Greetings and salutations. Well, obviously, Distant Destiny won, so here's chapter two. I wish to thank everyone who reviewed. I would have answered, but twenty one reviews in two days is more than this little black duck can answer to at one time. So here's the thankyou.
Darth Vader walked into the hanger, surveying the destruction around him. Good, it doesn't matter how many Jedi survived, he would hunt them down. And this place, would be burnt to the ground, a reminder that the old ways were dead. He walked towards the door, and was met by Mace Windu, his lightsabre ignited. "Well, well. Master Windu." Vader said. "It's been some time."
"Too long, it seems." Mace said. "You've been away too long Anakin." Vader grinned, igniting his own saber.
"I would disagree." He said. "My power is far greater than it could ever have been staying her. You Jedi are weak, you deny what gives you true power. Perhaps if you gave to your anger you might have a chance, but as is…"
"I am far more powerful than you could ever imagine." Mace said. "and you can tell your master he won't get Janelle. She's beyond his reach." Vader laughed.
"We'll see." He said, rushing forward, his saber cutting forward. Mace blocked it and dodged to one side. Vader came forward again, and there was a blaze of light as the laser swords come together again and again. They pulled apart and circled each other carefully.
"Lord Vader." Vader's radio crackled to life. "A freighter just made the jump to hyper space, destination unknown. As far as we can tell it's heading for the middle of nowhere." Vader grinned.
"So, where is she headed?" He asked. Mace stared at him.
"Where neither you or your master will ever find her." He said.
"You're a fool, Windu." Vader sneered. "Pretty soon there will be no place in the galaxy safe from the Emperor. Where will she hide then?" Mace grinned.
"Exactly. No place in this galaxy." He said. Vader glared at him, then lashed out with the Force, the Dark Side striking forth as lightening. Mace tried to block it with his saber, but the lightening curled around the saber, hitting him in the chest. He fell back, dropping the sword.
"Where is she going?" Vader demanded. "Answer me!"
"You'll…never…find…her." He muttered through gritted teeth. "Until…it…is…too…late." Then he flopped backwards, dead.
"No where is safe." Vader said. "As Janelle will soon learn." He pulled out his communicator. "Send someone, follow that ship, don't let it out of your sight. I want the pilot and any passengers alive."
"Yes my Lord."
Janelle watched as the blue swirls of hyperspace streaked past. Not for the first time, she wondered where Master Windu was sending her. Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden scream of pain, and then she was plunged into loneliness. "He's gone." She whispered. "Master Windu's dead. I'm…alone." Whistle's and beep's from behind her got her attention. R4-C9, her astromech droid, rolled up behind her. "Yeah, I know your still here, R4, but…" She looked out at the blue of hyperspace. "Not many Jedi survived and wherever we're heading, I think I'm going to be the only Jedi there." R4 whistled sadly, trying to comfort his young mistress. "It's alright, R4. I'll be fine. Really." The droid whistled a response. "What do you mean I'm a terrible liar?" The droid beeped again. "Oh really? Well…" R4 suddenly started being in alert. "What is it?" She turned back to her console. "Hyperspace anomaly, some sort of worm hole. Our course passes straight through it." R4 whistled at her. "Worm holes don't usually just appear, R4. Master Windu must have known it was here when he set the course. I'll shut the hyper drive down and…"
"Stay on course, Janelle." Mace Windu's voice echoed through her mind. "Everything will be explained once you arrive. Trust me." Janelle closed her eyes.
"He knew what he was doing." She whispered. "I just wish I knew what he was doing. Hold on R4. We're going in." She braced herself on the console. R4 rolled over to its recharge station and strapped in, whistling in complaint as it did so. "Crazy? Yes it is. But I've always trusted Master Windu with my life. I'm not about to stop just because he's dead. Besides, all his best plans seemed crazy at the time." R4 whistled in panic as they entered the wormhole and disappeared, much to the disgust of the Imperial scout following them.
"What do you mean it disappeared?" Darth Vader demanded.
"I don't know, Lord Vader." The pilot of the pursuit vehicle explained. "We were traveling through hyperspace and the ship just disappeared."
"Search the area." Vader commanded. "Find that ship, do whatever it takes, but remember I want the girl alive." He turned and left the bridge of the Destroyer, heading for his quarters. Once there, he switched on the holo projector, and the image of the Emperor appeared before him. He bowed to one knee. "My Master."
"How goes our plan?" The Emperor asked.
"The Jedi are either dead or in hiding." He said. "Those that escaped will be tracked down and destroyed. Soon, no remnant of them shall remain."
"The Skywalker twins?"
"They were gone when I arrived. I do not know where, but I do know that Obi-Wan Kinobi had a hand in their escape."
"Master Kinobi has become a thorn in my side that must be removed." Emperor Palpatine said. "And what of my consort?"
"Janelle escaped, with the help of Yoda and Mace Windu." Vader explained. "Windu lies dead, Yoda is gone. I had her pursued, but she disappeared in hyperspace, where I do not know."
"This is most unfortunate." Palpatine said. "If she gets away, her children will become a threat to us. Find her. Kill her if you must, but find her."
"As you will it, my Master." Vader said as the image faded.
Janelle lay in her bunk. It had been a week since they had entered the wormhole, and she was running out of food. She wondered if she was right to stay on the course Master Windu had set. It seemed like they would never get out. She dragged herself out of bed and headed to the bridge. R4 met her on the way.
"Any sign of an exit?" She asked the droid. It whistled a negative. Janelle sighed. "Oh well. Maybe Master Windu hid some more food somewhere else." She was about to go back to the kitchen when a button lit up on the console. "What's this?" She said as she pressed the button and a holo of Mace Windu appeared.
"Janelle, if you're watching this, then you got away safely. It also means that, more than likely, I'm dead. I'm sorry I had to leave you like this, but it was necessary. At least I know you'll be safe from the Emperor. You're probably wondering where I'm sending you." A map showed on one of the screens, showing Coruscant, and the surrounding systems. The map scrolled across to the wormhole they had entered, then kept going, following it to…
"Another galaxy?" Janelle said. R4 whistled. The screen zoomed into a planet.
"This is a planet called Earth, in a far away galaxy. I found it accidentally some time ago and when we found the prophecy concerning you and your daughters, it seemed the perfect place to hide. I doubt Palpatine would think to look outside our own galaxy until it's too late. When this message activates, you will be about a day away from the planet. I've compiled a database of everything I could discover on life there in my visits. There is also a trunk with some clothes. I got them a few weeks after Palpatine took total control, so it should be the current styles. Study what you can and observe before you try to join in society, and be careful. Good luck, my padawan. May the Force be with you." The holo faded, leaving Janelle feeling more alone than ever. She sat there for a moment.
"We'd better get to work." She said. "R4, get a printout of that info. I'm gong to go looking for that trunk. I guess I'll need a change of clothes. I'm just glad we're only going to be stuck in hyper space another day, I was running out of food." She headed for the main passage. R4 whistled after her. "I'm fine. Just…Nothing, I'm fine." She walked out. R4 whistled sadly. She most definitely not okay.
Next up; Janelle gets to earth and goes through the most trying time of her life, finding a job.
Stay tuned.
Doc.