One-Shot - Asteroid Colony of the Jedi
The atmospheric storm around the hidden asteroid was beautiful in the early morning. At least, that was what 49-year-old Jedi Ferus Olin had always judged to be morning, in the nearly quarter-century he had spent on this base.
Sometimes, the dark-haired man could not fathom how he had gotten there. A Jedi apprentice, then an ex-Jedi, then a rebel leader on Bellassa. And now, he was a Jedi once again, one of the last of his kind. Ferus was certain that, had Obi-Wan Kenobi not found him hiding as a Rebel fugitive on his adopted home world of Bellassa all those years ago, he would be dead by now.
Upon being spirited off the planet by the famed Jedi Master, young Ferus had made it his mission to find and rescue as many of his former warrior comrades as possible. If enough were kept hidden and alive, perhaps he could even begin to rebuild the Jedi Order itself from the ground up.
It was five years after the Battle of Yavin, and the results of Ferus's efforts were... well, in his opinion, they were average. Even as a Padwan learner, Ferus had always been very ambitious in his efforts.
Ferus now wandered along the rocky surface of the asteroid. Over the years, a fully-functioning base had been developed here. Food was in great abundance, and there was plenty of supplies. Every so often, Ferus would sneak out to the nearby system of Acherin or other spots beyond to replenish. Tents and hovels had been erected, one of which Ferus passed by now.
He could hear the sounds of giggling and the smacking of lips inside.
"Clive, do you really want me like this?" Astri's voice drifted outside.
"In any state, my wife, you arouse me," Clive assured her.
Ferus gagged and moved on, chuckling to himself. He'd tell the couple to get a room, except they already had one. And in fairness, they had always been very discreet regarding public displays of affection - a rare sight anyway amongst people who had been trained to practice celibacy as they devoted themselves to the ways of the Force. The wedding of Clive Flax and Astrid Oddo had therefore been an interesting experience, on a crusty rock with only Jedi to preside and serve as witnesses.
Ferus entered what was considered the center of "town" - a main thoroughfare between the rows of tents, marked by a single power converter. In front of one, he spotted 61-year-old Jedi Master Garden Muln. He was showing Trever Flume, the man who had once been an orphaned street urchin until Clive and Astri adopted him, how the Force could manipulate the laser lasso he now whirled above his head. Ferus had found Garen barely alive in the caves of Illum; in return, Ferus had received Garen's old lightsaber as a gift. The years on the asteroid had apparently been good for Garen - though he had not taken an apprentice in his heyday, Garen now found teaching to be a worthwhile profession, as it had allowed him to discover new parts of himself, like patience. Ferus sauntered over to them.
"Amazing!" Trever marveled. "I'll never tire of these Force tricks, Garen. I just wish I could use it as you do." Ever since bumping into Obi-Wan Kenobi on Bellassa and being dragged along on these crazy adventures with Jedi, the young man had always been sad he was not Force-sensitive. Ferus clapped Trever on the shoulder.
"You have other skills. And remember: even those who cannot wield the Force can still learn from its teachings."
Trever nodded.
In front of a hovel further down, Ferus now encountered two older men. 73-year-old Jedi Master Rahm Kota and 76-year-old Jedi Master Ry-Gaul sat criss-crossed style and facing each other. The pair meditated. As they did so, little power wrenches and other odds and ends levitated about them with the help of the Force. Rahm had not commanded clones at the end of the Clone Wars, so he was not killed when Order 66 was issued. Instead, he had relied on his own militia, and allied with the Rebel Alliance from early on. He had only been here eight years or so, seeking Ferus out while the former Jedi was on one of his supply runs, near the Outer Rim. Rahm told him that he had been sent by someone known only as Starkiller...
Ferus had found Ry-Gaul, the former Master of a peer of his at the Temple, in the underworld of Coruscant. Well, actually, it had been Solace who found him. Ry-Gaul had been working undercover in the Outer Rim when the Purge began, saved by the kindness of two strangers - a husband and wife team of scientists. The elder Jedi Master now ignited his silver-bladed lightsaber; keeping his eyes shut, he hacked through a power wrench with ease.
"Impressive, old friend," Rahm Kota mused. "And here I am - a blind man!"
"In that case, Rahm, perhaps you could do even better!" Ry-Gaul chuckled. "Focus on your hearing - Solace can help you if you need it!"
And there was 53-year-old Solace now, Ferus noted, beyond the edge of town. Once known as Fy-Tor-Ana, the Jedi Master had changed her name after the Purge. Initially, she had retreated to the caves of Ilum, where she met up with Garen. Thinking there may be more survivors taken prisoner in the Jedi Temple, she had left Garen with the promise she would return, but failed to. So, Ferus tracked Solace down in the lower levels of Coruscant, where she had established a colony of outlaws and appointed herself as its leader.
Solace was now engaged in a lightsaber duel with 40-year-old Jedi Knight Maris Brood and a brown-haired young man. Maris Brood had only been a few years into her training, a teenager, when the Clone Wars ended. Her Master had sacrificed himself to save her, and she had fled to the jungle world of Felucia. As it happened, she had met up with another Jedi Master there and trained under her. When this Master was killed by the Empire, Maris briefly turned to the Dark Side, but later redeemed herself. Ferus had found her with Rahm; she too had been sent on by this mysterious Starkiller.
The brown-haired young man, meanwhile, was not a Jedi of the old Order. He was a new Jedi in training - a Padawan. Ferus had discovered Lune Divinian was Force-senstive when he saved his mother Astri from the Empire in his early years on the run. Taking him back to the Jedi asteroid base, the other Jedi had undertaken a collaborative effort to train Lune in the ways of the Force. Now formally under the tutelage of Maris Brood, Lune had grown from a little boy into a handsome man of 32.
Ferus once again observed all that he had created. A community of Jedi warriors, and right under the Empire's nose! Vader and Palpatine would never find them here; the atmospheric storm obscured all Force activity on the asteroid. This was probably the largest gathering of endangered Jedi left in the galaxy since the doomed Conclave on Kessel.
"Ferus! Ferus!" Trever raced up to the Jedi with a data pad in hand. "Something's been picked up on our satellite readouts! A ship! I see a ship!"
"Everyone, someone's entered our airspace! Hiding places, all of you; this is not a drill!" The Jedi, Trever and newly-dressed Clive and Astri ducked into their tents and homes. In his tent with Trever, Ferus accepted the space binoculars and peered up into the atmospheric storm. Indeed, a ship was approaching. And now, it was landing on their asteroid!
Ferus's eyes locked with his fellow Jedi through the flaps in the tents. "Get down and stay down!" he hissed. Maybe the intruder was not hostile...
After landing, all was quiet for a moment. The band of ten outlaws observed the ship with a mix of awe and caution. Except for the clunky old speeder Ferus owned, none of them had seen a ship in years.
The hatch of the ship now lowered in a cloud of steam, and a man in black robes strolled down the gangway. "I felt a great surge in the Force here..."
He knows of the Force? Ferus's hopes leapt. Another Jedi survivor? He had to find out; it was worth the risk of revealing himself. Ferus stepped out of his tent and ignited his blue lightsaber, holding it high above his head.
"Greetings, weary traveler!"
The man in black turned to face Ferus. Even underneath a hood, the stranger held an expression of astonishment. "Jedi..."
"As are you, I hope?" Ferus queried.
The stranger threw back his hood. "I didn't think anyone else... I'm not alone..." He cleared his throat. "Greetings, young Jedi. I am Luke Skywalker."
Ferus nearly dropped his lightsaber. The hero of the Rebellion? The man rumored to now be a Jedi! And Anakin's son. The son of Ferus's former rival... "Skywalker? Boy, am I glad to see you!" Knowing there was nothing to fear, Ferus turned to the tents. "Hey guys, come on out! Look who's here!"
One by one, the Jedi emerged from their tents, igniting their lightsabers. Even Garen and Lune did, both having once traveled with Ferus to Illum to retrieve lightsaber crystals. Luke gaped.
"A community of Jedi... Oh, if only Obi-Wan were here to see this..."
Ferus perked up at the name. "Obi-Wan Kenobi? Where is he? Is he alive?"
Luke's now saddened expression sent an icy spike through Ferus's heart. "Oh no..."
"Master Kenobi has been dead these five long years. Killed on the First Death Star in a duel with Darth Vader."
Obi-Wan. The man who had rescued Ferus and sent him on an incredible journey back to the Jedi and the Force. Gone. Ferus's eyes filled with tears as another name came to him. "And Master Yoda?" He knew from Obi-Wan that the little green Grand Master had been in exile.
"Dead, as well. Several months now. He trained me."
Ferus gulped to clear his throat. "Obi-Wan rescued me. Years ago. I was a former Jedi apprentice who left the Order years ago. I trained with your father."
"My father?" Luke raised his head to Ferus and stared. "You knew my father?"
"We were... shall we say, rivals? At the Temple. After the Purge, Obi-Wan tracked me down..." And Ferus was off, telling Luke Skywalker the whole of his saga. He introduced each Jedi as they came up in his tale. Silence reigned until Ferus was finished.
Luke smiled, impressed. "Kneel, Ferus Olin."
Confused, Ferus obeyed. He heard the hum of a lightsaber being ignited, sensed its green glow as it crossed both of his shoulders. "Rise, Ferus Olin, Jedi Master."
Ferus rose in abject wonder. Had his years of labor and rescue been the Jedi Trials he had failed to complete in his youth? The thought seemed rather fitting.
All at once, his eyes filled with tears. He didn't deserve this. He could have done more... so much more...
His emotions must have screamed through the Force, for Ferus soon felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face the worried and yet tender eyes of Garen.
"I could have done more... there were more I could have saved..."
"Five Jedi and a new Jedi Padawan are alive because of you. Look at them," Garen refuted.
"Five, Garen! Five! And Lune! That's not nearly enough!"
"Well, it is for me!" Luke chuckled. "For now, anyway. I think you have provided me with the beginnings of my new Jedi Order, Ferus. I'm establishing it on Yavin Four. You are all welcome to join me and be what you once were again. Though I won't pressure you, I think I can make things interesting for you; give you a fresh start. If you want to stay here or go somewhere else, I will help you. But if you do want to return with me to Yavin Four - I'd be happy to take you there!"
There was a prolonged pause as the Jedi looked at each other. Ferus nodded. He decided to settle this the way they had always settled disputes. "Let's take a vote: those in favor of going to Yavin Four?"
All ten people raised their hands. "Vote's unanimous. We are at your service... Master."
"Of course, this asteroid won't be abandoned. You realize that. This is a new colony! A new training ground! A new Governor!"
"Hey, they might even make you Governor, Ferus!" Trever smiled, pointing at his friend.
Ferus laughed it off at first, at least until Luke concurred, "More than likely, I should say!" At this, a humbled Ferus grew somber, and he straightened his posture to look more grand, more like a Governor.
Trever's nomination alerted Luke to his presence for the first time. "Are you a Jedi, too, young man?"
"No," Trever stammered, stunned that the legendary rebel hero was even talking to him. "I'm completely ordinary."
"That's right, he is!" Clive echoed. Then, realizing how his comment could be misconstrued, the former smuggler quickly backpedaled. "In the best way," he told his adopted son.
Trever knelt at Luke's feet. "Master Skywalker, I am not Force-sensitive. I am no Jedi. But I have grown up in their midst and know their ways, since the days of my youth. If there is a way for me to serve, I will do so."
The Jedi Master stroked his chin in thought. "Well, then. Well, well, well. Trever, I have no doubt you have been privy to the secrets of the Order. Ferus - you trust this lad?"
Ferus smiled at Trever affectionately. "With my life, Master."
"Very well, young Trever. How would like to be the Order's new Archivist? The Jedi Temple I am building will have holocrons that need safe-keeping, Jedi journals to maintain. Are you up to the task?"
Trever beamed. "I am! And I will, Master Skywalker! I will!"
"Very good. All of you: pack your things. Let us board the ship and be off!"
Later, as Luke's ship took off, Ferus stole one last look at the place that had been his home for nearly a quarter-century.
He was now a Jedi officially. A new journey had begun...
Arriving on Yavin Four, Luke introduced the band of Jedi outlaws to his sister and Han Solo. The group set to work at once rebuilding the Order.
Lune was made a Jedi Knight proper. That done, he and Solace and Maris and Ferus were sent out on missions - to aid the New Republic, find Force-sensitives. Though not as often in combat, Garen, Ry-Gaul and Rahm served as older mentors, taking Padawans and giving lessons in the ways of the Force.
As for Luke, he busied himself with re-inventing the Jedi Order. Many traditions were kept, but some were altered. The key adjustment was in now permitting Jedi to have attachments. Knowing the history of his father's downfall, Luke knew the ban could inadvertently lead another Jedi down the same dark path.
The old Jedi survivors, while they appreciated the lift of the ban, did not act on it right away. They had been trained for too long in the old ways, and old habits die hard.
There would turn out to be one exception, though. Maris and Lune continued to work together, as they had while Master and Padawan on the asteroid base. Throughout their missions, they grew closer.
One day, Maris dragged Lune into the restricted section of the Jedi archives.
"Master, what are we doing here?" Lune asked.
"I stole the key from Trever. Just for a little bit. What he doesn't know won't hurt him." Between rows of bookcases, she turned to face her apprentice. Impulsively, she wrapped her arms around his waist.
Lune started. "Master, what are you doing?"
"Ssssssshhhhhhh... kiss me, my young apprentice..."
"Mmmmmmmm..." Lune was cut off as Maris pressed her lips to his. After a moment, the young man gave in. Wrapping his arms across Maris's back, he returned his Master's kiss.
The kiss deepened, became more heated. Maris parted Lune's lips with her tongue and intertwined it with his in a mad dance. Lune's hands roamed. He groped Maris's bum and gave it a squeeze.
"Uhhhhhhhhh..." Maris groaned at her Padawan's touch and frantically pressed their pelvises together, humping her hips into his center. But Lune did not take things farther. So, Maris assertively threw Lune onto his back on a nearby reading table and moved to straddle him. She seductively undressed herself and him as they continued to kiss.
Lune was exhilarated and scared all at once. His Master had fallen in love with him! Was such a thing even heard of? Never mind the fact that Maris was eight years older than him. And now he, a Human male, was about to have sex with a Zabrak female. Thankfully, he learned that Zabraks couple in relations the same way that Humans do. Soon, Lune was sliding his length in and out of Maris's womanhood.
"Hmmmmmm... Uhhhhhhhhhh... Uhhhhhhhhhhh! UHHHHHHHH!" Maris's moans and cries grew louder. The table on which they fucked rocked and clattered and swayed. A lamp jittered along with the motion before toppling onto its side on the wood.
At last, Maris came. Lune quickly followed. Kissing one last time, they dressed themselves before falling asleep in each other's arms.
It was not long before Maris discovered she was pregnant. She and Lune married in a ceremony at the Jedi Temple, officiated by Master Luke Skywalker. Being an unprecedented and new custom, Luke crafted the unique marriage ritual for and between Jedi himself.
When Maris and Lune's children were born, the half-Zabrak, half-Human babies were immediately instructed in the ways of the Force, raised in the Temple to become new Jedi.
Through it all, Jedi Master Ferus Olin, second-in-command to Luke Skywalker, looked upon what he had helped - in no small part, he realized now - to create. The Jedi Order was thriving once again. He was a Jedi once more. And he was at peace with the Force. What a journey!
A/N: All right, guys! Now I feel much better having churned these out! I have two bigger stories in the works, and both have been outlined! They will not be as long as my epics (see the Favorites bar of this channel - they were all written by me), and I may have to start a new channel to accommodate these two new stories! Stay tuned!
