The Drought - Episode IV: The Game Plan

 

All illustrations were beautifully designed and provided by Kira Karboski

Location: Deep Space - Corusca Sector

    “I honestly don’t know how I made it for so long without you at my side.” Kira frowns, wrapping Caithe’s burnt wrist wound in new gauze. She tilts her head at the medical work and looks back to Effie for a second opinion. “I hate to ask again… But did I do it right?” Kira asks, displaying Caithe’s bandages. The droid hovers forward, whirring quietly as her eyes scan the wound dressing. 

“This is very good work, Kira.” Effie says, placing a metallic hand onto the padawan’s back. “You would make a fine doctor. It is a pity that you will be leaving us soon. I have very much enjoyed your company.” Effie says, her robotic eyes shifting between the two women. “Both of your company.” The nurse droid hovers back to her surgical cart and continues to organize her equipment. 

“She’s right, you know.” Caithe says. “You’ve been doing a great job helping Effie down here over the past week.  I’ll try to be more careful with the blowtorch.” The woman chuckles quietly, leaning back and resting her arm on her welding shield. “Come on. Sit down.” Caithe pats the open spot beside her on the medbay cot. Kira hops up beside her and nestles her way into Caithe’s arms. 

“I’m sorry, Caithe…” Kira sighs softly. The padawan reaches up and flicks the few specks of grime left on Caithe’s face from welding in the cargo bay off of her face. “I left when you needed me… I should have just stayed with you. All of those years in the temple just feel so wasted.” Kira says, wiping a forming tear from her eye. 

“You didn’t leave, Kira. I brought you there and gave you to them because I didn’t think I could protect you. That was my fault. There isn’t an excuse for it. I should have trusted in not just my own ability to protect you… but your own. It seems you’ve done so well without me. You’re so much more than I could have ever imagined you’d become. I am so proud of you, Kira.” Caithe says, consoling the girl. She places her hand on the padawan’s head and gently massages her scalp. 

“Can we make a promise to each other?” Kira asks, looking up at her. Caithe nods, offering a curious look to the girl as she awaits in anticipation. “We don’t leave each other. Not for good. If we ever have to say goodbye again… It won’t be goodbye. Let’s promise that. Let’s promise that we will always see each other again no matter what happens. I spent years without knowing if I would ever see you again and… I just don’t want to go through that again.” 

“Kira…” Caithe wraps Kira in a warm embrace as tears begin rolling down her cheeks. “I am so so sorry… I promise. I promise that we will never have to say goodbye again.” Caithe says, holding onto the padawan as if she’s the most valuable person in the universe - and to Caithe, she is.

“Me too.” Kira says, her face nuzzled into the woman’s shoulder. Effie whirls around and stares at the two.

“Why did the promise cross the road?” Effie asks curiously. Kira and Caithe both look over to the droid, completely covered in tears. The two women suddenly burst out in laughter at the Droid. “Oh yes! Have I done humor correctly?” Effie asks, looking between the two for their approval. 

“You’ve come so far over the past week, Effie! You’re getting there! You’ll be able to tell the best jokes in the galaxy soon.” Caithe chuckles lightly at the droid, wiping the tears from her eyes. The lights in the ship suddenly turn off as the entire ship becomes quiet as if the engines had turned off. Red lights flicker on offering low visibility for the two. 

“Powering down…” Effie says as her whirring comes to a stop, she lowers to the floor.

Caithe and Kira rush up the ladder to the cockpit to find SJ and Jake still in their seats. “What’s happening?” Kira asks, looking between the two. SJ looks pissed off as she gestures out of the front window of the ship. A large cylinder shaped ship seems to have their vessel caught in a tractor beam that is slowly pulling them towards itself. 

“We got a broadcast just before they shut down everything but our life support. It’s a Republic prison frigate… They’re here because according to an anonymous tip we have a fugitive on board.” SJ explains, tapping on the window. “I’ve been in one of these. A long time ago… Not a very fun place to be…” She says, rubbing her temples. Kira’s eyes shift to Jake before she lets out a soft sigh. “Damn it… I’m sorry. Liana must have gone to the council.” 

“Do you have any ventilation shafts he would fit in?” Caithe asks, looking to SJ. Jake looks to Caithe as if she’s a crazy woman.

“You want me to do what?” He blurts out before SJ swats his shoulder and hushes him. 

“She’s onto something…” SJ nods, spinning around in her chair. She leans over and opens a small cabinet underneath her dash and pulls out two papers. “These are the blueprints for the first and second levels of the ship. There is a maintenance vent in the cargo bay. If you can get down there before they start boarding, then you and Kira can cover the vent after he’s in.” She says, flipping a few of the switches on her dash as the ship docks against the prison frigate. “Go. I’ll keep them busy for as long as I can.” SJ nods.

Kira, Caithe, and Jake rush down to the cargo bay with haste. The room is filled with all sorts of things. Two piles of food and water sit in the farthest corner, three metal freight containers sit right beside the vent that SJ had mentioned, and loose articles of clothing and weaponry lie all over the bay. 

“I think I might find her a droid to clean up around here. That’d make a good birthday gift.” Caithe places her hands on her hips before waving her hand at the ventilation shaft cover causing the screws to fall out and the shield to clang on the ground. “I know I’ve been saying it a lot, but it feels so good to be able to do that again. Let’s not revisit Tython anytime soon.” Caithe remarks, patting Jake on the back. “Hurry up. Try to go as far as you can and wait for us to come find you. Once they finish their sweep we should be fine to get out of here.” Caithe explains, gesturing to the vent. 

Jake makes his way over to the vent, crawling in before looking back to offer a thankful nod to Caithe. “I owe you for this. All of you. Thanks…” He says, vanishing into the darkness. Caithe lifts her hand once more returning the vent shield and screws to their place. In unison, Kira and Caithe lift the freight containers and move them over to cover the vent entrance. 

“That should do the trick.” Kira nods, looking back as the cargo bay door slowly opens. Four men in white and blue uniforms march in decorated with the Republic’s symbol. Between them stands a stoic older man with a white streak through his brown hair. The left half of his face is completely mangled and burnt while the right side is virtually untouched. 

“Hello. We’re happy to see some friendly faces but I’m afraid-” Caithe begins to say but is immediately interrupted as one of the soldiers fires a stun round into her abdomen causing the woman to fall to her knees with a pained grunt. 

“Caithe Valor, you are being placed under arrest for the murder of the Republic Senator Vissia Briarthorn.” The man with the white streak in his hair says as the four other men march over and begin to scoop Caithe up. 

“Hey! Don’t you touch her! Who the hell do you think you are?! She didn’t kill anybody!” Kira shouts, about ready to tackle one of the men. Caithe shakes her head at Kira, waving her hand in dismissal. 

“Don’t give them a reason to take you too…” Caithe grunts through gritted teeth as the men begin to carry her away. “Remember what we promised, Kira…” Caithe turns her head and nods at Kira as she’s taken from the ship. 

“General Adaman Heathrow.” The man with the stripe in his hair remarks. “My men will need to do a sweep of your ship before you’re free to undock. Until then, sit tight. Where is your captain?” The man asks as SJ emerges from the med bay. 

“Right here.” SJ remarks, waving a hand in the air. “If your men break anything in my ship, I’m going to do the same to their faces. Got it?” SJ crosses her arms as six more Republic soldiers march into the ship and begin rifling through SJ’s belongings. 

“Remember who it is that you threaten, girl. Are you three the only ones aboard?” Heathrow asks, glancing towards the medbay. 

“I have a medical droid in the med bay. That’s all of us.” SJ gestures to the med bay. The General nods and gestures to the door. “I’ll need you both to come with me so that we can ask you a few questions before we send you on your way.” The man nods as two of his men take their place behind the pair of women. 

The group walks into the frigate’s main corridor which seems to be a large hall with a fountain and four reception desks. There are easily over twenty armed soldiers and double the amount of personnel moseying about the frigate. “This thing carries quite a lot of people, doesn’t it?” SJ asks, looking around the massive room. 

“600 including the prisoners.” The General nods, gesturing to a door labeled BRIEFING 32. “We’ll need to collect your weapons before you go in.” He says, pulling a plastic container from behind one of the desks. Kira takes her staff and places it into the bin. “Go ahead. You can go first.” He gestures to Kira. The padawan nods before looking back to SJ and then proceeding into the room. 

SJ crosses her arms and looks down at all of the weapons hanging off of her. “Not gonna happen. You can ask me any questions you’d like. I’ve done this a billion times. You’re not taking my weapons though.” She shakes her head, placing her hand onto one of her blasters. “I’m just a simple bounty hunter taking a couple of ladies to Coruscant. If you want my records, I’ll send them over from my dash.” She tilts her head, looking the man up and down. SJ isn’t even half-intimidated by the burly man.

“Bounty hunter, huh? I’ve had a lot of you passing through here lately.” He nods slowly. “Send those records over to the frigate. I may have a job for you.” The man says, turning to walk into the debriefing room. SJ arches a curious brow before retreating back to her cockpit where she begins to transfer the data over to the frigate. After she finishes and leaves the ship with the remaining soldiers, Jake makes his way out of the ventilation shaft, using the Force to move the freight container out of the way. 

Taking his saber and keeping it ready by his side, Jake peeks out of the bay doors and into the main corridor. Spotting so many people, he immediately uses the Force to cloak himself rendering his body invisible. The Sith climbs down the ramp and makes his way down the long corridor until he reaches an elevator door. 

He can feel his ability draining his energy as he awaits the elevator to arrive. When the elevator finally opens, he is relieved to find it empty. Stepping in and pressing the random floor number of twenty three, the doors begin to shut. Just before they fully close, an arm pops through. Master Liana steps through the elevator doors unaware of Jake’s presence. Two soldiers join her within the elevator as it begins to rise. 

“Strange…” The Jedi looks down at the lit up floor number. “But convenient. You said they are keeping prisoner 413 on the twenty third floor?” Liana asks, looking back to the soldiers. They both nod as the elevator rises quickly. “Good. I won’t allow her to escape again. She knows too many secrets that I cannot allow my padawan to discover.” Liana remarks, lifting her hand up. With the twist of her hand, both of the soldier’s necks snap before their bodies drop to the floor. “But I can’t possibly allow word to spread that this was my doing. Apologies.” She tilts her head to the side letting a loud pop loose. 

As the elevator door opens, Liana steps through and approaches the two soldiers standing guard in front of a large glass wall. As the doors close, Jake finally lets his guise fall. After pushing the first floor button, Jake begins to undress one of the soldiers and exchanges his clothes with the man’s. By the time the doors open to the main corridor, Jake is wearing the full attire. After taking a few steps out of the elevator and hearing it close behind him, a set of footsteps begins approaching Jake. General Heathrow tilts his head at the Sith and looks at him suspiciously. 

“I haven’t seen you around here… Are we taking on new recruits again? I thought I told them not to send any more of you our way… I’ve got enough damned people on this ship to feed.” He shakes his head in disappointment. “What’s your E.F.I. number, kid?” The man asks.

“My E.F.I.” Jake says, scratching his head. “I uh… I don’t really remember what it-” Jake begins but is very quickly cut off by the General’s laughter.

“You don’t remember it, huh? I remember when I was your age. Met the officer of my unit and when he asked me what my number was, I froze. At least you’ve got the knickers to speak up at all.” He scoffs. “Come on, we’ll go to the security bay and get it all figured out. Once they pull a facial rec, we’ll be able to get your E.F.I.” The General nods, walking over to the elevator. When the doors swoosh open, Heathrow immediately draws his blaster and aims it at the soldier dressed in Jake’s Sith attire. 

The man lifts his weapon when he realizes both men are dead. Running over to a large red button beside one of the reception desks, the General slams it and the entire frigate’s white lights begin flashing red while a deafening alarm blares through the corridors. “Sith have boarded the Frigate! Find them!” The General’s voice echoes through the ship. 

“You! With me, now!” The General points at Jake and runs to the elevator. Jake follows after and Heathrow’s wrist attachment scans the elevator’s buttons. The man presses the twenty third floor and looks over to Jake, handing him a blaster from the dead soldier. “You know how to use this, right?” The General asks. Jake simply nods and takes a deep breath, trying his best to keep composure. The doors open and two soldiers lie on the ground covered in the glass wall that once towered behind them. “Units Alpha and Bravo, get to the twenty third floor, now!” He shouts into his wrist attachment.

“Have you battled one of these before?” Jake looks to the man curiously as they cautiously travel through the prison blocks. All of the prison cells seem to have been locked down and are covered with a thick wall of steel.

“That’s how I got this, kid.” The man gestures to the scorched side of his face. “A Sith Lord. Lightning came from her hand… The stuff of nightmares…” Heathrow explains. As they turn the corner, Liana is using the Force to lift one of the shields protecting a prison cell. 

“Stop!” Heathrow shouts. Liana immediately drops her hands and lets the wall fall with a loud clang. She looks over to Heathrow who has taken a defensive stance in front of Jake with his blaster rifle trained on the woman. Igniting her weapon, it's clear that Liana has found a new saber that takes a green appearance. Heathrow fires a warning shot. “You’re a Jedi! What the hell are you doing, lady!?” He yells.

“Making sure that my secrets die with the lot of you…” She leaps upward using the Force to propel herself high into the air. Heathrow begins firing at the woman which she deflects with ease as she descends towards the man with her saber flourishing at him. Before her lightsaber can collide with the General, a red saber ignites in front of him as Jake deflects Liana’s weapon. 

“You… You’re Sith…” The man says in disbelief. Jake uses the Force to slide the General across the floor to safety as he goes to deflect Liana’s next attack. 

“No… I’m a person…” Jake mutters as he slashes his saber down against Liana’s. As the two fight, the General aims his rifle between the two, unsure of who to fire at. As eight soldiers pour into the room, Jake’s saber cuts clean through Liana’s wrist cutting her hand off. Both the limb and her saber drop to the ground as she lets out a wretched scream and falls to the ground. Jake stands over her and deactivates his saber. 

“You… You’re not going to kill me?” Liana stares up at him, holding her hand against her chest. 

“I…” Jake looks to the General and then back to the eight men with their rifles trained on his back. “I have to go.” Jake turns around and begins to walk before one of the soldiers fires a stun round into his chest. After another does the same, the Sith falls unconscious. 

“Detain them both. Find that bounty hunter… I want them all in cells until I get this figured out.” Heathrow demands, walking towards the elevator as more stun rounds are fired at Liana rendering her unconscious. 

Meanwhile in the briefing room, Kira sits across from a Zeltron woman with vibrant pink skin and purple hair. “I’m so sorry that you have been lied to for so long…” The woman says sympathetically. “I can feel your pain. Your emotions…” She sighs softly and tilts her head at Kira. “Where are you and your friends headed?”

“I already told you… We’re going to Coruscant. I need to speak with a scholar at the academy… They might know more about where I came from. More about what happened to me as a child. I need answers, Zo’bek. Please convince them to let us go… If you can feel my emotions then you know Caithe is an innocent woman.” Kira pleads, holding onto the metal table. The door to the room swings open as two soldiers march in and fire two stun rounds into Kira’s shoulder knocking her out cold. 

Caithe sits tight within her cell on the twenty-third floor of the frigate. When the blaring alarms and flashing red lights finally stop, Caithe’s attention is drawn to the cell shield doors that begin to open. An electrical field remains active around each cell but sight is no longer obstructed. Though the soldiers have vacated the area, the evidence of a battle was clear. Caithe lifts her cuffed hands to her face, placing them gently on her cheeks as the worst of thoughts come to mind. 

Saber damage all over the metal floor of the corridor… Where is Kira? Is she alive? The woman is distracted by the sound of footsteps as four soldiers approach her cell. “Step back.” One of the men says. Caithe takes a step back from the electrical field and bows her head. 

“I thought you lot would never come.” Caithe remarks, looking between them. “Where is Kira? Is she okay?” The woman continues. The soldiers proceed to deactivate her cell and each take a position around her. 

“Less talking. More walking.” The man says as the soldiers begin to escort her out of the cell and down to the elevator. When the doors open, the bodies are no longer present. One of the soldiers reaches out and presses floor 98, the top floor. The elevator ride is lengthy and awkward. After about two and a half minutes of silence, the doors once again swing open to reveal a very small grey-scale office with a few potted plants that add a satisfying pop of color.

 Behind a large desk sits General Heathrow. Four seats are placed on the opposite side where Jake and Kira are sitting down. “Kira, you’re okay…” Caithe says with a sigh of relief as she rushes over and throws her cuffed arms around the padawan. Kira doesn’t hesitate to return the hug, though her hands are not bound.

“You are dismissed.” Heathrow waves the soldiers off. The men pile back into the elevator and it begins its descent. Caithe looks at Heathrow and frowns. 

“They had nothing to do with any of this. I will do the-” Caithe begins. She is cut off by Heathrow pounding his fist on the desk. 

“You three have made the last two hours the most difficult in my career… You’re going to spend the rest of your lives rotting away eating nothing but-” Heathrow immediately bursts into laughter and spins around in his chair like a bored schoolgirl. “Oh, goodness me… I’m sorry! You should have seen the looks on your faces!” Heathrow giggles as his form suddenly shifts back into SJ. 

Jake furrows his brow and leans forward in his chair. “Where is Heathrow? You didn’t kill him, did you?” Jake asks with a tinge of worry in his tone. SJ offers an almost confused glance at the Sith but then shakes her head. 

“I slipped some Conergin into his water. It’s not lethal, he’s just going to enjoy a very nice nap for a few days. I swear, it’s harmless!” SJ explains, rapping her fingers on the desk. “Look… This is not what we had planned. It’s also not what we agreed upon when we discussed pricing.” The bounty hunter sighs softly. 

“Then why not just leave? You could have just taken your ship instead of coming up here to talk to us.” Jake asks. Kira bites her lip and shakes her head at SJ.

“You like us.” Kira grins at the hunter who then leans back in her chair and arches a brow at the padawan. “I think you’re actually getting used to having us around.” She shrugs.

“You’re tolerable at best.” SJ remarks before standing up and pressing a small button on a screen over her desk. 

“So what is the plan here, exactly? I hate to be the realist here but there are over 200 armed soldiers on this ship. I’m also being hunted by the Republic now it would seem.” Caithe says, fiddling with her cuffs.

“Oh, the plan is underway. While you were all busy getting shot and locked into cells, I was clearing out the docking bay and cutting the fuel lines to this Frigate.” SJ says, enlarging the holographic screen she’s working on. “I also took the liberty of planting evidence in Senator Briarthorn’s files that will frame her as a spy for The Empire. Your slate will be clean when they go through her databanks.”

“And the 200 soldiers? That’s going to be a problem SJ.” Jake huffs quietly.

“Yes they are. They just won’t be our problem. Besides… The General told me that there are 600 people on this ship.” SJ chuckles, her hand seeming to take the shape of Heathrow’s hand. She places the hand on a scanner that lights up green and chirps once. The handcuffs fall off of the three simultaneously. “And 400 is far more than 200.” The bounty hunter grins, deactivating the alarm systems on the Frigate. 

“Did you just…” Caithe slowly stands up and looks back to the elevator which dings open, completely empty. 

“Release every prisoner on this ship? Yeah, thank me later. Let’s get out of here before the fighting starts though. I don’t want any scratches on my ship.” SJ quickly walks over to the elevator, holding it open as the others enter. Once they’re all inside, the group begins descending to the first floor. “Oh, right. You might want these.” SJ hands Jake and Caithe their lightsabers before turning around and offering a third to Kira. “Heathrow had this on him when I found him. You’re the only one without one now. What do you say?” SJ arches a brow. 

Kira stares at the lightsaber for a long moment. She has been waiting to build a saber for over six years and now there was one being offered to her for no price at all. She looks up to SJ and simply shakes her head. “I… can’t.” She frowns, scratching her neck. Caithe and Jake both look to Kira in sheer confusion. 

“Kira, you’re a Jedi and you need to protect yourself.” Jake says, pointing to the saber. “You need a lightsaber.”

“Don’t call me that.” Kira turns her head to Jake. “Don’t call me a Jedi.” She remarks as the elevator doors open. The first floor is a complete wreck. Prisoners are running rampant and there are large holes in the ceiling from where they had dropped through. “If one of them even thinks about touching my ship, I swear I’ll-” SJ stops as she spots a man running into the cargo bay of her shuttle.

“Oh, hell no!” SJ shouts. The bounty hunter sprints out of the elevator, her jetpack blasting her upward and forward bringing her to the bay doors of her ship. She rushes in as the three force-sensitives battle their way through both prisoners and soldiers. When the three finally reach the ship, they find that SJ has already incapacitated and removed all of the prison escapees from the ship.

“You work fast.” Caithe remarks as they close the cargo bay doors. Caithe and SJ both run up to the cockpit while Kira and Jake begin their sweep of the ship.

“She really saved us back there, Jake. I know you’re not a fan of hers but I think we need to trust her.” Kira says as she trifles through compartments in the cargo bay.

“I won’t deny that she saved us. I know that… But she’s a bounty hunter, Kira. At the end of the day all that matters to her is credits. If someone puts a high enough price on our heads… You really don’t think she would hand us over?” Jake stops searching for a moment and looks over to Kira curiously. 

“I don’t.” Kira frowns, picking up a canteen of water and taking a sip from it before putting it back under the cabinets. “I really don’t think she would… But I try to see the best in people.” She shrugs, closing the rest of the compartments and heading towards the freight containers.

“Well that’s because you’re naïve. You don’t know these types of people like I do.” Jake says as the ship’s engine starts up. He lifts his hands using the Force to open all three freight containers at once.

“I’m naïve? Really? I’m just choosing to have faith in her, Jake. It’s a choice that we get to make. I chose to trust you too. Unless you’ve forgotten that already…” She rolls her eyes, digging through the food supplies in the first storage container. 

“Trusting too many people will get you killed. You won’t even take a lightsaber to defend yourself with. You don’t even have a staff anymore! Come on, Kira… Listen to yourself.” Jake remarks, going through the drinking rations in the second container. 

“Why are you still hung up on that lightsaber?!” Kira shouts, walking outside of the storage container and into the one Jake is in. “Have you not seen what they do? The way that lightsabers cut people down? They are not a means of defense and you know that! It is a weapon that was purely designed for killing and if you can’t acknowledge that and respect my decision then I think you need to reassess who the naïve one is.” Kira grunts loudly before storming off to the cockpit.

“Everything alright with you two?” SJ asks as Kira joins her and Caithe at the dash. The ship slowly departs from the Frigate and begins flying in the direction of Coruscant. 

“We’re fine. I don’t want to talk about it right now. How far are we from Coruscant?” Kira looks between the two women before the pair spins around in their chairs to face the padawan. 

“We’ll be landing in just a few moments.” SJ gestures to the window as the ship slowly turns to the left revealing the massive city-planet of Coruscant. The watch bound to SJ’s wrist begins to light up as a soft whirring begins downstairs. 

“Hello, are you in need of- OH NO!”Effie shouts from the lower deck. The three women rush down to the Cargo Bay where Jake already has his saber drawn on a woman holding a blaster to Effie’s head. 

“Woah, woah, woah… Put that blaster down right now…” SJ says, reaching for her own blasters. The woman adjusts her grip on the droid before shaking her head. 

“Don’t even think about it!” She says, looking to SJ. “And put that thing away! I’ll blast her head off, I swear!” The woman gestures to Jake’s saber.

“This is a very unfortunate circumstance… However it is my very first time being a hostage! How exciting! I am honored to take part in this charade.” Effie remarks in her unmistakably pleasant tone.

“Effie, quiet.” SJ growls, glaring at the woman angrily. She has very light skin that is almost pearl-white. Her hair is holographically silver and her eyes glow with a white shimmer similar to the golden glow that Caithe’s eyes give off.

“What do you want?” Caithe asks, placing a hand on her lightsaber’s hilt. The woman takes a step forward and narrows her eyes on the white-haired broad. “You’re Echani. If you wanted to kill us, we would all be dead.” Caithe continues, furrowing her brows curiously.

“I-” The woman grunts. Effie slips from her hands as the woman keels over in pain, blood seeping out of her abdomen and running down her left pant leg. “I just needed some help…” She coughs like a wretched horror as blood spurts out from her mouth and onto the floor. The Echani woman is about to fall over when Caithe slips underneath her and hoists her up. 

“Help me get her to the med bay cot.” Caithe says looking to SJ. The bounty hunter grits her teeth and reluctantly helps the woman to the cot. By the time they get to the med bay, the woman is unconscious and Effie has begun operating on her wound.

“You said she was Echani. What does that mean?” Kira looks over to Caithe as they watch the medical droid do her miracle work. Caithe looks to Kira and offers a small smile. She gestures for the padawan to follow as SJ and Jake venture up into the cockpit to begin landing procedures. Caithe and Kira enter the observation deck for a wonderful view over Coruscant. 

“I don’t think I’ve told you very much about my early life.” Caithe says, leaning back against the wall. “I’m from the Inner Rim. More specifically, I’m from a world called Thyrsus. That would make me Thyrsian. She is an Echani from Eshan, one of Thyrsus’ five sister worlds. For a very long time, the Echani Command - a council of female confederate leaders - lead the Six Sister planets as a whole. Then Bengali - One of the Six Sisters - revolted. My people… The Thyrsian people revolted with Bengali against Echani Command. An uprising began.” She explains, sliding down to sit on the floor. “Thyrsian are a subspecies of the Echani… Which made us formidable foes. Echani have a natural ability to foresee their enemy’s attacks. They built a society on war and battle. If you defeated your foe, you were rewarded for you were the stronger opponent. The strongest always win…  Always survive.”

“Your people went to war with each other… I’m so sorry. How old were you?” Kira asks, sitting beside the woman and holding her hand.

“I was a child when it all happened. I barely remember the bloodshed. It was a Jedi that got me out of there. I don’t think he even knew what he was doing in that part of the system but when he noticed that I was Force sensitive… Well the rest is obvious.” She remarks as the ship comes to a final landing halt.

“Is that why your eyes glow?” Kira tilts her head, studying the beautiful feature that the woman possesses. 

“Yes. Echani and Thyrsian are polar opposites when it comes to appearance. Echani have chalk-white skin and hair with the most silvery eyes you’d ever see. Thyrsian have dark skin like cocoa and golden eyes.” She nods, looking over to the medical bay.

“Will she want to hurt you? Or is the war over?” Kira asks, biting her lip as she joins Caithe in looking to the med bay. 

“The war ended when Bengali was returned to Echani Command. In return, Thyrsus was recognized as an independent world and the Six Sisters became five.” Caithe explains, standing up as SJ and Jake walk in. 

“So uh… We’re here. I guess that’s it, huh?” SJ looks between the three before leaning in the doorway. Caithe arches a brow at the bounty hunter and shrugs. “You have plans or something?” Caithe asks curiously.

“Come with us.” Kira offers. She walks over and wraps SJ in an embrace that the bounty hunter just isn’t quite sure how to react to. After a few confused seconds, the woman returns the hug to the padawan. “You helped us get this far. You might as well see it through with us.” Kira brushes past Jake and SJ and walks over to the bay doors. “Plus we like you too.” She smirks, glancing back to the med bay. 

“Effie, will she be okay to be here while we’re gone?” Kira tilts her head. The droid nods and places her medical tools down onto the counter beside her.

“Of course! I have administered sedatives to keep her from waking. I will await your return before rousing the Echani.” Effie assures the padawan. As the cargo bay doors lower, two diplomats stand at the foot of the ship. 

“Greetings! Welcome to Coruscant!” One of the very well-dressed men says as the others join Kira. “Lady Kerrington! We have been anticipating your arrival!” The other man says. Kira looks back wondering who Lady Kerrington is. SJ takes a step forward and sighs dramatically. 

“Aldarin, I asked you to stop calling me that. It’s SJ now… Just SJ.” The bounty hunter rolls her eyes, clearly annoyed by their presence. “You two can go now. I didn’t need a greeting party. I’m just here to help some friends out.”

“But Lady- er… SJ!” One of the men yell as the group pushes through them and begins walking towards one of the taxi speeders. 

“Lady Kerrington?” Caithe whispers only loud enough for her friends to hear.

“Can we not talk about this right now?” SJ asks as she climbs into the speeder, taking the wheel.

“SJ! Your mother is requesting that you-” The man begins but is immediately cut off by the sound of the speeder’s engine starting after SJ deposits the credits. 

“Tell her she can go lie in a pile of bantha poodoo.” SJ remarks angrily before flicking a switch on the dash that raises the top over the speeder. The floating vehicle takes off in a dash as the diplomats sigh and head back to the lobby of the loading bay.

“So can we talk about it now?” Jake pokes his head out from the back seat, Kira doing the same while Caithe casually looks over at SJ from the passenger seat.

“No.” SJ inhales deeply before pressing a black button under the throttle that turns the classical music in the speeder to an absurd volume. The next five minutes are filled with trumpeteers, unique voices, and the smooth rhythm of jazz. 

The speeder finally comes to a stop outside of a massive building with an etching over the goliath doorways reading The Academy. Walking into the building, there aren’t nearly as many people as expected. In fact, the only person in the room besides the rag tag group of friends is an elderly woman working behind a desk. “Excuse me… Do you know where we can find someone who knows about markings and symbols?” Caithe walks up and asks the woman.

“Markings and symbols? Well we have plenty of books and references in the Academy. I would recommend those.” The lady says, continuing to file her papers.

“The markings in question are a bit of a mystery. We were hoping an expert would be around.” Kira adds walking up to the counter and lifting her left sleeve to show the woman. The worker seems to be intrigued by the markings, adjusting her glasses to see them more clearly. 

“There may be… someone who can help you.” The woman gestures for them to follow her. Leading the group down several hallways, they finally come to a wooden door that has a golden plack on the center reading The Library. “A word of advice… Don’t touch the books,” the elderly woman recommends before opening the door. The four walk in as the door shuts behind them. 

The Library is a very small room with three tables. One in each corner of the triangular room. A rug sits in the center and a person sits on top of that. The person has long brown hair and a very thick face of cosmetic product layered onto their skin creating an artistic and feminine façade. Standing up, the person is wearing a tight brown and white corset with a lace and leather miniskirt and high white socks with thigh high brown boots. The theatrics of the room and person alone are incredibly dramatic.

“Welcome to the Library!” The person shouts, twirling around happily as the group stares at them like they’re insane.

“Hello… I uh… I’m looking for some help. I was told you might be able to give me some.” Kira says, stepping forward. 

“Oh, yes! Yes of course. You are… in need of help!” The person cackles madly.

“Are you alright? You don’t seem very well…” Caithe looks around at the books and scrolls lying around. They all seem to be focused on markings and symbols from all corners of the galaxy.

“Oh, I am very well! It has just been quite a long… time since I have seen other people!” The person tilts their head. “I am The Librarian!” They say, extending a hand to Kira.

“The Librarian? Don’t you have a name you’d rather us call you?” The padawan tilts her head curiously.

“The Librarian is my name, you silly goose!” The person says, grabbing Kira’s hand and giving it a firm shake. As The Librarian shakes the padawan’s hand, Kira’s sleeve falls back revealing her markings. The Librarian gasps loudly before hopping up and down. “You have the markings! You are the prophesied one!” They shout loudly, yanking Kira to the far corner of the room. 

“You know what these symbols mean? What do you mean by the prophesied one?” Kira asks as she’s dragged along.

“You were created with these markings because you are destined to end the feud between Light and Darkness!” The person shouts manically as they flip through the pages of a book. They get to a page with symbols covering the parchment. “Look! This is an ancient Jedi rune that is older than almost anything else in the Jedi Order’s history. It means ‘healing.’” They say, closing the book. Lifting Kira’s sleeve, they trace up her arm until their finger lands on a specific marking just underneath Kira’s elbow. “And here it is! The same rune… How very intriguing.” The Librarian says, tapping their chin.

“Destined to… what? Where do… What makes you think that any of this is true?” Kira blinks at the person, clearly confused.

“Dreamdust!” The Librarian shouts happily. They walk to the door of the room and pull on a rope beside the exit. A loud cranking sound echoes from above before a glimmering iridescent dust begins to fall from above. 

“What in the…” SJ begins but quickly realizes what the substance is. “Dreamdust… Don’t inhale the dust!” The bounty hunter yells, running to the door which is blocked by The Librarian. Raising her gun towards the person, SJ readies herself to fight her way out of here before inhaling the dust. One after another, they can only hold their breath for so long before the Dreamdust takes each of them forcing them into a slumber.

“Oh, do not worry my children! You will be cared for while you visit the Dreamscape.” The Librarian giggles madly, putting a pillow under each of their heads.

Jake

I blink my eyes open and I can hear the laughter of my friends in the back corner of The Hungry Sheepdog tavern. My parents built this place from the ground up and I’ve been helping them run it since. Ord Mantell is probably one of the best places in the galaxy to have a tavern. We have people from just about every corner of the quadrant pass through here every day.

I grab a pitcher of water and some warm bread that just popped out of the oven and I carry them over to my two closest friends Yahir and Bamu. “It’s on the house, guys.” I chuckle before turning to head back behind the counter. My heart drops when I hear a lightsaber ignite from the front door. I turn to face the entrance and see a Sith Lord concealed in black robes and a hood with a blood red saber crackling in the doorway.

The Tavern falls to silence as the Sith enters the room. The townsfolk begin to run out of the door as he approaches me. I freeze in place as I back into the counter. “Please… We’ve paid our dues to The Empire… We don’t have much left to offer.” I plead, dropping to my knees. The Sith lifts his saber before the kitchen door swings open. The Lord’s attention is drawn to my father standing in the doorway with a butcher’s knife in hand. 

“Now you stay the hell away from my son.” He growls loudly. I shake my head and stand up as the Sith approaches my father. “Dad, stop! Please… You don’t need to make yourself a martyr!” I shout back. Before I can get another word out, the Sith Lord cuts him down where he stood. “FATHER!” I turn the corner and charge at the Sith only for him to spin around in the nick of time. 

The Sith’s saber ignites just as I close in and I can feel the heated laser explode inside of my heart. I reach up and grab the man’s hood as I fall back onto the ground. Looking up as I take my last breaths I can only see myself. The Sith Lord… It’s me. 

What have I done?

SJ

“Master… Why do you call yourself SJ?” Effie asks curiously as her severed head sits on my dash. 

“That’s my name, Effie. What are you asking, exactly?” I ask, tilting my head at her. I shift the gears into autopilot as my chair spins around to face the other three chairs. I frown as they’re empty… For some reason it tugs at my heart… But why? I don’t need anyone.

“Your name is Sarah Jeanne Kerrington, Master. But you refer to yourself as SJ. I would like to know why this is. If there is something wrong with Effie, perhaps you should start calling me E!” The droid remarks, her robotic eyes shifting lenses as she looks at me.

“I- No… There’s nothing wrong with your name, Effie. You’re perfect the way you are. I would never change a thing about you.” I shake my head. “I grew up different than most other kids. You have to understand that first. My mother and father are royalty and when they adopted me… They had no idea that I was a changeling. When they did find out, we had to find ways to hide it. Eventually, I just got tired of pretending that I was someone else so I tried to walk around in my natural form. The one I was born with.” I continue, looking out of the window for incoming asteroids as the dash panel sounds an alert.

“You were able to be who you truly are then. Even if this makes your parents unhappy, perhaps it was for the best!” Effie says with a smile in her voice.

“If only it worked out that way. It wasn’t just my parents that were disgusted by the way I look. It was everyone. Other children, my mentors, my family. Eventually I was just forced to always wear this fake face.” I admit, lifting my feet onto the dash. “When I turned eighteen, I left. I wanted nothing to do with any of those people. They were all so vile… So I changed my name to SJ because she’s a happier person than little miss Lady Kerrington ever was.” I slump back into my chair and my form shifts into my natural appearance. My skin is dark green and my eyes are very large and grey. I have no hair and no fingernails. 

“Master?” Effie asks, blinking twice as she stares at me.

“Yes, Effie?” I sigh, clearly uncomfortable even in just the company of a droid.

“You are beautiful.” Effie’s voice echoes in my mind. Everything suddenly turns black and then there is… Nothing.

Caithe

“I love you…” I whisper, smiling at the woman across from me. I can’t help but feel my heart flutter as I look down at her beautiful white wedding dress. I glance down at my own gold and black suit before letting my eyes gleam to all of our friends and family in the pews. “I do…”

“With the power that is vested and entrusted to me by the Republic, that I pronounce you Lady… and wife.” The woman between us smiles happily. I reach out and grab my bride and as I plant my lips against hers, I can hear the congratulatory lightsabers of our fellow Jedi igniting and waving in the air. All I can feel is my heart bursting with joy.

As I open my eyes from our kiss, I slowly back away as the entire chapel is suddenly in ruins. Everything is dark and covered in cobwebs. The Jedi are all gone and the priest is nowhere to be found. My newlywed wife stands in front of me but her wedding dress has been replaced by entirely new attire. She wears black boots embroidered with blood red patterns that go up to her thighs with a red silk tunic that drapes between her legs. Her brown hair has become a deathly black and her eyes are shadowed by dark tired circles. As she looks up at me, the red glow in her eyes causes my body to freeze up.

“You… Let our daughter die… You killed her… Murdered her…” Malevolence grits her teeth as she clenches her fist, using the Force to lift me up off the ground. “YOU TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME! YOU LET MY CHILD BURN WHILE YOU SAVED WARMONGERING BASTARDS!” She effortlessly slams my body into the chapel wall like a ragdoll. 

“Mal… I…” I cough, trying to speak. I can feel my lungs filling with blood as she continues to throw me into the wall. As I feel the life begin to leave my body, everything around me fades away and I can feel myself drop to the floor.

She was right…

Kira

I lift my head up, gasping for air. I look around and see that my arms are bound upward into two large metal cylinders. Looking down, my legs are bound in the same manner. Trying to pull my arms out is no use, I can feel the Force deprivation field around me and for some odd reason… It’s working.

A tall man with black hair and a white lab coat walks into the room. “Oh! Subject 232… You’re finally awake. You have the most miraculous timing. We must proceed with further experimentation.” The man remarks. I look back to see another man in a lab coat with a scalpel and a plastic bag. 

“What are you doing? What are you people doing to me?” I look around, feeling myself begin to panic. I scream out in agony as the sharp scalpel digs into my back. It feels as if they’re slicing to the bone.

“We’re taking another sample. We require your skin to study your markings, Kira. This is what you asked of us.” The scientist tilts his head. “Don’t you want to find out where it is that you came from?” The man chuckles softly, shaking his head at me. “You are a very special girl, Kira. You should know that… Now we’ll be back in just a few hours to collect some bone marrow  and spinal tissue. Until then, I recommend that you try to get some rest.” The man remarks, patting me on the shoulder lightly. The two walk to the exit and as he is walking out of the doorway, the scientist looks back and smiles. 

“Do not fret, young one. We will find out who did this to you… We will find out who placed this dark curse onto your soul.” His voice says, lingering in my head as the pain overwhelms me. Everything begins to fade black as my head droops down. I can only repeat one word in my head as I try to hold onto whatever hope I can.

Ketuari.