Chapter 14 - Sabotage

Naboo Resistance Part 4

There were so many tall buildings around her as she flew a speeder as fast as she could. Something was wrong, something was happening. She had never seen a plant with such high city scrapers, it was incredible before her. She reached a hand out into the dream world and the scene changed. She was facing a building, it had five towers reaching up out of it, it was on fire and the screams of death were echoing forth from it. She was shocked by how she could feel the lives of so many. Ri-En stepped back but found herself falling.

She was on the ground looking up at something, or someone. A man in a black hood stood in front of the troops marching into a building. His lightsaber was in his hand, but it was too dark for her to see who it was. A coldness and pain echoed forth from the figure in front of her. The image shifted, she was in a hallway with large columns and she looked out to see her dad and a small green alien nearing next to the bodies of the fallen. She began to realize what she was seeing was the end of the Jedi temple, her fathers grief echoing in the force around her. Once again the images changed and she saw her father once again standing on a landing platform, a strength in him and a young boy standing next to him. She wished she was in reality so she could call to him but she could feel the dream around her. She struggled to control the images but they shifted again and a darkness filled the air around her. She looked at the figures she saw now.

Taris stood, her lightsaber through a woman's abdomen but tears were streaming from her eyes. The woman had brown curly hair and Taris looked at her with sorrow as if she had loved her, yet how could that be when it was apparent she had killed her. What shocked Ri-En was how Taris looked, her face filled with sorrow and she looked small, like a child, not like the hardened warrior that Ri-En had faced. The woman in front of Taris fell to the ground as she removed her lightsaber from the woman and body in front of her transformed before Ri-E and and now she saw only her mother, Siri. Taris had stabbed her mother, a fatal wound. Ri-En cried out, screaming for the mother who had left her, for the mother she loved so dearly. Siri looked at her, tears in her eyes at seeing that this was the memory she would leave her daughter with.

"Don't give in to hate," the voice of her mother spoke. As Ri-En reached for her hand and it disappeared in front of her. The whole image disappeared and Ri-En found herself falling into the blackness around her emotions.

"MOM!" Ri-En screamed a wind whipping around her.

"You can't stop what's coming," a deeper voice echoed around her, "no one can."

Her eyes opened and she shuddered at the cool of the morning around her. She was disoriented and a bit in shock wondering where she was now and how she got here. She sat up fast looking around the forest and remembering the events of the day before. She looked to her left, where the boy who had brought her here was still sleeping on the other side of the dying fire he had started. They were quite far in the forest and he felt it was safe enough to rest for the rest of the night. She got up slowly and took soft steps toward the river they were camped next to.

The dream was still echoing in her mind and she wondered if she would be able to put it aside to face the day around her. Nightmares were common for her, that didn't make them any less frightening. She knew her new master had already picked up that there was something that bothered her but she didn't want anyone to know the images she saw when she slept. She had been able to hide them from Ahsoka for the past two years, she would often wake up pensive and calm. It had been dreams that had led her straight to Anakin, she didn't dare tell anyone the truth. She did not want to believe that all her dreams were true because if they were everyone she knew was going to die.

Her mother died in a majority of them, leading her to wonder now if her mother was still alive. She felt a bitterness growing in her each day, a small resentment for her mother because she didn't have to leave. She hated that part of herself, she rejected it but she could not out run it forever. She wondered now why she even worried about loosing her parents, because from what she saw she had lost them long ago. What she wanted was never returning. With each day they missed her growing and changing. Why should she care if they came back or not?

Don't give in to hate, those words her mother had spoken were a reminder. She could not allow herself to resent them for that resentment could turn into hate. These small emotions could lead to the dark side. She breathed in the force around her, letting a peace wash through her and forgetting her troubles. There was so much life in this wilderness she found herself in and the living force in it was so very strong.

She looked down at her robe, they were caked with dried muds, she had kept them on for warmth but as the day came the cold night would leave. She already felt like she didn't need them. She slowly removed the soiled garments, she wore a light weight blue tunic, a thin dark brown belt and dark leggings beneath them. That was all she really needed out here, and she was glad she had the foresight to keep something functional on beneath the clothing she had needed to blend into the population of Theed. She walked down to the stream now, still being quiet and taking soft steps.

She reached a river bank where the water was still and there were dry rocks to sit on. She took a seat, removed her boots and rolled up her leggings. Her hair had caked mud in it and she thought it was time to remove it. She undid it's braided style letting it fall loose around her and she stepped into the water. She cupped her hands into the water bringing it up to her head and spreading it into her hair. She repeated the action, focusing on removing the clumps of dirt, she also rinsed her face and took a drink, glad to be refreshed by the water. When she was done she climbed onto the rocks, letting her feet hang over into the running water.

It was so peaceful here, she loved the life of this planet and the serenity it brought to her despite her inner struggles. She wished she could stay here forever but she knew herself to well, she craved adventure and that wasn't going to change any time soon. She ran her fingers through her damp auburn hair, it's length was nearly to the middle of her back. Her mother had kept her hair short when she was younger but she found a longer length allowed her to style it better for fights. Now she braided it simply behind her head for the rest of the journey they would be traveling. There was still a mile to the boat and a few more miles in from there, at least they wouldn't be caught out in the cold again. She closed her eyes letting opening herself up to the force and letting it wash through her. She could hear that Jay had woken up and he was walking toward where she was now. She opened her eyes and turned as he came out of the trees toward the river.

He walked toward where she sat and sat next to her on the rocks. She thought of their conversations yesterday, she hadn't learned much about him except that his parents had been killed by the empire. He didn't have any love for what they had done to Naboo and had apparently worked hard to get an in with the rebels. She had the feeling he was hiding something but she would rather see how this played out than confront him directly. He had been kind enough to her and she hoped that somehow she could help him and the rebels get off this planet soon. She had no idea what she was going to do when they got to the rebel camp, it might be best to start considering her options. At this moment she felt her stomach churn, she was very hungry and hadn't eaten much but protein bars at the end of the previous day.

Jay knew that they might get into this situation, out here without food. At least there was plenty of water, he took note that Ri-En had shed the thicker robes she had been wearing through their journey so far. She was now in simpler clothing that somehow made her seem more Jedi despite not being much like the Jedi robes he had seen others wear. She was nothing like he expected her to be. He had heard her described as a child who could not fight and who was distracted and too young for the missions the rebels sent her on. What he saw was a girl who was so tuned to the force around her, it amazed him that no one had taken note of it. He was glad he had learned to shield his signature in the force, if he had not she would have picked up quite a bit from him.

"We need to find some food if we are to continue," Ri-En said to him.

"There isn't really much around beyond seaweed and berries," he responded, "when we get to the rebels they will have more provisions for us." She knew that would probably be the case. She didn't want to start heading down the road yet but she knew that it was imperative that they keep going. She used the force to call her boots off the ground and quickly slipped them back on her feet.

"Well then," she said, "let's get going." They walked along for awhile, stopping off at berry bushes and eating what they could find. She had never tasted fruit as delicious as what she ate here. She loved the stillness that the early morning brought upon the land it was truly wondrous.

"Almost to the boat," he said to her. She smiled, she would be glad when this trip was behind them.

"Thank you so much," she replied and he looked at her confused so she continued. "You didn't have to bring me out here, but you did."

"We're not there yet," he replied. She stopped and he was confused by her. He had never had much interaction with people off of Mustafar, he did not understand this girl at all. She did not need to show him any gratitude.

"You have to understand that what you did might have cost you," she said, "helping the rebels at all comes with a cost. These people are risking their lives, their whole existence for something greater than themselves. By helping them, by helping me, you put your life at the same risk." He had heard the rebels were impassioned about their cause to bring down the empire, but he never understood how they saw what they were doing before. Ri-En really believed she was doing good. He could hardly believe what he was seeing, perhaps the people on the other side were just misguided.

"You are welcome then," he replied thinking of what he should say next. "I've seen my fair share of hardships, standing up for good people is easy when you know it is the right thing to do." It flowed easily, he had been well trained in how to handle deception but it was still strange to be deceiving her. What was it about her that was so different, was it simply that she was so pure? She was a Jedi padawan, an enemy by default. If she had been picked up by the empire she might have been one of the ones sent to Mustafar to train with him and the rest. How had she been pulled into this?

He was silent, waiting for a good question to formulate in his brain. He had to get information from her but she wasn't the kind of person to talk that much. That actually made this whole thing a little better as he would hardly know what to say.

"Do you have any family in the rebellion?" she asked, she was wondering about him and what events really got him involved. He was a quiet sort of individual and she judged him to be about seventeen years old.

"I never knew my family," he replied. She understood that this was the story of many of those that she knew. The empire had caused widespread lost, and the amount of people in the rebellion with no family was staggering. She did not have to imagine what life was like without family, but she had known her parents for a time. She knew what their faces looked like and still remembered some of the things they said to her. Those memories were tainted by the fear that she would never get them back but even then they gave her some strength.

"I'm sorry," she responded.

"Don't be," he replied, "you can't miss what you never had." She missed what she did have, perhaps what he said was true, more true that even he realized. "What about you? How did you end up in the rebellion?" She felt so faraway from home now, on this planet, not that she ever had much of a home.

"I was born to it," she hadn't expected herself to answer, at least not honestly. "My parents were Jedi on the run. I was born knowing that I was..." She didn't know how to explain the next part. Because she was born force sensitive she was different, seen as inferior by those who did not remember and seen as dangerous by those who did. Sometimes she felt like her existence was confined to a box that she couldn't escaped. Her whole life she had been hunted by the dark force users, her whole life she had never felt truly safe. Even in the wilderness surrounded by the living force she felt the dark side out there just waiting to come and claim her life.

"You're different," he filled in the blank for her. "Because you are a Jedi, you're powerful, and the empire fears that." It wasn't that simple, he understood more than she knew.

"The empire is constantly hunting us," she expressed the danger now, "I never had a chance to be normal, because of my parents." That was the information that the inquisitors could not find on Ri-En, was he close to it now? Who were her parents? It seemed the answer was right in front of him, with the Jedi they had locked away on Courscant. "I've just always belonged with the rebels." Just as he had always belonged on Mustafar. He also had never had a choice. They were not as different as he would have thought.

"In this empire, normal people are thrown into the crossfire, not just Jedi. The way I see it, it's better to be a Jedi than being born powerless to protect yourself from the dangers around you."

"I'm not sure I agree."

"Why not?" He stopped walking, she turned to face him. What about him was so different than those she had met in the rebellion?

"Because the powerless don't have a target on their back. The powerless have a choice." She had never engaged in a discussion like this in her life, she found herself wondering how the other Jedi felt about it.

"Almost everywhere I go," she felt the force around her as she spoke, "Taris or the inquisitors are there. Watching, waiting for a chance to destroy me and everyone like me. Would you wish to live like that? Would anyone?" He was stunned by her words not only because of how deep they sunk into him but because of how true they were. She did not understand that in front of her now was an agent of the Sith, someone sent to watch and to wait.

"I think you're wrong, every action we take comes from a choice," he spoke now, "we all have a choice." She looked straight into his eyes as if searching for something within them. She couldn't deny his words, but she had never seen another path for her. Being a Jedi was a part of her that was always going to be there.

"You've never felt as though your path was chosen for you?"

"To a certain extent," he responded now, "others can manipulate the path that you are on, but in the end you can decide what to do. Will you go along with where they placed you, or will you forge your own life?" His words made her wonder, did she want another choice? The force around her so strong seemed to lead her where she belonged, was that enough?

"How do you feel about destiny?" she asked him now, "are great people destined for the lives that they lead, or does something else control the world around us?"

"You tell me Jedi," he replied, "you're the one connected to everything around you." She wondered how he could speak so assured of things he couldn't possibly understand. She couldn't learn all there was to know in a day, she had to know who he really was.

"I think the force leads us to our destinies. Just a few weeks ago it led me to a new chapter in my story." She had to hold to what she really believed, without it she wouldn't know who she was. "It binds us, surrounds us, connects us and without it this galaxy would be a much dangerous place. Maybe we have some choices but without the force we have nothing and if we follow where it leads we may find our own destinies can surprise us."

"What about those of us who can't feel the force?" He asked.

"That doesn't mean it can not lead you. Just because you can't feel it or see it, doesn't mean it's not guiding you." She believed what she said with all her heart.

"What of the people on the dark side, is the force guiding them?" That was a strange question for him to ask her but one she believed she could answer.

"I've always see the dark side users as people who seek to manipulate the force and it's will for their own power." It was a concept she had not spent enough time thinking about but she remembered what Anakin had told her when he first met her. "We all have potential in us, equally for light or dark, for good or evil. The force guides us and what choices we make determines the destinies we take on." He was looking at her now like her words were a lifeline. He had never heard anyone speak of these matters of the force like she did.

"If I chose the path of the dark side it will dominate my destiny," she continued as she saw his confusion, "but if I lean toward the light my destiny will be the light. Do you understand?" He was silent, as he weighed the words that she spoke against the things that he had always believed. Were his beliefs his own anyways? What did he choose to believe in light of hearing what the Jedi felt?

"You're now what I would have expected Ri-En," he said to her now, his words carrying so many meanings.

"You don't know the half of it," she replied continuing to walk forward. How they had gotten into such a deep subject was strange to her. This boy felt things deeply and obviously had heard the philosophies surrounding the force before. She wondered how much more there was to him than she could see.

Anakin got up and sunrise, he wasn't one to wait around and procrastinate on what needed to get done. He was once again going to be chasing after Ri-En, his padawan really had a knack for getting herself into trouble. He didn't know how he was going to respond to that, Ahsoka had followed him more easily than Ri-En did. Too long she had been allowed to follow her intuitions in the force without answering to anyone. His old padawan had told him that she was often gone on rebel missions and Ri-En was left to her own devices. He would have to speak to her about sharing what she felt around her, instead of running headlong into danger.

He was ready to take off, he had briefly spoke to Sabine about it and gotten to the front of the ship when he discovered the ship was not working. He tried rebooting the main system and after finding that it failed again he slammed his fists on the controls in front of him.

"Why aren't we flying yet," Sabine asked as she entered the cockpit. Anakin's face was frustrated but he worked to keep it under control.

"This piece of junk ship isn't working," he proclaimed standing up.

"Well it better start working or we won't be able to get the rebels off planet," Sabine responded. Anakin grabbed a tool kit from beside the door.

"I'm on it!" he exclaimed walking out with the tools. Sabine didn't really know if he knew how to fix the ship, she didn't know much but she could help. She followed him and R6 fell in line with the two rebels.

Fixing things always calmed Anakin down, and as he assessed the engines he ignored Sabine's comments about what was going on. She soon realized he was really in the zone about this and left him alone. He checked over everything a few times, and found the cause of what was going on. Whoever had done this had done it in a hurry, they had stolen some essential parts and without them the ship wouldn't run but they hadn't made it impossible to repair. The person who had done this wasn't trying to stop them completely, he was only trying to slow them down. He worked on re-running a couple of wires, if he could get it working without a trip to a shop. That would probably throw whoever had done this off their plans.

What made him uneasy was the idea that someone had done this. They had hoped to arrive on this planet completely unknown, but someone was on to them. Wherever Ri-En was she was in more danger now. R6 was beeping and spinning with worry. Who had programmed this droid? It seemed to live in a perpetual state of worry.

"Did you figure it out?" Sabine asked entering the engine rooms.

"Yes," he said plugging in another wire. "The ship was sabotaged."

"Who could have done that?" she was shocked by the turn of events. She had been on intelligence for this mission, their plan was solid. They should have slipped in and out easily but so far they had been stuck in some sort of web.

"Someone is on to us." He knew this was obvious but she seemed to want to talk it over.

"But we were thorough with our identities and ship codes," Sabine replied. "Do you think that this has something to do with where Ri-En is?" Anakin shook his head, he was trying to keep the worry out of his mind.

"I think that we have to get out of here now." Anakin said flipping a switch on the engines, the whole thing started. Whoever did this didn't realize who they were messing with. He rushed to the cockpit, leaving Sabine staring at the engines. She was surprised that Anakin had fixed the ship so fast. She knew he was a general during the clone wars, one of the greatest ones. At the imperial academy she had learned about the tactics of many, including Ri-En's father, but Anakins' tactics had been more of a question mark to the teachers than anything. He was known as someone who could make up plans on the spot, and who was an amazing pilot.

She hadn't known what to expect when she had agreed to this mission, and now she was looking forward to learning what it really was that made Anakin such a great general. Maybe she could pick up some new skills on the way.

Sorry it took so long to update, I was kinda spinning wheels in this chapter, I needed to get to the next part so I decided to post this. The action revs up more in the next chapter. Sorry the short chapters persist.

Please leave a review and let me know what you think!

-AWinterChill