Chapter 2 – How Things Are Now
Location: 10 Miles Outside Ithaqua, Toola, Outer Rim Territories
Time: 19 Years Before the Battle of Yavin
As Denley sat down on top of one of the munition crates inside his tent, he could feel his hands trembling. He quieted them by clasping them together. This had been going on for the past few weeks, nervous tremors. The past six months had been difficult on him, a grueling battle on the frigid world of Toola, one that seemed to be coming to an end, or so he hoped. The droids had been pushed back to the major city of Ithaqua and its neighboring towns, it seemed it was only a matter of time before Republic forces finished off those stragglers and liberated the planet once and for all.
He sensed his master's presence moments before the aging Jedi master poked his head into the tent.
"Denley, are you ready to head out?" Hague asked.
"Yes master." Denley answered, standing up to collect his gear.
"What is it?" Hague asked as the two left the tent.
"I just hope this battle will be over sooner rather than later," Denley confessed, "I've been longing for the temple back on Coruscant."
"As have I," Hague agreed, "And we will return soon. Salem believes it will only be a matter of days before Toola is returned to the Whiphids. I've learned to trust his judgment. This is the life of a Jedi, without us, countless worlds would be under the thumb of evil."
"Of course," Denley said, "We're doing good work here. I just want it over already."
"We can't rush these things," Hague warned, "Patience in combat is what got us this far."
With that, the two Jedi reached the outer edge of the Republic camp, where Salem and a dozen other clones stood by. The soldiers, though their helmets emotionless, seemed to glow with excitement when the Jedi arrived on scene. Denley respected and admired that trait in these people, though not without a bit of wonder. Sure, they had been bred for war, but to actively want to take part in it?
"We've picked up several brief short range transmissions due west of camp," Salem reported, "it could be sentries probing our defenses."
"I say we pay them a visit, then!" Hague said, "Let's get going."
Denley had finally grown accustomed to the cold, in fact, this was rather decent weather compared to some of the blizzards that had struck the camp in the past. Trudging through the snow towards the last reported droid location wasn't such a big deal, though one had to be careful up here, for the snow would sometimes cover up dropoffs that led to certain death into the canyons below. That snow was deceptively deadly.
The team approached one of the ledges, marked with three little metal pins in the ground. Making sure to stay behind these pins, the team peered over the edge into a field maybe a hundred feet below, normally covered with grass but now a frozen tundra like everything else. No droids down there, however there appeared to be tracks that hadn't yet been covered with a new layer of snow yet.
"Droids could have been here as little as ten minutes ago." Hague noted.
"Let's split up, cover each direction just to make sure." Salem said sternly.
There were a handful of different ways down, but the two clearest were a slowly descending path just ahead that led right to the ground, albeit with a slight curve around the hill. The other obvious way was a series of ledges that were spaced out a few feet below one another, something even amateur climbers could conquer. It was the more direct route but not as easy as just walking down the path as he assumed Master Hague and Salem were going to.
Four of the clones followed close behind Denley, while Salem and the rest split up behind Master Hague.
"Ready for some climbing?" Denley asked with a smile as he turned back to his men.
"Uh huh." one of the clones said.
Before Denley could completely turn his head back around to face forward, he noticed something just behind the troop he had been talking to. Salem and his particular clones had their weapons aimed up at something, but Master Hague didn't have his blade ready. Strange. Denley slowed his pace to try and focus on what the clones were doing, but it didn't take him long to figure it out. All at once, the team fired their rifles, practically disintegrating the Jedi master in less than a second.
Time seemed to come to a complete halt as Denley witnessed this. Never had he felt more powerless and trapped. The once great and powerful Jedi, pummeled by blaster fire and reduced to a withered, burned husk in a moment. Even as tears flowed, he was still able to remember his Jedi training and draw his blade just in time as his own clones opened fire on him.
Deflecting blaster fire, normally an easy task, was much harder to do in this circumstance. The first few shots were instinctive, but as reality set in, it became more difficult, especially as clones from the other team joined in assaulting the young Padawan. The shock and horror of the situation was too much for even a Jedi, as Denley soon found out. One bolt caught him in his left arm, an unimaginable searing agony coursed through his body and caused him to scream, opening his defense completely, allowing a second shot to strike him and send him toppling over the edge of the cliff.
The frigid snow wasn't enough to cool the deep blaster burns, but the contrast was still horrendous. Tumbling down and striking down every single ice covered rock in his way and covering him in thick snow, it wasn't long before Denley made it down the cliff the fastest, yet most painful way, in an almost ninety degree drop straight onto the ground. The several inches of snow on the ground were probably Denley's only saving grace, cushioning but not completely dissipating the fall. He felt none of it though, as he found himself enveloped in darkness, what he assumed was death.
Funny, the Jedi teachings made it sound nicer...
Feels like I've been asleep for years... Denley thought to himself. Wait, what?
It seemed his eyes had been closed so long, they had welded themselves shut. Slowly regaining usage of his arms again, he reached up to his face and manually opened his eyes again. The flood of light was painful at first, but then again sensation itself seemed to be uncomfortable after a prolonged amount of unconsciousness. It seemed every one of his limbs creaked as they moved for the first time in a while.
As his vision slowly cleared up, he could see he was in a very primitive looking, dark, spacious hut. It certainly wasn't anything the Republic or the Separatists would have put up, how strange. That was when the young Jedi noticed a creature sitting slumped over in the corner, seemingly asleep. It was one of those Whiphids, the beings that called this place home. In his time on Toola, Denley hadn't actually seen one of them, the only one of their species he'd met was Master K'Kruhk back on Coruscant. Their long faced, tusks, and squinted eyes were very non-human and distinct, this one in the corner was no exception, an almost constant angry look on its face even when asleep.
"Hey!" Denley called out weakly, his voice like gravel.
Denley was startled by how quickly the Whiphid in the corner awoke, stood up and focused on him all in one quick motion. It poked its head out the doorway and muttered something, then looked to Denley and walked closer to him. The Jedi found himself inching back slowly instinctively as two more Whiphids entered the hut and looked at him.
"You've been out for a long time." the first Whiphid said.
"We helped induce a coma-like state to preserve your life and speed up your recovery." another Whiphid added.
"Who are you?" Denley asked, "How did I get here?"
"I don't think we should say our names," the second Whiphid said, "If you get caught, we don't want those soldiers coming after us."
"We found you out in the snow and ice right after those clones shot you," the first Whiphid continued, "We were out hunting and saw the whole thing unfold."
"I remember now..." Denley said as the previous day came back to him, "They shot my master... those clones, we were friends, we fought alongside each other for months, and they shot us like we were nothing."
The young Jedi soon found himself overcome with emotion recalling everything that happened, covering his face in shame, knowing Jedi weren't supposed to express grief like this. The Whiphids didn't seem to judge him for this, and seemed to take this as their turn to speak.
"The clones have been doing a great many things that we considered out of character..." the second Whiphid said, "They scoured the snow and ice after they shot you, we got you to safety just in time, but since there was no body, they've been tearing through the villages and cities looking for you. People have died, homes have been destroyed, and they've declared martial law and established a new curfew, all in the name of the Empire."
"The Empire?" Denley asked, confused.
"They use the same equipment, the same armor, same ships, everything," the first Whiphid said, "But everything they've done since the betrayal has been for their new Empire. The Jedi are enemies of the state, which means you're a fugitive."
"This can't be happening..." Denley began, shocked, "But if it is... you're sheltering a criminal whose very existence has caused your people to be subjugated... Why did you help me?"
"The Jedi have been good to our people," the first Whiphid said, "We wanted to return the favor. The clones' betrayal was not just to you, but to us as well. After what they have done to our people, we're only more grateful we took you in."
"However, you can't stay here forever..." the second Whiphid continued, "The Imperials have brought in someone new, someone they call Keller. He's ruthless, he seems to be quite adept at this hunting game."
"If what you've said about the Empire is true, then they won't stop until they know I'm dead." Denley concluded.
"Then go," another Whiphid said, "Our efforts would have been for nothing if you don't make it out of here. We'll be fine, we always have been."
"I will, but not while Keller is still alive." Denley declared, "He's going to continue these raids and get more innocents killed. But the Empire needs to think that I'm dead too, otherwise they'll just get someone else to take Keller's place and keep tearing this planet apart looking for me."
"What can you do?" the second Whiphid asked, "We heard about how it was your idea to take out the droid encampment on the first day of this battle. You're quite clever for someone so young."
"Heh, I'm glad somebody sees it that way..." Denley admitted, "I think I've got just the thing."
Over the next few hours, Denley remembered the advice from his late master. He fought through the shock of the entire situation and through the tears at the thought of his master's death, knowing he had to regain his composure soon if he was to survive. Time not exactly being on his side, he spent every moment both testing his strength and formulating the perfect plan. Before he knew it, he was ready to go, with only the sharp stinging pain from the blaster bolts to hinder his movement.
Sneaking into Ithaqua City wasn't easy. If the Whiphids knew about his trick with the Mastmots, surely the clones were aware of it as well, so sneaking in that way was too great a risk. With his lightsaber close, Denley trudged through the snow towards the city in the horizon. This city seemed to be far less advanced than the ones in the Inner and Mid Rims, it didn't have any kind of energy barrier to protect it from the elements, and so was subjected to the harsh cold. He hoped that the less technology meant it would be a little easier to get by undetected.
Though the skyscrapers and spaceports were still some distance away, the outskirts were within reach. Denley crept through the alleys, and it didn't take long for him to come upon these Imperials. The clones' chatter was just like it was with the Republic, but they seemed to take on a more aggressive tone, barking things back and forth to one another. There were three of them in this group, and Denley wanted nothing more than to cut them all down for their betrayal, but he restrained himself and allowed them to pass by in peace as he ducked in the shadows.
The clones are creatures of habit, this he knew for a fact. If he was going to get answers, he wanted to get them from someone he knew. It wasn't hard to scale the wall of his building he was hiding behind. The young Jedi kicked off as much snow as he could from his boots before racing across the rooftops without a sound.
That one, Denley thought, the one with a good view of the edge of the city.
Not far from his current position, it looked like the remains of an old spaceport control tower had some lights and activity going on inside it. That'd be the place he would set up spotters, or a command center of sorts. It didn't appear to be occupied by anyone other than regular troopers, no commanders here, at least not right now. It also didn't appear to be heavily guarded, at least not by visible reinforcements, which probably meant that the Imperial planetary commander was probably stationed elsewhere in the city, and this was likely acting as the spot where a lieutenant would be posted. Perfect.
However, until his target poked his head out, Denley wouldn't be making his move. Making sure to take cover out of sight of the tower, all he could do in the meantime was wait and listen to the patrols in the streets below. Some discussed the purge of the Jedi elsewhere in the galaxy, confirming the Whiphid's claims, much to Denley's grief. Some others wondered out loud where their missing Jedi was. At one point, he could even hear a squad of clones breach the door of a home and threaten the residents. It made Denley sick that he couldn't help, but if all went well with his plan, he intended to make up for it.
Finally, he saw him. The one he was waiting for, flanked by two other clones as he entered the base of the tower. Denley sighed in regret, knowing what he was about to do wouldn't be easy, but it was necessary. Prioritizing stealth over speed, he made his way over to the tower in good time. The door to the tower was guarded by two clones, standing only twenty or so feet away. Raising a large rock in the air with the force, Denley chucked it at one of the clones, striking him hard in the side of the head.
"What the hell?" the clone wondered out loud, more surprised than hurt.
"You just signed your death warrant!" the other clone said as he raised his rifle and walked in Denley's direction.
Perfect. The two clones walked right where Denley wanted them, and before they even had a chance to spot him, they found themselves both being cleaved in half across their waists. The two fell to the ground, instantly dead and without much sound. The fugitive Jedi cut off his lightsaber quickly to minimize the sound, a successful ambush. It wasn't easy killing other human beings, even if they were his enemies. As he regained his composure after murdering his first living beings, he stood up and entered the tower.
Denley was impressed the lift was even functioning, it seemed more ancient than the Republic itself. It moved up to the top of the spire quite quickly and opened immediately upon reaching the top floor. Inside, six clones all appeared dumbfounded to see that the Jedi they were hunting this whole time had delivered himself to them. None had their weapons drawn in time before Denley activated his lightsaber and began butchering them.
It wasn't exactly in line with the Jedi code, striking down unarmed opponents, but with the Jedi Order gone, it seemed anything was fair game, it was survival. Denley sliced the heads and limbs off everyone in the room, their screams did nothing to slow down his slaughtering as he made his way to his target, who he saved for last intentionally. This particular clone was all too familiar to Denley, his old commander and friend, the purple marked clone Salem.
With a quick swipe, Denley hacked off both of Salem's hands and kicked him to the ground, before pointing the edge of his blade at his old friend's head. With tears in his eyes, he began his interrogation.
"Why did you do it, Salem?" Denley asked.
"You're traitors!" Salem replied through his teeth, fighting back the pain, "All of you! You lied to us!"
"What do you think we did?" Denley asked.
"You betrayed the Republic, you manipulated all of us..." Salem said, "We trusted you, and your people tried to assassinate the Chancellor!"
"That's not possible, it's just not!" Denley said, dumbfounded.
"Separatist scum, we should never have followed you..." Salem said, "But our Emperor is going to track down the rest of your kind, and Lord Vader will be his instrument. So will we."
"I'm sorry this happened to you." Denley said truthfully as he beheaded his former friend.
With the death of Salem, it became horribly quiet in the tower. Not just regular silence. It was the sound of death, if that makes any sense. A disturbing, empty quiet, where one can feel the pain and final moments of those who had just died. It hung in the air and sent chills down Denley's spine, not just because he caused it. It creeped him out, and startled him, prompting him to quickly move forward with the next phase of his plan. Gathering up some of the weapons, explosives, and pieces of armor from the dead troopers, he knew time was not going to be on his side.
It needed to look bad. That much was certain. From a safe distance, the Jedi could hear the radio chatter from the troops as they discovered the massacre in the tower. The brutality of the scene seemed to anger the troops, exactly what Denley had hoped for. The young fugitive was amused to see that the squads in the streets below had stopped harassing the locals and were frantically running around looking for their target. However, it wasn't the regular clones he was interested in taking out, not right now at least.
Tracing back the steps of some of the patrols led Denley to what looked like a big warehouse, just a little bit deeper into the city. This was surely where they were based out of. After plotting out the correct course in his head, he took aim with one of the rifles he'd stolen. A shame his Jedi teachings never included using a firearm, but how hard could it be? He picked his first target indiscriminately, one of the clones standing closer to the entrance of the warehouse, a single shot smacking the trooper straight in the chest and killing him.
It was like poking a hornet's nest with a stick. Within seconds, the patrols were all rushing towards Denley's location, mostly from further away in the city, but a few close by started taking pot shots at him. It was time to hold his ground, for now at least, waiting for the right clone to pop out. Taking cover behind some metal construction equipment on the roof, Denley returned fire when he could, usually missing but sometimes getting lucky and hitting one of the clones. Funny, these guys made it look so easy before.
More were approaching from behind, his senses told him that much. Denley quickly spun around and tossed a thermal detonator in their direction, taking out a squad of five that were attempting to scale the rooftop he was on. Denley also used this time to take out a clone sniper who was positioned just a few houses down, a lucky shot to the clone's head put an end to the soldier's days.
Finally, there he was, his distinct helmet and markings, with parts of a white cloak swaying in the wind. Commander Keller, an SMG in his hands and his sights locked onto Denley. With a flank of clone sergeants at his side, he raced towards Denley, firing in bursts as he did so.
That's right, Keller... Denley thought to himself, Come get me...
Perfect timing too, it seemed most of the clone patrols were starting to form a tight perimeter around Denley, closing in with each passing moment. Time to go! The Jedi-turned guerilla rushed along his pre-determined path, firing back when he could and tossing thermal detonators onto the clones below, thinning them out as best he could. Racing across the rooftops was difficult and stressful with all the blaster fire flying around him, but he trusted the force to lead him to safety.
"Woah hey," one of the clones called out, "I think he fell down, I don't see him anymore!"
"I want every one of these buildings searched," Keller shouted, "Breach and clear."
The clones didn't have to, though, as they all heard one of the doors slam shut just around a corner. With their weapons drawn and the chatter low, they crept up to the shack with the locked door. It was pretty small, just enough for three people to live in, if that, with just one window and one door. With the one escape route cut off, the troopers anticipated a last stand from the Jedi.
"You're surrounded, kid..." Keller called out, "Let's end this, you've taken enough lives today."
The commander's call for a surrender was answered only by the shattering of broken glass, as materials from inside the shack flew out and pummeled the clones outside, who didn't wait for the order to return fire. Simultaneously, like a firing squad, the clones all opened fire on the shack, and in less than a second, a massive explosion tore the shack apart and ripped through the clone ranks, killing everyone standing fifteen feet from the blast.
Proud that his plan worked, Denley watched from afar. He was relieved that Plan A worked. Loading up the shack with all of those explosives took quite a bit of effort and time, just enough to set in motion after the tower massacre. Looking over the carnage, through the severed limbs and scorched remains, he could see pieces of Keller, and knew his mission was a success. Whoever came to investigate would probably assume Denley had been killed in the blast, just the way he liked it.
As he made his way to the Ithaqua Spaceport, he felt he was leaving behind more than just the planet, but his old way of life and everything he knew about it.