The Jedi From Earth: A Star Wars Story #Wattys2023

Part 156

***** Nathema system,
The whole time Shawn still felt numb as if nothing seemed to affect him even as he looked out the viewport on the side. The ship dropped out of hyperspace to reveal a gray colored world with only a few patches of green and water here and there mostly at the poles, "the Separatists have withdrawn to the far side of the planet Lord Vader but getting to our own is possible" Yularen said. "Very well" Vader replied turning around toward the turbolift, Shawn hoped he wouldn't notice until Vader stopped and faced him, "come along Mendes" Vader ordered. Shawn said nothing and didn't acknowledge the Sith Lord, "I will not ask a second time" Vader said stepping close and Shawn could tell by the sound of his footsteps and his respirator getting louder. He simply turned around and walked by not saying anything and stood by Yularen in the turbolift as Vader walked in.

The Lambda shuttle landed at the Imperial base shortly afterward escorted by two TIE fighters, right off the bat Shawn felt something was off, he felt a great hollowness but could hear screams of horror and agony. The whole disturbance was so powerful he felt very disoriented and stumbled off the ramp and fell to a knee trying to regain his composure, "what's wrong with him?" Yularen asked though with more technical curiosity than actual concern, the screams were still very loud in Shawn's ears to the point of being unbearable it was as if he was slowly going insane from setting foot here.

Then Vader stood by him now and sternly said, "stop it, you will only make it more difficult if you allow those disturbances to influence you" he said pushing him along. "B-but how? they're so loud" Shawn muttered as he got back to his feet, "enmesh in your own mind do not reach out to any presences you sense" Vader said, "and do not attempt resting your eyes, then you have no control over it". Yularen led them to the command center where Shawn was surprised to someone he didn't expect, the Grand Inquisitor, though he knew who it was. "Welcome Lord Vader" Commander Titus said, "we're so fortunate you've arrived".

Although the overall voices and screams subsided Shawn thought he heard a whisper of sorts, -awn, a voice said faintly, he ignored it thinking it was just his imagination. Shawn, the voice said louder this time more pronounced and he heard his name. Then Shawn spotted a horned Zabrak behind Titus with red skin black tattoos and yellow eyes, he blinked and the figure was gone, but then a passing officer somehow took the form of the figure and Shawn could see who it was, Maul,

Titus and Yularen were discussing Separatist bomber targets when Vader spoke, "what do you see I sense it as well", how something like that slipped past a Sith Lord was beyond Shawn yet then again he knew little about them. Shawn Maul's voice said this time louder and next to Shawn so close he moved aside and brushed against Vader's cape. Shawn! The voice said loudly from behind, he turned around and Maul's apparition was right in his face. "Ah!" Shawn yelled jumping back and everyone in the command center looked at him.

"Uh,sorry about that" Shawn said feeling totally embarrassed now his face feeling hot now, "as I was explaining the probes have reported signs of ancient um Jedi ruins or something else in one of the canyons" Titus said. "You are correct Commander, therefore will personally investigate this" Vader said turning around and heading out, Shawn followed him and the Inquisitor still feeling as though he was being watched from afar.

***** the Kremlin, May 12th,2016
The atmosphere was tense as it was across the world. Riosovsky was sure something bad would happen but today was when it really did, he reflected back on the years past, and Anya, when the gunfire tore through the car killing her instantly, the cause was a group of Georgian ultra-nationalists targeting him not Anya. Afterward Riosovsky had fallen into a paranoid depression, he wouldn't speak to anyone for a week besides his sons and left governmental matters to the Duma and the Prime Minister. Nikolai and Pavel understood it the most at first and refused to go anywhere for three days, Alexi on the other had the most heartbreaking reaction at Anya's traditional orthodox funeral where the attendees kiss the forehead of the deceased, "<<whys mommy sleeping?>>" he'd asked. Riosovsky simply clutched him then saying "<<she's with Christ now>> ".