Author's Note:
Hey, guys! I think that you all are really going to enjoy this one! This is where I finally dump out all of Nova's long and complicated backstory, and it's easily the longest chapter I've ever written! I have a really good feeling about this one, and I hope you all enjoy chapter 28 of Stormbreaker! Thanks again for all the support you all have given me!
~DoctorPortal
Chapter 28: Corruption, Part II
"Master Khorisa," Winson said, "do you mean to say that we are currently in Nova's mind?"
"Well," Khorisa replied, "a three-dimensional representation of it, yes. And before you ask any more questions, we must move forward. Nova himself is to be found somewhere here, and we have limited time if we are to save him from corruption."
"Corruption?" Nara asked. "Master, what exactly are we doing here?"
"We have been transported into a physical representation of Nova's memories, all within the realm that dwells within my holocron. We have to make our way through the darkest of Nova's memories before we will find the Jedi himself, which we must do before his spirit is consumed by the dark side."
"His memories?" Rei asked. "What happened in Nova's past that could be causing all this?"
"Well…," Khorisa began, "Allow me to show you."
Khorisa waved his hand in a slow arc in front of him, and the scenery around them changed, shifting, warping, and distorting, until the team found themselves in a large medical-looking chamber, which had the unique, sterile-white look of a Kaminoan facility.
"This, Khorisa said, is the headquarters of Project Stormbreaker."
"Project Stormbreaker?" D'razz asked. "Like, not the ship, then?"
"Correct," Khorisa replied. "Project Stormbreaker was a top-secret initiative created by the Kaminoans, whose purpose was to artificially create a select number of archetypes that represented the 'ultimate Jedi'."
As Khorisa spoke, the world around the group continued to change, always so that it reflected what the Jedi Master was saying.
"The plan was fairly simple; introduce them two at a time, and raise each pair together. That way, they would learn teamwork, the value of friendship, and so on. Then, once a pair reached the age of 12, the next pair would be introduced. The beings themselves were to be of all manner of species, yet each one was genetically-engineered from scratch. The archetypes that were chosen to be represented were each condensed down into a single, one-word characteristic, around which each Jedi's personality would be designed. Nova and Daniel were the first two to be created. Nova was made to represent 'ingenuity', while Daniel was to represent 'tenacity". Nova and Daniel grew up to be the best of friends, and reached the age of 12 without incident. However…."
The scene changed to a small, dimly-lit examination table, where multiple Kaminoan scientists surrounded a small, sandy-haired boy, who was spasming and writhing around, seemingly in distress. Khorisa continued.
"Something went wrong. Something in Daniel's genetic code went awry, and Daniel was isolated from Nova, and experimented on mercilessly. All the while, Nova watched in horror from the air vents." The scenery changed so that the air ducts against the far wall showed a cutaway view, and sure enough, a 12-year-old Nova watched in horror.
"Good god…" Nara breathed.
The scene changed again. It showed Nova, now 14 years old, strapping into the pilot seat of a lone Kaminoan shuttlecraft, and taking off. Tears streamed down the boy's face, and his eyes were red and puffy.
"Nova fled Kamino," Khorisa continued, "and ended up on Tython, the home planet of the Jedi." The scenery changed to a beautiful, grassy field, just like the one they'd seen before.
"There," Khorisa resumed, "he found the Temple of the Ancients, a vast temple located deep beneath the surface of Tython, which had been sealed for thousands of years. There, he found my holocron, and I took it upon myself to train him in the ways of the Jedi of old."
The scene showed Nova and Khorisa training in various types of forms; force-manipulation, lightsaber techniques, etc. Then the two of them bowed, and the scene changed again.
"I thought I'd succeeded," Khorisa said. "So had he, as it happened."
The scene changed again to Nova, now much nearer to the age they knew him, Sealing the door to the underground temple.
"He left my holocron behind and ventured back out into the world. It was shortly thereafter…. that he reunited with Daniel."
The scene flashed back to a 12-year-old Daniel looking out of a window, watching Nova leave in the shuttle they'd seen earlier. His eyes narrowed, and a look of pure hatred swept across the boy's face.
"Daniel held it against Nova that he'd left those many years ago, feeling that in doing so, Nova had abandoned him, leaving him for dead with the scientists. These feelings of abandonment, coupled with the constant, torturous testing, and the glitches in his genetic code acted to corrupt Daniel, who resorted to embrace the Dark Side of the Force.
The scene shifted to the same examination room, but now completely destroyed. Daniel stood in the center, both arms outstretched, his eyes looking between the two scientists he held aloft in a force choke position. The other scientists lay dead or dying, scattered across the room. Daniel's face was one of pure anger and hate, and his eyes glowed red with dark Force energy.
"Daniel resorted to destroy the project that had held him hostage, killing everyone in it first, then sinking the vast facility into Kamino's oceans."
The scene changed and the group watched from a distance as different areas around the gigantic headquarters exploded, after which the struts holding it above the water buckled and collapsed, and the entire complex tumbled into the ocean. Then the scene changed to Nova and Daniel standing on the surface of Tython, lightsabers drawn, both in attack-ready stances. Khorisa resumed the story.
"The two of them arranged to have one final duel, in which they would fight until one or both of them lay dead on the ground."
The crew watched as the two of them dueled ruthlessly in a flurry of red and blue lightsaber slashes.
"The duel lasted for four consecutive days," Khorisa continued, "in which the fighting remained constant throughout. And at the the end…," Khorisa said, as the scene changed to Nova and Daniel fighting at the edge of an enormous cliff, one which overlooked a gigantic valley. Suddenly, Nova lunged at his brother, making a final thrust with his lightsaber, and the blade went straight through Daniel's center. The Sith master looked down slowly, then back up at Nova. Nova deactivated his blade and stood up as Daniel's body went limp and tumbled over the ledge.
"Oh, god…." Rei breathed.
Suddenly, their surroundings changed, the memory dissolving into smoke and blowing away. The crew found themselves in a vast, milky expanse, and before them, laying on his side, eyes clenched shut, was Nova. The group rushed over to him.
"Nova, are you okay?" Nara asked, kneeling down next to him. The Jedi stirred, then slowly opened his eyes. For a moment, his irises glowed bright red, but upon seeing them, he blinked, and his eyes returned to the bright, pale blue that Nara recognized.
"H..hey, Nara," Nova wheezed. He tried to sit up, but fell backward, wincing.
"It is good to see you, young one," Khorisa said. He leaned down, his arm outstretched. Nova took hold, and managed to stand up.
"Master Khorisa, what happened?"
"He showed us… well…" Rei cut herself short, trying to formulate her words properly.
"We…," Nara interjected, "we know about Daniel."
Nova stood silent for a few moments, too stunned to speak. Then, he let out a long sigh, and looked at each of them.
"Well," he said, "I guess you have a lot of questions, then, huh?"
