CHAPTER-4
In the midst of a forest, a girl of age fifteen or sixteen was meditating. She had tied her hair in a firm braid. Her lightsaber was in front of her a few meters away. She was seated on a rock. Her face had the expression of a person in peace. The air was filled with the chirping of birds, rustling of leaves and squeaks of rodents. Everything was peaceful and beautiful in the lush green forest till the voice of a blaster shot from a distance was heard. The girl stood up and reached out her hand in the direction of the lightsaber and deflected the shot. She opened her eyes to reveal a pair of beautiful brown eyes. Shot after shot, she deflected them, flawlessly moving. Suddenly out of a bush a Togruta had leaped on her and had started attacking the girl with two white lightsabers. The girl had defended herself using her cyan lightsaber. She moved like the wind, silent and strong. After blocking few deadly strikes, the girl turned and sliced the lightsabers of the opponent.
"Ah, lucky you sliced it at the metal parts not the crystals. I can rebuild it at least." The Togruta said. "Good job Skygirl and you Antilles." She said pointing to a boy coming out of the bushes.
Wedge Antilles nodded as he came out. He was panting. "Well we know you can hit something now." The girl mocked.
"Oh come on, it is difficult to keep up with two Jedi now, especially when the one you are targeting is the daughter of a legendary war hero."
"Oh please, you hesitated to even lift a blaster at even a simple basic target before Wedge. Imagine if I were Darth Vader, you would be on the floor in two or three pieces. You would be peeing your pants first.''
"Yeah, yeah. But let's accept it who can face Vader without having your heart freeze with fear? I shiver on hearing his name."
"Hmm. What do you think Ahsoka?"
"I don't know."
"You always say that master."
Ahsoka just smiled. She had faced him long ago. She didn't know how he would be now. After all he was her former master. Or so she thought.
Back on Tatooine, Obi-wan was still trying to convince the Lars to let him train Luke. They wouldn't budge. When he asked whether would they allow anyone else train him, they initially accepted but as he grew they refused. He was the only hope. He was strong in the force and it was too dangerous to let him fall into the hands of the Sith.
He was sitting in his hut. He was recalling his fight with his former apprentice.
Let her go Anakin.
You turned her against me.
You have done that yourself.
If you are not with me then you are against me.
Only a Sith deals with absolutes. I will do what I must.
You will try.
He opened his eyes as the image of Anakin lying besides the lava river came into his mind. His last statement to him was I hate you. The brother he knew had gone, the son of his master had gone, the chosen one had gone, consumed by this monster called Vader, Palpatine's puppet. Obi-wan had lost his father, his master, the one who chose him when no one did, when everyone had shunned him but he had Anakin Skywalker, the young slave boy from the same planet. He lost his love of life, Duchess Satine Kryze, the leader of Mandalore, she loved him equally as he loved her. He still remembered holding her in his arms as she died but he had Anakin, his brother, the only support he ever had. He was not ready, not ready to lose that brother, that support, not ready to lose a part of him who he called Anakin Skywalker.
As he sat in his chair, there was a knock on his door. He stood up and reached for his lightsaber in his belt. He kept it there and walked to open the door. He opened the door to find three Mandalorians standing on the door. The one in the centre reached out to remove his helmet while the one onto his left had reached for their blaster. He reached for his lightsaber instinctively when the centre one held a hand in front of the left one. There was tension in the air. The centre one removed his helmet to reveal a man near his twenty-five or thirty. He had blonde hairs and had blue eyes. Obi-wan gasped as he recognized those eyes. "Is it? It can't be. Korkie?" he stammered out. The young man nodded his head slowly. They both hugged each other tightly as they wept.
"Three-Kay, we need to go." The one to the left said. "We can't let the imperials catch us. Let's go." Korkie looked up at his father with love and affection. Obi-wan looked at him with pride and love. "How-how are you?" he asked.
"I'm fine. How are you? Why are you here in this wasteland? Come with me. Join the rebellion. Come."
"I'm fine, son. I am on a very important mission here. I can't come with you. The galaxy is at stake, son. You-you need to go. Go and help the rebellion. Go."
"As you say, father. I love you."
"Korkie, I love you too."
The Mandalorians turned to leave when Obi-wan called out to his son. "You have your mother's eyes, Korkie."
"Thank you, father."
"Who was he?" the one to his right asked.
"Obi-wan Kenobi, my father. Let's go."
In the ship the one who had reached for their blaster had called out to the other one. "Turn on the engines Han."
"You got me, Lyo."
"Let's get out of here."
Han Solo removed his helmet and exhaled. Lyo who had already removed it revealed her jet black curly bob.
"Tired already are we now, Han?"
"Oh no, I was just you know, exhaling."
"Uh-uh, you were just exhaling. Set the course to Coruscant. We have some unfinished business partners there."
"You got me Lyo."
Han Solo sat back to just contemplate his life, from a slave on Corelia to a learner warrior, he loved his life. He was just eight years old when the two came and rescued him from the deadly slavery of Corelia. He was grateful to them. It was eleven years since they bought his freedom. He was free.
One thing he didn't understand was why Three-Kay, a Mandalorian, would call a Jedi his father? Maybe he was his father. Maybe not. But he did call him father so that must clear out everything. Now all he thought of was the party on Coruscant.
"Remember Han, keep your hand on your blaster and be ready to shoot. OKAY." Three-Kay was telling Han. He nodded his head. It was during the late hours of Coruscant that the three landed on one of the many levels. The one where they were was called level-311928. They were to meet a Pyke syndicate official on their treachery of stealing Beskar that too from Mandalore.
The Pyke were standing in the landing platform waiting for them. The three stepped down with big cartons behind them.
"Where is the stolen Beskar?" Three-Kay asked with a deadly tone.
"On your bodies." The Pyke official answered. At this Han and Lyo reached for their blasters, Lyo more slowly though.
"Watch where your words go, Pyke."
"We do not have the technology to see where our words go, Mandalorian."
"You are testing my patience."
"Oh am I?"
"Return the Beskar and you can have the spice. Then we can be on our own ways."
"Oh I don't think so. We have a better deal with another party."
"What do you mean?"
"A far more grander and better deal than what you offer." At this Han removed his blaster and shot the one besides the official.
"I should have known it. CALL them." At that instant a troop of stormtroopers had entered the landing platform. They were about thirty of them. "Good thing I got some reinforcement." He sneered. The trio were surrounded. At that time Lyo reached for her commlink. "WE NEED REINFORCEMNTS." She screamed before taking out her blasters and shooting. The men followed her suit and took out their blasters. Mandalore's prestige was at stake. If the three let the Pyke to get out harmless with this treachery, it would be over. Nobody would believe that Mandalorians were fighters. After the disgraceful retreat in the Mandalorian rebellion nobody would believe them. The three went behind the ship and took shelter. Out of the corner of his eyes, Han saw the Pyke were leaving with the Beskar. He shot the remaining ones and shot the official in his leg. The stormtroopers were firing at the three. Korkie removed a thermal detonator and threw it at the troopers. A good bunch of them left. Han counted the number of troopers left and found that there were only ten left. Lyo took two blasters and killed all but one.
"You don't know the might of the empire." the survivor declared.
"And you don't know the might of a blaster. Shut up and tell me what is the empire doing with the Pyke?" Lyo demanded.
"You don't know the might of the empire."
"Oh for the sake of love. Take his helmet off, check whether he is a droid or not." Lyo demanded Han. He did as said and removed the helmet to reveal a young man of twenties. "You don't know the might of the empire my ass. Tell me what does the empire have to do with the Pyke?" she demanded again.
"You don't know the might of the empire." the man said, grinned and took his blaster and shot himself.
"Whatever that was for." Lyo commented as his body fell onto the ground. "Anyways let's get going with the Beskar." As she said another troop landed, not any troop but the Domino squad.
"Great now we are done." Korkie commented.
"I think I can take one and survive. What about you both guys?"
"Oh I don't know. Maybe I could stick with Three-Kay and kill one."
"Nice, how about Lyo actually calls for reinforcements?"
"Hey, I did call for one, it should be coming any moment now."
"Lyo look there are ten of them. You can take one, I can take one, Han needs a hand to take down one and live. We NEED the reinforcement NOW."
"Oh this is bad, this is very bad" Lyo called out as the Domino Squad pulled up their guns. Lyo switched on her commlink and screamed, "WE NEED REINFORCME-, What the-?" a purple blade had gone through the body of six of twenty Domino troopers. A black man with an eye patch over the left eye, robotic hands and purple lightsaber was screaming and going through the Domino squad like they were nothing. The three just stood over there watching as he killed them mercilessly and continued to chop their dead bodies. "Get the Beskar into the ship."Korkie said silently as the three saw the man butcher the dead body. "Lyo get the Pyke official on the ship. Han we go and get the Beskar."
"You got me, Three-Kay. Han, HAN, get yourself moving."
"Uh-uh, so that man is our reinforcement."
"Trust me, he was way more saner when I spoke with him."
The three got into the ship with the Beskar and the official and left into the outer space.
"Where to Three-Kay?"
"Stewjon, we will find our party there."