Hope Reborn - Chapter 20

Luke stood beside Ventress in the cockpit. Iden currently had the Falcon in a wide orbit around the moon were Master Shaak Ti was supposedly located. Her signature in the force was present, but there was something different about it.

An old mining operation had been converted into a settlement. What had once been a thriving business was now barely a pit stop along a merchant corridor. A few other ships had docked on the moon. Only one other had arrived since they had started their orbit.

"I don't like it." Luke sighed. "Something doesn't feel right."

"What do you want to do?" Ventress asked.

"We can play it casual." Luke suggested. "Go down as a couple of smugglers in need of a resupply."

"With the two of us even a masked presence in the force will be felt." Ventress replied.

"There's nothing we can do about that." Luke shrugged. "It would help us find her too."

"I'll keep the ship prepped and ready for a quick exit." Iden said.

"Do you want to come down?" Luke asked with a shrug.

"No." Iden shook her head. "You're right. Something feels off."

Luke headed back to his quarters. He switched his clothes over to his mechanic overalls complete with the tool-belt to hide his lightsaber in plain sight. The blaster on his hip would draw more attention than another random piece of metal among a cluster of others.

Ventress wore a tight gray and blue top made from some thick fabric. It clung to her body without being so tight as to look overtly sexual. She wore a pair of black pants that looked to be made of the same fabric. Her lightsabers were clipped to her lower back on her belt. She covered them with a loose cloak. Her hood stayed down.

"Landing now." Iden called from the cockpit.

Ventress and Luke waited at the ramp. They stood to either side as to not be directly in front of the opening when it lowered.

"What's the plan?" Ventress looked to the young man.

"Why are you asking me?" Luke smirked.

"This is your quest." Ventress returned with a smirk of her own. "I'm just along for the ride."

"Quest?" Luke asked.

"Do you have a better word for it?" She countered.

Luke opened his mouth to reply. He paused, then closed it and shook his head.

"So…" Ventress prompted.

"We need to see if Shaak Ti is really here." Luke replied. "Most likely, she's using an alias and laying low. Hopefully, it's not a colony of Togruta. Do you know anything more about her?"

Ventress shook her head. Luke sighed. He didn't think this was going to be easy, but they were going in blind. It would help if he knew about her history, hobbies, or even her specialty as a Jedi. Most force sensitive shared a few traits that might help narrow their search. An instinctive aptitude of mechanics and machinery was one lead. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to say the Empire knew that as well. They had been hunting Jedi since the purge.

Luke focused on staying relaxed as the ramp lowered. No one waited for them. In fact, they didn't see anyone until the dockmaster lumbered out of a side room. It was an older droid that looked like it had once been used to load cargo.

"Dock. Fee. One-Hundred. Seventy. Imperial. Credits. Per. Twelve. Hours." The droid raised a tablet for them their input.

Luke pulled out his cred-stick and tapped the tablet. It gave out a little chime.

"Services. Requested." The droid asked flatly.

"None." Luke said. "For now."

The droid lumbered back into the office. They watched it reattach itself to a charging station as they walked by. The presence in the Force was stronger. Shaak Ti wasn't hiding very well. It made his nerves kick up another notch.

Ventress stole a subtle glance at him as they stepped out onto the main street. A few ragged smugglers wondered around. There wasn't nearly enough to account for the other ships that had landed. The street consisted of a strip pre-fab buildings and a warehouse all of which had been converted to commercial or residential. Two of them were clearly bars. The others were unmarked and the warehouse at the end appeared to have the most activity. The presence in the Force came from the warehouse. That became clear as they walked farther down the street. It was practically a beacon.

The two didn't speak. They moved to the closest bar. Luke didn't have the much experience with places like these. In his previous life he knew that the Rebellion frequented them to recruit smugglers and bounty hunters. That wasn’t something they needed him to do. Not to mention that after Cloud City he had stepped away from the Rebellion to focus on learning more about becoming a Jedi.

Before he went off with Obi-Wan he had spent a lot of time in the local cantina. It served the local moisture farmers and laborers rather than the criminal side of things. There, it was the same crowd of regulars telling the same stories every night. The tavern had a certain feel. The only feeling in this bar was tension. They all looked the part, but the atmosphere was all wrong.

Luke scanned the room and found an open table. It was a booth placed near the center of the room. He pretended not to notice that the seats were angled so that he couldn't see the door or the bar. In fact, it put their backs to the majority of the other patrons. He seriously doubted the other bar would be any different.

Ventress followed him over to it. She slid into the seat across from him. Conversations returned once they had taken a spot. He listened just long enough to get the sense that it was generic spacer talk. No one spoke about anything specific. Not once did any of them 'smugglers' mention their ship.

Luke cleared his throat and looked around for a server. A droid shuffled over to them a few moments later.

"Turian Ale for me." Luke looked over to Ventress.

"Daikini Red, if you've got it." Ventress replied.

The droid chirped and scuttled away. Luke watched it go. His eyes narrowed.

"What?" Ventress asked.

"Remind me to find somewhere to order some droids." Luke replied. "There should be a lot of decommissioned battle droids out there. Might be able to pick up a few for cheap."

"Why do you need battle droids?" Ventress chuckled.

"They're versatile." Luke defended. "They are hardy, easy to repair, and can be programed to do a lot of things."

Ventress scoffed.

"Okay." Luke rolled his eyes. "They weren't the grunts weren't the best soldiers, but they can do other things. I know a lady who has a group of old Pit Droids as a work crew for her ship mechanics."

"Pit Droid to Mechanic isn't as big of a reach as whatever you have planned." Ventress countered.

The server droid returned with their drinks. Luke trailed his fingers along the length of the class as he spoke. Subtly, he directed the force to neutralize any poison. It had the unfortunate side-effect of making the drink non-alcoholic, but it was better than a truth serum or something. Ventress noticed what he was doing. She tipped her glass in salute and downed it in one shot.

"Come on." Ventress tossed some credits on the table. "We've got work to do."

Luke faked a stumble as he stood.

"Lightweight." Ventress teased as they headed outside.

"Trap." Luke whispered.

"Very." Ventress replied. "Now what?"

"Well." Luke straightened up. "They went through the trouble of setting this all up."

He inclined his head to the warehouse.

"I knew you'd be good for some excitement." Ventress gave him a feral smile.

[ x ]

Lord Revan strode through the halls of the former main factory in the Techno Union. He wore a long black cloak with the hood up to hide his face. The Empire had taken control of the facilities shortly after the war was finished. Most of the machinery was still functional but hadn't been used in years. He had gotten reports of an enterprising group of Weequay criminals that had started to make droids to sell once more.

Officially, they had been detained and executed.

In reality, they were under guard.

He now had his ship fully staffed with a crew that was loyal only to him. It had taken longer than he would have liked. He valued each of the few hundred under his command. They were the first to serve him and they would be rewarded. This step was a plan to prove to them that they weren't expendable as they had been under the Empire.

The group of pirates were held in the workers quarters. A few dead escapees calmed them down fast enough. The fact that they weren't being tortured or executed helped to keep them in line too. Currently, they awaited his arrival in the old board room.

"Gentlemen." Lord Revan spoke as he entered the room.

The group of Weequay glared at him.

"None of that." Revan waved a hand. The chair at the end of the table slid out. He strode over like he owned the place and sat. "Please. We have business to discuss."

"Who are you?" One of the criminals spoke up.

"Lord Revan." He replied with a smile that made them take an involuntary step back. Even with the hood up the threat was clear. "Sit."

The group scrambled to follow his order.

"Who are you?" Revan asked.

"Ishiro Ohnaka." The one who had spoke earlier said. "These are my crew."

"Ohnaka." Revan thought for a moment. "The name sounds familiar."

"You may have heard of my father, Hondo."

Revan's sharp smile shifted slightly to a true one.

"What are your plans for us?" Ishiro asked.

"Your crew has experience running the machinery." Revan steepled his hands. "That's a rare skill these days. A skill I need."

"We teach you and then you kill us." Ishiro scoffed. "No thanks, Jedi."

Ishiro found his throat constricting. A strong, ghostly hand squeezed his airway.

"I am no Jedi." Revan growled.

Ishiro took a greedy gulp of air once he could breathe again. "My apologies."

"I need you to make me droids." Revan settled back into his chair.

"We would gladly provide this service." Ishiro slipped into his salesman mode. "It is not a cheap process. My crew needs to eat as well."

"Of course." Revan inclined his head. "Quality work deserves payment."

"None of this 'reward is its own payment' Kriff." Ishiro narrowed his eyes at the hooded figure.

"You will be paid in credits." Revan sighed. "I want this to be the start of a long and prosperous working relationship."

Ishiro nodded. "What type of droids do you need?"

"BX Series Commando droids." Revan replied.

"How many." The criminal asked.

"Four Battalions." Revan replied smoothly.

Ishiro gawked at the hooded figure.

"Along with a full company of B2-HA." Revan continued. "Do you have the facilities for starfighters?"

"No." Ishiro replied. "Those were stripped before we got here. That is a big order. It will take time."

"I can provide some workers and feel free to recruit any crew that you trust." Revan held up a hand before the criminal could speak. "Only those you can trust with your life."

Ishiro nodded.

"Imperial Crews will arrive to begin the full decommission of the planet." Revan stood. "They will be here to assist you as well as a token force to strip away the destroyed equipment. Show them any factories that can potentially be repaired. You will be rewarded depending on how useful it turns out to be. Do we have a deal?"

"You're not going to ask about price?" Ishiro asked.

"I expect the best. I will pay for it." Revan replied.

Ishiro smiled widely.