Chapter 15
Jesbra awoke lying on something cold and hard. She tried to sit up, but was too dizzy to do so.
Where am I? she wondered. The last thing she had remembered was falling, then hitting warm mud. This was not warm mud. She had no idea how long she had been out, or why she had been out in the first place. Even that far a fall shouldn't have done that to her, not with the Force-cushion she'd used to lessen the impact.
She could feel Lexoc beside her, still out. But she couldn't feel Keldu, Oliso or Nerca anywhere. It was like they had just been cut off.
Something faint reached her. A tiny voice. Keldu's voice. Jesbra focused, listening intently.
I will find you, Lexoc, Jesbra, it said. Some how, some way, I will find you. Know that and believe it.
Then just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone. She was cut off again.
Keldu? Oliso? Nerca? It was no use. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't reach them.
At least Lexoc was still with her. Wherever they were.
Jesbra still couldn't make out where she was or how she got there. She could barely get a Force-sense of where she was, much less how far from Keldu, Oliso and Nerca she was. She tried to sit up again.
This time she succeeded. She opened her eyes to fuzzy vision. She could discern that she and Lexoc were in a durasteel crate. The crate was long enough for Jesbra to stretch out in, it was as wide as Jesbra's legs were long, and tall enough to stand up in—if she doubled over. The walls were cold and bare except across from Jesbra there was a small locked control panel and on the side wall was a small window covered with bars of electric energy.
They were trapped.
But by who?
Lexoc stirred and awoke. Trying to sit up, she fell just like Jesbra. Jesbra crawled to her while she was still recovering.
"Oh," she moaned. "Jesbra? Where are you?"
"Right here."
"Where are we?" she tried to sit up again, but failed.
"I don't know."
"Where are the others? I can't feel them."
"I don't know. I felt Keldu a minute ago and a message from her, then she was cut off again."
"What did she say?"
"She said, 'I will find you, Lexoc, Jesbra. Some how, some way, I will find you. Know that and believe it.' And then, like I said, she was gone again."
"So they think we're lost."
"I guess so. But I guess to them, because we're separated and don't know where they are, we are."
"I guess so." Lexoc sat up and shook her head as if to clear the dizziness. She opened her eyes and surveyed their crate. "Again, where are we?"
"Again, I don't know. I don't see how we got from that mud pit to here."
"Me neither. I wonder if anyone could answer that."
"I cssouldss," a voice came from the direction of the small window. It was a cruel, hissing sound that could barely be considered Basic at all. The purple electric bars shut down and through them Jesbra glimpsed an evil looking creature. It was a green, reptilian alien, one that Jesbra had never seen or heard of. The creature appeared male but Jesbra couldn't be sure. He was covered in large green scales, his eyes were large and yellow, split by black lines that appeared to be pupils. He had large sharp fangs that jutted out of the sides of his jaw menacingly. His appearance reminded Jesbra of old childhood tales of monsters and deep down, his appearance actually frightened her a bit.
"Who are you?" she inquired cautiously.
"Noness, of ssyour bussssinessss." Jesbra had to try hard to understand what the creature was saying with all of that hissing.
"Who are you?" she repeated harsher, feeding the Force into words.
"Youss don'tss needss to sknow. Allsss youss needss to sknow issss sthat youss aress luringsss yoursss friendssss heress." You don't need to know. All you need to know is that you're are luring your friends here.
"No. Who are you and why do you want us?" Lexoc spoke up.
"I'ss don'ts wantss yousss, I'ss wantss yourss friendss." I don't want you, I want your friends.
"Why do you want them?" Jesbra asked. "You have us."
"Yess, butss I'ss wantss hersss." Yes, but I want her.
"Who?" Lexoc inquired groggily, albeit harshly.
The creature let out a long evil laugh. It was a terrible shrieking sound. "Ifss I toldss youss thatss, itss wouldn'tss bess a sssecret. Thenss againss," the reptile put a hand to his cheek in thought, "youss won'tss bess leavingsss. SsNercasss. Iss wantss SsNercasss." If I told you it wouldn't be a secret. Then again, you won't be leaving. Nerca. I want Nerca.
Jesbra gulped. "Nerca?"
"Yessss." Yes.
"Why do you want Nerca?" Lexoc demanded.
He laughed again. "I'msss notss tellingsss." I'm not telling.
Nerca, Oliso, Keldu stay away! Jesbra tried to reach out to them again. Stay away, he's after you!
But like before, she was cut off. And this creature in front of her was the one cutting them off.