"So Qei digs up things, like you."
"Ava. He's an archaeologist, like me."
"But that's what you do. You said so. You dig up things and you study them."
"I said I study things and learn from them. Thieves dig up the past," Wianna stressed. "People like Qei and I preserve it."
Ava thought for a moment. Her eyes were green and potent, quietly beaming to express something. They peered out of a soft, bemused face, framed with a modest paleness and expectancy. Her hair was a light blonde and fell loosely to her gentle shoulders. She was so much younger than her master Wianna, yet sometimes she felt older. She shook her head. "You can preserve things better by fighting," she reasoned.
"That's a last resort for any Jedi." Wianna smiled. "Archaeologist or not." Ava had a good deal of common sense, but sometimes she overstepped her bounds. She needs to get a taste of the galaxy, Wianna frowned. Might as well tell her. "It also concerns our next assignment."
Ava's lips parted in a gasp. "We have an assignment? You're kidding!"
Wianna sighed a little and smirked. I wish. Her face wasn't elderly, just weary and careworn. Her spirit was still strong and vivacious, adding a subtle and rigid layer to her tone. "It's very dangerous, so you're observing," she said. "Qei's going to help me out on this one."
Great. Two archaeologists. Ava's mind schemed a little, seeking to drag some humor out of the situation. She smiled. "So that's why we were talking about him."
"Yes."
"Come to think of it, you've been mentioning him a lot lately."
"Yes.."
Ava narrowed her gaze. "You guys have a history, don't you?"
"No! That's...Ava!"
Ava giggled abruptly. This was going to be fun after all. She was delighted, her beaming eyes intent on Wianna. "You like him! I knew it!" She didn't need the Force for this. "You both dig up things! That's so romantic."
"Ava, listen to me," Wianna menaced. The girl's charms made her want to relax sometimes. Sometimes they made her want to break the Jedi Code. "Qei and I are old friends. Love's forbidden for Jedi. You know that."
Ava was quiet for a moment, her smile still warm but less ecstatic. She knew that. She didn't know why it was so, didn't like it, but she knew that. She continued to look at Wianna. The master's expression was tired. I guess I shouldn't have said anything. Ava's smile slowly faded. "I'm sorry, Wi. It's just..we were joking before and.."
"I know." Wianna sat back down beside her padawan at the holodeck table. She'd been pacing too long. Qei had been on that desert rock for too many years. The ship wasn't the same without him. He hadn't met Ava. He didn't know what things were like in the Core. It was too quiet. She rubbed her creased forehead and sighed, "I know."
It was an ambush. The dark silhouette of a ship, now in danger of getting lit up like a torch, dove aimlessly from the local patrols. Bad luck, the cloaked pilot grimaced. Things were going well before they passed by that seemingly derelict freighter. Something was unnerving about the security of this system. And a backwater system at that, he thought, temporarily dazed by a barrage of bright red blasts.
"The Jedi will never follow us here," his master quoted dryly. "Here we can stay in peace."
"Master, please be quiet. Those fighters are local, not Jedi. Do you want to fly this ship?"
The brooding presence behind him suddenly grew much darker. "Your impudence will be short-lived once we land."
If we land, the pilot snorted. He spun the ship into a barrel-roll and pulled its nose up and beyond their pursuers' laser fire. Two strange, ugly fighters buzzed below them. They resembled the new Z-73 model, minus the sleek canopy. The cloaked stranger continued the loop until they were behind the patrols.
"Finish them," his master menaced.
The pilot's fingers were already at the task. Their ship's green lasers cut into the space ahead in a stream of quick lances. One of the fighters caught a deadly dose of the fire and spiraled out of sight. An explosion followed.
"Now the other."
Shifting his sights, the dark pilot narrowed his target and let off another volley of laser fire. This time the remaining fighter spun away from the blasts and took off to the right.
"You missed."
"He's good, better than the other one. It might take longer."
"Patience is for Jedi."
So be it. He took their ship the opposite direction. He would surprise the fool and cut off his dive to the rear. No games of leap frog.
But before their second loop could finish, there was a bright flash and a moaning turbulence. Laser fire. It surprised the pilot, punching deep into the left side of their ship. A beeping alarm started to go off.
"You let him hit us."
"He must've turned harder than I thought! I didn't know-"
"Silence!" The beeping began to grow louder. "I will end this."
The pilot's master slowly leaned forward in his seat and clenched a fist. The pilot squeezed his eyes shut and started to grab at his neck. When there was no sensation, no pain, he relaxed and stared at his sensors, realizing what was happening. His master could feel the life force of the enemy pilot. He would kill him with the Force, crush his lungs. He could've done that at the very beginning.
The cloaked pilot began to sweat.
"Ava. He's an archaeologist, like me."
"But that's what you do. You said so. You dig up things and you study them."
"I said I study things and learn from them. Thieves dig up the past," Wianna stressed. "People like Qei and I preserve it."
Ava thought for a moment. Her eyes were green and potent, quietly beaming to express something. They peered out of a soft, bemused face, framed with a modest paleness and expectancy. Her hair was a light blonde and fell loosely to her gentle shoulders. She was so much younger than her master Wianna, yet sometimes she felt older. She shook her head. "You can preserve things better by fighting," she reasoned.
"That's a last resort for any Jedi." Wianna smiled. "Archaeologist or not." Ava had a good deal of common sense, but sometimes she overstepped her bounds. She needs to get a taste of the galaxy, Wianna frowned. Might as well tell her. "It also concerns our next assignment."
Ava's lips parted in a gasp. "We have an assignment? You're kidding!"
Wianna sighed a little and smirked. I wish. Her face wasn't elderly, just weary and careworn. Her spirit was still strong and vivacious, adding a subtle and rigid layer to her tone. "It's very dangerous, so you're observing," she said. "Qei's going to help me out on this one."
Great. Two archaeologists. Ava's mind schemed a little, seeking to drag some humor out of the situation. She smiled. "So that's why we were talking about him."
"Yes."
"Come to think of it, you've been mentioning him a lot lately."
"Yes.."
Ava narrowed her gaze. "You guys have a history, don't you?"
"No! That's...Ava!"
Ava giggled abruptly. This was going to be fun after all. She was delighted, her beaming eyes intent on Wianna. "You like him! I knew it!" She didn't need the Force for this. "You both dig up things! That's so romantic."
"Ava, listen to me," Wianna menaced. The girl's charms made her want to relax sometimes. Sometimes they made her want to break the Jedi Code. "Qei and I are old friends. Love's forbidden for Jedi. You know that."
Ava was quiet for a moment, her smile still warm but less ecstatic. She knew that. She didn't know why it was so, didn't like it, but she knew that. She continued to look at Wianna. The master's expression was tired. I guess I shouldn't have said anything. Ava's smile slowly faded. "I'm sorry, Wi. It's just..we were joking before and.."
"I know." Wianna sat back down beside her padawan at the holodeck table. She'd been pacing too long. Qei had been on that desert rock for too many years. The ship wasn't the same without him. He hadn't met Ava. He didn't know what things were like in the Core. It was too quiet. She rubbed her creased forehead and sighed, "I know."
It was an ambush. The dark silhouette of a ship, now in danger of getting lit up like a torch, dove aimlessly from the local patrols. Bad luck, the cloaked pilot grimaced. Things were going well before they passed by that seemingly derelict freighter. Something was unnerving about the security of this system. And a backwater system at that, he thought, temporarily dazed by a barrage of bright red blasts.
"The Jedi will never follow us here," his master quoted dryly. "Here we can stay in peace."
"Master, please be quiet. Those fighters are local, not Jedi. Do you want to fly this ship?"
The brooding presence behind him suddenly grew much darker. "Your impudence will be short-lived once we land."
If we land, the pilot snorted. He spun the ship into a barrel-roll and pulled its nose up and beyond their pursuers' laser fire. Two strange, ugly fighters buzzed below them. They resembled the new Z-73 model, minus the sleek canopy. The cloaked stranger continued the loop until they were behind the patrols.
"Finish them," his master menaced.
The pilot's fingers were already at the task. Their ship's green lasers cut into the space ahead in a stream of quick lances. One of the fighters caught a deadly dose of the fire and spiraled out of sight. An explosion followed.
"Now the other."
Shifting his sights, the dark pilot narrowed his target and let off another volley of laser fire. This time the remaining fighter spun away from the blasts and took off to the right.
"You missed."
"He's good, better than the other one. It might take longer."
"Patience is for Jedi."
So be it. He took their ship the opposite direction. He would surprise the fool and cut off his dive to the rear. No games of leap frog.
But before their second loop could finish, there was a bright flash and a moaning turbulence. Laser fire. It surprised the pilot, punching deep into the left side of their ship. A beeping alarm started to go off.
"You let him hit us."
"He must've turned harder than I thought! I didn't know-"
"Silence!" The beeping began to grow louder. "I will end this."
The pilot's master slowly leaned forward in his seat and clenched a fist. The pilot squeezed his eyes shut and started to grab at his neck. When there was no sensation, no pain, he relaxed and stared at his sensors, realizing what was happening. His master could feel the life force of the enemy pilot. He would kill him with the Force, crush his lungs. He could've done that at the very beginning.
The cloaked pilot began to sweat.