The star was a yellow-white, slightly-larger-than-normal class-G sun. Around it orbited six planets of varying size. The only one to support life was the forth planet in the system, a little blue jewel with one distinctive landmass and several small islands.
There was a waver in the starlight near this fourth planet as a small ship dropped out of hyperspace. Although fairly new, the ship showed heavy signs of recent battle. A small, dome-topped droid sat behind the cockpit of the ship and surveyed the small planet floating before it. The droid sent a questioning beep to the cockpit, but received no answer.
Uttering a sound much like a sigh, the small droid began querying the ship as to its damage. After another few moments the droid used its manipulator arms to free itself from the socket behind the cockpit and began to make what repairs it could while its master floated in a state of unconsciousness in the cockpit.
For a moment upon waking, he wasn't sure where he was. Darkness surrounded him and pain assaulted him, making cohesive thought difficult. A heavy, furry hand rested on his head and he felt the pain recede.
"Feeling better, young Padawan?" a gravely voice asked.
He opened his eyes to look into the black and silver furred face of his master, Tamatha.
"I'm feeling a little better, Master, but I think it would greatly improve my disposition if you would cut off my arm."
The young man gestured to his broken arm that hung uselessly to his side.
The Wookiee chuffed in laughter. "You'll be wanting it later, after it's healed, young one." She grew serious again. "Focus your mind, Kigen. Disconnect yourself from the pain. We'll bind the arm and have it set when we get back to Kahyyyk."
"If we get back," Kigen muttered darkly.
Tamatha grinned baring her fangs. "You're just being pessimistic because we're outnumbered twenty to one. But don't forget, young Padawan, that we have the Force on our side."
Kigen nodded and closed his eyes, reaching into the flow of the Force to help him push his pain away. He felt Tamatha bind his broken to his body, out of his way. Kigen and Tamatha had come to the planet to warn a group of Jedi about the Imperial forces that were headed their way. When they reached the safehouse, they found the Jedi slaughtered and the Imperials waiting for them. They had used every trick available to them to get away from their attackers and had made it to the spaceport before being pinned down.
"Now prepare yourself," Tamatha murmured. "We need to get to our ships and get out of here as soon as we can. Do you still have a link to that tin can you call a droid?"
Kigen smiled as he pulled the comlink from his belt. Tin Can, or TC as he was commonly called, was a new line of 'R2' droids. The first few prototypes had failed miserably, shorting out at the most inopportune times. Kigen had rescued TC from a scrap heap and with some creative hot-wiring, brought the droid up to full working order.
"TC, do you read me?"
A short affirmative beep came back. Kigen looked at Tamatha.
"Tell that little droid to get the engines warmed up and plot us the fastest vector out of here and toward the Core. We'll make a few course changes and head toward Kashyyyk when we lose the Imperials."
Kigen nodded and relayed the instructions to the droid.
"Have him pass the instructions on to my droid as well," the Wookiee said.
Kigen nodded and closed the link after getting an affirmation.
"What now?" the young man asked, putting his comlink back onto his belt.
Tamatha stood to her full seven foot height and unclipped her lightsaber from her belt.
"Now, young Kigen , we make like a Hutt crime lord in a deal gone bad, and get out of here."
Kigen retrieved his lightsaber from the folds of his robe and stood. With a battle cry the two Jedi burst from their hiding place and raced to their ships.
Kigen came awake suddenly, the pain radiating from his arm a sharp reminder of the last few hours. He was surprised to see that he was no longer in hyperspace, and reached forward to open a com channel to TC.
"Hey, TC, where are we?" the Jedi Padawan asked.
A beep came back, the onboard computer translating the binary into words.
"Unknown."
Kigen looked around the starfield, searching in vain for Tamatha's small ship.
"Master Tamatha didn't make it," he said softly.
TC beeped back an answer.
"Affirmative. Her ship was destroyed seconds before the jump to hyperspace."
Kigen closed his eyes against the tears that threatened.
"Were we hit too?" the young man asked.
"Affirmative. A glancing shot damaged the navigational computer."
"Thank the Force we're alive then," Kigen said.
A warning claxon went off inside the cockpit, causing Kigen to look at the control panel.
"Sithspit!" he swore. "TC, get back into your socket. We've got a Star Destroyer coming up."
Kigen's fingers flew over the board assessing the damage to his ship.
"No hyperdrive. Minimal thrusters."
He looked up and his eye caught the small planet floating before him. The main landmass was honeycombed by lakes and rivers making it appear as four larger landmasses connected by smaller arms and necks. There were a few small islands of differing sizes surrounding the main landmass. Each of the larger lands had very distinctive climates.
"If we can get close enough to that planet, then we can let gravity pull us in. Maybe we can hide from the Imperials for a while, make some repairs, and get back to Kashyyyk."
TC beeped an affirmative and signaled that he was back in his socket. Kigen hit the thrusters and guided his small ship into the planet's gravity well. A red laser beam shot past his ship on the right.
"Halt!" a voice came over the com system. "This is the Imperial Star Destroyer Hunter. We demand that you turn yourself in immediately, Jedi rebel."
"Not for all the credits in a Hutt lord's treasury," Kigen muttered. He urged his ship to go faster, mentally praising TC and his repair efforts.
Another shot flew past the ship. "We are telling you once again to surrender. You will not get another chance."
"Eat my spacedust," Kigen ground out.
Onboard the Hunter, Captain Vraltz watched as the small ship limped toward the ridiculously small planet.
"Bring up the main tractor beam and lock onto that ship," Vraltz ordered.
He watched as the ship continued toward the planet.
"Well, what's taking so long?"
"The main tractor beam is malfunctioning, sir," the officer who had relayed the order said.
"And the back up one?"
"It's down as well, sir."
"Fine, just shoot him down."
"Aye, sir."
Kigen just barely avoided the first volley from the Star Destroyer. He tried to concentrate on aligning with the Force, but in his injured and exhausted state, it was difficult to say the least. He could feel the effects of the small planet's gravity on his ship, making the movements sluggish and heavy.
I don't think I'm going to make it out of this one, the young man thought tiredly.
Another volley of laser fire flew from the Star Destroyer, catching Kigen's ship and destroying one of the engines. The ship went into a flat spin, nosediving for the planet. TC let out a shriek as Kigen fought for control with one arm. He managed to guide the faltering ship into a trajectory that wouldn't get him fried as he entered the atmosphere.
Laser fire from the pursuing Star Destroyer continued to flash around him and he wondered who had trained the gunners. They couldn't seem to hit the broad side of a bantha, except for the lucky one who'd taken out his engine. Finally, as the landscape rushed up to greet him, Kigen let go of the control stick and slumped back in his seat. There was nothing more he could do. He had a brief stab of grief that he'd never see his family again. His mother and father, and his two little sisters.
I'm sorry, he thought to his family, as his ship careened toward the ground. I wanted to see you all again.
Captain Vraltz watched as the small ship lost control and careened toward the planet.
"Report," the captain said.
"The ship has crashed in a desert. It's still mostly intact."
"Send a shuttle down," Vraltz ordered. "Make sure he's dead and bring back his lightsaber for Lord Vader."
A/N: Thanks to Roku Kyu for her description of the Fushigi Yuugi planetary system in Bridge Over the Abyss.