(This chapter seen through a Watcher's point of view)
It was a very dark night indeed. The shadows whispered names between the buildings. Corellia's city glistened in the rain that poured down in hard rocks. No man walked the streets as the lightning tickled the city's back. The rain was reported to be 7 days long so far, and would not even stop for a black hole. Yes, yes, I remember it now. The rain poured and poured. It could not have been worse. Only twin cars went by our window on the 54th floor. It was hard to see even 3 feet. I must have been on my way home from the meeting of the Secret Order of the Krath. I was docking on the top of my home, and all was silent. Only rain whizzed by my ears. I could see little angels dancing all around the dimmed lights, sparkling with fear. I came into the building and looked for the elevator. I took it down and started down my hallway. Room number 248 was my home. The owners kept the building in great shape and loved to make sure the Watchers had a great view of the city. That I did. The view was almost perfect. I could see everything from the top. Clouds danced by the top of the building, drudging through their own rain. I watched it come down, standing next to my room, drinking some Gunh Tea. It was all very interesting, actually, the way the rain and lighting seemed to mix in. Anyway, maybe I should save you readers some time and get to who I am. I have no name. I use random names at times, but if I must be named, you could call me "2 for 5." That's my designation, even a tatoo of that name is on my arm. I look Corellian, I move, smell, and act like a Corallian, but believe me, I am not Corellian. I am...WE are the Watchers. We watch over an unknown species of organisms. They call themselves...The Crusaders. This being mating season, the Crusaders will gather in this one city of Corellia, and produce newborn. Many offspring die after birth, for they are not strong enough. Some get by with almost no trouble, the rest barely get through their lives and become what I am, a Watcher. I am an offspring of this rare organism, that reports the Crusaders' actions and movements to the High Council of the Empire. We report to only one Admiral, who in turn provides us with homes, food, and entertainment. I am not allowed to give the name of this Admiral, but he is a man of great skill. Being a Watcher, I am assigned to 5 Crusaders. I have one accomplice, my wife, who is not a Watcher, but is in great physical condition, and is very good at her work. I take pictures, mostly, rarely do I use a camera recorder. In this line of work, I have to be out for about 18 hours a day, watching over the 5 Crusaders. The Crusader I am most interested in is a very rare type, and is not known for making himself known. I don't talk to him often, but he does sneak into my home, wanting me to get a picture here and there. His name is the Black Crusader. His designation is Knight. All Crusaders have designations to tell one apart from the other. This one interests me the most, because he always is on the run.
I watched the rain fly to the ground, lights off, lighting mixed with a 10 second delay of thunder. All I see as i sip my Tea, is shadows of the interesting shapes in the room. I look at the great statue of my Mother, in her armored form. The Crusaders are known to shape shift into a large Knight, who uses a sword instead of a gun. They are primitive, but are very powerful in the Force, using it like a toy. They create swirls of magic, fire, photon blasts, and dangerous displays of power with their hands. The Black Crusader is my favorite of the 230 some Crusaders that there are (many unaccounted for). He uses his power for peace, not to get his way, and to create order, in his own little realm of chaos. I look down at the ground, wondering to myself, what is in this horrible Tea? As soon as I look up, I see a new figure in the shadows of my home. I say, "Hello Knight." He walks toward me, slowly, casually, his red glowing eyes glistening in the darkness. He stops several feet from me.
"You haven't reported my most previous battle to the Admiral yet. The results of it were most...unpleasant," he says, with a deep voice.
I look wildly at him, wondering..."No I haven't, Knight, I didn't want him to really know what happened to his best officer in this city."
He stares at me, "Then I must thank you for letting me and my wife go, without a word...Is there any evidence?"
"Not that I know of"
"Good. I cannot be one of the greatest mercenaries here, if I leave evidence."
"Yes, I know. I have received word from our good Admiral that there is a new squadron in the ASF opening up. It's lead by a man named Commander Shups, and is open to any great pilot. I hope you are willing to use this opportunity to find the Oracle of the Darkk One. This could be your chance to fulfill your duty, your wife's duty, and your 2 daughters' duties," I say with confidence, as he looks at the sculptures around the home.
He puts a miniature Ganette figure down and stares at me with a smile on his face, "Oh, really? Tell the Admiral I am more than interested, and would love to join this...what is it?"
"Crusader Squadron of Wing XIII."
"Yes," he responds with a straight face, "I will meet him at the Oracle of the Yellow One tomorrow morning. If he waits too long, tell him to wait longer, I have been hired for another assassination."
With that, his skin starts pulsing and Beautiful Black aromor bursts out of is skin. A helmet begins to cover his face, his legs are gently covered, and the armor begins wrapping it's self around the large man, now looking like a Knight. A cape drops from his shoulders, and he turns to the window. He unlocks the latch, and turns to me.
"Give him this to guarantee I'm there."
With that, he jumps out the window and I run to it. I watch him fall and disappear with the rain dancing below. I look at the small piece of armor he handed to me and it starts sludging around in my hand. I turn myself around immediately, and schedule the next shuttle to the Admiral I can. This is the beginning of chaos, and peace.....
Part 2
The rain kept coming down. It seemed strange that a large storm cloud such as this one formed over Corellia as soon as I got back from my trip. Today I make another trip to the Commander of Crusader Squadron. His name is Shups. He is supposedly one of the best in his Wing, but I doubt anyone can outdo the reflexes of a Crusader. Even though the Black Crusader isn't meant for piloting, he still craves the adventure off the ground. I looked around as I approched a public transport. The driver told me to get off saying it was full. I never got a look inside, but I trust he was telling the truth.
Most people on Corellia know a Watcher when they see one. Being a tall, dark, and mysterious man, most of us Watchers have metal plating on our skin. We were born of armor, but Watchers are only cast-offs of true Crusaders. I suppose I just didn't try hard enough, but it does depend on my destiny. What about the Crusaders? Do they have a destiny? I think not since all they ever do is wander. They even use time-travelling skills to get from place to place.
Anyway, as I walked to the next closest transport, I thought about all these things. I always carry my camera with me just in case I happen to see a Crusader. As I approached the next stop, I noticed an Imperial Officer with a sabre near the transport. He was tall, bulky, and looked mean. I always wondered how a Jedi would do in battle against a Crusader. I would think he'd stand no chance. Although he looked strong and agile, he looked no match to a Crusader's firey hands or lightning guided finger tips.
I began to get on the transport and found an empty seat. It was wet, but I sat on it, considering I wouldn't feel it through my skin. I began shape shifting my hand to look more like an authentic Corellian. It would be an hour before I got to the Space Port, so I decided to relax and read. Seconds seemed like minutes as we passed every drop of rain, and hit every drop in our way. I sat back, looked around, and pulled a small pocket book from my jacket.
The book contained pieces of information about the history of the public Corellian transport. I chuckled to myself after reading the part about it being used as a substitute fighter in the Clone Wars. It had only been 15 minutes when I got bored of reading it and I fell asleep.
Fortunately I woke up 35 minutes later. Another few minutes passed and we finally came to a stop. I looked out the window, past the oncoming rain and saw the spaceport. I began to get off the transport, and as I exited, I looked around. I went up to a desk and asked the human for a ticket to the Commander's ship. She asked for my authority card, and I whipped it out, being used to handing it to all public transportation officers. She gave me the ticket to the shuttle, and I began walking down to the departure area. I was approaching the shuttle and gave the man in front my ticket. He led me to the seat closest to the front and I sat down. It would be another eight hours before I got to the Grey Wolf. Soon enough all 12 passengers were on board. Half of them were Imperial Officers. One sat next to me and another two laughing with eachother sat behind us. I could tell their laughing would keep me awake for awhile. Soon, the shuttle began taking off. The rain clouds left my view and I finally saw a star above Corellia's surface. I could see light again! I was amazed and relieved. Finally, we were in space. I heard the engine power up and we soon entered hyper space. I tuned out the laughing behind me and the constant talking from civilians next to me. Eight hours I thought to myself. Soon I dozed off and was fast asleep....
Part 3 (Year 1228 AD)
I have come to the realization that I am not human. I was found abandoned by my parents after my village was attacked as a child. I now know my parents died long ago in the attack. What I don't know is who, what, or where I came from. I have been studying my powers long, and I have come to the conclusions of being able to lift things up without picking them up, and creating lightning with my finger tips. Not only that, but I have learned I can create fire in the palm of my hands. I can throw a ball of fire with a single swing of my hand. I can lift things ten times my weight. Most importantly, I can shape-shift my hands into differnt objects. The problem is, my skin turns pitch plack, and as smooth and shiny as a piece of armor when i shape my hands. I seem to cause more problems than i mean to because of my involuntary shape shifts and sudden thrusts of fire or lightning. Most of all, even though I was born early in the 13th century, after almost 40 years, I still have the reflexes, looks, hormones, and age of a 15 year old. I'm aging slower than my friends and family. I wish I was normal like everyone else around me, but I'm not. What's really wierd is the animals around me seem to ignore my presence, as if I was one of them. The deer come to me and lick the salt off my hands, the squirrels surround me in the woods while looking for acorns. My friends are jealous because of my age, strength, and ability to catch and eat animals without wasting energy. Children are calling me a freak when I shape-shift, and an evil wizard when I create magics. Soon I shall find out how to stop my phase of this insanity. It sounds like a dream to be all these things, but it's not, losing friends and being called a freak of nature isn't worth all the trouble. I will find my heritage and see what I'm meant to be!
Part 3
I walked down the long path with a pack of materials hanging over my shoulder. I paid the guard at the bridge the 5 crown passage fee. My journey had begun. I was determined to find out who, what, and where I came from. I was hoping there would be some way to rid myself of it. A priest back home suggested I go just outside of England, where I'd find a wizard in a town called Archibali. His name is Alex, and I would be able to recognize him by his white robe. As I moved along the wide trail, my staff in hand, dagger at my side, I caught a glimpse of a wolf nearby. He looked up at me and ran out of sight. This had never happened to me before. Normally animals come right to me. I began noticing that no animal came to greet me. I couldn't see any animals anywhere. I heard a noise in the tree above me. I looked up and suddenly a man in a cloak dropped from the tree. He hit me on the head with his staff and I became unconcious.
When I woke up, the last thing I remembered was being dragged by two men. I woke up in a small tent. It was cluttered with things, but on the outside it had steel grates, which my strength could not bend. My staff, my dagger, and my pack full of my belongings were all gone. All I saw were crates. I looked around, studying my area. Considering the amount of light coming in, I was in an open area. The position of the sun hadn't changed much, so I suspected I wasn't far from where I was hit. I looked at the tent's entrance and saw a lock. I heated up my hand and placed it on the lock. The lock was weak enough and rusted enough to melt off the latch. It made a loud clang on the ground, but no one heard it, for no one arrived within the next two minutes I waited.
I peeked out the tent and looked around. It was a large thieve's encampment. I saw men in brown cloaks, red cloaks, and black cloaks. Judging by the colors of the cloaks, it was an army of the Sun thieves guild. A large and vicious guild that had plundered many towns. I suspected they were the ones who took my family. One person in particular captured my attention. Suspicious looking, yet experienced. I looked closer. She was the most gorgeous woman I'd seen in my life. By her looks, she was strong, young, and innocent looking. She was not of the guild, but looking for someone. She saw my tent and I quickly closed the entrance. Since it was night time, no one saw me or heard me but her. I heard footsteps coming closer. She opened the entrance and came in quickly.
"Who are you?" I asked in a low whisper.
"My name is Joanna, who are you?" She whispered back.
"I'm Antonio, what are you doing here?"
"I've come to help you get to Archibali. Now be quiet or they shall discover us!"
She took out a lock pick and picked loose the tight cuffs on my hands. I rubbed my hands and she whispered, "Follow me, and duck down, walkking quietly, but quickly." Slowly, she went out the entrance to the tent. She quickly went to the tent across from mine. I hurried past the thieves with their backs to me. I jumped into the next tent. She held up a black cloak to me and demanded, "Put this on!" I did as she asked and put the hood over my head. She lead me out the entrance slowly and casually. We were walking past the others successfully and got to the camp's exit. We looked around and made sure it was clear. Then we made a run for it....
The night was cold as she led me into a shed in the forest. It had a bunk and a drawer. It was cold, but my cloak kept me warm enough. I heard thunder in the background, suggesting a large storm was headed our way. It was loud and the rain came on quickly. I heard a match go off, and she lit a candle.
"Why did you rescue me? Who sent you?" I asked.
"I rescued you because a wizard in a nearby town paid me to. I don't know his name," She replied.
"Is this shed safe and built to last through this storm?"
"Sure it is, I built it for that."
"You live here? Where's your family?"
"I may look young, but I was adopted, and I moved out as soon as I could. My parents were always too busy for me," she said in a questioning voice.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"I'm 13, and you?"
"I'm 15. Will you guide me to the town tomorrow?"
"That's what I've been paid to do, now get some sleep, you'll need it for the long walk tomorrow." She said in a soft, kind voice. I got on the top bunk and looked down at her while she wrote her beautiful lettering on a piece of paper. Suddenly, her hand shape-shifted into a small pin. Her hand turned black, the pin fell off of her finger, and she turned back to normal. I was amazed. I saw her tac the paper to the desk with the black pin and then she blew out the candle. She climbed on the bottom bunk and fell asleep immediately. I wondered as my eyes became heavy. Soon, I fell asleep just as she did....
Part 4
It was about four in the morning by my estimate. Plenty dark outside, but a perfect time to get a move on. Joanna was still asleep. I guess she used too much strength yesterday, and being how I was when I was thirteen...LAZY. I lay on the top bunk, listening to the rain outside. The thunder was loud...TOO loud. It must've woke Joanna up, because as soon as the thunder was over, she moved off the bottom bunk onto the top with me. I instinctively put my arm around her and covered her with a blanket. Now I know what you're thinking, but it didn't happen, I'm not that kind of person. Anyway, she soon fell asleep and I lay there thinking about my journey ahead. I knew all I needed was a few hours of rest. Instead, I soon fell asleep.
Several hours later, I woke up to more thunder. It must've been 7 in the morning. Joanna was still asleep. I looked out the window near the top bunk. It was plenty dark. I had never seen it dark and rainy at seven in the morning. Something was wrong. The rain was strong. I looked around at my surroundings. I saw papers at a desk, a small fire place that was burning since last night...strange...the wood hadn't been burned at all. The fire was going. It felt great. I was all warm, but for some reason the beautiful human beneath me was shivering. Although I was not sure whether she was human, I knew I had to warm her up. I took a blanket from the bottom bunk and placed it over her. I looked around the room again and saw a great looking sword. It must have been 4 feet in length. It was long, heavy, and BLACK! Now I don't know about anyone else, but I had never seen a black metal sword. I felt strange. As soon as I looked down, I saw my hand taking a shape. The shape was imitating the sword. I wondered. The pin she made, the sword, and the black cloak. They're all connected. She must be losing strength from making all these things from herself. She must have discovered her powers before me.
I looked around the room at things on walls and the desk. Many things were black. She finally stopped shivering. Maybe she recharged or something. I had so many unanswered questions. Maybe Archibali would answer them. I must've sat there with a head in my lap thinking for thirty minutes, when she finally woke up. My head was against the wall. She looked into my eyes from below and said in a whisper, "I'm so tired." I felt so helpless to keep her from shivering. I held her closer and she began warming up.
I placed her head lightly on a nearby pillow. I looked at a small closet, got down and strolled over to it. The shack was so small, i didn't even have to take one step. I opened the closet and found fruit and some bread with dairy products in it. She had stocked up! I got out bread, a pot, milk and an egg. I cooked them in a pan as she watched me over the fire. Minutes later the toast and egg was done. I brought it to the bunk and held her head to the milk. She swallowed hungrily and her strength grew back. She and I ate breakfast during the rain. It was still night time outside...I didn't understand.
She got up and headed for the door. I looked at her and she told me to grab some things for the walk to town. "But it's raining." I said. She giggled and said "You're not afraid of a little rain are you?" She was right, it was just rain. I put on the cloak, and took a small lantern. She put her cloak on. I took the sword and sheathe...just in case. Soon we were out the door, and disappeared into the night with only a lantern and a sword.
Part 5
Well, it was quite cold outside. The rain came down hard and fast. I looked to my side and there she was. Joanna wasn't leading the way, but morely staying at my side. I saw another lantern further ahead. "HELLO!" I yelled. "NO!" she whispered in a harsh voice. "Those are road bandits, we must hide." Being as dumb as I was, I kept moving. "Nonsense, they travellers like us," I said.
Unfortunately I was wrong. The men ahead were big, mean looking, with some heavy leather armor on. I swallowed hard. I told Joanna to get behind me and she soon ducked away. I stared at them long and hard. No one said a word, they were surprised to see me alone on a rainy....night?
"Well, well, well, what have we here? A road rat and a road mouse," The big one said. I stared aat him.
"Looks like we'll have to help them carry some things won't we?" The scrawny one said.
"Look, I don't want any trouble. It's only me, a road worn traveller with no money and no one travelling with me," I said.
"Just give us your posessins and we'll be on our way," The scrawny one said.
"I don't want to hurt you," I said.
"And I you," said the big one.
"Either give us all you own or i'll cut you for it," the scrawny one said.
"I thought there wasn't to be any killing," said the big one.
"Forget it, the boss said to do whatever it takes."
The scrawny man pulled a long sword out and pointed it at me. I was scared. I didn't know what to do. Suddenly, a surge ran through me. I drew my sword and knocked his sword off my chest. He became angry and thrusted at me. Instinctively, I knocked it out of the way again. The sword was heavy, I needed two hands to keep it up. I held it at him. He swung at me again and again. I saved myself, blocking all his swings. Our swords clanged in the air. They became blinding in the lanterns. As soon as he gave out. I noticed the big one was gone. He had crept up from behind and was charging at full speed. I used a good round house kick and he went flying into a nearby tree. My kick was powerful enough to send that 3 or 400 pound man into a tree twelve feet away. The scrawny man charged. He took me off guard and began knocking my sword out of my hands. He swung at me several time. I jumped, ducked, did whatever I could. His sword came down to my head, and mine blocked his. My sword at my own throat now. I pushed at him hard, but he was coming closer to conquest. Just as he was about to cut my throat, the big one came from behind the scrawny one and hit the little man over the head with his fists. The scrawny man fell to the ground unconcious. I looked at the big guy. He looked back hard and long.
"Thank you very much," I said, surprised at his actions.
"I told him no killing, I'm not a murderer," He said in his deep voice.
I thought for a second..."Would you like to join us, we're going to the nearest town to see the mage Archibali."
"No, but we will meet again some day, I promise you that."
He picked up his partner's lantern and walked off the way we came with a hood over his head. Joanna came from behind a rock, picked up the lantern and handed it to me. We looked at eachother then at the man as he disappeared into the rainy night. We moved on and never saw him for the next hundred years. Atleast he was right about our path crossing, but his form would not be human.
Part 6
I dreamt about this story the Black Crusader told me. On the transport to the Admiral, it was quiet. Several people asleep. It was dark, but a dim light gave enough light to read. I looked next to me and the imperial officer was asleep. The officer was large. He was muscular and had a jolly waistline. I looked around the damp shuttle and as I looked out the window I saw the SSD Sovereign and several Star Destroyers in front of it. The shuttle was on it's way to an Interdictor far ahead. It was omitting beams only I could see. I guess it was scanning for hypering rebel ships.
As we docked with the ISD, we came to a very abrupt stop. It felt like my guts were trying to escape from my body. An officer came onboard and asked everyone to step off the shuttle. We all piled off one-by-one. I started the conversation with the Officer I sat next to.
"So what are you doing here," I asked...what an idiotic question.
"Well, I've been assigned to this ship many years, where are you going," he asked in reply.
"I'm going to the Admiral's office near the bridge."
"Oh? I'm on my way there myself, why don't I escort you?"
"That would be pleasant, thank you. You're very kind to an old man such as myself."
"You're very welcome!" He looked at me with a smile and led the way.
I found it very odd he was kind AND and Imperial Officer. He led me past several halls. Officers and Storm Troopers were everywhere. It seemed like it was the middle of a battle. Droids were making repairs, officers shouting commands. I couldn't understand my own thoughts, there was so much noise. We got in the elevator. Finally some peace. The floors rose and rose. Finally it got to the level. He led me into a hall near the bridge itself and opened the Admiral's door. He walked swiftly to the chair behind the desk , opened a drawer, and offered me a pipe. I was startled at his swift gestures, and I took the pipe.
"So you must be the Admiral i've heard so much about," I said.
"Actually I'm a Grand Admiral. I gave the Admiral a week off. Anything you wanted to ask him, you may ask me and I'll answer ten times betterm," he replied. "So what is it you wanted to talk to him about?"
"It's not that important, really. I have a great new recruit. He's more of an infantry unit but you could use him as a pilot. He's amazing at using a ship effectively. He can destroy several TIE's with a Y-Wing without a scratch. His abilities are beyond comparison to that of a Jedi. He can fly, anticipating and calculating every more another ship can make in milliseconds. I've seen him fly in the toughest training levels and he's more than amazing. The only problem is he doesn't fly free. He's a mercenary for hire. So far he's had experience in flying with Pirate flights, Family/Personal Flights, Escorts, Ambushes with and against him, and heavy assaults. Here's his resumee. He operates under strict opposition. No one must know him but you and his flight group. If necessary, he'll crash his own ship to save a mission critical craft. I suggest you give him great consideration."
"Who is he?"
"His name is not necessary."
"The Black Crusader...hmm, I know how much of a risk he can be. I knew him awhile back. You must be his watcher."
"Yes."
"I have the perfect squad for him. His notice will arrive at your apartment in less than one day. I'll see you when he's onboard. Good day."
Well I felt good about that. Finally my favorite Crusader would have a spot in the Imperial Squadrons. I would enjoy studying his battle techniques and watching his piloting skills. Soon I'd be able to report my studies to the Watcher's Committee. No one has watched a Crusader in a flight battle closely enough to get real details. I will be greatly recognized for this.