Disclaimrs: See Part 1
The Fallen Beginning
by
AJ Marks
Chapter 2
Ri-Jun found himself in a swirl of emotions. There was the thickening blackness that threatened to overwhelm him and he found that he could hardly breath. Suddenly he broke through and saw a disturbing image. In front of him was a man he had never seen before running for his life from a dark shadow. It was then that he realized that this dark shadow had powers like he did, and that this man was the key to stopping whatever was happening. He also saw something that did not make much sense to him, a planet that the darkness was holding in their hands. This was the key, Ri-Jun was sure of it.
Ri-Jun took another breath and found he staring at the ceiling of an unknown room. Sitting up he realized that he was lying down on the sofa in the back room of his friend's restaurant. The door opened and Kinsu walked into the room with a look of concern on his face.
"Its good to see that you are awake, but something has happened that I think you need to see." The small man said as he walked over to the screen to turn it on.
Ri-Jun was a bit curious about what the man was doing but watched nonetheless. It was on the news and the leading story was about an attempt on the life of the delegate of Alderaan. A picture of Wedge Organa was put on the screen and Ri-Jun sat up even straighter on the sofa. That was the man in his dreams. The report went on to indicate that the group responsible was a group of mind readers and magicians who wanted to control the universe, and a reward was being offered for the capture of anyone of them.
"They've been running this for the past couple of minutes, and there are a lot of worried people." Kinsu said to Ri-Jun.
"Their describing people like me." Ri-Jun said in a bit of shock turning to look at Kinsu. "You don't believe this do you?" He asked the small man.
"I don't know, but I think that you are in danger my friend." Kinsu said to Ri-Jun. "There are a lot of people that know about you and your power here."
"Yes, I know." Ri-Jun said suddenly knowing where he needed to go. "Can you get me transportation to Coruscant?" He asked his friend who had a surprised look on his face.
"I suppose so, why?" Kinsu replied.
"Because, the man who had the attempt on his life will need my help." Ri-Jun said knowing that Kinsu would understand.
"I'll see what I can do, but for now I would suggest you stay here, the report is that you left here and several people saw you leave." Kinsu said.
"So people think I have already left, that's good." Ri-Jun said.
"I'll be back." Kinsu said and walked out the door to leave Ri-Jun to think about what was to happen.
Ri-Jun walked back and forth in the little room. He had his most powerful vision to date and he still was not sure what to make of it, only that this delegate of Alderaan, Wedge Organa was essential to exposing everything that was going on.
Kinsu walked back into the room in a hurry. "I was able to obtain transport for you to Coruscant by way of Spice Freight, a pal of mine owns it and he owed me a favor, I called it in. Just don't tell him about you abilities." Kinsu told him. "I told him that you wanted to go to Coruscant to start over and that you had been robbed of everything you owned by a vicious corporation." Kinsu said and Ri-Jun realized that this man was indeed a friend of his.
"Thank you Kinsu, I will never forget you." Ri-Jun said, as he was about to walk out the door. Kinsu stopped him and handed him a brown cloak with a hood. Ri-Jun put it on and said his good-byes to the man and looked at the instructions he had been given.
Ri-Jun pulled the hood up and walked out of the room with a feeling that he would never see Kinsu again. With one last glance back at the small man he closed the door and walked out. Ri-Jun was concerned about the fact that there was possible a lot of people after him and were looking for him. With the hood on he could pass undetected without much chance of people noticing who he was.
He turned a corner and felt that something was watching him. He fought the urge to look around and as quickly as possible made his way to a small area that would allow him to look around without being noticed.
Ri-Jun quickly flipped back the hood and scanned the area, he allowed himself to use his powers to help guide him. He still was not able to focus, something out there was blocking him, perhaps whoever it was also had the same power as he did. That raised the question in his mind that there was obviously people in power who could use this power or force that Ri-Jun could use, and they were using their position to eliminate anyone with the same abilities.
Ri-Jun suddenly turned around and saw that several bounty hunters were closing in on him. They opened fire when they noticed that he had detected them and he quickly ran out of the area dodging laser blasts as he went.
He ran through the crowded streets in a vain attempt to avoid the bounty hunters. Several were really good and he had a hard time avoiding them. He had tried to duck through a place of business and go out the back but the hunters were to close to lose them. A couple of them still fire the random shot that he usually did not have to avoid, but there were a few that came close to him.
He decided to put a bit of his abilities into work. He used a quick burst to increase his speed to round a corner and then another to help him jump up to the top of the roof of the small building.
The bounty hunters had watched as the man they were chasing quickly ran off in front of them with a speed that they could not match. Rounding the corner they noticed that he was nowhere to be seen.
The five bounty hunters looked at each other then three split off and went separate directions while the other two remained on the corner. The alleyway was deserted so there was no one that could tell them where their prey went.
Ri-Jun watched discreetly from above as another figure approached the group. This was definitely the one that he had been feeling. The figure wore a dark green cloak and a red tunic underneath. His hair was black and he seemed to radiate evil.
"He's disappeared my Lord." One of the bounty hunters said to the figure.
"I told you that he was powerful." The figure said. "Lord Dugous will not be pleased that you could not capture or kill this one, continue with your mission and find him." The figure said turning around and walking away. The two remaining bounty hunters looked at each other and walked in different directions.
Ri-Jun waited a few more minutes then jumped back down. He adjusted his cloak and hood back to hide his identity from others and quickly walked to the nearby spaceport.
The spaceport was busy with the usual hustle and bustle that went on. There were several freighters there and he went in search of the one his friend had written down. It did not take him long to find the small spice freighter. Lounging around in front of the freighter was what looked like the pilot, bored and waiting for something, or someone Ri-Jun thought to himself.
The man noticed Ri-Jun's approach and waited patiently for him to get close. When he was next to the man Ri-Jun handed the man the paper that Kinsu had given him.
"Coruscant, eh." The man said rubbing his beard with one hand while reading the note. "I'm afraid that there's not much room, but any friend of Kinsu is a friend of mine." The man said giving Ri-Jun a slap on the back. "Welcome aboard the Sun Spot."
Three men burst into the small quarters of Kinsu who was quite surprised at that. The man who stepped in behind them gave the small man the chills, this one did not fool around. He was dressed in a dark green robe that almost looked black with a blood red tunic on underneath, but it was the eyes that most stood out, for they were red rimmed and staring right at him.
"Where did he go?" The sinister looking man asked.
"W-w-where did who go?" Kinsu asked back knowing that he had to provide a bit more time for his friend.
"Don't play with men little man." The sinister man said again as he raised his hand. "Now I'll only ask one more time, where did he go?"
"Who?" Kinsu said with more bravery than he felt.
With that answer the man questioning him bared his teeth and lightning shot out from his hand. The full brunt of the force knocked Kinsu back up against the wall and almost knocked him out. His entire body felt like it was on fire and he wondered what had happened.
"I grow impatient for an answer." The man said as the other three just looked on.
"He was leaving the planet." Kinsu said hoping that his answer would satisfy the man but he felt another jolt go through him, this time it lasted longer.
"One more time, where is he going?" The man said this time picking him up by his throat while the small man grasped at the man's wrists.
"I don't know." Kinsu gasped out.
"Liar." He said throwing Kinsu against the wall and he watched as the man slumped down the wall, dead. "Let's go." The robed figure said to the other three men who all walked out of the room. He was going to have to report to his master.
Aboard the Sun Spot RI-Jun had felt his friend's death. He felt sorrow that his friend gave himself up for him, and he promised himself that he would try his best to try and protect those around him if he could. He also silently promised that whoever was responsible would pay for their crime.
In a dark secluded room on the planet of Coruscant a message came.
"My Lord, he is stronger than we thought." The hologram of the messenger said to the cloaked man in the room.
"Then we will have to step up our timetable, Wedge Organa still lives, I'm putting you in charge of killing him." Lord Dugous said to his apprentice.
"Yes my master."
"And Lord Beasta, do not fail me this time." Lord Dugous said shutting off the communications. The fact that Wedge Organa had survived meant that his plan was in jeopardy, and he would not allow anyone to stand in his way.
Wedge Organa and his head of the guard Petra Ligta had been going over and over the list that Petra had as to who could have leaked the information. Neither man really believed what Lord Dugous had said during the meeting earlier about who he thought were the ones trying to kill him.
"Something just doesn't make sense here, but I can't figure it out." Petra said in frustration. There was something that was bugging him about the entire situation and the meeting. He could not put his finger on it, but something big was about to happen soon.
"Petra, relax! You're going to bust something trying to figure this out." Wedge said trying to get his friend to relax a bit.
Petra took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. He had hoped that when it was reveled to the delegates that one of them would show a bit of shock or anger. Petra had scattered men through out the area to watch as Wedge stepped onto the stage and was disappointed at the reactions he got. Most showed relief at the fact that Wedge Organa was still alive. In fact the only one that Petra distrusted was Lord Dugous himself. He seemed to have too much control over the delegates to just want to be security for the meeting.
"My lord?" Petra said waiting for Wedge to raise his head. "I don't want any of Lord Dugous' men to guard you, there is something about him that I don't like."
Before Wedge could respond there was a message from Lord Dugous saying that he had found some connections between the attack and one of his people. Petra raised an eyebrow at this news but said nothing at this time wanting to see what this man had uncovered. He would see in a few minutes what information had been uncovered and if it pertained in any way to the investigation that Petra had done.
A bit later Lord Dugous walked into their room with several of his men. There was just something about the man that Petra did not like. The lord's men were all similarly dressed. They had long black cloaks that matched their black shirts ad pants that they wore underneath. Each man also carried a pistol that was obvious under the cloak along with a short sword, or dagger along their waist. Their expressions were all the same, stoned faced and their eyes darted around never focusing on just one thing.
"They are my personal guards, their minds are strong and they must keep a constant guard up for those mind readers. I am one of their top targets now that I have exposed them to the public." Lord Dugous said to explain the presence of the armed men in the room.
"I'm sure they are, not an easy group to defend against I see." Petra said to the man eyeing his guards closely.
"Do you have any ideas as to why this group of, ah, mind readers is so interested in me?" Wedge asked the man in front of them.
"I can only speculate, but they apparently see you as some sort of threat to their plans of dominating this council meeting." Lord Dugous said to the two men.
"You said that you have some information for us concerning the recent attack!" Petra said wanting to get down to business so that this man would leave.
"Yes I do." Lord Dugous said to them retrieving a file and activating the file.
The men watched as the screen came to life. It showed the main dock of the Alderaan hanger base. There was not a lot of activity and Petra could identify several of the men, and realized that this tape was just prior to them leaving Alderaan. He also reconigized several of the men as pilots that were helping escort the royal yacht and realized that he had walked by the area.
It was then that he realized that a cloaked stranger that should not have been in the area appeared in the shot. His black robes seemed to stand out quite well, but Petra did not remember seeing this man. The stranger walked up to one of the pilots and appeared to talk with the cloaked stranger. The stranger kept waving his hand and the pilot seemed to be in a trance as they talked. Petra got a bit uncomfortable as this went on.
The stranger then seemed to have all of the information that he needed and walked away from the pilot. Petra watched as the pilot shook himself and then carried on as if nothing had happened.
"What just happened here?" Petra said to the man. "And how did you manage to get that data?"
"The how is not important, but the what is." Lord Dugous said as the image died down. "The cloaked stranger that approached you pilot is one of the underground magicians that can read minds, so far they haven't given a name to their group. The waving of his arm that you saw was him making his influence know on the pilot, much like hypnosis only stronger. Those with weak minds are susceptible to their influence, and it looks like they found a few who they could influence."
"Its a good thing that the pilots did not know about the swap until after they got here." Petra said more for Wedge and himself than the other man in the room. Petra was still fuming on the inside about the fact that this man had these videos, someone was going to have to answer some questions. He still wanted to know more about Lord Dugous and why he did not trust him.
"If you noticed on the video that your pilot looked a bit dazed it was a result of the mind tricks that these individuals are capable of." Lord Dugous said.
"It looks like we did not have a lead after all." Wedge said and Petra had to agree with him. He did not fully belief what Lord Dugous had told him, but he did believe that whoever had tried to kill Wedge had either hired a mind reader, or the man was part of the organization.
"I would like it if I could talk to the man?" Lord Dugous asked.
"I'm afraid that you can't, he was the pilot of the yacht and was killed during the attack." Petra replied.
"That is unfortunate, I would have like to have learned about the stranger that talked to him." Lord Dugous said as he got up. "Well gentlemen, I must be going, but if you come across any information could you please pass it on."
"Of course." Petra said escorting the man to the door.
"Okay, what just happened here?" Wedge said knowing that Petra had thought of something that he did not anyone else to know.
"Sweep the room!" He said to the remaining men who scurried about their task. Petra waited until they had finished and given the all clear before he continued. "I don't trust Lord Dugous, something about what he said just doesn't add up in my mind, that and I would like to know how he managed to get his hands on that security recording."
"You also lied to him about the pilot, why?" Wedge asked wondering what was going on that he was not aware of.
"That's just it, he did seemed surprised by that fact, that and I want to question the man first, I don't think that there is a group of these mind readers after you, someone wants you out of the council meetings because they see you as a threat to whatever it is that they want, that will be the key." Petra said doing some explaining and thinking out loud.
Wedge looked at his friend understanding what he was saying. Neither man like what was going on with the way that Lord Dugous was including himself in the securities in the meeting. Wedge knew that the meeting was important, but also felt that the galaxy was not ready for such a strong central government. Most of the other races were just beginning to trust one another.
Petra walked over to the door and told Wedge that he was going to do some more investigating. Wedge understood that he was going to talk to the pilot. Wedge was left with a few guards that would remain with him for the remainder of his stay at Coruscant. He felt like he was under house arrest for something he did not do.
"This stinks!" Wedge said to himself.
"Sir!" One of the guards said near him who happened to hear what he said.
"Oh, nothing just talking to myself that's all." Wedge said feeling a bit foolish for having said that out loud.
Petra made his way down the stairs taking his time and making sure that he was not being followed. He felt that Lord Sith and his group were up to something, but he could not put a thought as to what it was just yet. He wanted to talk to the pilot that was in the video because he himself could not remember the cloaked figure that talked to the pilot. This did disturb him a little bit, and that the few guards in the room at the time also did not remember anyone in a cloak in the hanger area.
He walked up to the door and knocked on it and waited a few seconds until it opened. The pilot was standing there with a shocked look on his face when he saw who was there.
"Sir, please come in." The pilot said recovering from his shock and motioned for Petra to come in.
"Have you found out who was responsible for the leak?" The pilot asked as they sat down.
"Actually yes and no." Petra said knowing that the answer was confusing. "We found out who gave out the information, but I don't think that it was his fault."
"Really, what can I do then?" He asked his curiosity now really up.
"Well, do you recall anyone talking to you who was wearing a cloak?" Petra asked.
"A cloak, no." The pilot said slowly thinking about it real hard. "Wait, I seem to slightly remember a cloaked person walking near me, but I don't think that he talked to me, why?"
"The cloaked figure is the one who got the information, from you." Petra said knowing that the man could not believe what he was hearing. "The figure is also probably a mind reader, the group that Lord Sith is saying is responsible for the attacks. If that is the case then you were probably the first person who came into contact with him, just an unlucky break, but I'm hoping that you can remember something about the stranger."
"Hmm." The pilot said lost in thought for a while. "I seem to remember red rimmed green eyes, they seemed to see right through me, now I know why." The pilot said.
"Don't worry about it too much, it looked like you were in a bit of a trance, and if they are able to read minds and perhaps even influence people then you were not able to defend against it." Petra said wanting to make the pilot feel better, he himself was not sure he could have defended against the stranger either.
"Keep your guard up, whoever approached you is still out there, and still wants our King killed." Petra said getting up to leave.
Ri-Jun had no idea that there would be so little space on the freighter, true he could stretch and get up a little but he felt like he was in a box. He had tried to meditate but the man wanting to know what he was doing broke that up. Ri-Jun calmly explained that he was just trying to meditate, an ancient tradition to ground oneself. The man grunted that the old traditions did not work and went on to ramble about Coruscant and how wonderful it was.
Ri-Jun learned more about the planet that was to become one entire city than he cared to learn. He learned that there were plans to build a huge building that would house the senate of the new alliance for when it became a functioning government and another building for the military that it would need. Ri-Jun did not dare tell the man that it would not work this time, there was too many corrupt delegates to allow it to work. Ri-Jun was a bit interested in the military buildings, five towers, one large one in the middle with four forming a perimeter of sorts, basically a square with a tower in each corner with one tower in the middle.
Ri-Jun remembered an arrangement form one of his dreams, something that he would see in before he died. He also let his mind wonder as to what he would do once he arrived in Coruscant. He had to figure out a way to talk with this delegate from Alderaan, without getting killed in the process. He also knew that if he tried to secretly approach the he would probably be met with hostility, which, again, he did not need.
His ride told him that he would be approaching Coruscant in a couple of minutes, but it would take about an hour to dock because of the traffic at the freighter docks. Ri-Jun told him thanks for the info and that he really appreciated the ride. The man inquired as to why he was going to Coruscant again and again Ri-Jun told him that it was a personal business matter that he had to take care of and that he did not have the means to afford passage with the liners.
The man grunted his opinion of the liner and agreed that their prices were ridiculously high and that he thought of going into the passenger business himself at a lower fare. Ri-Jun was honest with the man that if he did then he would need more room for the passengers. The man laughed and told him that the cargo area was large enough to fit about twenty men and women comfortably and he could still put in a robot cook for long passages. Ri-Jun thought about it and had to agree with him that it could work.
An hour later they had touched down and the man said if he needed a ride back that he would be headed back out later in the day and that he makes the run every two days in case he needed a ride back. Ri-Jun nodded his thanks and headed out into the busy streets and shops of Coruscant not knowing where he was going.
He pulled his brown cloak around his head in an effort to mask his identity even though he was certain that no one was looking for him here. He was, however, positive that someone wanted him dead, or they were going through a lot of trouble over nothing.
He made is way around the area trying to become familiar with his surroundings. He heard a commotion going on behind him and saw someone running from a group of men.
Ri-Jun watched as the group following him fired laser blasts at the man, several shots missed and some hit other people injuring them before they finally hit and killed the man they were after. He wondered why no one was trying to help the man as everyone just stood by.
"Why did they just kill that man?" Ri-Jun asked a person nearby who was also watching.
"Your not from around here are you?" The man replied to Ri-Jun and continued when Ri-Jun nodded that he was not. "This man called Lord Dugous is hunting down what he calls mind readers, or magicians because they are supposed to be behind the attacks on some diplomat." The man told him. "Normally we don't care, but the truth be told, Lord Dugous' men have hurt more people than anyone else."
"So why don't people help them out?" Ri-Jun asked.
"Anyone who helps is killed, I watched as two of my friends died, one had these powers and was killed. My other friend was only trying to help him out and was executed in front of a large crowd, I hate them." The man said with a nod of his chin towards Lord Dugous' men.
"Perhaps you can help me, I am new here and need some directions." Ri-Jun said.
The man turned and looked at Ri-Jun intently for a few seconds before making up his mind. "Come with me, I have a feeling that this conversation is not one we should have in public."
Ri-Jun nodded and allowed the man to lead him inside to a small room that had a bed and small kitchen with a door that Ri-Jun could only assume would be a bathroom.
"This is my humble flat," The man said.
"Flat?" Ri-Jun asked a bit confused.
"Ah, an outlander, flat is a another name for apartment, and you are one of those mind readers right." The man stated waiting for Ri-Jun to answer.
"Yes, I am." Ri-Jun answered in a bit of a shock wondering how the man knew. "I don't mean you any harm." He added quickly.
"I think you misunderstand, I don't fear you, nor do I think that you are behind the assignation attempts on the diplomat, but I can't think of why you would come here where everyone is suspicious of everyone else." The man said.
"I had to come, something very dark and evil is behind all of this, and for some reason this diplomat, Wedge Organa, is the key." Ri-Jun told him.
"Hmm, its possible, my name is Tillis." The man said holding his hand out to Ri-Jun. "I think I can help you."
"Ri-Jun-Aldi," He said grasping the hand. "What do you mean that you think that you can help?" He asked wondering what the man meant by his statement.
"I come from Ossus, and I was sent here to find someone, they were not specific but someone who would balance the force." Tillis said. "I really don't understand it myself, but when one of the prophets asks for your help it's a great honor that one does not turn down."
"How long have you been here?" Ri-Jun asked looking around the place that had a well lived in look.
"Oh, about twenty years, I have almost given up on the prophecy until I ran into you." He said. "I've been watching and I believe that it's only a matter of time before they come after Ossus itself. There are entire cultures that are devoted to those who have those powers like you have." Tillis said watching Ri-Jun's eyes light up with the thought.
"That's something I would love to learn, that is if I survive." Ri-Jun replied taking a seat across the table from Tillis. His feelings were that this man would not harm him, but almost as if he was guided to him.
"First thing is to get you in touch with this fella from Alderaan." Tillis said. "I think that I can help you there, I have a friend who works for the security company that is in charge of the security for the ambassadors. She might be able to get you in to see this fella." Tillis leaned back on his chair.
"I know that I'll appreciate it greatly, sir." Ri-Jun said hoping that Tillis could do as he promised.
Ri-Jun, along with his new friend Tillis walked casually down the sidewalk towards the place of Tillis' friend that worked for the security company. Tillis did warn Ri-Jun that they might not get a warm welcome by his friend, she could hold a grudge for a while. Ri-Jun wondered what type of person he had helping him. He also wondered if he was really helping him or leading him to one of Lord Dugous' men, either way he would have to keep his guard up.
The walk along the street allowed Ri-Jun to look around in a way that he did not before. Being with someone would not bring people's suspicion upon him as it would if he was by himself. Looking around he could see massive amount of construction being done, building were being constructed all over the place and he briefly wondered who was paying for all of it and who was in charge of everything.
As they passed a few more buildings Tillis finally announced that they were there. Ri-Jun looked up at the building that they had arrived at, and part of him was a bit shocked, the other part of him was not surprised to find himself standing in front of Lord Dugous' security building. They walked into the building and even thought Ri-Jun was a bit nervous he walked into the building with extreme caution.
After a few people asking them what they wanted they were finally allowed to see Tillis' friend. Ri-Jun had not been to sure that they would even make it, but Tillis had made up a convincing story that he was there to make up to her and that his friend was there to make sure that he went through with it.
The two men walked into the small office where a tall, muscular woman was standing there with her arms crossed across her chest staring at Tillis.
"Well, well, finally decided to crawl out of the gutter, have you Til?" She said, her blue eyes piercing through them. Ri-Jun could see that she was a person who told you straight, and did not like it when you played games, that was fine with him.
"Now baby." He started to say but was cut off.
"DON'T, you BABY me!" She replied and Ri-Jun flinched by her tone.
"Jessica, we need to talk to you." Tillis said motioning his head towards Ri-Jun.
"Okay, speak up, what do you need. After all I don't have all day to deal with you." She replied a bit sharply.
"It needs to be in private." Tillis said closing the door to her office, something he should have done when he first got there he mused.
"I need your help." Ri-Jun said speaking up for the first time and the woman focused her attention on him, her eyes drilling into him.
"What do you need?" She asked.
"I think that I can help protect the Alderaan ambassador Wedge Organa, and I don't think that the cult groups have anything to do with the attempts on his life." He said watching her reaction.
"Can you tell me why you think that you are so qualified and why the cults are not behind it, we have evidence that supports the theory." She said, but privately wished that this man could prove contrary.
"I have those abilities, and I have been hunted by someone who also has the same abilities, I think that there is another group that wants Organa dead, because he holds the key to the proceedings. I don't know what group is behind this but I am pretty sure that it's not the local groups." Ri-Jun said.
"So these groups are at war with each other using these special ability people as weapons in fighting their war?" Jessica replied not sure that she was hearing things correctly.
"It's a possibility, and with Lord Dugous' men killing all of them we'll never know." Tillis said picking up on the conversation.
"Hmm, that is a possibility, I should notify my captain." She said.
"No, I don't think that that would be a good idea, there are people who could be part of the security that belong to these cults, otherwise how would they have know so much." Ri-Jun said.
"You've put some doubt in the evidence, I see what I can do about getting you to the ambassador, in the meantime stay with Tillis until I have had a chance to think about this." Jessica said walking around to where the Ri-Jun was standing. "My name's Jessica Pamlis." She said holding out a hand.
"Ri-Jun-Aldi," He replied shaking her hand. He was impressed with the woman who he had first thought war rude and unwilling to help them to someone who he could see was not impressed with Lord Dugous' simple explanations.
"Well Ri-Jun, I'll let you know what I find, in the meantime I suggest that you stay with Tillis here and I'll contact you as soon as I have something." She told him.
Ri-Jun nodded his head to her and he and Tillis left the office headed back to Tillis' place, or flat as he called it.
End Part 2
Sent comment to: AJMarks01@aol.com or AJMarks@ajstories.com