FORSAKEN IV - Harbinger of Chaos

CHAPTER ONE

The Twi'lek woke up startled. Beads of perspiration dampened her yellow skin. She couldn't recall what she dreamt about, but it felt real, and she could still hear a female voice calling to her in her head. Her orange eyes took a moment to adjust to the glow in her sleeping cabin. She had never experienced anything this vivid. The sight of the room did little to appease the feeling gripping her chest. On sheer impulse, the woman clicked on the intercom.

"Captain, exit hyperspace at once," she said.

"Madam Senator, is everything alright?" the captain replied.

"Do as I say, Captain. Please. I'll be at the bridge shortly."

"As you wish, Senator."

After putting on a gown, the senator hurried to the cockpit. The Winds of Change, a Consular-class cruiser crewed by Twi'leks, had switched sublight drives traveling through realspace.

"Senator Dhorr, is anything the matter? Why are we exiting lightspeed?" said the captain.

Rhea Dhorr became self-conscious. She could have answered the question right away, if not for fear of sounding unhinged. "There is something out there," she said, scrutinizing the emptiness of space through the viewport.

"We are in the middle of nowhere, ma'am," said the co-pilot. "There's nothing around this sector for several parsecs."

"No, something is out there. I'm sure of it."

The pilots traded an incredulous look, believing that perhaps the stress of her new post in the capital was affecting the young senator.

"There! What's that?" Rhea leaned forward and pointed.

The co-pilot squinted, trying to make out the small object the senator pointed at. "It could be just some kind of debris, ma'am."

"Flight Navigator Twen?" the captain turned back in the direction of the navigator, sitting at her station outside the cockpit.

The navigator scanned the area ahead of the ship. She had to do it twice, not giving credence to the instrument's information. "I think there might something wrong with the sensor dish, Captain," she said. "The object appears to be organic."

"That's impossible," said the co-pilot. "Nothing that small can survive in the vacuum of space."

"My thoughts exactly. I will contact engineering right away."

"Don't," said Rhea. "Get closer."

"It could be a victim from a pirate attack," said the captain. "Sometimes people get sucked out of their starships during an attack when the hull is compromised. I've seen it happen."

"The Outer Rim has definitely experienced its fair share in recent times with the war among criminal syndicates," the co-pilot said.

"I am well-aware. It's one of the reasons I'm serving in the Senate," said Rhea. "Whatever it is, bring it inside."

"Very well." The captain spoke into the intercom. "Communications officer, call it in. Inform Coruscant our arrival is going to be slightly delayed. I don't want them to think we fell prey to raiders."

"Yes, Captain," said the communications officer.

Then the captain made a general announcement, "This is the Captain. Now hear this: all hands prepare to bring biological materials inside—possibly sentient remains."

Members of the senator's security detail brought the strange object inside through one of the airlocks and into the sick bay. It turned out to be a comely female human with long, white hair who appeared to be in her mid-thirties.

"This cannot be..." said the medical officer after scanning the body. "She's alive."

"How is that possible?" said the captain. "Are you sure your instruments are working correctly?"

"I don't need scanners to see that she's breathing, her body's temperature is warming up, and she has a pulse."

"I knew it..." said Rhea, enthralled by the sleeping woman. Her delicate features were strangely familiar, making her wonder if she had seen her in the dream—as absurd as it sounded. All eyes fell on her, questioning how in the universe the senator knew this woman was floating in outer space.

"She's unconscious, but perfectly stable," the doctor continued. "As a matter of fact, she's in impossibly perfect health."

"What do you mean?"

The doctor moved the medical scanner away from the patient. "She has no sign of bone fractures, no scars—zero signs of aging, really—her bloodwork is akin to a newborn child."

"Could it be a clone?" said the captain.

"I don't think so. Clones age." The doctor leaned his hands on the examining table, looking at the woman. "If I had to describe it... I'd say she's more like a brand new, full-grown human—if you can wrap your head around that."

The captain rubbed his forehead. "This is very strange..."

"You tell me, Captain. I would like to take her to the Grand Medical Facility for a more in-depth study when we arrive. In the meantime, I'm going to place her in a bacta tank to make sure she remains healthy and stable."

"You do that, Doctor. I'm going to get us back on flight. Senator." The captain nodded at Rhea and left the sick bay.

"Senator, may I ask you how you knew this supisy was floating out there?" He used the Twi'leki word meaning mysterious female.

Rhea didn't answer right away. "I... I just knew," she said still looking at the unconscious woman.

"'You just knew?'" The doctor said while reading a bacta tank. "Just like that? You knew?"

Rhea hesitated. "I know how it sounds, but it's the truth. I think I saw her in a dream."

The doctor turned around with a concerned expression. "Word of advice, Senator—if I may. You'd do well to keep that part of the story to yourself; especially in Coruscant. These... strange incidents are not... er... well received, if you catch my meaning. Nothing divides people more than politics and religion, and you already have enough of the latter as it is."

Rhea knew he meant the Force, the mysterious power used by the defunct, treacherous order of the Jedi. "I understand."

"Good." The doctor smiled. "I'll figure out, with the Captain, what to write in my report about how we found her."

"Thank you, Doctor... do you mind if I spend a moment alone with her? I'm still trying to get my head around what happened."

"Of course. Just not too long, please. I want to make sure she makes it to the capital safely."

"As do I."

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes," said the doctor, leaving the room.

Rhea studied the stranger once again. Her delicate features and fairness of skin appeared to give out a glow, giving her a beautiful, preternatural appearance. The human's skin was warm and soft to the touch, as Rhea could attest when she brushed her arm. Not knowing what else to do and feeling awkward, Rhea decided to return to her cabin and try to get some sleep, but something grabbed her arm before she could a step away. Surprised, she looked down to see tentacles had wrapped around her forearm from what used to be the woman's hand. Shock turned to fear when she saw the woman staring at her. Her eyes were voids of darkness with glowing pupils and her mouth had turned into a terrible, grinning maw filled with sharp teeth that reached all the way to her eyes. Rhea tried to scream, but she never managed to utter a sound.