A Jedi in Azeroth
Part One: The Arrival
Daneel leaned in his chair as the ship lurched to starboard. Sparks flew from the consoles and acrid smoke began filling the air. He could hear a fire crackling aft of the bridge. Deckplates groaned as stresses from gravitic shockwaves pounded the small vessel. An anomaly engulfed the viewport ahead of him and was the source of the ship's erratic behavior. Inwardly the Jedi master was grateful he had left his companions behind for this trip…one that was supposed to be simple and without incident. A routine diplomatic mission to Belsavis to help Hollow Voice reach the other Esh-Ka who had not joined in their effort to end the war with the Sith Empire. The elder leader's hope was to join the renegade people of his race to the "harmony" of the Republic. Skyhopper, as Daneel was known as amongst the Esh-Ka, was a powerful example of how other races could help the Esh-Ka according to Hollow Voice. It had sounded daunting but hardly dangerous…until the maelstrom emerged from nothingness near Daneel's ship pulling it from hyperspace. He struggled to gain control of the Defender and hopefully escape the grip of the monstrosity looming before him. A kaleidoscope of colors rimmed the outer edge of the anomaly belying its ferocity. The plates continued to buckle beneath him as the ship lurched violently to the port. Daneel prepared himself to become one with the Force…survival from this did not seem possible unless a truly rare event occurred. The ship lurched again and plunged deeper towards the maw of the anomaly. Lights blinked out on the control panel before him, and the ship's engines grew quiet. He was heading into a torrential abyss of violent energy…and he was helpless. He reached out through the Force…and then everything went black.
The Sin'dorei walked in the peaceful grove searching for lost relics of Azeroth's past. The planet had a rich and tumultuous history, and Professor Demira often looked for her treasures in remote places. Almost anywhere in the world lost relics could be found. It was just this morning she left her friend Zharn near Mt. Hyjal where he was helping the ancients. Zharn was an orc, and like her people members of the Horde. The shaman was helping in the best way that he could, and she had returned to this forest to search for relics that might help her in her own quest. She stopped to pick up a flower and examined it. She wore her dark hair in a long braid which only highlighted her slender elven ears. Unlike most mages she wore simple red pants with a matching top baring her midriff. She continued walking slowly as she examined the flower with her glowing green eyes.
The grove was just a smaller part of a larger forest she had come to. This place was near a village she visited often…a place so far largely untouched by the conflict between the Horde and the Alliance. Faint magical energies existed in this area hinting at a past wrought with struggle and power. She hoped to find some indication as to who lived here, when this place was teaming with life, and what had changed to make them leave this tranquil region. And it was a chance to leave the larger current conflict behind. She had seen her share of the war…participated in many of the major events and battles which shaped Azeroth as it existed currently. Today…she just wanted to get away from it all…and this grove was the perfect place to do just that. She stopped in an opening still holding the delicate flower in her hand. She breathed deep inhaling its fragrance.
A clap of thunder disturbed the normal quiet of the forest. The mage peered skyward searching for the source of the noise. When she had left the village earlier that morning there were no clouds in the sky, and she had not seen any during her trek through the serene woods. In fact everything this morning had been peaceful. A slight breeze rustled the leaves of the trees and billowy grasses. Small creatures scurried about their lives unafraid of anything including her intrusion into their environment. Still no clouds occupied the skies, but her eyes widened at what she did see. A trail of fire streaked from the heavens towards the ground. She could hear the rumble of the flames as it came closer, and to her dismay she realized it would impact not far from her. Instinctively she searched her surroundings for some sort of cover…some sort of protection from the flames and whatever they were burning that was falling from the sky. She could sense the panic in the forest creatures around her as they too sensed a danger and ran for whatever cover they could find.
At first she thought the fireball could be a dragon, but that race had been quiet since the demise of Deathwing. None of the former Aspects or their flights had any reason to be near this part of the world. As Demira watched it fall she tried to think of what it could be for she had seen many strange things in her short life…at least short for a Sin'dorei. Its angle was too steep and high for a skyship…and much too large. A meteor perhaps…its flight path in the sky told her it could be such a thing, but those events usually foretold of more urgent and deadly events soon to occur. Her heart filled with dread. After the return of the Burning Legion, the Lich King and the Scourge, and even the recent Cataclysm…Azeroth could not withstand another catastrophe. As these thoughts raced through her mind she found an outcropping of rocks. She was convinced they would not protect her should the falling object hit very near but might provide cover from any debris should the falling object land a short distance away. She dug the heels of her boots into the soft dirt and ran for all speed she could muster. The roar was getting louder and she chanced a glance over her shoulder. It was close…too close…and she instinctively dove to the ground and covered her head with her hands. The sound was deafening and she could feel the heat from the flames. She should have felt panicked, but instead curiosity took over and she peeked through her cover to spy the falling object. It was a hundred feet above and would not land on her. She started to rise and watched as the object landed perhaps a mile away. Whatever it was hit with such force that there was a blinding light and a few seconds later the shockwave hit knocking her to her back. Her head struck the ground hard…and darkness took over.
Daneel stood on the cliff and watched the fireball fall from the sky. He was certain it was his ship, but how it had followed him through the journey he could not fathom. He was not even sure of where he was. As the ship began to tear apart in the strain of the maelstrom in space he remembered a final lesson from the Jedi master Revan when they met after the former's rescue from the Emperor's prison and before that man himself disappeared. The three centuries old master had taught Daneel one technique very few Force wielders knew…and for good reason. It allowed one to fold space using the Force transporting the person from one point in the galaxy to another without actually moving. The travel was instantaneous, but the costs were unknown. It was why so few knew the technique in the first place. The dangers were too unknown and too erratic so the old masters of the Order had deemed the knowledge unusable. Revan was once a Jedi then Sith and then neither. He was not bound by the tenets of the Jedi Order or its code. Daneel would not have used it himself had the situation he faced had not been so dire. Watching the wreckage fall now through the sky towards the surface, he had second thoughts about his own use of the precarious and ancient technique. Perhaps the old masters were correct in sealing the knowledge of this power and banning its usage. Even the Sith, or for that matter even the ancient Rakata, would hesitate with consequences such as what he was witnessing.
The ship's wreckage impacted the surface a few miles from where he stood. Almost a minute later the shockwave hit him. Bracing himself with the Force he was able to withstand the impact upon his body. He shook his head…and reached out through the Force. Hopefully no life was extinguished when the ship collided with the ground. Saving himself at the cost of other lives was not his intent nor was it the Jedi way. He smiled as he welcomed the embrace of life around him. He sensed none had come to permanent harm from the explosion. Daneel marveled at how different the Force felt to him on this world. This world teemed with life. The living Force flowed around him and through him…it was invigorating. He felt no influence of the dark side on this world, nor did he sense an abundance of the light side…just the living Force generated by all living things. He sensed it in every thing around him…including the rocks beneath his feet. Never had he felt the Force so fully before, and he was a master of the Jedi Order and one of its council members. But still while it was comforting and exhilarating it was also…different…in a way he could not quite describe. In all of his travels to all of the different worlds of the galaxy…this one was unique. After another moment of contemplation, he used the Force to help him traverse down the side of the small mountain on which he was standing. He needed to reach the wreckage and salvage what he could. He did not hope to find much, but anything he could find would be of great benefit since he was assuredly stuck on this world for an indefinite time. He was not even sure if this world had any intelligent life.
At the base of the mountain he found an animal trail that lead in the direction of the crashed ship. The foliage was dense here with shades of blues and purples. At least he perceived them that way through the Force for he had no physical eyes with which to see. Daneel was a Miraluka…a race which looked outwardly human with the exception of the lack of eyes. He wore a metallic covering over the sockets where eyes would have been as was the custom of his race when in the presence of other species. They did this because non-Miralukas were discomforted by the empty eye sockets. Daneel followed the trail for about a mile before coming to a small clearing. Despite the presence of life in the Force he had not yet come across any. Perhaps the crash had scared the local wildlife away from the area. A possibility that while disconcerting to him, Daneel felt there would be no lasting effect to the native environment. On the far side of the clearing was an outcropping of rocks, and he walked towards them for some shade from the sun and perhaps to meditate and get his bearings in the Force.
Demira watched from the behind the rocks as the human approached. What was a human, or any Alliance, doing in this part of the world? He was slender for a human and wore robes in a fashion she had not seen before. They were purple and blue with a hood that covered the top of his head but not his face. What was stranger was the fact that the only metal he wore was over his eyes. He did have a weapon of some sort at his hip, but she could see no blade as would befit a sword or dagger, just a smooth metal cylinder the size of a sword hilt. There was not open hostility between the two factions at present, but she decided to take a chance to step from behind the rock keeping a mental list of spells in case her instinct was wrong. "Who are you, human? And why have you come here?" she asked. He looked at her with a slight tilt to his head as he came to a stop. He replied in a language she had never heard. "Who are you?" she repeated.
He tilted his head to the other side and spoke again in his strange tongue. He then brought his hands up in front of him…palms facing her and fingers spread upwards. She crouched instinctively recognizing the man might be casting a spell. She inwardly cursed not thinking at first the man might be a mage. Had the Alliance sent this man as a spy? Did he have something to do with the falling object from the sky? His reaction to her movement was to take one step back and push his arms forward. She whispered a protection spell to ward off whatever spell he was casting, but nothing came from him. Instead he kept talking in his strange language. "I warn you," she began, "I am a mage as well and this is a fight you do not want."
The man lowered his arms to his sides and smiled. "I apologize for any misunderstanding," he said. "I mean you no harm." She relaxed a little at the tone of his voice. Few humans knew the Sin'dorei language. He seemed rather…refined…for a human. "I am new to your world, and it took me a little while to learn your language."
"Learn my…language?" she asked. Such an odd statement, she thought. She did not trust this man…could not trust him. He was human but claimed to be from another world. That was not possible. Azeroth had many humans and his strange language before could simply mean he was from a part of the world she was not familiar with. Were there humans not part of the Alliance? Was he a member of the Earthen Ring? She did not think so because of his strange language. She remained cautious. "I do not believe you, human," Demira finally said.
"There are humans on this world?" the man asked her. "Is this planet a colony? It is not familiar to me as being any world of either the Republic or the Sith Empire."
"Are you mad, human?" she asked. This talk of republic and empire made no sense to her. There was the Horde and the Alliance…she knew of no other factions that would even have colonies as he was suggesting. He was talking gibberish and must be mad. "Humans are of the Alliance…and you are a human. I am a child of the blood…a blood elf…and of the Horde. Why are you here?" There was a strained peace now between the Horde and the Alliance…she would not be the first to draw blood and start a new war, but she would defend herself.
"I am no human," he replied with a smile. "I admit in appearance my species looks human…to a certain point. But believe me…I am not human." She tilted her head to the side. He most definitely was human according to her eyes. This had to be an Alliance trick. Despite his pleasant demeanor she grew wearier of him. "I am a Miraluka," he continued. "We are similar to humans in many aspects except one."
"And what would that one be?" she asked curious as to how much longer this human would attempt his ruse. For this had to be a trick on the part of the man…any other explanation was too outlandish for her to conceive.
He reached up with his hands to his face and the metal covering over his eyes. She tensed half expecting him to cast a spell at her. He smiled. "You will find this…a little disconcerting. Most species do…which is why my people wear these adornments, but I can tell by the tone of your voice that you do not believe me. Seeing is the act of believing." He removed the covering from his face. Demira gasped at what she saw…or the lack of what she saw. Where his eyes should have been was…nothing! She cautiously stepped closer to him forgetting her previous trepidations about this man…or his connection to the Alliance. Surely this human's eyes had been removed and the skin healed over the sockets. But as she stepped even closer she could see no scars…no indication that this man had ever had eyes. She found herself waving her hand before the empty eye sockets.
"Please don't do that," he said with a smile.
"Don't do…what?"
"Wave your hand in front of my face. I am not blind…I just do not have eyes. Like the rest of my people I was born without them."
"Preposterous!" she exclaimed. "You must be hearing my hand…or feel the brush of air…"
"My people do not need eyes to see…we see through the Force," he replied as he placed the covering back over the sockets. "My people have an affinity with the Force which allows us to see more clearly than those born with sight organs."
"What is this force you speak of?" she asked. "You are a mage…are you not?"
"I…do not know what a mage is," he replied. "I am a Jedi."
"A…jidei?"
"Yes…a Jedi. Please…can you tell me the name of this world?"
The man was strange indeed, but his manners were not threatening and he was pleasant enough despite the whole missing eyes thing. Still…he talked strangely, but she began to believe this man was not a member of the Alliance. Yet she remained cautious…he was definitely not Sin'dorei…or a member of the Horde. She was convinced he was human, but still… He cleared his throat. Oh…he had asked a question. Her thoughts must have wondered, and again she cursed inwardly for her lack of concentration. "Azeroth," she answered.
"Azeroth…I do not know this name. I don't remember seeing it on any of the astrogation charts. Interesting."
"What's an…astro…ga…"
"Astrogation?" he queried. He tilted his head at her. "Perhaps it might help you understand better if we found the wreckage of my ship. Surely you saw it crash not far from here."
"There was a fireball," she conceded. He claimed it was a ship and from another world…not from Azeroth. Could this man be telling her the truth? It would explain his strange language and mannerisms…and the creepy eye thing. The orcs were not originally from this world…and the Draenei were also not from Azeroth. And she had seen and heard stranger things in recent years. "It landed about a mile from here."
He started to take a step…then stopped. "Perhaps you would join me? I would like to learn more about your world. You could tell me more about it on the way to the crash site. And then once there perhaps I can explain more about myself that can make more sense to you." Again he smiled.
"I will…but be warned…I am not a helpless sin'dorei," she said coolly.
"Ah…is that your name?"
"Sin'dorei is the name of my people…my name," she hesitated. Should she give this stranger her name just yet? Was she sure she could trust him? He had spoken the truth to her so far as she could fathom even as preposterous as it was…she sensed no deception from him. "I will tell you once we have seen your ship."
"Fair enough," he replied with a smile. Again with that smile. "My name is Daneel….Jedi master and member of the Jedi Council. It is a pleasure to meet you…emissary of the Sin'dorei people." He was definitely strange. Demira motioned for him to begin walking towards the crash site.
She walked a little behind him, and Daneel felt her reaction perfectly reasonable. Their initial encounter intrigued him. She spoke a language he was completely unfamiliar with, and during their initial spoken words he had reached out through the Force to touch her mind. He did not want to damage her, but he needed to grasp her language to better facilitate communication. He did not linger longer than was necessary to garner the nuances of her speech, but what he noticed about her was fascinating. Her mind was unlike any other he encountered. She was highly intelligent and the Force flowed differently through her than it did any other person or creature in his experiences. During their conversation he sensed at first her confusion and fear…and then curiosity. She also did not trust him. He would not either if their roles had been reversed. She at least was not outwardly violent which was promising. And he sensed from her a closeness to her environment similar to that held by Hollow Voice and his followers.
The trek to the crash site was not an easy one. The ship impacted in the forest at the bottom of a ravine. There were also two small streams to cross. Demira was impressed with the sure footedness this stranger possessed since she still could not understand how he saw his way through the woods. He stepped gingerly over fallen branches and rocks along the trail, followed game trails when they were available and even balanced better than she when crossing one stream along a fallen tree. Had she not seen with her own eyes his rather unique condition Demira would not have believed the man blind by the common definition of the word. Another fascinating thing was that he made his way directly to the crashed ship. She was using the sight of the smoke as a guide, but this jidei never looked up instead walking almost directly as the woods allowed.
They finally walked into a clearing in the trees created by the crash. Demira's eyes widened at the devastation she witnessed. She expected to see…something…in a crater and in a smaller area. What she saw instead was a long and wide swath through the forest. Small fires lined a crevice that was perhaps ten feet deep, fifty feet across, and ended beyond her line of sight. She let out a long breath not realizing she was holding it in. Beside her the man sighed as well. Large chunks of metal and some material she did not recognize were scattered along the trench and in the trees surrounding it. Some of the debris was small, but there were also pieces as large as a house. The jedi walked up to one of the larger pieces and reached towards it. As he did his head was turned as if he were looking for the end of the trench.
"This is one of the engines," he stated. "It must have sheared off on impact with the ground. I have not seen any other wreckage beyond this track. With luck," he turned to her and smiled, "the rest of the ship may be mostly intact."
The Sin'dorei only nodded and watched the jedi continue to examine the debris. Her mind was still trying to imagine the size of the vessel this being had come in. "How many engines did your ship have?" she asked. At first the man did not answer her; instead he walked further along the trail of the downed ship stopping a few times to examine bits and pieces of the ship's remains. She wondered just how many of these engines the ship did have. If the first was any indication of the size of the vessel it could be larger than even the dragon Aspects themselves…perhaps even larger than the leviathan Deathwing. She was about to ask him her question again when he stopped and looked into the trees to their right. His right hand came down to the cylinder on his left hip, and he pulled the hilt-sized object out as if holding a sword…one with no blade. Demira tensed.
"I sense we are not alone," the jedi said calmly. "The being I sense is not like you. We must be cautious."
Demira tensed. There had been no signs of danger in the area as she walked the forest that morning. However… "There have been reports of night elf spies in the area," she stated. In her mind she brought forth several spells ready to use should there indeed be spies in the area. She hoped that who this jidei sensed was instead one of her people coming to investigate the crash.
"What is a night elf?" Daneel asked.
"They are a species of elves aligned to the Alliance. They are our…" the word hanging. Were they enemies? Surely there was no open war between the Alliance and the Horde at the present, but tensions between the two factions were high. How could she tell this stranger what they were in a way that he would understand? Despite there being spies scattered on their land, the sin'dorei also had their own spies in Alliance territories. And how would she further explain the night elves. The animosity between the two races shared that went deeper than Alliance and Horde. The arrow that whizzed by the jidei's ear provided the distraction she was searching for while she tried to summon some sort of plausible answer to his question. There was an audible snap and hiss coming from the direction of the Miraluka, and her eyes widened in shock. The metal cylinder still in his hand now had a green blade! The sword…for that was all she could think it could be…glowed and hummed. She felt energy radiate from it. Although it was apparently a weapon it was unlike any she had ever seen or heard of. He then reached out with his free hand almost faster than she could see, and from the air he snatched a second arrow from the air.
"Primitive," the jedi stated calmly, "but still deadly."
He dropped the arrow to the ground and stretched out his hand with fingers flayed in the direction the projectile had come from. She saw ripples in the air form before his hand. They churned faster and started to glow. In a matter of seconds a ball of energy formed in the air before his hand, and with what looked like a slight push hurled towards their attacker. It struck the trees a short distance away. Dirt, branches, and leaves joined other debris as the energy ball struck its target. Still stunned, Demira stood and watched the jedi walk forward. The strange sword still glowed with the green blade. He stopped a few yards from the trees and stretched his free arm again. His palm flat, he lifted his arm and then pulled it towards him as if pulling an object. From the trees a being emerged. The body was limp and arms dangled towards the ground while it moved through the air towards the jedi. She gasped as she recognized the male sin'dorei as one of the hunters from the nearby village. Dread filled her heart at the realization that the stranger had killed one of her own.
"I know him!" she exclaimed suddenly. "You killed him!"
"He is not dead," the jedi replied without looking at her. The comatose body came closer. "I did not form an attack to kill…only to incapacitate."
The body stopped just before them and then lowered gently to the ground. Demira ran to the side of her fellow sin'dorei and knelt beside him. He was still breathing, and as she searched his body she could find no outward injuries. She looked up at the Jedi. The strange blade still glowed at his side and he looked towards the trees trying to sense any more attackers.
"This is not the one I sensed earlier. Do you know why he would have attacked?" the jedi asked. Demira shook her head and continued to examine the Miraluka. His blade still glowed to his side, and he looked out into the trees. "This one felt…strange. He is obviously of your kind, but he does not feel the same as you do. He almost feels like…" Daneel's voice trailed off.
"Like what?" she asked looking up at him.
He did not answer at first instead still examining the woods. She gaped as the green blade slid back into the hilt, and the humming ceased. He straightened and placed the hilt back on his waist. "You have a strong presence in the Force as do most sentient life forms in my experience. Birds, animals, fish, and other wild beasts feel differently…more primal. This one that attacked…and please do not take this as demeaning…felt like a wild beast and not a sentient being." He looked down at her. "The other presence felt as you do…a sentience…but has left the area. I no longer sense its presence."
"I assure you this elf is not beast." Demira stood…anger filling her at the insult this jidei leveled at one of her own people. "He is a respected hunter in my village."
"I am sorry, as I said he felt like one in the Force. That does not mean I think that he is one. All living things exist in the Force and their presence can be felt by those sensitive to it…those like me. The Force is generated by the energy of all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us and binds the galaxy together. Some beings have a stronger presence than others in the Force. Tell me…what is the difference between the two of you? I mean other than I am guessing you are a female and he is a male?"
Demira felt her anger waning. His talk of this force was strange, but it was also a very fundamental part of his belief system…whatever that may be. "I am a woman…and he is a man…that much is correct. As for what makes us different…there are lots of things. But he is no beast or should be mistaken as one."
"I mean," Daneel started bringing his hand to his chin, "you mentioned before you were a…mage I believe the word was. Is this man also a…mage?"
"He is a ranger," Demira answered. "He does not wield magic as I do."
"This magic…can you show me?" the jedi asked. She nodded and held her hand before her. She whispered, and as she did a small ball of fire materialized above her fingers. "Interesting," Daneel stated. "And that whispering…what does it mean?"
"I was casting the spell to make this ball of fire," the mage replied.
"And to use this magic…does all of it require these spells?"
"Most," she answered. "There are some mages who have learned to wield magic without speaking the spell, but those are very few and very powerful. Shamans can also cast magics, but they do so by calling upon the spirits of the elements. Druids call upon the forces of nature."
"So even if this man spoke the words of the spell…he could not create the ball of flame as you did?" Demira nodded her answer. "Then that is the answer to the riddle. I sense you differently because you are a mage. This man is not like most creatures of the wild. In the Force he feels the same because he cannot wield magic. So I would surmise the other I sensed was also a mage." Daneel dropped his hand to his side and looked back along the track of the wrecked ship. "This could pose a challenge."
"How so?" she asked not quite understanding the majority of what the jidei had been saying. She only gathered that he sensed mages and magic wielders differently from most beings.
"Because if mages, druids, and shamans are as common as other Force sensitives…which is small compared to the larger population…then there could be an army not far away and I would not sense them any differently than if they were a herd of grazing animals. This is…most unexpected…and troubling. Perhaps I have been affected from the fold through space to come here and my connection to the Force has altered. It feels the same, but still…" his voice trailed off.
"Still?" Demira asked. He looked at her. "Still…what?"
"I…I do not know," he answered. "I simply…do not know."
"Well…we cannot just leave him like this," Demira stated. She whistled and from nothing a large scorpion appeared. She heard the snap-hiss of the jidei's weapon, and she turned to hold the stranger off. "Do not be alarmed. This is just one of my mounts. He will take the ranger back to his village where his injuries can be tended to by the healers there."
"You…ride this…creature?" Daneel asked.
She nodded and maneuvered the ranger's body onto the back of the scorpion. After securing him as best she could, she leaned forward and whispered to the arachnid. Soon it sped from their sight bearing the injured ranger back to his home. She wiped her hands together and perused the jedi who still had his weapon in hand, but the green blade had vanished yet again. As much as she had wanted to take the ranger back herself, she still was curious about this stranger but not trusting enough to take him anywhere yet. Her great ride would know what to do with the injured sin'dorei. "What is that?" she asked pointing at the jedi's weapon.
"It is my lightsaber," he replied still watching after the long gone scorpion. Slowly he clipped the hilt back onto his belt and turned to face the elf. "A traditional weapon of a jedi…its blade is pure energy." He looked back towards the trail of the ship wreckage. "Only a person fully trained in the Force can make and wield such a weapon. To wield one shows others where I come from an affinity with the Force." He paused for a few breaths. "Are you sure that man will be alright?"
"Safer than he was with you," she replied as she began walking towards their previous destination. She was curious to see the ship. It had to be at least as strange as the man's weapon.
"He attacked us," Daneel protested following in step beside the mage.
"He attacked you," Demira stated not looking at him.
"Why would he attack me?"
"Because you're human," Demira replied. She heard him stop. She turned to look at him. "What I mean is…you look human. He probably thought you were attacking me…so…he was defending me…from you."
"But why would he think that? I was not threatening you…we were not arguing…what possible reason could he have to think I was attacking you?"
"It's…complicated," she stated thinking about how much she should reveal to this man. True that he had not been threatening to her. Quite the opposite in that he thought they were both being attacked. She could see now that he was trying to protect her even though she did not need it. Despite his appearance this man was someone who would protect those near him…his allies. He would be a great addition to the Horde…that was…if he was not an Alliance spy. She was not entirely sure where this man's allegiance lay, but for the time being she felt he was trustworthy simply by his actions. He still looked at her with a quizzical expression. "Remember I mentioned the Horde and Alliance?" he nodded to her. "Well…the two groups are split upon racial lines. Orcs, trolls, forsaken, tauren, and my people make up the bulk of the Horde. Humans, dwarves, draenei, and night elves make up the bulk of the Alliance races."
"There are that many sentient species on this world? Or is this across many worlds?" Daneel asked.
"There are more races, but those are the main ones," Demira replied. "And all on Azeroth. I know the orcs and draenei come from other worlds, but I do not understand how they came to be on Azeroth…only that they are here now."
"Fascinating," Daneel said.
"How so?"
"There is an old belief that states in the age before spaceflight if two sentient species developed on the same world they would eventually war with each other until one enslaved the other or destroyed each other in mutual annihilation. This war you speak of…divided along racial lines…would seem to prove that old belief to a certain extent."
"And you think this is what our war is? A struggle to see who can destroy or enslave the others?" Demira asked accusingly.
"Not quite," Daneel replied still walking and examining bits of the ship's wreckage. "I have never heard of so many species originating on one world. It would appear on the surface that the old belief is correct." He stopped to look at her causing her to stop with him. "However, another thing that may make things different is this magic you have…and others do not. Your lines may be split along racial lines now, but the danger is that eventually it may split on lines of those with magic…and power…and those who do not have it."
"How can you know that?" Demira asked. "You just got here according to your story. You make that kind of statement without knowing anything of this world…or its people. How very arrogant." She turned and started walking.
Daneel followed a step behind her. "I apologize if that sounded wrong to you. I have just seen evidence of just this kind on many worlds."
"And just how many worlds have you been to?" She didn't think it could matter, but she was curious. She wasn't really upset, but irritated he could make such a statement that she herself saw the reasoning behind…something she really did not like. Only in her experience the ones with the power were the Old Gods trying to escape their millennia long prison…one created by the Titans. They had been the cause of so much suffering on Azeroth…and behind the corruption of many powerful beings like Deathwing. But this stranger…one claiming to be from another world no less…could know nothing about that struggle or its impact on Azeroth today. Nor did he know just how close her people came to extinction. She was of a people who just mere years before were almost annihilated…ninety percent of her race killed…in one of Azeroth's many wars. Since that time the sin'dorei deeply hated the Alliance for abandoning them. Many of her people had become insular seeking ways to harness arcane magic from sources other than demons…a source readily available after the destruction of the Well of Eternity which had been the focal arcane force for the elves millennia ago. The act of feeding off of demons, and their fel energy, had led to the glowing green eyes of the blood elves today much akin to the changing of the orcs from being of brown skin color to green. There were some sin'dorei, like her, who actually enjoyed being with the other races of the Horde. Two of her closest friends, Zharn and Kitali, were not sin'dorei. Zharn was an orc and Kitali a Pandaren, and they were shamans. Their influence was why she looked for artifacts and magical energies in natural surroundings. She did not like dealing with demons.
"I have been to several hundred," came the jedi's reply. "But even more striking was a war over twenty-five thousand years ago between two races from different worlds. Their hatred for each other was so deep that their war threatened millions of worlds, trillions of lives, and the entire galaxy. That war ended when one race, the Rakata, imprisoned the other, the Esh-Ka. But the remaining Esh-Ka are still alive today…their prisons keeping them alive all this time and aware of everything happening in the galaxy…while the Rakata are few and almost extinct. Twenty-five thousand years…and the Esh-Ka have escaped…and most of them want to rekindle that ages old war…only now with those of us members of the younger species." She stopped but he continued walking. "That old belief has roots in very tangible evidence. I have found ruins of the Rakata on many different worlds all across the galaxy…and only one for the Esh-Ka. That world was their prison. But not all of the Esh-Ka seek to end all of the other races. One great Esh-Ka…his name is Hollow Voice…is a visionary amongst his people. He believed that all races could live in harmony and peace. I sought him to aid the Republic in its war with the Sith Empire. It was the same kind of peace and harmony embodied by the Republic he sought long ago for his people that he agreed to aid me in my mission. The war is officially over, but the tensions still are high…a sort of cold war exists now. Hollow Voice wants harmony for his people…all of them. I was hoping to carry his message to the rest of his race trapped on Belsavis, but I guess that will not happen now. My mission has failed…and the hatred will still burn brightly." He stopped walking a few yards ahead of the mage.
Demira was staring at him in almost disbelief. He said hundreds of worlds…trillions of lives…numbers she could not even fathom. Rakata and Esh-Ka? And some were still alive? Prisoners for millennia? For longer than Aspects had been in existence? Older than the elves before the sundering? These were thoughts she struggled to grasp. Daneel looked wistfully into the trees. His mission of peace was a failure? He was a peacekeeper? Demira could hardly believe what he was saying, but with the conviction of his words…the tone of his voice…one of sadness and…dare she say it…wisdom? He was a stranger to Azeroth, but if his story was true…and she started believing him more and more because it was so preposterous and complicated that nobody could have created such a lie…perhaps he was not jumping to conclusions. Was her world heading for demise? The dragon Aspect Ysera believed one was coming if the rumors were true. "I am sorry," she said quietly.
"Why should you be sorry?" Daneel asked. "I am the stranger to this world. I must sound like some insane…whatever," he said shrugging his shoulders.
She walked up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "I am called Demira," she said with a smile. "Now let me tell you of my world… and how frighteningly close to the truth you are."
Daneel sat on a stump as Demira told him of her lifetime and the horrors she had faced. The Titans and the Old Gods…the Elementals…the Dragon Aspects…the Ancients and the Sundering thousands of years ago…how the blood elves and night elves at one time were of the same race separated by the destruction of the Well of Eternity…the arrival of the orcs and the beginning of the Horde…the Scourge and how the Alliance had abandoned her race to die…ninety percent slain…and his heart reached out to this beautiful woman as she continued her tale of sorrow. But it was not all sad…she was a happy person despite all she had gone through. Like most of her people she struggled with addiction to arcane energies. It was a result of her people's separation from the Well over ten thousand years before. Some time since then many had found themselves driven to seek such power from demons who he understood as beings that sought dominance over the other races…and corrupted those they seduced with fel energies with high costs. He was not sure if his assumption was correct, but it was what he would understand for the time being and until he learned more. Those fel energies from the demons had marked her species with green glowing eyes that continued long afterwards.
Demira herself was actually about the same age as he though many of her people lived for centuries and some for millennia. She was more of a free spirit and not as close to nature as he at first surmised, but had lately come to appreciate it more because of her friends who where shamans and close to nature themselves…a product of their gifts in magic as far as Daneel could understand. She was patient with him as he asked questions about the arcane and other magics. These intrigued him as on the surface they seemed similar to the Force yet profoundly different. The elements and spirits she described to him could be the reason the Force felt so differently…and why some beings also registered as simple creatures and not sentient beings as he was used to…something he would have to learn to adapt in his methods and use of the Force. Demira was also curious about the Force, and he tried to answer her as best he could. As much as he was confused about magic, she was just as confused about the Force. They sat and talked for hours sharing their experiences…each fascinated by the other. They found that the more they differed…the more they were similar….kindred spirits from different worlds…and a strong friendship grew between them in a short span of time.
Finally they made their way to the main body of the wrecked ship. It was mostly intact, but the inside was hard to navigate. He told her to wait outside while he searched for the navicomputer. Hoping to find the unit intact, he searched the smoldering remains of the bridge.
"You came to Azeroth in this?" he heard Demira ask behind him.
"I thought I told you to wait outside. It's dangerous in here."
"I couldn't resist," she replied coyly. She peered around the bridge. "I mean…a real ship from another world…amazing!"
"Well…try to not touch anything…alright? There are electrical connections that might be severed and touching the wrong place could get you electrocuted." He turned his attention back to his search for the navicomputer. "And I wasn't exactly onboard when it entered the atmosphere."
"Yeah…but still…you flew in this thing from world to world like you were telling me? That would be so…cool!" She reached out and touched one of the control panels. "Ouch!" she exclaimed as sparks jumped. She stuck her burnt finger in her mouth and looked innocently at the jedi. "Sorry."
Daneel sighed and touched a panel to his left. The controls lit up on the board. "I think I found the navcomp…and it still has power."
"And the astrogation charts you were looking for?" Demira asked.
"Precisely," he replied. "Now…if I can just…get this…" He turned a couple of knobs and in the central console a holographic map of the swirling galaxy appeared. Demira gasped as he examined the records coming from the computer. "I was afraid of this," he said after a few minutes.
"What is that?" Demira asked pointing at the hologram.
"It's a representation of the galaxy…or I should say the galaxy I came from," Daneel replied.
"Came from?"
"As in…this is not the same galaxy," Daneel stated with a sigh. "The navicomputer has confirmed what I have been sensing for a while now." He turned and left the bridge to leave the ship the way he came in. Demira followed him making sure not to touch anything else as she left the wreckage. "Azeroth is in a different galaxy than the one I called home," he stated once they were back outside the ship. "I am…for lack of a better phrase…completely lost."
"But didn't you say the galaxy has millions of worlds? Are you sure?" the sin'dorei asked.
"The galaxy does have millions of worlds, and many are unexplored. I was hoping Azeroth was such a world. But the universe has millions of galaxies and this is not the same one I came from. The computer cannot match any of the stars to known configurations. Even if this was an unexplored world it should still match some of the stars…but it cannot match any…not a single one. The only conclusion possible is that I am in a completely different galaxy." He turned from her and looked into the sky. The brightness of day had given to the darkness of night. Stars shined in the sky. "I am alone."
"I am sorry," she said walking up behind him. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "Will you be alright?"
"I will survive," he replied.
Demira sat on a stump watching the jedi pull container after container from the ship. She had volunteered to help him, but he asked her not too since he would be going deeper into the ship and did not want to endanger her. Thinking of what happened to her finger she grudgingly complied. Instead she walked the perimeter of the vessel setting enchanted stones along the ground. After the jedi had finished what he was doing she would enact an invisibility spell around the ship. He had not stated such, but she felt obligated to keep the ship secret from even her own people…there were technologies inside she couldn't begin to comprehend and knew some people would try to exploit the marvels the ship possessed. The temptation was too great, and in the wrong hands the danger more so. Technologies like the containers the jedi had been bringing out of the wreckage. She had asked him what they were…what they contained…and he had replied with details that still made her head hurt. All she knew for certain was they contained supplies like food, clothing, some tools, materials for making weapons like the one he wore, and some personal items he would not discuss in detail. She was curious as to what these last items could be, but since he had not volunteered that information she did not pry. She would wait for him to tell her when he was ready…he had been through too much. After a time she fell asleep.
Daneel emerged from the ship with the final nulentropy container and placed it with the others outside the ship. He looked over towards the sleeping sin'dorei. Despite the strangeness of recent events she had been kind and helpful to him. She slept peacefully under a tree, and not wanting to disturb her he sat down on the ground close to her and tried to meditate. He found himself in a condition no other being had ever been in. Travel between galaxies was deemed impossible because of the vast distances between them. How had he gotten here? He could use the force-folding technique again, but what would be the consequences? It got him to this world, but would it return him home…or somewhere else? No…he could not use the technique again…the risks were too great. He looked to the sleeping elf…her near perfect form lying serenely on a large tree branch slung low to the ground…and his thoughts drifted to those he left behind. He realized he would never see his friends again…never look into Nadia's eyes or hear her laughter. Never hear Tharan and Holiday as they schemed to unfold some scientific mystery. Never hear Felix talk of his days in the Republic military or Qyzen and his great hunts. He would never know if Zenith was able to bring peace to the war-torn world of Balmorra.
He stood up and walked to the ship and rested his hand on the hull. "There is no emotion, there is peace," he intoned. He would have to make this world his new home. Azeroth…with all the troubles and tribulations Demira had told him about. "There is no ignorance, there is knowledge." Demira had a kind heart, and if this world had more like her it could be a good home despite the troubles. "There is no passion, there is serenity." He would be a lone jedi on this world…a lone Force sensitive amongst a diverse peoples. He thought back to the elf behind him…could he actually give up on passion now that he was the only one here? The order frowned on relationships believing they led to the dark side. But he never held true to those beliefs. She was very beautiful and had befriended him when she did not have to…helped him when she could have fled and left him to the fates of this world…was still here instead of leaving. He could easily find himself attracted to her. "There is no chaos, there is harmony." He had to find some solace in that he was alive…alone but alive…and in a place where there were people…friendly people…people like Demira. "There is no death, there is the Force." And in this last part was truth. The Force was here with him…had brought him here to this world. He could have folded into the vast emptiness of space…folded into the corona of a star…anywhere…but instead he was here. And yet he could never return home.
"What was that you were saying?" he heard Demira ask behind him. He turned his head to see her lying on her side propped up on one elbow. "Was that some sort of prayer?"
"I was reciting the Jedi Code," he answered as he turned his body to face her. "It is the basic tenets of my order."
"It sounded like you were praying," she said with a smile.
"Perhaps," he replied. "We jedi sometimes repeat the code to ourselves whenever we are stressed."
"Like waking up on a world that is not yours?"
"Something like that. I know I can never return home."
"Why not?" Demira asked sitting up. "Can't you just return the same way you came here?"
"How I came to be here…was an accident. Plus…I do not know where home is. Is it the closest galaxy? Two away? Ten? A hundred…a thousand…a million? Even if I knew where…the technique that brought me here is dangerous and avoided. I used it in a moment of weakness…and now I must face the consequences." He turned to the look back at the ship. "Some would say this is my punishment for my arrogance."
"Arrogance? I have not seen this in you," she said.
"But I was when I used it. Consciously or not…I believed I could control the technique to bring me safely from danger. Instead I caused harm so save myself. This is not the jedi way." He felt her hand on his shoulder…he had not heard her stand or approach him.
"You are too hard on yourself. It is only natural to save oneself from danger. And there was nothing harmed here. I live…the animals of this forest live...you live…from what I can tell…things turned out alright."
"And how would you feel if you were in my position? If you found yourself on a strange world with no hope of returning home?" He turned to face her…felt her body next to his.
"I would probably freak out," she replied with a smile. "You are much stronger than I am."
"I doubt that," the jedi stated. "I am freaking out."
"Then you need to know the Litany of Fear," she said.
"Litany of Fear?"
"Yeah…it goes something like this," she said clearing her throat. "'I shall not fear…fear is the mind killer…fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration…I will face my fear…I will permit it to pass over me and through me and when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path…where the fear has gone there will be nothing…only I will remain.'"
"That is a great saying," Daneel said quietly. "Is that a saying you use often?"
"No…just something I picked up along my travels," she said coyly. "I have no idea who came up with it. I know very few on Azeroth know it, but I like to keep it in mind for stressful times. If I could actually follow it, however…" She backed up from him and turned to the crates he had stacked outside the ship. "Did you get everything you needed?"
"I did," he replied. "Especially the food and water supplies."
"Why those? Got certain things you like to eat and drink?" The coyness returned to her voice. "We have plenty of food and water here on Azeroth."
"But I do not know yet if it is safe for me to consume. This is still a strange world for me. What you might find pleasing and healthy might be poisonous to me."
"I…hadn't thought of that," Demira stated. "How could we find out?"
"I do have a device in the one crate that can scan items and tell me if they are safe."
"Oh…and if we don't…I can learn to conjure some for you," she stated enthusiastically. "I would just have to learn what you have in there…and then cast a spell…and wha-la!" She spread her arms wide. "Look no further…I am your personal cook!"
"You don't have to do that," he said.
"But…I insist."
"Why would you do that?" he asked.
Demira put her arms to her side and looked seriously at the jedi. "Because I know what it's like to alone and scared…to feel like sometimes you are the last of your kind. I told you there are not many sin'dorei left in the world…and fewer still who like to mingle with the other races of the Horde. Some races treat us as…inferior…because of our addictions…which they just do not understand. I didn't choose to be this way…I was born this way. And sometimes…I just want to be alone…to get away from the sneers and jeers I hear from goblins, taurens, trolls, orcs…" her voice trailed off. "My people…are just too serious sometimes…if they would just quit fretting about arcane magics and stop to just…smell the flowers." She looked back the ground. "I love them all…I truly do. But sometimes…I just…want to get away…and just live and enjoy what is around me."
"You are a very complex woman," Daneel said with a smile. "But I agree that sometimes it's very nice to just stop and see what is around you. To just live in the moment…forgetting all the troubles around…and just simply…feel alive. Thank you for reminding me of that."
"You're welcome…and don't you forget it," she replied looking back at him. "So…what do we do now?"
"I guess…we get busy living," the jedi replied. He turned back towards the ship. "There is just one more thing I need to check on. And then I will take you up on your offer. I would enjoy your company…and having a personal chef." He smiled and then entered the ship.
"I enjoy your company too," she replied quietly. "I enjoy it a lot."
Daneel stepped gingerly into the rear of the cargo hold. Several containers were littered along the floor…their seals broken and contents destroyed. But what he was looking for was not in any container. What he sought was his one vice…the Aratech Ice speeder he had been awarded for his various achievements across the Republic. He maintained the vehicle himself. It was more than a mark of achievement…it was a toy he enjoyed. He wasn't sure if the speeder had even survived the crash, but if there was a chance he wanted to salvage it if possible for it would make travel on Azeroth that much easier. Passing a few more crates he spotted the sleek blue nose of the bike ahead of him under some debris. Reaching out with the Force he lifted the clutter up and away from the speeder beneath. A wry smile crossed his lips…the speeder appeared undamaged. Again with the use of the Force he brought the vehicle forward and then let the debris return to the floor of the bay. His smile widened as the suspensors held the speeder a half meter from the deck…at least that much still functioned. He stepped over to check the power supply and controls. After adjusting some of the switches the speeder's engine hummed to life…light blue flames erupted from the exhausts at the rear. At least this part of his life was still with him…and he let himself release a slow whistle. He turned to walk back to the exterior of the ship and to Demira. She would be amazed when she saw the speeder and what it could do. The jedi stopped at the bottom of the ramp. Why had that thought crossed his mind? Was he actually thinking about trying to impress the elf? Wasn't that way of thinking frowned upon by the jedi? But he could never return to them...never worry about what the Council would think even if he was a member. He shook his head. Revan's outlook of the Force thrust itself into his mind. The Dark and light were intertwined more than anyone realized and Azeroth proved this to Daneel. According to the old master there was more gray in the Force than light or dark…a product of being an actual living thing. The man had been married and had a child. He had been both Jedi and Sith. Was what Daneel experienced now a reflection of Revan's…a realization of the truth behind those beliefs? This was something he would have to meditate on when the timing was right. He took a step. He was just still adjusting to his circumstances and a new world…that had to be what triggered his thoughts. The woman was beautiful, intelligent, witty, charming, and had been open and kind with him. Was this a genuine attraction to her or just a reaction to the void left from having friends and family lost forever in his life? With each step he took a short breath escaped him as his thoughts adjusted back to his immediate concerns…survival.
Daneel emerged from the ship to see his stack of containers gone. Next to where he had stacked them was what appeared to be a hole in the air. Through the hole he saw Demira stacking the containers in what appeared to be a home with a fireplace in the rear of the room and some furniture surrounding it. She was humming some tune he did not recognize with her back to him. She stretched her arms to the sides…and for the first time Daneel felt his heart race…and not from physical exertion. "There is no emotion, there is peace," he said softly.
The mage turned at the sound of his voice and smiled. She let her arms down and stepped through hole the air. As she came out it collapsed behind her leaving the no trace it had ever existed.
"What was that?" he asked.
"That was my home. I figured I would take your stuff there where it would be safe. Don't worry…it's in a secluded area. I have my home magically warded so there is no chance anyone can get in or out unless I am there," she replied.
"I mean…that thing you stepped through…what was that?" he asked.
"I opened a portal," she said with a shrug. "My home is far from here, so it's the quickest way."
"Was it…magical?" She nodded back to him. "And you can do this…any time you wish to?" Again she nodded twirling her braid with her fingers. Daneel walked to a stump and sat down. "And other mages…they can open portals as well?"
"Yep," she said walking to stand in front of him. "Why? Don't your people use portals to travel? I mean…we have ships and mounts as well, but sometimes a portal is just…quicker."
"And you can open these to anywhere you wish?" the jedi asked.
"Anywhere I have been to before. I mean…I can't just open one to say…Stormwind…because I have never been there so I have no reference when I cast the spell. But to any place I have been to…yeah…I can open a portal to those places any time I wish. But only mages possess the spells and arcane knowledge to open portals like I can. Other magical casters like druids and shamans can't…or at least I don't think they can…because they don't really use arcane magics or spells for that matter."
"Before you saw me…before the ship's crash…did you open a portal?"
"Yes," she replied crossing her arms across her chest. "Why do you ask?"
"I think," he started as he stood up, "that when you opened your portal was the exact same instant I used the Force to fold space from the anomaly in my galaxy. That opening on both ends…might be what brought me here to Azeroth. My technique opened one end…and your portal the opposite…and the ship and I were pulled through the tunnel between the openings."
"So there really is no way to get you home," she said beside him. He looked at her. "I mean…if what you say is right…and sounds reasonable to me…then for there to be any chance of repeating that I could open a portal, but you would need an opening on the other end at the exact same time." She shook her had. "It was blind luck that brought you here…I mean…luck…I didn't mean the blind part…sorry," she shied away from the Miraluka.
"A jedi does not believe in luck," was his only response apparently not even hearing her mention of blindness…or not caring.
"Then call it fate…your force…whatever," she said standing straight. "You were meant to come to me…I mean…to Azeroth."
"For what purpose? The Force does have a will of its own…but why bring me here?" He turned to face her. "Do you have any ideas? The Force is seldom just a matchmaker."
Demira looked at Daneel and shrugged her shoulders. "I can't think of anything. Right now my life is kinda uneventful…which at the moment I enjoy quite a bit." She twirled her braid in her fingers. "I still say it was luck…or fate." 'And what if it was playing matchmaker?' she thought to herself. 'Despite his strangeness…I really like this man.' "Whatever the reason…you are here so you might as well make the best of things." He looked at her and then started laughing. Demira crossed her arms again…confused and anger building. Was he laughing at her? "Fine…I'll…just leave then," she said turning away from him. How dare he laugh at her. She started to take a step when his hand on her shoulder stopped her. He turned her around and she stood looking into his face. He was still smiling. What was so damn funny? "What!" she blurted.
"What you said," he started with mirth, "you just sound like…"
"Like?" she interrupted him.
"It's just that…well…my sister used to tell me something similar," he replied. He reached into a small pouch on his belt and pulled out a small metal disk about two inches thick and three inches across. His thumb contacted a small button on the side, and above the disk appeared a hazy three dimensional image of a woman dressed in a full length white dress. Her brown hair was pulled back onto a ponytail and over her eyes was the same kind of covering Daneel wore. Demira gasped as she looked at the image before her. "This is my sister, Zufa," Daneel told her.
"She is very pretty," Demira whispered. The image moved as the woman waved at her, smiled, and then blew a kiss.
"Like me she is a Jedi," Daneel said quietly. "But unlike me she held a…looser…standard of the Jedi teachings. The Order frowns on romantic relationships because it is believed emotions like love can lead to others like jealousy which can lead one to the dark side of the Force. Zufa…did not agree with those sentiments. This image was taken on her wedding day."
"And you don't believe in…love?" Demira asked quietly.
"Lately I do not know what to believe," he replied…the image of Zufa still waving and blowing kisses as it looped on the holo-imager. "I met a man who taught me…who…" He hesitated. Demira uncrossed her arms and placed her hand on his cheek…and felt a tear? A bead of sweat? Was he nervous? "Revan was the name of the man," he finally continued. "He was a Jedi…then a Sith…but when I met him he was neither. He told me that there was…more to the Force than I understood. He tried to tell me…" The jedi grew silent again.
"Tell you what?"
"I'll just say that in the past six months I have seen and experienced things that have made me begin questioning my understanding of the Force…and of the Jedi teachings."
"Are you…falling to this…dark side?" the mage asked. "Turning…evil?"
"Nothing like that. I've just begun to think that maybe Revan is right. There is light and dark, but also more…gray…more…in-between…more…intermingling of the two sides in the middle. The Sith govern themselves through their passions…use the strongest emotions like fear, anger, and hatred to give them power…to bend the Force to their will. The Jedi try to avoid emotions instead to allow the Force to flow through them…to be become a conduit for the Force. But since I met Revan I have seen that neither is truly the only path…but there are several…and like him I have begun to see the truth and rightness of following both paths…along the grayer areas of the Force. In times of battle detaching oneself from emotions as a Jedi is invaluable…but also using the strong emotions like love, compassion, and caring can be just as powerful if not more so than using the emotions of fear, anger, and hatred as the Sith do. I have spent many hours meditating on this…and still I am no closer than this simple truth…I do not know enough to know what way is the right way…to follow my passions based in the light…or to suppress them."
"When did your sister get married" Demira asked…her hand still on his cheek.
"You are insightful," Daneel replied. "Six months ago…and Revan I met a year ago."
"So you began thinking this way because of your sister?"
"Partly," he said. "She was married in secret…the Council does not know and I would never tell them. I would never betray my sister like that." He sighed deeply. "She was always telling me I needed to find a woman…to think beyond the strict guidelines of the Jedi Code. To experience love and what having a caring relationship can mean on a personal level. She was…more understanding of the living will of the Force than I." His thumb broke contact with the switch and the image faded then disappeared. "The living Force is strong on this world. Very little of the light or dark do I sense…just the living will of the Force. I believe…I believe my sister was right all along. Azeroth…is showing me something I have never experienced before…at least not as profoundly."
"So what will you do?"
"Take things one day at a time," he replied placing his hand on her cheek. "Beginning now." He leaned forward and kissed her. He held onto the kiss…his arms sliding around her waist and pulling her closer. Her body did not tense at the abruptness of his kiss instead relaxing into his embrace. Their lips parted.
"I am sorry. I should not…" he began, but she pulled him into another kiss interrupting him. He relished the moistness of her lips as she kissed him deeply…the flick of her tongue in his mouth giving a deeper intimate feeling to the kiss. Her heart was racing with his as though he had just run a great distance, but he was not tired. And it ached…ached for her. He lost himself in her kiss…her touch…lost himself in the moment. Feelings he had never felt flooded him…
"What have we here? A jedi?" The strange voice startled the couple and their lips parted. They turned their heads towards the voice, and Daneel felt a familiar yet strange disturbance in the Force. Standing several meters away was a being that looked like a sith, but with green skin. To his side was an ignited lightsaber…the crimson blade glowing in the night. "Have the jedi so come to fear us that they reach even to this remote world?" the sith continued.
Daneel pulled Demira behind him and faced the strange being. It talked like a sith…wielded a crimson blade like a sith…but the green skin…
"At a loss for words…scum!"
"How did a sith come to this world?" Daneel asked while igniting his own blade. It spoke the native language fluently…not the galactic basic of the Republic and Sith Empire.
"Over a thousand years…and still your kind cannot leave us alone!" The sith lunged forward…the crimson blade slicing through the night sky. Daneel pushed Demira back as he brought his green blade to block the sith's attack. She fell to the ground with a grunt, and Daneel maneuvered the sith away from her as their blades connected time and again…attack and parry…attack and parry. Daneel blocked all questions from his mind instead allowing the Force to flow through him. The sith was strong in the Force, but it was different than he had experienced before. He had many encounters with dark side users including his old master Syo Bakarn. This being before him…sith yet something else…felt strange. And it kept coming at him again and again…blades crashed and sparked…the air crackled from their energies resounding in the calm night. Finally Daneel was able to knock his foe off balance with a feint and gathering the Force he pushed the being several yards into a tree. Bones cracked as the sith struck the trunk and the lightsaber fell to the ground…its blade extinguished. Daneel stepped towards the downed enemy. It pushed itself up to look at the approaching jedi. Green blood trickled from the corner of its mouth…a mouth twisted into a sneer as the sith sat slumped with its left arm holding its ribs.
"You have succeeded, jedi. Are you happy?" the sith asked.
"Who are you?" Daneel asked.
"Feign ignorance all you want…I know you have come to finish what you started over a thousand years ago."
"Over a thousand years…do you mean the Great Hyperspace War?"
The sith laughed and then choked on its blood. It spit on the ground and looked back up at Daneel. "You defeated us in that war, but it was not enough. You hunted us down to the edge of the galaxy…sought to eradicate us!" It coughed again and spat more blood. "There was one who called to the lords…to escape the genocide of the jedi. But my master…he knew that way lead to death. We did not heed the call. We fled further…until…" it choked again and its body spasmed.
"You are referring to the Emperor," Daneel said. "You speak of Lord Vitiate…the one who drained all life and the Force from the world Nathema." It nodded. "You could not be from that time. No natural beings live that long…not even the Hutts."
"On this world there are beings who live that long and longer," the sith replied.
"But this world is not even in the same galaxy as I come from."
"And yet you managed to find your way here," it said spitting more blood. "Tell me, jedi…tell me how you found us after all this time. Sargeras said we would be safe here…that no jedi would ever find us on this world."
"How I came to be here was by accident," Daneel replied. He sensed Demira come up behind them. "I am honestly not certain how I came to be here…only a theory."
"He mentioned Sargeras," Demira stated as she stopped behind the jedi. She looked at the green skinned creature dying at the base of the tree. "What do you mean Sargeras brought you here?"
Demira fell to the ground, no was pushed to the ground, by the jedi she was just kissing. She heard the snap-hiss of his peculiar weapon and looked to see him jump twenty yards through the air. He jumped to another strange being. It had green skin like an orc, but that was where the similarities ended. For starters it was slender like a human. It also had no facial hair or tusks like an orc, but instead it had fleshy tentacles around the mouth and chin. He wore simple black robes, and in its right hand was a lightsaber similar to Daneel's only with a red blade instead of green.
She gaped at the speed of the two combatants. Demira had participated in several battles in recent years. She witnessed elves, dwarves, humans, orcs, tauren, and other beings fight…and they were the best fighters in all of Azeroth. But these two before her moved faster than she imagined possible. Their movements were blurs. She heard the clash of the blades…a noise that reverberated throughout the woods around them. The stranger swung his blade at Daneel's legs, and instead of jumping as she had seen others do…he cartwheeled over the blade never touching the ground in the movement. The jedi landed and brought his hand before him, and the stranger flew thirty yards through the air and into the trunk of a tree. She heard the distinctive sound of bones breaking, and the being slumped to the ground. She stood up as Daneel approached the attacker…his blade still ignited while the other blade was gone…where to Demira was not sure. The two were talking, and as she neared them she heard the other mention Sargeras…that foul being who had attempted to destroy Azeroth countless times.
"He mentioned Sargeras," Demira stated as she stopped behind the jedi. She looked at the green skinned creature dying at the base of the tree. "What do you mean Sargeras brought you here?"
The sith laughed. "He brought us here and thought he controlled us. He offered power and escape…and we took both." It coughed again and then smiled. "He never realized just how much we took from him…the fool. Yes I know…your kind and others defeated him and his legion. But you would never have done so had we not siphoned his power from him. He was powerful…but lacked any knowledge of the Force." It spat blood on the ground and coughed again. He looked up at Demira and smiled. "He was a tool for our salvation…and the key to our ultimate power."
She looked at this being…sith was what Daneel called it. The smirk on its face twisted the tentacles into something demonic. It had red eyes with yellow fringes around the pupils. And she could not believe what she was hearing. It claimed to control Sargeras?
"How many of you are there on this world?" she heard the jedi ask. She looked at him…his blade still humming active.
"One…less…than…there…was…before…today…" the sith gasped with its final breaths. Its head slouched forward and hand fell to its side…dead.
Daneel sighed and then to Demira's surprise thrust the green blade into the inactive hilt of the sith's lightsaber on the ground. Sparks flew from the blow. She looked back at the dead creature lying against the tree…a being completely alien to her. Then its body dissolved into a purple mist that dissipated into the night air. She felt Daneel's hand cup her cheek, and as a thousand confusing questions flooded her mind she looked into his face.
"Are you ok?" he asked her. She nodded and did not speak. Her tailbone was bruised from when he had pushed her to the ground, but that now seemed so trivial compared to what she had just heard and witnessed. Again this man…one whom she found herself caring deeply for…had just protected her again without thought of the danger to himself. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his chest. After all she had seen and experienced…this time she felt truly…helpless. The only comfort she wanted now was in his arms…her protector this day for the second time. She felt his arms wrap around her shoulders and his cheek rest against her head. She took a deep breath.
"What…what was that?" she finally asked.
"I believe it was a sith. A species from my galaxy."
"How did he get here?"
"I do not know," he replied. "But he claimed to have been here a thousand years."
"He mentioned Sargeras," she whispered. "A foul demon who brought the orcs to Azeroth…was behind the destruction of the Well of Eternity…led the Burning Legion…so much destruction." She looked up into Daneel's face. A tear ran down her cheek. "Where the Dark Portal existed…it killed all life around it. The fel energies are the reason the orcs have green skin…my people's eyes glow green…and now this…person….with green skin…" her voice trailed off. "Sargeras' corruption left Draenor, the original home of the orcs, a dead world."
"Like Nathema," he muttered. "A world left void of all life, color, even the Force. To step on its surface is akin to touching…oblivion. Unnatural and done for the greed of one man to become immortal…over a thousand years ago…all because he was afraid of his own inevitable death."
"Sounds as bad as Sargeras," Demira whispered. She buried her face back into his chest. "Do you think he brought those beings here to Azeroth to kill it like this…Nathema place?"
"I doubt in quite the same way," he replied. "Only one sith knew the ritual to kill Nathema, and he is now dead. But…" his voice trailed off. She looked up at him. "There are some sith…the Dread Masters…who can kill only by their thoughts and amplifying their victims fears. This one…was not like that. I would guess his abilities as a low level lord. But he spoke of others…" He kissed her forehead and ran his hand through her hair. "He felt strange in the Force…corrupted. I fear what they have been doing on this world for the past millennium."
"If they have been in league with Sargeras it can be nothing good." She shuddered and held him tighter. They stood quietly in each others arms for a moment. "We should leave this place."
"I agree," he replied. "The danger seems to have passed. And I have a means to get us anywhere from here quickly."
"I would like to see this."
Daneel let go of his embrace of Demira and smiled. He walked back to the ship. She watched him walk into the darkness, and a few moments later heard a high pitched whine. Her eyes gaped as she saw him approach on a vehicle. It was sleek and hovered a couple of feet from the ground. It had blue flames coming from pipes under the jedi's feet. He leaned forward on a black seat atop the light blue frame. He stopped next to her and smiled.
"Hop on, little lady," he said. "Then just point the way and hold on tight to me."
Demira climbed onto the seat behind Daneel and wrapped her arms around his waist. "What is this?" she asked.
"My speeder bike," came the reply. "It can travel over two hundred kilometers per hour." The last statement intoned with a sense of pride.
"Is that fast?" the mage asked. "I do not know what a kilometer is." The past few minutes of fear caused by the appearance of the strange sith eroded from their minds.
"Oh…that it is. Which way to your home? Is it far?"
"We can head to Saltheril's Haven," Demira replied. "It's not far at all and over in that direction," she said pointing.
"Hold on tight," Daneel stated.
She tightened her embrace around his waist. Suddenly they sped across the glade and into the darkness. She felt the wind whipping her hair at a speed she seldom travelled at except when riding her drake mounts. Although sin'dorei had excellent night vision she had difficulty seeing their path in the night, but she felt confident in the jedi's ability to see their way in the night. So far he had done things she scarcely imagine possible…and especially for a being with no eyes.
They travelled to the Haven, and then to save time Demira opened a portal to her home in a secluded part of Eversong Woods. She found the speeder ride thrilling, but opted to retire to her home to rest and recuperate from the day's events. She asked Daneel to join her, and he accepted. They spent the next few days just getting to know each other better than they had that first day. Their love for each other blossomed and for the next few years they lived uneventful lives…but always in the back of their minds was the encounter with the corrupted Sith…and what that species was doing on Azeroth. But despite periodic investigation into the Sith's whereabouts on the planet…they uncovered not a single person, reference, or evidence of their existence…except for that one encounter.