Before - Legends A Diamond in the Rough

Title: A Diamond in the Rough
Author: Joboofoo
Characters: So far only Gerid
Genre: Fantasy
Timeframe: Durring the first Jedi Civil War, approximately ten millenia before Episode 1.





A cool breeze blew in gently from across the prairie, bringing with it the sweet scent of wet grass. It had only finished raining the night before and the ground was thoroughly soaked. Unfortunately, being stuck out in the middle of the pasture with only his pack and his trusty mount, Delf meant that Gerid was every bit as drenched as his surroundings. There probably had been sufficient warning of the impending shower before it came, but he had been so wrapped up in gathering the rest of the herd of cawat that he just didn?t notice in time to set up a tent. A fool mistake that came with its own set of consequences.


At the base of the hill where he had eaten his midday meal sat the herd of large brown and white feathered birds, some grazing while others stretched their flightless wings out to give them a good shake in the breeze. Finished with the last scraps of dried meat and the hard yellow cheese that had been sufficiently washed out from last night?s mishap, Gerid decided to get back to driving the cawat back to corral for the fall.


Putting his hand on the pommel of the saddle, Gerid mounted Delf in one smooth motion, sitting down comfortably on the back of the trusty animal. Reaching forward he scratched at the base of a round ear on a head that reminded him of a large weasel?s, receiving a pleased grunt from the furry beast.


With hands on the reins Gerid gave Delf a heel to the gut, and the animal began cantering down the hill towards the herd at a leisurely pace. Before coming too close, Gerid let out a sharp whistle, calling his dog Birdy, without whom herding would be near impossible. She kept the birds in line, chasing down and disciplining any who might wander off by accident. Bringing Delf from one side of the herd to the other spurring them onward, Gerid readied himself for the remainder of the ride.


After nearly an hour of riding through the vast pasture he made it to the edge of the forest, and was finally home. Cresting the last hill, Gerid looked down upon the farm, happy to be done with herding for the year. As quickly as he could he drove the cawat down to the corral, with Birdy coming alongside the herd, barking lazily at the birds. Riding ahead of the herd, Gerid dismounted in front of the large wooden door of the tall pen, unlatching it and swinging it wide open. Leaving Delf by the doors as a final guider for the birds, he headed for the rear of the herd.


Clapping his hands and giving a shout, Gerid pushed the birds towards the corral door. Birdy came around from behind to do her part, barking as she ran up next to the herd to keep them on the right path. When the last of the birds were successfully corralled Gerid quickly shut and lashed the gate, dusting his hands afterwards as if to seal the job.


Looking from the herd of birds in their pen to the rest of the yard and the house, Gerid noticed something out of place. His home seemed strangely empty. For some reason his father hadn?t come to his aid in corralling the cawat, and there was nobody outside to greet him. Usually when he arrived home from herding, his family would be there, waiting outside to welcome him back, but now not even his little brother and sister were out in the yard playing as they would be on a normal day.


With a quick gait, Gerid made his way to the door of the large farm house. Letting himself inside, he shouted down the front corridor, calling out for his mother and father. There was no answer. Stepping back outside onto the front porch, Gerid scratched his head, wondering why his family would have left. They must have gone into town for some reason, but his father had gone in before Gerid left to herd the cawat and gotten enough supplies for the next several months. There seemed to be no reason for his family to be gone. Maybe there was something important going on in t

 

Gerid floated in emptiness, seeming to tumble end over end, while not moving at all. Darkness surrounded him, was him. Only his mind existed in this endless sea of nothingness. Across the eternal vastness of this void something shone, something strange. It was warm, like the sun, and he seemed to be staring straight at, yet there was no glare.

It flowed gently through the void and through Gerid, filling him with a fonderful sensation. He had never felt anything like it before in his life. Something about it seemed so right, and welcoming that he never wanted to leave its comforting hold. Suddenly, somewhere out in the darkness a light blipped into existence and then was gone. With the light the strange sensation running through Gerid's mind changed. Something about it seemed differents, but only for a moment then it was back to normal.

Where are you? The voice came to him from across the emptiness, filling his mind with it.

Suddenly Gerid heard a cough, jarring him back to consciousness. He assumed that it was his little brother, Tymo, whom he shared his room with, and that he was laying in his bed at home. But when he fully opened his eyes and looked around he found he was gravely mistaken.

What he saw was deeply disturbing. All around him were the dark, unfamiliar shapes of individuals from town, huddled together in small groups against the cold. At first he couldn't recognize any of the people, their faces hidden or covered by others, but then a few faces started to look familiar. At least thirt people shared a small room, about five paces across and ten long with him, all looked terribly frightened.


The walls, ceiling, and floor of the room consisted of the same metal that those strange buildings in the town center were made of, a cold metalic surface that took away precious heat. A dim, unnatural orange light filled the room that seemed to come from a small orange bar at the center of the ceiling. Some how it gave off light without flame. Curious.

Somehow it seemed a lot cooler inside the building then it was outside, adding to the gravity of the situation. Sitting against the wall across from him, Gerid recognized one of the faces, it was Jorry Conder boy his age that lived in town huttled up against what he guessed to be his mother. Wearing a sullen look on his face, Jorry looked to be trembling.



?Jorry, what happened? Where are we?? Gerid asked. ?Jorry?? With a horrified expression, the boy looked in Gerid's direction, not quite making eye contact. It seemed he was too terrified to answer.


?Where are we?? Gerid asked again to whoever would listen. ?What happened?? Gerid felt his voice waver with horror, and was hardly able to stop his body from joining. Silence was the only answer he recieved, the fear in the room was palpable ?Damn it, somebody answer me!?


A weak voice answered him from somewhere on the far end of the room, ?We?re inside those metal buildings.?


Then from the other side of the room another voice rose, ?They came from the sky. I saw them." Both voices were wracked with terror, barely able to give an answer. "They started knocking everyone out with thier lightning sticks."

"Why? Why would they do this?" Another voice called out, and with it came a wave of women and children's cries of terror. Gerid's stomach knotted itself up with fear. He was barely able to stop himself from joining along.


How could this thing come out of the sky, it?s a building, how could it fly, he thought. Then a second wave of horror struck him.


Where are my parents, he thought, panic filling him. ?Mom, dad. It?s me, Gerid.? Again, nobody answered. Gerid huddled in on himself, grabbing his knees and hugging tight as he rocked back and forth. ?Mom, dad!?


Just then the room rocked back and forth, with a loud whooshing noise, stopping him from continuing. Something happened outside; but what, he wondered. Then another loud noise sounded, like the rushing of a waterfall all in one short sound, and was followed instantly by a l

 

I've only read the first post, but well done! I look forward to more!

 

This is my idea for the first Jedi Civil War, which is when my story takes place. I am not sure if this theory of events fits into the Star Wars Canon, but if anyone out there that reads this knows if it doesn't fit please tell me. Thank you.

Background: Approximately ten thousand years before the saga of the Skywalkers and the Empire, the Jedi Order was plunged into a deadly civil war. For countless generations the teachings of the Jedi encompassed the entirety of what is the Force. They taught both the light side and the dark side of the Force, believing that this was the path to true understanding. They were able to understand the dark side of the Force and not be controlled by it, with help from the light side. But a rift grew in the Order, creating two factions, those who thought the old ways were the way to enlightenment, and those who thought the dark side should be banished and utterly destroyed. This new faction believed that the dark side of the Force was an abomination, and lead to desires of power and greatness. They sought to totally destroy the teaching of the dark side of the Force, and those who taught it. Both factions drew into themselves great armies to hide behind, dividing the Republic and thus the first Jedi Civil War began.

Caught in the center of this factious war were many Jedi who refused to join the fight and went into seclusion throughout the galaxy. This created a deadly campaign, fought aside from the direct battles between the two armies, to hunt down the ?infidels?, wrought by the self-righteous new faction of the Evangels of Light. Though they followed the path of light, they justified their malicious actions with the mentality that the dark side truly needed to be wiped out for the good of the galaxy, and any who follow its ?evil? path were a danger to themselves and others and therefore should be eliminated ere they destroy the galaxy.

Followers of the old ways were caught at a crossroads. They believed whole-heartedly that the dark side of the Force was a natural way of life and that it could be controlled for the full understanding of the Force, but at the heart of their faction, members of a hidden path of Jedi flocked. These Jedi followed only the dark side and it consumed them, driving them to take over the Jedi Order. These Jedi had complete control of the armies of their faction and used them with malice against the Evangels of Light; they were marked as Dark Jedi, the first of their kind. The followers of the old ways had a difficult decision to make. They could follow the Dark Jedi in a last ditch effort to preserve their ways, or they could surrender their teachings to the Evangels of Light, which in most cases meant death, for the Evangels were blinded by the light.

Summary: As a new world in the far outer rim of the galaxy it plundered by slavers, one of the subjected peoples unknowingly calls out for help with the Force and is answered by a lone Jedi Knight. As the Jedi Order descends into civil war, this Jedi and his new Padawan are pursued by a new faction of Jedi, the Evangels of Light who are bent on the destruction of the old ways of the Jedi. Master and apprentice are forced to take refuge with the opposing faction, which has been taken over by the Dark Jedi who have perverted the old teachings of the Jedi and completely thrown out the light side of the Force. The Jedi and learner must battle the Evangels while making an effort to take down the Dark Jedi from the inside. They walk a perilous path, were if they are found out they will be hunted by both sides of the conflict.

 

Kneeling in the center of his treetop dwelling, Tehnacca was barely aware of the room around him. Centered in the deep trance that was meditation, his bedroom barely registered in his perception. Floating in the endless sea that is the Force, not even his body seemed to be real.

All there was was the Force and his mind, nothing else existed; nothing else mattered. The wondrous light filled him and surrounded him, immersing him in its grandeur. Peace and tranquility enveloped his being; he was one with the universe.

Tehnacca was deep into the restorative meditation that he often used in the stead of sleep when he felt a small tremor in the Force. It was distant, barely noticeable, on the edge of his perception, but it was there. Something he hadn?t felt in a long time.

Suddenly the tremor grew in intensity, surrounding his mind with its brilliance. Seeming to pulse, this new sensation surrounded his entire existence, and he knew that this disturbance was meant for only him. He was soon to find his next apprentice. Where are you? He thought, reaching out with the force to try and pinpoint where exactly the tremor had come from.

Unlike other Jedi, who stumble upon their pupils seemingly at random, Tehnacca was shown his by the Force. When he started the search for his previous apprentices, he had experienced the exact same sensation as he had just had, sending him on his way to find the new learners. Other Jedi had felt the disturbances, as they would with this new one, yet they weren't able to interpret the meaning, while Tehnacca knew exactly what it meant. It was a talent that he alone possessed.

Given his new mission, Tehnacca pulled himself out of his trance, and his surroundings jumped into recognition. His plain room came into focus as he stood and reached for his belt that held his lightsaber, and personal datapad.

Grabbing the belt off the bed in front of him, he secured it around his waist, careful not to catch any of the shaggy fur that covered his body in the buckle. Yet try as he might, he still caught some while fastening it, and he let out a small growl of dissatisfaction.

Exiting his dwelling, Tehnacca looked out across the foggy expanse of wroshyr trees that covered most of the surface of his home world, Kashyyyk. Kilometers-tall, the trees stretch out in every direction, blanketing the land below in eternal twilight and creating the proving ground for his people?s warriors.

His home was in the middle of a small outpost in the treetop branches, with several tree trunk hugging wooden structures woven into the intertwined branches of the canopy spread out at slightly different levels among the trees.

Walking down the main boulevard that cut through the middle of the outpost with several other bridges branching off towards other Wookiee?s homes, Tehnacca quickly made his way to the landing pad hanger where his ship was housed. As he closed on the shipyard, the smells of the forest were overpowered by the familiar, unnatural odor of exhaust, and he was disheartened. He would again be leaving behind his home.

Tehnacca gave a quick nod to the garage attendant, acknowledging his presence, and received the same in return on his way to his ship. Making his way around a couple of parked vessels he found his large Corellian RT-1420 Light Freighter exactly where he?d left it.

Calling up the program on his datapad that housed his ship?s locking mechanism, Tehnacca pressed the digital button that opened his ship, and the walkway drop out from the bottom. He quickly walked up it, and found his way to the cockpit.

The engines wound up as he started them, and taking a seat he grabbed hold of the controls. Piloting his way out of the hangar, Tehnacca brought the ship up through the atmosphere of Kashyyyk leaving the thick forests behind.

He had spent the last few years upon the planet, going on long excursions through the forest floor, testing his skills and earning badges of honor with his tribe, and as he was leaving, he wonder how long it would this t

 

Chains bound Gerid firmly to the wall, pulling his arms in either direction, and separating his shoulder blades in a very painful manner. He couldn?t recall how long he?d been here, strapped to this wall, or even who had brought him. It seemed like he?d been hanging for an eternity, yet he could only recall a moments pain.

Darkness surrounded him, enveloping his very mind with its sorrowful existence. There was nothing out there in the blackness, he was utterly alone. There didn?t even seem to be a floor beneath his feet.

Suddenly a light shone some distance to his right, filling his sight with light yet there was no glare, no need to look away. The darkness was affected little by this light, and still stayed fast.

Gerid could hear foot steps coming towards him, and for some reason he felt relieved, hope filled his being as the footfall grew nearer. With the sound came a large silhouetted figure, filling Gerid?s mind with peace.

This stranger reached out with his hand, and the shackles binding his wrists popped open with a metallic click sending him forward to fall to the ground. But as he fell the figure caught him and stood him up.

Then, from the opposite way the silhouette had appeared, Gerid?s attention was drawn. There another door opened, yet this time there was no light. Instead the door seemed to swallow the light coming from the other door, and it was darker than the blackness that surrounded it.

Run! Gerid heard from behind him. Turning he saw the silhouette running towards the door of light, beckoning to him to follow. There was a great sense of urgency with the voice, as if what had come out of the other door would destroy him.

Gerid was awakened sharply by the kick of one of the lizard men that had been standing guard. Looking around, it took Gerid a moment to realize that he was back in the slave camp that he had been taken too, and that it all wasn?t just a bad dream.

Pointing its lightning stick at him, the beast-man motioned with it towards the door. Seeing that other people were up and walking out of the large wooden pavilion, Gerid got up from his bunk and followed. Where are they taking us now? He thought cynically.

Following along the line of people, Gerid left the building and eventually came back to one of the structure that had somehow transported him to this heat filled hell of a camp. One of the lizard men stood at the entrance to the large metal container, shoving people at random intervals into it.

He was the last in line and was properly shoved into the structure as it was his turn to enter. For some reason the small building wasn?t filled to capacity this time. Only fourteen other individuals, none he recognized, shared the familiar metallic room with him.

As soon as he was inside, the doors were shut and a deep clicking noise sounded the lock. A short while after, the sound of waterfalls started then gave way to the familiar hum that accompanied his last voyage in this room. Gerid took a seat in the corner of the room, away from everyone else, and prepared for the long trip to the unknown.

Not a quarter of an hour later, the room shifted once then was still and the humming ceased. This is what it must have been like for the people who were awake after their capture.

Several hours passed, and Gerid was just nodding off to sleep when the room shifted once more. After the room was still the waterfall sound came again, and was again replaced by the humming that followed it.

Another quarter of an hour pass when the room started shaking, rocking back and forth, and bumping. This he remembered from his last experience in this room, it happened right before they took him out into the slave camp. Dread crept its way up from his stomach, inching along until it firmly planted itself in his throat. Whatever was going to happen, he knew he wasn?t going to like it.

Like before, the hum grew in intensity before the room shook and then died down to nothing. Gerid awaited the door next to him to be opened, and sure enough after a few mom