Chapter 13

Parting Ways

Garfield sighed as he stared out over the rolling dunes of sand, he sat on his cargo bay ramp. On either side of his behemoth silver ship were other smugglers, some he knew, others he avoided, and few he didn't recognise. He had landed on Tatooine with little incident, after the republic were here last time, they set up a partial presence but they left after a month.

The trip to drop off Lex was surprisingly uneventful, Garfield expected to spend the entire time fending the greedy entrepreneur off all of the technology on his ship, but all he did was stay in his room and yell at whoever he was on a call to. Lex was infuriated and parts of his conversation could be heard occasionally, though Garfield didn't really care since a week later he dumped Lex off at a hidden trading post and left after Lex threatened to revoke his favour if he told anyone of the hidden base's location.

Travelling to Tatooine took nearly double the time to get back as he didn't want to tread through Helga's space uninvited, though he did stop off to visit with the barbarian to gloat and enquire after the Republic ships. Helga had been pleased to see him alive, however there had been an incident with the Republic ships which turned out to be secretly carrying prisoners of war. The two parted ways laughing at how they both had been played, Garfield even told her to never let him negotiate for a Jedi ever again.

The others knew that their time was coming to a close as they neared Tatooine, each of them contemplated quietly on the matter, leaving Garfield to pilot the ship in peace. Nevertheless, a thick tension permeated the air, nerves were slightly frayed and a few angry snaps occurred, but nothing outright violent as they would always apologise afterwards.

Garfield had set the ship down and sat out on the ramp, he planned on staying here for a few days to run a full diagnostic of his ship, not that Victor hadn't already done that, he wanted to double check. He was also waiting for a friend of his, one that owed one too many favours and now he had called them in to take a few passengers wherever they needed to go.

"So, this is it?" Richard asked, he stood a few metres behind Garfield with the others flanking him, they all wore expressions of apprehension and uncertainty.

"The deal was one mission." Garfield bluntly stated, he stood up and stretched, he wanted to enjoy the heat a little longer before entertaining this conversation. He pulled out four credit devices and held them out to them. "This is your cut."

Each of them took one and gazed at it in wonder, debating how much they could've acquired from the mission. They knew Lex was a high rolling client and one that could fork our hundreds of millions without care, but they also knew he was stringent with his credits and curbed their enthusiasm.

"There's just under five million credits in each." Garfield absentmindedly remarked, turning away from them as a chorus of gasps echoed from them. "As for what happens now, I have a reliable friend on the way, they will take you wherever you need to go."

"That sounds like it was addressed to all of us?" Rachel asked after a moment of mulling over his words, she looked slightly worried that she was about to lose her place on the ship. Despite debating internally on how long she would stay with Garfield on his ship, she found the ship comforting, especially after staying in Garfield's room as it gave her a deeper insight into the man he is. She wouldn't admit that she found him interesting, but he had quirks that she found amusing.

"I can no longer protect you… my… my benefactor disappeared." Garfield reluctantly admitted, he didn't want to tell them that the Doom Patrol had gone to ground, but he didn't want to get into an argument with them. Not when he had a new client set to meet him in a week's time here on Tatooine, he had to conduct research on them and ensure they were honest of their offer. "For now, they cannot return to active duty for twelve months, and that's only if they managed to discover the leak of information…"

"Their gone… why?" Rachel pressed, she took a few steps and stood just behind him, her hand hesitating to place it on his shoulder. She knew what the Doom Patrol meant to him, that they were the only family he had that actually looked out for him, but she didn't know if she could comfort him when she knew nothing of the kind.

"The station was discovered, possibly by an enemy or by a civilian, and whoever that was managed to escape before they could… silence them." Garfield winced at his choice of words, technically they only ever destroy Empire ships if they got close, as for civilians then they are referred to their counterpart in the Republic to be kept an eye on. "Following protocols, Protocol Nine was activated, meaning they went to ground in hiding and won't return for a minimum of twelve months."

Silence reigned as they drank in the information, unsure how to respond considering the Doom Patrol is practically Garfield's extended family. Garfield sat back down on the ramp, laying back with his hands behind his head.

"Rachel, I do want to keep you on, but to do so would require an overhaul of identity papers which would completely rename you and give you a totally different history, one you will have to memorise as your own… and I don't want to subject you to that as it can be quite… harrowing." Garfield spoke carefully, his words chosen and deliberate as he himself still hadn't come to terms with losing the Doom Patrol for a year nor if he could accommodate her on his ship full time. "Victor, I know you took on the role of engineer to impress the Doom Patrol, so if you want to leave now that they're gone, I won't blame you… but don't come back after a year… as for you Richard, you can keep the suit and use it as a cover identity, Lex has already verified you so no one should bat an eye."

With that, Garfield closed his eyes and relaxed under the intense heat of Tatooine's suns, shifting his hat over his face. He heard nervous shuffling behind him though none of them moved, then someone sat down beside him. He peaked out from under his hat, spying Rachel sat with her knees held to her chest.

"How would I go about this… Identity overhaul?" Rachel asked quietly, unsure of her words though determined to know the process. Garfield recovered his face and thought for a moment, he hadn't actually contemplated how to go about it since he suspected that she wouldn't go for that option.

"It is illegal… and would require me to call in multiple favours… but I can set it in motion… however you must understand that its not just your name and history but your appearance as well that has to change." Garfield deliberately lifted his hat to stare at her intently, ensuring that she got the message that it was a complete overhaul and not just her name and background. "It wouldn't be much, just enough for you to pass yourself off as a Mirialan, and you would have to memorise the entire history and etiquette of my people… not that I know it myself, but it would be best to do so encase anyone gets suspicious."

Rachel sat quietly mulling over the option, it would mean she would have a clean slate, one where she didn't have to hide herself anymore or run at seeing Sith, but it also meant never clearing herself of the Darkling Star. Two options, one fraught with danger and a high chance of death or worse…, the other gave her liberty and a fresh start. A loud thump beside her startled her out of her musing, Victor had plonked himself down beside her in the middle of the ramp as Garfield had kept himself to the far right of the ramp.

"Hey Gar… not that I don't want to try out for a chance to join… your benefactor… I've grown to like Titan, she's a beauty and brute… and she needs some serious overhauling as well." Victor chuckled at the thought of all the work that was needed down to make the Titan an ace ship. "If you aren't against it, I'd like to stay on… and it's also not because of the five million credits…"

"Don't expect that all the time, that was just Lex, most of the time it will be in the low hundreds of thousands, sometimes nothing depending on the repair work needed for Titan." Garfield lamented, he didn't really mind Victor, he was easy going and an impressive engineer, not that he was going to tell him that. He could use his talents in the year without the Doom Patrol, especially if it costed him very little and didn't mean he had to deal with any third-rate dry dock. "However, I could use your skills, I don't like dealing with repair crews… they get on my nerves."

Victor grunted happily, smiling off into the distance. He wasn't lying when he said he was growing to like the Silver Behemoth, the ship not only had high tech equipment that he has yet to see, but also experimental technology that has been a dream of his to use. Even if he never got to work for the Doom Patrol, he would be more than content with working on the Titan.

A third, gentler, thump brought the attention of the three to the fourth person joining them. Kori sat with her legs cross and her head slightly bowed, unsure of herself or what she was about to say, though she had a similar look of determination as Rachel had.

"I know I hadn't served much of a purpose on the last mission… but being aboard the Titan… it helped me a lot… and if you need my sword in a fight… then I would be ever so grateful if I can continue my residency." Kori asked politely, Garfield still had his hat covering his face and couldn't see Kori staring intently at him, though in a way he could feel her intense stare against the side of his head.

"She's useful to have around, and with my expertise, we can pull off even greater jobs." Richard timed in while Garfield was contemplating Kori's request, the former Republic Captain still stood behind them though he had moved forward slightly to stand at the top of the ramp in his full Red X suit. "There is a lot that a team can do if we work together, and with your ship and your connections, then there isn't anything that can challenge us."

"You finished?" Garfield annoyingly remarked, slightly irked by the Republic Captain's motivation speech. "I was hoping to get rid of y…"

"Are you Garfield Logan?" A voice interrupted Garfield mid-sentence, irking Garfield into leaning up and glaring at the interloper. There before the ramp was a man in a lavish black suit surrounded by heavily armed guards, the scene looked eerily familiar to the first time they were on Tatooine.

"Who are you? And why shouldn't I put a hole in your head?" Garfield barked as he sat up, glaring at the decorated man who had short blond hair and bright green eyes. The guards got defensive and raised their weapons though the man waved them off, chuckling at Garfield's antics.

"Apologies, my apprentice set up the meet, and it's still set, but I've been rather curious about meeting a smuggler. My apprentice said it was better that I didn't, that meeting with smugglers is dangerous." The man happily stated, earning a groan from Garfield as he thumped his head back down onto the ramp. He hated dealing with these kinds of people, ones that are rich and want to see how the other side lives, it always ends with him punching them and losing the contract. "I'm Oliver Queen, CEO of Queen Enterprises."

"And I don't care…" Garfield groaned, he sat up and glared at the smiling man who wasn't phased by his comment. "Look, smugglers don't like rich people, we don't have the patience or the care to deal with them and it always ends badly."

"Maybe I can be more helpful." Kori smiled warmly as she got up and stepped towards Oliver, Garfield sat there watching her easily adopt a friendly demeanour, intent on listening and being respectful towards the playboy. He could use someone like her, there were many rich families that require a high end smuggler like himself, but due to his inability to sit there and talk with them, he couldn't acquire those contracts.

"I'm merely curious as to how a smuggler operates, what processes a smuggler has to go through in order to deliver the cargo to their intended location?" Oliver asked politely, engaging with Kori just as easily as she adopted her new persona. "I also don't understand why we cannot use our own transports since the cargo isn't illegal, but my apprentice said that this method was better."

"Well, I haven't been working with Garfield long, but I do know that he takes every care in moving the cargo from one location to another, as for why your apprentice is using this method, that I don't know." Kori smiled warmly as she bowed her head slightly apologetically, Oliver was disarmed by this tactic, leaving him nervously chuckling and scratching the back of his head.

"Smugglers don't always ship illegal items, most of the time its items people don't want to send through the usual channels or items that require to reach a destination quickly where they would be held back by customs." Garfield grunted, he had laid back down and now had his hat over his face. "Most of my clients want a discreet delivery service, or are afraid of rivals stealing their stuff, then they call me, and I ship it with little incident. As for you, I recall your apprentice discussing the transport of a special item?"

"Yes, I recently bought an antique ship that I want shipped to my home on Coruscant, but my apprentice said that it would be too difficult to ship through standard channels." Oliver curiously stated, he watched as Garfield groaned and thumped his head onto the ramp again. Cargo and items are easy, entire ships were another matter.

"You have to be kidding me!" Garfield frustratingly cried, he hated transporting ships, especially antiques. He caught sight of Rachel looking questioningly at him, awaiting an answer as to his reaction. "Ships are difficult to transport for standard couriers, they have to go through a series of checks and specific upgrades before they can transported, distorting them from being antiques. Therefore, they have to go through smugglers to avoid this and keep them as antiques."

"Ah… that's why he said if I was determined to keep the ship as authentic as possible." Oliver absentmindedly stated, returning his attention to Garfield as he continued to speak.

"Transporting ships are difficult as I can't rely on my own hyper drive, I have to use public channels which can get extremely difficult if I don't time it correctly." Garfield's tone held a substantial amount of frustration in in it, these kinds of contract, though rare, are extremely time consuming and painstakingly difficult as there would be a durability clause in the contract that meant he would lose pay if there was damage to the ship. "Antique ships are a whole different kind of hell, depending on the type, they could come with some annoying quirk that can make the trip dangerous for the Titan."

"I take that would increase the price?" Oliver enquired curiously rather than being upset or annoyed, he seemed genuine in his interest in smugglers which slightly unnerved Garfield. He was worried that this rich playboy might try his hand at smuggling which will end badly, and somehow in some annoying fate like coincidence, he will be drawn into it.

"Its largely dependant on four factors, the ship itself, the distance to travel, the time taken to transport, and a fixed sum for any inconvenience or issue that occurs during the trip that is out with my control." Garfield stated, running off the pieces of information he needed to determine the price. "Antique ships come in two types, the first that has a hyper drive engine, and the second that doesn't, if it's the latter then the deals off as I don't have the time to ship an antique regardless of how much you are willing to spend."

"It's a Dynamic class Freighter, one of the first built three centuries ago." A voice called out interrupting Oliver as he opened his mouth to answer, a young boy with dark hair and red light armour walked over to them. Garfield glanced to the newcomer, he slowly got to his feet and greeted the young man. "Captain, Roy Harper, I do apologise about this. Oliver has an unhealthy obsession with smugglers, and I had to be careful who I hired."

"I take it the ships on world?" Garfield bluntly ignored Roy's apology, he didn't really care for semantics as he had a mission to complete, though he wanted to wait on world for a few days to ensure Titan was at one hundred percent capacity. Roy nodded and handed him a data pad containing the hanger bay number and the codes to get on board, Garfield scanned them before turning around holding them out to Victor. "Alright, Victor, head over and examine the ship. I want to know its hyper drive capabilities, its mobility and speed, and lastly I need to know its hull integrity as well as its capability to take a hit."

"Why would you need to know if it can take a hit?" Oliver indignantly asked with a hint of anger in his tone, he didn't like the implications of Garfield's words. Roy tried to intercept his master, but Garfield beat him to it.

"I'm not risking myself flying that freighter if it can't take a hit." Garfield growled at Oliver, losing patience with the rich tycoon. "Anything can happen in space, from rogue Empire ships to those trigger-happy peacekeepers, so if I'm taking this contract I need to know that the ship can survive if anyone gets a bright idea to attack me."

"Don't worry, I already ran the tests, but I'm more than happy to let your engineer have a look." Roy quickly intercepted the conversation before it derailed, he waved for a guard to take Victor to the ship while he sorted out the details. "Now, shall we discuss the fee?"

"Transporting ships is time consuming and difficult if not done correctly, therefore I have a minimum charge of two million credits regardless." Garfield grunted, he set this to price to drive off clients as he hated ship transportation. "It's a two month trip to Coruscant with no detours, I'll have to pass into Republic space and through several checkpoints… there's also identification papers that I'll need to set up along with a cover and possible bribes to officials… in total it'll be roughly fifteen to twenty million, and that's before I get the assessment on the ship."

"Twenty million?! That's nearly half what I paid for the ship!" Oliver exclaimed, he looked expectantly at Roy as he was the one that convinced him to hire a smuggler over standard transport. "You can't be serious?"

"Well, its either that or follow standard protocols that will force you to refit the ship with an up-to-date navigation system, a recommended hyper drive, and replacement universal airlocks, all of which will force you to retrofit a new power and computer system." Garfield remarked off-hand, he had heard the same outburst from clients that wanted a ship transported. "Taking into account the Dynamic's old age shell and outdated systems, that could easily reach a hundred million credits."

"A Hundred and ninety-one million to be exact." Roy chimed in, further cementing the reality of how much it costs to move an antique ship. Oliver tried to argue, but he kept his mouth shut as he trusted his apprentice. "And you don't have to worry about the identification papers, I had those created the moment I heard he wanted to move the ship to his home."

Roy handed Garfield another data pad, pausing to give him time to inspect the details. Garfield was impressed with the attention to detail, normally he wouldn't have gone into such depth, but these could easily pass any inspection which could cut off time from his journey.

"Alright, once I get my engineer's assessment, I'll give you the final fee. You understand my policies?" Garfield asked as he tucked the data pad into an inner pocket of his coat, he would have to go over it with a fine comb before he took off from the planet, but it was rock solid as far as he was aware. Roy nodded to his question, it cut a lot of issue in dealing with a new client if they knew his policy on the fees. "I won't be leaving for another week, and no that won't be included in the charge, so if there is anything else that I need to be aware then now is the time."

"There is one matter that I wish to discuss." Oliver's words caused Garfield's eye to twitch for a moment until he caught sight of Roy slamming his hand into his face. "I'll double your fee on the condition that you take me with you on the trip."

"HAHAHAHAHA. No." Garfield exploded into a fit of laughter before instantly calming himself to glare at the rich tycoon, he guessed the question from Roy's reaction but that didn't stop him making the point that he wasn't a tour guide into the underworld. "Its one thing to take an antique ship into Republic space, its another thing entirely to take a well known and rich tycoon. The moment word gets out, and word will get out since several smugglers have just seen you speaking to me by my ship, then every smuggler, bounty hunter, seedy businessman, or any other criminal you can think of will do whatever it takes to capture you for the big payday."

"I've tried to tell him this but he's adamant." Roy sighed as he glanced towards Oliver who was eagerly eyeing Titan, he had paid attention slightly to Garfield's rant on the dangers, but it looked like it went in one ear and out the other. "However, there is an… offer… that I'm sure you would be interested in if you take him with you. Let's talk privately."

"Fine." Garfield begrudgingly decided to hear the man out, he led Roy onto the ship before pausing for a second to look at the annoying tycoon pouting at his apprentice to get to see a smuggler ship. "Kori, give our friend here a tour. Nowhere confidential, and the guards stay outside."

Garfield led Roy to the bridge, there they would be uninterrupted, and he could invoke a black out shield to prevent any listening devices that might be on Roy. Once the shield was in place, Garfield lent against the back of his favourite chair, watching Roy eye the bridge.

"Mind telling me what the act was for?" Garfield smirked at the man who sat down on the captain's chair, peering around the bridge for a second before responding.

"Scrubbed my history clean, managed to work a few favours with the Republic and so on, its not perfect but Oliver believes I'm a youth with a troubled past and ran with a few smugglers." Roy chuckled, he had finally managed to get out from under a certain criminal that organised a crew of youths to commit crimes for them rather than getting their own hands dirty. "Though, the real question is… who's the new faces?"

"Occupational hazard, last time I was on Tatooine I got stuck with them and had to fly off grid to escape the Republic." Garfield groaned, he had a sneaking suspicion that returning to Tatooine would land him in even more annoyances, and now there was a remote chance he was taking a rich tycoon to Coruscant which would really test his nerves. "Two of them might be permanent, the other two I'm fifty fifty on. Oh, and Red X is long gone since I know you have a past with that guy, the most wanted Republic Captain has the privilege of playing that fiend."

"Seriously?" Roy looked at Garfield incredulously, though he now knew why he heard Garfield had fled Tatooine in a hurry last time he was here, alone with that bogus story of ditching cargo. "You've had it rough my friend! I heard about the mission with Lex, rotten Sith! Never trust them, but they love to flaunt their credits."

"And we never get tired of taking it!" Garfield and Roy both chuckled at their joke, Sith are never to be trusted, but they are the best to get credits from as they throw it around like its nothing. "As much fun as it is to catch up, you said you had a deal that would be favourable to me?"

"I heard a rumour that the Darkling Star might not be as dead as people believe." Roy bluntly stated, holding his hands up in mock surrender when Garfield reflexive reached for his blaster. "Wow, hold on, I had guessed that the new girl you brought on was her, but no one else could make the connection unless they know you like I do. Anyway, the Darkling Star… I had met her once, from afar, but I know her reputation was falsified… however there is something strange going on."

"Strange?" Garfield relaxed his hand, he wouldn't have killed Roy, he was the closest person he had to family. They weren't best friends as they argued a lot and have on occasion tried to shoot one another, a better description would be that they were brothers, they looked out for one another but still had their difference and fights.

"Republic had a secret military research base near Ord Mantell, and apparently it was hit… badly. All staff and soldiers are dead, base torn to pieces, and nobody knew it happened until three days after." Roy pulled a data pad from his jacket, handing it to Garfield. The pad contained images of a base that looked like it had been ripped to pieces by something as large as a mountain. "I got a few friends left in the Republic's secret division who came to me asking questions about the Darkling Star. At first, I didn't think much about until they mentioned the base. The only one who could do such damage was her, so I made a few calls to a few old friends and nobody heard of her reappearance… until I caught wind of two mirialans leisurely walking around Nar Shaddaa…"

"You followed that up and figured that she was the Darkling Star." Garfield cut short Roy's lengthy explanation, he knew he had the contacts and the skills to get close to the truth about Rachel, but he never thought he could actually find out her identity without confirming it with him. "So, why wait until now to see me? I'm sure you have something to say about me offering her a place on my ship?"

"WHAT!" Roy spluttered heavily, his eyes wide as he gaped at Garfield in shock. Garfield slammed his palm into his face, Roy is the kind of person you could easily underestimate due to his rugged appearance and once they hear him speak then they realise he's smarter than he looks, but he has a major tendency to over play his hand. "Okay… I thought you took her on as extra back up for dealing with Lex…"

"Roy, unless you want half the smuggler network knowing of your past… incident… then get to the point." Garfield grunted angrily, he couldn't believe he overestimated Roy's information and revealed that not only was he working with the Darkling Star, but she might stay on his ship far into the future.

"No need to threat, I trust your judgement, though I'm not getting anywhere near her unless you manage to tame her." Roy winked at Garfield, earning himself a violent growl and the sound of a blaster smacking off the bulkhead rattled through the ship. Roy sat rigidly in the chair, a burn mark scorching the side of the captain's chair leaving a mark on the bulkhead behind him. "Right… has someone not had their morning coffee yet? Maybe you could ask a certain…"

"Roy… I'm sure you know I'm not a fan of second chances?" Garfield's voice low as he held his eyes closed tightly, trying in vain to reign in his rage at his friend's teasing. Roy smirked broadly, knowing full well that he had something over Garfield that he was going to enjoy tormenting him with for months.

"Putting aside the cold-hearted smuggler's renewed vigour for a certain former Sith… I did some digging into the base that got destroyed and a few things didn't add up, for one there was signs that the Darkling Star had been there, but there was something else." Roy never let the smirk drop from his face as he spoke, enjoying the twitch in Garfield's eyebrow. "The base was destroyed several weeks ago, around the time you were docked with the Ravagers. I have an old friend there who saw a female mirialan unloading cargo from your ship. So unless she can be in two places at once…"

"So… either there is something taking over her reputation, or the Darkling Star isn't a name solely attributed to one person." Garfield sighed, he had no idea how he was going to break this to Rachel, but he was hoping that whoever is taking over the Darkling Star name won't reveal themselves or take credit. "I take it that this has something to do with your deal?"

"Yep. Spent several days and calling in a lot of favours to release rumours that you had taken on board a mirialan partner." Roy proudly grinned at his achievement, he had gotten the word out and now there were several people who were seeking information on this girl. "The deal is simple, I've gotten an old friend in the Republic's Bureau of Internal Affairs, they owe me their life so many times that I've given up counting. Anyway, I got in contact with them and worked out a deal to get a new set of perfectly minted identity papers with complete and fool proof background that includes reputable sources to back up any in-depth search, all for a mirialan female."

"And you're going to all this trouble to give your boss his dream trip?" Garfield sarcastically stated, there was no way Roy would do this for him, even if they were brothers. There was always a catch with him, he had this rule that no job is worth doing unless he gets something worth the trouble. "What's the catch?"

"My boss gave me a second chance, one that I won't forgot nor can pay back, but this will be a way for him to achieve his dream…" Roy dramatically played with his hands moving as if he were actor in Shakespeare, though his sentence cut off as he noticed Garfield reaching for his blaster again, both eyes twitching. "Alright! Fine! Look, my boss had a deal recently that went south, like really far south. Now, I've got intel that the deal, which was supposed to be known by a short list of people, had been sabotaged."

"You want to draw out the traitor by making them believe a lowly smuggler like myself is an easy target than his expensive and highly trained bodyguards." Garfield sighed, he hated playing bait more than antique ship transportation, it basically meant downplaying all of his skills to let the hunter, who was always someone that had subpar skills, get to him. "Argh! Fine! But I want the documents, IN FULL, before I enter Republic space… and I want a fully licenced and discreet mirialan tattoo artist to rework Rachel with a full set of mirialan marks."

"Rachel… never thought that monster had such a normal name…" Roy muttered aloud, his eyes gazing off into the distance for a moment before shaking himself back to the moment. "Yeah, I already had that sorted, even got an extra surprise in store that would make the ID airtight, not even the Empire's top investigation team could tear it apart, and it comes with the ability to shut down anyone that knows her face."

"Roy…" Garfield grumbled, he knew that this surprise would be as he says, but he also knew that if he was keeping it as a surprise then it meant it was something he was going to hate. Roy chuckled and quickly dashed for the door, tapping in an override code Garfield had forgotten he had given him and swiftly made his way down the walkway. "Roy!"

"Glad to know that we struck a deal, Captain Garfield." Roy deliberately yelled loud enough for everyone to hear, smirking at Garfield as he disappeared over the railing down to the cargo bay. "I'll have Mr Queen's personal effects moved in by tomorrow."

"ROY!"


Author's Note: Sorry this is unedited and sorry for long upload times, I've been working on some other projects but I've got a piece that I'm trying to complete to get published which I'm focusing totally on.

Comments:

Wolgon99 – Thanks for the comment, sorry for the long upload time. I'm glad you are enjoying the story, and I really am sorry for the upload time, I try not to do this and I will try to keep the absolute maximum upload time to one month. Thank you for your comment! Its awesome to know that people like my writing.

Guest – Thanks for the comment. Not sure if Garfield would get force training yet as he's a loner type but there might be some story potential in having Rachel and Kori fight over how to train him. As for the Revan thing… I totally didn't know that despite playing Swtor… though I would love to take credit, it was a fluke, but one that I am definitely capitalise upon so thank you!

Eris – Thanks for the comment. I had originally planned for a fight to break out where Garfield would have to fight against Lord Malchior over trying to save Rachel from him since he laid the trap, but then I had the idea of hiding Rachel as a mirialan.

As for the favour, that was a spur of the moment idea, one that I thought worked well for the situation since Garfield hated working with him, but Lex is crafty and will try his utmost best to get himself out of it. Garfield knows this so he has to be careful for when he calls it in, and he also knows that Lex can backstab if he asked for something too outlandish. Garfield has gotten himself something amazing, but its basically a nuclear bomb with no safety, one wrong move and it can blow up in his face.

The Doom Patrol's Protocol Nine is only used when the base is discovered, I personally don't know what I'm going to put as the reason for their disappearance, but it would be something about some major player finding the station's location and trying to attack them or sneak inside.