Star Wars

Episode I

The New Generation

-1-

Like all smugglers across the galaxy, the Gammoreans never left anywhere without their cargo. That could either be their greatest strength. Or their greatest weakness. Whether it was strength or a weakness, the Gammoreans made formidable opponents anyway. They attacked in the dark; a place where the glowing heart of Nar Shada could not reach so the attacks continued without any problems. Thus two Jedi had come to settle the matters. They had come in peace though they will react violently if necessary.

Arriving on the planet's surface, Jorre Mejac and Kristina Conners were blinded from Nar Shada's dazzling city lights. The brilliant lights stretched across the planet's surface and Jorre had a hard time realizing that there were some parts of the city that were shrouded in darkness.

"This city has a lot of life pulsing through it," Jorre's apprentice, Kristina, mumbled from her seat at the Y-Wing's controls. Jorre had never been one to appreciate flying. "It's hard to settle oneself in the Force here."

Jorre agreed with her apprentice, but would never give Kristina the satisfaction of knowing so. Jorre had finished her Jedi training over a year ago, but she too could barely center herself in the Force on the planet. She breathed a silent sigh of relief when Kristina veered away from the illuminating lights and descended to Nar Shada's darker points. As the Jedi traveled to their approximate coordinates, Kristina pulled up the ship and set it to hover.

"Now what?" Kristina asked impatiently, letting go of the controls to turn to Jorre, "Where's that ship of yours?"

"It'll come," Jorre answered, hoping that her words were true. This was her first real Jedi mission and she couldn't stand herself if it went wrong. To make matters worse, she and Kristina hadn't informed the Jedi Council about their departure and knew she would lose all respect she had spent the year trying to earn if their mission proved to be a failure.

"Rest, young one," Jorre murmured, closing her eyes as the Force flowed through her once more, "I'll need all your strength when the ship does arrive."

Jorre let out a relaxing breath, missing her apprentice's reply. Jorre paused for a moment to make sure all was silent, and then her world was turned to darkness as sleep engulfed her.

"Jorre!" Jorre's eyes flew open in shock as her apprentice's worried voice filled her ears. Still dulled from her deep slumber, Jorre mumbled tiredly, "What's going on?"

"The ship's here," Jorre's senses snapped awake at the word ship and her heart pounded with nervousness. Suddenly her nerves died down as she realized she couldn't see a ship in sight nor was one being displayed on the radar.

"Where is it then?" Jorre rounded on her apprentice, slightly angry at the fact Kristina had woken her up for a false alarm, "I don't see it anywhere and it's not on the damn monitors so where is it?"

"Our senses are jammed ever since they captured us in their tractor beam a few moments ago," Kristina explained, her hands searching wildly for a trigger or button that might help them to escape though finding nothing, "I'm trying to find an escape route."

"Tractor beam?" Jorre murmured to herself, finally noticing that their ship was drifting slowly backwards. Then Jorre's eyes clouded with an image the Force must have granted her and she turned to Kristina, brain racing wildly.

"Don't," Jorre grasped her apprentice's hands preventing her from grabbing anymore controls, "What we want is on that ship. Plus it will be useless to escape."

"Okay," Kristina gave an irritated sigh as she dropped her hands to her lap, "I hope this doesn't end like your last plan."

Jorre smiled softly in spite of their situation and said lightly, "Although if you remember we got out of that mess as well."