Star Wars Book One: Force
Chapter 4: Confrontation
Planet Kurlik, Avanosh System, Outer Rim
They stayed the night in the cramped farmhouse, Tenzin producing a number of frayed sleeping bags from a storage cabinet built into the wall near the makeshift kitchen. At dawn they were awoken by Tenzin dropping a kitbag by each of their heads.
Bolin had the most animated reaction, bolting upright shouting bloody murder at the top of his lungs, which in turn cause a chain reaction among the rest of the group. Order was only restored when Tenzin had been able to talk Mako down, who had his blaster aimed square at Tenzin's head.
"Each of those bags contains a change of clothes and a blaster for defence." Tenzin began to explain. "You are too recognisable in your current outfits, and we will need to travel to the capital if we are to escape this world."
Warily, Mako reached for the bag closest to him. Sure enough there was a new set of clothes, a tight fitting, crimson red shirt with a dark brown jacket to match, along with a pair of dark grey trousers and new boots, his current pair caked in the refuse of the sewers. There was also a blaster as promised, much better maintained than the one he was currently in possession of.
Nodding to the rest of the group, they all got changed. Bolin had an outfit similar to Makos, though without his signature red scarf and a dark green shirt, Korra had been given a pair of loose fitting dark grey cargo trousers, with a matching cloak to wear over a blue tank top. Asami got an old black flight suit with red trim, obviously meant to disguise her as the groups' pilot. Each of them did indeed receive a blaster in the form of a well maintained DL-18, a very common, reliable and cheap blaster pistol that could be found across the galaxy. Korra and Asami tucked their pistols into the waist of their trousers, while Mako and Bolin found pockets on the inside of their jackets that could easily hold theirs, Mako keeping his holdout as a spare tucked in his right boot.
Once preparations had been made and breakfast eaten, which consisted of some old clone wars era ration packs, still fresh and edible after sixteen years, the group exited into the gloomy dawn of Kurliks outskirt wastes. How anyone thought they could keep a farm in this environment none of them knew.
"We must hurry. Everyone get aboard the speeder, I will join you shortly." Tenzin said before turning around and vanishing back inside the farmhouse.
Korra looked around. Ever since she had woken up she had been feeling strange. Not sick or out of sorts, but something was nagging at the back of her mind. Was it this Force trying to tell her something? A warning? If so, what?
Tenzin returned after a minute had passed, Korra catching a glimpse of him clipping a metallic cylinder to his belt and placing what looked like a holocommunicator into the folds of his robes. Climbing into the front passenger seat of the now crowded speeder, urging Asami forward into the driving position, the group set off towards the capital.
Korras curiosity got the better of her. About fifteen minutes into the journey, she spoke her mind.
"Who were you talking to?"
Tenzin turned to face her, his eyebrows raised, "What do you mean?"
Furrowing her brow, Korra grew impatient. "Don't play dumb Tenzin. I saw you with that comm back at the farmhouse. Who were you talking to?" she repeated her question.
Tenzin smiled. "You are very perceptive young one. I was making arrangements with one of my contacts in the city, the captain of a light freighter who may be able to smuggle us off world. She is perhaps our best, if only hope."
"A smuggler?" Mako piped up, "Are you sure we can trust her?"
"There is no doubt in my mind Mako." Tenzin replied, turning to face the young man, "We have a history together. She is one of only a small handful of people I would trust my life with."
Seemingly content with his answer, Mako eased back into his seat, nodding his acceptance to the older man. Sensing the turmoil in Korra's mind, Tenzin turned his attention back to her, Korra meeting his gaze with narrowed eyes, as if daring him to start.
"I know how you are feeling right now Korra." Tenzin began. "I feel the same. There is a disturbance in the force, growing by the second. I believe something is coming our way."
Korra just stared back at him, trying to stay composed. It was useless with Tenzin though. He could sense her fear, both at the disturbance, and at him. She must be very unnerved to have her thoughts read like that. He couldn't blame her, Tenzin had felt like that the first time his master had first revealed that little trick. Still, this entity that he felt had him greatly concerned. The last time he had felt something like it, he had nearly lost his life, and some of his friends had. There was no doubt in his mind.
He had arrived.
The thought of being in his presence again nearly mage him shudder. He had never felt such power within a single person. That was until recently. Korra was immensely strong. Tenzin could feel the Force swirling around her, like waves around an island, its soothing presence instilling calm and a sense of great security in him. Right there, Tenzin vowed to do all that he possibly could to lead Korra down the path to control her great power. He would teach her the ways of the Jedi, pass on the wisdom of the ancients to the next generation of an immeasurably old order.
One that sadly was constantly on the verge of total extinction.
The rest of the ride was uneventful until they reached the outskirts of the capital. Like the town they had found Asami in, every entrance was blockaded by the ubiquitous white armoured Stormtroopers and looming, bipedal walkers. AT-STs this time. Clearly the normal AT-DPs weren't enough for the Empire anymore.
Everyone except Tenzin was tenser than they had ever been in their life, on a wires edge waiting for their cover to be blown. Mako had nearly exploded when Tenzin had told Asami to pull up by the blockade and not find an alternate way in, raging that they would be caught, or the walkers would blast them to atoms once they had been identified.
Tenzin, exuding an air of confidence, had only told them to trust him.
Approaching the line of troopers, the captain of the detail raised his hand, signalling for them to stop. Asami looked at Tenzin, pleading him to reconsider.
"Do as he says Asami. Everything will be fine."
Reluctantly, Asami eased off the throttle and brought the speeder to a halt. The captain approached the driver's side door of the vehicle, silently observing the group for a minute.
He spoke, his voice distorted by his helmets external speakers.
"Identification. Now." He demanded, suspicion heavy in his voice.
Mako had slipped his hand inside his jacket, Bolin mirroring him, Korra already having her blaster in hand, hidden beneath her cloak. A bead of sweat ran down Asami's temple.
What happened next shocked them all.
Casually waving his hand, Tenzin spoke up.
"You do not need to see our identification."
There was a pause. Everyone had turned their attention to the Jedi.
"We do not need to see your identification." The captain echoed Tenzin's command.
Everyone's attention shifted back to the trooper, Bolin's jaw dropped.
Waving his hand again, Tenzin spoke another command.
"You may move along."
The captain stepped back, signalling for his squad to move aside and let the speeder through, the walkers turning their attention back to the wasteland beyond the city limits.
Tenzin nodded to Asami, who was still in shock at what had happened. Snapping out of her daze, she gunned the throttle and piloted the speeder through the winding streets of the border slums.
"How did you do that?" Bolin practically screeched, making hand gestures that didn't even try to hide his excitement, "They had us dead to rights and you just told them to let us through and they did!"
Smiling at the big man's antics, Tenzin simply explained, "The Force can be used to influence the mind of the weak willed."
Always wary, Mako suspicion of him intensified. Had he been manipulating them with this Force?
Reading his mind, Tenzin turned to him. "Do not worry Mako. None of you are weak enough to be susceptible to such manipulation."
Mako looked away, embarrassed that his thoughts had been revealed to the group. Bolin put a hand on his brothers' shoulder, giving him an empathetic smile.
"You can't blame him for being suspicious Tenzin." Korra started. "Hell, I still don't trust you."
"I know. I did not expect to gain your trust easily. I sense that you have had a tough life, filled with pain and anguish. But you must not let those feelings get the better of you, any of you. But you especially Korra, for that way lies the Dark Side."
Korra started at that. "What is the Dark Side? You mentioned it back at the farmhouse."
"The Dark Side is an aspect of the Force that draws power from raw emotion. Anger, greed, fear, jealousy, hatred and unrestrained passion grant Dark Side users their strength, but it is a false power. Emotions are powerful yes, but they are fleeting, unreliable and fickle. And it is all corrupting. Those who fall to the Dark Side tend to become apathetic, self-obsessed and merciless. The Emperor himself I would consider to be the embodiment of the Dark Side."
Korra was stunned. This Force business had suddenly become much more complicated, not to mention dangerous. If she gave into her emotions, would she really turn her back on her friends? Would she really turn on them? Hurt them? The mere thought of it terrified her.
No! That wouldn't do. Now more than ever Korra realised that she had to be strong, for to give in to her fear would only lead to suffering. She steeled herself, banishing her apprehensions from her mind. She would not fall to the Dark Side, she had a family to protect.
Tenzin smiled. Just one impromptu lesson in and Korra was already picking up on the ways of the Jedi. Only the weak gave in to the Dark Side, and Korra was anything but. Turning his attention back to the road ahead, he gave Asami directions to the meeting point.
Said meeting point turned out to be an old warehouse that once stored raw ores mined from the rich mineral deposits that dotted the mountains on Kurlik. Pulling up in a side alley, the five climbed out, Tenzin concealing the speeder under a tarpaulin. Motioning for them to follow him, he lead the four inside the building through a side door, just a few feet from the parked vehicle. Once inside, and satisfied that they hadn't been followed, Tenzin lead them through an abandoned break room, the cupboards long since looted of anything useful, and out onto the main storeroom of the warehouse. Dust and sand from the ore had left a carpet of detritus on the ground, their boots leaving shallow footprints in the sediment.
Leading them into the middle of the room, Tenzin looked at the floor, as if searching for something. After a few seconds, he stooped down and picked up a small, thin metal cylinder. There was a small red button on one end, and what looked like an antenna at the other. Pressing the button, Tenzin seemed to relax a little, though he still glanced around every so often. A few minutes passed, nothing seemed to have happened. Mako was about to voice his complaints about being left in the dark when the door at the far end of the room swung open. Turning to face the sudden noise, the four friends reached for their blasters, only to stop at the sight of the person in the doorway.
She was just a bit shorter than Tenzin, with black hair up in a bun and out of her face. A pair of scars ran parallel down her right cheek, and her eyes were a light green. She wore a black jacket, over what looked like a light grey form fitting, armoured vest. She wore grey cargo trousers, and had a heavy blaster pistol strapped in a holster on her left thigh. Black combat boots completed her imposing image.
The woman, presumably the freighter captain that Tenzin had been talking about, made her way towards them, her boots muffled by the debris that coated the floor. Stopping a couple of feet from Tenzin, there was a brief silence.
"It is good to see you again Lin." Tenzin said, easing the tension in the room.
"You to Tenzin." Lin replied, her face stoic. "I thought you were dead, something about an encounter with an Inquisitor?"
Tenzin shuffled uncomfortably. Clearly Lin had struck a nerve.
"I must say I was surprised to hear from you regardless. What do you need?"
At that, Tenzin's face hardened. "We need you to smuggle us off world Lin. It is paramount that we get off this planet before we are discovered by the Imperials."
Lin raised an eyebrow, unprepared for such a request. Her gaze travelled past Tenzin, scanning each of the young men and women he had led to this place. "What's so special about them? They don't look particularly important."
"The girl in the cloak is Force Sensitive Lin. And to make matters worse, I have sensed a dark presence on this world." Tenzin paused, still coming to terms with it himself. "He is here."
Lin paled. She had only heard stories and rumours about the Imperial Inquisition, and to find out that the Inquisitor that had almost killed her oldest friend was on this backwater? The girl must be why. There was literally nothing else that could draw such attention from the Empire.
"Hey, we're standing right here!" Korra piped up, not happy with being left out of a conversation that clearly concerned her.
A smile tugged at the corner of Tenzin's mouth, Lin mirroring the gesture. "I think I like her already." She said.
Tenzin turned to face the young adults. "My apologies Korra, it has been a long time since we last saw eachother." he said. Lin introduced herself to the rest of them, taking note of Mako's evident distrust.
"Don't mind him, he doesn't trust anyone he's just met." Bolin chimed in, noticing Lin's disapproval.
"Right." Lin drawled out.
Turning back to Tenzin, the group discussed their plan.
"How do you expect me to smuggle you aboard my ship? You know what Imperial Customs are like."
Tenzin smirked. "I can hide us from the guards and their scanners using the Force. You just need to act cool if you are questioned."
Lin didn't look convinced. "I've seen the Force in action, but I don't know about fooling droids! They don't have a mind to influence."
"Trust me Lin. I've gotten us out of worse messes before."
Lin looked away, deep in thought. The group waited with baited breath.
After a minute of silence, she made her decision.
"Central Spaceport Docking bay D-4. Meet me there in three hours. I have some preparations to make." she said before turning on her heel and marching out of the warehouse.
Relief swept through the group at her agreement to help them. Korra, Asami and Bolin were grinning from ear to ear, while Mako simply let a warm smile spread across his lips. Tenzin to seemed to relax, his shoulders dropping, letting out a sharp sigh of relief.
"Looks like we have some time to kill." Bolin said, still bouncing on his feet. "Mako, do you still have that Pazaak deck?"
Reaching into his jacket with a grin, Mako produced a set of ornate playing cards that he had once swiped from a Cartel boss.
"You in Asami?" he asked
"No thanks, I'm more of a Dejarik girl." She replied.
"I'm afraid we must keep moving." Tenzin interrupted. Mako and Bolin both looked dejected at the thought of more running. "We can rest once we are aboard Lin's ship."
For the next two hours, they moved from abandoned building to abandoned building, edging closer towards the Spaceport, avoiding the heavy Imperial presence that had grown throughout the city like mould. A couple of times they were spotted by a patrol and stopped, but each time Tenzin was able to trick them with some deft Force usage. Before long, they were at the entrance of the Spaceport, pulling their cloaks around them, the group made their way through the main archway.
"Be on your guard everyone." Tenzin warned. "We will find more than simple Stormtroopers here."
Making their way down rows of landing bays, they finally came to the waiting area for Bay D-4. It was a larger semi-circular space, with a blast door taking up the most of the flat side, and waiting benches covering the opposite wall. A small customs station was built into the wall next to the blast door, and a bored looking agent in pale grey Officers garb sat behind a terminal.
Approaching the booth, Tenzin rapped his fist on the Plexiglas screen, startling the official.
"Hello there! We need access to the bay, we have a flight to catch."
The man just gave Tenzin a blank look. Then, his voice devoid of all emotion, said, "All persons wishing to access the docking bays need to obtain level Delta clearance from the Imperial Starport Authority, or written permission from the captain of the ship currently docked within."
"Oh come now," Tenzin said, leaning on the edge of the Booth, "Surely we can just go ahead, the captain of the ship inside is waiting on us."
The Customs official reached for his intercom, tinkering with the settings. After a minute, Tenzin could hear the man conversing with Lin, obviously verifying his claims. Tenzin could sense the poor man's frustration, his annoyance with his superiors at him apparently being left out of the loop.
"Go ahead sir." He said, after finishing his call "Have a pleasant flight."
Tenzin nodded his thanks, and seconds later the blast door hissed open, revealing their salvation.
Lin's ship was a heavily modified HWK-290, long and angular like a sea predator. Originally built without any weapons whatsoever, it had been outfitted with a pair of heavy laser cannons, slung underneath the ship just behind the cockpit, with another two pairs of turreted cannons on the top and bottom of the cockpit. At the back of the ship, the engines sat linearly arranged, rectangular nacelles, two on each side of the main hull, separated by a pair of vertical tail fins.
Lin was standing by the lowered embarkation ramp, positioned in the centre of the main hull. Turning to face them at the sound of the opening blast door, she walked over to them, gesturing with her head for them to get aboard.
Suddenly Tenzin froze, his eyes going wide. Korra had doubled over, gasping for air as if she had been winded. Mako ran to Korra's side, gripping her by the shoulders.
"Korra! What's wrong?"
"He…. He's here!" Korra panted between breaths.
Tenzin slowly turned, facing the blast door, now shut with them inside.
They were not alone.
A dark figure now stood behind them, his face hidden behind a while mask, a red circle painted on its forehead. He was clad entirely in black, what seemed to be a hooded overcoat over a high collared shirt, with a pair of black combat trousers and shin high black boots. He had a silver cylinder clipped to his utility belt, and he exuded fear.
"Well," He began, his deep voice rumbling throughout the bay, "This was most unexpected."
"Everyone get behind me!" Tenzin shouted, throwing his arms out to his side. Everyone obeyed, trying to get as far from the stranger as possible. "Lin, get the ship started. Everyone else get on board."
Nodding, Lin ran up the ramp of her freighter, making a beeline for the cockpit, the rest of the group following close behind.
"You cannot save them Tenzin." The man said, amusement heavy in his tone.
Tenzin said nothing, instead reaching for the metal cylinder on his belt.
"You can go on your way if you but hand over the girl, Korra I believe her name is."
"I will give you nothing Sith." Tenzin said, igniting his lightsaber, its emerald green blade springing forth with a loud snap-hiss.
Amon simply clasped his hands behind his back, completely unintimidated by the threatening gesture.
"I will not ask again, Jedi." He said, his eyes narrowing behind his mask.
By now the ships engines were beginning to spool up, a low whine permeating the air. Korra appeared on the ramp, shouting at Tenzin to get onboard.
Amon's attention shifted to her. Korra froze, realising her mistake too late. Amon raised his hand, and before she knew what was happening, Korra was thrown from the ramp, across the docking bay and slamming into the far wall. Collapsing in a heap, Korra struggled to rise, the shock of the impact stunning her beyond action.
"I will deal with you after I have slain your master, young one."
Tenzin charged.
In the blink of an eye, Amon's lightsaber was in his hand, its crimson blade humming with barely restrained energy.
The two clashed, a sharp bark signalling the collision of the weapons magnetic containment fields. Trading blows, Tenzin matching Amon with every swing, every deflection brought around into repose, not a motion wasted, the Sith Lord and the Jedi Knight duelled.
"You have improved significantly since our last encounter." Amon appraised, his sabre locked with Tenzin's, crackling against its emerald blade.
"As have you." Tenzin said, breaking the stalemate and thrusting his sabre forward, intending to impale the Sith. Amon simply dodged to the side, his hand clamping around Tenzin's wrist, holding it in place.
"Still sloppy. It seems time cannot correct even that."
Korra awoke, pushing herself to her knees. Raising her head, still throbbing from the impact with the wall, her attention was drawn to the fierce duel between Tenzin and the stranger. He eyes went wide, locked on the strange weapons they wielded. Was that what the cylinder she had seen on his belt was? There was a pause in the fighting, as they had locked their swords together. Suddenly, Tenzin broke the lock, thrusting his weapon towards the black clad man. The man caught his wrist, raising his own sword to deliver the killing blow.
Panicking, fearful for Tenzin's life, desperate, struggling against the inevitable, Korra did all she could think to do.
With a great shout, Korra thrust her arms towards the Sith. Suddenly Korra felt a surge of power flow through her, surging out of her outstretched hands.
The man was thrown across the room.
Tenzin turned, his life had been about to end when he had felt her panic. Korra's face was pure disbelief, her mouth hanging open, slowly, she looked down at her hands, unable to believe she had done that. Rising to his feet, extinguishing his lightsaber, Tenzin ran to her, grabbing her by the wrist.
"Come on! We don't have much time before he recovers!"
Dragging her behind him, Tenzin ran up the ramp of the ship, by this point its engines were shrieking on standby.
"Go! Get us out of here Lin!"
"Don't need to tell me twice." She muttered in response.
Raising the ramp of the freighter, its repuslorlift drives spun to full power. With a jolt the landing struts left the ground, sliding back inside the hull. The ship left the confines of the docking bay, its sublight drive flared, surging the craft forward on four blazing trails of exhaust.
Rising to his feet, Amon watched the starship retreat into the distance. His anger flared. He had failed in his mission.
Lord Vader will not be pleased,