Eris: Two updates in one day, huh? I've had this waiting on my computer aas well and decided, why not? You guys have waited so long for me anyway.
Atton: Yo, E, It's time for dinner. Hurry up.
Eris: *nod* Kay. Alright, now we get to see how everything plays out. They'll be landing on Alderaan this chapter! It's about time to get out of space and onto solid ground. I've put in a little Sol/Colton for ya, so don't be too mad (or too happy for the most part).
DISCLAIMER: I have Atton; what more does a girl need?
Chapter 6
"My Basic… is better, right?" Sol asked as she and Colton sat in the port dorms. Colton nodded.
"Yes. I'm surprised at how fast you're learning; you've done really well. I'm proud of you."
Sol smiled, a light blush painting her tattooed face. Colton gently reached over and grasped her hand with his own. She looked up to stare at him curiously; his bright blue eyes were searching hers, but the Tusken Princess didn't understand what he was trying to find.
"Colton?"
The Jedi knight leaned in and like magnets, Sol felt herself being pulled forward as well. Sol's eyes glanced from his full lips to his eyes and back again. Understanding her silent movements, Colton readily complied without thinking. He was so close; Sol could feel his warm breath on her face. Her orange eyes slowly slid closed as she prepared for him to—
"The tach is in the downstairs cupboard!" Ash shouted as she woke up. Colton and Sol sprang apart as the smuggler blearily blinked sleep out of her eyes and sat up with a groan. She popped her back a few times and yawned before turning to look at the blushing princess and twitchy Jedi. She raised an eyebrow at them. "Did I… interrupt something here?"
Sol and Colton both shook their heads furiously.
"N-no! We were just—" Colton started. Sol cut in when he was at a loss for words.
"Talk. We talk. Um, learn Basic."
"Yeah, she was learning Basic… which I was teaching her."
"Learn, found, break in, teach—" Sol started spouting random words in Basic, her brain no longer connecting correctly due to Ash's accusing stare. Ash grinned at the flustered girl.
"Chill, kid; I'm only teasing." She stood and patted the top of Sol's head. She gave a two finger salute to the pair. "I'll go see what Tegrit's up to."
And then she was gone.
"I, um, I will go to the main hold to prepare for landing." Sol said, following Aishlinn out of the dormitory. Colton stood in the room silently, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
He had almost kissed Sol. He had almost kissed Sol! Colton shook his head to clear it, realizing just how wrong that was. He was a Jedi and therefore couldn't form attachments of that sort.
"Love isn't dangerous. I know I'm not supposed to tell you that, but it isn't. Force, love is what rescued me from becoming a Sith monster. If love was so evil, how come more normal people aren't falling to the dark side? Love is stronger than any bond ever could be. I know those stuffy old guys will tell you not to fall in love; but personally, I'm in love right now. Love isn't as dangerous as the Jedi make it out to be. Having love makes someone stronger in the way that they want to protect those they love. Friendship is a form of love, yet anything romantic is forbidden. Heh, Jedi can be so hypocritical at times…"
Colton could remember his Master telling him that while he was learning the Jedi code. Jedi Master Atton Rand… Colton wondered how he had fared. Many said he went looking for the Jedi Exile, but others said he was killed in battle; whatever happened, Colton only hoped his old master had found peace.
The ship gave a vicious jolt, forcing Colton out of his thoughts. He balanced himself enough to leave the dorm room and make his way to the main hold.
Aishlinn had fled the room, trying to keep her composure. What was this feeling in her chest? It felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart and then poured lemon juice on the wound. So what if Colton had a thing for Sol? It didn't matter. She didn't care, couldn't care. It wasn't like she had told him anything important about herself…
Oh right, she did. Not many knew she was Mandalorian or that she ran away from home because she was afraid of fulfilling the duty of her people. Tegrit and now Colton were the only ones.
But it didn't matter.
After everyone gathered in the main hold to prepare for landing, Tobias' voice came onto the loudspeaker.
"We'll be landing any moment now. Sorry for the turbulence; there seems to be an asteroid shower going on at the moment." He said. TI-29 groaned from his position on the wall next to Colton.
"What is it with our inability to find competent pilots? If it's not Sith fighters, it's asteroids…" the droid moaned. Ash glared at him.
"Well you're not exactly a party either." She shot back. Colton chuckled slightly and she found herself smiling at him. When their eyes met, she looked away though. It didn't matter… She silently cursed herself for acting like a hormonal teenager. She was a grown woman, for force sake! She didn't need the son-of-a-kath. It didn't matter.
True to his word, Tobias landed his ship to the rocking of asteroids bouncing off of the metal plating. It was a relatively smooth landing for the circumstances, though. Aishlinn debated on whether or not she should congratulate him, but decided against it when he "accidentally" groped her as she walked by.
Alderaan was beautiful, that was for sure; Aishlinn had never visited a place like it in all her travels. As the small group passed by the regally dressed planet dwellers, Ash found herself feeling a bit self-conscious; she was wearing tight pants, a half shirt, a jacket, and boots, the complete opposite from the dresses, capes, and headdresses the other women wore. Ash shrugged off her discomfort and kept her head high as she followed Colton; she did her best to ignore the stares from the other people watching them.
Less than five minutes later, Colton led them into a tall, circular, white building. Inside were many Jedi knights and padawans training off to the sides as well as reading or studying. Ash couldn't help but stare and neither could Sol. Sol grabbed Aishlinn's arm to keep from falling behind as she stared at the beautiful Jedi Academy in wonder.
Colton stopped in front of a large white door.
"I'm afraid that only Sol and I will be able to enter." He said. "Please, make yourselves comfortable; there's a chance this meeting could take some time."
Aishlinn rolled her eyes and Tegrit hooped up on her shoulder. "We'll be around the enclave. I expect you to mention you owe me a ship and a significantly larger sum of money for my trouble." She said. Colton nodded at her. She cast Tobias a wary look before walking out of the building.
"I'll be at the cantina, if I can find one. Not that it matters or anything. My job's done." The male pilot commented, waiting for Ash to be out of sight before leaving. TI-29 bowed and murmured a "Master," before scurrying of to do whatever it was droids did. Colton shook his head in slight amusement.
"Looks like it's just you and me." He said to the Tusken Princess. Sol nodded curtly, following him in as he opened the door.
Three men and a woman stood in the center of the room, a Twi'lek, two humans, and a Cathar. Colton bowed to each of them.
"Master Trekhol, Master Tsuviet, Master Gardner, and Master Juhani." He greeted. Sol stood awkwardly to the side, feeling very uncomfortable around the powerful Jedi. All four Jedi Masters bowed as well.
"Welcome back, Knight Stormtrotter." Master Trekhol said with a smile gracing his purple lips. "I assume you succeeded in your mission?"
Colton nodded. "Darth Yetsu was targeting the Sand People because she wanted their princess. I was unable to retrieve information as to why, but I brought the princess with me." He said, motioning for Sol to step forward. "This is Sol of the Ruktorian Tribe."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Masters." She spoke as she bowed. Juhani smiled at the young girl.
"I assure you that you shall be safe from the Sith while you are here. You are under our protection." She said. Sol bowed to the Cathar.
"Thank you."
Juhani turned to Colton. "Do you have any idea as to why they wanted her?"
Colton shook his head. "No, Master."
"Tell me," Master Gardner, a short man with thick black hair, a beard, and mustache, said, "what do you believe the Sith want you for, my dear?"
Sol shifted awkwardly at Colton's side. She shook her head slowly. "I, I do not know for sure. But, my people said I was special because I could sometimes see things that were going to come. I remember the men with red swords said something about 'the-one-who-sees'."
"Things that were going to come, as in see the future?" Master Gardner asked. Sol nodded.
"I could see if the bantha would be plentiful or if there would be a krayt dragon making its nest nearby. It was usually small things, yet my father said I was blessed by the gods. When I saw something unrelated to our daily life, that was when my father began to worry."
"What did you see?"
Sol hesitated momentarily before answering. "I saw an assassination of a human male on a planet I had never seen before or heard about. It was so different from Tatooine and the man was dressed in blue robes and had light brown hair and a mustache. Perhaps a month later, the Sith came to take me away."
Master Trekhol shook his head. "Seers are especially rare now a-days. It's almost impossible to find one and for someone like you, one of the Sand People, to have such a gift, it is truly rare indeed." He said. He stared into the Princess' eyes.
"You happened to see the death of Senator Ruimtre on Coruscant months before it occurred on accident. That is truly extraordinary. Even some of the most talented seers have to focus for hours or even days to see something." Master Gardner added. Master Juhani and Master Tsuviet both nodded in agreement.
"If the Sith got their filthy hands on you, there's no saying what they could accomplish; they could discover our plans, our hiding places, anything before it ever occurred." Juhani said. She sighed rather loudly. "We cannot nor will we allow the Sith to take you. We shall provide a place for you to live and stay while under our protection."
"Will Colton be around?" Sol asked. Juhani and Gardner shared a look. "I—I know Basic, but he has helped teach me better. Will he be around to serve as my tutor?"
"Yes, he will."
"Masters," Colton interrupted before they could dismiss them, "the pilot who took me to Tatooine and then tried to take me here to Alderaan lost her ship in the process due to Sith fighters. Will we be able to compensate her for her efforts?"
Juhani nodded. "I do believe she would deserve that for bringing you and Sol to us. We shall have a ship prepared for her within a week's time. Tell her we are sorry for the length of time it will take, but it is the best we can do."
Colton nodded. "Yes, thank you, Master."
Sol followed behind him as he left the council room. Sol let out a breath she had been holding in.
"That was… hard."
Colton smiled and nodded in agreement. He was glad that Sol would be given sanctuary and he was also surprised she had such a gift. Being able to see the future was a rare gift indeed; having her on their side could help them turn the tide of the war against Darth Yetsu. There was also the fact that he would be able to spend time with her each day. As her tutor, of course.
Sol couldn't help but feel a little giddy about the fact she would be spending so much time with Colton. He was so sweet and kind to her… She had never felt something like this for anyone before. Her heart raced when he was around and she felt sad when he wasn't.
As the pair walked into the training room, they were met with the sight of Aishlinn sparring with one of the padawans using training swords. She sliced at the other woman, Shanoa Wandyui, Colton believed. Shanoa countered with her own flurry but Ash blocked and counterattacked, landing a blow to Shanoa's upper thigh. Shanoa gritted her teeth but jumped back out of the way of Aishlinn's blade. When Ash charged after her, Shanoa blocked and threw her weight into the counter. This caused the female pilot to loose her balance slightly and Shanoa finished by swiping her leg under Aishlinn's feet landing her sprawled on the ground. Ash groaned and looked up to see the padawan pointing a sword in her face.
"Checkmate."
Ash groaned again as she stood up and brushed dirt off of her jacket. She grinned at the padawan. "I would've won had I been using a blaster."
Shanoa scoffed. "I doubt it." She said rather haughtily. Ash clapped a hand on the padawan's back, hard, causing the girl to stumble.
"Don't tempt me, kid. I don't want to have to kill you."
Shanoa fell silent as she walked away. Ash noticed Sol and Colton standing there. The smuggler smiled, waving at them as well.
"Yo! What's the word on my ship?"
Colton gave her a small smile. "Don't be mad, but they cannot provide a ship for you until the end of the week." He said, expecting her to blow up at him. Aishlinn simply tilted her head to the side.
"What day is it?"
"Monday."
"Sithspit!" she cursed. "I have to wait practically a whole week for a ship! I am not happy right now."
Sol giggled at Ash for overreacting. Ash didn't seem to notice. She snapped her fingers at Tegrit who sat off to the side by himself. The Kushiban looked up at her in curiosity. She motioned for him to come to her.
"We have to wait a week for a ship." She said. Tegrit made a face of disappointment. Ash turned to look at Colton. "I expect they will be providing a fraking room for us as well?" she asked with an angry huff. Colton nodded. "Yes, of course."
Echoes of "I AM NOT HAPPY!" could be heard through the corridors of the Jedi Academy.
—
Space… there was empty space, but it was as if something was moving through it. It came to stop at a planet, one that was a russet orange and seemed to have two separate sides. On one side, the land was full of harsh, rocky terrain. Mountains filled the space and very little seemed to grow on the surface. The sun was hot, scorching the ground and killing all life in its path. However, the other side of the planet held frigid temperatures cast in darkness, almost the exact opposite to the other side.
Under the ground held a network of caves, one set in particular on the scorched side of the planet led to a large settlement of Twi'leks. A tall, white man with gray rings encircling his lekku and arms stood up and spoke to an assembly of well dressed men and women alike, not only Twi'leks mixed in. His voice was incomprehensible, but the people could hear him.
After his speech, the Twi'lek man bowed and left the stage. He was pulled into a hug by a young Twi'lek girl; white as well, probably his daughter. She said something to him that caused him to smile. After being congratulated by many more people, he retired to his room.
The door opened slightly and in stepped a man dressed in black dark Jedi robes with his moth covered. His eyes were a fierce yellow and he said something to the well dressed Twi'lek man. The Twi'lek shook his head and said something back which seemed to agitate the Sith assassin. The Sith pulled out a spear and pressed it up against his neck. The Twi'lek's eyes widened, but he stayed firm with his earlier words. The door opened once more and in walked the white Twi'lek girl who had hugged him earlier. She gasped in surprise, alerting the assassin to her presence. The assassin turned around to look at her.
Suddenly, without any warning, the Sith assassin plunged the spear into the young girl's stomach. Blood poured from her mouth and wound as she screamed bloody murder. The assassin pulled the spear out of her and she fell to the ground, dead. Her father shouted in despair before sinking to the ground as well, covering his face and weeping. The Sith said something else to the man which this time he nodded to.
The Sith wanted him to do something, something important. What could be made out was:
"Vote for the Republic to not occupy Ryloth anymore. The Sith shall take over and rule this planet, using it as we see fit. If you disagree, more innocent shall die like your daughter did. Do you understand?"
—
Sol woke with a gasp. She looked around her, finding herself in her room and no longer on Ryloth witnessing the brutal murder of the poor innocent Twi'lek girl. She had been maybe eighteen or nineteen, Sol's age. Sol shivered and wrapped her arms around herself. After taking several much needed breaths, she stood and walked out of her room and into Colton's opposite to hers.
"Colton?" she whispered, rousing him gently from sleep.
"Wha—?" he asked, his voice ladened with sleep. Sol swallowed hard.
"I, I had a vision."
That seemed to wake him up. Colton sat up straight and wiped the sleep out of his sapphire eyes. He stifled a yawn as well. He looked into Sol's worried, orange eyes, giving her his undivided attention.
"What did you see?"