After some thought I have decided to re-edit Another Destiny. It has been nearly two years since I finished the original and in that time I believe my writing style has improved quite a bit. As a result I decided that, if I were to continue this story, I needed to bring the original up to a higher standard. And, re-editing the story, allows me to come up with new ideas and to revise and remember things I have already done. It may take some time to re-edit the story but you will all know which chapters I have done as I will put the date I re-edited it in bold and in brackets.
I hope you all enjoy the revised version.
Re-edited (25th February, 2012)
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
STAR WARS
Another Destiny
Episode 1
The Forbidden Children
It has been six years since the invasion of Naboo and the defeat of the TRADE FEDERATION. However, despite this their leader, Viceroy GUNRAY, has begun to form alliances and gather a group of followers from a variety of systems both in and beyond the Republic.
However, for many it is the beginning of a journey that will change their lives forever. Two Jedi Knights have been dispatched to an unknown planet referred to simply as the FORBIDDEN WORLD, a planet where no known individual, outside of the planets inhabitants, has ever been.
The human population have recently contacted the Republic that, despite their desire to keep hidden and secluded from the galaxy, they would however like to aid the JEDI ORDER. They will allow the Guardians of Peace and Justice to train a group of their young in the ways of the Force.
Despite the planets supposedly warm welcome, the Jedi do not know what to expect and can only hope for what they have been promised, the chance to search in this unknown world…
1
'So what readings are we getting from the planet?' a voice called out, muted, coming from below deck.
'Supposedly just the right combination for human life, but there is a larger concentration of Carbon Dioxide in the air' Aayla replied sitting in the cockpit of this very cramped ship.
Aayla Secura was sitting in the co-pilots seat, surrounded by an array of buttons and switches of varying colours and sizes with the swirl of hyperspace lighting up the otherwise very dark cockpit: bathing everything in an eerie blue glow. Looking at the swirling mass she contemplated the Jedi Council's choice to send her, a relatively inexperienced Jedi Knight, on a mission from, what she had heard, had a rather important purpose. Aayla Secura; a twi'lek from Ryloth; a Jedi Knight. She often couldn't believe how far she had come.
The mission itself was to explore a strange world lying smack bang in the middle of the Unknown Regions, a region of space that was largely unexplored, and to make contact with the planets inhabitants. The world had, by chance, managed to contact a lost freighter which had jumped out of hyperspace near the planet due to a gigantic navigations failure. The world had stated that they wished to contact the Jedi Order and told the freighter that they would like a representative to come to the planet so that they could help them in their mission of peace. The message had also informed the Council that they would allow the Order to search for potential trainees, an opportunity the Jedi Order never passed once given.
An important mission for someone not yet a Jedi Master, Aayla reflected. The Council had not sent her alone, of course, and not without a Jedi Master accompanying her. Jedi Master Shaak Ti and a former smuggler now working for the Republic called Benho Jows were along with her.
'I still don't understand why you two have been sent' the gruff voice of Benho continued. 'If humans inhabit the planet, and this is first contact, human Jedi should be sent. It would make things a lot easier.'
Aayla continued typing into the ships onboard computer, trying to find out as much about the planet as she possibly could, while trying not to take notice of Benho's voice. While the man was a very good pilot and an asset to the Jedi Order and Galactic Republic, he did not take orders well and spoke his mind.
The computer put up a 3-D hologram of the planet, showing a planet covered in large green continents and pale blue oceans that covered around two thirds of its surface. Everything about the planet was almost identical to the planet of Alderaan, its orbital period, the tilt of its axis and even its appearance. However, every time she looked at the holograms of the planet or thought of the planet, a strange sensation ran down the back of her spine: as if something about it was just off. Is it just because the planets strong in the Force?
'Please tell me why we've been...'
'We've been sent here because we were sent here by the Council' a woman's voice cut in. Aayla swivelled in her co-pilots chair and saw a figure walk through the open cockpit door, covered in the shadows.
'Nice sleep?' Aayla asked looking up and down the others tired looking Red face. Shaak Ti had been in bed for pretty much the whole journey, but for some strange reason still felt drained.
'Not really' Shaak Ti replied 'I can't seem to sleep: I'm even finding it difficult to meditate'. Shaak Ti took the seat next to Aayla.
Shaak Ti, a Togruta from the planet of Shilli, had just recently been promoted to the Jedi Council after the death of Jedi Master Yaddle, which had only been a few months ago.
'I was wandering...' Aayla enquired '...do you get a strange feeling every time you even think of the planet we're going to?'
Shaak Ti rubbed her chin. 'I think it might be the reason I can't sleep. If I had known this I would have slept the whole week on Shilli before coming here.'
Shaak Ti had not only left her home world to come on this mission, but had also left her apprentice, Fe Sun, as well. She had told Fe to continue her training without her, leaving her under the tutelage of Master Goris Zanto: a Zabrak and very close friend of Shaak Ti, for her time away.
'It's only half-an hour away' Aayla stated to Shaak Ti's unasked question.
'I know' Shaak Ti whispered. 'As we're getting closer, the Force seems to be drawing more and more energy out of me.'
Aayla looked at her companions face. Shaak Ti was now sitting in the pilot's seat, usually reserved for Benho Jows: as it was his ship. He was having no problems sleeping, so one could either deduce that he could not feel the effect's like Shaak and Aayla because he didn't have their command of the Force, or because he was good at hiding what he felt.
'Do you think it'll be alright?' Aayla asked questioning their mission.
'One can only hope'.
'Hey!'
'What?' a young boy's voice replied.
'Have you hidden my books again, or has Oz?' the voice called back, also a young boys voice.
'Books, err, what books?'-
'Do you, Sonny Cripps, have my books or has Ozbena Pentric?' the voice repeated with a hint of anger starting to fill his voice.
'Err…Oz?'
Sonny knew how angry Luke became when he stole his books or belongings, and always found it amusing to annoy him: and he had become rather good at it.
'Do you really think that I'm that stupid' Luke hit back as he strode into the room where. His blue eyes now bloodshot with anger and his pale face now a horrid, intimidating grey. Even his short, light blonde hair looked threatening. 'Are you going to tell me where my books are, or not?'
'Yes, for a friend' Sonny said sarcastically. His lightly coloured face now a cheerful red and his own blue eyes looked almost alive with amusement. 'They're over there' pointing his finger at a window.
'Finally' Luke said with relief in his voice.
Luke and Sonny were both teenagers living on the Forbidden World: or to them Thear. Both 15 years of age and both living alone, they usually made a living by fixing ships or, in Sonny's case, teaching a native fighting style he had learnt from his father. They both lived in a Tedapo, a small town on the planets main and largest continent. Both were poor, but both had grown up a great deal mentally: at least in some ways.
'You know I hate it when you do that' Luke continued.
'That's why I do it' Sonny hit back. 'There is so little to do when we have free time'.
'Well it's your fault we have nothing to do' Luke replied while walking over to the corner of the room where Sonny was sitting. It was a large room, with three windows looking all outward in the same direction onto a vast field. The room was decorated all in yellow but was, otherwise, rather plain.
'Don't you dare start blaming me for what happened again: you had just a big a part in it!'
'Sorry' Luke apologized. 'I shouldn't have said anything about it. I'm glad we're neighbours though'.
'At least it's not all doom and gloom' Sonny responded, suddenly cheerful again. He rose from his chair and walked over to a window. 'I wish we could get out of this place and forget everything that's ever happened. Just start a fresh life and leave the pain of this place behind'.
'Yes. Well you never know', Luke joked. Both smiled but both their expressions were masking what they truly felt.
Benho brought the ship out of hyperspace. He never trusted anyone touching or playing around with his ship, be they Jedi or otherwise. How is he going to react if we bring back Jedi trainees? Aayla wondered briefly before she turned her gaze towards the planet. It looked exactly the same as it had done in the hologram, all be it far larger and less blurry.
'Should we try to communicate with them, or should we wait for them to call us?' Benho questioned. His dark and greasy hair made him look like he had just been swimming in a sea of boot polish while his face was barely visible in the low-lighting of the cockpit. He also wore baggy clothing that looked overused and under cleaned.
'I think we should communicate with the planet now' Shaak Ti answered with her calm, cool voice. The voice of a Jedi Master, thought Aayla. 'What do you think Aayla?'
Aayla looked around, almost surprised at Shaak Ti for asking her opinion. 'Me?' Shaak Ti nodded urging her to give her opinion.
Aayla paused thinking for a moment 'I think that we should communicate with them, show them we are willing to straight away to land and are not being cautious'. Shaak Ti nodded in agreement.
'Ok' Benho said. 'I'm not doing it though, you can missy'.
'Fair enough'
Benho rose from his seat and walked over to stand by the door of the cockpit to allow Shaak Ti to sit down. Aayla thumbed on the communication's device and spoke on all channels, with both watching on.
'Forbidden World, this is JPS, please respond' Aayla said hoping that the planet was listening. Forbidden World was the code name the planet had given in its message. Aayla still thought that this whole thing was too strange to be true, perhaps a hoax created by the cargo ship's crew as a practical joke. How could an entire planet so strong in the Force go for so long without being discovered by someone? Looking to Shaak Ti and wiping away any doubts, Aayla tried again. 'Repeat, Forbidden World, this is-
'This is Forbidden World' a voice cut in 'you are the Jedi, are you not'?
'We are' Aayla replied with a sense of relieve in her voice. At least people were on the planet, which was always a start. Also, the fact that they were talking at all meant the world must be pretty well developed.
'Ok: we are sending you co-ordinates to a base of operations. Please contact us again if there is any trouble' the voice said cutting off the transmission once he had finished.
'Friendly, but to the point' Shaak Ti put in trying to sense anything suspicious.
'Too friendly for me' Benho replied. 'How do they know Basic? They must have come here after the language was invented, which means someone knows who these people are and where they came from'.
'I agree' Shaak Ti settled. 'Or they could have learnt it from listening to us all these years. If they have the technology to stop people from detecting this planet, despite how strong it is in the Force, they must be able to come up with some kind of listening device' Shaak Ti continued while pushing a few buttons around her. 'I don't sense anything suspicious about them, but the planet is thriving with the Force'.
'I don't either' Aayla answered 'but your Jedi powers are far better than mine: you are the Jedi Master'.
'Maybe: but don't doubt your Jedi powers simply due to a title. There is obviously an important reason as to why the Council sent you on this mission. Anyway, I'll go and get the supplies ready for landing' Shaak Ti said while getting to her feet. Aayla watched her walk out. She knew there must be a good reason, just like when she had been promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight not so long ago.
After a few more minutes, they were coming up to the coordinates where they were supposed to land. 'We are just about to land Shaak' Benho called out.
Aayla thought for a moment: How are we going to persuade the parents of children, the government allow us to train, to take their children far away from them: and with complete strangers? She could see the planet's surface through the cockpits front window. It all looked so peaceful, but thinking about the planet made her stomach feel sick.
'Come on' Shaak Ti called.
'Ok, let's see what we're up against' Aayla said under her own breath.
They had landed on what appeared to be some kind of simple airstrip, probably used for landing the planets own aircraft. Surrounding them were pleasant green meadows, which looked similar to those on Naboo. Behind them, in the distance, were a number of industrial works, with serpents of grey smoke rose upwards into the sky. The atmosphere didn't seem too different to breath from that of Coruscant.
As Aayla walked out from the ship, the light from the nearby star lit the outside in a dim shade of orange. From first glance the planet didn't look developed enough to be able to have the technology needed to manage the things they had done.
'Welcome' a familiar voice said. 'I am Geiger Leper, Prime Minister of…' the voice paused '…of this world'.
'Nice to meet you: I am Jedi Master Shaak Ti and this is Jedi Knight Aayla Secura' Shaak Ti responded turning around to look at the man, obviously noticing the pause when he spoke.
He was human, and wore colourful red robes decorated with a variety of different coloured flowers. He appeared to be very old, with grey hair, and a vast amount of wrinkles, which covered all of his face. Two bodyguards accompanied him, both of whom were over seven feet tall and wore blue, metal armour.
'It's good to meet you too: it is an honour to finally meet a Jedi in person'. Geiger said.
They do know of us! Aayla couldn't believe it.
'How do you know of the Jedi?' Shaak Ti asked, questioning Aayla's own thoughts.
'They are something we have followed as a culture; the legend has been passed down for ten long generations. We have been taught of how you are the guardians of peace and justice and fight the evils of our universe. This is why we have allowed you to come here: simply put, we know we can trust you. Anyway, please come this way' the man said, now urging them forward towards one of the buildings.
The building was massive compared to the others located nearby and also looked millennia old, with stone shaped in a pyramid like fashion. They resembled the pyramids on the moon of Yavin IV. Walking through the grand entrance, everything started to look far more modern and well preserved. Walls were covered in elaborate ancient scriptures and were lit by dim lights around them.
I'm getting bored of having no sunlight Aayla concluded. I never realised I'd miss Coruscants warm rays..
'May I ask about your people's history'? Aayla asked curiously. 'If you know of the Jedi, your ancestors must have come from elsewhere before coming to live here, or the Jedi lived here.'
'Pyro' the old Prime Minister replied turning to face the blue twi'lek. 'Only I and a few other important members of our government actually know that we came from another planet. In our tongue 'Pyro' is used to describe the evolution of our people into humans but it is actually where we once came from. We don't want our people to know there is a whole galaxy out there and we want to stay out of war and to do so, we must remain hidden and isolated'.
'Interesting,' Shaak Ti responded now looking at one the ancient scriptures on the wall. She had heard of the planet Pyro that had been destroyed in a civil war, one that had wiped out the inhabitants entire planet, or so people had thought. Some of its people must have been able to escape and colonise this planet. From Aayla Secura's expression, Shaak Ti noticed that she was also familiar with the planet and its almost mythical legend. The planet, and term Pyro, was used in the tale of the Pyro Civil War. 'How old are these scriptures?' she asked, wandering if the period was around the same time as the planets destruction.
'About 5000 cycles, I mean years old' Geiger corrected.
'That would put it in with about the same time as when Pyro was destroyed' Shaak Ti said under her breath. She also realized at the same time that earlier he had said the legend of the Jedi had been passed down for only ten generations, so she asked 'How old are you?'
'474 cycles old'
'Interesting' Shaak Ti replied, before throwing a glance over at Aayla.
'You are humans? But yet you live for nearly 500 years?' Aayla asked.
'Yes...well, we do.' Geiger admitted. 'It is another of out secrets, that when our ancestors came here 5000 years ago, our people...changed. The planet has some strange power which makes all of its life live longer, and healthier'.
'That would explain what we have felt. It is strong in the Force'.
'The Force?' Geiger questioned.
'It's where we Jedi get our powers from' Shaak Ti replied.
Benho notably reflected on this new information. 'Well, let's get down to why we asked for an audience with you.'
'Yes' Shaak Ti said sitting down at a round table in the centre of the room. She gathered that this was probably where the most important people of the planets inhabitants met to discuss important political matters: much like the senate, only smaller. This, no doubt, was very important for both sides involved. Geiper sat in a throne like chair at the head of the table while Aayla Secura and Shaak Ti sat opposite him. Already situated around the table were a collection of men and women with a number of guards, similar to Gieger's own, flanking them.
'Ok, first off we need to explain what we meant by us aiding you and allowing you to train some of our young. We have all decided that, in the three days you are allowed to remain here, you can search for any Jedi Potentials' Geiger said flatly. 'These Potentials, of which you can have as many as you desire, will then be brought before us so that we know who is being taken to be trained' Geiger explained. 'The whole planet knows about the Jedi in myth and legend. We will try to keep your presence here as quiet as possible, but it will be difficult as you aren't human. However this will also work to our advantage.'
'How'? Aayla questioned.
'They won't question you as much about being true Jedi if you are not human. Anyway, I am just wasting what precious amount of time you have here. Quickly I will say that this is how we wish to help you, by giving you some of our most talented young. You can start searching as soon as you're ready.'
'What about trying to persuade to the parents to let their children leave?' Aayla questioned. 'Surely they wouldn't let their children be taken away for something written in myth.'
'Believe me, they will' Geiger said confidently.
Shaak Ti looked back up at him, 'Let's hope you're right'
'Can't we stay here and ask questions about your planet?' Aayla asked. 'I for one would like to know more about your people'.
'We don't want to share our history' Geiper replied sternly. 'We believe it might end up harming us in the future'.
'That is fine' Shaak Ti put in before Aayla could reply. 'Anyway, let's get going. As you said, we have little time to spare'.