Revan laughed, poking Tyla in the side. Tyla glared at her and poked her back when she was jumped on from someone behind her. Electric blue hair fell in front of her eyes, and she pushed the girl off of her. Aurali landed on the floor and glared up at Tyla. She teased Tyla with something, and the entire group was silent for a moment, then burst out laughing with Aurali rolling on the floor.
Kiana woke up with a start, and she glanced around quickly. Yep, she was still in the same, dirty apartment she had fallen asleep in. She glanced outside the small window and saw that the city was locked into the darkest part of its never-ending night. She sighed, pushing her white hair back.
"Damn nightmares." She muttered to herself as she got off the bed and walked over to the closet. They had been getting worse and worse lately. The last time she had been plagued by those dreams were right after her exile, before Jadowyn had even hired her. Why they were coming back now randomly was off-putting. The huntress didn't like it whatsoever. Those days are over. Tyla is no more. Kiana thought to herself as she pulled on her clothes and strapped her two vibroswords to her side. She pulled her long, white hair back into a loose ponytail and looked at her reflection. If she had ever run into one of the people that used to know her, there was no way they would recognize her now.
Her hair had grown out so far that even pulled back it fell to her waist, and her face had matured a lot. Whether that was from the war or exile, or both, she would never know but she didn't look as young as she had back all those years ago. She also never would have worn anything like this willingly back then.
The short dress looked like it would give little protection, but the lower layer of it was backed in tough armor. The boots were armor within themselves so that wasn't an issue. Her neck, wrists, and shoulders were protected with the same type of armor that her boots were. Her arms and a part of her legs were exposed, but that just meant she had to be extra careful in a fight. She shook her head and turned around, breaking herself out of her thoughts.
She sighed and stepped out into the cool night air and took a look around. Coruscant was as busy as ever. She walked over to her speeder and turned it on, taking off into the air. She took a sharp turn suddenly, even though it would take her longer to get to her destination. She didn't want to see that place, not right now at least.
She was navigating through one of the darker places on Coruscant when she heard a sound below her. She looked down just in time to see a blaster shot come straight up.
"What the-" she yelled, veering sharply to the left to avoid it. Another round of blaster shots came after her as she burst out into mainstream Coruscant traffic. There were some screams and soon the blaster bolts were absorbed by darkness when they got too far away. She cursed loudly when three speeders came up behind her, filled with people.
"Why me?" she demanded to herself as she put the speeder on auto-pilot. She reached over and grabbed her blaster from the ground and turned around, aiming at the driver in the lead speeder. Kiana let loose a flurry of shots, and one hit him in the arm, forcing him to let go of the speeder for a second. "I hate blasters." She muttered as she took aim again, targeting his other arm. This one hit its target directly and he yelped as he grabbed his injured hand, and the speeder went out of control.
She was shot at again, and whoever had the blaster was a good shot. Smoke started to billow out from underneath her speeder and she couldn't control the controls any more. She was forced to find a spot where she could land her speeder. Desperately looking around, the exile just managed to find a small, abandoned strip of land. It was large enough for a couple vehicles and she would still have plenty of room to fight. Just what I need. She had just landed her craft and jumped out when the two remaining speeders showed up. She pulled out both vibroswords as the rest of her attackers jumped out, armed with blades and blasters.
The blade users charged her and she blocked the first waves of attacks, falling back on her former training. These people were good though, and she was failing against their superior numbers. A blaster shot caught her in the leg and she hissed with pain. When Kiana did though, the attackers let their arrogance get the best of them, and the exile was able to slice two of them down before they realized their mistake. Only two left.
She went after the next two, and the first was too slow to draw his blade. He fell down in a small, bloody pool, but the attack had given the other one enough time to draw his blade and prepare for her. He put up a valiant fight, but he was nothing more than a young teen and he wasn't a match for her skill with a blade. She kicked him in the stomach and he fell to his knees painfully. She brought her sword to his throat and he looked up at her.
"Who do you work for?" she demanded, her voice cold. He glared up at her defiantly, but when the young human spoke his voice was shaking.
"I don't know. He just hired us, saying that he would pay us a great amount if we can take down this bounty hunter." He answered, throwing a datapad at her. Kiana caught it easily and read it quickly, often looking back at the boy. What she saw disturbed her. A detailed description, along with her usual habits and acquaintances were all listed in the datapad.
"Did he say why he wanted me dead?" Kiana demanded, though her voice was softer than before. It was obvious to her that this was just some kid that was abandoned and was trying to do whatever it took to survive on the streets. There was no need to kill him…yet. If he even looked at her funny though, the boy's head would be rolling.
"No, just that it was vital you were killed." He replied, and she thought for a moment before she gave a nearly inaudible sigh. She brought her face close to his, the cold metal of her sword pressing into his throat.
"I'm going to let you go, but if you tell anybody where I am or that I'm still alive, I will hunt you down. And let's just say that it won't be a slap on the wrist, okay?" She growled, her voice low. The boy gulped and nodded very slightly, not wanting her blade to cut into his neck. She removed her vibrosword away from him and he quickly limped back to one of his dead teammate's speeders and went off into the night.
Kiana growled and wiped her swords off on the clothes of one of the bodies. It was a shame that such beautiful craftsmanship had to go to waste. Both blades were totally unique to her and only her, but they were twins of each other. The handle was tipped with a single, onyx stone that glinted dangerously in the light. The blade itself was curved ever-so-slightly at the end to give it an extra-deadly whip that sliced through bodies as easily as a knife through thin cheese. The tang itself was covered by a dark, swirling design that caught the eye and was a good distraction for the easily amused.
Shaking her head, she walked back to her own speeder while favoring her injured leg. She reached inside and pulled out a small medpac, injecting it into her leg. The kolto worked its way through her blood and she sighed in relief as the pain subsided into a dull pulse.
"Apparently I haven't covered my tracks well enough." She thought out loud as she glanced at the datapad and threw it into the speeder. "Or maybe they really are just after me because I'm a bounty hunter." She was debating this mentally as she fixed her speeder and got it started again. Soon enough Kiana was back in the night air as she got back on track to her destination.
She landed minutes later in front of an immense structure, and there was a lot of traffic in and out of it. It was a Republic building after all. She got out of the speeder, grabbing her pack, weapons, and the datapad that the kid had thrown at her. She attached her swords to her side while she tucked a blaster into one of the pockets on her belt. Kiana put on the pack and grabbed the datapad in her hand as she walked into the building.
When she got inside she received a lot of open stares, but she ignored them. She had gotten used to them after all. Most of the people that worked here were normal civilians that just happened to work for the Republic, and a few soldiers were here and there. But she definitely did not look like a soldier, and she knew it. She approached the turbolift when a soldier stopped her.
"Stop…citizen. This is a restricted area." He commanded, looking her up and down slightly. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.
"It's not to me."
"Name?"
"Kiana Shale." She snapped back, and the man scrolled through a datapad he was holding.
"I don't see your name on here miss."
"No it's not because the Republic doesn't put bounty hunter names on their official rosters!" she commented loudly, and several people turned to look at the pair. The Republic officer's eyes widened and he lowered his voice to a low whisper.
"You're her?"
"Yes, now let me in!" she commanded, and the turbolift door slid open. Inside was a young woman. She was quite pretty with dark blue and black hair, and she was dressed in a very nice outfit. She still looks a lot like Aura. The thought ran through her head before she could stop it, and she mentally berated herself for it.
"Miss Shale, we are glad to see you safe. We heard about the attack." She commented quietly, and Kiana scowled.
"Really, then why didn't you help me out?" She demanded coldly, but the girl merely smiled.
"We only saw the final part of the battle, and it was apparent that you had taken care of everything by yourself."
"Thanks guys, I can see how much you care." Kiana commented sarcastically, and the girl talked to the Republic officer quietly.
"Of course Miss Shi. I was unaware of who she was." He saluted, and Skylar waved Kiana into the turbolift. A few seconds later the door opened into a magnificent office. The chair behind the gigantic desk was facing the huge window which gave an excellent view of Coruscant. Kiana walked in and turned around, and Skylar smiled and waved as the turbolift door closed.
"Miss Shale, I'm glad to see that you are safe." A male voice said, and Kiana walked over to the desk, sliding the datapad across the desk. His hand reached out a grabbed it, and the datapad disappeared as he read it.
"Yeah, well its no thanks to you guys." She said dryly as she sunk into one of the soft chairs.
"You're quite the capable woman. You can take care of yourself." He replied as he finished reading the datapad. He swung the chair around and Kiana had to admire his features.
He had jet black, shaggy hair that stopped right around his neck. His hazel eyes shone even in the dark office, and the lights from the Coruscant highlighted his broad shoulders and toned muscles. He wasn't human, but he certainly was handsome, and he was a nice man that knew how to get the job done. That's why he hired you…mostly. I think. Her inner brain said, but she shook those thoughts away. She had more important things to worry about than her employer's motives in hiring her.
"So, why did you need me Jadowyn?" She asked, getting straight to the point. Another job meant more pay. She needed credits more than ever now. Jadowyn stood up and went over to another part of the office, grabbing a datapad and a chip. He walked back over to Kiana and played the chip. An image of a tall man wrapped in a dark cloak appeared and Jadowyn tossed the datapad over to Kiana.
"Your next target is a Sith Lord. We don't know his name or his appearance, but he is a very dangerous criminal. He has killed several Republic soldiers and even a few Jedi." He explained, his hands landing on Kiana's shoulders. She looked up at him with a disapproving look.
"He has killed Jedi and you expect me to take him down?" She asked, disbelief in her voice. He didn't even know about her past (entirely) and he was sending her after Sith! Just her luck. Jadowyn leaned down and set his head on her shoulder.
"Yes, but you are the best damn fighter I know, and you are absolutely brilliant. And…" Jadowyn trailed off as he began to rub her already sore arms. It typically felt good, but Kiana was far too tense at the moment to feel it.
"And what?" Kiana demanded suspiciously. She had always trusted Jadowyn to do what was best for her and he knew that. He had never betrayed her or done anything to remotely piss her off. He had even obeyed her commands to not touch her.
"And the Jedi Council has sent two Jedi to assist you in this matter." He finished, and Kiana shot out of the chair in shock. Jadowyn stumbled with the sudden movement but caught himself at the last moment before he would have made a very embarrassing move.
"What? Jedi? You have to be kidding me!" Kiana yelled angrily, and Jadowyn reached out, trying to placate her.
"I know, I dislike Jedi too. They always looked down on us common folk. But they don't think you can do this on your own so they are sending Jedi with you." Jadowyn explained, and Kiana's eyes narrowed, ignoring the remark about the Jedi.
"Fine, but the bounty is mine! And who are they sending?" She asked, walking over to the window and glaring at it like she could make it explode. Why was this happening to her?
"The council wouldn't tell me, but the Jedi will be waiting for you at the docks with a ship." Jadowyn told her, coming up behind her. Kiana walked away from him and picked up the dropped datapad and she took the chip, shoving them into her pack.
"All right, where am I going?"
"Just leave this building. Somebody should be waiting for you outside to take you to the docks. And," Jadowyn paused as Kiana opened the turbolift door and she turned to face him, "good luck." She nodded at him briefly and she went down the turbolift, fuming and worry coursing through her mind.
She had to work with Jedi. The same people she had been trying to avoid since her exile and she had been doing a great job so far. And now, she had to work with them. Fabulous! The turbolift door opened and she stepped out, trying to keep her cool. Outside the building a speeder was indeed waiting for her, along with a person dressed in normal clothing.
"Greetings. I will be taking you to the docks." He said politely, and she gave him a skeptical look.
"Jedi?"
"Is it that obvious?"
"Normal Coruscant citizens aren't as polite as you are." Kiana explained as she jumped into the other seat of the speeder. The kid got into the drivers seat and went into the air, quickly taking her to the docks. When they landed, Kiana got out and tossed some credits at him, knowing fully well that he was going to not want to take them.
"I shouldn't keep these." Yep, there it was.
"Go ahead and go buy yourself some food. The stuff the Jedi feed you can't be all that amazing." She commented, thinking back to some of the food she had when she had still been an apprentice and not yet to any higher rank. It hadn't been the best thing in the galaxy. The Padawan blushed slightly as he pocketed the credits and went off into the night. She turned back to the busy docks and looked at the specific dock where he had dropped her off at.
A girl was waiting outside for her and she was glancing around. She was wearing normal Padawan robes, but she was also wearing a small veil that covered he eyes and her hair. I wonder what that's about. Kiana thought briefly before the girl noticed her. She ran to Kiana, smiling brightly.
"You're Kiana right? Hello, I'm Padawan Erina Dex. My Master is waiting for you inside." The girl said excitedly, and when she turned around Kiana secretly smiled at her. This girl is Aurali hyper. She scowled at herself for allowing that through. The girl was running off when Kiana reached out and grabbed the Padawan's shoulder.
"Excuse me, but…what are you?" Kiana asked, not thinking of any other way she could ask that politely. She just smiled at Kiana though and shrugged her shoulders lightly.
"It's okay. I get that question a lot. I'm a Miraluka." She explained and then she was off again, bouncing off to the bay. Kiana stared after the girl, amazement clear on her face. She trailed after the girl as she opened the door and walked in. A robed person was facing a small ship, and the girl skipped over to him.
"She's here Master!" the girl said excitedly, and he patted her on the shoulder as he turned around, smiling at the newcomer. Kiana's heart stopped dead when she saw him.
"Hello. This is my Padawan Erina Dex, and I'm Master Kavar." He explained, holding his hand out to Kiana.
Oh…shit.
Anything familiar belongs to LucasArts/Bioware/Obsidian. Tyla Moore/Kiana Shale belongs to Shadows of the Storm. Aurali Adrics/Leila Cross belong to Aurali Adrics.
Exiled © Shadows of the Storm