"You have two days to consider my offer. I'll meet you back here in this club just before sun down in 48 hours. If you aren't here, I'll know you have declined. Think it over. We need you."
Raven sat there, alone in the loud, booming club. Daom had left hours ago. The Rave crowd had gone and now recorded music played openly in the room. Barely any body was left. Only a few groups of aliens were hovering over the bar, muttering to one another or harassing the bartender.
Raven tipped the glass that Daom had his drink in with only the tip of her middle finger. She was almost lost in thought. This decision was going to be a hard one to make. It hadn't been nearly enough time to lay low and be forgotten about. If she went on the move again, the Empire could easily find her. Or if she did sign up with the Rebels and they placed her with a spy, there was no way she could stay unnoticed. She would be recognized, and blow the cover of the Rebel spy. Perhaps both of them would be executed. Or worse...
She was shaking. She was so afraid. She couldn't really tell why, but this decision felt like the hardest one to make. It would be risking everything she had worked hard to recover. If she was taken back to the Empire again, there was no hope of escaping again.
Raven gave up messing with the glass, and sighed deeply, putting her forehead to the table. She closed her eyes, breathing deeply. Stay calm. You must stay calm. The glowing white light of the Force was transparent but there. It blanketed her as she breathed slowly.
"You're going to have to take a leap of faith."
Yes, yes I am. Raven picked her head up and placed her chin down on the table surface, looking around the room again. Perhaps it is time to go back to Mech. She remembered telling him that it might take a long while for her to come back. But she wondered what he considered a long time. It must have been over 5 hours since she last left her hound to hide out in the allies near the transport station. I should definitely head back out soon.
A sudden series of thumps hit her on top of her head. She sat up quickly and looked around. She was bewildered to see the same DJ from before, looking down on her. At first, it appeared he was smiling widely at her, but she then remembered that it was not his real face, but a helmet.
"Hi, friend. You should go home, you look like you partied too hard tonight."
Raven smiled weakly up at the guy. "Sorry to say, but I wasn't in your crowd. But I heard your music, I like it."
The guy nodded, the ears on his helmet wobbling. "Perhaps another time. G'night." He then turned and headed out the door that Raven had come through. She watched him go, still somewhat spacing out.
"Yeah. Good night. It's time to head home." Or what was temporary home.
Raven slowly rose off her seat and started for the exit. The dark hallway looked just the same, like it did 5 hours ago. But as she opened the door to the transport, she was surprised to see absolutely no one around. The whole place was vacant, empty. It was scary how quiet and still it was now compared to the afternoon. She suddenly had a fearful idea why this must be; the Empire could have made its sweep through here, and rounded up all the criminals that didn't escape in time. I gotta get out of here, Raven thought to herself, quickly ascending up the stairs.
As she made it into the outside, the twin suns had almost vanished. Everything had a purple hint to it as the light was fading from the sky. Raven turned to the right and walked down the sandy streets for quite awhile. She eventually came to the right alley. Turning down it, she could already see Mech's red glowing eyes peering out at her from behind some wooden boxes. "You were gone for a very long time." Mech said softly. His voice had a tone of sadness to it.
Raven walked up to him and put her forehead down on his. Because her hound was so tall, she barely had to bend over. She held his head in her hands, gazing at her reflection in his metal coat. Mech was silent for moment. He could see the tension all over his master. He gave her a minute until he eventually couldn't keep his curiosity in. "What did the man say?"
Raven gave a heavy sigh as she stood back up, still holding Mech dearly towards her face. "Good things. He has a request of me to be a warrior for the Rebels."
Mech blinked at her, his eyes glowing in a blaze. "That is good then."
Raven nodded, smiling weakly.
"Then why do you look worried?"
Raven chuckled. "Mech, that's because by joining the Rebels, we could be risking a chance to be caught by the Empire. But if I get a placement faraway... then I am for sure save. And we won't have to hide anymore."
"It's a gamble, then." Mech said, even softer. Raven could tell he understood her concerns.
"There is another thing." Raven continued. "The Rebels seem to be a pretty big group of people. And they probably have wonderful resources. Mech, if I join them, I could use their resources and my Jedi abilities to find other Jedi if they are still out there."
"Raven, the Jedi have been executed a long time ago. There aren't any of them le-"
"But there might still be! Listen, I talked with the guy... Daom is his name. He said he has faith that there might still be some Jedi who are still out there, hiding. Waiting to come back out and strike down the Empire."
Mech pulled his head away quickly from Raven's grip. "Since when is that a priority of ours?" He asked, sounding a bit alarmed.
"Don't you see, Mech? The Empire is a terrible government that has control over this entire galaxy. No matter what, they will always be a problem. Even if we were to join with the Rebels, we would still have the Empire hovering over us. If we can help the Rebels and find other Jedi to join us, don't you think we could take down the Empire?"
Mech's jaw somewhat dropped. "Do you have any idea how big and how powerful the Empire is?"
"Yes... I do. I imagine they are incredibly powerful if they are able to control a galaxy. Hell... their Death Star can blow up a planet with just one shot..." Her voice trailed off and her eyes glazed a bit.
Mech lowered his head. "I thought we just wanted to get away from the Empire... not engage them any more. There are systems way far out that the Empire hardly messes with. We would be safe there."
Raven looked down on the ground. "Perhaps that's where the Jedi are hiding..."
Mech cocked his head at her as she thought to herself. She then looked back up at her robotic dog. "You have to understand, Mech. I have nothing left but my training to be a Jedi. I need to finish it. That way I can assure us peace and safety. And I think the Rebels are our best choice to helping us find one."
Mech nodded slowly. "It is your decision. I just hope you are counting the odds against you."
"I am..." Raven replied.
The sky was almost pitch black now. The only light came from back out of the alley from some of the buildings and Mech's red eyes.
"I say we should head back home. I'm starving." She placed her hand on her companion's head. "We have two days before I need to decide whether or not we will be joining the rebels. I'll be sure to think it over more."
"Ok." Mech answered.
The two inched back out of the alley and headed to the exit of the town. The lights in were dim since most of the building had no outside light source. There was just enough light to see the ripples in the sand. No one was out in the streets so Mech remained uncovered. Raven walked with her hand on his shoulder. Her gaze was on the sand trail just in front of her. Her mind was wondering close by. The sweet feel of the Force was trickling around her smoothly. She listened to it, hoping it would help her with her pondering. Just as her mind had almost fully reach out, the white light jerked violently away from her and out to a building to the far right. That building wasn't far from the city's boarder. Raven held her eyes on this building, her heart starting to beat fast. What was there? Why did the Force pull her to that place? Then she heard the noises. Electronic voices.
"Shit." Raven cursed under her breath.
Mech had heard them too. He stopped dead in his tracks. Raven was about to look for the nearest place to hide, but they were already coming around the corner. Three storm troopers came into view, holding their rifle like guys. One of them turned and looked over at Raven and Mech.
In instinct Raven grabbed a hold of Mech's handle between his shoulders and pulled herself up next to him. "Go!" She yelled. Mech knew his master's plan. Mech sprinted towards the three troopers, just as the one that had already spotted them yelled. "Hey!" All of the storm troopers now turned to look and the first one was raising his guy toward their attacker, but it was too late. Mech had rushed to them just in time for Raven to pull out her light saber and swing at the first two of them. She took of a head and a shoulder, as Mech opened his jaws wide and clamped down on the third trooper's helmet. Raven jumped off and crouched around the two troopers she had brought down. The one missing the shoulder moaned loudly in pain, and reached for a button on his belt. Swiftly Raven sliced his neck and stepped away. Satisfied that they were both still and soundless, she turned back to her hound. Mech held the limp body of storm trooper number three in his jaws, gazing at his master with large eyes. His head was crushed tightly in his metal teeth, blood slowly dripping out of the helmet. Raven shivered at the sight. "Mech, drop him."
Mech obeyed, tossing the body next to the other two.
Raven felt sick. Her body was shaking from that sudden surprise. It had come too close for her. She needed to get out of this place; find somewhere less active. A place where the Empire would never think to look for her. Mech walked over to her, holding his head next to her chest.
"Let's get out of here. There might be more."
Mech nodded and the small Jedi climbed up onto her droid's back and he sped off towards the end of the city limit. The sand flew all around the air as Mech ran, and the three storm troopers lay like dolls abandoned in the night.