If there was a sight of pure dread to be found on this side of the galaxy, you only need to look to Faro. Many insurgent soldiers, from the Twi'Leks and Mirialans to the Humans and Mimbianese, looked up in terror at two AT-ATs chasing them. Over a hundred soldiers, scattered and unorganized, run for the long windy bridge that climbs up to the formidable entrance of the fortress. Several are blasted away along the way, either from AT-ATs or the hundreds of TK troopers around the giant's metal feet. Leading the herd of insurgents were Isval and Eliash, helping carry wounded insurgents.
"Is this all that's left in this sector?" Eliash asked while firing her blaster.
"All that we could save," Isval said, allowing herself a moment of melancholy before toughing up and leading the troops to the bridge, helping cover fire along with Eliash and two squads. Such attempts were fruitless, even against the horde of imperial troopers behind them. Without any special or heavy armory, their ranks will be entirely blown to bits by the two AT-ATs. Eliash and Isval dashed as fast as they could, but as the sounds of their laser cannons charged up, both winced up, fully expecting to be incinerated by the AT-ATs.
Eliash figured it wasn't the worst death; it was faster and painless.
Then, there was a loud mechanical grind rather than the sound of cannon fire. The two glance back, though it is tough to see through the rain and smoke; they glimpse the AT-ATs' front cannons to see they are stuck mid-firing. Isval quickly chalked up to the guns being jammed, but Eliash heard those turrets rattling like an invisible power was holding them.
"Everyone, now's our chance!" Eliash ordered with renewed confidence.
"Right, squads continue providing covering fire," Isval said before Eliash cuts in.
"No, that'll slow you guys down. Just run."
"But what about covering our escape?"
Eliash smiled back, "The Jedi got our backs."
Isval was too distracted getting her squad out of there to see what Eliash was discussing. Standing on top of one of the AT-AT large bodies was F using the Force to stop the turret mechanisms from firing. Sweat trickles down her brow; such a feat after an intense duel was taxing to the young Jedi, but seeing Eliash and others run to safety was worth it.
"Why aren't they firing?!" F hears from below. The imperial companies below notice F's little trick.
"The Jedi?!"
"How'd they sneak past our lines?"
"Doesn't matter once they're dead! E company, open fire!"
The accuracy of their shots put F in a precarious situation. After a stray bolt burns through her black cloak, she determines another way to cover the insurgent's escape. Her stretched-out palms begin to clench, and a crunch of metal is heard. F could practically feel the weight of the metal in her hands as she concentrated on crushing the heavy cannons to make them useless.
Even as such a task cause F to fall on one knee, all while enemy fire is hurled dangerously close, the Jedi refuses to stop. It'd be easier to stop now and let some of these insurgents get killed, but being a Jedi means not taking the quick and easy path.
Besides, one look at the battlefield shows F that war has taken too many lives today. "No more," F vowed, "no one else will die today."
"I can help with that," a voice rings from F's mask. Her eyes glance to the side and spot a headhunter fighter flying to her position. "My squadron is expecting me in that fortress soon, so I only got one shot at this, commander."
"I trust you," F grunts, "just scatter these troopers."
A loud boom erupts as Verlaine activates his engine thrusters, speeding toward F's position. Dozens of Imperials begin to scatter as Verlaine fires his guns into thier ranks. As per F's request, the shots wound several troopers and caused the rest to fall back.
F does quick work at those AT-ATs weapons, and with a clenching of her fingers, the fangs of these mechanical monsters are shattered. F brandishes her lightsaber and slides down the AT-AT she's on by cutting through the sides and legs, slowing her descent enough to land safely and dash for the entrance. Verlaines swirls above, avoiding incoming TIE fighters before getting to safety within the base's shields.
F already sees the ray shield gate ahead, along with Eliash and Ivy encouraging her to make it. Dodging any stray shot from the troopers and TIEs, F runs to the exit as fast as possible. Heavy plasma fire from a TIE narrowly misses F as she leaps forward, landing within the base entrance with the TIE readjusting its sights at the three.
"Close it!" Ivy orders.
Eliash smashes the button, activating the ray shield. The shield absorbed the TIE's next shots, and the base's anti-air turrets forced it to retreat.
"Yeah, kriff off!" Ivy shouts at the TIE as Eliash pulls out a scanner to check F's condition.
"Several flesh wounds and a fractured rib," Eliash reports after the handheld device flashes yellows and reds. "How the hell you kept fighting is beyond me."
As their adrenaline begins to ward off, F winces, "I get that a lot."
"I can imagine," Eliash said, lifting F with Ivy's help and carrying her to the infirmary. Along the way, F sees hundreds of insurgents' faces. They were all tired. Scared. Wanting a way out of this dire situation.
Among those faces was Red. He was carrying Jye's body after getting quickly patched up. While he left to bury his brother, Frost was dragged to a prison cell. Both brothers couldn't look at each other in the eyes.
Episode 17: Journey to the Unknown
Red. A deep, crimson red reflected F's eyes as she lay in one of the infirmary beds, its sole occupant. The wounded were evacuated long ago. When F gazes at the foundations slowly crumbling beneath the barrage of imperial cannons and bombs, she sighs in relief most were far from here. Looking down at the fallen Inquisitor's lightsaber in her hands, F examines its peculiar design and unique functions. F has studied many ancient lightsaber designs under Valco's and Hitoshi's tutelages, yet this design was unlike anything she had seen before.
It was very technical, containing a rotary mechanism within its large hand guard. However, it also felt cumbersome and manufactured, like it held no reflection of its user but was instead built to be replaceable. Recalling the recent vision and awful training for inquisitors further confirms to F that these dark agents weren't Sith and never would be. In the eyes of their emperor, they were all expendable. Sitting on this, F frowns in pity at these tortured souls.
If these inquisitors were anything like Aelia, then F hoped to do better, to call to the light within them. She's not naïve, knowing she must fight for her life once these inquisitors inevitably find her again. Still, as a Jedi, F feels she must at least try. Hitoshi once told her that even in the deepest darkness, a person's light can never truly be extinguished.
She finds hope in those words. It was always comforting to them as a child during those lonely nights.
Brushing her fingers on the saber's rough metal handle, cold air rippled down her hands. The echo of its former wielder's fear, pain, and anger emits strongly from the weapon. The source was the red glow glistering beneath a crack of the weapon's circular cross guard, a bled kyber crystal. F's hand steadily rises and, with a gentle pull of the Force, opens the crack to pull the red kyber to the palm of her hand.
Tossing the saber away, F examines the kyber, her senses spiking in sensitivity from the kyber's aura. Staring right at it, she couldn't help but sense it was staring back. She almost couldn't look away as her pupils reflected the crimson glow. She had never held a red kyber in her hands before; it almost demanded her attention. To her senses, it felt like it was sending gentle whispers, trying to entice her with its dark power.
Its power had no cling on her fortitude, and F clenches her fists, shutting away the kyber's enchantment. She shuts her eyes, and its glow dies out, returning to a dim red. She senses a presence approaching; it is Ivy.
"F. You holding up?" the woman asked.
"Yeah," F sighed and stood up, "I'm wondering what to do with this and if our emergency escape plan will work."
"Saw got it covered. We'd had to ditch all the heavy weaponry we had left, but," Ivy shrugs, "this galaxy ain't short on weapons." She then eyes the corrupted kyber with disdain, "Why not just smash the damn thing already?"
"Because this crystal belonged to a Jedi once, she deserves to be remembered that way. Not as this…thing."
Ivy crosses her arms, "So you're just going to pretend she didn't slaughter people out there."
"Never," F retorts, "That was unforgivable, truly. I also can't ignore how she became so twisted; if you saw what I saw. She was a dark agent and victim of the Empire. A victim who ended her service on her terms."
Ivy's eyebrows raise in surprise, "Wait, you mean she…?" When F nodded, Ivy could only say, "Oh…shit."
Another boom rocks the room; time is of the essence. F pockets the kyber and stands tall, "is the team's ships ready?"
"Almost. Citrus Squad is loading its fuel reserves, and the Alderaanian medical personnel is safe in the underground bunkers. I hope the Empire returns them home with no strings attached."
"They won't harm them. The Empire still has to keep up appearances to the core worlds. How's Red holding up?"
"Hasn't said a word since we've returned."
"And Jye?" F asks more solemnly.
Ivy puts her hands on her waist, trying to maintain composure, "I already loaded him to Tantive II . We promised him years ago that if he ever died, we would scatter his ashes to the waters of Kamino."
"And Frost?"
"Down in one of the holding's cells. Anto threaten to throw away the sodding key, but Red refuses and is the only other person on watch."
F strokes the chin of her mask, pondering before walking past Ivy. "I'm going down there."
"No, you need to load up in your fighter. I'll get Red out of there and- "
"I'm not going just to get Red," F declared. "I made myself clear. I'm getting everyone out of here."
Ivy clenches her hand, "I…doubt Frost would agree."
"I have to do something," F reaffirmed before heading for the turbo lift, "help Eliash finish preparation. When I return, I'm returning with both your brothers, Ivy."
"Good luck," Ivy said before F headed straight down. Another blast from enemy cannons bursts open infirmary walls, kicking up dust and smoke. Ivy grabs her rifle before returning to the hangars, "please hurry."
/-/-/-/-/-/-/
F races through the tall empty halls, spotting a sign pointing to the cell blocks. Even this far below, F could hear the faint booms of the Imperials. Her senses warn that doom is almost upon them. She reaches the thick cell block door, opening it with the Force to the room where the guard captain would usually be posted. To the right was the guard box; sitting inside with his hands to his face was Red.
Looking down, F noticed bandages beneath his body armor, wrapped around his abdomen where he was stabbed. He was sitting down. His body slumped forward and utterly grief-stricken—no better place to sit on these thoughts alone than a place like this.
F spots the comms button on her end, pressing it to speak to him directly, "Red… I'm so sorry about Jye."
Red said nothing back; he turned his back and remained gloomy.
F presses the button again, saying, "I right there, Red. I didn't just see him die; I felt it." She shuts her eyes, and that moment seared into her memories. "I felt the undaunting certainty of his final act. He knew his fate in that split moment and accepted it. I sensed his soul was at peace… when he was gone."
Red shifted his hands to where they only covered his mouth but sat still.
F lets out a shaky sigh, opening her eyes and saying, "he did that not just to save me…but Frost too."
Red raises his head, turning it slightly back with his brows raised.
"I sensed fear when he saw what Frost raised his blaster. Fear for me, you, and Frost. Maybe he saw it as my death by Frost's hands would mean he'd never be your brother again." F glances up at Red and says, "he saw Frost as a brother too, right to the end."
Red lowers his head, wiping his cheeks with his wrist. He presses the button on his end, saying, "I never asked…how many patients he lost until after the war," Red said, "He always had a quiet side to him…it wasn't until I finally asked that I realized why. He never stopped thinking about those he couldn't save."
Red turns entirely towards F. "To the end, he didn't want to lose another brother. Yeah… that's the Jye I know," he said somberly.
F nods solemnly, then an echo of a distant boom can faintly be heard. "Red," she said more seriously, "I'm getting us out of here. All of us."
Red jaw clenches, and F can sense how conflicted he feels. He grunts as he stands up, grasping his wound while limping out of the guard box. He faces her directly with the keys in hand. "I resented several evil men these past few years…but never have I felt disgusted like I do to Frost."
"I know," F says in understanding.
He looks past F and to the door to the cells. "After everything he did to you and me, you expect me to let him go easy?"
"No… it's not at all up to you to do any forgiving. It's up to Frost to decide what his path is now."
Red looks away from the door, but only for a minute. He walks past F and uses the keys to enter the block. "Make it quick; ain't got much time left."
The two soon approach Frost's cell, a ray shield confining him to a cramped cell. Frost was sitting down, bandages covering half his face, hiding his disfigurement. F's gaze catches the amputated left forearm, now bandaged with Frost's right hand gripping it. All his augmentations suddenly felt feeble, borderline useless. It quickly sets in for Frost that he's still a fragile human being. His eyes were distant, his mind far away until the presence of F and Red pulled it back.
Frost locks eyes at the keys, which F swipes from Red's hand. "So, you didn't destroy the key…," he said, dejected. "Why aren't you halfway across the galaxy by now?"
F kneels to his eye level and tells him straight, "We're giving you one last chance. Stay here, or come with us."
"Back to Alderaan? Back to a tribunal?"
"Alderaan's justice system focuses on rehabilitation, not punishment. Yes, you'll serve time but receive vital help throughout it. You'll be given that chance if you show you're committed to changing, to redeeming yourself."
Frost shakes his head, "you Jedi are unbelievably naïve,"
"There's nothing naïve about seeing the potential to do good in others."
Frost looks up to Red, pointing to F as he asks, "You're allowing them to do this?"
"Frost. Shut your trap this one time and listen to them," Red said, not looking at him the whole time.
Frost flinches from his risen voice. He stares at the keys, asking F, "If I said yes, what makes you think I won't try to ruin your escape?"
"That's entirely up to you, Frost, not me," she responded, patting her lightsaber, "I'll do what I can to get Red and me out of here." Frost shifts back, not answering. F stands up, her senses warning that the enemy is practically above them. She raises her voice, "Frost, your very life is on the line here. At least allow yourself the agency to choose now."
"Enough with your Jedi crap," Frost shouts back. "Why are you even trying? To make yourself feel good? I hold information on you that the Empire can use, yet you're willing to let me go anyway. I'd thought you more than anyone would know when to make the tough decision."
"Giving you this chance is hard because ending a life is easier than saving one. Many people would rather take that easy way, but I won't," F retorted. "Frost, countless mistakes were made since the clone wars began. We can't stay stuck in it…but we shouldn't kill the past either,"
Frost flinches and notice Red shifting while glancing at him.
F faintly brushes her mask, "The war hurted you; the entire galaxy was. You're letting that pain control you, making you afraid."
"Of what?"
"Being forgotten…that all that pain was meaningless," F said, "I know that feeling. It allowed fear to overtake me at times. Those sleepless nights were scared and alone, unsure of where to go next. Utterly lost."
Frost is frozen. Uncertainty is written all over his eyes. He asks her one last question, "Tell me this: Why do you keep going?"
Months ago, in the streets of Aradia, F wouldn't be sure what their answer would be, not confidently. She would doubt her ability to live up to that purpose, and that feeling lingered. However, that was the past; she had a new goal in mind and answered firmly, "Because…I have to keep going; otherwise, who will?"
Frost was silent, listening carefully as F continued. "I don't know what's out there for me, but I'll face it than do nothing."
Frost looks aside, slumping his back against the wall. "You're a good person, F… I'm not," he said before shutting his mouth, seemingly firm on his decisions.
Then, Red spoke, "Frost…grow up." He pounds his fist on the wall, glaring at Frost, "Are you seriously considering wallowing in this hole?! The Frost I knew wouldn't be such a coward in the face of severity. After everything you did, I ain't letting you go out so easily. You'll own up for your actions one way or the other."
Both F and Frost look surprised by Red's outburst. He then takes the keys and deactivates the ray shield. "So go face the firing squad by the Empire or spend the rest of your days repenting for your crimes. Either way, I never want to see your face ever again."
Then, total darkness briefly falls over the cell block. Quickly, a distant hum is heard as the emergency power flickers on, and the trio looks up.
"Must've destroyed the generators," F said.
"Then we go up by foot," Red said, donning his helmet and staggering to the entrance, blaster in his hand.
"You can barely run. Let me take the lead," F said; a voice shouted behind them before approaching the main staircase.
"Wait!" Frost stood in the middle of the hall, letting out a heavy sigh before making his choice. "If they are following the plan, then the Empire is funneling troops through the west gate, not the main entrance. Following the main path of those stairs will lead you straight to them. Let's take the right path instead."
Red didn't say a word and kept his blaster closed. F gestures to the stairs, "Lead the way," she says, lightsaber in hand with her guard up.
While following Frost, F helped Red limp his way up the staircase. With his wounds, Frost wasn't much faster either, but his augmentations helped him endure the struggle, and soon they reached the main floor. A terrifying boom shakes the base when they do. F uses the Force to open the doors. The lights of the open-air hallway dim as the last of the emergency power begins to die out.
Red leans against the wall to catch his breath, his wound taking a toll on him.
"I can sense them more clearly," F informed them, "a lot seems to be around the western barracks."
"Then we make a turn going east. The attack prong should be weakest there, so fewer numbers."
F points to an oval-shaped tunnel to their right as she slings her arm around Red to help him jog. "Just a bit further, my friend," she said encouragingly as they moved out.
As they entered the grey and chrome tunnel, its ramp angled upward to the hangar level. Another explosion nearly knocks the group off its feet. Pieces of the ceiling and cables fall out around them.
[ Read! Where are you two?! ] Eliash's voice is heard over their comms before dying out.
"They're jamming us," Red groans as they try to keep pace.
F helped him move one step at a time as she shut her eyes. They stretched her senses until she sensed Ivy and Eliash's presence. "We're almost there. Prepare for take-off," she whispered, her words echoing across the Force, hopeful they would hear and understand her message.
Frost runs ahead, signaling to them there's a fork in the road. Before F could tell him left is straight to the hangars, a plasma bolt is fired and nearly hits them. Both Red and F looked back to see seven TK troopers had reached them, slipping under F's notice when she focused on communing with the others.
Red and Frost cling to opposite ends of the walls for cover while F deflects incoming shots from the approaching enemies with several carbines and two rotary guns. Her senses alert her of more danger, this time Frost shouting, "More from ahead!" F glances back to see over two dozen troopers pouring in from the left tunnel. Time was of the essence, and the Empire was swarming the base quicker than they thought.
"F!" Red shouts, "we'll handle these guys; clear the path ahead!" F nods and dashes ahead, her guard up and ready.
Red struggled to keep his aim steady as he returned fire from the rear squad. His wound couldn't be more of a hindrance than it is now. His left arm clenched his lower armor because any attempt to use both arms to fire only aggravates his pain. Red fires a short burst, wounding one trooper in the leg. The overwhelming barrage forced him to return to cover. The incoming plasma bolts were so numerous that the metal began to burn bright Red.
"Give me a pistol," Frost shouts across the hall, hiding behind the cover opposite him. Frost pointed to the blaster pistol on his holster. "Come on, hurry!"
Red ignored him, trying to get a shot out, and was nearly struck in the chest.
"Red, you're hurt; you can't-"
"Shut up!"
The troopers began to advance, and F was nowhere to be seen. Pinned down, Red had only one option.
"No time to argue, Red! Give me the blaster!" Then, hesitantly, Red unholsters and tosses the blaster to Frost. He catches it and quickly lands a headshot at one of the troopers.
Red and Frost share a look, remembering the several times it was just them two against overwhelming odds. "Remember, Muunilist?" Red asks.
"Yeah. Six troopers, two with heavy weaponry."
"Switch to Formation twenty-two, go!" With this command, both clones sprang out of cover and charged back at the troopers. Frost used his remaining left arm to steady his blaster's aim as he fired deadly accurate shots. Red hip fired, lowering the accuracy of his shots, but with Frost's aid, he didn't need pinpoint accuracy. Both clones were totally in sync, fighting as one and wiping out four of the six. For that moment, it was as if they were shinies again going through thier early training programs on Kaminio.
Red catches one of the troopers whipping out a grenade. He eyes Frost, who silently understands what Red wants. Frost takes a breath, firing and blasting the grenade in the trooper's hand, decimating the remaining soldiers.
Red gets to sigh before Frost warns, "More's coming!"
He saw it, a platoon's worth of reinforcements charging after them. "Retreat!" Red said, stepping back when a mighty rumble shook the hall.
"Another explosion?" Frost asks.
"No," Red said, "this is stronger."
The ceiling of the hall cracks open, the large earth above pouring out. The section between them and the reinforcements completely collapses in a large plum of dust. The clones cough and see the passage is now completely blocked.
"Woah," Frost says before noticing F was close behind them, her arms stretched forward. All the bombings have weakened many parts of the fortress, including the very earth above this hall. Thus, when F cleared the path and returned, she used the Force to shift the rocks just enough to cause a collapse.
"Come on!" she ordered, and the trio ran as fast as they could, running over the dozen troopers wounded or unconscious by F's hands.
To much relief, they reached the hangar grounds to find three ships remaining: the Tantive II , Saw's personal ship, and F's Z-95.
"You're alive!" Eliash cheered from the ramp of Tantive II.
"Prepare take-off!" F ordered hurriedly, shutting the massive doors behind them, sensing the enemy closing in.
"Couldn't have said sooner myself," Saw said, ordering his guard inside his ship as its engines lit up. Eliash gave the order to the Tantive's pilot, and the engines ignited.
"Where is everyone else?" Red asks.
"They all left. We're the last to leave," Ivy informed, running up to hug her brother in relief at his safety. She let go upon seeing Frost behind him, a look of fatigue and shame across his face. Ivy eyes the blaster in his hand, and unease settles in. Frost moves, and Ivy instinctively reaches for her blaster, but then Frost tosses his to her feet before extending his wrist.
Red grabs his pistol and gestures to Ivy. She nods, walking behind Frost and pointing her blaster to his back, "You are under arrest and will face justice under Alderaan's law. Got anything to say, brother?"
"I'm…sorry," was all he said, and he willingly walked to the Tantive to face justice and begin an arduous but new road in his life.
F senses the enemy coming and runs up to Saw as this last soldier boards his ship. "I'll provide cover," she told him, "Just get to hyperspace quickly."
He nods and extends his hand, "Thank you, Jedi. I hope we cross paths again."
F takes his hand, "Good luck, Gerrera. May the Force be with you," she said with a firm handshake. Gerrera smiles quickly before running into his ship, the ramp closing behind him.
F looks to Red, and Ivy looks back at her across the hangar. A boom from the other side of the door meant they had to leave now. Thus, words will have to suffice.
"Please, take care of yourselves," F said.
"We will," Ivy replied, "we hope you find what you're looking for out there."
Red raises his hand, giving a small wave. "May the Force be with you, F," he said.
F waves back, "And to you, my friends."
They look at each other until the next boom occurs. Red and Ivy reluctantly dash to their ship, quickly shutting the ramp behind them.
F sadly looks on, "I hate goodbyes," she whispers. A soft beep below catches her attention, Rei tugging at her robe to comfort her.
F smiles, nodding in thanks. "Alright, let's get off here, Rei!" F runs after her ship with Red on her back. A nudge with the Force opens the canopy. F leaps up high into the air and elegantly lands in her seat, activating engines with a button push. Saw's ship and the Tantive live off and fly out of the hangar; F follows closely behind.
TIEs quickly tries to intercept them, but F returns fire and keeps swatting them away as they reach the atmosphere. They met with an Imperial star destroyer that suddenly popped out of hyperspace. F senses a powerful presence inside that ship, a dark one.
Not allowing herself to be distracted, she follows the others' lead and dodges the destroyer's turrets. The others fly under its hull while F flies over to remove two TIEs trying to outflank them. According to the plan, the Empire focused mainly on her, allowing the two ships time to prepare for their escapes. F allows herself one last glance at the ships before they jump into hyperspace, finally safe.
F sighed in relief, "I did it," she whispered. She quickly spins her ship, avoiding enemy fire.
"Beep-bloop?"
"Don't worry. My master informed me of one place where we can lay low for a while," F said, entering the coordinates and getting out of range before punching it.
F's starfighter vanishes, escaping the clutches of the Empire once more.
Inside the Star Destroyer, its captain nervously sighs. "Sorry, my lord. Our late arrival was all my fault."
Stepping forward, Darth Vader stares into space, where that elusive Jedi once was. He would punish the captain, usually, but his mind was focused on the presence he felt inside that starfighter.
"Their power," he said in his mechanical voice, "I felt it before…in the temple."
The captain is confused, "But I thought no Jedi escaped."
"As did I," Vader said, holding his hands behind his back before returning to his chambers. The urgent report was correct; the Inquisitor had failed.
"From the Inquisitor's failure...a stronger warrior lives on…interesting," he said. The Sith Lord takes note of this for himself and only himself.
A/N: Heeeey, I'm back! Sorry for the extra long wait time between chapters. I hit a bit of a slump and got worried about how to end this properly. I also locked the fic for a while to registered users only because of a scare that AI was copying my work. However, I'll open it back up along with my other fics.
Anyway, that finishes Volume I of my fic! Woo-hoo! I'll release one short epilogue tomorrow before moving to the next Volume!
Also, I haven't said this here yet, but I saw Star Wars Visions Season 2 and thought it was incredible! In many ways, it was better than season 1, which is crazy because I had some pretty high expectations, yet it was able to surpass that. I hope more Vision material is released, mainly printed media like Manga that continues stories like The Village Bride. As fun, as it is to write about F, I would love to see F's story officially continue.