STAR WARS: Knights of the Old Republic

CHAPTER 1

A dark figure dressed in a long hooded robe stared out the viewport of their flagship. They watched the ships battling in front of him in the black expanse of space through the thin visor of their Mandalorian mask. Their cape hung loosely off their shoulders as they slowly turned, hands clasped behind their back, to regard the newcomers to flagship's bridge.

A woman adorned in the robes of a Jedi Knight, followed by several other Jedi Knights, slowly entered the room, lightsabers drawn. The woman's dark brown hair was braided at the back, with two smaller braids on each side of her head. Her serious demeanor and her double-bladed yellow lightsaber conveyed an heir of confidence and utter disdain for the figure in black.

"Dark Lord!" she called out to the hooded masked figure, "you are by the authority of the Jedi Council and Galactic Republic been deemed guilty of war crimes and sentenced to death! Stand down!"

The Dark Lord of the Sith regarded them for a moment from behind the visor of his mask. With a hiss and a crackle he ignited his crimson lightsaber. He stretched out one of his hands, effortlessly lifting the four Jedi Knights behind the Jedi woman into the air, and closing his hand into a fist, snapped their windpipes. The four Jedi Knights landed on the cold floor of the ship with a thud. Their lightsaber hilts rolling across the floor. The Dark Side radiated from his presence in a cold aura.

"You were once a great Jedi, Revan," the woman called out," You have brought shame to the Jedi Order! You will pay for all the innocent people you've slaughtered! This ends here!" She leapt across the room quickly closing the gap between her and the Sith Lord. Sparks ignited as their lightsabers clashed.

Venar woke with a start, beads of sweat had accumulated across his fair skin. His brown eyes darted across the room as he sat up in a bed he was unfamiliar with in a what appeared to be a dark apartment. His dark brown hair sat in a matted mess atop his head.

"I wasn't sure you were ever going to wake up", came a man's voice from somewhere off to his left. The lights in the apartment suddenly came on and a man with dark hair that had been combed neatly and that partly hung down over his forehead walked into view. His face was scruffy and he had the look of someone who had seen a lot even though Venar knew he couldn't be much older than himself. Probably late thirties he guessed. His wore a weathered tan jacket and dark pants.

"Who..." Venar struggled to sit up in the bed," who are you?"

"Sorry," the man said, "I'm Carth Onasi, of the Republic Navy, you took quite a beating in the crash. We're honestly lucky to be alive."

"I guess I owe you my life then," Venar said as he stretched, every bone aching in his body, "how did we get here?"

"You got knocked out in the crash," Carth explained, "luckily, I wasn't badly hurt and I was able to drag you to safety. Our pod crashed in the undercity, a dark place where the outcasts of Tarisian society are sent to carve out a miserable existence. This planet is under Sith occupation but a couple scavengers helped me get you to the upper city and find this place. It's an apartment complex used mostly by those looking to keep a low profile. We should be fine here, while we search for Bastila."

"Why is everyone so obsessed with Bastila?" Venar asked. "I get she's a Jedi but there's thousands of Jedi. What makes her so special?"

"She is considered one of the most gifted Jedi Knights of the entire Order. From what I've heard, she possesses a rare ability the Jedi call Battle Meditation. It allows her to influence entire armies and battles. She can boost our troops will to fight and improve their focus, while also demoralizing the enemy army. Because of her, we've won countless battles against Sith forces. She may very well be the key to winning this war."