Chapter 1: Sith's Revelation
Anastasia wakes up with the warm sunlight shining through the window. She looks out her window, then to her calendar. Today is her 18th birthday. She walked to her closet, got dressed, and then looked into her mirror. As she brushes her hair, she sees a girl with hair that was many natural colors: blonde, red, brown, auburn, and strawberry blonde. All of those colors went into curly hair that was long enough to go a little bit past her shoulders. She has earthish-green eyes and pale skin.
She senses something in her room other than herself. She force-grasps her lightsaber from across the room and brings it toward her, activating it as soon as it reaches her fingers. As soon as she is in her defensive mode, her lightsaber clashes with a just lit-up purple lightsaber. She sees the face of the trespasser. "Reduku!" She said, surprised.
Reduku turned off his lightsaber and fell on the floor, laughing his head off. "You, you should've seen the look on your face!" he said, rolling on the floor.
"Yeah, do you always have to do that on special days?" Anastasia asked annoyingly. 'Sheesh, I should have seen that coming,' she thought.
"Don't know. I always like doing that because it gives me a chance to be sneaky," he replied, standing up. "Master Liam doesn't let me be sneaky that often."
"Besides that fact, my hair isn't even up yet! We're still Padawans, remember?" She silently undoes his hair, except for the braid, while using the Force. She gently throws him against the wall. "Now who is the sneaky one?"
Reduku stood up, his brown hair falling to his shoulders, his hazel eyes staring back at hers. "Fair game?" He said.
"Fair game," Anastasia agreed.
"Oh yeah, I have something for you," Said Reduku, pulling an object out of the pockets of his robes. "Happy Birthday, Ani," he gave her the present and she opened it. It was an anklet that hung symbols of the governments that had ruled: the Old and New Republic, the Empire, and the Rebellion. It also had symbols of the Jedi and the Sith. "It's to remind you of our history. I thought you would like it because your family has been a huge part of it, and the fact you love history."
Anastasia smiled, "Thank you Reduku. It's a very nice gift." She wanted to show more expression, but that would have been un-Jedi-like. She bent down, rolled up her pants and put the anklet on her left ankle.
"Anastasia?" Said a static-like yet familiar voice. It was a voice transmission from Kaali.
"Yes, Master?" Anastasia asked.
"Please report to the air lift immediately," Kaali answered, "Reduku, you are coming with Mater Jacoba and me. You also need to report to the air lift."
"Be right there, Master," Anastasia replied. She rolled down her pants so the anklet remained hidden. She and Reduku put their head up and walked toward the exit of her room.
As they exited Anastasia's room, a person popped out of no where. Anastasia wasn't surprised. It was just her other best friend, Shri-Ran Tec. "Happy Birtheday, Ani!" She exclaimed in happiness.
"Shri, I wish I could celebrate with you, but Reduku and I have to go on a mission with our masters. We'll come to celebrate later when we get back, alright?"
Shri-Ran slumped, "Okay… good luck with your mission." She turned around and walked away.
Anastasia and Reduku arrived at the air hanger. "Reduku, Anastasia," Started Jacoba, "Both of you are late."
"Sorry Master," Reduku replied, "We've kind of were distracted with so many people wishing Anastaia a happy birthday."
Jacoba paused, then said, "Don't let it happen again."
"Master Liam," Anastasia said, "Where are we going, anyway?"
"It's a simple mission," Jacoba replied, "The Gungans have reported unknown objects destroying their bubble within the past few days. Master Kaali and I thought this would be an interesting learning experience about how unique their shields are compared to other cultures like ours. It may seem boring but-"
A loud clang and a short cry interrupted his sentence, all three of them turning toward the sounds. Kaali stepped backward quickly from the sounds. She picked up one of her two head-tails and examined it. "Well, I guess that's going to leave a mark," she said sarcastically.
"What happened, Master?" Anastasia asked, partially worried.
Kaali started walking walking toward them, "Well, I was working on one of submarines we're going to use to get to Otoh Gunga when one of the gears snapped and left a nice cut on one of my head-tails." She showed them a two-inch-long cut on her heft head-tail. "Oh well, it'll heal and I guess I'll finish working on it when we're on the starship." She drew attention away from her injury by saying, "So, who wants to go to Naboo?"
Within the next hour, the subs were loaded onto the starship and they were traveling. Kaali went to work on the submarine with Anastasia accompanying her. Anastasia looked at the sub and said, "Master, I go to the hanger almost daily, and yet I've never seen this ship."
"It's because this sub was in here only since this morning, and I've been working
on it ever since. It was found by some Jedi on a lake far away from Otoh Gunga and brought it in. It's quite an old ship, too. According to its design, it's about 160 years old, being created around the time when the Old Republic started its early stages of decline. The Jedi who found this ship found some DNA samples to see who was in this ship. A little bit before you and Reduku arrived at the hanger, the results came back. It was Obi-Wan Kenobi who rode in this ship."
"So this is the the lost bongo submarine the Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi used with Jar Jar Binks, isn't it?" Anastasia asked excitedly.
"Yes it is, Anastasia. And you know what? We're going to test drive it once we reach Naboo as pat of our mission."
"Awesome! Wait a minute, shouldn't this go to the Jedi Archives or something? Isn't it too old or too beautiful to be used?"
"Well, Anastasia, that's not for the rest of the Jedi to know yet." Kaali said with a snickering smile.
"Stop it, you Qui-Gon wanna-be!" Anastasia said with a gentle laugh.
"Why, what's wrong with the living force?" Kaali replied, rolling her eyes, then giving a puppy dog pout. Both of them laughed a little louder.
After their little laughing fit, Anastasia said, "Master, when are we arriving?"
"Well, I don't know when exactly, but we'll be getting there pretty late," Kaali replied.
"Hmmm…" Anastaia pondered, "If I am correct, I used to live with Luke at a place near a lake that's close to Otoh Gunga. Maybe we can stay there for the night if it's in good shape."
Kaali perked her head, "Brilliant idea. I'll tell Master Jacoba when we get close."
C-3PO walked into the room, "Anastasia, there's a hologram transmission from Shri-Ran Tec for both you and Reduku."
"Oh, thank you, 3PO," Anastasia replied. "I'll return as soon as possible, Master."
"Take your time, Anastasia." Kaali replied.
"Anastasia walked into a private room on the ship. "Hey Ani!" Greeted both Shri-Ran and Reduku.
"Hey everyone," Anastasia said, "I'm so sorry for having to leave you like that, Shri."
"It's ok, Ani, I'll just give you your present when you come back," her voice quivered. "Yet I got in contact with you two for a different reason." The smile on her milk-white face turned into a frown and her head tilted downward, her pruple hair following.
"Is something troubling you, Shri?" Reduku asked.
She nodded, "That is why I wanted to talk to you two. I've been hearing a voice in my head at night. It tells me that the Jedi, they are deceiving me. I don't know if what the voice is saying is true or not."
"Shri, tell more about this voice," Anastasia said with concern. Shri-Ran told the pair all that happened. At the end, she was on her knees, her voice quivering a lot more, her mind demented by fear. Anastasia looked into her thoughts, fumbling for something comforting to say. "All I can say is counsel with master Jetsu. He is your master and you should trust him."
She looked up at them. "O-kay. Thank you for your advice, Ani," she said in a convincing voice, but the look on her face was opposite. Changing the subject, Shri-Ran said, "Wow, it's getting late here on Yavin 4. I need to sleep. Goog night, Ani. Good night, Reduku."
"Goodnight, Shri," Anastasia and Reduku said together. The hologram disappeared.
"Anastasia," said Kaali as she was entering the room, "We're almost to Naboo and we have a lock on your old residence. Within about half an hour we'll arrive."
The three started walking toward the cockpit, "So how's the bongo going?" Anastasia asked Kaali.
"Well, even though it was old, it only needed a tune-up to the engine and a strengthening of the frame and armor," Kaali replied, "So it's good to go."
By that time they reached the cockpit. "Sit down, everyone. We're about to enter Naboo's atmosphere," Jacoba said, feeling their presence. They did as he said and as soon as they buckled in they started feeling a pull toward the surface of Naboo. Within ten minutes they reached Anastasia's old home.
Anastasia was the first to exit the starship, walking hurriedly to the house. She opened the door to see it exactly how she left it- except it's covered in dust. Jacoba entered next. "This place seems familiar," he said, examining the design of the house. "It seems this was built when the old Republic was strong."
"That's right, Master Liam," Anastasia chirped. "This is the same lake retreat that my ascendants Anakin and Padme lived in before the rise of the Empire." She wiped some dust off the counter of the kitchen.
"Well, then let's give this place a quick dusting and go to bed, shall we?" Kaali suggested, "And in the morning we'll head to Otoh Gunga." So they dusted the whole house with ease and then drifted off to sleep.
The next morning it was Anastasia who was the first to awake. She took out a water-proof suit that once belonged to Padme. She put it on and went for a morning swim. The feeling of her body in water was refreshing and cool. She swam with no disturbance at all except for loose hair in her face and the sound of the splashing water. During that time she thought a lot about Shri-Ran, wondering if she did go to Master Jetsu for help on the voices in her head. Shri-Ran is notorious for keeping her thoughts to herself. She then changed the subject and thought about how exciting it would be to be riding in the same bongo submarine that Obi-Wan used when he was a padawan. She felt her stainless steel anklet dangling swiftly with her foot.
After about an hour Anastasia felt a presence. She surfaced and turned her head to see Reduku. "May I join?" He asked her. She nodded. He took off his shirt and boots and detached his lightsaber. Then he jumped and dived into the refreshing water. They swam together for a while, explaining each other's thoughts. Reduku was also worried about Shri-Ran.
Jacoba came out from the back door. "Reduku, Anastasia, Kaali's awake, so we need to get moving on our mission. And Anastasia, you might want to tie up your hair before your master sees it." Anastasia blushed slightly. The pair dried off and changed into dry clothes. Then they helped Kaali and Jacoba load the submarines into the water. Anastasia, Kaali, and Reduku boarded the bongo while Jacoba loaded into a single-passenger submarine. They kept a spare at the retreat.
As they plunged into the depths of Naboo, Jacoba led the rest down; he has been to Otoh Gunga before. Reduku and Anastasia were in awe of how beautiful the bongo ran despite its age. Kaali was awed as well but she only showed a gentle smile. She was proud of what she did in a day to something that hasn't been used in about 150 years.
The four finally reached Otoh Gunga. After they entered the city, they were escorted to the Boss's Chambers. Jacoba and Kaali entered first, with Anastasia and Reduku staying outside within earshot of their masters. "Thank you for coming, Master Reid. Welcome to Otoh Gunga," greeted the Boss, Boss Shruka, as the jedi kneeled politely. "Master Liam, it's a pleasure to see you again." He smiled. "Well, now that you're here, let's get down to business."
"Boss Shruka," Kaali started in a calm tone while she was rising, "Master Liam and I also brought along our padawans to help out with the mission. Shall they come in?"
The gentle Gungan replied, "Yes, of course they can come in. The more, the better." Anastasia and Reduku entered, stopping beside their masters, then kneeling before the Gungan. They rose, and Boss Shruka continued, "Our problem is recently something has been destroying our city structures. Almost all of the busiest streets have been destroyed, and even a couple of our sacred bubbles for worshipping our Gods have been severely damaged. Not even our most intelligent and experienced engineers can figure it out. That is why we contacted the Jedi Order." His voice grew quiet. "We believe that it's not something that is destroying them. We think it's someone." A female Gungan silently emerged from the door and stood by the doorway. "Bri-Jar Binks is our best engineer. She shall show you the damages. Good luck on your mission." He waved his hand toward Bri-Jar while she waited patiently for the Jedi to exit, her following.
"Hello, Jedi," Bri-Jar said intelligently. "It's an honor to have four Jedi here at once, so expect a lot of attention. If you haven't noticed by my last name, I am the descendant of politician Jar Jar Binks. Seems impossible, since most of the politicians and their families were assassinated after the Empire rose to power, but I wouldn't be here if one of them didn't live, right?" By that time they reached one of the lightly damaged bubbles. "So far we only know that something is weakening the bubbles by extracting some of the plasma. Yet even when the plasma is weaker than others, we know of nothing that can break through it. The organic material is extremely strong, and the plasma is there so no water can leak out, as you can see here." The wall was slightly leaking water, drop by drop. "Well, while I'm helping the rest of the maintenance workers repair the destroyed bubbles, you can work on what's wrong with this one. Maybe it will give us clues to what is wrong with the rest of them." She started to walk away, then she turned toward them. She took four water breathers out of her pocket and tossed one to each of them, "If the bubble does give way this might help." She turned her back toward them and walked away.
Anastasia was waiting patiently until the Gungan walked away. "You might want to put those on right now," she suggested.
"Now why would that be necessary, Anastasia?" Jacoba sternly asked.
Kaali knew what was on her padawan's mind. "Jacoba, she may be on to something." Kaali put her water breather on, Reduku and Jacoba following.
"You see, if they claim their material is so strong," Anastasia started, "How come I heard the saying, 'a lightsaber can cut through anything with the exception of another lightsber'?" She took out her lighsaber and lit it up. "I read up on some Gungan history last night, and it seems that the Gungans have faced almost every type of enemy fire, and the bubbles withstood their shape. The only thing they haven't learned to defend themselves against is the blade of a lighsaber." She plunged the blade into the wall and tore a hole in it, tons of water gushing in. They swam to another bubble and entered it. Anastasia turned off her lightsaber before entering.
"Therefore," she continued, "It must have been the Sith who are harming the Gungans."
"Yet why are the Sith harming the Gungans?" Reduku asked.
"That is something we have to figure out," Jacoba spoke, "But until then, we need to stay here and find clues. Right now we need to tell Boss Shruka and Bri-Jar Binks about who's doing this. Kaali, you tell Bri-Jar, while I handle Boss Shruka. Anastasia and Reduku, you two will be at one of the most recently and most heavily damaged sites to look for clues." They split up and went their separate ways.
Reduku and Anastasia were shocked by the damage. The bubble was repaired, but the rubble remained of what used to be a sacred Gungan shrine. Worshippers stood outside the sacred bubble, teary-eyed and begging the Gods to forgive them for anything and everything. The pair knew there must be a stop to this.
As the padawans searched for evidence, a young male Gungan walked up to Anastasia and tapped her on the shoulder. He said, "Yousa Anastasia?" Anastasia nodded. "Thisa gift for you," he chirped, handing her a small scroll. Anastasia looked at the seal briefly. She recognized this symbol. She pulled her left pant leg and looked at her anklet. The seal matched the Sith charm. Her eyes widened and she quickly opened it, thanking the boy for bringing it to her.
The letter read, Dear Ani, Happy Birthday! It's me, Shri. Having fun in Otoh Gunga? Well, that's my own handiwork. Screw Master Jetsu. Screw the Jedi. Come with me and we can still be best friends AND rule the galaxy together, Farewell, Ani, enjoy your gift. –Darth Tos.
Anastasia sped over to Reduku. "Reduku, look at this."
Reduku read it, then said, "We need to alert master Jacoba and Master Reid. Or else-"
"The Jedi Academy!" Both said while looking at each other. They sprinted to Jacoba and Kaali, telling them both about the dangers that lie ahead. They exited Otoh Gunga immediately, loaded the submarines into the starship at the retreat and left in a hurry to Yavin 4.
When they arrived, Jacoba said, "Anastasia, Reduku, locate Shri-Ran, while Kaali alerts everyone. I'll warn Master Jetsu." The other three nodded and split again.
When Anastasia and Reduku arrived at Shri-Ran's room, they settled down and entered like they normally would. They looked but she was nowhere in sight. Then they felt a presence, whipped around and activated their lightsabers. An electric stream drove toward them. They both reflected it with their lightsabers. Anastasia had difficulty keeping her lightsaber in her hands, but she stood her ground. Reduku couldn't handle it for long and his lightsaber flew out of his hands. On the quickest opportunity the stranger had she shocked Reduku, stunning him and knocking him out. The voice said, "My my, isn't he weak-minded?" It was Shri-Ran.
"Shri," Anastasia said in concern, "How could you do this? Why did you do this?"
"My name's not Shri, it's Darth Tos," The Sith apprentice said annoyingly, "And I did this because it's simply better. I get what I want, Ani. And the reason I attacked Otoh Gunga is simply for my amusement."
Anastasia didn't like this, "Well then, Darth Tos, you can simply call me Ms. Skywalker!" Anastasia engaged in a lightsaber duel. She was quick, but not quick enough for the newest Sith apprentice. Darth Tos stunned the padawan underhand, catching Anastaisa by surprise.
"Anastasia!" Yelled a voice. Anastasia knew it was Kaali's, but by then she passed out.
She awoke late in the hospital wing, Kaali by her bedside. "Did they capture Darth Tos?" She asked.
Kaali stood up, surprised to see her awake. "I'm afraid not, Anastasia. She's still on the loose, and the Academy's more skilled Jedi are searching for her."
"Where's Reduku?" Anastasia asked.
"He's in another room now," Kaali replied, "Even though he received a minor shock compared to you, he's still unconscious. He may be your best friend, but he is extremely weak-minded. He barely made the qualifications to train as a Jedi. When he does become a Jedi Knight, Master Jacoba is not always going to be there to protect him. He wants you to be there to protect him. He wants you to, Anastasia. He just thinks that I'm probably the better one to tell you this. Could you do that for him?"
"I'll do my best," Anastasia said, slightly yawning afterward.
"You need your rest," Kaali said, "So you snooze for a while and I'll stay here, alright?"
"Alright," Anastasia said, drifting off to sleep.