Two teenagers lay in the long grass, staring up at the vast galaxy above them, gaping in awe. "How many do you think are up there?" The one on the right asked as he twisted his body to rest on his side, supporting his head by propping it up on his hand. He stared on at his companion with a wry grin on his face.
With a happy sigh, his companion replied, "Far too many to count, why?" His companion turned his head in the long grass, sending his Padawan braid falling down his neck. "I'm going to be the first one to see them all!" The first exclaimed happily, laying back down in the grass and holding his two lightsaber hilts before his face, examining them closely. "Don't be stupid, we'll see them all together. We're the deadly duo remember? Nothing can tear us apart. Not even death." The second chuckled, placing his hands behind his head, smiling up at the scene in the sky from the Dantooine plains.
They were near the old Matale estate, and were expected to be leaving on their second mission as a team in the morning, maybe it was time they were asleep, neither cared however and therefore remained outside for many more hours talking or just sitting there in comfortable silence.
The world returned in a blur, explosions could be seen all around, though the sound was painfully muffled, despite rocking him backwards and forwards. As he focused more, a dark figure was standing over him, waving two blades of light around their bodies, knocking back blaster bolts.
A voice called out to him.
And again.
It was no use, the words were still muffled. As he closed his eyes once more, they opened with a fiery determination. A voice could be heard in the communicator in his ear. "I think we lost them!" a panicked militia man called out, but before he could reply, the voice of James crackled to life, speaking the defiant words, "Not yet."
Almost seeing James' plan in his minds eye, a third elegant blade sprang to life at the man's side, shining a brilliant silver as it cut through the air and hummed with a certainty that struck fear into the hearts of many, but gave birth to the thought of hope to many more. In a huge leap, both James Marek and Daniel Newberry leapt through the air, twisting out of the cloaks that they were still wearing, letting them come to a slow descent after their owners.
As they landed in the middle of the enemy lines, they spun their blades around their bodies. With each swing made, a limb or body would drop to the floor. It wasn't long however, until the element of surprise had died away and blasters were aimed at them.
The two Jedi stood there, preparing themselves mentally for the onslaught which was sure to follow. As they stood there, James turned his head to look at Dan slightly. "Dan, I suggest-" he made the motion of twisting a moustache. "Don't be stupid James, there's far too many for that. I thought perhaps-" he drew a finger along his jaw line. "We're in a standoff with blasters Dan, not a lightsaber duel. Perhaps-" he ran a hand through his long black hair. "That seems like it'd do nicely." Dan announced, turning towards all of the Mercenaries around them. "We're terribly sorry to cut this short, but you see, we have a planet to save." And with a shared grin, both Jedi jumped as high as they could when the blasters opened fire, causing a friendly fire to occur en-mass below them.
As they landed, their lightsabers sprang to life once more as they charged into the severely less numbered army of Mercenaries, sending blaster bolts back the way that they came, always hitting a victim. "Remember that night," James began just before he performed a decapitation, "that you said that we're an unbeatable team?" Dan pulled his lightsaber from the victim before him, gave an elegant twirl and without looking, stabbed the man that had been foolish enough to attempt a shot in the back from point blank. "Yeah, I remember that. Why are you bringing this up now?" Dan grunted, quickly blocking three blaster bolts to his midsection. "Just thought I'd let you know, I'm still holding you to that, and if we do die. I'm kicking your ass in the afterlife." James laughed, a complete bafflement to the three Mercenaries that he bisected.
With a small grunt, Dan threw a group of them into a cliff-face a few hundred metre's from their position. "James, just drop the blasted charges!" Dan called out, feeling his back pressed against James. They were being pressed harder and harder, and if they didn't complete their part of Dacen's plan, then it was highly likely they wouldn't escape. "Cover me then!" James yelled over the noise as he shifted his belt, looking for the three demolition charges they had found on the Hawk.
As Dan waved his blade around his body, James absentmindedly tossed him his purple blade, giving them both an extra chance. Dan was by far of a lower skill with two blades than James was, and found himself mentally exhausted by the time James called it back to him. "Time to leave!" James yelled, before using the Force to propel his body back the few hundred metres to Khoonda, where the rest of their companions were holding out against this onslaught.
As the two raced towards them, they could see Dacen bark orders to both the militia and their companions to provide some covering fire. One blaster bolt headed straight for James' chest, but before it could connect, he jumped slightly and almost rolled over the bolt, never breaking stride as he landed. "Get into cover!" they both yelled as they jumped behind a temporary chest high wall.
The resounding explosion caused bodies and dirt to mushroom up into the sky to such a degree, that the sun was temporarily blocked. And then the shockwave hit, sending everyone sprawling on their backs, only to quickly recover. "What the hell were those?" Atton exclaimed, pointing with his thumb as he asked Visas, who was currently sporting a yellow lightsaber as she occasionally knocked a few stray shots back to their owners. "I would take a guess that they were illegal, augmented demolition charges. Beyond that, I'm afraid I'm no further use in this subject." With a nod, Atton stood up out of cover with Visas covering him, and with his blaster pistol, took down half a dozen Mercenaries. "Dacen, I suggest a retreat! Now!" Shaleena yelled out as she bounced between two concrete columns, twirling her duel-bladed lightsaber like an elegant shield of light. "I agree, General." Bao-Dur calmly commented as he deflect a few bolts away.
"Everyone! Inside, now!" The group nodded, and motioned for the militia to go first, followed first by Atton, then Bao-Dur, Handmaiden, Visas, Sasha, Dan, Dacen and finally James. As the doors shut, all lightsabers were immediately shut off, besides Dacen's orange blade, which was gently fusing the door together. "Come, we only have a little time. Let's get to Zeron."
"So, this is where you all got to." Azkul announced as he stepped over the fallen bodies of Mercenaries and militiamen as the specialists and a few survivors pointed their weapons at the ex-Sith and his escort. "I expected this of you Atton, and perhaps Lord Malak's ex-protégé, but of Jedi? I suppose a last stand in some corridors would be fitting. This is your last warning, step aside, or I'll have to kill you all." Just as he finished speaking, a distinguishable snap-hiss of a lightsaber could be heard at the back of the honour guard as a green blur danced to the front, cutting down half of the number before joining the Jedi at the last line of defence.
"Sorry if I was a little late." Vrook muttered wryly, earning smirks from the rest of the Jedi. "Never knew you could move that fast old man." James joked, twirling his blades in his hands. As each Jedi flourished their weapons, so did the last of the Honour guard. It was hardly a fair fight. As the last of the honour guards' head stopped rolling, Azkul pulled a thermal detonator from his belt and thumbed the primer.
Before anyone could stop him, James jumped at Azkul, lightsabers poised to kill. James landed atop of Azkul, but his blades missed, and the hilts were sent rolling, along with the detonator, though Handmaiden quickly called it to her and disarmed it with expertise. As Azkul and James tumbled on the floor, Azkul ended up straddling James, and rained blow after blow onto James' face before he used the Force to throw Azkul onto his back with a crunch.
James was up on his feet in seconds, and over to Azkul in half that time, kicking the Merc onto his back before dropping down to one knee and delivering a final punch to Azkul's forehead with his prosthetic fist, fatally damaging the skull. With a pained expression, James called his hilts back to his outstretched hands before clipping them onto his belt and walking into the Administrator's office.
"Thank you all, without you, Dantooine would surely have fallen." Administrator Adare announced before the crowd that were watching with rapt attention, the departure of the Jedi. "Please remember, the Jedi shall always be welcome on this world. So let us salute our saviours!" Adare called out as the remaining militia fired a few rounds off into the sky. A shot for each Jedi present.
After the ninth, and final shot, the Jedi bowed and began walking away. As they neared the ship, Master Vrook called James, Dan, Sasha, Shaleena and Dacen from the loading ramp and to the shadowed corner where he was stood. "Go, find the rest of the Order, and when you do, instruct them to meet on Dantooine. Here we shall meet, and discuss our option in how to strike back at the shadows which have been hunting us. Be safe, and may the Force be with you."
In the blink of an eye, he was gone. As all the remaining Jedi stood there, baffled but with a knowledge of what to do, they each nodded and began walking back into the ship.
"Atton, plot a course for Nar Shaddaa!" Dacen called out, sitting down at the holo-map in the main hold. As everyone else quickly joined him, he looked up to see James opposite him, but with something distinctly different…
"James, have your eyes always been green?"
AN: I know, I know! I'm sorry I haven't updated in over 60 days, but in my defence, I've been ill (blegh, I still am), started college, been on holiday etc. So yeah, life decided to screw me over. I'm one of those authors that can't write a chapter unless they feel like it, and I have to imagine it playing out like a movie scene before I write it, so I just hope that I didn't dissapoint today :). As always, I hope you leave a review, because that's what spurs me on and gives me that little boost I need to write chapters!
RnR and then you may get cookies! :) 3 x