Revan Returns (Ch 27) (Patreon)

With the death of Viceroy Nute Gunray and the capture of the droid control ship, the Trade Federation was quickly expunged from the planet. Not that there was much to expunge.

It seems that they mostly relied on their droids for keeping the natives in line, as well as being used for their army, guards, etc. Really, there were likely less than fifty organic commanders on the planet.

And we only had twenty people captured as prisoners.

Apparently, when people are told that the people who have been oppressing them, kidnapping them, killing them, etc., are now defenseless, well. Then you get a body if they’re lucky. If they’re not, you’ll be getting pieces of them.

Still though, that’s only for the enemies on the planet. The ones on their ships got off easier. I had HK and T3 order the droids to take control of the ships they were on and kill any who opposed them.

Three of the battleships were captured, while another two apparently managed to escape. The third though, I suppose they wanted to go out in a blaze of glory. After a time period of what I assume is them fighting a losing battle, the ship powered up their thrusters and changed the ship’s course. They aimed it at the control ship, likely hoping to prevent Naboo from being able to use their droids without extensive reprogramming.

Unfortunately for them, having three other battleships firing upon yours is hazardous for your health. It was  destroyed before it even made it halfway to its destination.

Of course that wasn’t the end of it. With war, it never is. There’s rebuilding, restructuring, revitalizing. They need to fix all the damage done to the planet, and its people, by the Trade Federation. And that’s not even considering the places where people decide that no guards means no laws, and those with the most violent urges are the most powerful.

But I am not their ruler. I am not their fellow citizen. I am not even from their time period. It is not my place to help them anymore than I already have. I smile as I watch The Queen sentence a man to hang for trying to force himself on his neighbor’s wife. Luckily T3 did an amazing job with the B1 droid's new programming, so they were able to take him alive.

Or perhaps he would have rather been killed immediately, I muse as I watch him be dragged from the throne room, kicking and screaming by some of the human guards.

Once silence reigns in the throne room, The Queen closes her eyes and lets out a deep breath. I rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she speaks. “Am I doing the right thing? His crime was heinous, but maybe he could have changed? At the very least, did he deserve to die?”

I say nothing for a moment,  considering her. “This is a time of great turmoil not only for you and your people, but for the planet. For your very identity as a people. You can do one of two things: Let fear keep you as you were, constantly wondering when you will suffer another such disaster. Or learn from this. Take strength from this. Become a civilization that will not allow this to happen again.”

I direct my gaze to the closed doors, my eyes cold. “If that means making an example to ensure people don’t try to undermine you or your laws, then so be it.”

She says nothing, her eyes remaining closed. Slowly, she breathes in, then out. I release her shoulder and step back as she opens her eyes. Her voice, unbending as beskar, fills the room. “Next.”

𝌡𝌡𝌡

I lounge on the chair in a private room of the palace, Juhani feeding me grapes as her eyebrow twitches in irritation. I had to promise her some alone time with Bastila when we finally get set up on a planet, but it’s worth it to cross this off my bucket list. Mission and Bastila thought it was cute back when I asked for this.

The doors slide open and The Queen walks in. She barely misses a step when she sees the sight in front of her, but she’s become used to my crew’s various antics by now. I think she became numb to it when she found HK teaching her Handmaids how to conceal various weapons in their clothes.

But really. It's been a week since T3 got ‘inspired’ when he saw the workings of the Nabooian starfighters and decided to work on the damaged hyperdrive. Unfortunately he decided to also take apart our new hyperdrive as well. So we each picked up some pet projects while we waited for him to finish.

Juhani chose to indulge in a decadent lifestyle, whiling away the time lounging in the palace and consuming expensive food and drink. Jolee decided to keep the younger people occupied with his old stories, trying to keep everyone’s minds off of their trauma. He also healed anyone who came by, making himself really popular.

Canderous and HK have been teaching anybody who wants to learn how to fight, including  the new staff The Queen hesitantly hired. And Zaalbar decided to show a few tech-savvy people the beginnings of engineering. Though I’m not sure how that  ended up with him teaching them how to jury rig various household items to explode. As for me…

Without looking, I launch a thin Force probe at The Queen’s mind, which she manages to hold off with a grimace. But it doesn’t stop. I probe again and am rebuffed. Again. And again.

After a dozen attempts, I call it off. Sensing the shift in the air, The Queen breathes a sigh of relief. “So?”

I think for a moment, looking up and meeting Juhani’s eyes. “You did well. Your defenses are solid, and you managed to repel multiple types of probes, regardless of how well I hid them. You should be able to hold off anything from the level of a recently promoted Knight, if you don’t manage to defeat them yourself. As for Masters, you should at least be able to figure out who’s trying to get into your mind and ensure that your guards are aware of the attempt.”

She puffs up in pride, rapidly deflating as I continue. “Of course, that’s only by the standards of the average citizen. What are you going to tell your people if you get controlled by someone with more power than you?”

She flushes before looking away. “My will is steadfast, and shall not be bound.” She almost chants it, and I chuckle, choking as Juhani drops a grape directly down my throat. After sputtering for a minute I look to The Queen.”Fair enough. But just remember, should you ever need help, contact me.”

She looks sad. “So it’s time for you to go?”

I shrug. “T3 messaged and said he’s done with the ship, so once we gather everyone together, we’ll be heading out.”

She says nothing, simply staring at me as I rise. Then her fist clenches. “I swear that I won’t squander the opportunity that you’ve given us. Given me. We won’t be the victims again. By the time we next meet, we’ll have enough people trained to occupy those battleships without having to rely fully on the droids.”

She grins sardonically. “So remember, if you should ever need help, don’t hesitate to contact me.”

Her eyes hold a determination as strong as beskar, and I nod. “Until we meet again, Your Majesty.”

I walk out the door, Juhani following me. Our next destination is Coruscant, the center of the Republic. The home of the Jedi. I just hope Bastila and Mission haven’t gotten into too much trouble while we’ve been separated.