The Family

Started on 26/1/2013 this is a story I never finished or likely ever will, probably because I'm not too good at thinking up modern-day baddies xD Basically I was thinking that the bad guys were going to turn out to be a family of criminals who were trying to create a family of perfectly-gened people, or something like that... On with the story!


A portly and slightly grubby man tried desperately to tie down his fruit stall's canvas roof as the brisk late morning New York wind tried just as hard to take it from him. He scowled and grumbled to himself as an FBI agent ran past him and accidentally loosened the canvas just as he tied it. They had blocked off the street where his stall was located and emptied it in a matter of minutes. They'd tried to clear him out too, he refused, they decided he wasn't worth it.
 "Late." He grunted to the driver of a blue transit van that had just pulled up in front of the stall.
 "Morning Gary, got much business today?" The young driver asked as he hopped out of the van and motioned to the empty street.
 "Don't smart mouth me kid. You got a delivery? Deliver it." Gary growled and the driver backed away with his hands raised.
 "Alright alright." The driver said and hammered his fist on the side of the van. "Jimmy you heard the man, get out and do as your daddy says."
 "Yes Frank." A spotty teenage boy mumbled and half fell out of the passenger seat.
Jimmy ambled forward to open the back of the van and started to unload the fruit crates, under Gary's supervision.
 "You're lucky they let us through actually, they've got the place surrounded." Said Frankie who was casually leaning against the van. "Looks like they might be onto something about those attacks, I've never seen so many feds." He continued and nodded to the swarming police over his shoulder, who had now surrounded a large glass high-rise apartment across the road.
Gary just grunted at the blaring lights of the police cars and picked up another crate from the van.
 "How'd you get past them then?" Gary asked suspiciously.
 "I know someone in the force." Frank said vaguely and smiled to himself.
 "You know too many people for your own good." Gary grumbled and frowned curiously at Jimmy who was sweating profusely and glancing nervously at the cops.
 "Hey, you should be grateful I'm doing this favour for you, I've got a pal down in the maf who'd pay-" Frank protested and staggered back as he was cut off by a cop barrelling past him.
 "What the-?" Gary exclaimed as he almost dropped his crate.
 "Agent Curtis is down. I repeat, Agent Curtis is down." The cop called urgently into his radio with a clear British accent.
 "Christ he's SIS," Frank exclaimed and brushed himself off. "What's the British secret service doing working with the FBI?" He wondered as they watched the agent run up the street, weaving between abandoned cars and FBI vehicles to the apartment.
 "Don't know and don't care." Gary grumbled. "They bring nothing but trouble, always do. Sooner they go, the better." He finished and eyed a troop of agents that ran past as he stacked a row of crates against the wall.
 "What is up with you today son?" He barked at Jimmy who had nearly dropped his crate while trying to hide his face in his hood as the agents went past.
 "You're unloading fruit not class A drugs." Frank chuckled and took out his iPhone to play on it. Jimmy just laughed weakly and wiped the sweat off his brow with a shaky hand.

The Lawless Jedi II: The Original Trilogy

The 17 Years:

(There is a 17 year gap between the events of Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope, though skipped by the films that gap has been somewhat filmed by the comic-book and TV series/game side of the Star Wars franchise, and so with those pictures and information, I will try to fill that gap with Allana's story during that time too, though naturally a couple of years will be vaguely brushed aside. ;)

I will start with this song as down to the very last word, this is Allana and Obi-Wan's theme:

In a galaxy far far away the Galactic Republic has been replaced by the Galactic Empire, ruled by the Sith Lord Palpatine, now known simply as "The Emperor" and his right-hand man and apprentice, Darth Vader.
 Many people under the new Empire enthusiastically supported the vision outlined in Palpatine's Declaration of a New Order, largely due to the relief of the violence that had plagued the galaxy for so long. Many Senators wholeheartedly supported the new government while a number of more cautious senators chose to watch and wait to see how the new government would handle the affairs of state. It promised to trade frailty for strength, chaos for order, and uncertainty for decisiveness. In retrospect, the foundation of the Empire had already been set down during Palpatine's chancellorship and all potential threats eliminated; therefore, the transition from Republic to Empire was relatively smooth.
 It is important to note that not all of the Senators liked what they saw. In fact, the Petition of 2000 Senators sought to bring the worries of these Senators to Palpatine. This petition was led by Bail Organa, Mon Mothma, and the late Padmé Amidala. Palpatine's dismissal of their concerns was one factor that led Organa and Mothma to help found the Alliance to Restore the Republic in later years.

With the rise of the Empire, all the institutions of the old Republic found themselves either dismantled or modified beyond recognition. There was a riot of renaming all things "Imperial" to glorify the new Emperor: overnight, the Coruscant sector was renamed the Imperial Sector, Coruscant itself was renamed Imperial Center, and Galactic City was renamed Imperial City. The Galactic Senate became the Imperial Senate. The Grand Army of the Republic became the Imperial Army and the Clone Troopers also were renamed Stormtroopers, and so on. Within days, there were few names left to remind the people that there had ever been a Galactic Republic.

A Place in the Sun

In the summer of '94 the trees of a large French garden sway slightly in the weak breeze, barely anything in the 30c summer heat. The garden extends down to overlook the vast fields behind it and is bordered by a 7ft cream-stoned wall on the east side, behind a shadowed copse of tall trees, and fades into a hedge at the bottom. In this shadowed copse a man creeps along with a handheld video camera; it's the best one available of course, he didn't even blink when he saw the price tag. He's tall but crouches down and tries to stay hidden amongst the trees. Through the eye of the camera he films and follows two children playing in the garden as their mother watches from the veranda. They're brother and sister, 3 years between them. The girl has thick caramel blonde hair like her mother while the boy has a darker brown mop of hair that he's constantly brushes out of his eyes. They chase eachother down the garden, both vying for the ownership of a ball their father gave them, and the silent observer smiles as their laughter reaches the video camera. They pass him and stop a few feet away, both trying to guess which direction the other will go in, and the man tries to creep closer in hopes of getting a clearer shot.
 "You don't even like football!" The boy says desperately to his sister as he fails yet again to get the ball from her.
 "I like volleyball." The girl answers as she nimbly twists out of his way yet again.
 "Doesn't count, when do you ever see a volleyball match on T.V?!" The boy protests.
 "It does in America." The girl retorts. She sticks her tongue out at him with a grin and the man laughs quietly to himself at the 6 year old's sharp mind.
 "Here, catch!" The girl says to her brother, finally deciding to take pity on him and share the ball. She's about to throw it when a sharp snap! comes from the trees and the children spin around with wide eyes.
 The man curses and the video footage goes wild as he lost his balance on a twig and tries to regain it. He tries to retreat into the bushes but it's too late, he's been detected. The video camera swings back from the clear blue sky again to catch the sharp green eyes of the girl just as they latch onto the figure of the man in the trees. Her eyes widen and she gasps, nudges her brother and his baby blue eyes lock onto the same position as hers. Somehow, as only siblings can, they understood eachother immediately and begin to count to three.
 Their mother frowns in concern as, ball long forgotten, the children creep towards the trees and suddenly, on the count of three, they launch on top of the man in thee trees.
 "Daddy!" They scream with grins firmly plastered on their faces and they tickle him relentlessly. Despite his height their father cannot free himself of the little monkeys, and only just manages to peel them off long enough to stumble out into the open with the video camera, before they launch themselves on him again and they fall on to the grass in a large, limbs-sprawling, giggling heap. The father still cannot break away from his children and he finally surrenders to them with a laugh and they sit up breathlessly.
 "Mummy said you'd only get here next week!" The girl exclaims in joy as she clambers onto his lap.
 "I thought I'd surprise you." He explains and smiles wistfully at his children for a moment. "Well? Did I surprise you?" He suddenly demands and tackles them down to the ground again with a wicked grin.
 "Yes!" They squeal in joy and he pulls them up again after tickling them. He sighs happily and kneels on one knee in front of them to get to their height. They look at him adoringly, the traces of laughter still lingering on their young faces, and he pulls them both to him in a bear-hug.
 "Have you been good for your mother?" He asks and both mumble their yesses into his shoulders, their faces smushed against him.
 "Good." He says and kisses the tops of their heads, squeezing them even tighter for a second before letting them go. "Now lets have the best summer ever." He says to them with a grin and they walk towards the house with his arms around their shoulders.
 "But you said that last year. How can this year be "better" if last year was the best?" His daughter asks sceptically and her father playfully clips her over the ear.
 "Because it will, cheeky." He says fondly and turns to his son as their mother comes down to join them. "Matt, how's the football coming along?"
 "It's okay, I prefer martial arts now though, like your old fighting tapes! Anna has an awesome high-kick though!" He says enthusiastically and his sister holds her head up smugly.
 "Well that's fine, sure. But you don't always have to follow what I do you know." Their father says but the train of conversation is lost as their mother comes up to them. "Maria." He smiles cautiously as he greets her and Maria smiles down at her children.
 "No, you never have to follow your father." She says to them.
 "But daddy kicks butt." Anna says with utter surety and her parents laugh awkwardly.
 "Neil, a word?" Maria says tightly to her husband.
 "Sure...you two wait here while I talk to mummy, ok?" Neil says to Matt and Anna. "When I get back we'll go and see what car Harold got for me this time, okay?" He says and walks with his hands in his pockets towards the house with Maria, a smile playing on his face as Matt fist-pumps the air with a growly "YEEESSS!" and Anna puts her hands in the air like she just scored a goal.
 "I bet it's a Boxter!" Matt calls after his father as he jogs up the stairs to the veranda. Neil wobbles his palm in the air as an "almost".
 "A Lamborghini?" Anna shouts and they watch with bated breath as he goes to follow their mother through the thick, reinforced glass door to the house. As he steps in the doorway he puts his hand in the air, wobbles, and sticks his thumb in the air. Anna screams in victory and the siblings jump up in the air in excitement.
 Their laughter echoes back on the video camera that's still filming, laying on it's side further down the garden, capturing the last moments of happiness that father and child will cherish forever.

The summer home, "Lily" as we called it, due to the amount of lilies in the gardens, was as confined as it was expansive. The back garden was entirely fenced off behind the hedge, and on both sides the garden had a 7ft wall that connected to the house, no gaps. The security-system was the best available, dad never cared about costs, not with his career, and there's no area of the house it didn't reach, and all the recordings were sent to a private server in dad's office, and when he wasn't there his partner François Huse who was stationed nearby, always checked in on us every 2 days.
 But we didn't care about all that, all we cared about was that we were all together, we had our dad back home for a few weeks and we would have "the best summer ever" every year, and it was our place in the sun.

http://youtu.be/W8lVPMWLCBQ?t=10s

Siren

Left to right: The Hulk, Hawkeye, Maria, Iron Man, Nick Fury, Captain America, Natasha Romanoff and Thor.

The Siren:

Sarah Liam always loved hero stories. Her mother, Rosa De Crocetti, used to read them to her when she was little. Every single night, no disruptions, not even if she was ill or if her father had lost his temper, again. Their favourites were the Greek and Norse myths, so full of fantasy, chivalry, story and mystery, they were a world away from their reality.
 Born to a powerful French drug businessman idealist and his Italian lover who he "rescued" from a small village, Sarita De Crocetti, as she was born, always seemed to have a calming influence on all who went near her. It was a mediocre power that nobody even considered to be one, it was just a natural aura the charming little girl had. And boy did she need it in that chaotic home. They lived in a large French villa and never lacked for anything, Jean Liam's career certainly made sure of that. He was... cocky and short-tempered to say the least but Rosa doted on her daughter, and that was all little Sarita needed.
 However Jean had an obsession with the drugs industry he worked for, he was sure that drugs were all the power anyone needed to rule the world, if you just enhanced the right qualities instead of wasting it on euphoric pleasures. He was also sure that his ideals and opinions were the right ones, he encouraged the strife other nations caused by making a bid for power but always snorted and despairingly pointed out the flaws and weaknesses in them when they stopped, either having been defeated or got what they wanted. As for the Nazis, he admired their sudden domination but disparaged/disregarded their loss of it and "irrational" ideals, he's sure he could have done it much better, and made the world more efficient for it.
 Though he intended to only use it for profit, Jean's obsession with this idea grew over the years, his love of Rosa often held him in check but then one day with his scientist business partner, Michael Verone, he actually found a way to do it. To pick out a certain attribute in a human, and enhance it. They'd found the remnants of notes on the enhancement serum used on Captain America in WW2 and they kept it as a secret project between them. At first Jean simply intended to sell it to the highest bidder and make his family rich and revered for years to come, but as time went by the experiments were still unsuccessful and his obsession with it grew and grew. They couldn't understand it, the serum was theoretically perfect but it still failed to work on the volunteer experimentees, or resulted in making the targeted attribute weaker. They needed to test it someone with a stronger attribute, something rare and extraordinary that they could actually enhance. Then one day Jean heard someone commenting on the unusual calming aura of his 4 year old daughter, and it clicked. He was obsessed beyond rational thought for a result, and besides he reasoned that the serum would not harm her, he would only be giving her a gift, even if it did work. So, without telling Rosa, Jean gave Sarita an injection one day on the staircase, claiming it was just a vaccination and that it'd be ok, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead as the needle went in and giving her a plaster to cover the pin-prick. Sarita was unharmed by it, and her "power" was indeed enhanced, she could influence the mood of anyone around her. Jean saw it as nothing but a little party trick of no significant power, Sarita was only 4 anyway, but it was finally a success! He and Michael celebrated over it that night and parted ways, both agreeing to wait until the world was at it's most dire until they came forward with the serum, so that they might get the biggest possible offer and recognition.

Something to do with pirates!

PROLOGUE

The name’s Rackham. Cap’n Quinn Rackham. But I’m ‘ereafter known as Cap’n t’ yer, capisce? Good, I don’t need no landlubbers gettin’ a whiff of me name. I’ve got m’self into enough trouble t’ sink ol’ Willie’s steamboat as it is without yer rattin’ on me an’ all. Better keep this little conversation between us two, ‘mm?

Anyway, now that’s over with, I’ll offer me condolences now if yer’d like. Y’see, I’ve spent me whole life at sea, an’ the air don’t do me brain much good. Me memory’s a bit ‘azy now - what? No, I’m not just “getting’ old”, yer cheeky little riff-raff! I might be goin’ a bit grey ‘round the edges, but it don’t make me any less of a pirate now - Neptune's tail no! Anyway, this could take a while, best take a perch on the ol’ aft ‘ere – it’s alrigh’, won’t break or nothin’! Nice boat, ain’t she? She’s me little beaut she is, buil’ ‘er with me dear ol’ man back when I was just a wee sailor’s boy. Pretty decent, eh? I call ‘er Sandra, Sandy fer short, after me mam. She’s six feet under now, poor thin’, but she did run many a tight ship in ‘er time. Bit of an inspiration really in our part of the waters, shame I turned out… well, like I did. I was an only child, raised by me parents on our boat. Me dad loved ‘avin’ me around, in fact, we still go on our weekly fishin’ trips t’ this day. Me mam though, she never was keen on me. Said I wasn’t up t’ the standard of the rest of our crew. Always did get pissed over that – me own mam sayin’ I wasn’t good enough fer ‘er ship? ‘ah! Well, got me own crew now ain’t I. Or, I did ‘ave…

I guess I better fill yer in on me lovelies before I go into all that though, I tried tellin’ me dad but I think I made ‘im a bit muddled, better not do the same t’ yer now! Right, well, me first in command, that’d be Shawn. Bit of a simple one is our Shawnie, right lanky fella’ with ‘air lighter than ‘ay an’ eyes bluer than the ocean we sail on. ‘e means well though, always gets shit done. Well, when ‘e remembers t’ that is. Can’t blame the guy I suppose, forced t’ grow up alone on some deserted island until I found ‘im. ‘e was only fifteen, still a kid at the time an’ ‘ad no clue where the ‘ell ‘e even was, let alone ‘ow ‘e got there. Said ‘is parents left ‘im there as a little ‘un, taught ‘im ‘ow t’ start a fire an’ spear meat an’ left ‘im t’ get on with it. I felt sorry fer the lad back then, so I took ‘im on me ship an’ on me ship ‘e stayed, even though ‘e’s pushin’ ‘is mid-thirties now. ‘e was as sprightly as a teenager, three sheets t’ the wind, without even ‘avin’ a God damn drop of rum. I swear, that fella could jump overboard an’ swim t’ the nearest island – an’ don’t think ‘e ain’t tried.

 I feel quite sorry fer ‘im really – ‘e might go ‘round the ship sayin’ ‘ow much ‘e cares about all of us an’ ‘ow we’re ‘is family, but it’s nothin’ special. Not like real family. ‘e ain’t got no wife, no kids, no memory of any other family aside from ‘is parents who’ve scarred ‘im fer life. Well, ‘e does ‘ave that damn little mongrel of ‘is, Talty, the ship’s ‘royal mascot’. Although nowadays ‘e can’t get offa’ ‘is fat arse t’ guard anythin’ aside from ‘is bowl. The lad ‘imself ain’t much better, or so I’ve ‘eard. ‘is memory ain’t improved in the slightest an’ ‘e’s just got this mardy look on ‘is face, nothin’ like what ‘e used t’ be. I know somethin’s up, but I daren’t ask what. Not just yet.

Right, who’s next? Better be Kenny, I suppose. Kenny was our engineer, when ‘e wasn’t fuckin’ about in the ship’s ‘old that is. ‘e spent most of ‘is time down there, inventin’ one thin’ or another, ‘alf of it was of no use t’ us but ‘e still insisted on keepin’ it all. No wonder we sank so fast…

Eh, I’m gettin’ ahead of m’self now. Anyway, yeah, Kenny. ‘e’s the eldest one of us, almost in ‘is sixties now. Yer wouldn’t think it though, the amount of drinks ‘e knocks back in one go an’ the trouble ‘e gets ‘imself into. I’ve ‘eard ‘e’s slowed down with that though, prob’ly fer the best really. God knows ‘ow ‘e kept goin’ on but ‘e did, gettin’ up at the crack of dawn just t’ see the sun rise. ‘e said it was the best time fer fishin’ and true t’ ‘is word ‘e’d always ‘ave a bucket load of fish by the time we woke up. ‘e’s a dab ‘and at cookin’ too, God knows ‘ow the rest of us aren’t as bi’ as balloons. Kenny was, well, ‘e insisted ‘e was just “cuddly”, but ‘e was fine with that. Prefered sittin’ on ‘is ass all day than gettin’ up and exercisin’ anyway. Kenny ‘asn’t changed a bit in that sense. Only now ‘e doesn’t want t’ get up at all. Although no matter ‘ow ‘ard ‘e tries now, it’s all a waste of time anyway.

Eh, movin’ on… J.C.? ‘e’s a funny one, is our J.C. T’ this day I still don’t know ‘is actual name, though ‘e insists it’s Joe Cool. ‘e would though. ‘e’s a proper womaniser, tryin’ out line after line on all the busty sea wenches. Most of the time ‘e just gets shot down faster than a ball out of our cannon, but when it works… well, we don’t ‘ear the end of it. I swear there’s somethin’ fishy about the bloke though. I dunno what it is… refuses t’ remove ‘is sunglasses apart from when ‘e’s sleepin’ (an’ God forbid if you disturb ‘im), insists on dockin’ every few weeks so ‘e can buy some new jeans (“gotta keep in style, eh?”) and refuses t’ accept ‘is premature baldness is down t’ anythin’ but the “unorthodox arrangement of the air molecules when we’re out at sea”. God knows what goes in inside ‘is ‘ead. Still, e’s a useful fella, got a good eye fer direction an’ whatnot. Was always the mellowest of the lot too, endin’ any tiff in seconds just by lookin’ at us and forcin’ a beer in our ‘ands. ‘e did like ‘is beer. Liked most things really, apart from the ‘uge storms that sent waves cascadin’ over the edge of the ship – and all over ‘im. ‘e’d swear like a sailor and ‘ide away, ‘elpin’ Kenny with ‘is latest gizmo or listenin’ t’ the radio with Shawn or findin’ Mona and givin’ each other manicures. All that changed in ’92 though. ‘e ‘ated every single one of us, refusin’ t’ speak t’ us ever again. All because of what ‘appened t’ Mona…

Ah, Mona. The only one with ‘er ‘ead screwed on properly. Kept all of us in line yer know, makin’ sure we didn’t do anythin’ too stupid. She ain’t borin’ though, far from it. She’s a red-’eaded, cigar-smokin’, beer-chuggin’ empress of the ‘igh seas. Bit like Kenny, really. Then again, she is ‘is great-niece, what would yer expect? She was sent t’ live with great-Uncle Kenny back in the late eighties, when she was only fourteen. Wasn’t the feminine little darlin’ ‘er old man wanted, said she was a disappointment an’ she needed t’ learn some old-fashioned manners. Kenny became ‘er guardian after that. ‘er old man never knew ‘e was a pirate - an’ ‘ell, our boat was no place fer a girl t’ grow up – but ‘e didn’t ‘ave much choice. She was on our boat within a mere few ‘ours, tellin’ us we were pathetic old men who ‘ad no lives. Luckily fer us she soon shut ‘er mouth after the “shark attack”, although she still never learnt those manners ‘er dad wanted ‘er t’. In fact, she ended up getting’ tips of J.C. instead of the other way around, ‘im ‘elpin’ ‘er t’ fake tan legs without it smudgin’ or somethin’ in return fer ‘er ‘elpin’ ‘im pick up women. Worked like a charm – they all cooed over the little red-’eaded teenage pirate. She still never let ‘er guard down though, never let anyone mess with ‘er.

Except they did. Five years ago t’ this day, we were fightin’ the toughest, roughest gan’ I’d ever seen. They weren’t nice guys, more like the pirates yer ‘ear about on the radio, wanted fer sedition an’ kidnappin’a n’ molestation. An’ that’s what they did. Took ‘er away in exchange fer a ransom note, getting’ us t’ give up all we ‘ad in exchange fer ‘er safe return. But it wasn’t safe. Not in the slightest. We thought we were clever. We thought we could get ‘er back in one piece an’ still keep everythin’ of value tucked away safely in the ‘ull of our ship. It didn’t ‘appen though. They tore ‘er apart, sawin’ planks an’ ‘ammerin’ away at me beauty until she collapsed, forcin’ us t’ abandon ‘er with nothin’ but the clothes on our backs. No riches, no memories, no Mona. They didn’t let ‘er go fer weeks, months even. We tried t’ rebuild Sandy, thinkin’ we could fix every splinter an’ paint over the cracks an’ find our little girl. But that didn’t ‘appen either. J.C. became distant, givin’ up an’ sayin’ it wasn’t worth it, our boat was junk an’ we’d never find ‘er. I think ‘e blamed me – ‘e upped an’ left a few days later, tellin’ Kenny ‘e was gonna forget ‘e ever set foot on the dirty ship. Kenny said ‘e needed a break, goin’ into retirement because ‘e couldn’t take anythin’ like this ‘appenin’ again. ‘e went back t’ ‘is old street, my old street. The street where me dad’d pull in every few months t’ replenish our stock, see ‘is old friends, let me see what dry land was really like. I could go back if I wanted t’. Take Shawnie with me. ‘e was the only one who stayed with me through that, like I did all them years ago when I found ‘im on the island. ‘e might not ‘ave been there all the time, but God damn, ‘e knew me better than anyone. We could just… go. Leave Sandy be an’ get a real search party t’ find Mona. Shawnie liked the idea. Prob’ly too much. ‘e left there an’ then, said ‘e’d find us somewhere while I sorted the boat an’ wait fer me t’ return. ‘Cept I never did. I lied t’ ‘im, carried on buildin’ Sandy instead, ‘oled up in some abandoned warehouse near the shore we’d washed up on. Weeks went by, months. I forgot the world even existed in all ‘onesty, ‘till Shawn came back that is. ‘e looked ‘alf-dead ‘imself but that wasn’t the emergency ‘e was squealin’ about. No, this was somethin’ far, far worse…

Character Images

*Character's names and appearances are subject to change. Quinn, Kenny and Mona are likely to stay the same. J.C. needs new hair, sunglasses and possibly darker skin. Shawn will probably be completely remade at some point because I made him when I was half asleep and I couldn't give a toss at that point.*

The Lawless Jedi

The planet of Coruscant is the capital of the Galactic Republic, the ruling government of the galaxy that has existed for over 25 thousand years. The planet is just one amongst hundreds, perhaps even thousands, in the galaxy but it is arguably the capital of all of them, it has been said that the entire planet is one big city.
 The Jedi Order is an ancient monastic peacekeeping organization unified by its belief and observance of the Force, specifically the light side. The Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice in the Galactic Republic, and are famous for their reliance on the Force for their power. Their iconic weapons are lightsabers, a custom-made hilt with a blade of pure energy. Led by a series of Jedi Councils, the Order grew over the millennia despite facing many trials, most often threats from the Sith, wielders of the dark side of the Force.
The Force is: "Well, the Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us; it binds the galaxy together." With their knowledge and use of the Force, those with the sensitivity and required training within the Jedi Order, have the ability to use and manipulate the Force, therefore giving them superior athletic abilities, foresight, psychokinesis, manipulation of weaker minds (the most famous example being this) and so on, depending on how powerful they are. The light side of the Force is concerned with the ideals of good, benevolence, and healing. Followers of the light side (Jedi) strive to live in harmony with the world around them, acting out of wisdom and logic rather than anger and hasty judgment. In order to achieve harmony with the light side of the Force, its practitioners often meditate to clear themselves of emotion; particularly negative emotions such as aggression, fear, anger, and hatred, since these are thought to bring on acceptance of the dark side. As for the dark side, well just think Darth Vader for now.
 The Jedi are trained from a young age (a test is performed on the blood of all newborns throughout the galaxy for Force sensitivity) at their temple on Coruscant, their HQ, in groups by highly qualified Jedi masters/knights. Before they reach the age of 13 they must be taken on as a Padawan by a Jedi Knight or Master, it's a teaching relationship that can span two decades and it's up to their master to decide when they are ready to face the trials to Knighthood. When they are a fully fledged Jedi Knight they take on various Jedi duties, missions given to them by the Jedi council, and so on. The title of Jedi Master is the highest formal rank obtainable by a member of the Jedi Order. Reserved for those who had shown exceptional devotion and skill as well as balance in the Force and often combat, only individuals who had been given the rank of Master could sit on the Jedi High Council.
 A Jedi dedicates his life to the Order and leavings are rare, marriage is also firmly banned and relationships discouraged. Honour, self-discipline and compassion are qualities importantly upheld by them, but most of all their duty to the Republic. In accordance with their philosophies of non-attachment, clothing is viewed as quite disposable. Indeed, possession itself is seen as forbidden as another form of attachment, and most Jedi lived out lives of material poverty, though the Order's infrastructure and the support of the Republic meant the Jedi did not lack for food, housing, or clothing.

The Jedi Temple in Coruscant

So with all that out of the way, I shall begin the story! Feel free to ask me for an explanation on anything though. ;)

Black and White

At 9:15am on the 15th of May 2002, world famous musician Ian White was murdered in his own home, a French chateau. His killer was never found and neither was his 14 year old daughter who went missing the same day. Following his last wish Amy ran and never looked back. While the world was still reeling in shock at the news a girl named Sarah Black was accepted into a small french orphanage.
At the orphanage she meets spy rookie Daniel Shaw and his partner and boss Owen McCroy in the village. Having gotten used to the backstreets and being small for her age she helps them with their mission immensely, and Owen remembers to pay a visit to the orphanage when she reaches 18...
Amy White, adored daughter of an international superstar who was all set to follow in his footsteps no longer exists. This is the story of MI6 agent Sarah Black.

Sarah is now 25 and has been assigned to a mission in France along with her partner Jacob Torvill to track down a wine connoisseur who has a taste for manipulating secret agents, gaining their secrets and selling them to the highest bidder for fun. Sarah doesn't like it considering the agent-manipulating situation as she doesn't trust or know her partner, but her boss Daniel (an agent in his early 30s, retired to a desk job as an old mission with Sarah left his legs unstable) insists that she's the one he trusts most for the job, so she has to. However just as she expected Jacob betrays her, leaving her out in the cold in what is turning out to be a very dangerous mission. Daniel insists on joining her as they try to track down the real puppet master behind it all and Sarah finds love, her father's killer, danger and revenge all waiting for her there. She has to push the limits more than ever before but the question is, has she pushed them so far that the media will find and expose her first?

The Last Lion

Folks in the secluded town of Hartley have always whispered and told old tales of the animals in the woods that surround it, intelligent animals, the legend of the men that become beasts. The tales go back all the way to the 13th century, but of course nobody has believed them in a long time, certainly not in this day and age. However the old superstition of it being bad luck to hunt on a full moon stays strong amongst the population and hunting the suspected animals is discouraged, no matter what anyone says.

In fact the Sheriff, John Hartley, has been known to prosecute anyone he finds hunting out of season or the designated areas harshly. As the town's Sheriff and descendant of its founder, Alben Hartley, John is well-liked as the town's confidant and protector, his kids and wife are known to be quiet but kindly people too, the Hartley's home is always an open one for unexpected guests but they're very wary of who they let in. Much like deer.
  He isn't the big-cheese in the town though despite what outsiders might expect. That title belongs in part to Geoff Richmond and his family, by far the richest in town. Their expansive house is situated just next to the Haneron River on the edge of the woods, before it falls to the town below. Geoff and his wife Felicity always have the most important say in the goings-on of Hartley when they care enough to get involved, or the most influential perhaps as they both have a certain presence that no one dares to counter. A sort of elegant grace that you're fascinated to watch, but also having the certainty that they could rip you apart in seconds with their fluid imbs, if they considered you worthy of their attention. Just like a panther in fact. With a late-teenage son and daughter, both equally snooty and spoiled, their family was complete. That was, until Geoff's infamous brother Chris Hayder tragically died and his orphaned daughter was sent to live with the Richmonds. An intelligent city girl with flaming red hair, Vivian Hayder is a very interesting subject to the citizens of Hartley, newcomers being very uncommon and the lack of explanation and events around her father's death are very curious indeed...
  Of course the other half of the big-cheese title is firm property of Arthur Torben, known to everyone as just "Ben", the big, loud and friendly mayor of the town who seems to be everyone's ally and enemy at the same time. He appears to be on everyone's side and is always fair in settling arguments, but threaten his territory or large family then you'd better be prepared for a fight you can't win. He lives up near the mountains where the wood is thickest and his pride of his grizzly beard is well-known. His strangling bear-hugs are renowned amongst his friends too.
  The rivalry between Robert Conan and Geoff Richmond is well known for miles around, the two big-timers that are always fighting over in that strange tightly-knit town in the valley. The Conan-Richmond rivalry has existed for eons, it used to involve the Hayder family too until the tragic death of Chris and the dissipation of the other Hayders. It was rare that they ever came together though as the Conans were the head-honcho of their own town to the east, but then like with all the other families that aren't originally from Hartley, it all seemed to fall apart as their family members tragically died and they came together in Hartley for support.
Robert and his youngest son Seth are all that seemingly remains of the once large family of Conan. Ever since the death of his wife and disappearance of his oldest son Robert's mood never seems to shift from the grouchiness of an old dog and his pessimistic, snide remarks are as harsh as a wolf-bite. But nonetheless he is still Robert Conan, ears as sharp as a wolf's and a mind twice that, it's just a pity he only utilises his abilities for himself nowadays and spends too much time wallowing in his own self-pity. Seth however is always that energetic little pup he was as a kid, and is always making up for his dad's pessimism. He just wishes he had his strong and quick-thinking older brother back to even it all out again.
  The Marshalls have always had a hoof in the door of Hartley and all of the other shifter-regulated towns, making their transition to Hartley the easiest of all of the families, it was like they'd always been there in the first place. Hailey Marshall is a strong-minded woman with an apparent passion for horses, she has over 20 on the large ranch Ben gave her. Strangely the horses never appear near the ranch while she has her many guests around, usually they roam in the forest and many acres of fields she owns. Her excuse for the frequent guests is long-lost family members. Which is actually true, she has no immediate family or male companions herself but a lot of cousins and their families etc. She's as strong as a horse but still maintains some feminine qualities, though she's well learnt in ways of combat, being familiar with a gun since she was young. As a whole the Marshall family are sturdy, well-liked and loyal but prefer not to take sides in the eon-long "Cat-dog war" but will honour any friendship. Hailey, also having a strong head for leadership, frequently advises Ben on the "family council".
  Another fairly new presence in Hartley are the Crevans. They've been around for a few years now but the citizens of Hartley still aren't used to their tricky ways. Freddie Crevan is the head of the family and pretty much sums up the rest of his many brothers, sister and children: cheeky, irish, ginger and very very sly. Nobody is quite sure whose side they're on, they're constantly switching and adapting, and are as quick as foxes when they sniff danger. They're fond of pranks and make hilarious conversation, but if you make one your friend just watch your back, you never know when their agenda will change and you'll find they're best buds with your enemy the next day if their survival depends on it. Because of this they're one of the biggest families and have ears, eyes, burrows and back-passages everywhere, making them just useful enough for the bigger and more hot-headed families to not tell the Crevans just what they think of them.
  The Blake family are reclusive ones, preferring not to get tied up in the affairs of everyone else down in Hartley but don't take it for disinterest, they're always listening into them with ears like a bat. They just can't be bothered to come down from their cave to get involved. Their house is situated on the north-eastern edge of the woods, right near some large caves that go into the mountains. A charismatic and cheeky young guy, Jason Blake is always pushing the buttons of the other family leaders but even he knows their limits, when he's got all the information he needs out of them that is. As the bachelor head of the family he's determined to keep it that way, this guy is too busy nosying and observing the goings on of the shifter world to be bothered with tiny bat wings fluttering about. Besides, he has his nephews and niece for that. The Blakes are usually only interested in themselves and rarely show themselves, but they know exactly when to move in to get the best out of a deal or alliance. They see everything from everyone's point of view, rarely making their own heard, and the families always end up going to them when they've lost themselves by chasing their own tails for too long. They haven't come down from their cave for a long while, but ever the opportunist Jason has been watching one person in particular for a long time and has seen in her for years what the others are only just beginning to , and is sizing up just how long it is until she comes to him, and what he can ask for in return from a legend...
  Of all the people in Hartley, even the Richmonds, the Swanns are easily the most pretentious. They certainly don't have a problem about proclaiming what they are to the world with their name, never failing to be smug about how they're protected by the British monarchy, and with their platinum blonde hair, Layla Swann and her brothers even look like one! They're itching to get out of this small "hillbilly" town, used to their luxurious villas on the coast, but they stick around despite all their moaning because they know that this is the safest place left for them now, especially as they're down to just 3 members. Not that they'll admit it of course. Robert Conan eloquently calls them "useless sycophants that are only good for making the lake look pretty" and Geoff Richmond of course defends them to counter his adversary, even though he secretly agrees with him. But before the end even the Swanns will prove their value in the terrible time that is to come, and it will.
  The only shifter family not to conform to the community of Hartley are the Adlers, and the remnants of the other avian shifters. Instead they stubbornly stay in their town of Darvell, the breathtaking mountain valley far to the north-east-east of Hartley. Instead of being directly related like the others the Adler family mostly just share the same descendant, and the ones that call themselves Adler were lucky enough to inherit the form of an eagle, because not every shifter-descendant does. However three were directly related, the current leader Ethan, his sister Marion and their uncle Renald. The great scandal of Marion running away with the great lion, Chris Hayder, the leader of all the shifters, was infamous and the wise eagles never forgot that he stole their leader-to-be, and got her killed. Chris could never explain to them exactly how she died because he didn't know, witnesses told of a big argument between Chris and Marion happening before it so that was enough for the Adlers to place all the blame on him. They separated themselves from the shifter council that day and when Chris died 14 years later they were highly upset that the child wasn't put in their care, considering they had the maternal link. However almost the entire shifter council opposed them and Vivian was put in the care of the Richmonds.
The Adlers were always considered the wisest of the shifters, and as the leaders of the avians they had a power and respect amongst the council almost equal to the Hayders. Their split from the council caused a great rift and it was all over one couple, one child...It only weakened the shifter's situation even more and as the thing they all dread becomes true, will Ethan Adler pull himself and his people together or will they turn a blind eye and fly south for the winter as the most powerful shifter of them all loses control?