A/N: This chapter took way too long to write. Ugh. However, it is pretty long so perhaps that will make up for it (31 pages in Word). I've actually been writing it since the last update, honestly. I just got busy with Real Life and experienced minor writer's block until Phantom of the Opera was released into the theaters. -sighs and pets Erik- I like you even more now, yum. Anyway...
One of these days I'll put up the list of songs that I tend to listen to while writing. Some of them might enhance the reading experience like Velvet Revolver's "Slither" during chase scenes. Or perhaps some Linkin Park, such as "Breaking the Habit" which I have labeled "Jaina's Song". If you don't understand, read the lyrics and then look at my characterization of Jaina Solo. Maybe it's only me but…yeah. Right. Story...
-
Into the Labyrinth of the Mind
The Coruscanti underworld was a place full of thieves and whores, seedy bars and slimy businessmen. There were creatures the size of small children and aliens of every colour, size, and description. People from the upper levels of the city avoided this place for its stink and nobody but the fallen dwelled among the caverns.
Fallen Jedi included.
She had been a bright pupil in her days at the Academy and everybody had expected great things from her. She had studied since she was a child and had been on the brink of Knighthood when she had been faced with temptation. Though she had spent her life with the Jedi, her people's love of a better deal had been her downfall. When the Arm had contacted her about ridding the Temple of a threat, she took the job without a second thought. What better way to earn esteem and to graduate to the rank of Knight than expose a traitor among their midst? But her plan had failed. In the eyes of the Jedi she was dead and the traitor was a hero. With her death and life, Llywen du Kiins had been touched by the Dark Side and it now filled her with hate. Her golden eyes now glowed with a ring of fire as the power of her newfound ally burned through her veins. She was invincible.
She was also quite paranoid. Glancing over her shoulder, Llywen paused in mid-stride. She had come to this place to watch those she hunted and to hide from anyone who would recognize her. Here the minds were weak and she could bend them as her will commanded. She was superior. And someone was watching her. Had the Jedi found her out? Were they here to finish her off once and for all?
Llywen's tail whipped through the air above her head. She was sure someone was there. Searching the dark for the source of the noise, she bared her teeth. Gnashing them, she stood up and continued across the exposed beams and girders of a long burned down building. The durasteel was cool under her bare feet as she picked her way around the charred and twisted metal that had been left from a fire long ago. The suspended death of this building was beautiful in the faint moonlight that penetrated the upper levels of the Lower City.
Her progress was slow and calculated as she traversed the frame, her tail in constant motion to check her balance. She leapt up to the twisted decking of the floor above her and paused again, a breeze brushing her cheek. The air was no longer stale at this level and Coruscant's main streets were in view, as was the Academy. She smiled. It seemed almost too easy. The money was hers and the bitch who had ruined her life would pay dearly. She unconsciously ran a hand over the long scar on her neck. It would take a lot for her to forget the face of Keilana Fett.
-
Keilana had been silent since they had started following the Geonosians again and Kyp was worried. He had never seen her so silent for so long. They were on their fourth hour now.
"Look," Seva said, interrupting his thoughts. "I think we have found them."
After the nhala attack, the small group of humans had lost sight of the kidnappers. Kyp could hardly feel the void created by the ysalamiri and when one of the Lyians had pointed out that it could be dying both he and Keilana had shaken their heads. If the ysalalmiri had died then they would be able to feel the twins. No one had any idea what was going on.
Upon Seva's observation, Keilana gunned her engines and shot forward, stirring up the sand around them and covering them all in fine silt. Kyp adjusted his goggles and pressed down on the acceleration to keep up. He stayed in perfect sync with Keilana and it was as if the two had joined minds despite the fact that Keilana had shut down and was barely a flicker in the Force.
The group traveled for another hour or so, catching up bit by bit. They had just reached a distance that was close enough to determine that this was the correct group when the ground opened up beneath the natives and they disappeared from sight. Keilana attempted to muster every last bit of speed out of her bike but was too slow. The hanger door closed just before she could get through. Growling low in her throat, Keilana shut off the bike and leapt away from it, landing nimbly on her feet.
"Fuck!" She screamed, her fists clenched. She didn't take notice to the fact that her bike made a sickening sound as it skid across the metal nor that Seva had been thrown painfully to the ground by her sudden move. The older woman sat up and held her left arm. The shoulder was disconnected.
Kyp was about to step off his bike to help the Lyian woman when the ground opened up beneath the two women and Keilana and Seva disappeared into the dark.
-
"Ti'Kanlla! (My Lady!)" Cera screamed. She leapt off the bike and ran to the spot her captain had disappeared. She turned to Kyp, her eyes wide. "Tika, Jeedi, tika yan ten hunta?"
Approaching her slowly Kyp shook his head. "I don't speak your language."
"Teekla, I'm sorry." Cera said. Her basic was heavily accented and, as she continued, halting but clear. "I asked if is she hunta…alive…"
Kyp nodded. "They are both alive if not worse for wear."
"Worse! What is worse than kilna…injur-ed…if not dead? We have to find her!"
"Don't worry, Cera, as soon as we can find a way inside then we will go looking for her."
"And how do we get inside?" Cera stood up straighter, her military training coming back to her. The panicked woman disappeared in an instant. "As far as I can tell this is the only entranc-eh."
"Kyp shook his head. "No, there have to be smaller surface entrances in the vicinity. This is only the hanger. We need to find the back door."
"And where do we go serr…searching for this entranc-eh?" She furrowed her brow, frustrated with her inability to speak Basic clearly.
"I would say our best bet is along the cliffs. They're big but are really the only logical place to search."
Cera nodded and straightened her short flight jacket. She walked across the sand and looked back at Kyp over her shoulder. "Well, should we not begin?"
"Yes, of course." He turned back to the remaining bike and threw his leg over. Looking towards Cera, he motioned with his head and she jogged to his side. As soon as she had settled behind him, Kyp stepped down on the acceleration and they shot across the surface towards the cliffs.
-
When she regained her consciousness, the first thought through Keilana's mind was: Fuuuuuuuucckk… And then, rightfully: Ow…
She pushed herself up from the ground and batted her hair out of her eyes. It was dark, nearly pitch black. The only light was faint and pulsating as if it came from a living organism. They were not in a hanger.
Keilana blinked for a moment and looked to the left. Seva was laying there, unmoving, her left arm twisted at an odd angle. It was broken. Crawling across the dusty floor, Keilana sat on her haunches and pushed Seva's hair out of her face. The Lyian woman groaned as her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at Keilana. At first, Seva looked confused and then surprise flashed across her face. She pushed herself up and would have cried out in pain had Keilana not covered her mouth. Placing a single finger over her lips, she lowered her hand.
"If we're were I think we are, then we're in a lot of trouble."
"And were is that?"
"In the caverns deep underneath a spirehive."
"That does not sound good, bounty hunter."
Keilana nodded. "The tunnels are, for all intents and purposes, a labyrinth. This way, rather than having a public execution, they can claim that they don't know what happened to us, or, at least you. I'm nothing special, but I'm sure they know exactly who you are."
Seva opened her mouth to say something before giving Keilana an odd look, her brow furrowed. "How do you know where we are."
"I just know, all right?" Keilana crossed her arms, indicating that she wasn't going to explain. "Don't ask again."
"All right." Seva pulled away from Keilana. It was not until she tried to push herself up with her left arm did Seva notice it was injured. She cried out in pain and held onto the broken limb. Sitting back in the dirt, Seva watched Keilana as the younger woman turned back to look at her.
"Injured, your Grace?"
"My arm is broken."
"Yes, I figured." Keilana crossed the ground to Seva and pulled off her long jacket. Pulling out a knife, the bounty hunter ripped off a strip of leather and cloth from the bottom and told the older woman to give her the broken arm so that she could set and dress it. Seva hesitated before giving her arm over to Keilana.
"Well, this will certainly make things a little more difficult," Keilana said, her voice condescending.
"I'm not some powder puff, bounty hunter. I've been training with the military since I've been old enough. I am captain of the of the Naval Royal Guard because I am the best. Don't you think that a broken arm will hold me back."
"Oh, I doubt it will, your Grace, but might I remind you that this is broken in two places and no matter how tough you are or how well trained you are, a badly broken arm will slow us down." Keilana gave the last knot a jerk before standing up and turning her back on Seva. She didn't even bother to mention the fact that she had medicine to deaden the pain. The other woman had made it quite clear that she could deal with the pain. Chuckling to herself, Keilana started to check for her weapons and swore when she realized her knife and a pea-blaster were the only weapons she had left.
"Seva," she said, "do you have any of your weapons?" She could hear Seva shuffle around before she received an answer.
"Only a few small throwing knives," Seva said.
"Wonderful. This will only make things more fun." Keilana knelt down to check her boot and swore softly.
"Keilana?"
"Yes?" She said, not turning around.
"What is that on your back?"
"What do you mean?"
"Your tattoo. I think I've seen it somewhere before."
Keilana reached around and touched the spot where a red, horned animal skull had been grafted to her skin. The tattoo had been inked and removed a countless number of time due of her indecision about whether or not to keep it. Keilana would have to have the patch of skin removed if she wanted the faded tattoo completely gone. She had considered it, but having a ghosted image of her father's symbol seemed oddly appropriate for her to have.
"It's something from my past," she said quietly. "It means nothing now." Keilana was silent for a moment before standing up and looking at Seva over her shoulder. "We should get to finding our way out of here."
"Wouldn't an exit be somewhere around us?"
Keilana shook her head. "No. If there is one, it's way up there." Keilana pointed up in to the space above them. "And I doubt we'll be making our way ten meters straight up into the air anytime soon in our current state of being."
"Yes, right. Is there another exit?"
"There is," Keilana said simply. "We just have to find it before they find us."
"They?"
Keilana was about to say something when the grunting cry of a large creature echoed through the caves around them. "The bugs like to keep pets of the big, ugly, hungry sort. They generally have sharp claws and big teeth. I'd suggest we get a move on so that we can keep one step ahead of the minotaur."
"I highly doubt the Geonosians have minotaurs, Keilana. They're mythical creatures."
Keilana shrugged as long growl reached their ears. "I'm only sayin', but if you want to hang around here, you'll be enjoying the dark all on your own."
Seva pursed her lips before standing up.
"And how do you suggest we go about finding our way out of here?"
"Follow the lichen," Keilana said, pointing at the walls; Seva followed the gesture with her eyes. Though she had been aware of the faint, pulsating light source, she hadn't questioned where it was coming from.
"I guess that could make sense."
"Of course. And if we get lost, well…" Keilana just trailed off with a gesture of her hand.
"That's reassuring."
"Yeah, I know." Keilana grinned like a child before turning around and walking down a faintly lit corridor of stone.
-
Llywen du Kiins had climbed out of the Lower City and was now standing in the alley between two enormous buildings. Here on the ground level, the buildings were mainly clubs and bars, but as they progressed higher, they became restaurants and offices, studios, apartments, and finally penthouses that touched the clouds. She was on the boundary between two sectors; housing to her left, government to her right. She had to decide between life and death and, despite everything that was telling her to choose the life of the clubs, she had a job to do. Giving one last wistful look at the club directly across from her, Llywen looked towards the sky and leapt.
She used the Force to push herself as far as she could before slowing her ascent and gingerly touching the wall, testing the grip of her gloves. Flattening her palms against the metal, and bringing the soles of her climbing shoes against the wall, she let go of herself, bracing for a fall. When it did not come, she smiled and started to move slowly up the wall, never quite trusting her gloves or shoes.
As soon as she reached the first balcony, Llywen swung herself up on top of it and rested for a few moments, taking in the city from her new vantage point. She was now hundreds of feet above the ground floor of this building and at least a couple thousand feet from her point of origin, if not more. The air up here was chilling and the wind strong. Llywen knew that she would have to move on quickly before the wind picked up and before the occupants in the lit room beyond the window noticed her. Standing, she took two large, quick steps to the edge of the balcony, jumped up onto the high railing and leapt, outstretched, into space. She reached for the building across the way and gave herself a push with the Force so that she would not fall out of the air. She managed to grab hold of the railing of a balcony one story down from where she had been with one hand. Her shoulder jerked painfully as it caught her weight. The Fin Ghula hung there in space for a moment before scurrying to the underside of the balcony as the occupants of both the balcony she had left and the balcony that had broken her fall came outside. Snips of conversations in both Bothan and Basic drifted down to her ended with a man directly above her muttering: "Those damn buildering youth, out here in the middle of the night. They're just asking for a broken neck." His female companion snorted in agreement before they went back inside. Llywen blew out a sigh of relief and waited a few minutes longer before continuing on her way.
Llywen climbed for another hour before finally scrambling onto the roof. From here, she could see for miles, but that was not what she was focusing on. Standing out in the dark in all of its shining glory, was the Jedi Temple, Llywen's old home. She smiled as she stood on the parapet, her hands raised above her head, gripping a bar that stood out from a nearby wall. She sighed as she stepped down from the edge and started her way across the rooftops towards the Jedi Temple, a beacon of light in the dark.
-
"Ee-ugh." Seva brought the back of her hand up to her nose. "What is that horrendous stench?"
"Another prisoner," Keilana said quite calmly. Seva rounded the corner and frowned. Keilana was rooting through the clothing of a corpse that was in the advanced stages of decomposition. While Seva was close to retching, Keilana seemed perfectly fine.
"Find anything…useful?" Seva choked out.
"Just a dagger the bugs seemed to have missed." Keilana pulled this out of the corpse's boot and wiped it off on a piece of torn cloak. "Do you want it?"
Seva shook her head. "No, no I'm good."
"You sure?" Keilana stood up and approached the other woman.
"Very."
"Okay, your Grace," Keilana walked past Seva as she tucked the dagger between her belt and her person. Seva watched as Keilana disappeared into the corridor they had just left and quickly followed after her.
"Shouldn't we explore that tunnel?"
"Only if you want to end up like that guy back there," Keilana said as she gestured over her shoulder with her thumb. "That stink was partially from the creature that killed him. The glorne spider gives off a distinctive odor and it just grew stronger the further down I went." Keilana shrugged. "Besides, it dead-ends before too long."
Seva paused and watched Keilana as the bounty hunter continued on her way. How did Keilana know these tunnels so well…? Shaking her head, Seva followed Keilana.
They traveled in silence for another hour or so before Keilana threw out her arm to stop Seva.
The Lyian paused and glanced at Keilana. "What is it?"
"Shh… Stay here for a moment." Keilana crept forward and touched the tunnel wall. She glanced around the corner quickly before drawing back and motioning for Seva to come over.
"So, you don't believe in mythical creatures?" Keilana said in a low voice.
"No. Why?"
Keilana smiled and gestured with her chin. "Because one is shuffling about just around the corner."
"Shuffling about?"
"He's only young." Keilana said as if Seva should have known. "Looks like he was just kicked out of the nest too. He's probably exploring the caves to find a hole of his own."
Seva opened her mouth and closed it again before shaking her head. "If you are pulling my leg, Hunter…" She stepped around Keilana peered around the corner. Her mouth dropped and her eyes widened in surprise as she turned back to Keilana. "That's… What is that?"
"A minotaur. True, they aren't quite like the myths, but here they are."
Seva pursed her lips and peered around the corner once more. The creature there was leaning forward on his front legs, his large hands lightly touching the rough ground; Seva could see that he generally stood erect on only two legs. With an elongated almost feline face face, and a slender body covered in fine, tan fur, this was not the creature Seva had been told about as a young child. In place of hooves, he had long feet and supported his weight on the balls of his feet and toes. The horns that sat on top of his head were small and not yet fully developed, indicating that he was nearing maturity. He also had a naturally cropped tail that was wagging slowly as he sniffed at a partial human skeleton. Grunting softly to himself, the minotaur swung at the skull and started to follow it down the hall to where it clattered against the wall opposite the two women.
"Well, what are we going to do?" Seva turned to look at Keilana. Keilana only shrugged.
"I'm open to suggestions."
Seva frowned. "Tell me what you know about them."
"Well, they're big and strong and they rather like to eat meat," Keilana seemed to shrug with her words.
"Are they intelligent?"
"I'm sure they are."
"I mean, do they have language?"
"Sure, though I doubt it's one that I'm familiar with."
"So we're stuck then?"
"Looks like it." Keilana frowned and Seva shook her head.
"You do know that he's coming this way."
"No, actually I didn't. Is he?" Keilana and Seva switched places so that Keilana could glance around the corner. The minotaur was right there, looking at her, his head tilted to the side as if he were curious about the humans.
"Ii'klanka!" Keilana swore in Mandalorian as she leapt backwards and drew her knives. The bounty hunter was unsure of whether she was more surprised by the minotaur's sudden appearance or if he was more spooked by her curses and weapons. Regardless, the minotaur let out a guttural, reverberating grunting sound before leaping directly towards the two women…
-
"I do not see an entranc-eh, Jedi," Cera said, turning towards Kyp. "We have bee-n searching for over three ausos."
"Did you expect bright neon signs and arrows?" Kyp said through clenched teeth. For the past three hours, Kyp had been calling on all of his years of training to restrain himself from strangling the Lyian. Nothing but complaints had been coming out of her mouth since they had started searching for a way inside the spirehive. At first they had been few and far between but now they were coming almost constantly.
"No, but… Couldn't you not use your special powers to find one?"
"They don't work quiet like that, Cera."
"My name is Cera Laana," she said quietly.
"Excuse me?"
"Call me Cera Laana, Jedi," she said harshly. "You are not a friend, only an acquain-tee-ance so therefore you should to address me by my first two names."
Kyp sighed and jumped down from his vantage point. He approached Cera slowly and narrowed his eyes. "Look, throw me a bone, okay? We are on this mission together and we have to work together and that generally means that we have to sacrifice a few things to make things go smoothly. Give up on your formalities for a few more hours and just let me call you what it is easiest to call you."
Kyp tried not to allow his emotions intervene with his words but it was proving hard. Cera crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes as well.
"And what is it that you have had to sac-ree-fice?"
"The knowledge that I am in complete control of my emotions around those who grind me the wrong way." Kyp was tempted to snort in her face but he quickly abandoned the idea. He didn't want to seem childish. Turning around, Kyp climbed up to where he had come from and started to crawl along the wall. "I think there is an opening just around the corner here."
"Really?" Cera jogged around the corner below Kyp and scrambled up the wall. She stood on the small ledge waiting for Kyp. As soon as he was around, she stepped toward the crack but Kyp grabbed her arm to stop her.
"Let me go first."
"I'm capable of taking care of myself."
"I'm sure you are, but just let me go in. I'll be able to tell if someone is approaching or if we are about to tumble over an edge."
"I thought your powers didn't work like that." Kyp gave Cera a hard glare before unclipping his lightsaber from his belt and stepping into the opening. Cera sighed but followed close behind.
They walked in silence for a long time before Kyp paused. He held up a finger for silence and glanced over the edge of the cliff they had been walking along. Far below them through clearing mist several bugs were chittering at each other. They seemed to be having a fight and were far too distracted to noticed the humans far above their heads. After a moment, Kyp started to edge along the wall once more, careful to not knock any small stones off. He paused when a couple of pebbles rattled towards the edge. Before they could fall over, he calmed them with the Force. Cea looked at him with wide eyes but remained silent.
A few moments later they stepped off the edge and into a dark, tight corridor. Kyp paused to catch his breath, which he had been holding for the last several minutes. Cera leaned over and put her hands on her knees. She glanced up at Kyp, her eyes catching what little light there was in the corridor.
"Do you have any idea where we are going?"
"No,"Kyp said, shaking his head. Cera sighed and stood up.
"Then why do you continue?"
"Because I can feel her."
"Who?"
"You know very well who," Kyp snapped. He looked back at Cera before disappearing into the dark.
-
…And right over their heads. Keilana spun on her heal and gasped; a gigantic glorne spider was no more than five meters behind them. Somehow, in her fascination over actually seeing a minotaur, she had not sensed this other creature approaching them. Cursing, Keilana tightened her grip on her knives and started to approach the spider but was stopped when Seva threw out her arm to bar the younger woman's path.
"Wait," Seva said. "I want to see this without any interruption from you."
Keilana gave Seva an odd look but stayed where she was. Her grip on her knives did not loosen, however, as her gaze lingering on Seva a moment longer before turning to watch the two creatures.
The minotaur, upon reaching the spider, ran up the wall and did a back flip towards his enemy, lashing out with his heavy claws. The spider reared up and knocked the smaller creature out of the air, throwing the minotaur to the ground. A cloud of find dust filled the air, dampening the weak light of the lichen and causing the humans to cough. Through the cloud, Keilana could see the shapes of the minotaur and spider as they battled on. They were only shapes in the dark. The dust finally started to settle just as the large catlike creature was rolling out of a fall. When the minotaur climbed up off the ground, he stood at his full height of just over two meters. He didn't move nor did he make a sound; he was simply staring down the spider. And except for the click-click of the spider's mandibles, the tunnel was devoid of sound. Keilana glanced at Seva out of the corner of her eyes, unsure of what to do. A question was forming on her lips when the minotaur bent towards the spider and bellowed. It started deep in his chest and filled the tunnel with a terrible sound as his cry reverberated from wall to wall. A shiver ran down Keilana's spine but the spider stood still, unfazed by the minotaur's warning. Glancing behind him, the minotaur made eye contact with Seva and gestured with his head, growling and garbling at her before turning back to the spider and producing a short knife from the long fur on his hips. The two women stood still before slowly backing away, never taking their eyes off the battle.
Once they were around the corner, but still within sight of the two creatures, Keilana confronted Seva.
"Did he actually…?" Keilana started. Seva nodded, her eyes still on the minotaur. "Why?"
"Either because he is protecting us or he has just claimed us as his own." Seva glanced at Keilana and shrugged. "But really, I haven't the clue. Who can actually get into the head of an animal?"
Keilana pressed her lips together slightly and stayed silent. She had an answer for that one but she doubted it was one that would be well received by Seva. Sighing softly, Keilana turned back to the fight that seemed to be reaching its end.
While they had been talking, the minotaur had found his way onto the spider's back. Though he could not do anything beyond hold on for dear life due to the spider's bucking, he was making progress, or so it seemed. Keilana's eyes had moved away from the two creatures to the knife that lay abandoned in the middle of the tunnel, partially buried in the dirt. She started to moved towards it but Seva grabbed the back of her jacket, stopping the other woman's her progress.
"What are you doing?"
"Attempting to help out. The minotaur doesn't have his knife." She pointed and Seva released her grip.
"Go save the day then, bounty hunter. You seem to have a knack of getting out of impossible situations."
"My father wouldn't have trained me any other way," she said without thinking about it. She was unable to catch Seva's reaction as she sprinted across the tunnel, stooping over to pick up the knife. The minotaur started to howl at her, trying to convince her to stay out of the fight, but Keilana ignored him; another thing she was good at doing. She held the blade tightly, the sharp edge digging into her forefinger, as she aimed in mid-stride. In one motion, Keilana threw the knife, pulled out her own weapon, and slid under the spider to thrust her dagger into the creature's soft abdomen. The spider, who had been silent up until this point, howled in agony and collapsed on Keilana, crushing her into the ground and soaking her in blood. She managed to keep hold of her dagger as the spider rose and started stumbling around the cavern, clawing at the knife that was stuck in one of its eyes. Before Keilana had the chance to get out of the way of the dying spider, the minotaur gripped her tightly by the shoulder and lifted her into the air. Digging his claws into her muscles and soft flesh, the minotaur threw her against the wall and held her there as he started the gesture wildly with his free hand, snorting and growling softly. Keilana, who had never been in a situation quite like this before, dropped the dagger she had been holding loosely in her hand, and stared at Seva as recognition dawned across the other woman's face.
"Wait, I know this! I know what he's saying!" She ran around the corner, gesturing with her good hand. The minotaur caught this movement out of the corner of his eyes and dropped Keilana in favor of Seva. Keilana hardly had a chance to react to the shooting pain in her tailbone as she watched Seva and the minotaur.
"How…what…fuck. What the hell are you doing?" She stood up slowly, rubbing at the pain in her rear end.
"I'm communicating with him," Seva said slowly. She had removed her broken arm from its sling and was now using it as well. "It's a form on nonverbal communication I was taught in the military. I had heard that once, a long time ago, this had been taught to a species that was unable to speak our language but was recruited as part of our military anyway due to being strong and natural fighters. They were also slaves. I can only assume they were his ancestors as his gestures are rough and unsophisticated but clear nonetheless."
She then fell silent, giving Keilana a chance to think. The silence didn't last long before Seva turned to the younger woman, a brief smile on her face.
"His name's Grrarrl—or at least that the closest we are going to get in Basic." Seva watched Keilana for a reaction and when she didn't receive one, she simply continued. "He said that he had been taught this language by his mother who had learned it from her mother and so on. He uses it when trying to communicate with people who look like us," she said with a gesture, "as his language tends to scare them…us."
Grrarrl made a repeating snorting sound and it was not until that moment that Keilana noticed the slight hand signals Seva was making. She had been translating what she was telling Keilana to Grrarrl and the minotaur was now laughing. Keilana looked at the large creature warily and started to rub her shoulder. Seva smiled.
"He says that he is sorry and that you are foolish for having taken on Faraanti, the spider. However…" Seva paused and gestured to Grrarrl. He signed back and Seva nodded. "However, he is impressed that you were able to take her down like that. He says that you are resourceful, for a human."
"Tell him thanks for me…" Keilana said dryly. She turned her back to them and started to search for her dagger in the dust. "Oh, and tell him sorry for losing his knife."
A pause. "He says that it is fine."
Having found her dagger, Keilana stood up and crossed her arms. She regarded the woman and alien in front of her for a moment. Grrarrl was making soft grunting noises as he studied her, his head tilted to one side. Gesturing with her shoulder, Keilana's gaze locked on Seva.
"Ask him if he knows a way out of here." Seva nodded and turned to the minotaur. His gaze stayed on Keilana a moment longer before touching his chin, indicating that Seva could go on. Keilana watched their short exchange, her eyes turning to Seva as the older woman turned back.
"He says that the nearest exit is under half a day's walk from here." Keilana smiled widely and started to look around in case she had dropped anything else. Her search was interrupted as Seva continued. "However, as it is nearly dark on the surface, he says that we should sleep in the tunnels tonight and make our way to the surface a few hours before the sun raises. I suggest you get to telling your Jedi friend that he should stay put."
Keilana, though obviously deflated about the idea of having to spend the night in the tunnels, shook her head curtly. "The Force doesn't work like that, Seva. I can't just tell him to stay where he is. I could try to form images in my mind and send those to him, but my thoughts are too thoroughly scrambled at the moment to make any sort of sense. Also, I can't feel him. In fact, I can barely feel you two. The Force is somewhat dampened here, though I hardly believe it is that fact that there is hardly any life." Keilana paused and walked down the tunnel, her fingers barely touching the wall as she went. After a short while, Keilana turned back to the other two. Grrarrl had stopped making noises and Seva looked confused and slightly worried.
"So many lives were lost here," Keilana said slowly. "So many…concentrations of the Force dissipated in just a few short hours. I'm not surprised that it hasn't lingered here through the years…" Keilana gave them a sad smile. The only reaction she received was further confusion. She laughed, a humorless sound. "This is where the Clone Wars began. This is where my…" She shook her head. "We are under the arena," she said with a gesture to Seva. Seva asked this of Grrarrl who snorted and nodded. Keilana smiled lightly. "I'll be right back."
Before either Seva or Grrarrl could move, Keilana collapsed into the dirt.
The sounds of battle consumed her and the cries of dying men and women echoed through her mind. She could hear their wails and feel their agony, but she could not see their bodies. She was caught up in a swirl of sand that tore at her face and arms, leaving trails of blood in their wake. It was not until a figure stepped into her view was she able to see the battle around her. However amazing it might have been to witness history and to watch the death of a hundred Jedi, her eyes were focused on a single figure. A man dressed in nothing more than a thin white tunic and loose pants stood with his hands clasped together, watching her as he might a statue in a museum. He couldn't have looked any less like Boba Fett had he tried despite their near identical expression and shape. He did not move for a long moment and neither did she. They simply watched each other until he held out a hand to her. She mimicked his gesture and came forward until her hand rested in his firm grip. With his other hand, he gestured to the scene around them.
"This is what brought you to the world," he said. "And that," he pointed to a boy who was hiding in the shadows, "is why."
She studied the boy's face and found that she could see every strand of hair and every speck of dirt on his cheeks despite the great distance between them. Was this what he would look like? Was this boy to be her son? She furrowed her brow and gasped at the colour of the boy's eyes. They were not brown like hers, nor black as her father's, but a green so intense and clear they seared through her own. She blinked but could not turn away from the gaze that held her so intently. They stood there for hours, seconds, she could no longer tell, and it was not until the boy disappeared into the shadows was the spell broken.
"I have never seen eyes like that before," he admitted, watching the battle with eyes like her own. "And I doubt I ever will again. He is yours, you know."
"I know," she said softly with an air of great sadness. "And I knew."
"Knew what?"
She shook her head, her eyes dry of the tears that should have been there. "I just knew."
He nodded slowly and returned his gaze to the massacre that went on around them. Their hands were held up at shoulder level as if he were escorting her to her premiere and she almost felt as if she were wearing a flowing gown. Glancing down, just to make sure, she was almost satisfied to see that she was still in her dusty and stained clothing.
"What was it that you wanted to ask?"
"Ask?" He chuckled. "Why would I want to ask you anything?"
"You brought me here."
He glanced at her and smiled, the expression holding a certain amount of joy. "I did."
"Then what do you want?"
The look on his face melted and he shook his head. "He raised you to well, dearest." Pause. "She is about to get what she wants."
"I can feel her shadow…"
"Her influence is crossing the galaxy and she won't let you escape."
"I know…" Tears started to fill her eyes.
"She is coming for him…"
"I know…"
She closed her eyes and, when she found the strength to open them, it was not the battle that she saw…
Keilana jumped and stifled a scream in her throat as she was greeted by the furry face of Grrarrl which was very, very close to her own. Coughing as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, Keilana looked around.
"How long was I out?"
"Out? Keilana, you collapsed no more than a second ago." Seva furrowed her brow and Keilana ignored the fact that the Lyian had used her proper name.
"Oh…"
"Are you okay?"
"Fine," Keilana said as she wiped a hand over her forehead to rid it of sweat. When she glanced casually at the back of her hand, she gasped to see that it was covered in blood. At the same time, Seva muffled a cry of shock with her hand and Grrarrl chittered softly in concern.
"What happened?" Seva said after her initial silence. Keilana's arms and face were covered in miniscule cuts.
"I'm not quite sure. There was sand, and Jedi, and…Jaxon…" Keilana squeezed her eyelids together and buried the heels of her hands into her sockets until white stars exploded in the darkness. "And he was there too."
"Who's Jaxon? Who's…he?" Seva asked, kneeling next to Keilana. All of her contempt and hate for the woman was forgotten for the moment.
"They're no one," Keilana said pointedly as she stood up and walked away. She crossed her arms and stared at her toes. "I don't want to talk. Can we get going, Grrarrl?"
The minotaur snorted in acquiescence without Seva's assistance and started to lead them down the tunnel. Keilana glanced at Seva and then walked after the large creature, her eyes on the ground, her arms crossed over her breasts.
-
"Gnah!" Jax said pointing at Ganner. The large Jedi smiled widely and ran his hand over the boy's dark hair. Jax mimicked the smile and bounced up and down, his arms waving through the air. "Gnah!"
"Shhh. I'm supposed to be putting you to bed, kid." Ganner stood up from the floor and walked towards Jax's bassinet. Jax grabbed Ganner's hair and pulled. Hard. Ganner winced and untangled the small hand. Jax laughed with delight and pulled his hair again. Ganner pressed his lips together and held out the infant. Jax smiled and cooed.
"What did your mother tell you before she left?" Jax squealed with delight and reached for Ganner with his chubby hands.
"Gnah! Gnah! Gnah!"
"What are you trying to say? You're too young to start speaking, little man. Hold off a little and learn how to crawl first." Jax watched Ganner intently and babbled softly. He reached for Ganner again as his face started to contort. Ganner pulled the child to his chest quickly, patting his back softly. "Don't start crying now, I was only teasing."
The two of them stayed there for a moment longer before Ganner became aware of another presence in the room. He turned around to see Mara Jade Skywalker standing in the door jam, her arms crossed.
"I never imagined you as the nurturing type, Ganner." She stood up straight and started to approach the large man. "Honestly I didn't. But seeing you with little Jaxon…"
Ganner grinned and shrugged. "You constantly learn new things about your friends, Mara."
"I guess so."
The two continued to chat as Ganner rocked slowly from side to side. As Jax started to fall sleep, a shadow moved across the window that neither of the Jedi noticed. Had they looked up, they would have seen a pair of glowing eyes staring back at them through the darkness. Had they looked at Jaxon, they would have noticed his eyes flash green before he fell asleep.
-
Keilana sat close to the fire that Grrarrl had built up for the three of them. She had accepted the food he had offered and had drunk the water she was given. Other then that, Keilana did nothing. Though Seva had tried repeatedly, she could not pull Keilana out of her thoughts for longer than to receive a quick response to an answer posed to her. That being the case, the Lyian and the minotaur had fallen into a silent conversation; they left Keilana to her thoughts.
A draft whisked through the cavern that served as Grrarrl's nest, pulling at the fire. Keilana pushed her hair out of her face and glanced in the direction of the wind.
"We're close to the surface," Seva said quietly. Keilana nodded without looking at the other two. "Grrarrl says that you should go to sleep." Nod. "Or that you should at least do something other than stare at the fire." Keilana glanced at the other two.
"Please, don't tell me what to do," she said softly, firmly. Seva and Grrarrl regarded the bounty hunter for a moment before falling back into their conversation. Keilana sighed and moved away from the fire slightly. Laying down on her side, facing the blaze, Keilana pillowed her head on her arm and pulled her knees halfway up to her chest.
Her mind slowly drifted back to the thought that had been haunting her since her vision: How could someone's eyes turn that colour? How could her Jax have…those eyes? She furrowed her brow. It was only a vision, she told herself. It meant nothing, just a dream. She tried to convince herself of that truth, repeating those words over and over to herself until they became a mantra running through her mind. Remaining like this, laying still and trying to convince herself of something she doubted was true, Keilana started to fall asleep until something tickled her mind. She pushed herself up and looked through the dark to the small entrance of the cavern. For a moment she was sure the Force had returned, but too quickly it was gone, leaving a hole in her being.
"What is it?" Seva asked. Grrarrl snorted an inquiry and looked in the direction as well. "Grrarrl says that he doesn't sense anything."
"He wouldn't have," Keilana said as she pushed herself to her feet. "I'll be right back."
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Just right outside. Don't worry about me." Keilana gestured for them to stay put as she stepped around the fire and ducked under the entrance. Looking back and forth through the dark corridor (they had left the area with the lichen), she stepped to the left and started to walk slowly down the hall. After a moment, she pulled out her long knife and held it firmly. Pausing, Keilana touched the wall and looked intently forward. She could see better than the average human could in the dark, and was able to see anything larger than a small rodent. It was serving her well at the moment. Far in the distance, at the very end of the corridor, a figure was starting to approach. Keilana attempted to reach out through the Force but was met with only resistance. Whatever it was that had dampened the Force was working well. Frowning, Keilana crept forward, careful not to disturb the fine silt that covered the ground. The figure paused and gestured as another joined the first.
This went on for several minutes longer, a series of pauses and gestures. They were rapidly approaching each other and Keilana felt naked without the Force to help guide her. Cursing herself for for depending so greatly on something her father didn't believe in (something that she herself had been taught didn't exist), Keilana took a cautious step forward, straining her ears and narrowing her eyes in an attempt to focus her vision. The chip in her head whirred away (though she could not hear it) and attempted to focus on the figure by making slight adjustments to Keilana's pupils, so slight, in fact, the she hardly noticed them. But it was to no affect; the tunnel was just too dark.
Keilana tightened her grip on the hilt of her dagger and steadied herself on her feet, ready to attack or defend. She heard the two figures whisper to each other and then the familiar snap-hiss of a lightsaber as she was blinded by a sudden burst of light.
Ducking under the blade as it was thrown towards her, she hit the ground hard and bit back a harsh Mandalorian curse.
"I know that voice…" Someone said. Keilana lay very still for a moment before looking up at the face that loomed above her, tinted red by the blade of his sword.
"Well, fuck me," Keilana said as Kyp helped her up. "Imagine running into you in a dark corridor under the surface of Geonosis."
"Which is a good thing, as we came looking for you." Pause. "Where's Seva?"
"She's with Grrarrl in his nest."
"What?" Kyp and Cera said at the same moment.
Cera continued. "My Lady is in a nee-est with a what?"
"Grrarrl," Keilana said, turning towards the Lyian. "He's a minotaur."
That certainly didn't help. Cera started yelling and complaining in her native tongue and Kyp turned to Keilana, both of them ignoring the Lyian.
"You met a minotaur?" Kyp turned off his lightsaber and attached it to his belt. He pulled out a small lantern as Keilana nodded.
"A minotaur, yes. He's not an animal, if that's what you're asking. Though, we should probably go back. I left in sort of a daze over a vision and have been gone for a while now."
"A vision?"
"I'll tell you about it later."
Keilana motioned for the other two to follow her as she turned around, indicating the end of the discussion. Both Kyp and Cera hesitated for a moment before following her.
Nobody spoke the entire way back to the den. Keilana was about to duck through the small opening when Grrarrl stepped out. He snorted at Keilana, asking her where she had been. Before Keilana could respond (though she hadn't actually understood what he had said, she was just assuming his question), Grrarrl stiffened and rose to his full height to peer over Keilana and into the dark. Keilana turned around and allowed a smile to cross her lips. Her two companions had pulled out their weapons. Grrarrl touched Keilana's shoulder possessively as she startled everyone with a laugh.
"You two put your weapons away," she said with a gesture. "This is Grrarrl. He assisted me in killing a glorne spider and was going to show us a way out of the labyrinth in the morning."
Kyp relaxed slightly but still held his lightsaber before him. The instrument was thrumming.
"Are you sure, Keilana?" Kyp eyed the minotaur's hand. Keilana, who seemed indifferent to the contact, shrugged Grrarrl's hand off her shoulder and walked towards Kyp. Grrarrl chittered at her but the sound went unheard.
"I trust him enough to lead us out of this place but no more then that," Keilana said softly. "Put the sword away."
Kyp lowered the lightsaber and took his thumb off the activation. The tunnel fell into complete darkness until a torch appeared in the entrance to Grrarrl's nest. It was Seva. Cera stifled a squeal of joy and stepped forward, a grin on her face. She was like a child.
"Ti'Kanlla! A ta tonlla? A ta hunta? Ki inton jun ta leh?" ("My lady! Are you all right? Are you hurt? What happened after you fell?") Cera touched her leader's shoulder and gasped when she saw the angle of Seva's neglected broken arm. "Tan'klal!" ("Your arm!")
"La-to kane, Cera, Te ya kane" ("It is fine, Cera, I am fine.") Seva smiled and gestured to the others with the torch. "We should sleep if we plan on leaving early." She ducked back into the nest, the others following closely.
-
Later that night Kyp and Keilana sat up talking in low tones. They were speaking about what had happened to them since they had been split up and had just reached Keilana's vision. She fell silent and looked at the ground, reluctant to speak about it. Kyp did not know who her father was (let alone her grandfather) and she doubted this was a very good place to reveal the secret.
"Keilana, it could be important," Kyp urged. She shook her head and glanced towards where the others were sleeping. Grrarrl had disappeared into the tunnels nearly an hour ago and neither Kyp nor Keilana knew his destination. They still could not touch the Force.
"I know," Keilana said softly. "And it is important, but not to you. It was about Jax and…and someone you wouldn't know nor would I if he hadn't come to me before."
"Excuse me?"
Keilana closed her eyes and remained silent as she searched the back of her eyelids for an answer. One wasn't there. Opening her mouth and closing it several times, Keilana looked at her feet.
"My grandfather," she said, barely above a whisper. "My grandfather died here during the first battle of the Clone Wars and he spoke to me when the naala attacked. He spoke to me again in the tunnels, showing me Jax as his son, my father, but with eyes I have only seen in my nightmares."
"What do you mean?"
"Jax had my mother's eyes, Kyp," Keilana said, tears welling in her eyes. "She loathes me in her death and hasn't left my dreams alone for years now. I see her, but only her eyes and I will never forget them for as long as I live because they are like nothing I have ever seen." She bit her thumb before going on.
"What kind of eyes does she have?"
"Green," Keilana answered immediately. "And clear. You could see right through them if there was not something there to block your view. They are bright and they see everything and Jax had them, Kyp. He had my mother's eyes. He was so close to being a Feehh…"
"A what?" Kyp asked sharply. Keilana looked at the ground and shook her head.
"Nothing." Keilana stood up and turned around to leave the conversation but didn't have the chance. Before she could get far, Keilana felt Kyp's hand around her wrist, pulling her back towards the ground. As she hit, pain shot through her knees and up her legs.
"What the fuck, Kyp?" She growled, pulling her wrist out of his grip and rubbing it.
"I can't believe I've never seen it before," he said, his voice teetering on the edge of being harsh. "I know your tattoo."
"What, this tattoo?" Keilana said, pointing at her arm. "Congratulations, you can recognize Mandalorian war symbols."
"Mandalorian?" Kyp said, sitting back. "I don't believe you… Who the hell are you?"
"You know who I am!" Keilana said, standing up. Kyp stood up as well and grabbed her wrist. She jerked away and, stepping over the Lyians, fled into the tunnel. Kyp went after her, grabbing a torch on the way.
"Come back here!" Kyp held the torch out and looked back and forth through the tunnel.
"Not until you apologize, Durran," came Keilana's voice. Kyp couldn't pin down a location.
"Apologize for what? You've lied to us about who you are. Is that why you came after Luke? To do something your family couldn't?"
"Don't you say that!" Keilana's voice echoed through the tunnel. "I am not that girl anymore. I am part of your family now."
"A Fett in the Jedi Temple?" Kyp mocked. "That's rich. Who knows about this?"
"Your precious Luke Skywalker knows," Keilana said. She was right behind Kyp. He spun around and reached for his lightsaber but Keilana had grabbed it first. "And so does Ganner." Keilana dropped her hand and looked away. After a moment, she offered Kyp's weapon to him and sighed. "He was never my father, you know," she said softly after a moment. "He was a killer who happened to have the chance to raise a child to carry on his line of work. He trained me to kill very well. That's the kind of person my father is. Are you pleased with the answer to your question?" Keilana glanced at Kyp, her cheeks streaked with tears.
"Keilana…" Kyp said. He touched her hair before gently cupping her cheek. "You've proved yourself trustworthy time and time again, but how do you expect me to react to something like this?"
"Exactly as you did, actually. This is what broke me and Ganner apart and I couldn't tell anyone after that. I trusted him the most out of anyone in the Temple and he, well, you saw."
"Ganner is a spoiled brat," Kyp said with a smile. "I've been through something on the par of what you seem to have gone through."
"Growing up in the dark having to fend for yourself?"
"Exactly." Kyp ran his hand over Keilana's hair and dropped the torch to pull her into a hug. Keilana accepted it and started to weep against his shoulder.
"I wanted to keep this a secret from everybody else after Luke found out," Keilana said after a long while. "I wanted to start over but there was one other person who had to know."
"Ganner."
Keilana nodded. "Please don't tell anyone, Kyp."
"It's not my place to tell anyone. You need to tell who you need to tell and I was being nosy."
Keilana laughed and stepped back from Kyp's embrace. She ran the back of her hand over her cheek and grinned. "Twenty-two and still able to cry like a baby."
"Sometimes you just need to cry."
"Speaking from experience, Kyp?" Keilana smiled wider and stepped forward. She touched her lips to Kyp's cheek and held them there for a moment before pulling back. "Thank you." Keilana touched Kyp's forearm and smiled, holding it lightly. Kyp smiled back.
"Perhaps we should get some sleep. If we want to get out of here to find the twins we had better be well rested."
"Yes, we should." Keilana took Kyp's hand and held onto it tightly as she led him back into Grrarrl's nest. Neither of them saw the minotaur lingering in the shadows, a growl trapped behind his barred teeth.
-
After a dreamless night, Keilana woke with a start and a groan. Every part of her body tingled, her left arm the most poignant source of pain. Sitting up, Keilana gingerly touched her elbow which was still swollen from the Lyian Advisor's greeting. The skin throbbed against her finger. Fluttering her eyelids in pain, Keilana stood up, the only one awake. She started to take an inventory of her injuries so as to calculate to what extent she could push herself today. As far as she could discover, despite various aches, pains, and bruises, her only significant wounds were on her left arm; the healing sprained elbow (which she had foolishly ignored since coming to Geonosis), and the scabbed over cut to her left bicep. The arm was functional, especially after taking some medicine to deaden the pain, but it was not up to par quite yet. Right, Keilana thought to herself, chuckling silently to herself.
Turning around, Keilana crossed her arms and watched the others as they slept. Cera and Seva were on one side of the now dead fire, sleeping lightly. Kyp was at her feet, his head pillowed on his arm, and Grrarrl was sleeping in a small nest he had made for himself in the corner, his back to the humans. Moving slowly through the small space, Keilana ducked through the short entrance and out into the tunnel.
The first thing she noticed was that the corridor seemed…lighter. She turned in a circle, looking for the source of the light and found it far above her head. There was a hole to the surface there, small but large enough to let in light. Keilana smiled and titled her head to the side. Walking to the wall, she touched it, looking for a hand hold. Once she found one, she gripped it tightly and pulled herself up, her foot on the wall, her other hand searching for something to hold on to. And so she continued up the wall, drawing closer and closer to the small opening. Up here the air seemed fresher and a slight breeze caught her hair. It was warm but pleasant.
After climbing for nearly fifteen minutes, Keilana found a ledge large enough for her to sit on. She paused here and looked across the tunnel to the hole. She could not fit through it if she tried, but it was nice, seeing light. She allowed herself to smile as she lingered there for a little while longer.
Before too long, Keilana started to climb down. Upon reaching the ground, she turned back to the nest and was surprised to find Grrarrl there, waiting for her. He chittered softly and gripped her arm in his big hand. Keilana tried to pull away and when she couldn't, she put up her hand and pushed at Grrarrl's chest.
"Get away from me, Grrarrl," she said, pulling as far away from him as she could. He ignored her and pulled her closer, sniffing at her hair. Keilana grimaced as he bit her already tender shoulder lightly before letting her go. Without a sound, Grrarrl turned back to the nest and ducked under the entrance. Keilana touched her shoulder after he had disappeared and wasn't surprised to find it bleeding. She cursed softly, sure that Grrarrl thought of her as his own.
Pausing for a moment longer, Keilana followed Grrarrl back into the cave. She glanced at him as he looked up but continued to Kyp's side. Touching his shoulder to wake him, Keilana kneeled.
"Keilana…" He blinked and noticed her shoulder right away. "What happened?"
"Grrarrl," she said under her breath, looking over Kyp's shoulder. The minotaur was watching them. "He made it quite obvious that he wants me to remain here with him."
"Excuse me?"
"You heard what I said." She paused before looking back at Kyp. "Do you remember how you got here?" Kyp nodded. "Good, because I don't trust Grrarrl to lead us out of here anymore, not if he wants to keep me around."
"I understand," he said, standing up. Keilana remained where she was as Kyp moved to wake up the other two women. He quickly related to them what Keilana had told him. They both looked at Grrarrl who wasn't letting them out of his sight.
In the meanwhile, Keilana had torn off more of her jacket and was starting to bandage her shoulder. It was a sloppy dressing, but it would have to do until they returned to the ship.
It did not take long for the humans to gather their things and, upon sensing that his companions were about to leave him, Grrarrl stood up and followed them into the tunnels. Keilana gave Seva a significant look and the woman turned to the minotaur, telling him that his services were no longer needed since their companions knew how to exit the tunnels. He roared in response and shook his head.
"He won't let us leave without him," Seva said.
"Yeah, I sort of got that on my own." Keilana sighed and gestured with her hand. "Fine, whatever, but we're listening to Kyp and Cera as to how to get out of here."
This was told to Grrarrl and he snorted in response, obviously unhappy with the situation. However, he complied and remained silent for the time being.
Once sure they had everything, the small group made their way up the tunnel, Kyp and Cera in the lead.
-
They had been traveling for several hours with barely a word between them. A small argument had broken out at one point about whether they should go one way or another, but it had been short lived and a decision has been made.
And so they found themselves walking along a thin path along a cliff's edge. Above them a shear wall rose to unseen heights and below the cavern was full of mist and the ground could not be seen. They were sure the natives were below them, for they could here the click of the bug's wings and short conversations in their strange tongue, but nobody had seen one.
"The mist appears to be clearing," Kyp said, pausing momentarily. Keilana drew close to him and peered around his shoulder and down, looking for the bottom of the cavern.
"Look!" Keilana exclaimed, pointing down. Kyp looked over the side of the cliff, following the line of her finger. Through the clearing mist, Kyp could see the motionless bodies of two humans suspended in fields of light; the twins. "Well, that's certainly lucky."
Keilana took a step backwards to the edge, estimating the distance to the ground. "We have to get down there."
"That's a fifty foot drop at least, Keilana," Kyp said, looking at the woman. He grabbed her arm and held tight, not letting her jump. Grrarrl chittered and snorted.
"I don't care, Kyp," she said, pulling at him.
"You don't have the Force to draw on to slow your decent."
"I've leapt over the edge of buildings plenty of times, Kyp. I've been trained very well." She gave Kyp a hard stare.
"I don't care about how well you've been trained. You are injured enough as it is."
Keilana bared her teeth but complied. "Then how do you propose we get down there? Her Grace won't be able to climb down with her arm and we won't be able to climb back up with two unconscious young adults."
Kyp pressed his lips together.
"You, Grrarrl, and I can take care of the bugs."
"And what will the Lyians be doing?"
"Getting the bikes so that we can get out of here faster. Yours didn't drop through the hanger with you."
"Still, I doubt it's in any kind of shape to be ridden." Regardless of her doubts, Keilana related this plan to the Lyians and Grrarrl before crouching and looking over the edge.
"You ready?" Kyp asked.
"Of course." Keilana gave him a grin before swinging herself over the edge and starting the descent. Kyp and Grrarrl were close behind her as the Lyian women waited until their companions had disappeared before continuing.
Kyp, Keilana, and Grrarrl climbed in silence for nearly fifteen minutes and reached the cavern floor without a word between them. Keilana held out her hand, looking through the mist. When Grrarrl shook his head, indicating that they were alone, Keilana crossed the ground to the twins. They were suspended in midair in rotating prisons of light. Neither twin moved.
"Get ready to catch them," Keilana said under her breath as she opened what she assumed to be a control panel. Everything was written in a language she barely understood. Touching one button, Keilana glanced up to see a bolt of energy cross through Jacen's torso, jerking his body this way and that. She uttered a vicious curse in Mandalorian before studying the panel closer. It took her nearly five minutes to be sure that the button she was choosing was not going to hurt Jacen further. Tentatively, she pressed it and held her breath. The prison device did not react right away and Kyp nearly missed Jacen's fall when he turned to Keilana to ask what she had done this time. He managed to break the fall but nearly tumbled to the ground himself.
"Is he alive?" Keilana asked, taking a step towards Jacen as Kyp laid him on the ground. She pressed her fingers to his neck and blew a sigh of relief to find a pulse. It was weak but definitely there.
"Go release Jaina," Keilana instructed, pointing at the girl. Kyp stepped towards the other Solo twin and opened the control panel on the device that held her.
"Which button is it?"
"The one marked clul-cli'ack-cl'ack." Keilana said without looking up from Jacen; she had opened the top of his flight suit to check for any obvious injuries on the young man's body. Other than the expected bumps and bruises, the only other injuries she could find were streaks of blackened skin that crossed his chest from the electric shock.
"The…what?"
Keilana shook her head. "Geonosian, sorry. The fourth from the top in the third column from the left."
Nodding, Kyp pressed the button and caught Jaina as she fell. He brought her to her brother's side and started a similar inspection of her person.
"Look at this," Keilana had pulled back the shoulder of Jacen's clothing revealing a fresh tattoo on the skin covering his collar bone. "The bugs branded him."
Kyp leaned over Jaina to look at the odd lettering. "What does it mean?"
"Hold on, I don't know this language very well." Keilana studied the lettering for several minutes in silence. "Cli'ii-li-ii…" She muttered. "The pardoner, that's as close as I can get."
"Shit," Kyp growled as he fastened Jaina's flightsuit. "Yun-Shuno."
"Excuse me?"
"Yun-Shuno, The Pardoner…it's the god the Yuuzhan Vong associate with Jacen."
"Oh, fuck," Keilana said, standing up. "Do you think they're here?"
"The twins would be gone already if they were." Kyp stood as well and wiped his hands together. "But we better hurry before they do arrive."
"How are we going to get these two out of the caves?"
Kyp seemed at a loss for words as he started to look around the cavern. "There," he pointed. "A speeder."
Keilana nodded and ran towards the vehicle.
"We can all fit in it," she said upon closer inspection. "All of us except Grrarrl."
She looked at the minotaur but he was not paying attention to her. Instead, his attention was on something hidden in the mist. Baying loudly, Grrarrl turned to Keilana and pointed at the twins, chittering softly. He then bound out of view.
"He wants us to get these two out of here."
"I can see that," Kyp said putting Jaina in the back of the speeder. "Help me with Jacen."
Keilana hesitated, her eyes on the spot that Grrarrl had disappeared. She could hear the sounds of a fight and the snarls of the minotaur. "We can't just leave him, Kyp."
"He did it to save us and the twins, Keilana. You have to accept his sacrifice." Kyp had taken Jacen's shoulders and was lifting him off the ground. "Now come help me. These two are the most important people to worry about."
Keilana looked at Kyp, pain in her expression over the cries of an injured minotaur. Closing her eyes and forgetting about the deep bite marks in her shoulder, Keilana grimaced as Grrarrl screamed. She swallowed and started for the two Jedi, picking up Jacen's feet.
"They're coming this way," Kyp said, jumping into the driver's seat. Keilana climbed in next to him and started searching the cab for any weapons as Kyp turned the speeder on and slammed his foot on the accelerator. All she could find was a blaster rifle with under half its charge.
"It will have to do," Kyp said, glancing at Keilana. He then touched her shoulder. "He did it to save you, Keilana."
"I know," she said, climbing into the back seat between the twins. She took aim as the first bug appeared and shot it, clipping the alien in the wings. The bug fell out of the air and disappeared in the mist. "Do you have any idea where we are going?"
"Not a clue," Kyp said as he banked around a sharp corner. "I just hope it's in the general direction of the exit and not towards the Vong."
"Yeah," Keilana grunted between the screams of the weapon in her hand, "me too."
She glanced at the back of Kyp's head before turning back to their pursuers. The Geonosian's were starting to catch up and when Keilana related this to Kyp he shifted the speeder into a higher gear and started to accelerated. However, one of the bugs had managed to grab hold of the back of the vehicle and was starting to climb over the back. Keilana reached for her knife and stabbed it into the stomach of the alien. With a scream the bug was whisked away into the air.
The pursuit lasted several minutes longer before Kyp turned to Keilana.
"Look, light." Keilana turned to where Kyp indicated and smiled.
"I hope the Lyians will be able to find us."
"I have my comm and Cera's frequency if they can't. We can always rendezvous back at the ship."
"Yes," Keilana nodded. She turned back to her weapon and allowed Kyp to concentrate on getting them out of there.
It only took a few minutes at the speed they were going and Keilana was worried about the fact that she had not seen a single one of the Yuuzhan Vong. However, when they did exit into the bright Geonosian day, both Keilana nd Kyp were momentarily blinded and therefor could not spare a thought for the humanoid aliens. The speeder swerved to the left and tilted to one side as Kyp's eyes slowly grew used to the light.
"Do you know which way we need to go?" Keilana asked. She squinted at Kyp and brought her hand up to her forehead in an attempt to block out the sun.
"To the southwest," Kyp answered immediately as he brought this comm up to his mouth.
"Cera?" The comm crackled for a moment.
"Dah?" Came the response. "Is that you, Jedi?"
"It is. What is you current location?"
"We can see you if that is what you are asking. Perhaps we are one-hundred meters off? My lady is looking at you through been-ah-culares."
"Head back to the ship," Kyp instructed as Keilana leaned over his shoulder.
"Cera?" She said.
"Bounty hunter."
"Very good. Now listen to me. Both of the bikes have homing devices on them that will lead you back to the ship. Just input the following code into the control panel and you should be good to go." Keilana then related the rest of her instructions before sitting back and looking at Kyp. "Time to get back to the ship and find a way to repair her."
Kyp nodded and stepped on the acceleration.
-
It took nearly two days of work and the dismantling of one of the Lyian ships to get the Scrimshaw back online, but Keilana was able to manage it. During this time the twins drifted in and out of an induced unconsciousness. Kyp and Keilana had made the decision that it was better for twins' bodies to concentrate wholly on healing rather than on anything else at the moment. The two young Jedi would be needed in the immediate future of the mission and the quicker they could heal the better.
Having finished the final adjustments to the newly repaired hyperdrive, Keilana walked down the ramp, wiping her hands on a filthy piece of cloth. The three Lyians were standing in the sand, watching Keilana as she approached.
"Thank you for allowing me to take apart one of your ships, Seva Caiterina. I wouldn't have been able to get off this planet alive without it nor would we have been able to get back on our mission."
"I do not remember you giving me much of a choice," Seva said, a slight grin on her lips. "I recall you calling it pay back for saving my life a number of times."
Keilana shrugged. "Aklahn will be able to fit in one of the other ships, won't he?"
"We'll find room," Seva said, glancing back at the Phantoms. She then turned back to Keilana; her expression had changed. "I still do not like this, you are aware of that, bounty hunter?
"Perfectly," Keilana said. "Which is why you have to get your story straight."
"If either of my parents find out that I am lying to them I could disgrace my entire family. You are a wanted criminal and it is my mission to bring you back."
"And that is exactly why I destroyed what was left of your third ship and shot up your other two ships, with your permission of course. You just have to make sure these two don't go ratting you out." Keilana indicated Seva's wingmates who both looked at Seva and assured her that they would not betray their lady. With a smile, Keilana stepped towards Seva and offered the other woman her hand.
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, your Grace." Keilana shook Seva's hand and grinned before turning around and returning to her ship. Before she had even stepped off the boarding ramp, the ship's engines roared to life. The three Lyians backed away as the Scrimshaw flared its engines and shot off the ground and into the sky.