Chapter 25: Entrenchment

"Get up. We need to go. Before Grevious returns." Anakin groaned out, massaging his hands, red and marked from the grates.

"Yeah." I agreed, pressing a button on my glove, calling the ship to the maintenance airlock.

I would have preferred to hide it's summoning capabilities till much later, as a surprise move, but given that we had already been spotted, I had to make this quick. I van always just explain it away by acsribing it to a nav-bot like R2 being used as one of the components for my ship.

I stood up, clutching my stomach, and pointed to Ahsoka.

"Take her. My ship is outside the airlock, waiting."

"Aren't you coming?" He asked.

"I am. Just need a minute to breathe. Go on. I'll follow up." I said, leaning on a nearby wall, against a control panel.

Anakin nodded and picked up Ahsoka, slowly making his way into the airlock, closing the door behind him.

Once I was sure he was out, I put my hand onto the panel and connected to it with my power.

I had made a big mistake here.

The kind that could ruin my plans once and for all, if I didn't run patchwork now.

Unlike the last world, I had no fears here.

There was no Arthur Petrelli here to steal my powers.

My new and improved reflexive forcefield didn't need to switched on and off everytime I fired my laser, leaving me vulnerable for counterattack. It would instead activate in response to attacks, and allow my lasers to fire past it automatically.

I had a world class power armor with an array of gadgets and myomers that gave me the strength of a supersoldier, the flight capabilities of a rocket, and the processing power of a supercomputer.

And then there was my new power, technokinesis. The ability to control machines in a world dominated by technology.

It wouldn't be an understatement to say that I felt, for lack of a better word, invincible.

For the first time, I was in a position of strength. I wasn't a weak little cockroach, scampering at the bottom of the power pole. I was at the tippy top.

And I got cocky. I let this new security get to my head. And I failed.

Sure, I was in no real danger of death. I could have just portaled out at any time, leaving Anakin to die.

If I really had to, I could even brute force my way to the senate and take over the republic with my nuetrino bombs as leverage.

But then, I would have to deal with severe resistance and possible assassination attempts from force users.

Not to mention the biggest spanner in my plans.

Some coked up force junkie could, at any time, get a force vision exposing my plans, ending my ambitions before they even began.

That was how the rebellion had started in the original Star Wars plot. Starkiller had a force vision of Vader killing his parents, and in spite and revenge, he ended up starting the rebellion that would ultimately lead to Vader's demise at the hands of his own son.

That was the exact sort of force manipulated destiny clusterfuck I was looking to avoid.

Which is why I hadn't just taken over the galaxy already.

I had to take it slow and careful.

I had to make sure that any force vision relating to me looks on the up and up, portraying me, if not as a hero, then at least an unwilling victim of circumstances.

After all, any old jedi could force choke the life out of me with a flick of their wrist.

I should really consider installing a subdermal mesh in my body.

Not that that had helped Rick much in the show.

Every other episode some random asshole still broke through it, blowing him up. Sometimes that asshole was even his own inventions, like the ionic defibulator that killed the Rick and Morty of the backup world that Rick C-137 escaped to after he cronenberged his world in Rick Potion #9.

But still, something was better than nothing. I would have to check on getting a droid doctor later and reprogramming it for the operation.

Originally, I had planned to slowly go around the Malevolence, turning it to my side bit by bit, before capturing Dooku and Grevious as hostages to be ransomed. Then, I would take over the separatist fleet, and puppeteer myself into the position of emperor using Anakin and his connection to the senate, slowly, carefully.

But now, with my fuckup, I had to force things through, at least when it came to the Malevolence.

Using my power, under the pretense of leaning on the control panel for support, I reached out to the command bridge, and comms terminal, and coded in an announcement.

"All droids connect to the central mainframe immediately.

A regularly scheduled software update is in progress.

I repeat.

All droids..."

It was time to take over the droid army in one fell swoop. No time for guerilla tactics. The moment they connected to the mainframes, I would have total command over all of them.

While that went on, I focused on the comms station, and set it to permanently post its position via hail, it's signal at full boost, at one specific frequency - mine.

This way, once I gain control of the droids, I can remotely control them from my ship.

With that done, I coded in one final order, one that would be dispersed to all droids once I had left the ship.

Capture Dooku and Grevious, shoot on sight if necessary.

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Then, setting the Malevolence's course for the Balmorra Run, I left for the airlock, closing up my helmet.

Once I got in back in my ship, the frist thing I did was pull out a healing blood injection I kept in the glove box at all times and black tinted the partition between me and Anakin, before imbibing the blood.

Immediately, I felt my hernia pull back in like a taut rubber band, and the bruising around my stomach began to disappear.

I let out a sigh of relief, and hid the syringe back on the glove box, before untinting the screen.

"You guys secure back there?" I asked.

"Yes. But we need to hurry. Snips, I mean Ahsoka is in bad shape. She needs treatment." Anakin replied.

R2D2 beeped something too, but I didn't bother translating it. My head was throbbing with pain and exhaustion at the massive display of power I had just put out and I was in no mood to extend myself any further till I healed completely.

"Of course." I said, stepping on the pedal, I activated the black matter drive, and we disappeared into subspace, appearing minutes later, before the republic host.

A hail hit us almost instantly.

"Walker? How did the mission go?" Admiral Yularen's voice came through.

"Uh...yeah. Yes. I got them. But Ahsoka needs immediate medical.." I coughed, acting hurt, "..attention."

"I see. Proceed to dock H-8, we will have a crew ready."

Docking the ship, two stretchers floated over, droid doctors accompanying them, followed by Yularen, Plo Koon and another familiar face.

Space jesus himself, Obi Wan Kenobi!

One of them helped load Ahsoka onto the stretchers while the other came over to me, trying to get me on one too.

"No thanks. I've already applied first aid. Besides, it's just bruising." I said, looking guiltily at Ahsoka.

"Ahsoka....she bore most of the brunt of the hit for me. I'm sorry....You sent me to save them and I.....I ....." I added, with a white knuckled grip, eyes downcast.

If I was going to feel guilty about my mess, I might as well channel those emotions to my benefit. I need to milk as much out of them as I can.

"It's not your fault." Anakin assured, putting a hand on my shoulder.

"Exactly. In fact, we are quite grateful to you for rescuing them." Obi Wan added, as Yularen handed me a scroll.

I put up a surprised expression, and opened it up, a holo screen popping out, displaying a salvage contract.

A salvage contract for all three ships, instead of the one I had asked.

"...three...." I gasped, looking up at the admiral, "This...are you sure? I don't think I did anything worth as much..."

"No. You did more. This is the least we can do for you." Yularen objected, signalling some trooper to bring a pallet over to me.

"And here. The rations you requested. I'll have the troopers put it in your ship."

"Thank you." I nodded, tears pooling at the edge of my eyes, something I had learnt to pull out better now.

"I usually don't like to owe poeple....but...." I looked at them, eyes full of hope, "Could I ask for something more?"

Yularen's brows furrowed, as suspicion slowly returned to his eyes.

Anakin, standing behind me, chuckled wryly, as if he was expecting it,  and Obi Wan raised an eyebrow in curiousity.

"Go on." Obi Wan replied.

"I.....I am weak." I replied, with much effort, "Very much so. I couldn't even take a single blow from General Grevious, and now Ahsoka is lying there...because of me. And I hate it.

I hate being weak."

I paused for effect, gauging their reactions, before continuing.

"I've heard jedi masters are very strong, that they are unmatched on the battlefield. I was hoping...if you could teach me too. I don't want to be a monster on the field but if I can at least protect myself and those that I care for..... That much would be enough." I said, glancing between Obi Wan and Ahsoka, trying to plant an idea into their minds.

Anakin's wry smile transformed into a shit eating grin, and Obi Wan chuckled to himself, as they passed looks to each other.

"Looks like someone's in love!" Anakin patted my back, hard, almost causing me to stumble.

"What? No!" I protested, sobering the atmosphere up, "Sheesh, how old even is she? 13? 14? I am 19 going on 20. That'd just be creepy.

No. I meant it when I said, I don't like owing people. I'm a junk rat from the outer rim. No one ever sticks their neck out for the likes of me. And we return that favor with apathy ourselves."

A look of understanding flashed in Yularen's eyes but he chose to stay quiet.

"But she...she stuck up for me, tried to put herself between me and Grevious. I appreciate that." I added, selling the story, with genuine sincerity.

"And I want to return that favor. But as I am now, I'll probably end up getting saved by her again. And I won't like that either."

"I understand now." Obi Wan nodded.

"So...can I learn from you?" I asked.

"Of course. Admiral Yularen will get you a room onboard. You can help with repairs around the ship in return. How does that sound?" He offered.

"Deal!" I replied.

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