TATOOINE

The news-transmission displayed the Corellian senator, Garm Bel Iblis, adressing the outcome of the most recent vote in the Senate of the Old Republic. Answering one question after another thrown at him by reporters and journalists how this latest legislation would affect Corellia, the cunning politican managed to keep himself from getting mired and bogged down with petty details.

"This is great!"

"What is?" a nautilan said and stuck his head, all its tendrils covered in oil, out of the open maintainence-panel in the floor.

"This is!" the captain of the vessel said and pointed at the holographic news-transmission. "The senate will increase taxes along all major trade-routes in the Republic."

"Ok?" the nautilan said, a bit confused. "And this is great because?"

"Because" the captain said and cut the news-feed, turning his chair around to face his crewmember, "that means it will be more profitable to conduct trade with smaller systems. Local trade will sky-rocket."

"Still don't see how that affects us" the nautilan said. "This is Tatooine, you know."

The captain sighed. "Yeah, but we run shipping between Geonosis, Tatooine and Naboo. And if trade picks up on Geonosis and Naboo, so does contraband."

"Which means more profit for us" the nautilan grinned as he realized the percs of the new law.

"Precisely. I'm telling you, Eaden, things are looking up."

The nautilan shook his head and returned to maintainence. "You never know, Dash, you never know."

XXX XXX

Dash Rendar made his way down the sand-covered streets of Mos Eisley, the spaceport crowded with crews and merchants, lowlives and profiteers. The redheaded human entered one of the many cantinas the spaceport had to offer and found the man he was looking for by one of the tables. All maner of sentients could be found here, most intoxicated with either alcohol or drugs. Holographic dancers performed on the bar itself, their revealing dresses hard to ignore.

"Have a seat, Rendar" the red-skinned nikto by the table said. "I have a smooth job for you this time."

"Sounds good" Dash Rendar said and sat down. "What's the job?"

"Simple deal" the Kaijan'sa'Nikto said and took a swipe of his drink. "Move ten crates of Slick to Geonosis, pick up a crate of baradium and ship it to Naboo where you will pick up sixteen crates of prime Naboo spice and bring it back here."

"Payment?"

"Two-hundred per crate of Slick, one-thousand for the crate of baradium and six-hundred for each crate of unrefined spice. Twelve-thousand six-hundred in total." The red-skinned reptilian leaned back in his chair, sipping his drink with a smug grin.

Dash nodded, quite pleased by the numbers mentioned. "Dataries or duggats?"

The nikto chuckled. "What do you think?"

"Dataries" Dash said as he nodded, the question had not really been serious anyway. "You know, half of that will go to fuel-costs. I figure, perhaps another two-thousand wouldn't be too much to ask for."

"Dash, come on" the nikto shook his head and placed the drink on the table. "You know I can't do that. Jabba pays for these shipments and he is not one who negotiates payment."

"Atleast pay me upfront, Sharow" Dash pleaded. "You know I'll finish the run."

"Payment when the spice reaches Mos Eisley. As always" the nikto said smiling.

"Fine... So where do I pick up the Slick?" Dash sulked.

"Mos Espa" Sharow revealed, and as he did, he gave another matter some thought. "You want to earn some extra creds?"

"Always" Dash said and was growing interested, seeing that the nikto was up to something.

Sharow leaned forward and lowered his voice as Dash moved in close to listen. "Gardulla has a shipment that he needs to get to Geonosis, unnoticed if you catch my meaning."

"I take it that includes unnoticed by the Desilijic clan" Dash said, tossing a glance left and right to make sure no-one was taking an interest in the conversation.

Being cautious was most prudent, seeing as Tatooine was run by the Desilijic clan, one of Nal Huttas most prominent families. And taking on jobs that went against the clans interests was not something one did on a whim.

Sharow simply nodded. "A data-tape to be more precise."

"How much?" the Corellian smuggler asked next, greed being his most prominent vice.

"Sixty duggats" the nikto said, "but I can easily convince Gardulla to make it seventyfive."

Dash did a quick calculation in his head. "Almost twenty-thousand dataries? Makes you wonder what's on that data-tape" he grinned.

"All I know is, if Jabba finds out I wont stay around on Tatooine, if you know what I mean."

Dash nodded and gave it some thought. "Hell, for seventyfive duggats, it's worth the risk."

A large ruckus interrupted their meeting as a knife-fight errupted at the far end of the cantina and soon evolved into a regular firefight. It was never dull having a drink in Mos Eisley.

XXX XXX

Outrider was a heavily modified Corellian YT-2400 Light Freighter and crewed by Dash Rendar, Eadan Vrill and the humanoid repair-droid LE-BO2D9, affectionatelly called Leebo. Mos Espa was only a quarter of Mos Eisley in size and population, and while Mos Eisley was a spaceport that attracted the most notorious criminals in the Outer Rim, Mos Espa attracted nothing more than local farmers and drunks. And as it happened, Dash Rendar and his crew. Outrider settled down half a mile or so outside of town, in cover behind some dunes.

"I remember this place" Eadan said as he took a look out the cockpit at the glimpses of Mos Espa that could be seen in between the dunes. "I got robbed and stabbed here."

"I do believe you make that statement where ever we land" Leebo pointed out while going over the ships functions via the engineering-console in the cock-pit. "Statistically, it is highly improbable."

Looking over his shoulder at the droid, the nautilan was not amused. "Did you just call me a liar?"

Dash powered down the ship, tossing a glance at his co-pilot. "To be fair, Eadan, Leebo just pointed out that most people aren't dumb enough to get into knife-fights at every new destination they end up at."

"Correct, Master Rendar" Leebo said, never taking his lenses from his work. "I was merely pointing out your inferior intellect, Master Vrill."

Eadan growled. "You are dangerously close to a memory-wipe."

"At least he didn't call you a liar" Dash grinned.

XXX XXX

Dash and Eadan disembarked and stepped out onto the hot sand, hands resting on their blasters holstered along their thighs. A cargo-speeder was approaching, the trailer loaded with ten crates patially hidden under a canvas. Gliding into a halt a few yards away from the pilot and co-pilot, the creature sitting next to the driver of the speeder jumped out, or rather, flew out.

"Hold it, toydarian!" Dash ordered and he and Eadan tightened their hold of their blasters.

In response, the four youngsters that had followed the toydarian revealed their own weapons, two blaster-rifles and two blaster-pistols to be more precise.

"Easy now" the toydarian said, removing a thick cigarr from his mouth, and tried to calm the situation. "Let's not get hasty. We are all here to do business."

Dash squinted with his eyes as he studied the opposition. Teenaged kids, three humans and a rodian. Dash could take them on by himself and still not get a scratch.

"I was told that a rodian named Heegra was in charge of business in Mos Espa" Dash said.

"He is" the toydarian nodded. "Heegra asked me a favor to deliver the cargo to you. I am Watto, Watto Ossiki, and I have here ten crates from Gardulla."

"Alright, Watto" Dash said, ever keeping an eye on the armed youngsters. "Let's talk."

XXX XXX

The Corellian freighter took off once all the cargo had been loaded and stirred up a small vortex of sand and particles as it left the ground. The cargo-speeder was heading back to town and Watto was biting the duggat-strip he had earned for delivering the cargo, to make sure it was authentic. The toydarian was one giant viscious grin as he held the strip up and studied it. On the trailer, three of the teenagers had settled down and placed their weapons to the side, the forth and last of them sitting up front with Watto behind the controls.

"That was alot of slick" Kitster Chanchani said as he took a look at the Outrider as it grew smaller and smaller up in the sky.

"How do you know it was slick?" the other human boy said.

"Come on, Anakin" Kitster chuckled, "it's Gardullas prime source of income, everyone knows that."

The rodian boy named Wald could not help but laugh. "It certainly wasn't bantha poodoo."

They all laughed until Watto shouted back at them to keep their mouths shut. The boys instead settled down and waited for the speeder to get them back to town and Wattos shop. Anakin pulled his scarf up over his nose so he wouldn't have to breathe in every single grain of sand that was flying around. He glanced up at the tiny dot in the sky that was the corellian ship. One day he would fly a starship of his own, he was sure of it.

FOURTH MOON OF YAVIN

The red giant of Yavin took up much of the skies of its habitable moon, its pink ambiance covering the jungles in a soft light, day and night. The Jedi temple was as always a hub of activity as younglings, padawan-learners and padawans trained in all aspects of being a Jedi Knight. Some conducted obstacle-courses out in the jungle to build up their physique, others flew superfast speeders to train their reflexes and learn to trust their intuition and instincts, and as always, constantly supervised by their mentors, their masters, their teachers.

A VCX-100 light freighter, by most standards a rusty bucket of bolts, circled the temple before slowing down to land on one of the platforms along the higher levels of the structure. Once its landing-gears had touched down, the boarding-ramp lowered and the people onboard disembarked. Five left the ship and crossed the platform and headed for the temple, a large open doorway offered a way in and stepping through they found themselves in a large and impressive chamber, cavernous even.

Three dozen Jedi sat along the walls on thin pillows that barely made a difference against the cold hard rock that made up the floor of the chamber. The audience were mostly knights and master, but also a handfull of padawans that neared the day when they would face the trials to achieve knighthood.

The five arrivals walked across the room until they found themselves standing infront of eight Jedi seated in proper chairs arranged in a crescent shape.

"Grand Master Rahm Kota, on behalf of the temple, I welcome you" a bald and darkskinned jedi among those seated in chairs said to the man leading the five arrivals.

"Temple Master Windu" Kota replied, "it has been too long."

"Indeed it has, grand master" Mace Windu said and bowed out of respect for the grand master.

"It has been many years since I saw Grand Master Yoda in the flesh" Kota said and glanced to his right at three jedi positioned over by the wall. "As it is with Grand Master Kit Fisto."

Everyone turned their attention at the two grand masters that had kept a low profile by remaining to the side, over by the walls of the great chamber. Grand Master Yoda was sitting in his mobile chair, resembling an astromech-droid without a head in many ways, leaning as always with both hands against his cane of platinum and adamantium.

"Grand Master Kota" Kit Fisto said, the nautilan smiling at his fellow grand master, "the High Council longs to see you in person on Coruscant. Your hologram is a poor substitute."

"Individuals, Rangers are" Yoda said. "Yet, duties, grand masters have aswell."

Rahm Kota offered his fellow grand masters a nod. "I shall en devour to attend the High Council more frequently. But surely, my absence from Coruscant is not of import here and now?"

"Indeed" Yoda acknowledged. "Coincidence, our presence is. Please, continue."

Rahm Kota turned to adress the eight chairs. "Masters, I bring to you the renegades Alanda Barro and Ephrem Karalga, so that they may face your prudent judgment. They had made it as far as Dantooine."

Grand Master Kota stepped aside and allowed the two young teenagers that had accompanied him to step forward. Each of the teens had an older Jedi Knight close-by, as if being guarded or overseen. The girl soon became the object of everyones focus, or rather, what she was carrying in her arms attracted the attention of every Jedi present. A two month old child.

"Padawan-learner Alanda" Temple Master Windu said, aiming stern eyes at the teenager. "Is the child yours?"

"It is" the girl said, almost defiantly.

"Padawan-learner Ephrem" Windu said next. "Are you the father?"

"I am, Master Windu" the boy admitted.

"You know the code" Windu said and rested his torso against the chair. "Our creed. You know our laws. You have betrayed us all. You have betrayed the Jedi Order and you have betrayed the Old Republic. You have betrayed our trust. There is nothing you can say that will change this. You engaged in forbidden companionship, fully aware that it was a violation of our creed, and Alanda became with child. When it could not be kept in the dark any more you ran and fled, stealing a shuttle and became renegades. Rogue jedi that can not be trusted. Do you deny this?"

"No" Ephrem said, ashamed and embaressed.

"No" Alanda said, displaying a hint of defiance.

Mace Windu sighed. "The Temple Council has decided that you are to be banished to the penal-world of Yggdral where you shall serve as Keepers of the Peace. You will use your skills to protect the weak and defend the downtrodden. Your efforts will bring law and order to the convicts of that world."

"And the child?" Alanda asked, almost demanding an answer.

Mace Windu paused for a second or two before giving his answer. "The child will stay here as a youngling and will recieve our training. In time, the child will become a Jedi Knight."

"Don't you dare take my daughter from me!" Alanda roared and held on to her baby tighter still. "Stay away from her!"

"It must be done" a besalisk jedi master, sitting next to Windu, said. "Without our guidance, your daughter will surely fall to the Dark Side."

"How dare you?!" Alanda growled. "How dare you place judgment on an infant! The future is not set, it is always in motion! You do not know her fate!"

Jedi Master Lishno, a selkath of Manaan, shook her head with regreat. "Anger fills your heart, my child. Beware that should you turn to the Dark Side, it will forever dominate your destiny."

Alanda held her child tight in her arms and shook her head in disbelief at the jedi masters. "Have you lost your mind? What you are witnessing is love, not darkness. This is love, not anger! This is love, not hatred! I am a mother, not a Sith!" She took a moment to calm herself. "It is not anger that fills my heart, but love. You must sense it?"

"Love is passion" one of the jedi masters said, the bith gesturing with his right hand as he spoke. "Passion is by its nature untamed, it is wild, it is arrogant, it is blind. You have become passionate, padawan-learner. In your passion, you are wild, arrogant and blind. Are you telling me that you, in such a state of mind, could resist the temptations of the Dark Side? Drunk on your passion, can you see the difference between love and hate? In your arrogance, you have failed to realize that you are blind to the truth and that your mind has grown wild and desperate."

Mace Windu nodded in agreement. "It is the truth, padawan-learner. We will keep your daughter safe from the temptations of the Dark Side. I assure you."

Alandas eyes gave away her desperation, she could not see a way out, no place to run, nowhere to hide, no chance of escape. "No!" she cried out. "You will not have her!"

A lightsaber was pulled from one of the witnessing padawans and ended up in Alandas firm grip, the weapon igniting instantly and a bright yellow, golden almost, blade of energy shot out from the hilt to form the deadliest sword known to the galaxy. Alandas eyes burned with the love for her child as she aimed the lightsaber straight out from her, the point of the weapon slowly aimed at each and everyone of her enemies.

"You will let me leave in Grand Master Kotas ship" Alanda demanded, "and you will not follow as I jump into hyperspace. You will leave me and my child alone. Do you understand? She is not yours to take. She does not belong to you!"

"Train her, you will?"

Yoda made slow progress, relying on his legs and cane for locomotion, as he walked over to the young woman who was desperately defending her daughter.

"Prepare her, you will?"

Alanda knew all too well who it was she was confronted by, Grand Master Yoda had been the stuff of legends for the past seven-hundred years. She hesitated at first, but eventually dared to aim the tip of the stolen lightsaber straight at Yodas head.

"I will teach her" Alanda said. "I will keep her safe."

"Safe from the Dark Side?" Yoda wondered and came to a halt, resting against his exquisite cane. "Safe from anger, hate, deception and jealousy you will keep her?"

Alanda said nothing, she knew it would be impossible to try and keep her daughter from experiencing such incidents. Yoda sighed and grunted, slowly shaking his head as he did.

"Born of two jedi she is" Yoda then said. "Powerful she will become. Proper training she will need, requires guidance and supervision, or else to greed and ambition her powers will turn. Teach her self-control we will, learn she will to live with her powers. Understand she will, the ways of the Force."

"She is mine" Alanda said, bursting into tears, barely able to hold on to the lightsaber in her hand.

Yoda slowly shook his head and aimed stern eyes at the young woman. "She is not. Strong with the Force the child is. A Jedi Knight she will become. Her destiny it is. Her future, young one, you will not share."

The lightsaber deactivated and fell to the floor as Alanda dropped to her knees, hugging her child tighter than ever before, tears flowing without end from her eyes down onto her now screaming daughter. The childs father eventually managed to take the girl from her mothers arms and as he stepped away she folded over in misery. Ephrem was taken by the situation, but still he found the strength to perform his duty towards the Jedi Order and handed the two months old baby, his own daughter, over to the besalisk of the eight jedi masters that sat to pass judgment.

Yoda placed his hand on the ruined womans shoulder. "To Yggdral you will go. There, purpose you will find, together with your friend."

XXX XXX

Grand Master Yoda and Grand Master Kit Fisto were joined by Master Haraka and Temple Master Mace Windu out on a balcony. Overhead, the red giant of Yavin covered the skies and all around jungle covered hills and canyons as far as the eye could see. Flocks of birds moved in great clouds and animals sang to attract mates. The tranquility was only disrupted as Grand Master Kotas ship took off together with the transport that would deliver the two young renegades to the planet of Yggdral.

"It has become more frequent, such incidents" the nautilan said. "Ever since the battle of Whills."

"Right you are, Master Fisto" Yoda agreed and grunted. "More easily seduced by the Dark Side, our padawans have become."

Mace Windu could only agree. "The Dark Side has not been this strong for centuries. It clouds our padawans judgment and taunts their emotions to ignore their own will."

Master Haraka sighed. "That the Dark Side has grown so strong is a sign that many atrocities are commited in the galaxy. Murder, betrayal and war, greed and corruption. It all allows the Dark Side to breed and grow."

Kit Fisto nodded in response to the grim depiction. "A clear sign that the Republic and its senators have failed. That we have failed. We must turn the tide and soon."

"But how?" Haraka wondered. "By appointing our own chancellor? It is not our way."

"No, it is not" Yoda muttered. "And never shall be if the Dark Side we wish to destroy. Temple Master Windu, come we have, to seek your guidance on matters that the Watchers concern."

Kit Fisto was next to speak. "Grand Master Sifo-Dyas has not been heard from and his fate can not be determined, even by the powers and insights of Grand Master Yoda. We must confess that the High Council fears the worst."

"Master Windu, yourself and Master Haraka, most powerful Watchers after Sifo-Dyas are" Yoda said. "Consult your wisdom we intend, on High Councils behalf. Our ears now listen."

Windu and Haraka exchanged glances and then focused their minds and sought clarity.

Haraka was first to speak. "There are surges in the Force. Sudden peaks when all is clouded, when all is obscured."

Yoda nodded. "Strange events in the Force. Behave like this, the Dark Side never has before."

"Could there be deliberate action behind it?" Fisto asked, turning to Windu.

"Possibly, but I do not think so" Windu contemplated. "If these events were centered around a person, there would be a presence in the Force. An echo of the person and its actions, especially if this person was connected somehow to these strange tides in the Force itself."

"Yet" Haraka said, "something moves in the shadows. Something menacing. A phantom."

Windu nodded. "That much can not be denied. I sense it was this dark sliver that Sifo-Dyas went to investigate. And I believe he found this phantom menace."

Yoda turned sombre. "Investigate the Dark Side and disapear he did. A Grand Master of the Jedi Order, vanished has. Very troubling."

Kit Fisto agreed. "So what did he find? Where did he go?"

"He found a threat" Windu coldly stated. "A dangerous threat. And where ever he went, we should go after him. This threat is a danger to the Republic, of that I am certain."

"Cool heads, we will rely on" Yoda said and urged calm with a hand-motion. "The High Council will consult, discover the path to chose we will. Unknown this new threat is to us, underestimate it we must not. Meditate and our options discuss, we must. Only then this threat reveal and counter we will."

"And what of Grand Master Sifo-Dyas?" Windu inquired.

Yoda gave it some thought, his sombre mood not faltering. "His fate unknown is. Rush into things, we should not. Aware we are of this threat, enough that is for the moment. Trust in Sifo-Dyas abilities we should and his return await."

"For how long, master Yoda?" Kit Fisto wondered.

"Until no other options, we have. The Dark Side, underestimate I intend not to."