Shadows of Heroines and Heroes
-- Pride and an unwanted rescue --
Alison watched grimly as Torne sketched out the hut and its contents with his unusual Force power.
"Look," Rain hissed pointing to silver lines within the rope. "It has cortis weave threaded through it." Kevin shook his head.
"Mom said that Revan gave them some of the stuff the last time she was here with the Ebon Hawk; so they helped her hide it. I have no idea why though."
Everyone turned to Alison who rolled her eyes.
"Mom said that if anyone could hack into the nav computer, and that's near impossible unless you know all about the traps and lockouts, then they'd be able to go where she had been and that it would not have good results."
"Odd…" Kevin echoed scratching his head. "You'd think that Grandma would have hidden it somewhere less easy to find and—"
"Yeah," Alison interrupted with a smile; "but even if Rick and his friends had found the Ebon Hawk, it wouldn't have done them any good. I'm the only one out of us who could even hope to break into the Ebon Hawk." She smiled and grinned, as her three friends waited expectantly for new burst of knowledge.
"We've got HK, or rather I have HK, and I am Revan's daughter, so if the chieftain's niece hadn't been killed in the fight, then, Rick and his friends wouldn't be in this trouble right now."
Kevin suddenly grinned. "I see where you're going with this, Alison." And then he frowned. "But won't they require a challenge like the Krayt Dragon?"
She nodded. "Yes, I think so… I'll have to duel with the Chieftain for Rick's life, after I er, barter for the others' life."
"Wait," Rain asked, suddenly jumping into the conversation, "what do you mean barter?"
"And how and where are you going to duel?" Torne asked, the two fifteen year olds asked with confused looks on their faces.
"On a wooden beam, overtop the Sarlacc. They won't be able to resist the challenge." Alison replied firmly and Kevin groaned covering his face with one hand.
"What's that?" Torne asked, looking from the grim Kevin to the equally grim and somewhat excited Alison. Kevin shook his head.
"You and Rain don't want to know, you don't want to know." Kevin repeated this twice as Alison rolled her eyes.
"Look Kev, it's not that bad and I'm doing it, no more arguments." Alison watched as the large procession made their way to the Sarlacc slowly stopping every now and then, packing and unpacking their huts as they went.
"I need to get down there and see what the situation is like, damnit!" She whispered jamming her fist against the ground in annoyance.
"Inquiring Statement: Perhaps I may be of some help, Master."
Alison nearly jumped as HK spoke, standing behind her, his weapon out ready for action and his red eyes glinting in the dark. She looked at him and a sudden thought struck her and she glanced again at the big weapon in his hands.
"HK, tell me everything that happened when my Mom first met with the Sand People when she was searching for the Star Maps."
Torne stood and walked over to his sister. "Hey, Rain could you help me tie this?" He asked, holding up his half splinted arm, pain creasing his face.
Rain looked up from where she had been dozing and blinked as he as down besides her. "Oh, why didn't you say anything early, Torne? I could have healed it."
Torne made a face and gritted his teeth as she tied the splint tighter. "You were unconsciousness at the time and we had to make tracks out of there before the Sand People came to investigate our crashed ship."
Kevin raced in, interrupting their conversation. "Come on! Alison says it's time we went in and rescued the others!"
Alison watched as HK showed her the map of the area he had scouted out and pointed to a small point in the diagram.
"So the Ebon Hawk was placed here, and that's where we need to go." She sighed, and turned to the droid. "If I hack into the Hawk, can you fly her to here?" She pointed to the landmark on the map as the droid nodded.
"Gleeful Statement: I will be happy to fly the Ebon Hawk there, if I could perhaps-"
Alison cut the droid off hurriedly. "Yes HK, you can fire the turrets while you swoop down and we climb aboard if we need you to, okay?"
She turned to the two captives HK had gathered and started to disrobe the smaller one of the two.
"On second thought, here..." She tossed the larger pair of robes at HK, who fired his rifle automatically at the offending object. "Put this on and come with me. We're going to use these to get by the guards while Kev, Rain, and Torne create a distraction."
"Suffering Statement: Yes Master, I will obey…"
Alison and HK entered the Sand People camp without further trouble expect for the cold fact that she had had to point the Sand People guards towards her friends' camp.
There was no getting around it, and Alison knew it. She hated it, but this was what it was like to be in charge.
Make the tough decisions, do the impossible, be the leader, let others take risks before yourself. To become the leader was to assume a role in life that, few were able to excel in…
It was unfair, plain and simple.
"Am I doing the right thing?" Alison whispered to HK, as she watched the group of selected warriors sneak off too her companions' campsite. They, the Sand People, would reach the Sarlacc tomorrow if they kept or rather, could keep moving at their current pace tomorrow.
"Appeasement: Yes, Master, you like your mother understand the need to sacrifice the lesser for the greater goal. Few meatbags can realize this, especially during times of great stress."
Alison shivered at her companion's words. She was like her mother, in many ways and this was the only thing that she could do. Suddenly the urge to rip off the sand people wrappings, just so she could feel the open air on her tear stained face was overwhelming.
"Come on HK, keep up your guard and follow me. No killing unless necessary." Alison flicked her fingers at a pile of crates, causing them to fall and the Sand people in the immediate area to rush over to the pile of crates, leaving the path to the captives' tents clear.
Rick jerked in his bonds as something powerful came closer towards him, two figures dressed in black clothing, one of them all too familiar.
They turned as one to regard him as he tried to step back, away form them, the taller one raised it's lightsaber, while the shorter of the two figures called out to him ... or tried too.
He turned to the door of light, the one way he knew he could escape but the door slammed shut when he reached it.
Rick turned around to stare at the shorter of the two figures again. He… she… whatever ever sex it was, lifted the face mask off and reached to lower the cowl of the hood shadowing the nameless person.
Rick squeezed his eyes tight and hoped that he wouldn't see the face before he…
"Rick! Hey, man wake up!"
Rick opened his eyes to stare at himself bleeding in his bonds. Kail was looking frantically at the door, while Padme stared at him, was that concern on her face?
Kinraar merely looked at him with the aura of curiosity and the 'I'll-leave-it-for-now-but-tell-me-when-you're-ready' look.
"What… what happened?" His mouth was dry and Rick had to swallow several times before he could speak properly.
"We can only assume you had a vision or a nightmare." Kinraar growled softly so not to attract unwanted attention form the guards. Rick shook his head as he shot back.
"Jedi don't have nightmares, they have visions!" Rick retorted harshly, his face paling at the thought of the vision he had just witnessed.
Padme nodded unconvinced. "Then you had one hell of a vision, I- err that is we thought you were going to kill yourself there."
"Sithspit!" Kail interrupted Rick's retort to Padme's sentence with a curse, "the guards must have heard you screaming because they're coming to check on us!"
Rick was startled and curious at the same time. "I was screaming?"
Before Kail could answer his friend, two sand people entered the hut.
Silence followed them.
Alison entered the hut and looked straight at Rick, dead center in the middle of the room. She was able to see Kail, Kinraar, and Padme out of the corner of her eyes. They looked a little beaten and bruised but none too worse for wear.
Torne and Rain rushed in and she started to cut Kinraar's cage into pieces with her lightsaber. Thankfully it wasn't made with Cortis weave unlike the ropes, Alison thought as Torne released Kail and Rain cut Padme free.
Dragging Kinraar out of the cage, even with the Wookiee helping was no small feat and Alison was exhausted before Kinraar was finally out.
"Here." Torne reappeared and started to help Rain move Kinraar to the Ebon Hawk, leaving Alison alone with Rick.
"Who the hell are you?" Rick asked as she removed the face wrappings and stared determinedly at Rick. He blinked, was that the one of the people from his visions? No, it couldn't be…
"Hello, Rick." She smiled at the gaping teenager. "Guess you could say I'm here to save you and your friends."
"You're a, a girl? Alison, Stareth, Revan's daughter?" Rick stuttered in surprise, sagging in his bonds. "Great, my father's going to kill me when he hears, that I, the future Mandalore was rescued by a girl." Rick rolled his eyes as Alison stared at the future Mandalore.
"What did you say?" She asked in a quiet low voice as Rick snorted at her.
"I'm being rescued by a girl and thank you, no!" Alison was furious now and it was starting to show.
"Well, maybe I won't put myself and my group into jeopardy the next time you and your friends are in trouble and try to rescue you from certain death!"
"Please." Rick rolled his eyes. "If it's not already embarrassing enough that I'm listening to thi-" Alison suddenly turned around, catching a gaffi stick on her double-sided lightsaber but not before one caught her, punching through her shoulder.
"Ughn…"
She slipped to the ground and the last thing she saw before the darkness closed in on her was Rick and the Sand people chieftain staring down at her.
Alison shook her head as she woke and looked up. She was tied to a pole being carried between two banthas, far off the ground.
"Ouch." She closed her eyes as she felt the dull headache of the concussion start.
"You're awake. Huh." A Mandalorian snort echoed; "Some rescue that was." Alison tried to turn her head to look at the sneering voice and groaned.
"Lay off, would you? I'm trying to remember something here."
Alison racked her brains for the technique she was thinking of. Her mother had already used the language ripping technique with the Sand People, but she had to make sure that it was going to work.
"Hey sand butt, get me your leader!" Alison shouted at one of her guards and rattled her bonds, the metal making a clanking sound on the poles as one of the guards turned to glare at her.
"Yeah that's right, I'm talking to you!" She shouted. "Get me your leader! I want to talk to him NOW!"
"Are you crazy?" Rick hissed in her ear as she stared back at him. "You're frigging insane!"
"Shut up you, idiot!" Alison fired back, glaring at Rick, "You got us into this mess, and I'm saving your butt, so keep a lid on that hole you call a mouth!"
"This isn't my fault!" Rick hissed. "If you hadn't gotten yourself captured, then we could have been far away from here, and I would be on the Ebon Hawk-"
"Hah!" Alison laughed scathingly. "Only HK and I can fly the Hawk now, without T3 and Mom to unlock the Hawk."
She was suddenly dropped to the ground, as Rick shouted out in surprise. Two pairs of arms dragged her up onto her feet and stood her swaying before the Sand People Chieftain.
She stared the Chieftain right in the face, and smiled, wincing inwardly at the pain in her shoulder from the wound that one gaffi stick had made punching straight through her bone and flesh.
"I know you and I can understand each other, and I want to duel for his life."
Alison waited desperately for an answer, and when none seemed forthcoming, she blurted out.
"My mother retrieved a Krayt Dragon Pearl for you! I'm her daughter, that's got to mean something in your code of honour!"
The Sand Chieftain turned to look back at Alison and shook with laughter as he spoke rapidly and pointed to the Sarlacc and the wooden beam they were dragging along.
Alison almost nodded and shook her head.
No, my weapons and his," she pointed to Rick, "they must be returned." The Sand Chieftain shook his head.
"Your weapons would give you an advantage that we do not have. You will not fight with them, but with our gaffi sticks. Should you win, you and your boyfriend will go free, lose and your boyfriend will stay with us and you die."
The Sand Chieftain laughed. "If you would have us believe that he is loved and worthy of this duel, you will show us how much you care for his life."
Alison stood, shell shocked for a minute as the words hit home. Show the Sand people how much she cared for him! She closed her eyes and nodded in defeat, though she was seething as they cut Rick down. Her boyfriend indeed! Why that lousy self-centered jerk could go boil his-
"Hey, what's happening?" Rick demanded limping over to Alison's side as she fumed, staring at the ground. She looked up and grabbed his face in her hands with startling speed, knocking both of them to the ground.
She kissed him fully on the lips with passion enough to convince the Sand Chieftain who laughed and turned back to his companions.
"What, what was that for, Stareth?" Rick swore as he looked at her in surprise.
"I have a name, you know," Alison replied tartly, tying her long silky black hair into a high ponytail behind her back with a strip of leather. Rick grounded his teeth in frustration.
"What's happening, then, Alison?" She looked at him with distaste.
"They wouldn't let me duel for your life unless I made it look like I really, really cared for you." She wiped her mouth and spat on the ground as she stared at him and pointed to the Sarlacc. "Duel, to the death."
Before Rick could say another word, several Sand People dragged him off and Alison was hauled off as well, to one end of the wooden beam balanced precariously over the Sarlacc's throat- mouth?
She stripped off the stolen Sand people's robes and her own black robes as well, leaving her dressed in her black pants and a slim shirt, the sleeves cut off, leaving her pale arms bare.
"Let the duel, began!"
A sand person bellowed and Alison stepped cautiously onto the wooden beam, mirroring her opponent. She walked quickly towards the center and was upon the warrior before he had time to raise his gaffi stick, striking downwards in a stab.
She struck his foot and he howled as he brought up his own blade, cracking it on her ribs, as she leaped up into the air in a backwards jump and landed somewhat wobbly.
Alison glared at the warrior and crouched as she moved closer to her target. "Just a bit closer..." She whispered to herself as she and the warrior edged closer.
"Alison, control yourself, don't let your emotions get the better of you!" Rick yelled and was cuffed by one of his guards for his efforts.
He wiped blood from his mouth and glanced up at the warrior who struck and he suddenly knew that Alison wasn't duelling with the Chieftain; she was fighting a decoy!
"You," he snarled and got to his feet tiredly, "you lied to her!" Why am I complaining about this all of a sudden? Or fearing for her safety! Rick asked himself as the voice in his mind suddenly came to life.
A cry brought his attention back to the duelling fighters as he watched the decoy warrior strike her shoulder that already sported a wound. Alison went down with a shriek of pain and fell onto the wooden beam, miraculously not falling off into the Sarlacc below.
The warrior stood balanced precariously over her as he raised his gaffi stick and hooted his victory to his tribe. She closed her eyes and felt out with the Force for the nearest weapon that she could grab.
Alison's eyes snapped open as she reached and jerked his robe hard, pulling in the direction that would cause him to fall off the beam. He fell hard as she grabbed his gaffi stick and whirled it one handed above her head.
Her eyes went hard, the blue-green color no longer twinkling as she stabbed the stick through his chest and out his back.
"That's for earlier this evening." She whispered in the gasping warrior's ear filter before she let go of the robe.
The warrior fell screaming as Rick was released from his guards' grasp and he stumbled down the sand hill to the wooden beam. Alison was sprawled on the beam and as he reached the foot of the board she rolled off, too exhausted to try to save herself.
She tried to make her numb fingers grasp the wood beam, but they were slippery with blood and she couldn't keep holding it at any rate.
Alison closed her eyes as tentacles started to crawl up her legs but she was suddenly jarred by a grasp on her wounded arm, enough to bring a pained cry to her lips.
"I don't think you came all this way, just so you could die for me!"
Rick was on his stomach, her only lifeline to getting out of here now. He had their weapons clipped to his belt and he wielded his double blade, slicing through the tentacles that were grasping her legs.
He hauled her up and she stared numbly at him as he dragged her into a sitting position on the beam.
"You were fighting a decoy!" He shouted above the raising noise of the sand being whirled around as the Ebon Hawk soared up over a sand dune towards them, its turrets blazing, all three of them.
She looked into his eyes still as he stared back at her silent for a brief moment. Images flashed through her mind, of when they were children, her and Rick playing together, other images, the Hawk's secrets revealed to her.
"Mommy, can I have the Ebon Hawk for my birthday?"
The little girl looked up eagerly at her mother as she sat in her lap, playing with the flight controls of the thankfully shut down ship. Revan laughed as she settled Alison in her lap more comfortably.
"You want the Ebon Hawk for your birthday?"
"Yes!" Alison's eyes were bright as she looked at her mother happily, "I can fly her already and I'm your daughter! And I'm turning…turning six! Please?" Alison asked; her face suddenly downcast at the look on her mother's thoughtful face.
"Yes, you can have the Hawk," Revan started to say, "but not until you're older, okay dear?" Alison jumped off her mother's lap.
"Okay… Thank you, Mommy!" She ran to meet her translucent sister who had just come through the door.
"Kari!" Alison squealed in delight.
Rick hoisted Alison up onto her feet and looked up as the familiar shape of the Ebon Hawk slowly came closer to them.
Kail and Padme appeared on the ramp, Padme being supported by Rain and Kail closely shadowed by Kevin.
"Hey, Rick, need a lift?" Kail shouted and waved as the ramp was brought closer to Rick who shot himself and Alison up into the ship as they roared away.
Maybe things would get better now, Rick thought as he grinned back at his friends.
Just maybe...