Howdy y'all! So I have been on a writing spree lately so lots more chapters ready to go. I've been getting back into my groove and I love it. Things are looking up, I'm getting out of the toxic situations I'm in and I'm working on my mental health! Apparently, saying no can improve happiness. Never knew it was that simple. Haha, anyways I appreciate all of you that have stuck with me and this story through my hard times, it really means so much to me. So I hope you guys enjoy and without further ado, READ ON!
"Kemara!" I heard my name being called, but it was so far away, and Obi-Wan was right here, in my arms, right now. I couldn't let go. I wouldn't let go. I had to make sure he was safe. He was hot. He wasn't cold anymore. He wasn't fading into the Force anymore. He was right here. With me. He was going to stay that way. I faded out again.
"Kemara! Obi-Wan!" The voice was closer this time, but it still seemed so far. It was trying to pull me away from Obi-Wan, but I had to stay with him. I couldn't let anything happen to him. Then, I felt arms wrap around me. They were strong yet gentle. And familiar. So, so familiar. But it didn't matter, I wanted to stay with Obi-Wan. I wanted to stay with the man who found me on the streets. The man who helped teach me right from wrong. The man who I went to for comfort when I couldn't sleep at night. The friend who always stood by me, even when I didn't think I was worth it.
"It's okay, Commander. We have him." Another familiar voice.
"Kemara, let go. It's okay, we're here. He's going to be okay." The voice. One of my favorite voices. His grip was so familiar too. Tears slipped down my cheeks again. My grip around Obi-Wan relaxed and I was pulled away from him. When I realized what I'd done, I tried to pull away from my captor and get back to Obi-Wan.
"Obi-Wan!" I cried out through a sob.
"Kemara, hey, it's okay. Hey, hey, you're okay." I went limp as a new wave of exhaustion washed over me.
"Get her out of those wet clothes, now!" Someone barked. It was that other familiar voice again. Everything was blurry. Hands pulled things off me only to replace what I'd just been stripped of. It was warmer now, though. Nicer. My head was resting against something soft as I opened my eyes and saw Cody and Kix hovering over Obi-Wan, preparing a bacta spray and patch. Those were good men, they'd take care of Obi-Wan.
"Obi-Wan..." I heard myself murmur.
"Hey, Kemara, talk to me." It was that blasted voice. I'd heard it all through my life. It started off much higher pitch when he was younger. But it did get deeper as he got older. The voice that helped me study and guided me to find the truth about who I was. The voice that told me he'd always be waiting for me to come back.
"Ani..." I wasn't even sure I'd said it, it came out so quiet. I was assured that I had gotten it out when the chest I'd been laying against choked.
"Mari..." I brought a hand up to lay on his arm as I leaned forward to be closer to Obi-Wan. He immediately put his hand over mine as he held me tightly, putting his chin on the top of my head.
"I'm so sorry-" I choked on another sob as I bowed my head and squeezed my eyes shut as tears slid down my cheek.
"Hey, listen to me, this is not your fault. Okay? That Sith tricked us down here. I'm just glad you two will be okay." I picked my head up slightly and my eyes fell on my lightsaber that was next to Obi-Wan. I reached out my free hand and focused on pulling it closer to me. It slid across the ice with difficulty until Anakin reached out his other hand and grasped it as it came to him. Gently, he placed it in mine before putting his hand under mine and closed my grip with his hand. The familiar feeling of my lightsaber in hand was enough to make a few more tears slip out.
"General, we should get them back to the ship." Kix advised.
"Alright, Kix. Can you walk, Kemara?" He acknowledged, then asked me. I nodded slowly, getting to my feet, still leaning on Anakin. He kept his arms around me as he led me into the tunnels first.
"Here, take your coat." I said quietly as I began to take it off. I gained a little bit more strength every step I took.
"No, Kemara, it's fine, we need to keep you warm." Anakin rejected as he tightened his hands on my shoulders, trying to keep the coat on me.
"I'm okay, really. The cold doesn't affect me like it does you guys, remember?" I offered, shrugging off the coat now.
"So stubborn..." Anakin laughed as he pulled his coat back on, sticking close as we walked. I couldn't help but laugh at his words as we ascended the tunnels and caves that would bring us back to the surface.
"You wonder where I got it from." I teased. A wave of exhaustion washed over me and I put my hand up against the wall as we walked.
"Hey, are you okay?" Anakin blurted out as he put a hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath as I looked over.
"I'm good, Anakin. Just tired. I just want to get back to the ship and rest." I explained quietly. We were coming up to a junction when the last person we all wanted to see walked in front of the tunnel, blocking us all.
"Yes, you could do with some rest. It has been a difficult couple of weeks for you." The Sith said. My brother. His name was Taelo. And just like that, everything that happened with Obi-Wan came flooding back. He was hurt and I had no choice. Anakin quickly stepped in front of me and ignited his saber with one hand, holding an arm back to me with the other. "Unfortunately, you still have more to go."
"You're delusional if you think you're going to take her now." Anakin growled. Taelo laughed, crossing his arms over his chest.
"I don't have to take her anywhere. Not forcibly, anyways. She's going to come willingly." I could feel the tears that started welling, but I fought them back as I flicked a finger down at Anakin's feet. Hopefully, he'd forgive me.
"Yeah, right. She's just going to walk on out of here with you and not us." Inhaling deeply, I let it out slowly as I began to walk past Anakin without making eye contact. I only looked up at Taelo, who had a stupid grin on his face. "Wait, Kemara? What, what are you doing?" Anakin sounded like I had just kicked Artoo. "Kemara, hey, what?" I looked back to see he had tried to take a step forward, but the ice around his feet stopped him from moving. I looked away before he looked back up. "Kemara, what are you doing?"
"I'm sorry..." Was all I could manage without breaking down. The hurt and betrayal radiated off of Anakin in waves.
"Kemara, what ever he said to you, we can take care of it. We always do." Anakin begged. I turned away from Taelo and looked down past Anakin to see a still unconscious Obi-Wan being carried by the arms over Kix and Cody's shoulders. He was wrapped in a couple blankets to keep him warm. His head injury had been covered by a bacta patch and he didn't seem as pale anymore. They would get him back to the ship and get him back on his feet, as if nothing had ever happened. After staring at Obi-Wan for a few seconds, I looked between Kix and Cody who seemed to be just as confused as Anakin. "Kemara, please, he's going to be okay." I looked back to Anakin as he looked back to me from Obi-Wan. Something inside me snapped.
"Because Taelo saved him!" I yelled, the tears finally spilling. I threw a finger down at the ground as I started yelling again. "He was freezing to death down there and I couldn't save him!" My mouth fell open and I put my hands up in the air as if asking what before dropping them back onto my head. "What was I supposed to do?" I asked quietly, picking my hands back up off my head slightly then dropping them back to my side. "I didn't have a choice." My voice cracked as I motioned to Obi-Wan. "I'm sorry." A few more tears fell as I turned and brushed past Taelo, unable to say anything else.
"Kemara!" I heard Anakin call out from the tunnel I had just walked out of. I was silent as I followed Taelo down a different series of tunnels and caves than the ones I had followed Anakin and Obi-Wan down from the surface. A pang of hurt washed over me as I saw the surface through a tunnel. I paused and looked back down to where we had just come from and for a split second, I thought about going back. But I knew Taelo probably had safeguards to keep me in check. He disabled the Star Destroyer and probably had a way to destroy it if I went against him. I turned back around and walked out of the tunnel and into the harsh weather to see a ship a few dozen meters to the left of the cave entrance. I wonder how far he'd had all this planned out. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that Obi-Wan was going to be okay. Neither of us said anything as we climbed aboard and he sat in the pilot's seat and I stood back at the back of the cockpit with my arms crossed and leaning to one side.
"There's dry clothes and armor in the back." He informed me as he fired the ship up and got ready to take off. I moved to go change, but paused in the doorway.
"Armor?" I questioned as I looked over my shoulder. He waited for a second before turning his chair to look at me.
"We are going to war." He said as if it was obvious. Right. How could I have forgotten? I sighed as I walked through the main room and to the back with the cargo hold and bunks. In the seats, there were simple clothes and then armor plates to put over the robes. Picking up the simple gray and white robes, I began stripping out of the cold, wet robes I had been wearing before as I thought about everything I knew about this battle we were about to throw ourselves into.
Taelo and I came from a world out in the Unknown Regions that maintained it's neutrality by remaining almost completely unknown to the galaxy at large. It didn't want to be pulled into the conflicts of the galaxy and being in the Unknown Regions helped them conserve their secrecy. When they did need things that their system and the surrounding systems couldn't provide, they used trusted contractors to transport said goods and they were always sworn to secrecy.
As for the war, the ruling family's advisor had betrayed them and taken over. They took over quickly and decisively. The coup had factions on every planet in the system, effectively taking over and executing all the top leadership. Taelo and I had been taken from the planet after our parents had started a rebellion and were publicly executed. Their supporters feared for their children's safety so they dropped us into the wider galaxy without anything to identify where we came from or who left us. An underground rebellion has been brewing for years and the leadership thought the founder's children should be the ones to finish what they started.
After I finished changing, I crawled into a bunk and had my first decent sleep in weeks.
—
The ship lurching threw me out of my bed and onto the floor of the quarters. Grumbling, I stood up and made my way to the front of the ship. Walking into the bridge, I saw a fleet of unfamiliar cruisers firing their turbo lasers at us. Taelo weaved and swerved through the laser fire.
"Did you have a good nap?" He snarked before pulling the controls hard to the left, causing me to grab onto the back of the copilot's seat to keep myself upright.
"Sure, before you were getting us blasted out of the sky." I said, pulling up the weapons systems.
"No, stop. We can't use weapons while we're stealthed." He barked.
"How can we be stealthed in a ship this small?" I asked incredulously. "And why are they shooting at us if we're stealthed?"
"I might have come out of hyperspace a little close to the fleet and they saw me." He said defensively. The shooting stopped and I held my breath as we flew down and under their fleet.
"Well now they know they have unwanted company." I sassed as I crossed my arms over my chest and raised an eyebrow at him.
"It doesn't matter. They've been expecting us." He explained. "And this ship is a prototype. Only a handful were ever made." As we descended into the atmosphere, I stood up and stood behind my seat.
"So, how does this underground rebellion expect to take down an entire system's government in one fell swoop? I mean, this new ruler had outside help, right?"
"We're the rebellion's outside help." He said smugly. I scoffed.
"The two of us? That's it? This is never going to work." I facepalmed as I put my elbows on the top of the seat and leaned against it. "Look, I'm all for fighting for freedom, but I'm not too excited about walking into a losing battle."
"I wouldn't give up on them so quickly. They've been preparing for this since the moment that oppressor took over."
"Why wait so long to fight back? What kept them?" I asked, rubbing my fingers across my brows then pinching the bridge of my nose.
"They didn't have us." He deadpanned.
"Why us? Why are we so important?" I exclaimed, letting my arms rest against the top of the chair.
"I'm not sure." He answered, but it sounded like he wasn't telling the whole truth.
"Good." I said sarcastically, putting a hand up in exasperation before standing up straight.
"Go suit up, we're almost there." He said. I sighed as I turned and went back to the back.
I started with the chest and back plate. I put on the spaulders next and fastened them down. Next the gloves then the kama-like belt with the lower part of a cloak. Lastly, I fastened the boot guards on and stood up. Stretching myself around, I found this set was extremely easy to move in, unlike other armor sets I've worn before. It's why I didn't wear armor. I preferred maneuverability to protection. You wouldn't need protection if you could maneuver out of the way. Okay, not always, I just didn't like being weighed down. I hadn't noticed it until now, but I knelt down and pulled the helmet out from under the seat.
"Tamerek! Take the children and go! Please!" A woman's voice yelled.
"I won't leave you two to die!" A male's voice yelled back.
"We have to stay back and fight them so you have enough time to get away. Please. They can't get the kids." Another man's voice pled.
"Okay, I will make sure they're taken care of." The first man said.
Gasping, I stared at the widened T-shaped visor. This had to have been one of my parents' armor.
"We're here, let's go." Taelo's voice said from the doorway, pulling me out of my thoughts. I stood up and grabbed my lightsaber off my pile of stripped clothes and carried it in one hand and my helmet under the other arm. He opened the ship exit and the ramp folded down. I looked him up and down from behind. While my outfit was white and gray, his was black. Ironic. I rolled my eyes and we began down the ramp. He put his helmet on as we entered the elements. It was snowy and windy here. Not as cold as Vandor though. I slipped my helmet on as well as we began walking into the tree line and clipped my lightsaber to my belt.
I had so many questions, but I figured I'd ask them after we got there if they weren't answered when we got there. We walked for half an hour before coming to a foxhole. He turned back slightly to look at me over his shoulder before sliding down into it. I sighed before waiting for a second, looking around. Following his example, I jumped down and slid down on my side. Coming to the end of the tunnel, I used the Force to slow my descent and land in a roll. Rocks and dirt landed on the ground behind me from the fall. I stood up to see a room full of people staring at us. Hushed whispering carried through the room for a moment before it fell silent. Suddenly, everyone took a knee and bowed their heads.
"Uhhh..." I looked around, unsure of what to do. I think they were bowing to Taelo and I. "At ease, everyone." I blurted out. A wave of annoyance came off Taelo as I took a step forward and everyone stood up slowly.
"Your majesties." A young girl approached us with a data pad.
"'Majesties?'" I asked incredulously. "What is going on here?" I turned to Taelo.
"They respect the royal bloodline." Taelo deadpanned with a shrug.. "Nothing I can do about it." I scoffed as I pulled off my helmet.
"Royal bloodline? You didn't think to mention that while explaining this whole ordeal to me?" He pulled his helmet off as well.
"It wasn't pertinent." He said dryly. I clenched my teeth and balled my fists.
"Oh really, and I suppose the fact that our mother and father died to protect us because we were next up for the throne didn't matter either?"
"Not to me." He said seriously.
"Oh, so you're just a bleeding heart patriot for a system you didn't even grow up in all of a sudden? Do these people know what you've done out there?" I aggressed, stepping towards him, getting in his space.
"What? And you think your hands are clean?" He matched, looking down at me.
"I might have some blood on my hands, but I've saved a hell of a lot more lives than I've taken." I growled.
"Is that what you tell yourself so you can sleep at night?" He taunted back.
"Sorry to interrupt, majesties, but Commander Daerk is waiting for you upstairs." The young girl interjected. She was brave. I'll give her that. Then again, I'm sure Taelo hasn't shown these people his true nature yet.
"Quit calling me 'majesty.'" I muttered as I turned and weaved through the crowd of people toward the stairs.
—
"Please, Commander. There's no need to kneel to us. Call me Kemara." I asserted. Commander Daerk stood up slowly. He was an older man, probably in his 50s, but well into the graying stage. War is stressful.
"Is it alright if I call you General? You will be leading the troops, after all." Daerk asked.
"If you feel so inclined, you may." I affirmed with a slow head nod. "But no more majesty or highness." I reiterated.
"Very well." Daerk promised.
"So, Taelo says you've been waiting for us to start your attacks. Why is that?"
"Because only the royal bloodline can take back the throne." He said as if it were obvious.
"Why not take the throne back with Taelo? He's also a royal, is he not? I get the impression he's been here before." Turning slightly, I looked at him out of the corner of my eye before looking back to Daerk.
"Because he's not the one who can take it back." The commander explained, seeming slightly confused. "Did your brother not tell you of the prophecy?" My mouth fell open slightly and my eyebrows shot up.
"Pr-prophecy?" I asked, exasperated yet again in the short time since I've been here. I gave Taelo a glare before turning back to Daerk. "No, he didn't mention it." I said nonchalantly as I shifted from one foot to the other.
"Well, prophecy states that only the daughter may take back the throne." He explicated further.
"Riiight... and does the prophecy say anything else I should be aware of?" I exclaimed throwing my free arm out to the side.
The Commander hesitated before saying, "No."
"Is there anything else, at all, I should be aware of?" Again, Daerk hesitated, but this time it wasn't a no.
"I'll go get him." He said before quickly moving from behind his desk and down the stairs. I let out a heavy sigh as I squinted and pinched the bridge of my nose.
"Great..." I muttered before moving next to the table. Letting my hand fall to my side, I set my helmet down roughly next to me. "You didn't think that you should tell me about the blasted PROPHECY?" I yelled, pointing at him with my whole hand, my other hand on my hip.
"Oh, because that would have gone over so well. You wouldn't have come if I had told you everything!" He threw a hand out at me as well. I threw my hands up and stepped away from the desk.
"Probably not, because I can't stay here, and be these people's leader!" I hissed, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Queen." Taelo corrected, putting his hands on his hips. He seemed to be getting a kick out of all of this.
"Whatever! I have a duty to the Republic. I have to go back after these people regain their freedom."
"And you think that's going to happen over night? This fight could last months. Years! War isn't simple." I scoffed at his words.
"Oh really, I never knew." Rubbing my forehead in disbelief, I stepped back to the table and put a hand back on my helmet. "What's your motive?" I asked, turning, keeping a hand on my helmet and putting the other on my hip.
"What?" He feigned confusion. I could feel his rising anger.
"Don't play with me. I know who you really are. Attacking me and my friends. Slaughtering my men. You don't fight for anyone but yourself. So what do you get out of all of this?" He crossed his own arms.
"They promised great rewards." He seemed to be telling the truth. I took in a quick breath and snapped then pointed at him with the hand that was on my helmet. I legitimately let out a laugh and smiled at him.
"Of course. That was after they asked you to come find me, wasn't it?" Shaking my head, I put it down biting into my bottom lip.
"Taelo, Kemara?" A new voice said from the doorway.
"Yes?" I answered, still smiling from the incredulity of the situation as I looked up to the new face. He was a little bit younger than us, but not by much. He looked familiar.
"Hi, I'm Morek. Your brother."
Hey guys, I wanted to throw in this PSA because everyone needs to know it. If you are struggling with mental health... there are people out there who care. I care. And I know I'm not the only one who cares about you. Even if I am, please know that you are loved. My DMs are open if you want to talk anonymously or just vent or even if you've had a bad day, I'm here. Mental health is so so so important and there is this stigma around it, but it's okay to ask for help. Asking for help has saved my life. If someone thinks they're "weak" for asking for help, guess what, they're not. They just found a weight they need help with carrying. And that's okay! Doing it all by yourself will wear you out faster than with help.
It's kind of like CPR. A literal life saving technique. CPR is very tiring when only one person is doing it. It's exhausting. But when you ask for help, you switch off and take turns and you can go for much longer. Please don't be afraid to ask for help.
YOU ARE LOVED!