//------------------------------// // Initiate Protection Detail // Story: The Dragon and the Force // by FenrisianBrony //------------------------------// Spike sighed as he watched the news feed scroll in from the holo-net, yet more footage of the front and the loses that the Republic was suffering. The Jebble-Vanquo-Tarnith line had been overrun weeks ago, Taris hadn’t lasted much longer once the true Mandalorian fleet besieged the planet, and the Mandalorians continued to surge into the Republic securing victory after victory in every theatre of war, in what was now being referred to as ‘the Onslaught’. And still the council waited. No matter what happened, no matter how much the Republic army buckled and strained under the assault and cried out for aid, the council still advocated that the real threat was yet to manifest itself, as if anything could be as much of a threat as this. Revan was still seeing some success, but he had too few followers, and not enough authority to bring his own tactical knowledge to bear, and so he was forced back with the army. No matter how much Spike hated having to admit it, the Revanchists needed the council to approve of them, otherwise the Republic would never be able to accept them properly, and this trend would continue until the Mandalorians were sitting the senate hall, picking their teeth with the bones of the Supreme Chancellor. Spike wondered if that would be enough to get the council to react, if the fall of the Republic would be enough to make them see that the Mandalorians were the true threat, not the destroyed Sith, but he somehow doubted that. The council could have a Sith Lord standing in front of them, and they would still try and lecture him about neutrality. Deactivating his datapad, Spike hooked it back onto his belt and looked off into the distance, watching the entrance way to the Jedi temple hanger. After much hard work, Spike had finally managed to land himself a place on this Padawan expedition, leading the mission to Illum so that the soon to be Jedi could gather the crystals for their Lightsabers. He was still surprised that the council would allow him to have such close contact with the young minds of the order, but then again, he had been working with those who had their Lightsabers to bring them up to speed for their final trial, so this was the next logical step. He still didn’t know who he would be taking on this excursion, but that didn’t matter, just how impressionable they were. He had been making pretty good headway so far when it came to getting recruits for the Revanchist, and by his calculations had almost doubled Revans previous number. Turns out it wasn’t that hard to convince some people, you just needed the right leverage, to pick them at a time where they would be particularly receptive to the idea to plant the seeds, then wait while they cultivated. Soon enough, most of them came back to Spike, wanting to know more about the movement, and at that point, Spike had them hook line and sinker. It was almost laughable how many Jedi in the order were turning their backs on the council’s teachings of neutrality, and how big this gulf opening in the order was actually getting. He still hadn’t managed to convince any Masters yet, but he had enough Knights and Padawans to flood the battlefields with Jedi support, and more importantly, he had veterans of wars fought in the past, Knights who remembered the destruction wrought by the Mandalorians the first time they had invaded the Republic. While the first wave of Revanchists may have cast the first stone, and were led by Revan himself, it was the second wave that would lead the group, and the Republic, to victory. Spike was brought out of his inner thoughts by the arrival of a small group of Jedi, the children looking up at Spike in awe and admiration. Smiling, Spike looked around each member of the group, taking in each of their faces before even opening his mouth. There were four of them in total, two human boys, a human girl and an Ithorian male, all clad in the robes of the order. None of them looked anywhere near the age he was when he had travelled to Illum, but they weren’t the youngest he had heard of taking the test. “Sound off. Names.” Spike said bluntly, looking around the Jedi. “Balo Zane.” The brown haired boy said, bowing deeply. “Sabercat Clan “Balonquiss Corso. Val for ease.” The Ithorian said simply. “Otta.” The second human boy nodded. “And I am Lyon Solman.” The girl finished, her eloquent voice radiating calm. “I am Jedi Knight Spike, formerly of the Nexu Initiate clan. I will be responsible for taking you all to Illum. Can anyone tell me what we are heading there for?” “Lightsabers!” The Initiates all shouted in unison, beaming widely as the thought of getting the weapons filled them with joy. Spike fondly remembered his own time doing just this, something that felt like it had happened a lifetime ago, when life was easy and simple. Now every decision that Spike made had consequences which could potentially affect a galaxy spanning war. It was a lot of pressure on the Dragon. “Indeed.” Spike nodded, before drawing his own weapons, “You have proved to be the top of the others clans in skill, and so now is the time of the gathering. For a Jedi, there is no greater challenge, or honour. Now, the time has come to build your own Lightsabers. But be warned, finding your crystals inside the caves of Illum will be no easy task, and many perils will lie ahead of you. That being said, where we are going, there is no place more sacred to the Jedi.” The initiates were undeterred however, and Spike hadn’t honestly expected anything less. Smiling slightly, Spike stepped to the side, allowing the initiates to rush past him to board the Crucible. Following the initiates, Spike tapped a button beside the ramp, sealing the ship and readying it for take-off. The ship had an auto-pilot, but for take-off and landing, it would need Spikes personal attention, or that of an astromech droid, which the ship did not have. Quickly reaching the cockpit, Spike slid uncomfortably into the seat, slipping on the headset, before preparing to take the ship out. It was good practice for his own ship at least. *** Spike watched as Val caught yet another shot from the remote with the staff he was training with, his movements clunky just like anyone who was practicing in the first form. Val cried out in pain as one of the bolts got past his guard, and Spike let out a throaty chuckle as he began to curse the droid, before it fired again, still believing itself to be in combat mode. Letting out a small cough, Spike caught the attention of the initiates, summoning the droid to his hand and pressing the deactivation button. “Master?” Otta asked, looking up at Spike. “Knight or Spike please.” Spike corrected him, placing the droid down. “Now, I’m going to be blunt here. What do you know about the Mandalorians?” “That they’re attacking the Republic and that Jedi Knight Revan is leading some of the only Jedi to help the army.” Balo offered. “And that the council doesn’t like it.” Val added. “Precisely.” Spike nodded. “Do not heed the words of the council.” “But…” Val began. “The Republic will fall if we do not act now.” Spike continued, cutting Val off before he could vocalise the rest of his argument. “The Mandalorians are taking system after system, and the more they take, the more powerful they will get. The army is breaking, and we need every advantage the Republic can muster.” “And that means Jedi.” Lyon nodded. “One of you understands.” Spike smiled. “We must stand together, stand firm side by side with Revan, Alek, Meetra and I and we use our might to protect the Republic, and together we will battle this menace, driving the Mandalorians back all the way to dark space.” “The council thinks we should wait, who are we to disobey them?” Val countered. “The council has wise members, although some of them are fools, *cough*Atris*cough*, but they will take too long to react to this threat.” Spike explained, looking straight at Val. “You are all strong in the force, otherwise you wouldn’t be here today. Use that power to fulfil the oath you swore when you were accepted.” Slowly, Val nodded, before walking over towards Spike, standing beside him as he looked back at the others. “I can sense that the three of you have had your doubts about the council’s teachings.” Spike said, eyeing the other initiates. “Why?” “I don’t like standing by while so many suffer, suffering we could prevent.” Balo scowled. “Not to mention that we swore to protect the Republic.” Lyon added. “Both good reasons.” Spike nodded. “Delay will only bring us to ruin, and prolong the suffering of millions. It is within our power to end this war, yet the council sits behind closed doors. They debate, they philosophise, while all around them planets burn and thousands perish. I for one won’t stand for it.” Exchanging quick glances, Lyon and Balo moved over to stand beside Val, leaving only Otta on the far side of the room. The boy looked torn, both wanting to be with his friends, and trying to stick to the teachings of the council. “Otta, stand with us.” Spike said, extending a hand out towards the boy. “We can stop them together, even if the council thinks we should wait. Or would you have the Mandalorians sack the Republic?” “I don’t…” Otta started, before closing his mouth sharply, staring across at Spike. “The Dark Side works in mysterious ways, ways we can’t understand, but it corrupts slowly. How do you know you aren’t under its influence?” “You’re far too young to be thinking like that.” Spike said with a slight chuckle. “What do you know of the Dark Side or the Sith? Have you crossed blades with them, felt their power lash out at you first hand? The Sith don’t protect, they only destroy, whereas we as Jedi have sworn to protect the Republic, not abandon it in its time of need.” “I guess.” Otta said, still sounding unsure. “Come on Otta.” Balo urged, smiling at the other boy. “Spike makes a good point.” “Fine.” Otta nodded, before slowly walking towards Spike. “Thank you.” Spike smiled. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have other duties that must be attended to. Continue to practice with your droids.” Picking up the deactivated droid, Spike pressed the stud on its bottom, making it flare back into life and float around the room, waiting for one of the initiates to pick up the staff that signified the beginning of a combat drill. Walking from the room, Spike quickly found himself in one of the smaller meditation chambers, one usually reserved for meditating upon the crystals that the initiates would soon be harvesting. “My word, you have grown.” Came a mechanical voice from behind Spike, and the Dragon turned to look at Huyang, the ancient droid Lightsaber architect regarding Spike with his large impassive eyes. “What has it been, forty years?” “Roughly.” Spike nodded. “How have the Padawans since Nexu clan been?” “As they all are. Brash, eager to earn their sabres, and yet they like those before them exhibit power and wisdom beyond their years. Since the end of the great Sith War, I have seen the rise of many new Jedi weapons, weapons modelled after the Sith Lord Exar Kun. Do you not think it is strange that the Jedi would take their weapon plans from a fallen member of their own order?” Huyang asked thoughtfully. “Is it odd?” Spike checked. “Yes, but unexpected? Not really. Exar Kun showed how effective it could be if wielded properly, defeating his Master is proof of that. No one really knows how to fight against it, and so it gives the user an advantage to offset the disadvantages of the weapon.” “And using your enemy’s strength to your own advantage is a logical step in the path of an order such as ours.” Huyang agreed. “Very much like what you are doing now.” “And what would I be doing now that is anything like Exar Kun?” Spike asked. “I was not referring to Exar Kun, but rather to the Mandalore and his neo-crusaders.” Huyang clarified. Spike let out a sound that was some sort of cross between a snort and a growl as he leered down at Huyang, his hand dropping towards his Lightsabers. “Say that again, and I’ll rip your processors out.” “Another reason you are like him, using violence.” Huyang noted. “I have access to every facet of this ship, as well as security feeds on board. I have watched the footage of your recent talk with your charges, a rally cry, a call to arms to face a worthy foe. Is that not what reports are saying the Mandalore called for? A crusade to prove themselves as the mightiest warriors in the galaxy by defeating the only force that could rival them?” “That’s different.” Spike growled. “How?” Huyang pressed. Spike opened his mouth to reply, but couldn’t think of a proper response that would satisfy the persistent droid. No matter how much he looked at it, and how much he wanted to deny it, Huyang did have a point. Was that what Spike was becoming? Was this what the council was trying to warn him of? Shaking the thought from his head, Spike steeled his thoughts once more. He would not allow this droid to worm his way inside his head and give him doubts to his purpose. The Mandalorians had to be defeated, and that was all there was to it. “I see you have not been idle since your time on board this ship however.” Huyang said, changing the conversation suddenly. “Your new Lightsaber, or Lightsabers I see. Tell me, what material did you use to create these weapons?” “Neuranium.” Spike said simply, grabbing hold of his Lightsabers and holding them out to the droid to inspect. “Neuranium? Interesting. Heavier than almost any known material in existence, impervious to scans, which is not an issue in Lightsaber construction, and resistant to high energy transfer such as those found in blaster and Lightsabers. Tell me, why this material?” “I’ve yet to meet another creature that would be able to wield them properly.” Spike chuckled. “To heavy for humans to lift and use in combat, and anything bigger loses the dexterity that is required.” “Clever.” Huyang murmured, before looking up at Spike once more. “I will leave you to your meditations Spike.” “Huyang, wait.” Spike called out. “About my talk with the initiates, what do you plan on doing about it?” “I don’t…” “Do you plan on telling the council?” “It has nothing to do with the construction of Lightsabers nor the safety of the initiates on this mission. It is not my prerogative to tell the council no.” “That doesn’t answer my question. Are you going to tell them, not can you tell them.” “I will not.” Huyang said simply, before turning around and walking from the chamber, leaving Spike on his own once more. Sitting down, Spike reached inside his mind, calling out to Moonstone until the mare materialised in front of him, looking at him with a small smile. “Keeping well?” She asked. “You’re in my head, you should know.” Spike pointed out, before sitting down, the apparition sitting beside him. “I need your help now, I need to know that I’m at my strongest.” “Why now?” Moonstone asked, cocking her head. “Because when this ship docks back at Coruscant, I won’t be sitting idle anymore. I’m contacting Revan, and I’ll be calling in the troops. We’ll be going to war against a foe that has proved itself stronger than the Republic.” Spike elaborated. “So you want to be stronger than you already are? How?” “Before the war, before we even knew it was Mandalorians, you helped me to cast magic, a shield spell. I need to do that again, and I need it to be stronger so that I don’t pass out if I’m hit.” “I can try, and you can practice with it, but I can’t promise you that it will be strong enough for what you want.” Moonstone nodded, before once again fading from sight. Grabbing hold of a nearby remote droid, Spike activated it, the little sphere floating off before turning its primary sensor towards Spike. Raising his hands, Spike brought them together, focusing his mind once more on the flow of magic that lay deep within them. Rubbing them slightly, he felt the same odd form of energy building up inside of him as before, being directed straight into his hands and filling his body with warmth. Slowly, knowing what Moonstone wanted him to do, and partly remembering what he did so long ago, Spike began to bring his hands apart, being greeted by the soft green light that heralded the shield. Continuing to open his hands, Spike was greeted by a small green ball of colour, semi-transparent and floating in mid-air. The more he focused on it, the bigger it grew, until it covered his body completely, penning him in in a sphere of the energy. Smiling, Spike dropped his hands, only for the shield to flicker and die. Letting out a low snarl, Spike raised his hands again, bringing the shield up once more. Slowly, he lowered his left hand keeping his right hand outstretched as he felt more power surge into it, keeping the shield at the same strength as the power from his left hand moved to his right. Looking across to the droid, Spike nodded, before putting all of his focus on keeping the shield raised. “Begin combat test. Power setting five.” Letting out a beep of confirmation, the droid began to move in an attack pattern, before unleashing a low power stun bolt at Spike, not noticing the shield in between them, as it was an anomaly to its scanners. The bolt hit the green orb, its surface rippling but holding steady, even as Spike grimaced in discomfort. It felt like something had pushed softly against his brain, just briefly, before vanishing once more, leaving Spike with just the briefest memory of the experience. “Command. Up power setting.” Spike ordered. “Power setting ten.” Once more the droid beeped, before firing another bolt, once again hitting the shield and causing it to ripple. Spike once again felt as if something was pressing against his brain, slightly harder this time, but still bearable, and once more the shield held. He remembered how the shield had fallen when he had exposed it to his own flames, and wondered if that was because of the Dragon magic cancelling out the other, more generic, magic, or if his flames were simply stronger than the blaster bolts. “Command. Up power setting. Power setting fifty. Confirm lethal power setting Jedi Knight Override code 7-7-7-8.” The droid let out a series of conformation beeps, before firing off a powerful shot at Spike. Spike grunted as the shield was hit, the power beginning to force its way through the shield, until it broke apart with a ‘pop’, the shot slamming home into Spikes chest. Letting out a chuckle, Spike looked down at the slightly blackened area of his chest, before raising his hand. “Again.” He growled, the shield flaring to life once more. The droid beeped, before unleashing yet another shot. This time when the shot hit however, Spike no longer tried to stop it with brute force, instead trying to spread the power of the bolt over a larger area like any conventional deflection shield would. The shield still rippled, making it hard to see out of for a second, but once it held, and that was all that mattered. “Command. Deactivate fire protocol.” Spike ordered, before letting the shield drop, rubbing his eyes to banish the drowsiness that had begun to creep into them. Like any skill, the magic would have to be honed before he would be able to trust himself to use it in a life or death situation, but the basic principle was there. Now all he needed was practice. Cracking his neck, Spike retrieved the droid from where it now sat on the floor, placing it back on the small platform it had occupied originally, before making his way towards the cockpit. The ship would soon be exiting Hyperspace, and Spike would need to be present to make sure that they landed smoothly and safely on Illum. *** Spike watched from the mouth of the ship as the initiates made their way inside the temple, chatting loudly as they went. Each of them had successfully harvested a crystal, imbued it with the force, and constructed a Lightsaber to hold the precious component, and allow them to complete the final task set before them. With the exception of Lyon, none of them had been very adventurous with their designs, all of them being a single bladed weapon. Lyon however had proved Spikes point about the double bladed weapon becoming more popular amongst the ranks of the Jedi, and now was the proud owner of blue Saberstaff. All in all, the trip had been successful, both for the initiates and Spike, the number of Jedi he had turned to the cause swelling to the point where he now had more Jedi than Revan had managed to gather in the first place. Grinning, Spike walked over to the edge of the hanger bay, looking down at the steep drop to the buildings far below, before throwing himself from the hanger. Flaring his wings, Spike angled himself towards the shuttle transit hub. He had accomplished his mission, and he couldn’t think of anything else he would be able to do without getting to bold and alerting the council to what he was doing. Now it was time to reap the fruitsof his labour. Spike was calling in the troops.