Topic: Uron Boonfa: A Gungan's Tale

[|E|Luster]

I adapted this story from |E|nigma's Chronicles, a huge open ended roleplaying event that had been ongoing for at least a year, but sadly it ended up dying down with the Forums.  I decided, perhaps for some closure on my part, to create this stronger alternative, taking bits and pieces from the original, modifying them to make them make more sense, and condensing it into something more enjoyable.  This is a story of epic power, and controversial ideas about the Force, tying together three characters I made long ago, Luster, Chike and Uron.  I sincerely hope you enjoy and let me know what you think.

So, it is without further ado I give you....

Uron Boonfa: A Gungan's Tale

My hands were shaking as I wielded the hydrospanner, applying the last bit of service to the nearly decrepit fighter that I could.  How did I get here?  How could things have escalated so quickly....?  I took a step back and the ship was ready.  Now all I needed was Rebal.  But wait....was he still fighting....?

I whirled around, and saw to my dismay the Jedi Knight twirling his lightsaber in impressive Soresu, defending himself from the onslaught of Nissa-Ein.  Something inside of me clicked when I saw the electrostaff punch his chest, or maybe it was when his own lightsaber dismembered him.  I don't know what did it, truly, but the next thing I knew I was screaming "REBAL!!" and had ignited my lightsaber, engaging the Nissa-Ein.

I remembered my training with my master.  Through the Force, anything is possible.  This is what gave me strength in this battle, here, now.  I summoned up all the energy I could and pushed back the fiendish Gungans, reaching out with a webbed hand and grabbing Rebal's bleeding wrist.

"Wesa gotta go!!"  I yelled, pulling him behind me back towards the docking bay.  I kept bringing back energy, and pushing them back.  It wasn't long before they began protecting themselves, but by then I had sped up enough to get through the docking bay doors and activate the door mechanism.  A few Niisa-Ein got through before the door closed, and I engaged in battle with them.  There were three, and they were so very aggressive.  I grunted, putting all my effort into defending Rebal and myself.  From the corner of my eye I saw one of them weigh in with an attack, and I parried it, performing a Sai-Tok, cutting him in two.  I instantly sprang around, blocking another incoming attack, and I kicked the other Niisa-Ein in the chest.  Pushing off of my current combatant, I dove upon the other, stabbing him in the chest, and then whirled around to face the final foe.

Although there was the sound of Niisa-Ein banging on the door from the outside, it was oddly quiet in here.  I wiped my brow, glaring at the other gungan.  He spoke.

"Thisa treachary is beyond words, Boonfa!  Yousa be paying with yours head!"

"My thinks he be skipping out."  And with that he ducked the gungan's sweep and sliced him in the chest.

Sighing, he deactivated his saber and clipped it to his belt, and looked to Rebal, who was standing.

"I'm fine Uron, before you say anything.  Let's get out of here."  We went to Rebal's fighter first and made sure to set autopilot coordinates, and I hopped into mine.  This was going to be a long journey, and I had a lot to think about.  Last week everything was normal, and now....now it was anything but.

[|E|Luster]

How do you put into words your greatest fears?  I'd never really thought about it much, but if I had to say...my greatest fear would have to be....Well. You don't want to hear about that, do you?

Kicked back in the dingy old fighter, watching the astral effects of hyperspace zooming past, it put me in a deep place.  I felt a smidgen of nostalgia, a pang in my gut bringing me back, to a place I had just left-only it was different.

The high streets of Otoh Gunga, teeming with influence and power.  I was born to Fii Far and Mora Boonfa, tacticians and technicians working for the council.  We had it made, it would seem, but the plasma isn't always gooier deeper in the vial.  There was always something to fear, especially when on the inside.  And with the discovery of kolto-steel the dogs seemed right close to our throats.  And of course, one always breaks the chain.  I was twelve, and my parents were at the height of their careers, discovering something so incredible that the gungan race would be indestructible from outside influences, a plasteel that carried regenerative properties, comically dubbed kolto-steel.  This feat in bioengineering would have put gungans in the center of the galaxy, afforded us a place in the senate, put us on the map.  But the tribal council would not see such an invention leaving our shielded walls.  Our race would reap the benefits alone, and that would be that.

That didn't sit well with my parents, obviously, and they decided to attempt to go galactic with their discovery.  This, in turn, didn't sit well with the council, and suffice it to say, they never got the chance.  I remember what happened like it was yesterday....the Niisa-Ein, Nrloch Nardon.....

Beep!  Beep!  Beep!  Beep!

I glanced at my dashboard, examining the screen.  I actually had to stop and admire the fact that such an old vessel still had operational viewscreens.  It was indicating the need to pull out of lightspeed, we were arriving home.  Coruscant, the center of the Galaxy.  A great temple stood erected to the Jedi, although personally that seemed counter-productive to the whole humility thing.  I imagined what would be awaiting us as we pulled into the hangar, but I really couldn't imagine.  Letting out a sigh to put the butterflies at ease, I disengaged lightspeed and watched as the psychedelic void of space became something tangible.  Before me loomed the huge city, and all its splendor.

"Well...thisa be it."  I navigated down into the planet, and began to make my descent towards the Jedi Temple.  I considered activating my beacon, but it seemed fruitless because this fighter wasn't registered to me.  I knew Rebal didn't activate his, probably because it was on his left hand side....

After what seemed like an all too quick descent, I found myself activating auto-land so I wouldn't crush anything, and opening the door to my cockpit, which stuck so I had to use the Force to propel it up.

I ran over to Rebal's fighter, and helped him out.  The wound on his wrist was healed, nothing more than a stub now, thank the Force.  Regardless, this still required immediate attention, and I wasn't about to skirt my duties to my proverbial brother.  A few padawans and knights gathered confusedly, and I delegated a few of them the task of supporting Rebal, and we made our way to the medbay.


Half an hour later, Rebal was being fit for prosthesis, and I was watching.  His dark hair was matted against his face, and he turned to me while the droid did its work.

"Master Prodigy would have been proud of you Uron.  Is proud of you, you know."  He stared at me, his green eyes locked with my own.

"Enough, mesa not be talking bout that now."  I still felt a sharp pang in my gut, telling me he was gone.  And yet even as I sat there I was given a jolt of clarity through the Force.  I needed to meditate, bring myself to standard as a Jedi.

There is no Emotion, there is Peace.

I glanced out the window into the bustling streets of Coruscant, and flared my nostrils.

[|E|Luster]

How does a broke man pay his dues?  In blood.

I sat in the waiting room outside the Council chambers, wondering to myself how I could even begin to recount the past week's events.  I lay my head back against the wall, my ears touching the legs of the chair, they were cold.  I wondered how Rebal was doing.  He seemed alright when I left him, but he always was good at hiding his emotions from my senses.  Maybe I could beat it out of him when I got done with the-

The door slid open, and a tall woman with black hair and a brown cloak stood.  Jedi Master Taidra Faron, High Councillor and fierce tactician, and head of Coruscant's famed Circle of Healers. She locked eyes fiercely with my own, and beckoned me.

"Padawan Boonfa, please enter.  The Council is ready for you."  Ready for me?  What, were they watching a training video on gungan dialect?  I stood, and followed her into the chambers.

The Councillors were all standing to receive me, five of them in all, not counting Master Taidra of course.  Master Sakisaka, calm and collected.  Master Ranjel, burly and formidable.  Master Vitau, tall bald and silent.  Master Zann Esu, grandmaster of the entire operation.  Master Zefiris, dark and mysterious.  There was an eerie silence in the room, especially since one chair was empty.  I sighed, and knelt in the center of the room before the Coruscant High Council.

"Rise, Padawan Uron Boonfa."  Master Esu spoke.

"Greetings, Masters of the Council.  Mesa be pleased yousa could speak mesa this day."  I stood, and gazed around the room, looking at each member in turn.

"We understand you've went through quite the ordeal, Padawan."  Master Ranjel spoke clearly, the room echoing with his after tones.

"We would be most appreciative if you could help us fill the cracks," said Master Taidra.  She exhaled, and took her seat, as did the other Councillors.

After a moment of mulling it over in my mind, I spoke, in the best Galactic Basic I could muster.

[|E|Luster]

"As yousa know, my master and myself were dispatched to find a man named Dorna Shinn.  Wesa received an anonymous tip suggesting that he be having information on a series of kidnappings in the lower district of Coruscant.  Oursa search be leading us to a bar called the Green Gungan.  Hesa got called back to the temple at the last second,  but this be too valuable a tip to be passing up...."

It was as if the council room disappeared before me as I described the events.  I was there, giving Master Prodigy a firm nod from outside the docking bay as he powered on his vehicle to rush back to the temple.  He had faith he had trained me well enough to handle this on my own in an emergency.....and yet...

I continued my interrogations of bar patrons, and kept turning up odd results.  A tip to the Jedi saying that a man named Dorna Shinn frequented this bar, and yet these people never even heard of this man, even when I use the Force to persuade them.  I leaned against the bar and huffed.  What a waste of time.  The Jedi couldn't afford to just be sent on wild goose chases all the time.  Pushing myself away from the bar, I made my way to the exit.

I entered the docking bay and started to locate my speeder.  Upon finding it I noticed there was a cloaked figure standing in front of it, his back turned to me.  I should have noticed then the change in Force energies around me, even now that I think back on it the change is blatantly obvious.   I approached him wordlessly.

He turned his head and I saw the snout of a Gungan protruding from his hood.  "Enjoying the outside world, Boonfa?"  It was like somebody sent a spike of ice through my heart, and instantly I was wary.  He left Otoh Gunga to find me?!  This was nearly forbidden in all circumstances.  He turned to face me entirely, and I instantly knew what was happening-he was a Niisa-Ein!  He was wearing ceremonial tribal robes, and carried a modified staff in his hand.  Somewhat similar to regular electrostaffs, these were suited for gungans only.

I drew my saber, but before I could even activate it, he yanked it from my hand with the Force.

"Yousa see...Niisa-Ein are like Jedi" I explained.  "Theysa be having powers like wesa do, but they be more like the shaman of the goonga."

He raised his hands and sent a jolt of lightening towards me, and I flew back ten feet, hitting the wall of the cantina.  "Sleep well," is the last thing I remember from that platform.