Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the OC.
They gave Kalifa a Jedi funeral, burning her body on a pyre so that the Trandoshans can't make a trophy out of her body in any way. They were silent as the watched the fire burn. But knowing that the smoke might eventually signal the Trandoshans, Jayden encouraged them to return to their hideaway. Seeing the wisdom in this, Ahsoka took the lead as she, Jinx and O-Mer bade Kalifa once last silent farewell. Jayden lagged behind, ensuring they weren't followed.
He returned later than the rest, finding Jinx and O-Mer sitting gloomily around the central fire.
"I... I can't believe she's gone." Jinx muttered sadly. Jayden leaned against the nearby wall, noticing the absent Ahsoka.
"We knew her for so long... to see her go, just like that..." O-Mer added, trailing off as their original trio was now down to two.
"Her death is my fault." Jayden said, taking the blame. "I should have been quicker and faster. "I wasn't fast enough nor powerful." He then looked around. "Where is Ahsoka?"
"I think she went to the top of the tree." O-Mer replied. "She said she needed a moment." Jayden glanced up at the top of the hideout, analyzing the best way up and knowing he probably needed to talk with her.
"Stay here. I'll be back." Jayden ordered before he started climbing the tree and made it to the top where he found Ahsoka sitting, legs brought up to her chest so she can wrap her arms around them. She had a lost look on her face as he sat down beside her and just silently put an arm around her and held her close as she sniffled and buried her face in his chest. "I'm sorry. I couldn't save her."
"It's not your fault." Ahsoka said as she pulled her face away, wiping the tears away. "We both failed, let's agree on that."
Jayden hummed in response as he looked at the Trandoshan planet. "Don't grieve on your own, Ahsoka. Always remember that I am here, and your two friends are there and need you. I promised to get you off this rock and I will...even if it kills me."
"Don't." Ahsoka snapped at him, glaring. "Don't say something like that. I can't lose you too."
Jayden tilted his head. "Aww, grown so fond of me, my dear?"
Ahsoka rolled her eyes with a small smile. "Shut up." She gave him a inteense look that actually made him blush a bit yet frown as to why she was looking at him like that, until she spoke. "Take off your mask. I want to see your face."
Jayden paused, briefly contemplating, before he sighed and pulled his hood back, then reached up and took his mask off. Ahsoka's eyes widened as he slowly lifted the mask and pulled it away to reveal his true appearance. Young, her age, short black hair. he was...
He was kriffing handsome.
"Now you know what no other can know." Jayden said softly as his eyes stared into her own. "You know my real name, my face, something i don't want any other Jedi to know."
Ahsoka said nothing as she stared at him, drinking in his facial features. She then stared into his eyes, the doors to the soul as they say. In those eyes, those beautiful dark brown eyes, and she saw such an intense sense of care the depths of which she could not fathom. But they were laced with sorrow... sorrow on her behalf. Never before had she ever seen such strong and powerful emotions in someone's look alone... especially when such emotions were directed at her. She also saw darkness... yet light, and she sensed that, the light and darkness ever waging a constant war within Jayden.
"Thank you... for sharing this with me." Ahsoka said with a small smile.
Jayden nodded. "I care for you, Ahsoka. Somehow, someway, I do. If you need a shoulder to cry on, someone who will listen to your frustrations... I'll be there."
Ahsoka nodded as she looked away, but Jayden continued to stare at her expectantly until he saw her shoulders shake as she let out silent sobs. Without a word, Jayden put an arm around her shoulders and allowed her head to lean on his own shoulder as she cried, mourning the loss of a friend.
"it's okay... let it out... Ignore what the Jedi have taught you, you are still a person with emotions and feelings, not a emotionless droid. Vent and let it out or else it'll cause you more trouble down the path." Jayden whispered softly and Ahsoka took his advice as she gripped his shoulders, hugging him tightly as she buried her face into his chest, crying her eyes out which broke Jayden's heart.
Internally, he was at war. Having been trained in the ways of the Dark Side and the Sith, he was trained to not show compassion as it was a weakness to a Sith, and if such compassion was seen or felt by Dooku or even Sidious... Jayden knew his time alive would be over. But they believed Jayden felt nothing for Ahsoka thanks to Sidious'... 'discipline'.
Jayden didn't know the true extent of his feelings for Ahsoka, but he knew it wasn't just a simple crush... not anymore.
Jayden wasn't sure how long they knelt there, how long Ahsoka bawled in his arms for. But he was willing to give her all the time in the world. He comforted her to the best of his abilities, generally offering her a presence, a shoulder to cry on. "Ahsoka... oh my dear, dear Ahsoka..." He whispered, tears streaking past his mouth. Working up his courage, Jayden pressed a soft kiss to her forehead, desperate to comfort her. "What I wouldn't give to take your pain away..." Ahsoka heard his words but made no response, finding them comforting all the same.
When her sobs finally died down, replaced with quiet sniffles, Ahsoka looked up from Jayden's chest and into his own tear-stained face. Her eyes red and a little puffy, tear streaks cutting clean lines down her dirty face, Ahsoka was certain she looked like an absolute mess. Jayden's thumbs wiped away her tears as he held her face.
"It's okay to feel like this. But you can't let it control you to the point where you're forced to do this." He softly said.
"B-But, i-Ishuldn't. The Jedi say-" Ahsoka began but Jayden cut her off.
"Don't." Jayden said strictly. "That's one of the reasons why I despise the Jedi. They say to bottle those emotions and not give into them for it is a path to the Dark Side... I find it is just an excuse for the Jedi to not appear similar to the Sith, who are free to express their emotions yet most deal with hatred and anger as well as their desire for power, but that is the way of life in the universe. All beings with power want more for their own reasons, good is a point of view. You can always talk to me about this. I promise you, I will not look down on you for this... even now I do not." He whispered, gently tracing the white markings on her cheeks. "I care about you. And I want to help you. Okay?" After a moment of consideration where she let his words sink in, Ahsoka wiped her eyes on the backs of her hands.
"Okay." She quietly replied with a small nod. Jayden nodded as well, affirming her.
"There's one more thing I need you to do." He said. "Take your mind off it. Forget Kalifa, forget all of it. You're leading this group now. Help me figure out what to do." He requested. Digesting his words, and taking an extra second to bask in this closeness, Ahsoka nodded in understanding and acceptance.
"Come on. We should head back down." She said. Jayden nodded and they stood before going back down, Jayden putting his mask back on. When meeting with Jinx and O-Mer, they saw that the two seemed to have given up.
"We're all going to die here... it's only a matter of time." O-Mer said with the voice that he had given up.
"Not while I'm here." Jayden spoke up. "I failed with Kalifa... I won't fail with you two. I'm getting you two and Ahsoka off this rock no matter what. We just need a plan...and I have one."
"Which is?" Ahsoka asked with a raised eyebrow.
Jayden turned to them. "Fixed or not, we're going to the Rogue Shadow and I am taking you off this planet. Then I am coming back and killing every single one of these Trandoshans who are part of this hunting party for what they have done."
'Force, is it wrong that I find his strong, commanding aura so hot?' Ahsoka thought to herself with a bit of a blush.
Walking along to where Jayden had cloaked his ship, which was close to the beach actually, Jayden prepared to decloak his ship and get them onboard quickly when they heard a ship's engine...one that didn't belong to the Rouge Shadow. The Jedi and Sith looked to see a ship coming.
"That's the ship that dropped us off." Jinx said. "The drop off point is not far from here."
"They must be bringing in new prisoners." Ahsoka suspected.
"Well, it'll be their last. " Jayden said as he looked at them. "We attack the dropship head on and save whoever they have in there."
"Head on?" O-Mer asked in shock.
Ahsoka smirked. "They'll never expect it."
Jayden nodded and waited until the ship was closer before saying. "Go!" He took the lead as they ran, making a mad dash for a series of rock protrusions that would give them some height. The Jedi climbed it first, using the Force to launch themselves high into the sky. Jayden did the same and caught up with them.
Ahsoka landed on the transparasteel canopy surrounding the bridge, drawing the attention of the pilots inside, one of which immediately moved to deal with her. Crouched atop the ship, Ahsoka looked on as a hatch opened and the Trandoshan emerged with a rifle in hand. O-Mer and Jinx ambushed him from behind, knocking him down and silencing him before he could call for help.
"I've got the pilot!" Ahsoka called, jumping down into the ship through the open hatch. O-Mer and Jinx tried their best to keep the Trando at bay, but the reptilian creature was simply too strong for them and managed to throw both younglings off of him and send them slamming into the hull of the ship. Jinx looked up, dazed, and saw the Trandoshan ready to take a bite out of him.
Until a red Lightsaber pierced through his head. The Lightsaber was ripped out and the body fell to reveal Jayden.
"You guys alright?" He asked. They nodded as they attempted to stand.
"Go help Ahsoka, she's inside." Jinx told him.
Jayden nodded before he went down the same hatch and heard a gun being fire so he sprinted to the cockpit as quick as he can, using the Force to get faster. He made it there in time to see Ahsoka use the Force to push a Trandoshan through the nearby canopy, disabling him. Jayden looked around, spotting scattergun holes piercing the controls of almost every wall. The ship took a sharp lean to port as the main controls fizzled and short circuited, sparks and arcs of electricity flying everywhere. Jayden could hear portions of the ship being torn off as the dropship fell prey to its lost controls.
"Ship's going down! We gotta get off!" He called to Ahsoka, who was still at the controls.
"But the prisoners! They'll die!" She replied, desperate to try and find a way to save them. Jayden quickly jogged over and analyzed the shot-up panel.
"There has to be a release... there!" He quickly pointed to a button which Ahsoka pressed. "Now let's go!" Heeding his advice this time, Ahsoka quickly crawled through the hole in the canopy, Jayden following. Together with Jinx and O-Mer, the four of them jumped back to the beachhead as the dropship spiralled wildly out of control. The ship ripped itself apart, starting at its aft as pieces practically flew off and landed in the water. The bow whipping around, the remains of the ship plowed into the sand, kicking up a storm of particles that engulfed the foursome. Jayden quickly shielded Ahsoka from the incoming blast of sand that died down mere moments later.
"So we aren't escaping on that." O-Mer said.
"Still got mine." Jayden pointed out. "Hyperdrive should've cooled down by now. But I'm curious in who they had on this ship."
There was suddenly a roar from inside the ship which got their attention. "What was that?" Jinx wondered.
"A survivor." Ahsoka realized, jogging towards the origin of the sound. Not knowing what to expect, Jayden gripped his still deactivated Lightsabers and took point alongside Ahsoka as the group moved to investigate. "It could be one of the prisoners they were dropping off." She continued as they paused just outside the cloud of smoke.
"Let's hope so." Jayden rumbled. From within the wreckage, a tall figure, stood up and slowly walked out of the smoke, approaching the group.
"What is that?" O-Mer wondered, a little fearful. No one responded as the being emerged into the moonlight, revealing a tall and very hairy beast of a person. Ahsoka and Jayden recognized it instantly.
"It's a wookiee..." The Togruta stated, a little awed by what she was seeing. Said Wookiee growled in reply, speaking in his native tongue.
Jayden put his Lightsabers back on his belt. "His name is-"
"Chewbacca." Ahsoka finished, earning a rather surprised look from Jayden.
"You speak Shyriiwook?" He wondered. She turned to him with an equally surprised look.
"So do you, apparently." She replied. Jayden lightly chuckled.
"You continue to impress me, my dear." He stated.
"Wait, you two can understand that thing?" O-Mer asked in disbelief. Chewbacca took offence to that as he growled.
"That 'thing' can understand you as well, so watch it." Jayden warned the Jedi. "Wookies have a habit of...ripping people's arms off when offended."
O-Mer gulped at that.
Chewbacca the Wookiee accompanied the group back to their tree hideout, joining them without hesitation.
"Chewbacca, does anyone even know you were taken?" O-Mer asked as they sat around a fire. Chewbacca replied, speaking in Shyriiwook which Jayden translated.
"No, but his homeworld, Kashyyyk, is close." Jayden said. "Well, least I know where I'm taking you after we get on the Rogue Shadow. Wookies are friends to the Jedi I believe."
"That's great, but it might as well be Coruscant as far as I'm concerned." Jinx complained. Chewbacca suddenly stood up and growled something a Jinx, making obvious hand gestures as he did.
"Hmm, he says that if we can get to his world, his people will send a signal to the Republic to pick you up." Jayden said. Chewbacca replied in his native tongue at Jayden. "Yeah, I'm not exactly a friend of the Republic or Jedi. Just getting them home is my priority."
"So that's the plan?" Ahsoka asked for sure. "Get to the Rogue Shadow, make a trip to Kashyyyk and the Wookies will send a signal to the Republic?" Jayden nodded. "Well, that sounds easy."
The group of five carefully and quietly returned to the beach and the crashed dropship. Crouching in the brush, it appeared the place was devoid of any Trandoshan guards. But none of them were up for taking chances.
"Right, where's your ship?" Ahsoka asked Jayden.
"Should be hidden at the edge of the jungle." Jayden said as he went to decloak the Rogue Shadow when they heard the low humming of a hover pod in the area forced them to take cover.
"Get back! It's a patrol." Ahsoka hissed. Pressed up against a piece of metal, she, Jayden and Chewbacca watched as a spotlight passed overhead, continuing to comb the grounds. Once the hover pod went off in another direction, Jayden led the way towards his ship and decloaked it before the ramp lowered and everyone ran onto it.
Jayden went to the pilot seat and started everything up and soon they were taking off and flying away from the moon.
"We did it...we actually did it..." Jinx said in amazement, happy to be away from that island and the Trandoshans.
"Putting in coordinates for Kashyyyk. You guys are on your own after that." Jayden said as he clenched his fists. "I still have unfinished business with the lizards and I will see it to the end."
After going into Hyerpspace then exiting it seconds later, they came to Kashyyyk. Jayden set a landing course and soon enough the Rogue Shadow landed and it's ramp lowered, allowing Chewbacca, Jinx and O-Mer to walk down while Ahsoka stayed to speak with Jayden who was already putting in the coordinates to Trandosha.
"Thanks for everything." Ahsoka said with a smile.
Jayden nodded at her before he reset the coordinates for the place they just left. "Go on. I better get out of here and finish business with the Trandoshans, plus I need to get your Lightsabers."
"Jayden...don't let anger cloud you." Ahsoka said softly, not wanting Jayden to be fully consumed by the Dark Side. There was still a chance he can be redeemed and brought to the Light Side.
"I'm not...I'm avenging a friend, not doing it out of anger." Jayden said as he looked at her. "Don't worry, Light ad Darkness are practically in my nature considering who my ancestors are. You won't see me becoming some yellow eyed evil overlord hell bent on killing you."
"I better not." Ahsoka said before she left the ship. She stood outside, smiling as she watched the Rogue Shadow take off. Who knows when she will see Jayden again...
Back on the Trandoshan moon, the leader of the hunting party was in a fit of rage. "What do you mean they are gone?! He shouted at another.
"They took off in some kind of starfighter." The Trandoshan said, causing the leader to roar in rage at his son's killers getting away.
"Track them and hunt them down!" The leader shouted before a red Lightsaber came flying and cut the head off the Trandoshan the leader had been talking to. This caused the leader and all the others to roar in surprise and look around before the Saber went flying back into a gloved hand as the attacker came out of the shadows.
"You won't be harming anyone else." Jayden growled as he activated his other crossguard Lightsaber before he lunged. The Trandoshans screamed into the night...
Bit dark and rushed, but I figured "Hey, Jayden has a ship, the Hyperdrive has to have cooled down by now, so why don't they just get in his and fly off?" So they did just that and got to the Wookiee homeworld...and Jayden went back to avenge Kalifa as well as get Ahsoka's lightsabers.
So, I need ideas right now because I only wrote the chapters up to 15 and there are several ideas in my min d but they might not fit, so that's why i'm asking you readers for ideas on these upcoming arcs and episodes.