A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away . . .

STAR WARS

Episode CD

A Novel Destiny

It is a period of peace. Although there are many political disputes that have yet to be resolved, the fall of the Empire has set the stage for an era of freedom and prosperity. The newly liberated systems are working as a single, unified power, determined to purge the galaxy of corruption.

Although civil alliances have been established in this universe, there exist untamed lands beyond the reach of even the most powerful individuals. The effects of these worlds have been concealed in the hopes of minimizing interdimensional conflict. Despite the efforts of reigning powers to prevent a crisis, a catastrophe of cataclysmic proportions is on the brink of erupting.

The Monarch Queen has taken it upon herself to ensure that this quadrant of the universe remains untouched. Little does she know that her presence will lead to a disaster beyond imagination . . .

Somewhere in the cold recesses of space, not too far from Coruscant, a very peculiar ship appeared from out of nowhere. It was an unusual vehicle for several reasons. Most obviously, it was drastically different from the design of most transports. Its color was dark green in hue, but the forward-raked wings were pinkish and pale. The pointed nose of the ship was gold, lined with windows that seemed to be as clear as air. It was like something out of another dimension. In fact, that wasn't too far from the truth.

Although the appearance of the vehicle was strange, the creature piloting it was even more so. She was similar in shape to members of the Tchuukthai race, but she was clearly not native to this universe. No known animal shared her noble plates or glistening horns. From the tip of her beak to the spikes on her tail, not a single feature that defined her form could be pinpointed to any specific lineage. One might guess that she was the result of some kind of experimental breeding, or else a scientific experiment gone horribly wrong, but something about her white, feathered wings indicated that her existence was no accident. Although her identity was clouded in mystery, there was no doubt that she was a part of something grand.

There was also another animal sitting next to her, who was basically a rodent with a mustache.

The two outsiders made their way towards the looming planet, adjusting their course so as not to collide with a large moon. The rodent crawled up on a wide control panel and looked down at their coordinates, placing his tiny paws where there was free space.

"We're suspiciously close to 0,0,0," he remarked.

His scaly companion raised her eyebrow.

"I wanted to keep things simple. This is a large universe. A large . . . confusing . . . very hard to follow universe."

The rodent's nose twitched irritably.

"It's not that hard. Not if you're into it."

"Which I'm not."

"You said that you had a passing interest."

"Passing?" the female echoed, "Passing means nothing. If you get a passing grade, you're basically average."

The rodent shrugged.

"I wouldn't know. I hardly went to school."

He hopped down from the control panel, landing in his companion's lap.

"By the way, is there a reason I have to look like this? I mean, it's not like we're going to be seen . . ."

"It's just a precaution," she replied, "If something bad happens, one of us should be small so that they can escape. It only makes sense."

"What if we need to fight our way out?"

"I'm prepared."

The rodent peeked past her arm.

"I don't think taping lightsabers to your tail counts as 'prepared'."

She lifted her thagomizer, examining the devices that were crudely attached to her spikes.

"Yeah, well, I don't exactly have hands, so . . ."

The rodent turned his large ears backwards angrily.

"I could have hands. I'd be awesome at fighting. Just give me a lightsaber, and-"

"Darling, I don't trust you with a laser sword any more than I trust you with a broken glow stick," she cooed, "If I give you one of mine, it'll end badly . . . only this time, instead of mild chemical poisoning, we'll end up with missing limbs."

The rodent crossed his arms and sat down grumpily.

"Limbs don't count as 'missing' if they end up in the same room as you."

"Which they won't, because you'll find a way to screw things up really, really badly."

"You don't give me enough credit."

"I give you too much credit."

"You're really hot."

"You too."

They proceeded to suck each other's faces, leaning backwards against the control panel in a romantic (if somewhat disproportionate) embrace. As the saurian creature mooed happily, her plate brushed up against a big, red button that said "Do Not Push". In the blink of an eye, a secret hatch opened, sucking loose objects into the vacuum of space. The larger pilot grabbed the captain's chair, and the rodent wrapped his arms around her tail, whipping back and forth rapidly as they struggled to stay inside.

"AAAAAAAAAH! WHY WAS THAT BUTTON SO EASY TO PUSH?!"

Reaching forward with her horn, the larger pilot bashed the keyboard in panic. The hatch closed, and the pressure in the cockpit became stabilized. Breathing heavily, both passengers collapsed in relief.

"Holy cow. That was close," the rodent squeaked.

"Yeah. That could have ended badly."

As the larger creature curled her tail around her feet, however, she noticed that one of her lightsabers was missing. She looked out the window and saw the hilt tumbling through space, headed straight for Coruscant. The rodent caught sight of it too, and his whiskers drooped limply. The first pilot gulped and turned back to the control panel.

"It's no big deal. I'm sure it will burn up when it hits the atmosphere."

"I dunno . . ." the rodent muttered, "Maybe we should go after it."

The female scoffed.

"Oh, please. How much damage could a silly little laser sword possibly cause?"