Chapter 29
The Hunter
The long month of peace and quiet and general inactivity on Dantooine had clearly done no favors for Bastila. Although she and Canderous had been running without pause for several minutes on Anchorhead's outer-perimeter wall, she cursed herself for having indulged too much in the tranquility and comfort of Dantooine, neglecting her own personal training in favor of looking after Kael's progress with Elena. Her feet, once nimble and ever so durable, now felt like stone bricks, and the joints in her arms and legs were definitely not what they used to be before, already feeling the strains kicking in.
Thoughts of her mother and father were pushed into the furthest back corner of her mind, and part of her cursed at Mission for being so reckless by chasing after her blasted 'Squishy'. As meager, petty and straightforward the idea of dealing with Exchange grunts seemed, her nasty experience with the Black Vulkars of Taris had taught Bastila a valuable lesson when it came to avoiding underestimating her foes.
"The hell's the matter with you? Keep up front!" Canderous grunted beneath his breath as he overtook her for what was the third time in two minutes, despite mutually agreeing with her beforehand that she would take the lead and he would be backup fire. His bayonet, almost as long as a man's forearm, glistened brightly against the light shining down from the three moons of Tatooine.
"Sorry," Bastila whispered sharply, inwardly rebuking herself for having let her skills wane ever since setting foot again on Dantooine.
"Fuck that and keep on running, dammit!" Canderous grunted, disregarding the apology. "Or do I have to carry you, little princess?"
"Just stay quiet and keep your eyes open! Mission's signal isn't far away now!"
Canderous simply grumbled inaudibly from behind, and whether it was because he was being made to follow the orders of a Jedi, or that he was unable to test Varku's old armor in battle, Bastila couldn't know. Calming her mind in order to avert her attention away from the throbbing of her calves, Bastila glanced down at the map on her datapad. Mission's green signal dot was now just a few hundred meters away, and the fact that the signal hadn't been extinguished gave her hope.
Hope, provided that Mission was indeed still alive.
Thirteen years of being with Elena and Revan was enough for Bastila to overcome the shackles that were the teachings of the Order regarding emotions that were drummed into her mind for so many years before coming under the two Jedi Knights' tutelage and care. Rather than hinder her foresight or sense of caution, her strong desire to save Mission gave her the strength to go on despite the burning of her lungs and the chronic pain in her legs.
Deep down, Bastila was terrified of the thought of losing Mission, the one who had so adorably begun a habit of calling her 'sis' with that big smile that was enough to brighten her days even when she was glumly reminiscing about her past life as a family with Revan and Elena that was destroyed because of this stupid war. Whenever she looked upon Mission, Zaalbar, Audrey and Carth when they were together, it reminded her of all that she had lost, save for the fact that Audrey was three times the mother Helena ever was. Her father was now surely dead, and she would never get back on good terms with her mother. The last thing she would allow was to leave Mission to die at the tender age of fourteen and not experience the family life that she herself would now never get to have another taste of.
Wait just a while longer, Mission, Bastila thought, glancing rightward at the faraway building located in the approximate position of the young child's signal. Just a bit longer, and we'll get you out of—
"Heads up!" Canderous roared, and a split-second later, Bastila felt a violent tugging at her arm before she went flying backwards and landed with a thud on her stomach. So much for emotions giving her heightened instincts for caution…
Shaking herself back to her senses, she peered up to see Canderous quickly slam his fingers against his personal energy shield belt. Naturally she looked when her ears were alerted to a small, spherical object that ticked with a high-pitch static noise that seemed to grow more extreme as time went by. At once she buried her face into the floor, her hands wrapped over her head as she braced for impact. Canderous shifted himself quickly so that he was in a half-kneeling position just a few feet in front of Bastila, completely shielding her from the outreach of the grenade's blast.
Two seconds later, Bastila felt her ears go deaf. All she could feel was the unspeakable pain in her temple as she rolled about, unable to even hear herself as she screamed at the top of her lungs. But miraculously, she felt no other pain, no searing agony like she expected to in her limbs which were unscathed with neither burns nor pieces of shrapnel embedded in it.
Canderous, on the other hand, was another story.
Caught in the eye of the blast of the grenade, he was sent flying back far behind Bastila, and could be seen lying motionless slumped against the side of the wall, his energy shield deactivated and the belt completely trashed in a heap beside him. Faint grunts could be heard from the Mandalorian, indicating that he was still alive, much to Bastila's relief. The lack of any noticeable wounds on him, save for the scratches and bleeding gashes on his arms from being thrown several feet on the stone surface, gave Bastila a hint that the grenade was not designed to kill, but rather incapacitate.
Wait…a grenade made to incapacitate, rather than kill…
Thrown at me…
That…that could only mean…
"Well, well, well," a snide voice came from within a small watch tower that was located at a right turn. "Looks like we meet again, miss Shan…"
"Y-you…," Bastila cursed through gritted teeth at the man whose voice she could now just barely hear. She slowly rose to her feet, lightsaber in hand and ready to face the goggled man who emerged from the shadows of the tower.
"Been a long time since I had a real high-profile target. I see you've escaped Taris in one piece, instead of being left in bloody pieces like the rest of 'em." Despite facing a Jedi with what was surely just blasters and grenades, Calo Nord's face displayed not the slightest hint of anxiety. Astoundingly, he even seemed to smirk at Bastila, unfazed by her combat-ready stance.
"Bloody pieces is what you will be, Calo Nord, unless you get out of my way!" Bastila glared, doing her best to instil some degree of fear in the bounty hunter's heart, or at the very least conceal the fact that she was petrified herself. Lightsaber and Force powers or not, Calo Nord's reputation preceded him – a reputation that included some Jedi kills under his belt.
"Hah. There's much more where that came from, sweetheart," he mocked, adjusting the settings on his dual pistols. "Luckily for you, my client wants you alive, hence the non-lethal grenade. If Canderous here was all alone, he might not have been so lucky." He pointed his right pistol to the still-dazed Canderous who was now barely moving, his limbs close to non-responsive after enduring the pulsing energy blast that would've left any ordinary man in a week-long coma.
"Enough! This ends now!" Bastila shouted, taking advantage of an unexpectedly early attack and sending a wave of Force Push directly at Nord. The intensity of her assault far greater than she imagined, Bastila winced and looked down as she felt the recoil ripple through her body. Feeling certain that her attack left Nord wide open for an attack with her lightsaber, she looked up and activated both yellow blades of her double lightsaber, primed and ready for the charge.
"Think again, girl," Calo chuckled. By the Force! He had not even budged a single foot from his position. Instead, blue shimmering energy seemed to envelop his front, the surface of what was a Force-absorbing energy shield of Sith design shining brilliantly in Bastila's view.
Then, all hell broke loose.
Out of the barrels of Calo's blaster pistols emerged any Jedi's worst enemy when confronted by a blaster-wielding opponent – stun rays. Concentrated rings of energy glowing deep blue and brimming with electrical currents flew at her at a frightening speed. Knowing all too well by Elena's grim recount of what happened to her in the Lower City of Taris, Bastila didn't even make an effort to deflect the ring of energy with her lightsaber, instead opting to dive out of the way, stumbling awkwardly over her own ankle.
Without the slightest hint of mercy in his eyes, Calo continued to fire, dead set on carrying out his mission for the Dark Lord. Bastila was now helpless, lying on her back on the ground as she struggled to sit upright in anticipation for the first ring of energy that was hurtling towards her face. Her instincts taking over, her right hand jolted upwards even without her mind being conscious of it. She squinted hard just as the ring was about to make contact with her, waiting for the darkness and pain to overtake her.
Except it never did. To her amazement, her hand emitted radiant energy with a bluish hue, and all the blasts from Calo's pistols seemed to gather in a bunch together, forming a great ball of massed energy.
Finally! She smiled in amazement. Finally, I've done it! The practice of Force Deflection and Force Absorb were two of the most looked-over powers among the Jedi Order, the consequence of decades of lulled peace and silence due to the lengthy absence of the Sith. Few could truly master it apart from the Masters and few of the greatest Knights, but here she was, skilfully wielding it as if it were done by natural instinct.
Thank you, Revan, she breathed a sigh of relief, thinking back to the days of her youth when her mentor would instruct her in the technique for hours on end. This was quite possibly your best lesson for me yet.
"You should have surrendered when you had the chance, Calo Nord," Bastila declared, lifting her hand and the ball of pulsing energy, brimming with confidence after finally grasping the Force power that had given her migraines in her earlier years. She aimed just in front of Calo's feet, intent on blowing him off the wall and to his death into the streets below. "This ends now."
The bounty hunter had a stunned look on his face, his teeth gritting with fear and frustration as he stared in awe at the object he knew he couldn't have a hope in hell of stopping once it was put in motion. Although Bastila despised the act of killing no matter how despicable or fallen her enemies were, this was no time or place for an act of mercy. Mission's life came before all else, and Calo was not about to stop her.
"Now begone!" she shouted, her hand beginning a downward swing as she prepared to unleash the wrath of Calo's own fire against him. The large ball of sparkling energy drowned out her frontal view when it came hurtling down. Calo Nord was truly finished for sure.
I finally did it, she beamed inwardly, thinking back to the long, grueling training Revan made her go through in order to heighten her powers so that she couldn't become easy prey for others again. Now all that's left is to rescue Mission, and—
"Aagh!" she cried, feeling her legs collapse from under her as her entire body suddenly lurched forward before being sent flying in a half-backflip. She landed awkwardly first on her elbows, scrambling to find her balance in vain before she turned further and crashed hard on her knees, fortunate enough to not roll or crack them as the ball of energy soared into the skies after slipping from her grasp.
What followed was what she was fortunate enough to avoid the first time around.
Overwhelming pain coursed through her body the instant Calo's stun rounds made contact, one after the other. Again…and again…and again. She lost all will to fight, utterly incapacitated and lying almost senseless on the floor, her lightsaber rolling out of her grasp.
What was worse was that she knew that through their tight bonds, Elena and Revan could most likely feel her agony as well. She was only spared from feeling Elena's gutwrenching pain during Revan's final Padawan trial in the crystal cave due to a conscious effort on Elena's part to shield her from the pain. If Revan and Elena were in the midst of combat when they felt her pain, the consequences could be dire indeed.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Nord clicked his tongue at the paralyzed Jedi. "Your Masters should've told you to keep up your guard at all times. Not much of a Jedi, are you?"
"How…how did you…," she murmured, her vision suddenly hazy and growing dark.
Without a word, Calo raised his right wrist before clicking on a concealed button on his forearm with his left hand. Out flew a fibrecord whip which twisted around Bastila's ankle before protracting violently, dragging her all the way until she was by his feet, staring right up at him.
"That answered your question," he said to her smugly before shooting a look at the still unresponsive Canderous. Seeing that the Mandalorian was out of the picture, he crouched down to Bastila's level and pulled out a single dart from under his wrist. The Jedi Knight's eyes widened in horror as she saw that the dart had attached to it a tube filled with fluid, no doubt an anesthetic agent designed to render her unconscious.
"S-stay away!" she mumbled, her lips being the only part of her body she could muster strength in.
"Just relax," Nord hushed her. "In a few moments, you'll be safe and sound…in Lord Malak's custody."
"L-Lord Malak?!"
"Heh, that's right," he chuckled. "It's a far better option, in my opinion. What, you really want to be in the hands of Xor, then?"
"…." Bastila kept her lips shut, the very thought of being that wretched man's slave making her indignant.
"As I thought," Calo cocked his head before slowly moving the saberdart closer and closer to the backside of Bastila's neck. "Now just relax…One small sting, and—gah!" he recoiled, his reflexes barely saving his life as a blaster bolt went flying into his right shoulder. His personal shield did nothing for him, due to being designed exclusively to protect him from Force-based attacks.
Slightly turning her head to see the source of the attack, Bastila saw a semi-recovered Canderous shooting furiously with his heavy repeating blaster pistol, a merciless scowl on his face. His shots, despite his dazed state, were aimed with perfect precision, flying into Calo's left shoulder and both his arms. Unable to respond to Canderous's attacks due to being preoccupied with Bastila, the resourceful bounty hunter quickly grabbed Bastila and shoved her towards Canderous, using the precious little time his manoeuvre bought him to leap off the wall and into a cloth-roofed market stall which softened his fall before collapsing under his weight, destroying all of its contents.
Feeling far too drained to even bother rolling over to look down the inner side of the wall to track the bounty hunter, Bastila lay flat on her back, panting deeply while her body struggled to recover. She could hear Canderous shuffling about and groaning, and he managed to get back up on his feet and walk over to her, his silhouette looming over her frail figure.
"You alright to keep moving?" he asked gruffly, holding his giant repeating blaster and standing upright, almost as if he was never hit by the grenade that should have taken the wind right out of him.
"I…I…," she murmured, so weak that she couldn't even speak properly.
"That wasn't really a question," he replied. "More of an imperative. You have to keep moving, whether you like it or not. Can you stand?"
Obviously not. The only thing Bastila could do was slightly bend her knee. Running like she did just moments before was out of the question.
"Figures. Come on," Canderous sighed as he picked her up and placed her on his back. With what little strength she had, Bastila crossed her arms over Canderous's collarbone and her legs around his torso in a piggyback, allowing him to keep his arms free to use his weapon.
"Calo…," she whispered to Canderous who proceeded in a medium jog, drawing his attention to the threat that was now unseen in the darkness.
"He won't be back," Canderous answered. "I've known Calo for a long time while under Davik's service. He picks on people who are unawares and keeps away from those on high alert. Standard hunter mentality."
"But…eventually he'll—"
"That's not our problem right now. Our problem right now is saving that little squirt that got us into this mess."
And he was right. Bastila knew from personal experience how terrifying it was to be in the custody of gangsters and criminals as a young teenage girl, from the half-day of hell she had to go through on Corellia when she was just thirteen. She always wondered how Revan and Elena felt while they were desperately searching for her, and now she knew. But despite her desperation to find Mission, she was now worse than helpless herself, and had now become a burden to Canderous instead of his support.
By the Force, she sighed, tears falling as she shut her eyes tightly. Please, let this bloody night end…
-o-
The face of the former Dark Lord of the Sith displayed no emotion, not a hint of strain whatsoever, as he slashed the throat of an Exchange goon he had closed in on after effortlessly deflecting every blaster shot fired at him. A single round flew past his head from behind him, striking the temple of another gangster in front. Carth Onasi's reputation as one of the most skilled pilots in the Republic ranks was perhaps matched only by his skill with his dual blaster pistols, an asset that had been invaluable to the group ever since their first days on Taris.
Fighting alongside him was Elena, who opted for a more merciful approach, slicing the enemy's blaster pistol in two before using the Force to push him hard against a stone building, rendering him unconscious. Ever since their breakout from the Vulkar base, Kael had observed that Elena always made a conscious attempt to avoid killing no matter how despicable her enemies were. Due to it being clearly not the time to ask questions, Kael assumed from a conversation he had with Bastila on Dantooine that just like her old Padawan, Elena held deep convictions regarding the needless taking of lives.
The wooden pendent around her neck dangled and jolted up and down in the air as she fought, piquing Kael's interest in it again, as well as raising more questions about Elena's past with Revan. Even with her confession that she held feelings for him, Kael knew that it was a sensitive topic that had to be carefully waded into, and that all would be revealed in due course.
After his enemy fell by his blade, Kael quickly deactivated his lightsaber, as did Elena. Despite the sheer noise that the fighting produced, moving from place to place required stealth, especially given the fact that more Exchange personnel would soon be on their way.
"Are you two alright?" Kael asked, looking over his shoulder at the two of them.
"Still alive and kicking over here," Carth said.
"I'm unhurt. How about you? Are you fine?" Elena walked closer to him and inquired.
Hearing that Elena showed sincere care for him warmed his heart, thawing it a little in the midst of being fearful for Mission's safety. "I am. Carth, how are the others going?"
The pilot pulled out his datapad from his pocket and took a quick glimpse of the device. "Audrey and Juhani are doing just fine. They've cleared the northwestern sections of Anchorhead and are racing eastwards towards Mission's location." His eyes then darted slightly to the left. "Canderous and Bastila are…."
"Are…? Are what, Carth?" Kael questioned, his breath suddenly growing thin and his heart plummeting a little after seeing Carth's silenced state.
"They're…they're gone," Carth whimpered. "Their signal's gone dark."
"That can't be true. Kael and I would've felt it through the Force if something happened to Bastila," Elena started to pant deeply, her hand held up against her forehead which suddenly began to pound with pain. "Show me," she said, pacing over to Carth and staring down at the datapad.
"I'm not kidding – they've gone dark!" Carth repeated, tapping the western wall section which the two of them should have been emitting a signal from. Sure enough, their datapads and transponders had lost all track of Canderous and Bastila, the only visible dots being those for Juhani and Audrey.
"Are you sure, Carth? I can still sense her myself. Are you sure it's not just the datapad going haywire?" Kael asked, quickly joining them in looking at the device.
"It's no use restarting it – T3 made sure that each and every one of our datapads are faultproof!" Carth said.
"No. She's not gone. She can't be," Elena shook her head, although the datapad began to cause doubt to creep into her mind. "That can't possibly be—gaah!" she dropped her lightsaber and clasped her head with both hands, leaving her completely vulnerable to attack along with Kael who similarly fell to his knees as a splitting headache engulfed them. Without warning, their vision went dark, and a hazy mirage began to take hold.
-o-
"He's dying," a soft, muffled female voice stated dimly from above, as two pairs of hands rested upon his chest which slowly rose and fell with every faint breath he took. His back felt like it was on fire, and he could feel several gaping wounds from which blood seeped out and dampened his cloak and robe. A foul taste occupied his mouth, and he coughed up more blood which fell down the sides of his face and wetted his hair.
"I know that!" another woman sobbed in frustration, and her voice was easily recognizable even though his ears were wracked and numb. "I know he's dying, and that's why you have to help me!"
He opened his eyes, his vision slowly clearing until he finally saw the face of Elena, tears falling from her eyes while her hands emitted glowing blue energy which seeped into his body. Her hair was an utter mess and the sides of her arms sported numerous cuts and tiny embedded pieces of transparisteel which she had not even bothered to remove. Looking beyond her figure, Kael saw that they were inside a chamber of a capital ship, the grey ceiling dark and the lights flickering weakly as their entire surroundings rocked and shook incessantly.
"There's no time! Malak will destroy this ship and all of us with it!" the second voice said, and Kael could barely register it as belonging to Bastila. "We have to get back to the hangar now, Elena!"
"Then go alone," Elena grunted, shooting her a fierce look over her shoulder. "The Republic needs you, but it doesn't need me. Right now, the one who needs me is my fiancé."
"But you'll never make it back!"
"I don't care. I'll die with him if I have to. I'm not going to leave him like this," Elena stated, letting it be known that there was no point in persuading her otherwise.
"E…Ele—" Kael struggled to speak, as his throat was half-filled with his own blood. He coughed up again, staining Elena's brown robes with dirty blotches.
"Ssh, it'll be alright – just look at me," Elena got down low and caressed his cheek with one hand while continuing her vain attempt to heal him with the other. "Just stay with me and don't close your eyes. You're going to make it. Just keep your eyes on me, Re—"
-o-
His eyes shooting open, Kael saw a silhouette looming over him, clouds of heated breath enveloping his face. He could make out a pair of tender grey eyes looking down on him, and he felt Elena's hand softly resting on top of his.
"Are you alright?" she whispered, squeezing his hand a little once she saw him regain consciousness.
"Yeah," he wheezed before he was helped back onto his feet. "Thanks, Elena."
"Another vision of the Force. You felt it, yes?" she asked.
"I…I saw it," he nodded, exchanging worried glances with her. With the Exchange being hot on their tail and Carth standing right beside them, this was definitely not the time for discussion.
"Guys, the mutual concern is nice and all, but we have to keep moving," Carth reminded them. "Now everything's worse because we have to track down Bastila and Canderous, so let's get back onto the search for Mission ASAP."
"They're alright."
"What?" Carth gasped, surprised by Elena's sudden and unexpected reply.
"I can still feel Bastila's presence, and she's just communicated with me through the Force. She's incapacitated, but safe."
"I swear, I'm never gonna understand this Force business. Ever," Carth muttered and shook his head before taking another look down at his datapad. "Uh-oh…"
Kael groaned, the frustrating starting to get to him as mishap followed mishap. "Carth…don't tell me…"
"We need to go. Now," Carth's voice began to display anxiety as he quickly put away his datapad. "Audrey and Juhani have stopped dead in their tracks. That can only mean that there's trouble ahead."
And he was right. Far off in the distance, not long after he spoke, the three of them could hear the hissing cracks of lightsabers igniting before combat was initiated. With Bastila incapacitated and exposing Canderous's position being out of the question, it fell to Kael, Elena and Carth to ensure that Audrey and Juhani didn't fail.
"Let's move," Kael concurred, and they began to run quietly through the alleyways of Anchorhead, taking the shortest route to the location of their friends. Of the three of them, Carth seemed the most eager of all to get to their destination, even going as far as to running in front of Kael and Elena instead of watching the rear and staying behind the two Jedi. Skilled as she was with a blade, Audrey couldn't hope to hold her own against a Dark Jedi who commanded the Force, especially if they exploited the fact that she was closed to the Force.
The memories of Telos were undoubtedly playing out in Carth's mind again, and he was certainly not in the mood for déjà vu by losing both Audrey and Mission in a single night. If the unthinkable happened, he would surely lose his mind and forever be unable to get over the loss of what could have become his new family.
"Watch out!" Kael called out, and Carth felt his feet being swept up from under him as Kael yanked the back of his jacket and pulled him backwards. So preoccupied with his thoughts, Carth completely neglected a red blaster bolt that narrowly missed his head. The two Jedi activated their lightsabers again, their matching blue blades facing opposite directions as their eyes scanned all four directions at the market intersection that rendered them a prime target for a surprise attack.
Breathing hard after the strenuous bout of running, Kael stared intently at the source of the blaster bolt, but to his frustration he could see nothing. Nothing but empty street stalls, run-down stone buildings and the gust of wind that blew past his face, sending sand and leaflets flying about.
"Kael?" Elena whispered, their backs making contact with each other. "Kael, we have to keep on moving."
"Whoever it is, they're over there. We can't just turn and run," Kael replied.
"We have no choice, Kael," Carth said, trying his best to keep his cool. "We have to get to Audrey and Juhani. Audrey won't hold up against Dark Jedi – you know that."
After a brief moment of deliberation, Kael spoke with a heavy heart. "Go on without me."
"No. I can't do that. I can't," Elena said sternly. The last time Revan parted her side by his own accord, he returned two whole years later, changed for the worst. No matter what happened, Elena wished to be by his side, fearful for his safety.
"I'll be alright. Trust me and go," Kael assured her with a gentle voice. He could feel her anguish and inner conflict through the Force as they turned to look on one another. Elena glanced down at his lips, her chest rising and falling with intense breaths. She clearly longed to kiss him, but couldn't due to Carth's presence.
Trapped in the moment, Kael remembered the boundless regret he once felt when the dark beasts of Dantooine's crystal cave were closing in on him. How he longed to tell Elena how he truly felt about her, and how much he came to appreciate and adore her during the time they spent together. His instincts told him that the foe he would face in the dark streets of Anchorhead was not the typical Exchange grunt, but an enemy that was far, far more dangerous. Dangerous enough to pose a risk of ending his life, thus preventing him from ever having the opportunity to be with Elena again.
Heartbroken, Elena dashed away with Carth trailing after her, leaving Kael alone to face the unseen danger alone. She didn't even take one look over her shoulder, fearing that she wouldn't be able to go on if she did.
Not wanting to repeat the near-fatal mistake of being negligent in investigating oddities that he incurred in the crystal cave, Kael advanced cautiously, checking each and every corner and opening for the slightest hint of life as he walked. Not a soul was to be seen, save for some street rats which were feasting on an overturned sack of rotten fruit lying on the side of the alleyway. His heartbeat grew faster the more he trudged, and his hands gripped tighter onto his lightsaber as he approached the end of the long corridor, coming to another intersection in which a large building cut off the street in the shape of a 'T'.
After taking a deep breath, he lunged into the intersection, swiftly turning left and right in order to anticipate attacks from either side. Eerily enough, there was not a single person around, despite the fact that the blaster shot was visible as clear as day when it flew past Carth's head.
Although a part of his head nagged at him to investigate further, Kael knew better. With Audrey and Juhani at risk, and Canderous and Bastila's position on the outer perimeter wall far from secure, there was no time to waste. He quickly turned and proceeded to run back the way he came, taking regular glances over his shoulder to ensure that he wasn't being followed.
Once he made certain that he was out of range of fire from any enemy who decided to sneak up on him from behind via the intersection he just abandoned, Kael turned all his attention back to rendezvousing with the rest of the crew who were involved in Mission's rescue. Intimidated by his pace, the rats quickly dispersed, one of them securing a small round fruit in its teeth before starting to scurry off in the opposite direction Kael came from, sticking far to the left.
Focusing his mind to dampen the sounds of the rats and to pick up any other noise in the background, Kael grimaced when he heard an odd noise that sounded like a combination of high-pitch screeches and ticking. He noticed that it was coming from the rat that was running in his direction, and therefore rested his mind, thinking that it was just the natural cries of the animal.
Except…
The sound was all too familiar. The ticking grew more intense and rapid, seeming to grow in volume at a rate that was far greater than what could be expected of the voice of an approaching rat. Suddenly, the piece of fruit in the rat's mouth lit up with a reddish light, causing Kael's heart to sink with fear.
Oh, sh—
With what little time he had left to spare, Kael hurled the rat away using the Force before leaping sideways and into a prone position, bracing his head with his arms. The spherical object flew out of its mouth, sailing ahead of its head before exploding violently, setting ablaze everything within a three meter radius. Kael wheezed and coughed, rolling sideways and away from the vicinity of the burning carnage.
Thanking his lucky stars, Kael was grateful to be left unscathed as a result of staying behind a market stall that was now beyond ruined. After extinguishing a stray fire that had lit a small portion of his robes, he scrambled back onto his feet, doing his best to fight the urge to shudder after knowing that his face had come into contact with the blubbery and charred flesh of the rat's exploded remains. All of a sudden he felt dazed and disoriented, unable to gain a proper grasp of his surroundings.
Then, he saw it. A figure that instantly struck fear into his heart the moment he caught a glimpse of it standing in the shadows, in the very intersection he was standing in moments before with Carth and Elena.
A pair of red eyes gleaming in the darkness, focused solely on him.
A/N: I still have more planned for Calo Nord, so I didn't want to kill him off just yet. Even while playing the game, I was disappointed that it was surprisingly easy to beat him, given his peerless reputation as a bounty hunter who should also have faced a couple of Jedi along the way. Still, Calo Nord's arsenal doesn't even begin to compare to that of HK-47. You'll get to see what he's truly capable of soon enough.
I'll also include more and more about Revan's backstory while the party's on Tatooine, especially once they head out to the Dune Sea. I have some OCs I'm itching to get to, as well as the Star Map quest.
Thanks for all your support so far, and I'll see you all in the next update!