Star Wars: Knights Of The New Republic

Chapter One: The Boy

Chapter One: The Boy

The mother held her baby in her arms while it wailed. The baby cried and cried, screaming at the top of its little lungs. The noise no doubt could reach the other residents' living rooms a few floors down in the Coruscant apartments. A splitting headache began to grow in the mother's cranium. As an attempt to calm the baby, who had been crying for reasons the mother couldn't know, she stepped out onto the balcony to overlook the busy traffic of the city planet.

Speeders and freighters flew by along the traffic lines, zigzagging in every direction. The steady hum of the hovercraft always was able to calm the mother's feelings. Perhaps it would calm the screaming child's. One of the planet's three moons was in full light above the apartment. It casted a gentle glow on surrounding area.

The baby persisted to scream and wail. The mother began bouncing the baby in her arms and singing a gentle song. The screaming baby found itself under a beam moonlight when the mother rocked it to one side. The baby suddenly stopped and looked up to the bright circle in the night sky. It watched, fascinated at the mound of rock so high in the sky.

The mother continued her soft hum, relieved that the baby had finally grown quiet. It reached its hand out and she followed the young boy's gaze. It was reaching for the moon above, giggling and smiling at it. She was amused at the boy's laughter as he waved his hand back and forth. Then she noticed something in the sky above. The slightest change that would go unnoticed to one who wasn't paying attention.

As the baby moved its hand, the moon above seemed to shift ever so slightly. Little did the mother know that her child was the start to something incredible.

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The Jedi council sat in their circle of seats, gathered in the jedi temple. All had felt the immense weight added to the force. It hung on them, unexplained. It could not be figured out if this weight came from the light or dark side. It fatigued the Jedi as they explored it.

"There is a disturbance in the force." Jedi master Taruk opened with. He was a human, going on forty standard years. Many appreciated his wisdom and agility for one of his age. He was seen as head of the council and lived through many troubles. He never told tales about them though, or boasted about his achievements. He was humble, and didn't care for self elevation. "Have you felt it?"

"Yes. An individual with immense power is on this very planet. I can feel it." Master Miris stated. She was a Togruta with forty-four years under her belt. she was seen as the wisest of the jedi consulars and was well respected.

"Their power is too great. I could trace it from here to its origin without tapping into my own connection with the force." Master Crovel explained, another human who was a few years younger than Taruk. He was respected as one of the greatest Guardians in the order,

"I cannot tell if this power comes from the dark side or not." Master Krey, an older Twi'lek of fifty-five years pointed out. He was the chronicler of the jedi order. "I am concerned about who wields this power."

"We must track them and find this force user before their power can be used for evil." Taruk said. "Crovel, you said you could trace it? Could you guide me?"

The jedi master frowned in confusion. "Can you not feel it enough to follow it?"

"You know I try not to feel others since..." Taruk trailed off. He had been the master of a padawan who he felt a strong bond with through the force. This padawan had fallen to the darkside and killed three other jedi, one being a council member.

Taruk had to kill this padawan before they could become sith. He suffered great emotional, physical, and spiritual pain through their strong bond. After the fall of his apprentice, Taruk cut himself off from a portion of the force, refusing to feel others through it.

Crovel nodded in understanding. "Of course. I am sorry, master Taruk. I will gladly accompany you to the source of this power. It is imperative that this mystery be solved at once."

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The mother sat in her living room with the two jedi masters across from her. She cradled her baby in her arms. The child had finally fallen asleep, giving the migraine in her head a rest. Hours had passed since the baby had began screaming, now all seemed peaceful.

She felt like this of course, because she could not feel the child's power. She was not in tune with the force. The jedi could feel the power in the room, like a weight that only they could feel. The mother, like many humans, was oblivious to it.

"Ma'am, your child has a large amount of power in them." Taruk explained calmly.

"A dangerous amount of power." Crovel clarified.

The mother looked at them, wide eyed. "You saw it?"

The two masters exchanged glances, "Saw what?"

"The moon move." She said matter of factly. She explained the incident to the jedi and waited for their response.

This revelation shocked the jedi. Not only did a baby have an unbelievable amount of power radiating from it, but it had moved a moon? Could what this woman be saying be true, or was it a misconception about what the force allowed individual to do? This was not a risk the jedi order could take. If this child was as powerful as they believed, they couldn't let him fall to the dark side.

"Ma'am, this is a delicate situation. Your son possesses unimaginable power that needs to be harnessed and trained. This child could hurt many people here." Taruk explained.

"Perhaps it would be safer for everyone if the child grew up under the supervision of the jedi council." Crovel suggested.

"You mean, you'd take him to the jedi temple?" The mother asked.

"We know this would be a difficult decision. You would be allowed to see him grow up and to visit him as you pleased. We just feel that maybe he should be watched by the jedi." Taruk continued.

The mother had no objections. Her child's father was not around, and she could hardly support herself, let alone a child. If he was this powerful too, who knows who would come after her son? He would be taught and protected and cared for by the jedi order. There was nothing to fear there.

"Please, master jedi," She pleaded, "take care of my son."

To say the least, the jedi were surprised by the ease of the decision. After time passed though, they were not surprised that the mother stopped visiting the child at the temple before he gained a year of age. The child became an orphan, cared for by the many jedi of the order. He grew up not knowing his mother or his heritage.

Or his true power...