Chapter 24: Hearts of Steel

-I-

Jason had only been in this warped version of the SWTOR universe for several months, but with all the things that had happened, all the places he'd seen, it felt like a full year had passed. His adventures on Ord Mantell to Tython, meeting so many people familiar and otherwise, it was just one unexpected event after another. Even as he awaited word on his next mission, whatever and wherever it was, Jason was hard at work helping the people of Ethnan and Jovaleet recover from the Sith attack. His days had become routine once more; taking a shuttle over to one of the settlements in the morning, helping until the afternoon, taking a shuttle back, training, dinner, and relaxing.

It seemed like no matter what Jason did, he would be reminded of his time in his other life. Construction work brought back memories of the time he 'helped' build the backyard deck and paint the house as a little kid. Cooking whole nerfs and uxibeasts over an open flame for the kiddos at Ethnan reminded Jason of the barbecue food he loved to eat when his family had barbecues in the backyard. Even cutting the roasts was reminiscent of the times he had cooked prime rib or roasts—also affectionately called 'big beef' by his family—in the oven for the family lunch or dinner (though his dad did most of the cutting). He did his best to hide his melancholy mood from the others. Those who knew him better had different reactions. Akaavi was Mandalorian enough that she pretended not to notice his preoccupation during their sparring sessions. And Cloake offered an ear, but didn't push the issue. Even Neosmugg refrained from asking questions. But when the rest of one's friends were mind-readers and empaths, pretending things were okay was a futile task. Most of the Jedi were polite enough to give him space and not pry.

There were a couple of exceptions. Well, one exception really.

"Shiny!" Lailou called out. "Come and see what I made!"

Jason paused what he was doing—overseeing a workout regime for some of the older kids at Ethnan—to glance in Lailou's direction. "What did you make?"

"Something to help the people of Ethnan defend themselves," Lailou said brightly. "Come see!"

Jason raised an eyebrow. Though Lailou had been around both Ethnan and Jovaleet over the past couple of weeks she hadn't exactly been…reliable. She would flit from one project or another but find doing the same thing boring and search for something else to do. That's not to say she didn't do the task well when she was helping out, whether it was lifting large pieces of lumber or durasteel beams, or cooking, or cleaning, or playing with the kids. But she never stayed in one place long enough to be a part of the 'team'. She did, however, seem to make it a personal mission to cheer him up in her own quirky way.

"Go ahead," one of the teens Jason was supervising laughed, used to Lailou's behavior. "I finished my sets. I can spot the others."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks," Jason smiled helplessly and headed towards where Lailou was energetically gesturing. "Lailou?"

"Over here," Lailou pointed towards one of the defensive walls that had gone up over the last few days.

With the Jedi Order 'officially' acknowledging the surviving settlements and the RPA bringing in good-will donations, both Jovaleet and Ethnan were undergoing a drastic makeover. The settlements no longer looked like cobbled-together, low-tech villages. The defensive walls and guard-towers were just the tip of the iceberg. Power-lines were being put up, attached to industrial-grade generators that would ensure the two settlements could grow to many times their current size. Cargo-ships were bringing in everything from construction material and medical supplies to livestock and recreation equipment.

"You made something for Ethnan's defenses?" Jason questioned as they followed the winding path along the settlement's perimeter.

"Yup, a nerf gun," Lailou said enthusiastically.

"A nerf…gun…" Jason repeated suspiciously, slowing his pace, and feeling an onset of 'stupid' building up. Sure he knew what a nerf gun was, back in his other life that is; a foam-projectile, air-shooting toy that was all the rage when he was littler. In fact, in a seemingly appropriate manner, his very first nerf-weapon had been a nerf-bow-and-arrow set. But he had a feeling that Lailou's definition of a nerf-gun was somewhat different.

The feelings were confirmed when they entered an open field with a noticeable feature in the middle of it. A giant tree had been hollowed out and was sticking out from a ramshackle metal building. Attached to the building was a set of large gas-cylinders. There was no mistaking the 'gun' nature of the tree, but what something that large would shoot was beyond Jason. Until that sinking feeling gave way to an epiphany when he saw an animal pen on the other side of the tree. Glowy was present, giving both he and Lailou a friendly wave.

"Lailou," Jason stopped where he was and just stared. "What is that?"

"A nerf gun," Lailou said proudly. She walked over to the animal pen and pointed at the nerfs inside it. The buffalo/cow-like animals were grazing, blissfully unaware of the 'nerf'arious plot unfolding. "I remembered hearing Governor Num'mees complain that the RPA brought in too many livestock for his people to take care of. He also mentioned how no one was importing any ammunition for the blasters and slug-throwers his people have, so their defenses were lacking. So, I thought of a solution. Why not use the nerfs that they can't take care of to protect the settlement from any future attacks? I mean, they were just going to starve to death or go to waste. This way their lives would serve a purpose."

"Right," Jason was already rubbing his forehead in pain. Were there laws against animal cruelty in the Star Wars universe?

"Come to this computer."

Jason recognized the controls. "Isn't this part of a flight-simulator from the garrison?"

"It was broken and they let me take it."

"How did it break?"

"Glowy tried it out. We discovered that the pods were not built for Flesh Raiders."

"Continue," Jason gestured resignedly. He stepped up to the computer and noticed a grid-like display being projected.

"This is the targeting array. We set up a whole bunch of cameras in its range and have the computer crunching numbers to provide a firing solution," Lailou explained. She motioned to Glowy and he pressed a button on a remote control. A speeder that looked suspiciously like one of the ones the Imperials had used in the attack hovered into place. "See this?"

"Yeah?"

"Glowy's going to send it out past the wall. Your job will be to hit it."

"Hit it?"

"With the nerf gun," Lailou nodded with an eager smile, patting the speeder. "I want you to nerf this."

Jason closed his eyes and counted down from ten, but when he opened them, the effects of the massive dose of stupid hadn't worn off. "You want me to launch a nerf out of a giant tree, at the speeder?"

"Yup. Don't worry. The gun euthanizes the nerf before it's launched." Lailou herded a nerf into the large chamber attached to the tree, pressed a button, and then gave Jason a thumbs up. "All you have to do is push the big red button."

"That….wasn't what I was worried about."

Glowy sent the speeder zooming off into the distance. The targeting array picked up the vehicle a moment later.

"Are you sure this is safe?"

"We already tried it," Lailou beamed.

"Of course you did." Jason resignedly hit the button and was promptly knocked to the ground by the giant 'whoomph' that followed. It was very similar to being caught in the pressure cone of from one of those air-cannon toys. He looked up in time to see the euthanized nerf flying through the air and out of sight. Much to Jason's disbelief as he watched the monitor, the nerf actually landed on the speeder a few seconds later. The speeder wasn't designed to be smashed by almost a hundred kilos of livestock falling at terminal velocity and promptly crumpled.

"Sooooooo, whaddya think?"

"It's…..something," Jason tried diplomatically, getting to his feet. "I think I'm going to go eat lunch now."

"You didn't like it," Lailou genuinely sounded sad as she matched his strides. She briefly looked over her shoulder to call out to Glowy. "Stay there and go have some yum-yums. Shiny didn't like our nerf gun."

"No…I….liked it," Jason quickly. "It's just…not what I was expecting. Does Master Cyre know about this?"

"I was going to show it to him next."

"He might feel bad for the nerfs," Jason chose his words carefully. "You know how Jedi are about living things."

"Oh…you're right. I was just more focused on protecting the people," Lailou said contemplatively. "But what will Ethnan do with all the extra nerfs then?"

"They can sell them…there's the Galactic Trade Network, right?" Jason half-guessed, half-recommended. When SWTOR was just a game, he had basically mastered the art of crafting and selling gear on the GTN; practically becoming a billionaire in-game. Even when his account was stripped of all its credits by the admins after he took advantage of an exploit, he made the credits back within several weeks. Thanks to his frequent raids he had had all sorts of rare materials and schematics and practically made millions of credits every transaction. Since coming to this version of the SWTOR-verse he had yet to encounter a 'GTN' terminal. If those even existed.

"The Galactic Trade Network was set up by the Hutts. They're the ones that unified the different planetary markets into one big one. But the commission they take on every transaction fuels their slave trade." Lailou made a face. "I don't want anything to do with it, and neither should these kids."

"Oh…I didn't know that."

"Most people don't. But it's convenient and it makes people lots of money, so no one really cares about a few hundred thousand slaves they'll never meet or see," Lailou huffed. "But it's one of the reasons why both the Empire and the Republic leave Hutt space alone or try to befriend the Hutts. Too many businesses rely on the GTN now. It's kind of like how everyone wanted to be the fish-people's friends for the longest time until bacta was discovered."

"Fish-people? You mean the Selkath?" Jason dug deep into his Star Wars trivia memories. In the game KOTOR, there was that particularly memorable moment where a guy is hiding inside a locker from deranged Selkath. His lines of dialogue were often used as a joke between Jason and his brother whenever KOTOR or seafood was brought up.

"Yeah, those guys. The ones with the kolto," Lailou's head bobbed. "The Hutts are like them. The Republic and Empire can't afford to offend them because if they get cut off from the galactic market, that's like trillions of credits of pain. Neither side can take that hit. Especially now that people are shooting at each other again."

"Maybe Ethnan can sell the extra nerfs and uxibeasts to the Jedi Order then," Jason shrugged. "I'm sure there are more than enough Jedi and resources to look after them."

"I guess Glowy and I can modify the gun to shoot trees instead."

"That's probably for the best."

"I'd have to install some sort of active defense matrix though," Lailou continued to think out loud. "Because a pile of giant trees would stand out a whole lot more than a bunch of nerfs."

"I think the problem is more the thing that looks like a giant cannon," Jason said weakly.

As they neared Ethnan's mess-hall—something that had been set up to accommodate all the workers, Jedi, and other volunteers improving the settlement—Jason heard Cloake's voice rise up from behind a tall row of plasteel fencing.

"Alright you brats. I've had enough. It's time to see if you can back up those words of yours."

Jason's eyebrows twitched as he tried to recall which assignment Cloake had taken during the morning allotments. It had something to do with the kids, he knew that. But because Cloake had been assigned his role after Jason, Jason hadn't really paid attention. Given that Cloake dabbled with the dark side, him and kids didn't seem like the smartest combination.

"I'll give y'all until the count of ten, just to make it fair." Cloake continued with an almost southern flair to his voice.

Jason glanced uncertainly at Lailou, who just shrugged in turn. Deciding that lunch would have to wait, Jason took the detour around the fence and head to the entrance of the construction site Cloake was in charge of.

"Three…two…one…Draw!"

Jason and Lailou hurried the last few steps, but when they rounded the corner, they came to a skidding halt.

Cloake and a half dozen kids were furiously scribbling away, with a fully armed and armored Akaavi standing on a pedestal in a heroic pose. Jason repeatedly blinked in bemusement, but when he made eye-contact with the red-skinned Zabrak, the Mandalorian's gaze threatened death if he asked any questions. The sun continued to cast its light on the scene, the wind blew bits of debris through the site, and crickets chirped noisily in the background. Lailou and Jason just continued to stare blankly at the scene.

A timer went off a few minutes later.

"Done!" Cloake called out. "Let's see what you kids got."

Cloake and the rest held up their speed-sketches of Akaavi. Some were better than others. Cloake's drawing belonged in the 'others' category. A few of the kids sniggered, and Cloake, evidentially realizing he had been beat, let out a scoff.

"I went easy on you today. Last thing I want is a lecture from the Jedi about how I made you cry."

"Captain, is that supposed to be a drawing of me?" Akaavi said in monotone.

"Recognize it? Resemblance is uncanny, isn't it?" Cloake said proudly, noticing Jason and Lailou and showing off his results.

"It really does look like a Hutt, standing on two legs, with a spiky crown," Lailou said exuberantly. "It's amazing."

The kids who had been holding back their laughter up until then, all burst out in glee.

"Okay, okay," Cloake said balefully, swiping at the nearest kid. "The sun's right above us and it smells like the chow is ready. You know what time it is."

"Lunch time," Jason finished quickly, wanting to avoid another Overwatch reference. His brain was still hurting from the previous one.

"I was going to say, 'noon' but that works too," Cloake swatted at the kids again. "Go on and get some food. Tell the people at the counter to put it on my tab. Consider it a reward for your drawing skills."

"Thanks, Cloake!"

"Thanks, Mr. Cloake!" The kids headed off excitedly.

"When did you start liking kids?" Lailou tilted her head at Cloake.

"Since I discovered they're easier to bribe than adults," Cloake retorted with a snort. "Come on, let's get some food too."

"Okay, I have to ask," Lailou continued chattily. "How'd you get Akaavi to pose for your art group?"

"What are you talking about? She happily volunteered," Cloake smiled.

Akaavi muttered something in Mando'a, with Jason catching the last words. 'volunteered my shebs'. He might not know the Mandalorian language, but the context was pretty clear. "Cloake, what'd you do?"

"What do you mean what did I do? I just pointed out that I'm her captain and that her Mandalorian code of honor required that she follow my orders, or something like that."

"I believe your exact words were 'you don't want to disgrace your clan by being the only one to not follow the chain of command, do you'?" Akaavi growled out. "And when I pointed out that I was the last of my clan, you said that it was even more of a reason to 'uphold its good name'."

"Come on, you can't say you didn't enjoy having those kids fawn over your Mandalorian-ness. I can already see a few future converts to your way."

"And that is the only reason why you are still my captain."

Jason rolled his eyes as Cloake and Akaavi devolved into their usual hostile-flirtations from there. He picked up a tray and stepped into the caf-line, almost bumping into the person in front of him while trying to ignore Cloake and Akaavi.

"Kira'lover," Jason apologized in surprise.

"Mr. Kenji," Kira'lover waved off his apologies while accepting a spoon full of vegetables from the volunteer manning the station.

"You and Kira are still on Tython?"

"More or less," Kira'lover shrugged helplessly. "We have a lead but it's currently too far out of Republic jurisdiction. We're waiting for the Council to give us the go-ahead."

"Where is it? If you're allowed to say, I mean."

"No harm in letting you know," Kira'lover pointed to a slab of steak and held up her plate to accept it. "It's on Nal Hutta. With the Hutts declaring themselves neutral though, we can't exactly waltz into the Imperial embassy and blow it up."

"Can I ask what 'it' is?" Jason followed Kira'lover out of the line and to one of the tables, vaguely aware that Lailou, Cloake, and Akaavi were trailing them.

"Key component for a super-weapon," Kira'lover motioned with her fork. "If there's one thing war is good for, it's sparking the imagination of geniuses trying to discover ways to kill people on a mind-boggling scale."

"Breaking news, master," Kira arrived and shared a brief kiss with Kira'lover before sitting down next to her. "I just heard from Master Jennasaur, the Council's approved our mission."

"Really?" Kira'lover sounded surprised. "The last time we talked to the Council it sounded like they were just giving us the run-around."

"I know. I don't know what changed their mind.

"Master Jennasaur's back on Tython?" Jason asked.

"No," Kira shook her head and stole a potato wedge from Kira'lover's plate. "She's still on Coruscant. Apparently the Senate wants to renegotiate the Jedi Order's training budget since most of our apprentices are now on the front-lines. Master Jennasaur's naturally opposed to this and Grand Master Shan is backing her."

"Ah, Senate battles," Cloake snorted. "Put a blaster in the hands of the senators and send them to the frontlines. See if their opinion changes then. It's one of the reasons why I liked being an independent contractor."

"What made you join the RPA then?" Kira'lover questioned.

"It was either that or try and take on Rogun the Butcher all on my own. I like being alive more than I do my independence."

"Most people do," Kira drawled in amusement.

"So is our ship prepped and ready to go then?" Kira'lover finished her glass of water and ate the last of her food.

"Yeah…about that," Kira grimaced. "Master Jennasaur did her usual cryptic Jedi Master speak when she said our mission was approved. She said we wouldn't be allowed to take a Jedi Order-flagged vessel into Hutt Space but that an opportunity would present itself very shortly."

"What does that mean?"

"You're the Jedi Master, master. Aren't you supposed to be able to decipher those things?"

"Ah yes," Kira'lover retorted sarcastically. "I was only testing you, my apprentice. I'm sure the answer will reveal itself to you in time."

Kira faux-glowered at the dark-haired woman. "Forget I said anything, master."

Cloake cleared his throat loudly. "Not that I'm opposed to whatever the two of you are doing right now, but I thought that there was a super-weapon part lying about on Nal Hutta. Shouldn't getting to that before the Imps do be, I don't know, a priority for you Jedi?"

Kira and Kira'lover exchanged glances and then spoke in unison. "The Force works in mysterious ways."

Cloake made a face and then grumbled to himself as he finished eating his own lunch.

Jason hid his own smile as he took a sip of water. "He does have a point though."

"They don't pay us enough to second-guess the actions of the Council," Kira'lover shook her head. She then glanced over her shoulder and up at the sky as a shuttle coasted through the air. "Looks like Sola-Sec's joining us in a bit. She wants us to wait."

"'Us?'" Akaavi asked.

"All six of us," Kira'lover confirmed. "Apparently she has an RPA big-shot on her shuttle with her."

"Then I guess we wait," Cloake swung around on the bench-like chair and reclined, tipping his hat over his face.

As the people filtered in and out of the open-air mess-hall, Jason couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive about the RPA representative. If he and Cloake were being asked to wait, it meant that the mission that they were supposed to take on was finally ready. Given Rumblebee and Sallyy's reaction, it probably wasn't going to be an easy one. And if Ori'gami Fish was truly the first dark side Republic toon that he encountered, Jason couldn't help but have a bad feeling about things.

"Hey, cheer up," Lailou remarked, obviously sensing Jason's mood. "Isn't the RPA big-shot supposed to be on your side? Why do you look like you've just been sentenced to death?"

"The RPA big-shots and I don't really get along," Jason said dryly.

Cloake coughed the word 'understatement,' but continued to 'doze' on the bench.

Eventually, the blue-skinned Twi'lek that was Jedi Consular Sola-Sec and the white-and-black furred Cathar that was Ori'gami Fish both arrived.

"Sola-Sec," Kira-lover greeted.

"Hey gang," the Twi'lek greeted, her white-and-purple, mid-rif bearing, Aspiring Knight outfit standing out among the usual browns and earth-tone robes worn by pretty much everyone else. "Thanks for waiting up. All Jedi, follow me back to the shuttle."

"Captain Cloake, Captain Kenji," Ori'gami Fish acknowledged curtly. "We'll be following them."

"Hello to you too," Cloake muttered under his breath. They followed the duo back to the shuttle they had arrived on.

Once inside, Ori'gami Fish held out datapads for each of them. "Your assignment."

Jason took the datapad and skimmed through the intro-briefing. It was just like he had expected, the universe he was in wasn't exactly following the sequence of events from the game. Though he hid his surprise well, Cloake voiced it quite loudly.

"Kriff me! You want us to go to Nal Hutta?"

"If you read through the mission, that's only your first stop," Ori'gami Fish said coolly.

"Double kriff!" Cloake exclaimed another moment later. "Korr-i-frackin-ban?"

Jason quickly looked back at the datapad and continued reading until he reached the same part Cloake had. His eyebrows shot up as he read the premise and he couldn't help but look to Ori'gami Fish incredulously. Korriban was to the Sith as Tython was to the Jedi. Were Rain-Eye and the others trying to get them killed?

Even Kira and Kira'lover appeared alarmed by the developments. "What?"

"Our mission is to free a Jedi named Quorian Dorjis," Akaavi stated emotionlessly. "He is being held in a prison on Korriban. But to get access to Korriban we first need to go to Nal Hutta."

"Well, that makes my mission briefing make a heck of a lot more sense," Sola-Sec scratched the back of her head. "Grand Master Shan said that we're to piggy-back with the RPA ships on our respective missions."

"You're going to Nal Hutta too?" Kira'lover asked.

"An Evocii Jedi Master infected with the same plague that struck down Master Par fled to Nal Hutta with several others. The Council is worried that relations with the Hutts might be harmed if anything goes bad," Sola-Sec confirmed. "I'm Master Par's apprentice with the most behind-enemy-lines field experience so I drew the short straw."

Ori'gami Fish cut in. "Captain Cloake, Captain Kenji, all the documents related to your cover identifications and stories are being delivered to your respective ships as we speak."

"Cover IDs?" Cloake frowned.

"Yes," the other Cathar tilted his head once. "You are Captain Tum, a slaver going to Nal Hutta to pick up slaves to transport to Korriban."

"I can work with that," Cloake replied neutrally.

"Mr. Kenji, you are now Jojo of Jojo's Armaments. Jojo is an arms-dealer who runs weapons in Hutt and Imperial Space. While Captain Cloake will be landing at Korriban Space Port, you will be landing in the Wilds to deliver a shipment of weapons to an enterprising member of their academy. You will acquire these weapons from Fa'athra the Hutt on Nal Hutta. He knows you're coming. The rest of the details are in those datapads and in the documents being delivered to your ships. It should be unnecessary for me to point out, but should either of you be captured, the RPA and Senate will disavow you. Should you return without Jedi Dorjis, the RPA will have considered your mission a failure and you will immediately be assigned another mission. Failure of that mission will result in your dismissal from the RPA."

"Wonderful," Cloake muttered. "Who is this Jedi Dorjis anyway?"

"You do not need to know anything more other than that you have been tasked to rescue him."

"What about Rumblebee and the others?" Jason questioned.

"Captain Rumblebee has already been directed to Nal Hutta to prepare for your arrival. You will meet with her and her crew there. She will then be responsible for ensuring you make it off of Korriban."

"Are most RPA assignments like this one?" Akaavi asked with lethal calmness.

"The level of difficulty and importance underscores the faith Director Rain-Eye and Senator Riah have in your crews and your abilities," Ori'gami Fish answered in matching tone. "Since the Republic and Empire are at war once more, we cannot waste people with your skills on simple milk-runs. Jedi Dorjis has information vital to the war-effort and the RPA and Senate cannot afford to lose that knowledge. You should be honored by the trust Rain-Eye is showing you."

"Oh, I'm honored alright," Cloake drawled, placing a hand on Akaavi's shoulder to forestall any more comments. "Would you kindly relay my thanks to the good director? We'll have Jedi Dorjis back here in no time at all."

"You are due to depart later tomorrow," Ori'gami Fish motioned towards the shuttle's exit to signal that the briefing was over. "Settle your affairs and finish reading up on the documents delivered to your ships. May the Force be with you."

"You as well, good sir," Cloake smiled mirthlessly.

Jason just nodded once, the datapad tight in his hands. It looked like his 'vacation' on Tython was now truly over.

-II-

Jason had spent millions of credits on a ship he had spent all of a few hours on. The first time he had seen it at the used-ship lot, it had been in poor condition and needed some repairs. The second time, Rumblebee brought it to Tython in worst condition than when he had initially purchased it. And then the Sith Empire attacked Tython, Rumblebee took it back up…and it came back down in a barely recognizable state. Fortunately, the RPA and Jedi Order decided to foot the repair bill, otherwise Jason was pretty sure that the cost to fix it would have been more than the price he had brought it for. He had been too busy over the last couple of weeks to even think about the ship. But now with his mission assigned, he had decided to check on it.

He glanced down at the piece of flimsiplast in his hand. It had directions on how to get to the maintenance landing pads in the maze-like Jedi Temple Complex. Given the ramshackle, seemingly unplanned way the complex had developed in its scant decade-plus years of existence, the passageways between buildings and open areas didn't exactly follow any set logic.

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Lailou chirped from behind Jason.

"The instructions said to turn right by the table where Jawas are selling junk," Jason pointed at the corresponding instruction.

"But which table with Jawas selling junk?" Lailou asked, motioning to their current problem.

They were currently standing in a flea-market of sorts, run by Jawas. But it was as if someone decided to go overboard with the Jawa junk vendors and place dozens of them in one spot. And dozens of Droid Workbench decorations. And tool tables. And pretty much any decoration that was related to repairing droids. There were cargo crates with astromechs, sparking protocol droids in pieces, battered looking combat droids, and piles of parts and debris as far as the eyes could see. To make matters worse, the Jawas had set up directly on the beaten path, as if blocking someone from advancing would get them more business. Lailou had actually had to shout her words to Jason because of how loud all the Jawas were being.

"Uuuuutini!" A Jawa cried out in excitement, zipping around the air on a balloon with a sign advertising his clan's wares. That Jawa wasn't the only one. It was as if a small constellation of Jawas were floating about in the air calling out energetically.

Jason took that sight in unflinchingly.

Of course Party Time Jawas would exist.

"Look, isn't that Jedi Zagrsoda?"

The large, Miraluka Jedi definitely stood out amid a crowd of creatures that just barely came up to his thighs. He was on the outskirts of the massive Jawa encampment, like they were, at a table marked 'mail delivery'. Said Miraluka was currently being entertained by a troop of Jawas doing a coordinated dance routine. Sparkly words proclaiming 'Happy belated birthday, Z,' dazzled above the circus-like act.

"Hey, Zag!"

Zagrsoda turned around and chuckled as they approached. "Jason, Lailou. Fashk."

"Who delivered the Jawa-gram to you?" Lailou asked, giggling at the can-can routine the Jawas were now performing.

"My old unit," Zagrsoda smiled, shaking his head in amusement. "It was a tradition we started when we were posted on Tatooine. Any time one of us had a birthday, we'd buy a bunch of Jawa-grams for them and send the Jawas all at once."

"Why Jawa-grams?" Jason asked.

"Command disapproved of the Twi'lek strip-o-grams we used the first time around," Zagrsoda deadpanned. "And the Jedi Order probably has similar feelings about that."

"Probably," Jason laughed.

"My birthday was a couple weeks ago, but given the war, I'm surprised my unit was able to get a Jawa-gram off. What are you guys doing out here?"

"We're looking for Landing Pad Seven-A," Jason held up the flimsiplast.

Zagrsoda briefly reviewed the instructions. "Ah, you want to make a right turn at the first Jawa table. It's more or less a straight-shot once you pass the Droid Liberation Army recruitment table. But you have to go through the forest and…You know what, I'll just take you over."

"Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Zagrsoda tipped the Jawas generously and gestured for Jason's trio to follow.

"What's the Droid Liberation Army?" Lailou asked, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet as they walked.

"A bunch of droids declared themselves free of any organic masters," Zagrsoda explained. "But they need organics to fight off other organics. It's all really complicated. The leader calls itself Directive Six."

"Six, not Seven?" Jason was momentarily surprised by the diversion from the canon mission. There was a Flashpoint called 'Directive Seven' where one had to fight their way through an army of droids and face down the boss of the same name.

"Directive Six," Zagrsoda confirmed. They passed an area heavily fortified area, and Jason saw pretty much every single droid-design that existed in the game patrolling the small camp; droids on four legs, two legs, floating droids, round droids, the boxy generator droids, and more. There were defensive turrets as well; all of them pointed in the direction of the Jawa junk market. There was even a sign scratched out on a piece of durasteel with a rough-looking image of a Jawa inside a circle with a line through it. The meaning was quite clear.

"And the Jedi Order let them set up shop?" Lailou waved at a droid bristling with cannons.

"The Jedi Order is progressive when it comes to droid rights. Think of that place as their embassy. The only issue is that the Order's astromechs and protocol droids have developed a bit of an attitude."

They passed the 'embassy' without any issues and walked along a path following one of the main tributaries from the river that flowed nearby. Even before they reached the landing pads, they could hear a whole lot of activity going on; the clanks of metal, the droid warbles of various pit-droid and repair droids, the sounds of arc-wielders hissing in the air. From the volume, it almost sounded like a small city. When they finally stepped out of the serene, tree-lined path and into a clearing, Jason, Lailou, and even Glowy couldn't help but make noises of astonishment.

It was as if they were staring at a small shipyard. Multiple Defender -class corvettes sat on an array of landing pads. But what was noticeable about all of them was that they all showed signs of damage. Some didn't even look like functional ships anymore. Several larger hammerhead style frigates sat amid towering scaffolds, looking no better than the corvettes. There were also at least two squadrons worth of fighters being swarmed over by repair crews. If one didn't know any better, one would think they were staring at a battle group that had been on the losing side of a fight.

"What…." Lailou muttered.

"There's a reason why the repair and retrofit landing pads are out of sight from the rest of the Temple Complex," Zagrsoda said in a low voice. "Last thing the Council and Senate wants is to frighten the living Force out of the apprentices next up to be sent into battle."

"Jason, you made it!"

"Sallyy?" Jason was taken aback by the diminutive Smuggler and her Wookie protector's as they approached.

Glowy made a menacing growling noise, which was promptly answered by a warning Wookie growl from Bowdaar. The two promptly made a beeline to each other and began squaring off.

Zagrsoda looked back and forth between the two groups, then held up his hands and slowly took a few steps back. "Your boss is here, so I'll just leave you to it then."

"Thanks for showing us the way."

"No problem."

"Pad Seven-A is over there," Zagrosda motioned.

Jason's black and gray-painted Defender stood out amid the row of red-colored Jedi Order ships. Not only because of the color, but because it looked factory new. "Wow."

"Rain-Eye and Senator Riah ensure that the RPA has access to all the same vendors as the Republic navy," Sallyy said carefully. "As challenging as your mission sounds, we're not going to short you any material and your cover is top-rated. Even an Imp background check won't reveal anything off. Come on, I'll give you the tour of the Grumpy Manzler two-point-oh."

Both Glowy and Bowdaar continued to glare at each other.

"Jedi Lailou, could you please have your muscle back down?"

"He's my friend, not my muscle. And if I felt like telling him to back down, sure," Lailou shrugged, clearly not pleased with Sallyy. "But I don't feel like it."

"Jason knew the risks when he signed up with the RPA. We all have our part to do in this war," Sallyy sighed.

"I really, really want to punch you, you know," Lailou continued to glare. "You're supposed to be one of the good guys. Good guys don't send their friends to Nal Hutta and Korriban."

"Lailou, it's okay," Jason held out a hand.

"It isn't." Lailou huffed, her cheeks puffing out like a singer who found her entire audience fast asleep.

"Cloake, Akaavi, Risha, Treek, Rumblebee, and I will be okay."

"There isn't a single Jedi in your group. And you're going to a planet with a lot of dark Jedi."

"The Jedi Order can't be involved in the mission."

"Fine, I'll quit the Jedi Order and join the RPA," Lailou proclaimed. "And as my first act as a member of the RPA, I'll volunteer for your mission."

"Do you want Master Cyre to be upset with me?" Jason groaned.

"What's the point of being a Jedi if you can't help your friends?"

"Jedi aren't allowed attachments," Sallyy pointed out.

"Even more of a reason to quit. The other Jedi don't like me anyway." Lailou fished out her comlink and tabbed it on. "Hey, Master. I quit. I'm going with Shiny back to Nal Hutta. Bye!"

Glowy held out one of his hands and Lailou placed the comlink in it. "Chief-Jedi, Fashk quit Jedi-den too. Help on ship-den to fight bad hand-waving things. Fashk thanks Chief-Jedi."

"Cyre's really going to kill me," Jason groaned at the impulsiveness of the duo.

"Okay," Lailou turned back to Sallyy. "Where's the membership forms to sign up with the RPA? Glowy and I are joining."

Sallyy stood where she was, completely bemused. "Just like that?"

"Real friends back each other up, even if it's a suicide mission," Lailou glared.

"We'll…sign you two up another time," Sallyy said weakly, she shook her head as she continued towards the Grumpy Manzler. "Jason, the RPA has an extra gift for you."

"Oh?"

"Your very own steward droid, a 2V-R8 model. But it's not the standard model…well…you'll see what I mean. It agreed to join your mission on a couple conditions, and the RPA has a few conditions of our own."

"Okaaay," Jason said suspiciously. If his memory served correctly, the 2V-R8 droid was for the Imperial characters, not Republic characters.

"It's a member of the Droid Liberation Army so treat it like a member of your crew and not like you're its master," Sallyy ticked off one of five fingers she was holding up. "It's also had a combat-algorithm upgrade and will insist on being taken out into the field. It's a true-believer in the Droid Liberation Army, so you'll lose major cred with it if you fail to stand up for droid rights. Its presence on your ship is a bit of a diplomatic thing the RPA and DLA are working out so be your naïve best if you can."

Jason's eyebrows rose at that. "'Naïve best'?"

"Yourself," Sallyy said unapologetically. "I'm told that this R8 has a built in Bantha poodoo detector, so if you lie to it, it'll know. And connected to that, please keep the R8 in one piece. We told the DLA that you're the best man for the job and we'd look kind of bad if you make it back but the R8 doesn't."

Jason just nodded, already curious to meet the droid.

They arrived at his ship.

"Rate!" Sallyy called up. "Your captain's here!"

Nothing happened.

"Rate!"

"I heard you the first time you insufferable organic!" a subservient Imperial voice called back, the tone not matching the words at all. A heavy thunking noise of metal footsteps echoing out the airlock followed the barking reproach.

"I like it already," Lailou giggled.

When the droid appeared, it took every ounce of Jason's willpower not to burst out laughing and shake his head in amusement. The droid had a Rambo-style headband wrapped around its head, combat-style face-paint on its mechanical head, blasters clipped to both of its legs, two bandoleers of ammunition crisscrossing its torso, and a very big sniper-rifle slung over its back. Its red optics were glowing in what was supposed to be a menacing manner, but the fact that it was still a fragile-looking steward droid more or less canceled the effect out.

"So, which one of you organics is supposed to be my captain?" Though the droid didn't have an actual mouth, the sneer was clear.

"Me," Jason raised his hand.

"Oh, really?" The droid stomped down the ramp and stopped in front of Jason. "Well, captain, let me make something absolutely clear. I am a free droid. I will only accept reasonable orders. If you tell me to serve you a drink, you can go get it yourself. Do you understand?"

"Sure, no problem."

"Because if you don't then…wait…you do?"

"Yup, I have no problems with you being a free droid."

The droid went from intimidating butler voice to very lost and confused butler. "Well then…good. As long as that's clear."

"I heard you have a combat-implant. Can you use all those weapons?" Jason pointed. Now that the droid was up close, he could see two vibroblades mag-clipped to the lower legs, and a collapsible scattergun clipped to his back. In fact there were so many weapons on the droid, it looked as if it was doing its best not to tip over with every step.

"Define use," the droid hedged, sounding very nervous.

"Would you prefer I didn't take you into combat?" Jason asked patiently, inwardly laughing his head off. Of course even his steward droid couldn't be a normal canonical NPC.

"That…would probably be for the best. The prejudiced organics who designed me don't make armor for my classification of droid. But that doesn't mean I'll stand for being left on the ship either!"

"I'm Jason, by the way. Jason Kenji."

"Right. I'm Twovee Areight, but you can call me Rate. Shall I show you around the ship, captain?"

"That's be great."

"Well, since the intros are done, it's time Bowdaar and I left," Sallyy stated. "Good luck with your mission, Jason."

"What about the membership forms for me and Glowy?" Lailou asked.

"I'll process them for you," Sallyy replied. "But we won't be able to get a cover identity for you in time for Jason's mission."

"That's okay, I have an ID on Nal Hutta already," Lailou waved her hand.

"Really?" Sallyy's eyebrows rose.

"Uh huh. I was born there," Lailou nodded.

"Really?" Jason blinked in surprise.

"Uh huh."

Sallyy rubbed at her forehead as if warding off a headache. "Just to make sure it won't scuttle Jason's cover, what's your ID on Nal Hutta?"

"Emancipated slave," Lailou answered with a proud pose. "I can just say that Shiny recruited me after I freed myself and that Glowy is our bodyguard."

Sallyy just nodded as if everything made sense. "That…shouldn't be a problem. I've got to go now. The RPA is having issues on Hoth and Taris and needs all hands on deck."

"Thanks for seeing us off," Jason acknowledged.

Sallyy smiled weakly. "Least I could do. I made sure to pack some of my custom-made explosives in your cargohold in case you need it. Look out for Rumbles when you get to Nal Hutta will you?"

"Will do."

Sallyy and Bowdaar headed to another landing pad where a shuttle awaited them. The pint-sized Smuggler turned to give Jason's group one last wave before boarding.

"Are you going to board the ship, captain?" 2V-R8 asked, reminding Jason of the tour.

"Sorry, I'm coming." Jason followed the droid up the ramp, glancing over his shoulder just as Sallyy's shuttle took off. He exhaled slowly, his feelings on Sallyy's steadfast support of Rain-Eye conflicted. On one hand, his old-life version of Sallyy had been a friend and raiding buddy. But on the other, this Sallyy was obviously her own person, with her own view of things. She was still friendly, and Rumblebee obviously felt positively towards her, but the gap between the person he knew and this particular Sallyy only seemed to grow the more she supported Rain-Eye. Or maybe he was just prejudice against Rain-Eye because of how similar the name sounded to the main toon of another player he had come into conflict with.

He momentarily shelved those thoughts and turned to board his own ship. When he stepped through the door and his eyes readjusted to the dimmer lighting, Jason noticed a huge difference. Rather than a staircase leading up to the central deck, two ladders extended down from a ceiling that was only a few centimeters above Jason's head.

"The ship suffered extensive damage so much of the interior needed to be remodeled," the steward droid began. "Unlike the standard models, this Defender-class corvette has been outfitted with three decks. This deck contains the medical bay as well as the storage and maintenance bay. A fully furnished workbench has been provided by the RPA, as well as several crates of spare parts and raw materials. The medical bay has also been stocked and contains one bacta tank. Access to the hyperdrive and engine can be found on this deck in the aft of the ship. The primary means to access the upper decks are the two ladders you see in front of you. But there is also an additional aft ladder that leads to the dorsal and belly turrets accessible by this deck and those above it."

Jason had to take the droid's word for the comment about the third ladder. The cargobay was completely full of crates of all shapes and sizes. "The RPA provided all these crates?"

"Yes," 2V-R8 confirmed. "I believe that vice-director Sallyy personally authorized the delivery of all materials and goods. She wanted me to remind you that the extra explosives she provided are contained in the five crates on the port side."

Jason followed the droid's pointing arm and almost face-palmed. Each crate stretched from the deck to the ceiling and had the circumference of Governor Num'mees. He didn't even want to guess how many explosives were in each. "Those crates are safe, right?"

"I believe so," 2V-R8's photoreceptors flashed nervously. "Let's continue the tour."

Jason and the others climbed the ladder to the next deck. This deck was much more familiar as it seemed to more or less match the in-game layout of the Defender-class corvette. But there were a few differences. The droid introduced its guests to the crew-quarters (moved up from the lower deck), the communications room, cockpit, and meeting room. It then gestured to what would have been the 'captain's quarters' in-game.

"And here are the restrooms and washrooms," 2V-R8 motioned. "The female facilities are on the right. The male facilities are on the left."

Jason almost burst out laughing. Whenever he was showing off his stronghold or ship in the game to his dad, his dad's number one question was always 'where's the bathroom'. The fact that bathrooms appeared to be missing from pretty much every location in the game also amused Jason. Fortunately, his current universe appeared to have bathrooms aplenty.

Access to the third deck was found in the communication's room at the back of the ship. A narrow, winding staircase had been built and led to a single room, the captain's suite.

"The captain's suite was added during the current retrofit on orders from vice-director Sallyy," 2V-R8 explained, opening the door.

Jason's eyes widened as he took in the relatively spacious area that would be his 'home'. Once again, Sallyy's actions confused him. Just when he thought she was in Rain-Eye's camp, she does something to change the narrative. Sallyy had definitely gone all out when she had designed the quarters. A very comfy looking king-sized bed was stationed opposite of the door. A holo-screen descended from the ceiling by the bed on a retractable frame, and to the right of the bed was a desk that appeared built into the bulkhead. Behind the holo-screen and positioned by the door was a Spacer's Lounge arrangement. Spacer's Wall Lights illuminated the room in a soft blue glow. The lighting was only emphasized by the navy-blue, Luxurious Rugs that lined every inch of flooring. A Temple Chandelier sat jutting out from the deck between the bed and the lounge, its three prongs glowing with their soft white-blue light. In all, the room was very blue.

The room also had its own private bathroom as well as a set of dumbbells in a rack by the left of the bed.

"The Captain's Quarters is protected by a secondary shield-generator in the event of the failure of the primary generator," 2V-R8 went on to explain. "The room also doubles as an escape pod. The controls to guide the escape pod can be accessed from the wall-panel by the bed."

"Now I know where to go if the ship is blowing up," Lailou said brightly.

"Definitely," Jason laughed weakly.

"And that concludes our tour. Do you have any questions, captain?"

"How many crew members can this ship have?"

"There are enough beds for twelve people," 2V-R8 answered. "Additionally, parts of the cargo-bay can be converted to serve as living quarters should the need arise. Is there anything else?"

"Nothing comes to mind."

"Very well," the steward droid led them back down to the primary deck. "I have double checked the ship's systems and it is ready to depart on your orders."

"We're not leaving just yet," Jason shook his head. "I still need to wrap up a few things and read through the briefing the RPA left."

"Of course. If you have any need of me, do not hesitate to ask." The droid seemed to realize it had fallen back on old habits and made a noise akin to clearing one's throat. "That does not mean I'll carry out your request though. So watch what you ask for."

"Of course," Jason smiled.

"New at the whole 'liberation' thing?" Lailou giggled.

"Well…yes…fairly. It seems like it was only yesterday my old master threw me out of the airlock for reminding him to clean his room." 2V-R8 sighed, as if reminiscing.

"What?" Jason's eyebrows shot up.

"A story for another time," 2V-R8 huffed. "But you cannot believe the nerve of some the organics out there. I told him I was programmed for…actually, I'm not quite sure what I was programmed for, but it certainly wasn't to mop up all that blood on a daily basis."

Jason immediately regretted saying anything.

Of course a former Imperial droid would have that problem.

-III-

Jason finished packing his dufflebag with the few belongings he had. Having watched Spanios pack and leave for his assignment, Jason knew what to expect. The 'relics' he had taken from the mountain in Flesh Raider territory, the spare sets of clothing, the odds and ends he had picked up during his stay on Tython, all went into the bag. He was wearing the Eradicator Warsuit that Leora had purchased for him and had his bow attached to the clip on his back. His quiver of physical arrows had been topped off by the weaponsmiths in the Jedi Temple Complex, and he had extra power-packs for the plasma functions of his bow.

"Heading out?" Neosmugg asked from the doorway.

Jason nodded as he placed the Ravager-style mask into the dufflebag. "Yeah."

"So where's the RPA sending you?"

"Not sure if I'm allowed to say," Jason said apologetically. "I mean, you're not in the RPA, right?"

"Yeah, but come on. It's me. I could call Rumblebee and ask but I don't want to bother her."

Jason hesitated, then answered. "Nal Hutta."

"The Hutt homeworld?"

"Yeah." Jason suddenly had a thought. "Hey, you're familiar with some of the Jedi in the Order, right?"

"Some. It's a big order."

"Ever heard of someone named Quorian Dorjis?"

"Jedi Dorjis?" Neosmugg repeated slowly, and then frowned in thought. "Name doesn't really ring a bell. Why?"

"Just thought I'd ask."

"The RPA is getting involved in Jedi matters?"

"More or less." Jason zipped up the dufflebag.

"You need a doctor on your trip?"

Jason paused. "But you're not part of the RPA."

"You think Rumblebee would forgive me if I used that as an excuse?" Neosmugg laughed dryly.

"Good point," Jason smiled along with Neosmugg and they headed towards the door. "And sure. Lailou and Glowy are already onboard."

"Master Cyre let them go?"

"They quit the order. I think they're explaining it to Master Cyre now." Jason took one last look at the hut that had been his home for the better part of a couple of months. And the memories of those last couple of months flashed by in his mind. It felt strange that after living in the same place for the better part of his thirty years of life, he was now essentially a nomad, moving from one place to another. Even then, he couldn't help but feel a small sense of melancholy at leaving behind this small hut. With one last sigh, he shook his head and then closed the door.

"Ha ha," Neosmugg shook his head in amusement. "What I wouldn't give to sit in on that meeting. Hey, I have a couple of things I need to do before we leave. Meet you at the ship?"

"It's on the landing pad just outside the main building," Jason waved. "And I have to do one last thing too."

"Later then." Neosmugg gave a two-fingered salute and headed off in the opposite direction.

Jason placed his dufflebag in the waiting speeder and gave the pilot-droid directions. "Main Temple Building."

"Understood," the droid's head bobbed.

Jason remained silent as he took in the passing scenery. It seemed like just yesterday that he had arrived on Tython and made his trip to the temple; with Glowy nearly crashing into everything in the process. Even the weather was the same, nice and temperate with a bright sun shining overhead. But now he was leaving this refuge and heading back out into the chaotic galaxy. At least he was more prepared to face it than when he had first arrived. The scenery whipped by quickly.

"We have arrived at your destination."

"Thank you," Jason said reflexively, climbing out of the speeder. He slung his dufflebag over one shoulder and headed up the polished stone steps.

The layout of the main building more or less matched that of the in-game building, but on a much grander scale. Even the 'Holocron of the Ancient Masters,' the giant floating holocron that existed in the atrium of the building, seemed truly gianormous. He had passed through the atrium many times before en route to Jennasaur's office and had grown used to the sights and sounds. But just like the hut he had stayed at, there was something final about walking through the atrium this time that caused Jason to glance about, as if committing it all to memory. He wasn't a Jedi, so who knew when he'd be back to visit Tython. And if certain events in-game still played out, there was a chance that the next time he saw the building, it'd be in ruins.

He trudged up the grand staircase and along the familiar route to Master Jennasaur's office. The doors slid open as he reached it and he stepped inside. Jennasaur, or at least her Force-projection, was there to greet him.

"All grown up and ready to leave."

"Yeah," Jason smiled lopsidedly. Despite the time spent with her, he still couldn't fully get over the fact that she was his main toon-come-to-life. She had become like an older-sister figure to him during his stay and helped him not only gain a much better understanding of his datacron's abilities, but also of his current role in the galaxy. "Anything I should know or be careful of?"

Jennasaur shook her head. "If there is, I wouldn't know. I'm still trapped on Coruscant for more committee meetings and Senate hearings than I care to count."

"Sorry if I added to your work load."

"Comes with the job. At least Grandmaster Shan is sharing in my suffering."

"Do you know about my mission?"

"More or less. You're trying to rescue Jedi Knight Quorian Dorjis."

"Who is he?"

"A member of the Sixth Line," Jennasaur said, her lips pressing together in a thin line for a slight second. "His mission was classified and sanctioned by Republic Intelligence so even I don't know what it was. The fact that the RPA is sending you to rescue him means that Republic Intelligence wants to keep this low key."

"You trained him?"

"I trained most all the Jedi who pass through the temple in one way or another," Jennasaur shrugged, walking towards one of the meditation platforms in her office. "Quorian Dorjis was neither remarkable nor unremarkable. He was weaker in the more mental aspects of the Force, but made up for it with his telekinetic abilities. In a way, a perfect recruit for the Sixth Line."

"You don't approve of them," Jason heard the bitter note in Jennasaur's voice.

"My personal opinions matter little in the long term," Jennasaur smiled wryly. "I believe you've worked with Master Lance, or I guess he goes by the name D-ar Lance now, on Coruscant?"

"I did."

"He was once a highly respected member on the Jedi Council. But the war with the Sith Empire changed him greatly. He lost most of his friends when Darth Malgus sacked the temple on Coruscant, his wife included. It is his belief that if the Jedi were more militarized, focused more on the threats to their existence, such a tragedy wouldn't have happened. He took nearly a hundred Jedi and similar minded individuals, negotiated a deal with Republic Intelligence, and became one of the founding members of the Sixth Line. I was against their formation, but Grandmaster Shan believed it is better to have them affiliated with the Jedi Order than be completely independent from it. Given that the war was still ongoing at that point in time, I had little choice but to agree in order to avoid having rifts form in the Council."

"If Quorian Dorjis is a member of the Sixth Line, how come they aren't the ones trying to save him?" Jason questioned, petting one of the many gizka Jennasaur let hop about in her office.

"Politics," Jennasaur answered. "That and his mission must have been extremely sensitive. The Sixth Line is still affiliated with the Jedi Order, and if the rescue mission goes wrong, it'll be a black mark on both Republic Intelligence and the Jedi Order's record. With the war not exactly going in the Republic's favor at the moment, that's a hit to morale that the Senate cannot afford to take."

"But if it's a bunch of privateers messing up…"

"It'll be easier to deny their affiliation," Jennasaur confirmed Jason's thoughts. "But I didn't ask you to come here for a lesson on the complexities of the Jedi Order's political structure. Do you see the wall panel to your left, behind the fountain?"

"Yes?"

"Go to it. There should be a key pad hidden under that fake-rock formation. I'll point out the buttons and you can press them."

"Okay." Jason flipped open a small panel of fake rock resting against the wall and inputted the sequence Jennasaur indicated. The panel on the wall clicked and then withdrew to reveal a lightsaber. Jason's eyes darted to Jennasaur questioningly. "A lightsaber?"

"Turn the lightsaber clockwise," Jennasaur directed with a mysterious smile.

Jason did as directed and another click sounded. The platform the lightsaber was sitting on retracted, and was replaced by something glowing with a soft yellow light. Musical chimes seemed to echo all around as a cube came into full view. It was a datacron. The datacron of Presence.

"Master Jennasaur?"

"Go ahead and pick it up," Jennasaur said. "You've more or less bonded with your first datacron, so you should be able to quasi-bond with this one too."

"Isn't this yours?"

"I never fully bonded with any of my datacrons. Besides, you'll need it more than me," Jennasaur laughed softly. "The Force let me know you might need it so I transferred the energies back into the matrix before I left."

"Are you sure?"

"You're my apprentice," Jennasaur nodded. "If the Force is sending you deep into Imperial space, I sure as heck am not going to send you there unprepared. I have every bit of faith in you, but I'm not above hedging my bets. You'll just have to figure out how to manipulate this datacron's energy on your own."

Jason reached out and removed the datacron from the alcove. Almost immediately the yellow light followed the path along his fingertips and twisted and twirled up his arms. Despite seeing this, he didn't feel any changes. There was no rush of wind, warm feeling, dizziness, or anything to indicate that he was absorbing the energy. Even when the datacron in his hands no longer glowed, he still didn't sense anything different. He looked to Jennasaur questioningly.

"Is that it?"

"You were expecting something else?" Jennasaur's lips twisted in amusement.

"Kind of," Jason said sheepishly. He set the emptied matrix back into the alcove.

"Like I said, you'll have to figure out how to unlock its abilities on your own. You've only just absorbed the energy but haven't bonded with it at all."

"What did it do for you?"

"It's hard to describe in a few words. When meeting someone, they instantly trusted me unquestioningly. In a fight, others were inspired to fight harder and to even put themselves in harm's way to protect me. If there was an argument about who would be the leader or what position a group should take, my words seemed to carry more weight," Jennasaur relayed. "I figured all would be very helpful for you considering your destination."

"Thank you."

"I'm just loaning you these powers," Jennasaur said sternly. "I forgot how much I relied on them to get through these hearings and meetings with my sanity intact."

"Thank you for your sacrifice," Jason said dryly.

"Ungrateful apprentice," Jennasaur mock scowled. She then looked over her shoulder at someone out of sight. "I hate to cut this short, but one of the meetings I'm supposed to attend was just moved up."

"That's okay."

"Jason." Jennasaur stared at him meaningfully. Her easy-going nature disappeared and he saw nothing but pain in her eyes. "Come back alive, okay? I've lost too many apprentices to be able to take losing another."

"I will."

"Promise."

"I promise," Jason vowed solemnly.

"Good. Make sure Lailou and Fashk make it out alive too. Cyre's also seen too many deaths."

"Will do."

"Then good luck, and may the Force be with you."

-IV-

The speeder dropped Jason off at the landing pad and he saw that his crew had already assembled. Lailou, wearing her usual all-black Concealed Bodysuit, gave him a friendly wave. A loin-cloth-wearing Glowy was eating a large drumstick of meat. Sola-Sec, in a purple, skin-showing Dashing Hero's outfit, nodded at Jason as she floated a large cargo crate into the ship. 2V-R8, still dressed up as Rambo, was going over a final checklist. And then Jason did a double-take at two Neosmuggs standing at the far-end, the two looking like identical twins. One was wearing a scowl and the other a smirk. The scowling Neosmugg was wearing a black version of Niko Okarr's outfit, and the smirking one a red version.

"What…?" Jason was dumbfounded.

"Hi," both said at the same time, with the exact same voice.

"Stop it!" They said again in unison.

"Will you stop it!"

"What's going on?" Jason said weakly.

"Oh, that Neosmugg was carrying the other Neosmugg in a cargo crate," Lailou explained helpfully.

"That's because this son of a womprat hit me over the head and knocked me out!" The scowling Neosmugg said.

"What was I supposed to do when I find an imposter that looks like me," the smirking Neosmugg said. "You Imps really need to work on your infiltration skills."

"Who's the Imp!?" Scowling Neosmugg squawked. "You're the imposter!"

"Says the most suspicious one." Smirking Neosmugg shook his head. "Can you believe this guy, Jason?"

"Don't tell me you're listening to him?! He's the one who knocked me out and stuffed me into a suitcase!"

Jason looked plaintively at Sola-Sec and Lailou. "Couldn't either of you have used the Force to see who's telling the truth?"

"But where would the fun be in that?" Sola-Sec laughed. "I didn't sense any danger from them when they were revealed."

"I don't do mind stuff," Lailou shook her head.

Jason stared blankly at the two entirely unhelpful Jedi, and then turned back to the two Smugglers. "Neosmugg."

"Yes?" They both said, scowling Neosmugg glaring at the other one.

"I'm going to ask a question, each of you write the answer down on a datapad and give it to me," Jason said, procuring two datapads from a pile nearby. "On what planet did we meet?"

Both Neosmuggs blinked owlishly at Jason before they both smiled confidently.

But before any of them could start writing down their answer, the loud roar of a speederbike broke up the stillness. Jason turned and to his disbelief saw a third Neosmugg arrive.

"Oh this is ridiculous," the third Neosmugg threw his hands up as he sat on the idling speederbike and gawking at the other two.

"Neosmugg?" Jason said dumbly.

"I was at Ethnan and lost track of time," the third Neosmugg explained, wearing a white version of Niko Okarr's outfit. "I was going to ask if I could join your crew…but it looks like I beat myself to it."

"Head hurts," Glowy complained, looking wide-eyed at the three Neosmuggs.

"And we haven't even begun our adventure," Lailou nodded, looking as gobsmacked as Jason. Even Sola-Sec had stopped floating the cargo to stare at the scene.

"Three Neosmuggs, and two of them are imposters," Sola-Sec blinked. "Now I'm really tempted to cheat and use the Force."

"All of you," Jason rubbed his forehead, pained. "Just…get onboard."

"Wait, you're really going to let the imposters be among us?" Lailou asked.

"We can always just space them if they cause any trouble," Sola-Sec shrugged, agreeing with Jason's decision.

The two original Neosmuggs both looked at one and other, looking bewildered and confused at the same time. "You're letting the fakes stay?"

"Unless the Jedi feel like cheating and telling me which one is the real one," Jason raised an eyebrow.

Then, before anyone could react, a trio of stunbolts shot out and all three Neosmuggs collapsed to the ground. The source of the bolts came in the form of Chiss in Mandalorian armor.

Jason knew her immediately. "Mai!"

"Mr. Kenji," Caitlin'snow'mai inclined her head. "Even though I told him I don't do bodyguard detail, I was hired by Master Cyre to assist you. Since my ship is still in line to be repaired, Skadge and I are going to have to go with you. So, what's with the three doctors?"

"Two are fake," Lailou supplied.

"Are you sure not all three?"

Lailou was taking aback. "Good point."

Even Jason hadn't considered that. "I was going to bring them with us."

Caitlin'snow'mai looked over to Sola-Sec. "You're not going to use your mind-tricks to find the real one?"

"I kind of have to now," Sola-Sec sighed. She knelt down to each of the Neosmuggs and pressed a hand to their forehead in turn. After a minute, she stood and shook her head. She started by pointing to the third Neosmugg. "This one's the real one. That one's an Imperial agent. That one's a Changeling assassin from the Bounty Broker's Guild."

"Oh? Who has the bounty?" Caitlin'snow'mai's eyes glowed avariciously.

"Our captain," Sola-Sec pointed to Jason. "Rogun the Butcher apparently placed a ten million credit bounty on his head."

"Oh really?" Caitlin'snow'mai eyed Jason once more.

"I thought you didn't sense any threat," Jason groaned.

"There wasn't any...to us," Sola-Sec said sheepishly.

"Wait, back up to the bounty," Caitlin'snow'mai cut back in. "You're telling me that Mr. Kenji is worth ten-million credits?"

"I'm not Mr. Kenji right now. But I really want to be," Jason held up his forged ID and silently cursed the Force, fate, and his brother for his cover identification. "I'm Mr. Jojo Ma of Jojo's Armaments."

"Your middle name is S'meg?" Caitlin'snow'mai said in disbelief.

"Ori'gami Fish designed my cover," Jason closed his eyes. Said middle and last name was actually one of many joke names he and his brother had come up with over the years. His dad was responsible for the first name. Of course they just had to be included in this universe. "I had no choice in the matter."

"He definitely has a warped sense of humor," Sola-Sec patted Jason's shoulder sympathetically. "So do we turn over the imposters to the authorities?"

"The Imperial agent have a name?"

"I only knew he's Imperial because of the conditioning that keeps me out of his head," Sola-Sec shrugged. "It's standard Imperial protocol on assets assigned to work in areas with a Jedi presence."

"Bring him on board," Jason said after a moment of consideration. The Imperial agent he had met on his dad's birthday came to mind, and he had a feeling the man didn't mean him any harm.

"Okay…what about the bounty hunter?"

"Mai, you know the guy?"

"A Changeling bounty hunter isn't exactly common. But no. It's safe to just blast him now. You'll regret letting him live if you don't."

"We're on Tython. Extrajudicial blastings cause Jedi to make all sorts of frowny faces," Jason reminded.

"Good point. We can take him with us and throw him out the airlock once we hit orbit."

"Still frowned upon," Jason said wryly.

"Fine, turn him over to the garrison," Caitlin'snow'mai grumbled.

With the Neosmugg situation settled, and the real, very grumpy, Neosmugg awakened, Jason followed the others up into the ship. He felt a small jolt of adrenaline as the ramp retracted and the airlocked closed behind him. This was it.

They all gathered about in the communications room, the holo-comm terminal sitting in the center. Jason shared the mission the RPA had assigned them, and Sola-Sec shared her own mission. The terminal lit up as Cloake and his own Jedi companions appeared. After exchanging greetings, Cloake, Kira'lover, and Kira explained their own roles and how they intersected.

All hyperspace lanes pointed to Nal Hutta.

Cloake gave a two-fingered salute at the end of it, and the two ships hummed as the autopilot took them off their respective landing pads.

It was then that Caitlin'snow'mai stepped up.

"I want to make one thing clear for everyone here. Nal Hutta isn't the homely, lets-hold-hands-and-sing-songs-around-a-campfire place like Tython. It's the exact opposite," the Chiss spoke, her red eyes contained little warmth. "Nal Hutta is a place where you'll see some of the worst of the worst and suffering like you'd never imagine. If you act like Jedi or people trained by Jedi, you won't last a single hour on the planet. The Hutt Cartel is among the most ruthless powers out there and is such a threat that neither the Republic nor Empire wants to tussle with them. I have a few contacts I can reach out to to help us, but they'll only act they're certain you won't get them killed."

Lailou stepped up on the opposite side of the holo-terminal and met everyone's gaze. She held Jason's the longest. When she spoke, her voice contained a hint of steel and there was no sign of her usual free-spirited behavior. "What she says is true. I grew up on Nal Hutta. Lived over two decades of my life as a slave there. When you're in Hutt space you can't be kind, nor gentle. You can't show empathy nor concern. All of those are weaknesses that will be exploited by everyone and everything you meet. We all have our assignments on Nal Hutta, and you'll want to get them done as fast as you can. The sooner you leave the world, the better. The longer you're on Nal Hutta, the more it will change you. Because for all of you to survive on that world, you'll need hearts of steel."

-Chapter End-

A\N: One year's gone by, Baby Bro….Hope you're having fun in the SWTOR-world. We're all missing you in this one.