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A soft wind blew in through the open doors to the balcony. Carh'la yawned but didn't open her eyes. She was too tired and sore from running her legs until they couldn't move yesterday. She was too emotionally tired from being scared that she would get herself eaten, then that Vader would get eaten, and then that they would all get eaten!
Since she was lying in bed with nothing to do, she thought it was time to give some thought to Vader's name. He had claimed that his real name was Anakin. The automatic connection everyone made was that he was Anakin Skywalker. Carh'la had found that extremely difficult to believe at first.
Anakin Skywalker had been the mighty Hero With no Fear. He had been her children's hero alongside Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Negotiator. The two had been the strongest Jedi during the Clone Wars. They were also the most inseparable Jedi. There were many times when Carh'la had thought they couldn't possibly get to a situation on time, such as when the Separatists invaded Coruscant and kidnapped the chancellor. Carh'la's younglings, despite being young adults by then, had been insistent that Kenobi and Skywalker would save the day. Carh'la hadn't been so sure. Nevertheless, in the end, Kenobi and Skywalker had rescued the chancellor and proven her younglings right once again.
Even Carh'la had had her doubts when Palpatine claimed that all of the Jedi were traitors. She had hoped that at least Kenobi and Skywalker were innocent. It had been reported that Skywalker was actually killed by a fellow Jedi while trying to protect the chancellor from assassination. Kenobi was said to have been killed during the Battle of Utapau after defeating General Grievous.
As hard as it was to believe that they were traitors, it was harder to believe that one of them became Darth Vader. Anakin Skywalker was many things but he was never a murderer. What had happened?
Moeema stirred and awoke, snapping Carh'la out of her ruminations.
"Good morning," Moeema slurred in her general direction.
Carh'la smiled. "Good morning, Moeema. Are you sore, too?"
"Yes," Moeema moaned. "What about Zhymmia?"
"I think she's still fast asleep," Carh'la chuckled.
"Well we'd better wake her up," Moeema muttered. "Because I think I can hear the men starting to drag their feet around,"
Carh'la grunted in agreement and got out of bed, moaning softly at the stiffness of her muscles. She walked over to Zhymmia and shook her awake and then three women dressed and went down to breakfast.
Master Kenobi brought out a magnificent meal and they all ate in relative silence.
"Oh, I can't wait to go to that hot spring," Kerrick said as they walked outside after eating. "I'm sore all over from yesterday."
"Me too," Carh'la agreed.
Kobayashi stretched and then motioned for them to stop. "Wait here, guys, I've got bring some stuff out."
"Bring what?" Moeema asked.
"Just wait,"
Kobayashi entered the retreat once more just as Master Kenobi led a tired-looking Vader—no, Anakin—out of the building.
"Good morning Anakin," Carh'la said with a smile.
"Hi Carh'la," Anakin smiled in return, though it was a little strained from sleepiness.
Kobayashi then returned, hauling four wooden buckets with him.
"What… are you doing?" Jifo asked hesitantly.
"You all are going to need these when we go to Bul-san," Kobayashi explained as he brought more buckets.
The buckets were made of wooden planks about a third of a meter tall. The planks were tied together by a strap close to the rim and close to the bottom. Inside each bucket was a towel, a sponge, and a bar of soap.
Kobayashi handed each person a bucket and then he led them away from the retreat. They walked for a short while before reaching a large flat area where there were many trees.
"Be careful here," Kobayashi warned. "This place is known to house many nooks."
"Like yesterday?" Ooke reminded him.
"Not quite as bad, I hope," Kobayashi smiled sheepishly.
"Why was that dragon attacking us?" Carh'la asked.
"The high cry she gave meant we were in her territory."
They walked in silence for a while longer before Kobayashi said, "We're nearing the hot spring. I have to tell you a few things about basic hot spring etiquette. Since this is a wild spring, people normally use it to bathe. To keep it clean, people use the wooden buckets I handed you. They fill the buckets with water and then sponge-bathe themselves. Then, after rinsing themselves and cleaning themselves, they soak and relax in the hot spring. It's a way to keep the water clean."
"Wait, we bathe here?" Zhymmia asked.
"Yes," Kobayashi nodded. "Relax; Bul-san has a natural barrier in the center. You ladies can be on one end and we'll be on the other."
Soon after his statement, they reached the hot spring. It was large and surrounded by lush greenery. Just as Kobayashi had said, there was a wall of rocks dividing the hot spring in half. Steam was everywhere and the water was baby blue.
Carh'la, Moeema, and Zhymmia quickly went to their side of the hot spring.
"This is going to be nice," Zhymmia said with excitement as she looked at the water.
Obi-Wan scrubbed himself with the sponge alongside the other men as they basked in the warmth the steam allowed them. Anakin was rinsing the soap off his body. Kobayashi had already entered the hot spring, swimming about until he found a comfortable seat.
Anakin quickly joined Kobayashi, along with Ooke and Jifo. Numel and Marrax soon entered the water as well. Kerrick, Rowan, Shiine, and Obi-Wan took their time, but were soon in the water as well.
The warmth threatened to put him to sleep right there. He could feel his muscles relaxing in the soothing heat.
"Force, this is nice…" Shiine muttered.
Obi-Wan heard the women swimming around in the water on their end and then saw Carh'la peek over one of the rocks. "How are you men faring?"
"Carh'la, do you mind?" Kerrick said, embarrassed.
Carh'la laughed. "I'm married, sweetheart, it's nothing I haven't seen before. Besides, you're under water."
Obi-Wan knew he was halfway under the water, but he still felt the need to go deeper until the water was up to his chin. Anakin didn't seem to mind, though. He just sat where the water only reached his chest. The rest of the men, however, were nearly up to their eyeballs with hot water.
Carh'la only laughed, causing Moeema to come over and peek as well.
"We don't peek on you ladies bathing!" Numel snapped.
Moeema then joined in Carh'la's laughter. "We can't even see anything."
"So," Obi-Wan quickly said to change the subject. "What made you join the Imperial Navy, Numel?"
Numel blinked and then shrugged. "I lived on Imperial Center with my father. I never knew my mother. I was tired of being stuck on the same planet and I couldn't afford to get off, so I enlisted."
"I'm assuming that your father wasn't very helpful in your career," Obi-Wan surmised.
"You could say that," Numel responded. "We didn't live in the greatest of districts."
"That explains your affinity to treat women poorly," Moeema said. "I'm guessing you were surrounded by prostitutes and other such women of the night."
"Basically," Numel laughed.
"That doesn't excuse you treating us like that," Zhymmia said from the other pool.
Numel blushed and said nothing.
"How about you, Rowan?" Obi-Wan offered. "Why did you join?"
"I had already served in the Republic's navy," Rowan said lightly. "I just decided to remain with the Imperial Navy. In fact, I served under you once."
"You… you did?" Obi-Wan blinked. "Well that explains why you recognized me. When did you serve under me? I'm afraid my memory is failing me."
"It's quite alright," Rowan waved a hand dismissively. "I served under you in the Open Circle Fleet. I was a lieutenant."
"I met my wife in the Imperial Academy," Marrax said. "She didn't make it through. She was a bloody genius… I'm guessing it was just because she was a woman. Either way, we married and now she's expecting a baby boy."
"Congratulations," Obi-Wan said warmly. "Have you decided on a name?"
Marrax smiled. "No, not yet,"
"My father served under you," Kerrick stated. "You and… um…"
Kerrick tossed an awkward glance in Anakin's direction. Anakin, however, was oblivious. He was just relaxing in the water, his eyes closed. Obi-Wan caught Kerrick's meaning.
"I see," he nodded. "I'm afraid I can't remember any of this."
"I can see why," Carh'la commented. "If I were you, I would have blocked it out of my mind because of the trauma."
Jifo remained silent, watching Anakin nervously.
"Ji, is something wrong?" Kobayashi asked.
Jifo whispered, "It's about Anakin. He's been awfully quiet."
"He's probably just tired," Shiine yawned. "I know I am."
"It's not just today," Jifo shook his head. "He was quiet yesterday, too."
"You call that racket he made when he was playing with Master Kenobi quiet?" Kerrick chuckled.
"I mean after we went swimming," Jifo insisted. "Besides the fiasco with the dragon, he was calmer than normal. And now he won't even talk,"
"Jifo, I think you're acting a little paranoid," Rowan said seriously. "Just relax; that is why we're here."
Obi-Wan watched the exchange with mild curiosity before swimming over to Anakin. "Are you tired?"
Anakin flinched and then looked at Obi-Wan with half-closed eyes. "A little,"
"Did you sleep well last night?"
"No,"
"You didn't?" Obi-Wan repeated in concern. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing,"
"Whew," Ooke sighed, interrupting the conversation. "I could bask in this all day."
"I wish shore leave was longer than two weeks," Numel admitted.
"I think we all do at this point," Moeema stated.
"How much longer do you have until you return to your squadron?" Obi-Wan asked.
"Shore leave is two weeks," Kobayashi answered. "And we've been here for about six days, so we've got four left,"
"Only four days…" Ooke moaned. "I wish we could stay so much longer,"
Rowan shrugged. "Nothing lasts forever, Ooke,"
Carh'la and Moeema agreed and then vanished behind the rock barrier. Obi-Wan heard them talking with Zhymmia. The men began to have a conversation over many different things, from families to duties to monotone subjects such as the weather.
Three hours passed by without any of them noticing. Obi-Wan didn't even realize so much time had come and gone until he saw the sun directly overhead in the sky. A dragon roared off in the distance, causing all conversation to stop, but Kobayashi assured them that Bul-san was not on any nook's territory.
"Kichita, they're close by," Anakin said.
"What?" Obi-Wan and the others all focused on the boy. "The dragons are close by?"
"Kichita, they're close!" Anakin sounded a little panicked.
"Anakin, relax," Obi-Wan put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
Anakin shuddered and then submerged himself entirely under the water.
"What's wrong with him?" Moeema asked worriedly, peeking over the rocks once more.
"We don't know—hey, Moeema, stop being a pervert!" Ooke yelled.
Zhymmia laughed from the other side. "I'm surprised Numel hasn't tried to look over here,"
"I believe he's not that foolish," Obi-Wan joked. "He knows you would drown him if he did so."
"Anakin, come out already!" Kerrick said.
Anakin resurfaced, shaking his head and then laughing. Everyone heaved a collective sigh.
"Don't scare us like that," Moeema chastised.
"Sorry," Anakin shrugged sheepishly.
Obi-Wan rolled his eyes and then the separate conversations resumed. They actually remained there until dusk, much to everyone's surprise.
"Has it really been a whole day?" Kobayashi asked no one in particular. "We had better be heading back towards the lake retreat. It takes half an hour to get there."
The men all began to towel themselves dry and then got dressed. The women did similar and they met at the edge of the hot spring before Kobayashi led them back towards the lake retreat. They started to follow a river, which Kobayashi identified as the Mizu River that led to Lake Shui, the lake that bordered the retreat.
They arrived at the retreat just as the sun was giving its last light to the sky for the day. Everyone went to their respective rooms.
Obi-Wan sat on the balcony and meditated while his roommates talked amongst themselves in the room. The cool night air was refreshing after soaking in a hot spring all day. Obi-Wan felt more relaxed than he had in a long time. This vacation was helping him quite a bit.
Suddenly, Obi-Wan sensed anguish and terror. Opening his eyes, he looked around before looking straight down to see Anakin standing by the lake shore. He was staring into his reflection. It looked like he was twitching.
"Anakin…?" Obi-Wan whispered.
The Imperials inside were unaware of Anakin's odd actions until he let out a blood-curdling yell of pain.
Anakin followed Kobayashi back to the lake retreat alongside Kichita. He had been having bad dreams lately. They had always been there but it was getting worse now. Most of the time it would be frightening images of dead bodies or of fire and then he would hear screams.
When they arrived at the retreat, everyone went inside except for Anakin. He stood by the lake shore and stared into his reflection. What was wrong with him? Why did he continuously have nightmares?
A memory nagged him and he accessed it.
"My name's not Little One!" Anakin laughed happily.
"Oh, it's not? Then what is it?"
"It's Anakin!"
Moeema and Shiine gaped at him. Did he say something wrong?
"Anakin?" They both shouted.
"As in Anakin Sk—" Shiine was about to say something but he got a mouthful of water and was shoved under when Kobayashi fell.
What was he going to say? Anakin Sk-something. Anakin Sk… Sky? Anakin Sky? Anakin Star? No… no… it—it was…
"Step forward, Padawan. Anakin Skywalker, by the right of the Council, by the will of the Force, I dub thee, Jedi Knight of the Republic."
Anakin Skywalker…
"You're a slave?"
"I'm a person and my name is Anakin."
Skywalker…
"General Skywalker, we have arrived at Ryloth."
"Very good, Rex. Let's begin."
Jedi Knight…
"You were the chosen one!"
Anakin's eyes widened in horror.
"Henceforth you shall be known as Darth… Vader."
NO!
Memories flooded his mind, bombarding his senses and his sanity until he could bear it no longer. Falling to his hands and knees, Anakin Skywalker, Darth Vader, let out a scream of pain.
Palpatine was brooding in his quarters when he received a transmission from the fleet admiral.
"Sir, our contact on Nihoma has just informed me that Death Squadron is orbiting the planet. Half of the fleet's crew is on the planet's surface. They have the captain of the Executor."
"What of Lord Vader's location?" Palpatine asked.
"Unknown, sir," the admiral answered. "It is believed he is on the planet, however."
"Take us to Nihoma immediately,"
"Yes, sir," the admiral bowed. "Estimated time of arrival is one standard day,"
Kerrick, Jifo, and Rowan scrambled out of their room and outside with the others and froze dead in their tracks. Vader was crumpled on the ground, his eyes squeezed shut, moaning and twitching viciously.
Kerrick approached him slowly when he suddenly twitched horribly and let out another scream. He balled his fists until his left hand began to bleed.
"Little One, talk to me," Kerrick said quickly, immediately running to his side with the other Imperials and Master Kenobi.
Vader didn't say anything. Instead, he continued to moan and twitch.
"Is it the illness?" Zhymmia asked worriedly.
"I… I don't know,"
"Let's get him inside," Moeema ordered.
"Don't touch him," Master Kenobi warned them.
"What?" Kerrick rounded on him. "I thought you were trustworthy; we have to help him!"
"I'm telling you for your own protection," Master Kenobi's tone was dead.
"What are you talking about?" Jifo snapped.
"He's remembering,"
Everyone froze. To emphasize the Jedi's point, Vader screamed even harder.
Kerrick watched the boy with wide eyes, nervously stretching a tentative hand towards him. "Little One…"
"Kerrick, look out!" Carh'la shouted.
Kerrick saw it coming but it was too late. Vader's hand immediately stretched out and smacked Kerrick on the face, sending him flailing to the ground. The boy then leapt to his feet, gasping for air and covered in sweat. His normally blue eyes were red and yellow. His face was contorted with rage and pain.
Vader set his eyes on Master Kenobi. "You…"
"Everyone back away," Master Kenobi ordered calmly and quietly.
Carh'la slowly helped Kerrick to his feet and the Imperials obediently did as they were told, too shocked and terrified to do anything else.
Vader watched Kenobi with narrowed hateful eyes. Then, in the blink of an eye, he was gone. Kerrick looked around wildly to see Vader's right fist make contact with Kenobi's right palm. Vader immediately crouched down and swung his left leg at the Jedi's legs, trying to knock him off balance. The Jedi back flipped and landed on the roof of the lake retreat. In an instant, Vader was up there right in front of him.
Kobayashi suddenly placed his hands over his mouth and let out an ungodly roar. It sounded like a rancor mixed with a nexu, except it was a tighter sound. Immediately, Kerrick heard dragons responding to the call.
"What are you doing?" Numel barked.
"Getting help," Kobayashi replied.
A red dragon flew overhead, roaring in a similar way to Kobayashi. Kobayashi responded with the same roar. Was this the Kakegoe Nook?
"Is that Minh?" Marrax shouted over the loud wind that began to blow due to the dragon's large wings.
Kobayashi nodded and called again. Minh responded and then flew right over the lake towards them. When Kerrick hazarded a glance at the retreat's roof to see what Kenobi and Vader were doing, he noticed that they were still fighting, completely oblivious to the dragon.
Suddenly, just as Minh was flying by the retreat, Kenobi leapt on top of him. Vader managed to jump on him as well, and the fight continued. Minh flew in circles around the retreat until another dragon, a female, appeared, apparently responding to Kobayashi's call with curiosity.
Much to Kerrick's horror, Kenobi leapt over to the female dragon and Vader followed. Kobayashi hadn't noticed and immediately stopped calling to ward the female dragon away.
"No, Koby, don't stop calling to it!" Kerrick shouted but it was too late. The dragon was gone.
Obi-Wan ran towards the dragon's head in order to get some maneuverability. Anakin was right behind him.
Trying to run against the fierce wind was difficult enough without having to constantly turn around and block a chop towards the back of the head or a kick towards the back.
Obi-Wan finally reached the dragon's head, but had to use the Force to maintain his balance as the dragon continuously moved up and down with the beat of her wings. Anakin flung his arms outward to remain steady. The two watched each other for a moment before Vader screamed in rage and charged forward, leaping into the air and sending a flying kick towards Obi-Wan's jaw. Obi-Wan dodged the attack by twisting to his right and getting behind Anakin, who quickly landed and faced Obi-Wan once more.
The wind tossed them both back onto the dragon's horns and then the fight continued. Obi-Wan stood on the edge of the horn while Anakin ran towards him from the thicker part. He flung his left hand forward, stiff as a board, in a chop to Obi-Wan's neck. Obi-Wan broke the attack by using his right hand to knock Anakin's out of the way, leaving the boy open to attack. Obi-Wan punched him squarely on the nose, making him jump back a little. Blood began to ooze from the wound.
Why, oh Force, why did he have to remember with the violent memories first?
Anakin ignored the blood and ran towards Obi-Wan once again. This time, he flipped onto his hands and kicked Obi-Wan in the chest with both feet and then used his chest as a landing platform. Obi-Wan had all the wind knocked out of him and was left gasping for air. Anakin flipped into the air and twisted so he landed facing towards the dragon's head and Obi-Wan.
Obi-Wan inhaled a lungful of the mountain air and felt the blood rushing through his veins. Using the Force to maintain his focus and balance, Obi-Wan Force pushed Anakin backwards. The boy tumbled, scraping against the dragon's hard scales the whole way. He grabbed hold of the dragon's right wing and then leapt onto her back, charging towards Obi-Wan at full speed. Obi-Wan leapt down to meet him squarely in the jaw with his right leg.
Anakin fell, his back parallel to the dragon's own back. He then arched his back so his hands could touch the dragon's back. Obi-Wan saw blood trail behind his hands as he bent his arms and then his feet landed once more. Anakin spared no time in catching his breath; the instant his feet were on the dragon's back, he bent his knees and then flung himself towards Obi-Wan. His left hand reach out, fingers spread open. Obi-Wan leaned back to avoid the grapple. Anakin's fingers came together to grab Obi-Wan's neck, but the latter's dodge only allowed the former's fingernails to scrape skin off his neck.
Obi-Wan felt the blood trickle down from multiple scratches. Both combatants were gasping for air in the higher and thinner atmosphere.
Anakin wheezed and then roared. He took a slight step forward with his right foot and crouched low, aiming for Obi-Wan's gut. Obi-Wan tried to parry the fist by breaking his stance, but Anakin still managed to land a hit and they both fell off the dragon.
The wind screamed in Obi-Wan's ears as the dragon they were just riding roared. Below, Obi-Wan could see three more dragons. They were all males. When he looked to his left he saw four more dragons and then young dragons flying nearby. This was a gajok.
Anakin and Obi-Wan both twisted their bodies and leaned right to land on top of another dragon. Only through the Force did Obi-Wan not break any bones from the sudden change in direction and momentum. The dragon they were riding let out a load roar. Anakin's roar joined it and the boy charged forward once again.
Obi-Wan caught his right-handed punch and counterattacked by punching with his left. Anakin caught Obi-Wan's fist, pulled his own right hand back, and then twisted Obi-Wan's wrist, flipping him over. Obi-Wan hit the ground—well, back—hard, knocking the wind out of him for the second time.
Leaping to his feet, Obi-Wan swung his left arm towards Anakin's face, but Anakin crouched and went underneath. Anakin stood straight when he was behind Obi-Wan and elbowed the latter in the ribs. Obi-Wan yelled out in pain but didn't stop. He swung his right leg back behind him and kicked Anakin in the neck.
The two twisted at the same time to face each other. Anakin kicked with his right foot and Obi-Wan blocked it with his own kick. Anakin twisted to his left and aimed another kick at Obi-Wan's skull but Obi-Wan blocked it with his wrist.
Anakin charged forward and Obi-Wan pulled the same trick the boy had earlier. He grabbed Anakin's punching hand and flipped him over, making him slam onto the scales. This time, Anakin had a counterattack, though, and he struck at Obi-Wan's ankles, causing the Jedi to fall as well.
The dragon they were riding suddenly took a dive and the two found themselves clinging to the plate-like scales that stood erect in the center of its back. Obi-Wan could see water looming ever closer.
Deciding it was time to leave, Obi-Wan released his grip on the dragon's scale. Anakin then let go as well and the dragon flew ahead. The two tumbled in the air for a short while before Obi-Wan spotted some trees. Using the Force and his body, he managed to twist himself enough to land on one of the higher branches. Anakin landed on a tree just adjacent to his own.
Anakin leapt off his tree and landed on the same branch as Obi-Wan. He aimed a kick at Obi-Wan's jaw, but Obi-Wan brushed it aside with his right arm and punched Anakin with his left. Anakin flipped backwards and then did a split on the branch, his front leg knocking Obi-Wan off balance so the latter fell off the tree.
Catching another branch with his hands, Obi-Wan swung downward to land on the lower branches of the tree. The ground was nowhere to be seen. Above him he heard Anakin jumping to continue the fight.
Gathering the Force around him, Obi-Wan stepped off the branch and fell. He sensed Anakin do the same. The two dodge branches until they used the Force to slow their fall and land easily on the ground.
Anakin jumped against the tree trunk, running on it for two steps before kicking Obi-Wan in the face with his right leg. Obi-Wan fell but just as Anakin approached him he kicked the boy in the chest.
Getting frustrated, Anakin called on the Force and increased his speed. He sent three chops and a kick at Obi-Wan within the blink of an eye. Obi-Wan Force pushed him away, but he managed to land on his feet.
The two watched each other, panting heavily. Obi-Wan could sense Anakin tiring; his illness was making him nauseous. Obi-Wan had to stop this fight. However, Anakin wanted to continue it. The boy used the Force to throw Obi-Wan into the air and then leapt up to join him, punching him squarely in the gut. Obi-Wan folded inward, gasping for air and the two fell back towards the ground. Obi-Wan landed flat on his face and Anakin collapsed after landing safely on his feet.
Obi-Wan coughed up blood and then stood once more. Anakin's breathing grew shallow, but he stood as well.
This wasn't good.
Ton had been enjoying his vacation thoroughly. He hadn't had to concern himself with insane Sith Lords, ankle-butting droids, disgusting Rebels, failing hyperdrives, or any of the like. He had been spending some quality time with the greatest person of all: himself.
He had taken the third set of shuttles down for shore leave. The shuttles had landed a day ago and he was enjoying every moment of it. The only thing that bothered him was a report from a commander that some of the first half of the crew had not reported back for duty after a week on the planet.
The only way an entire fleet could have two weeks of shore leave was if one half went down for a week while the other maintained the ships. Then the first half would return after a week and would switch with the second half. Ton was part of the second half, but at least twenty did not report back from the first shift.
For once, Ton didn't concern himself with the matter. His commander could handle the issue. He wanted some time to relax. Being captain of the Executor was stressful enough on normal days, let alone out-of-this-galaxy days that seemed to be coming far too often for his liking.
He had just returned from a day spa and was finding himself quite content with his situation. He entered the inn and noticed a clone pacing the lounge restlessly.
"Is something the matter?" Ton asked, not really wanting to know the answer.
"Yes, sir," the clone responded, immediately saluting upon recognizing him. "I am part of the first shift, sir. I remained behind because a certain lieutenant is missing."
Any relaxation that had been gained during his short time on Nihoma immediately vanished. "What?"
"A great deal of officers are missing, sir," the clone reported.
"What's your service number?" Ton asked, grasping for a familiar concept.
"RE-793, sir," the trooper immediately responded.
"You're the one from the 501st," Ton muttered.
"Yes, sir,"
"Who else is missing?"
"Cdr. Chupa-Pau, Lt. Cdr. Tade, Lt. Cdr. Chelcu, Lt. Cdr. Norhek, Lt. Beillane, Lt. Reukli, Lt. Sanus, Lt. Tunrott, Ens. Mothezsh, Ens. Kenzee, and Ens. Hu, sir,"
"Naturally," Ton shook his head. "When were they last seen?"
"During the Unification Day Parade, sir," RE-793 replied. "They were on a dragon just behind the royal family."
"What were they doing there?"
"I'm afraid I don't know, sir,"
"Wasn't the parade four days ago?"
"Yes, sir,"
"Good Force," Ton muttered in exasperation. "Come with me, trooper. We have to find them."
"Are you alright, Kerrick?" Kobayashi asked.
"Yes, I'm fine, but we have to find them!" Kerrick responded. "Let's get on Minh and go!"
"I don't think Minh's going anywhere," Moeema said, pointing to the dragon.
Everyone looked to see Minh flying in circles, roaring repeatedly and flailing his head around.
"What's wrong with him?" Zhymmia asked.
"I… I don't know," Kobayashi shook his head. "I think it might be that Force Reaction Kenobi was talking about the other day."
"So it affects animals too?"
"I guess… it affected us, didn't it?"
"Well why isn't it affecting us now?"
"How should I know?"
"Maybe it's because Vader's got control of his mental shields again," Carh'la suggested.
Kerrick shakily got to his feet and they all watched Minh scream out in a high pitch before diving into the lake. Waves of water soaked the Imperials. When Kerrick looked back at the lake, Minh was gone.
"How deep is this lake, anyway?" he gaped.
"Oh, pretty deep," Kobayashi responded shakily.
Off in the distance, numerous roars were heard.
Ooke pointed in the general direction of the sounds. "That way! Let's go!"
The Imperials ran as hard as possible, clambering over rocks, twigs, and brush. They followed the sounds, which were thankfully getting progressively louder, until they had to stop for air.
As they were all doubled over, Jifo suddenly pointed and yelled. "Over there! I see them!"
"Where?"
"On the ground straight ahead!"
Everyone looked forward to see two figures aiming chops, kicks, and punches at each other with precision. The movements were sometimes so fast Kerrick couldn't even follow it.
Suddenly, Vader let out a roar of rage and any mental barriers that he was holding collapsed. Kerrick knew this because he immediately felt the anger eating his insides. The Imperials collapsed, moaning in pain.
Kobayashi barely managed to sit up and cup his hands over his mouth. Kerrick knew what was going to happen next.
Kobayashi sounded the call and in moments, Minh had responded along with about three other dragons. Two of the other dragons flew away. As they did, Kenobi and Vader jumped from tree to tree until they both landed on top of it.
"Minh, come here!" Kobayashi shouted and emitted the roar once again.
Minh roared in return and landed. The dragon that remained circled above them. It was a female. That wasn't promising, but hopefully she would just fly away.
Kobayashi quickly climbed on top of the dragon's head and helped everyone else climb aboard.
"What happened to the howdah?" Rowan asked.
"I took it off days ago," Kobayashi replied. "And it's not as if we have time to retrieve it now."
"Great," Jifo gulped and grabbed onto Minh's scales that were in the center of his back standing upright. Everyone else followed suit.
This was when Kerrick suddenly noticed Moeema, Carh'la, and Zhymmia were covered in duffel bags.
"What in the blazes are you doing?" he asked them.
"We grabbed everyone's stuff before leaving," Carh'la explained as she untangled herself from the straps and handed them out to everyone. "I thought we might need to leave in a hurry."
"Did I happen to mention that you're a genius?" Kerrick laughed in relief as everyone received their duffel bag from the three women.
Jifo pointed to Zhymmia, who was carrying two bags, "To whom does the other bag belong?"
"Kenobi," she replied.
"Does that mean…?"
Zhymmia opened the bag and pulled out a cylindrical object. "Yep, his lightsaber is right here,"
"Just put it away and grab hold of something!" Kobayashi shouted from the front. "We're going after them!"
Padmé was surprised they had stayed so long, but the festivities of Unification Day lasted a week before the actual holiday until the week after the holiday. Now she was packing to leave tomorrow morning. She hadn't seen or heard from any Imperial since the morning after the ball.
She was planning on going with Bail to Alderaan to see her daughter. Giddiness shot through her as she thought about it. What would Leia think of her? Oh, she couldn't wait to see her beautiful daughter.
It was about twenty-one o'clock. She had best be heading to bed. Sighing, Padmé put her bag aside and collapsed on her large bed. She was still thinking about what had happened at the ball, but Leia took priority now. After all, she couldn't miss an opportunity like this for some fantasy that her husband was, against all logic, still in one piece and lovingly awaiting her return.
Kobayashi pat Minh on the head and pointed towards the nook-moko off in the distance. "Go after that nook, Minh!"
Minh did as he was told with a roar, flapping his wings ferociously to gain speed. This only lasted for a moment however, seeing as the nook-nami that had remained suddenly snarled and flew towards Minh at full speed.
"Everybody hold on tight!" Kobayashi yelled, grabbing hold of one of Minh's cranial horns.
Minh dove down to avoid a collision with the nook-nami, but she pursued him. Minh then flapped his wings vigorously and began to speed through the air towards the nook where Vader and Kenobi were.
The nook-nami roared and thrust a claw at Minh's tail. Minh roared in rage and tore after her, biting her front right arm.
"What is your dragon doing?" Numel shouted.
"This nook-nami seems to think Minh's interfering with her gajok," Kobayashi yelled. "She's trying to fight him to defend her brood! Minh, let's get out of here!"
Minh broke away from the fight but the nook-nami did not back down. She tore after him, claws at the ready.
"Faster, Minh, faster!"
Despite their earlier exhaustion, the two had touched the Force and been rewarded with newfound energy. They were now fighting as ferociously as ever on top of another dragon.
Anakin kneed Obi-Wan in the gut and then kicked him on the jaw when he doubled over in pain. Obi-Wan recovered and kicked Anakin in the center of his back, knocking him down. The boy thrust himself to his feet once more and aimed a kick behind him at Obi-Wan's face, but Obi-Wan dodged it and managed to get a death grip on the boy's ankle. Anakin cried out in pain and his other leg buckled, causing him to collapse and drag Obi-Wan down with him.
All of this happened in two seconds.
The dragon took a sharp turn to the left, forcing Anakin and Obi-Wan to dig their fingers into the scales and cut up their skin even further. The dragon then continued to fly straight ahead. Off in the distance, Obi-Wan could hear another dragon crying out.
He wasn't given much time to ponder upon it since Anakin had already jumped to his feet. Obi-Wan quickly did likewise and the hand-to-hand combat continued. Obi-Wan was very thankful for all the practicing he did over the past five years; Anakin was as deadly as ever.
Anakin whirled and let his torso go parallel with the dragon's back as he threw another kick at Obi-Wan. Obi-Wan broke the boy's attack with his own kick. Then he punched forward with his left hand, but Anakin caught it in his palm and landed a hit on Obi-Wan's face. Obi-Wan fell back but kicked Anakin three consecutive times in the chest, causing the boy to collapse and cough blood.
He didn't want to do this. There had to be a way to calm this boy down!
The only problem was Obi-Wan was so intent on merely surviving and Anakin was so intent on killing him that neither had the strength to speak.
So they kept fighting.
Obi-Wan continued to dodge, block, and counterattack, using the methodology of Soresu in his weaponless combat. He remained defensive and only attacked when his opponent was tired. He was rarely aggressive. Anakin, on the other hand, remained true to his own lightsaber style: Djem So. He was extremely active and straightforward with his attacks and never slowed. He continually grew more powerful with each punch until Obi-Wan finally had to counterattack and then Anakin would get knocked down. He would then leap back up and start all over again.
Djem So and Soresu were not just lightsaber styles, but philosophies that rang true for the two combatants using them.
Both Jedi and Sith were gasping for air and clinging for dear life on the dragon when Obi-Wan suddenly saw lights below him. They weren't in Azumi Heuk, Changying anymore.
They were flying over Noriyuki City.
Anakin screamed as he let his anger overpower all of his senses, breaking the barriers one by one until there were none left to contain his rage.
The lights below them extinguished.
Ress walked just behind Captain Mentzer as the two made their way through Noriyuki City. The captain was going just outside of the city to get a good signal to his fleet. They were going to contact the missing officers, although according to the commander on the Executor they hadn't got a response when they tried numerous times before.
Ress' mind was on many things as he followed his superior silently. He was worried about Skywalker. He knew Skywalker's reputation to get into trouble from the Clone Wars as well as the situations on the Executor. He had treated the boy so kindly because he was just so happy he was alive.
Ress' true reasons for leaving the 501st were known only by him. The reason he had given Ensign Mothezsh weeks ago was just a half-truth. It was quite true that being in his squadron reminded him too much of the Clone Wars. Mothezsh had assumed that it was because of all his brothers, but it really wasn't.
Ress didn't trust his brothers anymore. His true family was the Jedi. How could his brothers have just turned on them because of one order? Not all of the Jedi had to be traitors, particularly not Kenobi and Skywalker. Ress had been led into battle many times by those two Jedi and quite a few others. He had also had his life saved on numerous occasions by those Jedi.
When he had first left Kamino, Ress' loyalty had been to Palpatine and Palpatine only, just like all of his other brothers. But as the years passed, Ress came to care more for the Jedi. They were the ones on the battlefields fighting and dying for the Republic, not Palpatine. They were the ones who saved thousands of clones, not Palpatine. Ress was disgusted that his brothers could just kill them because a man who had never done anything for them had ordered them to do so.
So he left the 501st. And then he had met Skywalker.
Force had that been interesting. He nearly had a heart attack when he first saw the face and, most importantly, the unforgettable eyes. What was unforgettable about them though was the sheer cold determination that had always been in them. When he had first met "Little One" that determination had been replaced by innocence and curiosity, but Ress had still seen it deep underneath the surface. And he had remained silent. He had played the best buddy who just thought the kid was cute.
He had sworn to protect Skywalker.
Now Skywalker was missing. Ress had to find him.
His musings were interrupted when Captain Mentzer suddenly froze and people in the streets began pointing and shouting. Ress looked up to see a monstrous red dragon flying dangerously low. The dragon roared and then Ress heard another roar.
Putting on his helmet and using the attached electro binoculars, Ress zoomed in on the dragon and saw two figures fighting on its back.
One of them was Skywalker. The other… the other…
Merciful stars. Skywalker was fighting Kenobi!
Padmé moaned as she heard people running and yelling. What was going on? The instant she realized there was a panic, she bolted out of bed, completely alert. The sky, which had been black when she went to sleep, was starting to bleed pink on the horizon. The sun was beginning to rise. When she threw a glance at the chronometer she saw that it was four in the morning.
Throwing a robe over her nightdress, Padmé ran outside to assess the situation. The instant she exited she heard a deafening cry and looked at the sky to see a red dragon. Off in the distance she could make out two more dragons flying and clawing at each other.
Suddenly, the lights in all the streets and buildings died. The city was plunged into darkness and pure pandemonium broke out.
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