[O17 - Naboo - FF] New Jedi Order | Chapter 0.0 - An Unexpected Jedi

STORY

Meego had been delivering a package in the city of Nimbotén on Naboo when he tripped over a small, metal cylinder lying in the rough cobbles, ramming his head into the wall of the narrow passage. When he got up, he rubbed his eyes.

“Wha-a-a-t-t?” he stammered, as he heard the clang of metal upon stone. Meego looked behind him to see a figure. Once the figure stepped out of the shadows, he could see him clearly, ragged and filthy. But then, the figure reached his hand out and the cylinder leapt into his hand. Meego scrambled backwards, afraid. The cylinder ignited in a fierce blaze of blue. Meego's eyes, gleaming with the reflection of the blade, widened in fear. Then the blade faded; the figure grabbed a small pebble.

“Here,” he said kindly. “Reach out for it. No, not with your hand!”

He laughed heartily and then smiled.

“You've got to reach out for it with your mind. Try again.” 

Meego tried again, grunting with exertion. Though it did not move, the pebble shuddered. Meego's shoulders slumped. “I can’t,” he said.

The mysterious man bent down and looked Meego in the eyes. 

“It’s not much, but it’s a start. Here,” he said, offering Meego his hand. Meego took it, but not before grabbing the package. He looked up. The address on the box matched the address on the door. He hadn't failed the delivery at all. He smiled.  

The stranger stood off to the side in the shadows of the alley, murmuring into his comlink."This is Jun. I'm bringing along a friend to our meeting."

Static sounded from the other end. Dead. Jun pocketed it and then went back over to Meego, who’d just finished his delivery. 

“Hey, kid. Meego, right? I've got an invitation for you”

Meego spun away from the door, snout twitching. “H-h-how do you know my name? Are you a sorcerer?” he asked. 

The man laughed, then removed his hood. He was scruffy and long-haired, like a homeless person, but he didn't look unkind. “Well, now that you mention it, yes - from a certain point of view. And you could become one too.”

“B-but, how?”

"If you come with me, you'll see. I'm Jun Jin-Wa. You ever heard of the 'Jedi Knights'? I'm on my way to meet with a few others. We're startin' a school to train more. You've got a connection to the Force, kid; that's where all that weird stuff you can do comes from. The Jedi can teach you about it, about yourself, about the galaxy, about why you exist in the first place. What you could do for other people. What all this means." He scratched his head and shrugged. "That's the pitch, anyway. Bit much, right? Still, it's more or less the truth. If any of that sounds interesting to you, I'm off in a few hours to Sullust. Meet me at...where was it? Landing Pad 14." 

Meego, now being curious, ran off to join Jun as he spoke. They walked out into the courtyard, light spilling across the flagstones. Meego kept his distance from the railing overlooking the spaceport at the end of the courtyard; he was deathly afraid of heights. The Rodian looked over at the strange man, head swirling with thoughts.  Could this invitation be real?

“B-but if I join you, how can I still be a Mailrodian? A-and I owe Bek some credits for fixing my mailspeeder.”

“Don’t worry ‘bout it.” He frowned. "Or maybe it’s Platform 15? Well, it’s one of those two, just check both." The man raised his hood, casting a shadow over another doggish grin. "Hope to see you there, kid. You could do a lot better than running mail." 

Then he vanished before Meego could ask any questions. The young Rodian was left completely confused. But more than that, he was curious.