Shadow's Odyssey 2: The Chaos Continues
The distraction team was pinned down by defensive fire.
"There's too many of them, we're not gonna last long here!" Rex shouted.
"What's taking them so long?" Boba griped.
Rex got a call from Rouge. "Rex, the whole plan's gone to shit! Lando and L3 are dead and Petro's been captured!"
"What do we do now?" Bo-Katan demanded.
"I don't know!" Rouge cried in frustration. "Let's just start with regrouping back at the ship."
"Slight problem with that. We're pinned down at the moment and can't go anywhere." Rex said grimly. "But if you could give us a little air support, we should be able to make a break for it."
Rouge hung up and called Han. Back on the Falcon, Han was going through Lando's stuff.
"Jeez, how many capes does one guy need?"
His com beeped and he answered with a gruff, "You guys done out there?"
"The plan failed. The rest of us are pinned down and we need your help."
"Hey, I told you before, my job is just to get you here."
"Seriously!? We are going to die out here!"
"Then it sounds like I should leave before they find me too."
Rouge exploded. "ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME? YOU'RE JUST GONNA LEAVE US?"
"Listen, I'm not a part of your little war, or whatever you're doing. I signed up for this job to make some quick cash, but this is no longer worth it."
"YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE!"
"What did you expect from me? What's unbelievable is the fact that you trust guys like me and Lando! Honestly, I'm surprised he hasn't sold you out yet."
Han had already been holding the com away from his face to protect his hearing, but Rouge's next scream still nearly deafened him. It was not just a scream of anger and frustration, but grief and despair as well.
"LANDO'S DEAD!"
Han went almost numb as his confused feelings tried to sort themselves out.
"He died trying to save someone else." Rouge's voice was more subdued now. "He died trying to save me."
Han was completely silent.
"I know you're a scoundrel, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be a fucking asshole."
Han finally answered with, "I'm sorry, but I can't help you." And hung up on her.
Petro woke up inside of a box. He was unable to move any part of his body. There was a small window for him to look out of, but that didn't matter much because all he could see was another wall. The room was dark and the only thing he could hear was the sound of his own breathing.
Petro had read about these types of boxes before. Used by the ancient Mandalorians during their wars with the Jedi. Specifically designed to contain Force wielders, like him. He was trapped, and he had no way out.
Petro's only hope for escape was someone coming to get him. And even if they tried, it was unlikely they would succeed.
He let the feeling of despair wash over him. Maybe this really was the end. Petro was ready. He was tired of fighting.
But then he heard a voice. "So quick to give up, are you?"
"Master? Master Yoda?"
"Quite the dilemma you are in, hmm?"
"Master Yoda, I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." Tears began to drip down Petro's face. "I'm trying to lead in your absence but look where I got us! Everyone's dying or injured or worse and I don't know what to do!"
"Hmm. Familiar, that sounds."
"I need your help."
"What you need, you already have. Trust the Force. Trust those around you. Trust yourself."
"I'm trapped in a box. I can't do anything."
"Yes, but alive, you still are."
"So, what?" Petro wailed.
"Left you alive, why did they?"
"I don't know. They wanna torture me, or Sidious wants the satisfaction of killing me himself, or maybe the plan is just to leave me here to rot."
"Need you alive, they do. To provide a reason for your friends to come back."
"So I'm bait. That doesn't make me feel better."
"In order to be bait, alive you must be."
Yoda's calm serenity was beginning to irritate Petro. "So what am I supposed to do then?"
"You must die."
Petro blinked. He had been expecting some platitude about believing in his friends, not to be told that suicide was the answer.
"Remember your training, young Petro and may the Force be with you."
And with that Yoda was gone.
"Master? Master Yoda?"
Petro was now even more frustrated than before. What was he talking about? He wanted Petro to die? How was he even supposed to do that? Petro supposed he could slow down his heart with the Force until it stopped, but what good would being dead do him? How would the Mandalorians even know that he was dead down here?
Then Petro thought about that a bit more. How would they know when he was dead? The Mandalorians used to keep Jedi in boxes like this all the time. It would be far too dangerous to let them out if they were still alive so, the box must contain a sensor that monitored his vitals. With it, they would know weather their prisoner was dead or just sleeping.
And if he was dead, they wouldn't need to keep him in this box. They'd toss his corpse out and prepare the box for the next victim. So, dying was the solution.
Or at least, appearing to be dead.
Two very board Mandalorians were guarding the box.
"Ugh, someone finally decides to attack this place, and we get stuck with guard duty."
"Don't worry, when this one's friends show up to save him, we'll see some action."
"There's only a half dozen of them! They probably won't even make it this far."
Just then, the indicator for Petro's vital signs started beeping.
"Huh, his vitals are dropping." The guard said in mild confusion.
And then the device beeped a second time, signifying that his vitals had stopped.
"He's dead? How did that happen?"
They entered the cell and approached the box and checked that scanner one more time.
One of them rapped sharply on the window and shouted, "Hey! Are you alive in there?"
"I just don't get it." The other said, shaking the indicator. "None of the injuries he had should have been enough to kill him."
"Who cares how he died? Let's just dump the body so we can go join the fight."
They opened the box and undid all the restraints. They stood back and let the prisoner's body fall to the ground.
The first went to pick the body up. "Come on, let's dump him in the trash compactor."
The second held up his hand. "Hold on a second." He drew his blaster. "Just in case."
He aimed at Petro's head and fired, but blaster bolt swerved away and into his partner's leg.
He yelped. "What was that?"
The other looked at his blaster. "I don't know!" Then he felt something take control of his arm. It pointed the blaster at his friend against his will.
"What are you-" A blaster bolt silenced him.
Petro stood up.
"You! How did-!"
"You Mandalorians still have a lot to learn about what a Jedi can do."