MacLeod
Hey hey fellas guess who?!
Alright alright maybe the reaction won't be as big as I thought - after all I have indeed been good for a damned long time. But, I felt the itch, poked around this fanfic section for a very brief time, and here I am with yet another story, rust all over it and all. Hope you guys can spare a guy lacking practice a little slack ;)
For all the new guys around, I'm MacLeod, one of the olde writers around this turf. I know there's another Star Wars fic out there but my content shouldn't be conflicting at any levels I hope...this is just a shortie (I recall I always called my fics that though) to flex my writing muscles a little. As usual, I'll be using old MM folks for this fic. No biggie, I hope, and as usual, enjoy the ride!!
Star Wars - Shadow of the Republic
The Planet Dagobah, a year into the Clone War (Episode III)
The light transport cut through the thick humid evening air, it's almost musical humming and shiny newness an almost painful contrast to the dullness and gentle crooning of the dark, ominous jungles. A few creatures craned their heads in fearful instinct at the approaching spacecraft, then continued scanning the rest of the jungle soon enough, for in the dark jungles of Dagobah where nothing stayed at the top of the chain for long, anything that ignored its surroundings for long seldom lived to repeat it.
Coming down upon the clearing like a bird settling in to nest, the ship wasted no time in settling down. If who it had come for was still alive somewhere in the planet, the ship's presence had already been detected.
The comparatively harsh light of the ship's interior penetrated far into the misty gloom of the jungle swamp as the landing ramp extended and settled into the bog. There was a few moments' pause, and then a figure emerged; a small-statured Rodian dressed in the brown flowing robes of a Jedi. A short pleat of what little hair he had marked him as a student: a padawan. Though young and inexperienced, he had prodigious skill with the lightsaber, as marked by not one but two of the symbolic weapons hanging from within his cloak. Nathan sniffed the air tentatively, then declared in his small, high voice; "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"What's there to like about all this?" A confident voice rang out from behind him, but there was no mistaking a hidden uncertainty. The human female to whom it belonged to stepped out and surveyed the surrounding, careful to keep her cloak's hood on as though to keep out the humidity. It couldn't conceal completely the pleat that marked her as a Padawan as well, but it did keep her youth hidden, at least until she spoke. Sensing the fear within her long-time companion, Emma tried her best to be strong, for the both of them. She looked back once more at another standing further up the ramp. "Master? Are you alright?"
In such a dark shade of green as the rest of the swamp, the lone figure standing far at the back looked like he belonged here in Dagobah. And he might very well be: he sensed a connection the place had with his destiny, and had paused at the disconcerting thought. The Force was indeed strong here. Childlike in stature, his wrinkles, walking stick and deep voice gave the illusion away, and it was clear among the three who was the true superior. Master Yoda looked down at the two, furrowed his brows, and sighed heavily.
"Feel it too; do you not, Emma? The Force; strong it is here." He huffed as he prodded his age-impaired way down the ramp.
"Indeed Master Yoda. But this sensation...it is not like anything I've felt before. The Force feels...strangely....twisted here." She reached out with her mind, recoiling slightly at what she sensed.
"The Dark Side; you feel. Powerful; it is. Waiting. Expected this; did you not?"
It was true. Though young, Emma was gifted in the Force. Never one for lightsabers, she had chosen to hone her mastery over the Life-giving omnipresent flow of the universe, and was able to manipulate and sense a great many things. It was this sense that had lead them here in the first place.
It had all started with a trip years ago to this fringe planet. The Jedi scoutship had not even intended to land, but something had called out to it's pilot. That something compelled Nathan's teacher, Master MacLeod, to divert and land the both of them on it's surface, in this very same spot. They had promptly been ambushed as they disembarked by a very large reptillian denizen.
MacLeod, however, was among the Jedi's very best lightsaber-wielders, easily quoted as Mace or Qui-Gon's equal, if not more; and more than a little rebellious. Using a hilt slightly longer yet less ornated then most, his green saber had barely tasted the air; it's full length barely reached, when it retracted again, but not before thoroughly tasting the beast's ichor. It was still in mid-pounce when it was dissected into six parts to land behind the Master's stooped figure.
As it is commonly known, nothing happens by coincidence. Something in the Force intrigued the Jedi Master greatly, and the attack further confirmed whatever suspicions he had. Upon some thought, he had sent his Padawan back to Coruscant with nary an explanation, except instructions to await his return, no matter how long it took. This was customary for the strange Corellian, but it had been years since Nathan last saw his Master disappear into the planet's mists; the longest period of absence since. The confirmation of the Dark Side's presence only served to deepen his fears. The Jedi Council decided that as a Jedi with a Padawan to teach, this period of isolation was too long to be tolerated, and sent another to find him. This other was his equally rebellious close friend, and rumoured lover, the Jedi Master Truth Marr, who was incidentally Emma's teacher.
A descendent of the last survivor of a now-extinct race, the beautiful Truth was so named because of the nature of her race. She was a Force-Sensitive Miraluka, a descendant of the only Miraluka to survive a genocidal holocaust; Visas Marr. The Miraluka were all born blind, as was signified by an extra fold of cloth in her hood obscuring her eyes. Otherwise human looking, Truth did not have to worry about her sight because her mastery over the Force gave her sight beyond the visual. Of those who had chosen to bathe themselves in the Force, few could compare with Truth. Yoda himself treated the woman as an equal, and her unique ability to see into the deepest Truth in the heart of any person she touched, as well as occasionally being able to see into the future, made her a powerful Force User, indeed.
However, she had only sent one communique since touching down, and that had been before she had even started out into the jungle. Since then months had passed, and the Jedi Council grew worried. Furthermore, with the devastation among the Jedi Order the Battle of Geonosis and the ongoing Clone War had wrought, Masters were in short supply, and consequently Yoda himself had volunteered to investigate the planet and get to the bottom of it. Now here they all were, squinting out into the darkness.
A burly-looking Clone Trooper peeked out of the cockpit, his helmet removed in his strangely trademark habit. The Trooper had always seemed different from the others though equally competent, and Truth had taken to befriending him, even giving him a nickname: Shin. "Masters, there's a problem." As soon as he had said it, the ground shifted under their feet, and the ship was suddenly a few degrees askew.
"Strange...the ground was solid when I was here last!" Nathan glanced around worriedly. Though the forest had rapidly claimed the remains of the beast MacLeod had slain, he still recognised the surrounding foliage...or was it because everything looked the same in this murky darkness? Nathan couldn't tell.
"Nevertheless; adapt we shall." He turned to Shin and beckoned at him to close the ramp. "Leave; you will have to. Await further instructions in orbit; for now." The Trooper nodded in his usual grim manner, then turned back to his controls as the ramp retracted. In moments the ship lifted its way up into the sky and roared its way into the stratosphere, leaving the three in the suddenly heightened silence, and the rapidly descending darkness.
Master Yoda took in another slow breath. There was something very wrong in the planet, he sensed, and the Dark Side was only the beginning.
The Dark Side...
Immediately Yoda knew that something was wrong. The Padawans, competent as they were, reacted as well, Emma dropping to a wary stance and Nathan igniting his yellow and blue sabers as dark shadows and an eerie chittering rose over the swamp. Dark, nightmarish shapes began taking form around them, and before long they could make out five sinister, reptillian shapes. Reptillian and almost bipedal shapes Nathan knew only too well. Yoda and Emma didn't have to ask to sense that these were more of the beast that MacLeod had fought when they had arrived earlier.
Yet Five of them!...
If the single creature before was no coincidence, these were surely organised. tightening their poses, the three dimunitive figures closed up before the encroaching beasts...
...Hope you liked that entree, folks! Hope to update this fast enough...it feels good to write - type - again!...
Alright alright maybe the reaction won't be as big as I thought - after all I have indeed been good for a damned long time. But, I felt the itch, poked around this fanfic section for a very brief time, and here I am with yet another story, rust all over it and all. Hope you guys can spare a guy lacking practice a little slack ;)
For all the new guys around, I'm MacLeod, one of the olde writers around this turf. I know there's another Star Wars fic out there but my content shouldn't be conflicting at any levels I hope...this is just a shortie (I recall I always called my fics that though) to flex my writing muscles a little. As usual, I'll be using old MM folks for this fic. No biggie, I hope, and as usual, enjoy the ride!!
Star Wars - Shadow of the Republic
The Planet Dagobah, a year into the Clone War (Episode III)
The light transport cut through the thick humid evening air, it's almost musical humming and shiny newness an almost painful contrast to the dullness and gentle crooning of the dark, ominous jungles. A few creatures craned their heads in fearful instinct at the approaching spacecraft, then continued scanning the rest of the jungle soon enough, for in the dark jungles of Dagobah where nothing stayed at the top of the chain for long, anything that ignored its surroundings for long seldom lived to repeat it.
Coming down upon the clearing like a bird settling in to nest, the ship wasted no time in settling down. If who it had come for was still alive somewhere in the planet, the ship's presence had already been detected.
The comparatively harsh light of the ship's interior penetrated far into the misty gloom of the jungle swamp as the landing ramp extended and settled into the bog. There was a few moments' pause, and then a figure emerged; a small-statured Rodian dressed in the brown flowing robes of a Jedi. A short pleat of what little hair he had marked him as a student: a padawan. Though young and inexperienced, he had prodigious skill with the lightsaber, as marked by not one but two of the symbolic weapons hanging from within his cloak. Nathan sniffed the air tentatively, then declared in his small, high voice; "I've got a bad feeling about this."
"What's there to like about all this?" A confident voice rang out from behind him, but there was no mistaking a hidden uncertainty. The human female to whom it belonged to stepped out and surveyed the surrounding, careful to keep her cloak's hood on as though to keep out the humidity. It couldn't conceal completely the pleat that marked her as a Padawan as well, but it did keep her youth hidden, at least until she spoke. Sensing the fear within her long-time companion, Emma tried her best to be strong, for the both of them. She looked back once more at another standing further up the ramp. "Master? Are you alright?"
In such a dark shade of green as the rest of the swamp, the lone figure standing far at the back looked like he belonged here in Dagobah. And he might very well be: he sensed a connection the place had with his destiny, and had paused at the disconcerting thought. The Force was indeed strong here. Childlike in stature, his wrinkles, walking stick and deep voice gave the illusion away, and it was clear among the three who was the true superior. Master Yoda looked down at the two, furrowed his brows, and sighed heavily.
"Feel it too; do you not, Emma? The Force; strong it is here." He huffed as he prodded his age-impaired way down the ramp.
"Indeed Master Yoda. But this sensation...it is not like anything I've felt before. The Force feels...strangely....twisted here." She reached out with her mind, recoiling slightly at what she sensed.
"The Dark Side; you feel. Powerful; it is. Waiting. Expected this; did you not?"
It was true. Though young, Emma was gifted in the Force. Never one for lightsabers, she had chosen to hone her mastery over the Life-giving omnipresent flow of the universe, and was able to manipulate and sense a great many things. It was this sense that had lead them here in the first place.
It had all started with a trip years ago to this fringe planet. The Jedi scoutship had not even intended to land, but something had called out to it's pilot. That something compelled Nathan's teacher, Master MacLeod, to divert and land the both of them on it's surface, in this very same spot. They had promptly been ambushed as they disembarked by a very large reptillian denizen.
MacLeod, however, was among the Jedi's very best lightsaber-wielders, easily quoted as Mace or Qui-Gon's equal, if not more; and more than a little rebellious. Using a hilt slightly longer yet less ornated then most, his green saber had barely tasted the air; it's full length barely reached, when it retracted again, but not before thoroughly tasting the beast's ichor. It was still in mid-pounce when it was dissected into six parts to land behind the Master's stooped figure.
As it is commonly known, nothing happens by coincidence. Something in the Force intrigued the Jedi Master greatly, and the attack further confirmed whatever suspicions he had. Upon some thought, he had sent his Padawan back to Coruscant with nary an explanation, except instructions to await his return, no matter how long it took. This was customary for the strange Corellian, but it had been years since Nathan last saw his Master disappear into the planet's mists; the longest period of absence since. The confirmation of the Dark Side's presence only served to deepen his fears. The Jedi Council decided that as a Jedi with a Padawan to teach, this period of isolation was too long to be tolerated, and sent another to find him. This other was his equally rebellious close friend, and rumoured lover, the Jedi Master Truth Marr, who was incidentally Emma's teacher.
A descendent of the last survivor of a now-extinct race, the beautiful Truth was so named because of the nature of her race. She was a Force-Sensitive Miraluka, a descendant of the only Miraluka to survive a genocidal holocaust; Visas Marr. The Miraluka were all born blind, as was signified by an extra fold of cloth in her hood obscuring her eyes. Otherwise human looking, Truth did not have to worry about her sight because her mastery over the Force gave her sight beyond the visual. Of those who had chosen to bathe themselves in the Force, few could compare with Truth. Yoda himself treated the woman as an equal, and her unique ability to see into the deepest Truth in the heart of any person she touched, as well as occasionally being able to see into the future, made her a powerful Force User, indeed.
However, she had only sent one communique since touching down, and that had been before she had even started out into the jungle. Since then months had passed, and the Jedi Council grew worried. Furthermore, with the devastation among the Jedi Order the Battle of Geonosis and the ongoing Clone War had wrought, Masters were in short supply, and consequently Yoda himself had volunteered to investigate the planet and get to the bottom of it. Now here they all were, squinting out into the darkness.
A burly-looking Clone Trooper peeked out of the cockpit, his helmet removed in his strangely trademark habit. The Trooper had always seemed different from the others though equally competent, and Truth had taken to befriending him, even giving him a nickname: Shin. "Masters, there's a problem." As soon as he had said it, the ground shifted under their feet, and the ship was suddenly a few degrees askew.
"Strange...the ground was solid when I was here last!" Nathan glanced around worriedly. Though the forest had rapidly claimed the remains of the beast MacLeod had slain, he still recognised the surrounding foliage...or was it because everything looked the same in this murky darkness? Nathan couldn't tell.
"Nevertheless; adapt we shall." He turned to Shin and beckoned at him to close the ramp. "Leave; you will have to. Await further instructions in orbit; for now." The Trooper nodded in his usual grim manner, then turned back to his controls as the ramp retracted. In moments the ship lifted its way up into the sky and roared its way into the stratosphere, leaving the three in the suddenly heightened silence, and the rapidly descending darkness.
Master Yoda took in another slow breath. There was something very wrong in the planet, he sensed, and the Dark Side was only the beginning.
The Dark Side...
Immediately Yoda knew that something was wrong. The Padawans, competent as they were, reacted as well, Emma dropping to a wary stance and Nathan igniting his yellow and blue sabers as dark shadows and an eerie chittering rose over the swamp. Dark, nightmarish shapes began taking form around them, and before long they could make out five sinister, reptillian shapes. Reptillian and almost bipedal shapes Nathan knew only too well. Yoda and Emma didn't have to ask to sense that these were more of the beast that MacLeod had fought when they had arrived earlier.
Yet Five of them!...
If the single creature before was no coincidence, these were surely organised. tightening their poses, the three dimunitive figures closed up before the encroaching beasts...
...Hope you liked that entree, folks! Hope to update this fast enough...it feels good to write - type - again!...