A long time ago, in a galaxy far far away...
Star Wars
Illumination
SHADOW IN THE LIGHT
The JEDI ORDER is fracturing. Years of tension between the OMNISTS and those who remain solely loyal to the light have culminated in the assassination of the Jedi Council.
Filling this power vacuum, Master TAU SKYWALKER has seized control of the Jedi Order and now imposes a new dogma upon its members, striving to eliminate the ancient ways once and for all.
As Tau cements his hold on power, a sense of foreboding haunts those still loyal to the Jedi Code, some of whom have begun to mysteriously vanish.…
Prologue
Bey class courier Kazz ma Kazz, Kooriva, 213.9 ABY
Padawan Paz Mar'al had always found oxygenated places like Kooriva to be...irritable. He tried to stay aboard Kazz ma Kazz whenever he could. It was a little cramped, but it was still just the right temperature for him. The tropical atmosphere of the planet – even in the city of Ha'ar – just felt too warm. The sun was too bright, the air too moist, the thick city streets too dense, leaving him claustrophobic.
More than that, he hated wearing a mask all the time.
His species, the Kel Dor, had evolved in the helium-rich atmosphere of Dorin, and on every other inhabited planet they visited, they had to wear those stupid breathing masks. Only within the narrow confines of the ship was Paz able to remove the cloying device and breathe.
After completing their work in the city, Paz and his master, Y'n, had meditated, tapping into the energies of this world, feeling the Force around them.
Once their training had finally finished for the day, he and Master Y'n had decided to do something more fun.
"Eighty-five, eighty-six, eighty-seven...," the Kel Dor boy leaned against the wall and kept his face pressed against his arm, his eyes closed.
This was the twenty-sixth time this month he had looked for Master Y'n. Each time before, he had failed.
The only rule was, "No using the Force." It didn't stop Master Y'n, however, from being an adept searcher. She was probably cheating. It was the only thing that made any sense. Kazz ma Kazz was a large ship, there were many places to hide within. Yet, she had always found him quickly. She was clearly cheating.
This time, Paz would do something different.
"Ninety-eight, ninety-nine...one hundred! Ready or not, my search begins!" Paz opened his eyes and opened himself up to the Force.
Immediately, something felt wrong. He felt a tide of…he couldn't explain it. Everything just felt...wrong.
He quickly ran out of his room, yelling, "Master? Master, are you there?"
He was met with silence. The ship felt and sounded hauntingly empty. All Paz could sense was the wave of…fear. It was fear and dread.
Alarmed and frightened, Paz decided to head to the cockpit to see what was happening.
He quickly walked to the turbolift to make his way to the upper deck. Once he reached the lift, he pressed the button to activate it. He waited a few moments, and then pressed it again. And again. And again. And again. The turbolift didn't move at all.
He was afraid. Genuinely afraid. He'd need another way to get up there.
He looked at the emergency sign that was placed next to the lift doors.
He saw it. The emergency hatch! He'd use that!
Paz quickly ran, following the directions the map had laid out, running down the ship's corridors...and suddenly stopped, in shock.
Master Y'n lay on the deck, a fiery gash sliced across her chest, her lightsaber missing, her eyes wide with terror on her frozen face.
Paz's hearts hammered in his chest as he slowly recoiled from the sight, his large, dark eyes widening. Whatever had killed his master, much less this efficiently and silently, would make quick work of him. He had to get off the ship.
He ran for the landing ramp, hurrying down the corridor.
He found the hatch. He pressed the button to lower the landing ramp, but it didn't do anything either. Frantic, he tried to find the manual release.
He felt something in the Force. Something was coming this way!
He used his hand, feeling for the level that would pry the door open. He clasped his thick fingers around the metal bar and pulled. It wouldn't budge either, as if another hand was pushing it down.
He could feel it now! It was here, approaching him! He looked back for a brief instant. Paz pulled and pulled, trying with all his might to get out of there!
Think, Paz, his master's voice echoed in his mind, Examine your situation and think.
Following her words, Paz attempted to analyze his situation.
He couldn't cut through the hatch: his assailant was already turning the corridor, he would reach him before he finished. And he stood no chance of slipping past an assassin swift and silent enough to murder a Jedi Master as experienced as Master Y'n.
The shadow had cornered him. He couldn't run. There was only one hope, faint as it may be.
Paz turned back and ignited his lightsaber. He tried to sense his approaching adversary, but the Force fell silent. He merely waited in horror, the only sounds were his heavy breathing, his blood pumping in his ears, and the hum of his pink blade.
Eventually, the stillness was shattered by a sharp snap-hiss!
Elsewhere…
On the remote, lonely world that was Fhost, a small valley stood in the midst of a massive, jagged mountain range. Beneath the night sky, the valley was quiet and bereft of civilization, the only sounds were the subtle chorus of nature.
The roar of engines and repulsorlifts disrupted this harmony as a large vessel, built in likeness of the ancient projectile known as the arrow, descended upon the planet's surface. The ship extended its mechanical feet and gently landed on the valley's outer edge, deploying its ramp upon the surface of Fhost.
From within the vessel came a tall, aged humanoid man. He was dressed like a wanderer, with a large shoulder bag, a sturdy staff, and a frayed jacket whose hood was thrown back to show his balding head, cracked, barklike face, and multicolored eyes.
Kali'sto walked around the clearing, using his staff to aid his gait, wincing at the echoes of pain that still throbbed in one of his legs, which was supported by a prominent metal brace that covered the weakened limb from thigh to foot.
He had arrived to find no trace of the Jedi who had gathered here. The bodies had been destroyed, their ships had been slagged, any survivors taken to some hidden prison. The Jedi Shadows were thorough in their attempts to root out this small, discreet conclave. At first glance, all indications suggested that nothing had happened here.
Yet, as the traveler closely examined the valley, he saw faded footprints, faint charring and tiny holes in the rocks, faint depressions in the dirt that showed the telltale signs of bodies, deeper depressions clearly left by the landing gear of starfighters and shuttles.
Beneath the surface of the material world, Kali'sto sensed echoes of betrayal, death, pain, and fear. The skirmish had left a strong imprint in the Force, echoing in the currents of this world. If he concentrated, he could almost picture the battle in his mind, see every person who had been present.
Deadly warriors ambushing the gathered warrior-monks from the hilltops on the valley's edge. Cloaked figures suddenly aparrating into the battle, striking down some, capturing others. An experienced, wounded Master, forced to surrender to save the group. An aged woman strong in the Force had fallen and died here, right where Kali'sto stood…
Riko wasn't here, Kali'sto realized with relief. His son was still out there somewhere.
"Kali'sto?" Orra Jen, one of Kali'sto's friends and fellow crewmates, asked, "Are they all...all of them?"
"All of them," Kali'sto replied, "They have all been captured or killed."
Orra Jen returned to the ship, as solemn as Kali'sto was. The wanderer knew this battle was a grave omen of what was to come.
Sighing as he looked upon the sterilized battlefield, Kali'sto winced as he was reminded again of the Great Purge, the horrifying flashes he had felt through the Force as his fellow Jedi were shot down by their own troops. His own confusion and terror as the same had almost happened to him. What had happened to his family, the one he had loved.
Rays, you won't make it!
We'll find a way, we always do.
Not this time. Please, stay with me. Don't leave!
I gotta go…I'll see you soon, Kallie!
Rays!
Kali'sto took a deep breath.
He glanced down at his bad leg. A man not unlike the one who had inflicted this injury was the cause of this massacre. A man who had just seized control of the Jedi Order. A man who had once been Kali'sto's friend.
Leaning on his staff, Kali'sto walked back to his ship, the Acus-class corvette Skysprite.
He had been apart from the Order for so long, yet he felt regretful for the poor souls victim to Tau's scheme, even feeling a hint of guilt, knowing that his own actions had likely played a role.
He wasn't sure how exactly he felt.
"Are you ready to depart, Kali'sto?" Malli, Skysprite's comm officer, asked over the ship's intercom.
"I am," Kali'sto replied as he reentered the vessel. As Skysprite lifted off the planet's surface, he worried once again for his son.
I made a promise, Riko. We will find each other again…
Author's Note:
Hi readers!
The irony of publishing a book about the Jedi Order fracturing apart on the same day that hopefully marks the start of a new era of unity and reconciliation is not lost on me. Nevertheless, I am really excited to begin releasing the second installment of the trilogy I started a year ago.
This time, my plan is to publish the book chapter by chapter, instead of all at once like I did with my first novel. I hope you enjoy Shadow in the Light!