New Light in the Stars

Chapter 5

Been taking too long to do this. I'm moving into some of the interim between episodes 1 and 2. And how Joris having a touch of a normal man from say our world or any world where he's not a mystic monk. Thus he has a different position compared to everyone else from the order. Well most everyone. On with the show.

(No POV)

Sadness was felt around the temple at the passing of Master Qui Gon. But Joris could feel it strongest from Obi-Wan and his young padawan Anakin Skywalker. And it continued for quite a few months.

"Obi… er ah Master Obi-Wan. Are you okay?" Joris asked after watching some of the saber practice between Skywalker and Kenobi. The two looked at the padawan in surprise before Anakin asked who he was. Joris smiled and said, "I was a youngling your master here took to find his lightsaber crystals."

"Crystals?" Anakin asked in confusion. Joris smiled a bit before bringing out his saber-pistols. And the youngest in the room was amazed by the sight. "Are there other sabers like yours?" he asked excitedly. Joris chuckled before admitting his was a rarity.

Obi-Wan cleared his throat and said, "yes well some of that is due to your unusual situation. But aside from that, can I help you with something young Joris?" Who hummed before asking to spar with Obi-Wan for a moment.

The master and student pair were surprised but neither could deny curiosity as to how Joris would fight. "Alright. Let's begin." Obi-Wan says before gesturing to Anakin to take a safe distance. Obi-Wan ignites his lightsaber and Joris draws both of his saber-pistols.

Both seem to be sizing each other up for the moment to strike. At least until Joris closes his eyes and rolls his neck a bit. This is when Obi-Wan capitalizes on what he views as a lapse in focus. But it was as much a trap as anything.

Right as the blade was coming down, Joris intercepted with his left saber in a downward block. And quickly retracted the right saber to shoot at Obi-Wan. The elder Jedi was surprised and has to quickly disengage before deflecting. "Rather cowardly don't you think?" he says while keeping an eye on Joris.

Who smiles before saying, "maybe. But it could also keep someone alive in a dangerous state. Let alone being a good disguise when I'm searching for stolen artifacts." This fascinates Anakin as the two continue their duel. Especially at the strange style Joris seemed to be using.

While Obi-Wan had much more experience and training in combat, he wasn't ready for an opponent that was as tricky or sometimes underhanded like Joris. Getting struck in the side or back from items pulled from across the training ground. Or just dropping a bit of dirt from a potted plant above to distract Obi-Wan. And leave him open to getting pinned to the wall with a force push.

"Ah… It seems that other presence of the Force within you has taught or shown you many odd things. Though I won't deny they work." Obi-Wan concedes after being let down from the wall. Joris chuckles but admitted that even that wasn't easy. "If I hadn't been tricky, I wouldn't have lasted too long."

"You were so cool! And where did you get the idea for those weapons? Also, why do you have two already?" Anakin asked while running up to the elder Jedi in the room. Joris laughed a bit Anakin's enthusiasm, but decided to regale the child with a few of the tales of his adventures with the Explore Corps. Obi-Wan thought this might be too much of a distraction and wanted to get back to training Anakin in the Force and ways of the Jedi.

But Joris stopped him with a point he nor most Jedi would have considered. "He's joined the order while still a boy. And one who may have known actual family. You have to think of it from a different perspective." Obi-Wan was a bit surprised but remembered that Joris's other memories included being a father. So he may have had experience that could help with raising/training Anakin.

So he let the stories commence and listened in as well. Over the next year or so, Joris would meet with the pair and continue some of these talks and other sessions with Anakin. Joris even brought out a personal holo-communicator to show some of the planets he'd visited. And described the adventures he and some of the crew of the Iridescent had been on. As well as on the ship The Hidden Light.

"I wish I could do some of that." Anakin said after practicing with Joris. The elder of the two padawans could tell that the younger was stronger than him in the Force. But the strength was not only unrefined and unfocused, but it seemed very focused on one factor: combat skills.

So, Joris had a fun/not fun idea to show Anakin more of what it meant to be a Jedi. "Why don't you come along? You and Master Kenobi?" Joris said with a look to the two. Both of whom were surprised but Anakin looked especially excited for the chance to adventure that way.

Obi-Wan sighed a bit before saying, "I suppose it couldn't hurt. I'll admit, I'm curious as well. I've only known the more…. Direct diplomacy and combat/bodyguard side of what the Jedi do." Joris shrugged and said that they would be going on an expedition once the ship was refueled. "And Master Laankan is never opposed to the idea of more help!"

"So you just brought them here without really even cluing me in?" the Nikto woman said with a slight glare towards her padawan and the master, student pair. Joris lets out an uncomfortable chuckle and admitted to that being the case. Anakin looked nervous that they may not get to go on the ship.

But with an annoyed but almost 'not surprised' sigh, Master Laankan allows the other two to join the expedition. Once aboard, Joris offers to take Anakin around to show him the ship. "It seems my padawan is becoming close to yours." Laankan said to Obi-Wan.

Who nodded and said, "it might be a good thing. Something he noted was that I was treating Anakin like a youngling/padawan who had always been at the temple. But he hasn't." The Nikto woman smiled while thinking of her apprentice.

While also counting up some of the trials he had already passed during the years he had been studying under her. But with Anakin and Joris, they were exploring parts of the relatively flat ship that the Explorcorps used to catalog the various planets and cultures they visited.

"Yo, Joris! Oh, who's the kid with you?" Finn asked while directing some of the droids around to move supply boxes. Oara is there too and Anakin gets a chance to meet more of those associated with the ship.

Dem though they had to find. As she was currently practicing in one of the training wings. Perfecting the use of her newly made saberstaff. "Why did you switch to that?" Oara asked when they met up with the Laasat. Who spun and deflected the last few blasts from the remotes to complete the sequence.

The Jedi Knight among them took a breath before saying, "it's because the regular lightsaber never felt quite right to me. Like when I used it I was limiting my self. But I didn't want to go two blades like Joris here." The padawan in question just shrugged before introducing Anakin to her.

With that matter done and the ship in hyperspace towards their next destination, the younger members of the group would take some time to practice and swap stories about what had happened in their lives.

With Oara hugging Anakin and finding kinship due to them both having been slaves. "I never understood why the Jedi won't eradicate it from the galaxy." Anakin said with anger filling his voice. While it made Dem and Finn a little uneasy, Joris was able to take it in stride and give something of an answer.

"The fact is, even if we did fully destroy the slave trade that exists now someone else would probably establish another one somewhere else. Beyond where we could or would act. And even then, it might cost so many lives that it's…. counter to what we could hope to do. We try to help where we can. But the galaxy is a big place, and the Jedi are only so many. We can't truly be everywhere at once."

The answer doesn't make Anakin happy, but after some explaining from Oara (or rather simplifying it) the boy could see the reasoning. "I still don't like it though," he said with a grumble. Joris chuckled and agreed before suggesting they get something to eat.

Some of the joviality was short lived as an incident occurred as the group reached the outer rim area they were seeking to explore. Along the Outer Rim area near the Hoth sector, the Iridescent was suddenly assaulted by pirates.

"Pirates that got there hands on an old interdictor! All hands to battle stations and all pilots to fighters!" Morn announced over the loudspeakers. Before anyone could stop them, Joris and his group had launched The Hidden Light and were already deployed to engage. With one extra tag along.

Anakin had followed them and was remembering the battle above Naboo while the ship was pitching and turning among the pirates. But the group was still getting knocked around pretty hard by the blasts that were being fired their way. "Let me take over!" Anakin shouted before jumping into the co-pilot seat.

Dem was shocked an annoyed at first by the young Jedi's actions. But after Anakin managed to weave perfectly through multiple attacks and cluster together numbers of pirates to be taken out. Well she was more willing to let him fly.

Finn and Oara meanwhile were manning the guns and blasting where they could. Joris though was bracing himself and monitoring the situation from the scanners. "Man! This is a pretty solid fleet they've got. I count at least three frigates out there. Looks like… Interceptor types?"

He reports a number of other small ships that seemed to be corvette class, but the frigates confused him. "Those are supposed to be experimental ships. What are they doing here?" Joris questioned as more attacks were flying around them.

"Not sure that's what we need to worry about! We need to disable that interdictor!" Anakin says while spinning the ship around an attack wave. "We've got one torpedo! But we'd need to put it in the perfect spot to set off a chain reaction or something!" Finn calls out while blasting away at the pirates.

Anakin smiles before asking Joris to arm the weapon. The older Padawan does just that while the youngest starts them on a path towards the interdictor ship. He weaves around and peppers the outside of the ship with shots to make it seem like he's looking for a weak point.

But in truth, he had a feeling on just where to hit with the torpedo to take out the gravity well field and get the group clear. "You're all clear kid! Now take the shot and we can get out of here!" Joris announces as the torpedo was armed and ready to fire.

The young Jedi smiled and let go into the flow of the Force. He wasn't as used to it in most circumstances. But when he was flying, that was always the place he could let the Force take over and lead him to victory.

He put the engines out at full speed towards the bridge of the ship from behind. With the pirate fighters trying to swarm them to protect the ship. Only for Anakin to bypass the bridge entirely to go for where the gravity well generator is and unleashed the torpedo on it.

The chain reaction of which causes much of the ship to fall apart and the command of the pirates to fall apart. "I don't know how you did that, but we won't be complaining about it here. Get the Light back to the Iridescent! We'll come back with more support later!" Nuta announced from the ship.

Dem gives an affirmative before Anakin starts the ship back. Confident everything would be fine. Unfortunately, that confidence costs them. As one pirate decided to get some payback and hits The Hidden Light with a strong blast to the rear. One that does damage and activates the hyperdrive.

"Oh shit! The hyperdrive is powering up! But we aren't on a specific heading! And I can't shut it down!" Joris reports before trying to calculate the path they could be sent on. "Master! This is what I've got so far! Find us when you can!" Joris calls out to Laankan. As The Hidden Light jumps to hyperspace and into parts unknown.

Obi-Wan meanwhile was panicking as he was certain his own padawan had joined Joris. "That was definitely the way Anakin flies. I can't believe he did that!" Laankan laughs before saying she wasn't surprised. "Joris has a habit of getting into trouble without trying to. Don't worry. Your padawan will be fine. Because he has my padawan, Master Nuta's padawan and knight Mellios."

"I know, but still. I worry about what could happen." Obi-Wan says as the Iridescent makes it's way along the rough flight path the smaller ship had launched upon. With the teens and preteen panicking as they rocketed through the universe at faster than lightspeed.

Dem takes over some of the control from Anakin as she tries to steer the ship away from dangers Joris could make out. Finn and Oara meanwhile went to the engines to disable the hyperdrive and stop them from barreling into anything dangerous. "It's no good! We can't do anything right now!" Finn shouts while the hyperdrive sparks at them.

So, Oara takes the direct approach and bashes it with a spanner until the drive shuts down. Dropping the young Jedi in a dark area of space. "Well… that could have gone better." Joris quipped while shaking off the effects of the forced return to normal space.

Dem and Anakin grumble out "ya think?!" before they all reconvene in the lounge area. After confirming they were all in one piece, each set about some new task to get them back to the Iridescent. While monitoring the scanners, Finn notices something odd. "Everyone! You need to see this."

He pulls up the scan of what appeared to be a structure floating on an asteroid. A huge structure that Joris would only compare with a temple. "What's this doing out here? And who built it?" he thought aloud.

Dem was also curious, and she advised that they land to investigate. "Perhaps they have at least something to repair the hyperdrive. Once it is fixed though, we should report this place to the Masters." The rest agreed as she started the ship toward the asteroid complex.

Once they landed, each made their way into the complex to find what they could to repair the ship. While also realizing the base or whatever it was, was abandoned. "Huh. Hang on. I think I see something here." Anakin says and wiped away some dirt on the wall.

Joris looked at it and could decipher some of the details. "It's…. Slinani. A warrior cult clan from long ago. This must be a Migration Shrine. A place where they stored war trophies." Joris said before feeling even more curious about the location. And that curiosity would be tugged by a something within the complex.

"Anakin. Could you check with Oara? See if she's found anything we can use to repair the hyperdrive. I'm going to investigate this place. Something…. Feels off," he said in warning. Anakin wanted to go with Joris but did as he was told. At least initially.

Joris made his way deeper into the complex he could feel something both pulling on him and pushing him away. Proven when he came to a room where dozens of wardroids were sitting. Despite looking like they were deactivated, they suddenly went active and started attacking.

The young Jedi drew his saber-pistols and started attacking the machines. But no matter how many he cut down; more would appear. 'This doesn't make sense. Where are they coming from? Is there some sort of fabri….. no wait. Something else is off.' Joris thinks before slowing down and letting the droids come to him.

As one droid was going to strike him, Joris did not attack or defend. Instead, he yielded to the machine. And it's blow passed right through him. After it did though, the room returned to normal. The wardroids were back in their places and nothing appeared different. Not even the scars from the slashes and blaster bolts he fired were still there.

He hummed in confusion before making his way through the buildings again. Keeping his connection to the Force stable and ever present. Including picking up on a certain someone. "Come on out Anakin," he said with a look behind him.

And the young Jedi chuckled slightly before asking how he knew. "I just kept my senses open and receptive to the Force. Obi-Wan has taught you that. Anything to report?" Anakin coughed and said they had found some parts to do a patch job on the hyperdrive. "But at best we'll get one jump to a closer system. After that, we'll be lucky if the engines don't explode."

"Not the best thing to hear. But…. there's something here. Something I can sense." Joris says with his eyes focused on the point ahead of him. Anakin looks at Joris funny and noted that he didn't feel anything. "Perhaps that is because…. you aren't meant to."

Joris's statement confuses Anakin as they kept walking. Eventually asking what he meant as they reached another chamber. "The Force works in odd ways. Like with me and linking to two souls or Forces. Or you in how you came to be and came to the temple. While this may all seem like a coincidence, perhaps the Force in some way guided us here."

"I don't really like that idea. Aren't we supposed to control our power?" Anakin asks. While also thinking of all the things he wished he could do with it. From the freeing of slaves to the destroying of the various criminal empires. Joris shook his head and noted that the Jedi were supposed to be conduits for the Force. "But we have lost sight of many things thanks to being linked to the Republic."

Before Anakin could ask more of what Joris meant, both of them suddenly felt as if a mass of darkness surrounded them. And while Anakin panicked at the visions and energy surrounding him, Joris was more measure. After drawing his sabers anyway.

"What is it you seek? Do you hope to change fate? To stop a war before it begins. Or do you simply seek power?" Joris heard all around him as he made his way forward. He didn't holster his blades, but he wasn't seeking to attack anything.

From within the darkness he saw a variety of visions. Many included his death or the deaths of those close to him, he was able to keep his heart in check. Even as Oara, his master, or the members of his old clan died. Aided by the training with the Jedi more than his memories of his other self, he could process that they were now with the Force rather than lost forever.

With a breath he said, "I cannot fully change what will be. Or rather, if I try to change it I could very well cause what I seek to change. Rather than let the possibility of what and who could die consume me. I will try to save and help those where I am needed. Even if I have to go against the council."

The darkness around Joris faded, a new door that wasn't there before opened. Within the room he spied something strange. A sniper rifle blaster was floating upon a pedestal in the middle of a lake with trees all around it. Joris hummed before holstering his sabers and leaping to the weapon. Once he did however, he heard the voice again.

"You would not remove the tyrants before they act. But you would do what is needed to save others after. At one time, I might have seen that as weakness. There is wisdom though in the patience of your thoughts. And in the focus of knowing who we need to eliminate. Not just killing because they 'could' become a tyrant. Take this and use it well when needed."

Joris looks around to see if there was a Force ghost nearby. Only to feel a cold breeze that shouldn't be there. And see the faintest glimmer of silver white hair passed by his eyes. He looked down at the strange rifle before putting it on his back.

He made his way through the shrine, finding Anakin struggling with some visions and Joris helping him through them, before making it back to the ship. "Man this case is full of crazy archaeological marvels and records! We have to make sure we come back here." Finn says as the two meet up with the others.

"I agree. But maybe we don't tell them everything. At least not yet." Joris suggested while hiding the rifle he found. Dem and Finn shrugged as Joris made his way in and to the crew compartment. Hiding the weapon he found until he knew more of what was going on.

Well that's at least a bit more done. No I won't have him learning how to use the weapon he found anytime soon. Credit to those who know what the weapon Joris found is. At the same time I wanted to put Joris through something of a trail from what the knights must undergo. And next chapter will have more of the facing of those trials. With a certain dangerous individual to be fought. Please review!