AN: I hope everyone is ready for the next chapter. As always thanks for your support and let me know what you think. I enjoy comments/critiques and constructive criticism or even just fun debates about legends vs star wars canon or fun tidbits of knowledge you might have that you hope to see in this story. All of those help me improve the story.
Chapter 35 - Plans (Andarran Kidnapping Part II)Andara was a beautiful world, lush and green with a temperate climate, tracts of wilderness, and wealthy cities. The Future Leaders Academy was on the outskirts of its capital city of Utare. The campus of the school took in rolling hills, green fields, and a lake. The grounds were ringed with an electro-charged security wall with observation towers and a particle shield. Roving surveillance droids made circuits of the property. Electrobars covered the windows. Rich children usually attracted bounty hunters and other threats; the school meant to keep them out.
Once they were inside the school and had received their class and room assignments, the feeling of oppression was meant to lift. The Academy was like a separate world. In many ways, it was more like a grand hotel than a place of learning.
It was built with gray stone imbedded with chunks of rare minerals that glinted blue and rose in the light. Costly woods were used for counters and desks. Each student had his or her own small but luxurious quarters. Expert chefs prepared the food. The students had extensive exercise equipment and five pools of varying depths and temperatures.
Everything was arranged for their comfort. It was very different from the Temple. The Temple was both grand and simple at the same time. Here, luxury was everywhere.
All of the luxury was nice, he had to admit, but it made him uncomfortable. He liked simple things. And the luxury did not disguise the lack of freedom. The students were subject to strict security regulations. They could not leave the complex without authorization. The parents of the students paid a small fortune in order to ensure their children's safety.
Security had been stepped up since Gillam's disappearance. Random checks were conducted and the whereabouts of the students had to be known at all times. Roving security droids zipped through the hallways, their cams constantly sweeping the air.
Yet Anakin knew these students did not feel safe here. He and Ferus had felt the heavy presence of fear as soon as they entered the school. The heavy surveillance didn't bother the students. They welcomed it. Daughters and sons of privilege, they were used to constant attention. One of them had disappeared without warning. They all felt the chill of Gillam's absence.
Anakin and Ferus both took different approaches to being in the school. Anakin decided to keep a low profile, cloaking his abilities for the most part, with the exception being his flying abilities. Thanks to their Temple education, school was quite easy. Ferus (Anakin was under the opinion he just couldn't help himself) had already shown himself the best of them, not letting other students get answers first occasionally like Anakin did. He had almost immediately been accepted into the popular kid's crowd, similar to how Anakin saw him at the Temple.
Anakin found it rather liberating being just another student. Here, he wasn't the "Chosen One" or the boy who already had a Master and didn't have to worry about possibly being dismissed. Here, he wasn't the Padawan to "Sith Slayer Kenobi" nor friend and occasional student to the legendary and mysterious Kastor Shan.
Sure, Obi-Wan had told him getting used to screening out people's opinions was good preparation for being a Jedi, and that he needed to concentrate on his own path, but it didn't always make it easy.
Around him were the elite leaders of tomorrow. They knew where they were going - on to positions of power in the galaxy, as Senators, rulers, heads of galactic corporations. Anakin marveled at their assurance, their expectation that their lives would be full of the same luxury and ease that had been theirs since childhood. At night, alone in his room, he admitted a strange new feeling into his heart: envy.
So far though, things were easy. Anakin had made friends with a kid named Reymet Autem who was quite brilliant, but clearly a trouble maker and a loner. When he'd hinted to Anakin that he knew about a great many secret things in the school and how to get around security in the school, he and Ferus had agreed they needed to take a closer look into him.
Later that evening, they followed Reymet and found that he was indeed quite skilled in maneuvering about school security when they saw him break into the teacher's lounge simply to eat some snacks and take test answers. From there, with Ferus sharing several classes with him, Ferus took over befriending him to take a closer look into the boy and whether he might know anything about the disappearance of Gillam Tarturi, much to Anakin's slight annoyance.
It was a logical conclusion, but Anakin still felt annoyed. Ferus hadn't really consulted him. It was more like he was thinking out loud. It was typical of Ferus's high-handed behavior, and yet he expected Anakin to cooperate with him without complaint. He knew if he told Obi-Wan this, his Master would brush aside his feelings and say that the mission was more important and that inner balance could not be attained without serenity.
That was certainly true, but as much as Obi-Wan said that Siri had been his Ferus, he doubted Siri ever could have been as annoying as Ferus. She was too cool and borderline rebellious since he'd known her. Granted, that was mostly after her time undercover, but still, he'd known her for a bit before she went undercover, and she hadn't been annoying then.
Anakin, however, found his own interests not long after, which helped soothe his irritation. It started in the dining hall.
The dining hall was a paneled room with soft, recessed lighting and thick red veda cloth hangings at the windows that muffled sound and cast a rosy glow on the diners. It was just like the exclusive restaurants Anakin had glimpsed on Coruscant - just like the spots the students were used to eating in, he was sure. And, like an exclusive restaurant, seating in the dining hall was subject to an unspoken code.
It hadn't taken Anakin long to realize that the best tables were by the windows and he was not welcome there. He didn't know why he felt a coolness from most of the students, but he definitely felt it. When he was looking for a seat at a table, an empty chair would be pushed aside to another table, or a datapad or a pile of durasheet notes would be quickly placed on the seat. It was clear that no one wanted to sit with him. There was a power elite in the school, and everyone else fell in around it.
Yet Ferus had been accepted almost immediately, and had his pick of places to sit. Was it because word had gotten out that he belonged to a powerful family on his homeworld?
You can travel to the ends of the galaxy and it will be the same - those with power do not like to share. His Master had told him that once, in a voice of weary resignation. But sometimes Obi-Wan seemed to forget that Anakin had been a slave. If anyone knew about power, it was a slave. He knew about the hunger for it, and he knew about the humiliation of getting your nose rubbed in the fact that you didn't have it.
He took his bowl of aromatic stew to an empty table and sat. It wasn't that he needed company. Jedi were comfortable being alone. But inside, something burned, something deep and hot that he had hoped had been long forgotten. He took a bite of stew and tasted shame and anger. It was hard to swallow, like a mouthful of sand.
He reached inside the pocket of his tunic and withdrew a small, smooth stone. It was a river rock, a present from Obi-Wan. It had belonged to Qui-Gon. The rock was Force-sensitive, but that was not why Anakin reached for it during times of stress. When he rubbed his fingers along the smooth surface, it was as though he was able to draw on Qui-Gon's core of serenity. He thought of cool river water falling over his body, of turning his body like a fish and gliding in the deep green river, and his mind would go still. He and Ferus had to hide their lightsabers in their rooms, and the rock was the only physical connection to his real life.
A plate suddenly plunked down next to him. A girl who had smiled at him in the General Information Contest pulled a stray chair over with her foot with the ease of an athlete. She sat down and sniffed appreciatively at her stew, then picked up her spoon. Anakin quickly slid the stone underneath the lip of his bowl, where it could not be seen.
"So, is this the enriching experience they promised you in the brochure?" the girl asked. "Students who are completely spooked snub you?"
Her brown eyes twinkled at him. They were deep and warm and reminded him of another girl, more beautiful than this one - a queen, in fact. He saw the same intelligence, the same confidence. That memory more than the girl's friendliness, more than the river stone, dissolved the knot of anger in his belly.
The girl dug into her food with her spoon and swallowed an enormous bite. "Don't worry. It gets better."
"It does?"
She grinned. "You graduate." She stuck out her hand. "Merit Dice."
He shook it. "Anakin Skywalker."
"You're in my Political Philosophies class. You don't say much."
"You do."
She took another bite. "I have opinions," she said, shrugging. "The teachers think I'm too smart for my own good. Which doesn't matter much, because they don't matter. They won't give any scholarship student a good reference, anyway."
"Why not?" Anakin asked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ferus following Reymet out of the dining hall.
"Because they only give good references to the elite students," Marit said. She tore off a chunk of bread and dipped it in her bowl, then took a bite. "You should see what happens before graduation. The fathers and mothers and benefactors come, and they give the teachers presents. I mean, real presents. Like a landspeeder. Or tickets on a resort starship. Things like that. And suddenly their little darling winds up as a Senatorial aide."
She waved the bread in the air.
"That's too bad," Anakin said, and then spent the rest of the dinner enjoying the conversation with the friendly girl.
However, his real attention to her came when he left and he realized that she'd somehow managed to take his river stone from him. That made him far more curious than the conversation. Sure, he hated being without his most precious possession, but like Obi-Wan always said, patience yields great rewards.
**The Will of the Force**
Siri was frustrated . . . yes frustrated was probably the right word. It was hard not to be when her mission was making sure two worlds followed up on the agreements and treaties they had made to each other and to the Senate with the Jedi acting as the mediator.
That alone was normally not something that was a cause for concern, but it was when both worlds seemed hell bent on reneging on their deals or at least stalling on them until they could gain enough power to openly go against the negotiations and the Senate. It didn't help that the Senate seemed to have less and less power as the years went on . . . or at least planets and systems had less fear of Senate repercussions.
She should be on Andara, helping to monitor or support Anakin or Ferus, or with Obi-Wan, investigating Gillam Turtari's disappearance from Coruscant or wherever else the two of them might find answers.
Instead, she was on Vardos, dealing with the representatives of Vardos and Anaxes, both of whom had been near warfare trying to fight for a contract with the Senate for military funding for military academies. Both worlds, very wealthy, were strongly represented and protected within the Senate, which mostly removed the Senate's power to do anything of consequence in regards to the two planets.
It had taken Jedi involvement with Palpatine's threats of stopping funding before an agreement had been made, splitting the contract between both worlds' academies. With the instability in the galaxy, there was a large push for the Republic to push funding for a military, to fight the growing instability and looming threats of insurrection.
The Jedi couldn't fight a war for the Republic. They didn't have the numbers and as Mace Windu often said, "They were keepers of the peace, not soldiers."
Sure, Jedi had historically fought in many wars on behalf of the Republic, but those times were often some of the darkest in the Order's long history, and many of them had been against the Sith or fallen Jedi, which the Order had felt honor bound to help counter. No, the Order would try to stay out of a war for as long as it could, and should there be a galactic conflict, as the Council feared, and as Kastor feared, it was unlikely the Jedi would be able to fight it alone.
Hence, Kastor's agreement with the Mandalorians and the Council's order to have her do follow up work and confirm that the deal would be met.
Thankfully, her presence had helped smooth over many issues. Both worlds had of course hinted that the other wasn't holding up on their bargains, increasing the capabilities of their facilities, but Siri had shut that down, pointing out both worlds were behind on their contractual agreements, and that Carida was more than happy to take the full contract if the two worlds couldn't work together.
The threat of another world taking the full contract was enough to put both planets' representatives in their place and for them to start working together, finally smoothing over the communication, supply, and support issues both worlds had been facing, with both worlds having spent more time trying to sabotage each other rather than accomplish their goals.
With the negotiations coming to a close in the near future, Siri was looking forward to getting back to Obi-Wan and Ferus. Ferus was so level headed, but he wasn't a Knight yet, and she trusted Obi-Wan with him completely, but she still wanted to be there with her Padawan, or at least nearby.
Soon she would be with one of them though.
Soon.
**The Will of the Force**
Anakin had to admit, maybe Obi-Wan was right, patience did yield great rewards. In addition, it seemed the Force was giving him a treat for trying to play nice with Ferus.
In regards to Ferus, Anakin was enjoying the amusement that came with Ferus's frustrations with being friends with Reymet. Ferus had approached the boy as they'd discussed, and the boy had latched onto Ferus easily, but while Ferus was generally a do-gooder, Reymet liked to play pranks and cause mischief . . . things that Ferus was being blamed for currently. He knew that the secret pleasure he got from watching Ferus being blamed for a practical joke wasn't very Jedi-like, but on the other hand, he couldn't wait to tell his friends Tru and Darra that Ferus had got ten demerits for putting a custard turnover on a teacher's chair.
He was quite confident the two fellow Padawans would think it just as funny as he did.
As for patience yielding great rewards, Anakin playing a waiting game with Marit and ignoring her even in the most boring parts of classes was clearly driving her crazy. Obi-Wan would have told him to think about why she took the stone, and he realized it must have been for a specific reason.
Anakin had decided to wait. Not the easiest course of action for him. Not at all. But he was puzzled and intrigued by Marit, and he wanted her to feel the same. Anakin's instincts told him that there was more to Marit than he knew.
Obi-Wan had counseled him again and again on the virtue of patience. At last he was beginning to understand why his Master pushed it. It worked.
Sometimes.
"All right, I give up the battle," Marit said from behind him.
He turned. "I didn't know we were in a war."
She held up the stone. "You know I have this. Don't you want it back?"
"Yes," Anakin said. Even in the gloom, the river stone shone, its shiny black surface like a mirror full of reflected light.
"And you didn't report me."
"No."
"This stone is important to you. I can tell. Why?"
"It was a gift,"
Anakin said.
"From your father?"
Longing burst inside him. He did not have a father. Shmi had been very clear about that. He didn't understand it, but he accepted it. He did not think about his lack; he never had. But unexpectedly the ache would well up in him and take him by surprise.
Then he thought of Obi-Wan, and the ache went away.
"Yes," he said. "Are you going to give it back?"
She held it up, fingering it thoughtfully. "I'm not sure yet."
It would be so easy for him to use the Force to get it back. Instead, Anakin moved. His kick barely grazed her fingertips, but it dislodged the stone and sent it flying straight toward him. He reached up with one hand and caught it.
Marit blinked. She looked down at her hand, still outstretched but now empty. "I didn't even see you move. How did you do that?"
Anakin slid the stone back into the concealed inside pocket of his tunic. "Lots of practice. Now it's your turn to answer questions. Why did you take it?"
Her dark eyes glinted. "Because I wanted to see what you would do."
"A test," Anakin said. "Did I pass?"
Marit only smiled and changed the subject. "I saw you in the flight simulator the other day. You were pretty good."
"Thanks."
"I'd like you to meet some friends of mine. Will you come with me now? It's our free mod."
Anakin nodded. Marit may not have answered his question about passing her test, but she didn't need to. He had passed. The question was, for what purpose?
**The Will of the Force**
"Have you thought about buying a large frigate?" Asuna asked, and Kastor looked at her. "What? You haven't revealed all of your plans to Koba, Des, and I, but I have a pretty good idea that you've amassed a large amount of credits in preparation for this dark future you worry about, and while you're certainly doing work as a Jedi, gathering intelligence, helping the poor, being a goody goody, etc," she continued with a smirk, "you clearly work to find jobs that bring in credits or allow you to seize credits from criminal elements."
"Your point?" Rhys asked, just as confused as Kastor was.
"Well, you've earned the loyalty of a lot of Mandalorians," Asuna said pointedly. "Have you thought about recruiting more people, buying a large ship, and using the cover of a mercenary captain or pirate to acquire larger jobs that bring in more credits and might have the propensity to affect larger change? You could get a large frigate that you could dock the Ebon Hawk to or possibly even land inside, we could get a squadron of fighters and maybe even some bombers and we'd have a force capable of going against small fleets and armies and we could do it without you revealing yourself as a Jedi."
"She's got a point," Rhys admitted. "Mandalorians are already going to be journeying among the galaxy again, but many still have only just heard about Mandalore going pacifist, and eventually rumors will spread about the Jedi Order and the Mandalorians working together. We can easily claim to be a group that is looking to avoid the politics of both groups or even just a group looking to earn its fortune. With a large ship we could take larger jobs, or even just send out groups for small ones."
"Plus, we could take temporary positions providing protection for planets or organizations, raking in credits, while planning our next moves and still executing smaller missions," Des added quietly. "We could be getting paid with the majority of us holding fast while you or others did small trips to check on contacts or we sent out teams, groups, or squads to deal with smaller issues."
Kastor sighed.
"I've thought of it, but not really in this instance. I thought more about how I might need to acquire ships in the future, but you're not wrong. A company of Mandalorians could be useful," Kastor admitted. "We could maybe do something about the Open Worlds like Mawan or deal with some of the larger pirate groups in the galaxy. We'd be able to make some serious credits doing that, and help the galaxy as a whole, while promoting the Mandalorians' reputations. If we had a squadron of star fighters and bombers, the Ebon Hawk, and a heavy frigate, we'd be able to stand up against Omega's possibly smaller fleets if the large one broke up. Hell, we'd have the force to move in on some of the old Sith worlds that have remained rather hidden and forgotten since the end of the Sith wars or ones that have strong piracy groups or strong Sith cults present that might have clues about the hidden Sith Lord."
"So, is that a yes?" Des asked, looking interested, though Kastor knew that was more just with the concept of larger fights in the future.
"Not a yes or no," Kastor said. "The issue comes up if my cover is blown. The Senate would not like to hear about a Jedi creating a mercenary crew with a fleet . . . though I guess I could just have the ships be yours, Asuna," he admitted, and Asuna's face showed surprise. "The Senate can't be mad that I led a fleet while undercover as long as it wasn't an actual hidden Jedi fleet. Eventually, Mandalorians will be doing this sort of thing anyway. The only real difference is me being under an alias."
"You'd buy me a fleet and trust me to hold it for you if you had to leave it?" Asuna asked in shock.
"Of course," Kastor said with a shrug, internally amused at a rare instance of surprising the efficient and brilliant Mandalorian heiress.
"You're infuriatingly noble, you know that?" Asuna said deadpanned, and Rhys chuckled while Kastor grinned.
"I don't know about that, but I know you're trustworthy," Kastor said. "Now, if we're going to do this, it seems we need to start looking into ships, and we need to make a trip to Mandalorian space to recruit some more allies."
"Finding Mandalorians to join up will be easy," Koba said with a deep chuckle.
"I have an idea for a flagship," Rhys admitted. "I've been keeping my eye out for a while just in case we needed to make this decision. I also have an idea for some new high performance bombers that few other than us could obtain. I also have other people we could try and recruit, all of whom you'd be quite familiar with, Kas."
"Mandal Motors can easily be convinced to produce a squadron of those new Fang Fighters," Asuna added.
"They could also provide some Kom'rk Fighter-Transports for troop movements," Des said.
Kastor shook his head and chuckled. "Well, if you all already know exactly what we need, then I guess we really do need to look into it. Let's start with the flagship. What do you have for me, Rhys?"
"Well, Kuat Drive Yards has recently designed a new heavy frigate, a variant of one of their existing ships that the Republic currently uses," Rhys said. "The Arquitens Heavy Frigate as it is would fit our desires from a flagship. It's well armed with eight quad laser batteries, two heavy dual turbolasers, two proton torpedo launchers, twenty point defense laser batteries, four concussion missile launchers, two heavy ion cannons, six ion cannons, and a medium tractor beam. The Light Frigate variant doesn't have a hangar, but this heavy, larger frigate is more similar to the Command Variant of the Arquitens which has a small hangar. The heavy variant has a hangar like the command variant with a launch tube, but much bigger, and the hangar is designed to fit six starfighters, four bombers, and two shuttles. The ship is designed for a crew of nearly six hundred. The Ebon Hawk wouldn't be able to park in it, but it could easily dock to the hull for movement."
"That's much bigger than I think we'll need," Kastor said, a bit warily. "I wasn't planning on recruiting an army large enough to mount a campaign against a small planet."
"No, of course not," Rhys agreed with a chuckle. "Mandalorians also are much more multifunctional in their abilities compared to the average soldier or fleet member. No, I was thinking that we put in a custom order, increasing the size of the hangar, cargo holds, command deck, and medical bay, decreasing the space for crew members and passengers. Perhaps we could even increase the armament."
"Now we're talking," Asuna and Koba both said at the last part.
"I admit, that does sound like a good way forward," Kastor admitted, thinking about having a mobile command center that had a state of the art medical facility and large cargo hold. It would be good for operations, useful in a future war if need be, and a great way to transport Jedi to safety if a purge occurred. "What about the bombers?"
Rhys grinned.
"After the Naboo crisis, my people invested in a contract to produce a set of bombers based on our N-1 starfighters, which are quite powerful in ship to ship contact. They wanted to be able to counter heavy frigates and capital ships like the Trade Federation had, if they ever had to deal with another occupation."
"So, we approach the Naboo to get some of these Naboo bombers that, if similar to your N-1, will have advanced shields and engines," Kastor said, admitting he was curious, as a pilot himself. Rhy's N-1 was a marvelous ship, and they'd given it some upgrades over the years, but even at its base model, it was a wonderful show of engineering and design.
"And we get Fang Fighters and some Kom'rk Fighter-Transports from Mandal Motors to act as our fleet's starfighters and troop transports," Asuna finished, looking a bit excited herself. Trust a Mandalorian to be eager to see a fleet with the propensity for high damage output.
"Hmm, poetic in a way," Kastor muttered. "The fleet would be a mixture of Mandalorian, Republic, Naboo, and Jedi. Seems almost fitting."
Kastor sighed and then chuckled.
"Fine. Rhys, I'll have you find a contact in KDY to purchase our new flagship. We can also discuss recruitment."
Rhys nodded, looking pleased. Kastor was sure that the man was going to enjoy making a trip to KDY to see the many different ships being produced.
"Des, Asuna, Koba, recruitment among the Mandalorians will be mostly on you three. I trust your judgment. We'll also have to have a serious talk about payment. You three take cuts of our jobs as is, but if we're taking larger missions, we need to start doing the actual math to see how many missions, small or large, or protection jobs we will need to take in order to cover our costs, including payment to our crew members. You know what a Mandalorian is worth. I suspect you all have been taking smaller cuts than you warrant. Tell me what is feasible. Then we'll have to figure out how to split the profits. I know Clan members pay a portion of their excess profits back to their Clans and their homeworlds, so a portion of our profits will go to our crew members, including you three of course, specifically to feed the Mandalorian society, as is proper, a portion can be funneled to the Jedi Order and the Antarian Rangers, a portion will go to upkeep and improvements, and the rest will go to the future."
Koba, Asuna, and Des all nodded their agreement and understanding, looking pleased that he'd already included payments to the Mandalorians and their clans in his thought process. He didn't really think as a Jedi he should be effectively running a company, but he figured Asuna or Des were more than capable of the feat. He was sure whatever analysis they provided would be extremely detailed, and paint a much better picture than what he really knew. Asuna would likely take lead, with Des as her second. He seemed to prefer that role, and she was a natural leader. Koba was an enforcer, and would be happy not being in charge.
"As for me, I'll talk to an old friend about those bombers," Kastor finished.
**The Will of the Force**
Marit's friends sat together on the athletic field outside. They seemed to be expecting Anakin. He noted one friend looking him over carefully, from the top of his head to his boots. The student, a Bothan, stood as soon as they came up.
"So this is the one," he said. He was short, shorter than Marit, and the curling hair down to his shoulders gave him a soft look that was undercut by his shrewd gaze. This was clearly not someone to underestimate.
"This is Anakin," Marit said. "Anakin, meet Rolai Frac. And this is Tulah, and Hurana, and Ze."
"Have you ever ridden a swoop?" Ze asked. He was a humanoid, short and plump, with close-set green eyes and two pigtails that hung down his back.
He seemed eager for action.
"A couple of times," Anakin said.
"We were going to have a swoop race," Tulah said. Anakin recognized the elongated head and pale skin of a native of Muunilinst. Tulah was tall and skinny, with a shock of bright yellow hair that stuck straight up from his head. His voice was all business. "Do you want to join us?"
"Just once around the school grounds," Marit said.
"Sounds like fun," Anakin said.
"The only thing is, it's technically against the rules," Hurana said.
She gave him a shy smile, but he could tell he was being tested. "You're going to have to avoid the roving surveillance droids."
"Sounds even better," Anakin said.
Marit pointed to a nearby swoop with her chin. "That's yours, then. Watch out for professors and security cameras. Let's go."
Marit and her friends slung their legs over their swoops. Anakin followed. He took a moment to get used to the swoop controls and was a few seconds behind them. He wasn't worried. He knew how to fly a swoop faster than anyone.
He took off after them, streaking across the gray sky. Ahead was a security checkpoint. Anakin could see the camera lenses revolving. Marit gunned her motor and flipped her swoop sideways to avoid being tracked.
A second later, Hurana dipped below it, missing it by only a fraction. Anakin saw her grin and knew she had timed it that way. The others followed expertly.
Anakin was impressed. He increased his speed, timing his approach with the revolving camera lenses. He pulled the swoop up and then down quickly, missing the lens by a comfortable half second. He pushed the engine to maximum and quickly caught up to the others. He didn't slow down but zoomed by them.
He saw Rolai's surprised face, but Marit looked worried. He saw why. Below him a group of professors had paused on the stairs outside one of the academic buildings, talking. Any moment they would see him.
He turned the swoop to the left and headed for the dense branches of an enormous tree. Behind him, he saw Marit pull her swoop up and circle out of range of the professors.
Anakin could hover in the branches, but he was too impatient. He dipped below one branch and zoomed up to skim above another. He snaked in and out of the thick branches, leaning his body first one way, then the other. He did not make even one leaf tremble. The professors continued to talk, completely unaware of the swoop above them.
The others skirted the trees, looping around to avoid the professors and adding crucial minutes to their times. He cleared the grove of trees out of sight of the professors, as well as Marit and her friends. A surveillance droid revolved ahead, surprising him for only an instant. Anakin pulled the swoop to a hard right, avoiding the rotating sensors. Then he dove beneath the droid and zoomed on.
Grinning, Anakin leaned over the handlebars and gunned the motor. He skirted a security camera and dove beneath a tractor beam. This was child's play for him.
The others were in sight again but still well behind him as he cleared a rooftop and did a quick triple loop dive to avoid being seen by a class of students playing laserball below. Then he dropped from the sky and landed in the same precise spot he had left from. He sat down and crossed his legs in a leisurely fashion.
A short two minutes later, Marit and the others pulled up. Anakin was surprised at their speed. They were almost as fast as a Jedi on a swoop.
Marit swung off her swoop and strode toward him, tossing her braid behind her shoulder.
"Okay, hotshot," she said. "You win."
"What do I win?" Anakin asked. "If it's the chance to break out of here," he joked, "count me in." He spoke lightly, but he could feel how close he was to being accepted. He didn't need the Force to pick up on the humming energy among the group of friends. Something was definitely up. Had he found the secret mercenary squad the Jedi High Council spoke of?
"You see?" Marit said to Rolai. "I told you he could fly.
"He can fly," Rolai agreed.
"He's almost as good as me," Hurana said. Her pale gold eyes held a new respect.
"We have a sort of club," Marit said. "Not a school club. A serious club. Are you interested?"
"I'm not sure yet," Anakin said. "Why don't you tell me about it?"
"We take on assignments from outsiders. Beings who need a little help. We use our skills to aid them. If my friends and I have one thing in common, we don't like to see others get kicked around. I think you're that way, too."
"I am," Anakin said. "What exactly do you do? Rescue fluffkits from trees?"
Rolai looked annoyed. "This isn't a joke. Two weeks ago on Tierell, we changed the course of a planet's history."
"And made a bundle of credits," Tulah said. "Don't forget that."
"We do whatever is needed," Marit said quickly. She gave Rolai a warning glance, as if he'd said too much. "You'll learn more if you join us. Look, I told you how it works here. They only run the scholarship program so that they'll look good. They don't care about us. They won't help us. No one will. We have to help ourselves. Why should we wait around to get passed over for good jobs when we can start our lives now?"
"I agree," Anakin said. "But how do you get off campus? You'd have to violate security."
Marit shook her head. "We're able to conduct the missions on our free days. We have permission to leave. We just have to be sure to be back in time. And there are ways to trick security."
She grinned at Rolai.
"Rolai is our security expert and financial officer. Ze handles communications."
Ze nodded.
"Comlinks, datapads, holo transmissions. Traces and countertraces. There are plenty of frequencies to hide in, if you know how."
Anakin was impressed. Even he didn't know how to navigate the complicated process of concealing a transmission origin. That was something that most Jedi left to the tech experts back at the Temple. His friend Darra was good at comms, but Anakin had never quite had the patience or interest to figure it out.
"I'm transportation," Hurana said. "I get us in and out, and fast."
Tulah lifted a finger. "I'm battle strategy. But mostly I'm comic relief."
Tulah spoke lightly, but something in his face told Anakin that his joking was a pose to hide a serious purpose.
"And I research the proposals," Marit said. "I'm the galactic politics expert."
"So what am I?" Anakin asked.
"We need someone who knows something about sophisticated air transport like starfighters," Hurana said. "I know some, but Marit has been watching you, and she says you know more."
"I don't know about that," Anakin said. "But I did grow up fixing engines. So how do you decide what you're going to do?"
"We consider proposals and vote on them," Hurana said. "Everyone's vote is equal."
"And every decision is unanimous," Tulah said. "If one of us doesn't want to take an assignment, we pass on it. You'd get an equal vote, too, fly-guy. Just try to vote with me."
Unlike the others, Rolai's look was cool. Anakin had the feeling that he would have to prove himself to the Bothan before he welcomed him. It didn't bother him. He might feel that way himself with an outsider.
"The kind of assignments we take on are important," Marit said. "We're just starting, but already what we can do has spread to the right beings. We're on the side of justice in the galaxy. The powerful exploit the weak. We try to tip the balance. In one of our last missions we broke into the records of a company that was dumping its toxic garbage on a neighboring planet's moon. We exposed them and got paid for it. We can get away with a lot because adults tend not to notice kids. They underestimate us."
Rolai grinned. "Big mistake."
To his surprise, Anakin found himself liking what he was hearing. It was almost like being a Jedi, but without Masters. No one told the squad what to do. They picked their own missions and were responsible only to themselves.
"Count me in," he said.