An Old Republic Tale: A New Life

Chapter 1: Who's Ready for Some Heroics?

-I-

Jason Kenji woke up more than a little confused, grimacing and holding up a hand to ward of the bright light threatening to burn out his retinas. He was certain that he had died. He vaguely remembered staring at his body in the ICU hospital bed as it breathed its last, a morphine induced sleep ensuring he felt no pain, his mom and dad holding his hands as sunlight streamed through the window. As his chest rose and fell for the last time, momentary darkness had taken him before he became aware of that blinding light. As his eyes adjusted, however, he could definitely see that he was in no hospital room. Heck, as far as he could see, he wasn't anywhere on Earth either.

How did he know? For one there was a porthole next to his bed and outside he could see streaming blue lights that was unmistakably the lights of hyperspace. For another, a Wookie was sitting in a nearby chair, a protocol droid head strapped to its bandoleer. A genuine, living and breathing Wookie, very much unlike the Wookie backpack his brother had gotten him at Disneyland. How was that possible?

"Oh, look, he's finally awake." The droid head chirped sarcastically. "I can't believe he's actually still alive."

The Wookie let out a rowling sound that Jason couldn't understand at all.

"You did not say that he was going to live. You said it was a pity that a child of an angel and a …" the droid's sentence was cut off when the Wookie covered its speaker with a furry hand. After the droid fell silent, the Wookie removed his hand. "Fine, be that way. But didn't I tell you that I had a good feeling about this one? Maybe you should let the captain know that he's finally awake."

The Wookie rumbled something again.

"Well, I would tell the captain myself, but if you haven't forgotten, I don't exactly have any legs anymore."

The entire time, Jason stared at the two, his jaw hanging. "Jakarro? C2-D4?"

"What, he even knows our names?" the droid exclaimed in surprise. And at Jakarro's comment. "How can he be a Jedi? We found him in a powerless escape pod, floating in space, with no clothes or any gear of any kind. When was the last time you saw a naked Jedi?"

"That's a lot of noise you two are making back there," a female voice drawled from somewhere outside the room. "Don't you have anything better to do than argue with yourselves?"

"Captain, I would like to inform you that the naked Jedi we found in that escape pod is awake."

"I'm not a Jedi," was all Jason could mumble, still trying to come to terms with what was happening.

"Ah, but you were naked and in an escape pod," C2-D4 crowed.

At the reminder that he was naked, Jason quickly tried to take account of whatever it was he was wearing. Strangely enough, it was Jedi robes. What?!

"These clothes?"

"They were in one of the storage lockers in the escape pod," the same female voice answered him.

Jason looked to the door, and he started to wonder if he had something wrong with his jaw as it dropped again. There was no mistaking the person in the door. The dark skin, the blonde hair…the substantial chest…it was a toon he easily recognized. Only, she was an actual person and not pixels. And she was wearing an RD-07A Spider outfit, something he couldn't ever remember seeing on her.

"Khokho?"

"Huh?" the dark-skinned captain blinked. "That's not usually what people say when they see me. What's a 'Khokho'?"

"Eh hem," C2-D4 interrupted, addressing Jason. "You are addressing your savior. This is the mighty Captain Rumblebee! Scourge to all villains and allies alike, and the last resort to all those in desperate need for help."

"Hey!" Rumblebee protested. "I am not the last resort!"

"When was the last time anyone called us for a job?" C2-D4 retorted dryly. "Jakarro has been living off those military rations for the past week. You know how bad they taste?"

"How would you know, you're just a droid."

"Yeah, but I have to listen to Jakarro complain about it day in and out."

"As a matter of fact, I have a job lined up right now," Rumblebee said defensively. "It wasn't my fault that the last mission had a bunch of big monsters that appeared out of nowhere and ate the client."

Jakarro rowled in annoyance, and Rumblebee pouted.

"That is so not fair! How was I supposed to know that the client before that one was actually a mob-boss and would get arrested by the authorities! He was offering a million credits for a simple courier job! A million!"

"What about the time before that," C2-D4 snarked. "You invested in a porg farm thinking they were being raised as pets, and then blasted the owner when you learned he was actually raising them for food."

"I blasted the owner because he tried to rob us after I told him I was pulling my funding."

"Uh, guys," Jason cut in, his eyeballs having ping-ponged back and forth between the trio. He didn't know why Jakarro and D4 were on Rumblebee's ship, nor did he know when in the SWTOR universe he had been dropped into. But it didn't seem like it was any established timeline that he knew of. "Hello?"

"Don't listen to those two," Rumblebee addressed him with a friendly smile. "They're just jealous that they don't have my business acumen."

"We're actually relieved we don't," C2-D4 muttered, before speaking a little louder. "What job did you land this time?"

"Gun-running," Rumblebee said proudly.

"[Captain, you're a doctor. You don't know anything about a blaster other than to point the deadly side at the enemy and pull the trigger.]" Jakarro groaned.

"Gun-running? To where?" Jason didn't understand Jakarro's sounds, but had a good idea of what the Wookie was saying. He had only just met Rumblebee and his head was already hurting.

"To this settlement in Ord Mantell. We've really hit it big time," Rumblebee gushed. "I was personally contacted by a famous underworld figure for this job. So famous, he even has his own special name. Get this, the Jackal of the Stars."

Jason groaned internally. At least he knew when in the SWTOR timeline he had appeared in…and where. The smuggler prologue story. Completely with his High Dirt-bag, Skavak…and his seemingly never ending list of 'girlfriends' willing to kill said smuggler for him, only to get betrayed by Skavak in turn. He did his best to remember the storyline, but class and planetary missions in SWTOR had always been a minor interest for him. At the moment, outside of Skavak, nothing else really stood out. "You mean Skavak."

"Jackal of the Stars sounds so much better." Rumblebee countered, unaware of Jason's silent anguish. "I'm one of several smugglers he selected out of hundreds to bring guns to the planet to help the Republic loyalists. The payoff is three million credits!"

"Three-million?" C2-D4 repeated. "How many blasters did he request?"

"I only had to invest in seven-hundred and fifty grand worth of weapons. I've arranged for a pickup at Ithor. The profit for this is going to be great."

"Seven-hundred and fifty grand is almost ninety-percent of our funds!"

"You do know that Skavak is a renowned playboy infamous for betraying everyone he works with, right?" Jason asked weakly. Despite knowing that this Rumblebee wasn't actually Khokho, he could just let this naïve, innocent smuggler suffer her canon fate. "Chances are, he'll rip you off, take your ship, and then lead you on a chase through the galaxy as you try to get it back."

Rumblebee was taken aback and blinked owlishly at Jason. "You have a very overactive imagination."

Rubbing his forehead, Jason quickly thought of a solution. "Look. I have a very good friend. Her name is Jennasaur. She was tricked by Skavak and nearly died because of it."

"Oh," some of Rumblebee's enthusiasm faded. "Then what should I do with my seven-hundred and fifty grand worth of blasters?"

"Why are you asking me?" Jason said faintly. She seemed to have taken him at his word despite having only just met him. Yeah, he definitely needed to look out for her.

"That settles it,"C2-D4 said firmly. "Set us off at the next planet. Jakarro and I won't be a part of this crew any longer."

"What?" Rumblebee blinked wildly. "Why?"

"If you have to ask," the protocol droid practically growled. "For starters! You're the reason I'm in pieces in the first place! I told you that the Black Suns Vigo wasn't going to parlay with you but you still sent me and Jakarro over to talk it over! The conversation didn't last two words before he blasted me!"

"He promised it was just to talk. How is it my fault that he went back on his word? If you were actually flesh and blood and not a droid, I could have fixed you right up."

"So it's my fault I'm like this?"

"Okay, enough!" Jason cut in before they could start again. His head was still spinning at the fact that he was actually in the SWTOR universe in the first place. He didn't need any further aggravation. "Jakarro, D4, Rumblebee will set you off on the next world. Rumblebee, if you don't mind, I'll stick around and help you out."

"Thanks Mr…errr…what's your name again?"

"Just call me Jason. Jason Kenji."

"Right. Welcome aboard, First Mate Jason Kenji! This is my ship, the Arepi'ae."

Jason, who had been in the process of swinging his legs over the side of the bed, practically fell out of the bed instead. The way Rumblebee had pronounced the ship's name sounded like three, familiar, letters. "What?"

"Okay, fine, it isn't technically my ship. But the Arepi'ae belongs to my boss in the organization I work for. You've heard of the name Rogun the Butcher, right?"

"Yes?"

"My organization is like the arch-rival to Rogun's. We're just not that well known yet."

"Good luck, my friend," C2-D4 chimed in at the complex expression on Jason's face. If C2-D4 had use of his arms, he'd no doubt be patting Jason sympathetically on his shoulder.

"But no worries," Rumblebee shot a glare at the droid and Wookie. "When I got this ship, I was able to rise into the stars and have a whole new life. Now that you're here, you can too."

"Thanks?"

"So, partners?"

With his current state of bewilderment, Jason couldn't help but chuckle and shake her offered hand. "Partners. I think I'm looking forward to this new life you mentioned. Whatever it is, it's definitely not going to be boring."

-II-

For some reason, after dropping Jakarro and D4 off at Ithor and picking up the weapons, they still ended up going to Ord Mantell. Rumblebee's reasoning was that she didn't want to become known as someone who shirks on her deliveries. Jason could only go along with the enthusiastic smuggler, vowing to himself thrice over to protect her in case she started to fall for Skavak's charms. He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that Rumblebee was no longer some computer-generated toon controlled by Khokho, but a real-live person.

"Here, you can use this," Rumblebee handed him a worn-looking blaster as they stood in the main cabin. The Arepi'ae was in its final approach vector to Fort Garnik and was more or less in autopilot.

"I can?"

"It belonged to my dad," Rumblebee nodded. "Don't worry, I have the other one. But after dad died, I never bothered learning how to fire both at the same time. So it's just a waste if I leave it in my holster."

Jason took the blaster. It was a lot heavier than he thought it would be. Then a thought struck him. He had never fired a blaster in his life. Back on earth he had been into archery and even BB-gun shooting. Both of which required an entirely different skill-set. Without any training, he was liable to accidently blast a friendly with the blaster. Just when he was about to mention this, a new voice sounded in the cabin.

"[Is this a new member of the tribe?]" A curious voice asked from somewhere behind him.

Jason turned, blinked, when he first saw nobody, then looked down at the hooded creature standing by him. An Ewok! This meant that she was…

"'Greetings new member of the tribe. I am Treek. It will be an honor to fight with you,' is what she said," Rumblebee translated brightly.

"Right…it's an honor to fight with you too," Jason caught himself staring. Ewoks were definitely cuter in person than onscreen. They really did look like giant cuddly teddy-bears. He quickly scolded himself, Treek was no longer a computer-controlled companion. Treek was real….and he was probably going insane as his mind registered that. He turned to Rumblebee to move the conversation along. "Where did she come from?"

"Endor, of course."

"No, where on the ship?" Jason asked. Unlike in the game, the ship the smuggler Rumblebee was captain of was a tiny freighter that was about half the size of an XS stock light freighter. There were only three rooms, with one of them being the bathroom/shower, one being a sleeping area, and one being the mess/holo-transmitter/longue. Yes, a ship that actually had a bathroom. If Jason didn't know any better, he'd guess that Rumblebee was an extremely poor parody of said canon smuggler.

"Oh, she was sleeping in the cargo bay," Rumblebee said in understanding. "It's probably why you haven't seen her until now."

"Cargo bay, right," Jason just nodded. The ship's cargo bay was a three and a half meter by two meter section beneath the main cabin. At the moment, it was mostly full of the weapons Rumblebee had purchased.

"[What weapons do you specialize in?]" Treek asked, with Rumblebee translating.

"That…" Jason saw the plasma-caster slung around Treek's shoulders, and then glanced back to the blaster in his hand. A smile appeared on his face. "I don't suppose you have a bow and arrow set that's made for someone my size, that I can use?"

"[I do.]" Treek said in surprise. "[I was very popular in my tribe. Many males found me attractive and gave me gifts in hopes of wooing me. Some of them tried to give me bigger and bigger weapons in hopes of impressing me with their strength. One of the weapons I received was a bow made for humans. I have no use for it, but I kept it because the materials were good. I will get it for you now.]"

"Wait, you're going to run around with a bow and arrow and face off people with blasters?" Rumblebee said incredulously as Treek disappeared into one of the ventilation ducts.

"Jedi run around with lightswords and face off people with blasters."

"Are you a Jedi?" Rumblebee arched an eyebrow.

"Well…no… But I've never fired a blaster before. And Ord Mantell's in a civil war so I don't exactly have time to learn right now."

"Why does the newbie have to be so stupid?" Rumblebee muttered under her breath. She then squared herself off against him and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Look, kid, if you want to stay alive, you need to follow my directions. It's because we're going into a civil war that running around with a bow and arrow is a terrible idea. Who brings a bow and arrow to a blaster fight anyways?"

Jason went over a list in his head, with a horde of Ewoks and the character Arnold Schwarzenegger played in the movie Predator coming out on top. It worked in the movies, didn't it? But then a thought struck him. He was no longer playing a game or in a movie. If this was his second life, it'd be really stupid to go out trying to bring down a group of blaster-toting bad guys with a bow and arrow. "Hey, do medical probes and med-centers exist here?"

"Hmmm?" Rumblebee had been distracted by the landing protocols sent by Ord Mantell Control.

"You know, if you get badly wounded, do medical probes fly through the air and help you recover? Or if you get knocked out to you wake up next to a kolto tank?"

Rumblebee blinked at Jason as if he were several cards short of a full deck. "That's a joke, right?"

"Never mind," Jason said in defeat, feeling some heat in his cheeks.

"Don't worry, if you get shot, I have all sorts of kolto packs and stims ready to go," Rumblebee patted his shoulder. "Just don't get shot too much."

"Right…" Jason made a mental note not to get shot at all. Not that he didn't trust Rumblebee's healing abilities, but he doubted he had a health-bar like in the game, and definitely didn't want to see if kolto-infusions could bring him back from near-death.

Treek came back lugging a powerful compound bow made of some sort of metal-looking wood and sinew. "[Here, this is the too-big bow, that I was gifted. If you can use it, you are a powerful warrior indeed.]"

"Your arrival as Jakarro is leaving is perfect," Rumblebee changed the subject. "Treek normally takes the enemies head on, while Jakarro snipes them from the back. I run around covering any gaps. With Jakarro gone, you can take his role."

Jason nodded, his heart pounding in his chest at the thought of actually entering combat. As if she could hear it, Rumblebee reached out and squeezed his shoulder fondly. "Hey, don't worry. Treek and I have your back. Besides, all we're doing is dropping off guns and escaping before Skavak can back-stab us. What can go wrong?"

As their ship swooped in for a final approach to the landing pad, the holo-communication's set chimed.

"Ellaera?" Rumblebee recognized her fellow smuggler the moment she appeared. "You beat us to Ord Mantell?"

"Fat lot of good that did! Skavak stole my ship!" Ellaera immediately said in greeting. "That no good, scruffy looking, piece of bantha dung stole my blasters and my ship! I had almost a million credits worth of weapons onboard too!"

Jason meanwhile stared at the blonde woman on the holo in disbelief. Meeting Rumblebee was one thing, but recognizing another character his toons had raided with was something else entirely. However, despite being in range of the holo-camera, Ellaera showed no signs of recognizing him as she began to explain what happened after she had arrived on the planet. It sounded like the standard Smuggler prologue story. After learning that the blasters were meant for Rogun the Butcher, even Rumblebee began to scowl.

"Are you safe right now?"

"As safe as can be. I'm in a hangar with a farmboy who has a grudge against Skavak too. Apparently, Skavak took his favorite blaster."

"We'll be down in a bit. Don't worry," Rumblebee said firmly. "Did you find out where Skavak was going?"

"To Coruscant. I was about to take a shuttle to Carrick Station when I learned that you were in-system."

"Save your credits, I've got your back."

"Just be careful on your approach. The Separatists have been pushing real hard and occasionally take control of a turbolaser cannon or two. The reason why Skavak could steal my ship was because I was busy taking one of those cannons out."

"Don't worry. This ship has seen me through several firefights and even helped me avoid an Imperial cruiser. It won't let me down."

A powerful explosion rocked the ship sending Treek, Jason, and Rumblebee flying. Fortunately the cabin was really small, so all they did was slam against the bulkhead a few meters away. Unfortunately, the ship they were on had been shot out of the air and was now hurling towards the ground.

"Things not to say when going on a mission," Jason sighed in exasperation as he was tossed into another wall while the ship careened through the sky. "Come on. Have you ever seen any movies?"

"Now is not the time to point fingers," Rumblebee objected. Scrambling towards the cockpit. She somehow managed to slide into the pilot's chair and was now gripping onto the steering yoke with full strength. "Come on, I said you've never let me down! Are you going to make me into a liar?"

Another blast. The back half of the ship was torn away and the pallets of blasters flew out into the wind. Jason clung to the side of the bulkhead and tried not to look at the rapidly spinning world that threatened to pull him out the ship. Fortunately or not, they hadn't been all that high up when the turbolaser hit their ship. After only a terrifying few seconds, the rest of the Arepi'ae crash and burned into the waters just off the coast of where Fort Garnik was located. The ship careened skidded over the water, before finally settling into the shallows.

"Everyone still alive?" Rumblebee called out, extracting herself from the cockpit and then wincing at the bloody gash along her side. She pulled open a compartment and immediately applied a kolto pact to herself.

"[I still live to fight another day]," Treek called out.

"I'm alive," Jason breathed out, his eyes still wide in shock as he extracted himself from the corner he had been thrown into. Every bit of him was sore, but it was better than the alternative. So that's what getting shot down felt like. "But how…?"

"I'm a very good pilot," Rumblebee quipped. "By the way, this is your fault."

"My fault?" Jason said in disbelief, standing tall.

"The Arepi'ae was a tight ship that's been through more battles than you can imagine. Then, only a few hours after you became a member of its crew, it's blown up!" Rumblebee looked mournfully at the distant jagged half of her ship. "It practically split in two!"

"And that's my fault? You're the pilot!"

"Why would I blame myself?!"

Considering she had saved his life by taking him aboard, Jason decided to bite his tongue. "Fine, I'll help you get a new ship."

"A bigger and better ship."

"Don't push it."

The sound of a hover-car droned loudly, shortly before Ellaera pulled up with Corso Riggs riding shotgun. With the devastation all around, the blonde smuggler seemed shock to find the three of them awake and not dead. "You're alive."

"Hi, we're here to rescue you," Rumblebee said sheepishly.

Ellaera glanced about the wreck of the ship, eyeing a particular part of the bulkhead as it snapped in half and crumpled into the sea. "I think I'll wait for the next ride."

-III-

The canina music was canned, the dancers holographic, and the food military grade, yet Jason didn't care at the moment. He hadn't even been in the SWTOR universe for a few hours and he had already gotten his first set of clothes ruined. He was now dressed in clothing and armor that was standard-issue to the troopers at Fort Garnik, Treek's bow and arrow set slung over his back. But now he was staring blankly at the wall, lost in thought.

The initial excitement at being the SWTOR universe had evaporated the moment his adrenaline rush from being in a crashing ship subsided. He was in the SWTOR universe. He wouldn't ever his see friends or family again. Though he knew that it had been his time and there wasn't much else he could do about it, it still left a small knot in his chest.

"They'll be okay," Jason murmured softly to himself, fiddling with the glass of blue-milk in his hands and wondering about his situation.

Apparently his body in the SWTOR universe wasn't lactose intolerant or glucose intolerant either. He glanced at his reflection in the shiny-clean wall of the cantina. He still looked the same. But while dressing in his new set of clothes, he had immediately seen that the scars he had from countless surgeries no longer existed. In fact, this body had the same muscle tone and definition as it had before his old one had started to fail him. Back then, his brother teased him with the name 'Mr. Bronze Body.' Jason's goal in life had been to become a fitness coach or something similar, and he had taken very good care of his body because of that. The nickname stemmed from the fact that, during that time, his slender body had been ripped like a Greek statue and tanned from many hours in the sun. It was seeing his body in that condition again that made Jason a little giddy and a little hopeful.

So when Rumblebee told him to get himself something to eat at the base cantina, Jason ordered blue milk and a grilled-cheese sandwich. After consuming the sandwich and half a cup of milk, none of the discomfort he had expected had occurred. He was still in a state of shock about that. Maybe, what Rumblebee had said aboard the ship had been true. This was his chance at a new life, a better life. If that was the case, he wasn't about to waste the opportunity.

"You alright?" Rumblebee's voice stirred him from his reverie.

"Huh? Yeah." Jason smiled, not wanting to worry his benefactor.

"Hey, about the ship. It's okay, you can forget it," Rumblebee said, guessing wrongly about what was distracting him.

"No, I owe you a ship," Jason said. "You saved my life in the first place. I might not be able to repay you right away, but I am definitely getting you a new ship. A bigger and better ship."

"Did your head get knocked about in the crash?" Rumblebee asked in concern, reaching into one of the many pouches of her RD-07A Spider vest.

"I'm fine," Jason waved her off. "Really. I was just…thinking about things."

Rumblebee slid into the booth opposite of Jason, her expression telling him she still wasn't convinced of his 'fineness'. "I have a couple of meds that can help with head trauma. You really don't want to leave those alone. If you don't like meds, we can go find the Jedi on this base and have her help."

Jason tilted his head curiously. In the game, there were no Force-users on the planet. Ord Mantell was simply the beginning world for Troopers and Smugglers and it would have been too hard to believe a level one toon could face off against a Force-user. "There are Jedi here?"

"One Jedi," Rumblebee nodded. "She said she was a Jedi Apprentice that was assigned here by mistake."

"Huh? How can a Jedi be assigned here by mistake?"

"Do I look like I'm in their chain of command?" Rumblebee laughed, shaking her head to show she didn't know. "From what I heard, her shuttle was supposed to take her to Tython, where she'd begin training with all the others. However, it ended up being diverted here after a senior Jedi on the ship wanted to search for some Imp-controlled island. He told her to wait here, and the shuttle took off. The Jedi got himself killed and she decided to help the troops here instead."

Feeling slightly suspicious at this very non-canon turn of events, Jason raised an eyebrow. "Can you describe this Jedi?"

"Sure. She's human, bright-red hair, wears this shiny black jumpsuit. I met her when she wanted me to fix up some troopers she beat up. Said she owed me one. I can take you to her if you want."

"Okay," Jason said carefully. "And thanks for the credits for the food by the way. I didn't realize how hungry I was."

"No problem. After all, you're a member of my crew so I have to look after you."

The two left the cantina and Jason was once again reminded of the difference between the video game and real life. In the game, the base seemed tiny, a toon needing only a few dozen seconds to run from one end to the next. In real life, Fort Garnik was a monster of a base with thousands of troops going about their daily routines. A few seconds of running would only take someone from the corner of one small building to the next.

"Where's Ellaera?"

"She's over by the warehouse trying to consolidate Viidu's assets. Oh, right. You might not know Viidu because he's small time. Viidu was our organization's contact on this planet. He was supposed to be keeping tabs of Rogun's operations here. I guess Rogun found out and had him killed."

"You and Ellaera are in the same organization?"

"Yup. We joined about the same time. Anyways, she's trying to sell off Viidu's stuff so we all have enough credits to get to Carrick Station. Thanks for warning me about Skavak, by the way. I had no idea a guy so dreamy could be so ugly inside."

Jason wanted to cry inwardly, but at the same time he was also celebrating. He didn't know what he'd do if Rumblebee became just another one of a long list of Skavak's 'girlfriends'. "You're welcome."

Almost an hour later, they had reached the other side of the base, and there Jason had his suspicions confirmed. The red-haired Jedi Apprentice that Rumblebee had pointed out was wielding two vibroswords as she sparred with a couple of Fort Garnik's spec-ops.

"Ha!" The Jedi yelled as she brought down both swords in a zealous strike. The strength of the impact was disproportionate to her slender size, and the sword belonging to the mountain of muscle she had just slammed into was knocked out of his hands. Her other opponent tried to take advantage of the situation, but the Jedi flipped backwards over his head. The man whipped his sword out towards her as she landed, but the impact against her blades left him staggered. A Force-sweep later, and both men hit the ground. The Jedi straightened, using the Force to summon a towel from a nearby bench. "Not bad you two. I actually worked up a sweat this time."

"Jedi Lailou!" Rumblebee called out.

"Huh?" The Jedi looked at Rumblebee. "Oh, it's you, eh. Great timing. Can you patch up those eight over there? I might have been a little too rough with them."

Jason glanced to where she was pointing. What looked like the rest of this elite Fort Garnik spec-ops squad was laid out with a variety of bumps and bruises.

The brief movement of his head drew the Jedi's attention. And then she blinked at Jason as she stared at him.

Jason smiled faintly in greeting, not expecting any reaction. Just like how Rumblebee and Ellaera hadn't seemed to recognize him, he doubted Lailou would either. Suddenly, to his great surprise...

"Ooouuuhhh, Shiny!" Now it was Jason's turn to go 'huh,' as the Jedi Apprentice practically raced towards them, her speed knocking aside several towering muscular soldiers in her path.

"Lailou?" Jason said hesitantly as the Jedi skidded to a stop basically a toe's length away and ignored all personal space as she stared at him intently. She was a good head shorter than him and was standing on her tiptoes as he tried to lean back to avoid said gaze. The look on her face wasn't one of recognition, but he didn't know why she was acting as she was.

But then Lailou stopped and turned to Rumblebee. "Rumbles, where did you find him? The Force is practically overflowing out of him like a Hutt with indigestion after a fifty-course meal."

"He told me he wasn't a Jedi," Rumblebee said, looked at Jason both hurt and accusatory.

"I'm not," Jason protested.

"Are you sure?" Lailou asked, peering at him. "You're so shiny it's practically blinding."

"I think I'd know if I was a Jedi," Jason took a step back.

"Reach out and use the Force, like this," Lailou turned away and thrust her hand out. A surge of Force energy that definitely wasn't a part of a Jedi Sentinel's repertoire surged out. The elite soldiers that had only just recovered from her bull-rush to Jason, were sent flying back onto the ground. "Ooops! Sorry about that!"

"I don't even know what the Force is supposed to feel like. How can I reach out and use it?" Jason frowned.

"Oh…I don't know," Lailou seemed to deflate. "I've never had any formal lessons either. I come from a planet that snows almost all year round. My old master said that I was a special snowflake that needed to spread my wings. That's why I was going to Tython."

"Was your old master the one that died here?"

"Huh? Ppft, no," Lailou snorted. "My master would have been able to eat that 'Jedi Knight' for breakfast and still have room for dozens like him. That guy was just some random Jedi Knight that used his title to get the captain to land us here."

Before Jason could find out more about Lailou's situation or the Force, an alarm began blaring through all the speakers.

"Incoming!" A Cathar soldier roared out. "Get to cover!"

"You two, stick with me," Lailou grabbed both Rumblebee and Jason and dragged them over to the side of a nearby building. Despite both Rumblebee and Jason being bigger than her, Lailou had no trouble at all.

Seconds later, the training area they had just been in erupted as mortar rounds ripped it to shreds. The rain of mortar rounds fell all over the base, bright balls of fire erupting everywhere. And under the barrage of fire, several of the base's walls were ripped apart by even more powerful explosions.

Cursing under her breath, Lailou moved to shield Rumblebee and Jason. She held out her hands, using the Force to prevent the shockwaves and shrapnel from hurting either of them. No sooner had the shockwaves ended, Mantellian Separatists surged through the breaches in the wall. The only plus side for the defenders was that the mortar fire had stopped. The downside was that moving through the wall were several armored speeders and hundreds of infantry.

The Republic-allied soldier who had been closest to the breach were mowed down without mercy. The armored speeders opened up their sides, and the Republic troopers all paled at the sight of weapons platforms mounted within. Chain-guns and rotary cannon fire rippled across the lines of defenders, slicing through the prefab buildings like they were made of flimsiplast. The Separatist troopers all seemed to be making a beeline for the starport, taking down anyone in their way.

Fortunately, by then, Jason, Lailou and Rumblebee had pulled themselves into a nearby building and avoided the worst of it. The building was a small storage shed and it had avoided the brunt of the devastation. Unfortunately, while defending them, Lailou had taken several rounds and was badly wounded. A tank she was not. "Rumbles, take Shiny and get out of here. The Force is strong with him, he has a greater destiny."

"With all due respect, Jedi. Shut up," Rumblebee began pulling out kolto swatches, vials, and all sorts of medical equipment from her outfit. "As your doctor, I can tell you're currently suffering from delirium. If we're going to leave. It'll be together."

"Will she be okay?" Jason said worriedly. Lailou had been hit in the left leg, arm, stomach, and her side, the wounds still smoking.

"Don't worry. I'm as great a doctor as I am a pilot," Rumblebee said confidently.

Jason stared at Rumblebee, then at Lailou, worry filling him.

"Look over there. Check that building!" A voiced yelled as gunfire continued to echo outside.

"Rumbles," Lailou said through gritted teeth, trying to push herself back up.

"Stop moving," Rumblebee injected the Jedi with a stim of some sort.

"You tranqed me?" Lailou said in disbelief, shortly before her eyes rolled back and she lost consciousness.

"Jason, we can't move her yet," Rumblebee said, looking serious for the first time he could remember. "Moving her could kill her. And I haven't lost a patient since dad. So I'm not going to break that streak today."

Jason swallowed heavily. "I'll buy you some time."

"We'll pretend to be helpless people to draw them in," Rumblebee said with a smile.

Not voicing that they were helpless people, he looked around at the inside of the storage shed. It had two levels, the second accessible by a single ladder. There were crates of food goods and farming equipment all around on the first floor. Climbing to the second level, Jason investigated the crates present, and then smirked. He shoved the ladder away and briefly explained his plan to Rumblebee.

Seconds ticked by and the sound of heavy footsteps reverberated off the duracrete ground. A squad of Separatists carefully secured the entryway and then barged into the room. When they did, they stopped, before rushing forward. In seconds they had surrounded the two they saw with weapons drawn.

"Look, it's the Jedi!"

"We've really hit the jackpot!"

"Hands up," another directed Rumblebee.

"If I do that, I can't treat the Jedi's wounds, and you'll just end up with a dead Jedi," Rumblebee returned calmly.

The soldiers exchanged uncertain glances, the squad leader eventually gesturing with his blaster. "Then, keep your hands where we can see them and make sure she stays alive."

"If you stop interrupting me, that's what I plan to do," Rumblebee grumbled back.

"Get Colonel Fahder over here. He'll want to take custody of that Jedi personally."

A soldier ran off to relay the message. Meanwhile the current leader had his men secure the rest of the room as he alone kept his blaster trained on Rumblebee and Lailou.

"You Jedi and Republic scum really need to get off Ord Mantell," the current leader scowled at Rumblebee. "Commandant Dareg is right. The Republic only takes from Ord Mantell without ever giving anything back. Weakens itself with non-human races and tries to spread the rot on this world. We'll use the both of you as an example of what happens to those who cross the true patriots of…"

The man was stopped mid-sentence, gargling as he his arms flailed. Disbelief shown in his eyes at the sight of an arrow sticking out of his neck.

"Sir!"

"Sorry, his monologue was starting to annoy me," Jason announced his presence, though remaining crouched behind a row of military-grade footlockers.

A dozen blasters immediately swung towards the second level of the storage room. A Separatists corpsman was currently keeping pressure on the squad-leader's neck, but his efforts were in vain. The Ewok-made arrow had been broad-tipped and venom-laced. The squad leader never had a chance. When the squad-leader ceased moving, the faces of the other Separatists grew dark.

"You're going to regret that, kid," one of the older rebels glared. "Did you really think we'd let you go after that?"

"Not really," Jason shook his head. "But at least you're all lined up now."

"What?"

The wall to the storage shed collapsed as a speeder barreled through it at breakneck speeds. The squad of Separatists, who had all been in a row aiming their weapons up at Jason, became a squad of roadkill in the blink of an eye.

"Ang'uva!" Treek yelled out, leaping from the still moving speeder with flint-knife in hand. The last soldier in the line had managed to just escape the speeder's lethal velocity and survived, but was then pounced on by the fierce Ewok mercenary and ceased being a survivor.

"Great timing," Jason called out, holding up the holo-comm unit that he had found in the second level of the storage room.

"Thanks for the set up!" Ellaera, in the driver's seat of the speeder, grinned at the flummoxed Rumblebee. "Now it's my turn to say: Hi, we're here to rescue you. Or did you want to wait for the next speeder?"

Angry yells in the background, followed by multiple blasters firing, had Rumblebee quickly get over her shock and carefully moved the unconscious Lailou into the back of the speeder before sliding in after her. "Careful, the Jedi's in pretty bad shape."

"You're telling me to be careful when people are firing rockets at us?" Ellaera said faintly, checking to see if both Jason and Treek had made it to the speeder. Seeing that they did, she abruptly slammed the speeder into reverse, bowling over the first few Separatists who had been investigating the gaping hole in the building. She then swerved the speeder back around, and punched the throttle to full. "The Republic is holding, but the spaceport's been overrun. We need to find get out of here and regroup."

"Oradam Village," Rumblebee said over the din of blasterfire. "We can lie low there for a bit."

"Oradam village actually works out, I sent Corso there to sell some of Viidu's stuff. I'll let him know we're on the way so we can meet up." Ellaera swerved the speeder around another group of Separatist soldiers and aimed for one of the holes in the base's walls. "That is if we can get out of here!"

"They're following us!" Jason said in warning from the shotgun seat of the speeder. Behind them a group of Separatists on speeder bikes, and several speeders were rushing after them in a hurried muster.

"Munitions are in the trunk!" Ellaera shouted back, guiding the speeder through the base. "You and Treek are going to have to deal with them until I can lose them in the Badlands!"

A hail of blasterfire punctuated her remark, and Jason ducked low. The windshield behind him was shredded by superheated metal rounds and a piece of shrapnel sliced into his left cheek.

"[Here!]" Treek handed Jason a grenade from a box in the back. "[If we throw them in their path, we can slow them down]."

"She said to throw them!" Rumblebee shouted, covering Lailou with her body as a nearby blast sprayed debris into the vehicle.

"Why do we have a crate of grenades in the trunk?" Jason said incredulously, feeling the weight of the cylindrical grenade.

"I had to have this mission turn a profit somehow," Ellaera protested. "But we have to be alive for that to happen. Just don't use all of them! They're anti-vehicular grenades and can fetch a good price on the blackmarket."

Jason turned to throw the grenade at the pursuers, but the bow he had slung over his back caught the front dashboard of the speeder stopping him. When he went to adjust the bow with grenade in hand, Jason froze for a moment. "Ellaera, do you have any tape or glue in the speeder?"

"Left compartment," Ellaera replied through gritted teeth, maneuvering the speeder around a roadblock.

Jason opened the designated compartment and found a roll of silvery tape within. He took the grenade Treek had given him and pulled one of the arrows free of the quiver on his back. He removed the arrow head and then used the tape to strap the cylindrical grenade onto the tip of the arrow shaft.

"[Warrior Jason, what are you doing?]" Treek asked. The mercenary had already lobbed two grenades out the speeder and the impressive explosion of dirt and debris managed to force the Separatists to drop back. But they were still on their tail, only a few speeder-lengths behind.

"Trust me. I saw this in a movie once." Jason saw the activation button of the grenade. "How long are the timers good for?"

"[One click is five seconds. Maximum five clicks.]" Treek pantomimed pushing the button down as Rumblebee translated.

Jason clicked the button twice, and the grenade hummed to life. "Here goes nothing. Ellaera, try to keep the speeder steady."

Then to the shock of everyone, he rose from the speeder, bow in hand, steadying himself against the headrest of his seat.

"Are you crazy? Get down!" Ellaera yelled out, eyes wide when she saw his action. Several blaster bolts whizzed by, and she had to take evasive action.

Jason somehow kept his balance as he nocked the arrow and took aim at the Separatists chasing them. His target was a speeder that looked to be in the best condition out of all his pursuers, an Imperial emblem spray-painted on the hood over the depiction of a Mantellian eagle. Fortunately it wasn't making any evasive maneuvers and was actually quite close. Jason took a breath, and time seemed to slow down. He felt the wind whipping around him, his heart pounding loudly in his chest, the heavy weight of the grenade at the end of the arrow. It was almost as if he could see where the arrow was going to fly. He changed his posture, aiming a lot higher than before. And then he released the arrow.

The speeder in the back, seemingly dismissing a flimsy arrow as no threat, continued to barrel on after the rest of them. The arrow struck the windshield of the back speeder and simply rolled down the front of it, becoming lodged between the windshield and the hood of the speeder. Those inside smirking and shaking their heads in disdain.

And then the grenade detonated.

The speeder's momentum meant that it was instantly transformed into a flaming ball of shrapnel. Debris flew out as it somersaulted with a crash only a little less deafening than the original blast. One of the pieces of debris flew out and happened to hit the drive of the speeder in front of it, sending the speeder veering into several speederbikers and into a ravine. A large piece of debris, the engine block, shot out and slammed into a second speeder, dropping it in its tracks. The remaining pursuers immediately abandoned their chase and frantically stopped to help the survivors of the disaster.

All that happened in several eye blinks. Treek, Rumblebee, and Ellaera all gazed, wide-eyed, at Jason.

"See," a still drugged Lailou slurred, cracking an eye open. "Told ya."

-IV-

Jason's mind was working in overdrive as the speeder approached Oradam Village. Like all the other locations on Ord Mantell, Oradam was a lot bigger in real life. In fact, village was kind of a misnomer. 'Tiny-city' might have been a better description. Situated in the Badlands, Oradam Village had its own set of turrets and defensive walls that stretched from one end of a narrow canyon to the other. The guards, droid and organic, remained vigilant as a convoy of people filtered through a narrow entryway. From the opening, Jason could only just see inside the village, but immediately realized that it was hundreds of times more complex than in-game.

"Corso, we've arrived. We're just outside the checkpoint," Ellaera said into the holo-comm unit.

"Great timin', Cap'in. I just finished up on my end over here. I think we can have a place to stay, but we're going to need to help the mayor out first. Go on ahead, the guards should be let you through with no trouble at all."

"Knew I could count on you," Ellaera smiled. "Great work, Corso."

"Just wait until you hear what we have to do for the mayor before you thank me," Corso said good-naturedly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure we can handle it."

"I'm definitely curious about meeting the man who saved your lives with just a bow and arrow."

Ellaera cast a sidelong look to Jason, amusement in her eyes. "He got grazed by a few blaster bolts in the process. His captain's grounded him for the near future."

"I wouldn't have believed the story if he hadn't."

In the meantime, Jason sat in the shotgun seat of the speeder with several overly large kolto patches on him. It wasn't that his injuries needed them, but Rumblebee said she didn't have anything smaller and wasn't going to take any chances. He didn't know why she had freaked out so much. Though the grazes had stung, he had had cuts way worse and a lot bigger than the tiny burns caused by the grazes. In fact, his standard-issue Fort Garnik armor seemed to have actually served its function and ablated most of the damage. Grunt-armor in Star Wars that actually does its job, who'd have thought? The biggest wound he had was on his face, was where the piece of shrapnel had sliced into his cheek leaving a wound about a finger's length in size. That was now covered by a kolto patch that was basically plastered over his entire cheek.

He was thinking more about how time had slowed and how he had visualized the arrow's flight path. That had definitely never happened in his previous world. Could Lailou have actually been right? Was he going to be able to use the Force? He had tried several times since then to recreate the feeling, even going so far as to stand up on the speeder—only for Rumblebee to promptly grab him and force him to sit down—but that sensation from earlier had never returned. He wanted to ask Lailou about it, but after her brief comment, Rumblebee had tranqed her again.

Ellaera piloted the speeder forward, and after identifying herself, the guards waved her through. Jason shook himself from his thoughts to look about in awe. This was his first truly residential area he had seen since coming to the SWTOR universe. The buildings were all gray and blocky, but there were so many it was like seeing a small forest of gray blocky trees. The salty smell of the nearby sea was prevalent, the hustle and bustle of Ord Mantellians going about their lives everywhere one looked. Because the planet was engulfed in a civil war, the village was nearly jammed pack with people fleeing the conflict. This meant that there were tents set up all along the streets, beggars pleading every passing vehicle for alms. It was a complete culture shock.

As they waited for traffic to clear the streets ahead, three children ran up to the speeder, hands out. They couldn't have been more than ten or so years old. Jason was about to reach into the small pouch Rumblebee had given him to hand what was left of his lunch money over, but Rumblebee reached out to place a hand on his and whispered, almost pained.

"Don't."

"Why?"

"You give them even a little bit and the vultures will rip them to shreds," Ellaera answered for her partner, her knuckles white as she gripped the steering wheel of the speeder, her gazed locked ahead, ignoring the children. "They won't be able to protect themselves from those that'll do anything to survive. You might make their lives easier short term, but unless you're willing to adopt every single orphan here, all you'll end up doing is adding to their misery."

"You have a good heart," Rumblebee added in a subdued voice. "But there are hundreds of planets like this one due to the war between the Imps and Pubs. If you let every single suffering get to you, I'm afraid it'll break it."

The street cleared, and the speeder continued on its way. Jason couldn't help but look at the group of children in the rearview mirror, his mind and heart conflicted. Sure he was used to seeing homeless people in the streets of his home-city, but these were children. Regardless of how much sense the two smugglers made, it wasn't as if he could ignore that fact.

"Ellaera," Jason said in a low voice. He reached up to remove the ridiculously sized kolto patch on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Stop the speeder for a moment."

"Wait, what are you going to do?"

"Just stop the speeder."

"We can't save everyone," Ellaera protested softly.

"Not trying to save everyone. Just those kids."

Ellaera looked to Rumblebee, who just sighed and nodded. "Do it."

"That's my Shiny," Lailou muttered, still unconscious.

Jason hopped out of the speeder and walked back to where the children were camped out. "Hey, my name is Jason. My group is travelling with a Jedi. Come with us and we'll make sure you get some food and get out of this cold air."

The group of five children looked at him hesitantly, eyes going to the large bow slung over his back and his blaster-bolt riddled armor. None of them said a word, several of them taking several steps back like frightened animals.

"We'll make sure you're safe, don't worry," Jason added in a soothing manner. He stopped where he was, keeping his hands out and trying to look the least threatening as possible.

The children again looked at him, then over to the speeder. They made note of Ellaera, Rumblebee, and even Treek. This was definitely a group they hadn't seen before.

"You have to promise not to hurt any of us," the oldest member of the group, a young girl probably eleven or twelve years old scowled. "And there better be food."

"Promise," Jason nodded. He then noticed that one of the children looked very sickly, while another had a dried, bloodied cloth wrapped around one hand. "See that dark-skinned woman? She's a doctor. She can help you too."

The children all looked to one and other again, but that seemed to be a deciding factor as their gazes rested on the sickly member of their group.

"Okay," the lead girl said in a subdued voice.

"Great, follow me," Jason motioned.

He arrived at the speeder with the five in tow. Neither smuggler said anything, but instead smiled kindly as the children piled into the speeder.

"Hi," Rumblebee greeted. "I'm Rumblebee. That's Treek and Ellaera. And this is a Jedi named Lailou. She was hurt protecting us so I'm keeping her sleeping for now. You can talk with her later."

"Is she really a Jedi?"

"Where's her lightsaber?"

"She's a Jedi-in-training," Rumblebee immediately began examining the sickly girl as the speeder started up again. Due to the added passengers, there wasn't much room. Jason ended up walking alongside the speeder with Treek perched on his shoulders."When we're finished here, we need to drop her off at Tython."

The coordinates relayed to them from Corso led them to a fairly elaborate building overlooking the village's wharf. It was easily twice the size of the other cubicle-structures in the village, and thrice as tall. Corso was waiting for them outside, waving fondly as they came into view.

"Picked up a few more passengers?" He asked, noticing the children.

"Jason's idea," Ellaera chuckled.

"Looks like he and I are going to get along just fine then," Corso beamed at Jason.

For some reason Jason couldn't help but think that he had just earned 'Corso-points' as the words 'Corso Greatly Approves' came to mind. "I didn't do much."

"You did more than most people," Corso waved away Jason's modesty. He pointed to a small 'guest' building off to the side of the towering structure. "Besides, these kids will fit in just fine with the group of kids I took in."

"You took in kids too?"

"When I first got to the city, I had no idea where to sell the stuff my Capt'in wanted me to sell. I hired a few of the street-kids to show me around and ended up bringing about a dozen of them here." Corso elaborated. He looked to the children in the speeder. "Why don't y'all go on over to that building. There's a nice lady inside, she'll give you food, clothes, a warm place to sleep. You'll be safe here, don't worry."

The group all looked to Jason questioningly. Surprised, Jason smiled and nodded. "Corso's a good guy. Go ahead. I'll visit you later."

"I'm going to go with them," Rumblebee said, carrying the sickly child in her arms. "He needs more treatment, and I want to check the others too."

"What about Lailou?" Ellaera asked. Just then, the Jedi snored loudly.

Rumblebee grinned. "She's out of danger. Despite having six blaster wounds, they were no match for my skills. I'm a damned good healer. You can leave her in the speeder. Jason, go stick with Treek, Corso and Ellaera. Maybe have them teach you how to use a blaster so you don't do something stupid like stand up in a speeder with a bow again."

"Okay."

"Ellaera, look out for him. He's my First Mate and I'll be really angry if anything happens to him."

"I've got it," Ellaera said reassuringly.

Rumblebee started to walk away, stopped, and then turned back to the group. "Treek, double-payment if you can keep him from getting injured any more before we leave this planet."

"[It will be as you say, Chief!]"Treek said confidently, pulling the plasma-caster on her back out and patting it. "[No harm will come to Jason so long as Treek has enemies to slay!]"

"Good." With that Rumblebee finally turned back towards the guest house, leading the group of five children Jason had rescued to it.

"Okay, let's get inside," Ellaera said, her lips twitching as she fought back a grin.

"How long have you known Rumblebee?" Jason asked curiously. Even though he could tell that Rumblebee trusted easily, he also knew that Rumblebee was fiercely loyal and wouldn't have entrusted him to Ellaera just like that.

"A couple years," Ellaera smiled. "We joined the group we work for about the same time. Ran a few jobs together. I'm more a rip-wounds-open-and-let-them-bleed type of gal than a healer. I'd blast the enemies, she'd patch me up. We eventually both earned our own ships and went our separate ways. We still keep in touch though. I feel really bad she's here because I was the one who told Skavak about her. Just another reason why I have to blast that smug son of a ronto's backside."

They followed Corso up a flight of stairs and into a meeting room. There an overweight human with an absurd mustache, dressed in clothes that had seen better days, was waiting. They took their seats around the circular table.

"Mayor Stalh, these are the people I was talking about. If there's anything that you need done, you need look no further."

"Excellent, excellent," the man's voice was reedy, making it sound as if he just inhaled helium. The dog 'Alpha' from the movie 'Up' briefly came to Jason's mind, but he politely kept his face impassive. "Corso's said nothing but good things about his captain and her crew. I'm Mayor Stalh, welcome to Oradam Village."

"Thank you for having us."

"Now, if I understand correctly. You'll be looking for shelter from those crazy Separatists for a while?"

"That's correct. Just until we can find a way to get off this planet," Ellaera confirmed.

"Now, any friend of the Republic is a friend of mine. But I heard scuttlebutt say that you're traveling with a Jedi and that Separatists Colonel M'tah Fahder is really interested in acquiring her. Just being here is putting Oradam Village at risk from Separatists attacks."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Ellaera said with all the knowledge of someone who knew how the game was played.

"There actually is," the mayor's head bobbed, an impressive feat considering his three chins. "I'm no fan of the Separatists, but the militia in my town is woefully under-supplied. It just so happens that I have a certain contact that I can use in case of emergencies. He tells me that he has a shipment over several hundred blasters that he can sell to me."

"Why do you need us to collect the shipment? Why not your own people?"

"A couple reasons," the mayor said, sighing dramatically. "One is that I have it on good authority that the blasters he wants to sell me are from an Imperial supply depot that was ripped off two weeks ago. There is a high chance of Imperials interrupting the exchange. My people are in no way able to deal with any Imperial entanglements."

"And the second reason?"

"The second reason is similar to the first. Due to the complicated origin of the guns, the meeting's location is Savrip Island. Almost no one who goes there comes back alive."

"I see," Ellaera kept her face impassive. "So you want us to go to Savrip Island, make the exchange for the blasters, and then return them to you?"

"That's the gist of it, yes. You do that and Oradam Village will shelter you from the Seps for as long as we're able. And when we stop being able, I'll let you know."

Ellaera nodded slowly, showing no emotion. "I see. That does sound like a good deal."

"It does, doesn't it," the mayor grinned.

"Can I make an adjustment to it?"

The mayor's smile faded slightly. "What do you mean?"

"Corso and Jason brought a batch of kids off the streets of your village to the guest-house. Even if my crew and I leave, I want those kids taken care of for at least five years," Ellaera said calmly. "You do that, and I'll even give your militia some of the ordinance I brought with me from Fort Garnik. I have a mostly-full case of anti-vehicle grenades, and two crates of rockets for shoulder-mounted rocket-launchers."

The mayor's smile returned. "Captain Ellaera, you've got yourself a deal. My contact's name is Ingor Watt. You'll find him on the southern shore of Savrip Island. Here's the meeting time and coordinates."

"We'll get right on it, then," Ellaera stood. "Next time you see us, we'll have your blasters."

"Excellent, excellent."

Jason followed Treek, Corso, and Ellaera out of the room. Ellaera turned back to the rest the moment the doors closed.

"Well, we have our mission. To save the kids and the people of the city, we can't fail. Who's ready for some heroics?"

-Chapter End -

A\N: This story is fully dedicated to my brother, and chapters will be posted as they are completed. I hope for this story to be a very long one so he can continue to live on...for those in Jason's many guilds he was a part of, if you want one of your toons to join in his adventures, feel free to DM me (plogtimefish) over on discord or get in contact with Khokho.