Chapter 9

"So long as it doesn't involve more damage, I'm good."

"Well, it does...sort of," I replied as I looked around for something that would suit my needs. "I don't even know if it will work... But short of blowing the thing up..."

"No thanks."

"Exactly. Ah!" I picked up a small, pale rock and juggled it as I thought. It was going to be tricky... Slightly messy... Kind of dark... I turned and marched up the ramp, heading for the spare bunk and my pack.

"So what are you doing?" Luke asked as he followed me in.

"It's kind of like an automatic answer thing," I explained as I dug through the pack. "Like you get when you call someone's comm and they're not there to pick up. So if someone does come by, they'll see a wreck instead of the slightly damaged ship." Finding the knife I'd been looking for I turned to the door. "Hopefully."

"Okay... So what does a rock, a knife, and me not liking it have to do with...that?"

I gave him an awkward smile. "Well...I'm basically going to try and...stick the projection I used on the pilots to the rock..." Pause. "With some dark alchemy..." I breezed past him as he stood gape-mouthed in the doorway.

"Wait..." He spun around as I started digging through a drawer. "What?!"

"Like I said. I'm not even sure it'll work. Probably should use a living thing. But I didn't see any small critters out there. I'm hoping my blood mixed with some...well...dark 'stuff' will do it." I stopped my search and turned to him. "You got a med kit onboard?"

He absentmindedly pointed to a cabinet across the room. I reached it, pulled out some quik-stitch gel and some gauze and tape. When I turned back, he was still standing there staring at me.

"What?"

"I just... I just got the impression you didn't really like to mess with...well...that..."

"I don't," I retorted indignantly as I plopped in a chair.

"But this was the first thought that came to mind...?"

"No. My first thought was to blow it up and find another ship to fly off in. But you seem rather fond of this one. And a second explosion might be a smidge suspicious."

He gave a slight nod and a shrug in agreement. I took a deep breath, letting it out as I raised the knife -

"Wait!"

"What?" I sighed, dropping hands back to the table.

"Umm...uhh..." He stuttered and squirmed before finally taking root right up against the wall opposite where I was sitting. "Nothing."

"Okay..." I glared a bit to put a bit of emphasis of hush out there before turning back to the table. But... "Uh...just in case...the ship's not really on fire..."

He nodded, resolutely staring at the rock. I sighed again before starting.

Deep breath in. Breath out and knife came down to hand. As the knife cut, I pictured the wreck I'd shown the pilots. The smell of the smoke. The heat coming off burnt metal. The sharp red line across my palm started to blur as blood pooled. I reached that hand to the rock and grasped it tight. And then I started to push.

The image in my mind became tangible. A viscous thing, attaching itself to a piece of dark. I took that piece and mentally pushed it from my head, down my arm, through the cut in my palm. I pulled energy from that "other" that was always there. Not light, not dark, just...there. I used it to help peel the dark/thought from me and attach it to the rock.

When I set the rock down, it was black. The line on my palm still red. Slightly darker than before, but so long as it wasn't black...

I don't know how long I sat there, just staring at my hand. Probably not too long. I kept staring as Luke cleaned and bandaged the cut. So gentle. Part of me wanted to jerk my hand away, not wanting to risk contaminating him.

Most of me just appreciated the gentle touch.

"Well...that was fun," I finally said, once I was sure I wouldn't puke and/or cry directly upon opening my mouth.

"Did it work?" he asked quietly as he finished taping my hand.

"Only one way to find out." I stood, wobbling for a bit. He reached out to steady me and I stubbornly waved him back, nodding appreciatively though. I hesitated to pick up the rock, fearful of that little dark piece making its way back...in.

Seeing my hesitance, Luke grabbed it. I started to shout an objection (warning?), but felt a bit foolish. Nothing happened, of course. It was just my fear...

I walked out the ship, Luke right behind me. Once outside, I took the rock by the Force and placed it on top of the ship. Then turned expectantly to the only person nearby who might actually see something.

"Well...?"

"Huh. It's weird... It's like an overlay. I see the wreck... But I also see the ship as it is..." He skeptically reached a hand out towards what should be a shard of metal, and laughed. "It's warm. And I can smell the hint of smoke..."

"Hmm... I just hope it's vague because you were there when I made it..." And I may have been ever-so-slightly shielding you while I was doing it... "We should probably shut everything down, just in case. So it doesn't have a chance of popping up on scans. And that includes the little guy."

We made our way back in to gather supplies and turn everything off.

"I actually thought we'd take Artoo with us. He'll be able to access things faster than either of us."

"It'll be tough-going for us. Not sure how he'll do..."

"Aww, don't worry," Luke said, patting the little droid's dome companionably. "Artoo's been through worse terrain."

I swear, that droid rolled his "eye" at that statement. The mechanical grown he gave almost screamed "Seriously? Again?".

I just laughed. "Well...he's your droid..."

We packed up supplies and turned everything off on the ship. Making it up the outcropping was easier than I'd thought it would be. And I have to admit, that little R2 could move. Once we got to the top and saw what lay ahead, however, was a different story.

What had looked like a simple, but tricky, rocky terrain from above turned out to be the most annoying expanse of plants ever. Why so annoying? Nettles. Thorns. Spikes. You name it – it was a sea of stabby-stabby stems. And leaves. Heck – I think the flowers had points.

The most annoying part? They were tall. And all the stabby-stabby? At the tops. Artoo just cruised through, while me and Luke were left crawling. Even then, it was a struggle to keep hair (and other conveniently placed accoutrements) from being snagged and snarled.

Now, I'd of course be groomed for arduousness. It had been a while since I'd been in quite so...uncomfortable conditions. (No, I'm still not telling about the dancing stint at the Hutt's.) But I was rather impressed with ole Skywalker's skills. Not so much as a quick intake of breath when a particularly nasty thorn jabbed his shoulder, deep enough to break off the plant it had been attached to. He just slowly reached up, plucked it out, and flicked it off into the distance.

So, yeah, color me impressed. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of Jedi technique could allow one to be that near-oblivious to their surroundings. Meditation? Breathing? Mind over matter? So...I asked.

"The Force," he said. A statement stated with such "duh", he could have been talking about the color of the surrounding foliage.

"Seriously?" He said it so nonchalantly I not only stopped in my tracks, I sat in them.

"Sure. The Force is my ally. A great tool." He had kept moving, but must have realized I stopped and finally turned back. "Aren't...you?"

"No..." I said, shaking my head. Then I laughed. "I was instructed to save it up. That way, when you did use it – usually in some destructive or killing way – you'd get more bang for your credit." It looked like it was my turn to shock him with a blasé comment, so I continued quickly. "I mean, I've seen plenty of examples of, what I suppose you'd call, 'dark-side' users use the Force for all sorts of laziness. But...they were...well, idiots. I mean, you get the whole 'the Force is a give-n-take kind of partner' lesson, right?"

"Well...sure."

"Okay. So...you're taking – using the Force as a shield, or whatever. But...what are you giving?" He sat and pondered it as I watched. I could sense his "Force field" still around him, could almost see it – a shimmering outline. "Let go."

"Huh?"

"Drop it. Turn it off. Whatever. Just stop using it for a minute." He took a moment to concentrate and I saw the shimmer fade and then disappear completely. Then he looked back up at me expectantly. "Okay... Now how tired are you?"

"I'm fine..." But even as he said it, I could see the exhaustion creep in.

"Give and take. The Force is energy. Energy needs fuel to work. You use the energy, you give it fuel to continue." I paused and let that sink in, glancing at the map on the datapad. "We're a little less than halfway. What would've happened if we got to the end of this...trail, reached the base, and found a squadron of troopers waiting for us? You would have used all that energy to get there, then would have tapped into more to fight. The Force might be limitless...but you're not."

He nodded thoughtfully and I could see the gears turning in his head.

"I agree with you," I added. "The Force is a great tool. You just have to remember – tools usually come with price tags."

I crawled past him, giving Artoo the okay to continue before following. Luke took another moment or so, but I sensed him coming up behind me soon enough. I could have suggested we stop, rest; but I was sure he would have stubbornly refused. So, on we went.

And I was still impressed – not a peep.