Will of The Force (Star Wars / Worm)

FInally, another chapter of Will of The Force is out! I honestly didn't know if I could make it for this one.

I really had a lot of fun writing the latest chapters, and I'm really looking fowards to reading about their reception.

Also, I'm looking for a beta reader, if anyone is interested just send me a message.



So, I'm also stealing this meme, I will be using it every time I change something:

First-> in the initial chapter, Anakin killed 33 mercenaries, it has been pointed out that it was too many and I agree, it was something I put in to make the scene epic at a time when I didn't know if I'd be continuying this story.

The numbeer has changed (More like, I'll be changing it in an hour or two, kinda busy right now), he killed 11 mercenaries, the number is far more reasonable without altering the feel of Anakin's power in the scene.

Second -> In Miss Militia chapter, the PRT will briefly discuss Dinah's power and the claim that there are moles in the organization, basically, they can't be certain the girl even has powers, but they're threating it as if she has, it doesn't change the fact that she could be saying her predictions because of Anakin's master power and their priority is still Bakuda, followed by recovering Dinah and then checking for moles.

There's just too much of a Master prejudice and the fact is, even if he wasn't a master, Anakin is an adult keeping a preteen girl away from her parents. They could have come to an agreement or believed his claims, but the first thing he did was kill 11 guys and cause millions in damage so...



Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the chapter!
___________________________________________________________________________________________


Darth Vader sat with his lightsaber on his lap, his eyes closed in meditation. Inside his mind, his body was a maelstrom of power closely held in the shape of a man, shadow and blood covering his entire form and swirling around in aggressive patterns.

Below him, an ocean of dark red blood rested, its waters placid, contained. Above him, clouds of ash as far as his senses could perceive, swirling around him like a hurricane of which he was the eye. Rays of crimson light sometimes pierced through the clouds, representations of the Force as it showed him new paths.

His mindscape was not a pleasant location. His connection to the Force was too tainted by his years of slaughter and hate to be easily restored. In truth, it had taken him a week just to calm the churning waters and manage to contain his power, but now he felt more in control, not as likely to strike out in anger.

On his chest, there was a bright spot of brilliant white, like a flame that had been ignited when he first looked upon his son, it had grown, enough that he managed to use it against the shackles of his master.

Vader didn't think it would be enough to cleanse himself, nothing would, but he would nurture it, preserve it, never let it go out again.

Opening his eyes, he took a slow breath and held it in for a few seconds, forcing himself to change his focus, to become Anakin again, to think of himself as Anakin again.

Finally, he moved, his hand bringing the card to his face as he considered the future.

Ever since receiving the invitation yesterday, Anakin had felt a sense of danger in the Force, a warning of things to come. He had tried to meditate on a way of avoiding said danger, but he had not found one.

To be more precise, he had not found an acceptable one. The Dark Side had eagerly presented itself, promising all the power he needed. The answer he sought was one he already knew.

If he walked into the meeting as Darth Vader and not Anakin, the danger would be gone, for a time, his enemy too cowed to do anything as he slaughtered anyone who did not submit. Like a rat, the mastermind would flee, but there would be no escape.

No, he would not be taking the easy way out. Anakin was not a Jedi anymore, he didn't fear the Dark Side, but he understood it. The Dark Side could be used, but it should never be embraced, not fully and without reservations at least.

He had considered not going at all, but the danger wasn't in attending, it wasn't in any single action he took, of that he was certain. He did wish to meet with the villains in the city and a show of force may not be able to drive the danger away, but it could postpone it.

In his life, he had met a vast assortment of criminals, from those who took joy in causing misery, to those indifferent and even a few that believed in a cause, using crime as a way to achieve a higher goal.

Looking at the information available on the internet, the gangs seemed to represent the worst aspects of sentient life, but the PRT appeared to have an extremely good grasp over public relationships and Anakin wasn't a stranger to information control.

The label of villain was a subjective one, he had represented the law for the vast majority of his life, from the time he was a Jedi to the day he died, but he had still been a villain, as most sentients understood it at least.

So he wanted to meet them, to be present himself and judge the ones who worked outside the law in the city. Maybe a few were not completely selfish and would be able to rise to the occasion. Anakin himself had seen that happen with Han Solo.

Before, he used to utterly despise the damned smuggler for keeping his son from joining him, for preventing Luke from falling to the Dark Side. Now… Well, he still really disliked him, Leia could do much better, but he had to admit the man had risen to the occasion.

The only reason to avoid going into the meeting was his reputation and he didn't know if he cared to maintain it.

His first meeting with the equivalent of a Jedi on the planet had not gone well. The woman had acted on orders and seemed to genuinely wish for the best outcome, but he was long tired of such things.

The Jedi had done the same, letting themselves be slowly guided away from their true calling and the guidance of the Force by the law, following orders had not ended well for them.

Even he had followed orders, from the Republic, from the Jedi Council, from his Master… No, he already knew he would not be joining the government, but this was a sign that even cooperation would be hard.

This planet put such harsh restrictions on their parahumans they were virtually neutered, even the Jedi at the height of their subordination to the Senate hadn't had to work under such limitations.

Anakin had thought parahumans were law enforcement and they did sometimes act in that capacity but, upon a deeper look, that was only a part of their job, the rest was a mixture of holovid performer and local celebrity. Worse, the government seemed to actively be trying to make life outside such molds harder for those with power.

He could understand wanting to control individuals with such power. A parahuman seemed to be just as dangerous as a Force Sensitive that fell to the Dark Side, but the laws didn't seem designed to offer support so much as oppress any parahuman until they were forced to choose a side, without much care for which one it was.

Everything seemed maliciously designed to guide Parahumans away from jobs, force them into using their powers until they were left with no choice but to join the Protectorate for support or escalate and be labeled a villain.

This battle between heroes and villains, where only the unimportant seemed to die, only those who were intractable arrested for any amount of time, it reminded him far too much of the Galaxy during the Clone Wars, only at a much smaller scale.

That was another of the reasons he had been going out recently, Anakin wanted to see the other side. To bypass what the internet told him and go directly to the source. He also wanted to see for himself the state of the gangs.

"Are we going?" Dinah asked, adjusting her sitting position on the bed.

"You should be meditating," Anakin glanced down at the girl.

"You aren't." Dinah shrugged, stretching her legs. "So, are we going?"

"Yes," getting up, Anakin put on his cape and grabbed his mask, looking down at it.

"You know you don't have to wear it, right?" Dinah said, her own mask already perfectly fixed in place as she activated TRD - 1. "You can get a half mask or something."

"I am aware," he answered, putting the helmet on and securing it to his head. "It does not bother me, although I wish it did."

"Huh? Well, I'll try to design something else anyway," Dinah shrugged, turning towards the floating droid. "Hal, remind me to design it later."

The droid beeped in affirmation, its lens briefly focusing on the girl but, seeing as she had no further instructions, went back to watching the room entrances in wait for any intruders.

"Is that your name for it?" Anakin considered the droid, he wasn't used to giving the pieces of equipment their own sentient name, but he supposed she needed a companion.

"He… and yeah," she looked up at the droid, giving it a small smile. "Dad loves this movie with a robot. I didn't really remember his name, but Hal found it on the internet."

Looking down at her, Anakin felt her missing her family, an empty feeling in her chest that he knew would eventually diminish, the entire situation reminding him far too much of his entrance into the Jedi order.

Activating the building's passive defenses, he motioned for the girl to follow him and left.

.
.
.
.
.

Somer's Rock was a small place, nondescript, the windows were barred with iron and it looked almost abandoned, with an air of depression and ruination around it, Anakin had been in worse places, but not by much.

At his side, Dinah twisted her nose, her steps growing hesitant as she regarded the building. "I thought it would be cooler, it was supposed to be a villain meeting, where's the goons?" she asked, the eagerness draining from her voice.

"As a rule, illegal activities are hidden away from the law," Anakin commented with amusement. "I suspect visible goons would defeat that purpose."

"… Yeah, I guess," Dinah put her droid on a pouch she had been carrying and they continued walking.

He would have preferred to have left the girl back at their temporary home, but neither the Force nor her own power considered that a good option despite all the defenses he had installed.

In truth, he did not have the equipment necessary to make the location truly unassailable, so he had done the next best thing, the weapons being there to delay any attackers until he could come back, not stop them completely.

Approaching the door, Anakin gathered the Force around himself, he was lacking the usual air of fear and oppression that accompanied him for decades now but, once he stopped holding in his presence, it flooded the area, causing even the youngling to straighten her back.

"… I believe this is everyone?" he heard an arrogant male voice from inside.

"No, there is one more," Trickster answered. "Another newcomer in the city."

Stepping inside, Anakin held the door open for the youngling before walking inside, his senses flooding the dark and depressing place, the parahuman groups were clearly separated, teams sitting together in different booths, with a central table where the leaders sat.

What he sensed was both better and worse than he expected. Greed, bigotry, hate, anger, defiance, fear, all the usual feelings for those sorts of meetings, but it seemed like not every villain was equal.

Anakin had been afraid that, like the Dark Side, without the proper training and knowledge, parahuman powers would draw their users into a downward spiral of anger, fear and rage. That didn't seem to be the case, not fully at least.

"Who the fuck are you?" One of the drug addicts asked, Anakin immediately dismissing the man as unimportant.

Looking at everything, he focused on the table where the leaders were gathered. Trickster was resting with his feet up the central table, but there were several others. From the pictures on the internet, he recognized all the others.

Kaiser, Faultline, Grue, Coil, the table was filled with the city's underground leaders, contrary to popular belief, it seems like the Merchants were even more pathetic than he expected, not even earning themselves a spot on the main table.

The Empire 88 was disappointing, filled with hate and pride and anger, it was closer to his own Empire than he had first thought, a mixture of true believers, those who were only using the ideology and everything in between.

The Undersiders were kids, arrogant kids, but not evil. In truth, they were the hardest to read, one had his mind covered as if from behind a curtain while the other had dispersed her intent, spreading her feelings all around the room and becoming muted herself.

Faultline's crew was better, more professional and secure, more trustworthy. Walking by their table, he left Dinah close by, knowing that they would at least make an effort to help her if the meeting turned sour.

They were not heroes, far from it, but they also weren't without sympathy.

Pulling a chair, he started to drag it towards the central table when one of the merchants screamed, getting up and starting to walk towards him. "What the fuck? Why does this motherfucker get a seat on the table? I'm not taking this shit anymore!"

Even without his armor, Anakin towered over the man. Looking down as the villain attempted to push a finger at his chest, he spoke. "Be quiet. Don't make me waste my time."

Skidmark looked up at his mask, swallowing hard as he felt the full weight of Anakin's attention being turned towards him. Slowly, he retreated, going back to his booth, but his anger grew with each step.

Finally, Anakin sat at the table, his back straight, in front of him, a thin man wearing a skintight suit leaned forward. "We frown on the use of powers here."

"I did not use any power."

"Heh, I said he's intimidating," Trickster snorted, adjusting his place on the chair.

"And who are you?" Grue asked. "I don't recognize the costume and I like to keep informed about capes in the city."

"Polaris, at least that's what the PRT are calling him," Coil said, taking the chance to showcase his knowledge, but Anakin sensed the man hadn't recognized him, interesting. "He's the one who destroyed 6th street and defeated Miss Militia earlier this week."

That raised a few eyebrows, both Faultline and Grue giving him a new look as they gave him a little more space. Finally, it was Kaiser who asked. "I take it that explaining the rules will be unnecessary?"

Anakin nodded, causing almost everyone to relax and Coil to steeple his fingers. "I believe this is everyone now?" when there wasn't any other interruption, he continued. "Obviously, Lung will not be attending, though I doubt any of us are surprised, given the subject of tonight's discussion."

"The ABB," Kaiser replied.

Anakin remained quiet as the leaders of the underworld discussed things, Bakuda's attacks had been less devastating than he had first believed, probably because he was used to much harder efforts by the Rebel alliance.

The intentions behind this meeting were not noble, even Faultline, the one he felt had the most integrity between those present, only slightly cared about the destruction and loss of life and was more concerned with the resulting chaos. The only reason they were even gathering was because of the attention the bombs were drawing to the city.

Anakin watched a recording of the bomber in action, saw how unhinged she was, the desperation the Undersiders were doing their best to hide but, more than that, he saw the reactions around the table.

Self-serving crime lords, that was what he was dealing with, hypocrites that would trade everything they had for more power, it was not unexpected, but he couldn't help being disappointed.

He watched them bicker about some attack against a dog fighting ring, and finally came to a decision. No, he wouldn't be killing them today, but he also wouldn't be working with them.

"What do you say?" Grue asked Kaiser, "Set this aside for now?"

Kaiser nodded, once. "Fair. We'll discuss the matter further at our next meeting."

"That's settled then. Anything else?" Coil asked, "Issues, negotiations, requests?"

"Who controls the resulting territory? When the ABB are gone, who will be left in control of the resulting unaligned… 'Asian' population?" Anakin asked, speaking for the first time since he sat down.

There wasn't an answer, but Anakin didn't expect one, he knew they would fall upon the territory like wolves, causing chaos and oppressing the people there while starting gang wars against each other. Less violent than what the ABB was currently doing, yes, but no less damaging.

"I take it you have a suggestion?" Kaiser asked.

He closed his eyes, considering the situation. In truth, he was still filled with anger and hate, but that more than anything was why he had to interfere.

He knew what his old self would have done, what his son would have done, it was what he needed to do if he did not wish to slowly slide back to his old habits. For a moment, he glanced back at Dinah who was watching the exchange while loudly drinking from a straw.

In the end, it was not that hard a decision, he had always hated being manipulated, being used in games of politics and that was what this meeting was all about, a huge play for power as every villain in the city saw a chance to grab something from the ABB's corpse.

With a more stable mindset, it was about time he made a show of power, after all, despite all the unwritten rules and laws, that was what most sentients respected, both in this Planet and in the Galaxy as a whole.

"This alliance is unnecessary, I will deal with the ABB myself," he answered, getting up from the table and starting to walk back towards Dinah. "From tomorrow on, its territory will be beyond your grasp."

"Or what?" Hookwolf growled from his place at one of the booths, his eyes narrowed.

Before Anakin could answer, Kaiser lifted a hand. Pointing at Skidmark, he continued. "I have accepted your presence in this table because at least you're better than that waste of space over there, but that doesn't mean I can just let this arrogance slide."

"That is not my problem," he answered.

"Kaiser, we did agree to a truce," Coil reminded, causing the Empire leader to nod.

"Yes, the truce stands," he nodded, tapping a finger against the table. "But it won't last forever."

Anakin ignored further discussion, his business here was concluded, he had found out what he wanted, who he could tolerate and anything they agreed here would be meaningless until he proved himself.

When he reached Dinah's table, Anakin put a hand on top of the youngling's chair and took a moment to look around the room, finally glanced at the growing fear he had been feeling and sensed it turn into terror. One of the Undersiders was staring at him, complete dread radiating from her entire body as she did her absolute best to avoid his glance.

As he prepared to leave, he was reminded of the warning he had received in the Force. Instead, he sat down beside her, he believed he had a good grasp of the situation, but he still looked at the girl and asked. "What are the chances you'll remain safe on your own today?"

"Twelve point seven, seven, nine, two percent chance, why?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I intend to deal with the ABB before morning, taking you with me represents both considerable risk and a restriction on mobility," he answered, perfectly aware that he was being overheard by everyone.

Dinah squeezed her fists, her mind in conflict as she faced the thought of being left alone. Still, she could understand the necessity and nodded, even if she didn't like it.

"What are the chances you'll remain safe until morning if Faultline's crew protects you?"

"Seventy four point five, five percent chances," she grumbled, equal parts happy and disappointed with the high number. She didn't want to be left behind, but she was prepared for it.

Around him, the gathered parahumans had started to leave, their truce established. Many were giving him odd looks, but the consensus seemed to be they were going to wait for him to show his hand before acting, something he was not opposed to.

He had been hiding himself, but it had not accomplished any of his goals. Now, it was time to change his approach.

"Faultline, I wish to speak with you."

"I heard," the woman answered, some hesitation in her voice as she watched the remaining capes slowly leave the place.

The mercenary glanced from him to Coil before her eyes settled on Dinah. Anakin felt some sympathy for the girl tainted her consideration, but it was only a small part of it, the final decision coming from a personal desire, she wanted something from them.

Finally, she nodded once towards Coil and got up. The snake themed supervillain turned his head to watch her, a resigned feeling radiating from him for a few seconds. Finally, he got up and prepared to leave.

The woman sat down at their table, her team turning to watch them with interest. Slowly, the others left the building, the Undersiders being pushed out by the terrified blonde who gave Faultline a pitying look.

From her chair, Dinah glared at the woman the entire time, having finished her drink, she continued to slurp obnoxiously from the straw, doing her best to make her displeasure clear.

Anakin sighed, it seemed like the girl understood the need, but he had underestimated her dislike for it. Finally, they were left alone with the servants, Faultline's crew joining them at the table.

She honestly reminded him of Boba Fett, calm, efficient and productive, it remained to be seen if she would be as effective.


___________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks for my patrons : Xhaustedhero, Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, DAERMONIAN, Davvy chappie, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, Josh Orton, stanley seymour, AjiTae, danxzn, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Mike Bellavoir, Vegetables, George Dashner, Alexander Bloom, MissingNote, Brendan Ferguson and Sleepymoonfox for supporting my work!

 

Heya, sorry for posting a day late, was incredebly busy with college work.

I hope you guys enjoy the chapter.
__________________________________________________________

Faultline seemed like a practical individual. Contrary to the other parahumans in the room, she wore a functional costume that could defend against most weapons Anakin had seen in the Planet while also giving her a good amount of mobility, her black hair was tied in a ponytail and she had a metal mask not completely unlike his own.

Her companions slowly surrounded their table, two non-humans males and two young girls. Anakin could feel the hesitation coming from the youngest, but the others seemed used to such meetings.

Dinah seemed really interested in the non-humans, not with the usual disdain he had felt from most members of the Galactic Empire, but with a childish curiosity that almost had her reaching out to touch them, only the atmosphere stopping her.

“As I said, we’re capes for hire, if you can pay my rates I’m perfectly happy to support you on an attack against the ABB while protecting the girl,” Faultline spoke, breaking the silence between them. “We’re not assassins, don’t expect us to kill anyone, but we’re the best in the city when it comes to almost everything else.”

Anakin had gathered a relatively large amount of money from the criminals he had detained, probably enough to pay for a single day of work, but he wished to use the majority of it to acquire a new location for the youngling.

“I do not require assistance against the ABB. I am more than capable of dealing with them myself,” Anakin answered. “My concern is for the girl.”

“You only want us to act as bodyguards?” the woman asked, looking at Dinah closer. “What kind of difficulties are we expected to face? I doubt you’d be willing to hire a team of capes if this was something simple.”

“I encountered the girl over a week ago fleeing from professional mercenaries using what you call ‘tinkertech’ weapons,” Anakin explained. “I disagreed with their goals and have been taking care of her since then. Unfortunately, I believe my presence is the only thing stopping a second attempt at seizing her.”

“Hah, ‘disagreed with them’ is one way of saying it,” the youngest girl on Faultline’s team snorted. “More like massacred them.”

Faultline gave her a glare, causing the girl to lower her head and stop talking, but Anakin could feel how nervous the kid was. Young, inexperienced, she hadn’t felt afraid with every villain present but, alone with him; his aura was affecting her more than the others.

“Sorry about that,” the team leader said. “Do you know who’s after her?”

“The Travelers have shown an unusual interest in the girl, but it is unlikely that the group themselves are after her. Like you, they’re mercenaries.” Anakin said, making sure the team understood the danger. “None of the other villains present showed signs of recognizing the girl. However, I sense that Coil was not truly present.”

“A body double? So, it’s either Coil or someone outside the city,” Faultline wondered. “I hope you understand my rates will go up with the danger?”

“Money is not a concern, the girl’s safety is,” Anakin turned towards Dinah and asked. “What are the chances that Coil will try to abduct you tonight?”

Anakin hadn’t made extensive use of the girl’s power to find their enemy in order to spare her the headaches and because, effectively, he was still establishing himself and couldn’t have done much with the information but, thanks to having effectively narrowed the suspects to Coil or an outside power, he only needed a single question.

“Ninety-three point zero, three, nine, seven percent chance he’ll make an attempt,” Dinah growled, squeezing the can in her hand as she finally knew the name of her enemy.

“So it is Coil,” Faultline pondered out loud. “His mercenaries don’t fail, they never lose, he either retreats from an objective without losses or wins and nobody knows his power.”

“He’s a Thinker,” Dinah grumbled. “Ana… Polaris messes with my power, I’ll bet he screws with Coil’s as well and that’s why he failed.”

Faultline seemed to take in that information, pausing a few seconds to consider her next move as she traded a few glances with the rest of her team, both males nodded and the girls seemed indifferent to her decision.

“That makes sense. Thinker powers do tend to interfere with each other, that would explain why he’s after the girl in part,” she turned towards Dinah again and asked. “Can you tell me the chances you’ll be safe with us until morning again?”

“Twenty-nine point nine, eight, nine, seven, two percent chance,” Dinah said, her heart skipping a beat at the changed number.

“So, he must have changed his approach once he heard your prediction,” Faultline nodded once, leaning back on her chair and considering Anakin. “That narrows his power down to some form of Thinker precognition. I had suspected, but there was no way of confirming.”

Fighting against someone capable of sensing the future was difficult, particularly when the enemy had ample time to prepare. It was one of Darth Sidious’ most powerful tools. His mastery of that single Force ability had been what allowed him to manipulate the entire Jedi Order for so long.

Anakin doubted Coil was even close to his old master in both power and skill, but he would still be a difficult challenge. Easily overcome with brute force if his location was ever fully revealed, but very complex when acting from the shadows.

“You claim to be the best mercenary team in the city, I require that you keep the girl safe until morning, are you up to the challenge?”

“Yes,” Faultline answered immediately. “Knowing that an attack is coming, we’re more than capable of protecting her for a night, if you can pay.”

“I can help,” Dinah eagerly said. “I can answer a few more questions and, if my power interferes with his…”

Anakin lifted a hand and tousled her hair; the girl truly did remind him of the past. “Do not overstrain yourself, save your questions for when Faultline requires them.”

“Fine.”

That established, they started discussing the price. Faultline’s rates were actually higher than what Anakin was currently capable of paying, but she hadn’t chosen to sit with him instead of Coil because of purely monetary reasons.

As a Tinker, he had a lot to offer to a team of Faultline’s caliber and level of organization but, more than that, the mercenary was interested in making use of Dinah’s power. She had a personal goal, something private that she needed and the young precog could make it much easier to reach.

Anakin didn’t like using the youngling as a bargaining piece, but he supposed she was older than him when he had competed in podracing to pay for his own freedom. He couldn’t justifiably deny the girl the chance to help keep herself safe.

In the end, he agreed to pay Faultline ten thousand in advance, supply her with five personal shields, a blaster pistol, improve her team’s armor and allow her to ask three questions from Dinah, at any time she wished.

It was both more and less than expected. Ten thousand was most of the money he had gathered until now and a ridiculous amount for a single night of work, but it was a small price to pay for a team of parahumans that would almost certainly see action.

“Just so we’re clear, my team won’t be fighting to the death,” Faultline finally said. “We’ll do our best to fight anyone off, but this isn’t enough to continue fighting no matter what.”

Anakin nodded at her words. Discussing the job with the woman had given him a good understanding of her mentality, she was a mercenary to the core and, while she was not incapable of feeling things, they did not affect her decisions. Outside of her team, only money and advantages guided her actions.

Despite all the bombings and the devastation caused, Faultline would be willing to work for the ABB if they paid her enough and she thought her team could get away with it. By the same token, despite feeling sorry for the youngling, she would have been willing to work for Coil if the villain had gotten to her first.

Thankfully, he was sure that her reputation would stop her from taking two opposite jobs at the same time.

“The priority is the girl’s safety. If you must escape, take her with you, if that is impossible, her capture by the PRT is also acceptable as long as she’s not in Coil’s hand.” He said, his voice hard as he flexed his power, bringing the full extent of his presence into the room. “Do not betray me.”

“We’re not traitors. Besides, selling out our clients is bad for business,” Faultline answered, a hint of hesitation in her voice.

“Good, then let us start immediately,” Anakin said, his focus shifting to the fighting to come. “I have suffered the ABB’s existence long enough.”

“You really think you can deal with the ABB by yourself?” the orange skinned non-human asked, speaking for the first time in their meeting.

“Yes,” Anakin pushed himself out of the chair, squeezing Dinah’s shoulder with a gloved hand to offer her comfort.

“And if you don’t return?” Faultline asked, putting away the advanced money.

Anakin didn’t answer. Not returning was never an option. Under his hand, he felt Dinah straightening her back and taking a breath as she tried to copy him. “Humph, I find your lack of faith disturbing.”

Looking down at her, Anakin couldn’t help but feel a pain in his chest as the youngling repeated his own words. For a second, he wondered if this was what it would be like to have raised his family.

“Indeed,” he told the girl with some amusement in his voice. Motioning towards the droid still resting on her backpack, he continued. “Hal’s safety measures have been unlocked. Do not hesitate to use it if necessary.”

“Thanks,” she said, her fear and hesitation at being left alone with Faultline reverberating in the Force, but also her commitment.

“I will return as soon as my business is concluded,” he squeezed her shoulder one last time and started walking away. “It will not take long.”

As he walked away from the building, his mind started focusing on the battle to come, his movements growing rigid as he stopped forcing himself to relax, his steps becoming longer and more like a march than a normal walk.

When he was alone, the ABB barely presented a challenge to him. He was not a hero —far from it— he also was not going to obey those ridiculous unwritten rules, playing with civilian lives in order to keep his enemies alive and himself perceived as ‘good’, the chance of that had long since been ruined.

Oni-Lee could present an annoying challenge, his ability to teleport making him a hard enemy to target, but Anakin was fast and experienced enough that he believed it simply inconvenient, not even difficult.

Lung was an impressive creature. Rumored to be able to battle an Endbringer by himself, he was a beast that only got stronger the longer one fought him. His most obvious disadvantage was that his power required time, time which Anakin was not inclined to give.

Bakuda herself was probably the most troublesome enemy under the ABB’s banner, the exotic effects of her bombs making her dangerous even to him, but no technological weapon was a match for the power of the Force.

Anakin barely noticed when he’d fully entered ABB territory, the streets growing quiet as the civilians didn’t dare get out of their rooms. He felt the attention of several people on him, from inside buildings and hidden behind corners.

Good, that would make things easier. Having disabled several gang members in the past week, Anakin already had an idea of where to find his enemies, but they could always have moved places.

Closing his eyes, he focused on the Force, sensing the emotions around himself, the violence and fear, letting it guide his steps, turning a corner, he entered into an alleyway and exited into a smaller street that ended in a tall building, an illegal brothel ran by the ABB he had located a long time ago.

A thug in front of the building noticed him, quickly lifting some kind of communicator to his mouth and starting to talk. Anakin let him, he wasn’t here to attack unnoticed anyway.

The man had a handgun tucked into his waist and a machete rested against the wall beside him; his arms were covered in gang tattoos, indicating he had been a member of the ABB even before their newest recruitment drive.

Anakin walked straight at him, causing the man to pull out his weapon and start shooting but, at the distance, the slugs flew wide. Suddenly, Anakin felt a scream in the Force.

Lifting his arm, he used the Force to pull the lightsaber from his waist, igniting the blade and lifting it in front of his face in a single movement, the distinctive hum of the saber rising in pitch as he moved it through the air.

With a crack, an electric discharge ran along the length of the blade as a slug was vaporized by the heat, leaving only a small cloud of superheated gas in its place.

Continuing to walk, Anakin blocked another slug before locating the shooter behind a window on the third floor. Looking at the building, he saw three other men and a woman walking out, all of them wearing heavy weapons.

Lifting his left hand up, he used Force pull, causing the window to explode as the first shooter was pulled out, his scream of fear and pain making the others look up as the man fell to the floor, breaking both legs.

He could have disabled the others with the Force, but it had been a long time since he was able to move as he wished. Stomping on the ground, he darted towards the gang members, his cape flickering behind him.

The enemies had been briefly distracted by the falling gang member, but they recovered fast. The one who had been acting as guard got another shot off, forcing Anakin to block high before arriving to deliver an overhead strike at another’s rifle, cutting its barrel in half.

With a Force push, he sent the now weaponless man flying to hit the woman before she could even lift her weapon, smashing them both against the brick wall and breaking her arm.

With a rising slash, Anakin cut off both arms from the guard before he could reload the weapon, leaving him screaming in pain and fear as he stumbled back, his cauterized stumps raised in front of his disbelieving face.

Another warning from the Force caused him to leap back as one of the two remaining men pressed the trigger, releasing a hail of bullets where he would have been.

Moving fast, Anakin darted towards the man, ducking down as he waved the projectile weapon and swiping his legs out from under him before delivering an elbow strike to his chest while he was falling.

Straightening up, Anakin watched as the last man desperately made a break for the corner, running as if his life depended on it. Turning off his lightsaber, he lifted his cape with his left hand and guided the weapon back to his waist with the Force.

Finally, he caught the man with a Force grip, lifting him in the air and dragging him closer. “No, no, no, no, I didn’t want to do it, I’m sorry, I didn’t want to do it!”

“I can sense your lies,” Anakin said absentmindedly. The man was trash just like the others.

Glancing around, Anakin saw that the ABB members were either in too much pain or already unconscious. With a flick of his hand, he threw his captive at the door, using his body to break through the wood but not killing him.

Stepping inside, he ignored the terrified women in the rooms and climbed up the stairs. A single boy tried to stop him in the hallway, but he just pulled his handgun away and used Ionize to fry the bomb inside his head, sensing that the kid was too afraid and disgusted with himself to be a part of the gang.

The boy fell to his knees, starting to pray desperately in a language he didn’t recognize, but the Force allowed him to understand. “Please, I don’t want to die, I don’t want to die.”

“Be quiet. I have dealt with the explosive, you are free to leave,” he said in English, not willing to rip the language out of the boy’s mind.

Finally, Anakin stopped in front of a door, sensing three men ready and waiting for him, as well as the trap at the door, his eyes darting to the entrance to an adjacent bedroom.

Inside the main room, Aoi Sato waited standing up behind his desk, his heart beating hard against his chest as he pointed an automatic at the entrance, one of the crazy bomber’s devices tied to the door and, hopefully, far enough away it wouldn’t kill him. Even if it did, that would probably be a better fate than telling Lung of his failure.

At each side of his desk, standing against the walls, his two lieutenants waited, each one holding a machine gun at the door. Suddenly, a bright red blade sprouted from Zhang Liu’s belly, the crackling weapon having cut through the wall he had been leaning against and pierced his body with barely any resistance.

Less than a second later, while Zhang was only starting to look down at the wound, the blade retreated and a large hand broke through the wall, grabbing him by the throat and pulling him through to the other side, leaving only a gaping hole in its place.

Sato and his last lieutenant turned towards the hole, their fingers already starting to press the triggers, but it was too late. With a flick of the wrist, the damn cape sent the heavy wooden desk flying at Tanaka’s on the other side of the room, smashing him through the opposite wall while also clipping Sato’s own gun and sending it flying through the floor.

With a cry of pain, Sato dived after the weapon, but he felt something grabbing him by the ankle and dragging him back, violently throwing him into his chair as the masked cape fully walked inside the room.

“Aoi Sato, I have a question for you,” Anakin said.

“I’ll never talk you fucking bastard!” the man cursed in his native language, trying to spit on his mask.

The glob of spit simply stopped in the air, flying right back at the Japanese man and smashing him in the eye. With a glance, Anakin caused the man’s pistol to float in the air, the barrel resting against his knee and causing the man to sweat.

“It would be wise to answer truthfully,” Anakin said, his voice lacking any signs of emotion. “Where are Lung and Bakuda?”

Five minutes later, Anakin had found out everything he needed. Lung was at an ABB warehouse deep inside the gang’s territory, the place filled with gang members while they prepared their next move. Bakuda’s laboratory was in a completely different direction, a large three storey gray building close to the water.

He briefly considered going after Bakuda first, her bombs were the main reason the city was in this state, but he had decided to eliminate the ABB entirely and a single ‘Brute’/’Changer’ was far more mobile than an entire tinker laboratory.

Grabbing a phone from Sato’s pocket, Anakin forced him to call the PRT and reveal Bakuda’s location before causing him to pass out and leaving the brothel.

Using Force Jump, he climbed on top of the building and started running towards Lung’s location, unwilling to waste any more time with the common thugs in the streets. Finally, he heard a roar and the entire street exploded with fire as he approached the warehouse.

Arriving at the destination, Anakin stood on top of a building at the start of the street, staring down at his target as he felt the usual anger igniting inside his chest. Around him, at least four buildings were already on fire, the warehouse he had been told about having completely collapsed and ABB members running away as fast as they could, burns all over their bodies.

Down on the street, at the epicenter of the inferno was a massive serpentine embodiment of flame. Anakin assumed this was Lung.

Nearly 14 feet tall, his body completely covered in silver scales and wing-nubs just starting to sprout from his back, Lung was an impressive creature, with an incredibly long neck and a face filled with hundreds of fangs. His form actually reminded Anakin of a Zillo Beast, a very small one.

Under Lung’s claws, being incinerated alive by his flames was a creature Anakin had never seen before, a mixture of cat and elephant almost larger than Lung, but he could recognize the intent behind the creature’s eyes, the same one he had felt in an alleyway when confronting Trickster.

The Force raged around Anakin turning his presence from simply awe inspiring to terrifying as the usual wrath clouded his judgment. He knew the Travelers had been working against him, he knew Coil was plotting something, but it still angered him to see their schemes in action.

“Another one, no matter, I will kill you too,” Lung growled, his words muffled by the shape of his mouth, but Comprehend Speech allowed Anakin to understand him perfectly.

Anakin didn’t say anything. With a step forward he fell to the ground, the Force twisting the four lamp posts closest to his landing point into strange shapes as the once-Jedi made no attempt to limit the area of effect.

Lung roared, one of his claws finally tearing off the head of the creature he was fighting, causing it to slowly fade away as if it was never here.

Anakin’s eyes glanced around at the spreading fire, the destruction, the fear that seemed to be spreading as people realized what was happening, before fully focusing on the flaming dragon at the other side of the street, his hands closing into fists.







___________________________$$$_____________________________

If you like my work, I now have an advanced chapter on Patreon or you can take a look at my other novels at patreon and Ko-Fi. You can support me for a single dollar.

Thanks for my patrons : Xhaustedhero, Iori Daemona Angel, AlliterativeArts (Eric Faust) Comics, DAERMONIAN, Davvy chappie, WanderingDaemon, GrumpyJustGrumpy, Travis cox, camarada fugu, Rootbeerguy, High Priest of Torga, Michael Neal, Felrook, NotableRonin, Josh Orton, stanley seymour, AjiTae, danxzn, Louis Kasser, JVR, Joseph, Mike Bellavoir, Vegetables, George Dashner, MissingNote, Brendan Ferguson, Sleepymoonfox, Nisiris, Flashycow, Ryuda, Commander Miggs, Kaleb, Readaer Fall, Awais and Ty Tuttle for supporting my work!