Escape
Jaune Arc stood at a bar. The Ithorian bartender slid a glass of water his way. Jaune caught it and brought the glass to his lips, the cool liquid flooding down his throat and quenching his thirst.
He wore a dirty white vest, with a gray shirt underneath. The vests had yellow accents but had grown dull with time. Leaving his clothing color very faded and almost unnoticeable.
His lightsaber sat high on his back underneath the vest. Far out of reach, and out of sight. What was in sight, however, was the blaster on his hip. An RSKF-44 blaster was currently holstered, and anyone who knew anything about blasters could see that it was well-kept and maintained. Jaune himself had 'borrowed' it from a rich senator who had tried shooting him with it. The blaster was white with golden embellishments, very pretty looking but also very expensive. Jaune had held onto it as it had served him well in the past.
Jaune drank the rest of the water and placed the glass onto the countertop. Taking out a single credit, he layed it next to the glass before turning to leave. The Ithonian took the credit and resumed cleaning another cup.
Jaune walked up to the door, it sensed the motion and the once quiet dark bar was flooded with light as the doors slid open. He took a step out into the dusty air. The surface of Abafar was not pleasant, mostly flat dry lands creating some insanely powerful wind gusts. Civilizations had to be carved out of the ground to reduce the risk of being destroyed.
Jaune looked up, the atmosphere of the planet made a weird orange sky that seemed to go on forever. The only thing that looked more unnatural than the solid orange sky was the star destroyer floating above the city.
Jaune gritted his teeth. Berating himself internally. 'I thought I had more time!' He said, walking quickly away from the bar.
He needed to meet with his 'associates' so they could quickly get off this planet. His associates were smugglers simply trying to make due in the galaxy. Jaune wouldn't call them friends by any means, but they at least had a ship he could travel in, and a steady stream of credits as pay.
He rounded a corner and saw Lob-Zon the leader of their particular gang of misfits… talking to stormtroopers.
Jaune was spotted easily, with Lob-Zon turning and pointing at him. Jaune swore under his breath and turned to walk back the way he came. The stormtroopers caught up fast, however, and he could hear the blasters being primed.
"Halt Jedi! You are under arrest!" The stormtrooper said he and his partner both had their blasters pointed at his back. Jaune slowly raised his hands.
'Well, I guess my cover's blown.' Jaune thought sarcastically. Before whipping around and force-pushing the two stormtroopers off their feet. They landed with a grunt, and Jaune took off running.
He slid around the corner, keeping low to the ground as more stormtroopers spotted him. They opened fire, but Jaune was moving too quickly and the shots went wide. He drew his blaster out of its holster and shot twice, two flashes of plasma and the stormtroopers fell.
Jaune kept moving, scaling several crates so he could get above his pursuers. Now jumping from rooftop to rooftop, he spotted a ship in sight. His heart raced at the escape option.
However, as Jaune leaped from one rooftop to the next, a particularly strong gust of wind knocked him off balance and he fell back into the alleyway.
Groaning, he placed a hand on the dusty ground. Rubbing the back of his head, he slowly stood. At the end of the alleyway, a figure in black stood. She wore a black helmet with a single red visor. She held a lightsaber with a circular design and the imperial symbol on both of her arms.
A crimson blade emerged from the hilt, and the second sister began steadily walking toward Jaune.
He drew his blaster and shot at her twice. Two energy bolts flew at her, but she swung her lightsaber, perfectly deflecting the two shots back at Jaune.
He rolled, the two shots barely missing him and scorching the ground where they struck.
"Pitiful. Where is your honor, Jedi? Where is your lightsaber?" The Second sister said, her voice filtering through her helmet.
Jaune hesitated for a moment but holstered his blaster. Reaching behind his back, he grabbed his lightsaber. Bringing it forward, he pressed the button to activate it.
A brilliant blue blade extended. His hilt was sleek metal with a straight receiver, and the grip was leather, with the switch being a yellow button. Jaune held the lightsaber across his body in a defensive position.
He began slowly inching himself back and whipped his head to check his surroundings. His heart plummeted when he saw another inquisitor approach from the other side.
Jaune spun his head back and forth, seeing both inquisitors waiting for him at either end of the alley. Above, he heard a ship approaching. A LAAT patrol ship floated overhead, angling itself so it could point the canons directly at the Jedi.
"Alright," Jaune said. Seeing no other option, Jaune powered off his lightsaber. Kneeling on the ground, he placed the weapon in front of him. Taking his blaster out of his holster, he set it next to the lightsaber.
"I surrender."
…
Jaune sat restrained in the troop transport ship. Stuncuffs kept his arms from moving very far, and he was forced to kneel at the end of the ship. They most likely had a cage prepared, or a repurposed cell for Jedi until they got wherever they were going.
He had heard some horror stories from fellow survivors. Of Jedi being captured by the Empire and taken to the inquisitor's base. Where they were tortured, turned into inquisitors to hunt their kind, or worse. Whether they were rumors or not, Jaune and no intention of finding out.
Jaune steadied his breath, focusing on his surroundings. Feeling the flow of the force around him. They had taken his weapons, but they were in reach. Had he just reached out, he could pull his lightsaber and freed himself from these restraints.
Among the normal stormtroopers sitting in their seats, a squad of purge troopers also sat at the ready. Their weapons powered on, and each one stared at him intently.
The ship shook slightly as it was caught by the star destroyer's tractor beam, pulling the troop transport inside. The ship came to an abrupt stop as it touched down in the hangar bay.
The stormtroopers stood, with Jaune still kneeling. One purge trooper with an electro-staff jabbed his weapon into Jaune's side. Jaune yelled slightly as electricity shocked his system.
"On your feet, Jedi." The purge trooper said. Jaune complied and rose to his feet. He was forcefully spun so that he forced the opening bay door.
As it opened Jaune was greeted with a disheartening sight. Both inquisitors stood waiting, each having a battalion of stormtroopers behind them.
"Welcome to our humble home Jedi." The Ninth sister said, her deep voice on the verge of snarky laughter.
"All this special treatment for me?" Jaune said, trying to keep his spirits up with jokes.
"Keep that up and I'll chuck you out the airlock myself." The Ninth sister said, leading Jaune and the purge troopers away from the hangar.
Once they reached the hallway, however, a holoprojector on the Second sister's belt made a noise. Both of the inquisitors glanced at each other, and Jaune swore he saw a flash of fear on Ninth sister's face.
"Take the Jedi to the holding cell, we have a business to take care of first." The Second sister ordered, and the lead purge trooper nodded in agreement.
The purge trooper wielding a rifle shoved him from behind, and he kept walking forward. But with a glance backward, Jaune watched as the Second sister activated the holoprojector, a man in dark armor and a helmet appeared, his arms crossed.
The doors closed, and Jaune lost sight of the two inquisitors. He proceeded through the stale colorless hallways, the only noise reaching his ears was the sound of the purge trooper's boots hitting the floor.
Eventually, they reached the holding cell. Jaune concentrated and unleashed a blast of force downwards toward the ground. The purge troopers were pushed back, two of them hitting the wall hard.
The purge trooper with a rifle recovered the fastest and lined up a shot with Jaune. His rifle fired and Jaune spun, angling his restraints so the blaster bolt shot the stun cuffs. The machine was disabled, and Jaune was free.
He force-pulled his lightsaber off the purge trooper's belt. Powering it on, he blocked the next blaster bolt. It bounced back directly into the purge troopers helmet. Before turning into a swing at the electro-staff purge trooper, the two weapons met and were locked together as the two combatants refused to give.
Jaune noticed his blaster on the purge trooper's hip. Force-pulling it into his hand, he pointed the RSKF-44 under the purge trooper's helmet and fired.
The purge trooper fell, and the other two grabbed their weapons. With another force push, Jaune launched them in the opposite direction of the way he was going, buying him time as he sprinted in the opposite direction.
Jaune was thinking quickly, he needed an escape route. The hangar would be his best bet, he could find a ship and make his way out. How he would be able to get into a ship without it being destroyed, he would figure that out later.
Sprinting down the halls, Jaune looked wildly for any sign of where he was going. Imperial star destroyers were very different from the Vernator class star destroyers than what he was used to. Those ships had signs at least.
He backtracked, making his way back to where he came from. But when the next door opened, he was met with a squad of stormtroopers. They were stunned to see him and were knocked on their backs by the Force before they could draw their weapons.
Jaune kept running. 'Yes! Finally!' He thought internally as the hallways became vaguely familiar. His hopes were dashed as the sound of a large person running towards him began to pick up.
His senses kicked in, and he dropped to the ground. The Ninth sister stabbed directly where he just was. Seeing that she missed, she attempted to stomp the Jedi with her mechanical foot. Jaune rolled and concentrated the force once again. Instead of pushing the Ninth sister though, he instead pushed himself away from the inquisitor, sliding far out of her lightsaber reach.
Sliding to his feet, Jaune saw that she purposefully didn't give chase. Knowing that she blocked access to the hangar. They were herding him, and he knew it.
As he sprinted past another hallway. He glanced to his right, and his attention was instantly drawn.
Escape pods.
It was a risk. But better than being stabbed by a lightsaber. If they were still over Abafar, Jaune could find a ship on the surface and slip out of the Empire's grasp once again.
He reached the escape pod control room and fiddled with the controls until one of the pods opened. He ran inside, and his heart fell.
Looking out the viewing port, the light blue glow of hyperspace met him. He was trapped.
Spinning around, he saw the Second sister. She slowly walked towards Jaune, her lightsaber drawn and powered on. They both knew that he was trapped.
His eyes flicked between the inquisitor and the viewing port. Weighing the options in his mind. Take on the entire force of a star destroyer, or take his chances with hyperspace inside an escape pod.
Jaune steeled his mind, and his fist slammed down on the launch button.
"I'll take my chances." He said, watching the Second sister as the port closed. He watched as she retracted her lightsaber.
It confused him for a moment, but he realized that she didn't expect him to survive. He didn't expect himself to survive either.
He took a seat, strapping himself in as the escape pod powered on. He closed his eyes and felt the escape pod launch.
The gravity field of the star destroyer was immediately lost. And the inertia Jaune felt was at extreme levels. The side of his face was pressed against the seat as the pod spun faster and faster.
If not for the restraints, Jaune would have been flattened against the wall. Even as time went on, Jaune felt the skin of his body being pulled, as if he was somehow speeding up.
Jaune began to scream.
…
Above the world with a broken moon.
A grey shape flew through space, moving at speeds thought to be impossible. It passed into the atmosphere, the pod heating up as it entered the planet slowing it in the process.
A red blur passed above the sky, as the pod shot toward the surface below. The programming that survived powered on, and autopilot kicked on. Using limited fuel, the pod attempted to stabilize itself. Trying to make sure that its passenger didn't die from the landing.
The pod slammed into the ground, digging up dirt as it slid across the surface. Eventually coming to a stop.
The pod depowered. And the back hatch began to slowly open. After a few minutes, the occupant walked out, his balance terrible as he wobbled from one leg to the other.
Once reaching the green grass, Jaune Arc collapsed. Catching himself on all fours.
Then Jaune threw up.