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Instance of Salvation by Ken Kenobi

CHAPTER ONE

(Directly After the Battle of Geonosis)

Razor Jade knew what loneliness was. He had been abandoned on the streets of one of the most dangerous places in the galaxy, the gang infested moon of Nar Shaddaa. His parents had been killed by evil contractors for the notorious Hutts, and he had been left alone to fend for himself. Loneliness was the void of any positive social interaction and the absence of a lush environment. This, Jade thought, is loneliness. It was early morning in the rocky, deserted plains of Geonosis. There were no morning sounds distinguishable by memory in the eyes of Razor, who had just become familiar with the landscape. He took a look around, scouting out the area. A harsh wind whipped at his face, sifting through his dark auburn hair and covering his black cloak with splotches of dusty sand.

Its uninviting surface was marked by mesas and buttes, and barren stretches of parched desert hardpan served as a habitat. The rocks and sky were a tinted shade of red, and the few creatures that were seen had apparently been well equipped to survive in the harsh ecology. There was no hint of plant life whatsoever, as the rocky terrain had all but proved unsuitable for any flora.

The entire region looked as if it had just recovered from a huge battle. Fissures and chasms were scorched into the rocky plains and fragments of debris were scattered and specked across the entire rock-strewn valley. Large chunks of Durasteel alloy and repulsor engines lie on one side of the valley, while humongous, spherical Trade Federation titanium wreckage was spread throughout the other side of the canyon. Bodies of white-armor clad soldiers were lifeless on the rough soil, as were destroyed metal militia units. Similar white-armored troopers stood around the carnage, both assessing the damage and standing guard with intact mechanized units that were the same make of the destroyed versions littering the landscape.

Sitting before Razor was a large building, carefully blended into the environment as to not attract unwanted attention. Large spires spun into the sky and maroon bedrock covered the sides of the primordial temple. Razor quietly walked into the cave like structure that served as a "door", quickly noticing that it was much larger than first perceived. It was a round dome-like “arena”, with a rising, open-view stadium.

What he observed next surprised him, to an extent. First of all, there were none of the white soldiers- living ones, at least. It seemed as if the entire region was completely empty. Coinciding with the ruins outside , droid parts were dispersed across the territory, which served as the showground of the arena. Diverse, humanoid species dressed in robes were also lying dead upon the dusty floor, apparently defeated by the likes of the droid army. He bent down to examine one of the skinnier battle droids, with a dusty red exterior. He immediately identified it as a standard issue Baktoid Combat droid, with pre-programmed basic functions. Beside this mechanical soldier lay a larger, bulkier battle droid, with dark blue coverings and a large arm fitted with an automatic laser cannon.

He examined this one more closely, investigating into its hardened body-armor case and exploring into its programming componentry. It still had rudimentary encoding and technique formatted into its command signaler, but it was advanced compared to the inferior battle droid next to it.

He tried to revive the verbobrain of the droid, hoping to gain some insight into why their were remains of Trade Federation core ships and white armored troopers with Republic insignia outside of this “battle arena.” Come to think of it, Razor had never seen such pieces of machinery before.

Could these be the remains of a Republic military force?, Razor thought to himself. It made sense, due to the dead Jedi scattered across the ground. He quickly dismissed the idea as preposterous, until he finally made the connection.

“Chancellor Palpatine’s ‘Army of the Republic’....” he said aloud, hearing the echo of his voice reverberate off of the empty granite walls of the edifice he was in. “But so many...and so fast. Almost as if they were-

“Clones.” It wasn’t Razor’s voice.....

He snapped around, instinctively unholstering his E-11 Blaster Rifle, ready to shoot anyone or anything that came towards him in this rocky, open-roofed dome.

He soon saw the form of what looked like a giant flying insect, staring straight at him. He immediately fired his blaster, dropping the being in front of him to the ground with a hideous THUMP!

Three more shadowy figures appeared, one similar to the being he had just disposed of.

"Oh now why did you go and do that?" said the voice again, this time clearly feminine and more recognizable. The other figures shifted, as if aiming their own weapons at Razor.

“Hold your fire.” the voice commanded, and the figures immediately put down their blasters, although not without some hesitation.

"Bianca? Bianca, is it you?” Razor asked, keeping alert and cautious but relaxing a bit.

One of the figures stepped forward, revealing herself to an astonished Razor. “It’s me, and better than ever- besides the fact that you just killed one of my guides.”

“Bianca Jauntale...what brings you out here? And where is that pesky Jabula?” Razor said heartily, a touch of sarcasm in his voice as he once again holstered his E-11.

“I’m right here- and I’m not the one who’s pesky.” said a Rodian, Nech Jabula, who had just come out from the shadows to stand beside Bianca, followed by another “bug creature”.

“We’re here for the same reason as you, Razor Jade...to see if anything could be salvaged from this huge battle.” Bianca interrupted, motioning at the wreckage and bodies strewn upon the rough-textured ground.

“I know it was a battle- but these are Republic forces. I know that Chancellor Palpatine was granted Emergency Powers and there was to be an ‘Army of the Republic’, but I didn’t imagine it could be this big, this fast...”

“They came from a nearby planet- ‘Planet of the Rain’, I believe.” Nech answered.

“It’s ‘Planet of the Storms’..” Bianca corrected. “Mysterious planet, straddling the Outer Rim. South of the Rishi Maze. The locals are supposedly cloners."

“Cloners, eh? So these white-colored soldiers are a product of these ‘cloners’?“

“Clones- every one of them. Strong genetic basis- the host must be one tough gundark.”

“Who’s this?” Razor asked, tilting his head at the insect-like being next to Nech.

“His name is Droogle. He’s a rogue local, doing bounty jobs with his pal, who you just blew away.” Bianca explained, looking back at the dead Geonosion Razor had shot.

“Oh sorry about that.” Razor said, apologizing to Droogle. The Geonosion replied with a series of short clicks, followed by a long “brrruuup!”

“So, you want to help us salvage? Or are you on your own?” Nech asked, eying the rubble.

“Salvage?” Razor asked, a bit surprised. “I’m not here to salvage...”

“Then what are you here for?” Nech asked sarcastically.

Razor hesitated. “Personal reasons.”

Bianca interrupted before Nech could make a cynical reply. “I see...well, I guess we’ll be on our way. The Republic is still here, and it won't be long before they finish recouping the remaining forces and send out teams to recover their things. Lots of premium weaponry and shielding to be had from here. I say we’ll probably take a load of those Republic clone blasters, then use the rest of our cargo for those Republic AT-TE’s.”

“Good luck.” Razor sighed, gazing around at the fallen Jedi as Bianca, Nech, and Droogle exited.

Jedi... He thought to himself Protectors of the galaxy...manipulators of the Force...

He began to slowly stride around the lifeless Jedi, staring into each one’s eyes before passing on to the next. I knew these beings...I talked with them, trained with them...shared secrets with them...

He strutted over to the final Jedi that lay on the cold, hard floor. He recognized the man as a Vurk from Sembia, named Coleman Trebor.

Razor kneeled down to intently look into the deceased Jedi’s eyes, examining the blaster wounds that had punctured his chest.

He scowled, his face as cold as the plains of Ando Prime, not looking away from Trebor’s final gaze.

Protectors of the galaxy...manipulators of the Force..........puppets of the Republic... Razor said to himself, standing upright once again.

Turning to leave, Jade caught a glimpse of a silvery metal lying in the hand of the Vurk Jedi. He bent over and pried it from Trebor’s grip, examining it close to his face.

It was a lightsaber, beautifully constructed, but barely used.

“You were always a negotiator, Trebor, never a fighter. A respectful Jedi....until you became corrupted as a spokesman. May you rest in peace, my old friend....” Razor said aloud, hooking the hilt of the saber to his belt loop.

And with that, Razor Jade turned and left Geonosis.

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