I figured I'd better put in a disclaimer before someone sues me, so here it is!
Roses are red violets are blue.
Me no own so you no sue.
(I did not write this disclaimer myself, I read it on a Zelda fic but it summarizes everything. Whoever made up this disclaimer, please don't sue me!)
AN: Thanks a lot to Jacen200015 and Teekoness for your reviews!
I'd also like to apologize about the delayed update. It would have been finished sooner, but I've been sick for a while and it's been very hard to concentrate on writing.
Now, on with the fic!
CHAPTER TEN
Del-Mon, along with Cami Runa, her Padawan (who had awakened not long before), and Mya-Rau Tamia, went down the hall. He went in long strides, and the others had to go at a slight jog to keep up. Trailing behind them was Master Yoda.
They were a short distance from the place of Aro-Ken's abduction, looking for clues. They hadn't really found anything, except for a dent in the door Del-Mon had been forced into.
Del-Mon was trying to use his connection to Aro-Ken to figure out where he was, but was having trouble for whatever reason.
"I don't think we're going to find anything," said Ton-San.
"But you do not know, Padawan Windam. Keep looking, there has to be something," said Del-Mon as he went a bit farther down the hallway.
"Del-Mon is right, Ton-San. Use the Force, trust it," said Cami.
As Del-Mon scanned the hallway thoroughly, positive he had let nothing by, he suddenly spotted something very small on the ground near the table. He bent over, and picked up a thread from a white tunic. He knew it was Aro-Ken's.
"They went this way!" he called before striding on.
He sensed the others behind him, and did not slow for them. He wanted to find Aro-Ken.
Del-Mon stopped at the turbolifts and waited for the other three to catch up.
"There's nowhere for them to hide on this level. They must be down more," he said.
Before they could say anything more, Del-Mon had stepped inside the turbolift, and they had to quickly dart after him before they were left behind.
Del-Mon decided to try the ground level, so he quickly entered the command, and the turbolift shot down the tube, halting at the correct level shortly after.
He was the first one off the lift, and was instantly walking along. He felt a nagging cold feeling in the back of his head, and couldn't tell if a Shadowraith was approaching him, or if he was simply near one. Either way, Del-Mon had learned to trust his feelings, and stayed on his guard.
Curiously, he walked down the hallway a bit further, and could feel the coldness in his mind grow slightly stronger.
"This way," he called over his shoulder.
He could sense something else now, mixing with the cold feeling. Del-Mon recognized it as the feeling he'd gotten when he was near Aro-Ken.
Del-Mon went down the hallway in long strides, not really caring about the other three Jedi accompanying him. He followed his instincts, reaching into the Force to feel his surroundings rather than look at them.
Suddenly, there was a thunderous crash that made the floors vibrate. Del-Mon knew it came from below him.
Almost instantly his comlink started buzzing, and he grabbed it from his belt as he ran, leaving the other members of the search party far behind him.
"This is Wesia," he quickly said into it as he darted into the nearest turbolift and punched in the right floor number.
"Del-Mon, get down here! Something's happened in the old storerooms, we think it may be the Shadowraiths!" cried a voice that Del-Mon recognized as Mace's.
"On my way," he quickly said, switching off his comlink. Just as the turbolift doors began to slide shut, someone stuck a hand inside from the hall.
Instinctively Del-Mon ignited his lightsaber as the doors opened once more, to reveal Mya-Rau standing there.
"Hey, hey, it's me!" she instantly said, holding up her hands in surrender.
"Sorry," Del-Mon apologized, switching his weapon off again and putting it back on his belt. "I'm a bit too on my guard, if you will, with the Shadowraiths about."
"It's all right, friend, I feel the same," Mya-Rau said with a smile as she stepped in to the turbolift.
Del-Mon opened his mouth to say something, but she abruptly cut him off. "I'm coming with you no matter what you say, Del-Mon Wesia, so save your breath. I care about Aro-Ken as well," she said.
"All right, fine with me," Del-Mon said neutrally, holding up his own hands in surrender.
The turbolift went down, leaving Cami and Ton-San behind them. Shortly after they arrived down at the lowest level of the Temple, the long-since vacated storage area.
Del-Mon instantly took off when the turbolift stopped, Mya-Rau at his heels. Up ahead of him Del-Mon could see a group of Jedi crowding about near the door that led to the storerooms.
He heard vague shouts as he approached. "Contact Yoda!" "His comlink is off, he must be meditating!" "Does anybody know the codes to this door?"
Del-Mon halted. "What's happening?" he asked immediately.
"This door was sealed and the keypad was encrypted. Somebody changed the codes," explained Adi Gallia's voice from near the center of the mob.
"They're in there. They have to be," Del-Mon said.
"Well, we can't get a hold of the Masters who normally have the codes. We're locked out," said another voice.
Del-Mon looked around for a way in, and then realization hit him. He could have smacked himself on the head for not realizing it sooner.
He began to elbow his way to the head of the crowd, Mya-Rau trying to follow.
"You people call yourselves Jedi?" he asked as he burst out of the mob in front of the door. He instantly ignited his lightsaber and jammed it into the metal, guiding it in a slow circle until the molten metal fell away.
He stared back at the other Jedi with a stern yet amused look in his eyes, and they all suddenly saw something very interesting on the ground and looked at it sheepishly. Abruptly Del-Mon broke his gaze and ducked through the hole in the door as he took off, arriving in the loading room.
He instantly stopped, his eyes flicking about the now vacant room. There were some smashed crates lying about at the base of the large piles, and one of the huge loading cranes was running but motionless.
Del-Mon could faintly hear running feet above him and some distance away, and he went over to one of the large piles of boxes. He could sense Aro-Ken's presence even more now, and knew he was very close.
He completely ignored the Jedi that had followed him into the room as he approached one of the piles. There was a cold feeling in his mind, and he knew a Shadowraith was nearby.
Above him he suddenly heard a slight scraping noise, but it was enough to alert him.
The Jedi jumped back just in time as three crates tumbled down towards him. Another, which Del-Mon couldn't move aside from, quickly followed it and he quickly slashed with his lightsaber, cleaving the box in half, the two pieces missing him on either side.
He heard others around him igniting lightsabers and hacking away at the falling boxes. A few of the younger Padawans fell, struck in the side or a limb by a large crate, and some of their Masters would step aside to be sure they were all right.
Del-Mon grew frustrated as he easily blocked the falling boxes. He was wasting time.
Swiftly he jumped from the group of Jedi and curled his fingers around a slightly protruding box, finding two equally small footholds and holding his lightsaber out with the other hand.
Behind him he sensed a few others jump up after him and begin to scale the wall of boxes.
He went up quickly, swinging his weapon occasionally to block another box. It seemed the Shadowraith was too preoccupied with the Jedi below him to focus on him.
When Del-Mon neared the top, he froze and waited a moment before springing up, pushing with both legs and his arm, slashing with his lightsaber in the same motion and cleaving a box that had just left the Shadowraith's hands in half.
As Del-Mon moved in on it, he noticed that this one was different than the other two he remembered seeing. It had a blood-red sash around its waist and a long, flowing black cloak, fastened with a silver brooch.
Del-Mon was about to slash at it, but it hurled another crate at him with the Force, which he had to turn and deflect before he lunged at the Shadowraith. It jumped aside, but wasn't quick enough to avoid Del-Mon's saber as it ripped the fabric of its black cloak.
The electric hum of another lightsaber cut into the air, and before the Shadowraith could move a radiant violet blade was stabbed into its forearm by Mya-Rau Tamia. Its neck arched and it hissed with pain.
By this time, three other Masters besides Mya-Rau had made it to the top of the pile. The Shadowraith was about to attack, but thought better of it and took off through the opened door near the walkway surrounding the loading area.
Del-Mon instantly gave chase, outrunning the other Masters though the Shadowraith was faster than all of them.
Each time it rounded a corner Del-Mon thought he'd lost it, but then he'd go round the corner as well and spot the flicker of a black cloak going around the next twist in the hallway and would try to put on a burst of speed.
He didn't know why he was able to leave the other Masters behind. Usually there were some of them who could easily beat him in a race. Del-Mon realized it was because of how he felt for Aro-Ken. He had the bond with the boy that none of the others had, and his motivation was far greater than theirs would ever be.
Del-Mon rounded the next corner abruptly, and found that he faced a dead end along with the Shadowraith. The door a few meters away from it was jammed.
It turned to the other door on the adjacent wall, hoping to escape that way, but Del-Mon stepped over a meter and blocked it.
He heard many rapid footfalls from behind him as he came closer, but he didn't care. Lightsaber raised, he prepared to bring it down into the Shadowraith's chest, knowing it would be useless and possibly dangerous to take it alive.
Suddenly, just a split second too late, Del-Mon felt cold breath on the back of his neck. He pivoted around on his heel, and found that the door was open, another one of the Shadowraiths standing there.
It's hand shot out, and before he could move Del-Mon was flung into the wall, his head solidly connecting with it.
He staggered to his feet as the two Shadowraith darted into the room and shutting the door behind them.
They obviously didn't take the time to jam it, as Del-Mon easily keyed in the command and opened the door once more.
But the second he entered the room, he found it empty. It must have been one of the old storage rooms, because there was no way out other than the door Del-Mon had just entered through. He looked around, and found there were no objects in the room for the Shadowraiths to disguise themselves in shadow form. It was as though they had vanished without a trace.
Out of pure frustration, Del-Mon whirled around and slammed his fist into the wall with a shout of rage, oblivious to the quick pain it brought.
A few of the other Jedi arrived outside the doorway, and knew by the look on Del-Mon's face that they were too late once again.
* * *
Aro-Ken awoke slowly and painfully. Moaning, he felt pain burning at almost every inch of his body, evidence that he was still alive.
The last thing he could recall was a foot hitting his head, and he slightly flinched at the painful memory.
The Shadowraith had been incredibly strong despite its thin, spindly arms and legs. He'd discovered that several times.
Aro-Ken scanned his body over, and found he had no broken bones or anything too serious, although it sure felt like it. Just throbbing bruises and an occasional small gash that pumped blood onto the metal floor.
The door suddenly slid open, and Aro-Ken did not bother to look up from where he lay sprawled on the cold floor.
"I'll bet you think you've made a good mess of our plans, don't you, boy? I'll bet you think we'll just kill you or let you go now for all the aggravation you've caused us, don't you?" came the familiar rasping voice of the Master.
Aro-Ken did not answer. He felt the Master's eyes upon him.
"Get up," the Shadowraith simply said.
Aro-Ken didn't move.
"Get up," the Master said more forcefully, throwing in a kick to the ribs that jarred him.
Slowly he hauled his body to his feet, still not saying a word.
"Well, boy, I'm going to give you one last chance. Turn, or I will kill you. Or perhaps I'll just turn you over to my Apprentice. He'd love another chance with you after that stab to the arm you gave him, and I'm feeling a bit angry after your fool of a Master came after you," said the Master.
His Master? Was that Del-Mon?
Taking a few deep breaths, Aro-Ken firmly said, "No. I'm not turning."
"So be it," the Shadowraith muttered coldly. It turned as if to leave the room, then spun around and slammed its fist into Aro-Ken's jaw. The blow hit with such a force that he would have fallen over if not for the wall less than a meter behind him.
"I'll give you once last chance to save your own life, boy. We have some demands to get out of here, and if you do a good job presenting them, we may just decide to let you live," said the Master.
"Never," said Aro-Ken. Reacting from rage, he allowed himself to spit at the Shadowraith's face. It hissed with rage.
Before Aro-Ken could move, the Shadowraith had seized his chin roughly with its freezing hands. It drew him so close he could feel its breath against his face.
"You will do them, or my Apprentice will settle his score with you," the Shadowraith slowly said.
Aro-Ken was silent for a moment, breathing furiously through clenched teeth until the Master roughly shook him.
"Answer me!" it shouted.
Glaring at him, Aro-Ken muttered, "Fine."
The Master shoved him back against the wall roughly and drew out a holorecorder it had been hiding, telling Aro-Ken what it wanted.
When the boy had said what the Master had told him to, the Shadowraith left the room, jamming the door behind it once again. It went to the nearest ventilation shaft and removed the grate. Using the Force, it levitated the holorecorder up through the maze of air ducts.
A minute later, it knocked away the grate in Wolden Keld's room and the Shadowraith let it drop onto his sleep-couch.
* * *
Not long after, Ada-Rin and Wolden returned from a swim in the pool, attempting to find at least some pleasure after the departure of their friend. Mannakri and her new Master had been called away almost immediately on a quick mission, and Erdan was too busy sobbing in his room to join them.
Wolden, in his swimsuit with a towel around his neck, said good-bye to Ada-Rin before keying in the codes to his door.
"See you later, Ada-Rin," he said, flashing her one of his famous grins.
Ada-Rin hadn't really enjoyed herself during the swim. She hadn't said much since Aro-Ken had left. "Yeah," she said in a dull voice.
Wolden sighed. He'd tried to cheer her up during the swim, but it was to no avail. His door opened, and he stepped inside the clutter of old computer and droid parts, tossing his towel over his desk chair.
Suddenly, he spotted the holoprojector resting on his bed.
"Hello, what's this?" Wolden curiously asked. He picked it up and hit the activate button and revealed a fuzzy hologram of Aro-Ken. Wolden could make out a cut on his forehead and a dark bruise on one of his cheeks. He looked exhausted.
Wolden cocked his head as he curiously looked at it. He stuck his head out the door and called, "Hey, Ada-Rin, come here and look at this!"
Ada-Rin stopped and approached him again. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's a hologram. Looks like it's from Aro," Wolden said.
The hologram suddenly began to speak.
"OK, guys, these uh... Shadowraiths have some demands. They want a fully fueled ship with supplies, a couple hundred thousand credits, and no questions asked. Leave them on the landing pad. And as is the usual hostage case, they'll kill me if you don't... And believe me, they'll do it," Aro-Ken said.
The holo flickered and died.
"Dammit all!" Wolden shouted, ignoring his Jedi discipline and flinging the holoprojector across the room.
"I think it's time for everyone's favorite word again," said Ada-Rin.
"Ah, of course! Shall we?"
"We shall!"
They both flung their heads back and shouted at the top of their lungs, "OH SSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTHHHH!"
* * *
I need a little help here. I can't decide which one of Aro-Ken's friends should show up and help him in another chapter. Just tell me in a review, should it be Ada-Rin, Wolden, or Erdan?
And remember, being an author, I live for feedback! And I've decided to go along with other authors' ideas of including my reviewers' names in the next chapter! Could it get any better than that?
And, just so you know, it will be a while before the next update unless I get it done within three days because I'm going on vacation on Saturday. I'll try and write as much as I can on the flight, but I can't promise anything.
One more thing. If you liked this story, I recommend reading my other fics. Also, not to sound selfish or anything, but if you have friends who read Star Wars, I would really appreciate it if you would recommend my fics to them. Being an author, I naturally want people to read my stuff.
Thanks! :-)
Roses are red violets are blue.
Me no own so you no sue.
(I did not write this disclaimer myself, I read it on a Zelda fic but it summarizes everything. Whoever made up this disclaimer, please don't sue me!)
AN: Thanks a lot to Jacen200015 and Teekoness for your reviews!
I'd also like to apologize about the delayed update. It would have been finished sooner, but I've been sick for a while and it's been very hard to concentrate on writing.
Now, on with the fic!
CHAPTER TEN
Del-Mon, along with Cami Runa, her Padawan (who had awakened not long before), and Mya-Rau Tamia, went down the hall. He went in long strides, and the others had to go at a slight jog to keep up. Trailing behind them was Master Yoda.
They were a short distance from the place of Aro-Ken's abduction, looking for clues. They hadn't really found anything, except for a dent in the door Del-Mon had been forced into.
Del-Mon was trying to use his connection to Aro-Ken to figure out where he was, but was having trouble for whatever reason.
"I don't think we're going to find anything," said Ton-San.
"But you do not know, Padawan Windam. Keep looking, there has to be something," said Del-Mon as he went a bit farther down the hallway.
"Del-Mon is right, Ton-San. Use the Force, trust it," said Cami.
As Del-Mon scanned the hallway thoroughly, positive he had let nothing by, he suddenly spotted something very small on the ground near the table. He bent over, and picked up a thread from a white tunic. He knew it was Aro-Ken's.
"They went this way!" he called before striding on.
He sensed the others behind him, and did not slow for them. He wanted to find Aro-Ken.
Del-Mon stopped at the turbolifts and waited for the other three to catch up.
"There's nowhere for them to hide on this level. They must be down more," he said.
Before they could say anything more, Del-Mon had stepped inside the turbolift, and they had to quickly dart after him before they were left behind.
Del-Mon decided to try the ground level, so he quickly entered the command, and the turbolift shot down the tube, halting at the correct level shortly after.
He was the first one off the lift, and was instantly walking along. He felt a nagging cold feeling in the back of his head, and couldn't tell if a Shadowraith was approaching him, or if he was simply near one. Either way, Del-Mon had learned to trust his feelings, and stayed on his guard.
Curiously, he walked down the hallway a bit further, and could feel the coldness in his mind grow slightly stronger.
"This way," he called over his shoulder.
He could sense something else now, mixing with the cold feeling. Del-Mon recognized it as the feeling he'd gotten when he was near Aro-Ken.
Del-Mon went down the hallway in long strides, not really caring about the other three Jedi accompanying him. He followed his instincts, reaching into the Force to feel his surroundings rather than look at them.
Suddenly, there was a thunderous crash that made the floors vibrate. Del-Mon knew it came from below him.
Almost instantly his comlink started buzzing, and he grabbed it from his belt as he ran, leaving the other members of the search party far behind him.
"This is Wesia," he quickly said into it as he darted into the nearest turbolift and punched in the right floor number.
"Del-Mon, get down here! Something's happened in the old storerooms, we think it may be the Shadowraiths!" cried a voice that Del-Mon recognized as Mace's.
"On my way," he quickly said, switching off his comlink. Just as the turbolift doors began to slide shut, someone stuck a hand inside from the hall.
Instinctively Del-Mon ignited his lightsaber as the doors opened once more, to reveal Mya-Rau standing there.
"Hey, hey, it's me!" she instantly said, holding up her hands in surrender.
"Sorry," Del-Mon apologized, switching his weapon off again and putting it back on his belt. "I'm a bit too on my guard, if you will, with the Shadowraiths about."
"It's all right, friend, I feel the same," Mya-Rau said with a smile as she stepped in to the turbolift.
Del-Mon opened his mouth to say something, but she abruptly cut him off. "I'm coming with you no matter what you say, Del-Mon Wesia, so save your breath. I care about Aro-Ken as well," she said.
"All right, fine with me," Del-Mon said neutrally, holding up his own hands in surrender.
The turbolift went down, leaving Cami and Ton-San behind them. Shortly after they arrived down at the lowest level of the Temple, the long-since vacated storage area.
Del-Mon instantly took off when the turbolift stopped, Mya-Rau at his heels. Up ahead of him Del-Mon could see a group of Jedi crowding about near the door that led to the storerooms.
He heard vague shouts as he approached. "Contact Yoda!" "His comlink is off, he must be meditating!" "Does anybody know the codes to this door?"
Del-Mon halted. "What's happening?" he asked immediately.
"This door was sealed and the keypad was encrypted. Somebody changed the codes," explained Adi Gallia's voice from near the center of the mob.
"They're in there. They have to be," Del-Mon said.
"Well, we can't get a hold of the Masters who normally have the codes. We're locked out," said another voice.
Del-Mon looked around for a way in, and then realization hit him. He could have smacked himself on the head for not realizing it sooner.
He began to elbow his way to the head of the crowd, Mya-Rau trying to follow.
"You people call yourselves Jedi?" he asked as he burst out of the mob in front of the door. He instantly ignited his lightsaber and jammed it into the metal, guiding it in a slow circle until the molten metal fell away.
He stared back at the other Jedi with a stern yet amused look in his eyes, and they all suddenly saw something very interesting on the ground and looked at it sheepishly. Abruptly Del-Mon broke his gaze and ducked through the hole in the door as he took off, arriving in the loading room.
He instantly stopped, his eyes flicking about the now vacant room. There were some smashed crates lying about at the base of the large piles, and one of the huge loading cranes was running but motionless.
Del-Mon could faintly hear running feet above him and some distance away, and he went over to one of the large piles of boxes. He could sense Aro-Ken's presence even more now, and knew he was very close.
He completely ignored the Jedi that had followed him into the room as he approached one of the piles. There was a cold feeling in his mind, and he knew a Shadowraith was nearby.
Above him he suddenly heard a slight scraping noise, but it was enough to alert him.
The Jedi jumped back just in time as three crates tumbled down towards him. Another, which Del-Mon couldn't move aside from, quickly followed it and he quickly slashed with his lightsaber, cleaving the box in half, the two pieces missing him on either side.
He heard others around him igniting lightsabers and hacking away at the falling boxes. A few of the younger Padawans fell, struck in the side or a limb by a large crate, and some of their Masters would step aside to be sure they were all right.
Del-Mon grew frustrated as he easily blocked the falling boxes. He was wasting time.
Swiftly he jumped from the group of Jedi and curled his fingers around a slightly protruding box, finding two equally small footholds and holding his lightsaber out with the other hand.
Behind him he sensed a few others jump up after him and begin to scale the wall of boxes.
He went up quickly, swinging his weapon occasionally to block another box. It seemed the Shadowraith was too preoccupied with the Jedi below him to focus on him.
When Del-Mon neared the top, he froze and waited a moment before springing up, pushing with both legs and his arm, slashing with his lightsaber in the same motion and cleaving a box that had just left the Shadowraith's hands in half.
As Del-Mon moved in on it, he noticed that this one was different than the other two he remembered seeing. It had a blood-red sash around its waist and a long, flowing black cloak, fastened with a silver brooch.
Del-Mon was about to slash at it, but it hurled another crate at him with the Force, which he had to turn and deflect before he lunged at the Shadowraith. It jumped aside, but wasn't quick enough to avoid Del-Mon's saber as it ripped the fabric of its black cloak.
The electric hum of another lightsaber cut into the air, and before the Shadowraith could move a radiant violet blade was stabbed into its forearm by Mya-Rau Tamia. Its neck arched and it hissed with pain.
By this time, three other Masters besides Mya-Rau had made it to the top of the pile. The Shadowraith was about to attack, but thought better of it and took off through the opened door near the walkway surrounding the loading area.
Del-Mon instantly gave chase, outrunning the other Masters though the Shadowraith was faster than all of them.
Each time it rounded a corner Del-Mon thought he'd lost it, but then he'd go round the corner as well and spot the flicker of a black cloak going around the next twist in the hallway and would try to put on a burst of speed.
He didn't know why he was able to leave the other Masters behind. Usually there were some of them who could easily beat him in a race. Del-Mon realized it was because of how he felt for Aro-Ken. He had the bond with the boy that none of the others had, and his motivation was far greater than theirs would ever be.
Del-Mon rounded the next corner abruptly, and found that he faced a dead end along with the Shadowraith. The door a few meters away from it was jammed.
It turned to the other door on the adjacent wall, hoping to escape that way, but Del-Mon stepped over a meter and blocked it.
He heard many rapid footfalls from behind him as he came closer, but he didn't care. Lightsaber raised, he prepared to bring it down into the Shadowraith's chest, knowing it would be useless and possibly dangerous to take it alive.
Suddenly, just a split second too late, Del-Mon felt cold breath on the back of his neck. He pivoted around on his heel, and found that the door was open, another one of the Shadowraiths standing there.
It's hand shot out, and before he could move Del-Mon was flung into the wall, his head solidly connecting with it.
He staggered to his feet as the two Shadowraith darted into the room and shutting the door behind them.
They obviously didn't take the time to jam it, as Del-Mon easily keyed in the command and opened the door once more.
But the second he entered the room, he found it empty. It must have been one of the old storage rooms, because there was no way out other than the door Del-Mon had just entered through. He looked around, and found there were no objects in the room for the Shadowraiths to disguise themselves in shadow form. It was as though they had vanished without a trace.
Out of pure frustration, Del-Mon whirled around and slammed his fist into the wall with a shout of rage, oblivious to the quick pain it brought.
A few of the other Jedi arrived outside the doorway, and knew by the look on Del-Mon's face that they were too late once again.
* * *
Aro-Ken awoke slowly and painfully. Moaning, he felt pain burning at almost every inch of his body, evidence that he was still alive.
The last thing he could recall was a foot hitting his head, and he slightly flinched at the painful memory.
The Shadowraith had been incredibly strong despite its thin, spindly arms and legs. He'd discovered that several times.
Aro-Ken scanned his body over, and found he had no broken bones or anything too serious, although it sure felt like it. Just throbbing bruises and an occasional small gash that pumped blood onto the metal floor.
The door suddenly slid open, and Aro-Ken did not bother to look up from where he lay sprawled on the cold floor.
"I'll bet you think you've made a good mess of our plans, don't you, boy? I'll bet you think we'll just kill you or let you go now for all the aggravation you've caused us, don't you?" came the familiar rasping voice of the Master.
Aro-Ken did not answer. He felt the Master's eyes upon him.
"Get up," the Shadowraith simply said.
Aro-Ken didn't move.
"Get up," the Master said more forcefully, throwing in a kick to the ribs that jarred him.
Slowly he hauled his body to his feet, still not saying a word.
"Well, boy, I'm going to give you one last chance. Turn, or I will kill you. Or perhaps I'll just turn you over to my Apprentice. He'd love another chance with you after that stab to the arm you gave him, and I'm feeling a bit angry after your fool of a Master came after you," said the Master.
His Master? Was that Del-Mon?
Taking a few deep breaths, Aro-Ken firmly said, "No. I'm not turning."
"So be it," the Shadowraith muttered coldly. It turned as if to leave the room, then spun around and slammed its fist into Aro-Ken's jaw. The blow hit with such a force that he would have fallen over if not for the wall less than a meter behind him.
"I'll give you once last chance to save your own life, boy. We have some demands to get out of here, and if you do a good job presenting them, we may just decide to let you live," said the Master.
"Never," said Aro-Ken. Reacting from rage, he allowed himself to spit at the Shadowraith's face. It hissed with rage.
Before Aro-Ken could move, the Shadowraith had seized his chin roughly with its freezing hands. It drew him so close he could feel its breath against his face.
"You will do them, or my Apprentice will settle his score with you," the Shadowraith slowly said.
Aro-Ken was silent for a moment, breathing furiously through clenched teeth until the Master roughly shook him.
"Answer me!" it shouted.
Glaring at him, Aro-Ken muttered, "Fine."
The Master shoved him back against the wall roughly and drew out a holorecorder it had been hiding, telling Aro-Ken what it wanted.
When the boy had said what the Master had told him to, the Shadowraith left the room, jamming the door behind it once again. It went to the nearest ventilation shaft and removed the grate. Using the Force, it levitated the holorecorder up through the maze of air ducts.
A minute later, it knocked away the grate in Wolden Keld's room and the Shadowraith let it drop onto his sleep-couch.
* * *
Not long after, Ada-Rin and Wolden returned from a swim in the pool, attempting to find at least some pleasure after the departure of their friend. Mannakri and her new Master had been called away almost immediately on a quick mission, and Erdan was too busy sobbing in his room to join them.
Wolden, in his swimsuit with a towel around his neck, said good-bye to Ada-Rin before keying in the codes to his door.
"See you later, Ada-Rin," he said, flashing her one of his famous grins.
Ada-Rin hadn't really enjoyed herself during the swim. She hadn't said much since Aro-Ken had left. "Yeah," she said in a dull voice.
Wolden sighed. He'd tried to cheer her up during the swim, but it was to no avail. His door opened, and he stepped inside the clutter of old computer and droid parts, tossing his towel over his desk chair.
Suddenly, he spotted the holoprojector resting on his bed.
"Hello, what's this?" Wolden curiously asked. He picked it up and hit the activate button and revealed a fuzzy hologram of Aro-Ken. Wolden could make out a cut on his forehead and a dark bruise on one of his cheeks. He looked exhausted.
Wolden cocked his head as he curiously looked at it. He stuck his head out the door and called, "Hey, Ada-Rin, come here and look at this!"
Ada-Rin stopped and approached him again. "What is it?" she asked.
"It's a hologram. Looks like it's from Aro," Wolden said.
The hologram suddenly began to speak.
"OK, guys, these uh... Shadowraiths have some demands. They want a fully fueled ship with supplies, a couple hundred thousand credits, and no questions asked. Leave them on the landing pad. And as is the usual hostage case, they'll kill me if you don't... And believe me, they'll do it," Aro-Ken said.
The holo flickered and died.
"Dammit all!" Wolden shouted, ignoring his Jedi discipline and flinging the holoprojector across the room.
"I think it's time for everyone's favorite word again," said Ada-Rin.
"Ah, of course! Shall we?"
"We shall!"
They both flung their heads back and shouted at the top of their lungs, "OH SSSSIIIIIIIIIIIIIIITTTTHHHH!"
* * *
I need a little help here. I can't decide which one of Aro-Ken's friends should show up and help him in another chapter. Just tell me in a review, should it be Ada-Rin, Wolden, or Erdan?
And remember, being an author, I live for feedback! And I've decided to go along with other authors' ideas of including my reviewers' names in the next chapter! Could it get any better than that?
And, just so you know, it will be a while before the next update unless I get it done within three days because I'm going on vacation on Saturday. I'll try and write as much as I can on the flight, but I can't promise anything.
One more thing. If you liked this story, I recommend reading my other fics. Also, not to sound selfish or anything, but if you have friends who read Star Wars, I would really appreciate it if you would recommend my fics to them. Being an author, I naturally want people to read my stuff.
Thanks! :-)