Star Wars, Episode I: The Darkness Revived

Part 1: The Welcome Party

A long time ago, in a galaxy far,
far away...
STAR
WARS

Episode I
THE DARKNESS REVIVED

A thousand-year era of peace in the galaxy has ended. With corruption and bureaucracy dominating the Senate, ruling body of the GALACTIC REPUBLIC, the complaints of the people go largely unheard. Frustrated by the state of the government, a rebel organization called the SEPARATIST MOVEMENT has emerged in the far reaches of the galaxy, seeking to tear entire systems away from the Republic's rule by force.

With the Senate's politicians locked in endless debate, the Separatists have launched a siege of the small planet of Naboo, hoping to claim it for their cause. Knowing young Queen Amidala may be forced into submission before a political solution is reached, Supreme Chancellor Valorum has secretly dispatched two Jedi Knights to rescue her....

Blaster bolts flew wildly as the small, unmarked courier-class starship sped toward the lush, green planet of Naboo. Battleship turrets fired from their stationary positions in the blockade that cut off the small world from the rest of the galaxy. The courier's pilot had an easy time of dodging the turret shots. It was the fighters that posed the biggest threat. Called "vulture droids" by most, the fighters were unmanned space-worthy drones. Devoid of human fear, these starfighter droids easily copied every maneuver the expert pilot could think of, no matter how daring or insane.

The courier was forced to veer away from its course when another squad of vulture droids appeared in front of it. The quick little starship turned harshly and headed straight toward one of the enormous battleships. Only meters away from colliding with the larger ship's shield, the courier suddenly pulled up and flew parallel with the battleship's hull. The closest of its vulture droid pursuers slammed into the energy shield behind it.

"You're going to get us killed!"

Master Qui-Gon Jinn, the older of the two Jedi aboard the courier turned his head away from the action to look at his padawan apprentice.

"Calm yourself, Obi-Wan," he said, "we are in good hands."

Qui-Gon was a sixty year old human male with long brown hair, partially tied up in a simple band. His beard and mustache were kept well-groomed. His watchful blue eyes were capable of conveying kindness and comfort just as easily as they could cause an unruly padawan to freeze in an instant, a fact his apprentice had learned very quickly.

Qui-Gon's padawan, Obi-Wan Kenobi, put his hand to his forehead and sighed, working to take control of his fear as he'd been taught. He'd enjoyed flying when he was younger, even managing to become one of the best pilots among the other padawans, but enduring the rapid motion of space combat was something he'd never had to do before. The droids chasing and shooting at them certainly didn't help. The Republic had experienced a thousand years of peace, not a single full-blown war since its creation. The thought of doing more with his Jedi training than simply policing the galaxy's star systems was enticing, but the excitement of spaceborne dogfights was more than he would have wished for.

"Why things had to start picking up again during my lifetime is beyond me," he murmured to himself.

Obi-Wan was a twenty-five year old man with his auburn hair cut short, aside from a small ponytail near the base of his skull and a slender braid that fell over his right shoulder. The style was a mark of his status as an apprentice, though few outside the Jedi Order knew it.

With the artificial gravity aboard the starship, Obi-Wan knew he wouldn't get motion sickness, but there was no feature to guarantee they wouldn't be killed in a fiery crash. It was an image that refused to leave his mind, despite the training he'd received in the area of controlling his fear. And yet, there was nothing he could do about the fighters chasing them. He knew he had to put his trust in the courier's skilled pilot. He looked up at Qui-Gon and nodded his apology.