Before - Legends Descent Into The Dark (EU, Yoda 300 years before TPM)--*Complete* Replies 7/31- Link to EotD posted!

Very well done, Soudy! This pretty much reads like a novel. I loved the opening scene with Yoda running around, and really enjoyed the idea that Yoda was a sexy beast back in the day.

 

Thank you all for your wonderful comments. I'll answer each of you later (running late for my date with the treadmill). Hope you all enjoy.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yoda?s smile broadened as he walked briskly toward the gathered throng. Every eye was watching him intently and silence washed over the crowd as he approached the circle of younglings who stood in four perfect concentric lines centered on an imaginary point, waiting patiently for the Jedi Master?s arrival. Yoda?s eyes darted about, searching the crowd for the youngling migru female he had seen, but she was out of sight. He was stunned to find a wave of disappointment at her apparent absence wash over him. Not knowing what to make of it, Yoda shrugged inwardly and continued toward the ring of adorers.

When Yoda drew within ten meters of the circumference of the ring, the gathered younglings parted in perfect militarized synchrony to create a passageway for the Jedi Master. Yoda was duly flattered by the reverence offered him but also viscerally disturbed. He resisted the shudder that threatened to spread through his body and continued his casual gait as if nothing was amiss. Just prior to crossing the imaginary threshold of younglings he caught the eye of a ten-year old migru boy who had broken through the lines of migru that had gathered and was standing calmly just to the right of his path.

Yoda looked at the child sternly but was mildly impressed with his audacity. The Jedi Master approached him slowly and noted with some consternation that the boy never averted his gaze. When Yoda stopped in front of the youngling, he noticed that the child had not reached the age of growing and was still only about half of his mature height. The boy?s eyes were alight with admiration and respect, but Yoda also caught a slight glimpse of defiance as well. As Yoda opened himself to the Force he was surprised to find that the Force was stronger with the youngling than with most other migru. The boy was certainly not as strong in the Force as Yoda was, but he had more potential than many in the Order. Yoda was yet again amazed at how many Force-sensitive creatures existed in the galaxy that escaped the watchful eyes of the Jedi Seekers. He wasn?t sure if he was happy or sad for the boy. Perhaps, both.

Yoda knelt on one knee before the boy.

?Your name,? Yoda said. The boy seemed to be waiting for Yoda to continue but Yoda just stared into the youngling?s bulbous brown eyes that were characteristically larger than his tanned greenish-brown face.

?Broga,? the migru child replied finally, raising his chin slightly as if in response to a challenge. Yoda nodded, committing the name to memory but saying nothing for a long moment.

?Your parents,? Yoda asked, ?here, they are? Know, do they, that in my path you walk??

?Visit us,? Broga replied, ignoring Yoda?s question, ?your Jedi friends did. Take me to Coruscant, they wanted. But love me too much, my parents did.? Yoda?s eyes widened at the insinuation. It was one that had passed through his mind more times than he could count. It was one that haunted Yoda the day he asked Gandol about his parents. Every Jedi was a child that was abandoned by his parents. Yoda?s eyes narrowed into slits as he considered the child.

?Perhaps,? Yoda replied finally. ?A dangerous thing, sometimes, love can be. Selfish, it can make you. Keep for yourself what you want, make you it can. Forget to do what is best, many people in love do.?

Have you ever been in love?

Yoda stared at the child in confusion. He had heard the question but the boy?s lips had not moved. The voice was unfamiliar but it was accompanied by a cold Yoda had never felt. It was not the cold you feel from the gust of wind as someone opens the door on a winter night as you sit by the fire.

It was the cold of death.

?Master Yoda,? Broga asked innocently. ?Join you, I would. Become a Jedi, like you, I wish.? Yoda seemed distracted and barely heard the boy?s words. Then,

 

Ah, I was close It was surprising to see Yoda's physical attraction to the youngling. I wonder who the dark voice belongs too? I know you won't let us down. Good update!

 

Wow! What a fast transition from novel 1 to novel 2!

That's what your fans were waiting for, dear Souderwan! Thank you so much!

I didn't have time to read all three posts yet properly - just some glimpses of them - but I wanted to post the .pdf first, will comment on the new story later! (I'm in the office right now).

"Descent Into The Dark" by Souderwan, pdf, 15pg, 134KB

 

Ahh!! Very good!

Funny and intriguing ... "Young & restless-athlete" Yoda and Yaddle's daughter ... and dark shadows ... very promising!!

It's nice to witness a younger, more active Yoda, full of life, energy ... and flaws.

I really liked the interaction Yoda/Gandol & Yoda/Yaddle's daughter ... hope there is soon an update. But take your time! Waiting can be fun.

 

Another great chapter, with mystery, suspense and intrigue.

Damn, from that desciption it sounds like a Poirot novel

 

My brother and I just sat down together (how beautiful - once the family gathered around the fire place, or a book, but now we gather around the computer screen) and read all of chapter 1.

I love the portrait of Yoda: younger, more vital, more emotional, more... vain, superior and prideful.

Yoda was duly flattered by the reverence offered him but also viscerally disturbed.

The response seemed to take the wind out of the migru?s sail. Yoda wasn?t sure which statement actually accomplished this, but he was pleased nonetheless. He wasn?t here to recruit Jedi. That?s what the Seekers were for.

And the lust was indeed unexpected! Be careful, or I'm going to feel that your Yoda is a full-rounded person! *smirks*
Here's the burning question though: how does this vital young being become the scared old-man of canon?
This is a journey I'm looking forward to taking.

Well Done! This was a vivid, well-imagined scene, and I admit you had me laughing out loud with the Yoda-Yaddle's daughter interactions, and with Yoda's antics. His impromptu lesson in the Force felt very familiar, and authentic.

I also noticed the tension you are creating between love and duty: surely this is one of the eternal themes of all human stories, and I have a feeling we'll be returning to over and again in this one.

?Perhaps,? Yoda replied finally. ?A dangerous thing, sometimes, love can be. Selfish, it can make you. Keep for yourself what you want, make you it can. Forget to do what is best, many people in love do.?

I particularly liked the imagery associated with the cold voice. By contrasting it first with a natural cold "the cold you feel from the gust of wind as someone opens the door on a winter night as you sit by the fire which compliments and enhances the experience of heat, you emphasise the unnatural nature of this cold. It reminds me of Palpatine's urbane voice murmuring to Anakin "The Dark Side of the Force is the pathway to many abilities some consider... unnatural"

The end of the chapter left me with an ominous sense of foreboding! *chills*


Myth.
-------------------------------------------

Certainly a very interesting and entertaining Chapter. I liked the very cold, almost accusing tone of the nameless voice in Yoda's mind. Or atleast, thats how I read it. "You speak of love, and yet you know nothing of it", kinda thing. You've created for yourself many credible tangents for your story to strike on. eg. How will Yoda's relationship with the youngling, Yaddle's daughter, and this nameless voice (who challenges Yoda's sense of power and superiority) all weave together to lead to the Descent? Which aspects of Yoda's ensuing experience with the Dark Side will lead him to become so paranoid about denying such powerful feelings as Love and Loss. Surely Yoda already has a sense of loss, for he is both saddened and jealous of the youngling whose parents kept him, who loved him.

Question: If Yoda expereinces love and loss, and as a result, gives counsel/guidance/encouragement to detach oneself from such powerful emotions, as he did to Anakin about the loss of Padme, is this not a form of coldness and emotional death? Is this death not unlike that of a Sith, who feels no love? Is yoda, therefore, not predisposing Anakin towards the Dark Side? For surely, how could such a 'wise', 'understanding', 'caring' Master (from Anakin's view of Yoda) tell Anakin to deny his feelings and block out the loss of Padme - block out any sense of meaning in his life?

So much pride. Perfect. And lust?that?s unexpected?
And to think, 300 years later, he denies that which he was himself... but go Yoda! Only 500 years young and still a hit with the ladies I can just imagine Yoda having a wild night with Yaddle's Daugther on the eve of having to leave for some dangerous Jedi mission, and returning to the planet to the cries of "DADDY-YODA!"

And how much of a cool Sith Lord would Yoda make! They could call him 'The Little Green Death' (Mithrissa suggested Darth Troll - but it j

 

OK...finally have a little time to respond to you all! **whew** Thanks again to all of you for taking the time to read my little story here. Hopefully I will live up to your expectations. This is another one of those stories that's been bouncing around in my head ever since I read Dark Rendezvous and RoTS.

Glad you liked that little detail. I thought it was a pretty neat idea to explain some of Yoda's little quirks. 'Course, naturally this leads to nature vs. nurture questions.... ha!

Good observation. Yes...the Jedi Order was very different than the Order we see in the PT.

Cobranaconda: So happy I can still find a way to make you laugh.

jpauln: The migru on stilts was one of the first images that burned into my brain when I started that post. Glad you liked it. And...as you now know...that young migru isn't Yaddle (Yaddle's like 140 ish) but her daughter. Yes--you were very close! And don't be too hard on Yoda for checking out the youngling. He's about midlife right now...remember what that means...

Arcalian: Glad to have you. I was inpsired for the opening sequence while jogging myself. Of course, I had to make Yoda's jog a little more...appealing..than my morning jogs (which include lots of wheezing and yelling at myself for doing this nonsense to myself yet again--not a great picture for Yoda, I think).

DarthAJ: I'm happy you like the name I chose for them. Needless to say, it's not an accident that their name is migru. I'm sure Cobranaconda has already figured out the origins of the name...but I won't say anything. I would love for you to end up loving these characters--I hated them at times during the PT. That's the beauty of fan fiction--I can write the wrongs of the films and novels.

I'm so glad that you can see them the way I do. It's hard to capture all those little details that make a culture real and "worth saving" in a single post. It took a lot of effort to make that happen and I worried that I might not have pulled it off. So...thanks.

LOL! You totally get him! He's kind of like those guys who work out to look good and know they look good. They try to pretend their humble but...inside...they're like "Yeah...I'm hot! Check me out!" (well...maybe Yoda's not quite that bad).

Ahhh...that's the whole endpoint of the story, now isn't it. How did this guy become that guy? Only about twenty more chapters till you find out! (j/k)

 

That cold scared ME!

 

Looks like you're on to another winner here Souderwan. Great start. Nice to see some of Yoda's roots. Looking forward 2 seeing more.
Keep up the good work!
I'm going to read the rest now

 

Lovely new fic, Souderwan! I normally don't read "Before" but you asked me to come down here, so...

I like Yoda fics. This'll be good!

 

Wow. This is pretty cool man. I'm really enjoying this so far.

 

Arcalian: Exactly the response I was going for!

Darth_Diablo: Thanks so much. I hope it's a winner. Sadly, some people want the action now, and that's just not the way I work. I promise, if you stick it out, I'll do my best to make it worth the wait.

Idrelle_Miocovani: Thanks for coming over. I hope I can make it worth your while. And don't worry...I normally don't read Before either. But...I've already come across some interesting fics here.

LukesDestiny: Thanks for coming by. I'm glad you're liking it!


Begining of the next chapter begins....

 

Chapter II

--------------------------------Recall--------------------------------------------------------------

Kriva juice was a rare commodity in the galaxy. It was often claimed that its potency rivaled Catorian Dragon blood, which had been known to give certain species epileptic seizures if drank in excess. Of course, no one who had drunk kriva juice ever had any seizures of any kind. They could all attest, however, to its intense inebriating effects. In some creatures?particularly humans?kriva juice entered the blood stream very quickly and was known to act as a powerful hallucinogen after only one drink. Needless to say, kriva juice was highly sought after by the human population.

What made kriva juice such a prize wasn?t its potency or hallucinogenic effects?those can be replicated with the right chemicals. Death Stick dealers were known to promise a trip better than twenty glasses of kriva juice. What made the drink one of the most expensive and coveted items on the market was that it was, in fact, a truth serum of sorts. Thousands of secret organizations on hundreds of worlds did their very best to procure large quantities of the brew for use in covert operations. It was ideal for this purpose given that the drink looked and smelled perfectly innocuous. It had the additional benefit of tasting better than the finest wines in the galaxy.

Kriva juice was extremely challenging to manufacture in even the most advanced laboratories. Should one manage to overcome the huge hurdles in obtaining the rare and expensive ingredients and happened to be able to precisely duplicate the ideal temperature and pressure conditions necessary, one was still not guaranteed success. This was primarily because artificial kriva juice was notoriously unstable. The slightest perturbation in the manufacturing process was likely to produce a very expensive, very useless bucket of goop. Even what appeared to be a perfect replica often lacked the potency necessary to produce the desired effect. Consequently, when one wanted kriva juice, one went to great pains to obtain kriva berries.

As it would happen, there was only one place in the galaxy to get kriva berries?Migruna III. Kriva berries grew wild on the forest planet on shrubs that required virtually no care whatsoever. This made kriva berries the second largest export on Migruna. The migru never truly grasped why the star travelers were so obsessed with the tiny fruit, of course. This was in large part because to the migru, kriva juice was nothing more than a drink to accompany dinner. The only thing that kriva juice did to the average migru was what it had done to Jedi Master Yoda who was slumping slightly at Gandol?s table with a mug of the drink in his hand?

It made them very, very drunk.

?Yoda!!? roared Gandol above the loud merrymaking that was going on in his opulent tree-shelter. Gandol was only slightly less drunk than Yoda, but had drunk several more mugs of kriva juice than Yoda had. ?Learn to hold your drink, you must! Too much time among the Jedi, spent you have.?

Yoda rolled his eyes at Gandol and laughed out loud. ?Perhaps,? Yoda yelled back with a grin, ?Drink too much, you do!? Yoda was laughing at his quip as if he truly believed that he had demonstrated the most phenomenal wit possible. When he looked over at Yaddle?s daughter and saw not even the slightest hint of amusement, he quickly reconsidered his response and found it lacking. She must have noticed the sheepish expression on his face because she wrapped her arms around his right elbow and giggled uncontrollably. Yoda smiled at that and was soon laughing again.

There were about twenty migru gathered in the room, with only one rather disheveled looking attendant, clearly Gandol?s personal assistant, dashing desperately from one influential migru to the next, trying to ensure that everyone?s glass was full. Yoda chuckled slightly to himself as he watched the assistant desperately eye every glass as if expecting the next one to fall. Given how difficult kriva stains are to remove, Yoda im

 

Yoda.....drunk?

Okay, you've thrown me this time!

 

Thats the most hilarious thing I've ever read! Then again, there's nothing better than a few drinks to make things funny

Trust Yoda to be the one to be crazy though...

 

Drunken Yoda? Sweet! You continue to surprise. With his diminuitive size he probably can't hold his liquor too well, eh?

I'm amazed at your ability to hammer this quality stuff out so fast. I wish I could write that fast.

So, Gandol and Yaddle. Talk about a May-December romance... don't they have a law against that sort of thing?

 

I don't know why, but drunk Yoda brought up images of drunk E.T. stumbling around Eliot's house. I wonder if Yoda will behave himself?

 

Hmm...down to four readers, eh? **eyes cyberspace for lurkers** Perhaps the novelty of a young Yoda is wearing off. Oh well. You guys know me, as long as there's one reader on there and s/he keeps reading, I'm going to keep writing.


Arcalian: This was one of those scenes that popped into my head the moment this story started scratching at the inside of my skull. Of course, it's less about Yoda being drunk and more about the fact that he would let himself get drunk at all (the Yoda we know would never do that, of course).

Cobranaconda: Yep. This guy is into having fun. That much is for sure. Glad you found it as funny as I did.

Darth_Scroobius: Definitely a little disturbing in our terms. He'd have been in his late thousands or so and Yaddle in her 30s or 40s. That's a pretty significant difference. Of course, this certainly opens up some doors for our little green friend doesn't it?

jpualn: Drunk ET!! Yay!! Thanks for bringing back that great memory! Regarding Yoda's behavior, perhaps the choice will be made for him...

 

Ok, my four readers. About here is where the story begins to change pace. Hang on...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

?Rizza?? Yoda whispered as the young migru woman used the Force to guide them to the ground gently. The Jedi Master gave her a wistful sidelong glance during the short journey as he rolled her name around in his mind for what felt like an eternity. He wasn?t sure if the kriva juice was affecting him or not, but he found that he could scarcely think of anything else.

?My name it is,? she replied with an expansive smile, ?and more to me than a name, there is, Master Yoda.? When Yoda didn?t respond, she hooked her left arm around his elbow and began to lead him down a small dirt path, through a thicket of bending trees and shrubs, towards a tiny pond that was only thirty meters away. ?Quiet, the night is,? she said in a respectful, hushed tone, ?feel the Force flowing, I can. Suspect, I do, that feel it too you could, if not so distracted you were.?

Yoda looked up at her with a look that clearly indicated he found her remark rather insulting. While he had to admit that the woman was certainly attractive, there was no creature in the universe that could distract him from his powerful connection with the Force. He opened his mouth to inform her of this when she lifted her gentle hand and touched his face.

?By the drink, I meant,? she said soothingly, though not very convincingly. Yoda relaxed and smiled weakly. She did have a point. Yoda didn?t like the idea of being anything but in control in this situation. Resolving to rectify this immediately, the Jedi Master stopped in the middle of the path. Rizza stared at him in confusion but he simply closed his eyes and called on the Force. A wave of energy, unseen to the naked eye, washed over him immediately. A moment later, Yoda opened his eyes, completely rid of the intoxicating effects of the kriva juice and he turned one corner of his mouth upwards in a crooked smile.

I think I prefer you sober, anyway?

Yoda?s eyes went wide with surprise. As he looked into the trees around him, he suddenly realized how dark the area was and how utterly exposed to attack he and Rizza were. Reflexively, his lightsaber went to his hand with a small touch of the Force.

?Master Yoda,? Rizza looked anxious. ?What is it? Help, should I get??

?To your father, return,? Yoda answered without looking at her. ?Discuss your training later, we will.?

?But??

?No! No buts!? Yoda?s eyes went to hers and they looked at each other for a long moment. By the Force! She is beautiful! Yoda pushed the thought to the corner of his mind that he reserved for all things that became obstacles. ?Go! Quickly!?

She almost seemed hurt by the sudden turn of events but only nodded in response and began to trot back up the path. As soon as she was out of sight, Yoda called on the Force and opened his eyes to the world around him. His surroundings crystallized in his mind and he could sense everything around him. He felt her leap into the tree and knew that she was desperately trying to explain to her father what had happened. Yoda pushed his concern for her away and extended his senses further.

He could feel it all. The trees; the pond; and the creatures that lived within the pond; But he could feel nothing out of the ordinary. He deactivated his lightsaber, sensing no immediate physical danger and closed his eyes. Giving more of himself over to the Force, Yoda extended his senses to encompass the entire village and then across the continent. Still, there was no sign of whom or what had spoken to him. Yoda began to grow concerned because he wasn?t sure he could extend his senses beyond the planet boundaries.

The only limits on the Force, my friend, are the ones you place on it?

Fear gripped Yoda as he realized that whoever it was could invade his thoughts. From a distance. Yoda extended the tendrils of the Force into space and immediately found it. What he found made his blood run cold. He hadn?t found

 

Brilliant descriptions, as always. And the way you summed up the void was expert.

And don't be disheartened by the fact that there were only 4 replies to the last post. There wasn't much of a gap, time wise, between them, and some people probably haven't got used to stopping in Before the Saga yet, as most of your readers are from the Saga.

 

Oh, yes! Souderwan's writing again...oh, happy days!!!

 

Man this just gets better and better. A void in the force! That can't be good!
Looking forward to meeting Yoda's fellow Jedi of a different age. Wonder what they'll have to say about this void.
Keep up the good work

 

The mystery begins. The void seemed to be centered on a ship, so this vergence in the Force must also be centered in a physical being of some sort. We look forward to the confrontation.

I'm sure you have more than four readers. I would guess that at least as many people read and don't comment as those that do. I used to think that commenting when you didn't really have anything Earth-shattering to say was rude, though I now see the error of my ways. Be assured that I'm reading this story even if I don't comment, as it is now bookmarked.

 

Don't worry Sounder, I'm sure your faithful readers will delurk soon I'm glad to see that Yoda could compose himself when needed (there were a few times when trying to sneak into my house as a teen that such a trick would have come in very handy). I love the voice, it brings in a dark humor that I can appreciate. Keep up the good work!