Before - Legends KOTOR: Whispers of the Force (Now COMPLETED! The Epic Finale is here! Now with opening crawl!)

I'm sorry, I've been a terrible reader for the past few months, but I'm all caught up now.

This is turning out to be a fantastic adventure! Your writing style has really grown over the course of the story and I'm really loving your crew and their unpredictable adventures. I was sure they'd make it to safety with Mesco, but of course it couldn't be that easy. I am glad that Aaryn got knighted though. His friends' mysterious pasts certainly have me intreagued.

I'm loving all of references to the comics. I was especially happy to see Calo Nord make an apperance. Gotta love that bounty hunter.

If I have fallen off your PM list, please put me back on. I promise to keep better track of this story from now on. I can't help it, it's gotten so gripping!

I don't have internet at home, so I had saved the first 11 chapters to my computer. I'll save chapter 12 now and read it when I get a chance.

 

Chapter Thirteen
The Fallen Part Three


I think, Jove thought, I?ve made a mistake.

Earlier, because she was so anxious to get off Taloraan and see if Aaryn and Maverick was okay she had left the ship to go investigate on her own. She knew something was wrong when she came across dead, mummified bodies scattered throughout the platform. While she was looking at one of the bodies, someone?or something took her. He put his ice cold hand over her mouth, taking her to some kind of separate control room where he seemed to have set up shop. It tied her down to a chair and that?s when she got a glimpse of him. He was shrouded in a heavy, dark cloak, similar to that of a Jedi but it looked as if all the edges had been frayed off. The cowl over his head covered his face, but he appeared to be humanoid.

The figure slowly turned his shrouded face towards Jove.

?It?s been too long since I?ve come across such a powerful Force user,? The Vampire said. It sounded as if he spoke in a whisper like tone, but his voice seemed to fill all of her hearing.

?Did you kill everyone on this station?? Jove managed to ask.

?Yes, that was me.? He said, turning around again.

?Why are they just husks?? Her voice was threatening to leave her.

?Judging by the company you seemingly keep, I would venture to guess that your Jedi friend has told you some things about how the Force works?? He left the question hanging the air. ?The Force flows through everything, even the most basic life forms. It binds the galaxy together, but only some can tap into its?power. I, myself, feed off the Force that flows through the other beings. So when a Jedi comes around, as you can tell I get excited.?

?Don?t get your hopes up, this Jedi is going to kick your-? Before Jove could finish the hooded figure was directly in front of her, grasping her throat. She gasped for air as he slowly clenched.

?This Jedi will die like all the rest of them, and the only reason I haven?t sucked the life out of you yet is so I can lure him into a trap. Now, shut your mouth.? He said, pushing her to the ground by her throat. She crashed the ground, still tied the chair.

The Vampiric being stood over her, and she finally caught a flash of his pale face and saw a smile.

***

?We have to go after her now,? Aaryn said as he paced back and forth in Veed Primus? former residence. Brahman?s group looked nervous, holding their blasters tight to their chest.

?That?s what it wants you to do, you?re his new target.? Brahman said.

?Why haven?t you tried to leave this facility yet? If you have survived this long, why not try to escape?? Maverick was now starting to sound a little nervous himself.

?It won?t let us leave, we?ve tried several times. But every time we come out of our hiding, he takes one of us. We?ve tried five or six times, and on every run someone has died. He could have killed us a long time ago, but he is playing a game with us. This is fun to him,? Brahman shook his head. ?And once he has killed us all, he?ll move on to another planet. That?s why I said in the transmission to blow this orbital platform out of the sky so this monster can?t escape.?

Maverick glanced over at Aaryn, who looked as if he was trying to come up with some kind of plan.

?Where is your ship?? Aaryn asked.

?On the other landing platform, on the opposite side from where your ship has landed,? A Rodian from Brahman?s group said in passable galactic Basic.

?Maverick, do you think you could lead them there while I go and try to rescue Jove?? Aaryn was terrified for Jove.

?That?s what he is expecting you to do, it?s what he wants.? Brahman said.

?He?s right, Aaryn. You can?t go.? Maverick said.

?I have to; I?m the only one who can save her!? Aaryn said, clearly frustrated.

Maverick approached him closer; talking in a hushed tone so only Aaryn could hear him.

?If you go, this thing will kill you and Jove both. You just keep masking yourself in the Force, or whatever it is your doing and l

 

Loving your episodic approach to this story. It almost feels like I'm watching a live-action Star Wars television show!

- SunriderJazz

 

Chapter Fourteen
Jungle Fever

Commander Jagi A?denika of the Mandalorians balled up his fist tight as he watched the repairs to his War Droid take its finishing coat of paint. Every time he thought of the encounter with the Jedi above the ice world of Jebble, he became even angrier. Jagi had been so careless, and he let the Jedi almost blow him into several pieces. He had underestimated the boy. He shook his head at the mere thought. That?s exactly what the Jedi was?a boy! Jagi may have been careless the first time he and the Jedi fought in the vacuum of space, but next time he would be more cautious.

Jagi was almost sure that it was the same Jedi he had faced on Coruscant, when he killed Mesco. What bothered him was the fact that the Jedi had been on Jebble right before the Mandalorians took the planet. Everyone knew that Jebble was practically waiting to be taken, and the Republic had proven that with their pitiful Defense Force they had set up. There was only one reason the Jedi would be here?for information. That slimy Aleena Mesco must have spilled the secret about the Mandalorian?s new project to the Jedi.

?Commander, the prisoner is now ready to speak.? Ding said over his comlink in his helmet.

?I?m on my way,? Jagi replied back. After taking the ice world below, the Mandalorians had began to set up base. Jagi and his loyal soldiers remained above orbit in a Mandalorian dreadnaught. The Mandalorian Commander made his way through the halls of the battleship, coming to the prisoner cell block.

Gav and Ding stood at the entrance of one of the cells, awaiting their Commander. Inside the cell, chained to the wall with electric binders was a Rodian. Most beings on world had fled just before the Mandalorians arrived, but not all of them. They had managed to capture this one, who was hiding in one of the local bars. The Rodian hadn?t even tried to leave the planet?which was very foolish.

?His name is Scav,? Ding said.

Jagi?s cape billowed behind him as he approached the withered Rodian, standing almost a full meter above the small bug-eyed being. He waited a moment before speaking, letting terror fill within the creature before him.

?Scav, my friends here tell me that you have some information that may be of us to us.? Jagi began. ?We?ve checked the cameras to confirm that you met with a Jedi and one of his associates just before our arrival. Is that correct,?

?Yes,? Scav said in heavily accented Basic. It seemed as if Scav knew it was best to tell the truth. Wise decision.

?What is it that you discussed with the Jedi??

?The Jedi wanted information about you, the Mandalorians. Said they searching for why you attack. What you build to crush Republic Fleet.?

Jagi gritted his teeth. It looks like his suspicions were right. That fool Mesco had told the Jedi about the Greyon.

?Went to Taloraan, to see a man named Veed Primus.? Scav called out as Jagi turned his back.

?We are going after him, sir?? Gav sounded eager.

?We are, so prepare the vessels. We?ve got a Jedi to hunt.?

***

The Divinity, racing through hyperspace, was close to approaching the first planet in Veed Primus?s list that Aaryn and Maverick recovered on the deadly orbital mining facility on the gas giant on Taloraan. Veed, having important information about the new Mandalorian war machine project known as Greyon, had died at the hands of the deadly Force Vampire; so all that was left was bits and pieces of information that Aaryn and his crew now had to put together. Three planets, Rodia, Sleheyron, and Telos, with names of his former contacts and very vague information.

After escaping Taloraan, they had decided to visit these three planets and the contacts on them to try and piece together it all. Aaryn knew this didn?t exactly fall in line with the task the High Council had given him back on Coruscant, but he knew his overall duty was to defend and protect the weak. Whatever the Mandalorians were planning, Aaryn knew it was going to kill a lot of people so he c

 

There are so many loose ends, but every chapter we're learning more about our characters. Here's hoping that the Mandalorians don't make friends with that Force vampire. That could get dangerous.

 

Is your story going to cover the events of Vindication? During the comic, we only saw brief flashes of the whole carnage. I wouldn't mind seeing the fighting between the knight and covenant members, and maybe the meetings were it shows the council and government deciding to cover everything up. Maybe how the Jedi dealt with the issue. I also wouldn't mind seeing more Zayne (for the record, I actually don't mind him with Shel.)

 

I just want to thank all of you guys for reading! It means a lot and we are quickly approaching the end of Whispers of the Force! I am currently working on the second part of Jungle Fever, and it looks to be another three-parter.

SoA: Yes, there are a lot of loose ends in this story, but as you see they are beginning to tie up. We have learned why Maverick has a deep, personal hatred for Mandalorians because they murdered his family when he was younger. We have yet to see why this happened, or how it happened. Or how Jagi A'denika or this mysterious man named Rex was invovled. In this story arc, we'll finally see why Jove has been on the run. I don't want to answer all the questions because I plan on their being two more sequels to this story. We are getting close. I predict the ending will occur late Feb. or sometime in March. And then, hopefully, we'll pick up were we left off with Echoes of the Force, which takes place two years after this.

DarthYan: There could be some mentions of the events of Vindication, but this is Aaryn's story and Aaryn will not be on Coruscant during that crisis. Its very possible that a new character that will come into play in the next fic, Echoes of the Force, will have a flashback of those events and you will see it from their point of view. We are drawing close to an end, and I'll go ahead and tell you that in the next story arc Zayne will be making an appreance and have some scenes with Aaryn.

 

Chapter Fifteen
Jungle Fever, Part Two


Vanuy watched as the six Rodian warriors approached him. A few jumped off the dead beetle, coming with their weapons still clutched in their hands. Vanuy tried for what passed as a smile in the Caamasi culture, but failed horribly. One of them began saying something in their native language. Vanuy couldn?t seem to take his eyes away from the purple dripping blood from the vibroblade.

?You don?t have to have those out anymore,? Vanuy put his hand up. ?Looks like you took care of the beetle.?

Now, they?re going to take care of you. Vanuy thought. The Caamasi began to back away on the ground as they came closer. Another Rodian, this voice seemed to be higher pitched, came out of the trees to fall right in front of Vanuy. He could tell right away that this was a female Rodian, unlike the six warriors before them. From what Vanuy could gather by their body language, the six warriors wanted to kill him while this female Rodian didn?t seem to like the idea.

Suddenly, the familiar snap-hiss of Aaryn?s lightsaber sounded off. All the warriors turned to see the Jedi running at full speed to save Vanuy. Using the Force to propel himself over the warriors, he somersaulted over to land beside the female Rodian and right in front of Vanuy.

?Drop your weapons, all of you.? Aaryn said, gritting his teeth. One of the warriors spat something pretty harsh in his language.

?Do it! Now!? Jove yelled, holding her blaster up. Beside her Belo also held up his blaster, but didn?t come off as intimidating as Jove did. The female said something in her language, causing the six warriors to lower their weapons but not drop them. The female Rodian turned to Aaryn.

?I am sorry for the confusion,? She said in passable Galactic Basic. ?I am Gozi, and these warriors are of the Kett?ia clan. Why are you here??

Aaryn glanced over at Jove, and deactivated his lightsaber. ?I am on a mission for the Republic, I?m a Jedi.?

?You are here to take from Rodia, too?? Gozi cocked her head to the side.

?Excuse me?? Aaryn asked. All of the sudden, whenever the adrenaline was wearing down something itched at his mind. A small pain crept up in his head. He ignored it, pushing it out.

?Our jungle has been visited by your kind before, and they destroy the land.? One of the warriors said. It was a little harder to understand his Basic.

?By the Jedi?? Jove asked, her blaster still up.

?No, the Republic. They are still here. They farm this land for its precious metals.? Gozi said.

Jove caught Aaryn?s look again. Was this part of Veed?s notes? Is this why he listed Rodia?

?I don?t think it?s the Republic,? Aaryn said, clipping his saber back to his belt.

?Then who takes the metal from the ground and destroys the land?? Gozi sounded angrier.

?The Mandalorians,? Aaryn sighed.

***

?Watch your words, Commander. I report directly to Manda?lor himself, and you report to me. Don?t you forget that,? The blue and black armored Mandalorian said in their own native language. Under his own T-shaped visor, Jagi gritted his teeth. If there was anyone he hated more than Cassus Fett, it was the man directly under him, Jett Kash. If Manda?lor the Ultimate and Fett were to die, it was Kash that would then take over the invasion of the Republic. But, Jagi had to admit, he would rather have Kash in charge of things than the crazy Demagol. Kash was different though, and not in the crazy insane way the Flesh Carver was. Kash was cunning, manipulative, and different. While Fett had most of the same qualities, Kash struck Jagi as out of place.

I?d rather be in charge then all of them, He thought.

Something was off about this war, it felt?misguided. Rolhan had noticed it too, and now he was once again on the run from his own kind to figure out the answers. Some reports Jagi had read suggested that he now was in league with the Padawan killer, Zayne Carrick. Jagi raised his head to look at the holographic image of Kash.

?This Jedi has le

 

Chapter Sixteen
Jungle Fever Part Three


?I?m ready to get off this kriffing world,? Muttered one of the soldiers as he looked around the large crater. His fellow soldier grunted in reply. He looked over at him.

?I was ready as soon as Kash said we?d be coming to Rodia,?

The two soldiers laughed, watching the last bit of harvester droids collect the Lignan ore. The harvesters had the famous Czerka Corporation logo on the side, obtained by some high standing officials within the corporation itself. While all the paper work and documents suggested that the Republic had purchased the harvester droids for the ?special project? on Rodia, the Czerka Corporation knew the truth of the matter. They knew it wasn?t really a Republic operation, but instead a Mandalorian operation deep within Republic territory. Czekra knew not to openly betray the Republic, but did so through back doors to make sure the Mandalorians would be happy?just in case the war went in their favor.

The two soldiers discussing their hatred for Rodia weren?t Republic soldiers as they were dressed to be either, but instead Mandalorians.

?What do you think of our new friends?? The larger of the two said, nodding to three individuals dressed in dark attire. The other one shrugged his soldiers.

?Kash said they were in charge of this mission. I know one thing for sure, they aren?t of the Mando?ade.?

?Yeah, they?re too pale.? The other said, goose bumps coming across his flesh just at the mere mention of them. Standing with the three dark men was another Mandalorian dressed as a Republic official. He nodded his head at them and turned to come walking towards the soldiers.

?We are pulling off Rodia,? The man said as he approached. The two soldiers turned and smiled at each other.

?That?s the best news I?ve heard in a while, sir.? The smaller one said.

?Why are we pulling off?? The larger one asked.

?Well, our friends say that they feel like it?s time to go.? He sighed audibly. ?Besides, we are almost out of ore here.?

While the three Mandalorian soldiers discussed this, up higher where the jungle still existed, Aaryn and Vanuy peered out of the tree?s to observe. Aaryn looked at the three through his blaster scope.

?Yeah, they don?t really seem like Republic soldiers to me. If they were, I would have known about this. No, they have to be Mandalorians.? Aaryn thought out loud.

?I don?t like this, Aaryn.? Vanuy said as he watched the harvester droids scurry the ground under them.

Aaryn continued looking through his scope and lead it to a group of three darkly dressed individuals. As if a trigger, his Force sense went off. He began to hear whispers from nowhere, and everywhere it seemed.

Dark. Dark. Dark.

Lies.

Dark.

One of the dark ones turned and looked up towards Aaryn and Vanuy?s direction. Aaryn acted quickly, throwing himself and the Caamasi down behind the log they were perched on. Aaryn?s heart was jumping out of his chest and he had trouble breathing.

?Aaryn? Did they spot us? Are you okay?? Vanuy?s voice seemed like a million miles away. This had happened to Aaryn before on Jebble and at other times earlier in his life, whispers that spoke to him through the Force. He didn?t understand it all, but this was no time to wonder what to make of them. Vanuy?s voice brought him back to reality.

?Yeah, I?m fine.? He mumbled, running his hand over his numb face. ?I?m fine.?

?Did they spot us?? Vanuy asked, rubbing his head. Aaryn took note of this again. Vanuy seemed to have a headache whenever they first arrived to the planet and neared the Lignan ore. He thought all Caamasi had a slight connection to the Force, but it looked as if it affected Vanuy more than it should have.

?No, I don?t think so. Something?strange just happened,? Aaryn shook his head trying to clear his mind. Aaryn took a deep breath and returned his blaster to set it up over the log, peering down its scope once again. The three dark ones were no longer to be seen, as if

 

Hey guys, I really hope you enjoy today's chapter. It was fun to write and it's just a nice break from all the action that has been going with Aaryn and his crew. I felt like they and we as readers needed a nice break before we really get into the ending. Think of it as the calm before the storm! But there is some action in this one too, so I hope you all enjoy. We are very close. Oh and I promise Zayne Carrick will be making an appereance with Aaryn in the next chapter! Enjoy.

Chapter Seventeen
Of Gizka and Men


Aaryn took a breath of fresh of air, letting the cool crispy ocean breeze fill his lungs. He walked with Ta?sa, Vanuy, and Belo through the open market place. It was nice to finally have some time off instead of fighting Mandalorians and Force Vampires. After their adventuring on Rodia, they all decided they would spend some time on the Kothlis to relax a bit from all that was going on in the galaxy. Aaryn had been seeing some spotty holonet transmissions about a major problem occurring on Coruscant, but he had never been able to get a full message. He wasn?t going to let it bother him though; he needed the rest after all that had been happening to him personally.

To break him out of his thinking, a large stick of spiced nerf was stuck in front of his own face. Holding it was his now good friend, the green Ho?Din Ta?sa.

?Try it!? He smiled.

Aaryn nodded and took it, biting into it.

?It?s really spicy,? Aaryn almost chocked on it.

?You don?t like spicy?? Ta?sa asked as they walked through the crowded streets.

?Yeah,? He coughed. ?But this is too much.?

?Sorry,? Ta?sa mumbled, taking it back.

?You guys hungry?? Aaryn glanced back at Vanuy and Belo. Both nodded eagerly.

?Well let?s stop and get something real quick,? Aaryn patted Vanuy on the shoulder.

?Wait, what about Maverick and Jove?? Vanuy asked.

?They?re both doing their own thing; it?s just a day for us guys to hang out.? Aaryn said.

?Minus Maverick,? Ta?sa mumbled.

***

Jove walked across the shore at a leisurely pace, the wind whipping at her long brown hair. She stopped for a moment and buried her toes in the sand, soaking the rays from the sun. A smile came on her face and for the first time in a long time, she let it stay there. After all she and Aaryn and his crew had been through in the past few months, it was nice to have a day off. She opened her eyes, watching a pair of local birds glide on the air currents above her. The sound of the waves crashing up on the beach was soothing. To say the least, this was nice.

She continued her walk on the beach and same under the shade of a tree, seeing a datapad and a shirt resting at the base of the tree. She looked around and saw no one around, so she picked up the datapad.

?Of Gizka and Men,? She said out loud as she read the text. It was a book.

?A human goes nuts if he ain?t got nobody,? A familiar voice called. Jove looked up to see Maverick emerging from the ocean, running his hands through his hair. He laughed and smiled at Jove as he made his way towards her.

?What?? Jove smiled.

?It?s from the book. Don?t you read?? Maverick gave a smirk.

?You don?t seem like the reading type,? She let her eyes scan his shirtless body. His smirk grew into a smile as he followed her eyes. She quickly looked away, embarrassed.

?I was just looking at your scar,? She said referring to the one on his shoulder, inflicted by the Force Vampire.

?Yeah, I bet.? He said still smiling.

?Does it--?? She began.

?Hurt? I don?t know if that?s the right word. But resting up while you and Jed were out fighting a war on Rodia sure did help,? Maverick picked up his shirt, knocking the sand off it.

?You want to take a walk?? Jove said after a moment of silence.

?Why not?? Maverick extended his hand, referring that she led the way. He threw the shirt over his shoulder and followed her down the beach.

***

Aaryn, Ta?sa, Vanuy and Belo all sat in an outside booth at a popular local re

 

Chapter Eighteen
Follow the Leader

?Yeah, I?ve heard some stuff. What?s it to you?? The Twi?lek shrugged, folding his arms. His one lekku twitched in anticipation, the other one seemed to have been cut off. Despite all the noise around them, the Twi?lek and man carried on their conversation. They sat at a Swoop Race on the planet of Telos. The green Twi?lek sat in the bleachers, watching the race. Behind him sat Maverick Baron, talking only to the Twi?lek. He covertly pulled out his modified blaster pistol, stick the barrel of it to his back.

?How ?bout if you don?t tell me, I?ll kill you right here. That sound good to you? It sounds just fine to me.? Maverick said making sure no one knew what was going on. The Twi?lek gulped.

?So, you gonna talk or am I going to blow your head up right here and now?? Maverick added.

?Okay, okay.? The Twi?lek cringed.

?That?s more like it,?

?The Mando?s have been here several times in the past year,? The Twi?lek began. ?I?ve heard they?ve been meeting with someone high up in the Republic here. Someone that can help mask what they are really doing.?

?And what are they really doing??

?I don?t know. Honest.? The Twi?lek said.

?You lying to me?? Maverick pushed the blaster harder into the nape of his neck.

?No, I swear. That?s all I know, and want to know. Not all Mandalorians are brutes, some are sneaky. I don?t want to know.?

?I?ll be seeing you,? Maverick said and the Twi?lek felt the blaster being taken off his neck. The Twi?lek waited a few moments before turning around to see if Maverick was still there, and when he did Maverick was out of sight. He breathed a sigh of relief.

***

Aaryn watched the speeders go by in the flow of traffic. They had finally made it to Telos, one of the planets of Primus?s list. They had found the datapad of Veed Primus back on Taloraan, and they suspected that Primus was some sort of spy tracking down clues about the mysterious ?Greyon? project the Mandalorians were supposedly behind. They found on Rodia that the Mandalorians were extracting Lignan ore, a rare ore that was infused with the dark side. Now they were here on Telos, trying to find out what the Mandalorians had done here. After that, only one planet left. Sleheyron. The only problem was he had no idea where that planet was, and no one else did either.

Aaryn decided he could only worry about one planet at a time. Telos was a beautiful world. It was a planet of mixed technology and nature. While there were vast and spiraling towers, the Telosian people had not forgotten the world?s beautiful and vast vegetation. It was a hybrid, and Aaryn enjoyed the view.
?So where did Maverick go?? Ta?sa asked, leaning on the railway watching the speeders go by in the early morning light.

?Well, he went to go find a contact that was on Primus?s list, and hopefully get some useful information.? Aaryn shrugged.

?Better hope he doesn?t kill him,? Vanuy mumbled. Belo snickered.

?He won?t,? Jove smiled. ?I hope,?

?What? Don?t trust a con-man?? Maverick?s voice called out. They all turned, seeing him walking towards them in the plaza.

?What did you learn?? Aaryn asked.

?Not much. Just that the bucketheads have been here several times over the past year, making nice with a high up Republic official. Trying to hide something, it seems.? Maverick shrugged, folding his arms.

?That doesn?t get us far,? Ta?sa said.

?No, I?m afraid it doesn?t.? Aaryn ran his hand through his brown hair.

?So, I guess we just start questioning the locals on who the crooked politician is here on Telos.? Jove suggested.

Death. Look. Save.

Aaryn reacted as fast as he could to the whispers that he heard, stretching out with the Force. His awareness spiked and he quickly ignited his green lightsaber, blocking to sniper shots aimed for the back of Jove?s head. Jove jumped down and Maverick quickly pulled out his blaster, looking frantically where the shots came from.

?Go!? Aaryn yelled. Several more shots came from an o

 

Haha!


Sorry to be such a lackey reader, but I'm all caught up again. This continued to get exciting.

First Zayne and now Carth? Excellent. Though, I'm probably forgetting some plot point from the comics, but wasn't Zayne's saber yellow?

 

You are correct it was, but this is after he acquires his blue lightsaber. This is taking place after the Conviction arc, during Zayne's one month off from Gryph and the gang. He is on Telos helping set up contacts on Telos for the Rouge Moon project.

 

Author's Note: After getting started on this chapter, I realized this really needed to be at the end of the last chapter and didn't belong in what I wanted to do. So I spilt it up, and that's why it's so short. The next chapter should be out tomorrow, but enjoy this very short chapter!

Chapter Nineteen
Life?

Carth tried to be as quiet as he possibly could, taking off his boots in his room. It was now night time and it had been a very long day. A very hard day, at least for himself. After setting things up with Zayne and working on the Rouge Moon Project, he thought he would get to spend the rest of his leave from the Republic Navy with his family. However, Zayne had contacted him again to meet with another Jedi named Aaryn Karsa. Karsa had been investigating a mysterious project the Mandalorians were supposedly up to, and so far what he had found had been disturbing. According to Karsa?s investigation, someone high up within the Telosian government was actually helping the Mandalorians. They had been the rest of the day backtracking and looking at government official documents, and with the help of a few friends of Carth they learned it all came from one source. The Governor of Telos, Johun Tericka.

Carth had never liked Johun all that much, but he never suspected him of treason, and from the looks of it, no else had either. Johun had done a very good job of covering his tracks, but Carth was good at uncovering tracks. Karsa, his crew, and Zayne had begun formulating a plan to infiltrate his offices to uncover the information they needed.

After undressing, he made his way to the bed as quietly as he possibly could. Ever so slowly he pulled the covers back and crawled into bed. He smiled knowing that he hadn?t woken his beautiful sleeping wife, Morgana.

?You?re home late,? Morgana said with her eyes still closed.

Carth sighed loudly. ?I?m sorry, something?important came up.?

Morgana turned over to face him. ?What?s going on??

He debated on whether or not to tell her about what they had uncovered. ?The Governor of Telos has been compromised, Morgana. Zayne introduced me to a Jedi uncovering information about a plot by the Mandalorians, and the Governor is involved. They are setting up a plan to expose him and the information.?

He looked over at her. He couldn?t gain any hint of what she may be thinking.

?I?m not going to get any more involved, I promise. I?m going to spend the rest of my leave with you, and Dustil.?

Morgana was silent for a while, not saying anything in reply. ?I think you should help them, Carth.?

?What??

?You need to help them. This isn?t only important to the Republic, but to Telos. You know the Thani Tower better than anyone I know. They need you, Carth.? Morgana said.

?So do you and Dustil,? He replied.

?We?ll be right here waiting for you when you get back.? She smiled. Carth smiled back, moving in to kiss his wife.

***

?Just like we practiced, Van,? Aaryn said softly. ?Just concentrate on the object. The Force is flowing through you,?

Vanuy stretched out his three-clawed hand and strained with his eyes closed. Belo sat nearby, watching patiently. Ta?sa leaned against the doorway with arms folded. Slowly, ever so slowly, the lamp began to rise into mid-air. Belo sat straight back, his floppy ears sticking straight up. Ta?sa straightened.

?Good, feel it move through you. Very good,? Aaryn watched the lamp float a few centimeters above the desk. Vanuy let out a gasp, and the lamp fell back on the desk.

?I can?t use the Force,? Vanuy sighed opening his eyes.

?You lifted it,? Aaryn smiled, sitting back.

?What?? Was his only response.

?You did it, you used the Force.? Aaryn laughed.

?Are you serious?? Vanuy almost laughed himself; he looked over at Belo for conformation. Belo shook his head straight up and down. Vanuy jumped out of his seat with exclaim of joy.

?Good job,? Ta?sa nodded his approval.

?The Force flows through all things, Vanuy. It binds the galaxy together;

 

Very nice. It looks like we're going to get some exciting action next time.

 

Chapter 20
?and Death.

Jagi watched the sun rise over the capital city of Telos, and slowly put his helmet on. His two loyal friends, Gav and Ding stepped to his right and left. The sun hit their armor, giving off a shining glint to their Mandalorian armor. The Governor of Telos had put his security team on high alert and throughout the entire tower.

?Time to play, Jedi,? Jagi said in his own Mandalorian tongue.

***

?Remember, don?t move in until we give the all clear,? Carth said over Aaryn?s comlink. The wind whipped through Aaryn, Zayne, and Jove?s hair as they flew through the flow of traffic in the early morning hours. They had split up into three teams, consisting of Carth and Maverick was team one, Ta?sa, Vanuy and Belo was team two, and Aaryn, Zayne and Jove was team three.


?We got it,? Aaryn replied over the roar of the wind.

?Alright,? Was all Carth said back. Aaryn looked back at Zayne, he nodded.

?Here goes nothing,? Aaryn mumbled.

***

Ta?sa, along with Vanuy and Belo slowly walked towards the public entrance of Thani Tower, trying to be as normal as possible. Trying, being the key word. Ta?sa head appendages squirmed into a tangle as they got closer. Vanuy glanced over at him.

?I have a bad feeling about this,? Vanuy whispered.

?Don?t worry about it; we got stuck with the easy job.? Ta?sa replied. ?Just act natural,?

?Right,? Vanuy said, looking down at the blue Ortolan, Belo. His best and only friend his entire life. Belo simply gave him a nod of assurance. The trio approached the door and it hissed open for them. Ta?sa led the way in, approaching the reception desk.

?Welcome to the Thani Tower, how may we help you?? The smiling woman said. Ta?sa gulped.

?I need you to evacuate the tower,? He said through clenched teeth.

?Excuse me?? She looked very confused.

?Evacuate the tower,? Ta?sa said again.

?Someone is making me come in here to tell you there is a bomb, but you?ve got to evacuate the tower. I may die for telling you this, but so be it. We?ve got five minutes to evacuate the tower,? Ta?sa dramatically said.

Vanuy rolled his eyes. The receptionist eyes grew with terror as she quickly reached for her comlink.

?We don?t have time! We have to do this now!? Ta?sa exclaimed. The receptionist nodded, clicking the intercom.

?Attention, attention Thani Tower. We are undergoing a code black, I repeat code black.? She put it down.

?Thank you,? Ta?sa mouthed. She smiled as if she accomplished something great. She looked back at the two security guards. They came over, each grabbing an arm of Ta?sa. Carth said this would happen, and that he could get Ta?sa free after this whole thing.

?You will have to come with us, sir.? One of the guards said.

?They?ll know then! You have to let me stay here,? Ta?sa explained.

?I?m sorry, sir. You have to come with us.?

Vanuy and Belo watched as they escorted him away. Then one of the guard?s comlinks went off. He listened for a while and then looked at his partner.

?But we have someone who called in a bomb threat,? The guard said. A pause of listening. ?Alright, but I?m not getting in trouble for this,? He put away him comlink. ?We are suppose to go help escort people out of the building,?

?What about the Ho?Din?? The other one asked.

?I guess we just let him go,? He shrugged. With that they let go of his arms and went about their business. Ta?sa breathed a sigh of relief and fought his way through the crowd to reunite with Vanuy and Belo.

?I wasn?t sure if they were going to let me go,? Ta?sa said when he reached them.

?We could have gone on without you,? Vanuy muttered.

?Yeah, and I?m a human being. Let?s go you two,? Ta?sa said, leading the way in the opposite direction towards the turbolifts.

***

?That snakehead did it,? Maverick grinned.

?Alright, so you?re sure you can do this Maverick?? Carth asked.

?Look flyboy, there is no lock that can keep me out.? Carth wasn?t sure if Maverick was speaking out of confidence or stupidity, an

 

Chapter Twenty One
Darkest Before the Dawn


Slowly the warships passed by the transparisteel windows, and Aaryn sat there simply watching them go by. After leaving Telos, Aaryn contacted the High Council and told them of the Mandalorian plot that had been uncovered. Undoubtedly they were still reeling from the attack of the Covenant Jedi, but still warned Aaryn of getting involved with the attack.

?We assigned you to uncover why the Mandalorians had invaded the Republic, not to join the fight against them Aaryn.? Vandar said without any condescending tone.

?I know, Master, but this warship will bring devastation to the Republic if we allow it to become operational. By not acting, we will doom thousands to their deaths.? Aaryn fought back.

?You starting to sound like a Revanchist,? Lonna Vash raised her brow.

?I don?t agree with most of the things that they do, but if we don?t do something about this then people will die. It is our duty to defend the weak, and I intend to do that Masters.?

After Aaryn had said what he needed to say, he abruptly ended the comlink. After making contact with the High Council, he then made contact with Capitan Harman of the Republic Fleet. They had met just a few jumps away from Sleheryon, forming up a task force to destroy the Greyon warship. Harman had come through, but it wasn?t enough. They needed Admiral Karath?s fleet if they wanted to win this thing.

Harman had met with Aaryn and his crew, and he brought along five Hammerhead Republic warships, with squadrons of Aurek starfighters. Silently, his eyes followed the floating warship as it glided through space.

?Aaryn, Harman is ready to meet with us.? Ta?sa stuck his head in the cockpit of the Divinity.

Aaryn took one last look and turned to go meet with the Republic Capitan.

***

Two Years Ago?

Aaryn stared out through the microbinoculars, not seeing what his master was talking about. He shook his head in impatience.

?I don?t see it, Master.? Aaryn put down the binoculars.

?Because you aren?t looking,? Cruuso mumbled.

?Right?? Aaryn said to himself. Aaryn stood up next to his Arkanian Jedi Master and handed to pair of binoculars to him. Cruuso took them, applying them to his belt. He folded his arms and looked at his Padawan. They were on the planet Corellia, searching for a lost Jedi Knight. They were in the dense polar region of the planet on a distant ridge looking down at the expanse of snow before them. Both were wearing white jumpsuits to blend in their environment.

?It?s well camouflaged, but it?s there.? Cruuso said.

?And you are sure our Jedi is in there?? Aaryn asked.

Cruuso stared at his Padawan learner. Aaryn gulped.

?You do exactly as I say in there, do you understand me.? Cruuso clenched his teeth.

?Yeah, of course,? Aaryn shrugged.

Cruuso put his hand on his shoulder hard. Aaryn looked confused.

?I don?t think you do understand, Aaryn. You must do exactly as I say in there; I may need you to make tough decisions. You may want to question them, but I want you to do whatever I tell you. Now do you understand me?? Cruuso said with some venom.

Aaryn waited a moment before replying and then nodded. ?I understand, Master.?

Cruuso stared at his apprentice for a long moment and then also nodded back. ?Good. Let?s go,? He said walking past him.

***

Aaryn entered the conference room with Ta?sa, seeing that Jove, Maverick, and Belo were already present with Capitan Harman in his warship the Protector. Harman kept his hands clasped behind his back, turned to acknowledge Aaryn and Ta?sa.

?Jedi Karsa, it is good to finally meet you in person. Once again, I would like to thank you for your help in our escape at Jebble. I am happy to report that once the Mandalorians took the planet, a plague of some sort occurred on planet and their installation there had to be destroyed.? Aaryn could see the faint smile cross his lips.

?Thank you for being here,? Aaryn replied.

?We have sent out a reconnaissance ship to sc

 

Hey gang, I hope you enjoyed the last chapter of Whispers of the Force! I hope to have the final chapter out by this friday! Whooo! It looks to be an epic ending and a good set up for the sequel to this! Please tell me what you think of it and if you've been reading it! I hope you will enjoy the ending!

 

Chapter Twenty Two
Darkest Before the Dawn Part Two


Commander Jagi A?denika stood behind his superior with his surviving loyal solider that surivied the assault at Thani Tower, Ding Odin. Both have mourned the loss of their brother, missed him, but were glad that he was able to die in the glorious battle. While they wished to avenge his death back at the tower, they had their duty to do. They came back report to the one heading up the Greyon project, Jett Kash.

Kash had predicted that the Jedi would soon attack the Greyon Basilisk warship once they learned of it, and they had taken the bait. While they thought they would be sending only their ships against the Greyon, Mandalorian dreadnoughts lay in wait behind Sleheryon?s moon ready to spring the trap. Jagi and Ding stood behind Kash in the command console, watching through the transparisteel when the five Republic Hammer-head warships and their starfighters reverted from hyperspace.

?I allow them to send a reconnaissance ship to spy on us and they send five pitiful warships against us? Pathetic,? Kash spat. Jagi spotted the Dymanic-class freighter among the oncoming ships; the Jedi was aboard that one. He longed to sit upon his Basilisk war droid and rip piece by piece, but Kash wished them to remain on board a while longer.

?Let us begin, shall we?? Kash said in the Mandalorian tongue. He nodded to the Mandalorian pilot turning back to look at him. The pilot reached from the controls to begin moving the ship. The Greyon was a state of the art Mandalorian battleship, but it was so much more than that. It actually operated as a giant Basilisk war droid and a warship. Kash had assigned on the top Basilisk pilots to take the helm of the ship, operating it.

The Greyon detached it?s self from the construction platform and moved into position to begin battle with the enemy.

***

It took a moment for Aaryn to push back the feeling of nausea that hit him once they emerged from hyperspace. The Lignan ore, brisling with the dark side, had been fused into the hull of the Greyon warship. Aaryn began setting up the mental blocks within his mind to block out the presence. He finally succeeded to do it, bringing it down to a dull headache.

?I feel like throwing up,? One of the Jedi said from their starfighters.

?The hull is weaved with Lignan ore,? Aaryn said over the comlink in the cockpit of the Divinity. ?It?s a dark side ore; you have to try to block it out with the Force.?

?The Mandalorians are using a dark side ore?!? Malak sounded outraged over the com.

?Cut the chatter,? Harman piped in. ?Begin attack runs, I repeat all starfighters begin their attack runs.?

?Alright, Jedi, let?s escort the Divinity.? Malak said, and then his starfighter flew out over the Divinity along with four other fighters to lead the way towards the Greyon. As if on cue, turbolasers from all the Hammer-head class warships lanced out towards the massive Mandalorian ship. Jove tightened her grip on the controls.

?You two better go get ready, we won?t have long to do this.? Jove said.

?That?s one big ship,? Maverick muttered.

?Yeah, and you get to go destroy it. So go,? She said.

?Don?t miss me too long, sweetheart.? Maverick grinned.

?Come on,? Aaryn said.

Aaryn led the way into the main deck and both men put their helmets over their suits. Maverick looked at his bulky hands then up at Aaryn who was wearing the exact same red spacesuit.

?Does this suit make me look fat?? Maverick asked. Aaryn shook his head in his helmet. He started to unseal the maintenance hatch of the Divinity, and checked to make sure he had his lightsaber. He looked up and saw the vacuum of space, and latched himself to the lift. Slowly as it lifted, his thoughts went back to day of his mission to Corellia.

***

Two Years Ago?


Aaryn was glad to get out of the cold blizzard taking place just outside, but walking into this hidden base was not exactly what Aaryn had in mind. He and his Jedi Master, Cruuso, had been assigned to lo

 

Epilogue
The Whispers of the Force

After the Republic Fleet had forced the remaining Mandalorians into retreat, along with Jagi A?denika, they regrouped and met down on the surface of Sleheryon?s moon. It was a vast, rich tropical moon. The Divinity sat down its damaged hull along with all the other ships, just in front of the large expanse of ocean. Maverick, Capitan Harman, Malak and his Revanchist Jedi, and Carth were already outside ready to greet them.

The ramp extended out and several of the Republic pilots gathered around to greet the heroes of the day. First down the ramp was Ta?sa and he instantly smiled as the area erupted in cheers. He pumped his fists together, loving the fact that this many people were honoring him. Next down the ramp was Belo, who was also greeted with shouts of joy. His large, floppy ears tucked in. If Ortolan?s could turn red from embarrassment, he would have but he gladly accepted it and came down to stand next to Ta?sa.

Then Jove and Aaryn came down the ramp, Jove helping to support Aaryn up. He had a couple of cuts and bruises, but other than that he would be remarkably fine. Now it seemed that the entire fleet was crowding around, shouting for their new champion Aaryn Karsa.

A familiar grin came across Aaryn?s face. Maverick grinned also, extending his hand to shake. Aaryn took his hand and pulled him in for an embrace. Maverick laughed, patting him on the back.

?You didn?t really need our help, Aaryn. You took down that Mandalorian ship all by yourself.? Malak smiled, patting him on the shoulder.

?No, I couldn?t have done it without you. All of you,? He said, looking at Jove. ?Especially you, how did you know to catch me??

?Thanks to Maverick?s quick thinking,? Jove didn?t take the credit.

?This war isn?t close to being over yet, but thanks to you we can all enjoy a major victory over the Mandalorians,? Carth placed his hands of his hips.

Aaryn nodded and smiled, turning around with Jove to look at the large ocean before them. In the morning sunlight, the ocean sparkled and reflected off it?s beauty. The crisp, cool ocean air whipped their hair and cooled them. Ta?sa, Belo, and Maverick crowded in behind them all with large smiles.
Carth was right, this war was just beginning and after all that Aaryn had learned throughout his journey he feared it was only going to get worse, especially if the Sith were involved with the Mandalorian invasion like Kash suggested. But Aaryn knew everything would be alright, because he was listening to the Force now. He wasn?t sure how it worked, or why the Force chose to speak to him like it did but it didn?t matter to him. All he was going to do now was to listen to the whispers of the Force.

The End.



I hope you all enjoyed it! It's been a fun jounrey and if you have been a reader please let me know what you thought of it, I put in a lot of hard work for you guys! This finale did bring an end to our story, but as you can tell it is beginning to set up for the next installment! The working title is Echoes of the Force and it takes place right after this one! Be looking for it! Thanks, its been fun.

 

Great conclusion! I'm really sad to see poor Vanuy go though. Looks like Jagi got away, though.

I'm looking forward to your next installment in this story line.

 

Hey everyone, it's been a while. Just wanted to let the readers know and to be looking for the next installment in the Force trilogy: Star Wars: The Echoes of the Force this coming weekend! If you are a new reader, I hope you enjoy Whispers of the Force but it is not required to read before this next exciting chapter in the story! But I will say reading this fic will help you really to get to know the characters a lot better and just makes for a better story! I'm excited to be back and hope you all read and enjoy. I'll post a link this weekend to it when it comes out.

 

just read the entire story and it was great, giving more depth to that period in the lives of the Jedi. Love to play koTOR 1 and 2 with a LSM Revan and a LSM exile.

 

Very good job! I previously commented on this story last summer but I was unable to do much beyond schoolwork for the time up till recently so I decided to come back and read it.

Very sad to see Van go, I liked him. Your writing definitely improved throughout and it was nice to see that in addition to a very good plot! Go ahead and PM me whenever the next book/work is up and link me so I can get to reading that one too!

Congrats on finishing the first part and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

 

Good good good story! I like it! Just asking though... is Arynn official with Jove or not? thanks!