Endings and Beginnings

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As Bastun and Briyanna waded through the crowd on Dantooine, his HUD showed him the biometrics of everyone ahead of them.

"See her yet?" Briyanna asked anxiously.

"Not yet.  But this is quite a crowd," Bastun said.  Briyanna pointed towards a tall human woman.  Bastun scanned her.  "Confirmed.  Besides, not many other women here are about six foot one, so we'd have found her eventually."  He took his helmet off and he and Briyanna approached the young woman, who had turned around to look at them.  She was a slightly taller than Briyanna's five foot six stature, yet not Bastun's six foot six.  She had black hair like Bastun's and nearly white irises like Briyanna.  She looked at the two and held out a small silver necklace.  Briyanna gasped as she recognized her daughter's tenth year birthday present.

"Mom? Dad? Mila asked, relaxing as Briyanna and Bastun hugged their daughter tightly.  Bastun was the first to speak.

"How are you alive?  I remember you being killed," he stated.

"No, Craveus kidnapped me and trained me as his apprentice.  I overheard something about planting false memories should you come back to life or something, which I see you did," Mila asked as she sat down on a nearby bench.

"But, how are you alive?"  Briyanna asked as Bastun reached for Mila's right wrist.  The veins on her wrist had a darker tint to them than those on her other wrist.  Bastun rolled his sleeves up and his right wrist had the same tint.

"She's been using Force Necromancy.  It affects the blood color, which can be seen on the right wrist for reasons unknown.  But how?" Bastun asked.  She gestured for them to follow.
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As they entered Mila's home, Bastun saw several red triangular pyramids on a shelf.

"Sith holocrons.  Specifically, the holocrons of: Ragnos Marl, Marko Ragnos, Darth Revan, Freedon Nadd, and...Darth Nekros?" Bastun said as he picked up the familiar holocron.

"Yes.  Craveus said to study Nekros' closely near the beginning when I opened it.  He told me it held the key to immortality," Mila said as she brought tea for her mother and coffee for her father.

"He was right, but you shouldn't have been able to open it, unless you were stronger than Nekros.  He made it so his apprentice had to be stronger than him to use his innermost knowledge, so he asked Ragnos Marl to assist him in locking it.  It did have a backdoor though.  He himself could open it..." he started but stopped as he realized something.  He scanned Mila, then himself.  He then called Commander Grim in orbit.

"Yes, sir?  Have you found your daughter yet?" Grim asked.

"Yes.  I am sending you my bioscans and her's.  Could you compare them as far as how much of my genetic material was used when she was conceived?" Bastun asked as Grim placed a small drive into the computer system.  He raised an eyebrow.

"Sir, you and Briyanna are definitely her parents, but it's reading you donated nearly seventy-eight percent of her DNA.  She also has some markers from you that have shown up only once," Grim said as he sent Bastun the medical file.

"When I was found, or rather Nekros, was found.  Somehow, something influenced my genetics to be dominant, as well as adding these markers that would give her a natural affinity for using the Dark Side," Bastun said.

"What you you mean?" Mila asked, confused.

"It's like if your mom was eating certain foods with specific chemicals and minerals while she was carrying you, you would have a 'craving' of sorts for them.  The difference here, is I gave it to you, thus the reason why you opened my holocron so easily.  You're not a clone, but you're close enough that it recognized your DNA as mine.  It's like someone was trying to make a new Darth Nekros," Bastun said.

"So, I'm unatural?  A genetic experiment?" Mila asked.

"No, sweetie.  Your were a victim.  Think of it:  you can nearly pass genetically for me enough to access the greater knowledge of Darth Nekros, the Trade Federation chooses now to blockade Naboo, a child believed to be the Chosen One shows up, and the Sith emerge in the galaxy, and war seems to be on our doorstep, all of which happened now.  I think something, or someone, is playing a game of chess.  A game where the Jedi, the Republic, and even the Sith are mere pawns for his endgame," Bastun said.

"But who's that powerful?" Mila asked.

"I don't know.  This kind of strategy is familiar, yet I killed Marl.  He's used similar tactics like these before.  The power necessary is massive, politically and mentally.  It didn't scare me enough when he used it back then.  It does now," Bastun said as he gathered the holocrons in a bag.

"Where are we going?" Mila asked.

"We're going back to Coruscant.  Care to join us?" Briyanna asked.  Mila ran out of the room, returning a few moments later with a backpack.

"Yep."

-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-'-

As Bastun led his family onto the Shroud's bridge, Mila blink when she saw the emblem on a wall.

"This is the Royal crest for the Galaxitronian Empire.  What happened?" Mila asked, shaking a bit.

"I might have been adopted by the Emperor and made his heir," Bastun said as Commander Grim saluted.  "Commander, let the Jedi council know we will be arriving shortly for Master Qui-Gon's funeral.  Mila, go with your mother and find something in the computer system that you'd like to wear for a funeral, if you don't mind," Bastun asked.

"Sure, though this could be a while though," Mila said with a smirk and she turned and walked out.  Grim sighed.

"Bastun, they sure grow up quick, don't they?" He remarked.

"You're telling me.  I never actually saw her grow up.  Though I am glad I missed the teenage years.  Mandalorian girls are more destructive than the men are," Bastun said smiling, recalling several "explosive" instances that had earned him janitor duities.  He looked out of the window and looked at the glistening surface of Coruscant.

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Briyanna was brushing her hair and tying it up in Jedi fashion.  Bastun walked into the room wearing a familiar suit of armor and robes.

"Your Jedi armor?" She asked as she ran a hand over a burnt scar running across his chestplate.

"Yes, with some repairs and gold trim and such.  Ideas from the royal armorer.  Ready?"  He asked as he held out his hand.  Just then, Mila walked in, wearing the feminine variant of Bastun's Jedi robes and armor, complete with even an ancient Mandalorian mask.

"What do you think?" She asked, turning so her parents could see.

"Beautiful.  Yet, a touch too similar to mine.  It seems I have an admirer," Bastun said as he hugged his daughter, who could be heard sighing.  They then headed for the hanger and soon arrived at the temple, walking through it till they reached Qui-Gon's funeral hall.  Master Yoda and Mace Windu sat at the back.  Bastun approached them.

"Hmm, always two, there are.  A master and an apprentice," Yoda said low.

Mace nodded cautiously.  "But which was destroyed? The master or the apprentice?"

"I would voice it was the apprentice.  The master would not expose himself without his servant.  No, I think he will remain hidden till it suits him or when he's cornered," Bastun said.  "I, Briyanna, and Mila are staying with the consulate for the empire.  You can count on our help."

Yoda looked at the young Anakin Skywalker.  "Young Skywalker, help train him you will.  A dying wish of Master Qui-Gon it was.  If the Chosen One he is, know much of the Force he will require."

"I will do my best.  When do we start?"  Bastun asked, watching Qui-Gon's body be set ablaze.  Suddenly, he felt the hairs on his neck flare up.  He looked about the room, and his eyes fell on the now elected Chancellor Palpatine.  Whether it was petty political corruption or not, something felt very off about him.  Something insidious.  By the feeling he got from Mila, she had felt it too.

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And that is the end of the Phantom Menace.  So, I just went through all this story and such and realized I actually have almost no description for characters I make up.  Heck, you can look up young Anakin or Obi-Wan, but Bastun and Mila are really just blank unless you imagine them yourselves.  The next chapter will have a quick pronunciation for names and a general description for the characters.  Sorry 'bout that, guys...

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