I did make a text crawl with some slides if you'd like to see them, youtube Undying Force Profile BetweenThePipes49
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
STAR WARS
Undying Force
It is a time of peace and prosperity within the Galactic Republic. Anxious to expand than defend their borders the senate approves exploration beyond the outer rim. In response an expedition is quickly organized and the age of discovery is underway.
Assigned to protect the expedition are Jedi Master Zeniff Al-Dura and his new apprentice Odian Tekari. Guided by the Force, the starship ventures into the uncharted regions of space and soon they discover a mysterious planet.
Sensing an evil aura surrounding the planet, Zeniff begins scanning it's surface immediatley. Suddenly their starship is attacked by an unkown vessel. With little time to respond, the crew prepares to make an emergency landing...
Chapter 1
Trails of smoke still linger in the vastness of space leading towards the planet's atmosphere. Below the clouds was flamed out Cartographer making a fiery, high speed descent and exhaling a black haze behind its exploding engines. Shooting from the descending vessel were escape pods that eventually made craters dotting a thickly wooded area. One of them, of which we will follow, when ending it's transit from the firmament had it's doors unlatched permitting young Odian Takari, a padawan of the tender age of sixteen, to step out unharmed.
Observing the descending trail of smoke he uttered to himself in fear, "Master!" and purposely made haste using the stream of pollution in the sky to guide his way to the crash site.
He came before a bluff that overlooked an ocean whose beaches supported a peninsula lush with green life. It was here that the Cartographer, under the skill and wit of the pilot, used the sea to drag the ship's speed down and finally came to rest in the thicket leaving a rising pillar of smoke above the tree line.
Odian spared no second to reach the downed vessel. He dove into the waves and swam the league to the other shore and rushed beyond the forrest fence. Upon reaching the downed craft he ripped the hatches open with will of the force and leapt into the smoldering passageways of the interior.
"Master Al-Dura, Master Al-Dura!" the boy repeated, adding a heightened sense of panic with each utterance. He beheld a few motionless bodies of the crew and concluded their fate then made his way to the cockpit that was rhythmically lit by strobing red lights, turned on the comms and broadcasted, "Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is the Cartographer, we have crash landed on an unknown planet at the hands of mysterious malefactors. Requesting any and all Republic assistance! I repeat…" suddenly his mind was invaded by a subtle prompt. He could feel his master's presence outside.
Going out the way he came, which was even more perilous due to the spreading of the fire, he exited and found his master waiting for him with his hand upon his head who, when seeing his Padawan, unpressed his hand which ceased the prompting immediately.
Rushing to him, the boy excitedly recounted in hysteria, "Oh master, I followed the smoke and feared you would not make it!"
Patient, but exhibiting disapproval, Zeniff insisted, "Are you hurt my young padawan?"
Displaying his person for him to see, Odian replied, "No master."
Noticing his clothing was soaked with water, he looked over his shoulder towards the bluff and water then asked sternly, "How did you make your way to the ship?"
Extending his hand towards the path which he came he recounted, "I ran through the forest atop the bluff, where my escape pod landed, dove into the water and swam here."
A seriousness expanded throughout Zeniff's countenance as he said, "Be mindful young one, you do not know what beasts may have adapted the forest or the great fish that may lurk in the sea. Do not act too rashly for such recklessness can lead to a needless death."
"Yes master, I was only concerned for your…" at that moment a build up of heat and pressure erupted from the Cartographer and engulfed the entire vessel.
Pulling his Padawan away from the conflagration, Zeniff harshly observed, "Here for instance, you could have been inside that vessel when it erupted. Had I not prompted you, you would have been one with force all too soon."
"How was I to know?" inquired Odian who both murmured and sought approval at the same time.
Zeniff collected his hands in the opposing sleeves of his robe, "You must learn to tune your senses to the force. It can warn us of impending danger, heighten our senses to the presence of life and even give you foresight to events not yet come to pass. We are on a strange planet with an uncanny connection to the force; I counsel you to calm your mind and expand your insight so that the force may grant you clairvoyance."
In strict obedience to this counsel the young boy bowed his head, "Yes master."
Putting a caring hand on his shoulder Zeniff lead him away, "Come with me I shall take you to the other survivors."
Without a word his apprentice stayed in tow with his mentor as they were brought into a clearing to where a dozen members of the Cartographer's crew had a make shift camp established with what supplies and crates could be scavenged from the wreckage.
They were approached by the captain and pilot, an older butch woman with slick white hair tied into a single braid behind her back, "Master Al-Dura,' she addressed, 'a pleasure to see your padawan in one piece."
"Thank you for your concern Captain Tyress."
She hinged her body to where a small communications array was established and informed, "I have been attempting to reach the Republic but it has been rather tricky doing so on an encrypted channel."
The padawan spoke as if to ridicule, "Why are you on an encrypted channel? If we are to be found we must broadcast on all channels especially the emergency transmissions."
Tyress bit her lip to prevent a scornful reply but Zeniff addressed the criticism, "Trust in her judgment young one, for all that she does is not without reason."
"With all do respect master,' said the youth, 'was it not she who piloted the vessel that is now a burning wreck?"
Zeniff moved in to rebuke his remark but Tyress laid a hand on his shoulder who turned and listened to her say, "Master, may I?"
Seeing her desire to defend her own honor Zeniff stood aside so that nothing stood between the seasoned captain and strapping padawan.
"What is your name young man?" she asked.
"Odian-Tekari." said he with pride to his station.
"Very well, mind of I call you Odi?"
He raised his hand to protest but she intentionally moved past this desire, "How old are you?"
"Sixteen."
"How long have you been a Jedi?"
"I am only but a padawan." he sneered slightly as if to ridicule her lack of understanding of the Jedi ranks.
"Fine, how long have you been a padawan?"
"I have graduated from the temple last year and have been under the tutelage of Master Al-Dura since that time."
"So in other words you're still a bit wet behind the ears yeah?"
"Well…I am still proficient enough in the force to be granted the next steps of my training." he resounded as a typical youth who believes they have learned mostly what there is to know.
Tyress cut him off there, "Listen Odi, I may not be a fancy force user like you, nor can I swing a laser sword around as well as you can but I have been a pilot longer than you've been alive and have been a captain a lot longer than you have been a padawan. Have you ever had to make a crash landing after being shot out of orbit?"
He shook his head spitefully.
"Ok then, I have made more emergency landings than you've deflected blaster bolts. Now you and your master are members of my crew and I am your captain, have I instilled enough confidence in you that may rid me of the risk of mutiny?"
A surge of defiance typical to the adolescent class filled his chest, "Yes Captain."
"We savvy then?"
"We are."
She threw her hands up in victory, "It's settled, we're friends! Now as I was saying we are attempting to reach the Republic on an encrypted channel to prevent the chance that…"
At that moment a laser blast hit the ground on which they stood sending dirt and smoke flying through the air as the enemy vessel zipped over head. Tyress quickly shouted to all surviving crewmen to disperse into the trees as the vessel was rounding about to make another strafing run.
It passed overhead and deposited another bolt, catching one crewmen in the blast sending him screaming up in the air.
"Wilhelm!" yelled the captain who was collected by Master Al-Dura and pushed deeper into the woods with his apprentice in tow. Once advanced far enough past the soaring threat Zeniff stopped to ensure their well being.
"I figured they'd find us, but not that fast!" panted Tyress.
"Perhaps they have been allured to our presence." pondered Zeniff aloud.
Odian extended his finger towards the sky that shown between the branches and leaves whose multiple spaces depicted the enemy ship slowing its course to make probing circles.
"They're looking for survivors." sighed Tyress cursing her incapability to round up her crew in the given moment.
Master Al-Dura breathed deeply out his nose, meditated a moment then informed, "They are most likely deploying a landing party to sweep the area."
"But who are they?" inquired Odian.
Without looking at he who asked, Zeniff replied, "I sense that they who seek our lives are strong in the dark side of the force. Should the crewmen be discovered they will most surely be slaughtered. I shall go and contend with them while the others escape in the meantime."
"Then I shall come too." insisted Odian.
Zeniff rebuked his insistence, "No my apprentice, stay with the captain, you are not ready to face both the threat and temptation our enemies bring."
"But you cannot go it alone!"
"I agree with the young one here,' interjected Tyress, 'There is a fine line between an act of valor and suicide. Are you sure you're up to this?"
Zeniff gave Tyress a serene smirk, "I have been a Jedi master longer than you have been a pilot Captain Tyress."
"Ah touché,' said she, bowing her head, 'just try and not to get yourself killed."
Zeniff bowed his head, "I am one with the force and the force is with me."
"But master how am I to succeed in my training if you are killed?' sounded off Odian while being overcome with dread to the possibilities of being without guidance, 'Who would teach me in the ways of the force then? How am I to ward off threats and keep the others safe?"
Master Al-Dura raised his hand to silence him, "Peace be unto your mind young one, recite the Jedi code."
Odian stood, moved his eyes around to recall the words which dictated their tenants, "There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the force."
"Focus on these words my apprentice for they have guided all Jedi in the ways of the light."
She rolled her eyes, "You Jedi and your logic."
Zeniff then stopped and said only one parting word to his apprentice, "May the force be with you as well Odian"
The padawan remained silent and emotionally charged as he watched his master recede into the thicket alone.
With less time to dally about Tryess encouraged young Odian to follow her lead. It was not long during their ascent up a vegetated slope that Odian suddenly informed her he sensed a hostile force attacking from behind.
His lightsaber activated and deflected a series of bolts while Tyress took cover and drew her blaster and returned fire upon their aggressors. The exchange lasted a few moments more with Odian taking a score to the shoulder and found himself sustained by the accuracy of the captain.
With the danger quelled a quick investigation revealed battle droids to be the source of the violence.
Tyress could not help but comment at Odian's injury, "I thought deflecting blaster bolts was a Jedi's bread and butter."
"I was distracted in making sure you were okay." he replied in defense of his wounded pride.
She ignored his murmur and examined the smoldering breast plate upon a droid, "Whoever shot us down were well enforced. These aren't your typical droids, this series is normally used to supply armies."
Odian commented with dark confidence, "They're Sith droids."
"Impossible the Sith haven't had an army since who knows how long."
"I recognize their insignias from my studies at the Jedi temple."
"Then we might be very outgunned." replied Tyress with defeat while she looked around for a place of refuge.
"Don't worry nothing is too great for the Jedi."
The captain tensed her shoulders at the sound of his confidence that was too imbibed with arrogance, "Let's go."
As she went her way Odian stopped and seemed fixated upon a different slope and insisted, "Let's go this way."
"What makes you say that?"
"There is something there, something that calls to us."
She would protest but the sound of more advancing droids could be heard off in the distance and therefore prompted to a new course.
In the meantime Zeniff had removed himself back to the small clearing that was now a smoldering crater and, to his sadness, found none of those who were in the line of fire had survived.
The Sith vessel circled around then hovered over his location. The ramp extended from the fuselage while two robed and armored figures proceeded down, one white, one black, both leapt to the earth.
Zeniff tucked his hands into his sleeves and remained unintimidated as two approached him without concealing their hostile intent. The white one dawned a hood that careened above serpent like eyes and battle armor while the one in black had gray skin, black veins striking from his eye line like lightning complemented with pale blonde hair.
The man in white addressed him first, "Should there not be two of you."
Zeniff withdrew his hilt and readied his footing.
The one in black tilted his head, "Not one for words Jedi?"
The green blade ignited inviting the man in white to shoot forth with the screech and flash to procure from his Sith weapon. A rapid flourish of red later and soon sparks and scratches rapidly flashed in the air marking the start of their duel. A series of waves and static followed by clashes and smoke erupted between the combatants before Zeniff parried off. He spun back and ejected the Sith away with a forceful push, who flew back and collided with a large standing stone.
"Hm." mused the man in black.
The Sith duelist came to his feet, brushed himself off and mocked, "I thought it was forbidden for a Jedi to use the force to attack his enemies."
Zeniff adjusted his stance, "Only for knowledge and defense."
"A pity,' said the man in black who opened his arms and levitated off the ground, 'there is so much more power to be had."
Two sabers telekinetically lifted from his belt, ignited, and began circling around his body as he floated closer to the battle ground then sent them for the Jedi master. Zeniff side flipped over one, parried off another then was hit back with a bolt of lightning shot from the Sith Lord's hand. Zeniff recovered then rolled away right when the man in white launched down and cut the log he rested against in half. Zeniff recomposed himself then sparred him off a bit more.
A moment later he sensed another shot of lightning with which he broke off the engagement, and redirected the energy with his palm deflecting the trajectory directly into the bosom of the man in white sending him yelling in agony as he was propelled through the air.
The floating blades made a swiping return forcing the master Jedi to sweep and dodge as before but then found his limbs locked by the will of he who commanded the dark side. The man in black glided towards him with his hand outstretched keeping him pinned.
Zeniff gritted his teeth but then, after a brief meditation became calm.
"It is foolishness in your Jedi code to believe that a lack of conflict betters man,' said the man in black, 'for had you mastered the force as it truly should be, you could have been more powerful than either of us."
"No,' said Al-Dura, 'free me of my mortal coil and I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."
The smoldering Sith in white rejoined them and readied to strike down his defenseless foe.
Zeniff suddenly lifted his eyes as if overcome by a comforting revelation that readied himself for death, "But beware dark lords, for I have foreseen one to succeed me who shall obtain knowledge and power beyond our own. Stay this course and it shall not be so."
A pang of fear struck their breasts; then, as is the path of the dark side, it led to anger and hate.
"Fare thee well Master Jedi." said the man in black with nothing but evil in his heart.
"May the force receive my soul."
With that said the blades of the Sith lord cut deep into Zeniff's body.
As Odian and Tyress ran up the ravine they came across a mouth of a mysterious cave, one that had strange glowing veins careering themselves into stones of the hollow. As they observed it in solemnness the young padawan gasped as if overcome by sorrow. "What's wrong?" asked Tyress.
"Master Al-Duara is gone. Perished at the hands of those he sought to protect us against." said Odian with a hand over his bosom.
"Are you sure?"
"There is no denying it." whose very being became weighed down by this heavy loss of life. Tear began to secrete at the corners of reddening eyes but he spoke no more.
"C'mon then, let's lay low in this cave and figure out what to do next."
As they proceeded under the stony arch and admitted themselves further inside they notice the strange pattern of glowing lights illuminating deeper into the very bowls of the mountain."
"I sense a strange energy here." said Odian.
"Don't you mean 'a disturbance in the force?'" asked Tyress who knew well the common lingo of the Jedi order.
"It's hard to say, it's as if something is calling to us."
"Well that makes one of us." replied the captain.
Odian ran his hand along the walls and their constellations of glowing specks, "This cave feels almost...alive."
"Can we take a break from your Jedi hocus pocus and figure out what we are to do next!" ordered Tyress.
That is when Odian turned his head towards the mouth of the cave and alerted her to the presence of an oncoming danger, "They are coming!"
"Who?"
Stopping a few steps before the exit he said right to where the ray of light illuminated the lower half of his face he said with lamentations and anger, "The same ones who killed Master Al-Dura."
He proceeded to step outside with confidence and immense worry in his stride.
Tyress rushed and stopped him on the step of the cave's lip, "What do you think you're doing?"
With a quivering voice Odian replied, "The only ones who could have slain a Jedi Master are Sith Lords, which makes me the most qualified to confront them."
Tyress shook her head, "You got shot by a battle droid, the most inept of shots in the galaxy! How are you going to stave them off? No, I forbid it, as your captain I order you to stand down!"
Odian lightly broke free of her grip, "It is mutiny then." he then began his descent down the slope.
"Damn Fool!" she yelled while readying her blaster and retreating back into the bowls of the cavern then said to herself, "Besides this is insubordination not mutiny you idiot."
From there she watched his figure suddenly be confronted by another, who emerged before Odian from behind the leaves and bushes. It was the snake eyed man in white who beheld the padawan in such a punitive light that it forced a slight smirk from the corner of his lip.
"I do hope you provide a more entertaining conflict than that of your master." said he with a morbid eagerness to bring the young man to his demise.
Odian asked defiantly, "Master Al-Dura, he is dead then?"
The man in white tossed before the boy's feet, the lightsaber of the afore mentioned master as a token of his victory. A surge of fear and anger could be felt festering throughout the apprentice's frame, a surge that could be perceived by the servant of the dark side and tickled his spirit some.
"You are in luck boy,' said the man in white, 'you have the opportunity to avenge his death for the one who stands before you orchestrated his undoing."
Odian sensed a whiff of deceit, "No, not just you, for according to ways of the Sith as established by Darth Bane, there should be two of you."
The hooded head tilted slightly as if intrigued, "So you know the ways of the dark lords. Perhaps all is not lost,' he then extended his hand, 'for you can have a new master, one who will teach you the path of the dark side."
Odian hastily brandished his lightsaber then flickered the blue blade to life, "The ways of the Jedi are stronger!"
Suddenly he was pushed back and sent flying through the air and had his brief journey ended by hitting the top of the cave and landing on jagged rocks that burst and broke under his weight. The man in white reset the palm of his hand and advanced to where the padawan lay rolling in pain and agony.
Odian took to his feet, heavily afflicted with cuts and scrapes that stained his robes with crimson life. If only either of them saw the phenomenon of the aftermath, for the rocks that pierced his flesh, were glowing with the same light as within the cave, a light that infused with his wounds, sank into his veins and became one with his being.
Tyress was in clear view from where she stood in the cave and had her barrel presented on the Sith lord but withheld firing when noticing that though the man stood before the entrance, he proceeded to Odian as if he did not see her or her place of dwelling.
Odian regained his strength and thrust towards his opponent who unleashed his blade and caught him in a saber lock. He pushed his foul face, brightened by the blue and red crackling crossed blades, closer to the padawan's.
"Unlike your master who remained tranquil to his own folly, I sense much fear in you. If you desire to be stronger, you must give in and let it fuel your anger. Only your emotions can unlock the your true potential in the force."
Odian shoved off and broke free and said to him, "There is no emotion, there is peace,' He parried off a few strikes, 'there is no ignorance, there is knowledge,' Warding off a few more attacks he continued, 'there is no passion, there is serenity,' Another set of flashes and whips broke through the air as Odian spun away and held his ground, 'there is no chaos, there is harmony,' he guarded an over head swipe then pushed his attacker back, 'there is no death, there is the force."
"Hmph,' said the man in white in total disrespect of the Jedi code and he who recited it, then retaliated with ten fold the aggression felling the boy back with greater strength.
"Peace is a lie, there is only passion,' said the Sith Lord while marching to the padawan, empowered by the dark side, 'through passion I gain power!' he thrusted, was evaded, then swung his elbow into Odian's gut sending him coughing to his knees, 'Through power I gain strength!' he swung down for the young Jedi's head who rolled away then took hold of a boulder by the force and sent its trajectory for the Sith who split it in two with a powerful cut of the blade then rushed forth knocking him down, 'Through strength I gain victory!"
Odian recovered, flipped over him and struck from behind but the man in white blocked him blindly then thrust his foot into his stomach causing him to tumble down the hill.
The poor boy, with grit and sweat decorating his face in a smorgasbord of dirt and diaphoresis, arose once more to meet his enemy who walked towards him impassively. When Odian made another attempt to defend himself, he struck the hilt of the padawan's lightsaber with his own rendering the weapon a severed scrap of sparkling machinery.
"Through victory my chain's are broken." he then lifted Odian up and spread him out with the whim of his fingers, "The force shall free me."
The padawan, in desperate fear of his life, panted and attempted to present himself bravely in the face of death, but alas tears rolled down his cheeks, he was not ready to unite with fate.
"I do not think you a total failure boy.' said he who had the boy levitated against his will, 'for were it not for your distress call we intercepted, we may never would have found you."
Odian felt his heart fall into the deepest, darkest depths of his soul.
The man in white then set the point of his lightsaber towards the suspended padawan and asked, "Do you know what pleases me most about killing a Jedi?' then answered with a morbid smile only the truly evil at heart take when satisfying their thirst for slaughter, 'it is only then in their final moment they learn the power of the dark side."
The saber shot through the air and impaled Odian through the chest. A set of wide eyes, a grunt of despair and a gasp that expelled all hope, his head sunk lifelessly between his shoulders with a burning hole in both the sternum and spine smoking brutally from his body.
The red lightsaber receded into the hilt and returned to the hand of its owner and the boy's dead body dropped to the earth with a heavy lump. Soon after a beep sounded itself from his gauntlet which he held up and answered the call producing a blue Hologram of a shadowy evil figure garbed in Sith armor, "I require an update on your progress Darth Drandis."
"Yes my Lord, Darth Quan and I have arrived on the planet Denjur and it was found at the coordinates you gave us and exactly when you said it would appear."
"And the Republic vessel which had the two Jedi aboard?"
"We shot it down but it made a crash landing on the planet's surface."
"And the welfare of her crew?"
"We have killed both Jedi and are rallying to find the captain and the rest."
The hologram lowered his head and appeared most displeased, "Be warned Lord Drandis for not a single soul who knows of Denjur can be left alive."
"Understood master, we shall double our efforts in eradicating the Republic scum and prevent any further transmissions from her surface. Denjur's secret shall remain safe under our watchful care."
"It had better be, for both your sakes."
The transmission then ceased leaving Darth Drandis alone unto himself, "As you wish Lord Ramage."
He then turned about face and departed leaving the Lifeless Odian Takari behind to become one with the force.