“Do you think the jedi is dead?” A duros, lowering his blaster rifle, questioned his two companions.
“It seems so.” A young thin human male said but continued to aim his handgun at the jedi who lay on the metal floor motionless.
“Morons, three blaster bolts in chest will kill everyone, even a jedi.” A weeguay snorted and rested his rifle's barrel upon his right shoulder. “Or do you think the jedi are immortals?”
The duros and the human shared a glance.
“Um... I think you are right, boss. This one looks pretty dead.” The human said and also lowered his blaster pistol.
“Huh, the jedi aren't so tough as they say.” The duros commented, coming closer to the dead jedi. “I thought it would be harder to kill him.”
The weeguay grinned. “There are a lot of rumors and mysteries about the jedi in the galaxy but one myth we have busted today. The jedi aren't invincible warriors. To kill a jedi, you just need a rifle, two armed fellows, and a simple ambush.”
The trio chuckled.
“Okay, boys, drug the jedi into our “Bantha”! We will dispose of the body in the space!” The weeguay commanded.
Then he smirked and whispered. “Meanwhile, I'll take his funny laser sword. It shall cost a lot.”
+
When Shuu Tu was a youngling, he dreamed of becoming a jedi knight once. In the Jedi Temple each youngling shared this dream. Shuu's clan, the Wampa clan, wasn't an exception. The little jedi liked to imagine their future where they are strong and brave knights (or masters) who fight against evil to bring peace and justice to the poor souls of the galaxy.
Shuu studied and trained hard at jedi academy to pass all the trials: he memorized the Jedi Code and could recite it any moment, he demonstrated to the masters his lightsaber combat technique on the stage successfully, he proved through a meditation his strong connection to the Force, he showed that he could wield the Force smoothly, and he had assembled his own lightsaber. As a result, Shuu was allowed to participate in the Apprentice Tournament. He fought valiantly but lost in the final round. The twi'lek male opponent was just better. Sadly but that time no one had chosen the initiate Tu as his or her padawan.
The teenager continued to participate in the following Apprentice Tournaments, every time reaching the second or even the final rounds, until he was thirteen. By this age the young initiate must find a master - or else he or she will be sent to the Jedi Service Corps. “An organization of washouts”, as many younglings thought. Unfortunately, a miracle didn't happen despite all efforts of the young initiate. Shuu didn't find his master. It was a devastating blow to the young jedi.
He was sent to the AgriCorps, the largest branch of the Jedi Service Corps. Shuu began to serve the people of the Galactic Republic in this organization.
The jedi of AgriCorps helped the sentient species on many planets to grow healthy crops to avoid a famine, heal the wounded ones, and restore nature on the polluted planets.
Living as a member of the AgriCorps, Shuu calmed down and accepted his fate. Not a knight but still a jedi, he often repeated to himself. He believed that it was his duty to help the people of the galaxy.
The initiate Tu studied the living Force in a small enclave of jedi on Taanab. He learned how to communicate with animals and had even befriended a few ones. The jedi mastered the consitor sato - the Force power that allowed the user to control the growth of plants. The local jedi orchard was a fine place for practicing.
Shuu continued to train with a lightsaber but it happened occasionally. The man felt that his swordsmanship was getting “rusty” steadily. Besides, it was difficult to find a spar partner. A majority of jedi in the AgriCorps didn't possess lightsabers, because they failed at one of the trials at a young age and couldn't go to Ilum to find a kyber crystal for his or her future lightsaber.
The assembled lightsaber was a token that you have a qualification to become a padawan. As well, it was your passage right to participate in the Apprentice Tournament.
Those few jedi in the AgriCorps who had lightsabers often stopped to train with their weapons with the passage of time. They just didn't see any sense in that anymore. The jedi in the AgriCorps preferred to study the live Force than swordsmanship.
Five years Shuu lived like that, going on the occasional missions, until one day he volunteered for his last mission on the agriworld Ukio.
The jedi Sanya, who served as a delegate for Galactic Republic on the said planet, requested help due to the bountiful harvest that season. The locals couldn't gather all the food themselves that could feed many people outside Ukio, thus the Jedi Order agreed to give a hand.
The initiate Tu arrived on the planet as well as a large group of hired workers. He was on Ukio many times in the past. Shuu and Sanya were members of the same clan when they were younglings. They had a good relationship.
Doing his mission, the man discovered that a portion of the food was disappearing regularly while being transported to the spaceport. Shuu knew that he should report about that to the Council but he decided to conduct an investigation himself.
He spent a standard week learning that the food was smuggled out of Ukio. The investigation had brought the young man to the warehouse where he hoped to catch the smugglers who, as Shuu believed, worked with someone within the planetary government.
The jedi sneaked into the warehouse where he had been ambushed. The initiate Tu had managed to activate his lightsaber and protect himself against the storm of blaster bolts, but a stun grenade became a surprise for him. The grenade exploded. Next second disoriented Shuu was shot. He died.
+
An old corellian freighter, called “Bantha” by its current crew, stood close to the warehouse. The spacecraft, model YG-4210, had seen a lot for its long life. It fought against competitors in space, it hid from pirates and judicial forces in asteroid belts, and, of course, it smuggled goods in and out of numerous planets around the galaxy. Also, it saw the end of many of its owners and quite often they died due to a betrayal. For example, like it had happened just now with his last captain – a rough and arrogant weeguay.
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.
Several minutes ago the large warehouse's gate opened a little, allowing a pair of smugglers to drug out a body in the jedi's robes. The captain, grinning and carrying his rifle on his shoulder, walked behind his crew proudly. He held a hilt of lightsaber in his left arm.
The trio reached their spaceship and entered through the open hatch. They didn't notice as an assassin droid sneaked into the spaceship right after them. It was a tall and thin droid, model IG-86, armed with a blaster rifle.
+
“Is work done?” A voice questioned through the comlink that was attached to the metal arm of the droid.
IG-86 looked at the corpses that lay on the floor. The four males didn't show any signs of activity or other indications that they could be alive.
Conclusion: They are dead.
The robot decided to scan the cargo bay once more. A few times the machine rotated around its cameras on its head quickly. No signs of living biological forms were detected.
“Affirmative: All targets are liquidated, master.” An electronic emotionless voice answered.
“And the jedi?”
“Affirmative: Yes, he is dead, master.”
“Are you sure?”
“Affirmative: I checked his vital signs twice, master.”
“Good. Destroy the spaceship and return.”
“Affirmative: Yes, master.”
The droid ended the transmission and headed to the cabin. Inside the machine halted and looked at the astro droid. The astro droid, which served on this spaceship, beeped in a friendly manner to the IG-86.
“Negative: No, I'm on a mission.”
The killer pointed its rifle at the astro droid. The small droid moved back, beeping in panic aloud.
IG-86 pulled the trigger. A few blaster bolts deactivated the astro droid.
The metallic assassin sat in the pilot's chair and turned on the command panel of the old freighter. The machine typed a new point of destination for the spaceship's autopilot – right into the local sun.
The droid stood up and left the cabin, hearing as the old YG-4210 started its engine.
+
In the cargo bay the jedi who was supposed to be dead moaned and then slowly opened his eyes.
Where am I? The jedi was perplexed, looking at the metal ceiling. And who am I?!
The human panicked and tried to stand up, but he was punished by the sharp pain in his chest.
Darn! He clenched his teeth, lying on the floor.
In a short period of time the pain had subsided. Thus, the jedi tried to stand up once more. This time he was careful and didn't do any jerk movements.
Slowly the jedi stood up and looked around. The place, in which he was, looked like a large storage room with a small number of shipping containers and large metal boxes around. But what truly had caught the jedi's attention was the motionless bodies on the floor - and two of them were aliens! It shocked the man.
They aren't humans!
Next second the memories returned to the man. He was born on Earth. He remembered a lot of information about his country and his planet, but nothing the man could remember about his family, relatives, and friends. All his personal life was as if erased from his memory. Even his own name was a mystery for the man.
It lasted no more than several seconds, and then the human began absorbing the memories and skills of the jedi, whose body he had occupied somehow. It was as if he had become the initiate Tu himself.
I'm in the Star Wars?! The man realized this absurd fact. It is impossible!
The shocked human couldn't believe that he had transmigrated into this fictional universe. How can it be true?! HOW CAN IT BE TRUE?!
The human grabbed his head, looking around in panic. He couldn't accept this as reality! It must be my dream!
Darn! The sharp pain in the chest distracted the jedi.
He clenched his teeth and waited for a while. Finally, the pain subsided. The pain had helped the jedi to calm down.
The man remembered that the previous owner of this body was killed by the same smugglers who lay dead on the floor at the moment.
What has happened to them? And where am I?
The human looked around and realized that he was in the cargo bay of the real spaceship.
All of a sudden the jedi felt a warm and friendly feeling that came from... My lightsaber!
The man looked right at his weapon that was clenched in the weequay's arm.
He made a pass instinctively. The Force yanked the lightsaber from the smuggler's grip and levitated it to its owner who activated the weapon immediately to see the familiar green blade. The jedi remembered that he found the kyber crystal on Ilum, when he with a group of initiates visited that planet.
Yes, I remember it. It wasn't an easy trial. I almost lost my way in the underground tunnels.
Suddenly the man realized that he thought just now as if he was real Shuu.
But I'm not him! I'm...
He shook his head. The human couldn't remember who he was on Earth or his own name.
Unexpectedly, like it was with the lightsaber a few seconds back, the man felt a disturbing unpleasant feeling, as if something bad, very bad, was bound to happen to him.
The jedi looked around in hurry, standing in the base stance of Shii-Cho unconsciously. He didn't notice any enemies around but he could feel that the disturbing feeling was building up gradually. He knew what it meant. The Force tried to warn him about the coming danger.
The jedi decided to concentrate. Thus, the man closed his eyes and “listened” to the Force, as the initiate Tu was taught in the jedi academy. The Force “showed” him the right direction instantly.
The jedi opened his eyes and looked at the passage that likely led to the pilot's cabin.
Is the danger there?
The human thought and hurried there. The metal door opened automatically, letting him into the pilot's cabin.
Inside the jedi saw an astro droid with the marks of blaster fire upon its metal body, but nothing that could pose a threat to him.
I don't see anything dangerous.
Old Shuu was taught to follow the Force's guidance back on Coruscant. Therefore, the man looked around and then came up to the command panel. He activated it to see the status of the spaceship. It was okay. Not okay was a point of destination – the local sun. The human realized it instantly because he, like many other jedi, was a good pilot.
The jedi cursed. The navigation computer was finishing the calculation of a short hyperspace jump. The man hurried to abort this dangerous command. It worked, and the navigation computer requested a new point of destination.
The jedi breathed a sigh of relief and sat in the pilot's chair. His chest was aching. The man was weak and wounded. He was an easy prey for anyone who bore ill-will for the members of the Jedi Order.
Where shall I go? The man thought and looked at the space through the large reinforced window. There is a sole place in this galaxy where I can get help.
The human typed the coordinates of his point of destination. It was the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. The freighter began to calculate the new space jump.
I can't believe that I'm in the Star Wars. The human thought, shutting his eyes.