Log in
When You Give a Man Power
Chapter 54
It didn’t take us long to leave the customized pulse mines along the sides of buildings above the water. It wouldn’t stop them but it would at least slow them down. Everyone packed up and headed further into the city, getting closer and closer to the spaceport.
Unlike every other time, Jango was outside the command center with Bossk and his father off to the side looking a little happier.
Jango’s armor had some blaster scorch marks on it but he was moving around without any sign of an injury.
“Looks like you all had a party while we were away.” Bane pointed out getting off his speeder bike.
“You could say that. Had some Republic forces sneak around and found their way into the command center.” Jango said far too calmly.
Most men wouldn’t be calm after they just had a team of people try to assassinate them and sneak past who knows how many people on guard and ready to shoot in an active war zone several blocks from you.
“Someone got too carried away and killed them all so we can’t get any intel on who is feeding them information.” Jango turned his helmet to look towards the two Trandoshans.
Kradossk just smiled and shrugged like it was a small accident. “Score keeper will be happy with the offerings given today.” He said completely unapologetic.
“You alright? Any equipment issues?” I turned towards Jango who froze before slowly turning to look towards me.
He nodded slowly. “I’ll be fine.”
“For what it’s worth, I doubt those people would have known anything.”
“How would you know that?” Bane asked, sounding skeptical.
“Because I used to run a guild of assassins.” I smoothly replied without a shred of hesitation or guilt.
Jango and Bane both stopped whatever they were about to do before looking back at me. Their body language was screaming that what I said didn’t sound right. Bossk and Kradossk looked interested with a few of the others around us going through communication channels relaying Jango’s orders even giving me looks.
“You ran a group of assassins?” His skepticism was somewhat understandable since I didn’t act like the typical person who would run something like the Dark Brotherhood.
“Yeah. Trust me when I say the whole demeanor that I have that goes against that is on purpose and who I am naturally. Long story short when I sent assassins out I only gave them the information of the target, what to expect, and how capable they are. I never gave them information that would lead to me or the one who contracted us to be revealed.”
Bane just stood there as if he was questioning all of reality at this moment. He couldn’t tell if he was being punked or if I was genuine.
“While good to know we have more pressing matters,” Jango shifted the topic back to the more pressing matters, “Since you’re not force sensitive and according to you, everyone from your home world could do what you do.”
Immediate understanding of what Jango was implying. “You’re wondering if you guys can learn?” He nodded at my question, and the others now looked heavily interested even if they tried to hide it. Including those in the background who overheard the conversation. I thought about it for a good moment before coming to my own conclusions.
It wasn’t something I had thought about all too much after just accepting that magicka now just is generated within my body even though Elder Scrolls magic doesn’t work like that. The magicka originated from the sun over Nirn which was not a conventional star but more a tear in reality where magicka leaked out and people like me breathed it in recharging our reserves and giving us the means to cast magic.
But there is no hole in reality here. I am not siphoning it off from the force as far as I am aware and if I was I am sure the Jedi would have a far easier time tracking me if that was the case or sense the force in my attacks if it was fueling my magic. So that was crossed off the list.
So the only thing I could think of was that whatever was responsible for bringing me here had altered it to generate naturally in my body on its own. Which was convenient and nice. But Bane and Jango as far as I was aware didn’t have magicka and despite being connected to the force wouldn’t mean they could use my magic any more than they could the force.
The force and magicka could be argued to be similar but they were in the end two entirely different things. But that didn’t mean I didn’t have an idea. It was similar to a theory I had about my Death Korp members. If my magicka was used as a means to create a pseudo-life force to give life to a dead body would that mean they still had magicka in them? Could they do magic like me?
“As things stand, no,” I said, thinking it over about how this could come back to haunt me but with what we were dealing with I didn’t exactly have a choice, and having an extra mage on hand could help, “But I might have a means for you to become capable of doing it.”
“Why not now? What do we lack?” Bane asked, looking interested.
“On my homeworld, it's called magicka. It’s what I use to fuel my spells. The bigger or more complex a spell the more magicka needed to fuel it. We can naturally recover it over time but we have other means to speed up the process.”
“Those vials you keep on you?” Jango mused aloud starting to get where I was going with this.
“Yeah. They can help restore it and speed up the recovery process. As things stand none of you have access to magicka as far as I know. I don’t know if this will grant it or not.” A hand held the blue glowing liquid as everyone eyed it.
Jango was calculated and calm. The kind you have when you are thinking about how you could kill something and are given a new means to do so that changes the entire formula.
Bane on the other hand hid it on the outside but he was excited. A chance in his eyes to catch up with me. “No idea if this will work and even less of an idea if something goes wrong.”
Bane quirked an eye. “What will go wrong if it doesn't work?”
“No idea if anything will go wrong. Never did anything to any warriors who preferred the sword or other means of fighting but they had magicka in them. But just because I can’t think of anything going horribly wrong doesn’t mean something couldn’t.” I said honestly looking between the bottle and Bane.
The potion was a mixture of a magicka cap booster and restoring magicka. It took some doing but I managed to add a smidge of magicka recharge boost to it. The games only let you use two effects on a potion. Shows that in reality without game limitations that was no longer an issue. Just took great effort to even get a fraction of an effect tacked onto it when there were already two.
“Has anything bad ever happened to anyone drinking that?” Bane said, sounding annoyed jabbing his finger in the direction of the vial.
“No.”
“Then I’m drinking it,” Bane said hand held out as I hand it to him but Jango grabbed his wrist stopping Bane from going any further.
“Are you sure about this Bane?”
Bane looked between the vial and Jango then his armored hand as he nodded at Jango with a scowl. “I am. The reward far outweighs the risk and Corvo ain’t the type to poison someone he knows can give him a challenge.”
He brushed off Jango's hand and uncorked the vial before downing the potion. I wanted to argue that I very much could and would poison someone if I could kill them if they were capable of challenging me.
He grimaced when it hit his tongue. “Yeah, they don’t taste all that good. Well? Do you feel any different?”
My inquiring eyes watched to see any changes in his body take place. So far nothing out of the ordinary. Bane held his arms out looking them over then the rest of himself before he looked at me questioningly.
“Nothing. Don’t you dare tell me you did all that to trick me into drinking that slop!” Bane said moving forward and grabbing my collar glaring into my eyes.
My eye twitched at him throwing a tantrum and just using a convenient excuse. “I don’t need to trick you into drinking it when I can make you do it. Now quit pouting like a five-year-old because you didn’t get your magic powers.”
“I’m not!” He growled into my face.
“Are too!”
Back and forth we went with Jango letting out an exasperated sigh before he was about to step between us while everyone just watched and enjoyed the show.
Then Bane paused. I could feel from his breathing hitching to his heart steadying with a calm warmth flooding through his body.
I looked at him intensely as he let go of me looking at his hand in a new light. “Now that’s different…” He muttered aloud to himself with everyone now looking at him like they expected him to start firing lightning out of his butt.
“What do you feel Bane?” Jango asked, looking interested.
“Warm. Warmer than I have ever been in my life.” Bane looked towards me in awe. “Corvo, how do you use your spells?” He hid the desperation in his voice but I could see it in his body how he wanted to catch up with me.
I walked over to him and went over the basics of sparks and frost. Both were novice destruction spells so it shouldn’t take long to teach Bane how to use them. Conveying the lessons I had learned early on about the spells in a matter of minutes. Sparks and frost both acted according to the physics of the element it was made up from. Besides the few differences through magicka made it abide by the caster's will which was subtle and nearly nonexistent. Hence they were novice-level spells.
A few minutes later after I had done a summarized and jury-rigged lesson with Bane that my old teachers would have kicked me had they ever heard the drivel that came from my mouth. “Alright now focus on what you want. Think of the electricity from an open outlet or exposed wires, how it sparks and is drawn to the closest thing.”
Bane doing as told had a blue glow come from his hand as he extended it firing it at a nearby sign hanging off a distant building with tongues of electricity flying out impacting the sign turning it to burning detritus that fell from the building into the water followed by a hiss of steam.
Bane looked from the damage done to the building then his hand before a smile formed on his face. He let out a chuckle before flinging his hand at another target getting more gasps of surprise from everyone watching the bolt fly into the air.
Jango walked forward with purpose and intent, a man on a mission if there ever was one. “Corvo, how many of those potions do you have?”
“Under a dozen.” He blinked as if he had misheard me. “I rarely need to exert myself that much with my magic and-- Bane stop using up your magicka, otherwise it will take several minutes for you to get it back!” I yelled over the lightning and frost he was shooting out like a kid playing with a new toy.
He did as told heeding my warning stopping himself from freezing the rain or water running through the streets. He came over to both of us with everyone else who got to see the light show looking excited.
Already regretting letting Bane have this not because he would be insufferable about it but because everyone will be trying to gain access to what I and now Bane can do. Who wouldn’t? They were just shown superpowers in a bottle. By that point, some of them would do just about anything to get access to that.
“I tend to conserve my energy when it is really needed but always keep a little in reserve for emergencies. The potions, while nice, would take up too much space and could get broken so I would have nothing left.”
Jango nodded in understanding. “When you could have had an extra blaster or some explosives on you.” Jango held his hand out.
Knowing what he wanted I handed him a magicka potion that he downed without hesitation. Jango had one hell of a poker face since he showed no outward discomfort at the feeling of the near slime that went down his throat or the taste of it.
In about the same time that passed for Bane, Jango showed signs of the same feeling. Extending a hand with a torrent of super cold particles flew out freezing a nearby wall with a large sheet of ice.
Bane and I both looked at him. He shrugged, “I am a fast learner, and I overheard what you told Bane so I made sure to use what you said as guidelines.”
“What about us? Do we get to have some?” A criminal asked, creeping closer.
“No. Corvo only has so many of them and with what we are dealing with he is going to need them.” Jango said, staring the man back into place with a glare that made him shrink back. “Corvo, since there is a limit before we run out of… magicka how long does it take to recharge?”
“A couple of minutes at most.” Bane and Jango both gave me incredulous gazes at the implication. “You don’t have to worry about fully recharging, get enough in the tank and you can cast spells so long as you have the magicka required for it.”
“This changes things…” Jango began to think to himself with this added to their arsenal. Just like how he saw the enemy forces as a puzzle to be solved, this seemed to be a key to him that gave us options to figure out what we lacked before.
I was more worried once this got out into the greater galaxy I was going to have everyone and their mother wanting access to it. Or they would try to kill me. But as things stand I’d rather not die in this place and if the cost is revealing others can have this power just from drinking a potion? Then I’d pay that price a million times over.
Especially when our enemy had no issue using some spies and traitors to kill a bunch of civilians. Speaking of those people.
“Jango, did the civilians manage to get to safety after the bomb?”
“What was left of them fled. We have no idea where they all went beyond a few we have seen but we don’t have time to deal with them unless they attack us.”
His words had me frowning as a tightness in my chest formed. As I always have done, I moved on brushing past it all. I can sort it out later, right now we have a battle to fight and leave this bad memory of a planet behind.
“Keep the rest of those potions on you Corvo and don’t worry about hiding what you can do any longer. I need you on the second biggest street which with some turns could lead right to the space port. Harass them as best you can.”
It didn’t take me long to move across the dark city moving through the rooftops. Hours went by with me unleashing chain lighting, flash freezes, and numerous other methods that constantly pushed back the horde of droids and troopers. The Jedi themselves had kept their distance retreating when I appeared.
It was odd. They had never done this before and were more than happy to engage me when presented with an opportunity. It didn’t stop me from massacring the droids in droves. Even the tanks weren’t safe or my old power armor models had turned into the sad state they had been reduced to.
The things were durable against blaster fire but couldn’t do a thing when the Hutt forces used the weak points that had spread by word of mouth since they first were used in this conflict which could take them down in a couple of blaster shots.
Bane himself had been using his newly gained lightning and frost to great effect when I was recovering my magicka where we swapped places. He would stay with his men while I remained elusive with my own above the buildings. The droids just weren’t smart enough to figure out a proper strategy to beat us.
If it wasn’t for me and Bane brazenly showing our power then the droids would have long since overwhelmed our position. All the side streets and various alleys had been abandoned instead the various droids and Republic forces had consolidated themselves into a massive tide trying to brute force their way through our defenses.
Despite the massive number advantage they had, trying to thin their forces out and kill us in the alleys and side streets was just a recipe for disaster. They would lose way too many droids that even with the near-endless horde they had would lose a not so insignificant number of them trying to clear the way.
So instead of consolidating them was a much better option. At least to handle the regular forces. With me doing what I am and Bane along with Jango now having access to magic they were in for a rude awakening. Bane took to the power like a fish to water.
He was getting better far faster than I had expected with the destruction magic. His sparks between each rest period were getting longer and longer and the tongues of lightning were becoming more controlled and clustered, something I didn’t think he would be capable of.
The spell was a novice spell so it didn’t have much control for a beginner yet he looked like he was approaching the level of an apprentice mage in the art.
Then the magic words that brought sweet relief to me and the others finally came.
“Everyone pull back, our ride is fixed and ready to leave.” Jango's voice sounded relieved over the comlink.
I chuckled feeling all of the stress and weight upon my shoulders fade away. Bane was even smiling looking up at me nodding while throwing a torrent of lightning into a bunch of poor droids who just fell into the water steaming as the rain just kept coming like the horde of droids.
Everyone got their equipment and weapons and began to make a series of tactical retreats with me throwing out a few modified spells that left behind faint runes in the water on the road. The tide of droids that walked over them soon were flash frozen or electricity surged up taking out entire columns of them.
Give it a few minutes and the runes surged up again, activating and taking out more droids again and again. We all made it back to the space port with what was left of the criminals who survived the crash landing on this wet hellhole.
“We did it, everybody! We held back a nigh endless tide of droids, Republic troopers, and even tangled with some Jedi and lived to tell the tale!”
A series of cheers came from those around us as I took notice that what was left was at a quarter of what we started with when all the squads were made. It made the cheer that I had become much smaller knowing we lost that many people.
They were criminals but as soldiers and warriors, I would respect them. A part of me was worried about any further sabotage but Jango had kept me and the other commanders informed that they had managed to catch several traitors working for the lizard bastard I owed a nice blaster bolt to the head.
All from my simple orders. Letting that concerned part of me go we made it back to the ship with various speeders coming in with crews who had left numerous mines and explosive traps behind to stall the enemy's advance.
A tap on my shoulder had me turn around. “How’d you do that trick with the bombs?” Bane was staring at me intently.
“Think of them as magical mines. They are a higher-tier spell for those more advanced in Destruction magic. I modified them to come back after a set time and detonate when a hostile enemy comes close enough, which is something I can discuss with you after all of this.”
“They look useful. How long do you think it would take me to get decent enough to use them?”
“At your current rate of progression and if this conflict keeps going, it will give you plenty of practice… I’d say two to three months. You got some serious talent in Destruction magic Bane.”
Bane adopted a cocky smirk at the compliment. “This time I’ll pay for the drinks, but know this,” He pointed a finger at me, “With your magic, you had the advantage, but now that I've got some of it you’ll be trailing behind me.”
I laughed at his regained confidence, “I look forward to when you can catch up to me Bane. It’s just not the same when you're so far behind me.”
His eyes narrowed at the comment but he took it in stride as we made our way into my ship. The repulsor lift thrusters had been either repaired or outright replaced with the few downed ships that had been here for repairs or trading. It was a horrific patch job that made my Frankenstein droids look like works of art.
But it would have to do. It was serviceable and that was being charitable but I would give the ones who did the job credit. They worked with less-than-stellar materials and had an entire army breathing down their necks to get it done fast. They managed to pull it off and it looked like it could work.
“Everyone on the ship!” A voice yelled out heard across the rain and thunder as everyone hustled to get inside.
It worked out seeing our numbers thinned down so much. As morbid as it was that many people if all of them survived, would have made the ship much more cramped.
Getting on it with Bane the two of us shared our body count and Bane lost his shit over learning I killed some Jedi in close quarters. “Bantha poodoo! You and Jango get to have all the Jedi yet I get the grunts.” He harrumphed arms crossed over his chest.
“Like I wanted to deal with them. Seriously you're throwing a fit that I almost died to a group of glowstick-wielding monks.” I said watching the ship rise as the last of the survivors got on board with the bay doors slowly shutting.
I perked up noticing a group of Jedi a couple of buildings away waiting in the rain nearly camouflaged to everyone else. Bane noticed me tense up and looked over, narrowing his eyes managing to spot what I was looking at.
“Why are they just letting us leave?” I mused quietly not liking what that implied.
“That’s not a good sign,” Bane said to me quietly. Steps were coming closer before a pair of raspy voices was heard.
“This doesssn’t feel right,” Bossk said to the two of us.
“They could attack us now, but they do not.” Cradossk mused eyes narrowed. There were some tanks in the distance I saw that could shoot us as the bay doors closed.
The shield was up and what Jango had told me Spice is Life with the others doing repairs took some shield generators and added them with extra power onto my ship. It’s not something easily done since most ships would have issues having two or more generators like that added onto them.
Caused issues like power disruptions, fluctuations, if not malfunctions. It was how the ships were wired and anyone who just says why not design them not to be like that? My counterpoint and comparison are the guns from my original Earth.
Moving parts around in a gun to make room for other things or simply redistributing or redesigning them was not a simple or easy task. There are a lot of parts that go into them and how they work and ensuring nothing goes wrong. So just taking a design that works well enough and trying to shift it all around can be a massive pain to do especially if you try adding even more into it. The more you add the likelier it is that something will go wrong.
Ships, while not a complete one-to-one with a gun, are similar enough. Completely overhauling and redesigning it and its internals is no small feat nor is it something easily accomplished. It’s like trying to recreate the wheel when you already have something that works well enough. I had managed to find a workaround at least with this specific freighter ship.
Make it more modular so that I can take out what I don’t need and put in what is deemed necessary at the time. The ship already had the potential for this, it was never advertised so I think the company responsible for it intended it to be a selling point. The issue was that the ship just wasn’t that popular so it never caught on and they did away with it.
Took some modifications that didn’t compromise anything in it and you have my ship. It’s why the extra shields aren’t currently making it go haywire and getting us all killed. Or at least doing too much to make flying it difficult.
“We have enough power and shield generators to shrug off several of their turbo laser batteries. A few Federation toy tanks won’t do anything to us.” I said trying not to worry myself after the day we have all had.
Bane looked at me like I was an idiot. “You think those stupid droids will know that? It never stopped them before.”
“Fuck it. Start looking.” I said having had enough and giving in to the feeling of dread as red flags started popping up.
The three didn’t need an explanation of what I was referring to. Anyone with enough sense knew that if they were going to sabotage us then it was probably going to be a bomb or explosive. Not a guarantee but it would be one of the more effective means to take out my ship.
The ship lurched as I knew the familiar feeling of it rising as I pulled out my communicator. “Jango we've got a problem.”
“Droids not attacking and the Jedi surrounding the space sport all watching us from the streets and buildings?”
A brief pause for my part as I just blinked owlishly at him pointing all of that out. “Y-yeah?”
“We are missing several members who were confirmed to be working on the ship.”
My heart sank at those words like the tolling of a death knell. “Looking for the parting gift now.”
Ignoring the order not to tell the rest of the crew beyond those that need to know I raised my hand praying under my breath to whatever deity would hear me to let this work. Bane and the others were quickly but subtly moving further into the ship trying to find whatever the traitors had left on my ship.
Hand lit up as I focused on what I wanted most of all right now as it showed me a trail leading to the side of the cargo bay most of us were in. Following weaving past the survivors with Bane took note of where I was heading and followed me.
Near a wall, I forced a panel away showing the internals with wires running along it. But that wasn’t what had my utmost attention. A small device was latched onto the wires and internals with an ominous hum and faint beeping with two spheres on its sides that I recognized as thermal detonators.
“That’s not good,” Bane said over my shoulder, shaking his head. “Can you disarm it?”
“I think.” I got to work ignoring the pointed look Bane gave me. My mind raced going over the device and the few wires running along it. It was something half put together yet did nothing to hide how destructive it would be if it went off.
My hands started working moving through the various wires and parts of it before taking off a side panel. Looking over the various wires as my heart beat rapidly clenching and unclenching my hands. Working through it all in my mind before making a decision. A finger brushed a wire questioning if I should sever it or not.
Bane breathed down my neck yet helped conceal what I was doing looming over me. Making my decision, “Brace yourself.”
Bane held his breath as the wire was severed. A heartbeat later Bane and I watched silently as the machine shut off. A collective sigh of relief left the two of us.
“Bossk, Cradossk, any luck?”
“None.”
The two of us grimaced before. “I need you to help the others see if you guys can find any more. I doubt this is the only one.”
Bane growled before storming off shoving his way through the others. He seemed angry but I knew he wasn’t angry at anyone in particular. It was more directed at himself because he didn’t seem to be capable of doing anything. Before I could use clairvoyance again to find the others it would seem it was too late.
Fire and smoke erupted from the center of the ship after a bright blast of superheated air followed by a deafening explosion sent me and others toppling over with the ship tilting to one side groaning and shuddering before a wave of vertigo washed over us all.
Of course, it would never be this easy.
