Chapter 4
Er Shua sat upright, his eyes opening very suddenly… Confused… voices, whispering in his mind…. All around him there was darkness…
His brain snapped back to reality, as he adjusted to the room… his room. He was in his own bed. Just next to him a form lay, sleeping. His wife, Si'sha.
A cold sweat covered his body, he felt shaky and uneasy. Wrenching the sheets away he silently got out of bed. Trailing over to the next room he planted a clammy hand on the panel, letting himself in.
Er Shua stood, silent for a moment. Staring at the dim space of his office, before pressing the panel for some light. Making his way to his desk he let himself fall into the crisp Naboo leather chair. Sighing, he stuck his head into his hands, running a finger down his scared face.
The Shadow's blade had run all the way up Er Shua's left cheek, right though his eye. Now though, all that stood in place of that eye was glass. A reminder of a hopeless situation, a battle that he in a million years could have never won.
It had been nearly ten years since that night. Yet, he still remembered it as if it were yesterday.
He could still see the people run. Hear their screams, as their world was brutally blown apart and destroyed.
The feeling of helplessness as he watched so many innocent people die.
Er Shua himself barely survived. The sub he fled to; its strong build and fields managed to hold together. He was found a day later by explorers of city's very few remains. The destruction of Gren was deemed a mystery for many years until it was eventually resolved that it was a monster from the deep, attracted to the storms above.
And as for Alishka and the child… Er Shua swallowed, for he had many times tried to forget about them. They disappeared, never to be found. Probably hunted and killed by the Shadows, it proved to be the only explanation. For the Shadows never left evidence behind. They would have destroyed everything before anyone would as much as suspect.
Yet, Er Shua knew for a fact that for some unknown reason, the Shadow's never reached the stone, their main target…
Er Shua let his thoughts fade and sat back in his chair staring up through the clear walls of his home bubble. Dawn was approaching fast as he saw the marine creatures of the dark gradually disappear. Er Shua felt no need to go back to bed for soon the rest of his family would be awakening.
Where he lived was more or less on the outskirts of upper Otoh Gunga. A place where only the richest of Gungans dwelled. But that wasn't the main reason for his taking up occupancy here. Here was quiet and beautiful, an escape from the hustle of the city's main places where Er Shua spent his days. Here he could stay away from people all together.
Adia stared aimlessly at the gray, wall of her holding cell. It was barely big enough to accommodate two people at most, making Adia feel somewhat claustrophobic. On either side of the room two metal beds extruded from the wall so that she could sit on one and lean her feet on the bed opposite her.
Adia didn't know the time, but she'd figured that night had already well and truly passed by now. And what little sleep she'd managed to catch up on was long lost for her legs felt stiff and her back ached. Slowly, Adia brought herself to her feet. Stretching, a hand brushed her thigh.
The Sphere!
Adia suddenly realized. Pulling her cape away she lunged a hand into her massive pocket but it came out empty. Mercilessly taken by the Troopers when they searched her. She had nothing left but her clothing. The Troopers were so abrupt when searching her that Adia hadn't even noticed them take the tiny jewel.
She'd kept it after the many years. It was the only thing she had left of her mother. The only thing left of her twisted and confused past. She held the sphere close to her, ever afraid of losing it.
Adia sighed, sitting back down again she pulled the gloves off, brushing her thumb across the skin stain on her right hand. A crude representation of a blade through a bubble was etched into her skin. Something rather important, that the Troopers had missed. If they'd seen it Adia knew she would have been in much more trouble than she was.
The skin stain was a symbol of Adia's commitment to one of the most feared, criminal groups around Otoh Gunga. Any one of its members being captured was considered a great feat to the authorities.
This band had no official name, just the ones given 'The Resistance', 'Bandits' as Troopers would say, or even something as simple as 'The group'. It didn't matter how one referred to it, for everyone knew what they'd be talking about.
Mostly it consisted of outcasts from the city or other places, lone thieves wanting to join to be a part of something or simply people tired of ever day living.
Their leader, Mosah was the group's beginning. Years before Adia was even born, he'd been banished from his home under false accusations of the murder of his own daughter. Having lived a life in the higher society and then being thrown out into the wild was a hard thing to adapt to. But he survived and pledged to claim justice upon himself one day. That was why he started the group and over the years had earned its glorious reputation.
Mosah came across Adia wandering the forest just days after her mother's death. He felt pity for her, looked upon her as if she were his own lost child. So he took her in, cared for her and brought her up as part of the bandit group.
This had been Adia's greatest mission. She'd put in months worth of her time and energy to track down and prove to all the Jerich Binks was alive. And now that she'd finally found him, next she would get to him. Bring him back to the group. She would prove herself worthy.
Adia moaned and rolled her eyes, that was if she was going to get out of here first…
The door to the cell suddenly swung open, revealing the Gungan behind it. Adia scrambled to her feet glaring hotly at Trooper. But he simply grinned pulling off the headgear disguising his face.
"Did you miss me?"
"Mosah!" The girl shrilled, dashing out of her cell and into his arms. Then pulled away, suspecting.
"How did you find me?"
Mosah produced Adia's crumpled piece of paper.
"I found this."
Quickly, Adia grabbed it away, eyeing the unconscious guard on the ground.
"You followed me?"
The Gungan said nothing as he handed her his weapon. Grabbing the guard by the wrists Mosah dragged his body into the cell.
Adia sighed; her first independent mission had led to her needing a rescue. Word would quickly spread. She felt like a failure.
Bringing her head to lean on the strange cesta she now held she could hear a sort of hum. The cesta itself was nothing but a long stick with a small jab piece on the tip. It seemed harmless until the girl accidentally tapped it with an ear. The electric zap was so loud that it even caught Mosah off guard.
Adia instantly leapt back, throwing the vile pole aside.
"Oh, be watching the pole. A new addition to the Trooper arsenal. Good for making one talk, me thinks." Mosah filled in. "It's called an Electropole."
"Yes" Adia moaned rubbing her now numb earlobe. "I can see why."
Reaching into his pocket Mosah pulled out a pair of handcuffs.
"Here," he signalled to Adia's wrists.
His plan was to get out of here was obvious; simply act as a Trooper escorting a prisoner. He drew Adia's hood over her head.
Adia squirmed at the tightness of her cuffs but Mosah smiled, donning his headgear and immediately he looked like another man. No Trooper would take a second glance.