Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars.

Note: Thanks to my wonderful reviewers! All of you really help keep me motivated! Thanks also to beta Liisiko who is amazingly efficient and wonderful.

CHAPTER 11 - Barriers

Location: Selonia

At first, Retto had thought the sky to be raining fire and stone and he had dropped into a rapid dive, twisting lithely into the safe embrace of the deep waters. Here, no fire could reach him and he would live to tell the tale to clan and queen alike.

He could already see their awe-filled looks as he told them his story of survival and hear his name spoken in hushed reverence. For who would have thought that just another average and still rather young male Selonian could have survived such a thing? After all, he had no purpose other than to breed and perform menial domestic duties. There was no place for him in adventures - until today, of course.

He turned a sharp circle in the water to slow his descent and turned his muzzle upwards; looking for any sign of fire meeting with the waves. Instead of fire, a huge shadow loomed over him, so large it seemed to have turned day into night. Darkness descended and the feeling excitement quickly gave way to fear. He dropped the last few feet down to the seabed – wishing that he'd been further out so that he might have swum deeper still - and balanced himself on a piece of coral with a paw. This close to shore, the ocean was deemed safer for leisurely swimming – too shallow for the colossal sea monsters that lurked in the darkest of waters. But no one had ever said anything about monsters dropping from the sky.

Hooking his paw tightly, Retto looked up just in time to see the ocean yawn wide above him, the tip of a giant monster diving down at him. The Selonian froze in fear, rendered momentarily immobile by the awesome and horrifying sight that could only spell the end of the world.

A second later and he realised that if he stayed where he was, he would never get the chance to tell the others what he had witnessed.

The bindings of fear snapped and, in seconds he was surging upwards, dodging debris as he attempted to work the currents to his advantage. Beneath him, a few moments later, the huge construct hit the seabed; the impact driving fiercely through the waves. The currents shifted, dragging him back and his lungs strained for breath as he battled to overpower the strength of the sea.

He broke through the surf and rode the waves, pausing to glance back at the peace-destroying monster. Only then did he realize it was a starship; its nose now buried beneath the waves. It was sliding slowly onwards, further into the shallows so that even when it slid to a halt on its belly, the top half was still visible above the crests of the thrashing waves.

Retto bobbed with the erratic ebb and flow of the water; his large, dark eyes, watching with ever growing curiosity as the ship began to settle. It looked like no ship ever built in the skies above his homeworld which meant that the chances of there being aliens on board were very likely. Yet, with the war between the Empire and the Rebels, there was no telling whether the ones inside were friend or foe – if they were even alive at all.

Then, as if seeking to prove him wrong, something dark moved out there amongst the waves.

With eyesight hampered by the bright light of the day, Retto was almost tempted to believe he had imagined it, but, whilst his eyes could be ignored, his sense of smell could not. Something was out there.

Kicking his hind legs, he sucked in a breath of air, and dived down under the depths, twisting his head from side to side as he sought the roiling sea for any sign of life. And there, floating down and away from the surface, was a four-limbed figure. Its misshapen paws twitched as if trying to fight on and, with an extra burst of speed, the Selonian streaked down towards the alien. Snagging it roughly by the folds of the garment it wore, Retto dragged it back up to the surface.

"Kota!" Under the circumstances, Juno did well to keep her voice from shaking. The line crackled, but she didn't wait for him to respond. "I've sent you the coordinates."

"We're on our way."

But it was too late. Just like he said it would be.

The XF-32 was burning away in the atmosphere and Galen was still inside, at the very helm, staring fiery death in the face.

Silently, she buried her face in both hands; curling the tips of her fingers into her scalp so tight that her nails left marks. This was one of the very few occasions that she wished she'd been gifted with the Force; that she might be able to reach across the empty expanse and find his presence there. But such power evaded her and, as she tried to keep herself from falling apart, she could not help but feel the cold, hard dread settling like a heavy weight in her stomach.

Above her, the ruined starport glowed like a warning beacon to any who might come by. She was just thankful that it had been put out of commission; housing only a few ships and – most likely – little more than a skeleton crew. The chunks of debris that had torn free had bounced across the abandoned XF-32 and hurled towards her. Luckily, the Rogue Shadow's maneuverability partnered with her piloting skills had allowed her to dodge all of the fast-flying obstacles that had come her way. Unfortunately, the act had forced her further from Galen's position and she had, ultimately, failed in her task to provide safe transport for him.

With a shallow breath, Juno prepared the ship for descent, racing to catch up with the XF-32, which had – at that time – already broken through the atmosphere. The Rogue Shadow's viewport cleared to reveal the planet below; the ship a dark blemish on an otherwise beautiful landscape.

She choked on her held breath.

The adjusted path told her that Galen had managed to find his target, but the water had been too shallow; the ship only partially submerged in that roiling sea. Juno wasn't sure it would be enough to cushion the blow of the landing. Wasn't sure if…

Hastily chasing away that line of thought, Juno brought the Rogue Shadow around, drawing low over the XF-32 where it lay in its shallow grave. Her eyes saw nothing and neither was there anything on the scanners – his signal lost shortly before impact when the distance between them had become too great. Leaving the ship to its rest, she circled around and around the water – so close that when she turned, the wings clipped the waves and sent spray up into the air. Still nothing.

"Juno? You there?" Kota's voice startled her.

"I'm at the crash site, Kota." She replied, struggling to keep her voice calm. "Can you sense him?"

"No. I can't. But Juno, that doesn't mean he's gone."

Juno couldn't find the words to reply. She shook her head, turning her eyes back out across the fallen ship. "Please." She whispered. "Don't leave me again."

Retto thought the alien was dead, at first. He looked deathly pale, his lips tinged with blue, his eyes sunken in a face that looked most certainly blank of expression. In fact, if Retto had not been joined by three Selonian females, the alien probably would have died. One of the large females shoved past him and took charge; splaying a clawed paw down over the fur-less alien's clothed chest and pushing down hard. After the third attempt, the alien erupted into a fit of coughing, spitting sea water as he dragged precious air back into his lungs.

"Where did you get this?" The same female demanded of Retto in their native tongue. Her very presence demanded respect, the small rounded ears laid flat as she snarled.

The male pointed. "The ship. You didn't see it fall?"

The female squinted out across the waves, there was something out there, though in this lift, it was hard to tell what it was. Fortunately, lying was nearly a thing of myth to the Selonian peoples and she had no reason to disbelieve him. Besides, a falling ship would have explained that almighty, tearing thunder. "Heard it." She replied gruffly. "Are there more?"

"Only saw this one."

She seemed satisfied with that and the other two females brandished their weapons at the alien as if to prepare for a sudden and unexpected attack.

After a moment, Retto crept a little closer. "What is it?"

"Do you know nothing?" The female hissed, baring her teeth. "It is a Human. You saved it. Now others will come to find it. The queen will not like this."

"Actually, you sav—" Retto cut himself off, silenced by the look the much taller Selonian was giving him. Females ranked above males, whether they were fertile or infertile. After all, the females were the warriors and protectors of the den, their roles crucial for ensuring safety and harmony. To argue with one would not be a good idea.

"If the Human had died, his people might blame us and attack." The female continued.

Retto nodded. Her theory was a sound but worrying one. After all, the protection of the den was what they all lived for; their motivation and duty. Drawing unwanted alien attention was not a good way to ensure the safety of their queen. This news was not going to bring smiles and celebrations. But, what was the likelihood that any of the Humans had survived on the ship? It had come down hard and, if this one's swimming skills was anything to go by, they wouldn't have been strong enough to make it to the surface.

The 'Human' on the ground was trying to sit up now, making low, wheezing sounds as it tried to breathe. The Selonians turned their eyes downwards and moved to surround it, not taking any chances.

"Human." The lead female spoke. "Why did your ship crash here?"

The Human blinked the glazed look from his eyes and tried to focus. But, when he opened his mouth to speak, none of the Selonians understood the slow, shaky dialect that uttered forth. They glanced amongst one another and then the lead female asked again in a slow and simplified voice.

"Human. Why you here?"

The alien frowned and spoke even slower, though it made no difference to bridge the gap in their lack of language skills.

He tried to stand and, with angry growls, the two other females pushed him back down with the pointed tips of their handcrafted glaives. His hand – with its strange soft-tipped fingers – moved for a cylindrical object at his hip and again the Selonians warned him to stay still, the tips of their blades working into the leather of his flight suit and threatening to pierce flesh.

Reluctantly, the Human drew his hand away, lifting it in a submissive gesture. He was lying back down again now; his eyes seeming to find it hard to stay open.

The large female leaned down to unclip the object from his belt, turning it slowly in her large, clawed hands.

The man spoke again and Retto, curiously, crouched down at his side; tipping his head as if to hear him better.

"Lesew." One of the other females addressed their commander. "I recognised some words. He speaks Basic. We should go and find Terreef. She knows it best."

"Terreef. Yes." Lesew's distracted eyes were still on the object in her hands. "This is…this is…" Ah. There! She found the small activation switch and touched it with a claw. The flare of bright light and energy hissed into being and the unexpectedness of it brought everyone to stunned silence.

"He has a laser sword!" One of the females cried out.

The man lifted his hand feebly and, with a twitch of his fingers, deactivated the weapon in her grasp. Then, all at once, consciousness fled from him and he crumpled lifelessly to the ground.

The startled Selonians met one another's gaze and as one, breathed a word that was the same in many languages.

"Jedi."

Retto shook his head in disbelief. To think that he would be the savior of a Jedi warrior! He'd never met one before, but the kind of weapon they carried was unmistakeable. Strange, though. He'd expected a Jedi Knight to look far more powerful than this small, fur-less creature. Retto guessed that even he – a rather short Selonian at only 1.9 meters in height – was taller than the Jedi lying prone on the ground.

"Retto. Go and get Terreef." Lesew ordered, attaching the saber to the belt tied around her midsection. Except for the belt and her rough-carved jewelery, she wore no clothing or armor; showing off the deep, hazel brown fur that covered her sleek and powerful form. When drawn up to full height, she was exactly 2.1 meters tall, with short, powerful limbs attached to a long, agile body. Her fierce face was proud and noble; her angular jaw tensed; the long muzzle filled with sharp teeth.

The male cowered under the force of her order and, with a short nod, darted off towards the den.

Kota's ship had joined her in the search, scouting down across the waves that sloshed noisily against the sides of the fallen prototype.

Not for the first time, Juno wondered whether she'd be able to hold her breath long enough to make it down to the submerged bridge and see if he was…was in there. But judging from how much ship was under water, she was fairly certain that even if she could get down and back again on a lung-full of air, it would be too dark to see much of anything.

Kota was leaning out of his own shuttle, searching with his senses and she lifted her eyes to watch him.

How long could they go on like this? How long could they continue circling before they had to admit defeat and leave him? Without a body, would she always live in hope that one day he might return to her as he had once before? How long would it be before a hope like that broke her?

Kota's head snapped up and with a wild wave of his arm, he pointed out across the sea.

Turning in her chair, she tried to see what had caught his attention. At this distance, however, she could see only the empty ocean that stretched across to the shore.

When she turned back, Kota was gone and – a second later – his voice crackled across the line. "He's alive." His voice was roughened with relief. "Galen's alive."

The rush of emotion had her shaking uncontrollably in her seat as she tried to conjure her voice to respond.

"On the shore. He's faint but there."

"Why couldn't you sense him before?" She asked, turning the ship around.

"Must have been knocked unconscious."

"I hope you're right." With relief flooding through her, Juno eased the paddle forwards and the Rogue Shadow accelerated smoothly, pressing her back into the worn cushioning of the chair. As she drew nearer she could see a large number of figures down on the grey-hued sand of the shore. None of them, however, looked human.

Feeling her panic mounting, she slowed the ship and looked for a suitable place to land. The soft shoreline didn't pose a great possibility, but neither did the sheer rock face that would mean a long climb down to where the natives were gathered. By this time, Kota's ship had drawn up close by and was lowering itself over the shallows. Juno realised that they intended to drop Kota off and find a better place to land. Unfortunately, she didn't have that option.

Infuriated, she decided to risk a landing on the sand. It wouldn't be much different from landing on the snow as she had done on Corellia and at least there were no strong winds to ail her as she descended.

The landing was a rushed job which saw one of the landing gears sinking into the sand; putting the ship at a slightly odd angle. The loading ramp opened and came to a premature stop as it hit against the soft ground; mechanisms grinding angrily.

Then, taking the time only to put the ship into standby, she rushed down onto the shore and ran awkwardly across the soft, uneven ground. Her gait slowed as she drew closer, noting with some fear that, up close, these locals were huge and feral looking. Even the shortest ones in the group were taller than her; strong of limb and covered in short, bristled fur. Each and every one of them held a weapon and all of them looked quite prepared to use them if provoked.

A wall of the powerful mammals had moved in to prevent them getting any closer and Kota stood before them, seemingly unfazed by the weapons pointed in his direction. They glared at them with fierce but wary eyes.

Juno groped for the pistol at her hip and cursed at having left it behind.

"None of your people speak Galactic Basic?" Kota was asking.

The largest of the Selonians shook her head and in slowly pronounced Basic, returned with the simple reply of: "No understand."

Kota gave an irritated growl and pressed a hand against his armored chest. "My name is Kota." He enforced it with another tap. "Kota."

He pointed across at Juno, who drew up alongside him. "Juno." He repeated the name slowly and the Selonians followed the line of his finger to glare at the small blonde woman.

The large female gave an amused snort and nodded sharply, setting a hand across her own chest. "Lesew."

"We're looking for our friend. Have you seen him? Our friend?"

Lesew frowned in thought. "No understand." The phrase seemed to be all she knew of the shared language, though perhaps that was not quite true.

Kota cursed and angled his head towards Juno. "Do you know the Selonian word for friend, by any chance?"

"No." She replied unhappily.

Struck by inspiration, Kota took the saber from his belt and held it out for Lesew to observe. "We're looking for another. He carries one of these." Recognition flared in the Selonian's eyes and she replied in her own language, reaching back to take something from her own belt.

Juno felt a wave of recognition at the object in the clawed hand of the local.

"That's Galen's saber! Would they have hurt him, Kota?" She shouldered past the Jedi, only to have his hand close over her arm; drawing her back to his side.

"No. I don't think so."

"Jedi?" Lesew asked, taking them both by surprise.

"Yes. Jedi." He tapped at his chest. "Kota Jedi."

With a sound of surprise, Lesew snapped her head back and gave a string of orders. After a delayed moment, some of the Selonians stepped aside, creating a break in the wall that was clearly made to allow them to pass. Lesew turned back, lifting an arm to gesture them through, enforcing the invitation with a single word: "Jedi."

Kota led the way with Juno following close behind; her view ahead blocked by the elderly Jedi's back. She was aware, also, that Lesew was moving in after her, clearly wanting to keep the strangers under close watch. She supposed she couldn't blame them. After all, their visit had hardly been expected.

The Selonians who had formed the defensive wall, turned to glare at them as they passed and Juno couldn't help but feel that – if these mammals wanted to kill them, now, they would have no difficulty in doing so. They were well and truly surrounded. Perhaps they were even walking straight into a trap.

Her fear of being attacked, however, fled at the sight of Galen lying on the firm, grey sand. He was surrounded by the Selonian warriors – weapons hovering over him despite the fact that he was clearly unconscious. And, without much thought to her own safety, Juno pushed past Kota and stumbled across to him. Falling to her knees at his side, she knocked aside one of the glaives and reached down to touch his face.

He was cold and covered in sand but he was breathing and his heart thumped slow but steady beneath her hand.

She called his name but he didn't respond.

"We need to get him back to the Rogue Shadow."

Kota knelt beside her. "Try not to worry too much. The Force is strong in him."

Above them, the guarding Selonians stirred unhappily, clearly not liking the fact that they couldn't understand much of anything that the two aliens were saying. Lesew, who moved in closer, barked another order which sent one of the guards running.

Juno shifted further around, grabbing Galen by the shoulders in an attempt to lift him up. The act was met with angry words and three glaives were turned upon her.

"We need to get him back to the ship." Juno demanded, her voice low and her eyes flashing.

Lesew snarled, whiskers bristling.

"Can't any of you understand us?"

There was a shifting in the crowds and, a moment later, a smaller Selonian appeared. This one was a male with light brown fur and large, dark eyes. He was still tall, but next to the females, he looked miniscule. He had the look of an adolescent and seemed nervous. His eyes constantly darted from side to side; keeping careful watch of the females as if he was afraid they might turn on him, too.

Lesew turned and spoke in her deep, powerful voice. The small male returned the words, leaping neatly aside so as to make room for the one following slowly behind him.

"Kota?" Juno whispered. "What's going on?"

The old Jedi rose back up to his full height. "With any luck, that young one brought a translator."

A moment later and the hulking figure of a large, greying Selonian appeared. Standing upright, she might have easily matched Lesew in height. However, age seemed to have given her a hunch and she moved with a glaive that she used as a walking stick. Her eyes were sunken in the silver-threaded face and her tail dragged instead of being carried. Close at her side was an even smaller Selonian – a child, by the looks of it. The little one walked so close to the elder that Juno wondered how the older one didn't trip. Perhaps the little one was a relative of some kind.

"Terreef!" Lesew bellowed, moving around the fur-less intruders to reach the elder. On her way, she paused to cuff the male sharply across the head, though what he had done wrong, Juno could not guess.

She looked back down at Galen, noticing for the first time, that she had blood stained across one of her hands. She froze, staring at it in horror and trying desperately not to panic in front of everyone.

"Kota…"

She was interrupted by the elderly Selonian who had moved closer to the group; a hand set protectively on the head of the youngster attached to her side. "Humans. Why do you come here?"

Juno leapt to her feet, obscenely relieved to hear words she could understand. "Our friend is injured." She held out her hand as proof and the Selonian recoiled a little. "Let us go on our way. We mean you no harm."

"You crashed your ship?" The elder continued patiently, seemingly in no rush to address the wounded man on the shore.

Kota set a hand on Juno's shoulder. "Patience. Getting angry at these people won't help."

She set her jaw and gritted her teeth, giving a short nod for Kota to take over.

"I am General Kota. A Jedi. This is my friend, Juno Eclipse; a Captain in the Rebel Alliance."

The elderly Selonian gave a low grumble. "I am Terreef. I study your language. I will be able to translate." She gestured to the little one. "This is Knim. She is my…I think you say: apprentice."

Kota gave a brief bow of his head. "The ship that crashed was owned by the Empire. They used it as a trap to lure the Rebels. Our friend." He pointed down at Galen. "Was in that ship when it came down."

"Yes. Brought here by one of our males; Retto." Terreef replied. "Found in the sea. Close to drowning, but Lesew pushed water from his lungs."

"And for that, we are grateful." Kota replied. "Our friend appears to have other injuries which need to be treated."

"We'd like to take him aboard our ship." Juno added.

"We have some medical supplies to…staunch any wounds." The elder replied.

Kota and Juno shared a brief glance.

"I'd rather us just get away from here." Juno admitted.

"I don't think we can." The Jedi admitted slowly.

"Why not?"

"The reason Galen was on the ship." He paused, looking concerned. "I think it's still there."

"You think?"

"I thought I felt something but…I don't know. Maybe I'm just getting paranoid in my old age."

"What reason?" Terreef interrupted, looking suspicious.

"There…was a powerful member of the Empire on board the ship. We were sent to assassinate him."

"We do not get involved with you Rebels or the Empire." Terreef insisted. "You bring trouble. Now you take trouble away."

"We will do all in our power to ensure your people are not caught in the crossfire. We do not intend to leave without completing our mission"

Terreef curled a lip and the little one at her side pressed even more tightly against her. "Wait." She turned back her head to look at Lesew and broke out into conversation in her native tongue.

Juno's patience was thinning by the moment.

Eventually the old female's conversation ended. "We have decided to keep you here in case this powerful one comes to search for you. Jedi to come with us." She pointed at Kota. "The queen will see you. Lesew and Knim will go with others to your ship. We will send another with supplies." She worked herself free of the small Selonian and took a step back.

Juno looked worriedly over at Kota but he waved her away. "I'll be fine."

"Well…if you're sure."

"I am. Now get going."

"Thank you." Juno replied hurriedly.

Terreef gestured forwards two guards who – between them – lifted Galen up from the ground and carried him back to the ship.

Juno led the way.

To be continued...