Kenna24601: Hey, TripleThreat123..., I mean..., well, you get the idea... I'm glad this feels like Star Wars to you.
Count Mallet: A lot of good points, but I still disagree... Nothing can be reasoned to me for destroying a show before it ended properly.
Lux's Sister: Thank you for getting me back here typing away.
Thank you all for tuning in for this, all you readers... I thank you for sticking with me this long.
Anakin's POV
I looked up and saw a whirlwind of sand... After a while, I was so attuned to the Force that I no longer had to lift a hand or squint... Of course, it wasn't all perfect; dust got caught in my eyes and it would take a few blinks to water it down. But soon, I felt relieved that the sand wasn't blustering into my face.
After a few moments, I tried standing tall while keeping the, for lack of a better term, Force Field up and running. However, the moment I moved my legs, everything came crashing down around me. Suddenly, I felt that vortex winds beat down on me and I plunged face-first into the hard ground. In immediate retaliation, I hung a hand up to create the field around me once more...
I couldn't move... It was painful, but I couldn't move without breaking my concentration and causing me to lose balance again... I had to wait until the storm was gone... And knowing that, I doubted I will ever reach Numa in time.
Lux's POV
The village chief, still unsure of his name, brought us to the center plaza of the tiny village... In fact, the entire settlement was just a square shaped adobe/staccato apartment with a farming center at its core... The only way in and out, it seemed to be, was through the rooms that was individually locked on both sides through a double set of doors per room. It almost seemed like a miniature fortress, though I knew what they were trying to protect themselves against: the wildlife of Onderon.
But in one room, top level facing the Cliffside (man, what a commanding view, and not even the sun was at its angle glare away from it) when the three of us sat down on the bamboo chairs... I placed a leg over the other as I waited patiently for the old man to arrive on the scene... I waited and waited, before deciding to look out to my right, seeing the shafts of light triangulate to the floor...
Sunlight was warmer here on Onderon than any other planet I've heard of, but wasn't as overbearing as Tatooine's stars... How can the a solar system's light be 'warmer' than Tatooine? Well, I mean it in a different sense. Onderon's light was hot, but it never was something that would wither a person down. On Raxus, there was good sunlight, but it seemed detached, like the planet was in eternal autumn... On Onderon, the sun was soothing, and made plants fragrant, and had no sign of being evanescent... In fact, there didn't seem to be a steady setting of our star, Prael. It just seemed like morning all the time, with about two standard hours devoted to a sunset.
But no matter how long I looked at the star, I took morning for what it should be and walked outside again... Looking at the crops in what appeared as a few paces away, I gazed at the farmers milling the field... I knew people needed food out here, but I thought the idea of picking fruit and vegetables in a enclosed environment was a paradox... Why have the food here in the provincial settlement when the whole planet was teeming with food as sustenance...
The animals here were dangerous, but... Naw, who am I kidding? Safety is a great intrapersonal need. Who am I to say that people should go endanger their lives, no matter how much, to put bread on the table...
When I stared down at the crops in an ambient silence, I saw Steela and Saw looking as if they were apologizing to the woman who 'greeted' us moments ago... The old man was on the floor, appearing a lot like the king of Onderon; if it weren't for his tacky clothes that frothed with dust and patched with hardened dirt. He was on the floor and having a tough time getting up, with the two Gerreras gently grabbing both arms to bring him to his feet... They were close, but far enough that I only heard mutters in my ears,
"Sorry, sorry, we-... -for all you done."
I ignored their conversation as I turned around and found Ahsoka on the opposite side... She gazing off the cliff edge, out to the wide, expansive view.
I decided not to approach her, but instead announce. "Let me guess, you want me to stop staring at you?"
Ahsoka tilted her head to the side as she gently purred, "There's no need with a view like this."
Glancing past her shoulder, my eyes focused on the skyline, before focusing at Ahsoka's back. "Jungle, jungle, jungle... If it weren't for the bugs, this place would be beautiful." That was a fib, it was beautiful.
"No, no... You should see all life beating as one, binding together, strengthening each other... It's how the Force works..."
"The simple explanation." I walked up and leaned on the parapet.
"A normal explanation." Ahsoka finished...
I ignored the staunchness of the sun and wrapped an arm around Ahsoka. "I don't know what to say... It feels like very few people even..., care about me..., sometimes..." I started off. "You're probably tired of me talking about myself, but it does get most tiring when..., you're just misunderstood. Maybe I just don't have much of a way with people, but its like if I was gone, it wouldn't make any difference... People would miss me, I believe that, but if I didn't existed..., would the Droid Army be any less challenging here...? Would it even exist at this very time?"
Using my right arm, I leaned against the parapet, trying not to place my weight on Ahsoka... Ah, I'm a wimp. I've been traveling all these klicks and everyone is lively except me...
Ahsoka just leaned against my side, with me noticing some sweat was dripping down her lekku in perspiration. "I reached down to my right ankle and untied a cloth that was tied around it, whipped it around to shake the dust and dried dirt off, before dabbing her face with it.
"I feel the exact opposite..." She said. "I have the whole galaxy on my shoulders and if I were gone, I wonder how much everything would crumble... That's why we have friends in the Jedi Order. No attachments, but always a reminder that we're not alone in the fight..." She paused for a moment as she stared at me... I reached up and felt if there was any embarrassing thing attached to my face, but just some wetness from the hot morning.
"You ever wonder what life would be like on Shili?" I questioned, trying to be conversational. "Or on one of their colonies?"
"Often..." She admitted as she motioned for me to quit trying her sweat away. "I look at these people and find how devoted they are to their home over the Republic... I wonder if my people act similarly. Not all of them, but if they rather have a voice to protect the unity of the Republic or the wellbeing of Togrutas." She flinched a little at the name. "Before I could talk, I saw myself as a Jedi Initiate, rather than an alien... I didn't even know what I looked like until a rainy day came on Coruscant. I learned more about Shili in the Archives than from memory... And I don't know what my family ever looked like, know where they are now, if they miss me, and how they perceive the Jedi Order..." She had a thoughtful expression on her face, and I could easily read it. It said, 'I wonder if they would be proud of me?'
'It's good to be with you, 'Soka, as friends.' I thought to myself... Ever since the enemy had their solstice. Eventually, we'll gain a foothold when we have the strength to fight the Droid Army.
"We don't need more men, we need better tactics... Guerrilla warfare can work against a programmed Droid Army, but better droids have been made... We need a strategy to fight these new droids, and expect all the strength to come in however many men and women we have." Steela was speaking to the old man, whom I caught his name to be literally 'The Old Man', to help us.
The Old Man kept his hands on his lap and he thought about it, while the dark-skinned lady was getting a wet rag to dab on his scalp, to keep his stress level from going down.
After a moment, after he closed his eyes to meditate quietly before opening them again, he groaned, "We will give you food, but never will we send our kin to fight these battles, not even for a free Onderon... We value life here..." He took the rag to dab the rest of his face, before thanking his grandchild.
"If that's the case," Saw began, "then why did you bring us here to discuss..., 'so much'?"
"It's not very much, I just didn't wish to appear rude..." The Old Man walked over to the window to stare out at the tilled field. "You're Twi'lek friend..., partner..., prisoner, whoever he is... He's been here before. He's helped these fields grow a few months back..." I gazed out awestruck at the idea that Kidd would help anyone out... But there he was, helping a little girl water a guroot out back.
And even though the village center was small, Kidd was still a distance away from overhearing what we were talking about.
"He has? And he just happened to find this place?" I asked.
The Old Man simply nodded, "Don't know where he came from, we were just grateful for his help in the dry season..." He steadily lifted his hand to grasp the bamboo that held up the slot in the mudbricks. "Just like that..." After a few moments, he turned around and gazed at us sitting down, "I know why you kids are fighting the droids..., but against an overpowering force..., there can be no victory... But, we won't stop your determination to fight just as you won't stop our determination for peace."
He motioned for us to head out to the center square, off to the side where a water purifier/well lay, one of the few techs in the small civilization... I pumped the water out, before looking around... The village seemed quiet; not used to bearing visitors, but still in stood erect in the blinding morning light.
Then, I chose to watch Kidd, make sure he wasn't doing anything suspicious. But all he was doing was checking the water level for all the children's crops, before looking up to the sky to see if there were any rainclouds coming in... However, he just squinted at the hot, light-blue sky. I followed his gaze up to the sky... All I could see was a black dot moving through, probably a Ruping.
"What's that?" He questioned, setting my nerves up a little...
"Nothing, probably just an animal."
Saw came to my side, sharing the straight-up view. "Rupings would flap their wings."
"It's too far away." I threw out there.
Ahsoka, who took the same incentive in keeping an eye on Kareen, was standing up above along the outer wall... I walked up one of the two stairways to reach her, wondering what would be on her mind.
As I got to her side, she just looked out on the horizon... After a few more seconds, she announced, "We got to go. I sense danger, and we're putting these people at risk."
"Ahsoka!" I heard a voice call out as running feet were coming to the top of the stairway.
"What now, Kidd?" She asked.
"I got to let my superiors in Iziz to know I 'haven't found you guys'," He gestured with quotation mark fingers, but they shouldn't worry about me... Eventually I'll fake my death... They won't care."
Ahsoka seemed to reject a snide comment, and just decided to nod instead. "You do that."
"Got to get away from all these people... In case the Separatists don't trust me and trace the signal."
"They know you were here the night before." I pointed out. "There shouldn't be too much concern on their part."
"All the same, I just wish to make amends." He murmured.
Ahsoka took a deep breath before saying, "Never. Not after what happened."
"I mean publically, not privately, Ahsoka." Kidd replied.
The black dot from the animal seemed to turn back, heading our way...
"There's that thing again." Kidd pointed out.
I just glared at it, suspicious of what it was... It seemed to fly closer to closer to us, appearing spherical... Then I heard a sonic wave hit my eardrums...
I wasn't sure what it was, but Ahsoka seemed to have a clear image. "DROIDS! Take cover!" She shouted to people below. I looked around to see if people were reacting, before looking back-
BOOM!
The explosion against the parapet didn't hit me, but the shockwave from the impact sent all three of us flying through the air. I looked to my right to see if Ahsoka was all right. Of course, she was ahead of me as she somersaulted backwards, landed on her feet with aerodynamic composure, grinded her boots against the ground, just as she raised her hands and eased the fall of both us before we hit the ground...
There was just a little pain after impact.
I heard Steela shout. "Get the innocent people out of these walls! Everyone else prepare for an aerial attack as we retreat!"
Third Person's POV
Quinlan Vos left to the Archives to study up on anyone else taking up the ryll poisoning case, which Barriss Offee revealed to be none but one.
"Master Skywalker took up the case... I'm afraid that brought him Ryloth with Aayla Secura, your former apprentice, but since then, Master Skywalker has been silent for the past few days..."
"Any idea where he is?" Vos asked gruffly.
"He sent a message saying he heard rumors of gangster clan attacking public targets in the Underworld, but I think you and I both know what he's doing..."
"Being Skywalker and taking matters into his own hands." Vos finished for her.
Barriss gave a smile, something she normally would not do, before going to log into the operations against ryll smuggling in the past. "Gank Massacres were a period of time that fascinated me, almost as much as the story of Exar Kun: A Warning, here in these Archives." She muttered as the loading screen to the holomonitor fizzled on. "Any people in the Old Republic that interest you?"
"The story of Revan and Malak were interesting ones, particularly all the chances of redemption Revan received." Vos didn't roll his eyes as he took a seat next to the Librarian to pull up if Skywalkers location was, by any chance logged. Vos didn't find anything.
The Kiffar turned to the Mirialan for help. "Skywalker was the last person Aayla had a mission with... Look back, Barriss... Is there any idea where he could be?"
Barriss logged out of the history studies, trying to gather her swirling mind...
"L-last time Skywalker was on Coruscant, I overheard he was going to Tatooine."
"Why?"
"Because... Kidd Kareen!" She said a little too loudly.
"Who?"
"He's following the trail of Twi'lek terrorist after he was last reported to be in citystate of Iziz, on Onderon."
Quinlan immediately got to his feet. "Then there's no time to lose. Send me his file to my ship computers and I'll be on my way... I'm sure this Twi'lek won't be too much of a problem... Can't be worse evil than Sith tyrant Freedon Nadd..."
All Barriss heard were clips of the mans heavy boots as they strode away, trying to appear as if he were not in a hurry.
"I'm afraid," Barriss muttered to herself, "that there's a worse tyrant on Onderon right now..."
Barriss head to a terminal in the Communications Room, but there was no reply from Ahsoka... Whatever was going on, she couldn't make out a message right now.
Thank you for reading... And I hope you all stay warm this time of year, unless you live in places like Arizona or Texas or Southern California.
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