Within the Force (Star Wars fan fic) Book One

Chapter Five

The sinister-looking Sith spacecraft landed on top of a desert mesa at dusk, scattering a herd of banthas. Darth Maul walked to the edge of the mesa and studied the landscape with a pair of electro-binoculars. He picked out the lights of three different cities in the distance, then pushed buttons on his electronic armband. Six football-sized Probe Droids floated out of the ship and headed off in three different directions toward the cities.

Darth Maul stood on the mesa and watched them through his electro-binoculars, just as his communicator beeped. He pressed the button and waited for the person on the other side to speak.

"Mission report," said the familiarly soft, monotonous voice emitting from the other end of the line.

"Mission is being tended to," he replied.

"Anything new so far?"

"I've just sent out the droids."

There was pause. "Alright, alert us when you've found something. Anything."

"Noted."

"Good. Lady Fackel out."

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Obi-Wan had been standing in the lounge of the Naboo spacecraft for a long while since morning had come. He'd gone over to a monitor and stared at it for a moment. After a few more minutes, he finally straightened his posture and made his way toward the exit of the ship; his worrisome self had made him feel stuffy and breathless inside.

He was slowly making his way down the opening ramp when he suddenly stopped on his tracks as he looked far ahead at something that had caught his eye. A bright blue light began to shine in the distance as a faint ticking noise followed resonated along, merely a second later.

"Padawan Kenobi?" Captain Panaka called from inside, making his way toward the young man.

Obi-Wan didn't answer for a moment as he was somewhat mesmerized by it.

"What a strange phenomenon," he murmured.

The colors were starting dance as the ticking noise grew louder and louder yet slower... as if it was almost over.

"Young Jedi, I think it'd be best if we went back inside... we don't know what that is..." But Obi-Wan was no longer listening.

"Padawan Kenobi!" Obi-Wan started making his way over to the strange occurrence.

"It's... wondrous..." The light started to get bigger and the ticking noise was now louder than even the Captain's voice.

"Obi-Wan, please..."

Obi-Wan hesitated for a moment, step faltering.

"It's just... this isn't even the Force... yet it's as powerful and wondrous," he whispered, then...

BOOM!

The ticking noise was gone and replaced by a straight monotonous beeping noise as a blast blew their way, throwing both men backward into the air. They both hit the ground, hard on their backs.

Shaken out of his mesmerism, Obi-Wan quickly scrambled onto his feet and went to help the Captain up as well, when something caught both of their eyes. Something was falling from the sky. Something that looked almost like... a body? They watched, puzzled as it hit the ground. Sharing a look, the Captain and the young Jedi ran toward the individual who laid, unmoving, on the sandy floor, many yards away. As they grew closer, they realized it was structured in a masculine way; the body of a teenage boy.