With ToR approaching us slowly, I have been writing a story about the lives of two Jedi. My character that will be in ToR and my friends character that will also be in ToR. This episode takes place 8 years before the Treaty of Coruscant. The current year is 3661, the year the Mandalorian's return.
:EDIT: There are some plot lines that will confuse you.
1. Jebord & Belcameron are on the run from the Jedi, Republic and the Sith due to betraying them all.
2. The Jedi Enclave that is mentioned in the first paragraph was a source of destruction. Jebord revealed to the Sith that there was an Enclave there (he believed it was for the greater good).
3. The Sith stike team aboard the Esiana are members of the Sith that agree with what Jebord and Belcameron are doing.
4. Jebord and Belcameron are operating under the code of 'kill one, save a thousand'. Everything they do is for the greater good.
I'm starting with episode 4, 5, 6 and then 1, 2, 3 to honor the original Star Wars saga.
STAR WARS:
THE CHRONICLES OF JEBORD ESIO & BELCAMERON COOK
EPISODE 4
Chapter One: Naboo
"We're approaching Naboo now, Jebord" Belcameron announced.
The two Jedi were aboard the Esiana travelling through hyperspace. Their Sith strike team were in the barracks preparing to land. Even though they were loyal to the rogue Jedi, Jebord didn't want to put his complete trust in them. It had been three years since that day at the Jedi Enclave. In those long years, Jebord and Belcameron had kept their vows and had proceeded to finish all the missions the Jedi at the Enclave had taken upon themselves. Countless innocents had been saved due to their actions, but a lot more Republic soldiers and Jedi Knights were sacrificed in the middle of it.
"Did you hear me?" Belcameron spoke again.
"I did" Jebord replied coldly as he didn't like being interrupted while in deep thought.
Every mission they had completed had lead up to this final moment on Naboo. The Gungan's Boss has been using the Sith occupation to rob and murder the other natives. Fortunately for him, the Gungan's under his control were completely oblivious to his actions. Their new mission was simple; assassinate the Boss and restore order to the Gungan civilization and peace to the Naboo.
"I've already told you before, but I am going to tell you again; after this mission, I'm out" Belcameron explained. "We have done more than enough to aid the Republic thus far. I want to return to the Jedi Order and Karin"
"We've been through this before, Belcameron, there is no coming back from what we have done" Jebord replied. "You can go back to Karin and your child, but back to the Jedi Order is completely out of the question. We've done horrible things, the Jedi will never forgive you"
"I'm going to try anyway. I want to return to my old life".
Jebord sighed; there was no way he was going to talk some sense into his friend. As the Esiana came out of hyperspace, Belcameron navigated the ship to just above the planet's atmosphere. He then ordered the strike team through the intercom to assemble at the escape pods. The Jedi made their way there and waited a few moments as the troopers piled into the small room. There were three escape pods aboard the Esiana, they had been used countless times in the recent years.
"We'll go over the plan again" Belcameron announced. "Your team will stay aboard the ship while Jebord and I will take an escape pod down to the planet below. This is a covert mission, no contact, no transmissions".
The strike team and its Sith commander nodded in understanding and let Belcameron continue.
"We will make our way to the Gungan base and take out it's Boss. The Gungan's will disperse and swear loyalty to one that wont manipulate and use them for his own gain like the current one".
After Belcameron had stopped talking, Jebord spoke up. "In case anything goes wrong, we have communicators on us, but will be shut off at all times until we decide to make contact. If you haven't heard from us in twenty four hours... you know what to do".
The Sith commander, Morpheus assured Jebord that him and his team understood the plan. He was secretly disappointed that he was getting sidelined from the battle yet again. But he respected Jebord's decisions, he had led them through some pretty intense situations.
"Alright, let's do this" Jebord said as him and Belcameron entered into the escape pod closest to them.
Belcameron shut the door behind him and strapped himself in next to Jebord. They looked at each other, they were ready to put their plan into action. Jebord pushed the release button on the control panel and the pod shot out of the Esiana and headed towards the planet below. The pod picked up speed after it entered the atmosphere.
"This is going to be a rough landing" Belcameron said.
The pod crashed into the ground, causing a small crater. Jebord and Belcameron were a bit dizzy due to the heavy impact. After they recovered, Jebord opened the pods door and climbed out. His feet landed on the soft green grass. As he looked around, Belcameron appeared next to him.
"I'd love to bring Constance here" Jebord said. "It's beautiful".
Jebord looked down at his left hand where his engagement ring was on his finger. He remembered back to that night where he had dangerously snuck off to see Constance while they were doing a mission on Coruscant.
He approached the door of the apartment of his lover. Part of him thought that she might not have waited for him to return from the war. As he drew a long breath, Jebord knocked on the door. He held his breath in anticipation and excitement. It took a few moments for the door to open, but when it did, his lungs deflated.
"Constance" the Jedi said.
They stood there and looked at each other, both barely believing what they were seeing.
"I didn't think I'd be seeing you this soon" she replied.
Jebord stared at her, retaking in her beauty and elegance. She really was the girl of his dreams. The only one that would ever make him happy.
"Can I come in please?" he asked.
"Of course you can, Jebord."
She stood back so he could pass through the door. Once he was inside, she shut the door behind them and made their way to the dining room. They both sat down at either side of the table and faced each other. Neither of them said anything, they were sitting in complete silence.
"I can't stay for long" Jebord broke the silence. "Belcameron doesn't even know I'm here. I just really needed to see you".
"Then why did you come?" she asked. "Why couldn't you spare me the pain of losing you again?".
"Because I wanted to ask you a very important question".
"Yeah, and what is that?".
Jebord got up out of his seat and walked around the table. He turned Constance's chair so she was facing him. As he stuck his hand in one of his robes pockets, he got down to his knees and revealed a ring.
"Constance Marin, will you do the honor of marrying me?" Jebord asked.
Anger appeared on his lovers face which was then followed by tears. He was causing her some considerable pain, but at the same time, happiness. She stayed in silent tears for a moment.
"Of course I will marry you, you bastard" she replied. "You better come home alive and fulfill this promise".
A smile appeared on Jebord's face. "You know I will".
"This isn't the time to be daydreaming, Jebord" Belcameron said breaking his friend out of his trance.
"Let's make our way towards the Gungan base, shall we" he replied. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we can go home".
And at that the duo made their way across the land and towards the Gungan base where their final mission was to come to and end.
Chapter Two: Unexpected Developments
They had been walking in silence for a good half hour now. Nothing interesting was to be seen or to talk about. The track they were on led them through a thin forest; plenty of places to hide if anything went wrong. Jebord was pondering on what the best move might be once they reach the forest Gungan base. They were just closing in on the base when a building through the trees caught Jebord's eye. He turned to his right and saw a metal structure. His heart skipped a beat; the Sith insignia was marked on the fronts and side of it.
"The Sith are here!?" Jebord exclaimed in shock. "Do you think they realize we're here?".
"If they did, I think we would of heard or seen something" Belcameron replied. "Besides, we won't be here long anyway".
"That's not the point. It's a bit risky taking out the Gungan Boss so close to the Sith base".
"Since when are you afraid of a little risk?".
Jebord looked at his friend in frustration. "Since we're so close to finishing this and going home".
"Jebord, we'll be fine. Our intelligence says the Boss will be out on patrol with minimal security. We'll pull this off with elegance and be on our way home before anyone realizes what happened".
They both stood and stared the Sith base. Things had just got a lot more complicated. What if the Sith had their own patrols out tonight? Belcameron nudged his friend to snap him out of yet another trance.
"We're close to the patrol route" he said. "We'll assassinate the Boss, bury his body out here and be done with this".
Jebord didn't respond or even acknowledge his friend. He continued to walk forwards, towards the Gungan's. Belcameron followed closely behind. They were now on the outskirts of the Gungan base. This was where the Boss was going to show up in a few minutes.
"Are you fully prepared for this?" Belcameron asked Jebord already knowing the answer.
"You've got to be kidding" he replied and they both laughed.
"You know I-"
Belcameron was cut off by Jebord telling him to shut up by holding up his hand. They heard voices in the distance and they were getting closer. The trees blocked their view of the approaching Gungan patrol party. It wasn't until they were ten meters away from them that they came into view. Jebord drew in a deep breath. This was it. The final moment.
"On my count" Jebord whispered, barely audible. "One... two...".
Before he was able to reach the final number, the Gungan patrol spotted them.
"You!" one of the guards yelled out. "Stay still".
The guard left the party and walked over to the two Jedi. Instead of running, Jebord was quickly thinking up a cover story as to why they were out here.
"What do you think you're doing here?" the Gungan asked. "This area is off-limits to non-Gungan's".
The two Jedi stood there silent. Thoughts were rushing through their minds. The Gungan opened his mouth to ask again, but Jebord spoke up.
"We were on our way to see the Gungan Boss" he said. "My companion and I were hoping we would be able to trade some supplies for information".
"What information?"
"It's regarding the Sith base not far from here".
The Gungan looked both the Jedi up and down. It was like he was trying to sense if they were lying or not.
"No one sees the Boss" he said.
"Gungan, what is your name?" Belcameron asked.
"You first" he replied.
"I am Jedi Knight Belcameron Cook, and this is Jedi Knight Jebord Esio. We come in peace".
The Gungan's wide eyes opened even wider. "Jedi? You two are Jedi?".
"That is correct. Now what is your name?".
"Garranda" he said after he regained his senses. "Please wait here a moment".
Garranda turned around and made his way back to the patrol party. Jebord saw him engage into conversation with the Boss. They were starting to take little longer than he felt comfortable with.
"We might have to bail on this one" Belcameron whispered. "I don't think he bought our story".
"Give it another few seconds".
Just as the two Jedi were about to make a run for it, the patrol party moved towards them at normal pace. As soon as they reached them, the Boss introduced himself.
"I am told you wish to seek information from me. I am Boss Kuat" he announced. "I don't think I am the right one to come to".
"To be perfectly honest, sire, we just need a little information on the Sith base" Jebord said. "We're after the number of staff and troops inside of it".
"And why is that, Jedi?".
"We are currently preparing to infiltrate the base and set free all the Gungan's they have taken captive".
That was a really risky thing to say. Jebord was hope that his shot in the dark guess was right. If not, their cover was about to be blown. The Boss looked down on the Jedi and spoke.
"Unless you have a small army, there is no way you're getting into that base. And what makes you think I have that sort of information?".
"Because you are the Boss of the Gungan's" Belcameron said. "We don't need a small army, we have all we need".
"And what is that?"
"Initiative".
"Very well, foolish Jedi" Boss Kuat said. "The population of that base is two hundred and forty".
"Thank you, Boss Kuat" Belcameron said but Kuat had more to say.
"But let me warn you, if you do not retrieve the Gungan's and deliver them safely back to this base, do not dare show your face on this planet again. I do not take kindly to letting my valuable information get misused".
'Overreact much' Jebord thought.
The Boss and his guards turned around and went on to continue their patrol. Garranda however stayed behind to talk to the Jedi.
"I just wanted to thank you both" he said. "Our Boss has not been to interested in making sure the captured Gungan's are released, let alone return".
"Be wary of him" Jebord replied.
Belcameron shot him a glare. He was close to revealing what they knew.
"What do you mean, Jedi Esio?" he asked.
"He is just worried about his attitude towards us" Belcameron cut across. "We both want to see those Gungan's return safely".
"Do you mind me asking why you want to save them. What's in it for you?".
"We were hired to destroy the Sith base by an outside third party" Jebord said. "Even though we may be guns for hire, we still don't want to see innocent people or Gungan's killed".
Garranda thanked them both again, gave a small salute and hurried off to catch up to his patrol. Both Jedi let out low pitched whistles. They had just talked their way out of yet another dangerous situation.
"That probably has to be the best damn story we have come up with" Belcameron said and they both laughed. "What's our new plan on taking the Boss out?".
Jebord stopped laughing. "We're going to do exactly what we just told him".
"Wait, what are you talking about?".
"We'll be the first suspects the Gungan's will have if anything happens to their Boss right now, we're off worlders and we just happened to come across their patrol?" Jebord explained. "The better idea is to approach the Sith and broker a deal with them".
"A deal with the people that are trying to kill us?" Belcameron sounded exasperated. "What kind of deal?".
"The kind of deal that will eliminate the Gungan boss, throw any suspicion or blame off of us and get us off this planet".
"How can you possibly pull that off?".
"By turning ourselves in" Jebord finished.
Chapter Three: The Sith Base
"We can't exactly walk up to the front door" Belcameron said to his partner.
"I guess not" Jebord replied.
The duo were two hundred meters away from the base. They were hidden just behind the tree line as the base was situated out in the plains of Naboo. After scouting out the base, they found themselves at a loss of how to get in without being seen.
"Let me get this straight, we're going to sneak into the base and confront the leader of the Sith of this planet?" Belcameron asked. "What is that going to do?".
"If we walk up to the base, the Sith will not think twice before shooting us. By going straight to the leader, we may have a chance of striking a deal with them. We are at the top of their most wanted list remember".
Belcameron sighed; this wasn't the first time they had infiltrated a Sith base and that didn't go so well either. His mind pondered back to that day on Kashyyyk.
The vents on the roof of the Sith base had security grates attached to them but they were no match for the two Jedi' light sabers. It melted through them like scissors to paper. The sun was just rising over the trees. Even though they were infiltrating a Sith base, it was still a beautiful sight at the time.
"We're through" Jebord said taking the melted grate off the vent. "You ready?".
Belcameron nodded and Jebord climbed into the duct. After they were both inside the ventilation system, Jebord took out the schematics of the building.
"Control room is this way" he said looking at the schematics. "We'll be able to make our way there quite easily".
The two Jedi Knight's made their way through the very cramped air ducts until they reached the control room. Jebord looked down through the duct. Not a single Sith was there. This was going to be a breeze. He bashed through the grate and it fell to the control room floor with a big clang. No one came to check it out. Once Jebord was satisfied that no one heard it, he pushed himself through and landed on the floor next to the grate. Belcameron fell beside him a few seconds later.
"You keep watch, I'll get started" Jebord said. He was a master at hacking into computer systems and retrieving all their information on their databases.
As soon as Jebord reached the computer terminal, an alarm started to ring all over the base. They had been found out.
"A trap?" Belcameron suggested.
"I doubt it" Jebord replied. "We might of missed a security camera or something".
"Then they might not know exactly where we are. Get going on the terminal".
Jebord didn't hesitate for a second and listen to his friend. He started hacking into the database, linking his data pad to the Sith's control terminal. The information on all the Sith's cargo ships were being downloaded. If they successfully in retrieving the information, the two Jedi planned to hijack the cargo ships and deliver it to the starving natives.
"Are you almost done yet?" Belcameron asked.
"Almost. Why?".
"The Sith are approaching from both sides of the corridor".
Jebord finished downloading the information and unplugged his data pad from the control terminal. He looked up at the vent but decided that if they got caught in there, there would be no escape.
"Get behind the terminal" he ordered Belcameron as an idea came to him.
The Sith were approaching the control room. They knew the Jedi were in there.
"Commander, do we go in?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Go in 3... 2... 1..." the commander said.
As the Sith made their way into the door a huge explosion ripped out of the room. The force of the blast killed most of the soldiers and sent the rest backwards. Getting up, the Sith commander's vision was blurry. There was smoke floating through the corridor. He then saw two figures leaving the room and running towards an exit. He was just about to contact the other Sith to warn them, but he saw something flying towards him. It was another detonator.
"Oh shi-" was the Sith commanders last words.
The two Jedi had made their way to the hanger bay to aqquire a speeder. Looking around the bay, they saw Barc Speeders. They both ran and hopped on one of each. Starting up the engines, Jebord looked behind him and saw the Sith had found them. It was time to get out of this base. And quickly.
"Belcameron, let's go!" Jebord yelled as the Sith started firing at them.
The sound of two Barc Speeders was heard and the two Jedi took off out the hanger doors. By the time the Sith could get on their own speeders, they would be long gone.
"That went rather well" Belcameron said after they had stopped for a rest.
"At least we got the information we needed" Jebord replied.
"Yeah, at least" Belcameron said with heavy sarcasm.
Jebord was still looking out towards the Sith base as Belcameron came out of his daydream.
"We could always try the vents again" he said.
"That didn't really work out last time" Jebord replied.
"It got us in, we don't need to sneak out as well do we?".
"I suppose you do have a point. Alright, let's do it that way".
Belcameron and Jebord made their way around to the left side of the base. As they reached the outside wall, they used the Force to jump up onto the roof. There was only one vent, so Jebord went over to that one and removed the security grate with his light saber.
"Bring back some memories?" Belcameron asked.
"More like Dйjа vu " Jebord replied and Belcameron laughed.
Once the grate had been removed, the duo got into the vent. Once they were in, they crawled towards the base leaders personal quarters. It was nearing night time, so they were hoping he was going to retire for the night. Once they reach the quarters, Jebord quietly removed the grate and jump down onto the floor, with Belcameron landing next to him.
"What now?" Belcameron asked.
"Now we wait" Jebord replied. "Hopefully it won't be long until he show-".
At that exact moment, the Sith leader actually did come through the door. But not alone; he had brought an escort party of troopers. The leader had a strange sense about him. He was a Dark Jedi Master.
"Good evening, Jedi" the Master said with a smile. "So glad you could join us".
Chapter Four: Captured
"That has to be the best plan you have ever come up with" Belcameron said.
They had been thrown into a jail cell in the detention block with their belongings and weapons taken off them. The cell reminded Jebord of a large metal box. Probably because it was. He didn't see any Gungan's because all the cell doors were closed. There was no way they could tell if there were any Gungan's here or not.
"Duly noted" Jebord responded.
"Do have any another ingenious plan, Captain Wow?".
"I might tell you about it if you stop with the sarcasm" Jebord sighed.
At that moment, the cell door opened and the Dark Jedi walked through. He wore a black robe, his face was extremely pale.
"You two must be very foolish" he said. "Delivering yourselves to me like that".
"You're welcome" Belcameron said.
"You must be Belcameron Cook. And you Jebord Esio". He glanced both the Jedi up and down.
"And who might you be?" Jebord asked.
"I am Master Lance" he said. "Why did you come here?".
"We have come to make a deal you can't refuse" Jebord said.
"What might that be?".
"All our information for one little thing from you".
Lance thought this must be a joke. "What did you want?".
Jebord drew in a deep breath and continued "We want you to assassinate the Boss Gungan but make it look like a kidnapping. We wish to keep our reputation with the Gungan's close to nil. No suspicion must come back our way".
"Kuat is my finest follower on this planet" Lance replied.
"What is worth more to you; a single Gungan or all the information Belcameron and I possess?".
Jebord knew from the look on Lance's face that he was going to choose the latter.
"You give me your information first" he said.
"We're not that stupid" Jebord laughed. "Once you deliver the Gungan's body here to us, then you will get everything you want".
The Master let out a low growl. He was going to have to make this deal with the two Jedi.
"Fine, but you stay in this cell until it is done".
"Deal" Jebord shaking Lance's hand.
They both stared into each other's eyes, trying to figure out what they were thinking. Jebord put more pressure onto Lance's hand until finally he let go. And at that Lance turned around and walked out the door with it closing behind him. The two Jedi may have struck a deal with one of their mortal enemies, but they were no closer to getting off this planet than they were before they even arrived on it.
"What do we do now?" Belcameron asked his friend.
A smile appeared on Jebord's face. Belcameron felt confused until Jebord revealed the Dark Jedi Master's light saber.
"You pick pocketed the bloody Master's light saber?" Belcameron said astonished. "Did you take his wallet too?".
"I took that when we first met" Jebord said jokingly.
He made his way towards the door and ignited the red light saber and started to slowly slice his way through it. After a few minutes, the door was completely melted off and Jebord kicked it down. They were at the very end of the corridor. The two Jedi looked down towards the exit of the cell block and saw it was being guarded by two talking troopers.
'Morons' Belcameron thought.
Belcameron took lead and Jebord followed him down the corridor. The two troopers finally saw the Jedi, but by then it was too late. Their necks were snapped by the Force. Up against the right wall were lockers where their light sabers and detonators were. But everything else that had brought with them was missing. Jebord discarded Lance's light saber on the ground next to the two dead Sith.
"What now?" Belcameron asked.
"We wait for Lance to come back with the Gungan's body" Jebord replied. "Once we know our mission has been completed, we will take him out before he alerts the rest of the Sith that we were here".
"How are we going to get off the planet?".
"Send a distress signal out with a coded message. The Esiana should be able to receive and decode it".
"It will take me a while".
"So get started".
Belcameron went over the control terminal and proceeded to hack into the system. He may not be as good as Jebord went in comes to hacking, but he was still able to do a majority of the things he did. Jebord kept watch just in case anyone had come to check on the guards or the prisoners.
"Wait" Jebord said. "Find out if there are any Gungan's in the cells and if there is, release them".
Belcameron typed into the terminal for a few seconds until he found what he was looking for. He suddenly stopped and stared at the screen.
"What's wrong?" Jebord asked.
"There are seven alive Gungan's in the cells" he said. "And... sixty-five dead ones".
"How did they die?".
"Most likely starvation".
Jebord and Belcameron stood there in silence for a few moments until Belcameron started to open the cell doors of the alive Gungan's. It took the natives a few minutes to gradually leave their cells, not knowing if the Sith were planning a trap or an ambush on them.
"It's alright" Jebord said. "We're here to rescue you".
The Gungan's didn't believe him at first, but why else would they have released them from the cells?
"See that vent up there?" Jebord asked. "We're going to lift you all up there and you're going to make your way to the roof and escape from up there".
Eventually, the Gungan's nodded and accepted what Jebord had said. Their only way of a possible escape was to listen to him. Jebord and Belcameron used to the force to levitate them up to the vent one by one. When the last one disappeared into the ventilation system, the two Jedi heard one Gungan call down to them.
"Thank you both" he yelled. "We all owe you are lives".
"We did a good thing" Belcameron said to Jebord.
"We may not always have the right methods, but everything we do is good".
Belcameron was just about to get into a morale argument with his friend when they heard the furious voice of Lance.
"They stole my light saber" his voice echoed down the corridor. "I may have just killed that pathetic Gungan for no damn reason".
The Jedi looked at each other, at least the Gungan was dead. It was time to finish this.
"Send out the distress signal now" Jebord said urgently.
Lance walked through the door and saw them; Jebord with his light saber ignited and Belcameron by the terminal. He felt his light saber by the bodies at his feet and picked it up.
"I'm going to enjoy this" he said as he lunged at the Jedi.
Jebord and Belcameron dived out of the way of the angered Master. They then ran out the door and dropped a thermal detonator as they left. The Master followed them and got out just in time before the detonator caused the door and part of the roof to collapse.
"Running like cowards" Lance yelled from behind them.
Lance then received a transmission on his holopad causing him to the stop dead. He then looked up at the Jedi and laughed.
"It looks like your time is up as well" he said. "I hope you have a fun time with what's coming".
The Jedi were confused at what the Master was saying. Lance then turned around and started running in the direction of the loading dock. They had to follow and kill him before he alerted the Sith, they couldn't just let him go. Too much was at stake.
"We have to kill him before he reaches an escape ship" Jebord said to his friend as they rushed through the base in hot pursuit of Lance. "Our freedom depends on it".
Chapter 5 - The Final Plan
The transport ship was leaving with the Sith Master on it. Jebord and Belcameron ran across the landing dock, and just as the ship took off, they both used the Force to jump into the open side and landed right next to the Master. The sound of the wind outside was drowned out by three igniting and clashing lightsabers. Blurs of red and blue swirled around the small spacecraft. The Master used the Force to throw Jebord into the back of the craft, and then focused all his energy on duelling Belcameron.
Jebord watched as the two duellers fought valiantly. While the Master was distracted, he took out a timed detonator and set it for thirty seconds and attached it to the floor behind some cargo containers. It was out of sight from the Master. As he got up to aid his friend in the fight, their opponent kicked Belcameron in the chest, causing him to fall backwards; right out of the craft. The Master then turned towards to Jebord, who had a distraught look, and used the Force to grip him in invisible hands. In split second decision making, Jebord pushed the Master to the side, ran and jumped out of the ship in pursuit of Belcameron.
Just after Jebord exited the craft, the detonator detonated, causing a massive explosion, which hit and forced him down towards the planet even faster. Due to the unwanted speed bonus he had received, Jebord had caught up to Belcameron. As the Jedi feel towards the planet below, which was coming up on them a very quick pace now, they grabbed onto each other.
"This is it, Jebord!" Belcameron yelled through the heavy wind. "I don't suppose you have any sort of plan?"
"My plan is now in a million pieces!" he yelled back referring to the destroyed ship.
"Well, that's just great!”
They were now less than twenty seconds from hitting the grassy plains. Even with grass that high, the fall would still certainly kill them. It was time to resign themselves to the fact they were going to die. The two Jedi closed their eyes and accepted their untimely fate. Instead of hearing the thuds of their bodies hitting the ground, they heard a gigantic splash followed by severe pain. There was confusion in the silence that now surrounded them. Jebord tried to open his eyes, but it hurt too much as water flowed into them, immediately blinding him. They had landed in a swamp; the grass had hidden the murky water. He made his way out of the water, trying to feel his way around to find the edge of the swamp.
After he trudged through the mud gradually getting out, Jebord turned out his pockets and murky water splashed out. He looked around to find Belcameron, but he was nowhere to be seen. Using the Force to sense out the location of his companion, Jebord realised that he was already out of the water and had passed out in the long grass. The impact of the water had made Jebord dizzy and light-headed. He made his way over to Belcameron and fell to his knees and immediately passed out next to him.
**
When Jebord came to, his partner was still unconscious. The sun had set and the only light source was the bright clear moon that shined above them. There was a slight breeze in the air, it swayed the grass. He found it quite peaceful. As he regained his senses, he moved over to Belcameron and nudged him to wake up.
“Belcameron” he said as he continued to nudge him.
After a few moments, Belcameron stirred and slowly opened his eyes. He sat up and they both sat in silence; counting their blessings. They had only survived the impossible by a single stroke of luck. Even though the Jedi don’t believe in luck, what else could you call this? When they got their bearings together, they began talking about their next plan as to how to get off this planet. The rest of the strike team were still above the planet’s atmosphere in the Esiana. A few miles down from them was the Sith base they had just assaulted.
“What are we going to do now, Jebord?” Belcameron asked. “The Sith still have our communicators”.
“Looks like we’re going to be paying them a second visit” Jebord sighed. “They’ll be on high alert, this won’t be as easy as the first time”.
“What’s the fun in this if there’s no challenge?” his friend replied. “There is one problem we’re going to have to deal with, though”.
“And what’s that?”
Before Belcameron had time to respond, a massive boom echoed over the land. The two Jedi looked up to see a Republic frigate had entered from the atmosphere. It was escorted by various sized fighters and transport ships that were undoubtedly carrying troopers.
“That” Belcameron said. “That distress signal we sent out was received by the Republic as well; I didn’t have time to tell you”.
“This could actually work in our favour” Jebord replied. “That is if we play our cards right”.
“How” the other Jedi replied slowly.
Jebord was in deep thought, trying to figure our yet another ingenious plan to get them out of this mess. The truth is he had been winging it since the very beginning. He was never really one for plans or entrusting variable details that went along with them. Belcameron knew not to interrupt his friend, so he got up and started to prepare for whatever was in store for them.
“We’re going to stage an assault of the Sith base by the natives of the planet” Jebord finally spoke up. “The Republic are going to engage the Sith, no matter what we do”.
“What is the trick behind this one?”
“A surprise attack by the natives will make enough of a distraction to give us enough time to get to a communications system and contact the team” Jebord continued speaking quickly to save time. “By the time the Republic realise what happened, we’ll already be in the Esiana and off the planet”.
“This sounds like another great escapade, Jebord, but how are we meant to convince the Gungan’s to aid us in this?”
A slight smile crept upon Jebord’s face. “We tell them they’re the ones that kidnapped their Boss”
“That is a very dangerous play to make” Belcameron’s tone went serious. “If they realise it’s a setup and find out the Boss is dead and that we were the ultimate cause of it, we’re going to have another major problem on our hands”.
“The only way we’re going to be getting into that base again, is to follow through with this plan. We’re not going to get a second chance”.
A heavy sigh came out of Belcameron; he had a frown on his face. He may not have liked Jebord’s methods, but he knew it was the right choice. They have had to make too many of these hard decisions in the last few months. The case of ‘kill one, save a thousand’ was being applied much too often as well. They always found themselves smack right in the middle of these situations. Jebord stayed silent, letting him ponder on their next decision. After a few more moments, Belcameron finally broke the silence between them.
“Alright” he said. “But we must make sure that the Gungan’s will not die in vain”.
Jebord nodded in agreement. “I give you my word we will do everything in our power to make sure that won’t happen. It’s going to take us a while to get to the Gungan base, so we must move quickly”.
The Jedi made sure they had everything and started to run in the direction of the Gungan’s and their base. It took them about ten minutes to reach the outskirt Gungan patrols. After a quick smooth talk that included the small use of the Force, the guards let them through. As they headed further into the base, the amount of Gungan’s that surrounded them grew. They finally reached the Boss’ chamber and found themselves standing face to face with two guards.
“Jebord Esio and Belcameron Cook” one of the guards said enthusiastically. “I thought we’d never see you two around again. The Gungan's you saved are very grateful”.
“Good to see you again to, Garranda” Belcameron replied. “We have an urgent message for the new Boss and need to see him immediately”.
“The Boss has asked not to be disturbed, no matter what the problem” Garranda said. “Strict orders, sorry”.
“We have earned the right to see the Boss” Belcameron said angrily. “I’m sure he wants to hear what we have to say”.
“I’m sorry, Master Belcameron, but I’m under strict ord--“
“We know who kidnapped the Boss” Jebord cut the Gungan off. “Well, the real Boss that is”.
Garranda stood there with his jaw down. It took him a few moments to completely register what the Jedi had said.
“And Belcameron isn’t a Master just yet” he continued giving a slight smile to Belcameron who gave him an evil glance.
The Gungan snapped out of his shocked trance, turned around and proceeded into the chamber. Jebord and Belcameron stood there in silence for a few minutes until he came back and motioned them in. As they entered, they saw the new Boss, Jute, sitting on his throne surrounded by a fair few bodyguards. He was obviously taking extra precautions. They approached Jute after he waved his hand signalling for them to.
“Garranda here tells me that you know who kidnapped our old Boss” the Boss said. “What information do you have?”
“Jebord and I infiltrated the Sith base close like we said and as we were passing the cell block, we saw Kuat in one of the cells” Belcameron explained. “We’re here to offer our help in retrieving your Boss”.
“With all due respect, we don’t need your help” he replied.
“With all due respect, you do need our help” Belcameron retorted. “We have the schematics for the base, we know where he is. The other simple fact is that the Sith and Republic are currently engaging in a battle and Kuat will certainly be taken captive by them or killed”.
Jute sat on his throne in silence pondering what the Jedi had just told him. He was reluctant to allow them to aid him in a personal Gungan matter, but he realised it might be the only way.
“We will work with again for one last time” Boss Jute announced. “Do not expect to be welcome back here”.
“Trust me, Jute, we had no intention of doing any such thing” Jebord said. “We’re only helping you out of respect of your former Boss”.
“Garranda, assemble the rest of the troops and be ready to advance on the base in the next half hour” Jute ordered. “Tonight, we march on the Sith”.
Jebord and Belcameron looked at each other in silent triumph. Smiles had appeared on Jebord’s face. The other Jedi could not help but do so as well. Even though they hated what was about to happen, they knew it was going to mean the escape from this planet.
Chapter Six: Escape
The Gungan troops and the two Jedi Knight's stood on the same tree line they were at that very morning. Except the view was different this time around. Outside the Sith base entrance was a small Republic army doing battle with the Sith troopers. The loading dock was on the other side of the building, easily accessible by the roof. Jebord's plan was for the Gungan's to move in on both armies, causing an even bigger distraction. Just big enough for the two Jedi to slip through without being noticed.
"Alright Gungan's" Jebord said. "Charge and engage them at your command, Jute".
"Gungan's!" Jute yelled. "Charge!".
The sound of a few hundred Gungan's feet pounding the ground was drowned out their battle cries. Jebord and Belcameron stayed at the back of the attack party and watched them charge towards the base. As they got closer to the base, both the Republic and Sith troops turned to look at the amazing sight. The Gungan's rushed into the middle of the battle and started attacking both faction.
The Republic was surprised at this betrayal but started firing into the unarmed Gungan's. Even though the Gungan's were unarmed, they still had very powerful arms. The Sith were also being beaten down by the natives. Jebord and Belcameron made their way around the back of the three fighting factions and towards the right side of the base. They didn't get far when one of the Republic soldiers spotted and recognized them.
"It's Belcameron Cook and Jebord Esio!" he yelled out.
The Republic commander heard this and turned to see if it was true. Jebord threw his last detonator at the Republic soldiers that had started to make their way towards the two wanted Jedi. Yet another explosion ripped through their enemies giving them a small chance to escape. There were too many soldiers to fight, they had to get out of there.
"Jute!" yelled Jebord. "Help us!".
Jute saw that his allies were in danger. He sent Garranda and his battalion to help them.
"It's an honor to fight alongside you, Master Belcameron and Master Jebord" Garranda said.
Jebord refrained from telling the loyal Gungan they weren't yet Master's, but it just didn't feel like the right time to do so. One of the Republic soldiers threw one of their own detonators in the middle of the Gungan's and the two Jedi.
"Watch out Garranda!" Jebord yelled.
But it was too late. The explosion killed most of Garranda's troops. Jebord's vision went blurry and there was ringing in his ears. He was very disoriented. He could hear blaster fire and Gungan's yelling out in pain. As he tried to stand back up, he realized Belcameron was at his side trying to pick him up.
"...Garranda..." Jebord mumbled. "Is he alri...ght?"
"Come on, Jebord" Belcameron urged.
He lifted up his friend and Jebord saw Garranda lying on the ground a few meters away. Blood covered his face, one of his arms had been shredded to pieces. Tears crept into Jebord's eyes. The only Gungan that he had ever given a damn about was dead. Jebord had appreciated his loyalty. Quick flashes of the destroyed Jedi Enclave dashed through his mind. He saw the bloodshed he had caused, the pain he had brought down on his fellow Jedi.
"We need to move" Belcameron said again.
The Jedi were being surrounded by the Republic. Almost all of the Gungan's that were aiding them lay dead by their feet. Kuat's troops numbers were also thinning. Jebord was starting to lose all hope when half of the Sith base suddenly exploded sending debris and troopers everywhere.
"What happened?" Belcameron asked.
"The fuel tanks would be my best guess" Jebord replied. "Something must have caused them to explode. Most likely one of the Sith troopers had a good idea".
"Time to go" Belcameron said as the Republic troops began to close in on them again.
Belcameron supported Jebord who was still a little dizzy. He deflected the blaster bolts with his light saber. As they went around the side of the base, they saw that the explosion caused the loading pad to collapse, destroying every and any ship that was on it.
"Damnit" Jebord said. "We're going to have to find another way off the planet".
An idea suddenly came to Belcameron. "We take one of the Republic's transport ships. It should just be small enough to dock on the outside of the Esiana".
"It's our last chance, we have to do it".
They made their way back around to the front of the base. The Republic soldiers that tried to follow them were pinned down by the Sith which gave them a small chance to slip through the battle. Using the Force to speed themselves up a bit, they reached one of the transport ships with moments to spare as the Republic had been alerted to them again.
"Get in" Belcameron said heaving Jebord into the side of the ship and closing the door.
He then went around to the other side of the ship and hopped in the pilots door and started the ship. Blaster bolts from both the Republic and Sith hit into the sides. Belcameron slowly started to move the ship upwards and raised the landing gear.
"It's now or never" he said to himself.
Belcameron ignited the boosters and sped upwards, heading out of Naboo's atmosphere. The ship suddenly started to rock. One of the Republic's fighters was right on their tail shooting the back of the ship. The transport ship had no attached weapons, only heavy shields. If they could reach the Esiana in time, the strike team would be able to shoot and destroy the Republic fight. The transport ship left the planet's atmosphere and headed towards the Esiana. As Belcameron navigated the ship close to theirs, it started firing at them.
"Strike team, this is Belcameron" he said through the transmitter. "Jebord and I are in the transport ship, you must fire on the fighter instead".
The guns stopped shooting at the two Jedi and started on the fighter, ultimately destroying it.
"We are preparing to board the Esiana now" Belcameron transmitted to the Esiana.
He moved the transport ship right next to the side of the Esiana and a small tube from both ships moved towards each other and attached. The tube was designed for smaller ships to dock with each other. Belcameron went to the back of the ship and picked up Jebord and continued to make their way through the tube. On the other side in the Esiana, the strike team was there to greet them.
"Is Jebord hurt?" the commander asked.
"He was hit by the force of a detonator" Belcameron informed him. "Take him to the medical bay. He needs to rest".
"Yes sir" Morpheus said and ordered two troopers to aid Jebord and escort him to the medical bay.
Belcameron undocked the Esiana and the transport ship and then made his way to the cockpit. Morpheus followed him and Belcameron sensed something was wrong within him.
"What's wrong, Morpheus?" he asked.
The commander sighed and looked at the Jedi. "The Mandalorian's are back and are blockading one of the Republic's most critical trade route".
"What has this got to do with us?".
"The Jedi Order are sending out a signal to every Jedi in the galaxy to come help aid in the battle".
Belcameron was wondering what relevance this had to him and Jebord. "This was our final mission, we are going home".
"Sorry Jedi Belcameron, but if the Republic loses this trade route, the Sith may win the war and everything you and Jebord have done will have been for nothing".
There was big sigh from Belcameron. He should of known he wasn't going to be going home after Naboo.
"Alright then, set a course for this trade route" he said. "I'll go tell Jebord".
And at that, Morpheus sat down in the pilot's and started to punch in coordinates while Belcameron made his way to the medical bay. They weren't going home just yet.
Chapter 7 - The Mandalorian's
"You're going to need our help" Jebord said through the holo transmission.
"We don't fight alongside traitors" one of the Jedi Council members replied.
"Well, you will have to change that".
Jebord and Belcameron had arrived at the Republic trade route and the Jedi Order had intercepted them. The battle had already started, the Mandalorian's ships outnumbered the ones of the Jedi and the Republic.
"You two are the reason behind so many dead Jedi and Republic soldiers" the Jedi said.
"And many Sith as well" Belcameron replied coldly. "Let us aid you in this fight and you have my word we will turn ourselves in".
Jebord was shocked to hear him say this. Belcameron always kept his word, but he wasn't prepared to hand himself over along with him. But he played along with it.
"If you do not turn yourselves in after the battle is through, we will hunt you down like animals".
And at that the transmission went dead.
"We're going to hand ourselves over?" Jebord asked his friend.
"This is the only way we can end all of this, the only way we can live in peace" he replied.
"They are going to prosecute and throw us to the wolves".
"Then so be it".
Jebord was infuriated, he did not like his friend making this sort of decision without him. But they had a job to do and they had to plan the best way to carry it out.
"We've got to be of some use other than just another ship out there" he said.
"How about a strike team raid one of their capital ships?" Belcameron suggested. "We can finally make use of our Sith troops again".
"Could be a good idea. Get them in here".
Jebord ordered the strike team to come to the cockpit over the intercom. It took them a few moments to reach the cockpit.
"You summoned us?" asked Morpheus.
"How would you like to go out into the field again" Belcameron asked and the Sith commanders face lit up.
"It would be a privilege and an honor, sir" he replied.
"Good, arm your team" Jebord said. "We're going to land on one of the Mandalorian's capital ships and take them out from the inside".
"Yes sir, Jebord sir" Morpheus said as he turned to his troops and ordered them to the armory and he followed.
Jebord went back to the pilots seat and checked all the controls. The Esiana was still in perfect condition. Belcameron took a seat next to him and watch his friend as he admired his own ship.
"I'm sorry" he said but Jebord just shook his head.
"Let's wait until after the battle" Jebord replied.
Morpheus and his team of five entered back into the cockpit. "We're ready when you are".
"Okay, let's do this" Jebord said revving the ship.
He activated the thrusters and the Esiana zoomed towards the closest Mandalorian capital ship. Unfortunately for the Mandalorian fighters, the Jedi' ship was faster than anything they had. It easily sped past them, heading directly for the capital ships hanger bay. The Mandalorian's fighters were useless against the Esiana's powerful shields. Once the ship had reached the hanger bay, Jebord landing it directly in the middle of their enemies.
The control panel started beeping, he was receiving a transmission.
"Are you crazy?" said one of the Jedi Master's.
"Crazy enough for this" replied Jebord.
"I sent three Jedi Knight's to aid you, they should be there now" and the transmission ended. The Master wasn't one for long conversations.
Jebord looked out his view screen and saw three Jedi starfighters landed next to the Esiana. He let down the loading ramp and him, Belcameron and the strike team made their off the ship.
The Mandalorian's started firing at them. The three Jedi ran over to Jebord and Belcameron and they started deflecting the blaster bolts. Morpheus and his strike team began pelting down blaster bolts on their enemies. They were a very impressive team to have.
"I'm Jarty!" yelled one of the Jedi over the sound of the lightsabers and blasters. "And this is Yang and-"
He was cut off by an advancing Mandalorian commander. The approaching enemy had the heaviest armor Jebord had ever seen. It may be able to withstand blaster bolts, but it would be no match for his light saber. He charged towards him and as he raised his lightsaber and brought it down on the Mandalorian, he kicked the Jedi in the chest forcing him backwards.
"Belcameron, I need your help over here" Jebord said. "This is one tough S.O.B"
His friend made his way over to him and helped him up. The commander was advancing on them slowly, the armor made his speed decrease. Belcameron ran at him, his lightsaber pointed directly out in front of him. The Mandalorian moved to the side and punched Belcameron in the side of the jaw. Jebord heard something break. Belcameron collapsed to the ground in agony.
"What the hell are you?" Jebord said to himself.
Using the Force to aid him, he took one last charge at his enemy. He jumped over him and brought the lightsaber down, stabbing him in the back. The Mandalorian fell to his knees but immediately got up again. He turned around and the last thing he saw was Jebord's lightsaber coming across his neck. His head fell to the ground and rolled a few meters. Jebord kicked the body and it hit the ground with a thud.
He ran over to Belcameron and saw that his jaw looked slightly distorted.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"He broke my bleeding jaw" Belcameron replied. "Do you even have to ask?".
Morpheus made his way over to the pair of Jedi. "I've never seen a Mandalorian that strong before".
"Neither have we" Jebord said.
Suddenly, the blasters stopped. The lightsabers hummed in idle. Everything was going silent. Jebord looked around to see what had stopped the battle and then he saw a sight that made his stomach drop. Walking through the hangers entrance were at least fifty Mandalorian commanders. These ones weren't unarmed like the last one, they had vibroblades and blaster rifles. It was time to go.