Star Wars Kotor: The Padawan Returns

[Masuko / Luna]

Star Wars
Knights
of the
Old Republic

The Padawan’s Return

Every legacy has a beginning
Every Legacy has an end
Every hero must die
Every hero must return

The Old Republic lays stagnant as the grip of the Sith and House Ebonclaw grow ever tighter. But one hero will return. One hero thought to have died seven years ago. The Old Republic’s last hope will return to bring new power, or great destruction.

[Masuko / Luna]

“Is it time? Is she ready?” The Doctor said as he loomed over the body on the bed. It had been seven years since his employer had found his patient teetering on the brink of death on the Dematri home world. The wound caused by the great-sword had taken more than half that time to heal. The patient’s body had been so ravaged by the Dark Side of The Force it was almost impossible to define what wounds were caused by physical means and those that were a result of the dark powers.
The woman who had employed Doctor Erid Jaal leaned against the doorframe. She was a woman of few words. Her appearance was that of a spacer, though she carried two short hilted lightsabers on her utility belt. Her dull grey flight suit accentuated her well-toned figure and she stood just above shoulder height to the Doctor. She brushed the fuchsia coloured fringe of her shoulder length black hair behind her ear and stepped forward. The Doctor stepped away from the bed and cast a wary eye over his employer. The woman reached inside a pocket on her utility belt and took out what appeared to be a sleep dart. This dart however contained a formula so complex that even the Doctor could not replicate its contents. She pressed the dart against the neck of the patient and stepped back. After a minute or two the patient started to rouse.
“Doctor, leave us.” The Doctor obeyed his employer’s command and left the room. The patient opened her eyes and lifted her arm to block the ray of light from the window. “What do you remember?” Asked the Doctor’s employer. It was her habit to always get straight to the point. The patient sat up, holding the bed sheet against her chest to conserve her modesty.
“I don’t know.” She looked at her interrogator and slid her legs off the edge of the bed.
“Why were you on the Dematri home world?”
“Who, where? I don’t understand.” The patient rubbed her eyes and tried to stand. She fell back onto the bed but managed to steady herself.
“I am Mei-Lin. I was hired by your Master to find you. Your Master is now deceased. I need to know why you were this important to him.” Mei-Lin indicated to the medical instruments that filled the otherwise pleasantly decorated room. From the window it was plain to see that the building they were in was high in the clouds. She could see other buildings but they appeared to stop after only a mile or so.
She was beginning to remember things now. How long had it been since the fall? Where was she now? And whom did this Mei-Lin mean by ‘her Master’? The only Master she had had was when she a student at the academy on Coruscant. She gasped as she remembered who her Master had been. Surely she can’t mean… “Master Peacecraft?” She asked Mei-Lin.
Mei-Lin activated her wrist communicator. “Doctor.” She called the Doctor back into the room and approached him as he entered. “You said her memory would be intact.”
“Look, we’ve had her in suspended animation for too long. There are bound to be repercussions. Let me talk to her.” The Doctor made his way past Mei-Lin and sat on the chair next to the bed. Mei-Lin left the room but waited outside. “Hi there. I’m Doctor Erid Jaal. Are you okay?”
The patient looked at him confused. “Doctor? What’s going on? The last thing I remember is darkness, and falling.”
Erid sat forward in the chair with his chin resting on his hand. “Please, call me Erid. You have been in suspended animation for almost seven years. I have managed to heal your body completely but I am afraid that the scar on your stomach will always remain. Dematri weapons are infused with something called Hex. It made your otherwise easy recovery much longer than I would have liked.”
She tried to stand up again but Erid reached forward and placed a hand on her bare shoulder, making her sit. She pulled the satin sheet up again and looked at Erid uncomfortably. “Could I have some clothes please?” She asked nervously. Erid smiled and sat back.
“Soon. For now I need you to relax and tell me what you remember.”
“Well, the last thing I remember is falling. Before that, I think I remember being a child. I was at the Jedi academy on Coruscant. That woman, Mei-Lin, she said that Master Peacecraft was dead. I know that he is because I killed him, that’s why I left the academy. I remember living on Coruscant for most of my life. I was in a gang or something like that. Then it’s all darkness.” She kept hold of the sheet with one hand and rubbed the side of her head with the other.
“Don’t worry,” Erid said, “The drugs will wear off soon. Now this is important, can you remember your name?”
She looked around the room at the medical computers. She noticed a small creature no larger than a mouse in the corner nibbling on something. It noticed her and fled out onto the balcony. “Mouse, desert mouse. That was my bounty hunter name. It was the literal meaning of my last name.”
“That’s correct. You’re doing well. Now concentrate, focus on a memory. What are they calling you?”
“I… I’m in an apartment. There is a tall man sat in front of me. I can see his lips moving but I can’t hear anything.”
“Focus on his lips. Filter out the sounds around you.”
“I can hear him now. He’s talking about a bounty but I’m not listening.” She concentrated for a moment then her hazel eyes opened suddenly. “Sophia! Sophia Muad’Dib!”
The door burst open and Mei-Lin rushed in, blaster drawn. Sophia jumped back and thrust out a hand. The blaster flew from Mei-Lin’s hand and Erid stumbled to catch it just in time to shoot Mei-Lin in the shoulder. Erid gasped for breath as he grabbed the flight suit that was set out for Sophia and he pulled her from the bed. “Quick! Come with me!” Sophia grabbed at the sheet but managed to keep it wrapped around her. “Nice to know you still have your Jedi powers.” They left the apartment as fast as they could, exiting onto a promenade in the heart of the city. When they were safely amongst the crowd they stopped at a balcony. Sophia looked out at the skyline. “Welcome to Cloud City.” Erid said. A gust of wind kicked up and the only thing keeping Sophia warm started to billow. Erid quickly wrapped an arm around her and took her into an alley. He shoved the flight suit into her arms and pushed her behind a ventilator unit. She changed as quickly as she could. Tearing the sheet in two she tied one half around her waist like a sash. She came out from behind the unit and grabbed Erid by the arm. She wrapped the other half of the sheet around his arm tying it at his shoulder.
“We leave no trace. Plus this way I don’t loose track of you.” She took the blaster out of his still shaking hand and looked out into the crowd. “It’s safe. Erid?” She said, unsure of his name.
“Yeah, Erid. Looks like the drugs have worn off. But that woman is hard to get rid of. Trust me.” Sophia nodded and slipped out of the alley holding onto Erid’s hand. She caught her reflection in a window and stopped suddenly. She was different. She looked younger and had long hair now. She turned to Erid angrily. “Ah, yes. There was severe facial scarring so I took the opportunity to change your appearance. I did some research and found out that you were one of the most wanted women in the core systems so I figured that you might appreciate a new face. It’s not too different I hope.”
Sophia looked up at him. He was a tall man, gentle in his way, with short greying hair. His face was young so she took it that stress and hard living must have turned his hair grey. He wore a grey shirt with a black waistcoat and a slightly darker grey jacket and trousers. He had a bandage over his left eye and one around his neck, she didn’t care to ask why because she was mesmerised by his uncovered eye. It was a startling blue colour that seemed to shine even in the shadow they were standing in.
“You’re lucky that made sense, or I’d have to rearrange your face.” Erid smiled nervously and they continued on. They made their way to the spaceport and found a seat in a dark corner. “If this Mei-Lin is as hard to shake off as you say then we can’t stay here for too long. If she’s anything like I used to be then she’ll be jacked into the security cameras by now.” She kept looking around to make sure they weren’t followed by anyone. Erid rubbed his hands together.
“So, uh, your memory is returning then.” He said. It is apparent to Sophia that this is not the sort of thing the Doctor did on a daily basis. She, however, was used to it. She may be seven years older and look five years younger but she hadn’t lost her ‘talents’, as they used to be called.
“Yeah. I remember it all now. Clear as plexiglass. Thank-you.”
“For what?”
“Never mind.” Sophia got up and motioned for Erid to stay put. She made her way through the crowd, making sure to brush past everyone she could. She returned to the seat a few minutes later and held out a hand full of credit chips.
“Wha!” Erid exclaimed rather loudly.
“Quiet! This should be enough to get us passage to the next system at least.” She pocketed the credits and grabbed Erid by the hand. They headed for the ticket booth and got in line. Just as Erid was arguing with the booth droid, Sophia looked back to see Mei-Lin at the entrance to the spaceport. She tugged at Erid’s sleeve and he turned around to see her just in time.
“Damn. Just give me two tickets to Corellia then.” The droid acknowledged his purchase and informed him that the next transport to Corellia would leave in two minutes. He turned around again and looked for Mei-Lin but she had gone, that meant they were in trouble. He grabbed Sophia by the arm and they ran to the transport dock where their ship was birthed. They made it just in time. The guard let them on and Erid almost shoved Sophia up the docking ramp as a blaster bolt zipped past his head. It had caught his bandage, which fell away. He scrambled up the ramp and onto the ship, the hatch closing behind him. He rubbed at his now un-bandaged eye, which appeared to be just fine. He shook his head and put a hand on Sophia’s shoulder. “Bloody droids.”
“Droids?” Sophia asked as they found a seat. “We just barely made it out of there and you’re complaining about droids?”
“Well, I was trying to get us tickets to Coruscant, but that damn droid said that I was fifty credits short.” He leaned back in his seat and sighed. “So, you said you can remember everything now. How about filling me in on the details?”
“Do you want the long or the short version?” She asked.
“Well, we’ve got a long trip ahead of us.” He suggested.
Sophia sat back and began to tell him her life story. How her parents and brother had died when she was five, twenty-four years ago, and how she’d been turned over to the Jedi Academy. She had studied under a thirty year old Jedi Master named Peacecraft. In one of their sparing lessons she had lost her temper and struck at him with her lightsabers. She thought him dead so she fled the academy and lived in the under city. More specifically, the Crimson Corridor, the most notorious sector of Coruscant. She made a living picking pockets until The Syndicate snapped her up. The Syndicate trained her as an expert killer and sent her after a Hutt named Dash. He was trying to double-cross The Syndicate and it was Sophia’s mission to kill him. Instead, Dash offered her a better deal. For a few years she carried on her business of killing while on Dash’s payroll. Then she uncovered a plan that involved her being sold to the Sith. So, she made a plan of her own. She recruited a Jedi by the name of Revan to help her kill Dash and loot his safe. Of course her plan succeeded and she made it off planet without a hitch. This was where things turned ugly though. The Sith that she was to be sold to went by the name Darth Tempest. She didn’t like the idea of Sith hunting her down so she tried looking for him instead. Needless to say she didn’t find him. Instead she found an ancient race called Dematri. She trained under their leader and became very powerful. This was to be her downfall. She became tainted by dark powers and killed their leader, only to be killed by the Queen and cast into a chasm.
“And that’s where Mei-Lin found you. By the sound of it she found you before you died though. You were still alive when she dragged you into my lab on Bespin. You were almost gone though. I had to put you into cryogenic sleep for a year before I could start work.” Erid was now finishing his meal as the lights flickered momentarily. “We must have just dropped out of light speed.”

Sophia and Erid disembarked and made their way through star port customs. A Republic officer conducting random security checks stopped them. There was no way out of this. If they refused to answer his questions they would be detained, but they couldn’t hang around too long, the risk of being tracked down by Mei-Lin was to great. The officer checked his data pad to see if their images turned up on any of the wanted lists.
“What are your names?” He asked. Sophia was about to speak but Erid cut her off.
“I am Teris Vant and this is my niece So’vee.” The officer looked at them questioningly. Sophia slowly took hold of Erid’s hand. She had to remind herself that although she was in fact almost thirty she looked seventeen.
“And the purpose of your visit?” The officer checked his data pad again.
“We’re here to see the swoop racing. So’vee wants to be a racer one day.” Erid didn’t know that Sophia had raced swoops professionally back on Coruscant.
“I’m gonna be the best racer in the Core Worlds!” She piped up. The officer smiled and sent them on their way. When they were out of the star port Sophia let go of Erid’s hand. “Niece?” She said sarcastically.
“Would you rather I’d said father?”
“You got a point their. Lets get to the swoop track then.”
“I was only trying to get him off our backs so we could get out of there. Mei-Lin isn’t going to let us off that easily. She has never, and I mean never, let a target get away. She was promised a lot of cred to get hold of you and I know she isn’t going to give that up.” Erid found a bench and sat down. He rubbed at his left eye again. Sophia sat next to him and took hold of his chin. She moved his head from side to side and examined his eyes.
“So what’s the deal with your eyes then? They look fine but I think you’re hiding something.” Erid sighed and closed his eyes.
“I don’t really want to go into it just now. Lets just get moving okay?”
“This isn’t over.”
“I know. Why do you want to go to the swoop track anyway?”
“I thought you said you did some research on me?” Erid shrugged. “Well you didn’t look hard enough. I used to be a swoop racer back on Coruscant. We’re going to need money if we’re going to get of this rock and I can win it.” Erid tilted his head slightly.
“I suppose it’s better than stealing.”
They made their way to the swoop track and Sophia registered as a new rider. It would be a short while before the next race so they went to a nearby cantina to take a rest.

Meanwhile back on Bespin Mei-Lin had found out her target’s destination from the ticket booth droid. It wasn’t hard to bypass its security protocols and shutdown the customer confidentiality subroutines of its programming core. She then headed for her own private docking bay and started up her personal fighter. After initial checks she opened a compartment in the back and activated her droid Nexu. It uncurled and leaped out landing next to her. Its claws clacked on the metal floor as it paced around the fighter scanning the bay. Mei-Lin called it to her and accessed its memory core. She adjusted a few settings and upgraded it with a few new modifications that she ‘acquired’ from an HK-50 unit that was unfortunate enough to cross her path. She motioned for it to get back into its compartment and it did as instructed. Mei-Lin was soon on her way to Corellia on the trail of Sophia and Erid. Sophia would not get away from her and Erid would pay for what he did to her. She couldn’t believe that a half-dead fallen Jedi and a doctor with delusions of grandeur had outwitted her; she’d taken out targets such as The Guardians of Light, four of the strongest fighters in the galaxy.
After a long hyperspace journey Mei-Lin dropped into normal space just inside the Corellian system. She set course for Corellia and attained permission to dock at the main star port. After landing she activated her Nexu droid and made her way to the city entrance. A republic soldier approached her and pointed to her droid.
“Please state the nature of your droid’s programming.” He demanded. Mei-Lin looked at the soldier. When she spoke it was as though her voice was an echo of one in the throws of ecstasy.
“Don’t bother…” She exclaimed. The soldier closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them the woman he could have sworn he was talking to was gone. He shook his head and carried about his duties.
Mei-Lin hated port authorities, they asked too many questions. She left the soldier in a state of utter confusion and entered the main city. She checked her data pad and downloaded image files of Erid and Sophia into her Nexu droid’s memory core along with a list of most likely destinations. It leaped up onto the roof of a security booth causing much commotion and it then made its way onto the rooftops and began its hunt. After seeing her droid off safely, Mei-Lin strolled around the city. It wouldn’t be long until her droid located the targets and she wanted to relax after her long flight. She came across a pazaak den and slipped in un-noticed. After buying a drink she sat down and began to divest the locals of their credits.

At the swoop track it was time for Sophia’s race. She entered the pit lane leaving Erid at the betting booths. She told him to use all the credits he had left to bet on her. The odds were stacked highly against her, as she was a newcomer, but also because the track champion was racing today. Sophia headed out onto the track and sat astride her swoop bike. It was an elderly bike but she noticed that there were a few personal modifications to it. I could even be the same swoop she had used almost eight years ago when she raced here after leaving Coruscant for good. But she didn’t have time to think about that now; the race was about to start. The other riders pulled up alongside her and she noticed that the lead rider was wearing a black-visored helmet. The line up had said that the track champion was going to race, surely it couldn’t be Jeff Shan, he must be dead by now. Sophia focused on the track and revved the engine of her swoop.
“We'll be seeing some action here today folks!” Announced the commentator. She looked up at the crowd and waved, there was much cheering. The fanfare roared and the lights turned green. Sophia twisted hard on the accelerator and shot off the line. Close on her tail, a Twi'lekk racer tried to send her off course by jolting the back of her swoop. She let off the throttle a little and kicked his stabiliser sending him reeling into the wall. She opened up the throttle again to catch up with the lead. As she came up behind him she filtered into his slipstream, allowing her to keep at top speed without keeping the throttle open.
‘Well he sure rides like Jeff.’ She thought to herself for a moment.
The lead racer looked back and Sophia nodded, then without warning she leaned to one side and opened the throttle all the way gaining that little bit extra speed. The lead watched her pass and tried to swerve into her but failed, taking out the racer behind them in the process. Sophia heard the crash but did not look back. She crossed the finish line over three seconds before the remaining racers and pulled to a halt. The crowd burst into cheer, a standing ovation. She took the helmet off, her hair flowing as the other racers passed the finish line.
“And the winner is…” There was a moment silence as the announcer mumbled to himself. “So’vee! The winner is So’vee! A new track record has been set today leaving the champion’s previous record in the dust!”
Sophia waved at the crowd once more and headed for the pit lane. Erid was waiting for her, his face was a picture.
“You said you were good, but you never said you were that good.” He said as the former champion passed. Sophia stopped the helmeted racer and flipped up his visor.
“JEFF!” She shouted in absolute horror. “I knew it was you. How’ve you been?” Jeff looked at her in slight confusion. Erid pulled her aside and smiled at Jeff.
“Sophia,” He held up a deactivated data pad, its black screen reflected her new face. “He doesn’t know who you are and I suggest we keep it that way.” Sophia rolled her eyes and went back over to Jeff Shan.
“Okay Uncle.” She said loud enough for Erid to hear her. By the time she was back Jeff had removed his helmet. His face was slightly scarred and his hair was greyer than last Sophia had seen, but it was him alright.
“Do I know you? I get the feeling that we’ve met before.” Jeff asked.
“Nah. I just remember visiting here when I was a kid and watching you win that race against Markus Paull and Tuman Ajx. You were the one that inspired me to become a racer.” She hated having to lie through her teeth to an old friend like this, but it was for the best.
“Oh, well, I’m glad to see new racers out on the track instead of the same old hustlers. I hope you enjoy a fruitful and long career as a racer. You’ve knocked me off the top spot here. Now all you have to do is beat the record on Coruscant set by an old friend of mine not long before that race you saw me in. She’d be proud to know that there are more girls like her out there.” Jeff patted Sophia on the shoulder and made his way to his pit area.
“I’m sure she would Jeff. I’m sure she would.” Sophia said to herself just as Erid took her by the wrist. He led her back to the cantina. On the way they passed a fruit stall. Sophia recognised the owner as Mr. Garm. She remembered taking stock from him and one very annoying man by the name Ashur trying to make her pay for it. She shook her head and wriggled out of Erid’s grasp. She took a credit chip out of her belt pouch and handed it to Mr. Garm.
“What’s this for? You buying something?” Garm said, a little confused.
“No. Lets just say that I owe you from before.” Garm scratched his head for a moment and then went back to his business. Sophia kicked Erid in the heel as he went to say something and he quickly changed his mind. After they reached the cantina they found a dark corner and ordered their drinks.

Up on the rooftops of Corellia Mei-Lin’s Nexu droid surveyed the swoop track as the crowds disbursed. This place was on the top of the list that his master had given him. His primary target had been victorious on this particular track seven years ago and was most likely to return here. He stalked along the roofline and leaped down into the alley at the end. From the darkness he adjusted his focal receptors and surveyed the market place.

Mei-Lin was just clearing up after her winning streak at the pazaak table when her wrist communicator beeped. Her Nexu droid had located Sophia and Erid; She checked the location and made her way to the exit. A small band of thugs confronted her and accused her of cheating. The leader of the gang was a rather inarticulate Rodian.
“You cheat. Gima not like when sentient cheat. Sentient give back cred now.” Mei-Lin placed a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow.
“Don’t bother.” She said.
“You cheat. Give back cred. We many, you one.” Mei-Lin sighed and activated the cryo-ban grenade she had slipped from her pack.
“I said, don’t bother.” She dropped the grenade onto the floor and, with a little help from the Force, made it to the door just in time. The gang became stuck in an explosion of cryogenic sludge.
“You pay! You Pay!” Yelled the Rodian as she left.
She headed for the market place and sent instructions to her droid not to attack the target until she got there. She kept to the shadows to avoid any more unwanted attention.

Sophia and Erid took their time in the cantina. A few of the spectators from the race came over to get a holo taken with Sophia, the new champion of Corellia, but the rest of their afternoon was rather uneventful. They decided to rent a couple of rooms for the night and Sophia remembered a rather low-key place where they could stay, ‘The Bantha bInn’. They left the cantina and as they began to make their way to the hotel a large droid that appeared to be modelled after the Nexu creature leaped out from a dark alley and stopped them in their tracks.





story unfinished due to time change

[Brandon Rhea]

baraduin said:

Every legacy has a beginning
Every Legacy has an end
Every hero must die
Every hero must return

That is sheer brilliance. As a matter of fact, if you look at Ussej Bac III's sig, it's there as the "Bac Family Motto".

[Masuko / Luna]

ty v much ;D

[Master Bondora]

It's from the Episode III Book...

[Masuko / Luna]

actually i wrote that off the top of my head

[Jedi Master Arlon Kyjar]

You just have to find something wrong with everything, dont you?

[Master Bondora]

dexonkyjar said:

You just have to find something wrong with everything, dont you?

No actually.

[Brandon Rhea]

darthsin2 said:

It's from the Episode III Book...

Do you have to be an ass in every thread? I've read the EpIII book twice, and it is not in there.

[Masuko / Luna]

yere you do sin

[Master Bondora]

I never said that they're was anything wrong with that. And yes, it wasn't in the Episode III book but in one of the trailer for the Phantom Menace.

[Brandon Rhea]

darthsin2 said:

I never said that they were anything wrong with that. And yes, it wasn't in the Episode III book but in one of the trailer for the Phantom Menace.

Again, no it wasn't. The TPM trailers said:

Every Generation has a Legend
Every Journey has a First Step
Every Saga has a Beginning

[Masuko / Luna]

no it wasn't sin, i made it up!!! now stop spamming my story

[Brandon Rhea]

baraduin said:

no it wasn't sin, i made it up!!! now stop spamming my story

Agreed, and I'll say it again: Sophia, what YOU MADE UP was very well written. I mean, if I like it enough to steal it for a tagline for the Alternative Saga, then you know it's good

[Master Bondora]

jedimasterbac said:

baraduin said:

no it wasn't sin, i made it up!!! now stop spamming my story

Agreed, and I'll say it again: Sophia, what YOU MADE UP was very well written. I mean, if I like it enough to steal it for a tagline for the Alternative Saga, then you know it's good

Yeah, I saw the same thing in your Alternative Saga.