Zack's strike was parried and he quickly found himself on the defensive, the green glow of his lightsaber moving furiously to block the molten copper colored blade as it whirled around him. He backpedaled, his defense becoming more and more desperate. He deflected an overhead slash and was staggered by the force of the blow, regaining his balance just before the next strike. Zack was tiring and it showed as he backflipped out of the heat of battle to buy himself a few seconds. He landed on one knee a few meters away, trying to force more oxygen to his muscles through ragged breaths while his adversary stood nearly perfectly still and calm.
He launched himself forward with gritted teeth before he could be put on the defensive again, slashing upward and spinning to deliver an attack at his opponent's feet. Both were blocked, easily, and despite his best efforts, Zack was moving backwards once more. He rapidly deflected three strikes and ducked a fourth that would have decapitated him before again jumping out of reach.
Zack could feel the Wookiee's heavy gaze as it looked through him. He took a handful of deep breaths and tried to get his heart rate under control. A shake of his head sent an hour's worth of sweat flying off into the damp riverbed. He ran his free hand back through it and waited, bouncing slightly from foot to foot with his lightsaber in the guard position.
"Your mind is muddled. Your thoughts and attention are everywhere but here," the old Wookiee finally said, the exasperation clear in his gruff growls. "You must concentrate."
"I'm sorry, Master Ishalka."
"Do not be sorry. Instead, clear your mind and focus on what is at hand." He studied his pupil and spoke again. "When you are ready."
Zack took a deep breath and did his best to empty his mind before taking two long strides to rejoin his Master. His blade flashed as he spun but the majority of his strokes seemed to find nothing but empty space while the rest were batted away harmlessly. Zack's frustration began to grow as he pushed his attack. The Wookiee was just so fast. He bit down on his irritation and slashed again before charging at his Master. He swung high and then chased it with a backhanded swipe as he passed only to nearly have his lightsaber knocked from his hand for his trouble. Zack huffed, lunging in again, before slamming to a dead stop against a wall of air.
"Calm your emotions, Zack," Ishalka said with a furry hand held out in front of him. "You must not fight with your anger clouding your mind. Serenity is your ally. Only when you are serene will you be able to immerse yourself in the Force and allow it to guide your actions."
"I'm sorry, Master."
"Once more," the Wookiee said and took up a ready position.
Zack blew his breath out and stepped forward. His green blade lashed out high and low and followed his strikes with a spinning kick. Ishalka blocked the strikes and rolled with the kick, nodding as he stepped back in front of his student.
"I can still sense your negative emotions. You must overcome them," he said as he went back on the offensive. Zack parried and dodged and picked his spots to throw in some strikes of his own. They separated after a long series of blows, Zack spinning his lightsaber in front of him and the Wookiee once again patient and waiting.
"The Force is your ally, Zack. You must allow it to aid you but you must also be mindful."
Zack felt a miniscule ripple through the Force and ducked a shoulder and slid out of his robe as he felt a strong tug on one sleeve. The empty robe zipped through the distance between then before dropping in the dirt. The tip of his lightsaber had scorched the fabric as it passed and they both watched as it smoldered on the ground.
"Nice one, Master. Now try this!" Zack jumped and somersaulted over the Wookiee, landing with his lightsaber primed for a winning blow, but felt an invisible,giant hand plant itself in his chest and shove him back across the field. He scoured a furrow in the dirt and came to rest on his back. Zack shook his head and saw his lightsaber rolling a short distance away, illuminating the ground. Zack scrambled to his feet and called the weapon back to his hand when his Master spoke.
"Enough." Ishalka deactivated his lightsaber and hung it from his belt. "You forget yourself and all that you have learned when fighting, Zack. " Zack hung his head and tucked his lightsaber back in his robes. "You fight with the speed and agility of youth but still do not augment it with what you have been taught. Had you been focused, you would have foreseen the simple shove I gave you and easily dismissed it." Ishalka shook his head.
"I'll do better, Master. I promise." The rebuke stung.
"I know you will. But not tonight." Zack was about to protest but was silenced with a stare. "You have much to meditate on before we resume tomorrow. Go, gather your things. I will collect your brother and we will eat."
He turned a shaggy face to the sky after Zack departed. The heavy banks of clouds were finally spilling over the horizon and a chill breeze began whipping at his robe. He could smell the scent of the rain and increased his pace, stepping out of the riverbed and climbing the small hill to the clearing where Cody was practicing.
Ishalka crested the hill and slowly approached his other student. Cody had one hand outstretched and the Wookiee was impressed with what he saw. If Zack would only put half the effort into his training that his brother did...no, it wasn't fair to judge one off of another. Ishalka dismissed the thought as uncharitable and stopped a discrete distance away, watching, hands clasped behind his back.
Specks of mist began joining the beads of sweat that were collecting on Cody's forehead as he concentrated. The large stone spun slowly in the air a few meters from him while a smaller stone orbited around it. A third stone hung in the space between the first two and twitched jerkily.
"I can't," Cody said as the third stone fell to the ground and rolled to a stop a short distance from his feet. The remaining stones sagged but Cody kept them in the air.
"You can," the old Wookiee told him.
Cody squeezed his eyes even tighter and set a determined look on his face. After a foggy exhalation, the fallen rock rose from the damp soil and took its place between the spinning and revolving stones. He took a deep breath and the stone slowly began to settle into a polar orbit to complement the other's equatorial orbit. He kept the system going for another few seconds before it became too much and all three fell. Cody collapsed to the ground and wiped his face.
"I'm sorry, Master," he said as his breath condensed around him.
"Do not apologize," the Wookiee growled as he helped Cody to his feet. "You did an admirable job pushing yourself as far as you did. You have control far beyond what I did as a student."
"I'll try again. I know I can do better." He reached out a shaky hand and the larger stone hopped back into the air
"No, that is enough for tonight. I believe that what passes for the warm season on this planet has passed. We should join your brother inside before the weather catches us."
"I won't argue, Master," Cody told him as he dropped the rock. He wrapped his robe tighter around himself and fell into step beside the Wookiee. The temperature had dropped from pleasant to cold in a matter of hours. Cody was about to comment further when he stopped and peered questioningly at their small dwelling. "Zack feels...agitated. I can sense it all the way from here."
"He is. His mind is clouded and he feels frustration for his poor showing in our duel." The idea of Zack doing badly in a duel, even with their Master, stunned Cody and it was evident on his face but he remained quiet as they walked. "The two of you both have vast potential but his is still very raw and mostly unharnessed even after all these years of training. Were times as they were before the Empire slaughtered the Jedi, he would be assigned another Master in hopes that a different teaching style could aid him." Ishalka grew quiet and Cody could feel the Wookiee's thoughts drifting back decades.
"I'll try talking to him," Cody offered as they neared the gravel path that led to their door.
"Thank you, but no. It is not your place as his fellow student. I shall do it later tonight after he has had time to relax and calm himself." Cody nodded and said nothing as he walked inside, just beating the first drops of freezing rain.
A short while later they sat around a small table with full plates in front of them as the storm pounded around them outside. The food, mostly ration cubes with a few vegetables they'd harvested from around their camp, was far from gourmet but the young Jedi devoured it. Master Ishalka waited until long after his students were finished and the dishes cleaned before speaking.
"What troubles you, Zack?"
"Huh?" Zack replied in surprise as he spun his chair away from the grimy window.
"What has caught your attention so these days?"
"The Rebellion, Master. The future."
"Ah. You wish to leave and go aid the Rebels."
"I do." Master Ishalka could feel the thoughts bubbling in his student's mind and waited for Zack to continue. "We've been hopping from backrocket planet to backrocket planet meditating and lifting rocks while millions of beings are risking their lives for freedom. I just feel like we should be doing our part."
"We are doing our part, Zack," Cody interjected before Ishalka could wave him silent. "We won't be much help to the Rebellion if we aren't trained. Each day we stay here or on some other world, we grow stronger."
"And ever day we spend here, quadrillions of beings that can't defend themselves suffer under the Empire's rule. We can help them now. How much stronger do we have to be before we join the fight? How many worlds have to be destroyed like Alderaan before we're ready?"
Color had risen into the cheeks of both boys by now, Master Ishalka noticed. This disagreement had surfaced many times before and there was never a resolution, only a temporary truce. "We have had this discussion before," the Wookiee said to both boys.
"I know, Master, but it seems more important now. More urgent."
"Is that the future you spoke of earlier?"
"I...think so. It's a very vague feeling, like something huge and dark is reaching out for us."
"The Empire has long arms and farseeing eyes, Zack."
"It's more than that, though. At least I think it is. Cody's always been better at that than I am. It feels like whatever it is is lurking in the shadows and I can't quite see it," Zack offered after a bit more thought.
"Perhaps we have spent long enough on this planet," Ishalka said after a moment.
"Do you think someone saw us and tipped off the Empire?" Cody asked.
"Doubtful," Zack replied. "Master Ishalka has never gone to town with we've never trained outside during the day."
"It is possible but not important. If they are coming, it won't matter how they discovered us."
"They are coming," Zack told them.
"You are certain?"
"Yes, Master. Positive."
"Then we must leave. Gather what you can carry and forget everything else." The Wookiee stood and the twins flew into action. Each boy busied themselves by stuffing their few belongings, mainly clothes and a few small trinkets they'd collected over the years, in space-beaten old sacks. Cody had just sealed his when his head snapped up, his gaze focused somewhere far outside the room's wall.
"Master!" he exclaimed suddenly. "They're here."
"I feel it, too," the Wookiee said as his hand reached into his robes and pulled out his lightsaber. "Quickly, to the ship." He led the way through the early light with the twins close behind him, his large strides carrying him to the small entrance just as he heard the rumble of a shuttle very close overhead. The passage was lit by patches of glowing lichen and the group moved as fast as they could through the twists and switchbacks. Ishalka was nearly bent double at the waist and he could feel the time slipping away as he pulled himself along.
They burst into the cavern from the passage to see what had to be at least a dozen white-clad Stormtroopers advancing from the cave mouth and another four figures buried deeply in dark red robes just inside the cave.
"Inquisitors," Ishalka grumbled as he ignited his lightsaber.
"We've been looking for you for a long time, Ishalka. Why don't you come with us? We have so much to discuss." He paused and the twins could almost hear the cruel smile in his voice when they stepped out into the dimly lit cavern. "It seems you have company. Younglings? Or are they your students?" Zack and Cody could feel a cold gaze settle upon them. "Oh, they are, I can feel them. Join us and I will spare their lives."
"Never, you traitors," he bellowed. To the twins, "get to the shuttle and prepare it for flight. I will hold them off."
"Cody can do that by himself, Master," Zack said, his green blade igniting in a familiar snap-hiss. "I'll help you."
"No, you will do as you are told. Go!"
"C'mon, Zack, let's go," Cody said as he grabbed his brother's sleeve and pulled him along. They were halfway to the shuttle when the Stormtroopers opened fire and Cody's blue blade flared to life and joined Zack's in scattering the blaster bolts. Three of the Stormtroopers fell from reflected bolts while another handful were suddenly thrust back across the cave by a wave of Ishalka's hand.
"Now go!" he yelled as he advanced to place himself between the shuttle and the Imperials.
Cody punched in the shuttle's security code and the ramp started sliding down. He vaulted up and into the shuttle before it was finished and Zack was close on his heels. They dropped their packs in the cargo bay and raced to the cockpit and flung themselves into the chairs. Two sets of nimble hands raced over buttons and switches and the shuttle's systems began the slow process of coming online.
"Repulsor coils coming online. Life support online. Engine diagnostics eighty-seven percent...Ninety-five...Done. Both in the green. Initiating start up sequence." Cody's fingers flew over a keyboard at least as old as he was as he entered commands in their navigational computer. They'd practiced this many times over the years and every step came as second nature to both of them. "Come on, hurry up." He turned his attention to another display only to have it yanked back to the nav computer. "Oh not now. This is not the time."
"What?" Zack asked, not looking up from his own screen.
"The nav computer's faulted and won't load any data. I have to reset it and hope it comes back up."
"How long will that take?" Zack asked as he entered a flurry of keystrokes.
"Assuming it works? Sixty seconds if we're lucky."
"What if we're not lucky?"
"Well, we'll have two choices. We either orbit this planet for the rest of our lives, which will probably be very short if there's more Imperials around or we jump blind. If jump blind, we could end up on Coruscant or in the middle of a star or anywhere in between."
"Let's hope we're lucky."
"Forty five seconds," Cody counted down as the nav computer worked through its restart.
"We might not have that long. Look!" Zack pointed out the front viewport. The Stormtroopers were no longer moving but the four hooded figures were. Almost in unison, four arms appeared from beneath robes and four shafts of red light blazed forth. "I'm going to help him," Zack said as he jumped from his seat.
"Zack! Get back here-" Cody called after him but the only response he got were his brother's footfalls echoing all the way to the cargo bay and the ramp.
"Don't force us to destroy you, Ishalka," one of the hooded figures said. "We only desire to talk." Long fingers pulled the cowl back and a thin, dark face was revealed
"Save your breath. I have no desire to talk to someone who betrayed our Order."
"Lord Vader is very persuasive, Ishalka. Incredibly so. And the power I have now," the gaunt man rolled his head around on his shoulders as if he was relishing Vader's gifts. "It's like nothing I ever imagined when I was at the Temple."
Zack ended his dash at his Master's side and could immediately feel the evil and malice pouring from the four. It made his skin crawl and he could feel it pressing against him from all sides, demanding entry and offering incredible power.
"You should not be here. This is not your fight."
"It is my fight." Zack took an involuntary step back, staggered under the oppression of the evil power.
"That is the power of the Dark Side, Zack," Ishalka told him when he could feel his student being buried under it. "Fight it."
"It's...strong," was all Zack could answer with the dark power crushing him.
"Focus and allow the light to lift it from your shoulders." Zack did as he was told and could feel the dark cloud dissolving. "Consider this the end of your training."
"It will be the end of something," the unmasked figure said as he approached. "If you will not join us, you will die."
Cody watched from the viewport as six lightsabers clashed, looking up from his systems every few seconds. Dizzying blurs and multicolored sparks filled the air of the cavern as he waited for the shuttle to finish engine start-up. "Come on, come on," he muttered as he was torn between rushing out to help his brother and Master or staying to finish what he started in the cockpit.
Zack felt like he never had before as the battle progressed. He had finally fully immersed himself in the Force and he could feel each blow coming almost as soon as his opponent conceived it. When an attack finally came it seemed to be in slow motion and Zack was prepared to counterstrike immediately. He reveled in the power. After batting three ragged strikes away, Zack lashed out high at his enemy's head and followed it with a barrage of strikes that put the darksider purely on the defensive. Zack finished his mini-offensive with a spinning strike from his lightsaber's pommel, catching his opponent in the face and shattering bone.
The darksider, stunned and bleeding and with one hand over what remained of his nose, stumbled sideways on weak legs. Zack regarded him for a fraction of a second in the Force and saw the hatred still burning within the injured being even as Zack was preparing for the killing blow. He felt the figure searching through him and watched a small grin spread across the darksider's face as Zack finished him with a cleaving cut from shoulder to hip. He was puzzled but put it aside for the time being.
Cody saw his brother strike the darksider down just as the familiar thrum of the engines reached his ears. "Finally!" he exclaimed as he worked his fingers over another series of switches. He looked up and saw that the two groups had disengaged for the moment, seeming to be studying each other. Cody was puzzled and about to turn his attention back to the controls when he saw another group of Stormtroopers enter the cave and open fire. Their blades moved like the wind and began bouncing the blasts away.
"No more games. This ends now, Jedi." The red blade was extinguished and the hilt was stashed deep in the red robes. Two hands were extended and bolts of jagged purple lightning arced across the distance. Master Ishalka caught the lightning on his blade but his brother wasn't as experienced or lucky.
Cody pounded his fist on the viewport and screamed as he watched Zack's body convulse. "No!" he watched his brother twist on the ground until his attacker was forced to defend himself from a charging Wookiee. The lightning ended and the red blade reappeared again, moving furiously against the Wookiee's blows. The Stormtroopers opened fire again and Ishalka faced an impossible fight.
The two darkside accomplices each reached out a hand and the dark energy lashed out against Ishalka again. One was sent spinning off into a wall but the other kept up the attack. Ishalka's body contorted as he fell to the cave floor, his lightsaber rolling from his huge hand.
"No!" Cody screamed again when he saw his Master writhing under the onslaught. He was out of the pilot's chair before he realized it.
"Save your brother and leave here, Cody," Ishalka said in his mind. "I will hold them, buy you time." Cody started to argue but stopped when he felt his Master in the Force.
"You are right, my time is not long but yours is. Your destiny does not end here. May the Force be with you." Cody's fingers left his lightsaber and he raced to his brother and quickly worked his limp body over a shoulder.
He looked back as he shuffled to the cargo ramp to see Ishalka raise both burned hands to the roof of the cave and yank them down, pulling huge chunks of rock from the ceiling and sending them cartwheeling toward himself and their enemies. Light flooded the cavern as the rest of the ceiling was pulled down, crushing everything in their path and forming a wall between the remaining Imperials and the shuttle.
Cody felt his Master's death as the rocks fell. His eyes grew moist and he bit back a sorrowful cry but he forced himself to push that away for the time being. There would be time to mourn his loss later. Cody dashed inside the shuttle, hammering his hand on the emergency close button as he passed, and made his way to the cockpit. Once Zack's smoking body was secured in the co-pilot's seat, Cody fastened his own harness and fed maximum power to the repulsor coils.
The shuttle screamed upwards and through the hole and out into the empty sky. Cody pointed the shuttle's nose up and began accelerating. The ground quickly shrank beneath them and the blue sky began to darken as they passed through the planet's atmosphere and out into the blackness of space.
"Oh, not good," he muttered as he saw the silhouette of something very large, white and angular coming around from behind the planet. He pushed the throttles to the stops and opened the engines fully, hoping that they could get out of the planet's gravity well before the Star Destroyer could close the distance and train its guns.
"Attention transport Ilar Drifter, this is the Imperial Star Destroyer Vengeance. You are ordered to heave to and prepare to be boarded," Cody heard through the speakers as the Star Destroyer hailed him. "This is your only warning," the message continued before going ominously silent. Cody ignored it as he scrolled through the nav computer's list of available jumps.
Display lights lit up on his threat board as the Star Destroyer moved within firing range. "Targeting lock...targeting lock," the computer repeated ceaselessly in his ear as he watched the minimum distance to the nearest jump point scroll down. "Come on...come on..."
Huge green bolts of pure energy lanced out from the Star Destroyer at Cody and his small ship. He threw the vessel into a corkscrewing dive just as one turbolaser flashed by close enough to make all his gauges surge and the ship's intercom assault him with loud static.
"Too close!" Cody said as he yanked the ship back up toward the jump point. He found himself almost grinning despite the circumstances. He flipped the transport on its side before rolling inverted and climbing above another round of fire from the Star Destroyer. Something in the cargo bay crashed back to the deck as he leveled out again. "Almost there. Jumping in three...two...one...jump!" He glanced over at his brother's unconscious form and pulled the lever. The stars outside the viewport elongated and then vanished as they entered hyperspace.
So there it is, chapter one of my Suite Life/Star Wars crossover. Hopefully I've hooked you with this even if you aren't as huge a Star Wars fan as I am. If you are, don't worry, I won't be rewriting the Original Trilogy. The twins (and the other characters that will show up in time) won't be fighting Vader or blowing up Death Stars. They have their own story to tell in the vastness of the Star Wars Galaxy.
If you aren't as huge a fan, that's okay, too. I'm not going to super-nerd the story with all of the minutiae of the SW galaxy unless it's important to the story (or interesting enough to mention) and I'll note things accordingly at the end of the chapter. For example, Wookiees can't speak 'Basic' (English) but they can understand it. Also, if you have any questions feel free to ask. That said...Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!