MD: 11/2/04
Time: 21:45
Location: Local Park, Atlanta Georgia; TTI Building, Atlanta, Georgia
ON:
The rain started to fall lightly, but Natalie didn't worry about
it.
In fact, she chose to start wandering the streets. Not to go looking
for someone to talk to, but because she just didn't want to sit
at the
hovel any longer.
Natalie wandered the downtown area and kept looking for a place to go.
Being later in the evening, there were not a lot of places a young
girl could go by herself. Also, the fact that she didn't look
like
anything but a homeless girl, it was even harder.
Natalie walked into a small park and sat on a bench. She looked
around, but had not seen anyone in the general area for a while. She
sat on the bench, again looking at the healed finger.
"What is going on?" she wondered aloud. "And who can I
talk to?"
"I'd be happy to talk to you about it," a man said as he
sat down next
to her. There hadn't been anyone there a moment ago, nobody
anywhere
close minutes ago as she approached the bench. He was well-dressed and
wore a white satin cravat under a navy-blue pinstripe suit. His silver
hair was held back with a silver coil of strange design and tumbled
down to mid-back. He carried a silver-headed cane with strange sigils
on it made of some dark wood and capped in silver. "I'm
Travis and
you're Natalie, right?" he smiled and his posh British accent
lent him
an air of friendly kindness.
Natalie was surprised to hear a voice from beside her. She was even
more surprised when a gentleman sat down next to her. She listened to
the voice and noted its more sophisticated accent. British, if she
thought correctly. Natalie suddenly realized that this person knew
her name. She moved down to the other end of the bench, wary of the
fact that no one was around and a stranger had started talking to her.
"How do you know me?" she asked, subtly trying to stand and
run. "And
where did you come from?"
"Calm down Natalie, if I'd wanted to hurt you I could have
done so
already right?" he asked, shrugging and is something like that was
beyond him. "I teleported in, at least that's what most
people would
call it and I know your name because I see the future and you just
appeared in it as a mutant."
Natalie realized that what he said about hurting her was true. She
had learned over the years on the street that people that are angry
with the world and want to hurt you will. And those that are somewhat
genuine will be kind to start. But Natalie was still wary of this
stranger.
She then listened to his explanation of where he came from.
"I'm a
mutant?" she thought to herself. "You must be mistaken,"
her mind's
voice responded. She finally said something to the gentleman.
"You
can see the future?"
"Yes, as part of my gift I can see possible futures and you just
appeared in most of them as a publicly recognized mutant," he
replied
with a slight frown. "Your abilities are quite unique. The only
mutant
to display similar abilities are quite powerful and a well-known Xman.
Her name is Rogue."
"Rogue? X men? I don't know if I really understand what you
are
talking about."
In her head, Natalie could understand what the guy was saying, but she
didn't want to admit it. Not to him and, most importantly, not to
herself. She was unsure if she was ready for that kind of rude
awakening – to realize that she was a mutant. The events with the
mutant the previous day still haunted her mind. If that was how
people treated mutants, Natalie was not ready to be one.
"So, Mr. Future," she started cynically. "How can you be
sure that
I'm a mutant? How can you be sure that I won't turn you in
to the
government for money? What makes you think that I even want to listen
to you?"
Natalie stood up and started to walk away from Travis.
"Because you started healing faster, you're more perceptive
than you
were, stronger, faster," He replied, ticking them off of his
fingers.
"When the old mutant died you absorbed his abilities, his
strength,
everything." He sighed and raised his voice, "Because I know
you want
off the streets and you're fiercely independent, because
you're not
the kind of person that takes advantage of people and you're
afraid
that you really are a mutant, and what it means after what you've
seen." He paused when she did, "I'm right aren't
I?"
Natalie stopped. He did know her. Somehow, he knew her. Maybe he
had seen the future. Maybe even her past. Somehow seen the years of
solitude and loneliness, but also seen the times of true happiness.
Natalie wasn't sure what to do. Her head was racing with a lot of
thoughts. Some good, some bad. She just didn't know which was
which.
She turned around and he spoke again.
"Because in a possible future you and I are great friends,"
he replied
softly, a faraway look in his eyes. "We're like family and
you mean
the world to me. That's a future I would prefer to see you in
than the
alternatives."
Natalie heard his words and suddenly broke down crying. She slumped
to the ground and covered her face. "Family," she thought.
Memories
of friends that were like family appeared in her mind. She sobbed for
several minutes, unaware of Travis or anything that he was doing. Was
he pitying her for being scared? Was he going to scold her for not
paying proper attention to him? She didn't know. All she knew
was
that Travis was right – about everything. She did want off the
streets. She was afraid. And she didn't know if she could trust
Travis with her life.
She looked up to him. "What can you do for me?"
He was already there, crouching, offering her a handkerchief of
silvery gray silk and nearly sitting in the dirt. His eyes were sad
with her pain and he looked like he wanted to hug her, shield her from
whatever was going on inside but knew he couldn't. "I can
help you
find out what it is you do. I can help you train it so nothing happens
by accident and I can provide you with an environment where other
young people who are just discovering themselves will be
training." He
offered her his hand.
"I can offer you safety and freedom, friendship and if you'll
have
them, a lot of other people that need family as well."
Natalie took the handkerchief from his hands. She wiped her eyes and
looked back at Travis. "I don't know what to say," she
started,
sniffing. "I haven't had a home in a long time. I've
been living on
the street for just as long." She stood up. "Thank you,
Travis," she
said and stared up at him. "I need to think about it. But I
think
you may need to prove some things to me also." Natalie walked
back to
the bench.
"I'm not sure if I trust you, but I haven't run away yet,
so it's a
start. It's a baby step. A big step for me actually."
Natalie started to fold the handkerchief and handed it back to
Travis.
"Its that very nature of yours that whatever your gift, you remain
able to adapt and to try to be positive," Travis told her with a
proud
smile. "Do you want to see the Academy and the others?"
Natalie hesitate for a moment. Like she said, she hadn't run
away,
yet. This was a big risk that she was taking. "Okay," she
said
quietly. "Let's see what you've got."
"Try not to be startled when I teleport and if you wish, close
your
eyes," he told her seriously, pausing for her response.
Natalie had only heard of teleportation in Sci-Fi books and movies.
She had never seen it. She wondered if all mutants could teleport and
she just hadn't figured that part out. She closed her eyes
instinctively, not wanting to see the world fly past her at such a
fast rate of speed.
"Ready, steady-," and the air quality changed, in a blink the
sounds
of the park and the distant sounds of people disappeared to be
replaced by the hum of air conditioning and distant electronics. Where
it was chilly it was now warm but not uncomfortably so and distantly
she heard animated conversation and laughing.
Natalie felt a rush of wind and then calm. She did not know where she
was, yet was still afraid to open her eyes. Slowly, she opened one
eye – to see where she was. Seeing that she was now in a
building,
with Travis next to her, she opened the other eye.
They stood in what appeared to be a recreation room of some sort, with
back commercial carpeting with a huge gold section crossing it. A
glass and steel snack bar stood at one end with an espresso maker,
commercial blender, microwave/convection oven, a small fryer a cook
top, commercial sink and a small collection of cooking pans and
serving platters, a huge double-sided glass faced commercial
refrigerator chocked full of packages and food. A plasma-screen TV
about five feet across hung on one wall surrounded by interactive play
systems, stereo equipment, DVD/VHS players and surround sound speakers
were mounted all around the huge room. Beanbags, chairs, sofas and
table in bright deco colors dotted the room as well as tons of floor
pillows and mats. And behind them, the entire wall was glass and
looked out on the back of the high museum/colony square from twenty
stories up.
Natalie was aghast at the complexity of the room. It seemed cavernous
and yet small. She turned around and noticed everything in the room
individually. She had never seen so many playthings or a television
that large.
Natalie caught her breath and spoke. "Is this my room?" she
asked
innocently. "Because I could get used to this."
Travis chuckled a little, "No this is a common
`play-area' the
students share. There's another one just like it through those
doors,"
he pointed with his cane to a set of double doors on the wall with the
TV. "Dorm rooms are down each of these doors, "he pointed to
each end
of the room left and right, "with another set on the other side
of the
building too. Let's go this way," he indicated to the left and
gestured for him to precede her, "and I'll show you your
rooms."
Natalie was a little surprised when Travis said "her room".
Natalie
looked up at Travis as he led her down the hallway. "You mean I
get
my own room?" Natalie had never had her own room. During her
time in
the orphanage, she shared a room with nineteen other girls.
As they continued down the hallway, Natalie noticed that each room had
a name on it. Some of the doors were empty, but several others did
have a nameplate. Then they stopped at a door that was labeled,
Natalie.
Her rooms were next to someone named "Brier", the wooden door
with the
institutional handle and no lock but some sort of label.
"There's a
switch on the side that changes this to show `privacy'. We
don't have
locks on the doors, we use mutual respect to assure privacy compliance
and for some of us, our powers mean respect is the only way to assure
privacy." He opened the door for her showing the wood-clad floor,
the
high ceilings, the far wall enshrouded in heavy curtains but showing
floor to ceiling glass windows. A queen-sized bed on the left of the
room dominated the space, set on a red cedar platform with built-in
headboard and side stands with brushed chrome lamps and an alarm
clock. A Lucite and brushed chrome desk stood on the right wall, next
to a small bookshelf and covered with slots for DVD and CD cases. A
Sony VAIO docking station and laptop sat on the desk, the screen
displaying "TOUCH ME".
To the immediate right a doorway led to a walk-in closet large enough
for her to sleep in easily and further down on the glass wall, another
doorway led to a slate-tiled bathroom. With a glassed in standing
shower with a built in bench large enough for four people, a pedestal
sink, a frosted-glass screened toilet and shelving with towels and a
terry-cloth bathrobe on a peg; it was larger than the closet.
When the door opened, Natalie could not believe her eyes. "This
is a
castle," she whispered, as if in a museum. "How many people
do I
share this with?"
"It's just for you," he told her, "each student gets
their own room
when they first come. Some have more dangerous gifts than others and
need specific things to be safe."
Natalie wondered about what sort of dangerous gifts these people had.
She wanted to ask Travis, but she thought against it.
Natalie could not believe her ears. A room all to herself. She
wandered into the bathroom and noticed the shower. It looked larger
than some of the hovels that Natalie had slept in since she ran away.
Natalie walked back to the closet and looked inside. It was empty,
but for some hangers. Natalie didn't make a comment about there
not
being any clothes for fear that she might not get any.
Natalie stepped out of the closet and walked to the bed. She climbed
onto it and lay down. As she lay there, she thought about everything
that had happened over the past hour. She had found a new life with
the help of someone that said would be an eventual close friend. She
had been given more gifts from just a door opening than she had ever
received in fourteen years of Christmas and birthdays. Natalie closed
her eyes and started to fall asleep.
"Natalie," Travis called softly, "I know that's a
comfortable bed but
let's get you cleaned up, fed and some new clothes and I promise
you
sixteen hours of uninterrupted sleep."
Natalie didn't want to get out of the bed. It had been so long
since
she had slept in a real bed. But the thought of sixteen hours of
sleep did appeal to her. She slowly got up and plopped back down on
the floor. She walked over to the bathroom and started to close the
door.
"Excuse me," she said before it closed. "You said
something about new
clothes. If I take a shower now, will they be waiting for me when
I'm
done? Or should we get the new clothes first and then I'll take
a shower?
"Let's do a snack first, then some shopping and then a shower
for you
and another snack and some bed?" he asked her waiting for her
response.
Natalie stepped back into the main room. She walked with Travis back
to the recreation room, silently anticipating food.
The "snack" that was waiting in the rec room was a sandwich
cut
crosswise with meat and cheese and a small bowl of broccoli with
cheese and a helping of macaroni and cheese. A tall glass of milk sat
next to it and Travis waited patiently for her to finish it, urging
her not to rush.
When Natalie saw the food in front of her, she started to eat fast.
Travis then reminded her not to rush, but to take her time. Natalie
slowed down and continued to eat the sandwich. She then took a large
gulp of milk and then looked at the mac and cheese. Taking her fork,
she dug into the meal and ate quietly. When it came to the broccoli,
she felt that she should let Travis know that she didn't care for
broccoli, but she didn't want him to be mad for not eating the
whole
meal. She started to eat the broccoli and winced a few times at the
taste. However, the cheese seemed to make it a little better.
Eventually, she had finished her milk and her meal and looked up at
Travis. "What sort of shopping are we going to do?" she
asked, wiping
her face.
"Clothes, shoes, coats, swimming suits, underclothes, personal
hygiene
and some personal effects to make this `your room'," he
replied with a
grin, looking at the elegant and empty space.
"Am I going to be able to get whatever I want?" Natalie
wondered. Not
that she wanted, let alone needed, much.
"Within reason," he replied and reassured her, "though
what I mean by
that is balanced between `need' and `want' and
`quality'. You'll have
an allowance for personal effects for the room and you can decide what
you want." He reached into his jacket and pulled out a silver
credit
card-looking thing with her name on it and the TTI logo in white.
"Might as well get you used to using this now."
"What is it?" Natalie said as she took it from his hands.
"Cell phone, access card, debit account and such," Travis
shrugged.
"All TTI employees have some version of this but students have the
more-enabled version."
Natalie looked at the card carefully. "This thing can do all
that?
Some card."
Natalie thought about all the things she needed, clothes wise. She
could always use more jeans and maybe a couple pairs of nice pants.
More sweaters, though she wanted to keep the one she was wearing,
maybe just launder it. She also thought about getting some movies,
but she wasn't sure if that was something on the list. She knew
she
had to get all new hygiene products and under garments. Then Natalie
thought about the "personal affects" that Travis spoke of.
She
thought for a long time and could not think of anything really that
she could purchase that would help her feel at home. Perhaps she
would be able to find something as they were shopping.
"Okay," she
said to Travis. "I'm ready to go shopping."
A Joint Post By
Natalie Rice
&
Travis
Friday, July 08, 2005
"The Circle of Life" (From X-Men Awakenings)
MD: N/A
Time: 1622 hours
Location: MLK Drive and I 85, Atlanta, Georgia
It was still early, but Natalie didn't want to leave the mutant
alone.
In case he did wake up, she wanted to be able to tend to his wounds.
She chose, instead, to pull her notebook out of her bag and start
writing.
As the sky grew darker, there was still no movement from the mutant.
He was still breathing, barely, but still. Natalie would check on him
every ten minutes between writing in her journal about the day's
events. About the men that shot the mutant, about the mutant himself,
about his shelter, about her trouble at the Boy's and Girl's
Club.
She didn't want to write about that last one, but she knew that in
order to better herself, she had to write down the good and the bad
experiences so that she could learn from them.
Natalie's stomach began to grumble and Natalie realized that she
had
not eaten since breakfast. She looked around the makeshift home and
found a small Tupperware box with some raw meat in it. Looking
around, she also found a metal cooking plate to place over the fire.
"If you don't mind," she spoke to the unconscious mutant.
"I was
wondering if you'd allow me to cook some of your meat."
Naturally,
there was no reply.
Natalie stood up and moved to the pile of firewood. Taking a few more
pieces and some blank pieces of paper from her notebook, she started
the fire going again. Natalie placed the metal plate over the fire
and allowed it to heat up. She took a few pieces of the raw meat from
the Tupperware and started to cook it.
Now, Natalie was not a natural cook, but she knew the difference
between cooked food and raw food. Of course, she also didn't
understand the concept of not burning the food. The three pieces of
meat were burnt, but when Natalie looked at the inside of them, having
used her Swiss Army Knife to cut it, it looked edible.
Natalie ate the meat quietly, checking on the beast every now and
then. It had not moved. Natalie figured that he was dead, but the
slow breaths contradicted her. The darkness enveloped the night and
the lights of Atlanta got brighter. The noise above the highway was
noisy for a few hours and Natalie wondered if she should attempt to
talk to someone about what had happened to her today and that the
mutant needed help. She kept standing as if to move toward the sound
of the people, but then, she would look at the mutant, lying there on
the ground and sit back down.
It was getting late. Natalie wasn't sure what time it was, but
she
figured she might as well sleep. She placed one of the sleeping bags
over the mutant to keep him warm overnight. She tucked herself into
the other sleeping bag and fell asleep.
**
Natalie began to dream. She dreamed of a place far away from Atlanta.
She wanted to go away. Get away from the city that had ruined her
life. She dreamed of California. It's beautiful sky and
openness for
dreams to come true. She dreamed of going to the beach and playing in
the water and then building sand castles. She dreamed of being a
child again.
As if Natalie's mind was working against her, her dreams started
to
crumble and turn to nightmares. The child that she was grew to an
adult and was pounced on by a creature of unknown origin.
Natalie's
subconscious self ran away in hopes of getting to a past that could no
longer be reached; the past where she could be a child and not worry
about the real world. But Natalie couldn't run away. She had
run as
much as she could and her legs felt like they would fall off. And
yet, she kept running because the creature continued after her.
She ran until she reached a cliff. She could go not further. She was
unsure what to do. The creature approached her bearing its large
teeth. She didn't want the creature to get her, so she jumped
off of
the cliff. As she fell, she screamed with all of her might.
**
Natalie's eyes opened quickly, but she did not get up at first.
She
noticed that day had broken and that the early morning traffic had
started. "She slowly sat up, but didn't feel any effects of
just
having a nightmare.
"That's weird," she thought to herself. "Usually, I
feel a lot more
tired and I'm breathing heavily after a nightmare." She
pondered her
condition for a moment and then realized that she needed to check on
the mutant.
Natalie turned around and saw that the sleeping bag was tossed aside
and the mutant's clothes were lying on the ground. Natalie
thought
for a moment that perhaps he had gone somewhere to clean himself up.
However, as she looked closer at the clothes, she noticed that his
shoes were with them also. "No one would leave their shoes. Not
in
this weather." Natalie looked down at the ground and realized
that
the mutant must have died and somehow disappeared. Natalie tried not
to think about another person in her life that was gone because it
brought too many memories back.
"Well," she said aloud. "I guess this place is mine,
now." Natalie
stood and started looking through the supplies that were in the area.
Time: 1622 hours
Location: MLK Drive and I 85, Atlanta, Georgia
It was still early, but Natalie didn't want to leave the mutant
alone.
In case he did wake up, she wanted to be able to tend to his wounds.
She chose, instead, to pull her notebook out of her bag and start
writing.
As the sky grew darker, there was still no movement from the mutant.
He was still breathing, barely, but still. Natalie would check on him
every ten minutes between writing in her journal about the day's
events. About the men that shot the mutant, about the mutant himself,
about his shelter, about her trouble at the Boy's and Girl's
Club.
She didn't want to write about that last one, but she knew that in
order to better herself, she had to write down the good and the bad
experiences so that she could learn from them.
Natalie's stomach began to grumble and Natalie realized that she
had
not eaten since breakfast. She looked around the makeshift home and
found a small Tupperware box with some raw meat in it. Looking
around, she also found a metal cooking plate to place over the fire.
"If you don't mind," she spoke to the unconscious mutant.
"I was
wondering if you'd allow me to cook some of your meat."
Naturally,
there was no reply.
Natalie stood up and moved to the pile of firewood. Taking a few more
pieces and some blank pieces of paper from her notebook, she started
the fire going again. Natalie placed the metal plate over the fire
and allowed it to heat up. She took a few pieces of the raw meat from
the Tupperware and started to cook it.
Now, Natalie was not a natural cook, but she knew the difference
between cooked food and raw food. Of course, she also didn't
understand the concept of not burning the food. The three pieces of
meat were burnt, but when Natalie looked at the inside of them, having
used her Swiss Army Knife to cut it, it looked edible.
Natalie ate the meat quietly, checking on the beast every now and
then. It had not moved. Natalie figured that he was dead, but the
slow breaths contradicted her. The darkness enveloped the night and
the lights of Atlanta got brighter. The noise above the highway was
noisy for a few hours and Natalie wondered if she should attempt to
talk to someone about what had happened to her today and that the
mutant needed help. She kept standing as if to move toward the sound
of the people, but then, she would look at the mutant, lying there on
the ground and sit back down.
It was getting late. Natalie wasn't sure what time it was, but
she
figured she might as well sleep. She placed one of the sleeping bags
over the mutant to keep him warm overnight. She tucked herself into
the other sleeping bag and fell asleep.
**
Natalie began to dream. She dreamed of a place far away from Atlanta.
She wanted to go away. Get away from the city that had ruined her
life. She dreamed of California. It's beautiful sky and
openness for
dreams to come true. She dreamed of going to the beach and playing in
the water and then building sand castles. She dreamed of being a
child again.
As if Natalie's mind was working against her, her dreams started
to
crumble and turn to nightmares. The child that she was grew to an
adult and was pounced on by a creature of unknown origin.
Natalie's
subconscious self ran away in hopes of getting to a past that could no
longer be reached; the past where she could be a child and not worry
about the real world. But Natalie couldn't run away. She had
run as
much as she could and her legs felt like they would fall off. And
yet, she kept running because the creature continued after her.
She ran until she reached a cliff. She could go not further. She was
unsure what to do. The creature approached her bearing its large
teeth. She didn't want the creature to get her, so she jumped
off of
the cliff. As she fell, she screamed with all of her might.
**
Natalie's eyes opened quickly, but she did not get up at first.
She
noticed that day had broken and that the early morning traffic had
started. "She slowly sat up, but didn't feel any effects of
just
having a nightmare.
"That's weird," she thought to herself. "Usually, I
feel a lot more
tired and I'm breathing heavily after a nightmare." She
pondered her
condition for a moment and then realized that she needed to check on
the mutant.
Natalie turned around and saw that the sleeping bag was tossed aside
and the mutant's clothes were lying on the ground. Natalie
thought
for a moment that perhaps he had gone somewhere to clean himself up.
However, as she looked closer at the clothes, she noticed that his
shoes were with them also. "No one would leave their shoes. Not
in
this weather." Natalie looked down at the ground and realized
that
the mutant must have died and somehow disappeared. Natalie tried not
to think about another person in her life that was gone because it
brought too many memories back.
"Well," she said aloud. "I guess this place is mine,
now." Natalie
stood and started looking through the supplies that were in the area.
"Beauty and the Beast" (From X-Men Awakenings)
MD: N/A
Time: 1204 hours
Location: MLK Jr. Highway near I 85, Atlanta, Georgia
As Natalie approached the library, she changed her mind and started to
walk behind it again, into the alley where she saw the mutant. This
second time behind here allowed Natalie to see things that she
hadn't
seen when she was too scared out of her mind to be paying attention.
She noticed that there was a small blood trail dripping that led away
from the scene. As she followed them, she also noticed that there
were times when the blood would disappear, but it would reappear after
several steps.
The trail led her away from downtown and toward the highway. Natalie
wasn't sure why she had chosen to follow the trail. Perhaps it
was
because she felt sorry for the mutant because he was defenseless
against those men that shot him. She also wondered about his
condition. Being shot is not a good thing, even for mutants.
As Natalie looked around the bushes and then heard a small noise. At
first, it sounded as if it were a small kitten, but as Natalie began
to investigate, she started to hear groans. Natalie walked down the
embankment and smelled smoke. Not enough to worry about a fire, but
more of a smoldering one.
Natalie approached the source of the smoke and noticed the mutant. He
was turned around and Natalie could see the large head wound on the
back of his head. It had been covered by skin, but Natalie could tell
that it hadn't healed properly. Natalie was trying to be quiet,
but
she happened to step on a twig that startled the mutant and forced his
gaze to her.
"Mmmnph," the creature grunted.
Natalie didn't say anything at first. In fact, she stepped back a
little bit.
The beast motioned its hands as a way to invite Natalie toward him.
He also made some sounds as if her were speaking, but no words were
escaping his lips.
Natalie saw that the beast had built a small shelter in this area.
She noticed the smoldering fire and noticed that wood had not been
placed on it in a while. As the temperature was still rather cold,
Natlaie moved toward the wood and placed a few pieces onto the fire.
Stoking the ash and wood for a couple of minutes, Natalie managed to
get the fire going again. The beast groaned, but said nothing still.
Natalie sat in quiet with the beast looking at her. She didn't
know
how to respond, or how to act. She had never met a mutant before and
yet it didn't seem that this "monster" would be any
threat to her,
especially because it seemed that it was mortally wounded.
Natalie saw two sleeping bags, and though it was only early afternoon,
she thought that it might do her good to take a nap. She unrolled one
of the sleeping bags and laid down. The beast watched with very
little behind his eyes.
When Natalie woke, the beast was still in the same spot. The fire had
died and it appeared that the man had soiled himself. He grunted in
sorrow, but did nothing to fix his situation.
Natalie looked at her watch and saw that it was four in the afternoon.
She had been asleep for more than four hours.
"Has he been sitting there this whole time?" she thought to
herself.
Natalie got up from the ground and moved toward the beast. She placed
a hand on his shoulder and comforted him. "It's alright.
They can't
hurt you now." It didn't respond, but just turned aside.
The beast lost its balance and fell to the ground. Natalie moved over
to him to make sure that he was still alive. The mutant's
breathing
was barely noticeable. Natalie didn't know what to do or who to
call.
Rather than get the mutant or herself into any more trouble than she
needed, she chose to stay with the mutant until it woke up, or died.
Time: 1204 hours
Location: MLK Jr. Highway near I 85, Atlanta, Georgia
As Natalie approached the library, she changed her mind and started to
walk behind it again, into the alley where she saw the mutant. This
second time behind here allowed Natalie to see things that she
hadn't
seen when she was too scared out of her mind to be paying attention.
She noticed that there was a small blood trail dripping that led away
from the scene. As she followed them, she also noticed that there
were times when the blood would disappear, but it would reappear after
several steps.
The trail led her away from downtown and toward the highway. Natalie
wasn't sure why she had chosen to follow the trail. Perhaps it
was
because she felt sorry for the mutant because he was defenseless
against those men that shot him. She also wondered about his
condition. Being shot is not a good thing, even for mutants.
As Natalie looked around the bushes and then heard a small noise. At
first, it sounded as if it were a small kitten, but as Natalie began
to investigate, she started to hear groans. Natalie walked down the
embankment and smelled smoke. Not enough to worry about a fire, but
more of a smoldering one.
Natalie approached the source of the smoke and noticed the mutant. He
was turned around and Natalie could see the large head wound on the
back of his head. It had been covered by skin, but Natalie could tell
that it hadn't healed properly. Natalie was trying to be quiet,
but
she happened to step on a twig that startled the mutant and forced his
gaze to her.
"Mmmnph," the creature grunted.
Natalie didn't say anything at first. In fact, she stepped back a
little bit.
The beast motioned its hands as a way to invite Natalie toward him.
He also made some sounds as if her were speaking, but no words were
escaping his lips.
Natalie saw that the beast had built a small shelter in this area.
She noticed the smoldering fire and noticed that wood had not been
placed on it in a while. As the temperature was still rather cold,
Natlaie moved toward the wood and placed a few pieces onto the fire.
Stoking the ash and wood for a couple of minutes, Natalie managed to
get the fire going again. The beast groaned, but said nothing still.
Natalie sat in quiet with the beast looking at her. She didn't
know
how to respond, or how to act. She had never met a mutant before and
yet it didn't seem that this "monster" would be any
threat to her,
especially because it seemed that it was mortally wounded.
Natalie saw two sleeping bags, and though it was only early afternoon,
she thought that it might do her good to take a nap. She unrolled one
of the sleeping bags and laid down. The beast watched with very
little behind his eyes.
When Natalie woke, the beast was still in the same spot. The fire had
died and it appeared that the man had soiled himself. He grunted in
sorrow, but did nothing to fix his situation.
Natalie looked at her watch and saw that it was four in the afternoon.
She had been asleep for more than four hours.
"Has he been sitting there this whole time?" she thought to
herself.
Natalie got up from the ground and moved toward the beast. She placed
a hand on his shoulder and comforted him. "It's alright.
They can't
hurt you now." It didn't respond, but just turned aside.
The beast lost its balance and fell to the ground. Natalie moved over
to him to make sure that he was still alive. The mutant's
breathing
was barely noticeable. Natalie didn't know what to do or who to
call.
Rather than get the mutant or herself into any more trouble than she
needed, she chose to stay with the mutant until it woke up, or died.
"Life on the Streets" (From X-Men Awakenings)
MD: N/A
Time: 0830 hours
Location: Summerhill Community, Atlanta, Georgia
Natalie was waiting outside the Boys and Girl's Club when the door
opened. She immediately entered the building. The young man that had
opened the door recognized the girl and stopped her.
"Natalie? What are you doing here?"
Natalie was a little surprised by the question, but answered anyway.
"I was wondering if I could check my email."
The young man looked at Natalie and then noticed that her jacket had
some holes in it and that she was shivering.
"Natalie, how long have you been waiting for the doors to
open?"
"About three hours," she said, lowering her head.
"And you've been out in the cold?"
"Yes," she said bluntly. "But there was no where else
for me to go!"
"Why didn't you go to school?"
Natalie didn't want to tell him that she was not a student
currently.
"Because I didn't do my homework and I had a test today and
I just
didn't feel well."
"So rather than stay home to get better, or do your homework, or
study
for your test, you chose to come here?"
Natalie knew she had been caught in her own lies. She bowed her head
and started to cry. "I'm sorry, Henry," she said between
tears. "I
don't have a place to live. I don't go to school. I just
survive on
my own."
The young man now felt sheepish about his questions. "I'm
sorry, Nat,
I didn't know.' He gave her a hug and then led her into his
office.
He sat down on the couch and motioned for her to do the same.
"Have you gone to any of the shelters? Or an orphanage?"
That word made her cringe. She hated the orphanage. That was why she
had escaped when she did; she could no longer live under the tyranny
that was within those walls. But she wasn't going to tell Henry
that.
"The shelters were full last night," she finally replied.
There was a long pause and Henry spoke up. "And the
orphanage?"
"I don't want to go back there. I wasn't happy. I'm
happy how I am now!"
"Living on the streets? You're happy doing that?"
"I'm not a bum, Henry!" she yelled. "I work for the
shelter sometimes and they pay me. I have a very small bank account
that the shelter helped me open. It has less than a hundred dollars,
but it's mine and I earned it!"
Natalie started to walk out of the office and Henry grabbed her by the
arm. "Wait! I'm not done talking to you."
Natalie pulled her arm from his grip and opened the door. "Well
I'm done talking to you!" She walked out of the office,
tears flowing
down her eyes, and left the building.
Natalie walked down the street, her hands in her pocket, hugging
herself trying to keep warm. She walked for a mile before stopping.
She had to get out of the cold. She stepped into a restaurant. She
could smell the breakfast cooking and wondered if she had any money in
her pockets. Looking through them, she realized that she had a hole
in her jacket pocket that must have allowed the money to escape
sometime on her walk. "Probably wouldn't have had enough
anyway," she
thought to herself as she exited the restaurant.
Braving the cold again, Natalie continued walking, sometimes stopping
on a corner to beg for some money. No one offered, however, and she
felt more despondent. She had already lost her connection to the Boys
and Girls club. She was sure that Henry had already contacted the
authorities to keep an eye out for a runaway. Natalie made sure to
avoid donut shops and the police stations.
Natalie figured she could go to the library in hopes of checking her
email. Making sure to avoid the high traffic areas, Natalie was going
to enter the library from a back door she had found in the alleyway.
However, as she entered the alleyway, she saw four men attacking
another young man. Natalie wasn't sure what to do. She
didn't want
to get into a fight, but she didn't think it fair for four men to
attack one. She stayed hidden for a moment trying to listen to what
they were saying.
"Don't bother coming around here again!" one of the men
said.
"Yeah, if you do, we're going to kill you!" another
yelled.
The man that seemed to be the leader stopped the men.
"That's enough He's learned his lesson." The man
knelt down to look
into the eyes of the wounded man. "Some mutant you are," he
said.
This made Natalie's eyes spark. "You didn't even fight
back."
Natalie could see that the man wanted to get up, but the others were
standing on his hands, forcing him to stay down. The leader stood up
and started to walk away. As the mutant started to get up, the leader
turned around and fired a bullet into his head. The mutant slumped
down onto the pavement. Natalie was scared by the gunshot and knocked
over a trashcan. The leader and his men heard the noise and one of
the thugs went to investigate. Natalie was sure they would find her,
so she did her best to hide.
One of the thugs ran behind the pile of trash holding a pistol,
wishing to find someone sitting there. Instead, he found only a rat.
"It's okay, boss," the thug yelled. "It's just
a rat. Must've been
spooked by the gunshot." The man started back to where his boss
was and left the alleyway.
Natalie lifted the small cover on the trashcan she had hidden in.
"This is disgusting," she whispered. She waited for almost
ten
minutes before pulling herself out of the garbage can. She wiped the
various slimes off her jacket and looked at herself. "Well, I
guess I won't be going to the library today." She walked
over to
where the mutant had been shot, but to her surprise, the body was no
longer there. There was a blood trail, but Natalie wasn't sure
if she
should follow it. "Maybe a shower first," she conceded.
Natalie left the alleyway and crossed the street. She wandered a few
blocks to the women's shelter that she frequented. The
coordinator
saw her clothes and smelled the stench. "I won't ask,"
the woman
said. "There's a shower available. I'll see if there
are any extra
clothes."
The woman walked away and Natalie made her way to the
back to the shelter to community shower area. She stepped into one of
the shower stalls and started it up. She only used hot water, she was
still cold. She removed her clothes and left them on the floor. She
placed her head under the water and couldn't help but think of the
mutant she saw get shot dead and then how she didn't find his
body. And then of the people that shot the mutant. Who were they and
why did they want to kill mutants? This was too much for Natalie to
take in. She closed her eyes and concentrated on staying warm and
getting the smell of trash out of her hair.
Time: 0830 hours
Location: Summerhill Community, Atlanta, Georgia
Natalie was waiting outside the Boys and Girl's Club when the door
opened. She immediately entered the building. The young man that had
opened the door recognized the girl and stopped her.
"Natalie? What are you doing here?"
Natalie was a little surprised by the question, but answered anyway.
"I was wondering if I could check my email."
The young man looked at Natalie and then noticed that her jacket had
some holes in it and that she was shivering.
"Natalie, how long have you been waiting for the doors to
open?"
"About three hours," she said, lowering her head.
"And you've been out in the cold?"
"Yes," she said bluntly. "But there was no where else
for me to go!"
"Why didn't you go to school?"
Natalie didn't want to tell him that she was not a student
currently.
"Because I didn't do my homework and I had a test today and
I just
didn't feel well."
"So rather than stay home to get better, or do your homework, or
study
for your test, you chose to come here?"
Natalie knew she had been caught in her own lies. She bowed her head
and started to cry. "I'm sorry, Henry," she said between
tears. "I
don't have a place to live. I don't go to school. I just
survive on
my own."
The young man now felt sheepish about his questions. "I'm
sorry, Nat,
I didn't know.' He gave her a hug and then led her into his
office.
He sat down on the couch and motioned for her to do the same.
"Have you gone to any of the shelters? Or an orphanage?"
That word made her cringe. She hated the orphanage. That was why she
had escaped when she did; she could no longer live under the tyranny
that was within those walls. But she wasn't going to tell Henry
that.
"The shelters were full last night," she finally replied.
There was a long pause and Henry spoke up. "And the
orphanage?"
"I don't want to go back there. I wasn't happy. I'm
happy how I am now!"
"Living on the streets? You're happy doing that?"
"I'm not a bum, Henry!" she yelled. "I work for the
shelter sometimes and they pay me. I have a very small bank account
that the shelter helped me open. It has less than a hundred dollars,
but it's mine and I earned it!"
Natalie started to walk out of the office and Henry grabbed her by the
arm. "Wait! I'm not done talking to you."
Natalie pulled her arm from his grip and opened the door. "Well
I'm done talking to you!" She walked out of the office,
tears flowing
down her eyes, and left the building.
Natalie walked down the street, her hands in her pocket, hugging
herself trying to keep warm. She walked for a mile before stopping.
She had to get out of the cold. She stepped into a restaurant. She
could smell the breakfast cooking and wondered if she had any money in
her pockets. Looking through them, she realized that she had a hole
in her jacket pocket that must have allowed the money to escape
sometime on her walk. "Probably wouldn't have had enough
anyway," she
thought to herself as she exited the restaurant.
Braving the cold again, Natalie continued walking, sometimes stopping
on a corner to beg for some money. No one offered, however, and she
felt more despondent. She had already lost her connection to the Boys
and Girls club. She was sure that Henry had already contacted the
authorities to keep an eye out for a runaway. Natalie made sure to
avoid donut shops and the police stations.
Natalie figured she could go to the library in hopes of checking her
email. Making sure to avoid the high traffic areas, Natalie was going
to enter the library from a back door she had found in the alleyway.
However, as she entered the alleyway, she saw four men attacking
another young man. Natalie wasn't sure what to do. She
didn't want
to get into a fight, but she didn't think it fair for four men to
attack one. She stayed hidden for a moment trying to listen to what
they were saying.
"Don't bother coming around here again!" one of the men
said.
"Yeah, if you do, we're going to kill you!" another
yelled.
The man that seemed to be the leader stopped the men.
"That's enough He's learned his lesson." The man
knelt down to look
into the eyes of the wounded man. "Some mutant you are," he
said.
This made Natalie's eyes spark. "You didn't even fight
back."
Natalie could see that the man wanted to get up, but the others were
standing on his hands, forcing him to stay down. The leader stood up
and started to walk away. As the mutant started to get up, the leader
turned around and fired a bullet into his head. The mutant slumped
down onto the pavement. Natalie was scared by the gunshot and knocked
over a trashcan. The leader and his men heard the noise and one of
the thugs went to investigate. Natalie was sure they would find her,
so she did her best to hide.
One of the thugs ran behind the pile of trash holding a pistol,
wishing to find someone sitting there. Instead, he found only a rat.
"It's okay, boss," the thug yelled. "It's just
a rat. Must've been
spooked by the gunshot." The man started back to where his boss
was and left the alleyway.
Natalie lifted the small cover on the trashcan she had hidden in.
"This is disgusting," she whispered. She waited for almost
ten
minutes before pulling herself out of the garbage can. She wiped the
various slimes off her jacket and looked at herself. "Well, I
guess I won't be going to the library today." She walked
over to
where the mutant had been shot, but to her surprise, the body was no
longer there. There was a blood trail, but Natalie wasn't sure
if she
should follow it. "Maybe a shower first," she conceded.
Natalie left the alleyway and crossed the street. She wandered a few
blocks to the women's shelter that she frequented. The
coordinator
saw her clothes and smelled the stench. "I won't ask,"
the woman
said. "There's a shower available. I'll see if there
are any extra
clothes."
The woman walked away and Natalie made her way to the
back to the shelter to community shower area. She stepped into one of
the shower stalls and started it up. She only used hot water, she was
still cold. She removed her clothes and left them on the floor. She
placed her head under the water and couldn't help but think of the
mutant she saw get shot dead and then how she didn't find his
body. And then of the people that shot the mutant. Who were they and
why did they want to kill mutants? This was too much for Natalie to
take in. She closed her eyes and concentrated on staying warm and
getting the smell of trash out of her hair.
Brave New World, Part 6 (Final Chapter) (From Star Wars: Tales From Across the Stars)
"Brave New World, Part 6"
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Secretary of the People, Jynsen (NPC)
Other minor NPCs
Location: Quilove Grand Palace and Hall of Laws
Date: TBA
A guard moved toward Grand Vizier Essten and whispered in his ear. “Sir,” the guard said quietly. “An alarm has been activated in the Palace. The other girl that was captured has escaped.”
Essten showed no emotion and did not move his head. He whispered back to the guard. “Find her and kill her. We don’t need her any longer.”
Essten looked down at Jul and Melina standing in front of the dais. The judges were contemplating what Jul had said and were taking it into consideration.
“Jul Del Frek,” Jynsen said. “It is the opinion of this court that you are a criminal, a terrorist and a threat to all of Quilove. We therefore sentence you to imprisonment for the rest of your natural life.”
Jul did not make a move. He face stoic, he didn’t even flinch at the words. Melina’s face, however, showed all the emotion that Jul was not willing to show. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, child,” Jul offered as he leaned down. “My life is not worth the tears. What matters is that you know the truth. The truth about who and what you are and where you came from. That was all I was trying to do.”
“Jul Del Frek,” Jynsen started again. “You will be taken from here and placed in a maximum security prison for the rest of your days.”
“What of the girl?” Essten yelled, causing Jul and Melina to look in his direction.
**
Nyja was sitting close to the ground and the wall. She was barely breathing. The guards were getting closer. There was no where to run. The guards were almost on top of her. A beep sounded from the leader’s comlink. The other two looked toward him.
“Very well,” the lead guard said. “We’ll deal with her.”
Nyja knew that the “her” that was mentioned was herself. She knew she had to do something. She gripped her lightsaber tight in her left hand and waited. She slowly stood and prepared herself for the worst.
The two guards noticed the movement and turned quickly to look.
**
Jynsen turned to the Grand Vizier. “What is it to you, Grand Vizier?”
“You question me, Prime Judge?”
“I only question your motive, sir. After all, it is my job.”
“Blast your job. She needs to be sentenced too.”
The judges huddled briefly and Jynsen moved forward again. “I am sorry, sir. But the council has decided that she is not a criminal as you have said. Therefore, we cannot reprimand her.”
“Outrage!” Essten yelled, rising to his feet. “She is a known smuggler. I am sure that she had weapons on her ship.”
“Be that as it may, Grand Vizier,” Jynsen said. “You know the law. If the judges do not see enough evidence for conviction, then the prisoner is set free.”
Mumbling began to encircle the Hall of Laws. Essten looked down at Jul and Melina in the center, then turned to one of his guards. “Has the other one been found?”
“No, sir. They are still looking.”
“Fine. Change the orders. Find the other one and bring her to me. Bring Melina to me when you find the other one. I will let them go, but that won’t be the end. I will take care of them.”
“Yes, sir.”
**
The guards looked at Nyja and raised their weapons. At the same time, Nyja ignited her lightsaber. As she prepared to lunge at the two guards, the lead guard yelled.
“Stop!” he yelled. “We have orders to take you to the Grand Vizier. Your friend is there. You are to be set free.”
Nyja kept the blade focused on the three guards. “How do I know that you speak the truth?”
The guard thought for a moment. “I have no way to prove to you that your friend will be there, but if you would like, I can tell my men to leave their weapons in this room and escort you to the Grand Vizier’s throne room.”
The three guards placed their weapons on the ground. At the sight of this, Nyja disengaged her weapon and clipped it to her belt.
“This way,” the lead guard said and motioned out the door.
“You first. All three of you. I give you my word that I won’t run.”
“Fine,” the guard said and motioned the others to the door, following close behind. He turned his head around and noticed that Nyja was following as she had promised.
**
Jul was standing in an anteroom with Melina next to him. Her shackles were off now and she was embracing him. “I don’t know what to do,” she sobbed.
“You must go,” he said, attempting to comfort her with his wrists in chains. “Be cautious of Essten. He was not happy that you were freed. Leave the planet, quick.”
“No! I don’t want to leave you.”
“You don’t know me, Melina. What they said . . . a lot of it was true. But it was to get people to notice that Essten was more evil than they possibly imagined. And it seems I have succeeded in a small way. Enough for him to lose his temper in front of his constituents.”
“But . . .”
“No more words, child. You are Melina Gan. That is your real name. Honor your father and mother. When you can, that is.” Jul noticed the guards coming into the anteroom. “It’s time for me to go. Good luck, Melina. And good bye.”
Melina fell to the ground sobbing. The Grand Vizier stepped into the anteroom. “Melina,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Get away from me!” she yelled, pulling away from him and standing.
“Your friend is waiting in my throne room.”
“What?”
“Your friend. The one you were with when you were taken. I have released her just the same as you have been released.” He moved toward her again, but she moved back. “Please, come with me. You will be reunited.”
~Be cautious of Essten~ her mind reminded. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Because I can tell you that she is just a few years older than you. That she is named Nyja Asketi. And that she carries a weapon normally carried by a Jedi, though I do not believe she is one.”
Melina thought of the words that he spoke. She knew that he could have just gotten the information from somewhere and was using it to get her to trust him. However, if it was a chance to see Nyja again, she had to take it. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”
Melina started to follow Essten out of the anteroom and to a small speeder. She got into the vehicle and it began to rise off the ground. Melina kept her gaze on Essten with hopes of discerning what he was planning inside that head of his. But she could not.
**
Nyja was standing in the throne room when Essten and Melina walked into the room. Nyja couldn’t control herself. She ran immediately and hugged her. Melina hugged in turn and they embraced for a moment.
Essten watched on and then interrupted. “Excuse me,” he said with a cough. “We have brought your ship to our starport. You are expected to leave at once.”
Melina looked at Essten. “We can leave?”
“Yes,” Essten said. “By law, I cannot condemn you, even if I wanted to.”
“Let’s not overstay our welcome,” Nyja started, looking at her sister. “I think we’re pretty close to doing that already.”
“Alright,” Melina said. “Let’s get out of here.”
**
Essten was standing in a dark room. There was a small light that cast a shadow against the wall. A man was sitting in the room.
“What’s the job?”
“Both girls. I want them out of the picture entirely.”
“They won’t be cheap. They’ll keep traveling. I’ll be chasing them across the galaxy. I’ll need a lot of money.”
“Don’t worry. House Yina will compensate you for your expenses.”
“Very well,” the man said. “Please see to it that the first million credits have been deposited. When I have confirmation, I will begin the search.”
“A million credits?!” the Grand Vizier shouted. “For that kind of money I could send the army after them.”
“Yes, but if you sent the army, you would have to explain the action. With me, there is no explanation. Just assumptions. And that’s all there needs to be.”
“Alright. I will head back to the palace and authorize the credits. You will see the confirmation within a few hours.”
“Thank you, Grand Vizier,” the man said as he stepped out of the light and exited the room. Before he shut the door, the man turned back to the Grand Vizier and smiled. “By the way . . . Jul is dead. Just as you requested. I’ll give you that one for free, since I would have wanted him dead anyway.”
**
Nyja and Melina were now in the upper atmosphere of Quilove with coordinates set for Dantooine. Melina hadn’t spoken since they arrived at the ship and Nyja was not going to press her into talking. Nyja noticed that Melina kept wiping away tears before they became constant on her face.
“Mel,” Nyja said. “I’m alright up here. Why not get some rest?”
The girl stood slowly and turned to look at her sister. She put her arms around her and gave a gentle hug. “Thanks,” she said and left the cockpit.
Once out of the orbit of Quilove and at the jump coordinates, Nyja engaged the hyperdrive and the ship disappeared into the stars.
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Secretary of the People, Jynsen (NPC)
Other minor NPCs
Location: Quilove Grand Palace and Hall of Laws
Date: TBA
A guard moved toward Grand Vizier Essten and whispered in his ear. “Sir,” the guard said quietly. “An alarm has been activated in the Palace. The other girl that was captured has escaped.”
Essten showed no emotion and did not move his head. He whispered back to the guard. “Find her and kill her. We don’t need her any longer.”
Essten looked down at Jul and Melina standing in front of the dais. The judges were contemplating what Jul had said and were taking it into consideration.
“Jul Del Frek,” Jynsen said. “It is the opinion of this court that you are a criminal, a terrorist and a threat to all of Quilove. We therefore sentence you to imprisonment for the rest of your natural life.”
Jul did not make a move. He face stoic, he didn’t even flinch at the words. Melina’s face, however, showed all the emotion that Jul was not willing to show. Tears began to well up in her eyes.
“Don’t cry, child,” Jul offered as he leaned down. “My life is not worth the tears. What matters is that you know the truth. The truth about who and what you are and where you came from. That was all I was trying to do.”
“Jul Del Frek,” Jynsen started again. “You will be taken from here and placed in a maximum security prison for the rest of your days.”
“What of the girl?” Essten yelled, causing Jul and Melina to look in his direction.
**
Nyja was sitting close to the ground and the wall. She was barely breathing. The guards were getting closer. There was no where to run. The guards were almost on top of her. A beep sounded from the leader’s comlink. The other two looked toward him.
“Very well,” the lead guard said. “We’ll deal with her.”
Nyja knew that the “her” that was mentioned was herself. She knew she had to do something. She gripped her lightsaber tight in her left hand and waited. She slowly stood and prepared herself for the worst.
The two guards noticed the movement and turned quickly to look.
**
Jynsen turned to the Grand Vizier. “What is it to you, Grand Vizier?”
“You question me, Prime Judge?”
“I only question your motive, sir. After all, it is my job.”
“Blast your job. She needs to be sentenced too.”
The judges huddled briefly and Jynsen moved forward again. “I am sorry, sir. But the council has decided that she is not a criminal as you have said. Therefore, we cannot reprimand her.”
“Outrage!” Essten yelled, rising to his feet. “She is a known smuggler. I am sure that she had weapons on her ship.”
“Be that as it may, Grand Vizier,” Jynsen said. “You know the law. If the judges do not see enough evidence for conviction, then the prisoner is set free.”
Mumbling began to encircle the Hall of Laws. Essten looked down at Jul and Melina in the center, then turned to one of his guards. “Has the other one been found?”
“No, sir. They are still looking.”
“Fine. Change the orders. Find the other one and bring her to me. Bring Melina to me when you find the other one. I will let them go, but that won’t be the end. I will take care of them.”
“Yes, sir.”
**
The guards looked at Nyja and raised their weapons. At the same time, Nyja ignited her lightsaber. As she prepared to lunge at the two guards, the lead guard yelled.
“Stop!” he yelled. “We have orders to take you to the Grand Vizier. Your friend is there. You are to be set free.”
Nyja kept the blade focused on the three guards. “How do I know that you speak the truth?”
The guard thought for a moment. “I have no way to prove to you that your friend will be there, but if you would like, I can tell my men to leave their weapons in this room and escort you to the Grand Vizier’s throne room.”
The three guards placed their weapons on the ground. At the sight of this, Nyja disengaged her weapon and clipped it to her belt.
“This way,” the lead guard said and motioned out the door.
“You first. All three of you. I give you my word that I won’t run.”
“Fine,” the guard said and motioned the others to the door, following close behind. He turned his head around and noticed that Nyja was following as she had promised.
**
Jul was standing in an anteroom with Melina next to him. Her shackles were off now and she was embracing him. “I don’t know what to do,” she sobbed.
“You must go,” he said, attempting to comfort her with his wrists in chains. “Be cautious of Essten. He was not happy that you were freed. Leave the planet, quick.”
“No! I don’t want to leave you.”
“You don’t know me, Melina. What they said . . . a lot of it was true. But it was to get people to notice that Essten was more evil than they possibly imagined. And it seems I have succeeded in a small way. Enough for him to lose his temper in front of his constituents.”
“But . . .”
“No more words, child. You are Melina Gan. That is your real name. Honor your father and mother. When you can, that is.” Jul noticed the guards coming into the anteroom. “It’s time for me to go. Good luck, Melina. And good bye.”
Melina fell to the ground sobbing. The Grand Vizier stepped into the anteroom. “Melina,” he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.
“Get away from me!” she yelled, pulling away from him and standing.
“Your friend is waiting in my throne room.”
“What?”
“Your friend. The one you were with when you were taken. I have released her just the same as you have been released.” He moved toward her again, but she moved back. “Please, come with me. You will be reunited.”
~Be cautious of Essten~ her mind reminded. “How do I know you’re telling the truth?”
“Because I can tell you that she is just a few years older than you. That she is named Nyja Asketi. And that she carries a weapon normally carried by a Jedi, though I do not believe she is one.”
Melina thought of the words that he spoke. She knew that he could have just gotten the information from somewhere and was using it to get her to trust him. However, if it was a chance to see Nyja again, she had to take it. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”
Melina started to follow Essten out of the anteroom and to a small speeder. She got into the vehicle and it began to rise off the ground. Melina kept her gaze on Essten with hopes of discerning what he was planning inside that head of his. But she could not.
**
Nyja was standing in the throne room when Essten and Melina walked into the room. Nyja couldn’t control herself. She ran immediately and hugged her. Melina hugged in turn and they embraced for a moment.
Essten watched on and then interrupted. “Excuse me,” he said with a cough. “We have brought your ship to our starport. You are expected to leave at once.”
Melina looked at Essten. “We can leave?”
“Yes,” Essten said. “By law, I cannot condemn you, even if I wanted to.”
“Let’s not overstay our welcome,” Nyja started, looking at her sister. “I think we’re pretty close to doing that already.”
“Alright,” Melina said. “Let’s get out of here.”
**
Essten was standing in a dark room. There was a small light that cast a shadow against the wall. A man was sitting in the room.
“What’s the job?”
“Both girls. I want them out of the picture entirely.”
“They won’t be cheap. They’ll keep traveling. I’ll be chasing them across the galaxy. I’ll need a lot of money.”
“Don’t worry. House Yina will compensate you for your expenses.”
“Very well,” the man said. “Please see to it that the first million credits have been deposited. When I have confirmation, I will begin the search.”
“A million credits?!” the Grand Vizier shouted. “For that kind of money I could send the army after them.”
“Yes, but if you sent the army, you would have to explain the action. With me, there is no explanation. Just assumptions. And that’s all there needs to be.”
“Alright. I will head back to the palace and authorize the credits. You will see the confirmation within a few hours.”
“Thank you, Grand Vizier,” the man said as he stepped out of the light and exited the room. Before he shut the door, the man turned back to the Grand Vizier and smiled. “By the way . . . Jul is dead. Just as you requested. I’ll give you that one for free, since I would have wanted him dead anyway.”
**
Nyja and Melina were now in the upper atmosphere of Quilove with coordinates set for Dantooine. Melina hadn’t spoken since they arrived at the ship and Nyja was not going to press her into talking. Nyja noticed that Melina kept wiping away tears before they became constant on her face.
“Mel,” Nyja said. “I’m alright up here. Why not get some rest?”
The girl stood slowly and turned to look at her sister. She put her arms around her and gave a gentle hug. “Thanks,” she said and left the cockpit.
Once out of the orbit of Quilove and at the jump coordinates, Nyja engaged the hyperdrive and the ship disappeared into the stars.
Brave New World, Part 5 (From Star Wars: Tales From Across the Stars)
"Brave New World, Part 5"
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Secretary of the People, Jynsen (NPC)
Priest of Tys (NPC)
Law Scholar Keela (NPC)
Other minor NPCs
Location: Quilove Grand Palace and Hall of Laws
Date: TBA
**
Nyja was led back to the palace and to the hidden
doorway. The priest pulled a hand held device from
his robe. He placed it against the wall and it
started to beep quietly. “The hallway is clear. Once
I open the wall, you will be on your own.” The wall
began to open gently and the priest took the device
from it. He handed the small device to Nyja. “Here,”
he said. “When you are escaping, return to this wall
and place the device on it. It will know what to do.”
Before the wall closed, the priest stopped Nyja one
last time. “You cannot be seen opening this wall. We
have held this secret entrance for over ten
generations of rulers and we do not wish it to become
known.”
“I understand,” Nyja said as the wall closed.
**
Grand Vizier Essten was sitting in the royal section
of the Hall of Laws. He was watching the trial of the
treasonous rebels.
“Quiet,” a booming voice came. It was that of Jynsen,
the Secretary of the People, and prime judge at the
trial. “This trial is to begin.” Jynsen motioned to
a guard on the side of the room. “Bring in the
accused, Melina Asketi and Jul Del Frek.” The guard
did as ordered and opened the door to allow other
guards to bring the two prisoners into the large room.
The crowd that was in attendance began to jeer them.
**
Nyja headed back down the hallway in an attempt to
find the room that had held her earlier that day.
After a while, she managed to find the room, but she
did not find her belt or her lightsaber. She cursed
to herself and moved on. She opened the next door and
checked the hallway to make sure that no one was
around. Not seeing anyone, she moved across the
hallway and opened another door. She stood outside to
room briefly to see if someone was in the room. This
door was near the makeshift prison that Nyja had been
held in. She hoped that there would be a console of
some sort that she could slice into.
As the door opened, one of the men in the room looked
up. Noticing that someone was at the door that should
not be there, he moved to investigate. Approaching
the door, he noticed a slight shadow on the floor and
realized that someone was outside. Moving slowly, he
tried to surprise the intruder. As he was about to
grab her from around the door, Nyja suddenly felt a
pulse from the Force and moved, toward the door,
surprisingly and opened fire, killing the guard. The
other guard in the room saw his partner drop to the
floor and Nyja lying on the floor. He quickly made a
move for the console to set off the alarm. Nyja tried
to shoot him before he made it but couldn’t. She
stood almost instantaneously and reached out with the
Force. He stopped just before the console and started
to stumble. She kept her hands outstretched toward
the guard until she could hear his neck snap. She
turned back to the door and pressed the lock button.
She didn’t want visitors just yet.
**
“This trial is to determine your guilt,” Jynsen said.
Melina looked up at the judge, high upon his dais.
“Isn’t there going to be a representative for us?” she
yelled.
“No,” a second judge responded. “As part of Quilove
law, any member of an opposing house cannot have a
representative from the ruling house. Nor can you
contact your own house for one, for that would just be
a way to avoid being found guilty. You must defend
yourselves.”
“But we’re not guilty!” Melina demanded.
“Don’t bother, child,” Jul said, leaning to speak into
her ear. “They’re not going to listen. Let’s just
see what they have to say and how they make us
criminals.” He stood tall. “And from now on . . .
let me do the talking.”
**
Nyja took the two bodies and moved them underneath the
desk in the room. Once she was done with that, she
moved to the small locker that was against the wall.
Nyja opened it up and was surprised to find her
lightsaber. She didn’t find any of her other
belongings, but at least she was more comfortable
knowing that she had the weapon back. Doing her best
to avoid kicking the bodies, she moved carefully to
the console. Lucky for her, the system was already
logged on and there was no need for a password.
As Nyja started looking through the computer, she came
across a screen that talked about Jul Del Frek.
Intrigued, Nyja started to read about the man that
called himself a “friend” of Melina’s father.
**
“Law Scholar Keela,” Jynsen spoke. “You may address
the court.”
“Thank you, prime judge,” a young woman said. “You!”
she said aloud pointing her finger at Jul. “Are a
dangerous man. You are a criminal and a terrorist and
you have no regard for the people of Quilove. Your
people.” The woman started walking in a circle around
Jul and Melina. “You may be of House Telayan, but
Quilove is made of one people in many houses. And
you, sir have chosen to live a life that attempts to
destroy the people and all that they have worked and
suffered for.”
The woman stepped back to a table and picked up a
datapad. “The information on this datapad is evidence
against the defendant, Jul Del Frek. It proves that
he has spent the last ten years organizing terrorist
attacks on House Yina citizens. Since House Yina is
the ruling party, this is considered an act of treason
against the throne. A crime punishable by death.”
Jul did not show emotion, but Melina’s face showed the
scared little girl that Nyja had found years earlier.
“Prime Judge,” the woman said, looking toward the
dais. “The case against Jul Del Frek is simple. He
is a criminal and he must be punished. If not, House
Yina and the rest of Quilove for that matter, will be
scared to venture out of their homes for fear that
they will be killed by this mad man.”
“Your thoughts are noted and documented, Law Scholar
Keela,” Jynsen said. “Now, in a brave attempt to save
his life, Jul Del Frek will be given time to offer a
defense against the charges.”
**
The records that contained the information on Jul were
highly classified; at least that is what they said at
the top of each one. As Nyja read through them, she
noticed that the documents all treated Jul as a
madman, a terrorist and a criminal. Nyja sensed none
of this animosity toward others when she had met him.
All she felt from his was animosity toward her –
mostly because she was not from Quilove. By this
point, Nyja wasn’t sure if she believed the documents
or the man himself. Nyja suddenly felt a disturbance
in the Force and exited the documents back to the main
screen to avoid being seen. She quickly moved away
from the door and behind a crate.
The door opened and three guards walked in. “No one
here,” the lead guard said. “That’s odd.” He pulled
a comlink from his belt. “Red 2, come in. Red 2, do
you copy?” There was a slight muffled echo from under
the desk. Nyja didn’t realize that the guards still
had comlinks on their person when she placed them
under the desk. “What’s that noise?” the lead guard
asked. The three moved toward the desk cautiously.
Upon looking under the desk and seeing the bodies, the
lead guard pressed the alarm button on the console.
“Double check the room. Make sure there’s no one else
here.”
~I’ve got a bad feeling about this~ Nyja thought as
she stayed as close to the crate and the wall as she
could.
The two remaining guards searched the room and Nyja
did her best to stay hidden as best she could, given
her surroundings. The lead guard got on the comlink,
but Nyja was unable to hear what he said and whom he
was talking to.
**
“Prime Judge,” Jul started. “I, Jul Del Frek, being
of sound mind and body, do hereby offer the following
statement in regards to my defense against the charges
brought against me.”
The judge looked down at him. “Thank you, Jul,” he
said, smiling. “Your knowledge of the legal customs
is extensive. Proceed.”
“Prime Judge,” he said. “It has come to my attention
that the people of House Yina believe me to be a
terrorist. That I have killed willingly citizens of
House Yina. That I disregard the people of Quilove
and especially the people of House Yina. Prime Judge,
I am here to tell you that it is not the people of
House Yina that I despise. No! It is in fact, one
person, Grand Vizier Essten that I despise.”
There was a quiet rumbling from the crowd. The judge
spoke up to quiet them down and Jul continued.
“Yes! I said Grand Vizier Essten. For it is that man
. . .” his hands pointing toward him. “That has
plunged Quilove into a planet of ambiguity. Quilove
does not know who it should be. The people of Quilove
have suffered long during the rule of Grand Vizier
Essten. But not House Yina. For why would a ruler
allow his own House to suffer? He does not. The
credits that normally should flow freely to all Houses
for exports and imports is only going to House Yina
and to the upkeep of the government. This is not
fair! Not to House Yina and not to Quilove.
“And if that is not enough . . . that man made sure
that the one candidate that could defeat him when he
was originally elected never made it home. Essten was
the one responsible for the death of Reggo Gan. You
want to call me murderer, criminal, terrorist?
Perhaps you should look at the one YOU elected. And
find out why he consorts with criminals that are known
across Quilove as such.
“Prime Judge, I regret to inform you that I am
innocent. I am unfortunately the victim of being
opinionated. And therefore, I request that the
charges be dropped, and I set free. Secondly, I wish
that the young lady not have to go through this same
process; that you trust my word when I say that she is
just an innocent bystander that got caught on camera
at the wrong time.
“Prime Judge, I await your decision. Thank you.”
**
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Secretary of the People, Jynsen (NPC)
Priest of Tys (NPC)
Law Scholar Keela (NPC)
Other minor NPCs
Location: Quilove Grand Palace and Hall of Laws
Date: TBA
**
Nyja was led back to the palace and to the hidden
doorway. The priest pulled a hand held device from
his robe. He placed it against the wall and it
started to beep quietly. “The hallway is clear. Once
I open the wall, you will be on your own.” The wall
began to open gently and the priest took the device
from it. He handed the small device to Nyja. “Here,”
he said. “When you are escaping, return to this wall
and place the device on it. It will know what to do.”
Before the wall closed, the priest stopped Nyja one
last time. “You cannot be seen opening this wall. We
have held this secret entrance for over ten
generations of rulers and we do not wish it to become
known.”
“I understand,” Nyja said as the wall closed.
**
Grand Vizier Essten was sitting in the royal section
of the Hall of Laws. He was watching the trial of the
treasonous rebels.
“Quiet,” a booming voice came. It was that of Jynsen,
the Secretary of the People, and prime judge at the
trial. “This trial is to begin.” Jynsen motioned to
a guard on the side of the room. “Bring in the
accused, Melina Asketi and Jul Del Frek.” The guard
did as ordered and opened the door to allow other
guards to bring the two prisoners into the large room.
The crowd that was in attendance began to jeer them.
**
Nyja headed back down the hallway in an attempt to
find the room that had held her earlier that day.
After a while, she managed to find the room, but she
did not find her belt or her lightsaber. She cursed
to herself and moved on. She opened the next door and
checked the hallway to make sure that no one was
around. Not seeing anyone, she moved across the
hallway and opened another door. She stood outside to
room briefly to see if someone was in the room. This
door was near the makeshift prison that Nyja had been
held in. She hoped that there would be a console of
some sort that she could slice into.
As the door opened, one of the men in the room looked
up. Noticing that someone was at the door that should
not be there, he moved to investigate. Approaching
the door, he noticed a slight shadow on the floor and
realized that someone was outside. Moving slowly, he
tried to surprise the intruder. As he was about to
grab her from around the door, Nyja suddenly felt a
pulse from the Force and moved, toward the door,
surprisingly and opened fire, killing the guard. The
other guard in the room saw his partner drop to the
floor and Nyja lying on the floor. He quickly made a
move for the console to set off the alarm. Nyja tried
to shoot him before he made it but couldn’t. She
stood almost instantaneously and reached out with the
Force. He stopped just before the console and started
to stumble. She kept her hands outstretched toward
the guard until she could hear his neck snap. She
turned back to the door and pressed the lock button.
She didn’t want visitors just yet.
**
“This trial is to determine your guilt,” Jynsen said.
Melina looked up at the judge, high upon his dais.
“Isn’t there going to be a representative for us?” she
yelled.
“No,” a second judge responded. “As part of Quilove
law, any member of an opposing house cannot have a
representative from the ruling house. Nor can you
contact your own house for one, for that would just be
a way to avoid being found guilty. You must defend
yourselves.”
“But we’re not guilty!” Melina demanded.
“Don’t bother, child,” Jul said, leaning to speak into
her ear. “They’re not going to listen. Let’s just
see what they have to say and how they make us
criminals.” He stood tall. “And from now on . . .
let me do the talking.”
**
Nyja took the two bodies and moved them underneath the
desk in the room. Once she was done with that, she
moved to the small locker that was against the wall.
Nyja opened it up and was surprised to find her
lightsaber. She didn’t find any of her other
belongings, but at least she was more comfortable
knowing that she had the weapon back. Doing her best
to avoid kicking the bodies, she moved carefully to
the console. Lucky for her, the system was already
logged on and there was no need for a password.
As Nyja started looking through the computer, she came
across a screen that talked about Jul Del Frek.
Intrigued, Nyja started to read about the man that
called himself a “friend” of Melina’s father.
**
“Law Scholar Keela,” Jynsen spoke. “You may address
the court.”
“Thank you, prime judge,” a young woman said. “You!”
she said aloud pointing her finger at Jul. “Are a
dangerous man. You are a criminal and a terrorist and
you have no regard for the people of Quilove. Your
people.” The woman started walking in a circle around
Jul and Melina. “You may be of House Telayan, but
Quilove is made of one people in many houses. And
you, sir have chosen to live a life that attempts to
destroy the people and all that they have worked and
suffered for.”
The woman stepped back to a table and picked up a
datapad. “The information on this datapad is evidence
against the defendant, Jul Del Frek. It proves that
he has spent the last ten years organizing terrorist
attacks on House Yina citizens. Since House Yina is
the ruling party, this is considered an act of treason
against the throne. A crime punishable by death.”
Jul did not show emotion, but Melina’s face showed the
scared little girl that Nyja had found years earlier.
“Prime Judge,” the woman said, looking toward the
dais. “The case against Jul Del Frek is simple. He
is a criminal and he must be punished. If not, House
Yina and the rest of Quilove for that matter, will be
scared to venture out of their homes for fear that
they will be killed by this mad man.”
“Your thoughts are noted and documented, Law Scholar
Keela,” Jynsen said. “Now, in a brave attempt to save
his life, Jul Del Frek will be given time to offer a
defense against the charges.”
**
The records that contained the information on Jul were
highly classified; at least that is what they said at
the top of each one. As Nyja read through them, she
noticed that the documents all treated Jul as a
madman, a terrorist and a criminal. Nyja sensed none
of this animosity toward others when she had met him.
All she felt from his was animosity toward her –
mostly because she was not from Quilove. By this
point, Nyja wasn’t sure if she believed the documents
or the man himself. Nyja suddenly felt a disturbance
in the Force and exited the documents back to the main
screen to avoid being seen. She quickly moved away
from the door and behind a crate.
The door opened and three guards walked in. “No one
here,” the lead guard said. “That’s odd.” He pulled
a comlink from his belt. “Red 2, come in. Red 2, do
you copy?” There was a slight muffled echo from under
the desk. Nyja didn’t realize that the guards still
had comlinks on their person when she placed them
under the desk. “What’s that noise?” the lead guard
asked. The three moved toward the desk cautiously.
Upon looking under the desk and seeing the bodies, the
lead guard pressed the alarm button on the console.
“Double check the room. Make sure there’s no one else
here.”
~I’ve got a bad feeling about this~ Nyja thought as
she stayed as close to the crate and the wall as she
could.
The two remaining guards searched the room and Nyja
did her best to stay hidden as best she could, given
her surroundings. The lead guard got on the comlink,
but Nyja was unable to hear what he said and whom he
was talking to.
**
“Prime Judge,” Jul started. “I, Jul Del Frek, being
of sound mind and body, do hereby offer the following
statement in regards to my defense against the charges
brought against me.”
The judge looked down at him. “Thank you, Jul,” he
said, smiling. “Your knowledge of the legal customs
is extensive. Proceed.”
“Prime Judge,” he said. “It has come to my attention
that the people of House Yina believe me to be a
terrorist. That I have killed willingly citizens of
House Yina. That I disregard the people of Quilove
and especially the people of House Yina. Prime Judge,
I am here to tell you that it is not the people of
House Yina that I despise. No! It is in fact, one
person, Grand Vizier Essten that I despise.”
There was a quiet rumbling from the crowd. The judge
spoke up to quiet them down and Jul continued.
“Yes! I said Grand Vizier Essten. For it is that man
. . .” his hands pointing toward him. “That has
plunged Quilove into a planet of ambiguity. Quilove
does not know who it should be. The people of Quilove
have suffered long during the rule of Grand Vizier
Essten. But not House Yina. For why would a ruler
allow his own House to suffer? He does not. The
credits that normally should flow freely to all Houses
for exports and imports is only going to House Yina
and to the upkeep of the government. This is not
fair! Not to House Yina and not to Quilove.
“And if that is not enough . . . that man made sure
that the one candidate that could defeat him when he
was originally elected never made it home. Essten was
the one responsible for the death of Reggo Gan. You
want to call me murderer, criminal, terrorist?
Perhaps you should look at the one YOU elected. And
find out why he consorts with criminals that are known
across Quilove as such.
“Prime Judge, I regret to inform you that I am
innocent. I am unfortunately the victim of being
opinionated. And therefore, I request that the
charges be dropped, and I set free. Secondly, I wish
that the young lady not have to go through this same
process; that you trust my word when I say that she is
just an innocent bystander that got caught on camera
at the wrong time.
“Prime Judge, I await your decision. Thank you.”
**
Brave New World, Part 4 (From Star Wars: Tales From Across the Stars)
"Brave New World, Part 4"
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Secretary of the People, Jynsen (NPC)
Priest of Tys (NPC)
High Priestess of Tys (NPC)
Location: Jungles of Quilove, Quilove Grand Palace, Underground Hideout
Date: TBA
The fight lasted for a few minutes, at the most. Jul’s men were trained soldiers with weapons stronger than their opponent. Nyja helped as much as she could with her lightsaber and her budding Force powers. Melina joined the fray with her blaster and kept the enemy at bay while Jul’s men finished them off.
However, a group of enemy soldiers were able to catch the trio off guard and toss a stun grenade between them before they could react.
**
Nyja woke up in a cell. She was the only one in the cage and there was no one else in the room. She reached down to her belt, but it was gone, as was her lightsaber, her communicator and her blaster. Her vision was a little blurry and she rubbed her eyes trying to get them to respond properly to what was in the room. Nyja looked around and noticed that the room was empty. There were no apparent designs or markings anywhere in the room. There was nothing that she could do without weapons or a communicator, so she chose to meditate. Ny! ja was finally starting to discover that meditation with the Force was helping her gain strength in the Force.
**
Armed guards escorted Melina and Jul into the Grand Palace Throne Room. Their hands and feet were cuffed so there could be no chance of escape. Once in the palace, they noticed Grand Vizier Essten waiting for them.
“Ahh,” he started diplomatically. “Jul, what a pleasant surprise to see you. You are a dear friend. I so wished you had kept in touch.”
“I’m not here for pleasantries, Essten,” Jul responded.
Essten walked down from the raised throne and approached Jul, looking him directly in the eyes. “Why, Jul, how can you be so callous?” Essten turned to Melina. “Who is your new friend? A little young for a wife, isn’t she?”
“She is not your concern. Let her go.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to tell you, Jul . . . “Essten motioned to his guards to leave the room. He then moved to his throne and pressed a small button and waited for a response. “She is exactly why you are here.”
“Yes, Grand Vizier?” came a voice from the speaker.
“Please send for the Secretary of the People. We need to put some citizens on trial for treason.”
Melina’s eyes widened with the statement and Essten turned to them and smiled.
“Welcome home, Melina. It’s too bad you had to get involved with a traitor to the throne. Unfortunately, there is not a lot that I can do. I have video showing you consorting with the criminal, Jul Del Frek and his followers. As such, I have to condemn you as well.”
**
Nyja was meditating when she felt a disturbance in the room. She opened her eyes to find a man was standing in front of her attempting to crack the code for the door. Nyja opened her mouth as if to speak.
“Quiet,” the robed man said. “I will tell you anything once I have freed you.”
The man worked for several minutes and was finally frustrated with himself. “I’ll return shortly,’ he said and left the room. Several more minutes passed and Nyja was unsure what was occurring. She saw the man enter again and this time place a small device on the lock. He stood there, impatiently tapping his foot and muttering to himself. “Come on, come on,” he said quietly. “Work!” After a few moments of the device working, there was a small beep and the lock opened. “Hurry,” the man said! . “It won’t take them long to know that this cage was not opened properly.”
The robed man rushed out of the room with Nyja close behind. They ran down halls and corridors that looked the same. Nyja had no clue where she was. She also didn’t know where Melina was.
“Wait!” Nyja said as she pulled the man’s arm to stop him.
“Not here. Not yet. We’re not far enough away!”
The man pulled himself free of Nyja’s grip and kept running. Nyja had no choice but to follow with the hope that this robed man would offer some answers.
The hallway ended at a wall and the robed man looked around to make sure that no one was following or near. He took out a second device from inside his robe and placed it on the wall. It beeped quietly for a moment.
“You’re not going to blow a hole in the wall, are you?” Nyja asked with trepidation in her voice.
“Wait,” was the only thing that came from the robed figure.
Seconds later, the wall began to move slowly and quietly, revealing a hidden passageway. Nyja did not offer a response, but continued to follow the man through the passageway.
After thirty minutes of running, the man finally stopped as they approached yet another dead-end.
“Okay,” Nyja said slowly, obviously out of breath. “What’s going on? Who are you?”
The robed man looked at Nyja and then looked at the wall. He walked toward the rock face and suddenly disappeared. Nyja looked again and rubbed her eyes, thinking something was wrong with them. However, the man’s arm appeared again and his hand motioned for her to follow. Nyja did as requested and walked through the hologram of a rock face and into an anteroom where the robed man was waiting.
“Okay,” he said as he sat down. “We have some time before the others arrive. Ask your questions, off-worlder.”
Nyja could sense the prejudice in his voice even without him coming out and saying it. “First of all, who are you?”
“I am a Priest of Tys, one of the gods of Quilove. Tys is the god of justice. Our followers and acolytes noticed your abduction and knew that it was wrong. Therefore, because of our belief in justice, we freed you.”
“But isn’t it illegal to free a prisoner from jail without permission of the acting government?”
“Not in our belief system. Tys overrules all government. Our religious beliefs have often confused even the most learned scholars of our planet. However, those that follow the right path and know the true meaning of what the gods were telling us, are able to do the god’s will, not the will of the government. The gods act for Quilove, the government acts for themselves.”
“I believe that,” Nyja said, finally sitting down on a bench next to the priest. She changed the subject rapidly. “Where is my sister?”
“If you mean the girl that was captured with you, I am afraid that she has been arrested for treason and will be placed on trial to determine her sentence.”
“Wait a minute,” Nyja started. “If you knew that the abduction of me and my sister was wrong, why didn’t you help her escape?”
The priest looked across to Nyja. “For one, we did not know that you were related. For the second, you were the one in a cage, not her and therefore, we assumed that you were the one that was being punished. Obviously, she is too.”
**
An older gentleman entered Essten’s office. “You called for me, sir?”
“Yes, Jynsen,” the Grand Vizier said. “These two have been arrested conspiracy. We must hold a trial immediately.”
“Treason?” the other gentleman spoke. “Who are they?”
“They are from House Telayan and they have been caught spying and conspiring for the downfall of House Yina.”
“Such dreams!” the older man said. “Very well, Grand Vizier. I will appoint judges and a jury. The trial will begin in two days.”
“Thank you, secretary,” Essten said as he bowed his head.
The secretary bowed his head in return and exited the room. Melina and Jul stood in silence fearing that any verbal retaliation or response could cost them their lives.
**
“So what are you going to do about it?” Nyja asked the priest.
“Unfortunately, there is nothing that we can do. She is going to be tried and sentenced. Once the trial begins, the gods cannot interfere. It is up to the people to understand the path that the gods want them to follow.”
“You can’t be serious!?” Nyja exclaimed as she stood.
“He is most serious,” a woman said as she entered the room. “We cannot interfere in the people’s decision. Once a jury has sentenced an individual, there is nothing that we can do.”
The robed man knelt down and motioned for Nyja to do the same. She, however, did not oblige. “Thank you for coming, High Priestess,” the robed man said from his crouching position. “It is difficult to make her understand.”
“I have noticed,” the woman said. “Please, sit, I will try to explain our ways.”
Nyja sat as the High Priestess moved forward and removed her cloak. The robed man moved to take the garment from her and held it until she called for it again.
The woman arched her back, and then looked at Nyja with confidence. “There are many gods of Quilove. Each house has a god, as do each of the various organizations and high-ranking officials; a god for the Grand Vizier, a god for the Secretary of Defense and so forth. There are even gods for the various Ministry positions within the government. As we are the priests for the god of Justice, so too are there priests for the other gods of Quilove.
“Some of the gods act in dual purposes, such as the god that we serve, Tys, is the god of Justice and of House Telayan. This is common within the houses and practiced throughout Quilove.”
Nyja thought about the concept and spoke up. “Excuse me, High Priestess,” she started. “But I don’t see what this has to do with my sister and why you can’t break her out of prison.”
“If we were to interfere in man’s matters, then the gods would have no respect. Long ago, the gods told the ancestors of Quilove that the gods would control everything except the people’s free will. If the people wanted to put each other to death, to kill each other and wipe the planet out, that was their choice. However, if the gods saw something that even the people should not have done, such as arrest and imprison a young woman as yourself for no reason, then, the gods feel like they can adjust the course of fate as necessary.”
“Won’t the Grand Vizier know who set me free?”
“No. We are very deliberate in what we do and make sure that no trace of a person or persons is left behind to track.” She paused. “Besides . . . it’s not you they want.”
Nyja shook her head. Obviously, it seemed as if these “priests” were not going to help her rescue Melina. She didn’t even think about rescuing Jul, because he hadn’t even wanted her on the planet. However, if he happened to be with Melina, then that was different. “Okay, high priestess,” Nyja said. “I really need to rescue my sister before she goes on trial. And I need to do it now. But I don’t have any weapons. Is there somewhere I can go that has weapons?”
The High Priestess stood up and moved toward the opposite side of the room, the side which she entered from. She reached through yet another hologram and pulled a weapon from it. “We were unable to retrieve your equipment from the House Yina guards, but here is a blaster and a blaster rifle to help you.”
Nyja took the weapons and held them tight. “Okay,” she said as she was ready. “Which way do I go?”
The priest started moving back toward the direction they had come originally. I will lead you back to the palace. But after that, I cannot help you.”
“I understand,” Nyja said.
**
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Secretary of the People, Jynsen (NPC)
Priest of Tys (NPC)
High Priestess of Tys (NPC)
Location: Jungles of Quilove, Quilove Grand Palace, Underground Hideout
Date: TBA
The fight lasted for a few minutes, at the most. Jul’s men were trained soldiers with weapons stronger than their opponent. Nyja helped as much as she could with her lightsaber and her budding Force powers. Melina joined the fray with her blaster and kept the enemy at bay while Jul’s men finished them off.
However, a group of enemy soldiers were able to catch the trio off guard and toss a stun grenade between them before they could react.
**
Nyja woke up in a cell. She was the only one in the cage and there was no one else in the room. She reached down to her belt, but it was gone, as was her lightsaber, her communicator and her blaster. Her vision was a little blurry and she rubbed her eyes trying to get them to respond properly to what was in the room. Nyja looked around and noticed that the room was empty. There were no apparent designs or markings anywhere in the room. There was nothing that she could do without weapons or a communicator, so she chose to meditate. Ny! ja was finally starting to discover that meditation with the Force was helping her gain strength in the Force.
**
Armed guards escorted Melina and Jul into the Grand Palace Throne Room. Their hands and feet were cuffed so there could be no chance of escape. Once in the palace, they noticed Grand Vizier Essten waiting for them.
“Ahh,” he started diplomatically. “Jul, what a pleasant surprise to see you. You are a dear friend. I so wished you had kept in touch.”
“I’m not here for pleasantries, Essten,” Jul responded.
Essten walked down from the raised throne and approached Jul, looking him directly in the eyes. “Why, Jul, how can you be so callous?” Essten turned to Melina. “Who is your new friend? A little young for a wife, isn’t she?”
“She is not your concern. Let her go.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to tell you, Jul . . . “Essten motioned to his guards to leave the room. He then moved to his throne and pressed a small button and waited for a response. “She is exactly why you are here.”
“Yes, Grand Vizier?” came a voice from the speaker.
“Please send for the Secretary of the People. We need to put some citizens on trial for treason.”
Melina’s eyes widened with the statement and Essten turned to them and smiled.
“Welcome home, Melina. It’s too bad you had to get involved with a traitor to the throne. Unfortunately, there is not a lot that I can do. I have video showing you consorting with the criminal, Jul Del Frek and his followers. As such, I have to condemn you as well.”
**
Nyja was meditating when she felt a disturbance in the room. She opened her eyes to find a man was standing in front of her attempting to crack the code for the door. Nyja opened her mouth as if to speak.
“Quiet,” the robed man said. “I will tell you anything once I have freed you.”
The man worked for several minutes and was finally frustrated with himself. “I’ll return shortly,’ he said and left the room. Several more minutes passed and Nyja was unsure what was occurring. She saw the man enter again and this time place a small device on the lock. He stood there, impatiently tapping his foot and muttering to himself. “Come on, come on,” he said quietly. “Work!” After a few moments of the device working, there was a small beep and the lock opened. “Hurry,” the man said! . “It won’t take them long to know that this cage was not opened properly.”
The robed man rushed out of the room with Nyja close behind. They ran down halls and corridors that looked the same. Nyja had no clue where she was. She also didn’t know where Melina was.
“Wait!” Nyja said as she pulled the man’s arm to stop him.
“Not here. Not yet. We’re not far enough away!”
The man pulled himself free of Nyja’s grip and kept running. Nyja had no choice but to follow with the hope that this robed man would offer some answers.
The hallway ended at a wall and the robed man looked around to make sure that no one was following or near. He took out a second device from inside his robe and placed it on the wall. It beeped quietly for a moment.
“You’re not going to blow a hole in the wall, are you?” Nyja asked with trepidation in her voice.
“Wait,” was the only thing that came from the robed figure.
Seconds later, the wall began to move slowly and quietly, revealing a hidden passageway. Nyja did not offer a response, but continued to follow the man through the passageway.
After thirty minutes of running, the man finally stopped as they approached yet another dead-end.
“Okay,” Nyja said slowly, obviously out of breath. “What’s going on? Who are you?”
The robed man looked at Nyja and then looked at the wall. He walked toward the rock face and suddenly disappeared. Nyja looked again and rubbed her eyes, thinking something was wrong with them. However, the man’s arm appeared again and his hand motioned for her to follow. Nyja did as requested and walked through the hologram of a rock face and into an anteroom where the robed man was waiting.
“Okay,” he said as he sat down. “We have some time before the others arrive. Ask your questions, off-worlder.”
Nyja could sense the prejudice in his voice even without him coming out and saying it. “First of all, who are you?”
“I am a Priest of Tys, one of the gods of Quilove. Tys is the god of justice. Our followers and acolytes noticed your abduction and knew that it was wrong. Therefore, because of our belief in justice, we freed you.”
“But isn’t it illegal to free a prisoner from jail without permission of the acting government?”
“Not in our belief system. Tys overrules all government. Our religious beliefs have often confused even the most learned scholars of our planet. However, those that follow the right path and know the true meaning of what the gods were telling us, are able to do the god’s will, not the will of the government. The gods act for Quilove, the government acts for themselves.”
“I believe that,” Nyja said, finally sitting down on a bench next to the priest. She changed the subject rapidly. “Where is my sister?”
“If you mean the girl that was captured with you, I am afraid that she has been arrested for treason and will be placed on trial to determine her sentence.”
“Wait a minute,” Nyja started. “If you knew that the abduction of me and my sister was wrong, why didn’t you help her escape?”
The priest looked across to Nyja. “For one, we did not know that you were related. For the second, you were the one in a cage, not her and therefore, we assumed that you were the one that was being punished. Obviously, she is too.”
**
An older gentleman entered Essten’s office. “You called for me, sir?”
“Yes, Jynsen,” the Grand Vizier said. “These two have been arrested conspiracy. We must hold a trial immediately.”
“Treason?” the other gentleman spoke. “Who are they?”
“They are from House Telayan and they have been caught spying and conspiring for the downfall of House Yina.”
“Such dreams!” the older man said. “Very well, Grand Vizier. I will appoint judges and a jury. The trial will begin in two days.”
“Thank you, secretary,” Essten said as he bowed his head.
The secretary bowed his head in return and exited the room. Melina and Jul stood in silence fearing that any verbal retaliation or response could cost them their lives.
**
“So what are you going to do about it?” Nyja asked the priest.
“Unfortunately, there is nothing that we can do. She is going to be tried and sentenced. Once the trial begins, the gods cannot interfere. It is up to the people to understand the path that the gods want them to follow.”
“You can’t be serious!?” Nyja exclaimed as she stood.
“He is most serious,” a woman said as she entered the room. “We cannot interfere in the people’s decision. Once a jury has sentenced an individual, there is nothing that we can do.”
The robed man knelt down and motioned for Nyja to do the same. She, however, did not oblige. “Thank you for coming, High Priestess,” the robed man said from his crouching position. “It is difficult to make her understand.”
“I have noticed,” the woman said. “Please, sit, I will try to explain our ways.”
Nyja sat as the High Priestess moved forward and removed her cloak. The robed man moved to take the garment from her and held it until she called for it again.
The woman arched her back, and then looked at Nyja with confidence. “There are many gods of Quilove. Each house has a god, as do each of the various organizations and high-ranking officials; a god for the Grand Vizier, a god for the Secretary of Defense and so forth. There are even gods for the various Ministry positions within the government. As we are the priests for the god of Justice, so too are there priests for the other gods of Quilove.
“Some of the gods act in dual purposes, such as the god that we serve, Tys, is the god of Justice and of House Telayan. This is common within the houses and practiced throughout Quilove.”
Nyja thought about the concept and spoke up. “Excuse me, High Priestess,” she started. “But I don’t see what this has to do with my sister and why you can’t break her out of prison.”
“If we were to interfere in man’s matters, then the gods would have no respect. Long ago, the gods told the ancestors of Quilove that the gods would control everything except the people’s free will. If the people wanted to put each other to death, to kill each other and wipe the planet out, that was their choice. However, if the gods saw something that even the people should not have done, such as arrest and imprison a young woman as yourself for no reason, then, the gods feel like they can adjust the course of fate as necessary.”
“Won’t the Grand Vizier know who set me free?”
“No. We are very deliberate in what we do and make sure that no trace of a person or persons is left behind to track.” She paused. “Besides . . . it’s not you they want.”
Nyja shook her head. Obviously, it seemed as if these “priests” were not going to help her rescue Melina. She didn’t even think about rescuing Jul, because he hadn’t even wanted her on the planet. However, if he happened to be with Melina, then that was different. “Okay, high priestess,” Nyja said. “I really need to rescue my sister before she goes on trial. And I need to do it now. But I don’t have any weapons. Is there somewhere I can go that has weapons?”
The High Priestess stood up and moved toward the opposite side of the room, the side which she entered from. She reached through yet another hologram and pulled a weapon from it. “We were unable to retrieve your equipment from the House Yina guards, but here is a blaster and a blaster rifle to help you.”
Nyja took the weapons and held them tight. “Okay,” she said as she was ready. “Which way do I go?”
The priest started moving back toward the direction they had come originally. I will lead you back to the palace. But after that, I cannot help you.”
“I understand,” Nyja said.
**
Brave New World, Part 3 (From Star Wars: Tales From Across the Stars)
"Brave New World, Part 3"
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Location: Jungles of Quilove, Quilove Grand Palace
Date: TBA
Grand Vizier Essten entered his office. He had spent the last two hours in a meeting with his Secretary of Defense. Though Essten had told the Secretary that his ideas and concerns were for a fleet to keep Quilove defended, Essten was prepared to use the fleet to start attacking other planets and systems, essentially creating his own little empire.
These ideas were not just Essten's. When Essten was nominated by House Yina, the governor's told him their plan of systemwide domination.
Essten returned to the conversation in his mind.
"House Telayan must not be allowed to rule. We as House Yina have developed a plan to rule the galaxy. In fifteen years time, we will be ready. You must be ready also."
Essten came back to the present and moved from his office through a secret door to his personal quarters.
*****
Nyja steered the ship as low to the jungle as she could without chopping down the entrie forest. Jul Del Frek moved his finger to a point on the horizon. Nyja changed direction and increased speed toward the hidden location.
Jul Del Frek turned back to Melina.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, child," the man said. "After your mother returned to us, she took her own life."
Melina looked briefly at the man that had just given her more information about her past than anyone could have given. She looked back down and more tears rolled out of her eyes.
"Why did you tell her that?" Nyja exclaimed seeing her sister in such despair.
"It was necessary. For where we are going."
"What do you mean?" Melina said between the tears.
"The fortress that we are going to houses her burial place."
Melina looked up at Jul again. "She's there? Her burial place?"
"Yes," Jul said quietly as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "We also were able to create a small monument for your father."
Melina smiled for a moment, but the smile disappeared quickly.
"We will be there soon," Jul said.
*****
Essten removed his cloak and moved to a wall panel that had a communicator built into it.
"It's me. What is the status?"
"We still haven't found the ship that the girl arrived on. We also can't find Jul." There was a pause from the other end. "However, we have been heard from House Yina citizens that have said an unknown ship has been flying low to the jungle roof headed south."
"That must be them. Track them."
*****
The Ulgar's Fury landed in a small area at the edge of a mountain. Jul made his way down the ramp and out of the ship. Melina and Nyja waited for a moment. Nyja turned to her sister.
"Melina," she started. "Are you sure you want to go in there?"
"I don't know, Nyja." The girl paused and wiped her eyes again. "I think I need to go in. If nothing else, then to pay my respects."
Nyja stood up and offered her hand to her sister. "I'll go with you," she said.
Melina stood up and hugged her sister. "Thanks," she said, still rubbing the tears away from her eyes.
The two young women exited the ship and stepped through a door that was built into the side of the mountain. Once inside, the scale of the place amazed Nyja and Melina.
Jul noticed their awe when they entered the mountain and moved to explain.
"House Telayan is one of the most gifted houses when it comes to science and technology. Our scientists discovered this area and kept it hidden from the other houses for occasions such as this.
"This fortress has the necessary technology and defenses to keep Essten and House Yina away from our business."
"And what exactly is your business?" Nyja asked skeptically.
Jul looked at the girl straight in her eyes. "Young one," he started. "While this is not your fight, we appreciate what you have done for Melina how you have kept her safe." Jul turned back to Melina. "But now, I need you to leave. This is a matter for Quilove and its people."
"What?" exclaimed Nyja and Melina together. Melina went to Jul's side and begged at him.
"You can't make her go! She's the only family I have!"
"Child," Jul started. "She is not Quilove, this is not her concern.”
Melina stood tall for her stature. “If you want me to stay,” she said, her voice slowly getting louder. “Then she is staying!”
Jul looked at Nyja and then back at Melina. “Melina, my dear. You cannot be serious.” He looked again Nyja. “Do you know what she has done? Her profession? Her skills? She murdered several people! She sold people into slavery! She is a criminal and a petty thief!”
“That’s it!” Nyja said, this time not holding back. Nyja waved her hands through the air and several boxes flew from the floor. “You have no control over her!” More boxes and desks kept flying. Nyja had not realized that her lowly Jedi skills included telekinesis and was having too much fun intimidating this man to stop. Several guards entered the room with weapons drawn. As Nyja saw them approach, she pulled her lightsaber from her belt and ignited it.
“Wait!” Melina shouted as she stepped in front of Nyja and the armed guards. The boxes, desks and papers settled down and the papers floated to the floor. “Jul,” Melina said, approaching him. “I can’t trust you if you can’t trust me. And I trust Nyja as a sister, a friend and a partner. She’s no longer the person that you described.” Melina walked over to her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, she may have killed and sold people in the past. And yes, she may have been a
criminal . . .”
“You’re not helping, Mel,” Nyja said quietly only to be shushed by Melina.
“But, what you don’t know . . . what your intelligence didn’t seem to understand is that Nyja has changed. She does not kill for money and she does not take jobs that include kidnapping, murder or slavery. She is trying to right the wrongs that occurred in her past and remedy them for the future.”
Jul looked at Nyja holding the lightsaber in a defense stance. “Then what is with the weapon? That is a Jedi weapon. And what we just witnessed would have me believe that she at least had Jedi skills.”
“And what do you know of the Jedi?” Nyja asked. “Out here in the severe Outer Rim?”
“We know of the Jedi and their ways. And from what I understand, everything you have done in your past, and even what you do now are not their way.”
“Let’s just say I have my own way and the Jedi do not control me.” Nyja lowered the lightsaber toward Jul. “No one controls me.”
“Nyja!” screamed Melina. “Don’t!”
“I won’t,” Nyja said, drops of sweat pouring down her brow. “I just want to accentuate my point.”
“I’m sorry,” Jul started again, obviously not intimidated in the least. “No matter what you mean to her, I cannot allow you to stay. You are a distraction to the mission and you must leave. Before Essten is able to find us.”
An alarm started to blare in the building. “Warning, House Yina ships are closing in on our position,” said a voice overhead.
*****
“Grand Vizier,” came a voice in the darkness. Essten had been asleep and had not imagined anyone from his security forces would contact him. It took him several minutes before he fully awoke to realize that he was being called. He slowly moved from the bed to the communicator.
“This better be important,” Essten said, hiding his weariness.
“Sir,” the voice responded. “We have found Jul and the unknown ship. We are taking their hideout now.”
“Good. Only use stun weapons. Do not kill anyone. Take the prisoners. Bring them to me. Do not let anyone escape.”
“Yes, sir,” the voice responded and the communication ended.
*****
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Location: Jungles of Quilove, Quilove Grand Palace
Date: TBA
Grand Vizier Essten entered his office. He had spent the last two hours in a meeting with his Secretary of Defense. Though Essten had told the Secretary that his ideas and concerns were for a fleet to keep Quilove defended, Essten was prepared to use the fleet to start attacking other planets and systems, essentially creating his own little empire.
These ideas were not just Essten's. When Essten was nominated by House Yina, the governor's told him their plan of systemwide domination.
Essten returned to the conversation in his mind.
"House Telayan must not be allowed to rule. We as House Yina have developed a plan to rule the galaxy. In fifteen years time, we will be ready. You must be ready also."
Essten came back to the present and moved from his office through a secret door to his personal quarters.
*****
Nyja steered the ship as low to the jungle as she could without chopping down the entrie forest. Jul Del Frek moved his finger to a point on the horizon. Nyja changed direction and increased speed toward the hidden location.
Jul Del Frek turned back to Melina.
"I'm sorry to have to tell you this, child," the man said. "After your mother returned to us, she took her own life."
Melina looked briefly at the man that had just given her more information about her past than anyone could have given. She looked back down and more tears rolled out of her eyes.
"Why did you tell her that?" Nyja exclaimed seeing her sister in such despair.
"It was necessary. For where we are going."
"What do you mean?" Melina said between the tears.
"The fortress that we are going to houses her burial place."
Melina looked up at Jul again. "She's there? Her burial place?"
"Yes," Jul said quietly as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "We also were able to create a small monument for your father."
Melina smiled for a moment, but the smile disappeared quickly.
"We will be there soon," Jul said.
*****
Essten removed his cloak and moved to a wall panel that had a communicator built into it.
"It's me. What is the status?"
"We still haven't found the ship that the girl arrived on. We also can't find Jul." There was a pause from the other end. "However, we have been heard from House Yina citizens that have said an unknown ship has been flying low to the jungle roof headed south."
"That must be them. Track them."
*****
The Ulgar's Fury landed in a small area at the edge of a mountain. Jul made his way down the ramp and out of the ship. Melina and Nyja waited for a moment. Nyja turned to her sister.
"Melina," she started. "Are you sure you want to go in there?"
"I don't know, Nyja." The girl paused and wiped her eyes again. "I think I need to go in. If nothing else, then to pay my respects."
Nyja stood up and offered her hand to her sister. "I'll go with you," she said.
Melina stood up and hugged her sister. "Thanks," she said, still rubbing the tears away from her eyes.
The two young women exited the ship and stepped through a door that was built into the side of the mountain. Once inside, the scale of the place amazed Nyja and Melina.
Jul noticed their awe when they entered the mountain and moved to explain.
"House Telayan is one of the most gifted houses when it comes to science and technology. Our scientists discovered this area and kept it hidden from the other houses for occasions such as this.
"This fortress has the necessary technology and defenses to keep Essten and House Yina away from our business."
"And what exactly is your business?" Nyja asked skeptically.
Jul looked at the girl straight in her eyes. "Young one," he started. "While this is not your fight, we appreciate what you have done for Melina how you have kept her safe." Jul turned back to Melina. "But now, I need you to leave. This is a matter for Quilove and its people."
"What?" exclaimed Nyja and Melina together. Melina went to Jul's side and begged at him.
"You can't make her go! She's the only family I have!"
"Child," Jul started. "She is not Quilove, this is not her concern.”
Melina stood tall for her stature. “If you want me to stay,” she said, her voice slowly getting louder. “Then she is staying!”
Jul looked at Nyja and then back at Melina. “Melina, my dear. You cannot be serious.” He looked again Nyja. “Do you know what she has done? Her profession? Her skills? She murdered several people! She sold people into slavery! She is a criminal and a petty thief!”
“That’s it!” Nyja said, this time not holding back. Nyja waved her hands through the air and several boxes flew from the floor. “You have no control over her!” More boxes and desks kept flying. Nyja had not realized that her lowly Jedi skills included telekinesis and was having too much fun intimidating this man to stop. Several guards entered the room with weapons drawn. As Nyja saw them approach, she pulled her lightsaber from her belt and ignited it.
“Wait!” Melina shouted as she stepped in front of Nyja and the armed guards. The boxes, desks and papers settled down and the papers floated to the floor. “Jul,” Melina said, approaching him. “I can’t trust you if you can’t trust me. And I trust Nyja as a sister, a friend and a partner. She’s no longer the person that you described.” Melina walked over to her sister and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Yes, she may have killed and sold people in the past. And yes, she may have been a
criminal . . .”
“You’re not helping, Mel,” Nyja said quietly only to be shushed by Melina.
“But, what you don’t know . . . what your intelligence didn’t seem to understand is that Nyja has changed. She does not kill for money and she does not take jobs that include kidnapping, murder or slavery. She is trying to right the wrongs that occurred in her past and remedy them for the future.”
Jul looked at Nyja holding the lightsaber in a defense stance. “Then what is with the weapon? That is a Jedi weapon. And what we just witnessed would have me believe that she at least had Jedi skills.”
“And what do you know of the Jedi?” Nyja asked. “Out here in the severe Outer Rim?”
“We know of the Jedi and their ways. And from what I understand, everything you have done in your past, and even what you do now are not their way.”
“Let’s just say I have my own way and the Jedi do not control me.” Nyja lowered the lightsaber toward Jul. “No one controls me.”
“Nyja!” screamed Melina. “Don’t!”
“I won’t,” Nyja said, drops of sweat pouring down her brow. “I just want to accentuate my point.”
“I’m sorry,” Jul started again, obviously not intimidated in the least. “No matter what you mean to her, I cannot allow you to stay. You are a distraction to the mission and you must leave. Before Essten is able to find us.”
An alarm started to blare in the building. “Warning, House Yina ships are closing in on our position,” said a voice overhead.
*****
“Grand Vizier,” came a voice in the darkness. Essten had been asleep and had not imagined anyone from his security forces would contact him. It took him several minutes before he fully awoke to realize that he was being called. He slowly moved from the bed to the communicator.
“This better be important,” Essten said, hiding his weariness.
“Sir,” the voice responded. “We have found Jul and the unknown ship. We are taking their hideout now.”
“Good. Only use stun weapons. Do not kill anyone. Take the prisoners. Bring them to me. Do not let anyone escape.”
“Yes, sir,” the voice responded and the communication ended.
*****
Brave New World, Part 2 (From Star Wars: Tales From Across the Stars)
"Brave New World, Part 2"
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Location: Jungles of Quilove, Quilove Grand Palace
Date: TBA
As Nyja steered the ship, Melina attempted to contact a spaceport on the planet. There were no designated shipping lanes, nor were there any frequencies for travelers. "I don't think they want people to know they are here," Melina said as she continued transmitting a standard request to land message.
With the ship approached the planet, and Melina receiving no message, Nyja chose to enter the atmosphere and just take a look around; in case no one was at the console to hear their message.
*****
Location: Jungles of Quilove
Jul Del Frek was standing in a watch tower. He was scanning the skies and waiting. He had heard the message transmitted. A lot of people heard it. The wrong people more than likely heard it also. A tech stepped up to Jul. "Sir," the tech started. "We have located the ship. It should be in visual range momentarily."
There was no response from Jul as he continued to look at the sky. There was a motion from the tech standing next to him. "There, sir!" he said and pointed.
"Right," he said. "Open the communication."
The tech moved to his station, pressed a button and then nodded at Jul.
*****
"I know that's you, Melina. Thank you for coming. Please land the ship at the landing pad to your north. Nyja and Melina were a little surprised by the sudden communication, but didn't question it. Nyja slowed the ship and started the landing sequence. As the ship touched down on the landing pad, Melina started to get up. Nyja pulled her back down in her seat.
"Wait a second, young lady," Nyja said, raising her voice. "We don't know who these people are. We have to be careful."
"Nyja," Melina said as she stood again. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that these people are trying to help us in some way. Why else would they call me by name?"
"Maybe they know our exploits and are wanting to capture us for money," replied Nyja sarcastically.
"But seriously, let's do this carefully." Nyja stood from her seat and walked to her quarters. She opened a small closet and pulled a black cloak from inside. She put it on and pulled the hood over her head. She turned back to Melina as they exited the room. "Don't use my real name. For some reason they don't know about me. Let's keep it that way for now."
*****
Location: Quilove Grand Palace
The Grand Vizier was in his private chambers when a tone sounded from a communicator. He stood and moved to the communicator. "Yes," he asked.
"Your excellency," the voice came. "A second communication has been made and we have confirmed that it was Jul. A ship entered our atmosphere, but it has disappeared from our sensors."
Grand Vizier Essten slammed his fists against the wall and then screamed into the communicator. "You find that ship! First, find Jul and get rid of him. The girl must be with him. Bring her to me . . . unharmed."
*****
Location: Jungles of Quilove
Melina slowly walked down the ramp with Nyja walking close behind her. As they came from under the ship, a man approached them.
"Hello Melina," Jul said.
Melina stopped. Obviously this was the man that knew her. But how? She paused before speaking. She looked back to Nyja who was watching everything from beneath her hood.
"How do you know who I am?"
"I knew your father," he stated.
Now, Melina was very skeptical. Even Melina didn't know her father. Her father had been killed on Ryloth when she was young.
"I was with your father . . . on Ryloth, when he was killed."
"Who are you?" Melina finally asked.
"We shouldn't speak here. This forest has eyes and ears that do not need to know where you are."
Jul turned and started to walk away, leaving Melina and Nyja standing there. He turned back to them and called out. "Please, we must get inside before the wrong people know where you are."
Melina started to move forward and Nyja caught her arm and stopped her. "I have a bad feeling about this," Nyja offered and then let go of her arm. "Be alert."
The two walked to where Jul was standing and entered a small building. There were a total of four buildings in the area and a watch tower. Nyja was wondering what exactly these men were doing. She thought that perhaps they could be mercenaries ready to turn the two of them into authorities for the reward.
Once inside the building, the man moved upstairs and into a small room. Nyja and Melina followed and once in the room, the man closed the door and sealed it.
"This room is secure. We can talk freely here."
Melina moved to the man and looked up at him for he was much taller. "Now, who are you and how did you know my father?"
Jul pressed a button on the wall and a metal slab came out so the two young women could sit down. "Please, sit down. This is going to take a while."
Jul pressed a second button and a small slab exited the wall for him to sit in. "You ask me who I am, but I cannot tell you that until I tell you about who you are and where you came from."
Melina turned to Nyja and back to Jul. "What do you mean? I'm from Bakura."
"No," Jul said. "That is where you were left. You are really from here," the man raised his hands around him. "From Quilove."
Melina had a blank look on her face. Jul noticed this and chose to explain himself rather than attempt to help her understand right away.
"When you were born, your father and mother lived on Quilove. They were part of House Telayan. They . . . "
"I'm sorry," Melina interrupted. "House Telayan?"
"Excuse me," Jul said. "Quilove is ruled by four houses. They are, House Telayan, of which you are a rightful member. House Yina, which the current Grand Vizier . . . he's the current leader of the planet. House Quilove, a very traditional house. House Trassif, which likes to speak their mind and tell people how much the government does not do enough for the people." He paused for a moment.
"There is also a fifth house, House Juullin, that is banned from practicing politics.
"As I was saying . . . you, Melina, are from House Telayan, because your parents were of that house. When you were born, your father had just become Secretary of the People, a high ranking position in the government that was for making sure that the people of Quilove had everything that they needed.
"When you were three, your father was chosen by House Telayan to seek the position of Grand Vizier. He was chosen by the people. However, your mother was not interested in the life of a politician and decided to leave Quilove for good. She went to Bakura because it has a lifestyle that she was familiar with, having traveled there once before.
"The following year, when you had just turned four, your father was on a diplomatic mission to Ryloth as ambassador. A member of House Yina, in fact the current Grand Vizier, who was also seeking the position, ambushed your father and his staff and killed them all."
Jul could see that this news struck a chord in Melina and her eyes began to well up with tears. "I have finally discovered why he was killed."
There was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Jul asked.
The door opened and in walked a guard. "Sir," he started. "We have just discovered a mole in our organization and have taken care of it. However, our position has been compromised. House Yina forces have been spotted and will be here shortly.
"Wait a second," Nyja said, standing and removing her hood. "I thought you said that House Yina was the current ruling government? Why would they want to attack you?"
Jul stood and moved back to the guard. "Prepare their ship for takeoff. I will go with them. Move to the alternate location. I will contact you on the hidden frequency."
"Yes, sir," the guard said and closed the door.
Jul walked back to Nyja and reached his hand out. "My name is Jul Del Frek," I don't think I know who you are."
Nyja ruffled her cloak, in hopes that this man's eyes would catch sight of the lightsaber hanging from her belt. "My name is Nyja Asketi and Melina is my adopted sister."
Jul looked down at Melina, who was still sitting on the metal slab. "Is this true?"
"I'm sorry," Melina said with tears now falling from her eyes. "I didn't have a mother or father.
I had been living on the streets. Nyja found me and saved me."
"Very well," Jul said. "We are going to have to leave. House Yina cannot find you, Melina."
"Why not?" Nyja said. "I question this course of action. They are supposed to be the government.
All we know about you is that you knew Melina's father. For all we know, YOU could have killed him."
"I will explain more on the way to the alternate location. Please, we must leave."
Melina stood up and started to walk toward the exit. Jul followed and Nyja took up the rear to keep her eyes on Jul.
The trio walked out of the building and back to the Ulgar's Fury. Nyja moved past Jul, almost knocking him over. "Excuse me," she said curtly. "This is my ship . . . I'm going to fly. Just tell me where to go."
Nyja started the ship's launch sequence and started to lift off. She looked at Jul, but didn't say a word. He picked up the subtle question.
"Fly south. Keep low to stay off the sensors."
"I want you to tell me what's going on," Melina said from the copilot seat.
"Very well," Jul said as he sat down behind Melina.
"Melina, you have to understand something first. Even though this planet is democratic, many of the people here will do anything to gain power for their house. This is best shown in what happened to your father."
Jul looked at Melina and saw her mother's eyes when as he stared. He dismissed the thought and continued. "Your father, at the time of his death, was a very popular candidate. It was widely rumored that had he not perished, he would have become Grand Vizier of Quilove. Essten knew that. House Yina had not been in control for over fifty years and they were chomping at the bit to take over.
“Essten found out that your father was going to Ryloth to sign a trade declaration with them. With the trade declaration signed, Quilove would have been on the cusp of increasing not only trade, but tourism and space travel to the planet. Though House Yina prefers and understands trade with other worlds, Essten and some of the other leaders of the house were wary of a treaty with Ryloth.
“Essten chose to go to Ryloth to intercept your father and stop him from signing the treaty. Once he was dead, Essten was able to frame Ryloth for the death and the treaty was abolished.
“When word of your father’s death reached Quilove, the leaders of House Telayan were devastated.
"They didn’t have anyone in the house that would be as popular as your father and therefore did not offer a replacement candidate to run for election.”
Melina had tears rolling down her eyes and looked slyly at Nyja. Nyja looked at her adopted sister. All of this information had been coming at her too quickly and Nyja wondered if Melina would be able to take it all in.
“I had no idea,” Melina said. “My mother never told me.”
“Your mother didn’t know. She only knew that your father passed away while on Ryloth. She became despondent and was not able to take care of you. That’s why she left you on Bakura.”
*****
Location: Quilove Grand Palace
Grand Vizier Essten was in his throne room when there was a call. Essten went to his desk and checked his panel.
“We have reached the location of Jul and his followers. They are not here. But we have recovered a surveillance video of the girl. She is on the planet and she is speaking to Jul.”
“Blast!” the Grand Vizier yelled as he slammed his fist onto the table. “This is not good. You must find them. She must not be allowed to leave the planet.”
“Yes sir,” the voice on the other end spoke.
“Now,” Essten said as he stood. “I have to meet with the Secretary of Defense and get him to add more defenses to the planet. I also am going to introduce new laws allowing the building of an orbital space station and a fleet to defend us from space. Do not disturb me again today.”
“Very well, sir,” responded the voice and the communication ended.
*****
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Jul Del Frek (NPC)
Location: Jungles of Quilove, Quilove Grand Palace
Date: TBA
As Nyja steered the ship, Melina attempted to contact a spaceport on the planet. There were no designated shipping lanes, nor were there any frequencies for travelers. "I don't think they want people to know they are here," Melina said as she continued transmitting a standard request to land message.
With the ship approached the planet, and Melina receiving no message, Nyja chose to enter the atmosphere and just take a look around; in case no one was at the console to hear their message.
*****
Location: Jungles of Quilove
Jul Del Frek was standing in a watch tower. He was scanning the skies and waiting. He had heard the message transmitted. A lot of people heard it. The wrong people more than likely heard it also. A tech stepped up to Jul. "Sir," the tech started. "We have located the ship. It should be in visual range momentarily."
There was no response from Jul as he continued to look at the sky. There was a motion from the tech standing next to him. "There, sir!" he said and pointed.
"Right," he said. "Open the communication."
The tech moved to his station, pressed a button and then nodded at Jul.
*****
"I know that's you, Melina. Thank you for coming. Please land the ship at the landing pad to your north. Nyja and Melina were a little surprised by the sudden communication, but didn't question it. Nyja slowed the ship and started the landing sequence. As the ship touched down on the landing pad, Melina started to get up. Nyja pulled her back down in her seat.
"Wait a second, young lady," Nyja said, raising her voice. "We don't know who these people are. We have to be careful."
"Nyja," Melina said as she stood again. "I don't know why, but I have a feeling that these people are trying to help us in some way. Why else would they call me by name?"
"Maybe they know our exploits and are wanting to capture us for money," replied Nyja sarcastically.
"But seriously, let's do this carefully." Nyja stood from her seat and walked to her quarters. She opened a small closet and pulled a black cloak from inside. She put it on and pulled the hood over her head. She turned back to Melina as they exited the room. "Don't use my real name. For some reason they don't know about me. Let's keep it that way for now."
*****
Location: Quilove Grand Palace
The Grand Vizier was in his private chambers when a tone sounded from a communicator. He stood and moved to the communicator. "Yes," he asked.
"Your excellency," the voice came. "A second communication has been made and we have confirmed that it was Jul. A ship entered our atmosphere, but it has disappeared from our sensors."
Grand Vizier Essten slammed his fists against the wall and then screamed into the communicator. "You find that ship! First, find Jul and get rid of him. The girl must be with him. Bring her to me . . . unharmed."
*****
Location: Jungles of Quilove
Melina slowly walked down the ramp with Nyja walking close behind her. As they came from under the ship, a man approached them.
"Hello Melina," Jul said.
Melina stopped. Obviously this was the man that knew her. But how? She paused before speaking. She looked back to Nyja who was watching everything from beneath her hood.
"How do you know who I am?"
"I knew your father," he stated.
Now, Melina was very skeptical. Even Melina didn't know her father. Her father had been killed on Ryloth when she was young.
"I was with your father . . . on Ryloth, when he was killed."
"Who are you?" Melina finally asked.
"We shouldn't speak here. This forest has eyes and ears that do not need to know where you are."
Jul turned and started to walk away, leaving Melina and Nyja standing there. He turned back to them and called out. "Please, we must get inside before the wrong people know where you are."
Melina started to move forward and Nyja caught her arm and stopped her. "I have a bad feeling about this," Nyja offered and then let go of her arm. "Be alert."
The two walked to where Jul was standing and entered a small building. There were a total of four buildings in the area and a watch tower. Nyja was wondering what exactly these men were doing. She thought that perhaps they could be mercenaries ready to turn the two of them into authorities for the reward.
Once inside the building, the man moved upstairs and into a small room. Nyja and Melina followed and once in the room, the man closed the door and sealed it.
"This room is secure. We can talk freely here."
Melina moved to the man and looked up at him for he was much taller. "Now, who are you and how did you know my father?"
Jul pressed a button on the wall and a metal slab came out so the two young women could sit down. "Please, sit down. This is going to take a while."
Jul pressed a second button and a small slab exited the wall for him to sit in. "You ask me who I am, but I cannot tell you that until I tell you about who you are and where you came from."
Melina turned to Nyja and back to Jul. "What do you mean? I'm from Bakura."
"No," Jul said. "That is where you were left. You are really from here," the man raised his hands around him. "From Quilove."
Melina had a blank look on her face. Jul noticed this and chose to explain himself rather than attempt to help her understand right away.
"When you were born, your father and mother lived on Quilove. They were part of House Telayan. They . . . "
"I'm sorry," Melina interrupted. "House Telayan?"
"Excuse me," Jul said. "Quilove is ruled by four houses. They are, House Telayan, of which you are a rightful member. House Yina, which the current Grand Vizier . . . he's the current leader of the planet. House Quilove, a very traditional house. House Trassif, which likes to speak their mind and tell people how much the government does not do enough for the people." He paused for a moment.
"There is also a fifth house, House Juullin, that is banned from practicing politics.
"As I was saying . . . you, Melina, are from House Telayan, because your parents were of that house. When you were born, your father had just become Secretary of the People, a high ranking position in the government that was for making sure that the people of Quilove had everything that they needed.
"When you were three, your father was chosen by House Telayan to seek the position of Grand Vizier. He was chosen by the people. However, your mother was not interested in the life of a politician and decided to leave Quilove for good. She went to Bakura because it has a lifestyle that she was familiar with, having traveled there once before.
"The following year, when you had just turned four, your father was on a diplomatic mission to Ryloth as ambassador. A member of House Yina, in fact the current Grand Vizier, who was also seeking the position, ambushed your father and his staff and killed them all."
Jul could see that this news struck a chord in Melina and her eyes began to well up with tears. "I have finally discovered why he was killed."
There was a knock on the door. "Yes?" Jul asked.
The door opened and in walked a guard. "Sir," he started. "We have just discovered a mole in our organization and have taken care of it. However, our position has been compromised. House Yina forces have been spotted and will be here shortly.
"Wait a second," Nyja said, standing and removing her hood. "I thought you said that House Yina was the current ruling government? Why would they want to attack you?"
Jul stood and moved back to the guard. "Prepare their ship for takeoff. I will go with them. Move to the alternate location. I will contact you on the hidden frequency."
"Yes, sir," the guard said and closed the door.
Jul walked back to Nyja and reached his hand out. "My name is Jul Del Frek," I don't think I know who you are."
Nyja ruffled her cloak, in hopes that this man's eyes would catch sight of the lightsaber hanging from her belt. "My name is Nyja Asketi and Melina is my adopted sister."
Jul looked down at Melina, who was still sitting on the metal slab. "Is this true?"
"I'm sorry," Melina said with tears now falling from her eyes. "I didn't have a mother or father.
I had been living on the streets. Nyja found me and saved me."
"Very well," Jul said. "We are going to have to leave. House Yina cannot find you, Melina."
"Why not?" Nyja said. "I question this course of action. They are supposed to be the government.
All we know about you is that you knew Melina's father. For all we know, YOU could have killed him."
"I will explain more on the way to the alternate location. Please, we must leave."
Melina stood up and started to walk toward the exit. Jul followed and Nyja took up the rear to keep her eyes on Jul.
The trio walked out of the building and back to the Ulgar's Fury. Nyja moved past Jul, almost knocking him over. "Excuse me," she said curtly. "This is my ship . . . I'm going to fly. Just tell me where to go."
Nyja started the ship's launch sequence and started to lift off. She looked at Jul, but didn't say a word. He picked up the subtle question.
"Fly south. Keep low to stay off the sensors."
"I want you to tell me what's going on," Melina said from the copilot seat.
"Very well," Jul said as he sat down behind Melina.
"Melina, you have to understand something first. Even though this planet is democratic, many of the people here will do anything to gain power for their house. This is best shown in what happened to your father."
Jul looked at Melina and saw her mother's eyes when as he stared. He dismissed the thought and continued. "Your father, at the time of his death, was a very popular candidate. It was widely rumored that had he not perished, he would have become Grand Vizier of Quilove. Essten knew that. House Yina had not been in control for over fifty years and they were chomping at the bit to take over.
“Essten found out that your father was going to Ryloth to sign a trade declaration with them. With the trade declaration signed, Quilove would have been on the cusp of increasing not only trade, but tourism and space travel to the planet. Though House Yina prefers and understands trade with other worlds, Essten and some of the other leaders of the house were wary of a treaty with Ryloth.
“Essten chose to go to Ryloth to intercept your father and stop him from signing the treaty. Once he was dead, Essten was able to frame Ryloth for the death and the treaty was abolished.
“When word of your father’s death reached Quilove, the leaders of House Telayan were devastated.
"They didn’t have anyone in the house that would be as popular as your father and therefore did not offer a replacement candidate to run for election.”
Melina had tears rolling down her eyes and looked slyly at Nyja. Nyja looked at her adopted sister. All of this information had been coming at her too quickly and Nyja wondered if Melina would be able to take it all in.
“I had no idea,” Melina said. “My mother never told me.”
“Your mother didn’t know. She only knew that your father passed away while on Ryloth. She became despondent and was not able to take care of you. That’s why she left you on Bakura.”
*****
Location: Quilove Grand Palace
Grand Vizier Essten was in his throne room when there was a call. Essten went to his desk and checked his panel.
“We have reached the location of Jul and his followers. They are not here. But we have recovered a surveillance video of the girl. She is on the planet and she is speaking to Jul.”
“Blast!” the Grand Vizier yelled as he slammed his fist onto the table. “This is not good. You must find them. She must not be allowed to leave the planet.”
“Yes sir,” the voice on the other end spoke.
“Now,” Essten said as he stood. “I have to meet with the Secretary of Defense and get him to add more defenses to the planet. I also am going to introduce new laws allowing the building of an orbital space station and a fleet to defend us from space. Do not disturb me again today.”
“Very well, sir,” responded the voice and the communication ended.
*****
Brave New World, Part 1 (From Star Wars: Tales From Across the Stars)
"Brave New World"
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Trac Looa (NPC)
Location: Coruscant / Quilove Grand Palace
Date: TBA
Nyja and Melina had been on Coruscant hiding out and
hoping that no one there would recognize them from
their recent appearance on Wanted posters.
Melina was in the cockpit when a small beep sounded.
Melina stirred in her seat, but did not wake up right
away. The tone seemed to get louder and Melina woke
with a start. Melina paused to wake fully before
realizing there was a communication coming in.
Pressing the “Audio Only” button, she poised herself
for the conversation.
“Yes?” she replied.
“We know who you are,” the voice responded back.
The statement confused Melina. She didn’t respond,
but waited for the voice again.
“We have answers that you are looking for.”
“Who is this?” Melina said, starting to get agitated.
“Come to Quilove.”
“Where? I don’t know where that is!”
“Look it up. When you find it, you will find us and
yourself . . . Melina.”
The connection fizzled and faded away. Melina sat for
a moment, boggled at the voice and what he had said.
She decided to contact Nyja, who was out retrieving
fresh supplies and freight for delivery.
“Nyja,” Melina called into the transmitter.
“Yes, Mel?”
“We just got a call . . . and a request”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, . . .” Melina started and then relayed the
stranger’s request and desire for Melina to go to this
planet.
“I’ve never heard of it,” replied Nyja after the story
was finished. “Probably in the outermost part of the
Outer Rim. Somewhere not a lot of people have
traveled; at least not anyone we know.”
“I’ll look it up. Hurry back.”
“I will,” Nyja said and closed the communication.
Melina stood from her seat and moved to the computer
in the lounge area. This computer had a large
planetary database that the two had compiled over the
years. They had also gotten help programming it to
tap into local resources when available to add
information not included in the database. Melina
typed in the name, but the computer was unable to find
a match, even with looking on the HoloNet. She tried
several times and then realized that perhaps she was
spelling it incorrectly. For several for minutes,
Melina tried different spellings. Again, it took
several tries before the computer had found the proper
information. Melina found the navi coordinates and
input them into the navicomputer for easier access
when they were ready to leave.
Melina could hear the cargo doors opening and the
cargo droids placing materials into the cargo hold.
She stood up from the computer and headed to the rear
of the ship to check on the materials and see if Nyja
was with the droids.
“Find anything?” Nyja yelled from the hatch as she
rode a cargo crate up and into the hold.
“Yes, I was just getting ready to read it.”
As Melina started to peruse the data on the screen,
Nyja joined her sister.
“That’s odd,” Nyja said. “They have the technology to
travel the stars, but most of the people just stay on
planet or in their own system.”
Melina turned back to her sister. “They probably have
been wary of strangers. Perhaps there was something
in the past that happened because of trust of
travelers or something like that.”
“Sounds like they have an interesting political system
also,” Melina said. “It looks like the people elect a
leader, but they are given four candidates. I wonder
if there have been problems with that.” The girl
stopped to ponder a moment, then looked at the screen.
“I’ve heard stories on several other planets that a
government built on democracy doesn’t always work.”
“Well,” Nyja started. “It doesn’t matter right now.”
She straightened up and started toward the cockpit.
“Get the navicomputer started on calculating the jump
point. We’re getting out of here.”
Melina changed the screen on the computer and started
the navicomputer calculating the best jump to Quilove.
She then left the console and joined Nyja in the
cockpit.
“Copy that, tower,” Nyja said as Melina entered. Nyja
turned back to Melina. “We have clearance. Is the
navicomputer getting the coordinates?”
“Yes,” Melina said as she strapped herself in. “We
should have it by the time we leave the planet’s
atmosphere.
The ship started its launch sequence and began to
hover in place. Nyja could feel the landing gears
retracting into the hull of the ship. Once ready,
Nyja pulled back on the thrusters and felt the ship
move forward.
It took only a few minutes for the ship to leave the
atmosphere, and just as expected, the navicomputer
made a beeping sound alerting Nyja that it had
calculated the jump.
“Well,” she said as she placed her hand on the
hyperspace activation button. “Here goes nothing.”
Nyja pressed the button and the ship turned slightly
on its axel. The ship then slowed for a second and
then launched into hyperspace. From inside the
cockpit, Nyja and Melina watched as the stars
stretched and then disappeared as they entered
hyperspace.
*****
“Grand Vizier,” a voice said over an intercom.
“Yes?” came the reply.
“You have a visitor. He says he is an old friend.”
“What is his name?”
“Trac Looa,” came the voice.
Grand Vizier Essten, leader of all Quilove, sat back
in his large chair. He knew the name, but he didn’t
know why the man was visiting during the day. There
was nothing the Grand Vizier could do. The people in
the building had seen him. He had to cover as best he
could.
“Very well,” the Grand Vizier spoke. “Send him in.”
He paused again. “And cancel the rest of my
appointments. I’m going to busy.”
“Yes, sir,” the voice came as the large blast door at
the north end of the room opened.
“What in blazes are you doing here?” the Grand Vizier
yelled after the door closed. He stood up and walked
around the desk. “You should not have come here. Do
you know what I’m going to have to do to concoct a
plausible story to why some random person was able to
walk in here?”
“I’m sorry, Essten,” he apologized as he bowed. “It
could not be avoided. We have a problem.”
The Grand Vizier looked at the man. “What is it?”
“There has been a breach in security. Someone has
sent out a message to the girl.”
“What?” he screamed. “How could this happen?”
“We are not sure,” said Trac. We think it could have
been Jul.”
“Find out. The girl must not find out the truth.”
“Yes, Grand Vizier,” the man said as he bowed and
slowly left the room.
The Grand Vizier stepped back behind his desk and
pressed the telecom button. “Find the girl. She may
be on her way. Find out if Jul was the one that
contacted her.”
*****
The ship exited hyperspace at the edge of the Yusan
System. There were seven planets in the system and
four of them could support life. Nyja steered the
ship toward the third planet of the system, Quilove.
By Nyja Asketi (PC)
Melina Asketi (SC)
Grand Vizier Essten (NPC)
Trac Looa (NPC)
Location: Coruscant / Quilove Grand Palace
Date: TBA
Nyja and Melina had been on Coruscant hiding out and
hoping that no one there would recognize them from
their recent appearance on Wanted posters.
Melina was in the cockpit when a small beep sounded.
Melina stirred in her seat, but did not wake up right
away. The tone seemed to get louder and Melina woke
with a start. Melina paused to wake fully before
realizing there was a communication coming in.
Pressing the “Audio Only” button, she poised herself
for the conversation.
“Yes?” she replied.
“We know who you are,” the voice responded back.
The statement confused Melina. She didn’t respond,
but waited for the voice again.
“We have answers that you are looking for.”
“Who is this?” Melina said, starting to get agitated.
“Come to Quilove.”
“Where? I don’t know where that is!”
“Look it up. When you find it, you will find us and
yourself . . . Melina.”
The connection fizzled and faded away. Melina sat for
a moment, boggled at the voice and what he had said.
She decided to contact Nyja, who was out retrieving
fresh supplies and freight for delivery.
“Nyja,” Melina called into the transmitter.
“Yes, Mel?”
“We just got a call . . . and a request”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, . . .” Melina started and then relayed the
stranger’s request and desire for Melina to go to this
planet.
“I’ve never heard of it,” replied Nyja after the story
was finished. “Probably in the outermost part of the
Outer Rim. Somewhere not a lot of people have
traveled; at least not anyone we know.”
“I’ll look it up. Hurry back.”
“I will,” Nyja said and closed the communication.
Melina stood from her seat and moved to the computer
in the lounge area. This computer had a large
planetary database that the two had compiled over the
years. They had also gotten help programming it to
tap into local resources when available to add
information not included in the database. Melina
typed in the name, but the computer was unable to find
a match, even with looking on the HoloNet. She tried
several times and then realized that perhaps she was
spelling it incorrectly. For several for minutes,
Melina tried different spellings. Again, it took
several tries before the computer had found the proper
information. Melina found the navi coordinates and
input them into the navicomputer for easier access
when they were ready to leave.
Melina could hear the cargo doors opening and the
cargo droids placing materials into the cargo hold.
She stood up from the computer and headed to the rear
of the ship to check on the materials and see if Nyja
was with the droids.
“Find anything?” Nyja yelled from the hatch as she
rode a cargo crate up and into the hold.
“Yes, I was just getting ready to read it.”
As Melina started to peruse the data on the screen,
Nyja joined her sister.
“That’s odd,” Nyja said. “They have the technology to
travel the stars, but most of the people just stay on
planet or in their own system.”
Melina turned back to her sister. “They probably have
been wary of strangers. Perhaps there was something
in the past that happened because of trust of
travelers or something like that.”
“Sounds like they have an interesting political system
also,” Melina said. “It looks like the people elect a
leader, but they are given four candidates. I wonder
if there have been problems with that.” The girl
stopped to ponder a moment, then looked at the screen.
“I’ve heard stories on several other planets that a
government built on democracy doesn’t always work.”
“Well,” Nyja started. “It doesn’t matter right now.”
She straightened up and started toward the cockpit.
“Get the navicomputer started on calculating the jump
point. We’re getting out of here.”
Melina changed the screen on the computer and started
the navicomputer calculating the best jump to Quilove.
She then left the console and joined Nyja in the
cockpit.
“Copy that, tower,” Nyja said as Melina entered. Nyja
turned back to Melina. “We have clearance. Is the
navicomputer getting the coordinates?”
“Yes,” Melina said as she strapped herself in. “We
should have it by the time we leave the planet’s
atmosphere.
The ship started its launch sequence and began to
hover in place. Nyja could feel the landing gears
retracting into the hull of the ship. Once ready,
Nyja pulled back on the thrusters and felt the ship
move forward.
It took only a few minutes for the ship to leave the
atmosphere, and just as expected, the navicomputer
made a beeping sound alerting Nyja that it had
calculated the jump.
“Well,” she said as she placed her hand on the
hyperspace activation button. “Here goes nothing.”
Nyja pressed the button and the ship turned slightly
on its axel. The ship then slowed for a second and
then launched into hyperspace. From inside the
cockpit, Nyja and Melina watched as the stars
stretched and then disappeared as they entered
hyperspace.
*****
“Grand Vizier,” a voice said over an intercom.
“Yes?” came the reply.
“You have a visitor. He says he is an old friend.”
“What is his name?”
“Trac Looa,” came the voice.
Grand Vizier Essten, leader of all Quilove, sat back
in his large chair. He knew the name, but he didn’t
know why the man was visiting during the day. There
was nothing the Grand Vizier could do. The people in
the building had seen him. He had to cover as best he
could.
“Very well,” the Grand Vizier spoke. “Send him in.”
He paused again. “And cancel the rest of my
appointments. I’m going to busy.”
“Yes, sir,” the voice came as the large blast door at
the north end of the room opened.
“What in blazes are you doing here?” the Grand Vizier
yelled after the door closed. He stood up and walked
around the desk. “You should not have come here. Do
you know what I’m going to have to do to concoct a
plausible story to why some random person was able to
walk in here?”
“I’m sorry, Essten,” he apologized as he bowed. “It
could not be avoided. We have a problem.”
The Grand Vizier looked at the man. “What is it?”
“There has been a breach in security. Someone has
sent out a message to the girl.”
“What?” he screamed. “How could this happen?”
“We are not sure,” said Trac. We think it could have
been Jul.”
“Find out. The girl must not find out the truth.”
“Yes, Grand Vizier,” the man said as he bowed and
slowly left the room.
The Grand Vizier stepped back behind his desk and
pressed the telecom button. “Find the girl. She may
be on her way. Find out if Jul was the one that
contacted her.”
*****
The ship exited hyperspace at the edge of the Yusan
System. There were seven planets in the system and
four of them could support life. Nyja steered the
ship toward the third planet of the system, Quilove.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)