ENCOUNTER: PART ONE
A blazing star fell through the night sky of Wayland. It streaked through the darkness and crashed into the forest. A trio of male Psadan set off into the woods to find investigate. They rushed through the trees with their spears, wondering what they would find. They suddenly came across a long scorched trail. The branches of the trees above were broken and smoldering. The blackened soil went into a trench that grew deeper in one direction.
The Psadan followed the trail. They found the end of it to be a large crater indented on the ground. Embedded in the dirt lay a strange silver object. It glistened in the starlight like a gem, and red lights flashed about its middle. One of the Psadan cautiously approached the object and examined it more closely. A darker spot rested on the side of the object with small lights blinking on it. The Psadan probed it with his spear.
The shining object hissed, causing the Psadan to start and jump back. Part of the object's side slid out of view and revealed a pitch black interior. The lead Psadan took a torch from one of his companions and looked tentatively into the opening. He died before he saw anything within. The others saw his body jerk and collapse. The torch fell to the dirt as something black and horrible shot out of the object.
The thing barreled into one of the two remaining Psadan. The poor being cried out in terror as a set of jagged fangs opened and drove into his skull. The creature looked at the remaining Psadan and let out a blood- curdling shriek. Its face dripped with the fresh blood of the two dead Psadan.
The remaining Psadan screamed and tried to run. The black beast bounded after him and caught him by the leg. It turned him over and pinned him to the ground. The Psadan stared up at the creature in horror as it hissed and dribbled blood on him. He expected the beast's wicked jaws to come crashing down on him at any moment, but they never did. Instead, a warm darkness covered the Psadan's face, and something coiled around his neck. He felt a slimy tendril slither down his throat as he lost consciousness.
The Republic cruiser Crusader came out of hyperspace in the Wayland system. The ship carried a crew of seven Jedi archaeologists. They had spent the past few weeks on Yavin IV studying the ancient Sith temples of Exar Kun. The trip from Coruscant to Yavin either way needed at least one course change. Wayland was a convenient junction point between the two systems.
The team's human leader, Jedi Master Jarrin Fesh, sat in a flight couch on the Crusader's bridge. With him were a human Jedi Knight named Ortis Lann and his reddish-gold-furred Wookiee apprentice, Chonessinac. Nac sat at the comm terminal, monitoring for any word from the Jedi Council or the Senator in charge of the Sith expedition.
Nac suddenly let out a quiet bark. Ortis looked over at the Wookiee.
"What is it, Nac?" he asked.
Chonessinac said that he was picking up some sort of distress signal from the surface of Wayland. Jarrin got up and eyed the terminal curiously.
"Any idea what kind of ship it's coming from?" he asked.
Nac shook his head. What could be the source of a signal like that? There were no settlements on Wayland as far as Jarrin knew, and the surrounding space was rarely traveled.
"What do we do?" Ortis asked Jarrin. The Jedi Master thought for a moment before answering.
"I'll contact Coruscant," Jarrin said at last. "You and Nac get the others briefed. We're going down."
Ortis nodded. He and Nac strode out of the bridge leaving Jarrin alone. Jarrin walked over to the holo terminal. He activated the system, and the holocams hummed and focused. He punched in the communication code he needed. Soon, the small holographic image of a Republic Senator appeared in front of Jarrin.
"Ah, Master Fesh, how good to hear from you," said the Senator. "I trust you and your team are en route back to Coruscant?"
"We've had a slight change of schedule, Senator," Jarrin replied. "When we came out of hyperspace to change our course, we picked up a distress signal coming from Wayland."
"Wayland? I'm not familiar with the planet."
"The signal is coming from a heavily forested area around a mountain surveyors have named," Jarrin paused to check the comm station screen for the exact name. "The surveyors call it 'Mount Tantiss'. We have decided to respond to the signal before returning to Coruscant."
"I see. I will inform the Jedi Council of this development at once."
"That would be most helpful, Senator."
"Not at all, Master Fesh. May the Force be with you."
"Thank you, Senator Palpatine."
A small vessel slows down from lightspeed above the planet. The pod's signal emanates from a dense forest around a mountain. It blazes down through the planet's atmosphere and comes to rest in a clearing about one hundred nok from the mountain. The hatch opens with a hiss. The lone huntress, Pyode Setg'-in, emerges from the hatch and looks around. As she makes her way into the trees, Pyode Setg'-in vanishes without a trace.
The apprentice pounded at the sparring droid. The droid's durasteel structure was covered with a thick rubber so one fighting it wouldn't break his or her fists. The apprentice hammered the droid with a flurry of punches. With a mighty spinning kick, he removed the machine's head from its neck. The droid collapsed.
The apprentice finished his exercise. He had lost no control over his body. His breathing and heart rate had barely risen at all. Even after such a vigorous workout, not even a single drop of sweat was on his flesh. The comm terminal chimed. He walked over to it and immediately kneeled on the transmission pad. The large image of his master's face shimmered into being.
"What is thy bidding, my master?" the apprentice asked.
"Seven Jedi are on Wayland," the master replied. "They must not discover the Mount Tantiss Project."
"Yes, my master."
The master vanished. The apprentice rose to his feet and donned his black robes. He hooked his weapon to his belt and climbed into his stealth ship. He sat down in the flight couch and flew up out of Coruscant's atmosphere. The ship slipped past the planet's security unnoticed and suddenly shot into hyperspace toward Wayland.
Darth Maul was on the hunt.
A blazing star fell through the night sky of Wayland. It streaked through the darkness and crashed into the forest. A trio of male Psadan set off into the woods to find investigate. They rushed through the trees with their spears, wondering what they would find. They suddenly came across a long scorched trail. The branches of the trees above were broken and smoldering. The blackened soil went into a trench that grew deeper in one direction.
The Psadan followed the trail. They found the end of it to be a large crater indented on the ground. Embedded in the dirt lay a strange silver object. It glistened in the starlight like a gem, and red lights flashed about its middle. One of the Psadan cautiously approached the object and examined it more closely. A darker spot rested on the side of the object with small lights blinking on it. The Psadan probed it with his spear.
The shining object hissed, causing the Psadan to start and jump back. Part of the object's side slid out of view and revealed a pitch black interior. The lead Psadan took a torch from one of his companions and looked tentatively into the opening. He died before he saw anything within. The others saw his body jerk and collapse. The torch fell to the dirt as something black and horrible shot out of the object.
The thing barreled into one of the two remaining Psadan. The poor being cried out in terror as a set of jagged fangs opened and drove into his skull. The creature looked at the remaining Psadan and let out a blood- curdling shriek. Its face dripped with the fresh blood of the two dead Psadan.
The remaining Psadan screamed and tried to run. The black beast bounded after him and caught him by the leg. It turned him over and pinned him to the ground. The Psadan stared up at the creature in horror as it hissed and dribbled blood on him. He expected the beast's wicked jaws to come crashing down on him at any moment, but they never did. Instead, a warm darkness covered the Psadan's face, and something coiled around his neck. He felt a slimy tendril slither down his throat as he lost consciousness.
The Republic cruiser Crusader came out of hyperspace in the Wayland system. The ship carried a crew of seven Jedi archaeologists. They had spent the past few weeks on Yavin IV studying the ancient Sith temples of Exar Kun. The trip from Coruscant to Yavin either way needed at least one course change. Wayland was a convenient junction point between the two systems.
The team's human leader, Jedi Master Jarrin Fesh, sat in a flight couch on the Crusader's bridge. With him were a human Jedi Knight named Ortis Lann and his reddish-gold-furred Wookiee apprentice, Chonessinac. Nac sat at the comm terminal, monitoring for any word from the Jedi Council or the Senator in charge of the Sith expedition.
Nac suddenly let out a quiet bark. Ortis looked over at the Wookiee.
"What is it, Nac?" he asked.
Chonessinac said that he was picking up some sort of distress signal from the surface of Wayland. Jarrin got up and eyed the terminal curiously.
"Any idea what kind of ship it's coming from?" he asked.
Nac shook his head. What could be the source of a signal like that? There were no settlements on Wayland as far as Jarrin knew, and the surrounding space was rarely traveled.
"What do we do?" Ortis asked Jarrin. The Jedi Master thought for a moment before answering.
"I'll contact Coruscant," Jarrin said at last. "You and Nac get the others briefed. We're going down."
Ortis nodded. He and Nac strode out of the bridge leaving Jarrin alone. Jarrin walked over to the holo terminal. He activated the system, and the holocams hummed and focused. He punched in the communication code he needed. Soon, the small holographic image of a Republic Senator appeared in front of Jarrin.
"Ah, Master Fesh, how good to hear from you," said the Senator. "I trust you and your team are en route back to Coruscant?"
"We've had a slight change of schedule, Senator," Jarrin replied. "When we came out of hyperspace to change our course, we picked up a distress signal coming from Wayland."
"Wayland? I'm not familiar with the planet."
"The signal is coming from a heavily forested area around a mountain surveyors have named," Jarrin paused to check the comm station screen for the exact name. "The surveyors call it 'Mount Tantiss'. We have decided to respond to the signal before returning to Coruscant."
"I see. I will inform the Jedi Council of this development at once."
"That would be most helpful, Senator."
"Not at all, Master Fesh. May the Force be with you."
"Thank you, Senator Palpatine."
A small vessel slows down from lightspeed above the planet. The pod's signal emanates from a dense forest around a mountain. It blazes down through the planet's atmosphere and comes to rest in a clearing about one hundred nok from the mountain. The hatch opens with a hiss. The lone huntress, Pyode Setg'-in, emerges from the hatch and looks around. As she makes her way into the trees, Pyode Setg'-in vanishes without a trace.
The apprentice pounded at the sparring droid. The droid's durasteel structure was covered with a thick rubber so one fighting it wouldn't break his or her fists. The apprentice hammered the droid with a flurry of punches. With a mighty spinning kick, he removed the machine's head from its neck. The droid collapsed.
The apprentice finished his exercise. He had lost no control over his body. His breathing and heart rate had barely risen at all. Even after such a vigorous workout, not even a single drop of sweat was on his flesh. The comm terminal chimed. He walked over to it and immediately kneeled on the transmission pad. The large image of his master's face shimmered into being.
"What is thy bidding, my master?" the apprentice asked.
"Seven Jedi are on Wayland," the master replied. "They must not discover the Mount Tantiss Project."
"Yes, my master."
The master vanished. The apprentice rose to his feet and donned his black robes. He hooked his weapon to his belt and climbed into his stealth ship. He sat down in the flight couch and flew up out of Coruscant's atmosphere. The ship slipped past the planet's security unnoticed and suddenly shot into hyperspace toward Wayland.
Darth Maul was on the hunt.