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

The Sith Order: Aspects of the Force

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction Stories--Classic JC Board (Reply-Only)' started by Lord Sith, Feb 6, 2000.

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  1. Loka Hask

    Loka Hask Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1999
    Ballis didn't like this, not one bit.

    As they trudged up to the newly constructed building in the middle of anchorhead, the female sith glanced sideways at her partner, a blue-haired human known simply as Karn. No last name, no history, no surprises.

    Anchorhead was bathed in darkness as the two trudged up the front steps, which were made of sandstone.

    Big surprise, Ballis thought bitterly as she stopped at the heavy front gates.

    Karn lifted one leather gloved fist and pounded on the door, and let the sound echo throughout the premises within.

    Ballis thought about Lord Zalferix. He was smart, she knew that, but she still couldn't figure out why she, Karn, and three others were sent to this dustball of a planet simply to delegate with a Hutt. She also had a sneaking suspicion that he had a secret agenda. Her proof was something that even startled her when she found out- she could feel the presence of other force users on this planet. And not just any force users, but Jedi. Fully trained Jedi.

    Suddenly, the metal doors swung open, and a tall and noble looking bothan laid his eyes apon them. "Yes," he hissed, crossing his arms.

    Ballis looked at Karn again. He was just standing there, his arms crossed also.

    Ballis narrowed her eyes and allowed the hood she was wearing to cast a shadow over her face. "We are here to see Grenda the Hutt."

    The Bothan's nostrils flared. "Indeed," he motioned inside. "We have been expecting you."

    * * *

    Jastiss Otonna leaned against the speeder and inspected the two figures laying half asleep in the back. It was dark, so he couldn't see them too well, but he could see the large wound on the woman's forehead, and imagined that there was something wrong with the man, too.

    He glanced quickly at Olan. "What happened?"

    Olan jumped out of the speeder and helped the man out. "Krayt Dragon," he said simply, grunting slighly as he took on the man's full weight with his one arm.

    Jastiss' eyes widened. "You've got to be kidding me."

    Olan shook his head as he neared the residence. "Nope. Charged their speeder from the side. Had to dump a bunch of rocks on its head."

    Jastiss smiled slightly and shook his head. That's Olan, he thought, helping the woman step out of the speeder, always on top of things.

    Jastiss flicked the light on his bedroom and helped the woman limp through it and helped her lay down on his bed. "You'll have to excuse the mess," he said, smiling, "I wasn't expecting for our house to turn into a med unit until tomorrow."

    In the darkness Jastiss could see her smile. Jastiss narrowed his eyes and tried to look at her harder. Something seemed familiar.

    Suddenly, Jastiss gasped. It can't be...

    In a flash, Jastiss jumped up and activated the glow panels. There, laying on the bed, was the girl he thought never existed.

    [This message has been edited by Loka Hask (edited 03-19-2000).]

    [This message has been edited by Loka Hask (edited 03-19-2000).]
     
  2. GENERAL RIKKAN

    GENERAL RIKKAN Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Apr 28, 1999
    The atmosphere of the planet Agani is alighted with thunderous sounds of blaster pulse fire and exploding ships. From every conceivable angle, ships and fighters are darting around in a violent dogfight out in space. The Calmonian swarm of fighters are swooping furiously at the Republics naval squadron of the Coven of Witches. The Coven?s fighters are flying in an erratic, evasive manner but they are, to the dismay of the Calmonians, still on the offensive. Blasting enemy fighters from the skies as the pieces fly by the cockpit quickly, the Coven continue on their assault of the small range fighters while their massive cruisers engage the equally larger battleships of the Calmonians. Two Coven fighters dart upward in front of an enemy battleship and blaze by at top speed,

    ? Will you tell me, how in the Hell are we supposed engage these battleships at point blank range ?!? Bellows Winsar Belas into his comlink, ? In case you didn?t notice, we haven?t exactly finished our battle with these Calmonian snub fighters !?

    ? I am quite aware of our current dilemma, First Witch !...? Nigel Windrider yells back into his comlink as his fighter speeds through another faction of enemy fighters. The pulse blast explodes very close to his cockpit window as the commander maneuvers with steel will and determination, ?...But we need to try to occupy the attention of the battleships in order to free up our cruisers so they can make the jump into hyperspace !!?

    ?Oh, this is gonna be fun !? Winsar yells into his comlink, ? Fifth and Sixth Witches, I need some assistance ! Cover our @ss, while we move on to this Battleship on the left flank , Third Witch, are you ready ?! Lets kick it into high gear !?

    ? I?m right behind you, First Witch !? A gruff voice replies loudly from out of Winsar?s comlink.

    Winsar Belas grabs the steering and pushes the thrusters sharply to the left. The two starfighters banked in response, shooting past some of the enemies fighters. The loud pulse fire erupts as the two Witches flies towards the sides of one of the huge Calmonian battleships. Cannon fire is seen in a attempt to shoot down Winsar and his companion, but the small range fighters is two quick for the bulky cannons to find their targets. Meanwhile, other fighters are seen fighting in a violent ballet of ariel maneuvers. The Calmonians snub fighters still have the advantage of numbers but they are steadily dwindling, due to the expert fighter piloting of the Coven Of Witches.

    ? We got three enemy fighters coming in at point two, six !? One pilot shouts into his comlink,

    ? Tenth and Eleventh Witches, pull in !? another voice is heard through the comlink as the two Coven fighters quickly swoop down upon their foes and effortlessly destroys them.

    ? Thanks, Tank!? one pilot sighs into his comlink, ? I owe you big for this one !?

    ? Nice shooting, Tank !? Another voice is heard through pilot?s comlink

    The battle rages onward with neither fighters giving any quarter to the other. Several enemy ships are seen speeding towards a lone Coven fighter flying past the underbelly of one of the battle cruisers .

    ?I got the Seventh Witch in my sights and he?s in trouble !? yells one of the pilots as he sees the drama unfolding through his cockpit window. A voice is heard loud through his comlink,

    ? Where is he at and how many are on him ?!?

    ? Point three, five,... over to the right ! I see about three fighters moving quickly towards him.. I don?t know if I can get there in time !? The pilot yells as the voice in the comlink immediately cuts him off,

    ? Don?t worry ! We got the Ninth and Thirteenth Witch en route to him. We need be cautious because Warlock wants us to be ready to make our run at the battleships ! Right now, try to move into position !?

    ? Affirmative !?

    As the Seventh Witch flies by, the three Calmonian ships are met by the two Coven fighters as they sweetly intercepts the enemies from killing their ally. As the fight moves on more crowded territories, The Coven of Witches is slowly moving into position to get in the faces of the Large Calmon
     
  3. The Rover

    The Rover Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 28, 1999
    The dark corridors of Grenda the Hutt's palace is a maze of confusion and decadence. Many life forms, imprisoned for defiance to the will of the notorious Hutts, look with shocked curiosity at the two mysterious beings being escorted by the Bothan aid. As they pass many cavernous passages leading to main audience chamber, the loud cries and moans of pain and suffering is heard clearly in the ears of the two Sith emissaries. The dark warriors do not show the slightest interest in the sounds being heard, there are focused on delivering the message for their master, Zalferix. The Bothan aid speaks on how it is a pleasure to meet members of the famous Sith order, trying to win the confidence of his master's guest. The two emissaries doesn't give any emotional response to his silver tongued rambles for they sense the growing fear in him. They walk silently as he speaks knowing that the fear that he projects, will strengthen them both and sweeten their thirst for more power.

    As they come around a corner they see the main audience chamber of Grenda the Hutt. It is crowded with many aliens, both humanoid or otherwise, engaging in either small talk or entertaining themselves in other things. The many beings who fill the chamber represents a vast array of scum and villainous creatures, each with a history of vile decadence to offer. The pleasures that the house of Grenda brings to its guests is vast in either its carnal delights or its financial treasures. Many of the beings who dwell there partake in either one or both. The smell of freshly roasted meat hangs high in the air as the two hooded robed Sith emissaries slowly enter the chamber. Despite the barbaric revelry present, all eyes turn to stare at the new visitors to their house of pleasure. The two Sith still doesn't betray the slightest emotional response to the watchful eyes of these ?lesser' beings. They both continue to walk slowly until they stop in the middle of the audience chamber.

    The Bothan aid walks up to the small platform where the master of the house Grenda the Hutt is sitting conducting business with a unknown alien. He whispers a couple of words into his master's side, as Grenda's eyes suddenly shift over to the two dark emissaries standing still and silent a couple of paces in front of him. The massive slug motions to the regulars in his palace throne room to keep silent as the Bothan now speaks out loud

    " Mighty Grenda, I present to you, Ballis and...Karn, is it ?" he speaks in a tone broken up by his lack of properly identifying the Sith warrior. He looks in his direction as the dark warrior slowly nods his hood in response to him getting his name right at the least, " Members of the illustrious order of the Sith.

    The sound of Grenda the Hutt's words is as grotesque as his appearance. A true slug, whose opulence would sicken the strongest of stomachs if gazed upon long enough. He speaks in the native huttese as the Bothan acts as a translator,

    "Bas keen nafta gulla nafta uraa tee tai tei.... Kusolu- bar manatukei"

    " The mighty Grenda the Hutt welcomes you to his home. He did not expect for you to arrive so soon."

    The female Sith pulls back her hood to respond, " We are honored to dwell in your presence, Grenda. I am Ballis and my associate next to me is called Karn. We represent our Master, Zalferix, member of the Sith High Council. We deliver a message of great importance from our high Council chief, Lord Seth Shadel !"

    The Bothan speaks in huttese to his master translating the words of Ballis, in which the Hutt quickly responds,

    " Hy-shu kataa lagunee borru wushu sith na fee nee kai ta va... si nipo len ti ma Seth Shadel fulana meng da. Si gunava etei ulima ga fa nu too"

    " My lord Grenda the Hutt says that the Sith is known and feared throughout the galaxy and that the name of Seth Shadel is almost legendary. He is pleased to offer any assistance to his cause."

    "Our Lord Shadel knows that, as Senator for the Outer Rim territories, you were recently dismissed from the Senate !" Ballis says in a loud voice that fills the silent throne room as
     
  4. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Zemai smiled. She'd never met anyone who was Force-sensitive enough to pick up on her, but too completely untrained to understand what he was picking up on. Jastiss Otonna was plainly surprised.

    "Hello, Jastiss," she said. "I'm glad to meet you finally. In person, at any rate."

    "You're real..."

    "I wish I weren't real. My head wouldn't hurt as much."

    For a minute, he blinked owlishly, then he smiled, and reached into a cupboard beside the door. He came up with a cold compress, and handed it to her.

    "Thank you," she told him, pressing it to the rapidly swelling bruise on her head. "It wasn't your imagination. I was talking to you. We wanted to come years ago -- Coris and I did -- but... well, that's a long story, and I don't really know all of it. I'm just a padawan." She opened her mouth to tell him why they were looking for him -- it should have been the most natural thing in the world -- but closed it again when she remembered the tight set of Olan's jaw when she'd shown him the stone. Karik Otonna was not likely to be a welcome subject in this house, and she didn't want to be unwelcome just yet.

    Jastiss must have picked up on her hesitation, because an irritated squint crossed his features like a fast moving stormcloud. He regained his former demeanor quickly, or at least got control of the irritation. "Look," he said, "there aren't a lot of reasons people from the Jedi Temple would come looking for me. Maybe there are more reasons for Olan, but if it's me you're looking for, it has something to do with -- " He didn't say it. "You may as well just tell me."

    Zemai shifted uncomfortably. With training, she thought, Jastiss would be able to accomplish just about anything he wanted to. She was known for being able to block her mind -- she had blocked it from the Sith Masters at the age of eight! -- but he had picked up everything (albeit with the help of deductive reasoning) within minutes.

    She dropped the act. "I wouldn't trust it right away either," she said. "In fact, I didn't. Open your mind, Jastiss Otonna. I will take you on my own journey, and you may judge it as you please."

    She sent her thoughts out powerfully, beginning with an image she suspected Jastiss would recognize: Karik, on a rampage in the Temple, kidnapping her and dragging her toward the Sith transport.

    She felt him fight the connection for a moment -- a natural response -- but then he let her in. She showed him the battle for escape at the Temple, then Karik's strange return from the dead, with the new light burning behind his eyes, and the ability to heal Coris of his mortal wounds. She showed him Karik giving her the jewel she wore. She showed him dying an honorable death, in order to save a life.

    "Stop it!"

    She pulled back immediately. Overload would not be helpful. "I'm sorry, Jastiss," she said. "But I knew of no better way to tell you the story. Judge it as you will. I didn't trust it at first, either."

    "Does it occur to you that even if I believed it, there may be some things it can never make up for?" He turned out the light and left.

    Zemai sat alone in the darkness.

    Perhaps she had moved too quickly.
     
  5. RogueLead11

    RogueLead11 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 1999
    It was not yet dawn when Coris opened his eyes.

    Blinking away sleep-sand, he rolled over onto his side, letting his senses awaken at their leisure. He was lying on a mattress on the floor, in a room that seemed to be the kitchen. Even in the dim light, he could make out some sort of food preparation units (somewhat out of date) in one corner. Everything looked neat and tidy.

    Coris sat up and slowly rotated his arm. It was slightly better, he noted, still a bit reluctant to move quickly or in certain directions, but at least he could use it again. All he needed was to be lame. That would put a capper on the positively wonderful week he?d been having thus far.

    The surrounding house was silent. Everyone was apparently still in bed. Coris scanned the area long enough to pinpoint Zemai?s location and check up on her before getting to his feet. A cool breeze wafted through a nearby window as he pulled on his coat ? his bag had been placed next to the mattress for safekeeping ? and padded out into the hall. The door opened for him at his approach. Soundlessly, he slipped outside into the night.

    Tatooine was still cloaked in darkness when he emerged from the hut. He climbed up a nearby dune, managing it fairly well despite the slippery terrain, and posted himself at the top. It was a perfectly clear night. He sat back, propped up on one elbow, legs outstretched - for once putting aside the noble composure the Jedi Council loved so much ? staring up at the sky.

    Would it be ever possible, Coris wondered idly as his eyes roamed the twinkling stars, to see them all? To spend his years seeing the galaxy. He would be carefree. Unburdened. Liberated.

    It was hardly a realistic notion, more a pipe dream than anything worth actual contemplation. Coris had never regretted becoming a Jedi. He never would.

    But sometimes?. just sometimes, he liked to indulge himself and think of what it would have been like if things had been different. If he hadn?t been Coris Hakim, Jedi Knight, brother of Akira Hakim, master to Zemai Laryhi, pupil of Karik Otonna, husband to Jai?ana?

    Before the last thought could even take form, he banished it with a sharp shake of his head. That, if anything, was wishful thinking. At least according to ninety-nine percent of the Jedi Temple.

    The Force murmured, and a moment later he heard the sounds of someone scaling the dune behind him. Coris didn?t turn around. ?Couldn?t sleep?? he asked instead.

    ?I don?t want Jastiss to have anything to do with Karik,? Olan Tennaris said quietly, taking a seat beside him. ?We?ve moved on. We?ve put him behind us.?

    ?I came at Karik?s request. I made a promise to him.? Coris glanced over at him briefly before returning his gaze to the stars. ?It?s a promise I swore to keep. And I have kept it, for ten years.?

    Olan?s face didn?t change. ?So you kept a promise to a dead man for ten years.?

    ?You know Karik is gone??

    A shrug. ?You forget the Force is better than any of the Holonets.?

    Coris frowned. ?Do you even know how he died??

    ?I don?t want to know.?

    ?He saved lives.?

    There was the briefest pause. Then, ?He took lives too.?

    There was something in the other?s voice that sounded strained, weary. However, before Coris could pinpoint it, it was gone, hidden once again behind Olan?s mental shields. ?If you?ll only hear me out,? he said. ?Maybe the Karik you knew-?

    ?We?ve put him behind us,? Olan repeated, cutting him off. ?Don?t try to resurrect the dead, Knight. Believe me, it?s not worth it.?

    The older man stood and brushed the sand from his clothes. He pointed over the dusty landscape, to the bright rays of sunlight simmering just below the horizon. ?Morning will be here soon. Better wake your apprentice. We?d better leave for Anchorhead before the sun?s up ? it will be cooler.? Without looking back at Coris, Olan strode back into the hut.

    Coris looked after him. This would be more difficult than he imagined, though he couldn?t see exactly why Olan Tennaris was so reluctant to even speak about Karik. Whatever his former teacher had done in the past, it had hurt the ot
     
  6. Loka Hask

    Loka Hask Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1999
    An eight year-old Jastiss Otonna scrambled up the side of a sand dune, drawn toward the sounds of humming lightsabers and terrified screams.

    Jastiss reached the top of the sand dune, and looked down apon the scene of mass destruction.

    There was Olan, much younger than he was today, at his knees, grabbing the place where his arm once occupied in utter agony.

    Standing before him, luaghing insanely, was Karik Otonna.

    His father.

    In his grip was Jastiss' screaming mother, Talis Otonna.

    "No!" Jastiss screamed as his father threw her to the sand, and held his lightsaber up high.

    The evil Jedi stopped for a moment, a stared at Jastiss, grinning evilly. "It's good that you see this, boy!" he shouted over the howling wind, "It will help you take a step into a much larger world!"

    Until much later, Jastiss had no idea what his father was talking about. But now, he knew. His father wanted him to join him, as an agent of evil.

    Karik laughed, and looked down at Talis once again.

    And, with a sudden flash, there was nothing.

    Nothing but an inky blackness that surrounded him, and seemed to penetrate him like it was seeping in through his pores.

    Yet, he wasn't alone.

    There in front of him was Zemai, the Jedi Padawan that had arrived not so long ago. She had a sullen look on her face, and did not seem to want to make eye contact. "I didn't know," she whispered, clasping her hands together.

    "Now you do," Jastiss replied, turning away from her.

    "You have to remember, though, he changed before his death. He died honorably, and his last dying words were about you."

    "Don't you get it?" Jastiss shouted, whirling around to face her, "The Karik Otonna I knew died that day in the desert. He existed no more, and that's the way it will stay." A tear (why was he crying, if this was all in his mind?) rolled down his cheek. "My father-- my own flesh and blood destroyed his wife, my mother in cold blood, simply to teach me a lesson. Some things can not be forgiven, even if he died a good man. He was still the same man who killed his family in cold blood."

    Zemai blinked, but stayed quiet for a long time. Finally, she spoke. "Not his entire family," she replied, "you're still alive."

    Jastiss shook his head. "No. As far as I'm concerned, I died there on the sand along with my mother. That which made me, me," Jastiss prodded a finger into his chest, "left with my mother."

    Zemai seemed to get closer. "Maybe," she said, "but the Jastiss that is here, right now, seems to be real and alive enough to me."

    Suddenly, Jastiss awoke with a start, and sat up. He was in the living room, and the first red hazes of the day were just barely beginning to come through the window.

    In front of him was Olan, who looked worried. "Come on," he said, grabbing Jastiss' wrist and pulling him off of the couch, "we need to leave. Now.

    * * *

    "They are on the move," came the quiet voice of the near-invisible Jafrit Kodan. A chameleonic type species, the Sith Apprentice was able to blend into most areas to a point of near invisibility.

    Karn nodded. "They are coming closer."

    Ku'jaseed-Nin walked over to Ballis on all fours, his prefered mode of transportation, although he could walk on his hind legs if desired. His long, dog-like snout barked out sounds that came out in rough basic. "Shall we ambush them, classmate? They would not stand a chance."

    Ballis shook her head, her auburn locks falling from their hiding place within her dark hood. "We will ambush them, but they will not be harmed, only detained."

    "Is that wise, Ballis?" Unan-Del rasped, "they may only be Jedi, but they have a power that is not to be toyed with."

    "You will listen to Ballis, Unan-Del." Karn, who was now atop a large sand dune, spoke, "Lord Zalferix does not want any harm to be brought to these four, as they may prove to be of some use to us. If you wish to suffer the wrath of a Sith Lord, then go straight ahead and disobey his orders. I, for one, plan on living past this mission."

    The five sith apprentices nodded in agreement, then spread out to different hiding places as the speeder
     
  7. The Rover

    The Rover Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 28, 1999
    With the multitude of ships passing to and fro and the many different beings living out their daily lives, the scene of Galactic City seems, from it?s outer appearance, unaffected by the war with the Calmonians. But as with some things, looks can be deceiving. The shuttle craft to the Senate building smoothly makes a stop at the platform that leads directly to the republic?s headquarters. Two rows of armed, blue robed senate guards walk and stand in formation, allowing the supreme Chancellor, along with his personal aids, Senator Hy?vein Da?or and Senator Keron Asim to greet a new member of the Senate. This new member will take the place of the disgraced and disposed Grenda the Hutt.

    The shuttle door opens and out steps two men dressed in high quality grey robes, that suggest that they are men of great importance...at least one of them anyway. The first being is a tall light brown skinned alien humanoid with long black hair, walking with quick and confident strides in his step. He stops to look at the surroundings before him. The beautiful structures looms large and his look is of one that seems as if he is at least familiar with this world. He soon begins to walk to the side of one of the personal aids as the second person now steps out of the shuttle.

    His features is that of an medium height, blue skinned alien humanoid who is clearly elderly as he walks slowly with the help of his cane. His grey hair is rough looking and medium length with two braided tails on each side of his ears. He moves his jaws continuously which shows that he doesn?t have a full set of teeth. Despite his frail looking stature, his aqua blue eyes looks youthful and sharp as he scans his surroundings. He looks up at the imposing Senate building with a look that the other Senators notices right away. It is a look of greater familiarity that suggests somewhat of a homecoming as he quickly brings his head back to approach the Supreme Chancellor. His look to the elderly visitor shows that he is excited as if all the hopes of the Republic rest on this one being. He bows to the leader of the Republic as the magnificence of the setting sun shines brilliantly in the vast background of skyscrapers.

    ? It is a pleasure to finally meet you, Senator Drol,? The Chancellor says in a gleeful expression, ? We heard many good things about you and is deeply honored that you would come to represent your sector in these dark times ahead.?

    The elderly senator finally extends his frail hand to shake that of the Chancellor?s and gives him a long piercing look as if he was gazing deep into his soul. The Chancellor felt a quick wave of nervousness sweep through his body...it almost felt to him that there was something else that he felt seized him as he shook his hand, something that he knows of all too well. He quickly brushed it off, it may just as well be that he may be working too hard,

    ? It is nothing, Supreme Chancellor...really.? The Senator replies in a scratchy but strong voice, ? I would do all that I can to help restore sanity back to the galaxy... This war should not have taken place, but since we are involved, defeating our enemies must take top priority.?

    He turns to his tall black haired aid who walks up at his side to greet the chancellor,
    ? I present to you my assistant, Raz Lemahc. He will work closely with me, during my stay here on Coruscant.?

    The Chancellor greets the assistant as he turns to walk with the elderly senator down the outside platform ramp leading towards the Senate building. As he walks, the chancellor begins to point to his assistants,

    ? Senator Led?ahs Drol,? He says in a joyful voice, ?May I also present to you, members of my executive staff. This is Hy?vein Da?or, my director of administration, who also represents the system of Bespin. And the young gentleman to his right is Keron Asim, my director of support services, who represents the system of Unam.?

    ? We are pleased to make your acquaintance, Senator Drol,? Hy?vein says, ? From what we was told of you and your history, the wisdom that you will bring will greatly benefit
     
  8. Loka Hask

    Loka Hask Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1999
    The hulking orbital space station known as the Ulwathi floated silently around the the immense, barren planet of Namash.

    A small craft, dwarved in comparison to the enormous station, moved in swiftly, soon disappearing among peices of debris and cooled lumps of what used to be molten slag.

    Inside, the darkness reined, and the only sound was the loud clanking of a ship dockng against the outter hull. The sounds echoed throughout the station, causing vibrations to rattle the unstable infrastructure.

    Suddenly, a loud explosion caused a peice of the hull to burst out, adding to the still reverberating echoes from the docking procedure.

    A slight mist coated the floor, most likely from a long depressurised coolant vent.

    Over seven dozen men and woman clad in blue jumpsuits and head-mounted scanners swarmed into the station from the hole in the outter hull.

    Ahead of the men and women, a single human stepped forth. He was not dressed like the rest of them, as he was clad in the ceremonial Jedi robes. He held his lightsaber in his hand, ready to activate it at a moment's notice.

    The Jedi are not commandos, Darrit Vey thought bitterly, as he ushered two of the troopers, who were carrying a very large steel box, in front of him. "Just down there is the central junction point. An explosion there will take this whole station apart."

    The two troops nodded, and headed off in the direction he had pointed. The Jedi stepped after them, and ushered for the rest of the troopers to follow, who had their rifles at the ready.

    "This place is creepy," a female trooper spoke, her eyes flitting from one point to the next, obviously nervous.

    "Yeah," a male agreed, "I'm just waiting for one of those Laser-Sword Psychos to pop out and fry us all."

    Darrit flinched at the term. Although the troopers knew the correct term for a Jedi who had been seduced to the darkside, a mix of humor and uneasiness had caused them to give the Dark Jedi a nickname.

    Darrit had to admit, the term "Laser-Sword Psychos" wasn't far from the truth.

    The last comment seemed to spark the uneasiness in the rest of the troops, and now they were all muttering to each other about thier fears and suspicions.

    Darrit felt he had to put and end to it, before they would be too frightened to function. "Look," he said, raising his hands, pleadingly, "if there was Sith in this space station, I would have felt it long before we even boarded-"

    A sudden flash caused Darrit to stop mid-sentence.

    The young knight's head whipped around as he heard a scream come from the back. Quickly, he shoved his way through the troopers until found a young girl, no older than seventeen, kneeling over another trooper.

    Or at least what was left of him.

    Darrit gasped. "By the force..."

    And then, a sound Darrit knew all too well echoed throughout the corridor.

    Lightsabers.

    Dozens of them.

    Soon, the area was in utter havoc. The mist that had once only stayed at the floor was not cloaking the whole corridor in a hazy mist, adding to the confusion. Troopers fell all around Darrit in bright flashes of light.

    Darrit ignited his own lightsaber, but through the fray, he barely managed to protect himself, let alone target one of the many deadly attackers.

    All around him, troopers cried out in terror, anguish, and pain.

    The ones who were still alive, for now, were shooting aimlessly with their rifles, some of them taking down their own comrades in the confusion.

    A trap, he thought, as he whirled around and tried to swipe at one of the assailants, but to no avail, "This was all a trap!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

    And then, through the mass destruction, Darrit saw it.

    The explosives.

    With a force-aided jump, Darrit flew over the mass and landed next to the giant steel box. Quickly, he hit the release switch, and the lid popped open with a loud hiss.

    Grabbing a switch, Darrit twisted, and the red light on the console quiclky changed to green, and the trigger-button lit up.

    Suddenly, from out of no where, came a glowing crimson red shaft, that burned deeply into Darrit's back.

    The k
     
  9. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Zemai was out of the speeder, doing a forward flip into the sand, and drawing her lightsaber before she got a visual fix on any of them. She could feel them around her, just like on Emraan.

    But this time, she wasn't an eight-year-old with weak arms and short legs.

    Four of them stood before her, none of them known to her. The woman looked at her scornfully; the others paid little heed. One was canine, and down on all fours, which would make it difficult for him to wield a lightsaber, but much easier to maneuver in battle... and she wouldn't put it past a Sith, however sentient, to tear her throat out with his teeth.

    A strange, tugging sensation at her mind.

    "There's a fifth!" she shouted.

    "To the rear!" Coris answered. He was calm. So was Olan. Zemai understood why at last. Focusing where he directed her, she could see the indentations in the sand, and then, the vague shape that the particles of blowing sand were hitting. Chameleon. Nothing unnatural; just hard to see.

    For a split second, the odds struck Zemai: five healthy Sith against two Jedi who'd suffered injuries to their arm, a single padawan (and a small one at that) and an untrained farmboy.

    Untrained, she realized, and more importantly, unarmed. He was a sitting duck.

    All this, she processed in the few seconds it took to stand up from her flip.

    Then she charged at the canine Sith. He would have a harder time holding on to his own weapon, and her objective might not be as immediately clear to them. He stood upright, and met her parry, but he was less steady on his hind legs. She darted under his attack and jostled him, using the Force to dislodge the pebbles beneath his feet at the same time. He toppled.

    Thank the Maker. She knew she could count on a Sith to be overly armed. A blaster clattered out of his belt. She grabbed it with the Force, and pushed it -- hard -- back toward the speeder. "Jastiss!" she called to get his attention, but she didn't see if she succeeded, because suddenly, the woman was also there, and Zemai found herself fending off both of them --

    They aren't really trying.

    Okay, probably true. Another kidnapping attempt then. That would work to her advantage; they wouldn't go all out, but didn't realize that she knew that.

    At the edges of her peripheral vision, she saw that Coris had engaged the nearly invisible Sith, while Olan was fighting with one of the men.

    There was one unaccounted for again.

    Zemai felt the woman's lightsaber coming down behind her -- it would miss her right shoulder by an inch, and parried the momentum into a throw. The woman landed in the sand twenty yards from her. The canine Sith growled deeply, and charged at her. She tried to think of something to throw at him... a rock, the speeder, anything, but nothing suggested itself. So she did what was not done, even in practice. Partly, it was considered bad form. Mostly, it was considered unreliable and reckless; you could never know for sure that you were the stronger Force-user.

    She reached out into the Force around her, and pushed it straight out at her enemy. For a moment, he blinked, as he felt the wind of it coming, then he was lifted from his feet, and thrown past the woman.

    She felt Coris looking at her, and looked away guiltily. They would talk about that maneuver later, she knew.

    She heard a shot fired, but couldn't see if anyone fell; all the light, combined with the light of the bright suns, made it hard to see anything.

    Then there was a louder sound, and she turned toward it.

    The speeder was a charred lump, the remnants of a fireball still rising from it. Jastiss Otonna was cursing, and looking for something to aim at.

    Zemai heard a high, feminine laugh.

    Then the desert was empty again, except for four wanderers with no transport.

    Perfect.
     
  10. Loka Hask

    Loka Hask Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1999
    Jastiss swore as he shielded his face from the blast. The woman had only showed up a second before, and now the four were just standing there, watching as the speeder went up in flames.

    For a moment, Jastiss could feel a strange twitching in the back of his mind. Soon, it almost felt like a tugging, and then it was a tugging. Jastiss' vision blurred, and he watched as everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

    First, Olan looked at him strange, and then the rest did. In what looked like a holo-feed on slow-mo, the three others ran at him, shouting his name.

    Suddenly, a wrenching pain seemed to tear his mind from his head. He felt himself suddenly lift up, out of his body, and then down again.

    He was back in a body, but it sure as sith wasn't his.

    Jastiss watched through another's eyes as the four sith that had attacked him (Am I looking through the fifth's eyes?) conversed about what had just happened. They were travelling, at high speeds over the desert, perhaps in a speeder.

    "Did you see him?" the chameleon one said, as he fiddled with his lightsaber.

    The tall, blue haired warrior nodded. "Lord Hakim's brother."

    And then a voice, coming from the body he was occupying spoke. "We must notify Lord Hakim. Afterall, Akira should know that her twin brother is here, on Tatooine."

    Suddenly, Jastiss felt himself being pulled out of the sith's mind.

    And then, as quickly as it had happened, Jastiss was back in his body, gasping for air as if he had just resurfaced from a long dive.

    The others were standing over him, with worried looks on their faces.

    Jastiss looked at Coris. And then, he felt it.

    He didn't know.

    In fact, he thought she was dead.

    "Coris," Jastiss gasped, "your sister, she's alive."
     
  11. luke's severed hand

    luke's severed hand Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 21, 2000
    The interior of the B?ssh r?k?ssh Cavern was smoke filled and sparingly lit. Peppered with a few tables and chairs, it was filled, mostly, with hard travelers and the many seedy types that the environment must attract. The fluid stained walls and floors held evidence of the many ?disturbances? that he bar had been known for. It was also known for being one of the best drinking holes in the territory. Miles from any space ports, it was the last refuge before a long journey to any one of the 5 neighboring towns. The Cavern was imbedded into the rock face and was only apparent to those who knew where to look.

    The crowd was a mix of frequenters from the surrounding towns, as well as the usual variety of trans-cargo haulers, rogues, pirates and scoundrels. The mood was more somber than it was at night, but still carried the same air of menace.

    Sedoc Xa-vneyt could not help but feel right at home.

    He nodded slowly with feigned interest while his newly acquainted drinking partner explains the intricacies of terrain mapping. (A subject that it explained to Sedoc with unfathomable excitement!)

    Sedoc had left his fellow disciples to try their luck at drawing out their assigned target, the Huskmaster. The other five disciples decided on a stealthy approach. They would discreetly, scour the plains, gleaning what information they could from the denizens of the small towns that bordered the spaceport to hone in on the Huskmaster. Sedoc, however, had other plans. He believed the obvious ploy was to make their presence here known, not mill about the countryside like phantoms. He wanted to be seen..and feared. So, after having chosen a course of action, he headed in the opposite direction. His fellow disciples, who always thought of him as unstable, offered him many unkind words as they parted.


    Huskmaster was a weapons dealer that must have gotten in their master, Ryel Kirasis?, disfavor. It was an elusive creature that performed many of its transactions over fuzzy hologram transmissions and met clients at remote sites. No one who?d had dealings with him could offer any tangible description.

    Wonderful.

    Even though they hadn?t been told what to do with Huskmaster once they?d discovered him, Sedoc surmised that Master Kirasis had been double-crossed, somehow, and their mission was one of exacting vengeance. Snippety-snip. Very cut and very dry.

    But ?what did he care? A command was a command.

    I?m boooooored!, Sedoc?s realizes behind a fading mask of interest.

    Earlier, he had walked up to the counter and casually asked the bartender where he could find the Huskmaster. The bartender lied, Sedoc sensed, telling him that he hadn?t heard of any such creature. He scowled and then threatened to throw Sedoc out of his glorious establishment unless a drink was ordered.

    Sedoc?s lips parted in a dry, menacing smile. His smile was wide so that the bartender could view all of his teeth. He then withdrew a fluid container that he carried in a compartment of his robe and raised it to the creature?s health and drank.

    Fuming, the bartender twists his mouth as if to reply, but instead turns away.

    Satisfied with the exchange, Sedoc found a position at the bar to watch the entryway and wait.

    It won?t be long now. The bartender will undoubtedly call in reinforcements to backup his threat.

    To pass the time, though, Sedoc struck up a conversation with the first pitiful creature he saw. He couldn?t have known that the first pitiful creature would test even his strongest resolve.

    Chumo was the name it gave after Sedoc introduced himself. He was big and wide with a small snout that he used to noisily siphon his brew. Projectiles shot from his mouth when he spoke. Oblivious, he shoveled grubby bits into his mouth while he excitingly continues the one-sided conversation. Pausing, he rubbed the stiff hairs on his head while he searched for something to say next

    Sensing his cue, ? So, you enjoy? ah...terrain mapping?? Sedoc managed, straining to remember the boring topic.

    An image of Chumo foaming at the mouth with his eyes white from a brain
     
  12. RogueLead11

    RogueLead11 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 1999
    ?Great,? Coris muttered, taking in what was left of Olan?s land-speeder. For the second time in two days, he was marooned in the middle of the Jundland Wastes, though now his only mode of transportation was not only damaged beyond repair, but also reduced to a smoking hole in the ground. Maybe it was something in the air... Powering down his lightsaber, he walked over to Zemai, who did the same.

    He put a hand on her shoulder. ?Are you all right??

    ?Fine.? His apprentice?s eyes flick over to him uneasily. She knew her little stunt with the Force push hadn?t gone unnoticed. ?Master-? she began.

    Coris cut her off with a curt shake of his head. ?I thought I trained you better than that,? he said softly. ?We?ll speak later about this.?

    He spun on his heel and stalked away before he could see the expression on her face. Something tugged at his heart-strings, but the rest of his mind blocked out the disturbance before it could become a nuisance. He was Zemai?s master. It was his duty to correct her whenever she did something inappropriate. Using that Force-throw in battle had not only been appropriate, it had been reckless.

    The sly voice of logic murmured inside his head. ?But she should have known better by now. If she is willing to bend the rules of the Code now, what will happen when she takes the Trials? Should she fail??

    He hadn?t even told her yet of the deal, Coris realized guiltily.

    He would soon. He couldn?t put it off forever.

    Shoving the thoughts out of his mind, he jogged over to where Olan stood with Jastiss. ?How is he?? he called, as soon as he got within distance.

    It was Olan who answered, ?He?s unhurt, thank the Force. Good thing nothing flew off the speeder and hit him when it went up.? The old Knight glanced idly at his charge and patted his shoulder, then his head snapped around as he did a double take. When he spoke, his voice was strangled. ?Hakim-?

    Coris was at his side in an instant; Zemai joined them a heartbeat later, her lightsaber in her hand. They all stared at Jastiss. Although he was still on his feet, the boy?s face was white and his features pinched, as if he were in a great deal of pain. His eyes were unfocused, the pupils dilated. His spine was rigid.

    ?Jastiss!? Olan yelled. His one arm came up, fingers nearly closing around the boy?s arm in an attempt to shake him awake before Coris knocked the hand away.

    ?Don?t touch him!? the younger Jedi snapped. ?He?ll come out of it on his own.?

    Olan hesitated, obviously reluctant. ?But what?s happening to him??

    ?The Force is calling him. Touching him might disrupt the process. Don?t worry, he should be back with us in a moment.? Coris? gaze slid Jastiss? way and he grimaced in sympathy. After all, he had also felt a number of similar experiences himself in the last couple of days.

    Soon after the events of Em?raan, he had set about trying to coin a phrase for the odd sensation of being pulled out of one?s own head, then dropped unceremoniously into the mind of another. It was usually painful, sudden, and uncontrollable. Most interesting of all, it seemed to be a unique experience that encompassed only a handful of people; he, his apprentice, and Karik Otonna included.

    He?d settled on the term: Force transfusion.

    Now, he would have to note that the ability also seemed to be hereditary.

    When the transfusion ended, it was unexpected. Jastiss gasped, the air whooshing out of him like that from a popped balloon, and he slumped to the ground. Coris and Olan managed to help him down. They watched as Jastiss sat heavily on the sand and worked on blinking his eyes back into focus.

    ?Are you all right?? Olan asked him.

    Coris stepped closer. He?d been expecting the boy to be bewildered. Jastiss was Force senstivie ? of that there was no doubt, considering the identities of his parents ? but he had not been trained to use his gifts. The transfusion must have been a confusing experience for him. But when Jastiss spoke, he had no questions, merely a few simple words?

    ?Coris, your sister, she?s alive.?

    ? that made Coris Hakim?s world fall to pieces
     
  13. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Akira Hakim.

    In Zemai's nightmare, Akira always came first, reaching out and twining herself into Zemai's own bones. The harsh whisper -- Zemai! Come!... You will... help... me...

    She should have told Coris long ago. Maybe he would have known what it meant. Or maybe he would have simply stopped sharing his mind with her, assuming she was picking up night terrors from him. There was no way to know. Right now, what mattered was that he was in pain.

    She went to him and touched his shoulder. He closed his eyes, putting his hand over hers to take the comfort she was offering. "It was on Emraan," he said quietly. "We fought. She... she couldn't have lived through it."

    An image came into Zemai's mind -- one she had seen before, one that haunted Coris -- of Akira falling away from him... falling so far... her pain reached out through their twins' bond... how could she be alive, when he'd felt her die?

    But she was. Zemai did not doubt Jastiss' vision. It made sense of everything. She slipped her arms around Coris' waist, and held him as tightly as she could. "It'll be all right," she whispered.

    She felt his hand pat her hair, and he said "Thank you," then pulled himself out of her embrace and stepped away.

    She looked at her feet. He was hurt, but he was also disappointed in her, and did not want to take any more of her comfort.

    No, a cheerful voice said in her mind, he's just figuring out that if one impossible thing is true, then another might be, and you, little girl, may as well pack up your bags and go back to Coruscant right now.

    "Shut up," she muttered under her breath.

    Jastiss glanced at her, but said nothing.

    It was Olan who broke them out of the moment of revelation. "I don't mean to intrude on your pain, Knight," he said, rather formally. "But we need to make our way to shelter, then find a means of transport into Anchorhead."

    Coris nodded. "Yes. Of course. We can't just stay in the desert."

    "Would you like me to carry your bags, Master?" Zemai asked, eyes downcast. "Your arm is still weak."

    Coris turned back to her, and offered a weak smile. "You don't need to try so hard, Zemai. We will discuss your actions, but you are not in as much trouble as you seem to imagine."

    I've dreamed of Akira, she thought to him, knowing that he should know.

    He shook his head. As have I. I would not have taken your dreams more seriously than my own. Do not trouble yourself on that count.

    But the thought was distracted, diffuse. She felt that he really wasn't angry with her about this... but she also felt that he was trying to see a hundred might-have roads at once. After the Emraan battles, she had constantly spoken of how things might have gone differently, and he had finally gotten her to stop. She remembered what he said. "'There's enough motion in the future without adding the mights and maybes of the past.'"

    "What armchair philosopher came up with that?" He winked, but she saw the weariness in his eyes. "And I doubt you'll need to carry anything, Zemai. Everything went up with the speeder. Which makes it doubly important to reach shelter, as Olan pointed out."

    She nodded. The four of the scoured the charred speeder for anything they could salvage. Olan commented that he was glad nothing of value had been in the speeder ("Speak for yourself," Jastiss muttered, picking up some charred music chips. "I hadn't even listened to them yet." "You'll live," Zemai answered, giving him a smile, which he returned, and again she felt that strange sensation of a circle closing in the Force.)

    Finding only a single container of water (which had been stowed under the passenger seat), the four travelers set out across the desert..
     
  14. Loka Hask

    Loka Hask Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1999
    aaaahhhhhh!
     
  15. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Okay, I know it's not my turn, but I'll keep going anyway, since no one else is taking a turn. If someone else is posting as I post this, I'll erase it.
    ------------

    They had been walking for a little over an hour, in the narrow shadow of the red rocks, when Olan stopped and squinted into the distance. "Jastiss, do you think that's a cave?"

    Jastiss pulled a pair of binocs from his belt, and trained them on the spot Olan was gesturing toward. "Yes. I can't tell if anything lives there, though. Could be a krayt-bore."

    Olan nodded. "It's still the most promising place we've seen. If there's a dragon there, we're prepared for it." His remaining hand played over the hilt of Karik's lightsaber. Zemai felt the mixed emotions that came with it. Had that been the saber that took his other arm?

    He glanced over his shoulder at her, but said nothing.

    Coris sighed. "It's still a bit of a walk. Let's make for it."

    There was little talk on the way, and Zemai took the silence to feel the life of the desert. Her experiences here had so far been less than pleasant, but it still intoxicated her. The sky, so wide and blue; the smell of the rocks radiating the day's heat outward; the feel of the suns baking into her weary muscles, better than anything in the healing spas at the Temple. She found herself wanting to curl up into the sand that dragged at her feet, to fall asleep in this beauty and dream pretty dreams...

    She must have been falling forward, because when she felt the hand on her shoulder, it was pushing her backward -- pushing her upright. She looked up. Jastiss Otonna shook his head at her. "You got desert-head. You fall asleep out here, you're going to fry."

    Was he picking something up through their link? "How did you -- "

    He shrugged. "It happens. Not all the time, but enough. This place likes to take people when it can. There are lots of stories. The little kids say it's haunted." He rolled his eyes, as if to say that he, of course, had never believed such nonsense, but Zemai did not fail to note that they were well within speeder distance of his home, but that he hadn't explored this part of the desert enough to know whether or not they were headed for a krayt dragon nest.

    She smiled at him. "Maybe they're not so far off base. It's... it's a powerful place."

    "Zemai!" Coris called.

    She ran ahead to join him. Jastiss was a few steps behind her.

    "What is it?" she asked.

    "Do you sense anything ahead?"

    "Sith?"

    "Anything."

    Zemai was a bit irritated, but knew that when two knights asked a padawan's opinion of what might be lying ahead, it was in all likelihood and impromptu test. She reached out, sending tendrils of energy into the Force. "Three banthas," she said, "on the other side of this ridge. Some sentient life forms with them, but they are unaware of us."

    Coris focused on her. It was definitely a test. "Anything else?"

    "No krayt dragon, if that's what you're asking. I've been looking for them since the last one. Not my favorite creatures on this planet."

    "All creatures are part of the Force, Zemai."

    "Yes. But some of them don't seem to take a lot of notice of it." She reached further. "There have been people in that cave, but not for a long time."

    "And?"

    "And... Coris what do you want me to look for? What did you see?"

    "I want you to look for what you see."

    She turned her inner eye to him. His thoughts were on Akira. He thought she might be...

    Then his mind, for the first time in ten years, shut itself to her.

    "She's not here," Zemai said flatly. "Ask what you want to know next time."

    She set out ahead of the others, trying not to let the desert lull her again. The mouth of the cave loomed nearer.
     
  16. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    You can jump in any time, guys.... pretty please, with pallie-juice on top? Don't force me to say it would be wizard...
    --------------
    War Interlude: Ampinua

    Mersio fell to her knees before the towering, black-robed human. "Please, Master, sir! Let my husband live."

    The human only laughed. "Let this be a lesson to all who oppose the Sith!"

    Mersio saw it, but did not let herself see it, heard it, but did not let her mind comprehend. The twitch in the human's fingers, the snapping sound of Rilyam's neck, the body slumping to the ground. She did not let herself understand that her husband had been murdered, only that he was falling, and she needed to catch him. She did. One of his fine blue wings was gone. The other was badly shredded. His eyes, the deep violet of midnight, were still open. She closed them and kissed them.

    She cradled him, and the Sith lord turned away from them. "Let it be known that this world is mine now," he announced. "I wish no particular harm to you small folk, but do not begin to believe that you have the power to stand up to me."

    Mersio felt the shove coming, but did nothing to stop it. She was sent sprawling into the mud, Rilyam's motionless body dragged with her. She sat up, feeling dull and drugged, and gathered him up again.

    The Sith lord stepped up onto the Village Stone, a raised platform usually used for political speeches. "I take this world as mine. You owe me your allegiance and your tribute. In return, I will see to it that the other Sith leave this place be. It will be the seat of my power, the place from which I will arise -- "

    He was cut off abruptly by a flash of light, and he fell in two pieces before Mersio's eyes. She didn't have time to wonder who their hero was before falling deeper into despair.

    Another Sith lord -- this one a Sith lady -- stood at the edge of the square and laughed. "He doesn't have the power to see to it that the tide comes in!"

    Mersio listened to no more.
     
  17. The Rover

    The Rover Jedi Youngling star 1

    Registered:
    Dec 28, 1999
    ? BEGIN TRANSMISSION ?----
    SITH ACQUISITION OF THE SYSTEM OF PELOS....

    HOLOCRON CHRONICLED BY SITH APPRENTICE INA?GRA, FOURTH DISCIPLE OF MASTER RYEL KIRASIS...

    FOR GENERAL RIKKAN?S SITH WARLORD ARCHIVES: THIRD VOLUME


    ? I am called Ina?gra and mine eyes have seen the glory of the darkside. I will forever bear witness to the power and majesty of the order in which I belong. My living and my dying will be only for the Sith, for we possess of powers that beggars description.
    As we, the chosen disciples of our master, Ryel Kirasis, descend down on these doomed Jedi Knights, we call upon all who may view this holocron, to witness this action as a true manifestation of our clan might, which is that of the ultimate and supreme power.
    Since the Jedi represents a philosophical study group, dedicated to contemplating the mysteries of the Force. They chose, from their own free will, to use the their knowledge, to help those in need and to bring about and keep the peace within our known galaxy. The Sith chooses to bring about peace in a different manner. A way in which the Jedi does not approve...but yields the same results.
    After viewing this holocron, we encourage all of you to decide which of us hold true power, The Jedi ?... or the Sith ? The answer will make the path you choose much easier to follow...?


    The Sith Warrior makes the necessary corrections on a small recording probe directly in back of him and turns to descend down a slope as explosions rocked the grassy plains of Pelos. The city of Yuma is under siege from the Calmonians and the Republic?s forces have been fighting them hard for the past six hours without even denting their formidable armada. The soldiers are looking around seeing their comrades in arms, dead and dying. Supplies are starting to deplete and the call for reinforcements have not come as of yet.


    There is a major space battle out in orbit between the Republics Burning Ravens squadron and their battleships fighters. The Calmonians have definitely come prepared to fight as their massive battle tanks continue to fire mercilessly at the now almost decimated Capital city of Pelos. The Republic ground forces were not so deterred by the number of their enemies that they were ready to quit. On the contrary, they too, were alert to the fact that the Calmonians had the greater number, but something else had arrived to help the Calmonians gain the upper hand. The city itself is almost in ruins as some of the Calmonians move from the opposite section to capture their house of government. The Jedi Knights have been dispatched to give assistance to the ground forces. They are in the city doing battle with the enemy trying to drive them back into the outskirts


    ? Kysari ?! Watch out behind you !? a Jedi knight yells. The Jedi turns around to see Calmonian soldiers fire at him wildly with their blasters. The Jedi knight counters it with his emerald green Lightsaber, deflecting the bolts back at him almost as fast as they fired at him. The laser bolts strike each of the soldiers. The other solders are unable to defend properly from the group of Jedis as they cut into their ranks with blinding speed. The soldiers start to fall back as the Jedi press onward trying to move them back from their advancement to the capital. The soldiers are seen scurrying along as more explosions fill the almost night time skies of Pelos.

    ? The Calmonians are starting to retreat, Mau?vin-Oli. They see that there are no match for the Jedi.? A short alien Jedi Knight says to his comrade. His companion gives him a skeptical look,

    ? I am not certain that they are retreating because of our interference, Din?ea-Ploon.? He says, ? I feel a strong disturbance in the Force. And this feeling is all around us.?

    ? Then look above you, fool and know what it is that disturbs you !?, A deep voice yells out. The two Jedi knights look up to see a dark robed being swoop down from on top of one of the buildings. He lands perfectly, knocking one of the Jedi knights off his feet and quickly regroups and ignites his brightly g
     
  18. RogueLead11

    RogueLead11 Jedi Grand Master star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 1999
    Brendtan stood in the Council Room, feeling almost lost. He had not had many occasions to visit the huge meeting room where the Jedi Council conducted their regular business. To be summoned to the Council Room was a privilege, though not all Jedi thought of it that way. Sometimes a visit to the Council was for passage to apprenticeship, or knighthood, or ? most venerable of all - mastership. Such a visit meant honor and happiness.

    Other times, however, walking through the Council doors meant confronting death. Ten years ago, the serene Council Room had been stained with the murder Freya Dulik, a Jedi Master killed at the hands of a renegade Sith. According to some, since that day the air in the room had always carried the faint smell of blood.

    Standing there now, Brendt believed it.

    ?There is to be an important meeting on Alderaan in two day?s time,? Jedi Master Dur Slew said, tearing his eyes away from the cityscape framed in the windows of the Council Room long enough to regard the Wookie. ?Leaders of several powerful worlds will be there to discuss the issue of the Calomians and the prospect of joining forces with the Republic against them. It has come to our attention that the representatives attending the conference may be in danger. It will be your duty to see that they don?t come to any harm.?

    Brendtan found he always was more at ease in appointments with Jedi Master Dur Slew. Like his friend Coris Hakim, Slew understood him when he spoke in his native tongue; conversation was made easier on both their parts without a bothersome protocol droid present. ?Am I to go alone??

    Dur Slew gestured with one hand. Two figures materialized out of the shadows on the far side of the room and walked toward them. ?You are to be dispatched with Knights Adayla Rangara and Vornt Ny?iro to Alderaan as soon as possible. ?

    ?Does the Council suspect an assassination attempt? It?s now a known fact that the Sith have joined forces with the Calomians. Some believe the Sith are being used as mercenaries for them, soldiers for hire.?

    ?We are taking whatever precautions we need to ensure the conference goes appropriately,? Slew replied. Brendt noticed how the Jedi Master evaded the question. ?The defense of the Republic and the system under its protection could very well rest on the outcome of these talks. You and your companions will make sure there are no Sith ? or Calomian ? distractions.?

    The Wookie sized up the other two Jedi as they took up flanking positions on either side of him. Adayla Rangara was a Twi?lek, lithe and beautiful, as the females of her kind so often were. Vornt Ny?iro was Human, perhaps in his forties. Both looked experienced and seasoned warriors, long out of their apprentice years. But still? ?And you are sending just us three? A score of Jedi Knights could not stop the Sith in Pelos,? he commented mildly, bowing to each of his companions. They both merely inclined their heads in return ? it was obvious they did not understand him ? but Dur Slew frowned.

    ?What occurred on Pelos is not common knowledge, Knight Brendtan,? he said. For the first time, Brendt could hear the weariness in his voice. ?I suggest you choose your words carefully while on Temple grounds. Many of the residents here have lost their wives or husbands, sons or daughters in the last few hours. Some do not know of it yet, even now, as they?re being sent to battle the Sith on so many other worlds. Would you cause them more pain??

    Brendt bowed his head. ?I?m sorry, Master. I was not aware.?

    ?This is war. I hope you will take your duties seriously.? Dur Slew waved a hand at the door. ?You are dismissed. Your transport to Alderaan is to leave in one hour. Be ready.?

    The Wookie stayed in place. ?May I ask one more thing of you, Master??

    The Jedi Master drew in a deep breath and slowly let it hiss out between his teeth before answering. Rangara and Ny?iro noticed the reaction ? to their credit, they did nothing. Deep lines were etched in Dur Slew?s face, betraying exhaustion and sleepless nights. ?Go ahead,? he said after a long moment.

    ?
     
  19. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Zemai tried to shrink away, but Coris' grip on her arm, though light, was inexorable. She nodded, and followed him into the shadow of a standing rock, about ten meters from the cave.

    "Do not shut me out," he said.

    It was too much. Zemai had expected a lecture about her battle maneuver, but how dare he... ? "You did it first!" she said. "You tested me and then you slammed the door on me!"

    "You will not always know when a test appears, Zemai, and you cannot always look to me for the solution."

    "Don't try it. That wasn't part of the test. You just didn't want me there."

    His face grew cool and distant, like a Council Master. "You forget yourself, Zemai."

    She bent her head, though she still felt surly and

    (hurt i hurt please make it stop hurting)

    a little angry. "Yes, Master."

    Whether he heard her thought or shared it himself, Coris' face softened, and he reached out to touch her shoulder. She had two choices: she could either reject his gesture, and exacerbate the situation, or she could accept it, and try to normalize. She chose the latter, and touched his hand lightly to show it, dropping her mental shields as she did so.

    What is happening, Master? Is it this place?

    His tone was still clipped and irritated, but he opened his mind to her again. I don't know what it is, Zemai. But it began before we reached this place. Still, I dislike this cave. Be careful. Which, by the way, is what I was trying to say to you before.

    She smiled wanly, and spoke normally. "Yes, Master."

    "Now, we need to discuss what happened in combat. I think I don't need to specify the event."

    "No, Master."

    "I need you to tell me why you did it."

    Zemai blinked stupidly into the suns. Was he kidding? Surely, that much was obvious. "There were five of them, and three of us -- two injured knights and a padawan. I had to do something. It didn't seem unfair to use it against people who are as well trained as I am in the use of the Force."

    "Yet you were immediately shamed by your action. Why do you suppose that is?"

    Zemai finally understood -- it wasn't about why she did it in absolute terms; it was about the fact that she knew it was wrong, and couldn't plead ignorance, yet did it anyway. "I know that it is considered... reckless," she said carefully. "Unreliable. And I know you already think I am somewhat reckless. And with my Trials undoubtedly somewhere near, I should be careful and practice things that will not shame my Master." She bent her head again.

    "You will never shame me, Zemai," he said, and she believed him, though his voice was still cool and distant. "But you can't simply discard any rule you find inconvenient in combat. And I would be remiss in my duties not to remind you of it."

    The irritation was rising inside Zemai. She wrapped it in a thin coat of ice, and channelled it as well as she could. "If you know of a better way to handle two fully trained Sith attacking me, I would like very much to learn it."

    "There is always another way, Zemai."

    "Then teach it to me, Master."

    There it was. A challenge. There had been a few over the years, when Zemai had grown obstinate. It was a common enough thing with teenaged padawans, and all Masters had found their own ways of handling it. Coris had always chosen to let her go on until she saw her own error, and on three occasions, it had led to a direct challenge. Zemai knew he would win these challenges -- that was not in dispute -- but she also knew that sometimes, she needed to have a point forcefully proved to her to get it through her head.

    Coris ignited his lightsaber, lighting up the shadowed space beneath the rock. Zemai answered by igniting her own. But this was too even. Coris' saberwork had improved dramatically since Emraan, but largely it improved through teaching Zemai, and they were evenly matched.

    He picked up on it. "Olan!" he called. "Come."

    Olan arrived without argument, and ignited Karik's lightsaber. In the far distance, Zemai could hear Jastiss Otonna shouting something about people going crazy.

    The two knights att
     
  20. luke's severed hand

    luke's severed hand Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Jan 21, 2000
    The Jedi Temple was a splendid sight. Against the backdrop of the many gleaming towers that were reflecting Coruscant?s afternoon sun, the temple claimed a small part of the city for itself. There was a quietness about the structure that contrasted the busy world that existed around it. Shuttles, ships, cruisers and hover pods filled the sky in uniformed, moving patterns that were stitched far into the horizon.

    The Jedi Knight Ular-Grimm Errar considered this city-covered planet?s symmetry from the bay windows of his quarters.
    Why, he wonders, can?t the peoples of the universe exist with the same cohesion? Why the everlasting need for conflict and disharmony? Don?t the moons circle the planets and the planets cycle the sun? They even align momentarily like dutiful children positioned humbly and unselfishly behind the mother of light. All of this in natural course, through natural order, and absent of disharmony and conflict.

    Don?t be naïve, philosopher. Grimm hears the scolding voice in his head.

    You know better than anyone that the very nature of the force is balance.
    The sun?s light will die and be replaced by an all-consuming darkness that will devour those dutiful children in an angry storm. That is a destiny that they will not escape, nor be pardoned.
    That is the nature of things: The light gives way to the darkness, only to be reborn again in a symbol of hope.
    A balance that grants harmony must cheque it with disharmony, peace must endure conflict and the darkness must hold to the light.

    He looks at his lightsaber that sits on the counter of the Regui stand. The tall three-legged table with its small rectangular countertop made it ideal for displaying the device.
    In just hands, the power cell charged crystal the lightsaber housed could bring forth a singular blade of beautiful light. A blade that could duly bring order to a critical situation and give way to chaos.

    It is with a heavy hand that he embraces the device that was once an extension of his identity. So engulfed in exercises of self-awareness and the many aspects of the force that he can not feel the cool handle without now, understanding the full weight of responsibilities that the weapon brings.

    Grimm turned the handle in his hand. The sun?s light caught the lightsaber?s hollow rim and traced a thin line down the length its surface as it rotated.
    He admired its design. He had adopted from Master Bybli?dapa Tohan?s lightsaber in honor of the master?s unparalleled skill and sound judgement.

    He sighs and replaces the silver hilt on the table.

    I accept it all, happily.

    He absently, strokes his beard. A sign that he is deep in thought.
    I must meditate before I meet with the senators of the Republic. Afterwards, I will refresh my knowledge of the rules of the order, and then secure advice from the Council. Many preparations must be made before I can attend to the wants of the Republic, and the needs of the Jedi.

    Grimm will consider the research and planning that is necessary as he meditated. He had adjusted the force-sensitive illuminator controls to lower the lights with a thought.
    The worlds of the alliance, the areas of protocol and the procedures of address that dictated how they communicated and the process that proceeded ratification; these were some of the procedures that Grimm had to review. This daunting task was Master Jaden Rylok and the Jedi Council?s charge.


    Curse me, for not having an apprentice! I will need assistance in this endeavor.

    I don?t even know where to start looking for help.

    The image of Master Rylok fills his mind. The honor he showed the Knight by personally making the request from the Council goes beyond words.

    But, it is Master Rylok?s soft words that come to him, instead:

    ? We have complete faith in your abilities.? The master?s voice repeated the statement with complete confidence.

    Grimm sees an image of a solar system. The planets are slowly swirling in the death pull of the blackhole formed from a collapsed star. Floating past a fixed point of the image are planets that have succumbed to the attractio
     
  21. Loka Hask

    Loka Hask Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1999
    I have dibs on the next Tatooine scene! I'm writing something between Jastiss and Olan!
     
  22. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Yay! Good! I think Zemai can keep her mouth shut for another day or so! (Though her descendent was just unexpectedly talkative...)
     
  23. Loka Hask

    Loka Hask Jedi Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 12, 1999
    Jastis glanced sideways at Zemai as she followed Coris away from him and Olan. What was that all about?

    Olan's thoughts, as they so annoyingly did often, penetrated into his head. You just witnessed one of the many moments that a master and padawan share. I had to go through the same experience, once.

    Jastiss turned his gaze to Olan and leaned against the cave wall. "Really? You never told me that."

    Olan smiled, and sat down in the sand, pulling out the cantine of water. "Oh, I didn't tell you for a very good reason."

    Jastiss smirked. "What reason could that be? Might it intice me to become a Jedi?" he rolled his eyes. "Heaven forbid that."

    The humor in Olan's face disappeared. "I have my reasons, Jastiss. You may not understand now. Hell, you may not ever understand."

    Jastiss sat next to Olan and crossed his arms. "Try me."

    The Jedi Knight sighed. "I don't want you to become a Jedi because-"

    "You don't think I can do it," Jastiss lowered his eyes to the sand. "You think I'm too wreckless, and need to mature."

    Olan sighed. "If you were sitting on the right side, I would put my arm around you."

    Jastiss smirked. Olan always had a wierd sense of humor about his missing arm. "Tell me about the time you were taught the same lesson as Zemai here," he said quietly.

    "It wasn't the same lesson."

    "Just tell me."

    "I was training with Karik," Olan had told Jastiss long ago that he and Karik had trained together when they were padawans. "and Karik had hit me in the arm. It hurt pretty mad, and I decided to pay him back. In the heat of anger, I used an illegal move. If it weren't a training saber, I would have stabbed Karik right in the chest."

    Jastiss narrowed his eyes. "Stabbed? I've never heard of anyone lunging with a lightsaber."

    Olan chuckled. "Exactly. It shocked Karik pretty good, and he was in a med unit for days. My master didn't even scold me about the move, but told me to go visit Karik and pay my respects."

    Jastiss raised an eyebrow. "But Karik didn't die."

    Olan shook his head. "But he would have, if our sabers were real." Olan continued his story. "I went to the med unit, and found Karik there, with bacta rubbed all over his chest. Through it, I could see blisters and burns all over the place. I believe he chose to keep the scar, just to remind me about the incident." Olan laughed softly. "He wasn't too happy about what I did." Olan turned to Jastiss. "Do you know what it made me realize?"

    Jastiss shook his head. For once he had no idea what his mentor was thinking.

    "I realized that in the heat of anger you can do anything. If that had been a real saber, I probably still would have run him through." Olan shook his head. "My master told me after I went to see Karik that I would never become a Jedi if I didn't learn to control my temper."

    Jastiss put an arm around Olan's shoulder. "But you did," he whispered.

    The knight shook his head. "For a long time, I did, yes. But, one day, I killed a man in anger."

    Jastiss' eyes widened. He had never heard any of this before.

    "I can't remember the details," Olan said, hanging his head and looking emptily at the sand in front of him. "But the council put me on probation. I had to help your mother look after you while Karik was out on a long mission somewhere near Malastare. The council figured that I had to learn to care for human life instead of destroy it." Olan looked at Jastiss, as if desparity had taken him over completely. "Jastiss, I came this close," Olan brought his thumb and forefinger up and displayed a tiny space between them, "to being what your father was. It was you and your mother who helped me step back from such a dangerous line. I don't want you to follow the same path as me, or your father. You're too important to me."

    Jastiss shook his head. "I won't fail you, Olan." Jastiss stood to his feet and helped Olan up. "I will become a Jedi," Jastiss felt like staring defiantly at Olan, as he so often did, but now seemed different, "but I will not venture passed that line. I will succeed, Olan. I will show you, and I will show the council. I am re
     
  24. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Zemai waited for the rest of the lecture, but it didn't come. Coris simply put a hand on her shoulder, and led her further from the cave, to a place where Jastiss and Olan wouldn't hear them.

    "How long ago were they here?" he asked.

    "What?"

    "You said that people had been here, long ago. How long?"

    Zemai cleared her head, and directed her mind back to the cave. "I don't know," she said. "It's strange in there. Nothing is... nothing is as it seems. When we were first approaching, it felt like it had been many years, maybe since this part of the world was first settled. I thought someone might have gotten lost, as we did."

    "And now?"

    "Now that I've been in it -- someone has been there. But whoever it is, is gone."

    Coris pulled something out of his pocket, looked at it, and put it back. "She's been here," he said.

    "Akira?"

    "Yes."

    "But she's not here now."

    "Where is she?"

    His voice was soft, puzzled. It wasn't a test, and Zemai didn't feel any irritation. She put an arm around him, and he didn't refuse it. "I don't know, Coris. If you can't feel it as her twin, why would I?"

    "Why did you dream about her?" His hand crunched the bottom of her hair. "What did you dream?"

    "There's a... " She sighed, not knowing how to put it. Finally, she simply opened her mind. "Here," she said, and remembered as much of the dream as she could, at least from the river on. She was hesitant to mention giving herself to the wind, or being caught up in the freedom of it. That was probably just a combined wish and fear, anyway. It didn't take a brilliant counsellor to figure out that she was anxious about leaving, and guilty about not leaving. And all Coris really wanted to know about was Akira.

    He accepted the images, then shook his head in a slow and puzzled way. "I don't know what it means," he said. "I don't know what she wants from you, or what help she thinks you'll offer her."

    "That's the only thing I've dreamed about Akira," Zemai said. "Master Jamui at the Temple library said it's a warning about misplaced compassion." She shook her head. "Probably the only person who's ever said anything like that to me."

    Coris looked at her kindly. "Don't try it with me, Zemai. I know who you really are, and we both know Master Jamui is not imagining things. Though I wonder how compassion can truly be misplaced." His voice was far off and sad.

    Zemai thought that, if she ever did run across Akira, compassion was not going to be the first thing she felt.

    "Possibly not the first," Coris agreed aloud, perhaps not noticing that Zemai hadn't actually spoken. "But a Jedi cannot live without compassion. I don't want you acting from hate or anger. Better misplaced compassion, if it exists, than those."

    Zemai didn't know what to say to that. There were questions in her mind, but she didn't know precisely what they were. That strange Ampinuan phrase -- olashya m'traet, the carrier of the dead -- went through her mind again. Coris looked at her and shook his head; he didn't know what it meant, either, and it was the only question she knew to ask.

    "We should go back," she said.

    He nodded, and they turned to the cave for the third time. Jastiss was kneeling on the sand, Karik's lightsaber in front of him. Olan turned his back suddenly, and came out toward them. He stopped, seemed to consider making a comment, then changed his mind and stood silently.

    Coris observed the scene in the cave without response. Zemai could feel his obvious annoyance at whatever had happened here, and it was stronger than it should have been.

    She looked at Jastiss. He was still looking at the lightsaber, shaking his head. He looked up at her, then looked away. She reached for the thread between them -- left alone since they'd actually met -- and found only shame. Something about not being able to take it.

    She picked up the lightsaber, then walked to him and put her long fingers around one wrist. She turned over his open palm, and placed the saber-hilt in it. Covering his hand with her own, she wrapped their fingers aroun
     
  25. JediGaladriel

    JediGaladriel Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Sep 3, 1999
    Normally, I hate to do this, but, up.
     
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