STAR WARS: HAND OF PHRIKE
CHAPTER 10: THE DISTURBANCE
Uncharted Planet in Unknown Space
The planet on which the Red Recluse was about to land didn't get a lot of visitors. Orbiting a typical yellow star in the midst of the Unknown Regions, ancient star maps written by a star-scout time forgot named the planet Altymer III, after its home star and position in the system. People who knew of the planet just called it Altymer.
In a clearing within its deep jungle a chicken-sized reptile looked up to see a silver speck in the sky. That speck grew louder and larger as it descended, ending in a roar that scared the unwitting critter and thousands of moth-like organisms away as it landed.
Inside the visitor, also known as the Red Recluse, Rhett reeled back in his seat as a massive migraine seared through his mind. Through the Force he could feel the agonizing deaths of fifty thousand souls on a faraway planet. The last thing he remembered seeing before passing out from the pain was a masked figure staring balefully at him, the crimson eyes glowing ominously behind the semi-transparent visor.
Viia was one of the first to notice Rhett's discomfort. "You alright? You look sick. Do I need to bust out the medpa—What the kark?" she said as Rhett fell out of his seat. "Rha'kl, get a medpac!"
As the Yuzzem ran out of the cockpit, Grieg helped Viia get the unconscious Padawan back into his seat. "Come on, kid, wake up!" Grieg said, just a bit worried.
When Rhett finally came to, Viia suppressed the urge to smack him. "What was that all about, idiot? You nearly gave me a heart attack!"
"I wasn't aware you cared, Viia," Creesk piped up, cocking his head to one side.
"Shut up, birdbrain!"
"Disturbance…"
They all looked back at Rhett, who was recovering. "A disturbance… in the Force… A whole planet… Dying."
"A whole planet? Seems a little insane," Grieg said. "But… Creesk, check the Holonet; see if any news has come up." As the Mrlssi walked off grumbling, Grieg shouted after him, "And don't tune into that Imperial skrag that they're always shoving down our throats! Go underground."
Viia didn't know exactly what to think about Rhett's revelation. A whole planet dying? What in eternal blue blazes would that mean, it got sucked into the Maw?
"I have something, Captain!" Creesk called from the computer room. Leaving Rhett to recover, Viia followed Grieg to view the breaking story.
"I thought I told you to avoid the skrag!" Grieg shouted.
"Skrag or not, it's still tells us what's going on!" Creesk snapped back.
By the Core… Viia thought as her mind cut through the Imperial banner-waving that the news anchor was doing to see the tragedy unfolding. Billions upon billions of ravenous insects blotted out the cityscape on the small planet being covered, devouring anything they came across. Every time the cloud of bugs shifted, Rhett shifted in his seat groaning.
"Sir… I'm not sure even the Imperials are this savage," Creesk said with a worried expression. "To my knowledge, there was no rebel presence on the planet, and even if there was-"
"Their reaction is too extreme, I got it," Grieg cut in. "So who dropped the bomb?"
"The Sith," came Rhett's voice from the passageway. He staggered into the room, clearly shaken by the disturbance in the Force.
"Sith? I thought those guys went extinct a thousand years ago."
"If that's so… then how do you explain the Jedi going extinct?" Rhett shook his head. "The Sith are behind this. I can feel it."
He explained what he had seen after feeling the disturbance, causing Viia to feel disturbed herself. The mask Rhett was describing was Mandalorian – but it was a design from his own time, not the helmet made infamous by bounty hunters like Boba Fett.
As crazy as it sounded to her… did someone follow Rhett to the present? Or was Rhett supposed to follow them?
No… there's got to be another explanation, Viia thought.
Right before she was about to speak, however, there was a loud banging on the hull of the Recluse. It was followed by someone shouting for them to "come out and identify" themselves.
"Grieg… this planet is deserted, right?"
"I had thought so," Grieg replied, shrugging.
There was a sound of blaster fire, possibly a warning shot, and Grieg rushed to the cockpit to see who was shooting.
Viia followed him and when she saw who was outside, she thought she had traveled through time.