Disclaimer:
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands
See the difference? 'Nuff said.
*****
CHAPTER ONE
The sleek, dagger-shaped small ship called The Guardian skimmed down along the planet surface. Light grey mist completely surrounded her, obscuring almost everything through the main viewport.
"Can you sense anything?" asked a deep voice that belonged to the Jedi Master known as Del-Mon Wesia.
Del-Mon was a tall, strong man in his mid-forties. His hair was a light brown, and was shoulder length and tied back. His soft green eyes did not move as he cruised through the mist. He knew the answer to the question he had just asked, but wanted to test his companion.
Next to him, a higher voice replied, "Yes. There is… A boulder, about a meter to the right. It will hit the right wing unless you pull up about… Four meters."
The new voice was the one of Aro-Ken Rumos, Del-Mon's Padawan learner.
Del-Mon eased up on the controls, and could sense how close they came to the boulder Aro-Ken spoke him of.
Unlike Del-Mon, Aro-Ken's brilliant blue eyes flicked about the viewscreen even though he could only see trees they passed when they were about two meters from the viewport. His Master was testing him, and from the looks of it Aro-Ken was doing well.
He lifted a hand and brought his long, thin braid of brown hair behind his right shoulder. The rest of his hair was evenly short all over his head, except for the ponytail in the back of his head that was an inch or two in length. Aro-Ken was nearly thirteen, and his build was muscular for such a young age. Most Human girls he knew thought he was very attractive.
Del-Mon was skillfully piloting their ship on the planet Naboo, from what Aro-Ken remembered. They were flying low over swampy marshland. It was early morning, and the fog was slowly lifting.
Aro-Ken couldn't contain a yawn as they shot along. Although he would usually be up this early, he reminded himself that Naboo had a different night and day cycle than that of Coruscant. Back on his familiar homeplanet in the Jedi Temple, he'd normally be asleep at this time.
As the fog gradually lifted, Aro-Ken saw no change in the lighting. He looked near the top of the viewport, and saw that the sky was very dark. There would be a storm soon. He wondered if Del-Mon would still make him carry out the mission he'd kept a secret so far if the weather turned foul.
As if to answer his question, lightning flashed, and he could faintly hear thunder.
"Are we-"
"We're not turning back. A storm like this will be the least of your worries," Del-Mon said, answering Aro-Ken's question before he had finished asking it.
His worries? Why hadn't Del-Mon said "our worries?" What was this strange, mystery mission they were on?
As Aro-Ken's mind continued to race, Del-Mon said, "It should be just up here."
The Guardian abruptly turned until she was perfectly vertical, and then narrowly slipped between two large trees. Aro-Ken jumped, and his heart sped up a little, but Del-Mon calmly sat there and straightened the ship out again once they had passed.
Finally, they began to drift to the ground. It felt like Aro-Ken was in a turbolift as Del-Mon activated the landing struts and put The Guardian down on solid ground again.
"Let's go," the older Jedi said, rising.
Aro-Ken followed him as Del-Mon activated the hatch. They went down the landing ramp, and Aro-Ken found that his boots sunk slightly on the terrain.
Instantly he felt the wind blowing, making his robe billow about. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by roaring thunder. He felt rain begin to fall. He squinted and peered through the fog, but all he could see was trees.
"Master, where are we?" he asked. So far, Del-Mon had failed to mention not only where they were, but why they were there as well.
"We are on Naboo, in the swamps. It's quite a distance to any city. Have you figured out why we are here yet?" Del-Mon replied.
Aro-Ken shook his head. "No, Master."
Del-Mon began walking, and Aro-Ken had to jog slightly to keep up with his long strides.
"What have you been without for the past four months?" Del-Mon asked.
"A lightsaber? Am I going to get another lightsaber?" Aro-Ken eagerly asked.
During a previous conflict, when Shadowraiths had invaded the Jedi Temple, Aro-Ken had lost his lightsaber. He'd thrown it at one that was about to kill Del-Mon, causing it to lose its balance and fall down a turbine shaft. Aro-Ken had assumed his lightsaber was destroyed.
"In a way. You're here to get crystals for your lightsaber. You all ready have the handle ready, but you'll need crystals to make it work," Del-Mon said.
"Why aren't we on Ilum? Isn't that usually where Jedi go to get lightsaber crystals?" asked Aro-Ken, speaking of the icy world that held mysterious crystal caverns.
"Yes, but I know of a cave here that you can also use. It is where my master took me, and I took my two former Padawans. It's just as good as Ilum," Del-Mon replied as they walked.
Rain began to fall, spattering on his head and robe in large drops. Aro-Ken put up his hood and slightly bowed his head to keep the rain out of his face as they walked. He could hear the wind whistling through the trees, whipping his Jedi robes about his body.
He could hardly see ahead of him in the darkness. He could just barely make out Del-Mon's silhouette ahead of him. As the lightning flashed, Aro-Ken could see that the fog had lifted, but it still did nothing to improve visibility in the area.
"This way," Del-Mon said, turning.
Aro-Ken went a little faster and arrived at his master's side.
"There," Del-Mon said, pointing ahead.
Aro-Ken squinted, and could barely see a huge tree, by far bigger than the rest in the clearing. At the bottom, near its huge roots, there was an opening.
"Come, Padawan," Del-Mon instructed, striding towards it. He jumped, and disappeared down the opening.
Aro-Ken looked down, and found he could not see the bottom. Hesitantly, he jumped down as well.
He discovered the drop wasn't that big after all, only about four meters. He landed on his feet, and looked around.
Rain still fell down the opening, and Aro-Ken stepped aside to avoid it. Instantly the howling wind was gone. He came to Del-Mon's side.
Squinting around, he could barely see anything. A flash of lightning occasionally illuminated the mouth of the cave, and he then saw that the sides of the cave were made of earth. They were kept from collapsing by thick tree roots.
"Aro-Ken, you will have to do this alone. Down that tunnel is an underground pool. It is at the bottom of the pool that you will find the crystals you need. The ones surrounding the pool will not help you, so do not use them," Del-Mon explained.
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken nodded.
"On your way there you will encounter apparitions, ones that are summoned by your fears. Do not fight your fear, or use it as a weapon. If you wish to be a Jedi, fear is a thing you must learn to accept and control," Del- Mon said.
Aro-Ken nodded, still trying to see further into the tunnel. "Should I use a glowrod?" he asked.
"No," Del-Mon answered. "You must do this using only your skills as a Jedi. I had to do it, and my other two Padawans did as well."
"All right, Master," answered Aro-Ken.
"Remember, when you get the crystals, take your time assembling them. If you rush, your weapon will be made incorrectly," Del-Mon reminded him.
"Yes, Master, I understand," Aro-Ken nodded.
"Then go. I will be here when you return," Del-Mon said.
Aro-Ken turned towards the darkness that was the tunnel. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he strode forward, without looking back.
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time on my hands
See the difference? 'Nuff said.
*****
CHAPTER ONE
The sleek, dagger-shaped small ship called The Guardian skimmed down along the planet surface. Light grey mist completely surrounded her, obscuring almost everything through the main viewport.
"Can you sense anything?" asked a deep voice that belonged to the Jedi Master known as Del-Mon Wesia.
Del-Mon was a tall, strong man in his mid-forties. His hair was a light brown, and was shoulder length and tied back. His soft green eyes did not move as he cruised through the mist. He knew the answer to the question he had just asked, but wanted to test his companion.
Next to him, a higher voice replied, "Yes. There is… A boulder, about a meter to the right. It will hit the right wing unless you pull up about… Four meters."
The new voice was the one of Aro-Ken Rumos, Del-Mon's Padawan learner.
Del-Mon eased up on the controls, and could sense how close they came to the boulder Aro-Ken spoke him of.
Unlike Del-Mon, Aro-Ken's brilliant blue eyes flicked about the viewscreen even though he could only see trees they passed when they were about two meters from the viewport. His Master was testing him, and from the looks of it Aro-Ken was doing well.
He lifted a hand and brought his long, thin braid of brown hair behind his right shoulder. The rest of his hair was evenly short all over his head, except for the ponytail in the back of his head that was an inch or two in length. Aro-Ken was nearly thirteen, and his build was muscular for such a young age. Most Human girls he knew thought he was very attractive.
Del-Mon was skillfully piloting their ship on the planet Naboo, from what Aro-Ken remembered. They were flying low over swampy marshland. It was early morning, and the fog was slowly lifting.
Aro-Ken couldn't contain a yawn as they shot along. Although he would usually be up this early, he reminded himself that Naboo had a different night and day cycle than that of Coruscant. Back on his familiar homeplanet in the Jedi Temple, he'd normally be asleep at this time.
As the fog gradually lifted, Aro-Ken saw no change in the lighting. He looked near the top of the viewport, and saw that the sky was very dark. There would be a storm soon. He wondered if Del-Mon would still make him carry out the mission he'd kept a secret so far if the weather turned foul.
As if to answer his question, lightning flashed, and he could faintly hear thunder.
"Are we-"
"We're not turning back. A storm like this will be the least of your worries," Del-Mon said, answering Aro-Ken's question before he had finished asking it.
His worries? Why hadn't Del-Mon said "our worries?" What was this strange, mystery mission they were on?
As Aro-Ken's mind continued to race, Del-Mon said, "It should be just up here."
The Guardian abruptly turned until she was perfectly vertical, and then narrowly slipped between two large trees. Aro-Ken jumped, and his heart sped up a little, but Del-Mon calmly sat there and straightened the ship out again once they had passed.
Finally, they began to drift to the ground. It felt like Aro-Ken was in a turbolift as Del-Mon activated the landing struts and put The Guardian down on solid ground again.
"Let's go," the older Jedi said, rising.
Aro-Ken followed him as Del-Mon activated the hatch. They went down the landing ramp, and Aro-Ken found that his boots sunk slightly on the terrain.
Instantly he felt the wind blowing, making his robe billow about. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, followed by roaring thunder. He felt rain begin to fall. He squinted and peered through the fog, but all he could see was trees.
"Master, where are we?" he asked. So far, Del-Mon had failed to mention not only where they were, but why they were there as well.
"We are on Naboo, in the swamps. It's quite a distance to any city. Have you figured out why we are here yet?" Del-Mon replied.
Aro-Ken shook his head. "No, Master."
Del-Mon began walking, and Aro-Ken had to jog slightly to keep up with his long strides.
"What have you been without for the past four months?" Del-Mon asked.
"A lightsaber? Am I going to get another lightsaber?" Aro-Ken eagerly asked.
During a previous conflict, when Shadowraiths had invaded the Jedi Temple, Aro-Ken had lost his lightsaber. He'd thrown it at one that was about to kill Del-Mon, causing it to lose its balance and fall down a turbine shaft. Aro-Ken had assumed his lightsaber was destroyed.
"In a way. You're here to get crystals for your lightsaber. You all ready have the handle ready, but you'll need crystals to make it work," Del-Mon said.
"Why aren't we on Ilum? Isn't that usually where Jedi go to get lightsaber crystals?" asked Aro-Ken, speaking of the icy world that held mysterious crystal caverns.
"Yes, but I know of a cave here that you can also use. It is where my master took me, and I took my two former Padawans. It's just as good as Ilum," Del-Mon replied as they walked.
Rain began to fall, spattering on his head and robe in large drops. Aro-Ken put up his hood and slightly bowed his head to keep the rain out of his face as they walked. He could hear the wind whistling through the trees, whipping his Jedi robes about his body.
He could hardly see ahead of him in the darkness. He could just barely make out Del-Mon's silhouette ahead of him. As the lightning flashed, Aro-Ken could see that the fog had lifted, but it still did nothing to improve visibility in the area.
"This way," Del-Mon said, turning.
Aro-Ken went a little faster and arrived at his master's side.
"There," Del-Mon said, pointing ahead.
Aro-Ken squinted, and could barely see a huge tree, by far bigger than the rest in the clearing. At the bottom, near its huge roots, there was an opening.
"Come, Padawan," Del-Mon instructed, striding towards it. He jumped, and disappeared down the opening.
Aro-Ken looked down, and found he could not see the bottom. Hesitantly, he jumped down as well.
He discovered the drop wasn't that big after all, only about four meters. He landed on his feet, and looked around.
Rain still fell down the opening, and Aro-Ken stepped aside to avoid it. Instantly the howling wind was gone. He came to Del-Mon's side.
Squinting around, he could barely see anything. A flash of lightning occasionally illuminated the mouth of the cave, and he then saw that the sides of the cave were made of earth. They were kept from collapsing by thick tree roots.
"Aro-Ken, you will have to do this alone. Down that tunnel is an underground pool. It is at the bottom of the pool that you will find the crystals you need. The ones surrounding the pool will not help you, so do not use them," Del-Mon explained.
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken nodded.
"On your way there you will encounter apparitions, ones that are summoned by your fears. Do not fight your fear, or use it as a weapon. If you wish to be a Jedi, fear is a thing you must learn to accept and control," Del- Mon said.
Aro-Ken nodded, still trying to see further into the tunnel. "Should I use a glowrod?" he asked.
"No," Del-Mon answered. "You must do this using only your skills as a Jedi. I had to do it, and my other two Padawans did as well."
"All right, Master," answered Aro-Ken.
"Remember, when you get the crystals, take your time assembling them. If you rush, your weapon will be made incorrectly," Del-Mon reminded him.
"Yes, Master, I understand," Aro-Ken nodded.
"Then go. I will be here when you return," Del-Mon said.
Aro-Ken turned towards the darkness that was the tunnel. Taking a deep breath and letting it out, he strode forward, without looking back.