Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, the KotOR games or any of the characters and plot lines therein. I do own many of the characters in this story (along with my very good friend Alina). There is an alternate version of this same story that the writer Alina-of-Roses has posted up. If you like mine you may want to check hers out too.
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…
STAR WARS
Knights of the Old Republic III
In the wake of the war the Jedi's numbers have dwindled. Hunted by the Exchange and the Sith alike, it took the courage of one forgotten exile to bring the Jedi back from the brink.
As the Order slowly began to rebuild, a new enemy revealed itself from the shadows. More insidious then the Sith, a new darkness festers in the unknown regions, an evil Revan had left to fight years before and never returned.
In this time of fear and uncertainty yet another master of the Jedi council has gone missing, Jedi Master Alex Drake. Fearing the Republic may not be able to survive another assault from outside, the remaining council has dispatched two of its own to find the lost Jedi…
Chapter One: The Missing
"There it is… Tishi," Ryuu said as our ship slowed out of hyperspace. The scene in front of us was unlike anything I had ever seen before. The planet was surrounded by dark clouds that swirled and lit up with flashes of lightning… all in toward one central point.
"The gravitational readings are off the charts, master," I said from the copilot's seat, nervously punching at the controls as the planet grew ever larger in the window, "It's like more of a black hole then a planet… I have a very bad feeling about this."
"I feel it too," Ryuu answered, "be careful of your emotions, Moonfire. The dark side of the force is exceptionally strong here…stronger then the council and Master Blaze had anticipated."
The ship began to sway and rock as we approached the anomaly. I didn't catch myself clutching at my seat too hard until it started to rip. Taking a glance over at my master, he was still calm, cool and collected. Nothing ever seemed to faze Ryuu Drake, and maybe that's why I was drawn to him. He was only 5 years older then me, but he became a Jedi Knight when he was 15. Ryuu was always smart, strong, level headed… everything that I was not.
"There's some sort of interference," Ryuu said suddenly, frantically working at the controls, "We're losing power."
Losing… power? This was not what I wanted to hear. As I closed my eyes to try to settle myself I thought back on how I'd gotten myself into this situation. It was just yesterday that I was a Padawan with no master, clumsily swinging my lightsaber at remote droids in the Temple training room.
Word had just come back from the unknown regions that all contact with Ryuu's father, Master Alex Drake had been lost. The masters had all gathered for an emergency meeting, but of course us Padawan's had to stay at the kid's table. It always seemed like I was being left behind. I had just turned 17 but I was still the only one left in my class to not have a master… and being the only girl didn't improve my situation much either. The general attitude of the boys was that girls were far too clumsy and emotional to ever become great Jedi Knights. I didn't help things by falling on my face during every training exercise or spending my down time huddled alone in a corner feeling sorry for myself.
I wanted to believe that they were wrong. I got myself out of bed every morning with the thought that today would be the day that I'd show them all. But as the years passed and everyone else went off to train with Jedi Masters, more and more was I forced to face the truth… maybe I wasn't cut out to be a Jedi.
But that all changed after Master Drake went missing. My eyes were covered by my helmets blast shield as I tried to sense the bolts from a remote droid swishing back in forth in front of me, reaching out with the force to sense the impending danger and moving my lightsaber accordingly to block the attacks. I was half way through my exercise when I first heard his voice.
"Um… excuse me, do you know where I can find Jedi Master Blaze?" Startled, I missed one of the remote's blasts and it struck me in the back of the leg. With a yelp I fell to the floor, grabbing for my thigh when I felt his arms wrap around me, cushioning my fall. My face quickly turning crimson, I lifted off my helmet to apologize but instead found myself without words. Ryuu's face was there, his deep blue eyes staring down into mine. He was wearing brown robes like most other Jedi. His dark reddish hair hung down to his nose which he moved from his face with a flick of his hand before pulling me upright. His features were so kind and I could instantly feel a sense of calm the moment I saw him.
Turning an even brighter shade of red, I caught myself staring for too long and quickly turned away. He chuckled as he helped me back to my feet, "Heh, sorry about that, I didn't mean to distract you."
"Uhh… it's nothing," I answered, trying to avoid looking directly back at him again during a long awkward silence.
"Well, my name's Ryuu Drake," he finally said, "I'm here to see Jedi Master Blaze, would you happen to know where I can find him?"
"I'm Moonfire," I replied quickly, "umm… Master Blaze is meeting with the other Masters in the Council Chambers right now. I could take you there if you'd like…"
"That would be wonderful, thank you," he answered. Very much aware of myself so not to stumble anymore, I led him up to the Jedi Council chambers. As we arrived he gave me a slight bow and headed inside. I waited at the entrance, listening to what the others had to say. The midday sun illuminated the Council chambers through the large glass windows that surrounded the room. Inside were Master Blaze and another man in tattered gray robes who I didn't recognize.
"Ryuu..." Master Blaze uttered with a rasp upon seeing him, "You've come back..." Master Blaze was a very old man, in his 90's, perhaps even older. He wore white robes and leaned heavily on his cane, even when seated in his chair.
"It's good to see you again, Ryuu " the other man said with a smile, "I came as soon as I heard about your mother..." Ryuu's expression quickly turned more serious at the mention of his mother.
"I apologize," The man quickly commented, "obviously this must still be weighing on you. I intended to speak with my old friend Alex... but it doesn't seem he's here..."
"It's fine, Luster," Ryuu responded to the man, "My mother's death caught us all by surprise… I didn't want to stay here when everything in this temple reminded me of her, but perhaps if I had been here my father would not have chosen to go off after Revan so rashly."
Master Blaze then stood up with a labored sigh, leaning heavily on his cane, "Alex left about three days ago," he said with a great amount of strain in his voice, struggling to hold himself up on his cane, "he mentioned something about separating himself from this place also... he really has not been himself since Sarah passed. I heard him talking to himself again the other night..."
"What do you think it was, Blaze?" Luster responded to the old man with a concerned look on his face.
"Your expression... you don't think that it could be the intangible..." Blaze answered.
"I wouldn't rule it out," Luster said, "It's been a long time, but I always feared that this might happen, even if its power was sealed away with Jack. It is too strong for us to assume that such a seal would hold it back forever."
"If this is so... we must find Alex as soon as possible," Blaze said, easing back into his seat with a strained grunt, "If the intangible is responsible for the darkness gathering in the unknown regions then we cannot afford to wait."
"I think we should be patient, Master," Ryuu said, his arms folded about his chest, an emotionless look on his face despite the situation, "If whatever this intangible is was powerful enough to defeat both Revan and my father, then we would be wise not to make the same mistakes they did and rush in unprepared."
"Ryuu is right, there's no telling what we may find out there," Luster interjected, running a hand through his long black hair that was tied off into a pony tail behind him.
"Perhaps we could enlist the help of the Republic navy," Blaze suggested, stroking the short white whiskers on his chin, "It may not be what it once was in the wake of the war, but we could certainly search a much larger area with their help. The only problem would be trying to pass anything through the senate…"
"You never were much for diplomacy, Blaze," Luster said with a chuckle, "You always did rub people the wrong way… But I don't think the Republic can afford to pull ships from defense in order to conduct a search operation. The core worlds are still recovering. Removing the presence of the navy would be a golden opportunity for the exchange to set up shop. The senate will not risk that."
Ryuu stood listening to the two with a thoughtful look on his face. I found myself staring at him again, but I couldn't help it. He couldn't have been much older then me, but the way he carried himself… I could see in him what I had strived to be for most of my life, "It will be up to the Jedi to discover the source of this threat then," Ryuu said, speaking up at last, "As dangerous as it may seem, it would appear we have little recourse."
Luster sighed, closing his eyes gently, "You know I don't like to get myself involved with Jedi affairs," he said looking over towards Ryuu, "But if you plan on going out there I can't in good conscience let you go alone."
"Well you both can't go," Blaze interrupted, "I'm getting much too old. With Alex gone and most of the other Knights and Padawans away on missions of their own… and now the two of you, someone must stay behind to help watch over the Temple."
"But there is no one else," Luster replied, "If not me then who else would go?"
"I will!" I called out suddenly from the doorway, not entirely conscious of what it was I was saying. As the three of them turned and glared at me I could feel my face burn over as I blushed brightly again. Hesitantly I stepped out from my hiding place and into the light, "I'll go with him… if it's ok with you, Master Blaze."
"You?" Blaze asked, raising an eyebrow at me, "You haven't been outside of the Temple since you were a baby, Moonfire. This mission may be a bit too much for you."
"But master! I've been training for so long. All of my friends have left the temple already, I'm tired of being treated like some sort of charity case," I wined, my back straightening up as my confidence began to build the more I pleaded my case, "I can do it, Master. Please, just give me a chance to prove myself."
"Now, my dear, you know I believe in you, but it's just too dangerous," Blaze replied. My heart sunk hearing his words and my posture slumped once more, "I'll leave the decision up to you, Ryuu. Once your team is assembled you may leave immediately. May the force be with you."
Ryuu gave Blaze a bow and walked past me and out of the council chambers. I moped out slowly after him, heading to the steps at the entrance of the temple. I plopped myself down there and took in the scenery around me. The steps raised the temple high above the streets, giant golden statues of the four Jedi Masters who first built the temple flanking me to my left and right. The sun was slowly resting on the horizon, the shadows cast by the buildings of Coruscant creeping over the temple like a hand, only the pillars towering over head still bathed in orange light.
Letting out a heavy sigh I let my head fall into my hands. As my eyes started to well up I buried them into my arm. No need to let all of Coruscant see you cry old girl.
"Mind if I join you?" The sound of his voice startled me. Quickly I lifted my head to see Ryuu standing next to me, his arms folded over his chest as he stared out at the city in front of him.
"Uhh… sure," I answered with a meek nod, attempting to discreetly wipe the tears off of my face. He took a seat on the step next to me and was silent for what seemed like forever before finally speaking up.
"The unknown regions are very dangerous," he began, still keeping his gaze straight ahead, "Why would you want to get yourself into something like that?"
I wrapped my arms around my knees and pulled them into my chest as I tried to articulate my answer, "Well… I guess I just wanted to prove something to myself. That I'm not completely useless as a Jedi."
"And what would make you think that?" He asked me, finally turning his head to look at me, a soft smile on his face that I couldn't help but emulate.
"Well, I'm 17 now. I've been a Jedi almost all my life, but I still have never had a master. I've never even left Coruscant. I guess I feel like I'm ready for a little danger," I smiled wider and he chuckled softly. He sat silent and thought for a moment before standing back up.
"I'll see what I can do," He said before turning and heading back into the temple. I was so happy I could hardly sit still. That night I got no sleep. Thoughts of adventure on far off worlds with Ryuu danced through my head causing me to toss and turn restlessly. I was up at morning's first light that day, putting on my best robe. It was a dark purple color with a low cut v-neck and an outer coat of the same color that wrapped over my shoulders. I then spent the next hour glaring at my own blue eyes in the mirror, meticulously brushing every imperfection out of my long black hair.
After putting on my boots and gloves and clipping my lightsaber to my belt I hurried off to the Jedi Council Chambers only to find them empty. I frantically searched high and low but couldn't find anyone, a small tingle of panic rising within me at the thought that they all may have left without me. How could I have been so stupid as to get my hopes up so high again? Finally I headed for the hanger bay. I rushed out, finding only one ship left on the dock. A Dynamic-class freighter that seemed rather old and beaten up. As I approached suddenly the loading ramp dropped down. Stepping out of the ship was Ryuu who smiled once he saw me there.
"Hey kid, need a lift?" He said. A soft chuckle was all that escaped my lips as I ran over to him, almost tackling him to the ground with a hug.
"Yes! Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I said before realizing what I was doing and releasing my death grip on him.
"I guess that makes you my new Padawan," he said, placing his hand on my shoulder, "though before you agree, this mission is a very difficult one. Are you sure you know what you're getting yourself into?"
"I do," I answered, a look of confidence washing over me, "I won't let you down, Master," He smiled and his face turned a bit red when I called him Master, "Is this your ship?" I asked, breaking the silence.
"She is now. This is the Ebon Hawk, it once belonged to Revan. It's in rough shape, but its all the more the Jedi have to offer at the moment," Ryuu started up the ramp and I eagerly followed. The inside of the ship was a mess too, spare parts and supplies scattered around all over the place. As I searched the ship for a room to stay in I came across a rather unpleasant looking droid with rustic red plating deactivated in the ship's engine room.
"This droid yours?" I called out to Ryuu. He stepped into the engine room, peering at it over my shoulder.
"Nope, can't say I ever recall owning any droids," He said, "I'd be careful with that one though, it looks like a Hunter-Killer. An assassin droid."
"Assassin droid…" I repeated softly to myself, "Cool…" I felt around behind the droid before finding a switch on the back of its neck. Upon flicking it the droid's eyes lit up an orange color. As it sat up I recoiled quickly, its vocabulator making hissing and garbled noises as it cycled through several languages before actually making any sense.
"Diagnostic: Weapon protocol, operational. Memory Core, in tact. All systems are fully at your disposal, master," The droid said rising back to its feet.
"Well, couldn't hurt to have another pair of hands around here I guess," Ryuu commented, "What can you do, droid?"
"Recitation: I am HK-47, an assassin droid. It is my primary function to incinerate meat bags you desire removed from the galaxy, master," The droid responded. Ryuu raised an eyebrow at the response.
"Well that's rather to the point," Ryuu said, tugging on my arm, "Come on Mooney, it's probably not a good idea to be alone with this droid for too long."
"Why do you say that?" I asked, "I kind of like him."
"Reassurance: You have nothing to worry about, master. Though I have received considerable damage to my processors over the years I am quite confident that my facilities are stable."
"Somehow I'm not reassured," Ryuu said with a frown, "Well we better get going then. It'll be a long journey to the unknown regions."
"Query: Will there be anything you need killed in these 'Unknown Regions'? It has been FAR too long since I've last heard the soothing screams of agony that can only be elicited by a well aimed rifle blast to the knee caps."
"Charming. Come on Moonfire," Ryuu said, turning and heading towards the cockpit.
"Yes, master!" I called after him, turning and following. Once inside the cockpit I sat myself down in the copilot's chair. I had done this so many times before during simulations, but hearing the real engines fire up caused a jolt of excitement to shoot down my spine. As the ship lifted off Ryuu read the hyperspace coordinates out loud to me and I punched them in, "Where will these take us?" I asked, punching in the final numbers.
"Those coordinates were provided by Luster," Ryuu answered, "They will take us to an uncharted planet called 'Tishi'."
"What's so interesting about that planet?"
"It's where Luster and Alex sealed away the intangible… about 100 years ago…"
Next time Chapter Two: The Dark Star