1

                                                        STAR WARS

                                              THE LORD EMERGES

            Years have past since Epahs capture, Tames 4 has been converted into a Sith base, and Lu, Gais, and Quee-Zen-Yu have vanished. They truly have stayed hidden from Ballast’s scouting troops. Gathering troops of their own to take back their planet. Many have come to train in the Jedi ways and fight to overcome the threat of the galaxy. Their base of operations is a secret underground on Flick am 2, the same planet Vefgo was banished to long ago. This swamp planet was perfect cover however as it got no visitors. The planet was considered dead. The base was made under the swamp water. A lot of credits went into creating this. Gais helped gain all of it with his bounty skills. Lu went on some of the missions Gais went on. Quee remained at the base as she kept a watchful eye within the walls of the base.

            Meanwhile, the captured Epahs had been kept within a holding cylinder of energy. During this time the Jedi built a lot of rage within his soul. However, with Lu’s training, his mind kept it from collapsing. The constant shocks given by guards’ everyday reminded him of his life long prison. Darth Ballast placed the cylinder on Tames 4 for these three years. After becoming bored with the Jedi, he had it transported away. During the transportation, Epahs’s mind blacked out. The cylinder was placed on Eci, a harsh cold planet where little survived. A small Sith complex was constructed for training soldiers for Darth Ballast’s army. It has since been abandoned because the training now happens on Tames 4. The only thing remaining on the base was old droid models that had past their uses. They now roamed the hallways with only orders to kill whatever enters the base.

Inside a metal room stood the cylinder and an unshaven Epahs. His eyes were closed. His hands were tightly closed. He seemed to be in a sleeping state. His robes were charred black from shocks he had received. The material was not burnt at all. Around the cylinder were blinking lights from computers that kept the charge on the cage on.

            Walking the dim lit hallways of the base were mindless droids. These looked like very skinny human skeletons. Their red eyes looked as faded as time. Each was carrying a small blaster. Signs of decay covered the walls of the hallways. The droids walked as if they were old men without canes. Their appearance did not look threatening at all.

            Outside of the underground base was the only way inside, a covered door. Snow was over half of the door. The door was on a slant and opened from left to right. The door was impaled inside a tiny hill. Outside the door was a stormy wasteland. Visibility was impossible without any sort of device.

            Walking in the blowing storm was a figure. This figure had a heavy white coat with its hood covering the face. The pants were that of heavy material preventing it from freezing to death. Its boots were that of a hiking variety. Also white in color. On the left side of the figure was a blaster. It was of a black market make. A scope and a very unique design. Sounds of heavy breathing followed the figure. They sounded female.

            As the figure reached the buried door, it removed its hood. The figure was indeed a female. Her pure white hair blew in the strong winds. She placed a device on the door. It clang to it like a magnet. She stepped back a few feet and pulled out her blaster. Within seconds, she opened fire on the device. The door was no match for the blast. She ran inside the smoking doorway as blaster shots were echoing from within.

            Epahs’s eyes opened and he stared at a door to his room. Seconds later, the door was opening and in walked the woman. She holstered her blaster. Behind her were signs of a fire fight. Dead droids lay wasted on the ground. There were no marks on the woman.

            “Who are you?” Epahs spoke in an old tone.

            “My name is Hally. I am a tracker that was sent to find you. Quee-Zen-Yu sent me on a long mission to find you. With much training and learning from Gais, I found my way to you.” She began working on the cylinder and continued, “Much has happened since your absence. Tames 4 is now under Darth Ballast’s control. We have hidden ourselves away from them to build an army. To fight back of course.” The cylinder energy started to weaken and flicker. “Gais has helped us get our army together at the cost of his own safety. His bounty skills have gained credits to fund our base. However, he has made a name for himself among some very dangerous people. A few days ago he was coming back from a routine take out mission. An hour from our base we got a transmission. It was Gais. He was being attacked by some unknown Sith cruiser. That is all we know.” The cylinder energy gave out and Epahs walked onto the floor. Hally looked into his eyes, “We knew you were still alive, so I never gave up hope to find you.”

            Epahs gazed into her young face, “I thank you. My powers will soon return to me. Not for another day however. You must be my protector until then. Let us venture off this planet and go home.”

            “That is another matter. My ship was shot down by droids during my entrance into the planet’s atmosphere. There seems to be patrolling droids with larger weapons on this planet. Much more powerful then the droids within this base. With the cold storm outside, we may freeze to death. Our only hope is to find something inside this base to help get a signal to our friends.” Hally put her hood back on.

            Epahs looked around the room, “Where is here?”

            “This is Eci. A very cold ice ball of a planet. Nothing survives on the surface.” Hally started out the doorway.

            “How did you survive then?” Epahs followed, starting to feel more alive then before.

            “Lucky for me I crashed close to this complex. I read it on the ship’s computer before I hit. I ejected close to impact. The winds covered my decent to the ground. When I landed, I spotted one of those droids. It was like a large walking tank. Old in color, but still very much operational. I hurried towards the direction I picked up this base, and here I am.” Hally and Epahs continued walking.

            Epahs started to feel the chill from inside the hallways, “You are very brave. I thank you.”

            Hally and Epahs came to a closed door and Hally asked, “How could you have been inside that cage for so long and not turn to jelly? I mean your bones should have made you collapse into my arms! How is it possible?”

            “The Force inside me kept me together through meditation. I have been meditating for this long period. A very old Jedi trick to keep mind and body together. What about Lu, what happened to him?” Epahs looked at the lifeless door.

            “He is back at the base with Quee as far as I know. I kept contact with them throughout this long mission.” Hally opened the door.

            Inside the doorway was a communication center. It had long since been unused. Power was flickering around a computer console. It sat in front of a chair.

            “Can you get it functional?” Epahs asked.

            Hally grinded her teeth in uncertainty, “We shall see. This may take some time.”

            The Creset Falcon lay, floating in space. Pieces of debris were surrounding it. The damage to it looked unrepairable. There were large holes that could be seen straight through the haul. A large Sith cruiser was facing it with smoke coming out of its cannons. Without hesitation, the cannons blasted the rest of the Falcon into fragments.

            Nothing was left but bits and pieces.

            As the cruiser flew away, a figure was standing on top of it. His magnetic boots kept himself from floating off the vessel. It was Gais in full suit armor. He was staring at where the Falcon once stood. He kept an eye on it for a long time as the cruiser left the area. Once it was far enough, he looked away, making an angry fist with his left hand.

            “No. I can’t get it working. It hasn’t been used for a very long time and I am afraid that it just stopped working.” Hally kicked the console as she stood up from the chair.

            Epahs stood up from a meditation position, “You tried your best. Let’s leave here.”

            The two left the room and walked in darkness as there was no light in the hallway. Hally pulled a flashlight from her coat and flicked it on. Its bright purple beam lit the hallway. They walked for a while through hallway after hallway. Soon they realized there was nothing in the base but silence. They headed out of the entrance Hally came through. She put her hood back on.

            She turned to face Epahs, “You will freeze out here without proper clothes.”

            “Indeed. However, not much choice I have right now.” Epahs tried to ignore the cold as it brushed his skin.

            “Well, I think that there must be some way off this ice rock. Those tank robots have to recharge every so often. So, there must be another base around here. The only problem is how far?” Hally took a deep breath.

            Epahs looked at the heavy snow coming from the heavens, “Even if it is ten miles, this cold will not be forgiving. We must make haste.”

            “I am not sure you will make even five miles, you have no protection from this nasty weather. Stay here. I will scout the area as I have the clothing to protect me. You will most certainly freeze, Jedi or no Jedi.” Hally suggested.

            Epahs nodded yes and went back into the base. Hally walked into the stormy blizzard as fast as her legs could carry her. Epahs watched her vanish in the snow storm.

            “Be careful.” Epahs said to himself.

            Within the Sith cruiser, Gais kept to the shadows as he did not want to alert anyone he was on board. He had been inching his way through hallways with no sign of guards. He thought it was odd that a ship of this size wouldn’t have any guards roaming the hallways. As he approached the cockpit of the ship, his suit picked up some sort of gas in the atmosphere. Since he wore a suit, he was unaffected. The gas was most likely poisonous for any intruders that were not protected.

            The cockpit had no windows of any kind. There was one large console that seemed to be automated. There was no sign of any life on this ship.

            “Ok, this is disturbing.” Gais muttered to himself.

            He pulled out his blaster from his side and approached the console, keeping watch around him. He got to the console and saw a heading. It was heading for a Sith planet called Recoal 6. Gais knew all too well about this planet.

            Recoal 6 was a Sith base that once was a sight of a large final battle between Rebels and Sith. This was a time during which a Sith Lord named Darth Kathu had an iron fist over the galaxy. This battle on Recoal 6 was his final stand. The rebels won with dominance. Darth Kathu was overconfident and did not take into consideration that the rebels had a savior. This savior was a young Jedi named Nemean Deu. His devotion to the light side made him one of the most powerful in history. After the fall of Darth Kathu, Nemean was made counselor of the light Jedi. On their planet, Nurtsa, he remained for a long time as leader of the planet. He passed on as peace ran through the galaxy.

            After those years, the remaining order fell to pieces and soon dissolved. Sith became stronger with a new leader. Another Sith Lord that stepped in for Kathu. Her name was Darth Sa. Her devotion to darkness was very deep. She was more ruthless then the former ruler. She turned Recoal 6 into a Sith planet within a few years of attacks. All Rebels were either killed or turned to serve her.

            Gais raided this planet a few times and was never caught. However, his last time he saw Darth Sa eye to eye. She had caught him trying to steal a few lightsabers and a dark medallion from her personal storage. Sa caught him and interrogated him for a few days for trying to rob her personal belongings. Using only his knowledge as a thief back then, Gais managed to escape. The scars vanished and he all but buried the events in the back of his mind.

            “This is bad. If she is still alive…this is bad.” Gais muttered to himself.

            A familiar voice spoke within his head. It was Rook’s.

            “I never knew of that until now. You certainly buried this well.” She said.

            Gais sighed, “I never thought I would see this place again. However, it seems I will have to face my fears again.”

            “I sense two strong presences as we draw closer to the planet. We are not that far away. Remain hidden. One presence is very strong and dark. The other is familiar. Darth Ballast.” Rook suggested.

            Gais looked away from the console, “It seems the good old Darth has joined the Sith or was already with them.”

            “Their plot we must know.” Rook spoke.

            Gais walked away from the console and into shadows, “Two makes things more sticky then one Darth.”

            Hally had been gone for hours and Epahs had regained his powers. He was worried that she ran into something or worse. He had set out in the sharp cold with what he had on. The cold was indeed more then he could bear, but he remained focused. He was in the cold for only twenty minutes, but he knew his body couldn’t last in the cold. As the snow blew back and forth violently, he saw a fallen Hally. A large robot was pointing its cannons at her, ready to fire.

            Hally was moving, but clearly injured.

            Epahs got just close enough to the robot and leapt onto its back. The robot didn’t notice or feel Epahs land on it. With much force power, Epahs pulled the cannons up and away from Hally. The robot tried to resist, but no avail. The cannon arms shook as if there was resistance. Epahs was grimacing a little bit as he stood in the middle of the head. He raised his hands over his head. The cannon arms made a loud cracking sound. The arms flopped down as if they were turned off. The robot shook around trying to figure out what was happening. The arms soon toppled off to the ground with loud thuds. Large snow clouds formed around where they fell. Epahs jumped off the robot and landed near the fallen Hally. The robot looked down at him, sparks shooting out from its arm sockets. Epahs looked into its eyes and made a large wave hand motion. The robot fell backwards as if something large struck it. It stumbled as it fell to the ground. It was so heavy that it fell into the ground. A large hole was covered by a cloud of snow. A rumbling was echoed as it hit whatever was below the surface.

            Epahs picked up Hally and looked around. Lucky for them that a base was seen a few feet away. It looked like a large garage. Epahs ignored the freezing numbness starting to sink in. He made his way to the base with Hally moaning in pain.

            The cruiser had landed on the surface of the planet, far from the Sith base. It sat in the middle of a dried up field. There was nobody around. Gais had cautiously emerged from the ship and was surprised nobody was around. He did feel a thought of somebody coming close towards the ship. He hid within some dead branches nearby and observed the area.

            After waiting for a good twenty minutes, Darth Ballast was seen coming over a hill with five guards. These guards held lightsabers on their sides. Dressed in dark grey cloaks, they followed their master. Darth Ballast was wearing a bright red cloak. It shined in the dim light surrounding the planet. He had his hood up, but his face was easily recognizable.

            As they got to the ship, Darth Ballast spoke, “Search the ship.”

            With that command, his followers quickly entered the cruiser, leaving Ballast behind. Gais saw a look in his eyes. The look was that of secrecy. Gais tried to read his thoughts, but there was too much power blocking those thoughts. After the attempt, Darth Ballast became somewhat aware of a presence. He pulled a dual lightsaber from his cloak. It shot on in a bright purple color.

            “Nice going!” Rook spoke within Gais’s head.

            Gais gave an unconcerned look, “It was all planned.”

            “Sure it was. You might as well blast in the air to let the whole planet know you’re here!” Rook sighed.

            “That can be arranged, but I won’t. I just want him.” Gais pulled from his side a grenade like object.

            “Why do you want him?” Rook asked.

            Gais pressed a button in the middle of the grenade, “Questions need answering, and so I figure ugly here has got them.”

            “You men and your unorthodox ways!” Rook muttered.

            “You wanted stealth; this is my way of going about it.” Gais readied to toss the grenade.

            Rook became silent.

            “Thank you for becoming quiet.” Gais tossed the grenade towards Darth Ballast.

            It was tossed at a high arch that made it undetectable for the dark Jedi to see it. It exploded before it reached his face. A blue dust covered him.

            “What is this?” Darth Ballast inhaled that dust.

            Within seconds, his lightsaber shot off and he fell to the ground. Just as he hit the floor, a guard came out of the cruiser. He saw his master fall and readied his weapon.

            Gais leapt from his hiding spot and right behind the guard. The guard was unaware of Gais. Gais struck the guard behind the back and the blow knocked him out. He heard running footsteps of the other guards approaching. He flipped near Darth Ballast’s body and waited, his blaster in hand.

            The four remaining guards had their weapons ready and rushed the bounty hunter. With very precise aiming, he shot down all of them. It only took one shot each. Now the ground was covered in guardsmen. Gais put his weapon away. He then picked up Darth Ballast and his dual lightsaber and walked into the cruiser.

            “I don’t have any good feelings about this Gais.” Rook warned.

            “You worry too much. Besides, I would rather talk to this one then Darth Sa.” Gais walked into shadows.

            Hally came to as Epahs was observing the droid base.

            The base had many of the droids he just fought within the hanger. They were however non-active. Their appearance looked much older then the one he had destroyed. The base itself looked only a few years old, but it couldn’t be for sure that it was only a few years. There was no sign of any ships inside the hanger. A control booth was on the same floor in the far back of the complex.

            Hally felt her body and realized that all her wounds were healed. She stood up and walked over to Epahs.

            “Thank you. I owe you my life.” Hally put her hand on Epahs shoulder.

            “I am one who thanks you for coming to my aid when I thought I would be forever here.” Epahs started walking towards the control booth.

            Hally followed, “Well, I don’t see any transportation here except these monster droids.”

            “There is always hope when things seem hopeless.” Epahs reached the door of the booth.

            It slid open as Hally said, “I hope so. I am getting tired of this cold.”

            Epahs made a small smile as they both entered the room.

            Inside was a console, long since shut down. The room was big enough for four people, but still a little tight. There weren’t any chairs to sit on. Some dust was on the control panel.

            “Can you operate it?” Epahs asked.

            Hally breathed deeply, “Why sure!”

            She only took a few seconds to activate the console. After being on a few moments, a blinking light came on below the console. It had a very faint beeping sound coming from it.

            “That’s great; we alerted someone that this console is operational.” Hally said, turning towards Epahs, “However, that is a good thing. With someone coming, means a ship. Hopefully they will be a simple scout party and not a whole battalion.”

            “I highly doubt that. Malfunctions happen and scouts are ones to check those malfunctions. Now we must wait. The only question is, how long?”

            Hally turned away to face the console, “Well, at least we don’t have to wait out in the cold.”