Mos Espa pulsed with life in the twilight, a city where crime and commerce blended beneath rusted towers and neon signs. As the streets began to empty, cloaked figures passed unnoticed through alleyways — traders closing shop, droids on late-night errands, and two Jedi moving like shadows.
Qui-Gon Jinn walked with his hands folded calmly into his robe sleeves, eyes half-lidded in thought. Obi-Wan trailed a few paces behind, speaking into a handheld comm about their hyperdrive search. But Qui-Gon wasn't listening.
He had felt something. A ripple. Not dark, not light — just... hidden.
"Master?" Obi-Wan asked. "Something troubling you?"
Qui-Gon halted, turning his head slightly. His gaze swept over the buildings, then lingered toward the outskirts of the city. Somewhere there — past the merchant ring, beyond the old starport ruins — something stirred in the Force.
"I'm not sure," he said softly. "But I sense someone... unusual. Someone masking their presence."
Obi-Wan frowned. "A Sith?"
"No," Qui-Gon said immediately. "Not Sith. Not Jedi. Not trained. Or perhaps... something else."
Kael Solaris stood in the hangar's secondary chamber, bathed in blue light from the hovering MercNet interface. The echo of the Jedi's presence had brushed against him an hour earlier — faint but undeniable. His untraceable nature had held, but there was no mistaking who it had been.
Qui-Gon Jinn. Jedi Master. Seeker. Unorthodox and wise.
Kael respected him deeply — had always admired his clarity of thought, even in the face of a crumbling Republic. But respect didn't mean trust. And now that the Jedi were here, Kael had to tread carefully.
[ System Alert: Passive Detection – Force User Contact (Minor) ]Status: Stealth Integrity MaintainedWarning: Extended proximity may cause suspicion in powerful Force-sensitives.
Kael dismissed the message and turned to Ghost, who stood near a metal table, cleaning his rifle.
"We need to reinforce the hangar," Kael said. "Jedi don't walk away from things they don't understand. Qui-Gon's too curious."
Ghost nodded. "I've begun integrating the scavenged turrets and thermal masking grids. Defensive camo field will be operational by dawn."
Kael paced. "Good. We may need to vanish in plain sight."
He pulled up the "Unique Inventory" tab in MercNet and flipped through the rotating items.
[ Rare Acquisition Available: Disruption Field Generator – Personal Cloaking, Nulls Low-Level Force Detection (Cost: 9,000 Credits) ]
Expensive. But worth it.
Kael sighed and minimized the interface. "We'll need another job. Something fast, high-paying."
[ Quest Alert – Available Contract: "Sand Reaper" ]Target: Kallak Brunn – Nikto gang leader operating from a hidden canyon base.Reward: 7,000 Credits + Rare Equipment CacheRisk: Moderate-High
Kael grinned. "Perfect."
At the same time, Qui-Gon stood on a rooftop above the market, eyes closed in meditation. The Force swirled like mist around him — yet there was a patch of... absence.
Not darkness. Not light.
Just a blank space.
The last time he had felt something like it, he had been tracking a Sith artifact buried in a ruined temple on Malachor. But that had reeked of corruption. This did not.
"It's as if something — or someone — is folded into the Force, but not of it," he murmured.
Obi-Wan landed lightly beside him. "You're sure it's not just... background noise?"
"No," Qui-Gon said. "It's intentional. Deliberate."
He rose to his feet and looked to the horizon.
"I think we're not the only ones investigating this world."
Kael soared above the canyon badlands in his HLAF-500 starfighter, the cockpit's panels glowing dimly. Ghost sat in the co-pilot seat, silent as always, eyes locked on the terrain scanner.
Below them, the canyons twisted into spirals and sinkholes, red and gold rock formations glowing in the moonlight.
"There," Ghost pointed. "Thermal readings indicate fifteen individuals clustered around a structure built into the cliffside."
Kael adjusted the scanner. The base was crude, old sumuggler junk retrofitted into a smuggler den. Lights blinked along a pathway leading up the cliff.
He brought the starfighter down on a plateau nearby, killed the engines, and activated MercNet.
[ Loadout Update: ]
Equipped: Pulse Blaster MkII
Gear: Grapple Hook, EMP Mini-Grenade, Personal Energy Shield (10% damage buffer)
Companion: Ghost (Cloaked, Loadout: Rifle + EMP Rounds)
He checked the objective one last time.
[ Target: Kallak Brunn ]Known Traits: Enhanced Reflexes, Scarred Cybernetic Spine, Dual VibroaxesKnown Affiliations: Local Nikto gang, minor Hutt ties
Kael grinned. "Let's introduce ourselves."
The first sentry didn't even scream — just fell with a dull thump, courtesy of Ghost's precision strike.
Kael slipped through the perimeter in near silence, dispatching another lookout with his stun pulse. They moved like ghosts through the canyon corridors, blending in with shadows and sand.
When they reached the central chamber, Kael crouched on a ledge above it.
Kallak Brunn stood below — a massive Nikto, his skin ridged and leathery, arms bulging with cybernetics. His two vibroaxes sparked with faint hums as he shouted at his gang over a table of stolen parts.
Kael activated the new skill.
[ Reflex Surge I Activated – 8 Seconds ]All reflexes and targeting enhanced by 100%
He jumped.
Landed on the table.
Fired twice — each pulse-shot disabling a guard before they could aim. Ghost dropped into the chaos and engaged two more at once, his rifle singing with stun bursts and explosive rounds.
Kallak roared and charged.
Kael spun under the swing of the vibroaxes, feeling the air ripple over his skin. His blade — a vibroknife enhanced by MercNet's edge-field tech — slid into the Nikto's side, grazing circuits. Kallak howled in pain and kicked Kael back.
But Ghost was already behind him.
One perfectly timed EMP round struck the cybernetic spine.
Kallak convulsed and dropped.
[ Target Neutralized: Kallak Brunn ][ Contract Complete – Reward: 7,000 Credits + Rare Equipment Cache Delivered to Inventory ][ XP Gained: 1,200 | Reputation +10 (Outer Rim Underworld) ]
Kael stood, heart pounding.
Then he laughed. "We're getting good at this."
By dawn, Kael had returned to the hangar and slumped into the pilot chair of his starfighter, reviewing the rewards.
[ Rare Equipment Cache Unlocked: Select One ]
Stealth Combat Armor (Lightweight, cloaking enabled)
Portable AI Assistant (Tactical support, navigation, mission optimization)
E-90 Magnetic Rifle (Tier 2, energy-based, modifiable)
Kael selected the Stealth Combat Armor.
The black-and-silver armor materialized in his inventory — sleek, tight-fitting, lined with energy-weave panels and internal cloaking systems.
[ New Armor Equipped – Kael Solaris ]Status: Stealth rating increased. Movement noise reduced by 40%.
Now he could walk closer to the Jedi without triggering alarm bells. And he'd need that soon.
Because MercNet was already blinking again.
[ Timeline Alert: Jedi Departure – 48 Hours ][ Major Event Imminent: Boonta Eve Classic – 3 Days Remaining ]Key Figures: Anakin Skywalker | Padmé Amidala | Qui-Gon Jinn | Darth Maul (In Transit)Suggested Action: Prepare Contingency Plan | Enhance Offensive Capability
Kael exhaled.
The galaxy's first tremor was coming.
He would be ready.