#godera

[ospreyeamon]

playing politics

It’s been said before, but there is a clear disparity in the way the Jedi Consular and Jedi Knight are treated when it comes to their promotion prospects. While both are knighted at the end of their prologues, the Consular is given the rank of Master at the start of Act 2 while the Knight is only maybe promoted again at the close of Act 3.

The Consular’s promotion to Master is political. They are being given the rank because the Jedi Council thinks it will be necessary for the Rift Alliance to take them seriously, not because of anything the Consular has achieved up to this point Hence why they are given the rank upon being given a mission rather than completing one. Which makes sense as the Consular’s achievements during Act 1 are pretty variable.

A Consular who has LS-choiced their way through Act 1’s achievements are very impressive, even if the stint on Alderaan is their only prior diplomatic experience that we know of. A Consular who – despite being asked to shield the afflicted Jedi – chooses to kill them at varying points before accidentally (or “accidentally”) causing the deaths of hundreds more Jedi offscreen by killing Lord Vivicar, I think, probably wouldn’t have been trusted with a sensitive diplomatic post if the Council thought they had a better option. Unfortunately, in this scenario, the better options were probably numbered among the now dead Jedi Masters.

Conversely, the Jedi Knight definitely succeeded in their overall mission in Act 1. They might have been a jerk, they might have passed up opportunities to save or spare people, they might have delayed rescuing Nasan Godera for a loot acquisition detour, but they still did (eventually) retrieve Dr Godera, stop the power-guard project, save Master Kiwiiks and Tatooine, help destroy the death-mark laser, and prevent Darth Angral from torching Tython. The Knight also helps (or “helps”) guide Kira Carsen to Knighthood; successfully training a Padawan is traditionally one of the main gauges the Council uses to determine who is ready to become a Master.

A DS!Knight proves considerably more effective in Act 1 than a DS!Consular, but the Consular is still the one promoted. The promotion isn’t given in recognition of their skills or as reward for their achievements. It isn’t withheld because of any action or shift in alignment. The Consular is promoted at the start of Act 2 because their new mission is to make nice with the politicians; the Knight isn’t because they are assisting other Jedi. If the Consular’s promotion truly was a matter of merit the Knight would have been promoted too.

The end of Act 3 has incredibly stark differences in how a Dark-aligned Consular and Knight are treated by the Jedi Council. Neither of them receives the promotion they would have if they had been Light-aligned, but of the behaviour of the Council towards them is markedly different. The Consular is publicly rewarded. The Knight is publicly snubbed.

“Your relentless pursuit of the First Son merits a unique position. We would like to make you our special military advisor. You will rank alongside us, but work with the Republic, to capture the remaining Children and prepare for any future threat from the Sith.” Jaric Kaedan “Rank alongside? So I would not be a member of the Jedi Council.” Jedi Consular, Option 3 “We would prefer you to focus on assisting the Republic, rather than on Council duties. But this is only a small reward beside the great service you have done, for all of us.” Jaric Kaedan

The post of the Jedi Council’s special military advisor is a promotion, even if it might not be the promotion the Consular wanted. Jaric Kaedan doesn’t say anything to suggest that a Council Seat could have been on the table under other circumstances; the idea is only brought up if the Consular brings it up.

The Consular has experienced a meteoric rise through the ranks; their class story takes place over about three years and they go from Padawan to Knight to Master to senior Master advising the Jedi Council. Going from Padawan to Master in the span of two years is (I think) the fastest turn around we are shown for any Jedi, and most members of the Order never sit on the High Council. Being promoted to Master without having trained a Padawan in any capacity is also highly unusual. The Consular has nothing to complain about.

Even if they do complain, Jaric’s justification is that they don’t want the Consular’s attention split between their work with the Republic and the duties of a Council Member. He is quick to praise the Consular again. No mention of their turn to the Dark Side is made.

“And then there is you. How do we even begin to account for the turns your life has taken since you first arrived on Tython? The dark side has cast its shadow over you. I sense your anger and ambition growing. I can no longer ignore it. I wanted so much for you to become a Jedi Master, but you are not ready.” Satele Shan “What have I done to deserve being passed over? I've saved trillions of people.” Jedi Knight, Option 1 “Your battles on Corellia cost us Master Kiwiiks and dozens of brave Jedi. Your leadership there was questionable, at best. You struck a great blow against the Sith, but the war goes on. There will be other opportunities for you to prove yourself worthy.” or “How much have you sacrificed on your path to victory? What emotions drove these decisions? These are the questions we must answer. You struck a great blow against the Sith, but the war goes on. There will be other opportunities for you to prove yourself worthy.” Satele Shan “Master Satele, this Jedi is one of the greatest war heroes I’ve ever met. He/she deserves recognition for his/her victories. By the authority of the Supreme Chancellor, I hereby grant you the honorary rank of Republic general.” Admiral Dabrin

In contrast, in a Dark-aligned Knight’s class story ending Satele Shan tells them that they are wrathful, power-hungry, under the influence of the Dark-Side of the Force, and not being promoted to Jedi Master. It’s a public humiliation at a ceremony intended to honour the Knight’s achievements. Small wonder Admiral Dabrin tries to patch things over by naming the Knight an honorary general.

Satele Shan did not have to manage the situation with the Knight this way. She could have quietly led the Knight off into a side room before the ceremony and asked them if they knew they were clouded by the Dark Side. She could have had the kind of talk with them that Orgus Din does on Rishi. Making a public spectacle was taking the nuclear option.

Satele can claim that the Knight isn’t being promoted because of their poor leadership on Corellia, but Satele was the one to put the Knight in charge of the Jedi forces on Corellia, possibly over the Knight’s objections. Besides, we the audience know it isn’t the truth. The Jedi Council’s refusal to grant them the rank of Master isn’t tied to any decision they could have taken on Corellia – it is solely determined by their alignment.

The denunciation being so public makes me feel that its motivation was either highly political or deeply personal. Did Satele feel betrayed by the Knight? Did the rest of the Jedi Council even know she was planning on going off script in front of the Republic brass? Was she convinced the Knight’s Dark-alignment was evidence they had done terrible things she would never be able to find proof of?

Was the decision to try to crack down hard on the Knight made because the Consular had also turned but couldn’t be reprimanded without insulting the Rift Alliance? Were Council concerned that members of the Order like Unaw Aharo were admiring a Dark Jedi? Was Satele under pressure to make a statement against Jedi drawing on the Dark-Side while fighting in the war?

But if a DS-choicing Knight got Jedi unnecessarily killed, then a DS-choicing Consular got more Jedi killed; hundreds compared to dozens. If it’s dangerous to have impressionable Jedi looking up to a Dark-aligned Hero of Tython, then it’s no less dangerous to have them admiring a Dark-aligned Barsen’thor. If a Dark Jedi shouldn’t be permitted to become a Master, then a Dark Consular should be demoted rather than set to advise the Council.

There is an incredible double-standard in how the Consular is treated in comparison to the Knight – and a double-standard in how the Consular is treated compared to the norms of the Order. This is surely something people in-universe have opinions about.

[legends-chauvinist]

I think of all the false LS/DS dichotomies in the game the worst is in chapter 1 on Taris for the Jedi Knight. Some of you probably already know which choice I am talking about. For those that don't let me bring you up to speed: An imperial agent has kidnapped a republic scientist and is about to administer a truth serum that will reveal details about the superweapon that the scientist helped design. In order to buy time before the JK reaches him he offers to tell them the location of a Sith that's about to massacre republic colonist. Accepting this deal is LS and rejecting it is DS

Here's my issue with that: First and foremost why the fuck would the JK ever believe Watcher 1 at this point. Watcher 1 has been entirely deceitful up to this point. Our characters have zero reason to believe that Watcher 1 is being truthful here. One could argue that the JK would have to be naive to believe him. Furthermore, even if our JK did believe Watcher 1 there's still way to to argue for LS reasons to go after him. The weapon Dr Godera has designed could kill millions; it would very bad if his secrets fell into the hands of the Sith. Therefore the JK could reason they can't let the lives of few dozen colonists outweigh potentially millions.

So in the end we up exposing a weakness in SWTOR's mortality system.

[jjjwhovian]

What happened to Watcher One and/or Lord Loyat in your Legacy?

Thank you for the ask anonymous!

Let’s start with Watcher One.

Arono considered taking him in as a prisoner of the Republic, but if it weren’t for him he would not have been able to save those colonists. And he kept his end of their deal and kept Doctor Godera alive.

So against his better judgement he gave Watcher One another chance and let him go.

Thankfully it didn’t backfire as the former Imperial began a new life in the Republic under his new name, Hugo Rezur.

(I made this name up. I just think Hugo fits him for some reason)

There was this one time he would get back into contact with Arono during the Revanite Crisis and help him out with a mission he was involved in (this takes place between Forged Alliances and Shadow of Revan). More on that another time.

Hugo has managed to survive to this day, keeping a low profile during Zakuuls invasion before hearing Arono was leading the Alliance and reached out once more, helping secure drop boxes from time to time.

And finally Loyat.

She was defeated by the Coruscant Aegis (Pub toons) on Ilum before she was taken into custody. After the whole Malgus incident was taken care of Gabeshi Zulis (Consular) asked that she be sent to Tython.

Loyat…has difficulties fitting in with the other Jedi. She was grateful to be shown another way after realising everything Arho had taught her was a lie, but she never felt as if she belonged.

Despite this she did have close relations with fellow Sith turned Jedi’s Praven and Sajar.

She managed to survive when the Sith attacked Tython…but she never returned to the Temple. The last anyone saw of her was when a Padawan spotted her leaving their little group that escaped and headed for a shuttle, never looking back.

What became of Loyat is unknown. There are some rumours that say she came back to the Empire, or that she became a Bounty Hunter, or that she was part of her own little resistance against the Empire. Whatever the case it’s likely she wanted to find her own destiny.

And what that destiny was…perhaps one day we shall find out.

[anchanted-one]

Legend of Vajra 28. Welcome to Taris

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43208574/chapters/110377200

Taris, In orbit

As he waited for the call to connect, Vajra stood with his back straight, and arms clasped behind his back. Kira stood behind him, but T7 was still at his station for now. He was listening, though. Vajra had given him permission to listen in to all priority calls, even while working.

He began speaking the second the Major’s holo fizzled onto the air in front of him.

“We’ve arrived at Taris, General.”

“Good, good. Command panicked when they heard that Sith are operating with impunity, even in our stations. Angral’s whereabouts aside, we’re looking forward to seeing what your prisoner has to say that could help us root out spies.”

“He was terrified of being sent back to Angral.” Vajra felt guilty. “I think it might have to do with how the Black Ops prisoners were welcomed.”

“Regardless, it’s time I told you why you’re here.”

“Right. According to the files I saw, there were no labs here.”

“But we have a different objective down there, someone whose safe return is just as important as securing the labs.”

“You have me at the edge of my seat, Sir.”

“His name is Doctor Nasan Godera. He was the real Mastermind behind all those weapons concepts. Tarnis just oversaw their development.”

“I remember hearing about him on Coruscant,” Vajra remembered. “But the way they talked about him, I thought he had died!”

“Not dead, just resigned. He took our surrender personally. Hates the Sith with a vengeance for what they did to his family.”

“And he’s down there? On Taris?” Most Jedi heard about this world while learning about the Mandalorian wars from three centuries ago. It was a colossal death trap! A mutative virus and its hosts, sinking cities, pockets of radiation, crumbling structures, angry predators, and most recently, bandits and thugs. “What benefit could he possibly—"

“Those same features that make it a nightmare also make it a scientist’s dream. It’s a target rich environment, full of structures and ships he can scavenge from, got an ample supply of poisons, toxins, and other hazards. And security is easy too.”

“What kind of a man is he? Will he resist our attempts to protect him?”

“He’s a genius. Calculates targeting algorithms in his head for fun. But his Archillean’s heels are his hatred for the Sith, and his questionable ‘ends-justify-the-means’ approach. He’s almost a mad scientist.”

“Damn.”

“Good luck, Master Jedi. I hope you find him, and bring him home. If anyone can find ways to counter our stolen weapons, it’s that man.”

“Understood. We’ll head out immediately.”

When the holo dissolved, Kira blew out her cheeks. “I can’t believe he didn’t say anything.”

“You look wonderful,” Vajra assured her. “Not to mention, different.”

Kira had undergone a slight makeover. She was wearing leggings instead of her long skirt, and had done a little experiment with makeup. She’d also added a lot of leather to her outfits.

Since it was Taris, she was going to keep the full-length clothes on, as was Vajra himself. But after re-embarking, she had shown Vajra some of the more revealing outfits she intended to wear in the ship.

She’d also picked out some nice shrugs and fancy shoes. She’d been hesitant about the makeup, but decided she’d do little experiments on her own until Jasme could teach her the basics.

“Come on, boss! Let’s get this party started!”

She had taken to calling him that. Since it felt less formal than ‘Master’, he was okay with it.

He hit the intercom. “T7, we’re almost ready!”

“T7 = coming!”

*

There was a young soldier waiting for them when they arrived, a blonde lady who was equal parts friendly and professional. “Master Jedi! Welcome to Taris! I’m Sergeant Elara Dorne. I’ve been assigned to give you a tour of the base.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Vajra bowed. “This is Kira Carsen—”

“Hey there! I recently found out, that I’m secretly a saint!”

Vajra chuckled. “She really is.”

“Good to know, Sirs.”

“This is T7-01.”

<Greeting: Good Morning, Sergeant Dorne!>

“Nice to meet you too!” the soldier did not betray a hint of uncertainty or surprise at having been introduced to a droid.

“And I’m Vajra.”

“We’ve heard of you, Sirs. Your work on Coruscant was nothing short of spectacular.” She turned to include Kira and T7. “We’re not getting told all the details yet, of course, but what little we have is quite the story.”

“I had a lot of help,” Vajra said. “The Guards and soldiers worked hard. Even some civilians joined in when they heard the firefights. Good thing Black Ops wore their uniforms, and made it clear who they had to target.”

“I understand that Coruscant was just the start. I wish you the best of luck in handling the larger scheme.”

“Thanks, Sergeant!”

“Right, then. Shall we get started?” She asked crisply. When they nodded, she led them to the spaceport entrance. A holorecording started to play when they passed it. A familiar Twi’lek began to give a welcome speech, but Vajra ignored it. “First things first. The Governor asked to meet you. Governor Leontyne Saresh began the Taris Resettlement initiative, and is the reason why there’s such a strong military base here.”

“Any idea how long it’s supposed to take?”

“Well, coming in, she thought it would be a piece of cake, something she could get done in a few months. Or at least, get it started, so that it could grow by itself. But the dangers were more than she’d anticipated.”

Vajra refrained from voicing his opinion, and so did Kira.

“That said, she’s good at getting us the resources we need. And the settlers too. She has influence, and is decisive. Try not to get on her bad side, though,” she added in an undertone. "She can be vindictive.”

“More so than any other politician?”

“She’ll never forget a slight. And if you don’t mind me saying so, she’s already predisposed to hating you.”

“What! Why?”

“So you didn’t hear? She criticized you—and everyone else calling the shots during the red alert—rather publicly. And she was humiliated rather publicly in return.”

“Oh, do you mean the Twi’lek who was at my ‘ceremony’?”

“Yes.” She relayed some of the things which had been part of Saresh’s speech. Kira glowered through all of it, but Vajra didn’t react until Elara talked about Saresh demanding the Outer Rim armies be sent in to purge the capital.

“Empty the Outer Rim? Did she suggest sending a ribboned-up invite to Dromund Kaas? ‘Come on over and take our fringe territories’?”

Elara made a soft, hissing noise. “What’s worse; her broadcast was public. And as I said, she has influence. There are people who listen to her. Within moments of her speech, the Supreme Commander’s office was flooded with demands to go through with her mad plan. He had to broadcast a response telling people that Saresh—and most of the Republic—did not know what was going on down there. That you’d made the right call. And that abandoning the Outer Rim means… well. Abandoning the Outer Rim!”

“I didn’t want to bring this up,” Kira said. “But my Master Kiwiiks is acquainted with Saresh. The things she says are not flattering.”

“Oh? I thought Master Vajra was your Master.”

“He is, since Coruscant. Master Kiwiiks told me to be with him while she went to secure other projects.”

“And I was grateful for it,” Vajra said. “Without Kira, I’d have been the only Jedi there. The only teenager. A lot of the guards were second-guessing my every order, which didn’t help with the pressure I felt. I felt very alone. It was only thanks to Kira and T7 that I made it out on top. I’ll always be grateful to them—and to Master Kiwiiks—for not abandoning me.”

“I can only imagine,” Sergeant Dorne said sadly. Something in her voice made Vajra Look at her feelings. She was sad and lonely. But grateful, and resolute. Underlying it all was a sense of moral character stronger than anything he’d ever seen before.

She took them to a large office building, one fit for a governor, and pressed the door chime. Seconds later, they were ushered in to see the Governor.

Vajra reached out with his Senses first, and Felt a will powerful enough to rival Master Satele’s. A mind which was so full of determination and zeal that it was almost composed of them. When he was brought before the severe Twi’lek herself, he spied a fierce cunning behind her dark eyes.

But given what he’d just learned about her, his findings made him see her as dangerous, rather than capable.

She stood to greet him. “Welcome to Taris, Master Jedi. I trust you like what you’ve seen on Taris so far?”

“I have. It feels like you’ve managed to create a small, safe island in the middle of this planet. I look forward to seeing what you can do with it in a few years.”

She nodded. “Thank you. So you’re the Jedi who saved the Capital.”

“I did my best. I’m glad I was able to stop Tarnis.”

“Yes, his ‘Planet Prison’ concept,” Saresh said. “The weapon that could cut off a world from the rest of the Galaxy.”

“Considering its potential, it looked rather plain. A lesson there, I suppose.”

“I see. And now you’re looking for other weapons projects that have been compromised. I did not know there was one on Taris.”

“They are ‘Top Secret’ after all. If it makes you feel any better, they hid it from the Jedi High Council as well. One of the reasons why we couldn’t prevent catastrophe until the eleventh hour.”

“Is that right? You seem to have a high estimation of the Jedi Council’s insight.”

“I’m just a teenager, but I was able to find the weapon before the instruments could. Just by Seeing through the Force. Imagine how much stronger their insight is. I understand trust in the Jedi was shaken by the Sacking of Coruscant, but a politician as well-connected as you should know that the failure was the policymakers. The Jedi did not trust the ceasefire, and our Council protested the thinning of Coruscant’s defenses. It was the Senate, which was eager to end the war, at any cost.”

She sat back thoughtfully. “You have a point there. I have been less than charitable about the Jedi lately, but there’s no denying that their decisions have been sound. Even the one of putting you in sole command of the investigation. That turned out better than anyone could have predicted. There’s no denying either, that there’s a lot of idiots and cowards in the Senate. Please, make yourselves comfortable. Would you like refreshments?”

“I’m afraid not, Governor. Time is of the essence. I’d like to finish my tour of this base, and head out within the hour.”

“Perhaps next time, then. But good help is always needed here on Taris, and very hard to find. If you can spare some energy for the beleaguered people under my care, it would be greatly appreciated.”

“I’ll do my best.”

*

“That was interesting,” Kira said. “After all I’ve heard of that woman, I’m glad our reception was so… reasonable.”

“Yes, Sir. Shall we continue your tour?”

Sergeant Dorne took the trio across the base. She showed them their quarters, the dining area, the rec zone, the command center, the secure comms, a refugee camp of all things, and other prominent features.

As they began walking towards their quarters, Kira asked her in a hesitant voice, “Was it hard? Leaving, I mean?”

Dorne’s melancholy rose to the surface. “Easiest, but hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

Vajra blinked. “It’s her accent, isn’t it? It sounded a bit like…”

“Yes. I’m from the Empire. A defector. I served in the military, and saw my comrades ordered to do despicable things with frightening regularity. Rather than wait and pray that I never get such an order, I left. But my family is still there. They’ve cut ties with me, which is probably the best thing for their safety.”

“But… have you been accepted here? I’m sorry for asking, but when I mentioned being alone on Coruscant, I could see how hard it resonated.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised at how well you see,” she sighed. “But yes. It’s just as you said. I had parents on Dromund Kaas. A little brother. He’s Padawan Kira’s age. No doubt he’ll be following in our family’s footsteps and joining the army soon. I had few friends, but they were all very dear to me. And I had a fiancé too, James Ardent. I left his ring behind, but I still miss its weight on my finger.”

Her voice quivered, and she wiped tears out of her eyes. For a moment, Vajra saw the true depths of her pain, but also her inner strength. She missed her old life but did not regret leaving. He wished he could inner strength like hers… and he wanted to do something, anything, to comfort her. What would Jasme do? Other than hugs, she was known for listening, clarity, and generosity.

He made a decision on the spot. He pulled one of the crystals out of his pouch, the orange one. “Tell me, Sergeant. Have you read much about Lightsaber crystals?”

Looking perplexed at the change of topic, but shook her head. “I don’t believe I have, Sir.”

“There’s a reason we use some while building Lightsabers, but not others. They’re attuned to the Force. They’re almost alive; they can feel what goes on around them. They remember. They can be overcome by things like pain and suffering.” He showed her the crystal resting in his palm. It shone quite brightly in the sun. “Most curiously, they sing. And not like a song you might hear in the material world. You can hear it in your soul. Most of us can Hear it, softly, on our very first day in the Temple. I want you to have this one.” He offered her the crystal, and saw her eyes widen at the gesture.

“That’s very kind, Master Jedi, but I’m Force-Blind. I doubt I can listen to this… song.”

“The Force is in everything, even the rocks and shrubs. Of course, it’s in you as well. I cannot say this for certain, but I believe even the… Force-Blind… can Hear it, if you meditate enough. This one… it sings a Song which I thought you might need to hear from time to time. Please, take it!”

She accepted it with a trembling hand and gripped it tightly in her fist. “Thank you, Master Jedi.”

“You have a good heart, Sergeant Dorne. I’d ask you to join my crew, if I could. But something tells me that your path will be different. Your new place in the galaxy will arrive at your doorstep soon enough. In the meantime, and perhaps for years after, I hope this helps you.”

She closed her eyes shut. “I have no idea how to commune with the Force. I have meditated before, but not like this.”

“It’s good enough,” he told her. “I’ve heard the ‘standard’ meditation techniques, and it’s similar to what our novices are taught. All you need to do, is listen. If you keep the crystal nearby, or stay near a Force-attuned location like the Jedi Temple, it should be easier to hear its call.”

“I really appreciate your kind gesture, Master Jedi. If it’s possible for a Force-blind to hear this song, I swear I will.”

When she left them at the door, Sergeant Dorne was still smiling. Kira gave Vajra a bone-breaking hug when the door closed. “That was such a kind, sweet thing you did back there!” she whispered. “You’re a sweet little softie, just like Jazz. Never change!”

T7 chirped agreement.

*

After dropping off their things, the trio took a speeder to the site where Doctor Godera’s lab had been found.

As they approached, both Jedi Sensed several Dark presences.

“Should we sneak, or should we charge?” Kira asked.

“Sneak. Godera may be in there. T7, take the wheel. Continue on this trajectory for a bit, while we jump off. Return in two minutes, and follow us in.”

<Affirmative.>

They drove past the lab, and Kira followed her Master after he’d leapt off. He fell straight to the ground, and landed with an elegant tuck-and-roll. He was moving again as soon as he was vertical, crawling along the underbrush on all fours. Well, on all sixes.

They circled around, and found the sentries alert, but not unduly suspicious. Like a ghost, Vajra crept up on them, while Kira simply used her training as a Shadow to Cloak herself.

When he was close enough, he placed them under a Stasis. Kira walked past him, and took a look around. She used hand signals to tell him what she saw.

Seven guards. Three Sith.

Godera? He mouthed. She shook her head in response. He gave her a scary grin and held up five fingers, and started counting down. She nodded.

On zero, he pulled out his Lightsaber and charged in ahead of her. She slipped in behind him, still cloaked. She wasn’t really needed, but she couldn’t let him have all the fun!

The guards turned at his approach and began firing, one of them with a semiautomatic. His blade batted aside all the fire, sending them right back at them. Six of the seven were down before even he’d reached them, and the seventh was Tossed back into the wall so hard she was knocked senseless.

Kira decided to put her to sleep so that her Master could focus on the Sith.

The largest of the three, a woman with the red skin of a pureblood, bellowed out a challenge. "So, the four-armed freak walks into my hands? Perfect! Come, to Lord Rogant!”

She drew a pair of massive double-bladed Lightsabers, and wielded one in each hand. The other two flanked him, waiting to strike. Rogant approached him, sabers twirling like some out-of-control dynamo. It was an intimidation tactic, Kira thought; not one likely to work on a proper swordsman. And sure enough, Vajra stood firm, looking a little disappointed.

He waited there for a second before closing the gap. Quick as lightning, he took in a step to her left, jabbed, and backed up. The woman howled in rage and pain, the remains of her Lightsaber falling to the ground. His timing was perfect; right after the red blade had swung past, he had attacked her hand, stabbing it and the hilt it held.

Cradling the arm, she held her other saber in front of her like some shield, but he struck at the hilt again, as this time he had an unobstructed strike at her exposed hand.

Her loud scream was cut short when he kicked her jaw with quite some power. She was knocked into the air, and fell on the ground, stunned.

Standing where she’d been moments before, Vajra turned to the Sith on his sides. “Is she the best of you?”

The younger woman, a Dathomiri Zabrak, swallowed, but the human woman screamed in rage and attacked. Her attack was much more standard than Rogant’s, which was all bark and no show. Vajra blocked her strikes with a single hand, not taking a step to any side. No matter how fast she attacked, or how furiously, he broke her momentum.

“Oi, Bleak!” she cried. “Help me! Or do you want Angral to punish us later?”

The Zabrak snapped out of it and attacked with her twin blades.

“That’s better,” Vajra said approvingly. The women were obviously not used to fighting as a team, since they frequently bumped into each other, or cut short the other’s attack run. Once or twice, Vajra playfully knocked one into the other, and they began squabbling with each other as they stood.

“Watch where you’re standing, you fucking bitch!”

“What do you think you’re doing, letting him catch you like that?”

Vajra sighed, and advanced at a walk. Both women jumped and held out their Lightsabers in front of them. Their eyes were burning. Vajra feinted left, and the human tripped the Zabrak in her haste to intercept him. Vajra clove both Lightsabers in the Zabrak’s hands, then looked at the human. The pureblood began to move at last, and tried to gather enough Force for an attack, but Vajra tossed the Zabrak at her, headfirst. There was a crash, twin cries of pain, and silence.

The human looked nervous now. Vajra didn’t give her a chance to attack. He swatted her trembling saber aside, then punched her in the gut, leaving a dent in her armor. She fell down, dazed.

“Look what I found on this guard, boss!” Kira said brightly. “Stun cuffs!”

“Perfect!” Vajra smiled. “Restrain them. I’ll get the ones outside.”

By the time the five survivors awoke, they were all tightly restrained.

“Ohh, my head,” Rogant moaned.

“In case you were wondering, it wasn’t the bad roast you had.”

She gave him an annoyed look, then sighed. “You got us.”

“Getting you was easy. How many times have you tried that spinning stunt?”

“Salting the wound, Jedi?”

“Sorry. It just annoyed me to have such a tactic used against me. I’m not a novice, you know.”

“Right. But you know what I am, now that you beat me? A lamb ready for slaughter. Darth Angral has gone mad since his son died.”

“If you want sanctuary, we can give it to you.”

All three Sith exchanged a very pained look. Before looking back at him. “I’m no coward, Jedi. But I don’t want to be tortured to death like those Black Ops soldiers were.”

Vajra, to his credit, didn’t flinch.

“Why are you on Taris?”

“Because Angral knew you’d be coming here. Why you’re here, we have no idea.”

“And where is Darth Angral?”

“Aboard his ship. He splits his time between torturing the remaining prisoners, partaking in orgies to soothe his pain, and conferring with his confidants.”

“We don’t know where the ship is,” the human sighed. “It was near Hutta, the last we saw, but it was already making ready to depart. We were to return to his estate on Dromund Kaas if we caught you. To Korriban, if we didn’t.”

Kira shook her head. “Shouldn’t be surprised they didn’t know more. Should I call for a pickup?” She waited for the boss to nod before hitting the transmit button on her comm. “Sergeant Dorne? We’ve caught a few Imps, including three Sith. Would you mind sending over a recovery team?”

“Right away, Sirs!”

T7 arrived a moment later. <Fun = over? T7 = wanted to shoot something!>

“Look around, T7. Godera’s not here, but maybe we can find out where he’s been taken.”

A holo in the corner came to life. It was a middle-aged man they didn’t know, but he wore the unmistakable uniform of an Intelligence officer. “It pains me to admit that we don’t have him, Jedi. But we will. I am Watcher One, with Imperial Intelligence. Those men you fought, served me.”

“How did you get here so quickly?”

“Godera is one of the biggest threats to my people. We’ve been looking for him too. And we found this hidey hole not long ago. Coming here required planning, however. If fate had been kinder, we’d have made off with the good doctor months ago.”

“You say you don’t have him…” Vajra frowned. “And I believe you.” Kira’s mouth dropped. “What do you want with me? Why show even a card that’s in your hand?”

“To make a request. Imperial Intelligence is tasked with eliminating threats like Godera. Whatever Var Suthra told you about him is a wild understatement. The man is a god of weapons designs. He worked with your Republic for only a year before his resignation, and that was already enough to make a difference.”

“You’re afraid his weapons could cost you the war if it reignites.”

“The war is the lesser of my concerns. His weapons could kill millions. Just look at the Planet Prison, for heavens’ sake! And Godera’s the type of man who doesn’t care how many eggs he smashes in order to make his omelet.”

“You are sure of this?”

“Imperial Intelligence prides itself on accurate threat assessment.”

“Then you should know the threat Angral poses to us. Especially deranged as he seems to have become. If there’s any one person who can counteract all those weapons, it’s him. Or so I’ve been told.”

“Not inaccurate,” he sighed. “And your point is noted. I’m sorry it’s come to this. If I may have another moment of your time…”

“I’m listening.”

“I don’t like hurting children, even capable ones like yourself. But I have studied your profile. I know how you took down the Fallen Jedi, Bengel Morr.”

“To know that info, he’d need spies on Tython,” Kira moaned.

“That doesn’t matter. Only thing that does, is this. I have devised ways to fight you. If you cross my path, I won’t show you mercy.”

“Answer me this; do you know where Darth Angral is? Or where I can find him?”

He thought for a moment, then smiled sadly. “No, but I know where Rora Seake is. She’s a Sith Lord, and a beast tamer. And she’s trying to become the next Darth Bellicose.”

Kira could feel the chill in Vajra’s stomach from a dozen feet away she looked back at the Intelligence expert to see a sad pity on his face. He knew. “That was low, Watcher One.”

“I know.”

Rogant whistled. “Angral won’t be happy you’re giving up Seake. She’s insane, but she’s useful.”

“I have little choice. I need to find Godera before he does, so I need to slow them down by any means necessary.”

“Tell me about her,” Vajra sounded upset.

“She arrived on Taris to build up a ‘local army,’ so to speak. Tarisian wildlife is rather deadly, and she has a gift of enslaving dozens in a short span of time. The first thing she likes to do after taming beasts, is… breaking them in.”

“Attacking a soft target?”

“Just so. There is a colony, seventeen kilometers from your location. According to my Intel, she’s outdone herself. Built up an army of Ferrazid Hounds, Devourers, Tarisian Nexus, and several Bog Bears. Over a hundred and fifty in total. The colony is fairly large, around six hundred civilians, and have only a few guards. They won’t stand a chance.”

The human Sith snorted. “You are going to be eaten alive, Jedi.”

“Actually, Lord Lua, I calculate it won’t be enough to kill him. He’s better than you think.”

The Sith called Lua glared at him.

“Good hunting, Jedi. I hope you stop her. People like her… make me sick.”

Vajra turned to Kira, who was frightened by the frigid determination on his face. “Stay here, and search for clues with T7. There’s a chance he knows we’re splitting up, and will attack you both while I’m gone. But I know you can handle it now. Ask the base for support, if you need it. I’m taking the speeder, but I’ll be back for you soon.”

“Yes, Master.”

He left without another word, but Kira felt heartened that the rage she’d seen was controlled, rather than wild. “C’mon, T7. Let’s turn this place upside dow— oh, hi there!”

Several troopers walked in, holding guns at the ready. “I’m Captain Targe,” the one in the lead said. “We’re here for your prisoners.”

“They’re over there. Hey, can you call in some guards? I need to go over this place, but Imperial Intelligence might try something fishy.”

“Don’t worry, Sir. Sergeant Dorne… asked me to bring an extra squad, just in case.”

She ignored the note of annoyance in the man’s voice. “T7, if you would?”

*

Rora Seake approached the village guarded by a dozen of her Ferrazid Hounds. She stood on a rise, and observed the settlement down below as she waited to get noticed. Her lip curled.

The village below lacked any character whatsoever. She could appreciate unique architecture and art in a village, especially if she was going to destroy it, but these soulless imitations of settlements were barely worth the time they took to survey.

It was built entirely of prefabricated parts. Someone, somewhere, had designed parts that could help build up a town this size in less than a week, and everyone had taken to it like fish to water.

This one had been here for more than a year, she’d been told. And look at it! Just a town shit out by some factory!

These people would be a bore to kill, but they should thank her for her attention.

After two minutes, she grew tired of waiting, and released a Force Shout at the closest water tank. There was some panic and confusion, but eventually they started to notice her.

“PEOPLE OF TARIS TOWN ZERO-ZERO-ONE!” she shouted. “I AM RORA SEAKE, AND I AM COME BEARING GLAD TIDINGS!” She grinned widely. “YOUR DREARY EXISTENCE IS AT AN END! REJOICE! CELEBRATE! LET THERE BE A FEAST HERE TONIGHT!”

“She’s a Sith!” someone cried, and others began to run. Blasters were fired in her general direction, but they went wide. Still beaming, she gave a shrill whistle, and the beast army emerged from the trees.

The people fell silent at once, as they noticed the true horror of their situations.

Screams started to ring out from the trapped civilians. But there was a roar of an engine, and a speeder emerged from nowhere. “STAND FIRM!” the occupant shouted. “GATHER EVERYONE IN YOUR STRONGEST STRUCTURE! I’LL DEAL WITH THE BEASTS!”

A blue blade sprang to life in his hand. “Jedi,” Rora breathed. She’d gotten lucky after all.

The villagers took heart at this sudden arrival, and began piling into the community center.

Rora gave her orders. Two shrill whistles, and they began to howl and paw the floor. A third, and they began to attack.

The Jedi waited for the last citizen to enter the building and lock the door behind them, then charged at the attacking beasts. The closest Nexu pounced on him, and he whirled to one side, his blade slicing into its neck as it sailed past. He then charged at the next beast, a Ferrazid Hound. Both jumped at each other, but the Jedi’s leap took him right over the beast. His downward jab stabbed it through the skull.

One loud whimper, and it was dead. Nearly a dozen beasts surrounded him now, and he moved quickly; evading, stabbing, leaping, dashing. Never staying in one place too long. His blue blade sliced through beast after beast, and he wasn’t even winded.

The beasts all harried and harassed him like they did most prey; but he did not turn at feints and bluffs. In fact, he often didn’t turn at all, cutting down her beasts without even looking at them.

In less than a minute, he had killed nearly half her force. She growled, half admiring, half enraged. This one knew how to fight, and fight well. But he wasn’t using the Force, just his Lightsaber. Who was he? Was he a Master? She pulled out her binoculars, and took a closer look at him. She gasped. Four arms, and three eyes? This had to be Darth Angral’s quarry.

She cackled hysterically. “What a fantastic prize has fallen into my lap! Come with me, dogs! Let us dispatch this one personally!”

Her Bog bears charged ahead, roaring ferociously. The boy Knight ignored them until they were close enough. But Rora’s Lightning stopped him from killing them as easily as he had the others. His saber caught the impact, but left him briefly open to the bog bears. The larger one, the alpha, took a swipe at his belly, but the Jedi cut off its paw while still fending off the Lightning. He then deflected the flow away from him for a second before decapitating her bear.

She screamed in rage, but he had already charged for her second. This time, her beast’s bulk hid him from her gaze. She couldn’t tell what he did, but the second bear dropped dead seconds later.

The Jedi charged at her next, leaping from cover to cover to keep her from getting a good lock on him. “Hold still!” she screamed.

“As if that ever works!”

With a yelp, she turned around in time to block his blow.

“I’ll give you this much,” the Jedi said. “Your Lightning is better than Tarnis’.”

She grinned. “Thank you!”

“But it will not save you, no more will these beasts.”

She flinched. His voice had gone colder than a grave all of a sudden, and his eyes were as deadly gales. She yelped again and backed away, Willing her beasts to attack him. The Ferrazid hounds growled and charged; but the hand holding the blade became a blur. Hound after hound was instantly killed. More beasts crawled out to attack him while Rora made a run for it. She no longer thought about getting a reward. She needed to get away! She had miscalculated badly.

But the Jedi was hot on her tail, the beasts proving nothing more than a hindrance to him. Rora began to trip and stumble; she’d not done this kind of exercise in years… hard work was for slaves and grunts!

She looked over her shoulder and saw him only a few feet out of striking range. He took a deep breath before kicking down with enough force to kick up a dust storm. He vanished, and appeared in front of her.

“Mercy!” she tried to scream, but couldn’t find air in her lungs. She tumbled backwards, and only vaguely noticed that the motion was too light. She saw a headless corpse with her armor crumpling backwards.

She saw some of her nexu approach, and begin sniffing at her head.

Her mouth tried to wheeze out a horrified “No…” but she had no lungs. Mercifully, her vision started to go dark as the beast’s open jaws closed in.

*

Vajra could feel eyes on him; the villagers peered out of the windows anxiously, following his moves as best they could. Soon after killing the Sith, Vajra looked around, searching for beasts which were still lurking about. Most had been killed, but the rest fled when their trap had been broken. Some Nexu had carried off her body, something he had not stopped. It was poetic justice. After confirming they were safe, he turned to the community center. Putting away his Lightsaber, he raised a hand as a signal.

The townsfolk ran out, cheering wildly. Some formed a ring around him and knelt before him, sobbing like mad; others approached to give him hugs and clasp his hands.

“Thank you, Master Jedi, thank you!”

“You came at just the right moment!”

“All the stories we hear… they’re true!”

“You fought like a god out there today!”

“You saved our lives!”

“Please, we’re a small community, but take whatever you need!”

He waited for around ten minutes, accepting their gratitude as best he could and trying not to get crushed by the ones who thronged to embrace him. “I’m really sorry, but I need to get going.”

“Of course, of course! You’re always welcome here!”

As Vajra mounted his speeder, he thought about Watcher One’s choice of words, ‘She’s trying to be the next Darth Bellicose.’ She was well on her way to becoming even worse. With an army of minions, she could have drowned small worlds in misery and fear. Not only could she kill thousands, but if she’d had any wit, she’d learn to do it without being noticed. To harass villagers and force them off their farms and forests, to slowly starve to death while trembling in their homes.

Luckily, she had still been perfecting her art. He caught her before she could become a real danger to the galaxy. He had stopped a creature even worse than Darth Bellicose.

He felt the chill in his heart fade away, to be replaced by something light and glad.

He keyed his comm. “Kira?”

“Hey boss. Done already?”

“Yes. What about you?”

“No attacks, sadly, but T7 did convince one of Godera’s friends out of hiding!”

“I see! I’m on my way.”

*

[hennymaestro]

The Heritage Collection - link in bio.⠀ Model @yeliz.model⠀ #knitwear #jewellery #jewelry #Gold #spirituality #spiritual #luxury ⠀ #GODERA #Africa #London #Positive #Energy #ashanti #parrot #fashion⠀ #inspiration #unity #love #peace #happiness #instagood #wellness

[hermitmoss]

desolator pt. ii with @disabledameron’s volya

Volya Doneeta: The entire Republic should be warned about this. Doctor Godera: The weapon’s excessive charging requirements demand a length period of time before it can fire. General Var Suthra: I’ll contact the Galactic Senate and put every Republic world on-- wait... Master Satele Shan: ...under attack by Darth Angral. Launching defense fighters... Angral’s battle cruiser... deploying... energy weapon... our ships can’t escape Tython’s atmosphere... we’re trapped... Volya Doneeta: General, Doctor... my team’s moving out. We’ll save Tython or die trying. Grneral Var Suthra: Your signal’s breaking up.  May the-- T7-01: T7 = calculate 100 percent chance total success. Volya Doneeta: Thanks for the vote of confidence, Teeseven.  Be careful out there. T7-01: The Force = be with Jedi + T7 too

[raddlounge]

【 Today’s Outfits 】

GOD ERA.

＊ ALL INTERNATIONAL ORDERS CAN BE PURCHASED VIA PAYPAL.

[swtorpadawan]

The... body is missing?

I... know they were trying to make SWTOR more PG, but.... its just a body? Why is this a problem?

[koltosaber]

DOCTOR GODERA NOOO OOO

[meatbag-status]

undefined

i dont know which is funnier: the version with context or without.

[greyias]

I somehow always forget about Doctor Godera’s extremely opinionated and xenophobic guard droid every single time I play through the Knight story on Taris, and am delighted and dissolve into a fitful of giggles every single time I meet him again.

Oh RE-M0, I hope you know I love you, even if I don’t ever remember you.

[diazuk-legacy]

Diazuk Diary: Day 457: Muzo Martyr 

Part 2 on Taris. Muzo Martyr founds Watcher One with the help of Godera's Droid but he was tricked. Not wanting to be tricked again he kept hunting until he found the real Watcher One and defeated him. Muzo wanted to bring him into custory but Watcher One killed himself. Freeing Doctor Godera Muzo leaves Taris and heads off to Nar Shadda.

[vespertine-legacy]

I haven't heard from them in a while, do you have any new headcanons for Raz and Shara?

Nothing incredibly detailed, unfortunately. They’re still there in the back of my head, and involved in a few thoughts I have to try to simplify my canon and connect all of my characters. I’ve got a lot of wips involving them, but nothing I’ve worked on enough to share. Raz is still a loving pain in Shara’s ass, and I’m sure Raz getting to Limitless was amusing for them both (“and why are you keeping a bunch of idiot thrill-seekers alive while they murder a bunch of droids and dogs?” “…they’re paying me?” “…Intelligence pays you. Quite well, now, I should think.” “Well, yes, but Intelligence has me behind a desk these days, this is the closest I’ve been to actual fieldwork in years.”)

I do have some thinky thoughts about their progression through some of the post-class…mess… [Imperial Agent post-class spoiler warnings] with Shara’s capture by the Republic and her time in carbonite, with the eventual offer that Cipher Nine is given to become Keeper of Imperial Intelligence… and I would love to figure out how to write Raz taking that offer, quietly working as Keeper for some time (and doing a damn fine job of it), and then absolutely obliterating Intelligence from the inside for everything they did—to her, to Shara, to Watcher X, to Watcher Three (former and current), to Nasan Godera, to Watcher One, to Fixer Twelve, to every Cipher, to every Watcher. Sure, they knew what kind of organization they were signing up for when they joined (well, not in the case of the Watchers, who mostly had no choice and were bred and raised for it). They knew there would be risks and losses, but not like what they suffered, not being discarded or tortured when they were no longer useful in the right ways, not being perfected to serve to the point that they wouldn’t know how to do anything else. Or maybe working to actually reform Intelligence, because she couldn’t in good conscience leave others to suffer the way she did. But either option would probably end badly for her. Salting and burning Intelligence would be a great way to get Murdered By The Sith (even if only because they’re mad that it happened internally and they’re not the ones who did it), and suggesting that “maybe our best field agents should have free will actually” would just put a giant target on her head.

But yeah, they’re still in there, being adorable little shits, and I wish I had more well-formed thoughts about them.

[therandlegacy]

Taris SnapShots (The Rand Legacy)

Title: Taris Snapshots

Fandom: SWTOR/Star Wars The Old Republic

Featuring: Seth Rand and Corso Riggs, Sattura Rand and Kira Carsen (gen)

Synopsis: Just a couple of moments during Chapter one of the vanilla game, on the planet Taris.

Word Count: 1,797 words

Author Notes: Seth and Sattura dont know they’re both on Taris at the same time until the last possible second.

(Taris, Seth)

“This place is like a literal trash bin,” Seth muttered as he and Corso picked their way through the ruin-strewn wilderness of Coruscant. The planet had once been a city that had come close to rivaling Taris. But that was three hundred years ago before Darth Malak had bombarded it. “Like a trash bin for a galaxy-sized Giant…”

“I feel ya on that, Captain,” Corso agreed. “You think the Republic can really rebuild this place?”

Seth shrug as he ducked under a low-hanging structure that he could only assume was once a possible road….maybe a floor belonging to an upper level. It was overgrown with various fungi and plant life. Three centuries of utter abandonment and neglect wrapped around the ancient rusting duracrete and durasteel. “Maybe, but it’s going to take them a hell of a long time. Especially with the Rakghouls running around and…doing whatever it is they do.”

“Rakghouls…” Corso said with a shudder. “Don’t wanna run into those.”

(the rest is under the cut for length!)

“Well, we might, but hopefully not,” Seth said. He wasn’t about to reveal his force connection to the kid, not yet anyway. He could sense various other beings around them, mostly animals. He just assumed they were all predatory. He expected the Rakghouls would be of a similar feel. Probably feel threatened by anything, not like them, turn hostile. They hadn’t come into direct contact with any Rakghouls yet, but they hadn’t been outside the Republic Base, Olaris, for very long and it was only a matter of time. Until then, he was trying to keep himself and Corso from detection of anything nearby. There was a strange…feeling, however. It seemed to filter through the areas, possibly the planet, in waves. The feeling was like walking through spider-webs, the silky tiny strands wisping across his skin but with a heavy sense of confusion.

He was trying not to think about it too much. The faster they found that damn vault of Risha’s, the faster they could get the hells away from this death-trap garbage bin.

(Taris, Sattura)

Taris was…unsettling to say the least. Even from orbit, the young Jedi could feel the way the planet still twisted and writhed in the echos of the destruction that had been brought down on it three centuries prior. She knew her padawan and friend, Kira felt it. They’d exchanged a look when landing the ship. There was a feeling of…wispy spiderwebs that seemed to meander through the planet as if the ghosts of all the lives lost were trying to reach out and touch them.

“Doctor Godera sure picked a great vacation spot,” Kira said as they stepped out of the Olaris Spaceport.

Sattura gave an amused snort, “Pretty sure he was looking to disappear not necessarily a vacation.”

“What's the difference in a place like this?” Kira said, shaking her head. “I’m not knocking the Republic’s effort to restore the planet but…this is…” She trailed off, searching for the words.

“A substantial undertaking?” Sattura provided helpfully as they continued through the base.

“Substantial sounds like an understatement, to be honest,” Kira pointed out. “Still though…Think they can do it? Bring Taris back?”

Sattura considered for a moment, her violet gaze flitting over the ruins of buildings, skyscrapers in the distance. “It won’t happen overnight. And hopefully,its those in charge will keep their patience. I don’t think they’ll bring Taris back to it’s former glory…but I like to think that with patience and perseverance, the Republic can make it a place where people can live and build good lives.”

Kira was silent for a while as they exited the base, the scenery changing to one of ancient desolation. There was a flicker of apprehension.

“What if they don't have patience?” Kira asked.

“I don’t honestly know but…this place may remain a tomb in that regard,” Sattura answered honestly. “But the restoration and rebuilding efforts have only just begun, Kira. There’s no reason, yet, to lose hope.”

“You’re right…Well,” Kira said then took a breath, shaking off whatever had plagued her before. “We’ve got the coordinates for Doctor Godera’s little base. Shall we go knock?”

Sattura’s lips quirked in amusement before she gave a nod, “Stay alert though. I have a feeling this place has much more hiding in the shadows than the ghosts of the past.”

“Yeah like…rakghouls,” Kira said with a slight shudder.

They continued on.

(Taris, Seth and Sattura)

The day had progressed onwards and rather uneventfully for Seth and Corso. They were able to avoid the groupings of Rakghouls easily enough. Seth’s demeanor had shifted slightly, growing more and more tense the further from Olaris they got. He tried to keep it from his companion. The planet was just…unsettling to him both in the physical and in the Force. He could have shut off his focus on the Force. He did it well enough already. He didn’t use his full force potential anymore, it was a remnant of an old life but here, on Taris?

This wasn’t a place, he was willing to be fully blind in.

He heard it before he saw it but even then it was already too late.

A skittering, a sickening grotesque chitter from his left sounded before he picked up on the twisted presence in the Force. The rakghoul sprang from where it was hidden beside a tree growing around an ancient bit of rumble. His violet eyes snapped up, watching as it hurled itself towards Corso, who was reacting a second too late.

His first instinct, one he constantly had to resist, was to reach out with the Force but instead, he lifted his blaster, Anarchy, and pulled the trigger. His aim was perfect, the bolt hitting the beast in the side of the head as it flew through the air towards Corso. The impact of the bolt sent it spinning away. Corso blinked in surprise and slight confusion as Seth lowered his arm.

“Th-thanks, Cap’n,” Corso said with a slight breathlessness to him. The young farm boy was no stranger to fighting yet, even so, Seth couldn’t blame the kid for being even remotely disturbed. He wasn’t too keen on the idea of suddenly being faced with a rakghoul flying at him-

“Captain!” Corso shouted suddenly, his brown eyes fixed on a point somewhere behind the Mirialan. He was readying his own blaster when Seth heard it. The tell-tale skittering, the faint haunting chittering of not just one Rakghoul…but several of them. The blaster shot no doubt had gotten their attention. Without turning around, he could sense them, hostile and moving…fast.

Seth met Corso’s gaze and spoke one word.

“Run.”

There was little hesitation for either man, they bolted. Booted feet hitting the ground and kicking up dirt and underbrush. They ran, jumping and dodging roots, rubble. So focused on the Rakghouls chasing them, that Seth didn’t pick up on the too familiar presence he and Corso were rapidly descending upon. Not until they broke through a dense patch of foliage only to skid to a stop, blinking at the blades of green and indigo light suddenly in their path.

“Oh whoa…Uh… We’re not bad guys, I swear, Ladies,” Corso rushed out, his hands up in surrender and his brown eyes wide at the red-haired woman in front of him, her green lightsaber inches from him.

Seth’s own gaze was rising above the indigo light, the color so very familiar to him. It was as familiar as the presence he was now registering. When his violet eyes locked with eyes of the very same shade and color, he simply couldn’t believe it.

This couldn’t be real.

“Seth?” The Mirialan Jedi said his name, her voice as familiar as his own. Her violet eyes were wide in surprise, shock shifting around her in the Force.

“Sattura…” Seth said, fairly certain that his face was a mirror of hers.

His twin sister thumbed her lightsaber off, hooking the intricately carved hilt to her belt, still staring at him. Then quite suddenly, she smiled and launched herself at him. He felt affection and amusement bubble around her as he caught her easily, her laughter rich and infectious. His own laughter rumbled around them as he hugged his sister tightly. He was vaguely aware of Corso and the other Jedi were staring at the two of them, eyebrows raised.

“You’re a surprise and a half to see here,” Seth said, setting her down and resting his hands on her arms as their embrace ended. Sattura chuckled and squeezed his arm right back.

“Surprise is an understatement,” She said, tilting her head at him before stepping back from him completely. Her smile hadn’t faded and neither had his when they turned back to their respective companions.

“Kira, this is my twin brother, Seth,” Sattura started off the introduction. “Seth, this my fellow Jedi and padawan, Kira Carsen.”

“Pleasure to meet you,” Kira said, amusement glittering in her eyes as she extended her hand.

“Pleasure is all mine,” Seth said, automatically giving her a charming smirk as he took her hand. Mischief was afoot when he placed a chaste kiss on her knuckles before letting go. He didn’t have to see his sister to know she was rolling her eyes.

“Seth,” She said quietly, her voice disapproving.

“Don’t worry, Master, suave and charm don’t work well on me,” Kira laughed.

Seth chuckled then glanced at Corso, “Well, introductions yes? Corso this is my sister, Sattura. Sattura, meet the most chivalrous man this side of the Republic, Corso Riggs.”

“Nice to meet ya, Ma’am, er.. Master Jedi,” Corso said, as gentlemanly as ever, holding his hand out. Sattura gave him a warm smile, accepting his hand with a friendly shake.

“Likewise,” She said. “As you know by now, this is Kira.”

“The charming one, I would say,” Kira chuckled, giving Corso a nod of greeting.

“Oh, Corso can be really charming when he wants to be-“ Seth was saying until the memory of what he and Corso had been running from came back to him in a rush.

“Seth?”

He glanced around, eyes moving to the tree line behind them, “We’ve gotta go. Unless you fancy tangling with a mess of Rakghouls.”

“Why-“ Sattura started and it was the look on her face that told him she sensed the mindless beasts heading their way.

With a hand on her arm, he jerked his head to Corso who immediately fell into action, readying his blaster and falling behind Kira who was leading the way through the rest of the underbrush.

“Always have to make an entrance, don’t you?” Sattura chided lightly as they ran, her voice barely breathless.

“You know it, sister mine,” Seth retorted with a wink.

[anchanted-one]

Legend of Lightning Chapter 42: Problems on Tatooine

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43208574/chapters/111451216

In Orbit, Tatooine

“General, we’ve reached Tatooine.”

“Good. I can’t tell you how worried I am right now. While you were busy on other worlds, Master Kiwiiks secured our weapons facility and all subsidiary facilities. She was in the process of reviewing footage, looking for any breaches, when she sent out an urgent communique saying they were under attack. That was minutes before I called you.”

“Tell me about the Tatooine project.”

“It was codenamed the Shock Drum,” Godera cut in. “The weapon discharges massive ultrasonic vibrations into the ground, damaging enemy fortifications at a microscopic level. Literally softening them up.”

“That could be a major environmental hazard too,” Vajra said, eyes narrowing.

<Sustained electronic damage = highly destructive to droid parts.>

“But that’s not all. The Shock Drum eventually disrupts the planetary core. At critical mass, the core explodes.”

“Which is why I banned further testing,” Var Suthra cut back in. “We only recently discovered its full capabilities. However, there’s a fully operational Shock Drum prototype in the facility. If Darth Angral captured it, the results will be catastrophic. There’s little help for you down there. A few soldiers, a few SIS bases. But they’re critically understaffed thanks to the planet’s insignificance. I’ll send you the coordinates to the facility. Good luck.”

“Wait,” Kira said. “I had one question. How long can an organic hold up when exposed to the vibrations for too long? I can Sense Master Kiwiiks. She’s in great pain. This is just a hunch, but I think she’s been left to die near the Shock Drum.”

“Which means it’s been activated?!” Var Suthra sounded alarmed. “You’ve got to get started immediately!”

“Ordinary people would be killed within an hour,” Doctor Godera answered the question. “I’m sorry.”

But Var Suthra wasn’t done. “But I’ve seen Jedi who could enter trances that allowed them to endure even radioactive environments. Not to give you false hope, but if you hurry, you just might save her.”

“Let’s get ready for landing then,” Vajra said. “Come on. Let’s get the speeders and kits ready.”

*

Anchorhead Spaceport

The problems started the moment the ramp opened up to the outside world. The heat caused by Tatooine’s famous binary suns instantly started to make itself known. Stepping out into the open was torture. The sun’s rays immediately started to irritate his skin. Even the air he breathed felt hot in his lungs, to the point that breathing became difficult. His vision began to swim. He instantly had to grit his teeth to keep from screaming or cursing. He began to sweat profusely at once.

“Phew!”

“That’s fucking hot!” Kira groaned. “And not the good kind!”

“Are you okay?” He shook his head, but he couldn’t shake the haze that was descending over his mind.

“Yeah. Damn, I think we’ll need to stop somewhere—aha! There’s a shop right here! Guess they know they’ll get business from unsuspecting off-worlders. Cmon, let’s buy some more protective clothing!”

“I’ll manage.” He had to suppress a yelp as flashes of light reflected off of windowpanes brought back unwanted memories.

“But—”

“It’s fine. Pick out whatever you need.”

She gave him an uncertain look. “Okay, whatever you say, boss.”

Vajra barely paid attention as Kira picked out several thick overcoats and scarves for herself. “You sure you’re okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” he said, taking another swig of water. “The thing I need is water. At this rate, I’ll drain all of my canteens before we reach the outskirts.”

Kira looked at him for a moment before turning back to the shopkeeper. “Yeah, we’ll take two more. Can you make them both orange? Same color as his robes. And three more scarves. Thanks.” She tossed one set at him. “Put it on. It’ll help you conserve water better.”

“Fine,” he said grudgingly. “But we still need more water.”

“I hate to be the one to tell you about the drought,” the shopkeeper interrupted. “But there’s a fucking drought. Water cans are a hundred credits per bottle. For the moment. It’ll only get worse the longer you’re here.”

“Damn.”

“Hold on, I have a call incoming.”

“Jedi? Please tell me you haven’t left Anchorhead yet.”

“We’ve barely left the docking bay. Who is this?”

“My name’s Fauler. I’m a representative of the Republic. I need your help, son.”

“I’m sorry, sir. But I have an important mission.”

“Oh, I know how you’re helping Var Suthra clean up his mess—”

“Then—”

“Please, Jedi. I know, and I’m asking for help anyway. Does that tell you anything? There were others who passed through recently. Captain Stede, Captain Roban Queens. Heck, Devel Nirol from your own Order passed through forty minutes ago. Everyone’s busy… but this is important, and I’m getting desperate. Please, give me ten minutes to explain myself. I promise, you’ll agree that this is even more important than whatever project Var Suthra has locked away, or a missing Jedi Master.”

“More important than—I really wanna deck this guy,” Kira whispered. “But what do you think?”

“Ten minutes,” Vajra agreed. “But if you exaggerated or lied, I promise we’ll be angry.”

“Terrific. Come to the embassy. It’s a quick run from your location.”

*

The ‘embassy’ was more like an underground warehouse. They needed to take an elevator almost twenty meters beneath the surface to get to it.

Still, Kira was relieved to be out of those suns.

They were put on their guard when they saw the hole in the door. They entered cautiously, and came upon thirteen people in green and yellow uniform. Twelve of them held the last at gunpoint.

“…ly tracked you down, Kamus. You stole important documents. Czerka doesn’t take industrial sabotage lightly. We’ve come to… terminate your services.”

Two of his comrades laughed stupidly, but Kira saw one roll his eyes.

The threat was enough for the boss. He rushed in at once, Lightsaber igniting with a snap-hiss that echoed in this cramped facility. He placed himself between the shooters and their target, with a growled “Oh, I don’t think so!”

“JEDI!” someone screamed, and all twelve thugs grew much more wary.

“You know the policy,” the leader with the lame sense of humor said. “No survivo—I mean witnesses. Open fire!”

“Blasters?” The boss scoffed as a wall of blue plasma reflected his attackers’ blaster bolts right back at them. “Seriously, guys?”

“Oah…” the last one whimpered softly as he went down.

“I mean, it has to be common knowledge by now that we can do this trick, so why does everyone still think blasters are a good idea?” Kira asked the young man cowering behind the boss.

“I don’t know, ma’am!”

“Oh well. Not that we’re complaining. We’re sort of in a hurry.”

“We’re looking for one Mister Fauler.”

“Here’s Fauler!” the man himself came running into the room. “Someone called? Ugh! Come on, Kamus! You know how I feel about corpses in my workspace!”

The man called Kamus looked at him incredulously. “You—you were supposed to be here! I was supposed to be under your protection!”

“Sorry, Kamus. As an ‘official Republic representative, I have to at least look like I’m being diplomatic with the locals!”

The boss looked at his chrono. “You’ve got seven more minutes.”

“What? Oh, come on!”

“Time is life. We have a bomb about to go off nearby—”

“A bomb!?” Kamus squeaked.

“—but you said your job is way more important. Tell me why. Six-forty.”

“Okay, okay!” Fauler began to speak in a hurried tone, dropping his salesman persona at once. “Point one. I’m not a diplomat, I’m with the SIS. And my current headache… oh, sod it! Kamus, cliff notes, fast!”

“I’m an employee for Czerka corp, and I found a bunch of documents describing a billion-credit research facility for the study of a ‘type-seven device.’”

“That’s Czerka shorthand for planet-killers,” Fauler finished.

The boss and Kira looked at each other. “So what you’re saying is that Czerka has designed a superweapon?”

“No, they found one here,” Kamus replied. “On Tatooine. It’s beyond ancient, according to the documents.”

“They actually dug it up decades ago, but abandoned it for reasons we’re not clear on. Not entirely, at least. It sounds like the device went haywire, and Czerka bailed rather than clean it up.”

“I think we’re sold,” the boss said defeatedly. Kira knew how he felt. There was no way they could ignore this one now. “What do you need us to do?”

“Oh, thank you so much!” Fauler seized one of the boss’ hands and shook it hard. “You’re a lifesaver! Oh. Time. Mission. Right. So, we need you to search Czerka’s old compound. It’s close to the place where Var Suthra’s facility’s at. About a klick and a half away, as a matter of fact. If you each take one objective, you should be done in—oh, four hours, tops?”

“Four hours?”

“Both of them. You should be done with both of them in four hours. Here, take this comm. It’s a secure line back to me. And only to me.”

“Master,” Kira whispered as they made their way out. “Maybe we should split up.”

The boss hesitated, then shook his head. “I know why you’d say that, but we can’t.”

“But why not? Both objectives are critical. We need to find the Shock Drum before it destroys the planet, but we also need to thwart Czerka. And Master Kiwiiks might not have hours, even the planet does.”

The boss fumbled for a bit before getting his answer straight. “This world… it’s different from Nar Shaddaa or Coruscant. Different from Taris, even. The heat and terrain are so disorienting, and we haven’t even left town yet. I almost lost my head twice getting here from the spaceport. If anything goes wrong, the closest help will be kilometers away.”

“I guess that makes sense…”

He nodded, looking apprehensive. “I understand how you feel, though. This situation… why do we have to be the ones to deal with this? Is Havoc Squad’s mission so much more important than ours? Is Juun’s? Master Nirol’s? Why is it that we get stuck with so many ‘superweapons?’ It wasn’t cool the first time around!” He clammed up after that. Kira couldn’t help but agree.

The boss stumbled and cursed when he stepped out into the sun, reminding Kira to brace herself.

*

No one spoke on the ride out. The suns beat down on them like sledgehammers despite this model of speeder coming with a roof. As the boss predicted, they ran through two bottles before their first hour was out. Kira began to feel dizzy and nauseous despite that medicine she’d taken earlier. At least it kept her from throwing up. She really didn’t want to lose any more water than she had to right now.

“I think that’s it,” the boss said after three hours at top speed. “How strange… I Sense people down there, but can’t see anything except those large woolly beasts...”

<Beast nomenclature = bantha.> T7 informed them. <Their presence = indicates || Tuskens = also present. Tuskens = Sand People = natives: hostile, nomadic, territorial.>

Kira squinted. “I see… I think… yes, I can see movement down there! They’re well camouflaged!"

“I see a few blasters pointed at us. T7, set us down on high ground. We don’t want to lose our ride out here.”

<Affirmative.>

“Kira?”

“Yes, Master?”

“Does the language implant cover their language?”

“I… I don’t think so.”

“I feel bad attacking them. All those guns trained on us, and not one shot fired yet. Let’s try diplomatic first.”

*

The two Jedi approached the closest Tusken slowly, arms outstretched. Vajra felt his head swimming. The air was scorching his throat as he breathed, and the blur of mirage made the air shimmer a mere ten feet away. His head ached so badly, it felt like there was someone trying to break his way out with a hammer and chisel. He had to draw on every iota of his will to keep from stumbling or slipping.

As he walked, he kept an eye on the natives. They regarded him with open hostility, but did not fire. “Do you speak basic?” he asked. “I’d like to talk first.”

The Tuskens did not move for a second, then one stood up. He barked several phrases in an unknown language.

“Can you wait a second?” Vajra asked before reaching for his comm. Five guns refocused on him as he moved. “C2? I need a translator here. I’m speaking to the Tuskens. Do you know their language?”

“Why, of course, Master!” The droid cried out in delight. “I would be delighted to be of service to you!”

“Tell them that I don’t want to fight. Tell them that I request safe passage on their lands.” He coughed, the effort of speaking burning his throat.

C2 complied, replying in the same barks and trumpets that the Tusken had used. The Tusken considered the droid, then responded.

“He wants to know our reason for… ah, visiting.”

Vajra licked his chapped lips. The Tuskens seemed to multiply before his eyes. “Tell them that... that there’s two bombs on this planet which can destroy everything for miles.”

The Tusken’s reply was curt.

“He finds that answer unconvincing, Master.”

“What can we do to persuade him? What if we’re not lying?” He had to take another long draught of water as he waited for the translation.

“He allows that the invaders—offworlders—have brought many dangerous weapons onto these sands. What we say might be true. But he is not happy. He says that this proves that we’re not to be trusted. We’re always coming up with new ways to kill.”

“The Jedi protect. We do not build such weapons.”

There was a stir among the Tuskens for a moment.

“He asks us to wait. They are going to call their chief. He says to not move.”

“Can you tell him we’re not used to this heat? We need a place out of the suns.”

“They agree, but they will not share their black melons with you. I gather that’s where they get their water from.”

“Thank you. And thank you too, C2. Please stand by.”

Shade was difficult to find out here, since rays from two suns covered more ground, literally. In addition, the sands reflected a lot of those rays right back into the air. In the end, one of the Tuskens reluctantly invited them into their tents.

Just as reluctantly, Vajra offered him one of his bottles as thanks. The Tusken looked at him for a moment, then accepted.

“While I like the idea of repaying courtesy with courtesy, this leaves us with just four and a half more bottles each.” Vajra looked at Kira wordlessly, fighting for words. “Are you okay, Master? You look—”

“Better now that we’re out of the sun,” he rasped. “But I’m starting to hate this world. If Master Kiwiiks wasn’t trapped here, I might be willing to just leave this dustball.” He considered his own words for a moment. “After evacuating the people, of course. I’m sure there’s any number of worlds which are better than this one.”

“Yeah. Binary suns… what a riot!” Kira coughed hard into her fist.

*

The chief arrived several minutes later. He conversed with the Tusken on guard for several seconds, looked over the water bottle Vajra had given them, then entered to speak.

“He says that they will give us permission to walk their sands,” C2 translated. “But in exchange, they want this lab in two weeks, including the moisture vaporators.”

“Tell them they have a deal.”

The Tuskens gave Vajra and Kira each a gaffi stick.

“These staves are proof of our deal today. Do not betray it.”

“Thank you for your kindness. We will not forget it.”

The Sand people escorted Vajra inside the lab.

Ah, finally! Shade at last!

The Tuskens had already occupied most of the facility, except for several rooms on the top floor which they were busily trying to crack open.

The chieftain spoke, and the warriors stood aside for the Jedi. Vajra approached the door and pressed the intercom. “Hello? Is anyone inside?”

“Y…y…y…y…”

“My name is Vajra, and I have my Padawan Kira with me. We’re Jedi.”

“Oh… ohh thank goodness! Give us a minute, we’ll get the door open for you!”

“You should know, the Tuskens are still here. We basically came to an arrangement.”

There was silence for a minute. Like the rest of Tatooine, it was a hot one. The bad pun made Vajra want to hit himself. Also… Why did it have to be about the heat!?

“You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I offered terms, they accepted. No one else dies right now.”

There was a sigh. “I’ll take what I can get. At least they haven’t killed any of us yet.”

The door opened to reveal several beings inside. One—probably the one who’d spoken up earlier—was an older human woman with dark skin. The rest were small creatures in hooded brown robes. The only thing he could see was their bright yellow eyes.

“Come on in, Jedi. My name is Hare’en. I’m a seismologist. And these adorable little rascals are my family.”

One of the short aliens spoke in a rapid language.

“I’ll… need translation,” Vajra sighed.

“His name is Brikk. This is his crew. What’s left of them after the Tuskens got the rest.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“Don’t be. Jawas tend to be light-fingered. Brikk’s crew tried to steal from the Tuskens, so the attack wasn’t completely unwarranted.”

Brikk said something else.

“He’s glad the Tuskens aren’t fighting this time, however. Fewer dead people.”

“You’re in charge of the Shock Drum Project?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Where are the other scientists?”

“They were shipped off-world before the Sith came.”

“Why? I thought they’d be needed to make sure all the documents had been gathered up!”

“Well, that’s what the droids are for.” She pointed at the dozen or so droids still at work in the room.

“Fair enough, I suppose. Now, we need to know what happened here.”

“Well… I don’t know where to start,” Hare’en looked around at the Jawas. “I guess I can start right before things started going south. About three months ago, we finished building the Shock Drum Prototype and used it to level a large block of reinforced ferrocrete. It was then we realized that the Shock Drum’s true potential. Var Suthra, General back then, ordered us to stop developing the weapon and instead look for ways to combat its effects. Shortly after, the Planet Prison incident began.

“Master Kiwiiks showed up, openly annoyed about the weapons projects. But she kept things civil, and helped us wind up our work properly, as opposed to just demanding it all be over with a snap of her fingers. Things were going smoothly until we got invaded by a small army of Imperials. We had defenses, but the Sith in charge tore through them like a wave through a sand castle—”

“Please don’t say sand!”

“Sorry. Anyway. He overwhelmed our defenses and entered the facility. Master Kiwiiks tried to fight him, but he defeated her after a short fight. Took her alive. He left with the Shock Drum. That was… when was that again?” The Jawa chittered. “About five hours ago. No more than six.”

“So it hasn’t been too long yet!” Kira burst out. “We can still save her!”

“And the Sith spared you?” Vajra asked.

“Well… yes. I found it odd, now that you think about it. I lost five brothers, three sisters and an adopted son to marauding Sith. Strange that this one let us go… he seemed almost… disgusted by the idea. He all but ignored us.”

The Jawa interjected, but Hare’en shook her head. “No, he may have destroyed your droids, but he didn’t harm us. He said we were no threat, and didn’t deserve to die!”

“Never known a Sith that could show mercy,” Kira snorted.

“He wasn’t kind, but I certainly wouldn’t call him cruel.”

“So he’s taken my old master, and left with the Shock Drum. Which is about to destroy the planet. Where does that leave us?”

“Brikk, his crew and I were attempting to restore power so we could triangulate the Drum’s location, but the Sand People attacked. Now, if we could just connect the generators…”

“I’ll help. I’m not bad with machines.”

“Since you don’t seem to understand Jawaese, I’d rather you didn’t. You could just get in each other’s way.”

“Alright.”

“Master, we can look into that old Jerka base while we’re waiting.”

“Good call. Let’s go.”

“Wait, what’s this about the Czerka base?”

“Turns out, there’s more than one superweapon on this planet,” Vajra replied, feeling exhausted. He massaged his throbbing temples. “And no one else is ever available.” He had to clam his jaw to keep from ranting again. “Hey, I don’t suppose you have any more water cannisters in here? We’re going through our supply at a dangerous pace.”

“New to this kind of clime? Shame. It takes years and years to get used to it. We have a few tanks of water in the basement, and the vaporators around the facility, but please don’t take too much. We have a lot of mouths to feed. Especially since—” she looked at the Tuskens. “It looks like there will be more people than expected.”

“Come on then. Sooner we get this done, the better.”

*

The Czerka facility was overrun by Gamorreans, who weren’t happy to see two Jedi waltz right in. They put up quite a fight.

The boss allowed Kira to take this one solo, which pleased her. It allowed her to better test where she was at, skills-wise. Her Master was a good Lightsaber instructor and a better friend, but way too good a fighter. Whenever he charged ahead, it was an exercise in futility trying to get in on the action.

And then there were times like Nar Shaddaa, where the boss was just extra kind to Kira.

So today was special. It was the first time since Ord Mantell where he let her fight alone.

The Gamorreans weren’t Jedi or Sith, but they were two meters of raw power. Faster than they looked too. And in such numbers, a threat to any overconfident Jedi.

Kira flipped elegantly over the trio of charging brutes with their vibroaxes, then riposted the blow from a vibrosword. The Saberstaff spun in her hand, throwing the swordsman’s center of gravity into empty space. He collided with two of the Gams behind her. The third joined two others in a combined attack as a fourth held back, waiting for the trio to give him an opening. Which was when she finally noticed the pattern.

Nice job, genius. Only took you five quartets to see through their plan. Guess learning the Lightsaber isn’t the same as learning to be a warrior. Still, I did take down five quartets!

She parried two more axes, then sidestepped the third, which broke on contact with the floor. The power behind the blow surprised her… either that, or the axehead had grown weak from use.

“That’s it,” she nodded approvingly. “Use the force!” She stabbed the shocked Gamorrean through the chest. His comrades attacked with loud squeals, but by now she was used to their attack pattern. It was a simple matter of dodging one, parrying the other, then using momentum to turn her blade into his face. She then speared the stumbling Gamorrean with a downward thrust.

The three stunned Gams stood up and tried again. This time she killed the point man, kicked his dying body into the next one in line, sheared off the third one’s neck, and finally slew the one on the floor.

All seven who still stood squealed and trembled… but they did not break ranks. Family and bonds were everything to these porcine humanoids. Loyalty. It was something Kira could truly respect them for.

They eventually got their morale back and charged. After facing wave after wave of four-Gamorrean teams, the team of seven looked a little daunting. But she managed it.

Dodge, swing. Flip, cut. Parry, stab. Spin kick, cut. Triple cut. Duck, upward jab. She ended with a spinning slash.

“What do you think?” she gasped happily.

“Nice work!” the boss clapped. “Your Lightsaber skills are superb now. But you need to work on things like tactical and situational awareness.”

“Yeah, it took me way too long to realize they were coming at me in groups of four.”

“In addition, you worked up quite a sweat. Bad on this world.”

“Oh, shit,” Kira cursed, finally noticing that her clothes were soaked through.

He handed her a water bottle. “Drink it all,” he instructed her. “And don’t worry about our rations. We can take some from their stores afterwards. He nodded at the downed Gamorreans. “Now stay back. Catch your breath. Cool down. The last thing we need is for you to go all out like that again.”

Kira sat down on a nearby crate, trying to ignore the smell of burnt flesh. She started to feel a little guilty about what she’d just done. She had killed almost forty of these poor guys. They may have been low-level bandits, but did they really deserve to die like this?

She finally understood why her poor friend had almost crumpled after each fight with the Khrayii. He had killed just over two and a half thousand of those savages. Each encounter had left him looking like he had been forced to bite his own heart out. And then there were the Power Guards…

Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit! She hadn’t realized it until now! Well, she had, but never truly appreciated it! She felt a dizziness totally unrelated to the heat of Tatooine.

I owe him a few big favors, she realized. More than I thought I did.

As she watched, T7 unlocked the blast door into the next room. There were a pair of humans inside, along with four more Gamorreans. There was also a man on holo.

“So, what do you say? Do we have a deal?” the man on the holo asked.

The lead Gamorrean—who was dressed in heavy ceremonial armor, marking him as a warlord—grunted assent.

“Marvelous! I have absolutely no idea what you just said, my indelicate friend, but marvelous!"

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” the boss poked his head in. “But I can’t let Czerka claim what’s in that base.”

“Silly Jedi,” the caller scoffed. “What’s inside already belongs to Czerka. You don’t have the authority to take it.”

“It was yours until you abandoned it. Tatooine laws, not mine. And why is Czerka after such a dangerous machine, anyway?”

“I see that rat Kamus hasn’t squeaked about everything just yet. Don’t worry, you won’t live long enough for your lack of insight to matter. Boys, kill him if you will.”

Kira was quite interested in how the boss would approach this fight.

Normally he played a game of attrition, teasing enemies by jumping from one to the next, overwhelming them with his skill and mobility. Today, he went with economy.

One hit, one kill. Minimum movement. He slid out of one attack vector after another, his Lightsaber moving in one, continuous arc to slay each enemy as they reached him. The Czerka mercenaries, predictably, fell to their own reflected blaster fire, though the leader—the one who had held the holocomm—attacked in melee. He fell with the Gams.

Master Vajra crushed the comm beneath his heel as, unprompted, T7 casually rolled up to the computer beyond and began downloading the files.

“Real smooth, Master,” Kira grinned as she walked up to him. She frowned. “Hey, you alright? Not torn up about killing Czerka goons, are you?”

“No…” he said in a small voice. “The exertion was a bit much.”

“I’m sorry?” Kira didn’t quite hear that, but he didn’t repeat his words.

“Hey, can you look for the clan’s water reserves while we wait? I’ll stay and guard T7.”

“Of course, Master. Mind if I just bring it here?”

“Go on.”

Luckily, Gamorreans were not the smartest people. Nor did they have the best short-term memories. Hiding things was difficult for them, as it wasn’t uncommon for them to forget where they left things. The more important something was, the more obvious its location.

The water cans were left lying all over the base. In fact, Kira had rested her ass on one of them. She hummed a merry tune as she filled the empty bottles—the Force was so convenient, allowing her to lift up a twenty-kilo tank like it was nothing—then returned to the adjoining room.

“Our stores are full!” she said brightly, handing over a bottle. “We can even load up a few onto our speeders just in case.”

“Good,” he said after draining it in one go. “We sent the data, we’re just waiting on—ah, perfect.”

His holo started chiming right on cue.

“Hey there, Jedi. We finished looking through some of the data. We also got a call from one ‘Gayem Leksende.’ He was gloating about how he killed you, and promised he’d come for us next.”

“I have no idea who that is.”

“He’s a rich-boy cyborg with a love for dirty work. His dad’s an executive, so he’s enjoyed a life of virtual immunity from consequences.”

“Oh. Sounds like Tarnis, actually.”

“Anyway, he said he was filing an official complaint with the Republic that we’re disputing Czerka’s property rights.”

“Including their ‘rights’ to me,” Kamus interjected sourly. “I read my contract thoroughly! There’s no indenture clause in there! They must have inserted it afterwards if they’re claiming it's there!"

“Don’t worry, my friend! Since you’ve got your original contract with you, we can easily dispute their claims. Still, their representatives in the Senate can excuse any ‘incidents.’”

“Give me their names. I’ll deal with them.”

“Whoa there, boss! That sounded a little dark!”

“Sorry. So what have you found out?”

“One of the files was a personnel listing!” Kamus said excitedly. “It named everyone who worked for the facility!”

“Most of the employees are long gone, but there’s still one out there. He can help us find the facility. His name’s Grommik Kurthson. He was a drifter for a while, until he bought a moisture farm. And the sweet part? It’s close to where you are. Right next door in fact. Just a twenty-minute drive.”

“Great. Let’s get started then.”

Kira noticed her Master freeze and clench his teeth, but neither of them mentioned it. It was just the heat, that’s all.

*

[hennymaestro]

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