This has absolutely no spoilers for anything, since it's a somewhat original storyline (with planet/character names made up and stuff). I'm sure people who haven't seen the movies can understand it, all you have to know is the Force is like telekinesis/telepathy and Jedi/Republic = good, Sith/Empire/First Order = bad. (Of course this is insanely simplified.)
This was supposed to be a one-shot. *sobs* It's more of a really long one-shot split into a few chapters. This chapter is more of a set-up. There will be plenty of Force and light sabre battles, this I promise you ;D
Yes, I always make Hanamiya the bad guy. LOL. He's useful for that role!
Chapter 1: Scarlet Awakening
The light of distant stars slowly blotted out one by one as the Imperial Second Class Star Destroyer floated silently by, its large size insignificant in the vast emptiness of space, yet imposing to any who laid eyes on it.
"Commander Hanamiya, we have possible co-ordinates for the location of one of our targets," the man reported stiffly, his arm raised in a salute.
"Good," the voice was slightly dulled by the filter mask, but the delight in it was clear. "Planet?'
"Tamaria, in the Feran Sector of the galactic mid-rim."
Hanamiya regarded the information silently. "Taking a ship this big might be too troublesome. We'll circle close by, but send in small teams to retrieve the target." He sighed. "And as much as it displeases me, I have been ordered to take them in alive…but barely so should suffice."
The man bowed, his emotionless eyes staring at the back of his commander's head. "Yes, sir."
"Beep beep, boop, beeeep."
The figure lying under the shade of the tree groaned, his brown robes shifting as he turned over away from the nagging droid. "Ugh, shut up, BB-X9, let me sleep."
The spherical droid whirred and clicked, bumping into the man repeatedly, red lights flickering on its blue and white surface. A hologram popped up on top of it, making the man jolt in surprise.
A calm face slightly covered with a hood stared at him, flickering in the blue light. "Aomine, come at once. Urgent matters require your immediate attention." The image disappeared just as suddenly as it had come.
Aomine scowled, sitting up and rubbing his face. "Okay, okay, I got it. Fuck, Akashi never gives me a break."
The droid regarded him silently before making another series of beeps.
"I am not lazy!" Aomine stood up, dusting his clothes. "I just like the Antinese air, okay? Yes, I know it's been three months. No, I do not need sparring practice! Jeez, why the fuck do I even have you with me?"
BB-X9 dropped its hemispherical head and he felt a pang of remorse.
"Oh come on, I'm joking. You're great. Let's go," he patted the cool metal and pushed his way past the surrounding shrub, laying his eyes on a beautiful Starfighter waiting for him patiently in a small grassy clearing.
He couldn't supress his excitement and it made a grin break out on his face. It had been a while since he saw a good fight. Since he'd been in one.
"Get in, BB-X9. Let's go see what he wants."
"Hey, hey. What is this filth? I paid ten credits for this!" The green skinned cyclops rammed his fist on the table.
Kagami could feel a nerve twitch. "It's shrub stew, a Tamarian specialty, sir. Exactly what you ordered."
The alien glared at him with his single eye. "I demand a refund!"
Kagami took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, but-"
A hand grabbed his shoulder and pulled him back forcefully, before his brother grinned at their customer. "Of course sir, would you prefer a refund or another dish?"
"Tatsuya…"
"Don't anger an Abyssin," his brother muttered through his teeth, still smiling brightly.
"But-"
When sharp grey eyes silenced him, Kagami felt his blood boil. Himuro Tatsuya was not his blood brother, but someone who had been with Kagami for as long as he could remember. The older man knew how to get even someone like Kagami under control. He huffed, turning around and storming back into the kitchen. Always, always, always we are treated like this! He dropped to his knees and pulled out a wash bucket, filling it with water before dumping some dirty bowls in it for scrubbing. He grabbed the metal ring around his neck, closing his eyes. Himuro was important to him, but they couldn't live like this forever.
He heard footsteps behind him.
"So? What does he want?"
Himuro sighed heavily. "A refund and another helping of shrub stew to go."
"What?" Kagami snapped, standing up. "Didn't he say he didn't like it? That's it. I'm going to have a word."
"You know Abyssins are infamous for their temper and their violence," Himuro hissed. "Do you want our store to be turned into rubble?"
"Like our dignity?" Kagami scoffed. "I think I can handle one guy. If people see us being pushed around like this, it'll just keep happening."
Himuro tightened his jaw. "Fine, I will report it to the Republic officials."
"Report it my ass," Kagami snarled. "The goddamn Republic isn't doing anything here! They feel obligated because we're in right on the edge of the mid-rim, but when we get extorted or threatened, they don't lift a finger!"
Himuro frowned. "They are low on resources after the Empire-"
"Empire this, Empire that, I'm sick of it," the redhead clenched his fists. "And what about the Jedi? This so called Jedi Order, the ones that are supposed to keep balance? I've read so much about them," Kagami felt his anger burn painfully. "But I've never fucking even seen one! They're as fake as the Republic's care for us. Myths. And myths don't save lives."
"Taiga…" Himuro lifted a hand but Kagami smacked it away, his glare burning ferociously.
"I'll speak to that one-eyed freak myself, and if he throws a punch, I'll throw a harder one back," he growled, walking back outside and ignoring his brother's pleas.
Aomine caught a whiff of something delicious in the air, his stomach grumbling in response. BB-X9 whirred beside him. "Yeah, I know," he responded. "But a little stopover won't take too long. And the guy's supposed to be on this planet anyway. Tetsu's going to bring him to the rendezvous point in a few hours."
BB-X9 beeped and Aomine smacked him lightly.
"Shh, you idiot! This is barely in the Republic's territory, so don't even mention the J-word. And even when I told Akashi I would be enough, that guy insisted to have two…um, officers, on this mission." He glanced around himself, before waving to BB-X9 and following the sweet scent.
Tamaria was a fairly green planet, not unlike Antin, except with less water and more cliffs and jagged outcrops that surrounded its capital city of Emora like a basin. It made it an incredibly horrible place for aerial conflict, but the planet didn't have a violent history. It was more of a place people stopped on their way into and out of the outer-rim, sitting on the edge of mid-rim territory. Aomine walked down stony streets and came upon a shack the size of his Starfighter, the cloth canopy shielding it from Tamaria's summer heat. He signalled for BB-X9 to stay outside as he parted the curtain that led inside.
Chatter in a dozen languages buzzed in the air, the atmosphere thick with the mixed smells of spices and steam. Customers were seated at round tables, drinking and laughing and sharing stories, every seat taken. It was a crowded but friendly place. Aomine smiled slightly as he stepped forward to place an order, when he saw a man with fiery hair and split eyebrows emerge from the kitchen.
Aomine froze. He felt something. Something strange, in his mind, like a pull. But before he could investigate the feeling more, the man stalked up to a laughing Abyssin and the whole room fell silent as soon as he spoke.
"Pay for your food and leave."
The voice rung in Aomine's ears, and his jaw dropped. Had the man just ordered and Abyssin to leave?!
The Abyssin's smile dropped off his face, and fury twisted his ugly features. He stood up slowly, and although the redhead was fairly tall, the alien towered over him.
"What did you say?"
The redhead didn't flinch. "I said fuck off."
Aomine instinctively edged forwards, his hand creeping towards his light sabre. This is bad.
The Abyssin made a low guttural sound, his muscles bunching as he prepared to attack. Aomine cursed under his breath, surreptitiously flicking his hood up and raising a hand towards the potential attacker. Hopefully this doesn't blow my cover-
"You will leave money on the table and leave."
Huh?
"I will leave money on the table and leave."
Wait, wait.
The Abyssin deflated, and Aomine heard the clatter of coins as the creature paid for his food before he turned around and brushed passed Aomine on his way out of the establishment.
Aomine stared. What the actual FUCK.
He walked silently towards the man and sat down in the now-free seat, pushing his hood down. He looked up to stare into a pair of curious scarlet eyes.
"How did you do that?" Aomine asked cautiously. That was…amazing.
The man gave him a lopsided grin. "I honestly don't fucking know. Luck? Maybe the stew gave him an upset stomach and he decided to leave. I'm happy it ended that way though. I'm not going to think about it," he shook his head. "Sorry, my head hurts for some reason… But, uh, what would you like to eat?"
I don't think stew can do that. And Abyssins have accelerated healing, so poison isn't so effective on them. Aomine observed him silently. "I'll take some of that stew to go, please."
The worker winked. "Lucky for you, my brother was packing one order like that anyway, but the guy who ordered it just left. I was going to feed it to that poor boy who drops by sometimes for food, but I can always give him something else."
Seems like a nice person. And he's got a pretty nice smile. Aomine took the food and paid. "Say…what's your name?"
The man opened his mouth to respond when suddenly, the curtain fluttered open to reveal a panicked Bith, its large head bobbing up and down as it panted and its large stone black eyes honing in on the two.
"It's the Empire!" it squeaked. "I intercepted a message; there's a Star Destroyer circling our star system, and I've detected three patrol cruisers headed for Emora!"
About half of the patrons rushed outside, and Aomine's face paled. "Shit! My ship!" he ran out, forgetting about his hunger and the redhead. If the Imperial forces found his Starfighter in the forest, they'd know a Jedi was here. This was a planet that belonged to the Republic, but their presence was nearly non-existent. Tamaria just had no valuable resources or advantages for the Empire to seize it, so it remained out of any major battles.
But finding traces of a Jedi? That would turn the place into a warzone.
There was also his mission he had to worry about, and he honestly didn't want to face Akashi when the guy was in a bad mood. Akashi had…a dark past that nobody ever really got over.
He found BB-X9 practically screaming at him when he ran out into the light of a setting sun.
"Tetsu called? No, BB-X9, we have to get the ship back!" Aomine bit his lip. The mission required he meet with his partner straight away, but his ship…
He liked his ship.
BB-X9 flicked some lights and burred. Aomine frowned. "Send you? What if you get caught?"
The droid rolled around Aomine's feet, spinning its head.
Aomine sighed, crouching down and rubbing the scratched metal. "Fine, but stay low and quiet, and if they've found me ship before you, just come back to me, okay? I'll be at the rendezvous point."
BB-X9 nodded and sped away. Aomine pulled his brown hood back over his face. He had a mission to get to.
"You're late," Aomine called as he heard footsteps crack through the foliage. His eyes were continually scanning the skies for any sign of enemy ships, but none were spotted, thankfully. Only the bright light of Tamaria's two moons lit the dark sky, unfamiliar constellations twinkling like diamond powder. "And you're so loud, Tetsu-"
"Wait, I know this voice…"
Aomine's eyes widened when a head pushed the bushes aside, red eyes reflecting Aomine's own surprise.
"What are you doing here?" Aomine's hand snapped to his light sabre and he pulled it out, the blade materialising to throw a blue glow onto his face as he stared at the chef from before with more than a little suspicion. "I thought I sensed something off about you!" he hissed. "Are you an Imperial spy?" An unexpected pain clenched his stomach at the thought.
The man stared at him slack jawed. "I-is that a light sabre?!"
Aomine squinted. "Answer my question-"
"Aomine-kun, calm down."
Aomine jumped, turning around to see a small figure gazing down at him from a low branch on the tree he was under. "Tetsu!"
"Kuroko, what's going on?" the redhead fretted.
"Kagami-kun, I'm sorry for lying. I am not a street rat begging for your scraps," Kuroko dropped to the floor, walking up to Kagami. "My name is Kuroko Tetsuya. This is Aomine Daiki."
"Did you just say Kagami?" Aomine felt his breath catch in his throat as realisation dawned.
Kagami took a weary step back. "Who are you people?"
Kuroko smiled. "We are Jedi, and we are here to protect you. And bring you back with us, so we can train you."
Aomine placed a hand on his forehead and laughed. Of course. Of course. I was such an idiot. The mind trick, the mental pull.
"Train me?" Kagami's expression was thoroughly confused.
With a flick of his wrist, Kuroko picked up a rock and threw it right at Kagami's head. Kagami flinched, automatically holding up a hand to protect himself. The stone jarred to a stop right in front of his palm, before dropping down at the shocked man's feet.
"Kagami Taiga. The Empire wants to turn you to the Dark Side, because of the power you hold," Kuroko said, his pale blue eyes reflecting the moonlight of the twin moons. "Your father was a great Jedi. And if we can help it, before the Empire gets to you, you will become one too."
Thanks for reading! Comments are lifeblood :D
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