The Sith
Merida and Jack looked around impressed at the rebel base. Hidden inside a gigantic chasm and carved into the sides of the rock allowing rebel ships to easily fly in and land. And there were secret tunnels that let them go on for miles, making a retreat easy if they were discovered.
The base was on high alert, getting ready to move if an Empire ship was detected. Merida spoke with the commanding officer, asking about recruitment, strategies, what intel they'd gathered, and how often they spoke with other rebel factions. Lastly, she asked about their Jedi.
The base seemed quite fond of her. The commander explained that she'd been a stow away on their ship when they'd met her. They'd found her, and she'd brandished her lightsaber in defense. They'd been amazed. Like most people they'd assumed the Jedi were all gone. So they offered her a place among their ranks.
Meirda was still largely unimpressed. She was still just a Padawan. A novice. The lowest rank of the old Order from what she knew.
But then again, as she viewed their mission records she saw that they almost always succeeded with her on a mission. Not to mention she decreased the amount of casualties dramatically.
"Where is she now?" Merida asked the commander.
"Probably in her quarters."
Merida cocked a brow. "She has her own quarters?"
"Well...yes ma'am. She's a lady. And a Jedi. Seemed reasonable enough," he said with a shrug. Merida rolled her eyes. She turned on her heel and asked for directions to the Jedi's quarters before walking off.
In a private section of the cliffside base, away from all the noise was Rapunzel's quarters. It wasn't much, just a large cavern for herself where she could meditate and practice her skills. Rapunzel sighed as she sat in the middle of the cavern and meditated. She felt uneasiness. Anxiety. Fear.
All stemming from the Princess' words. As she said, she was only a Padawan. To the untrained eye her movements and skills seemed to be unmatched, fluid, and graceful. But to someone familiar to the Jedi arts her inexperience would have been quite evident. She had been years away from completing her apprenticeship as a Padawan and taking the trials that would have let her become a knight when the purge happened.
She kept up her skills. Exercised and practiced the forms she remembered regularly. For hours a day. But without proper instruction her skills would remain stagnant. And eventually they would be her downfall. And the thought of letting down her comrades made her heart clench. She was 'their Jedi'. They were so proud of her power and skill. They believed with her at their side they would always pull through. She was their symbol of hope. And while she was proud to be that, she also didn't want to give them false hope.
She sighed and stood up. Stretching her muscles she began to exercise. Throwing punches and kicks at the air before she began somersaulting and flipping around the room. She left her lightsaber on the ground in the center of the room. And as she did, Merida came around the corner and into her chambers.
Merida came in and froze. Her eyes were wide as she watched Rapunzel flip, jump, and spin around the room in a flurry of motion. She was almost a blur. She could see how well coordinated she was with her limbs, not to mention the strength her upper body had to possess to pull of such acrobatic feats.
As she continued to watch, her eyes were drawn by a glint of metal. She glanced downward to see the Jedi's lightsaber resting on the ground. Curiosity piqued, she entered. Rapunzel stilled, she looked behind her and saw Merida enter. She dropped her stance and fidgeted awkwardly as Merida came into her private quarters without permission.
Merida reached the lightsaber. She bent down to pick it up. She inspected it. It was heavier than she thought. And unactivated it was rather unimpressive. But she'd heard of what these weapons were capable of in the hands of a Jedi or Sith. They could slice through nearly anything. The lightsaber was a lilac and pale gold color.
As she continued her inspection she saw what she believed to be the mechanism to activate it. She reached her other hand up to do so when it suddenly flew from her hands. She gasped and looked as it flew across the room and to Rapunzel, who had her hand outstretched. It flew into her palm as she secured it and then clipped it to her belt.
"Thats mine," she said, her eyes narrowing in slight offense. She may have been a little intimidated by Merida, but a lightsaber was not a toy. She turned around and sat down on the ground, crossing her legs and staring upward at a ledge.
Merida still stood there stunned. She's just witnessed a Jedi using her powers. The mysterious art they called 'The Force'. She approached slowly before looking upward to see what Rapunzel was looking at. She saw she was staring at a ledge, and above it were words carved into the cavern wall.
She stood directly behind Rapunzel and read them.
"There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony. There is no death, there is the Force," Merida read aloud.
"It is our code," Rapunzel chimed in. Merida looked down and cocked a brow. "It what the Jedi live by. The core of our beliefs," she explained, not taking her eyes off the wall.
"Thats interesting," was all Merida could think to say. She remained silent for a while, unsure on how to proceed. She fidgeted awkwardly, never having been good at these kind of things. "Rapunzel, right?" The other girl turned her head to look up at her with grass green eyes. She nodded.
"I just wanted to say...I'm sorry." Rapunzel cocked a brow. "I've seen the mission reports. You do good work. I shouldn't have snapped at you."
"But you were right," Rapunzel muttered, eyes down. "I'm not a knight. Or master. I'm just a Padawan. And not even an exceptional one."
"But you're still a Jedi. Thats amazing. You can do things that blows peoples' minds."
Rapunzel snorted and turned her head away. Merida wouldn't understand.
"Rapunzel. Thank you for all you've done. I'm glad to have you with us. And if you can forgive me for being an idiot, I'd like very much to be your friend," Merida said sincerely.
Rapunzel turned her head, a beaming smile on her face. She leapt up, excitedly. "Really?" she asked with wide eyes.
Merida flinched at her sudden change in mood. She leaned back a little. "Uh...yes," she said a little unsure now.
"Yay! Ok, I forgive you," Rapunzel cried as she threw her arms around her and pulled her into a hug.
"Oh, ok. You're a friendly one," Merida said awkwardly.
Rapunzel just smiled. Another friend. And a girl too. She'd been working with nothing but men for a long time. It would be wizard to have another girl around.
She pulled back with a wide grin. "Oh, can I do your hair? Or maybe you can do mine. Or maybe we can do each other's. Or-"
Merida wondered what she'd just gotten herself into as she watched Rapunzel babble away. But still, she was proud to have a Jedi as a friend.
Jack and Eugene were in the dining quarters playing cards with the other rebels. Jack and Eugene were winning. Because they were cheating of course. They exchanged a glance, letting the other know who to bluff. As they showed their hands and won more credits they smirked at each other, already in agreement to divide up their winnings.
"So whats up with the red head?" Eugene asked as they took a break from the cards.
"Princess. A little bossy and has a major stick up her ass," Jack said casually. Eugene chuckled. "What's up with the Jedi? Punz, was it?" Eugene nodded.
"Not much to say. She's a bit of a mystery. Found her sneaking aboard one of our ships. Offered her a spot among us and she accepted."
"Ah."
"You and red a thing?"
"Pssh, as if. I'd have a better chance with a Rancor than her. You and the Jedi, on the other hand, seem quite close," he said as he cocked a brow. Eugene flushed a little.
"She's a friend and a comrade," he tried to say with a neutral tone.
"Pretty too," Jack commented, noticing the other man's flushing cheeks and reddening neck and ears.
"I suppose," Eugene said with the tiniest shrug he could manage. "Why, you interested?"
"Nah. More into blondes." Eugene chuckled while drinking some water. After a few minutes, Rapunzel and Merida walked in. Rapunzel had an arm around Merida's as she talked the other woman's ear off. Jack and Eugene chuckled as they noticed Merida's look of exasperation. They waved them over, and Eugene managed to distract Rapunzel, giving Merida a reprieve.
"So whats the situation boss?"
"Well we'll be moving out soon. This base has been compromised. So we leave in a few hours. Then...not sure after that. We look for a new base."
Jack nodded. The group settled down. Enjoying the moment and knowing it couldn't last forever. They were at war after all.
A small rebel unit peered down a hill at a squadron of stormtroopers patrolling the forest on walkers. Flying in the skies overhead was an Imperial dropship, probably loaded with clones. They had definitely been compromised.
"Gamma squad to Atlus," one of the unit said over their communicators.
"We read you Gamma."
"We got troopers patrolling the forest and skies. They're definitely looking for us. We need to get off planet immediately."
"Understood, get back to base Gamma."
"Copy that Atlus."
The group exchanged a glance. They got up as quietly as they could and began making their way to the hidden forest caves that would take them back to base. They had only taken about three steps when a black figure fell from the air and landed in front of them. Weapons were immediately up. They ordered the man to identify himself.
The man wore black robes. And black armor underneath. He had an outer black cloak with a hood that hid his face, but they could see two horn like protrusions coming from underneath. The man remained silent, but from underneath his cloak he brandished a silvery object.
The rebels' eyes widened in horror. It was the hilt of a lightsaber, just like their Jedi had. The man activated it, and a short beam of red energy sprang out.
Their stomachs dropped. No, not a Jedi.
A Sith.
The base was alive with movement. men were shouting order, loading up non combatants and weapons into the ships. They were moving out immediately. Getting out before the Empire could blockade the planet and cut off all means of escape. Merida spoke with the commander of the base, establishing a rendezvous point if they were forced to split up. Rapunzel, Jack, and Eugene stood behind her.
And as they did, they received a transmission from Gamma squad. There were screams coming from their end. Followed by a familiar sound. All eyes flew to Rapunzel. And then a shout came from Gamma.
"SITH!"
There were more screams and sounds of battle coming from the other end as Rapunzel stormed out of the room. She made her way to a speeder, hopping on one, a look of determination in her eyes. She was about to take off when Eugene grabbed her arm.
"What the heck you doing Punz?"
"I have to help Gamma. If I go, then the Sith will probably leave them alone to come after me."
"We can't lose you Punz. Its way too risky."
"I can't just do nothing!" Rapunzel cried. "I'm a Jedi. I have a duty to defend people from the Sith. And Gamma needs my help!"
Eugenes sighed, he saw the look of determination in her eyes. She wanted to do this. He reluctantly let her go. "Alright. Go. But you'll come right back, ok? Just distract the Sith and get away," he ordered.
Rapunzel chuckled and gave him a sad smile. "I will not lie to you Eugene...I will probably not survive this day," she said truthfully. Eugene's eyes widened, he was about to reach out and grab her when she took off. Down a tunnel and out of sight. He watched her go, ice filling his veins.
"Where'd Rapunzel go?" Merida asked as she came up behind him.
"She went to fight the Sith. Give Gamma a chance to get away," Eugene responded.
"What?!" Merida cried. She cursed and rubbed her temples.
"Yo Mer. If we're gonna do something we, we gotta do it now," Jack piped in. She turned back to him. He was right. If they were going to escape they needed to go now. But Rapunzel was a valuable asset. To lose her could prove to be a major loss.
But to lose one of the resistance leaders could be equally, if not an even more devastating blow. She racked her brain, weighing all pros and cons before making a decision.
She turned to face Jack. Looking into his eyes. "Get the ship ready Jack."
Gamma was being pushed back. They fired at the approaching troopers and their Sith in an attempt to get away. But the Sith was skilled. He deflected blasts effortlessly. Even managing to redirect them back at Gamma's forces. Slowly but surely the line of troopers was getting closer.
One of Gamma's men threw a grenade. Aiming right for the Sith. But the Sith raised a hand, the grenade stopped in midair before with a flick of his hand, it went flying back at them. They leapt clear as it exploded. One of Gamma suddenly found himself lifted off the ground by an invisible force before being dragged to hover before the Sith. The Sith brought his hand up and squeezed. The man felt his throat being crushed, he grasped at his neck, trying to free himself from the invisible force. But it was no use. With a crack, he stiffened before being dropped the ground and stepped over.
Gamma were no fools. They knew this was it. They were going to die. But that didn't mean they'd lie down like dogs and let it happen. They would fight till the bitter end.
Suddenly the hum of a speeder caught everyone's attention. Gamma glanced back, and their hopes were renewed. A familiar figure on a speeder was heading right for them.
Rapunzel narrowed her eyes as she spotted Gamma just up ahead. And then she got a shiver up her spine as her eyes were drawn to the figure in black robes and carrying a red lightsaber. A Sith. She took a breath, taking her feet out of the speeder's pedals to leap onto the seat.
Gamma cleared a path as she sped past them. At the last second she pushed off, leaping clear of the speeder as it went straight for the Sith. The Sith remained on the spot. It seemed as if the speeder would collide with him. But then he raised hand up and threw it out to the side. The speeder went spinning wildly and veered off course before crashing into some trees.
But the explosion was bigger thank to some grenades she'd left on the speeder. The trees' trunks were blown to bits, they toppled over, landing before the stormtroopers and temporarily blocking their path. And leaving the Sith by himself.
Rapunzel landed before the Sith. Placing herself before her comrades.
Gamma cheered, rallying behind her. They prepared to re-engage when she shouted at them.
"Everyone stay back!" they looked at her in confusion. "Run while you can. I'll hold them off," she shouted. They spluttered in confusion. They were about to protest when she cut them off with a sharp and decisive, "NOW!" They did as they were told, retreating and looking back while wishing her luck.
With her comrades safe, Rapunzel turned her attention to the Sith. She could feel how powerful he was. Stronger than her without a doubt. It wasn't impossible for her to win. There were many records throughout history in which a Padawan defeated a Sith of great power.
But she was under no delusions. This battle would probably be her last. She stood up, tall and proud. Gathering her courage. Preparing to show the Sith the strength of the Jedi. She grabbed her lightsaber at her belt. She gripped it in both hands.
She took a breath before activating it. The yellow beam sprang out, bathing her face in its light as it hummed in her hand. The Sith took firm hold of his own lightsaber. Peering at her under the blackness of his hood.
It had been a long time since he'd killed a Jedi. Even if it was just a Padawan.
This would be amusing.
Oh no Rapunzel! No! Can she win? Are there more Jedi out there? Find out!
