Characters

Star Wars

Rebellion Era

Lords of the Expanse Campaign

WEG D6 (GM: Dave)

"For over a thousand generations the Jedi were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic. Before the dark times. Before the 'Empire'."

Walsh

As the gleaming surface of the planet turned slowly beneath him, Captain Evel Ferris stared intently through the transparisteel viewport at the arc of the horizon. He watched as the inexorable rotation of the world brought the terminator line closer and closer to his objective.

"It is time", he thought, and turned suddenly from the window. He strode purposefully along the steel walkway that separated the port and starboard bridge stations. These were often dubbed "the pit" by the crew since they were so far below the level where the officers resided when on duty. As he passed the comm station, he glanced down and nodded almost imperceptibly to the tech seated there. The man acknowledged his signal with a brief lowering of his eyelids and then began flicking switches on the console in front of him.

Captain Ferris paused at the door to the Admiral's office and buzzed politely for entry. The door slid aside with a slight hiss and he entered. Admiral Bramwell was seated behind his desk across the room.

"Come in, Evel, come in", he chuckled as Ferris crossed the room. "I knew you'd be coming to see me again soon". The Admiral's wizened face lit up with a mischievous grin.

It was all Ferris could do to keep from losing his self control as he responded, "I'm sorry sir, but I'm just anxious to find out what our assignment will be." He thought silently to himself about how enjoyable it would be to make the doddering old fool's grin disappear in a variety of unpleasant ways.

"Now Evel", the old man replied, "I told you before that the Republic Navy works in mysterious ways. You'll get used to the "hurry-up-and-wait" routine after you put in a few more years." He smiled broadly as if he were addressing a young child.

Ferris clenched his left fist tightly at his side and responded levelly, "I understand, Admiral. It's just that some of my officers are beginning to wonder why the High command would dispatch a "Victory"-class star destroyer to a backwater world for no apparent reason, then order us to wait in orbit indefinitely."

Admiral Bramwell's eyes showed his uncertainty even though his words were confident, "The High Command always has a good reason for their orders. It just may not be obvious to us yet".

Ferris was inwardly jubilant but he kept his face stoic and businesslike. "He doesn't suspect", he thought. The idiotic old man actually doesn't suspect anything!" Before he could frame the proper vocal response, he was interrupted by a beep from the comlink on the Admiral's desk.

"Incoming message from Naval High Command, Admiral. Shall I patch it through to your office?", inquired the voice of the comm tech through the speaker.

"That will be fine, thank you", Bramwell replied. Turning his attention momentarily back to Captain Ferris he spoke quickly, "You see Evel, all you need is a little patience." He rotated his chair to face the holotank behind the desk.

"Patience!", Ferris screamed inwardly as he mechanically removed the small holdout blaster from beneath his tunic and aimed it between the Admiral's shoulder blades. His finger jerked the trigger and there was an explosion of light and sound as the weapon expended its entire charge into one lethal bolt. Bramwell was killed instantly. Ferris smirked slightly as the corpse toppled out of the chair into a heap on the deck. "You don't know the meaning of the word", he commented to the former Admiral's lifeless body.

He moved around the desk and seated himself in his new chair. Pressing a button on the console he raised the comm tech in the portside "pit". "Give me shipwide intercom", he ordered. When he was ready, he spoke to his new crew: "Attention all hands, this is Captain Ferris. A few moments ago this vessel received word that the Senate has voted to name Senator Palpatine the Emperor of the Known Worlds. In so doing, the Senate has mandated the vision and ideals of Emperor Palpatine and his New Order. This vessel and all other military units are now under the control of the Imperial High Command. In accordance with this directive, I have been forced to assume command from Admiral Bramwell, who has revealed himself to be a traitor to the new regime. I regret to inform you that the Admiral was killed while resisting arrest. All crewmembers should continue to do their duty as always in order to make the transition in the galactic government as smooth as possible. Long live the Emperor. Ferris out."

Dropping the useless blaster on the desk, he rose and walked out onto the bridge. A few of the bolder crew members glanced up when he exited Bramwell's office, but quickly went back to their duties when he began barking orders.

"Helm, bring us about and proceed to planetary bombardment position Alpha. Inform the hangar deck to launch bombers and escorts as soon as we're in position. Comm, get me Colonel Skell on the assault shuttle." He moved over to a viewscreen and waited for Skell's image to appear. When it did he spoke immediately, "All right Colonel, it's in your hands now. Your shuttle will be launched as soon as the fighters are clear of their racks. Carry out your orders." "

Aye, Captain." Skell nodded and broke the connection.

Ferris strolled almost leisurely over to the viewport and once again looked down on the shining planet below. He could feel the rumble of the star destroyer's main drive as it moved into a lower orbit. His eyes were drawn to a point on the darkened side of the world that filled the windows. "And now Jedi", he thought, "it is your turn to die."

* * * * * * * *

In the darkness of her sleeping quarters, Lisl awoke with a start. With her left hand she explored the other side of the double bed and found it empty. The covers were thrown back, but the sheets were still warm. "He hasn't been up long", she thought to herself. She sat up in bed and glanced at the chronometer on the nightstand. She groaned inwardly when she realized that she was supposed to be roused by the alarm in another two hours. What had awakened her husband at this time of the morning?

She drew in a deep breath and rubbed her hands along the sides of her face, pushing some errant strands of her long brown hair back into place. Resting her hands in her lap, she let out the breath and allowed the Force to wash through her. She reached out with her mind, away from the bed, outside the room, searching throughout the house for her missing husband, Tamar.

In the next room she could "see" the sleeping form of her daughter, Alena. Huddled under the covers Alena looked beautiful and peaceful as she slept. Lisl allowed herself a slight smile. "Not so peaceful when you're awake, are you, my daughter?", she asked the night. Alena was an impetuous and emotional girl. For twelve summers Lisl had patiently and lovingly attempted to instruct her daughter in the ways of the Jedi Knights. Lisl knew that Alena had the ability to use the Force, but she seemed to fight against the power for some reason. Alena was 17 now and seemed less likely every day to ever become a Jedi. "Even your father understands better than you", Lisl had once said to Alena in a fit of momentary anger, "and he's no more Force sensitive than a Bantha!"

Continuing her mental journey Lisl "passed through" her son's empty room across the hallway. Her smile grew broader. Walsh was the exact opposite of Alena in almost every way. At age ten he was serious, studious, and mature. He thirsted for knowledge, especially of the force. He seemed to thrive on the challenges that Lisl presented to him daily. He had left home five weeks before to meet with her friend and mentor, the Duros Jedi Master Kell Burgess. She had hated to see him go, but she knew it was necessary. Walsh was progressing so quickly that it was safer to allow him to spend time with Kell who had much more experience training Jedi. She had booked passage for Walsh on the Ithorian herdship "Oasis" that had recently passed through the system. She realized that spending the trip in the company of the Ithorians would be good experience for him. Being a Jedi involved knowledge of many different races and cultures, and the Ithorians were a peaceful people with a rich heritage and love for life. Walsh could only benefit from the journey.

She swept through the rest of the house "seeing" everything through the Force. She paused briefly in the guest bedroom where the housekeeper, Fulah, and her young son were sleeping. Fulah's husband was a pilot in the Republic Navy and spent much of his time off-world. Their son Bev had the image of his handsome father, and at age six was a playful and rambunctious child. Fulah hoped that Walsh's departure would mean that Lisl would begin teaching another student: her young boy.

Lisl realized suddenly that Tamar was not inside the house and began expanding her search beyond the walls. Even as she did so, she rose quickly from the bed and donned a robe to keep the chilly night air from penetrating her thin nightshirt. She strode hurriedly across the bedroom as she stretched out with the Force toward the outbuildings around the property. She had reached the doorway and stepped into the hall when her mental search located her husband. He was outside, approaching the main doors to the speeder garage. She touched his mind briefly and found him nervous and concerned. She found that he had awakened and thought he had heard noises coming from the garage so he had gone to investigate alone, not wishing to disturb her slumber.

She probed the garage for lifeforms, expecting to find an animal that had squeezed under the door looking for food. Instead, she found...humanoids! Realizing as she did so that it was already too late, she tried to warn her husband. "Tamar, stop!", she cried out mentally as "loudly" as she could without causing him pain. He had already begun sliding the garage door aside when his wife's message reached him and the lethal bolt of energy was triggered. A volley of blaster fire from inside the darkened garage tore through him and he crumpled to the ground.

"No!" Lisl screamed as she watched her husband die. The sensation felt as though it were she who had been shot. She collapsed to her knees in the doorway and stretched out her arms as if to catch Tamar's falling body. Her head slumped forward and her hair shrouded her features, which had become suddenly pale. "No", she said softly as a sob racked her body.

There was a sudden explosion at the front of the house and the main door disintegrated. She blinked the tears from her eyes and tried to regain control of herself. "My saber", she thought, even as two armored figures emerged from the dense smoke that had been created by the blast. Her lightsaber sprang from its resting place on the bedside stand and crossed the room to her outstretched hand. The energy blade crackled to life in front of her, it's forest-green glow reflecting garishly off the gleaming white armor of her would-be assassins. The two soldiers fired from the hip at that instant, apparently believing their target to have been conveniently illuminated. The saber flashed in an impossibly fast arc, somehow intercepting the two blaster bolts and reflecting them back to their point of origin. One of the gunmen was knocked off his feet as the shot shattered the faceplate of his helmet. The other staggered to one side as his chest armor absorbed the blow. He tried to correct his aim and suddenly found his target much too close for comfort. Lisl's saber whirled again and the second assailant crumpled.

She turned and hurried back the hall knowing that she only had a few moments to spare. She could sense other troops gathering near the front of the house. She mentally put aside her grief for Tamar and her questions about the white body armor and the strange insignia on the two dead men. Those would have to wait while she saw to the safety of her remaining family. She met her daughter emerging from her room with a terrified expression on her face.

"Alena, take Fulah and Bev and get them out the back door and into the woods", she said hurriedly.

"Mother, I don't think ---", Alena began.

"By the Force girl, do as I say! They've killed your father and if we don't hurry then they'll have killed us as well!", Lisl snapped. Alena's face grew paler as Lisl's words sunk in and realization struck.

They both started as they heard Fulah scream from her bedroom. Lisl whirled and kicked in Fulah's door on the second stride. There were two more of the white clad soldiers in the bedroom who had entered through the unlocked window. One had apparently been struggling with the housekeeper and hurled her onto the bed. His weapon lay discarded on the floor at his feet. As Lisl burst in, the second soldier fired three shots from his blaster into Fulah's midsection and the girl tumbled off the far side of the bed. The third shot had barely cleared the weapon when Lisl's lightsaber plunged through the man's back and emerged from his chest. The remaining trooper grabbed for his fallen blaster as Lisl pulled her saber clear and slashed downward. As the man brought his gun to bear in a two-fisted grip, the blade severed both his arms at the elbow. He staggered back against the wall and collapsed.

"Alena, come here", Lisl screamed as she rushed to the far side of the bed. She bent down to Fulah's inert body to administer whatever aid she could, but it was too late. The blaster had done it's work too well. Alena entered the room and looked at her mother questioningly. Lisl shook her head grimly and gestured her daughter towards Bev's bed. The boy was sprawled across the mattress at an awkward angle with a prominent black and blue lump on the side of his head. Alena gathered him in her arms and headed out the door.

As they entered the hall, Lisl probed towards the front of the house with her mind. A group of soldiers were preparing to breach the front door again, but had decided to precede their entry with anti-personnel grenades. Two of the deadly orbs bounced into the foyer. Lisl seized them both with her mental "hands" and rolled them back outside. They exploded violently, scattering the troops on the porch. "That should hold them momentarily", she thought.

Urging her daughter to hurry, Lisl passed through the kitchen at the rear of the house and headed for the back door. She burst out the door into the night air with Alena on her heels. Five meters to her left there was a sudden flash and a blast of sound in the darkness. She heard Alena let out a strangled cry and stumble to the ground. Lisl closed quickly on the assailant, a Rodian wielding an archaic-looking slugthrower, and slashed sideways. To her immense shock the green-skinned alien somehow ducked the blow and rolled to one side. Leaping to his feet, he aimed the weapon at her head and fired again. It was all she could do to throw herself flat in time to avoid the blast. She felt something scrape across her back and then an unpleasant cold sensation began spreading outward from the wound. She could see the Rodian's feet in front of her and she tried to slash out with the saber. Her arm felt like a lead weight and everything seemed to be moving much faster than she was. She realized that somehow the saber had slipped from her fingers. She must find it. She must save Alena.

Her perspective changed suddenly as she was flipped roughly onto her back and found the Rodian standing over her with the business end of the slugthrower inches from her face.

"So Jedi, it was a good hunt, but you have lost", the Rodian gloated. "Your powers were not enough to beat a simple dose of neurotoxin. It is somewhat of a disappointment." His finger tensed on the trigger and Lisl acted.

With every ounce of control she had left she fused the barrel of the slugthrower closed just before the trigger released the firing mechanism. The weapon exploded in the face of its owner, showering the Rodian's head with flechettes and red hot bits of shredded metal. He screamed horribly and staggered backwards, clawing at his ruined eyes. Lisl rolled to her hands and knees, concentrating her energies on neutralizing the lethal poison coursing through her system. The Rodian suddenly stopped screaming and fell limply to the ground, his body racked by convulsions.

Lisl staggered to her feet, recovering her lightsaber as she did so. "Must get to Alena", she thought desperately. She moved to where her daughter had fallen, Bev sprawled on the ground next to her. She checked the children's vital signs as quickly as she could. Her mind was still clouded somewhat from the toxin. Bev was dead. The poison in the flechettes was probably three to four times the necessary lethal dose, she thought coldly. Alena was barely alive. Her daughter's mind seemed to be fighting an effective holding action against the foreign substance. "Good girl", Lisl cried out as she sensed strong presence of the Force. "I've got to get you out of here", she said quietly to the girl's comatose body.

She picked up Alena and slung her over her shoulder with a groan and then started towards the tree line behind the house. She staggered under the combination of her daughter's unaccustomed weight and the lingering effects of the Rodian neurotoxin. She was halfway to the relative safety of the woods when she sensed the danger. It was already too late.

The first bolts of energy from the heavy repeater slammed into her body just as she hurled the lightsaber forward towards the hidden troops. She caught a glimpse of it whirling through the air before she collapsed. Another burst of fire struck her body as she lay on the ground. Her last thoughts were of her son.

* * * *

Colonel Skell flinched as the medic put the finishing touches on the syntheflesh patch that covered his left cheekbone. He felt a light tingling sensation as the antiseptic spray was applied and the medic informed him of his progress.

"It'll be completely fine in a day or so, sir. The damage was basically superficial. I'm afraid you'll have a bit of a scar, though. Might want to consider reconstructive surgery."

"Thank you, corporal", Skell replied coldly, "That will be all."

The corpsman hurriedly folded up his medkit and saluted before departing. Skell rose from his seat on the hood of the speeder and surveyed the area. The morning dew had turned to frost on the grass and there was a chill in the air as the sun struggled to appear above the horizon. He watched as the demolition team put the finishing touches on the charges they were planting around the house. He noticed a stormtrooper crossing the front yard towards him at a trot and decided to meet him halfway.

"Yes?" Skell queried.

"Sir, Captain Ferris is on the comlink in the APC", the trooper informed him tersely.

Skell didn't bother with a reply but immediately strode off towards the back of the house. As he rounded the rear corner of the structure he spared a brief glance for the row of five tarpaulin-shrouded bodies arranged neatly on the ground near the rear entrance. Each of the four stormtroopers in the guard detail looked up briefly as he appeared. Part of him felt foolish for assigning troops to guard the corpses, but he had seen the apprehensive looks of the demolition team when they approached the house and decided to follow his instructions to the letter: "Take no chances under any circumstances. You must not fail."

He reached the APC that was parked near the trees behind the house and took the comlink from the outstretched hand of the soldier in the side door.

"This is Colonel Skell. Go ahead Captain Ferris."

"Report, Colonel."

"Everything is proceeding on schedule, Captain. The demo team is finishing up now. The assault squads should be safely back aboard by now and the search team is en route in the second shuttle. I estimate 20 minutes until final dust-off."

"Excellent. You're certain that all of the targets were eliminated?"

Skell could feel a flush rise to his cheeks as his anger at being doubted boiled to the surface. He gritted his teeth and replied evenly, "Yes sir. The woman, her husband, a teenage daughter, and her young son. I can see the bodies from where I'm standing."

"Good. Finish things there and contact me when you're safely away so I can vector the bombers. Ferris out."

The channel closed with a brief burst of static and Skell handed the comlink back into the vehicle. "It's easy to criticize when you're sitting safely in orbit dropping bombs", he muttered to himself. He glanced back to where the tarp covered the body of the Jedi. He stared for a moment and realized that his left hand had reflexively reached up to touch the fresh wound on his face.

It had been his idea to place the heavy weapons crew in the woods behind the house on the theory that the targets would flee the frontal assault and seek safety amongst the trees. It had worked perfectly except for the brief interference from the Rodian bounty hunter. Skell had watched from the woods as the foolish thing's weapon malfunctioned and tore half it's face off. He had begun cursing to himself as the woman had crawled back towards the house. He was on the verge of telling his men to go ahead and shoot when she had lifted the body of her daughter and headed straight into their sights. When she reached the point where there could be no doubt, he had given the order to fire.

"But even in death, the Jedi are dangerous", he thought as he again glanced at the alert stormtroopers around the fallen victims. As the repeater had cut her down, the woman had hurled her saber towards his position. The whirling green blade had passed a meter over the heads of both he and the gun crew. Just as he had raised his head to look at the fallen Jedi, he had heard an uncomfortably loud sound to the rear as though some tremendous beast was crashing through the undergrowth. He had instinctively rolled away from his place of concealment and then watched, transfixed, as a 50-meter tall Ronicwood tree had crushed the repeater crew and their gun. A piece of debris thrown up by the impact had lashed across the left side of his face, nearly knocking him senseless. By the time the dust had cleared, his troops had found him dazed but alive, staring at the stump of the tree where the lightsaber had sliced through it.

He could feel the cool metal of the saber now, where he had concealed it beneath his flak vest. None of the stormtroopers had witnessed him discovering it, nor had they apparently suspected anything when he ordered them to search and it could not be found. "Spoils of war", he explained to himself, although he felt vaguely disturbed by his own actions.

* * * *

The time passed quickly as events wound down and Skell soon found himself one of only a handful of men left at the site. Almost all of the troops had boarded the shuttle that had arrived shortly after his conversation with Captain Ferris. The shuttle's engines were rising in pitch as the pilot prepared for the imminent lift-off and run for orbit. As the head of the demolition team exited the rear of the house, Skell ordered the last four stormtroopers who had been guarding the bodies to board the waiting ship. As the guards obediently moved away, the demo expert approached Skell and reported, his voice shouting to be heard over the repulsor engines.

"The timer's running, sir. We have about five minutes. My orders are to leave these on the bodies." He opened the satchel at his side and revealed two thermal detonators packed inside.

"You get aboard Sergeant. I'll take care of it myself."

Skell accepted the satchel from the soldier, who rapidly covered the distance to the waiting shuttle. Reaching into the bag, he armed the two deadly devices and noted that the timers were synchronized at four minutes. As he bent to place the explosives in the center of the five corpses he was overcome by a sudden desire to look upon the face of the Jedi woman whom he had killed. He found himself reaching out and gently pulling back the sheet to reveal her features.

How long he stared at her he could never say for sure. It had seemed an eternity, yet he knew later it could have only been moments.

In those moments the lightsaber had seemed to grow warmer and warmer until its heat had coursed throughout his body. He would never forget her face as long as he lived. She had appeared strangely peaceful in death.

She had been smiling.

* * * *

"What is it my son?"

"I have come to say goodbye, father."

"So the decision is made."

"It is."

"The herd will be weakened by your absence."

"Thank you, father."

"Your path is not an easy one."

"Yet I must travel it."

"Will your presence mean so much?"

"I must aid my people in their struggle."

"The outcome remains uncertain."

"The future is always in motion."

"You no longer seek vengeance."

"There is no vengeance, there is only peace."

"The Mother Jungle keep you, my son."

"May the Force be with you, father."

The man turned and strolled off through the foliage. The wizened old Ithorian merchant sadly watched him leave. "May the Force be with you," he whispered as a tear fell from his eye.

* * * *

Background:

Walsh (Savoy) Garlon lived the first 10 years of his life with his human parents, Lisl and Tamar Savoy on the planet Mitral, located in an unremarkable sector of the Old Republic. During his years on Mitral, his Jedi mother laid the groundwork for his training as a Knight by teaching him to be aware of the Force within himself and others. At age 10 he spent several weeks with the Duros Jedi Master Kell Burgess who opened his mind to the great potential of the Force by teaching him to reach out with his mind and manipulate the world around him. Walsh was determined to learn more, but Kell was called away to a meeting with another Jedi and the formal training was postponed.

As Walsh was returning to Mitral aboard the Ithorian herdship "Oasis", he learned of the murder of his family at the hands of the Empire. As news of further killings of Jedi reached him in the next few days he realized that his old life was over. Unable to return home, he was adopted by an Ithorian merchant, Jomada Garlon, who raised him as his own son. During the years he spent with the Ithorians, Walsh found solace in the spiritual beliefs of his adopted people. Knowing that it was not yet prudent to return to the outside world and display his abilities, he waited for a sign. When Imperial ships docked with the "Oasis" he went to his favorite place, a waterfall deep in the Mother Jungle on the restricted level of the ship. There he would often meditate for days at a time as the herdship moved amongst the stars. When he was at peace there he could feel the richness of the Force flowing through him

The sign came years later after he had begun to despair of ever leaving the ship. He had attended a community meeting with his father at which many of his Ithorian brethren had spoken in favor of siding openly with the fledgling Rebel Alliance. Word had come to the herd that the Empire had been soundly defeated in a major battle at a planet known as Yavin. At the conclusion of the meeting he was very troubled and sought peace by going to the waterfall. He was deep in his meditation trance when he suddenly realized that he was not alone.

Opening his eyes, he saw his mother, Lisl, standing next to the pool and beckoning him closer. As he approached she spread apart her arms as if to embrace him. He smiled and reached out to her, but she suddenly underwent a violent transformation. Her face became a mask of rage and insanity and she lunged towards him, igniting her lightsaber as she did so. He had stumbled to the ground as her first strike passed through the air over his head. As he raised his hands to ward off another blow, he saw that it was not his mother standing over him, but instead a tall man dressed in black body armor and a flowing black cape. He had screamed in terror as the man had raised his saber for the killing blow. The blade flashed downwards and Walsh suddenly found himself alone by the waterfall once again.

The next morning Walsh left the "Oasis" to seek the Alliance.