No.

I II III IV V VI VII

Name Advantages Weaknesses Shii-Cho Methodical Weak against Makashi, Djem So Makashi Dueling (Single Combat) Multiple enemies Soresu Defensive Little Offensive capabilities Chaos and the Void built the galaxy, and created Ataru Speed, Agility Weak against Makashi, Djem So everything within it. But differences between them Djem So Powerful Weak against Soresu, Ataru made them fall out. Their children, the Niman No specific weaknesses No specific strengths. Primordials, seperated to form the light and the Vaapad Ferocity Close to Dark side dark primordials. They created their fighters, the Jedi and the Sith to claim the other half of the galaxy. Many wars have been waged between the two sides for dominance, but the line through the galaxy has held every time. The Jedi use the light side of the Force to protect the galaxy from harm, whilst the Sith only seek power and domination over the entire galaxy. The Jedi number at a low 500 members, whilst the Sith number at 700, but they have over 5000 dark Jedi working under them. The Jedi are based on Tython, located in the deep core. It is a small planet, but it is a powerful force nexus that has attracted force users over millenia, both light and dark side. As such, it has many artifacts hidden about its surface, some of which are not entirely benign. The Jedi maintain a small settlement there.
The Jedi follow a hierarchical structure. Jedi Padawan Novice Jedi. Majorly train under a Jedi Master for several years before taking the Trials. Jedi Master A trained Jedi having passed the Jedi Trials. They can start training a new Padawan. Jedi Grandmasters Percy and Nico. They are chosen to be the primary advisors to Chaos in the Council of Light. They are immortal. All Jedi use the Defender class light corvette. All Jedi wield a lightsaber, with the colour of the blade reflecting their personality. The Pommel contains a large gem that amplfies the Jedis connection with the Force. It can also be used to store energy to allow powerful force abilities. There are various types of lightsaber and associated combat types. There are seven levels of training to achieve the rank of Jedi Knight. Each level has one lightsaber form and one realm of the Force connected to it. Initiates learn the first level. Padawans then learn the subsequent levels, some to a higher degree than others. Once they have mastered all seven forms to an acceptable level, they take the trials to become a Jedi Master. A particularly experienced Jedi Master is given the accolade Battlemaster/Sagemaster depending on whether they chose to focus on the lightsaber forms or Force control. Jedi wear a formfitting unisuit that includes boots, gloves, and a hood. They may wear armour over this if required. They hang their

lightsabers from a utility belt that goes around their waist. The suit is removed through a recessed zipper in the front of the suit that runs down to the groin. There are many discrete pockets around the suit, including on the legs, chest, back, and arms for various tools. There are two specialised pockets for lightsabers on either side of the waist for concealing the lightsaber, whilst also allowing it to be easily removed. A black cloak may be worn about the neck to further improve anonymity. Colour schemes for the suit come in a primary black with any secondary and tertiary colour of the wearers choosing.

This is the Home One. Class Home series Crew Operated by droids and AI computers. Manned crew of 50 Jedi. Carries over 10,000 Jedi and many more droids Engines/Power Rear sub-light thruster, rear hyperdrive. Engineering and power generation in bottom of ship Weapons 30 phaser cannons on turrets 4 Torpedo tubes (fore) It has 2 hangar runways that extend through the width of the ship. There are multiple hangars attached along the sides of these runways. These two runways are also connected internally. These four external hatches are usually closed by heavy blast shields unless it was in use. There are other independent hangars for small shuttles. In front of the runways are long term storage for the Jedi Flyers. The lower decks have long term storage areas in the front and the engineering/power sections in the rear. Above these are the flyer storage and maintenance running all the way to the runway level. The upper rear has the Jedi temple and Jedi housing areas, as well as the bridge. The upper front is for the droids to recharge and where they are based off of. Night Caller The Pocket Carrier belonging to Artemis and her Hunters. It is a modified CR90 corvette measuring 50m long, 18m wide, and 10m tall, with a top deck, a Squadron deck, and a lower cargo deck. The top deck contained the cockpit in the front, with a Major, pilot, co-pilot/science, Squadron ops, and tactical stations. It also had bunks for 20 with four girls to a bunk, and a seperate bunk for Artemis, and had two individual refreshers as well as a large lounge/conference area towards the rear, ending with a medical bay behind the lounge. The Squadron deck was split through the middle, with six Aethersprite interceptors in each bay. The rear had a central repair bay that could hold two Aethersprite interceptors. In the nose of the Squadron deck was the munitions bay for the fighters. Behind this was Engineering with the hyperdrive and the two fusial thrustors to the rear. The lowest deck held cargo bays. The ship had 1 engineer, 1 medic, 2 Squadron crew, four cockpit crew, as well as 12 pilots, giving a total crew of 20 besides Artemis. The ship was armed with five dual turbolaser turrets positioned two on either side of the hammerhead, two on either side of the spine to protect the hangar bays and one in the rear dorsal to protect the rear. These were unmanned, with an astromech-level AI inbuilt that took targets from the tactical station in the bridge. It also had a missile launcher in the nose. The Aethersprite interceptors had two turbolasers in the nose. Their secondary weapon were two light ion cannons. They also could mount two missiles at the wingtips. Each had a crew of a single pilot and inbuilt astromech unit. They were short range, and had a Squadron time of only five hours.

Space Blue Air Yellow The Clone Army Ground Green Clones had an average life-span of 50 years, though they would be completely fit for duty for all but their first 10 years (though this could Special Forces/Security Red be shortened to 5) and their last year. Clones were male, though they were infertile. Their DNA was taken from a perfect soldier, who was selected by physical tests conducted by the Jedi. A prime sample of his DNA was taken and replicated artificially. The clone soldiers were within the top 1% of humanity in terms of fighting ability. The number of clones is approximately 100M, split into Squadrons of capital ships of 20,000 men.

1 Legion (19,000): 4 teams @ 9 men +1 Lieutenant +Combat Medical Droid = 1 Platoon (37) 6 Platoons + 1 Captain (CO) + 1 Scout (Lieutenant, XO) + 1 Medic + 1 ATTE = 1 Company (230) 10 Companies + 1 Major + Cohort Command (9) + Field Hospital (15) + Engineering (5) + 40 Vultures = 1 Cohort (2370) st 8 Cohorts + 1 Senior Major + 1 Major + Legion Command (18) + 4 L-wing transports = 1 Legion (19,000)

Gods After a civil war in which Percy and Nico were exiled from Olympus, a new Olympian Council arose. This time, the roman and greek camps were merged. The gods still went by their greek names, but the fighting style became more roman like, and the language spoken became latin. Zeus: King of Gods. God of Skies Hera: Queen of Gods, Goddess of Marriage... Poseidon: Lord of the Seas Hestia: Goddess of Fire, Home, Hearth Hades: Lord of the Ground Persephone: Goddess of Nature Apollo: God of Sun, Boys, Music ... Artemis: Goddess of Moon, Hunting, women, ... Hephaestus: God of Forges, Metal working Annabeth: Goddess of Wisdom, Buildings Hermes: God of messengers... Thalia: Goddess of Heroes, War

Primordials Chaos, Destruction Gaia, Planets Pontus, Subspace Erebus, Darkness Chronos, Time Aether, Nebulae/gases Tartarus, Void Thesis, Creation Uranus, Space Thalassa, Mind Nyx, Shadow Eros, Emotions Hemera, Light Ananke, Compulsion/Inevitability

These Space Stations are the Home series of stations. They serve as nodes from which multiple Jedi fleets can operate from. Each one typically can host up to 50 full-sized fleets. They offer fuel, supply and long term overhaul of the ships, along with additional troops for the Jedi. They also have offices for the Jedi negotiators and diplomats to operate out of, who also are in command of these stations. These stations are designed to be capable of operating independently, with supplies to last 5 years and powerful defenses. Therefore, they are typically located within tactically important systems, and typically have a small Squadron of Munificent class frigates to protect them. They also operate a fleet of transports for medical, cargo, and troop transportation purposes. They have 10 Phaser cannons protecting each docking bay, and over 100 dual turbolaser cannons for anti-starfighter operations located around both hulls. They had a base crew of 2000, with another 500 operating shuttles and transports. The habitable regions are located in the upper saucer. The lower saucer is primarily cargo holds, with an engineering section in the lower center, along with the propulsion systems. In the upper level, the command and office decks are located in the center. In between the five docking arms are the long term medical center, Ship repair and service facilities, housing for staff and visiting clones/Jedi, a large internal docking bay, and more storage space. There are 200 stations scattered around the galaxy.

Class Republic class Cruiser / Carrier

Characteristics Length: 2000m Crew: 4500; 1 Cohort; 3000

Providence Class Cruiser

Length: 1600m; 200m; 375m Crew: 4000; 4 Companies; 0

Venator Class Destroyer

Length: 1200m; 550; 250 Crew: 2500; 2 Companies; 1000

Acclamator Class Troopship

Length: 750m; 450m; 150m Crew: 1000; 1 Legion; 0

Weapons 6 Dual Phaser turrets (Fore) 6 Dual Phaser turrets (dorsal flanks, rear) 4 Dual Phaser turrets (ventral, flanks) 60 Dual turbolaser turrets 8 Torpedo tubes (4 fore, 4 flanks) 2 Heavy Ion Cannons (front Dorsal) 14 Dual Phaser turrets 80 Dual Turbolaser turrets 12 Flak Cannons 10 Torpedo tubes (fore, flanks) 30 Anti-starfighter missile launchers 8 Dual Phaser turrets (fore, rear flanks) 2 Phaser turrets (fore, forward flanks) 32 Dual turbolaser turrets 4 Torpedo tubes (fore) 4 Ion cannons (ventral) 12 Dual turbolaser turrets

Complement 20*12 V-wing interceptors 20*12 A-wing Fighters 10*12 Y-wing heavy fighters 3 L-wing transports

8*12 V-wing interceptors 8*12 A-wing fighters 2*12 Y-wing heavy fighters 1 L-wing transport 80 Speeder bikes 80 ATTE 320 Vultures 4 L-wing Transports

Munificent Class Frigate

Length: 800m; 400m; 250m Crew: 460; 1 Platoon

Defender Class Corvette Pelta Class Cargo/Medical Frigate L-wing Assault craft Y-wing Heavy fighter/Bomber

Length: 70m Crew: 8 Length: 300m Crew: 10 Length: 50m Crew: 5 Length: 15m Crew: 2 + Astromech Length: 11m Crew: 1 + Astromech Length: 7m Crew: 1 + Astromech Length: 5m Crew: 1 Length: 13m; 5m; 5m Crew: 5 + Astromech

2 Dual Phaser Cannons (Fore) 2 Dual Ion cannon turrets (Flanks) 84 Dual turbolaser turrets 8 Flak Cannons Dual turbolasers (flanks) Hidden missile launcher (fore) 2 Dual turbolaser turrets (dorsal) 3 Dual turbolaser turrets 2 light ion cannons (forward) Dual laser turret (dorsal) Bomb/Missile carriage 4 laser cannons 1 missile rack 2 dual laser cannons 2 gatling laser cannons Missile rack (6) 2 weapons racks 1 heavy mass driver cannon 6 anti-personnel laser cannons

1x Jedi Aethersprite interceptor 500 tonnes of cargo Or 1000 wounded 1 Company + 1 underslung ATTE Hyperdrive

A-wing Multi-purpose Space Superiority Fighter V-wing Interceptor Vulture Atmospheric fighter

Long range sensors Hyperdrive

ATTE Walker

Racks can carry two soldiers each OR extra weapon emplacements with external gunners Command Center (CO, XO) + bike Medical bay (Medic, 2 beds)

The Providence Class Cruiser was a ship-ship engagement vessel. It didnt carry a starfighter complement, removing the weakness of large hangars. It had many powerful weapons to take down large enemy cruisers and target enemy formations. It measured at 1600m long, 200m wide, and 375m tall. The tower at the rear allowed the Captain a view over the entire fleet as well as of the enemy fleet. The tower had a seperate shield generator to the main ship, allowing the height. There were only two main sublight thrusters, making it a rather slow ship. But it reduced the weakness of multiple undefended thrusters. The pod at the bottom of the ship was a sensor array and missile launcher. This was at a height such that the main shields could cover over it or under it. Therefore, electromagnetic charges could be fired without the brief flickering of the main shield caused by the other powerful weapons. The powerful active sensors could also be used with the shields still up. The ship had two powerful ion cannons on the dorsal part of the main structure. These would short out the enemy ships electrical systems for a short while, making them completely defenseless. It also had 14 dual turbolaser turrets and 80 dual turbolaser turrets, as well as 10 torpedo tubes, 12 flak cannons, and 30 missile lauchers that were used against starfighters and smaller ships. The entire hull (except the thruster exhausts) were well shielded with atleast two layers of EM shielding and a thick neutronium hull. It only carried 4 ground companies for defense and couldnt offensively use them against enemy ships. It had a couple of shuttle bays below the tower for use by shuttles, though these could be used by a wing of fighters each should the necessity arise.

The Venator class Destroyer is a smaller ship than the massive Republic class, with a length of 1200m. It was designed as a competitor to the Providence class and Munificent class, but lost the competition due to its size and its similarity to Sith cruisers. Percy, however, continued to use it having championed its design as a versatile fighter. Its dagger shape allows it to focus all of its weapons to the front of the ship as well as the flanks. But the rear arc as well as the ventral surface are not well defended, as is the perpendicular dorsal direction. Heavy armor in the ventral surface protects that section. But the dorsal section, especially when the hangar bay doors are open, and the engines are tempting targets. Therefore, Venators Majorly operate in Squadrons with a Republic class cruiser to back them up. They are designed to be used in deep space also, and so have large storage spaces for supplies and massive fuel stores. Their primary weapons are 8 dual phasers on either side of the bridge. They also have two phaser turrets in the dorsal bow to protect the hangar bays and provide cover fire for any fighters taking off or landing. These can also swivel to protect the flanks, though the dual phasers only have an elevation angle of 30 deg. There are 32 dual turbolaser cannons spread around the ship, especially on the flanks and dorsal surface for point defense from enemy fighters. There are also 4 torpedo tubes in the front, just below the hangar bay. The ship carries 8 Squadrons of V-wing interceptors on the port side, and 8 Squadrons of A-wing fighters on the starboard side, as well as 2 Squadrons of B-wing bombers and an L-wing assault transport in the rear of the hangar. The 2 ATTEs used by the 2 companies are stored alongside the L-wing. The Venator has more than six engines, making it extremely fast and maneuverable. In combat, they typically attempt to outflank an enemy and cut through his lines by finding the weakest spot whilst the Republic class tanks hold the enemys attention. The ship has two docking ports on either side of the bridge superstructure that are used for docking with stations or with other ships. They can also be used as auxiliary hangar bays for shuttles if so needed. The main dorsal hangar bays are opened only in relative safety as the innards are relatively weakly defended. In the middle of a battle, only the forward section is opened, keeping the main blast doors closed. This limits the number of Squadrons that can take off, but greatly reduces the chance of bombing. The rear of the hangar also has a lift that leads down to the Squadron engineering deck and the weapons depot.

This is the Acclamator class troop transport. They have a crew of 1000 men, including a small medical, engineering, and support crew for the Legion. It has 4 ion cannons on the ventral surface to target any ground installations to drain their power. They can also be used to weaken planetary shields. They also have 12 turbolaser cannons around the flanks and dorsal surfaces for starfighter protection. They can land on planetary surfaces, and even on water due to their powerful repulsor lifts, and so act as Legion headquarters during a campaign. It carries a legion of 19,000 men, along with the 80 ATTE walkers, 80 Speeder bikes, and 320 Vulture fighters. They also have 4 L-wing assault craft within the small hangar bay, ready for ground assault. The Munificent class frigates were used as light and nimble ships in large engagements to attack opposing small ships and starfighters, assisting the Venator class. They were small at only 800m in length, 400m wide and 250m tall; but they were heavily armed with dual phaser cannons in the prow, along with another 2 dual phasers on turrets at the edge of the wings. For anti-starfighter operations, they had 84 dual turbolaser turrets peppered around the hull. They also had 8 flak cannons. They had a crew of 500 men, though they didnt have any ground forces or starfighter pilots. They had a single hangar below the bridge that could handle two shuttles at any point that could be used to carry one wing of interceptors or fighters, but this was only used in large convoy escort duty which these ships were commonly used for. They rarely travelled singly, usually operating in pairs or within a larger mixed fleet. Their large shields afforded them heavy protection. These shields dissipated their heat directly into space by the radiators on the wings of the craft, allowing it to take a lot of damage. The wings also had the repulsorlifts that allowed the frigate for planetary operations to aid ground troops.

8-man Forward Assault Squad 2-man Ship team Pilot/Navigation, Tactical/Engineering 6-man Assault team - Captain/Intelligence Assault Rifle, Heavy Pistol - Sniper/Recon Sniper Rifle, Heavy Pistol - Medic/Infiltration Medpac, Dual Submachine guns - Heavy Armour/Assault Additional Armor, Assault Rifle - Heavy Weapons/Engineering LMG, Explosives - Technical/Melee Slicing tools, Electrostaff, Heavy Pistol Droids: 2 R2 units (1 for ship, 1 for Assault team), 1 Protocol droid. Vehicles: 1 8-man open-top shielded groundspeeder troop transport (1 forward HMG, 2 side LMGs fixed. 1 Pilot) The Ship is a BT-7 Thunderclap Troop Transport. One enters through a ramp that extends from beneath the bridge. This area also has two escape pods for five each and a docking port. Going up steps to the left leads to the main lounge, which has a large holo-communications center in the center, and two rows of four seats before it for briefings. It also attaches to an 8-man bunkroom to the rear, with an attached refresher. To the right of the lounge leads up to the main bridge. Between the bridge and the lounge is the 1-ward medical bay. At the rear is the engineering compartment with thrustors and hyperdrive. To the right of the bridge is the main cargo-hold, which holds the groundspeeder and other equipment as well as an armoury. The ship requires two to operate. A pilot/navigator, and a Tactical/engineering specialist. The ship has advanced weaponry including a full missile complement of 25 missiles, three turbolaser cannons, and a heavy ion cannon.

SPECTRES Alyssa Poseidon Intelligence, Communications, Tactics, Piloting Supplies Pack Grace Zeus Sniper, Recon, Infiltration Scanning/Recon Pack Dan Hephaestus Slicing, Engineering, Heavy Weapons Slicing/Explosives Pack Mike Apollo Medic, Close Range Assassination Medical Pack Modular Assault Rifle: FN F2000 w/grenade launcher, FN F2000 w/sniper scope+extended barrel, FN F2000 w/extra ammo slot+heavy barrel, FN F2000 w/shorter barrel SMG/Assault Rifle: H&K MP7 Personal Weapons: ion cannon, sniper rifle, LMG, shotgun...

Chapter 1: I was pacing back and forth. Today was the last day I could be selected as a Jedi Padawan. If none of the Masters chose me, I would be given some menial job around the Temple or sent away. And that was the last thing I wanted. I wanted to become a Jedi. I had to become a Jedi. A Jedi was the ultimate calling. To act as peacekeepers of the entire galaxy was not a job lightly given. I fingered the gem I held in my hand. I had spent the last month crafting it. And the masters had barely glanced at it. The parade as it was called had ended a few minutes ago. Masters walked through the ranks of Padawans, inspecting the gem in our hands. These gem colours varied, from purest white to near inky black. They would be looking at the techniques that we had used in crafting the gem to showcase it in the best possible manner. Some gems truly were beautiful, and the Masters had oohed and aahed over those padawans. The boy standing next to me had been one of those, and he sported a triumphant grin. Grandmaster Nico himself had nodded at him. High praise from the second most powerful Jedi in the galaxy, and he had not even spared a glance at me. Of course, he began boasting instantly. Why do I refer to him with such loathing, you ask? True, Jedi are not supposed to feel hate. And to be honest, it is not hate that I feel. Just annoyance. He was the most pompous and arrogant padawan to grace these grounds. The fact that he even deigned to stand in line with the rest of us plebs was a surprise. His parents were part of the ruling council on Coruscant. But, like all force sensitive children, he had been taken from them at age 8. Now, at age 13, he like the rest of us, would find a Master, and train under that Master for another 10 or so years, at which time he would take the Jedi Trials and become a full Jedi Master, capable of taking his own Padawan. By the way he said it, he would be done within the next 5 years. And under Master Percy no less. Of course, it didnt matter to him that Master Jackson had never taken a Padawan in the last 300 years. The fact that I had been his personal slave, forced to do pretty much everything for him since I could remember meant that he found every opportunity he could to taunt me. I had caught a lucky break when his parents, the Baron and Baroness of Tattooine, had seen him use his force powers and immediately summoned a Jedi to test whether he could be a hopeful. That Jedi had also sensed the force in me, and took both of us in. As a Jedi, slavery was a no-no, and so I was freed, rather reluctantly, by the Baron. Here, I could finally prove myself, and I had worked hard over the last five years. But now, it all hung by a single thread. Whether a Master would choose me. I really didnt mind which Master it was. It could even be Master Piett, who was more often drunk than sober. I would work hard to attain the rank of Master, then I would rid this world of evil. I sighed. That chance only seemed to be a glimmer in the furthest reaches of my mind, no more. I wondered what I would do if I wasnt selected. I looked around. The lush green vale to my front, and the soaring cresent shaped cliff behind me appeared so old. I felt ... stretched. Like no matter what I did, it was out of my hands now. It gave me a curious sense of release. There was nothing more I could do, so why worry. A very enlightened idea, if you ask me, a voice said. I spun around. A Master sat upon one of the steps, under the shadow of the massive statue of a Jedi meditating that stood and had stood for millenia behind him. He wore sea-green and black robes with gold edges. Clearly a highly respected Jedi. Gold was only allowed for the most favoured Jedi, and I only knew of 10 or so who wore gold. Out of a 1000 Jedi, that was a small proportion. Master? I asked, respectfully keeping my eyes trained just below his. In the manner I had been raised, looking at his eyes meant that I was his equal. If he did not feel that, I would have insulted him. You are right in that you cannot do anything. Sit with an old man, he suggested, patting the steps next to where he sat. I hesitated for a second. But although his words were kind, there was a will of steel behind them, and I knew an order when I heard one. I sat down, making sure I didnt sit too close. Private space was also not to be violated by somebody as insignificant as I. All these were drummed into a slave until she understood. And old habits die hard. He chuckled. I merely wish to talk with a young mind, child. I wont bite. I nodded, keeping my eyes trained on the ground in between my feet. Might I see your work? he asked. Wordlessly, I took my gem, and handed it to him.

Hmm..., he finally replied, turning the stone in his hands and inspecting how it reflected the light. Interesting shape. Might I ask why you choose such a simple design? Because I believed that if one cut a Force gem in a complex manner, it would only show multiple facets, and would weaken the power of the gem. Despite all the evidence to the contrary? Over the last 6000 years, gems have become more and more complex, with entire holocrons dedicated to the subject. And you chose an egg shape. Perhaps this is why Masters ignored you? Perhaps, Master. I cannot say. All I can say is I tried everything I could to make the gem as smooth and as even as I possibly could. I did not make the choice of the shape lightly. I am sure you didnt. In any case, what led you first to consider an egg? he asked. We were sitting parallel to each other, neither of us looking at the other. I found a statue in one of the caves in the Gnarls, Master. There was a statue of a Jedi with his lightsaber. The saber definitely had an oval shaped stone, master. I know that statue. However, I believe that the oval is actually made up of a lot of small facets, and is not a perfect oval. It seems to suggest that that particular Jedi tried to use as many faces as he could. Yet yours has a single face. Or a million faces, master. Surely a sphere can be explained as an infinite faced edge too? As could an egg? And where did you learn this interesting tidbit? the Master asked, surprise showing in his tone. When I was crafting it, Master, I found that what I was essentially doing was removing a lot of small slivers. By removing so many slivers, I was making each face so small as to be inivisible to the naked eye. That resulted in the oval. But I have a feeling that the Masters were not looking for that. Hmm... Then what do you think they were looking for? he asked. I got the feeling that this was a trick question, and what he really meant by the question was deeper than what it appeared to be. I glanced at him. His green eyes were boring straight into my head. I turned back to stare at the ground. I dont know master, I finally admitted. Guess. His answer was instant. I shrugged my shoulders. He nodded, looking somewhat disappointed. I see. Well, I must be going. And stop worrying, he said, with a smile. He put his hand on my shoulder, and used that as a support to push himself to a standing position. I was surprised by how light he felt. He nodded to me, and walked up the stairs. Well. Looks like you found an interested Master after all. Poor master. Getting old must have dulled his senses, he smirked, walking up to me. Excuse me, Ryker I growled. I see my friends calling to me. What friends? All of them are my friends, he teased. I am sorry. But the air is getting rather stale. Excuse me, I repeated in the same tone, pushing past him, and stomping off to another corner. Fortunately, he didnt follow me. An hour later, all the Padawans in my class were called in. There were 18 of us. We stood in front of the main stairwell. This large area allowed Masters to drop in and claim Padawans. The entire process would not take more than 10 minutes. One by one, we would step forwards, and Masters would essentially bid for us. The Master with

the most experience would get first pick. As such, younger Jedi Masters rarely got Padawans. These were the Masters I was hoping would choose me. Surprisingly, when we went in, there werent a lot of Masters. Sure, many lined the upper balconies, but they were mainly there for the show. Jedi rarely got time to relax, and when they got cause, they gladly took it. Before us were about 20-25 masters. I noticed the Master I had met earlier. He smiled when he saw me. I smiled nervously back. I also noticed Master Nico. He seemed to be looking intently at Ryker. Who was grinning as if he had already been selected by Master Nico. Our Trainer, Master Drallig, went through us one at a time. So far, bids were averaging two to three per student. I hoped there was somebody who was actually interested in me. Master Drallig came to Ryker. I was last, standing just to the left of Ryker. Youngling Ryker. Of Tatooine, was all Master Drallig said. He merely stated the name and planet of origin. He had probably submitted extensive reports on each of our abilities to the other Masters, which would explain why some of them were poring over padds. There was silence. I could see Rykers eyes widening. He searched desperately through the Masters. But none were looking like they were bidding. In fact, most of them were poring over their pads. Those Jedi who had already gotten Padawans had collected their Padawans and taken them away. But there were still approximately 5 or 6 Masters left. All of them respected in the Jedi Order. I felt truly humbled to even stand before them. Qui-Gon Jinn came a single clear voice after a few seconds of silence. It belonged to an aging Jedi Master. Despite this, he was highly respected for his combat skill, and he had a prominent seat on the Jedi Council. Ryker was sent off towards Master Jinn, before whom he bowed reverentially. But now it was my turn. I stood frozen as Master Drallig moved over to my side. Youngling Tano. Of Tatooine! Obi-wan Kenobi! immediately rang out a voice. He was one of the younger masters sitting on the council. If my bidding began with him, I wondered who else will go. My eyes were wide, not believing this. None of the masters before me were looking at their padds. But most were looking intently at me. Luminara Unduli! A woman announced. She was a respected Councillor. Kit Fisto! Plo Koon! Two more respected councillors. I was nearly soiling myself with surprise. None of them had come to look at my Force gem. Yet they were all bidding on me. Nico di Angelo! I practically sat at my surprise. This was beyond anything I had hoped. There was silence for a few seconds. Nobody else was going to make a better offer, as only one person could, and if the rumours were true, he hadnt taken a Padawan in over 300 years. Ahsoka Tano goes to... Master Drallig began. Perseus Jackson! the last voice called out. Abruptly, I sat down. But everybody was so shocked that nobody called me out on this. My eyes sought out who had said those words. And came to rest on a pair of green eyes that seemed to be glinting kindly at me. Damn it, Percy! Master Nico complained. I love being able to do that! Master Jackson chuckled. He ducked an incoming blow from Master Nico, chuckling the entire way up to the podium. Sorry, guys, but finders keepers! Keep telling yourself that, cousin! Master Nico grumbled. Master Percy came up to me, and kneeled, his eyes coming level to mine.

Nothing you could do about it, youngling, he smiled. Come on, Padawan. He turned and began striding through the crowd before us, forging a path in which I followed. I recieved smiles and pats on the back as I passed the assembled Masters. But my mind still hadnt caught up to reality yet. I was walking in a daze. Master Jackson led me to a private appartment. Each Jedi Master had one. They were small affairs, measuring only 4m by 3m. We entered the room. On the left wall were two bunkbeds 2m by 1m with thin mattresses. On the right was a study table, and several shelves mounted on the walls. On the far wall, behind an internal wall were what I presumed to be a private washroom. There were also two shelves lining this inner wall. One was empty, the other held several neatly folded robes. I held onto the small bag that held my change of clothes and toiletries my only posessions. Well, Padawan. The top bunk is yours, and those shelves. he pointed two shelves out. It is not big, but it will be better than the shared accommodations you have in the Padawan quarters, he confided. It is sufficient, Master, I said humbly. And I was more than satisfied. In the Padawans quarters, the entire class was put into one room. 18 people sleeping in a row of bunkbeds, with small shelves at the foot of the beds and two shared bathrooms was not a walk in the park. Here, the two of us would be alone. Master Percy handed me a key. I prefer to keep the room locked. I have several valuables in here that I would prefer to keep safe. I understand, Master. I promise to always keep the door locked. That is not my concern. The door will automatically lock when it is closed. As you might have noticed, there is no handle on the outside. So your only way in is this key. And only I have a copy. So if happenchance you get locked out, come to me. I nodded. Alright. A couple of rules for this room. I expect the room to be tidy enough to walk around in. I do not wish to walk over or maneuver around your stuff on the floor. I nodded. Not a problem. Second. You may freely borrow anything of mine you wish, though I would like it if you would return it to its original place when you are done. If you are going to take something of mine out of this room, a note left in its place is sufficient you need not tell me. I tend to forget trivialities such as that. I nodded again. Last and most important. He tapped the first drawer in the table. I noticed that it was locked. This contains the valuables I was talking about. I know the ingeniousness of Padawans. I want your word that no matter what happens, you will not open it, try to find out what is inside it, or anything of the sort. You will not even talk of this drawer to any of your friends. I would like your word on this. I give you my word, master, I promised. He looked carefully into my eyes, then nodded. If a Jedi cannot keep to his word, he has no right being a Jedi. That was the first lesson my master taught me. And it will be the first lesson I will teach you. I nodded again. Good. Now. As for your friends. I have no friends, master, I interjected. He glared at me, and I realised my mistake. I hung my head. As for any friends or aquaitances you wish to bring here, I will not stop you. On these conditions. You will be in bed by 10pm sharp. I will also be in bed by 10pm, and if you are not there by then, I will know. So no friends visiting after 10.I will wake you at 6 in the morning sharp, and breakfast will be at 6:30. I expect you to shower every morning upon waking up. I nodded. That is all. Any other rules you will figure out as you go along. He looked at me, and his eyes softened. He sat down on his bed. If you have any problems with the rules or feel they are unfair, bring them up to me, and I promise I will give them due consideration. I have not had a Padawan in a long time. I have forgotten what it felt like. So if I make any mistakes, remind me, and hopefully forgive me. I nodded again, not quite sure about what to say. He chuckled. Do I frighten you, Padawan? Nervously, I shook my head. Jedi were not supposed to feel fear. That is a tall request, even of a Jedi. We do not require you to not feel, Padawan. The exact opposite, in fact. You must feel everything. Love, sadness, anger, everything. But you must not act without logical reasoning and the Force backing you up. He must have sensed my confusion. That wasnt what Padawans were taught. We trained to

ignore fear, anger, hate, jealousy. All of which led to the dark side. You will understand in due time. You will find that I am not an orthodox teacher. Why dont you unpack and then meet me in 30 minutes in training ring II, and well see what youre made of. He stood up, smiled, and walked out. Chapter 2 I focused my mind into a point within itself. Then I allowed all that pent up concentration to mould the Force flowing around me. I could sense the two large rocks that I was supposed to levitate, and I moulded the Force to become denser around the base of the rocks, and commanded the Force to push up. Gradually, the rocks began to shake as the Force became stronger. And now that I was directly supporting the weight of these massive rocks, it became difficult. I frowned, pouring in more and more of the Force into the rocks, forcing them higher. My mind was straining, my concentration would soon break, and the rocks would crash back to the ground. And I would have failed. But not this time. This time I promised myself I would pass. I could swear I heard my mind creaking as the Rocks pushed back into my mind, trying to obey Gravity. But yet I pushed. The creaking became louder. I was sure something was going to break, but I had no idea what. I had never experienced this creaking noise. But suddenly it stopped, and I knew that was bad. Very bad. Something broke, but now, I felt free. I could feel the Force flowing through me. I could feel the power of the Force. It spanned the entire universe, and I could mould it to do what I wished. But I had a task to do. But now, I could lift the rock with so much more ease. It just floated up as if it was insignificant. And I realised that it was. Compared to the power of the Force, the rock was insignificant. Well done, young one. A voice interupted my training.Now, would you be kind enough to let me down? I opened my eyes, and found my Master hanging upside down with his head level with mine. I looked around. Several rocks within a 5m radius was floating at head height. Mortified, I abruptly released my concentration. Of course, the Force immediately went back to its usual ebb and flow, causing the rocks to crash back to the ground, along with a certain Master. Who did not look particularly happy. I suppose I asked for that, he grumbled, picking himself off the ground. Im sorry master! I dont know... I dragged off. If it wasnt so mortifyingly embarrassing, it wouldve been hilarious. Thats alright. I half expected something like this to happen. He was patting the dirt off of his robes. He looked at me. He wasnt wearing his blindfolds. As a Jedi, we are supposed to rely entirely on the Force. The Force will Provide is a favourite saying amongst the Masters. As such, we wear blindfolds after being inducted. I wear mine when I was not training. New Padawans arent experienced enough to sense with the Force and train at the same time. But once we learned how to sense with the Force as easily as we did with our eyes, the blindfolds would come off. Right now, I still had full use of my other senses. But one by one I would be deprived of them until I was left only with the Force, using it to see, hear, feel, smell, taste, everything. From what I heard, older Jedi apparently used their senses so little that their eyes withered and left a gaping hole, and their ears would not work. I never did see the reason to hurt your body for your faith, Master confided, breaking into my reverie. He gave me a small smile. And I do enjoy the small pleasures of seeing now and then. But enough about that. What did you feel? I felt something within me break, Master. And then it felt so easy! You will feel many more of these as you progress. They are barriers in your mind. Barriers that you have built up over your childhood. Barriers like the fact that there was no way that you could shift a 2 tonne rock by yourself. Oh! Lift the rock again, Ahsoka, he suggested. I didnt even have to close my eyes this time. I stretched my hand towards the rock, and gathered the Force energies about it, and the rock gently floated up effortlessly. I couldnt help but smile. Well. I think you have succeeded in the telekinesis department, Master Percy spoke up. But have you given any thought as to what form of lightsaber combat you wish to learn? He had put the question to me several weeks ago, after I had mastered the first circle of knowledge, absorbing the vast knowledge of the Jedi holocrons. I was now

in the second ring, learning how to connect with the Force. The next 7 rings would each involve a single discipline of Force use and an associated lightsaber combat form. I had to decide whether I would focus on lightsaber combat or on study of the Force. I believe I would prefer to focus on the Force, Master. But I also want to learn the lightsaber forms to the same level as a Knight, I replied finally. Master Percy grinned then, and I swear I had never seen him happier. Master if you grin any wider, Im certain your jaws would fall off! I joked. His eyes crinkled. I knew I made the right choice. Ive watched you train, Ahsoka, even when you havent seen me, and I dont think the Guardian or the Consular are suitable paths for you. In the old republic, there existed an individual class called the Jedi Shadows. They were rare, even then, but that particular class has been absorbed by the Knights and Consulars now. They focussed on both lightsaber and Force combat evenly. I personally trained to be a Shadow. And now it appears I have an apprentice! he chuckled. Im not sure what to say. Thanks? Come on. Shadows used a peculiar type of lightsaber. One I am eager for you to try. He took off walking back towards the temple. And what is this peculiar saber? I asked, curious, and slightly amused at my Masters child-like enthusiasm. Im afraid that will have to wait, a voice called. We turned to see a dwarfish person stomping over to us. He was about 3ft tall, and had green skin. He wore dirty brown robes as his only form of clothing, and used a gnarled cane to support him. Chaos, I bowed. Hello, Padawan. Heard of your apprenticeship to Master Jackson, I have, he said. His tone was as gnarled as his cane, and his words came in seemingly reverse order. His eyes, despite his obvious age, twinkled with childlike mirth. My congratulations, you have. Thank you, I bowed again. But you didnt come here just to congratulate my Padawan did you, Chaos? Master Percy asked. Correct, you are. A mission I have for you. To Earth you must return. What! Chaos...I Master Percy interrupted, a feeling of panic emanating from him. Know of your oath, I do, but of utmost importance this is. Achieved Warp travel, humanity has. Meet new races, they will. Stay there, the gods cannot. I knew I was not included in this conversation, so I looked around at the greenery surrounding the clearing Master Percy had found for us to train in. But I could not help but wonder. Gods? And why did Master Percy look so troubled? They wont abandon Earth so easily. And I am no negotiator. Negotiation, you need not. Convince them and sent ships, I already have. But sensed the Dark side on Earth have I. I see. And you want us to investigate? Master Percy asked, though he still sounded troubled. Now I was troubled. The dark side. Not your casual jaunt in the woods. Cant you send another? No. Faint it was. And the most skill amongst the Jedi, you do. Send Master Qui-Gon also, I will.

Master Percy sighed. Very well. But where are they being evacuated? To Tython. Better to have them in a place we can watch, Chaos replied. Master Percy sighed again. Well, looks like I cant ignore them for ever. What are our orders? Protect the Olympians and minor gods, you must. Protection of demigods and spirits, Master Qui-Gons job will be. Very good, master, though I do this with reservations. Taken note of your reluctance, I have. Apologise for asking you to do this, I do. Nothing of that sort, Chaos. They must be evacuated, and I am the best person to protect them. I just dont like it. Well, when do we leave? Immediately. Master Qui-Gon and his padawan, waiting for you in the landing pad, they are. Master Percy nodded. Come on, Ahsoka. We need to run. We jogged over to the Jedi temple. But once we reached there, we didnt go to the landing pad. Instead, Master Percy led us to his room. Perhaps he wanted to pick something up. Inside, he opened his closet, and pulled out what appeared to be two swords attached to each other at the pommel. So the combined hilt was about two feet long, and each blade was about 2.5ft long. As such, it was quite a bit taller than me. This is a staffsword, and is the weapon of a Shadow. We will begin training whenever we have the time. Alright? he asked. I nodded, taking the weapon from him. I didnt know how to carry it though. He handed me two sheaths, with two belts attached to them. The weapon splits into two, and these go onto your back. Quickly, he helped me don the sheaths and inserted the blades into the sheaths. This was a weapon I used a long time ago, before I became a Jedi. I will explain more about the weapon later. May it serve you well. He then dug out another lightsaber. I noticed that it appeared identical to the one he wore on his belt. Master hung the new one on the other side. Is that... My saberstaff. Like yours, it splits down the middle easier for carrying. But more later. We are getting late. Come on, he said, opening the door to let me out. We jogged on to the roof of the temple, where there were six landing pads, three on either wing. The nearest one had a fairly small transport. It would hold four people at most. Outside stood Ryker. He appeared to be waiting for something, or someone. Master Jackson, Ryker bowed deeply upon seeing us. I felt like snarling at him. His tone dripped honey, and I could tell he was trying to butter up Master Jackson. Out of the corner of his eye, he shot me a repulsed look. Padawan. Where is your master? Master Percy asked, his tone conversational. Inside, Grand Master. He instructed me to wait outside for you. We are ready to leave whenever you are ready. Well. Onwards then, Master Percy replied, as we walked up the narrow ramp into the ship. There were two seats in the bubble shaped front cockpit, and two benches/bunks directly behind, each of which could seat three at a stretch. A lone figure sat at the controls in the front, tapping away at the board. Sorry for being late, Master, I only just heard. Master Percy said, stepping in.

No problem. Take a seat, and we can leave, Master Jinn called from the front. Master Percy went to sit in the second cockpit chair. That left me and Ryker on the rather uncomfortable benches. He glowered at me. As we lifted off, the two masters began conversing to each other. They both served on the council, so were probably quite familiar with each other. But Ryker and I sat in stony silence. Neither of us could say anything without our Masters overhearing. May I say what a pleasure it is to go on a mission with you, Grandmaster Percy? Ryker asked, in the same oily tone. The two Masters exchanged a glance. Ryker did not seem to notice it, but I did. I relaxed. Both of them knew what was going on. You may, but I personally prefer action to words. Tells more about a Jedi than his words. Of course, Master. Ill show you I am a true Jedi. My bond with my master isnt particularly strong yet. But I could sense his displeasure. But externally, he hid it well. He remained silent. So, Ahsoka. Might as well introduce you to your weapons, then, Master Percy said as we made the jump to hyperspace. The trip would take several hours. Master Percy swiveled his seat back to face me. Master Jinn swiveled around as well. Yes, I was meaning to ask about that. Do you plan on teaching her to dual wield? Master Jinn asked. Yes. But that is only the first step. Connect your blades, Padawan. And go to the rear of the ship. Dont want you taking out somebodys eyes. Master Percy said. With some difficulty, I removed the twin swords, moved to the rear, and attached the pommels. At full height, the blade nearly hit the ground and the roof of the cabin. Face to the side, and hold your blade horizontally. That is a Sith weapon! Master Jinn exclaimed. I noticed Rykers eyes widen at that statement, and I knew this matter would spread throughout all the other Padawans the instant we returned. I would never be able to live this down. It is true that the saberstaff is commonly used by the Sith. But it wasnt first built by the Sith. It belonged to a Grey Jedi group called the Monks of Ragnos. They werent allied with the light or the dark, merely using the Force to predict the weather patterns in the chaotic atmosphere of their planet. In fact, a small sect of them remains on Ragnos, though many of their ancient wisdom has been lost to them. The Sith copied this weapon, converting it from a bladed weapon to a lightsaber weapon. At first, it consisted of a single battery in the core. Whilst this allowed the length of the saber to be reduced, it prevented the advantage of being able to seperate the blades in combat. Master Jinn nodded as he absorbed this information. That particular blade, was given to me by one of the Monks. It was one of their sacred relics of a bygone age when I visited. Ancient Jedi Lore suggests that the first Jedi learnt morality and the basic rules for use of the Force from the Monks. But the source is not verifiable, and we cannot be certain. A saberstaff typically has a combined hilt between 1 to 16 long. Each blade is approximately 3 long, though you will have to experiment to find the right length. Also, the blade is thinner than a 2h lightsaber blade to conserve the energy in the battery. These blades are not meant for brute attacks. They are meant to confuse and disorient the enemy, and I am sad to say that it was used to great effect against the Jedi in the past. Which is why not many Jedi train in this blade. Your main allies in the use of this blade are cunning and deception. With multiple blades, you can create an elaborate web of attacks, individually relatively harmless, but together deadly. Sun Djem, Master Jinn murmured. Sun Djem was the art of striking at critical points of the body. In this manner, even small hits would become deadly to an opponent. Precisely. An untrained enemy tries to keep track of the two blades individually, not realising that only one blade can attack at any one point in time. The main advantage is the rapidity of attacks. I personally prefer the Vaapad form whilst using a saberstaff, though Soresu and Makashi lend themselves well to saberstaff. I found the acrobatic requirements of Ataru particularly suited to the highly maneuverable requirements of the saberstaff, but your enemy, always, will be space. As you can see, there is not as much flexibility as a traditional lightsaber in confined quarters. Which is why I prefer to keep my lightsabers seperate. Does that answer your earlier question, Padawan? Yes, Master.

Whilst a Saberstaff can be a powerful tool, it also has many weaknesses. Against a skilled duelist or one who has trained against a saberstaff, you loose your element of surprise. Second, the large pommel means it is difficult to defend the one weak point of a lightsaber the hilt. Many trained opponents will try to slice your weapon between your hands. As you can see, you have atleast 8 of space for them to fight. I drew my hands closer. No. Dont do that. The hilt is that large for a reason. It allows you leverage to swing. It is difficult to thrust with this weapon, so its primary attack type is slashing. And to do that, you need to build up momentum of the blade. Additionally, you get a finer control of the blade with your hands further apart. Thats it. You have to constantly be on your guard about an enemy targetting the hilt, for it can disable one or both blades. I understand, Master. Very well. But I will not be teaching you the saberstaff forms for some time. First, you must master a circle with a single saber and the Force technique. Once you have passed this, I will teach you how to apply dual wielding to this. Only then will we look at saberstaff combat. And then we have six more circles to go. Expect your apprenticeship to be longer than average. Do you still wish to walk this path? he asked, his face betraying no emotion. He was telling me that he would not be disappointed either way. More than ever, Master. He gave me a small smile. Good. But you havent explained what a Shadow is... I asked rather hesitantly. Well. Like I said, there were three paths a Jedi could choose in the Old Republic. At one end was the Knight, who focused almost exclusively on lightsaber combat. Their Force use extended primarily in telekinetic combat. But they learned many different varieties of lightsabers too. At the other end was the Consular. They Majorly studied only a basic form of lightsaber combat, preferring to meditate on the Force. This did not mean they were weak in combat. In a party, they were the healers and could deal large amounts of damage from range. In peace time, they were diplomats, negotiators, and so on. But there was also a middle path. These were the Shadows. They learned both lightsaber combat and Force techniques. Unlike the Knights, they were not to be found in the midst of battle. And unlike the Consulars, they were not found in the rear either. They waited until they found an opening, and then rushed in to exploit the opening. They preferred to work alone, standing guard over sectors of the Old Republic, prepared for any situation in which Jedi intervention was required. They were sent into deep cover missions to capture an enemy leader. Otherwise they would be searching throughout the Galaxy for signs of the Sith for that was their speciality. They were hunters, laying traps, collecting intelligence, and so on. That was the origins of the Shadow. They were rarely seen outside of the Jedi Temple, but their influence was possibly the greatest. And why was this class abolished, Master? Master Jinn inquired. Because they were not needed after the Purge. When the New Order was created, Knights were required to handle any armed uprisings and Consulars were required to keep the fragile Peace. Few Padawans chose to become Shadows, and gradually none were left. Also, a Shadows path is uniquely difficult. It leads very close to the Dark Side. A Shadows almost exclusive enemy was the Sith. They would go to any lengths to hunt down the Sith, and tended to have a very black and white view of the Force. You either served the light or the Dark. They learned about the Sith, understood how they worked so that they may better hunt them down. Needless to say, many Padawans became ... trapped. And you wish to teach it to this youngling? Master Jinn asked. Percy sighed. Yes. I have been very careful about teaching the Path of the Shadow in the new order. It was a Shadow Master who fell to the Dark side and caused the Jedi Purge. Vader.

Yes. His deep knowledge of both the Sith and the Jedi allowed him to become very powerful. I cannot allow that. I have tried to merge some of the Shadow way into both the Knights and the Consulars. For example having to learn all seven rings of both lightsaber and force combat is a very Shadow thing to do. But other than me, there has not been a true Shadow in over 2000 years. It took a great deal of thought before I decided that I needed some help in these dark times. I would like to hunt down the Sith, Ryker said. He shot a sly look at me. That path is not for you, young one. From what I understand, it requires a rare mind. You should be honoured, Padawan Tano, that your Master has agreed to teach such arcane knowledge to one as young as you, Master Jinn said. I bowed. I am, Master. Well. About your training. Your Shii-Cho form is satisfactory, Master Percy said. I slumped my shoulders. He had begun teaching me the lightsaber form of the First circle, and I thought I was doing well. Master Percy smiled. Not perfect, young one. But you will get there. But from now on, it is only practice that will help you. When we reach Earth, I will begin instructing you in applying the concepts of Shii-Cho to dual lightsabers. That will take a lot longer and will be much harder, that I can promise you. I will try, Master. No! Try not! Master Percy said, imitating Chaos. Do. Or Do Not. There is no Try. Master Jinn chuckled at that. That is precisely what Chaos told me when I told him I would try to succeed in my first mission. He tells everybody that. Trust me, youll hear it more than once as a Padawan, Master Percy joined in. Over then next several hours, Master Percy lectured me on the various aspects of being a Shadow. All of this seemed to ignite a curious fire within me. I wanted to become a Shadow, and I wouldnt stop until I became a Shadow Master. Ryker, however, scowled more and more. Were here, Master Jinn said, as the two Masters swivelled back to face the front. As Master Jinn pulled back a set of levers, we decelerated out of hyperspace, the initial dampeners protecting us from the strong deceleration. We came to a black planet. There was no nature left. It appeared to be a single city. It reminded me of Coruscant, the capital of the Republic. As with Coruscant, large portions of the oceans had probably been reclaimed. Most habitable planets had a large proportion of water if life was to independently develop. Looks horrible, doesnt it. It once was beautiful. Blue-Green, with vast swathes of ocean and land giving it such a colourful appearance. Trees grew wild, and animals lived 1free. But then Man came, Master Percy said, sighing, and not without a trace of anger. This...This is an abomination. I noticed several large ships hovering about the Northern half of the planet. These appeared to be bulk freighters. Clearly the evacuation ships. We made our way to those ships. This is the Freighter Destiny. State your identity, a curt voice came over the intercom. This is the Jedi Transport Umbara, Master Jinn replied. Destiny to Umbara. We have been expecting you. An escort has been sent to guide you in, the voice replied.

Acknowledged. Thank you, Master Jinn replied. I noticed two fighters materialise on either side of us. Master Jinn followed them until they led us to a hanger bay on one of the larger ships. Once we entered the force fielded bay, the fighters returned, probably to continue their patrol. Master Jinn turned off the engines, and lowered the rear ramp. Then the four of us disembarked. We were greeted by a lone officer. Jedi. My name is Evet Piell, and I am the Captain of the Destiny. Captain Piell. How is the evacuation proceeding? Master Jinn asked. Satisfactorily. The natives are not happy about this. I am not sure I understand everything, but the humans are not happy that the Gods have lived amongst them with no idea of their presence. And now the Jedi and the Republic have intervened in what they consider a private matter. The Gods are not happy about having to leave their homeland, and they are also grumbling. Lastly, we have no idea where we are to take them. The Republic tells us that they have not yet decided. And the Gods want to know. Believe me, they badger me and have so many requests. To be entirely truthful, I should be hauling goods, I have zero knowledge of how to handle them. Thank the Maker youre here. How long will you take to complete the evac? Just the last few shuttles left. We should be ready to depart in two hours. And then we can leave for Coruscant. We wont be going to Coruscant. Go to Tython. It is where they will be evacuated to, Master Percy said. The Captain nodded. Well meet with the Gods. Gladly. The sooner Im done with this mission, the sooner I get to haul stuff that doesnt complain about everything. Where are the Olympians? Master Percy asked. Take us to them. In the hold. This is no cruiser ship. Everybody goes into the holds. If youll follow me... He turned and led us to a freight elevator. The entire ship looked rather dingy if you ask me. I sympathised with the Gods. If they were being chased out of their home, and forced into holds on this cargo hauler, I would be annoyed too. Mind your thoughts when in their presence. They will probably attempt to read your minds. Do not let them, Master Percy cautioned all of us. With a loud bang and a jerk, we stopped at a floor. People were packed onto the cavernous hall. Slots of floors had been added to be able to house extra people, but even so, they were clutching small bags of their personal items and looking positively terrified. They huddled together in clumps. Many were green and had features that reminded me of trees. Others had wispy bodies that wouldve just disappeared in the wind if allowed to. Further off, I saw a group of half-man half-animal people. What a diverse group of people. And they all got along. Amazing. The Captain stumped along, roughly pushing aside these people. I felt like asking him to be more gentle. Then perhaps they would have less cause to complain. Ryker, however, didnt seem to mind. He carefully stepped around these people, trying to keep as far from them as possible, as if they might have the plague. Disgusted, I continued to observe these people. All of them had a slight amount of Force ability, but not enough to wield the Force like a Jedi. Finally, we came across a clearing in the throng of people. Within this space sat 12 people. They were stronger, and I could feel their strength radiating off of them, though all of them looked tired. Three particularly powerful men sat near the head of what appeared to be a council. Well. Finally! We are starving, and your food dispensers appear to be broken! one of these three complained. These are the Jedi. They will take care of all of you from now on, the captain growled back, and then stomped off. Master Jinn stepped forwards. I apologise for...

Apologise all you want, but what are you going to do about it? The children are starving! a woman spoke up, pointing to a group of children. We will take care of it as soon as we can. But first we need to know. Do you know where you will be taken? No. All Chaos would say was that we would be evacuated. He said nothing about this! For that I apologise. The Republic did not deem your case to be their concern, and it was lucky we found this Captain at all, who was willing to transport you, Master Jinn replied. Padawan. I believe I see a line of people there queing for food. See what you can do about the replicators, Master Percy suggested. At once, Master, I said, giving a short bow, and departing. I did not hear any more of their conversation. I made my way over to the line. At the head of the very long line was a large industrial replicator. A series of tables before it were serving what appeared to be gruel. But the replicator themselves appeared to have stopped working. A very harried looking man was trying to pacify the crowds. I went over to him. Look! The replicator isnt working! Youll have to wait! he yelled. That includes you too, child, he told me. I wish the bloody engineers would get here quickly. I might be able to repair it. Could I take a look? I asked him. What could a child like you do? he chuckled. Go back to your mama and let us take care of it. That annoyed me. I rose to my full height, which considering, barely reached to his shoulders. I am a Jedi. Let me through. His eyes widened, and his mouth dropped. Umm... right this way, umm... Thats better. What is the problem? I asked him. The capacitors have become discharged. Unless they are charged, the replicators wont work. I see, I muttered. I went over to the open port on the side of the replicator. I saw what he meant. Without charge in the capacitor, the computer that controlled the replicator wouldnt work. The only way to recharge these capacitors were through jump leads from a shock cart. But I had spent a lot of time around the hangars in the Jedi Temple. When jump leads were not available, power from the EPS mains could be directly fed into the capacitor to charge it. A rather risky procedure, and definitely not recommended. But the hangar technicians had sworn that it would work. If the capacitor could be charged to even 50 percent, the basic computer routines could be turned on, and the computer could handle the routines. I disconnected the thick power cable at the bottom of the port. Electricity sparked between the terminals, and I hoped this would work. I removed the capacitor, and carefully tapped the contact on the capacitor, half afraid that it would blow up. Blue bars began lighting up along the side, and I seperated the capacitor. But only four out of the ten bars were lit. I needed to go a little further. But if I overcharged the capacitor, it would definitely blow up. I brought the two contacts together. Even before they touched, an electric spark jumped across the gap, and three more blue bars lit up. And nothing had exploded. I re-connected the power to its original socket, and replaced the capacitor, and closed the panel. Try it now, I suggested. His eyebrows rose, but he tapped the panel anyway, and a large bowl of gruel materialised. Ill be, he muttered. Thank you! I dont know how you did it, but I can finally feed these poor souls.

I nodded. He quickly created a large vat of gruel, and as the long line began moving again, those waiting let out a loud cheer, I smiled to myself. This is what it meant to be a Jedi. To serve others. Well, my mission, however little, was done. I made my way back to my Master. As I went, people began thumping my back, and thanking me. Apparently, they had seen what I had done. I blushed. I didnt do much, really. But they made it as if I had just saved their lives. I found my Master. Master Jinn and Ryker had disappeared, but Master Percy was sitting with the 12 Gods. He had removed his hood, and the 12 gods sat in shock. Ah! Padawan! I see you were successful. Come, sit, I would like to introduce you to my family. Master Percy smiled at me. Now I sported the same expression as the 12 gods. Your family, Master? I asked, stunned. Yes. This is Poseidon, my father, lord of the seas, he said, pointing to one of the three powerful gods. He had tears in his eyes, but he nodded and gave me a small smile nonetheless. I gave him a short bow. These are Zeus and Hades, his brothers, he said pointing out the two other gods. Zeus is the King of the gods. This is his wife, Hera, who also happens to be his sister. Dont ask me how or why. I dont know, and frankly, I dont want to know. He shivered. Some of the gods chuckled at this. We also dont want to know, Perce! one of the gods chuckled. This is Hestia. Married to my father sometime in the last 2000 years. Again his sister. My family appears to be very fond of each other, wouldnt you say? Too fond. Anyway, she is the goddess of fire, family, and homes. Poseidon blushed at this, whilst Hestia smiled prettily. Her eyes seemed to be welcoming, and glowed like warm embers. Uh-huh, Master Percy said, in disbelief. Anyway. This is Persephone, goddess of nature, and wife of Hades, lord of the dead. The lord of the dead did look rather terrifying. He didnt smile, though the goddess did. The next pair are the twins Apollo and Artemis. God and Goddess of the Sun and Moon... Hey. And Music and poetry and ... Apollo interrupted. He cleared his throat, and put his arm out in a stop sign, and prepared to say something. Not another haiku, brother. Or I will turn you into a lark, Artemis warned. And a lot of things. He cant get enough women to satisfy his urges, and she completely dislikes men. Result: This, he said as they began bickering with each other. Then we have Hephaestus and Annabeth. God of forges and metalworking weds goddess of wisdom and architecture, or so she says. I know for a fact shes not particularly wise. Annabeth turned bright red, and I sensed a bit of shame in her look. Percy just smiled, and gave her a one armed hug. And my best-friend from before I became a Jedi. My eyes widened. Lastly, we have Hermes god of travellers and Thalia goddess of something or other. Daughter of Zeus, but absolutely terrified of heights. Rather hilarious, actually. Suddenly, a spear was hurled at Percy, but he just ducked it and chuckled. You never could hit me, pinecone face! Not a wise idea, Seaweed brain, angering the goddess of war and heroes, Annabeth smiled, as Thalia moved to give Percy a hug. I noticed that he only patted her back. Well. Some changes since I was last here.

Who is this, precisely? Artemis asked, looking at me. I am Ahsoka Tano, Lady Artemis, I said, bowing. And I am Master Percys Padawan. Padawan? Artemis asked. Master? Thalia asked, falling over backwards clutching her stomach, unable to keep her laughter in. You calling a Kelp Head a Master? I looked between the two of them, unsure. A Padawan is a learner. She will accompany me in my missions until she is ready to do missions on her own. When she passes the trials, she will be of the rank Master and can go on her own missions and take her own Padawan. But she just began a month ago, and she wont take the trials atleast for another 10 years. Artemis nodded in understanding. Is there anything else you guys needed? Anything we can do to make your stay more comfortable? We will be leaving in a couple of hours. And we should reach Tython within a day. Not really. That Captain was rather rude, Zeus said. I apologise. We came as quickly as we could. So, Percy, how did you get to this? Annabeth asked, gesturing at Percy. Percy sighed. That is a long story, wise girl. Suffice it to say that after I ... left. I wandered the world for several years before being found by Chaos. I became a Jedi and have been one ever since. I knew from the way he said left, that there was a long history behind that. Percy ... Im... Poseidon began, looking uncomfortable. Save it, father. It is in the past. Lets just forget it, ok? Poseidon nodded, though he didnt look satisfied. What is Tython like? Apollo asked. Beautiful. Kinda like Earth in your time, Percy said. Our time? How do you know... Hestia began. Long story. But Chronos had a mission for me, and sent me back in time. I was there for a short while during the Titanomachy. I see, Hestia said. Please continue. It is actually a small moon orbitting a gas giant orbiting a fairly smallish star near the center of the galaxy. Tython is about 60% water, and has two continents. The Northern Continent is about the size of North and South America put together. It has large mountain ranges, deserts, and thick forests. Lot of wildlife, with many of it quite dangerous. The most evolved lifeforms are what we call flesh raiders. They are kinda like the neanderthals. Semi-sentient. Some of them get blasters and swords from traders. Illegal, but it still happens. Youll have to watch out for them. The Southern Continent is about a third of the northern Continents size. That is where the Jedi are located. Presumably, Chaos will give you domain over the Northern Continent and the surrounding waters and islands, but we will have to check with Chaos about that.

I see, Zeus said, frowning. Why are they called Flesh raiders? Artemis called. They eat only meat, and they dont care if it is of another sentient species of even of their own. Some tribes in the desert wastelands are cannibalistic. But they are nothing an averagely trained demigod cant handle. The gods nodded. There are several other beasts. Non-sentient, but powerful. Tython has what we call a Force Nexus: A place particularly strong in the Force. Many force users in the past have come to Tython, and left their mark on the planet. Youll find many ruins in both the southern and northern continents. These ruins have been focused in locations where the Force is particularly strong. But the Force has corrupted the creatures there. In particularly dangerous ruins, Jedi Outposts have been set up. Even so, venture into the ruins at your own peril. They cant be that bad... Persephone said. There are some ruins in which I dare not tread. I would love to enter and find out more about Jedi history, as would many other Jedi, and many have tried. But it is simply too dangerous. Fortunately for you, most of these ruins are located in the southern continent. What is this Force you speak of? Hestia asked. My Mother made mention of it when I was a child, but I have not heard of it since. Percy smiled. Rhea always knew more than she let on. It was a sad day when she faded. Some of the gods, whom Percy had introduced as siblings had a slightly nostalgic expression in their eyes. The Force is what existed before Chaos came. It is a fundamental force. It binds the universe together. All the other forces in the Universe are mere expressions of the Force. It is what Chaos used to create this Galaxy, just as others like him created the other Galaxies. There was something before him? Zeus asked. I thought he was the first. No. He, along with the rest of his race, were born when the universe was born. With the Big Bang. They divided up portions of the universe, agreeing to some basic rules about any further interractions between them. We call his race the Q, and they rarely make themselves visible, even to each other. Anyway. Chaos got this particular Galaxy, along with the two satellite Galaxies that orbit this one. The Force was also created with the Big Bang, and the Q found that they could alter the Force at will. So they created their individual realms in whatever way they wanted. When life began, their essences were included in the life-forms. But they found that some of their offspring could also influence the Force. Some to a greater degree than others. Each of you, for example, use the Force, but are limited to your individual realms. The gods nodded. I never knew this much about the Force. I absorbed it all. I never really thought of Chaos existing at the very beginning of the universe, or there being others like him. And the Jedi? Annabeth asked. Percy sighed. He didnt reply for some time. Some of these Q grew arrogant. They believed that since they were the first, they could control all life. So they gathered their children to forge an army. Those of their children who were particularly sensitive to the Force they put at the head of their individual armies. We call them the Sith. They use the Force to gain power, believing that by gaining more and more power they can free themselves from the rules of the universe. They began by first absorbing the power in their own galaxies. Then they began spreading like a plague. The Jedi were created by the other Q who believed that the Force should be used to protect and defend life. The Force, being a fundamental force, has both good and bad sides. The Sith use what we call the Dark Side of the Force. It feeds of emotions such as anger, fear, jealousy, greed, hate, and so on. The Jedi use the light side of the Force. This relies on emotions of peace, tranquility, justice, and so on. The Jedis purpose is to protect life on this galaxy, with other similar groups in other galaxies protecting their own galaxies. The gods sat in silence, digesting this information.

So thats what you do? Keep peace in this galaxy and defend it from the Sith? Hades asked. His voice rumbled rather menacingly. Percy nodded. Cant all the Jedi from all the galaxies band together and destroy the Sith? Annabeth asked, her brows furrowed. Im sure that good will defeat evil. Percy chuckled. The Sith arent just a group of people, wise girl. It is a side of the Force. As long as those emotions exist, the Sith will exist in some form or other. And as long as peace, tranquility and justice live, the Jedi will survive. In the end, neither side can totally be destroyed. But it is a constant battle. So you fight knowing that you can never be victorious, Thalia said, her frown matching that of Annabeths. Percy smiled sadly. A daunting goal, is it not? The dark side is easier. How easy is it to look to your own selfish goals, and not look at the larger picture? You can look at the people around you. Some of them may not be worth saving. But you do it anyways, because that is the right thing to do. That is why the Jedi are so few nowadays. We have about 500 Jedi in this galaxy. The Sith, on the other hand, have almost seven times that, mainly because it is easier. Are they stronger? I asked my Master. No. Never stronger. Easier, More alluring, the dark side is. But in the end, light will chase off the dark, Master Percy said, looking at me. Now, if youll excuse me, I promised my Padawan I will teach her some combat, Master Percy said, standing up. If there is anything you require... Yes. I would like to watch, Thalia said. As would I, Annabeth spoke up, as Apollo, Artemis, and a few of the other gods nodded. Very well. Lets find some empty space, Padawan, Master Percy suggested, getting up. We retreated few spaces where there was some empty space. I drew my weapons. Some of the gods found observation points, sitting on crates and boxes. Put on your blindfold and draw your swords, Padawan, Master suggested. I was rather surprised at this. I had never fought with blindfolds on. It will be tougher initially, but you will learn better technique. I did as he asked. I was rather comfortable with my right hand blade, but my left hand felt heavy and awkward. Just relax, Master Percy suggested. I saw him get a stick. I could see him gather the Force about the stick to make it resistant to breaking. Now, block me in whichever form you see fit. He drew his stick back, and swung down. I brought up my right blade to block, but before he contacted, he spun the stick around so that it touched me lightly on the opposite shoulder. Keep both blades up, was all he said. Again. He attacked my left flank this time, and I brought down my left blade to block, whilst moving the right blade to attack him. This would prevent him from switching. As expected the moment he hit my blade, he ducked, going for my legs, which I jumped, using the height to attack down on him. He spun away, immediately sending an attack to my back. In this manner, we continued, his attacks coming faster and from more unexpected locations. Whenever he hit me, he would step back on the intensity for several attacks, then ramp it up again. I realised that he was allowing me to devise my own blocks. If a block was successful, he would make it more difficult. If it failed, he would repeat the same attack a few moves later to see if I had a new block that would work. After an hour of work, I was sweating so badly my robes were wet. We were moving so fast that I had to use the Force to anticipate his attacks. Even then, we did not stop. He just continuously attacked, whilst I defended. I dont know how long we continued. I sensed somebody walk up, and Master Jackson stopped. What is it, Captain? I found that he did not even sound winded.

We are ready to depart, sir. Well then do so! Master Percy said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.The man nodded. Yes, sir! He turned and left. We will break for now. I want you to meditate. Play through what you have learnt and see if you can find any better blocks than the one you used. In the evening, we will continue the same thing. I nodded. Keep your blindfold on. I felt Master Percy leave. I knelt down to meditate, but some of the gods surrounded me. How do you fight without your eyes? Thalia wanted to know. By preventing me from using my eyes, I am forced to use the Force to see. I can sense the way it ebbs and flows around me, and use that to see where Master Percy is, I replied. How long has he been training you? Annabeth asked. Master Percy chose me to be his Padawan a month ago. Ahsoka, I wish to ask... Thalia began, though she seemed hesitant. I-I dont suppose you know of-of a Nico di Angelo, do you? she seemed rather afraid of the answer. Master di Angelo is a Grandmaster of the Jedi Order. The second in command of the entire Jedi Order. I replied. Thalia stumbled back until she sat down on a box, breathing heavily. Is something the matter? No. Well, the two of us know Nico, and we were his friends. We were just wondering... Annabeth replied, before turning to comfort Thalia. I wondered what was happening there. But Master Percy left me very specific instructions, and I meditated on my previous hours of training. I must admit, it was quite difficult to concentrate. First off, my muscles were killing me. Secondly, my mind kept returning to the fact that I was amongst the family of Master Percy Jackson, Grand Master of the Jedi Order. But finally, I was able to pinpoint several flaws in my defense. I was still using my dominant hand first. I realised that if I was to be able to wield two blades simultaneously, there could not be a dominant hand. Either hand should be able to do what was required. I vowed that I would train harder in being able to dual wield. Padawan! a voice interrupted me. I allowed my consciousness to spread out again. I noticed Master Percy standing by me. I cleared my mind, and stood up. Master? I noticed that he wasnt alone. Poseidon was with him. It appears that one of the demigods is missing. One of my brothers we need to track him down. Did he board the ship? I asked. Yes, Lord Poseidon said. But Chiron cant track him down. Youll have to talk to Chiron to see what he knows. Umm.. Chiron is the trainer of the demigods. I think you are capable of handling this, Ahsoka. Youll find Chiron amongst those centaurs, he said, pointing to the group of halfmen half-animals I had seen earlier. Master, where is Master Jinn? I had not seen him or Ryker around for quite some time.

He is dealing with problems elsewhere. He is a better negotiator than I, Percy replied. I nodded, and made my way towards the centaurs. For the rest of the trip, I was running errands, Majorly fetching stuff and so on. Minor things. I am sure Master Jackson will send me to more important missions as I become better. True to his word, he spent another two hours in the evening training me. This time, I think I did better, and he looked happy. Again, several of the Gods watched. Then, he sent me off to shower, saying that I stank. I know a Jedi must not allow disappointment to cloud her judgement, but I was disappointed and annoyed with myself. How was it that he could stay so focussed so as to not even break a sweat, whilst I was panting my heart out? Nevertheless, I went back to the ship we had come in, and showered. By the time I came out, my clothes had been auto-cleaned by the vibrating washer. I walked out of the closet-like refresher, running into Ryker. Apparently, he was back. Well, well, well. If it isnt the prodigal daughter, he sneered. Master Jinn just informed me that I could become a Jedi Knight in as little as 5 years. How long did Master Jackson say your apprenticeship was for again? Annoyance filled me. Is that why you were trying to suck up to him on the way here? His sneer deepened, and I am sure I sensed anger. A Jedi feels no anger, Ryker. Id say youll take some time to become a knight. He huffed, and turned. Youll regret the day you crossed me, slave. He turned and stalked off. Just then, I heard my communicator beep. Ahsoka. We are preparing our landing sequence. Please come to the hold, Master Jackson said. Yes, Master, I replied, tapping the ear-piece again to turn it off. I then strapped my weapons on and jogged to the hold. I found Master Percy alongside the Olympians. As I ran, I had noticed through the ports that we were entering the atmosphere of Tython. Its beautiful, Artemis said. Yes. And dangerous. This is the north Continent. This location is relatively safe, but we will still have to be careful. Chaos has supplied us with a crude temporary settlement. That will, for now, be your base. The Jedi will assist in building a more permanent city, Master Jinn said. Thank you, we appreciate it, Poseidon replied. Master Jinn bowed. Ah! Ahsoka. We will be scouting out the location around the landing site to a distance of 5 miles. Any monsters or flesh raiders we see will be cleared out. Master Jinn and his Padawan will clear out another quadrant. The gods will prepare to unload, Master Percy said. Thalia and I will join you. It is vital that we understand our enemies, Artemis said. Thalia can go with the Master Jinn, and you can come with us, Master Percy replied. Artemis nodded. With a shattering jerk, the ship landed. For such a massive ship to land, the ground had to have been specially prepared. I would still advice you to post lookouts. And dont allow anybody out of the perimeter, Master Jinn advised. We will be careful, Zeus announced. The six of us made our way to an exit ramp, and we landed. I breathed in the refreshing cold air of Tython, and felt strength flow in me. If I had to breathe that foul thing they call atmosphere in there again... I said, shuddering. Quit whining, Ryker complained. Lets go, Master. I want to hunt some flesh raiders!

Calm yourself, Padawan, Master Jinn said, as the two of them and Thalia took off running. I noticed she held a spear in one hand and had a shield across her back. Artemis had a bow in her hand, as well as a quiver on her back, which also had two knives strapped to it. Well? What are we waiting for? I feel new life flowing through me. Lets run! Youre smiling with a boy, Artemis? Wow, you really must be in high spirits! Master Jackson chuckled as we ran over the rolling plains. We saw the smallish settlement next to the ship. I wondered how they would satisfy everybody in the ship. We entered some lightly wooded areas, and began searching for monsters using the Force. Killiks! Semi-intelligent insects. They tend to swarm together and attack only when they have numbers on their side, Master Percy said, as we saw several six-foot insects. They look armoured. And frankly, disgusting. Yes. I doubt celestial bronze will cut through their armor. Aim for the chinks. Especially in their chest area. Ahsoka, use the force to crush them, Master Percy said. I nodded. Master had shown me Force Push and Force Crush a week ago. Lets go! Master Percy said, running out of the boulder we hid behind to charge the insects. There were atleast 10 of them. Artemis drew her arrows and began firing, not a single one missing their mark. I focussed on one of the killiks, and crushed it using the Force. Master Percy just swung his lightsaber, bisecting the killiks. I only killed one, whilst the other two finished off the rest. They fought well in tandem, neither going for the same Killik. What in Hades name are those? Artemis asked, pointing t the lightsabers that were returned to Master Jacksons belt. Lightsabers. Swords, essentially. They are the honour weapons of a Jedi. He began jogging on down the path. Care to explain? They work by emitting a beam of superheated plasma from the hilt. The high temperature of the plasma is what cuts. The plasma is contained by an electromagnetic field. By shaping the field to look like a sword, I have a lightsaber, Percy suggested. And it cuts through anything? Pretty much, though denser stuff take longer to cut through. But it will not cut through ray-shields. Ray-shields? A kind of electromagnetic shielding. It prevents any other electromagnetically charged item from passing. So no blasters, and no lightsabers. But a true ray-shield is hard to come by. Most counterfeits and copies cannot withstand a lightsaber. Here we are. These are called Urgals. Mindless beasts. But powerful. Similar to humans, but have two hearts in their abdomen. Their skull is practically impenetrable. They charge like a bull, as you can see by those horns. And stay away from those claws as well. Artemis nodded. And so we continued, taking down a few more groups of monsters. But they were mainly Urgals and Killiks. We began walking back to the ship. So, any other monsters we should know of? Artemis asked. Yes. There are several predators native to the region. We call them thanators. Nocturnal, and quite powerful. They prey on those hexapods we saw.

They must be massive! Artemis exclaimed. Yes. But also quite solitary. But I dont sense one nearby. But if you should venture away from here, be careful. Far to the north is the tundra. There are powerful bears there. Armoured and massive. Isnt anything massive and armoured around here? I asked. Percy smiled. I guess not. Just target the chinks in the armour. You know where they are typically weak at. Artemis nodded. The armpits and the back of the knee. Oh, and I almost forgot. There are small scavengers lurking about. Kinda like wolves, but blue and hairless. They Majorly travel in packs. They wont attack unless provoked, but they might enter camp to get food. Also nocturnal. They may also swarm individual unarmed people. So I suggest against travelling out in the night alone. Artemis nodded. There are large and dense forests to the South East. Monsters tend to be more concentrated within the dark shades of the forest. I would strongly suggest against venturing in there, Master Jackson said. The large River north of the city leads to the sea to the west. There are marshes to the West. These flood yearly. Perfect for growing padi. There are more fertile plains to the South and to the East. The city is built on raised level, and is unlikely to flood. Also gives you a height advantage over the surrounding land. And the only attacking location is to the south and the East. The inlet protect your north and the swamps protects your west. This looks perfect. Nice height to see the surrounding area, Artemis said, as we climbed the slight incline to get to the encampment. It had a palisade around it, though I doubted it would provide much more than the impression of peace. The centaurs appeared to be running around the plains, probably scouting the area and acting as Shadows. Lady Artemis. The Hunters are ready to move, a girl about my age spoke up. She too wore a quiver and hunting knives on her back, and held a silver bow, though nothing as magnificent as Artemis. We are not going anywhere for now, Phoebe. We need to help get everybody settled. Then we must scout out the surrounding areas, Artemis said. Phoebe nodded. Unpack, and set up camp. Stay close to this encampment. I want all the hunters to have a guard posted around this Palisade at all times. I will ask Chiron to spare a few demigods for this, I said. Phoebe nodded, and jogged off. Master Jackson. I am afraid I have been recalled. Master di Angelo is on his way here to meet with the gods, Master Jinn said. Goodbye, Master Jinn. And may the Force be with you, Master Percy said, bowing shortly. And with you, Master, Master Jinn replied, returning the bow. Then, Master Jinn and Ryker took the ship we had gone to Earth in, and departed. Nico? Artemis asked. Yep. Percy said. Are you also leaving? Artemis asked with something slightly different in her voice. Percy looked curiously at Artemis, but she blushed, and looked away.

No. It makes no difference where I train my Padawan. I will only need to return for meetings with the Jedi Council. I see. Are we not allowed to enter the Southern Continent? Artemis asked. I dont see why. Theoretically it belongs with Chaos, and your powers do not extend there. But I dont see why you cant go there. Ill check with Chaos in any case. Artemis eyes widened. My powers! You said this was a moon. Then what... Well, Tython has an orbitting satellite. It is smaller than the Moon, but it is comparable. It also creates tides here, and is quite visible at night, Percy said. Artemis nodded. I believe Chaos has already transferred your powers to this place. Apollo will still have to pull the sun across, and youll have to pull the moon, and so on. And of the animals? The birds, fish, and so on? Many have agreed to have the respective gods rule over them. But some have disagreed. What you do with them is your wish. But the monsters are most definitely not within any of your realms, Percy said. Artemis nodded. I will see if I can transcribe some of the information from the Jedi Temple Archives about Tython. Perhaps my Padawan could do it. She requires training in reading and understanding a holocron, he said, looking at me. I would be honoured to help, Master, I replied. Artemis gave me a small smile, which I returned. Well then. Whenever you have free time, that will be your duty. Start with information on all the monsters and beasts of this land, Percy said. I nodded. Ill also ask the Temple instructors if they could use their Padawans to transcribe this information. Thanks, Percy, Artemis said. Im sure Annabeth will be interested. Yes. Very interested. Especially in this Jedi Archives you speak of, Annabeth said, walking up. Thalia just briefed us on some of the monsters. Interesting animals you have here. Percy smiled. The Archives are restricted to Jedi, wise girl. Oh, Annabeth said, sounding put out. The information is stored in holocrons, which only Jedi can access. But again, Ill see what I can do. Master, I have a feeling the Council will not allow free access, I said. I doubt they would. Much of the knowledge is restricted. But most of that information would probably be of no interest to you. Trust me, Jedi Philosophy is a dry subject. What exactly are these Holocrons? Annabeth asked. Master Percy fished in his pockets for a minute, before pulling out a small cube. The Great Holocron. A repository for knowledge. I could see him manipulating the Force to rearrange the outer shell of the holocron, unlocking its gatemaster. A holo-projection of an ancient Jedi popped up.

Ask, seeker, it said. This is the gatekeeper. The author of the holocron. He is a copy of the original author, who imprinted the data crystal with some of his brain patterns, so that the gatemaster will respond similar to the original author. You ask questions of it, and the gatemaster will give only the knowledge you are ready to hear. Of course, he wont give out any to the Sith. Try asking him a question. What is a lightsaber? Artemis asked. A lightsaber is an archaic weapon used by the Jedi. It began as a bulky siege weapon approximately 20,000 years ago. Early protosabers were powered by belt-mounted batteries, making them cumbersome. But with improving technology, they became the modern lightsaber. They are the honour weapons of a Force user, and the ability to wield a lightsaber is characteristic of one. The Force is required for optimal use of the lightsaber due to the microvibrations and the inherent unstability of the blade, requiring constant tuning by the wielder. Interesting, Artemis said. But if for example you ask him to teach you the seventh combat style, Percy said, gesturing Annabeth to try. Teach me the seventh combat style, Annabeth asked. You are not yet ready for that challenge. Please consult a Master, it replied. So it limits information based on ability, Artemis said. Yes. Jedi believe that one must always strive for information. And that is true. But at the same time, advanced information given to one not ready to understand it can be dangerous, Percy said. Which is the reason for the gatekeepers. Annabeth shook her head. This is technology beyond anything I have ever seen. How much information can these store? It depends on the crystal and the method of manufacture. This stores 1 Petabytes of information. The largest we have stores about 35 Petabytes, but that was written with several Masters in collaboration, Percy said. Umm... Artemis said. An average human brain stores 2.5 Petabytes, Annabeth informed. Artemis nodded in understanding. And how many do you have? Artemis asked. Many. But some are analyses of other holocrons, and many of them pertain to the history of the galaxy. Others teach Force and lightsaber techniques. Yet others merely chronicle the lives of Jedi, some famous, others not so much, Percy said. Youve just ignited a spark in her, Artemis chuckled, motioning to the hungry look on Annabeths face. Now she will do anything to get into this Archive of yours. You are more than welcome to see it. But you wont be able to access the information without help, Master Percy chuckled. By now, we had arrived at a large tent. 12 thrones were placed within, in a U shape, with two thrones at the head.

Were you successful? Zeus asked. We were, father, Artemis replied. And I have learned much. But my hunters must scout deeper. We need to know the terrain better, Artemis said. Unfortunately, that has to wait. We need everybodys help to build a city, Poseidon said. I understand. I have my hunters posted on guard duty. Perhaps some of the other demigods could aid them. Ill send my kids, Thalia said. Artemis nodded. Annabeth, I have asked your children to help organise the camp, Hestia said. Some of them are planning out the new city. Ill help with that, Annabeth spoke up. Brother, since we are so close to the Sea, I am wondering whether we could combine our three capitals into a single location, Poseidon asked. It will be safer to defend a single location than multiple cities. Zeus nodded. Precisely what I was thinking. Hades? Hades grumbled under his breath. My father and uncle are right, husband. We cannot defend a seperate city. And you are no longer the lord of the dead. Besides, your new realm of the Mountains are within ten miles to the east, Persephone said gently. Fine. Zeus nodded. We shall forge a new beginning here. This city shall be called New Olympus. Lord Zeus, my Padawan and I will stay here to assist you if you wish it, Percy said officially. We will be glad to have you around, Master Jedi, Zeus replied. Percy nodded. I hear that Master di Angelo is coming here too, Percy said, shooting a sidways glance at Thalia, who turned red. I began to suspect what was up, but I had no concrete proof. Hes also a Jedi? Hades asked. Master Jackson nodded. He came with me when we left, if you recall. Hades nodded, deep in thought. Well. First we need to get food to feed everybody. They arent hungry now, but soon will be, Artemis said. Zeus nodded. We must begin growing food. Persephone, you and your kids will be in charge of that. I am sure you can grow something quickly. Definitely. The plains up to the mountains are suitable for wheat, barley, and vegetables. But what about our defense? she asked. Farms are not compact things.

The Woods to the South West are relatively safe, though we should set up outposts. Satyrs and dryads can keep the forests safe. Poseidons people can guard the River to the North, and Hades can guard the Mountains to the East, Artemis said. My hunters will range out several miles further, to monitor any monster activity. You will be safe. My lady, the centaurs will aid in this. They prefer the plains to the South to being cooped up in an encampment, Chiron said. I hadnt noticed him standing at one corner. Artemis nodded. As for now, I will send my hunters to catch some meat. Those hexapods looked large enough to feed several hundred each, Artemis said. Zeus nodded. And then there is the construction, Annabeth spoke up. First we need to build a better wall, preferably out of strong stone. Anything like granite or marble around? she asked us. The mountains are rich with wealth, especially precious ores and minerals. Hephaestus and I can get marble, Hades spoke up. Tell me where you need it. Annabeth nodded. We need to build around this tributary of the River, Annabeth said. The Main River is called the Anduin, which literally means the Great River. It is the longest river in the north continent. The water comes primarily from the glaciers in the North. The water is drinkable. The small tributary comes from the Mountains. Also potable, Percy said. Poseidon nodded. It is large enough to supply a large city. And the Anduin is deep and wide enough to build a harbour here, Poseidon said. Annabeth, I would like my palace near the river, and a harbour. Sorry, Lord Poseidon. But right now we need to figure out a way to house everybody first. We arent building palaces yet, Annabeth smiled. Of course not. I was talking about when we begin building the permanent city, Poseidon said, sounding peeved. Well, father, I and my hunters better start getting food, or youll have a very hungry city, Artemis said, getting up. Citing their reasons, Persephone, and several other gods and goddesses left. Lord Zeus, a request if I may, Percy asked. The three brothers looked up at us. Several of the Jedi have expressed interest in coming to stay for atleast a short period of time here. They asked me to inquire of you whether this would be agreeable to you. Of course, if you say no, they will not bother you, Percy said. I have no problem with that. They are more than welcome. But our amenities arent exactly at Olympian standards yet, Zeus said. They have promised to help in any way you require of them, provided these do not go contrary to our Code. We will set up a small outpost within the city for their accommodation if that is agreeable. Zeus nodded. Very well. Thank you. If youll excuse me, Percy said, bowing. He then turned and walked out. I followed him. Hey, Perce! Master di Angelo said, walking up. His air-taxi was parked just outside the palisade.

Nico. Thalia was looking for you, Master Jackson said. Youve got to tell her, death breath, Percy said. What? Master di Angelo asked. That you ... hmmfffmmh! Master Percy said, as Master di Angelo moved and quickly covered up his mouth. Master di Angelo glared at Master Jackson. Alright! Sheesh, there are children here! he said, glancing at me. He released Master Percy. So tell her, Percy said. Fine. Anyway, your ship is ready, he said. Master Percy smiled. Finally. And the Council has seen fit to order the Defender class for all Jedi. I see. Well. Cant say I blame them. It is one heck of a ship if my expectations are anything to go by. Trust me, itll blow you away. Master Percy nodded. I, however, cant return now. Padawan. You know how to pilot, yes? he asked Only airspeeders, master. Not a space ship. I had a feeling what my next mission would be, and I felt rather uncomfortable. They are the same thing. Return to the temple with Master di Angelo. Go to the Quartermaster. He should have two AI cores. Collect them. Then go to the hangars. You will find two ships from the hangar master one for you and one for me. Install the AIs, load the cargo bays with food, make sure all the systems work, and bring them over., he said. The harbour master will also have a transport with equipment for the colony. You can get the AIs to pilot your ships and get the transport over, Nico stated. They are for the colony, to get them started. Percy nodded. Also, a new airspeeder station is going to be built here. That should speed up travel between the two continents, Nico said. They should be starting sometime tomorrow. Then more materials can be brought over. Percy nodded again. Padawan, I will be ready to depart in ten minutes, Master di Angelo said, and departed. Umm... are you sure about this, Master? Ive never flown a starship before. Youll be fine, Ahsoka. The droids are Squadron droids. Theyll help. And the ship practically flies itself. You just have to give the coordinates. If you say so, Master. He nodded. Stay by the airspeeder, he suggested. I nodded, and went to follow his instructions. Master Percy went away, probably to meet others. From any account, he hadnt returned to Earth in a long time. He mustve missed his family. I wondered about my family. I had never known my parents. From the earliest I could remember, I was Rykers slave. As a Padawan, I didnt consider anybody I knew as family. Friend, perhaps, though

this was mostly restricted to a few kind hearted Jedi Masters. But now... I realised that I looked upon Master Jackson as a foster parent. He was the closest thing I had to a Father. He drove me hard, yes, but he was always kind. Was that all that mattered? Kindness? Kindness made the difference between a tyrant and a friend. Perhaps that was what made the difference between the Sith and the Jedi. This was a question I had been asked by one of my earliest friends, the librarian Jocasta Nu. Although aging affected her frail body, her mind was as sharp as ever. Now I had my answer for her. I didnt suppose Master Percy would mind if I made a short detour. Chapter 3 Four years had passed since I became a Padawan. In that time, Master and I had remained at New Olympus, training. Master has successfully taught me all seven rings of the Jedi, though I was nowhere near as accomplished as he was. I found the saberstaff extremely difficult at first, but I came to enjoy its intricate battle maneuvers. With a second blade pointing the opposite direction, one simply could not move the blade like one would with a 2h lightsaber. I, however, was still training with swords. Ryker made it quite aware to me that he had built his lightsaber two years into his apprenticeship, and has been going on missions with his master ever since. About the Gods. They had begun building their capital. And boy, was it a sight to behold. It was split into several sections, each with a seperate purpose. Some of these sections were larger than others. Lord Poseidon had harbours and docks and repair facilties for ships running along the southern bank of the Anduin. The Gods lived in what came to be known as the Old Circle, the site of the original Encampment. It had the Halls which was a magnificent building that included the Throne room. Zeus palace was on the highest point of the city, in a small hill to the east of the Halls. Lord Poseidon had his palace to the North of the Halls, near the River. Lord Hades had his near the East, closest to the Mountains. And the Jedi had a small conclave to the South. Other gods had their palaces scattered around the Old Circle. A circular wall seperated the Old Circle from the Main City. Around the edge of the city were massive marble walls several meters thick, with bastions towering above every hundred meters. There were two main gates into the city, to the south and the east, with bastions on either side of the thick marble gates. The lands to the East grew everything from wheat to vegetables, covering many acres of land, with nymphs tending to the fields. The forest became Artemis domain, and she kept it clear of monsters. Hades had a palace within the mountains, though he often dropped into New Olympus. The Centaurs patroled several miles out from Olympus, making sure no threats got anywhere near. They preferred the open plains. A smaller colony had developed to the South of Olympus, by the forest for the nymphs and satyrs who did not wish to enter the bustle of the main city. Padawan! Were going out! Master Percy said. Lady Artemis was beside him. Where are we going, Master? I asked. That is a surprise. Have you got your gem? I nodded, patting a pouch on my belt. The gem would help my force abilities as long as it was connected to me in some form. I did not actually have to hold it. I knew that Master Percy kept his in a similar pouch at the back of his belt. It allowed us to cast Force attacks even if separated from our lightsabers. Never keep all your eggs in the same basket. Besides, splitting a weapon at the pommel would be made more difficult if it had a fist-sized gem sitting in the middle of it. Well then, lets go, Master said. We took a speeder. Master Percy had requisitioned one from the Temple for his personal use. Where are we going, Master? I asked after nearly an hour of flying. We had never travelled in this direction before. The Forge, was all he said. Oh! I replied, stunned. The Forge was where a Jedi created his lightsaber. That meant Master wanted me to build my lightsaber. No wonder he had asked about my crystal. Looks like you get new weapons, Artemis said, smiling at me. I smiled rather hesitantly back. Whats the matter? The Forge is said to have some powerful monsters guarding it, I said.

Well, well be there with you, wont we? She must go alone, Percy said shortly. Then why are we here? Transport, Percy said. We came to a large island. It was an island volcano, with an open top. Percy made a pass around the island, probably so that I could get my bearings. I quickly memorise the layout of the island. The Forge is through a cave on the outside of the volcano. Good luck, kid, Master Jackson said, as we touched down at the furthest point on the island, a spear of land jutting out into the sea. Well wait here for your return, Percy said. I got out. I turned to face Master Jackson and Artemis. Youll do fine, Artemis told me. Master Percys face was unreadable. He had completely closed me off. I wondered why, but I felt alone without my Master at my side. I turned, and jogged into the forest. I could see the smoke from the volcano through gaps in the foliage. I estimated that we were about 20% of the way there. Suddenly, several spiders dropped out of the air, surrounding us. I wondered how he had missed that, and realised that he only had a single scanner pointing upwards. Not sufficient for long range scanning in the forests. Master had warned me of that, but I had forgotten. Next time, I would be scanning with the Force as well. That is, if I got out of this alive. I drew my blades, and prepared myself. ______________ Do you think shell make it out? Artemis asked me. We were lounging by the speeder, waiting for my Padawan. R2 was sending us a video feed of what he saw, and we were monitoring Ahsokas progress. I could see herself beating herself up about falling into the spiders trap. But she was holding them off well. Shell be fine. Artemis nodded. So if she makes her own lightsabers, then what? Then the two of us will take missions from the Council. She knows how to fight. Now she has to learn how a Jedi affects the universe. Another six or so years, and I think she will be ready. I see, Artemis looked slightly put out. So you wont be around. No. Dusk was falling, as I felt Ahsoka running back. She had more problems now, as all the monsters were hurrying to her location. But she wasnt fighting them off, realising that she couldnt possibly hope to defend them all. I started the engines. Artemis prepared her bow. As expected, Ahsoka and R2 burst out of the foliage. They had some 50ft to go, and atleast a dozen monsters were trailing her. I began using the force to push back the monsters, whilst Artemis shot them down. Ahsoka used the Force to jump, landing on the bonnet of the taxi, as R2 squealed and slotted into his seat. I immediately pushed the throttle to get us out of there. Artemis was looking back with a proud expression on her face. Once R2 took over the controls, I turned. Ahsokas arms and skin were scratched, some of them looking deep, but her eyes now held a fire. For now she held the prize she had gone to collect in her hands. A double bladed 1.2ft long cylinder. Everything was rather downkey, since the only materials stocked at the Forge were basic materials to build the essential lightsaber. Well done, Padawan. Does it work?

She ignited the blades, and two yellow beams shot out of the sides, each extending 3ft long. I nodded at her. And it even seperates! she exclaimed, demonstrating the quarter turn unlocking clip that held the two pommels together. As we tour the galaxy, Padawan, youll find better materials for the cover, better focussing crystals, more efficient batteries, and other trinkets that can be added to the lightsaber. But this is your first. So congratulations. First I have some business in Coruscant, and I believe you havent been there, I said shooting an inquiring look at my Padawan. She shook her head. Thanks, Master. So. Is Artemis coming along? she asked, as she began healing herself. If she wishes it. We will have to borrow a larger transport from the temple but it shouldnt be a problem, I replied cautiously. I am sure the ship is large enough for 13 odd girls. Artemis punched me in the arm. Not all of them are girls. And dont forget, some are older than you. I groaned. Do I have to call you little cousin? I inquired of the Moon goddess. To recieve a sharp punch to the shoulder, and a glare. So, are the Hunters in? Will do them good to see the big bad galaxy, I said in a little childs voice. Artemis crossed her arms, pretending to be angry. If father allows it. I raised an eyebrow at her. Does daddy have to make all your decisions? She tackled me then, and started pummeling me, with Ahsoka laughing out loud in the background. When she finally disengaged, Artemis said. Were in, but only for now. I nodded. Luminara should be here soon, I said myself. Artemis asked Whos that? as Ahsoka inquired What is Master Unduli doing here? Youll see, was all I said until we landed. As expected, a Mirialan Jedi was standing by the taxi port. She wore elaborate, formal robes, but were nonetheless made for comfort in both meditation and in combat. Like all Mirialans, she wore a head-dress to cover her hair and neck, leaving only her face exposed. Her robes were of various shades of green, matching with the green skin of her species. Black dots were tattooed over her face, symbolic to her people. Master Jackson. Padawan Tano. A pleasure to meet you again, she said. Beside her stood a 14 year old Padawan, who was clearly of the same species. This is my Padawan. Padawan Barriss Offee, at your service, the girl said, bowing deeply, with one hand at her abdomen, and one at her back. Hello, Master. The Council should be convening now, I said. And a pleasure to meet you, Padawan. The girl coloured at my remark. No doubt she was still getting used to this. Lead the way, Master, she said. The five of us walked through the massive main gates, up the main avenue. Vendors were selling their stuff along either side of this road. Hermes sector. Impressive. I have heard reports, but this is truly something else, Master Unduli said.

Yes. The gods have successfully built a new home for themselves. With the Force, perhaps they may successfully enter the Republic, I replied. Wait a minute. Whats going on? Artemis asked. Well explain at the council. Zeus is expecting us. Perhaps you would like to go ahead? I asked. Artemis nodded, and vanished. I was not aware you were in friendly terms with Lady Artemis, Master Unduli asked, looking at me out of the corner of her eye. I shrugged. We came up several steps to large white doors. Pushing through, we entered the throne room of the gods. 12 massive thrones in a U shape. Unlike in Olympus, it did not require the gods to be in their 20ft form. But the thrones were raised on individual pedestals, still giving them the advantage of height. Percy! Why have you called this council? Zeus asked. Lords and Ladies. This is Jedi Master Luminara Unduli. She is our liaison with the Republic Senate. Chaos has agreed that you must join the Republic Senate as an independent entity, I began. So this is about that, is it? Hades asked. Well, you know my views on the matter. You have been quite vocal, for this motion, brother. Quite unlike you. Imagine. Trade between planets! The wealth! Hades said, a gleam in his eye. Quite. Master Unduli has far more experience with this than I. She will explain further, I said, stepping back. I made my way to several seats that were placed near the entrance for visitors. These were smaller, and easily removable. I almost dozed off, whilst Ahsoka played with her lightsaber. Master! Ahsoka shook me awake. Most of the council had disbanded. Annabeth, Artemis, Unduli, and her padawan were left. Master Jackson. Long day? Unduli cracked a small smile. You could say that. My Padawan built her lightsaber, and the gods are well known for taking eternity to hash out anything. Something you should be familiar with. Well, congratulations, Padawan. Unduli did not spare her another glance. Lady Annabeth has been assigned by the Council to represent them in the Senate. She will be coming with me to Coruscant to begin the membership process. Also, she will be my liaison for working out a treaty between the Jedi and the Gods, she said. I nodded. I will be taking my padawan to Coruscant. People to meet. Knowing you, Master, it is highly unlikely we will run into each other. I will say my goodbye now. She bowed. I returned the bow, and she and her Padawan left. Well. A whole new galaxy to explore, Annabeth said. This should be interesting. How did the vote go? I asked. Zeus saw reason at the end. Not without significant persuasion from practically all of us, Artemis stated. He doesnt trust mortals after...

The Republic is not ideal. But it is the best chance for peace we have now, I replied. And I am certain it will help broaden your perspective, at the least. And if you dont like it, you can always close yourself off. I for one hope that doesnt happen, Annabeth said. The technology advances are far greater than what hephaestus has seen. And Hades wants the trade. I want the knowledge all these cultures posess. Apollo wants women. Artemis frowned at this. Artemis wants to explore. Thalia thinks we should expand our military interests, and is eager to learn about the Republic military. Hera, Hestia, and Persephone and Poseidon were ambivalent, but Zeus was the only one who didnt want it. So to say that the council is invested in this project is an understatement. Well, I hope you succeed. Master Unduli is a skilled diplomat, if a little withdrawn. And remember, the republic is not one unified whole. There are various factions within it, factions sometimes go into cold war with each other. So be very careful of everything you do in Coruscant. Because I can guarantee you will be watched most closely. And learn about the other cultures. Many common earth habits can be seen as insults by another culture. Annabeth shook her head. I wonder if this is all too much, sometimes. Youll be fine. Imagine all those libraries in coruscant. Id rather have the Jedi archives, Annabeth said drily. I laughed. Annabeth had only been allowed several transcripts from the library those stored in the computers. Although this was massive, she still longed for the data stored in the holocrons. Her library was linked directly to the recorded archives in the Jedi temple, so she didnt have to travel to the south. I hear Artemis is going with you? she asked, raising an eyebrow. That is what she said. Will you be going with us? Annabeth asked. We are leaving in several days. I am leaving tomorrow. And I doubt we will meet there, I said. Annabeth nodded. She gave me a quick hug, then went on her way. Well. Ill round up the hunters, Artemis said. I nodded, and she jogged off. Go and rest. Ill stock up on supplies and such, I told my yawning Padawan. With a good night, master, she left me. I then went to a holoterminal, and requested a transport for the hunters and the two of us. It had a single floor, with a two-man cockpit in the front, and fold down bunkbeds on the long corridor behind. During the day, these could be folded up with the lowest level being used for seats. The ship could hold 18 people. By the time the ship arrived being piloted by the inbuilt R2 series droid, the moon was flying high, and the I saw the hunters coming up towards the ship. I lowered the front ramp, and they trooped in, looking in amazement at the ship. Phoebe led them. These are your bunks. Load all your stuff under the seats or into the cargo bay, I said, pointing out the hatches on the floor that would access the flat cargo bay running under the corridor. Do you sleep with us? Phoebe asked, looking me over critically. I sleep in the cockpit. Phoebe looked critical at that, but nodded and let it go. The twelve of them settled in. I quickly assembled them and gave them a quick rundown of the rooms in the ship. They nodded and went to bed. Except for a certain daughter of Hephaestus. Lyssa was her name, and she insisted I show her everything tomorrow. She appeared around 14 years of age. After promising her that I wouldnt leave a single subsystem unturned, she went to sleep. I settled into the Pilots chair on the cockpit. R2 whistled at me. //R2-D2 = happy to see Master //R2-D2 = ready to go.

Power down for tonight, R2. And charge up, I told the little droid. He whistled, and departed. I inclined the seat back, and rested. Chapter 4: Coruscant How does one wake a boy up, one of the hunters asked. She and two others had just entered the cockpit. Usually the same way one awakens a girl. But I am already awake, I said, with my eyes still closed. The Jedi sleep in a semi-dream state called the Emerald Dream. It allows us to spread our consciousness through the Force. A form of meditation that also allows us to monitor the happenings surrounding us, usually to cover an entire planet. In my dream, I was searching Coruscant for a particular friend. It is dawn, and Artemis is ready to go, one of the hunters spoke up. Well, the Jedi awakes, Artemis said, slotting herself into the tactical/engineering seat to my left, and looking interestedly at the controls. R2, power up the engines, I said, touching a communicator pad on the central console as I did so. I heard an answering beep. Is everybody aboard? I asked. Artemis nodded. I am told Im sharing with Ahsoka. Ive put my stuff in her room. It seems clear where you sleep. But there is another bunk in our room, why not sleep there? I prefer the cockpit. I felt the engines thrum through the deck. I tapped in several keys in the communicator console. Master Jackson, I spoke into it. Hello, Master. This is D-2RT, a droid voice replied. You have logged a flight plan to Coruscant. Are you prepared to depart? I answered in the affirmative. The Airspace is clear across the board, Master. You are free to depart when ready. I gunned the engines, and we took off, heading into space. I plotted a course to Coruscant, and jumped to hyperspace. So this is a transport? Artemis asked, looking up at me. I nodded. I would like to purchase one of these if I may. My hunters bore of Tython. A few hours later, we arrived at Coruscant. Well, here we are, I said, dropping out of hyperspace. A planet immediately dominated the front viewport. It was glowing from all the light produced in the world. Thick yellow lines streaked across the planet surface, covering it like a web. These I knew to be power conduits. The power requirements of a planet-sized city was massive. This was generated by solar satellites orbitting the sun at close range, and beaming the energy directly to Coruscant, where it was picked up by other satellites, and beamed down to the planet, where it was distributed. The planet was defended by several large GOLAN space stations. These had powerful turbolaser batteries and small starfighter Squadrons. Additional fighters could be sent up from the planet. There was also a planet encompassing shield grid that could be turned on to deflect orbital bombardment. Outside these defences were large swaths of space dedicated as space docks, where one could park a spaceship, and hire a smaller vessel to take one down to the surface. Richer people could buy space ports on the surface. Being Jedi, we owned several space docks.

All the others were stunned. Coruscant Space Traffic Control to Jedi Cruiser Defiant. Welcome to Coruscant. Please follow the designated route uploaded to your navicomputer to your dock at Space dock F, a droid said. A route appeared in the monitor before me. I followed it, dodging other ships as I made my way through the atmosphere. The others were looking at the buildings. These were massive, and many towered nearly a mile in height. To solve the population crisis, the entire city was divided into sectors. Each sector had a particular job. Sectors were divided by space, and in some cases even by storey on the buildings. So the lower half of a building may be a residential complex, whilst the upper half would be commercial. Wow, Ahsoka said. The holograms dont do this place justice. You havent seen nothing yet, I said. Havent you been here before? Artemis asked. Ahsoka shook her head, too awed to speak. We were now flying just above some of the highways. These air-lanes as they were called transported various speeders at designated altitudes and through buildings. Smaller roads branched off of this, leading to smaller complexes. Because the vehicle traffic could be removed from the ground, any ground level only contained walkways for pedestrians. I finally found my docking port within Space Dock Fs massive edifice. I opened the landing gear, and set us down, the large ship relaxing onto the ground. Call the hunters, I told Artemis. They all assembled in the main corridor. This is Coruscant, the capital of the Republic. One would think that it would follow law and order closely, but that is not the case. The lower levels of Coruscant are known as the Underworld. That is where we will be going. There are criminals and mercenaries there, as well as gang lords. So, please dont rile anybody up. Nobody but they know who they are allied with, and Id like to avoid a war. Take your weapons, and wear them prominently, but do not draw them. Understood? And why should we listen to what you say? Phoebe asked. We only serve Lady Artemis. Because I am telling you that is what you must do. Everything here is new territory, nothing we have faced before. So you will listen and obey everything Percy says as though they come from me, understood? Artemis asked, angrily. Phoebe nodded, shame faced. Next. It is very easy to get lost in Coruscant. But there are taxi terminals scattered everywhere. I will show you one when we get out. Should you get separated, find a taxi, and tell it to take you to Space Port F Main Terminal. Wait by that taxi station until we return. Understood? All of them nodded. Lastly, your keep your hoods up. If you are attacked, disable your attackers, preferably without drawing your bows. Above all, try not to kill anybody. All of them nodded. Then lets go, I stated leading the way down the ramp. Artemis and Ahsoka were walking at my side, with the hunters following three abrest behind us. I felt like I was leading the girl scouts. Amongst the bustle of the space port, I found a taxi station. A large floating taxi sign made it clear its purpose. I went over, making sure the hunters understood the sign and how to find it. Yousa need a taxi? the gungan behind the counter. Typical to his race, he seemed unable to bottle up the energy within him, and hopped from one foot to another.

A speeder should do. We are not going far. Something big, I suggested. He bobbed his head, and began punching buttons. A few minutes later, a flat hoverpad descended to our level. It had no pilot. Atleast, no visible pilot. A hand rail went around the entire pad, so that we would not fall off. The gungan opened the small gate, and allowed us entry. Once inside, I showed them how to instruct the taxi as to our destination. Press this button and state where you want to go, I told them. So if we get lost, we find that big sign, ask the man for a speeder, press the yellow button, and say Space Port F, Main Terminal? one of the younger hunters asked. Precisely, I smiled. I pressed the button. Market District 32-45-7, I told it. Immediately, it began moving smoothly. How do we pay for this? another huntress asked. Speeder service is free if youre going from one station to another. If youre going to a private location, you would pay here with credits after stating your destination. The amount will show up here, I said, showing them the slot. So what is the currency here? Artemis asked. The Republic credit. I estimate the exchange rate at about 1.5 credits to the Terran dollar, I said. Most taxis dont go beyond ten credits. Well withdraw some money later, I said. They nodded, and peered outside as we entered one of the highways. Soon, we turned off of this, and finally landed at another taxi pad. We got off. Have a safe journey, the twi-lek manning this station said, as we continued. How do you understand so many languages? Artemis asked. Does one learn all of them? Dont be silly, was all I said. I led them to a bank. Walking into the foyer, I was immediately captured by a manager, and led off to a private cubicle, with the other hunters making it very crowded. What can I do for you today? the cheery man asked, happy with all the business he was raking today. I would like to add this one to an existing account. And create a new account for my friends here, I stated. Of course. May I see your credit card, please? I pulled out a small rectangular plastic card, nd handed it over to him. He swiped it through a reader, and his eyes widened. And no questions asked, I interjected. He closed his mouth. But of course. We can do the addition now, shall we? Name? His tone turned businesslike. I turned to Ahsoka. Ahsoka Tano, she told him. He nodded, not taking his eyes of the monitor. After asking a few more questions, he asked her to enter a six digit PIN number that would become her password. Once she had done that, he printed out a card for her, and gave it to her. This can serve as official identification should you be asked it, he said. The front of the card had Ahsokas picture, and details. A small screen at the rear displayed the amount available in the card.

5000 credits? Ahsoka asked surprised. Yes. Each one of us has a seperate partition. Ill explain later, I told her. Artemis went and sat down in the location vacated by Ahsoka. Now the new account, yes? Would you like it open or closed? he asked. Artemis, how many hunters would you likely have at the most at any one time? I asked her. I have never gone above 25, she said, confused as to the question. Closed, with a cap of 25, I told the manager. He nodded, and clicked a few buttons. Partitioned? I shook my head. Common. Whats that mean? Partitioned means that the account will be seperated for each hunter. You as the primary account holder will designate how much money each hunter has access to, and they cannot overdraw past that amount, even if the account has money. Common means that all of your cards will access a single account. Artemis frowned. So each hunter will have access to a common set of funds? I nodded. Very well then. Please enter your common PIN, the manager said. Artemis looked questioningly at me. A six digit password to your account. It should be made known to all the hunters, but nobody else. Artemis beckoned to Phoebe, and whispered something in her ear. Phoebe nodded, and passed the message on. She then tapped in six keys. Very good. You are almost done. Minimum initial deposit is 100 credits, he told me. Unconditional Transfer from the Jedi accounts. 100,000 credits, I told him. He nodded, and quickly swiped my card across the reader again. I noticed Artemis looking at me. Thats a lot of money, Perce. You can pay me back later. Would you like to collect all 25 cards now? he asked Artemis. No. 13 should do. She can pick more up later should she wish it, I informed him, he nodded, and began obtaining pictures from all the hunters. So where are these banks located? Artemis asked. See the 7 sign with two vertical bars outside? I asked her. She nodded. That is the symbol of a bank. Regulated by the Banking federation. You can go to any bank to withdraw money, transfer money, or alter your account. Once you become a part of the Republic, take your cards to a bank and they will also become your identification cards, I said, as the manager handed out the cards. They only had the name of each person and the picture along with the account number engraved on them. Once you become citizens of the Republic, any public records of your presence can be accessed through this card, I told her.

Whatever you say, Artemis said, shaking her head as she recieved her own card. Is there anything else? he asked me. I pulled out a small pouch from my belt, and tossed it onto the desk. Id like this added to my account. The banker opened the pouch, and slips of gold slipped out. Ferengi slips! Not commonly seen. The exchange rate is... he said, looking up the data on his terminal. 51.53 credits per slip. Not a bad exchange if I do say so myself. The Ferenghi Alliance is doing so well. I am sure the banking clan is more than happy, I frowned. As I recall, the Ferenghi owe them quite a bit of money. The manager looked surprised. I am a humble low level manager. I have little knowledge of what the Banking Clan does... his voice turned weaselly. Im sure, I said drily. Well, the money has been added. Thank you, sir, ladies, he said, standing up and bowing. It has been my honour and priviledge to serve. I nodded to him, stood up, and we made our way out. We then went across the plaza to a small retail shop. And what can I do for fine folk such as yourselves today? a stubby nautolan said, rubbing his scaly palms together. We have the latest in holoprojector technologies... he looked expectantly at us. 13 C-54 communicators, I ordered. Ah! You, sir, know class when you see it! Better than the old C-53s I always say, he said, picking up several small packages and laying them on the table. These are communicators. This goes into your ear. They have a chip that translates known languages to any language of your choice, I told Artemis. That is how we understand different languages. And this is a holocommunicator. You can tune it to a private band and communicate with others in the same band if you wish. It has a range of several miles by itself, but you can connect to the universal booster network to tie in your communications to almost anywhere in the Federation space, though it would take more time. Yes! It has over 5 million languages preprogrammed, and for a small fee, I can program a new language in just minutes! I am afraid only English is offered. We can program in Greek or Latin should you wish for an additional fee, I told Artemis. English will do. I turned to the nautolan. Translate to E-134, I told him. For all 13, sir? he asked. I nodded. He quickly opened 13 parcels, and took out the small earphones, and passed them over a rectangular shaped transciever. That will be 650 Credits, he said.

I looked expectantly at Artemis. Suddenly she understood. Embarassed, she handed over her card. I dont need it. Just swipe there, he said, pointing to a data pad. Artemis swiped, and entered her PIN. Here you go, he said, handing out the translators to the hunters. All of them inserted it into their ear. It was so small that it was near-invisible. Youll find that your hearing is slightly decreased in that ear, I told them. It is waterproof, and can be worn without ever having to take it out, but do clean it now and then, I told them. It is powered by the heat from your ear. To remove, just pull it out. Artemis inserted hers last. I nodded, and we then left the store. Now where? Artemis asked. The Underworld. Keep those cards safe, I told them as we returned to the taxi. Ah! Youre back. Another speeder? he asked. I nodded, and a similar speeder soon arrived. We got in, and we left for the underworld. What do we want to buy here? Anything you can possibly imagine. For the right price, of course. So a black market. Your republic is more corrupt than I thought! Artemis said. It is hard to keep a proper watch on over a thousand inhabited star systems. But it does not speak well of the Republic when such a large underworld exists under their very nose, Ahsoka piped in. I nodded. So what are we here to buy? Weapons. Tools. Ahsoka, hide your sabers. People here dont like the Jedi. Why not? Ahsoka asked, as she moved her lightsabers into the compartments on her suit. We find these sleemos and throw them into jail. Precisely. But if the Republic knows the existence of this place, why dont they wipe it out? Artemis asked. Because they are scared of the consequences. There are powerful people here. People that can make it very tough on the Republic. Besides, the police down here have probably been bribed to keep everything quiet. Which is why you are wearing your weapons. I told the hunters. Then why dont the Jedi move in? The Republic fears us. They are happy with us on Tython, far away from their capital. And they tolerate a small conclave here where they can keep an eye on us. But a large armed intervention is a strict no-no. We will lose the Republics support. If we wipe them out quietly and leave, they will only reappear and this time they will grow to hate the Jedi. One sentiment we would like to keep to a minimum.

So we tolerate them, Ahsoka spat as we descended to the darker lower levels. Lighting here was poor and intermittent. We landed, and one of the taxi handlers quietly regarded us as we walked out. Remember what I told you, I reminded them as we walked down the streets. They were busy, but people went about quietly, not making a fuss. Youd find more cheer in a graveyard, Ahsoka whispered so that only Artemis and I could hear. These people are the poorest in Coruscant. Refugees from wars on their own planets. Refugees from the Empire, I told them. How sad, Artemis added. I finally turned into an alley. There was nobody there. Were being watched, Artemis whispered. I continued on down the alley. Garbage littered the floor, and was piled up along the sides. Stop right there, a voice rang out. Who are you and what do you want. My name is my own. I want some goods, I said in a low voice. Yeah? What sort of goods? Some bangers. And I would like to see some camo suits. Expensive stuff. Have you got the dough? he asked, rubbing his thumb with his index and middle fingers. I showed him the satchel I carried. He opened it. Well. Neimoidian Spice, he said, taking some of the red powder and smelling it. Youre good. I try to be, I replied. Now, about those goods... Follow me, and dont try any funny stuff. The fifteen of us followed the man. As we went, the eyes on us only increased, and the alley became dirtier. We finally came to an alley. Two hulking brutes stood in our way. Theyre good, the man leading us said, and the two of them stepped aside. But their hands were still close to their blasters. Alright. Here we are, he said. Feel free to roam about. You will be watched, of course. I will be waiting here to see your purchases. I led the way to the grenades. Past the lethal stuff, we came to the non-lethal items. These are EMP grenades. Releases an electromagnetic wave that disables any unshielded circuitry. Lethal to droids, but doesnt harm living tissue, I told them, showing them several larger grenades. Reusable, but must be charged every time. Artemis got three for each of her hunters. Then, I showed them the smoke grenades. These emitted billowing white smoke that reduced visibility to nil in a 10m diameter circle. The gas also irritated the eyes and nose of most species to incapacitate them, as well as using a foul smell to drive them away. These were packaged in the form of small glass ampoules an inch in diameter which contained the highly pressurised gas. Artemis got several crates of these.

Then we moved to other equipment. I showed them small ziplines that fired magnetic darts that latched onto any magnetic surface, releasing a thin liquid behind them that solidified in contact with air. It had a range of 100ft. I already had one, and bought one for Ahsoka and all the other hunters. I also bought them compact rebreathers that allowed them five minutes of air underwater held in a highly compressed form. There are rifles and other guns here if they may be of interest. The Sniper rifles have a far longer range than bows, I suggested. We will stick with bows, Phoebe sneered. Very well. Is that all? Artemis asked. I shook my head. I turned to the vendor, who came up. Where are your thermal cloaks? Down in that section, he said. We went down there. What are these? Artemis asked as we came to a new aisle with full length cloaks and jackets. Clothes. They are made of a type of wool. It shifts colour slightly based on your location, acting as a sort of camouflage system. Also, it is extremely efficient at trapping and storing heat within it but it does not feel stifling in hot climes. And lastly it is waterproof and weather proof. The weather on different planets can vary significantly. I suggest getting one each. I believe there are silvery white ones over here, I indicated several cloaks to them. They clasped at the neck, and reached down to the toes. As for Ahsoka, I got her a sleeveless hooded jerkin that would fit over her tunic. This had slots on the inside to hold food packets and a small water pouch in the back. Artemis got full length cloaks for her hunters. That will be all, I told the salesman. Of course, effendi. All of what you have selected are waiting outside for you. A pleasure doing business, he said, bowing profusely. We walked out, and sure enough, there were a bundle of crates there, neatly packaged in bags. Several of us picked up these bags, and we walked out of the alley, unmolested. The hunters formed a protective cordon around the cart. As we found a taxi and began loading, several police droids came screaming into view. They ran into the alley we had just come into as I took off. Artemis raised a questioning eyebrow at me. What? Somebody mustve tipped the police off about illegal arms trading. Artemis shook her head, smiling. Youre a cruel man. So, Master. What now? Now we get back to the ship. Have to unload these, I said. And then? I dont know. Somethingll turn up. We arrived at the ship. C-3PO was waiting rather impatiently. Oh! Master Jackson! Master Jackson! Over here! he waved us over.

As if we cant see a large golden droid waving at us, Artemis said drily. We recieved a transmission, sir. From Master Unduli. It appears that a senate meeting has been convened to address the status of New Olympus with regards to the Republic. When was this? I asked. Several hours ago. I believe Master Unduli said that she would be in her office at the Senate Hall, and that you should meet with her as soon as you were free. I nodded. I turned to Artemis and the hunters. If you want, I can drop you off at the main market. Seeing that half the hunters were about to protest, I raised my hand to stop them, and continued you might find items of value there. Of course, those of you who dont want to go are free to remain here. Ahsoka will go with you. Im coming with you, Artemis said. I nodded. Annabeth would probably be there. Where is the market, Master? Ahsoka asked. Ill drop you off on the way. You can find your way back whenever you are done. About six hunters and Ahsoka followed Artemis and I as we left the ship. I dropped the others off at a nearby market, making sure they knew how to get back, and then continued on to the Senate. Be careful of what you say and who you say it to in the Senate, I warned Artemis. She looked at me, silently inquiring as to why. There are many on the Senate whod rather not accept you into the Senate. They feel that the Gods are too closely related to the Jedi, and that your acceptance violates our treaty with the Republic. Artemis didnt look satisfied. The Jedi are prohibited from political power in the Senate. We are there strictly on an observational status. But if the Gods get elected in, then they feel that the Jedi have too much influence over your politics. Artemis frowned. That does make some sense. But it doesnt seem logical. Youre not likely to attack them, are you? No. But people fear what they do not understand. And they do not understand the Force or the Jedi. Only that we are powerful. So they are mistrustful of our motives. Artemis shook her head. I wouldnt want to be stuck in your position right now. Fortunately, it isnt my headache. Master Unduli has that problem. And now it appears she requires help. Dont you have any allies on the Senate? We have a few. We might meet them, I told her. Just then, we rounded a corner and came across a large mushroom shaped building. Hundreds of landing pads were littered around the base of this mushroom. All the government offices were located within this massive edifice. Below it was a tall tower that housed a lot of administrative offices. You guys know how to build on a massive scale, Artemis said, awed. This is the center of more than 1000 worlds. You would expect it to be slightly big.

Artemis shot an incredulous look at me. There is slightly big and there is completely monumental. I chuckled at that. Annabeth wouldve had a seizure when she saw this. Artemis stared at me for a minute, before bursting into chuckles. We landed at one of the pads. There were hundreds of security personnel around. These were the Senate guards. They wore a blue cloak with arm slits in the side around their shoulders that came all the way down to the floor. They wore powerful blaster rifles by a sling around their torso, and wielded impressive Electrostaves, which were staves with an electric charge that could be created at either end, causing similar damage to a blaster when one of those tips hit you. Also, the saberstaves were shielded along the surface, allowing them to block blaster bolts and even lightsabers. Impressive weapons. There were literally thousands of these Senate Guards with the sole objective of protecting the 1000 odd senators and their aides. They wore blue helmets with visors down, and twin plumes of thick hair running parallel over their visors, adding to their impressive appearance, and giving them a total height of almost 6.5ft, towering above almost everybody else. Only Mandalorians a near-human race were allowed to become Senate Guards due to their reputation as fierce warriors. And the fact that they were once a thorn in the side of the Jedi Order probably had something to do with it. Heavy security, Artemis whispered as we walked past. You seem to be attracting attention. I nodded. I dont come here often. Well be closely observed. After a few security points, where Artemis presence had to be explained, we were allowed to enter the office levels. We finally came to a stop outside Master Undulis office. I pushed a buzzer on the side of the door. A few seconds later, the door whizzed aside, allowing us in. Inside was a fairly comfortable room. It had a large desk on one corner, with a comfortable seat and several meeting chairs. On the other wall was a six-man meeting table and a beverage replicator slot. A door in the back probably led to sleeping quarters and a bathroom. Typical long term office arrangements for a Senator. Or one of a senators standing. Master Unduli and Annabeth were sitting at the desk. Both rose to greet us. Please be seated, Master Unduli gestured towards two empty chairs next to Annabeth. Artemis sat next to Annabeth, where the two shared a small smile. Master Unduli cleared her throat. Something ... unexpected has cropped up, she said. I raised an eyebrow. It appears that our opposition has found a loophole in the Constitution. Which is... Which is the fact that all populations on a single world can only have a single government. An ancient rule that nobody really bothered to amend because it had never caused an issue. Of the few planets that had multiple species or multiple factions, they agreed to work together when being represented in the Republic. With us having two governments, only one may be represented in the Senate. Cant we contest that? I asked. The basic point was that we already had a seat, so the gods couldnt have a seperate one. We only have observer status. No voting rights. I tried to explain that to the Senate. However, the Chancellor has ruled that we cannot oppose the constitution. And getting an amendment to the Constitution... she shrugged her shoulders. Could be centuries. I frowned. Maybe I can speak to the Chancellor. See if he will change his mind. Master di Angelo has already tried. Nothing doing, Im afraid. He did give us his condolences and gave us the hope that we could seek out an amendment. Or to unify the gods and the Jedi into a single representation on the Council. But with only observer status, the gods will not get much power in the Senate. Then any problems in intergalactic politics may take decades to smooth over. My eyes widened as I realised all the repercussions. Sith!

Master Unduli nodded sadly. What? Artemis asked, confused. From Annabeths expression, apparently she knew what I was referring to. The Sith. If you become a single representation on the council, then the codes of war do not offer you any protection in the war between the Jedi and the Sith. They will be free to attack you in their war against us, Master Unduli explained. Seeing the mystification on the goddesses face, she elaborated. According to the ancient laws set down by Chaos race, any war between peoples must be declared in writing before any attack. This applies at the government level. There exists a declaration of war between the Jedi and the Sith governments in Tython and Korriban respectively. If you were accepted as a seperate government, our treaties do not include you, so you will be safer against attack, unless they issue a seperate declaration of war against you, for which they will require a valid reason against the gods. But if you join our government... Master Unduli trailed off. The line of logic was clear. We put this question to the council several months ago. And many of them agreed that the gods would recieve a seperate government! I exclaimed. You cant say so many changed. It appears that our opposition has been campaigning quite heavily. And fear is a powerful motivator. A bunch of immortal gods and goddesses are siding with the Jedi plays easily into the peoples fears. I sighed. Such blow the winds of change. Fickle is the Senate. Any ideas on our actions now? We will try to petition this ruling. But all indications point against any action that we might want. What do the gods have to say about this? I asked, looking at Annabeth. I talked to the coucil. Couldnt get in touch with you, Artemis, unfortunately. Annabeth looked apologetic. Artemis nodded. Hades doesnt like it, but the others dont mind being under the same government as the Jedi, as long as our interests are catered for. I frowned. If we form a single representation to the Senate, then we will require full membership. Observer status simply isnt enough. I have talked about this to the Chancellor. And he has agreed. Tython is given a single seat in the Senate. And what of the Security Council? Luminara shook her head. Umm... Artemis began, looking between the two of us. The Senate is too unwieldy to make rapid decisions. For lesser problems or for problems that require fast resolution, there is a Security Council formed of the ten most powerful nations. As an observer, the Jedi could watch what took place in the Security Council meetings. Without observer status, we cannot know what they are thinking of. Unfortunately, our greatest opposition are powerful on the security council, Master Unduli explained. Thats not good, Artemis said, stating the obvious. Fortunately Senators Bail Organa and Padme Amidala have agreed to keep us abreast of anything happening in the Security Council if they can. Officially, they cannot violate vows of secrecy taken by the Senators.

Officially, Artemis began. I shot her a look that said not here. One could never be too careful. Unduli had a dampening field set up around the office, but they could be bypassed by recorders inside the room. And talk like this could be seen as treason. Not something the gods needed. So who will take the seat on the Senate? I asked. Master di Angelo is of the mind that one of the gods should have that seat. Without observer status, we do not require a seat on the Senate. The Gods believe that Lady Annabeth here is best qualified for that job. I agree with their decision. She is a sound diplomat. I requested your presence to see what you thought. Annabeth flushed at the praise. You do realise that if the Jedi require something of the Council, we would have to go through the gods? And she is not really experienced in galactic politics a realm even I hesitate to tread on. Annabeth spoke up. Despite Master Undulis praise, I am not anywhere near expert in this. I have a lot of catching up to do. I need a mentor. Master Unduli has agreed to be that Mentor, for which I am grateful. Also, the gods agree almost unanimously that they will support anything the Jedi wish to do. We intend to share this seat on the Senate, though it may be of little use to you. Her grey eyes bored into mine. I met her gaze for several seconds, finally exhaling. Fine. The Jedi back Annabeths appointment to Senator of Tython, on the understanding that one of the Jedi will be given a representative status within her diplomatic team. Annabeth nodded. Thank you, she said. Well. Thats it, then. Lady Annabeths ascension to Senator will be held later today in the evening session. I will take care of all the details, Master Unduli said. I nodded. You better read and understand fast. The Senate is a cutthroat world. Listen to Luminara she knows what shes on about, I advised Annabeth. Above all, make sure you know who your friends are, and who your enemies are. You need to know what your friends are doing as well as your enemies. Annabeth nodded. I know. Looks like you will be spending a lot of time here. How will you communicate with the gods? Master Unduli was kind enough to allow me her communications bay, she indicated a holoterminal at one end of the desk. Nico has set up a terminal in the Throne room. Almost instantaneous communication. I nodded. You will also need a personal ship and a crew. Youll need to be able to travel the galaxy at will. Ill see about getting you a diplomatic ship. Cant I use a ship similar to yours? Nice ship. It is identified by the people as a Jedi ship. Not always desirable. We can have discussions later about ships for all the gods. We could train demigods to pilot these craft. We cannot use nymphs or other beings for this purpose. But demigods are uniquely suited to Space travel, Annabeth spoke up. As to the ships, youll have to talk to Hephaestus and the other gods. I nodded. I will set somebody on searching for suitable ships. As for training the demigods, that will depend on the gods, but if they agree, the Temple training simulators are available to anybody, as are Jedi trainers on ship piloting.

I was told you were the expert concerning ships, Annabeth pointed out. We have a budget of 50 million credits we borrowed from Nico to purchase ships, both for trade and for defense. Thalia, and Poseidon are in the military dockyards, searching for ships. Perhaps... she looked uncertainly at me. A lot of money to buy ships with. Be careful with your budget. Annabeth nodded. They had brought a lot of gold from Olympus, which they sold. But having found that Celestial bronze (aka adamantium) was in such high demand, Olympus was beginning up foundries to create and sell more Celestial bronze, and they were gaining quite a reputation. But they required transports to get the raw ore in and export the adamantium out. These needed to be heavily guarded. The Republic would not allow their military to provide private protection to individual ships or convoys. So they required secure transports and escort vessels. Ill help. Probably can reduce their price. Artemis, you with me? She shook her head. Ill stay here with Annabeth for a while. I can find my way back. I nodded. Again, be careful of who you talk to and dont agree to any deals without Luminaras consent. Annabeth nodded, and I gave a short bow to Master Unduli who returned it, and I strode out. I found a taxi, got to a near space elevator, and rode up it to one of the 10 geostationary stations that acted as the primary space based conduits to transport people up to and down from space. There, I got a taxi, and went to the military dockyards. I quickly found out from a young ensign as to where the gods were, and quickly caught up with them. They were waiting near the cheapest and most broken down ships, debating. Nearby, a military vendor stood with an odd gleam in his eye. Hello, Poseidon. Thalia, I said, stepping out of the shadows. The two of them turned so suddenly it was comical. Heard you were going to buy ships. Thought I might help, if you want it. Finally, Thalia huffed. Annabeth said you were on your way. What took you so long? Poseidon grinned slightly at me, though his eyes betrayed his worry. It appears that we dont have sufficient funds to buy much. Nonsense. Where are the Pelta-class frigates. With the new fleet tenders coming out, they should be selling like hotcakes. I-I dont have any in stock. All sold out, the salesman said, the initial stammer giving him away. Both Thalia and Poseidon rounded on him. With those fickle hyperdrives you have on those, nobody would buy them. Surely you must have several lying about? This way... he muttered, leading down the corridor. Is it defective? Poseidon asked. Just the hyperdrive. We can replace that, I whispered back. He nodded. We finally came to a space pod that had large viewports to allow us almost omnidirectional viewing. After sitting, the salesman took us to the furthest docking ports, where we saw lines upon lines of frigates that appeared clean and neat. The Pelta class transport frigates. Modular systems allow it to be used for a variety of roles. Newly designed, in the last 20 years. It comes with modular systems for cargo hauling, troop transportation, and for a medical frigate. Comes standard with three dual turbolaser turrets for defense, and two forward torpedo tubes. It can transport up to 2500 tonnes of equipment, with a crew of 10. Or it can carry 3000 men with the same crew.

Hephaestus estimated maximum production at 60,000 tonnes per month, Thalia mused. How long would a single trip from Tython to here and back with full loads be? A week, I said. With a full load. Including a day at either end for unloading. Thalia nodded. We would need 6. But we are only producing 5000 tonnes now. How much would they cost? 10 million credits each, the owner said, a curious glint in his eyes. Nonsense, I butted in. I want you to replace both hyperdrives with hyperdrives from the Nebulon-B. You can sell the Pelta hyperdrives for parts if you want. I also want a full torpedo loadout with a spare of 200 torpedoes each, along with full fuel tanks, and a complete servicing. Six of them for 30 million credits. Effendi! Do you mock me? I cannot do that kind of deals and expect to make a profit! the owner exclaimed, wide-eyed. Nevertheless, that is how much the Peltas are worth. I am the only person in the market for Peltas now, and your only other option is to sell them for scrap, which would give you a million each, tops. I can then go to the scrap-dealer and buy it from him for two million each. He looked wild-eyed at me, but huffed. Alright, effendi. 30 million according to your terms. But let it not be known that I am not generous. Of course not, I replied drily. Now, I believe I saw a pocket carrier on the way, I told him. Take me there. He nodded, and led the way. 30 million! And they were brand spanking new! Poseidon exclaimed. Thanks, Perce! What is this pocket carrier? Thalia wanted to know. For Artemis. About the size of a Pelta, but modified to have an internal hangar, I replied. Usually carries a squadron of small fighters. Here we are! the owner said, stopping in front of a tired-looking CR-90. A CR-90 frigate custom modified to hold a single hangar through the middle with bay doors on either side. Can carry 6 X-wings or 12 of your Jedi Interceptors, he said, looking keenly at me. Has a crew of 8 with a commander. Top deck has the cockpit in the front th for four, along with 4 bunkrooms with up to 6 people people per room behind that, with a two refreshers and a 5 executive room for the commander. The rear has a lounge and medical bay. The second and third decks were modified into a single hangar deck in the front. The rear of the hangar deck has space for repairs, with the engineering section at the rear requiring four engineers. The partial third deck has landing gear, along with supplies, along with long term cargo storage areas. That should definitely fit Artemis, Thalia said. She said she wanted a ship for herself if possible. But it looks old. The CR-90 are extremely reliable, the owner said, trying to sell the thing off. A little bit of polishing, and it will be ship-shape. In that case, I want a full refurbishment, I said. A wary look entered his eyes. I believe the torpedo tubes on this are not the same as the Pelta. Replace the two forward torpedo tubes in this with two from the Pelta. I am sure the scrap dealers wont mind if one of them doesnt have the torpedo tubes. You also must have a lot of the Pelta torpedoes lying around. So put in say 200 torpedoes for this also. I see you removed the turrets. Good. Take the turrets from the Pelta, and re-install them onto this. Two on either side of the body below the cockpit, with 180 degree rotation forward, four on top of the hangar extensions facing facing the flanks, and one on the dorsal surface facing back. And replace all the controls and avionics with the Peltas, I said. I want the same avionics and controls.

The owner was quickly toting up the cost. That will be 20 million credits, effendi, he said, looking worriedly at me. I raised an eyebrow. The pelta replacements should be a profit to you in any case. And I hardly think anybody would buy this piece of junk in its present condition. I will pay 10 million credits. Effendi! I glared at him. I understand you have been unable to sell this for the last five years, and that you have done nothing to it in that time, and that you won it for free in a game of chance. Id say that 10 million credits would give more than enough profit markup for you. His eyes widened, and now he honestly looked terrified. He nodded. 10 million credits! Good. Now, I am told that you had a new shipment of starfighters. I would like to see them. He was now a defeated man. He knew as well as I did that the fighters were old and weary, and I would squeeze every drop of profit out of him. But he silently led me away. Does the carrier come with any aircraft? Poseidon asked. Nope. That is what we are going to buy now. You will need fighters for the carrier, as well as a fighter escort for the Pelta. If you say so, Poseidon said, uncomfortably. But it is starting to become rather expensive. We have to repay all this money back to you. Who said anything about repayment? I asked him. Consider it an investment. The Jedi expect cheap supply of celestial bronze, I winked at him. Have to ask Zeus, but I doubt he will argue, Poseidon said. And Artemis will twist him around her little finger anyway. He better agree, Thalia growled. I told you we needed to defend our ships. But we didnt think we could afford to buy the fighters when the transports themselves came to be so much. Well, now you can, I told them. Here we are, the owner said sourly. The new batch. X-wings and Aethersprite interceptors. Used by the Jedi. Poseidons eyebrows rose. Both of them? No. Just the Aethersprites. Top notch interceptors. Will go perfectly with Artemis carrier. But not what youre looking for. They have massive engines and just two turbolasers. And no inbuilt hyperdrive. Poorly designed for escort duty. I see 14 Aethersprites. Well take all of them, I told him. Full service included, obviously. And full tanks. I want them in mint condition or Ill get the CEC onto you for selling unsafe substandard equipment. The owner bobbed his head rapidly. Get them all into the carrier. You should be able to fit the two extra into the repair bays. Are the X-wings good for escort? Poseidon asked, eyeing their statistics in a nearby board. They have inbuilt hyperdrives, four turbolasers and a nose ion cannon. Whats an ion cannon?

It is similar to a turbolaser. It ionises the tibanna gas that power the turbolaser into a plasma cloud which is compacted by a magnetic field that is produced by a small pellet. This is fired out through the nose. The X-wings can carry up to 12 pellets, so youve got 12 shots before needing to refuel and replace the pellets, but they are relatively cheap. When the ionised gas hits the target, the magnetic barrier is broken, and the ionised gas eats away at any metal, similar to a torpedo. Unlike a torpedo, they cannot be guided or self-propelled. They are not as useful against shields as turbolasers but are far more useful in vaporising the hull armour plating. Poseidon nodded. How many can we get? If youre sending the Peltas out in fleets of 3, I would give a squadron of 12 X-wings. So you need 24 X-wings. I would also have 6 to use for training and to replace any Xwings you might lose in combat, I said. Poseidon nodded. 30 X-wings at 100,000 credits each. I want 200 pellets for each of the X-wings and a full service. And another million for the 14 Aethersprites I said. I would suggest you take that price. The owner nodded, defeated. Is that it? Weve still got 6 million, Poseidon said. Annabeth will need a transport to and from Coruscant, I said. And I daresay you gods could use some form of transport. I turned to the owner. Do you have any yachts? He nodded and led us away. I noticed several H-type Naboo yachts. We immediately bought three of those for two million each. One for Annabeths exclusive use, along with two for the Olympians in General. Each one would carry 6 people in comfort, though Annabeth would probably modify hers to have a bedroom if she was sent on long range diplomatic missions, I didnt expect it to transport more than 2 for long term missions. But it still had a diplomatic meeting room for 12 people, as did the other two, allowing all the gods to meet if necessary also. Once we were guaranteed that these would be delivered to Tython in a months time, we took a taxi to return to the Capital. Well, I guess weve got ourselves a small fleet, Poseidon said. I nodded. Ill drop you guys off at the Senate building. Annabethll pick you up. Ive got other business to take care off. Thanks for everything, Percy. We couldnt have done anything without you, Thalia replied. Well, nobody could depend on you to find anything related to flying now, could they? I chuckled, glancing at Thalia. She chuckled, but that didnt stop her returning a punch to the arm. I dropped them off, and took off towards an old friend who had something he had designed for me. Several hours later, I got a message on my communicator from Ahsoka, telling me that she and the Hunters had returned to the ship, as had Artemis. I took another taxi, and returned to the ship. Where were you? Artemis asked. Poseidon and Thalia said youd bought a carrier? Yep. You said you wanted a ship. A carrier allows Olympus to Force Project, and allows you to carry out independent missions around the universe. It is very small, but it is an effective ship. You can always sell it in and trade up later if you wish. Artemis nodded. Thanks.

The Jedi will train your hunters and the other campers on how to fly and so on if you wish, I stated. Artemis nodded. Well be ready. Three Months later Well, master, looks like Olympus is ready, Ahsoka told me. We had built two squadrons called Red and Blue squadrons. They were headed respectively by a son of Zeus and a son of Poseidon. Each squadron was split into 3 flights of four, with the idea that each flight would be responsible for a single Pelta transport. They were relatively competent in flying escort. They would become better through practice. When we got the X-wings they were still in relatively run-down conditions, so the Jedi had rebuilt them. We removed the wings and replaced them with short fixed stubs since the large radiators were no longer needed with the more efficient radiators on the market. The long oldfashioned lasers were replaced with much more compact turbolasers. The four small engines were replaced with two larger engines that sat between the two stubs on either side. The large bulky hyperdrive was replaced with a much smaller unit. A refuelling probe was added so that the fighters could refuel from the Peltas, to which we added larger fuel tanks and removed most of the internal bulkheads since the gods werent planning on using them to transport people. This increased the cargo capacity slightly. We also managed to automate much of the Pelta, reducing its crew requirement to 2 pilots, two engineers, and a cargo chief who was also in de facto command of the entire vessel. We also added a landing pad in each Pelta to hold up to 2 X-wings. This allowed the pilots some rest between the long escorts. We also managed to thin down the nose assembly of the X-wings, as the individual sensors, navigation sensors, and communication relays had been combined into a single unit. This allowed us to shorten the nose of the X-wing significantly. The bulky lifesupport systems behind the pilots seat was replaced with a microrecycler. This unit would vaporise any waste entering it, whilst it could also be programmed to create anything required. The Jedi had managed to make it small enough to fit into the seat. First, it would constantly circulate the air within the cockpit, scrubbing out odours and carbon dioxide and replacing it with oxygen. It would produce water and a nutrient slurry that would be entirely absorbed by the body without producing any material waste whilst giving a feeling of fullness and catering to the entire nutrient requirements of the pilot. It also would connect to a separate apparatus in the pilots suit that would funnel any pee into the system to be discarded. The pilots were rather uncomfortable with using this system, but they were more willing to give it a try. All this further shrinked the space behind the cockpit, and so made the aircraft even smaller and lighter whilst not sacrificing on its fighting ability at all. In the end, the fighter was just over 9m long, and 3m wide at the wings. This allowed it unparalleled maneuverability and acceleration, especially with the more powerful thrustors.We painted the blue squadrons a white and blue colour, whilst the red squadron was painted a white and red squadron. The 6 spare X-wings were also modified and were used for training the next group of pilots. They were called the white squadron as the fighters were painted entirely white without any squadron markings. Poseidon had drained part of the swamp that was neighbouring Hephaestus factories, and Hades raised a large block of granite several feet above the swamp and level with the factories. The factories were to the north of the landing pad, with a row of warehouses and loading cranes to store and load the adamantium onto the Peltas. Along the western side were hangars and an air-traffic control tower for the peltas and the three squadrons. A bunch of 6 Hephaestus kids had been tasked with keeping the squadrons and Peltas up to date, whilst 4 other kids of Iris were given the task of managing the air traffic control. In the meantime, Ahsoka and I had built two new fighters for the pair of us. Unlike the older Actis interceptors, these were meant for long range reconnaisance and stealth. We needed it to travel further afield to further Ahsokas training. Meanwhile, I used the opportunity of constructing the fighters to teach Ahsoka the art of controlling mechanics and droids. A Jedi could use the force to not just physically control a droid, but also by taking control of its computer systems. If done correctly, it is a much more subtle and much less taxing method. It also allows us to change the programming of droids, and in the extreme case, instil a sleeper agent in the form of a droid that would only activate a series of subroutines when confronted with a trigger scenario. This was generally used by the Jedi mechanics to aid in their design and construction processes. As a Shadow, however, I taught Ahsoka how to use it as a reconnaisance and spying tool. When we were done, the two gleaming black fighters sat in the hangar bay I had obtained in the Jedi Temple. Each had a large spacious cockpit, with a roomy area behind the seat. This would allow the seat to recline into a sleeping configuration. A microrecycler under the seat would take care of all bodily wastes whilst providing food, water, and oxygen. The extra space also had small shelves on the sides for storage. These would hold holocrystals and any additional lightsaber materials we might need. Spare clothes were also stored here. In the nose, we had a high yield ion cannon built into the nose, and taking up much of the space beneath the cockpit. Next to this was a long antenna for high accuracy scanning and communications. The actual scanners and processors sat behind the cockpit, between the two powerful thrustors. Further to the

back, between the thrustors was a single Class 0.8 hyperdrive. Only by using droid control could we install such a powerful hyperdrive into a starfighter. As for weapons, we also included two shoulder mounted turbolasers with a rotating firing assembly. This would allow unimaginable rate of fire, in the order of 6000 rounds a minute from each gun. Unfortunately, this meant that the muzzles had to be fixed, with only a short rotation of 5 degrees inwards to focus their combined fire at various distances in front. Finally, we moulded long range fuel tanks around any remaining space. Still, we managed to get a range of several thousand lightyears, equivalent to almost two weeks travel. Well, Master, about those two fighters. Why exactly do we need them again? Ahsoka asked as we re-entered the hangars. Because, it is time you learned some history. Oh? We are going to trace the history between the Jedi and the Sith, but this time focussing on how the Shadows played a role. I see. She didnt sound particularly interested. We began checking out the fighters, to make sure that they were prepared to fly. During which, I will train you in some of the darker Shadow aspects, I said. Oh! Which is why we are not training here. First, we go to Yavin 4, I said, satisfied with my check, and getting into my cockpit. Ahsoka hopped into hers. Were leaving now? She seemed hesitant. Know of a better time? Master, I dont know if I am ready... Ahsoka said, hesitantly. You told me that the path of the Shadows walked close to the dark side. And you showed me what you meant. And so far, we havent. How do you know that I wont ... Turn into a Sith? I asked. She nodded. Dont worry. If you show any signs of going dark on me, Ill kill you. Thats reassuring, she shot back drily. Kidding aside, as long as you keep asking yourself that question, youll be fine. In this step, we acknowledge that none of us are totally insulated from the dark side. The other Jedi choose to hide this aspect of their Force connection. Which for them is the wisest thing to do. But the path before you is different. We will try to unlock your dark side ability without allowing them to take control of you. Remember A Shadow works in the dark to serve the light. That must always be your motivation. To serve the light. No matter where you are. Ill try to keep that in mind, master. And I wasnt entirely joking. If you do fall, and there is no way to get you out... I began. But pausing there, I closed my cockpit, and fired up the engines. I could see Ahsoka still staring at my cockpit glass, not sure entirely how to take that. Coming back to her senses, she closed her cockpit, and fired up her engines, and followed me out into the night sky.

Two Years Later Finally, we were leaving that dreadful planet. Master and I had spent the last two years travelling through many systems, with him detailing the conflicts between the Sith and the Jedi, and showing how these conflicts shaped the future of those planets. I had never known that Tattooine was turned into a desert planet when a Sith armada, unable to find a Jedi shadow on its jungle surface, bombarded the entire surface with so much energy that the entire surface became glass. Over time, erosion reduced the glass to sand. Or that Yavin IV was abandoned because a Sith Lords spirit was entombed there. The spirit was so powerful it had begun corrupting the plants and animals on the moons surface. And from each of these locations, I was slowly and carefully allowed to experience the dark side. I nearly lost it several times. The allure of the dark was so seducing. I had all that power, and I could use it to do anything I wanted. Only because Master was there could I resist the temptation. But I now fully realised his struggle. Every day, one has to fight the darkness within. It cannot simply be shut away. Therefore, it must be confronted every day, every minute, every second. In one of my episodes, as Master taught me about how to sense and drain the life energy from other living beings, I had realised the amount of energy swirling about me, mine for the taking. I had begun taking it, before Master hit me with a force push so hard I slammed into a nearby tree. When I opened my eyes, I found a circle about 10m wide in which the lush green grass and plants that once were there were replaced with ash and death. Nothing grew in that circle. Master was watching me warily, for any signs of Sithness. I shook my head at the damage I had caused, and immediately drew upon the energy I had gained in regrowing the area. But this was a lot harder. I could help regrow an ailing life force, but to fully return it was much more difficult. Master did not help, just watching me warily. When I finished, I swayed on my feet, falling asleep as I fell. The last thing I remembered was Master catching me and telling me that I had done well. Anyway, we were on our way back. Master said that we both needed a break, and that he had a feeling he would be needed at Tython. Besides, our tour of the galaxy was over. I had mastered all my combat styles, and now I needed actual combat to hone my skills. In all our travels, we had seen all sorts of monsters and critters that we had to fight our way out of, but no Sith. Not even any Dark Jedi. Master said that it was getting rather rare to see either of them outside of Imperial controlled space since the last war. He felt that they were re-arming, just as the Federation was easing itself back into its post war development. The Federations military forces were shattered, and people were focusing on rebuilding the economies of entire planets. The time was ripe for opportunistic pirates, mercenaries, and other criminal cartels to get away with almost anything. Which was what the majority of the remaining military forces was focussing on. I wasnt sure about the Sith, but I knew that if we were attacked, we would not be able to defend ourselves. Finally, we dropped out of hyperspace into orbit around Tython. I shook my head. Master always pushed it too close. So close to a planet, hyperspace bent in an unstable manner. Drop too close to a gravitic field, and you risk tearing yourself apart. But Master always seemed to get away with it. But before us, sat something that neither of us expected. What in the Force is that? Percy asked, stunned. Looks like a space station, Master, I said. I must say, I am surprised you didnt know! I glanced over to his ship, smirking. He rolled his eyes at me. I know that. What is a space station doing around Tython? This is Space Station Home One, hailing unknown fighters. Welcome to Tython. What is your business here? A pretty voice asked over the open hailing frequency. Umm... we live here? I said, uncertainly. This is Jackson and Tano of the Jedi, Master Jackson said firmly. Were going down to the Jedi Temple. At once, Masters, the voice said. I chuckled. Apparently she didnt know who we were. She was definitely bored and wasnt really listening. Landing clearance to Pad 1A at the Jedi Temple. Thank you, Master Jackson said, shaking his head at me. I giggled again. Can you find that ass Nico and get him to meet us there?

Umm... the voice said, sounding unsure. I do not know who you are talking about... Master di Angelo. Of the Jedi. He should be at the temple. Contact him, and tell him to meet us at the landing pad, Oh! Let me check, Master. The channel went silent for a few minutes. Master di Angelo is at New Olympus, master. Would you like to redirect there? Please, Master Jackson replied. One moment. The approach vector has been sent to you, Masters. I will instruct Master di Angelo to find you there. Thank you, Percy replied, as we went in to land. As we came in, I noticed that there were a lot more cities in the Northern Continent. It appeared that the population of Olympus had grown rapidly. I counted atleast three distinct large cities that had cropped up. New Olympus itself appeared unchanged, though new extensions had been built to the city to the south and east where the agriculture fields had been. These had been pushed out even further. I found that we were being directed to the original landing pad that Olympus had been using two years ago. The factories that had been surrounding it had been removed, and hangars had replaced it. When we landed, we noticed Master di Angelo standing there with Poseidon. Upon setting down, we jumped out of the plane. Nico, Poseidon. Care to explain? Master Jackson said, glaring into Nico. He shrugged, apparently not bothered with Master Jacksons annoyance. Turned out that a lot of humans on earth wanted to leave also. Federation picked up a message sent through relatively old standards that there was a group that wanted to leave. So we sent in more transports. In total, we had approximately 50 million people who wanted to go. Problem was the war that had begun to attack Olympus turned on itself, and civilians were being attacked. And so began one of the largest mass migrations. We are still moving people out. And of course, the Federation said that they were of the same people as the gods. So they were sent here. Naboo and Alderaan also agreed to help out, but people who diverted there had to become part of those nations. I see, Master Jackson mused. And what of the pollution problem? Are we going to let them destroy this moon also? Because I for one wont stand for it. Neither will we, Percy, Poseidon replied. They were taken off Earth on the condition that they give up their original lives. The humans have agreed to live peaceably. And to not mess with the nature. If they do, Artemis and Persephone will be on their backs. I see. And who is in charge of these people? They have a democratic sub-government, with a leader elected every year. But the Olympian Council remains at the head of the council. Zeus was adamant. He didnt want another war. He made it quite clear that if people did not wish to remain here, they were free to leave. Some of the more troublesome left to Naboo and Alderaan, or left entirely. So we have a relatively peaceful society. I noticed the new cities... I spoke up. Yes. We couldnt house all of them at Olympus. So weve divided the Northern continent into 10 precincts. The Sub-government is stationed at New Olympus. Each precinct except New Olympus has a Mayor who reports to the Governor who is in charge of the Sub-government. Theyve also set up a police forces and so on. And now there is talk about setting up a small army. I see. And what of the Southern Continent?

We will honour our agreement, Poseidon spoke up. None of the humans are allowed south of the equator unless expressly allowed by the Jedi. It was tough to limit that, and the humans would not back down until we agreed that nobody would be allowed to enter the south, and that the Jedi would be free to prosecute anybody who entered the southern hemisphere. Weve had a few who wanted to slip past, Nico admitted. The Temple Security Forces have been tasked with preventing that, and escorting them back to the North. Eventually most of them got the message, but a few still try. I see, Master Jackson replied. And the Station? Master Noon Sah found an abandoned station during one of his missions. It was built by the Imperials around Draxis Prime. It was designed as a hub for harvesting the iron ore from the asteroid belt. So a Jedi team brought it in for analysis, and then the Olympians asked if they could have it. So we redesigned much of the ore processing centers to handle adamantium. Well, Hephaestus did that. We rebuilt the computer systems and all the rest. Most of it is now devoted to adamantium production. This is then stored in the warehouses until it is loaded onto a convoy and shipped offworld. The control center was expanded so that it serves as a large space traffic control for incoming and outgoing ships. But it isnt meant for tourism, though it has a few bunkers for the freighter captains to sleep. Master Jackson nodded. And what of this army? Well, Thalia really pushed for it. We are now beginning our own mining operations in several asteroid belts for the raw materials. And pirate raids have started to become more than we can handle. So Zeus has authorised an army to defend our interests. Hmm... And what size is this army? We have found and built four mining and processing stations. You saw one in orbit. The other three are in uninhabited star systems of the Pentax Cluster nearby. It is within our territory, Master Jackson allowed. I take it pirates have been attacking these sites? Poseidon nodded. Typically just when the station is filled with adamantium, days before we send a convoy to empty the station. Weve lost quite a significant amount of money. Go on. Thalia is still working on the Armys design. But she wants it to be composed of two groups. A land based arm called the Marines who will be permanently stationed at these stations and within the convoys to provide protection, and a naval arm consisting of frigates, destroyers, and fighters. I will let you get on with it. I am needed at the Temple, Master di Angelo said, excusing himself, before he turned and left. Poseidon took us to a newly constructed building within the boundary of the inner circle. It had Defense Forces written across the front, with two statues of Thalia and Poseidon on either side of the steps in. Both were wearing their full combat regalia, and had their weapons held threateningly. Very subtle, Master Jackson said drily. Eh, Poseidon shrugged. Inside was chaos. People were scurrying about the lobby, and barrels of equipment were lying about, with some men shouting at others to do this, that, and the other. Everybody fell silent as Poseidon passed. They all clicked their heels together and saluted. Poseidon returned the salute, and said carry on. The others then returned to their jobs. I shook my head. I had not seen how an army operated, and to me, it felt strange and stiff.

Thalias through here, Poseidon said, leading us into a small room. Inside the small circular room was a holographic table and more screens covering the walls. At the table sat Thalia. Percy, Thalia smiled warmly. Glad to see you. So whats this about an army? Master Jackson asked, going to sit next to Thalia. Poseidon pulled a chair for me before he too sat down. Here, let me show you, Thalia tapped a few keys, and an image of several groups of men appeared on the table. This is our Army. It is divided into 4 Regiments. Each Regiment has 2200 men in it, and is a completely independent combat unit. The four regiments are identical, and will be situated at each of these four stations. Their duty will be to primarily protect the four stations, and secondarily to protect the system within which the stations are based at. Master Jackson nodded for her to continue. Each Regiment is divided into 4 Battalions, numbering at 500 men. The remaining 200 men are support people. We have 50 medics, 50 Combat Engineers, 20 in the command element, 40 Artillery men, and 40 pilots Pilots? Thalia nodded. Each Marine Corps is given 10 LAAT assault craft. I understand you are familiar with this. Master Jackson chuckled. Quite. Thalia nodded, clearly hoping to get more. We used them extensively during the Clone wars. One of the best assault and landing craft ever designed. Good, Poseidon said. Nico said they were the best. Master Jackson nodded. 10 LAATs wont get you far, though. You need to be able to transport the entire Regiment. Thalia nodded. Which is why we have modified the Peltas. Each Regiment is given two Peltas for long range transport. Each Pelta can carry 1100 men, along with having a small hangar for 5LAAT/is as well as a squadron of 10 starfighters. We bought more X-wings and modified them. It appears that the pilots really love flying them. But these are slightly longer, and can be reconfigured for either a bombing and ground attack mission or for a space escort and interception mission. Percy nodded. Makes sense. Carry your own air support with you. Precisely. And what of this artillery? Each Regiment has 20 tanks. These are permanently stored on the Peltas, and can only be used on the ground. They are the AT-APs. Another relic of the clone wars, Percy chuckled. Did the Republic Army just throw them in also? Pretty much, Thalia nodded. Arent they good? Good enough, Percy replied. Theyll get you where you need to go. I thought three legs made them unstable while walking. And they are so tall, Poseidon said.

That is to increase mobility. They are entirely stable when they are stationary, and it takes quite a bit of fire power to topple them over they are very well designed. Anyway, they store pretty tightly, with the legs folding under the body. And they have a very powerful main gun, and a smaller anti-personnel gun for self-defense, Thalia said. And they only need two people. I think they will do quite well. So each Battalion gets 5? I asked. If necessary. It might make more sense to deploy them as a group of 20, Thalia told me. It depends on how they are used. How are the Battalions divided up? Master Jackson asked. 100 man Companies, Thalia stated. Led by a Captain. He is part of the 100. Each Battalion has a separate command element above Captain. The 2 through 4 st Battalions have a 5-man command crew led by a Major. The 1 Battalion is led by a similar 5-man command crew led by a Colonel who is also in charge of the entire Regiment. Percy nodded. Makes sense. And 2200 men should make for a very mobile force. Thalia nodded. We also modified the Peltas, adding a lot more weapons and offensive capability. They are full-fledged frigates now. They are also entirely self-sufficient. The Peltas have their own long term medical care centers, and so on. And if one Pelta is destroyed, it is possible to cram all 2200 men into a single Pelta if absolutely required, including most of the combat requisite components, including the extra tanks and fighters. Im sure the marines really look forward to that, I said drily. The Pelta wasnt designed for more than 1200 people at the maximum. Thalia and Poseidon chuckled. And how will you defend the transports? I asked. They do not have built in weapons to protect themselves. If anything, they are far more vulnerable now that they are standard transports. Thalia nodded. A seperate force called the Marines, trained in space and ship-ship boarding and shipboard warfare. We currently operate 4 convoys, each consisting of 10 to 15 ships. The transports themselves are very lightly defended. So we have 4 Marine Expeditionary Forces, each numbering at 500 that are assigned to a convoy. So a total of 10800 men, Master Jackson said. And a Headquarters element here of about 200, Poseidon added. 11000 men. Master Jackson nodded slowly, digesting this information. Anyway, each Expeditionary Force here has 4 Marine Assault Companies of 50 men each. They are trained to use boarding craft to insert into a ship and drive out anybody hostile. They also use the LAAT/is, but these are designed with borers in the rear that can drill a hole through the hull of a ship. Each MAC as they are called has 2 LAAT/is. These are piloted by the pilots who forma separate company. There are 16 LAAT/i pilots, and a total of 44 men to crew the escort frigate, including the command team of the entire Battalion, the ship engineers, and the medical crew for the entire battalion. So thats 260 men. What escort frigate is this?
nd th

A Pelta. We really like the Peltas. Very versatile. We added a lot of weaponry in, and added a second thrustor to the back and upgraded the hyperdrives, Thalia said. Very nimble. We also added large hangarbays. The remaining 240 men are pilots. They are split into 6 Squadrons of 40 men each. Each squadron flies 24 X-wings. These are split into 6 flights of 4 X-wings each. The remaining 16 men in a squadron consists of ground crew for the X-wings, and flight engineers to keep the X-wings working. Percy frowned. So youve got 144 X-wings in a single Pelta? Thalia nodded. Two decks of hangars running across the entire Pelta. So there are 4 exits, but we split the exits by forward and rear, to give 8 exits. Exits 7 and 8 on the lower deck at the rear on either side are given to the LAATs. Two MACs share an exit. The other 6 exits are each given to a single squadron. We can achieve total mobilisation within 10 minutes. The MACs are permanently housed just aft of the hangars, on both decks. There is always a MAC on standby and can be mobilised in under a minute. Also, we keep a squadron in space at all times, with a second on hot standby, ready to fly at an instants notice. They too can leave within a minute. Good. Good training beats good equipment any day. Thalia nodded. What we are undecided about is a special forces team. Thalia wants to train a small team that will specialise in infiltration and reconnaisance, Poseidon stated. You know, so that we can use them surreptitiously. She was thinking of an operational team of about 12. You dont sound convinced of the idea, Master Jackson told Poseidon. I frankly dont see the point. We have got 11000 men, in extremely mobile and small armies. Why do we need a special forces team? Perhaps you wish to spy on those you arent supposed to? I asked softly. Keep an eye on your enemies, but keep a closer eye on your friends. Sounds paranoid to me, Poseidon shrugged. But she is right! None of these forces are stealthy. They cannot move without being detected miles away! Thalia argued. What does Zeus think? He left the entire military to Thalia here, Poseidon shrugged. I am just in charge of the transports and ships. In that case, were having a black forces team, Thalia said firmly. A single operational team of 6 men and women. They will need aerial support and command and logistical support. Perhaps a small cruiser for 10 people? Thalia asked,