otherwise human standard. He recognized her species, of course¡ªJaster was a well-traveled man and knew a Zeltron on sight; after all, he had shared the company of more than one in the past and they were always a special kind of fun. However, this one didn¡¯t have the same feeling to her that he got from her people normally. She looked just as serious now as she had when he¡¯d first seen her with the other Jedi.


    She wore what looked to be the typical Jedi robes, little different from those of the other Jedi she¡¯d come in with, in white with a red under robe peeking through at the collar. A lightsaber hung from either hip, the handle on one of them a bit longer than the other.


    She looked around the tent with interest, her eyes sweeping over the room and taking in everything in a single pass before settling on Jaster. Jango left her standing in front of Jaster¡¯s seat while he moved behind Jaster and poured himself another drink. The girl fell into what Jaster recognized as parade rest and waited.


    Jaster finished the last of his drink and set the glass aside, before leaning forward a bit in his chair. ¡°Tanya, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes sir,¡± she answered simply, holding his gaze and waiting.


    Considering for a moment, he asked, ¡°How did you like today¡¯s lesson?¡±


    ¡°It was quite informative,¡± she smiled, and Jaster felt himself smiling in response. It really was quite charming, especially the way she lit up immediately, the entirely too serious mien falling away for what he was expecting to see from a child her age. ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to get a bit more practice in with blasters, but I¡¯m ready to move on to demolitions and sapping.¡±


    Jaster blinked, confused as he looked between her and Jango. ¡°You¡¯ve only handled a blaster for a day.¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t need more,¡± Jango grunted, grabbing a chair and moving it over to sit beside Jaster. He gestured vaguely at the other few chairs folded up along the wall and, taking the hint, Tanya pulled one over with the Force and unfolded it in the air, catching it and sitting down at the invitation.


    ¡°What do you mean, she doesn¡¯t need more? Even a natural takes months to learn a new weapon. You should know this by now,¡± Jaster sent Jango a glare, wondering if the man was shirking his duty. It wasn¡¯t like him to do so, but that was one of the few explanations Jaster could come up with for him not wanting to go back to training her with blasters. The other big one being that he just didn¡¯t like her. But that didn¡¯t actually seem to be the case. They seemed to get along well enough. There were no glares, no overt hostility.


    ¡°I mean, she hit every target I put in front of her, at every range, out to the limit of whatever weapon she was firing. Dead center, every time. Stationary or moving targets. Standing, prone, crouched, running, blindfolded. I thought it was just a Jedi thing, but no. She says she did it all with math,¡± Jango gestured in Tanya¡¯s direction with his glass, nearly sloshing its contents out onto the tent floor. ¡°Never seen anything like it.¡±


    Jango hesitated for just a moment, before adding, ¡°I wanted to test, so we switched a couple of the blasters over to training mode. Jaster, she shot blaster bolts out of the air.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Jaster scoffed.


    Tanya frowned at that, but remained silent. Jango laughed and pulled his blaster out of its holster. Switching it over to training mode, he tossed it to Tanya, who caught it with the Force and brought it to her hand. ¡°Test her yourself, if you don¡¯t¡ª¡±


    Jaster drew and fired from the blaster at his hip, aiming just to the side of her head. He didn¡¯t take the time to switch it over to training mode, simply because he didn¡¯t want to warn her ahead of time.


    The girl¡¯s reflexes were faster, her own blaster coming up faster than Jaster could draw. Playing it back in his head after the fact, she had fired an instant before he did. His bolt hit hers and detonated with a flash and a loud boom that rattled the tent walls.


    The follow up shots, Jaster wasn¡¯t expecting, but he liked her initiative! He rolled out of his seat as her aim shifted to him, thumb flicking the thing to low power mode as he returned fire, her shots slipping by so narrowly that the only reason she missed was because she hadn¡¯t expected him to be that fast. The next two shots caught him in either knee as they were moving, but he ignored them.


    To his surprise, one of the lightsabers leapt off her belt and into her hand, filling the room with a snap-hiss and a hum, and silver-white light as she slapped his bolts out of the air. He flicked the blaster over to full auto and squeezed the trigger, only for her to close the short distance between them in the blink of an eye, that white-silver blade hitting his wrist and forcing his aim off over her shoulder, while her other hand came up and leveled the blaster in her hand in his face.


    That was when Jaster saw it. What he thought had unnerved Jango. The girl¡¯s smile, which had been one of the sweetest things he¡¯d seen in an age when she was happily talking earlier, had changed. Her eyes were wide open, staring him down with a look that only bore a passing resemblance to a smile. No, it was the sort of smile one saw on some apex predators, right before they ripped someone¡¯s throat out.


    ¡°That was fun! Shall we reset and go again?¡±


    The enthusiasm in that question bothered Jaster. He¡¯d seen battle maniacs before, so he knew the type, but this one had them beat. It was clear she loved what she did. But to enjoy it that much, and be that good at it, at her age¡­


    Where did the Jedi find this girl?! he wondered, holstering his sidearm and easing back. Seeing that, she pouted minutely and tucked away her lightsaber, before making her way over to return Jango¡¯s blaster.


    ¡°Some other time, perhaps,¡± Jaster murmured, before an idea occurred. His men could always use more training and they¡¯d probably enjoy a chance to train against a Jedi who wasn¡¯t actively trying to kill them. That, and the absolute humiliation of losing to a little girl would be hilarious and keep him stocked up on insults to motivate them for years to come. ¡°Maybe I¡¯ll talk to the men and see if they would be interested.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good,¡± she nodded, the happy smile returning, as opposed to the murdery one.


    Jaster turned and met Jango¡¯s eyes and an entire conversation passed between them silently. Jaster wasn¡¯t too proud to acknowledge when he was wrong, but Jango¡¯s respect for Jaster meant he wouldn¡¯t push the issue. Apology and understanding passed between them and Jaster said, ¡°Proceed however you think is best.¡±


    ¡°Understood,¡± Jango nodded.


    Turning back to Tanya, Jaster asked, ¡°So, Jango told me you¡¯ve an interest in history?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± the girl agreed, nodding eagerly. ¡°I have yet to attend any lessons on history at the academy, if they hold them at all. I¡¯m uncertain on that. I would need to ask Obi-wan or one of the Masters to verify one way or the other. It could be that they leave it up to self-study, or perhaps they focus on practical aspects first.¡± A rueful look crossed her face and her head tilted slightly to the right. ¡°Or rather, that¡¯s where I¡¯ve focused the majority of my training efforts¡ªinto practical skills. I¡¯ve prioritized learning how to stay alive and perfecting the means to do so and now I find myself lacking in areas where my peers may be more well-rounded.¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind listening to an old man ramble on about the good old days,¡± Jaster began, and Tanya shook her head.


    ¡°Not at all. Please. Whatever you¡¯re willing to teach.¡±


    ¡°Have you eaten yet?¡± Jaster asked, and Tanya shook her head. He glanced at Jango and the other man left to rustle up some food. ¡°Now, where should I begin?¡± Humming, Jaster thought it over for a moment before asking, ¡°Are you aware of what happened between the Jedi and us Mandalorians two years ago?¡±


    Tanya shook her head in the negative. ¡°No. Something happened?¡±


    ¡°Mm. About twenty years ago, I became Mand¡¯alor and united many of the fractured Mandalorian clans. They had fallen into banditry, piracy, pillaging. They knew nothing of honor. I wrote the Supercommando Codex, outlining a code of honor for how a Mandalorian should conduct themselves as honorable mercenaries. I then formed this group, the Haat Mando¡¯ade. The True Mandalorians. Unfortunately, there was opposition. I¡¯m not talking about the duchess, Satine Kryze and her New Mandalorian pacifist faction,¡± he barely resisted rolling his eyes at the word.


    ¡°If some of the Mandalorians don¡¯t want to fight, that should be their right. I have no desire to force them onto the front lines. No, our disagreement stems from the fact that Kryze would see us all disarmed, our entire society made toothless. Those like us, who want to fight for a cause and get paid to do it, would be relegated to farmers and bureaucrats under her idea of how our government should be run. But Kryze isn¡¯t the problem. Though we butt heads, I believe we can come to an agreement where they do their thing and we do our thing. The problem is another group, a bunch of bandits playing at being an army, under the command of Tor Vizsla. They call themselves Kyr¡¯tsad¡ªthe Death Watch.¡±


    This time, he did spit the word. ¡°Vizsla and the idiots following him want a return to the glory days of the Mandalorian Crusaders. They want to turn the banditry and piracy into galactic conquest. I don¡¯t want that. Kryze doesn¡¯t want that. You Jedi don¡¯t want that, because it means we¡¯d be shooting at everything that moves. That¡¯s no way for our people to live. The last time that happened, one of your own came and shattered the Mandalorians into the clans. I¡¯d really like to avoid the second coming of Revan, considering we haven¡¯t truly reunited in the several thousand years since then.¡±


    Nodding, Tanya asked, ¡°And the events of two years ago?¡±


    ¡°Galidraan. The Death Watch tried to bait a trap and use the Jedi to finish us off. We got lucky. Your Master Dooku was there. We caught Vizsla and his people red handed and drove them off the planet.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Tanya murmured, crossing her arms over her chest, one hand coming up to brush her bottom lip with one finger. ¡°So this entire conflict comes back to Jedi intervention.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but don¡¯t think it was a bad thing. Revan did us a favor. If he hadn¡¯t broken up the Mandalorians, the old Empire would have eventually set their sights on us and wiped us out. One of our own, Canderous Ordo, traveled with him for a time¡­¡±


    Jango returned with food for all of them and set up a table for them. They sat and ate, and Jaster talked. The girl listened, occasionally nodding along, sometimes asking questions. When the food was finished, Jaster wound down and sent her on her way with Jango, to return her to her delegation in Sundari¡ªwith a copy of the Supercommando Codex sent to her tablet.


    He tidied up the tent, then set to work digging through his documents. The girl seemed interested in continuing these little chats and Jaster enjoyed it, so he wanted to have something on hand the next time she showed up.


    Let¡¯s see¡­ Oh, how about the time Revan went dark side and the Jedi tried to cover it up?


    <hr>


    ¡°I¡¯ll meet you here tomorrow morning,¡± Jango said as I stood up out of the copilot¡¯s seat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be here,¡± I nodded, making my way out of the spacecraft and sealing it up again, before heading for our ship. I heard Jango take off again as I punched in the code and made my way inside, locking up behind me. Heading to my quarters, I opened the ceiling vent and removed the oddly-shaped holocron I¡¯d hidden away there.


    Immediately, I felt it use the Force to probe me, then another tendril to poke at my mind briefly. A moment later, the Force projection of Ajunta Pall came into being. I settled down onto my meditation rug and waited. The Gatekeeper paced back and forth for a moment, considering. ¡°Mandalorians, huh? It is as Jaster Mereel said, Keeper. They were a problem in the past, until Revan fragmented them.¡±


    ¡°How did he do that?¡±


    Pall¡¯s lips twitched into a smirk briefly, before smoothing out. ¡°He took up a fallen Mandalorian¡¯s mask on Cathar and together, with his friend and fellow Jedi Knight Malak, formed the Revanchist faction¡ªmade up of other rogue Jedi who were tired of the Jedi Council sitting on their hands and doing only the bare minimum in the fight against the Mandalorians. You could call them Jedi Crusaders. The Council only grudgingly allowed it, after Revan provided evidence of the Mandalorian genocide of the Cathar. That is the past glory these ¡®Death Watch¡¯ cultists seek. Following that, he and the Revanchists took control of nearly a third of the Republic Military and fought the Mandalorians for four years, until the Battle of Malachor V. There, Revan challenged and defeated Mandalore the Ultimate, the leader of the Mandalorian forces. He claimed the Ultimate¡¯s mask, the symbol of unity and leadership of the Mandalorians. With Ultimate¡¯s defeat and his mask taken, and Revan refusing to lead them, they fragmented. It wasn¡¯t until Canderous Ordo claimed the title of Mandalore that they managed to reunite a few of the clans.¡±


    Tucking his hands behind his back, Pall continued, ¡°On a long enough timeline, history will repeat itself. Until then, you¡¯ll find that it sometimes rhymes. Jedi. Sith. Mandalorians. Our history is intertwined and goes back thousands of years. For you see, on that that day when he defeated Mandalore the Ultimate, Revan learned the truth. Ultimate himself had been manipulated by the Sith, hidden away in the Unknown Regions. The Mandalorian Wars were a Sith plot to weaken the Republic and the galaxy at large, so they could move in and conquer.¡±


    I hummed, taking that in and adding it to what I already knew about the Trade Federation and all of the moves they had made, along with all the other coincidences that all seemed to line up in such a way as to benefit someone looking to weaken the Republic and start a war. The Gatekeeper likely knew what I knew as well, given it had gained access to my mind and I had no way to stop it yet.


    ¡°You suspect Sith involvement, manipulating the Death Watch? Trying to return the Mandalorians to their old ways and sow chaos, then take advantage?¡±


    Pall smiled. ¡°It¡¯s possible. You have no way to verify that at the moment. Finding a Sith in hiding is a tricky matter at the best of times.¡±


    And yet, it has obviously been done before, or there would still be a Sith controlled Empire, I mused. Studying the projection, I eventually guessed, ¡°Revan did. He tracked them down. How did he do it and what did he find?¡±


    ¡°Revan and Malak made their way into the Unknown Regions, following the trail of Sith influence on the war. They used a combination of the Force and intelligence gathering, rooting out Sith assets and agents and following the trail. Until eventually, they found themselves in the heart of a reconstituted Sith Empire, building up for a war. They were subsequently captured and brought before the then Emperor, who used Sith sorcery and very dark Force powers to dominate their minds and turn them both to the dark side. They were named Dark Lords of the Sith¡ªDarth Revan and Darth Malak. Then they were sent back to the Republic to do what most Sith lords do, and in so doing further pave the way for an invasion.


    ¡°Unfortunately for the Emperor, Revan and Malak broke free of his control and rebelled. They took the Star Forge and created their own Empire in Republic space and went to war against the Republic. Revan took Malak as his apprentice, but was betrayed and turned over to the Jedi, who then imprisoned him and wiped his mind, only for Revan to eventually regain his memories. His identity was revealed to his allies when they confronted Malak, who captured Bastila Shan, a Jedi Revan held dear, and attempted to dominate her mind. Revan came to her rescue and -heh- with the power of love, freed her from Malak¡¯s control. Malak was killed and Revan redeemed in the eyes of the galaxy. And let that be a lesson to you, Keeper. Mind control is a fickle art, useful only against the weak-minded. Those controlled will fight it until eventually, they break free, or someone frees them. Memories can be recovered and the very soul itself remembers. Seduction, on the other hand¡­ It is a useful tool that comes in many forms. Very few will fight against something they want.¡±


    ¡°So they weren¡¯t actually hiding, so much as they were in a part of the galaxy few venture into and which remains largely uncharted.¡±


    ¡°For good reason. The Unknown Regions are difficult to access. In order to get there, you must first navigate the tangle, or the Western Barrier¡ªa wall of hyperspace anomalies bisecting the galaxy west of the Deep Core. Though, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it is difficult for the Unknown Regions to access our space. I called it a wall for a reason. There are those who believe it was created with the intent of keeping something locked out of our part of the galaxy. Beyond remnants of old foes, like the Rakata, the Infinite Empire, the Eternal Empire, and the like there are horrors out there the likes of which even the strongest Sith Lord or Jedi Master would hesitate in the face of.¡±


    ¡°Security through obscurity and difficulty of access,¡± I murmured. ¡°Do you believe it applies here?¡±


    ¡°Given the difficulty of traversing the tangle, I doubt it. If a hypothetical Sith were on the rise here, it is much more likely to be of the ¡®home grown¡¯ variety. There are relics, writings, holocrons, Force ghosts, and other things just lying around abandoned, waiting for someone to pick them up or come into contact with them, any of which could lead a young, impressionable Force sensitive down the path of the dark side. Given how long the problems you¡¯ve noted have been building, this potential Sith would likely be fairly far along into their studies and building their power. If we assume that the Trade Federation, the issues with Serenno, the influence on Coruscant and attempts to hide information concerning the events transpiring on Serenno, and potentially this rogue Mandalorian faction are all connected, then that points to a Sith with political ties. Manipulative. Patient. Bold enough to hide in plain sight. They would need to be, in order to build the sort of connections that would give them access to the Trade Federation and people of influence on Coruscant. It would not be unreasonable to assume that they have some hold over the Republic Senate. In fact, the Senate is almost too good a target to pass up. And considering that some of those involved in the events surrounding Serenno were senators, it stands to reason that he or she has already infiltrated their ranks, spreading subversion.¡±


    That seemed reasonable and, being honest, many of Pall¡¯s conclusions put voice to thoughts and suspicions I had been having on the matter. It was entirely possible that he had fished those out of my head and was playing them up, arguing towards the conclusion he wanted me to make by using my own thoughts to support his reasoning, but the problem was that I couldn¡¯t actually find fault with the logic. Nor could I see the potential benefit of using the information to attempt to manipulate me, when it was realistically plausible¡ªbeyond making the most logical guess, being right, then using that as a basis to instill trust in the future to play a long con.


    It was something to be wary and mindful of, but short of not interacting with the holocron, there was little I could do about it. I suspected the holocron was attempting to manipulate me, but I wanted the information it contained.


    After all, interacting with others, or even choosing not to, were forms of manipulation. Every conversation. Every interaction or non-interaction. Everyone wanted something from or for everyone else and we used those interactions to achieve our goals.


    The Gatekeeper entity within the holocron¡¯s stated goals were to guard the knowledge within it and pass that knowledge on. Of course convincing me that it could be relied upon to provide sound advice would be in its best interests towards furthering those goals. So with that in mind, I would take what it said under advisement while working to gather more data.


    ¡°What do you advise?¡±


    Pall hummed, before nodding once. ¡°Wait and see. Gather more information. Be wary of anyone offering favors¡ªespecially anyone with any position of power within the Republic. A proper Sith would have connections within the Jedi Order and would know your group is here. They obviously want Serenno to fall under their control to use for strategic purposes, but that doesn¡¯t mean they won¡¯t sacrifice that plan for something more valuable. For instance, gaining the support of one or more Jedi Masters and potential influence over the future generation of Jedi in the form of two padawans. You in particular would be an almost irresistible target for a Sith Lord to attempt to seduce and corrupt, given your nature.¡±


    ¡°And how would a ¡®proper Sith¡¯ exploit the situation and make an attempt on the Masters?¡±


    The projection chuckled. ¡°It depends on the Sith in question. This one seems to believe themselves clever. The clever ones always over-complicate things. Sith Lords of the past would have taken a multi-pronged attack. The first, an actual attack upon your forces. If you died, you weren¡¯t worth their time in the first place. If you survived, the next ¡®attack¡¯ would be to approach in friendship, offering favors and aid, attempting to seduce your Masters into a mutually beneficial relationship, with them never knowing who it was they were allied to. Over time, they would ask for the occasional favor that would benefit them¡ªsolving conflicts that on the face of it the Jedi would support, but which would likely buy them more political clout, or having the Jedi add their political support by championing their cause.¡±


    Slowly nodding, I murmured, ¡°Beware Greeks bearing gifts. So whoever approaches offering to help us resolve the Serenno situation is our enemy. A potential Sith.¡±


    ¡°The enemy themselves, or their agent.¡±


    ¡°Very well. And today¡¯s lesson?¡±


    Pall hummed. ¡°Force Telekinesis is one of the most overlooked skills of a Jedi or a Sith. However, in the right moment, it could be the difference between life or death. Since we spoke of Revan, I will teach you of one of his skills¡ªone shared with Darth Traya.¡± Gesturing towards my belt, he asked, ¡°What is the point of more weapons than hands to use them? That is the idea behind the skill of using Force Telekinesis to control multiple weapons simultaneously, allowing you to strike from unpredictable angles, block attacks, deflect blaster bolts, and use all of your other lightsaber skills without holding the weapon in your hand. Master the skill of Force Telekinesis, and controlling your weapons with it, and you will be able to overpower others attempting to wrest control of your weapons from you.¡±


    The projection grinned then and added, ¡°Then, add a blaster or two to the mix. Combine the ability to control and direct them telekinetically with your ability to acquire targets and fire accurately¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes, I see how that could be handy,¡± I grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll start immediately.¡±


    ¡°Good. One other skill Revan excelled in was farsight. I believe Master Sifo-Dyas has already spoken to you about precognition and has had you training your battle precognition.¡± When I nodded, he continued, ¡°Then let us focus on one of the lesser used aspects of farsight. Certainly, it allows one an ability to use foresight, to see glimpses of the future. However, that is sometimes inconsistent, especially with visions further out into the future. The much more practical and reliable use for the skill is to view people, places, and things in the present, as they are right now. That is, clairvoyance. Such visions of the present are almost always accurate. In this way, you can see, hear, and sometimes sense what your target is doing or planning. Why don¡¯t you try it now? Close your eyes and focus on someone familiar to you. Reach out with the Force and try to see them as they are in this very moment.¡±


    Nodding, I did as he suggested, closing my eyes and focusing on Obi. Reaching out, I felt the Force respond. I saw in my mind¡¯s eye Obi-wan sitting on a couch, Satine Kryze on her lap as the two kissed¡ª


    Coughing, I forced the vision away and focused on the present, not the¡­ immediate future, given the context clues I saw seemed to point at that event potentially happening within the next few months. My vision shifted to Obi laying in her bed in our shared hotel room, her face twisted¡ª


    Blushing, I quickly cut off the vision. ¡°Yes, I think I understand that skill. Let¡¯s move on to something else!¡±


    I would take my time and linger in the ship a bit longer before heading back to the hotel. Give Obi time to finish her private time and let the room air out. And put the sight and sound of my friend firmly out of my mind.

 17

    A Young Girl¡¯s War Between the Stars


    17


    <hr>


    Commissioned by TheMaskedMarauder.


    <hr>


    Mandalore, Sundari, 42 BBY.


    <hr>


    Eight days into negotiations and things were going well, at least according to what I had gathered from conversations between Masters Dooku, Qui-Gon, and Dyas. They had moved past the point of understanding each side¡¯s point of view to sitting down and attempting to work out a mutually beneficial arrangement and a series of concessions each side could agree to, and it was all thanks to passing on something Jaster had told me in our first meeting in his tent.


    The True Mandalorian faction wanted to fight. To sell their services. They sought honor in combat for a worthy cause. They wanted to keep some of the old Mandalorian traditions alive, but not return to their more bloodthirsty past.


    The New Mandalorians were pacifists and didn¡¯t want to fight. They wanted to focus on rebuilding Mandalore, establishing trade, and building political relationships. In other words, they wanted the political victory, not the military victory.


    The solution was obvious and I was surprised they hadn¡¯t considered it yet. It was so obvious that I hadn¡¯t even brought it up because I assumed it had been dismissed. That is, until I passed along what Jaster had said to Master Dooku and the others and had followed it with a simple question.


    Why don¡¯t they just join forces? The pacifists stay at home and run the planet. The warriors act as both the military and an expeditionary force, selling their services to their trade partners.


    After that, things had progressed relatively quickly on the negotiation front. Of course there were still details to work out, quibbles about one thing or another, but for the most part it seemed both sides liked the idea.


    Their biggest disagreement was over just how much latitude the True Mandalorian faction, once both groups incorporated under one banner, would have to go seek out jobs. Jaster wanted to be able to sell their services to anyone willing to pay, so long as the cause wasn¡¯t awful. Satine wanted them to only sell their services to the Mandalorians¡¯ allies, and only with the approval of a civilian (pacifist faction) oversight committee. It was causing some delays, but was still well within the projected timeframe for coming to some sort of reasonable conclusion and securing Mandalorian aid.


    So of course, that¡¯s when everything would go to hell.


    Over the course of our time here, I had established a bit of a pattern. I would meet with Jango in the mornings. We would fly out somewhere to practice various skills to familiarize myself with new equipment.


    Sometimes, he would change that up a bit and bring a squad or two of his people for training and we would either work together practicing various maneuvers and tactics, run practice battles against opposing groups, or occasionally I would get to enjoy myself fighting against whoever he brought for training¡ªusually with various limits imposed upon myself to make it more challenging. Things like not being able to use my lightsabers, or being forced to stay on the ground, infiltrating an enemy camp without the use of the Force to capture an objective without being seen, or evading capture while being pursued through whatever terrain we ended up on that day.


    When the day ended, we would head back to whatever camp Jaster¡¯s people had made that day. They moved around from day to day because Jaster was, if I was being bluntly honest, a paranoid old bastard. That didn¡¯t mean he was wrong however. We knew there were enemy forces on planet, the Death Watch were out there somewhere, but as far as I knew they hadn¡¯t engaged yet.


    I spent the evenings speaking with Jaster on the subject of history, war, the Codex, and a variety of other subjects for an hour or two. Having read through the Supercommando Codex, I couldn¡¯t say I disagreed with it. Honestly, much of its contents appealed to me¡ªboth as a former Japanese person for whom the idea and importance of honor had been instilled since birth, and as a soldier, ensuring that the cause you were fighting for was worth fighting for and you were getting paid for it, and not having your life spent wastefully. I would have liked to be able to refuse assignments, or retaliate violently against commanding officers making stupid decisions or abandoning, if not outright betraying me and my people.


    When our conversation wound down, Jango would take me back to Sundari, and I would spend an hour or two a night in the ship speaking with the projection of Ajunta Pall, learning new things and practicing what he taught me, while getting the occasional history lesson. I would be going back to try to verify everything I¡¯d learned when we returned to the temple.


    However, I had a feeling that the projection was being truthful and that most of what it was saying would fall under the header of ¡®forbidden knowledge.¡¯ Such as the knowledge that Revan had used both the light and dark sides of the Force and had been stronger for it, all without ¡®falling¡¯ later in his life. Or that it used to be much more common for Jedi to fall in love and start families, even if it was against the rules at the time¡ªthose rules used to be a lot less strict than they seemed today. Or, using the example of Revan and Bastila Shan, love was a strength, not a liability¡ªwhich again, made me want to do research on exactly when the Order decided that normal, healthy human emotions were decreed to be universally bad for Jedi, who decided that, and why.


    After checking the ship over for potential sabotage, I would make my way back to our hotel and spend a couple of hours in meditation there, working on my computation orb. Sometimes, rarely, that time was spent with Obi in shared meditation, but more frequently of late she had been staying out later and later, on ¡®guard duty¡¯ for Satine. Of course, everyone saw what was going on. It was impossible not to. The Masters didn¡¯t put a stop to it however, which could be taken for silent approval, if not encouragement. I was confident they saw it as ¡®strengthening ties with our allies¡¯ or something along those lines. I couldn¡¯t help but feel that it was unprofessional, given that we were on the job, and had the potential to cause a conflict of interests, but¡­


    It¡¯s said that one learns more through failure than success. I was willing to stand aside and keep quiet, and if nothing came of it, so be it. But if something happened, as long as we could recover from it and it didn¡¯t lead to the death of Ms. Kryze, then it could be used as an object lesson to dissuade mixing business and pleasure in the future.


    So why, with my years of combat experience fighting a protracted war on multiple fronts, did I do something so foolish as establish a highly visible pattern for anyone with eyes to see, when I knew that out of all of us I looked like the easiest target?


    Because out of all of us, I looked like the easiest target.


    If you know the enemy is in hiding, waiting to spring some trap, then there are only a few ways to respond, which depend on how much information you have. If you know the enemy¡¯s general location, or most likely location, you can send force reconnaissance and attempt to destroy the trap. Without that information, you can either prepare and keep going as you have, and wait for the enemy to come to you¡­ or you can bait your own trap.


    So when I left the ship one night after making sure no one had stuck a mine or something on the exterior and felt someone¡¯s attention on me, I suspected that someone had finally taken the bait. As casually as I could, I began making my way out of the hangar, extending my senses and focusing on my pursuer as someone began to quickly close in on my position.


    I was getting to the point where I could start to differentiate between both sex and alien species by the feel, or flavor of their emotions¡ªthough it was a bit harder to tell most near-humans apart on the species level. This one felt human, or close to it, and female. Her emotions felt steady¡ªon mission, for the most part. At least, until I passed under a light and she got a good look at me. I felt her surprise, followed by a bit of anger and what almost felt like betrayal¡ªnot directed at me specifically, but it was impossible to tell who or what it was aimed at. Then, there was a sense of resignation as her emotions settled. A bit of regret. Determination. She had apparently decided to carry out whatever task she had been assigned with regard to me.


    I felt her approach quickly and, while there was a mild inkling of danger, I didn¡¯t feel like my life was under threat. I heard her footsteps against the metal deck and turned, just in time for her to grab me from behind and shove a blaster against my temple, one hand roughly covering my mouth. ¡°Shh,¡± the woman hissed through a blue and white armored helmet. ¡°Not a sound. No funny Jedi tricks. Come along quietly and you¡¯ll live to see tomorrow. If you fight me,¡± she thumbed the blaster¡¯s safety off and it whined against the side of my head. ¡°Nod if you understand.¡±


    I nodded slowly, once. She pulled, jerking me back into the shadows. I allowed myself to be dragged deeper into the dock area and into a small ship. As soon as the hatch was closed, I found myself shoved face down onto the floor and quickly frisked and the lightsabers at my waist taken, then a pair of metal handcuffs slapped around my wrists. I winced as I was jerked up from the floor by the cuffs, my arms torqued a bit too far behind my back. From there, I was shoved into a jump seat and strapped in.


    She pulled back and stood there, studying me. After several moments, she said, ¡°You¡¯re taking this better than I thought you would.¡±


    Her emotions were expectant¡ªshe was waiting on something. Having taken a number of prisoners and conducted many interrogations in the past, I knew how this routine went, however. Capture a prisoner. Wait for them to speak, or say something to entice them to respond without asking a direct question. When they spoke ¡®out of turn,¡¯ smack them around a little to intimidate them and reinforce the idea of who was in charge with a little pain. A prisoner is only to speak when asked a direct question and is to comply with all orders and any other response, any sign of defiance or refusal, is to be met with pain. Discipline, to establish firm boundaries for acceptable conduct, not torture. Torture rarely works and is often a complete waste of time.


    What I hadn¡¯t expected was for her to get impatient and unprofessional. When I refused to comment, not playing along by the expected script, she backhanded me anyway, snapping my head to the side with the force of the blow. I tasted blood and my teeth on that side ached.


    ¡°Acknowledge me when I speak to you.¡±


    ¡°You were going to hit me regardless of what I said,¡± I pointed out, and got a slap across the opposite cheek for the response. That one, at least, I had been expecting.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡±


    I laughed. ¡°You must be new at this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not! Shut up!¡± the woman growled, and I got another smack for it.


    ¡°The point of the pre-interrogation intimidation routine is to establish clear and concise rules for how the interaction is to play out. You¡¯re doing it wrong. You¡¯re establishing that any response or lack thereof will result in violence on your part. At that point, it ceases to be establishing rules and starts becoming torture. Worse, you have failed to maintain your calm and have allowed a child to bait you into responding emotionally. You are not in control of yourself, let alone me. Perhaps you should take me to someone who knows what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°I said shut up!¡± she pulled her fist back and swung for my nose. I twitched my head to the side and her fist missed my head by an inch, slamming into the bulkhead behind me. I jerked my legs up, locking my feet on either side of her helmet. Thrusting upward and lifting, I jerked it off her head and sent it flying across the room, dragging my feet back down into a kick to her face that sent her reeling.


    The woman below the helmet was young¡ªperhaps a couple of years older than Obi at most. Sixteen or so, maybe eighteen. Red hair. Green eyes. An otherwise pretty face marred by a scowl and a busted nose. The face looked vaguely familiar, but I quickly placed it as she stooped down and retrieved her helmet, now staying well out of my reach.


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    ¡°I was right. You are new to this. Young, too,¡± I mused, studying her. ¡°You¡¯re related to Satine Kryze.¡±


    The redhead¡¯s jaw clenched, before she turned and walked into the cockpit. She didn¡¯t answer verbally, but her emotions at the mention of Satine¡¯s name all but screamed that the answer was yes.


    The ship¡¯s engines fired up and we lifted off. I spun up a formula to start measuring our heading, speed, and time so I would be able to find my way back from wherever I was being taken. I could feel the anger and humiliation radiating off of the girl and smirked at having struck a nerve. I¡¯d need to pay her back for those smacks later, too.


    In the meantime, I closed my eyes and focused inwards, concentrating on healing my face. Soon enough, the pain faded and I felt the swelling go down. By the time we landed, my face felt good as new.


    <hr>


    Tor Vizsla sat in front of one of their many campfires, enjoying a glass of something just this side of stripping paint off of space ship hulls. His mind wandered as he waited for word from his operatives in the field.


    Around him, his fellow Mandalorians were a rowdy, noisy bunch as they drank, ate, fought, fucked, and found other ways to simply enjoy life. To enjoy living. Being alive. Being the victors.


    Because that was what being a Mandalorian was about.


    Killing your enemies or anyone who had anything they wanted, taking their shit, conquering the survivors and adding their number to their own, and then doing it again as they burned their way across the galaxy. That was the way of the <u>true</u> Mandalorian!


    They had no need for ¡®honor.¡¯ Honor was what whoever won said it was. That was the privilege of those who lived. They won, the other asshole lost, their cause was just and the other guy wasn¡¯t. They should¡¯ve fought harder if they didn¡¯t want to die or get conquered. Morals. Right and wrong. Those were all things that the strong got to decide.


    That damned fool Mereel wanted to abandon that. Wanted to bind their collective hands behind their back. Have them fight shackled to a set of rules and a code of conduct that their enemies wouldn¡¯t bother with. He wanted them to only fight acceptable targets, and instead of just taking what they wanted the old bastard wanted them to sell themselves out like a bunch of whores with no respect for themselves, their people, and their heritage!


    But at least Tor could respect that Mereel fought for something. Mereel¡¯s ideas of what they should be doing and how a Mandalorian should behave were stupid and went against everything their people had stood for, once upon a time, but at least he believed in them and was willing to fight and die for them. He and his people had conviction. Even if Mereel had stolen the title of Mandalore from him.


    Kryze, on the other hand¡­


    We should kill every last one of them. Everyone but the youngest children. Take them all in as foundlings and teach them the true way of the Mandalorian.


    Satine Kryze and her people were a waste of precious resources. Pacifists who didn¡¯t understand the heart pounding, sweat dripping, blood tasting glory of combat. The thrill of killing an enemy, subjugating his people, then pushing his wives, sisters, and daughters down and raping a baby into them to dominate his bloodline forever¡ªthen moving onto the next battleground and doing it all over again. To the victor go the spoils.


    As if summoned by his thoughts, Tor heard the whine of engines and looked up to see one of their recon ships coming in for a landing¡ªthe one he had loaned to Bo-Katan Kryze. He smirked and tossed back the rest of his cup before holding it out, a young woman in a partial set of Mandalorian armor standing nearby quickly refilling it.


    It had been a surprise when the uppity cunt¡¯s own sister had joined his cause, but not an unwelcome one. She was all bright eyed and idealistic, and entirely swayed by his words and deeds. He could see the hero worship every time she looked at him, as he had with so many other young women since they had broken off from Mereel¡¯s group.


    Red hair. Green eyes. Tight, fit young body. The devotion to throw herself on his cock if he ordered her to. And if things went their way with the Jedi, he planned to reward her with just that. It all depended on how much the Jedi valued one of their own younglings.


    On a personal level, Tor didn¡¯t care what happened to their own young. If they died, then they weren¡¯t fit to survive anyway. But he knew that wouldn¡¯t fly with his people, so he told them what they wanted to hear. That their children were everything¡ªtheir legacy and hope for the future. Some crap he made up that sounded like the sort of bullshit Mereel would spout. But if the Jedi cared for their brats as much as his own people seemed to, then they would be off planet by the morning and he could get back to the business of killing his enemies.


    He¡¯d caught wind of this summit between Mereel¡¯s so-called ¡®True Mandalorians¡¯ and Kryze¡¯s ¡®New Mandalorians¡¯ months ago and had returned to Mandalore to prepare. More subtle efforts at disrupting the negotiations had paid off and delayed things, wasting their time and lowering their guard the longer Tor went without striking. After all, if he was on the planet and knew about their little meetups, there was no way he wouldn¡¯t take the opportunity to try to kill both of his enemies in one fell swoop¡ªit would be too tempting to pass up. He knew they¡¯d be thinking that, so he didn¡¯t do that. Instead, he had waited.


    Unfortunately, he had waited too long, and the Jedi¡ªwho had been dragging their heels about sending someone to help negotiate¡ªhad finally got off their asses and sent a team. Tor wasn¡¯t well-versed in the who¡¯s who of Jedi, but he recognized two of them at least. Dooku was an old man with a long and storied career¡ªin other words a known element and an enemy to be respected. Qui-Gon Jinn was likewise a name to avoid on the battlefield.


    According to his spies within both camps, the negotiations were actually proceeding quickly now, and soon enough Mereel and Kryze would be a united front against him, and his people would be hunted down and killed to the last¡ªit¡¯s what he would do to them. So now, Tor had to scramble a bit to find a way to get rid of the Jedi, preferably without giving away that he was preparing to strike against the summit soon. That was why he had people moving into place inside of Sundari with man-portable missiles, setting up on the roofs of nearby buildings to prepare for tomorrow. If the Jedi fucked off tonight, then tomorrow, Kryze and Mereel would show up, find the Jedi missing, and catch a missile to the face before they figured out anything was amiss.


    His spies had been watching the Jedi, however. He¡¯d listened to the reports and was¡­ disappointed, really. These were not the warriors he was expecting. They went about without a care in the world, completely unaware of their surroundings and the potential danger they were in. His men had gotten close to them on numerous occasions without so much as a twitch from them. They left their youngest member to wander Sundari, when she wasn¡¯t in the care of Mereel¡¯s people¡ªjust let her come and go as she pleased from their ship to their hotel, and out into the city. His people knew their schedules down to the minute by now and the girl was especially predictable.


    It was a simple plan, but simple plans were the best. They required the least amount of adjustment and were the hardest to fuck up.


    Step one: grab the girl. Bo-Katan had been tasked with retrieving her and Tor doubted she would have any trouble. For as young as she was, Bo-Katan was good. A bit green still, lacking in experience, but that would come with time. She had the skill and if what Tor had seen was any indication, the girl wouldn¡¯t put up a fight.


    Step two: threaten the Jedi. He¡¯d call them, show them that she was still alive, then make sure they understood that she wouldn¡¯t be if they didn¡¯t get the fuck off of his planet by the time dawn came to Sundari.


    Step three: kill Mereel and Kryze.


    Step four: return the girl to the Jedi. For all that they seemed to have potentially given up on being warriors, Dooku wasn¡¯t one of those. If it was any other Jedi, Tor wouldn¡¯t have thought twice. He¡¯d execute the girl and dare the Jedi to do something about it, then kill them when they came back down planet-side. Dooku, on the other hand¡­ No. Better to honor his deal, hand the girl over, and make sure that old monster fucked right off from Mandalore and Tor didn¡¯t give him an excuse to clean house. He¡¯d already be pushing his luck with the kidnapping, and killing his clients. Killing the girl would guarantee the old man would go on the warpath. There was a difference between a good fight and a slaughter, when it was him and his people getting slaughtered.


    It was a simple plan. A good plan. So why was it that, the moment he saw Bo-Katan drag the girl out of her ship, Tor felt like the plan had gone sideways?


    She was smaller than Tor expected. Younger. But there was something there¡­ something he didn¡¯t like.


    It was in the way she moved, he decided. Even with her hands shackled behind her back, disarmed, and with a blaster pressed against the back of her head she didn¡¯t cower. She didn¡¯t look afraid. She moved like she owned the place. It was like looking at one of those old Mandalorians who had been in the shit¡ªhad seen war and come out the other side alive.


    She moved like she was the most dangerous thing in the camp.


    Then, her eyes swept across the camp and found him. Silver-blue eyes met Tor¡¯s brown and his heart skipped a beat, then hammered in his chest as adrenaline spiked. It felt like staring down some big predator who had decided he was lunch.


    Tor wasn¡¯t afraid. Never afraid. But he suddenly found himself feeling justifiably cautious and wary as Bo-Katan marched the girl over to his fire. Something was wrong, but for the life of him he couldn¡¯t tell what.


    ¡°Did she give you any trouble?¡± he asked.


    The redhead winced, and for a moment, she glared at the back of the Zeltron girl¡¯s head. Finally, she answered, ¡°No.¡±


    It was a blatant lie, but he couldn¡¯t see any real evidence to the contrary¡ªaside from a spec of dried blood at the corner of the girl¡¯s lips. They both looked healthy otherwise. Which told him the girl had probably run her mouth and gotten slapped for her trouble. The lack of any swelling was an incongruity, but not one he was going to dwell on.


    Directing them over to where someone had set up a holo-com at his orders, he saw they had gained the attention of most of the camp. People began filtering in and standing around behind them as Tor prepared to make the call. That was good. It would show the enemy strength in numbers.


    He looked to the girl. ¡°What¡¯s your Master¡¯s comm number, girl?¡±


    The corners of the girl¡¯s lips twitched upwards just a hair and she told him. Tor nodded and began dialing as Bo-Katan pulled her helmet back on. Quietly, the red girl asked, ¡°Afraid to show your face?¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Bo-Katan hissed.


    ¡°What would your sister say?¡±


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    So he was right. The Zeltron girl had run her mouth and gotten into Bo-Katan¡¯s head. Tor supposed he shouldn¡¯t be too surprised. He knew all about Zeltrons and what they could do, but he doubted many people had looked at it with an eye for turning one of them into a Mandalorian and using them as a weapon¡ªif they could get one of them to close their legs and stop thinking with their genitals for long enough to do the job.


    A moment later, a hologram sprang into being above the portable holo-com, showing the inside of a hotel room and the three Jedi Masters. They took in the scene quickly and frowned. Dooku¡¯s eyes focused on Tor and for a moment, Tor almost ordered the evacuation of his people off planet.


    ¡°I am Jedi Master Dooku. And you are?¡±


    ¡°Tor Vizsla. I lead those who follow the true way of the Mandalorians. We are the Kyr¡¯tsad.¡±


    ¡°The Death Watch. Yes, we¡¯ve heard of you,¡± Dooku nodded. ¡°May I ask why you have taken my apprentice?¡±


    Tor nodded, chuckling. ¡°Straight to the point. That¡¯s good. I want you gone. Leave Mandalore. Take your ships and leave the planet by dawn. Don¡¯t tell Jaster Mereel or Satine Kryze you¡¯re leaving. Tomorrow, I¡¯ll send someone up with her to meet you and hand her over. Then, you¡¯ll leave. You don¡¯t interfere in Mandalorian business again. If you refuse, or fuck around, I¡¯ll kill her.¡±


    One of the two Masters in the background, Qui-Gon, stood up and moved out of the viewing range of the comm on their end. The other, the one Tor didn¡¯t know, let out a quiet chuckle that turned into a sigh as he looked not at Tor, but at the girl. Tor cast a glance at her, but found she looked the same as she had before¡ªtoo calm and like she was waiting for something.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Dooku murmured, nodding. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, I would like to speak with her briefly.¡±


    Tor scoffed, but gestured towards the girl. He¡¯d allow it. If she said anything he didn¡¯t like, like trying to signal their location, he¡¯d cut off the comm and give her a lesson in manners. ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± Turning to the white haired girl, he asked, ¡°Tanya. Are you okay?¡±


    She nodded. ¡°My hosts haven¡¯t been the most hospitable, but I¡¯m fine. What are your orders?¡±


    ¡°Do what you feel you must.¡±


    For some reason, the smile that crept up on her face made Tor¡¯s skin crawl. ¡°But master, the Council complained about Dathomir.¡±


    ¡°The Council aren¡¯t here.¡±


    ¡°Understood~.¡±


    This time, Tor had to fight down the impulse to reach for his weapon¡ªand he didn¡¯t like that. No little girl should be making his instincts scream ¡®kill it¡¯ like this. He spoke up, drawing Dooku¡¯s attention back to himself. ¡°You have until sunup over Sundari. Try anything and the girl dies.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, you will not live to see the sunrise,¡± Dooku shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not fucking around here. I will kill her. Do not test me¡ª¡±


    Clink.


    The metallic sound was surprisingly loud in the tense atmosphere. The accompanying thump of something hitting the dirt was even louder. Tor heard a grunt and turned to see Tanya rubbing her wrists and rolling her neck. At the side of her head, Bo-Katan¡¯s blaster pistol shook in her hand and the grunting sound repeated as she reached up with her other hand to steady the weapon¡ªno, he realized, to get her other finger in the trigger guard, only for the other hand to stop.


    The red girl took a deep breath in through her nose and let it out through her mouth in a quiet sigh. ¡°I believe you have something of mine.¡±


    Tor didn¡¯t hesitate. He drew and fired in a single, smooth motion¡ªonly to find Bo-Katan being jerked by some unseen force, or perhaps Force, between his blaster bolt and the red girl, the bolt splashing off of her armor. Then, a pair of silver objects jerked free of the redhead¡¯s belt, flying through the air to stop, hovering beside the young Jedi. Bo-Katan landed in a heap on the ground and her blaster pistol jerked out of her hands, slapping into the white haired girl¡¯s palm.


    Unfortunately for her, she was outnumbered more than forty to one¡ªa fact she was reminded of when every Mandalorian who had been standing with Tor drew their blasters. For some reason the girl¡¯s smile only grew wider as she began to laugh.


    ¡°How wonderful! You¡¯ve all decided to fight! That makes this so much simpler! Instead of taking prisoners and having to watch over you, you¡¯ve provided me with the one thing I love most¡­¡±


    White-silver beams of light ignited to either side of her, casting the girl¡¯s face in stark light, making her red skin look painted in blood. When her eyes caught the light of her sabers, they seemed to glow.


    ¡°A target rich environment~!¡±


    All hell broke loose.