“This place reminds me of Sekot,” May and Dan stepped from the scoutship, symbiotes hidden under their skin. “Except that Sekot is singular… the mental field here is composed of so many different minds.”
“I suppose it’s similar,” Dan nodded. The Wellspring was an oddity that none in the galaxy understood, except, perhaps, the Force Priestesses who called the planet home. “Let’s descend below and see if we can’t find our hosts…”
They slipped beneath the cracked surface, through the waves of light that rose from the depths. A few moments of travel, and they entered an impossible landscape. The planet was hollow, coreless. The vast space within was filled with countless islands, all held in the air on the golden light that emanated from the centre of the chamber.
“Beautiful…” May drifted forward, wreathed in golden streamers. Each island held a dense cluster of plantlife, filled with an interconnected reservoir of ki. “I feel like this might have been a good place to plant Yggdrasil, in our own universe.”
“Maybe,” Dan nodded as he inspected the depths of the chamber. Midi-clorians were supposedly neutral, but they also followed the will of the force. “But this place is under the control of the Cosmic Force and I’m not sure it’s a big fan of ours.”
“Not a fan of YOURS maybe,” May laughed as she followed Dan toward the largest island within the planet. “That storm ignored me the first time, and this time Gladius only got sucked along because you were on board!”
“Fair enough, I suppose,” Dan smiled back at his Wife. May was also never harassed by the Starweirds. “Hopefully the Priestesses can tell us why…”
“Why tell you something that should be clear to all?” A voice rose from the shadow, filled with confusion, as Dan and May touched down onto the verdant grass. “The Force cannot touch you, like it can the others…”
“You are guarded, buy the abomination that shares your soul…” Five masked figures emerged from the void. The face of anger pointed her robed hands toward both the young Kryptonians. “The others can be seen, but you and your path remain hidden, dangerous!”
“The force demands that you leave, but we cannot take your life…” A sad mask bobbed back and forth, on the edge of tears. “Please, return back home and leave this place in peace!”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“This could be an opportunity!” A joyful mask patted her sister on the shoulder. She turned to Dan and May, eyes bright. “The galaxy is at war, maybe you can act to help our cause?”
“Hold up,” Dan raised his hands to stop the deluge of words. He was willing to help, but he also had to charge his system if he wanted to return. “I can work with you, but I was looking for some answers…”
“You wish to know if our counterparts in your home reality are responsible for your travel to this place,” An emotionless mask waved the others into silence and met Dan’s gaze. She raised her hand and twisted the light around them, crafted it into the image of a clockwork structure. Wrapped around a quasar, the sight of the thing raised the hair on Dan’s neck. “The Priestesses of your reality likely used a creation of the Celestials to banish you away, a useless endeavour because of the guardian spirit within you.”
“Guardian spirit…” Dan frowned. They probably ment his system. It was bound to him, body and soul, because of his wish before reincarnation. “I think I understand, but why does it matter if the Cosmic Force can’t touch my heart?”
“Because your every action shifts the future, all without the Force’s knowledge or influence,” The angry mask snorted, despite the cold glare of the face of Serenity. “Some paths are forbidden, and you change events without understanding the truth!”
“So what?” Dan sighed. Godly beings and cosmic wills, they always laid claim to the rights of fate. “What gives the will of the Force the right to govern the future… mine or anyone else's?”
The Priestesses fell silent, heads tilted as if they listened to distant music. Dan was willing to consult with the force, but he wouldn’t serve it like the Jedi. Eventually, both he and May would stand above the Force itself in power. Why submit to a being that had less potential than his pets?
“It has always been so…” Serenity met Dan’s eyes for a second time, empty of all emotion. “Only the Will can see far enough, with enough clarity, to guide the way forward.”
“That’s a lie!” May stepped forward and drew the eyes of the five masks. “My master can muddle with the vision of the universal will, so others can do the same,” a bundle of runes formed in her palm, a display of her magic. “The idea that the Force is a perfect guide is what created the chaos of the galaxy…”
“She’s right,” Dan held up a hand to stop the masks from answering. “What is the Cosmic Force’s solution to Abeloth? What plan does it have for the death of the Ones on Mortis?” Dan shook his head. “The Force isn’t all knowing, and if it is, it’s an indifferent god at best.”
When the last of the Celestials fell, nothing rose to replace them. The so-called ‘balance’ was tossed aside, ruined by destiny’s flow. Only the avatar of chaos and death remained, freed from her prison to have her way with the universe.
“We cannot question the Force’s will,” Serenity shrugged her shoulders and turned to walk back into the dark of the jungle island. “Help us or don’t, soon you shall be gone, the problem for other versions of ourselves.”
“Don’t mind Sister Serenity, she’s always very serious!” Joy clapped her hands and spun in a circle around her siblings. “War has broken out, a rise of an old and forbidden technology…”
“It will cause many more deaths, before the will of the Force is done,” Sadness hung her head. “Help the champion, chosen by fate… speed their progress and rid the galaxy of the Starforge and its taint!”
“The Starforge?” Dan raised his eyebrows. If the Starforge was a part of this problem, then this was the time of Revan. “You’re talking about the Jedi civil war…”
“Revan and his apprentice have already awakened the forge,” Anger snorted. “The Jedi are about to storm the Sith Lord and make her into their puppet… move how you wish, but know that we shall be watching!”