The stars shone brightly in the background of space. All was still and peaceful above the planet Belkadan. Almost. Mace Windu sighed and continued to stare out of the transparisteel cockpit of his Jedi Starfighter. Except for his hyperspace docking ring floating behind him, no objects were in orbit on this side of the planet. Was it too quiet? Mace didn't think so. It could never be too quiet, except in holofilms.
"General Windu, shall we move in?" said Jango Fett's voice in the comlink. It almost hurt just to hear that voice, even if it was only from a clone trooper. "Go ahead, Commander." Mace sent back.
In less than twenty seconds, he was no longer alone but surrounded by fifteen other Jedi Starfighters and two Republic assault cruisers. "Hail, General Windu!" said a crackling, static-filled voice from the surface. "Your fleet may proceed to Olkan City! We have opened landing bays E2-A through E2-K!"
Mace's ship flew down, and for the first time, Mace could see the billions of trees that coated the surface. Mace knew a lot about the planet. It had only two areas of habitation: a small security outpost, where the Belkadan Civil Protection Patrol was stationed, and only a few standard kilometers away was the only city, Olkan.
But what a city it was! It was like Coruscant, but on a backwater world, complete with three levels- the bottom, on the forest floor, was home to dirty slums and dimly lit bars, where prostitutes danced on streetcorners and you could buy almost anything- as long as it was illegal. It was a favorite getaway for gamblers and fugitives alike. The middle level, where the trees met the sky, is where the middle and upper class of the city lived. There were numerous biosphere housing projects- you could live in a simulation of a desert, water, or even icy planet. On the upper level, however, no one lived. Its thousands of towering skyscrapers rose above the treetops and dominated the landscape. These were mostly commercial buildings or government offices.
Mace stared in awe at their immense height as he sped past toward the landing pads. A short time later, Mace had landed his nimble craft and climbed out of the cockpit. Two security guards from Olkan had walked out to meet him.
"Greetings, General Windu!" they said, raising their hands in salute. "We are instructed to escort you to the offices of the president. There you will speak with the BCPP captain who was aboard when the..." The guard seemed to be searching for a word to describe it. "...incident- occurred. We are afraid we must relieve you of all weaponry, including your lightsaber-" "There is no need to take my lightsaber." Mace said calmly, raising his hand slightly. "On second thought," the guard said, "there is no need to take your lightsaber." Mace smiled. "Follow me, now." said the security guard as he began walking back.
When they finally reached the president's inner office, Mace was thoroughly exhausted. They had walked what seemed to Mace as about five miles and had gone up (or down) at least ten different repulsorlifts.
The office door opened and Mace saw a smiling Ishi Tib wearing a flowing yellow robe seated next to a worried-looking man in a BCPP captain's uniform. "Hello, Master Windu!" said the Ishi Tib cheerfully. "I am President Volutry, but you can call me Tuni! Please, take a seat!" 'President Volutry is fine with me', thought Mace as he sat down.
"This," Volutry said, motioning to the captain, who now seemed downright petrified, "is Captain Gabe Yinn of the Belkadan Civil Protection Patrol!" "Um... h-hello, M-Master Windu!" the captain said in a tiny voice. Mace could sense his discomfort. "Captain Yinn, this is extremely important. You must tell me everything you remember," Mace said, accompanied by a small push of Force-encouragement.
Immediately the man began eagerly telling of his encounter with the strange ship. When he was finished, Mace leaned back, looking thoughtful but inwardly disturbed. Could this organic ship be like the ones the explorer mentioned in his journal? No, he said its materials were not of this galaxy... perhaps it was created by some... far outsiders.
Mace started, "President, can I-" BOOM! Mace was cut off by a massive explosion echoing from a nearby building. He immediately whipped his head around to look out the window and saw what could only be a Trade Federation lander, closing in on the planet.
"General Windu, shall we move in?" said Jango Fett's voice in the comlink. It almost hurt just to hear that voice, even if it was only from a clone trooper. "Go ahead, Commander." Mace sent back.
In less than twenty seconds, he was no longer alone but surrounded by fifteen other Jedi Starfighters and two Republic assault cruisers. "Hail, General Windu!" said a crackling, static-filled voice from the surface. "Your fleet may proceed to Olkan City! We have opened landing bays E2-A through E2-K!"
Mace's ship flew down, and for the first time, Mace could see the billions of trees that coated the surface. Mace knew a lot about the planet. It had only two areas of habitation: a small security outpost, where the Belkadan Civil Protection Patrol was stationed, and only a few standard kilometers away was the only city, Olkan.
But what a city it was! It was like Coruscant, but on a backwater world, complete with three levels- the bottom, on the forest floor, was home to dirty slums and dimly lit bars, where prostitutes danced on streetcorners and you could buy almost anything- as long as it was illegal. It was a favorite getaway for gamblers and fugitives alike. The middle level, where the trees met the sky, is where the middle and upper class of the city lived. There were numerous biosphere housing projects- you could live in a simulation of a desert, water, or even icy planet. On the upper level, however, no one lived. Its thousands of towering skyscrapers rose above the treetops and dominated the landscape. These were mostly commercial buildings or government offices.
Mace stared in awe at their immense height as he sped past toward the landing pads. A short time later, Mace had landed his nimble craft and climbed out of the cockpit. Two security guards from Olkan had walked out to meet him.
"Greetings, General Windu!" they said, raising their hands in salute. "We are instructed to escort you to the offices of the president. There you will speak with the BCPP captain who was aboard when the..." The guard seemed to be searching for a word to describe it. "...incident- occurred. We are afraid we must relieve you of all weaponry, including your lightsaber-" "There is no need to take my lightsaber." Mace said calmly, raising his hand slightly. "On second thought," the guard said, "there is no need to take your lightsaber." Mace smiled. "Follow me, now." said the security guard as he began walking back.
When they finally reached the president's inner office, Mace was thoroughly exhausted. They had walked what seemed to Mace as about five miles and had gone up (or down) at least ten different repulsorlifts.
The office door opened and Mace saw a smiling Ishi Tib wearing a flowing yellow robe seated next to a worried-looking man in a BCPP captain's uniform. "Hello, Master Windu!" said the Ishi Tib cheerfully. "I am President Volutry, but you can call me Tuni! Please, take a seat!" 'President Volutry is fine with me', thought Mace as he sat down.
"This," Volutry said, motioning to the captain, who now seemed downright petrified, "is Captain Gabe Yinn of the Belkadan Civil Protection Patrol!" "Um... h-hello, M-Master Windu!" the captain said in a tiny voice. Mace could sense his discomfort. "Captain Yinn, this is extremely important. You must tell me everything you remember," Mace said, accompanied by a small push of Force-encouragement.
Immediately the man began eagerly telling of his encounter with the strange ship. When he was finished, Mace leaned back, looking thoughtful but inwardly disturbed. Could this organic ship be like the ones the explorer mentioned in his journal? No, he said its materials were not of this galaxy... perhaps it was created by some... far outsiders.
Mace started, "President, can I-" BOOM! Mace was cut off by a massive explosion echoing from a nearby building. He immediately whipped his head around to look out the window and saw what could only be a Trade Federation lander, closing in on the planet.
