'ello, peoples of the earth!
So I walk into my church rocking my new "Han Solo" boots ... and nobody realizes how amazing they are. :(
Anyway, moving on from "Han Solo" boots. Thanks go out to katierosefun, Lux's Sister, Hands of Destiny, and Zenkid100 for reviewing. And in reply to Lux's Sister: Well, you never know. They may get annoyed with each other, or they may not. Guess you'll just have to keep reading to find out! ;)
I now present to you the second chapter of Style! Hope y'all enjoy!
Any experienced space traveler will tell you that hyperspace might be beautiful, but the beauty lasts for all of two minutes before growing stale. The never-ending blue tunnel of light is interesting only for a first-time traveler.
Experienced space travelers will also tell you that the time that elapses while a shuttle is in hyperspace is incredibly boring. There is nothing to do in a shuttle or a freighter except wait around in the cockpit for the craft to reach your intended coordinates.
So it was for the scouting party from the Fist. Everyone in the shuttle was restless, and one did not need the Force to feel the tension in the air. Kira fiddled with her utility belt nervously, securing it tightly around her waist.
The belt was secured a little too tightly, according to Caleb. "If you make that any tighter, you're going to stop breathing," he pointed out.
Sure enough, now that Kira was paying attention, she found that her too-tight belt had made it hard for her to draw a breath. She loosened her belt sheepishly. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it."
The two Padawans lapsed back into silence, Kira playing with her Padawan braid and Caleb staring into space. Kira fought the urge to yawn. They'd left around 2100 Coruscant time, and it would be 0500 when they arrived at the rendezvous coordinates. Caleb's shoulder was looking like an attractive place to lay her head since she didn't have a pillow.
Kira jolted awake at the thought. Caleb must have felt the shift in the Force, for he snapped out of his daydream and looked down at her. "Are you okay?" he asked.
"Fine." Kira blinked a few times, as if that would help to clear her mind. "I'm just a little tired."
Caleb looked concerned. "Have you seen yourself? You look more than just a little tired."
"Well, you're no prince of the realm, either," Kira teased.
"Haha, very funny." Caleb was not amused. "Seriously, you should get some rest. Wouldn't want you to fall asleep on watch tomorrow, would we, Kiki?"
"Why do you insist on calling me that when you know I hate it?"
Caleb smirked. "For that very reason."
Two could play that game. "Maybe I will fall asleep on watch tomorrow and let the gundarks eat you."
"You wouldn't dare. We both know it's not the way of the Jedi to stand by and let a comrade die." The smirk grew wider.
"For you, I'd gladly make an exception."
Caleb's cocky expression dropped at that, and it was Kira's turn to smirk. "Now, I'm going to go clean my lightsaber up a little bit. Try to behave while I'm gone." With that, Kira stood up, turned on her heel, and went into one of the small side rooms in the shuttle for a rag. A flushed and disheveled Caleb was left behind to stare after her.
There was only one bunk in the shuttle, and it was nothing but a large shelf and a thin sheet in the back. However, when Caleb's turn to use that bunk ended at 0200, Kira couldn't have cared less if that bunk had been a fluffy mattress in one of Coruscant's fancy apartment buildings, she was so tired. Depa had to shake the teenager a little to stop her from nodding off. "Kira?" Depa called softly to keep Kira awake. "It's your turn to rest, Padawan."
Rest? Rest sounds good. Kira blinked her eyes open. "Hm? Master Billaba?"
"Yes, dear. Would you like me to go wake Caleb?"
"No, Master. I'll do it." Kira stretched her arms and legs to get the kinks out before she stood. She limped a little on the way to the back of the shuttle, as her lower leg had fallen asleep.
When Kira arrived at the side of the bunk, she had to laugh a little. Caleb had buried himself underneath the sheet so that nothing but a messy tuft of hair remained in sight. Kira wanted to ruffle that tuft and see if that would wake her fellow Padawan, but she settled for shaking his shoulder instead. "Caleb?" she said.
Caleb responded with a soft, barely audible, snore. There were no creases between his eyebrows, which he sometimes got when he was nervous, excited, or upset about something. Instead, a peaceful calm had settled over his features. Kira would've been content to let him sleep longer had she not felt so tired herself. She tried again. "Caleb?"
Caleb stirred under the sheet. "Five more minutes, Master," he mumbled. He turned over on his side and faced the wall.
Kira shook his shoulder a little harder. "Caleb, it's me, Kira. It's my turn to use the bunk."
"I don't wanna share." The sheet wrinkled around Caleb's shoulders, indicating that he'd pulled the sheet tighter around himself.
Kira exhaled. "You've left me no choice, Master Dume. Don't say I didn't warn you," she said. Then, with a mischievous glint in her eyes, her hands descended on Caleb's side, fingers wiggling mercilessly to wake up the boy.
Caleb jolted awake, a throaty, deep laugh emerging from his throat. He scowled at Kira before any anger he may have had was replaced by more laughter. "You're gonna pay for this!" he threatened, attempting to squirm away from Kira's ticklish antics.
Caleb tried to kick away his attacker, but he failed miserably. He'd forgotten to look where he was before trying to kick Kira, and the maneuver threw him off the bed and onto the floor.
Seeing her chance, Kira jumped on the bunk and pulled the sheet over herself. "Thanks for warming up the bunk for me," she said smugly.
The heap on the floor that was Caleb groaned loudly. "Your concern is overwhelming," he quipped disdainfully.
"I know." Kira flipped over onto her stomach and peered over the side of the bunk down at Caleb, who glared back. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get some much needed rest. Good night." She tucked her arm under her head and snuggled deeper into the sheet.
Kira was just drifting off when something rocked the shuttle and caused an alarm to ring out, a sound that was so high-pitched that she had to cover her ears. "What the blazes is that!?" she groaned. She may be a Jedi in training, but she was sure she was justified in being frustrated at her inability to get some sleep.
The door hissed open, and Depa rushed in, nearly tripping over the end of her robe. By this time, Caleb had grabbed onto the side of the bunk to keep from sliding around the floor. "Okay," he remarked. "Now I'm awake."
"Good, because we're in trouble," Depa replied.
"How is that a good thing, Master?" Caleb asked, pulling himself to his feet.
As Kira kicked off the sheet, she studied Depa's face and guessed that she dealt with remarks like the one Caleb had just made rather frequently from the Master's exasperated expression. "What's the trouble, Master Billaba?" she asked, getting straight to the point.
Depa's answer was delayed when the shuttle tipped again. When she caught her balance, she answered, "We're under attack, Kira."
"In hyperspace!?" Kira jumped off the bunk and clung to the nearest support beam to keep from getting knocked off her feet.
"Yes. While it's not impossible to be attacked in hyperspace, it's a very tricky and dangerous situation. For all parties involved, not just the target." Depa glanced seriously at Caleb, then Kira. "I need you two to do everything I tell you to do, no questions asked. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master."
"Yes, Master Billaba."
"Good." Depa pressed the button to open the door. "Now, come with me."
Silently, Caleb and Kira followed Depa out of the back room to the cockpit. It was a slow process. The ship continued to rock, throwing the three off their feet several times. It most certainly didn't help that none of them had had much sleep that night.
At last, the Jedi made it to the cockpit. "What's the status, pilot?" Depa asked the pilot.
"It's not looking good, General Billaba," the pilot reported. "It's beginning to look like we sprung a Separatist trap."
"Now we know why our scouts haven't been coming back lately," Caleb quipped.
Kira glared at her fellow Padawan. "Wrong time, Caleb. Pilot, have you alerted the crew of the Fist? We should let them know what's going on."
"Already sent out a Republic distress call, Commander Narro. General Kenobi responded and said he'd send reinforcements as soon as possible."
"Well, then I guess we'll have to hold out until General Kenobi arrives!" Depa said. "Should we try to exit hyperspace, pilot? It would seem like that's our best bet."
The pilot sighed. "It's worth a shot, General. I don't see any other way." The ship rocked again, and the pilot hurriedly reached for the stabilizers. "Our shields are holding, but not for much longer!"
"I'd rather try to escape than simply let them shoot us down." Depa turned to the Padawans. "Strap yourselves in. We're taking a little detour."
Caleb tried to protest, despite what Depa had told them earlier. "Master, the pilot's struggling. Could I perhaps help in the cockpit? You said yourself -"
"Caleb!" Kira grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "We will do as you say, Master Billaba."
The next time the ship rocked, the motion threw Kira into the wall of the ship. Caleb was the one to help her up. "Are you all right?" he asked. He slung an arm around her waist and pulled her close to him. "That should help you keep your balance."
Kira would've challenged their close proximity if she hadn't been in a hurry.
The two Padawans made their way to the passenger seats. Kira immediately dropped into a seat and pulled down the restraining belt. Caleb hesitated before doing the same. "I really think they could use my help," he muttered, turning to head back toward the cockpit.
Kira reached to grab Caleb's wrist and hold him back. "You'll get in so much trouble, Caleb -"
The ship rocked once more, and this time, a screeching sound announced metal tearing away from metal. The blast from their pursuers tore a large hole in the side of the shuttle, a large hole that suddenly began to pull anything loose in the shuttle into the oblivion of space.
Including Caleb.
With a shout, Kira lurched forward and held tightly to Caleb's hand. The suction threatened to tear him away from Kira's grip, but she gritted her teeth and dug into Caleb's palm with her nails. She mentally apologized for the scratches he'd get from that action. "Now will you strap yourself in?" she shouted to him, fighting to be heard over the roar of the shuttle's speed.
"Do I have much of a choice?"
With that, Kira gradually began to pull Caleb back inside the shuttle. He was able to grab hold of the seat next to her with his free hand and position himself properly inside the seat. He held on tight. "Thank you!" he called, still shaken from nearly getting pulled into space. There wasn't much else he could say.
"You're welcome!"
After a short struggle with the restraining belt, Caleb was secured into the seat. Seconds later, the two Padawans found themselves thrown back against their seats from the force of the shuttle exiting hyperspace, smoke still trailing from the spot where the enemy bolt had ripped the shuttle open. Kira caught a faint glimpse through the hole of a Separatist fighter exiting hyperspace behind them.
Another blast rocked the shuttle, and the red warning lights came on. "We're going down!" Caleb shouted in disbelief.
"Thanks, I hadn't noticed!" Kira called back.
A green planet that Kira didn't know the name of came into view. As the shuttle entered the atmosphere much faster than it should have, the outside of the shuttle went up in flames. Flames licked the inside of the hole in front of Caleb and Kira, and Kira had to turn her face from the heat.
At last, the shuttle crashed to the ground and threw the Padawans back against their seats again. Kira's head hit the wall hard enough to knock her out.
Kira managed one last thought before she closed her eyes and fell unconscious: And Master Kenobi thought this mission would be safe.
Another cliffie! Sorry not sorry, katierosefun and Hands of Destiny! Oh, and speaking of Hands of Destiny, he and I have recently begun a collab called "Blue and Gold Destiny", so, if you want, you can go to his profile to check out the story. Instead of a Togruta/human Padawan, it focuses on a Pantoran youngling. So yeah.
Kira: Yeah, you really have no shame.
Me: You're supposed to be knocked out. Sadie, stop putting your nose on my tablet! You're messing me up!
Caleb: For those who don't know, Sadie is Amy's pet goldendoodle.
Me: Who's being very annoying at the moment. -_-
Caleb: I think she's kind of cute.
Me: Dude, Chopper and Loth-cats like you. Of course you like my dog.
Caleb: ...what?
Kira: Who's Chopper?
Me: Oh, kriff. Um ... pretend you didn't hear that. Who wants to pick the song today?
Caleb: Ooh, gimme! *grabs tablet*
Kira: Hey, no! That's not fair!
Me: Caleb hasn't gotten to pick one yet! Let him have a turn!
Caleb: *presses button*
Tablet: So this is what you meant, when you said that you were spent...
Me: Okay, new policy. Whoever is the first to guess the song gets an Internet cookie and a preview to the next chapter. Caleb made it rather easy this time ... *glares*
Caleb: What?
Me: ...but please do your best to not Google the lyrics. And guest reviewers, I'm sorry I can't send you a preview, but at least you get the cookie! :) Caleb, since you picked the song, you get to do the review notice.
Caleb: I did not sign up for this!
Me: *shrug* Not my problem.
Kira: Ha! Payback!
Me: Kira, be nice, please.
Caleb: *sighs* Review if you liked it, hated it, or wanted to light it up and watch it burn. Now what was that about Loth-cats?
Me: Forget it! I'll see y'all later, readers! May the Force be with you!
Kira: Really though, what was that all about?
Me: -_- I'm. Not. Telling.
Kira: Kriff.