Book I

First Chapter

"Remind me again, Master," I grunted over the blaring controls, "why we volunteered to escort these two Sentinels away from the Temple, and take us out of the front lines?"

The laser blasts shaking the whole ship and through my held steering wheel made the whole event far less tolerable.

"Focus, Faolan," Master Valov spoke in kind, "we still need to enter the atmosphere!"

The Togrutan Knight looked up and flipped a few more switches that changed from green to more red ones. Our Gungan counterpart was fairing just as well from the back seat, as his partner, my twin, sat beside him. The former Sentinel worked on adjusting our shields, and the latter just got back from his mounted turret before he could be fried along with it.

I just heard from C, Cinaed reached out to us through the Force, his frustration barely cooled by his stern composure of the situation, Everything's overheating.

"We can't keep up the forward shields with our back'uns taking more hits," came the hoarse, Naboo slang beneath Master Lum's whiskers. "Got to come over some place with much water to keep most our burning debris from hitting land."

"Copy," Master Valov shouted in response, "Coming up on a peninsula below! Faolan, standby the forward cannons to blast the surface."

"Got it!" I reached over to my left and pressed the button to activate our Defender-Class weapons. "All set, Master!"

I'll get the mouthpieces. Cinaed rushed back out of the cockpit chamber, his black and night blue garbs waving past the sliding doors.

"And get dat droid in sealed container," called out Master Lum, "We'll deploy the cargo after crashinge!"

On it.

I sensed them. More so than before when they assaulted us. The dark lords sought to encroach us from within. I knew I was not the only one aware of them, but I felt either the most targeted or simply because I was even more so. It made the whole experience of a burning, quaking, flashing, Corellian Corvette numb to my senses, almost making me wish it did not. I could barely register my Master's shouts through the fading chaos, thanks in part to my brother's calling with the Force. He always knew how sensitive I was to attacks like these.

"Faolan! I said on my mark!"

"Sorry, Master." I cringed with my annoyed utterance as I shifted the smoking lever that lowered the landing gear. Force of habit, maybe. I could barely make out the planet's surface through the burning visor outside, and the fumes inside. Punching the load mechanism next, I then raised my thumbs over the triggers to await Valov's signal. "Ready!"

"Steady. Steady." Almost like the bile tension never stopped from rising. "Fire!"

The brilliant discharge was barely heard over the blaring sounds of the ship, immediately followed by the great wall of smashing waves that joined the sudden, yet smaller jolt of collision than expected. A single drop of sunlight breached the searing window when the frames of our ship started to crumble from the sea's sudden, cooling effects.

"Reentry and enemy fire must have severed the integrity," said Valov, "well after disabling our shields."

"We must'a move at once!"

Before we knew it, the entire chamber became easily flooded. Thankfully, Cinaed slid open the doors for us to escape and reach the cargo hold. We allowed for some of the current to push us halfway there. He had reached out with a breathing device for me to grasp and put in my mouth as he did the same with his own. My Togruta mentor retrieved one herself, as the aquatic Sentinel dove simply with a thrust of graceful kicks and strokes while removing his heavy brown cloak from dragging him down. My brother did the same with his cloak, as I followed Knight Valov's lead towards the back.

Their dark presence was strongly felt once again, as I fought the urge to gag through my mouthpiece and swam after my Master. I knew she was going to retrieve her Knight armor and supplies from the crates we were about to deploy. We reached a section of the ship not yet filled with water and waded hurriedly to the cargo bay. With the front of our ship facing downward, the rear should be angled well enough out of the water for now. Yet not so much that we had to push the crates upward and out at this juncture.

Still, we submerged more rapidly with each second. So not a moment to waste.

Aspiring for Jedi Consular myself, I had opted to travel lighter than Tanea Valov. That left me with much less to worry about as I went to help my brother haul C2's sealed container, grabbing my small satchel of minimal supplies and duel sabers along the way. Again, Cinaed's support through the Force made me eternally grateful at this point, since I still felt a cold, sickening chill through my limbs and skull.

Unlike me or Valov, my twin brother found the serenity of the Jedi Temples on Coruscant and Tython to be his true calling. Help oversee, guard, and maintain them. And yet, he always showed a willingness to maintain our firm bond since conception no matter how far I traveled with my Master. His own, Kinz-Ye Lum, had also helped us, through mainly Cinaed, to embrace the simpler things in life, and in the Living Force. Just knowing my brother passed the Trials gave me a healthy dose of loving pride, as well as moderate eagerness for myself.

Valov took upon herself the role of my main teacher, honing my skills and connection to the Force surely as I matured. As her first padawan learner, we gained a great deal of wisdom from each other. And her more aggressive approach and philosophy in using the Force, above all else, enabled me to broaden my horizons and imagination in guiding that power with both humility, and tranquil confidence.

So with that in mind, I gathered my built frustration and anxiety, along with the appalling parasite of darkness that was trying to drown my spirit and senses. Channeling all that without consuming me, along with the reinforced presence of my brother and our mentors, I found a deep balance of light and dark to send all our effects straight out of the bay's inclined platform and launched them away from the wreckage. Just then, the ship dipped down more, forcing us to climb the grated pathway and push up onto the ramp as water dripped down the cargo's portal.

The very moment water reached our boots and padded, webbed feet, we either leapt or dove towards the floating boxes before us. We then climbed atop the broadest of objects of floating on which to sit. While getting our bearings from the crash into this uncharted system, I scanned the clear blue skies for signs of our aggressors. No trace of that X-70B Phantom Imperial starship. The overwhelming dread lifted also, seeing as the dark lords inside left us to fend for ourselves while establishing a foothold on this planet.

"Never encountered," I panted from my removed mouthpiece, "Sith lords without a Fury before."

"They must've taken a standard Imp cruiser while concealing their presence," Master replied, "Reduce their chances of detection and Jedi interference along the way. Wipe out unsuspecting Republic ships also."

That didn't stop them from using the Force to damage our ship more so.

"I agree, Cinaed," nodded Lum, "Dey loosed all their energy and blew their cover to gain simple advantage over us. Either because of lesser experience in youth, or…"

"They fear of what we might find on this planet," Valov finished, "Something they themselves are after, of which we're unaware."

"So they basically drew attention onto themselves for nothing," I huffed, "Now we know there's a whole lot more going on than we thought."

"And it's no surprise the system's neither in the Jedi Archives, nor any other records," my Master continued. "An Outer Rim world on the cusp of our galaxy, with techno scans matching those of Dagobah, and a dozen or so parsecs from the nearest trade route. Seeing a Jedi Corvette Cruiser here for a Sith is as much a coincidence as an empty Sarlacc pit. They wanted to tie any loose ends right away."

So they thought we were on to them, and let their blind rage take over. Both Knight and Sentinel masters nodded at Cinaed.

"But how could they have known this place," I asked, "I mean, we only got here because you navigated us, Master Lum. How did you know about this world?"

"All questions will be answered as able in due time, Padawan Ward," Kinz-Ye meekly stated, "But now we must'a recollect ourselves and reach land."

"Faolan," said Tanea, "you and Cinaed tether our supplies and gear, while I assemble a small hover craft to ferry us ashore."

"On it, Master," I nodded with my brother.

"I'll swim ahead towards dat peninsula," Lum spoke, "establish a perimeter before making contact wid de locals."

"Good," Valov responded, "And in case they're unaware of our species, we should all stay hidden until we know a select few of their own won't overreact. We don't want a mass panic. Now, seeing as we all have our tasks, let's get moving."

Aw, and I wanted to build a water house.

I sniggered back as we got started, "Go ahead, it's just a few klicks to the wreck."

Grab a death stick, go for a walk.

"Take a garbage dive."

Eat Neimoidian laser.

"Wise guy."

Bantha brain.

"Slouch."

Krayt breath.

"The Tatooine barbs?"

I didn't say "Eat Jawa taser."

"But I still ate it!" He then busted into an uproar, as the girls and myself looked on with a mix of confusion and disdain, the latter from my part, while trekking the woodlands.

"Really, Lance," I scoffed, "Does it look like we're going for a nice friendly stroll through happy meadows and exchanging stories?"

"Well I don't know about you, but all this searching for mysteriously crashing ships from out of the sky's starting to drag on a little. So I figured we could use some morale to help pass the time."

"Exactly. This isn't some carnival or variety show. We're supposed to focus on tracing that smoke trail and find out what that was."

"And who would want to hear a story like that, anyways," huffed Kiera, arms crossed.

"Now, now," he gently rebuked, "it's good to be honest and express your opinions, but only in a polite way."

"Okay, well here's my honest opinion in a polite way," I regained his attention, "I'm not sure taking these two along into the wilderness and find something that could be dangerous was a good idea."

"Well, I guess that's true from a certain point of view. But no one at the palace can keep track of these two so good, never mind Hope." I huffed in agreement, remembering that inexperienced, insecure handmaiden. Then Lance gestured her to Kiera and Catalina, "Besides, they look up to you, Cassandra. They want to follow your example. I'm sure they'll listen to you if you just show 'em how to better protect themselves out here. Right, ladies?"

"Yeah, Pop." "Sure." The red-haired girl nodded modestly, while the black-haired one just shrugged, arms still crossed.

I stood nonchalant with my own arms crossed, eyeing the adopted pair of sister street urchins sternly. I rolled my eyes before carrying on through the bramble and leaves and grunting, "Great. My first day back visiting Corona, and I'm weaseled into babysitting."

"Hey," sparked Kiera Schnitz, "You haven't told us what you've been doing during your travels, Cassandra."

"Maybe, if it's okay with you, you can tell us a little bit about them, Miss Phillips," Catalina added.

"Eh, eh?" Lance beamed with enthusiasm, seeing his point carried across. "Y'see? Plus, having a member of the Corona Guard to help out, and the second-in-command I might add, also means we're in good hands here."

Even though I would never openly admit it, coming back to see the kingdom not up in flames under Captain Fitzherbert's watch was impressive. And while he and his new Lieutenant bore the resemblance of two boys playing soldier, the undeniable bond between the two men proved sufficient in getting the job done as well as my own adopted Dad before them. Keeping the peace in Corona never felt so charismatic. It was a combo of both honorable pride, and disgust from my no-nonsense, disciplined upbringing. At least Maximus was around to help them both stay in line.

Of course, I did not travel alone after Zhan Tiri. When I have been out riding with Fidella to search for my true purpose and calling, I decided to take that time and visit those Princess Rapunzel, Fitzherbert and I got to meet during our travels. Some were happy, like nothing changed since we first met. Others were a bit wary of me after hearing what had happened thanks to me and Zhan, even though Rapunzel and Eugene were quick to revoke all wanted posters and charges against me since my revival. Even now, the subjects at the island castle were still hesitant to see me again, no matter how excited my best friend was, and how relatively glad Fitzherbert was, to welcome me back. At least I had my Dad to support me also.

Then there came the likes of Lance Strongbow and those two girls he took in. I just became a little unsure about setting a great example for the kids. But then again, they grew up as thieves in alleyways before we even knew each other. At least I had a parent figure to finally show me how much I was loved and capable of doing the same. And now, it appeared those two are getting the same deal as I. Also, their father figure knew a thing or two about redemption, himself.

So Raps and Eugene were with the alchemist Varian to examine a thick, overheated slab of metal and sparking strings from the air that actually glowed red and orange. It was the one closest to Varian's village. And while Maximus, Fidella, Guards Pete and Stan took off to ensure no other debris caused a wildfire, myself, Lance, Catalina, and Kiera opted to follow another smoke trail in the sky. After watching that massive craft's trajectory towards the sea past the island castle, I figured checking the woods leading to the coast would be the best way to search. I even sent a message through Fidella to someone at the harbor to send a ship that general direction and watch for any survivors and floating wreckage.

Seeing that we reached the sandy shores I planned to examine, I shrugged in response to the girls' enquiry, "Not much to tell, really. Not at first. Fidella and I just kept riding deep into Corona proper, and even went to that big ol' Tower of artifacts and relics to know more about it. Even though the current resident was still a pain in the neck."

"What else did you find? Was something magical stolen again, or something?"

Kiera's sheer curiosity and eagerness prompted a smirk on my end of the conversation. "Well, no. Sorry to disappoint, Angry, but no grand quest from there, or anything like that. But there was something that kind of caught my attention. Even the Tower's Keeper knew nothing about it. Only that it came from the sky, and nobody knows how it got here."

"Anybody notice a pattern of that happening around here," Lance remarked. "First a drop of sunlight, then a drop of the moon's energy, and now a mysterious artifact along with a crashed ship?"

"What did it look like," Catalina asked.

I did not get the chance to ponder and describe what I found to Red and her sister, when I spotted something in the ocean waves. "Look!"

I pointed out towards the floating shapes in the water. It appeared to be a set of crates, bags, and boxes tied together and linked to something floating in the air, humming in some strange, unnerving manner.

"What's that? What's that? What's that?" Lance drew his own sword and stepped in front of the girls with quivering worry, as I place my outstretched, gloved hand to my back's own blade. Looking past the air-bobbing object, I noted three figures standing on top of the floating stuff in the water, focused on keeping their balance in the waves. It was at that point they each looked up to find us standing on the beach.

Two of them appeared to be ordinary young men with light brown hair and blue eyes, twins in fact, wearing weird robes that reminded me of the Tower's Keeper. One in black and dark blue, the other a greyish green with maroon vest, belt, and boots. The first had a short head of hair with combed up bangs that parted at the center, and sporting a disturbingly familiar goatee. The second brother had shorter, spiked hair, with some long, braided strand hanging behind his right ear.

But the third stranger really caught my attention, as the figure suggested female beneath that green and khaki clothing. But the light green skin, white things hanging from her head with green stripes on them and her arms, the décor on the forehead displaying teeth, and the white markings on the face made me unsure what to make of that creature. Not to mention she wore no sleeves or hooded cloak, in contrast to the two gentlemen completely covered from neck to toe in garments. Kind of reminded me of a certain Lady pirate.

By the time I finally registered I was staring at a totally new, and different kind of human being, they were setting their leather boots onto the sandy shores. It was then that Lance suddenly screamed in fright, provoking my eyes to stray upward for in annoyance.

"Master Valov," cried a voice approaching our left and gaining all our attention, "Stay low! I sensed life forms heading…dees…way."

Lance screamed a second time when we all saw the standing, cloaked figure of brown and tan. There were padded, and webbed bare feet, beneath the grey, spotted, scaly face of a catfish with giant fins in the back. Lance fainted after that. Catalina and Kiera just gawked and stared like a couple of fish out of water, themselves.

"Well," the green lady sighed, "so much for discretion."

"You're right about one thing though, Master," the second brother with the braid spoke. The first one simply stood, mouth closed, watching this whole exchange. "A select few didn't overreact."