The Avalan Crisis: Arrival
Posted on Mon Feb 4th, 2013 @ 5:56am by Sotah & Thane & Bomoor Thort & Thurius
Edited on on Wed Jun 8th, 2022 @ 1:59pm
2,429 words; about a 12 minute read
Chapter:
Additional Stories
Location: Orbital Station, Onderon
Timeline: 1,208 ABY
This post takes place in 1,208 ABY, roughly nine years before the current story, Episode I - Chapter III, when Thane and Bomoor were still Padawans under Jedi Masters Sotah and Thurius, respectively.
For a world so recently devastated by war, Onderon cut an impressive sight from its primary orbital station, which was permanently locked above the planet's capital of Iziz, thousands of miles down from where Jedi Padawan Thane now stood. With his blue eyes now drifting from the green jewel of a planet over to the nearest moon, the equally historically-important Dxun.
He remembered reading about how the atmospheres of Onderon and Dxun sometimes merged together so well when the moon came close enough that the flying beasts could traverse between the two, meaning both were heavily populated with a variety of the same wildlife. It was in fact this adaptability that had garnered so much attention from the galaxy-spanning GalactaWerks Corporation, and was indeed the reason for his presence here.
Well, his and Masters Sotah and Thurius' presence, and Thurius' own apprentice - Thane's closest friend, Bomoor Thort.
"Our shuttle will be here shortly," Sotah said, stepping away from his conversation with one of the orbital station's attendants, coming over to where Thurius and Bomoor stood, just a few yards from Thane. The Selkath was garbed in his usual blue take on the Jedi Order's traditional robes, and as he came to a stop, he gave a rough approximation of a smile - or at least, the closest thing a Selkath could muster to a smile as he saw Onderon through the observation window.
"It's an impressive sight," he said, his lisp-like aquatic voice gurgling out the words in Galactic Basic, given how few could understand his native tongue. "It's a pity neither of you had the opportunity to see Onderon before the war," Sotah went on, stroking one of the moustache-like tendrils that protruded about near his mouth. "Although I have been led to believe GalactaWerks has made substantial progress in rebuilding Iziz."
Whilst neither Thane nor Bomoor were old enough to have served during the Second Outer Rim Conflict, in which the reformed Outer Rim Alliance seceded again from the Third Republic, both had been old enough to have some memories about it, and were certainly aware of the effects it had had on its member-worlds - and its allies, like Onderon.
"They were the rebels, Master," the sixteen year old Thane reminded his mentor, not aggressively. "And they did lose."
"True," Master Thurius joined the pair at the window, ushering his own apprentice to his side, "But you must admire their spirit, facing such an overwhelming opponent and battling on regardless. The planet breeds great warriors with aptitude and commitment. A pity GalactaWerks chose to win with bombers than fight on the battlefield. Not much honour in that."
"I wouldn't say there was any honour in what GalactaWerks did," came a sombre tone from Bomoor, the twenty-one year old Ithorian stood looking down at the planet, "In the day's of Ithor, my people felt that the land was sacred. Nothing would have been more shameful than to exploit the natural resources as GalactaWerks came to do here. Then again, our ties to the Mother Jungle have dwindled over the years."
Thurius hummed as he considered his apprentice's words, "I agree that a planet's resources are not to be stolen but this planet had declared itself as an enemy of the Republic and GalactaWerks stepped in to fight this battle. As I recall, your ancestors on Ithor were entirely peaceful so I agree that anyone laying claim to Ithor's resources would be entirely unjustified."
The Ithorian made a half-amused grunt, "I guess the Yuuzhan Vong didn't share those ethics, master..."
He trailed off as a ping over the PA system drowned the last of his words, "THE NEXT SHUTTLE TO IZIZ SPACEPORT IS NOW BOARDING IN HANGAR BAY 1. IZIZ SHUTTLE NOW BOARDING IN HANGAR BAY 1."
"Then we should begin the next part of our journey," Sotah said warmly, ushering them all towards their destination, "but I must agree with your Padawan, Thurius; such actions are not justified, and GalactaWerks' presence here in rebuilding what they destroyed is the least penance they could possibly pay."
"I can't say I care much for coming here at their whim," Thane grumbled, falling in step with the others, the shortest of the four Jedi. "The Jedi don't exist to service companies and their profits - particularly when there are more important things to be handling. People need our help - not GalactaWerks."
Sotah gave a slightly amused soft gargling noise. "Be mindful, young Thane; whilst it was GalactaWerks that requested our presence, there is a great deal more going on, indeed. Onderon is in turmoil since the war. Even thirteen years on, battle lines are being drawn, but now between the planet's own people."
As they approached Hangar Bay 1, the GalactaWerks attendant manning the station stood slightly more to attention at the sight of four Jedi, and quickly processed them. Even though his eyes were shielded by his helmet's visor, the air of deference was clear, and Sotah thanked him for his work.
"Queen Omina, whilst not quite her nationalistic mother," the Selkath went on, referencing Queen Avala, the monarch who reigned during the Second Outer Rim Conflict, "is still an ORA sympathiser, and given how close we are to Alliance space, she was able to secure rights for Rift Jedi to journey to her world to aid her. The Council, of course, was more than eager to have Jedi Knights on the scene in response - even if their way in was through GalactaWerks."
The transport itself was one of the more common designs often sold commercially by GalactaWerks, only it had a few more cannons and lasers attached to its hull, no doubt for added security against any agitators. Not many others were on board, and Thane was pleased to have space at least to one side of him as he settled down, looking about the passenger compartment. It was a bit too cosy.
Sensing his Padawan's unease at the enclosed space, Sotah rested a blue hand upon his shoulder, letting a calming influence flood over the young Human. "Onderonians are anything but pleased to have GalactaWerks on their world, and many are even as displeased with any ORA presence. In their opinion, they supported the Alliance during their secession so they could gain their own independence, but they failed them. There's enough conflict on this world, my Padawan, without you being too concerned. These people, regardless of their ideological standing, still largely want the same things the rest of the galaxy wants: peace, prosperity, security, and a future for their children." He took his hand from Thane's shoulder and looked over to Bomoor for a moment. "Don't judge them too harshly."
They were fair words, Thane knew. Indeed, his master was always a positive, calm and fair teacher, patient and willing to aid any and all - and had particularly done right by Thane over the years. Even so, he could see why Master Sotah had been accused of being a Rift Jedi sympathiser during and since the conflict, but Thane was confident he was not. Just like many other Jedi, he had fought lightsaber to lightsaber against many of his former colleagues. It was something that still troubled the Jedi Master.
Everyone was silent for a short while as the transport could be felt leaving the orbital station, a shift in sensation alerting them to the commencement of their short journey to Iziz. Sotah even seemed to be sleeping for a few minutes, before he broke the silence, his eyes still closed. "What is the name of the Isolationist leader again?" He asked the more tactically minded Thurius.
Master Thurius, who was very used to Sotah's meditative states, quickly had an answer, "Prince Garius, a member of the Onderon Royal Family, in fact. The whole set-up puts us in rather an awkward position. While Garius' Isolationist movement is the primal source of conflict within the city, the family refuses to turn him over to GalactaWerks. Family ties can be a complicated affair. Queen Omina herself seems to favour full membership in the Alliance, which has reportedly given her the support of some of the Rift Jedi, as you know. Unfortunately this presents us with yet another side in this battle."
Thurius gave Sotah a gaze, as if sensing his friend's feelings on this matter, "You do know, Sotah, that we are officially obligated to assist only GalactaWerks and to investigate the Rift Jedi presence here?"
Sotah made a noise akin to a light chuckling, exposing his teeth in that odd way Selkath did. "And since when were Jedi limited to their official obligations, Master Thurius?" He asked rhetorically, in a mock-serious tone as he looked over to both Thane and Bomoor briefly, before adopting a more genuine tone. "As Jedi, we have a responsibility to do what good we can, where we can, and with the opportunities given to us - even if that isn't written on our datapads."
His sights then settled definitely on Bomoor. "Even your own Padawan will tell you, Thurius, that you should be mindful of the Living Force. Everything is linked together in the pool of the Force, tied to something greater and better. By helping this people - and look beyond GalactaWerks' mere problems in this place - we may, for a change, be able to do some true good here, for the people of Onderon."
Thane's head was up and eyes narrowed slightly, listening carefully to what Sotah said, not that it was anything new he had not heard before from the Selkath Master. He could certainly see how Sotah could be mistaken for a Rift Jedi, but he lacked the military precision the Rift seemed to have about their way, which is something he remembered most well from his first tutor in the Force - the ex-Rift Kel Dor Jedi, Dora-Sul, who had come to his home when he was very young... and later killed by a Dark Jedi.
Nevertheless, whilst he liked their idealism - often thinking their ways were probably better suited than the Republic's - they were certainly no servants of peace, Thane thought. If not for them, millions of lives would not have been lost in the Second Outer Rim Conflict. Even so, he was quite looking forward to meeting at least one - if they were allowed.
The young Human looked over at Bomoor whilst simultaneously suppressing a bout of space sickness, and offered him a smile, which quickly turned to rolled eyes when a couple a few chairs along began laughing loudly. It was annoying, but Sotah had told him to mind how he reacted, and if he truly could not help but feel bad about it, it was best to make a joke of it. They were still people - and probably good people at that.
The colour of the woman's hair, however, made him think otherwise.
Bomoor's eyes followed Thane's gaze and he noticed the young couple. They appeared rather wealthy given their fine, embroidered garments. Probably lesser Onderonian Royals that had no concept of the turmoil their planet was in and only where they would spend their family's money next. The Ithorian's chest and head bounced slightly in a mild chuckle at Thane's annoyance. While Bomoor agreed that such people were intolerable at times, he had learnt that dwelling on it only made him feel worse for it. Besides, everyone had their place in the universe. Even arrogant Royals had their uses.
A click resounded through the cabin, drawing the attention of all the sharp-minded Jedi, and then the friendly voice of the pilot followed, "We're making our descent into Iziz Spaceport now. Please be ready to depart and have your papers ready for inspection."
Bomoor nodded over to the window by Thane's seat, "What can you see from there?" he asked his fellow padawan.
"Old buildings," the Human replied, his ice blue eyes searching through the transparent material, examining the growing image of Iziz. "And a large royal palace. Everything is surrounded by varying sizes of old-fashioned and rather simple structures... and a lot of people out in markets." In fact, Thane thought, most of the capital city seemed to be one large market, with the housing for the citizens built around it.
Even as his wide view of Onderon's capital diminished with their ever-nearing approach to the dock, the young Jedi could still make out the Unifar Temple that served as the Royal Palace for the Queen of Onderon, the whole sight of it all reminding him slightly of Caanus. Indeed, whilst he did not think too much on his homeworld, seeing the grandeur of this area brought back vague memories of the beauty of the keeps and holds of his noble heritage.
Whilst Onderonian buildings were nothing like those of Caanan design, and this planet - at least around Iziz - was nothing like his home (apparently, Dxun was more akin to Caanus), the noble designs and features brought back a stab of reminiscence.
"It looks far too busy," he then said glumly, turning back to Bomoor with a sigh.
"Excellent!" Master Sotah exclaimed cheerfully, but in that particular way that Thane did not find annoying. The transport landed before he could say anything more, and the hatch opened wide. Immediately, given the open-roof nature of the Iziz Starport, bright sunlight shone in through the hold.
Instinctively, Thane brought his robed arm to cover his face. "Definitely not like Caanus," he said as his eyes adjusted.
Sotah chuckled amiably, bringing his hands about on both Thane and Bomoor's shoulders (despite the latter's greater size). "You should not be so glum, young one - you are far too early in your years for such things." He aimed the two down the hatch, where they were immediately hit by the warmth and the noise of hustling and bustling crowds, despite the apparent crisis that was engulfing the world.
A young boy suddenly darted past them, a loaf of bread in hand as an older man chased him, shouting an unknown number of extreme profanities at the young thief, almost bashing into Thane and causing his hand to reflexively shoot down to his lightsaber hilt.
"In fact," the Selkath went on warmly, "I think we're in for quite an enjoyable adventure!"
TBC
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