Chapter 49 – Not Ready to Say Goodbye
The cavern shook with a sudden roar, wrenching Vacy out of her daze. She turned just in time to see Nariel stagger backward and then collapse, her lightsaber dropping to the ground, the blade flickering before it was extinguished.
Jamming Flashy back into his holster, Vacy reached into her Darmas-bag and grabbed the pistol that held the kolto pellets. She vaulted over an exceptionally well-cushioned lounge chair and dashed closer, dropping behind one of the fallen droids for cover before firing a volley of pellets at Nariel. The tiny beads ruptured as they hit, releasing the countless microbes inside and covering her in a heavy green cloud.
Fortunately Corso's wild attack had gotten Zare's attention, and she was deflecting shots from his rifle with her lightsaber. The advantage wouldn't last long, as she recovered from the surprise quickly and began to advance on the merc, a cruel gleam in her golden eyes.
Vacy snuck over to Nariel Pridence as quickly as she could. The Jedi was struggling to get up, clearly disoriented. "Hold still," Vacy whispered, prepping a stim.
"No chemicals," Nariel said, pulling away and grabbing her saber hilt. "I am a Jedi. I use the Force."
Frustration tightened Vacy's joints, but she took a slow breath to try to remain calm. "Everything is made up of chemicals!" she hissed. "Now we're trying to help, but if you fail, we're all gonna die, and Vaverone Zare's gonna get that holocron. Is that what you want?"
The Jedi glared at her. "No," she said after another moment of stubbornness. "Very well, I accept your… medicine." She still looked skeptical.
But it was enough. "Well then hold still," Vacy whispered back. She pulled the woman's tunic up and injected the drug quickly… though perhaps with a bit more force than was absolutely necessary.
A moment later, Nariel's eyes widened and she took a deep breath. "Interesting," she said, and this time when she tried to stand, the movement was smooth and graceful. "Thank you for the assistance," she added, re-igniting her lightsaber. She bowed her head briefly, and the air around her seemed to shimmer. When she looked up again, her eyes blazed, and she charged toward the Sith.
Zare sensed her approach, though, and turned to block her attack. "An even fight too much of a challenge?" she taunted. "Funny, I wasn't aware that Jedi kept lackeys."
"They are here of their own free will," Nariel replied smoothly, parrying the Sith's counterattack and following through with a flurry of slashes. "And I will not refuse their help out of foolish pride." With two more strokes, she'd twisted her way past Zare's defenses, and a moment later, the Sith found herself looking down in surprise at the green blade that impaled her just below the ribcage.
Eyes blazing even as her knees buckled, Zare reached up and grabbed Nariel by the throat. Her saber winked out and clattered uselessly to the cavern floor, but her grip was sure. She leaned forward, hissing in agony, her eyes alight as she stared at the woman who had killed her. Inches from the face of the Jedi, moments from death, she sneered, defiant to the last. "May you drown in darkness," she snarled, her voice quivering with rage.
Nariel staggered backward as the Sith's grip abruptly went slack and she collapsed to the cavern floor. Vacy rushed over as the Jedi clutched at her chest. "I can't … breathe!" she gasped. The words were reedy and thin, her eyes wild with terror.
Corso pushed past Vacy and put an arm around the Jedi's waist. "Here," he said, trying not to sound worried. "Lie down. Captain's got meds. She can help you."
The two of them eased Nariel to the ground. Vacy pulled out her scanner and took a reading, but the device could find no biological cause for the symptoms. The spacer scowled at the machine, then looked to Nariel in concern. "Listen to me," she said, keeping her tone even and firm. "Look here. Look at me. I need you to focus. Remember your training, okay? Um… The Force is with you…" She looked over at Corso, trying to remember some of the proverbs she'd heard Arri reciting… or to come up with something that sounded at least passably Jedi-like.
"Something about emotions, I think," Corso muttered to her.
Vacy tried to remember what it was, but the more she grasped at the memory, the further it fled. "Emotions… um… must be… balanced, I think." That didn't sound right, but she decided to go with it. "Balance. Calm. Focus on your breathing."
"It's… hard," Nariel wheezed.
Corso offered a quiet smile. "I know. But you can do it. You're a Jedi."
Her mouth pulled into a strained grimace. "Sorry," she managed a moment later.
Scowling, Vacy shook her head. "No, don't talk. Don't say anything. Just focus on breathing, okay? Tookie'll be back here in just a bit and we'll get you some proper medical treatment. You just have to keep breathing."
But Nariel shook her head. "Need to … apologize. Only right." She gulped down another tiny pinch of air. "Underestimated… you. Couldn't… have…"
Vacy reached down and took the Jedi's hand; the fingers were slack and cool. "Shush," she whispered, swallowing the thickness in her throat. "It's okay," she lied. "It's going to be okay." She looked over at Corso and saw her desperation reflected in his eyes.
Nariel's hand suddenly tightened around hers. "Take… the holocron… to the Jedi." Her lips were a purpley-blue. "Promise," she insisted.
"We won't need to," Vacy hedged. "You're going to be okay, and you can take it yourself. So you don't have to bother with us any more."
The Jedi stared at her with a chilling intensity that made her fall silent.
Corso cleared his throat. "Um… Captain… maybe it'd make her feel better if…?" He lifted his shoulders.
Vacy let out a sigh and nodded. "All right," she said quietly. "I promise."
Nariel let out a faint sigh, sagging against the ground. "Thank you." The sound was faint, not much more than a breath.
With a frown, Corso leaned closer and took her other hand. "Hey, now, don't go givin' up on us," he murmured, his brows pulling together in concern. "C'mon, just a bit longer, an' we'll have you all fixed up, okay?"
Her smile was sad. "Wasn't… supposed to end… like this." She blinked quickly, but couldn't keep back the tears that welled up and spilled down her cheeks. "Thought… I could… make a difference."
The cavern stretched high above them, Vacy realized as she jerked her head upward, eyes stinging, and tried to keep her own breathing even. It was almost impossible to see the stalagmites. Stalagmites? Or was it stalactites? She always got those mixed up. Most folks did, she figured.
Corso's voice was rough. "I'm sorry we weren't more help," he said quietly. "I'm sorry we couldn't have done -" He paused with a sigh. "Something."
Nariel turned her head faintly to the side and gave Corso a strained smile. "Did enough," she managed. "Holocron… safe." She fell silent, her eyes drifting closed, and the pauses between each labored gasp grew longer and longer. But when Corso straightened a bit, Nariel's eyes flashed open, and she grabbed for his hand. "Don't leave me!" she burst out. She struggled to draw another breath. "Don't… want to die… alone."
Vacy lifted the hand she was holding and squeezed it. "Hey, you Jedi are never alone, remember? The Force connects you to everything." She smiled uncertainly, trying to recall some of the teachings she'd heard. "Even in death, the Force connects us, right?"
The Jedi's smile was weak. "No… death." Her eyes closed again, and her body relaxed. There was the faintest sigh. "Just … so unfair…"
She did not breathe again.
Vacy waited for her to open her eyes - to wheeze - but there was nothing. She looked up at Corso, hoping for some word, some sign of encouragement, but his eyes were closed and he didn't even notice her. Maybe he was praying. He seemed like the sort who might believe in some kind of higher power. She could make out two thin lines of moisture that trailed down his cheeks.
Stunned, Vacy realized she was still clutching the scanner in her other hand. She shoved it into her Darmas-bag, not even looking at the readout as she jammed it down beneath other pieces of equipment, all equally useless. Like her. When she felt Corso's hand heavy on her shoulder, she froze. It took a moment before she was able to speak. "I didn't…" she began, then faltered. What was there to say that wasn't already obvious? 'I didn't save her?' Nope. Definitely obvious. 'I didn't know what to do?' Equally so. Her head drooped in failure.
"Vee…" Corso's voice was as ragged as she felt. "It's not your fault."
She sagged against him. "Why couldn't she have kept being an asshole?" she whispered miserably.
His arms wrapped around her, and they clung to each other in silent grief.
Vacy wasn't sure how long they knelt together like that, but a shuffling, scraping sound behind them set off the internal alarm they'd both developed, and they turned, scrambling to their feet and grabbing for their weapons.
With Sergeant Boom-Boom at the ready, Corso strode over to where they'd left Diago Hixan, who was groaning in pain as he attempted to sit up. He pointed the rifle at the gang leader and let it charge. The high-pitched whine got Diago's attention quickly, and he lifted his hands in submission.
He glared at them as Vacy made her demands, but given the situation, he had little choice but to tell them where the navcomputer and the holocron were. Vacy packed the items away - the holocron fit in her Darmas-bag, and she was able to jury-rig Corso's weapon harness to hold the navcomputer. For his part, Corso kept his rifle pointed at Diago the whole time.
By the time she'd finished securing the harness, they could hear footsteps echoing from the tunnel that led into the cavern. Vacy kept her pistol ready, but when Tookie emerged, followed by Sheriff Encott, she let out a whoop of relief, holstered Flashy, and ran toward them. "You came back!"
When she crashed into him, Tookreek grunted, but he returned her hug with a chuckle. "Course I did. I'm bein' a hero, right?"
With a laugh, she stepped back, bobbing her head to the sheriff. "Yes indeed!" She thumbed over her shoulder at Diago. "Heard you've been trying to track down this fellow, that he's some kind of local trouble-maker?"
They gave Encott an only-slightly-sanitized version of the events, and Vacy was careful to emphasize that Nariel Pridence and Vaverone Zare had been involved in a fight of their own. Granted, Diago had been involved somewhat, but then so had she and Corso, and she really didn't feel like hanging around through the bureaucracy on this backwater planet. The sheriff said that he could manage the prisoner, and thanked them for their assistance, so they said their goodbyes and headed out of the cavern.
As Corso climbed up behind her on the speeder, he kind of grunted.
Vacy peered over her shoulder. "You okay back there, Farm Boy?"
He nodded slowly, but a thoughtful frown caused his forehead to pucker. "Just thinking. Back on Taris, Skavak had some of his buddies come after us… then on Nar Shaddaa he tried to steal the engine we got from that hutt. But since then we ain't heard nothing from him."
"I figure he's probably got more enemies than friends." Vacy lifted her shoulders. "Maybe that caught up with him."
But Corso wasn't so easily convinced. "I dunno, Captain. Seems a mite early to celebrate, that's for certain. Can't help wondering - if he's still around, what's he been up to?"
She chuckled, revving the speeder's engines. "Nothing good, that's for certain."
"But I mean, we've finished up what we came for," Corso persisted. "All we got to do is get this navcomputer back to Risha, right? We're done here."
Vacy felt a heaviness settle into the pit of her stomach. "Yeah," she said thoughtfully. "Guess it's time to move on."
Author's Note: Goodness, how time has flown! Readers, I hope you had a lovely holiday season. I got to be in a local production of A Christmas Story, the Musical, and while it was lots of fun, it took most of the spare time and energy I had. Between that and visiting family and friends, I'm afraid my writing got pushed to the side for a little bit. But rest assured, I haven't given up on Vacy, Corso, and the rest of the crew!
Combat is always a challenge for me, and this chapter was no difficult. Vacy's stim doesn't actually heal Nariel much at all; it just provides a burst of strength and energy. So she's still hurt pretty badly when she goes to fight Zare again, but I wasn't sure how to describe that. I'm hoping her death doesn't feel too artificial - too deus ex machina - as a result.
I based Zare's last curse on a Sith damage-over-time attack in SWTOR called "Crushing Darkness," which to me sounds wonderfully grim and lethal! Of course, in the game, once combat is over you can heal rapidly by meditating (if you're a Jedi), pacing angrily back and forth (for the Sith sorcerer), or for the smuggler, flipping a coin. However, while I do like to evoke the feel of the game during the combat sequences, I didn't feel my fourth wall was quite stretchy enough to have Vacy fix everything with a coin toss!
And while Vaverone Zare may be taken care of, there's still one more situation that needs to be resolved…