It was a normal day on Coruscant; normal enough for the jedi, at least. Mace Windu and Obi-Wan had left for Felucia to resolve a few issues this morning, and Anakin and his padawan Ahsoka Tano were just assigned to assist Shaak Ti on Utapau a few hours ago. Several jedi, in fact, were spread out among the galaxy, completing missions and attempting to bring peace to the chaos consuming the planets. Only a few jedi remained at the temple. It seemed as if the clone wars would never end.
Though the war tended to overwhelm and distraught the jedi and clone troopers at times, Jedi Master Kit Fisto always tried to see the bright side of things. He was wandering the temple halls when a clone informed him Master Yoda wanted to see him. The nautolan made his way to the jedi counsel room and entered.
"You wish to see me, Master?" Kit said with a smile as he bowed.
"Greetings, Master Fisto. A pleasure to see you, as always," Yoda said. He smiled back and nodded to his former apprentice. It truly was a pleasure to see Kit. No matter the situation, Kit's bright smile could lighten the darkest of conditions; however, this situation might be slightly unprecedented. "Sit. Much there is, we need to discuss."
Kit sat down in his council seat and asked, "What's the matter?"
"Hmm. Meditated for days, I have. A distant brokenness in the Force, I sense every time."
Kit's large black eyes showed a slight hint of confusion. "A brokenness?"
"Possibly," the master responded with a shrug. "Feel it for a short moment, I do. A brokenness, far from here. Very far." He paused for a moment and looked out the window. "Un-sure of the situation, I am, at the moment. Need your help, I do, to reach farther into the Force. Find the source together, we can."
Kit's connection in the Force was indeed strong, but he hadn't felt this brokenness which Yoda speaks of. With an entire galaxy at war, many things could be sensed through the Force as it is. However, if Master Yoda can feel this hidden disconnection, then it won't be long until other jedi sense it, too; and even worse, the sith. Kit trusted Yoda and agreed to help amplify his reach to find the cause.
There was silence in the room as the two masters meditated. Though Kit wasn't exactly sure what they were suppose to be looking for, he had Yoda guide him. For a long while, they could feel nothing but the same imbalance they have felt ever since the war began. Finally, they reached further and further into the Force and noticed an incredible difference. There was an imbalance in the Force, but unlike any the two masters had ever felt. It seemed empty, dead, and dark. There suddenly was a flicker of life, a feeling of fear, then it vanished. The masters nearly winced at the sudden feeling, yet they waited patiently for it to return. For a long while there was nothing. The spark of life came back. It flickered for a while, then a loud, sudden disruption shattered the concentration of the masters. They both grunted in shock as they recovered from their meditation. That indeed was nothing Kit had ever experienced before. Through all his jedi years, never had he felt anything like that.
Kit took two deep breaths to clear his head and asked, "What was that?"
"Far, we traveled," Yoda explained, "Over the boarder of our galaxy. Impossible, for one to reach such a distance, alone in the Force. Un-sure I am, to where we have traveled. A planet where the Force disconnected from those who live there."
"But I felt no trace of life," Kit said. "Only…"
Yoda nodded. "Only a small trace, yes? A Force-wielder, trapped on that planet, I believe. A danger, an uncontrolled Force-wielder can be."
It was clear what Kit must do. "You wish for me to find them, Master?"
"Essential, it is, for you to succeed."
Kit gathered together a squad of clone troopers. He informed the pilots to load spare fuel canisters, considering this will be a long trip. As they boarded a Republic Cruiser, Yoda informed Kit, "Far across the galaxy, you will be. Outside of communications. Trust the Force. It will guide you."
"We will return when we can, Master," Kit bowed with a smile. "Let's hope we find this danger before it is too late." Kit boarded the ship. "We'll keep in contact as long as we can." The doors slid closed, the cruiser gradually lifted itself off the ground, and took off.
"May the Force be with you," Yoda said as the ship disappeared into the sky.
"Where are we headed, General?" A clone trooper asked as he prepared to set the coordinates.
"We are going far from here, my friend," Kit responded. He held his hands behind his back as he gazed into the depths of space, reaching deep into the Force to guide him. "Very far." Kit strolled up the bridge with Captain Jet by his side. "Attention, troops. We are about to go into the far outskirts of the galaxy itself. I will guide you for as long as I can, but stay aware of any Separatist ships coming our way. We can't afford to run into quarrels at this time. Line the ship up to these coordinates and prepare to jump into hyperspace."
"Yes, Sir," Captain Jet responded. "You heard him, men. Let's get a move on!" The coordinates were scanned into the ship's logs and they lined up the ship. "Jumping into hyperspace in 3…2…1." And they were off.
As the cruiser coursed its way through the blue tunnel of hyperspace, Kit sat down with Captain Jet and four other troopers. "We're looking for someone?" Jet asked.
"Yes. We are to bring no harm to the Force-wielder. We are just there to find him and bring him back to Coruscant," Kit explained. "I do not know if the Separatist know of this planet either, but still we must be cautious. We are to avoid fighting, if we can."
"Yes, Sir," the troops complied.
Even in hyperspace, the journey was long. Kit departed to a room to mediate. For hours he focused on his connection with the Force, but most importantly, the connection with the Force-wielder. As they drew nearer and nearer to the outskirts of the galaxy, the clearer Kit could connect with the Force-wielder. For a while he felt a slight trace of fear and pain through the connection. Suddenly there was a throbbing pulse and a blaring screech which broke the master's concentration. The disruption was stronger this time. They must be close.
There was a knock on the door. Once Kit cleared his head, he answered, "Yes?" The door slid open.
"Sorry to disturb you, General," Jet said. "We are approaching the planet. We will be exiting hyperspace soon."
Kit followed Jet to the bridge as the ship came out of hyperspace. The Planet was in few. "General," a clone trooper said, "there are so signs of Separatist ships on our scanners. We're all clear."
Then why do sense such darkness? Kit thought to himself. There were no ships in sight. Entry to the planet was clear, but something did not feel right. "Keep your distance, Commander."
The cruiser drifted at a good distance from the planet's atmosphere as Kit studied the planet further. It was a small world of soft pinks, greens and blues. It looked peaceful. Kit wasn't sure what it was that felt wrong, but he had to find the Force-wielder as soon as possible.
"Everything alright, Sir?" Jet asked.
Kit then smiled at Captain Jet and said, "Let's get ready to go, Captain. Rally the team to the hanger bay. I'll be with you shortly." As Jet gathered the team, Kit instructed the pilots to wait at a safe distance from the planet until they returned. "In the meantime, refuel the engines so we have enough power to return to Coruscant." Kit quickly made his way to the hanger bay. "Stay close and be cautious, Jet," he said. Then he jumped into his Delta-7 Starfighter and took off. Jet and the rest of the squad jumped into their fighters and followed close behind.
As Kit and his squad entered the planet's atmosphere, Kit used the Force guide him on where to start looking. The planet was indeed small, but he was running out of time and had to find the Force-wielder shortly. What surprised the jedi more than the disconnection of the Force on this world, was the absent of life. He could sense no life anywhere.
Kit guided the squad into a canyon as a way to hide their ships while they searched. When they landed, Kit reminded them, "We are here to find someone. We're not here to fight, so try to keep out of sight." The clones looked in question at each other. Keep out of sight? There is no one here? But they trusted the general and followed his instructions.
As they walked through the canyon, Kit continued to search for any signs of life through the Force. Still, nothing. The clones, too, were a bit uneasy. Though they could not use the Force to tell that something was wrong, it was far too quiet. Usually, Kit would attempted to lighten the mood of the mission if things got too quiet, but this time, he knew silence was their only advantage for the moment. All that could be heard was the calm wind rustling of the leaves in the trees and the faint crunching of the rocks beneath the squad's feet. There wasn't a sound as they made their way towards the canyon's exit.
Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of clanking. Kit and the clones quickly dashed for cover, pressing themselves against the canyon's walls, hiding in the shadows. The clanking grew louder and louder and the clones held their breath. All were surprised to see rows of Crab Droids and Commander Droids march by. Their flashing, white eyes focused forward in full attention.
Jet counted about twenty of them. "Sir, we can easily take out those droids." He pulled out his blaster.
"Patients, Jet," Kit said, raising his hand to stop the clone. "We are on a planet over the outer rim of the galaxy itself. If this place is supposed to be out of range, why are bdroids even here?"
Jet thought it over for a moment and realized Kit's point. "The Separatist know of this planet?"
"Let's find out, shall we?" Kit pulled out a grappling device and shot the anchor to the top of the canyon wall. The clones did the same and they all hoisted themselves to the top.
Once they reached the top, they peered over the wall and beheld a horrible sight. Hundreds of thousands of droids were roaming the land. There were all types of droids: B1s, Super Battle Droids, Destroyer Droids, and much more. AAT Battle Tanks and Imperial Tanks were scattered about. It was a nightmare.
"See where patients comes in handy, my friend?" Kit smiled to Jet.
"What do we do now, Sir?" Jet asked.
"No wonder the Force seems out of balance here. It is completely over run by the Separatist," Kit said. "But that doesn't explain why I can't sense any life. We must find the people who live here."
The squad swiftly and quietly snuck pass the droid army and into a nearby forest. Most of the trees were destroyed, burned, or knocked over due to the droids' raid, but it still provided good cover. The smell of ash still hung in the air as Kit and the troops trekked through the fallen forest. After a while, Jet said, "I can see a village up ahead, General."
"Quickly," Kit said. They jogged through the trees, leaving a cloud of ash behind them as they hurried towards the village. However, when they arrived, they found the village to be destroyed, as well. Houses were barely standing, markets were crushed, stripped, tattered cloth blew helplessly in the wind, and gardens turned to rotting dust pits. Kit walked through the village, deeply saddened. This village, when it was alive, seemed like a peaceful country town. Wooden tools and clay housewares lied shattered and scattered on the burnt ground. No weapons were to be found.
"General!" Jet shouted running up to Kit. He pulled off his helmet and stared straight into Kit's eyes. "You have to see this." Jet led Kit to the back of the village where they witnessed an awful sight. Piles and piles of corpses lined up and left to rot. Kit slowly walked up to the dead bodies. He knelt behind them and grasped a limb hand. Kit lowered his head and was silent for a long time. That moment was the first Jet had ever seen the serious side of Kit Fisto.
Kit finally stood up and said in a monotone voice, "There is no one left alive on this planet. This world belongs to the Separatist."
The medical clone, who was studying the corpses, said, "Strange. I am not sure what race these people are. They are like nothing I have ever seen." He ran his hand over one dead alien's head. "They have the same exact shape of a human skull, but a long curved bone in place for the ears. The human skull does not have ear bones. The ear is a tissue. They don't have bones, but these people do."
"What else can you find out?" Kit asked.
"Well, the spine seems to have an extension near the base of the back." He ran his finger down an alien's back, pointing out the extension, as if the two vertebral were connected. This race in deed was unknown to all of them.
Suddenly, Kit felt a throbbing pulse through the Force. He groaned as clutched his head.
"Are you alright, Sir?" Jet asked.
"The Force-wielder is close," he said. "Hurry, let's go!" Kit dashed into the field, following the strain of the Force. The clones followed close behind. The pull was getting stronger and stronger. Kit could clearly sense that last life struggling to survive. Up ahead, Kit could see another destroyed village, but he could also see droid movement. He and the other clones dove into the ruins of the village to hide from the approaching droids. Kit peered behind the rubble and in time to see a curious sight.
The droids were chasing a young girl, who was running towards the village ruins. Besides looking like a regular human, she had rather large pointed, fury gray ears splotched with a white design. A thin, black tipped tail lagged behind her as she ran. Other than her outstanding features, she had long thin, black hair, white skin, dirty with bruises and filth, and large ocean, green eyes, gleaming with tears. Her plain attire was torn, ripped, and dirty with blood and dirt.
A Commander Droid suddenly fired his blaster at the girl's feet, sending her flying through the air. She crashed to the ground, lying motionless. "We have her now. Prepare to open fire," the commander said. All the droids aimed their blasters at the girl.
Kit quickly activated his green lightsaber, ready for the attack. Before he could even charge, a pulsing pain in the Force shot through his head again. Clasping his head, he watch with one eye open as the girl slowly stood up. She angrily stared hard at the droids, a twisting sphere of energy surrounding her. She grabbed her head and screamed, "Leave me ALONE!"
A thunderous explosion and a blaring light burst forth, blinding Kit and the clones. "Get down!" Kit yelled as they hid behind the ruins. Even through the roaring of the Force, Kit could still hear the crushing metal of the droids. When everything settled, there was silence. Kit looked from behind the rubble and saw all that was left of the droids. The ground singed from the blast of energy. Even the ruins of the village turned to rubble. The girl, barely standing, was breathing hard. Her head hung and her ears drooped. Finally, she collapsed. Kit ran to her side and held her in his arms. She only limped. Kit tried to feel her presents through the Force, but he could barely get a fix. Her connection was slowly going in and out, in and out. This is worse than I thought, Kit thought to himself.
"Jet!" Kit called. Jet and the other clone troopers quickly ensemble. "We have to get back to Coruscant was quickly has possible. Contact Commander Black and tell him we have to be ready to go immediately when we return."
"Right away, Sir," Jet responded.
Kit and the clones ran back towards the canyon hiding their Starfighters. With the girl still unconscious in his arms, Kit could only trust in the Force that they would make it back in time to resolve this danger—this girl with an unconnected, unstable balance with the Force.