Star Wars 1. Foreword

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Star Wars, the almighty George Lucas does. The only things I own are my twisted little ideas and my poetry. I'm making no money with this, so no suing!

**Note:** This – and all the chapters following – belongs in a rather extreme alternate universe. Originally titled "Lament" and later "Lament and the Valley," I've finally settled on a title that will stick, no matter what happens. Though this story has been marked "complete," it's only complete in the sense that I have nothing else planned for it. There is the possibility that I might dream up another poem or two to add to this little collection, so keep your eye on it!

Now enjoy this little foreword!

* * *

**Foreword**

_It all began nearly seven thousand years ago. There was a Great Schism within the Jedi Order that led to a Hundred-Year Darkness. The Exiles warred with their former Jedi brethren until they were repulsed deep into the Unknown Regions. There they found the Sith, insectoids who worshipped the Dark Side of the Force. With the support of their Sith followers, the newly christened Dark Lords of the Sith swept back into the galaxy within a hundred years of their defeat and crushed their Jedi enemies and the Galactic Republic that they protected. And so began the terrible rule of the Sith…_

This is just a fraction of the knowledge that has been lost from memory since the Jedi were broken and the Sith descended like a virulent plague on the galaxy. Even saying as much as I have is enough to warrant my death. But with so much lost and forgotten, I will risk death so that future generations may learn the secrets of the past.

The poetry that I have collected here bears secrets of the past hidden in their lines. Most of what I have found is much younger than the events of the Jedi Order's fall from grace, but all speak of the Jedi, the glory of the past, and the horrors of the Sith occupation. Some poems are more bold and open in drawing ties to the Jedi, though most are vague and metaphorical. A good many of them were either edited to erase the mentions of the Jedi or banned outright. Simply reprinting them here is a crime.

I beg of you, read what follows and remember. Remember for the future. For the day when the Jedi return and we are free.

_—Mollei Quillain, Scholar of Illius University, Commenor_


	2. Lament

_Important to know!_ This poem (a sonnet written by a famous Alderaanian poet nearly one thousand years before the events of the prequel trilogy) is famous and especially popular among those who resent or resist the Sith overlords who rule the galaxy under the banner of the Great Sith Empire. _However,_ only the first fourteen lines (the basic form of the prose (non-rhyming) sonnet) were ever widely published. The fifteenth line, displayed here in _italics_, is the original _and correct_ form of the poem, and was only published in a few volumes in great secrecy to avoid drawing the wrathful attention of the Sith. After one thousand years, only the Jedi themselves remember the complete form of the poem, and only two libraries in the galaxy hold copies of the poem with all fifteen lines.

Gaius Droma was something of an eccentric poet. Favored by the current ruler of Alderaan, Gaius was elevated to the post of Court Poet for the last three decades of his life. While he claims all his poetry is written in the sonnet style, only the edited version of "Lament" was ever written in the proper fourteen line style. All his other poems ranged between fifteen and twenty lines in length.

* * *

**Lament **

_—Gaius Droma, Court Poet of Alderaan _

The stars have grown cold, their lustrous light dim.  
Even the mighty sun, source of life and warmth,  
has lost its power to drive back shadows  
that now have risen up to drown us all.

Our hearts and souls cry tears that our eyes will  
not shed as we secretly grieve for the  
deaths of hope and freedom under the dark  
specter of our new overlords, monsters of

the void. And as the blackness deepens and  
time wears on, we forget our lost golden  
age. Our history has gone from mythic  
in our minds, to bitter dust on our tongues.

We do not remember what we lament now.  
We do not remember our fallen heroes.

_We do not remember the Jedi anymore…_


	3. The Valley

_Important to know!_ "Hoth's army" is not an army originating from the frozen planet where, over a thousand years after the events of the poem, Commander Luke Skywalker was assaulted and nearly eaten by a Wampa. The army in question was an ancient army of Jedi (in this universe, the last known Jedi) that clashed with the Brotherhood of Darkness, an ancient army of Sith, in a valley on the Mid Rim world of Ruusan. The terrible battle irrevocably ruined the valley and culminated with the near annihilation of both armies. The Sith recovered from this bloody battle, the Jedi were declared extinct.

"The Valley" was written by Dan'dai Orr, a wandering poet of unknown origin who was buried on Ruusan, along with all of his poetry, which was unearthed two hundred years after his death. This poem was written in the villanelle style: a pattern of repeating lines and an end-rhyme scheme of _aba_. While widely circulated, this poem's true meaning is known only to the hidden and exiled Jedi Remnant. The average reader only understands the attack on the Dark Lords, the lamenting of the destruction of Ruusan's fertile green valley, and the cry against the horror and destruction of war. The Jedi are knowledgeable enough to see the eulogy of Lord Hoth, the Defender of Light, and his last army of Jedi…

* * *

**The Valley  
**—_Dan'dai Orr, the Wanderer of Ruusan_

The land, once living, light, lush, and so green;  
a world of peace and love. It is a world  
now aged to ash, only darkness is seen.

War has come, erasing all that has been  
as chaos, death, and destruction unfurled  
o'er land, once living, light, lush, and so green.

Two armies amass in the vale, even  
in size and strength, but not soul, on the world  
now aged to ash. Only darkness is seen

in the hearts and minds of the Lords; and when  
they brought their Brotherhood to the chosen battlefield,  
the land, once living, light, lush, and so green,

they rained rage and hate down on their foes. Then  
the Defender of Light, his army kneeled.  
Now aged to ash, only darkness is seen,

for Hoth's army has failed, souls trapped; unseen,  
unheard, and forgotten, in oblivion swirled.  
The land, once living, light, lush, and so green,  
now aged to ash, only darkness is seen.


	4. Prophecy

(**Note:** What follows is technically three free verse poems but, thanks to the magic of the Star Wars universe, I declare it to be an example of the fictional Zabrak linked poetry style. This is not part of official Star Wars lore. I invented it myself…)

* * *

_Important to know!_ Written by the Zabrak poet Tarris Verwood of Balmorra roughly two thousand years ago, in the early days of the dark era in history called the Draggulch Period, "Prophecy" was the final poem of her career. Written in the ancient Zabrak style of linked poetry, "Prophecy" is actually a cycle of three sub-poems which could easily stand on their own as separate pieces of literature. The sub-poems of linked poetry are usually given individual titles besides the one unifying title which refers to the entire piece and they made be made up from between three to ten sub-poems. All the sub-poems are linked together either through a unifying theme, as parts of an epic story, or both. 

An interesting note about Tarris Verwood, many of her contemporaries believed that she possessed a certain level of clairvoyance. Almost all of her poetry has been linked to events in history that occurred long after her death. She also had strong ties to the mysterious religious sect known as the Paladins of Hoth, spending her vacations traveling to their Houses of Palawa located on many worlds of the Mid and Outer Rims. Of all her works of poetry, "Prophecy" is the most metaphorical and the only piece to never have been linked in any way to the events of history.

* * *

**Prophecy  
**—_Tarris Verwood the Zabrak of Balmorra_

**Hope Stolen**

Vessel of Light,  
a son of suns,  
a child  
innocent and pure,  
the embodiment of hope.

Born into sandy chains  
among wretched hives  
filled with drifter souls,  
peddlers of flesh and vice,  
and hunters for hire.

The hope unbound,  
freed from despair,  
is carried away to  
bright, distant lands  
by Guardians long lost.

But Darkness,  
ruthless and unrelenting,  
extends its withered hand  
and steals hope away.

Destiny denied.

**Hope Corrupted**

A stolen child,  
once pure and bright,  
plunged into deep shadow  
is never the same.

Lost and alone,  
beaten and broken,  
warped and twisted,  
innocence and purity  
long forgotten.

The child grows,  
not into a man,  
but into a monster.

Hope long corrupted into despair.

**Hope Redeemed**

Black heart,  
black soul,  
twisted mind,  
eyes of fire.

Monster in the shape of a man.

In wrath he strikes,  
punishes paradise  
when pricked by its thorns.

Seeking to bind and bend  
a Lady of the Lakes,  
he slips over his head,  
down a flooded river  
without a paddle.

Washed away,  
washed clean,  
washed far away  
and free.

At long last, hope redeemed.

Destiny restored.

Now fulfill it.


	5. Dark Shadows of the Light

_Important to know!_ One of the oldest pieces of literature to survive the emergence of the Sith Lords, "Dark Shadows of the Light" is believed to have been first written nearly seven thousand years ago by a poet known only as Vargos the Historian. When the Sith Lords took possession of the galaxy, nearly all the copies of "Dark Shadows" were destroyed, leaving only a few scattered manuscripts tucked away in a few very private collections, the hidden libraries of the fallen Jedi Order, and a few restricted vaults of the library planet of Obroa-Skai.

Several centuries later, it was rediscovered by the Bith Master Poet Nozho'daan, who "translated" it and removed all direct references to the Jedi in addition to tacking on a final line at the end of the poem. While originally viewed as a poetic account of the Hundred-Year Darkness, many years after its translation, the poem has come to be viewed as a work of wild fantasy instead of factual history.

Both version are displayed here, the original unedited version first, and the edited version second with all changes displayed in _italics_.

Vargos the Historian is a poet lost to time. "Dark Shadows of the Light" is the only surviving work by this mysterious author. Very little is known about Vargos; the only thing known for certain is that this poet has some great preoccupation with history and historical events. Vargos's home-world, species, and even gender remain a mystery. Most scholars who study this obscure poet believe Vargos to be a male. His probable species is more controversial, ranging from everything from Ithorian, Bothan, Chevin, Elomin, H'nemthe, and even Hutt.

Nozho'daan, the Master Poet, a Bith of Clak'dor VII, was one of the most celebrated poets of his day. He has long fallen out of favor in the current day, mostly because over ninety percent of the work that bears his name is translations and adaptations of other species' poetry. However, even though his work is not always his own, his skill in translating and preserving the meaning and structure of poems is worthy of great respect.

* * *

**Dark Shadows of the Light  
**—_Vargos the Historian_

Long and bright were the days of our great peace.  
Great progress, grand discovery, wondrous  
times overseen by the learned Senate  
and guarded by the mighty and wise Jedi.

But even in such happy times, this Age  
of Gold, shadows of evil fester and  
swirl under the glittering surface of  
the champions of the Light, the revered Knights.

Dark Arts discovered,  
shadowed cadre expelled,  
vengeance breeds black war.

Golden days tarnished and shattered by the  
blood and bitterness of endless battle;  
a century of death and destruction,  
suffering and despair; infinite ruin.

The disgraced Exiles, with their alchemy,  
raised twisted armies of unnatural beasts—  
monsters both deadly, horrid, and pitiful—  
and loosed them upon the stars and peoples.

Dark and Light struggle,  
the Order's schism grows deep,  
blood runs in rivers.

Years drag past, darkness deepens, and the toll  
of bodies and souls mounts. Blades of light and  
blades of blood clash, spark, cut. And the Exiles  
shape dragons that drain life, and spew death: Leviathans.

In a century cycle, the fight falls  
on Corbos. The Exiles rage against the  
righteous Jedi and their allies for days  
until Darkness in extinguished and cast away.

Dark falls, Light triumphs.  
Shadows cast into the void,  
banished for all time.

* * *

**Dark Shadows of the Light  
**—_Nozho'daan, Bith Poetry Master of Wugan, Clak'dor VII_

Long and bright were the days of our great peace.  
Great progress, grand discovery, wondrous  
times overseen by the learned Senate  
and guarded by the mighty and wise _Knights_.

But even in such happy times, this Age  
of Gold, shadows of evil fester and  
swirl under the glittering surface of  
the champions of the Light, the revered Knights.

Dark Arts discovered,  
shadowed cadre expelled,  
vengeance breeds black war.

Golden days tarnished and shattered by the  
blood and bitterness of endless battle;  
a century of death and destruction,  
suffering and despair; infinite ruin.

The disgraced Exiles, with their alchemy,  
raised twisted armies of unnatural beasts—  
monsters both deadly, horrid, and pitiful—  
and loosed them upon the stars and peoples.

Dark and Light struggle,  
the Order's schism grows deep,  
blood runs in rivers.

Years drag past, darkness deepens, and the toll  
of bodies and souls mounts. Blades of light and  
blades of blood clash, spark, cut. And the Exiles  
shape dragons that drain life, and spew death: Leviathans.

In a century cycle, the fight falls  
on Corbos. The Exiles rage against the  
righteous _Knights_ and their allies for days  
until Darkness in extinguished and cast away.

Dark falls, Light triumphs.  
Shadows cast into the void,  
banished for all time.

…_If only that was true._


	6. Quest for the Guardians' Shadow

_Important to know!_ Unique in anti-Sith poetry, this particular poem is widely believed to glorify a Sith protagonist, the "Son of Darkness". Written nearly three thousand years ago by the Kel Dor poet, Jandor Foon, research indicates that the ancient Sith Lord identified as the Son of Darkness is most likely Darth Revan.

In Sith lore, Darth Revan was once regarded as a brilliant warrior, but at the end of his career was reviled as a mad deserter. It is said that he and a companion, the power-hungry and hot-tempered Darth Malak, stumbled over lost Jedi records which spurred them to search the galaxy for other such lost treasures. Blinded by greed and ambition, Malak betrayed Revan and left him for dead. Rumor has it that Revan survived Malak's betrayal with the possible help of secret agents of the Jedi and defeated Malak after his old ally embarked on a mission to destroy many of the Jedi artifacts that he and Revan had earlier uncovered. Shortly after Malak laid waste to the abandoned Jedi Temples of Dantooine, he was killed under mysterious circumstances. Revan was never seen or heard from again.

Jandor Foon was a poet of moderate success in her time. She mostly composed poems on themes of life and love and was fascinated by stories of redemption. It is said that after reading some forbidden underground literature, she was inspired to write "Quest for the Guardians' Shadow" to prove how even a Dark Lord of the Sith might be redeemed. Barely a decade after "Quest" was published, a historically-inclined Sith Lord read the work and took great offense to it. Jandor Foon was publicly executed on her home-world of Dorin by sealing her in a clear chamber filled with pure oxygen. The delicate membranes of her eyes and lungs were slowly burned by the oxygen and she slowly and painfully suffocated to death. She is secretly revered as a martyr by her people, the gentle and peaceful Kel Dor.

* * *

**Quest for the Guardians' Shadow  
**—_Jandor Foon, Kel Dor of Dorin_

Son of Darkness,  
steeped in blood and  
masked in shadow,  
brother-in-arms to  
the Jaw-less One.

Thirsting for knowledge  
lost and forbidden,  
a quest was undertaken  
for the Guardians of old.

The Jaw-less One lusted  
for secrets of power and  
greed snapped the fragile ties  
of alliance with a blast of  
blue Sorcerer fire.

Betrayed and beaten,  
salvation comes to the  
Son of Darkness,  
cleans away the blood,  
peels away the mask,  
touches the soul with  
healing Guardian Light.

Madness and fear consume  
the Jaw-less One  
and his fearing wrath  
obliterates history and  
builds ruins on Dantooine.

Son of Darkness,  
Dark no more,  
crosses blades with  
the Jaw-less One,  
the Betrayer,  
the Destroyer.

Blue on red,  
Light on Dark,  
good on evil.

A rare triumph  
in Dark Times.

Jaw-less One slain,  
destruction halted,  
Son of Darkness purified  
and gone with the Guardians  
into the far reaches  
never to return.


	7. Tears of Fire

_Important to know!_ Written about three thousand five hundred years ago by the H'nemthe poet N'eelaan Unth, "Tears of Fire" was only widely published quite recently as the poem remained tucked away on the planet H'nemthe, kept safe in the possession of N'eelaan's descendants. In general, the Sith Lords that read this poem and understand the events being described actually enjoy this poem, as it shows off their power and the lengths that they will go to eliminate their enemies, both internal and external. For the rest of the galaxy, however, this piece is a horrifying example of the brutality of the Sith.

The terrible events being described in "Tears of Fire" are generally accepted as historical fact by most historians and scholars. As far as they have been able to research, it seems that an ancient Sith weapon was used to destroy the suns of the Cron cluster in order to scour a planet in a nearby system. The Sith Lord who ordered the attack is said to have charged underlings who had repeated failed him in the past to use the weapon and the resulting supernovas incinerated them, punishing them for their old betrayals and incompetence. The fiery shockwave then traveled to the world of Ossus and cleansed it of all life, leaving it a rocky wasteland.

The lingering mystery of "Tears of Fire" is the end of the twelfth line, "beneath the roots of Ood." Scholars continually debate what this might mean, quietly of course, and there has yet to be any widely accepted theory about it. Kindo Yann, a Quermian traveler and casual scholar of history and poetry, once claimed to know what the mysterious "Ood" was. He claimed to have traveled to the wasted world of Ossus on a whim and discovered a giant, leafless tree that somehow continued to cling to life. However, before he could bring any others to view this alleged tree, he succumbed to schizophrenia caused by the ancient genetic tampering of the Arkanians that created his species and the location of the "Ood tree" was lost. No other travelers have dared go there to hunt for the tree as the ruined world is reputed to be haunted and its damaged state does nothing to attract any economic interest in it.

N'eelaan Unth began life as an ordinary male of his species. However, unlike many of his fellow male H'nemthe, N'eelaan had little hope of finding "true love" and so made little attempts to find and woe a female. Instead, he focused on travel and learning, leaving the world of H'nemthe behind to travel the galaxy. He studied many styles of music and poetry and put his own unique spin on them. As artistic creations of H'nemthe are considered deeply personal, he made no move to share his work with anyone. In "Tears of Fire," he followed the basic style of the prose sonnet and then added a final commenting line (displayed here in _italics_) to sum up the event of the poem and add a final emotional punch. N'eelaan died when he unexpectedly found his "true love," mated with her, and then as per the H'nemthe tradition, she disemboweled him with her razor-sharp tongue and feasted upon his flesh, freeing his soul to guide his coming offspring from the afterlife. His various musical and poetic compositions were kept by his beloved mate, who passed them on through her female offspring, preserving them until they were discovered by off-world scholars.

* * *

**Tears of Fire  
**—_N'eelaan Unth of H'nemthe_

The Dark Lord punishes his traitorous  
vassals in punishing his ancient foes.  
Their strike kills stars whose novas end them and  
ripple outward, onward to the true goal.

In the path of the fiery fury lays  
a world of great Light and ancient knowledge.  
Sanctuary of the Knights, place of learning,  
libraries, and museums; an old home.

When the fiery tears of the ruined stars  
drew near, the Knights fled down and far away.  
They buried their treasures, secrets, knowledge  
deep underground, beneath the roots of Ood.

Then fire rained down, boiled the sky, scoured  
the land, and left nothing alive.

—_Mighty Ossus ruined to cinders by a star-lit pyre._


	8. Lord of Shame

_Important to know!_ "Lord of Shame" is a sestina, a poem formed of a pattern of repeating end-words, and its complexity is such that it is considered one of the most difficult forms of poetry. This particular sestina was written by the Sith Lady, Darth Vastina of Wayland. The subject of "Lord of Shame" is the Sith Lord Exar Kun, a historical figure of some mystery who is credited with great military success and scorned for foolish alchemical creations (namely the vicious Terentateks, voracious and indiscriminate killers of Force-sensitives) and ruining property that was not his to ruin.

Sith poetry – of any type – is a rarity, as Sith Lords rarely waste their time with such worthless artistic efforts and intellectual pursuits. Most are more concerned with ruling their tracts of territory and combating various internal and external rivals. What Sith poetry there is, is usually kept under lock and key in secret Sith libraries, away from the prying eyes of the public. The only poems that are open for examination are imperfect copies smuggled out by servants, who are usually killed shortly thereafter if their thefts are discovered.

From what little is known, Sith poetry glorifies the Sith who authored it, or some long-dead ancestor who the author greatly admires. Death, destruction, mass murder, torture, domination, war, conquest, and rape are among the sorts of things applauded by Sith poets. If it is not used for glorification, it is a tool for denouncement of rivals or those who are perceived as failures. "Lord of Shame" is a sort of melding of both characteristics of Sith poetry. Exar Kun's early years and successes are praised, but his conduct near the end of the war he participated in and his creation of the blood-thirsty Terentateks is reviled. Most scholars agree that "Lord of Shame" is a warning to ambitious young Sith. Lord Kun was once great, but ended his life in exile and madness, and it is implied that he still haunts his prison, an unspecified moon of Yavin.

Little is known of Darth Vastina, and few wish to risk life and limb to discover any more information. She is a Dark Lady of the Sith, a female Sith Lord, who is believed to have originated on or near the world of Wayland. She ruled her territory with a cruel hand, making her capital the technologically backward planet, Wayland. A few other of her poems have been leaked over the years, and while the quality is inconsistent (probably due to poor copying by the individuals who stole them) most rate her as a decent poet. She is believed to have composed this poem a century after Kun's exile, so her knowledge of the events is very reliable. Darth Vastina'a death is one of her larger mysteries. While most believe she was killed in some manner by a rival or apprentice, rumors persist that she somehow managed to die of natural causes in her sleep at the ripe old age of one hundred standard years. However, considering the Sith culture and lifestyle, this is highly unlikely.

* * *

**Lord of Shame  
**—_Darth Vastina, Dark Lady of Wayland_

Child of potential, son of great darkness,  
his beginning was grand and his mind sharp  
and truly wicked, his soul was ruthless  
ice. With great cunning, skill, strength, and knowledge  
he worked his way up the ranks to Dark Lord.  
Exar Kun: Lord of Alchemy and Shadow.

It was a time of arrogance, and shadows  
of the past rose from the shielding darkness  
Unprepared for old enemies, the Lords  
drew together to pool power and sharp  
vengeance. This unity bred knowledge  
into the Sith, whose frozen and ruthless

army marched to battle. Ruthlessness  
ruled the day, as did blood and hot shadow.  
Lord Kun brought to bear his dark arts, knowledge,  
and power, and his deep, utter darkness  
spread to all corners. Double blue blade, sharp  
with burning ice, cut down foes as he lorded

over the carnage. Mighty and terrible, Lord  
Kun gains total victory through ruthless  
killing and alchemical monsters. Sharp  
Terentatek teeth join red blades in shadow  
and Kun's great weapons turn on the darkness  
that birthed them. From this shame, there's no knowledge

that could save him. Beasts he bred with knowledge  
hard-won betrayed him. Allies among the Lords  
abandoned him for wasting their lands. Darker  
his life became as rivals ruthlessly  
pushed him down to a moon in Yavin's shadow  
where he lived in Massassi temples, sharp

with bitter fury. Blood still black and sharp  
from war, he simmered. What terrible knowledge  
he'd used! Built monsters, crushed suns to shadow,  
slaughtered thousands, broken the Jedi again! Lord  
of alchemy and death! And now shame. Ruthless  
thoughts, bitter failings, and years fuel his darkness.

Drawing on his wealth of knowledge of darkness  
and shadow, he gathered souls and ruthlessly  
forged a sharp blast that made him a ghostly Lord…  
…Forevermore.


End file.

Star Wars, Poetry, Tragedy