Chapter 1: The Day the Goddess Fell From the Skies...
Little Anakin Skywalker hummed quietly to himself, watching as all the grownups (Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan, Padme, and all the Captains) made plans to beat the bad guys and take back Naboo from the Trader Federation. He snuck a glance at Padme, beaming at her a little. He had been shocked to find out she was the Queen, but that she had gotten on her knees, been weak to be strong, and begged for help from the fish-faces, er, Gungans, filled him full of admiration for the beautiful Angel. He was going to marry her one day, he was sure of it. He blushed when she saw his look and smiled at him; he averted his gaze shyly...
...until the ground began to rumble.
The grownups all stopped talking and glanced around nervously, unsure of what was going on.
"Has the Federation found us?" asked one of the Captains making plans.
Qui-Gon Jinn rubbed his chin, eyes half closed. "I don't sense anything nearby..."
"Master! Look, the sky!" said Obi-Wan, squinting up through the tree tops.
They glanced up, they all did, at the red light descending from the heavens. They ran out of the woods and watched as a giant burning mass fell from the skies, streaking over the landscape, disappearing off in the distance.
"A meteor, of that size?" exclaimed Padme fearfully, "Oh good heavens, not now! My people are not prepared for this!"
"The Federation could have at least patrolled for that if they had to go and take all of our ships down," spat one of the Captains.
"That implies they give a damn about what happens to Naboo."
BOOM!
The ground rocked as it impact, and off in the far distance, they could make out a bright explosion.
"I think," said Qui-Gon warily, "We should find cover, now."
They turned and scrambled back into the woods as a roar echoed across the landscape, a huge wall of dust and fire starting to appear in the distance and surge closer. Behind trees, behind hills, behind rocks they hid; the only thing like this Anakin had seen before was terrified slaves hiding from their master. They clung to their shelters for dear life, some people screaming, as the biting burning torrent of dust and fire washed over them. Then, it was over.
"Check for injuries!" called out Padme, "Then regroup."
Anakin checked himself over; covered in soot and some light burns. Nothing that didn't happen daily in Tatooine. Not particularly phased, he went to help other people get up and unburry themselves from dirt, debris, and trees. He compared that wall of fire to a sandstorm, and figured sandstorms were more dangerous, since they lasted longer and hiding behind a rock sure wasn't going to save someone from it. When everyone was situated, they gathered in a circle.
"Now may be the opportune time to strike your majesty," offered Qui-Gon Jinn, "The Federation may be scattered and scrambling, caught offguard by the impact."
"So will anyone we were counting to help us in the city," countered one of the officers, "That impact zone had to be close to the city. The situation could be precarious, and portions of the city unstable."
"We will deal with that as we go," said Padme, "Lets move."
Were before, all he had seen was a wondrous green and blue, now the land they passed on their speeders was ashen. The ground was covered in soot. Trees and grasslands were on fires. Lakes and pond-water dirtied where before they had been clear. It was awful to Anakin, to see such a beautiful place ruined like this as the hours flew by on their way to the city...
Yet...
He felt distracted from the chaos around them. There was a throb in the back of his mind, growing larger and larger, a sense of extreme unease; not from the surroundings, but from something else. He glanced at Qui-Gon, seeing a frown on his face. "Mister Qui-Gon sir?"
The old Jedi glanced at him. "What is it Anakin?"
"I... I have a bad feeling," he whispered, a sense of fear and dread starting to pool in his stomach.
Qui-Gon's lips went tight for a moment, glancing over at his Padawan shared the same look. "So do I Anakin, so do I."
Obi-Wan licked his lips, for once his weird-always-calm-but-not-really look fading away to nervousness. "Master... I've never felt the Force like this before, not even the presence of the attacker on Tatooine released such ripples. It's like the Force itself is... afraid."
"Is there something we should be aware of Master Jedi?" called back Padme from the front seat.
"I don't know," murmured Qui-Gon, eyes distant, "I don't know."
Run
Anakin flinched, feeling the sensation, the urge to flee, suddenly rocket down his spine. The two Jedi twitched a little, seeming to have felt the same, but showed no other indication.
Turn back
Anakin gulped nervously, and had to resist the urge to leap out of the speeder and start running away. Something was wrong...
Death
Obi-Wan gripped the side of his speeder tightly, "Master, I think we should turn around."
"I'm tempted to agree," muttered Qui-Gon.
"What?" said Padme, baffled, "We can't turn back now, were almost to the city, why would you even suggest that?"
"Something is wrong your Majesty," said Qui-Gon with a deadly seriousness, "The Force whispers to me as it never has before, of death..."
"A meteor just hit on top of the Trade Federation's occupation, of course there is death!" said Padme, "My people are hurt, are dying! We can't abandon them!"
Qui-Gon closed his eyes, a weary sigh escaping his lips, but went silent.
Taint
"Bad," murmured Anakin, shivering and hugging himself, "Bad bad bad bad bad!"
"Anakin?" asked Padme, glancing at him in worry.
"Were coming up on the city," said the driver.
Anakin fearfully glanced up, trying to press himself back into his seat. There were a few buildings knocked down, some on fire, almost every window they came across was shattered. The streets were however oddly empty. Blasterfire could however be heard off in the distance. The group tensed at that, and sped up to the randevu point. No one was there, however, they caught sight of destroyed droids littered across the street, as if they were ripped apart by something. There was one single body in the center of the street, yet... even at a distance, Anakin could see something was wrong with it.
"What is that?" whispered Obi-Wan, taking point and approaching, lightsaber drawn but not activated.
Anakin fearfully walked behind Qui-Gon, and peek out from behind his robes. He regretted it immediately, and had to resist throwing up. It was a person, but they were wrong, twisted. Their skin was a sickly green-pale shade where it wasn't full of blaster holes; they had open sores across their body, clothes torn. One of its arms split into two separate slimy claw-like hands covered in black ooze, the other was a single-long tentacle-like thing. Its legs had split into four different appendixes. Its face looked to be a woman, warped into a perpetual look of horror, mouth gaping wide with unnatural sharp and long teeth. It's eyes were an awful puke-green, almost glowing.
"I'm going to be sick," whispered Padme, hand covering her mouth, "Is the Federation experimenting with biological weapons?"
"I'm not sure," said Obi-Wan, bending down to poke it with his lightsaber, "It's like it was... mutated."
Then it's head turned to look at them and screamed an awful scream. It lashed out with its black goop covered claw and slashed Obi-Wan across his face, sending him staggering with a cry. It surged at him with inhuman speeds, but Obi-Wan reacted in time, activating his lightsaber and spinning it around, severing the person, the monster, in half.
"Are you alright Obi-Wan?" asked Qui-Gon with concern.
Obi-Wan grimaced and wiped at his face, at the blood and the black goop. "What was that...?"
Then screams sounded, from behind them. They whirled to see more people twisted and 'mutated' like that coming in from behind them, tearing at those caught off-guard, ripping them apart and slashing the speeders. Blasterfire and the snap-hiss of a second lightsaber sounded. Inhuman screams filled the air as the monsters came, even Anakin picked up a blaster in terror and started firing. The fight was quick and brutal. Over half the group was killed in the first seconds before they could defend themselves, and only a small handful survived through the entire thing.
Padme was crying, tears of horror and grief. "What is this?!"
Then it got worse.
Those who had died, or had been hurt badly, began to twitch and scream and claw at themselves. Their bodies began to twist and mutate before their very eyes.
"It's an infection of some kind, a virus, like nothing I've seen before," said Qui-Gon, a touch of fear in his voice, "We can't handle something like this on our own. We need to return to the Republic and get help. The speeders are a lost cause, we get to the Palace hanger as we did before, and we leave, NOW!"
They turned and fled as more inhuman screams filled the air. Anakin had never felt so scared in his life. He yelped when Padme picked him up like he was a little kid and ran as fast as she could. They came across droids of the Trade Federation at the front of the Palace holding the line with a tank, firing on a mass of infected people. To their relief, the droids paid no attention to them, though the relief was short lived as like a tide, the infected swarmed the droid ranks and started tearing them apart.
They entered the palace through the side entrance and quickly began ascending.
"Wait..." said Obi-Wan, coming to a pause behind them.
"What is it padawan? We have no time to stop," said Qui-Gon.
"Why... are we running from her?" asked Obi-Wan, seeming confused.
"From who?" asked Qui-Gon.
"From... mother?" Obi-Wan said, seeming lost.
"Obi-Wan?" said Qui-Gon slowly, "Are you alright?"
Obi-Wan abruptly shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't know what... lets go."
All blasterfire suddenly stopped outside, and that made them run faster. They burst into the hanger, only to find it empty save of normal star fighters. Padme swore before setting Anakin down and going for her com-link. "We need our ship to the Palace Hanger, now!"
"ETA ten minutes your majesty," crackled a voice over the line.
"Seal the door," ordered Qui-Gon, taking his lightsaber to it after it was closed, "Seal all the doors!"
They moved for the giant double-doors, only for them to slowly open, with a dark-robed figure standing there. It was the same man from Tatooine.
"We don't have time for this," muttered Qui-Gon before addressing the mystery man, "You feel it to, don't you? What's coming. We don't have time to be fighting. We need to get off Naboo, if you help us, we will offer you passage. "
The man smiled and slowly pulled back his hood. "Why would I wish to leave?"
Anakin's heart skipped a beat at the sight of glowing green eyes on a red and black tattooed face, rather than the yellow he had briefly seen before; the man grinned savagely, "I am where I belong, I have been chosen. The Federation's spineless leadership is dead, and their armies deactivated, out of her way. You, Jedi, are all that remain that could perhaps contest her will on this planet. You will kneel before her, or you will die."
He chuckled darkly. "Perhaps both."
Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon stepped forward, baring their lightsabers.
The dark man turned to look at Obi-Wan. "You can hear her, can you not? Why resist her will?"
Obi-Wan ground his teeth and charged. The dark man activated a lightsaber that glowed red out of both ends and engaged the Jedi. The rest of them scrambled back, and then glanced fearfully towards the sealed entrance as howls erupted through it, the sound of scraping and pounding on it.
"Block it, push anything infront of it!" screamed Padme.
They did, shoving everything they could in the way. Anakin glanced back at the duel, watching the spinning lightsabers with fear in his heart.
"You can feel her touch, her love, her strength!" roared the dark man at Obi-Wan, thrusting a hand at Qui-Gon and blowing him back with unseen energy, "Why fight her will?"
Obi-Wan hesitated, an uncertain look on his face.
"Join me brother," offered the dark man, holding out a hand, "Join me as another of her Chosen Ones, join with her, become one!"
Obi-Wan's eyes seemed cloudy, he lowered his lightsaber and shakily reached a hand to grasp, "She... calls to us..."
Anakin shivered as he felt it, something was wrong with Obi-Wan.
"Obi-Wan!" cried out Qui-Gon, "What are you doing?"
Obi-Wan grabbed the man's hand tightly and pulled as he shifted his lightsaber and drove it through the dark man's stomach. "I... I will not answer."
The dark man gasped a few times and staggered away, hissing in pain. "Mother... will be angry... with you..."
Obi-Wan shook, a hand coming up to clutch the side of his head. "Nnn..."
Qui-Gon rushed over. "Obi-Wan, whats going on? What is he going on about?"
Obi-Wan's hand came away, a bit of the black goop from earlier on it. He glanced at it, and then up at Qui-Gon, who gasped and took a step back. "No... Obi-Wan no..."
Anakin saw it, that same green glow starting to seep into the Padawan's eyes that the monsters had.
"I'm infected," said Obi-Wan softly.
Those nearby shrank back.
"I can't come with you master," said Obi-Wan, grief in his voice.
"Obi-Wan," said Qui-Gon, reaching a hand out, "Whatever this is, we can help you. We can bring you back..."
"To where? To Coruscant with it's population? To the Temple with our brothers and sisters?" said Obi-Wan, batting the hand aside, "And risk this 'infection' spreading? I can't go Qui-Gon, and you know it. Besides..."
He turned to the door. "I... I'm not sure I can bring myself to go. I can hear her, hear Mother calling for me."
"Mother? What are you talking about Obi-Wan?" demanded Qui-Gon.
Anakin turned his head to see the Queen's ship enter the hanger. "It's here! The ship is here!"
"Run Qui-Gon," said Obi-Wan shakily, moving to the door, "She's coming, and I can't... I can't... deny her anymore."
"Who is coming?" whispered Qui-Gon.
Obi-Wan waved a hand and blew the blockage out of the doorway, and drove his lightsaber into the door, pausing briefly to glance back at Qui-Gon with a twisted smile. "J-E-N-O-V-A."
"Obi-Wan!" exclaimed Qui-Gon.
"We have to go!" cried out Padme, rushing for the ship, screaming into her comlink with such fear, "Get ready to take off the moment were aboard!"
Anakin tugged on Qui-Gon's shirt. "Mister Qui-Gon! We have to run!"
Qui-Gon looked at Obi-Wan with such sorrow as the man cut the door in half, and the infected pour in. He turned, picked Anakin up, and ran to the ship as fast as he could. The last thing Anakin saw, just before the hatch closed, was the awful floating shape of a monster squeezing through the door. At its front was the shape of a naked woman, pale flesh and breasts shown to the world, but that was it. It bore a skull like structure as a head, green eyes glowing through slits, a giant purple crystal sticking up out of it's head. It had two sharp tentacle like arms with sharp ends. Behind it's torso was a fleshy flower like structure, and behind that, a writhing brown egg like mass, black goop spilling out of it. It's tentacles surged at them a screech escaping from it's mask, as the hatch shut and they shot out of the palace, out of Naboo, and into space...
Author's Notes:
Final Fantasy 7 Meets Star Wars horror story.
Or rather, evil parasite space entity breeches into the Star Wars Universe. Lets say she took a wrong turn in space and never found the world of FF7, and instead kept on traveling, until she landed on Naboo... countless years later