Shadows of Heroines and Heroes
-- Chapter 1: Bitter resentment, anger, and pain… --
Alison glared at the wall as she stared at it, for the fourth time that night. It was so unfair, that she had been sent away after trying to join her mother and their friends while they met for the - oh - so - secret -meetings…
Alison snorted and a stone rose up from the ground besides her to smash against the wall, with a satisfying sound. She glared again, and this time a little bit of lightening danced around her fingertips.
Her mother was Revan Stareth and her father was Carth Onasi, so she should have been allowed to go with her parents and their friends, her masters and teachers, in their meetings.
But no they couldn't have that, she was to young …her mother didn't want her to be forced to grow up like she had, young and carefree until the war, her mother dying and wining all the battles to find out later that she had killed her father, Alison's grandfather
…Mandalore, not Canderous Ordo, but the original Mandalore, Tyro Rai. And then of course there was Malak, the Star Forge, Jedi Civil War; Alison rolled her eyes, it went on and on.
"Alison! Alison Stareth, where are you? I know you can hear me." Mical stood at the entrance of the door, straining his eyes against the dark trying to find her.
Alison hissed silently as she scrambled up quickly, her hand grasping her double lightsaber, pulling it off her belt in an instant as she started to run. She had almost made the ledge, where she could have jumped into the river running along side, but she was too late.
Mical raised his hand up and caught Alison in a Force stasis barely a moment before she jumped and walked slowly up to her. He grinned approaching her like a jungle cat stalking its prey and pulled her away from the edge.
Her face was caught in a furious mask of hate and distaste as he stared at her entranced. She could not move, but her eyes could and she was furious as she struggled to free herself from his stasis field. A memory of a past time similar to this surfaced in her mind as she struggled uselessly.
The thirteen year old girl was playing on the sparring roof, diverting blaster bolts as they flew her way, with practiced ease.
Learning how to deflect blaster bolts was easy enough, but Alison wanted more of a challenge as she continually told her mother and teachers over and over again. But her teachers had refused, saying she had to learn to 'pace' herself more so than what Alison did already.
Her mother was only slightly better, telling Alison she could train with HK if she promised not to destroy him while training. Alison had bounced off happily that day with a somewhat less excited assassination droid.
Still though, HK had not complained much other than his usually complaints of not being allowed to kill meatbags and it had kept the two of them quiet for at least a time.
Now Alison was bored and she signalled for HK to stop the barrage of blaster bolts as she turned to the jungle forest. "HK tell my about my mother from the times of wars. When did she build you?"
HK explained in great length the first time he had been activated and about Revan from the past and compared her to now. Revan supposedly had changed much, but HK could confide in Alison that her mother did not always control her emotions.
She sent the droid away after an hour of talking and told him to go and have 'fun.' Though whatever the 'fun' that had HK cackling gleefully, Alison did not ask.
Alison thought on what HK had told her, with the intensity of a master beyond her thirteen years. If one did control her emotions, but still use them to protect or fight then there was little fault at that.
So ultimately, she supposed, where it went wrong was then wit the person in fault, really.
"Alison!" A voice yelled as someone climbed up the stairs.
That would be Mical or the Disciple, whichever one she chose to call him by. Mical was creepy to her, there as no doubt about that. But lately, he had been well… stalking her, really
And he wasn't taking no for an answer.
For crying out loud, she was thirteen and he was like how old? Alison couldn't remember his age, but he had been trained by Elaine and Biggs at one point, well two different times during the academy before the Mandalorian Wars…
"Ah, there you are Alison."
"Oh crap!" Alison thought as she turned to face the leering, face of Mical, the Disciple who gave her a charming smile, full of hidden venom and lust.
"I see you're training alone out here on the roof, now, now…" Mical clucked his tongue, "That isn't very smart of you, Alison. What would happen if 'something' happened to you by 'chance?'
Alison's eyes flashed contempt as she slowly backed away from the Disciple as he advanced forward ever so slowly as well. "I doubt anything would happen to me, up here. My 'Mother' would be very upset if 'something' was to befall me."
Alison's contempt was turning into fear as she remembered that her mother and father were visiting Admiral Dodonna and some other old stiff necks for the week.
Revan had left HK and T3 with her so Alison wouldn't get bored, saying that having her daughter at the meeting would do as much damage as handing a non Jedi a lightsaber to battle with.
Alison had pouted at this statement until she had realized that her other was referring to the 'other stiff-necks' who were still afraid of Revan and any of her family, whether blood-kin or not.
Disciple moved forward and grabbed Alison by the waist pinning her arms to her side as he picked up the slender thirteen years old. "Your mother and every one else important are either busy or away, little doll. No one here will be able to stop me."
He pushed her to the floor of the roof and ripped off her outer cloak when a metallic snarl and the arming of blasters, lightsabers, and the furious wookiee roar stopped him.
"Get your hands off her, Mical!" Mission Vao Onasi stood behind him with Zaalbar, Dustil Onasi, and Yuthura, armed to the boot.
Death Threatening Statement: You will release Mistress Alison at once, before I use your body for target practice, meatbag pervert."
A series of beeps and other sounds also sounded as T3 uncloaked himself on the Disciple's left side, HK on the right with the adults behind him.
Mical stood and gently picked up Alison helping her up, smiling disarmingly; "no harm done now. I was merely coming up here to meditate when I startled the little hawk and I was just trying to heal her wounds."
Indeed Alison's clothes had just that look, sparring and minor rips in her clothes, with the cloak hanging off one shoulder.
In a blur of words and howls, Alison had been led away from Mical and the others, by Mission and Yuthura gently and then asked a great many questions.
No, nothing had happened. She told them, 'He nearly raped me back there though.'
"Yeah I was training, she replied; 'no, I don't want to talk about it.'
"Okay, yeah I'll be careful, yes I'll be fine. 'I do not want to spend the day alone now.'
Mission's eyes narrowed as she questioned the thirteen year old, "Alison are you sure there's nothing you want to tell me about the roof?"
Alison nodded, uncharacteristically quiet and Mission sighed, something had happened or nearly happened and Mission suspected rape, but she couldn't just act off that.
And Yuthura could not find anything either, Alison have already learned and held enough power to block her mind from probes within the Force.
Finally the two women dismissed the teenage who immediately scurried off in the direction of Kevin who had silently been waiting outside the door for Alison.
Yuthura turned to Mission, "so what do we do, now? Something was obviously happening."
Mission growled, "That scum was going to rape her! I just know it, Yuthura… but knowing doesn't help me any."
Yuthura nodded slowly and arched an eyebrow, "we all felt her fear through the Force, it will not be long before Revan comes racing back to see her. What will we tell her?"
Mission grimaced, we hide and ask Bastila to explain what we saw and what we think might have happened?"
Yuthura sighed; "the whole idea of living up to the actions of what I've seen and done, doesn't appeal to me much now."
Mission nodded glumly, "I'd better be off."
"Off to where?" Yuthura was curious as she watched Mission point towards the communication center.
"To talk too Revan, she'll be screaming at us if we don't."
"I will check up on Alison then..."
Rain, Torne and Kevin were looking for Alison to see if she wanted to go swoop racing when they heard Mical. Rain and Kevin immediately speed off in opposite directions, both of them leading towards the adults ultimately.
Torne raced into the room, his double bladed lightsaber sliding into his hand, its orange blade flashing to life, and swinging to Mical's unprotected head as Mical leaned in for a kiss.
Mical twisted out of the way and crashed to the ground as he pushed Alison away from him, towards the edge of the wall unintentionally, forgetting to let go of the stasis field in his anger.
"You little rat!" Mical snarled and activated his single lightsaber, its violet blade matching Torne's orange blade with a hiss and exchange of sparks.
"…Mother!" Rain screamed for her mother as she ran, using the Force to increase her speed until the world was merely a blur around her as she raced towards the meeting room.
"…Grandma!" Kevy ran as hard as he could and harder with the Force, increasing his speed, though he was nowhere as near fast as his grandmother, no one was or could be.
Rain and Kevy burst into the room at the same time, all the Jedi members in the room, jumping with their lightsabers already out, all of the non-Jedi members reaching for pistols and swords as they jumped up startled at the sudden intrusion.
Kevy fell onto his hands and knees as Mission raced to her son's side and knelt besides him, concern on her face as she tried to get him to talk to her. Rain was bent double over as she gasped, out her message to the entire room.
"Di went to find… Alison ...stasis field… told you he was a pervert, trying…to ...kiss…er…"
Elaine and Atton exchanged startled looks, and Elaine turned to Revan, horror in her eyes as she looked at Revan.
"…Revan," Elaine spoke up hesitantly, "why don't I and some of the others go and see…"
Elaine did not get to finish her sentence as Revan blurred from the room, her trail blackened from lightening and her anger as everyone staggered in the room, from her sudden pull of the Force.
Bastila sagged in her chair and groaned, clutching her head as she whispered quietly, no doubt trying to calm Revan down.
"It's no use, I can't restrain her…"
Carth smiled faintly and spoke. "Could we ever restrain her?"
Biggs shook his head as he stretched his thoughts into the Force and glanced at his twin sister Elaine. "We have to stop Revan before she gets to Mical…"
"Yes…" Bastila said faintly, answering the unasked question from the people in the room as Canderous lifted her up into his arms.
Torne blocked another blow, and threw some lightening at the Disciple, but he was not able to avoid the booted foot that slammed up into his face and fell to the ground unconsciousness.
Mical smiled as he turned back to face Alison, who was now struggling feebly, barely able to move as her struggles moved her closer to the edge.
"MICAL!"
Revan stood in the doorway; all three of her highly altered, (if there had been a market on Jedi lightsabers, though there were standards, hers would have been counted illegal) lightsabers blazing and ready for action.
She flew into the room, sending one lightsaber literally right through his leg; her second lightsaber sliced his ear off and scarred his face before he could do anything to stop her.
Mical screamed and fell to the floor, but Revan caught him with the Force and lifted his body into the air, his dangling boots level with her head. Revan raised her right hand, the one not holding the lightsaber staff and stood there, her feet spread shoulder width apart.
His face paled, turning the color of bone white as what little coloring in his face drained away like milk.
Her body was positioned diagonally, her head tilted as she looked up at Mical, the Disciple who had and tried to hurt her youngest and second daughter.
He sputtered, trying to speak, but he failed, nearly fainting from the pain of his wounds and fear of what Revan was going to do to him.
She brought up her third lightsaber, the only one she was controlling physically to unman him, when something from behind grabbed her and tried to pull her back.
"Let me go!" She shouted and let loose a storm of Force lightening in the entire room, not directing its power as the entire room faded to a cold black, the icy darkness chilling to the bone.
The blackness faded, and everyone saw why. Canderous had pushed Bastila into Elaine's arms and had tackled Revan from behind.
"She's fine." Canderous grunted as he clipped a neural suppressor around Revan's neck. "I only tackled her."
Jolee, Juhani, Bastila, and Visas converged on the bleeding and burnt Disciple and started to heal him with the Force.
Alison had managed to move the fingers of her right hand, but she was buffeted by the sudden strong presence in the Force… and it was something alien and strange to her, yet not frightening as it should have been.
Time slowed for Alison as she hung on that edge, her fingers scrambling to find purchase so she would not fall, but she could not move anything but her right hand and that wasn't nearly enough to stop her from falling.
Alison stared into the trees near her for a brief instant, and hazily saw the blurred figure of someone or something, and then a pair of eyes, intense blue eyes staring right at her; before she could make anything out of her new discovery, her hand slipped and she fell.
Alison tried to scream, tried to stop herself from falling off the edge, still frozen in stasis, but she couldn't. Screaming silently, Alison fell down through the trees and bounced off the rock wall as she crashed into the river, with a resounding splash and fountain of water.
A large crack sounded dully in her ears as pain flared in her chest, and a few thick branches broke away in the wake of her mad tumble downhill.
"I think I broke a rib or two…" Alison thought as she groaned, and was about to try to slow herself down when she looked up at the sudden presence in the Force, and saw another shadow blur across the treetops.
Even in the confusion of her mad tumble, she was able to ask, "What was tha…?" before she crashed headlong into a thick tree stump and slid into the river, bleeding and broken. The darkness never felt so blessed to Alison before.
"Alison… Ali, you need to wake up now…"
A voice floated dimly around in Alison's mind as she tried to turn her head towards the voice and started to hack and cough.
"Wha…?" Alison did not finish her sentence as she started to choke all over again and went under the water until something pulled her up slowly. Suddenly she felt her sister, Kari's presence besides her, and she was worried for Alison.
"Alison, I'm going to take control of your body and get you out of this river."
Alison didn't have a chance to do anything as Kari did exactly what she had said and suddenly, Alison's chest flared as Kari moved Alison's body and started to kick, swimming against the river current.
Once the shore was within reach, Alison felt Kari leave her body, only to appear beside her little sister, grab her under the arms and haul her onto the riverbank.
"You should be safe here, until help arrives…" Kari looked away and her eyes were unfocused for a moment, "Help is already coming. You just stay here and sleep."
"Kari, why did you come and help me…?" Alison asked between coughing and hacking up water as she started to slip into unconsciousness again.
Kari smiled sadly and kissed her sister on the forehead. "Because I cannot be there for you…"
Alison's eyes closed against her will, and once again for that day, Alison fainted.
It was late during the night, when Zaalbar found the young Jedi girl, whose mother he had sworn a life debt to back on Taris. She was on the riverbank broken and bleeding. He also found Kari beside her, looking lonely as she played with a stray bit of her charcoal outer robe.
"You came, finally!" Kari jumped to her feet and looked at the wookiee expectantly. "You will take care of her, right?"
Zaalbar growled back in reply, his voice a low snarl. "Of course I will take care of Alison. She is Revan's daughter and part of my life debt as well."
Kari nodded.
"I must go now that Alison has help that can aid her properly, and she needs medical attention and quickly, Zaalbar." Kari disappeared into the fog that had appeared suddenly without another word.
The tall wookiee crouched down and picked Alison up in his arms, cradling her like a tiny doll.
"Where were all of the other children, when this happened?" Zaalbar howled his question, out-loud as he glared up at the sky and the treetops that shook when he looked at them.
Zaalbar shook his head and turned away, walking back slowly to the Stareth resident. Revan was not going to be happy when he returned to the medical bay; she was not going to be happy at all.
Zaalbar just hoped that they didn't have to place a neural collar on her again, even if it would do much to stop Revan from trying to kill the Disciple. His lips pulled back into a snarl and grimace as he thought of the Disciple. He would gladly pull the arms off the schutta but, that should be Revan's right as she was the parent here, not him.
"HK, I want you to keep an eye on Alison and protect her from anything." Revan's voice was dry and cracked as she addressed her beloved droid. "If anything happens to her, protect her at all costs."
"I hear and obey, Master." HK left the room as Revan sank down onto the couch, and buried her face in her hands, the neural collar rubbing against them.
It was going to be a long night.
Alison was so tired, very tired until she was able to realize that she could hear and see again. She sat up with a start before anyone could restrain her and tried to get out of the bed she was lying in.
Torne had fallen asleep waiting for her to regain consciousness was the first to notice that Alison was awake. He sat up, beaming as he ran to the door and hollered for the others to come because Alison was now officially awake.
Rain sat down on the bed gingerly besides her friend and looked carefully at Alison. "How are you feeling?"
Alison swallowed and licked dry lips. "Like I was run over by a Zakkeg," She joked and everyone laughed in the room. Alison was back to normal again.
She did not have to look at her friend's faces to know that they were tense and curious, hoping that she would not remember what had happened.
But that was hopeless for Alison hadn't and wouldn't forget what had happened to her.
She never forgot anything.
"What are they going to do with him?" She asked; a hard tone in her voice as Kevy shook his head. "He's getting punished, Ali… just leave it at that."
"No," Alison shook her head, "I'm not staying here anymore… not after this with him still around."
"And just where will you go, Alison?" Rain asked her tone sceptical. "You're not going to be able to walk off the planet like that."
Alison nodded. "I know that's why I'm going to take my flyer, and then I'll get lost."
Torne shook his head and grinned. "I'm coming too. What about you, Kev?"
Kevin rolled his eyes at the two conspirers. "I guess I had better see to it that you two don't get in trouble." Rain rolled her eyes at her friends as they looked at her expectantly.
"All right, all right, I'll give!" She threw her hands up in the air. "I'm not going to stay behind and get interrogated by our parents then."
"Then this is what we're going to do." Alison leaned in close and whispered her plan to her friends.
As soon as the plan had been confirmed, everyone left the medical wing, though Alison and Rain stayed together making their way slowly to their planned destination, while Torne and Kevin made their way to the hanger.
Ten minutes later, the four teenagers were away from Dxun and setting a course to take them far, far away. None of them noticed the red assassin droid standing undetected nearby, weapons at the ready.
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