Star Forge - 25 (Patreon)

Anakin Skywalker stood triumphant. His legs wobbled, sweat plastered hair to his forehead, and the edge of his vision started to blur. It was still worth it. The droid laid out on the table before him had been assembled completely with the Force. It wasn't something Kiskin had told him to do, rather he wanted to see if he could do it.

Tali and Mette wrapped him in a hug.

"Way to go, Ani!" Mette kissed him on the top of the head. "That was wizard."

"Your control was impressive," Tali added.

"And now you need to rest," Shmi said from the doorway.

"Mom!" Anakin squeaked. "I was just…"

"Pushing yourself too hard," his mother finished. "What did I say about using the Force without Kiskin?"

"It's impressive?" Anakin said with his best innocent smile.

"Tali, Mette," Shmi said.

"Ma'am," The two said in unison.

She simply gave them a look that required no translation. The duo shuffled out of the room muttering apologies. Anakin followed a moment later. His footsteps were slow and heavy betraying how tired he was trying to hide.

Shmi watched them go. She turned off the lights, closed the door, and paused. After a moment of thought, she made sure no one was around. She waved her hand over the control pad. The motion was answered by the sound of the lock clicking into place.

A wry smile flashed across her face. She might not have the same level of power as her son or Kiskin, but she had mastered little magic years ago. It wasn't good for a slave to show such talents. Hiding her magic was the first thing she learned. Shmi didn't know her magic was The Force until she met Kiskin. He didn't seem to know that she had abilities as well.

"Hurry back, Red," she whispered.

~

I felt a whisper of air brush against my ear, which should have been impossible while wearing my helmet. Closing my eyes, I focused on the feeling, trying to find the source. It came from quite a distance away and very well hidden. Anakin had accidentally pinged me a few times. Each was rather noticeable and easy to trace. Some other Force-User out there knew enough about me to reach me, leaving yet another mystery I would need to solve.

"Are you with us, Red?" Bo asked over comms.

The storm had finally stopped, and the reports said it wasn't another false alarm. That meant we now got to see how effective our defenses would hold up.

"Red, we've got a connection from a Hutt," Beth said. "They are demanding to speak to Jabba."

"You're good with computers, right?" I asked.

"I've amazing with computers," Beth scoffed. "This tech is Computers for Dummies."

"I get it, you're awesome," I chuckled.

"Yes, I am," Beth said.

"I need you to make a fake Jabba to take the call," I said. "Can you do that?"

Her voice took on a teasing edge, "I can put the slug in a tutu and make him dance."

"I didn't need that mental image," I muttered. "Take the call and get what information you can. Bo and I will handle the new arrivals."

I got comfortable on my new throne. Bo was leaning on the armrest with a practiced casualness. Droids lined the walkway and were placed around the palace to provide extra security. The cameras fed into my helmet allowing me to keep an eye on the incoming group. They were a group of aliens with pale, bulbous heads. The name Bith came to mind.

"Those aren't weapons," Bo said as they approached.

"Instruments," I clarified. "They're musicians."

"Uh…" one of the Bith stepped forward as spokesman. "Honored Mandalorian, we were hired by the Great Hutt Jabba to provide music."

"He's dead," I said. "We're in charge now." I let that information sink in. "Don't worry, you'll be paid for your gig. You can decide if you want to stick around to play. Today could get messy."

"We have played for Jabba before," the Bith said. "Messy is part of the gig."

"Feel free to get setup," I inclined my head in approval.

They had their instruments set and ready with practiced ease. The music was close to jazz with some electronica mixed in. It bled into the background after a couple of minutes. We had the people that were smart enough to surrender out of the line of danger. They had gone through medical screening and those that needed it were being treated. The palace was bigger than I had expected but still compact. It didn't feel like it had always been a palace, but I had no idea what it was before Jabba took over. The medical facilities were rather impressive and most of the former slaves were in decent health.

The next group to arrive was a group of mercenaries. Their numbers consisted mainly of Nikto with a couple of Twi'lek mixed in. The leader was a gnarled Krogan that wore armor that was slapped together. They didn't seem bothered by the change of management as long as they got paid. It was nice not to have to fight them, but it made me think they wouldn't care who was in charge.Meet the New Boss+100 FPSame as the Old Boss+100 FPExcept He's Not a Slug+100 FP[Balance: 600 Forge Points][Roll – Bank – Shop]

ROLL.

[COST: 8000 FP][ITEM: Echo Base][This stocked military facility is set within your warehouse and can be placed into any location, creating inter-connected artificial corridors seven levels below the surface linked together with structural supports and protected from orbital bombardments by a massive shield generator. The lower levels contain barracks for three hundred people, rec rooms, maintenance hangars and fuel stores, the mid-level house the command rooms, med center, and two large hangars.][Bookmark – Dismiss]

Considering how quickly I was gaining numbers it would be a good idea to keep this one. Especially once I got the second generation of Ryett set. That was a problem for another day.

BOOKMARK.

You can only Bookmark one item at a time[Dismiss Hammerhead-class Cruiser – 1000 Forge Points][Dismiss Echo Base – 8000 Forge Points]

Damn. The ship and the base were both good. Regardless, I was going to lose one of them. Echo Base was a long-term investment while the Hammerhead Cruiser could solve a more immediate issue. On the other hand, I wasn't far off from being able to buy a ship even after paying my crew. It turns out robbing a crime lord was rather lucrative.

DISMISS ECHO BASE.

Hopefully we'd have a foothold on Mandalore before too long. The ship and warehouse would be crowded once the second generation of Ryett arrived. I still hadn't figured out where to get the cloning process started. Otherwise, it would be the classical method which would take a lot of time. I wasn't going to make pregnancy mandatory for the female Ryett.

"Hey, Red," Beth said. "I've got some interesting news."

"Good or bad interesting?" I asked.

"Depends," she said.

"Go for it," I sighed.

"The Hutts are in a panic with one of the other slugs getting squashed," Beth said. "They are going to gather for a Hutt Council."

"A bunch of slugs all in one place," I muttered. "That could advance the 'kill the slavers' plan quite a bit."

"It could also get you killed," she countered.

"Roll the dice," Bo chimed it. "That's the fun part."

"Did they give you the location?" I asked.

"You bet," Beth replied. "I've already got it marked on the galaxy map."

"It's a chance we can't pass up," I said after a moment of thought.

"Heads up," Bo said. "We've got another group incoming."

I took a look at the new approach through the cameras. These wore matching armor and were visibly armed. They clocked the changes in the palace defenses.

"Their communications are encrypted," Beth said. "Lots of traffic. Short range with some long-distance mixed in. They're getting an answer from the distance. Either they've got a ship, or a base nearby."

"Not good either way," I muttered.

I set the droids to active defense, meaning they would attack at a definite sign of aggression rather than waiting to retaliate. My helmet connected with the intercom on the main door.

"Identify yourself," I ordered.

"Who the shab are you?" One of them asked.

"The new boss," I answered. "It turns out that Hutts don't do so well with a hole in their chest."

The group started to talk amongst themselves. I didn't need Beth to tell me their radio chatter probably kicked into overdrive. The group still hadn't identified themselves. It was only a matter of time before things escalated.

I started to count the seconds. It took a grand total of forty-two before they triggered the active defense. My droids started blasting. The second generation B1s had increased processing power which improved their aim and thought speed. They also had better weapons and upgraded armor. Clone troopers were still superior regardless of the generation. Currently, they were cutting edge. A random group of mercenaries were not a challenge.

"Jamming their long-range communication," Beth reported. "Tracking it as well. It looks like a stronghold, not a ship."

"I'd call that a good thing," I said. "Rather not be blasted from orbit."

"Hey, boss," the Krogan said as he approached the throne. "I recognize blaster fire when I hear it. We were hired for security."

I pulled up a live feed of the 'battle' that was winding down, "do you recognize them?"

"Boss," the Krogan whistled. "Those are Eclipse grunts. Big money mercs." He paused. "That slug was going to replace us."

"They have a base nearby if you want some payback," I offered.

"You had me at 'pay', boss," the Krogan laughed.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Krulot," the Krogan answered. "Leader of Knifes Edge."

The blaster fire slowed until it became spaced out. It stopped after a final shot. The fighting had moved out of the range of the camera at some point. I wasn't going to adjust the angle for watching the clean-up of the battlefield meaning the last few shots were off-screen. Traumatizing the recently freed members of the court and the house band were not on my list of things to do today. My readout on the droids told me that I had only lost five of the twenty I had stationed outside.

"Want to take a couple squads of my droids to assault their base?" I asked.

"That would be hazard pay," Krulot smiled, which was something I did not want to see again.

~

My comm chimed.

"Kiskin," Besh said. "The slug is down. We're on our way back to base."

"Good job," I said. "Any injuries or casualties?"

"Some minor injuries," he replied. "I'll give a full debrief once we're back."

"You'll have to wait until I get back," I said. "I'm on Tatooine."

Besh paused, "why?"

"I'm salted a slug of my own," I replied.

He let out a long, tired sigh, "why?"

"I couldn't let you have all the fun," I answered.

"We'll talk more about this later," he said. "Do you need support on Tatooine?"

"I have around ninety droids and a mercenary squad," I replied. "The mercenaries aren't an issue since I've paid them. I wouldn't count on their loyalty if someone offered more. Get some rest. I will contact you if it gets rough."

"Just enough time for us to bag your body," Besh said deadpan. "Do you have a warehouse connection?"

"I'll get one set now," I said.

"A squad will be waiting," Besh said.

He cut the connection before I could say anything in reply. True to my word, I activated a doorway to the warehouse. Besh did indeed have five commandos already waiting. They scanned the area as they stepped through. I would have been worried about how much trust I was giving them if it weren't for the description text explicitly stating they were loyal to me.

Now that I thought about it, I could utilize them for more than just the occasional operation and more diverse pool of DNA for future generations.

"Which one of you is the leader?" I asked the group via a private channel.

"We don't have ranks," one of the squad, Nen answered. "We're all trained to lead if needed."

I smiled under my helmet, "do you five want to become crime lords?"

"Crime lords?" Qek, one of the bigger of the commandos, asked.

"I don't want to be tied down to this planet," I answered. "But I can't leave this spot empty. I need someone under my command that can rule in my place and continue my mission."

"Which is?" Nen asked.

"Kill all the slavers, release the slaves, get rid of the crime syndicates that cause trouble, and make Tatooine a better place in general," I replied.

"Is that all?" Nen asked flatly.

"I'm taking over Mandalore next," I answered. "I am going to rule that one personally."

"You certainly keep things interesting," Nen said. "When is the Hutt Council."

"Seven Galactic Standard days," I answered. "They have a private satellite set aside."

Nen turned to face the rest of the squad. They had a silent conversation before she shifted her attention back to me. She paused to make sure I was paying attention.

"We'll assess the situation to see the viability of your plan then report back," she said.

"Roger, roger," I inclined my head.