I was in a dark room, and could not see anything save for the light in front of me. I was cold aswell, but did not have anything to keep warm. I was hungry, but there was no food. Tired, but I was not allowed to sleep.
"Why am I here?" I grew frustrated.
"You know why!" A voice sniggered.
Last thing I remembered, I was at home on Ryloth. My clan, clan Lotha, were a peaceful clan who wanted nothing more than for everyone to be accepting of everything. That, however, came at a price, as crime was never accepted.
"No I don't!" I yelled.
"You murdered someone!" The voice sniggered. "You murdered Rosh Katan!"
I had heard of that name, but only in passing. Rosh Katan was a jedi master, but he turned to the dark side and was feared by all except myself and a handful of other people. Yes, I had been there when he was killed, but no, I had not killed him. He'd been killed by sai tok. He'd died in agony, but nobody came to help him, because of how evil he was.
"I swear on my life, I did not kill him!" I became frustrated.
"Words mean nothing to me!" The voice replied. "You killed him, whether you admit it or not. Now, face your punishment!"
The darkness then faded into light, and I was gagged, forced onto my knees, and taken before the Galactic Senate.
"You stand accused of murdering Rosh Katan." The grand judge said to me.
"I stand accused of something I did not do." I replied.
"Whether you admit it or not, the charge of murder will still stand." The grand judge looked at me.
"I did not murder Rosh Katan. However, I wanted to, because he did terrible things. I was there when he was murdered, which might be what you are using to pin me as a suspect, but I did not murder him." I stood firm.
"You wanted to murder a jedi?" The grand judge was surprised.
"I had every right to want to murder Rosh Katan." I replied. "He did terrible things, and deserved the death that he got. He deserved to die an agonising death."
"That does not mean that you were allowed to kill him!" The grand judge yelled.
"Having the right means that I was allowed, but as said, I didn't kill him." I stood firm.
Rosh Katan was a human from Tatooine. He was originally on the light side, having been mentored by Luke Skywalker. However, at the age of 30 in human years, he turned his back to the light side and turned to Darth Cydryck, who was a Sith Emperor who was feared amongst other Sith Emperors, with only a select few being more feared than him. When Darth Cydryck was slain in combat by Micah Skywalker, Rosh immediately took his place, but he refused to add Darth to his name, instead using just his usual name. He then embarked on a large killing spree, killing more than half of the light-side Jedi, and those he did not kill, he kidnapped and sold into slavery, to be kept as pets for slave masters. He also brainwashed the legal system, flooding it with followers who were afraid of him but not afraid enough to distance themselves from him. The penalty for killing a member of the Sith was death by sai me, which was sai tok but slower and more painful, and which was used by Rosh as his preferred way of killing unarmed civilians, and could start anywhere on the body. It was also a method that Rosh himself had invented.
The grand judge then turned his back on me, to think of a suitable way to perform sai me on me. Sai me. I had nobody alongside me, so I lowered myself onto the ground, and quietly sneaked out of the room. However, my decision did not go unnoticed, and judiciary droids were sent after me. I dramatically changed my pace, and started running as fast as I could. I picked up a lightsaber along the way, as I did know how to use one. I ran for hours and hours, always making sure to look over my shoulder and hope that the droids could not reach me.
Arriving at a giant building, I was skeptic at first, but after a second of thought, I headed in.
"You have finally come back." A female voice said.
I was confused, but then the being appeared. It was none other than Asajj Ventress, who had turned to the light side.
"I need a ship." I ordered.
"What for?" Asajj wanted to know.
"Judiciary droids are chasing me because of Rosh Katan's death." I replied. "I did not kill him, although I wanted to, and..."
"I know all about that, as I know how much you hated him, and how much everyone else hated him, but the law is the law, although I would be willing to break it by helping you find a ship that could take you far away." Asajj vowed. "You must also find Luke Skywalker, as he might be the only one who knows just who Rosh Katan's killer is."
I was willing to take any risk if it meant that the light side became the ruling side again. I did not want to live under the dark side. Asajj then cloaked me, and after putting a cloak on herself, led me out of the building, and into a dark alley where she knew there would be beings that would be more than willing to give me a ship.
Giving me a ship proved to be a bit of a task, as many of them were in use and the law forbade anyone who had seemingly committed a crime from having a ship in case they tried to escape punishment. That was more so since Rosh Katan turned the Galactic Empire into a Sith-ruled government.
"Mar'lotha needs to be given a ship, or else she will be killed." Asajj looked at Jar-Jar.
"If you want a ship, you have come to the right Gungan." Jar-Jar replied.
Jar-Jar Binks was his name, and he had helped many Jedi, including the late Anakin Skywalker, before following Luke Skywalker for a short time, before realising that being a Jedi was no-longer right for him. I shook hands with Asajj, wishing her a fond farewell, and Jar-Jar took me to a star cruiser, which was big enough for one person and could offer me protection from everything.
"How much do I have to pay for this ship?" I was eager to know.
"You don't have to pay for anything." Jar-Jar replied. "The ship is yours to take, as your only crime is to have committed no crime. Some day, the light side will reign again. For now, I must stay here and wait patiently."
I then gave Jar-Jar a hug, and climbed aboard the ship. I knew how to operate a ship, despite having never been in one aside from after I had gotten arrested. I then closed the lid, and after pressing the right buttons, took off. Unfortunately, by that point, the judiciary droids had reached the area, but I was able to fly up and away, causing them to turn back in defeat. However, that was not to be the end of their goal, as they would still try to get me.
"Star cruiser Delta active." I said to the controls.
"Delta active." The controls repeated.
"What is the current location of the t-fighters trying to chase me." I wanted to know.
"T-fighters are close, but not very close." The controls replied. "Incoming."
I looked over my shoulder, and saw a laser missile coming towards me.
"You should have said that they were going to be as close as they are." I was not happy.
"Radar is accurate." The controls replied.
"Not accurate enough for things like this." I was not happy.
I was able to outsmart the missile, but loads more came. Each time, I was able to outsmart them. However, that was not to be the end of it, as I would find out, because more t-fighters appeared. I knew for one that they were going to try whatever possible to kill me, but I used a technique which took them by surprise, and became invisible, and flew upwards, which they could not do. However, even that was riddled with danger, as I was in danger of wandering into unknown territory. However, I did not need to fear, as I was able to fly away from danger, and in the unknown territory, only a select few knew about the force, let alone used it.
After 20 hours of flying, my ship started to break down. I had no idea why, but I also noticed that I was heading towards a purple planet. I was scared, but I had no other option than to land on the surface of the planet and ask for help. Upon entering the atmosphere, I was surprised to see that there was a gigantic city. The population, however, were nothing like what I had seen before. They were all blue-skinned, with lekku that stuck out at an angle. Their eyes were just black spheres, and when they walked, it was with such elegance.
"Who are you?" A male voice asked me.
"I am Mar'lotha." I replied. "I am on the run after being charged with something that although I wanted to do, I did not do."
There was a cloaked being in front of me. It was where the voice was coming from. The being then took off his cloak hood, and looked at me with those spherical eyes. His cloak had his name on. It was Atar.
"What brings you here?" Atar wanted to know.
"My ship is starting to break down. I need it repaired, as I need to try and run as far away from the Sith as possible." I replied.
"What are Sith?" Atar had no idea.
"Have you heard of something called the force?" I was eager to know.
"I only know that such a thing exists, but who uses it, is not in my knowledge." Atar replied.
"There's the light side and the dark side." I explained. "The light side is the good side, whereas the dark side is the bad side. Users of the light side are known as Jedi, whereas users of the dark side are known as Sith, but can also be known as Jedi. Now, please help me get my ship back up and running, because I need to try and get as far away from the Sith as possible, or else they will kill me because they think that I killed Rosh Kat..."
"Don't you dare speak that name on Amaranthia!" Atar narrowed his gaze.
"Why?" I was surprised.
"Rosh Katan was a mortal enemy of ours. We became the unknown territory thanks to him. Because of him, those of us that knew of the force wiped our memories aside from the basics, and if you knew just how bad he was, you would have nightmares for the rest of your life." Atar replied.
"I already know how bad he was, as I've seen him perform sai me on victims." I stood firm.
"Have you seen him perform sai lak?" Atar looked at me.
Sai lak was the predecessor to sai me. It was a technique which was developed by Darth Cydryck, where victims would have their limbs removed at the joint, followed by their head. It was slow and painful, and the victims would be chained to a table, as it was a torture technique, like sai me, but like sai me, it could be used anywhere, and it didn't necessarily require a table. Both techniques had a 99% mortality rate.
"I have not." I replied.
"Then you have seen nothing." Atar sighed. "But I will help you find everything you need to repair your ship."
"Have you seen him perform sai lak?" I was eager to know.
"I have survived sai lak and sai me." Atar replied. "I survived thanks to the use of the Amaranthian light sword."
"Light sword?" I was confused.
"The Amaranthian light sword." Atar replied. "It's nothing like your lightsaber, as the Amaranthian light sword is crafted with pure light. It provides instant healing to the user. Rosh tried to kill me because he thought that I would stand in his way of power, but I fought back and was able to defend myself. Sadly, I wasn't able to kill him in the process, as the Amaranthian light sword is not designed to kill, or even injure, as it is purely for defending the user."
"Can you equip me with one of these?" I was eager to have one.
"I can indeed, and I can also equip you with the Amaranthian dark sword, which provides instant healing to the user and is used for attacking." Atar vowed. "I can also give you the Amaranthian combo sword, which defends and attacks."
I was happy to be getting new weaponry.
"There will be times when you will need defence, and times when you will need attack, and times when you will need both." Atar then said.
"Could I use them alongside my lightsaber?" I was eager to know.
"They are identical to lightsabers, so you can use them and your opponent would not know because the terms 'light' and 'dark' are because of the crystal that is used. What color is the lightsaber that you have on you?"
I had no idea, so I grabbed my lightsaber, and put it in front of me, and activated it, watching as a blue blade appeared.
"Your swords will have a blue blade." Atar then said.
Atar then led me into the city, and to the swordmaster's shop, whilst a few other Amaranthians got to work repairing my ship. The swordmaster was an Amaranthian elder, and crafted the swords in front of me. I would not have to pay anything, since I had never seen Amaranthian culture before. He then gave me the swords, but just as we were about to leave the shop...
"THE Sith ARE HERE!" A female Amaranthian shouted.
"Oh no." I put my head in my hands. "They know I'm here."
"How would they know?" Atar was surprised and confused.
"They were following me." I replied. "I ran from the court as they were about to sentence me for his killing, and they started chasing me."
My cloak was in the ship, so I had no way of disguising myself. Atar gave me his cloak, and I immediately put it on. I did not want to be punished for being there when a feared Jedi was killed, and I wanted to be safe.
Upon arriving back at my ship, I was happy to see that it was repaired. I gave Atar his cloak back, and, armed with my new swords aswell as my lightsaber, I climbed back into my ship, put the lid down, and took off.
"Delta back." I said to the controls.
"What happened?" The controls wanted to know.
"You started to break down." I replied. "Now to flee from the Sith once and for all. Do you know anywhere where the Sith will not find me?"
"The radar has picked up a galaxy nearby." The controls beeped. "Can take you there, if you wish."
"I think that would be a wise thing to do." I was hopeful.
The controls logged the co-ordinates of the new galaxy. The ship had an autopilot feature, which I knew would need to become useful, so I turned it on, and I let the ship take me to this new galaxy.
"Coming up to the galaxy borders." The controls announced.
"Anything to worry about?" I wanted to know.
"Have opened a hole for the ship to go through." The controls replied.
Going through the hole in the border was something I had never experienced before, and only one other person in the known galaxy had done it before me, but nobody knew who. Coming out on the other end, I was surprised to see no signs of life. Then, all of a sudden, the radar beeped, and found a lifeform.
"Where is that lifeform?" I wanted to know.
"It's coming from a space rock." The controls replied.
"Space rock?" I was confused.
The ship took me to a floating space rock. I was confused, as it looked totally barren, as if nothing was there.
"Are you sure this is the place?" I was confused.
"This is the space rock." The controls replied.
"This must not be right, but seeing as we have landed, I must take a look around." I vowed.
"Good idea." The controls replied, before turning off. "Delta offline."
I then opened the lid, and climbed out of the ship. I took my first step on the rocky ground, followed quickly by my second, and then my third. Then, a light appeared, and a cloaked being came up from nowhere.
"Who are you?" I was cautious.
The being did not say a word.
"Tell me your name." I ordered.
The being then took off his hood. It was then that I saw that it was Luke Skywalker.
"You have found me." Luke looked at me.
"You're Luke Skywalker, aren't you?" I was surprised.
"I am indeed." Luke replied. "Welcome to the Dragonworlds. Do you have any news about the Galactic Empire?"
"They have been overtaken by Sith." I replied.
"I know they have." Luke blinked.
"You knew?" I was surprised.
"I have been on both the light side and the dark side of the force." Luke replied. "I have no intention of going back, for I know that they would not view me as someone who tried to save the Jedi from the Sith, but a criminal who has destroyed the one thing that kept them together. What do you know about Rosh Katan?"
"He was a feared Jedi, feared by many aside from a select few of us." I looked down. "He perform sai me on anyone he wanted, even if they were unarmed civilians. He was even feared by fellow Sith."
"What you know of him is not enough, as he was more than that." Luke took my head into his hand.
"What do you mean?" I was confused.
"He was feared not just because of the evil that he could do, but because he could use techniques that Jedi on the light side would use, for dark purposes. He could even change them, to suit his own desires. That was why the Sith feared him." Luke caressed my face. "You look like you have had a very rough time, so maybe I can offer you some rest and some food."
"I will accept rest and food once I know the one thing I need to know." I replied.
"And what is that, Mar'lotha?" Luke then asked.
"Rosh Katan was murdered using sai tok. I was there, but I did not do it." I started.
"And?" Luke wanted to know.
"I visited a woman called Asajj Ventress, who was on the dark side under Dooku's reign. She said that you might know who did it." I finished.
"As a matter of fact, I do know." Luke smiled.
"Tell me who did it, as I know it wasn't me." I ordered.
"It was I." Luke confirmed.
"It was you?" I was surprised.
"Indeed." Luke confirmed. "I had no choice, as he ordered the murder of my family. My late grandson, Micah Skywalker, slew Darth Cydryck, only to be slain himself by Rosh, who then slew my entire family. When I found out, I flew into a rage, and tracked Rosh down. Just so happened to be that you were the witness. Had I not pounced on him and performed sai tok on him, he would have performed sai me on you."
"He was going to kill me?" I shed a tear.
"He was." Luke replied. "As far as he was concerned, you were an obstacle, although you were harmless. He had drawn and activated his lightsaber, and was seconds away from plunging it into your chest, when I pounced on him and performed sai tok."
"If you did it, then why did the system come for me?" I wanted to know.
"In their eyes, the witness is as guilty of the crime as the culprit, if not guiltier, because they seemingly did nothing to stop the crime." Luke replied. "They have no sense of justice, but there is much more, as I know how they operate, and when the day comes for me to return to the galaxy and kill them in order to restore power to the light side, I will use whatever method I have to use. If it means wiping out the Sith altogether, then so be it, as I would happily stain my hands with Sith blood."
"Then I am with you, as if and when you do, I want to be with you." I vow.
"Do you know the ways of the Jedi?" Luke then asked.
"No, but I did have to steal a lightsaber for protection, and I was given a trio of Amaranthian swords." I replied.
"I will teach you the ways of the Jedi." Luke vowed. "Both the light side and the dark side, because the best way to defeat the dark side is to know techniques used by the dark side."
Luke then took my hand, and led me across the rocks, to a door.
"What exactly is this place called?" I wanted to know.
"This place is called the Dragonworlds." Luke replied.
"Why is it called the Dragonworlds?" I was confused.
"Because of the people that lived on this rock, and the rocks that used to be here." Luke looked at me. "Sadly, none remain, as the last one died before I arrived. They were the Dragon people, who looked human but could transform into dragons. They had no technology, as they worked with the elements that were available to them. Sadly, none of their work remains, as when the last of the Dragon people died not long after I arrived, everything that they created simply vanished. It was said that they were the product of a human and a dragon, but the human would not have been of my origin."
More in Part 2.