Admiral Forx looked out at the bleak future of the Empire. In front of the old battered Star Destroyer was the entire Imperial Fleet. It didn't consist of much, a score or so of Dreadnaughts salvaged from the Clone Wars, a dozen Star Destroyers, some two hundred TIE fighters, and a small handful of shuttles. Not one of the ships in the fleet was acceptable to Imperial standards, and it was clear not one of them could withstand any war effort.
"Admiral," the captain commented, "if this is what you want to start a war with, I would surely have to defect. This fleet can barely make Lightspeed, let alone put up a fight."
"I'm fully aware of the condition of the fleet. As for you defecting, that is your purgative. But you should be fully aware by now what happens to those who become the enemy of the Empire. Don't worry though Captain, the glory days of the Empire are coming sooner than any of us thought."
"Whatever do you mean?"
"I was not on Tyrran 3 for pleasureful reasons good Captain, I had business to conduct. I met with a group of Dark Jedi who are interested in helping our cause. I went there to check their story out and it proved true. At this point in time, any help is welcomed help, wouldn't you say Captain?"
"Of course Admiral, but what do you have in mind?"
"Our new help has devised an intriguing plan. The New Republic barely does anything these days without the confirmation of the New Jedi Council. If we were to take out this council, especially their leader, Luke Skywalker, the Republic would falter. By then enough ships will have been gathered up, that with the Dark Jedi at our side, we will be able to crush Coruscant. After that, the other systems will fall with ease."
Luke Skywalker had assembled all of his students and fellow Jedi into the main chamber in the training complex on Yavin. The previous day they had found a mysterious recording on an old holocube that Luke had found some time ago in another temple on Yavin. One of his students activated the cube. After a breach of static, an image came into view. Luke drifted his eyes from the image, around the room to come stop at a young female student, Idara. Idara had little powers but Luke refused to turn her away. He was looking at her because he could sense a strange bond between her and the image. But he turned his attention back to the holocube, and his student sat down.
The cube came into action. In front of them was that same man. He wasn't very tall, with long greying hair, and a closely clipped beard. The man was chained to a pole with rough and rusted metal links. He was bruised, battered, bloody and in a clear state of mental and physical pain.
Luke's attention went back to Idara, he could feel her presence stir. Idara looked at the man with a look of pity, and superiority. She got up like a hypnotized creature and walked towards the holocube's image. Some of the students murmured and looked to Luke, but a single glance told for them to be quiet.
Idara knew exactly what she was doing. She knew who the man was, Luke thought silently to himself. It was the only explanation for what she was about to do. For when she got close to the holograph, the man in the image reached out his hand towards her, and she reached out hers to his. When the "touched", the looks of pain and despair fled from the mans face. He stared directly at her and bowed his head, then as he took his hand away, the pain returned in him. Idara quietly, seeing that the room was staring at her, left the room.
Idara was young and powerless in the eyes of the other Jedi. She had not been at the acedemy for long, and had not let go of here race and clan's traditions. Just then, a knocking came at the door to her room. Luke walked in, and stood their looking at her.
She was about 6 feet tall, with shoulder length golden hair, eyes the colour of silver, but when she was enticed they turned a deep saphire. The central ridge of her skull... Luke looked again... was slightly raised. How strange he had never noticed that before. But when he looked again, it was gone.
"Idara, you shouldn't have run. The others are worried about you. They might have been vexed with you for doing what you did. But they see the bigger picture now. Is there anything at all you want to say?" Luke said in the silence.
Idara looked up from the stones in front of her. "Luke. When I came here, you knew that I had no powers what so ever. You only brought me here because you couldn't find the one you were looking for. I'm no Jedi."
"But that man? Who was he? He knew you by the looks."
"Looks aren't always what they seem. As a Jedi, you should know that. To you, I look like any other human. But I'm not. That man was in pain. I knew that I could help him so I did. As for who he is. He is Quigon Jin, a Jedi from the time before the Emperor. The Jedi Council disagreed with his ways, and he was thus an outcast. Jin was not alone as a Jedi outcast. There was another, the one that you search for."
"You mean the Ancient Master? How do you know all this, and if what you telling me is true, then can you please tell me the purpose of this quest?"
"The Ancient Master you fool, doesn't want to be found by you or anyone else of your kind", Idara raged. "As for the quest.. I can tell you something about it."
"Then why don't you explain." Luke was losing his patience with her.
Idara calmed down, but her eyes turned to a deep saphire edged with blood red.
"You are searching for the outcast, a woman who is older than the republic itself...
To be continued.