I don't own Star Wars only the big guy does, I just playing around in his universe. I'm doing this for my own enjoyment and will not nor plan to nor expect any form of compensation for these stories. And if the big guy ever finds out about this I hope that he will be understanding and won't sue me till the ends of the Earth. And if you do read these stories I hope that you also enjoy them.
STAR WARS
NEW JEDI ORDER
ADVENTURERS OF TAHIRI
Fresh Start
Danni walked towards the clearing hearing the soft hum of a light saber echoing in the air. A sound that stood out from the soft, gentle breeze with a golden fruity smell that floated through the tall boras trees was something that one would imagine in a dream. All round Danni the life energy of Zonama Sekot could be felt in the Force, over powering at times but always in balance. As all the creatures that exist on Zonama Sekot work in harmony and peace towards the greater good of Zonama Sekot. There was no strife, no competition for food or water, each creature and plant receiving enough to survive but not so much to deny their neighbor of the same. There was no committees, no endless meetings over stupid rules that work against the natural order of things. No pompous bureaucrat who decides that thing had to be done a certain way for no better reason then that what he wanted. No one attacking and destroying whole worlds to satisfied their own selfish needs. None of the problems that plague the galaxy as a whole, in her past life. The greed and selfishness that the Yuuzhan Vong were so easily able to exploited as they waged a bloody war against the New Republic for 4 years. She paused to look at the Lime tree that grew under a boras tree.
The Yuuzhan Vong who had invaded her galaxy four years ago, who captured her and killed all her friends at a outpost on Belkadon. A outpost, ironically enough, that had been established to search for life outside the galaxy. Well it worked we found out that there is life outside the galaxy, Danni thought with a small smile, and they didn't come in peace. The Yuuzhan Vong who had to leave their home galaxy after they destroyed it, making it unable to support life, in huge World ships in search of a new home. The Yuuzhan Vong who used living creatures like her people used machines to make their lives easier, more productive, to make war. The Yuuzhan Vong who believed their gods gave them all their knowledge in a time long lost, who demanded sacrifices, that pain was a sign of devotion to their blood thirsty gods, who demanded that all machine be wiped out and all who used them.
The Yuuzhan Vong who once wanted to destroy what they had spent thousands of years searing for, their home world. Zonama Sekot had once been a part of their home world, Yuuzhan'tar. Before Yuuzhan'tar was destroyed by the Yuuzhan Vong IT sent a seed in the intergalactic void and found Zonama to grow on. Through Zonama Sekot they hope to regain the balance that they lost when they turned away from their living god. In the last three months that Zonama Sekot has been at this new star system, the Yuuzhan Vong have re-learned much about the old ways. There had been some problems along the way but that is to be expected considering they spent thousands of years living one way. Going from bloody thirst warriors to gentle farmers is a big adjustment but many are adjusting. There is peace on Zonama Sekot and everyone was happy.
"Khapet!"
A small smile came to Danni's lips as she walked in to the clearing and saw Tahiri with her icy blue light saber on and looking up at a couple Vong lizard creatures in a tree. Well almost everyone is happy.
"Hello Tahiri." Danni said walking closer to the youngest Jedi Knight. Tahiri who was just 17 years old and one of the most effected by the Yuuzhan Vong invasion. At the tender age of 14 she had been captured by a Shaper who tried to maker her into a Yuuzhan Vong Jedi Hunter. Master Shaper Kwaad had inserted all the knowledge and training to make Tahiri think she was a warrior named Riina Kwaad. As the story goes, Riina had been captured early in childhood by the Jedi and giving special implants to be a Jedi. And for the most part the Shaper had succeeded, Tahiri had in effect had two different identities. One was human and another had been Yuuzhan Vong. When she was 16 she nearly went insane as both personalities fought to control her body, neither wanted the other to survive, neither wanted to surrender, neither wanted the other to win. Jaina had told Danni about what she saw during Tahiri's recovery, when she entered Tahiri's mind to help her friend. Jaina had trouble relating to Danni just what she had seen since it was all so surreal anyways. Two Tahiri, one a left handed Jedi and one a right handed Yuuzhan Vong, both with light sabers. Two mirror imagines fighting in eerie concert, neither able to gain a advantage over the other. Jaina had also said that the new Tahiri had told her that Riina Kwaad and Tahiri Veila could not kill the other without destroying themselves. And that Riina Kwaad had been the first to figure it out; in order to survive they had to become one and the same. It took awhile but they finial merged to create this new Tahiri, this Human/Yuuzhan Vong hybrid, an one of a kind Jedi. Tahiri who was raised by the Tusken Raiders on Tatooine, by the Jedi on Yavin 4, by the Yuuzhan Vong on a World ship represented so much but was accepted by very few. Many of this galaxy mistrusted her because she was a Jedi let alone her other heritage. Few of the Yuuzhan Vong could see past her shaping, although respected by many, she is still seen as a abominations. Many of the Jedi, even had trouble accepting her without guarded feelings. Since her merging Tahiri seemed to grow a deeper understanding of the way people thought. Always a outsider she has become even more guarder in her thoughts and ways.
"Tell Sekot that I don't like the joke." Tahiri said looking up at the two lizard creatures still up in the tree chatting between themselves.
"Sorry Tahiri?" Danni asked not really understanding.
"Sekot sent those two to throw seeds at me as a joke." Tahiri said not taking her eyes off the two creatures.
Danni reached out with her growing Force senses but was unable to 'read' the two small creatures, they were Yuuzhan Vong and could not be seen by the Jedi. They were as dark as any Yuuzhan Vong Warrior to any Jedi, as dark as Tahiri herself was at times. Like she was now. Jacen and Tahiri were different in that they could to a degree 'see' what no one else could, that through what Jacen called Vongsense they could 'see' the Yuuzhan Vong and interact with them just like the Jedi could with beings of this galaxy. Jacen had said it was not the Force but through empathy that he reached that level. Jacen had tried to teach Tahiri the same trick but was not as successful, or so they had thought. But Danni still wondered at time just who had the deeper connection. Because of her shaping, Danni often wondered if it was Tahiri who actually was the more connected, since she seemed to understand and control both aspects of the Force.
"Well you can tell Sekot yourself tonight if you wish?" Danni said.
Tahiri shut down her light saber and reattached to her belt. She turn away form the two strange creatures and walked over to Danni. Tahiri, who was only 1.65 meters tall, just a hair over 39 kilograms in weight, with short wavy blond hair, striking green eyes and three scars on her forehead, three scars that mark her as a member of Domain Kwaad, and who would either wear green jumpsuits or body stockings, usually white, green, or black, but always closed up to her neck, showing a just her face and hands. Danni often wonder if she was hiding any scars or tattoos that she might have received that she didn't want anyone else to know about or if she was hiding the fact that she had none. With Tahiri it was always a guess never a known fact.
"So is the great Sekot finally taking time to see lowly me?" She asked.
"Yes," Danni said ignoring the sarcasm in Tahiri's voice. "The representatives from Yuuzhan Vong, Ferroines, and you and I will be there."
"Good," Tahiri said taking a deep breath, "I have wasted enough time as is. I would like to get started on my mission." Tahiri and Danni both turned and started walking back toward the settlement that they have been spending the last three months at. "Whether or not the crew of the Widowmaker is alive or dead, I need to find out for sure. For their families peace of mind if nothing else."
"You think you will be able to find them?" Danni asked her.
"I don't know, the Jade's sensors were pretty scrambled when Zonama Sekot jumped into hyperspace, but Master Jade-Skywalker thinks she found the right vector. I will go back to Klasse Ephemora system and start my search there. Maybe I can pick up something in the Force that will help me, at least enough to get a direction if nothing else."
"Could take years to find one ship you know."
"I know but Master Skywalker and Grand Admiral Pellaeon had both requested that I at least try. Master Skywalker thinks a Jedi has the best chance to find them and I think the Imperial Remnant is weaker then they are letting on or they would have done the search themselves. It sounds all nice and proper to accept the Jedi assistance on this mission, especially since it was Corran and I who led Nom Anor to Zonama Sekot in the first place. If he hadn't try to kill Sekot the Widowmaker would have never been lost in the first place. But beyond all that with the G.F.F.A. on one side and the Chiss on the other side plus who knows what pirate and mercenary forces that have or will pop up in the aftermath of the war, the Grand Admiral has more to worry about then one lost frigate."
"The same problems that Sekot must also worry about." Danni jumped in trying to get the younger Jedi to see why they hadn't allowed her to leave earlier. Tahiri stopped and looked directly at Danni.
"The Double Trouble wouldn't lead anyone back here, where ever we are." Tahiri said evenly. Danni hid a small sigh, this is not the first time they had this discussion. "There are only three people in the entire galaxy that knows where we are, Sekot, the Magister and you. In the three months we have been here we haven't even seen a suspicious dust mote let alone any probes or ships."
"Yes but if anyone should backtrack your course to here the repercussions would be terrible. There are Rogue Yuuzhan Vong forces still out there, there are many who still wish the Yuuzhan Vong to be wiped out. If anyone found the location of Zonama Sekot it could cause even more blood shed and destruction. Sekot believes it is best if no one found out where we are until the galaxy has had a chance to heal, on both sides. Any ship that leaves from Zonama Sekot could be a danger." Danni looked in to the green eyes of the young Jedi and was unable to read anything from them. "Look it has been 5 months since they disappeared, it has been three months since we have had any contact with the outside galaxy; for all we know they have been found or made their way back to Imperial space."
"All the more reason to let me go, once outside this system I could go back to Klasse Ephemora and contact the Imperials or GA and find out the status of the Widowmaker. The point would be leaving Sekot."
"Look Tahiri it is not that Sekot wishes to keep you here against your will or anything, far from it. Sekot knows that you are not happy here and Sekot knows that you never planned to be on Zonama for as long as you have been. Sekot also understands how important this mission is to you. However you must understand that Sekot must balance the risk of you leaving against the risk of being discovered." Danni looked down at Tahiri, usually such arguments have worked in the past but she could tell it was not working today. Tahiri stared up at her, her expression guarded, her eyes unreadable, her presence in the Force indictable.
"But that will change tonight." Tahiri said, not ask.
"Sekot and the Magister is coming down to discuss not only your request but several issues with the War master and Harrar."
"But that will change tonight."
"We'll discuss your request nothing has yet been decided."
"Tell me Danni if you were on board a ship that was lost and mostly likely damaged would you appreciate your fate being left in the hands of a committee?"
Danni narrowed her eyes, her fate had almost been left up to a committee if the Solo twins hadn't risked so much to save her. From the start of the war till the Fall of Coruscant politicians and bureaucrats, like her father, had decided the fate of millions usually deciding that many worlds were not important enough to be bothered with. She knew that her own fate could have easily been the same, not important enough to be bothered with.
"Would you go racing into a unknown situation like Anakin had and get killed without thinking your action through?" She said hoping to get any kind of reaction out of Tahiri.
"Anakin died because of a injury, Danni, on a mission that many felt had to be completed. An injury that would have struck any of us, you were a 'Wild Knight' don't you remember how fast combat was? How quickly even the best laid plans were destroyed within seconds of contact with the enemy?" Tahiri asked, not showing any hint of emotion or acknowledging any pain that might have surfaced by the name of her fallen best friend. "A mission that many didn't return from, a mission that was successful, a mission that changed us all."
"This mission is not about combat it is to avoid contact." Danni said, feeling guilty at trying to hurt Tahiri and irritable that she didn't even come close to achieving her goal. "We must look out for the Common good of all concern."
"And finding the Widowmaker wouldn't help in the long run? If the Widowmaker is found the Imperial Remnant would be very pleased with Sekot and the people of Zonama. That could be a future door to some kind of relationship in the future."
Danni nodded her head reluctantly, true in the future at some point Sekot would want to reach out to the galaxy with the hand of friendship and it would be nice to be remembered for something else besides the home world of the Yuuzhan Vong. Danni was sure that the Jedi, for the most part, would look towards Zonama Sekot with favorable intentions but the rest of the galaxy would need convincing.
"You may have a point there. But on the other hand if they had all died after the hyperspace jump or never came out of the jump Zonama Sekot could get blamed for that also."
"True," Tahiri said resuming their walk back to the settlement, "also they could say that we never even tried to locate them. So if we had at least attempted to locate them they can't say that Sekot was being uncaring since they were Imperials."
"That is why I hate politics." Danni said letting out a breath.
"That is true," Tahiri said with a laugh, "and that is why I usually let the Solo or Skywalker handle that kind of stuff. Even Captain Solo is better at politics then I am. Even though the Jedi stand for that kind of stuff, my training was more in the self defense area, and my Yuuzhan Vong/Tusken Raider heritage is more action based."
"Is it hard to live up to all three at the same time?" Danni asked.
"No not really, the Tusken Raiders were more self centered about things. You had to look out for yourself first then your bantha, family and tribe. In that order, but even that was for a certain reason. In the harsh environment of Tatooine you had to make sure that you took care of yourself first so that you could have the energy to help others. And all three had a code of honor to uphold. In fact there are many overlapping codes between the three and no as many contradiction as you would expect. If one or more conflicted I try to stay true to the Jedi way of live."
"When you say you try, that implies you don't always live up to the Jedi Code?"
"I have never turn to the Dark Side if that is what you are asking." Tahiri said, in a guarded tone, looking out of the corner of her eye at Danni. "I made a promise to Anakin a long time ago that I would never let him down and fall to the dark side. I will live up to that promise. But I'm not perfect, I'm as human and Yuuzhan Vong as the next person. I'll make mistakes."
"In that way I think Jacen and the others are too paranoid, being Jedi doesn't mean you have to be perfect. Yes we have a great power and a great responsibility and when we abuse that power many others are destroyed and lives are ruined. But many of the non-Jedi also have that same power. Look at the Yuuzhan Vong, if you will, they had great power. They came to us from another galaxy, Shimrra could use that power to help not only his people but everyone in this galaxy. Instead he decided to misuse that power and destroy what he wanted. Look at what happened to Coruscant? All that was lost was because of powerful men and women were more interested in what they though was the most important issues, how was this decision going to help them gain power, wealth and fame. Instead of how these decision would save the most lives, planets and such, how they can plan for the long term then in the short term."
"Yes but I,"
"Tahiri," Danni said cutting her off quickly, "Look you said it yourself you make mistakes. And there is nothing wrong with mistakes if you learn from them. It is when you either ignore or fail to learn is when mistakes become bad. Tahiri, I'm not going to lie to you I have no idea what it must be like for you. You are, quite literally, one of a kind. You are the only human/Yuuzhan Vong to ever exist and most likely, since our biology is so different, will ever exist. Not only that but you are a Jedi on top of that. Many people will hate you for no other reason then those two. Add to all that you grew up in the deserts of Tatooine with no real family, no education so you had to play catch up ever since you were nine. If all that wasn't enough you lost the most special person to you at the age of 15." Danni put her arm around the younger woman's shoulders as they kept walking. "Those of us who know the whole story, The Solo's, Skywalker's, Horn, Durron, the War master and other Yuuzhan Vong, me and even Sekot, have nothing but pride in all that you have been able to survive through. Not only have you survive but came out stronger. So even if you do stumbled, even when do you make mistakes, no one I had named will ever think less of you for just making a mistake."
"Thanks Danni." Tahiri said in the first sincere voice that Danni had heard her use in months. "I need to hear that." Danni could feel her tense slightly under her arm. "Especially since, well you seen how the others acted around me."
Danni had to nod her head, it had been tough for many of the Jedi and non-Jedi to get use to who Tahiri was now. Many had tried to be opened minded about her.
"But even the Solo's, even Han and Leia at times would give me a look that seemed to be judging me. They didn't mean too I know, they had been better to me then anyone else in the galaxy. Han and Leia helped me through Anakin's death, my merging and love me as if I was a member of their family. But even sometimes they would slip up. I had hoped once I was around more Yuuzhan Vong people and learned from them I would find something in common with them. But you seen how they act around me."
Again Danni silently agreed with Tahiri. While the Yuuzhan Vong respected Danni, Tekli and Tahiri because they were Jedi, they were friendly towards her and Tekli. With Tahiri, they were stiffer, formal and more reserved. They were honored when any of the three would join them for meals or to visit with. But with Tahiri around they were more serious events, with story telling and few jokes. Whether Shamed, Warrior, Priest, Indent, or Shaper; they all viewed her with veiled and sometimes not so veiled contempt. She was the Abomination, she was the One-who-was-shaped, she represented all that was wrong and all that did go wrong. It was not fair, it was not right, but it was the way things were.
"Like I said Tahiri, I don't know what it must be like to be you."
"Well, I been a outsider before and I adjusted, I will adjust again. Now if you excuse me I want to go make sure I am all packed. I want to be ready to leave when I get the word." Tahiri said suddenly speeding up and heading to the shelter the three Jedi shared.
Danni stopped moving, watching the back of the small Jedi as she ducked into the shelter. Danni let her gaze drift over the settlement that the Yuuzhan Vong had grown, it was one of the large ones, this was where the War master, High Priest Harrar and others made their homes. She also opened her mind up to the intelligence behind Zonama, to allowed Sekot access to what she had seen and is seeing. To allow Sekot to understand there was even better reason to allow Tahiri to leave on her mission. To Danni there was no place on Zonama Sekot that would allow one young Jedi to gain the peace she so richly deserves.