Across The Stars
Next chapter of my crossover story, enjoy.
Reviews
Boris Yeltsin: Thanks and yes indeed, although Minerva had good reason to be, she's found Clem's weakness and already started chipping away at it.
Wolfgirl2013: Thanks :)
Now onto the story.
Disclaimer: I don't own Walking Dead, Star Wars or their characters.
Chapter 33: Tide Turns
"Bounty Hunters?" Lily spat with disgust. "What on earth possessed you to bring scum like that here?"
David grunted. "They showed up unexpectedly and began attacking those rebels. We captured them for intruding in our base and Minerva said we were to bring them here."
Lily rounded on Minerva who stood smirking, Violet by her side, watching with narrowed eyes.
"Funny, that doesn't strike me as your decision to make." Lily remarked angrily. "You had orders and bringing these useless dregs here does not change the fact you failed to-"
Lily cut off, gasping as her airway was closed off. But it wasn't Minerva who was still watching the bounty hunters with a dark smirk. It was Violet who was Force Choking her, a look of utter rage on her face. David watched, unsettled while Tarkin, unmoved, approached the bounty hunters.
"I trust you have a very good reason for interfering with official Imperial business." He remarked coolly. "Your sort should not have been near an Imperial installation under any circumstances."
"We helped you!" Natasha growled. "In case you didn't notice we were not bothering any of your people. We simply-"
"You were intruding in a private facility and as far as I am concerned, you are now liabilities." Tarkin interrupted.
Natasha opened her mouth to argue, but Minerva cut across her.
"Why don't we let cooler heads handle this and ask their leader what's going on?" She offered before shaking her head. "I think she got the point Violet, let Lily go."
Violet let out a soft grunt before releasing Lily who staggered back, clutching at her throat, gasping for breath.
Tarkin nodded slowly, ignoring Lily.
"Very well, what say you?"
Arvo straightened up from where he and the others knelt on the floor, securely cuffed.
"We were there for one thing only. Business." He told Tarkin. "We had two targets with pretty hefty bounties on their heads and we were seeking to capture them. Managed to stun one of them too, until everything went crazy with all the explosions."
"I see, and these people you were seeking?" Tarkin queried.
It was not Arvo who answered however.
"Smugglers, Shel and Becca are their names. They were bringing supplies to us and decided to continue helping us out, got friends of their involved too."
All eyes turned to the new arrival, even Lily, surprised upon seeing him. It was Eli.
"What is he doing here?" David demanded. "He's one of the Invisible!?"
Tarkin smiled thinly. "Meet my contact within the Invisibles. The one who told us they would be attacking that transport, the one who fed us information on where the third Holocron was located and I assume you had a hand in other things too?"
"Yes." Eli said, swallowing as he stepped closer. "I dropped the location of where Shel and Becca would be going to recruit their friends, knowing bounty hunters would find it."
Lily smirked. "So...a rebel selling out his own."
"To save his own skin. Those creditors after you even more now?" Tarkin explained.
It now made sense, Eli had betrayed the Invisibles, due to being heavily in debt due to his gambling habits. He was desperately seeking a way out.
Tarkin nodded to Minerva and Violet who moved quietly while Tarkin asked.
"So, what are you doing here now?"
Eli swallowed. "I need you to make good on your part of the bargain. To ensure my debt is no longer a problem."
Minerva smiled. "We can do that, we can do that easily, you just need to tell us where your friends are, where are they hiding?"
Eli swallowed nervously again but nodded. "Valunt, they're on the planet Valunt."
He gave them the exact coordinates which Lily quickly had put into the navigation computer.
"Excellent." Tarkin replied. "Deal with his problem."
Minerva looked to Violet, but Violet hesitated. Glowering at this, Minerva acted instead and Eli cried out as her lightsaber ignited through his chest.
"Next time Violet, don't hesitate." Minerva chided her. "Anyway, debt problems solved."
She let his body drop and smirked.
XXXXX
Clementine sat quietly, eyes closed, meditating, trying to calm herself down. As expected the Holocron contained more knowledge and, paired with the other two, pointed them to the fourth, at Nar Shaddaa. Max confirmed from decoded reports that Vader's Fist was there and entrenched with vast numbers, getting the Holocron from there was out of the question. Sarah and AJ meanwhile continued their training, both concerned about Clementine who had been acting strange ever since she had returned from Ostoth.
'They don't know, they can't know. I can't reveal what happened to them.' She told herself sadly as she continued to meditate. 'Calm, I must return to being calm, still...those memories…'
Minerva's words had dug up memories indeed, ones she thought she had repressed, now they broiled below the surface, threatening to break through. It was then she felt it, a presence through the Force. One that was familiar, one she had sensed here on this planet before. But what she felt wasn't the familiarity, it was a sharp wave of pain and despair, before it suddenly cut off. Clem's eyes shot open as she gasped, clutching at her chest.
"Clem!?"
She looked up to see AJ and Sarah hurrying to her. She shakily got to her feet, now realizing what she had felt.
"Is anyone missing right now?" She asked worried.
Sarah and AJ shared a look at that, which only confirmed Clem's fears.
Finally, Sarah spoke up.
"Eli was supposed to be back from his mission yesterday, but he's still not here…" She paused. "Clem, did you-?"
She nodded. "I felt it...he's...he's dead…"
Sarah and AJ looked horrified until finally Sarah collected herself enough to speak up.
"We need to talk to Tripp, let him know."
Clem nodded and Sarah and AJ hurried from the room, Clementine made to follow them when she heard it again.
"This is getting old, I wish you'd stop doing this."
She turned to face Violet, once more brought together by their Force Bond.
"It's a Force Bond Violet." Clementine explained, shaking her head. "I'm not doing anything; it's the Force, and what lies between us."
Violet shrugged. "Well, it won't be an issue for long, thanks to your traitor."
"The traitor, you know who he is!?" Clem realized.
"Yes, he's been most useful to us, especially now, with his final words giving us what we need." Violet responded.
Clem's mouth went dry, Violet's words were clear enough to her, she could easily put it together.
"Eli…"
Violet clapped her hands mockingly.
"Oh well done, you figured it out...far too late." She sighed. "It'll soon be over, once we come and eradicate you all."
Clementine immediately picked up on what Violet was saying and realized right away what Eli had done. She ignored Violet, not even caring if the connection disappeared and ran out the room. She had to warn Tripp. They had been exposed, the Imperials knew where Valunt was.
They were coming.
End of chapter, hope you enjoyed it, read and review please.