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Nathaniel Reed's
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:: An ongoing episodic story of fan-fic set after Episode VI Return of the Jedi, and inspired by George Lucas' historical draft concepts ::
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February 2024 |
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Revisiting artwork animation for the Virtual Edition
29th February 2024 |
I've continued reviewing and recreating the defunct Flash animations for the Virtual Edition Episode VII Plague of Doom, re-producing them as animated GIFs.
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The latest artwork for the illustrated virtual edition of Episode VII : Plague of Doom revisits an early scene where Leia has a Force-vision dream of her parents.
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You can see the VE artwork in the 'Mon Cal' art gallery as well as in the online illustrated story, and you can discuss this in the forum here ! |
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As I did with the progression of the Virtual Edition Episode X, I will post below sections of the prose for Episode XI as I draft it.... |
As soon as the P-Wing transport had arrived in the Ansenne system, Artoo’s electronic wailing had brought Luke and Threepio’s attention into sharp focus. Rather than facing aggressive defenders, armed to the teeth, ready to shoot down any newcomer, the ship’s sensor array had gone into meltdown, with console lights flashing and gauge displays flipping to and fro through their extremes.
“I hear you, I hear you !” wailed Threepio in counter-point. “But what do you expect me to do about it ?? You know perfectly well I’m not a pilot or an astro-engineer, am I ? How many times do I have to remind you that I’m merely an interpreter, and fluent in over...”
Luke had been in the recreation cabin at the aft of the ship, and was now striding into the cockpit. He rested a hand on top of the blue and white droid’s head dome as if calming a pet or a child.
“It’s okay, Artoo, it’s okay,” he said soothingly, interrupting the protocol droid’s launch into his oft-repeated profile announcement. “There’s no danger. Let me take a look at what’s going on.”
The Master Jedi slipped into the pilot’s chair, and scanned his eyes over the console. Sure enough, the telemetry was wild and unreadable. The ship’s flight however remained level and stable, and the view of the fifth planet of the Ansenne system through the cockpit window continued to steadily grow as expected.
“Artoo, keep the ship steady, and on track towards the planet. Leia’s given me a sense of where to go, but I’ll try and pin it down for you.”
He took a breath.
“In the meantime, let me see if I can’t figure out what’s going on...”
Luke half-raised his left hand towards the planet and closed his eyes, stretching out with the Force requesting insight and clarity.
Vast mountainous floating islands. Smaller rocky outcrops. Forests and pastures and streams and waterfalls perched precariously atop these land masses. Blue skies and wispy white clouds and thunderous grey-purple storm clouds. Birds. Mammals and lizards. Insects.
And then Luke discerned the anomaly that was the cause of the astounding floating island rocks.
An electrical surge flowing upwards from the planet’s fiery core through the dense lower atmosphere. Some sort of natural anti-grav electro-magneto energy was being generated but which, Luke could tell, also sang in harmony with the Cosmic Force.
Luke channelled the images Leia had provided, and his mind’s eye turned to the largest landmass on what would be the planet’s equator.
Several radiating stone circles nestled in rolling grass plains. A central towering monolith. A shimmer of continuous movement at the foot of the stones.
Luke opened his eyes, and pointed to the larger landmass straddling the centre of Ansenne Five.
“The planet is producing a strong electro-magnetic current that is affecting the ship. But it’s also causing the landmasses to float high in the sky. Artoo, I’ll fly it in on manual. We’re heading for the biggest one, and we’re looking for a stone circle...”
Artoo warbled in acknowledgement.
“Oh my,” murmured Threepio. “Floating islands ? How odd !”
The P-wing descended through the purple clouds and broke through the base line. Ahead and below the ship’s occupants could clearly see huge rock formations, akin to extracted teeth with jagged bare granite roots, mirrored with a teeming micro-ecosystem above : hills and mountains, forests and open green pastures, winding sparkling water courses that flowed off the edges, their waterfalls turning into water vapour as they plummeted.
As Luke angled the ship low past one floating island, he could see a flock of exotic birds flying in formation arcing high above and around a vertical precipice, before swooping in-land again.
The Living Force sang to him, the verdant and breathing energy-producing vitality that shone all about, and the midichlorians within Luke rejoined in chorus.
Since the ship’s telemetry remained unusable, Artoo augmented his vision with his little periscope eye that had popped out of his dome, and was swivelling left and right gazing out through the cockpit window. For his part, Threepio was leaning close to the window, similarly fixated on the wondrous sights. Artoo beeped and warbled.
“Yes, Artoo,” answered the golden droid, “I would have to agree with you on this occasion ! We have never seen a world quite like this before !”
Luke skimmed the ship over a small lake and a pod of marine delphini leapt to meet them. Luke sensed inquisitiveness and curiosity from them, rather than aggression and danger, but he still rolled the ship slightly away from them so as not to startle too much. The Jedi followed a water outlet’s course towards the edge of the island, open grassy banks either side leading to woods, and then the vast chasm of the blue-purple skies was all about them once more. In the near distance he could see another flock of birds, arranged in a migratory V shape, and, further away, their destination, the largest of the floating landmasses.
Luke leant forward and peered down as best he could. There were a few more small islands at lower altitudes but the majority of landmasses mostly seemed to be on the same height lines. Far below swirled cloud. He sensed greater pressure and heat down there.
“I sense no immediate threat,” he announced to the droids. “A world teeming with life. I can feel the Force sing to me...” he smiled.
“Singing, Master Luke ?” replied Threepio. “I’m sorry, but my audio receptors are not picking up on any melodies, and, if you recall, I am fluent in over 1000 million songs and tunes.”
Artoo blurted a remonstration at his counterpart, and Luke laughed.
“Not that kind of song, Threepio !”
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Nathaniel Reed, 29th February 2024 |
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