Aayla Secura Story, Part 2.
Tchah, life is what you make of it. My life belongs in that saying. Redone, it might read that Jedi Master Aayla Secura's life is what any Rutian or Lethan Twi'lek can dare to make of it.
A few months ago, one of my dear Jedi friends, Master Luminara Unduli, tutored me on a mission to Iego. She later wrote a diary about it, so that other Jedi Initiates can learn from her mistakes. I thought that I should do the same thing. Write a 'diary' of a crusade that I had done at one point or other, and then give it to my dearest friends.
I am at Knighthood. Quinlan, still my deepest friend, has helped me get to where I am. My best friend and Master, we have been sent on several missions together.
No, really... I have never resented Quinlan's advice or strict orders. If anything, it has helped shape me into the Knight that I am.
Submissive, helpful, and a deadly practitioner of Djem So, I am thankful. You cannot help being thankful to the person who virtually saved your life no less than 15 times.
My outfit has adapted too. I used to wear, when I was younger, a typical Twi'lek show suit. Now, my daily clothing sharply contrasts what any other Jedi might wear, but none of the other Masters seem to mind.
Except for a strikingly handsome Natulian Jedi that seems to follow me everywhere. Tight fitting pants, tight fitting Top piece, and typical boots.
As for my top piece, I cut off the sleeve on my dominant arm to enable more flexibility. My entire outfit is designed for flexibility, because, as every Jedi knows, the robes can become quite cumbersome.
What can I say?
I am a twi'lek. It's just in my lek to follow in the steps of dress and show. A kind of 'inner' thing that tends to keep me set apart from the other Jedi.
I have recently constructed a green light saber since Quinlan suggested that blue might be bad luck. Grievous now permanently owns two of my shining blue blades, and I agreed that green is a welcome change.
My lekku headset has not changed, nor has my navel piercing that I acquired as a child. It seems that as you grow older, you change everything but traditions.
When I was younger, I had always imagined growing up and hopefully acquiring my freedom from my Master. I had no idea of the tumultuous future that was ahead of me. Quinlan found me and rescued me from a life of eventual loss and hurt.
He was the master that made certain that I would be trained. When met with a "Twi'lek, yikes" attitude from the council, he trained me himself. I am forever thankful.
Why am I writing about my life anyway. Maybe someone, somewhere will find this mission interesting. Or it will change a future Jedi life with its wisdom.
At any rate, keep in mind that I am a knight, young, ambitious, and very new to this aspect of Jedi life.
Undoubtedly, 1. How I met Kit Fisto, and, Shaak Ti.
"If you are gone a bit too often, you find that you are missing out on life." – Master Sasee Tin
As a Knight, I was still tied to Quinlan and we were forced to work together. I could not work apart from him, and he could not work without me.
Follow up training, as the Padawan of my day used to call it. Still with your Master but completely finished with your training. It feels strange. However, I still meet up with Quinlan in meditation room 3 every morning, and, even though I have finished Djem So, we practice in the mornings.
He can still win whatever I try to attack him at, no matter what time. As a matter of fact, it is a game. I have tried, so many times, to blast him and catch him off guard. But that is impossible for a master, as I have learned.
Take, if you will, for example, the other morning. Quinlan Vos had gotten out of bed, and was hurrying to meet me at the third meditation room. Little did he know that I was waiting to ambush him before he got there.
His mission - get to the room. My mission - stop him from getting to the room. Why? Did you just ask why?
Because that is my soul purpose in this universe. To stop him from doing anything and hopefully not get him too mad. Will I be able to do it? Well, that's what I am going to find out.
Undeterred by the odds, I commence to fail. I knew I would not make it. I knew that Djem So loses to Ataru on any day. No matter how golden I may paint it. And especially to a Master against a Knight, forget it.
Quinlan was walking, at an amiable pace, to the room that I talked about earlier. I ducked, pushed off the pillar and rolled beside the next pillar on the other side. He continued walking forward.
Funny, you never think to access the Force when you need it.
I tucked and rolled again, this time, my lekku slipped, barely missing his back foot. I pressed my back against the cold iron pillar. Slowly, I poked my head around the corner. That was when I saw that me and Quinlan Vos were not the only ones in the hallway.
That green Natulian Jedi Padawan was watching me from behind. My lekku twitched, anxiously, at the very thought of impressing him. I watched Quinlan Vos with the eyes of a predator.
'Now.' I activated my light saber and jumped him from behind. He activated his and parried my move with amazing accuracy.
Wait, I have to stop here. I would keep moving, but I cannot until I have cleared something up. We are slashing away at each other at probably 50 parsecs per hour. That's fast. So please don't get confused. I'll try to explain it as best I can.
We both have green light sabers, but it still makes a pretty glorious flash when we hit blades. I whipped my light saber around the back of my head with an amazing Djem So move, and we hit blades again.
He uppercut with an Ataru move, I back slashed with Djem So, and he parried it so fast, I fell over. He stood over me, smiling. "I have never had a Padawan that would relentlessly try to attack me. It's different, Aayla." He deactivated his light saber and reached down to give me a hand up. He was the best Master anyone could ask for. "What are you trying to prove?"
My eyes shot over to where the Natulian Padawan was hiding. He poked his head out and then shot it back in. Quinlan Vos knew he was not alone in the hallway.
He walked, at the same amiable pace, over to the pillar where the Natulian was hiding. "Hello, what's this?" He took the Padawan's hand and led him out until he stood before me. "Padawan Fisto, did you dare my apprentice to do this?"
"No, of course not." He looked over at me with his oversized Natulian eyes. "I hardly even know her name."
I must have blushed. My blue skin must have gotten deeper because Quinlan Vos saw it. "Well then, I think it is time you have both met each other." He practically pulled me out from behind his back and set me in front of him. "Padawan Kit Fisto, meet my Knight, Aayla Secura."
The Natulian Jedi put out his hand for me to shake. It was a friendly move, but unexpected. He startled me. In a flash second, I had activated my light saber and struck a Djem So attack stance. He pulled back in fear.
"What…" were the only words he said.
I had scared him. "Oh, I am sorry." I awkwardly deactivated my light saber and attached it to my belt. I did not know what else to say. I remembered an old adage Quinlan Vos taught me. 'If you do not know what to say, it is better not to say anything at all.'
"Aayla, be nice." Quinlan Vos smiled at me. "He is just a Padawan."
"Sorry, Kit. I was a little too apprehensive." I had this horrible habit of running my hands up and down my Tchin-chun when I was nervous.
"Well, nice to meet you too, Aayla." He grinned. "I trust I will meet you again soon. It was nice to meet you." He brushed himself off, still grinning.
I use the word grinning, because I cannot use the word smiling. Natulian and 'smile' do not belong in the same sentence. It was definitely a grin.
"It was nice to meet you too." I cannot remember if I smiled and then we met eyes.
You can tell a lot about a person when you look in their eyes. As a Natulian, he had no eyelids. I saw happiness, peace, and inner joy. He really was a happy guy at a happy time.
"Can I call you Kit?" I asked.
"Can I call you Aayla?" He was still grinning. "If your answer is yes then mine is."
"Sure," I still found myself at a loss for words. He was a Padawan, and I was a Knight. It just didn't go.
Quinlan, the ever faithful Master, sensed the awkwardness of the situation and rescued me. "All right Aayla, the morning is still young and I don't have anything for you to do."
Wait, I thought he was on my side!
"Why don't you accompany young Fisto to his Knighting ceremony. I am sure he would enjoy it." He, again, practically pried me off of him and pushed me forward.
Was I standing that close to him? I didn't even notice.
"Um, okay." Kit turned to walk away and I ran to catch up to him. He stood taller than me, but I think my legs were longer then his.
His head, unlike mine, was covered with tendrils that were about the same length as my brain tails. We walked off, together, headed towards Grand Master Yoda's private meditation room.
"So, who trained you?" I had never seen him before with a Master, just alone, by himself.
"No one, actually." He grinned again at my surprised face. "I trained under many Masters. I have accompanied Master Yoda on missions as part of my training, and dueled Master Windu as well. Of course, my duel went just as well as yours just did."
He was still grinning at me. It was very disarming, I did not know how to respond to him. "Yeah, me and Quinlan duke it out all the time. His idea, of course. He said that the day I beat him was the day he would personally tell Master Yoda that I was ready to be granted the rank of Master."
He suppressed laughter. "That's great! I can help you, I mean, maybe if I trained you or helped you with your saber skills."
I gave him an awkward look. "You can fight Djem So? Isn't that a little girly for a manly guy like you?"
"I'm not a guy, I'm a Natulian." He grinned again. I don't know if I hated or loved it when he did that. If I ever grinned like that at Quinlan he would slap me upside the lekku.
"Besides, I learn to let live and deal with other forms. I try to make them a second reflex in case of an attack."
He was still grinning when we finally got to Master Yoda's Meditation room. "Are you ready, Kit?"
"Are you?" Another one of Quinlan's sayings popped into my head. 'There are no answers, only deeper questions.'
"I'm not the one being Knighted." I stepped aside, and he opened the door. "Master Yoda, a visitor for you."
Master Shaak Ti was seated in the seat nearest to Master Yoda. She stood up as soon as the door was opened, and her sudden movement startled me.
"Master Ti," Kit was the first to speak. "Nice to see you again."
"Kit Fisto." I had never gotten to meet her face to face, although I had watched her from a distance on several accounts. She seemed tranquil, fluent. "I hope you aren't here for more training."
"No, actually, I am here for a finishing ceremony. Ready for Knighthood at last." He straightened up and stopped grinning.
"Ready, what know you of ready?" Master Yoda commented and stood up.
"I think I'll stay for the ceremony. Is this your Master, Kit?" Shaak Ti asked, motioning to me.
I was about to correct her when he answered the question for me.
"No, I don't have a Master. This is a friend." Shaak Ti gave a gentle smile and walked around me. "You're not a Padawan, you have been Knighted. What is your name, and who is your Master, young one?"
"Aayla Secura, Master Ti. Quinlan Vos has trained me." I straightened up as well.
"Oh, yes. I have seen you attack him with Djem So before, in the hallways." She sat down as Yoda led Kit Fisto into another room.
I sat down next to her. "Better give them a few minutes alone." She ran her hand down my lekku. I subconsciously twitched my lekku away from her hands.
"So perfect. Do you speak Ryl? Maybe we will get grouped together sometime."
"Yes, I learned it when I lived on Tatooine as a child." I gave her an odd look. "How do you speak Ryl, Master? You're a Togrutan?"
"Well, my tendrils aren't for nothing. I can speak Ryl. Fluently enough." She was so smooth, so calm. I heard muffled chatter from the room next to us.
"Okay then, Master Ti, lets test it." I stood up and walked to the other side of the room. "Chi ta to a ta." I spoke a simple saying in Ryl and twitched my lekku while I was at it.
"Ry te, cha tai rai mi a ta." She responded, twitching her montrals as she answered my question.
"So you do speak Ryl." I sat back down next to her in amazement. "I guess that's why you are a Master and I am still a Knight, I have much to learn."
"Don't worry, young one. You will learn all that you need to in time." She was so kind, so benign. I was calmed in her presence. Was it a calming through the Force?
I smiled at her right as the door opened and Master Yoda led out Fisto by the hand. "Ready for Knighthood, this Padawan is."
Kit Fisto, Shaak Ti and I all kneeled on the floor of the dark meditation room. "Jedi Knight Kit Fisto, this title I bestow upon you with great happiness. May you use the Force for good all the days of your life."
Even Master Yoda had said that short saying so many times. Master Windu knighted me, a few months ago. And now I had a friend to be with. Kit stood up and bowed to Master Yoda respectfully.
I followed his example. Shaak Ti walked out of the room, her long skirt billowing behind her. There was nothing more to be said. Jedi Knight Kit Fisto had been knighted.
Undoubtedly, 2. The Mission and What else.
You know when you have gotten picked for a mission when:
You are called to a meeting with the High Jedi Council, (You don't belong to it)
You meet your Master in the hallway and he is headed to the Council room as well, (He doesn't belong to it either)
And you feel the extreme need to replace your light saber crystals.
On this day, when I woke up, all of these things happened to me within the first two hours of my rising. I knew, somehow, that it was no small matter to be called to the Council.
I ran through a really long hallway until I shot straight into Quinlan Vos.
"Oh, sorry, I was trying to make it on time." I tried to be as brief as possible, to evade further questions.
"Where are you headed?" He gave me that 'I know what you are saying so choose wisely' look.
Blast, I was hoping to make it on time. I looked at my wrist watch, two minutes late already. "To the High Council, see you later."
I ran as fast as I could to the large, spacious room that was locked down with bullet proof blast doors. The only room in the temple that they bothered to lock down with eavesdropper proof doors.
I knocked on the door, and then though twice about it. Why would I bother to knock on a blast door?
I was so lost in my own thoughts that I leaned on the door. Suddenly, unexpectedly, it opened, and at an alarming rate. I fell inside of the room on my side, landing, (of course) on my sensitive lekku.
Ouch.
"Aayla Secura, a pleasure for you and your Master to join us." Anakin Skywalker, Padawan to Master Obi-Wan-Kenobi, was also seated in the High Council room. He was so sarcastic, and, in his own annoying way, mean.
I tried to prevent the onslaught of tears that were about to burst from my eyes. I really hit my lekku hard. Quinlan Vos, ever faithful Master, led me to my seat next to his.
"Are you okay?" He whispered into my ear.
"Yes, sort of." I took my seat next to him and then, subconsciously again, sat criss-cross in the seat.
There was an odd silence. I leaned forward in the chair and looked around me, completely confused. Anakin snickered.
Without warning, Vos slapped me on my leg, and it made a really loud sound that echoed throughout the Council Chambers. I immediately straightened up and put my legs out front. Anakin almost burst out laughing.
It only took one stare from Master Mace Windu to shut him up. Heck, one stare from Master Windu could kill a Rancor, but that's another story. "May this meeting come to order."
I studied my surroundings. There were many Padawan's, some who I recognized and some who I did not, sitting in rows behind Grand Master Yoda. One, a young humanoid, didn't seem to be paying attention to the Council. I watched, in horror, as she dipped the Twi'lek's lekku that sat in front of her in ink well.
She had long, black hair that was tied in a braid behind her. Her skin, which was very dark, resembled Master Kolar's Zabrak coloring. As a matter of fact, she strongly resembled Master Kolar…
"Aayla Secura, which will be assigned a Padawan, and her Master, Quinlan Vos, are to complete this mission." Master Windu was speaking.
And I had not been paying attention.
"To the system of Moraga, a planet practically teeming with life, even more so than Coruscant, send you three, we will." Master Yoda finished.
"Jedi Knight Secura, please rise." Master Ki-Adi-Mundi called for me.
I stood up, nervously, giving a last 'what are they doing' look to Quinlan. His face stayed expressionless. I walked forward, to the center of the circle of Masters.
"Jedi Padawan Aryn Tarra, please rise." There was only one reason for this. I was getting a Padawan.
I was still uneasy, but I nearly fainted when the person that stood up was, of course, the braid girl. "Jedi Knight Secura, this is your new Padawan. Padawan Tarra, this is your trainer." Master Windu was the one to seal my inevitable fate.
I should have seen this one coming.
Quinlan Vos motioned for me to come back to my seat, and Aryn sat back down. "Just take it in stride, it's what I had to do with you."
I gave him a look like he had sprouted into a Reek overnight. He suppressed laughter. I tried to look on the bright side of things, but I couldn't. No matter how I looked at the situation, it was wrong. Me, a Knight, fresh out of apprenticeship and now saddled with a Padawan.
Quinlan could tell that I was pensive, and nudged me before I ran off in my own thoughts. "Pay attention." He leaned forward and whispered into my lekku.
Shaak Ti stood up to speak, holding papers in her hand. "Moraga is a less known but over-populated planet in the Outer Rim. By Starship travel, you can reach this system in approximately 1 day with some travel through Hyperspace. There are no known asteroid fields anywhere near its area. The information that we need you to steal will be given to you by a person that will meet you there.
Avoid authorities at all costs. Jedi are not permitted on this planet, so do not use your light sabers. Lay low, and use The Force sparingly. The information you will be stealing is confidential, so keep it safe and hidden. As far as we know, the Sith's presence has not been sensed on this planet." She sat down.
It became clear that we were going to be taking a hard core risk by getting this information. I wondered what this was really all about, but kept it to myself. Master Windu called the meeting over, and we all filed out of the room.
"What should I say to her, what should I do?" I panicked to Quinlan Vos. "I have hardly finished being a Padawan myself, and here I am with my own. And I have to train her! By myself!"
"No, Aayla, not by yourself. I will be with you, every step of the way." He pushed me forward. "But you need to take the first step yourself."
I mock frowned at him, but walked over to where Aryn stood, talking to another Padawan. "You got stuck with Secura, wow. And now you're on a mission with her, and you haven't even met her yet."
I was standing a little to the right of Aryn, so that she couldn't see me. "Yeah, I don't know. I think Twi'lek's are a little strange, I mean with their weird language and lekku and all."
The other Padawan, a young, blue Natulian shrugged it off. "I hope to get placed with a Master soon too, so; no bad to anyone."
Aryn Tarra waved a brief goodbye as the other Padawan turned and left. "Goodbye, Rebry! May the Force be with you!"
She sighed, and then looked around her. The hallway was slightly crowded with all of the Jedi leaving the Council Chambers. Only, they didn't really leave, they just kind of stayed and talked. It had been a long time since they all had been able to chat together.
"So, I left Mustafar without my light saber. Can you believe it! I left my blade on the planet! Not even in the ship!"
"Yeah, Coruscant taxi drivers are really mean. Just the other day I almost nailed one, head on, and he jumped out like he was going to kill me or something."
"Have you been to that diner yet? Because I gotta tell you, that Jamba juice beats all end."
I crept along the wall, hoping to avoid collisions, until I stood right behind Aryn. She was leaning against a pillar, staring out the window at the passing ships and cruisers. I tapped her on the shoulder.
"A dreamer, like me." She turned around and smiled at me. I returned it. "I think about lots of things too, what sort of things are on your mind?"
I didn't have to ask. I already knew. "I was wondering what it would be like to be a pilot, and fly around in my own star ship." If I had to guess her age, it was around 12.
"That's the great thing about Jedi. When you pass the piloting class you can. In your own cruiser, too." I suddenly found that I loved to encourage her. "So, have you made your light saber yet?"
"Yes, but I left it back in my room. I don't want to misplace it for the mission coming up." She was lying. I sensed it.
"Are you sure?" Quinlan Vos came up to our conversation and asked her. Maybe he sensed it too.
"Um, well, yes. I just don't have the crystals for it." She gave a half hearted smile. Me and Quinlan met eyes for a moment. I could tell that he knew it too, somehow. She was still bluffing.
"Are you sure?" I repeated Quinlan Vos' question to her, staring her down. I remembered how many times Master Vos had done the same thing to me, and how many times I resented it.
Now, I have never seen a person shrink before, but I am telling you, she literally shrunk. "No."
Quinlan Vos held out his hand, palm up, to me. I smacked it as hard as I could. "No stretching the truth, no half truths, and certainly no lying. To me or anyone else." I sounded so much like my Master, it amazed me.
The mood of the conversation seemingly relaxed, so I asked Quinlan where he wanted me to meet him tomorrow. "Got any special ideas?"
"Tchah, none that I can analyze. I tell you what, you and your new Padawan can meet me in the Hangar, the main hangar, tomorrow." He turned to walk away. "See you later."
"Sure, and you too!" I bid him goodbye, and then started with Aryn. "I don't take any guff from anyone. I have never had a Padawan before, and I don't intend to create a Sith, so you will just have to play along. Listen, learn, take notes, whatever you have to, but don't try to mess with me or you will find you are messing with a Jedi. Got it?"
"O-Okay." I think I might have scared her some, but I didn't care. She either learns how to live, or she could die. That's the very deepest heart of the Jedi, to keep the peace, but also to keep it straight.
"May the Force lead you straight." I left her standing there, probably bewildered. "At least, straighter." I added under my breath as I headed towards my bedroom.
Again, Undoubtedly, 3, Extended How We Got There
"If you have lost your way, try retracing your steps." – Master Shaak Ti
So, the next morning, I woke up bright and early to meet Quinlan at the Hangar. My thoughts were on the Mission, and nothing could change that. I was so obsessed with getting to the Hangar on time, (I was always on time) that I forgot the events of the previous day.
I jumped out of bed, grabbed my long robe and my saber, fastened my belt around my waist, and left the room. "Is that it?"
I poked my head around the corner and took one last look at my bedroom. "Yes."
I had a strange thought, would I ever return to it?
There's my lekku, running away with thoughts again. "Will I ever get over that habit?" I wondered aloud as I turned to run down the hallway but actually turned to run into Kit Fisto.
"Oh, sorry!" He apologized for my accident. "Where are you headed?"
"To the hangar," I answered as curtly as possible. Again, my thoughts were on the hangar. Get there, get going.
"Oh," he sounded sad. "Can I walk with you?" He suddenly grinned at me.
"Well, actually, I wasn't going to walk…" I gave him an odd look. "Race you there?"
"Sure." He was still grinning, but his strange smile got larger at the idea of a race. "Get ready, and you can say… go!" He took off at the speed of light.
"Kit!" he caught me unaware, even though I was the one that offered the race. I raced after him, as quickly as I could. "I thought you said I could say go!"
"Can't talk now, I'm running." I had caught up to him, mostly. I was running practically on his heels. We were flying down the hallway, and once again, I wasn't paying attention. He quickly grabbed the edge of a door and swung himself to the left, and I mean quickly. I put my hands out in front of me just in time to slam into a wall.
I pushed off of the wall with my boot and shot off with a new found burst of speed. "Hello, Kitty." I had caught up to him in no time.
"What-" he glanced over his shoulder just in time. I reached out, laid my hands on his head, and then, using the Force, leaped over him. Using his own head as a booster, too. I swung my legs out in front and then I landed on the floor… of the Hangar.
"I win!" I was standing right near the door, staring at a small and agile Jedi cruiser. I spun on my heel and gave him an indomitable smile. I was met with a frown.
"Kitty?" He sounded mad, but then started to laugh. "That's the silliest thing anyone has ever called me."
I smiled, and then started to laugh with him. "I only said it to catch you off guard. Master Vos said that you should always be alert."
"Oh, yeah. You sure proved that at the beginning of our race." He grinned at me.
I felt a tap on my shoulder. "Kitty?" Quinlan Vos' deep voice carried a hint of sarcasm.
"We were just playing." I was trying to brush him off, so that I could say bye to Fisto.
"Aayla, let's try not to play around." He looked around me and then sighed. "I see you were so busy playing that you forgot your Padawan."
I gasped. "Aryn! Oh, no. What am I going to give her for a weapon? I have to give her something."
"I have taken care of that." Quinlan smiled and then held out an old model of a light saber. "It's my old blade."
I activated it, and was surprised to see a blue color. "Thanks, Master." I didn't have time to stop and savor the moment. "I have to go and find her. She is probably lost or something." I clipped the blade onto my belt, next to mine.
"Go on, and try not to play with Kitty this time." Quinlan Vos smiled, gently and then shooed me off. "Remember, you are a Knight, with a Padawan, and you have responsibility. Fooling around is for Padawans, not Knights."
"Yes, Master." I gave him a bright smile. Quinlan went over, around the cruiser, and continued getting the ship ready.
I ran off, down the hallway, headed for the training room. As I ran past countless doors, columns, and other Masters, I wondered where she could be. I stopped running, at one point, to catch my breath.
I asked the nearest Master, which just happened to be Siri Tachi, if she had seen Aryn lately. "Do you have any idea where she might be?"
Tachi, the ever patient Master, asked an all important question. "Did you tell her where to meet you tomorrow?"
"Well, yes…" I wanted to slap myself upside my lekku. She was probably on her way to the hangar right now.
"Then I suggest that you go where you told her to meet you. She is probably waiting for you." Siri gave me a gentle smile, and then left.
"Oh, well. I guess that I will have to run all the way back to the Hangar by myself." I wondered out loud.
And, with that, I took off, at a slower pace, for the hangar. Hoping that Aryn would be there so that I didn't have to run all the way back.
Several minutes later, I arrived at the hangar, completely out of breath. "Quinlan, that Padawan of mine had better be here, or you will be the one to-"
I rounded the corner of the cruiser and there Quinlan Vos stood, with Tarra, next to his cruiser. "Welcome back, Secura. I found this while I was fixing the ship." He motioned to Aryn, who smiled squeamishly.
I rolled my eyes, and then asked an all important question, Ignoring Tarra. "So," I panted, still out of breath from my brisk jog around the temple. "What is stopping us from leaving right now, Master Vos?"
"Nothing, except for that." He pointed to the extra light saber hooked onto my belt. "Tell me that you have your long robe and coverlet?"
"Long robe, yes. Coverlet…" I gave him a cheesy smile. "No." I slipped off my light back pack and put it in the front seat of my cruiser.
"I guess that's good enough…" He shook his head. "Is Aryn going to ride with you? She is your Padawan."
"I'll take her." I tossed Aryn Tarra Quinlan's old light saber. "And you take this."
I got into the cockpit of my cruiser and strapped on my headset. A large vacuum-like piece placed my R3 unit into its compartment.
"Where did you get this!" She examined the delicate hilt and activated the shining blade. "It's so beautiful."
"Ask Vos, not me." I motioned for her to get into the seat behind me. "Once were off the ground, that is." Quinlan climbed into the seat of his cruiser and started up his engine.
"Let's fly." I started up my engine and reminded Aryn to buckle up as the ship rose off the ground.
My small, blue streaked cruiser left the Hangar exactly after Master Vos' did. I lined up with him, the point of my cruiser just touching his left wing. We ascended straight up and out of Coruscant's atmosphere, only to be met by a lingering darkness. "Welcome to nowhere." I commented as Aryn leaned out of her seat to examine passing ships.
"Blueforce, do you read me?" Crackled over my headset.
"Loud and clear, Queue. What's the idea?" I smiled.
"I programmed the ship for R3 to steer. Autopilot, Blueforce, and I'll do the same."
"Got it." I pushed a series of buttons on my console and then leaned back to Tarra. "Do you want to talk to Vos?" I handed her a small, black comlink.
"Sure." She pushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear, but they just fell forward again.
"Hair trouble?" I pulled an embroidered animal-skin headband out of my belt. "Here, you can use this."
"Oh, it's beautiful! Where did you find it?" She picked it up, gently, and admired the thread handicraft.
"It was a friends." I replied sadly as I remembered an old mission. My lekku ran away with my old memories as I imagined myself on the planet of Iego, dragging Archai's limp form across a wide mesa.
"Just leave her here, Aayla." I heard Master Unduli's gentle voice remind me. "She was gone the second we left."
I recalled pulling the headband off of her head, and fingering it gently. "Why does it have to end like this?" I remember asking her. "Why did I have to be the one to deliver the killing stab?"
"We cannot ask why fate unwinds the way that it does. It is as though asking why the Universe was created." I could almost hear her voice as I remembered tucking the colorful headband into my belt. I hadn't moved it since that day, about 6 months ago.
A single tear trickled down my face as I watched her put it on and admire it. She stopped, sensing my uneasiness. "What is it?"
"It was just a friends." I shook my head to clear it of all of the confusing memories. "Archai."
"Archai?" She gave me a curious look. "Who is Archai?"
"Was, Archai." I corrected her and then heard a static buzzing in my ears over my headset. "Queue? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, sure." I heard him answer. "I sensed a tremor, are you alright?"
"Just recalling some old memories, hard memories." I tried to brush him off, again. Aryn settled down behind me.
"It was that mission to Iego, wasn't it?" I heard his knowing voice answer. "I can't believe that I couldn't come with you."
"Tchah, you always miss the important stuff." I smiled, knowing that he was in a light mood.
Other systems whizzed past us as we neared Moraga. I was speechless, and Aryn knew that something was bugging me. While a first mission as a Knight without your Master should be a huge milestone for most Jedi, mine was a failure.
I had promised myself that I would never revisit that day. Archai was a dear friend, and it broke my heart to remember what happened to her.
As we neared the system, my tension mounted.
Undoubtedly 4, a Grand Entrance
"Is life only lived to be taken?" – Master Bant Eerin
As we landed on the planet, it became very clear that this system wanted nothing to do with Jedi. We went through scanners and had our ships checked 3 times for smugglers and such. I simply told Aryn to stow it if asked any questions, and reminded her to put her saber in my backpack.
I hoped that she would not be a hindrance to the mission.
Quinlan took it all in stride. I had tucked our sabers into my pack and covered them with a piece of Stintfoil to keep them undetected. We made it through the checkpoint and were allowed to enter the city. By the time we reached the shopping center where we were to receive the information, I was pretty worn out.
"Slip into your long robe, and let's get to the meeting place." Quinlan whispered into my lekku. "I'll stick with Aryn, and you can pick up the chip."
Without answering, I drew the light sabers out of my pack and handed them out to everyone. Pulling out my long robe, I slipped into it easily. "Where will I meet you?"
"Were going to follow you," He winked at me. "Just forget about us, and if we get separated, meet in the elevator."
As soon as we entered the huge center, I activated my homing beacon. It showed a small room on the third story, and in that room, the informative chip was stowed away. I kept up with a crowd, hoping not to attract any attention. I sensed Vos behind me, at about ten paces.
I traveled up the stairs with as little trouble as possible till the third floor. Then, taking a quick glance around me, I stepped into the room.
It was old, dilapidated, and smelled terrible. I took a quick glance at my tracer to make sure that I was in the right room. Then, after moving around some old papers, I found the small black chip. Thinking quickly, I tucked it into my belt and walked out of the stuffy room. I coughed from all of the dust.
I walked over to the railing of the third story, attempting to study my surroundings. Noticing that there was no way to the elevator without passing guards, I developed another plan.
I raised my head to look at the rainbow colored strobe lights that hung from the roof of the building. My hood slipped off of my head, and then, wondering if I was crazy, I jumped upwards, using the force. I grabbed onto one of the light filled balls. Swinging back and forth, I monkey barred all of the lights until I hung over a clear space without any people.
"Hey-you! What are you doing!?" I heard a guard question. He was on the third story, just behind the railing. I turned my head to face him. "Yes, you!"
"I was just leaving." I let go of the strobe light and used the force to break my fall. I hit the ground as lightly as possible, but it still made a loud noise.
"What are you doing?" I guard grabbed my arm forcefully. "Where did you fall from?"
He grabbed my other hand and tried to pin them behind my back. "Just up there." I nodded to the third story.
"Where?" I spun, he let go of my hands, and I raised my leg and kicked him in the jaw. He fell over, out cold.
I always forget that guards come in pairs.
I tried to tuck and roll under the second guards' feet, but he had grabbed me by my lekku. He was holding it pretty hard. Acting purely on instinct, I activated my light saber and sliced his hand off.
The hum of the blade combined with the second guards screaming attracted quite a bit of attention. Guards from all over the shopping center swarmed to where the action was.
Luckily, I was not in the action. Sprinting as hard as I could, I caught the elevator door right as it was closing and threw myself into it.
I smashed straight onto Quinlan Vos and Aryn. "Sorry, I made a bit of a fuss."
Quinlan Vos picked himself up and helped Aryn off of the floor. "That's okay. The elevator is bulletproof."
And, amazingly, it was! I heard bullets being fired at the elevator, but none of them seemed to penetrate the metal.
"Yes, but what should be on our minds is whether or not we are bulletproof." Aryn commented. "You know that there is going to be a million guards waiting for us when we get off."
"Not if we are headed to the tenth level." Quinlan Vos pushed a button on the elevator console, and we started going up.
"Great, but, what do we do when we get there?" I surprised myself by how much I sounded like Aryn.
"We use our intellect to bypass the guards and get to the ship." The word intellect, when used by Vos, usually referred to using the Force to play mind tricks on others. "Then, we hightail it out of here before we get rediscovered."
The elevator was rising rapidly, and we were on the ninth floor before I could ask any further questions. The doors opened to pick up further passengers. A Mon Calamari passerby and a young boy stood at the door. Both of them boarded, and then, as the doors began to close, I saw guards coming up the stairs. One, a young Zabrak, fired his pistol at the open door.
I activated my light saber on instinct and attempted to deflect the bullets. One whizzed by me as my saber was turning on and hit Aryn. The doors began to close. Desperately, I pushed the Calamari and the young boy to the floor and out of the elevator before the doors closed.. Shots rung throughout the center as I neatly deflected each one of them. The strong elevator doors soon shut, and I clipped my weapon onto my belt and ran to where Aryn fell.
"Tarra! Are you okay?" It seemed as though she had dodged, just in time, and missed the shot. A small cut just grazed the side of her right arm.
"She'll be fine, Aayla." Vos inspected the wound and then turned to push the buttons that would bring us to the first level. I sighed in relief.
"So much for using intellect." The elevator lurched and then made its way downwards. "Now what?"
"The first level is where we parked the ship, and once we get out of the door, we bolt. I was actually planning on jumping from the tenth to not bother with the guards, but maybe we can just sprint it." Vos shrugged. "It's not my best plan, but it will have to do."
"That Zabrak looked so familiar." I thought aloud as I wrapped Aryn's cut with a piece of bandage from my utility belt. "I can't put my finger on it, but those eye blacks really put me off guard. I have seen him somewhere before."
"Aayla, there are thousands of Zabraks in the universe. I am sure that one or two look quite similar and paint their faces the same." Vos tried to shrug off what I had told him, but I could sense that he was concerned. We were nearing the first floor.
I tried to access the Force to tell if there were any guards there, but I couldn't tell. "When the doors open, hack your way out." Quinlan Vos reminded me. "Leave no one standing."
"Got it." I activated my saber before the doors opened. "Tarra, you too."
"Yes, Master." She pulled out Quinlan's ancient weapon, and just then, the doors opened.
Quinlan was the first one to step out of the doors. He looked around him, activated his saber, and rushed forward. I went to follow him, and dragged Tarra out as well. As soon as we stepped off, there were guards everywhere. Shooting, running, calling for help…
I ducked to miss a passing bullet, and then started using my green blade as a deflector. I automatically used Djem So to fight the guards. Twist, kick, hit, slice, parry, thrust, kick again, duck, deflect. Spin it, cut, and thrust again.
As soon as I saw an opening in the circle, I rushed for it. Quinlan saw it at the same time and shot forward. As soon as I reached the ship, I looked back to find Tarra.
I couldn't believe my own eyes. She was fighting, still, having missed the opening, and she was surrounded by guards. "Aryn!" I shouted.
No sooner had the words escaped my lips then she fell under the fire. I saw it all in slow motion. She twisted to hit a bullet, but she wasn't fast enough. She doubled over under countless shots, and did not stand up.
Quinlan Vos grabbed my arm and forced me into my cruiser. He rashly buckled me into my seat, pushing down on my head to keep me from springing out of the ship. "You can't do anything for her! Sit down so I can close the cockpit!" He shouted.
The guards, seemingly unsatisfied with their job, rushed towards us. "No! I won't leave her!" I continued to try and stand up. One of the guards, the Zabrak from before, pulled out his blaster and shot at me. I went to stand up, but was met with a searing pain in my chest.
Darkness.
Undoubtedly, 5. A Tale of Two Losses
"Strike a pact with an enemy, and you single handedly seal your death." – Master Mace Windu
"Oh, if only there was a healer that could mend hearts!" - Me
I woke up in a cell. It was cold, dark, and damp. I sat up too quickly, my thoughts on my Padawan. "Tarra! Aryn!" I called.
"Dead." I heard Master Vos' solemn voice remind me. "She's dead." I looked around, and then spotted my Master hunched up in a corner. Next to him, there was a bundle of blankets. I tried to get up, but my right arm just wouldn't do what I told it to.
Quinlan got up from his seat on the floor and helped me up. "See for yourself."
I walked over to the bundle that was a deep brown color. I was afraid at what I was going to see. Quinlan pulled back the top piece of the Jedi robe. My worst fears confirmed.
Aryn's lifeless face was a pale gray, her eyes were closed as if she was only asleep. I didn't say anything. I put my hand on her head, and felt the coldness of her brow. Then, I removed the headband.
A single tear trickled down my face. Sometimes that is all that is needed to express emotion. I untied the gentle knot behind her neck, and then slipped off the embroidered treasure. "So young." Quinlan Vos read my thoughts.
I held the headband, ever so gently, and then pressed it close to my heart. I closed my eyes. Even though I had only known Aryn for a short time, it seemed as though we had been together forever. "Yes, Master." Her last words rung in my head like a forgotten mystery of the past.
When I raised my head, her cold, lifeless body had disappeared.
"Welcome, Jedi." A saucy voice interrupted my inner thoughts. I turned around, and saw the Zabrak's piercing blue eyes staring through the cell bars. "I trust I find you well?"
Quinlan Vos rolled his eyes and leaned on the wall. "Ignore him, Aayla."
"Oh, you wouldn't ignore your Padawan's killer, would you?" I stood up, but fell down dizzily. "Especially not the person who will kill you."
"What do you mean, Zabrak?" I taunted him.
"Excuse me, but you must address me as Darth Fume. Or Master Charr, if you please."
"Darth Fume?" That name rung in my head. I couldn't recall where I had heard it from…
"Mind if I step in for a moment?" he was standing just outside of the cell door, which was barred with metal rungs. As soon as he undid the lock, I saw 6 other guards enter the cell with him. I knew he would not come alone.
"You two, take the Twi'lek. And you two, chain him up." He nodded to Master Vos. I braced myself as two guards grabbed both of my arms. They pulled me up, until I was standing, facing Charr. My Padawan's assassin.
I had never wanted to submit to my feelings of anger so bad in my whole life. When the guard picked me up by my right arm, I suddenly cried out in pain. It felt as though my whole arm was on fire, such deep pain…
"Oh, do be careful. I think that I shot her in the chest, there." It was then that I looked at my arm. There was a brown bandage, made out of Quinlan's Jedi robe, which was tied over my right shoulder and under my left arm. Charr walked up and tore the makeshift bandage off of me, forcefully.
And then I saw the cause of my pain. A bullet hole pierced just at the center of my breast, but it had been a clean shot. The bullet tore out the upper side of my shoulder. "I do believe that my blade will fit quite neatly in that little hole there, don't you?" He pointed to my chest.
I knew it, I had seen him before. Okay, I had never met him, but I had seen a holographic picture of him on my Iego mission. "The Jedi that broke in will soon be annihilated, my Lord." His old message rung in my head.
"It was you! You set it up on Iego, you trained Archai!" It all suddenly fell into place.
"You are quite slow for a Jedi." He seemed unimpressed, suave. It made me sick. "But, nevertheless, I must keep my promise to my master." It seemed as though the guards that held me back were mindless, senseless drones. They never spoke, they never moved. It was as though they were droids.
"I refuse to respond to a Sith." I played obstinate, rebellious. Master Vos had always told me to act insubordinate when you have nothing else left. It made them suspect that you were hiding something.
"Fine, defiant Jedi, have it your way." He raised his hand to slap me across the cheek, but I saw it coming. With pain searing across my shoulder, I ducked my head, and he missed me. "I will be back within the hour." He paused, giving Quinlan a disgusted sneer that could dry up Kamino. "If not only to slice your lekku, and then your head off with my crimson blade."
He motioned to the guards, and they handcuffed me, hanging the chain that attached to them on a high pole that stood outside of the door. Quinlan Vos was already chained, and his rope was bound to mine, just outside of the door. Then, nonchalantly, he walked out the door and slammed it with tremendous force.
My lekku twitched, I think that I was nervous.
I knew what he would do next. He signaled the guards to pick up Aryn's robes. "Toss them in the incinerator."
I sighed and let my head drop, trying to let go. Attachment was not the way of the Jedi, but responsibility was. Attempting to vex me, he picked up Tarra's robe and tore it, passing it to the guard that flanked him.
He flicked his hand at the guards who had chained us up, and they locked the door. He sauntered off at an ambling pace. But not before giving me his most evil smile. "Within the hour, Secura."
I heard the door slam. My breathing had become more labored due to the pain of having my arms pulled in front of me. I sat down. "Now what, Master?"
He did not respond, his dark eyes studying the floor. He slumped down next to me. "A leaf tossed by the wind." He whispered like a broken man. I assumed that trying to speak to Vos was like talking to a Bocchi programmed droid. He had retreated, in his mind, to somewhere else.
I would finish the mission. It was up to me. I had less than an hour until he returned, anxious to do away with both of us. I tried an angle that I thought would help.
'If Charr wants to kill us,' I thought to myself. 'What can I do to avoid that?'
I tried to organize in my mind all of the things that I knew about Charr. 'He kills Jedi, he is a Sith, he trained Archai, he is out to get me and Barris, Luminara, and Shaak Ti, umm…'
If only I knew what his saber looked like. That would, or could, explain a lot. "Never focus on what you do not know, dwell on what you do." I could almost hear Master Unduli's gentle voice reminding me.
The room filled with white smoke, and I was suddenly filled with the overwhelming urge to sleep. I took a deep breath, wincing because of the pain, and held it in. 'Dioxis.'
It's a shame that I can only hold my breath for so long. I heard mumbled speaking, and I drifted into a kind of dream. "Aayla." I heard Kit Fisto's kind voice calling for me. "Never despair in the day of trials, keep on… keep hard on…" It drifted away.
When I woke up, (Was I asleep?) The chains on my wrists were loosened by the door being opened. Charr Fume stalked in. "Greetings, Jedi. I trust I find you in good health?" He chuckled lightly at his own sadistic joke.
"Good day, Fume." I raised my head from where I had been resting it on my knees. "I have been thinking."
"Thinking isn't a good thing for a Jedi to do," He mocked. "They tend to be bad at it."
'Like water off an Ai'wa's back.' I tried to remind myself. "Why would you kill me, if I am unarmed? I mean, wouldn't it be a loss to your part if it wasn't a fair fight?" Maybe I had jumped straight onto my topic a little too quickly, but he didn't seem to mind.
"Yes, I suppose that it would." He stroked the horns on his head, deep in thought. "You mean, you want me to fight you? While you are wounded? Wouldn't you lose?"
I had already contemplated his reply. "No, maybe some… I say, would you mind undoing my hands so that I can actually talk to you?" Quinlan Vos was still passed out from the gas a few minutes ago, so I had time.
"No." was his unmoving reply.
"I was wondering, would you let me go on a promise that I will find you and fight you evenly another time?" I tried to sound rational.
"Perhaps, if I had a collateral." He struck a hard bargain. I didn't quite know where to go with that.
"Like, what?" He pulled on my handcuffs until I was face to face with him.
"Something special."
My thoughts immediately drifted to the headband, but that would be of no worth to him. I looked around myself, trying to see if anything I had would be of value.
A single ray of light hit one of the golden flowers on my navel piercing.
"I could hold on to that for you, if you agree." I knew it, he never missed a trick.
"Well I would love to give it to you, but I am temporarily laid up." I raised my arms to show him the heavyweight shackles that trussed me up.
"I refuse to undo them. But, if you can break them without my help, I might consider your bargain."
Oh, a challenge, was it? I shrugged and then went to work. Using the Force, I pulled a file out of my belt, and caught it in my teeth. He stood inside of the room and watched me. Bending over, with extreme pain in my chest, I shook my head back and forth, filing away at the chains. In less than twenty seconds of the annoying grating noise beginning, the heavy metal broke.
Charr Fume smiled. "I have always admired the resourcefulness of the Jedi."
I stood up and finished undoing the shackles. "Fume, you haven't seen anything yet." I couldn't resist being at least a little prideful, I mean, Vos was still out cold. I gently unpinned my piercing and put it into Charr's hands.
"Keep it until we meet again and fight to the death. If you kill me, it will be all yours." I closed his hand gently. "Now, take us anywhere that is out of this prison."
He easily undid Quilan's bonds with the key, but stepped back when Vos fell from his bonds to the floor. "I am not helping you other then getting you off of this planet."
I rolled my eyes and picked Master Vos off of the floor. I swung one of his arms over my left side, bracing him with my injured shoulder. "Lead on, Charr."
He crept around the corner as soon as we left the cell. Flicking his light saber into his hand, he activated the deadly blade. "There's only one way outta this." He flung himself around the bend and I heard guards running. They started firing at him, I think.
I stayed with Quinlan behind the curve until I heard him call for me. "Come on, Secura." I came around the corner and walked past a plethora of dead and dying guards. I followed him until we came to the Hangar. "Hop in."
His orders were curt and obvious. He motioned to a red crested cruiser as the cockpit opened. I obeyed without question. He started up the engine and lifted off. I took out my strap and buckled me and Quinlan into the passenger seats. I looked up at Charr, and he seemed to be setting the coordinates for someplace. He looked back at me, nervously, and then passed me a strip of black cloth.
"Cover your eyes." I blinked at him. This was so not part of the deal.
"Why?"
"Because I am rescuing you and I say so." I glanced at the console one last time before I gave in and tied the piece of cloth over my eyes. "Don't take it off until I say."
I heard him punching buttons, and a few light beeps echoed throughout the cruiser. All in all, it was dead silent and very boring. I didn't want to talk to him, but, I eventually got so bored that I did.
"So, Charr, how did you get Archai to join you?" I was still blindfolded, so I didn't see or feel Quinlan stirring.
"Stow it, Jedi. Or you can end up like your Padawan." I didn't doubt him for a second. I felt the ship lurch a little as we left the planet's atmosphere.
"So long, Moraga. Hope I don't come back soon." I whispered.
Again, 6, Here We Are… Stranded.
"Willpower can boost you higher than a jet pack." - Tarr Sierr
"Here we are." I felt the ship's landing gear touch down on something. Charr led me out of the ship and onto what felt like sand. I was still blindfolded, so I was only using my other senses to figure out exactly where he had landed. I smelled the beach and heard the sound of rushing water.
"Where's Quinlan?" I asked as soon as he removed the blind fold. The sudden brightness nearly blinded me.
I shielded my eyes from the brightness of the planet. "Vos?"
"So long, Secura." I heard Charr's nagging voice. "I hear that salt water does good for deep wounds these days."
I saw the shadow of the light weight cruiser lift off into the air and sail out of the atmosphere. Master Vos was standing up, just next to where the cruiser had taken off. I ran towards him, tripping on the way and falling into his arms. "Easy, Aayla." He smiled, calmly.
He helped me stand up. "Does your shoulder still hurt?"
"Yes," I moved my right arm, gently at first, and then raised it above my head. There was a light pain in my chest as I did, but it wasn't as bad. "That's strange; it's not as bad as it was earlier."
"Yes, I know." Quinlan Vos seemed distracted, preoccupied. "I sense a slight tremor, you?"
"Um, no." I gave him an odd look.
"Aayla, this is a strange planet, I do not know where we are and… Oh, snarp." While he was speaking, he had been looking around him. When he turned to study the sky, he saw something I hadn't noticed before.
"Is that… Coruscant?" I echoed. Sure enough, just up in the sky, above where we were standing, was the unmistakable hue of the planet that we were trying to return to. It was large, a deep orange-brown color, and you could almost see the city lights.
"Yes." Vos answered, dully. I couldn't blame him.
It was just like Charr to leave us stranded on a beach planet where we could easily see the planet that we needed to get to. "Well, I suppose since we'll be here for awhile, we might as well take a look around." I stepped away from him and walked down the edge of the beach, letting the cool water run next to my boots.
I hadn't walked that far when I noticed a small beach shack, built along the tide line. I walked closer to investigate.
"Aayla, I found out where we are!" I heard Quinlan call for me from across the dune. He was holding a small, black device. "The beach moon of Kossuth!"
"Where?" I was sort of preoccupied and tried to brush him off, again. I neared the small shack and knocked on the door. "Is anyone home?"
The door creaked open and I stood back. Right then, Quinlan came around the corner. "Kossuth! It's a remote planet where- what's this?"
If he didn't ask then I would've. The short wooden door opened, slightly, and an animal much like a Lurmen poked its head outside the opening. Its furry ears twitched, nervously. "Cha cha ti?"
It seemed to be speaking Ryl. "Aayla, what is this?"
"Hush, Master, do you want to frighten it away?" I snapped at him. Then, turning to the lemur-like animal, I answered it. "Jetti, mar c'a haava." I tried Ryl, my lekku moving as I spoke.
"Jetti!" the little animal squeaked, running back into its house. "Fenna, c'a Jetti!"
I couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. "Great, you scared it off." Quinlan smirked.
"Well, I didn't mean to-" The door reopened, but this time, a young female Twi'lek in a short beach combing dress stood in the way. Her skin color was tan, which identified her as a Rutian, like me.
"Hello," She smiled at me and Quinlan. "May I ask your business on this planet?"
"Actually, we don't have any business." I paused as the little Lurmen scampered back into the room and swung up onto her shoulder. "We're stranded."
"Are you hungry, sister? I may have some food inside left over from breakfast…" she offered. Her eyes drifted to the deep bullet hole just above my slip. "What in the name of Lazzen happened to you!" I assumed that that meant she would have to let us in.
"May we?" We hadn't had anything to eat since we left the temple, two days ago.
"Of course," She opened the wooden door wider and let us in. "Come and sit." She motioned to a small, feeble table with two chairs. She opened a cabinet decorated with shells and pulled out some bandages and sterilizing fluid. She passed them to Vos. "You go ahead and clean her up."
I looked at him, nervously. I think that my lekku twitched again. "You can trust me, Aayla."
The Lurmen leaped off of her shoulder and fell onto the center of the table. It raised the fur on the back of its tiny spine and bared its small, yellow teeth a Quinlan, hissing.
She turned from the counter where she was preparing the food. "Tsk, tsk M'da. Be nice to our fellow guests." She picked it up and put it on the counter. "Sorry, he's a little unused to people. I'm Fenna." She put out her hand for me to shake.
"I am Aayla Secura." I answered as I shook her hand. "Nice to meet you."
"As to reunite with you, sister." She turned back to the counter to finish preparing her food.
"She is not your sister. She was trained at the Jedi Temple as a baby." Quinlan spoke tersely, with a visible fire in his eyes.
"Oh," she seemed confused, and kept her back to us as she spoke. "Are you a Jedi?"
"Well," I turned to Quinlan nervously. "Yes." He continued wiping at my chest to clean off the blood that was caked on it. I winced, visibly.
He seemed unmoved. As soon as Tarra died he was as a block of stone, almost. In feeling, connection, and words. "Do you have a laser sword?" I knew she would ask that. "I have heard of Jedi's laser swords, but never seen one." She picked up two plates filled with food and placed them in front of us.
"I don't have it with me, but I do have one. I made it myself." I started eating what she had served us. "We're actually looking for a way off of this planet." Quinlan wrapped my shoulder and chest with the pure white bandaging.
Fenna sat down on the counter. The little Lurmen, M'da, scampered up her back and sat on her shoulder. "I know of a relative that owns a cruiser. He found it crashed on this island and repaired it. I could bring it to you as you enjoy your food."
I stood up and bowed to her, "I would be honored, Fenna. Thank you for your kindness."
"Tchah, there's no need for that sort of stuff." She pushed me back into my seat. "While I go hunt for lunch along the beach, I'll travel till I get to him. Bring it back for my Jedi sister, yes?"
"Go on, Fenna. I'll keep you no longer."
Knowing that there were no more words to be said, she left the small shack with her Lurmen-like animal perched on her shoulder. "Farewell!" The creaky wooden door to the shack closed.
"Finally, were alone." Vos visibly loosened as he ate his food. "I thought she would never leave. What was with the 'sister' thing, Aayla?"
"She is a Rutian Twi'lek, and I am too. That, in Ryloth tradition, makes us inner sisters. It's a Twi'lek thing." I explained, proudly. "You shouldn't have corrected her."
"Yeah, Twi'lek's are weird." He commented and then finished off his plate.
"Only in tradition." I counted the conversation as over and walked over to where the window was. "I wonder what she is doing."
I studied her from inside of the house. She had a sort of net, fine as a teabag, and was tossing it out into the passing waves. Then, pulling with all of her strength, she would bring the net in and shake it out over a bucket.
"She said to stay here." Quinlan sounded bored as I opened the door to leave.
"Its fine, Quinlan." I assured him as I walked outside into the hot sand. "I am sure she could use the help."
Fenna was still leaning over her bucket, which was full of various sea creatures and fish. "Oh, look M'da!" The tiny Lurmen poked its brown head over her shoulder. "It's a gastergell!" She picked up a shimmering fish with long, trailing pectoral fins.
"It's so beautiful! I should add it to my fish tank." M'da nodded, obviously impressed with her.
"What is it?" I had walked across the beach to where she sat, crouched over the bucket.
"A rare fish, sister!" She held the fish up for me to see. "I'll take it back home. Here, you stay with the bucket." With that said, she took off for the house at a breakneck speed. M'da followed her, running as fast as he could, on all four of his tiny feet.
I studied him. He wasn't exactly a Lurmen, I had seen Lurmen before and they were certainly more human-like than him. Fenna ran out of the house with M'da on her shoulder. "Back to work!" She sang.
As soon as she caught up to where I was standing, I was ready with a few questions. "Fenna," I paused as she looked up at me and started to get ready to throw her net. "How did you get here, on this planet?"
"It's a long story." She turned her back on me and cast the net into the water.
"We have a long way to go." I explained as she hauled in her net. "Tell me."
"No, I don't want to. It's really a hard story, and I don't want anyone to know." I accessed the Force and waved my arm across my chest.
"Please?"
"Well, I guess if you put it that way." She emptied out her net into the bucket, and a few minnows and a purple crab fell into it. Then, throwing her net over her shoulder, she struggled to pick up the heavy bucket.
"It was a horrible crash." She walked away from the front of her house and continued to travel along the beach. "From what I remember, I had been sold to a Master that owned a house on Kossuth. I had been chained in the hold when the ship crashed, on this planet, while everyone else bailed out.
"When the wreckage caught on fire, I managed to bust my chains and get out before the ship exploded. My sister was not as fortunate. She died as the ship crashed. Shyla wasn't really my sister, but we had been like family since I met her at the auction. She was a Rutian too, with stripes running across her T'chin-chun. We were sold to the same master, and when they crashed… I,"
I saw that she was crying. "I had a cut on my lekku," she showed me where a small, thin scar wrapped around her chun like a snake. "I only thought of myself. And I swam to shore."
We were nearing another shack now, except for this one was built further away from the water. "And then I found M'da, on the beach as well." She scratched the little animal's neck affectionately. "I have been here ever since. I know that if I return to life, I could be caught by the authorities and sold again. Besides," She paused to drop the bucket in the sand as she unfurled her net. "I like my life here."
She tossed the net into the sea. As she tossed it into the air, a ray of light hit one of the sinker weights, making a sparkle as it drifted into the ocean. "If you are happy where you are, why move?" She commented.
"Jetti r'a tchi a to ban." M'da chattered as Fenna brought in her net.
"There's his house." She motioned to the shack that we had been nearing. She shook out her net over the already full bucket and pushed me forward. "You can ask him."
"How did he get here?" I used the Force to make her answer.
"I don't quite know, really. Seems as though he's been here for as long as I can remember." She swung the net over her shoulder as M'da scampered onto her head. "Address him as Maard, sister." She tipped me. "Puts him in a good mood."
I boldly walked up to the doorstep, and knocked on the door. There was no reply. Undeterred, I knocked on the door again. To my surprise, the door swung open. I cautiously stepped inside.
It seemed as though no one was home. I surveyed my surroundings. There was a thick, stone flooring with almost no furniture to accent the cold, dreary bleakness of the dark room. The wind whistled through the windows as I took a few more cautious steps inside. "Fenna, are you sure that someone actually lives here?"
"Sure! Kern is always at home at this time of day." She trotted up the steps and walked into the house with me. "Kern! I have a friend here to see you!" She ran over to the other side of the shack, her sandals clicking on the stone floor.
"MMAAAAAWWWD!" M'da screamed.
It would have almost been laughable if it had not been so serious. This was our only ticket out of here, and it could be lost. Plus, Quinlan had had his mind set on getting off of this planet. I couldn't disappoint him one more time.
"Oh, never mind!" I heard Fenna shout from the other side of the windswept house. "Here's his cruiser, key in the ignition."
"What?" I ran to where she stood, just around a staircase. There was a secret door that opened into a garage, and there was the biggest, oldest clunker ship that I had ever wished to see.
"Holy Lazzen, it's, like, from the 1st division!" It had to be covered with 10 coats of rust from the built up sea salt.
"I know, but, it's good enough to fly you out of here." She paused, noticing my awe-stricken face. "Right, sister?"
"Oh my Vakyr. I guess that the first thing to do would be to go back and get Quinlan." I couldn't think of any other thing to do. I mean, it's bound to have problems, with the engine and maybe even the console. Although I had posed as a mechanic once or twice and even repaired a ship's engine in flight, I had no idea what to do.
"You stay here, sister. I'll bring back your other Jedi friend." Fenna patted me on the shoulder. "Want me to leave you M'da for company?"
"No!" I quickly refused. "I mean, you take him with you." I tried to give her a smile.
"Okay, sister. I'll run as fast as I can. Be back soon!" She shot back outside onto the beach.
"Jetti! Jetti!" M'da squeaked as she shot off across the beach.
""Okay, then." I walked closer to the junk ship. "Let's see what I can do for you, my friend." I took a few circles around it. Examining the rust and pieces that were on the floor around it. I clambered up, into the ship and was overjoyed to find a tool belt laid over the front seat. A note was attached.
'Fenna,' it read. 'if you can fix this clunker, it's yours. I have no need of it since my return to the world will be with an acquaintance of mine. Fix it and keep it.'
"I guess that clears a lot up." I undid the rusty screws that held together the broken communicator console. I wasn't surprised to see that all of the wiring inside had corroded and worn away. I strapped on the belt and tried to work on reconnecting the wires. The longer I worked the more my hands became covered with grease, salt and sand, and I soon realized that I would need a cloth or something to continue.
I went outside of the door, away from the ship and headed to the kitchen. I found an old rag and rinsed it off with the tap water. Hurrying back to the ship, I climbed back inside and continued working on the console. "Nice work, Jayzaa."
"Vos!" I spun around and faced him. "So glad you are here. I need help with the engine," I paused to throw him a wrench and a few pieces of mechanical hot wiring tools. "Go and get it running."
"Seems like you've got this under control." He mumbled as her ran towards the back of the ship. I had nearly finished cleaning off all of the damaged wires when suddenly, the panel exploded! A high voltage electric shock traveled up my arm as I quickly dropped the wires that I had been holding. "I got it working!" I head Vos shout from underneath the ship. "Engine repaired, mechanic."
I fell beck, leaning against the wall of the ship. "Tchah, aren't you supposed to warn me or something?" My arm changed to a light shade of purple. "Turn it off, Vos!" I hollered, sticking my head out the window.
"What! But I just got it working!" I saw him run to the side of the ship and look up at me. "I may not get it working again!"
"Master, which do you want; a working ship that you can't fly, or a flying ship with a broken engine?"
"Good point." Vos walked dejectedly back to the end of the ship. A few moments later, the engine shut off and I continued work. I had connected a few wires and moved around some pieces when I heard M'da chattering just outside of the ship.
"Come on in, Fenna! There's room for everyone." She climbed up the ladder and hopped into the cockpit with me.
"What are you doing, sister?" She asked, noticing the torn up console and the grease spots on my face.
"The ship's a piece of rubble, Fenna. I had to take apart the console just to get the gear in place."
"Ouch." She stared, wide eyed at the crusted over wires that hung outside of the dashboard. "You mean you want to put that whole thing back together?"
"Yes." I turned back to my work, determined to set up the whole board before she decided to leave. I picked up some clippers and snipped a corroded wire, pulling it out. Then, I started to connect things. Red, dusty copper wires to blue, Stintfoil wrappings and wires that looked similar.
In no time at all, I had single handedly pieced back together the entire console. I stuck my head back outside of the window. "Let's do this thing, Quinlan!"
I heard the engine start up as I quickly bolted the dash back into place. And then, to my surprise, the whole board lit up. It worked! "Hey, Queue! We've got a keeper!"
"Score 1 for Jayzaa!" I heard him holler from the back of the ship. "Let's get out of here!"
He sat down in the pilots' seat while I took the co-pilots'. I slipped on the headset and got buckled in. Fenna left the front of the ship and disembarked. "Fenna, you're not coming?"
"Nay, sister. I have my life made for me here. Why would I leave and give it up?"
"If you say so." I shrugged and waved goodbye. Vos fired up the engine and turned on the ignition. The cockpit closed as we lifted off the ground.
"Let's see what this clunker's still got in her." We were soon out of the atmosphere, on a bee-line for Coruscant, which towered right over us. "Another day, another mission." Master Vos rambled on.
"What about Tarra." I suddenly was nervous.
"What about Tarra?" Vos pushed a few buttons on the communicator.
"What will I tell the Council, Master? How can I tell them that I lost her."
"Well, you'll have your chance in just a minute," He smiled and shook his head. "Because I just hooked up to the temple's communicator."
"What!" Sure enough, I heard a gentle cracking over the line in my headset.
"Liner 211-770 requesting permission to land on your platform." Vos asked.
"Liner what?" A clone trooper's voice answered him. "Only Jedi craft are allowed to land here."
"Liner 211-770 is a Jedi craft, trooper." Quinlan addressed the clone. "Requesting dock 5."
"Granted." I saw a platform slide out from the main Hangar bay. In less than no time, we had landed on the ground.
Master Windu stood off to the side of our ship as we landed. His brown Jedi robe billowed majestically in the wind as our ship toughed down on the platform. "Here it comes." I rolled my green eyes. "I am going to get creamed."
"Take it easy, Aayla. Just stay calm and let me do the explaining." The cockpit opened as I jumped out of the ship, using the Force to break my fall.
"Jedi Knight Secura and Master Vos." His deep voice addressed us. "A pleasure to have you back with us. But, did I not send three Jedi on this mission? Where is Padawan Tarra?"
I took a step backwards, hiding my still discolored arm behind my back. Vos backed me up, sensing my discomfort. "We lost her on Moraga."
"You say that as though you have visited other planets, Master Vos." He was naturally inquisitive about our adventure. "I have called a High Council meeting immediately, Vos. You may tell us your story then." He led master Vos away, talking quietly about something.
'Aayla.' I heard a far away voice calling my name. As Vos followed Master Windu inside, I looked upward, towards the sky. 'I still hold your precious jewelry, though not for much longer. I was afraid that you wouldn't come after me at all, for awhile, since we parted on Kossuth so rapidly. I have had my eye on you, though you may not know it, and I have planned a place for us to fight.'
It was a message from Charr. He was using the Force to talk to me. 'As soon as you are ready, young knight, we will finish this.' The last words were breathy, as though I had dreamed the whole thing.
Kit Fisto emerged from behind the shadow of a cruiser. "Kitty!" I rushed into his arms.
"I told you not to call me that." He grinned, running his hands up and down my lekku. "Where's Tarra? Didn't she go with you?"
"Oh, Kit," My eyes filled with tears as I met his. "She died, on Moraga."
I buried my head into the folds of his brown robe. "Aayla…" I felt myself start to tremble as I cried. He was so comforting, so strong.
The only reason he was holding me was to keep me from collapsing on the floor. I was so hurt to come home without someone. Especially if that someone was supposed to be in my care. "If only I had realized before I got in the ship that she was still fighting. If only I had known that she wasn't good enough to fight them off." I sobbed to Kit. "I loved her, Kit, I wanted only the best for her."
"Sometimes fate unwinds in ways we can't control, Aayla. No one can." He tried to console me. I lifted my head to meet his open, unblinking gaze. "Come," He gave me a halfhearted grin. "The council awaits your beautiful presence, Secura."
Again, I enter into the next phase of my training. 7, An Ending Worth Dying For
"Answer the truth and stay out of the line of fire." - Master Vos
Me and Fisto stuck together until we reached the council room. He continued to try and heal my broken heart and give advice. I had no answer for him. Soon, we reached the council room and I sat down next to Vos. He took his seat next to Luminara, and Master Windu called the Council to order.
"Will Master Quinlan Vos and Aayla Secura please stand before the Council." I stood up, my lekku twisting and twitching. I heard Shaak Ti laugh, and then I realized that I was subconsciously speaking Ryl. I had probably just showed my emotions.
"Please tell us your mission." Master Windu asked me.
"When we landed on Moraga, Vos sent me to retrieve the information that you requested." I paused to pull the small, black chip out of my belt. I walked forward to give the chip to Master Windu, putting it in his hands.
"But, on our way back to the ship, we had a little trouble." I told the Council our entire adventure, holding nothing back. I explained how I got out of the mall, and how I fell from the rainbow lights. I spoke of Charr and Fenna, of M'da and the ship that brought us back here. I teared up and had to stop when I told of Tarra in the cell.
Vos added a few parts that I would have missed, and then Master Windu stood up. "I can see that you have learned enough from your mission, Secura." He passed the chip to Master Plo Kloon. "And you will be sent to the Bacta tanks for your wound treatment. Leave us, Secura."
Obediently, I walked towards the door as Master Windu opened it for me. I heard the door close as I headed towards the healing room at a light weight pace. The young Natulian Padawan stopped me before I got there. "Please Master Secura, can you tell me where Aryn is? I haven't heard anything about her since you landed."
It was Rebry. Dear, sweet Rebry Syn. They had been together since birth on Glee Anselm.
I kneeled down on the floor, putting my hand on her shoulder. "I am sorry, young one. Tarra cannot be with us anymore." She buried her little face into my shoulder, crying and shuddering.
And for once, I can truly say that I know how she felt.
Eventually she hushed, dried her tears on my slip, and walked away. And I knew, somehow, that she would leave the Order. Where she would go, would be up to her. I almost wanted to keep tabs on her, to see her again sometime.
I continued on, towards the white medical room.
Walking into the healing room, I checked in with one of our fragile medical droids. "Go to room four." His mechanical voice ordered me. I walked down another short hallway until I reached the room, and then traveled up a small flight of stairs.
I changed into a bathing suit, and then attached the respirator to my face. Gently, I slipped into the pool of clouded water. The tank was shaped like a tube, and my gunshot wound stung a bit as I dove into it.
'30 minutes.' I reminded myself, looking at a clock that hung on the wall. Plenty of time to think and meditate on the mission. However, my thoughts were rudely interrupted by Charr's nagging voice.
'Heal well, Secura. You only have a short time left until I hunt you down and find you.'
I shook my head, trying to clear it. 'You cannot shoo me off. I come with a message for you,' Fume's sarcastic voice rung in my thoughts. All I wanted to do was clear my mind, but it seemed as though he had other plans.
'I have planned not to fight you myself,' he paused for emphasis. 'I have a better plan for your death.'
'We had a deal!' I shouted back to him. 'You told me that I would fight you sometime! You promised!'
'I know, but I changed my mind.' He sounded nonchalant, as though he didn't care.
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