For better or worse. The destroyed anti-air gun's that were at the collapsed spice facility were still there. Just buried under a dozen meters of sand as the mountain I partially collapsed stopped blocking the billowing sands in the surroundings.
"Abundance is not a mining tool... And Destruction will just utterly annihilate the guns. This is some bullshit!" I grumbled as the dozens of Abundance Abominations I brought worked to dig out those anti-air guns.
I needed to pick up the Path of Preservation. That path, which focused on material manipulation, shields, and extending the lifespan of all things, would be extremely useful.
As I wasn't some kind of super genius, so it wasn't like I was going to get the attention of the Erudition. Either way... Here I was. Just slaving away in the hot ass desert sun digging up some anti-air cannons.
And it took a couple of hours to do so, even with the aid of several untiring immortal beings as it turned out... Digging through loose desert sand was far harder than digging through bedrock.
Once I got the large anti-air cannon sorted out. Fixed with the power of Abundance, which turned them into semi-living constructs... Which also made their power cells' solar recharging, funny enough.
I had a funny though that made me pause as I relaxed in the cargo ship I had used to get over here and to transport the guns.
'Wait... If I make a giant Xianzhou-style ship that's very clearly fucking alive in the void of space. Woudn't the Republic think my ship was some kind of Yuuzhan Vong ship or something?'
It would be very. VERY! Unfortunate to be labeled an enemy to all of Republic Space even if said Republic Space was going to be mired in war with the CIS all to soon.
'Well, I did plan to be hanging around Citadel and Hutt space, on the other hand? I mused to myself.
But with a mental shrug I just shut down those worries. As in reality, the only issue I would truly have was if my giant colony ship... Just didn't have enough guns. Should my ship be a Super Weapon all of in itself that was alive and could defend itself without myself taking any actions?
Whelp, sucks to suck small Republic Fleet. Your senator's shoudn't have sucked all the naval funding away to buy Twi-Lek slaves to fill their Coruscant tower mansions at the peak levels of the city world.
By the time I got back to the junk yard and my expanded house. That fucking rat of a Twi-Lek himself in Bib Fortuna finally deigned to call me back on an encrypted holonet line that was a pain in the ass to set up.
The holographic form of the male Twi-Lek formed on the hologram table and I noted that he probably just got done entertaining guests... As he was lying on a long couch with two female Twi-Lek's in slave outfits, leisurely lying beside him a drug-filled stupor.
And seeing that drugged up Twi-Lek's the reminder of the close to Dune's spice effects made me wonder if I should go to all the desert planets and make giant Worms that would ravage the worlds to prevent the damned Glitteryl trade.
Still, I wore a calm expression as I spoke bluntly. "Bib Fortuna, I seek to find a colony ship, or likewise a slave transport ship that you know the location of that has earned the ire of Lord Jabba."
Bib Fortuna's lazy expression filled with a greedy light before he hummed and said thoughtfully. "Hoh? You wish to enter the flesh trade Jake? I saw the willingess to shed blood for coin, but I thought you were someone with ethics haha."
My stone expression made him pause before he tsked and said. "Ahhh, no you want the ship itself. Not to enter that particular business, then. Well, far be it from me to ask a force user like you what you plan to do with it then."
I watched as the pale-skinned Twi-lek leaned down... And snorted a line of some drug he spread across the cleavage of the drugged out sofa partner.
And after he twigged out for a moment, his eyes refocused, and he said. "Yeah, yeah... There is a wretch, a Batarian slaver who decided that with his noble title back in Batarian space, he doesn't need to pay his due to Lord Jabba. If you were to, make an example of him."
Bib took a breath before continuing. "And by that, I mean you kill almost everyone aboard that ship and bring that captain's head to Lord Jabba. We will announce that our bounty hunters took the ship as payment for the due taxes he has ignored."
I slowly nodded before I asked bluntly. "How big is the ship? Location, and how many targets will I need to deal with?"
Bib cleared his throat before saying. "It is a stolen Core colony ship that was meant to sail past Citadel Space for the Republic to hopefully start a flanking wall of worlds behind the reach of Citadel Space. The ship is... Extensive to say the least, and it is loaded up with a full stock of Batarian raiders so thousands of warriors are within it Jake."
And as he said that, I saw below on my holodeck's display system. He had already sent the spatial coordinates of the last Hyperspace Jump that the Batarian's slave ship had taken... Which had been taken directly towards the planet Hyperkarn.
A planet primarily populated by humans, which was a favorite target of the Batarians. But the name of Hyperkarn something about the planet's name triggered something deep inside of me. But for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was about?
Did a major battle in the Clone Wars happen there? Did a popular figure come from that planet? Honestly, with how the Big Mouse ruined Star Wars before I reincarnated, I was firmly of the mind that no matter what the deal about the planet was. It was 'non-canon' either way.
With that thought tangent done, I paused as Bib Fortuna said with some humor. "Ah, also Jake. Just a reminder, but if you plan to somehow cause a large-scale space battle above Hyperkarn. You should know that the planet itself is mired in trouble as the planet has heavy Citadel interests based within the system."
He took a breath before adding.
"It's a discreet trading center between Hutt, Republic, Bothan, and Citadel Space. The whole point of its existence is the trading of ultra-luxury goods that lords want to see on a nice planet face-to-face. Or in other words, don't go crazy, Jake... Or you will have half the galaxy's rich after your head for making a mess in their garden."
I slowly nodded before I said calmly. "Thank you for the warning then." And with that, I cut the call with Bib Fortuna. As I had no more interest in seeing the dude snorting drugs off his whores.
-
With that massive influx of money I had from my Asari 'friends' I was happy not to have to buy a colony ship or whatever outright even if it would save me a bunch of time.
But spilling Batarian slaver blood to get a colony ship for free? Free was just the best option, obviously! I certainly wasn't going to lose any sleep over killing a bunch of slavers at this point. I already killed several hundred drug makers.
And with my face burrowed into the chosen one's mother or some twi-lek tits... I tell you, I slept every night like it was the best sleep of my life.
"You sneak onto a Reaper Leviathan's controlled world to get it's location for money... And now to save money, you plan to just slaughter your way through an entire Batarian slave ship?" Kali said with a facepalm to my so called 'plan'.
And to be fair... Once I got onto a Batarian's slave ship, the Batarian's in question on the ship woudn't be 'too' heavily armed. Being too heavily armed as slavers was against the whole point. They were going to have powerful stunners and crippling style weapons on hand.
"It's not like I would be doing all the fighting... Or even half of it." I said rather blandly, as that was what my Abundance Abominations were for.
"Besides, I will be purpose-building a spacecraft that will allow me to attack the ship's bridge to take it over from the get-go." I added with a shrug.
Honestly, it always bugged me with how so many Star Wars ships had giant 'decks' where the very clear control center was clear to see. And they weren't monofocused. Even with a ship's reflector shields, the giant control deck hanging on top of the ship should be a primary damned target!
Talon, on the other hand said quietly. "Jake, you might be underestimating the power of a Colony ship's reflector shield that is built to withstand small-scale collisions even in Hyper Space."
I paused at that as... Yeaaahhh, actually, I didn't think my own Destruction path energy could consistently break through a powered shield that was rated for hitting some meteors at light speed.
"Ooook then. Just, go with the tried and true plan. We go through the colony ship's own landing dockets and work our way through the ship itself. It's not like we can't cut through the door's with our light sabers anyway." I said with a helpless shrug.
And both Talon and Kali looked actually exasperated at the thought before Kali paused and said thoughtfully. "Actually... You do have a couple of hundred of those monsters buried out in the back. And with their disregard of death and pain. Those Batarian cowards will be in for slaughter if they can't get to their heavy weapons."
My Abundance creations weren't something that stunners could remotely deal with. It was the perfect example of trying to stop a rampaging bear with a high-powered Nerf blaster.
In either case, I refocused as Shmi and Oola brought out some food and some iced fruit juice. But as I was about to take a drink, I paused as Aayla brought up an idea.
"What if Talon and I pretend to be slaves and sneak onto the ship to cause issues first?"
That could work, though at that point it was a bit reductive to have them sabotage the ship... Unless they could somehow get to the control deck?
I looked to Talon and asked curiously. "I imagine with the Batarian's caste system. For the lower ranks Force mind control will work very well. But I don't think it's worth you getting in the heat of things."
While Aayla was getting some of her connection back with the force. I wasn't going to send Talon off to sabotage an entire bridge filled with armed enemies... I wasn't the fucking Jedi sending their brainwashed monks who had no real military training into a warzone.
"Besides... Sabotage and slow purging aren't the goal. In order for Jabba to take the fall for this, he wants the noble and his men to be dealt with in an overwhelming and extreme manner. To warn others from trying to dodge his taxes." I finished with a shrug.
Because I certainly would also prefer to avoid the fat slug the twenty-five percent tax he charged for transporting illicit cargo through his territory. But Jabba had his own army, and another army of skilled bounty hunters would happily take his coin to put your head on a spike.
"In either case. The trip to Hyperkarn will sadly take two weeks. As the planet is off the major hyperlanes so it will require a series of smaller jumps to get to the system." I said with a slight frown as I took out the holographic galactic map to inspect a route.
And this was a conservative estimate with this hyperlane map's data being sent over by Vailiya being more on the new side. So there was much less to worry about like random drifting star systems' gravity wells interfering with hyperspace travel.
"A two-week trip off of the main hyperspace lanes. No wonder Hyperkarn is considered a partly a pleasure world. Those fat nobles will want a fancy ship to even get there when its already out of the way." Kali said in some annoyance.
But no one was heavily opposed to the trip itself it seemed anyway. So with a shrug, I said thoughtfully. "Then I suppose I will need to get to work on our ship anyway. I need to make sure it's loaded up on supplies to feed all of us. As well as add some stuff so that it will be more comfortable."
The girls nodded and I idly wondered what kind of classes Anakin was up to currently back over on Coruscant...
The thought was so powerful that I decided to see if I could in fact astrally project myself back to the Jedi Temple again. I was curious to also see if Yoda would draw me towards him instead as well.
And so I got to work while the girls packed up living essentials.... As well as making sure our home was fully trapped up and locked up. So that no salvager's would/should come in to rob our scrap and the ships I did fix.
For those who DID decide to climb over the barbed wire fences to steal from the scrap yard. Whelp, I did make sure to leave a sign stating that all intruders' lives are forfeit upon entry. It was no longer my problem that they would die horribly when they started rooting around.
Once I made sure the ship was stocked and fueled for the trip, I just went straight to the captain's private quarters after sending a message to Talon's holopad telling her that she could take off as soon as everyone was loaded up.
'Now... Let's see if I can bully the force into teleporting my mind to Coruscant.' I mused to myself as I closed my eyes and anchored my consciousness in the force.
And just as I remembered. The Force was an elusive bitch who loved to be grabbed hold of and strangled at times. But was also at times as flighty as a hippie high on acid and just as understanding at the same times with their demands.
But as I felt the Force surround me. I felt a particular... Joy? No, an 'Elation' within the force as it showed me visions, images, emotions, and sensations as that Reaper ship back on Geonosis was destroyed.
And billions of lives, mostly Geonosians and other aliens, were freed of the Reaper ships more subtle control and much of their programming. Though as much as I didn't care about the little flying rats.
I could tell the Force did in fact care about the planet's natives and such. It also cared about those Sith cultists that the Reaper had directly taken control of. And I could feel it's grief at the knowledge that without the Reaper controlling the cultists. Many of them would die without it's will driving the remnants of their shattered selves.
'Can I go sneak a puff of whatever Yoda is smoking? I appreciate the news that the Reaper ship is going to, or is being destroyed. But I want to go to Coruscant.'
My directed thought towards the Force will. that was throwing all this at me was received and then promptly fucking ignored.
Leaving me to just mentally be floating about in the Force itself as a 'normal' force user that was meditating within the force.
Or in other words. The fucking Force saw my message and literally just left me on read.
'Well fuck you too!' I mentally cursed at the Force and the eddies of Force nonsense around me just continued to do it's normal nonsensical motions.
But in my deep meditation, I could feel myself and what resided within myself all to clearly as well. I could feel the Path of Abundance and Destruction within myself.
The Path of Destruction... I didn't touch. That way lied the road to becoming a Lord Ravager, a being that could flip this Star War's and Mass Effect universe on it's head without issue.
And I didn't want to become a being whose entire purpose was to destroy the universe itself because existence was suffering and to end all suffering. All existence must end. Yeah that was some BS and I wasn't going to reach the Emanator level of that Path. Ever.
Abundance however... Becoming a being that was unkillable, a being that spread life everlasting and evergrowing even to the point of detriment of those around him as an Emanator life form in the worst case? I was down for that kind of power.
"Uhhh, Merciful Medicus, you home?" I mentally asked as I filled my conciousness with the Path of Abundance. My mental body walked the conceptual physcial Path of Abundance in 'THE' Path Space that resided outside of normal reality.
And the Aeon of the Abundance. Yaoshi, the 'kindest' Aeon did NOT ignore their followers. They were both a merciful guiding father, as well as a nurturing mother figure as the overwhelming figure of pure life energy flashed within my minds eye.
Yaoshi's form was still it's typical androgynous form clad in almost revealing pure white robes. But there was also the monstrous elements like the small slit like eye's crossing it's beautiful form as well as antler roots that bloomed from it's head.
Also the fact that it had six arms as well didn't help. But no matter how different Yaoshi looked from a normal 'human' being an Aeon, there beauty was unquestionable.
Yaoshi's gaze fell upon me with their true eye's that were behind a thin veil cloth and Yaoshi tilted it's head to the side as though seemingly in thought.
Then across it's perfectly formed face came a small smile. Showing that the Aeon was... Satisfied.
And I felt my connection with the Path of Abundance greatly increase in strength. Not that I myself had walked further down it and gained more strength itself. No, my connection with the Path itself became much stronger as Yaoshi themselves pulled me closer to their Path.
In more... Typical forms of magical power systems it would be like my Path became larger itself. My mana bar didn't gain any more points but the mana points themselves became more efficent and potent. The mana bar changed colors in another sense as it 'leveled up'
Yaoshi gave me a long look after giving me the blessing... Then looked around almost warily, and I actually laughed as I realized why it was looking around so furtively. The Aeon of Abundance was waiting it's enemy to come fuck it up as per usual.
The Aeon of the Hunt in Lan literally came to be because of the overwhelming number of Abundance Abominations that had flooded Xianzhou lands in the universe of Honkai Star Rail. And now in this Path Space that was my cheat, Lan even with all it's power.
Did not have access to hunt it's eternal target for annihilation.
"Yeah, The Hunt's Lux Arrow's cannot reach you in here. It's arrow's may breach causality to peirce through time and space to attack certain points in time. But we are literally in an entirely different universe."
Yaoshi paused in realization at my words then it looked upon me with what was clear favor and joy before it's mouth opened. And eldritch words, colors, and concepts filled my mind as Yaoshi tried to just make me a fucking Emanator for no reason!
I groaned as I felt my mind was about to burst and then a icy sensation filled my blood as dreadful gold energy bloomed around me with Yaoshi's gaze filling with dissapointment before shaking it's head.
And in a more feminine tone I heard Yaoshi truly speak for the first time. "Your soul is not strong enough to sustain a connection to the Imaginary Tree in your universe to my own... I will not leave you alone to suffer, I will seek the aid of the Erudition to find a way to your universe."
I paused at those words even as I felt Nanook's protection that conceptually destroyed the connection Yaoshi tried to make between universes through my fucking very fragile mind you soul.
"Uhhhh I am doing pretty well here. I am not really suffering." I said with a helpless expression as I remembered the wonderful nights of being buried face first in ample alien tits.
Then my blood went cold in fear as Yaoshi's gaze became filled with pity as they whispered. "The one who forged our connection left out things. The Galaxy you are within, isn't the only one with threats... And there are thing's in your universe that have made even the Hunt agitated."
And thus Yaoshi filled my mind again with concepts, images, songs, screams, and the horrors that were come. And as the images in particular translated into things I could actually fucking understand.
I swore that the moment I became strong enough to break out of this reality and meet my sponsor again.
I was going fucking beat him to death with a god damn hammer!
A galaxy of laughing cruel gods that was in constant war against a Pantheon of space elf gods and a supreme human god. And finally a galaxy that was beautiful and terrible as humanity and a federation of aliens fought endlessly unknowing that their forbearers in the Forerunner's were rebuilding.
There was a long moment of silence before I mentally screamed with Yaoshi's face actually falling into more pity as they felt all the more for the lives who followed their path compared to any other Aeon.
And then Yaoshi said more softly. "They are not... Yet a threat, they are still mostly contained to their galaxies. But soon, the Forerunner's will spread their 'favor' between the stars. They will fail to realize the folly and revenge they will carry between the galaxies in their movements."
I knew what she meant about them being 'mostly' contained... As I was almost fucking certain that the Reaper's and Tyrannid's who were beyond the galaxies walls had run into the flood at one point. And they had gone to war with it to the point that the Forerunner's had a chance to take a breath and reset themselves.
Which left the question of whether there was even Halo Rings anymore as well?
But it all made sense now. Why my sponsor told me not to get too cocky at the thought of being able to punch Vader through a wall, and kicking Palpatine through a ship with my Path enhanced body. They weren't my true rivals!
I was being fucking set up to go against Hive Tryants that had tasted Flood nonsense. I was being enhanced by the various aspects of the Paths to rival the damned Primarchs if they were even a thing!
Because if Warhammer a thing in this universe of too many galactic horrors. I knew the Emperor of Mankind would be salivating over Force User's and Biotics who didn't have the issue of exploding and becoming a portal to literal space hell complete with demons.
I looked up to Yaoshi and with zero hesitation I said. "Actually... Maybe I should just let Nanook take over. This universe kinda looks like it needs to burn a bit."
And the look of dissapointment in Yaoshi's many eye's was a bit cutting... But I could feel Nanook's approval from deeper within the Path Space even if he wasn't bothering in truly appearing here.
Still Yaoshi shook their head and said in a grander voice. "Be safe with our power my disciple. I WILL save you from your suffering in due time as with our connection, I see no reason that the Erudition or the Elation can't find a way to you."
My face twitched at the thought of the Aeon of Elation, Aha coming here and entering this mess. One clown faced god was enough for one universe thank you very much!
As for the Forerunner's and their hyper advanced technology... Ehhh, when push came to shove. When the Star Wars universe got pushed to a wall, to say nothing of the Mass Effect nonsense. The Star Wars universe wasn't without the ability to make super weapons.
Super weapons that could make even the Necron's sit up and pay attention.