Chapter 18

Jesbra awoke from her stun-sleep in an interrogator chair similar to the one in the room that she—and hopefully Lexoc—had just escaped from. In the room with her stood two short beings, on the other end of the room tending to something that Jesbra couldn't quite make out; one a human male, the other an Ishtoni female. They apparently weren't watching her; they were completely absorbed in whatever it was they were working on.

Excellent. That provided chance for escape.

Jesbra rose up against the straps with all of her strength. They were stronger leather than she had thought. Her moving didn't seem to affect the man and the Ishtoni, they kept on talking in low voices and moving around whatever was situated on that table.

They don't care, do they? Yeah, but who knows what kind of trouble they'll be in when I escape?

Again Jesbra pushed her way up against the straps, using the Force this time to yank the straps away from her body.

They gave with a loud snap-pop and Jesbra leapt from the chair quicker than a hungry, hunting, jungle cat pounced on a womp rat. This time they turned and the man had a stunner. Jesbra's hand went immediately to where her lightsaber would have dangled against her hip. Her hand brushed against her empty belt. She grunted as she remembered where it was and instead called the stunner to her hand.

It flew from the man's grip and into Jesbra's quicker than the Ishtoni's six-eyed blink. Without thought Jesbra pumped a bolt into each of them, dropping them helpless to the floor. On the man's face froze a slight sign of fear and the Ishtoni froze with all three pairs of her thin brows arched high.

Jesbra hurried past them to the door, then froze as if she had been hit with one of those bolts. The snake stood in the hall but he wasn't alone. He battled with Lexoc—who had somehow managed to recover her lightsaber—as he would in a Jedi training match at the Temple to try and persuade a Master that he was a worthy Padawan Learner.

Guards and scientists alike had gathered like spectators at the Galactic Games at both ends of the halls. Without thinking Jesbra began blasting them with the stunner. They fell one by one until there were only heaps of unconscious bodies stacking up in the wide corridor.

Jesbra turned to fire a shot into the snake but something warned her back, something that seemed like Lexoc.

No, Jesbra, it said lightly. Run. It's the only chance for either of us.

No. I won't leave you, she replied.

You have to.

Jesbra paused for a moment considering her options. Leave her friend and finally fulfill the taunts that the other Jedi students had nagged at her—that she would never stay for a friend, she was too much of a rebel and a loner—or distract the Dark Jedi and give Lexoc a chance to escape.

Either way it was a tough decision and she didn't have time to sit and ponder over her action.

She made the decision quickly.

Instead of listening to the voice, Jesbra shot a couple of shots into the green snake's scaly back then turned on her heels and ran. Not enough shots to drop a Dark Jedi, but enough to momentarily slow him down and make him angry.

His loud footsteps followed her down the hall as she ran. His toe claws made a distinct click-click-click apart from the normal clunk-clunk-clunk of human or humanoid boots.

Once, when winding through the endless corridors, Jesbra nearly ran into a group of armed scientists. They, side by side began covering with blaster fire; no easy stun-guns this time. Jesbra ducked down a different corridor like a frightened lizard and began firing stun bolts up the corridor behind her to discourage anyone from following.

She reached a lift tube and slammed her hand on the summoning button as hard as she could; staying here even a couple of extra minutes increased the chance that the snake would seek her out.

But it was too late.

"Sssso, yousss thoughtss yousss couldss ssrun?" the hiss came from behind her. She turned to face the snake slowly. His saber was raised and Jesbra's lightsaber hung at his waist. "Dead end, Jedi." The last phrase came out without much hissing, as if the snake had practiced that phrase many times for human ears.

The lift tube sounded that it was ready. Jesbra smiled at him quickly. "Oh, really?"

She back-sprung to the inside of the tube, slamming her hand into the up control for heading to the ground surface; she had no idea how she even knew she was below ground. She knew that the snake would bring the lightsaber through the door to the lift tube causing it to freeze before it ever began its ascent; but she pushed the pod upward in the tube with all the power of the Force that she could muster.

The pod reached the surface in a matter of seconds, the doors slid open and Jesbra darted out at a dead run. A single blaster bolt streaked past her head as she ran, but she dodged and pumped a stun bolt into the blaster's owner.

She kept up the run for a few standard minutes, enough to get her free for at least long enough to try and reach out to Nerca, Oliso, and Keldu.

She was beyond the snake's reach.

Help me.

Her message was simple as was her reply. Jesbra! Hold on! Hold on!

She began to run again when fatigue and sickness hit her like a wave. The others must've felt it for they all replied again in unison.

HOLD ON!

She leaned against a tree for support. The thought came to her that they must've drugged her during her stun-sleep.

Why you evil snake! she snarled in her mind, trying to push the thought at the snake. Wait until I get my hands on you! She gritted her teeth as she tried to stand against the sudden swarm of fatigue.

The weariness pounded her, demanding she drop to the ground and sleep right now, but she stumbled onward, fighting the effects with the Force.

Fatigue and the sickness hit her again and she collapsed to the ground with a moan.

Blackness overtook her quickly.