It was as if hell had risen from the Underworld and now plagued all of Coruscant. Smoke already clogged the air, and the screams, sirens, and explosions made it impossible to hear. Amara and Lux stood side by side, watching the attack with wide eyes. As she watched the magnificent world crumble before her eyes, her body vibrated with energy. She wanted to do something. Do ANYTHING to stop this.
But they had to go to Hoth…
Suddenly, Obi-Wan ran up to them. "Go. Go to Hoth. Meet with Kalzin and do whatever it takes to find Anakin." His face was blackened from the smoke.
Lux shook his head. "They asked for a Jedi…"
Suddenly, Obi-Wan brought forth a lightsaber and thrust it into Lux's hands. "Pretend to be one."
"Oh no. No…no…no…" Lux was grumbling, frowning, shaking his head – it was obvious he disagreed.
But she knew it was their only hope. All the Jedi needed to be on Coruscant to deal with the Holocaust. She took the lightsaber from her fiancé's hands. "I'll do it."
Lux stared at her incredulously, but didn't speak. Obi-Wan nodded. "Thank you. Just go to Hoth, and figure out what to do next. Remember, be careful." He ignited his lightsaber and ran to the door entering the Temple, which was now alive with motion and activity. He looked back once more, his eyes dull with pain, sorrow…loss. "You're our only hope."
Amara stood there, watching Obi-Wan disappear with the crowd of Jedi racing out to the Undrworld to fight. She looked around. She had been wrong. Everything she had known wasn't here. It was all gone. Everything she had once known as home was now just a memory. She felt Lux tugging on her arm. "Come on. We have to go." He was gently but hasty. Soon, she was in the co-pilots chair, pressing buttons and activating the hyperdrive settings. Lux was already steering the small ship upwards. Amara glanced out the window, staring at the Temple as it grew smaller and smaller. Suddenly, a large enemy fighter smashed into the south tower. The large building began tumbling to the ground.
"No!"
She wanted to cry out but she couldn't. Now, the Temple itself was in flames. The sun cast a dark red glow over the city as the flames spread, and flashes of sirens appeared everywhere. She could only vaguely hear Lux's grumbling as he tried steering them away from the enemy fighters.
'What's happening? How could this happen?' Her eyes were wide with panic as she took off her helmet to see better. She stumbled backwards, shaking her head, whispering in both shock and pain. "No..."
Lux leaned back, relieved. They were in hyperspace finally. He looked to his fiancé, and was surprised to see her staring at the window. "Amara? Are you okay?"
She didn't reply – didn't even hear him. Didn't see they were in hyperspace. All she saw was the smoke, the fire, the screams of the victims on Coruscant…
"Amara?" Lux's gently hands fell on her shoulders as he stood behind her, whispering in her ear. "What's wrong? Why aren't you answer."
She couldn't speak. All of a sudden, her legs felt weak, and her body shivered as if suffering a chill. But she wasn't cold. In fact, the room seemed a thousand degrees…
Then suddenly, everything went black.
"Amara? Amara, can you hear me?"
When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Lux standing over her, looked down at her with concern. "Amara? Are you okay?"
She sat up, holding her head. Lux was dressed in his red snow suit. She noticed they were on Hoth. He gently traced her jaw with his hand. It was so warm. "You fainted," he said quietly. "I was afraid you were sick. I knew partnering with the Jedi was a bad idea…"
"I'm find, Lux." She had to stop him before he worked himself up. She swung her legs over the edge of the cot, and looked out the window. A small flurry of snow was beginning to fall. She shivered as Lux brought out her brown snow gear.
She loved how he looked in his own snow gear. The bright red was nice contrast to his usual navy outfits. The color also set off his dark hair and brown eyes. He noticed her staring and grinned. "What?"
"I'm thinking about what a handsome man I have for a fiancé," she replied, giggling, as she slipped into her coat.
Lux leaned over and grabbed her, pushing them both onto the cot. Laughing, Amara sat back up. "You'd better slow down, Lux Bonteri, or you might scare me away."
"Nothing can scare you, beautiful." He too sat up, and looked at her. "Are you sure you're alright."
She nodded as she tied a tight knot on her last boot. "Yes. I'm set. Let's go meet some terrorists."
The two of them slipped on their hoods. Their helmets were light and breathable – these would be much warmer. They had scarves if they wished to hide their faces. Lux's red hat shimmered in the sun as they stepped out into the snow. Almost immediately, they sank down almost to their waste.
Amara looked at him, frowning. "This will be harder than I first anticipated."
Suddenly, they heard the sound of an engine. Amara's squinted, straining her eyes to see into the bright distance. There was a speeder heading towards them. 'Here we go.'
Lux shoved the lightsaber into her hands. "Remember…you're only playing the part," he said sternly.
She hooked the lightsaber onto her belt. "Yes, but if they need more persuasion, I can probably manage a mind trick or two."
Now it was Lux's turn to frown. A deep, serious frown. "And what if you try and you can't? They'll immediately know you're a fraud." He shook his head. "Please, don't try anything. And to avoid conflict, please, DON'T MENTION THE HOLOCAUST."
Before she could reply, the terrorists were there. There were four – the leader being Kalzin himself. "Now, what do we have here?" he stated cheerfully. "We asked for a Jedi and an OUCO agent, not two children on a play date."
Amara tensed. She had been trying to keep up a cheerful attitude. That had shattered as soon as she laid eyes on Kalzin. "Where's the hostage?"
"He's safe…for now. You think I dared bring him along? I'm not stupid. There could've been an ambush." He narrowed his eyes. "Hopefully, YOU are not stupid, girl. You try anything, and all I have to do is click this button on my wrist. My men will kill General Skywalker immediately." He suddenly eyed Lux. "Aren't you the son of Mina Bonteri?"
Lux spat on the ground. "No."
Kalzin obviously didn't buy it. "I had always wondered what had happened to Lux Bonteri. Isn't that your name? Lux?"
Lux clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. "How did you know?"
"You just told me."
Amara practically had to slap Lux to get him to calm down. She elbowed him in the ribs. He coughed, and looked at her. Her eyes spoke volumes. He needed to calm down. He took a few deep breaths. But neither of them could hide their growing agitation.
Kalzin let out a mocking laugh. "Alright, kiddies, we're not here to make snow angels. I'm here to give you your next assignment. Which one of you is the Jedi?" Suddenly, he raised his eyebrows. "If one of you even IS a Jedi."
Amara took a step forward. "I am." She frowned. "And how do we even know you'll release the prisoner once we play along with your 'game,' may I ask?"
"I won't cheat at this, girl," Kalzin said easily. He flipped her a small device. "You will bring back this hologrammic message giving coordinates to five star systems. You'll send one Jedi to each one, and one OUCO member to the odd numbered ones."
"What does this have to do with the freaking hostage?!"
Lux's voice was filled with fury. He was growing low on patience – if he hadn't already run out. Amara turned back and gave him a hard look.
Kalzin obviously didn't like Lux's tone. "This is a game, Bonteri, and I'm the dealer. I'll have men meet everyone at the assigned places, giving them next clues. The more clues they solve, the closer they get to where we're keeping Skywalker."
"Why are you doing this?" Amara asked. "Why didn't you just kill him?"
"Because this is much more fun." Kalzin walked back over to the front of the speeder. "Good luck, kiddos."
Amara turned around, her face red. She had hardly gained any useful information. She looked at the holo-disk in her hands. There was no sign of an explosive. She passed Lux, who was still staring at the terrorists. "Come on," she said bitterly. What good had this meeting done to find Anakin? Nothing. She entered the hatch of the ship.
"Help! Amara…"
She spun around at the sound of Lux's cries. The terrorists had him. She ran back out. "Let him go!"
Kalzin laughed. "I forgot to tell you…only one of you will be delivering the message."
Amara's hand instinctively flew to her belt. She had done that so many times over habit, and her hand had always grasped nothing. Now, she was almost shock to grip a lightsaber and activate it. It had a shimmering blue blade, and Amara's felt a chill run up her back. She hadn't held this magnificent weapon in so long…
Kalzin was less impressed. "You don't want to do that, girl."
Amara raised the weapon. "So much for not cheating."
"I said I wouldn't cheat, but I never said I'd play fair." Kalzin turned to his two other officers. "Men, get her!"
The two men charged. Amara flipped backwards, and sent a kick to one man's stomach. Her fist landed on another. She was holding the lightsaber – it was getting her body to use it that was the problem.
Lux was being dragged to the speeder, his pistol lying in the snow. "I could use a little help!"
Amara kicked the officer again. "A little busy over here!"
He groaned. He was on his own here. He hesitated, then jabbed his elbow into his capturers gut. As the soldier topped backwards, Lux kicked him in the face. He then swung around and kicked the other.
Kalzin was furious now. He ran at Lux, and punched the young OUCO agent down. Lux quickly rolled in the snow, and was soon back on his feet. He raised his fist for a hit…and stopped when he saw Kalzin raise his wrist. "One movie and the Jedi dies!" He raised on finger over the button. "This switch goes off so easily, with just the slightest touch."
Ahsoka had quickly defeated her enemies, and now stood in the deep snow, stupefied. Kalzin backed up with his last remaining man, facing both of them. "Just deliver that message to the Jedi, children," he spat. He wasn't used to failing…of course, this was his first time against a Jedi.
Kalzin stepped onto the speeder, this time, the officer sat in the pilots chair. Kalzin stared at them with hate in his eyes. Neither Amara nor Lux dared go any closer.
The speeder quickly took off, and disappeared over the snow covered hills. Amara and Lux watched Kalzin go, the sinking feeling in their gut growing. Kalzin was gone. The one man who could've led them to Anakin was gone. Amara choked back a sob.
She had failed.
R&R! You know what to do :D
