Prologue- A Long Time Ago, in a Galaxy Far Far Away...
“Boy, am I glad to be off the sandspeck of a planet. I don’t know about you, but I never want to see that place again.”
Xevant shook his head, a coy smile gracing his face as his golden eyes sparkled with mirth. “Oh I don’t know Vette, Tatooine does have a certain charm to it. I for one enjoyed the time we spent with the locals.”
Vette stopped her ascent up the ramp of the Fury to give the Sith Lord an odd gaze, before shaking her head and uttering “You are so weird.”
Xevant laughed, waving his hand and allowing the doors to part before he and Vette stepped inside the Fury. Both of them were inside the ship for all of five seconds before 2V-R8 appeared out of nowhere to greet them.
“Oh Masters, I’m so ecstatic that you have both made it back in one piece. I would hate to have to report your demise to Lord Baras.”
Vette rolled her eyes as Xevant easily side-stepped the finicky droid. “Yeah yeah, we know you don’t want to be turned into scrap metal 2V. Now give me that sun cream, my lekku are still throbbing from all that heat.”
“Well, while you two are having fun, I’ll go inform His Gargantuaness that we’ve found the information he’s looking for.”
Vette snorted with laughter at Xevant’s comment, while 2V let out a soft noise of distress at hearing Xevant say this about Darth Baras. “Master, you really shouldn’t speak of Lord Baras like that!”
Xevant smirked as he headed for the cockpit, calling back “What Baras doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
It didn’t take long to reach the cockpit, where Captain Malavai Quinn was busy prepping the ship for launch. He slid out of his chair and offered a crisp salute as Xevant walked in. “Welcome back my lord, we’re ready to leave at your word.”
“Then let’s get off this dustball, I’ve spent more time on this world then I ever would have wanted.” Xevant said, slipping into the pilots seat and pulling the landing struts in. Quinn quickly slipped back into the co-pilot’s seat and set to work as Xevant sent the ship blasting out of the hanger and into space.
“Incoming message my lord. It’s Darth Baras.”
Xevant sighed; rubbing his temples as a headache quickly began to form. “Patch it into the holo-table; I’ll go see what he wants.”
Quinn nodded as Xevant spun out of the pilot’s chair and quickly strode into the main room of the Fury. He spotted the holo-table and with a mere thought activated the necessary controls. A short burst of static later and a ghostly blue figure appeared before him.
“Ah Apprentice, I sensed the exhilaration you felt after your encounter with the hermit. Now, tell me, what is it that you have learned?”
Steeling himself for another of Bara’s long winded meetings, Xevant simply uttered, “A great deal, my master,” before launching into his report. He only hoped his master had the decency to keep this one brief.
Thankfully, the meeting with Baras had been brief, the Sith Lord needing to speak quickly so he could take care of something that had come up back on Dromund Kaas. With Quinn piloting the ship and Vette no doubt unwinding from their adventures on Tatooine, Xevant decided that he should spend some time unwinding as well, though in a manner entirely different than that his friends might consider ‘winding down’. He didn’t know about anyone else, but just because the trip to Alderann was going to take a few days wasn’t an excuse to simply sit back and rest.
“2V, bring out those training drones! And make sure they’re set on maximum this time!” Xevant barked out as he strode purposely towards what had originally been a small cargo hold, and was now his personal training chamber.
“Of course master. Would you like me to ensure no one disturbs you during your exercises sir?”
Xevant chuckled, turning and giving 2V a twisted grin as he replied “No, just make sure you give me a warning before they came in. It’d be a shame if I accidentally lopped something off of someone.” before vanishing into the chamber.
2V shook his head in amazement, wondering if all Sith had such odd senses of humor, before going off to do as his master had commanded.
It had been two days since they had left Tatooine behind, and Xevant was just finishing up a communication with his ‘friend’ back on Nar Shaddaa, Lord Rathari, when a strange tingling sensation in his mind interrupted his thoughts.
“I’m afraid I must cut our meeting short. I’ll contact you when I have the time.” Xevant said, already turning away from the holotable as he cut the channel. Xevant’s eyes blazed with an inner fire as he walked determinedly towards the cockpit.
Quinn was seated in the pilot seat, a book resting open in his hands. He turned and glanced at Xevant, but one look at his face and he was sliding out of the seat to allow the Sith Lord to take the controls. “Do you sense something?”
“Yes, we’re about to have some unexpected company. Get Vette to the Engine bay, we might need damage control on this one.”
Quinn nodded and thumbed his communicator, even as the ship was pulled into normal space. Xevant allowed a dark grin to work its way onto his face as he saw their welcoming committee.
“I guess the old Jedi decided to act instead of sit around and wait for us. Just makes this more fun for us.”
Sitting in the emptiness of space before them was a small Republic taskforce, consisting of three CR-12 Covettes, and over four dozen fighters and bombers. A formidable force against a ship like the Fury…and possibly a bit overkill considering they were out here alone.
But then, they weren’t facing some pilot fresh out of the academy.
“So how many we facing this time Xev?” Vette’s voice announced itself over the communicator, and Xevant smirked as he replied,
“Oh I don’t know…three light capital ships and about forty fighters and bombers, give or take ten.”
There was a snort from the engine room, and it was followed up by Vette stating “So another walk in the park for you huh?”
“Sure, this will be easier than Saleucami was.”
“As long as we make it out in one piece, I’ll be just peachy. Now try not to throw us around toomuch? I’m still sore from crashing into V2.”
Xevant would have had said something about that, but a beeping sound from the console drew his attention away. “Seems our Jedi friend wants to chat. Patch us in Quinn.”
The cockpit was silent as Quinn worked, and soon enough a holographic miniature of Jedi Master Noman Karr materialized before them. He didn’t even wait for them to make sure the connection was complete.
“Xevant, Apprentice to Darth Baras. This is your one and only chance to surrender. Do so and I promise to spare the lives of your companions.”
Xevant glanced at Quinn, raising an eyebrow before eyeing Karr. “How generous of you to make such an offer Master Karr, but I’m afraid I’m left wondering what exactly it is you have in store for me.”
Karr didn’t react visibly, but Xevant could feel his annoyance grow as he said “I would think it would be obvious from our last encounter Sith. You are too dangerous to take alive, and I have sworn to do what I must to protect my apprentice. I cannot risk you escaping and harming her.”
“Can you not honestly believe me when I say I mean her no harm?” Xevant said, and the look on the Jedi’s face was more than enough to answer the question, so Xevant continued “Well, I’m afraid your terms are unacceptable. I’m afraid you’re just going to have to do this the old fashioned way.”
Xevant flipped the cut off switch, and then his hands flew over the controls, the Fury turning and diving away from the Jedi taskforce. Seconds later, the ship shook as laser fire from the pursuing Republic fighters found their marks.
“Quinn, start plotting a course for Alderaan, I’m going to try and shake some of these guys off.”
Xevant didn’t bother checking to make sure Quinn followed the order. He knew he would do so. Heck, Xevant was sure he could order the Imperial officer to don a spacesuit and go take on the fighters with not but a blaster if it meant ensuring the success of his mission.
The Fury spiraled into a roll and came about, laser cannons blazing as Xevant sent the enemy to their firery deaths. A few more hits landed, but the Fury seemingly ignored them as it plowed through a wave of fighters, leaving nothing but destruction in its wake.
But behind that wave of fighters…
“Hang on!” Xevant called out as he yanked the controls up, the ship rocking as several missiles exploded around them. An explosion behind them alerted them that at least one of the missiles had made a hit.
“The Navicomputer’s no longer functioning, I can’t plot a course!” Quinn called out, and though his voice still sounded cool and collected, Xevant could feel a tinge of fear coloring his thoughts.
Xevant drew upon that fear, and his own building fury, and he reached out with the power of Force and threw back the 2nd volley of missiles back at their owners. He felt the force coursing through him, guiding him as he took the Fury through maneuver after maneuver to escape the Republic fighters tailing after him.
It was then that he realized why they were causing him so much trouble. The fighters, they’re all piloted by Jedi. No surprise there. It figured that the Jedi would use their superior numbers to try and best him, but he hadn’t expected Karr to bring an entire squadron and more of Jedi with him.
Either he thinks I’m that dangerous to Jaesa Willsaam, or he just likes hedging his bets
Either way, it meant they were in trouble. He had taken on legions of enemies and bested them with little to no effort, and even in the two space fights he had fought in thus far, he had sent countless pilots to their deaths. And he had no doubt he could have bested every single Jedi tailing him if he fought them in personal combat. But here, as powerful a ship as the Fury was, his Force enhanced abilities would only get them so far against the Jedi’s smaller and more agile fighters.
Suddenly, something clicked in his head, and he called out to Quinn “Listen carefully! I’m going to give you coordinates! Once you’ve put them in, get us outta here!”
“Do you know where we’re going?” Quinn asked, inputting the codes as Xevant rattled them off.
“Don’t worry Quinn, the Force is guiding me. We’ll be safe, that’s all that matters.”
“What about the gravity field?”
Here Xevant barked in laughter, flashing an amused grin at his companion as he said “There’s no gravity field, It was Karr and his Jedi friends who pulled us out of hyperspace.”
Despite the situation, Quinn had to look at him in amazement at this revelation. “Force sensitive’s can do that?”
“Apparently. Now, are the coordinates set?”
Quinn nodded an affirmative. Xevant turned back to the starscape before them and said “Punc-”
The ship shook as a missile managed to hit the ship, causing the controls to flicker with energy surges. Xevant was sent lurching forward, his head smashing into the panel. Pain lanced through his head and his vision swam, everything seeming to slow down as he tried to gather his wits. Another hit rocked the ship, and Xevant was slammed back into his seat, only serving to increase the pain he felt.
As darkness began to swallow him up, the last thing he saw were the streaming lights of Hyperspace. Despite the pain he felt, a smile sneaked onto his face before he slipped into the dark.
-*-
“Thank you so much for inviting me here Princes-”
“Please Twilight, just call me Luna. We are friends after all.” Luna said as she led her sisters star pupil up into her personal quarters. She watched in amusement as Twilight looked at everything around her in curiosity and wonder.
Luna’s quarters were painted to resemble a forest at night, with intricate drawings of the many creatures which left their beds and frolicked in the soft light of the moon above. Up above them, a small orb bathed the room in moonlight, with pitch black candles lit with blue flames adding a mystical flair to the scene. Bookcases line the walls with ancient tomes and scrolls containing innumerable secrets that Twilight desperately wished to discover.
“Wow Pri-Luna, your room is beautiful! I wish I had a room like this…”
Luna smiled at Twilight’s comment, mirth dancing in her eyes as she said “You haven’t seen the best part. It was why I called you here actually; I wanted you to be with me when I used it for the first time.”
Twilight clapped her hooves excitedly in anticipation. “From what you shared with me in your letter, I can’t wait to see what your new observatory looks like.”
Luna laughed, a pleasant sound coming from her, something Celestia had told Twilight she was thankfully hearing more of ever since last year’s Nightmare Night. “Then follow me and I shall show you.”
Twilight did as Luna asked, and was soon lead to a rather curious sight; A door made of steel with a large round wheel on the front. Luna’s horn lit up and spun the wheel, a soft clicking sound ringing out as the door swung open. Twilight couldn’t see much of anything except the dim outlines of shapes, as the room beyond was as covered in dark shadows.
“Um…is this the right room Luna? I can’t really see much of any-YAAH!”
Twilight yelped as she was picked up by Luna and tossed gently into the room, which lit up the instant she crossed the threshold. She would have been upset at what Luna had done had she not been gawking at what the room held.
To call the room an observatory would be dismissal of what her eyes held before her. High above them was a crystal model of the Equus solar system, with all nine planets and their moons orbiting them. Equus sat in the center, with Celestia’s sun orbiting from a distance, with the other planets spinning around it instead. Above it all, the ceiling looked like the very night sky itself, shining Shimmer jewels the constellations themselves. And tucked away in a corner was a strange bronze colored machine, built into the wall and with a chimney like apparatus running up the wall and disappearing into the ceiling.
“I trust you like it?” Luna spoke as she stepped in, coming to rest beside Twilight as she too looked up to behold the sight. “Celly remodeled it for me as a birthday gift a week ago. I have to admit I was a bit upset when she did it without my knowledge, but she knows what I like, so I can’t complain.”
Twilight was silent a moment, simply admiring the beauty of the room as her jaw remained agape. After a moment, she said “I think I’ve died and gone to heaven…”
Luna chuckled, lowering her head to nuzzle Twilight, pulling the unicorn out of her stupor as she said “I’m glad you like it. Come on, there’s something even better I want to show you.”
“Better than all of this? Forgive me for saying this Luna, but I can’t think of any way that this can be better than it already is.” Nevertheless, Twilight did follow Luna, who was headed straight for the strange machine set into the wall. She saw a great many knobs, buttons, and dials, and a large screen dominated the top part of the machine. An adjustable and movable scope was being maneuvered to Luna’s eyes as she peered into it for a moment, her eyes quirking as she simultaneously plied the controls. She did this for several moments, Twilight watching and waiting quietly, before she let out a satisfied grunt and lowered the eyepiece to Twilight.
“Here, take a look at this Twilight.”
Twilight carefully took the scope and peered into it. An instant later, she was letting out a surprised gasp. She tore her eyes away from it to look at Luna. “Is that the Horse-Head Nebula?”
Luna nodded. “Indeed it is, and your viewing it through the most powerful telescope on the planet. But that’s not the best part.” Flicking a few controls, the screen in front of them lit up, and Twilight felt her jaw drop yet again as she saw an image of the very nebula she had been gazing at appeared before her. Luna spun a wheel at the far end of the console, and the machine let out a whirring motion before spitting out a life-like photo of the stellar cloud of dust. Luna’s magic took the picture and passed it over to Twilight, who only due to instinct took it into her own magic. “It’s also the best camera on the planet. We can look at anything within 100,000 light years and take a picture of it as if we were right in front of it.”
“That’s it, I have died and go to heaven! This is just, just so unbelievably spectacular!!” Twilight had the biggest smile Luna had ever seen, possibly even besting her hyperactive pink friends legendary smile.
Back in Ponyville, said pony stopped mixing cookie batter for a brief moment, her back tingling. She then shrugged and with a massive smile went back to baking.
“You’re still very much alive Twilight, but I agree with the sentiment. Celly did an excellent job with this room.” Luna replied, a loving smile spreading across her face as she sent her sister a mental thank you. She returned her attention to Twilight as she said “Well go on, it’s your turn to pick a sight.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide and she giggled happily as Luna walked her through the steps of picking out objects in the depths of space. They spent some time taking turns, Twilight using hers to pick out some of her favorites, printing out pictures of them, and then clapping her hooves in excitement as she added them to a growing pile nearby.
Luna had just finished her turn, handing the scope back to Twilight as she added a picture of a nearby proton star to her stack, when Twilight started “Hey, what’s that?”
“Did you see something strange?” Luna asked, looking at the spot the screen was currently showing and seeing the rings of Saturn prominently displayed before them.
“I-I think so…I saw something appear as I was moving the telescope. Let me see if I can find it again…” Twilight murmured, horn lighting up as she plied the controls carefully, not wanting to make a mistake and miss what she thought she had seen. It took a moment to find it, but soon enough “Aha! Found it.”
Twilight pulled the image up on the screen, and the two of them peered at the curious sight before them. A strange dark-winged object was speeding through space, past the many space rocks that made up the asteroid belt. Sparks of lightning arced around the back of one of its wings every few seconds, illuminating it’s smooth surface.
“What is that?” Twilight asked, looking at Luna’s own perplexed face with curiosity. Luna shrugged as she gazed at it, her keen eyes clearly picking up the sharp unnatural edges and grooves.
“I’m not sure what it is…but I do know that it’s artificial.” She said, watching as it steadily increased in size as it moved further towards them. When it started to take up the entire screen, Luna scaled back the viewer so they could properly watch it. It wasn’t long however before she had to do it once again. When this happened, Twilight turned to her and asked.
“Luna…is it just me, or is that thing still getting closer?”
Luna thought about it, and after a quick zoom out to get a better scope of things, the Princess of the Night nodded as she watched it wiz past Mars and continuing on. “Yes, it is coming closer, and I believe that whatever it is, it’s headed here.”
“What?!” Twilight asked, glancing from the screen to Luna and back. A mixture of curiosity and fear shone in the unicorn’s eyes, as Twilight’s urge to learn about everything battled with a strange sense of foreboding feeling she got from looking at the object. The fact that she thought the thing looked rather dark and intimidating didn’t help matters.
“Twilight, I want you to go wake my sister and tell her what we’ve seen. I’m going out to make sure it doesn’t harm anypony when it arrives.” Luna declared, already turning and striding out of the room as Twilight was forced to quickly gather her thoughts before trailing after her.
“But what if it’s dangerous Princess Luna? We don’t know anything about it or what it could do!” She paused as a terrible thought crossed her mind, and she hastily added “What if it tries to hurt you?”
Luna gave Twilight a confident smile as she replied “Do not worry Twilight, I will not do anything that could put myself in real harm’s way. I’m only going to make sure that whatever that thing is doesn’t hurt any of our subjects.” She nuzzled Twilight, reassuring the younger mare before turning and heading towards her balcony, wings already spreading in preparation. “Now please Twilight, go let my sister know what’s going on. I’ll send word if anything bad happens.”
Twilight nodded, turning about and galloping out of her quarters. Luna allowed her smile to remain but a moment more before leaping off the balcony and taking flight, her eyes gazing star-ward as she prepared herself for whatever it was she was about to confront.
