A flash of light illuminated the black of night, revealing my padawan standing before me. The thunder clapped and shook the ground, sending a light mist spraying upwards as the torrent of rain continued down.
I was soaked through and through by now. Waterproof tactical suit my ass. I was nearly shivering because of how cold I was.
Through the cold, a chill crept up my spine. An empty spike of ice that ate at my very being. This was a different kind of cold. Not one of temperature but one from the force. This was the dark side.
It wasn't too strong. However, it was not the weakest I've felt. There was a Sith here.
I looked upon my padawan with concerned eyes. This would be his first real battle as a Jedi. "Remember what I taught you. Don't let your emotions control you. In fact, contain them. You are not ready to use them to your advantage yet."
Sirius nodded solemnly. "Yes, master."
I tapped my comm. "Alpha-1, Alphas 8 and 12 are in position."
Tomas quickly replied. "Affirm. Hold your position."
I nodded. "Wilco, holding position."
(Wilco means "will comply".)
I sighed, kneeling down before plopping down to take a seat. Preserving my energy was best for the time being.
Then, I turned to Sirius. There was a conversation we needed to have. "So, cancer?"
Sirius nodded and sat down as well. "We've tried every treatment that money can buy. Nothing has worked."
I shook my head. "What type?"
Sirius blinked and gazed off into the stormy night. There was nothing behind those eyes. "Myeloma. Bone marrow cancer."
I just stared at him. What a shitty hand he's been played. However, I didn't pity him. He didn't need my pity. "Is there nothing that would work?"
Sirius sighed, closing his eyes with a pained expression as he tightly hugged his legs. "Nothing that is MHRA approved. We do know of a few that show some promise, but they are impossible to get."
I sighed in relief and smiled. "Well, that's easy then."
Sirius glared at me, a hint of coldness stained his usually stoic aura. "You better not be joking."
I shook my head, chuckling. "On the contrary. You'd understand if you knew my family."
The expression on his face shifted to confusion as he tilted his head. "Your family? What do you mean?"
I sighed, smiling wryly. "Well, my allegedly dead mom was an astronaut, my dad is a celebrity, my uncle was a senator and still is a world renowned philanthropist, and he's married to my aunt who's a billionaire."
Sirius remained silent for a moment, clearly trying to process all of that. Then, his brow rose. "Allegedly?"
I shook my head. "It's complicated. Anyways, the important part is that I have some connections. Tell me what you need, and it shall be done. I would be a shitty master otherwise."
Sirius' eyes widened as a hint of emotion leaked through the empty husk of a façade he wore. "I… I don't know what to say."
I smiled and looked into his eyes. "Just a simple thank you is enough. But don't thank me yet. Once there is good news, you can do so. Besides, you aren't just an asset. You deserve to live."
Tomas' voice came through the squad channel at that moment. "I need SITREP on demo."
"Alpha 3, set and clear."
"Alpha 5, set and clear."
"Alpha 7, set and clear."
"Alpha 10, set and clear."
Tomas quickly replied. "Affirm. Anything else before we proceed?"
I smiled and stood up. "May the force be with us."
Tomas chuckled. "Indeed. Let's fuck 'em up. Execute in 5… 4… 3… 2… 1…"
The ground shook violently as four explosions briefly lit up the night. Debris soared through the air, peppering the buildings nearby the blasts. Following the brief stint of light, the base fell into darkness.
I turned to Sirius. "Let's begin."
Sirius nodded and pulled my lightsaber from his belt. I did the same.
In unison, we ignited our sabers and thrusted them into the roof. We did a quick spin, causing a circular hole to fall beneath each of us. The scene inside was not quite what I expected.
We had fallen into what I could only describe as a decadent office. It was weirdly luxurious despite being in a warzone.
There was a large bed with high quality sheets and blankets with a high pile area rug underneath it. On the side of the room was a set of armchairs with a small table. Behind the chairs were two bookshelves filled with trinkets.
I suddenly heard a brief scream and some shuffling behind me. I spun around and found a lone man sitting behind an opulent desk near the window. He was reaching for a blaster that was on the desk.
I quickly reached out with my empty left hand, pulling the blaster away from him with the force. I chopped at the flying blaster, bisecting it. The pieces went to either side of me as I stared down the man.
Then, I started slowly walking towards him. In his panic, he pushed against the desk, rolling the chair backwards towards the wall. He was horrified.
Sweat started rolling down his face. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO YOU'RE FUCKING WITH?"
I relaxedly held my lightsaber to the side as I leaned on the desk with my left hand. "No, I don't."
For some reason that only the force could possibly know, his expression softened a bit as he relaxed. His black skin glistened under the sweat that streaked across his face. His short black hair with hints of gray did little to hide his age. He was near my uncle's age.
He had a huge build, easily over 6 foot and appeared to be around 200 lbs. This intimidating body was betrayed by the aura of inexperience, anxiety, and harmlessness that bled from him through the force.
The man looked at me with an expression of contempt. His words came out with clear venom. "I am Malcom, a vice guild leader of the greatest guild in this galaxy! Everyone else gives way when we show up."
Ahhh, fuck it. Let's roll with it. I forced an expression of shock on my face as I stepped back in feigned fear. "What guild?"
Malcom smirked. "Such ignorance. The greatest guild in this galaxy is called Forest, owned by Forest Group."
As soon as he said that, I relaxed and twirled my lightsaber. Then I deactivated it and clipped it back to my belt. I nodded and gestured towards the door. "Alright, thanks. You can go now."
His brow twisted with rage. "Excuse me?"
I shook my head, chuckling internally. This guy, ha. "I said, you can go. I've laid claim to this planet. Your guild is not welcome here."
I casually grabbed a datapad from the desk and started scrolling through it. There were countless reports and organizational documents. Despite this guys lack of common sense, he was extremely capable.
Malcom slammed the desk and stood up. Cold rage pulsed from his harmless body. "RIDICULOUS! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? GOD?"
I glanced up at him with cold eyes and a blank expression. "There is no God here. Only me."
His fists balled in anger. "GUARDS!"
The door on the far end of the room slammed open as two men rushed in. Malcom then pointed at me. "GET HIM OUT OF MY OFFICE AND EXECUTE HIM!"
The men raised their blasters. They clicked and pinged as the safeties were disengaged.
I continued reading, not caring in the slightest. "Sirius, do you mind? There's some good stuff on here."
There was a brief flash of purple light as a pair of heads rolled past me with a thump, coming to a stop at the wall. Then, there was another pair of thumps as the bodies hit the floor.
Sirius walked up from behind me, his aura as stable as ever. "It is done."
I smiled and nodded. "Very good, padawan."
I looked back up from the datapad at Malcom. "Do you need another invitation to leave? Maybe something in writing? The only reason I'm letting you go is because Jedi don't kill unarmed non-combatants. Now, go on. Tell your little guild that we are coming."
Malcom was now thoroughly drenched with sweat and was shaking in fear. Without saying anything, he rushed past me and left the office.
Sirius was silent for a moment before speaking. "Why did we let him go?"
I sighed and placed the datapad down. "We wouldn't be able to hold him captive with the company we are about to have. I didn't want him knowing that though."
Sirius tilted his head in curiosity. "Company?"
A serpentine voice crept through the open door, sending a chill down my spine. "Soryn Brenko, I've heard so much about you. I thought I'd have to go and fetch you myself, but it turns out you just fell right into my lap. Capturing you was just a bonus attached to this job. My master will be pleased."