I've decided to share of myself...

Ladies and Gentlemen, once again I am part of the unemployed world again after working for a whole solid week. I have no shame or regret about it, because I know with all the friction going on presently in my life (credit cards, no steady incomes, a busted vehicle, etc.), I know there's a light at the end of the tunnel, and I'm just "holding out 'til my change comes", as the old church-folk used to put it, and things WILL get better, given time and focus. Well, I actually have no complaints, as I've just finished a week-long gig at an old entertainment firm I'm still rather fond of--they're a good crew, and I wish them all the best.

However, the reason I'm writing tonight is that I just looked at another friend's blog where she's published some of her own reviews and insights, and I must say that she has quite a talent for it (I'd make mention of the sight, but I don't have her permission, and I believe in protecting people's anonymity -- however, I will say to this person that she's doing a good job in pursuing her writing skills, and I commend anyone with that kind of focus).

On that, and given the fact that my sister's emailed me some information for the National Novel-Writing Month (a.k.a. NOW, November), I've decided to pull up some old stuff that I fiddled with more than ten years ago, and have decided to share with you. As many people who know me know, I am NOT someone who shares lightly of himself; it sometimes literally takes years before I open myself to anyone, but sometimes it's necessary to risk if one is to grow. You can literally drive yourself nuts with fear of the unknown to the point that you end up literally lobotomizing yourself, and I'm too close to 40 now to endure that kind of foolishness much longer. So, without further ado, allow me to express the first few chapters of a 'Star Wars' book that started when I took my then six-year-old niece to see 'The Phantom Menace', and I ended up watching her the entire time with the same amazement when I first saw 'A New Hope' when I was her exact age.

I hope you will enjoy.
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STAR WARS: HEROINE'S SOJOURN

BOOK TWO: BATTLEFRONT

By

David Leon Sullivan, Jr.

(Based upon original characters and situations created by George Lucas)

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SIXTY-ONE YEARS BEFORE
THE BATTLE OF NABOO…



PRIMARY PROLOGUE

It was a cold night on Mount Aetnyr, typical of most here on this barren desert satellite known as Crodon. The flaming lemon-yellow hub of its gas giant motherworld, ke'Vodas, loomed like an omniscient eye, its sheer bulk consuming more than three-quarters of the viewable sky, revealing turbulent splendor amidst occasional staccato flashes of light from the electrical storms that constantly ravaged its surface.

The mouth that could be seen beneath Olvina Imitross' pale woven cloak curled into an introspective smile as she considered the bloated apparition before her. Though it was not as widely regarded as the mere existence of the planet itself, it was known that ke'Vodas' unusual radiance was caused by stellar excitation of the liquid nurturium that comprised the planet's exosphere. In its raw state, nurturium was a violently unstable element with a low-range ignition temperature, which barely made it useful as a plasma catalyst for starship sublight drives and artillery-grade weaponry. However, this world had so much of it that if conditions were only minutely altered, it could easily be converted into a low-output sun. It was this fact alone that drove Imitross and her brethren to exist here, so that they could perform their greatest experiment yet-- through their control of the Force, they would push ke'Vodas along the evolutionary track and make the present climate significantly more tolerable.

"Ladyship." The voice that addressed Imitross had the stern cadence of military bearing, along with an edge of arrogance that was a distinctive quality of that training. "There is a transmission awaiting you from Lord Rasher."

Imitross sighed quietly at ke'Vodas, wishing solemnly that tonight would be the night for the great experiment to be carried out. Slowly she turned to regard the one who summoned her, noting automatically that the younger woman remained respectfully bowed. "Route the broadcast here," she responded in a deep brogue rich with the imposing presence her station allowed.

The younger woman stood erect. She was no more than a girl in her late teens, dressed in a dark crimson fighting outfit that emphasized her muscular physique. She was beautiful in a way that was strikingly intense, particularly in the heavily-mascaraed eyelashes that marked her position as an intermediate-level adept and which accentuated the bristling ferocity within her sea-green eyes. "It shall be as you wish." A curt nod, a quick switch of the heel and she was gone.

Imitross studied the girl's retreat until she was gone from eyesight. Ethelyn was a promising child whose talent in the Force was exceptional for one still in the process of learning her craft, but her occasional impetuousness sometimes caused consternation amongst the older sisters. The Grand Arch-Maiden of the Ardith Heirline decided in that instant that she would take Ethelyn on as a kind of pet project for herself, giving the girl only as much guidance as she dared until some of her more base instincts could be honed.

Imitross turned at the familiar shimmering sound of the incoming transmission. She came face-to-face with the commanding presence of Darth Rasher, one of the mysterious Dark Lords of the Sith. Like his counterpart, the Sith Lord was also clad in a woven cloak, but it was of a dark crimson hue fringed with ebony highlights. A silver ornamental clasp bound the cloak at the throat, and what features could be seen beneath the deep cowl was a neatly-trimmed salt-and-pepper beard whose mouth was pursed in the grim line of one who was constant in his wariness of all things.

The voice that thundered forth had a low, gravelly quality to it, and it was thoroughly imbued with vicious intent. "Lady Imitross, my spies on Roonibar have reported increased activity along the Vindu headlands." The timbre of his voice intensified as his anger coarsened. "They also report that outland interlopers who have only recently arrived are inciting the populace at various municipal centers to riot against their local governments. Before their immediate loss-of-contact, several were able to tell that these interlopers were all humanoid females clad in strange raiment and possessed lightsabers." A pause for effect. "Would you mind explaining to me why certain events are being accelerated?"

Imitross folded her arms before her as she gave the slightest tilt of her head. "Well, Lord Rasher," she began, and there was the gentlest hint of condescension in her tone. "I am sorry that your loyal servants particularly failed to inform you that the distaff Amiel party was arranging to make concessions with the Congress of the Republic in order to secure aid against their struggle with the Xim'Ich'lu, the matter of which you were already supposed to have settled." Imitross felt a bubble of cruel amusement rise inside her as the line of Darth Rasher's mouth became even tighter. It was such a pleasure to see the old krik upstaged when he least expected it to happen. "If those concessions had passed vote in the Senate, the resulting military action would have constricted inter-system travel, not to mention that the Xim'Ich'lu would have been thoroughly chastised. And since Roonibar is a restrictive exporter of vendi fruit and lytalin, the Republic would have been forced to sanction a trade embargo as payment for said support, thus bringing planetary commerce to a near-halt. Our covert exhumation of the Gai'Bu Xo'That artifact would have been disrupted as well."

She paused momentarily, taking the conversation in a new direction. "Besides, it had been so long since your last communicae that steps had to be taken to ensure the success of the project." Imitross' voice became sibilant as she eased one step forward. "If you would pardon the request, could you please humor me as to the cause of your delay?"

Darth Rasher remained motionless for what seemed a small eternity before responding. "I have been detained by a personal affair that is now nearing completion," he intoned with a stern yet oddly tired indifference. It was apparent from the Sith Lord's countenance that this contact was being taken with great trepidation, and that he considered his opposite number as someone whom he would have easily disdained if not for her importance to the current plan-in-motion. "I will be monitoring your progress. Etrat," he concluded with the Sith gesture of success and the apparition of Darth Rasher dissolved into nothingness.

Imitross sighed quietly at the welcoming silence that followed. The man can be such an overbearing fool. But even overbearing fools have their uses, and there are even times when reminding them of their shortcomings can be so delicious.

She reflected upon what she knew of the entity of Darth Rasher, which was extensive given his intricate machinations into the political affairs of the Republic. It was to his credit that so much array and disarray could be controlled for as long as he had done so, but Imitross' perceptions into the Force told her that after ninety-three years of service in both the Sith Order and his public life, Darth Rasher's health was finally beginning to break. And, at the rate of his breakdown, she suspected that the personal affair he had hinted of involved the hastened grooming of his replacement.

The Grand-Archmaiden of the Ardith Heirline crossed her arms behind her as she resumed her observation of ke'Vodas. It was quite a pity the old fool was suffering, but it paled next to the glory that was certain to come with the production of the Gai'Bu Xo'That. And once its infinite power was tapped, nothing, not even Darth Rasher and the pitiful Jedi Knighthood combined, could stop the Ardith in their takeover of the Galactic Republic.

A smirk of naked pride slashed a wicked curve of Imitross' mouth and she purred delectably in acknowledgment. "Success, indeed."