Author's Last Ramblings:
I confess that Luzaya Dan's approach to stories reflects my own. And that attitude, I suppose, makes us fanfic writers do what we do. My first encounter with Star Wars was through my father, who worked for the publishing house that published the Star Wars comic books here in Germany in the eighties. He must have brought home the entire collection for us, and I remember myself and my twin sister spinning those stories further with greatest enjoyment. And, strangely enough, the character that is now my favourite did not even register with me back then. When I was six or seven years old my favourite was Lando Calrissian, actually, and only in 1997, when German TV aired the Classic Trilogy before the Special Edition came out in the movie theaters, did I really take notice of Darth Vader.
Since then I've been pretty obsessed with the character of Anakin Skywalker.
We all know the stories about how George Lucas developed the character, the mythical origins of both the name and the significance of the Chosen One. But, put bluntly, I do not believe in prophecy myself. Perhaps you will now be asking yourselves why The Storm features not only the prophecy of the Chosen One (My thanks goes to the University of Aldera for supplying me with the exact wording used in The Storm), but also the Jen'da Prophecies, the latter made up by myself, admittedly. But if you have followed the prequels of The Storm – from Backlash over Soul of Fire – Heart of Ice up to The Art of War – you will understand that the events that take place in The Storm have been predestined not by prophecy, but by certain events in the past. All strings lead not to Roj Kell, but Darth Sidious, who realizes the possibilities lined out by - yes - prophecy and – ultimately – by history.
It began with Exar Kun and Roj Kell in Ancient History, and here certain happenings were set into motion that would make themselves known only much later. One of those happenings was the creation of Project Zero A and Project Zero B. I realize that I am probably way off the mark concerning the 'official' history of the Yuuzhan Vong – and the creative minds over at Lucasfilm may forgive me for that – but I followed some clues scattered throughout the Expanded Universe that I interpreted the way I saw fit.
One of them was Corran Horn's vision of the Yuuzhan Vong invaders in I, Jedi when he gazes into the obsidian crystal set into the Blueleaf Temple on Yavin 4, Exar Kun's seat of power. And we all know Exar Kun continued Naga Sadow's experiments on the Massassi. If we remain on Yavin 4 we will find an adventure in the classic comic books, where Luke faces the night beast, a guardian left behind by Yavin 4's original inhabitants when they fled to avoid a devastating war. The Jedi armies descending upon Exar Kun's fortress? Another clue, of course, was Threepio's comment on the Yuuzhan Vong language, which he traces to a planet named Janguine. All this, and more clues I found in the New Jedi Order novels, made me come up with an alternate history of the Yuuzhan Vong race that would connect the Sith, or in this case their Massassi slaves, to them. I should add here that the last NJO novel I read was Rebel Dream.
Then the intermediate Backlash stories – Revenge of the Sith, Generations, The Shadow and the Light, Seed of Darkness and The Road to Wisdom – plus the respective Interludes, tied Ancient History into the story arc that would eventually lead to The Art of War and its sequel, The Storm.
The Backlash stories focus on Exar Kun's student, Roj Kell, a somewhat fanatic warrior-priest and Sith magician. Roj Kell is a unique being, chosen by the Force to be the Heart of Darkness, whose ultimate goal is balance, and whose power is balance. That connection to the Force allows him to survive for over three thousand years, a long time, during which he spreads his philosophy even to the Jedi Order. I have described that character at length in the comments to The Art of War and will refrain from repeating myself. More interesting in regards to The Storm, perhaps, are the Jedi that cross Roj Kell's path over the course of time.
Belana Jen, the first, becomes his lover eventually, and it is with her that he ultimately finds his own peace. In a way she inspired him with her understanding and kindness, an influence that takes effect only millennia after her death. The second is Hagen Dycos, an idealistic Jedi Knight who grows from scholar to guardian, and becomes Kell's only friend. He, too, sows his own seeds to be carried into the next millennium by Roj Kell. Through Dycos' liberal-mindedness and the works of his apprentice, Kane Jinn, ancestor of Qui-Gon Jinn, the principle of what many fans call the Grey Side of the Force, seeps into the Jedi Order. A meeting with the Jedi Master Yoda, during which the Jedi fails to realize Kell's true influence on events, makes it possible for Darth Sidious to gain access to an ancient prophecy and make it happen. The other tool used in that endeavor is the Jedi Master Alamys Jorka, Anakin's father.
As I said, I don't believe in prophecy and I don't believe human beings can be conceived by some mysterious, insubstantial Force. I know it's not truly insubstantial, but you know what I mean. And I didn't want to spin a trashy – my apologies to all writers who used it, I do not want to belittle their work here – plotline that would see Anakin as Palpatine's son. It took me a sweet long time to come up with what I have now. Since I based this entire story arc on Roj Kell's quest for perfect balance, the solution had to be balance again. The Art of War, and The Storm even more so, made it clear, or so I hope, that Kell is not comparable to Darth Sidious, in no way. He is a guardian of life and death, a religious leader and philosopher much more than a strategist, even though his schemes are legendary. He is the Heart of Darkness, the light wthin dark, and here he can be compared to the character of Darth Vader. For inside the darkness that is Darth Vader there is another man – Anakin Skywalker, who was once a very selfless, caring individual, as we learned in Episode One – The Phantom Menace. Now. I also don't really want to separate the characters of Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker. They are one.
Therefore I had to find someone to complement Roj Kell, to be the dark within the light. What I used here was Mace Windu's comment in Episode Two – Attack of the Clones. He claims somewhere that the Dark Side is growing stronger, weakening the Jedi. I wondered how that could be possible. Which led to my inventing the Motha Virus and, of course, Alamys Jorka. Alamys is what Anakin never was, a Jedi devoted to the strict moral code of the Order. If there is an epitome of the light as defined by the Jedi Order's guidelines it is Alamys Jorka. What greater irony than to turn this man into an unwilling tool of darkness? He is turning to the Dark Side against his will, and he finds himself unable to cope with his fate. In a last attempt to prevent the Force from being infected by the Motha Virus itself – a threat he takes to be very real, but that, according to the philosophy permeating this alternate universe is really impossible – Alamys creates a weapon against that darkness. A son, born to an 'unsuspecting' mother in an act of mystery and - inevitably – violence. Yet there is no way back for Master Jorka, the only escape he can hope for is death. It is the same justification that will serve Darth Vader for long years, which prompts his father to take these steps. What Alamys does not know, of course, is that Darth Sidious counted on this to happen, and that the Sith Master has laid his hands not only on the Jen'da Prophecies, but also on the vast reservoir of knowledge that is Roj Kell's memory.
I can safely claim that the birth of Anakin Skywalker was probably not strictly necessary for Sidious' rise to ultimate power, but that is not the point. The point is belief. Backlash features numerous discussions between Roj Kell and his respective Jedi counterparts that deal with the aspects of light and dark, justice, the rules of civilization versus the rules of survival and so on. And always the difference is a matter of one's belief. Darth Sidious believes in the power of prophecies over others, especially the Jedi and subsequently Alamys Jorka, who is a great believer in prophecy. Sidious plays on fears, justified or not, to turn the Republic into a war zone, he uses a young man's innocence for his own ends. Does it matter whether the prophecies are for real? No. Sidious may counter Alamys Jorka's arguments with another prophecy before he eventually kills the Jedi Master, but is it the prophecy that is important, or the coincidence that puts Alamys Jorka's power in the Force at Sidious' fingertips in the shape of his son? Again, the prophecy is just a tool, a truth first observed by Roj Kell in a lecture on the subject given to his errant student, Sidious. The cycle is complete when Sidious realizes what his chosen mentor has taught him, and turns those teachings against Kell himself. This is another aspect of Sidious' brilliance. After his first master's accidential death in Seed of Darkness he does not triumph and go on to be master himself, no, he deliberately seeks out another mentor, and a very special one at that.
As I have stated before, all strings ultimately lead to Sidious.
Then why does he fail in the end? Hm?
The truth is many things, but seldom clear. The classic Star Wars line of 'Your focus determines your reality' or that 'certain point of view' sum that up nicely. What Sidious seriously underestimates in this story is the courage to not use the shards of the broken glass to restore the mirror – an endeavor that will inevitably lead to a skewd perspective – but to create something new, a new image. The entire Star Wars saga is a saga of choices that need to be made, which is all life is about. This alternate story arc is no different. The choices made by the respective characters, minor or major, carry events further. In The Art of War Grand Admiral Thrawn was the wild card that blunted the Emperor's plans, and Roj Kell who blocked both Thrawn and Darth Vader effectively. Yet Sidious' scheme survived.
In The Storm the choices Sidious leaves the galaxy are outlined by the Seeker, but it falls to Yana Dar and Anakin Skywalker to make something different of their given situation. Yana, heir to her father's tyrannic rule and burdened by his deeds, has the courage to found a new Sith Empire, to redeem ancient history and tie it in with something new. She finds forgiveness and compassion for the Yuuzhan Vong where others would as soon have destroyed them without second thoughts, something the galaxy might even expect of the Sith. Yet Yana does not deliver on prejudices. And Anakin Skywalker, himself laden with guilt and mistakes, manages to don the mantle of Cor'dan, the Heart of Darkness, to make exactly that happen, and he assumes the role of guardian willingly to ensure the future of this arrangement. In that he extends his hand to Yana Dar in reconciliation of the past of both Sith and Jedi. Together they find a true union between light and dark.
Well, perhaps I need to correct myself. Even though all strings lead to Darth Sidious, it is Roj Kell who cuts and reties quite a few. The most obvious reminder of that, I think, is his last conversation with Anakin on Laa'kuan. It is no coincidence that the translation of that world's name is Prayer. It all comes down to one's own belief, be it of social, political or religious nature. As Kell tells Anakin at the end of The Art of War, the Force can never be imbalanced, so the prophecy in itself is being misinterpreted, both by Sidious and the Jedi. For Kell's own plans the prophecy is totally irrelevant, all he wants is for Anakin to continue his life's work. Roj Kell has never met Alamys Jorka, all he knows about Anakin being the Chosen One comes courtesy of Darth Sidious, and the ancient Sith's own belief and knowledge. But ultimately he chooses Anakin regardless of prophecy. Does that mean that the sacrifice Anakin's father made was in vain?
I would say it was not. He did play into Sidious' hands, yes, and ultimately his actions led to the Jedi's destruction. But at the same time they also led to a new beginning, as shown in The Storm's conclusion. The uncertainty of life, that people seek to control by prophecy has thus prevailed, and with it Roj Kell's own view of life. There is order in chaos, he tells Sidious at the beginning of The Art of War, when the younger Sith tries to understand the chaos inside Kell's mind. It is Anakin Skywalker who accepts that truth, who is courageous and adept enough to challenge both Sidious and Kell in The Art of War. Inevitably he becomes Roj Kell's successor, not the tool of darkness Sidious craved.
The motivator for that choice, as we all know, is love. And so love plays a major role amidst the intricate schemes and counter-schemes that define the games played by the major characters. It may not save Belana Jen from her lover, but her love will triumph in the end too, just as it does at the finale of The Art of War, when Anakin and his long-lost wife find each other once more. In The Storm Luke and Leia deepen their relationship to their respective soul-mates, and even Yana Dar finds someone to love again. Again there is a difference between generations, with Alamys Jorka and Roj Kell both rejecting fatherhood and forfeiting love to pursue their respective dreams, whereas Anakin and family come to cherish love and trust it once more. Of course, Chapter 40 of The Storm hints at a possible reunion between Anakin and his father, and we might imagine a similar reunion to take place between Roj Kell and Irek. In fact, my beta Red suggested that Irek becomes attached to his father and follows him around asking questions all the time, annoying Kell no end. I admit I really liked that image.
I really am a sucker for happy endings.
So, whose story is this saga? That of Roj Kell or that of Anakin Skywalker? I very humbly hope that this has become more to you than just a story tied to some character, the way I experienced it myself. And with those words I would like to close, inviting you to spin the story further.
Djuva
djuva@yahoo.com