What's up, Readers?!

Hope everyone is doing splendidly. My apologies for the delayed post/update. I should be posting Monday, Wednesday, Friday from here on out.

Enjoy!

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Chapter Seven

He looked quickly around the room, finding nothing that could help them. No other exits. "Collapse the tunnel," he said. Kyra reacted without hesitation, made several cuts into the support structure of the tunnel ceiling, and then using the force, brought it all down, sealing them off in the underground facility.

Kyra backed away from her handiwork, and then glanced at Aedan, "I'm just going to assume you meant for me to close off our only exit out of here."

Aedan was walking along the outer wall of the room, putting his hand up against the duracrete, testing for weak points. "We just needed some time," he said, stopping in front of one section of the wall. "This will have to do." He took off his pack, and brought out the explosives, setting one of the four devices on the floor.

"Master, won't that one explosive will still obliterate all of this."

"Not if we channel it outward," he said.

Kyra stared at him for a moment, and then realization came quickly. "We can do that?"

He nodded, "Yes, like an extended force push, just focus on applying pressure, and pushing the explosion outward."

Fear marked her face, "Master, I can't do that. I've never even tried anything like that before."

"I'll help guide you because I definitely can't do this alone. And once you understand it, then you'll have to push it outward with everything you have."

"Aedan, there's no-"

He put his hand on her shoulder, "If you don't do this, we're both dead."

That quieted her vocal protest, but not the apprehension. "Trust me," he said, "Better yet, trust us."

He ignited his lightsaber and cut into the stone wall, creating an arched doorway. Using the force, he carefully pulled the stone door out, and set it off to the side. Now they faced a wall of dirt and roots and rocks. He armed the explosive and pushed it into the dirt.

He grabbed Kyra's hand, and they quickly moved a few meters away.

"Together?"

Kyra let out a breath, "Together," she said, and stood beside him. He opened up his mind, and let her inside, giving her somewhat of an idea on how to apply the right kind of force push.

Ready?

Ready

He hit the detonator switch.

Thirty seconds. Find your peace.

I already have

It took everything he had not to lose his concentration. There were no walls between them. No shields obstructing their thoughts. And he saw what her peace was.

It was him.

She showed him, let him see her memories. From the very first time he had said to her, "Find your peace," she had always pictured him. Initially, it was just because he was so calm and so patient and so strong. But then it became more than that. Much more. And nothing she had ever been prepared for. But there was no denying the validity of it. The strength of it. She found her peace in him.

He was dumbfounded, and only the sound of the timer counting down from ten seconds jarred him back into focus.

They both gathered every ounce, every particle, of the force that they could, both saying a wordless prayer, and just as the timer hit zero, they shot their hands forward and wrapped the near-blinding explosion in the force and thrust it outward. The exertion was monstrous, and while Aedan lead them through the charge, it was too much for him, and he sank to a knee. Kyra, while staggered and battered by the explosion's energy, was still okay. She had seen how Aedan had created a funnel with the force and was still exerting her will on the explosion, propelling the devastating blast outward and upward, through the wall, through the earth, and finally up and into the air with a scream of exertion.

Aedan coughed, and struggled to his feet, as there was a loud rumbling around them. "It's all coming down," he yelled, "Move!" And they both sprinted out the massive hole in the ground that they just created. The moment they stepped into daylight they were met with a hail of blasterfire. Dozens of the Ig-105 magnaguards were surrounding them, and swiftly moving in, their shoulder mounted blasters firing at will. However, the proton charges blast cut through a swath of them, giving the Jedi a clear path outward.

"Do not stop moving," he said, his lightsaber a blur as he deflected incoming fire.

"Roger that, but where do we go?" she asked, as she herself deflected fire.

Aedan force pushed one droid away as it leapt within striking distance. They could not afford to fight close quarters with so many of them able to fire from a distance. "Up the mountain. We'll need the high ground."

The detonation had created a slice through the circular perimeter that the magnaguards had set up, and they were now outside of that circle, sprinting up the mountain, and trying to create as much distance as possible, all the while defending against wave after wave of blasterfire.

Their parries were dropping droids consistently, but the numbers were against them, and they were fanning out, once again creating difficult angles for the Jedi. Now that so many were within firing range, Aedan and Kyra had to move backwards up the mountain. Running up it would leave them undefended, and they'd be shot down within moments.

Still the Jedi's rebounded blasts were landing home and dropping the enemy. Aedan could not help but marvel at Kyra's accuracy and precision. Rarely did her deflections not hit a target, and she was focusing all her deflections towards the outsides of the droids flanking maneuvers. Both flanks that is. Aedan was defending everything that came from their left side, while Kyra's responsibility was the right, but she was sending blaster bolts back all the way to the left as well, halting their enemies flanking maneuver one droid at a time.

Aedan was skilled with a saber, and wouldn't let any shots through, but no way could he have that kind of perception and coordination. She was redirecting fire without even looking at the droid she was deflecting it back at! And she hardly ever missed.

He could feel the force within her, she was tapped into that unbelievably massive reservoir once again. He chanced a quick glance over, and saw her shimmering blue eyes. He just shook his head and fought on.

Then the droids stopping firing.

What?

They stopped firing, but continued moving forward. Oh, you sly bastards. Without the Jedi returning the laser fire, that had no means of ranged attacks. The droids gained precious ground. Aedan reacted quickly and began reaching out with the force, picking up handfuls of droids in the front, and then slamming them down or smashing them into other droids. But he could only do that to so many at a time, and wouldn't be able to keep that up, because it was too taxing.

Kyra, on the other hand preferred a different tactic, and unholstered her DC-15S pistol, and began firing with expert precision, dropping droid after droid that got too close. Even with both strategies, little by little the encroaching droid perimeter shrank and the magnaguards were getting closer.

Ok, put everything you have into a hundred meter charge up the hill, we need to create some distance.

After you, Master

Now

And they both surged up the mountain with a force-enhanced sprint. The droids opened fire, but their processors couldn't keep up with impossible speed. The moment the two Jedi stopped, Aedan took out the other three proton charges and, using the force, spread them out in a line thirty meters in front of them.

"Oh," Kyra said, in between gasps, "You're leaving them a present."

"Indeed, a rather flashy one."

Kyra inclined her head, "Really? That's the best you can do?"

Aedan shrugged, "Don't have time for anything better," he said, and then brought up his saber just as the blaster fire continued and they both began backing up the mountain, which proved difficult enough as they had terrain was becoming increasingly rocky and dense with brush and bushes and trees. Kyra wielded her saber in her left hand, and her blaster in the right, and Force if Aedan couldn't believe it, she was getting better at it. She was scoring more hits, and deflecting with more accuracy.

Then he saw her fire and deflect simultaneously.

What in the Force?

The droids were on top of the charges, and Aedan hit the detonator. The explosion shook the mountainside, and dozens of droids were blown to pieces. Debris rained down on the battlefield, and huge number of the opposing force was taken out, but there was still many, many more. But the blast did give the Jedi another opportunity to make another force-enhanced dash up the mountain.

They made it up another hundred meters where there were huge shattered boulders all over the place, providing excellent coverage. However, they were running out of room as the top of the mountain was nearing, and Aedan was tiring. He still had a lot left in the tank, but his conditioning and endurance were not limitless like Kyra's appeared to be. But he would fight until his last breath, of that he was sure. As long as she made it.

Kyra turned towards him, her electric blue eyes looking him up and down, assessing him. "Again. Don't even think about not making it home. Do you understand me?" she said adamantly, "None of that 'As long as you make it back nonsense.'"

Aedan held up his hand in a placating gesture, "Okay, okay. Got it." What, could she see through shields now? Or did she just know me all too well.

The magnaguards once again came within range and instead of opening fire, the entire company charged forwards, catching both Jedi off guard. Previously, the enemy had been cautious and calculating, but now there was a reckless push forward.

"Kriff," Aedan cursed, and tried to force push as many as he could away, while Kyra increased her rate of fire with her blaster pistol. Another dash to the top of the hill and down the other side was out of the question. The abundance of rock formations, while provided great cover, would make a run for it near impossible. And once they made it down the other side, the droids would then have the superior elevated firing position. They had definitely thinned the herd, but for the first time, the two Jedi were in serious trouble.

Within moments, the first group of three magnaguards came within saber range, and Aedan became a blur, parrying, slicing, and cutting through durasteel torsos and heads. As soon as Aedan's three opponenets were downed, four more took their place, and he spun through them, not only dodging electrostaff strikes, but blasterfire from droids further away, as well as the same droids that were attacking him up close. He was deep into the force now, managing all the varied attacks was not impossible, but he knew this was not something he could keep up for an extended period of time.

While Aedan battled on, he was acutely aware of Kyra, who had leapt onto a big boulder that was right above where Aedan was engaged in melee combat, and fired ceaselessly into the oncoming horde. He sensed something from her that he had only felt a few times before. The power she was tapping into was growing. He took a quick peek at her, and saw her eyes were completely blue spheres, that seemed to be leaking power from them. The air was crackling and sparking around her as she was drawing outrageous amounts of force energy and unleashing it in a multitude of ways. First, she was scoring a direct hit with every parried blaster bolt, second, she was firing her blaster without fail, and dropping magnaguards with headshots, third, and most notably, she was lifting droids up and throwing them into their own kind.

The air around her was shimmering in blue, and then she did something even more extraordinary. She began picking up rocks the size of Kath hounds and hurling them at the oncoming enemy. Aedan was so tempted to just watch this incredible display of coordination, control, and power. What is she?

Two more magnaguards approached and spun a complex attack in unison, once again trying to overwhelm the master swordsman, but he countered their attacks swiftly, rolled forward between them, slicing one's legs off at the knee, then coming around and up slicing through the other's arms, and finishing off both with downward thrusts.

A heavy barrage of blasterfire assaulted him and he was forced to roll away. He looked up and realized all of the attacking droids focus was now on him. He felt Kyra double her efforts to take out the attackers, but there was far too many firing at him. Not only were these droids absolutely lethal in skill and armament, but they were able to change tactics. And their new tactic was to take the weaker Jedi out of the equation. And that just so happened to be him.

He backed up into cover, between rocks to cut off some angles, but they kept relocating, and blasterfire kept coming. Soon the barrage was overwhelming him, and that's when two magnaguards leaped at him to finish him off. He was able to slice one in half before it ever hit the ground. He quickly brought his blade back up to parry the wave of laser fire, stepped back again behind cover, giving him a slight reprieve from the ranged attacks. Enough time to deal with this second magnaguard who swung his staff around in wide loop at Aedan. He moved closer and cut through the right hand of the magnaguard, Aedan turned his blade to slice through the droids exposed head, but as he did the droid brought his sheared off forearm back, and then thrust it forward just as Aedan was slicing. He had neutralized the weapon, but not the threat.

The now sharpened, cauterized forearm stabbed upward just under Aedan's left armpit, sinking deep. Aedan felt his breath leave him in a huff, and his legs buckle. That's when the pain hit, and Aedan tried to scream in agony, but he had no air to force out. The stab had pierced his lung. He had just enough consciousness left to focus on that same magnaguard aim his shoulder blasters at Aedan.

"Master!" Kyra screamed, and the droid was obliterated with a force push. She leapt down from the rock, parrying the blasterfire that was now aimed at her downed master.

She stood above him, fully alight with force energy, so much so that it was coming off of her in luminescent whisps. The amount of force she was channeling through her body was so great that it was turning her skin to an electrified hue, like it was pushing at her skin, trying to get out.

Well, as far as last sights go, it doesn't get any better than this.

"Aedan," she yelled, "Get up. I can't do this without you."

"You're going to have to," Aedan rasped, his breath escaping him.

Aedan watched as she screamed again, but this time the scream was converted into energy that radiated outward, not unlike one of her massive force pushes.

Sweet Satele Shan, mother of krayt dragons. She just converted her desperation into sheer power. The blast bought her a few seconds. Kyra kneeled down and put her hand on Aedan's chest.

A jolt of pure energy shot through him. He was up on his feet in an instant. "What did you just do?"

"Gave you a healthy dose of force energy," she said in mid swing, "Now get moving, it will only last a few minutes."

Aedan could feel his wound wasn't healed, but the pain, and lack of one functioning lung, was blunted by the rush he was experiencing now. He sank back into the force, and recommenced parrying blasterfire. Aedan was stunned to see there was only ten droids left. The two of them made short work of the remaining magnaguards. As the last droid dropped, so did Aedan. He collapsed to one knee. "Get out of here," Aedan said, "There's probably more on the way."

"I. Am. Not. Leaving. You," she said.

Aedan's breath was coming in short gasps, a ragged, wheezing sound emanating from him. Kyra reached down and pulled him off the ground, causing him to let out a groan of pain. She put one of his arms over her shoulders, supporting a lot of his weight, and began carrying him up to the top of the mountain. They just made it to the top when a blaster bolt tore right through the back of Kyra's left shoulder, causing her to arch her back, and screamed up at the sky. She toppled forward, bringing them both down to the ground.

She let out a groan, "Didn't see that one coming, did I."

Aedan "Kyra," Aedan said, "you have to go."

Kyra was on her knees, struggling to find breath. Struggling to hold it together. Aedan contemplated ending his own existence. Kyra immediately looked over and slapped him across the face. "I'll kill you myself, if you think that again," she said.

Aedan couldn't help but laugh, but then winced with pain. "That'd be somewhat counterproductive, wouldn't it?"

"You not making it off this rock with me is counterproductive," she said, "So let's get moving." She peaked over the boulder that was concealing them and saw another twenty to thirty droids approaching from far below.

"Anymore proton charges or grenades?" she asked.

Aedan shook his head. Kyra looked around them, surveying their surroundings, and seeing if she had anything to work with. She put her head down and slapped the boulder in front of her. That slap seemed to trigger an idea, as she sized it up, and then began sizing the other rocks and boulders nearby. A smile formed on her lips. "You know what I'm thinking?" she said, grinning like she had just eaten pancakes.

"No, Kyra, unlike you, I can't read your thoughts when your shields are up," Aedan said.

"This is the Forge all over again."

Realization dawned on Aedan, "Have at it."

Kyra dropped to one knee, closed her eyes, bowed her head, and was deep into the force. That much Aedan could sense. She no longer had to reach for it, sink into it, or ask of it. She was perpetually and pervasively imbued with the celestial energy field.

The boulder in front of them began shaking. Then all the large pieces of rock, particularly the spherical ones, began to quake. She stood up and casually moved her open hands forward and it seemed like the entire mountain peak was now rumbling down the mountainside.

Aedan looked down below, now that his view was unobstructed, and saw the magnaguards that were approaching abruptly stop in their tracks as the landslide was coming right for them. It was intriguing to see that some tried leaping over the boulders or sidestepping, while others turned and fled. Whatever they chose, the falling rocks smashed most of them to pieces.

"Alright, Master," Kyra said, wearily, "Time to go."

Aedan nodded, and slowly got to his feet, and then his wound took its toll, and he dropped back down, his breath coming rasps.

"Aedan," Kyra yelled, and rushed to his side. She put her hands on his chest. "You're experiencing pneumothorax."

Aedan rasped out, "Great, thanks, Doc."

"Your chest cavity is filling with air, causing your lung to collapse."

"I thought something felt a bit-" he grimaced, unable to finish the quip. He tried to stay cool, but the pressure and the pain were just too much. He was dying. Slowly.

Kyra pulled off her own pack. Unzipped it. Rummaged for a half second. Then pulled out a syringe. She snapped through the back end of it off. With her left hand she probed along Aedan's left side, feeling his ribs, and muttering to herself, "Second intercostal..." Then she plunged the syringe into the space she just located between his second and third ribs. A rush of air escaped through the open-ended syringe, and Aedan felt the pressure in his chest diminish.

After twenty seconds, he was able to let out a sigh. That's when Kyra stood up, unholstered her pistol, and fire off four successive shots. On the fifth pull of the trigger, there was a click. She was out of battery.

A laser blast zipped through the air. He watched as Kyra flinched to the side, but not fast enough, the red energy ray searing her across the cheek. One hand went to her face, while the other reached out and casually waved to the side. The droid was demolished in a wave of force energy.

"Ouch," she said. Then she surveyed the mountainside, seeking anymore threats.

She nodded down toward Aedan, as if to say, "We made it." He noticed the scorch mark on her cheek, a red streak on her perfect face. Other than that, she was unharmed. Aedan sighed in relief, and then all turned black.

Kyra watched Aedan collapse. She quickly reached out with the force and saw that he was still breathing. She scanned the area, and found that no threats were present. She had to take care of that wound immediately. While he could breathe better now, that was a dangerous injury.

Prior to today she would have thought that healing broken ribs was one thing, and that this was totally different.

But now she knew the truth. She was...truth. The force was with her. With her more than ever, and it seemed to stay that way. She still wasn't even remotely tired. It seemed with every breath she was breathing in the Force. Breathing in energy and power. So, she didn't slow down or fatigue. And when she felt that her human body was failing, the muscles or tendons being damaged by the overuse, she just called on the now ever-present force, and healed them.

Goodness, Yoda was right. We are luminous beings.

She knelt next to her passed out Master, and began removing his tunic, stripping him of all the fabrics until he was just in his black undershorts. Kyra couldn't help but stare at Aedan's physique, cheeks getting warm.

She shook her head and focused on the task at hand. The wound caused her breath to catch. Dark red blood dripped from it. Blood loss at this point wasn't a dire threat, but eventually it would be. Having one functioning lung, that was the main issue, and that's what she was going to fix.

She closed her eyes and reached out with the force. She could see the puncture through the force, see the tear in the flesh, but also the force particles in the wound, around the wound, and outside the wound.

She could see the Force.

She began to plead with the particles. Were these midi-chlorians? These particles didn't seem to be microscopic life-forms. They as individuals didn't have their own will, but they were very responsive. Almost eager to respond. She didn't know what to make of them.

With a pure heart she merely asked for help in repairing her master's wound. Her friend's wound. No, the wound of the man she loved. They seemed to work extra hard at that admission. She watched as the tear in the lung was slowly pulled back together and repaired. Then the pleural cavity wall. Then the muscles. And then finally the skin.

While she was at it, she went ahead and healed the two blaster wounds as well. "Guess I might as well fix my own," she muttered out loud. But found she had no wounds to heal. The blaster shot to her shoulder was already repaired, and the streak just under her cheek bone was now just a scar.

She shook her head, nearly disbelieving all that she had just done. In the past three years she had seen glimpses of the magnitude of power that she could wield, starting with that first encounter with Sa'kard on Obredaan. Then continuing on Tython, Gromas, and Geonosis. And throughout the war she continued to get stronger.

But what she did today was beyond anything she could have imagined. She wondered if there would be a toll to pay. If her fatigue would somehow catch up to her. Or if she could keep this level of connection and purveyance up indefinitely. She had no idea. Right now, she just wanted to get Aedan back to the Guile and off this planet.

She easily hoisted him up over her shoulder, and walked down the mountain. Her plan was to get to the bottom, then loop around towards their speeders, skirting King Ommin's Stronghold, and finally getting back to their ship. But before blasting away from the planet, Kyra decided to take a chance and pick up a few of the downed magnaguards. It only took a few minutes, the hardest part was finding ones that weren't completely obliterated, and their CPUs still intact. With the three disabled droids in the cargo hold, she blasted off, away from Onderon and back to Coruscant.