The Sith Order: Aspects of the Force

<<<This happens slightly before Jedi Galadriel's post, then works its way forward to where she left off. It gives an explanation of exactly how Coris managed to get the Council (finally) to let him look for Jastiss.>>>

"A Jedi is not reckless," Dur Slew said. The Jedi Master's voice and footsteps echoed off the walls of the empty Jedi Council room as he paced back and forth. "He does not crave excitement. He does not rush off into danger, heedless of the consquences his careless stunts might provoke. Are you aware of this?"

Coris, down on one knee in the center of the floor, nodded. "Yes, Master."

"A Jedi is not vain. His own compulsions and desires are irrevelant." Dur Slew performed a neat about-face when he reached the far wall before stalking back in the opposite direction. "He does not act for himself, but rather the greater good, for the benefit and well-being of all."

Another nod. "Yes, Master."

"A Jedi is not passionate. He conducts himself with dignity and poise. Never does he allow his emotions to rule his thoughts. To lose control in such a way is to invite disaster and welcome with open arms all that we have sought to avoid."

"Yes, Master."

"And yet you continue to petition to seek out Jastiss Otonna." Dur Slew stopped pacing long enough to stare at him from under hooded eyelids. "Your words and your actions contradict themselves, Knight Hakim."

Coris started to rise, a protest on his tongue, but Slew waved him back down. "Let me finish," he said sharply. After a moment's pause, the younger Jedi inclined his head respectfully and resumed his former position.

The Master continued. "It is understandable that you may find the Council's relucatance to grant permission concerning the Otonna Search somewhat discouraging. But we have substantial and prudent reasons for doing so. Do you believe as much?"

"I try my best."

"Good. Then listen well." Slew clasped his hands behind his back. "When this Karik Otonna relayed his wishes to you about finding his son, he mentioned Tatooine. Did he state any specific location on the planet where the boy might be?"

"He was dying." Coris had to work to keep the sarcasm from his voice. "He didn't have much time for details."

"But Tatooine is a world, not a mere city or province." Slew raised an eyebrow. "So you do not have knowledge of Jastiss Otonna's exact whereabouts?" He saw Coris' jaw tighten. "Would you not agree that rushing off blindly in such a way, with only the name of a planet to guide you, is somewhat impulsive?"

"It will take me only a short time to locate him. A week or two, at the very most."

"Those are weeks that we cannot afford!" Dur Slew glanced out one of the wide windows of the Council Room, at the darkening skies above. Dusk was setting into Coruscant. "With each passing day, the hostilities between the Calomians and the Republic grow worse. We need all able Jedi Knights available, not cavorting off on some wild campaign along the very fringes of the galaxy."

"I made a promise to Master Otonna."

"Is this promise more important to you than your duties as a Jedi?"

Coris remained silent.

"Your search is desperate, rash, largely unplanned, and fueled entirely by emotion and devotion to a man who has been dead for ten years." Dur Slew sighed. "Do you deny any of this, Knight?"

"No."

"Are the Council's wishes clear to you?"

"Yes."

Dur Slew nodded curtly, evidently satisfied, before turning away. "Then you will cease your efforts toward this personal crusade immediately."

"No."

Slew froze mid-rotation. His shoulders slumped slightly. He didn't try to stop Coris as he got to his feet, instead asked, "There is no dissuading you?"

Coris shook his head. "No, Master."

Another sigh. "Then all I can give you now is an offer." As the other's face suddenly brightened, something that might have been a smile pulled as the Master's lips. "We may be able to find a middle-ground. Where both you and we can be somewhat content in the results."

"I'm listening."

The smile vanished insantly, replaced once again by austerity. "You may go

 

A symbol of power.

Zalferix could feel himself floating in the dark. But not just the dark. It felt empty. It was everything that was nothing. But does that mean that it is nothing, or simply everything that exists as nothing? An intriguing paradox.

Your name...

Zalferix could feel the voice speaking to him, but he could not hear it.

A symbol of power.

Zalferix suddenly found himself among the dense foliage of the forest outside of the Sith temple. Down below, was Akira, and himself.

This was ten years ago.

"I have never seen your kind before. Do they stay mostly on your home planet?" That was Akira.

Zalferix saw his younger self shake his head. "No. I am the last of my kind."

The last of your kind...

The words of his younger self echoed in his mind.

Your name means more...

Zalferix was floating in nothingness again. "What? What does my name mean?"

A symbol of power...

Suddenly, he was laying on the floor of his quarters, with Akira standing over him.

"Master," she said coldly before turning toward the door, "you passed out."

Zalferix snapped to his feet in a half second and grabbed his head with one clawed hand. This is the first time I have gone uncounscious for over five years. I thought I mastered the process of gaining energy while still awake.

Zalferix grabbed a computer pad from a shelf and began tapping away;

KEYWORD: name origins:

Zalferix.

 

Zemai awakened gently, surprised that there had been no dreams. She felt Coris' arm across her shoulders, and his head leaning on her own. He had a light snore that told her he was sleeping just as deeply; she couldn't tell whether or not he was dreaming.

A part of her wanted to just snuggle up and go back to sleep, but she had not forgotten the voice in her head. It was absurd, of course -- she knew perfectly well what "everyone knew" about her relationship with her Master, now that she thought about it -- but maybe a little distance wouldn't be a bad thing, if people were watching. Someone had certainly gotten into her head earlier, and she didn't like that at all.

But, oh, how hard it was to pull herself out from under that comforting arm.

She finally extracted herself, making an effort not to disturb his nap, and slipped across the room to the computer terminal. There wasn't much she could do in hyperspace, communications-wise -- travel-time was disconnected, because of the space/time contortions involved in traveling faster than light -- but she could at least find out something about the world they were going to.

Tatooine.

The very name made her head spin, though she couldn't have said why. It was a fairly new colony, only recently discovered to be a planet at all -- for centuries, it had been thought a third sun. It attracted two kinds of people: decent farmers who went for the lure of inexpensive land, and gangsters who lost themselves in the desert wastes. It was not a world unknown to the Jedi -- Karik had, obviously, been there -- but it was also not one to which they paid much attention.

A holo came up. A rocky desert, with a huge, open sky hanging above it. Twin suns flirted with each other across the meridian, and the slow information crawl moved between them.

Zemai barely read it. It was the holo that fascinated her. All the open space... the suns... the sky... the spiny mountains crossing the basin of a dry sea...

She wanted to be there. She wanted to feel those suns on her face, and be surrounded by the cloudless sky. It was a purely visceral reaction.

She felt a tug at her mind.

The thread she had spun to Jastiss Otonna, which had been lying neglected in the strands of the Force, was moving, just a little. She didn't know if she was doing it, or if he was. After the horrible vision she'd had the last time, she was hesitant to pick it up... but she knew there was no letting it lie.

Gingerly, she reached for it, grabbed hold, and hoped it would guide her somewhere.

 

Coruscant?s evening sky was a deep purple. The setting sun casts an orange glow across the horizon and reflects off of the high towers that blanketed the terrain.
A sleek shuttlecraft was circling the Jedi Temple?s landing platform, awaiting clearance. Landing instructions were finally transmitted after the diplomat transport ships and their escorts had initiated their launch sequence and prepared to depart. The ships had taken their time clearing the pad. Their departure was slow and labored, as if unsatisfied with their visit and reluctant to leave. Bu leave they did, to the relief of all the security personnel guarding the platform.
The shuttle craft settled on the platform without ceremony and opened its the access doors.

Tumir Sagedust steps out of the craft and takes a long and deep breath. She had been away from Coruscant far too long, she thinks, smiling.

Continuing down the ramp, Tumir admired all the activity around her. The service droids were working diligently on the idling hovercrafts and spaceships. While the droids scurried around, repairing and refueling the crafts, the pilots patiently waiting. Some preoccupied themselves with small talk, Tumir observed, while others monitored the repairs made to their ships.

Once Tumir cleared of ramp, the shuttlecraft retracted it with the bay doors and then quickly hopped into the air. The windblast created by the craft?s exhaust has Tumir?s brown robe waving in front of her. A few long wisps of her black hair blew across her face. She absently brushed them back and tucked them into the bun on her head.
A small group of pilots that she passes look up at her, and watch, scheming. One jokingly queries the group about what trials he would need to partake in order to serve ?under? her. Another pilot answered that he was already serving under her and there was no more room at the bottom. All of the pilots laughed at this except one. The serious pilot told them rumors he had heard about Jedis having mind reading abilities and incredible tempers. Eyes wide, the silent group of pilots followed the Jedi?s procession to the temple in fearful expectation.
Security officers approached her. They had an alertness that contrasted the temple?s aura of serenity. There was tension in the air. Tumir believed that it was related to the ambassador?s visit, thinking how she was happy to have missed them. She had a general dislike for the lot of them. It had been her experience that they were self-serving, manipulative and generally not trust-worthy. She caught herself, recalling that the Jedis were once spoken of this way.

? Apologies for my transport?s hasty flight.? Tumir offers the officers, gently.? she is a surplus trader who repaid a debt by delivering me here. But pressing business affords her little time for long good-byes.?

The Jedi knight had a broad stature that upon first glance made the officers uneasy. At seven feet tall with a confident, quick stride, she was strong and very skilled in the Jedi arts. An immediate distraction to most of the males that watched her cross the platform. Her usually long flowing hair was up in a huge bun that had rods extended from it in traditionally placed row around her head.
The beauty of her face and gentleness of her voice softens one of the officer?s demeanor. He is soon, fixated on her every word. He is lost in her black lips.

? ?need to check.? the officer manages after a moment, completing a sentence that he had not started.

? We need to do a quick security scan before you can enter the temple.? Says the female officer amending her enraptured partner?s request. She was shaking her head at him in disgust as she spoke.

? of course.? Tumir agreed with a slight frown. She was disturbed by the increased security measures and in turn resented the level of fear that the Sith resurgence had caused within the Order. She had to see the council right away. The problem is bigger than I?d imagined

Tumir entered the temple half expecting there to be some sort of commotion awaiting her behind the great doors, but was happy to find t

 

up

 

<<<I?ll post the Coris part today. Hopefully I?ll get up the Akira part tomorrow.>>>

Where are you?

Coris shifted in his sleep as a little voice called out to him through the swirling currents of the Force. ?Zemai?? he murmured sleepily.

When no one answered, he opened his eyes, rocking forward into a sitting position and away from the wall. The warm presence next to him had disappeared; his apprentice had apparently left while he was napping. Coris frowned and scanned the surrounding passenger compartment. He found Zemai standing at a computer terminal.

She turned her head to look at him, sensing he was awake. He gave her a nod and a weary smile. As his apprentice went back to whatever she'd been doing, Coris leaned back against the bulkhead and watched her through half-closed eyes.

Where are you? Not here.

His eyes came completely open. That voice again.

Coris glanced at Zemai, but she seemed completely engrossed in her work. He put a hand to his temple, shook his head to clear it. What was wrong with him?

Where are you?

His mouth went dry. Not again.

His head began to pound. His breathing was choked off. Visions usually came to him slowly and painfully, and this one was no exception. The Force swirled through his mind like a lonely wind, carrying with it the voice of a young girl and a song.

Then it felt like something had exploded inside his skull. Coris? head slammed against the metal wall. He bit back a gasp. The voice whispered, the Force rippled, and the eerie melody crooned in his ears, drowning out everything. He didn?t know what the words meant. Yet they sounded oddly familiar.

Grandpa?s ill and sick in bed
Grandma sees things in her head
Uncle drinks and picks a fight
Auntie doesn't sleep at night

Coris?

I came back - you closed the door
Love lasts forever
You said that once
You've never been this way before

Coris?

I cry out in fear
But you do not appear

Coris!

Where are you?
Not here.

His vision fogged, and for a few precious seconds he caught a glimpse of a girl, golden locks cascading about her shoulders, standing in a dark, dirty street. Her eyes were red, as if she had been crying. The girl turned toward him. Her features were all too familiar.

A young Akira Hakim stared back at him through the misty air, a sad smile playing about her face. She stretched out a hand, whispered, ?Where are you, brother??

Someone lightly touched his shoulder, and the child-form of his sister evaporated in an instant. Coris jerked out of the vision to find himself back in the cold passenger compartment of the transport-ship. He looked up to see Zemai hovering over him. Her brow was furrowed, as it often was when she sensed something was amiss. ?Coris, are you all right??

?No,? he said. He ran his fingers through his hair, slowly curling his hands into fists. ?No, I?m not all right.?

The transport lurched slightly underneath them as the hyperdrive eased them back non-so-gently into real-space. Any other discussion was interrupted by the squawking voice of the co-pilot over the loud-speaker.

?Attention, passengers. We have just dropped from lightspeed and are approaching the planet Tatooine. Projected landing time: ten minutes.?

 

There was a great deal of commotion over the next ten minutes, as the settlers raced over the ship, checking their luggage and generally growing excited about the new lives ahead of them. Zemai could feel it in the air like a spring rain... not that they'd be feeling a spring rain anytime soon.

She wanted to talk to Coris about whatever was troubling him, and she thought he wanted to talk about it -- why else would he admit it was even there? -- but all the activity around them, even though their luggage consisted only of two satchels and their lightsabers, made conversation impossible. By the time the ship docked in the new city of Mos Eisley, the moment had passed.

They slipped out of the transport in the throng of settlers, not looking as out of place as they generally did. Zemai was disappointed with the city immediately -- it looked seedy and run-down, even though it was less than a hundred years old -- but she could see the mountains on the horizon, marching across the dunes, and she knew that, beyond, she would see the wild, untamed beauty of the desert. She glanced up to the sky. The suns were dancing close at this hour, and looked less like a binary system than simply a oddly elongated star, as if some great child was making pull candy from it.

Coris shouldered his satchel, and headed for the quieter edge of town. "Be alert," he said. "I don't like the looks of this place."

"You could have skipped that instruction when I was seven," Zemai muttered. "You don't need to be a Jedi to know better than to be stupid."

They made it to the outskirts of town in less than half an hour, and sat on a low wall overlooking the desert.

"We must find Jastiss Otonna quickly." Coris looked a bit agitated. "The Council has little patience for this as it is."

"An interesting virtue for the Jedi Council to lack," Zemai commented dryly. "Were they also angry with you for going, and afraid something might happen?"

"Zemai!"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Their reluctance makes me angry. Annoyed."

"Angry."

"All right. Angry. Ten years to fill a promise to a dying knight? And now, they decide you can go, but only when there's a real issue pressing that might actually require your attention, so you don't have long." She swung her legs up onto the wall, and crossed them under her. "I know, I have to conquer my anger. And it's conquered. But that doesn't make it not there."

"I suggest -- as your Master -- that you resume the fight."

That closed the subject. When Coris specified that he was speaking as a Master, he meant that she really wasn't supposed to argue with him, as opposed to simply making her arguments into questions that would challenge him. She didn't like it when he did that. It seemed to cut everything in half.

"He's not far," she said. "I can feel him."

"You could feel him on Coruscant."

"He's seeing the sun from the same angle we are."

"Ah. That's more helpful. It narrows us down to a longitudinal band." He grinned, and she returned it, and all was right for a moment.

Zemai deliberately picked up the thread she'd spun, and sought out the other end of it just as she might seek out the end of a physical thread. Jastiss Otonna... she whispered.

The answer came -- Who are you?

It wasn't focused, or trained, or even really believed, Zemai thought. It was just a thought sent out into nothingness. The mental voice was...

She couldn't place it. She liked the voice, but couldn't say why. It certainly wasn't practiced in mental communication, and she found herself completely unable to answer him in any meaningful way. She thought about herself and Coris, sitting here on the wall, and sent it out, but she had no idea if it reached him.

She worked her way toward his mind. Don't be afraid, she wished to him. I need to see as you see.

But the thread was dropped as if it had grown red hot, and Zemai only got a vague, swimming vision. A rock shaped like the anchor of a boat. Named for it, by people who had obviously been settlers from a more watery world.

"Anchorhead," she whi

 

Well I was surfing some fan film sites today when I happened to find a short fan film called The Jar Jar Binks Project. I watched it and i could not stop laughing. in it Jar Jar goes after Heather, Mike, and Josh from The Blair Witch Project only to actually see the Blair Witch and suffer the same fate and Heather, Mike, and Josh. So go see The Jar Jar Binks Project. heres the link. http://www.trailervision.com/jarlong.html http://www.trailervision.com/jarlong.html

 

?Five hundred credits for this thing?? Coris glanced at the rusted hulk of what had once been some type of land-speeder. ?What guarantee do I have that it won?t fall apart as soon as I drive it out of here??

The grubby little salesman of the rental-yard ? a local alien called a Jawa ? waved his arms and squealed indignantly. The sleeves of his robe flapped, releasing a stench into the air that would have dropped a bantha dead in its tracks. The Jedi, standing downwind of the smell, wrinkled their noses.

?I don?t care if it?s a Nova 1600! I?ve seen better speeders in the scrap-heap.?

The four-seater Nova 1600 had once been red, but months of blowing sand and grime had reduced the paint to a dull pink. It had a bubble-windshield to keep billowing dust out of the driver?s eyes and a repair kit in the back, which from the look of it had seen nearly as much use as the speeder itself. Coris went to lean on the driver?s side and the door buckled under his weight, almost dumping him to the sand. The Jawa shrieked and ran over to repair the damage.

Zemai hid a smile, whispering over the din, ?He?s right about one thing: it is delicate.?

?He?s a swindler,? Coris muttered back. ?We can get a better price for this piece of junk.?

?Too bad it?s the only transport left in the yard.?

He brushed himself off. ?Too bad this is the only yard in this territory, if what everyone around here says is true.?

The Jawa finally stopped jabbering away (it had noticed they weren?t paying it much attention), and with an air of finality, gave them a price.

Coris exploded. ?Four hundred? It?s not worth fifty!?

The two of them spent the next few minutes in negotiation. The charge was reduced to two hundred credits, which the man grudgingly paid, still grumbling. As the Jawa salesman scampered off, counting his money, the two Jedi climbed into the speeder. Coris tossed their bags into the back and examined the controls.

Zemai eyed their newly appropriated vehicle. ?Some of the masters don?t consider Force-persuasion a violation of the Code if the persuader gets the worse end of the deal,? she said.

?The Jawa was more courteous than some of the planetary diplomats I?ve had to deal with. Besides, I enjoy a challenge.? Coris gave his side of the speeder an affectionate swat. It creaked in protest. He looked over just in time to see the mortally-wounded driver?s door wobble off of its hinges and hit the sand below with an unceremonious clunk.

Zemai raised an eyebrow.

Her master propped the door back into place as best he could, shrugging as he started up the Nova?s engine. ?Well? I never liked diplomacy much anyway.?

* * *

Tatooine. So, they?ve finally arrived.

Akira sat in her darkened quarters, eyes closed, but the yellow sands of the desert were as vivid to her as they were to those actually on planet. She could almost feel the wind whipping through her hair, the hot sun on her skin. Her mouth - pressed into a thin line as she concentrated ? curved up at the corners.

It was not often that she found something that pleased her.

Almost reluctantly, she withdrew from Coris? mind and fell back into her own body. The transfer, as always, was the most draining part of the whole process; she resisted the temptation to slump back against the wall. However, the smile still remained, and she sat alone in the dark for a few moments, clinging to the sensation of a world she had never set foot upon.

Coris? mind, like most Jedi, was heavily shielded. Some areas were so well guarded that she didn?t dare go near them, much less attempt to intrude. But other areas were vulnerable and even neglected; that was the territory in which she could roam without fear of discovery. Akira knew her brother?s mind as only a twin sister could. And since he didn?t know he still had a twin sister, it made things all the easier.

Still, her interloping was exhausting. She rubbed her temples, grimacing. She had not jumped into Coris? mind simply to leech off his senses; she had been there for a reason, and there had been so much to sift through she had almost missed wha

 

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Sorry, triple post of punctuation marks. I need to be more careful.

Zemai settled herself into the passenger seat of the rickety speeder, noting with distaste that she could feel the springs beneath the seat. The engine was thumping as Coris piloted the monstrosity out of town. They'd been given vague instructions to Anchorhead -- "Beyond the Jundland wastes, somewhere to the west" -- and beyond that, they would need to trust the Force to guide them.

The Force, and Jastiss Otonna.

Who wasn't responding.

The rock face of a mountain loomed ahead of them. The speeder would never make the straight ascent, so Coris sought out a road that took them up a winding pass. Zemai lost sight of Mos Eisley entirely. She was in the wilderness, surrounded by stunning rocks of red and gold. Above, the suns had split again, and they cast strange dual shadows across the desert floor.

Around them, Zemai could feel tiny creatures in the niches in the rock. She had never been able to sense animals before, and she was intrigued by them. Their minds were so clear, their needs so simple...

Why am I sensing them? What is it about this place?

She glanced at Coris. He didn't seem to be sensing anything strange, but it was hard to know.

"What is it, Zemai?" he asked, going around a hairpin curve toward the summit.

"Do you feel... " she didn't know how to put it. "...all the life here?"

"In the desert?"

"On this world."

"In the desert." He shook his head. "It feels like many other worlds to me, Zemai. Perhaps dustier. Tell me what you sense."

A bird flew high over head, and in a cave in the rocks, a mammal of some sort was feeding her babies. "Everything," Zemai whispered.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 03-11-2000).]

 

Galactic city stands ever majestic even in these dark times as the republic engages in warfare with the Calmonian empire. Citizens from all across the core worlds feel their anxieties and fears manifest as their loved ones, who are members of the armed forces, ship off to do battle with their enemies. Vast worlds in many of the different systems make complaints about the hastiness of their declaration of war to many of their sectorial senators who represent the illustrious senate. The senators, in turn, have a duty to represent the citizens from their many different worlds in whatever they wish, that will ensure peace and prosperity in the republic. So far, sessions within the Senate has doubled, due to the very nature of the topic at hand . . . WAR! The senate building stands tall and imposing to the other buildings and skyscrapers surrounding it. It?s almost dome shape gives the ground a large, very cooling shade that covers most of the building area.

It is within this ancient hall of government that we find many senators and other dignitaries from more than a hundred different worlds trying to catch their collective breaths as the war with the Calmonians goes into high gear. Many discussions are made to gather more information regarding what the members of the Galactic Senate must do to keep the morale of the citizens together during this most difficult time. Some of the more candid discussions involved what would happen should the enemy gain the upper hand and their way of life is in danger of being snuffed out.

This scene has the look of an open market crowded with folks trying to make their way through, looking as though they are either buying, selling or creating a new business venture. It is with this that a lone figure makes his way past the crowd, obviously in a hurry to his destination. As he past, the other Senate members and curious onlookers speak in an almost secret whispers as if this young man is bringing news of death itself. He stops at a large double door at the end of the hall where he is checked by the Senate guards robed in shining blue armor, standing ever vigilant on their respective post. With his identification being correct, they allow him to proceed inside as the large doors slide open to find a conference room occupied by twelve beings sitting in a round black marble table. They are involved in a heated discussion of their war with the Calmonians. Almost all of them were high ranking members of the Senate, including the Supreme Chancellor Nathor E?yan.

E?yan was a tall thin, grey haired man whose features suggest that he was neither too young nor too old for his position as Chancellor. He has the look of indecisive man who timid nature is sorely out of place in this type of aggressive arena. He always seem to look worried and nervous as his brown eyes look for those who can help stabilize his authority.

Senator Miv?ki Ress, elder representative of the sovereign system of Ord Mantell is a large stocky alien humanoid with a strong sense of fairness when it comes looking at things from both sides.

Senator Yallig?el, who represents the system of Zenin is a tall, light green alien who is proud and boastful in his declaration that his world holds the true civilized culture. Despite his vanity, he is perhaps the most sympathetic to the oppression of the weak.

Hy?vein Da?or is the Senator of the system of Bespin. His fair skin and medium build gives him a very unassuming form. Clearly a case of not judging a book by its cover as he is always involved in the debates and loves to have an opinion of things that the republic can gain by pursuing. He is aggressive and ambitious, as he continues to climb the chain of command to become what he is now, the Director of the Republic?s Administration.

Balvis ki-Tim. is a blue skinned alien humanoid Senator of the M?ordred system. He was the second one to make the case to go to war with the Calmonians. He is a member who always favored the expedition of the military. Shrewd, cunning, but a great

 

Cool! Sounds interesting, I might go check it out.

 

Hi all
The Jar Jar Binks Project is kinda cute but I personally think The Droid Project is better. I'm currently hosting it at Force Flicks because I don't think it is available from the original source right now.

You can check it out at http://www.forceflicks.com/fanfilms/droidproject.mov http://www.forceflicks.com/fanfilms/droidproject.mov
Quicktime File, 1.28 M

-sh4rk
----------------
Force Flicks
Your source for Star Wars fan films and more! Got Force? We Do. http://www.forceflicks.com/ http://www.forceflicks.com/

[This message has been edited by sh4rk (edited 03-13-2000).]

[This message has been edited by sh4rk (edited 03-13-2000).]

 

Despite its condition, the Nova 1600 actually made good time, and if one was able to ignore the constant rattling and clanking noises coming from the engine, the trip went fairly quickly. However, the Nova was no luxury vehicle, and not even the air rushing by the speeder could offer any salvation from the heat of Tatooine's twin suns. Coris had long since shed the heavy settler's coat he'd worn on the transport - to keep a low profile, they'd left their Jedi robes back on Coruscant - and was driving with his shirt-sleeves rolled up to the elbows, eyes narrowed against the sun.

Zemai was staring out at the rocky landscape as it raced by. They had two canteens of water with them. She held one in her hand and passed it to Coris occassionally when the dust and grit billowing up around the speeder became too much. But they never spoke to each other again; the journey was done in silence.

It was surprising that when the attack came, neither of them had felt it coming.

He was mentally calculating how much farther it was to Anchorhead when he sensed it: a tremor in the Force. It was nothing more than a murmur, a whisper in the vast sea of sand around them, but his hands instinctively gripped the controls of the Nova more tightly. Coris' eyes flicked over surrounding the crags and rugged folds of the Jundland Wastes. "Zemai," he began. He saw his apprentice look over at him.

Then the ground seemed to errupt out from under them.

One moment the Nova was coasting along semi-smoothly. Then something smashed into the left side with unbelievable force and the speeder was sent careening away, tumbling end over end. It was in mid-rotation when gravity finally reasserted itself; the nose was the first thing come down, digging in and flinging the rest of the vehicle up into the air.

Coris barely managed to grasp the Force in time to keep himself from going through the speeder's wind-shield; he didn't have time to think as far ahead as what was waiting for him once he hit the ground. Then he was there, and thinking was out of the question.

The impact was hard enough to knock the wind out of him, and he'd been ready. He found he couldn't move. His arm was twisted awkwardly beneath him. He tried to prop himself up with his other one, but something heavy was on top of him, pinning him on his chest, face down. He couldn't raise his head. Breathing was nearly impossible. He felt like he was being crushed.

He'd been buried alive. He was suffocating to death

Had it been ten years before, he might have felt panic. But now there was only cool calculation. Coris kept calm and forced himself to think. As soon as he'd been flung out of the speeder, he must have been blanketed almost immediately by the thick layer of sand kicked up from the crash.

What had happened to Zemai?

Stretching out with the Force, he used it like a shovel, clearing away the space above his head. He struggled upward with a strength born of desperation. When his head broke the surface, he gasped, not being able to fill his oxygen starved lungs fast enough. Then he took stock of his situation.

Despite his efforts, he was immersed up to his shoulders. It was difficult to move - there was nothing to brace himself against or hold onto. It was like trying to stand up in water. Coris grimaced. He'd managed to free one of his arms, but the other was still not responding very well to his mind's commands. Dislocated, most likely. That would only complicate things.

A slight tug with the Force and something popped out of the ground close to his liberated hand: his lightsaber. Wrapping his fingers around it, the Jedi whipped his head around, searching with both eyes and the Force for his Padawan. He yelled her name, but his voice was drowned out by a different sound: an ear-splitting roar.

He twisted at the sound... and froze.

A huge, scaled creature lumbered toward him, kicking aside the nearby overturned Nova 1600 with frighening ease. Three horns protruded from the reptile's massive head: two over the eyes, one on the forehead. A range of spikes trailed down its back. Long

 

Darn it! It keeps saying connection lost or something or other!

~ga

 

.

 

.

 

Olan Tennaris haf ran, half slid down a large sand dune as he saw the Krayt Dragon galloping at break neck speeds across the arid waste land, intent on capturing the prey it head smelled only seconds before.

Olan knew they were there, too, but not by the same means as the giant lizard.

The two-- they were humans, he had felt that right away-- were speeding along the desert in a speeder, in search of someone.

The force had told him that, and he was sure of another thing.

They were Jedi, or at least close to it.

A loud crunch of metal twisting and grinding against itself caused Olan to run up to the cliff that lead into the Canyon.

Down below was the huge kray dragon, panting heavily as it watched the speeder roll to a stop nearly ten meters away from it.

He could see one of them, a man, trapped up to his chest in a pile of sand that had most likely been dumped on him in a small avalanche as the krayt dragon shook the surrounding area with its enormous bulk.

The other, which he knew was around there somewhere, was nowhere to be seen.

Olan had to act fast, or both of them would be spending the rest of their lives in the gullet of the foul beast.

Olan jumped from the cliff, and landed as softly as he could in the sand at the bottom. The krayt had its back facing him, and was intent on finding the prey it had seen earlier.

With a loud cry, Olan grabbed his saber from his pouch, and let the blade spring forth.

The gargantuan beast swung around and bellowed at Olan.

The Old Jedi winced, but held his ground. Krayt dragons were fierce, but not too smart. A disability he would have to capatilize on.

Olan looked to his left, and saw a large group of boulders piled up at the top of the canyon wall. The had been moved up there after a land slide had left the canyon impassable.

The krayt dragon was getting invariably closer, mesmerised by something.

His lightsaber.

Olan glanced quickly down at his saber, then back at the lizard.

Quickly, Olan locked the trigger stud in the on position, and flung it over to a spot underneath the rocks.

The dragon almost obidiently followed the glowing blade over to the spot, and bent over to sniff it. After a moment, it looked back at Olan and bellow in rage.

The Jedi didn't give it time to attack.

Olan jerked on the rocks using the force, and they came tumbling down on the krayt dragon, knocking it to the ground, and leaving it unconscious.

Olan heaved a sigh of relief, and quickly ran up to the man stuck in the sand. He pulled him free, and noticed quickly that his arm was hanging limp in an odd position.

At least he still had an arm.

Olan had lost his in an unfortunate saber battle years before. He practically had to retrain in the arts of the lightsaber to learn to ue it in his left hand.

The Jedi stood, and dusted himself off with his one good hand. "Thank you, knight-" he paused, as he looked at Olan's reaction to see if he had used the right word.

Olan smiled. "You're welcome, knight." He then glanced to his left. "The other, I think she's that way," he said, pointing to the left.

The other nodded, and the they set off to look for her.

It didn't take too long to find her. She was laying, unconscious, on the stone floor.

Olan kneeled over and checked her pulse. "She'll be okay, but I think we should take her into town and have her checked." He glanced at the other's arm. "You too."

The knight extended his one good arm. "My name is Coris Hakim, and my companion here is Zemai Laryhi. I thank you again for your service."

Olan grasped his hand and shook it. "Greetings," he said, "I am Olan Tennaris, and I pretty much live out here alone, except for Jastiss." Coris seemed to be shocked by the name. "What?" he asked, "do you know Jastiss?"

 

Goel-
Are you talking about The Droid Project or The Jar Jar Binks Project?

-sh4rk
------------
Force Flicks - http://www.forceflicks.com/ http://www.forceflicks.com/

 

She felt herself thrown down into nothingness, the scream of a wild beast echoing in her ears. She had time to think, Yeah, sure, so much for feeling the feelings of the fuzzy little animals, and then the cold darkness took her.

In the emptiness, she heard agonized groans and whispered regrets. She could feel the Dead, hovering near her

Where is... but you are... the girl... you must...

Far off, she could feel an eddy of energy coming toward her. Above, she could see the light of a thin thread, coming down to her.

You MUST... must...

The thread shimmered, grew brighter, became a brilliant star.

Then two brilliant stars.

You cannot leave us... you are... the girl... the carrier of...

STOP IT! her mind screamed into the mists. I will not.

You must... you are...

She heard voices now, soft, distant, and two figures appeared against the two stars, shadows on the sky. She couldn't reach up to them, couldn't...

But the thread grew brighter and brighter, and then she heard

" -- know Jastiss?"

She blinked and opened her eyes. Coris was standing above her, a bit concerned, but not terribly; he sensed her well enough to know when she wasn't badly hurt. Beside him was another knight, a knight in dusty clothing, with only one arm.

She thought she might have seen him once before, in a memory that wasn't her own.

She swam up to consciousness. "Coris?" she said.

Her Master looked at her. "Are you all right?"

"Headache. Your arm is hurt."

The other knight nodded. "I'll take you both to be examined in Anchorhead."

"We need to see Jastiss first."

The man raised an eyebrow. Zemai couldn't tell what he was feeling; it was a strange and confusing mix of things. One of them, certainly, was wariness. "Where do you know Jastiss from?"

"We were sent for him," Zemai said. And then, not knowing why, she held out her ring for him to see.

[This message has been edited by JediGaladriel (edited 03-14-2000).]

 

Zemai held a hand up, bringing her ring into view. The purple jewel that Karik Otonna had given her glittered in the sun. Coris saw Olan?s features go rigid as he caught sight of it. ?You know Karik?? he asked.

?I? we both knew Jastiss? father, yes.? Coris nodded.

The openness in the Tatooine Jedi's face evaporated, leaving only an stolid mask of apathy behind. "Jastiss' father," he repeated icily.

Seeing he had tread upon dangerous ground, Coris changed the subject. "We need to speak with Jastiss. As soon as it is possible."

Olan frowned. "The Jedi Council has no business here. If they have sent you, tell them this is outside their jurisdiction. Jastiss and I have done nothing wrong. They will leave us in peace."

"This has nothing to do with the Jedi Council," Coris cut him off. There was a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"It's a private matter," Zemai interjected. She was watching Olan, gauging his reaction.

"Jastiss is out," he said vaugely. "You've come at a bad time."

Coris turned his head away and focused on the surrounding desert. His eyes closed. His good arm went out, the palm facing up. As Olan and Zemai watched, Coris drew in a deep breath and slowly curled his fingers into a fist. A moment later, something burst out of the sand a few meters to their right, sailing toward them. Opening his eyes, Coris deftly caught the flying objects out of the air. He held it up for Olan to see. Zemai smiled faintly.

Their travel bags.

Handing Zemai her satchel, Coris gave his a good shake. Something rattled inside. ?I've come to give Jastiss something," he said. "We need to see him."

The older Jedi's head wagged back and forth. "You must be treated at the med-center first."

?We won?t be able to reach Anchorhead in time before sunset." The other gestured at the horizon with one hand. The light around them was already dimming. Dusk was fast approaching. ?And everyone around here has told us the Jundland Wastes are no place to be after dark.?

?But your arm, it needs to be set.?

Coris glanced over at his apprentice. Zemai, understanding what had to be done, stepped over and gripped his arm at the wrist and elbow. With a quick twist - aided slightly by the Force - she pushed the dislocated bone easily back into place. Coris? face twitched. ?It should be sore for a few days,? he said after a moment, rotating the arm gingerly. ?Thank-you, Zemai.?

She nodded, then glanced back in the direction from which they?d come. ?Master, the krayt dragon is waking up.?

A low growl rumbled over the desert sands, following by the sound of shifting and breaking rocks. The three Jedi stared at each other. Olan seemed to make up his mind. ?Come on.? He began to jog off over the dunes. ?My speeder is this way. You two can stay with me tonight. Tomorrow, I?ll take you to Anchorhead.?

 

?We... are the children of the Dark Side, with pure rage and hatred as our trait and full-fledged aggression as the essence of our soul. The Sith, my beloved disciples, is a brotherhood unlike any other in the whole of the universe. Ours is an order whose wealth lay in the path of knowledge and acquisition of power. To covet power should be your ultimate goal, no matter what the cost. To hold and command disciples of your own should be ingrained deep within your most private of thoughts.
Many will tell you, that The Sith is synonymous with evil, cruelty, horror and most of all... death. They see us a vile ?cult?, if you will, dedicated only to the subjugation of all sentient beings. I tell you now, that those words could not be any further from the truth. For beyond the simple minded prejudices of the lesser beings, lies a deep history. One filled with tales of nobility, honor...and most importantly , power !?


The words of the Sith Master Mu?alan Isis rings strong inside the dark caverns of her temple. Where she is now teaching certain basic lessons of history to her disciples. The disciples, twelve in all, sit and listen attentively to their dark mistress as she speaks in her sensuous gravel voice. Her glowing jade green eyes is fixed on each of her students as explains more on the history of their order. The powers of the Dark side flow smoothly through her as walks slowly pass each of her disciples. She is thankful to Seth Shadel for finding and inviting her into the Sith. In all her years as a Jedi Knight, Mu?alan never once dreamed of what power awaits her nor the skills that she will eventually pass on. It is almost as if this is where she had always belonged.

She is soon interrupted by one of her servants who runs into the chamber. He is breathing heavily but he composes himself long enough to knell down in front of his master to bring her news of an incoming transmission. She senses the fear in his thoughts. That could only mean that it is maybe one of her fellow council members or the Lord Shadel himself. Mu?alan dismisses her class as she walks past the still kneeling servant, on her way to her private quarters. She uses the fear and anxieties of the servant to make her stronger. A wicked smile escapes her face as she continues to walk through the dark catacombs of her hidden lair. It is as Seth Shadel had always taught her,

? Embrace the fear of any who would gaze upon you. For it shall make you powerful !?

Powerful is exactly what she had become and Mu?alan knows that at this point , she will do anything to keep it. The Sith order will flourish as long as they keep the concept of power denied was power wasted. Lord Shadel has gone through great lengths to instruct her on that one key point..it is something that she must not forget She reaches her quarters and quickly steps on to a small platform in the middle of the room. The platform lights up and a small humming sound is heard before, not one, but two holographic images appears before her. It is the image of her fellow council members Oby?ell Magnus and Ryel Kirasis. Sith Master Magnus stands tall but his face is somewhat somber while Sith master Kirasis looks on as Magnus finally addresses his ally.

? Greetings, Mu?alan Isis. I bring you urgent news from Lord Shadel.? He says in a hollow almost echo tone, ? We are instructed to send some of our students to the Pelos and Golean system to ambush the Jedi Knights who will be stationed there.?

? I will begin to deploy my disciples accordingly, Master Magnus.? She replies, ? The Golean system is closer to me. I will send six of my students there by the morrow?s eve.?

? Half of my apprentices are already on their way to Pelos.? Ryel Kirasis says, ? The Jedi Council has sent their best knights to help the Republic in the fight against our brother Rimar?s empire. I like our chances. The feeble Republic?s forces have been caught totally off guard giving us the element of surprise against the Knights, they do not believe we are involved in this conflict.?

? Master Tati'an Arel has just arrived on Calm

 

Yay, main plot stuff... alas, I'm not in on it, so back to the desert...)
---------
Zemai was quiet in the speeder as the one-armed knight slipped them through the desert twilight. She still felt strangely... aware of everything, despite having missed the krayt dragon. This was a place of power.

She nestled herself against Coris' good arm (she'd been trying to subtly use the Force to help knit up the muscles in the bad one; she did so frequently, and Coris just thought he was a quick healer, but she was tired, and it wasn't going well), glad for the warmth of her Master next to her. It wasn't just that the heat was fading quickly; the dream she'd had unconscious had been troubling to her. More and more, her dreams and visions were turning frightening, and Coris was the only anchor she had.

They're going to take him away from you soon, a voice in her head told her, in a light, conversational tone. And he'll be relieved. Just wait and see. He'll be glad to be rid of you in the end.

Zemai waited for it to continue, wondering if it was the outside voice that had been intruding on her lately, or just her own nervous mind clicking into overdrive.

Something had to happen, and soon. She couldn't stay where she was.

But she was terrified of going forward. Whenever she looked into her own future, she saw only the roiling clouds of a dark storm, and no way through them.

Perfect. So just learn to stop time right here in this speeder, and you'll be happy forever. Shouldn't be any problem for such a bright and talented girl...

Zemai wished it before she could stop herself, but it didn't matter; time went on.

It was a long trip to wherever Olan was taking them. Her head still hurt. The motion of the speeder was comforting. For a little while, perhaps time didn't stop, but she drifted above it, in a semi-doze, as the night fell across the desert.

She didn't really feel the speeder stop, and Coris hadn't had time to wake her up before the new voice came into her consciousness.

Only it wasn't a new voice, nor was it a new presence.

For a moment, the circle of her full life spun before her in a perfect, standing ring. Through half-lidded eyes, she could see a boy against the moon, and she felt a strange shift in the Force -- not merely in her own life, but in some cosmic stream in which her life was merely a pebble -- that she didn't understand. She reached out mentally toward Coris and the Olan, but neither of them seemed to be noticing it.

Then Jastiss Otonna spoke again. "So, where'd you pick up these strays?"