Star Wars: Echoes of the Force

by LordKazama86

Time Travel had never interested Qui-Gonn Jinn, however having been recently poisoned through the force by dark side energy, he finds himself unable to cope with the infinite number of realities caused by a rift in time.

Star Wars: Echoes of the Force:

Time Displacement

Chapter 1

Coruscant: The Jedi Council Chambers

10 standard years before the droid invasion on Naboo

"Strong you have become in the Force, master Qui Gon. Expect great things from you, we do." The ancient Jedi master proclaimed, smiling upward at the tall human standing before him.

The Coruscant twilight shone brightly through the thick transparasteel view port windows of the Jedi council Chambers, overlooking the vast city below that glittered with endless hoards of fast moving transports. Distant stars loomed over the horizon in the night sky, perfectly contrasting to the now crescent yellow sunlight still hugging the outskirts of the massive planet.

With a hint of humor in the tone of his voice, Yoda tittered, clutching his walking stick crafted from the finest woods of the Kashyykian forests. "Long has it been since last the council appointed a new swords master. Refreshing to experience, this is."

"Thank you, master Yoda." Qui Gon Jinn softly stated, bowing with the grace of a Twi'lek ballet dancer. "And I will train the boy to the best of my abilities."

"Hmm. Difficult this will be for you. Trained by many masters, young Kenobi has been. Choosing to continue training the padawan, no other master has." Yoda said, hobbling upward into his spherical chair stationed in the center of the Council chambers. He sighed, briefly staring outward into the outlying stars and beyond.

"The boy will learn to behave himself in time." The lofty Jedi gently stated, slowly making his way nearer to his former master. "It was a good idea to allow Obi-Wan to choose his own instructor."

"Agree with you, I do. Not so different from young Obi-Wan as a padawan you were. Hmm?! Defiant, both the master and apprentice now will be. Excited are we to see how handle you this padawan. In your training, struggled master Dooku did. Headaches he suffered, only curable through Jedi healing circles they were." Yoda chortled, eagerly awaiting a smile to pass over the humans visage.

"Have you heard anything of master Dooku, perhaps felt something in the Force?"

Yoda sighed, heavily. "No. Nothing have I sensed but his life force. Far he remains, in the Outer Rim he is." Yoda closed his eyes, reaching outward into the depths of the Force only few others had managed to flow into. Master Windu, Ki-Adi Mundi, and the ancient Jedi master Kol'an Negani had been the only other force users in Jedi history to reach such depths. It was an area of the Force that was barren, desolate and empty. It allowed the few who reached it's depths a vantage point to view and sense even the slightest and most minuscule of ripples in the Force. Untainted by other masters of the Force, it was a place only few Sith Lords and true Jedi masters could gain access to.

Yoda could easily sense the still lingering specters of the ancient Sith Lords in his meditations, forever bound to the Force itself as an act of punishment for their deeds and wrongdoings. Darth Bane, Revan, Exar Kun, Nihilus, their remnants were distinguishable only to the strongest of the Jedi, kept secret from all others in the Force but to those with the will power to endure the darkness each Sith spirit exuded…for they still spoke to master Yoda, valiantly struggling to coax the Jedi into following the darkest paths of the Force. The will of the Jedi must be unbreakable, pure, and unyielding to the dark. No others possessed all three traits, no other Jedi possessed the willpower to resist the temptations of the darkness. For this reason, the remaining Jedi masters were kept ignorant to its location in the Force. Qui-Gon Jinn had unwillingly stumbled onto this technique, this area in the Force itself. During a brief meditation session in his personal quarters a few galactic standard days earlier, he'd fallen into this area, as if by the sheer will of the Force itself. The emptiness had poisoned him, forging itself inside of him and rooting itself in his very soul.

"I dare not linger in such an area, master Yoda. I fear the darkness, it's void spreads throughout my spirit at an accelerated rate." Qui-Gon folded his arms under his Jedi cloak, intensely focusing on the abyss lingering inside of him.

"Fear not the darkness, master Qui-Gon. Echoes, lifeless ripples in the currents of the Force, they are. Harm you further, they cannot, stronger than you, they are not."

"I do not doubt my power, my master. Only that it will somehow be reborn inside the dark, that these echoes of the Sith will further merge inside of me. I do not feel I am yet strong enough to face them alone." The tall Jedi gently placed a hand upon the viewport window looming in front of him. A slight frost lingered on the edge of the Coruscanti night air, the change in season bellowed throughout the Force, gracefully unfolding itself as it made its presence known.

"If progresses your condition does, gather the council I will, cure you we can." Yoda widened his eyes as he gazed deep into the very center of his former padawan. He saw not only a vast darkness inside Qui Gon, but also an undying light, the likes of which he'd never seen throughout all his many years as a servant of the Force. For the light inside the tall human standing before him shone brighter than any Jedi in the entirety of the Jedi order, save for one: A young boy named Obi-Wan Kenobi, whom even at such a young age already managed to create a legendary namesake for himself inside the great temple: Obi-Wan Kenobi, the human child, terror to the order. The human boy was in his own right, the most undisciplined youngling in the history of the Jedi order.

At the age of 12 standard years, Obi-Wan had been sent to the mining colony of Bandomeer as a form of punishment for nearly killing a fellow Jedi learner named Bruck Chun in a duel. Months passed deep inside the mines of Bandomeer as Kenobi began to grow into a young man. He learned practical stick fighting techniques from the veteran miners, who after decades of arduous excavating and daily brawling had developed a primitive, but effected means of self defense, applying it to the many years of saber training already under his belt. Obi-Wan quickly mastered nearly every form of combat and defense available; stick fighting, small knives and close quarters hand to hand combat, even defense against the large Bothan males who were experts at stealth attacks, even without self-cloaking.

Within the standard year of Kenobi's arrival on Bandomeer, none other than Qui-Gon Jinn had appeared as an ambassador to the mines, attempting to influence Xanatos, his former padawan learner and the head of mining operations, into accepting an accord with Offworld trading companies. An attempt on Qui-Gon's life was made by Xanatos, but had been quickly thwarted by young Kenobi. Master and former apprentice dueled fiercely. Jinn could not come to kill Xanatos, and allowed the tainted Jedi to escape into the vast unknown that is the Outer Rim.

Qui Gon soon after had realized the true potential of Obi-Wan and deemed him worthy enough to be trained in the temple once more.

"Young Kenobi will prove to be a heavy burden for me. If I am to remain ill, perhaps I am not the most well suited to oversee his training. Are you certain, my master, that this is the wisest course of action at this time?"

"See the droids first, you must. Strong is the combined energy of technology and the Force. Much like a Lightsaber. Through the Force, powerful the might of your blade will be. In the absence of the Force, useless, indifferent to their own purposes they are, treated like a living being your lightsaber must be. Together, the balance of harmony flows easily within each. Deep is the poison inside your body, my young padawan, still possible to cure through standard medical treatments it may yet be. Sense not the doom of you, I do. " Yoda smiled for the first time in many Coruscanti days.

Qui-Gon breathed deeply, struggling to hold back the slight wheeze building inside his lungs. "I apologize for my arrogance, master. I did not intend for this to happen. I should have foreseen this."

"Unable to cope with the emptiness, they are. Poisoned you through the Force, they did. Harm you further, they cannot." Yoda stomped his walking stick hard upon the floor, fiercely glaring into the voided eyes of his former student. The better end of a thousand years experience in the Jedi arts would give any being in the entire galaxy such an undying reassurance. Qui-Gon Jinn was relived to feel the anticipated explosion of comfort exuded by Yoda through the Force.

Pivoting on the heels of his boots, the tall human man bowed, pulling the hood of his Jedi robes over his head, fully immersing himself in shadow. "I must retire for the night, my master. I've a busy day ahead of me."

"Meditate on your condition, I will. Friends you have here, master Qui-Gon. Alone, you are not."

The cloaked Jedi bowed once more, proceeding to exit the empty chambers swiftly and silently.

Yoda lingered for a moment, briefly staring outward again into the depths of the visible universe, attempting to make sense of the events that had recently taken place. The starlight became invisible for just a moment, as the planets star radiated one last flash of yellow light far beyond the horizon. Time seemed to flow slowly for the ancient Jedi master as he looked back on the events of the past few galactic standard days. Sudden, powerful and unexplained currents in the Force began to swell and fuse with one another, the handful of Jedi masters sensitive enough in the Force to detect such subtleties had been eagerly awaiting his wisdom concerning the subject. Yoda had not been able to explain what these sudden ripples had meant, and to his own discontent, suddenly and without reason had been without the wisdom of his former padawan, Jedi master Dooku, whom only a few days prior unexpectedly left the temple without warning.

Yoda detected no malice in Dooku's recent actions, but something was eating at his spirit like a Nexu hound pillaging the corpse of a fresh kill, it was something he could not explain in basic, or any other of the dozens of dialects he was fluent in. Something was wrong, very wrong, and Yoda could feel it's presence lingering on the horizon, he could almost feel the icy breath of the unknown upon the back of his neck, beckoning him, taunted him relentlessly.

"Fear not, the darkness...for the Force is my ally...and a powerful ally it is." Yoda thought silently to himself.

Weary of the days events, Yoda had come to the decision that a good nights sleep would be just the release he needed. Clutching his walking stick, the ancient being stepped forth, turning his back upon the infinite number of planets and star systems that lingered in a galaxy far, far away. He made his way towards the exit of the Jedi Council Chambers, hobbling and slightly groaning as the pitter patter of his walking stick clanged and clacked upon the stone floor. His muscles ached and his bones creaked, he quietly thanked the Force that there hadn't been a single life force nearby to witness his agony. Time had finally caught up to the Jedi master.

Coruscant: The medical Offices of The Human Health and Wellness corporation

In-Patient room: B3

"Your biological scans show no signs of disease or infection, yet for unexplained reasons, you are unhealthy."

Qui Gon glared at the hovering Medi-Droid before him, lights blinking rapidly and the sound of gears and unknown internal functions performing secondary scans of his blood, double and triple checking the samples in order to confirm that which had already been obvious. "It doesn't take a scientist to see that something is wrong with me."

"Perhaps stress is the culprit. It has been known to manifest physical illness inside exactly 76.9 of all humans."

"Will that be all?" Qui Gon stated, annoyed, hoisting himself up and off the cold metallic table he'd been asked to sit down on nearly a full standard hour ago.

"Yes. I should like to see you again in 48 standard hours. Please make an appointment with the HHN-1 node that resides just outside the exit. Good day, sir. Be well." The droid bleeped in satisfaction as it's twin repulsor engines hummed, carrying itself hurriedly across the ludicrously cramped medical office.

The Human Health and Wellness center had always boasted the ability to diagnose and treat any form of illness in the human species. Today, recently appointed Swords Master came to realize the corporations boasts were not completely accurate.

"State of the art medical facilities, live streaming firmware updates for all of our droids. Live healthy, be well. The Human Health and Wellness Centers of Coruscant"

At least that is what they say in the endless array of advertisements as found throughout the entire sector. Live video feed, sudden holograph commercials that force you to reply with your full name and holochron bar code just to be removed from the hourly mailing list, seemingly limitless billboards and polished durosteel signs, even parchment paper with a sticky end attached to the sides and back ends of public transports, zooming throughout the city at preposterous speeds. One could not truly escape the H.H.W.C. advertisements so long as they resided on the planet.

In recent years, the H.H.W.C. had become one of the most prominent business ventures in the galaxy. Headed by Dr. Polex Kur'an, the galactic award winning human medical scientist and founder of Synthetic Magnetism and Mini Black Hole technology, the company flourished in the Galactic Core worlds, curing millions of various types of previously deemed "incurable" diseases, giving life and bringing hope to billions. Being a subdivision company of the infamous Agricorps conglomerate, the subsidiary H.H.W.C venture was more than well funded for such a substantial medical undertaking inside the core worlds. Agricorps also owned the Brandomeer mining station that only a standard few days prior, both Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn had nearly lost their lives on. Worse yet, the mining colony had been the setting for live-human and Bothan medical testing. Convicts of both species were purchased as slaves and were not only forced to suffer the harsh conditions deep inside the mines, but were also treated with radical means of medication and experimentation. It was not uncommon for groups of humans and Bothans alike to simply go missing and never show up again. This process of elimination had been only barely legal, since the majority of the miners purchased for slave labor had been those salvaged from the execution pits on Malastare--inmates and prisoners from around the core worlds recently awarded the death penalty for whatever host of atrocities they've committed, all eagerly awaiting a swift execution by the heavy hand of democracy.

Despite the legalities of the situation inside the mines, both Agricorps and the H.H.W.C continued to bloom into the most recognizable business's in the entire galactic core...

Coruscant: The medical Offices of The Human Health and Wellness corporation

Main Lobby

Qui-Gon Jinn hurriedly paced the outskirts of the main lobby floor of the H.H.W.C., annoyed at the absurdly cramped and extensively long HHN-1 Node appointments line in front of him. He could now feel the beginnings of a fever deep within his body, his chest burned deeply, becoming tighter and tighter seemingly with each intake of breath. Folding his arms tightly behind his back, he stopped in mid pace, peering outward through one of the many large view port windows that lined the main lobby floor around him. The cityscape towards the Jedi Temple that loomed many kilometers into the horizon, but still fully visible through the near endless mass of skyscrapers and transports. A small sanitation droid hovered just beyond the transparasteel, tending to its daily window cleaning duties, lights blinking in a childish manner as it's hub coverings retracted and expanded multiple times as it noticed the Jedi before him.

"By the stars what is a Jedi doing here!?" A scraggly voice shouted from somewhere beyond Jinn's view. "You should never be forced to wait in line like the rest of these people. You are a Jedi. If you are here, something must be seriously wrong with you."

Qui-Gon reverted his gaze upon the city horizon to further negate the possibility of another medical intern attempting to offer him yet another liquid refreshment. "No thank you, I do not want another refreshment."

"My boy, I am not a refresher unit, nor am I an intern at this facility. " The middle aged human man said, grinning.

"Then who are you and how can I be of assistance? " Jinn extended his hand outward, soon there after realizing the human did not wish to mirror his gesture.

"On the contrary, my friend, it is I who wishes to be of some assistance. My name is Dr. Polex Kur'an. This is my facility, I am the head of operations here at the H.H.W.C."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Jinn allowed the slightest of grins to pass over his facade. Time became sluggish as he delved deep into the Force, attempting to read the man standing before him. The fog of reality lifted, and the undying light that burns deep inside all living things slowly emerged into view. Emotion was as easy to read as any physical object for a Jedi of his caliber, malice and wickedness became as visible as the Coruscanti sun, or any one of the 26 moons that glowed brightly in the night skies of the planet Yavin. Jinn detected no male-intent exuding from this man, only common secrets and desires remained hidden, tucked away safely in the very darkest regions of his spirit. To a Jedi, one as immensely powerful as Qui-Gon Jinn, these dark regions were equally as visible as the light emanating from a lightsaber. This man had good intentions. Jinn could sense it easily.

"You look like you've been poisoned recently." Dr. Kur'an said, intensely scanning the Jedi man looming before him. "You've early signs of a fever, how is this possible if Jedi have the ability to heal themselves of such minor illness's?"

"Jedi healing techniques have never been my strong point." Jinn stated softly, briefly staring upwards towards the Doctors hand that had been placed upon his forehead. " I am not well versed in those areas of the Force."

"My boy, you are burning up." Polex said, shaking his head in dissatisfaction. " You will come with me at once, my office is on the top floor of this building, I will begin your treatment there immediately."

Qui-Gon was startled by a sudden, powerful ripple in the Force, emanating from deep within the man standing before him. Before the Jedi could project even the slightest form of a reply, he found himself, curiously, already walking alongside the man, on route to wherever the doctor intended to end up, trust fully enveloped around himself, almost as if the doctor had used a new form of Jedi mind trick on him he'd never experienced before. Surely a Jedi of his caliber would never be so easily tricked into following anyone into anything. Yet, for some reason beyond his comprehension, Jinn followed the man without question, lingering just a few paces behind, completely befuddled as to why such an immense trusting of this man had fallen over himself.

Something was very wrong and it was eating the Jedi from the inside out. "Is it possible I was mind tricked into following this man?" Qui-Gon thought silently to himself. With his brow narrowed, fists clenched, and lower jaw tightly locked, the Jedi human cursed himself in multiple dialects that would have frightened even a large Kobokian female, should he have accidentally uttered one of them aloud. Regardless of the anger swelling inside of him, he found himself unable to slow or halt the pace set by the doctor. The image of the man walking before him made Jinn cringe, infuriating him to a point that he had never before experienced.

"Come, my boy. It isn't much further." Polex gently stated , his voice soothing and comforting, velvety and seemingly bellowing with reassurance. The words blasted through Jinns ears like a stampeding rancor through the thickets of the planet Felucia. They caused real, physical pain inside his mind, burning, drilling deeper and deeper, unwelcome and radiating with what seemed to be dark side energy. Although, Qui-Gon Jinn hadn't much experience in the defense against the dark side of the Force. Save for the few sparring matches with Master Windu, whom was a true master of the VII form of saber combat known as Vaapad: a form of combat that utilized minor instances of the dark side. Their sparring sessions chilled Jinn to the bone, having felt the vast emptiness exuded by Mace Windu and vowing never to allow himself to be torn between the light and the dark. The dark side of the Force was present even now, in the very corridors and repulsor lifts the duo had entered to gain access to their current location. Jinn had felt this energy before, however its location in the past eluded Qui-Gon, he could not remember where he had felt this energy. The more he intently reminisced into his past, the more confused he became.

"I feel as if I have experienced this all before. As if, this exact scenario had played out somewhere, somehow in his past…" Infuriated, Jinn proceeded through the wide hallways of the H.H.W.C's upper levels, lingering only a few paces behind the doctor, whom had been seemingly been biding his time, slowing his tempo of his steps ever so slightly, and then picking it up again. Never in the many years of his life had Qui-Gon Jinn ever been so outraged, fumed, and furious. He wanted to kill this man looming only just beyond the reach of his lightsaber. "Do not consider such things, you are a Jedi. Jedi do not kill, nor do they have thoughts of murder." Jinn thought to himself.

The innards of the H.H.W.C. core building had been, at least to Qui-Gon, decadent beyond comprehension. A gentle blue light had been projected onto the walls and ceiling of each corridor and lobby waiting area they passed through. An intoxicating aroma had been released into the air, exuding and promoting a sense of relaxation that not even a Jedi master could avoid taking pleasure in. Attractive, young human and otherworldly females of various species sat behind large kiosks-like reception desks, processing in and out patients of equal varieties of alien species and humans alike.