CHAPTER 10

TROUBLE

"We can't wait any longer," the cliant said to the bounty hunter. "My Master wants him. He changed his mind. He wants him alive. Would you be able to get him without killing him?

Are Hutts fat? The bounty hunter nodded even though he would have enjoyed killing the old Jedi more. "Yes, Master Skywalker," he said. "I would."

"It's coming," Esore said, hearing the rustling get closer. "It's attracted to our lightsabers." She looked back at the other four Padawans. "Quick, turn them off!"

All five lightsabers winked out.

Master Yoda had nothing to do that evening so he decided to go to the Temples' new library and do some reading.

As he walked down the hall he felt a prickling sensation run down his spine. He stopped and looked over his shoulder. Nothing.

"Hello?" he said, thinking it might be a Padawan. "Is someone there?"

No reply.

"Is it coming?" Maya whispered.

"Shh!" Esore comanded quietly. "Listen."

The girl went silent.

That's when they all heard that rustling sound again. It seemed closer.

"What is that?" Rue asked from the back.

"I don't know," Jay answered in a hushed voice. "But whatever it is it sounds big!"

Yoda shrugged it off. Imagining it I might have been, he figured.

He started walking again.

The sensation came back. A disturbance in the Force.

He paused and looked all around himself. Once again he saw nobody and heard nothing.

"Right something is not," he whispered. "Feel it I can."

"I think we'd better split up," Esore said.

"Are you mad!" Dorian hissed. "If we split up we'll either get lost or that whatever it is in the darkness will eat us one by one!"

"We won't get lost," Esore said coolly. "Use the Force. It will help us keep tabs on eachother by telling us where we are. If you run into trouble feel free to use your lightsaber. That's what it was made for."

"Okay," the others agreed, their voices tembling a bit.

They're scared too, she thought. That was a bit of a comfort. At least she wasn't the only one. "Good," the girl said. "Let's go."

Quickly and quietly they all went their seperate ways.

Master Yoda stopped walking again.

He hadn't gotten much farther when he felt that distrubance again. He also heard the footsteps this time. He could tell by the sound they made that they didn't belong here. They sounded nothing like Jedi boots.

Back my assassin is! he thought trying not to panic. Come back to kill me he has. Get out of here I must.

Before he could give it even a second thought the old Master lifted his walking stick and started running.

Esore used the Force to keep tabs on her friends locations. She could feel them all moving around as well as sense whatever else was stalking them. Though she still had no idea how big it was.

Don't be afraid, she told herself. If you panic you won't be able to focus on whatever it is and it will take you by surprsie when you least expect it!

That thought worked until she heard footsteps. She froze and listened. They were close. Instantly her lightsaber went into her hands and hissed to life.

In its pale white light she looked around. Nothing.

She started to back up, hoping that whatever had made the sound was in front of her. Her eyes scanned what she could see of the forest in the light of her blade. She saw nothing but didn't want to take any chances. She kept on going backward.

Suddenly her back made contact with something warm...

Yoda kept on running. He knew he was being a coward but the hallway wasn't a good place to fight whoever was stalking him.

A blind corner was ahead. Yoda wasn't paying attention. He was too busy looking over his shoulder.

Just as he neared the corner something smashed into him and knocked him against the wall!

Esore let go of all her training in that instant.

A loud scream roared out of her mouth and she turned around to face the beast, her ligthsaber raised.

A yellow blade met hers.

She stared in surprise at the weapon then at the creature beyond it. The 'beast' was the Twi'lek Padawan Rie. Rie's eyes were wild with fear but she kept them locked on the one she had thought was a 'beast'.

"Rie?" Esore gasped.

"Esore!" Rie said the exact same time.

"What... it was you!" they said together.

Esore sighed in relief. "I'm glad it was just you..."

Another scream filled the air.

"Who was that?" Rie asked.

That scream was joined by another. Esore knew those screams.

"It's Maya and Dorian," she said, feeling a disturbance in the Force. "They're in trouble!"

Yoda's body hit the wall so hard it knocked the air out of his lungs. He crumbled onto the floor, totally winded.

Even so; he was still aware of everything around him.

That disturbance got bigger.

His hand reached for his ligthsaber.

"What are we going to do?' Rie asked, her purple eyes wild with fear.

Esore knew only one answer. She turned her lightsabers power to full. "We have to help them," she said firmly.

"H-help them?" the Twi'lek girl stammered.

Esore grabbed her arm. "Yes." They started running. "Let's go before it's too late!"

Igniting his blade, Master Yoda stood. He held the lightsaber infront of his body in a defensive position. His hazel colored eyes scanned the hallway as he used the Force to help him flush out the enemy. His was answered with the sensation of his assassin being close by.

He could now see down that blind corner. Nobody he could see was there.

The Force said otherwise, though. Even though he couldn't see it he could feel it.

A cloak! he thought, his heart pounding. Cloaked he is!

Esore and Rie followed the sounds of a struggle all the way to its source.
In the light of their swords the could see Jay, Maya, and Dorian fightting something. They could see what it was but just barely. A giant praying mantise!

Yoda felt the click of a rifle and tensed. He knew when the blast would be even before it was fired.

Just as the blaster went off he jumped.

Rie and Esore didn't give it much of a thought. Letting out wars cries they plowed into the fray.

The Force let him right to the source of the firing. His ligthsaber came down on it and broke the blaster. His missed the assassin's wrist and hand by an inch.

As the upper half of the gun clattered to the floor the old Jedi immediatly dodged a blow from what was left of it.

Twisting his body he lashed out with his lightsaber. It sliced into something that burst into a shower of sparks.

Yoda landed cat like on the floor and looked up. The would-be assassin's cloak fizzled then went out.

He could now see what looked like a bounty hunter in battered red and silver armor looming over him.(Same design as Jango Fett and Boba Fetts)

Esore used the Force to go into a flying leap. As she flew at the praying mantise she swung her lightsaber expertly. It sliced right through the monster's right claw severing it.

The giant bug shrieked and used its other claw to knock her out of the air and flat on her back on the ground.

Rie, who used more caution than Esore had, landed at its feet and cut off one of its six legs.

Dorian and Jay stood on either side of Maya who held her blue lightsaber in trembling hands.

"We'll have to go for the head," Jay advised.

"Right," Dorian said, his whole body tembling from his held in glee at finally fighting a real enemy. "We'll jump at the same time."

"Okay!"

Drawing the Force up around them the two boys jumped into the air.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" they screamed, coming down on the praying mantise and cutting off everything that was from the shoulders down.

"Now, Maya!" they shouted to the human girl, who still stood planted in one spot.

Without thinking she screamed and ran forward, her lightsaber sticking out straight in front of her. The blade impailed the insect's chest.

With one final scream it fell over.

Esore got up just in time to avoid being flattened by the monster's shredded corpse.

"Who are you?" Yoda demanded from his crouched position.

The bounty hunter looked down at the old Jedi Master. "My name is Ruden Farlian," he replied. "I was hired to kill you."

Yoda's grip tightened on his lightsaber. He was ready to act if this bounty hunter tried anything.

"Who hired you?" he demanded. "Tell me! Now!"

Ruden pulled out another gun and aimed it at the still crouching Jedi. "Soembody who wants you dead!" was his answer.

Then he fired.

The five Padawans grouped together. "Is everyone alright?" Rie asked, looking them all over.

"Yes," Esore replied. "I think we are."

"I'm okay," Jay spoke up.

"Me to," Dorian put in.

"Ditto," Maya added.

The Twi'lek was relieved. She hated it when her friends got hurt. "Good. That's good." she said nodding.

"All right," Esore said. "I think we'd better-"

Piercing shrieks filled the jungle.

A/N

I have no idea what monsters live on Naboo. I have to guess. Sorry if I got it wrong and sorry if Yoda's out of character.