Chapter: 44 The Lost Legend
"Integrity, courage, and respect forge a team's backbone."
A mysterious galaxy! While trouble stirs on Coruscant and surrounding worlds, lawlessness runs rampant on the fringes of space. In the Outer Rim, many worlds fall victim to local cartels and interplanetary crime syndicates. Spheres of influence stretch beyond the law's reach, causing misdeeds to slip through the cracks. While Jedi Master Mattias takes his Padawan Anna Dellian on a voyage to the Unknown Regions, a planet remains plagued with crime...
The galaxy's Outer Rim teemed with lethal locales and treacherous towns. One could simply pull up a list of planets and blindly pick one. The odds were high enough that they'd likely choose a world infested with crime. But for those who sought the oddest, most dangerous forms of fortune...crime bred opportunity. On a world far from the brightest center of the universe, the degenerates of the galaxy culminated as one. This desolate desert became a cesspool for the corrupt, murderous, and borderline unspeakable. While the locals would call it Tatooine, some spacers would call it hell. The only thing worse than the ongoing war would be those skittering beneath its ashes. If a common thief didn't blast them, the Hutt crime families would have their way with them. The influence of those obese slugs seemed endless on Tatooine. Should someone choose to avoid the authorities altogether, the deserts would prove even more unforgiving. Brutal Tusken Raiders hunted the sands and attacked any who trespassed on their land. So if a spacer somehow survived the Hutts and the desert, they'd just maybe make it to Mos Eisley Spaceport. But this wretched hive of scum and villainy contained secrets of its own.
Warm gusts blew sand across Mos Eisely's dusty pathways. Spacers, vendors, and shady wanderers trudged about their businesses. Yet amidst the vast assortment of hangars, eateries, and dome-roofed hovels, there were certain places most knew never to traverse. A sandy compound was tucked away from the main trails. Anyone who found it either had dealings with the residents...or would have their corpse dumped in a sarlaac overnight. A group of grizzly Sullustans were stationed across the compound's decrepit yard. While some of them maintained their speeder bikes, others dusted off powerful blaster rifles. Their wide, black eyes seemed soulless after all they'd experienced. These men were numbed by death and their broad ears were itching for new orders. Their scruffy jowls wouldn't even flinch at torture, for no crime was beneath them. To an outsider, they were just a group of despicable degenerates not to be trifled with. But almost everyone on Tatooine knew about the Caldera.
Taking inspiration from their volcanic, Sullustan homeworld, the Caldera formed after their government seceded from the Republic. The collapsing turmoil allowed its leader to take the crime syndicate offworld. While Sullustan authorities were cracking down on him back home, Tatooine provided a fresh start. Now Nash Danto had an entirely new populace to terrorize. He and his gangsters had been spreading torment across the desert's spaceports and business was booming. That was...until his men started ending up dead.
"Drutash!" Danto cursed in Sullustese. He slammed a fist on his holotable and stacks of credits shook. Unlike the young and gritty thugs under his command, Danto looked as though he'd seen every hell imaginable. Stained scruff coiled from his salivating jowls as while hand hovered over the table. He had an entire pile of blasters to choose from alongside his money hoard. So many that when he grabbed a pistol, rifles and credits clattered to the floor. "Besides not finding a brain in that thick skull of yours," he growled in a deep and brooding tone. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't put a laser in your head right now."
The Sullustan gangster across the table trembled. "I-...I was just delivering the message, boss. They're dead."
"I'm well aware that I've been losing boys so please-" Danto caressed his blaster's trigger as stress got the better of him. "Try and be specific."
His informant gulped and sweat seeped across his broad forehead. "All of them, boss." Danto took aim and he started speaking faster. "Everyone out of here is dead! Your guys in Mos Espa, Anchorhead, any contacts you had in Jabba's palace...They've all been axed! I traveled to each locale trying to salvage hope, but only found death." The informant braced for an inevitable blaster shot as Danto's hand shook.
The leader ultimately dropped the gun and fell back into his seat. His other underlings looked to him with bulbous, worried eyes as he sighed. "How could this happen?" Danto huffed. "Sullust is in disarray. No one from home would be looking for us out here."
"Boss," one of his nervous cronies beckoned. "There's blood on all of our hands. With blood comes a price on-"
"Bounty hunters?" Danto scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous. They wouldn't dare. We've been...I've been so damn cautious. Besides, everyone's an outlaw on this planet. It'd be criminals turning in criminals. Where's the logic in that?" Danto glared at the gleaming stacks of blood money on his table. "Whoever's doing this is highly coordinated. Striking at my limbs before going for the heart."
"But how did they find out?" the informant asked. "If you've been as cautious as you say-"
"Are you questioning my methods?" Danto snarled and his underling backed down. "We have a threat methodically killing our people and you want to-" Danto's inky eyes widened even further. "Wait," he gasped and his jowls flapped open. "You. You found death because it followed you."
The informant's wrinkly brows furrowed. "I don't understand, boss. Your guys were dead before I arrived. You can't seriously think I did it!"
"I don't," Danto uttered. "But whoever did wanted to lure you out. They knew I'd send a scout and-" Realization continued to grip Danto. "Were you followed?"
The informant's body went rigid as all of his brethren looked to him. "I don't...think so. No! I couldn't have been! I-" Blasterfire rang out from the yard and Danto's guards could be heard shouting. "I didn't know!" the informant panicked and faced the front door. "I'm sorry!"
By the time he turned back around, Danto shot him in the chest. Paranoid and unwilling to take any chances, he watched as the younger Sullustan collapsed with a smoking laserhole. "Boss," another gangster said. "What do we do?"
"You three," Danto ordered. "Grab a weapon and keep it trained on that door. Anyone comes through that door, shoot them."
"Even our own?" a Sullustan muttered.
"Anyone," Danto asserted hysterically and began scooping up credits. "You there!" he called to a fourth gangster. "Grab a bag and help me stash this." He and his henchman stuffed a sack with as many credits as it could hold.
The trio of gunmen steadied themselves while listening to the chaos outside. Blasterfire continued to erupt in sporadic bursts while a daunting hum buzzed between shots. The gunmen exchanged nervous glances but hardened their resolves. Their sweaty palms soaked the blasters' grips as a tremendous crash sounded outside. All went suddenly silent and the Sullustans took aim. Danto refused to stop hoarding his cash and fled alongside his partner.
"Boss?" one of the gunmen worried amidst the deafening quietness. "What do we do? Boss? Boss!" In that instant, someone cut power to the entire room. While the Sullustan's had no problem seeing or hearing in the dark, they were still taken off guard. Their huge eyes scoured the shadowy room until the front door started to rattle. Figuring someone was trying to break it down, a gangster shot through it. Sunlight beamed through the holes he'd shot and revealed the door was moving on its own.
"We have to answer for our sins," a gangster whispered and thought a spirit was upon them. The vents above clamored and the gunmen riddled them with lasers. An unseen entity continued to alternate between moving the door and vents.
"Show yourself," one of the thugs snarled. "Damn it! Show yourself!" He forced open the door, stepped outside, and was suddenly dragged by an invisible power. His screams had the other Sullustans staggering away from the blinding, outside light.
The repentant gangster dropped his weapon and willingly stepped towards the doorway. "I'm sorry," he whimpered. "Take me!" The power dragged him just the same and left a lone gunman behind.
He furiously fired lasers through the doorway as his eyes adjusted to the light. "Come on!" he roared. "You think you can kill me? Try it!" When his vision finally settled, he glimpsed the sheer massacre of his fellow men outside. Their sizzling bodies were strewn across the sands beside scorched and cracked walls. As he stood in astonishment, the vents above him started to rattle. He slowly looked up before something pulled him into the darkness.
"This way, boss!" Danto's last henchman hollered. "We can use this back door to reach one of the docking bays. If we can hotwire a ship, we can get offworld and start over."
"Great," Danto told him. "Can you hold the cash for a second?"
"Sure," the henchman obliged and took the bag. "Why-"
Danto blasted him in the chest and recovered the money for himself. "Oh nothing," he muttered. "You're just not in my plan for starting over." He stepped over his fellow Sullustan's body and reached for the door. His smug, jowled grin faded when the locking mechanism clicked. "What? No." Danto tried pulling the door open, but it remained firmly sealed. "No!" He checked his henchman's body for a keycard of any kind. His frantic search was cut short by the sound of footsteps down the hall. Danto spun and aimed his blaster. "Stay back!" he warned.
The arid corridor was dauntingly silent as a silhouette shifted forward. A pair of glowing, cyan eyes swayed like those of a specter in the darkness. Danto fired and the entity swiped upward. In that same motion, a green beam emanated from its gloved hands and deflected the laser back. He kept shooting as his armored foe dashed towards him. It spun its lightsaber to block his blasts and sprung to the ceiling above him. With a swift slash, the assailant destroyed Danto's gun and held its blade to his throat. The glowing eyes on its helmet stared him into submission until he raised his hands.
"I take it this locked door is your doing then," Danto whispered. "So the spacers' rumors are true...the Bug is real. Though I didn't take you for a bounty hunter."
Jee brought her scorching blade closer to his flabby neck. "If it means taking down scum like you and getting away with it...it's a pleasure."
"Pleasure," Danto scoffed. "That's what credits are for. Speaking of which...what'll it be, bounty hunter? Dead or alive?"
"Lucky for you," Jee replied. "Death won't come so easily. You're worth twice as much still breathing." Despite her words, Danto still flinched when a sudden bang sounded. Jee fired a whipcord around his body and secured him for delivery.
"This is utterly humiliating!" he grumbled as Jee hauled him over her shoulder. "Can't you just cuff me and let me walk?"
"I could," Jee considered. "But only if you let me break your legs first." She slammed her tied prize on the very table he'd planned schemes from. "Wait here."
"Like I have a choice," Danto mumbled in his restraints. He gasped as she neared a sealed door. "Hey! Get away from there! You have me already. What more could you-"
"Do you know how I found you, Nash Danto?" Jee questioned. "The same way I find all of you lowlives. I just need you to make one critical mistake. You thought you could run a quiet operation here on Tatooine and keep the locals under control." Jee chuckled. "As if the Hutts would've let that fly for very long."
"I was planning to make an alliance with them," Danto defended. "Before you killed my negotiators."
"Oh trust me," Jee assured. "The Hutts would've done much worse to them. They don't exactly like alliances. It's all competition to them. But no, Danto. Your greedy self just couldn't be satisfied with this dustball. You needed more so you took a job offworld."
Danto scowled while half of his face remained smeared against the table. "Coruscant," he hissed.
"Now you're catching on," Jee replied. "Did you think no one would find out you were trafficking orphans and immigrants into slavery? I don't know who your contacts on Coruscant were, but finding the delivery point was easy. Bounty hunting guilds track shipments across the galaxy to helps us find our targets."
"This isn't just about me, is it?" Danto asked. "What the hell kind of bounty hunter are you?"
Jee thought back to her days as a vigilante on Coruscant. She recalled how many Slitter gang members she'd mercilessly killed if it meant saving the Coruscanti teens they were trafficking. "I guess I'm still figuring that out," Jee said and sparked up her lightsaber. She peered down at the Selkatha inscriptions engraved on its hilt and still wondered what they meant. She knew not what had become of the Jedi who once wielded her blade, but she had to believe that in her own way...she was doing him justice. No one should be a slave, Jee thought. And while the slavers should pay for their crimes, so too should their enablers. She raised her saber to the locked door and Danto gasped.
"No!" the Sullustan screamed as she hacked down the door.
A man yelled from within and Jee cleared the dust with a Force-push. She waved her lightsaber over a pair of cages and noticed someone moving inside one. "Hold on," she said as the prisoner backed away. She severed the locking mechanism and a green-skinned Twi'lek inched forward. Jee realized her helmet was ominous but didn't want to take it off in Danto's presence. Instead, she softened her tone towards the prisoner. "It's alright," she told him. Her modulated voice was still designed to strike fear, but the prisoner seemed trusting.
He found comfort in her glowing weapon and crawled towards her. Dark bruises and dreadful scrapes covered his face as he still smiled. "Are you...a Jedi?" he croaked.
"Oh," Jee winced. "Actually I'm a...um..." She wanted to tell him the truth, but seeing him so broken had her torn. The belief of what she could've been seemed to have reinvigorated a hope he hadn't felt in months...perhaps even longer. She started to better understand what the Jedi meant to so many others, even if they'd never seen one before. With a heavy sigh, Jee found her response. "Yes," she said. "But I'm an undercover Jedi, so let's keep that fact to ourselves. Deal?" The tearful Twi'lek embraced her and she found herself patting his back. "You're safe now."
"Thank you, Master Jedi," he sniffled. "I prayed this day would come. I didn't know how or when, but your Order never gives up on those in need." He looked to the empty cage beside him. "I know you'll find her too."
"Her?" Jee tilted her head with intrigue. "Who was in there?"
"There was a child they'd smuggled out of Coruscant with me," the Twi'lek explained. "I came in from Ryloth seeking to build a new life, but I was kidnapped by traffickers. Before I knew it, I was in chains just as I had been during my world's Separatist occupation. But before they sent me off, they also had this child." The Twi'lek's eyes reddened with more tears. "She was only a little girl. Far too young to be roped into any of this horror. I lost my son in the Battle of Ryloth and I thought I could try to help this child. I tried to connect with her while we were smuggled here. She'd just lost her mother and had been put up for adoption on Coruscant." The Twi'lek covered his mouth in disdain. "They stole her from that orphanage along with who knows how many others. You must stop these traffickers, Master Jedi. Slavery is no life for a child. Please find her!"
"I..." Jee sighed. "Will do what I can."
"Thank you," the Twi'lek rejoiced. "Thank you! By your Force, I just know you will succeed!"
"Yeah," Jee muttered and stepped away. Holy Kriff, she thought. What did I just get roped in to? She stormed up to her captive bounty and pressed his face further into the table.
"Hey!" he protested through his squished jowls.
"The little girl," Jee interrogated. "Where is she?"
"Long gone," Danto coughed.
"What was it I said?" Jee contemplated. "Broken legs? How about no legs?" The Rodian activated her lightsaber and held Danto down.
"You wouldn't!"
"Oh no?" Jee countered. "I said I'd bring you in alive. Taking a little off the bottom doesn't bother me." She brought the blade to his legs until he could feel its pulsing warmth.
"I sold her!" Danto cracked while squirming in Jee's grip. "To an independent buyer. It was quick money! The traffickers in Coruscant round up potential slaves from all walks of life. They don't like dealing directly with the buyers so they cover their tracks. They move their slaves through smugglers like me instead."
"Who are these traffickers?" Jee asked.
"I never see anyone's face," Danto assured. "All calls are obscured via distorted holocoms. I just get paid, okay? I swear on Triakk!"
"Because a little orphaned girl with a life ahead of her was quick money," Jee hissed and threw Danto off the table. "That's why I'm gonna make sure a scumbag like you never sees the light of day in prison."
"What if he's lying?" the Twi'lek queried. "What if he does know more?"
"He may be the lowest of the low," Jee replied. "But he's still Sullustan. They all fear their goddess, Triakk. So to swear on her and not mean it is to invoke a fate worse than death." Jee recovered Danto's bag of credits and handed it to the Twi'lek. "You wanted to build a new life, right? Happy Birthday."
"Are all of you so gracious?" the Twi'lek asked.
Jee hoisted Danto over her shoulder. Realizing he meant Jedi, she sighed and turned to him. "There are better ones out there," she replied and stepped out. As she carried Danto like a sack of jogan fruit, the Sullustan observed her carnage. Saber wounds sizzled across his gang's obliterated bodies as Jee called to the Twi'lek. "Think you can power up one of these speeder bikes? My rides a ways from here and I'll give you a lift."
He obliged but raised a brow at Jee. "There's only two seats on the bike. Where will he go?"
Jee dumped Danto on the bike's forward prongs. "Let's see how he likes being cargo," she jeered and revved up the engine. "I'd hold my breath and shut my eyes if I were you, Danto. Sand tends to get everywhere around these parts." The Twi'lek gripped her shoulders as she accelerated down the dusty trails. Coarse tufts of sand had Danto sputtering and writhing while Jee hovered towards the guild station.
A stout Toydarian flapped towards Jee and was accompanied by two IG assassin droids. "Right on time," the scarlet-skinned agent lauded. His pudgy trunk slinked back as he examined Danto. "And alive. You're a woman of your word, Bug. This sleemo and his crew's been bad for business for too long. The Hutts will take great pleasure in punishing him."
"The credits, Grutt." Jee asserted.
"Straight to the point," Grutt cackled and his tusks glistened in the binary sunlight. "May you never change." With a snap of his bony and leathery fingers, the droids hauled Danto away. Grutt typed on a datapad and smirked. "Ah yes. Here you go! Five thousand credits transferred to your account. Thank you for your services."
Jee offered him a half-hearted salute and returned to her bike. "Come on," she told the Twi'lek. "You must be thirsty. I know a great spot." Her new companion glanced at her with furrowed brows as she pulled over at a sandy hideaway. Jazzy beats echoed from within while Jee stashed the Twi'lek's new wealth in a storage compartment. "I'm buying," she said and noticed the nervous look in his eyes. "What?"
"You're not a Jedi, are you?" the Twi'lek asked.
Jee huffed. "Well. I kinda-"
"No more lies, please. I was captured for believing in lies of a better future."
Jee looked into his discouraged eyes and sighed. "No, sir. I'm not a Jedi."
"Yet you wield the weapon of one," the Twi'lek said. "Did you steal it or something?"
"Or something," Jee replied. Her armor and weapon already drew enough attention out in the open. The last thing she needed was to be demonstrating her Force powers to some stranger. "Look, I'm just trying to do the right thing because someone has to. You don't have to be a Jedi to stand up to what's wrong. And if being a bounty hunter means I can get paid while doing it-" Jee removed her helmet and let the sun beat down on her violet scales. The Rodian's huge, bright eyes looked upon her friend with determination. "It sure beats vigilantism."
The Twi'lek sighed and chose to believe her story. He followed her into the establishment as another thought came to mind. "But bounty hunters have no allegiance. Their loyalty is bought."
He and Jee stepped into a dark and bustling cantina. Upbeat tunes rang out from a local band while a horde of spacers crowded the bar. "Know what else is bought?" Jee quipped and snapped her fingers at the bartender. "Get me a shot of your finest and a-"
"Water," the Twi'lek insisted given his previous circumstances.
The bartender glared and Jee just stared right back. "You heard him," she defended. "Get the man some H2O."
"I'm serious, ma'am," the Twi'lek pleaded and grabbed his beverage. "You brought in a real criminal this time, but who will be your next target?"
Jee downed the shot and her snout quivered in response. "I suppose that's up for me to decide. I choose what I accept."
"But can you control yourself when those high payouts cross your path? The wicked know how to tempt their servants."
Jee squinted at him and jabbed a lanky finger. "What are you really getting at here?"
"Now that I know you're not a Jedi, I know you're just like everyone else: corruptible."
How wrong you've got it, Jee thought yet humored him with her time.
"You won't always have the full story, bounty hunter. That's the dangerous mystery of your profession. Is that a risk you are willing to take?"
"Don't confuse me with some hired thug," Jee asserted. "I may appreciate being several thousand credits richer, but I know where my allegiances rest. You-" The Twi'lek suddenly froze and dropped his glass in astonishment. Having found and fought her way through many a tense situation, Jee straightened her posture. She slowly slid her hand to her lightsaber and whispered, "Buddy...You look like you're staring death in the eyes. What's behind me?"
"It's them," the Twi'lek murmured. "The men who kidnapped me back on Coruscant." Jee prepared for battle and slowly glanced over her shoulder. Relief seized her when she realized the Twi'lek was looking at a bounty transmitter. Several bounty hunters gathered around a circular, brightly-lit screen. Amidst all of the mugshots and sent in footage, a pair of street images had garnered the room's attention. Jee advanced towards the boards to get a closer look. The multicolored panel reflected off a green-skinned Rodians' curious eyes.
"Twenty-thousand credits for each of these dirtbags dead or alive," he guffawed. "What a steal. They don't look so tough!"
Jee shoved past him and examined the Zygerrian and Umbaran. "Don't underestimate the images," she said. "There's a reason their priced so high." She continued to read the description of their crimes. "That's what shooting up Coruscant gets you." Jee glanced at her Twi'lek friend. "Among other things." She held her vambrace up to the transmitter and extracted its information.
"What are you doing?" the other Rodian scolded. "I saw these first!"
"Oh please, Greedo." Jee scoffed. "These guys would fry you before you could get a shot off." She scanned the bounty marks and downloaded them into her vambrace. Holographic images of the newly-dubbed 'Coruscant Killers' projected from atop her device. "You're sure this is them?" she asked the Twi'lek.
"Yes," he confirmed.
Jee smirked and tapped her lightsaber. "I'll give them your regards."
Coruscant, she thought. It's been a while since I've been back. I wonder how Red's doing after all of this time.
A Jedi corvette soared through the seemingly endless void of hyperspace. While Master Destin Mattias sat at its controls, Knight Rapunzel Crin resided in the co-pilot's seat. She shut her eyes as a deep sensation pulsed within her. She felt a powerful calling stretching to her from beyond hyperspace and gasped. Mattias smiled and said, "You can feel it, hm? So you know where it is we're heading."
The word "Ilum" fled Rapunzel's lips and she opened her emerald eyes. "A true place of beginnings. It all makes sense now. Especially with Anna needing a new lightsaber."
"There is more to this than a new kyber crystal for my Padawan," Mattias assured. "Ilum is a sacred planet residing on the galaxy's brink. Its connection to the Living and Cosmic Force still astounds temple scholars to this day. If we are to truly redeem ourselves, Jedi and clones alike must make this pilgrimage." Mattias glanced at the dashboard monitors and noted the lightspeed readouts. "We'll be coming out of hyperspace shortly. Do you mind taking over the controls?"
"Not at all," Rapunzel replied. "Where are you going?"
"I just need to make sure something of mine is ready," he said with a wink. Rapunzel slipped into his seat while he entered the main hold. There he found Anna and the clones making the most of a compact lounge area. He knew the sound of a holochess board anywhere and couldn't help but peek over. It didn't matter how many virtual Dejarik monsters were still in play, Anna and Blazer were too busy staring each other down. Mattias chuckled at the sight and continued to his private quarters.
Anna leaned forward and never once broke eye contact. "Go ahead," she taunted and gestured to her holographic horde. "Make your move, Blazer." It was as if the creatures could hear her as they raised their clubs and claws.
Blazer squinted with determination and grumbled at her. He broke eye contact to examine his own beastly army. Sparx stood beside him and tried to offer advice. "Now, Sarge," he said. "This isn't like blasting clankers."
"Zip it, Sparx!" Blazer snapped.
"I'm just saying you can't attack head on! This is about strategy!"
"Hey Blazer," Anna snickered. She motioned to their black, Republic-issue tank tops. "Do you all shop at the same store?"
He humored her with a smirk. "Keep laughing, kid," he said. "I'm gonna wipe that smirk off your face right now!" He sent his Kintan Strider hopping forward only to watch Anna's wormlike K'lor'slug slither over. Blazer's club-wielding creature didn't stand a chance as Anna's beast tore it to holographic shreds. She exaggerated a victorious chuckle until Blazer's next move had her worm writhing.
"Wait, what?" Anna yelped. Her attack allowed Blazer to send his Ng'ok into attack position. The beast's razor sharp claws shredded her K'lor'slug and she slouched back in surprise. Blazer crossed his arms and grinned smugly. "Oh it...is...on!" she declared and saw to her surviving monsters. Sparx's eyes swayed across each side of the board as the game intensified. Creatures perished from both players and left a victor unpredictable.
"You just don't know when to quit, do you?" Blazer and Anna simultaneously scolded. "No, I don't!" They jinxed again. As their game...battle of Dejarik raged on, 85 sat away from the group.
He sprawled himself out on a cargo bench and examined his legs. He thought back to the dancing cadence from the club and whispered it to himself. "Left...right...left." 85 gently moved his cybernetics and watched the limbs follow his command. What seemed so easy from a seated position was an entirely new challenge when standing. Unlike a cybernetic arm or eye, 85's legs would be supporting his entire body. Balance was key and he still had to come to terms with his durasteel appendages. He looked across the main hold and focused on the opposite wall. "I can do this," he told himself. "Just point A to point B. Easy." 85 took a deep breath and stood up with a grunt. His body weight shifted to his heels and he struggled to keep himself balanced. Despite the intraneural connections Dr. Sheparr had made, the cybernetics were still foreign to him. 85 could feel his mind struggling to understand if these two chunks of metal were truly a part of his body. These are my legs, he mentally affirmed. Mine. He rigorously pat them, yet felt nothing. All sensations remained in his hand, reminding him that his legs were gone. But if my real legs are gone...how can I feel this pain? 85 thought and started to wince. His hands and thighs trembled until he stumbled forward. It felt as though thousands of needles were climbing up through his legs, all while they were being set on fire.
With their final monsters on the board, it truly was anyone's game. Sparx was on the edge of his seat as Blazer and Anna gave each other death stares. Their hands hovered over the control panels as they stood ready to play their next moves. "Savrip or not," Blazer mocked her creature. "You must realize you are doomed."
Anna noticed a flaw in Blazer's strategy and prepared to strike. "Oh I don't think so!" she proclaimed and moved in to attack. Just as she played her move, 85 yelped with pain and tripped. He collapsed and grabbed the holochess board to catch himself. His impact and frantic grip shut the game off, leaving both players raging. "What?" Anna screeched.
"Karabast!" Blazer cursed and looked as though he could rip the board off its pedestal.
Although he was invested in the game, Sparx chose to help 85 up instead. "Are you alright, brother?" the lieutenant asked.
"Of course he's alright," Anna grumbled. "Because it was sabotage."
"I fell!" 85 defended.
"She only thinks it was sabotage because I was winning," Blazer boasted. "I'll prove it to you by beating her fair and square." He tried powering the board back up and quickly became frustrated.
"Here, let me help." Sparx suggested.
"I got it," Blazer snarled and fiddled with the panel.
"Yes Sarge," Sparx muttered and backed away.
Blazer gritted his teeth and twisted as many knobs as he could. "Blasted board must've short-circuited," he grumbled. "Kriff!" he raged and slammed a fist on the device. When he did so, vibrant sparks pulsed across the board. The electrical currents had Anna's heart racing as she impulsively fell from her seat.
"Now look what you did," Sparx scolded.
Blazer looked at his fist and assumed it was his temper. "Kid, I just got a little angry." His brows furrowed when Anna continued to slide away. "Anna. It's just me." The traumatized Padawan focused on the malfunctioning chessboard behind him. It was as if each electrical wave was a shock pulsing through her own body. While the device remained stationary, she felt like it was closing in on her. Sweat soaked her face and she fled towards the cockpit. "Kid!" Blazer haplessly called.
Anna didn't look back and loathed herself for it. She felt like her legs were in greater control of the situation than she was. It was like how she'd fled from the Umbaran assassin back on Coruscant. She couldn't think straight, for fear had a morbid grip over her. Anna escaped into the cockpit and Rapunzel was alarmed to see her.
"Hey," the Knight inquired. "What's wrong?"
"I just need a minute," Anna hurriedly answered. "Please." She hugged herself and rested against the wall. The Padawan lost herself in the cockpit's darkness and tried to slow her breathing. As she did so, the instant boom of hyperspace departure had her gasping. Soon the darkened chamber around her became engulfed in a rising, bright light. The glowing, planetary orb in their viewport was entrancing across the stars. Anna rubbed her eyes and asked, "Is that...Ilum?"
Rapunzel nodded. "Sacred planet of the Unknown Regions."
"I haven't been here since I was a youngling," Anna marveled.
"Neither have I," Rapunzel replied. "But even after all of this time, it seems like only yesterday. Can you feel how strong this planet still is with the Force? How it calls to us as if we're all connected?"
Anna pursed her lips and shrugged. "Ummm...no actually. Unless the calling is us closing in on the planet."
Rapunzel sighed. "You've disconnected yourself from the Force."
"The Force and I have just never been that close," Anna admitted. "I've pushed a couple of things...and people."
"Have you ever tried opening yourself to it?" Rapunzel asked. "I mean truly tried?"
While Anna pondered Rapunzel's question, Mattias returned to the main hold. A briefcase from his quarters swayed at his side and he observed the arguing clones. Sparx was the first to silence after seeing the Jedi's arrival. "What is going on here?" the master asked.
"It's Anna, sir." Blazer lamented. "I think I scared her off over the game."
"I'm concerned about her wellbeing," Sparx brought up.
"Perhaps neither she nor us are ready for this trip," 85 grieved and looked at his legs.
Mattias took in their words and contemplated an answer. He observed the broken holochess board and said, "There's more going on with Anna than you know. Don't take her struggles personally and the way through will become clear in time. Believe it or not, all of us are ready to make this journey. For thousands of years, Jedi have ventured to Ilum in search of answers. History tells us that the planet is one of growth and wisdom."
"Respectfully, sir." Blazer remarked. "We're not Jedi."
"But we're all children in the eyes of the Force," Mattias replied and made for the cockpit.
"Technically," Sparx lectured and Blazer rolled his eyes. "We are only ten years old. So in a way, we are children."
Mattias entered the cockpit just as they pierced Ilum's atmosphere. "Right on time," he rejoiced and reclaimed the controls.
"I have us locked in for the temple's coordinates," Rapunzel said before returning to her seat. She raised a brow when Mattias flew off course. "Wait. Where are you going?"
"If we aren't here for Ilum's Jedi temple-" Anna griped. "Why are we even here?"
"Trust the journey, Padawan." Mattias intoned and led them elsewhere.
Anna remained impatient and stormed up to his seat. "Are we here to get me a new kyber crystal or not?"
Mattias smiled softly and answered truthfully. "We are...but we're also here for so much more."
"I hate when people are so cryptic!" Anna groaned to the universe.
"You'd best get used to it for the journey ahead," Mattias said. He spotted an icy rock formation seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Glacial plains stretched on for miles in each direction as Mattias set the ship down. "Perfect," he said.
"No," Anna refuted. "Not perfect. Where the hell are we?"
"Boys!" Mattias hollered to the clones. "Gather supplies from the storage unit. Everyone packs a backpack. We need plenty of energy pellets and basic necessities for the trip."
Anna trailed behind Mattias like a lost and chattering porg. "Energy pellets are meant to sustain people for long journeys. The trip to the temple takes a maximum of one day if we even landed there."
"I know," Mattias responded. "But since we're walking there, we'll need the pellets and camping supplies. Sparx, grab us some power cells please."
"Walking?" Anna choked. "Look, master, I'm sure you've got some great plan up your sleeve...but this isn't how this works. Haven't I been through enough? If I'm going to get to the-"
"Padawan," Mattias asserted but minded his tone. "The journey of redemption is not just about you." His words lit a fuse within Anna. Her nostrils flared as he handed her a backpack and returned to packing his own.
"Well this one should be!" Anna yelled and threw the backpack on the floor. The outburst caught everyone's attention and the main hold fell silent. All eyes rested on her as she called Mattias out. "Do you have any idea how I lost my lightsaber?" she hissed.
"Anna," Rapunzel attempted to intervene but Mattias raised a hand.
"It's okay," the master said. "I want to hear her out."
"Cause I don't even know," Anna continued. "The very weapon that we're taught is 'our life'...the one we power up with a crystal from this icy wasteland...is supposed to be sacred. I know I lost it once on Manaan, but I fought like hell to get it back for my mistakes. This time, I had no control. I was Count Dooku's prisoner, master." Mattias' eye twitched as he sensed her pain. "For all I know, my lightsaber's on display in his palace somewhere. Because all I was to him was some trophy. A prize to be corrupted and stripped away of all she held dear. He told me you'd all abandoned me."
"He lied," Mattias countered.
"But it didn't change the feeling," Anna affirmed.
"Padawan, not a day goes by that I don't regret not finding you sooner. And for that I have suffered too. I acknowledge your pain and wish I could take it all away. I failed you." He gestured to those around him. "We've all failed in one way or another. But that's why I've brought us here. Because while pain has gathered us, we can conquer it together. We're a team now where no one suffers alone. It'll take some getting used to, but we take our wins and losses as one. Because if we don't unite in this moment, make no mistake...we will fall apart." Mattias handed Anna his completed backpack and took her empty one for himself. "Everyone should be ready to move out shortly. You heard correctly. We'll be traveling to the temple on foot, so I've taken the liberty of packing jackets for everyone."
"On foot," 85 whispered and glanced at his cybernetics. "Right then..."
"Sir," Blazer called to Mattias. "Where's the armory on this ship?" The Jedi's perplexed gaze frustrated the sergeant. "You know. So the boys and I can get some of that new cold assault armor."
"Oh you won't be needing that here," Mattias answered and handed the clones slate-colored jackets. "I want to see you as you are."
Blazer snorted while examining the outfit. "It must've been difficult to find our sizes," he joked. "Good luck telling us apart."
"There's more to you clones than just your faces and you know it," Mattias retorted.
As the group stepped off the ramp and onto the glacial plain, Anna noticed Mattias' briefcase. "What's in there?" she asked.
"Just a little project," he answered.
Rapunzel held up a scanner and examined weather readouts in the area. The pale trim on her violet jacket fluffed in the wind as she read over the scans. "There's a rising snowstorm east of here," she reported. "If we start hiking now, we should make good time and be able to set up camp before it hits."
"Or we could've just flown there," Anna groused under her breath. While she sported a light blue jacket, Mattias' came in a pine green hue. Anna noticed 85 nervously stepping on the snow and pat his shoulder. "Hey," she said. "You got this." He nodded to her as the group began their long trek across the plain. The sun was a blessing given Ilum's freezing temperatures. Chilling winds blasted against their faces as Anna lost herself in the motions. The sound of crunching snow beneath her boots became hypnotic. If it wasn't for their corvette shrinking behind them, it would appear as though they weren't actually getting anywhere. 85 hobbled in the back and Rapunzel occasionally assisted him. The endless, silent walk gave Anna time to think on her life. With nothing but an icy void ahead of her, something crossed her mind. She let the wind guide her towards the snowy horizon and likened it to the view aboard Jack's skiff. She recalled the horizon she and Jee chased on Malastare while racing to deliver a cure. As these memories of her adventures flowed through her, so to did her willingness to advance. Her steps became a strut...and that strut turned into a jog. Without hesitating, Anna ran ahead of the group and chased after the horizon. Her team paused and watched the young Padawan bolting across the ice. As she picked up speed, Anna's hood fell and she let the wind carry her auburn locks. In those moments, she just wanted to see how far and fast she could actually go.
"Can't let her have all the fun," Blazer muttered and jogged after her. The clone's boots kicked up snow as he slowly started to catch her.
"Hey wait up!" Sparx shouted and dashed towards them.
Mattias smiled at the sight of his Padawan running freely. His joy was short-lived when he noticed 85 staying behind. "Why don't you give it a try?" the master suggested.
"I don't know, sir." 85 relented. "I'll stick with trying to walk. I'm lucky enough that I don't need crutches."
Rapunzel helped steady him and said, "Just be careful not to create crutches of your own." Her words left him thinking while watching his brothers run beyond.
"Just like that obstacle course back on Kamino," Anna panted as they neared a ridge.
"You're right!" Blazer quipped. "Especially since I'm going to beat you at this as well!" He raced ahead of her and Anna pushed herself to catch up. Having been out of consistent action, she became winded while running on an incline. Her breaths shortened and legs started to wobble. Noticing her tired state, Blazer and Sparx jogged back to aid her.
"Easy there, kid." Blazer said. "Catch your breath."
"I'm fine," she coughed.
"And I'm a Jedi," Blazer jested. "Now hush up and take a breather, will ya?"
Sparx unclipped Anna's water bottle and handed it to her. She took a brief sip and noticed a massive chasm leading into the ice. "Woah," she gasped. "What do you think caused a gap like that?"
"My guess would be an asteroid," Sparx considered while Mattias and the others caught up.
"What have we here?" the master inquired and examined the chasm. A steep mixture of ice and snow led deeper into its shadowy recesses. "Rapunzel, how is that storm looking?"
"We made great time, but the winds'll carry it over the next stretch," she detailed.
"Then down here may be a good spot to set up camp and shelter us from the winds. Watch your step," Mattias warned and descended into the chasm.
Anna saw the approaching snowstorm blanketing their horizon and followed Mattias down. 85 stiffened when his feet skidded on the ice. Blazer and Sparx gripped their brother's arms and helped guide his movements. Mattias slipped towards the bottom but landed in a mound of snow. "You alright?" Anna chuckled and helped him up.
"Like landing on a pillow," Mattias remarked and scrubbed snow off his pants. The winds howled above the chasm and the group delved inward. Their massive, misshapen reflections danced along the icy walls.
85 took a step and something clanged beneath his cybernetic. All turned to him as he nervously dug through the snow. "It's some kind of panel," he announced. "Like part of a ship's hull."
Mattias took the clone's information and searched further. "By the Force," was all he could utter at his discovery. What little sunlight still crept from the surface beamed down on a set of frosted engines. As the group closed in, they glimpsed an entire cruiser embedded into the chasm. Its red and white markings had faded over the years as glazed sheets of ice consumed all. While its laser cannons had been crunched on impact, the ship's elongated bridge made it easily identifiable to Mattias. He thought back to all that his master had taught him and marveled over the ancient ship's design. "Can it really be?" he whispered at its unmistakable design. "This is a Hammerhead-class cruiser," Mattias explained. "They haven't been in service since-" He ignited his lightsaber and illuminated the ship's hull. A frozen, barely-visible, winged symbol emerged under his blade's glow. "-the Old Republic."
Rapunzel sparked up her lightsaber and checked another portion of the Hammerhead. "But what's it doing down here?" she asked.
"I'd love to help you look-" Anna scoffed. "But I kinda don't have a lightsaber." Blazer handed her a peculiar hilt and watched her glower deepen. He chuckled when she pouted and turned on the flashlight.
Rapunzel climbed atop one of the ship's engines and swayed her saber across the shadows. Her heart sank when her golden blade set several eyes aglow. The knight bit back a gasp as the sound of snarling beasts filled the space between the engines. Their claws scraped the dimly lit area just outside of Rapunzel's light source.
"Knight Crin!" Mattias shouted and she shuddered. "Anything up there?" She didn't make a sound and tried slowly backing away from the creatures. "Knight Crin?"
If I can just make it to the edge, Rapunzel told herself. I can jump back down and warn the others. She cautiously shuffled backwards as the predatory eyes closed in. While she steadied herself to flee, something dripped from the darkness above her. A glob of saliva splattered onto her sleeve while the rest evaporated on her lightsaber. She nervously looked up to see a blunt-snouted feline with beady black eyes. Black spots dotted its pale fur. Saliva clustered between its jagged and exposed fangs. With sharp claws on all of its two-toed feet, the asharl panther quickly pounced. Its claws ripped chunks of ice from the wall as Rapunzel swiped her saber across its torso.
The creature's painful mewl had everyone rushing towards Rapunzel's position. "Knight Crin?" Mattias worried as the group turned their lights toward a thud. Instead of finding her, the group discovered a sliced panther sprawled against the snow. A sudden clamor made them direct their lights upward.
"Panthers!" Rapunzel yelled. She leapt from the engine as an entire pack lunged after her.
"Scatter!" Mattias ordered and Force-pushed several beasts back. Without spotlight-mounted helmets, the clones had to fasten flashlights to their blasters. Blazer fired his pistol into one of the panthers. The tentacle-like organs on its shoulders quivered from the shots before it vanished into the shadows.
Mattias impaled a panther and swayed his lightsaber across the ice. "Watch the walls," he warned. "They're moving around us!" The asharls growled and crawled up from the depths. Their claws swiped through the air as Mattias and Rapunzel cut them down.
Anna dove into a rocky crevasse and one of the predators pursued. While it couldn't squeeze in after her, it still managed to stretch its claws. "Trust the journey he said," Anna mocked. "We're here for so much more he said." The panther's claw nearly slashed her and Anna snagged a stone. "How's this for a journey!" she growled and directed her anger into a strike. The creature screeched as Anna bashed its claw in with the stone. "How's that for more?" The panther limped away and she crawled out of hiding. When she did so, she noticed another beast ambushing Blazer. "Sarge!" she exclaimed.
The panther pounced on Blazer and shoved his body into the snow. The scuffle caused him to drop his blaster and he was forced to grapple the beast. Blazer growled while fending off its ominous jaws. The creature continued to press down on him until a wild spray of lasers struck its body. Though the shots weren't precise, they were sporadic enough to weaken the beast. Blazer kicked it off of him and looked upon a furious Anna. She held his overheated blaster as the panther turned for her.
"Come on! Come on!" Anna willed the weapon to fire again. Its grip became so scorching to her palm that she was forced to let go. The pistol plummeted to the ground and melted all surrounding snow. The panther tried to attack Anna, but Blazer dared to grab its tail. It took all of his strength just to temporarily hold it in place.
"Run!" Blazer grunted while keeping the creature at bay. Though he meant it sincerely, all Anna could think of was her Umbaran foe. She remembered fleeing from his stun baton and how he'd heckled her. Those stinging words made her blood boil.
"Run, little Jedi! Run!"
"Not this time," Anna hissed and pulled her hands back. With a mighty thrust, she Force-pushed the panther into an ice wall. While the impact didn't kill it, a set of dislodged icicles sealed its fate.
"So much for being disconnected from the Force," Anna whispered and looked at her hands.
"What'd you do?" Blazer asked.
"I got pissed," Anna answered. "Now come on."
Blue lasers zipped through the blackness as Sparx provided covering fire. "There's too many of them!" he shouted. "We need to get out of here!"
85 went back to back with him and they aimed their rifles. "It's too steep a climb," the trooper deduced. "We wouldn't make it in time."
"What about the ship?" Sparx considered. "It's frozen over but the interior should be intact." He scoured the craft and found a rectangular hatch amidst the ice. "An entry point! There!" he pointed. "Everyone! Make for the Hammerhead!"
85 noted the daunting distance between him and the hatch. I can do this, he told himself. Just point A to point B. He forced himself forward as his cybernetics trudged through the snow. A panther sprung forward but he and Sparx blasted it.
"Ma'am!" Sparx shouted to Rapunzel. "Can you melt the ice off that hatch?"
"On it," Rapunzel affirmed and dashed towards the entrance.
"We'll cover you," 85 assured as they fired on the pack.
Rapunzel swiftly held her saber to the glazed ice. She carved through what wasn't melting quickly enough while more panthers approached. Blazer gunned down a beast and Anna Force-pushed another. She poured her pent up, bed-ridden anger into all of her pushes. One predator poorly timed an attack and took Mattias' lightsaber to its face. "How's that hatch looking?" the master huffed.
Rapunzel melted the ice off and tried prying it open. Using her blade on the ice was one thing...but slicing through the hatch would crush any hope of resealing it. She prepared to Force-push it when the pack advanced.
"Help them," Sparx said. "We'll get it open." Rapunzel jumped down to assist while he and 85 struggled with the hatch. Its chilled hinges jingled in their grasps while the Jedi and Blazer battled away.
Realizing the lieutenant couldn't get it open in time, 85 knew what he had to do. "Get clear!" he brayed and clasped the ship's edge. With a heavy surge, 85 used his cybernetics to kicked the hatch in. Durasteel clamored and the clone tumbled into an abandoned hall.
"We're in!" Sparx hollered. "Let's go!"
Mattias, Rapunzel, Blazer, and Anna scrambled to reach the hatch. They each tumbled inside as the panthers kept up their ravenous pursuit. With everyone safely aboard, Mattias and Rapunzel quickly Force-pushed the hatch shut. While the creatures scraped against the hull, Anna and the clones grabbed whatever they could to barricade it. "Heave!" Anna grunted as she and Blazer pushed a crate in front of the hatch. The pack's clawing ceased in time and everyone caught their breath.
Anna rested against the crate and glanced at Blazer's weapon. "What happened when I used it?" she asked.
"You gotta give it time to cool down," the sergeant huffed. "Shoot like a maniac and it's bound to overheat. You're lucky it didn't combust in your hands." The clone faintly smiled. "But regardless...thanks for the save, kid."
Anna nodded and observed their crimson-crated barricade. The emblem across it looked like a variation of the Jedi Order's symbol. "It's a Republic cruiser alright," the Padawan said. "But what the heck is it doing on Ilum? Or down here for that matter?"
"Maybe it crashed in a storm," Blazer considered.
"It isn't damaged enough to have crashed," Sparx said.
"And where's the crew?" Anna added. "Not that I want to find a bunch of frozen corpses, but my question still stands."
"Search for supplies and see what else you can find," Mattias ordered.
Anna found a scarlet officer's cap resting atop a plasteel container. "Elsa would love this place," she whispered.
"Elsa?" Mattias chuckled. "Imagine Master Chuza. That old bird wouldn't be able to shut his beak about a ship like this."
"Then I'm glad he isn't here because it looks like we're stuck," Sparx said. "At least until that panther pack moves on."
"Hey!" Blazer beckoned. "I think I found the crew quarters." The others followed his voice down the Hammerhead's freezing corridors. They flashed their lights across a room with several bunks and empty lockers.
"Let's get the power cells out and spend the night in here." Mattias suggested.
While they couldn't see the sun's positioning from underground, they could feel their own tiredness setting in. The team set up their sleeping bags and combined them with the worn out bunk cushions. The warmth of the activated power cells felt just as nice as any campfire. "This beats some tent in the snow," Blazer mumbled.
Rapunzel snickered to herself while snuggling in her blanket. "If you would've told me that I'd be battling ice panthers and having a sleepover in a downed, four-thousand-year-old warship on Ilum...I would've checked your blood for death sticks."
The clones laughed alongside her while Mattias downed an energy pellet. "If you ever forget that the life of a Jedi is full of surprises, it has a funny way of reminding you."
"Speaking of surprises," Sparx mentioned. "We take our wins together, right? Well let's hear it for 85! If he hadn't kicked that hatch in, we'd all be panther snacks right now."
85 smiled faintly. "I just did my duty," he said.
"And if we'd left you behind on Felucia, you couldn't have saved us here." Blazer said. "You're here for a reason, brother."
85 nodded humbly as a thought crossed Anna's mind. "But for his act of heroism-" she began. "Shouldn't he earn a name now?"
"Oh please," 85 stuttered. "I- I don't know about that."
"Durasteel," Blazer considered. "No! Steel."
"Kicker," Anna suggested. "Cause he...you know." She mimicked a kicking motion while Blazer rolled his eyes.
"I appreciate the suggestions," their companion said. "Really I do. But just 85 is fine."
"We all find a nickname eventually," Sparx reassured him.
"I know," 85 replied. "And when I find mine, it'll happen naturally. It'll just feel right." As the group accepted his conditions, they bid each other good night and drifted off to sleep.
Blazer awakened to the sound of Anna whimpering beside him. He was typically a light sleeper and quickly nudged her. "Hey kid," he whispered. "Wake up." Anna gasped as sweat dripped down her temples. She glanced over and saw Blazer's concerned expression. The nearby power cell painted their faces in an orange hue. "It was just a bad dream," he said. "You're safe."
Anna forced a smile and sat back against her cushion. "You sound so sure."
"I have to be," he affirmed. "I couldn't protect Master Savil, but I'll be damned if I can't safeguard you."
"I've seen and felt some horrible things, sergeant." Anna uttered. "Those effects still find their way into my dreams. And elsewhere."
"The electricity," Blazer mentioned from earlier and Anna nodded.
"I don't know if there's anything you can do for me," she admitted. "Do clones even get nightmares?"
Her question had Blazer leaning back into his sleeping bag. "Yeah," he confessed. "I know for me it's-" The sergeant swallowed hard as if recalling every painful detail. "Always the same one. I don't even know why I have those thoughts."
Anna's brows furrowed with intrigue and she rolled over. "What happens?" she asked.
"I'm with my brothers," Blazer recounted. "We've got our helmets on and are blasting away. There's so much fighting but it's not a normal battle. I'm filled with this endless hatred for whatever I'm shooting at. I don't have to kill it...I need to. My brothers are dying around me as I'm shooting for my life. I'm desperate to kill someone so hated...yet familiar to me. I almost feel guilty, but I'm just following orders."
"Do you ever see who you're trying to kill?" Anna inquired.
Blazer bit his lip and shook his head. "No," he said. "I usually wake up by then." He let the grim thoughts pass through him and focused on Anna. "I'll tell you what," Blazer suggested. "Why don't I stay up until you get back to sleep? It'll be like I'm watching over you."
Anna noted his tired eyes but accepted his gesture. She rolled back over and attempted to sleep again. As she did so, she noticed Mattias was also awake. Her master sat up across from them and examined the cap they'd found. His eyes moved to the power cell nearest to him and an idea spurred in within. Blazer and Anna watched as Mattias crept out of the room.
Using the power cell as a makeshift lantern, Mattias wandered throughout the cruiser's expansive corridors. The cold, abandoned darkness was as surreal as it was eerie. Vacuous spaces emerged from all sides as Mattias approached the command bridge. While the Hammerhead's crew had long departed, Mattias imagined what the fully-operational bridge might've been like. He replaced the icy tomb surrounding the viewport with the vast void of space. "What happened to you?" Mattias asked aloud and ran a hand across the chilled dashboard. Determined to find answers, Mattias withdrew an extension link from his power cell and watched it magnetize to the dashboard. While it wouldn't be enough to power the ship, Mattias hoped his effort could get at least recover a data module. His eyes widened when a secured section hummed. He set the power cell down and watched energy pulse into the old data. Mattias was caught off guard when a holoprojector beamed towards him. He stepped back and watched a teal-hued, flickering figure materialize.
The ancient audio synthesized and crackled through the projector. A uniformed individual came into view and Mattias observed his determined, yet tired gaze. A pair of rebellious strands swayed from his otherwise neatly combed hair. The scruffy-faced man looked as though he was recording a personal journal. "This is Admiral Carth Onasi of the Republic," he stated. "If anyone's listening to this, we've either succeeded...or it's probably too late."
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter! It is my honor and pleasure to entertain you all. I'm so excited to hit the midway point in Season 2 next week and want to thank you for your support. The mysteries are only deepening in "Season 2: Dark Force Rising!" I'll see you next week as both Jedi and clones discover a secret thousands of years in the making! But can they trust each other along the way? Only time will tell next time on "The Frozen Force"!
Long Live Imagination and May the Force be with You,
~Michael