Chapter 83
AN: Just a warning that some might find this chapter very intense.
Hot and humid.
Those were the only words to describe what Ari was feeling. She had been traveling nearly a week now, and had been completely alone during that time. She checked her datapad tracker once again, changing her direction slightly. The Rebels last known location was plotted in this. While she had wanted to land her transport closer, she had only been given permission to land at the Imperial base on planet.
It had been a very awkward arrival. She was the only female, and she didn't like how she could not see the real faces of the troopers. Luckily, the papers seemed legitimate, since they did not stop her. She had just needed to explain why she was there, a story she had developed on the way using the notes she had received. While the ship she had borrowed was small and fast, she still felt very vulnerable because it had no weapons. In fact, the only weapons she had been able to bring were a small vibroblade that she had convinced them was a necessary part of her survival kit, and her lightsaber which was hidden among other tools. It had been pieced together with other items so it looked like a part of something else.
It only took two standard hours, and she was grateful for that. As she left, she could feel the unblinking eyes of the stormtroopers on her. Thankfully, the jungle seemed to make the Empire feel worlds away as she trekked onward. At first she had embraced the life she could sense around her, and the direct connection she had with nature. However, by the time the night came, she had been wishing for a companion, such as Luke or R4. She had built a small fire, though it was more of the light than anything else. The air was always warm, and she ate rations and bottled water. However, the flickering fire did not help since she could still hear the sounds of predatory animals attacking their prey, and other noises that she could not explain.
Somehow, despite this, she was able to sleep at night, and continue her trek. She soon got used to the swampy ground and how it felt to have her hair stuck to her neck and forehead. She also found it difficult to be so alone with no one to talk to. She knew she could play one of the messages from Siri, but did not want to risk it. It had been risky enough to have them with her, even though she chose ones that sounded more like messages between friends, and not between a Jedi and a Jedi-in-training.
While she could hum to herself, after an hour, her throat was dry. She also felt out of place doing so, the music not at all matching the sounds of the forest. She stayed quiet most of the time, just staying alert. While the officer in charge said that the stormtroopers did not go far from base, she would not be surprised if she was being followed. She had to be very careful.
Sighing, she wiped back a strand of her hair that was stuck to her cheek. While she had not liked Tatooine's weather, at least the heat was a dry heat. The humidity here was almost overwhelming. The mist that hung in the air during the early morning hours made her feel as if she was almost swimming.
Luckily, the morning was passing, which meant the mist was clearing slightly. She also was getting much closer to her destination. In fact, she only had another mile. She picked up her pace, having to stop herself from making too much noise. She wanted to call out to them, but knew it would not be the smartest thing to do.
Her datapad beeped to indicate she was almost there. She pushed it into her small survival pack on her back then entered a small clearing.
The happiness she felt immediately disappeared when she saw the camp. Or, what was left of it.
The fire pit looked as if there had not been a fire for many days, and Ari kept her eyes on that until she felt ready to look back at the rest of the camp. Supplies littered the blaster scorched ground. The most disturbing sight was her rebel comrades.
They lay on the ground, and even from where she stood, she knew that they were dead. While some were face down, one young Rebel still had his unseeing eyes open, staring at the sky through the small clearing the trees. Ari realized that the trees had probably been the last thing he had seen.
All had blaster bolts somewhere in their body and their blood splattered over the green foliage. In the back of her mind, she realized that she did not hear animals and knew why. They would not want to come to a place like this, though the silence was eerie, she was glad that no animals had disturbed them.
She didn't know her hand was up to her mouth, but she found it there, shocked and feeling sick. The sight was permanently engrained into her memory, and it reminded her of her family and what had happened to them.
Her stomach clenched and she leaned over, unable to keep down the food she had eaten over the past day. Even though she was looking at the ground she could not escape the picture that she had seen.
She looked back at them and realized her stomach was empty so she could not get sick again. She was pained to realize she could not do much for them. She could not bury them but she wanted to do something. That meant she only had one choice.
Forcing herself to stay calm, she glanced around the camp. There were blankets attached to survival packs. She quickly got those from the survival packs and covered the bodies of the men. When she found she was one short, she took the blanket from her pack and laid it over the young Rebel who seemed to be staring. She felt better now that she could not see their expressions of pain and anguish. She wanted to do more, which would involve her doing something she did not think she would ever be able to do.
Grabbing the arms of one of the men, she could feel their cool skin and she forced that thought from her mind as she put the half a dozen men into a group. While she did not fear death and she knew that beings died in war, this seemed more like a slaughter. There were no other bodies and from the way they had been placed, they must have been unprepared.
Shaking her head, she went to where a stack of logs lay under a tarp to keep them from getting wet, or else they would not burn. Luckily, those were still relatively in order. It meant that Ari had to continue with her plan though, and she put one hand over her stomach, feeling it clench.
She took the logs and placed then in a circle around the bodies. She had heard that in the past, many warriors had funeral pyres that were then set on fire. As a child, she had found the idea somewhat exciting and exotic. Now that she was doing something similar, she felt sick. It was only fitting though. She could not bury them, and it was wrong to just leave them.
"Besides," she spoke to herself as she worked on placing the logs around the bodies. "They were fine warriors." She was able to convince herself to finish this task, and then just stood there for a minute. She felt as if she was about to do something wrong instead of something that she knew she should. It was still difficult though. Using the flint stones she had been given and just a touch of the Force, a spark quickly set one of the logs aflame. The flames licked the other logs and they soon were ablaze as well.
Ari stood there for a moment, hand over her mouth and she had to turn when the first blanket caught fire. She couldn't bear to look in the off chance that she would see a glimpse of the man.
When she spared a glance, she saw that the fire had grown all the logs and blankets were on fire, or smoldering. While the flames were a decent size, she did not fear a fire because the surrounding ground and foliage was wet. Also, since it was a clearing, there was not a lot for a fire to reach.
While she felt she should wait, she knew that was not an option. If a scout was out and saw the flames they would report it and they would know it was her. The same would be true if the stormtroopers came to go through the contents of the camp. Luckily, she did not think she would have too much to worry about, and was fairly certain she would be off planet before they returned to the camp.
Ari pulled her pack onto her shoulders again. It felt heavier and she realized that the weight that had been pressing down on her since her family's death had increased. She felt older, wiser, but also sadder. She knew this experience was going to affect her, but she was not certain how. She would find out though, because she vowed to fight until the Rebellion won.
Casting one last look at the fire, Ari turned and disappeared into the dense forest again.