Star Wars: Rogue Knight II Return Of The Sith

Still in Hyperspace. 8 days till Dandoran

I stared at the screen rotating the ship designer that I borrowed from Clarisse Kuat. She had nice toys on her pad.

Let's see, a cone here, and a cone there. A flat bottom.

On top of the ship, a hemispherical turret, containing a single turbolaser. 360 degrees firing arc, 90 degrees elevation, 35 degrees depression.

In front and under the ship, another hemispherical turret, with another turbolaser. Allowing the turret to fire under the ship as well, much like gun turrets on helicopters back home.

Power-plant, the largest cruiser model. It barely fit in a 150 meters long hull. Okay then, elongate the ship to 200 meters.

Internal space doubled, now I had room for two torpedo launchers and mark 1.0 hyper-drives.

Hmmm, what about escape pods and shuttles? No room for them inside. Outside it was then. For every meter more, the cost in materials tripled. Landing pads for shuttles. If wet navies did it, space navies would have it much easier. No winds or waves.

Next armor. Cheapest variant, durasteel. One meter in front, half a meter the rest. Add another layer of armor on the turrets.

Half of meter of armor for the power-plant and the bridge.

Bulkheads every 10 meters, to reduce inevitable loses once hull was breached.

The hypothetical power levels remained at 68%, if accelerating at maximum sublight speeds.

Add 10 external flak laser batteries. Power decreased to 88%. 10 more missile launchers. Power at 95% now.

I closed my eyes, trying to visualize the ship, strafing and firing at a star destroyer. One salvo, two salvos...and dead.

But, a star destroyer would cost 1000 times more. The sheer volume of a 2 kilometers long ship, and the amount of electronics and technology implied. Another simulation, a thousand Pef destroyers, flanking a star destroyer.

One salvo, critical damage. Another salvo, boom. Return fire eliminated 50 sh.i.p.s? That's 5% attrition per battle. Without using my torpedoes. My money would destroy 20 of their money easily.

It will take more work, but I had a plan now. I wondered idly if Kenobi would buy my design. He was now in charge of GAR, and probably the appropriation funds. And he had a wife...

The Banking Guild would certainly buy it, though I doubted I would remain alive long enough to spend any.

The Hutts the same, only I would be forced to fight some rankors first.

Maybe I should turn back, and ally myself with the Zinsj? No point.

In a decade or two, the Vong come. And minor empires would be swept away.

Plus, when the Sith return, Zinsj will be dead. Like, in a month. They don't like to share power...

Veil was also Mandalore, so...no point going there.

The galaxy felt a bit small. Corellia maybe? They might not have much industry by now.

Mon Calamari? The squids were cool, in movies. But their sh.i.p.s were all works of art. No modularity, no efficiency.

Strength through art.

"What is that, Pef?" The girl asked, peeking over my shoulder.

I stayed silent, just rotating the ship on the screen.

"A weapon" I said softly, patting her hand.

"You invented it, just now. My prodigy!" she exclaimed, and wrapped around me like a soft blanket.

"I should scale it down a little. Maybe 10 percent smaller. Speed would increase by 5%, costs would decrease by 5%..." I mused out loud, tapping gently on the length slider. Hmmm, reaching the size limits due to the power-plant.

For a galaxy that has been at war for 40 thousands years, the technology progressed a bit slowly. Or maybe every advance made was lost, when the next galactic power came into power.

Some force was suppressing certain technologies, like artificial intelligence or sonic weapons.

There were myths of droid revolts, in the past.

Was the force itself a supercomputer, created by some aliens in a distant past?

"I don't think Kuat will build your ship. We like big, menacing sh.i.p.s, able to take on entire fleets by themselves" Clarisse argued, probably being right.

"50 million inhabited planets. The one who builds my sh.i.p.s will have a market for millions of years to come" I replied, saving the design and forgetting about it.

"Hmmm. Astromech droids are quite cheap as well. We could start a dynasty, the two of us" the girl rasped in my ear. She wants to start said dynasty right now, doesn't she?

"Let's wait on making heirs just yet. Staying sane is my priority just now" I told her, falling back into the force.

More deaths, large numbers around Corellia and Kuat. Kamino was still a wound in the force, screaming of death and pain.

Staying away then.

Could I balance the force mechanically, like a cosmic scale? Do a few good deeds here, a few bad things there?

I should sleep, and wait for my tree. But how?

"Did you see any drugs around?" I asked the girl.

"Some, yes. We're getting high?" she asked curious, smiling dreamily at me.

Damn it. I did this to her, with my Jedi mind tricks.

My own emotions, superimposed over hers. She was imprinted now.

But how, I never had this ability...unless it was something about the scream. About Kamino.

I felt it, even from this other side of the galaxy.

I went to prepare a week dose for both of us, rifling through the possessions of the former crew, and balancing the mixture with the force. Alchemy, my first recipe.

The girl went first, then I programmed myself to wake every day, check the course, and fix us a protein drink.

Our minds were melding, hers and mine becoming a single psyche. Our knowledge, our emotions becoming fluid and flowing from one vessel to another. If she had the force, she might have resisted, but like this, not at single chance.

The ysalmir sapling was our only hope.

=RK=

Interlude Pef

In hyperspace, 12 hours from Danderon

The drug haze began to lift, and I woke up feeling very tired.

I turned my head, and noticed the n.a.k.e.d girl sleeping beside me.

I lifted her gently and carried her to the shower, then washed us both, my motions mechanical.

Damn you stupid me. You had to give in into your baser instincts. Not that Clarisse would mind.

The water woke her as well, and she gazed at me with adoration.

"Took you long enough" she muttered, eyes dancing over my body. She seemed quite happy.

"Some things are unavoidable. I even heard that Skywalker was born without a father" I said instead, pouring liquid soap over her.

"Don't do this. Don't blame the force. I can feel your attraction to me" she replied, hugging me tight.

And I did like her. But this...

Oh well, we'll know soon enough. Once in the shadow of the tree, our true feelings will be revealed.

"You have to clean the bed" I told her instead, then walked out of the shower.

A muffled scream was heard a bit later, but I couldn't care less.

My other mind messed with the nav computer. Or we accelerated somehow, as our destination was much closer than it should be.

A few more taps, checking the last login. 12 hours ago.

When I should have woke up. But someone else did.

Schizophrenia now. Multiple personalities, diffracted from my main one. D.e.s.i.r.es given form.

This one had been a lover. But what about the next? Will I one day wake up to find a horse head on my pillow?

Find Clarisse devoid of blood or skin? Find a thermal detonator reaching the last second on the countdown?

No wonder the Jedi gathered all force s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.es strong enough to be felt. The force was a sickness.

And without training, it drove people mad. Telekinesis on your own brain.

If you could transmute chemical formulas in drugs, you could transmute biochemical receptors in your own brain.

Alter memories, personalities, skills and reflexes.

How could you tell what was real or not?

I tested the bullet time, and indeed, it worked flawlessly now. No need for pain to trigger it.

A few steps at hyperspeed, check on Clarisse, frozen while gathering the covering on the bed.

More flash steps, enter the hold. Pick up the cattle prod, convert the force into electricity.

The current worked naturally, seemingly unaffected by my bullet time.

Blaster then, pick one up, fire at target. Step twice, parry with the prod.

The blaster bolt moved slower. Slow enough to appear in front of it.

I let the speed go, and felt the drain. Like I climbed a mountain, carrying another mountain on my back. But was the drain real? To hold a spaceship with your mind, it would take a billion times more power.

I took a deep breath, and tried again. Then again.

Soon the cargo hold was full of barely moving blaster bolts, floating in slow motion.

Gather them like arrows, then will them to stop.

Time froze. The current on my prod slowed as well, the lightning arcs moving slowly, like grass in the wind.

Almost there. But not yet.

I stepped in front of a thousands bolts, and placed the prod horizontally.

It's just one thousands bolts. Masters on Geonosis survived ten thousands at once.

Release.

The impact blew away my prod, and me into the wall.

But the energy was gone. No, not gone. Absorbed.

Now, I just had to do the same thing, to my mind.

Fracture it into a thousand bits, then absorb them.

I jumped and floated towards the cargo bay's door. Then went to help my woman clean the sheets.

It was my mess to clean.

My actions, my responsibility. The moron fragment of my mind was still me, I just had to accept him back.

And maybe recover the memories too. The girl had to have been awake too.

I somehow felt cheated, like I missed a great scene in a book. If that book was your own life.

Bad Pef, don't cheat on me with my girl. Not cool bro.

Soon, the rest of day passed, in preparation for the Hutt deal.

Green slugs, personalities similar to dragons, possible esoteric tech, bio sentient weapons or such.

In my memories, their core systems resisted the Vong on their own.

But Zul the Hutt was not a prince. Smuggling weapons and forbidden plants.

He should be manageable.

Worst case, I went Sith on his a.s.s.

No, his entourage was the problem. There would be mercenaries and bounty hunters, maybe even some force sorcerers.

There were thousands of force cults in the galaxy, and their priests had real powers too.

Turning force users into batteries for magitech. Draining life and extending their own. Thousands of potential abilities, discovered accidentally over thousands of years.

I wasn't ready.

But then, I was out of time too. Without the tree, I would go mad and burn planets for fun.

I flicked the com open, just as our ship dropped out of hyperspace.

"Corellian freighter, identify and state reason for being in Hutt space" I heard on the com, and a cruiser changed course to intercept, launching fighters as well.

"Delivery of electronics for Zul the Hutt, from planet Farana" I answered immediately.

"You are early, why?" the voice asked nervous.

"Planet Farana was invaded. I had to leave sooner" I answered amused.

"We will check. Do not power up your engines" the voice replied, tone returning to normal. The cruiser also turned back, only its fighters remaining on intercept.

Seems everything was good.

A minute later, a holocom link began ringing.

I answered.

A monochrome hutt regarded me suspicious.

"You're not my Zabrak" he stated coldly.

"I'm Pef, from planet Farana. The other crew did not survive. But I brought your cargo" I answered politely, patting my stomach. Zabrak meat was quite heavy.

"Hmmm. You think yourself clever. Very well. Land and deliver. Business must go on, yes?" he replied rhetorically, then the transmission ended.

A flutter in the force, almost like hope. Someone down there was very glad to hear me.

A slave, most likely.

"Corellian freighter, you can land at following coordinates. May the Great Hunt bring you glory" the voice spoke, and transmitted a set of coordinates.

Damn it. What is this Hunt?

=RK=

Hutt planet Dandoran, Hutt space.

Clarisse landed the spaceship without a hitch, while I was watching and learning.

Simulators are not the real thing after all, and atmospheric flight is tricky.

An honor guard of Trandoshans and Gaamorans waited as the ship's hatch was lowered. Blasters at the ready.

"Come in, come in, we have cookies!" I exclaimed, motioning them inside. They entered suspicious, weapons pointing in all directions.

Clarisse was sitting on a crate, pretending to clean her blaster.

"Who is that, why did you not report you have crew?" a mercenary demanded, pointing his blaster at me.

"My pilot. Now, take the crates and get going will you?" I replied, ignoring the weapon.

"Zul will hear about this. Not according to plan, this is" another mercenary commented, and started complaining in his com.

Yeah, well. Many things are not according to plan. We just have to adapt.

Probably they had eyes on my ship.

They went to check the crates, and noted the blaster damage on the exterior.

"Merchandise appears damaged. Blaster fire, and recent" A trandoshan noticed, and marked some things on his pad.

Man, for smugglers, they were really competent.

I just shrugged. Seeing not response on my part, they went to inventory the crates.

A few extra containers were removed carefully from the droid part crates and placed gently on some grav plates.

Damn it. I knew I had missed something.

Bacta containers, Kyber crystals, seismic charges. More and more goodies were arranged on grav plates and transported outside.

The other crates were transported out with much less care.

"You didn't steal anything. Zul will be pleased. Now, you have to go meet with his Excellency" the trandoshan said, tapping on his pad with speed.

I took a holo snap with my own pad, then walked outside. Another snap of the crates being loaded on trucks.

"What are you doing? This shipment isn't your business anymore!" a gamoran exclaimed, and tried to snatch my pad.

"I haven't been paid. This is insurance" I replied, breaking his arm with a flick of my prod. He cradled his arm, and looked around for support. Not even his buddies seem to care, so he just stomped the ground and left, climbing inside a truck awkwardly.

"Proximity mines are armed Pef. Good hunting!" Clarisse yelled from inside the hold, then closed the hatch.

The mercs looked at each other with confusion.

I just sighed, like it was everyday business and hoped into a truck. Mercs boarded in all of the trucks in pairs, and we moved out, heading for a distant mountain. A palace of sorts, dug inside the mountain. Standard SOP for Hutts.

"The Zabrak is gone?" the closest merc asked in a bored tone.

"I was hungry" I answered, patting my belly with a smile. The trandoshan smiled back.

"Zabrak taste like young bantha" he mused, picking his way too big teeth.

"Ocsinin taste better" I mused wistfully. He blinked at me, then back at the ship.

"You have strong guts" he replied, something like awe in his aura.

"Just imagine, a galaxy filled with alien species. It would take a billion years to try them all!" I exclaimed grandly, pointing at the sky.

The gamoran next to me shuffled away, sliding on the bench towards the back of the truck, a hand placed defensively on his neck.

I smiled angelically at him, then paped my tongue, like tasting the air.

He mewled weekly and hid behind his shoulder. Intimidation +1.

"Zul has a pet rancor" the trandoshan said conversationally, eying me curious.

"Is it an undead rancor?" I asked, feigning calmness. Of course the Hutt would have a rancor. Why not?

"Smells like one, at least" the trandoshan replied with a sigh, probably disappointed I wasn't scared.

"A.d.u.l.t rancors are great mounts. They can speak too" I mused out loud, trying to remember vague images of Dathomir.

The trandoshan lost his smile, looking at me like I was a monster.

Intimidation +2.

We reached the palace in silence, the mercs too weirded out to try more idle chat.

Zul the Hutt was big. Bigger than any sapient being had the right to be. Is he a dragon pup, not yet evolved. The eyes looked reptilian as well.

"Pef, of planet Farana" the Hutt stated the obvious, looking at me from high above.

"That's me, your humongous Excellency"

"I hear some damage was done to my cargo" he tried negotiating.

"The crates perhaps. I have holos proving the interior is intact" I replied firmly.

"So you do. I will need those holos deleted" he demanded, pulling a chain and making a young woman fan him arduously.

She seemed familiar somehow, and very much present in the force. A Jedi. Her bikini left little to wonder about.

"Of course. As soon as my payment is complete" I answered with a huge smile. His eyes narrowed.

Trap door underneath, possible rancor too.

The Hutt signaled to some attendant, who ran towards me with a cred chip. One million credits. That shipment was worth at least one hundred more. Don't be too greedy Pef. Only the tree matters.

"The shipment has been paid. Now, about the next thing on my transport route..." I began my gambit.

"Delete those holos, you promised" the Hutt argued, raising a finger. I didn't want that finger to go down.

"Yes yes. And so I did. Now, what could I want from you in exchange?" I mused, looking around the palace for something valuable. Plenty of gems and weapons, even some armors. Paintings, and statues. Almost like a dragon hoard.

"Just one thing Pef. You are clever, and I like you, but don't be too greedy" the Hutt growled, clenching his fist.

The tension in the room lowered, and hope spiked from the slaved Jedi. Oh well, I could use a teacher, if it came for free.

"Fine. I'll take the fan girl. Pretty little thing" I allowed magnanimously, and started deleting the holos.

The Hutt laughed, like he was in on the joke.

"Once the sapling is delivered, you won't be so glad of her service" Zul the Hutt explained, throwing her leash at me.

He clapped his tiny hands, and grav plate carrying an olbio tree was brought out, from an alcove behind the Hutt.

So, that's how he controlled the Jedi.

I narrowed my eyes. Something wasn't right. The tree wasn't force limiting. Damn it.

I knew I forgot something. The tree was a life support for something else. I made a show of taking out my pad and checking the manifest.

"My pad says ysalmir sapling. I see no ysalmir" I gambled.

"Not stupid after all. Apologies, my young courier. You can pick something else, for your cleverness" The Hutt boomed, now his aura visible. Ah, the crate with grates on it. A lizard or such, very small.

An attendant placed the crate on the grav pallet, next to the tree.

I walked around the treasures, looking for something important. Plenty valuables, but nothing sprang out as force plot.

Oh well. Mandalorian armor then. Quite rare and expensive. I pointed it out to the attendant and he ran to pack it up.

"Pef. You have a bright future ahead. I look forward to your Great Hunt" Zul said, laughing and waving me away.

There was more I was missing, but I guess I'll find out. One day.

I climbed on the grav pallet, next to my slave and the ysalmir. Damn memories.

I remembered it involved a tree, but not the specifics. And almost failed to get it.

Peace enveloped me, pushing away the madness. I looked at the Jedi, trying to remember where I knew her from.

"Geonosis maybe?" I muttered, too loud.

"Jedi Knight Bultar Swan. And yes, I was at Geonosis" the woman answered, pointing at her shackles with hope.

"Good. I can use another force user on my ship" I said, my eyes going over her body. Burn scars, whip marks. A bit too thin.

She was mistreated, in captivity.

"I'm still a slave, aren't I?" she realized, watching me examine her for flaws.

"Indentured worker. You have to pay your debt to me. And I need a force teacher" I explained, and signaled the truck driver the go ahead.

"I'm a Jedi, not some droid nanny. I won't..."

"The Jedi are gone, Miss Swan. The old Sith rule now, Veil and Zash. The clones are hunting the surviving Jedi, as per Order 66 contingency. Yoda is dead. And if I don't control my power, more worlds will burn" I said softly, hugging the woman to my c.h.e.s.t.

She resisted for a second, then relaxed, hiding herself in my coat, against the cold wind.

The lizard looked from its crate at us, mild fear its eyes. Force predators, and too close.

=RK=

Hutt planet Dandoran, Hutt space.

In the shadow of the tree.

My ship appeared in the distance, and I looked around for a trap.

But no, seemed the Hutt kept his deal, for now. A million credits. I could live my whole life on this pay alone.

I could travel the galaxy, taking care to avoid hot spots. Visit Bondanan and enjoy the thousand p.l.e.a.s.u.r.es.

A bit too much money though. If couriers could retire on one job, there would be no old couriers.

The truck came to a stop in front of the ship, while I took out my pad and checked for the next destination.

Planet Myrkr. Now why would anyone send a precious ysalmir to a planet full of ysalmiri?

Again, some kind of plot, that I stumbled on. The force worked in mysterious ways. But not that mysterious.

And I wasn't stupid. There had to be contraband of some sort involved. But what? And where?

Clarisse came out, blaster pointing loosely in the direction of the driver. He ignored her, pushing the grav pallet out of the truck,

then hoping inside and driving away.

Let's see. The pallet, the tree, the cage, the lizard, the armor and the Jedi. Maybe her chains too.

One of those had to carry something more.

I checked the leash's handle. Electric shock, and toxin implant. Nothing a force user couldn't defeat, in time and with access to the force. I took out the lizard and threw it at the tree, avoiding the bite, with a smile. The lizard hissed at me, then started munching on some leaves.

Then I took the cage a dozen meters away and started going over it, with the force.

Secret compartment, check.

"What is it Pef? A detonator?" Clarisse asked, ignoring the Jedi. No direct danger from it, in the force.

"It's something alright. We'll find out later. Let's leave Hutt space first" I answered, pointing towards the hold.

The girls began pushing the pallet with tree inside the cargo hold, while I came behind, straining to carry the cage. Kinda heavy, for a tiny lizard. More mystery.

A minute later, Clarisse jumped in the pilot seat and we took off.

Now, what to do with the exceedingly dangerous Jedi?

"10 credits awarded to your debt. Here" I told her, handing her the leash.

"That's not how slavery works" the woman complained, fiddling with her leash. I swear, everyone's a critic on this ship.

"You will take care of the tree and the lizard. 10 credits per day. Force lessons will pay double. Assisting the ship in combat will pay triple. Free meals and showers" I explained, pointing at said shower.

She took the hint and went in.

I went back to the hold, going over the armor. Sadly, I didn't appear to have cortosis plating. Then again, those were worth a star destroyer. Cortosis was so rare as to be a myth.

Still, over the durasteel plates, it sported a light mesh, which I figured it was mandalorian iron, or beskar.

The mesh was fused to the plates, creating a scaly look. Will do, I guess. Even lightsabers would have a hard time cutting it.

Only problem, the former user had been a bodybuilder or such, to run around in 50 kilos of armor.

I'll have to become stronger then.

The left arm-guard sported a sheath, which took some time to figure out. A black knife, way too heavy to be steel.

Jackpot! This had to be a cortosis blade. The Hutt didn't know about it, I was sure. The blade was worth a twenty million credits, or so. Not that any were on sale anywhere. Mandalorian armors like mine were worth maybe half a million credits. Expensive, but not on this scale.

I slapped it on my arm, and the blade disappeared, armor plates rotating cleverly to guide it into the sheath.

Now, let's test my speed inside the armor. Bullet time and start running. Almost as fast as without armor, so worth to wear it.

Then, bang. I crashed into the floor, barely able to lift my arms. I strained to look around. Damn lizard was smiling at me from the tree, the force vanished, along with my speed and strength.

So, about 10 meters then. Gotta exercise in the other half of the cargo bay. I crawled pathetically a few meters, until my head bumped into some n.a.k.e.d legs.

Great. My new companion was also laughing at me. I rose to my feet, glad that the helmet hid my embarrassment.

"Don't be embarrassed. Yasalmiri are known for weakening even Master Jedi" the former knight commented, not even trying to hide her amus.e.m.e.nt. No Ocsinin for you then. You'll have to eat Zabrak, like all slaves should.

"You'll have to sleep alone, our bed is not big enough" I answered instead, ignoring her charms and walking towards the Zabrak's room. Her embarrassment felt as appropriate revenge.

"This is my room?" she wondered, opening drawers and searching through piles of dirty clothes.

"You just bathed in Zabrak piss, so you can sleep in his bed and wear his clothes. Though I suggest washing them first..." I replied with a smile, then leaving the room at speed.

Her reaction was not anger, but amus.e.m.e.nt though. Damn it. I'll have to work harder to rile her up.

I reached the c.o.c.kpit, and sat beside my pilot.

"Is she behaving?" Clarisse asked with a frown.

"Hmmm. She's in shock still. Give the Jedi a few days to grieve" I answered, checking for available routes in the navigation tabs.

Another impossible jump appeared, taking us directly to Myrkr. That's not how hyper-jumps work!

You have to lose a dozen pilots charting a safe route through hyperspace, before a random new route is discovered. And it won't take you to where you want to go.

Is this game quest logic?

I was on a hunch. I took out my pad, and wrote Mon Calamari for a destination.

Like magic, the nav computer remembered a new route, taking us directly to Mon Calamari, in one jump.

Oh, I was so gonna abuse this!

=RK=

Departing from Dandoran

I closed my eyes, and fell into the force.

'Operator, suggest destination per following criteria: not at war, shipyards, cheap repairs, recruitable crew' I demanded, already feeling the strain of madness gnawing at my soul.

The search took some time, alien planets dancing in my vision. Nar Shaddaa sprung out, an orange moon, it's entire surface inhabited. Plenty crew to recruit. It was likely a million people would sell themselves into slavery, just to leave the place.

Will do, I guess.

Another entry on my pad, and the fable route to Nar Shaddaa appeared in my nav computer. Strange thing, right?

I changed course, accelerating us upwards at maximum sublight. One minute burn.

"Corellian freighter, what..." the voice asked in ship's com. We should be far enough. Deflectors on.

I flicked the hyperdrive toggle and the stars froze in a rictus.

The joke's on you Pef. One day this won't work. Miracles won't keep happening.

But for now, I expected I was in tutorial mode.

"My dear Sith genius. You found a route to Nar Shaddaa from here?" Clarisse exclaimed, looking over the data on the nav computer.

"The force is with me" I answered instead, placing the burden of truth on bigger shoulders. Some force certainly was.

She jumped in my l.a.p, expecting to be petted and kissed. Which I did. But only that. I had to know the truth.

"Come, let's meet the lizard" I told her after a few minutes.

"Your jokes aren't that funny" she replied, pouting at me.

I wasn't exactly joking though. I went to my cabin and took out the mattress, carrying it with me to the cargo hold.

No point on staying on hard metal floors. Then we laid under the tree, and just looked at each other.

Even without the force link, she was still beautiful.

I c.a.r.e.s.sed her face gently and she leaned into my palm. So, not a fake emotion then.

"Attachments are forbidden for a reason" a more m.a.t.u.r.e voice spoke from behind me.

"Come, sit next to me" I told the former Jedi, raising up and patting the mattress.

"But, the ysalmir..." she said, looking above at the hissing lizard.

"Exactly. No force here. Whatever you want to feel, without repercussions" I told her, patting the spot again.

She came and lowered herself next to me, now less confident.

Clarisse hugged me with one arm, and I just relaxed, enjoying the peace. I could stay like this forever.

We just lazed about, waiting for something to happen. Except for the lizard though, nothing moved.

"Thank you" Miss Swan said after some time, making me open my eyes.

"They're still dying out there, hunted like animals. Everyone in the galaxy hates Jedi now." I mused, wiping her tears with my thumb.

"I thought being a slave was the worst thing. But this. I can't go back out there, too much death" she said, her shoulders trembling. Oh well. Gonna need more mattresses then.

"Clarisse, if you would. Bring some blankets and drinks. Seems we're gonna be here for some time" I asked the other girl, while hugging the new one.

"How, how did we not find you? You're quite strong..." the woman asked, her eyes closed.

"Drugs I think. I was part of some corporate special unit, given drugs to suppress our powers. Others went mad sooner, before we had the drugs" I answered, going for the reasonable explanation.

I wasn't sure about most of my memories about Farana. I might have dropped-in just before the invasion.

Maybe superimposed on some poor guy who didn't make it. Too many possible explanations.

"How long, since you didn't take any of those drugs?" she asked, going to the root immediately.

"11 days perhaps. Though I spent a week in an alchemy trance. Made the trance solution myself" I said proudly, then realized she wouldn't know it was even possible.

"Sith alchemy. And you discovered it by yourself. What else can you do?"

"A bit of everything I suppose. Seeing the past, the future, the present. Obtaining skills on demand. Analyzing objects. Feeling thoughts and emotions of others. Fracture my mind..." I replied with a shrug

"And others more. I saw your speed. Only Masters can move that fast" she complained with a trace of envy in her voice.

"Yes, and others. I can do everything, I guess. I just have to learn how"

"There is no emotion, there is peace. This is the first tenement. Can you tell me why?" the Jedi asked me, opening her eyes.

"Emotion yet peace. Hmmm. That's a hard one. I think I love Clarisse. I won't give her up" I answered, and the woman gasped, like I said some mystical thing.

Eh, who knows. With Jedi, it's all religion or politics.

=RK=

In Hyperspace, en route to Nar Shaddaa

ETA 58 days

I lucked out somehow, with both a ysalmir and a teacher.

The madness was postponed, a single night sleeping under the tree reducing stress and banishing nightmares.

Swan showed signs of recovery as well, even going outside the negation bubble for bathroom and meditation.

Most of her injuries healed, except a deep burn on her t.h.i.g.h. At least she didn't complain, like the other one.

"What is the point? I will never beat a Jedi in a fight!" Clarisse m.o.a.n.e.d, and her feet went liquid, collapsing on the floor. I knelt beside her, using the force to scan her. Physical limits at 60%. It was her mind giving up too soon.

"You are improving. Fighting hand to hand builds confidence. Muscle memory and reflexes. It's not Jedi that I'm worried about." I explained, grabbing her in a hug.

"We can hire bodyguards. We have money now..." She argued, not really believing it. She had bodyguards on Farana as well.

"Not a bad idea. I'll hire a couple. But you need to have your own strength too. So I can hide behind you" I mused, eyed closed.

The knight rose from the mattress, and came beside us, looking at me amused.

"Your hand to hand is quite good. Let's see how you do in a real combat." she demanded, pointing at my helmet lying on the ground.

Right. It was my turn to get kicked around.

"Make us some lunch, if you would" I told Clarisse, pulling her up. She cursed something in huttese, while leaving the hold.

I then placed the helmet on my head, and turned into a kick to the head.

Damn it. Swan hit like a bulldozer. Even in my mandalorian armor, I was thrown a few meters, bouncing from the hull.

"Good, good. Let your aggression out. Don't hold anything back!" I howled, charging back in.

"Slavers need to be punished" my teacher explained calmly, kicking me in the groin. My head hit the ceiling, and I bounced down into another kick.

"I pay you salary, ungrateful wench!" I yelled, speeding up a little.

I ducked under the next kick, then rabbit punched her plexus. She fell down, gasping for air.

"N-not a wench, idiot. They tried to break me and didn't!" Swan muttered, pointing at her scar. The armor lent some mass to my hits, making me hit a bit too strong. Reduce further hits power by 20 percent.

"Still a v.i.r.g.i.n, eh?" I told her instead, using the momentary bafflement to move sidewise and kick her under the knee, making her kneel. Her head sprung up, eyes getting bloody.

"That's it. You're getting a beating, you rude mongrel!" she yelled, attacking me furiously.

Excellent! I figured out her weak spot.

She had amazing form, hits flowing from one another, changing stances, jumping and kicking mid-air.

If I didn't have my bullet time, I'd be a schnitzel right now.

The fight took maybe an hour, straining me to the limit. I was carrying 50 kilos of armor too.

"Play later. Food is warm!" Clarisse said from the door, making me turn and look at her. The apron she improvised made her look wonderful and homey. I could see her as my wife...

A final kick crashed into my helmet, scattering my brains.

"Don't daydream and salivate during a fight, idiot" my teacher complained, jumping over my prone body and heading towards the galley.

Right. The fight hasn't ended yet. I launched myself, parallel to the floor, and caught her ankle, tripping her to the floor as well.

"Don't turn your back to an enemy" I said proudly, blocking the return kick.

"You're learning my young apprentice. More mystery meat?" Swan said, pulling me up to my feet.

"Yes. And don't ask where it came from, you don't wanna know" I muttered, taking of the helmet.

"I don't wanna know where the meat came from" the Jedi retorted, swiping two fingers in front of my eyes.

"I am not the husband you are looking for" I replied instead, swiping my own two fingers in a similar gesture.

She stared blankly at me for a second, then turned around and left. I am a monster, I know.

But if Kenobi and Skywalker had wives, and Veil had one too...there was something to think about.

Seemed risky though. What if the wife got injured or died? Grief would flood everything, blinding common sense.

Better have backups, perhaps on separate planets. If any of them died, get two more. Spread the love.

Next point on my list then. Obtain multiple wives, to stay sane. Shouldn't be that hard.

A tinge of amus.e.m.e.nt flowed in the force, almost like approval. Wisdom +1

Good to know you approve, dear force. Maybe you'll point me in the right direction too.

Today was Zabrak, slightly burned. Eh. She has to learn somehow.

"We could give Swan a few percents in our company, if she stays" Clarisse proposed amicably, while eying her plate dubiously.

"I'm not cooking for you" the Jedi replied, catching the meaning instantly.

"She will beg to stay anyway. Not like Jedi taught any useful skills in their temple. She knows no trade, has no money, no friends, no family and a galaxy full of enemies" I mused, struggling to cut out some charred bits.

"I can hear you, I am right here!" Swan exclaimed, her eyes flashing rapidly between me and Clarisse.

"Yes, yes. She'd be better off if we leave her on some jungle planet, hunting for food should be easier for her, than begging for food on Nar Shaddaa." Clarisse argued, catching my point.

"You...Don't leave me on Nar Shaddaa, please" the Jedi pleaded meekly.

Huh, begging to stay already.

"Fine. From today forth, your debt is erased. You are free Miss Swan!" I declared rhetorically, posing with my fork upwards.

"Moron. This is revenge for me kicking you in the head, isn't it?" the woman complained, somehow not satisfied with her freedom.

"Employees should be more respectful of their betters. Jungle world then" Clarisse declared, slamming her fork like a gavel on the table.

The Jedi hesitated, trying to figure out the truth in the force. Really? She fell for that?

I burst into laughter, bantha milk spewing from my nostrils.

I got kicked in the head again, but it was worth it.

As I left the table, I heard Swan whisper to Clarisse "I will learn to cook too. Can't be so hard"

I smiled inwards. Exactly as planned.