Spike looked down at his communicator as he waited for a shuttle from one of the many transit locations on Coruscant. Tapping in a code, Spike screwed the small receiver back into his ear, shaking his head to make sure it was in before opening the channel.

Groaning as he was once again stone walled, Spike began to move forward the instant the doors to the shuttle opened, moving to the back of the bay and grabbing hold of one of the rails that ran along the top of the cabin. Slowly, the rest of the passengers filed in, taking their seats in preparation for lift off.

It didn’t take long for Spikes stomach to lurch as the ship left its moorings and pointed its nose up. A second later, the engines roared and the ship shot upwards. There were more comfortable ways to get into orbit of course, but for sheer speed, nothing beat a straight shot solid burn ride. No one on this shuttle, including him, gave a second thought to comfort, it was all about speed and the rush.

Five minutes later, the ship stopped shuddering as it passed through the atmosphere of the planet, breaking into close orbit. The voice of the pilot rang out across the speaker system.

“We’ve achieved orbit. Time to jump station, thirty seconds.”

“So what’s a Jedi doing on a shot run?” A Rodian asked, looking up at Spike. “Don’t you guys usually prefer your temple or a nice leisurely trip?”

“The Temple is precisely where I’m trying to avoid.” Spike snorted. “And as for leisure, I can do without.”

“Wait, aren’t you the guy from the holo-net?” The Rodian asked.

“Depends on which guy. The holo-net’s a big place.”

“The Jedi who just spoke to the senate.” The Rodian began to tap his head, trying to remember more, before snapping his fingers in triumph. “Jedi Knight Spike.”

“Yeah, that’s me.” Spike nodded, before looking across at the slowly opening airlock. “Listen, it was nice to meet you, but I’ve got people to meet.”

Making his way off the shuttle, Spike looked around for his contacts, quickly catching sight of them and pushing his way through the crowd towards them. One of the pair must have seen him as well, as they quickly grabbed their compatriot before running at Spike. Breaking into a run of his own, Spike rushed over to greet the pair, before scooping Tarhal and Corinna off feet, hugging them tightly.

“Damn I missed you guys.” Spike laughed, squeezing the pair, before placing them back on the floor.

“Feeling’s mutual big guy.” Corinna laughed, pulling Spike and Tarhal together in a much more manageable hug.

“Great to see you Spike.” Tarhal smiled.

“Well come on, let’s get somewhere more private where we can catch up.” Corinna said, moving so Tarhal was one side of her and Spike was on the other, her arms still around the waists of the bigger Jedi. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt quite this small.”

Letting out a loud laugh that drew more than a few glances from passers-by, Spike and the others made their way through the station, finally finding a waiting room that was empty, the viewport looking out into deep space. Sliding the door closed behind him, Spike slid down a wall until he was sitting on the floor while the others took a seat on one of the many benches.

“So, first things first, where’s your brother?” Spike asked. “Last I heard he was a Master.”

“Yeah, he got promoted, what, six years ago? Sound about right Tarhal?” Corinna turned to face the Wookie.

“Think it’s closing on seven.” Tarhal corrected.

“Seven then.” Corinna snorted, rolling her eyes. “Anyway, Zule stayed behind on Corellia. Said he had some business to attend to, but he said he could handle it on his own.”

“I’ve heard that before.” Spike muttered. “It never goes well.”

“Yeah, well Zule’s not stupid and he doesn’t take risks like the three of us.” Corinna shot back.

“I guess that’s why he’s a Master and we’re all Knights.” Tarhal pointed out. “But enough about that, let’s hear about you. I’ve heard rumours.”

“And then you were just on the holo-net in front of the senate.” Corinna continued. “You’ve pissed the council off, and now we’re meeting up on a jump station as opposed to in the temple which would have been easier. So, what’s going on?”

“Let’s see, what have been doing since we last met.” Spike letting out a thoughtful groan. “Well you know I got a commission after the Great Hunt ended, went into the Outer Rim, started helping them to rebuild.”

“Yeah we know that.” Corinna nodded. “We helped you on one planet a few years in, then we had to leave. Last I heard you were heading for Ranox, Thresh, that sort of area.”

“Yeah, we fucked up, big time.” Spike nodded glumly. “Thresh was gone, we investigated and got caught by Mandalorians. I lost my ship, half of the crew, but when I got back to the temple to tell the council, they already knew about the Mandalorians, and they won’t do a damn thing about them.”

“So that’s what your speech in the senate was about.” Corinna checked. “We didn’t catch all of it, just the end. Who’s Revan or the Revanchists?”

“Jedi who are doing something.” Spike clarified. “There’s a hundred or so of them, led by Revan, joint second in command between one Jedi Knight Alek, Padawan Meetra Surik and yours truly.”

“Wait, you’re not only a member of this Revanchist movement, but you’re high up in it?” Tarhal asked in surprise.

“I’m the oldest member, I have the most experience, and as seems to be an ever-growing trend, I’m the biggest.” Spike nodded.

“So what’s Revan doing?” Corinna asked. “If the council is mad at you, they can’t be happy about him.”

“Saying their mad at me is the understatement of the century.” Spike countered. “The last two times I’ve seen them, I’ve shouted them down and left, one time I was even covered in quite a bit of blood. Right now Atris is probably in a rage after I didn’t stick to what she wanted in front of the Senate, which is why we’re up here. No cameras that the Jedi hold, and no one who may run off to the council and tell them I’m here. Well, that’s one reason anyway, the other reason is more personal, but we can get to that later.”

“God Spike” Tarhal muttered. “So what are we up here for anyway? I doubt you did this just for a chat.”

“What I say doesn’t leave here, on your honour as my friends.”

“Sure.” Corinna nodded.

“I don’t see a problem.” Tarhal agreed.

“Revan sent me back to Coruscant for help, but not from the council. Those idiots think staying neutral is the way, but if they keep that up, there won’t be a Republic to stay neutral to. I need Jedi, one’s with experience who are willing to follow Revan to war.”

“And you came to us.” Corinna deadpanned.

“What was I supposed to do?” Spike groaned. “I thought…”

“I’m in.” Tarhal cut in.

“I’m sorry?” Spike said, not quite catching what the Wookie said.

“I said I’m in.” Tarhal repeated. “You want support to fight Mandalorians, we all have similar reasons to dislike them. We owe it to Asho, all of us, Nexu clan. If Zule was here then I’d say the same thing, but right now it’s just you Corinna.”

“Well? What do you say?” Spike asked expectantly.

“I don’t know. The council doesn’t support this do they?” Corinna said hesitantly. “Won’t we get in trouble?”

“The council can kiss my ass.” Spike snapped. “Do you want a repeat of Coruscant Corinna? Hundreds of thousands dead, the army and the Jedi in disarray, and that was when they were Crusaders. Imagine what they’ll do as an army, one that can easily rival the Republic. If the Republic has any hope of winning, it will be on the back of the one advantage that the Mandalorians can’t replicate.”

“Which would be us.” Tarhal finished with a smile. “Come on Corinna, you know this is serious, and Spike’s been out there, he knows what he’s talking about.”

“What you’re talking about is going to war, not defending ourselves. The Jedi haven’t been attacked, and the council says we can’t. That’s not the Jedi way.” Corinna insisted.

“There won’t be a Jedi way if we don’t help.” Tarhal shot back.

Corinna looked exasperatedly between Spike and Tarhal, trying to find some sort of chink in their mental armour, before letting out a sigh of resignation.

“Fine, I’m in.” Corinna relented.

“Thank you.” Spike smiled. “Almost got the full team back together, Nexu Clan reborn.”

“You know even if Zule comes back in time for you to talk to him, he won’t follow you. He sticks by the council and the orthodox Jedi ways.” Corinna pointed out. “Nexu clan won’t be getting back together for this fight.”

“But it’s a start. Revan gave me a mission, and you’ve helped me start the ball rolling. I can’t think of anyone else though, I don’t know any other Jedi well enough to be sure they won’t go to the council. If they found out what Revan wanted…”

“What about younglings?” Tarhal asked. “At least ones who are preparing for the apprentice tournament. They won’t be settled in enough to go to the council, and they won’t be set in the ways of the Jedi yet.”

“That…is an excellent idea.” Spike nodded slowly. “There’s a mission to Illum coming up soon, getting crystals. Maybe I can get myself on that.”

“It should work.” Corinna nodded. “Now if there’s nothing else.”

“I’ve got something to check over if you want to tag along, but you don’t have to.” Spike replied.

“What sort of something?” Tarhal asked.

“A Corvette type something.” Spike grinned. “Second reason I came up here was because I’m going to check out the refurbishment.”

“Wait, you have a ship? A corvette no less?” Corinna asked in amazement. “I struggled to get a fighter from the order, and they give you a capital ship?”

“The order?” Spike scoffed. “I don’t even know if the order knows I have this, much less them being the ones who gave it to me. Come on, I’ll show you.”

Spike lead the pair out of the room, returning to the hanger and catching sight of a Republic navy crewman standing next to a shuttle. Walking over to him, Spike saluted the soldier casually.

“Sir. Are you Jedi Knight Spike?” The man asked, returning the salute.

“I am. I’m taking it you’re my ride to the dry docks?”

“Yes sir. Will your friends be joining us?”

“It’s not a problem is it?” Spike asked.

“No sir. I was just checking. If you would like to step this way.” The soldier said, indicating the back of the transport.

It took them almost half an hour to get across from the jump station to the dry docks, Tarhal and Corinna trying to pick Spikes brain about his ship all the while, only for the Dragon to stone wall them, not because he didn’t want to tell them, but because he really didn’t know much about his ship. This would be a learning experience for him as well.

Eventually, they all piled out of the ship, walking over towards a viewport and looking out into the space beyond. Last time Spike had been here, he had been looking at the refurbishment yards, so his ship was the only one there. Now though, he was looking at storage, where at least twenty ships were all docked, small tubes connecting their airlocks to the station.

“There’s mine.” Spike said, pointing through the window towards the end of the docks.

“You mean the large one over there?” Tarhal asked.

“That’s it.” Spike nodded, before looking around for any crew. “Now if I can only find…”

“Excuse me, can I help you?” A woman asked, walking towards the three Jedi.

“Yes, you can actually.” Spike nodded, pointing the ship out again. “See that ship there, that’s mine. I need access to it for obvious reasons, so if you could just go and do that.”

“I’ll need to see some identification before I can authorise anything.” The woman said, before drawing out a datapad. “Let’s see…ah yes, here’s the ship. Old name of the Crusader, no new name on record. To find out more, I’ll need to know who you are.”

“So exactly how many Dragons do you get docking ships here?” Spike asked, looking at her with a slight smirk.

“How’s that relevant?” The woman asked.

“Well, considering the fact that as far as I know, there are no other Dragons in the universe, and there are none in the Jedi Order, that sort of narrows it down a bit.” Spike chuckled.

“You make a point.” The woman nodded. “Let me just pull up the codes that are guarding it, and…done. The maintenance code is D-1-S-C-0-R-D and your ship is berthed in bay sixteen.”

“Thank you.” Spike smiled, before turning to Tarhal and Corinna. “Come on, let’s go to the ship.”

“How the hell did you get a hold of this ship Spike?” Corrina asked as they walked. “I mean, something like this doesn’t just fall into your lap, does it?”

“Fall is the wrong word.” Spike snorted. “More like…I repossessed it after its previous owners past away.”

“So you took it after you killed its owners?” Tarhal asked scathingly.

“To be fair, they were Mandalorians, and they had been hunting me for six months.” Spike reasoned. “I needed some way to get back to Coruscant so I took the ship, after that, well, it felt like a waste to just leave it, so I repurposed it.”

“It’s still a dead man’s ship.” Corinna insisted. You’ll be piloting a dead man’s ship.”

“They tried to kill me, what was I supposed to do? It’s been cleaned and refitted, so it’s as much mine as it was there. If you don’t like the idea of me flying it, that’s fine, but don’t judge me for it.”

“Fine, I’ll come look at it.” Corinna relented as they reached the docking tube.

The blast door entering the ship was sealed, but that was quickly rectified after Spike inputted the code, the door sliding open at his command. Taking a deep breathe in, Spike sighed, looking around the bridge they had just walked onto.

“The smells got better at least.” Spike smiled, glad it no longer reeked quite as much of blood and guts.

“How many died here?” Tarhal asked. “I can still smell death.”

“Quite a few.” Spike admitted, before walking towards the main bridge computer, inputting the code once more. Instantly the computer sprang to life, showing off a hologram of the ship, the vessel slowly rotating as Spike made a mental note to change the codes for the ship to something a bit more memorable, maybe even get a bio-scanner, but it was early days.

“Nice.” Corinna said, looking at the ship. “Sixty six centimetres of grade A titanium armour, third generation deflection shields and a power core I’ve never seen before. This is Mandalorian yeah?”

“Yes, most of the stuff is just as advanced if not more advanced than Republic tech.” Spike sighed. “They will have got some things from this ship, level the playing field eventually, but right now our ships are going to be out-classed by our enemy, and the Republic hasn’t even faced the full force of the Mandalorian fleet.”

“Maybe I was right to join after all.” Corinna said softly. “If there ships are like this…”

“I haven’t seen any other ships quite like this one.” Spike corrected her. “As far as I can tell, this is either a failed design or a prototype. One of a kind.”

“That could be a good thing.” Tarhal added in. “If it’s a prototype, it may be more advanced than the rest of the fleet.”

“Or it’s less advanced which is why it hasn’t been mass produced.” Corinna countered.

“I think it’s better to operate on the assumption that all Mandalorian ships have these qualities and are more advanced than Republic ships,” Spike agreed, “which means we need Jedi to level the field.”

“Agreed.” Tarhal nodded. “We need…”

He was cut off as a bleeping sounded from his communicator. Getting out the holo-projector, Tarhal pressed the stud on the side, being greeted by a visage of his Padawan.

“Stratmum.” Tarhal nodded.

“Master.” Stratmum replied. “Where are you?”

Tarhal looked across at Spike, the Dragon shaking his head slightly, before he answered. “I’m with a friend. Why?”

“That lead we were looking at, I’ve found a trail. We’ve got to go quickly through or we could lose it again.”

“I’ll meet you at the Hyabusan way. Wait for me there, and don’t move in without me being there. Understand?”

“Yes Master.” Stratmum acknowledged, before letting the holo-projection fade away.

“I’m sorry, I’m going to have to cut this short.” Tarhal apologised.

“What’s this all about?” Spike asked, walking with Tarhal and Corinna back towards the airlock.

“While on Corellia, Corinna, Zule and I uncovered a large smuggling ring with roots in quite a few of the core worlds. We’ve been tracking down members and ring leaders on Coruscant since we came back. We should be meeting a contact that will lead us to the higher ups in the ring.” Tarhal explained.

“I’m guessing you’re going to go with him?” Spike asked, looking at Corinna.

“Feel free to join us. Hell, between you and the walking carpet over here, the smugglers won’t exactly want to put up much of a fight.” Corinna smirked.

“I would, but I want to look around my ship, get to know it a bit better.” Spike replied apologetically. “Be careful.”

“We will Spike.” Tarhal reassured him, before turning and walking away from the ship.

“Oh guys.” Spike called out, remembering something he needed to tall them. “Frequency fifteen dash two two five one. Encryption key C-E-L-E-S-T-I-A”

“What’s that?” Corinna asked, looking back at Spike.

“If I need to contact anyone I manage to convince, that’s how I’ll do it, and if you need to talk to me on a secure line, that’s how you’ll do it. Keep that away from the council, I don’t want to risk any of them listening in, or anyone who will report to them for that matter.” Spike explained.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Corinna smiled, before jogging back to Tarhal.

Turning, Spike walked back inside the threshold of the ship, his ship now he guessed, making sure to close and lock the airlock behind him as he made his way back towards the bridge. The hologram of the ship was still being displayed above the deck fleet computer, but Spike ignored it, instead taking a seat in the new command chair.

Stretching out, Spike took in the layout of the bridge with a critical eye. The last time he had been on board, he hadn’t really bothered with learning the layout of the ship, but if he was going to be owning it, he guessed he would have to.

The commanders chair was set near the back of the bridge, above all of the other chairs that were dotted around the bridge, presumably giving the user greater command over certain systems, while the command chair would only allow him to have a basic command of the entire ship. The view was good though, the benefit of being at the very front of the ship he guessed, and gave him an unimpeded panoramic view of the rest of the docks.

Pressing a few buttons on the arm of his chair, Spike found himself being spun around until he was facing a screen directly behind him. The screen flared into life, and Spike was immediately greeted with a flashing cursor. Unbidden, the cursor began to move, and lines of text began to appear.

Initiating system start up.

Please input authorisation code

Quickly keying in the code the dock worker had given him once more, Spike was greeted with acceptance as the computer advanced once more.

Welcome. Maintenance – Y/N?

Spike tapped the N key.

New captain – Y/N?

Spike smiled, hitting the Y key.

Welcome captain. Please input name for the record.

Captain Spike on the bridge. Authorisation acknowledged. Captain Authorisation cade set as S-P-4432, resetting maintenance codes to F-G-A-365, resetting security codes to I-A-N-H-47. First time activation detected. Running start up procedures. Accessing ship history. ERROR, ship history unavailable, deleted after action at [DATA REDACTED]. Accessing ship specifications. Ship-type designation ‘Crusader’ class corvette. No name on record. Input new name – Y/N?

Spike sighed at that, stumped for a second. He hadn’t actually put much thought into what he should call his new ship, he assumed ships just came with a name and were stuck with it. Now that he had to choose, he didn’t really know. Then again, he had named his Lightsabers, maybe he could follow that pattern.

Idly, Spike tried a few ideas; Spectral Bolt? Spectral Blitz? Nothing really jumped out at him, until finally he was struck by a bolt of metaphorical lightning.

Ship name acknowledged. Starting log under name of ‘HARMONY’. Current ship readiness – 90%. Weapon capacitors charged, locked and safe. Shield generators operational. Engines operational. Life support operational. Communication array operational. Crew on board – one. Ill advised to launch with minimal crew. Start launch procedures – Y/N?

Spike would have liked to press Y right now, meet up with Revan and re-join the war, but he knew he couldn’t give up on the mission that easily, and tapped N instead, before pressing another button, spinning the chair back around to face the viewport. Standing back up, Spike made his way off the bridge. He still had a ship to explore, things to check that he hadn’t even considered before today.

He would need a crew for one, provisions for a trips into deep space, and places for them to all sleep. Then again, he could save on that aspect by slaving droids to the controls. It would be more efficient in a lot of ways, and they wouldn’t need feeding, but organics were better than droids in so many other ways. They were creative, compassionate, able to act outside programming, and could be nice to talk to. Then again, he could also face losing them in battle, and Spike knew that he didn’t like doing that. This would take some time to get ready, but he had time, and as far as he knew, the council didn’t know he had this ship.

Anything done to it would have to be kept off the books and out of the reach of the council until he could re-join the war properly, meaning hard credits for any modifications, credits he would have to slowly siphon out of his current account so as to not arouse suspicion. If they found out he had easy access to a warship, they may place even less faith in him than before, and considering the fact that Spike doubted they trusted him an inch, that would not be good.