Chapter Three: Wormholes
Although Kohl had said no to being hugged during the take off of the ship he surely looked like he did. On the other hand Axlyn was quite enjoying it. She hadn't been away from the Jedi Temple since the death of her master, Ryly Ozhan. The feeling of the ship rocking gently though space soothed Axlyn but in a way startled her. It reminded her of coming back to Coruscant after Ozhan had been shot down in combat. Knowing she was alone on the ship. Feeling through the Force the absence of Ozhan but the feeling of his corpse near her.
"We should be at Kuat in within the next few hours." The pilot called out over the intercom. Axlyn closed her eyes to feel the Force around her. She couldn't see the galaxy from any window, but she didn't need to. Within a few moments in this newfound trance she had felt a slight disturbance. A shift in the space around her. Something was very, very off. She slammed her fist against her comlink, "Captain? Captain what's going on up there? Something doesn't feel right."
"I assure you everything is fine Padawan Crichton – wait what is that?" The captain yelled through the comm. Axlyn's heart fluttered with a distinct pain in the Force. She ran out from her chambers and into the main cockpit. The captain, a tall brown haired man was frantically pressing buttons on dash and muttering things under his breath. "What's going on captain?" Axlyn said in a strong tone. Ozhan had taught her to always speak like a leader around others so that they wouldn't think lowly of her. It had become much of a habit now.
The captain hadn't spoke, maybe he hadn't even heard her but Axlyn didn't need him to speak now. With a gushing roar a spiral of blue came out from the space just a mile from the ship. The captain swore loudly and so did Axlyn. "What is that?" she yelled shoving herself towards the council. The spiral became bigger, nearly engulfing the ship.
By the time the blueness had became the only thing you could see Kohl had rushed into the cockpit as well. He pushed his way between Axlyn and the captain and let out a loud baffled gasp. "What's that?" He screamed shoving Axlyn. "I – I think it's a wormhole." Axlyn stuttered. "Wormholes don't exist!" The captain growled, "They don't exist!"
"Well clearly they do!" Axlyn yelled back. She cursed beneath her breath but paused. Her head rose towards the blue spiral. The ship vibrated and twisted sharply towards it. "What are you doing?" Kohl swore. Axlyn pushed his shoulder but didn't find the time to yell at him because without warning the ship twirled and flipped towards the spiral, confirming Axlyn's suspensions of the possibility of a wormhole, and engulfed them whole.
Axlyn awoke to the sounds of garbled voices from a language unfamiliar to her. A heavy weight pressed on her stomach but she couldn't find the strength to open her eyes and see what it was. She swallowed hard and fought to gather the Force around her. It was there, surely, maybe even stronger than back at the temple but it was filled with confusion and worry. It was warning her perhaps. "Axlyn…?" She heard Kohl whisper. She assumed now that the weight on her stomach was him. "What happened?"
Axlyn took in a heavy breath and opened her eyes. She was still on the ship in the cockpit but the Force told her they were not alone. She looked down at Kohl who was still lying over her chest. Kohl looked terrified, far more than he did when Axlyn had first met him. She fought against the pain in her chest and turned her head to the right to see a tall Human dressed in a leather trench coat. His shoulder length blonde hair was tied into an elastic and wrapped with black hide. He had his back turned to Axlyn and Kohl but he was talking to a tall woman that reminded Axlyn of a Twi'lek. She was blue and speckled with white, gold, and dark blue. Her hair was white and pulled into a large bun that was nearly the size of her head. She was covered mostly in a green dress that hid most of her figure.
The woman looked down at Axlyn and smiled. "Kyle, it seems our 'friends' have awoken." Her voice was sharp with mid-rim accent. The man – Kyle – turned on his heal, his boots nearly shook the floors as he neared her. Axlyn stiffened, slipped her hand under Kohl – who was pretending to be asleep – and rested her hand on her lightsaber. Kyle knelt down and grabbed Axlyn around the throat, cutting off her air supply, pulled her up from the ground and shoved her up against the nearest wall.
Axlyn choked, grabbing Kyle's hand in an attempt to loosen his grip. "Who are you, and what are you doing on my ship?" He roared, his voice was a strong unaccented growl that thundered in her ears. "Answer me!"
"I-I cant with you c-choking me!" Axlyn gasped. Kyle loosened his grip only slightly, enough for her to breath, but only just. "Now tell me who you are!" He yelled. Axlyn swallowed hard, "Axlyn Crichton, Jedi Padawan, I was on a mission to Kuat when my ship went through a wormhole. Now tell me who the hells are you."
"That was not the question!" Kyle roared throwing Axlyn over the council. He bent over her, grabbing her ponytail. "Tell me the truth or by god I will kill you." He whispered, his breath hot against her neck. "You get away from her!" Kohl yelled standing up from the ground. Axlyn grit her teeth, "Kohl you stay back now!" she ordered but her voice was slightly muffled through the dash of the ship. "Answer me!" Kyle interrupted, bashing her head into the dash. Axlyn swallowed hard, "I am Axlyn Crichton, Jedi Padawan of the Jedi Temple. I am from the planet Coruscant. I was on a peaceful mission to the nearby planet of Kuat with my fellow Padawan Kohl when my ship was shot through a wormhole." The blue woman stepped forward, raising her hands as if to surrender. "Crichton, you say?" She asked, placing her hand on Kyle's shoulder. She whispered something in his ear before turning to Axlyn. "Where are you from?"
"I told you! Coruscant! The heart of the Republic!" Axlyn growled. "Republic?" Kyle muttered, "There is no Republic here. There is only a rebellion here! A rebellion against the Peacekeepers, by the Scarrans!"