00.05 Prologue

[28 BBY]

[City of Gai'Harad, Solem]

"Little Daron all grown up!" his eldest, Naia, squealed embracing her long last brother as if it was her name day come again, while her younger brother and sister looked on with confusion at the stranger in their midst "See! See! Told you he'd be back, too stubborn and stupid to stay away!"

"Ah come on!" his eldest, and till now lost, son muttered barely audible over the noise of the embrace and cheerful energy of his eldest daughter "...I come home after a decade and I'm stupid?"

"Uh-huh, see you haven't changed one bit.....well, maybe taller!" Naia replied back from her bear hug as Huron sighed and took a weary seat at the table. This had certainly been a surprise; to have his son return from the Jedi despite all rumours that they abandoned such thing. Back, and not a Jedi, but a captain of his own starship and making friends with the high and mighty in the sky-clans to figure out where they'd moved too after he'd retired from the Guards of Clan Fell.

"Naia, leave him be and take your brother and sister into the kitchen and prepare up a meal will you? Your Mother will be back soon and best you let her see him first, with all of ye, or she'll be made at us all" he told his daughter, who glared at him a moment before throwing up her hands in agreement, and escorting the two youngin's out with her. His Magha wouldn't be able to cook anyway when she set eyes upon their son, so best it done with Naia, who was fairly level headed.

"Sit my boy, sit..." he gestured at chair beside him, fighting off the confusion and strange relief rising up inside of him. Damn how was an old warrior supposed to deal with the dead, in a way, seeming to come have back to life and turned up at his down. Joy, shock...and even more as he spoke to Daron, odd and grown-up just as was when he'd left his memories told him. Just wanting to see them and keep them safe, and already with plans to change the galaxy in his own ambitious way.

He warned carefully on that as the minutes slipped by and they had to talk about such as on who to deal with for such plans; the Fell's, Thunds, and Herdk, were traditional allies of each other and he'd been a loyal Fell servant all his life. Good solid clan, ruled and fought well, and wealthy enough to open doors where needed. Owning one ship was impressive, not many bothered coming to the system for proper trade from the Core, or even Mid-Rim, after all. Huron didn't really know what to say to wanting to set up a small shipping company running between such places and Solem...and the other colonies that had birthed her...as his Magda walked in the door and fainted...

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[28 BBY]

[Light Freighter Cinnamon Wind, Docked Eriadu Spaceport]

"....so, yes, I have purchase arranged, we just need to fill our holds and then get going. Sooner we get it done, sooner we can get moving to sell them...." I finished through the communicators to the two, older, Captains of Solemite origin. Well, one Solemite and a Karkite from Karkak which was basically a fellow Solemite apart from minor genetic tinkering millennia ago "....transmitting manifest to you....now"

The elder of the three of us, a male Thund clansman by the name of Jurdan, nodded on the crude holographic display "Received, can we reconvene in 3:00? Give us time to prepare loading?"

I nodded "Agreeable to me"

"Same" the third of our number, the Karkite female by the name of Shesgora's avatar gesture 'ok' with her right hand and motioning at someone out of view on the other before cutting off. Jurdan nodded and vanished a moment later, so I turned off my communications as well; we were a rather blunt and brusque culture I'd found since my return. Which was fine, I could live with that, and it had certainly made negotiations to get setup in a trade deal in a fairly quick manner.

"Well...that's that for now I guess" I muttered to nobody as I pulled out the data-slates with the manifests and our own loading times on them. Eriadu was human-centric, fanatically pro-Republic, committed to slavery, and firmly focused on crushing piracy in the area. My previous little bit of Bounty Hunting, and this time actually having a 'Government' contract from a Outer Rim world, had opened some doors....and general ignoring species-ism and paying 'extra fees' got you places here. That and signing my, and my ship, up for a little of work as an auxiliary with the 'Republic Navy' as they like to style themselves; but known to everyone else as the Republic Outer Regions Security force, or The Tarkin Family's Private Space Navy. After apparently going mental and attacking Zonama Sekot shipping, and losing, they were somewhat open to the likes of ourselves as they went about seizing equipment of the Trade Federation.

Equipment that we were buying at auction rates, with the hard earned permission of the ORSF, to sell back at Solem and the other neutral systems nearby. Even now it was pretty clear something bad was on the horizon, even if most had no idea how the Clone Wars would be, and even without that the pirates out here were getting better organised and armed as well. We'd picked up an unintentional bounty on the way here when two idiot ships had tried jump our three, and then discovered it was a bad idea to try board a ship with a former Jedi padawan aboard, and another with an armed military contingent from a planetary government. If I could pull it off it'd be a tidy profit, and doorway to a rather large loan and backing for a larger ship, once we managed a few runs...

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[27 BBY]

[Light Combat Freighter Cinnamon Wind, In Transit, Airam Sector]

Immediately into a new year, and immediately into new problems of course I found as I piloted my ship out of hyperspace and into realspace behind the six other ships that made up this hunting-group. Posse was probably a more accurate term with two light freighters, three armed couriers, and a refitted and up-armed consular cruiser making up this particular 'death to pirates!' group. Silly me and making deals with paramilitaries being at the heart of it I found as I took the communicator in hand and toggled the internal ship comms.

"Okay, folks we are now coming into orbit of our strike target, I want everybody ready for immediate deployment yesterday. Those who screw-up get dead and don't get paid. Non-combat personnel remain in your shock chairs" I stated firmly as my new co-pilot, Droid Unit R-G/41 helped me pilot the ship as our protective cruiser opened fire and destroyed the surprised Airam clan pirate ship in orbit of the world below. Supposedly empty planet, but a pirate town(s) in reality existed there, and the ORSF was paying well to get rid of it while denying they were doing so.

"Yulan, you're in the pilots chair with RG/41 here, I've an assault to help with. Everything's set on the Y-2 programme so just do what we practiced at" I told the newest, and third, member of my crew as I got out of the pilots chair and allowed the other young solemite take my place. Multi-tasking was a problem, and I'd been communicating with the 'flagship' till now, and with my fellow solemite Captain old Jurdan on what was coming next. Especially since leaving Shmi safe back on Eriadu, but she needed a break and this was a pure combat/bounty hunting mission. Sadly that had delayed me readying with the assault troops, but I was mostly ready...

Something that I rectified into fully ready as I strode towards the cargo hold, throwing on my armour and bandolier of grenades and blaster as I went; the heavy assault blaster rifle would do for my primary in this situation. I still hadn't replaced my lightsaber since having to give it up when leaving the Order, but I managed to procure a nice cortosis short-sword blade as my backup at great expense for the moment. All I needed really for a new one was the crystals, but they were really hard to get thanks to the Jedi and general cost...so that would have to wait a time. I slammed down and secured my helmet, sealing the suit, as I came into the cargo bay and the waiting twenty or so mercenaries from my homeworld waiting there along with support droids.

"Now lads, let's go give some pirates a really bad bloody day" my synthesised voice announced holding my weapon at the ready and the ship began a sharp descent into the atmosphere of this world. A general, if nervous, cheer of agreement and raised weapons greeted me as I clicked my heels together on the magnetic locks on my boots so I could remain standing as the ship shuddered. Using my other hand I brought out a pad and activated the four war droids we'd purchased, the droideka balls bracing themselves and preparing to roll down the ramp the moment we landed and it opened....

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[26 BBY]

[Corellian Engineering Corporation Shipyards, Corellia]

"So, we are looking at four Gozanti-class cruiser model heavy transports?"

I nodded, dressed in my irritating expensive Core world business clothes along with my three fellow Captains of the 'Out Rim Republic Express Courier Corporation', or Outer Republic Express, ORE, for short "Four modified Gozanti-class transports, we need an engine rework, with extra ones, and an extra power plant at the cost of internal cargo space. Minor variations from ship to ship...." such a large training room and gymnasium on mine "...but essential the major modifications are the speed and power due to region specific circumstances"

The human manager of CEC nodded slowly after a glance at the engineer sitting beside her "Technically, there shouldn't be any issue with these amendments to the design, all requested are within cost parameters allowed all our clients, but there is the concern with regulations..."

I gestured with my right hand to hold that thought as I held up the datapad with the relevant Republic regulations on the matter, and our various approvals for sidestepping them "Which, as a system government approved project, agreed as being due to piracy issues in the region with external system government's such as Eriadu's and its security forces, are allowed under those same regulations. These are dark times we live I'm afraid, and increase security is required to maintain speedy and profitable deliveries at the end of major hyper-lane routes sadly"

Handing over the slate the woman perused the documents, hard fought to get approvals and funding on my home-world and from human-supremacist organisations like the ORSF, or nasty human hating lads like the Trade Federations subsidiaries. Thankfully they were happily ignoring those rules, and pretty much everyone was able to get these approvals if they tried hard enough. In the end the Republic was a big giant ball of incompetence, corruption, and violence held together only by inertia....and likely the efforts of the two Sith Lords out there so they'd have a force strong enough to overwhelm the Jedi.

"True, sadly very true, it is truly savage and uncivilized outside the Core as you say" she sadly agreed after a few minutes of silence, and then approving the purchase of the modified Gozantis. An excellent result as it showed to my three equal partners in this operation that I was more than pulling my weight, and despite my age was the best person to take the lead in these negotiations. The next ones would be with Republic Steiner Systems for some of their Advanced Project Ship starfighters to give manned fighter cover alongside the four planned Vulture droid star-fighters with each transport.

After all we WERE completely breaking every bit of the spirit of the Republics regulations on the matter as the ships going to us were going to be used in violence due to...well, the small Mercenary Organisation I'd help establish with the three big families of Solem for offworld work for young, ambitious, and combat hungry warriors. My own Cinnamon Wind, Captain Bashthirs Sparkling Sapphire, and Captain Shesgora's Dirty Old Whore were going to be refitted into the role of mercenary/bounty-hunter transports once we got our new vessels. Certainly would help keep down the debt from this expansion, but the times were dangerous and yet profitable...

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[25 BBY]

[Heavy Freighter Stormcrow, In Orbit, World of Malachor]

"I'm going down alone other than the droids, via Saber-01, the ship will remain in orbit. Understood?" I asked sitting crossed legged and with eyes closed within my extensive ritual circle. Shmi and Yulan nodded and voiced their agreement and I dismissed them after a few more questions and focused on ensuring my control and defences were in place before I set foot on the world below. Protections from Chaos and Evil were a start, but emotional control and suppression would also be necessary, so I focused the Force around, controlling it, shaping it, and 'studying' the dark dead world below from within my bubble of defences...

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[Several Hours Later]

[Heavy Freighter Stormcrow, In Orbit, World of Malachor]

...and that had been a very unpleasant few hours of my life I'd found as I placed the holocron at the heart of multiple rings of protective wards. One deadly potential world-killer quasi-dealt with, and a Sith holocron secure in my hands. Oh, and finally some kyber crystals for my new lightsaber....as soon as I managed to purify them several times, and bind them to my will alone.

Now that I had a ship with long enough range, and base of credits to support myself, I'd finally managed to pin down an artefact, several in fact, and start working towards the dark days to come. It was unfortunate it had been this world, but I did not know where other worlds were....which was ridiculous. How in the Gods name did the Republic lose navigational data on entire star systems?

'Just another thing to add to the decaying edifice that is the current Republic' I thought sadly sitting down inside a circle within the wards and carefully immersing myself within the Force in meditation. Control, Bind, Ward, Secure; do not let the idiocy win when it came to these things. Hide it from Sidious's view firstly and most importantly, and then work upon one's next move once I returned to a primary hyper-lane and headed back towards Eriadu. This little excursion had cost a lot of time and effort, and the danger had only just begun as I locked down my Sanctum against the device, and bent the Force to my will; war was on the horizon, and beyond that destruction and darkness, so I needed to prepare as best I could....

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End Prologue