Prologue
~*~*~
29 BBY
The beeping alarm of the navicomputer woke Jedi Knight Hala Je'nal from her reverie in the cockpit of her borrowed light freighter. Reaching out with the Force, she felt the countdown timer reach zero, then gripped the lever with the force and returned the ship smoothly to realspace.
"Unidentified freighter, this is Corellia Traffic Control, please identify."
Hala took one last deep breath then stood up dropped into the pilots seat and activated the comm.
"Corellia Traffic Control, this is Jedi Knight Hala Je'nal. I'm on my way to Selonia, no cargo." she replied.
"Understood, Master Jedi. You are cleared for departure."
After switching off the comm, Hala swiveled around and activated the navicomputer and had it plot the microjump to Selonia.
Twenty minutes later, the unmarked freighter arrived in Selonian space. Once again, Hala was hailed by the local authorities.
"Unidentified freighter, this is Selonian Traffic Control, please identify."
Inwardly rolling her eyes, she replied in much the same way she had to the traffic controller on Corellia.
"Selonian Traffic Control, this is Jedi Knight Hala Je'nal. Requesting landing coordinates."
"Yes Master Jedi, your coordinates are being transmitted now."
The coordinates came in, and she piloted her small craft down into Selonia's atmosphere. Three weeks ago the Jedi council had recieved word of a dispute between two dens that needed a mediator. The smaller of the dens had requested a Jedi mediator as some members of one of the other den were biased. And so, Hala was called in to take care of the issue.
Hala set her ship down twenty meters from the entrance of the den where the meetings would be taking place. She disembarked and was greeted by a group of a dozen Selonians, a majority of which seemed to be an honor guard. The only two who were not guards wore the ceremonial headdress of the Den Mother. Hala walked gracefully down to them and made an elegant curtsy.
"Your most Honorable Majesties. I am Jedi Knight Hala Je'nal."
The shorter of the two Den mothers bowed her head and replied,
"Honorable Hala, I am Den mother Rod'en'esh."
The other Den Mother exchanged hospitalities with Hala and they moved into the comfort of the den to escape the light drizzle that had begun to fall. As they walked through the tunnels, Hala sensed a relaxation and sense of ease in her presence from Den Mother Rod'en'esh that her counterpart did not share. As they walked deeper and deeper into the catacombs of the enormous den, Hala began to sense another presence in the force, one with distinct force ability, albiet untrained and uncontrollable.
"Honorable Den Mother," she began "After we have completed our meeting, I would like to investigate a member of your den."
Rod'en'esh nodded and replied,
"Of course Honorable Jedi."
Three hours later, the peace talks had been completed, ending with Rod'en'esh's den splitting the land evenly with the rival den. As she walked through the tunnels, Hala inwardly reflected on the discussion. She had handled it well, and she had ended a potential conflict before it could even begin. But now she had other things to occupy her time. She was rapidly approaching the source of the Force sensitivity she had felt when she entered the den. She turned one last corner and came upon the scene of a nursery, full of crying Selonian cubs. Standing about three rows back, a young selonian male was looking down upon a baby cub, its fur not yet grown in, making it look like a small hairless rodent. Hala approached the young cub slowly from his left. As she approached, he turned his head and looked up at her.
"Hello, Jedi."
His Basic was flawless with only the slightest hint of an accent, which was incredibly unusual for a Selonian. But what disconcerted her the most was the fact that he had known she was a Jedi, and she had not said anything to him.
"Hello, young one."
"Why have you come to the nursery?" His voice was full of curiousity, to be expected in one so young. Hala smiled brightly.
"I have come to see you, young one."
"Me? Why me?" he replied.
"You carry a special gift inside you, one that I can help nurture and grow."
At this he had a puzzled look on his face.
"I already knew I was fertile. What you speak of, I can do on my own."
Now it was Hala's turn to look puzzled. Then, suddenly, she remembered. Only about one in five hundred Selonian cubs we're male, and even then, only about a quarter of those we're fertile. Smiling to herself, she laughed softly.
"You may be fertile, but you also carry the Force."
He cocked his head sideways and asked, "The Force?"
"Yes, the Force is an energy field that binds us, permeates us, and surrounds us, and influences everything. But there is much more to learn than that. Come with me young one, its time we go see the Den mother."
He followed obediently. He will be a good apprentice, I think. Look at him! His training has not even begun and he already takes direction well. she thought to herself as they walked along the passage.
They turned a corner and passed into the living corners of the Den Mother. She turned and acknowledged Hala by standing up and walking over to meet her. When she was near, Hala curtsied again.
"Honorable Den Mother, I have come to discuss the future of this young cub."
She rested a hand on his shoulder, already muscular, even at his tender young age.
The Den Mothers eyes lit up with joy when the implications of her words became clear to her.
"He possesses the Force?" she inquired.
"Yes, Honorable One, he is Force Sensitive."
"It would pain me greatly to lose my first fertile male in almost 3 years, but on the other hand, there have been only a handful of Selonian Jedi throughout history. It is a tough decision, but one that must be made. Seral will become a Jedi." she nodded.
She bowed to the Jedi deeply, then straightening herself, she said quietly, "Please take care of him, Honorable Jedi, train him well, and let him honor his homeworld with his achievements."
I hate to put it like this, especially since no one has posted except me, but unless I get some feedback, I'll be dropping this story, and its going to be a good one...
Very excellent story, Kado!! No corrections yet, but don't end the story now!! CONTINUE!!! :D
I knows theres not much to say about it, but commenting does inspire.
The first chapter is almost done, look forward to the next installment. ;)