"A man can have anything, if he is willing to sacrifice," a voice, rich and strong, rang behind me. The darkness surrounding me whirled until I was face to face with a man, strong and aged, wearing polished, highly decorated, white armor with a body language that spoke of surety, strength, and position. A man standing over two cribs. "With your birth comes a solemn vow… You will have nothing. Your privilege is the dirt." I felt my eyebrows shoot up as he loomed over the infants and continued his little diatribe. "In the darkness, only ambition will guide you. The oaths you swear, the promises you make, they are yours alone. Your freedom will be the wars you wage. Your birthright, the losses you suffer. Your entitlement, the pain you endure. And when darkness finds you… You will face it alone." The man turned on his heel and strode out of the room leaving me standing over the twins alone.
The vision before me shifted. The infants and nursery were gone, leaving me standing on a field of ice… In the middle of a blood bath.
Bodies of Jedi and strange, heavily armored men alike stared up at the sky with sightless eyes as two men (both familiar though I could not remember why) knelt in front of a hologram of the man from earlier, their father. The man in the hologram turned away and the man in White stood, blasting the emitter away in his anger.
The scene shifted once again. Gone was the ice of the unknown planet, replaced by familiar red sand. Sand I had stood on before. Sand I saw in visions long ago…
Korriban.
And it was under attack.
For the second time in my life, I watched as Star Fighters screamed in the Sith planet's atmosphere as the home and capital of the Sith Empire was besieged.
I saw one of my mentors once again as I walked beside the twins in Black and White, I watched as the man in White slew Ashara once again. And once again, I watched Darth Nox duel the sons of Valkorian - for that was who these men were - and fell to a yellow lightsaber. Though not before the twin in White paid the full price of the Dark Lady's rage. The twin lost his arm at the shoulder to a vicious backhanded, upward swing of the Dark Lady's lightsaber but the worst was yet to come. Before the twin in Black could come to his brother's rescue, Darth Nox blasted the twin in White with the most terrible gout of force lightning I had ever witnessed. The man's face was burnt to ruin but his anger kept him alive.
The Knights of Zakuul surged around the twins, a medico kneeling beside the injured man as the twins grasped arms. The man in White howled in pain as the medic worked to attach a cybernetic arm to the stump created by Darth Nox's blade. Minutes later, he stood. The dark side swirled around him, the dust and debris whirling around him like a maelstrom as the cosmic power raged in the mortal coil.
He took a mask from the ground, slashing it in half with his lightsaber to cover the scarred ruin that was his face. He donned the mask, allowing one eye to be seen - but no longer was it blue like his twins. No, now it was a horrible, burning yellow as he charged over the battlefield, culling Sith like chaff before the scythe.
White light flashed before my eyes, throwing me from Korriban and into something far, far different. Something peaceful, actually. And that put me more on edge.
I was standing beside a Togruta staring into Hyperspace from the bridge of a Star Dreadnaught. For a brief moment, I was completely taken off guard - both by the woman and the ship we were on. The Togruta was a contradiction walking with her Mandalorian headband (one that was eerily similar to the ones Bo-Katan was fond of) and the lightsabers at her hip. If she was one of my Strikers or SPEARs then I wouldn't have been too confused by her, but I knew for a fact she wasn't. I had never seen this woman in my life and was pretty sure none of my guys had found her either… So, judging on what I had just seen, this was more than likely a vision - which made sense considering that no one in the galaxy had any reason to have a Star Dreadnaught.
"Don't listen to him, Anakin!" A man's basso roared through the Force, my eyes widened as I whipped around to look over my shoulder only to see three men in white and blue armor with either white helmets with blue highlights or painted orange with stripes to match the Togruta's face markings. So… Likely not Mandalorians unless we had decided to go for a drastically different armor type - and knowing Mandalorians? That wasn't bloody likely.
"You must choose!" Another voice howled, perfectly clear as the Force demanded I bear witness. The Togruta was not cursed to do the same, but she could feel something was wrong. She blinked, her eyes drifting down as a frown marred her face.
"He must live!"
"He's too dangerous to be kept alive!"
"I need him!"
"Don't let him kill me… Please…"
"No!"
The Force rang like a struck gong and the Togruta felt it too. I nearly fell to my knees as the impetus of whatever decision had been made rang through the Force like a battering ram, even the Togruta felt the repercussions as she staggered away with her hand clutching at her forehead.
"Anakin…" She whispered, her eyes wide as she stared off into Hyperspace. I, on the other hand, had to force myself from growling. What were the odds it was a different Anakin? I knew this was a vision but here was the confirmation she was a Jedi… And a friend of Anakin Skywalker's at that. Just who was this woman?
"Execute Order 66." I barely heard the man give the order but I certainly did hear the soldier's response.
"Yes, Lord Sidious."
My eyes widened in shock as the Togruta turned and trotted to a blast door that hissed open to reveal another one of the men in white armor with his back turned to us.
"Rex," she said, "it's Anakin. I feel like something terrible has happened."
The man didn't say a word, simply dropping his helmet as the other soldiers received the same orders directly into their helmets.
"Rex?" The Jedi asked as she glanced around at the soldiers who were bringing their rifles up to bare.
"No!" The soldier standing at the holo barked, turning around to finally reveal his face. I had to keep myself from gaping as the clone (because there was nothing else this man could be) of Jango Fett faced the Jedi. "I'll do it."
"Rex? What's happening?" The Jedi asked as the clone drew his blasters.
"Stay back!" He snapped but his blasters were shaking as he tried to keep himself from breaking down. I didn't know what Order 66 was supposed to be but obviously this man didn't want to carry it out. "Find him. Find him. Fives. Find him!" He roared something unintelligible as tears streamed down his face but he opened fire all the same. The (assumed) Jedi dove out of the way but she leaped back toward him, tackling the emotionally broken clone as hard as she could. The clone's shaven head hit the holo with an almost sickening thud as the other men in white armor opened fire on the woman who had ignited her lightsabers and crouched on the holo table. She dispatched the first three with ease and closed the blast doors, saying her friend's name one more time before reinforcements arrived and made the fight six to one. She jumped and rolled mid-air, deflecting shot after shot as we both fruitlessly tried to figure out just what the Hell was going on. But, even surrounded, the nearly unarmored Jedi effortlessly deflected the shots as the clone and his fellow soldiers only succeeded in creating enough smoke for the Togruta to escape.
"Hold your fire!" One of the soldiers called as they looked up at the ceiling, finding the hole carved into it that the Jedi used to escape.
"Sir?" Another man, this time in red patterned armor, asked: "Are you alright?"
"Fine." The soldier bit out in the exact same voice. I gaped even more as I looked around the room. No. That wasn't possible. Or was it? I didn't even pay attention to what the soldier named Rex said until I noticed he finally put on his helmet. "I want you to go to the Detention level, execute Maul." He said and I felt myself, somehow, gape even more. Maul? The Sith Maul? What in the Ancestors' abandoned, curdled, Bantha shite was he doing in the Detention Level on a ship with Jedi and clones? The three red patterned soldiers/possible other clones trotted out of the room as Rex laid his hands on the holo. "Alright, then. We know Ahsoka Tano's onboard." So that was her name… "She's been marked for termination by Order 66. Under this directive, any and all Jedi leadership must be executed for treason against the Republic. Any soldier who does not comply with the order will also be executed for treason. Understood?" My head was reeling but even I noticed when seven voices sounded exactly the same when they replied in unison. "There are only so many places to hide on this ship. Gather up search parties, fan out, move section by section. Come on. Let's get moving." He said as he marched out, the doors shut behind him and darkness overwhelmed me.
My vision changed once again and this time I was standing beside Yoda and another, familiar man whose identity I couldn't quite figure out.
"Not even the Younglings survived…" He said, looking down at the fallen padawans. I didn't know what had happened here but I certainly knew why. Someone tried to exterminate the Jedi. Someone named Sidious.
"Killed not by clones, this Padawan…" Yoda said as he looked at the man while confirming my thoughts - and these guys had the same blue markings on their armor that Rex did, if toned down just a bit. "...by lightsaber he was." The sandy-haired man looked at Yoda for a horror filled moment before he knelt down beside the Grandmaster.
"Who?" He asked quietly. "Who could have done this?" Time shifted around me and I watched the man standing in front of a holo. "This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said and I had to stop myself from staring. This was Obi-Wan? This man was much different than the man I knew. "I regret to report that both our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen. With the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi; Trust in the Force. Do not return to the temple, that time has passed and our future is… Uncertain. We will each be challenged. Our trust, our faith… Our friendships. But we must persevere. And in time, a new hope will emerge… May the Force be with you, always." He said calmly but I felt the pain, the anger underneath the calm exterior he was presenting for the rest of the Jedi in the Galaxy. The scene changed again and this time I had to force myself to blink.
The soldiers from earlier were assembled in one, massive room. I'm not quite sure where I was but I knew for a fact what I was looking at couldn't be good. A holo of a man in a red robe appeared and I couldn't stop myself from snarling in disgust. He was the ugliest, most wrinkled, decrepit old bastard that I had ever seen - and then I saw his eyes and it all made sense.
A Sith.
"And the Jedi Rebellion has been foiled. The remaining Jedi will be hunted down and defeated!" The clones (in pristinely white armor this time, making them look almost clinical as they stood with black rifles against their chests) in the massive, grey auditorium stayed perfectly still at the declaration - except a few in the middle who were even more interesting because they were the only ones not wearing helmets - as they watched the man intently. "The attempt on my life has left me scarred and deformed. But, I assure you, my resolve has never been stronger. In order to ensure our security and continuing stability, the Republic will be reorganized into the first Galactic Empire, for a safe and secure society." Now the once stoic soldiers were wildly cheering. I couldn't believe my eyes, Ancestors, I could barely believe what was happening.
The Jedi had been either completely or all but exterminated. That much was clear. But the fact that it was a Sith who orchestrated it? No. This couldn't happen. I wouldn't let it happen.
"But come to pass it has, and it will… Yet it also shall not. Such is the nature of time." A new voice said behind me. I whirled around with my hand going to my lightsaber but it wasn't there. I grasped at the empty space as an old man stood in front of me. "Welcome, Perseus Jackson. Long have I waited… This day, our meeting, has been far too long delayed."
"Who are you? What did I just see?" I asked, my mind still reeling at the things I just saw.
"A past solid as stone, a future fleeting a wind… A chance… Nay, not a chance… You've been given a gift for the present."
"I… I don't understand."
"No, you would not. The visions of the future are what would come to pass if you were never to have come here, if you had remained-"
"On Earth, yeah, I know." I cut him off easily. "I've seen the visions, I live in Percy Jackson's shoes every night… Not that what I see makes sense. Ancestors help me, sometimes I see through his eyes when I'm awake."
"Ah… Yes, I see," the man muttered as he stroked his beard, his black eyes with shining blue irises glowed against the emptiness of wherever it was we were.
"No," I sighed, pushing my fingers through my hair. "I don't really think you do."
"Perhaps… Perhaps not… Yet you use your father's gifts and glimpse a present parallel to your own." The man chided as I took a step back in pure shock. "It is but an illusion, the price of your grandfather's gift. Yet, you have been idle for six long years, Jackson, it is time to change."
"Vizsla," I shot back, "I'm Percy Vizsla and have been for years. I'm a Mandalorian now, regardless of where I was born."
"Hm… Truly? Perhaps there is hope for you yet. Tell me, do you know what you are? What you really are, Master Vizsla?"
"Apparently a Celestial of some sort. They call them gods but there are no living Gods."
"No, you certainly are not a Celestial. You are not of my race, I'm afraid only myself and my children remain of us. You, my boy, you are of a race far more powerful than I could have hoped to be, yet you allow these gifts to be squandered to feed your obsessions." The old man sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose before looking back at me with his haunting black eyes. "In another life, perhaps, I would have asked you become my successor… Not here, not now. Your destiny is not with me. No… Your path lies elsewhere. Perhaps it will take you somewhere you wish to be or mayhaps your path lies somewhere unknown… I cannot say for certain. But yet I know for what it is you search."
"The Star Forge."
"Indeed, indeed… And you have made strong steps to finding it, more than any have in near four thousand years. It is truly remarkable."
"But I feel like I haven't even started."
"No, I suppose not. Is it because you cannot find the information that would grant you the answers which you seek?"
"Ugh, I guess? I've scoured Rakata and there's not a hint of where the damn thing could be on that miserable planet."
"Hm, yes… They are tricky, the Rakatans, but that was not what I asked. You cannot find the answers you seek, but perhaps in the process you can find the answers you require. I am afraid I will not be of much help, Vizsla, yet I offer you this: to find the fate of the Forge, you must first find Zakuul. Find the first goal of the Eternal Empire and you will have answers, but keep your eyes and mind open. Search south of the Rishi maze and west of Scarif, there you will find meaning in your visions."
"What am I supposed to find?"
"I'm afraid that would ruin the hunt, Vizsla. This will be our last meeting. Be Watchful! Fare thee well." He simply waved, throwing me through the blackness of the vision. [1]
XXX
I shot up in the bed, panting for air as I dug my fingers into the sheets. I took in a ragged breath as I tried to rally my thoughts. That was by far the most intense vision I had ever had. The Republic falling, the Jedi being exterminated, the Eternal Empire, the old guy… What did it all mean? I found myself standing up and pulling on a robe as I staggered to the balcony to try and get some air. Naboo was… Different. On Concordia, there was always something to do, training to be done, duties to attend to, but not here. Not anymore. Ever since Padme's last term as Queen Amidala ended, we didn't have to do anything here. Sure, there were the occasional dinners we were still invited to as the former Queen of Naboo and her husband, but other than that? We no longer had any official duties for the planet since her four years as Monarch were done with.
Strangely, I didn't have any duties from either Satine or from Father either. Even after all these years the directive was always the same: maintain the peace. Not that it was difficult. The Naboo had welcomed the Mandalorians with open arms when they learned about our role in averting the Trade Federation crisis when The Queen addressed the planet when things calmed down a bit. Ancestors, they accepted us so quickly that the Naboo Royal Guard was completely composed of Mandalorians now and the Naboo adored them for some reason I still wasn't quite sure about. The Praetorians (the name Padme and I started calling them jokingly just stuck when a few others picked up on the name too) were the elite guards of the Royal Court of Naboo - and they took their role seriously. They were the elites of the elite, set apart from the standard sentries and other palace security in that you would only see a Praetorian near the Queen or posted at the main entrance - both jobs they took very seriously.
While most of the Palace guards armor looked similar to Padme's (in that it was Beskar over crimson bodysuits and under similarly colored armor weave capes that could be used as shields if they weren't able to get their energy shields active in time) the Praetorians were set apart by the fact their armor was mirror shined. They wanted people to know who they were and, more importantly, where they were - sure there were a considerable amount hidden, the ones that were seen were the ones that made a statement: that Naboo was strong. The new guards were armed relatively lightly but, unlike the old Naboo Palace Guard, the different ranks actually carried carbines, pistols, a stun baton, a beskar knife, flash grenades, and had an energy shield, whipcord, and repulsors all built into their gauntlets. Their rifles were made by the newly formed armed of the MWC on one of the planets moons, the Nubian Arms Corporation (more commonly referred to as the NAC) supplied three weapons to the Palace Guards - the NAC P-61 Blaster Pistol, M-32 Blaster Rifle, and M-2/U Carbine. The Nubian standard issue pistol was largely ignored in favor of the lighter, more powerful Mandalorian WESTAR-35. A standard guard could maybe get away with a pistol, stun baton, and energy shield, a Praetorian lived and died by his weapons. Unfortunately, we quickly came to find out that the M-32 was just too much for any of the troops besides those on overwatch and the Praetorians weren't able to use it effectively. But when the Carbine hit the armory it quickly became standard issue for the guards and Praetorians. The Praetorians loved the weapon as it was a light, powerful carbine that could easily out range most other blaster rifles and was found that it put even Mandalorian weapons to shame. Nowadays you'd never catch a Praetorian without his M-2, WESTAR-35, shield, vibroknives, and crush gauntlets.
I sighed and put my hands on the bannister as I caught sight of one of the Shinies (another name for them that Hotshot came up with for the Praetorians) in the moonlight patrolling the gardens under Padme's balcony. Well… They certainly weren't meant for stealth…
Shaking my head, I felt my eyes drifting to my own armor. I shook my head lightly as I turned back to the balcony. Padme hadn't been queen in two years and I hadn't had a reason to put my armor on in just as long. Sure, there were occasional missions HK and I would go on but the Strikers had everything well in hand across the galaxy. Ancestors, I didn't even have to train the Force sensitives they found if they offered them a position with the Strikers directly or, as was far more likely, with the newly made SPEAR commandos (SPEcial operations And Recon). So far, I was only aware that there were only a few of them, none of whom had been field tested yet… Now that I think about it, there were plenty of new divisions being made. The Praetorians opened the floodgates and now I have (and I shuddered instinctively at the thought) paperwork to do that keeps me from putting on my armor too.
I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. It wasn't all bad though. Now, to go with the SPEAR commandos, I had the HOGs (the second iteration of the heavies - Heavy Ordnance/Guns), ATLAS (Avionics & TerrestriaL Assault Service), HAVOC (ATLAS-High Altitude, Vacuum/Orbital Corps), BARS (Breaching And Recovery Service), ARC (Airborne Rescue Corps), ECHOs (Espionage/Capture/Hunting Operations), and Banshees (a new Starfighter wing that works closely with ATLAS and HAVOC) all vying for my attention. I massaged my forehead and looked at the moonlit rolling hills wondering how I even managed it all.
"Percy?" I heard from behind me and turned around with a smile on my lips. "Why are you awake, love?" Padme asked as she joined me on the balcony of the place we had in the Naboo hill country. I shook my head and stepped behind her, wrapping my arms under her chest while resting my chin on her shoulder.
"Dreams, my love. It's nothing you need to worry about." She managed to wiggle her away around so that we were chest to chest, her eyes meeting mine.
"I'll worry about you whenever I feel like it, husband." She whispered playfully and I couldn't help but grin. We may have been married well over a year now but it still felt like a dream.
"And as your husband, wife, I'm telling you it's okay. Just dreams of the past and some of a future that will never happen."
"You're sure?" She asked nervously. I just squeezed her tighter.
"I'm sure. I dreamed that the Jedi were destroyed, that the Republic fell." I whispered as she gasped. "That my suspicions about Sheev are probably right…"
"Palpatine?" Padme asked quietly, meeting my eyes with a lifted eyebrow.
"Palpatine. I think it was him who pulled the trigger on the Order that killed the Jedi. He called it Order 66. Oh! And get this, he had an army and the soldiers were all clones!" I shook my head at the absurdity of that statement and Padme did the same thing.
"Clones? Who in their right mind would use clones as soldiers?"
"Apparently a man named Lord Sidious," I said as Padme looked even more confused than I felt. "It could be an alias for Palpatine. The Sith loved to be called Dark Lords of the Sith, so, if he is a Sith and I wasn't having the most vivid hallucination of my life, then he would be Darth Sidious."
"And you think that Sheev Palpatine, Naboo's shining light to the galaxy, is a Sith Lord?"
"Well, we know there's a Sith in the Senate but we don't know who it is." I said as I tried to stitch the pieces together. "One who had close ties to Naboo and was able to slip an entire Ancestors damned blockade under the noses of the Galactic Republic - the entire Republic, Padme. I mean it could be Palpatine just as easily as it isn't, he's certainly high enough position wise and matched the physical description of what I saw but I'm not completely convinced that it is him. But, I'm just suspicious enough to put closer eyes on him. Phantom's Echoes are loving the opportunity to blend into Coruscant - I actually think he's gotten a man into Palpatine's little group."
"Has he? I'm impressed, Percy." She grinned lightly but it faltered almost immediately. "I don't want you to be right."
"Ancestors help me, I don't want to be right, Padme, but there are too many things adding up against him right now. He can use the Force to at least vent anger, he has his own agenda (yes, yes! I know the man's a politician, don't give me that look, Pad), and the man in the vision looked eerily similar to him. It's just too many things adding together to paint a not so pretty picture."
"I understand…"
"And then you layer on the fact he managed to get elected Chancellor in the last election for him to have the almost ultimate seat of power - and if it weren't for the Ruusan Reformations he would be the most powerful man in the Galaxy."
"The accords can be voted away if people are scared enough, Percy, you know that as well as I do. Especially after what's happening in the Northern Outer Rim. Raxus, Cato Neimoidia, Saleucami, Felucia, Dantooine, Kalee, Mygeeto, Mimban, and dozens if not hundreds of other worlds are withdrawing from the Republic and there are whispers that Raxus, Cato Neimoidia, and Dantooine are already aligning themselves."
"The Confederacy of Independent Systems?" I asked as I remembered the term HK told me all those years ago.
"That's the name that's been floating around but they're just called the Separatist worlds as of now… How'd you know that name?"
"I've known for a while, Pad." I grinned but she just blinked in surprise as her eyebrows shot up. "HK was on Mustafar during the Invasion, turns out the Federation has an outpost there - a rather large and undefended one at that. HK was able to slip in and access their databases, it's how he was able to shut down the droids long enough for us to get planet side. Turns out, that was their main control hub for the droid army they were planning. This Confederacy has been years in the making and it's just now getting a bit of traction. They may have two dozen worlds and three rather important ones but it's not enough to stage a coup of the Republic. Not yet, at least."
"Will Mandalore join them?"
"Mandalore will do as Satine pleases - and right now that's to remain peaceful and independent. You know she practically declared me Dar'Manda when I was outed as Trident."
"That's true, but I also remember her accepting a garrison of Praetorians." Padme smirked, getting a grin from me.
"Wasn't that a shock? Though I'm not a fan of the blue color scheme she insists on them wearing."
"Hmph, to each their own I suppose. What are you going to do?" She asked quietly as I looked up to the night sky.
"Find Zakuul, I suppose. I was told I had to find it if I wanted to find the Star Forge and then I was supposed to look south of the Rishi Maze and west of Scarif if I wanted answers…"
"Told you? Who told you that, Percy?"
"I'm not sure, he didn't say his name. Some old guy whose eyes were pure black with glowing blue irises, he said we'd never see each other again. He… He said he was a Celestial?"
"You met a Celestial!? Percy, that's incredible! Let me get my armor, I'm coming with you."
"What?" I blinked as I looked down at the woman trying to wiggle out of my arms.
"You heard me! If you're exploring Star Systems because a Celestial told you to, then I want in! I've been cooped up here for too long with nothing to do!" She said as she looked up at me. I chuckled and shook my head as I took her hand.
"I've rubbed off on you too much, love. Tell you what, we'll take the Nighthawk and regroup with the Fist… Tomorrow. But tonight?" I grinned and scooped her up. She squealed slightly as I carried her back to our bedroom. "You're mine." Her eyes burned while her arms wrapped around my neck.
XXX
"Unidentified vessel, you are approaching the Free Mandalorian world of Cin'Vhetin. Identify yourself."
"This is Perseus Vizsla, Ad'alor bal Ehn'bevii'ragir. Transmitting codes now, Corpsman." I said into the comms while tapping out the commands into the computer. The world was one of our greatest discoveries as a people; being located in the Red Nebula, it was nearly impossible for any scanners to pick it out in deep space. Unless you were actually in the Nebula itself, you had almost no chance of finding the planet.
But why was it so important?
Beskar.
The planet may not have had much in terms of fauna or flora but the mineral deposits were astounding, including Beskar. Almost immediately after the first explorers touched down they had managed to find huge quantities of Beskar under the surface. The conservative estimates placed that there was easily enough Beskar here to armor a fleet of cruisers and make every Mandalorian a set of armor and we'd only be scratching the surface of what was here.
"Acknowledged. Codes received and confirmed. Welcome back, Ad'alor. Your hangar is being prepared for landing, you may proceed," the Star Defense Corpsman said through the comms. That was another thing that went over my head, apparently a few of the Pilots of the Fist and Concord Dawn had gathered without my knowledge and decided that making a home here would be better than anywhere else and settled the planet. Here they formed the first Star Defense Corps and named the planet Cin'Vhetin - or Fresh Start. And, essentially, that's what this planet was, a blank slate for Mandalore.
"That went well." Padme snarked from the copilot's chair. I grinned, not that she could see it behind my helmet, and nodded. We were both wearing our armor and interfaced directly with the Nighthawk's systems - a recent addition to all Starcraft in our little fleet courtesy of Phantom. The man was a genius with machines…
"It did, I'm taking us down." I said easily, piloting the ship on the projected path on my HUD. "Shouldn't be too long before we'll be touching down."
"To take right back off again." I really couldn't disagree with that assessment. After all, that was the reason we were in the first place. Though, seeing the growing domed city coming together near one of the rare shipyards we had always brought a smile to my face. We were one step closer to a Free Mandalorian rule than we had been in nearly four-thousand years but, Ancestors help us if it ever came to it, we weren't ready to go to war. Not yet. We needed men and droids to do that but right now there was a shocking lack of both. As of now, just under two thousand men, women, and children called Cin'Vhetin home and any who were fighters were mostly pilots. We were hopelessly outgunned if we had to fight - but everyday more people were trickling in. Mostly, these were people that had left Mandalore and came to Naboo looking for me to try and be a part of Free Mandalore that I had revealed to the Galaxy. Of course there had been spies but they had been dealt with.
"Approaching Ulthai City." Padme said, I blinked as I realized my thoughts had wandered and we were almost at the hangar.
"Beginning docking procedure. Transmitting entry codes… Now." I looked up at the upper controls of the Nighthawk and flipped a few switches. The freighter swooped over the docking pad and landed gently. I grinned as the hiss of the retraction mechanism engaged, bringing us down into the hangar. "We're here." I said as I pulled off my helmet. Padme did the same with a smile on her lips.
"Then let's go get your crew and corvette, we have a planet to find." Her smile turned into a full blown grin as she hopped out of her seat and made for the door. I shook my head but followed her out into the enormous hangar full of people milling about.
"Attention!" I roared, stopping everyone dead. For a beat there was perfect stillness before the crew of the Fist assembled themselves in front of me at attention.
"AD'ALOR!" They barked in unison, the shout ringing through the hangar with the Fist shining in the background. I grinned and raised my hand.
"At ease! We have a mission! We'll be exploring the Unknown Regions, maybe even venturing into Wild Space. We'll need twelve months rations at minimum, ladies and gentlemen. I do not expect this to be a quick jaunt into space. We're hunting Zakuul! The planet's been lost for over three thousand years and we'll be the first to find it! Who's with me!?" The audience gave a collective roar as I grinned. "Excellent! You have twenty-four hours before I want to take off, use it wisely. Dismissed!" I barked and the crew scattered - some of them going to see to getting the Fist mission ready, others obviously clocking out to go spend time with their families or catch a few hours of shut eye before their next shift.
"Twenty-four hours? What happened to the always on the go Trident I used to know?" A familiar voice called through the hangar and I couldn't help but grin.
"Well, Ayla, that was before I married a diplomat." I turned around to find myself face to face with one of my oldest friends and a teenager I didn't know. "It's good to see you LT." I said as we embraced each other for the first time in years.
"'Good to see you, LT,' he says." She said as she pushed a finger under my nose. "It's been six years, Percy, six fucking years! You don't call, you don't show… Ancestors! You haven't even dropped a data message while we're out here building your dream!"
"You think I've been idle for six years?" I asked with a smirk. "Those Praetorians aren't just for show, you know. Step by step, I've been trying to break Satine's guard and only just recently succeeded. Satine's surrounded by our people and she doesn't even know it!"
"Yes, and my guards are your people too." Padme said sternly but I could see the smile in her eyes. "But that's not a bad thing. The Naboo Guard and the Invasion were a kick in the pants to my people, it won't be long before they're begging you to be a General for a Naboo army."
"Seriously?" LT asked, utterly dumbfounded. "You convinced Naboo of all places to militarize?"
"That's really impressive," the Zabrak teen finally cut in, "I don't know much about Naboo but everyone knows they've never had an army, if I remember right!"
"That's correct." Padme said with a small smile. "Naboo's prided herself on having always been a peaceful world. I don't believe we've been introduced yet? I'm Padme, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Oh!" The Zabrak blushed and quickly shook Padme's hand, "Uh… I-I'm Hailia, Hailia Niman!"
"Ah…" I smiled as I offered my hand to the girl. "So you're the first SPEAR recruit, then?"
"Elek, Ad'alor!" She said enthusiastically. "It's an honor to meet you, sir! LT's told me so much about your adventures!"
"Nothing too classified, I hope?" I grinned as I met LT's eyes. She rolled them before giving me a flat look that I was all too familiar with.
"Of course not."
"Excellent! How's her progress with lightsaber training?"
"Tri, she's only been with me for six months. I'm training her to use the Force before I even start trying to teach her how to use a lightsaber. It took me years to get as far as she's gotten in six months and she's still a long way from where I want her to be."
"To be fair, you're a much better teacher than I ever was." She only scoffed.
"You're damn right about that one, Tri. Hotshot and Golem are on world, they'll be joining us. Captain's the First Banshee and commands the Star Corps so she's going to be staying here to command that and train her new rookie. Hotshot's ATLAS pilots are some of the best in the galaxy, more than good enough to stand alone - but she's going to bring a few to act as the Fist's Marine Squadron. Golem'll be bringing some of his HOGs to supplement your Heavies for the mission. Oak and his rookie apparently found a trail on the Dar'Fett - of all people - and you know what Phantom is doing better than all of us," she said as I scratched my beard thoughtfully.
"Sounds good. I assume we'll see them tomorrow?"
"Precisely. Hailia, come, we have work to do," LT said. "We'll see you tomorrow, Tri." She didn't let me get in another word as the two of them walked away, though Hailia looked back and tried to wave and keep up with LT.
"As intense as she always is," Padme chortled.
"She and Bo have no other gears… Kind of like someone else I know." I gave her a significant look and she shoved my shoulder playfully.
XXX
"So, Tri, what the fuck are we looking for?" Hotshot grumbled as we stood at the Fist's holo.
"A planet. A lost planet at that."
"We're looking for Zakuul." Padme clarified.
"Ah, of course we are." The redhead rolled her eyes and looked at me flatly. "Why the fuck are we looking for Zakuul?"
"It's our best lead to the Star Forge."
"The Star Forge? You're still hunting for that?" Golem asked with wide eyes.
"Still? Sam, I never stopped looking for it. Even while building the Praetorians, I was hunting. Even when I was practically running Concordia for dad, I was hunting. Even when I was an integral part of the Naboo Court, I was hunting." I grinned. "But I've had HK scouring Rakata Prime for the past six years and all he's managed to find were bits of information we already knew. He sent probe droids to the Lehon system where the station was lost but he lost contact with the probes when it crossed Abo's event horizon."
"A black hole?" LT asked with her arms crossed over her breastplate. "There shouldn't be a black hole in that system, Abo was a yellow dwarf."
"True, but apparently the damn thing collapsed into a Neutron Star."
"That's not possible," Golem said, "no way a Star went Nova, collapsed, and became a Neutron Star in less than four-thousand years without being major news. It's not everyday there's a Nova in a major system you know."
"Well it's a good thing Lehon's a minor system then. There're no resources other than the galactic normal and no habitable planet there. But HK is still stumped by what he found there. His best theory is one he gave me before we even went on the Naboo mission - the Star Forge can destabilize any Star it uses to power itself."
"Is that even possible?" Hailia squeaked, immediately flushing red as every eye at the holo turned to her. "W-what I m-m-mean is, is it even possible to destabilize a Star?"
"I assume it is," I shrugged helplessly, "but you'd have to ask the scientists or engineers about that one, I don't have a clue besides what the reports say."
"And what the fuck do those say?" Hotshot demanded irritably.
"That the Star Forge seems to burn out a Star similar to Abo every thousand years when it's active. So…"
"If it's active there should be a trail of burnt out stars that went Neutron we can follow!" LT was the first to catch on as she rushed over to engineering and records and immediately started barking orders for them to find a way to either track neutron stars or scrub the records for any new ones that may have cropped up unexpectedly in the past four-thousand years.
"I almost feel bad for you, recruit." Golem grinned as he ribbed Hailia, "I haven't had to deal with her everyday in six years and even then I was never on her radar, you though? You catch the brunt of it everyday, don't you?"
"You have no idea." Hailia muttered and then her eyes bulged as she realized she said it outloud.
"Don't worry, kid, your secret's safe with us." I met Padme's eyes and winked at her as I turned to the recruit. "If you're a good a recruit as I think you are, let me just tell you what she-"
"Trident! Don't you dare try to corrupt my Rookie, damn it! Keep your dick in your wife or in your pants!" LT barked across the command bridge sternly. Her Rookie looked utterly mortified as the former Strikers were howling with laughter.
"I have a wife!"
XXX
"This is Planet D-13/45324-03: One Sun - yellow dwarf, and three moons. Full swamp world. It is the twenty-ninth planet matching the description of Zakuul in the records we have, Ad'Alor." The helmsman asked me quietly and I just nodded. The Force was screaming that I was on the right track here.
"Take us down, Biggs." He nodded and moved to sit down in the Captain's chair.
"All hands, prepare for landing." He said into the microphone leading to the ship's PA system. "Prepare probe droids and HALO (high altitude/low orbit) scanner craft for launch. I want a full reading of this planet done in three days!" He clicked the microphone off as I leaned back against the holo. All this exploring certainly wasn't all it was cracked up to be. We had been in space for ninety-six days already. Hades, even shy, little Hailia was coming out of her shell around us now!
I shook my head at the thought as the said Zabrak trotted into the command center with her lightsaber dangling on her hip. I managed to convince LT that she was going to need one after we were ambushed by wolf-slug-snail abominations on planet B-15/23431-03. If I ever went back to that planet it would be to bombard it from orbit…
"Think this is the one?" Hailia asked cheerfully and I just massaged my forehead.
"Hope so, if it's not then-"
"Onto the next one… Yeah, yeah, I know." She huffed and looked down at the planet. "What are we even looking for? Everywhere we've been has been either desolate or full of swamps."
"Because Zakuul is infamous for it's Eternal Swamp. I don't know what their deal was with Infinity because the Eternal Empire reigned for like seven years - but I do get the name behind the swamp. It covers almost the entire planet and does in fact cover the entire equator. The primitives probably named it eternal because no matter how far they went they couldn't escape the swamp."
"So it's like a lost Dagobah, eh?" She sighed and tried to massage her forehead while avoiding her spikes. "Great."
"Pretty much." I sighed as Padme walked onto the bridge too. I smiled lightly as she wrapped her arms around my chest.
"Are you ready, Percy?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at my distinct lack of armor. I just chuckled as she stood there in her full golden gear.
"I'll go suit up while you keep Hailia company." I kissed her forehead and met her eyes again, "I'll meet you in the Hangar. I want you, LT, and you - Hailia, to join me on the Nighthawk. Maybe we'll find something that the orbital guys can't."
"Fat chance of that happening." Hailia muttered as I walked off the bridge and made my way back to my quarters.
"Is there a reason you want me and my Rookie with you?" LT said as she pushed off the wall and matched my pace. I just shrugged.
"Hotshot and Golem will have their starfighters or be on the ground, they can do whatever they want actually. They're good at what they do."
"Better than good." LT admitted grudgingly. "Have you seen Hotshot's ATLAS pilots? Or her HAVOC guys?"
"Not yet," I said, "but I've seen them move, they're good. How hard does she train them?"
"She brought in Kal Skirata, Percy." she growled. I whirled around to meet her eyes, there wasn't a hint of a lie there.
"Fuck… Wait… Is clan Skirata with us?" I rubbed my forehead in annoyance as the implications crashed over me.
"Yes." I felt my eyebrows fly up at that. "That brings the clan alliances up to Vizsla, Wren, Kyramud, Rau - in whole Percy! We have the whole fucking Rau clan with us along with the Fetts, Ordos, Rooks, Dettas, Eldars, Skiratas, and Kelborns."
"Damn… That's a damn sight better than where we were at a few months ago but it's not enough." I sighed.
"No, but we have individuals from every house and clan loyal to either Free Mandalore or Death Watch. Death Watch's numbers are climbing but are still far lower than what you have under your control."
"Maybe, but Death Watch is dad's loyal bunch of terrorists." I sighed. Death Watch may (and I use that term loosely) have stood for something good back in the day but ever since I married Padme they had either become more extreme or I was finally seeing them for what they actually were - though they never touched Naboo. Dad wouldn't allow it. But that didn't stop them from making a nuisance of themselves throughout the galaxy. How they hadn't been found out yet was well beyond me. "I don't know if they'd even help us at this point. Are the Night Owls with us?"
"Yes. You know Bo-Katan would charge the Jedi Temple with a wet noodle and a wamp rat if you asked her to." LT grinned but I certainly couldn't disagree. Maybe she wouldn't go that far, but she would do some strange things because I asked her to. She may be Satine's sister but she had no loyalty to the Duchess besides the familial bonds that might as well have been that said wet noodle.
"Maybe not that far, Ay." I grinned but it faltered quickly. "Has there been any word from Tiber? Gar?"
"No." LT frowned as her eyebrows contracted. "I haven't heard from them since I found Hailia. Actually, I hadn't heard from either of them well before that."
"Where did you find her anyway?"
"Corellia."
"Ah… Damn it, I was hoping we could at least count on those two for intel."
"They think you're spying on your father, Percy. If they think you're going to betray him…"
"They'd clam up." I sighed, running a hand through my hair again. "I'm not about to betray dad but…"
"But he's becoming unstable?"
"Yeah." I said heavily as we finally reached my quarters. "He wants the Jedi dead, I want the Sith dead. Unlike what dad wants to think, there can be no compromise with the Sith. Those yellow eyed bastards are a cancer that'll just come back to bite us in the ass - again - if we don't exterminate them simply because they're sadistic bastards. But the Jedi? They hate us for a war that we fought thousands of years ago. That old hate burns hot on both sides. Ancestors help me, I don't like most of the Jedi but they can be reasoned with at least."
"And the Sith can't be?" LT asked pointedly as I dragged on my bodysuit.
"None that I've ever met. You've seen the holocrons, you know how intense the sentient ones can be while training you. Imagine how bad a living, breathing one could be." I sighed remembering the visions Darth Nox gave me, growling as I thought about the masked man and the Lasats that corrupted Kallig. "And then however bad you think that is, multiply it by a thousand."
"Is it really that bad?" She asked quietly.
"Have I ever told you about my Verd'goten?"
"Only that it was on Yavin IV and you figured out that you could use the Force there."
"But I never told you how I found out I could use it, did I?"
"No, you didn't."
"I met the Force ghosts of Tarre Vizsla, Kallig Nox - a Dark Lady of the Sith, and… And I met Revan." LT's eyes hardened but she stayed quiet. "Each of them showed me visions, it's how I know so much about the Sith and Revan's life. I basically lived a second life alongside Kallig from the time she was ten years old and dropped on Korriban. Do you know what she did to earn a place at the Sith academy?"
"You're going to tell me anyway, aren't you?" She asked tightly as I strapped the sword I stole from the Shadow to my hip.
"At the height of their empire, the Sith would kidnap children - not babes but children that could remember their families, that would know that they would never see their parents again. Children old enough to have developed emotions. The Sith feed on their emotions, good or bad, to magnify their Force abilities, it's what makes them so dangerous. And the stronger the emotions then the Dark Side could flow through the Sith much more intensely.
"In my vision, they had kidnapped fifty force sensitive children from around the galaxy - the oldest was twelve and the youngest looked to be seven. They were kicked out of a Dropship and a lightsaber was thrown in front of them. There were a pair of Lasat guards and a man there, he was obviously the Sith Lord in the mix because he was the one running the show. Out of fifty kids, one decided that it would be better to run into Korriban's deserts than be fed to the grinder. No one else ran after a Lasat chopped off another kid's head. I think that was the point that their situation really set in for some of these kids: that it was kill or be killed, survive or die horribly." LT didn't say anything, she just stared at me in utter horror. "Kallig picked up the lightsaber. I don't know how many she killed in that first flurry but twelve of the others finally figured out they'd rather live than die too and started their own killing.
"Kallig and a boy (who I later learned was her brother) were soon overrun even though Kallig had the lightsaber. Stupidly, they dogpiled her. That was the instant the Dark Side overtook her. It manifested when she threw the rest of the idiots off of her, well… Less threw and more blasted them off. Her only mistake was taking a Lasat's lightsaber to butcher the rest."
"What happened to her?"
"The Lasats made her wish she had died with the brother she killed. A ten year old human girl against two Lasats? I couldn't watch, Ayla." I felt my voice crack as I pulled my helmet on. "Anyone who's callous enough to condone the rape and murder of children needs to die."
"Yes." LT growled, pulling on her own helmet. "They do. That's where your obsession with seeing them fall came from, isn't it?"
"Yes. The Jedi are saints in comparison to those monsters." I hissed as we made for the hangar. "I've tried to only use the Light Side since the invasion, Ayla." LT actually faltered for a beat before she caught back up.
"Your rage at Skywalker? That was the Dark Side?"
"Yeah, I don't like the kid by any stretch but I went too far with him."
"I thought it was appropriate."
"I nearly killed him in the hangar after that damned race, LT. I wanted to kill him, Ancestors I was so close to doing it too…"
"He would have deserved it, Percy. You can't beat yourself up over something that happened years ago."
"No, you're right. But I still haven't used the Dark Side since then… It… It magnifies emotions, sharpens them. It's why the Jedi are deadset against attachments and emotions. When their emotions are magnified by the Force itself, that can lead to the Dark Side. I avoid it but I can't run from it… Hotshot though, she uses the Dark Side almost exclusively."
"Hotshot?" LT asked, obviously not expecting that. "How do you know?"
"She's always been the most passionate of us all, the most reckless at that. It certainly doesn't help that she's Tiber and Gar's cousin. You know how those two are."
"Yeah, I know." LT shook her head as we finally made it to the Hangar and saw the devil we were just speaking of and her lover preparing their starfighters.
"Well look who finally showed up!" Golem called good naturedly. "Thought you were going to leave all the fun to us, Tri!"
"Why would I let you get all the glory, you big lug?" I grinned. "You two have a plan of action?"
"We aren't stupid, Tri," Hotshot shot from her place in the cockpit. "We're looking for the ruins of a giant tower that reached orbit. It shouldn't be too hard to spot even going mach five."
"You can push them that fast now?" I asked in surprise.
"Oh yeah. Still can't get yours past mach three, Tri? What a shame… And you'll be in that slow, slow freighter of yours. Tut, tut," she snarked happily. "Come on, Sam! We're taking off, now!"
"Sorry to cut this short, guys." Golem shrugged and jumped into his own cockpit, his astromech chirping happily as my own favorite droid came wheeling into the hangar.
"Artoo!" I called happily. In the three months we had been on the ship, I had seen neither hide nor hair of my favorite R-unit but here he was. The droid whired happily as it caught sight of me and rolled as fast as it could in my direction. "I didn't even know you were onboard! Come on! We've got a mission and I could use a good Astro with me." The droid chirped and whirred happily as LT and I turned to make our way to the Nighthawk. "Yes, sorry, the best Astro with me."
We made our way down the ladder while Artoo made his way to the droid chute to lower himself into the freighter as we joined Padme and Hailia in the ship's common area.
"Well, it's about time you made it down here, Percy." Padme grinned as she stood up, leading the way to the cockpit as Hailia took up the rear.
"It's a big ship and a long way from our cabin to the hangar bay." I shot back and she threw a grin over her shoulder. LT deigned to roll her eyes.
"Percy, do us all a favor and shut up. You pilot, I'll take second. Hailia, get up to the gunner's post. Padme, you want the jump seat?"
"Yes, Lieutenant." Padme was grinning from ear to ear as we pulled on our helmets, seamlessly integrating with the ship's flight systems, scanners, and weapon systems. If we were to come under attack, I had control of the front guns while Hailia could take control of the top and bottom independent turrets if she needed to do so. Her helmet would give her different views of whatever was in her chosen line of fire. But, hopefully, we wouldn't need to activate any of the weapons systems. This was just going to be a routine scan of each hemisphere on the planet. I had taken the northern hemisphere facing galactic west, if all went well and this was Zakuul then we wouldn't have to jump to the next planet matching Zakuul's description - and there were a surprising amount of unnamed, supposedly uninhabited swamp worlds in wild space.
"Ad'alor!" After three hours of searching, a voice crackled through the comms. "This is Major Jorr Skirata, we've found something. I'm sending you our coordinates now. You need to see this."
"Understood, Major." I replied in Mando'a. The comms clicked off as a set of coordinates rolled across my visor. "We're changing course," I said, punching the code into the nav systems.
"They've found something?" LT asked, still monitoring her systems closely.
"Major Skirata did. You know anything about him?"
"Jorr? He's one of the HAVOCs that Hotshot brought along. I think he's piloting one of the HALOs - there are only three of them after all. The majority are your pilots in Talons while the ATLAS guys use those new Fang fighters the Protectors love so much. They damn near took up all of the empty space in the hangar bay but they're no doubt effective."
"Alright then." I grinned. "Let's see what he found then. Artoo? Think you can get us there?" The astromech whired in what I could only take as a scoff. "Alright then, I leave it in your capable hands." I grinned and stood up, cracking my back as I did. "Go tell your Rookie she's relieved until we make it to the coordinates. That could take a few hours so let her catch a few." I told LT while I wrapped my arm around Padme's shoulder. "I know I'm going to."
"I'll keep watch." LT said. "I'll wake the three of you when we get there."
"Thank you, Ayla." Padme said gratefully as we reached the common area. She pulled her helmet off, undoing the bun she had tied to keep her hair from spilling out of her helmet. "We really do appreciate that."
"No problem, your majesty." LT shot back good naturedly. "Any good queen needs her beauty sleep, isn't that right, Tri?" I rolled my eyes as Padme tried to hold back her fit of giggles.
"Oh hardy-har-har." I flopped down onto the bench and leaned my head back. "Get your laughs while you can, ladies. I can take it."
"Can my poor husband not take a joke?" Padme siddled next to me with a grin across her face. I just huffed and pulled her closer to my side as Hailia climbed out of the gunner's post.
"What did I miss?" The Zabrak asked as LT made her way back to the cockpit.
"Just make fun of Percy hour." I sighed, laying my head back. "Get some shut eye, kid. One of the ATLAS guys - or maybe it was a HAVOC, I can barely keep them straight - found something on the other side of the planet. Artoo is controlling the ship and LT's on sentry duty."
"Oh… Alright then." She said as she pulled off her helmet that had been tailored specifically for her horns. "I'll do that."
XXX
"A hatch? By the Ancestors, how did you find a hatch in the middle of the Eternal Swamp?" I asked the pilot as the Heavies worked on moving the rubble surrounding it.
"It pinged our sensors, sir." Jorr Skirata said calmly as we watched the Heavies do their job. Well, they weren't exactly Heavies, they were a bit more advanced than the everyday heavy. These were a handful of Golem's HOGs. They had been outfitted with another thing Phantom designed - a kyber powered exosuit. It was necessary for the guns the troops carried on a regular basis: be it the repeating slugthrowers that turned out to be a huge strain on the Heavies that were armed with it before (no surprises there) or the standard issue Staccato Lightning. If it weren't for how effective the weapon system was, I would have abandoned it for the strain alone - but when Phantom showed us the exo? The game changed completely. I'm not sure how he turned a Kyber crystal into an energy source for it but the fact he did means that a single Mandalorian HOG can be as strong as a wookie and, if they're using the Lightning, then they have a potentially infinite power source and only had to worry about Tibana Gas. But their enhanced strength was what I was interested in right now, seeing as they were throwing around (to be frank, absurdly large) boulders with ease. Something that definitely came in use for moving the absurd amount of rubble. "The markings on it are of old Zakuul." That caught my attention.
"You're sure?" I asked, he nodded but I couldn't see his facial expression under his helmet.
"Elek, Ad'Alor. I am."
"Get clear!" I barked at the HOGs as I focused. I closed my eyes and stretched my arms out, demanding the boulders and stones sitting atop the hatch to move. There was a chorus of gasps in the clearing as I finally opened my eyes and saw why. Everything that had been over the hatch was levitating at least a good few inches off the ground. I clenched my teeth as I willed the rubble away from the area.
"Ancestors." I heard Jorr whisper and finally noticed that LT had her hands out too. I wasn't alone in this. Together, we forced the rubble far away enough from the hatch that the HOGs and HAVOCs could enter and clear the hatch. I dropped my arms and LT did the same thing.
"Fuck…" LT whispered as we both staggered from the strain we just put ourselves under. "I didn't know it was… I didn't know you could move that much."
"Neither did I." I muttered, panting lightly as the HOGs blew the hatch open and the HAVOCs jumped in with their rifles ready. If the Praetorians were known for their Carbines, the ATLAS guys (especially the HAVOCs) were known for using the NAC M-45/X rifle. It was everything a rifleman could hope for. Light, long ranged, powerful, and accurate at range - the only problem it had was that it burned through tibana cartridges like they were nothing. The HAVOCs didn't feel this was an issue considering the charge was three times the size of any conventional tibana cell.
"I'm going to regret that tomorrow, aren't I?" LT asked. I thought she was joking when I felt the strain myself.
"We both probably are… But it was necessary."
"Ad'Alor!" One of the HAVOCs rocketed out of the hatch and sprinted toward me, bowing hastily (for some reason). "We found battle droids!"
"Show me." I said, ignoring the strain on my body as the HAVOC nodded excitedly and turned back to the hatch, dropping straight down into the vault without hesitation. "Coming?" I asked the three women at my back. Padme and Hailia were both still reeling at LT and my little show of force in the Force but they nodded all the same. I was the first to drop, not even activating my jets as I opted to let my repulsors and sensors do the heavy lifting. I hit the floor with more force than if I had just jumped off the floor as Padme, Hailia, and LT all did the exact same thing. The HAVOC's body language screamed surprise but he didn't say a word as the five of us made our first steps into the massive facility.
"Holy shit…" Padme - of all the people in the party - whispered as we finally got a good look at what was in the vault. And I didn't blame her. Battle droids, but not just any.
"Skytroopers?" I gasped in awe of the thousands of massive battle droids all in standby mode - and they were in perfect condition.
"What are these?" Hailia asked quietly.
"Our best chance." I answered as I stepped toward the skytrooper with a golden stripe painted down its face. "Get my Astromech in here, now." One of the HOGs examining the Skytroopers for himself heard the order and ran to follow the order. "HK?" I tapped my comms.
"Confused reply: Master? I was not expecting to hear from you. Query: How can I assist?"
"We found Zakuul."
"Joyous Response: That is wonderful news, Master! Continuation: I will inform Master Jinn. Query: Is there anything else?"
"We managed to stumble into a vault full of Skytroopers. Patch into my video feed if you don't believe me."
"Scoffing Denigration: Master, surely we can do better than those tin can soldiers?"
"HK, there are thousands of them in this facility alone. I'm going to have Artoo try and hack one of them and see what makes them tick, or do you want me to tie you in so you can give it a go yourself?"
"Deliberation… Deliberation… Conclusion: The Artoo unit should be sufficient. The Skytrooper platform, while physically imposing and a particularly fierce combat droid, was not given a state of the art firewall to begin with. Suggestion: On arrival to Cin'Vhetin, I could begin to reprogram them with the Basilisk War standard as their primary coding as you did to me, Master."
"Do it. But don't waylay Qui Gon if he's in the middle of a mission. The moment he's free, come back to Cin'Vhetin. We'll bring as many Skytroopers as the Fist and Nighthawk's cargo bays can hold."
"Approximately two-hundred and thirty-seven of the droids would fit, should the cargo bays both be empty, Master."
"We'll have to come back with a fleet." I muttered, thinking of how we were going to get them all back to Cin'Vhetin…
"Acceptance: So it would appear, master. I will inform Master Jinn of these developments. Farewell." The droid cut the line just in time for the HOG to return with Artoo. The astromech whirred and tittered as he rolled toward me as fast as he could.
"Yes, Artoo." Hailia sighed. "He needs you to hack into the droids."
"I didn't know you spoke binary." LT said. Hailia nodded.
"I learned when I was little, there's not much else to do on Corellia but fly and talk to astromechs about flying." Artoo beeped again as he rolled to the control panel nearby. The droid beeped, screeched, and generally made a nuisance of himself as he tried to get into the panel for nearly an hour. When asked, Hailia would just shake her head and refuse to translate, I just smirked since I did understand binary. I had a feeling little Halia was blushing brighter than her lightsaber under her helmet. Usually, an astromech could break into a security network in seconds to minutes but we were well over an hour when Artoo chirped happily. Not a state of the art firewall my ass. The gold striped droid's eyes flashed red for a beat before the rest of the blue lights across his body glowed bright blue.
"Protocol Niner-Wookie. This Command Unit is designated XIO/9942. This Unit serves Perseus Vizsla and Free Mandalore. We are loyal. We are true. We are Skytroopers. What are this Unit's orders?"
"What was the first goal of the Eternal Empire?" The Skytrooper commander's eyes glowed red for a beat.
"Enslave and control, by any means necessary."
"Well, that's probably not what I was looking for." I muttered to Padme, who was scowling something fierce. "Was the Star Forge ever mentioned?"
"Accessing files… Accessing files… Entry 'Star Forge,' not found. Accessing files… Terms 'Star,' and 'Forge,' found in same transmission. Coordinates found. This Unit will lead you." The Skytrooper said as the thousands behind it flashed their eyes. "Objective one: secure this world. Battalion one, remain with this Unit." The troops whired to life as the ceiling itself opened up. As one, the Skytroopers took to the air except about two hundred.
"DO NOT ENGAGE! THE DROIDS ARE FRIENDLY!" I opened up the broad range channel, praying I was in time to cut off the inevitable firefight. I think I was successful, there was no blaster fire at the very least.
"Planet securing protocol, engaged. What is the Eternal Empire's status?" The command droid asked as I tried to calm my racing heart. Gaining an army and losing them on the same day would have sucked.
"It fell nearly four thousand years ago. What is this place?"
"Emperor Valkorian's 73rd Skytrooper vault. These Units were placed here in the event the Emperor fell and anarchy ruled Zakuul - it seems worse has happened. These Units will serve Free Mandalore." My head was spinning but I nodded slowly.
"Alright… Lead the way." I muttered. The droid nodded and took off with our little group not far behind. "How many Skytrooper vaults are there throughout the planet?"
"1000."
"With how many droids in each?"
"5000." I rolled my eyes.
"Well, at least it's easy to keep up with… So there are five-million active Skytroopers scattered planet wide?"
"Affirmative."
"Can you activate them?"
"This Unit has the necessary access to give general orders. Should this unit leave, Regiment 73 will remain emplaced to secure this vault. This Unit could activate every unit on world at the Spire. Is this the destination?"
"Yes," Padme answered for me, "take us there."
"Personnel recognized: Amidala. Orders received. Will you require your Starship?"
"We will." I nodded. "You lead, we'll follow. The Nighthawk can keep up."
"Acknowledged." The droid said as he simply stood there. Honestly, semi-sentient battle droids were the creepiest freaking things…
"Board up." I said to Padme, LT, and Hailia before I turned back to the troops. "Pilots! Stick close to the Nighthawk! I want ten men to stay here and load as many Skytroopers as you can onto the Fist! Understood?"
"Elek Ad'alor!" The men barked.
"Ori'jate! Carry on, men!" The pilots ran for their ships as ten of the HOGs figured out who was going to stay here to load the Skytroopers. I turned back to the commanding droid with a raised eyebrow. "It goes without saying your troops will follow these ten's orders?"
"Your orders are for as many Skytroopers as possible to be loaded onto the Fist. What is that?"
"A Marauder class corvette. It's in atmosphere now and will be by shortly."
"Acknowledged. Company One with Platoon B of Company Two are authorized to board this Fist." I sighed and tried to rub my forehead through my helmet. Maybe there was some point in making droids sentient? HK could actually think, this droid was just that - a walking computer incapable of improvising outside of a combat scenario. Oh well, no need to look a gift Bantha in the mouth. With that in mind, I turned and trotted back to the Nighthawk only to find LT in my seat and Padme in the second chair.
"Bout time you got here, Tri," LT said as she flipped through the switches for take off procedure. "We were going to let you put that Jetpack of yours to use if you hadn't gotten here when you did."
"You were going to make me catch my own ship midair?"
"You'd have been able to catch us, flyboy." Padme threw over her shoulder. I rolled my eyes and slipped into one of the jump seats.
"I'll leave it in your capable hands then, ladies."
"Wow! Maybe he does have a brain under there!" LT snarked.
XXX
It was slow going to get to the place where the Spire collapsed for the sole reason that while the Skytrooper could fly faster than mach one, it wasn't by much. Really it was only just enough to break the resistance barrier. It was pretty frustrating really but we still made pretty good time regardless. The good news? We knew immediately where we were. The bad news? The rubble from the fallen spire sprawled for miles to the planet's east.
"What happened here?" Padme asked quietly.
"Turbolasers." I muttered as I took in the carnage. "Someone deliberately opened fire on the Spire."
"Who would do that?"
"I'll give you two guesses and they're both probably right," I growled. Padme threw a look over her shoulder but didn't say anything. I shook my head and carried on. "The Sith Empire and Republic hated Valkorian for what he did (even though I think Arcann was the last Eternal Emperor… He may have had a sister thrown in the mix somewhere? Anyway…) and wanted to make sure there wasn't any remnant of the Eternal Empire left in the universe. When the Empire collapsed, the Jedi and Sith went back to their wars. I know for a fact there was a third galactic war that occurred before the New Sith Wars but what happened in between is a bit… Hazy, really. All I know is that the New Sith Wars lasted for a thousand years and ended in the Ruusan Reformation."
"Really? The Sith Wars were what led to the Reformations?" Padme asked in surprise.
"Yeah, that would have been the last war against the Sith, though. The Jedi thought the Sith were annihilated. Obviously they were wrong. There are at least two of them still out there and we have one. I don't want to kill him until we find his Master, Sidious. Problem is, Sidious is going to be making a move for a new apprentice. Soon, if he hasn't found one already."
"Son of a bitch," LT growled. "You mean to tell me that fucker on Naboo was an apprentice and he gave you, Jinn, Dooku, and a squad of Heavies a run for your credits?"
"Pretty much, but Maul was pure rage. He had none of the finesse you'd expect from a Sith but all the power the Dark Side could give him."
"Damn." LT shook her head. "And there was an Empire of those fucks that ruled the galaxy at one point?"
"Partially. They ruled the Western quadrant from Korriban to Nar Shaddaa with the Hutts largely able to keep them back. Mandalore was broken but they didn't take our world after the Mandalorian Wars. They never tried."
"Why?" Padme asked.
"Because they knew we would never fight for them again and Mandalore could break armies even when we were broken. I'm worried what would happen if one of the Sith offered dad the throne… There's only one thing he ever wanted."
"To be Mand'alor. Right now he's just Kyr'alor. Would he betray you to get the title though?" LT asked, never taking her eyes away from the window.
"Yes." I said quietly. It hurt to say it but in the depths of my soul I knew it was true. "If I didn't back his claim or if he was offered a good enough incentive then he would join the Sith's cause. But right now he's still my father, the man who raised me, and for that I'll fight at his side until my conscience no longer allows me to. I will not kill Jedi unless I am forced to, but dad? He wants them all dead."
"For good reason, Percy," LT said. "How many of our Ancestors did the Jedi kill?"
"Millions. Millions died in glorious battle, but Revan killed most of them. You know damn well how she got saddled with her title."
"Title?" Padme asked.
"The Butcher of Mandalore." I said quietly. Padme stiffened but I kept on. "She destroyed an entire Mandalorian fleet above Malachor V and damn near destroyed the planet itself with her superweapon there. It was a genius maneuver but it still killed hundreds of thousands of our kin in seconds. I don't blame her. It was war. We fought, we lost, we remember. We've kept that grudge but why? We recovered the Dark Saber, we killed as many as we lost, and, in the end, the Jedi's victory was Pyrrhic."
"Pyrrhic as it may be, too many died. Percy." LT snapped but her shoulders slumped. "But the Sith were the ones who pointed us at the Jedi. By the way, your new droid friend just landed." I looked up and saw the gleaming form of the Skytrooper standing at attention in the middle of what looked to be a crater.
"Open the airlock. I'll meet him down there." I sighed, standing out of the jumpseat.
"Percy." Padme said. I looked over my shoulder to see she had pushed her visor up and was looking at me with pleading openly written across her face. "Come back to me."
"I will, my love." I said quietly. She nodded nervously and slid her faceplate back down. Seconds later I was on the ground with Xio - as I had taken to calling him in my head - in the crater.
"These are the remains of the Spire. Follow." The Skytrooper said as he turned around and strode off. I shook my head and tried to keep up. It took us a few minutes of walking along and me using the Force to move the occasional rock we couldn't blow up but we finally reached a door. Not a hatch, but an honest to the Ancestors door. A massive, bombproof door, but a door nonetheless. Xio placed his hand on a scanner next to the bolt and it flashed green.
"Authorized. Skytrooper Commander - XIO slash 9942. Proceed." An automated voice chimed from the sensor as the door clicked and whirred as it opened.
"What is this place?" I asked quietly.
"Fallback bunker Omega. Lined with Phrik, this is the last line of defense for the Royal Family. It was not accessed."
"Oh," I mean, what else was there to say?
"It houses the Skytrooper high command. Grand Marshall: AAX/1171 was charged with activating the vault if Zakuul fell. He failed his mission, he is inactive. Likely inoperable. Perhaps dismantled. Though the odds of his hull's destruction is high… All Command backups are corrupted. Marshall AAX/1171 has been terminated." The Skytrooper rumbled as he ran through the possibilities while a bank of computers on the wall came to life. The droid reached out a hand, revealing an access cable that retracted into his wrist. "Marshall AAX/1171 has been destroyed. As has General AAY/1211, General AAZ/1115, General ABA 1111, and General ABB 1232. This unit has been promoted from Unit Commander to General status. With Marshall AAX/1171's termination, this unit has been promoted from General to Grand Marshall. Orders confirmed. Broadcasting… Confirmed. Bunkers 5, 17, 21, 43-"
"How many did you lose?" I cut him off, not really wanting to hear the exact bunkers that had been busted.
"Twenty-three are unresponsive. Destroyed by either indiscriminate Turbolaser fire or on impact with the fall of the Spire. There are also those that were destroyed by falling wreckage, of which there are five."
"Damn… How big was the Spire?"
"At its peak, it reached into the planet's exosphere. No determination was made to its height. It was a vertical city that housed upward of a billion residents. The records indicate they were allowed to evacuate the Spire and immigrated to Republic space. Half of the population remained."
"The Republic killed half a billion people in one day? And they were Civilians?" I asked in shock.
"Affirmative. One official believed the Eternal Fleet would protect them as it had before. The Fleet had already been destroyed. Others believed the planet's Star Fortresses would be strong enough to repel the Republic Fleet. Records show they were rendered inoperable with Arcann's death."
"Star Fortresses?"
"Battle Stations powered by a solar generator, capable of harnessing a Solar Flare to use as a long range weapon. Shall this unit send the schematics to the Fist as well?"
"Yes, definitely do that." I said instantly. I didn't know if they were possible to make, but if they were as powerful as they sounded? They could be useful.
"It is finished. All intact vaults are active. Planet Zakuul is now secure. Initiating new protocol, sub label: Star Forge. Coordinates acquired… Downloaded. Uplinking to the Fist of Mandalore. Interfacing…" I felt my jaw drop as the Skytrooper worked. His eyes flashed red as he removed his hand from the console. "It is finished."
"Good." I felt a smirk stretch across my lips. "Let's get back to the Nighthawk, we have a Star Forge to find."
XXX
[1] - Disclaimer: Anything above this point, if it is in italics, does not belong to me. This dialogue is property of Lucas Works and Disney, as such I have no right to claim it as my own. The in question dialogue and scenes are from Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, Star Wars The Clone Wars, Star Wars the Bad Batch, Star Wars the Old Republic (SWTOR), Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR), and Star Wars Rebels.
[A] - And with that out of the way, welcome to the Hunt for the Forge arc of the Wayfinder! This has been a long time coming and we're finally getting rolling with it! I would just like to take a little time to explain what my headcanon is in regards to the history of the Galaxy at this point. You've read about the Mandalorian Wars, New Sith Wars, Ruusan Reformation and many other points that are usually regarded as legends - I believe them to be canonical as there isn't anything directly contradicting the main arc of Episodes: I through VI. The difficult part is working in recent Mandalorian history, as convoluted and complex as it is, so bear with me while I work through it.
[B] - Little bit of a mix up that I caught on 11/5/2021, for those unaware (as I was) the Planet Lehon and Rakata Prime are one and the same according to legends; think of it like an Earth and Terra kind of situation. I'm afraid I drastically screwed up here so Rakata Prime and Lehon are not only different planets but they're in different space sectors for the purposes of this story. Thank you.
