Chapter Twelve-The General in Black
Jennra shrugged her sore and battered body deeper in to the dark Jedi robe, as she gazed up yet another long corridor. The sound of voices was great here; she could hear the steady hum of activity, of voices and many marching feet. She reached down, and activated the stealth field generator at her waist. With a slight vibrational hum, she melted into nothing.
Walking slowly up the long corridor, she nervously glanced at the doorway next to her. Behind the closed door, she could sense many men, and she prayed that the shield generator would be last out. Silently, she sneaked past the entrance way, giving a soundless sigh of relief as she past by it.
So far, she had been undetected, but Jennra knew that it would not be long before her absence in the pit would be missed. She pushed the thought away from her mind, focusing all her senses on the task at hand. She needed to get away from this dark place. She desperately wanted to go and find her Mandalorian companion, Bralor, but she knew that she could not possibly attempt any sort of rescue by herself, and especially not due to the fact that she was severely wounded. I have to alert Revan, she thought to herself, with the Mandalorians there is at least a chance that he can be saved. She sent out a silent wish of hope and strength to him, praying that he would last until she returned.
She heard a metallic clomping of feet, and cursing her luck, she pressed herself against the wall, wincing as the wounds on her back stung. A heavy war droid was patrolling the far corridor. Her hand went down and touched the hilt of her saber. She watched apprehensively as the large grey droid scurried towards her on its four crab like feet. Jennra held her breath as it neared her. It stood in front of her, immobile.
It abruptly scuttled its body loudly to the left then to the right of her. She watched as it moved backwards, its shield glowing crimson about its body. Raising her hand slowly, she summoned the Force up inside of her. Suddenly the droid scuttled away from her and down the corridor. She let her hand drop to her side, feeling the Force ebb away.
Jennra glanced up the corridor the way the droid had come down. She pushed herself away from the wall, and silently resumed her slow walk. She paused again as she heard loud voices to her left. Sweat trickled down her brow. Her hand reached out for her saber, and she pulled it gently from its pouch. A surge of reassurance flowed through her, as she gripped the comforting weight of the hilt in her hand.
A door in front of her, to her left slid open, and several black clad Sith marched from out of the room. Jennra pushed herself to the opposite wall, gasping as her fingers brushed against another doorway behind her. A door swung open suddenly and she fell through it, cursing as she landed awkwardly on her side. She rose to her feet quickly, as tears of pain rolled down her cheeks. Her saber clattered to the floor, several feet away. She wildly looked around her, noticing with relief that the door had shut solidly behind her.
She extended her hand, and felt a tremor as the saber flew back into her hand. She ignited the yellow beam, glancing around. She stood in yet another corridor, this one gloomily lit. This place is worse than a shyracks cave, she thought in confusion, I have no idea where I am. She used the Force to sense if there were any Sith, or worse were around. She felt a wave of relief when she felt none.
She walked up the long corridor, her saber held tightly in her hand, the yellow light bouncing of the rough stone walls. Where am I? This corridor is different to the last…she felt a bolt of hope rise inside her as she came to a final crude looking door. She gingerly pushed it open, smiling broadly as she saw the dark sky stretch endlessly in front of her, and a cold breeze touch her face.
Jennra hurried across a long stone walkway, stopping as she saw a building appear in front of her. Stood inside, she could see several Sith soldiers, all clasping heavy blaster rifles. She pulled the dark robe about her tighter, pushing the dark hood over her head, concealing her face. She crept along the base of the building, hugging herself to the dark shadows. She was just under the sentries, when she heard a very faint whine, and she glanced about in dismay as her shield deactivated. Frak! She thought angrily, what a time for that to fail.
Jennra shut her energy blade down quickly, fearing that the bright yellow beam would alert the guards. Glancing around quickly, she noticed to the side of the building some distance away, a low ridge that rose into the night sky. Fingering the hilt of her saber nervously, she slowly edged away from the shelter of the building and made her way noiselessly across the dark pathways that seemingly lead to the foot of the hills.
She scrambled up the steep rock face, her fingers bleeding in several places as sharp stones dug into her flesh. She ignored this; her only concern was to be away from that hated place. She reached the top, and with a sigh of relief she made for a group of tangled shrubs that lined the hilltop to her right. Thorns scratched her face as she dived in amongst the harsh vegetation, and finding a dense part of the shrubs she curled herself into the small place, her hands shaking with the effort of her recent exertions.
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A dim light awoke her, and Jennra glanced around her with dismay. She was unaware of how long that she had slept. Her body ached and stung in a thousand places, and she gingerly tugged the robe away from where it had clung to her back. She stifled a low moan, as pain tore through her. Cautiously, she crept out of the bushes, wincing as she was scratched at again by vicious thorns.
She heard the slight sound of muffled footsteps behind her. She stopped, and the footsteps behind her stopped. She walked across the low ridge hesitantly, shrugging herself deeper into her dark robe. Her fingers grasped the hilt of her saber as it lay deep within her pouch.
Now she could hear his breathing.
Damn, she cursed under her breath. Whoever it was, was trying at great pains to remain hidden from her. She moved more quickly, listening as the footsteps behind increased in pace. Two options were open to her, confront him, or run like hell. She chose the first option.
She turned around slowly, raising her face to peer out of the deep hood. At that same instance, she was hit hard in the back, and knocked to the ground. A figure lay on top of, "Shhh…don't make a sound," a muffled voice said near to her ear.
The low metallic whine of a small shuttles engine filled her hearing, and she struggled against her attacker in a desperate attempt to see.
"Don't move…" the voice hissed at her.
She lay pinned beneath her assailant, wishing that he would get up from her; his weight against her wounded back had brought tears that streamed down her cheeks. Just as she could feel herself start to lose consciousness, the pressure against her was removed, and she was pulled ungraciously around to face her attacker. Her hood was shoved harshly from across from face, leaving her staring into a pair of gentle brown eyes.
"General…?" a voice asked incredulously.
"Bao-dur?"
They sat apart, looking at each other with astonishment. Jennra smiled broadly, and reaching across she hugged the Zabrak close to her, planting a large kiss to the side of his face.
"Am I glad to see you!" she exclaimed brightly.
"And it's good to see you, General," Bao-dur breathed quietly, trying to regain his composure, "But we need to move from here. The Sith have regular patrols across this ridge. We must make haste."
He watched as she struggled to her feet, noting how pale she looked, "General…are you alright?"
She smiled at him, "It's nothing that wont last." She stretched a hand out, and grabbed his arm, "although my strength seems to be failing me. Lack of sleep I guess. I…I could do with a hand," she murmured apologetically to him.
Bao-dur nodded at her, and placed his hand on top of hers, "Then come, General. I have a camp not far from here."
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They trekked down the dusty hillside for what seemed like hours. Bao-dur glanced across at Jennra, feeling alarmed at her ashen face and the way she shakily grasped at his arm for support.
"Not far now, General. Are your wounds still troubling you?" he asked, concern etching itself deeply on his face.
"I'm fine," she lied in a pained voice.
He glanced down at her and sighed, just like the General not to complain. "The camp is just here," he said, leading her down a final small slope.
They approached a small entrance deep in the craggy hillside. Jennra glanced at Bao-dur as he led her into the dark space.
"Its not home," he said ruefully, "But it serves a lowly tech like myself."
They entered the low cave, plunging into the thick darkness. There was a clatter, and then a beam of light as Bao-dur lit some small fat candles, which spluttered in the faint draft of the cave. Jennra glanced around her, taking in her surroundings. The cave was larger than it first appeared, stretching some distance away and disappearing into darkness at the edge of the candles illumination. To her right lay a pile of thick blankets, arranged in a careless manner, Bao-durs bed, she thought sleepily. She heard a sound of liquid being poured, and then Bao-dur appeared, his horned head gleaming faintly in the dull light. He handed her a steaming tin mug.
"Here you go, General," he handed her a battered tin mug, full of a steaming liquid, "Its only hot chocolate, I run out of caff beginning of last year."
She smiled widely, and took the mug off him, scalding her lips as she eagerly sipped the dark liquid, "Mmmmm chocolate," she replied appreciatively.
Bao-dur watched in alarm as she drank deeply from the mug, "Hey General! You wouldn't be so appreciative if that was all you had been drinking for the last year or so."
Jennra looked up at him, and wiped some liquid off her top lip, "That was good, Bao-dur, thank you."
He glanced at her, and shook his head in disapproval, "General," he tutted.
She eased herself into a more comfortable sitting position on the ground, biting her lip as the wounds on her back roared into angry life. She gripped the hem of her cloak tightly, and sweat shone dully on her face.
Bao-dur set his mug down and went across to her. He glanced up at her face, "General, I ought to take a look at those wounds of yours."
She nodded at him weakly, and tugged her body out of the long dark robe. She felt his gentle hands push her pale Jedi tunic up across her back, and felt the cool air soothe her aching skin.
Bao-dur stared at the wounds on her back, and felt himself crushed inside. How she has been able to walk with injuries like these, is beyond me, he thought in amazement.
"How does it look?" Jennra inquired weakly.
He bit his lip, "I'm sorry General. You have some particularly nasty wounds here. I only know basic battle field first aid, I…I am afraid that it won't be enough…." his voice trailed off, as he disappeared to the other side of the cave, re-emerging with a battered back pack. "I have some minor first aid equipment, but sadly no kolto wraps."
She winced as he applied a damp rag to her back.
"I'm sorry General; this is going to hurt a little. You have a lot of blood here that needs cleaning before I can see what the problem is." He wiped the last of the dried blood up, and gazing at her with a candle in his hand, mindful of the spattering hot wax, he probed the mass of intricate ragged cuts that lined the entirety of her skin. He gulped quietly, "There are a lot of wounds here, damn it! If I had the right equipment…" He reached into his pack, and pulled out the few bandages that he had. He smeared some salve on to the deeper cuts, and then bandaged them up as best as he could. "What you need is a medic, kolto, and a lot of rest," he said as he gently pulled her tunic across her back. "There, good as new…or near as," he leant across to her and whispered in her ear, "Although if you had lost your arm General, now that I could fix!"
She smiled up at him ruefully, and Bao-dur was pleased to see some of the colour creep back into her pale cheeks.
He went back across the room, taking the pack with him, and a few moments later returned with a brimming mug of hot chocolate, "I know you enjoyed the last one so much," he said confidingly.
She placed a hand on his arm, and looked up at him, "Thank you."
He flushed as he looked into her dark earnest eyes, "Its nothing, General."
She settled herself among his thick blankets on the floor, and yawned sleepily, "So where are all the others?"
"Others?" he asked.
"Yeah, the others, did they come with you, or have you gotten separated from them…?"
Bao-dur frowned at her, and glanced down at the stone floor, "There is no one else General. I came alone."
"Oh," she replied despondently, "I just assumed that the others were here with you." Oh, Mical, she thought sadly.
Bao-dur shook his head, "I'm sorry to disappoint you," he replied as he saw the tearful look in her eyes.
"But someone must have known you were coming, Bao-dur?"
He rolled his eyes, how do I tell her that I came alone, that no one knows that I am here? he thought pained. "No one knew that I came," he replied gently, "When I knew that you had left Dantooine, I got a ship, equipment and followed after you."
Jennra looked at him startled, "You shouldn't have come, Bao-dur. I didn't want anyone to follow me," she replied miserably, "You endanger yourself by being here."
"No, General. I could not allow you to come on your own. You never know when you just might need the back up. I was at Telos, helping the Ithorians with their shield generators, when I received word that you had left…"
"You heard? Sheesh!" Jennra frowned, "Did everyone know where I was going?"
"I packed a ship, as I said and followed you. I couldn't let my General go on her own now, could I?" he said smiling softly, "It was the Admiral that told me that you had gone. He has been trying to keep a close eye on you, General, but seems that you gave him the slip. Not unlike old times."
Jennra smiled bitterly, "I didn't do a good job though, did I?"
Bao-dur shook his head again, "General!" he admonished her, "I tracked you. You made it hard at times for me to locate you, and it didn't help that I crashed my ship on the other side of this planet," he said in embarrassment. "It's been a long time General, but now I have found you…." he looked at her as he saw her stifle a large yawn, "But no more questions for now, General. You need to get some rest."
She lay down amongst the thick blankets, smiling wearily as he reached over and pulled one about her shoulders. She closed her eyes, and was soon asleep.
Bao-dur sat near to her, and reaching a tentative hand out, he brushed a strand of her long hair from across her brow, "Sleep well, General. You are safe now. I will look after you."