Jedi Insurgency 151

Beholding that brown orb of endless sand, Corvus could sense countless life forms suffering under the twin sun's heat. Although Tatooine couldn't compare in population to that of Eriadu-which itself was a megalopolis-there were at least a few million people scattered here and there, which would greatly aid his Path of the Jedi Quest. 

[Path of the Jedi LI (51): Help the Innocent, Vulnerable, Pure, Just or Weak: 18,100,050/51,000,000. Reward: 2,100,000 EXP]

His good deeds on Naboo-healing Gungan and Blacklight infectees alike-had netted him several million people helped. The late stage quest was becoming increasingly difficult to complete, however, he could take solace in the fact that the galaxy was populated by quintillions of intelligent lifeforms. The Path of the Jedi was long, and tedious, but ultimately, worth it. The more Corvus worked with this potent Lightside ability: [Heal], the stronger his insights were into the very nature of the Force. Already, outside of the System, he found himself frequently meditating on what it meant to heal, and how it had swept away the influence of the Marakami orchids like pressurized water upon filth. Furthermore, his cast time-already an ‘instant’ cast-seemed to somehow become faster, if only fractionally. 

Above all the abilities he had learnt, and all his self taught lessons, the ability to return one to the peak of health was the one he was most proud of. He theorized that with his understanding of [Heal], he might even branch out to similar abilities, such as nurturing, or growth, such as what the druids of fantasy were capable of. Or even like the plant manipulation that Kina Ha-the Kaminoan Jedi Master-wielded. The opportunities to learn, and explore the mysteries of the Force excited Corvus to no end, and in fact, were another reason why he was so eager to end the war. After all, who didn't want to devote themselves to learning new cool Space Wizardry? 

That said, the practical application of [Heal] went beyond exp generation. Good will of the people was paramount in any war, and there really was nothing more satisfying than curing a child of their terminal illness. 

However, exp was something worth grinding for. 

He was still level 25, [Jedi Master Low], but had chipped away at the exp required. Killing tons of clones, and infected, he had received a decent chunk of experience. During this three day journey to Tatooine, Corvus had also returned to his ‘queer meditation’ of leaving one room, planting a mine, returning to disable to mine, etc. It was mind numbing, grueling work, but thanks to Pause, he could close his eyes, and rest his mind in between grinding sessions. 

The entire act of arming the mine, leaving, and returning took a minute to complete.

That meant if he mimicked this process for an entire hour, he would farm 6,000 exp points.

If he spent 8hrs with no breaks or lollygagging inbetween, he would farm 48,000exp. This was pretty great, especially since he didn't have to kill anyone for it.

After about 72hrs of farming + the kills he jad on Naboo, his current exp bar read: 

[555,928/2,884,000 to next level]. 

If he farmed mines nonstop for the next 16 days, only then would he reach the threshold to level up. 

Rubbing his forehead, Corvus sighed at the daunting gauntlet that lay before him. Level 50 was the max level, and he was only half way there. Sitting in the Falcon’s cockpit, he almost wanted to slam his head on the console in frustration. 

However, it was during this moment of heightened blood pressure, that he sensed a disturbance in the Force. Someone-a group of people-were targeting him with malicious intent. 

‘Oh?’ Corvus cracked his knuckles, and entered the 3D Person POV for his ship. 

Looking around the area, he spotted a heavily armed freighter, and six starfighters closing in on him. He didn’t recognize their make or model, but a quick glance at his scanner provided the answer. The starfighters-which somewhat looked like bi-wing x-wings were Z-95-AF4 Headhunters, and the freighter was Ghtroc 720 light freighter, not much larger than the Falcon. 

A blue light blinked in the cabin, signifying an incoming transmission. Accepting the call, Corvus was curious as to what their intentions were. As this was inside Hutt space, this was probably a shakedown, right? 

“YT-1300 freighter, identify yourself!” A highly accented, deep voice spoke out, as the holographic image of a Weequay showed himself on the Falcon’s dash. 

Corvus glanced at the heavily wrinkled, dreadlocked man, and was reminded of the famous pirate, Hondo Ohkana. He felt a pulse in the Force, and felt somewhat incredulous. This clearly wasn't that notorious criminal, but was somehow related? 

“You wouldn't happen to be cousins with Hondo Ohkana, would you?” Corvus asked, subtly weaving a [Mind Trick] into his words. 

“You have a good eye, my friend! Rio Ohkana in the flesh!” The man chuckled. “Now drop your shields, and be prepared to be boarded!” 

Corvus stroked his chin, and grinned. Yep, only someone as crazy as Hondo would have a family that could laugh at your joke one moment, then ransom your daughter in the same breath! 

“And why is that, trying to take my goods?” Corvus replied, the hint of a threat entering his voice. 

“That. Is a bonus!” The pirate laughed, and several chuckles could be heard in the background. “The Empire has released a 100 million credit bounty for Jedi Master Revan. It is well documented that he pilots a YT-1300.” 

“We're so close to Tatoo’ana Space Station.” Corvus said, glancing at a Hutt installation up ahead. “What is to stop me from flying in, and paying a protection fee?” 

“A bold decision, my friend, but you will be boarded either way!” Rio slapped his armchair with glee. “But for you, since you have been so amusing, for you, I have a discount!” 

“Don't tell me, you're going to allow me to keep my loot?” Corvus arched an eyebrow, and said in a sarcastic tone. 

“Yes! See, this is a smart one, isn't he?” Rio turned around, jovially elbowed someone, and said in a knowing tone. 

All the while, during this talking, he noticed that the pirates’ vessels had begun to encircle him on his XYZ axis, seemingly barring him from escape. The Ghtroc 720 was dead ahead, and was pimped out with all sorts of lasers, rocket ports, and what looked like a backup shield. These were by no means your average ordinary, dirt poor bandits. 

The Weequay leaned forward, and his ‘friendly’ smile had Corvus recall a shark's grin. Corvus began to laugh along. 

“It's funny, isn't it? This way, you keep most of your stash, and those greedy slugs won't scam you out of 30%! You see, dealing with ol'Rio now, that's only 10%, fair and honest!” Rio slapped his own chest several times, and Corvus could feel the pride in his voice. 

…the Force was giving him all sorts of mixed signals, and even his Jedi Shadow ability to detect lies was having difficulty translating the alien's words. Rio had been speaking in half truths just about the entire time. What was even crazier, is that from the Weequay's perspective, one fraction of a second, he legitimately only wanted 10%, the next second, he was greedier for more, and then the second after that, he was content with 10%! This bipolar alien fuck was driving his Force sense all out of wack! 

Gripping the side of his head as a minor headache began to throb above his left eye, Corvus entered Pause to think this through. 

It seemed his exploits dogfighting Vader must have been leaked-it was strange that Thrawn hadn't revealed his Bond identity, come to think of it, but that blue skinned Chiss had his own considerations-and based on a hunch, every Lars, Mothma, and Solo knew that Revan flew a YT-1300! 

Fan-friggen-tastic! 

He'd probably be stopped at every port of entry going forward, or have random goons checking his ship out whenever he landed! 

Star Wars 101: as soon as the good guys land their ship to explore a new planet, thugs, goons, and losers are going to lay a trap at/in your ship! 

Corvus once more wanted to bash his head into the central console. Eyeing the oncoming pirates in an unfavorable light, he considered the pros and cons of blowing this group of bantha fodder into smithereens. 

On the one hand, blowing them up would be a few hundred exp, or perhaps a thousand in total. Ships didn't give exp, but the people piloting them or inside of them did. Meaning if he blew up a Death Star or something, that'd be free real estate. But in this case, killing these chumps for that paltry amount wasn't worth it. 

Then there was the other reason to eliminate them. That was, their sudden intrusion, and blatant disrespect. It would be pretty easy to accomplish this task, and would be quite cathartic. 

However…however, if he revealed his 1 in a million piloting skills, and clearly modded ship in range of Tattoo'ana Station, it'd pretty much all but confirm that Revan was at Tatooine. That was not something he wanted made public! 

As he was on a mission to stealthily remove Jabba, and usurp his-and the Hutt's-power, any link to Revan, the Jedi, or the Republic was a big fat NO. 

That meant, as much as it annoyed him, blowing these schmucks up at this point was kind of worthless. Besides, he could always get his revenge later. 

Interestingly, his [Mind Trick] on Rio wasn't particularly powerful, so outright hypnotization was out of the question. Therefore, his only viable option right now was to finesse his way through this interaction, and only use [Mind Trick] as a boost to this negotiation, not as the heavy lifter. To that, he would rely on Persuade. 

The more he thought about it, the more devious he felt. 

‘Yes, why stay angry over some bottom barrel scum, when I can use them to my own ends? This entire trip will create a massive power vacuum, and endless infighting amongst the criminal elements of the Underworld. What I am most lacking is capable lieutenants. Xizor is a CEO type who will attempt to backstab me. Boba & his crew are enroute-or should already be on Tatooine, but even with his word of honor, must I rely solely on him?’ He thought to himself. 

Glancing at the frozen holographic image of Rio Ohkana, Corvus recalled the intense exploits of his cousin, Hondo. Playing Obi-Wan, Anakin, Maul, and Count Dooku with his guile, cunning, charm, and adaptability, the Weequay had a knack for survival. Although Hondo was a treacherous cur, he did have some honor, and was good to his men. When dealing with the criminal elements of any society, the best way to deal with subordinates, was to pit them against one another. That way, they would be too busy backstabbing one another, or keeping each other in place to aim at the King. 

Yes, adding Hondo to his new Syndicate to combat the Hutts, and other unforgivable criminals seemed like a radical idea. Not necessarily good, but, not terrible either. Currently, Corvus was surrounded by many military minded men, and kiss-asses. Although the Bad Batch would tell him to shove it, or let him know if he had a bad idea, they were, at the end of the day, products of their training. 

Jax & Yon, meanwhile, would never admit that he was wrong. Ever. While he loved them for their loyalty, he wasn't stupid enough to believe his own hype (most of the time). 

Knowing that the pirates genuinely wanted to board, he decided to play their game. 

Un-Pausing, Corvus steepled his fingers, and couldn't withhold the smirk that spread across his face. 

“Rio, my friend, I have dropped my shields, come aboard, I have a proposition for you!”