As Mordivai boarded the passenger ship Esseles his nerves were strung taut with both excitement and apprehension. He was being called to participate in his first real mission as a Jedi, and was going to Coruscant to receive instructions from General Var Suthra of the Republic army. But the feel of the huge ship humming gently beneath him, the long hallways, the lounges packed with passengers, it all brought back memories that he would rather have left behind. He had not ridden on such a large ship since the day of the crash seven years ago.
"Peace Mordivai," Master Gatten said from beside him, his voice gentle and calm. "Stay in the moment."
Praven had sensed his unease as well and gave Mordivai a reassuring nod.
Mordivai paused to take a few slow breaths, feeling the Force glowing warm around him, and concentrated on the sights and sounds of the here and now. They entered a lounge filled with lively chatter, where children chased each other between the chairs of their parents and cheerful music played through a sound system in the ceiling. Eyes followed them as they passed, and occasionally they got nods and smiles. Mordivai was proud to be here with his lightsaber on his hip, knowing that these people looked to him for hope and protection. His nerves were quickly forgotten.
They ordered a casual lunch and entered into a lively discussion on the nature of the unifying Force. Gatten felt that the concept was a path leading to the dark side, but Praven did not agree. Mordivai was getting ready to side with Praven when the ship jerked and came to a stop.
"What's going on?" Mordivai could not hide the nervousness in his voice.
Praven sat back in his chair and began to scan the room. "Could be nothing."
Their conversation resumed, but Mordivai could not get rid of the nagging feeling that something bad was going to happen. The ship isn't going to crash, he told himself. What were the chances of that?
A short while later they were interrupted by a crew member, who edged up to their table looking apologetic.
"I'm so sorry to bother you, but the Captain requests that one of you come see him on the bridge. We have a...situation."
"What kind of situation?" Gatten asked.
The man's eyes darted briefly around the room before settling on Gatten once again. "We have been contacted by an Imperial vessel. We could use your guidance, Master Jedi. The Captain would like you to negotiate with the Moff on our behalf."
Gatten and Praven shared a look.
"A Moff?" Gatten got to his feet. "I will go."
Mordivai watched Gatten leave the room, and then turned to Praven. "What do you think this is about?"
Praven folded his hands on the table, his eyes flicking between the room's two exits. "They will make us an offer," he paused, speaking slowly, "and if we refuse, they will respond with force. I can't imagine what they want, but we should be prepared for a confrontation."
"You really think it will come to that?"
"Gatten tells me I am a pessimist, but yes, I do think it is a possibility."
Mordivai sat in silence. The pleasant conversations of the other guests around him felt incongruous now, their laughter a bit too loud, their air too casual. Mordivai always knew that someday he would be forced to face the people of the Empire - his own people - but he never expected that moment to come so soon.
"Master, does it bother you to fight Imperials?"
Praven fixed his orange eyes on Mordivai. "It's never easy. Sometimes I see recognition in a Sith's eyes, right before I kill him. It can be...disconcerting. But I fight only when I must and I fight only to defend. I try to protect the innocents when I can."
Praven rose from his seat then. "I can't just sit here," he grumbled. "Come, and we will walk a bit."
Mordivai followed Praven out of the lounge. They strolled the hallways, working their way across the ship from one side to the other. A wide window eventually stopped their progress, and there they found a small crowd gathered. The passengers were pressing their faces against the glass and conversing in worried voices. Guests parted when they saw Praven approaching, giving Mordivai a clear view of what lay beyond. A huge Imperial ship hovered outside, looking ominous and unwelcoming.
"Doesn't look like they're messing around." Mordivai stared at the ship, his thoughts suddenly going to his father. What if he were on that ship? And if not that one, what about the next or the next? Mordivai feared that he would forever be waiting for the terrible day when he crossed paths with one of his parents.
At first, Mordivai believed his thoughts had simply gotten the better of him. A terrible pall of dread swept over him like a dark cloud, casting his mood into despair. But then he noticed that Praven was wincing next to him, his eyes blinking shut. Praven lifted his head and his hand strayed - unconsciously it seemed - to the lightsaber at his belt.
"Negotiations have failed, Mordivai. The ship has been boarded. Three, no, four Sith are here."
"I felt them too."
Praven turned abruptly and stalked through the crowd, gesturing for Mordivai to follow. They were nearing the bridge when the intercom engaged and a male voice boomed over the ship's loudspeakers. Mordivai recognized the familiar clipped tones of Imperial speech.
"This is Darth Harrow. I have commandeered this ship. Bring Ambassador Vyn Asara to the bridge or I will begin executing the piloting crew until she arrives."
Praven shook his head. "They never intended to negotiate."
They picked up the pace, turned a corner, and Praven skidded to a stop. From behind him, Mordivai caught site of four Imperial troopers, armed and ready at the end of the hallway.
"Jedi! Open fire!" one of them cried. And then Mordivai's lightsaber was in his hand, his instincts taking over, his world slowing to a crawl. His blade was a blur, catching blaster bolts as they rained down on them, and Praven was a whirlwind of ferocity, a growl on his lips as he bared down on the row of soldiers. Mordivai trudged forward, blocking their assault, until he was close enough to see the surprise and alarm on their faces. Two of them fell to Praven's blade and Mordivai dispatched another. The last soldier broke and ran and Mordivai raised his lightsaber for a throw, but Praven's hand shot out, holding him back.
"Let him go."
"They just...they opened fire on us." Mordivai was still reeling from the shock. The sting of battle still infused his limbs, and he felt taut and ready for more.
Cries of panic erupted from one of the nearby corridors and the sound of more blaster fire followed.
"They're not firing on passengers, are they?" Mordivai felt sick at the thought.
"Listen," Praven said, and he turned and dropped a hand onto Mordivai's shoulder. "Our first priority is to keep these people safe." His orange eyes were hard and bright, more serious than Mordivai had ever seen them. "Tell people to stay in their rooms, help the crew gather the wandering passengers into lounges, lock the doors, make sure no people are roaming the hallways. Understand?"
"I do, Master."
"Good. Take control and they'll listen to you." He took off down the hallway, his robe billowing out behind him, leaving Mordivai behind.
Praven was correct. The people he encountered were looking to him for answers, and were eager to comply. He directed them to stay out of the hallways and to relay the message to others. He bumped into a jumpy Nautolan who was attempting to wrangle three small children down the hallway, and the man clutched at Mordivai's robes, his black eyes fearful and desperate.
"My wife and I got separated. How will she find us?"
"You need to get back to your cabin or to a lounge, whichever is closer. You can meet up with her later." Mordivai tried to project confidence in his voice, but privately he wondered if things were only going to get worse.
"I don't know where to go!" the Nautolan choked out. "I'm not sure where we are…"
"Come with me," Mordivai said. He started down the hall, but when the man didn't follow he turned to see the middle child laying on the floor while the man tugged impatiently on her arm. Mordivai raced back and scooped up the girl.
"Let's go!"
The man hurried after him, a baby bouncing in his arm and the oldest child racing to keep up. "Thank you, thank you," he muttered as they sprinted down the hall. In the distance Mordivai heard more shots being fired and the sound of screams. Damn it all! He detoured into a stairwell and sprinted up the first flight of stairs. He had to pause at the top to wait for the rest of the family. The toddler in his arms reached out a chubby hand to touch his face and hair. The father was coaxing his older child to keep up, and Mordivai held open the door.
"The lounge is here," he called. The lounge door was closed and locked, so Mordivai peered through the glass and banged on the door. It opened and he was practically pushed into the room by the father behind him. A sea of terrified faces blinked at him, some of them huddled under tables. He set the child on the floor, prying a fistful of his hair out of her grasp and then bolted back out the door. Hushed exclamations followed him, hopeful voices repeating "Jedi, a Jedi" as the door closed behind him.
Mordivai led another group to safety and had just corralled a group of business travelers when a storm of footsteps thundered down the hallway. More Imperial troopers, weapons drawn, burst through a doorway, and seeing Mordivai, they immediately opened fire. Through the sound of terrified yelling all around, Mordivai bolted down the hallway towards them, using Force power to accelerate his speed. His gleaming blade cut them down, but not before one of the passengers behind him got hit by a stray blaster bolt. Mordivai helped the other travelers drag the woman to the nearest safe spot, and was relieved to see that someone had already set up a makeshift medic station.
Mordivai found the door to the ship's bridge unguarded nearby, and he assumed that the group he had just dispatched had rushed forward to head off anyone getting too close. He stepped through the doorway onto a high platform overlooking a bevy of computer terminals, most of them now empty. Below, standing at the far end of the room in front of a two-story tall viewport, Mordivai spotted Master Gatten talking heatedly with two Sith. Behind the Sith there was a Twi'lek woman handcuffed between two Imperial troopers.
"Ambassador Asara has agreed to turn herself over," Gatten was saying. "We have fulfilled our terms of the agreement. Now you must honor your part."
Gatten was large for a Cathar, but the Sith Pureblood he spoke to dwarfed him in size. The Sith had his hands hooked casually in his belt. He glanced over at the second Sith, a blonde-haired woman, with an arrogant toss of his head.
"Seems our Jedi here misunderstood us."
Mordivai recognized the voice as being the one he had heard over the intercom. Darth Harrow turned back to Gatten with a smug roll of his shoulders.
"This ship is mine now. You are just in the way."
In a flash of motion, Harrow's lightsaber was in his hand, the red blade bursting to life. One piercing thrust was all it took, straight into Gatten's abdomen and clean out the other side, and Gatten feel to his knees. There was a second of absolute silence and then Gatten toppled forward, landing face down at the Sith's feet.
Mordivai doubled over, struck by a crushing pain in his chest, feeling like someone had bored a hole into his heart. He knew, in that instant, that he had felt the moment of Gatten's death. He gripped the railing to remain standing, blind horror turning his world into a sea of red. Just like that, Gatten's life had been snuffed out. He had been unarmed, not even getting a chance to draw his weapon.
"Ah," said a quiet female voice from behind him. "The Padawan reveals himself."
Mordivai spun around, at first seeing nothing. Then the air shimmered and a woman appeared, her face ghastly pale with white hair to match. A double bladed lightsaber came to life in her hand.
Mordivai drew his own blade, and barely in time. The Sith was on him in a rush of speed, moving impossibly fast. Mordivai blocked her first strike with a bare fraction of a second to spare. Immediately, he went on the offensive, anger and pain driving him into a frenzy of whirling blows, and she fell back in surprise. Seeing that he was gaining ground increased Mordivai's drive and he lunged forward, catching the Sith on the sleeve and drawing a hiss from her lips. Her eyes flashed and she thrust her palm forward. Mordivai was lifted off his feet and hurled backwards. The railing slammed into his back, blocking him from being tossed clean off of the platform. Pain shot in a line where the railing had hit him, a dangerous distraction, and the Sith jumped to take advantage of his momentary weakness. Mordivai slumped to the ground just as her red blade buzzed over him, ruffling his hair with its passing, a strike that had been aimed to take his head off.
Mordivai threw himself to the ground and rolled away, coming to his feet just as the Sith was pivoting to aim another strike. He blocked her blow, and managed to get in another hit of his own, landing a grazing cut to her right thigh. She bared her teeth and launched into a spin, her foot hurling towards Mordivai's face. Duck! his mind screamed, but she caught him on the chin before he could dodge out of the way. His head snapped back and the ceiling spun overhead. He hit a nearby computer terminal and lost his balance. His fingers clutched wildly at a chair but it toppled over with him, and he crashed to the ground, the heavy rolling wheels of the chair pinning his left leg.
His lightsaber was torn from his grasp and Mordivai looked up in horror as it flew obediently into the Sith's outstretched hand. She smiled, cruel and triumphant.
A throaty roar tore through the air and a shape launched over Mordivai's head. The Sith blundered backwards, her jaw dropping open in confusion. Master Praven landed solidly in front of her, his blue lightsaber already in motion. The Sith was on the defensive, struggling to recover, and Praven drove her hard, throwing out strike after relentless strike. Mordivai stumbled to his feet, looking around for his lightsaber in the hopes that the Sith might have dropped it, but it was nowhere to be seen.
Out of the corner of his eye, Mordivai saw an enormous blur flying in his direction, and he threw himself out of the way just as Darth Harrow took a Force augmented leap over the railing. From beside Gatten's body across the room, a streak of brilliant Force lightning shot from the third Sith's fingers, narrowly missing Praven.
Mordivai Force-lifted the toppled chair at his feet and hurled it at the third Sith with everything he had. She stopped it suspended in the air, and then let it fall harmlessly to her side.
"Mordivai!" Praven voice was strained and hoarse. "Retreat!"
Praven was barely holding his own in close combat against two Sith, and the third was advancing towards them.
When Mordivai hesitated, Praven's head whirled around and for the briefest moment he caught Mordivai's eye. "Go, I said! Don't let the Sith catch you!"
Mordivai swallowed a protest and bolted for the door, feeling shamed and panicked. Praven was sacrificing his own life for his. I can't let his death be in vain. I must survive this.
He ran through the hallways, but it quickly became apparent that Imperial troops had taken over the ship and were patrolling nearly every room. Mordivai slipped into an alcove to catch his breath, then slipped out again.
Where could he go? He needed to find a place to hide. Perhaps there was still a chance that he could escape this, maybe flee the ship when it landed. He crept through the corridors, frequently ducking into side rooms, keeping his steps light and all his senses on alert. He mistimed a dash, however, and heard a holler as a soldier spotted him. He broke into a run, hurling himself at full tilt, uncomfortably aware of how he was now weaponless. The Force is with me, he reminded himself.
He threw himself at the nearest door, letting out a groan of frustration when he found it was bolted shut. There was no time to force it open, the troopers would be on him any second. He threw his back to the door, pressing himself into the recessed doorway, and willed the Force to conceal him, imagining himself blending into shadow. Footsteps sounded closer and the first soldier came into view. Mordivai closed his eyes. I am one with the dark. There is nothing here to see.
"Where did he go?" Two troopers paused just out of sight and turned to converse with one another.
"You imagined it, dolt. There's nobody here."
"I didn't imagine it. He got away. We're screwed. Here comes Lord Jaspon."
The fourth Sith that Praven had spoken of, one whom Mordivai had not yet seen, came into view. Mordivai pressed himself into the metal door, picturing himself melding with it, flat as a board. Lord Jaspon was small of stature and skeletally thin. He floated down the hallway like a ghost, and Mordivai could feel the stark fear of the troopers as he approached.
"You signaled me. Where is he?" Lord Jaspon had a pointed chin, one of the only features visible from within his hooded cloak.
"He got away from us, my lord. I'm sorry."
"No, I'm the sorry one," Lord Jaspon said. Mordivai could no longer see the trooper who had spoken, but he clearly saw Lord Jaspon's hands shoot out from within the sleeves of his robe, and a sizzle of power struck the soldier just out of sight. The soldier made a strangled noise, followed by a loud thud.
"Don't be a failure like your friend here," Lord Jaspon said to the remaining trooper. "Find the missing Jedi."
"Understood my lord." The soldier hurried off, probably thinking his feet couldn't take him away fast enough from Lord Jaspon. The Sith remained, pausing to tap a comm on his ear.
"False alarm, Darth Harrow. The Jedi slipped away."
"Make sure they know to capture him alive, Jaspon. Get the word out. Have the troops pull all the red headed passengers for inspection. The Pureblood traitor seemed keen on keeping this one out of our hands. I'm suspicious. His feelings are strong for his Padawan, even though he tries to hide it."
"Interesting," Lord Jaspon said. "You don't think they are related, do you? Father and son?"
Harrow's tinny reply came through the comm unit. "Doubtful. But just in case this boy knows something I want you to interrogate him when we find him."
"Gladly, my lord." Jaspon disconnected the comm and was silent. Mordivai slowed his breathing, trying to keep as still as a tombstone and as small as a speck of dust.
Jaspon turned slowly, and Mordivai's heart skipped a beat, but then he moved on, his footfalls gradually fading away.
Mordivai waited until he could no longer hear even a trace of sound, and then slipped out of his hiding spot. He didn't get far before he realized that there were too many Imperials now for him to move about the ship any longer. The thought of giving himself up filled him with dread. He knew what Imperial interrogation entailed, even though he had never experienced it himself.
He dodged through an open door and found himself in the kitchen. It was empty except for a droid wearing an apron.
"Oh!" The droid threw up his hands, his illuminated eyes blinking.
"Shhh." Mordivai gestured to his lips and the droid stared blankly back at him. It said nothing more, and Mordivai began dodging between counters, sliding open drawers and peering inside. In the third drawer he found a set of chef's knives and he pulled out the nearest one, which ended up being nearly as long as his forearm.
He gritted his teeth and severed his newly acquired Padawan braid, tossing it in the drawer with the knife. First his lightsaber, and now this. It pained him to erase all the signs of his life as a Jedi. He had worked harder than most to attain even the rank of Padawan and had barely gotten time to enjoy the satisfaction of his accomplishment. Temporary, he thought. Just until I get out of here.
He stripped out of his Jedi robes and tossed them in the incinerator chute. His tunic and pants were fairly nondescript, but Mordivai still didn't like how exposed he felt.
"Give me your apron," he said to the droid.
"Of course Jedi," the droid said.
"Be quiet with the Jedi stuff! I'm just...I'm a kitchen boy. Got it?"
"Whatever you say, Jedi." The droid handed him the apron and Mordivai rolled his eyes and quickly tied it on.
It had not been a moment too soon. Mordivai heard voices and a soldier burst through the doorway, his blaster rifle against his shoulder.
Mordivai and the droid both threw their hands in the air.
"You! Boy. Get out here."
Mordivai complied, still keeping his hands upright and visible. The trooper prodded him forward and Mordivai let him push him down the hallway. He was taken to the vast hangar bay, where he discovered that all the other passengers were being rounded up, thousands of them by the looks of it. He was shoved into the crowd and he quickly delved deeper into the sea of people, careful to avoid the outside walls where lines of troopers stood guard over their captives.
He spent a long night on the floor, sandwiched between a family with a sobbing child and an elderly couple. There was no way that this ship was headed to Coruscant now. They hurled through space, headed deep into the heart of the Empire.
A/N: Happy Thanksgiving to all my American readers! I will be gone for the next week celebrating the holiday.