Andrew and Kari woke up to the sound of the crew's quarter door opening. Jada stood in the doorway in her Jedi armor and robes. "Get ready and meet us at the garage in 20," she told them as she left. "I hate it when she does that," Kari grumbled as she threw the covers off her. "That's a normal occurrence? Damn, she's crazy." Andrew grumbled.
Kari laughed at the comment and got up to head for the restroom. She wore a black crop top and matching short shorts. Andrew couldn't stop staring at her ass since half of it was hanging out. He had never realized how big it was before now. She became out of view, and Andrew rolled around in his bed to hopefully regain that blissful relaxation before he was interrupted.
"What the hell have you been doing, child!" Andrew shot up out of bed. He wasn't wearing a shirt and only had boxers on. "Where the hell have you been?" he said in a hushed tone but nonetheless still angry for startling him. "You think I've just been sitting in your mind quietly? Don't be foolish. I'm trying to find a way out of your mind." Andrew took a breath. "So, how's that going?" there was a moment of silence. "None of your concern, but the walls between our minds have strengthened since you haven't been using the force. I am surprised we can still communicate this way, but the wall between our minds is healing."
"I wonder if this can permanently block him out if I don't use the force." he thought. Andrew made his way to the door after grabbing his normal clothes. "What matters now is that I am here, and I will look out for us. Don't get comfortable with me. I am only looking out for myself until I can get out of your body." Andrew sighed. "Let me guess, if I die, you die?". "Yes, that's correct." "Such a cliche." he thought.
Andrew walked out of the room and made his way to the restroom, and cleaned himself up. He walked out of the ship and saw Kari waiting for him in her usual attire. "What took you so long, princess?" Kari poked. Without missing a beat, he responded. "Powdering my nose, of course." Kari chuckled, and the two made their way back to the garage.
"You have got to be kidding me! You've been distracting yourself with this hussy?!" the voice boomed. Andrew whispered. "Shut the fuck up. You don't get to just show back up after two months and start shitting on how I've been living my life." Kari looked over. "Did you say something?" Andrew shook his head. "Fuckin pussy," the voice said flatly. Andrew grunted at the comment.
They arrived at the garage and saw Oda working on one of the speeders. "Morning Oda!" Kari said cheerfully. The two exchanged a hug. "Morning Kari," he returned back to the speeder.
Zash walked in behind them carrying a crate. "Morning everybody! Jada and I just got the last of what we need to do this thing." he set the crate down and opened it up. It was filled with body armor.
Jada walked in with a long briefcase and a small wooden box in the other hand. "That seems to be the last of it." she set down the case on the workbench. She turned to Andrew with a small wooden box and handed it to him. "A gift," she told him. He took the box and opened it. It was a wooden hilt. Andrew's eyes lit up. "A lightsaber! This is fucking awesome!" he screamed internally. He looked at Jada. she had a sorrowful look on her face. "It's probably Tai's." he thought. "Thank you." she nodded in response. He took out the lightsaber and ignited it. A cerulean blade came out of the hilt. Jada spoke. "For those of you who didn't know, Andrew here knows the way of the force. Once we are done with the job, I will be teaching him." everyone stared at Andrew. "NO WAY! THIS IS LEGENDARY!" He was fangirling so hard.
"So that's why she brought him on," Zash stated. Oda nodded in agreement. Kari looked surprised. "I actually never knew…." Andrew deactivated the saber and attached it to his belt on the opposite side of his blaster. "Sorry, it's just not something I like to advertise," he told her. She nodded and gave a small smile.
"Alright, everyone, gather around," Jada told everyone. She shut off the lights and activated a holo when everyone gathered. It was a map of the building with the surrounding streets. "So Kari will be on the roof of the building directly across from the target, providing overwatch. I will be blending in with the citizens on the street in front of the target building and support Andrew and Zash if need be. Speaking of them, they will take out the two armed guards in the front and then make their way into the building to steal the artifact. Oda will be at the end of the street with a speeder waiting to pick up the two. Is everyone following so far?" everyone nodded in agreement. "So the artifact in question is a Holocron. A relic from the Jedi order that is being used as a paperweight. With a Jedi's help, they can unlock its secrets. It could be a map, old teachings, or even a beacon to all other Jedi. we just don't know, and honestly, we are just transporting it." Jada finished.
"A Holocron!? We are stealing a Holocron, and I get a lightsaber?! Oh my god, I might just faint!" Andrew internally screamed. "So a Holocron is what we're after. I've only heard of them." the voice said
Jada spoke once more. "So Kari, I got a blaster rifle that should cover the distance for you to use. Zash, you have a blaster, Andrew, you have your blaster and your new lightsaber. Oda, you have your blaster as well, and I have my lightsaber. You all know the plan. Just because it is private security doesn't mean Imperials won't be around, so keep your head on a swivel. Now get ready." the lights turned on, and everyone geared up.
Everyone was gathering their things, but Andrew was already good to go, so he decided to help Kari. she was inspecting her new rifle. "So you like it?" he asked her. She responded without looking. "We'll see how it does, but it looks pretty." he chuckled. She looked disturbed. "Are you ok?" he asked. She set the gun down and looked into his chestnut eyes. Her breath got caught in her throat when she did, but she suppressed what she was feeling for the moment. "I thought I was starting to know you, but it seems I know nothing." she turned back to the rifle. He couldnt tell you why or how he got the confidence to do what he was about, but he was grateful.
He grabbed one of the belt loops of her pants and pulled her to face him, and pulled her close. They locked eyes once more. Her face burned at his bold action. "So let's change that," he said softly. She melted at his voice. "Mmmhmm," she tuned the world out. Right here, right now, all she wanted was him. She wasn't stupid either. She glanced at his chest this morning, and she knew he was checking her out when she left the room.
"Everyone ready? Let's go!" Jada yelled to everyone. Andrew let go of her and walked to the door. Her face still burned at the interaction. She wanted him, BAD. she was gonna one way or the other.
The air was cool, and the ground was wet from the current downpour. Andrew and Zash wore a thin layer of Beskar under their clothes. It was only 13% Beskar, so it would only hold off a blaster bolt or two.
The two walked down the main street and were covered naturally by all the foot traffic. Jada was eating at a food cart across the street, but no one could point her in the crowd. "Com check. Anyone hear me?" it was Kari, she spoke over the earpiece everyone carried. It was louder than the rain, but the rain was loud enough to cover the sound of the earpiece from passersby in return.
"Jada confirmed"
"Oda confirmed"
"Zash confirmed"
"Andrew confirmed"
With everyone's comms working, phase one was underway. Zash and Andrew saw two men standing outside of the building in navy blue officer uniforms. They were private security. Zash walked up to them and bumped into the first one acting drunk. "H…hey th..there p-pal…." Zash slurred. One of the guards shoved him to the ground. "Get lost, you drunk!" with one of the guards back turned, Andrew took his chance. He pistol-whipped one of the guards, and when the other one turned around, he reached for his gun. Before he could grab it, Zash stunned him with his own blaster.
Andrew grabbed a keycard that was on one of the guards and opened the door. They dragged the guards into the building and left them at the front door.
They were in the building. It was dark. There was a red-carpeted staircase right in front of them and to the left of it was a hallway to the rest of the house. There was a fluorescent light coming from there, most likely where the other guards were.
"Zash, Andrew, there are two guards on the first floor and two on the second right in front of the room that the artifact is in," Jada spoke on the comm. Zash whispered. "I'll take care of the guards downstairs, and you grab the artifact." Andrew nodded. He made his way up the stairway in front of them and looked over the final step, and saw the two guards at the end of the hall. "Trust in me, and I'll take care of those two." Andrew didn't like the idea, but it made the most sense. "No, I can't afford to rely on you. I need to do this on my own." He whispered. The voice was silent.
Andrew set his blaster to stun and shot at the first guard and nailed him right in the chest. "Fuck yea!" he thought. He shot again but missed. "Fuck no!" the other guard aimed his gun at Andrew. "Please work! Please work! Please work!" Andrew grabbed his new lightsaber and ignited the sky-blue blade. The guard fired at him, and Andrew swung the saber like a baseball bat and swatted the blaster bolt back into the wall next to the guard. "OH SHIT, A JEDI?!" the guard screamed. He shot again, and Andrew swung but missed, and it nicked his shoulder. "Son of a bitch!" he ran the blade into the man's chest. "You dick." the man spoke. He spat out a bit of blood before his eyes rolled to the back of his head. Andrew deactivated the blade, and the man fell back into the wall and slid to the floor. Blood got on his face, and he froze. "I-i-i killed someone…" Andrew said in a panicked voice. "Now is not the time to panic. You had killed before, even though all the other times I was in control, so you don't remember. For what it's worth, you're quite good at it," the voice said, almost proud.
"Andrew, Zash, are you guys ok in there? I heard blaster fire," Jada asked. Zash responded. "It came from upstairs. Andrew went up there. The guards downstairs have been disposed of." Andrew stared at the lifeless body. "Andrew, are you ok?!" Kari asked worriedly. No answer. "ZASH!" she yelled angrily. "On it," he responded.
"I never thought I would take someone's life…he didn't deserve that…." Zash shook him out of his trance. "Hey, I know this might be difficult to understand, but you'll be fine. You can't think of him as human. They are demons, assholes, rapists, and murderers. Anything you can think of that would make this ok." Zash turned away from Andrew. "He's fine, just a little shell shocked…he killed a guard." the horned man slapped Andrew on the back and swiped the keycard to get into the office.
"So what are we looking for?" Zash asked on comms. "It should be a small blue cube," Jada replied. Zash was looking through the office frantically for the object. Rummaging through drawers and cabinets. Andrew still stood in the hall staring at the corpse. "He could have a family. A son or daughter that won't see him anymore." the voice spoke softly. "I am sorry you have to see this, but it is the cost of war," Andrew yelled. "BUT WE AREN'T AT WAR!" Zash spun around. "What the hell are you talking about?" Andrew's breathing became rapid. He clenched his chest. "I..I-I can't…" he ran down the hall. "ANDREW!" he heard Zash yell.
He practically jumped down the stairs and went out the front door. He was outside. The cool air helped, as did the droplets of rain. He took several deep breaths. "Andrew, what's going on?" Kari asked over comms. He took a second. "I-I'm fine. Just needed a sec." Jada responded. "We don't have a second to waste, did you get it?" on cue, Zash came out of the building. "Got it," he told everyone as he held the blue cube.
They made their way onto the main street and walked back to Oda. "hey, I'm sorry about what happened in there." Zash told him. "I think I'll be ok. I just need to digest it. I appreciate the sentiment. I'm also sorry about freezing up back there." Andrew apologized. Zash put his arm on Andrew's shoulder. "Hey man, it hap-" POW!
A blaster bolt seemingly came out of nowhere and found a home in Zash's shoulder. He fell to the ground. "NO!" Andrew yelled. He dropped to the ground to help him up and looked at where he thought the shot had come from. He didn't see anyone.
Another shot was fired, but Jada stood in the way and blocked it with her amethyst blade sizzling from the rain. "Get up and run!" she yelled as she blocked more blaster fire. It was coming from the roof where Kari was. Andrew helped up Zash, and the two ran over to Oda as fast as they could. "KARI, WHAT'S GOING ON!" he got no response.
Oda was getting out of the speeder to help with Zash, but before he could, the speeder exploded. "ODA!" Zash yelled. They took a detour through the alleyways. "What the fuck is happening?!" Andrew exclaimed. "I don't know, let's just get back to the garage," Zash told him.
The two made their way back to the garage but didn't turn on the lights to not draw attention. People outside were panicking and running to their homes. Andrew sat Zash down on an ammo crate and stood next to the door. He opened it just enough to see what was going on. "I gotta go back for Kari," he said. Zash got up. "No, you can't. Ugh." Zash grunted. Andrew turned around. "Here, let me bandage you up, and then I'll look for her."
Before Zash could protest, a crimson blade protruded from his chest. "NO!" Andrew screamed. The blade was yanked out, and Zash fell to the floor. The person responsible wore a black cloak and a black skull mask with glowing red eyes. The mysterious man used the force to grab the Holocron, but he crushed it and threw it on the floor. "NO!" Andrew yelled. He then ignited his cerulean blade but was force pushed into the garage door. He knocked the door off the hinges and lay atop it on the main street. The rain fell on him. He grabbed his blaster from his hip and shot at the new Sith.
The Sith blocked the blaster bolts and redirected one at Andrew's blaster, which broke it. Andrew grunted at the small explosion of his gun. He dropped it and grabbed his saber, and reignited it. He got up to face the man. "Who are you?!" he screamed at the man. He was met with silence. The man brought up his blade but was stopped when a black metal fist came crashing into his jaw, which made him stumble and broke the mask.
The arm belonged to Jada. she had some blaster marks on the clothes. "Jada! Are you ok?" he asked her. "I'll be fine, just a bit rusty," she told him as she smirked and held up her amethyst blade. "He broke the Holocron!" she looked at the destroyed Holocron. "It's a fake. We were set up," she told him.
The man took off his mask, and the person under it was James. "Hey, Andrew," he said in a low tone. Andrew's jaw dropped. "I thought you died on the Death Star!" Andrew cried. "Chloe and I were transported to Coruscant before the destruction, and Lord Sidious made us instruments of death." Jada cut the conversation short by striking at James. He barely blocked it. Andrew leaped in and took a jab at his side. James backed up to avoid the stab and used the force to throw crates that were in the garage at Andrew. He sliced through one crate, but he wasn't fast enough for the second and was hit in the face and knocked out.
"So, who are you?" James asked. "I am the woman who was meant to kill you," Jada responded. The two went back and forth with strikes, and Jada had the upper hand. The two clashed for the final time. "Send your master my regards," Jada told him. She was then shot in the back of her leg, making her kneel. James cut off her hand that held the saber and raised his blade above his head. He looked at where the shot came from. "Thanks, Chloe. Now take the girl to the ship. I'll be joining you shortly." he turned his attention back down to Jada. she eyed her blade and then back at James. He shook his head. "Protect him, Tai…I love you." Jada whispered. She used the force to grab her blade, but before she could stab James, he brought his blade down on her. Killing her.
She doubled over. Hitting the wet concrete, drawing her last breath. James looked at Andrew. "The balance of power has been restored," he told the unconscious boy as he walked away. Leaving him there.
Andrew came to and felt the droplets of rain on his face and smelt smoke. Something was burning. He sat up; it was the garage. He looked over and saw Jada's body lying there. Her eyes open. He got up and ran over to her. She was dead.
"This is all my fault. If I had helped her more, she would still be alive. All I did was get in the way," his eyes teared up. This emptiness took hold of him. He looked up to the sound of a starship taking off. It was the ship of an inquisitor. "She is on the ship with them; she's not conscious." the voice told him. The emptiness he felt was replaced by something else.
His eyes turned bright gold, and he stood up. He used the force to grab his and Jada's lightsaber. A few police officers came by to see what was wrong, but Andrew was leaving the scene. "Sir, we are gonna have to ask you a few quest- ACKK!" the police officer was interrupted by Andrew force-choking him and the other officer without lifting a finger. Their throats closed in on themselves, and blood ran down their face from their eyes. Coughing up blood, eyes bulging, even hands clawing at the invisible force that was taking their life. Finally, a loud crack was heard that silenced the street, and the two officers dropped.
No one moved as they feared their lives were next. The only sound you could hear was the rain and the garage burning.
He made his way to the Reaper, not his name of choice, and began to power up the ship. It's time to get back in the fight. The Reaper took off and left the atmosphere, and Andrew punched it into hyperspace. "This is weird, I don't have control, but you are using my power…" the voice stated curiously. "That's too damn bad," Andrew said coldly. "Where are we headed?" the voice inquired. "Somewhere that we can let loose," Andrew told him.
