Chapter Seven
A.N. I probably shouldnt be writing this, but I dont have homework yet, and I MIGHT be able to finish this first!
Jaina swam forever. Eventually they were out of the murky water, but she had totally forgotten about bringing glow-rods, so she simply had to take Zekk by the hand and let the Force be her guide. She wish she had a better guide, the Force was great, but it was so dark it was annyoing.
The situation only worsened when Jaina noticed that she was getting a dizzy head. Slowly she put together that it was because her breather was starting to loose its energy. Essentially, she was re-breathing her own air. It must have been same for Zekk also because he nudged her mind with the Force, telling her that he was becoming worried. The most important thing was to get air soon. It would be safer if they followed down the caves and found air-pockets rather than going back to the ship. Jaina didnt know how the Vong had found them, but she guessed it was the same way they had found the Jedi fleet. Someone had leaked out information.
To her surprise, Jaina suddenly saw a flickering light ahead. It kept getting closer and closer until both Jaina and Zekk lunged to the surface, spitting out the breathers and gulping at the air. Weakly, Jaina swam to the side of the pool, crawling up the gummy rocks. Zekk came up behind her, wheezing for air. Evidently his throat had been trying to cave in.
Past the rocks, Jaina threw herself onto the cool dry sand. Breathing hard she glanced over at Zekk. He had a gash on his forehead and it looked like the Vong had broken one of his teeth. Still, as much as she gasped at the air it didn't seem that she could get enough of it. The room began to swirl in her head, and with a quiet sigh Jaina went unconscious.
Three Hours Later
AAre they dead?
ADont think so.
AShould we shoot them?
ADont ask me.
Jaina opened eyelids, her head throbbed and her mouth tasted like water-weed. What alarmed her was the conversation she was overhearing. She felt that her lightsaber was still at her side, and Zekk was also- but who was talking now?
AShouldnt we just shoot them just to be careful?
AYou remember the last time we had visitors- That was a mess.
AAre you too scared to do it?
ANo! You calling me a coward?
Jaina heard the two male voices arguing, and from their footsteps she guessed that they were about twenty feet away.
AIll do it.
AWhat? Are you crazy, I will do it.
Closing her eyes again Jaina felt Zekk move slightly beside her. Whoever these people were, they werent going to be shooting anyone anytime soon.
Listening intently, Jaina waited until the man couldnt have been three feet away. She could almost smell the mettle of the blaster as it was lowered towards her head.
Together, as if it had been rehearsed, Jaina and Zekk jumped up, lightsabers ablaze in their hands. Instantly they were the Jedi fighters no longer in water. Jaina somersaulted up and over the male who had been holding the blaster at her head and knocked him to the ground with a well placed kick.
Zekk was after the other poorly-dressed man in seconds, but he wasnt able to reach him before the panicked man was able to sound the alarm. As soon as he had rendered the man unconscious, Zekk turned to her- just as a high pitched siren pierced the air. Jaina glared at him, and he shrugged.
Jogging over to Zekk, Jaina motioned to a dark halloed-out hallway. AThis might lead to the surface, and you were a little late.
AMy head feels like a bantha sat on it- thank you very much. Zekk started off down the darkened hall. AGive me a break.
Jaina shook her head. AWhatever, Jedi. I think youre getting old. Glancing around as the lightsabers cast multi-colored light on the cave walls, Jaina wondered just who was living down here. Jedi wouldnt have attacked, so perhaps they had managed to stumble onto a spice mine? It didnt look like a spice mine. Jaina and Zekk raced toward a dim light at the end of the hall.
Suddenly, the siren was silenced. Jaina looked over her shoulder at Zekk, who showed the same hesitance on his face that she felt. Slowing down, they crept into a large room with a smooth floor with one lonely glow rod at the very opposite of the large expanse.
The tiny hairs on the back of Jainas neck stood up on end, and she felt a certain hostile presence filling the room. In less than a millisecond she let out a small gasp.AIts a trap.
Five glowing lightsabers appeared all around them, hissing like a thousand insects. Slashing from all directions and attacking with highly trained accuracy.
In seconds Jaina and Zekk were back to back, Jainas mind kept going through questions of how they could have gotten into this mess. One moment she was kissing someone, the next she was fighting against five in a dark room in who knows where. Her violet lightsaber hissed and squealed from meeting so many straight on. The last time she had fought lightsaber to lightsaber was when the Shadow Academy had attacked the Jedi on Yavin 4.
A split down the middle made Jaina and Zekk pair off, with two against her and three against Zekk. The shadows who were her opponents worked with extreme uniformity, where one slashed the other blocked. It was like trying to disarm a droid with a shield on it. It was safe to assume they had found the Force Users..but it was a question of if they were Jedi or Sith that puzzled Jaina.
Sweat was beginning to form on her forehead and run into her eyes. Suddenly, through the Force she felt Zekk cry out, someone had landed a jab onto his left shoulder. Because of their bond through the Force Jaina could practically feel the searing blade pass through her upper shoulder as it had his. The pain was only in her head, but it moved her to anger quickly.
A new energy surged through her body as she slashed up and away. Finally, she landed a powerful sweeping stroke on one of her opponents sides, and another on a mans leg. With both her rivals flying away from her she was able to look over at Zekk, and saw him crumpled on the floor. Not dead, but...
The sight of him lying there had distracted her just enough to let her guard down. Blackness.
2b continued