StarDestroyer.Net BBS

This is a prequel to my fanfic, The Darkness and the Light.

COLD BLUE EYES
Chapter 1: A Boy and His Friends

"Hey, Eran!" Ryan cried out. He was running down the street after one of his best friends. Up ahead, the figure of a high school kid his own age stopped and turned around. Eran Scope, seventeen years old, greeted his friend with a lopsided grin. Eran's dark brown hair wafted in the Correllian breeze as he waved to Ryan.

"Hey man," he said as Ryan caught up with him.

Ryan rested his hands on his knees. "I thought we were gonna meet up."

"Oh yeah. Sorry."

As other kids walked by, they gave Eran and Ryan cursory nods. "Hey, Chilly," one said.

"Hey," Eran said, smiling in a way that showed no mirth whatsoever. Eran was not the most popular kid in school. Nor was he the most respected. There was a cold aloofness about him that discouraged close contact, although he maintained several friends, including Ryan. In addition to that, there was a quality about his eyes that made people nervous. Even when Eran was smiling, laughing, his eyes seemed to have an uncaring coldness to them. The lack of emotion he displayed had led to the nickname 'Chilly.' "So, what'dja wanna show me?" he asked.

"Oh!" Ryan said. He started fishing around in his pockets. "Here it is," he said, holding out his hand, his fingers wrapped around something. Eran held out his own hand, and Ryan placed on object there. "It's a claw," he said.

"Yeah," Eran said. He rolled the small black claw around in his hand, feeling how smooth it was.

"Have you ever seen anything like it?"

"Nope. Want me to check what it is?" Eran's dad was a historian and kept a massive electronic library of every subject a person could think of.

"Yeah, that's why I wanted to catch up with you." Ryan started to walk away. "Call me when you find something!"

"You got it." Eran looked more closely at the claw. Suddenly, someone jumped on his back.

"Hiya, Eran!" came a high-energy voice. It was Jessica, a crazy blond girl who seemed to live her life in a state of high sexual energy. It was well known that she'd screw anything on two legs, be it human, Selonian, or Rodian. "How's my favorite boy today?"

"Got offa me, Jessica," Eran growled as the shoved the claw deep into his pocket. She giggled and hopped down, then slipped both arms around his waist.

"And how are you today?" she asked, her lips brushing his ear.

"Uh, fine," he said. He turned around in her hug and looked in her green eyes. "So what are you up to?"

She grinned slyly. "Oh, not much. I'm just looking for a little after-school activity, if you know what I mean." She pressed herself against him.
He chuckled and slipped out of her hug, grabbing her arm as he did so. "Alright, come on."
..................................

Two hours later, he burst into his house. "I'm home!" he announced.

"Hey honey," he heard his mom call. Running upstairs, he saw that his dad had beat him home.

"Hey dad," he said, poking his head into his father's study.

"Huh? Oh, hey Eran. How are you?"

"Good. Dad, can I borrow that disk you have on Correllian wildlife?"

"Oh, sure. Now, where'd I put it?" his dad began searching shelves that were packed with both disks and old-fashioned books. "Oh, here it is."

"Thanks dad." Eran took the disk and jogged over to his bedroom. The large room was quiet, as Eran liked it, and as he shut the door, he dug the claw out of his pocket. Flipping on the computer, he shoved in the disk and brought up the database. He then set the computer to search for clawed animals. He narrowed the search to black-clawed animals, then further narrowed it by measuring the claw to be two inches. Finally, he'd brought the search to an end. "A sand panther?" he said in disbelief. Grabbing the phone, he dialed Ryan's number.

"Hello?" his buddy answered.

"Ryan? It's Eran. I found where that claw's from."

"Really? What?"

"A sand panther!"

"Are you serious?" Eran knew this was a big deal. Sand panthers were very rare, and none had been spotted in the area for years.

"Yeah. Come on over, I'll show you the datafile."

"OK! See you in a half hour!" Ryan hung up.

"Eran! Dinner's ready!"

"All right!" Eran leaped out of his chair and ran downstairs.
...........................

Two hours later, Ryan still hadn't shown up, and Eran was starting to get worried. "Try calling him," his mom suggested. He did, but no one was home. Finally, three hours after Eran had talked to his friend, the phone rang. His mom picked it up and spoke for a few minutes. The moment she set it down and turned to him, he knew something bad had happened. "Eran, that was Ryan's mom. Ryan's been in an accident."
............................

Twenty minutes later, Eran was at the hospital. "What happened?" he asked one nurse.

"His landspeeder was struck by another speeder. The other driver died on impact, but your friend's pretty tough."

"Yeah. He is," Eran said quietly. He suddenly realized that he was gripping the claw, and that it felt slippery. He thought it was sweat, but when he opened his hand, he saw that the claw had cut him and was covered in blood. "Sithspit," he growled, and went to the bathroom. Once there, he washed off the claw and shoved it back in his pocket. He then cleaned off his hand and wrapped it in a paper towel. Coming back towards the waiting area, he saw Jessica standing there. "Hey," he said.

"Eran! Oh, I'm so worried," she said. She drew him into a hug and he saw that she'd been crying. "I just got the news."

"I'm glad you're here."

"Well, Ryan's my friend too, and I'm worried about him."

"I know. I'm worried too." That was when a MD-5 medical droid and a human doctor walked out of the Emergency Wing.

"Laven?" the human called. Ryan's parents got up and walked over.

"Hey," Eran said. "Hey, look. Something's up." The doctor began speaking to Ryan's parents, but too softly for Eran to hear anything. He didn't need to, however. As the doctor spoke, Ryan's mother put her hands over her mouth and began crying. His father, moving in slow motion, put his arms around her. "No," Eran said, tears coming to his eyes. "No, this can't be happening..."

Poor Eran.

COLD BLUE EYES
Chapter 2: Hitting the Books

It had been two weeks since Ryan's death. Four days since the funeral. Eran was driving himself insane with guilt. He refused to speak with anyone and sat in class brooding. He glared at anyone who tried to speak with him, and spent all his free time in his room. Jessica, too, seemed to lose her zest for life, and would silently walk home with Eran at the end of the day. Eran's parents were concerned, naturally, but every time they tried to talk to him, he'd shake his head and walk away. One day, he came home looking a little different. "Eran, what is that?" Mora Scope said, gesturing to the silver chain that had appeared around her son's neck.

"You see this?" he said, holding up the black claw that was affixed to the chain. "This is why Ryan's dead." He proceeded to tell her everything. "I bought this chain yesterday and had the claw attached to it. It's my fault Ryan's dead. This'll help me remember."

"Oh, Eran," Mora said, gently pulling her son into her arms. "It's not your fault. You never could have predicted this."

"No," he said, jerking away from her. "It's my fault, and nothing you can say will make it different. Mora sighed as her son stalked up to his room and shut the door.
.................................

That night, once his parents were asleep, Eran got up out of bed. Opening a hidden compartment in his dresser, he removed an old book. This book was not just old, it was ancient. It had been in his father's study when Eran saw it and took it to read. His dad, so busy with new stuff, had never noticed its disappearance. It had seemed to call to Eran from the shelf, inviting him to pick it up, and he had done so. The book was an ancient Sith text, full of instructions on learning the Force. Eran had been reading it for months, learning how to levitate and sense where other people were. As he learned more, he distanced himself from his peers, mostly because he could read their minds and see through what they were saying. As of late, he'd been building a lightsaber, and it was nearly complete.

As he laid the machinery at his feet, he opened to a page containing a manual and began fitting pieces together. After an hour, he realized that the saber was ready to be charged. Sliding over to the wall socket, he held the saber loosely in one hand and hooked it up. Power flowed into the handle, breathing life into the saber. Slowly, the power began to fill the handle, while Eran sat almost in a meditative state. Finally, the saber could take no more, and he unplugged it. Holding it before him with both hands, Eran stood, took a deep breath, and hit the button. The blade, red because of the focusing ruby he'd stolen, extended with a soft hiss until it reached its set length. Eran stood in awe of this weapon he'd created, this beautiful, elegant weapon. He made a few gentle cuts and parries, listening to the weapon hum. With a smile, he deactivated it and placed both it and the book in the hidden compartment. Then he went back to sleep.
..............................

The next day, Eran was in his room when he heard his mom calling. "Comin!" he yelled. Jogging down the stairs, he found both his parents sitting at the kitchen table. "What's up?" he asked, sitting down.

"Honey," his mom said. "We have some good news and some bad news."

You and your damn cliffhangers. Although, I have a feeling what this one is.

Really. You think so?

I think I may have an idea as well.

Well then. Why don't you say it and I'll laugh at how far off you are.

Why? I can get abused just as easily elsewhere.

ROTFLMAO. True enough. Lemme hear your guess tho.

Hm, good news: Dad got a promotion.
Bad news: You have to move.

That is pretty much what I was thinking to, either that or there is a baby on the way.

Kelly Antilles wrote:Hm, good news: Dad got a promotion.
Bad news: You have to move.

Ouch. That'll teach me to taunt a Jedi. Right on, Kelly.

I think I'll crawl into a hole and die now.

IG, we've been talking for what, about a month now? I've read your writing. I know how your mind works. You're a trombone player . I 0wnz j00.


and besides, you said that he's wanted on Ralltiir not Corellia.

This boost in self-confidance brought to you (unwillingly) by IG-88E, at his own expense *bangs head on wall*

Good catch Kelly, I didn't think you'd connect them so easily.

You underestimate the power of the Force.

No, Eran understimates the Force. The dark side, at least...

Point.

COLD BLUE EYES
Chapter 3: A New Home

He leaned forward, serious now. "What is it?"

"The good news is, you're dad's gotten a new job."

"Really? What?"

Terk Scope smiled. "I'm going to be working with the Interplanetary Museum on Raltiir."

Eran raised an eyebrow. "Raltiir?"

"Yeah. Which brings us to the bad news-"

"Let me guess," Eran cut in. "We're moving to Raltiir."

His mother nodded. "Yep. We really think it's best. You haven't been yourself since Ryan died-"

"There's a reason for that."

"-and we both think it would be good for you to experience a fresh environment."

"Sure. Whatever."
...................................

"Raltiir? Are you serious?" Jessica was shocked.

"Yeah. I'm leaving in a couple days."

"You can't go! Who am I gonna screw after Tech?"

Eran laughed aloud and threw an arm around her neck. "Come on, a hottie like you? How many seconds'll it take for you to convince a guy that he can't keep living without you?"

She smiled. "Not many."

He stroked her chin. "There's that smile. I'm glad you're getting over losing Ryan."

"You're not, though."

He sighed. "I know. Maybe my mom's right. There's so much around here that reminds me of Ryan. Maybe a change of scenery's just what I need."

"I'll give you a change of scenery," she said softly, grabbing his butt.

"Hey! I thought I told you not to do that."

"You did," she said with another squeeze.

"Come on Jess. Don't make this an even bigger pain than it is."

"Sorry." She put her arm around his waist. Suddenly, she stopped walking and turned to face him, tears in her eyes. "Eran, oh god I'm gonna miss you," she said, pulling him close against her.

He held her, rubbing her back. "It's okay, Jess. Come on, cheer up. Don't think of it as goodbye, just see ya later."

She sighed. "You always know the right things to say."

"It's a curse, I know." She giggled. "Come on, I'll buy you a drink."
..............................

Two days later was the big move. Pretty much all of Eran's house was packaged up and thrown aboard a ship, his book and lightsaber carefully hidden inside the dresser. Everything had been loaded, even the speeders. "Hey, Eran!" someone called. He turned around and was suddenly smothered by a pair of breasts.

"Oh, hey Jess!" She jumped back, her usual grin on her face.

"I came to see you off."

"Well, you certainly left a lasting impression."

She laughed and held out an envelope. "Here."

He took it. "What is it?"

"It's a little something for you to remember me by." He turned the switch and opened the small envelope, pulling out a piece of paper. It was a collage of pictures of Eran, Ryan, and Jessica. Eran laughed and ran his finger over the paper, looking at all the memories the three had shared. He recognized most of them, including one of himself looking shocked. Jess had snuck up behind him, tapped his shoulder, and hit the flash, blinding him. The final picture was one of all three of them. Ryan had his eyes crossed and tongue out, Eran was ruffling Ryan's hair and giving the peace sign, while Jessica's back was pressed against his arm, a devious smile on her face.

"Oh, man. That was a day," he said.

"Yeah. Remember how Ryan found the booth? And you didn't wanna go in, did you?"

"No more, I surrender."

"Eran!" his mother called. "It's time to go now!"

"OK, I'm coming!" he yelled. He slid the paper back in the envelope delicately, then pulled Jess into a crushing hug. "I'll come back and visit," he said.

"Promise?"

"Promise." He broke off and ran over to join his parents, waving goodbye. Jess stayed where she was as the rented freighter lifted off the ground and shot off into the sky.

"I'll miss you, cutey," she said with a grin.

Gee, that worked really well.

Thanks for the assist!

No problem.

(seven hundred ninety-eight)

COLD BLUE EYES
Chapter 4: Get Used To It

Eran collapsed onto the bed. "I think I pulled muscles I didn't know I had."

Mora rolled her eyes. "Oh, stand up, you little wimp." With a groan, Eran hauled himself to his feet. They'd spent all day unpacking, and had only just finished. "Now, your first day's tomorrow. You ready?"

"Yes. Can I sleep now?"

"No." Ignoring Eran's groan, she began pulling clothes out and holding them up.

"Mom, I can choose my clothes, I really can, just let me sleep, please!"

"You'll have to get up a whole hour earlier, remember? Do you think your brain'll be functioning enough?"

"It'll be functioning a whole lot better than now, I promise!"

Mora shrugged. "Fine. Go take your shower."
...................................

Then next morning, Eran's alarm went off, screaming like a banshee. An arm came out from under the bedsheets and groped about, searching for the source of the chaos. Finally, the hand found the alarm and vainly tried to turn it off. When that failed, it smacked the alarm and yanked on the cord, pulling it out of the socket. The owner of the arm, pleased by the silence's return, started to fall asleep again, but his plan failed as Mora Scope burst into the room just in time to see the arm snake back under the sheets. "Oh, no you don't!" she said. "You are not getting up late on your first day!" Putting action to words, she strode over and shook the lump buried in the sheets.

"Mmpf," a voice came, groggy. "Goway."

"Eran, wake up!"

"Lemme lone."

"Oh, you're asking for it," she said, pulling at the sheets. Eran pulled back, staying covered. Finally, Mora gave up and walked away. Feeling triumphant, Eran started to doze off again, not expecting to be hit by a blast of cold water. With a shriek, he jumped out of bed and crashed onto the floor before a victorious Mora, who held a small pail in one hand.

"That's not funny!" he said, trying to untangle himself.

"Hurry up and get dressed," Mora said, unable to keep a smile off her face.
................................

Some time later, Eran strode into History, his first class. "You're the new student? Sit wherever you like, young man," the teacher said. Eran walked up one of the aisles in the large room, then took a seat about two-thirds of the way back in the lecture-style room. He knew he was getting a lot of sidelong glances, but he didn't care. He'd worn dark blue jeans and a black shirt, which probably added to the air of menace that usually hung about him.

"Hi!" said the girl he sat next to. She had dark hair, so dark it was almost blue. He sparkling blue eyes contrasted with her hair to produce a charming effect. "So you're new here?"

"Yeah," he growled. Just then, the teacher closed the door and everyone shut up.

"Alright everybody. Welcome to the second semester! Now that we've finished up with the later Republic years, we're going to start on the Clone Wars. Did everyone do the reading I assigned over break?" Heads bobbed up and down the room. "Very good. Then, what two powers were involved in the Clone Wars?" Only one hand went up: the dark-haired girl's. "Yes, Miss Henstra?"

"The Galactic Republic and the Confederacy of Independent Systems."

"Good. And what was the first battle of the Clone Wars?" The girl's hand went up again, and this time, Eran's joined it.

The teacher blinked. "Yes, Mr. Scope."

"The First Battle of Geonosis."

"That's correct, Mr. Scope. And how many other battles were fought on Geonosis?"

"Three."

"Excellent! Now then, following the battle of Geonosis, there was a protracted military campaign involving what?" Again, Eran and the girl raised their hands. "Mister Scope?"

"The Decimator weapon developed by the Republic. Several of them were stolen by the CIS and used during a short-lived invasion of Sarapin, the main power supply planet for most of the Core Worlds."

"That's correct. And Miss Henstra, who were the two generals involved in the campaign?"

"General Echuu Shen-Jon for the Republic and Sev'rance Tann for the CIS."

"Excellent, both of you. Now then, the Confederacy decided to cover its losses in the Sarapin invasion by..."
..............................

Two classes later, Eran had a free period. Going with the flow, he came to a large courtyard with walls on three sides. Most of the free students clustered near the center, so Eran moved as far away as he could and opened his laptop, studying his schedule for later classes. "Hey, how come you don't talk to anyone?" a voice came. Eran looked over his shoulder and saw the dark-haired girl from History.

"Oh. You." Most people, upon meeting this type of reception, would either back off or get mad. This girl did neither.

"Yeah. Me." She sat down next to Eran. "My name's Melissa."

"Eran Scope."

"So, where are you from, Eran Scope?" she asked, mocking his tone.

"Why do you care?"

"Do you always treat people so graciously?"

He was about to snap at her, but held back and decided to be honest. "I'm from Correllia. And no, I don't."

"So, what makes me so special?"

"Call it a bad morning." He proceeded to tell her all about his mom waking him up.

"Oh my gosh, that's horrible! Are you really that bad in the mornings?"

He actually smiled. "Yeah. I'm more of a night kind of guy."

"Oh yeah, I'm a night owl too. So, any shock starting at a new school?"

"Nah. It might be new, but my last school was even bigger than this. It's nothing scary. And considering that I have to go here for less than a year, it's not so bad."

"That's true-oh crap! Hide me!" She suddenly tried to squeeze in between him and the wall.

"Why? Hey-what are you doing?"

"It's Ryk! I hate this kid!" Eran looked in the direction she gestured and saw five or six tough-looking kids heading in his direction. Oh Sithspit.

hmmm.....

Do you like it? Do you like it?

*waits anxiously*

Yes, I like it. I'm curious as to where it's going.