Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

After Order 66, few Jedi dare to venture outside the shadows—rumors of the dark and terrible Darth Vader haunting even their waking moments. Yet, some Jedi find this life of fear unbearable. The Empire is always watching, and Vader himself is eager to confront any Jedi that might bring him closer to the whereabouts of his betrayer, Obi-Wan Kenobi.
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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Shurijo » Wed Oct 28, 2020 6:09 pm

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The DARK TIMES have begun.

After ORDER 66 decimated the
JEDI--guardians of order and justice,
the GALACTIC REPUBLIC is no more.
In its place, Emperor Palpatine
formed the GALACTIC EMPIRE and
rules through fear.

Senators opposing the GALACTIC
EMPIRE are arrested on charges
of conspiracy and treason.
Opposition voices are silenced in
the name of security and stability.

The future is grim, evil is on the
rise, and all paths seem to lead
nowhere. The fate of the Jedi
Order is sealed. Will the surviving
Jedi find a path to the future
... or to the grave?

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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Shurijo » Thu Oct 29, 2020 7:14 pm

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The moon of Drenzor orbits Saleucami in the Outer Rim Territories. On the relatively quiet moon, the Force has brought two Jedi together once more. The path of the former-Jedi and former-Separatist, Manh Toisao, has not been clear or straight. Due to the Clone Wars, the dreams and desires to help and heal the less fortunate through the science of agriculture and medicine has been delayed for Jedi Knight Shoshannah Nadeel.

Having made their way through the access tunnel, Shoshannah felt another disturbance near the river. Not like the previous disturbance. This one felt local rather than galactic. It felt empty and dying. Weakened from her injuries and unable to spend more time there, they continued onwards to the campsite. As they left the river area, her unusual feelings dissipated.

Now, the two sit at Manh's makeshift campsite to rest. Both are severely wounded from combat and their escape from a facility busting missile barrage. Prior to their escape, Jedi Knight Shoshannah collected the late Padawan Plaba Sundown's datapad and lightsaber--constant reminders of the Padawan's fate and the betrayal of the Clone Troopers.

The basic campsite provides shelter from the elements along with basic necessities for cooking. There are a stack of food ration packs in gel form, several pounds of dried and unseasoned jungle panther meat, and a few handfuls of various fruits and berries collected from the surrounding area. Two cortosis staves taken from fallen Morgukai clones rests leaning against trees.

While the reason for the betrayal by the Clones lingers a mystery, Jedi Knight Shohannah's Jedi Beacon Transceiver has received a second transmission. This transmission included a recall notice to ignore the previous transmission. When she activates her receiver, a hologram of Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi appears.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi. I regret to report that both
our Jedi Order and the Republic have fallen, with the dark
shadow of the Empire rising to take their place. This message
is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi:

Trust in the Force.

Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our
future is uncertain. We will each be challenged – our trust,
our faith, our friendships – but we must persevere, and in
time, a new hope will emerge.

May the Force be with you. Always."

The campsite remains silent and somber for several minutes as they contemplate Jedi Master Kenobi's message. The former Jedi finally breaks the silence, "You should stay here until tomorrow. We will leave for the village at day break. They have a small spaceport with infrequent transports. If we remain, then others also remain. You should seek to join those to better protect and preserve the remnants of the Order."
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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Muskrat » Mon Nov 02, 2020 8:14 pm

Shoshannah sits and stares at the message from Obi-Wan Kenobi disbelievingly, replaying it a second and third time. She looks up at Manh's words. "I'm sorry. It's such a shock. I didn't want to be part of this war, but this," she gestures at the air where the message had played, "this is too much. It's certainly not how I wanted the war to end."

She lays down on her back and stares up at the night sky. "Maybe I should try to find any other remaining Jedi. But maybe I should just find some outer rim world to lay low on and quietly help the people there. I might do more good that way."

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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Shurijo » Mon Nov 02, 2020 9:21 pm

"I'm not sure the war has ended. Kenobi didn't mention anything about the Separatists or the War. And we still don't know why your Clones fired on you. What could the Order have done to have the Republic turn against them like this?" Manh replies to Shoshannah's comment.

* * * * * *
As Shoshannah awakes the next morning, she notices Manh sitting outside and staring off into the sunrise. Sensing her waking, he speaks. "We should head into the village to see if there's any HoloNews feeds about what is happening." Standing up from his position, he turns and says, "I also need a few more stimpacks."

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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Muskrat » Tue Nov 03, 2020 7:58 pm

Shoshannah nods. "That sounds good. You're right--we should try to find out more about what's going on. Much as I might like to retire to a distant planet, we should find out what's going on before I decide what to do. But let's not advertise the fact that we're Jedi. Or Jedi-trained at any rate." She hides both her own lightsaber and Plaba's inside her robes. When she has the opportunity during a rest, she also looks at Plaba's datapad to see if there is anything there she might want to know, just in case.

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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Shurijo » Tue Nov 03, 2020 8:40 pm

When Shoshannah accesses Padawan Plaba Sundown's datapad, she notices most of the data hasn't been fully decrypted yet. Most likely, Plaba was in the process of decrypting when his datapad become disconnected from the facility's computer systems. A few of the mostly readable documents appears below:

Code: Select all

PROJECT MORGUKAI
####### Drenzor Cloning ####### was an installation, overseen
by the ######################################################
####### renowned Jedi killers ###############################
####### hundreds of Morgukai on Saleucami ###################
##############clone army against the Republic ###############
five months ############################ Morgukai legions ###
############## Arkanian #####################################

Code: Select all

PROJECT BLUE##############
####### epidemiologists ############## strain: ####### virus. 
####### was long touted ############## virulent #############
############################ to be the deadliest. Decades ###
########################################## natural form######
#######waterborne virus. Victim infected ####################
#######48 hours to live ##################### fatal##########
##############incurable, #######96% success rate#############
#####################carbon-based life-forms.################
#######antidote ##################### synthesized ###########
root#########################################################

Code: Select all

PROJECT BLACK##############
############################ Military Department of Advanced## 
Weapons Research project ############################unlocking 
immortality###################################################
#######revive necrotic tissue ####### secret research facility
located on ############################### hosts #############
##################### their biological tissue ################ 
their lifeless bodies ########################################
############## altered the body's stamina and strength########
#######increased ################ to physical damage##########
Manh nods at Shoshannah's comment and hides his lightsaber hilt under his cloak. The young man then takes a cortosis staff from the stack he'd collected from the Red Nikto clones. He offers one of the other staves to the Jedi. "I didn't bring any blasters, so these staves are the best weapon I have. We might be able to pick up some used blasters in the village."

With an hour or two walk, the former-Jedi leads Shoshannah back to the river near the crater that was once the cloning facility. He moves branches and underbrush out of the way to reveal a small hovercraft which appears more like a small raft than a vehicle. The craft appears to be designed for traversing waterways for transporting goods rather than people and it was not design with comfort in mind.

Shrugging, he says, "This is faster and safer than walking. It's the only thing in town that I could find when I arrived. Lots of boats and fishermen there and not a lot of roads."

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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Muskrat » Wed Nov 04, 2020 8:46 pm

Shoshannah says, "I have a blaster--and a combat knife for that matter--but I'll take the staff. And the blaster and knife are Republic military issue, so it's probably best if I don't wave them around if I don't have to."

As she settles into the hovercraft, she says, "I've ridden in worse. I want to look through the data on Plaba's pad more closely. He only partially decrypted files from the base, but it some of it seems pretty alarming--it sounds like they were planning on biological warfare."

The first file was obviously about the Nitko cloning project. As for the other two, Shoshannah tried to combine her own scientific knowledge with what was in the files to try to make sense of what was going on. Another wave of sorrow passed through her as she handled the dead padawan's equipment, but she pushed herself to focus on the urgent matters at hand. Hopefully, she would have time to mourn later.
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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Shurijo » Thu Nov 05, 2020 3:02 pm

You're familiar with the information that is readable. You're not familiar with the projects. There's not much you can determine (at this moment) other than what you see. To get more info, you'll need to finish decrypting (or decrypt more), possibly find any 'labs' or facility (like the Cloning one) if they exist, or possibly find evidence (samples, vials, items, etc.) and then figure out that evidence might align with one of the projects, etc. Basically, you need more information/clues to piece together any additional information. Once you get more info, then you can start trying to figure out how things fit together to deduce more information.
The two slowly move down the river towards the larger body of water and the village. As they travel, Shoshannah sees more creatures --both predators and prey-- on the river banks. The moon looks different from this angle and more natural and remote than when she first landed alongside the Clone Troopers with a mission to seek out the facility.

As they approach the village, fishing piers and boat docks become visible. The primary export of the village were its natural resources: trees, fruits, berries, along with a few scattered mining operations. This resulted in a spaceport designed more for cargo transportation than personnel. The larger spaceports were all owned and operated by corporations and inaccessible to non-corporate workers. The village's spaceport was small, but large enough for a handful of ships. The non-corporate ships consisted mostly of shuttles taking villagers to and from the planet. Some workers might live on the planet surface and take shuttles to the moon for work.

While the planet Saleucami tried to avoid the Clone Wars, the Corporate Alliance moved in and seized control of Drenzor months before the Separatists took control of the planet. The Corporate Alliance pledged its resources to the Separatists. Even with the Separatists beaten back from Saleucami, the Corporate Alliance conglomerate still remained in control of the moon's resources.

When the pair stepped off the craft, Manh squinted as he looked at the village. "That's new." He said as he looked at a large transport ship arriving. The Corporate Alliance or company's logo and name was replaced by a circle logo with six spokes. "I don't recognize that symbol. It's like the Republic's symbol, but it's not. Looks like there's more corporate activity here than the last time I was here. A lot more cargo ships coming and going now than before. There's a pub near the docks where I stopped at when I first arrived. They had a HoloNet feed."

Stepping off the craft last, he looks back at Shoshannah and then says, "You should probably hide that Clone Armor. We can pick up a poncho on the way."
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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Muskrat » Thu Nov 05, 2020 8:48 pm

Shoshannah put Plaba's datapad away with a sigh of frustration. She'd need to find a techie who could decrypt the rest for her. It was too late now to search around the base for more clues.

Shoshannah looks down at her armor and laughs nervously. "I don't know why I didn't think of that." She takes off the armor and stashes it discretely in the hovercraft.

She looks at the strange logo. "A new and unknown power horning in here? That's really worrisome. We should definitely go to the pub and check out the HoloNet feed. We really need to learn more before we can make any intelligent decision about what to do next."

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Chapter 2A: The Future of the Force

Post by Shurijo » Fri Nov 06, 2020 6:24 pm

The pair make their way through the streets towards the pub. The streets are mostly empty, except for some shop keepers and younglings. As they walk Manh notes, "I've only been in the village once, when I arrived, but there were more people in the streets. Maybe that day was a holiday and they're working today."

As they approach the nearly empty pub, one human patron is sitting at the bar with the Twi'lek bartender cleaning glasses behind the bar. The rest of the pub is empty. Posted on a small board propped up on the bar, a sign reads "By Imperial law, Imperial HoloNet broadcast must be played at all times." They notice the decree is stamped with the same new logo they noticed earlier today.

Playing on repeat, the Imperial HoloNet broadcast shows a recorded newscast of Emperor Palpatine.

------------------------------------------------------------
Emperor Palpatine wrote: (applause)

And the Jedi rebellion has been foiled.

Our loyal clone troopers contained the
insurrection within the Jedi Temple and
quelled uprisings on a thousand worlds.

The remaining Jedi will be hunted down
and defeated!

(applause)

The attempt on my life has left me
scarred and deformed. But, I assure you,
my resolve has never been stronger!

(applause)

In order to ensure the security and
continuing stability, the Republic will
be reorganized into the first
Galactic Empire!

(applause)

For a safe and secure society.

(thunderous applause)
As the Emperor's image fades, the HoloNet "Breaking News" ticker streams a few headlines including "63 Senators Arrested in Collusion with Jedi Insurgency: Senators Shea Sadashassa of Herdessa, Ivor Drake of Kestos Minor, Fang Zar of Sern Prime, Streamdrinker of Tynna, and Tanner Cadaman of Feenix."

As the "breaking news" headline scrolls by, the image of a human female continues the news report, "Imperial Intelligence scored a dramatic victory against the Jedi rebellion today, arresting sixty-three senators on charges of conspiracy and treason. All those arrested had also been signatories to the Petition of the 2,000, a formal protest against Emperor Palpatine's new system of regional governorship that was signed by two thousand legislators and presented during the last full Senate session. Is your senator a traitor? Find out more at the end of the hour."

The HoloNews shifts back to Coruscant to showing an holographic an image of a Chagrian male with the title "Grand Vizier Mas Amedaa" displayed.

Grand Vizier Mas Amedaa wrote: "Through the grace of our Emperor
Palpatine, we were saved from their
treachery.

The Jedi are gone.

The Emperor saw through their
Separatist plots, their lies.

He survived their attempt to
assassinate him.

Never again will we fear the Jedi!"

Image

The Jedi instantly recognize the location where the Grand Vizier stood.... It was the steps of the Jedi Temple! Reaching into a round metal container, the Grand Vizier retrieves a lightsaber... Not just any lightsaber, but a lightsaber with a short hilt that appeared to be the size for a youngling... But, it's not a youngling training blade, it is ... Master Yoda's lightsaber! Holding it above his head to the cheering crowd, the Grand Vizier tosses the lightsaber into a large incinerator.

Grand Vizier Mas Amedaa wrote: Image

"Stay tuned for more details on the dramatic victory over the Jedi rebellion. This is Fafe Mavval reporting for the Galactic Empire News Network -- Empire united over all."

------------------------------------------------------------

Manh continues watching the news feed and speaks at a low volume, "I'm starting to think I'm not going to like this new Empire regime. Sure the Republic had problems, but this... this is .... reprehensible."

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