Chapter 29 – Electrical Storm
The spaceport was crowded, dark and smelled like stale sweat and spilled alcoholic beverages. Not exactly the cleanest place in the galaxy, but that planet was not known for how clean were its public spaces. Hutt controlled planets weren't the nicest places ever, but at least the Empire didn't have a strong presence there. Not the best thing in the world, he was still in danger but, hey, it could be worse!
The hallways were half carved in stone and half built with scrap metal. There were small shops here and there, but nothing worth looking, also going out was pretty much off-limits: not only his transport was about to leave, but also the sun out there was terribly hot and made it impossible to stand there.
While waiting for his transport, he sat in a dark corner watching people passing in front of him. In other circumstances he probably would make up stories about them, just to pass time, but he was just too worried about what he was going to do in the next few hours to pass time like that.
He looked down at his bag, resting under his stool, and sighed. He missed the feeling of his lightsaber in his pocket. It gave him a feeling of safety that in that particular moment he needed, but at the check in they would probably check if he had concealed weapons. They weren't probably too careful about it, but better safe than sorry. Still, he felt that he needed some safety.
And he needed it now.
But with the idea that was now occupying his mind, safety was his last worry. He needed to get to that place. As soon as he could.
He checked again the time on his watch and sighed. It was almost time.
He grabbed his bag and hoisted it on his shoulder, then walked towards the dock. The ship was already there, the loading operations were being performed and after a short wait in the queue, a guard validated his ticket and let him aboard.
The ship was even worse than the spaceport. It was a converted cargo ship with cramped and smelled even worse than the spaceport. He found his seat, secured his bag beneath his seat, slipping his lightsaber in his sleeve then sat down, folding his arms across his chest and managed to put the sword back in his pocket. Now, he felt safe.
He let out a deep relieved breath then rested his head on the seat. He hadn't slept regularly in days, he was tired and he was hungry. Starving actually, but he didn't trust buying food in that spaceport. Not that he would have trust to buy food on that ship too... he preferred keeping his money and also his health under control. He didn't want to get food poisoned by expired alien food.
All that traveling were making him regret the food served at the Jedi Temple. He had spent his youth complaining about food, and now he was wishing for a plate of that stuff. At least he would have something to chew on. His stomach had been grumbling since a couple of hours earlier and now weariness was taking its toll. He could barely keep his eyes open, but he waited until the ship was moving and had jumped to lightspeed. At that point, hijacking the ship was impossible. He could rest for a while.
He closed his eyes and tried to calm down, using every Jedi technique he knew. Once he felt calm enough, he looked around and found he was practically alone. In that section, there were only five people, and three of them consisted in a couple with a kid. They were trying to keep him calm and they were everything but dangerous. The other person was a rather old Zabrak, probably with some sight impairments, who was already asleep. And he soon followed him.
Waking up with a start, he found himself half leaning on the window beside him, a little drop of saliva dripping from the corner of his gaping mouth. Shaking his head to wake up completely, he wiped his chin and winced, feeling the stubble scratching his palm. He didn't find time time to shave, nor the equipment. He had lost his tools months before and never actually cared to replace them, and he didn't care much about his looks, but he wasn't a fan of the scratchy beard.
He looked around and found out they were landing. He had been woken up by a slight shaking of the ship, probably when they had entered in the atmosphere. He sat up straight and cleared his throat. He was thirty and still very hungry. He planned to try and find a place to eat something before go looking for a transport to the Valley of the Jedi, or anywhere close to that place. He had to go and find out whether what Vader had told him was right or not. He had to find out if the Force could be channeled and amplified by pyronium. And since he still possessed his crystal, he had to go to a place that had a very strong Force connection and presence. And since Ossus was completely out of the picture, the Valley of the Jedi would do absolutely good.
About thirty minutes later the ship landed and he wanted to get down as soon as he could. He grabbed his backpack and walked down the cramped hallway towards the exit as fast as he could but not yet running, then waited for the doors to slide open and jumped off. The sky was almost black, filled with thick, dark clouds. He could see lightnings all over, above the spaceport. Like an incoming electrical storm. But the weather didn't matter. For all he cared, it could turn into a full blown snow blizzard.
He finally was close to his destination. After months of aimless running, of trying to get close to that damn planet he had been chasing for months now. Ruusan.
"...the fuck..." I groaned when I heard a loud noise that woke me up.
I looked around and realized I was laying prone in the bunk, with my left arm practically trapped beneath me. It felt numb and compressed, so I pushed myself up with the other arm and sat up straight. I tried to find the source of the noise and I saw Obi-Wan's tall figure a couple of meters away from the bunks. He was probably making breakfast or something like that because I could smell the strong scent of coffee and rations warming up in the oven.
I squinted my eyes and shook my head. That dream was confusing. Terribly real and stunningly coherent with everything going on in that moment. It was like the Force was leading us to him. As if he was needed in the picture, as if there was a scheme. Well, there was always a scheme, or at least a sort of line connecting each dot, but that line most of the time could only be seen after the events had passed and you had the whole scene in front of you, but, well, I was sort of understanding that there was a bigger plan, and we were all pawns of the Force.
Not that I liked it much more than being a pawn but, hey, better being a pawn of the Force than of a Dark Lord Of The Sith.
Groggily I stood. "Hey, where's Padmè?"
"Hey there, good morning! She's in the bathroom. Didn't feel well when she woke up."
I sighed. "Then why didn't she wake me up?"
"She said she could handle a bit of morning sickness and that you needed to sleep. Nothing to worry about. How are you?"
"Fine... I think I know where Jax is though."
His eyebrows shot up as he poured two cups of coffee. A moment later the oven emitted a low whistle and signaled our breakfasts were ready. "What do you mean you think you know where Jax is?"
I nodded. "I... I had a dream. A very vivid dream. Jax was on a ship heading to Ruusan. He needed to get there as soon as he could, or at least that was what I understood from his behavior. He was really in a hurry, he wanted to get to the Valley Of The Jedi."
"Why?"
"Something regarding that day when he battled Vader. He thinks Vader wants the pyronium crystal because he's convinced it can function as a catalyst for the Force, other than electromagnetic impulses. I think he's trying to gather more power."
He handed me my cup. "Not good. That's not good at all. We must get there as soon as we can. Ruusan shouldn't be too long."
"Seven hours. I think Artoo can have the ship ready in an hour, if we leave by that time we'll..."
In that moment I heard a strange noise coming from the bathroom. "I don't like that..." I started moving towards the room but Obi-Wan stopped me.
"Leave the cup here. Last time, even if she was already at the end of the pregnancy, she was incredibly sensitive to smells and coffee didn't do any good to her."
I left it on the table and rushed towards the bathroom. I opened the door and she was already on her feet, leaning on the sink and spreading toothpaste on her brush. "You Ok?" I asked.
She turned on the water and nodded. "Sure." she mumbled while brushing the awful taste away. "A minor inconvenience, don't worry. I'll be fine."
"How do you feel?"
"Nauseated. This morning it's just a little worse than the other days. Happens all the time."
"Are you sure?" I was behaving like a total idiot. I was sure she was thinking the same about me. But I was really, really worried about her, and I couldn't help it. I needed to be sure she was fine.
She rolled her eyes and spit in the sink. "Yes, I'm sure. I told you, I know how it works. And if you don't get out of here, I swear I'm going to push you out myself. Obi-Wan is making breakfast, go and eat something, Master Yoda wants to talk to you."
"What? When?"
"As soon as you can. He said he could wait, but he wanted to talk to you as soon as you could go to his place."
"Alright. I... I'll finish my coffee and go. Oh ehm... can you take the bandage off? I... I know where Jax is."
She put her toothbrush back in its holder and looked straight in my eyes. "You had one of your dreams?"
I nodded. "Yes. We're leaving for Ruusan as soon as Artoo can have the ship ready. But I need my shoulder and it doesn't hurt now. Can you do it?"
"Sure. Go and sit down, I'm coming!"
I did as ordered and sat at the table. A minute later she was undoing the tight wraps around my shoulder and upper chest. The skin underneath was bruised and swollen, it itched and felt a little tight, but didn't hurt. When the first layer of bandages came off, the one that fixed my arm to my chest, Padmè asked me to move my arm. It felt tight, but not excessively so. I could move it pretty much in every direction, it hurt a little while I rotated it, but I was sure it was only because of the inflamed tendons and ligaments. Nothing to worry about.
"There you go. Almost good as new. I'd let Janu check on it when we get back to Dantooine but I don't think you'll have problems." she said as she examined my upper body.
"I don't know, it's the third time this shoulder gets dislocated, I fear there's some permanent damage from the two other times."
"Probable." added then Obi-Wan.
She made a face. "Alright. Take an anti-inflammatory then go and speak to Master Yoda. We'll leave as soon as you return if Artoo gets the ship ready. Alright?"
I nodded and she handed me my sweatshirt and helped me wearing it. "I'll going to talk to him. Hope it won't take long. You'll be alright without me?"
"Don't worry, we can handle it." replied Obi-Wan as he poured another cup of coffee and placed it on the table in front of me as I buckled up my combat boots. "Take this with you. And don't drink anything he'll offer, most of all if it's green and smells like sour algae. You'll thank me."
I nodded and grabbed my cup. "Thank you. I'll be right back!"
As I walked down the ramp I heard Padmè sigh and she told Obi-Wan: "I think I'll spend the next thirty minutes throwing up." and then she ran again in the bathroom. I was about to turn back but if I waited too long, then we would have left even later. Master Yoda was waiting for me and we had to leave the planet as soon as we could.
I walked towards his shack, jumping here and there to avoid the shallow water and the pools. With my left arm free, it was easier to walk. A lot easier, actually. Not to mention jumping. Yes. Easier. It didn't hurt much too. I felt a lot better. At least physically. Psychologically I felt still on the edge, and I was sure Master Yoda was about to give me another blow, but whatever he was going to say, I had more things to think about than myself.
And that helped a lot.
I was about six yards away from the place when I heard a saw a flash lighting the place as if we were in plain daylight and without all those trees and plants that covered the sky. I looked up and through the fronds and the thick branches I saw some very thick clouds hovering in the sky. A storm was approaching, and with that kind of environment, even a minor storm could become a huge electrical blizzard that could potentially get dangerous.
It also made me cringe a little. The air was electrified, I could feel it on my skin, and I felt a little electrified. Not because of the dream, or what had happened in the few days, well, weeks before that moment. It was something strange, as if the Force was trying to tell me something, to warn me that a danger was approaching, and it was doing by manipulating the weather. I also felt a compelling need to get out of that planet, and it wasn't the harsh conditions, the bad memories or the absolutely insufferable acre smell that came from the swamp, no, it was something different altogether.
I definitely needed to hurry up.
I jogged towards the door, careful not to spill my coffee, and leaned enough to look inside. "You wanted to see me Master?" I asked.
Master Yoda was sitting next to the fireplace, stirring something in a kettle. Smiling, he looked up at me and nodded. "Yes. Inside come, young Skywalker. Talk we need to."
I sneaked in and crawled towards the spot we had all been sitting the day before and tried to make myself comfortable in the cramped space. There was more room with only the two of us in there, but still, if I didn't pay enough attention, I would bang my head on the roof.
"I'm here. What do you want to talk about?"
"You."
"Oh well, I guess it's the subject of the month. What was left out?"
"Much was left out I fear... But, tell me, slept have you?"
I nodded. "Yes. I had some problems falling asleep but after some hours yes, I slept rather well."
"Good. Good." he grabbed the handle of the kettle and poured its content in an old plastic cup. "Breakfast?"
I shook my head, remembering the advice Obi-Wan gave me. "No thank you. I've got my coffee."
"Good." he blew on the hot beverage to cool it and took a sip. "A turmoil through the Force coursing is." he said. "Deeply concerned I am."
"I... well, I fear I'm partially responsible for it."
He smiled for a moment, then sighed. "Responsible you are not. Mysterious the ways of the Force are. Know this you should. Turmoils common in these times are." he stopped and drank again from his cup. That thing stank, really! "But weeks ago a vision to me came."
Oh come on! Visions, dreams... I was pretty much tired of things like that. And if he started, I fear I would get another headache just trying to decode his grammar into something that made actually sense in Basic, then I'd probably have to rethink everything he had said to find out what he really meant. But I didn't interrupt him. I didn't want to make him upset or worse, irritated. He became quite nasty when someone contradicted him.
"What did you see?"
He closed his eyes as if he tried to recall the memory of the dream, like a movie or a hologram. "Rocks. A rocky place it was. Waves I saw. Strong waves. Violence. Pain. Undefined it was. But of something sure I am. From the future I think the vision came. Close it was. Under a red rain happen something will. Part of it you will be."
"You mean I was in your vision?"
He nodded. "And Obi-Wan. And your wife."
That hit me like a pipe on my jaw. "Did you see Padmè?" I asked as a thunder shook the air around us. I had completely missed the lightning though. I wasn't really paying much attention.
"Felt her presence I did. Strong and steady it was. No dangers around her there were."
I sighed in relief. At least that. "Did you see anything else?"
"No. Heat. Heat I felt. A lot."
"As if there as a fire?"
"Yes." another thunder and flash right after it. The storm was getting closer.
"And what do you think it means?" I asked.
He shook his head. "Found out the meaning you will need."
"Oh great. This is getting worse minute by minute." I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed. "I need to get going. We need to leave as soon as we can, now that we know where Jax is."
He nodded. "A strong tremor tonight I sensed. From your ship it came. A vision you had." it was more a statement than a question. I just nodded. "Mysterious the Force is, but behind traces it leaves. The path I followed. As with Pavan's you do. Where is he?"
"Ruusan. The Valley Of The Jedi. Apparently, Vader wants his pyronium crystal to enhance his Force abilities. He's traveling there to try and see if Vader is right."
"Go then. If right Vader is in great danger we are."
"Yes Master, we're leaving as soon as Artoo gets the ship ready. And... well, thank you for your help." I said partially standing up to get out.
"Welcome you are young Skywalker. But go now, before out time runs."
I nodded, bowed and crawled out as fast I could, then ran straight to the ship. The storm was approaching too fast for my tastes. I ran up the entrance ramp and shut it closed pushing the control button. "Are we ready to go?" I shouted as soon as it slid closed.
"Almost." Obi-Wan yelled back from the cockpit. "We're performing a safety check on the electric system."
"Good." I walked up and shrugged my shoulders. Having the left one mobile again felt a little strange. The muscles were tight and felt like something was pulling my arm down, but it didn't feel too bad. At least it didn't hurt. "Estimated time?"
"A couple of minutes. I'm already setting the route for Ruusan. Once we're on the atmosphere we'll decide where to go."
"The Valley Of The Jedi." I replied instantly. "We must to there, straight away. And we must be quick, there's a storm approaching, I don't want to get caught in an electrical storm with the ship. It could damage it beyond our repair possibilities."
He nodded. "Good. Artoo, as soon as the security check is done, start the engines. We're leaving this place!"
"Headed to?" asked Padmè from the doorstep.
"Ruusan." replied Obi-Wan. "We're going deep into the darkest part of the history of the Order. The Valley Of The Jedi."
Alright, even this one is done. I'm sorry it took so long but I've been hooked up to Batman Arkham City (wrote a short one shot too about the ending). One step closer to the core of the story. I just have to decide if I'm going to dive straight into it in the next chapter or if I want another short one, like this (I admit it, it was an excuse to entitle a chapter Electrical Storm). Well, I'll see what the characters will do. In any case, I already outlined the next story, at least the backbone. The whole skeleton will come with time, but hey, at least I've got a story! Hope you liked it and, well, see ya next time!
