Title: Illumination
Summary: Obidala. The galaxy has experienced a longstanding era of peace. But all of that is coming to an end. Whispers of a shadow are moving across the star systems and it is up to Obi-Wan Kenobi, a Defender of the Light, to remove the darkness once and for all and save those whom he loves.
Genre: Action/adventure, romance, drama
Warnings: Some violence and creepy dark stuff
Note: If anyone reading this is a LOTR fan like me, you will notice a heavy influence here. I won't be stealing anything from the late/great JRR Tolkien, other than the spirit of his writings. Hope you enjoy it! If you do, be sure to hit Like and Subscribe. Oops. Wrong website. ; ) Please leave a review.
One/Prologue
For over three thousand years, darkness consumed the galaxy. A nameless and menacing evil ruled all. The embodiment of this evil was a Dark Lord who maintained power and control through fear. No one was brave enough to stand up against him, let alone try and defeat him. His magic was powerful and his malevolence spread to every corner of every planetary system within his reach. Those who followed him were equally cruel and unjust; exacting the will of the Dark One without hesitation or mercy.
Eventually, even those once considered weak become strong, and the fearful become brave. It is the inevitability of change.
A rumor began to spread. Whispers of an uprising far from the central worlds.
In response, the Dark Lord sent out his armies to investigate and dispel this nonsense. Except, those loyal to him found no such rebellion, and no matter how many citizens they tortured, maimed, or killed, no word of any treasonous activity was revealed.
The armies returned to their Master and reported the rumors were apparently false. Yet, within his ruthless and blackened heart, the Dark Master knew something was different. He could feel it deep within his brittle and ancient bones.
Late one night, the evil Lord consulted the Darkness through the sacred pyramids that contained the spirits which provided him the power to reign and stay alive for so many years. When it was deemed necessary, these Dark entities would allow him to also see into the future.
Hoping for some insight, the Dark Master, his face concealed beneath a shadowy hood entered the Sacred Chamber and stood, his feet planted in the center of the symbolic crest etched into the floor. In front of him was the Key Tetra - the one that awakened all the rest, and he placed his pale, bony fingers around the object, pressing into the ancient runes that would activate it.
As soon as he had focused all of his malice through the tips of his fingers, a bolt of red lightning issued forth and shot around the chamber, igniting each of the seven cairns. Inside them were black crystals that began to vibrate once they recognized the evil presence in the room. He was one of them. They knew him well and would listen to what he had to say.
The Dark Lord spoke to them as if he were communicating with an actual being, and perhaps he was, though not one of this realm.
The pyramid-shaped objects glowed, their amber and black glow swirling about the room, caressing and enveloping the Dark Lord. They spoke to their cloaked puppet silently, their wicked schemes heard only within his mind. They only confirmed the suspicions he already had.
War was coming.
This wasn't the first uprising against him and it most certainly wouldn't be the last. He would deal with it the way he always had. He'd snuff out the embers of rebellion before they had a chance to erupt into flame.
The Dark Lord gathered his generals and informed them of his vision. They would prepare immediately. According to the dark whispers, the insurrection would originate in the east. These rioters would be discovered on the planet of Ahch-To; a loathsome system spawning nothing but a lazy rabble of worthless subjects. Despite that, he could not recall any trouble initiating in Ach-To and he had not needed to assassinate or imprison anyone. At least not yet.
It had been too long since they had felt his presence there. It was high time he visited and reminded them of his authority.
The Dark Master had learned long ago to quickly eliminate any hint of disloyalty. If he had to destroy half the planet to do so, then so be it. They wouldn't rise up against him any time soon afterward.
The generals did as they were commanded and gathered their troops in the massive courtyard south of the temple. The Dark Lord stepped out onto a precipice high above them all, his pride and confidence revealed in a sneer that revealed a row of decayed and broken teeth, as if they had somehow become fossilized. He cast his gaze out over the barren landscape, viewing the hundreds of devoted soldiers and rows of battleships prepared to leave, and he lifted his arms as a sign of expectant victory.
In response, his army cheered wildly, lifted their swords of red lightning into the air, and chanted in an ancient tongue only the followers of the Dark could understand.
Someone may mistake the Dark Master's expression for gladness and his movements as encouragement, but they would be wrong. His heart was incapable of such feelings. All that he knew and had ever known was hate. All he had ever expressed was anger. And all he had ever wanted was power.
History would record the Dark Lord had been blindsided that day; that he hadn't seen what was coming. No one could ever be sure, since those who record historical events aren't always present. As a result, their information is often hearsay or second-hand.
However, in this instance, the account passed down through the years was true. Those who had gathered and traveled through vast systems of stars, planets, and space for many years also had the ability to hide.
These beings listened to the Light and lived and trained in secret. They were the students of everything that was good, honest, and pure. They had waited patiently, growing in number and strength; waiting for the day when they could no longer tolerate the evil doings of the galaxy's Supreme Leader – this Dark Lord, he called himself.
As ready as they could be, they boarded random transports, both private and public, and gathered at the borders of Malachor; far from the ancient temple.
They were taking a great risk. Their scouts had already been captured and killed. As a result, these Light Followers had no idea if they were expected or if their existence was known.
Under the cover of a moonless night and through the use of their learned talents, they slipped onto the Temple grounds and took their places amongst the Dark Lord's army. Disguised as the enemy, these heroes of the galaxy spread out. They needed no leader and had no captain, for they shared the same mind. The Light guided them. All they had to do was wait for the perfect opportunity; the right time to strike.
When the moment arrived, each Follower of the Light realized it simultaneously. All at once, their swords lit up the dark skies, sprinkling the sea of red with horizontal beams of blue, green, lavender, and yellow.
They attacked in unison and soon, the red dawn was cast down and covered the earth beneath their feet. None that had chanted in the foul and ancient tongue were left standing.
These beings of Light, minus only a few who had paid the ultimate sacrifice, crossed the littered wasteland and entered the stronghold of the Dark Lord himself. They quickly vanquished the red-cloaked guards they discovered inside, only to be disappointed to find the rest of the Temple was empty.
The Dark Master had escaped. In his wake, was nothing but death and ruin. There was no other evidence of him at all.
The Warriors of Light swept through the Temple once again, coming to a locked door at the peak of the highest tower. It took several of them to gather enough strength to force their way in, and they stumbled forward with swords lit, only to find this room empty as well.
Upon inspection, they discovered hieroglyphs and runes etched into the walls. These were ancient and evil spells they did not recognize and would not try to decipher. These were workings of the Dark and they dare not touch them.
Just before departing, one of their youngest, a fair-haired girl of seventeen spied an object lying on the floor, its point jutting out from beneath a heavy black drape. She picked it up and stared into the windowed golden pyramid, finding its markings to be quite lovely.
But then the thing began to glow and it spoke to her. It called her by name and told her that although she was brave, she wasn't well respected or trusted by her peers – something she had always wondered about. Before she could manage to understand what was happening, another Light Warrior took the object away and concealed it within his robes.
"She found one of the Sith Holocrons we keep down in the Temple archives, didn't she?"
Qui-Gon Jinn, Jedi Master and Follower of the Light gazed at his young apprentice learner, Obi-Wan Kenobi, with pride. The virtue was a dangerous one and he would do well to be careful. Too much would lead to corruption and misguidance, selfishness, and downfall.
But he couldn't help himself.
Obi-Wan was his third apprentice and his most gifted one yet. And to think he had almost passed him by. Qui-Gon hadn't been looking for a small-in-stature, hesitant though too-eager student. Like most other masters with his experience, he was keeping his eye out for someone perhaps tall, more mature, muscular, a natural athlete like himself.
He should've known better. When it came to the workings of the Light, he was usually surprised, although he was never certain if that was because he needed to learn a lesson, or if the Light Side simply liked to mess with him.
This afternoon, during a break from treaty negotiations, he had decided to take some time to help Obi-Wan with his ancient galactic history studies. As one of the more effective diplomacy teams, he and his apprentice spent more time out on missions than they did at home in the Jedi Temple.
It was one of Qui-Gon's responsibilities to make sure Obi-Wan did not fall behind. Even though the boy was just getting started, there was a lot of information to take in. Qui-Gon hoped he, himself, was up to the task of being a decent instructor. His mind wasn't as sharp as it used to be.
"That's right," he told the young one, confirming Obi-Wan's suspicion. "A Holocron is a dangerous tool used to communicate with the Dark Side."
"And is one of a set of seven that went missing during the Dark War on Malachor. Yes, I know all about that. What I want to know is where the other six are!"
Qui-Gon had always tried to stick with the facts when it came to Obi-Wan's education. There was no sense in entertaining the boy's incessant curiosity.
"All that is nothing but fables and fairytales told to crechlings who need to get some sleep," he told the young man, although he knew there was some truth hidden there.
Locked away tight deep within the vaults of the Jedi Temple Archives, accessible only by the Grand Masters, were the accounts of the original Jedi: the ones who first confronted the Dark users now known as the Sith. At that time, these Warriors were known as the Jeddak, knights who were guided by the Light.
"But that doesn't change the fact that the Dark Lord has to be dead by now," his young apprentice insisted. "Even though he was never found, the Dark War happened three thousand years ago! Surely, nobody, not even Master Yoda, can live that long!"
Qui-Gon gazed down the long corridor of the Pasaana Council House. This particular building was at least 1,500 years old and within its great library were texts and scrolls dating back even further than that. Yet, no one had ever managed to discover the true nature of the Dark Lord of the Sith; where he had come from, or how long he'd been around.
Most importantly, no one knew if or when he would return. How could he, a simple forty-year-old Jedi Master explain such a thing to his student? Not even the wisest of their Order had the answers.
"All we can do is seek out guidance from the Light," he told Obi-Wan. "Some questions are too difficult to answer and only time will provide the information we need. We must trust in the Light."
His advice was well received, and yet Qui-Gon could tell by the look on his apprentice's face that Obi-Wan wasn't satisfied. Perhaps the youth would one day grow up, seek out, and find the answers on his own.
A/N: This is a teaser epilogue. Let me know what ya'll think! I won't actually start it until "Protection" is complete, and not before something else I'm itching to write! My imagination is on a rampage! :D
