Episode Four
Stealing an Imperial Tie-Fighter and set a course to pursue the squadron of fighters as they attacked my small and unarmed launch, it was only a matter of time before the vessel had fallen to the weapons of the Imperial Fighters as I hugged the ground while screaming through cracks in the ice fields and glaciers which lined the Darkside of the planet itself, seeing the pursuit from above, I saw my opening and even though I was less than a perfect pilot and having trouble with controlling my vessel itself, I slid into formation behind the fighters themselves as they continued to fire upon the ship before them, knowing that if I had fired upon the fighters before, I would be outmatched and outnumbered instantly, my only course of action was to nudge the ships into the endlessly thick ice walls in an attempt to appear as a less than perfect pilot.
Five fighters pursued my own craft before me, and as I saw smoke billowing from the rear of the craft, now was my time to act. Appearing as if I was an overzealous pilot attempting to make a name for myself, I quickly pushed past the two fighters before me, causing them both to spin away and impact the walls to the left and right of my own fighter while alarms rang out through the cockpit of my own vessel to alert me to the impacts, instantly clipping a third fighter, it spun away instantly as one of the remaining two pilots seemed to panic slightly at my approach from behind him as he climbed instantly in a futile display of piloting only to crash into another ice wall. Firing my vessel's weapons into the remaining ship, a large explosion tore through the ship which I passed through instantly as debris slammed into my vessel as I pulled alongside my own launch and peered through the window towards Alana with a smile and a nod. Giving me hand signals to land my craft, we both slipped into a cavern large enough for both craft and upon exiting, she walked towards me with an almost look of disappointment in her eyes as she spoke.
"What did you think that you where doing? You said that you where going back to the Launch! And then I heard about…"
"Alana, I…" I said slowly as I approached her.
"You put everyone, all of us in danger with your reckless actions Ryder!"
"Alana, I needed answers from him, I had to know why they abandoned me… of all people, you know me better than anyone, I need to know the truth" I replied slowly.
"And facing Vader? You where ordered to Stay Away from that thing" Alana replied, instantly.
"Vader won't be a problem for awhile, I made sure of that, I destroyed his weapon and crippled him, for now anyway"
Turning instantly at the sound of the Tie-Fighter which had spun away from my attack returning, I sighed deeply before walking towards the entrance to the cavern as it approached. Reaching out with my hand and the force itself, I held the vessel in place as I felt the fear of the pilot and I knew that I crush the vessel and its occupant with little or no effort, but I senses something in the pilot, beyond the fear, I sense hope and that was why I turned the vessel away from our location and towards the stars I once seen as a child with my mind, I pushed the engines to full power before releasing the vessel itself as I shot away into the stars and once again, I turned towards Alana, formerly Sharlon with a new and peaceful calm resonating within me as I nodded.
"We should leave before more arrive"
"What did you, how can you do that?" Alana said with shock as the Jedi approached me slowly.
"Clarity my former Master, Clarity for the first time. I saw into the Pilot's mind, a new dawn is fast approaching as more are becoming tired with the Empire. Soon, very soon, a force will arise to challenge the Empire, and we must be ready to assist, from the side-lines… we must go, now before more arrive, I can not control them all as I had with that one"
Hidden far away from the Empire, beyond their grasp and eyes of their agents lay a young star system deep inside of a nebula spanning seventy-five light-years in length and forty-two light-years in height, the perfect hiding place for anyone wanting to hide from the galaxy itself, a single colony of Force Sensitive people from many species discovered across the galaxy and their families, each living in harmony with one-another. Training their young in what had become known as forbidden arts by the Empire, knowledge of the Force and the Universe itself had become their primary goal in their self imposed isolation. Although only a small handful had been granted by the universe a connection with the Force itself, training in self-defence had become a standard teachings for all whom had wanted to challenge themselves in the slim event of ever being discovered by the Empire and their Sith Lords.
Arriving at our New Home World, I was instantly summoned before the Council of the New Order once reports of the incident with Darth Vader had been transmitted, stood before the circle of the newly appointed Knights of the New Order, I was ordered to explain myself once again, as I had been during the Old Order, only this time, I Alana and those we had recovered had stood at my side as I had previously explained what had happened to her and those inside of the mothership I had personally owned.
"This is indeed a troubling matter Master Ryder and I believe not the first time you have stood before a Council of the Jedi?"
"Master Lo'Han! It was never my intention to face Darth Vader. I believed and still do, that the man we had spoken with prior to my engagement with Vader, is my Father. I wanted answers… everyone here is aware of my past and by now you have seen my reports, I reacted with both the training of Master Carlin and Master Sharlon as my guide, I have not placed the existence of this Council nor this Planet… in any danger"
"And yet the Empire and their Sith Lords know of your existence?" The blue Alien male said slowly, with caution.
"The standing order of the Imperial soldiers is to terminate all Jedi on site, I was nothing more than an anomaly to them and they believe that I am now dead as I had entered the ice fields of my former Home World" I said slowly, knowing instantly how they would reply.
"Members of the Council, let us not forget that if it was not for the tireless efforts of Ryder, this council would not have been reformed, I urge you to consider that…"
"We are all aware of Master Ryder's contributions to this colony Master Alana. Nevertheless, her actions may have jeopardised the security of this colony during her confrontation with Darth Vader and as such…"
"If you banish her, then you banish me also!" Alana said instantly.
"No Alana, I will leave this place alone, I have always known that this day will come, remain here and take your place with the Council as it should be. Master Lo'Han, I will leave shortly as you have all agreed upon, but I must be heard this time. Do not reveal yourselves as your numbers are still small, you must wait until the time is right. It may take decades or even centuries, you will know when the time is right to return, I give you my word. Alana, Sharlon… I want to thank you for everything that you have done for me, and we will meet again within the Force itself someday. Be safe, my one… and true sister!"
So now, three weeks later, here I am alone and onboard an old vessel which I had taken rather than my own which I had given to the New Order, exiting Hyperspace above a familiar desert world once again in search of a man that I had once known to inform him that my assignment is complete, I had reformed the Jedi-Order, safe and far away from the Empire.
Entering the home of the former Jedi Master she had known and respected for many years, a warmth filled the woman as she slowly sat before the aging master himself as smiled and bowed slightly, his once thick golden hair tainted with thin strands of white hair as his beard had also begun to turn white with age although his connection with the force seemed to be as strong as she had remembered as slowly sat before him with a smile on content on her face as the old and legendary warrior spoke with calm tone in his voice.
"Ryder, you have done well as I knew that you would. You must know however that Darth Vader has returned to his position after your engagement with him, and from I hear, he is most displeased with you"
"I know. It was my error, I should have ended him where he stood, but it is not my destiny to do so, but the young one that you now watch over. He is growing stronger by the day, although he is still unaware of his true path and destiny" Ryder replied with a sigh. "His life will not be an easy one"
"His path is his own to choose, I am confidant that he will make the right choice, as will his sister. Tell me, how many did you find?"
"175 males and females, adults and children from across the Empire and beyond, although only 53 share a connection of varying levels in strength. It may take centuries before their numbers swell to such a point where they can reveal themselves, but I am confidant that they will make the right choice. I turned down their offer to join the Council, Sharlon, or Alana as she now calls herself, did not. She will soon lead the Council with great effect and due to the new laws we had put forwards upon your request, it is now possible to have children of their own and when the time is right, those parents will teach their own children the ways of the Force"
"As it should have been. Connection to the force is rare amongst the population of the galaxy, a Jedi mating with another Jedi to produce off-spring with sufficient strength to train, was outlawed by the order thousands of years ago, now an outdated law. If I may ask, what of you? What will you do next?" Obi-Wan asked politely.
"If Vader is looking for me, I can not allow him to find you or the boy. Good-bye my old friend, I am confidant that one day, we will see each-other once again within the force itself someday. But until that day Obi-Wan, I forgive you and you must forgive yourself" Ryder replied with a calm reverence in her voice.
"Forgive me, for what?"
"Anakin Skywalker. No-one knew him better than you did, not even myself. His turn to the Darkness was sudden and his crimes are to many to count, but it was not your fault nor your failure, it was his own choice as was the murders that he has since committed under the name of Darth Vader"
Almost feeling a weight lifting from his shoulders as she stood, it had appeared to him as if his own guilt had somehow overtaken Ryder herself until she stood tall and proud, before bowing to the old Knight of the Old Republic himself and slowly leaving the home of the man himself to disappear into the desert.
Several years later, Luke Skywalker, son of Anakin Skywalker had begun to follow his own path into the Force itself under the guidance of Obi-Wan Kenobi after his ascension to become one with the Force itself after the destruction of his mortal body. Isolated away from civilisation itself, the woman formally known as Saris and Ryder had felt the death of Obi-Wan Kenobi as a powerful ripple within the Force itself, as if someone had thrown a stone into a lake causing ripples to spread out in all directions, a similar wave which she had felt several days earlier with the sudden death of Billions of Souls on the planet of Alderaan at the hands of the Empire itself, an act which had forced her to return to Civilisation, not as a Jedi, nor a Sith as during her self imposed isolation, she had uncovered secrets of the Force which few had yet to discover, an ability beyond anything previously known and the truth about the Force itself.
The End…
Story By… Ariston 1.