Chapter VII Tahiri Veila
Before the Sandcrawler died, It violently ejected a projectile. An irregular shaped projectile that drifted among the X-wings, A wings, and TIE fighters around them.
Inside the crowded escape pod, sat a man and a woman. Because of the lack of space, their bodies are inches away from eachother. Tahiri could feel Ben's rasping on her cheeks. Lees Cazedio was still unmoving, in the strapped down bundle on the floor between them. They stared at eachother.
"You left him." The sixteen year old broke the silence first, "How could you do that?"
Tahiri did not have words, but instead reached for the young man's right hand. He moved it and she stopped.
"I had no choice. Lahim stayed on the bridge and won't leave. Tahiri said, "There just wasn't time."
"He chose to sacrifice himself, "Tahiri paused. "It was him or you, Ben."
"It should be him sitting here, not me! Not ME. NOT ME! Why?"
Tahiri hugged the young man in front of her. Ben stiffened at her touch, but relaxed after half a minute, and buried his head into her shoulder. He shook.
"It's not your fault, Ben."
After a long time Ben detached himself from her and turned his body and looked into the small circular viewport and sighed, "I know. It's yours."
Ben turned his back on her.
"And you had enough time to save your bounty?" Ben pointed to the bag beween them, and said, "How much is she worth to you?"
She was already on the pod, Tahiri thought I stowed her here when she attacked you.
Tahiri didn't say anything but looked out of the escape pod.
Tahiri looked outside, the command ship that attacked them, twice now, went into hyperspace. Even so, she saw that the dogfight between fighters was still raging.
"Tahiri. I... just thank you... for saving me." Ben extending his hand. Tahiri took it.
"It's lucky you had the escape pod installed. The Sliding Bear didn't have them." Ben said.
"I found this pod when I took the ship from the Anakin," Tahiri said, "It must have been, his ship."
"That coward must have known before, facing Jaina, that he might fall. That hutt slime." Tahiri stopped talking.
Moments later, Ben turned and looked at her and said, "Tahiri, what's happening? Where did that ship come from? I thought all those dreadnought command ships were decomissioned, scrapped, and banned?"
"They were," Tahiri said. "Pellaeon decomissioned the last one, The White Saarlac Hunter. The old man made a huge deal too, invited everyone for the ceremony before the whole mess, before -" She stopped, and continued, "I can't make any sense out of it. I know Daala from way back before I was just a Jedi student on Yavin IV, and I know she's crazy, but this crazy? And where did she gets the approval, not to say the funding?"
"If she's behind this, we need to stop her." Ben said.
"If it is Daala." Tahiri said, "We don't know for sure." She mumbled, "I can't believe I'm defending her, but I just don't see her do something like bombing her own capital. All the attack will do is antagonize literally everyone."
"We need to contact my Dad," Ben said, "He'll know what's going on, and what to do."
"We will," Tahiri said, "but this escape pod doesn't have a communicator. We'll have to wait for rescue." Just as she said this sentence, she noticed pseudomotion all around her.
"The fleet." Ben said, "They returned."
Something bumped violently against the escape pod. "That's no laser blast, something hit us." Tahiri said.
"Something hit us all right." Ben said, pointing, "If I'm not mistaken, That's the TIE fighter that did it."
Drifting by was the remains of an TIE interceptor. A little later its pilot, helmetless, also drifted by. For an instant the pilot and Tahiri locked with those bulging, glassy eyes, and Tahiri could swear she saw him before. The pilot drifted away.
That sure looks like Ganner Rhysode, Tahiri thought, feeling sad.
I need to tell you something."
"You were wrong about me, Ben. Caedus... Jacen's claw is too deep. I still feel the call of the dark."
"I killed the intruder on the Bear. She was alive after the crash. Jedi don't kill without need. We could have figured out what's happening, but I gave in to the Dark Side. I'm so sorry."
Ben looked at Tahiri. She wasn't sure if it's anger or pity, or contempt. In the end he just said, "You'll be okay, Tahiri. I'll be here. The Jedi Order will always be there for you. It's just a set back. I'll always help you."
It wasn't any of those emotions she thought. Just empathy.
She handed Ben a rectangular chip. "I worked as a bounty hunter for these months. It's enough for a new ship. I'm sorry about the Panda."
"It's Master Lahim's ship," Ben smiled, "But thanks."
"I can't take the money. You worked so hard for those credits, and I know you only took the bounty of bad people," Ben said, "I won't take it."
"We'll just put it aside as my contribution to the Jedi fund this month." Tahiri pulled on her necklace, the beads came off the broken strands. She collected them, "If on your travels you come across a planet called Zonama Sekot, perhaps you could help me bury these on the planet.
After a few seconds, Both Tahiri and Ben noticed the hiss, while the alarm went off. "We are leaking air." Tahiri opened the emergency toolkit. "Try to use this synth skin to patch. Kriff!"
Minutes and futile repairs later, Tahiri said, "Ben, the air. It's not going to last.
"I'm going to try to go in a meditation trance to conserve the oxygen." Tahiri said, "But you should stay awake and alert."
She pointed to herself and the camouflage bag, "I lost my lightsaber on Jakku, but you still have yours, You know what must be done if the air threatens to run out?
Understanding dawned on Ben's face. He shook his head.
"It won't come to that."
"Just promise me you understand, it's important Ben. You have to live."
"You have Anakin's mouth, and I mean that literally," Tahiri smiled and used her right index finger and caressed the kid.
Ben's lips were microns away from hers now. Tahiri downed her head and turned, stopping herself. At the same time Ben turned so that his back was toward her.
"Stay awake." Tahiri told Ben. She then relaxed herself and
Tahiri gasped, or rasped for oxygen. Her chest burned. She was groggy and it was a moment later she realized the feeling of drifting in space was gone. Instead the pod must be on solid ground.
Tahiri felt less irritation before she realized where she was and with whom.
Klaxon warred with screams in her ears. Tahiri felt irritated before she realized where she was and with whom. At least they were still in the escape pod.
"AKE UP!" Someone slapped her violently.
Tahiri found Ben sprawled on the floor of the escape pod, but the kid's chest moved slowly up and down. He was still alive.
A Huge Hazel monster came into focus, and Tahiri blinked, the monster became a person. Lees Cazedio. She was holding Tahiri's lightsaber.
Lees Cazedio slapped her again. Tahiri tried to use the Force to push the hazel eyed brunette off of her, but there was no strength in her arms no matter how much she concentrated. Lees put her hands on Tahiri's mouth.
"Listen up you Jedi witch. I don't know why your powers don't work and I don't care. You are going to do exactly what I say. Blink if you understand, or don't."
Tahiri struggled, but Lees was stronger than she looked, and no matter what she did, Tahiri found the Force obstinately inaccessible for some reason. Without the force helping her, Lees was able to hold her down, barely, but the sleemo won the physical battle. Tahiri willed herself not to panic. She blinked to buy time.
Lees proceeded to whisper in Tahiri's ear. "I can be reasonable, I'll even give you a fighting chance, not that you deserve it. Don't try my patience." She took the hand off of Tahiri's mouth.
The Brunette keeps pushed the the lightsaber butt on Tahiri's neck. "You know, I always wondered if you need to be a Jedi for this to work. How do you activate the thing?" Lees moved the lightsaber in her hands, examining.
"Push the button," Tahiri said. The head of it was pointed straight at Lees's chest. Push it now. Push it now. Lees put the saber into her pocket. "I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out later."
"You had several chances to kill me and you didn't. I know you Jedi are weak like that. You did not exactly handle me with care, did you bounty hunter? Are Jedi allowed to be bounty hunter? Does Luke Skywalker know you are moonlighting? Lees paused, "Did you know it was I who put the bounty on my own head? Just to get away from Makeldan and his ilk. But you ruined everything by going to the Hutt run Bounty Office instead of the one in my employ. I'm still alive so I'm grateful. But nobody treat me like you did and not get punished.
Tahiri started struggling again. But it was no use. Ben was still unconscious on the floor.
"What did you do to him?"
"Oh, nothing, he was already like that when I finally figured out how to get out of that disgusting excuse for a bounty prison." Lees gestured casually to the camouflage bag. "I heard everything. You sweet on him or something? He's cute enough."
Lees stopped smiling, Tahiri's own blaster rifle appeared in her hands, "Enough chitchat. Take your cloak and outercloth off. It's freezing in here. Now, Into the bag, enjoy the smell."
Tahiri put herself inside the camouflaged bag. The inside of the bag smelled of sweat and blood and urine.
The sound of multiple blasters almost started immediately, followed by the smell of charred meat which permeated into the bag. Tahiri felt drops hot liquid on her hair. Fresh blood.
Momentarily Tahiri felt the Force again, but it faded just as fast.
The smell of almonds attacked Tahiri's nostrils, overpowering the disgusting melange of the bag. She tasted bitter bile from the back of her tongue.
Tahiri knew exactly what was happening. She tried to shut down her breathing but it was no use. It was definitely Nytinite, in it's most virule
