Hello, all! Welcome back! As this story starts coming to a close, I keep getting more and more ideas for a sequel. I don't know if y'all would be interested in that, but I love writing about Kemara. She's probably one of my favorite OCs I've created. Of course, you guys who keep reading and keep telling me that you guys love my writing are ultimately who and what keeps me going. I love to give y'all things that you'll enjoy reading, so just let me know! Until then... READ ON!
I met my assault group at our designated assembly point. Our job was to take down the outer defenses. We go in first and hit them hard. It was dangerous, but if anyone could do it, this group could. "General, ready to cause some chaos?!" Jesker teased as he held up an arm and put his forearm up in front of him. I let out a short laugh as I brought my own arm up and crossed my forearm against his.
"You know me, Jesker." I joked with him. I turned to greet the rest of the group that was standing to his left. Gaster, Tweensy, and Derno were all standing there grinning like a bunch of maniacs.
The more time I spent with them, the more I realized how dedicated to this fight they were. They were all around my age, having grown up under the ruthless oppression we were about to end. Derno's mom had been killed after speaking out against the dictatorship. His dad went into hiding with him and they were a huge help to the start of the rebellion. Jesker's parents actually knew my parents and helped them get me off world. They were found a few years later and publicly executed after they wouldn't give the other rebel sympathizers up. Gaster and Tweensy were lifelong friends growing up in an orphanage. The whole system suffered as the tyranny got worse over the years. As they got older, they realized they could use their technical skills to help the rebellion.
"Hi, General." Tweensy spoke for the group.
"Hey, guys." I responded softly. "You ready?" I asked as I looked between them. They all nodded enthusiastically. I'm sure they were all ready to get this over with. I sure was.
The mood of the group behind me sombered as we began our trek towards the city's front gates. They all chatted amongst themselves quietly as I walked in silence.
I wondered if Anakin and Obi-Wan were still searching for me or if the Council had told them to resume their duties in the war effort. They would have looked for me as long as they could have. Not that it would've been easy to find me. Very few people know about Mekkef's existence. It was far out in the Unknown Regions and wasn't on any charted hyperspace route. Trusted smugglers and traders were sworn to secrecy and paid handsomely for their efforts. Their secrecy has kept them out of conflicts for most of their existence. They've never had such a large-scale conflict before, especially a civil war. It definitely affected their morale, but I think the gathering to discuss our next step rallied them.
As for the attack on the city, we hit first. Draw as many forces to the front gate as possible. Three other assault groups were staged along the outer defenses around the city and were to go in after our initial assault. Morek's job was to take down the power grid. He knew how to get around the city best and where to hit the power grid to cause the least amount of damage. Taelo's group was tasked with capturing and destroying the munitions depot.
As we stopped just short of the break line in the woods, I turned back to my group. They all stood at the ready. Jesker had a stupid, mischievous grin as he held his dual pistols up in front of him. The rest had their pistols and rifles ready to charge with. I nodded at all of them. They all nodded back without saying anything. They knew what to do. I turned back towards the gate and knelt next to a large tree, taking out my macro-binoculars to get a better view of the defenses. As I looked, I brought my arm out in front of me and clicked on my communicator.
"Morek, are you in position?" I asked looking down briefly to the communicator.
"Yes, just waiting for you to begin your attack." As his voice crackled through, I looked back up to assess the front gates.
"Good. We'll begin once I have confirmation from Taelo that his group is in position." I affirmed.
"Kemara?" He spoke up quickly, his voice sounding like a young boy, not the grown man I'd seen the past several days.
"I'm here, Morek." I answered, trying to sound comforting.
"Good luck." It sounded like he wanted to say more, but time was not a gift we had right now.
"I'll see you in there. May the Force be with you." Switching over to Taelo's line, I steeled my voice. "Taelo, are you in position? We're ready to begin our assault on the front."
"We're in position." He relayed.
"Alright, just let me know once the munitions are taken care of. We'll meet outside of the Palace before we take the throne."
"Understood." I clicked off my comm quickly, something unnerving me. I took a deep breath. I didn't have time to dwell on why he bothered me. I put my macro-binoculars back on my belt and unclipped my lightsaber from it.
"I'm with you, General." Jesker said as he approached and positioned himself beside me. I looked over and nodded.
"Let command know we've begun our attack." I said over my shoulder as I ignited my lightsaber.
"For Mekkef!" Jesker bellowed. The others followed suit and let out cries of war as we rushed forward. I began deflecting shots as the men atop the wall began firing down at us.
As we pressed forward, I saw familiar movement out of the corner of my eye. Obi-Wan moved forward slowly, deflecting blaster fire as rebels ran past him.
"Obi-Wan…" I muttered quietly and slightly reached out a hand towards him. He slowed his movements and paused in his deflections. His stance softened and he looked over to me. Our prolonged eye contact spurred tender tears before someone shouting my name distracted me.
"Kemara! Get down!" I looked over in time to see Jesker right before he body slammed me into the ground. A large explosion rocked the ground a couple meters behind us. He scrambled up off me and started firing again quickly, yelling back to me. "What's wrong?!" My head whipped back to where Obi-Wan had just been. He wasn't there. Get it together, Kemara.
"Nothing." I replied at a normal voice as I stood up and began moving forward again. He didn't say anything about it and took his place at my side again as I deflected shots that came at us. I twirled my lightsaber around me and managed to aim a few shots back towards the gate guards and men on the top of the wall.
"General! We're ready!" Tweensy yelled as he and Gaster ran up and crouched behind us. I nodded and closed my eyes briefly, taking a deep breath and deactivating my lightsaber. I opened my eyes quickly and slammed my foot down on the ground in front of us, causing ice to erupt outwards in front of us. I motioned towards the ground then threw my hands up towards the sky. A narrow but tall wall of ice formed in front of us. A few meters across but much higher than the gate in front of us. I turned back around to face the group.
"Jesker and I will go first, clear a landing area for you." I ordered. The two techies nodded and started typing away on their tablets as Jesker nodded to me. He fired up his jetpack and crouched before skyrocketing into the air. I turned myself back towards the gate and summoned the Force around me. I leapt into the air before creating a small ledge at the top of my ice barrier and landing on that. I used the Force to jump even higher this time, soaring over the chasm easily and igniting my lightsaber as men on top of the wall began firing at me. Jesker was zipping around in the air, dodging blaster fire and raining his own down on the top of the wall. I began falling back towards the wall, so I threw out my hand and let a small burst of ice hit the top of the wall, creating a small area of slippery stone and causing some guards to jump out of the way. Using the Force to slow myself, my feet hit the ground and I rolled onto the patch of ice to slide, standing up and deflecting blaster bolts as they came at me. I got to the end of the ice patch and jumped, using my momentum to kick one of the guards off the wall into the city limits. He fell through the tent of a merchant stall, groaning but seeming okay. The rest of the guards seemed to look over at their ally and stop firing at me. They looked back to me who stood at the ready with my lightsaber. I smirked at them. They turned around and ran. I let out small chuckle and stood up straight, deactivating my lightsaber. I raised my right arm up in front of me and clicked my comm with the hand that held my lightsaber.
"Tweensy, Gaster. Get your butts up here." I said lightheartedly. I heard chuckles from their end and saw them shoot up over the ice wall I made. Jesker was laughing like a madman as he was shooting the ground behind the retreating guards. I shook my head and motioned for him to come back down before reaching my hand out and pulling it back to thaw the ice that was on the ground.
Jesker, Tweensy, and Gaster all landed next to me as I turned to face the small building that sat slightly higher than the wall and behind it a few meters. There were small staircases on either side that led up to the building. I went first with Tweensy and Gaster following and Jesker on the rear. I held my lightsaber at the ready but switched off as I approached the door. Using the Force to pull it open, I walked in, ready for a fight. It was empty.
"Jesker." I summoned. He came up past the other two. We swept the room for traps, but found none. After Tweensy and Gaster came in and hooked in, it didn't take long to get the bridge up. The other rebels came across the bridge and started pouring into the city. People could be heard hollering and cheering.
"We did it." Tweensy spoke as relief flooded over him.
"It's not over yet…" I warned as a disproportionate amount of dread filled me. I couldn't place where it came from, but it unsettled me. "But you guys have done well. You should be proud." I smiled at all of them.
My comlink beeping pulled my attention away from the group. I brought my arm up front of me and clicked it.
"Kemara! I need your help at the power station!" I was already headed for the door.
"Jesker, stay here with them! Call if you need me!" I barked as I moved backwards towards the door. "Morek, I'm on my way!" I jumped down off the staircase and into the small sea of rebels coming in. "Derno!" I spotted him a few meters in front of me. He turned as I jogged up to meet him. "Grab some men, we're going to assist Morek at the power station!" I didn't wait for him.
Sprinting through town, I weaved through people trying to get out of the way. I saw Morek tucked behind the corner of a building, returning fire to some guards that had them pinned and were moving up. I ignited my lightsaber and only sped up. "Give me a grenade!" I shouted towards Morek's group as I ran past. I threw a hand out and ice formed in a short lane in front of me. I jumped onto it and crouched before throwing myself into the air and twisting, kicking my legs out to kick a guard and pushing my arms to use the Force to knock another guard away. As I righted myself and landed back on my feet, I heard Morek announce the grenade that was inbound. I grabbed it with the Force and launched it towards a swarm of guards that was coming in with a hover tank. The grenade exploded and knocked the group out, letting the rebels to push forward and climb the tank. They opened the top hatch and stunned the pilot. Morek stopped next to me as the others cheered and hugged now that we had taken control of the power grid. A few of the rebels had begun working on disabling it as Morek spoke up.
"Thank you…" He seemed to trail off. I turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder.
"You don't have to thank me. I will always get here as fast as I can." I offered. He smiled sadly and dropped my hand from his shoulder. "What is it?"
"This isn't even your home, but you're risking everything for it." I shook my head at his words and let a small smile grace my lips.
"No, but it's yours. You're the one who's willing to risk your life for it. To see it free again. I'll always help as much as I can." He lifted his chin higher and nodded. I nodded back at him and he turned to help his rebels. As Morek ran over to meet his team, I clicked my comlink and tried to check in with the other group. "Taelo, come in." Silence. I tried again. "Taelo, did you get to the weapons depot?" A large explosion rocked the city. Well, I guess that answers that. A large fireball rose into the sky above the depot.
"General!" I turned to look at the man who called me. "Are you ready to cut the power?!" I rose my fist and pulled it down to let him know to do it. The city went dark. Morek jogged back over with a small but bright flashlight.
"We should get to the Palace. Taelo will meet us there." Morek reminded me. I nodded and we turned towards the Palace and began our walk. As we walked, we looked around. Merchants still sold their goods in the dark. They chatted and kept on as if this wasn't anything out of the normal. Morek explained that the King often overworked the power generator station and it failed every now and then. I also noticed how filth ridden the streets were. Trash blew around in the wind and in some places, the stench was horrid. "Look at how he's neglected even proper cleanliness for the kingdom." Morek seethed. I sent calming waves to him. It sort of worked.
"I'm confident you'll lead your people back to prosperity. Look at what you've helped your rebellion accomplish." He nodded sadly.
"I just wish you and Taelo could stay. Everyone knows you and trusts you." Morek confided.
"I know. And I can come back if you ever need me, but this is your home. Taelo's only in it for the money and, honestly, he kind of forced me here. I'm glad I was able to help, but I'm sure my friends are worried sick about me right now."
"I understand. I didn't ask for Taelo to.. kidnap you…" He seemed uncomfortable but I let out a small laugh to ease his mind. I don't think he really understood our rivalry either. I didn't really want to explain it further, so I changed topics.
"So, what are you going to do first as leader?" He seemed taken aback by my question.
"I'm not old enough to be King."
"No, but you'd have a council that spoke for you. They'd advise you and help you decide what to do, but ultimately, the decisions are yours." I explained.
"Are you sure I'm ready for that?" He really seemed uncertain, which lead to me letting out another laugh.
"I really do. You're one of the major leaders of the rebellion and look at what you all just achieved. Besides, you've got a pretty extensive list of "don't dos" in front of you." His laugh to my joke made me smile again.
"Yeah, I don't think anyone could be as bad as this." He motioned to the filthy Palace that stood in front of us.
"Finally made it, huh?" Taelo snarked as he came up from my left. I rolled my eyes and pointed to my comlink.
"You're the one who never responds." He put his arm up in front of him and pointed to where his comlink used to be. There was a burnt spot from a blaster on his arm guard.
"One of the guards got a lucky shot." Something seemed off, but I didn't say anything. I shook my head and turned to look back at the Palace.
"Are we ready?" I asked as I looked over to Morek.
"Yes!" He claimed enthusiastically. Taelo let a sigh as if he were annoyed to be here.
"Let's get this over with." I glared at him for his words briefly but didn't say anything as we started up the Palace steps. He had his helmet on so I couldn't see his face. Hushed whispers started spurring from behind us as people watched us ascend the steps. Morek glanced back but kept his head towards the Palace. Taelo seemed to get angrier as we walked. We walked through the courtyard that was in front of the main entrance. Trees and vines swayed in the gentle breeze that flowed through the room.
"I can't remember the last time I was up here…" Morek reminisced.
"Let it be a new start. The start of many good times you'll have here." I offered. He nodded and I felt the excitement grow in him. We paused outside the doors. Morek had his blaster and Taelo had his lightsaber at the ready. I didn't sense any danger beyond. "Do it." Morek ordered. I gave a curt nod and used the Force to push open the doors, taking my lightsaber in hand. The hallway was empty. Morek and Taelo started down it, but I hesitated. A very strong feeling of unease washed over me. Like something terrible was about to reveal itself. I started forward and stayed behind Taelo and Morek a couple feet. They led the way through the Palace, which was eerily quiet. The Palace was basked in a faint red light. The backup generators were keeping what they could working. A few lights flickered here and there and there were small, hushed whispers behind some of the doors we passed. Servants to the throne that were scared.
We finally arrived at the throne room, and I sensed a large number of people in the room. One full of anger. It had to be the King. The boys both put their free hand on each door. Morek took a deep breath before nodding his head at Taelo. They pushed the doors open and in we walked. There were about 24 Guardians that lined the walls of the throne room. One that was dressed in a cape stood at the foot of the throne. A maniacal laugh erupted from the head of the room. And he began clapping.
"Well done." He boomed through the room. "You've managed to get all the way here."
"Give it up, Netro. You're going to pay for all the terror you've reigned." Morek matched his tone. Netro seemed to scoff. He leaned forward in the throne.
"Leave us." He commanded. All of the Guardians that lined the walls turned and exited the room. The one at the throne turned and walked out a smaller door to the side of the room. "So, what's your plan? You're going to kill me and claim the throne for yourself?" He was looking right at me.
"I'm not going to kill anyone." I countered. Netro stood up out of his seat and walked forward and down the few steps to get on the same level as us.
"You're going to be put on trial for treason." Morek claimed. Netro laughed again and stopped in front of us.
"So, you three have come for my surrender? Is that it? The children of Meekra and Jarro Arundel coming to serve justice for the murder of their parents?" He laughed again and turned back towards the throne. Anger surrounded him. And confidence. He spun back around quickly and was bringing a dagger down towards my chest. I ignited my saber quickly and sliced the metal in half as Morek and I both took a step back. Taelo stood right next to the King as confusion surrounded the man and his face morphed into one of pain. Morek and I were frozen as Netro looked down to the red lightsaber that was impaled in his chest.
"Taelo…" I uttered. He pulled the lightsaber out quickly and watched the former tyrant's lifeless body unceremoniously fall to the floor. His corpse laid there in a lump. I saw Morek staring at his deceased uncle on the floor, but I couldn't peel my eyes away from the way Taelo was holding his lightsaber over the man's body. He was gripping the lightsaber so hard I'm sure his knuckles were pure white underneath the gloves and he was slightly leaned over the body. I took a small step back and deactivated my lightsaber.
"Why did you kill him… there was no way he could have won…" I asked quietly. Taelo looked up at me and his stance softened. He switched off his own lightsaber and stood up straight.
"He was trying to kill you. You need to take the throne." He said matter of factly. I looked over to Morek and he was still staring at the man on the floor. I laid a hand on his shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Morek." He shook his head and turned to me, letting my hand fall.
"He was going to be executed for his crimes." He seemed okay but shaken. I nodded at him with a sad smile. This wasn't justice though. This was murder. He was practically defenseless against us. "Taelo's right. You should take the throne so we can tell the people it's over." I hesitated, but nodded slowly.
"Okay." I relented. I stepped around Morek and began walking towards the throne. This didn't feel right. Morek should be the one up here. Not me. What did it matter who sat on a stupid chair? I mean, I get tradition, but they just fought a civil war to regain control of their world. I stopped at the throne and turned around to look at Morek. He was smiling sincerely at me. I looked over to Taelo. He seemed angry, but I couldn't sense any deception from him. He didn't seem to be making any move toward stopping me. I looked over to Morek again, seeking confirmation. His smile dropped mostly, and he nodded. I nodded back to him and glanced behind me. Alright. As I lowered myself into the throne, my comlink beeped.
"General!" A shout came through the device on my arm. A tightness around my wrists made me look down. I gasped and looked back up to Taelo. He began walking forward with a sinister grin on his face as he dropped his helmet to the ground next to him.
"What are you doing?" I shouted at him, trying to pull myself out of the throne. The restraints holding my wrists wouldn't budge.
"The rebels at the weapons depot have all been murdered!" Came through my comlink.
"Taelo!" I shouted.
"Let her go!" Morek grabbed Taelo by the arm and spun him around, sucker punching him across his jaw. His head snapped to the side, and he stumbled away, but he quickly righted himself, fire in his eyes. Almost literally.
"General! They were all killed with a lightsaber!" I heard through the commotion in the room. I was yelling at Morek to run while Taelo was raising his hand towards Morek, who was demanding Taelo let me go. Morek's yelled ceases quickly and his hands flew to his throat as he was lifted up off his feet.
No, no, no! I had to do something. I looked around for something I could Force push into Taelo, but the Guardian with the cape entering the room again from the side door stopped me. He was calmly walking down the steps and close to the wall, headed towards Taelo and Morek. Taelo was going to kill Morek. I grit my teeth in concentration before slamming my foot against the floor. A wave of ice surged towards Taelo and knocked him into the wall. He hit it with a satisfying thud and then crashed to the floor. Morek hit the ground and started cough, trying to regain his breathing under control.
"Morek! Please! Run! Get out of here!" I yelled at him, begging. He shook his head quickly and picked himself up off the floor and started sprinting to me.
"I'm not leaving without you!" He argued
"Morek! He's going to kill-" Morek came to an abrupt stop as a hot, sharp pain seared through my chest, just under my clavicle on my right side. His arms were held out in front of him, as if he moved, I'd die on the spot. His mouth fell open and he muttered my name, but I could barely hear it.
I looked down to my chest to see one of the staffs the Guardians use sticking out of where the pain sat. Except this one was different. It had engravings on the hilt, and it was shiny, well taken care of. I looked back up slowly to see Taelo pushing Morek out of the way to stand right in front of me. My mouth hung open slightly as my ears rang. I focused on Morek as he tried to push Taelo but only ended up getting backhanded with Taelo's balled up fist. Morek fell to the floor with a sickening thud.
He didn't move for a few seconds after hitting the ground. I willed Morek to move. Just show me you're alive please, I begged silently. He was hit hard, and I was uncertain.
He moved his legs and let out a soft groan, but Taelo moving in front of me made me look up to him. He put his boot against my chest and gripped the spear with one hand and yanked it out of me, all in a quick motion. I'm pretty sure I screamed. Loudly. If I thought that hurt, the electricity coursing through my body hurt worse. More specifically, the electricity that coursed through my wound and reignited the pain to a new level. I'd never been in so much pain before. It felt like someone was just stabbing me over and over and over again with several giant knives all in one spot a thousand times a second. I'd never wanted to be sick due to pain before. Then, it stopped. My body slumped and my head hung to my chest as I struggled to breath but couldn't find the energy to even pick my head up.
Fingers under my chin tilted my head back and held it there. Taelo was looking across at me with a fake sad frown.
"Why?" I muttered, my voice barely above a whisper. "Why'd you-" I choked on a breath." -bring me here?" I struggled to keep my eyes open as I just focused on my breathing.
"Because you were the prophecy girl." He mocked. "They wouldn't let me take the throne. They begged ME to find YOU. To bring YOU HERE!" He yelled in my face, his grip getting tighter. He shoved my head back against the throne and I grit my teeth as I stiffened my neck to keep it from lolling and jostling my wound. "There's your precious sister on your precious throne." I trailed my eyes over to where Morek sat on his knees, one hand covering his jaw, his other balled up at his side, ready to swing at Taelo again. Despite my own pain and fear, I tried to send calming waves to Morek through the Force. He seemed to relax as he unfurled his hand and set it on the floor to steady himself a little more. "Don't worry, there's plenty of suffering for the both of you…" He teased as he turned and began walking away. "That is… after I kill all of your friends…" Taelo and the Guardian walked out of the throne room, slamming the doors shut after they crossed the threshold. I tried to lower my head back to my chest as gently as I could and closed my eyes, taking deep breaths.
"Kemara, Kemara…" Morek pled. "Come on, look at me." I felt hands on my cheeks lifting my head softly. "I'm so sorry. I didn't see it."
"Shhhhhh…" I tried to quiet his pleas. "You need to contact the rest of the rebels, tell them what's going on." I said, not quite able to get my voice above a whisper. I opened my eyes to look into his, to make sure he was listening. He nodded slowly, he looked to have tears in his eyes, but I certainly didn't comment on them. He gently set my head back against the throne and stepped back as he clicked his comlink and started speaking into it frantically. His words started floating. I could hear bits and pieces, but I didn't comprehend any of what was being said. I think I started passing out, but a gentle hand on my cheek brought me back. It slightly startled me too as my breath caught in my throat and I picked my head up quickly. I jostled myself and winced as a sharp pain ran through my wound.
"Sorry…" Morek apologized. I shook my head slowly and softly and met his eyes.
"You didn't do this. I should never have trusted Taelo. I should have known he was plotting something from the moment he tricked me to get me here."
"What do you mean, he tricked you?" Morek questioned. I let out a soft sigh.
"Taelo has attacked me and my friends, my men even, almost every time he's seen us. Right before he brought me here, he messed with my memory somehow, made me forget who I was and who my friends were…" I felt disappointment, and also anger, wash off Morek as I explained. "When I finally remembered who I was, Taelo had tricked me into going to a very dangerous place. My Master almost died. Taelo saved him in exchange for me coming here with him."
"I'm… I'm sorry he did that… I didn't know he did all that just to get you here. I would have come myself to ask for your help if I had known-"
"Morek… it's not your fault. None of this is your fault."
"But I feel like it is. I was so caught up with what was happening here, I didn't realize Taelo was so deceitful." I had to let out a small laugh that caused me to wince afterwards.
"He's very good at hiding it. Don't blame yourself."
"Well, the good news is the rebels pulled out of the city after discovering what Taelo did to the rebels at the weapons depot. He's probably out searching for them now, so we should make our escape." Before I could stop him, he tugged on the restraints, which gave us both a zap. He grunted and fell back as I panted, trying not to focus on the pain. "Sorry…" He muttered and scratched his neck as he stood back up.
"I figured. Morek, you need to get out of here. He's going to either kill you or make you watch as he tortures me."
"He's going to torture you? I thought he just wanted the throne." Morek was mortified. His face contorted into a fearful frown.
"Morek, listen to me. He hates me, okay? He wants to burn everything I care about to the ground. That includes you. You need to get out and get everyone to safety. I'll be okay. He's done way worse." I put on a brave face for him. Morek's face only looked more scared now. He shook his head as he realized that this is who Taelo was.
"Okay, but we'll be back for you. I promise!" He said as he started backing away towards the side throne room. "Just hang in there!"
The doors shut and I was left in the silence, only the sound of my own breathing to comfort me. And it wasn't very comforting. It was ragged and short and forced. I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. Steadying my breathing, I tried to focus on the Force that surrounded me.
"Master… I know that you're out there and still looking for me. I'm okay. I don't know what Taelo's plan is, but I'll be okay. I have friends here who are helping me. I'll be back soon…" At least, I hoped I would be.
Howdy partners! Just remember, compliments and constructive criticisms are always welcome, but flames are not! Love you all!