A Dark Future

Zek made his way back to where he had left Sher and Juri. He had hoped that they would go back to the Rebel base, despite the fact that they were not officially part of the Rebellion. He was afraid for the women; afraid that they might get caught up in the Empire's continuing hunt for the lone Jedi.
He made his way back to the fruit stand, and he could sense Sher nearby. He walked toward her, and found her and Juri looking at an array of blasters. "Interesting selection they have." Sher glanced up at Zek with a smile. "Not all of us can rely on the mystical powers of the Force." Zek returned the smile, gently suppressing the curiosity that had popped up in the mind of the weapons vendor. "Please try not to make references to my being a Jedi in public. It tends to stir up trouble." Sher shrugged, and looked back at the vendor, who for some reason seemed a little out of it. "Nothing today, thank you." She and Juri began to follow Zek back to the hotel they were staying in. "Did you find Jon?" Sher asked quietly. Zek nodded. "He's taking us to Yavin." He glanced at her wearily. "But I still think that you and Juri should go back to the base. You'll be safer there." Sher sighed, shaking her head. "We've had this discussion more than enough times, Zek. Juri and I want to stay with you." She glanced at the girl. "Right, Juri?" Juri nodded with her usual disinterest; Zek could see the teenager in her more everyday. "I know, but it worries me. The Empire hasn't given up on killing me yet." Sher smiled. "All the better to have a former-assassin with you." Zek smiled.
They began to cut through an alley to get to the hotel. Juri fell behind the two adults, becoming tired from the day of walking. She envied Zek with his Force-enhanced strength, she wished desperately that she was a Jedi. Suddenly, as they walked by a row of trash receptacles, a man dressed in black leapt out and grabbed her. She tried to struggle, but felt a strange force keeping her still. She saw Zek whirl around, his lightsaber in hand. The man holding her smiled, and placed a blaster to her head. "Ah, the powerful Jedi Knight. Drop your weapon, or the girl gets it." Zek complied, dropping his saber to the ground. The man smiled. "Fool," he grinned, and he reached out his hand. The saber flew into his hand, and he dropped Juri to the ground. Using a burst of Force-power, he flung her into Zek and Sher. Zek slowed her down, catching her gently. "Who are you?" Zek asked quietly. The man smiled. "I am Kul Jur, servant to Emperor Ulin." He pulled a wicked-looking black lightsaber out from his tunic, and ignited both sabers. "And I am going to kill you."
Zek pushed Juri and Sher behind him, and let the Force flow through him. He knew that the man before him was trouble. He had to get his lightsaber back. He looked around for anything, hoping for something he could use as a weapon, but there was nothing that would stand up to a lightsaber blade. Jur began to whirl his blades around, walking slowly toward Zek. Zek could sense the trepidation in the man, and he realized that he was afraid of the Jedi. Obviously, he had heard of his colleagues' demise. "You know you can't win, Jur." The Kul smiled, showing a set of sharp teeth. "Oh no, Jedi. It is you who cannot win." And with that, the Kul charged Zek.
It was all Zek needed.
With a burst of Force-power, he flipped over the Kul, landing facing him again. He caught the dark warrior in a Force-grip, and launched one of the trash receptacles into the man's side. The Kul fell sideways, losing his grip on Zek's lightsaber. Zek pulled the saber into his hand, and slashed viciously into the Kul. "I've gotten a little better in the last two years, Jur. Give up now." Jur roared, whipping around and slashing toward Sher. Zek leaped around, blocking the attack and stabbing Jur through his chest. The Kul screamed in pain, and fell to the ground. The battle was over.

 

A Trilogy, huh? It's good.

 

I've missed a lot of good stories. This is one.

 

Thanks guys. I am having a lot of fun writing this. Here is the next part. (Time for me to go to sleeps, methinks. )
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Zek and Sher stood in the room of their hotel together, each frustrated. "You can't force us to leave," Sher growled. Zek sighed. "I am doing this for your own good. For Juri's good." Sher shook her head. "We can take care of ourselves." "If I run into another Kul or a Sith, then we're going to run into another situation like we did today." Sher sighed, and looked away from him. "Sher, I want you both to be safe. That is why I am asking you to go back to the Rebel Base. They can protect you there." A tear began to run down Sher's cheek. She looked into Zek's eyes. "What about you, Zek? Who will protect you?" Zek looked back at Sher, feeling the waves of emotion rolling from her. He pulled her in for a hug, embracing her. "I have to do this, Sher. I have no choice. But you do. Take Juri away from this. Take her where she'll be safe." Sher nodded quietly, fearful of what was to come. "And you'll go on to Yavin?" Zek nodded. Sher pulled away, wiping her eyes. "Juri and I will take a transport back to the base tonight." Zek nodded. "Jon will take you. I'll find another way to get to Yavin." Sher didn't have the strength to argue with him. She merely nodded and went to pack her things.
Zek sat down in the room's single chair, staring into the cloudy sky. He was sorry he couldn't take Sher and Juri with him. They were his friends, his family. But he couldn't risk them for that reason. He closed his eyes, searching for some insight from the Force. "Please, let me be right about this," he whispered into the darkness.

The Imperial Battlecruiser Dark Knight dropped out of hyperspace, followed by thirteen other ships of equal size. Grand Admiral Rill, one of the last living Bothans in the galaxy, sat in the center chair, looking over the situation. They were three sectors away from where the Rebel Base had been found nearly a month earlier. "Navigation, plot the quickest course to the Rebel Base." The navigator acknowledged quickly, and went straight to work. Rill looked back, and saw that Captain Frek was standing patiently. "Yes, Captain?" Frek looked at Rill, his eyes never wavering. "We have received word from the other cruisers, Admiral. They all report that they are ready for battle." Rill nodded. "Inform the rest of the fleet that the attack will commence within the next seventy-two hours. Relay the battleplan to them in the meantime." Frek nodded, then went about his duty quickly. Rill nodded in approval. In the old Empire, Rill had heard, a non-human was considered a sub-species, and could never have earned a position of such power. Now, however, even Bothans had earned a position of respect in the New Empire. Rill sat back in his seat, proud of his fleet.
And tomorrow, he would be even more proud as they smashed the Rebels into dust.

 

A fabulous job as usual, JediStryker. Thanx for not changing the thread w/the trilogy -- it makes it a lot easier to follow. The difference between a Kul and a Sith makes sense, but I'm a little confused about how Grand Admiral Rill can be "one of the last living Bothans in the galaxy" if the New Empire doesn't discriminate against non-humans, as you imply.

 

Sorry about that Cheez, I was just teasing you, I get in weird moods sometimes! Hehe, this story is soooooo good Jedi Stryker! That Jon guy is kind of like Han....I love the parallels between the original trilogy and this one!

BTW-Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been vewy vewy busy this past week, and prolly will be this next week too. grr... but keep posting! I will read when I can! (BTW- I really like Zek's character, he reminds me of Luke, and Luke has always been my fave! )

Now post young woman!

 

Just out of curiosity, are you calling me young woman? I know I seem sensitive and intelligent, but that's just because I am the perfect man
Thank you, though. I am having a great time writing this. And the fact that you are enjoying makes it ten times better.

 

I didn't have time to write a whole lot today. (I will write more tonight )
Anyway, I did type this up though since it came up...

Okay, here's a quick explanation on why the Bothans were wiped out, but the New Empire is not racist against non-humans.
The Bothans were a major part of the original Rebellion and then the New Republic. They helped destroy the second Death Star, etc. During the Insurrection (the time when the Dark Jedi were fighting for control of the galaxy) the Bothans worked hard to help beat back the armies that would eventually rule the New Empire. They were defeated, and to punish the Bothans for their part in the war, they devastated the homeworld. For nearly fifty years, the Bothans lived in shame. (They were not attacked because they were not humans.) Then, with the usual Bothan finesse, they worked their way back into the Imperial political system. Eventually, they became respected for their ruthlessness. They became important political and military figures.

So that's what happened. I had to kind of make it up on the spot, so give me a break!
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Thanks. That clears up the problem.

 

Do they let intelligent, sensitive men into the Air Force?
Waiting for more story.

 

Jon stood by his ship, the Star Skipper, waiting for his passengers. As they approached, he saw that only Sher and the girl were coming. "Where's Zek?" he asked as they approached. Sher shrugged. "There's been a change of plans. We're going somewhere else." Jon smiled. "As long as I get paid, it doesn't matter to me."
The women brought their things aboard, and Jon looked around one of the landing skids. "Come on, JR." Suddenly, an ancient battle droid lumbered its way over, brandishing a large welding device. [Yes, Sir?] it said in it's metallic voice. "Is the welding finished?" The droid looked back over at the skid. [The welding is eighty-seven percent complete.] Jon nodded. "That's good enough. Get into the ship and get ready to take off." The droid nodded, then made its way up the passenger ramp.
Jon took one final look around the docking bay. For some reason, he suddenly felt like he was being watched. He shook his head, shrugging it off. He was probably just being paranoid. Maybe because of the passengers he was carrying. He walked up the ramp, shutting it closed behind him.

Darth Iol watched as the old Ioran freighter took off from the docking bay. He knew that the Jedi scum was not onboard the ship. No, he hadn't sensed anyone particularly Force-sensitive in the group that had boarded the pathetic ship. He smiled gleefully, knowing that soon he would have the opportunity to face the Jedi in battle.
To the death.

Zek stood on the balcony of the hotel, taking in the sights and senses of the city one last time. Now he knew he had to leave. Somehow he knew that staying would be dangerous. He had packed some things, but was now thinking twice about taking them. He didn't want to be bogged down with a lot of baggage. So he walked over to the table, picked up his lightsaber, and attached it to his belt. Looking around to make sure there wasn't anything else he was forgetting, he left, sure that he was headed on the right path.
He made his way down to the street, and began walking toward the spaceport. He had chartered a flight to the Yavin system, and it had cost him quite a bit. The Yavin system was the most restricted system in the galaxy. To go there meant certain death. Zek had been having visions of one of the planets there, and he knew that there was something there he had to find.
What that was, he wouldn't know until he got there.

 

Sher and Juri sat in the ships dining area, trying their best to relax. Juri was okay, she was munching down on a roasted Fre'Lak. Sher herself had not had a Fre'Lak in a long time, and it actually looked very good. But she was not hungry, and believed she would probably not be in a long time.
"Well, we're on our way to the Rebel base. I personally don't understand why you would have your base in the Jora system. It's completely out of the way!" Jon plopped down into one of the seats around the table, grabbing a piece of the Fre'Lak. "It's a good place, tactically," Sher said. Juri smiled. "Plus, it's in between a bunch of mountains full of Joran ore, which messes up sensor scans." Jon smiled at the girl. "If I was rebelling against someone, I wouldn't want to hide from them. I would fly into their midst and blow them away." Sher shook her head. "And you'd be dead." Jon shrugged. "You never know." [Remaining hidden is tactically advantageous for a small fighting force.] Sher and Juri looked up to the door, startled. "What the??" Sher almost stood. Jon laughed. "Oh, don't get your blaster caught in your belt. That's just JR." JR studied the humans for a moment, then nodded. [Battle droid model JR-7718, at your service,] the droid said in his metallic voice. Sher nodded, a bit embarrassed. But Juri was smiling from ear to ear, and she ran up to the old droid. "Wow! I've never seen a droid like you before!" Jon smiled wider. "Yep, and you never will again. He's over three-thousand years old." Sher looked at Jon, surprised. "Three-thousand years? Why would you want a droid that old?" Jon shrugged. "You can't find droids like that anymore. He was designed for battle. You should see him with a blaster." He leaned back, putting his feet on the table. "Of course, I made a few slight modifications to him. He's not a bad pilot, either." JR looked over to the dining rooms food processor. [Upon a ship diagnostic, I noted that the foodstuffs processing units power coupling was misaligned. If you will allow a few moments, I will begin repairs on it immediately.] Jon shrugged, and motioned to the machine. "Do what you need. How long will it take?" The droid stopped for a moment, then looked at Jon. [Repair time is estimated at thirty-two minute, fifteen seconds.] Jon nodded. "Go for it."

Zek stood next to the gruff pilot, trying hard to control his frustration. "It's not that far to the Yavin system. And you said yourself that you had been there before." The Bothan shook his head, his fur rifling. "I said that I had been there before. I did not say I would be going there again." Zek shrugged. "What difference does it make?" The Bothan bared his teeth at the young Jedi. "The Yavin system is outlawed. The last time I took my ship there I was almost killed by an Imperial battlecruiser." Zek sighed. "Look, I can make it worth your while." The Bothan stopped, and looked back at Zek. "Oh, and how much would be, how you say, 'worth my while'?" Zek pulled out a small bag. "Ten thousand credits." The Bothans eyes widened, and he looked at the bag. "Let me see that." Zek shrugged and handed it over. The Bothan peered inside, and Zek could sense the glee that suddenly filled him. "You have yourself a ship. We'll leave within the hour." The Bothan looked over at the passenger ramp. "Wookie! Get the ship prepared for take off." He looked back at Zek. "Would you care to board now?" Zek nodded. "I don't have anything else to do. Where will my quarters be?" The Bothan said something in his own language under his breath, but he smiled at Zek. "Follow me." They made their way up the ramp, and Zek looked over his shoulder as they went. He could sense someone watching him, and he suddenly felt very cold.
He hoped they left soon.

 

Well, I have to say, I am definitely not very good when it comes to the space battle scenes. I've also tried to make the Rebellion a very small part of the story, and that kind of makes it a strange scene. It will make sense when I get the next post up.
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Two Days Later

Grand Admiral Rill sat in his command chair, the fur on his neck smoothed down. "Prepare to take us into hyperspace." "Yes, Admiral." Rill nodded in satisfaction. In less than three hours, they would wipe out the Rebel base, and all the Rebels with it. And their pathetic Rebellion would be at an end. The Emperor would be pleased. "Sir, we're ready to make the jump." Rill nodded, and looked to the viewscreen in front of him. "Engage."

Juri sat with Jon in the old ships cockpit, with Juri asking all sorts of questions. Jon was actually enjoying the attention; it made him feel like he was important. JR was sitting at the tactical computer, making sure all the ships weapons were ready on standby. No reason to be unprepared.
"What does that lever do?" Juri asked. Jon smiled. "That takes us in and out of hyperspace." Juri nodded. "Speaking of which, how long until we arrive at Jora?" Jon looked back at the cockpit door to find Sher standing there. [Thirty-eight minutes, thirteen seconds,] JR piped in. Sher nodded, and took a seat next to the droid. Jon looked back at his control panel. "Nice nap?" Sher looked back at Jon, smirking. "Actually, I was cleaning my blaster. No need to be unprepared." Jon smiled wider. He and Sher thought alike. Frightening.
"Sher, when is Zek gonna come to meet us?" Sher's heart twisted at the question. "I don't know, Juri. Whenever he can make it, I suppose." Juri nodded, clearly not satisfied with the answer. Jon patted her on the back, trying to cheer her up. "Don't worry about Zek, Juri. If anyone can take care of themselves, it's a Jedi Knight." Juri seemed to perk up a little. "Yeah, I guess." Sher smiled a little behind them. She was glad that Juri was perking up a bit. She hadn't said much since they had left Zek behind on Bothuwai. She had hated doing it too, but he was a Jedi, and it was his choice, not theirs. [Twenty minutes to the Jora system.] Jon sat back in his seat and sighed. "Alright, I guess there's not much else we can do but wait." Sher looked at the viewscreen, wishing that Zek were there. He would make her feel so much better.

The Imperial Battlecruisers dropped out of lightspeed, and immediately went into battle mode. "Launch all fighters! Tell them to take out the orbital defense platforms, then take out any starfighters launched from the surface." His crew acknowledged his orders, and he sat back to watch the battle. All of the battlecruisers at his command would be doing the same thing. The Rebels had no chance.

"Admiral Po." Po turned to see the young woman behind him, and he nodded. "We count sixteen battlecruisers, sir. All of them are in attack mode." Po looked back to the viewscreen, sighing. He was too old for this. "Do not launch any of the snubfighters until the last second. Use the ion cannons for now. Get the transports ready, and prepare to evacuate." The woman nodded then ran back out into the command center.
The Rebellion. It sounded so strange. They had not been an actual military force until about two and a half years ago. Before that, they had been just a bunch of rag-tag people who defied the New Empires strict and unfair laws. Then Jur Keln had shown up, and had unified the groups. He told them stories of rebellions of the distant past, and how they had succeeded in defeating an old Imperial force. Po himself had never heard these stories before, and believed they were probably just fluff stories to help rally in troops.
But that was in the past. Now, Po, one of the few Mon Calamari to fight for the Rebellion, had committed himself to defeating the New Empire. He turned toward the room's single door and walked through it.
The command room was big and bright, full of computers and people. "Admiral! Four of the Imperial ships are breaking off from the r

 

Whahoo! Three new posts in one go!

JS, the last post made perfect sense (unlike me). It wasn't confusing at all.

 

Thanks, Tamara. I'm glad to hear it. I should have the next post up tonight if I don't get sidetracked.

 

[We are dropping out of hyperspace, Sir.] Jon nodded, and looked at Sher. "See, no problems." Sher shook her head. Suddenly, the ships alert went off. [Sir, I am scanning three Imperial Battlecruisers in patrol formation above the planet.] Jon looked back at his control board, suddenly very serious. "Where is the Rebel base?" Juri shrank back in fear, and ran to Sher. [We are being hailed.] Jon hit the comm button. "Attention unidentified vessel. This is New Imperial Battlecruiser Kaloth 7. Identify yourself and your destination or prepare to be boarded." Jon looked back at Sher who shrugged. "Uh, this is the uh, the Blue Streak. We were just, uhm, delivering some cargo." The comm was silent for a moment, then the Imperial voice came on. "Prepare to be boarded." Sher cursed and stood up, pulling Juri from the bridge. Jon looked at JR. "What the hell do we do now?" "Excuse me?" Jon looked back at the comm, then turned it off. JR looked at him. [If you had remembered to turn off the communicator, we may have been able to bluff our way out.] Jon shook his head. "We need to adjust your sarcasm down a bit, I think." [One Imperial shuttle, heading this way.] Jon looked at his sensor table. "Flanked by two Imperial fighters. Standard procedure. If they attacked the Rebel base, then they probably think we're working with them, delivering supplies or something." [If that is the case, we can turn over the women and claim we have no affiliation with the Rebellion.] Jon shook his head. "No way am I gonna let the Empire get the best of us. Get ready to hit the thrusters." "Are you crazy? We can't outrun an Imperial Battlecruiser!" Jon looked back to see Sher standing there, her arms folded. "Then what should we do, commander?" Jon asked sarcastically. Sher shook her head. "Can?t we just make the jump to lightspeed?" [They have an interdiction device. Going to hyperspace within the gravity field would be impossible.] Sher looked at the old droid. "Well, can we get outside the field?" Jon smiled. "I thought we couldn't outrun an Imperial Battlecruiser." Sher shrugged. "Prove me wrong, spaceboy."
Jon shrugged, and began to type in coordinates on the nav computer. [Sir, I recommend against this maneuver. If unsuccessful, it would almost certainly lead to our immediate termination.] Jon shrugged. "We'll never know unless we try though, JR." The droid seemed to process this information, and then he turned back to his computer. Sher smiled slightly, the two were definitely an odd couple.
"Get ready to fire the rear thrusters at my command," Jon said to JR. JR sat patiently, awaiting the command. Sher felt herself tense. [The Imperial shuttle is ordering us to allow them to dock with us.] Jon smiled. "Now, JR." The droid did as he was told, and the ship suddenly shot forward. Jon fired a couple of shots at the shuttle just for good measure. They shot forward, straight toward the edge of the interdiction field. [The Imperial Battlecruiser is trying to lock onto us with its tractor beams.] Jon shook his head. "No way. They aren't gonna catch us." Sher looked at one of the sensor screens. "They're launching a fighter squad!" Jon cursed, an old Corellian curse. "Can you take the blaster turrets?" Sher looked at him. "Absolutely." She got up and ran out of the bridge. [It will not be enough. We cannot match the firepower of the fighter squad.] "We don't need to match them, just hold them off for a minute or two." Jon pushed harder on the engines, trying to get as much sublight speed as he could muster. Suddenly, the ship rocked as it was struck by laser fire. [Shields down by twelve percent.] Jon shook his head. "C'mon, Sher, let's give 'em something to think twice about." [Our laser turrets have been activated. Sher is firing back at the fighters. No hits yet.] "Spare me the play by play, JR. Just tell me if something important happens." JR cocked his metallic head. [What do you consider important?] Jon sighed loudly. "Nevermind!" He suddenly threw the ship into a downward spiral, flying right through a small group of fighters. [Two fighters

 

Zek sat in the converted cargo hold in the Bothans ship. They had made it into a sort of room for Zek, but he hadn't used it much. He didn't entirely trust the Bothan, had sensed a kind of maliciousness in him. His Wookie slave, Lybacca, was nice enough. Zek had known a Wookie back on Tatooine, and could even understand a bit of their language. Lybacca was unhappy about being a slave and had even thought of killing the smuggler every once in a while. But he had family back on Bothuwai, and he was afraid they would suffer if he didn't comply with his owner's wishes.
"We will be arriving in the Yavin system shortly. Please be ready, for we will have to drop you off quickly." "Acknowledged." Zek quickly shut off the com unit. He personally didn't like the Bothan, but he did get him here to Yavin. He stood up, stretching. He allowed the Force to flow through him, giving him strength and clarity. Reaching down, he clasped his lightsaber to his belt, and then threw his Jedi robe on.
He made his way to the ships bridge. Just as he opened the door, he saw the starlines of hyperspace turn back into pinpricks of light in the black canvass of space. Off to the left on the screen, the blue planet of Yavin 4. The old training site of the Jedi Knights. Lybacca growled something at his Bothan captor. "There do not appear to be any Imperial ships in the area. We were lucky. We'll be landing shortly." He turned to Zek. "Are you ready to depart?" Zek nodded. "Good."
The ship shot into the planet's atmosphere, gliding over the forests. "Are there any particular coordinates that you would like to be taken to?" Zek shook his head. "Just land. I'll find my way from there." The Bothan flashed his pointy teeth, his races equivalent to a smile. "Whatever you say." They landed in the first clearing they found, and Zek was quickly ushered from the ship. "So long, young one. Good luck finding a ride back." Zek smiled, shaking his head. "May the Force be with you." The Bothan waved the comment away, and turned back into his ship. The landing ramp went back up into the ship, and took off quickly. Zek understood their fear; had once even shared it. But the Empire held no power over him anymore. He was a Jedi.
He turned away from the sight and looked into the forests before him. He could sense the direction he needed to go, but he really didn't know what he was looking for. "May the Force be with me." He began to trek into the woods, suddenly wishing that Sher and Juri were with him. And he hoped they were okay at the Rebel base.

"So, where are we headed?" Jon shook his head, looking back at Sher. "We haven't figured it out yet. It looks like the Empire might have put out a search and detain order for us." Sher sat down, shaking her head. "Incredible." Jon smiled. "Don't worry, it's not the first time I've had a price on my head." Sher smiled slightly at him. "I'm sure." She peered over his shoulder at his computer console. "What are our options?" Jon looked at JR. "Well, we were thinking maybe the Endor system. There's a moon out there?" [That would not be a very choice. The Imperials have some sort of secret base on that moon. They wiped out a primitive lifeform there to keep it secret.] Jon shrugged. "It was just an idea. Then there's this place on the Rim, called Jo'Ra. It used to be some low-level member of the New Republic. I guess the Empire has pretty much ignored the place, because there's not much there." Sher nodded thoughtfully. "I actually think I've heard of that place. Wasn't there some kind of shipyard there or something." [Nearly three millennia ago, there was some excitement involving a small rebellion against the local government. It apparently involved some Jedi Knights. The attention of the incident made the planet a sort of tourist attraction for a time. The planet even flourished for a time, and it became a major starfighter ship producer. However, over the past hundred years, the New Empire has used the planet as a garbage dumping ground.] Sher looked at the droid. "I thought all pre-New Imperial data had been erased?" Th

 

I hope I'm not losing you guys! Here is the next post. Enjoy!
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Zek had been walking through the foliage for the past two days, making fairly good time. He had had to use his lightsaber a couple of times to cut away some vines or bushes that had been in his way, but he had had no trouble with any of the wildlife at all. He had been using the Force as a guide toward his destination, not really knowing what he was even looking for. He knew that Yavin had once been the home and training center for the Jedi Knights of the New Republic, but he did not know what could possibly be left here. The New Empire had been very thorough about destroying anything that had pertained to the Jedi, and he was afraid that this trip was futile.
But finally, as the sun set below the horizon, Zek discovered that his trip might not have been in vain after all. He had just cut through a particularly troublesome set of vines, when he stepped through, and his breath caught in his throat. Before him, laid out amidst a vast valley, was the home of the Jedi Knights. Zek suddenly felt the presence of thousands of Jedi, both young and old. He heard a thousand voices from the distant past, telling him stories of sadness and triumph, of loss and victory. Then, just as suddenly as it began, it ended, and he was left with only the sound of the wind whistling between the trees.
He was here.
He made his way down the side of the hill, making sure not to leave any trace of his travels. Just as he reached the ground, he saw something and leapt to the ground. He peeked over some bushes that he had dived behind. There, walking the perimeter of one of the temples, were two ancient droids. He realized they were Imperial Guard Droids. He hadn?t seen one of their likes in many years, since before he had been sent to Tatooine. He remembered hearing that the Empire had stopped using them, because they had proven too easy to sabotage or deactivate. Apparently, they hadn't believed that the risk wasn't so high here on Yavin. How wrong they were.
At first, Zek was just going to get up and destroy the droids, but then he thought better of it. He needed to find out what the situation around the rest of the compound was. The last thing he needed was for one of the droids to get away and alert the Empire that a Jedi was poking around the old Jedi training grounds. So he walked back up the cliff silently, keeping out of sight of the droids. He set up a little camp in the foliage, and waited for nightfall so he could begin his spying.

Darth Iol sat in his ship in orbit over the forest planet. He knew the Jedi was down there, probably already looking over the old Jedi records. For what little good they would do him. Iol didn't even know why the Emperor had insisted on keeping them intact. It would have been a matter of minutes for one of their Battlecruisers to wipe out the entire compound.
Iol considered informing the Emperor of the lone Jedi's whereabouts, but then decided against it. He didn't know why the Emperor had insisted on keeping the Jedi alive, but Iol would not have it. The older Sith was starting to become distant, lost in his visions and his power. If he believed his apprentice would allow the mistakes of the Old Empire to be repeated, he was sadly mistaken. Iol would not try to turn Ralos as Palpatine had tried to turn Skywalker. He would simply kill him, and wipe the Jedi from the face of the galaxy.
Darth Iol smiled at the thought. Yes, soon the Jedi would be extinct, and then Iol would take his rightful place as the heir to the Empire.

 

This story is going great. More please

 

No, I've not been frightened away. I'm just had as &*^%@$ amount of homework and performances in the past week, and that situation'll probably keep up thru the next week and a half.

Utilizing some old story material w/Jo'Ra? You should think about putting up a URL to your old story -- I'd love to read it. I can't wait to learn what Zek discovers on Yavin 4!

 

Yeah, I figured that's a planet I know a lot about (since I created it!) I don't have the story anymore because I wrote it on a different computer that went kablooey. Basically a Jedi Knight named Matt Stryker and his apprentice Saara Ralos (a distant relative of our hero Zek) go to a planet and discover a small rebellion against a very repressive government. They help the rebels and bring up a new, free government. I thought it was a good story. But anyway, I just wanted to throw that in, but it won't be a major part of the story.

 

Zek awoke the next morning, running through a sensory enhancement exercise. He stood up, and looked down one the compound. The Guard Droids were still marching around the compound, the same the thing they had done ceaselessly for probably almost one hundred years. He stretched out with the Force, trying to see if there were any living creatures down there. He didn't sense any, but that didn't necessarily mean that there weren't any. Some aliens didn't register with the Force as well as other people did.
He felt to make sure his lightsaber was still there, then he worked his way back down the hill. He was careful to make sure that he wasn't spotted by any of the droids. Hiding behind a rock, he began his long job of finding out exactly how many droids there were in the compound, and figuring out what exactly he was going to do with them.

"I repeat, this is Jon Adrin, captain of the Star Skipper. I am requesting permission to land, that's all!" "And I repeat, Captain Adrin, do you have a commerce permit?" Jon shook his head, sighing. Muting the com, he turned to Sher. "These guys are real picky, aren't they?" Sher shifted in her seat. "Do you have that kind of permit?" Jon shook his head. "I haven't had a valid commerce permit in almost six years." Sher looked at JR. "Any chance we could slice one up?" JR calculated the possibility. [It could be possible.] He turned back to his computer. [I would need a substantial amount of time to create it.] "How much time?" [Seventeen hours.] He looked back at Jon. Jon shrugged. "It's better than nothin'." Turning back to the com unit, he spoke, "Control, we can have our commerce permit transmitted to you in about seventeen hours. Will that do?" The com was silent for a moment. "Okay, Star Skipper, you have permission to take an orbital position at the coordinates we're transmitting to you. As soon as we get that permit, we'll let you land." Jon smirked. "Sure, control. Adrin out." He slapped off the com. "Okay, JR, you have your seventeen hours. And we get to wait." [That will suffice, sir.] "I'm surprised they didn't suspect that we were slicing one up," Sher said. "Are you kidding me?" Jon answered. "They don't care if they're fake or not. They just want to be able to give a number in case the Empire comes here and requests a commerce report." Sher nodded. "Well, I guess there's nothing else to do but wait." Jon leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head. "No problem with me. I could use a nap."

On the planet, two men spoke in hushed tones over a computer console. "Are you sure this is the ship?" The blonde man nodded vigorously. "Yeah, the order came in about two hours ago. A ten thousand credit reward." The older man smiled. "As soon as they transmit their commerce permit info, have them land in lot 7C. I'll call the Imperial authorities." He straightened a bit, his smile widening. "We are in the money!" His partner smiled, equally excited. "I just hope they hurry. The last thing we need around this dump is bunch of blasters and excitement."

 

just to let you know, I am helping my soon-to-be wife move out of her current place, so I am probably not gonna be posting for tonight. Sorry! I love you guys, keep reading!

 

Congratulations on your engagement.

 

Thanks, RebelMom. We were taking a break from moving and she fell asleep, so I decided to write a small part of the story. It's hot here in Arizona, so we get tired easily.
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Zek sat on his hill, looking into the stars as they shone brightly onto the lushes green planet. He was slowly eating some kind of sweet fruit he had found as he was spying on the compound. He had counted seventeen Guard Droids, and knew he was going to have to take them out. He was having a hard time controlling his excitement at reading through the old Jedi records. He needed to find out about what being a Jedi really meant. About why he was really here.
Suddenly, he saw something in the stars that surprised him. It was a star, at least it looked like one. But it was moving across the sky in a straight line, like a satellite. He had seen many similar things when he had been on Tatooine. Except those had usually been starships. Belatedly, Zek wondered if maybe the Bothan smuggler he'd hired to bring him here was still in orbit over the planet, watching him. But considering his initial fears at bringing him here, he doubted. He had sensed no deceit in the Bothan, at least as far as staying was concerned.
But it was no matter. If it was a satellite, there was nothing he could do about it. And if it was a starship, it might end up becoming his ticket off Yavin. He would have to trust in the Force. He pulled out his lightsaber, and began to make his way down the hill. He got behind the rock that seemed to have become his favorite hiding place, and waited for some of the droids to come from around one of the temples.

Iol awoke from his meditation, the Dark Side coursing through him. He could feel the Jedi down there, ready to make some kind of move. Iol smiled, and reached for his lightsaber. This was his chance. If he could get down there after the Jedi had worn himself out fighting the droids, then Iol would come in for the kill. Setting the ship for autopilot, he closed his eyes again, waiting for the right moment. Again, he smiled. Soon, the galaxy would be rid of the Jedi filth.