Chapter 97

Over the next few weeks, Anakin and Padme had seen each 4 times.

Anakin had to leave on his first mission to hunt a Worm-Servum.

Servums were mini-Titans that were produced by the forests that Gaia created.

They were usually only aggressive to creatures that harmed the forest but they could also be commanded by Gaia to attack anyone she wanted them to.

They weren't the strongest creatures around and had a particular weakness to fire due to their fauna-flora nature.

Their greatest strength came from the choice that Jial made. The fact that the main forest was a Force Nexus or Vergence.

Due to the overwhelming wealth of Force Energy, the creatures were pretty much small embodiments of it.

It also made them very resistant to Force-based attacks. This made them perfect for training the Force Sensitives of the Yautja.

While Anakin was busy on his training mission, Padme was going through Astartes pre-training.

The pre-training taught all the basic skills that Astartes would possess as well as improved their physical condition to near supersoldier levels.

Padme and her handmaids were undergoing the combat training while being imparted one of the older methods of body improvement.

Although this method worked, it wasn't as effective as the modern method that the Yautja used.

They passed along the old method due to not being able to hand out state secrets. And even then, they were sworn to secrecy.

No one else was ever allowed to learn this from them, whether that be future handmaids that joined them or even their children.

The training was even more intense than their handmaiden training but the effects were obvious.

Their already impressive skills quickly improved under the tutelage of the Astartes.

Both Padme and Anakin were busy but they used their free time to check in on one another.

They shared their life stories, goals, and fears with one another.

Over the short period, Anakin stopped seeing Padme as Queen Amidala and recognized her as the same girl he befriended on Tatooine.

On the other hand, Padme saw the Anakin as more than just a boy to take care of. She began to see that him as a true member of the opposite sex.

Their reunion was short however. Padme and her handmaids had to leave for Naboo but talks of future visits were brought up to Caina who agreed to them.

--- Kalee ---

Nott landed on the planet and saw the various fields that had been cultivated. Many of the Kaleesh who saw her bowed to the woman.

The Kaleesh had gone through a terrible war against the Huks, an insectoid race that attempted to enslave them.

At first, the technologically advanced Huks were able to overwhelm the Kaleesh but the latter were powerful warriors.

There were 2 in fact that were considered living deities.

During the war, one of those two had died in battle. But instead of demoralizing the Kaleesh, it simply lit a bigger fire in their hearts.

The Kaleesh waged war like never before under the leadership of Qymaen jai Sheelal, pushing the Huks off their planet and every colony planet until they reached their homeworld.

Upon finally realizing their mistake, the Huks did not surrender but instead went to the Republic and spun a web of lies. They painted the Kaleesh as the aggressors and begged for help.

Not trying to figure out the true story of what was going on, the Republic and Jedi sent a punitive force to stop the Kaleesh.

They not only forced the Kaleesh to retreat after having been the ones who were originally attacked and sold as slaves but they were also heavily fined with embargoes placed on their planet.

These punishments were so severe that the Kaleesh would have starved, killing millions of their population if not for outside intervention.

That was where the Yautja and IGBC both came in. Each one offered to assist the Kaleesh but the Kaleesh chose the Yautja in the end.

Qymaen jai Sheelal determined that the Yautja were better to become vassals of due to them being warriors unlike the IGBC.

So the Yautja were able to circumvent the Republic's sanctions and assist Kalee. They not only saved an entire race but also gained a powerful ally.

The Yautja supplied them with not only food but also helped develop their planet and technology to the galactic standard instead of the primitive tech that they were using.

Nott was visiting due to Sheel (his full name is too fucking long) requesting her presence.

So after she greeted the various men and women of Kalee, she made her way to Sheel's palace where she was greeted by the sight of his ten wives, 40 children, and elite guard.

All of who were surrounding one reptilian looking man. He stood in the center with two blades on his hips and a rifle strapped to his back.

"Hello, Sheel. Been a few years we have seen each other," Nott smiled at the man

"Nott. I'm glad you have come," his deep voice silenced the hall, making even the children not speak in his presence.

"I requested your presence because I feel that my people have not been treated fairly by you."

Nott was puzzled by his statement. They had requested nothing of the Kaleesh besides allowing them to bring in more advanced tech

"What do you mean by that, Sheel?"

"We have accepted your gifts but we have been unable to give anything in return," Sheel explained his perspective

Nott had a moment of enlightenment when he finally spoke up.

'So he feels guilty because we haven't asked anything of them? Gosh, I love cultures like theirs. So much easier to deal with.'

Nott was thinking of what it would be like if everyone was as honorable as the Kaleesh.

"We thank you for your intentions but we have no need to ask anything of you, yet.

However, we do sense that there shall be a large change in the future. I am not sure what it is but we will be calling upon you when that time comes.

So please, keep your people strong until then. And when that time comes, we shall tell you the price for our generosity." Nott spoke with conviction, letting them know that she was not simply placating them.

She truly wanted them to understand that the Yautja never did anything for free and the price would eventually come.

And unlike others who would be offended with a favor being held over their like Nott was doing, Sheel just smiled.

"Good. Then we shall wait for your commands."