《Star wars: Selfish virtue.》Chapter 2: Instability
Advertisement
Qui-Gon stalled when he heard him casually order what boiled down to genocide. He didn't snap back to focus until Beatrix exited the throne room.
''What do you mean to kill them all?! You cannot do that!'' Qui-Gon pleaded!
Trilla was still standing in her cell eyes glued to this... man? The situation becoming stranger by the minute. Turning around and looking at Qui-Gon the man had a look of ridicule on his face.
''Why?'' He asked the Jedi. ''Why can't I kill them? I've got the means, the time and the will. Seems quite clear cut to me.''
''Because it's wrong! You can't just decide to murder an entire species, you don't have the right!''
Smiling slightly, Coda walked towards Qui-Gon's cage and sat down in front of it. Suddenly a slap sounded as he smacked his forehead.
''That's right! I forgot to introduce myself'' He said smiling. ''My name is Coda. I'm the owner of this here oversized bucket filled with murderbots, dead people and me!''
Both Qui-Gon and Trilla both became much more alert as soon as Coda finished his sentence. Murderbots?! Dead people?! What the hell is going on in this ship!?
Seeing Qui-Gon's eyes fill up with vigilance and the fear rolling off Trilla behind him it occurred to him that maybe poor attempts at humor from the socially handicapped was not the brightest move.
*Cough*Cough* ''Err, sorry about that. That was supposed to be funny. I tend to gloss over the fact that I'm about as socially adept as water is good at burning.'' Scratching the back of his head Coda explained.
''Anyway, I wouldn't need to even be here if you Oh so wise men could do your fucking job.'' Coda continued. '' You leaving Shmi here and my general dislike for those savages has resulted in this.''
Coda sighed while rubbing his temple. ''I'm sure some of them will survive, I'm not going to sit here and scour the planet for days on end. Putting them aside.'' Now looking directly at Qui-Gon he continued.
''What do you think will happen when a young man going through his first real love loses his mother. Due to the inaction taken by the Jedi Order to secure his kin, he'll become jaded towards the order. He's already more emotionally unstable then regular padawans. This loss and the Sith whispering in his ear will cause tragedies you cannot even begin to foresee Qui-Gon.''
Standing up and looking out towards the planet then back to Qui-Gon he sighed. ''Fine!'' Throwing his hands up in resignation. ''I'll only hit the largest camps, at least thin them out.'' He said with a jolly nod.
Qui-Gon had been listening intently and was thrown off by his monologue. This person is extremely dangerous... Sharpening his eyes and standing up. ''Why are we here Master Coda?''
Eeeeeewwwwwwwww! A chill went through Coda's spine! ''No! No no no! Please don't call me master, it sounds super creepy coming from a middle-aged man. Unacceptable!'' Shaking off the comment. With stifled chuckles coming from the other cell. ''As to why you're here. It's because I asked for the two of you.'' He said with a sunny smile on his face.
Advertisement
Silence followed for a couple of seconds... ''''What?'''' Both Trilla and Qui-Gon asked out loud. Turning his head to look at them both. He had a sad smile on his face. ''Qui-Gon, you've been dead for about ten years.'' Turning from the shocked Qui-Gon and looking into Trilla's eyes. ''Order 66 hasn't happened yet. Right now the younger you is probably following Cere in training or on some mission for the order. Untainted and happy, safe even.''
Trilla had trained for many things. But she wasn't ready for this, she almost shut down as tears started running down the side of her face. Then she saw the sabers shoot across the room into his hands. What's he doing?
Catching both the sabers he held Trilla's doublesaber and frowned. ''This thing reeks.'' Both the guests went reeling as a wave of pure anger shot out from Coda, the wave started concentrating on the saber as cracks in space formed around the hand holding it. It started bending and breaking until it started to fold in on itself. What remained was simply a super dense ball of what used to make up the saber.
A cold fury in his voice ''This is the result of your so-called peacekeepers sleeping on the job, your moral high ground where you wrap yourselves in arrogance causes untold suffering.'' Scoffing he looked at Qui-Gon. ''While the order may be fine with inaction and half measures. I am not.''
Beatrix was walking back from the combat bridge hidden snugly inside the ship when a strange shudder went through the ship. Instantly she accessed the feeds to the throne room.
Threat assessment: Miniscule.
Danger to Lord Coda: PRIO 1.
Cause of event: Flare in Lord Coda's mental state.
Mental prediction map shows extreme instability, rectify at once.
Conclusion: Lord Coda is suffering massive nutritional deficiency, records show time since last ate. 4Y 2M 4D.
Beatrix stopped in her tracks. Instantly sending dozens of orders all around the ship as she started sprinting towards the lifts.
A silent alarm was tripped, the Lord was in grave danger!
Throne Room.
Something is wrong, I feel off. Overly emotional, this isn't like me. Staring at the sphere in his hands, he seemed slightly confused. Seeing this Qui-Gon moved closer to the energy shield.
''Are you alright Coda?'' Coda slowly turned to him. Still a good man. He does look pretty dope in that robe. ''Yes Qui-Gon, I just feel like I'm forgetting something.''
Suddenly the doors opened up and about twenty infiltrators walked in carrying a table, some chairs and... cutlery? Followed by an arrangement of food and drink. They came in like a hurricane, a very eerie and silent hurricane and left just as fast.
''They sure are creepy huh Trilla?'' Coda said looking over at her shaking his head chuckling.
''I should make sure they know to make sounds when they walk or I'll end up destroying some of them''
''Hungry?'' She slowly nodded. ''How about you maverick?''
Chuckling Qui-Gon answered. ''I could eat.''
Nodding, he stared at Trilla for a couple of seconds until he got close to her cage and started whispering with a deadly serious stare. ''How do I turn them off?''
Advertisement
It took her seconds to comprehend what he said. Before she knew it she guffawed and a stream of laughter started pouring from her. ''Oi! Meanie! Stahp!'' Sighing and looking downwards in resignation. ''Fine, ill ask Beatrix.''
Speak of the devil! Beatrix came flying in through one of the doors and slid on the floor until she was almost next to him. ''Are you doing a comedy routine?'' Tilting her head. ''I do not believe I'm programmed with 'Comedy' routines my lord.''
''You need to eat soon my lord, your state of mind has been compromised since you woke up due to lack of nutrition.'' Nodding in understanding. So that's why I feel off. ''Understood, can you let them out?
''Right away my lord, I had the droids set the table for three.'' Nodding towards her. ''Excellent work Beatrix. Now that I think about it I'm absolutely famished.'' Chucking Qui-Gon's saber towards him as the shield fell. ''We can get you another one later Trilla. For now, let us eat.''
Trilla had already stopped laughing though she now had a slight smile. Answering with a nod as she started following him towards the table. What a strange day this is ending up to be.
Jedi Temple, Coruscant.
Plo Koon, Windu and Yoda were sitting in the council chambers. ''Master Yoda, have we found out the cause of the disturbance felt two days ago? Is it the same source as the flare of anger we felt earlier today?''
''Strange this anger, directed at us it is.'' Yoda said with a solemn nod towards Windu. ''Anger without hatred, it doesn't feel like sith. But it definitely is a powerful force sensitive at the very least.''
Windu said with a heavy sigh. ''What do you think we should do? I believe we should investigate this.''
''First, we have missing planets from our database, potential sith lurking in the shadows of the force. Now, this? We need to get to the bottom of this.'' Plo Koon said with a deliberate nod.
''With Obi-Wan following the lead on this ghost planet and Anakin protecting Senator Amidala. One of us needs to go.'' All nodding at the same time Plo Koon spoke up. ''I'll go, keep me apprised of what happens. I'll leave immediately.'' Standing up he bowed to the two Jedi Masters and left for the spaceport.
''Do you think he'll be alright?'' As Yoda was about to answer the door opened. Walking in was a padawan learner. ''Master Yoda, Master Windu. We just got word that a massive super capital ship is in orbit above Tatooine and is deploying troops. I have a hologram of the ship here.''
''Please show us padawan'' With Windu's approval, he relayed it into the rooms system. Lighting up they saw a massive ship. Taken aback Windu asked. ''Master Yoda, what manner of ship is this. I've never seen anything quite like it.''
''Unsure I am, recognize it I do not.'' Even the force refused to allow him to try and sense it.
''Its dimensions are gargantuan, I haven't even heard of ships this large. Do you think it's related to the Sith?'' They both felt an immediate response, a whisper from the force. Not sith it spoke matter of factly.
Suprise painted their faces. Looking at each other. ''Plo Koon. Must make haste!''
In transit to Tatooine.
As soon as he got close enough he felt it. Death. So much death. Even if he didn't have hair to make stand, his whole body got covered in a sheen of sweat. ''G2. How long until we arrive?''
*Beep*Beep*Bwop* An hour? ''Thank you, G2''
Surface of Tatooine, Night.
Designation T-3X was observing a camp of Tusken Raiders. Opening comms to the eclipse.
''Lady Beatrix, we believe we've found the target. Can we proceed?'' Near instantly a response followed.
''I've gone through the data. Lady Scmi must not come to harm under any cost. To this end, I'm sending you a squad of royal guards. Failure is not an option.''
Raider camp, 20 minutes later.
The chieftain of the camp was happy, they had a lot of successful raids recently. Extra supplies meant a stronger camp, a stronger people. Sitting around a fire was him and his most trusted. They were having a celebration when he noticed five raiders walking towards the tent where they kept the human woman.
I don't recognize them, what's going on? Unfortunately for him, that was the last thought that he ever had.
Near instantly dozens of raiders got hit by purple and blue lasers. After the initial shock and awe, they noticed silver-colored droids coming from the sands on the opposite side of the prisoner's tents.
They looked like walking skeletons, red eyes lit up all over the dune they were walking down. Shrugging off the returning fire like they were just being pelted by rocks.
That wasn't where the unfortunate events ended. Screams sounded from behind them as well, a young raider noticed two taller than usual raiders standing over two dead bodies in front of the prisoners' tent. That wasn't what caught his attention though, two raiders were literally ripping his people apart with swords of some kind instead of arms. Every time they were hit by blaster fire he glimpsed a metallic black skeleton for the briefest of moments, only to have some kind of black substance repair the damage.
Frozen he stood there in shock, unable to make sense of the situation. Fortunately for him, that didn't last long as a hand found its way into his throat and promptly severed his head from his spinal column.
Inside the prisoners' tent, a human male was administering some kind of gel on wounds of torture when his comms opened up. ''RG1 report.''
''Yes, Lady Beatrix. VIP has been secured, extensive structural damage has been detected. But she'll survive long enough to get into medical.'' Walking out with Scmi in his hands he looked around.
Running assessment.
Enemy survivors: 0
Friendly casualties: 0.
Damage to units: Negligible.
Mission parameters: Fulfilled.
''This is RG1, objective accomplished. Returning to ship with VIP. 10 minutes clearance.'' As he walked towards the dropship through the camp. More and more units started assembling around him leaving behind a silent camp.
Advertisement
- In Serial16 Chapters
The Edge of Endless
Due to some unforseen and significant life events, this story will be on hiatus for a time. Reborn into a strange but familiar world, Alex makes it his mission to uncover the mysteries of governments, gods, and the arcane realm known only (and inaccurately) as the Unending Depths. Slowly but surely, he grows in ability and meets new and interesting people. tEoE is an epic fantasy LitRPG with a focus on plot, writing, and hopefully original twists on the standard formula of 'MC picks cool class, levels up'. Give it a read if any of the following appeals to you: > 3000-5000 words per chapter, chapters released at least once per week, usually several times. Expect good grammar. > Story focus on illusions, secrets, and traps (along with the usual combat and character stuff). > Progression fantasy, but one where progress is meant to feel earned, moderately paced, and reasonable. Some advantages, but not big, unfair ones. > If a random reader can work out that putting a big rock in a bag of holding, lifting it, and then dropping the rock is free energy, then so could an adventurer who's owned a bag of holding for twenty years. Side characters have brains too. > Blue boxes! Levels! [Classes]! [Skills]! Loot! > No uncomfortable sexist undertones. Ambivalent about including relationships. Definitely no harems. There are a number of arcs planned and this will be ongoing for some time. I am very appreciative of the kind reviews and comments left so far.
8 188 - In Serial8 Chapters
Rogue Dungeon: A LitRPG Adventure
From James A. Hunter, author of Viridian Gate Online and War God's Mantle! Check out my first attempt at a Dungeon litRPG Novel! Roark von Graf—hedge mage and lesser noble of Traisbin—is one of only a handful of Freedom fighters left, and he knows the Resistance’s days are numbered. Unless they do something drastic … But when a daring plan to unseat the Tyrant King goes awry, Roark finds himself on the run through an interdimensional portal, which strands him in a very unexpected location: an ultra-immersive, fantasy video game called Hearthworld. He can’t log out, his magic is on the fritz, and worst of all, he’s not even human. Now, he’s a low-class, run-of-the-mil Dungeon monster. Some disgusting, blue-skinned creature called a Troll. At least there’s one small silver lining—Roark managed the grab a powerful magic artifact on his way through the portal, and with it he might just be able to save the world after all. Unless, of course, the Tyrant King gets to him first …Hey everyone, so as most of you know, I write books for a living, and I just put this title up on Amazon (and enrolled it in KU). Because KU requires exclusivity as part of their terms of service, I have had to pull the majority of the content from this site. I left the full novel up for as long as possible, so I hope everyone got a chance to read it. If you haven't had a chance to read it in its entirety (sorry!) you can pick it up on Amazon. Thanks again for coming on this journey with me, and I so hope you enjoyed it. The book will be out on Tuesday July 24th. Best, James Hunter
8 139 - In Serial28 Chapters
Bruxas da Noite
***Portuguese Edition*** Poucos o sabem, mas, debaixo das nossas cidades, no meio das florestas e montanhas e até sob as águas do oceano, existe um outro mundo, um mundo cheio de magia, lugares fantásticos e criaturas mitológicas e imaginárias. Por casualidade, tomei conhecimento dele, e a minha curiosidade levou-me a explorá-lo. Hoje, arrependo-me de não me ter controlado, de não ter ignorado esse conhecimento e continuado com a minha vida normal. Pois, embora tenha visto coisas incríveis para além da imaginação da maioria das pessoas, também conheci as Bruxas da Noite e as terríveis verdades sobre a condição humana e o lugar da humanidade no universo que trouxeram com ela Como voltar à vida normal depois de tudo o que vi? Não sei se é possível, mas este relato é uma tentativa de atenuar os terríveis efeitos desse conhecimento, um primeiro passo em direção à normalidade. Talvez partilhar tudo o que descobri, a simples ideia de que este conhecimento não é só meu, me ajude.
8 227 - In Serial44 Chapters
Scrapped Idea
A young man with a very complicated background, escapes from an Ancient Battlefield in exchange for helping a certain Clan. After being released from the bloody prison, he founds his own Sect and takes in all kinds of people jsut for one reason: To grow strong enough to roam around unfettered and to grasp his fate with his own hands. When leaving a rating, please (for the love of god) let me know what you like and what you disliked. This is especially for those that leave a low rating. If you leave a rating 2 and don't say anythign about it, it is very hard to figure out why you left a rating like that. Also, anyone who is interested in doign a coverart for the story, is very welcome to do so. (I have no money to pay you, since this is something I do out of my free time and currently as a non-profit project.) Those that want to donate but do not want to take the monthly pledge of Patreon can contact me via PM or by sending an email to [email protected]
8 171 - In Serial36 Chapters
And Then There Was Victor
How exactly did I end up the best friend of the guy I hated my entire life? Listen, this is going to be a long story. Let me take you to the beginning. The year was 1992...ENEMIES-TO-FRIENDS-TO-LOVERSVictor Manning has been infuriating Becka since she sat behind him in 7th grade English. He's cocky, self-centered, and obnoxious. When High School ends, the college dynamic slowly turns Victor into the one person Becka cannot live without. "The best slow burn I've ever read."YA/NA, for cursing. Set in the 1990s.
8 306 - In Serial133 Chapters
Cultivator in a Zombie Apocalypse
Ren Zexian had lived 10,000 years, had experienced many things, had lived through many things. That included the death of his own realm. But what he never expected to experience was a zombie apocalypse.BL (mxm)I have no fixed schedule for this book as it was released on another site for a competition and on a whim. In the future, this will change.
8 118

