The Darkness of Love
The Exile, the Scoundrel and the Dark Lord

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Chapter 6
Rescue Me

Knock Knock

Still no answer…Saleena thought worriedly. She stepped away from the entrance of the store and moved to a nearby window, squinting her eyes to perceive any hint of life. Unfortunately its dirtiness, and the darkness of the interior did not help one bit. She turned around, and although blinded by the sun that was soon about to set behind the forest, she could see there was no one else in the area. Feeling uneasy of breaking in an entry during her first mission, she returned to the door, and pulled out her lightsaber from her holster and ignited it; making the vibrant yellow reflect on the thick and seemingly impenetrable metal door. With a sleek motion, she charged her weapon near the doorknob, and the door instantly slid open. That was easy! she thought with a smirk, turning off her lightsaber and storing it away. But her smile faded instantly as a deathly silence escaped through the opening and filled her with uneasiness. She peered into the crack but the room was truly engulfed by darkness. She knew she had to enter sooner or later so with her left hand resting instinctively on her weapon, and barged into the small store.

Oh no…I arrived too late! With the last sun rays that shone from the open entrance, Saleena stared in horror at the mess that had occurred: shattered glass and broken objects were littered on the ground, and blood was splattered on the walls and on the floor. She walked deeper into the store, carefully stepping over large fallen cabinets, until she saw at the very back the figure of an old unconscious woman covered in blood on the floor. Saleena ran up to her and knelt to get a closer look at her injuries. She noticed a large shard of glass encrusted deep into the elderly woman's hip. The young woman pulled it out unceremoniously, leaving a large wound quickly drowned in blood, and causing the old woman to wake up with a loud yelp.

"Everything will be alright…" Saleena said soothingly, trying to immobilise the injured woman who was shaking uncontrollably.

"Oh yes everything is fine! I'm just bleeding to death and my husband's been abducted…no problem here!" the old woman spat sarcastically between long yells. "I must look for him before he gets himself into trouble!" she said while trying to get up.

"No! It's very dangerous…and you're wounded." Saleena said slowly, pulling her down and resting her hand on the old woman's hip that was soaked in blood. "I will help your husband but first let me help you! Tell me your name and what happened!" the Jedi ordered unintentionally.

"Hold on! Who are you to give me commands?" the older woman barked, pushing violently the young Jedi's hand away.

"My name is Saleena and I've been sent by Master Kavar. I am here to deal with the rebels that have been harassing you and your husband." Saleena said quickly, clearly thinking their chitchat was a waste of time. Let me heal you old woman so I can do what's been asked of me…she thought, her annoyance getting the best of her.

"Well…why haven't you said so earlier? So you're a Jedi, aren't you? Sent by Kavar? Why don't you use your powers to heal my wound…that'll be a good start to help us!" she said with a sneer, clearly thinking the young woman was incompetent.

"That's what I was going to do but- ugh no matter! How about I start healing your wound and you can explain what just happened?" Saleena said in her sweetest voice, controlling her urge to shake the old woman by the shoulders. Hopefully I'll fix more than that wound of hers! I just can't stand old cranky people! Let's hope Angus is nicer or I'll just leave him to the thugs! What am I saying! There is no emotion…there is only peace…

"Now we're talking!" the old woman said in a satisfied tone. "My name's Vondra, and my husband Angus and I own this shop. For the past few months a certain group of menacing men have been stopping by and demanded credits! Angus and me are old so we don't want to go looking for trouble so we always did as they asked. But as it turns out, word came out across the village of those criminals' regular visits so clients have been rare! When those thieves arrived today and saw the little amount of credits, the leader got mad, stole Angus from me and trashed this place! Oh my! Look at my favourite porcelain lamp…it died!" Vondra said dramatically, picking up a piece of what used to be her most prized possession from the ground.

"How sad…" Saleena said sarcastically, glancing at the remains of the lamp and finishing the healing. "It is urgent for me to find your husband as quickly as possible…we do not know what they will do to him! Can you tell me where I can find them? Which way did they go?" she asked quickly.

"In the forest…" Vondra answered absent-mindedly, now looking crestfallen at the sight of a broken mirror. "Now that's just rude! It was our wedding anniversary gift!"

"Listen to me Vondra…now I must run and catch up with them so I can get your husband back! I need you to go to the nearest village and wait for us in the cantina where it's safer! Can you do that?" she asked, already standing up to leave.

"Yeah sure…let me just gather a few things and then I'll go!" she said, looking occupied as she began gathering the pieces of her cherished lamp. "Can you heal my lamp?" she asked hopefully, not bothering to thank the woman who just saved her life.

Saleena rolled her eyes as an answer before sprinting out of the store and off into the forest. She ran as fast as she could, avoiding the use of force speed to conserve her force power for what might come up ahead. The sun was almost set, creating a dark and eerie atmosphere. As she grew closer to the heart of the forest, her speed gradually slowed down as she noticed some sort of familiarity to the place. It seems like I've been here before but it's my first time to Corellia. She stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes fell upon a large silver mass of mist floating in the distance. Fog…no…this can't be…She stood still for a moment, her mind a complete blank, until she pushed herself back to reality. She walked slowly until she arrived face to face with it. Saleena instinctively knew that she must walk through it and face whatever the other side held for her. Could my dream simply be…a vision of what is to come? Picturing Revan on the other side, she stepped through it without hesitation.

Her mouth slightly opened, she stood on the spot and compared her surroundings with the ones she had seen on so many occasions in her dreams. It's exactly the same place! she thought in amazement. She got on her knees and ran her fingers through the spiky grass that had itched her skin many times, and although it was a dream, it felt so real to her. She rose her eyes and easily spotted the white lily farther away. She immeadiately got up and as she made her way towards it, she heard running footsteps coming her way that froze her entire body. Revan? Already? Awaiting their reunion for so long, Saleena, becoming instantly nervous, was about to turn around to face the man she missed for so long, but a massive figure grabbed her violently from behind instead.

"Now...tell me what a gorgeous little Jedi is doing wandering off in this dangerous forest like a lost little creature?" the man said roughly with a hint of pleasure in his voice. He slowly moved his large hands to her chest and then lowered them to unhook the lightsaber, which he threw over his shoulder. Saleena had the urge to throw up as his warm and putrid breath made way to her nose. "Boys! Who wants to have a go with our new friend as soon as I'm done with her? Might as well make the most of it…before we dispose of such a beauty!" he commented, inhaling the scent of her hair. Feeling his hard member rubbing against her, her need to vomit and to kill him increased greatly.

A second later four armed men in dark green uniforms appeared from the shadows and formed a circle around her and the other man who she already figured out was the leader. They all looked appraisingly in her direction with lust impregnated in their eyes, especially the one who held her lightsaber. He had better not break my baby…she thought angrily. The dark-haired Jedi averted her eyes from her weapon and now looked to her left where one of the thugs was clutching the merchant who was tied up and gagged. She could see the old man trying to free himself and she knew the reason. He's worried for me…and I'm the one who's supposed to save him! Through his stifled yell of desperation she could faintly hear a branch creak behind the fog, although no one noticed as all their concentration was focused on her.

Fearing more were coming, she closed her eyes and thought of a plan while the leader clumsily tried to open her robes. It's going to take him forever to undress me with all those layers that I have…that'll buy me some time! Ok... I could easily kill the leader but the others are all armed with pistols…and I don't have my lightsaber to deflect the bullets…how can I possibly avoid getting shot? Maybe if I can…no it's too dangerous…what if I fail? I've never tried it before…I did see Master Kavar do it once so at least I know it's possible…it's my only chance of staying alive...I guess we'll just have to wait and see…She opened her eyes and smiled inwardly as the leader began losing his patience.

"Damn Jedi and those stupid robes!" he barked furiously, pulling the fabric.

"You're waisting your time..." she began lazily. "You will be long dead before you get to see what is underneath those robes."

"So the Jedi speaks!" he said playfully, his anger subsiding a little. "Your little threat is exciting me more...knowing it will be I who will kill you and not the other way around!" he said with a sardonic laugh that was closely followed by the rest of the group.

With an arm still holding her tightly, he pulled out with his other hand a large dagger from his pocket. She took this moment as an opportunity to act, and mustered all the force power she could without using all of it, and created a large force push, beyond any she had done previously, which propelled the leader off into the air and knocked him out unconscious into a large tree trunk, and made the four other men fall violently to the ground, leaving her and the merchant as the only two still standing. The thugs were scrambling to their feet while reaching hastily for their pistols so Saleena used her force speed and ran to the merchant, pulled him by the arm, dragged him behind a large tree trunk where they could be safe for a moment. Well hidden for the time being, she turned her head around to see what the the men were up to but quickly dodged a bullet that was aimed at her. They began firing at the tree, not daring to come closer. Wasting their bullets…idiots! Saleena closed her eyes and concentrated her best. My lightsaber will come to me…it will find its way in my hand… she thought repeatedly; a rare trick she had witnessed during a practice duel with Master Kavar. Sure enough, she heard one of the thugs yelp in shock and could hear her lightsaber making its way to her against the opposing wind. Eyes still closed, she stuck out her arm and opened her hand, and within a second her weapon landed briskly in her hand.

"Wow!" the merchant exclaimed in a muffled voice, still gagged.

Saleena opened her eyes and smiled apologetically, having forgotten to set him free. She quickly took the gag off of his mouth and cut through the ropes that restrained his hands. "Hello Angus. My name is Saleena and I'm here to help you –

"Kavar sent you, didn't he? That would explain why a Jedi would come and help me…" he said thoughtfully, massaging his wrists. "How's Vondra?" he asked fearfully.

"She was badly injured when I found her but rest assured…I healed her…she is fine!" she said reassuringly. "We don't have time to talk…I'm far from done with these men! Run to the village…your wife will be waiting for you in the cantina…I will join you shortly!" she said quickly, peeking behind the tree again and almost getting blasted once more.

"Will you be alright on your own? I can help!" he proposed politely. His tone was firm and she could feel his worry for her safety, which she found incredibly sweet, but the fear in his eyes was visible above all. She declined his help by a simple shake of the head that seemed to have relieved him enormously. He is nicer than Vondra…but he's too old to fight…his safety is my priority…

"Thank you Saleena…I shall see you soon." Angus said while standing up slowly. She got up as well to help him keep his balance. He gave her a small wrinkly smile and began running as fast as an old man could in the opposite direction of the armed men.

"Come out and fight…you Jedi filth!" a thug yelled impatiently. Saleena sat back down behind the tree and merely chuckled at his fake though attitude. They all reek of fear…

"This is your last chance…" she began lazily, already knowing their answer.

"No way! You'll have to take us by force!" the same man said defiantly.

"I urge you to surrender…there is no need for blood…" she said softly, unsure if they could hear her.

Silence filled the forest. Saleena could feel helplessness, desperation, doubt and regret twisting their insides but eventually she could feel anger and pride overwhelming them in the end.

"We ordered you to get out here! You don't stand a chance Jedi…you are outnumbered! Let's make things easier: the sooner you step out of your little hiding place, the faster we'll blast your brains and go for a drink to celebrate!" the man said with great confidence. He and the others began chuckling as they took their time to recharge their pistols.

"As you wish…" she replied in a whisper, disappointed to have failed on avoiding the fight. She slowly got to her feet while making sure to stay well hidden, took a deep breath and ignited her lightsaber. Here goes nothing!

Saleena jumped out of the tree and wasted no time in her attacks. The thugs were all taken aback and gulped in fear as the dark-haired woman charged towards them at phenomenal speed while brandishing her yellow double-bladed lightsaber. They began shooting at her but she was deflecting every single bullet, which scared them even more. The young Jedi cast whirlwind on the man closest to her, causing him to scream in panic as he flew up into the air and began spinning wildly. Excellent…one less to take care of…at least for the moment… While deflecting the bullets that were shot at her she spotted the man who confiscated her lightsaber, and gave him a cold smile that froze his entire body and caused him to drop his pistol. As she used force shield on herself to avoid any injury, she threw her weapon as hard as she could in his direction; resulting to the man's head being chopped off. She grabbed her lightsaber that quickly returned itself into her hands, and launched at the man who kept on shooting; easily slashing his body until he fell dead on the ground. A second later the thug that hung in mid-air finally dropped, and she wasted no time into killing him by a single stab. After his death, she stared at the heap of corpses in front of her. I hate to cause so much death...if I were more persistent then perhaps- wait a second! There are three dead bodies…weren't there four men? Her answer was quickly answered as she heard a pistol recharging behind her.

"DROP YOUR LIGHTSABER! NOW!" the man yelled angrily, mustering all of his courage to face the Jedi. Saleena instantly recognized the voice as the one who spoke to her earlier.

"You asked me to come out and fight and that is what I did. Remember that I warned you to surrender but you did not listen." she said in her defense, back still turned. Saleena could feel the man's desperation and need for revenge empowering him.

"YOU KILLED THEM…YOU'RE A MONSTER! LET GO OF YOUR WEAPON AND LAY ON THE GROUND!" he ordered through gritted teeth.

"We can stop this now…" she began, slowly turning around to face him. She was surprised to see the man looking so young. He must be around my age…how did he end up here with such horrible people? "If you promise to leave Angus and his wife alone I won't go after you…I promise…"

"You're a liar! You're just going to kill me when my back is turned! You Jedi cannot be trusted!" he said spitefully.

"It is not true…we are keepers of peace. We must protect innocents from people like you…but it seems to me that you do not belong here. You are so young…you have a long life ahead of you! If you decide to change now…things will get better for you…but if you kill me…you're dooming your own life." she said, locking eyes with him to show her sincerity.

"I am not spending another year in a holding cell!" he said furiously.

"You can change…it is not too late! I feel that you are lost…all you need is someone to show you the way…I can do that!" she said soothingly. "I believe in redemption…it is our acts that make us who we are! If you decide to pull the trigger…you will spend the rest of your life with a guilty conscience…living a life of violence and hate…give me the pistol…I promise I will not hurt you…" she finally said, her voice only a whisper now.

The young man's eyes were tearing up. She knew he was battling a tough decision in his head but she could feel hope for forgiveness growing inside of him. She threw her lightsaber on the ground, and carefully moved forward while extending her arm to receive the pistol; smiling weakly to let him know her intentions were good. I am taking such a big risk right now by being unarmed…but I sense he does want to be saved…He slightly lowered his pistol from her face, ready to to finally give up his weapon and everything horrible that came along with it, but a sudden ear-splitting screech of a bird nearby startled him and caused him to pull the trigger.

All Saleena could register was a loud noise followed by a flash of light. The bullet went directly to her stomach. She clutched her wound, and while attempting to keep her balance, she looked quizzically into the young man's eyes. He looked back at her with horrified eyes while repeating frantically to himself "What did I do? It was an accident!" as she swayed and fell on her knees, a fall that seemed endless.

I have no more force power…I can't heal myself… "Help me…" she whispered shakily to him, tears streaming down her cheeks as blood began trickling out of the corner of her mouth. The searing pain left all the air out of her as she struggled to breathe.

He slowly walked up to her and stopped right in front of her. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered sadly. "You are the only one who ever believed in me although you know nothing of me…but I cannot change…it is too late…I am doomed with this life…" he added. He pointed the pistol to her head. "I'll stop the pain…don't worry…soon it won't hurt anymore…" he said soothingly.

Saleena closed her eyes shut, feeling the spark in her slowly dying away, and began to sob quietly. She had absolutely no more force to attack or protect herself; she even began letting go of her hand from the wound. What is happening? It's not like my dreams…where's Revan? I'm never going to see him again…if only I could see him one last time…have another chance…I would take it without hesitation…I don't want to die without seeing him one last time…

The sound of approaching footsteps running in their direction snapped her out of her thoughts and she opened her eyes. She could only see the man with his weapon aimed at her head, struggling to pull the trigger. He finally seemed to have heard the noise as well, which made him panic more than ever.

"WHO IS OUT THERE?" he screamed, turning his whole body around, moving the pistol's aim away from Saleena's head.

Saleena heard a loud piercing scream escape from the young man's mouth, and as she looked up again, she gasped as a blue lightsaber pierced out of the man's back and then vanished. The man stared down at his wound and then turned his head to look at Saleena, puzzled, before falling to the side with a loud thud. She stared at the man's limp body while spitting more blood and then moved her eyes to a figure rushing towards her.

"It's going to be ok Sal…just lay down…I'll take care of you…I'm here now…" a soft male voice whispered in her ear as he knelt down beside her. Her vision getting more blurry by the second, she could barely comprehend what was happening now, but a single glance at a pair of warm grey eyes appeased her mind and gave her strength to hold on as she lay on her back and struggled between life and death.

Author's Note: Sorry for the long delay! Don't think I stopped writing...I actually wrote A LOT during the summer for upcoming chapters. This one has a little cliffhanger to keep you hooked! Hope you still like my story! Please review! Thank you so much for all the reviewers and their support! You're great!