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1
Location: Alpheridies, 15 days after the Battle of Geonosis
Status: Republic Cruiser Errand prepared to take inhabitants of academy to Coruscant
Alpheridies was the homeworld of the Miraluka. Once it had been home to another species, but wasn't now. Now, the beautiful planet, full of vast rolling plains, beautiful cities and clear blue oceans, was untouched by pollution or the corruption of the Republic.
Or so they thought.
The war had begun just two weeks ago, on the sandy planet of Geonosis. When Obi Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amidala had been captured and convicted of espionage, Mace Windu had led two hundred Jedi to the planet in an attempt to rescue them and prevent the massive droid army that Count Dooku was using from being let loose on the galaxy.
The rescue mission had turned into a death trap, with 186 Jedi dying on the planet, including Jedi Council members Eeth Koth and Coleman Trebor. Yoda had arrived with the clone army, and the tide had turned, but as Dooku escaped, so too did the war. The galaxy had erupted into the Clone Wars, the Republic, Jedi and clone army on one side, with the Separatists, Dark Jedi and droid army on the other. The galaxy was no longer safe, and that was what brought Jedi Master Depa Billaba and her Padawan Greeta Elga, to the planet.
Depa Billaba was a member of the Jedi Council, a former Padawan of Mace Windu. Like her Master, she practiced the Vaapad lightsaber form. A deep, spiritual woman, she was a Chalachtan, and was normally entrusted with teaching the younger learners in the Temple. While the rest of the Council was away, she had remained behind on Coruscant to watch after the younglings, and had tried to comfort them when they had felt the deaths of so many Jedi. It was due to her skill with the children that she was here on Alpheridies. While the great machine of war started to encompass more and more planets, Depa Billaba was sent to get the precious Jedi younglings on the Alpheridies Academy away to Coruscant, to safety.
Greeta Elga was a Rodian, and had been Depa's Padawan for two years. She came not from Rodia, but from the bounty hunter planet of Ord Mantell. She had been found there by Jedi Knight Pablo-Jill, who had been on the planet to bring peace. Since then, she had accompanied her Master on various missions. Now, with the advent of war, things had changed, and Greeta felt that Depa was going to have to rush her training.
They were in the Academy on Alpheridies, a building in the shape of three bubbles joined together, where three Jedi Masters, and two Jedi Knights, trained around twenty Padawans in the ways of the Force.
The Academy was led by Master Deena Vixx, a human woman from Alderaan. She was in her fifties, had a caring face, blonde-grey hair and bright blue eyes. At her waist was a lightsaber that she rarely had to use, until now.
"A dreadful business Master Billaba." she said softly.
Depa nodded, her braids bouncing.
"Indeed. A thousand years we've stood without a full scale war, and then suddenly one within a few days. Most distressing."
She fingered her Mark of Illumination.
"But it will hopefully be only a passing shadow. A dark chapter in galactic history." she said determinedly.
"Quite. Well, we're all ready Master Depa. Should I get the young ones?"
"Please do." she said.
Greeta came up behind her Master.
"Something's not right. I have a bad feeling…"
Depa arched her eyebrow at her apprentice.
"Don't you dare say 'about this'. When ever someone says that, things go wrong."
The Academy doors opened to reveal a young Jedi Master, a Miraluka with blond hair. He was tall and muscular, and was the resident Guardian of the Academy. His name was Raxin Quille.
The second Master was an Ithorian by the name of Freda Habat. Descended from the ancient Jedi Mamaw Habat, and her son Chodo who had resurrected Telos, she was the last in line, her brother having die before he could have any children. She was the resident Sentinel, and was also very powerful in the Force.
"Greetings Master Billaba." Raxin said in a deep voice.
"Master Raxin, Master Freda, greetings." Depa said.
"A sad state of affairs that we should have to abandon our home." Freda said sadly.
Depa nodded in understanding.
"Quite. But Dooku's troops are en route here, so its best we get the younglings away, and leave the rest of the work to the clones."
She then pointed at the two Accumulator cruisers that were landing in the nearby plains.
Deena then returned with all twenty of the younglings, ranging from the ages of five to fifteen, as three of them were Padawans to the Academy Masters.
"Come along then younglings, onto the ship." Deena said, ushering the children on board, as the others smiled.
Depa frowned as Deena came back out.
"That's all of them on board Master Billaba."
Depa nodded.
"Good. We must move quickly if we are to beat the orbit."
Freda raised her eyeridge.
"Orbit? What orbit?"
Depa sighed.
"We are to go to Coruscant by the quickest route. Thus, we must pass through the Darkron system."
The Darkron system was a nightmarish place. At one stage, it had been a research outpost. But the scientists had disturbed something on the moon, and since then, the planet had died off, and the moon had become a dumping ground for all manner of terrible creatures. It was an evil place, and steeped in the dark side.
"That's madness." Raxin protested.
"Perhaps. But it's the quickest route, and the Padawans wont last a long journey. Come. Let us proceed."
With that, the Jedi entered the red cruiser, bound for Coruscant.
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Location: Republic Cruiser Errand
Status: Ready for takeoff
"We'll need to be fast Master Jedi." Captain Kirkus, a middle aged man with wide shoulders and brown hair, said.
"Very well. Put all the speed in you can Captain. Get us to Coruscant with all due haste." Depa said as she sat behind him.
The other Jedi were in the main hold, and all was ready.
"Must we go that route Master Billaba? Its very risky." Ensign Reed said, a woman from Corulag, with auburn hair and a small frame.
Depa sighed.
"Yes, I'm afraid we must."
With that, the scarlet ship leapt upwards, and headed for Coruscant.
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Location: Lucrehulk cruiser Malicious
Status: Awaiting orders
The sun far below the small fleet was leaking radiation again. She could feel it.
She was called Xalma.
She was a Nightsister of Dathomir, a force witch of great power. She had escaped on a small fighter drone several years ago, when it had landed on the planet to take readings. She, and her two male slaves, had crammed themselves in when they had found it, and had been taken onto a freighter. The inhabitants got quite a shock when one of the Witches appeared in their hold, Force Lightning crackling at her fingertips. She had slaughtered the crew, and had made her way to civilisation.
Now, eight years later she had everything she could want. She was a General in the Confederacy of Independent Systems, had hosts of droids at her call, her two slaves behind her, and a desire to kill Jedi that burned in the Force. The Jedi had turned Dathomir into its primitive state, and she wanted revenge, and she would get it. On any Jedi that stood in her way.
The door opened behind her, and one of her twin slaves, Slinker, came in.
Slinker had been found in a freighter crash, and he had landed on Dathomir after evading justice and escaping Oovoo IV. His brother, who she called Stinker, had been with him. Slinker was the better of the two on all fronts.
He was tall, muscly, with black hair to his shoulders and was also force sensitive. Stinker on the other hand, was short, gangly, twisted and evil, with black hair also, and red eyes. He was also force sensitive, and Xalma had trained the two of them the best she could.
"What is it?" she asked in her deadly, quiet voice.
"We have information mistress. A Republic task force means to set up a base on the Darkron moon, to monitor our communications."
She smiled evilly and purred.
"Excellent. Prepare my fleet. We go to the Darkron moon."
Slinker bowed and left, and she smiled. Now it would begin.
There was a beep, and she turned to her holoprojector.
Dooku materialised before her, hiss tern eyes piercing her.
"General Xalma." he greeted.
"Count Dooku." she said, inclining her head as her robes swept around her.
Dooku smiled.
"It may interest you to know General, that a Jedi Master by the name of Depa Billaba is en route to Coruscant. With your gravity wells you could pull her out of lightspeed and kill several Jedi that she has with her."
Xalma smiled fully.
"Excellent. Where are they?"
"Heading to the Darkron system according to my information."
Xalma laughed.
"Excellent." she said, and turned Dooku off, headed for the bridge.
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Location: Solar Sailor
Status: Quiet
Dooku frowned as she vanished.
"I do hate it when she does that." he muttered.
General Xalma at last.
Will she succeed in catching Master Billaba or not? More to come of this bad guy, trust me!
Until next time, please read and review!