The Power Within
Keilana woke the next morning with a start. She sat up quickly and looked around the small room she was in, taking in each sight. She was sitting on a double bed on the left side of the room. There was a chair next to a large wardrobe directly across from her and a door to a refresher unit on the same wall as her bed. She looked behind her and could see a window. Heavy curtains were drawn to stop the morning's light and the lights of the surrounding buildings from flowing into the room.
It took her a moment to realize where she was and why. Once she did, Keilana swung her legs over the side of the bed. She had slept on top of the blankets the night before with her blaster under her pillow.
Keilana stood up and, bending over, she picked up both her belt from the night stand and the blaster from under the pillow. She quickly put the blaster in it's holster, which she had worn through the night, and hooked the belt around her hips. She picked up her helmet from the chair and quickly put it on, attaching the fabric across her face. Keilana stole out of her room as quietly as she could and started down the hall.
Within a few minutes, Keilana found herself at a turbolift. She reached up to punch the call button when someone stepped into the room. She pulled her helmet off quickly and spun around. She could see a figure standing in the shadows and moved a hand over her blaster as the figure started to move forward. As the person stepped into the light, Keilana recognised Ganner. His black hair was neat and his chin was covered in stubble he hadn't bothered to shave. A long scar cut down his cheek and Keilana smirked to herself.
Good morning, Ganner, she nodded as she pulled her hand away from the blaster. Looks better this morning than he did last night, she smiles inwardly.
You are up rather early, he smiled as he walked a little closer.
You should speak for yourself, Keilana raised her eyebrows and looked up at Ganner as he stepped very close. Besides, I don't need much sleep.
What brings you out of your room so early? Ganner asked. He reached up and around Keilana, his hand brushing her shoulder as he reached for the call button. Keilana could feel Ganner's eyes on her and she just smiled at him.
Why do you want to know?
Just curious, Ganner smiled back as the lift doors opened. Going down?
Yeah, sure, Keilana stepped into the lift. Ganner followed and stood quite close to her. She gave him a disgusted look, one which he did not catch, and then looked back at the doors.
The rest of the ride down was silent, for the most part. Ganner would try to start a conversation, but each time Keilana gave him some look or comment that would shut him up. Ganner eventually gave up.
As soon as the doors opened, Keilana stepped out, Ganner right behind her. She started for the front doors, but Ganner caught her arm and turned her around.
My master would like to speak with you sometime this morning, Ganner said, letting go of Keilana as she buckled under his touch.
I guess I could make time for that, Keilana stepped away from Ganner and closer to the doors. but first, I have to go check on my ship.
Need a lift?
she answered quickly. Ganner looked at Keilana as a wave of anxiety washed off of her. He was surprised how quickly she blocked up her emotions and gave a little nod. Keilana eyed him but shook her head and took another step towards the doors. Though, if you have a speeder, I could speak to your master all the sooner. It would really be a bother walking a sector to the repair shop and back again.
Right this way, Ganner pointed in the opposite direction of the doors and Keilana followed hesitantly. Ganner led her as quickly as he could to the hanger where Keilana jumped into the closest speeder.
Thank you and I should be back in a couple of hours. You can tell your master that I shan't be too long, Keilana nodded to Ganner before backing up and speeding out of the hanger.
Keilana looked back at the Jedi Temple momentarily and then at the stream of traffic in front of her. A grin spread across her lips as she reached for her helmet and put it back on her head.
Keilana flew over an industrial section of Coruscant and past hundreds of skyscrapers. She could see, far below her, the city as it began to come to life. More and more creatures filled the streets and more speeders filled the air. Keilana started to grumble as traffic slowed down as the morning commute hit it's maximum point. Despite the traffic conditions, Keilana reached her destination in a fraction of the time it would have taken her otherwise.
Keilana parked the speeder in front of the docking bay that held her ship and walked in.
Ah, good morning, the Bothan looked up at Keilana as she entered.
I need to pick up my ship. Now, she snarled. And I need that speeder out there brought to my ship as quickly as possible.
Yes, of course, the Bothan stood up. Keilana threw him a couple of credits and started moving to the docking bay that held her ship.
Once there, Keilana walked up to the Scrimshaw and started to look her over. She looked up quickly as the ceiling above her head started to open and the speeder was landed behind the ship. The Bothan owner stepped out and looked at Keilana.
I trust you find your ship in good condition? He asked, walking over to stand at her side.
Yes, it is in very good condition. Thank you. Keilana glanced at the Bothan and went to the back of her ship. As she approached, she opened a small control panel and punched in a code. A small door opened and a cable was exposed. Keilana reached in, pulled the cable out and went to the nearby speeder, attaching the cable to the front of it. She then went back to the control panel, punched in another code and the cable was pulled taut.
Keilana moved to the Bothan once again, after closing the control panel, and gave him a few more credits. He smiled and moved back into the building as Keilana walked up her hatchway. She checked the inside of her ship for any sign of a tracking device and then moved to the cockpit.
Keilana sat down in the captain's chair, punched several buttons and pulled several levers to get the ship started. She quickly lifted up into the air and flew to the sector that held the Jedi Temple. Once there, she hovered in the air and started calling around for an available docking bay. Once she found one, she flew her ship to it, locked her up and detached the speeder.
On her way to pay the owner, Keilana was pulled into a side hall, an arm wrapped around her neck. She started to reach for her blaster, but when she felt the cold steel of another blaster press into her hand, she stopped. She looked as far as she could to her left, without moving her head, and could barely make out the form of a helmet.
She choked out. Keilana was quickly spun around and was looking into the T-shaped visor of her father's helmet.
he growled. Keilana rubbed at her neck and shook her head.
Are you following me or something? I mean, shit, you disappear for five years and all of a sudden you show up as soon as I finish a job. As if that wasn't enough, you show up again and stick another blaster on me. I didn't think you cared enough to follow me around the galaxy.
Why do you think I would follow you. I have a job and wouldn't sink to levels such as following someone whom I couldn't get a profit from, Boba Fett took a step toward Keilana and moved his helmet close to her face. Don't let your imagination run away with you, girl. You just happened to be here too. Funny how fate works sometimes.
Don't worry about me, Dad, Keilana growled back. I am big enough to take care of myself.
What do you mean by that? Keilana stepped back and glanced over her shoulder. And why the hell did you pull me into this hall?
I hear you have a job that will pay you off quite nicely, Boba put his helmet in Keilana's face once again and grabbed her left arm right, just above the elbow, and pulled her closer.
Your fall into the Saarlac was due to that fool Solo. With him grieving over the death of his pet, I'll have a big advantage over you, Keilana spat and tried to pull her arm away but Fett's grip on her was strong.
I'll be sure to shed a tear when I hear of your death, Keilana, she could feel his glare, though she could not see it through the visor. She just stared right back at her father, her eyes just as hard as his.
I would be surprised beyond belief, Dad, if you let yourself cry over the death of your child, Keilana growled back. Fett let go quickly and Keilana stepped back and out of the side hall. She glanced back at her father once more before walking to the front office. When she returned, her father was nowhere in sight. Keilana shook her head and climbed into the speeder to return to the Temple.
Ganner turned after watching Keilana leave the hanger and went back inside the temple. He walked slowly through the halls, greeting Jedi as they started to wake. He first went to the front hall where Keilana had met his master the night before and looked around. He closed his eyes and opened himself to the Force to see if he could figure out who this woman was. She was an outsider, that much was clear. She was an outsider who knew what to use to get what she wanted.
But is she a threat? Ganner asked himself as he opened his eyes. Is there something about her I should be worried about? Ganner shook his head and moved from the front hall and started walking up a grand staircase to his right.
Once he reached the top, Ganner moved quickly to a training arena. He peered inside through the translucent walls and was surprised to see several young Jedi already starting their morning training. He opened the door, which quietly hissed, and stepped inside, his eyes on the younger Jedi. They looked up momentarily at the newcomer but quickly went back to their activities.
The man Ganner was looking for was on the other side of the arena. He quickly stole around the outer edge and bowed his head as he approached.
Good morning, Master, Ganner smiled at the man. Luke looked up at Ganner and motioned for him to join him on the ground. Ganner nodded and sat next to Luke, his legs crossed and his hands on his knees.
Have you spoken to our guest yet this morning, Ganner? Luke looked at the younger Jedi and then moved his head slowly back to the training Jedi before him.
Yes, Master, I have.
And I trust she is doing all right?
Yes, Master, Ganner nodded again as he too watched the younger Jedi. She left earlier to check on her ship. She seemed quite concerned, so I let her go.
You just let her leave? Luke looked at Ganner, snapping his head over quickly.
She said she was coming back, Master. Perhaps I shouldn't have trusted her, but it seemed the right thing to do at the time, Ganner continued looking at the Jedi in front of him, avoiding eye contact with his master. He could hear Luke sigh and assumed he also shook his head.
Did she take anything with her?
I let her borrow a speeder. Was that wrong?
We'll see, Luke sighed again. Does she know I would like to meet with her?
Yes, Master, I told her that you would like to speak with her and she said she would fit it in her schedule, Ganner nodded once. She seemed quite honest. I couldn't pick up much emotion rolling off of her, but as far as I could tell, she told the truth about coming back.
It would be a disappointment letting her go, Luke sighed as he looked at Ganner once more. She has quite a presence in the Force and I would like to see if I could tap into her Force potential.
Yes, I thought there was something about her, Ganner said.
When you introduced her to me, I was surprised by the power she could potentially tap into, Luke looked at Ganner, who glanced at his master. She could even hold more power than you, Ganner.
Which means she could become a dangerous foe or a powerful ally, a small smile crept across Ganner's lips as he looked back out at the people on the floor.
Yes, yes she could, Luke nodded before standing. Ganner stayed where he was and watched his master walk out to the center of the floor and call the younger Jedi to him. Ganner smiled to himself and looked out of the transparisteel ceiling at the traffic above.
More potential than me, Master? Ganner smirked. We'll just have to wait and see about that.
