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Shayy 2005 short story by Mark Newbold Twenty years before Episode IV – A New Hope This is Shayy: An arrogant Padawan who disobeys her master. An adept in the Force who questions the teachings of the Jedi. Headstrong. Argumentative. Among the most promising young Jedi alive. Her apparent insolence belies a deep understanding of the Force that constantly surprises her master, Ade-arr B’erain. Almost without conscious thought she unravels the intricacies of the Force, weaves the pathways of knowledge and understanding like a true master. And yet she is as headstrong and wilful as a child, a trait that holds in check her elevation to full Jedi Knight status, something the Jedi are in dire need of. She is argumentative and brilliant. Gifted, stubborn but able to sift through the Force like a child looks through a kaleidoscope. Her talents are passive in form, and yet she hurls herself around like a force of nature, attracting trouble like an electron magnet. Of all the young Jedi serving the Setnin Sector, she is the ultimate swirl of contradiction. She stands alongside B’erain. Though she is many decades his junior she feels an equal by his side, a contemporary. She honours the rituals of deference out of respect for B’erain but considers him as much a friend as a mentor. And yet she is fully aware of the Jedi warning of attachment. Shayy ponders this as she breathes deeply though her nose and scans the battlefield before her, the words of Jedi Master Ovo Duplis running through her mind. A Jedi feels neither attachment, or possession, or ownership or propriety. A Jedi serves the Force, not their own selfish desires. Exist within the Force, not without it, and remember: - to give in to ones desires is to turn away from the Force. Shayy glances down as Duplis’ words echo through her mind and she feels the lightsabre hilt weight heavy in her hand. She understands the deep meaning of the Jedi code, admires the brutal simplicity of its devotion to the Force. But she questions it. Shayy has suffered from attachment in the past, become too close to people she has lost and wonders if the teachings of the Jedi were perhaps lost in translation throughout the ages. Surely, she thinks, attachment is the most basic, primal feeling. Possession of love, not property or person, drives all beings. And yet, in the hollow pits of her broken heart the day she lost that love, she saw the stark truth of the code. To deny oneself attachment protects you. Cocoons you from the hurt. Only after a time of grief and perspective did she revert to her former thinking. She catches Ade-arr looking at her with a proud expression on his face. She knows that today they will fight side-by-side, to the death if necessary. And she is more than prepared for that eventuality. After all, it is the Jedi way.
The battlefield is stripped bare of foliage, of trees, of anything alive at all. Rain hits the ground in explosions of moisture as the two opposing armies wait opposite each other, sizing up their opposition. Salutarr has become a focus of Separatist attack within the Setnin Sector for the past month, and Setnin Jedi have come to its defence swiftly, bringing with them the artillery of the Grand Army of the Republic. Ade-arr B’erain looks left and right as the rain falls harder, his jade sabre igniting in his hand as he waits to give the signal. For a long month the two armies have fought to a near standstill, scrapping across half the planet and hammering their forces into the ground. From a military sense, the two armies are near identical. The droid soldiers of the Trade Federation are legion; huge Crab Droids churn up pathways for the infantry, Hailfire droids rain fire down like mortars, scattering the Clonetrooper ground forces. NR-N99 Tank droids use their amphibious design to traverse the mud flats of Salutarr, their side platforms perfect for Battledroids to stand and fire at enemy troops. Homing Spider Droids aim accurate volleys at the Republic ARC-170 fighters that speed high overhead, their tailgunners blasting away at the mechanised army below and Droid Gunships, the Confederacy's response to the Republic gunships chase them through the skies. But the Separatist army isn’t the only one with variety. Clonetroopers have diversified during the span of the Clone Wars. Advanced Recon Commandos, known as ARC Troopers are sent in to execute special missions alongside their Jedi Generals, Clone Pilots fly the devastating Republic Alpha-3 Nimbus V-wing fighters in concert with the larger Setnin-made DD-24 `V’ Wing Strike fighters. Republic commandos execute vital missions of rescue and sabotage, troopers steer Swamp Speeders through hazardous terrains and AT-RT transports run the forward lines, relaying information back to the forward command units. And most impressive of all, the HAVw A6 Juggernaut, almost fifty meters long and able to carry up to three-hundred troops, roams the battlefront crushing droids and smaller war machines. And it all this, along with the power of the Force, that Ade-arr B’erain holds in check, waiting for the right moment at which to strike. And yet, as he pauses, checking the air, discerning his moment, he feels an all-too familiar flash of…something, he isn’t sure what. A familiarity. Something gnawing away at the peripheries of his consciousness, tantalisingly out of reach. He glances down at the black mud of Salutarr and resets his mind. Of late he has suffered visions, of Shayy’s violent death. It is an occurrence that he is fixed upon not happening, no matter what the cost, but the vision disturbs him nonetheless. During his long years of service he has tutored many young Jedi, and been master to three. Shayy has undoubtedly been the most gifted and promising of them all, despite her headstrong tendencies. He simply will not countenanced her death, would not allow it. He forces the image from his mind and raises his lightsabre high above his head, the rain sizzling against its power with crackles of energy. No matter the cost, now is the time to strike.
This is Garani Allafson: A marriage of beauty and death. Seduced by the dark side of the Force. Able to shred wills like confetti. Her cruel mind carves deep cuts through the hearts of her enemies, and yet she willingly opts to serve her mysterious master. But not Dooku, or Ventress or Grevious – another. A student of the Separatist movement, she truthfully believes in its goal of breaking the Republic and forming a new order. A new order shorn of the scourge of the Jedi. Once she was a youngling on Coruscant, alongside her sister Seranomi. There she was taught the ways of the Force as only a child can be taught. Without question, without contradiction. Amazed by her own nascent abilities. But that was torn away from both her and her sister when Seranomi began to experiment with the dark side, and both sisters were expelled from the Jedi Order and sent back home to Gista. And it was then, as Seranomi renounced the Force that Garani’s fascination grew, and grew stronger as the years passed until the day came when she could hold back no longer and like a caged animal she broke free, tearing the bonds of family and friendship apart and clasping on to the promise of power with both hands. She stares across the battlefield through the driving rain and despite the great distance and torrential conditions she finds her eyes settle on the two Jedi. One holds a lightsabre above his head, preparing to launch another assault. The other, smaller and younger holds back, surveying the scene. The girl shines in the Force like a beacon, and Garani makes note of that. While the Master holds the word of command, the Padawan possesses the true power. Garani smiles as she raises her own crimson blade and nods to the Super Battle Droid that waits beside her. Within seconds she can hear the incoming roar of Droid Gunships and sees Republic vessels appear from the clouds above and licks her lips in anticipation of the inevitable clash that will soon happen. She has yet to engage this Jedi in combat. Her wish is about to come true.
“Air command, protect the left flank and send in the Juggernaut. Commander Deej, you’re with me.” The Clonetrooper Commander finishes detailing his orders to his subordinates and jogs to Ade-arr’s side, the red flashes on his armour practically obscured by the ebony mud of the Salutarr battlefield. Deep trenches have been cut into the ground by the advances of the Crab Droids that carve paths for their Battle Droid cousins, but those pathways go both ways and B’erain and CC 7745 soon find themselves sprinting down a high-walled trench across the field of battle towards the Separatist camp. Ade-arr is as ever impressed by the clones stamina and ability to keep pace with him. After all, he is a Jedi and possessed of superior strength and speed, but Deej always manages to stay within arms reach. Unlike his Padawan, Ade-arr followed the Jedi teachings regarding attachment, and while he feels great affection for Shayy he knows that if he ever lost her he would not hold onto his grief, for grief was an act of self. Once someone was gone, the pain only resided in those left behind, and in these days of war such distractions were ill afforded. He has forged a bond through his battlefield experiences with CC 7745, and somewhere along the way someone named him Deej, a handle that has stuck. B’erain appreciates his willingness to question everything, a trait most atypical for a Clonetrooper, and finds that it keeps him on his toes. As the two of them reach a junction in the trenches and step over the lifeless carcasses of troopers and droids they signal to each other and split up, Ade-arr heading down the left fork, Deej the right. Ade-arr holds his sabre at arms length, like a divining rod searching for water in a desert, and closes his eyes. The battle rages above, ARC-170 fighters and LA-ti’s attacking in formation as they cover the Juggernaut that is racing in head-on against the NR-N99 Tank droids that hold a strong line of defence. He senses another presence ahead, something that registers on his radar, but it is unfamiliar. Dark, but not the malevolent being that he has sensed before. This is primal, raw and ragged in its nature and unafraid to strike. Ade-arr opens his eyes and gazed upon Garani. “Welcome to Salutarr, Jedi.” She spits out the word like unwanted phlegm. B’erain shifts his stance and grips his lightsabre. “Thank you.” He motions to the rain-filled skies above, buzzing with the sounds of war before returning his eyes to the twisted, raven-haired beauty before him. “Ade-arr B’erain, Jedi Knight. I’m authorised to accept your surrender.” “I was about to offer you the same ultimatum.” She smiles, taking a step forward. “Although I sincerely hope you do not take it.” “Somehow I doubt you adhere to the conventions on holding prisoners, so I must decline.” Garani leaps into the air and comes down in a death strike, her blade meeting B’erains in mid-air. “How perceptive, Jedi.”
This is Ade-arr B’erain: Jedi Knight. Master to Shayy. The man the Setnin Jedi Council sends in if the mission is unsalvageable. He is teacher, warrior, ambassador, prophecy. And he may be the only thing standing between Setnin and the darkness. A Jedi Knight for almost thirty years, he holds a prominent place on the Setnin Jedi Council. While sitting in autonomy from the Jedi Council on Coruscant, the Setnin Jedi still follow the teachings of the Jedi and obey the instructions of Master Yoda and the council. Only they conduct their matters of business in a unique way. The Setnin Way. And Ade-arr B’erain, born on Nam Chorios on the other side of the galaxy in the Meridian Sector, understands what that means better than almost anyone. He is a skilled warrior who wields the sabre of knowledge and wisdom like a true swordsman. He is possessed of an iron will that is almost unbreakable, and has a bearing and gravitas that is intimidating. When others would strike, he retreats. When others would run, he attacks. His unpredictability is his shield, his knowledge of the Force his rapier. And he never, never backs down from a fight. He clashes sabres with Garani and notices the glare of distain in her eye. He ponders on this for as long as it takes for the message to travel from his brain to his hands to angle his attacks and he is off, flipping backwards to the other side of the trench and resetting himself for a second attack. He allows Garani to make her second attack and watches, analysing her technique and gauging her lethality. She is a skilled fighter and a formidable foe, but Ade-arr has been wielding a sword for decades before she was even born and he deflects her moves with ease, swatting her lunges away and holding the centre line, controlling the exchange. He sinks deeper and deeper into the Force, allowing it to control him and his actions, and watches from outside himself as he begins to push the dark Jedi back, a ballet of mud and sabre clashes in the pounding rain. Her strikes are accurate, heavy blows powered by anger and the dark side, course words in comparison to the poetry of his movements. She begins to force him onto the back foot, the sheer strength of her attack pinning him against the wall. B’erain squints as the sun breaks free of its cloud cover and he takes the chance to flip over her head and splashes into open ground, adjusting his stance. “You fight well, for a darksider.” Ade-arr nods his appreciation for her talents, and she returns his courtesy with a snarl. “Save your platitudes Jedi. If I desired a pat on the back I would take your still twitching carcass to my master.” Ade-arr raises an eyebrow. “And who would that be?” Garani leaps forward again, her red sabre blade cutting a swathe through the mud and sweat. “You will learn soon enough.” They fight for long minutes that bleed into hours, a precision ballet of lethal jabs and parries, swings and defences. The rain abates and then continues, the heavens opening and washing the blood of the dead away, soaking all and making the battlefield a sodden mess. B’erain and Garani leave the confines of the trench and work their way up onto the battlefield proper, slashing away at any stray droids that enter their field of vision. Ade-arr can see no route through her defences, and knows that his own skill with a sabre is defence enough to block a lethal attack of her own. It is a true stalemate. And then the truth dawns on him. Their fight has been a ploy. A ploy to separate him from his Padawan Shayy, and like a fool he has fallen for it. Garani gives him a half smile, sensing he has figured out her tactic and swings a wide arc towards his head as he ducks and steps back. “Finally, the master tactician figures out my plan. Go; witness the death of your Padawan. You’re already too late.” Ade-arr can sense that Shayy is still alive, but far away across the field of battle, and danger is approaching. He takes off in a blur of motion, running as fast as he ever has, travelling Force-assisted through the midst of the battle to the trench Shayy is fighting in.
I should have stayed close to Master B’erain. I am too arrogant for my own good. Shayy lashes out a wide slash and takes down three battle droids as they advance, their laser fire cascading upon her and deflects the bolts into the five super battle droids that are swiftly moving in from behind the initial attack. She moves towards four other droids, sending their shots back at themselves and blasting them into droid oblivion before executing a backwards leap that brings her directly onto a passing STAP. She knocks the battle droid away with a sharp elbow and uses the aerial platform to blast away at more attacks, deflecting shots as she does so. She can see more enemy troops moving towards her position and allows herself a smile as another wave of Clonetroopers break up the regiment, slamming into them with Swamp Speeders and crushing a huge phalanx of droids with a fast moving Juggernaut. And yet she knows she has made a terrible error. I should have worked alongside Commander Deej. Together we could have taken this flank, moved around the enemy encampments and taken the field. Crab Droids advance upon her position, churning up the ground and allowing more droids to advance below the line of fire. Above, more Republic fighters fill the skies, but are unable to target the trench advances that steadily weave their way towards her. Every direction she looks there are enemy troops crawling towards her, and she knows that unless a miracle happens she will be lost. A heavy hit from a Hailfire Droid destroys the STAP and she falls back to the ground in a battle stance, sabre at the ready and instantly continues to deflect the laser fire that engulfs her. Master, I need you she calls through the Force.
I’m coming Shayy, hold on. Ade-arr springs over a detachment of fighting Clonetroopers and slashes his way through a wall of droids, slicing away the legs of a Homing Spider Droid and cutting through the side of a Crab Droid that makes its way through the now rapidly filling field. Rain laces down and crackles off the blade of his jade sabre, his long black hair plastered to his head but he takes no notice. All he is focused on is the blue flare of her lightsabre in the distance atop a STAP, now tantalisingly close and working furiously to deflect the rain of fire that falls around her. He lifts his comlink to his dry lips. “Commander Deej, lock on to my co-ordinates and send a wing of ARC-170’s to that position. Shayy needs assistance.” “At once Commander B’erain.” Ade-arr flies high into the air again, this time ignoring the battle below and concentrating only on the blade of Shayy that has now fallen from its vantage point back into the trenches. He sprints as if his very life depends on it.
This is the death of Shayy: She is surrounded by battledroids and super battledroids, blocking her every escape route from above and below. Crab Droids, Hailfire Droids and Homing Spider Droids line the edges of the trench, aiming their weapons of destruction towards her. She can sense the inevitable clutch of death as its fingers slowly curl towards her, and yet she remains fixed deep within the Force, confident that its will, the living Force, shall guide her. She can feel herself vibrate in the Force, like a tuning fork, and the world around her blurs into expressionism as she deflects bolt after bolt, the air red with laser death. She is not afraid, nor is she distracted. Life rotates around her; futures knot themselves like thread that she swiftly unravels, discerning her path. But now, as weight of numbers pile around her the trench she had sought out for cover has become a death trap and as those knots tumble free she can see only one path. The vast ocean of the Force. In that moment all becomes clear. The Force. The War. Her place in the grand scheme of life. She understands the reason of everything, and feels a cold chill as a hard truth hits her. The futility of fighting. The fact that the Jedi’s actions are mere resistance against a crushing wave that will engulf them all. And as the droid fire ceases for just a moment she accepts that while her death may be premature, her survival would merely postpone the inevitable. The Jedi are doomed. And as the droid attack resumes, shots coming from every conceivable direction, she scarcely feels the boiling hits as they blast away her skin, doesn’t feel the cold as her shredded body hits the water of the trench. She doesn’t register the wave of ARC-170’s hammering at the circling droids, pummelling them into scrap or the cruel laugh of Garani as she witnesses her death from afar. All she feels is the anguished cry of Ade-arr as he arrives at the trench just seconds too late and a chorus of familiar voices at the rim of her mind, coming to carry her away. Her life is over. She breathes her final sigh and falls into darkness… Shayy 2005 short story by Mark Newbold Twenty years before Episode IV – A New Hope Histories – Unashamedly written in a
similar style to Matthew Stovers Revenge of the Sith novellisation,
this story tells of the death of Shayy,
Jedi Knight Ade-arr B’erains
headstrong Padawan learner. Fighting against Separatist forces on Salutarr,
Shayy is separated from her master and forced to fight alone against
overwhelming numbers, a situation orchestrated by Garani Allafson, the darksider
who has revealed herself. After her
death, Shayy realises the terrible predicament the Jedi are in, but has no
way of passing on her knowledge to warn the Jedi or her friends, and passes
silently into the Force. Cast of Characters Padawan Shayy Ade-arr B’erain Garani Allafson Clonetrooper Commander Deej |