Everyone said that smoke was what caused almost all crashes when something got damaged.
They didn't once mention actual searing flames.
Every single slap of her hand against the shattered screen before her caused the fire to lick at her gloves. Allowing the heat to seep a little deeper into her flesh.
It was a total distraction from the death spiral her fighter was falling into.
"Blue Six, come in! Blue Six do you-"
Having the calls of her squad leader buzzing away helped very little as she struggled to keep the fire contained. By now it had gutted the computer systems, probably cutting off communication in that last moment. At any point it could burn through to the manual controls, rendering her completely unable to help herself.
A volley of blaster shots whizzed overhead, causing her to look up at last. Rather than seeing the battle above in space like she had expected, the view of the planet's horizon as it span wildly around filled her vision. On top of the fighter already chasing her down, she caught a glimpse of more coming in for the kill.
No sign of the other members of her squad, including Blue Leader.
"So much for backup." She waved away the smoke that was now pouring out and took full hold of the controls. Immediately she found herself unable to budge the stick. The sheer forces occurring around her were keeping the atmosphere control surfaces locked in place. That or damage from enemy attacks had done so permanently.
She could only consider the possibilities for so long before descending into a panic. The thick jungle right in front of her eyes was quickly rushing up towards her in a twirl of green.
As she passed through the upper atmosphere, the tightness on the controls began to ease up slightly. Enough air resistance to slow her descent, and relieve the pressure on the airfoils.
Maarani, let go of your anxiety, let the Force aid in your recovery.
It was a sensation she recognized immediately. Force user mental communication. An intrusion into the minds of others so they could say words without speaking.
"Get out of my head! I'm getting myself out of this without Jedi help!" The spin she was trapped in had slowed down slightly, enough that she could actually begin to follow shapes and locations with her eyes. No obvious clearings for a safer landing.
Who said I was Jedi...
That made Maarani freeze for a brief moment, terror quickly overwhelming her anger. When the moment passed, she immediately began blanking her mind of any thought or emotion. Her only focus had to be regaining control of her fighter.
You've been trained I see. Very quick to clear your mind. But that's all you can do to protect yourself.
The spin slowed enough for her to start pulling back. Still no sign of a clearing, though until she broke away from pursuit, it would do little good anyway. At least she could delay crashing into the trees for a minute or so.
Playing stubborn then. No matter, I'll be out of your head soon enough. We'll be talking face to face.
"Try it, Sith. Chances are I'll be dead before I land this anyway." By that point she was approaching the cloud layer. In the next minute, she'd either plunge right into the ground and leave a small crater, or shred through a long stretch of trees until the fighter was torn apart. Or the fighters behind would end it. It didn't seem like such a terrible way to die given the options.
Go ahead, try and let yourself die to escape interrogation. My master isn't allowing that.
For a brief second, Maarani glanced back over her shoulder. The fighters in pursuit had broken off to rejoin the fight in orbit. There seemed to be little doubt about who was communicating with her now. With the new choice in mind, dying on impact was now the best option.
"I'd like to see you try stopping this!"
She had intended to push forward on the control stick, sending the fighter back into a direct plunge. Between the impulse and carrying it out, her hands had been wrested free and cast to either side of the cabin walls. As she began to struggle, she looked around hastily. To her shock, the fighter itself was levelling out on its own, without any mechanical input.
You're quite eager to not fall into our grasp. More so than the others we already captured from your squadron. I'm sure they'll be quite happy to see you.
"What? Why are you-"
A tree branch shot right through the glass of the cabin, skewering her left lekku to the seat behind. It was followed by a flurry of splintering wood and leaves while her fighter drove itself into the jungle forest.
Normally, the observation deck was dimly lit. Dark, save for the light of the stars, and the occasional solar system they would arrive at.
For the past few hours, it had been illuminated by flashes of colour. Blaster fire from Republic and Sith fighters as they chased each other around. The occasional destruction that would mark the end of an engagement. A brief period of tranquility before the chaos started up again.
There was an odd sense of focus to be derived from the destruction. Being able to sense every time a miniscule part of the Force was vanquished. Counting the flickers as they died out.
"Darth Lasidia, we've received a new report from Kiarna. She is approaching the Twi'lek pilot, and expects to arrive at her position within ten minutes."
Lasidia opened her eyes at long last, remaining silent for a moment as she brought her mind back from the battle. With a brief word to herself, she stood back up and turned to General Morgak. Her golden eyes peered from beneath the hood, perched high on her horns. "She was injured in the crash. Instruct Kiarna to proceed with caution. Twi'lek can become very dangerous when pain emanates from their lekku."
Morgak nodded slowly, about to turn away when something else occurred to him. There was obvious hesitation on his face as he did so. "By my count, this would be the eleventh member of Blue squadron we have accounted for. What of the other three?"
"They have returned to their vessels. Thus, none of those three are the one we seek. He or she would not run from battle for any reason." Her gaze moved downwards briefly, peering through the multitude of decks to the holding cells. "Continue to interrogate the eight we have. Carefully. You will not risk damaging the mind of the one."
"Understood, Darth Lasidia."
She watched him depart the room promptly before returning her gaze to the battle. A one in seven chance they had actually killed their target was ever-present in her mind. The consequences of such a mistake would ultimately fall to her. It was her purpose to keep the fighters from being destroyed after all, not an easy matter when she didn't have a line of sight on them.
About to return to her meditation, something on the planet itself drew her attention. For the briefest moment, there was a different flicker in the Force from that of a death. And yet, the only presence she sensed was that of her apprentice.
Kiarna, you may be facing more than an injured Twi'lek. Determine if she is Force sensitive before engaging.
Jungles presented an odd challenge. On board a vessel, it was easy enough to locate signs of life. With so little organic matter present to get in the way, peering through walls to observe those around her was a simple matter. Plants presented a haze of sorts that she had to filter out in order to track down her targets. None so far were Jedi of any strength, which made the task harder still.
"This is the last pilot we are after. You will be afforded some time to break her, but we cannot hold this line indefinitely. Do not indulge yourself more than necessary."
It made Kiarna smile just a little bit. So few were the times where she was actually able to toy with her intended prey, watching how they reacted. Seeing them struggle under the belief that they actually had a chance of escaping her.
"Understood, General. I will make contact when she is in my custody." Upon closing the link, she took a long breath and concentrated her sight into a searching gaze. Sith troops assaulting the nearby Republic base to the north. Due east of it, a second assault from their own fighter squadrons on a communications base. South of both locations, scattered wreckage from five downed fighters.
To the west, she could see a faint form of energy. The remnants of her master's power, keeping the fighter together as it tore through the jungle. Where the last pilot would be.
Now able to locate her, Kiarna focused her vision forward. The gorge driven through the trees was short, as the wings had been broken off very quickly. It left the body of the fighter itself to crash between the towering trees until it reached the ground. Her smile grew again as she saw the fighter itself, wedged into the roots of a particularly large tree.
And yet, she could not sense a life form within what remained of the vessel.
"Where have you gone, Maarani?"
Almost immediately after awakening, she began to panic. While there wasn't any immediate pain, she could feel something pinning her left lekku to the chair. Only moving her eyes, she eventually managed to catch a glimpse of the shard of wood buried deep into it.
'Remember, under no circumstances should you try to remove an object that has penetrated your body without medical assistance.'
"Don't pull it out. Don't pull it out. Don't pull it out." Her arms felt weak, but she had to free herself from the chair. Doing so without causing more damage would be a challenge in itself. And she had to resist the urge to pull on the shard itself.
Slowly, her hands moved up along her body. The left took hold of her lekku around the wound, the right gripping onto the head rest beneath it. Already she could tell that getting it loose would be near impossible. The sheer force had caused it to punch right through the leather and padding, which was now holding it tightly in place. She had to break the shard off from the tip.
Her hand trembled as she very carefully started to turn her head. The height at which she was pinned down restricted her movement greatly. But it was enough for her to press her cheek against the seat backing, trying to peer into the tiny gap between flesh and leather.
'Should you find yourself trapped by the jumpsuit in some way, your first step should be to cut the material away. Don't try to dislodge anything.'
She slid her right hand back down from the seat, moving it towards her leg where the knife was strapped on. As she did so, a few small patches of blood were made visible. Nowhere near enough to indicate she'd pass out from blood loss. It was a positive thought that she held onto.
Upon feeling the grip of the knife in her hand, she took hold and carefully drew it out. Once free, she lifted it up to check the serrated segment. None of the teeth had been damaged. All that remained was quite possibly the most gruelling thing she would ever have to do.
"Stay focused. Don't let it slip." Her eyes strained on the small segment of visible wood as she brought the serrated segment up. It settled a little too neatly over one of the bits. Sawing through without any other movement wasn't going to happen.
There was little other choice. She took a moment to reaffirm her grip, working some of the sweat that had formed away, before making the first thrust.
Her scream caused a panic among several small critters that had begun to approach the crash site.
Tears began to flow as she pulled back, following up with another thrust. However small the movements, they were enough to begin working the wound open, allowing blood to trickle down over her gloves and shoulder.
Suddenly the shard of wood seemed far more thicker than it looked. What should've taken two or three good thrusts was now taking seven, eight, nine.
On the tenth, it snapped.
Her head lurched forward as she suddenly found herself free to move about. The pain in her lekku had grown very intense, but it was better than being trapped in the fighter. Throughout, her other concern had been the Sith that were pursuing for her capture.
Again, she took the moment to calm her thoughts. Panicking would lead to mistakes, and the Sith to her.
I'm afraid it's too late for that, Twi'lek.
Maarani leapt for her blaster and twisted around. No approaching Sith that she could see, though that would change at any moment.
Oh come now. I'm going to find you well before you see me. Spare yourself further pain by allowing me to help you off this planet.
"No deal." Maarani shoved at what remained of the cabin frame above. To her surprise it pushed off quite easily, tumbling down to the ground below. Getting herself out proved more difficult as she realized how close she had come to losing her legs in the crash.
If it will help, you can-
"Shut up! Shut up and get out of my head!" In the moment of anger, her hand slipped from gripping the edge of the cabin, sending her tumbling to the ground. The fall bumped the shard around in the process, sending pain right through her lekku as she landed on the soft soil beneath. This time she stopped herself from crying out.
There was no further remark from the Sith. Maarani hadn't expected it to work, but she certainly wasn't going to complain about being given a moment of peace before the end. At the very least, she was able to stumble to her feet and head towards a better hiding place.
A nearby log that was reasonably well sheltered seemed suitable enough. Stumbling into the tight gap, she quickly pressed herself down onto the ground. With a bit of digging underneath, she made a hole to look through at where she guessed the Sith would approach from. Enough to shoot her in the back before she could react with any luck.
The hard part was positioning her lekku so the shard wasn't pressing in or out of it any further, given how much pain she was already experiencing. And it had to be kept out of view, given how much blue skin and an orange jumpsuit already stood out against the jungle she was in.
She froze altogether as the Sith finally came into view. A white mask that covered the front of her head, imprinted in red by a hand. The clothes matched to a degree, red along all the seams and edges of pristine white. Blaster pistol on the left hip, lightsaber on the right. The fact that she was left-handed burned into Maarani's mind.
This was far worse than being chased by a Sith hunter.
"So you have heard of me, by reputation at least. I know that sense of dread when they recognize who has come for them." Kiarna moved into the open area near the fighter. She couldn't see the glow of a sentient connection to the Force, and yet, this was the location she had been drawn to. Even now she could sense the fear emanating from her target, just not where exactly it was coming from. For once, she was confused.
Maarani was in a similar position. Somehow, she was able to hide just a few metres away from Darth Lasidia's apprentice, the White Terror as just about everyone in the Republic referred to her as. There was no hiding from her according to the many victims she had left in her wake, despite every effort to conceal themselves.
However futile her attempt had been, it was working. And it provided her with a unique opportunity to line up a shot on the Sith. While doing so, she had a chance to look at her mask with a bit more scrutiny. There was no visible way for the Sith to see out from the mask itself, which meant she probably used the Force to track her victims down. Her hiding spot had to be even less effective, and yet the opposite was clearly still the case.
"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Kiarna's tone was mocking, mostly to cover the fact that she was growing increasingly concerned. "Whatever Jedi trickery you've used to conceal yourself won't last long. My master is well versed in breaking such defences." She paused when facing directly away from the fighter wreckage, focusing towards a nearby pile of rocks. A good place to shoot from. "I wasn't lying when I said I would help you off this planet. I've had my fun for the day."
Maarani was completely focused on steadying her hand. She had a clear shot at the back of the White Terror's head, right below the short tie-back of light hair. Close to the execution zone, as the gun instructor had referred to it as. Hopefully a kill fast enough to avoid giving the Sith any chance to react.
Her finger closed down on the trigger.
In the end, it was no different than firing on a Sith fighter, or gunning down one of their foot soldiers. Survival was at stake, and she had no problem shooting someone in the back.
This would still be her first Sith kill.
Her aim was true, surprisingly. The blaster shot flew right towards where she had been aiming.
Until it was deflected away by an impossibly fast lightsaber swing.
"That was rude." Kiarna twisted her hand, hurling the Twi'lek out from her hiding spot into the air. Her lightsaber shut off as she returned it to the clasp on her hip and turned to her mark. "Shooting someone in the back is dishonourable. Shooting a blind woman in the back is just cowardly." After a moment, she lowered the Twi'lek back down, keeping her pinned against the side of her fighter.
Seeing her at last only added to her confusion. Somehow, the Twi'lek was completely devoid of force energy, lifeless as the metal wreck behind her. And yet she definitely wasn't a synth droid, given that she was now bleeding from her lekku again. A void in the force, just like…
"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to burn my eyes out, or cut off my lekku? I know you've done both to Twi'lek before." Her stomach lurched as she was dropped to the ground, another jolt of pain rushing into her head. The wood shard suddenly seemed insignificant when compared to being blinded and lobotomized.
Instead, she felt a bare hand tilt her chin upward, forcing her to stare right at the mask. It wasn't really horrifying to look at physically. What lay behind it was what she feared. Still no lightsaber yet. "You picked the wrong pilot to go after. My fighter's caught fire twice now, and I didn't even bother wearing a helmet."
Kiarna's hand drifted along Maarani's jawline towards the wound in her lekku. Her smile grew a little more in anticipation. "You're either stupid, or carrying a death wish. I'd say the latter given how quick you were on trying to crash your vessel." She brushed her fingertips along the wood shard, lips parting briefly as the Twi'lek flinched. "Which means you want me to kill you outright, or just end the suffering with quick cuts."
She flicked the shard, chuckling at the sight of Maarani struggling to hold back her cry of pain. "I don't intend to kill. People I encounter are just far too weak of mind and body to handle what I consider to be fun. I can't help that." As she moved closer, her thumb moved to the protruding end of the shard, ready to press it in. "I can feel your anger. At the Sith, the Jedi, the Republic. At existence itself. And yet you keep it all bottled up inside, waiting for someone to release your fury on."
Maarani's lips tightened as she stared back at the mask. Whomever was behind it was right about her anger. It had become an ever-present feeling that no amount of meditation could resolve. By all rights it should have been very strong at that moment. She only felt a cold spite. It prompted a specific thought in her mind, something that could potentially turn the tables on her captor.
"I've seen what that kind of anger did to my sister. We got it from our mother after all. Perhaps you've heard of her."
The purple lightsaber was drawn on her again, hovering just in front of her eyes. Her hunch had definitely struck a nerve with the Sith, but not necessarily for her own benefit.
"Rilana only had one daughter, after her two sons. Lie to me again, Twi'lek, and I will start burning out your eyes." Even as she reaffirmed her grip on the lightsaber, the resemblance was starting to come through. While having never met Rilana herself, Kiarna had seen Saakana up close. Already, she was noticing where the patterning on their lekku matched up.
She moved the lightsaber away from the Twi'lek's face just a bit. There was relief at having her expression concealed away. "Any child of a Jedi Master and a Sith Overseer would be strong in the force indeed. You couldn't even take a steady shot at me."
"And yet you had no idea where I was until I took the shot."
Maarani turned her head away as the humming blade came within a flinch of incinerating her eyelashes. It was already starting to burn her vision away.
"Care to explain why, Twi'lek? Or will taking your sight loosen your nerve?"
There was silence between the two.
Maarani was scared of saying anything, having already seen what they did to her sister. That fate was possibly the worst thing she could imagine.
Kiarna was attempting to reach into her mind for specific memories, without success. While she had never dared to attempt reading the mind of her master without permission, she was still able to pick up on passing thoughts and reactions, beyond the emotional ones. Emotion continued to be the only thing she could sense from the woman.
Someone had to break it, which Maarani eventually did.
"I lost my sensitivity when I crashed on a planet, eight years ago. Just about every Jedi I've met says I'm dead to the Force. Satisfied?"
That hit Kiarna much harder than she had expected. Lasidia had taught her a great deal about the previous Sith Lords, notably their downfall, and who had brought it about. It was a matter she was not capable of handling on her own. She required a different approach.
Kiarna. The Twi'lek is not the pilot we are looking for. Return to the shuttle immediately.
Her lips tightened.
Kiarna, your thoughts are closed to me, as are those of the Twi'lek. What has happened.
She waited a few moments before speaking, once certain that she would not be heard by her master. "That can be undone, Twi'lek. I am sure my master will help restore your connection."
Something was nagging at her own mind, trying to warn her off. It wasn't the voice of her master, nor was it the radio link to the ship itself.
"I'm not joining the Sith. Not after what they did to my family and sister." Maarani began to slowly move herself into a ready position. For whatever reason, the Sith's demeanour had changed in a way she found to be even more terrifying than her psychopathic nature so far. Now more than ever she had to escape. "Save yourself the trouble and run me through. I will resist right up to the end."
Kiarna's hand twisted the lightsaber around as the struggle went on in her head. The nagging had become a drive to escape. To run back to her shuttle and not look back on the planet ever. And yet, she was the one holding the lightsaber, wielding the great powers of the dark side, and had the Twi'lek on her knees. There was no reason for her to feel dread.
Her vision went dark for a moment. That was a truly horrifying moment, suddenly being cast into a total void without the Force to show her anything. When the moment passed, her prisoner was nowhere to be seen or felt.
"Shadow Hand, if you don't respond immediately, we will send an extraction team."
She fumbled around the left lip of her mask for a moment, brushing over the back of her ear. Even through the glove she could feel heat emanating from it. More signs that things were not right at all. It did lead her to the communicator unit at least. "I'm here. The pilot however…"
A last, desperate gaze over the surrounding area showed her nothing of value. She was now standing in front of the wrecked Republic fighter, completely alone. "I am returning immediately. Inform any remaining search parties to keep their eyes open for a Twi'lek before they are recalled."
Before heading on the path back to her shuttle, she knelt down and moved her hand toward where the Twi'lek had been kneeling. There were definitely imprints left in the soft dirt, and she could not sense any residual energy dissipating back into the Force. Not a hallucination.
"What are you… Maarani?"
"Dark Lord, the last of our ground troops have been recalled…" General Morgak had turned while speaking, expecting to see Lasidia standing there. Instead, he found himself staring at the mask of Kiarna.
"I'm not a Dark Lord, Morgak. Not yet anyway…" Beneath the mask, she was trying to conceal any sign of concern from showing in her voice. "Why were you so desperate to get me off the surface? I was promised time enough to break that last pilot, regardless of what occurred."
Morgak scowled in response, his hands clenching tightly behind his back. "Typical Sith apprentices, full of arrogance." He turned back around, striding forward to the command platform. Only when he heard Kiarna follow did he continue. "The Jedi have arrived in great numbers, and we have what we came for." He turned his head back, glaring right at the Sith over his shoulder. "Darth Lasidia ordered you off the planet the moment they came. Only you didn't respond."
Anger began to flare up in her mind, though it was at herself, not the General. For whatever reason, she was not herself on the surface. Morgak did not deserve to hear why however.
When it faded, she turned and marched back the way she had come. "I was pre-occupied with the pilot, nothing more."
The feeling of her presence was icy to many of the soldiers she passed. None dared to comment, doing their best to avoid showing any sign of a shiver. Dying at the hands of the White Terror wasn't so much slow, as it was agonizing, something more than enough of them had seen for themselves.
"Why does she get to wear white anyway? Everyone else is…"
Upon turning one of the many corners, Kiarna stopped in her path. Her gaze was fixated on the pair of soldiers apparently discussing her choice of clothing. Already she could see the terror growing on their faces as they noticed her presence.
It was the other who spoke up, his lip trembling. "Shadow Hand, we were merely curious-"
Her hand shot up, causing both to go silent out of raw fear. They expected to feel the grip of the Force around their throats at any moment.
Kiarna's focus was not on their throats however. Instead, it was on their minds, deep within the consciousness.
Fear.
Silence followed her from there. Now as she moved through the ship, everyone she passed deliberately avoided looking at her.
Her seething anger continued to seep from her form right up to the threshold of Lasidia's observation room. As always, she was knelt down in front of the window, silently watching what lay ahead of them. At that moment it was their journey through hyperspace.
"Enter, Kiarna." She didn't move from her meditative posture. It helped conceal her very slight look of concern from her apprentice, for the time being anyway. "I know you believe that I have called you here, because I am angry. Angry that you tried to deceive me on the planet, to protect the Twi'lek."
"Master I-"
Lasidia raised her hand, keeping it there until Kiarna silenced herself again. "You are not at fault for your actions on the planet. That Twi'lek was, somehow. And I made a grave mistake in sending you after her without observation. She may very well have killed you."
Kiarna's face turned to a scowl, angled towards the dark form of her master. "What are you saying? Not only is she deaf and blind to the Force, she is far from the skill of a trained killer. Shooting at the back of my head was a fluke!"
"And yet, she manipulated you into healing her wound, and letting her go. Only you don't remember anything beyond her refusal to join us." In one fluid motion, she rose to her feet and turned around. As ever, her face was quite calm. "You spoke to her nicely, discussed her past. And then you closed me out when I tried to warn you of the danger." Her hand reached out towards Kiarna's face, fingertips lightly brushing along her cheek. "You are not to blame. I never anticipated something like this, so I never trained you to fight it."
In all her years, Kiarna had never seen Lasidia treat her like that. It was almost, wrong. "What is she, then? She had no connection to the Force, how could she be powerful enough to use a Jedi mind trick on a Sith like myself?" A shudder went through her body as Lasidia turned away again, slowly stepping towards the window. She had never seen her master so disturbed.
"I do not know. She is an anomaly in the Force. Not a wound, not a focus, not a void." At last, she took a long breath, the first after weeks of meditation. "We both have methods of obtaining information. If we have to scour the entire galaxy to learn more about this anomaly, then we shall do so."
Kiarna's head lowered down a little. She was looking forward to the battles that were to come, once the pilot they sought led the way to their goal. Running across the galaxy to learn about why she was subdued by a Twi'lek did not carry much appeal. "As you wish, master. What about Maarani herself?"
Lasidia glanced back over her left shoulder, exposing the emptiness above it briefly. "You must avoid her at all costs. Other, less powerful Sith will be sent to watch her movements. They will be at less risk than one so powerful in the dark side as yourself." Seeing yet more confusion on her apprentice's face brought a small sigh. "You will understand in time. Go now, my apprentice."
Another watched her departure from the shadows, waiting until she was gone before emerging. "You pretended that you had no idea what this Twi'lek really is. I am curious about that."
Lasidia didn't move from her position. There was no need for acknowledgement between them. "She is still young, and my most hopeful successor. I will not allow her to be taken from the dark side by this woman."
"So you sent her on a wild chase across the galaxy to protect her. My my, you are worried." A scaled hand raised out of the shadowy figure, pulling his hood back enough for him to look at Lasidia clearly. "I take it I am to lead our forces in search of the weapon, while you seek out holocrons and other data on this matter of yours."
"It is necessary. That woman is a threat to both sides of the Force, though the Jedi will not deal with her until she has already grown too strong. I will not see all we have worked to achieve undone by this." As they exited hyperspace, her gaze was cast to the planet before them. "The others must know as little of my absence as possible. See to it, Rak'Sakar."
Darth Rak'Sakar gave a mocking bow in response, his grin displaying every long tooth in his mouth. "I will see to it then. I almost forgot that you are incapable of enjoying battle. More blood for me to relish in."