Chapter 22-Realization
Kyp saw the entrance to the underground hideout, and went inside. This must be where all the ysalamiri are, he realized. If he could get in there and kill the ysalamiri, he would be able to sense Ralya and find out where she was.
Maybe she would even be down there, but that would not be a good thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ralya sat thinking, sorting through images in her head, trying to figure out the intentions and perhaps the weakness of their strange captors. Dashana's dead body…the ysalamir that they had seen next to it…Koori, using the Force inside the ysalamir's bubble…Koori, dropping her pack…
And then it came to her. She knew what the anigari was. It pulled the Force towards it. It provided a small area where the Force existed, even within the ysalamir's bubble. It was impossible, and yet somehow it worked. It must draw the Force from above the bubble, she realized.
But Koori had dropped the anigari before entering the underground hideout, where the ysalamiri were presumably kept. The anigari and the ysalamiri must do something strange when they were too close…
"They created a disturbance in the Force," she said out loud. "That was how Dashana and Lyss died…"
"Very good," came Koori's voice. "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out. Of course, you're not a real Human Replica Droid. And that is why I have to kill you."
Ralya moved back, and her hand brushed against an object on the floor of her cell. Even in the dark, she knew what it was: Aruna Ni's lightsaber.
Aruna Ni had been there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kyp entered a room and saw at least two dozen ysalamiri. Strangely, though, he saw no guard. And then he heaerd a muffled
shouting.
Kyp looked around until he discovered the source of the noise: a man, gagged and tied to a chair.
After considering it for a moment, Kyp slipped the man's gag off. The first words out of his mouth were: "Don't kill the ysalamiri!"
"Why not?" he asked.
"Koori will be able to use the Force! She'll kill us all!"
Kyp stared in shock. "Koori's dead!"
"If only she were! I never wanted to work with a Dark Jedi, but Yrbel hired her. The ysalamiri kept her from using the Force, but now she's gone crazy! She's trying to kill the prisoners!"
Ralya and Brekk! "A boy and a girl?"
"Yes."
"So Koori was the one behind killing the students at the Academy?"
"I don't know anything about that. I'm a scientist, not a murderer."
So it was Koori all along, Kyp realized. We have to get rid of the ysalamiri. Koori will have the Force, but hopefully three Jedi against one will win out.
If I can find them fast enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dark shadow Ralya was trying to hide in provided little protection. But a lightsaber would hold off Koori for a while, even without the Force.
Then she saw Koori take out her own lightsaber and extend the red blade. Koori was a Dark Jedi, Ralya realized too late.
And suddenly the Force returned.
Ralya felt her father and Brekk, but knew that they were too far away to help her before it was too late. She was on her own.
And then she remembered her dream. The two lightsabers dueling, though no hands held them...
Ralya extended the silver blade of Aruna Ni's lightsaber. And suddenly it was flying towards Koori, suspended only by the power
of the Force.
Koori saw it coming, a look of mixed anger and shock on her face. She blocked the silver blade with her red one, and moved quickly from defense position to attack. She slashed viciously at the silver
lightsaber so that Ralya lost control for a moment and let it fly to close to her for comfort. She pulled it back to her hand and quickly slashed out as the red blade of Koori's lightsaber came flying towards her. Koori wasn't holding it.
Ralya pulled that lightsaber towards her also, but encountered a resistance. Koori was pulling it in the opposite direction.
Sweat beaded on Ralya's brow, dripped down her face and neck as she struggled to prevent Koori from getting her lightsaber back. She was spending all her energy, she knew, and if Koori did get the lightsaber she wouldn't be able to fight her.
But then she saw something that Koori didn't: Brekk.
Brekk shoved Koori with all his might, and the lightsaber that had been suspended in midair suddenly flew towards Ralya, went over her head as she ducked, and crashed into the wall, sending sparks flying.
Brekk ran up to Ralya and grabbed her hand. "Come on! Let's get out of here!"
They had only gone a few steps when they heard Koori's voice. "Not so fast!" They turned to see her standing up, a crazed look in her eye and a blaster in her hand. "You're mine, Atta Nelde!" she said.
And then she pulled the trigger.
Kyp saw the entrance to the underground hideout, and went inside. This must be where all the ysalamiri are, he realized. If he could get in there and kill the ysalamiri, he would be able to sense Ralya and find out where she was.
Maybe she would even be down there, but that would not be a good thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ralya sat thinking, sorting through images in her head, trying to figure out the intentions and perhaps the weakness of their strange captors. Dashana's dead body…the ysalamir that they had seen next to it…Koori, using the Force inside the ysalamir's bubble…Koori, dropping her pack…
And then it came to her. She knew what the anigari was. It pulled the Force towards it. It provided a small area where the Force existed, even within the ysalamir's bubble. It was impossible, and yet somehow it worked. It must draw the Force from above the bubble, she realized.
But Koori had dropped the anigari before entering the underground hideout, where the ysalamiri were presumably kept. The anigari and the ysalamiri must do something strange when they were too close…
"They created a disturbance in the Force," she said out loud. "That was how Dashana and Lyss died…"
"Very good," came Koori's voice. "I was wondering how long it would take you to figure it out. Of course, you're not a real Human Replica Droid. And that is why I have to kill you."
Ralya moved back, and her hand brushed against an object on the floor of her cell. Even in the dark, she knew what it was: Aruna Ni's lightsaber.
Aruna Ni had been there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kyp entered a room and saw at least two dozen ysalamiri. Strangely, though, he saw no guard. And then he heaerd a muffled
shouting.
Kyp looked around until he discovered the source of the noise: a man, gagged and tied to a chair.
After considering it for a moment, Kyp slipped the man's gag off. The first words out of his mouth were: "Don't kill the ysalamiri!"
"Why not?" he asked.
"Koori will be able to use the Force! She'll kill us all!"
Kyp stared in shock. "Koori's dead!"
"If only she were! I never wanted to work with a Dark Jedi, but Yrbel hired her. The ysalamiri kept her from using the Force, but now she's gone crazy! She's trying to kill the prisoners!"
Ralya and Brekk! "A boy and a girl?"
"Yes."
"So Koori was the one behind killing the students at the Academy?"
"I don't know anything about that. I'm a scientist, not a murderer."
So it was Koori all along, Kyp realized. We have to get rid of the ysalamiri. Koori will have the Force, but hopefully three Jedi against one will win out.
If I can find them fast enough.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The dark shadow Ralya was trying to hide in provided little protection. But a lightsaber would hold off Koori for a while, even without the Force.
Then she saw Koori take out her own lightsaber and extend the red blade. Koori was a Dark Jedi, Ralya realized too late.
And suddenly the Force returned.
Ralya felt her father and Brekk, but knew that they were too far away to help her before it was too late. She was on her own.
And then she remembered her dream. The two lightsabers dueling, though no hands held them...
Ralya extended the silver blade of Aruna Ni's lightsaber. And suddenly it was flying towards Koori, suspended only by the power
of the Force.
Koori saw it coming, a look of mixed anger and shock on her face. She blocked the silver blade with her red one, and moved quickly from defense position to attack. She slashed viciously at the silver
lightsaber so that Ralya lost control for a moment and let it fly to close to her for comfort. She pulled it back to her hand and quickly slashed out as the red blade of Koori's lightsaber came flying towards her. Koori wasn't holding it.
Ralya pulled that lightsaber towards her also, but encountered a resistance. Koori was pulling it in the opposite direction.
Sweat beaded on Ralya's brow, dripped down her face and neck as she struggled to prevent Koori from getting her lightsaber back. She was spending all her energy, she knew, and if Koori did get the lightsaber she wouldn't be able to fight her.
But then she saw something that Koori didn't: Brekk.
Brekk shoved Koori with all his might, and the lightsaber that had been suspended in midair suddenly flew towards Ralya, went over her head as she ducked, and crashed into the wall, sending sparks flying.
Brekk ran up to Ralya and grabbed her hand. "Come on! Let's get out of here!"
They had only gone a few steps when they heard Koori's voice. "Not so fast!" They turned to see her standing up, a crazed look in her eye and a blaster in her hand. "You're mine, Atta Nelde!" she said.
And then she pulled the trigger.