Janna banked the Raventalon in a tight circle around the general vicinity of the coordinates she had received for the rendezvous. Beside her, Tom and Rosado leaned over the controls to get a good look out the forward viewscreen. "See anything down there?"
"Sand," answered Tom. "Lots of sand."
"Couple of rocks," Rosado added.
"Any sign of Star?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhh…" they chorused.
PY-HD blorped that it had picked up nothing on the lifeform scanner.
"Guess we beat them here?" Rosado suggested.
"Maybe…"
The exact coordinates happened to be the location of a field of various sized rocks scattered around an area not much larger than the hanger of the Star Destroyer Moonshadow. In every direction beyond the rocky field was just desert sands. Janna set down the Raventalon just beyond the outer edge of the field and told PY-HD to stay on the ship while she, Tom, and Rosado disembarked and headed for the scattered rocks.
"See anyone?" Tom asked as they fanned out to explore the area.
"No," Rosado called.
Janna concurred. "Negative."
Tom scrambled up atop a large rock for better view, shielding his eyes with his hand. Something far in the distance, on the immediate opposite side of the rock field from the Raventalon, caught his attention. It was small, but definitely appeared to be moving. "Hey, guys!" He pointed. "I think somebody's coming!"
Rosado hurried to the corresponding end of the field, Janna right behind him, drawing her macrobinoculars. "Yup. Looks like somebody riding a dewback."
"Is it Star?" Tom asked.
"Doesn't look like it. Whoever it is, they're wearing a hood, so I can't see their face."
The trio kept their gaze fixed on the approacher. As the dewback slowly plodded nearer, Janna would periodically check her scopes again.
"There's Star. She's on the saddle behind the rider. She's lying down…kinda looks like she's sleeping. Or unconscious."
Tom clambered down from the rock as the Dewback rode up, and stood with Rosado just behind Janna as the rider dismounted.
"Hello there," Captain Ordonia greeted.
The rider said nothing, turning back to his steed to untie the strap which had been keeping Star's body from slipping from the saddle. Janna looked back at her companions, and they both shrugged.
The rider was clad in a brown hooded cloak pulled low to hide the face beneath. He carried Star slowly toward them. Rosado stepped forward to take the unconscious girl from him, and tried to sneak a peak beneath the hood. He glimpsed a beard but not much else.
"Be very gentle," the rider said softly. "Try not to wake her.
That voice sounds awfully familiar, thought Rosado as he cradled the motionless Padawan in his arms. He tore his eyes away from the stranger's shrouded face and looked down at Star. Even unconscious, her face appeared pained. It was also covered in a layer of a pale blue substance, as was her organic arm. "What's all over her face and arm?"
"Your friend was badly burned from the sun when I came across her. I treated her burns with a bacta spray. I also gave her a sedative to keep her asleep. She would be in quite a lot of pain if she were to wake up. The bacta should heal the burns in a rotation's time."
Okay, I *know* I know that voice! No longer trying to mask his gaze, Rosado leaned forward and peered beneath the stranger's hood. The man turned away, but not quickly enough to prevent the former Imperial from glimpsing a clear look at his face. And Rosado was shocked. "General Kenobi?"
The man hesitated just a breath too long before answering, enough so that the teenaged smugglers and Rosado all knew his reply was untruthful. "I apologize, sir, but I'm afraid you have me mistaken for someone else. My name is Ben."
"…No…you're definitely Obi-Wan Kenobi," insisted Rosado. "I met you on Coruscant. A few times, actually. Back during the Clone Wars."
The man sighed. He reached beneath his cloak and produced Star's little purple bag. He flipped the top open, revealing the pair of lightsabers within. "When your friend awakens, tell her that if she is smart, she will bury these in the desert sands and forget about the Order." He secured the flap and tossed the bag to Tom, who was not expecting to be playing catch and juggled the projectile awkwardly before finally managing to grasp it. "Just as you three must forget that you have seen me, and never speak of this encounter again. Am I understood?"
"But-!" Rosado began to protest, but found himself cut off.
"We understand," Janna said quickly. "Thank you for taking care of our friend."
"You are welcome," replied Obi-Wan Kenobi as he mounted the dewback. He looked down at Star in Rosado's arms, and for a moment, all three could see his face. "I do admit…it was nice to see such a friendly, familiar face." He grasped the reins and beckoned the large animal to turn around.
"Wait, Ben!" Tom called. "How did you know how to contact us?"
"Her mind told me!" the Jedi Master called in reply. And he rode off, never once looking back.
When Star awoke, she could not see. Her senses felt dull; she had no idea where she was, and she panicked. She flailed her arms about, desperate for any clue as to her whereabouts. She seemed to be lying down, and no longer on sand, but-
She rolled over and abruptly fell, crashing down to a much less forgiving surface. Star cried out, less from pain and more from panicked anxiety as her hands clawed at the metallic surface on which she lay, trying to stand up.
"Ohmigosh! Star!"
Hands were on her shoulders, and a familiar voice spoke comfortingly, helping her up to a sitting position.
"It's okay, Star! You're okay! You're okay!" said Tom.
"I can't see! I can't see!"
"Star, your eyes aren't open."
She had not even realized. But when she tried to open them, her eyelids felt as though they had been glued together. "I can't! I can't open my eyes!" She flailed about, still panicked, her breathing becoming rapid and shallow.
"Star! Star! Calm down and let me look!"
It took gritting her teeth and clenching her fists to remain still enough for Tom to have a good look at her face.
"I think some of the bacta spray dried on your eyelids and stuck them shut. I'll go get a damp rag. I'll be right back. Don't move."
Star felt his hands leave her arms, but as Tom left, her previously dull senses suddenly became over-stimulated. She immediately fell over, her arms and legs writhing as if they had minds of their own, and she could not control them. Her subconscious screamed at her from within, and she had never been more terrified in her entire life.
Star shrieked. In a moment, Tom was at her side, his hands on her shoulders again.
"Star! Star, what is it?!"
She managed to stop screaming, but she shook from head to toe as if shivering from extreme cold. "D-d-d-don't-t-t l-l-l-leav-ve m-m-me-e," she said through her rapid, shallow breaths. "I…I…I…c-c-c-can't-t-t…"
Tom gently pulled her from the floor and wrapped her in a hug. "I've got you, Star…you're okay. You're safe."
Slowly, gradually, Star's trembling became gentler, and her breathing became more steady. At last, Tom was able to carefully dab at her eyelids with a piece of damp cloth, and she was able to open her eyes.
Though her vision was blurred, Star could see she was aboard the Raventalon, in Tom's cabin.
"You okay?" Tom asked softly.
"…I…I think so…" She tried to stand and nearly fell over. Tom caught her, and guided her onto the bunk, from which she had tumbled off. She winced, rubbing her temple. Her head was pounding. "How long have I been out?"
"About six rotations."
"Six rotations?!" The outburst only made her head hurt worse, and she winced again. "Where's everyone else?"
"Janna, Hovis, and PY-HD are in Beggar's Canyon, working on the Queen Moon's Revenge."
"The what?"
"The stealth ship."
"Stealth ship? What stealth ship?"
Tom stared at her blankly, confused. "The one we stole from the base on Anaxes?"
"You and Janna stole?"
"…You were there, too, Star."
"I was?"
"Yeah. So was…so was Marco…"
"Marco? Who's Marco?"
The question made Tom feel as though he were about to vomit. Star did not wait for him to answer before changing the subject.
"Hey, I'm, like, really hungry. I guess I haven't eaten in a while since I've been unconscious. You think I could have something to eat?"
Tom had barely even registered that she was speaking. "Huh? Oh, you're hungry. Right. Uh, I'll get you some food. Just stay right there and relax."
"Okay. Thanks, Tom."
The Demonicite headed for the galley, already grabbing for his commlink before he'd even fully left the cabin.
"Dank Ferrick…" Janna muttered under her breath.
"What's up?" Rosado asked from somewhere behind her.
"More chewed wiring," she replied, gesturing to the panel she'd just opened. "Damn rat-roaches."
For the past four days, Rosado and Tom had taken turns accompanying Janna and PY-HD to Beggar's Canyon to work on Queen Moon's Revenge while the other kept an eye on the unconscious Jedi lying in Tom's bunk. While the ship had been well protected from the elements during its long dormancy in the hanger on Anaxes, it had not been spared the destructive force of a colony of rat-roaches. The the human hand-sized pests had made themselves at home in the bulkheads which housed the projectors for the cloaking device, chewing into wiring conduits and stripping the insulation off of wiring, rendering the cloaking device inoperative. Without a schematic to aid them, repairing the damage was proving to be a very difficult task. Janna repeatedly cursed the officer who had relieved her of her stormtrooper utility belt back on Rori, subsequently stealing back the schematics she and Rosado had stolen which would have rendered their current situation infinitely easier.
PY-HD rolled from the engine room, where it had been busily repairing a crack in a cooling line. It was carrying Janna's chiming commlink in a spindly appendage and whistled loudly about an incoming transmission.
Janna checked her chronometer. It was getting rather late. "That's probably Lucy calling to ask if he should start making dinner. Just answer it, Pony. Tell him we're leaving soon."
So PY-HD clicked the commlink on and whistled a greeting.
"Pony Head! You gotta tell Janna to come back right now!"
The panic in Tom's voice was obvious. Janna crossed the cabin to her droid and took the commlink. "Everything okay, Lucy?"
"Uh…well, there's good news and bad news. Good news is Star finally woke up."
"Oh, good. About time."
"Thank the Force," Rosado said. "I was starting to think she'd never wake up."
"What's the bad news?"
"She doesn't remember anything."
Janna frowned. "How much of 'anything' are we talking about here?"
"She knows who I am…but when I mentioned the stealth ship and Anaxes, she didn't remember any of that."
"Does that mean she doesn't remember what happened to Marco?" Rosado asked.
"She doesn't even remember who Marco is."
"We're on our way back, Lucy."
Janna dropped her tools and she, Rosado, and PY-HD sprinted out of the ship.
"You seriously don't remember the raid on Anaxes?"
Star tore greedily into her second bantha cold-cut sandwich and stared blankly at Janna while she chewed. "Nope. When were we there?"
"Last week. We came here to Tatooine from there?"
"No idea what you're talking about," Star mumbled through a mouthful of sandwich. "I don't even remember why I was unconscious. You said I was out in the desert?"
"Yeah…you don't remember that, either?"
"Nope."
Janna slowly sat down in the seat opposite Star, holding onto the edge of the table and bracing herself for what she already knew was coming next. "And you don't remember what happened to Marco?"
Star shook her head. "Like I told Tom, I don't know anyone named Marco."
Janna glanced at Tom, Rosado, and PY-HD, who stood against the galley bulkhead, observing. "Yeah, that can't be good," Rosado muttered to no one in particular. PY-HD gave a low moan in agreement.
"By the way, why is one of my arms metal?"
Janna slammed her fist against the tabletop hard enough to make the Padawan jump. "Star, you grew up with Marco! You've been best friends since you were younglings in the Jedi Temple! There is no way you don't remember him!"
Star frowned, deep in thought. "Jedi Temple…I remember the Temple…it's very fuzzy…I remember learning from Master Yoda when I was reallllllly little…"
Tom, struck with inspiration, snapped his fingers. "Oh! Hang on!" He sprinted out of the galley, tripping over his own feet and crashing into the bulkhead in the corridor. He returned a moment later with Star's little purple bag and pulled out the pair of lightsabers. He held up Marco's in front of her face. "What about this?"
"What about it?"
"This was Marco's lightsaber! Well, I mean, technically it was Kit Fisto's, but then it was Marco's."
"Kit Fisto?"
Tom's hand wavered, the lightsaber suddenly feeling too heavy to hold as his heart sank even more. "You don't remember Master Fisto either?"
"Sorry. No idea who that is."
Tom looked up at Janna and Rosado, who looked as dejected as he felt. He returned the laser swords to the bag and set it down on the table while Star finished eating.
"Seriously, why do I have a metal arm?"
When the sandwich was gone, Janna slapped a palm on the table, making Star jump again. "Okay, Girl. What do you remember?"
"I don't know!"
"Do you remember the Empire?"
"Sure. Palpatine reorganized the Galactic Republic into the First Galactic Empire and ordered the execution of all Jedi Knights."
"That she remembers?" Rosado whispered to Tom.
"I don't think I've ever heard Star use that many words with three or more syllables in a sentence before," Tom whispered back.
Janna ignored them. "Do you remember Mewni?"
"The Empire invaded. We have to get back there to free my people." Star's eye suddenly widened. "Oh! Oh! That's what the stealth ship is for! Because they have the planet blockaded!"
"Okay, so you do remember some things. That's good."
If Star heard Janna, she did not acknowledge her. She sprang from her seat. "If we have what we need to get back to Mewni now, we should get a move on! C'mon!" Star snatched her lightsaber bag from the table and took off for the doorway, but Tom blocked her exit.
"I don't think you're fit for combat right now, Star." He firmly but gently wrested the bag from her hands.
"Oh, come on! I'm fine!"
Janna put a hand on the padawan's shoulder. "Not to mention, the Queen M- The stealth ship's cloaking device needs to be…fixed."
"Rat-roaches," Rosado interjected.
Tom looked Star hard in the eyes. "And you need to recover from your little trek into the desert."
Star gave a reluctant sigh. "Yeah…you guys are right. Let's not take any longer than we need to, okay? I might not remember much, but I do know we need to get back to Mewni as soon as possible."
Janna smiled. "We'll fix it as fast as we can, Star."
A soft growl reached their ears. Star rubbed her stomach. "Can I have another sandwich?"
The following day, Tom went with Janna and PY-HD to work on Queen Moon's Revenge while Rosado looked after Star. She slept most of the day, emerging from the cabin only to eat. They tried to convince Star to stay aboard the Raventalon again the day after that, but she insisted that she wanted to come along.
"I want to see this stealth ship!" she said, her lack of memory not making the others feel any better about her condition. "Besides, I'm not gonna be much help fixing it, anyway. If I can rest here on this ship, I can rest on the other ship, too."
So Star came along. They gave her a tour of Queen Moon's Revenge and showed her the damage to the cloaking device before she declared she was tired and took a seat in the cockpit to nap while the others got to work.
Janna wiped sweat from her brow. The Revenge had to be completely powered down while the extensive damage to the electrical system of the cloaking device was repaired. That meant no climate control, and that meant that the desert suns turned the long and narrow ship into a roasting greenhouse.
And after three hours, the heat was starting to get to her.
"Dank Ferrick, it's hot in here. Lucy, will you take that stupid leather jacket off?!"
"Why? I'm not uncomfortable. Heat doesn't bother me, remember?"
"You may not be uncomfortable, but just seeing you wearing that jacket in this giant heat sink is making me feel even more uncomfortable!"
Rosado was emerging from the engine room with PY-HD, his shirt soaked with sweat. "She has a point, Dude. It wouldn't hurt you to take it off."
Tom looked sheepish. "…But it completes my look."
He was met with a glare like daggers from Janna.
"…Maybe I'll go check on Star."
Janna turned back to the panel she'd been working on. "Yeah, you do that."
Tom walked the length of the ship and up the ramp to the cockpit, treading as softly as he could so as not to awaken Star if she were asleep. As it turned out, she was not asleep. She also was not there.
"Uh, guys?" he called.
"What?" Janna barked, still annoyed.
"Star's gone again."
There was a loud clatter as Janna and Rosado dropped their tools on the deck and sprinted to the cockpit, PY-HD rolling along behind them.
"You gotta be kidding me," Janna groaned, eyes scanning the empty cockpit. "Where'd she go now?"
"How should I know?!" Tom cried defensively.
Before either teen could escalate the argument further, Rosado interjected. "Okay, hold on. When was the last time anyone saw here?"
"Not since we got to work," said Janna. "I didn't think it was my job to make sure she didn't desert us again."
"Hey, with her memory screwed up like it is, maybe she just wandered off," Tom suggested. "We're in a canyon, she can't have gotten too far."
"She's a Jedi, she could have easily scaled the canyon wall," Janna snapped. "She could be anywhere by now!"
"C'mon, guys, arguing doesn't help us find Star," Rosado said calmly, but his words were ignored.
"You should have been keeping a closer eye on her!"
"Maybe you should have!"
"I was busy working!"
"Oh, like I wasn't?"
"You haven't fixed half as much wiring as I have!"
PY-HD squealed loudly from somewhere behind them, and everyone looked down to the droid sitting on the main deck by the boarding ramp. It curtly twittered something which roughly translated as, "If you guys are done arguing, Star is sitting under the ramp. Right. Here."
"Oh," said Tom, glancing at Janna. Her face was red, but he couldn't tell if it was because she was blushing, angry, or just hot. "Thank you, Pony."
They hurried down the ramp and found Star sitting cross-legged in the shade beneath it. Her back was to them, and she appeared very intently focused on something in her lap, softly whispering to herself.
"Star?" Tom ventured.
She looked over her shoulder. "Oh! Hey guys!" she greeted cheerfully.
"What, uh…whatcha doing under here?"
"Just talking to my new friend."
Tom and Janna exchanged a glance. "New friend?" asked Janna.
"Yeah!" Star scooted out from beneath the ramp and stood up. She held out a smooth, palm-sized rock upon which she had scrawled a smiling face with a piece of charcoal. A piece of string wrapped around it held a few small, orange flowers like a headband around the rock. "His name is Davey!"
The smugglers exchanged another glance. "Star…that's a rock," Janna said as gently has she could.
Star gasped and pulled the rock away, handing it tightly on opposite sides of the face as if holding its ears. "Janna! Don't be insensitive!"
Rosado winced and turned away. Tom took a step backwards to confer with him.
"This is gonna get worse before it gets better, isn't it?"
"Looks like it, yeah."
"…Kriff."
This one is a little short, but I promise, the next one is a doozy.
