Historian Note
As far as the STAR WARS is concerned; the misplaced Jedi comes from the time when Palpatine issued Order 66. He finds himself in the BABYLON 5 area of the continuum on August 1st, 2258…two days before the arrival of Mr. Morden to the station.
Purpose
I have often wondered what would happen if a single Jedi Knight found himself stranded in the BABYLON 5 area of the space/time continuum. After all, you have the powerful Shadows and Vorlons with abilities beyond most in that story, but compared to a Jedi Knight with the Force as his ally…I wondered. Thus, this story begins with the Jedi Knight surviving Order 66; only to find himself faced with a whole new set of challenges…bereft of his comrades. What will happen…even I don't know. The story will write itself as I type away. Perhaps the Jedi will found a new order here, or perhaps he will fail utterly. Perhaps nothing will really change for the characters in that story, or perhaps the Shadows will find themselves greatly challenged by the presence of a single Jedi that begins to train others. Literally anything could happen…the Jedi could even join the Shadows….falling to the Dark Side. What of the Rangers…those called the Anla'shok by the Minbari? Would they be even better if a Jedi is among them?
All of these could come out in this story, and more. Only time will truly tell what happens to the misplaced Jedi known as Dnarion Jade, and to the characters of the BABYLON 5 universe…
Prologue
In a galaxy far away….
I could feel the end of the war drawing to a close. The Force said as much to me, but I had the distinct feeling it would not be a good finish. In truth, I had not been comfortable with the war from the outset. Something had been wrong with it since the day it began at Geonosis. I had made knight rank that day, but the Battle of Geonosis should never have happened. Every instinct in me said that the war was a ruse…that it was only a manipulation against the Jedi. Part of this came from the clone troops the Republic had now. They had come at Geonosis seeming to come to the Jedi's rescue against the Separatists. Yet, how had the Republic managed to create such an army without the Senate's approval. The issue was still in debate right up to just before Geonosis. So, where had the clone army come from? This was a valid point as far as I was concerned. Of course, I also knew there were two very elusive Sith out in the galaxy, and that nothing should be taken for granted. One was the master whose apprentice had been slain by Kenobi on Naboo. The other was the new apprentice; for I could not believe the Sith would simply remain very long without a new apprentice to replace the lost one. Thus, my worry stemmed from the fact all was not as it appeared.
Count Dooku's explanation to Obi-wan Kenobi seemed the most valid. The enemy had somehow found a way to control the Senate. From that point on, everything coming from the Senate was suspect. The Sith were in control, but there was a greater problem that had long worried me. Dooku had clearly turned to the Dark Side. As such, he had to be the other Sith Lord. If that was the case, then the Republic and Jedi were in deadly peril. The enemy had a Sith on one side, and then another on the opposite side. Caught in the center were the Jedi. In that case, that meant the Jedi were truly the target…the Republic being a bonus. With Darth Sidious controlling the Republic, and Dooku controlling the Separatists….there was nothing we could do. The enemy had the Jedi cornered, and I knew it. The creation and sudden arrival of the clone army disturbed me, because it felt like the Sith had been behind their creation…not the Republic. As such, I didn't trust the clones. Worked alongside them as I had in major conflicts; I still didn't trust them. As I launched from the frigate Katana dreadnaught, Redemption, I pondered just when this mess had actually begun. My Athersprite starfighter sped out into space with the rest of Emerald Squadron right behind me.
Then, it all clicked into place, and I paled from the sudden revelation. We were in more trouble than I realized, and had been since before the war began. The Trade Federation dispute at Naboo had been the true beginning. After all, what had come out of that conflict…a bitter Trade Federation, and the rise of Palpatine to Chancellor? Had it all been staged by the Sith Master in order to win the sympathy vote for Chancellor? Who was now in charge long after the term of office was over? Palpatine was. Who had been allowing the constitution to change over and over and over again for the last several years? Palpatine had. It all suddenly pointed towards the current Supreme Chancellor of the Republic. Dooku was right…the Republic was already in the hands of the Sith, but so were the Separatists. The Jedi were caught in the center…there was very little way out now.
No sooner had I thought this did the Force suddenly boil with pain and death. I blinked back tears from the agony I felt through the Force as one Jedi after another was suddenly slain. Their deaths reached me through the Force, and it shook me to the very core. The events were swift and came nearly all at once. The Sith had struck…there could be no doubt, and with great success against the Jedi.
"Emerald Leader to squadron, prepare for battle. As of this moment, all Republic vessels are to be treated as question marks until further notice," I ordered acting upon the sensations even as they continued to stagger me in the cockpit of my fighter.
"Repeat that, Commander," came the response from my Ranger first officer from the Redemption.
"Any Republic vessel we encounter from this moment on is to be treated with caution and suspicion. The Force has warned me that the Jedi have just been savagely hurt in an en masse ambush. I suspect the clone troops of the Republic have turned on their Jedi commanders at the orders of the Sith Lord we have been seeking," I explained hurriedly.
It was then that three brand new Victory-class star destroyers arrived to bracket in the Redemption and Emerald Squadron. Already dozens of starfighters were launching from the three larger warships on an intercept with the Rangers and their Jedi commander.
"Jedi Dnarion Jade, you are hereby ordered to surrender at once or be destroyed for treason against the Republic," came the order only a moment later over the speakers of the Rangers starfighters and frigate.
"Negative. Jedi Dnarion will not surrender, nor will the Rangers. We are the true servants of the Republic. You will withdraw at once for your illegal order, or we will wipe as many of you out as we can," Lt. Commander Derec Tal answered firmly.
There were no further words spoken as the Republic ships closed in on the Redemption and her squadron of starfighters.
"Emerald Squadron, lock wings into attack position. Break and attack on my mark…Mark!" I ordered, and off the squadron split as their wings locked open for combat. In sets of two, the fighters went off in search of those that sought to destroy their commander. I, myself, went off after the first squadron to reach me alone. With the Force as my ally, not a single shot landed against the forward shields as I piloted my sleek starfighter right at the enemy. My own bursts of laser cannons wiped out two of the enemy as I passed between them, and came about in a move no other could make without he Force as their ally. Spinning around almost instantly, I pursued the first squadron's remaining fighters relentlessly…all too aware of the three other squadrons approaching rapidly behind me. One by one I wiped out the first squadron without mercy….sensing each one I killed was a member of the clone army. At the same time, I could sense the struggle of my pilots as they fought to desperately defeat their own targets. The Redemption was already firing on two of the star destroyers, but against three such massive warships…she was in more trouble than she ever had been. A Katana dreadnaught could take a pounding, but even she could not take that kind of punishment with impunity.
This battle then, I knew, was without hope. We could wreck unholy havoc on our foes, but in the end…I knew we would lose. Three squadrons bore down on me as I felt my pilots dying one by one out there in the cold of space. Half of Emerald Squadron was already dead, and Redemption was taking a serious pounding. They were costing the enemy, but even at two to one odds of losses for the enemy…it was not enough. The ambush, I mused, was well timed and planned.
"Come about, Rangers. Head for the Tyus Cluster. It's our only chance," I ordered my comrades, and the remaining pilots reacted in unison…disengaging from their dogfights to follow their leader. The Redemption, however, was much slower, and already heavily boxed in by the three star destroyers.
"Engines down….," static met the rest of what Derec was going to report. I glanced towards the dreadnaught just in time to see the fatal barrage that wiped out my command ship. With pursed lips into a thin line; I led the remaining four fighters towards the Tyus Cluster…their pursuit close behind.
"Step on it, Emerald!" I challenged them, and at flank speed the remainder of Emerald Squadron flew towards their destination. It, however, was just not enough. The enemy had planned their strike with great efficiency. These new enemy fighters were just a bit quicker than the Ranger's Y-wings, and I knew that unless they made it to the Tyus Cluster…they were finished. Not seeing any choice; I whipped my Athersprite fighter around. "Emerald, turn and fight. Break up their pursuit, and then head like hell is after you back to Tyus!"
Around the other four fighters came in a sharp bank, and began blasting away at their foes. The enemy was caught briefly unprepared for such a bold…and seemingly suicidal move. One whole squadron of the enemy fighters was destroyed before the enemy could recover from the desperate counter-attack. Back Emerald flew towards Tyus, but as they came back around a fourth star destroyer popped out right in front of them. So sudden was this move that two of the Rangers were instantly destroyed by incoming turbolaser fire, and a third slammed into the warship harmlessly. Only I and Verela remained…barely dodging the hulking star destroyer. Off we sped under the massive warship and off to Tyus with the enemy in hot pursuit. We were almost there.
"Boss, I don't see how we are getting out of this one!" Verela stated as new laser fire raked her aft shields. "There are too many of them!"
"Focus, Verela," I stated as calmly as I could…not daring to let fear touch me while I was using the Force. To do so would only bring me to the Dark Side, and that was something I could not allow. Faster than we had ever flown…using every trick we knew. The enemy, however, was relentless.
Just as we reached the border of the Tyus Cluster; I felt Verela die as her starfighter was incinerated by a new wave of laser fire. I was now the only one left of my group, and all the while…I could feel Jedi dying across the galaxy. I could not let despair get to me. While one Jedi remained…there would be hope. Perhaps it wouldn't be me, but I would do my best all the same. Into the cluster I flew…a navigational nightmare for any without exceptional piloting skills, and usually the Force as their ally. Those pursuing me were not nearly that good, and they didn't have my connection to the Force. Guided by the Force; I flew in where my foes would be at a disadvantage. Certainly the four star destroyers could not enter; for the mass of anomalies there would tear their ships apart. The safe passages were very narrow, and most were not known at all. Yet, the enemy fighters did not slow in their chase, and it cost them. One squadron remained foolishly spread out in a triangular formation. The same squadron almost completely vanished as the majority of them flew into dense pockets of gas, or were pulled in by nearby gravity wells from asteroids or worse. The rest of my enemies now narrowed their formations to better pursue me, but their reaction times were slower than mine. Here, navigation computers were nearly worthless, but I needed no such equipment to fly through the hazards of the Tyus. More and more of the enemy vanished in their attempt to reach me, but still the rest pursued me until at last one shot clipped my starboard wing.
I spun briefly out of control from the hit, and only through the Force was I able to steer my fighter past an asteroid that would have destroyed me. In doing so, however, I found my fighter entering a phenomenon that opened up right in front of me. Unable to avoid the strange anomaly; I chose to point my starfighter into the heart of it. The Force warned me to turn off my engines, and without hesitation…I did so. The moment I entered the event horizon; my little starfighter was pulled in for a rough ride. I kept the ship as steady as I could, but even with the Force as my ally…this was nearly too much for me. I turned all systems off as I realized the anomaly was going to short circuit my controls if I kept the ship turned on. Life support only did I keep, and that down to a minimum. After all, I had my flight suit on, and would be okay for few hours without full life support on. Eventually, however, the ride I found myself on was too rough, and I blacked out.