So, this is my mixing of the Force into Worm. I did a few things that I wanted to do, and I liked how it went, but this was more of an exercise as there is space for improvement and modification though I don't think I will change it as I got a bit tired of it as this is the third different version.
It is not centered on Skitter though she does about the same with a bit more mental stability as certain things happen differently. Though I do follow the timeline as far as events that do happen happen at the same time. This is also getting posted all at once, so it is complete.
PRELUDE: Skye
Skye Zassi Riflus woke up with a start. Her dream was nearly more vivid than real life as the images of the dream lingered in her mind. The hallway of some place filled with younglings near her age. Though she was far from being a youngling herself as she was near enough to be knighted. Only their effectiveness was in the way of her being so and moving on to other missions. What was so strange is she felt it was supposed to be a school, but the way it was felt so foreign to her.
Ever before she had visited a school that had you walk from one class to the next. The only school to come close had the students moving to different auditoriums as the classes needed the different spaces for the types of subjects taught in these places. Though that was at an age far above these younglings. The other oddity was the storage devices that lined the halls that were used to store actual books or other items like jackets, or bags. Either the world was very low tech or did not see the need to constantly correct and update their information.
The Jedi Temple had books, even modern versions, but even then, it was information that had not changed due to the wisdom they contained. Holocrons were more accurate and could cross reference with other holocrons to even discuss their differences in teaching which she saw as fascinating in its own right. The faces in the dream were the only inconsistency of the vision. However, the long curly black hair of the one human, the tightly pulled back black hair, the straight red hair, and straight brown hair with blue horns never changed other than their faces.
The one human was targeted by the other three that was clear as they stuffed the black curly haired girl inside the storage device to then laugh and walk away with the rest of the faceless crowds that watched. It was very disturbing as the smell was near enough to deceased bodies rotting for some time. She got up and took a sonic shower and dressed in her body suit and armor. She really wanted to wear normal robes, but they were not only on a mission but in space. Robes would get in the way or waste time needing to change, if she had to evac or spacewalk.
Though I only really needed the body suit. She finished drying her hair hiding her pointed ears under the cloth cap covering her platinum blonde hair before attaching her open helm. This was the only outward sign she was of Sephi blood. Her Savarian blood showed in her wide eyes and full lips. Her Corellian, Chalactan, and Arkanian blood barely showed, but if you knew the differences you could tell, and Jedi were very well educated in picking out differences from their healing classes. She had met her birth parents once due to a mission and her mother was half Sephi and Arkanian and her father everything else.
She thought that she would be flying the scout auxiliary later if they stopped in an uncharted system. Which happened more often than not. Why her master was following the path taken by Jedi Scout Ress Shrialla was unknown, other than the Jedi High Council felt that it was important, and he did have a very clear vision to go off of. Her master, Edriagt Fuan'daemo was from a well off Bothan Clan. His markings were near enough to exotic for his species and the few encounters with females of his species found him attractive though it had more to do with his Clan's standing then it did with his looks. Skye only knew he was attractive because the Bothan female in her creche said so.
"Ah my padawan feels troubled.
"I had another of those vision dreams. A bit clearer, still, without faces, but the smells are stronger." He knew the other details of the vision. It was clearly one as it happened over and over for the last ten day.
"Perhaps we are getting closer to the end. My vision is still as blurry in some parts, but I have seen a few strange new things. Scout Ress saw a human fly and the Force is saying it is not its doing."
"Is the next system coming up?"
"Yes, it is. Right through that rift cloud. Going around is not what Scout Ress did so I have Ayfour working on the hyper route. It is that or we use the Force Pathing which I am more inclined to use."
"The rift looks pretty standard from the data we are getting. Though Scout Ress was an expert in Force Pathing."
"Yes, yes, get your craft ready. I assume it may be needed. The Force is hinting at us separating once we get there."
"You expect trouble?"
"Not right away. The Force is being vague."
"Okay I'll help from the Aux, Ayfour, you coming?" The droid beeped out a complaint.
"Go what you have is enough. The Force will provide the rest." The droid gave and electronic shake of his head, but he had witnessed these Jedi versions of biologicals, do the impossible of navigating hyperspace. Not as fast as the more establish hyperlanes, but faster than a standard scouting computation. The droid watched the younger finish putting on her gloves and closing her helmet. Then he felt himself move over to the access slot to link into the auxiliary ship. It was more of a sensor suite with thrusters then weapons, but it was still armed from its beginning as a Jedi fighter.
Once they were both in position she fell nearly quite after the preflight checks were complete. The droid could only know that she was meditating, but it looked more like sleep to its sensors. The hyperdrive engaged and then data poured into the droid of the repeating impossibility of them guiding the craft through hyperspace, but then the data began to vacillate widely, and he could identify stress markers were increasing rapidly in both biologicals. The droid screamed as dozens of sensors screamed at him as the world he knew twisted and changed.
His systems rebooted and data streamed into the droid. He disengaged as the main ship needed his assistance more than the auxiliary did. Though he might have to use its systems as dozens of sensors were reporting damage. Both his master and the other biological was unconscious, but their suits were protecting them. Several minutes pass as the droid moves out of his slot and into the ship proper using his thrusters to compensate for the uncontrolled twisting the ship was doing on all three axis.
He activated the repair drones for inside the ship as he got his mag wheels locked onto the deck. A minute later he got control of several thrusters as he computed the pattern needed to stabilize the craft to get the external drones to check any damage on the outside. Both his charges were alive, but the furred one was showing unusual biosigns of being most likely having a concussion. The younger would come to once the ship was more stable. Time passed and the master awakened before the student.
"Skye? Arfour?" Arfour let out a stream of whistles and beeps on how happy he was to have them functioning again. Though the one was not yet active. He turned a camera sensor on the master and saw him put his hand to his head. Inner body fluid coated his digits.
"Knocked me around good it did." The Bothan shifted as he channels the Force and noticed that it was stronger in this system. He was not sure how, but farther in the system was a planet teaming with life. His head cleared quickly, and he sent a probing thought to Skye. She stirred but was not ready to wake. He concentrated and sent a healing thought to her. Must have had a pretty good slew spin going if she was this out of it. He looked to the controls and help Ayfour with correcting the spin with the Force getting the craft pointing perfectly in the direction it was moving.
He heard the clanking and clattering of several repair drones as they went around their tasks. With a few waves of his hands, he had a holoview of the ship and the damage it had received. From what he could see it would take several hours to get the engines back online. From the active sensors that was not as worrying as it could have been.
"Master?"
"I am here my padawan."
"Did we hit a black hole or something?"
"I am not sure. The Force only warned me to pull out of hyperspace much too late, but it was enough to keep the ship intact and us alive."
"You sure about that? My hands and feet feel swollen."
"Use the healing techniques to help with that." He felt that he did not need to say as much as her signature in the Force flared before he spoke.
"I am master." He felt her surprise and curiosity grow. "I have never felt the Force so strongly. Even in the Temple it has not been this strong, but different."
"I feel this as well. How different?"
"I am not sure." He could feel she was looking out of her canopy, but surely her view was no different from his. Ayfour began a series of wails as he felt the auxiliary detach from the ship.
"Ayfour she will be fine." He saw her rocket out in front of the ship and then her sensor suite spread out sending extra data nearly as soon as it locked into place. They conversed for several hours as they went over the data that came in. The system had eight planets and two planetary clusters. One similar to a naturally destroyed ninth planet from the movement of the largest gas giant getting too close. The far outer cluster was of two main bodies about the size of an average moon and several smaller trailing bodies that had characteristics of a comet body.
Radiation scans reported artificial signals in hundreds of radio bands coming from the third planetary body that was showing preliminary life range data. There was also several subspace and hyperspace signals that had no determinable patterns.
"That is very unusual. I Think they have discovered several different communication systems?"
"Hard to know young one but could be that they are still testing the others. Though discovering both a subspace and hyperspace at the same time is unusual."
"True and Tee'el is only now getting translations of some of the signals."
"Yes, I get that as well from my translation droid module. Several that I have looked at deal with entertainment."
"Okay I have most of the system plotted out. With our current vector we will be in system in a day. Ayfour how long before the ship is up?" The droid's whistles and beeps echoed through the ship and out of the speaker as he reported several more hours.
"I think I will meditate. Best you come in and get our gear in order."
"Master best you get your armor on." He chuckled but did not move. He would have time enough. Several more hours passed before the main engine came back online.
"Any luck with the hyperdrive?" Ayfour beeped a few positive notes.
"He says the hyperdrive is at ninety percent." Skye added as she came into the cockpit with a meal pod for him. He took it and nodded his thanks.
"You're welcome. Master as far as everything goes, we are fine, but the hyperspace charts are not lining up with any of the local stars and even some of the more distant. What is worrying is that the data is suggesting we are in another galaxy." He pointed out the view screen as he darkened the entire cockpit.
"This view is impressive, and the Force is telling me just as much as the ship's navigational charts. You do not have to guess. We are no longer in the Republic or even our galaxy. How I do not know." She closed her eyes, and he could feel her searching the Force herself. Not long ago he would have had to urge her to look to the Force first. Now it was automatic for her. Her eyes flew open just ass her fingers flew over the controls.
"What is wrong?"
"I am not sure." The view screen changed as it zoomed in several magnitude to observe the habitable third planet. Several symbols appeared showing a few hundred of satellites but what Skye focused on was not an area that had any satellites inside of it. The magnification changed again to reveal a very strange image indeed.
"Is that a being, Master?"
"It appears to be. Won't know until we can get closer." The figure kept their attention as the ship moved closer to the planet. It was not until they saw the wings that they felt something was not right in the Force.
"I am going out in the aux. You need to get armor on master. I don't like what I am feeling in the Force."
"Very well." She did not like telling her master what to do, but he disliked wearing armor believing and relying on the Force to more often than not protect him from dangers seen and unseen, but that was on top the fact he did not like what the body glove did to his fur. This far away from the Jedi Temple he was only wearing the most basic of robes. That just barely covered his privates. His utility belt did more coverage than the robes.
Ayfour joined her and as the sensor suite spread out as she got farther from the main ship showed much more detail and surprisingly a carrier signal through subspace of an odd form of singing. Her translation droid was being worked hard as it tried in vain to come up with anything understandable. However, the Force was more than able to cover the gaps in understanding.
"That thing is alive and if the Force is right, it has noticed us. How it can live in vacuum is interesting compared to its humanoid shape surrounded by wings that look bird like. It was another thing that was odd as the wings moved like they would in the air. She moved the aux fighter farther away from the main ship to get a better range on the strange life form. Ayfour whistled and she looked to find the being was getting closer much faster than they were to the planet.
"Master?"
"What is it?"
"The being is getting closer. Intercept course to the Benign." B9 scout transport was one of the models used by the Jedi in the outer rim and wild space. It was common to have several with the same name or similar. Her master came into view on the side holo. He was wearing most of his armor as he set his helmet down in the other seat. She resisted ordering him to put in on. It was a miracle he was even wearing the suit.
"Ayfour is showing a constant transmission coming from the being. I am also feeling something touching my mind."
"Ah yes I feel it too. It feels like it is trying to communicate with us. Being in space telepathy is most likely a form it would communicate with."
"It is getting stronger." She actively started to shield her mind from the being as it was growing intrusive. Then several other signals started to come through being finally translated enough to be understandable.
"The Simurgh is moving away from the planet. Not sure what she is doing?" She did not understand their words.
"That cannot be good. Perhaps it sees something?"
"Could there be aliens?"
"Unsure the Path is blank." Skye hit a few switches as the comlink locked onto that signal. She had to say something to them. Perhaps they controlled things.
"Third planet of this system, this is Jedi Riflus we come in peace." She listened to the translation before the channel broke into several beings talking at once. Many raising their voices trying to talk over the other which confused the translation droid turning their words into gibberish, but the Force was now screaming at her.
"Master evasive action!" She saw that he had heard as the B9 spun and accelerated away from the being. Skye flipped the several switches to pull in the sensors as she watched the being go after her master and the ship. Precious seconds went by as the sensors prevented her from maneuvering and as soon as the light nearly turned green, she rocketed after her master as she brought the weapons online.
"It is very loud in my mind. Hard to block it out. Like it is trying to break my shields."
"You're the best at shielding, master. It is not so focused on me."
"I am strong yes, but you are more slippery of mind."
"Shall we open fire?"
"Not yet. I am sure the Benign is faster than it is." To prove this Master Edriagt flew around her with no problems. She lined up with the being with a clear weapons lock. All she needed was permission from her master or the warning from the Force. Neither came as they got closer and closer to the planet. Then it all screamed at her at once.
"Stay away from Ziz. She will kill you!" Came out of her speakers as the Force called out a warning to her master as he screamed in her ear. Her finger twitched before she even knew her reaction her cannons began their rapid fire as another finger set a proton torpedo loose. Part of the Benign broke off as the beast wretched the Not Force to her bidding. Skye screamed as she had ripped the main drive partially from the other ship. Her aim was true, and it kept the Simurgh busy as it tried to dodge her attacks. The torpedo followed her and detonated so close to her that the explosion hid her from view.
The next second, she was past the beast and accelerating towards the Benign. Air started to impact the shields as the ship in front of her looked as if it was burning. Part of it was as the shields in that area had failed. She watches hopelessly as she could not go any faster without over taxing her own shields. She could feel her master fighting the ship and she so desperately needed to hear his voice but knew it would distract him. She reached with the Force and tried in her own way to slow down the craft with the Force.
Slowly it seemed to work as she closed the distance the thicker the atmosphere got. The smoke thinned out as she moved a bit out of line to see that her master had regained some control. Then the Force screamed at her. Her hands followed its will and she spiraled out of the way as the Simurgh rocketed past her. She brought her weapons to bear just as her wings spread out as the Benign began to fall apart.