Chapter Three
Var'ikan, Kaldarnian, 215 ABY
"Riko," Jade was barely aware of her own whisper. It was the first thought that entered her mind as she roused from her bed.
She heard a yowl and felt a form shift beside her, and Jade turned to feel a wet, slobbering mass on her cheek.
"Lulu, get off!" Jade said, half-annoyed, half-playfully. Lulu jumped back, a lump of white fur and skinfolds and fangs, with dark soulful eyes and undying energy, their mouth open as they panted eagerly and expectantly.
Jade quickly fidgeted out of her sleeping bag and moved to her feet, facing her companion. She quickly grabbed a container from her closet and opened it, retrieving a slab of stored meat from offworld.
"Aaaannnd…watch!" Jade commanded.
Lulu planted their feet and stared her down, facing her.
"Stand down!" Lulu immediately relaxed, staring at her eagerly.
Jade lowered herself to her knees and extended the meat slab. Lulu immediately devoured it. Jade began gently rubbing the six-legged canine's back, and then belly as the Strill rolled over.
"Who's a good Strill, who's a good Strill?" Jade asked warmly.
Lulu had been her pet Strill Hound and beloved friend since she had been little, a wild beast unsuited for the confines of the Imperial Palace. They had been separated for years once Jade had gone off to train as a Jedi – she had wanted Lulu to stay with Thalia, her mom, so she wouldn't be alone. A year ago, they had reunited on Coruscant. Now, they were truly inseparable, even after all that had happened.
Musing on that made Jade think of what she had whispered. She hadn't had any dreams, just a subconscious understanding that Riko was facing something bad. Turmoil, fear, confusion, shock.
Riko has the rest of his family, Jade told herself, He'll be okay.
This wasn't the first time she had thought this to herself, and it still didn't feel fully right. But Jade needed to be away, she needed to heal, and she had accepted that about herself. She wasn't ready to go back.
Jade had left him behind when she had gone away. He had offered to go with her, but he was committed to being a Jedi, and to his other friends and family, she couldn't take him away from that for her own sake.
The emotional and metaphysical bond that they had formed over the course of their relationship – a mental connection that almost transcended space and time – was still there, though it was harder to communicate when their lives were so distant. Jade had a vague sense of Riko when he was dealing with strong emotions…she had always done her best to tune him out, for both their sakes. She wasn't ready to go back to the Jedi, or the war, even if there was a part of her that wanted to.
She double-checked her chrono. 04:45. It was almost time to go to work.
"Come on, Lulu," Jade said, moving to her feet. She quickly went to the refresher, washed up, and checked her reflection in the mirror.
It wasn't too hard to blend in. She had discarded her verdant-themed Jedi apparel for regular civilian clothes. The winding canyon of dark burn tissue on her wrist – a scar left from a lightsaber – was always hidden behind gloves, her sleeve, or a wristband. Every month, she reapplied an ichor harvested from a Yuuzhan Vong Ukarh-Mi flower to her mahogany-brown hair, dyeing it a shade muddier and hiding her distinctive blond streak. Finally – and most importantly – she had mastered the art of Force concealment. It had taken months of practice, but she had learned to make herself all but invisible in the Force, training herself to hide within the ambient energy of the environment around her without even thinking about it. Without these things, it was easy to pass as a normal sixteen-year-old girl. Well, as normal as one who lived alone with her hound could be.
Yet, Jade could still see traces of her own scars. Asharr, her mother's death, her father's betrayal, Riko's absence…they all still remained. However, Jade was able to escape them here.
For most people, it was always quiet in Var'ikan. It was a small community, made up of buildings spread out across miles of wilderness. It was a blip, an insignificant town on Kaldarnian, a world the wider galaxy valued for its orbital deposits of durelliam, a valuable mineral which formed a crucial component of hyperdrives. Much of the planet's workforce would spend their workdays in orbit, mining the planet's asteroid belt for the mineral. Var'ikan was itself a small settlement on this industrious world, a waystop between the nearby city of Moren'nal and a durelliam refinery. It was a blip on planetary maps, just a note, sometimes not even mentioned on less detailed maps, a mere stop on a road to something grander and more important.
It was the perfect hiding place. It was remote and out of the way, insignificant and unlikely to draw attention of any serious kind. But when strategic options were left aside, it was simply a pleasant place. The town was surrounded by a vibrant jungle filled with countless diverse lifeforms and places that one could spend a lifetime exploring. The town had its share of kind and welcoming individuals, and it never lacked for opportunities for work.
Consortium space was far from a safe place to be, but she had initially had no other choice, having arrived as a destitute stowaway on a cargo transport. After three months living in Var'ikan without incident, Jade still kept a small holdout blaster hidden in her clothes, but she was starting to relax.
As the first rays of dawn started to brighten the night sky, Jade and Lulu left their room and walked out towards the rest of the ranch. They were watchful for any sign of movement. This was to keep an eye out for Omnists or bounty hunters or anyone else who might be hounding Jade, but now this safety measure had taken on a more pleasant tone which appealed to Jade's inner explorer. A leathery flutter in the distance meant that a flock of xriliks birds were returning to their nests after a night time hunt. Tiny patters on the dirt meant that tiny hormilo rodents were navigating the undergrowth.
Mornings on Var'ikan were always beautiful and iridescent, the sun's light vibrating off the planetary rings, bathing the sky in a variety of bejeweled hues that ranged from red to gold to purple. Jade found such moments to be beautiful and regal. These walks with Lulu reminded Jade of her childhood, sneaking out of the Imperial Palace and into the Coruscant undergrowth, leaving the city and her regal life for the freedom of the wilds...
Suddenly, the nearby bushes ruffled. Jade tensed, bracing herself to act.
A small six-legged Tyca Gecko sprinted into the road's clearing, its three-eyed head darting between Jade and Lulu. Jade's apprehension melted away and she couldn't help but smile at the meek lizard.
Lulu did not share her ease and growled at the small lizard, their fangs bared as they prepared to charge towards the smaller creature.
"Stay, Lulu," Jade said sharply, "Stay."
Lulu was still poised to pounce on the lizard at any moment. The lizard tensed, a rapid hissing bearing from their throat, a noise which faintly resembled a laugh, but Jade recognized as a sign of fear.
"Calm, Lulu," Jade lowered herself to her knees, gently stroking Lulu's neck with her hand, "It's okay."
Lulu's growling slowly subsided, the tension in their posture dissipating. The lizard scampered away, and the hound restrained themself.
"Good Lulu!" Jade smiled, rubbing Lulu's belly, "Good Lulu!" She proceeded to remove a piece of nerf steak from her belt and held it in her hand. The Strill hound feasted upon their reward, which vanished in seconds. Jade retrieved a small washcloth and wiped her hand clean, then moved to her feet.
"Come on," she said, "It's almost daylight, we have to hurry."
Spanning an acre, the ranch was a small valley dotted by sheds, stables, fences, and a handful of other buildings which were islands in a sea of grass, dirt, and weeds. Here Nor'ra and her small team of helpers worked, here lived the animals they raised and tended to, together they were a community in their own right.
"Sit," Jade commanded Lulu. The Strill followed suit, balancing on four of their hind legs.
"Stay," Jade added, "And watch."
Lulu's ears twitched upward, indicating that they understood.
"I'll be back soon, Lulu," Jade rubbed Lulu's head, before walking off towards a small shed built from the pieces of a large industrial cargo container. She noticed a survey beacon, under repair by a pill-shaped astromech.
"Hi, You-Six!" Jade greeted.
"Hi Jade!" The little droid chipped eagerly in electronic droidspeak. Despite their clear differences, Jade couldn't help but be reminded of Niner.
"Morning, Jade!" Aimee Nor'a called in a raspy, warm voice as Jade approached. A young red-furred, horned Gotal, she had inherited the ranch from her late parents, and currently organized the feed and equipment for the respective animals, distributing servings into color-marked woolen bags, "Get a good night's sleep?"
"Hey Nor'ra," Jade smiled, "I did. Usual today?"
"Usual Satunda drill," Nor'ra handed her a blue-marked bag, "Suit up, we'll take this to the nerfs. Ampnor's back now"
Jade proceeded to don a pair of thick gloves, goggles, and a long poncho that went down to her knees. Taking care of nerfs required special gear.
She hoisted the bag on her back and walked up the hill until she reached a tall corral. She opened it and walked within to find ten muscled, furry beasts with prominent humps behind their antlered heads. The grass-filled pen within which they lived was filled with dark, tar-like spittle stains, peppering the ground with holes. They were a common sight throughout the galaxy, one of the more common beasts of burden, but maintaining them was a little more difficult than most beings imagined.
Jade's task was to herd the nerfs into the adjoining corral so she and Nor'ra could milk them. It was a task easier said than done, but she was learning quite quickly.
As she approached the head, their gazes turned towards the new being in their midst. Four of the beasts' heads perked up in recognition, their muscles eased in the presence of a friend. The other six were a little more tense, they had only arrived three weeks ago and still didn't know the area or Jade that well. She supposed they were alike in that way.
Tending the herd was a figure in a wide straw hat, sharing water from a prominent pouch at her side.
"Hey, Ampnor," Jade called warmly.
Ampnor grunted a happy greeting. Ampnor's head turned to reveal her tusked, red-furred, black-eyed face. The young Aqualish could look imposing to those who didn't know her, but she had been nothing but friendly and kind to Jade.
Jade slowly and calmly walked towards the beasts, keeping her eye on their gazes as they watched her.
"I'll start on Toras," Nor'ra said casually, "You and Ampnor get Myrvan. We've got a lot to get through, Jade."
Jade then turned her gaze to Myrvan, the largest nerf and leader of the group. Myrvan was the bull of the new group, and the most stubborn of the beasts. The two met eyes, and Jade reached out, projecting a sense of calm and comfort as she slowly extended her hand. Myrvan growled softly, taking a step back, as if to brace for a charge. Jade felt herself tense up in readiness to dodge, but she knew she had to resist and drew upon Jedi breathing exercises to stay calm and focused. She continued her gentle stride towards Myrvan, who stood firm, but still. As Jade moved to Myrvan's side, she let her pass, and Jade gently placed her hand on Myrvan's side, beside her eye.
Gently, Jade began to walk forward, and Myrvan followed her path. Careful to avoid the acid holes in the ground, Jade steered Myrvan towards the next pen, and the rest of the new pack followed. Instinctively, Jade kept the others in her awareness, using their footsteps, sounds, prior knowledge of their behavior, and the Force to register them in her internal map of the area. Comine was brustling up against Tyrva, and Opal, the youngest, was falling slightly behind. However, the group followed Myrvan as Jade led him to the adjacent corral…
Suddenly, a quick flash lit up Jade's perceptions like a knife in her brain. It vanished in a second, a mere ripple in the Force, but it had been striking and clear. Asharr.
Jade's gaze darted away from the nerfs as she swept her surroundings, looking for any sign that she was being watched or followed. She saw nothing in the immediate vicinity.
"Jade!" Nor'ra's voice snapped her attention back to reality, "Come on, the nerfs are getting loose!"
Jade took a deep breath. Asharr was dead, Jade had killed that monster herself, there was no way she could be here.
My mind's just playing tricks on me, Jade thought to herself as she returned to the disorganized herd. She reached out to Myrvan and gently stroked his side, but the large nerf tensed at her touch, bracing to charge.
"No, Myrvan," Jade attempted to quiet her voice, breathing slowly and gently to calm herself as much as the beast, "You're safe. You're safe."
The nerf began to calm down, relaxing their head and limbs.
"You're safe," Jade smiled, placing her hand on the beast again.
"Are you okay?" Nor'ra asked, "You look spooked."
"I just thought I saw something bad," Jade replied, "Nothing out of the ordinary."
Nor'ra shrugged. Ampnor grunted empathetically.
"Now get that pail out and work with me here."
Jade nodded, welcoming the work. Within an hour, the trio had finished milking the rest of the small herd.
Around midday, Jade took a break from her duties with the animals, heading down into the dining shed for lunch, whereupon she found three of the ranch's staff sitting at the table.
"Hey Jade," said Orka – a young Twi-lek carpenter with a sharp chin and a white smile, "How are you?"
"I just herded and milked some nerfs," Jade said nonchalantly as she opened a can of baked bandomeeran beans, "No big deal."
"What're the prizes for today?" asked Yucal, a teenage Duros with great red eyes and a flat, noseless face. Inquiring about the morning's "prizes" was their daily mealtime question.
"A nip mark from Teylo," Jade listed, "And a lot of sweat."
"Sounds like an eventful morning," Yucal replied, "Mine wasn't too bad, pretty easy. Just a lot of sweat and a cramped hand, no real prizes yet."
"Hey, did you know the town had a new visitor last night?" Polan, a young human boy with tan skin and short brown ringlet hair – said eagerly. Var'ikan was a tiny town, news of the arrival of any visitors who stayed for more than an hour spread quickly. Jade's own arrival had sparked conversation for a week.
"A visitor?" Jade asked. It was probably nothing, but she kept track of any information about people entering the town, just in case.
"A Zeltron woman," Polan blushed slightly, "She's staying at Tallo's. Reno kept trying to hit on her, he was found knocked out cold behind the inn this morning. None of his stuff was stolen, though."
As Yucal, Ampnor, and Orka were awed and amused by this story – Reno was known to be a boisterous irritance – Jade mused on the details. This woman wasn't a thief, she wasn't interested in whatever Reno had on his person.
"Did she say what she was here for?" Jade asked, "Where'd she come from?"
"Tallo said she was clearly from offworld," Polan replied, "She didn't say why she was here, but she was wearing some combat gear, and had a blaster. Tallo thinks she's just passing through."
That itself was a little worrying, but it wasn't a reason to abandon everything just yet.
"Is she still here?" Jade asked, hiding her anxiety behind a mask of passive curiosity.
"I don't know," Polan remarked, "She might have left today, I'll check and let you know tomorrow."
Jade decided to keep her eyes peeled for this Zeltron visitor.
Later in the day, Jade was heading towards the Silkwryngs with a bucket of food when she heard Lulu's angry yap. Jade set down the pail and ran towards her hound, who stood stationary fifty meters from the treeline, barking fiercely at something in the treeline.
Taking a deep breath, Jade dipped into the currents of the Force, just enough to passively sense the area. There was someone else here, a bright light in the Force.
Her eyes swept the treeline on instinct, and she saw a shadow hanging on a branch. It was brief, in the corner of her eye, but it was unmistakable.
She didn't know how long her hunter had been there today, but she was clearly after Jade.
Jade wondered if her assailant was alone: she sensed no one else. However, if this was a Jedi Shadow, they would know a way to hide themself. Even after a year on the run, Jade was no expert in uncovering them.
Her lightsabers were stuffed into a small emergency travel bag hidden in her small hovel a mile down the road, and against an opponent like this, Jade doubted her blaster would be effective on its own.
Jade wondered if she should leave: the hunter seemed uninterested in confronting Jade here and now, even though she was quite vulnerable. Perhaps it was the fear of collateral damage: the Omnists survived by only attacking the Jedi, sparing civilian targets to avoid the wrath of their governments. Or maybe the hunter didn't care, and was just monitoring the situation. Either way, Jade felt that she had a target on her back, she needed her proper weapons, and she didn't want her friends and coworkers on the ranch to be swept up in it.
She took out her comlink and hailed Nor'ra.
"You caught me at a good time," Nor'ra replied, "What is it?"
"Is it okay if I leave early today?" Jade asked, "I'm not feeling all that great."
"I'd be more likely to say yes if you weren't lying," Nor'ra replied, "But you haven't taken a sick day yet. You've earned it, go have fun, I'll cover the rest of your shift."
"Thanks, Nor'ra," Jade replied. She then pulled off her gloves and left them with the pail. She'd explain that later, if she had the opportunity.
"Come on, Lulu," Jade left without bothering to pick up her pay for the day, she had more immediate concerns.
She and Lulu sprinted back into the forest at the fastest speed they could muster. They quickly deviated from the road, it was too obvious a path to take. Jade did have one advantage: she knew the terrain well, her assailant probably didn't. She ran through a thick copse of trees and bushes without a second thought, while Lulu groaned and winced as their fur caught on branches, emerging from the bushes with burrs stuck to them. Jade silently gestured to Lulu to hurry up, feeling the assailant pressing close behind them. Jade and Lulu ran with utmost possible speed, but it was clear that they wouldn't make it back to Jade's place before the assailant arrived.
Eventually, they reached a small, meter deep canyon formed from a dried riverbed. Alongside it was a tall skygrove tree, its base ten meters thick and spanning upward for almost a mile. Its branches could provide a place to hide.
Jade began to climb the trunk, grabbing the nearest branch and pulling herself up the tree until she nestled her body on a branch some three meters above the ground, wrapping her arms around it and clutching it tightly. Now hidden within the tree, she reached out and grabbed Lulu through the Force. Lulu began to squirm and whimper as they quickly rose up into the air.
I'm sorry Lulu, Jade attempted to mentally sooth the hound, reaching out to pet the hovering Strill's ears, We've got to hide, okay?
Lulu still kept squirming even as they hovered right next to Jade, their paws reaching out to grasp a branch. Jade set them down onto the adjacent branch, and their claws dug into the wood as they wrapped their body around it. Jade moved her body into a seating position and leaned against the trunk.
A plan was already forming in her mind: she had to take her opponent's lightsaber, if she had one. That would tilt the odds in Jade's favor. Then she could ask some questions and identify her pursuer.
With a moment to pause, Jade thought back on what she had gleaned of her pursuer's identity. They were clearly Force-sensitive, and seemed likely to be the Zeltron visitor Polan had told her about.
Jade thought back to the flash of Asharr's presence she had felt earlier that day, and wondered if it was more than just her wounded psyche recalling unwanted memories. Perhaps…
Jade sensed it again – a brief flash which echoed in her skull and left her wincing – a hint of Asharr's presence.
"Arou?" Lulu whimpered in concern, snuggling their head against Jade's lap.
"I'm okay, Lulu," Jade said, "Quiet, Lulu."
Lulu's ear cocked upwards in skepticism. They weren't convinced, Jade herself wasn't entirely sure of her own words either.
Still, now she had to focus on her pursuer.
Jade decided to delve further into the Force, and examined her opponent. She sensed a focused, wounded presence.
There was just a hint of Asharr's presence, yet it wasn't fully Asharr. It felt like Asharr had blended herself with something or someone else. It lay just barely visible in her aura, yet Jade could see it clearly.
Jade heard a crunch as her pursuer's shoes approached the clearing. She dug into the folds of her jacket pocket and retrieved the small holdout blaster she carried, drawing it. She wasn't certain it would be effective.
She looked around to examine her surroundings. Leaves, branches, Lulu, and a four-winged tealbird that stared at her with curiosity.
Jade did have the advantage of a hiding spot, but it wouldn't last long. She had to take the offensive. Maybe she could get the drop on this opponent…maybe literally.
Lulu growled at the bird, and its feathers puffed out aggressively.
Lulu, No! Jade projected.
Lulu turned away from the bird, focusing on their quarry below. Jade let the current of the Force flow through her and connect her to the adjacent branch. She felt its tensions, its strength, its coiled fibers…and its weak points.
Sorry, Jade thought as she squeezed the weak points with invisible fingers. The branch began to crack and crunch as it was slowly split from the tree.
Jade felt a sense of alarm as her intruder sensed their quarry above her, and she slammed the branch down.
Her opponent dodged and evaded the falling branch.
"Pounce Lulu!" Jade declared. Lulu sprang from the branch, diving towards her opponent. At the same moment, Jade extended her hand and blasted the target with a Force-blast. The woman was swept back, her lightsaber being knocked from her hand.
"Kriff it, I'm not here to fight you!" a nasal, rough voice called out from the pursuer, "Listen, your majesty!"
Her accent was recognizably Imperial. It was also very familiar…
Jade leapt down towards the ground, her blaster raised, and regarded her quarry.
She was a young crimson-skinned Zeltron dressed like a bounty hunter: form-fitting pants, combat boots, bracers, and a gray armorweave jacket over a shirt which left her midriff bare. She stood tall, proud, yet this was betrayed by the haunted, frantic look in her dark eyes, set in an angular face framed by shoulder-length black hair.
Jade recognized her: they had fought each other on Taris. She was an Imperial Knight, a servant of the throne. She had also been one of Asharr's possessed agents, another of her victims.
The woman crouched to her feet and raised her hands.
"Let's try again," she said, "Hi, my name is Yani Arquin. I'm an Imperial Knight, and I really need your help, your majesty."
Jade decided to listen.
