Practice Practice Practice

[Duncan_Starchaser]

"It doesn't matter what the threat is." he told her. "I'm a Jedi, a guardian of peace and justice. I have sworn an oath to protect life whenever I can. And if I don't do this I could never live with myself knowing I could have stopped this sooner." he told her. He wasn't doing this out of a desire for power, he genuinely felt that it was a burden that he was saving others from having to take on.

[Akirapryde]

She smiled, "no you are not" she said in answer to his claims of being a Jedi. "No Jedi can ascend to this,"

She nodded, "let us see how well you desire to save lives." The scene changed once more.

Duncan found himself on the bridge of some strange warship. These blue green aliens were nothing like he had ever seen before. He knew that they were the Guki, a space fairing race with as much a rich history as the Republic its self. He knew everything about them. As if he had lived their entire history. He knew that they controlled hundreds of worlds. Their technology was on par with the Republic and that this ship was leading a strike force of nine warships. The deep space battle between galaxies was triggered when three alien ships attacked one of their member worlds. Billions were presumed dead.

In the distance beyond the range of sensors, let alone sight, Duncan saw three strange ships. On the top were three large spokes reaching out from the center. On the bottom were another three large spokes facing a different direction. The two sections were connected in the center of the spokes. It gave the ships the appearance of a large six pronged stars.

"You command all of our powers, Jedi," she said softly. "Your will, will be done. All you need do, is will it in to being."

[Duncan_Starchaser]

"Who are they fighting?" he asked. But even as he did he tried to reach out through the Force to see what he could learn about them. If what she said was true and he now had all their abilities he needed to know what this other races place in the grand scheme of things was. Not just that but how they threatened the state of the galaxy now.

[Akirapryde]

Even as he uttered the question, the answer came to him. They were the Nerixi. A race of sentient machines with driven hatred for all sentient life. But the answer was far more than what he had expected.

Nearly fifty years from now, a race threatened to change life across the galaxy. They were the Yuuzhan Vong, creations of Abeloth and her end game for the entire universe. She filled their hearts with hatred and set them loose upon the universe. After her imprisonment, they started to search for their goddess. One galaxy at a time, they searched. But it was the Son who summoned them here. He created a wormhole that brought them to this galaxy. Trillions upon trillions perished.

He turned to Lysire as he knew the whole truth. She had just awakened to her powers and saw the Vong for the horrors that they were. Stricken by grief and anger, she willed the Yuuzhan Vong out of existence. And like that the Vong were gone. But it was a horrific lesson. Duncan remembered her words about the fabric of the universe. It snapped back through the Nerixi, a race that had been destroyed by the Vong. Without the Vong to stop them, they were allowed to grow stronger.

Once more, the Son summoned them to this Galaxy. This time, Lysire learned her lesson. She slowed the ships as much as possible. Duncan also knew of her battle with Abeloth. It drained her of much of her powers. In her mind, Duncan knew that she couldn't face the Son and win. Her hopes for the Galaxy now rested solely on Duncan.

"Do you see why we must move carefully," she asked.

She motioned to the alien ships. They were deploying their fighters, "watch and learn."

[Duncan_Starchaser]

He turned back to face what was happening out in space in order to see what was happening. In order to watch and to learn as she had told him.

[Akirapryde]

The Guki laughed as the saw the aliens were keeping their distance. They launched their own fighters. They had the aliens out numbered nearly four to one in fighters. Confidence was very high among the Guki. Duncan knew that they would loss. He knew that Guki as a race would soon be gone from the universe. He saw the aliens use their superior hyperspace drives to out maneuver the Guki. Duncan watched as the four hundred fighters of the Guki sped their way to their deaths.

"You know that they will all parish, Jedi. Are you unwilling to save their lives," Lysire asked. "You are more than able to simple end this battle before it begins. Why don't you?"

He watched the fighters of the Aliens hold formation as the first salvo of fire slammed in to them. Of course they would not be scared of such an attack. They were machines, after all. The Guki didn't know this, and so they treated this as if they were fighting another life form.

The battle played out in his vision, even though it hasn't even begun yet. The aliens deploy a missile weapon that moves like a light fighter. The payload generates a small temporary blackhole. Its gravitation effects will prevent the surviving Guki ships and fighters from escaping. The aliens losses would be minimal and replaced before their next encounter with the Guki. It will take them a few months to completely exterminate the entire race.

Lysire frowned, "are you not going to save them?"

[Duncan_Starchaser]

Duncan looked to see what would happen if he did save them. He wouldn't just act without knowing if he saved these people it wouldn't make things worse. He could just be exchanging one threat for another.

[Akirapryde]

The fabrics that bound this event were woven very tightly. But that didn't mean that he couldn't change it. He could will the aliens off course, but that would bring them to his own galaxy much sooner. There was a number of things he could do, but the lesson was true. It would only make the matters worse. No, there would have to be small steps to prepare his Galaxy for this alien invasion.

She nodded, "now you see Jedi. We can not simply will things simply because we can. These beings will die here. Call it what you wish, the Will of the Force, or what ever. Search back to the beginning of these people."

As he did, he saw what she had done. The Guki were hardly an advanced race. They would have never become this advanced race that he sees now. She changed that with just a little nudge thousands of years ago. She nudged them in to being more than what they should have been. Now, instead of taking a few hours to wipe out the Guki, they will fight for months in a loosing battle against these aliens.

"Sometimes we have to make sacrifices where we must. We see these people as our own children. We watched them grow in to this wonderful culture. Now, all that we love about them will be put out. If only to buy time so that others need not parish."

[Duncan_Starchaser]

"Why not just make the Republic stronger the way you made the Guki stronger?" he asked her. "That way when they arrive here they could be stopped easily. Or maybe have the Republic strong enough to have gone to the Guki's galaxy and save them from this other race. And as he asked that question he looked to see what would happen.

[Akirapryde]

As the Guki fighters reached beyond the midway point, the three large alien ships vanished from sight. Duncan knew that they were slipping through hyperspace. Even before the ships reappeared only a fraction of a second later behind the Guki fleet Duncan knew where they were going. The ship was filled with chaos on they tried to turn to face the enemies new location. As mini-blackhole weapons went off, Duncan watched the fleet get torn apart.

"The Son would have taken note of our interference and moved to change it. We have given the galaxy its best chances we could without drawing attention from the Son. The longer he is unaware of what we are doing, the better chances of survival the galaxy has. Now that Abeloth is no more, he is angered and searching for the being that ended her existence. He is searching for us."

She turned to the screen, "Your road is going to be long. We will make sure that you are ready when you awaken." she said as the bridge of this ship was torn apart by a mini-blackhole. Duncan and Lysire stood and watched as the fighters and the ships of the alien all vanished from space. The survivors would hold out for a few more hours before slipping in to darkness.