Saga The Darkness Within (Jedi Master Quinlan Vos at the Battle of Geonosis) please R/R

I am walking to an arena where me and a group of my friends are going to be hopelessly outnumbered by thousands of Geonosian warriors, all in an attempt to save a pair of Jedi and a Senator of the Republic from death by public execution. These Geonosians are assisted by an in-system fleet of starships, both starfighters and capital ships, and are led by one of the most powerful Jedi in existence turned enigmatic Separatist leader.

One would think that at a time like this, I could find something else to think about other than the god-awful smell of the environment. The sands of the arena soaked with the blood of Force knows how many executions, combined with the anticipation sweat from a packed house of anxious, battle-fervor afflicted aliens creates a smell that one of Coruscant?s waste-recycling facilities would compare favorably with.

The slightly ridiculous line of thought that my brain is taking though is probably a direct result of emotions that I am not used to experiencing. Namely, fear. I am a Jedi Knight, and one of the oldest memories that I have is of Master Yoda reciting to me the ?Fear leads to Anger, Anger leads to Hate?? mantra of the Dark Side. Fear is the yell that loosens the rocks that starts the avalanche?and it?s an avalanche that I know all too well. But still, that whispering inner voice mocks me. I am afraid. This is not where you belong, it says to me. You are a creature of the shadows. And as much as I hate to admit it, that inner voice is mostly right. I am, or will be, out of my element in the open air of the arena. A Mon-Cal spider squid out of water.

You see, even amongst a group of individuals as unique as the Jedi Knights, I stand out. The Force whispers to me in ways that it doesn?t to the others and I have been blessed, or cursed depending on which way you look at it, with the ability to catch glimpses of the future concerning objects that I touch. For example, if I touch a murderer?s weapon I am oftentimes assaulted with a vision of the murder itself. Other times the vision will reveal to me the intent of the killer, allowing the authorities to apprehend a criminal before the crime is even committed. This ability also translates into a broad range of tracking skills, making me the ideal hunter. A Jedi Hunter. And, from a certain point of view, a creature of the shadows.

Even now the cave walls whisper to me through the Force; so much malicious intent has coalesced in my mind into what my friend Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the Jedi trapped down below, would call ?a bad feeling?. As I reach the mouth of my particular tunnel and signal my partner Jedi through the Force that ?feeling? becomes a scream inside my mind. Something is about to go terribly wrong here, and though I can?t hear Master Windu?s words and the lightsaber that he holds at Jango Fett?s throat is rock steady, something tells me that he senses it too.

As the prearranged signal from the Force reaches my mind, I step out into the light and do my best to shed my doubts. But the voice mocks me. I am afraid, and all I can do is trust in the Force to get us through this?

What do you guys think? More to come tomorrow, hopefully.

JMA

 

Up! *hopeful*

JMA