"How is a person supposed to find anything around here...?" Elara whispered to herself as she walked the streets of Mos Eisley. Beings of all races were rushing about their business, buying fruit, selling speeders – all as though the empire wasn't watching them. The life in the streets was amazing, something she'd never get used to.
The downside of course, was brought on by the men in solid white armour, standing guard at what seemed like every corner the woman passed. Several squads patrolled the streets as well, harassing vendors and generally causing imperial trouble.
Elara frowned, watching a pair of Storm troopers block entrance to a nearby alleyway. They held their blaster rifles close, each one scanning the streets for anything out of the ordinary. She pulled up her hood over her dark hair, her green eyes watching them, trying to figure out what had caused such a stir in their security. Something was going on here – she was determined to find out what.
She watched as they harassed a fruit vendor, supposedly for not having a valid licence for selling his wears. She wanted to badly to step in – to make them move on – But she had no intention to pull that much attention to herself. Elara sighed, turning to walk away when -
Wham!
The woman found herself knocked to the dusty ground, a young boy falling opposite. He looked to be around twelve or thirteen, his messy hair almost covering his eyes. She stared at him for a short moment. Had she really been that distracted?
"Hey -"
"Sorry!" The boy panicked, scrambling to his feet. Before Elara could stop him, he took off down the streets in quite a hurry, leaving the woman very confused. She pulled herself up and dusted herself off, only to have to jump out of the way as several Storm Troopers came rushing down the street after him.
"Get him!" One yelled as they bolted past, kicking up dust and drawing the attention of the crowd. Elara pinned herself back against the wall, watching as they darted past. It was now she could see some of the merchants trying hard to pretend they didn't notice – obvious victims of the empire. One, however, seemed intent on selling a droid to a man, regardless of what was happening in the background.
Elara pulled her hood over her head once more, slipping away into the crowd before anyone noticed just how out of place she was. The storm troopers seemed to be out in force today, almost unavoidable. She turned down a side street, watching her back. She soon paused, feeling as though someone was watching her. She looked back, spotting the boy hiding in her shadow. How long had he been following her? And why hadn't she seen him at all?
"Don't move – please don't move" He whispered, peering around her. She sighed, and turned back to the street, appearing to be messing with the communication device on her arm.
"And what did you do to the empire today?" She asked him, casually messing with the device. "You must have done something big to get their attention like that."
"Shhh – They'll hear you!"
"That's the point, Kid." She frowned. "Look, just trust me, alright? Stay close." She continued to mess with the device as a couple of troopers stopped outside the side street watching her. "Yeah I don't know, this kid just ran into me and took off"
One of the storm troopers looked to his companion, giving him a nod before heading over to the woman in the corner.
"Where did that kid go?" He asked, approaching her. She looked up in surprise. They were falling for it. Perfect.
"Oh, were you looking for him? He went that way" She pointed down the street she had come off. "If you're quick you might still catch him"
"This way, go! Go!" She watched the storm troopers run off, and turned back to the kid, who was already racing down the street.
"Wait!" She cried out to him. "Don't... go that way." She sighed, not much she could do for him now. She sighed, and figured it was best to get back to her own task.
"I sell to you for good price, yes. Good droid, clean. Very reliable." The merchant Rino grinned, shoving the droid toward his possible customer. The man seemed a little reluctant buying anything from the shady Rodian, finding it hard to read the lies in the creatures large back eyes. He studied the droid, considering his options.
"We can't afford another droid, Hawke . How will we eat...?" the woman next to him spoke up. She was shorter than him by about a head, her red hair held neatly in a ponytail. She adjusted the goggles resting on the top of her head, "We're barely getting enough to pay for the ships fuel."
"And that's why we're stopping here for a bit." Hawke smiled at her, his dark blue eyes almost pleading for her to let him buy the piece of junk.
"I sell good price!" Rino grinned again, shoving the droid a little closer to them. "Good condition, Reliable!"
"It's a hard offer to pass up, Kiva." Hawke frowned. "We do need a new droid – after we lost the last one..."
"You mean YOU lost the last one" She protested, folding her arms. "Droids aren't immune to blaster fire."
"Equip the droid with a shield – I will I will!" Rino grinned. "Shield free, if buy droid"
Kiva rolled her eyes.
"Fine, do what you want, Hawke. I'll use what's left of MY money to get us something to eat tonight."
"Will not regret!" Rino took his payment. "No... will not regret..."
He looked down at his newly purchased droid. The old R3 unit beeped happily as his restraining bolt was removed.
"She'll come around. Come on, I'll get Jax to take you back to the..." He looked up, watching a cloaked woman pass through the streets. She walked quickly and silently, as though she did not wish to be noticed. Something about the way she moved caught his full attention for little more than a moment.
"What do we need this rust-bucket for?" Jax asked, the large Cathar kicking the droid. The R3 unit gave an annoyed beep, rolling away from the creature in the sand, and bumping into Hawke's leg, freeing him from his distraction.
"Hm?" Hawke looked back at the two, Jax watching him with slight annoyance. "Just take it back to the ship. Kane should be almost in position."
"This is a waste of time..."
"Just do it." Hawke frowned, before taking off into the street after the woman. The Cathar frowned at the little droid, who continued to beep happily. He sighed.
"Well... come along then. And keep up."
Hawke followed the mysterious woman, blending in with the crowd, keeping his eyes on her. She turned down a nearby side street just as a small group of aliens passed before him and causing him to lose the woman. He frowned and looked around before making his way onto one of the nearby rooftops. He spotted her below, looking over her shoulder. He began stalking her movements, doing his best to stay hidden. She paused, and glanced up to the roof, frowning as she saw nothing. She signed a little. She knew he was there. The woman broke into a run, making random turns in an attempt to lose him in the narrow streets – what did he want with her? She turned a corner, thinking she had lost him, and skidded to a halt as she nearly ploughed into his chest. She looked up at him, taking a couple of steps back as she studied him. He didn't seem like an Imperial...
"Why are you following me?" She asked him, remaining suspicious of him. She got a weird feeling from the man – something she hadn't felt in a long time. Something familiar, but at the same time, it scared her.
A speeder bike passed them by, sending a gust of wind and sand down the street. Elara's robe blew in the breeze, revealing a cylindrical metal object attached to her belt. She panicked, covering it as quickly as she could. The man's eyes widened at the sight of it – The long metal handle, the solid design... He knew what it was.
"You're..." Before he could say anything further, a gust of sand blew into his face – and she was gone.
"Kane is in position" Kiva announced over his com-link. Hawke hesitated, and answered her, looking up and down the street. No sign of her.
"Copy that."
"What is your position, Hawke?" Kiva frowned. "Tell me you're not still messing with that droid. This is important!"
"No... No I just... I found something. Kane will be fine. I'm heading there now."
"You had better hurry – the troopers have clued on. Kane needs your help!"
Elara looked back, He hadn't followed her. She could have sworn she saw him take off in the opposite direction. Maybe he was going to alert the troopers...? She had to get as far away from there as she could – as fast as she could. She ducked around a corner, making her way to the spaceport. She needed to get out of Mos Eisley – and fast.
The space port seemed... strangely empty, only a couple of startled beings wandering the outer halls. She needed to find a ship that would take her to another city on the planet – or better, off Tattooine all together.
She approached an unguarded metal door, the sign by the keypad saying it was occupied. Surely no one would notice her slip aboard a small shuttle... The door opened with a hiss, allowing her to enter. She looked up and down the halls once more, before slipping inside the door and letting it close behind her.
She glanced around the spaceport she had chosen, and frowned. Now she was getting a bad feeling about this? To the left and right of her were large creates, stacked and waiting for transport. She approached one, brushing the sand off the top to reveal the one thing she had hoped not to see. The imperial insignia.
"The empire..." She whispered quietly. Of all the hangers... why did she chose this one?
"Hey! You there!" She looked up, realising she had been spotted by a couple of storm troopers and an imperial commander loading the creates onto a small shuttle. She turned back toward the door, only to run into a small patrol, who instantly raised their blaster rifles. She backed away – there was no way out of this – not without...
"State your business here, off-worlder." The commander approached her. He adjusted his hat a little as the troopers surrounded her.
"Just... passing through." She smiled sheepishly. "Walked into the wrong hanger. I'll just be leaving now." She turned, the troopers refusing to move from her path.
"No, I don't think you will." The commander smirked. "You've seen too much, I can't let you just... Leave." The troopers began to pat her down. She closed her eyes, hoping they would avoid the object pinned to her belt.
"She's just a peasant. She will cause no trouble." She whispered, with a small and subtle flick of her fingers.
"Never mind. She's just a peasant, she'll cause no trouble. Release her." The commander repeated.
"But sir!" The storm troopers stopped their search, confused.
"You heard him, let her go..." They reluctantly released Elara, who smiled and stepped through the group toward the door.
"Good day, Gents." She grinned, before turning and running straight into the strong chest of a tall, well built woman standing behind her. She fell back and hit the ground. "What, again?" She whispered, rubbing her head as she looked up. Her eyes fell on her face, fear shuddering through her body. It had been a long time since she had felt something so... horrible like that.
The Iridonian woman stepped forward as Elara scrambled to her feet, her red eyes unblinking as she watched her with amusement. She smirked, and brushed the loose strands of her hair from her eyes.
"What... Dare I ask...? Is this...?" The Sith took another step toward her, her cold golden eyes studying her, almost ripping her apart where she stood. She said nothing, pulling herself together.
"She's just a peasant, Lord Kohn, She'll cause no harm." The commander repeated a second time.
The Sith growled quietly, knowing exactly what was going on.
"Weak minded fools..." she hissed, quickly grabbing Elara by the arm and pulling her closer. "This... is a Jedi."
Elara growled, kicking at the sith, jumping back as she released her. She drew her green lightsaber defensively as the troopers began to get uneasy. In return, the Lord Khon drew hers, a red blade. Elara readied her weapon, knowing this was not going to be an easy battle.
"I knew it..." Hawke frowned, watching as the woman he had followed drew her lightsaber on the Iridonian. He frowned – he needed a way to get her out of there. "Kiva – where's the kid?"
"Kane is on his way to your position, Syrin is with him. What's your status?"
"I found the shipment. But that's not the only thing here. I'll keep you updated. Hawke out." He ducked back out of sight, waiting for Kane and Syrin to arrive. "Jax." He turned to his Cathar companion. "I need a distraction. Get down there."
"But we don't even know-"
"She's a Jedi, Jax."
"She could be some idiot with a lightsaber." Jax protested.
"Duck!" Hawke warned, pulling Jax down as the woman hurled a large shipping box toward the Sith, only to miss and throw it in their direction. "Believe me now?" He watched it clatter to the ground behind them, the stash of blaster rifles spilling onto the rooftop.
"Distraction, Gotacha." Jax nodded, loading his own rifle and taking off. Hawke climbed back up, peering over the edge of the building. She moved with all the grace and power of the old Jedi Masters – techniques he believed to be lost during the clone wars.
"Wow..." he whispered, almost lost in awe. It had been years since he had seen anything like that.
"Hawke!" Syrin called out as she and Kane came up behind him. He gestured for them to keep low and quiet, and to look at the objective.
"Is that... a Jedi...?" Kane whispered. "I thought they were all wiped out in the clone war..."
"Not all of them." Hawke whispered. "Jax's heading into position. I need you to get down there so we can commandeer that ship, Syrin. Kane... stay with me. I'll need your help."
"Argh!" Elara cried out as Khon easily threw her across the docking bay into a stack of creates. She pulled herself up from the mess, instantly launching back toward her opponent knocking her aside as she became distracted.
A large Cathar seemed to have come out of nowhere, barrelling into the troopers and easily flattening them. It took a moment for Elara to realise, but that's all the Sith needed to catch her off guard. Khon wrapped the force tightly around the Jedi's neck, pulling her from the ground. She dropped her lightsaber, hearing it clatter and deactivate at her feet as she rose into the air, an invisible hand crushing her throat. She coughed and clawed at her neck hopelessly.
"I have to do something." Kane whispered, watching as the Jedi struggled to breathe. "We can't just let this happen." He reached for his blaster pistol, waiting for his opportunity.
"Stick to the plan, Kane" Hawke warned, his eyes focused on the shuttle.
"But he's going to kill her!" He watched as she let out a few gasps. "I'm going in."
"Kane! No!" Hawke warned, watching as the boy darted forward, unable to stop him. Khon's focus turned, looking down at the young human who dared to interrupt her.
Kane pointed a shaky pistol toward the Sith, who dropped the Jedi as soon as he began to fire. She simply raised a hand, the bullets slamming harmlessly into her palm.
"What are you doing?" Hawke whispered, knowing the kid was done for. "Jax! New Plan! Get Kane!"
"On it!" Jax turned to run toward the boy, spotting the spaceport's large doors open as the reinforcements arrived. He growled to himself, firing into the group of Storm troopers as they took cover. He looked over at Kane – he had to get him away from that Sith somehow.
"We're ready to go!" Syrin cried from the ship. "Get on board, quickly!"
Khon looked down at Kane, ready to take him down with the force too. Elara's gaze caught the boys – no... She would not let this Sith get the kid too. She raised her hand, lifting one of the storage crates behind Khon with the force, and using it to smack her over the head. She staggered forward, instantly releasing the two. Elara crashed to the ground clutching her arm as the blaster fire broke out around them. She could barely breathe as she pulled herself to her feet. She looked up as the kid helped her up.
"Get her on board!" Hawke shouted, running over to them. "Jax!"
"There's no time!" Syrin shouted. "What are you...?"
Jax seemed to hesitate, but ran back out of the ship and hauled the Jedi over his shoulder just as the area began to fill with troopers.
"SYRIN! Get us out of here!" Jax, Hawke and Kane climbed into the shuttle, the door slamming shut moments before several blasts slammed into the metal. The shields powered up as the ship began to rise, Taking off into the blue sky as fast as its small engine would take it.
Finally in the clear, Jax gently set the Jedi to the floor.
"What were you thinking?" Kiva's voice appeared over the com. "You could have all been killed!"
"I had to save her." Hawke frowned, taking a seat by Syrin in the cockpit. He flicked a few switches as they exited the planet's atmosphere. "I take full responsibility for this." He disabled the ships tracking, before giving Syrin a small nod and heading back to Jax, Kane and the Jedi. He knelt curiously before her, studying her face as he removed her hood. She was... beautiful... and unconscious. He frowned a little. "We're bringing this shuttle to the ship, Kiva. We have a casualty."
"Are you sure this is a good idea...?" Jax asked, watching the woman. "We don't know anything about her..."
"She's a Jedi. That's enough for me." Hawke sighed, getting up.
"Why...?" Kane asked. "I don't get it..."
"It means we still have hope against the empire." Hawke whispered. "If she's out there, there may be more. We'll need her support."