Chapter XI

Wild Nomad

Jade moved slowly through the vessel's corridor, walking towards the landing ramp. Bao was in the cockpit, Emdee in the Medical Bay, Niner in Riko's quarters. Jade was alone in the narrow, ribbed corridor.

Despite this, she felt like she was being watched. She turned towards the medbay, and realized that Emdee was looking at her.

Jade wasn't sure how to react. Emdee said nothing.

Jade resumed walking, and Emdee turned back to whatever task she was performing prior.

The ramp was just up ahead.

The girl continued walking, and saw the control panel, just waiting for her.
Jade took a deep breath, feeling like she stood on a precipice…and grabbed the lever, pulling it downward.

With a hiss, the ramp began to slowly lower, sunlight filling the opened area. Jade waited through the sound of hydraulics, the heightening arc…the thud of the ramp as it hit the ground.

Jade slowly began walking down the ramp, leaving the cramped bulkheads of the ship for the first time in weeks.

The first thing that occurred to her when she set foot on the surface was how bright it was. The sun was high in the sky right now. Jade shielded her eyes with her right hand, wincing.

She decided to keep walking forward, as long as she stayed near the ship. She walked out onto the mostly empty landing strip.

Despite being cleared for ships to land, the flats were rocky, with sand, pebbles and small plants.

Jade lowered herself down, noticing a small, leafy plant that had sprouted up. She touched a leaf, amazed at how moist it was on a planet this dry.

Jade smiled. She looked around. There was so much more to explore here.

She moved to her feet and stretched her legs, wincing as they ached. She shook it off, and began running. She broke into a full on sprint, running down the landing zone.

Jade kept smiling, relieved to feel the wind around her, the rocks beneath her shoes, the openness of the world. She looked to the right and saw rocky hills in the distance. She started running towards them, eager to see more.

She slowed down, panting. It had been a while since she had been this energetic.

As Jade breathed in, she realized how hot it was, how the sun beat down upon her skin. She removed her jacket and tied it around her waist. She rolled up her pants to just below her knees, the way she used to in the past.

She kept grinning, eager to venture on and explore more…

Suddenly, all thoughts of adventure gave way as a wave of shock and alarm crashed against her consciousness. Jade realized that this was a premonition, a warning from the Force.

Riko was in danger!

She ran back towards the Nomad, hurrying up the landing ramp and making her way into the cockpit.

"Jade…" Bao began as she sat down in her seat and engaged the controls.

"Riko and Val are in trouble!" Jade yelled as she primed the engines, "They need our help."

Natth Valley...

"Deep deet breet." Artoo retracted his scomp link from the droid skull.

"Alright," Val responded, "Let's go, kid."

He patted Riko on the shoulder, "We gotta find your dad."

Riko took one last look at the empty, abandoned structure.

He turned away, returning to the speeder.

"Okay, kid," Val started, "Help me hook up the droi...AGH!"

A blaster bolt impacted Val's helmet, knocking him to the ground.

"Val!" Riko yelled as a second bolt disabled the speeder bike's control panel.

"Beet-Dreet!"

Val was groaning, sounding more like he was dazed instead of wounded.

Suddenly, Riko felt a spike of dread, realizing with a jolt that the sniper had fired again.

Time seemed to slow as Riko spun around, igniting his lightsaber. For one moment, the world seemed to recede as the fire-orange blade turned to meet the blue sniper bolt.

The bolt impacted the blade and ricocheted into the ground at Riko's feet. Riko held his blade in a defensive guard, panting.

"Contact Bao!" He ordered.

"Bweet-Bweet! Bee-deet-dee-deet-deep!"

Riko quickly interposed himself between the blaster bolts and his two companions, assuming that his opponent was firing from the cliffs. The sniper fired shot after shot. Riko's blade was a whirlwind of orange as he frantically dodged and deflected blast after blast, barely managing to thwart the sniper's precision.

Eventually, the sniper stopped. Riko assumed he was reloading or retreating. He remained alert, holding his saber upright.

"Ugh…" Val groaned.
"Are you okay, Val?" Riko asked.

"A little dizzy," Val reassured him, "I'm good."

"Vreet-Deet-Beep!"

"Okay," Riko responded. The Nomad was en route, ETA three minutes.

Holding his saber parallel to his body, Riko slowly advanced towards the sniper's position, breathing heavily, watching his every footstep. There was a strange quiet as Riko, Val, and the sniper prepared for another exchange. For a moment, the only sounds Riko heard were that of his footsteps on the sediment, the faint breath of the wind, and the warm hum of his blade.

Suddenly, the tension was shattered by a sharp snap-hiss!

Riko ducked to the ground, narrowly evading his assailant's lightsaber. He rolled to the side and quickly moved to his feet, facing his new opponent.

It was one of the Jedi that they had come across earlier, the shorter of the two. A dark blue saber was clutched in their hands, their face cast in shadows by their hood.

"Please don't make me fight you," Riko pleaded.

"This is for my master!" The padawan snarled, his familiar voice that of an adolescent.

Before Riko could discern the padawan's identity, he lunged, unleashing a torrent of strikes and blows which Riko parried and blocked, attempting to drive his opponent to exhaustion. Blue clashed against orange as Riko retreated towards the slopes of the valley, frantically blocking every swing, every strike, every blow as the other Padawan attacked again and again.

Upper left. Low. Upper right, lower right… Riko felt his arms grow weary against his opponent's relentless barrage. The padawan's blows were aggressive and fast, but sloppy, leaving opportunities for Riko to strike back and end his opponent, opportunities he did not take advantage of.

Recognizing Riko's defensive style, the padawan changed tactics, delivering wide, powerful blows, forcing Riko to dodge and weave to avoid his opponent's icy blade.
Eventually, the Padawan's blade impacted Riko's with the force of a typhoon, pushing him back and causing him to hit the sandy hilltop. The padawan angled his blade to strike again…

Riko backflipped into the air, landing on the top of the hill. As his opponent charged up the sandy slope, Riko quickly calculated his options…

Landing upon the hilltop, the padawan lunged again. Riko blocked his strike, and turned the block into a parry, pushing his blade away. The padawan continued to attack, and Riko continously parried, wearing his opponent down, until his guard was broken, vulnerable to a critical strike from Riko's blade.

The padawan stumbled back, clutching his injured shoulder with his hand.

"I don't want to keep fighting," Riko declared, "Please stand down."

Riko held his saber in a lowered defensive guard. The padawan stood still, his saber held downward, his head lowered, his face hidden by his hood. Riko wished he could know what the padawan was thinking.

"Sniper, kid!" Val warned.

Adrenaline filling his body, Riko rolled out of the way, evading another shot from the cliff mounted sniper. The padawan took advantage of Riko's opening and charged, his blade clashing against Riko's, forcing him into a saber lock, placing Riko's ember blade mere inches from his face.

Gritting his teeth, Riko quickly tried to figure out a weakness in his assailant's technique, some way he could break free.

Start by watching my feet. Val's words echoed in his memory.

Riko slowly moved his foot, then scissor-kicked his opponent in the ankle. Stumbling, the padawan broke their saberlock, and Riko followed up by whacking him in the face with his saber hilt.

The padawan fell off the hilltop and rolled down the slope. Riko looked down as the padawan collapsed on the sandy ground, groaning, his robes covered in dust.

As he began to return to his feet, his hood fell away, revealing a snout with golden fur and large eyes and ears.

"Tarrin?" Riko asked, recognizing the Caamasi teenager as a knowledgeable and kind classmate from the Temple.

Tarrin didn't say anything, moving back to his feet.

Riko moved back, unsure of what to do next. Tarrin reignited his saber as Riko halfheartedly readied himself for another pass…

A blast tore into the ground and Tarrin went flying. The Wild Nomad swooped overhead, its dorsal laser turret tearing into the surrounding cliffs.
"Tarrin!" Riko yelled. He slid down the small hill as a cloud of dust filled the air. Suppressing a cough, Riko looked around for his fallen adversary.

Tarrin was laying on the ground, clutching his side. He wasn't bleeding, but his eyes and mouth were constricted in pain. He was slowly trying to pull himself back up.

Riko didn't move, not budging in the slightest as the Nomad landed, deploying its boarding ramp.

"Hurry, Riko!" Niner yelled from the ramp.
"Come on, kid!" Val grabbed Riko and dragged him towards the ship. Following Artoo, they boarded the ship and lifted off, leaving Tarrin, the abandoned house, and Ambria behind.