Jarik POV...

After we got back to Polis Massa from our fun little heist mission, we brought the Gozanti to one of the landing pads, disconnecting the small shuttle in the process. We had to quickly transmit clearance codes so that the base realized we weren't a threat, allowing us to peacefully land the Imperial cruiser. Now, two weeks later the Knight Hawk was finally repaired and functional again, which R5 was pleased about, as well as the rest of us. I managed to get the sensor array installed in place of the old one that used to adorn the Knight Hawk with the help of a few other workers.

Our work done, we thanked Bail and promised to continue giving off missions through the Fulcrum Intelligence agency. There's already been a few agents added into the agency, although none of them know our true identities of course, but they do a good job in keeping watch over other sectors of the galaxy. Me and R5 may be very accomplished in finding things but... we're just two people, compared to the thousands of planets throughout the galaxy. Makes it very hard to do stuff like that.

Now we were all back in our ship, preparing to take off and head back to Ahch-To to start our secret lives on the first Jedi Temple island. "Everyone ready?" Ahsoka asked.

"Yup, we're all clear," I replied, and Mara eagerly nodded her head.

With that being said, she powered up the engines and lifted us off, Bail watching us fly away from nearby. We lifted into space above the base and left the asteroid belt around the system. I inputted the coordinates for Ahch-To and Ahsoka pulled the lever, blasting us off into hyperspace.


Hiccup POV...

It's been two weeks now since Mara, Ahsoka and Jarik left and I was already back to my dull, sarcastic self. Snotlout and the twins haven't broken off with their constant bullying, and now he starts to mock me about how I don't have a 'protector' anymore with Mara not here. As usual, I would give a witty sarcastic response and then do my best to get to the forge or the house depending on the time of day as quickly as possible, although despite my attempts to ignore them, they're words have always hurt me. It doesn't help one bit that dad is in no way any help against them, and even Gobber sometimes isn't helpful, although if he sees it happen he sends them on their merry way with a glare and warning.

But now it's the middle of the night, and it started off just like any usual, regular night before a Viking's greatest threat showed itself once again: dragons.

"DRAGON RAID!" someone's voice called out from the village, and I bolted out of bed, waking up immediately. Below me I could hear my dad storm out of the door with a war cry, and quickly got to my feet as well, rushing down the stairs. The sound of fire burning and dragon's roaring could be heard, starting to grow louder as more of the nest arrived in this new raid. Everybody who lived here was used to stuff like this by now, with it being what we train to fight against. Despite missing them, I was glad Mara and her family weren't here for a dragon raid, since I don't want them getting hurt, even if they have fighting capabilities.

I slipped into my boots and threw on my furry vest, opening the door. Looking outside, I immediately closed it with a yelp when a burst of fire from a nearby dragon was shot straight at me, slamming against the door violently. I closed my eyes tightly, holding the door back as best as I could before opening them with wide eyes once the shaking stopped. Peeking out again, I rushed outside once the coast was clear and made a run for the forge, where Gobber told me to be whenever a raid happened. It was chaos everywhere, although nothing I wasn't used too. Dragons torched the houses, Vikings brought them down with bolas or went flying from the explosive blast of a Gronckle or Zippleback.

"Get back inside!" a passing Viking yelled at me angrily. I ignored him, continuing onwards.

"What are you doing out?! Go back inside!" another roared, shoving me as they went past. I stumbled, barely catching myself before moving onwards, groaning to my self. I've told them all a thousand times that I go to the forge every raid, but no one ever listens, as usual. I've long since given up of trying to explain it to them.

"HICCUP!" my dad's voice yelled, and he yanked me off the ground right as a dragon crashed where I was moments before. I flinched at his angry gaze. "What is he doing out- what are you doing?!" he demands furiously.

"I was getting to Gobber's forge-" I start to explain.

"THEN GET THERE! And stay there!" he exclaims, tossing me forwards. I stumble upon landing, then continue on my way to the forge as fast as I could. I really hate this stupid crap all the time. Even Gobber's attempts to explain it sometimes don't receive any attention. About a minute later I reach the forge, throwing off my vest and grabbing an apron, putting it on. Gobber is already there, pounding more weapons with his hammer.

"Where've you been all this time laddie?!" he says quickly, focused on his work.

"Running here, got yelled at a few times Gobber," I replied tiredly, pushing down on the bellows to heat up a few broken swords lying there.

"Well maybe if you ran faster they wouldn't have to yell at you, eh Hiccup?" he says rhetorically with a laugh, not in a mocking way but just genuine amusement.

I don't respond, the comment stinging slightly even though I know he never means it that way, it's just who he is. He's a full blown Viking, with beefy arms and big stature. If that isn't enough, he's lost two appendages to prove it even more! Speaking of prosthetics, both of us still couldn't believe that Jarik's left arm was actually metal and lost, and even more of it was gone than Gobber's arm! Yet it looked so real... I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see the sparks and metal covering near his shoulder when Ahsoka confronted him about it. But I so wanted to know how those things worked. Gobber told dad about the metal arm as well, and he at first dismissed it as impossible, which I don't blame him for, but at Gobber's insistence, and surprisingly at Gothi's word he had to believe it, which he eventually did, although still wasn't fully sure.

"FIRE!" another Viking yelled, and I glanced out the window to see a large cart of water pulled up by Fishlegs, the rest of the teens grabbing pails and throwing the water onto a blazing house. They had just been given the job of fire brigade last week, and they were all excited about it, since it's their first real job during a dragon raid. They may not be fighting dragons, that won't happen for another few years, but its as close to the action as they could get, and it makes me jealous. Worse still, Snotlout knows it, and he takes every second he can to taunt me and boast about his status.

A harsh tap on my shoulder snaps me out of my longing gaze and I sheepishly look up at Gobber, who is glaring down at me in disapproval.

"I know what you're thinking lad, and you're not doing it!" he says sternly.

"Come on Gobber, they're helping in the raid, while I'm just sitting here in the forge, I need to make my mark!" I protest.

"Oh, and forge duty isn't important either?!" he demands. "Hiccup, sharping weapons and repairing them is one of the most important job of all, and you're exceptionally good at it!" he exclaims.

"Not like anybody believes I'm the one doing it," I mutter irritably, and it's true. Gobber praises me for my sharpening and repair skills in the forge, but nobody else actually believes I'm the one doing it, they think it's just Gobber doing all of that. Even if they did know I'm the one fixing their weapons, they'd throw them all away anyways, thinking I would have done something to make them fail.

"Look, does it look like they're fighting dragons either?" he retorts, waving his hook out the window. "No? Then forget about them! You've gotta do this stuff here, build up muscle so that you stop being all... this," he deadpans.

"Wh- you just gestured to all of me!" I protested.

"Yes, that's it! Stop being this skinny boy, otherwise you'll never get out to fighting dragons! Now axe, sharpen, now," he says gruffly, tossing a large axe at me. I barely manage to catch in my arms, almost falling from the weight while Gobber strides back over to the anvil, making some more weapons. I stagger over to the spinning wheel, sighing in relief once I rest the axe blade on it, beginning to sharpen it. This goes on for another few minutes until I hear it: the tell-tale shrieking that all of us have come to fear.

"NIGHT FURY!" someone cries out.

"GET DOWN!" another yells.

All of the Vikings cower behind their shields, not knowing where the attack will come from, but it soon becomes known as our catapult tower is suddenly engulfed in a massive, fiery explosion that came from a purple blast. I barely notice the midnight black shape fly past it, and then another shriek can be heard through the air, as the catapult tower is completely destroyed by another blast, barely anything left to recognize it by.

"Ahhh, for the love of Thor!" Gobber exclaims angrily, tossing his tongs to the side and grabbing an axe that he fits into his arm. "You stay here Hiccup, I've gotta get out there," he tells me, rushing for the entrance. He turns back to me with a stern look. "I mean it! No rushing off, got it?" he presses.

"Ye- yeah, sure Gobber, I got it," I reply quickly.

Satisfied, he hobbles out of the forge with a war cry, while an eager smile forms on my face right after. I rush around the forge and grab a few things I'll need, such as my dagger and a portable device I've been working on that could hopefully shoot arrows without me needing to actually use a bow, or crossbow. With all of that, I push the arrow cart out of the door and run as fast as I could towards one of the higher areas of the village. Everybody takes notice and starts shouting at me immediately.

"What are you doing?!"

"Get back here!"

"I'll be back!" I reply, pushing the cart onwards through all the chaos going on. I manage to stay clear of most of it, staying out of sight of dragons as best I can by moving close to the houses, although every so often the night fury fires off another bolt of plasma, destroying another structure instantly in a massive explosion. Eventually, I reach a high point of the village, and a few houses away is a group of Nadders corralling some of our sheep. I set up the arrow contraption as quietly as I could.

"Ok ok... this is my moment," I say hopefully. If I can take down some of these dragons then maybe I could finally be recognized! I aim the arrow launcher and hold my fingers over the trigger...

But then the problems arise.

"Hiccup?!" a voice rings out incredulously with a hint of anger. "What are you doing?!" they demands.

I glance over in surprise and worry upon seeing Astrid and the rest of the group looking over at me in a mixture of surprise, irritation and glee. This causes my shot to miss and I fall to the ground from the backlash. All the dragons look over and roar at us in rage.

"Oh come on!" I exclaim.

"Run!" Snotlout cries out, taking off with the rest of the group not for behind, and I rush after them. However the twins throw their buckets away, not looking at where they were throwing, and hit Astrid in the feet, surprising her ad causing her to fall over with a cry of surprise and anger. The dragons are flying at us way to fast, most headed in her direction!

"Astrid!" I cry out in blind panic, pushing her as hard as I could behind a house while she tries to stand up. She rolls across the ground looking up at me in surprise and I glance behind me in terror to see the dragons about to shoot streams of hot flame at me. I hold my arms in front of me to protect myself, closing my eyes tightly although I know it's futile, and my life flashes before my eyes.

"Hiccup!" Astrid exclaims in shock.

The dragons all shoot fire at me... but the flames never reach, even though I can still feel the heat and hear the roar of the fire.

I slowly open my eyes and look up in shock to see Jarik standing there, arms held out in front of him. His hands and thrust out together in a V shape, and some strange white glow comes from them as he somehow manages to... PART the flames! All six of us gaped in shock at Jarik blocking the fire, and then a tap on my shoulder gets my attention. I yelp in surprise but notice Mara there as well.

"Hey hey, chill Hiccup! Come on, let's go!" she says, pulling me to my feet. I'm in too much shock to resist, and she leads me, Astrid, and the rest of us away, all of us staring at Jarik blocking the fire.

The dragons then stop shooting the fire, squawking at each other and staring at Jarik in what can only be surprise and confusion... and honestly who could blame them? Jarik on the other hand, lowers his arms and slumps over in obvious exhaustion.

"I never thought blocking fire would be that difficult..." I think I hear him mutter.


Jarik POV...

I glance up tiredly at the different dragons again, still sensing some confusion from them, seemingly a lot more intelligent then I would have originally thought. Then they began their approach again, growling threateningly.

"You ready?" Ahsoka asks me over the bond.

"Yup, go for it," I reply.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breathe, focusing on the Force to help replenish the exhaustion I was feeling from blocking the flames. Ahsoka jumped off of a nearby house to land beside me, and we held out our hands, bringing the Force down on the dragons. Feeling it, the group of dragons stopped their dangerous approach, and growled softly while we walked forwards. As we passed by them, Ahsoka walked backwards behind me, while I stayed forwards as more dragons felt our influence and stopped why they were doing to follow after us on all sides, hissing and growling softly, but otherwise making no other movements.

I reopened my eyes to get a better look of my surroundings, and headed in the direction of the edge of the village, Ahsoka following after me, bringing the dragons along with the Force. More and more dragons felt out influence as we spread it out across as far as we could, although not all of them. Attempting to bring all of the attacking dragons under our influence is a feat I'd only expect Master Yoda capable of considering their numbers, but if we get enough then hopefully the rest will follow.

Hiccup and the rest of the kids watch us in obvious shock and disbelief, while Mara looks on with a sense of awe and longing. Of course our activites don't go unnoticed by the Vikings as well, and some stop the fighting when the dragons leave them for no reason, pausing to watch us in a mixture of shock and fear. I notice the chief standing nearby, watching the procession with narrowed eyes. The dragons continue to stalk after us, or fly slowly as we lead them out towards the edge of the village, probably around a dozen or two dozen in total. Some others that aren't under our influence still watch and follow us, more curious about what we're doing. There was also that stealthy, unseen dragon that fired the purple blasts, but I don't sense it anywhere, much to my surprise. It seems to have just... vanished.

"Oh no," Ahsoka says in worry.

I glance over to where she's looking and widen my eyes in alarm when I see a small group of Vikings charging forwards, weapons raised to kill the dragons.

"Stop!" I call out in a panic, before quickly brining my focus to the dragons again, my surprise almost causing me to break my hold over them with the Force. Luckily, the chief intervenes.

"Wait, hold it!" he calls out, blocking them with an arm. "I want to see this," he says, eyeing our situation critically, like a strategist. It's a look I've seen all to well during the Clone Wars, with different admirals analyzing a battle scene to get the upper hand over the Separatists.

"But chief, we could kill them right now while they're under their control!" one of the Vikings protests.

"You touch them, and our influence is broken," Ahsoka warns, grimacing from the strain before refocusing her efforts on the Force. We continue on our way, the dragons occasionally squawking or growling quietly to each other. Eventually we reach the edge of the village, standing near a cliff ledge, with a large crowd of dragons surrounding us. A third of them aren't under our influence, being more curious and suspicious about why the rest were following us, but as long as they're following then that's a win. Perspiration trickles down my face from the effort of holding the Force over all the different dragons, and I can tell Ahsoka is struggling as well, even though we're sharing our power with each other over the bond for this task.

Ahsoka steps forwards, raising her hand out towards the large dragon in the front of the group, and lightly touches it on the snout, closing her eyes. A moment later she backs away, and the dragon squawks a few times before taking flight, heading out over the ocean, with the crowd of dragons following after it. The others not under our influence growl in confusion but go with them, their instinctive need to be with their pack overcoming their confusion. Soon enough, all of the dragons take flight and leave the village, disappearing into the night sky.

With our job completed, Ahsoka and I release our hold over the dragon's minds, and lean over on our knees, breathing heavily in exhaustion. I remember Obi-Wan telling me how he used a similar ability on Ryloth to save his troopers from a pack of carnivorous beasts, but it was on a much smaller scale then what we just did I'm sure.

"That was awesome!" Mara exclaims happily rushing up to us with a beaming smile on her face. "When can I learn to do that?!" she asks eagerly.

"Soon... in the... future," I promise her with a weak smile, sitting down on the ground. "Ohhh I'm tired."

Ahsoka flops onto her back beside me, mumbling in agreement. She took the majority of the effort, being more gifted in the Force than me, even though we did our best to split it evenly between us so she's definitely exhausted. But then the bad parts start to happen.

All the Vikings that watched then rushed forwards to surround us, shooting off questions and demanding answers, some even wary or in the worst cases, slightly threatening with their words, and I can't even make it out. Mara yelps in surprise and nervousness, backing up and I get to my feet, standing in front of them protectively while Ahsoka gets into a crouch, an arm over Mara's shoulder with a narrowed gaze directed at the Vikings.

"EVERYBODY QUIET!" Stoick's voice roars over the crowd, and he pushes through the stand before us. Thankfully they all listen to their chief, and he looks at us with a sense of gratitude, but still the lingering suspicion that he usually has around us.

"How did... how did you manage to do that?" he questions.

Me and Ahsoka glance at each other as she slowly gets up before I reply. "We used the Force to influence them, calming them down."

"You mean... control them?" he suggests.

"No. We don't control them," Ahsoka says. "We merely brought their focus to us and calmed them down, sending them on their way. If there was a move made to attack them, then they would have responded violently, lashing out at us and their attackers," she explains. "It's... hard to explain but we never forced them to do any of that. We just influenced their decision."

Stoick nods, a deep frown on his face as he tries to understand what we're saying before eventually giving up and nodding. "Well, in any case you have our deepest gratitude for stopping this raid before they could steal any of our animals and supplies."

"Of course," I responded.

"So uh..." Gobber's voice speaks up, and he shuffles through the crowd to stand next to Stoick. "Why have you, uh... come back then?" he asks.

Ahsoka and I share a look with the chief. "We've found an island here that had our interest... so we're gonna live there," I told him simply.

Gobber frowns before shrugging. "Eh, well if you're able to do that during a dragon raid then I won't complain, ha ha!" he finishes with a laugh, walking away. Most of the crowd disperses after that, speaking intensely with each other and eyeing the three of us with a mixture of awe, fear, respect, and wonder. I'm guessing that, 'demonstration' has put us in a good light in their eyes.

Stoick however still stays, eyeing us with a look I can't determine. "We can't promise we'll help with every raid though," I warn him.

He nods in understanding. "Aye, I understand. You'll be living on another island anyways," he says.

"Very true," Ahsoka says, hugging Mara close with one arm while grinning down at her, and she smiles up in reply, then sends a small wave to Hiccup, who is still standing nearby. He waves back nervously in response.

"We might visit though, from time to time if that's ok with you," I offer.

He considers before shrugging. "I don't see the problem. It'll be an honor to be allies with Jedi once again like we were ages ago," he says respectively, and I get a better understanding of why the village admires him. He's strong, fierce and determined to see things through, yet under the circumstances he can be understanding, or at least considerate of what's going on. That and he has the people's interests first. As for being a father... I still don't know, especially considering the life Hiccup is living right now.

"Looking forward to it," Ahsoka replies.


3rd person POV...

Mustafar - Atravis Sector

When one considered a place to call home, Mustafar is the last planet anybody would think to choose. Yet placed on the planet's fiery and hostile surface was a towering black castle made of pure obsidian, and reeking of the dark side of the Force. This is where the Sith Lord Darth Vader, the enforcer of the Emperor, and his apprentice resides. When choosing this planet as his personal abode, the decision was not made lightly. He basks in the dark side here, constantly reminded of his failure, and his constant need to find Kenobi and Shan, and make them pay for taking away that which he held most dear. Constantly reminded of how he murdered his own wife, all thanks to the ones he considered friends, now the bane of his existence, especially Kenobi.

When making the decision to reside here, the Emperor went along with it, gleeful in the fact that this can also serve as constant punishment for failing to kill the Jedi, and the following battle which resulted in the death of Barriss Offee, who originally held such promise as a Grand Inquisitor.

As if he suit doesn't constantly remind him of that, and the burns which will also cause him insufferable agony for the rest of his life.

Yet those aren't the only reasons that Darth Vader chose Mustafar as his fortress, much less the place of an old Sith Temple. His hatred and self-loathing were a big part of it yes, but there was another reason. When the Emperor gave him orders to eliminate the Separatists all those years ago, he felt an ancient power underneath all the rock of Mustafar. At the time he didn't give it much thought, too occupied with his duel against Kenobi and killing the Separatist leaders. But it's that same power that he sought to learn and control, that same power he keeps secret from his master, Palpatine.

Striding through the dark obsidian hallways, Vader's breathing continues to echo through the tunnel as he heads deeper into the depths of the castle. His personal acolyte, Vaneé, walks at a respectable pace off to the side and slightly behind him. Vaneé is one of the few people he knows to trust, and everyone in this castle he has made sure is loyal only to HIM. Not the Emperor, with the royal guards being the exception. Those guards are only around whenever he has to meditate in the bacta tank, under orders from Palpatine to protect him while in his most vulnerable state. The Emperor could not be allowed to learn of this power before he harnesses it, so that he may overthrow him and rule to galaxy for himself, as is the way of the Sith. His hate for the Emperor has also grown, as he has not looked into ways to bring back his wife from the dead as he first promised.

"What do you eventually plan to do with this power, my lord?" Vaneé questions quietly.

"That is none of your concern at the moment Vaneé." Vader responds, and the acolyte bows his head submissively in response. They stop before a set of thick doors, opened only through application of the Force and Vader waves an arm at Vaneé. "You may go no further Vaneé. Return to your chambers," he orders.

Vaneé once again bows his head. "As you wish my lord," he says, turning around and walking back up the pathway at Vader's wish.

Once the acolyte was gone, Vader raises an arm and calls upon his anger and great power to open the thick doors with the Force, allowing him access to the inside, where the source of this great power resides. He enters, his heavy footsteps echoing in the dark cave, where in the center stands a large stone block, colored as black as the void of space. Yet the rock is not of his interest, rather what is hidden inside, that he seeks to understand.

When he had this castle built, he could sense incredible power from an object, buried deep within the original Sith Temple and found this room. Apparently the ancient Sith Lords of old had discovered this power as well, and attempted to harness it as well, but with no luck. not even he, Lord Vader could understand how to retrieve this source of power from within the rock, try as he might. But he was ready to try again, seeking to understand what lies within.

As Vader reaches an arm out, he calls on the Force, stretching it to push into the rock, surrounding the source of power that has him so bewildered, yearning for this knowledge. Yet he can't make any headway, and the rock itself gives off a purple glow in response, the source obviously being from what lies within, ancient and full power he had never felt anywhere else before.

Not even Mortis held such power as this single, strange object that hides itself within the rock, protected and impenetrable.


Jarik, Ahsoka and Mara have finally gotten their ship repaired and returned to Ahch-To, yaayyy! :D And upon arrival they managed to use the Force to send away the raiding dragons, stopping them before they could steal any of Berk's food. I'd say at about this point in time, Jarik's power level in the Force is around Obi-Wan's level as a Jedi Knight, while Ahsoka power level in the Force is about Obi-Wan's strength during the Clone Wars, for those who want to know how powerful they've become.

Also that last scene with Darth Vader... oohhhh mysteries. Secrets that won't be revealed until much later, but this is a very big thing that I'm bringing in, and will heavily influence stories far in the future. What source of power could Vader have discovered that he believes could help him overthrow Darth Sidious himself?

Seems like such a long time ago when Jarik was just going on his first mission to Geonosis, an eager, but surprised Jedi Padawan brought into the horrors of war. Four months later and here we are... man.

Thank you guys so much for supporting this story, and I hope you all continue to enjoy it! :D