Star Wars Book One: Force
Chapter 4: Escape
Planet Kurlik, Avanosh System, Outer Rim
"Dammit Dammit Dammit!" Bolin cursed as the four of them ran for their lives, chased by a flurry of ruby red laser bolts.
"Keep moving! We can lose them up ahead!" Mako panted. They had been running for close to an hour now, ducking and weaving through alleyways and market stalls, pursued every step of the way by the damn bucket heads. Say what you would about their aim, they were relentless in their chase. Every time they thought had lost them, they would turn up again the second the group left their hideaway.
Mako spun around, firing off a tight burst from his stolen blaster, hitting one of the troopers dead in the chest. The stricken soldier was thrown off his feet and jerked back against his comrades, bowling them over and tripping the troopers behind them.
"You're good with that thing." Korra said between breaths, the pursuit starting to take its toll on her.
"I've had practice."
Korra didn't push. She knew his past with the Cartel was a touchy subject, and she respected him too much to dig too deeply into his affairs. Instead she focused her attention forward, eyes keen for anything that could help them lose the Imps.
She was nearly floored by the wave of apprehension, hitting her like freight train.
"Stop!" she cried out, panting heavily from the shock.
The rest of the group turned to face her, just as an explosion tore the end of the alley they were running to into ash and rubble, knocking all four of them to the ground.
Dazed and confused from the blast, they groggily made their way to their feet, shielding their eyes from the airborne micro debris.
"That was from a walkers laser cannon, they have us surrounded!" Asami panicked.
Shielding his eyes from the dust kicked up from the blast, Mako desperately searched for a way out of the kill box the Imperials had set up. There were no side doors into any of the buildings that surrounded them, and no ladders onto the rooftops. It all seemed hopeless, better to lay down and accept the inevitable.
"There! A manhole cover!" Bolin shouted, just as the rest of them had been about to give up hope.
Korra turned to where Bolin was pointing. Sure enough, there was a grate leading into the towns' sewer system. Not the most savoury form of escape, but it would have to do. Prying back the cover with the plasteel pipe she had carried with her, Korra frantically motioned for everyone to follow her.
"Inside! Everyone inside come on!" Korra urged.
Looking between the group, Korra saw the hesitation on their faces.
That hesitation quickly vanished when the clank of Plastoid boots on the pavement signalled that the Stormtroopers had gotten back to their feet.
Mako and Bolin all but dived into the hole, while Asami was a bit more dignified in her descent, jumping feet first into the dank underbelly of the town.
Korra was the last in. Pulling the grate over the hole after herself, the foursome made their way through the winding maze of waste pipes and sewage reservoirs, the space close and rank with the smell of unprocessed refuse.
"Oh god it's horrible down here." Bolin said, his face turning an interesting shade of green.
"Just keep moving bro." Mako replied, not looking much better.
The group walked for what seemed like hours, wading through filth and refuse as they sought a way out to the surface. Every so often they would stop, spooked by the sound of a splash or sloshing, fearing that the troopers had caught up to them. In such a confined space they wouldn't stand a chance. It always turned out to be a sewer pest on its hunt for food, a simple splash of water sending it on its way.
The tension was thick in the air. None of them believed that they had truly lost the Stormtroopers. There was only one way out of that alley after all.
"I see something. Looks like an access hatch." Asami called out from the front of the group.
Sure enough, an exit hatch was built into the wall ahead of them. There was a keypad next to the iris portal, clearly waiting for the right code to be input before it would cycle open.
"I might be able to slice the controls, but it might take some time."
"No rush." Mako replied.
Asami gave him a look before turning and starting to work on the mechanism. Korra and Bolin took up position, covering her and Mako from anything that may come down the waste channel.
"So now that we're out of imminent danger, do you mind telling me what this is all about?" Asami asked, her attention focused on her work.
"Basically we got the blame for something we didn't do." Mako explained. "We were out scavenging at the spaceport when the real terrorists attacked the governor, and some of his guards must have recognised us from a wanted holo or something."
"That doesn't explain why you came to me."
"We need to get off world Asami."
At that Asami stopped her efforts and looked at Mako, the shock evident on her face.
"What? Are things really that bad?"
"You know what the Imps are like. If we don't disappear they WILL find us. I don't plan on finding out what they do to their prisoners."
"Yeah neither do I. What do you want me to do about it though? I'm a fugitive as well now because of you."
Mako looked away, guilty that he had dragged Asami into their mess. She didn't deserve anything that was happening.
"I know, and I'm so sorry." Mako said quietly, "But you're the only one of us with any sort of connection that could help."
Asami contemplated his words, trying to think of a solution. She went back to slicing the hatch in the meantime, Mako waiting patiently for her to come up with a plan, Anything to get them out of this mess.
"You could have at least kept in touch." Asami suddenly whispered, her gaze still on the exposed innards of the locking mechanism.
Mako knew what she meant immediately. After he and Bolin had run from the Cartel, he had been forced to cut contact with her to keep hidden from the vengeful Hutts. It had been one of the hardest things he ever had to do in his short, painful life.
"You know I didn't have a choice. The things they were asking me to do… I couldn't live with myself if I had stayed with them."
"I know." Asami said, turning to face him. "Look I'm sorry I freaked out earlier. All the feelings I had when you ran just came back to the surface when I saw you. It's been so long."
"4 years 3 months and 13 days." Mako said, a smile tugging at his lips, Asami mirroring him.
"It is good to see you again. I just wish it could have been under better circumstances." Asami added.
Mako just smiled, happy that the bad blood between them had been so easily brushed away.
"Almost there. Just one more connection…"
The hatch suddenly irised open, blinding the four as raw sunlight flooded the channel.
"Nice work." Mako said to Asami.
"I… I hadn't finished…"
Their eyes adjusted to the glare, to reveal a cloaked figure silhouetted against the desert.
Mako threw Asami behind him, drawing his blaster and aiming at the stranger.
"There is no need for that young one." The man said, his voice laced with the wisdom of a life well lived.
"Who are you?" Mako said, his grip tightening on the trigger.
"I sensed your fear and anguish and came to help. There is a safe house a good few kilometres away where you can rest and plan the rest of your escape from this world."
Mako looked between him and Bolin, his brother giving him a sceptical look in response.
"How do you know about our plan? How do we know we can trust you?"
"He's telling the truth." Korra piped in.
Everyone turned to look at her, the man taking an especially keen interest. If he had been planning something Korra would know. That sense would definitely warn her like it always had before, but right now she felt something completely different. There was no apprehension, no tingle at the back of her mind. Instead, she felt oddly calm, like she was adrift on a still lake. She knew instinctively that she could trust this stranger, despite any logical judgement. Something about him felt familiar however, like she had felt his presence before. She wanted to find out why.
"It seems that fate works in mysterious ways." The man said, a warm smile decorating his aged features.
Now that their eyes had fully adjusted they could make out the man's face. His skin was pale, with a long, dark brown goatee decorating in mouth and chin. He looked to be in his late thirties, given the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth.
"Time is short. We must go now. I have a landspeeder parked nearby that can carry all of us." He said, turning around and walking towards one of the many rock spires that dotted the landscape.
Mako stared after him for a while, then turned to face the rest of the group.
"Do you really think we can trust him?" he asked Korra
"I don't know Mako, but I'm not getting any bad vibes from him. I think he might be our only chance."
Mako looked to Bolin, who only shrugged, then Asami, who mirrored Korra's opinion. Sighing heavily, Mako gestured for the group to follow, their tired feet kicking up plumes of dust and sand as they slogged after the stranger.
Coming up to the outcropping, the man pulled back a tarpaulin to reveal a very well maintained landspeeder as promised. Gesturing for the four to climb aboard, some needing more encouragement than others, the man gunned the throttle, the vehicle taking off with a roar of repulsorlift engines.
"What did you mean back there when you said you sensed us?" Asami called over the wind.
"I will explain everything once we arrive at our destination, and I do mean everything!"
Korra felt like that last remark was aimed directly at her. Did this man know something about her abilities? Was he the same as her?
The ride took close to an hour, in which time the group had a proper chance to get reacquainted. Korra was formally introduced to Asami, and the two hit it off very quickly, chatting about their experiences with the Imperials. Asami's stories were much more tame compared to Korra's, a side effect of growing up in privilege, and Korra found out why Asami had been able to take her down so quickly back outside the cantina. She had been taking self-defence classes at her father's request since she was very young, and had become very proficient in hand to hand combat. She had also apparently picked up a few tricks with a blaster from Mako when they were dating, though she hadn't had much practice since then. Korras respect for her grew immensely, despite their rocky introduction.
Finally, the speeder pulled up outside an old farmstead, far away from any civilisation. Climbing out of the speeder, the cloaked man unlocked the door leading into the farmhouse, beckoning the rest to follow him.
The interior was sparsely decorated, only a few faded holopaintings that had belonged to the previous owners hanging on the far wall. There was a fireplace built into the wall to the right of the door, and a makeshift kitchen on the left. In the centre a ragged old rug had been laid on the floor, some unusually lumpy looking cushions encircling it, clearly a makeshift living area.
Closing the door behind Bolin, the last to make it inside, the man removed his hood, revealing his shaved head.
"I think it is time for some introductions." He began. "My name is Tenzin."
The group ran through their names, Tenzin making sure to properly acknowledge everyone. Then the questions began.
"Why are you helping us?" Mako demanded.
At that Tenzin walked over to the kitchen, opening a battered, dented old refrigerator. There was a remarkably well kept power unit bolted to the floor in the back left corner of the room, keeping everything running.
"I could not in good conscience leave four innocent young adults to be interrogated by the Imperial Security Bureau, so I did the only logical thing I could." he replied, taking out a six pack of bottled water. Tossing one to each of them, they refreshed themselves, completely unaware of how thirsty they were until then.
"What did you mean back there when you said you sensed us?" Asami repeated.
"There are some of us who have abilities that some would consider unnatural Mrs Sato. I believe that one of your group is familiar with the concept." Tenzin added, his gaze directed firmly at Korra.
The rest followed his stare, causing Korra to squirm under their attention. Who was this guy? What did he mean abilities? What did any of this have to do with her?
"You have the ability to sense things before they happen, react to things that have not yet come to pass. I know you can because I can sense it within you Korra." Tenzin pressed.
Korra was stunned. As was everyone else in the room, bar Tenzin. Was this man the same as her? If he was it would explain a great deal many things, like how he had known where to find them and how he knew they were in trouble.
"What do you mean you can sense it within me? Sense what?" Korra added, feeling threatened by the mysterious sage.
"You are strong in the Force young one, stronger than any I have encountered for quite some time now." Tenzin answered.
"The Force? What is that?" Bolin chimed in.
"The Force is an energy field that surrounds everything in the universe. It penetrates us, binds us together, and it is alive. Some have the ability to manipulate the Force to assist us in our lives. Some use such power for good, but others use it for evil." Tenzin explained. "There was a time when I was part of an order known as the Jedi, a group of peacekeepers and scholars, defenders of the old Republic. That was before the dark times. Before the Empire."
"Please, some invisible energy field that we're all connected to? Sounds like a fairy tale to me, I'd rather put my trust in a good blaster." Asami voiced her opinion, Mako nodding in agreement.
"I cannot fault you for your scepticism Mrs Sato, especially since the Jedi were wiped out at the end of the Clone Wars."
"Wait, you fought in the Clone Wars?" Bolin asked, excitement dripping off every word. He had only heard stories from his old gang of the great conflict that had torn the galaxy apart before the Empire rose to power.
"I did. I was a Knight in the ranks of the Republic Army, young and adventurous. My master was killed before my eyes by our own troops on a world called Felucia. I only managed to escape because I had sense their murderous intentions before my master had." Tenzin said, his eyes downcast at the terrible memories being dredged up from the past.
"I… I'm sorry I didn't mean to…" Bolin began, ashamed that he had made Tenzin relive those dark times.
Tenzin looked up, his features determined "It matters not Bolin. What does matter is getting you and your friends to safety."
"And how do you propose we do that? The Imps have Kurlik on lockdown, we don't have a chance in hell of just getting on a shuttle." Mako said.
"I have a few contacts on this world, a few old friends from the days of the Clone Wars. I can get in touch and see if I can arrange to smuggle us off world."
"Us?" Korra piped in.
"I'm coming with you." Tenzin replied. "You will need my guidance if you are to control your power Korra. If left unchecked, you may be corrupted and turn to the Dark Side of the Force. The Empire has agents to facilitate such a process, one of whom I fear may be on his way to Kurlik as we speak." Tenzin added, urging them to accept him into their group.
Mako didn't know what to think. First a strange man in a cloak had helped them escape the Stormtroopers, then he revealed that Korra had some kind of superpower and now he wants to join them in their exile? This was like a surreal dream, one Mako hoped he would wake from any second from now.
He was brought out of his thoughts by the silence that permeated the room. All eyes were on him, everyone obviously electing him as the leader.
Sighing deeply, Mako shrugged,"Alright you can come with us. But if you do anything that puts any of us in danger, I will put you down personally."
Tenzin only smiled, holding out his hand. "I would expect nothing less."
Mako took it in his. Tenzins grip was firm, but benign. Mako was immediately reassured in his decision.
Korra mind was away with the sudden revelations. Everything she had ever believed she had been had turned out to be a lie. Her premonitions were no lucky sixth sense, she had been unknowingly tapping into this Force that Tenzin had been talking about. That left her thinking about her future. How could she use the Force to help her friends, to help others? Could she use it to fight the Empire? A whole new world of opportunities had suddenly opened up before her, and Korra was afraid.
A/N
Longest chapter yet and in my opinion my best so far. Please leave a review I really do want to know how you guys think I'm doing. I'm not just doing this because I feel like it, though that is admittedly got me started, I'm also doing this to develop my skills as a writer.
Also in response to a guest review, you better believe that more characters from both universes will show up mark my words.