CHAPTER 1

MENOS STAR SYSTEM

The boy's breath came short and sharp. Each breath slashing into his lungs like tiny blades cutting into his throat and chest. Sweat flowed from his brow like a stream, pooled on chest making his tunic cling to him like glue.

Everything before was a mess. A cacophony of fire, blood, guts and corpses. The stench of death filled his nose and stuffed all his senses. He tried reaching through the Force to understand something, anything about what was happening, but he felt. Not so much a pulse. Nothing. The Force was gone. It was dead here, in a dead galaxy.

He saw people or what he thought were people gathered. They weren't even humanoid, they were something unseemly, deformed, decrepit.

"What…what are they? What is this?" his heart was pounding through his chest and a scream ripped through his throat and out into the space.

"Zidayne, Zidayne! Wake up! We're about land boy."

His eyes flew open and he gasped awake. It took a while for his eyes to relearn his surroundings. The same plush interior of the space cruiser him and his master are travelling on. He saw her bent over the soft couch he fell asleep on, her raven black hair tied in a bun but some hanging loose off her face. Adorned with some jewels and pieces.

Master Aayla Duuren. From the noble Naboo House of Duuren had been with Zidayne since before he could remember. Tall, elegant and poised with all the formality and pomp that comes with those born from the upper classes. She did raise him to have the same values and attitudes. Or at least tried to. She may be proper, but Master Duuren was anything but weak. She would always tell Zidayne since he was a little boy about her stories during the war. The Qindar'ii Republic War from twenty years ago. He knew about all the battles. Hypori, Dantooine, Etrusca, Siege of Telos, all of it. But the one she never stopped talking about was the last fight at Juna. Way out in the Outer Rim, where the Qindar'ii emperor got killed by Grand Master Skywalker and where Aayla got her colours. Zidayne always felt she talked about it way too much.

"Ugh, your robes are all wrinkled. You do know we are meeting the Governor right?" she said with her disapproving stare and irritated tone of voice whenever Zidayne did something she didn't like.

"Yeah, yeah whatever. I'll change," Zidayne said whilst rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "I wouldn't wish to embarrass you in front of your Governor friend."

She ignored the obvious sarcasm and her gaze softened.

"Did you have that nightmare again?" Zidayne nodded slowly. "That's the third time since last month," she said softly," are you sure you don't want me to speak to Master Skywalker about it? Are you doing your meditation rituals like I said?"

Grand Master Mace Skywalker of the Jedi Order. He was a present leader, not all that surprising since he's the fourth Skywalker to be Grand Master since Luke. But Mace always made his presence felt with Zidayne and Aayla. Everyone knew Aayla and Mace were in a relationship but they never made it public and Zidayne never got why. Mace had a way of being somewhat invasive, even if he didn't realise it.

Zidayne started having his nightmares a while ago. He didn't tell anyone about it until Aayla walked in on him thrashing and crying out in his sleep and Mace got involved.

"He doesn't have to know everything, Aayla. Besides, his regiment doesn't even help. I'll manage fine." He wasn't being honest of course, he just wanted her to stop asking about it.

The cruiser made its final approach to the Governor Complex. The high, honey colour walls ringed around the entire main sprawling building, the cruiser swung around and hovered above the landing pad. Touching down, Zidayne could see the Governor, his retinue and his family all lined up to meet them. " Governor Hiram Haas. A fat little nerfherder," Zidayne thought, "half the Republic is wrecked and a lot of worlds on base rations meanwhile his pouch is spilling over his waistband?" Aayla could see his grossed out face and clutched his arm firmly to calm him down.

"Ah greetings Master Duuren. This is truly an honour to have you visit our humble world. Nowhere will you find more proud Republicans," he said with a somewhat droning and irritating voice. Aayla gave a courteous nod and shook his hand but Zidayne just hung back looking at the young girl standing next to Haas. Average height, brown-black hair, brown eyes and fair skin. " She's beautiful." He almost didn't realise that she was also eyeing him up and down. They were exchanging eye contact when Aayla jabbed him in the side with her elbow. "Zidayne, the Governor is asking you how old you are?" she said with a fixed smile.

"Huh, oh. I'm 17. Governor,' he said with a great helping of sarcasm. That made the girl stifle a chuckle.

The rest of the evening was a boring tedium of greetings, talking and more greetings. Zidayne wanted to tear his eyes out to at least alleviate the boredom. The banquet dinner was another form of misery. He never enjoyed these things and even worse when he knows there are places with much less than Menos. A never ending train of courses and meals, most of which he waved away after a courtesy bite. He glanced around the table and saw Aayla under the assault of Hiram's blathering and he saw a chance to escape. Quickly getting up and heading outside into the garden he saw the same girl from earlier sitting alone.

" Oh, I didn't see you there ZIdayne. Are you not enjoying the night?" she asked with a sly grin on her face

"No, I got sick of it so I just walked out. Nobody noticed I left though…" he trailed off.

"Oh, my name's Lara. Lara Haas."

"You're Hiram's daughter. Man, you two don't really look the same. Like at all."

"Yeah, there's nothing quite like it. I'm just some governor's girl. Nothing else about me, nothing else at all," she finished with an eye roll, "I'm done with this place. I'm going to head out to a party somewhere else. You coming?" ZIdayne hesitated for a second, thinking of Aayla but then he remembered she'd make him show off some "skills" to the governor's retinue.

"You know what? Let's do it. I'll come with you, anywhere but here." The two laughed and ran off to the landspeeder garage and raced off into the city.

On Coruscant, Grand Master Mace sat in his chambers listening to the testimony of a terrified, young Prism guard named Pax. Pax told a tale of terror. Of Dagon breaking free of his prison, destroying the area, massacring everyone before him and leaving Pax alive. Mace scratched his bearded chin hard, mind racing with this new situation.

"It's good you came here and did what he told you, Pax. I thank you for being brave enough to do this." He said with a calm tone, "I've arranged some accommodation for you. You should go now."

And he did, taking his scared body and what little belongings he had left. I can't let him get out and squeal about what happened there. The Prism is secret not even the Chancellor knows of it. Scared men are risky. Pax will just have to disappear…forever.

He turned to the balcony and looked out at the sprawling city planet. "So, you're coming back Dagon? Fine, this time we won't make the mistake of leaving you alive somewhere."

AUTHOR NOTE

Hi everyone who's so far enjoyed this little thing I've started I want to give a big thanks. I have received some good messages from some of you and they've been really warming to hear. I'm sorry that this chapter has taken so much time to make. 2024 became an absolute whirlwind of activity with life, work and stuff but now things have calmed down and I will do my damndest to get another chapter out soon. Thank you so much and I hope you enjoy!