Chapter 15

Ari wondered if her breathing was as loud as she thought it was. Her breathing and heartbeat were the only things she heard as she continued to move. She stopped at a few other grates, but saw nothing to help her tell where she was or the layout of the building.

She continued to crawl, pausing on occasion. She was doing her best to stay in the moment and not worry about everyone else. The First Order. The planet destroying weapon. Her family. Her friends. The other young Jedi. Mara. She pushed those thoughts away.

Finally, Ari seemed to reach the end. There was a large grate in front of her and that was it. Ari pressed her eyes to grating and could see much more. It was an open area. There was a control console, big and it seemed to be state of the art. However, there were a few of those troopers around it.

Slowly, Ari reached out with the Force and started to unscrew the pieces holding the grating into place. She could still feel the Dark Side, all around her, like a heavy, wet blanket. However, she pushed back that and called on the Light Side of the Force. It was like a candle in a dark room. She was careful to do her work quietly and not too fast. She knew she could jump out with her lightsaber, but Mara had been right. It would be better if no one knew that she was there. Though she had a feeling it wouldn't be long until they found out.

Having three of the screws undone and keeping them in place with the Force, Ari knew she had to do a bit more. She reached out and found a small box off the side of a connecting hallway. She raised it with the Force and 'threw' it as hard as she could at the wall, making a loud sound. Two of the troopers went to investigate. That took care of two of them. Ari shifted and pulled her blaster out of its holster. She would rather not use it, but she didn't want to raise the alarm.

She made sure it was on stun. She shifted the grating and hit one trooper, who fell quickly. The other turned but she shot this one too, before the alarm could be raised.

Ari put her blaster away and slide out of the grating. She dropped to the ground, landing in a crouch. She used the Force to put the screws back in their holes. She didn't twist them in though, in case they had to enter the grating again. However, she could only hope that no one else would notice this. She used the Force to help her drag the two larger beings out of sight. It would only help for a short time.

She looked at the console and her fingers flew over the controls. She only had a few moments before the others would return. She could shoot them, but it would be even more obvious.

Her eyes scanned the screens until she saw other signs of movement. There were some troops walking through the corridors. Then she saw a familiar form being dragged to another door. It was Mara. She was still fighting weakly in their hold but Ari could only imagine what she had been through, able to see the injuries on the screen.

Ari noticed the labels above the screens, which she would need to help her find where she was going. Then, she looked through the rest. Then her blood went even colder. She saw one of the younglings from the Temple. A Mon Calamari, about six years old. She was sitting against the bars of a cell, crying.

Ari couldn't see what was happening in that cell, but it didn't make her feel any better. Her imagination could run wild so she had to keep it in check. However, she noted the location as well. She briefly wished that a droid had come with her to help her access the necessary information. The idea of R4 attempting to get through the vent was enough to almost make her smile. Almost. She would smile once she rescued everyone else.

She was already quite worn out and she could feel the twins shifting inside of her. "It's okay," she whispered, placing her hand on her stomach. "We're all going to be okay."

Ari quickly noted the screens that had drawn her attention the most. Then, she got out her lightsaber and slashed at some of the wiring. She couldn't use it to see who was coming but anyone who came to this station wouldn't be able to see her either.

She didn't spend more than a few seconds on that, knowing her time was limited.

Keeping her lightsaber in her hand, she hurried down the hall. They might already know she was there, but she would take any small advantage available.

She reached out with the Force, finding the Dark Side permeating everything. It felt like a wet blanket, trying to keep from feeling the others in the building.

She paused in a dark corner and took just a moment to steady herself. The light side was strong enough to get through this. She just had to focus. She couldn't just dash around the fortress. Instead, she needed to have a plan.

She knew as soon as the children went missing, the alarms would be raised. So, the first step was to get to Mara. She was injured, but Ari knew she would push on no matter what.

Reaching out with the Force to connect to the redhead, Ari could just faintly sense her. That was enough. She held onto that as she hurried through the fortress. She paused a few times when she heard the sharp clack of armored boots on the floor.

She was almost certain they knew there was someone else there, but she didn't hear an alarm, just the sound of troopers.

Ari got closer, even though she felt a pull in other directions, most likely to the students and her family. However, that would go much better with Mara.

She slowed as she entered an area that looked like it might hold prisoners. There was another computer unit with only one guard there. Before he could ask for help, she shot him. She knew she could kill, but was glad she was only stunning them. There had been so many deaths in the war. She had killed her fair share of people, but she never enjoyed it. As a keeper of peace, she wanted to keep it that way.

She followed Mara's Force signature. The door was locked with a code, but with the Force, she was able to unlock it. The door opened with a slight hiss. Yet, she didn't see Mara in the room. That was strange because she knew she was there.

"Mara?" she ventured and found her voice sounded strange. She hadn't spoken in awhile and her throat was dry.

The red head looked out, having been hidden in the corner. "Narabe," she sighed. She looked even worse in person. She had a black eye, a cut on her cheek that might scar as well as a split lip. Her clothing was ripped and torn and Ari could see cuts and bruises marring her skin.

"Were you hiding?"

"If a guard came, I was going to jump them."

"With what?" Ari noticed that she had no weapons.

"My bare hands and the Force."

Ari nodded, then handed Mara her blaster. "Does this make you feel better?"

"It helps. Though when we get back, I am spending a week in the bacta tank."

"I am sorry, Mara," Ari apologized.

Mara gave a small wave. "You did what had to be done. I told you to. Now, time to save some students?"

Ari nodded. "I have a feeling they will know we are coming."

"Probably," Mara agreed, not bothering to argue that. "So, let's go."