This is a story, based on a character sketch for a Star Wars tabletop RPG. The scenario is"what if Luke and Leia did not happen to be the main characters?". The time frame is BBY -4. FANFICTION on a character sketch, gotta love it! Enjoy or do not Enjoy, but do not Try to enjoy.
Wild Space
Kalat Arm
2.7 BBY
"Maz, is that a place where Zygerrians might hide looking for their next cargo?" he pointed out at an asteroid.
"On the other side, yes."
"Do we have any environmental suits handy?" and she nodded while he grabbed his light staff "I think Zuvio and I have an errand on the other side."
Stealthy the two figures crept through the asteroid coming to a hatch under the ship. One motioning to the other to the the entrance before reaching out a hand.
Maz Kantata docked her ship on the Zygerrian attack freighter to inspect her new item.
"Jahn, Malcomb, find the bombs in this lot of misery and remove them so we can drop them somewhere."
"With pleasure Ma'am, Mal, lets start with these two." And Jahn looked at them with kind eyes as he got to this soul cleansing work.
Alberin
"Sir, a donation of a ship has come from a surprising source. It docked here at Alberlin. The dockmaster says the owner gives it to the Diskblade Alliance. Would you like to inspect it?" Capt Juros got up and walked to the ship, it was obviously once a slaver gun ship but painted on the side was a new name, Jannma. Its crew consisted of 2 pilots and gunners wishing to join and one slicer. It was loaded with grenades and E-11 blasters.
"And how were you slaves freed?" The captain asked.
"Some goofy kid Zeison Sha with a Kyuzo hat came aboard with a Kyuzo and just slaughtered the Zygerrians, or the Kyuzo did, the Sha just levitated crap around and bounced blaster fire with the hat and a diskblade defending the ship and us slaves. They came for a particular person onboard." And the speaker stepped forward "I am Malcomb, slicer extraordinaire."
"And you wish to join the Alliance resistance?"
"Yessir! we heard about your rousing success on Kratovas from our rescuers. I know I felt that anyone who came up with that victory would not turn down a few Clone War Vets. Especially one with his own still!"
"Jannma, please report bay 4" the Captain barked into his comlink. And waited as he gathered the tale from the crew. Noting the original crew was spaced sometime ago. When Jannma came into the bay the captain and Malcomb turned to her.
"Examine the crew for lies and then search the place, you may find it interesting."
"This ship is named after me?"
"Well that was the Sha kid's idea and if you are Jannma, yeah, he did. He spaced the paint out and used the Force to lay it on." And Malcomb bowed like a clan native "I must say, you are as perty as he waxed poetic about young lady."
"Was named seniorita … you get the honor of scrubbing that off personally before we re-flag her." With that she got to work and found the crew honest but the slicer was holding something from her she just could not reach.
"Malcomb is it?" she smiled and pointed to a seat as a chair pulled out for the older man. "I have a few extra questions if you do not mind." To which he shrugged as the chair moved for him to sit at the table as a subtle reminder of her skills "My Lt. and her first mate will join us shortly." And they waited a few minutes before Lt Jia Ji entered with a Kyuzo.
"I take it from the text you sent you found something you did not like on this man, so spill it old man." Ji said wasting no time as she sat down.
"I will say this about Jahnny Boy, he sure sets things up. Boss does too. Right or wrong, he did expect exactly this. Excellent, no more BS, you are the three he talked to in Kratovas." Malcomb stated firmly "He has been my apprentice." And the looks from Jannma and Lt Jia got wide eyed while he held up his hands "No no not that silly, Jahn told me to choose better words! Nujit! I helped him learn mechanics, we built that light staff, and yes I am the slicer that found out about your trap." And he relaxed a bit. "I can handle a weapon well, fix things brilliantly, shard hot pilot for I taught him that too. But he had some talent and absolutely no fear or hesitation."
"You were with him out there? How can…" Jannma began.
"You can't, just thank him silently and he left you a care package on the ship. With instructions, and the vendor to go to for a Kyuzo hat. And another holo tape, when I filmed that long thing I asked him why he did it that way. He said "My asawa ko should know by now there is not a way to communicate privately, unless she breaks the code." So just so you know, I could not make heads or tails of his little video." Malcomb shrugged.
"He stowed a gift? Where?" Jannma asked.
"See now, there is the rub, he hid it well so it is a lesson in the Force" or so he said to me." And he waved his hands, "Leave someone here and go look for it Jannma."
"Hidden from the Force and the security team doing a sweep, how did he do that?" and she started looking the ship over stem to stern. She then sat down trying to remember all she could about where Jahn would hide something for her to find. She looked around for a bit then had to use the ship's head. As she sat looking she noticed the mirror, the frame was a polished stone, quite out of place in a slaver's ship.
Reaching out with the Force she opened the mirror as she would at home, the opposite way from the left. And inside was a compartment with berberoka bag that reminded her of home. And she smiled wide first cleaning herself and redressing. She then claimed her prize and closed the compartment. She walked out to the main bay in the Doomtreader and opened the bag. As advertised the lengthy holo to her was there, along with a note in huttese, his light staff and a new diskblade carrier for the small of her back that had space for two and the sheath for the light staff. She packed the bag up and walked back to and entered the interrogation room.
"Lt Jia, he passes, and I think he will be a great asset." And she showed them the bag. "I remember helping tan an animal like this, where did you get the hide?"
"Smuggler's run, where he wants you to go to get the shield hat." Malcomb smiled. "So how long will it take me to become your top slicer and mechanic?"
"I think that will take a while." Jia Ji smiled.
Jannma took her holo to Captain Juros and asked where she could watch it. He and his officers with Drado and Malcomb watched the two hour holo with her and noticed she was blushing fiercely and at the end.
So what did he say to you now?" The captain asked "For watching two hours of him smiling in different poses and playing patty cake with water in buckets with music playing for ambiance said squat to me."
"You have to know the language to understand it Captain. But my brother and I know just what he said."
"And?" the captain asked irritated once again.
"Most of it was just his father's Zeison Sha teachings, and he is glad we are well. Oh and I am to never to send another holo like I sent last time. He feels I am opening myself up to be targeted by the empire or the dark side by giving them an insight to my feelings. He desires me to change my tactics, name and to find a new unit."
"All that from splashing in a bucket?"
"Yes. And more was in it, directed to me and Darrin. He could not speak until he was eight, he could not speak above a whisper until he reached twelve. This is how he communicated, with smacks and splashes. He also knows a sign language he uses when away from water. "
"Lt Jia said you two were animated when he rescued your team. I never saw a report on what was said."
"Zeison Sha teachings and the words of a man to his fiancé. I can get you a data file on the teachings, the words, and the argument, belong to myself."
"Very well, I am going up the chain of command a bit on this though."
"Why?"
"To honor his wishes, We owe him what? He gave us couple of ships and our asses on Kratovas? He has personally added manpower to our cause, they arrive daily from other places. His good will is now important to the alliance and cultivating that is a recruitment tool. I think I know of a place you can be used more effectively. Likewise, I know a Twi'lek who needs loads of help on a primitive planet near the trade routes but would be better used out here as she is a spacer through and through with extensive training. If we can oust the base the empire is building, it turns out that it was the other place the Empire was setting up for long term resupply. We committed to Kratovas because of the larger more modern populace. If it becomes fully settled, it will be more important than Kratovas, for it is much more verdant, fruit trees and nuts everywhere. Hulls, take the weapons with you. And the flight crew, I'll get you a tech-mech so Malcomb can slice here. After you repaint the slaver, leave the weapons in it and go to Shanev."
Notes, I do not own Lucas or Disney property and have just injected the bare minimum so far. It is lazy yes, but the characters fit. I do not own them and receive no compensation for them, nor will accept any unless I become a screenwriter for them LOL.
I also took and basically modified some Tagalog terms to fit an isolated founders language. Gender terms are not differentiated too much. Asawa = spouse, ko= my, Kuya= brother, Ate =sister but drawing it out in a kooyaah or ahhtay is a greeting, like hey bro! in mixed company kuya seems to work and sometimes I screwed with spelling etc. Just adding a bit of texture. Mgabata = mga bata= children.
I have asked permission to use the "landscape" and some Characters from Mechalich, I have received approval. Mechalich owns them, not I. I hope I can make these additions at least as good as a Thieves world Borrow. I used few Canon personalities so far, basically just two Maz Kanata and Zuvio. Check out the Tales from the Kalat Arm and The People's Armor here by Mechalich, they are quite awesome.
And lastly, since I did think Jedi were a bit stuck up, I believe the term is hidebound, rigid, unable to understand their own prophesy (This is what I am driving the story at, those that bring balance to the Force). I chose this Kalat Arm and Zeison Sha backstory for the character. It appealed to me, added conflict. I hope to make it a long long way bringing balance and up to date all the way to Rey-Finn and Kylo Ren. (except in my vision, those will be from different origins, hey, if Disney can scrap canon…which oddly is the metaphor of Jakku.)