Chapter 11: Between the Lines

Xur could practically hear the ship screaming from the inside as it hissed and wheezed for repairs. Whatever it took to get it hyperspace had ripped a hole in something, but he wouldn't know until he ran a full inspection of the ship. Luckily for him, Zatt and the other younglings were hard at work checking the systems for issues.

He had more pressing issues, like making sure that his closest friend was rescued as soon as possible, and he could feel time running out. Since their Force Bond was still new to him, he had no idea how to utilize it very well, but he received occasional sensations that told him she was still alive.

Finding her was the easy part. Hondo only had one planet in his supposed "empire" to go to, and that was Florrum…which, by the star charts, was not far from where they had jumped to. The hard part would be getting her out, which required an all-out assault on a pirate stronghold, and Xur planned to survive the rescue mission.

Kitune and Petro were hard at work sending out distress calls while Xur surfed through the navicomputer.

"This is the Crucible calling out on all channels. Come in please, we need help," she called in, waiting for a response.

"This is General Kenobi, we have your transmission," a response came through, and delight shown on each of their faces.

"The General Kenobi?" Petro asked, in awe at the possibility.

Xur turned quickly, filing behind the two of them. "Good work," he praised. "Put it through." Kitune nodded and stepped back, letting the holotransmission illuminate the cockpit as the other younglings joined in.

"Obi-Wan, Hondo attacked our ship and kidnapped Ahsoka in the process. Our ship is in dire need of repairs and we're stranded," Xur explained.

"I'm dispatching Commander Cody to bring you back," he replied. "We shall deal with Hondo on Florrum."

Xur nodded. "Give Captain Raven my coordinates. I want the 502nd prepped and ready for ground assault."

Kitune shook her head. "What about Ahsoka? Will she be alright?"

"She'll be fine," Xur assured. "Hondo may be an idiot, but he's smart enough to know when he's in too deep."

"Xur," Obi-Wan finally caught his attention. "Even if Captain Raven was available, I wouldn't sanction an invasion of Florrum."

Xur stopped what he was doing, narrowing his eyes. "What the hell is that supposed to mean? How else are we supposed to save her?"

Petro stepped in. "Why don't we save her? We can reach her a lot sooner than anyone else."

The zabrak sighed, knowing he was right, but remembered what he and Ahsoka had talked about. "Mmmm," he mumbled hesitantly.

"No," Obi-Wan denied. "You will not endanger your lives any further…understood?"

Xur grit his teeth, but lowered his head in defeat. "Understood," he conceded before frustratingly cutting the transmission. The last thing he needed was to hear Obi-Wan scold him any further in front of a bunch of younglings.

Petro was obviously disappointed. "What are we going to do Master Eon? We can't just sit here!"

"You think I don't know that?!" he snapped, making the younglings jump back defensively. Realizing what he had done, he turned and raised his hands apologetically. "Listen, I promised Ahsoka I'd keep you all safe, and this is the best way to do that. Just go finish your lightsabers…or whatever," he said before storming out of the cockpit…with no idea where he would go.


Xur had returned to the solitary of his datapad as he tried to get Ahsoka's capture out of his head. He needed to be sure he was constantly focused, since he alone was responsible for the safety of the younglings. They had resumed the construction of each of their lightsabers, which was great to keep them occupied as well…for the time being.

The zabrak had opened the other file that the holonet archive had revealed, The Case of the Jedi Exile, but was treated to a very limited account of an intriguing event. Apparently, almost 4,000 years ago, a Jedi named Meetra Surik had cut herself off from the Force, but eventually regained it through a Force Bond with her master. The name of the master was either not present or censored, because Xur could not determine their identity. He would have to speak to Master Yoda directly to get the answer he seeks.

Xur could feel his throat suddenly become dry, and his wrists, the unforgiving feeling of metal cuffs…and it was gone as quickly as it had arrived.

Ahsoka was running out of time.

No one had arrived to rescue them, and it was beginning to get on Xur's nerves. Obi-Wan was never late…always punctual and reliable.

Lightsabers were beginning to ignite as the younglings completed them, but Xur was not in the mood to congratulate them. He had to stay focused on the task at hand.

Nonetheless, he tuned in on the conversation happening around him as he sat in the corner of the room. "Seeing as our rescue party has forgotten us, you'll have plenty of time," Petro complained, taking a seat on one of the high-stools.

"Maybe they just got delayed?" Kitune suggested, trying to keep an optimistic outlook. Gungi, the wookie, growled in disagreement.

Petro shook his head. "Delayed? Ahsoka needs our help and we're sitting around like children!"

Kitune rolled her eyes. "We are children."

Petro hopped from the top of the stool. "I vote we mount a rescue mission," the young human paused as he caught Xur's gaze in the corner.

"We can't," Xur made clear. "As much as I want to, we've been given strict orders to stay where we are, and I'm not putting your lives in danger."

Petro scratched his chin until a lightbulb seemed to pop over his head, and Xur looked intrigued. "What if we voted on a rescue mission, and you could just say that we snuck off the ship…so you had to go after us?"

Xur cocked his head, and a smile eventually appeared. "Huh…I like the way you think Petro."

Gungi roared in agreement, and Petro nodded. "Gungi's with us," he then turned to the young ithorian. "Biff?"

After a moment of thought, Biff nodded and responded with huffs and wheezes, which Xur translated to: Alright, I'm in! Ithorian was one of the languages that Xur had learned during his studies, along with astromech speech and Mandalorian. Ahsoka's knowledge of Wookie had covered most bases for the two of them.

Petro smiled. "That's three votes for and-,"

"One against," Kitune replied. Petro, Gungi, and Biff all drooped their heads in disappointment. Almost on cue, the doors opened, revealing Zatt and Ganodi.

"Perfect timing," Petro greeted.

Ganodi dismissed him. "There's a problem with the ship," she said.

Xur narrowed his eyes and rose to his feet. "What kind of problem?"

Zatt rubbed the back of his neck. "Breaking away from the pirate ship ruptured the entire filtering system."

Petro cocked his head. "What does that mean?"

Dammit, Xur cursed to himself. "It means the engines are compromised, and we have to land whether we like it or not."

He caught a glint in Petro's eye. "Then it's settled, if we stay out here we'll die. We'll land, let the engines cool and rescue Ahsoka."

Zatt suddenly had a smile on his face, but Ganodi wasn't so sure. "A rescue mission? But Master Eon said we had to stay put!" she reminded them, looking to Xur.

Xur scoffed. "In order for this to work, this must be between the six of you," he said, outlining them with his fingers. "But I'm willing to do it."


Xur rummaged through the armory, searching for where he had left his helmet, but with no luck. He could've sworn he had tossed it in here after they had left Ilum, but it was seeming like he was wrong. Expecting trouble, Xur knew he needed to have a way to conceal his face from the pirates…and he hated cloaks. They were just so baggy, and hindered his ability to make precise movements. Besides, helmets and masks could be outfitted with various gadgets to enhance his battle capability.

He eventually gave up trying to find it and decided to search another room, but his glace caught a locker with the old republic insignia painted over it. Intrigued, he reached for the nob and gave it a good pull. The locker creaked and groaned as it opened, almost as if it hadn't for quite some time, and its contents were revealed.

Xur reached in and pulled out two armored gauntlets colored white and gold, and the one intended for his right hand outfitted with an old-school control pad. His eyes gleamed as he moved to replace his gloves with his find.

I'll have to get some of these in black.

Ignoring the odd color scheme for now, he slipped them on and activated the control pad. The display lit up and displayed, Welcome Outlander, on the thin screen. Xur narrowed his eyes at the strange title, but ignored it.

He looked back in and spotted a helmet that looked similar to the one Obi-Wan had worn while he was posing as Rako Hardeen, and decided that it would work.

Satisfied, he slung over the backpack he had picked up earlier, and just as Biff had found him.

"We're about to leave, Master Eon," the ithorian huffed.

"Alright, let's go," Xur replied through the helmet, and followed the youngling out of the ship, where four of the other younglings were waiting. He had forgotten how desolate Florrum was, and the vast expanse of brown and dusty landscape seemed daunting.

This was for Ahsoka, and nothing was going to stop him.

"Where's Ganodi?" Xur asked, noticing the missing rodian.

Petro turned. "She's staying behind in case we need a quick escape."

Xur nodded. "Good idea."

Petro was arrogant, but in a case such as this, it was a good thing to be. He was the only youngling willing to take command of the situation, which was the makings of a good leader in the future. In fact, the more he thought about it, he and Petro were far more similar than he had initially imagined.

Kitune scanned the area with her scopes. "I don't see anything…there's no one!"

"Relax," Xur urged, scanning the area with his helmet. On cue, the top right of his interface read: link to gauntlets established. Soon, there was a slew of new readings emerging; heat signatures, power surges, the works. "If it were that easy we'd have rescued Ahsoka by now."

Zatt was hard at work with his own data pad. "Uhh…my scanners indicate a strong power source…that way," he pointed straight ahead, and Xur nodded in confirmation. He could've easily taken command of the entire operation, but Ahsoka's words echoed in his head.

If you charge in lightsabers blazing then they learn nothing!

This journey wasn't for him…not anymore. He had to let the younglings adapt.

"You have no idea how we're going to get inside and find Ahsoka, do you?" Kitune challenged Petro's preparedness.

Petro shook his head. "I'm working on it."

Biff shrugged with impatience. "We'd better get moving."

"Agreed," Xur replied. "Ahsoka doesn't have forever. Let's move."


Xur wanted to let the younglings handle this mission, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized the delicacy of the operation. Ahsoka's life hung on its success, and he was beginning to believe that he needed to take charge to ensure her safety. He just couldn't bear to see anything happen to her, especially on his watch. Whether he was a Jedi or not, the togruta was extremely important to him, and her safety was paramount.

An hour into the walk, he had all but abandoned the idea of Petro being in command. Moving much faster than the younglings, he had created a large gap between he and them.

"Come on!" he shouted back to them. "We need to pick up the pace!" The Force Bond had essentially become a ticking clock in his senses, and he could feel it dwindling with each step.

He stopped as he heard an engine running in the distance, and he activated his enhanced sight. The younglings quickly caught up to him while his scopes locked on to the target, and it was some kind of transport.

"There's some kind of ship out there," Xur relayed.

Petro had his own scope, zooming in. "It says Priego's Traveling World of Wonder," he smiled. "They're a traveling carnival act!" He started to make his way in its direction, but Xur grabbed ahold of his shoulder.

"Wa- hold on a minute. What's your plan?" Xur asked.

Petro shrugged. "Well…maybe the five of us could pose as…acrobats? Then they can get us into the pirate base."

Xur thought about it, and mumbled to himself. It was an unorthodox plan, but this was an unorthodox mission for him, so maybe it was the best option.

"Alright, but I'm putting Ahsoka's life into your hands, so this better work. I'll tail in behind," Xur agreed.

"It'll work, I promise," Petro assured, and Xur felt an odd sense of security.

"I'll take your lightsabers then. Don't want them getting any clues of who you really are," he said, opening his backpack for them to be stuffed into.

The five younglings then walked off, and Xur could only pray.


Now, Xur had okayed the whole circus ploy, but he never expected it to actually work.

Sure enough, the younglings had secured themselves a ride aboard the transport, outfitted to entertain Hondo and his pirates. He had been involved in a few rescue missions, but this had to have been the sloppiest he had ever played a part in.

Xur had tailed them close behind, but eventually broke off once he had spotted the electric fence in the distance. Anakin had told him the whole story involving himself, Obi-Wan and Dooku, so the fence was an easy landmark to remember.

Crossing the land in between, he sifted through his new control pad, bringing up the various modes he had spotted before. Sure enough, one of them included "focused EMP burst", which would be perfect for getting through the electric fence. He knew that a burst on one of the rods would be enough to grant him a few seconds to jump across before the charge reappeared, and that was the only way he was going to get through.

With a breath, he fired it from his wrist, watching the grid fall. Rolling quickly, he was clear of the zone before the rod recharged, and the wall was restored. Smirking behind his helmet, Xur stalked his way to the lights close by…and the sound of music playing.

He looked down into the small encampment that was the pirates' hideout. Literally every single one of them were intoxicated beyond belief as the younglings performed in front of them, and Xur smiled at the easy prospect of getting past them. His eyes locked onto Ahsoka, on her knees and cuffed at the wrists, and his anger spiked as he spotted the various bruises across her body.

Hondo was going to pay for each and every one of them.

Xur let himself quietly drop down below, crouching low to keep the pirates from spotting him. Due to their intoxication, he was able to easily reach Ahsoka, who had been left foolishly unattended.

"Ahsoka," he whispered through his helmet.

The togruta turned towards his direction, but didn't seem to recognize him. "You should know better than to sneak up on a Jedi," she warned, a bit of weakness in her voice.

"Huh?" he questioned, but realized the problem. "Right…new helmet," he said before he pulled his helmet from his head.

She instantly grit her teeth. "You!" she shout-whispered. "You convinced them to do th-."

He touched her mouth with two fingers, cutting her off. "One, this was their idea, princess. Two, I'm glad to see you too Ahsoka."

Petro, dressed in a lion costume, was offering his hand to Hondo to join the act while Xur continued to explain himself.

Ahsoka sighed. "Sorry…it's just-," she paused, grunting.

Xur gripped her shoulders from behind. "Ahsoka…I'm going to kill him for what he's done to you."

Ahsoka looked him in the eye. "Xur…,"

The zabrak shook his head. "Ok…maybe not kill, but he's going to pay for it one way or another. I was worried sick about you."

Hondo was taken to a see-saw, being cheered on by his fellow pirates as he prepared for the act. In the middle of his gloating, Kitune removed Ahsoka's lightsabers from his belt and made her way over to the two of them.

The togruta drooped her head. "I know…I could feel it through our bond. Master Yoda was right…I think we do share one."

Xur smiled. "Well…I can't think of anyone else who I'd rather share it with."

Ahsoka was doing her best to suppress her emotions in the best interest of preserving the Jedi Code, but a smile formed across her face nonetheless.

How sweet, she thought.

Kitune reached them, Ahsoka's lightsabers in hand. Xur nodded, "Good work."

She smiled. "Thanks…we have a plan for getting out…I think."

The three of them looked on to see a disguised Biff standing above, preparing to jump from the top of the transport. He plummeted downwards, hitting the see-saw perfectly, and sent Hondo flying into a heap of cargo.

Xur chuckled. "I guess that'll have to do. Let's move."

Kitune ignited Ahsoka's lightsabers and cut her free, handing them to their rightful owner. Wasting no time, they made a dash for the others, hoping to escape before the intoxicated pirates could realize what had happened.

"It's those bleedin' Jedi kids!" one of them shouted, drawing his blaster. Due to his intoxication, the bolts flew harmlessly around the group, and Xur was able to deflect the ones that happened to come close with ease.

"Get to that speeder!" Ahsoka shouted, and the group filed into the large, floating tank and sped off towards the horizon…safe, for now.

As they gained enough distance from their pursuers, Ahsoka took a seat atop the tank while Xur kept a look out with his saber ignited. Kitune pulled a water canteen from the backpack Xur had dropped and handed it to Ahsoka.

"How do you feel?" she asked as the togruta accepted it.

"Better now," she replied, then proceeded to take a healthy swig of water. Once she finished, she wiped the residue from her mouth with her arm. "I could pretend to be angry…but you were all very brave…thank you."

Petro removed his mask. "We disobeyed orders, and snuck off the ship behind Master Eon's back."

Xur chuckled, deactivating his lightsabers. "You can cut the act Petro, I already told her," he admitted as he took a seat next to her. "You all did great."

As the younglings moved about, preparing for the eventual extraction, Xur smiled to himself.

"Always wanted to rescue a princess."

Ahsoka rolled her eyes as she took another drink. "I'm going to knock your teeth out if you say that again."

Xur laughed. "Ah, it's good to have you back."


Only one part left, and then I'm going to overhaul the final chapter. I'm also thinking about adding a formal beginning for this story with a title crawl and everything, so look out for that! If you enjoyed, please follow/fav and leave a review! Thanks for reading!