[FIC]Betrayal and Retribution: Percieved Reality

[stingerhs]

Prologue Summary

 

Jeez and Miranda are now at the age of 19 and have been assigned to Jedi Masters as Padawan Learners about 3 years ago. Miranda was assigned to Tsunin Uralai and Jeez was assigned to Mace Windu. As Tsunin is still quite young, Miranda is her first Padawan. Jeez, on the other hand, is one of many Padawans that Windu has trained. Both Jeez and Miranda are nearing the final point of their training: the Trials. On the planet Illum, Jeez and Master Windu are about to begin a sparring session to further Jeez's skill with a lightsaber.

 

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Percieved Reality

 

"You need to concentrate on the Force. Don't focus on my lightsaber, focus on the Force," Windu stated. Jeez breathed in deeply for a moment. Although sparring with Master Windu was one of his favorite parts of the training, it was becoming more and more difficult as Windu would adopt newer and more powerful techniques each time.

 

"This time, go for a katana stance and close your eyes. Use the Force to feel my strikes," Windu stated. Shaking his head in confirmation, Jeez closed his eyes and raised his lightsaber above his head. The emitter was pointing directly behind him, and the abnormally long hilt allowed Jeez to space his hands out by about 6cm. Igniting his blade, Jeez stood ready with his eyes closed. Mace then ignited his saber and immidiately struck at Jeez towards the midsection.

 

Sensing the strike, Jeez quickly swung his saber down by pushing with his top hand and pulling with lower hand. The result was an incredibly quick parry that had a lot of strength behind it. As Jeez pushed Windu's blade downward, Mace pulled his blade out of the parry and swung the blade around to strike towards Jeez's left shoulder. Sensing the motion, Jeez very quickly brought the blade back up to the starting stance and brought it back down in another parry.

 

The spar continued in this fashion for another couple of minutes before Windu pulled back. "Now, you go on the attack. Keep your eyes closed and continue using the Katana stance," Windu stated quickly. Without hesitation, Jeez quickly rushed at Windu and began to attack with quick, high strikes. As Windu began to parry the strikes, he also performed a number of counter-attacks off of Jeez's strikes. Jeez was able to sense the counter-attacks and parried them. The spar then became a match of attacks and counter-attacks by both Master and Padawan.

 

After almost 15 minutes of continuous sparring, Windu stepped back. Jeez's last couple of attacks had used an incredible amount of strength that he hadn't sensed before. "Enough! Excellent work, Jeez," Windu stated while switching off his lightsaber. Still in the katana stance, Jeez breathed in deeply. Opening his eyes, he then sensed that a bit of anger was just starting to diminish. Realizing that, Jeez quickly switched off his lightsaber and relaxed. Bringing it down, Jeez bowed lightly to his Master. Returning the bow, Windu walked over and patted Jeez on the back. "You've just taken your first steps into the final lightsaber form: the Vapaad. As you've noticed, there is no emphasis on acrobatics or parrying or any other specific part of lightsaber combat. Instead, the sole focus is on relying completely on the Force to guide your every move. You have some questions?"

 

"Well, I was just wondering why I began to feel a bit angry during those last few minutes," Jeez stated. Shaking his head, Jeez knew that it had to have been a mistake on his part. "Actually, that's quite normal for anyone new to the Vapaad. Your emotions will come to the surface; there is no stopping that. The point, however, is not to supress those emotions but rather to control them instead of letting them control you. If you let your emotions get the best of you, you are bound to come very close to the Dark Side," Windu responded. "Then why are we even bothering with learning the Vapaad if it can lead to the Dark Side?"

 

"There is always a danger, but given enough practice, the danger is minimized. You've done well today, so clear your mind of anything that remains. We'll do this again tommorrow, so rest up. I would also like for you to meditate on getting yourself as one with the Force as possible before the spar. It will help you with the other basic techniques that we'll be going over tommorrow. I have some other things to take care of while we're here, but I'll be available if you need help. May the Force be with you, Jeez."

 

After they exchanged bows again, Jeez hooked his lightsaber to his belt as he watched Master Windu walk off. Turning around, Jeez headed for the room that he had been assigned to for the next couple of days. Stopping for a second, Jeez finally began to realize how cold he was. Although Illum was a frigid world, Jeez hadn't noticed the cold since he had removed his outer cloak for the spar with Windu. Picking the cloak off the crystal spire that it was hung from Jeez started to put it on as he turned around.

 

"Hey!" Jumping almost a mile, Jeez quickly breathed in deep. "For once it would be nice if you didn't use the Force to sneek up on me," Jeez stated while finishing putting on his outer cloak. "Oh, but where would the fun be in that?" Miranda replied. "I'd bet that it wouldn't be any fun at all," a Jedi stated while decending the circular ramp that led to the top of the Illum temple. "Master Uralai, its good to see you," Jeez stated. "And the same here as well. I trust your training with Master Windu is going well?"

"It is. We're finishing up with some final lightsaber training while we're here."

"Well, it is most appropriate for this place. With the crystals we recieve here providing the basis for our lightsabers to even exist. Still, I was under the impression that you were finished with your lightsaber training."

"Yes, I had completed the training on the fundamental forms, but Master Windu thought it was necessary for me to complete training on several of the more advanced forms as well."

"I see. Well, Miranda and I have some training that needs to be completed here as well, so we'll be heading off. Its been good to see you, Padawan Jeez."

"Likewise, Master Uralai."

 

As they exchanged bows, Tsunin headed to another part of the temple, leaving Jeez and Miranda alone. "So, what exactly are you getting training for here?" Jeez asked as he turned to Miranda. Smiling, Miranda replied, "Lightsaber techniques. Ironic, isn't it?"

"Maybe just a little," Jeez stated while returning the smile.

 

"Well, I need to get some meditation completed in preperation for tommorrow, so I need to get going," Jeez said as the smile faded. "Mind if I join you? Me and Master Tsunin just got here, so we won't be getting to our sparring until tommorrow. Besides, I could use a bit of focus myself," Miranda replied. "Sure, lets go."

 

As they headed towards Jeez's room, Jeez reached around Miranda's shoulders and gave her an affectionate hug like he always did. Smiling, Miranda looked over at Jeez for a second. As Jeez brought his arm back around her, Miranda reached for his hand and grasped it firmly as they walked together towards the room.

[Jae Onasi]

I'm enjoying this fic. I could feel the sweep of events that you're trying to portray. I liked that you touched on the political scene on Coruscant, and I could begin to see some of Palpatine's machinations in just a few sentences of conversation. While I find politics fascinating to watch, most people find it boring, but you've made it interesting, and that's not easy. I could also catch a hint of Palpatine's malevolence masked by his ultra-polite manner, and it was interesting to see the verbal sparring along with your characters' lightsaber sparring.

The only thing I had a little trouble following was which character was speaking, because you didn't start a new sentence or paragraph with each change of speaker. Consider also going back through and double checking the verb tenses to make sure they're consistent. I always have to triple-check mine, especially if I have a character speaking in present tense but the rest of the narrative's in past tense.

However, these are small things compared to all the terrific things you're doing with this story. The touch of kindness that Jango shows Quiinzara was a pleasant surprise. I never expected that from a bounty hunter. Your description of the lightsaber duel lessons with Mace were intriguing, and I felt like I was learning something new myself. The battle scene was captivating, and I could see the smoke and hear the noise. I'm looking forward to the next installment.

[stingerhs]

((thanks for the comments, Jae. to be honest, what's been posted here is still very much a WIP as the story hasn't been completed, nor has it been thoroughly editted. at the moment, i'm more concerned with completing the darned thing. unfortunately, this story may end up being much longer than i had originally intended. over the course of time, my outline has been evolving as i've been wanting to add more and more ideas into the story. either way, its quite refreshing to know that at least somebody is enjoying my work. once again, thanks. ))

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On Coruscant, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine looked outside of the large panoramic window in his office. On his desk, a paused holoprojector showed the glowing image of Count Dooku. The fiery rhetoric that was recorded on the holoprojector had been delivered just two months prior had ignited a powerful movement throughout the galaxy. Turning around, Palpatine reset the projector and made it play through again. As the blue image of Dooku appeared, Dooku began to speak.

 

"Citizens of the Republic. Defenders of freedom, lend me your time for there is little time left to act. The Republic has failed us all. For countless years, the Republic has done nothing except to build up an impenitrable beauracracy that chokes and constrains all hope. Our worlds lie in utter ruin due entirely to neglect and insufficient action. For too long we have paid our taxes only to fill the coffers and pockets of greedy Senators instead of seeing action and resolve on our worlds. Crimes fill our streets while decay forces us into hopelessness. Trade routes have become choked with tariffs, and our own livelihood is choked in the process.

 

Peace is nothing more than a distant concept further polluted by the Jedi's unwillingness to promote it. Riots over food; rampant slavery and prostitution fill the streets of our most heavily urban systems; murder over spice deals gone wrong; these are but a few symptoms of a restless galaxy searching for peace. Yet, the Jedi are content to sit idlely by inside of their temples. Content to do nothing more than to discuss and debate than to show action, they accomplish nothing. Missions may be dispatched during the most straining of crisis, but they acheive nothing outside of further bickering among the Council. They then seek their own peace inside of endless meditation. But it solves nothing!! We stand at the brink of our own collapse while those that can help isolate themselves in meditation.

 

What is your citizenship worth, you people of the Republic? Is it worth your peace, your livelihood, your morals, your ambitions? Is it worthy of your life? Certainly not! Your citizenship is nothing more than a control to make you think that you are apart of the government, but yet it does nothing for you. It is time that the people of this galaxy realized the truth: the people are subject to their government, but the government must answer to its people. It is time for the Republic and its worthless Jedi defenders to answer to their people. Rise up and cast down the oppressive Republic!! It will answer to us for its crimes!! Seperate yourselves from helplessness and support a new galaxy: a galaxy devoted to peace and justice. Join our Confederacy and be free from the ties that bind you to the fate of everyone else. Join our Confederacy of Independant Systems and help us overthrow the shackles of beauracracy that bind us all to the fate of destruction. Become the free people that you were born to be."

 

With that, the holoprojector shut off with a brief flash of light. At the corners of Palpatine's mouth, a smile began to curl. Then, the door opened to his office, and Palpatine looked up. His face had already changed, and his serious demeanor was undeniable as several Senators entered his office. "Ahh, Senators Organa, Zar, Amidala, and Dio. Thank you for coming. I realize that your time is valuable, so this meeting is all the more important. Please, do be seated," Palpatine addressed them. As the Senators sat down in the seats provided for them, Palpatine also sat down opposite them behind his desk.

 

Leaning forward onto his desk with his hands folded, Palpatine began. "As you are all well aware of, this growing Seperatist movement is causing a very large number of problems for the Republic. Entire systems are declaring their independance with minimal violence while others are beginning to become mired in violence. According to a report that was given to me this morning, over 3000 systems are reporting that some form of rioting has taken place with at least 1200 of those systems reporting that utter chaos has broken out among the people in widespread rioting. The death rates among those systems vary somewhat, but what is more important to note is that the death rate has been intensified by a general lack of medical supplies."

 

Leaning backward into his chair, Palpatine then stated, "This is where you come in. Suitable amounts of medical supplies are currently unavailable through normal channels. Thus, alternatives have to be sought after." Tilting his head to the side, Senator Organa looked at Palpatine quizzically. "If I may, Chancellor, but what exactly are you refering to with these alternative channels?" Organa asked. With a somewhat reserved look on his face, Palpatine replied, "Well, unfortunately problems aren't going to just go away by attempting to force bacta or kolto shipments to increase. Thus, the only real alternatives are to look towards certain underground sources."

 

All of the Senators knew exactly what that meant and were immidiately uncomfortable. Padme Amidala was the first to speak up, "You don't mean looking towards black market sources? The scandal would be catastrophic at best, and if word gets out among the Seperatists-"

 

"Yes, I am perfectly aware of the implications, Senator Padme. That's why I brought you here. In a case such as this, the ends definately have to justify the means. On your way out, one of my aids will give you each a datapad that outlines a bill proposal. It rather discreetly states that the Senate will authorize the Supreme Chancellor to assume the duties of appropriating medical supplies for this present crisis. Thus, if any implications come out of this deal, they will fall on my shoulders and not the Republic itself."

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"Well, I am a bit concerned with our Padawans, Master Windu," Tsunin replied. Tilting his head slightly in a bit of confusion, Windu replied, "Concerned? Is something wrong?"

 

"There is a possibility, yes. I'm sure that you have noticed over the years their strong affection and attraction for each other. From my observations, it appears to be more than just a simple friendship, and I am a bit concerned about the implications."

"You mean 'love'?"

 

Breathing in deeply, Tsunin paused for a second. "I think so," she replied. Looking down, Windu began to think deeply. There had been several cases in the past where a Jedi had 'fallen' in love with someone else. Each time, the resulting action from the Jedi Council had been swift and somewhat severe. However, a case of two Jedi loving each other had been unheard of for centuries. Strong friendship wasn't uncommon among the Jedi, but love...

 

"I think it would be prudent for the both of us to be mindful of this 'bond' until the situation can be more evident. Until that time, I suggest that the both of us make time to meditate more on them to make us more aware of them," Windu responded. Thinking for a second, Windu then added, "This is coming at a strange time. The Dark Side is beginning to cloud judgement more and more among all the Jedi. Its starting to blind some of us."

 

Pausing for a second, Tsunin then replied, "I know. I've felt much darkness on the roads ahead. Hopefully, it will pass and times of peace will return."

[Jae Onasi]

unfortunately, this story may end up being much longer than i had originally intended.

 

Humor mode on: A longer fic for us to enjoy--aw, darn.

[starmark2k]

I'm really enjoying the story and i'm glad you have gotten to the parts where we meet the three main characters.

[stingerhs]

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Qestar Rincks looked carefully out the cockpit. His ship, the Yewvii, was about to land at the docking station. It wasn't a very large ship, but at one time, it had served several very successful smugglers. Qestar wasn't the first owner, but that was usually a given with men such as himself. It was officially classified as a gunship platform, but it had since been heavily modified to become a small frieghter. Granted, its weapon systems had either been left intact or heavily modified. Sometimes, an underworld operator such as Qestar needed a bit of firepower.

 

As he approached the cargo bay, which also doubled as a common room, Qestar cam into view of his men. Several scars were present on his face, and most people often mistook his facial injuries to be a permenant scowl. It was all the better for Qestar since it made dealings go a bit more smoothly. His men were just as mean looking. One would be quick to describe them as simple thugs, but in reality, they were all former military of some sort. Mercenaries would be more the term for men like them: they were cold, tough, and very well trained.

 

With a shudder, the Yewvii landed at the bay. Pressing a button, the outer hull opened, and the mercenaries fanned out to secure the landing bay. Walking outside before the all clear signal was given, Qestar spit on the metal walkway as he pulled out his heavy blaster pistol and brought it to bear next to his face. Near the entrance to the landing pad, a scuffle was taking place between two of his mercenaries and an unknown man. Walking calmly towards the commotion, the scuffle was already over with the mercenaries restraining the unknown man by the arms.

 

"Sir, I think this man has something to say to you," one of the mercenaries informed Qestar. Nodding his approval, one of the mercenaries twisted the man's arm around and threatened to dislocate it. Howling breifly in pain, the man looked up at Qestar. "You can't land here-aurgghh!! This is my landing pad and someone else is due here soon," he yelled out while struggling to control his composure. Walking slowly and deliberately, Qestar came to within inches of the man's face. "Who's pad did ya say this was?" Questar asked slowly and deliberately.

 

"Its my pad, and I'm telling you to leave," the man replied. "Well, I was under the impression that I could land just about anywhere I wanted too. Besides, if you can't keep your pad secure, then its anybody's pad, now ain't it?" Questar replied. Not letting the man respond, Qestar then stated, "Well, since it is your pad, I guess we'll have to pay ya so we can use it. So, here's the deal: we use your pad whenever we feel like it and we'll pay you with your life and the lives of whatever little bugga's you've got for a fam'ly. If you prefer credits, then we can always trade off one of fam'ly either as slaves or as some enjoyment for my boys. So, our payment options are pretty flexible, and I'm sure you'll find them satisfactory."

 

Nodding his head to the side, Qestar holstered his pistol as his mercenaries roughed him up a bit and tossed him aside. Taking a nearby speeder, Qestar and his most trusted mercenaries made for a nearby cantina. Its always good to be back in Nar Shadaa. These people are easy to work with, and its my kind of town, he thought to himself.

[Jae Onasi]

Heh, I loved his comment on Nar Shaddaa. He's just a perfectly nasty kind of guy.

I'll be glad to see the next installment.

[stingerhs]

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"You won't regret this, I promise," Captain D'tillis told to a Hutt that was standing in front of him. "I had better not. It's not often that I give loans out, and it's even less often that I help out with legitimate business," the Hutt replied. "Now get moving before I change my mind."

 

With a quick bow, D'tillis turned around and entered his ship. His ship, the Siege of Taris was one of several Corellian Corvettes that could be seen running errands for official Republic assignments. However, this assignment was obviously quite unusual. The Republic has long since made it standard practice to avoid dealings with the underworld, particularly crime lords or the ruthless Black Sun. This, however, was a special case. Orders had just recently been given directly from Chancellor Palpatine himself to start searching for possible methods of aquiring medical supplies from black market operators.

 

Dealings between the Republic and black market operators was actually fairly commonplace. Cutting through beaurocratic measures were difficult, and by acquiring supplies through black market operatives, things were made much easier. However, those purchases were often made first through private dealings and then 'donated' to whatever the supplies had been delegated for in the first place. It was a wonderful loophole for small shipments, but massive shipments would be far too conspicuous. With such a high requirement for medical supplies, the recent measure in the Senate now gave Chancellor Palpatine the wieght he needed for such 'illegal' purchases.

 

In order to avoid such serious implications, Palpatine did have one move to help cover the dealings. Whenever a record of the deals had to made, the matter was to simply refer to the buyer as an 'Anonymous Private Party'. It made things very ambiguous, but it did keep anybody watching the records from raising a red flag.

 

The only real problem was going to be explaining to the Senate why the Republic was paying almost 4-5 times the standard amount for medical supplies. With the Republic already mired in debt, many finacially minded Senators were likely to protest. Still, it is difficult for anyone to protest the procurring of medical supplies for systems in need of them.

 

With the deal that Captain D'tillis just made, the Republic now had its hands on vast amounts of medical supplies. With payment already made by D'tillis, the only thing left to do would be to inform Chancellor Palpatine and to start making the shipments. However, such large shipments of very valuable medical supplies cannot go unnoticed by others that desire more money and, above all, more power.

[stingerhs]

((i've posted a major addition to my second post concerning part of the upcoming plot. hopefully, it will provide some better backround information for the story.))

[stingerhs]

And to think, we never did get to the meditation, Jeez thought for just a second. In the dim light of the room, one could barely make out the outline of Miranda and Jeez holding each other in their arms while lying on the floor. Sleeping softly with her head lying on Jeez's naked chest, one could barely make out a content smile on Miranda's face. Jeez, on the other hand, was wide awake.

 

Very gently, Jeez stroked the back of Miranda's head while he thought to himself. It had been some time since Jeez realized that he loved Miranda more than just as a very close friend. He often times had found his meditations to be confused or interrupted by thoughts of her. He loved just being in her presense; she was always vibrant and full of vitality. It was those qualities that really distinguished her from the other Jedi that were always caught up in a religious pretense.

 

Unknown to Jeez until that night, however, was Miranda's love for him. Jeez had always been a strong figure to her. Whenever they had played pranks or were simply being a bit too rowdy, Jeez had always been the one to take responsibility. Although she didn't really like being sheltered in such a manner, it was comforting to know that Jeez was always there whenever she needed him. However, it was more than just Jeez taking the blame for things she had done. Jeez would often times help her in situations that had gone out of her control. He was almost always the one that came to help her when no one else would whether it be a physical or morale dilemma.

 

And that night, Jeez had finally confronted her about his feelings for her. It was a tough situation in that if she admitted her feelings, then their relationship would blossom into something different. If she had pushed him away, then they would never be the same again, but she decided that it would be best for the both of them to be honest with each other. Through the outpouring of emotions, they were swept away.

 

Now, Jeez wondered, what happens next?

[Jae Onasi]

Sigh, I love a good romance.

It'll be fun to see how the Council handles that one.

[stingerhs]

"So, lets go over this in my terms. The Republic is lookin' for some medical supplies from the Hutts, and you want me to put together a team that'll intercept the transports. Of course, those transports are likely to be Republic transports; so, we could be lookin' at about 20-30 years of hard labor or worse if something goes wrong. But, the potential reward is somewhere between 20,000 to 50,000 credits if i can get them to the highest bidders," Qestar went over with a man sitting across from him.

 

"That would be idea. Can you do it?" the man asked in reply.

"I could do it, but the credits need to be higher."

"I can arrange it. Are you in?"

 

Leaning back in his seat, Qestar thought for a moment. It wasn't often that he was the one raiding a transport. As a former smuggler turned minor crime lord, he was the one doing the transporting. Although he would welcome the challenge, there was the one nagging problem that it would be a Republic transport. He had never cared about it before, but with the Seperatist movement gaining steam, they might be armed better or escorted. Still, if he could get higher than 50,000....

 

Taking the drink in his hand, Qestar quickly downed the bit that remained in the glass. As he set the glass on the table, he looked across the table back at the man. "I'm in."

________________

 

Jeez finally managed to wake up. It had been a long night after yesterday's intense sparring sessions that had ended up being over 12 hours long. Getting up from the mat on the floor, Jeez walked over to the bathroom station and started to wash up. It was strange, though. It had been almost a month since that night with Miranda, and he found himself concentrating less and less on her. It wasn't that his love for her had diminished; rather, it was that he could now cosistantly feel her presense which was something he could not do before. Miranda, however, was back on Coruscant while Jeez was still on Illum with Master Windu. Still, Jeez could feel Miranda even over the distance.

 

Turning on the shower, Jeez began to clean himself up. It didn't take much, really. Al he needed to do was to wash up, shave, and get started on his meditations for the day. Jeez wondered, though, how long it would be before Master Windu declared him as being ready for the Trials. Surely, it wouldn't take too long. After all these weeks of working on the Vapaad training, Jeez felt more at one with the Force than he had ever felt before. Still, Jeez knew that he still had some work to get done before the trials.

 

As Jeez finished cleaning up, he dried off and put on a fresh set of robes. Noticing the time, he had several hours before he would need to report to Master Windu. So, Jeez sat down on the mat and concentrated on the Force. As he began to concentrate, Jeez drifted off into his Jedi meditation. Initially, Jeez began to concentrate solely on the Force and becoming one with it, as he was trained to do. Suddenly, he felt a bit uneasy as he felt something brush up against him. It was cold and dark, and Jeez recognized it to be a part of the Dark Side. He tried to move away, but for some reason, he felt drawn to it. He brushed up against it yet again, but this time, Jeez pushed into it.

 

Very quickly, Jeez was enveloped by it, and Jeez felt completely surrounded by darkness. Opening his eyes, Jeez could see nothing, but yet he felt so cold and alone. His emotions quickly began to rise to the surface, and Jeez could fell an intense pulsing of fear, anger, and hatred swirling around him like a fog. Coldness bit at him as he began to struggle with his emotions. Unnaccustomed to such feelings, Jeez started to revert back into his Jedi training to push them away, but the more he pushed, the more the emotions and the coldness intensified. The feeling of life began to float away, and Jeez shuddered in fear as he could feel death coming upon him.

 

Slowly, the fear began to intensify. As each second passed, Jeez slowly felt the fear reaching around his heart. Images began to play in his head as they were aroused by the fear. Images of old friends that had died began to toy with the underlying anger Jeez had; Images of the ones responsible for those deaths coddled his hatred for them. Even with those emotions arising, Jeez felt helpless to change the situations, and the icey grip of fear began to tighten around his heart. Pain began to shudder through Jeez's body, and he tightly closed his eyes as he winced in both fear and pain.

 

Opening his eyes for just a second, Jeez could suddenly make out a large planet covered in filth. There was a moon orbitting it, and although Jeez could feel life coming from it, every voice on the moon was crying in both pain and terror. Slowly, however, one voice could be heard above all the rest. The fear tightened its grip around Jeez's heart, and his breathing quickened and quivered as it turned into outright terror. Suddenly zooming into the moon, Jeez could see massive urban decay everywhere. Images of people began to swirl around him, and the voices he had been hearing suddenly became frighteningly real. Terror began to slowly grip him as he could see these people dying horrible deaths. Torture and mutilation filled the images, and they began to overwhelm him. "There is nothing you can do," a voice whispered behind Jeez. Turning around, the fear suddenly tightened to the point of bursting around Jeez's heart. His breaths heaved in groans as the terror became almost unbearable.

 

"Don't you lie to me!!! Now scream!! Scream for mercy!!!" a man shouted at a woman. Jeez couldn't make out who she was, but his heart began to beat ever faster despite the grip of terror as he watched helplessly. "Please!! You've done enough!!" the woman shouted back in agony. Jeez instantly recognized the voice, and the terror tightened to an almost unbearable point. "A Jedi asking for mercy; heh, I always knew you're a bunch of cowards," the man replied. Suddenly, the image changed, and Jeez could see the bruised and battered face of the woman. It was Miranda.

 

Then, Jeez's heart suddenly burst. As he began to writhe helplessly, Jeez watched as several men began to brutally and mercilessly beat Miranda. Another man stepped into view and faced Jeez. Jeez couldn't see the man's face, but he knew it was the man responsible for the torture as anger suddenly began to rise in Jeez yet again. "So, we have yet another Jedi here. Come to rescue her, then, ehh?" he stated directly to Jeez. "You can't achieve anythin'!! You're just as broken as she is! You are helpless, my dear Jedi. There is nothing you can do."

 

As Jeez's breathing continued to heave in his chest, the anger continued to swell inside of Jeez. "Gettin' angry, now, ehh? Go on, let your anger come to a boil. Come on! Let us see you engrossed in your rage!!" the man began to yell out tauntingly. "Yes, sit there writhing in your helplessness. Oh, you want so much to do something, but yet you can't. Let your frustration heat beyond its flash point; let your rage rip you apart!!" The man suddenly stepped closer into a bit of light, and Jeez suddenly felt his rage melt into hatred as he made out the face of Mace Windu.

 

"Your responsiblities are holding you back, Jeez. Let go of yourself and do something about it!! Give into your anger, Jeez, and this can all end!!" Windu stated at Jeez. "Don't let the Jedi continue to mire you any longer. I did all of this!!! Look at the bruises on her face!! Feel her broken bones!! Feel her broken spirit that crumbled as I stole away her most precious gift!! I am her torturer, and I am the one who will take her life from you!! Now DO SOMETHING!!!" The hatred began to boil over, and Jeez could see himself igniting his lightsaber and decapitating Windu in another image. Yet, Jeez just remained on the floor heaving in frustration. It was wrong; it had to be. He couldn't give in to his hatred, but yet there Windu was, standing over Jeez. The frustration continued to mount, and Jeez was mired in conflict. Closing his eyes yet again, Jeez desperately pushed the hatred aside, and he collapsed in exhaustion.

 

Finally, Windu backed off and just nodded his head. "So be it, Jedi. Her blood is now on your hands," Windu stated ominously. Jeez then opened his eyes and looked up at Windu with a broken and voiceless plea of mercy. Mace Windu then pulled out a small dagger that was already encrusted in dried blood and turned to face Miranda. In an instant, the rage and hatred suddenly fell upon Jeez yet again. "NOO!!!" Jeez yelled out as he began to pull himself up off the ground. Windu then placed the dagger next to Miranda's throat. Everything began to move in slow motion as Jeez struggled to get to his feet. The dagger pressed into Miranda's neck, and blood began rise around the edges of the dagger. Jeez then began to unhinge his lightsaber from his belt, but the blood began to bead up and run down her neck as the dagger slowly went deeper. The blood continued to run down her neck until it came to the edge of her torn robes where it was slowly absorbed into the fabric.

 

Jeez suddenly lunged forward and banged his head on the floor. Opening his eyes, he was back in his room on Illum. Getting up off the floor, Jeez began to rub his head as he noticed that his palms were sweaty. He was still breathing deeply, and Jeez knew that he had gone too far. Getting up, Jeez felt sick to his stomach. Heading over to the toilet, he vomited. Still breathing hard, Jeez felt terrible. Looking into the mirror, Jeez could see the sheen on his face from the sweat. Turning on the sink, Jeez quickly splashed himself with some cold water.

[stingerhs]

((update: i've done some fairly major reworking of the post dealing with the arrangement with the Hutt by Captain D'tillis so its fits the context a bit better. i also have a major addition to post later tonight. ))

[stingerhs]

Qestar looked outside the Yewvii's cockpit window. Two days of planning and hiring mercenaries would now all come down to what was about to happen. The Republic had already made several shipments of medical supplies from a Hutt named Ja'rott, but this next shipment wasn't going to be going anywhere outside of Qestar's personal storage facilities he had just 'aquired' from a local businessman. The funny thing is, Qestar thought, those storage facilities are Ja'rott's own storage spots.

 

What the Republic didn't know was that Ja'rott had just gotten done working out a deal with Qestar. Ja'rott had sold the medical supplies to the Republic for a very hefty profit. However, the plan was that Qestar would take the supplies from the Republic transports and then sell them back to Ja'rott at a discount. Although Ja'rott wouldn't be making a very large profit off of the medical supplies, he would make an even better profit later whenever he sold the medical supplies off yet again. Qestar, of course, would reap a very tidy profit given that this operation really didn't cost too much to pull off.

 

The target ship's name was the Gauntlet. It was another Corellian Corvette like the Siege of Taris, and that meant that it was a very fast ship. The Corellians always did like their ships to be fast, and this one was definately not an exception. The one exception, though, was that if the ship took damage to the engines, it wasn't going to be moving very quickly. Not only that, but a Corellian Corvette was a rather prized vessel that would fetch quite a good price. Thus, taking the vessel without destroying it was an even greater challenge.

 

"That's it. They've just finished loading the Gauntlet. It should be taking off in just a minute," an operative informed Qestar over a comlink. "I copy. All ships prepare for assault. Remember, you're not getting paid a single credit if this ship is destroyed, so don't screw it up," Qestar ordered to the other ships he had hired out. Qestar was actually a bit more concerned with the possibility that one of his mercenaries might try to double cross him than the actual part of taking the Gauntlet. "Alright, they're taking off. I repeat, they're taking off."

 

"Get ready boys, this is where the fun begins," Qestar then stated over the comlink. As Qestar studied the sensors, he saw the beacon that somebody place on the Gauntlet. Already, the ship was leaving Nar Shadaa's atmosphere. It would have to contend with traffic around the planet before it could enter hyperspace, though. And that was just the opportunity Qestar was counting on.

 

Looking up, Qestar could see the Gauntlet coming straight towards him in the opposite traffic lane. Before the ship had a chance to maneuver out of the traffic lane, Qestar quickly charged up the weapon arrays on the Yewvii and targeted the Corvette. "Interceptor in position." Just behind the Gauntlet, a freighter could be seen following the Corvette just a bit too close. "Interceptor, open fire... NOW!!" Qestar stated. Without any hesitation, blue bolts streaked from the freighter. As they impacted the Gauntlet's engines, the ship quickly began to decelerate as the ion bolts began to fry the engines.

 

As the Gauntlet began to decelerate, the Yewvii barrel rolled out of its traffic lane and opened fire on the Gauntlet. Blue ion bolts impacted on the Corvette and quickly began to fry various components. As things finally dawned on the Gaunlet's Captain, red point defense lasers streaked out towards the Yewvii. Most of the shots missed while the rest simply bounced harmlessly off of the Yewvii's shields. As the Yewvii flew past the Corvette, two other ships joined in on the action. The Interceptor had already performed its part: the last of the Gauntlet's engines had been taken out of action. It was nothing more than a sitting duck as it streaked through space going entirely on its own momentum.

 

Coming around, the Yewvii quickly activated its lone tractor beam attachment. As the tractor beam locked onto the Corvette, the Yewvii suddenly lurched forward a bit as the Corvette began to drag the Yewvii along. The three other ships concentrated their firepower on the lone laser cannon and took it out of action. Reversing the engines on the Yewvii, Qestar slowly began to bring the Gauntlet to a halt. The strain on Qestar's relatively small ship could be heard as the hull groaned in protest. Finally, the Corvette came to a halt, and Qestar deactivated the tractor beam. Flying towards an airlock on the Gauntlet, Qestar transferred the flying controls back over to his copilot.

 

Heading into the cargo bay, Qestar grabbed a handle located near him in preperation for a sudden stop. "Good work boys. We're preparing to board her now. Keep performing the arial security for a while. This shouldn't take long," Qestar stated over the comlink to the other three ships that were now flying in escort around the Gauntlet. A small thump reverberated through the Yewvii's hull as the magnetic locks achieved a seal on the airlock. Looking around the cargo bay, Qestar's personal mercenaries finished checking their weapons and armor. They were ready for an assault if they needed to.

 

Opening the rear hatchway, the airlock on the Gauntlet was locked. One of the mercenaries quickly attached a small explosive on the lock and closed the hatchway back up. As the explosive went off, the mercenary then reopened the hatchway and forced open the airlock door. However, the other door to the airlock was also locked. That one, though, would be easier to handle. Closing off the internal hatchways on the Yewvii Qestar then turned its cargo bay into an extension of the airlock.

 

Another of the mercenaries then started hacking into the airlock controls. Activating the pressure equalization, the Gauntlet's pumps began to go to work. With the expanded size of the airlock due to the Yewvii's cargo bay, it took a bit longer than it normally would. Once the pressures were equal, the mercenary then further hacked into the console. "Get ready..." he warned. "And, now!!"

 

The door opened, and the mercenaries aimed their weapons forward. Blaster fire began to erupt everywhere as the Gauntlet's teams opened fire. Unlike Qestar's mercenaries, however, they were poor shots. They were quickly cut down, and the mercenaries advanced into the hallway with Qestar just behind them. With his blaster pistol drawn, Qestar was ready for the unexpected. Suddenly, the ship lurched a bit as Qestar felt the Corvette begin to accelerate.

 

"What's happening?" Qestar asked over the comlink. "I think they got a couple of their engines back online," one of the pilots of the other three ships responded. "Do you want us to take them out again?"

 

"No!! Not with my ship still attached and with me on board. We'll take care of them from within," Qestar replied angrily. "Alright boys, we got to move a bit quicker now," Qestar then stated quietly to his men. Moving a bit more quickly, the mercenaries then began to work their way through the Gauntlet's interior. Coming to the central hallway, the team then split up: one group to check the cargo bay and the engine room and the other would check on the crew quarters and the bridge. Qestar went with the group heading for the bridge.

 

As they made their way down the hallway, a burst of blaster fire erupted as one of the crew members turned a corner and opened fire. One of the mercenaries was hit in the chest, but the bolt didn't do much more than to heat up the armor. Another mercenary then quickly took aim and shot the crewman in the head. As they continued down the hallway, they came to the crew quarters. "The cargo bay is secure. We're continuing down to the engine room," a mercenary notified Qestar over the comlink.

 

The crew quarters were empty, so the team continued to the bridge. Once there, they found three people in the room. As the mercenaries entered, they simply stood up and put their hands behind their heads in surrender. "Yes, you're indeed the typical Republic cowards. There's always a way to handle you, though," Qestar stated to the three men. Walking up to the highest ranking man, Qestar raised his pistol up so that the barrel was within inches of the man's face. The pistol then went off, and burning flesh suddenly sprayed out the back of the man's head. The other mercenaries quickly opened fire on the other two men and killed them as well. "Sir, we've secured a prisoner in the engine room. He claims to be the ship's engineer and has offered his services in exchange for his life. Do we have an order?" a mercenary stated over the comlink.

 

"Keep him alive. We'll need him to help us repair this thing. In the meantime, is everything secure?" Qestar replied.

 

"Aye, everything is secure, sir."

 

Sighing in a bit of relief, Qestar then informed the other three ships hovering around him to escort the captured Corvette back to a secure docking pad on Nar Shadda. One of the mercenaries then took the controls to the Gauntlet and began to slowly turn her around. It took quite a bit of effort with just two engines, but it was possible. Well, here's to a job well done, ehh? Qestar thought to himself as he sat down in the Captain's chair on the bridge of the Gauntlet.

[Jae Onasi]

Very descriptive battle scenes. Qestar is a great 'bad guy.' I'll enjoy reading more.

[stingerhs]

wow, umm, its been a while since i've updated this one. look forward to a new addition sometime before the end of the weekend.

[Jae Onasi]

Yay! I for one look forward to it.

[stingerhs]

well, i just got done editting a part of one of the posts above dealing with Jeez's brush with the darkside. hehe, its much, much darker than it was before. enjoy.

[stingerhs]

It wasn't much of a shelter, but it had done its job for the past month. After turning on a couple of heaters around the two Jedi Starfighters, Jeez and Mace Windu waited for the ice and snow to melt while sitting under the tent. "Well, Jeez, this is going to be your last chance to ask any questions before the Trials. So, is there anything on your mind?" Windu asked.

 

Thinking for a second, Jeez sighed for a moment. He had wanted to ask Windu about the dark vision he had recieved earlier, but so far, he had been unable to bring himself to ask his Master about it. Looking by the Starfighters, Jeez noticed that although the ice was starting to melt off of the fighters, there was still quite a ways yet to go before the meter or so of snow was melted down to a reasonable level. Dropping his head down, Jeez decided that now would probably be a good enough time to ask. "Actually, I do have something on my mind, but it doesn't have anything to do with the Trials. I-I saw a vision the other morning during my meditations. It was Miranda, and she was about to be murdered," Jeez stated a bit nervously.

 

"Murdered? Hmm," Windu stated as he paused for a moment. Sensing Jeez's thoughts, Windu then said, "It was the Darkside, wasn't it?"

 

"Yes sir."

 

Pausing for yet another moment, Windu delved a bit further into Jeez's thoughts. "Your afraid? Your afraid that she might die, aren't you?"

 

Looking over at Windu, Jeez calmly replied, "Of course I am. Aside from you, she's one of the few friends I have. She's very precious to me."

 

"Well, I know that I should just tell you not to be afraid since she'll join with the Force, but I can't do that. I've lost close friends before, and I understand how you must feel in this situation. But something that you have to understand for yourself is that the Darkside will purposely try to cloud your judgement. The fear you have is real, but the Darkside is what brought it to bear. Let it go, Jeez. It will only cause you further pain and bring destruction. Such is the way of the Darkside."

 

"I know, but it would be a loss that I don't think I could handle."

 

"Like I said, Jeez, let go of your fear," Windu stated as he suddenly paused. Thinking for a second, Windu then came to a bit of a realization. "But your fear is different. Your afraid to let go of the fear because you think it might diminish the relationship you have with Miranda. You're in love with her, aren't you?"

 

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable in his seat, Jeez shifted around a bit. Searching himself, Jeez knew that his Master had hit the head right on the mark. Jeez then replied nervously, "No, it isn't that. Its just that she's such a close friend. You know how close we've been over the years and throughout our training. It would just be difficult to handle, that's all."

 

Nodding in agreement, Windu decided to put aside the realization as being a bit too bold of a conclusion. Looking over at the Starfighters, the ice was finally melted enough for flight. Looking outside the shelter, the weather was nice and calm for the moment as well. "Well, this is as good a time as any to get all the gear stowed and then to take off. Come on, lets get this done before that storm gets here," Windu stated. Putting their hoods on, they both started to pack up the heaters and take down the shelter.

[Jae Onasi]

Jeez's brush with DS is definitely darker and more intense--I liked it.

It takes a lot to put one over Windu. Will Jeez ultimately be able to get away with the half-truth/half-lie? It will be interesting to see.

[stingerhs]

Miranda awoke suddenly and sat straight up. Breathing hard, she looked over next to here as if she was expecting Jeez to be laying next to her. Collapsing back down onto her pillow, Miranda closed her eyes and tried to relax. Instead, the images floated back as if a ghost was attempting to haunt her. Shaking her head, Miranda threw the covers off the bed and headed towards the washroom.

 

Turning on the hot water in the shower stall, Miranda stripped down as she waited for the water to heat up. Leaning back against the wall, Miranda closed her eyes again. The images began to come back yet again, and Miranda slowly began to drift off into a Force inducted reverie.

 

Inside of the dream, Miranda looked down to see blood covering her hands. Suddenly disgusted, Miranda tried to wipe it off of her hands and onto her robes only to discover that she was still naked. Looking around her, several bodies were strewn about the room. It was their blood on her hands. The only problem, though, is that Miranda felt a bit unusual. Looking down at her bloody hands yet again, Miranda began to laugh lightly to herself.

 

Slowly, the laughter began to build as she nonchalantly reached down and tore a piece of fabric off of one of the dead men. Still smiling to herself, she wiped the blood from her hands as she looked around for clothes that weren't stained with blood. Suddenly, she felt something. Looking over at one of the men, he was starting to breathe and struggle. Walking up behind him, she layed down on top of the man, who was starting to wake up, and reached around his head. As soon as he woke up, Miranda grabbed the opposite side of his head and twisted it around.

 

With a sickening crunch of breaking bones, Miranda suddenly woke up. Looking down at her hands, they were indeed clean, but she could still feel the blood on her hands. Heading over to the sink, she began to scrub her clean hands as if they were forever stained with blood. Her breath came in heaves as she struggled to maintain her composure. Finally realizing the insanity of scrubbing clean hands, she turned off the faucet in frustration.

 

Leaning her head back, Miranda closed her eyes yet again. Pushing aside the fresh vision, she headed into the shower to try to clean herself yet again.

_________________

 

"And these are today's daily reports," the man stated as he handed over a datapad to Chancellor Palpatine. "Thank you. You can be dismissed," Palpatine replied. Looking down at the datapad, Palpatine didn't activate it right away. He knew that it would be more of the same that he had been reading for several days now.

 

The Seperatist Movement was gaining steam not only by the masses but also in the Senate. Several Senators had already given their disapproval of Palpatine's urgings for more emergency powers for the crisis, and several others were rather vocal about the Republic needing reform in order to stay afloat during the Seperatist Rising. However, even talks of reform were being put down by higher ranking Senators that most people recognized to be apart of the Republic's tight beauracracy. Those that wanted reform were becoming frustrated at the beauracracy, and more and more Senators began to recognize the need for a stronger central authority that could bypass the beauracracy. Some were even bold enough to think that a strong central power could even remove the beauracracy all together.

 

Palpatine smiled at the thought. The Techno Union and the Banking Clan had already turned in Letters of Intention that confirmed that they were threatening secession. Other massive corporations had already shown their support for the Seperatist Movement in Senate Proceedings, and Republic Loyalists were rightly concerned over them. They were the ones that would be able to generate massive armies, and a militant Seperatist Movement would provide him with the steam to take the role of the strong central power the Senate was already starting to look for.

 

Deciding to go ahead and read the report anyway, Palpatine noticed that attacks on the medical supply transports was increasing. Several planets were missing desperately needed medical supplies, and several systems were relying solely on the medical supplies he had ordered from Ja'rott. This wasn't the way things were supposed to go. Putting down the datapad in a bit of frustration, Palpatine knew that something had to be done about the situation.

[stingerhs]

The two Jedi Starfighters pulled out of hyperspace above Coruscant. Heading towards the hyperspace docks, the two starfighters quickly docked the hyperdrive rings in the designated space. With a quick release of latches, the Starfighters entered the traffic stream heading into Coruscant.

 

"All this time as protectors of the Republic and we're still subject to traffic laws," Jeez stated over the comlink with a smile. "Well, its nice to know that some things in this galaxy have some semblance of order to them," Windu replied as he returned the smile.

 

As traffic stream circulated into the atmosphere, the skins of the starfighters glowed briefly. Slowly, the traffic began to dissipate as they split into other traffic streams that constantly moved above the planetwide metropolis. However, this is where the Jedi Starfighters finally had the special treatment as they were now able to use the lightly travelled government stream towards the Jedi Temple.

 

It was going to be a while before they would arrive at the Temple, but the traffic stream would take them past the Senate Chambers. Suddenly feeling a bit sick to his stomach, Jeez knew that something wasn't quite right. "I feel it, too. Something's going on up at the Senate. Let's check it out," Windu stated over the comlink.

 

As the two Starfighters picked up speed, they quickly began to maneuver around the other speeders in the stream. Suddenly pulling up, Windu exited the stream briefly to get a better look. Even in the distance, Windu could make out a swarming crowd of people around the Senate Chambers. "Follow me, Jeez," Windu stated.

 

Following suit, Jeez formed up just behind Windu's Starfighter as they very quickly made their way over to the Senate Chambers. As they approached, it was plainly obvious that hundreds of thousands of people were attempting to march on the Senate. "Master, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the Senate in session right now?" Jeez asked over the comm.

 

"I think so. Whatever is going on down there, we need to be there. We've been given clearance to land at the Senate Docks, so lets get there quickly," Windu replied.

 

Below, the demonstrators were chanting and yelling loudly. Large signs were being held to show their support for the Seperatists, and a call for the Senate to disband was heard loud and clear. The Coruscant Police Force had been called in to keep the peace, but it was certainly not going to be enough as they were outnumbered almost 25 to 1. To make matters worse, the demonstrators were growing increasingly violent as some of them made attempts to attack the barracade the police had set up. Looking up at the sky as Jeez and Windu flew overhead, several of the demonstrators recognized the Jedi symbols on the lower side of the two craft. "They've sent Jedi here to kill us!" one demonstrator yelled out. Other demonstrators came to the same conclusion, and quickly things began to spiral out of control.

 

A large mob suddenly rushed forward in a to attack the barracade. The large metal barracade was quite large, but the mob was quick to start trying to climb over it. In response, the police tried to shoot gas canisters out towards the rushing crowd, but several of the canisters landed past the mob and into the main body of the crowd. People began to scream in a chaotic combination of fear and anger. The crowd rippled away from the gas canisters as many suddenly became downright violent. The small mob was nothing compared to what was about to happen.

 

The large majority of the angry crowd suddenly began to attack the barracades as a whole. The police began throwing as many gas canisters into the crowd as they possibly could, but it wasn't going to be enough. Setting up a firing line, the police quickly raised their rifles towards the crowd. Although the rifles were set to stun, they were still afraid to pull off a volley as it would probably spark a stampede. Suddenly, blaster fire range out, but it didn't come from the police. Several of the demonstrators had pulled out hidden blaster pistols and were starting to fire at police. More and more demonstrators quickly followed suit, and blaster fire from both sides suddenly increased in intensity.

 

Out of nowhere, two lightsabers finally appeared in the midst of the police as Jeez and Windu arrived on the scene. Rushing forward, Jeez and Windu began to reflect blaster fire off of their lightsabers from the crowd. Already, hundreds of demonstrators had climbed over the barracade, and most of them had some form of a weapon. Suddenly lashing out with the Force as he approached, Windu knocked the people that were past the barracade down. Finally able to disarm some of the crowd, the police rushed forward to take away the weapons and to start making arrests.

 

As Jeez and Windu continued to run towards the barracade, they quickly gathered the Force inside of their legs and released it. As they vaulted over the barracade, they landed in the midst of the crowd. Both of them lashed out with the Force as soon as they landed, sending a large number of the demonstrators hurtling through the air. As angry demonstrators approached them, they were quickly cut down by Jeez and Windu. Although they had been cut down, they were very specific about where they cut the demonstrators in order to ensure that they were merely injured and not killed.

 

The angry demonstrators began to step away from the two Jedi as they realized that they weren't going to be able to either hurt them nor get past them. Order was finally being restored as the police were able to arrest most of the demonstrators that had gotten past the barracade, and any that were still trying to get past the barracade were sniped out with stun blasters. "This demonstration is over!!! Go back to your homes!!! Enough blood has been spilled on your account today; now leave!!!" Windu yelled out above the crowd.

 

Overhead, other starfighters and transports began to arrive, and that meant more police and more Jedi. The demonstrators slowly began to realize that they weren't going to be able to accomplish anything, so they slowly began to dissipate as word traveled through the massive crowd. The demonstration was indeed over, at least for the time being.

___________________

 

As the connection was confirmed, the hazy blue image of Yoda appeared in on the comm's holopanel. "Ahh, Master Yoda. Thank for your time," Chancellor Palpatine stated. "A problem you have, Chancellor?" Yoda stated as if he knew what was coming.

 

"In a manner of speaking, yes. As you are well aware of, I began to order medical supply shipments for various systems in the Republic that have absolutely dire needs for them. However, there have also been a number of attacks on many of the transports to the point that I might as well not even bother with ordering the supplies in the first place."

 

"Want us to escort these transports, you do?"

 

"As much as that might be helpful, it would not solve the problem. My request for you is for the Council to assign a mission that would root out and halt the attacks. I will be sending you further details in a data file if you would be so kind as to take me up on the offer."

 

"Hmm, further discussion this topic needs among the rest of the Council. Bring this up in today's session, I will."

[Char Ell]

A great story here, stingerhs. I'm very much interested in seeing how you weave your story's events into the established Star Wars timeline. I'm also intrigued by the Force visions Jeez and Miranda have experienced and wonder what influence these visions will have as your story progresses.

[stingerhs]

((i made some minor editting two posts above for continuity with the movies. secession from the Republic by the major corporations did not occur until events within AOTC.))

 

As Jeez stepped outside of his Starfighter, he finished taking off his gloves. Windu had left the Senate a while before Jeez had as he had things to take care of at the Temple. Just arriving at the Jedi Temple, Jeez was looking forward to some rest. Jeez grabbed a couple of tools from the storage locker on the Starfighter first. He was wanting to finish some work he had done before they had left for Illum on the faulty computer terminal that was in his quarters

 

As he left the hangar, Jeez walked into the side hallway just above the main floor. Looking up, Jeez remembered whenever he was about 10 years old, and he had hid with Miranda up on the ledge above the pillars to throw water at some Senators that had been at the Temple that day. Jeez smiled as he remembered how he had suspended the water with the Force as he poured it out of a bottle, and then used the Force to fling it at a Senator. He also remembered Miranda doing the same thing right along side of him. However, they were soon caught, but Jeez decided to take all responsibility.

 

Shaking his head a bit to himself, Jeez continued on down the hallway. Suddenly, someone appeared from behind a pillar. "Hey, you," Jeez stated to Miranda with a smile. "Hey," she replied as she returned the smile. As they closed the distance, they embraced. Moving apart, but still holding onto each other, Miranda was the first to speak, "So, I take it things went well down by the Senate this morning."

 

Letting go of each other, they began to walk side by side down the hallway. "I guess so. This whole Seperatist Movement is starting to get out of hand. I can understand some of their claims; politics are a bit too complicated for things to get done quickly enough. But that demonstration this morning, I just can't bring myself to think that it was *just* a demonstration. At least, not whenever half the crowd was carrying blasters," Jeez responded.

 

"Yeah, I heard about that part. Makes you wonder if there wasn't more motive behind it than just making a statement."

 

"For some, yes, I can see them wanting to storm the Senate while its in session and force the Confederacy into existance, but for others, well, perhaps it was just a demonstration."

 

Arriving at the living quarters of the Temple, Jeez and Miranda continued on inside. "Well, I'm just glad everything turned out OK," Miranda said with the smile returning to her face. As Jeez looked at her, he had to return the smile. "So am I," Jeez replied. Finally arriving at Jeez's quarters, Jeez pressed a quick sequence into the datapad to open the door.

 

Heading inside, Miranda locked the door behind them. "You know what the most difficult part is going to be?" she asked.

 

"Hmm? What do you mean?" Jeez asked as he set the bag of tools down next to the computer terminal.

 

"Sorry, I meant us. You know, us having to hide our relationship from everyone, especially here at the Temple. Most people know that we're good friends, but keeping love out of their equations isn't going to be easy."

 

"Well, if you want to get technical about it, we've been in love for a long time. And I'm not just talking about romantic love. Love between friends to the point of, well, I guess you would say kinship is something I would've definately used to describe our relationship before we admitted our romantic interest in each other."

 

"That's true, but you know what I meant," Miranda replied with a light laugh.

 

Returning the smile, Jeez headed over to the window and looked outside. In the distance, the sun over Coruscant was beginning to descend over the horizon. Tall buildings reached out from the artificial surface as they tried to touch the sky, and their silhouettes burned out from the sun's rays. "There's a huge galaxy out there. Hiding in it would forfeit our responsiblities as Jedi; so, there's really only one option we can take," Jeez stated. Coming up behind him, Miranda wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a loving embrace. "I know. I just want us to be free from its constraints," Miranda replied.

__________________

 

"The Council is now in session," Mace Windu stated. "To start today's proceedings, we will discuss the Seperatist Movement. Master Tsunin, who heads our information on the Senate, will present the report. Tsunin."

 

"Yesterday, a motion was filed in the Senate for secession by the Trade Federation. The motion was a bit abnormal concerning voting procedures in that a positive vote would confirm secession from the Republic and a negative vote would confirm a desire to remain in the Republic. The motion was debated extensively with the main opposition to the motion coming from the Naboo and Alderaan Representatives.

 

Supporters of the motion included several of the represented corporations including the Techno Union and the Banking Clan. Citing outbursts on both sides of the debate, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine ended yesterday's Senate Proceedings prematurely. Also cited in his statement was yesterday's pro-Seperatist demonstration.

 

Earlier this morning, the motion was recalled by the Trade Federation, and a subsequent walkout was staged by Senators from the Trade Federation, the Commerce Guild, the Intergalactic Banking Clan, the Techno Union, and the Corporate Alliance. It is not known if they will secede immidiately, but it has been predicted as highly likely given Count Dooku's promise of low government interferance in business affairs. However, it is known that they will not return for further Senate Proceedings for an unannounced duration.

 

As a result of the walkout, several Senators were quick to point out that the monetary and manufacturing capabilities of the walkout members would provide the Seperatists with an unrivalled military force. Mentioned specifically by several Senators that the growing galactic unrest was becoming too much for the Jedi. Thus, a debate ensued as to the creation of a Republic Military to assist the Jedi with both peacekeeping duties and as a counter to the possibility of the Seperatists fielding an army. Many systems opposed the creation with the majority of the vocal opposition coming from the Naboo and Alderaan Representatives.

 

As the proceedings ended, Chancellor Palpatine decided to adjourn the Senate for two weeks," Tsunin stated from memory.

 

Looking over at Yoda, Master Windu then stated, "The Senate is right. We are being spread too thin."

 

Looking blankly forward for a moment, Yoda scratched his chin as the wrinkles above his eyes moved downward as he thought to himself. "And what of the Seperatist Supporters? Known are their numbers?" Yoda asked Tsunin.

 

"I cannot give you direct numbers, but their supporters are over 3,000 systems strong. If a war was to break out, it is likely that over 10,000 more systems that are ranked moderate on the issue would also put in their support," Tsunin replied.

 

After a couple of seconds of several of the Council members exchanging glances or thinking to themselves, Master Windu looked up. "If there are no further questions, you may be excused Master Tsunin," Windu stated. Looking around for a moment for any of the Council members to speak up, Tsunin then bowed to the Council and left.

 

"Disturbing this news is," Yoda commented after the door closed. "And more requests for deploying Jedi the Chancellor has. Informed me of attacks on medical shipments to systems in distress he has. These shipments he authorized come from one of the Hutts on Nar Shadda."

 

"A Hutt from Nar Shadda? I thought the Republic didn't deal with crime lords," Master Ki-Adi-Mundi stated quizzically.

 

"In dire need the Republic is. Through normal channels, these supplies are hard to come by. I do not approve of the method, but truely needed these supplies are. Help we must if war is to be avoided," Yoda replied.

 

"I agree. If we don't help these systems, then they would be more prone to join the Seperatist cause," Master Plo Koon stated.

 

"Then we shall have a vote. In favor?" Master Windu asked the Council. All of the Masters agreed to the vote. "Then it is decided. Of the available Jedi, there are few that can go. I would take it, but my Padawan is scheduled to undergo the Trials this week. I recommend that Master Tsunin and her Padawan, Miranda, undertake the assignment. Miranda is also scheduled to undergo the Trials, but not for another month."

 

"Then done it is. When finished this session is, I will inform Master Tsunin of the assignment," Yoda stated.

[stingerhs]

i posted an additon to my previous post. i was going to put it this post, but i thought it would fit the timeline better to put it there.