Chapter Ten: Future Legends
“Is she going to be alright?”
Penz’s concern for Elsa mirrored Vanessa’s. The tall
redhead placed a hand over the unconscious Snow Queen’s forehead. It glowed in
a golden hue while there. After some time, Vanessa breathed a sigh of relief.
“Yeah.” Vanessa confirmed. “She’s just got the wind
knocked out of her, but she’ll be just fine.”
(Authorial Note: Vanessa's hand glowing on Elsa's forehead in this scene was a way of scanning her vitals, similar to an MRI scan.)
Penz gave a satisfied nod but not long before she noticed
the hand Vanessa had on Elsa was shaking. “I suppose I should ask
if you are going to be alright as
well.”
Vanessa knew she had been caught. There was no hiding the
fact that her nerves were shot. “It’s just…” She swallowed and breathed very
hard. “Yve Ette…she nearly almost killed me. I’ve never been so close to
death…not since…” She choked on her words, unable to finish. The anxiety
overwhelming, tears fell from her eyes.
(Spoiler Note: The event Vanessa was close to referencing is the near-end of Sean Thomas's Guardian lineage with the death of Genevieve, the "Last Guardian." After she gained a new cycle of reincarnations that began with Vanessa, she was able to continue on living in a new body.)
It was the most vulnerable Penz ever seen her. She
put a comforting hand to her shoulder and said, “You’re safe now. She
won’t ever lay a finger on you again.”
“Thank you.” Vanessa softly acknowledged. “The one person
that came to mind in that moment I faced her was Benji. I’d never forgive
myself if I let Yve Ette—”
“WHERE IS SHE?”
It was the distraction Vanessa did not ask to have but
glad it came anyway. Adrienne stormed through the cargo hold, where most of the
Ghost crew was gathered, acting as
frantic as she could be.
“Where is who?” Chrissy questioned.
“Natalie!” Adrienne growled. “Anna, Olaf, Kristoff, and
Sven are missing and so is her big butt! If anything had happened to them, I’ll—”
“Settle down, Adrienne!” Kanan intensely demanded. “I
don’t know who you’re talking about, but right now, we have more pressing
concerns to deal with, such as the fact that someone’s been keeping secrets
from us, and we’re going to find out what they are now.”
He was visibly upset, and so was Hera. Penz took note of this, as well as more from the two. “You suspect me and Vanessa of
sabotaging the ship. I can sense it within you.”
“Now see that
right there is another problem I
have.” Kanan pointed directly to Penz. “Your way of ‘sensing’ things like a
Jedi, which you clearly are not. So let’s start with the first of many questions: what are you really?”
Penz and Vanessa shared in a quick careful glance. The
time to come clean to the Ghost crew
had arrived.
“You’re right, Kanan. I’m no Jedi.” Penz’s demeanor slightly changed, acting more loosely in her personality. “I’m a being called
the Guardian.” She gestured to Vanessa. “She’s one, too… but
of a different kind than I am.”
Adrienne’s ears perked at this information.
“Guardians? Of what?” Hera asked. “The galaxy?”
Vanessa chuckled. “Nope. But there really is such a thing
out there.”
(Authorial Note: This is an inside joke to Vanessa Marshall's voice work in Disney XD's Guardians of the Galaxy series, in which she portrays Gamora, another character who bears a few similarities to Hera.)
“We’re Guardians of another
universe known to few outside it as the ‘Disneyverse.’” Penz clarified.
It was a revelation that astounded everyone,
specifically Chrissy, who was reminded of a recent conversation over a similar
topic. She looked to Adrienne and asked, “Didn’t you tell me back on Coruscant
that you’re a Guardian, too?”
All eyes centered on Adrienne, as she was put on the
spot, thanks to Chrissy and her keen memory.
After a deep sigh of frustration, she admitted, “Yes, I’m
a Guardian, too. Is anyone surprised? Scared? Want to put me on the stand,
too?”
Although it shocked the Ghost crew to discover this, it did not surprise Ezra as much as it
had the others. “Well, it does
explain a lot – like how you teleported yourself out of that detention cell.
Even I know that no Jedi can pull off
something like that, no matter how
much training it takes.”
“Yeah, and it explains a lot to me about Penz and Vanessa.” Adrienne stated. “I watched Vanessa
perform all sorts of feats akin to a Guardian back on Hoth. The one thing I can’t figure out is where either of you
comes in the line of reincarnations. Last I checked, there are supposed to be
just seventeen of us.”
Vanessa smirked. “Not anymore.”
Adrienne frowned. “And what’s that supposed to—”
“Are you all some kind of species?” Ezra suddenly asked.
His timing aggravated Adrienne more than his question
did, but she answered anyway: “The Guardian was
supposed to be one omnipotent being capable of taking on many different faces
and sexes through reincarnation…but now… there appear to
be two of us, with one ‘amalgamated
reincarnation’ in Natalie, a friend we made on Hoth who has apparently missed
the memo of rescuing Elsa’s sister and friends.”
(Narrative Note: As the series progresses, more variations of reincarnations are introduced, such as an "alternate reincarnation," a Guardian born from one of Sean Thomas's parallel counterparts that will appear in The Disney Access. There's also a different form of reincarnations known as "Splitters" to be featured in the second installment of the Marvel Universe Saga, Marvel Evolution.)
At the mentioning of the Snow Queen, Chrissy and the crew
of Ghost took notice of Elsa’s
presence for the first time since their escape from the ice world.
“Definitely royalty, wearin’ that crazy outfit.” Zeb observed.
“Was she part of that ‘anomaly’ you detected on the
planet?” Sabine asked Adrienne.
“She was the
anomaly.” Adrienne replied. “Elsa is part of the Disneyverse.”
Kanan groaned, his frustration evident. “I’m sorry, but
I’m having a little trouble accepting the thought that there’s some type of
‘other universe’ in existence beyond our own.”
Vanessa smiled in amusement at his disbelieving attitude.
“Is it any harder to believe in something as majestic as the Force?”
He glowered at her well-considered notion. “Point taken.”
“Whether this ‘Disneyverse’ exists or not isn’t any of
our concern.” Hera said. “Our situation with the hyperdrive is.”
“And you still suspect Penz and me of sabotaging it,
right?” Vanessa deduced.
“You two and now one other,” said Hera, directing her
focus on Adrienne.
“Look, we did
manipulate the hyperdrive functions, only to alter the ship’s course into the
Disneyverse.” Vanessa confessed.
The science behind what the tall redhead just explained
baffled Chrissy. “Hyperspacing out of one plane of existence to another is
downright impossible. And, believe me, I would know of such things from my time
in engineering around Starspeeders.”
Vanessa smirked. “No offense, Chrissy, but nothing is
ever impossible for the Guardian.”
“I don’t appreciate my ship being tampered with,” Hera
scolded, “especially when it almost cost the lives of everyone aboard.”
Penz and Vanessa were struck with guilt over that
established prospect.
“We’re sorry.” Penz said on their behalf. “No one was
meant to get hurt in the journey. Most importantly not any of you.”
“Most importantly?” Sabine drew heavily on the modifier.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Allow me the
pleasure of clarifying that statement.” Adrienne almost-pompously volunteered.
“What Penz means is that you rebels
are the catalyst of a great uprising that happens only a few years from now.
You will inspire what will be known as the ‘Rebel Alliance’ across the galaxy.”
(Star Wars Note: The Ghost crew were in fact a sect in the growing rebellion, as revealed in the Season One finale of Star Wars Rebels, and not necessarily the primary inspiration for it. Some might consider them to have given the rebellion a push forward in their destined alliance with their noble defiance against the Empire.)
“The Rebel Alliance?” Kanan whispered the name in
fondness.
“An organization of freedom fighters that stand against
the Empire and carry on your legacy for years to come.” Adrienne continued.
“Honestly, I shouldn’t be telling you any
of this, but our current circumstance has forced certain information to be
revealed.”
Listening to Adrienne’s details of these future events
made Ezra feel more awestruck than his fellow crewmates – minus one Twi’lek
pilot captain, who became even more suspicious of Adrienne’s knowledge. Does she know about Fulcrum, she pondered.
(Star Wars Note: "Fulcrum" is an alias used by Ahsoka Tano, the former apprentice of Anakin Skywalker during the Clone Wars, in order to maintain secrecy in communications between herself and Hera.)
“I saw a strange model airspeeder fly over the surface of
Hoth.” Ezra revealed to the group, bringing attention on him. “It had Sabine’s
Starbird design on its hull…or, at least, some version of it.”
Adrienne’s eyes opened wide with surprise. “The insignia
of the Rebel Alliance! But that can only mean…we’ve somehow traveled forwards in the galaxy's timeline.”
“Sorry. Our bad.” Vanessa bashfully muttered.
There was more trepidation than ever over the
unquestionable power of these self-proclaimed “Guardians.” However, Zeb managed
to muster some fascination with his fear.
“I must admit I’m a bit impressed of the idea of you
bein’s capable of travelin’ through time.” The Lasat expressed.
“To reach the Disneyverse, both time and space must be traveled.” Penz informed.
“I can’t believe this.” An exasperated Hera uttered. “So
we’re stuck in the future?”
“It’s not as bad as it sounds.” Vanessa reassured. “Penz,
Adrienne, and I can get you back to your proper present.” The alliteration of that last phrase made her giggle. “Hey, ‘proper present’ – that sounds
neat.”
Hera rolled her eyes at the easily-distracted redheaded
human. “If you can do it, then do it now.”
“No. Later.” Adrienne belayed. A hand went to
her forehead as if she experienced a slight headache. “I just picked up on another anomaly…this one’s on Jakku.”
(Star Wars Note: Jakku is a new planet to be featured in the upcoming seventh movie in the Star Wars cinematic saga, The Force Awakens. It was first seen in the teaser trailer to the film, believed by many to be Tatooine, due to its desert landscape. Its name was confirmed by director J.J. Abrams during the Star Wars Celebration 2015 event in Anaheim, California back in April. An upcoming DLC for the multiplayer video game, Star Wars: Battlefront, that takes place on the planet - 29 years before the events of The Force Awakens - will be released December 8th.)
--------------------
Often mistaken for Tatooine with its strong resemblance
to the desert climate of its fellow Outer Rim planet, Jakku was just as much of
a world to maintain a low profile. It was certainly a change of pace for the
passengers of Ghost from their recent
excursion on the frozen territory of Hoth. The endless flatland was nearly
daunting for Hera to fly over. Thankfully, with the acute guidance of Adrienne,
who seemed to have visited the planet before, the Twi’lek pilot was able to
know just where to make her heading.
There was still much Hera was forced to process after
uncovering Adrienne’s strange past. Neither she nor the rest of the crew knew
much about her when they encountered her one fateful day on Lothal. Kanan
merely presumed she was a Jedi lost to the purge over a decade ago and brought her
along to help Ezra learn more about the Force. Admittedly, Adrienne’s attitude
and methods made Hera wary of whether or not she was a real Jedi.
After a long period of flying, Hera eventually spotted one
thing that stood out – a small camping pitch. It was where Adrienne instructed her to land. Upon descent, she and the rest of the crew
noticed a figure donned in a hooded dark brown cloak waiting just outside of a
large maroon-colored tent.
“Who’s that?” Ezra questioned.
“My little anomaly.” Adrienne said with half a smile.
Soon after Ghost
landed on the sandy surface, its rear facing in the direction of the camping
pitch, the ramp lowered and permitted its passengers to exit. Adrienne was the
first to step out, approaching the short-statured, hooded figure that waited so
patiently for their arrival, which he seemed to have expected.
And he made that abundantly clear from the way he
jubilantly said in a high-pitched voice, “Knew you were comin’!”
Adrienne looked down on the stranger with hands on her
hips. “Any reason Mickey Mouse is
dressed like a Jedi?”
The figure removed his hood, exposing a pair of perfectly
round black ears. Seeing his true appearance came as a shock to the crew of Ghost, who had never seen a creature
like the one that stood in front of them before.
(Disney Note: "Jedi Mickey" is commonly seen during the Star Wars Weekends event held annually at Walt Disney World's Disney Hollywood Studios theme park. He has been featured prominently in merchandise sold exclusively at the park. Since his debut, he has been joined by Minnie as Leia, Donald as a Stormtrooper, Goofy as Darth Vader, and Chip 'n' Dale as Ewoks.)
“Awe. I’m just keepin’ appearances.” Mickey said. “It’s
not every day you get to be a sorcerer and
a Jedi, you know.”
Adrienne grinned. “More frequent than you realize.”
“And this realm is the one place where I get to be me for once.” The mouse joyfully added.
“How ‘bout that, huh?”
“Yeah, I’m all happy for ya, Mick.” Adrienne impatiently
muttered. “Is she in there?” She
gestured to the tent behind him.
Mickey expressed a hint of distress as he confirmed, “Uh,
yeah…s-she’s there. Lucky I found her when—”
Adrienne did not waste any time bypassing Mickey to enter
the tent. Just before she walked in, she turned to the group and instructed, “All of you wait out here. This is a personal visitation.” With that assessed, she proceeded in.
The interior provided much shade from Jakku’s brazenly
hot temperature. The atmosphere was cool, albeit somewhat dim, due to the dark
texture of the maroon sheet that made up the structure of the tent. Across from
the entrance sat a young woman in a short-sleeved, short-skirted green dress
complete with a brown corset tied to her waist and brown boots to match. Her
hair was long and auburn, though the dimmed setting made it look much darker.
Her eyes were closed, and her legs were folded into lotus
style while she sat on a bed of red, brown, and reddish-orange
pillows, meditating. Indeed, this young woman
was the Jedi that Adrienne recalled hearing about during the Clone Wars – the
legendary Terr Essa.
(Biographical Note: "Terr Essa" is based on/inspired by Teressa Anne Brown. The character was first introduced in the one-shot story that served as a prequel to World of Disney 3, "Reflections of Another Life." She was intended to have a much larger part in WOD3 but was shortened in favor of keeping focus on Adrienne and the few other characters that served purpose to the main plot.)
Yet there was something that felt different about her
than when both their presences were last met.
Slowly and surely, Essa’s eyes opened to reveal their sparkling
hazel color. She did not say a word; instead, she merely stared at Adrienne.
For a long moment, neither woman said a word to each other.
That was until Essa finally told Adrienne, “You’ve come
at last.”
“You expected me to find you here.”
“Only because you
wanted to find me.”
Adrienne nodded assuredly before sitting down to the
floor in front of Essa in the same lotus position. “So,” she callously said with a
shrug, “Here we are. Now what?”
Essa attempted to respond but stopped and groaned, clutching
her left side with her right hand. Noticing this, Adrienne caught a glimpse of
the area she grasped to: there was bleeding, a hole burnt
through the corset and the fabric of her dress, breaking through the skin. It
was clear she had been involved in a recent battle that left her mortally
wounded.
Seeing the wound brought Adrienne to question, “Was it a
Sith that attacked you? A Sith named Yve Ette?”
Essa weakly smiled. “Not surprised you know her. She just
happened to mention she would come after you, after she got to me.”
Adrienne felt more guilty than angry. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why she would involve you like this.”
“You do know
why, Adrienne. The second you saw our little friend outside, you knew what this
was really all about.” Essa was calm
in her address, regardless of the searing pain in her side.
Adrienne considerately paused for a long time and asked,
“How long have you known?”
“Since Yoda told me how much I was like another young Jedi he trained many eons
ago – one born neither of the Force nor of this world.”
Hearing this, Adrienne wondered aloud, “Which
reincarnation are you?”
Essa gave a laugh that followed into a brief cough. “I
hadn’t known what that term meant until this very moment. I’ve lived in the
galaxy for many years and had not aged a day…suffered any ailments, except this one now. At first I believed myself
to be of a rare, immortal species. There’s not much the Jedi let us know of our
past. But then I sensed your presence, growing stronger each year, until it was
like a beacon…a voice calling out to me.”
Adrienne scowled. “If you knew I was in the galaxy, why
didn’t you reach out to me when Yve Ette attacked?”
“Because I know how important you are in the events to
come…and I wanted to protect you. A mother will always protect her child.”
It was those last words that gave Adrienne a newfound
understanding of this young female Jedi and who she was in actuality. Her eyes
filled with tears – happy tears – as
she continued looking on her.
“I admit that it took much focus and deep connection
within my soul to discover what Yoda had known the whole time – I am the living
restoration of a woman named Joanie. I died in another life, in another world.”
Adrienne knew of the events she referred to. “At Project
Geo, in the Marvel Universe. You…Gigi…died at Facilier’s hands. We thought you
were gone for good that time, but you must’ve been able to reincarnate into a
new form when the magic Facilier stole was returned to Fantasia.”
Essa nodded as if to confirm Adrienne’s hypothesis. “When
I first manifested in this form on Coruscant, there wasn’t much I could
remember of the previous life or the one before it.”
Adrienne snickered. “Yeah, I can relate.”
“Once I remembered who I was, many years later, I reached
out to Mickey. Lucky for me, he was in the galaxy at just the right time, being
on a special mission with Yen Sid. Unfortunately, Yve Ette must’ve been tailing
the little guy here to Jakku – the one place I would think to be safe from the Empire
– because she attacked us the second he arrived.”
(Authorial Note: It can be considered a possibility that Yve Ette knew of Terr Essa's location from the link that she shares with Joanie, not only from the "Sean Thomas" half of her but from the "Dawn" half as well, since Dawn was also born from Joanie.)
Adrienne’s hands balled into fists, her anger increasing over Yve Ette’s reign of terror, particularly against her
mother. She swore the next chance they would meet, it would not be a pleasant
experience.
Essa suddenly let out a cry of agony that brought
Adrienne’s attention back on her. She saw her double over in pain and rushed to gently lift her upper body, letting it rest on her lap.
Essa’s cry did not go unnoticed by the group outside,
prompting them to hurry into the tent and see what the commotion was about. Chrissy
was the last to have entered. Looking past the others to see the scene on the
other side of the tent, her eyes widened at the familiar woman Adrienne nursed.
“Mistress Essa!”
Adrienne was taken aback the moment she saw Chrissy
frantically push her way through the others and join at Essa’s side. “You know
her?”
“I turned to this woman for help when I needed
explanation of my condition, so I can see my daughters again.” Chrissy said,
anger developing in her voice as she directed her address towards Essa: “For
years, I thought you perished during the galaxy-wide execution of the Jedi, and
now I find out you survived while my
little girls died!”
Essa shook her head. “Your girls survived as well,
Chrissy.”
Chrissy was paralyzed in astonishment at this revelation.
“W-What?” A sense of hope returned in her. “What h-happened to them? A-Are they alright? Where are they?”
Essa fought through the pain overtaking her long
enough to say what needed to be for the sake of easing Chrissy’s prolonged
trauma. If there was a chance her next reincarnated form would forget all the
information that was stored in the memory of her current form, she would
never be able to keep the promise she made all those years prior.
“I found them in hiding on Nar Shaddaa and took them to
Fantasia.”
(Star Wars Note: Nar Shaddaa is the largest moon of Nal Hutta. More commonly known as the "Smugglers' Moon," it is similar to Coruscant in that its surface was entirely one city. Unlike Coruscant, however, Nar Shaddaa was relatively rundown and dangerous on the lower and under levels of the world city. It was filthy, polluted, and infested with crime everywhere.)
Chrissy frowned. “F-Fantasia? Where in the galaxy is
that?”
“It’s not in the galaxy, Chrissy.” She heard Vanessa say
from behind her. “It’s in the Disneyverse.”
There was that name again – The Disneyverse – a place of
deep discussion preceding their arrival on Jakku. Before then, it served no
importance to her whatsoever; just a ridiculous notion brought on by Vanessa,
Penz, and Adrienne. But now that it was the location of her daughters, Sierra
and Sienna, her belief in the existence of the “parallel universe” increased.
Essa raised her bloodied right hand close to her face.
Her fingertips turned grainy – the beginning stages of reincarnation. Time was
no longer a luxury that she had, and there was still much she needed to tell
Chrissy before her body rendered to dust.
“Chrissy, listen. Once you’re in Fantasia, everyone –
including Sierra and Sienna – will see you as you truly are. Your
condition…it’s not irreversible. You
just need to…to…”
She was abruptly interrupted by the violent convulsion of
her body. Adrienne could feel the upper half of it stiffen against her lap
until it went limp. Essa, the second reincarnation of Joanie Navarro-Thomas, died from her severe wound. Her eyes remained open, lifelessly staring at
the ceiling of the tent, before Adrienne respectfully closed them and allowed her
body to rest on the floor.
Kanan mournfully sighed. “It never gets easy losing
another surviving Jedi.”
“She wasn’t a Jedi.” Adrienne coldly remarked. “She was a
Guardian…and my mother.”
They all looked on Adrienne in sheer bewilderment. Yet it was not as shocking as what they watched happen
with the body of Terr Essa. It completely dissolved into a white powdery
substance that sparkled in gold and rainbow.
Ezra was the one most baffled from the supernatural event.
“Uh…what just happened?”
“Her body’s retired itself in order to be reestablished
into a new one.” Penz explained. “That’s reincarnation.”
“Adrienne, we’ve gotta rescue Yen Sid from the Empire before
it’s too late to stop them from findin’ Fantasia and destroyin’ it.”
Mickey hated to be so direct only a short time after losing Terr Essa. Even though Joanie would
reincarnate into another form soon, there was no telling how different she (or,
by some slim chance, he) might be or
if Joanie’s memories might remain intact. These were the thoughts Mickey figured to be
going through Adrienne’s mind as she stared at the dust lying in place of
Essa’s body.
But there was more on Adrienne’s
mind than her mother. Mickey brought up an issue that should have had no
bearing whatsoever on her conscience. Fantasia’s destruction was imminent – she witnessed it multiple times through many attempts in stopping it, yet the
result was all the same. How would another be any different?
Things
are different this time. There are the lives of two girls at stake now.
We have to do something about it, no matter the outcome.
With this new resolve, Adrienne
snapped back into focus.
“Vanessa…Penz…take Elsa and the crew
to Fantasia. For the safety of the Queen of Arendelle and theirs as well, they must be there.”
Vanessa affirmed Adrienne’s command
with a nod. “Understood.”
“Mickey, you and I are gonna wait
for my mother’s new reincarnation to arrive and then make our move towards
another rescue mission on the Death Star.”
The mouse did a double-take. “Just the three of us against an entire battle station,” he exclaimed in fear.
“I’m willing to tear the whole damned thing down piece-by-piece all by myself if it means getting Yen Sid back.”
Adrienne boldly declared.
“You know that Yve Ette will be
there, possibly waitin’ for us.”
With murderous rage in her cold blue
eyes, Adrienne hissed, “Good.”
(UP NEXT: Happy Birthday, Brandy!)
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