Chapter 4 – Calm Before the Storm

Unknown Shadowport, Outer Rim…974 ARR…

Shadowports as they were known were little spaceports off the regular shipping lanes that served specific groups of people…

Those that didn't want to be caught.

They were dens of the underworld and all sorts of lowlifes; smugglers, pirates, slavers and others could be found there, if you needed to hide from the law, if you wanted to sell stolen goods or find items that weren't legal in most places chances are you'd end up here or in a place like it.

This particular shadowport had been the docking port for a transport ship carrying a large number of slaves taken from different worlds around the Outer, Mid and even Expansion Regions. They would be brought here before being sold on.

That was something Harry and his friends would not allow.

So they had followed the ship that had carried them, a Trade Federation freighter no less they thought with disgust, there was no line that bunch of bastards wouldn't cross to make money they thought with anger and worse knowing they would never see the inside of a courtroom or if they ever did it would never be to receive their rightful punishment...just a slap on the wrist.

The corruption of the galaxy was the one thing that never failed to disgust all five of them.

So they worked out their frustrations on the slavers and Trade Federation officers that had apparently been paid to move all this cargo.

Neville and Hannah with blasters in hand were taking down row after row of the flimsy battle droids that the rotten little slavers were hiding behind, blasts of what looked like force lightning coming from their fingers but rather than blue like most it was white. Ionize, a little used skill in modern force skillsets and by large abandoned by the Jedi due to its links to Force Lightning.

But it was as effective against modern droids as it had been in Revan's time.

Haron and Ara meanwhile were using their blasters and telekinesis to throw their enemies about with ease, removing cover or dragging enemies out in the open where they were easy targets.

Luna back on their corvette was in a state of deep meditation as she channelled the power of Battle Meditation, sapping the will and fighting skill of their enemies while amplifying their own power and co-ordination. The four fighters also had a tendency to seemingly disappear and then reappear a split second behind their enemies and slaughter them before disappearing and then reappearing all over again.

The pirates and slavers were just outclassed as a result, the masked raiders too fast and powerful to stop them.

After a year of study of the knowledge in Revan's Vault their abilities had grown immensely, able to now do so much more and with deepening reserves as they pushed their limits in ways they never had before. Decked out in Mandalorian armour with high quality blasters and force powers they were ruthless in making sure their were no witnesses to their powers, the last thing they wanted were the Jedi breathing down their necks and the armour helped to hide their identities.

This raid was as much about testing their abilities as it was about freeing slaves.

The Hutt behind the whole operation was desperately trying escape but found himself pinned and unable to move as Haron and Ara appeared before him. Haron outstretched his arm and with the force wrapped his grip tight around the windpipe of the Hutt. The giant slug tried his best to grasp at the invisible hands around his throat to get some much needed air but nothing he could do would help. His large yellow eyes rolled over and with a few more desperate struggles before slackening and falling the moment Haron released his grip, falling like a sack of meat to the ground with a thump.

He looked to Ara who nodded before the pair disappeared again, hunting yet more enemies.

Zygerria, the Outer Rim…

Aurra Sing was completely at ease with the slavery that was rampant around her, she honestly didn't care as long as they kept their hands off her. Hell she had actually brought slaves that had escaped their masters back to be executed and not given a damn as long as the money cleared.

And this was a big bounty that was being offered she thought with excitement, big money which would mean a big vacation for her on a pleasure world if she wanted.

But she was happier working and the more dangerous the prey, the more she liked the hunt. She had worried Jango Fett would try and steal this contract from her but he had been absent from a lot of contracts in recent years, word had it he was doing some very big private job but that was all the better for her and others like her as it meant more work for them.

The Zygerrian she was meeting with was supposed to represent a silent benefactor but the fool actually wore a royal crest on his tunic, idiot she thought with derision. She might as well be told the job by the Queen of Zygerria herself.

"My employer's operations have been hurt considerably in the last few months by a group of vigilantes using Mandalorian armour. They are costing her a considerable amount of money and it has to stop...so to that end we are prepared to offer you a bounty of 150,000 credits for their deaths. We are not interested in them being alive, just dead." The agent offered her and while she rolled her eyes as his voice clearly spoke of aristocracy but the money was very tempting. The job was dangerous as she had heard about this group who had made big waves in the underworld but were careful to only make enemies of slavers and pirates rather than alienating those that could be a real threat like the Pykes or most of the Hutts.

They were dangerous but she would enjoy the challenge, a few operators should even the odds in her favour and if any of them survived she could just kill them to keep the money for herself. Not to mention the chance to get herself some Mando gear was to big to pass up. That could be a fortune in itself.

"I'll take the job." She said with a smug smile, she was going to enjoy this.

Shadowport, Outer Rim…

Luna was happily playing with the children that they had freed, running around with them and laughing with innocence that was heart warming to watch. She seemed intent on reviving some sense of fun and excitement in the children that had been terrified and miserable only a couple of days ago. Whether she was using her powers or not to help with this they couldn't say but it was working as they ran around, playing games and just enjoying themselves as they rightfully should.

Haron and Ara were watching as the now freed slaves loaded the stolen loot from the slavers and the Shadowport onto the transport they had commandeered which would get them to the Core. From there they would approach one of the organisations like Freedom Convoy which was dedicated to helping freed slaves make a new life somewhere safe.

Haron was filled with a good sense of accomplishment at what they had achieved, taking a stand on slavery was dangerous and he knew some of these poor people had already escaped once or twice only to be sold back or be tracked down by bounty hunters. It was a brutal galaxy but he could only hope that this time, freedom would last. The old him would have raged more but this system had been in place long before any of them had been born and would likely be in place long after they were dead. There was no real chance of dismantling it but they could he comforted himself dent it as much as possible while they had the chance.

Hannah and Neville had retired to the ship, Hannah claiming she was very tired after the fight which they knew was true given she was now expecting their first child. It had only just been confirmed but they had been sensing it for a few weeks.

Neville had been over the moon and terrified at the same time, becoming reluctant to let her engage in combat but she had firmly put him down in regards to that. She was pregnant not an invalid and would fight as long as she could fit into her armour.

Haron and Ara found themselves unsettled though, the idea of having children...it stuck in their heads. They had only just really started getting to know each other and giving their marriage a real go this time and now they were thinking about having children?

Ara turned to him to ask with a worried look on her face.

"Do you think we should have children?" She asked him, he himself frowned before answering.

"I always dreamed of having a family of my own, after the way my relatives treated me I wanted my children to only know love. However this is a decision we both need to make together, any child of ours needs love from both of us. We both have to be sure it is what we both want and are as ready for it as we can be." Haron said with a sigh. "I know I want children some day, but only if you want them too. I am willing to go along with whatever you decide so I will leave the decision in your hands." He told her before they watched the transport take off and leave for the Core Worlds.

Ara was surprised he was willing to leave the decision up to her, she had expected him to just avoid the question but he had let her know once again it was her decision. They had both been put in this situation against their will and Haron was letting her make choices to allow her what freedom they could within the boundaries set.

He had not even asked to share a bed yet she thought, not pushing her till she was comfortable.

Her thoughts also dwelt on whether or not she wanted children? She had been happy to let Astoria continue the family line and focus on building up their business back on Earth, hell even here she had started building up a portfolio of her own in this galaxy and refining her skills as a warrior.

But…

When she had seen Scorpius, her darling little nephew she had honestly cried. When he had been put in her arms by her sister she had been astonished at the feeling of it, being married to Harry and their marriage being so distant back then it was the closest she realised to having a child of her own.

How things had changed she thought with sadness, Scorpius had never had the chance to grow up killed by the solar flares long before his time. Her relationship with her own husband had likewise improved but still she had not gone beyond talking to each other and training yet.

She was quiet as they all returned to the ship, her mind debating whether or not she wanted a family of her own. She was grateful Haron and the others didn't interrupt her thoughts, settling into her bunk alone.

A Few Days Later...Yavin 4…

The group's new hideout was uncomfortably hot some days but it was remote and had the advantage of pre-existing buildings, huge buildings in fact.

Temples constructed thousands of years ago that had all the room and privacy they needed to train their powers, store their ships and gear not to mention the strong force aura of the moon was perfect to hide their power from the Jedi and Sith alike until they had mastered the ability to hide themselves.

Haron was sitting in one of the many rooms checking the status of his investments as he did every morning, the size of it had been doubled in the last year or so with him using some of the money recovered from Revan's vault. Selling some of the valuable material had netted them a good fortune and much to their surprise some of the bank accounts Revan had with the Banking Clan had still been there and accruing interest due to them simply being forgotten about. They now had the money to do nearly anything they wanted.

He was glad to see the contracts with a few planetary defence forces had paid off and the Z-95 was selling well so Incom was becoming a far more profitable enterprise for him, they had even begun work on a heavier starfighter to complement the Z-95 called the A.R.C Project. Other investments were also slowly expanding or remaining steady.

With that done Haron closed down the datalink and reviewed the data they had found on Revan's computer, the man had certainly been desperate for any kind of advantage over the Sith Haron thought with amazement. Revan had gathered so much data from the Cold War and Great Galactic War it was mind blowing, specs for; an anti-fleet Megalaser called the Silencer, Stealth missiles from Balmorra, Null Cannons which were almost like Ion Cannons on steroids, combat stims the rest of the galaxy had never heard of, Siantide blaster tech, designs for cybernetic soldiers and a large database from a world called Iokath which had technology that was advanced even by today's standards.

Several unknown hyperspace routes were also included in the database although some had by now been officially discovered and the different pieces of what he now knew were Rakata technology held great potential potential. It was just as well they had the corvette as it was big enough to carry it all Haron realised with a sigh, however much it seemed for just the five of them.

All the holocrons and teachings on the force though, Haron thought with gratitude to his ancestor's associate, that had been very useful. Getting the ability to apparate back was worth the effort not to mention some simple spells they could do wandlessly. It had allowed them to pull off jobs that no one else could, security systems unlocked by a simple charm, jumping straight past defences, pulling information straight from people's heads and more.

It did earn them a good living not to mention grow their reputation as mercenaries or pirate hunters. They took jobs to help people and occasionally if it was worth their while indulge in other jobs. Recently on behalf of a rival they had stolen a very powerful and sensitive prototype sensor array from the Techno Union, advanced seismic charge/concussive missile designs from Krupx Munitions and an upgraded deflector shield generator. Keeping copies for themselves secretly to see if it was useful to them later.

The collection of data was immense but he had sold none of it, this could be very beneficial to House Ordo in the future he realised and in the force he could feel that one day it would be needed. The sensation of dread came upon him as he looked into the future, not able to see much but somehow he knew...conflict...a lot of it was coming and he would be involved in that fight.

He, his friends and his family.

War was not a mess he wanted to be involved in, however much of a warrior he had become but sighed as he would fight to protect his own people.

A voice at the door interrupted his thoughts of doom, almost making him jump.

"Haron, time for saber practice." Ara said and he got to his feet, picking up the training lightsaber from the desk nearby. It was not just with the force that they had been practising, they had also been learning to use lightsabers. While none of them had any real interest in wielding them it was important in two ways; firstly because a lightsaber was an incredibly deadly and versatile weapon. Able to deflect blaster bolts and energy streams, cut through nearly any material or armour, instantly cauterize wounds and more.

Not to mention learning how you fought with them from the holocrons and datatapes left by Revan allowed them to learn how Jedi and Sith fought, and knowing how your enemy was going to fight was the first step in learning how to defeat them.

So to that end the five had begun to train with lightsabers, while lacking in formal tutoring with careful study and regular sparring with each other they were hoping to become competent in their use.

Neville, Luna and Hannah in the distance were already practising, Luna clearly winning as she blasted them with force blasts in-between using the balanced blade-work of Form Six. Neville however preferred the more grounded and balanced Form Five which provided a solid defence with powerful offensive moves. Hannah was very different in her approach though, instead of the powerful cleaves and counter-attacks Neville used she was purely defensive, Form Three was a none offensive form but made up for this by masters of the form being able to put up an impenetrable defence against near any attack. Being particularly useful against blasters this seemed to suit her well.

Ara and Haron however had chosen a similar if more dangerous approach to lightsaber fighting; instead of using one of the more established and simpler forms they had decided to pursuit the most dangerous and wild versions of lightsaber fighting, Form Seven.

This form was the one favoured by Revan and had allowed him to use both sides of the force at once by channelling all his feelings good and bad into his fighting, anger, love, joy, fear all of them which added to the power they used. It also had the advantage of being very unpredictable given how much it relied on emotion but was taxing on its users if trying to balance or constraint their emotions. Many Jedi trying to use this form had fallen to the dark side as they had put it but Haron and Ara had the advantage of not being Jedi or beholden to their ideas on denying their emotions and staying in the light.

Real life was not so clean, they both knew that and that you had to be able to accept the more negative sides of yourself or you would become off-balance and vulnerable.

They stood apart, sabers draw and then lit them before throwing themselves into the fight. Their faces smiling with the thrill of it as they clashed, the force surging around them as they let their feelings loose.

Two Months Later...Arherst Station, Outer Rim…

The team was bored as they watched the specimens being loaded onto the transport, they had taken this job to break from the usual routine of chasing down pirates or stealing but it was proving incredibly boring. Alderaan had hired them to protect a ship full of endangered species which were on their way to a preserve to take part in a special breeding program, a quick and simple job but some of the species were highly valuable on the black market hence why they had been hired.

However it was so dull that they were growing bored and while they did what they were paid to do it did not exactly keep them busy.

Haron and Ara meanwhile were sitting in the security room checking the camera feeds for signs of trouble but nothing out of the ordinary. They almost wished someone would attack but held themselves back not wanting to tempt fate.

"I've been thinking recently." Ara said with a sigh. "Are we going to be doing all this forever? It's a losing battle and we all know it." Slavery and piracy were facts of life in the galaxy and it was far too vast to effect any real change...just the five of them. Ara had been content for a while but it was becoming clear that they weren't really getting anywhere, they were helping people something that did bring a smile to her face but recently she had been thinking that maybe they should doing something...more. That they had reached as far as they could like this she thought with frustration and now they needed bigger challenges. Not to mention her thoughts on whether or not to have a family were no closer to being clear, pulling her in multiple directions as she tried to figure out what it was she really wanted.

"I don't know." Haron told her with weariness creeping into his voice. "I only starting hunting pirates because it was something I was good at and it helped pay the bills, saving slaves helped me feel like I was doing some good in the galaxy...at least until I could go back to Ordo." He told her, he saw she looked confused so he explained. "A rite of passage, I have to prove myself as a man that can stand on his own before I have the right to lead my family. Until then I can't go home and my father in this life is a bastard that wanted to get rid of me. So I'm stuck." Haron said with frustration, he had been away so long now that the thought of never returning had occurred to him more than once.

Ara seemed to take a minute to process that before saying.

"I have the exact opposite problem, I can go home any time I want but if I do then I am going to be forced to marry that prick Vizsla." She said almost spitting his name out which made him raise an amused eyebrow before saying.

"Well, its just as well we are married isn't it. Can't wed you too him while I'm here can they?" He meant it as a joke and she gave him one of her rare smiles which he returned.

The moment however was then ruined by a sudden surge in the force that warned them of immediate danger, Haron raised his hand without even thinking just in time to stop several blaster bolts from hitting Ara in the back. Ara herself felt the source was from a nearby vent and pulled the cover off with the force just in time to see a red boot disappear.

Haron, hit the comm link wasted no time in alerting the others. "Stay sharp guys, we have an assassin on board."

-x-

The warning got the three others alert in time to feel the jolt from a ship clamping itself onto the hull. They turned to see someone was cutting into the hull and all three readied themselves for trouble.

Moments later a vicious looking group of Twi'lek thugs came pouring in after blasting the hole they had been cutting open. They came out with blasters firing wildly, not caring what they hit in their desperation to take them down. Neville, Hannah and Luna did not even hesitate in diving for cover and in unison hit them with a blast of the force, scattering them all over the floor.

Neville turned to Luna who nodded, she breathed in deep and concentrated on warping the perceptions of the thugs, ghostly images of Mandalorian warriors began to appear all around them and she could feel the panic they felt at the sight of this small army appearing from thin air. They desperately began firing all over the place in an effort to deal with these 'warriors' only for their bolts to go right through them.

Hannah and Neville meanwhile drew their blasters and with their arms being guided by the force started firing back. Hitting the distracted thugs who wore no armour and were hopelessly outclassed until none were left standing.

-x-

In another part of the ship Haron and Ara pursued their own assailant, they could feel her moving through the air ducts. Sensing she was about to come through one of the intersections Ara grabbed her with the force and pulled hard, a body crashed through the vent and tumbled across the floor. She seemed stunned for a moment before coming to her senses however Ara still held her in a telekinetic grip and forced her round to face them, she struggled hard but could not break the hold they had on her and fear began to creep in.

Aurra Sing's plan had already gone wrong in that somehow they had stopped her blaster shots from killing one of them and being able to follow her through the vents. She had been counting on the element of surprise to take one out and then escape before getting the other one in another trap she had created elsewhere. Her thugs meanwhile down in the storage hold outnumbered the other three nearly ten to one and even if they failed to kill all of them (which would at least save her the money she'd promised) they would have taken down at least one or two.

However she had no idea that the five were force users and now wished she had never taken this job, especially as the tallest of the lot approached her and reached out his hand towards her head. At first she thought he meant to force her gaze towards him but instead she felt a growing pressure inside her head, it was like nothing she had never experienced before and as much as she struggled she could not move and soon it began to get painful.

She whimpered at first, trying to resist but soon the pressure grew worse and soon she began screaming.

-x-

Letting the bounty hunter fall to the deck before putting a blaster bolt right in her head to make sure she was done and could say nothing of their powers Ara turned to him and asked without any concern for what they had done to the woman who had been hired to kill them.

"Did you find anything useful?"

"Not much, it was us she was hired to kill by the Zygerrian Queen to punish us for hurting her slave operations and she placed a few traps aboard in the hopes of leading us into them. She smuggled herself aboard in one of the animal containment units, using a hologram to disguise herself." Haron told her.

"I'll give her points for dedication and inventiveness." Ara said without any real meaning. "But we need to make this bounty go away, if she fails they will only hire another and another." It could she realised go on for years. Haron nodded before telling her.

"Then its time we take advantage of our ship and what she can do." He said, annoyed at the Zygerrians for ruining what should have been a simple job and being so tied to slavery in general. It was time to make a point he decided, one that all Zygerrians would never forget.

-x-

Zygerria...A Few Days Later...

A day or two later the dusty and seemingly primitive surface of Zygerria was disturbed when a corvette with a strange rancor style paint job over it and no official identifying marks appeared from seemingly nowhere and fired two proton torpedoes into the palace before disappearing as quickly as it came. The two high yield projectiles smashed into the palace walls with no time to activate the defence shield, exploding with such force that half the palace shook, collapsing into a rough pile of rock, burying the Queen and her retinue beneath it all.

This would see the collapse of her slavery empire, lieutenants would begin to fight amongst themselves and with outsiders for control of the market. Making it far easier for law enforcement agencies and Freedom Convoy to disturb their operations as they had to contend with them and each other.

Yavin 4…

After completing the job and delivering the specimens to the preserve not to mention being paid the small group returned to their base, feeling very much like they wanted a break for awhile thinking it was best to let the heat die down. They had even gone to the trouble of changing the paint job on the corvette.

However just as they were taking a break the holocom started bleeping loudly, Haron was about to ignore it and shut the machine off when he saw that it was a call marked urgent and more significantly it was coming in on his private channel, the one he only gave to his family or closest friends.

Since the latter of which were here with him he knew this had to be important and while the others went to get something to eat he activated the holo transmitter, a to scale hologram of Deera appeared before him.

"Deera! Its been too long." Haron said with a smile, they hadn't actually talked in months because he had been busy with his force training and jobs while she had been delving into the new mathematics program she had started. Keeping his promise to help her find the best possible program to finally give her a challenge, choosing the expensive but elite Advanced Mathematics and Computer Science Program from Aldera University on Alderaan. She was doing it long distance at home but from all her letters and their infrequent talks she had clearly been loving every moment of it which as far as he was concerned made it well worth the money.

However she was not smiling now he noticed with worry.

"Haron, we need you at home right now." She told him looking deeply worried about something. Haron asked her with growing concern.

"What's happened?" She seemed to take a moment to compose herself before saying.

"Father is dead and House Ordo is at war." She told him looking very tired and wondering what the hell had happened to make the situation so desperate he asked.

"Tell me everything."

"You know other families didn't like all of father's actions, but we were strong and that was enough to keep them at bay for awhile but he died in a shuttle crash which was actually an assassination last week. Immediately House Bralor and House Awaud allied together against us and Satine Kryze is doing nothing! Just calling for negotiations and peaceful resolution." Deera said with incredible anger knowing that they were going to get no help at all from the fucking Mandalore herself. Haron nodded in understanding, furious himself at her short-sightedness and arrogance.

She only saw her own point of view, she had no respect or even understanding of the culture she was supposed to rule and had no intention of learning either. But his anger was not going to help his family and home now so he pushed that aside and while the situation was bad, there was a positive in this.

With his father dead...at last he could return home.

The thought occurred to him only later as he closed the link and left the room to tell the others, frowning as it meant whatever else they could have done together was over before it had even begun. He had no regrets of leaving his wandering around the galaxy behind him but not being with them...that was going to hurt. There was no way he was going to leave the burden of leading his family in a civil war to his sister, Deera had no interest in leading House Ordo anyway but he would never abandon her like that Haron thought with anger at the opportunistic bastards that had attacked them and the woman that should have stopped it.

Arriving in the mess he saw them tuck into a meal and the smiles on their faces brought a lump to his throat. Ara looked at him and saw the frown on his own face and asked.

"What's wrong?" They all turned looking concerned, which only made him worse but he stiffened his resolve and told them.

"My family is now at war with two other Mandalorian houses and no help is coming, since my father in this life has passed I have been called home to fight and lead House Ordo in the fight. I will take the Razor Crest tomorrow, I will try to stay in touch but I can't guarantee anything immediately." Haron said knowing full well that victory in war was never a certain thing. Houses Bralor and Awaud together were equal in size to Ordo and they already had the momentum. It was going to be a hard struggle realised and one that would need his full attention.

They all turned to look at each other before they all burst out laughing.

The strangeness of what they were doing actually threw him, he despite being raised as a warrior knew there was nothing humorous about war. He let them carry on for a moment before finally Luna pulled herself together and said.

"Do you honestly think after years alone I am going to let you out of my sight again?!" She said looking at him like he was a child she had to explain something difficult too. "We are all coming with you."

"We are a team, where one goes we all go." Neville said with a smile. "War or no war we stay together and given our combined talents you could certainly use the help."

"No way you are getting rid of us so easy." Hannah added while hanging onto her husband.

Haron was amazed and more than a little touched they were willing to go through this with him. It was not going to be pleasant, they all knew that but Neville he realised was right, they all had the force and their own unique talents to draw on and would together be a far more potent force than any of them could be alone.

So he nodded, they would pack up all their stuff and leave for Ordo by tomorrow morning and while he was about to take perhaps one of the greatest responsibilities he ever could he smiled.

He was going home and he was bringing his friends with him.