"Revan, we have to face the possibility that we are the last of the Jedi," the Exile said as they watched the blue/white swirl of hyperspace out the forward viewport.
Revan shook his head. "Just because Coruscant is in enemy hands doesn't mean that all the Jedi are dead. The odds of every single Jedi being on Coruscant at the same time are astronomically low. You know that."
She turned her head towards him, resulting in a cascade of long, gray hair off her thin shoulders. "That's not what I meant. What if there is no Order to return to?"
He blinked. Oddly enough that idea hadn't occurred to him. "Then we find the Republic and offer our assistance…and if there's no more Republic, then we find some faction to align ourselves with. There's a war to be fought, General. We've already personally seen seven major systems overrun. Someone will want our help."
She narrowed her eyes. "Are you really ready to jump back into a war after what we've been through?"
Revan sighed. "No, but I don't think the galaxy can wait. Whoever this new threat is, they're more formidable than any foe we've fought."
"Even our captors?"
"Possibly," Revan admitted.
They sat in silence for the remainder of their journey to the 12th location on their short list: Kashyyyk.
"More of the same," Revan said regrettably when they emerged from hyperspace to discover Kashyyyk in enemy hands as well. "Onto Meltonn then," he said as he plotted their next jump.
"Wait," the Exile whispered. Her eyes were all but closed to slits. "Someone is here. I sense two presences, strong in the lightside, on the surface of the planet."
Revan concentrated for a moment, then picked up the faint trace of one force-sensitive. "You're right, but I only feel one."
She frowned. "There were two, but now I'm only sensing one as well."
"They may be under attack," Revan offered, then said no more.
"Let's risk it," she said, grasping the helm controls. "We need to find out what's happened in our absence, and if there are Jedi down there then they're probably trapped. We at least have a ship to offer them."
Revan nodded. "I'll man the aft turret. Try to blend in with the orbital traffic as much as possible. We don't want to attract attention."
It had been fifteen days since Luke, Jyr, and the Wookiees had moved the ship into the forest, and fifteen agonizing days trying to get the stubborn shield generators to deploy their protective energy field. All of the Nova 68's other major systems had been repaired to Jyr's satisfaction, but he didn't dare make a run for orbit without the shields.
Their luck had held out, and their cozy little ravine had escaped enemy detection, but both Jedi were growing impatient. They knew that the longer they sat here the more of the galaxy was being conquered, and there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it.
Siley, however, had turned into the one positive they had going for them. She had regained consciousness after a few more days of minor treatments and had kept both Jedi slightly distracted as they began to explain the Force and the ways of the Jedi to her. She had immediately been receptive, and with Luke's well practiced instruction had managed to nudge a small metal shard with the Force.
Siley had also been forced into another lesson, given her circumstances. Ever since being dunked in the Ryll tank she'd been without clothes, and had been considerably embarrassed even after Luke gave her his shirt to wear, along with a lesson in false modesty and matters of perception.
She'd eventually accepted her pant-less state and had stopped hiding behind various crates in the cargo hold, but she still seemed a bit sheepish around Jyr, who was technically her commanding officer. However, the 'openness' of her situation seemed to assist her attempts to feel the Force around her, given that the physical boundaries between self and environment had also created a subconscious distinction between the two that had been removed along with her clothing.
After a few days Siley would find a private corner of the ship and remove Luke's shirt so that she was completely nude when she practiced the simply drills that he'd given her, but whenever she was around someone she would cling to the little cover that the skin-tight black top provided.
Had the crew been made up of Humans rather than Wookiees and Jedi this would have been a problem, but since Wookiees disliked clothing and Jedi weren't affected by social taboos there hadn't been any trouble. However, as soon as they got off planet they'd have to find her some clothing before she would voluntarily leave the ship.
Luke was with Siley underneath the ship, using the Force to move the dust around on a bare spot of the forest floor when Jyr's presence suddenly disappeared from Luke's mind.
What is it? Luke asked through their force link as he expanded his senses.
Someone's in orbit. And they're not Jedi, he answered back.
Luke further expanded his senses as Siley stared at him. He'd stopped talking mid sentence. Up, a few degrees above the eastern horizon he sensed two pinprick presences, strong with the Force. How do you know they're not Jedi?
Too strong. Not even Kas would be detectable at this range.
Luke frowned and concentrated harder. I don't detect the darkside.
Nor the lightside, Jyr countered. I have no idea who they might be. Do you?
Luke shook his head, despite the fact that Jyr was several kilometers away on perimeter patrol. Not a clue. I thought you and I were the only ones in that power range.
"Luke, what's wrong?" Siley asked. He held up a hand, signaling her to wait.
That's what I thought too. What do you suppose they're doing with the V'tol?
I don't know, but it's bad news for us. If we can detect them, then they can probably detect us, well, me at least.
I think they already have, Jyr said. They're getting closer.
Should we run or wait it out?
Jyr didn't respond for a time. Then reluctantly he said, Wait it out, but run off into the forest. If they're following your presence it'd be best if we didn't lead them to the ship.
Good idea. Luke turned and faced Siley. "We have incoming. There're force-sensitives tracking my presence. I'm going to lead them off into the forest."
"What should I do?" Siley asked.
"Take cover in the tree line, but stay near the ship. Tell the Wookiees to do the same," Luke said as he scurried out from under the ship and took off running into the forest.
Siley walked out in his wake and tugged her shirt a little lower on her hips. "I need a weapon," she mumbled before walking up the boarding ramp and into the ship where the Wookiees were still working on the shield generators. She relayed Luke's message and grabbed a blaster carbine from the pile of weapons the Wookiees had brought onboard.
Leaving the ship behind, Siley and the Wookiees joined the others on guard in the forest and waited for trouble.
