Chapter 1

Ash Worlds sector (historically the Kiirium Reaches), 42 BBY

Josei Akuma sighed as she filled a cooking pot with water. Her mind was preoccupied with what has transpired a few days ago, an event that still caused her to have restless sleep.

It all started when villagers from a few days trip down the mountain showed up at her family's castle a week ago. They told frightened tales of a nighttime raid with three disc-shaped, metal objects that made a thunderous sound and fired rays of lights with more power behind them than any firepowder weapon ever seen.

Her father, the Daimyo Mao Akuma, gave shelter to the thirty villagers that escaped the raid and had his soldiers and samurai begin to look out for any signs of trouble. Trouble did arrive a couple days after when the same thing happened to the Akuma Clan castle. The sounds of battle and death sounded so close after her brother woke her up and took her to their father.

After finding him, the Daimyo sent his heir and heiress apparent away with his jito and kenzou, Kashikoi Mura, as well as one his samurai, Miyamoto Musashi. Fearing for his children's safety, the father sent them on their way to their uncle, the Daimyo Inazuma Yari. That was the last time the saw their father before a flash struck him in the chest, killing him dead. After grabbing Musashi's wife and two sons, the group began their journey to Daimyo Yari's castle.

So, her here she was. Gathering water for the supplies they managed to grab before leaving Akuma Castle while they made their way to their uncle's.

As she pulled the pot out of the water and began to filter out any solids out of the water with a net-like strainer, she noticed something in the water.

There was a streak of color flowing though the water rather close to the river's shore. Most people would just chock that up as sediment from the river bank. Josei knew something wasn't right however. She may not be well versed in soils and what not but the young heiress knew that soil was generally brown or grey and the streak was neither of those colors. The streak was a crimson color, about the same as her own skin.

Curious, the young girl followed the streak up stream, resting her right hand near the hilt of her tanto fastened to her hip. Whatever this was, she hoped it to be ready if it decided to jump her.

As she watched the streak along the bank, she noticed it getting thicker and less diluted by the river. It was worrying her at what this could entail. Eventually she found the source of this anomaly.

In the shallows of the river lay an unconscious figure and due to its face up position, Josei could tell quite a few of its features. The figure appeared to look like one of the male specimens of her own kind with some noticeable differences. While her own kind had crimson skin and horns growing from the crown with males having four and females having two, this stranger had skin that was almost as pale as the skin of a hairless boar and was lacking horns on his crown. The torn tunic and pants combo that wasn't too dissimilar to what her brother and father would wear during their marshal training, with the exception of boots instead of sandals.

As for his hair it was in a strange style. Every part of his cut short, with the exception of a single braid that draped over his shoulder. As for the figure itself, they appeared to be bleeding rather heavily from his nose, which looked kind of misshapen.

Before she could try and wake this mystery person, Josei heard a yell in the distance.

"Josei, where are you?" the voice of her brother called.

"I'm over here," she replied, "I found something."

"Well, this better be something important," Wakai answered, "Musashi and I managed trap a few rabbits for some stew and- "The young man finally came into view, wearing a white shirt, a pair of black long pants and a pair of grey socks with straw sandals. He still had a hunting bow slung on his back and quiver of arrows at his hip. He stopped in his tracks and looked like he saw a ghost.

"Wakai, what is-?" Josei asked as she turned to look at her older brother. She was shocked when she saw that her brother was beginning to draw his dagger and looked rather angry at the sight of this outsider.

"What are you doing?!" the young girl asked in shock.

"This thing looked like one of the raiders that attacked our castle," her brother answered, "They could be working with them."

"If he works with them," Josei retorted, "He might know some information on their whereabouts."

"And if he doesn't know?"

"Then we have a tribute to Hachi."

Subsiding his anger for a bit, the brother helped his sister pick up the body of this mysterious outsider and drape them over the back of Wakai's Red Elk mount as the two brought the outsider back to camp.

The sound of a fire going was what stirred Ry'ven Vonto from unconscious. As the Jedi padawan began fully wake and open his eyes, he noticed his head and nose really hurt. Given his head hurt, Ry'ven slowly lifted himself up into a sitting and realized he wasn't along.

Facing the young Jedi was faced with a group of six strange beings dressed in robes. Each being had crimson red skin and horns, not too dissimilar to a Devaronian, (though it seemed both sexes appeared to have horns).

This group was busy eating from bowels and talking amongst themselves, probably trying to decide what to do with him. They stopped their discussion when one of them, an adolescent by the looks of it, noticed that their guest was awake and said something to their companions.

The group stopped their eating and discussion to look at him and stared at him. Ry'ven noticed that his head and nose were wrapped and bandaged. A breeze made him realize that he was also without clothes as well. A quick glance at the fire saw that said clothes, as well as his belongings, were drying off there.

The Padawan was snapped out of his when one of the beings, a figure with four horns, black hair and appeared to male based on the thin mustache and goatee, spoke to him in a language that he didn't understand. This made for an awkward stare down with him and his hosts. Another being, a male that was a bit older by the fuller mustache and goatee spoke to him in a rather harsh and angry tone compared to the previous being's tone and was gripping the hilt of what looked like a sword held at his belt.

"Uh," Ry'ven began, "I don't understand you."

Another being, a male who looked much older than the previous being if the grey beard, bald head and wrinkles weren't a telling sign, spoke. This nearly caused the Padawan's jaw to fall to the ground in surprise.

"The young Lord Akuma would like to know why you're here," the old being told him. This caused the young Padawan to be taken aback as he looked at said being.

"You can understand me?" Ry'ven asked the being, which prompted them to nod before turning and telling his confused companions what was going on. It was then that the Jedi noticed a sliver of an all too familiar power dwelling in the being.

"Do you think you can translate for me?" the Padawan asked, "I can answer the Lord's questions that way."

The horned being explained this to his companions, who all nodded in agreement. With that out of the way, Ry'ven introduced himself and began to explain the Jedi, the Force, the Galactic Republic, and his mission.