EDIT: Revised version* (Overall story hasn't changed.)
Episode I
THE PHANTOM MENACE
Seeing themselves as peacekeepers, the JEDI ORDER have aided the GALACTIC REPUBLIC for centuries. In recent years however, the JEDI presence in the REPUBLIC has dwindled. The peacekeepers feel the FORCE thrash galaxy wide, they fear the return of an ancient foe thought long gone, the SITH.
With the decline of the JEDI presence, the REPUBLIC'S time of complacency has ended. The aggressive expansion of the HUTT CARTEL into the OUTER RIM shakes the SENATE, and with a majority vote, legislation to allow use of clones for defensive armies has been enacted.
JABBA THE HUTT now occupies the desert world of TATOOINE, it's inhabitants forced to pay tribute or be destroyed. ANAKIN SKYWALKER, outraged by the invaders, contemplates joining an underground resistance to save his home from the mobsters clutches…
Chapter One
An Awakening Part One
Deep in the Outer Rim territories, orbiting a red giant, the long-lost barron world of Korriban. The ancient homeworld of the Sith, no longer sat in waiting. It's new Sith masters claim the Valley of the Dark Lords, a vast, gaping gorge, bloated with colossal statues and treacherous tombs to long dead Darths and Lords, many weathered and ruined.
The decrepit burial place of Marka Ragnos stood Maul. A Zabrak with black skin and sharp angled patches of red, jagged horns protruding from his bare scalp. With his double-bladed lightsaber gripped tightly in one hand, he waited.
A gigantic, crimson, scorpion-like creature well adapted to the scorching winds of Korriban lunged itself at him. Maul thrust himself into the air, carried higher than was possible for any normal humanoid - the Force was his ally. He spun mid-air at the beasts, his saber ignited, two pure red beams of sering hot energy erupted from either end, with a heavy hacking motion at it's thickly armoured neck, he killed the hideous thing. The hulking corpse writhed on the sand ridden steps, the bulbous head thud beside it. Maul took it's disfigured head and left.
Maul levitated the severed head with him through the Valley, to a ruined building at the mouth of the gorge. It was more modern than the tombs, this was the ruined Sith Academy left to rot after the Sith Empire was annihilated centuries ago. The interior was as best kept as any ruined structure could be, short of full restoration. He made his way to a large chamber, passing other Sith apprentices, some paying him no mind, a few scowled and some even gave fearful bows. He kept up the pace, past a frozen carbonite Sith woman, hung against the wall like a trophy, a chuck encompassing her forearm missing like it had detonated from inside.
Finally he reached the remains of the Sith holocron library, most of the shelves were empty but for a few tens of holocrons dotted about. He'd set up his camp here. Maul slammed the head and his saber on a metal table, then moved over to a portable heater before realising it had run out of power. Taking a few steps back from the device, he outstretched his arms.
Bright blue bolts of lightning shot from a dark corner across the room, hitting the equipment. Maul jumped startled, he summoned his saber and activated it. "Show yourself!" He demanded. Emerging from the shadows, his face covered by a hood and hard to see, the cloaked figure of Darth Sidious. A handful of the Academies residence on hearing the commotion, ran into the Library to discover the scene.
"I've been waiting for you my apprentice." Immediately they all recognised Sidious' voice, Dark Lord of the New Sith, their master.
All knelt, some fearfully kept their heads low, Maul's head hung lowest, he'd dared to order Sidious. "My lord, forgive me." He gasped shakely. "I wasn't expecting you."
Sidious walked calmly toward the heater. A twitchy smile lit up by the orange glow, his movements and words precise and deliberate. "You were only a boy when I first took you in. Do you remember?"
"Yes Lord."
"And you've been such a fine apprentice, my friend."
"Thank you Lord." Maul still quivered, even when Sidious complimented him. The man had been exceptionally cruel to him, to mold him into a weapon.
"Your so strong with the Force!" Sidious praised, clenching his fist. "Excelling far beyond my hopes, and dreams." A chuckle escaping him, in a manipulative attempted to fane levity and comradery.
"You have taught me well." Maul whispered.
"Indeed I have. Even now events have transpired as I've foreseen, and it is time for you to fulfill the first part of your great destiny." Maul finally looked up. "An apprentice no longer… you may rise, Darth Maul!" Maul rose baring his grim, yellow teeth in a delighted smile. Sidious had bestowed the title so casually, because to him it meant nothing. But to his pawns it carried such weight.
"Command me Lord." Maul gushed, eager to please.
"I have seen a vision of him. Felt his coming hatred, his sorrow and oh! The betrayal." Sidious laughed sadistically. "Skywalker will aid us in our glorious vengeance against the Jedi Order. Prepare to travel to Tatooine my friend, kill Skywalker's associates and bring him to me!"
Tatooine, an inhospitable desert planet, the heat from it's twin suns bore down on the open hangar bay in Achorhead. Anakin Skywalker was trying to remove a fuel hose from his T-16. The metal fuel coupling had expanded in the heat. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" He muttered frustratedly. He was using a scrap of metal to pry the hose off, until it snapped in half, and he stumbled backward tripping over the hose.
The sound of laughter came from across the bay where a Rodian, a slimy green skinned, bug-like humanoid and a tanned Human loaded a Hutt transport. Anakin got to his feet, wiping away clumped sand from his sweaty skin, he spit grains of sand that had gone in his mouth. An R5 maintenance droid approached the ship, after a series of unintelligible bleeps it sprayed compressed gas at the coupling, cooling it instantly and allowing it to fall off. In his native language the Rodian shouted. "Stupid Moof milker!" Followed by an irritatingly excessive laugh.
"Bug-eyed freak!" Anakin hissed under his breath, and avoiding eye contact as he hopped into the T-16. It was an outdated craft by Cartel or Republic standards and it was no Corellian star destroyer. But in the Outer Rim, especially on this forsaken rock, it was the best he could get.
During the flight back, Anakin detoured through Beggar's Canyon. A dangerously narrow dried river bed that stretched many kilometers, sharp bends and jagged rock pillars running its length. Only exceptional pilots could successfully navigate the entire course at low altitudes, he was one of them. The brief moment of entertainment cut short when his comms lit up and Anakin pulled up to open skys.
His brothers panicked, patchy voice coming from the dashboard speakers, "Anakin, it's Owen. Fathe... nts to know where you've gotte…. the Hutt's are coming!" Anakin's heart sank, the Hutt's were there to extort tribute, he fire up his booster to arrive at the moisture farm as quick as possible. On approach he spotted three Hutt ships already grounded, several henchmen headed toward their home, blasters at the ready.
After landing Anakin rushed over to the gathering, his father already engaged in a heated argument with the gangsters. "Over a hundred units this harvest? How does Jabba expect us to survive? Please just take half!" His father begged, the gangsters laughed.
Their leader tossed his holo-communicator to the sand and Jabba The Hutt, a revolting, large slug appeared above the lense as a holographic representation, significantly smaller than Jabba himself.
"Please, Lord Jabba." Anakin's father started. "I beg you, if you take half our harvest then I can't support my family!"
His father didn't know Huttese, very few on Tatooine did since it was only recently occupied by the Cartel. The gang leader translated. "Lord Jabba says; Perhaps then, you have too many mouths to feed." Jabba laughed as his threat was translated, savouring Anakin's father's panicked look. The Hutts knew Galactic Basic, he and others of his race thought themselves above it and refused to utter it.
Jabba's final orders weren't translated this time, the henchmen merely nodded. He quickdrew his pistol and shot Anakin's father in the chest killing him instantly. Simultaneously, a pale skinned Weequay raised his bowcaster and fired a bolt at their mother, the force knocking her back and killing her as well - It had burned a smoking crater into her torso.
Their barbarity set Anakin into a rage, Owen tried to hold him back as he lunged toward the group, tears running down his face. "No!" He cried, coaxing laugher from Jabba's cronies. Owen's grip slipped and Anakin pulled away. Anakin pulled the jagged metal he'd used earlier from his belt, he slashed at the Weequay spike-jawed, corpse like face. Dodging the makeshift blade with ease, the Weequay buttstroke his bowcaster into Anakin skull, knocking Anakin to the ground, the metal shard pierced his palm. Jabba let out a bellowing laugh and ordered his henchmen to leave the two boys alive.
The squad leader approached Owen and grabbed his collar. "Make sure you have enough for us next harvest kid, or I might have to shoot your brother."
Owen stood frozen in place, shaking from fear only able to muster a whispered. "Yes."
With a grin, he slapped Owen's cheek patronizingly. "Good, lets go!" He ordered to his troops, and they carried the containers to the transports.
Sat at their dining table, neither Owen nor Anakin made eye contact or spoke. Anakin stared teary eyed at his bandaged hand, the pain was only just bearable. He'd run over the events in his head, how Owen refused to intervene infuriated him, Anakin's undamaged fist slammed against the table causing Owen to flinch. "You just stood there!" Anakin screamed, Owen said nothing - which only fueled Anakin further. "Say something!" Anakin demanded, his voice cracking slightly as he yelled. Ornaments around them shook slightly as though there were a tremor.
"I'm sorry." Owen whispered, finally looking at his brother. "I'm so sorry."
"Sorry, you're sorry? Sorry won't bring them back!"
"What was I supposed to do?" Owen asked rhetorically, believing nothing could be done.
"Something! Anything!"
"Like charge them with a piece of metal?" Owen challenged, as if what he did was better than nothing at all. "You're lucky they didn't kill you Anakin."
"I was…" Anakin realised it wasn't much of a plan, but Owen cut him off before he could continue.
"You weren't thinking!" Owen spat, suddenly confident now he was facing his brother and not an armed gunman. "You never think! If I'd done the same like an idiot, we'd all be dead."
Anakin didn't regret attacking them, even if it could got him killed. Better to die than be a coward, he thought. "I guess father was just an idiot too then? Why bother arguing with the Hutt's when he should've just let them take what they wanted."
"Maybe he should have."
Anakin looked at him with revulsion. "That's it Owen, I'm leaving."
"Anakin, wait… I didn't..." Owen reached out to grab him.
"Don't!" Anakin threatened, pulling his arm away. He was going to make good on the months he'd talked about joining the resistance.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not going to just sit around anymore!" Anakin barked.
"Don't do anything stupid Anakin, this isn't what mother and father would have wanted!" Owen felt panicked, Anakin was actually going to leave.
"There dead! The Hutts killed them, and the only people doing anything Owen, are the resistance."
"Anakin, I take it back. You weren't being stupid." He pleaded desperately, trying to move round the table but stumbling on his chair leg. "Don't go!"
"By the Force, you can't even stick to your principles. Who are you!?" Anakin was dumbfounded, how could he be so quick to tell people what they wanted to hear.
"How am I supposed to do the harvest myself? The Hutt's will kill me!"
"You're such a coward!"
"Anakin!" Owen pleaded again.
Anakin stop momentarily, but didn't look back. He pulled credits from his belt pouch and threw them to the ground. "Buy a droid."
"Anakin don't leave me! Anakin!" But his plea fell on deaf ears. Anakin wasn't going to stay here any longer. He was going to have his terrible revenge.
Ever since the Hutt's claimed Tatooine and began stripping it for what little it had to offer, it's inhabitants had struggled in a brutal guerilla war. Anakin sped toward Mos Eisley in search of them, his mind an agonizing maelstrom of emotions. His sorrow over the lost of his parents, his hatred for the Hutts, his disappointment and disgust in his brothers inaction, all of it clouded rational thought. The intense feelings welled inside, his scarlet face prickled, the lump in his throat threatened to burst forth. With his wounded fist he repeatedly smashed the cockpit window in frenzied rage, releasing the frustrations felt slightly better.
A strange feeling washed over him, almost euphoric, and a voice spoke as though it were in front of him. "Good!" It oozes, maniacal laughter followed it, and trailing away from his mind in an echo.
Anakin shifted around the cramped cockpit, looking for its origins fruitlessly. Panicked and confused he hurriedly fumbled with the latch of a compartment, inside an old blaster pistol, his bloodied, shaking hand took it.
Mos Eisley came into view, desperate to arrive soon he spent what little fuel remained on his boosters. "Unidentified craft, this is Mos Eisley Spaceport, proceed to docking bay Forty-four and submit to standard search and registration." Came a voice through his commlink.
"Confirmed Spaceport." Anakin replied horsley, and adjusted course to the docking bay.
After a lackluster search and registration Anakin was free to move about Mos Eisley as he pleased. Not too far from the port, he found a popular cantina, it was a good place to start his search for recruiters.
The cantina was packed, mostly with all kinds of aliens. Some he'd never seen before, others were typical to Tatooine. What garnered his attention was the Hutt's gangsters on the far side from the entrance, everyone kept a noticeable distant from them, even here they were feared. Anakin took a seat at a small table, he scanned the place not sure whom he was actually looking for, but hoped he'd notice them or maybe they'd notice him. His gaze hovered on the gangsters, unable to stop himself scowling, his contempt for their very existence was fierce. But it had come to their notice as well, one look directly at him. Anakin thought it was that same Rodian from Anchorhead, or was it? He tried to look away quickly, but he had already made eye contact.
The Rodian and his gang started to move from their seats, feeling panic Anakin grasped the handle of his pistol. From the corner of his eye he saw the Rodian point to him and shout. "What are you looking at sand scum!" Then spat a revolting green puke substance at the ground. The gangsters shoved and pushing people out of their way as they closed the distance. Luckily a drunkard staggered into their path, drawing attention from Anakin momentarily. A bald Zabrak woman seized the opportunity to grabbed Anakin and dragged him out of the cantina, a blaster at his back. The cracking zap of a blaster, followed by screams of terror, echoed from inside. The Rodian had shot the drunk man for his trouble.
Anakin was pushed down an alleyway, the woman pinned him against the wall, her blaster pointed at him. He tried to push her arm away from his throat, but it was a futile gesture against her cybernetic augmentation. "Are you stupid?" She growled. "They'd gut you like a Bantha!" She made a thrusting jester at his stomach with her blaster.
"You're… choking me..." He wheezed.
When she finally released him, he fell to the floor. "Who are you and why are you here?" She demanded.
"Anakin Skywalker. I came to join the resistance."
"Is that right." She chucked. "Another reckless child, what could you possible offer the resistance?"
"I'm a pilot actually, and a pretty damn good one!" Anakin boasted confidently, it peaked her interest.
"A pilot huh? What kind of ships have you flown?"
"I used to transport cargo for my parents... Before the Hutts moved in anyway. And I've got my own T-16, I won it in a race through Beggar's Canyon."
"Well if that's true, then I suppose I should be impressed." She paused to think for a moment, desperation overriding suspicions that this was strangely coincidental. What she needed just happened showed up. "I guess today's your lucky day then kid, we're desperate for another pilot." She looked around to make sure no one was watching, before activating her commlink. "Linmar to Echo HQ, are you receiving?"
"Echo HQ here, what is it?"
"Priority one, notify Beckett I might have found us a pilot."
"Roger that."
"Linmar? That's your name?" Anakin asked.
"Yeah."
On the outskirts of Mos Eisley, down a long abandoned mine shaft, Anakin was taken to a meet up. A squad of armed resistance fighters had been waiting for them. They had blasters trained on Skywalker, equally as skeptic as Linmar about this convenient turn of events. "General, is this the pilot you mentioned?" One asked.
Linmar nodded. "Search him."
They pat Anakin down and seized his weapon, they seemed satisfied he probably wasn't a spy, though they were constantly weary and never took their blasters off him. Deeper into the mineshaft they entered a huge central hub, several other shafts converged here. Crates of weapons, ammo, speeders and machine parts littered the massive space. Stares of intrigue and contempt met Anakin while being escorted to the command centre, it was a dilapidated observation room bolted to northside ceiling of the cavern.
Once they'd taken the service lift up, they lead Anakin to a green skinned Twi'lek, one of his head appendages had been cut clean off, the other looked scarred. Next to him a man whose face was obscured by his pilot helmet. Anakin felt an uncomfortable sensation that seemed to bleed from the stranger, but he couldn't understand why. He was abnormally still and quite.
"You must be the pilot, I'm General Beckett." The Twi'lek said, drawing Anakin's attention from the mysterious pilot.
"Anakin Skywalker, It's an honour to join you!"
Laughter filled the room and Beckett rose his fist to silence them. His face was stern and commanding, Anakin felt admiration at the air of domination and respect Beckett seemed to radiate. "You haven't joined." Beckett corrected plainly.
"But I can help!" Anakin insisted.
"Maybe you could." Beckett offered begrudgingly. "But now is not the time for new recruits."
"He reckons he can fly sir." Linmar added, giving Anakin a friendly back-hand on the arm.
"You can't honestly expect me to put this kid in the T-47?"
"I can't fly it, and there isn't anyone else! I'd be prepared to take the risk." Linmar argued. "We need every fighter and bomber for this mission. We need him."
"It's immaterial anyway, the missions being scrubbed. The Hutts have moved there time-table forward, the weapons are moving in a couple of hours." Beckett admitted.
"Why am I only hearing about this now? I was under the impression we had a couple of days."
"First of all, we don't have time to check this kid out. So we don't have enough pilots, and I'm not risking lives on this mission. As for why you're only finding out now, it's because I'm certain we've got a womp-rat in our ranks."
"Understood." She accepted readily, surprised to hear about the spy.
Anakin felt as though something was pulling him to look at the mysterious pilot. When he shift his eyes for a glance, he saw the man's hand swipe gently. Beckett grew noticeably stiff afterwards, and placed a hand to his temple like he was in pain. "Are you alright sir?" Linmar asked.
"I'm fine." He assured her and waved dismissively. "Skywalker was it?"
"Anakin Skywalker sir!" Anakin responded, straightening up.
"I going to put you in that T-47, Linmar will man the tow-cable. Don't make me regret this."
"Excuse me? You just said we were scrubbing the mission!" Linmar exclaimed, perplexed at the sudden change of heart. Many of the officers in the command center echoed her confusion.
"Enough!" Beckett barked, he sounded aggressive rather than commanding. "Linmar, if you think Skywalker can do this, then we'll risk it."
"But..." Linmar tried to say, but her ignored her.
Beckett began briefing Anakin on his role, ignoring murmurs of discontent. On the holoterminal at the center of the room, Beckett pulled up an imagine of a Sandcrawler. "This is our target, get in low so Linmar can grab the weapons shipment, pull up hard until the cache is airborne. It's absolutely crucial you maintain high speeds. Then leave as quickly as possible, got it?"
"Got it." Answered Anakin excitedly.
"Coordinates will be transmitted to your navigational computer, the plans simple so don't screw it up."
"Sir!" Someone called. "You can't be serious, this boy can't…"
Beckett cut there complain short when he grabbed the scruff of their uniform. "I will not tolerate questioning of my orders!" He roared, almost frothing at the mouth.
Everyone was stunned, especially Linmar. She'd known this man for sometime and this was highly irregular. She let out a disapproving cough and Beckett shoved the other officer away. "Let's get this done." He spat, eyeing everyone dangerously. The mysterious pilot slunk away to the hanger at the finality of this order.
Linmar said nothing further, she thought he was stressed, but that was no excuse. Anakin however seemed unphased by the aggressive outbursts.
Speeding across the dunes, Anakin piloting the T-47. "You alright Skywalker?" Linmar asked.
"Fine, why?"
"Don't get me wrong." She began. "I'm glad the missions going forward, and this should be a blue milk run. But back there, something wasn't right with Beckett."
"What do you mean?"
"He's not normally like that, in fact I've never seen him like that, ever. Think he might be losing it." She suggested, it wouldn't be the first time someone lost it during a war.
"I don't know, seemed fi…" Five resistance X-Wing fighters rushed over them, drawing Anakin's attention from the conversation.
A few kilometers ahead, the Hutt convoy came into view, though they were seemingly unaware of the raiding party headed their way. That was until the X-Wing squadron hit their position. Blaster cannons hitting hard and fast, destroying a couple of Hutt fighters and drawing off what remained.
Once air support was gone three Y-Wings shot overhead and began bombing runs, eviscerating any land resistance. Anakin and Linmar held back until the cargo was completely undefended. "Anakin! We're almost there. Like Beckett said, get in close then pull up just above the crawler. Once I've got it in tow pull up hard to reach a minimum of two hundred meters. Just don't hit the thing."
"Understood." He acknowledged, the adrenaline began to pump harder as the Sandcrawler grew in his field of view. At the last moment he pulled up just as ordered, the base of the T-47 just missing the hull of the crawler. Linmar fired the cable and it magnetized on impact.
"I've got it!" She cheered and Anakin pulled the craft skyward, taking barely a moment to reach minimum altitude - the cable pulled tort. "Punch it!"
The cockpit shuddered as they rocketed higher. The crawler left the ground, sand falling from the tracks as they climbed. Anakin pulled up hard and they came out of the straight climb upside down, he spun the craft upright.
"Skywalker, stay high! We've just enough thrust to keep this thing airborne, any lower and it'll collide with the ground."
Anakin felt that strange feeling from before, washed over him again. The cockpit seemed to fade away and everything went silence. He saw their T-47 materialise ahead of him, the terrain didn't match up. Suddenly a Hutt fighter collided with it, the resulting explosion destroying both crafts, the sandcrawler falling to the ground.
As quickly as he left, Anakin was back in the cockpit. The terrain rushed forward, he recognised it from the vision. "Enemy fighter!" He screamed and pulled the craft upward to perform a loop, hoping it would be enough to dodge the collision. The enemy fighter tried to adjust in order follow through on the suicide strike, instead ripping the tow cable.
The high speed impact tore off a chunk of the T-47, half the rear cockpit hood and the entirety of the cable gun fell into the dunes along with the crawler. The wrecked fighter trailed off into the distance before crashing as well. A readout panel exploded in Linmar's face, searing the skin not covered by her helmet. She clasped her hands against the helmet, the damaged cockpit unable to stop the deafening engine roar. She'd be lucky if this didn't deafen her.
Echo HQ had be following the telemetry and was fully aware of the missions failure. "Y squadron, destroy the Sandcrawler! All squadrons return to base." Beckett ordered over the commlink. If the resistance couldn't have the weapons then neither could the Hutts.
Anakin and Linmar were already a fair distance away when the order came through, and Y Squadron began the bombing run. An enormous explosion erupted from the crawler, the Hutt's had rigged it. It was a trap they'd narrowly escaped, but the Y-Wings weren't so lucky, they were engulfed.