The Drought - Episode III: The Escape
Location: Tython - Southern Marshes
Era: 1,000 years before A New Hope
Time: 11:07:57
The Sith and the Padawan trudge their way through the swampy marshes of the southern region of the continent of Talss. The easy part was withstanding the putrid stench that filled the bog. The more difficult task was avoiding sinkholes beneath the surface of the cloudy green water. Perhaps the most frightening part is the curiosity of what lurks beneath what they can see.
“So what’s in that journal?” Jake glances over to Kira with his interest piqued. The man adjusts his pant legs to avoid getting them wet as the two step through the marsh water. “Just curious as to where we might be headed. If you even know.” He scoffs half-jokingly.
“Not much. But enough.” Kira remarks, swinging her bag over her shoulder. She unlatches the buckles and opens the sack up before retrieving the journal within. The Padawan hands the book to Jake. “I used some context clues from the journal. We’re going in the right direction. The Force will lead me to Caithe.”
Flipping open the journal, Jake begins to flip through its contents. The journal is clearly aged and looks to be at least ten years old. Flipping back to the first page, the Sith begins to skim over the writings.
Entry One:
I found a youngling today. I discovered her wandering the wastes of Korriban. She claims that her mother is a Jedi who was killed in the strike on the Sith Temple today. I’m unsure of how to tell her that it isn’t true. I led that strike team and it was composed of only myself and my two padawans. If there had been another Jedi there… I would have been aware of it. I’d like to think that her mother is still out there. I left an encrypted message behind just outside of the temple. If her mother is still out there, she’ll come for this child. Until then, I suppose this responsibility falls to me.
Skipping over some of the entries and not quite caring that the ink was leaking onto his fingers, Jake’s eyes are pulled to something in particular.
Entry Seven:
Kira is covered in these small markings that decorate her entire body. She’s only a youngling… She doesn’t seem to remember a time in which she didn’t have them. I suspect that someone did this to her before wiping the memories from her mind. I have no idea what these markings could mean but I think I have a way to find out. There is a scholar in Coruscant who has been studying rare languages and dialects for centuries. If anyone can help find out what these markings mean, it's likely to be them.
Jake runs a hand through his hair as he lowers the book, being sure to watch his step as they pass through another shallow bog. He flips towards the middle of the book and spots the mention of a Sith.
Entry 93:
A woman broke through the summit perimeter today. She was Sith. I believe she came to kill Kira. Maybe abduct her. She and I have grown close over the past two years. Kira has become like a student to me. But it is dawning on me that I can no longer protect her. If the Sith sent one… They will send another. Tomorrow I will bring her to the Jedi Temple a few clicks east from Kalikori. They will be able to protect her better than I can. Kira has great potential. She is a quick learner, though she requires discipline. I cannot say that I fully agree with their teachings… But at least she will have a chance to survive.
Jake arches his brow as he reads, flipping to the very final entry.
Entry 232:
The Empire’s battlecruisers have been patrolling this quadrant using stealth technology to conceal their presence. I’ve been picking up their radio broadcasts all week. Something is coming tomorrow. They’re calling it The Drought, a reference to the aftermath of a weapon they’ve created. I am afraid. I am gathering my belongings and I am going to the place where I began Kira’s training. If she escapes from the temple… She will know where to go. I will wait for her as long as I can.
“This place that she used to train you… You remember where it is?” Jake asks, looking over to the padawan. He hands her the journal and she quickly shoves it back into her bag.
“I know where it is. But that isn’t where we’re going. When I saw Caithe and Liana in that premonition, they weren’t at the training grounds. They were on a cliffside overlooking the ocean. That’s where we’re headed.” She says, lifting her white robes as she pushes through the bog water. Jake simply nods in agreement and steps into the water after her.
Kira stops in her tracks and looks around at the murky shallows and then glances back to Jake. “Do you feel that?” She asks, inhaling very slowly. Jake goes to take a step forward but Kira very quickly puts her hand over his chest. “Don’t move. There’s something in the water.” She says, closing her eyes and using the Force to detect whatever it was. “It’s watching us.” Kira whispers, gesturing to his saber. “I have a very bad feeling about this.” The padawan remarks.
The water behind the two begins to ripple as a massive serpent slithers out from a large sinkhole. The creature looks to be at least fifty feet in length and has to weigh thousands of pounds. The beast bares its teeth at the two, hissing as its enormous forked tongue flickers back and forth. “Ah, crink.” Jake curses, igniting his saber. The angry serpent dashes towards the two, its teeth chasing after Jake
The Sith leaps upward as Kira dives off to the left. Landing on the creature’s back, Jake slashes his lightsaber across it’s hide before the serpent flings him off and into a pool of wet sand. Struggling to pull himself out, the Sith begins to flail his lightsaber around as the serpent closes in. Just feet away, the monster unhinges its unnaturally large jaw, lowering its head down to Jake. Just before the creature touches the Sith, it freezes in place and stares at the man reluctantly. Beside the beast is Kira with her right hand outstretched towards the serpent, her fingers touching its scaly hide.
“You… Are you controlling it?” He asks, looking up to Kira curiously. “Hurry up and tell him to go home. We need to keep moving.” He says, reaching out towards her after deactivating his saber. “And I could use a hand.” He suggests.
“Her.” Kira remarks. “It’s a her. I think we’ve intruded on her nest. We’re a threat to her children. She’s just protecting her home. Her family.” Kira explains, taking a few steps forward. Placing her hand on the serpent, she rubs downward on its scales. “Go.” Kira whispers. The serpent’s eyes flick down to Kira before it lowers to the ground and slithers back into its nest.
Kira takes the bo staff from her back and offers it to Jake. “Grab on.” She says. After taking hold of the weapon, Kira yanks back pulling the Sith out of the quicksand. After splashing himself with swamp water to wash the sand off, the pair finally reach the end of the marsh and just ahead through a clearing in the forest is an imperial barracks. Imperial troops seem to be patrolling the area heavily. There are three dropships and a small docking bay beside the barracks. Kira glances back and looks to Jake with distrust.
“Don’t look at me like that. The Empire lied to me just as much as the Republic lied to you. You don’t have to worry about me stabbing you in the back.” He says, looking back to where the serpent had descended back into its burrow. “How did you know how to do that?” He asks, gesturing back to the marsh.
“I didn’t really know what I was doing. I just felt that she was scared. I was trying to comfort her and when I touched her, I started to feel what she was feeling.” Kira says, lifting her hands up to her hair. Taking two long strands of hair on top, she wraps two small moon buns before pushing the rest of her hair to rest on her back. “We need one of those shuttles. Do you think you can get one?” Kira asks, looking at the man as she adjusts her pant legs back down to her ankles now that there was no more swamp water to wade through.
“You want me to steal a shuttle from the Empire?” He blinks at her in sheer confusion.
“You’re one of them, remember?” She chuckles softly, pulling a pair of binoculars from her bag. “Look… All you have to do is play the part. Just walk up and get into one of the shuttles. I’m sure you know how to fly one.” She arches a brow, looking through the binoculars. “Two big men with big blasters next to the shuttles… Four troopers with blasters by the Barracks. And-“ Kira’s eyes narrow on the Sith woman walking out of the barracks and towards the pair of troopers beside the shuttles.
“Darth Malevolence.” Jake states, gesturing to the woman. “She’s a ruthless Sith Lord. I can’t go in there… Not while she’s there. That’s a death sentence.” The Sith sighs softly, looking over to the padawan almost apologetically.
“She’s my mother.” Kira grits her teeth nervously as she watches the woman conversate with the troopers. Jake looks at Kira as if she has two heads.
“Malevolence has a daughter? Shavit… Well why don’t you just go ask for the keys?” He asks comedically.
“Very funny. I don’t even know the woman. I only found out yesterday at the temple. But maybe we can get by without her noticing us. I can create a diversion while you get to the shuttle.” Kira explains, pointing to the barracks. The padawan retrieves a small circular device from her bag and presents it to Jake. “I’ll set the explosive and chuck it at the top of the barracks. It’ll get their attention. I’ll let them spot me before I make a run for it.” She says, providing gestures with each step of her plan.
“Where did you get that?” He asks, pointing at the explosive.
“I took it out of your pocket while you were asleep.” Kira admits feigning an innocent pout.
“Jeez… You really are a laserbrain. That’s a communication device, not an explosive.” He blurts out, trying to stifle his laughter. Kira looks down at the device and tilts her head.
“Oh… Well to be fair I have lived half of my life confined in a temple. Jedi don’t use explosives very often, you know.” Kira shrugs, offering the device back to him.
“No, keep it.” He offers. Jake reaches over and places the device onto the underside of her robe on her neck. He pulls a second one from his pocket and places it in a similar spot on himself. The Sith presses a button on both devices simultaneously and they both flash green, chirping once. “There. Now we can communicate while we’re apart. It’s about a five click range so try not to wander too far.” He picks up a rock about the size of a softball and hands it to Kira. “That should get their attention if you’ve got a strong arm.” He purses his lips, looking back to Malevolence.
Kira stands up and moves along the forest edge, creeping closer to the four troopers outside of the barracks. “And may the Force be with you.” Jake says mockingly through the comms. Kira can’t help but let out a small chuckle before she lobs the rock through the bushes. Hitting the knee of one of the troopers, it quickly catches the attention of everyone around. Malevolence looks to the woods and stares directly back at Kira.
For a moment there is only dead silence in the air as tension builds between the mother and daughter. “Don’t let her get away.” Malevolence growls, pointing to Kira. “Set your weapons to stun! We’re taking her with us.” She shouts. Kira quickly turns and begins sprinting into the forest as the men chase after her, Malevolence following closely behind.
The two troopers beside the shuttles stay behind standing guard over the ships. “Well… Two is better than seven.” Jake says, pushing through the bushes. The two troopers raise their blaster rifles at him before he ignites his red lightsaber. The troopers both keep their weapons raised and trained on the Sith.
“Halt! Darth Malevolence has given strict orders that anyone returning to Fort Cadas be debriefed. You need to report to the barracks.” The trooper on the left gestures to the building.
“No. I don’t think I will.” Jake shakes his head in annoyance before swinging his weapon in an outward arc. The two men fall back against the spacecraft, one of their blasters going off multiple times. Six troopers rush out of the barracks and begin firing at Jake. The Sith dives between two of the shuttles taking cover. After taking a few quick breaths, he slashes the bottom of the two shuttles. Fluids begin pouring out of the engines as he circles around and climbs into the remaining shuttle. Closing the metal sliding doors, Jake climbs into the cockpit and begins switching on the controls as the troopers lay down fire onto the ship.
Pulling back on the lever on the center of the control console, the shuttle lifts off of the ground and flies back to set its sights on the troopers below. As lasers bombard the cockpit’s shields, Jake comes to the wicked realization that the shuttle is equipped with two very large blasters. The Sith begins to fire as the shuttle slowly hovers upward. The troopers retreat inside of the barracks as the gunfire bombards the stone structure causing the entrance to crumble. “And stay down…” He smirks slyly as the shuttle spins around heading in the general direction Kira ran in.
In the far distance, Kira leaps and bounds over trees and streams. The troopers all fell behind but Malevolence is giving her a close chase. About six hundred feet away was a cliff overlooking a long beach. Kira reaches up and taps the comm device under her robes. “Jake, I’m going to run out of ground to run on pretty soon. Do you have an ETA?” She asks, looking back to see the Sith Lord gaining on her. As the padawan begins to near the cliffside, she does not slow down. Slowing down would be surrendering. “Come on, Jake… I need you now…” She whispers through her heavy breathing.
Catching a shuttle in the skyline in the corner of her eye, Kira uses her second wind to jump into a sprint until she reaches the edge. Leaping off of the side of the cliff, Kira chooses to put her faith - and life - in Jake’s hands. The shuttle arrives in just the nick of time with its sliding doors wide open. Kira grabs hold of the platform as the ship flies away. Pulling herself up, she sits on the floor and watches Malevolence stare in a powerless manner. “They’ll follow us, you know.” Kira says, walking into the cockpit.
“Yeah. But it’ll take them a while. I took out the other two shuttles before getting out of there. Buried the barracks too. That should at least buy us enough time to get to the southern shores and remove the tracking beacon.” He explains as if this had always been his plan. “Then we can use this ship to get off this planet.”
“Off of th-” Kira begins to question the Sith but red lights begin to flash within the cockpit. “What is that?” Kira asks as a siren begins to chirp.
“Impossible… A ship has their weapons locked onto us. How did they get a shuttle so quickly?” He grunts, pulling on the lever. “This is probably going to get very bumpy.
Kira walks back and peeks out of the side of the shuttle. “That’s not a shuttle…” She tilts her head, looking at the bright green and golden ship flying behind them. “It’s not Imperial either…” She furrows her brows curiously.
“Not an Imp? Who the hell is about to fire at us then?” Jake asks as a pair of blasters on the ship behind begin firing a series of lasers in their direction. “Get in your seat! NOW!” Jake shouts. Kira rushes over to the co-pilot seat as Jake begins evasive maneuvers. The side doors of the ship slam shut before the vessel begins spinning and twirling to evade the incoming fire.
“Incoming message…” A feminine voice announces in the cockpit. “Would you like me to patch it through?” The voice asks.
“Do it.” Jake nods, looking at the holocomm. A young woman with bright blonde hair and green eyes appears over the device. “Hello, Tadu. You’ve got quite the price on your head. I’m here to take you in.” She says, firing a shot into the left wing of Jake’s spacecraft.
“Not gonna happen, lady. Sorry, not sorry.” Jake scoffs, pulling up on the throttle. As the shuttle finally levels out, the ship behind begins to charge a large static ball of green electricity. The craft fires the ball forward and the electricity grows rapidly into the shape of a wall. As it flies through Jake’s spacecraft, the shuttle loses all power and begins its violent descent back to the ground.
“Hold on!” Jake shouts as the shuttle slams into the ground. When the pair thought things couldn’t get any worse, the shuttle rolls over and sparks into a fiery explosion that sends scrap metal flying chaotically in every direction. The green and gold ship slowly lands on the ground beside the smoky wreck. After the doors of the ship lower, a blonde woman steps out. The right side of her head is shaved while the blonde hair waves across to the left with a few strands hanging in front of her right eye. The woman wears a tight green and brown leather outfit with grenades strapped along her chest. With two hand blasters, a sniper rifle with blaster and stun settings, and two vibroblades on either calf, this woman is a walking arsenal.
The woman freezes in her tracks and lifts both of her blasters when she spots movement in the smoke. The air begins to whirl around as the smoke is lifted from the wreck. Kira can be seen beside Jake, struggling to maintain a Force barrier around the two . A small bubble of light blue energy coalesces around the pair protecting them from harm. As Kira lowers her hands, the barrier dissipates and the padawan stumbles back, clearly exhausted. Kira looks around in bewilderment. “What… just happened?” She asks, looking around at the wreck.
“Wonderful. I was about to ask just the same question.” The blonde woman says, training her weapons on Kira. “I guess I could threaten you with these but I have a feeling they aren’t going to do much.” The woman arches a brow, taking a few steps forward.
“Stop!” Kira says, grabbing her staff and pointing it at the woman. Jake climbs up to his feet and ignites his saber, glaring at the woman angrily.
“Stay away from her, Kira. Who sent you, bounty hunter?” Jake asks, eyeing the woman. She clicks her tongue and rolls onto the ground, lobbing a smoke grenade in between the two. Smoke once more fills the air and when it finally fades, Kira stands across from not one Jake… But two.
“A changeling… Damn it all…” The Jake on the left remarks.
“Kira… Look at me. She’s a changeling. You need to trust me.” The one on the right argues.
“You’re going to trust her?!” The left shouts.
“Of course she is! She knows me!” The right one pleads. Kira looks at both of their belts for the saber and notices that neither of them have it. Looking down, she sees that it's been clipped to her own belt. Looking up to the Jakes, she taps her chin.
As the two bicker back and forth, Kira places her hands onto her temples, massaging them gently as she tries to drown out the voices. “Who is my mother?” Kira says through gritted teeth. The Jake to the left seems momentarily confused by the question while the one to the right immediately blurts it out.
“Darth Mal. Couldn’t have thought of a tougher way to test me?” The Jake to the right grins at Kira. Before the Jake to the left can react, Kira swats her staff against his chest knocking him down onto his rump. After hitting the ground, the changeling shifts back into her former appearance.
“Did you really have to go and do all of that?” The bounty hunter asks, scratching the top of her noggin.
“Who are you and what do you want?” Kira asks, tilting her head at the woman. Her eyes wander up to Jake while her staff remains trained on the woman. “What’s a changeling?” Kira adds before her eyes dart back to the bounty hunter.
“The name is SJ. I’m here to collect the bounty on that one’s head. Dead or alive… Fifteen thousand credits.” She shrugs. “I’ve gotta make a living.” She says, rolling her sleeves up. The woman leans back on the soil and looks up at Jake with curiosity. “You wanna tell her or should I?”
Jake seems to be exhausted by the bounty hunter’s demeanor but waves a hand in dismissal as he takes a few steps to reclaim his place at Kira’s side. “It means that she can take the appearance of any humanoid with a similar body shape. An ability that her lizardfolk people are notorious for.” Jake remarks in a clearly unhappy tone. “Who hired you?” Jake asks as a ship enters the atmosphere above.
“Nobody. Not directly. The bounty was offered to just about every hunter in this quadrant. You’re going to find that I am the least of your worries if you don’t find a ride out of here.” SJ gestures up at the ship which seems to be closing in on their location.
“Who put out the bounty?” Jake asks, igniting his saber and lifting it to the woman’s chest. Kira moves to stop him but instead cautiously watches, doing her best to trust him.
“Darth Kavar. Seems that you’ve riled him up pretty well.” SJ shrugs, slowly standing with her hands up. “Calm down with that thing. Have you seen what happens when lightsabers get too close to grenades?” She tugs at her two grenade straps on her chest. “Wouldn’t end pretty for any of us.” SJ looks up to the ship once more. Jake and Kira look up at the incoming shuttle and then back to SJ.
“We need your ship.” Kira says, glancing to the green and gold beauty.
SJ shakes her head and gestures to the ship. “You know how to fly one of those? It’s from the Ninth Quadrant. If you want my bet, you’ll end up flying into the ocean and drowning before I can even make it to the forest’s edge.” SJ states boldly.
“So then pilot for us. You did just destroy our ship. You owe us.” Kira argues, crossing her arms.
“Your ship?” SJ arches a brow. “Really? Because you, my friend, are being hunted by the Empire.” She gestures to Jake and then looks to Kira. “And you are clearly a padawan. Let’s be honest. It wasn’t yours to begin with. However…” The woman grins and begins to pick the dirt from under her nails and flicks it to her left. “I’ll fly for you. But I have a price.” She says, looking between the two. “Fifteen thousand to cover the bounty and another five thousand to cover the… travel expenses.” The bounty hunter smirks. Kira looks up to the incoming ship and anxiety begins to set in as they’re almost in range to begin firing.
“We don’t have that. We don’t have a credit to our names.” Jake remarks, lowering his weapon from her chest. The bounty hunter seems upset by the answer but a wicked grin spreads on her face after a few seconds of contemplation.
“A kyber crystal, then.” SJ furrows her brows. “Just one. If you can guarantee me that, I’ll take you to where you need to go.” SJ agrees, looking between her ship and the incoming enemy shuttle. After a moment of consideration, Kira sighs softly and nods.
“You’re not giving us much of a choice.” Kira shakes her head. “Fine. You’ll get your crystal. Take us to the Southern Reaches.”
“Toot toot… All aboard, folks.” SJ chuckles softly, pulling her imaginary train horn rope.
“This is going to be a long ride.” Jake sighs, following after the two towards the ship. As they begin to board, lasers begin to bombard the area around the shuttle. An explosion sends Kira flying backward into the dirt, rendering her unconscious. Jake rushes over and scoops the padawan up before bringing her to SJ. “Get her inside and start this scrap heap up. I’ll keep them busy.” Jake explains, exchanging Kira for one of SJ’s grenades.
“Effie, time to wake up.” The changeling secures Kira in the ship’s med bay and activates a droid to tend to her wounds. The padawan has a gash over her left eye and her femur was broken in the blast.
“Hello, master. I will tend to this patient. I would encourage you to vacate the premises. It would appear that there is a conflict nearby.” Effie says, her gears whirring softly as she moves over to Kira and begins to apply a topical to her face wound.
“Yes, Effie. I’m quite aware. But if these people don’t get us killed, we’re never going to have to work again.” The bounty hunter chuckles as she climbs the ladder up to the cockpit.
Jake slides behind a large boulder as the enemy shuttle lays down fire across the long mossy beach. As SJ’s ship begins to start up, Jake leaps onto the boulder and throws his saber upward as the enemy passes overhead. The saber collides with the engine of the ship causing it to explode violently. The ship lands a few hundred feet behind Jake as his saber falls back down into the dirt. He leaps down and grabs his weapon before deactivating it and rushing into the hull of SJ’s ship. “Time to go!” Jake shouts as he makes his way through the corridors to the cockpit.
The ship begins to hover and soon after takes flight towards the Southern Reaches. Jake and SJ sit in the cockpit bickering as Kira stirs in her sleep.
I can feel her pain. I can feel her sorrow. Her loss. Is she mourning? It feels like she’s mourning.
A woman with pale skin and black hair stands before me. Her boots are high. They go up to her knees and they’re embroidered with red silk. Her pants and boots are both the same shade of jet black. Her tunic drapes down in the center and seems to share the same blood red tone of the silk on her boots.
“Malevolence…” I blurt out, unable to take my eyes off of the woman. She slowly looks up from the ground and stares at me. Is she real? Can she see me? My heart begins to beat rapidly before she fades away like vapor. In her place remains a hauntingly familiar dream. A tightrope connects to platforms over a pit of despair.
“Not again…” I sigh, knowing the way this dream ends already. “Come on. You can do this. You’re more powerful than you’ve ever been before. It’s just a tightrope.” I attempt to encourage myself.
Taking a step forward, I feel confident as the rope feels somewhat tighter than it usually does. After getting about halfway over, I glance back to where I had started. After taking a quick breather, a scream escapes me as the rope snaps beneath me. I grab onto the end of the rope as I begin another descent into this awful madness. I can feel the impact as I slam into the platform but then… nothing.
Kira gasps for air, sitting up in the most uncomfortable bed she had ever laid in. “Hello. I am Effie. I am a medical droid here to assist you with your injuries. On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your pain?” Effie asks Kira now that she’s awake.
“Jeez…” Kira rubs her head. “A three… Did you drug me?” She asks, looking around the med bay. “I feel woozy… Where is Jake?” Kira asks.
“I have given you three miligrams of symoxin to relieve your pain. Before entering our shuttle, you were injured in a blast from an enemy vessel. You have sustained a minor head injury and a broken femur.” The droid explains while organizing various medical tools and devices. “Master SJ and your companion are in the cockpit. I believe we are nearing our destination.” Effie remarks, walking over to a small chair with controls on the right armrest.
Flicking a switch on the chair, the object chirps on and begins to hover. A metal plate hovers at the foot of the chair. Kira begins to slide her feet off of the bed before the droid turns to stop her. “Please refrain from movement. You may cause further injury. Allow me.” Effie requests, extending her arms out. Kira nods at the droid and is then scooped up and gently placed into the chair.
“Thank you… Effie, was it?” Kira offers a weak smile to the droid. The ship begins to rattle quietly as the landing gear extends and the ship lands on the ground. Kira taps some of the controls to test them out, spinning the chair and moving forward and backward. She hovers towards the bay doors which lower as Jake and SJ join her.
“Effie, power down.” SJ says, speaking into a green and gold watch bound tightly to her wrist. It’s clear that SJ has a favorite aesthetic through the way she dresses and carries herself. Green and gold seem to be her shtick and it clearly works for her. The three descend the ramp of the ship onto the cliffside.
The large cliff is made of large grey cobblestones with water splashing between them. Thunder and lightning clash through the skies as rain lightly pours down onto the oceanic scene. Large bluish-grey waves crash against the cliffside and in the distance and a blue and white lightsaber echo loudly as Liana and Caithe battle.
Liana is wearing her brown and black robes and her hair is messily tied into a high bun. Caithe has her gorgeous dark skin displayed through her white attire as usual with golden ornaments elegantly placed over her body.
SJ and Jake run ahead as Kira lags behind in her glorified wheelchair. Liana’s saber scalds Caithe’s hand sending her white lightsaber clattering across the rocks. The Jedi raises her glowing blue weapon to the woman’s neck before Kira begins to scream. “Stop! Master, don’t hurt her!” The padawan shouts. Both Liana and Caithe finally notice that others have arrived.
“Kira…” Caithe says as Liana lowers her weapon. The Jedi trains her eyes on Jake as Caithe hobbles over to Kira, laying a hand on her cheek. “What happened? Are you okay?” Caithe asks, looking the padawan over carefully for injury.
“I got a little banged up but Jake and SJ had my back.” She gestures to the two, each of them offering a greeting wave. “Caithe, I-“ Kira begins to say. She is immediately cut off.
“You’re working with a Sith…” Liana says, clearly upset. Her weapon is at the ready and her eyes are glued to Jake. “I thought I trained you better than this, Kira.” She glares at the Sith as he ignites his own saber.
“He saved my life. The Sith aren’t the monsters you think they are. Not all of them. He helped me find you. Both of you.” Kira explains. Liana seems to care little for the excuses as she raises her saber up. Leaping forward, she brings her weapon down against his own. Sparks fly in every direction as the two sabers push against each other.
SJ pulls her twin blasters from her hips and slides up behind Liana, training them on the back of her head. “I wouldn't.” She says. Without hesitation, Liana swings her saber backward forcing SJ to bound backwards evading the weapon by an inch. Turning the dial on her wristwatch, SJ’s jetpack sends her hovering about six feet in the air as she starts firing her blasters at Liana.
Kira stares as her friends battle her master. She grabs onto Caithe’s hand and reaches out with the other. “Stop…” Kira says weakly as one of the blaster bolts hits Liana’s legs. The Jedi continues to relentlessly bash her saber into Jake’s, slowly backing him towards the cliffside.
“The Force is gone, Kira. I’ll stop them. Stay here.” Caithe says, putting her hand over Kira’s. “It’ll be okay.” She nods. Caithe slips from Kira’s grasp and walks over to her lightsaber. She picks the weapon up and charges towards the Jedi and Sith. Liana kicks Jake’s chest, knocking him back and sending his saber to the edge of the cliff. As she brings her weapon downward for the final blow, Caithe intercepts the kill with her own lightsaber. Liana immediately spins around and begins to slash at Caithe violently.
Kira watches as Liana once again disarms Caithe, this time taking her weapon and flinging it upward towards SJ. The padawan slumps out of her chair and falls onto the rocks below, letting out a loud scream.
“ENOUGH!” Kira shouts. The three sabers deactivate and fly to the padawan, landing on the ground in front of her. The four battling individuals begin to hover off of the ground as Kira uses the Force to pacify them. “Please… No more fighting…” Kira begins to sob as she lets them all go, each landing on their rump. By the time SJ, Caithe, and Jake recuperate, Liana seems to be long gone. The three sabers remain with Kira as her friends walk back over to her.
“Kira… How did you-“ Caithe begins to ask. Jake shakes his head and looks down at Kira. He kneels down and helps to lift her back into the chair.
“Don’t ask.” Jake remarks. The four march back to the ship while the attention remains on Kira. “Are you okay?” Jake asks, looking down at her leg bandages.
“I will be… We need to get off of this planet. We have to get to Coruscant.” Kira says, looking between Caithe and Jake. SJ immediately stops and shakes her head.
“Ohhhh no. No. I agreed to bring you here. I am not your intergalactic taxi. You also owe me a kyber crystal. We’re not going anywhere.” SJ crosses her arms.
Kira hands Caithe and Jake their sabers before holding Liana’s out to SJ. “What if I can offer you more than just the crystal? Will you take us to Coruscant?” She asks, holding the weapon out. SJ looks down at Kira in bewilderment. This is much more than she has bargained for.
“A lightsaber? Isn’t there some big rule about Jedi giving sabers out willy nilly?” SJ arches a brow at the padawan.
“Yeah… But I don’t think I get to call myself that anymore.” Kira says, looking up to Caithe. The older woman seems to give Kira a nod of approval, then looking up at the ship.
“Impressive ride. So what do you say?” Caithe asks, looking to SJ. The bounty hunter ponders for a moment before reluctantly taking the saber from Kira. She switches it on and off a few times to test it out.
“Toot toot…-“ She begins to say, almost expecting what came next.
“Please do not.” Jake mutters, climbing up the ramp.
“Well you’re just a ball of anger and sadness, aren’t you? Well I only have one cot and the bed in the med bay. So the two of you are sleeping on the floor.” She gestures to Caithe and Jake.
“Do you have a radio on your ship? One that I can connect to a local frequency? We have to make a stop at Kalikori and I’d like to call ahead.” Kira looks to SJ.
“Yeah, I’ve got one in the cargo bay for that.” SJ nods, taking Kira to a wall radio. After poking the glass screen beside the radio, she hands the device to Kira and walks off to the cockpit.
“This is Padawan Kira. I’m looking for three padawans who should have arrived in Kalikori not long ago. Has anyone seen them?” Kira asks, waiting in anticipation. After a moment, the radio’s static cuts out.
“Kira? You’re okay… Thank the Force…” A familiar voice says. “It’s Nathan. We made it to Kalikori and… All of the other padawans are here, Kira. Some of the masters too. The Council is missing but… We’re safe. The townsfolk have been so hospitable.”
“Sounds like you guys really lucked out… I told you that pin would keep you safe.” Kira smiles as she hears of their safety. “We’ll be in Kalikori in just a few hours. Will you be ready?”
“We aren’t going, Kira.” He says. “Trust me, we’d love to. We’re going to miss you… But just like how you need to do what's best for you, we need to do what is best for us… And for Tython. We were born here… This is our home. We have to protect what is left of the temple and rebuild.
“I understand.” Kira nods, chuckling softly under her breath. “Well stay safe.” She says, looking over to her friends.
“You too, Kira. But what about the pin? Aren’t you coming to get it?” He asks. Kira’s eyes drift over to Caithe who gave her the pin in the first place. For the longest time, that little eye watched over her while Caithe couldn’t. But now the two are finally reunited. This is all the comfort Kira needs.
“No… I don’t need it anymore.” She smirks at Caithe. “I’ve got everything I need right here. Tell the rest of the padawans that I said goodbye… And may the Force be with them always.” She says, slowly hanging the radio back on the hook and turning the dial off.
Kira presses the controls on the armrest of her chair, hovering over to the others. The ship is filled with the bickering sounds of forming friendships as SJ carefully exits the atmosphere, careful not to alert any of the Empire’s ships.
“So what’s in Coruscant?” SJ asks as she leans back in her seat.
Kira and Caithe both look to each other before speaking simultaneously. “Answers.” They both remark.
“Well… Let’s hope they’re the answers you’re looking for.” SJ chuckles, flipping a switch on her dashboard. Loud and funky music fills the corridors of the ship as this band of unlikely friends heads to the planet-city of Coruscant.
*** All illustrations are designed and provided by Kira Karboski. Thank you for your hard work and talent! ***
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