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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Saga The Journal of Jax Pavan [DDC 2014] Complete!

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction- Before, Saga, and Beyond' started by Ewok_Slayer, Jan 1, 2014.

  1. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks! I would think a HRD would confuse Magash since it is not a common droid.

    Thanks! I am not quite sure how anatomically correct HRDs are. The only other one I remember was a female named Guri. That particular Human Replica Droid was a very expensive model. I-Five has the Wal-Mart HRD version. It is the poor man's HRD.

    Yeah, after you read the trilogy there is The Last Jedi. That is a pretty good book. I think it flowed better than the Trilogy, but that might be because we already know the characters.

    I think when Sacha and Magash start working together their relationship will become less adversarial. I would think I-Five would have a closer connection to Jax than maybe Jax has to I-Five (at this time) simply because I-Five spent a lot of time with Jax's father. I-Five knew about the existence of Jax for years and I am sure the father talked about his son fondly.

    Thanks! It would be confusing to somebody who lived on isolated Dathomir. I am working on an adventure for the group to go on. Hopefully it will keep the readers' interest.

    Thanks everybody for reading.
     
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  2. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks Revanfan1, Kahara, Space_Wolf, Nyota's Heart and earlybird-obi-wan for reading and taking the time to review! It is much appreciated. :D

    ______________________________

    Entry 10

    On the trip back I worked with Magash on some preliminary Force exercises, such as meditation or the movement of objects using the Force. She can do it, but she still believes she needs to cast a spell in order to perform the feat. That is fine when you have time, but in a survival situation one doesn’t have the luxury of going through ritualized singing and dancing.

    We were in my cabin, sitting crosslegged on the deck. Magash was concentrating on moving a small bowl I found in the galley. She stared at the object, her face pinched with concentration as she attempted to move the bowl without vocalization. When the bowl did not move, Magash became frustrated. She uttered a few words and the bowl flew across the deck. “I have been taught since a child to follow our Book of Law. It records the proper spells and dictates our moral code.”

    Her remark about a code piqued my interest. “What is your code?”

    She hesitated and I wondered if this information was forbidden for men to know. Eventually she spoke.

    "Those who suffer emotion will never enjoy peace.
    Those who choose ignorance will never know their own greatness.
    Those who yield to passion will fail to dominate.
    Those who fear death will never achieve pure power.
    Never forget that your magic must always be used wisely. 
Never concede to evil, lest you be consumed by it."

    I was surprised. “Your writings in the Book of Law are very similar to the Jedi code which is:
    There is no emotion, there is peace.
    There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
    There is no passion, there is serenity.
    There is no death, there is the Force."

    She nodded softly. “That is good that our moral teachings are close. It makes training easier.”

    We worked on the technique for a few hours. Eventually she was able to shift objects without casting a spell…but I noticed her lips were moving silently as she did so. I knew the spells were running through her head during the exercise.

    It is just the first day. She's making great progress.

    Entry 11

    Once on Toprawa I realized we needed to get different clothing for Magash. Her current outfit was causing a huge distraction to the men at the base. As she walked across the hanger bay, two male technicians strolled by her, eyes transfixed on her bosom, before they walked into a support pillar. We can’t have the entire male Antarian Ranger fighting force suffering from head concussions.

    Sacha showed Magash to her quarters and gave her a very baggy coverall to wear. Magash changed and came out of her quarters practically swimming in the overly large jumpsuit. She held her arms out allowing us to see how the garment hung on her. “This does not fit.”

    Sacha shook her head. “No, work coveralls are supposed to be really loose.”

    Magash regarded Sacha’s formfitting jumpsuit. “You have gained weight?”

    I barely contained a chuckle before I jumped into the conversation. “That outfit is just until I can find one that fits better.” I gave her a reassuring smile. “You look great. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

    I guided her away from Sacha Swiftbird. I don’t know why these two women don’t seem to like each other. I showed Magash the dining facility, the mechanics repair shop, and then walked her around the perimeter of the Ranger’s base of operation. She gazed out to the towering pines surrounding the secret outpost as a warm, sweet smelling breeze whipped through her black hair. “I can feel magic…the Force flowing through the trees.”

    I regarded the giant pines with a sense of reverence. “Jedi Master Ki-Adi-Mundi believed the Force flowed through the sap in these trees. This planet is effused with the lightside of the Force.” I pointed out to the conifers in the distance. “I think we should look for a training area within the forest. It is always dangerous to touch the Force. We can be sensed by Sith. We were somewhat safe on the ship while in hyperspace, but here we must be careful.”

    She turned to me and nodded. “Let us find a training site, Jedi Pavan.”

    “Jax,” I reminded her.

    She smiled. “Jax.”

    Entry 12

    The undergrowth around the forest was full of burs and thorns but once we reached the tree line the darkness created by the tree canopy restricted plant life near the base of the trees. We looked around and found a fairly open space between the conifers. It wasn’t a huge opening, but large enough for lightsaber practice.

    I was pacing out the diameter of the training area when Magash spoke. “The droid said you would be training the other woman.” She was leaning against a rock outcrop watching me, her face emotionless.

    I stopped and looked up to her. “Yes, is there a problem with that?”

    She shook her head. “No.”

    I studied her for a moment. Sacha was always evasive when I asked her about her feelings on Magash. Perhaps Magash would be more upfront and honest. The witches didn’t seem the type to hold back their words to avoid hurt feelings. “Magash, please be honest with me. I sense some tension between you and Sacha. What is going on between you two? I want to fix this situation. I want you two to be friends.”

    She actually looked confused. “There is always tension between women who are not of the same clan.”

    “And why is that?”

    She looked even more puzzled by my comment. “Clan sisters share supplies and protect each other. When women of another clan come into our territory it is usually to steal our men or other resources.”

    Men or other resources. He didn’t like the sound of that. I was hoping to convince Magash that men could be equals. “I’m hoping that while you are training on Toprawa you would be part of our clan…the Antarian Rangers. We fight against the Empire and the Sith.”

    Her eyes were unreadable, but she nodded. “I would be honored to be a part of your clan and have Sacha Swiftbird as a clan sister. The Sullustan told me how she defeated a Sith. She is a formidable fighter.” Her head turned suddenly looking out in the direction we had come. “Somebody is approaching.” She stepped closer to the tree line as I reached out with the Force trying to identify the interloper.

    “It’s Den Dhur,” I finally said. We walked through the woods until we came upon my diminutive friend.

    Den was trying to pull the burs off his overalls as he limped up to us. “You had to go on a stroll through a patch of Fire Nettle and Cockleburs.” He hopped up and down on one foot while he removed one boot and pulled out a handful of thorns.

    “Well, I didn’t expect to be followed.”

    “I wouldn’t if I didn’t have to. Aren Folee and Degan Cor want to see you.” Den hopped a few more times before he was successful in putting his boot back on.

    I could see the confusion on Magash’s face. “They are part of the Antarian Ranger leadership.” I looked back to Den. “Did they say what is going on?”

    “They got a message from Pol Haus. Whiplash agent Sheel Mafeen has been captured by the Empire.”

    I had a sinking feeling about this. “Let’s go.”
     
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  3. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Entry #10 - interesting about the Dathomiri Book of Law and code. #11: [face_laugh] about Magash distracting the techs [face_mischief] #12: I think Jax has gotten Magash to think of their group-The Rangers and Sacha as part of it--as a cohesive fighting unit, and just in time, given Den's message.
     
  4. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Three great entries! Of course Sacha would give Magash a baggy jumpsuit...and Jax and Magash training is great. :)
     
  5. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Yes three great entries. Nice to see the similarities between the codes and good for Den to come just in time I hope
     
  6. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    I got the Book of Law off of Wookieepedia. It is similar to the Jedi Code because the Book of Law was written by a rogue Jedi Knight named Allya that was banished to the planet around 600 BBY. Although the witches were also known as the Daughters of Allya, I wasn't sure if all the witches knew that Allya was a Jedi. I couldn't find it in Wookieepedia and I really didn't want to go searching for it in The Courtship of Princess Leia. I am going to assume that if Magash knows about Allya being a Jedi she might not tell Jax because it is Clan lore or something like that. [face_dunno]
    I thought that might be something a woman would do, especially if guys are turning their heads at this new arrival.

    Thanks. Now I have to write the jailbreak. I still haven't figured out how they are going to do it. Of course if Stormtroopers are just as ineffective in this story as in the movie, then it should be easy. :p

    Thanks for reading. I need to get back to writing. :cool:
     
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  7. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks Nyota's Heart, Revanfan1, and earlybird-obi-wan for reading and taking the time to review. It is much appreciated.

    __________________

    Entry 13

    Pol Haus was transmitting via encrypted holo-transceiver and asked to talk with me privately, making both Aren and Degan look at me with some suspicion. I simply shrugged my shoulders in confusion as they exited the office.

    The Zabrak Sector Police Prefect looked gaunt and grief-stricken. “Jax, I need your help. I need a Jedi.”

    “To save Sheel. I was told.” Sheel Mafeen was a well-known Togruta poetess who worked with the resistance. Since she moved from city-to-city and planet-to-planet to do recitals she was the perfect operative to carry messages between various Whiplash and resistance enclaves.

    “Yes,” he looked down and appeared to fidget in his seat. “Jax, I know you went after Yimmon because he was a key player of Whiplash. Your team risked their lives to literally save the organization, but Sheel…Sheel and I were never key players in the resistance until the recent deaths of Tuden Sal and the other Whiplash operatives.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I’ve talked to Yimmon and he and I both know Sheel doesn’t have any strategic information that would warrant a near suicidal rescue mission…especially because she wasn’t arrested for being a Whiplash operative and therefore it is doubtful she will be interrogated by members of the Inquisitorius.”

    My brow rose. “Why did she get arrested then?”

    Pol had trouble maintaining his composure and he let out a contemptuous laugh. “For writing a poem and reciting it at a public venue—a poem which some Imperial officer deemed seditious in nature. That was all it took for her to be arrested and shipped off to a prison planet.”

    It felt like the air was pulled from my lungs. A prison planet was no place for a poetess. “I’m so sorry. So…Yimmon doesn’t think she is worth sending a rescue team?” Once I said the words I realized how awful and callous they sound. I couldn’t believe Yimmon would abandon one of our own.

    Haus’ bottom lip started to tremble and he bit down on it. He looked directly at me and I could see unshed tears in his eyes. “Yimmon is a leader who is looking out for the organization. He knows getting her off the planet would jeopardize much needed Whiplash operatives and it is unlikely any mission would succeed.”

    I sat there silently waiting for him to continue. “Jax…I have a relationship with Sheel. It was only the start of a relationship, I admit. After the death of so many whiplash leaders on Coruscant we realized life is short. We both were attracted to each other and were always close friends…but recently it became more…and then she was pulled away from me.”

    My heart and stomach sank. Pol Haus had just lost his lover to the Imperials and Yimmon had proclaimed her not worthy of a rescue mission. “Haus, I’m so sorry.” And I was sorry. I knew exactly what he was going through. I finally found love with Laranth and then she was brutally torn from my life, but there was one difference. Laranth was dead, Sheel may very well be alive and well…for now.

    “I can’t ask you to risk your life to rescue her, but I know only a Jedi could pull off the impossible. Still…I…oh…kriff…maybe this is a bad idea. I can’t ask you to do this.”

    “You don’t have to ask Pol. I’ll do it. You are with law enforcement. Knowing you, you already have a plan.”

    He let out a shuddered breath and this times tears did escape his eyes. “Thank you! Thank you! Can you come to Coruscant? I think I may be able to get you in as a guard of a prison barge.”

    I nodded. “I’ll be there.”

    Entry 14

    When I exited the office Aren Folee and Degan Cor fell in step with me. “What was that about? Why the secrecy?”

    I stopped and turned to Aren. Her pale grey eyes stared at me suspiciously.

    “Pol Haus made a personal plea to me as a friend to help him rescue Sheel.”

    Degan ran his hand through his dark hair looking perplexed. “Why would he need to do that? Weren’t we going to do that anyway?”

    I shook my head. “Yimmon doesn’t think a rescue mission has any chance of success.” I know my jaw clenched at the thought. “He’s not sending anyone to save her.”

    Aren appeared stunned. “Oh,” she said sadly. “I disagree with his decision, but I’m not a Cerean with a binary brain. He probably knows something we don’t.”

    “Yimmon is the leader of Whiplash, not the Antarian Rangers.” Degan gave me a level gaze. “Have you officially thrown your lot in with us?”

    I nodded. “I told Whiplash it was too dangerous for me to stay on Coruscant. My intent is to remain with the Rangers.”

    “Good.” Degan smiled and I could see his approval in his eyes. “For the last six hundred years the Antarian Rangers have supported and served the Jedi Knights…and since you are the last known Jedi…just let us know what you need and we’ll get it for you.”

    I smiled at the man and gave him a friendly squeeze of his shoulder. “Thank you. I need to get to Coruscant. Pol has a plan.”

    I said my goodbyes the two leaders and headed back to my cabin to pack. I didn’t like leaving Magash and Sacha right when I was going to begin their training, but that would just have to wait.

    I went to Den and I-Five cabin to tell them I was going to Coruscant alone. That news was met with great resistance.

    “No kark’n way you are going back to Coruscant alone,” Den informed me in no uncertain terms. “Every time you run off unaccompanied you almost get killed. If I-Five, Sacha and I didn’t coincidently go to Kantaros Station to try to rescue Yimmon ourselves you’d probably be dead. It took all of us to survive and if Sheel is on a prison planet you are going to need all the help you can get.”

    “I managed to survive on the streets of Coruscant long before I met you two,” I reminded them.

    “Let us at least come to Coruscant with you when you talk to Pol Haus,” I-Five requested. “His plan may need a droid.” He looked down at Den Dhur. “Or a short, stubborn Sullustan.”

    “No, you’re not going with me.”

    “Where are you going?” I heard a female voice behind me. I turned and found Sacha and Magash standing in the open doorway.

    “I’m going to Coruscant for a mission. I’ll be back in no time. I need you to stay here.”

    “He’s going to rescue Sheel Mafeen from a prison planet,” Den announced to the women. I cringed knowing this was not going to go over well with Sacha.

    “You’re not going anywhere without your team,” she said emphatically.

    “We’re not a team,” I tried to reason with her.

    Sacha put her hands on her hips and glared at me. “You once told me we made a great team! Or are we a team only when it is convenient for you?”

    “Sacha…” I began and then trailed off. I did tell her we were a team and to be honest we were a very effective and cohesive fighting unit. Unfortunately this was a mission for a lone Jedi.

    Magash stepped forward. She was still wearing that ridiculous jumpsuit, but the expression on her face was dead serious.

    “Jax Pavan, today you asked me to be part of your clan.” She turned to face Sacha before her gazed moved to I-Five and Den. “You wanted me to work together with your group. You said we would all be part of the Antarian Rangers clan.” Her eyes narrowed. “Clan members fight together. To leave without us would bring dishonorable upon me. I would be seen as a disgraced fighter to my people…not worthy to remain a member of the Singing Mountain Clan.”

    I groaned softly. I didn’t know enough about Dathomir culture to determine if she was exaggerating the truth or not. My head dropped in defeat. “I guess there is no point in arguing. Even if I managed to sneak off planet, you’ll be right behind me, right?”

    Sacha smirked. “Right.”

    I sighed deeply. “I guess we all are going to Coruscant.”
     
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  8. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Intriguing mission. I know it will be full of edge-of-seatness. I am also sure Jax will be glad of having his entire team along.
     
  9. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    A rescue mission. I hope all will be safe and return. The entire team coming along can be of benefit
     
  10. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    [face_laugh]

    He can't get rid of them if he tried!
     
  11. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    Jax! Still trying to run off on completely plan-free missions without any backup, I see. What have we learned? *sigh* Same thing as last time, and the time before that...o_O Seriously. Your allies want to help you, let them for once. This is not how one gets to be an old "last Jedi."

    Nice conversation with Pol Haus. It was easy to see how he would especially identify with that situation and want to help.
     
  12. aalagartassle

    aalagartassle Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Jan 11, 2011
    Been out of the loop for awhile, I'll catch up. Entry 3 and four are amazing. I had a smirk on my face the whole way through.
     
  13. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks! Usually it is 'the more the merrier'…except when you are going to a prison planet. :p

    I don't think it can hurt. Thanks for reading!

    No, they are not going to let Jax have all the fun.

    Thanks. There was a hint that Pol was attracted to the poetess but I don't know if it is canon that they ever had a relationship. Well, they do now. This is AU after all.

    Thanks! I am glad you are enjoying the journal so far.

    I am going to try to get something posted in the next few days! Thanks everybody for reading! :D
     
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  14. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks aalagartassle, Kahara, Nyota's Heart, earlybird-obi-wan, and Revanfan1 for reading and taking the time to review.

    _________________________

    Entry 15

    I contacted Pol Haus and informed him I was bringing a team with me. He looked relieved as he gave an update on the situation and assured me he would have a plan in the works and ready for our arrival.

    We packed up our gear and left on the Laranth headed for Imperial Center. I noticed that Sacha and Magash seemed to get along together much better now…Sacha even managed to find properly fitting jumpsuits for the Zabrak woman. I guess agreeing that we are all part of a clan took away some of the tension between the two, which is good because they're sharing a cabin on the ship while I bunked with Den and I-Five.

    After we made the jump to hyperspace I left Sacha at the helm and decided to get some sleep. I found Den and I-Five already in the cabin. I-Five was still in his HRD body and was currently gazing at a computer monitor with Den reading over his shoulder.

    “Jax,” Den began as I walked through the door. “Did Pol Haus say which prison planet Sheel Mafeen was being taken to?”

    I shook my head. “No. He said she was transported from Coruscant to a prison barge. It will pick up convicts from various planets before going to its final destination—which is unknown to him at this time. Why?”

    I-Five turned in his seat to address me. “We were just trying to do some preliminary research. There are a number of planets that have Imperial Prisons. There is one on the planet Dontamo, Garen IV, Branth, Rutan, Despayre, Serenno, Lusankya and Kessel. And that is just the ones we know about. The Imperials probably have dozens of secret locations.”

    I went over and sat on my bunk. “Hopefully Pol will discover where the barge is headed by the time we get to Coruscant.” I flopped down on my bed pulling the pillow under my head. “He mentioned he might get me papers saying I was a guard, but he also told me to bring the Inquisitor outfit just in case.” I looked over to Den and frowned. “I don’t think you could masquerade as a guard. The Imperials have a very obvious human-centric bias. I have seen non-human Inquisitors, but the rank and file soldiers are usually human.”

    Den paced the room uneasily. “Perhaps Pol can forge papers making me a prisoner.”

    I frowned at that suggestion. “What if we can’t get you or Sheel out? You will be stuck in a prison. Even if you had a short-term sentence there is no guarantee you will survive long enough to be reach your release date.”

    Den gave me a dismissive wave of the hand. “Sheel and I will get off the planet.”

    “Why do you say that?”

    He looked at me with those big dark eyes and gave a wide smile. “Because Jax Pavan is part of my clan. He’ll make sure all of us will survive.”

    I gave a cynical snort. “I’m sure Laranth thought the same way.”

    The smile faded from Den’s face as I-Five made a groaning sound. “That’s uncalled for, Jax.” The droid’s voice took on the tone of a disapproving parent. “We have faith in you…and so did Laranth. She sacrificed herself to save us. She knew what she was doing.”

    I looked away embarrassed. “Sorry. It’s just…I’m a Jedi, but I’m not infallible. I don’t want to put my friends in dangerous situations on the off chance that I might pull off a miracle and rescue them. It’s a lot of pressure.”

    As my words echoed though my head I started to feel more and more anxious. When I initially agreed to this mission I was speaking only for myself. Now I had a strike team and that made me responsible for their lives. We were extremely lucky to survive our last rescue mission…but one day our luck might run out.

    I can only hope that the Force will be with us.


    Entry 16

    The Laranth, masquerading under the transponder call sign Corsair, arrived on Coruscant after a four-day flight. During the journey I conducted Force exercises with Magash and Sacha in preparation for our next assignment. All Force instruction was risky nowadays, but I knew it was difficult to sense somebody through the Force while in hyperspace, therefore, it an opportune time to train. We worked on Force shoves, sensing danger and both sparred with the lightsaber against a remote. Sacha has great potential, but she is lagging behind Magash in ability. This is not surprising since Magash’s trained since birth to utilize the Force…albeit it was through the use of spells, but it did give her a distinct advantage. Unfortunately, Magash’s Force aptitude was mitigated by her complete naiveté of modern society. Growing up on Dathomir in no way prepared her for the culture shock she would experience on the city-world of Coruscant. Sacha and Magash would have to work together to survive.

    During my last conversation with Pol Haus and he advised me that I-Five’s HRD body would be too noticeable and recommended he come in a less conspicuous droid unit. Therefore, prior to our arrival to Coruscant, we transferred I-Five’s droid brain into an Artoo chasis.

    After docking we travelled by speeder taxi to the lower levels of Coruscant and then walked to a inoperable transportation tunnel in a deserted section of sector Zi-Kree. There we would rendezvous with Pol Haus operating an old Maglev Train that Whiplash utilized as a portable base of operation.

    The five of us waited anxiously at the designated coordinates. Magash appeared more relaxed in the abandoned part of Coruscant than the upper levels. The looming buildings and the throngs of sentients on the more populated levels almost overwhelm the young Zabrak’s senses. She was the only person who preferred the desolate lower levels, though. Den, I-Five and I knew all types of nasty things lived down here, from mutated and criminally insane sentients to feral droids. Everything down here could kill you.

    After a few tense moments we heard the hum of a maglev train approaching. We all raised our blasters in anticipation of some unforeseen and unpleasant surprise, which, fortunately, never came. I was greatly relieved to see Pol Haus at the controls of the train. The Zabrak prefect smiled through the transparasteel window as he brought the vehicle to a halt. After locking down the brakes he exited the maglev and came up to me, hand extended in greeting.

    “I don’t know how I will ever repay you for your help.” His voice was filled with relief and gratitude.

    As I shook his hand I noticed his typical disheveled appearance used to mislead the public no longer looked contrived. Pol Haus purposely cultivated a visual perception of ineptitude by his sloppy appearance. The hair surrounding his cranial horns always remained uncombed, his clothing wrinkled and stained, creating a façade of a person who is apathetic and ineffectual…which hid the fact that he was an extremely intelligent and shrewd police prefect. As a result, criminals not only underestimate him, but it was unlikely his superiors would ever suspect Haus of possessing enough fervor to participate in any subversive resistance activities.

    I was accustomed to seeing him in rumpled clothing, but he could never truly hide the insightful look of his golden eyes—it was direct, probing and full of vitality…until today. Now I saw the pain-dulled eyes of a man deeply wounded.

    “No repayment needed, Pol.” I placed my free hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. After a moment I broke contact and I turned to introduce my team. “You know Den and I-Five.” I gestured toward the Sullustan and I-Five in his squat Artoo body before motioning toward the others. “This is Sacha Swiftbird. She is the Antarian Ranger that helped free Yimmon and this is our newest member of the team—Magash Drashi from Dathomir.”

    He smiled at the group. “Pol Haus. It is an honor to finally meet you Sacha. Whiplash owes you a great debt of gratitude for your assistance in rescuing our leader. ” He turned to Magash. “It is a pleasure to finally meet one of the legendary fighting women of Dathomir.” He held out his hand to Magash in salutation.

    For a moment I didn’t think she would accept his handshake. She gazed at Pol intently for a moment before she finally gripped his hand and made a slight bow of her head. “I have heard great things about you Prefect Haus.”

    “Thank you.” He gave a genuine smile before he ushered us aboard the maglev train. “I don’t like to stay too long in one place,” he explained as he pulled back on the throttle and the train jerked forward. “We’ll be at our final destination in about twenty minutes. I have a weapon’s stash in an abandoned warehouse.” He turned back to I-Five in his Artoo body. “I got a surprise for you I-Five. I couldn’t find you an I-Five chassis, but you might like what I did scrounge up.”

    I-Five’s dome rotated so his optical sensor was facing the prefect. He made a few typical astromech noises before his speech synthesizer kicked in. His voice sounded tinny, but the words were understandable. “As long as it is not a mouse droid, I believe I will be delighted by any additional droid chassis.”

    Pol Haus gave a deep chuckle of amusement. “It’s not quite a mouse droid.”

    Pol didn’t expand on what he meant, but instead concentrated on steering the train down the meandering and dilapidated tunnel system. I sat down next to Magash when the maglev ride became bumpy and gave her a curious glance. “You looked surprised by Pol Haus. I told you he was a Zabrak, didn’t I?”

    She nodded her head. “Yes. His appearance is not what I expected.”

    I laughed. “He purposely dresses down to make people think he is not as competent as he truly is. Don’t let his appearance fool you. He is a brilliant Whiplash leader.”

    She gave me a slow nod of the head. “He does not have tattoos. Facial tattoos are a rite of passage. They show a Zabrak’s lineage or place of birth. I have never seen an adult Zabrak that is unmarked. Was he banished from his people?”

    I gave a palms-up gesture indicating my lack of knowledge on the subject. In all honestly, I never noticed Pol Haus was missing the traditional tattoos. “He never mentioned to me where he was born or if he had a family. He is a trusted member of Whiplash, though, and therefore an ally to the Antarian Rangers.” I gave her a level gaze. “Is this going to cause some cultural difficulty?”

    She shook her head. “No, I simply found it curious.”

    “Okay,” I said slowly as I turned my attention to Den, Sacha and I-Five who were wagering on what type of droid body Pol Haus had acquired for them. I-Five thought it was a C3PO body, Den joked that it was probably a Child Care droid, while Sacha said she hoped it was a repair droid so I-Five could fix himself the next time he got decapitated. Her comment was rewarded by a mechanical razzing noise from the Artoo chassis’ vocal synthesizers.

    Whatever the surprise is I hope it will be helpful in our mission.
     
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  15. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    Great to see the mission coming along. Pol Haus seems a nice guy.
     
  16. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Entry #15: Especially struck by the line that it is a lot of pressure for Jax (or anyone) putting their friends/colleagues in dangerous situations in hopes there will be a miraculous rescue. [face_thinking]


    #16: Liked the meeting with Pol and the banter :)
     
  17. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    He really is. You might want to read The Last Jedi. By now I think you know enough of the characters to enjoy the novel without having to read the Coruscant Nights Trilogy.

    Thanks! Hopefully the stormtroopers in this timeframe are just as incompetent as in the movies…otherwise these guys are screwed. [face_laugh] If you ever read Death Star the author (who also writes the books with Jax) explains why Han and Luke were able to escape so easily from the battle station. They got a little help from some disgruntled stormtroopers who really didn't like the idea that Tarkin blew up Alderaan. It was a bit of a Retcon, but one that was written in flawlessly.

    I am working on the next chapter. I have to look up too much nomenclature for my liking. I don't like it when the Uber-Star Wars geeks jump on some technical mistake I make when describing a weapon or a planet or a droid. So I like to research things as best I can.

    Thanks for reading. I should have something up soon.
     
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  18. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks Nyota's Heart. earlybird-obi-wan and Revanfan1 for reading! I appreciate it.

    ________________________________________________________________________

    Entry 17

    We eventually arrived at an abandoned factory. Haus pulled the maglev train to the rear of the building where years ago InterCity transports would offload raw materials to fuel the area’s once thriving manufacturing industry. He locked down the train and then motioned for us to follow him inside the old, dilapidated building. Den had a look of trepidation on his face as we entered. I don’t blame him. The last time we were deep in the decrepit bowels of this city-world we were attacked by feral droids.

    For some people feral droids were simply an urban legend, a thing of fancy, but I’ve seen them and what evil they can do. Den, I-Five and I encountered a group of homicidal droids a few months back. It was believed they had their programing significantly altered either by a rogue virus or by exposure to radiation that can be found in various hotspots in the lower levels. We saw a number of sentients beheaded and tore apart by the savage droids. One room we came upon looked like the crazed droids decided to repaint the walls with their victim’s blood. I gave an involuntary shiver as I thought about it.

    Haus led us to a dark room. He flicked on the lights and as the outline of a person was illuminated we all went for our weapons. “Whoa, don’t shoot it!” Pol chuckled as he walked into the room. “It’s I-Five’s new droid body…if he likes it of course.”

    I-Five’s Artoo body bumped Den out of the way as he came through the door. “An 501-Z police droid.” I-Five said. His voice synthesizers gave his voice a reedy sound, but I thought I detected a hint of awe.

    Prefect Haus came up next to the almost two meter tall SoroSubb Corporation droid. “It’s an older model, but it is functional. I purchased it at a police auction. Our precinct was selling the older droids to make way for a newer model. The Law Enforcement transponder was removed along with all police decals from the chassis and the classified law enforcement programing has been wiped. The droids can now be reprogramed for civilian security occupations.” He turned back to I-Five. “I know it is not the I-5YQ-series protocol droid body that you wanted, but I hope you like it anyway.”

    I’m positive that if I-Five was in his Human Replicate Droid body he’d be grinning ear-to-ear. “It is perfect Prefect Haus. I am grateful.”

    A pleased sound escaped Haus. “I’m glad you like it. I think you can use it on this mission to rescue Sheel.” He motioned us over to an area with a table and chairs. Once we were all seated he began his briefing. “I discovered Sheel was on the Imperial prison barge Purge. The prisoners were disembarked on the planet Despayre. It is an Outer Rim Territory planet within the Atrivis sector. It is a terrestrial world with breathable air. It is a tropical environment with a lot of nasty indigenous creatures and plants, most of them poisonous. There are venomous flying lizards called Flit bloodsuckers, also there are Ratbats, rodent like creatures that I have been told are a staple of the prison population diet.”

    I saw Sacha make face at that comment. I guess rats are not her favorite dish.

    “There are stinging Scorpion slugs,” Pol continued. “Crab spiders as big as your hand and Virevols which are described as saber-tooth rats the size of wolves.”

    Den made a snorting noise. “Oh, is that all?”

    Haus slumped in his seat. “I know, it’s bad and I wouldn’t blame you if you backed out, but if you do go, I want you to understand all the dangers. Not only do you have to worry about the guards and prisoners, but everything on the planet.” He looked around the table expectantly. I think he thought we would bolt out of the room right about now.

    “I was being sarcastic,” Den laughed. “You should see what we had to go through to get Yimmon back. We had stormtroopers, Inquisitors, and Darth Vader. I think a stinging slug we can handle.”

    Pol gave a relieved breath. “Good.” He pulled out a datapad and pulled up a map. “This map hasn’t been updated for a few years, but I doubt much has changed on the prison planet.” He turned the datapad around so those sitting across the table from him could view it. “This shaded area on the map is the Slashtown Prison colony. There is also a shanty town nearby called Dungeontown.”

    I-Five in his Artoo body was trying to tip up on his legs to get a better look. Magash picked up the datapad and allowed I-Five to view the map before putting it back down on the table. Sacha looked over the area diagram with a grim look on her face.

    “At least there isn’t a RapeVille or an VivisectionVillage on the map.” Sacha’s voice was full of sarcasm.

    “The map hasn’t been updated for a few years,” Magash reminded her in a deadpan tone of voice. The corner of their lips curled up into twin conspiratorial grins before two women started laughing at the comment. They definitely were getting along much better than when they first met.

    “What’s the plan?” I asked Pol Haus.

    He sat up in his seat as he ran a nervous hand over one of his cranial horns. “The prison planet has requested two D-904 garbage crawlers. Those are those continuous track trash vehicles you may have seen in the city. They have droid arms that seize garbage containers, lift them up and dump the contents into a payload bay where the trash is compacted. A Whiplash operative works for the company that manufactures the vehicles. He can get you onboard the shuttle bringing the crawlers to the planet. He’ll be the pilot.” Pol Haus turned to Den. “I figure you can be the co-pilot.” He then looked back to me. “I could get you all onboard as crew, but the shuttle is normally a two man operation. That may be suspicious. We have in the past transported prisoners to these penal planets by way of civilian cargo ship. I am thinking the women can be sent in as prisoners and you as an Inquisitor.”

    I didn’t like the idea of Magash and Sacha having to go in as prisoners. “Why the women and not me?”

    Pol nervously drummed his fingers on the table. “I have been told that female prisoners have set up a system to stay alive in this mixed-gender penal colony. They either quickly hook up with a very large male that protects them in exchange for sex or they go to an area of Slashtown called ‘Sisterhood Central’. There the women have banded together for protection. Any male found wandering around in the area is overrun by a mob of women brandishing rocks, spears and other improvised weapons and immediately killed. Guards don’t even like going into that area. I don’t even know if an Inquisitor would be safe from attack. My guess is Sheel will opt to live in the Sisterhood. Magash and Sacha can look for her there while you search for her in the other areas.”

    I looked at the two women who in turn looked at each other. “What do you think?” Sacha asked Magash.

    A slight smile crossed Magash’s face. “Sisterhood Central sounds very much like some towns on Dathomir. I have no objection to going in.”

    Sacha nodded and then turned to me. “I’m in.”

    “Thank you,” Pol said gravely. “I have a old colleague working at the prison. He is not happy with his current assignment. He believes he was sent there for irritating his Imperial commander. I told him I might be able to get him orders out of there if he will help us.”

    I shook my head with apprehension. “If he isn’t part of Whiplash why should we trust him?”

    Pol gave me a weak smile. “He is an old friend and I told him the truth. I am sending in some friends to help rescue the woman I love…a women who was wrongly convicted. He doesn’t see this as an insurgent raid, just one man doing anything for love. He lost his wife recently. He knows what it is like to lose a loved one. He doesn't know I'm part of Whiplash and he’s not a rebel, but he doesn’t have a huge love for this new Empire. He is just putting in the days before retirement.” He hesitated as he looked at each of us. “I trust him, but he is one man in a big prison planet. He can’t do much, but he'll do what he can and turn a blind eye when possible.” He gazed at me intently. “If you go in as an Inquisitor, I can’t tell him you’re with me. He’d never understand why I would have a Sith friend. Inquisitors hop transports all over the galaxy. They don’t have to be on a flight roster or even pay passage. They go wherever they want. I have never seen any of my men question an Inquisitor. Just flash a red lightsaber and that is your pass into any door. Unless you run into another Inquisitor you should be able to get in and out of Despayre easily, that is if you decide to take this mission. Are you in?”

    I didn’t like working with an Imperial who wasn’t part of Whiplash or any other Rebel organization, but questionable help was better than no help at all. I heaved a big sigh before I spoke. “We’re in. Just tell us your plan to get us out.”
     
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  19. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    Hmmm. Pol is a trustworthy sort, but if he's been fooled himself or is trusting the wrong person to help, :eek: it could definitely lead to a big! problem! [face_worried] I like Jax's cautiousness and questions. Those seem valid.
     
  20. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    Looks like it's a good thing he brought the girls!
     
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  21. earlybird-obi-wan

    earlybird-obi-wan Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 21, 2006
    I like the planning and I-five in a police droid body should be handy
     
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  22. Kahara

    Kahara FFoF Hostess Extraordinaire star 4 VIP - Game Host

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2001
    Oh, so this is a vacation for them, then. :p Not even a Darth Vader in sight. (If they're very lucky.) Police droid seems like a good match for I-Five, at least on a temporary basis. He'll enjoy blowing things up.
     
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  23. Ewok_Slayer

    Ewok_Slayer Jedi Master star 2

    Registered:
    Nov 24, 2004
    Thanks. In action movies it always looks so easy to escape prisons.

    Yeah, he needs those women and I am sure they don't mind being around him.

    Yeah, I'm sure he is going to like that droid body.

    If I had a choice between a police droid chassis and an Artoo unit I would go with the police droid body. I needed a way to pry I-Five out of his HRD body.

    Thanks everybody for reading. I am sorry for the delay. Spring Break and DRL got in my way of writing.

    _______________________

    Entry 18

    Currently my team and I are on a Barloz-class medium freighter traveling to the planet Despayre. While on Coruscant we were introduced to Whiplash operative Kwan Goelth who's currently at the helm of this colossal ship. Kwan is a large, stocky human with dark skin and short curly black hair. He’s a likable young man who showed us around the ship prior to departure. The front part of the vessel housed the flight deck, cabins, galley and ‘fresher. In the rear of the freighter two enormous D-904 garbage crawlers sat in a huge cargo hold.

    Pol’s plan was simple…probably too simple. The freighter would arrive at Despayre to deliver the garbage crawlers. One crawler was functional, but the other will fail to start. The pilot and Den (acting as the copilot) would tell the prison supply personnel that they would try to fix it, but if they couldn’t get it running in a couple days they would return to Coruscant and replace the defective unit with an operational machine. This will hopefully allow the freighter to stay on planet for a few days. If the request to stay on planet was denied then they would return to Coruscant immediately and return with a functional crawler (along with the defunct crawler). Of course, the defective crawler can’t be fixed because a large section of its engine and hydraulic mechanisms were removed by Whiplash mechanics and scan shielding was installed around the void created. The space was large enough to conceal three to four people. The plan was to find Sheel and sneak her, Sacha and Magash into the crawler before its return to Coruscant. The shielding would hide their presence from Imperial scans, which are commonly performed to prevent stowaways.

    I-Five, in his new 501-Z police droid body would act as the ship’s corporate security droid. He would stay on board as back up. I would arrive to the planet disguised as an Inquisitor, but I also had prison clothing to change into once I passed through customs and security. The women were in standard orange inmate jumpsuits. Pol Haus had forged incarceration orders for them.

    Once the women are released into the general inmate population they would go to the area called Sister Central and attempt to locate Sheel. I would search through the areas occupied by men and women. We all had small communicators hidden in the heels of our boots. Once we found Sheel Mafeen we would coordinate a rendezvous point and hopefully with the help of Pol’s correctional officer friend, sneak back onto the freighter. Once inside the pilot and Den would classify the crawler as a FUBAR—fouled up beyond all repair—and depart to Coruscant to acquire a replacement.

    Hopefully the local Despayre Imperials will stay clear of Inquisitors. I have forged orders to be on the planet to search for rebel spies, but they are no help if a sharp officer decides to challenge the orders and seek confirmation. I personally thought it would be best if I arrived as another prisoner, but Pol thought somebody should go onto the planet with weapons and only Imperials or Inquisitors can do so. This mission would be so much easier if our correctional officer contact was part of Whiplash, because hiding my identity from him complicates matters. I would have to wait until the women were safely hidden inside the ship before I returned and requested passage off world.

    I have a bad feeling about this.

    Pol Haus seems to think this will be easy, but it is hard for me to believe that the Imperials can be so lax and disorganized that a strike team can walk right into a prison, free a prisoner and then take off without a fight. After all, we almost got killed liberating Yimmon.

    I looked over to Sacha and Magash. Den was on the flight deck with Kwan, but the rest of us were sitting in ship’s galley sipping caf as I recorded this entry into my datapad journal. The women were sitting at a table, whispering to each other and laughing. I’m not sure what they are talking about, but they occasionally glanced at I-Five who was admiring his reflection in the shiny metal bulkhead. He was holding a low-power stun blaster and was practicing drawing it from its holster. If police droids were capable of facial expressions I am sure I-Five would have a smug smirk on his face right about now.

    “Stop or I’ll shoot!” he said in the droid’s standard low and menacing voice. He holstered the weapon and turned to me. “I am very pleased with this new droid chassis.”

    I put down my cup of caf and gave him a sarcastic smile. “Really? I didn’t notice…other than the fact that you have been admiring your body for the last hour. I’m surprised you haven’t broken out into bodybuilding poses.”

    I-Five made a snorting noise. “Droids have no muscles to flex…just extremely strong hydraulic limbs capable of producing over five hundred kilograms of crushing force.” At that point he did go into a bodybuilder double bicep pose.

    I shook my head in disbelief. I knew this new chassis would go to his head. “Hopefully we won’t need to utilize that crushing force to escape.”

    “This should be significantly easier than our mission to break Yimmon out of Imperial custody.”

    “I hope so,” I said softly before taking another sip of caf.

    ‘I truly hope so.’
     
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  24. WarmNyota_SweetAyesha

    WarmNyota_SweetAyesha Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Aug 31, 2004
    I-5 tickles me. :) The plan sounds very workable. I just hope Jax's "bad feeling" doesn't prove to be warranted. [face_worried]
     
  25. Revanfan1

    Revanfan1 Force Ghost star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 3, 2013
    [face_laugh] I-Five!

    I hope the plan goes well, and there aren't any complications.