Chapter Seventeen
Pain. That was the first thing Killian noticed when he slowly cracked his eyes open, only to close them again when the sudden light hurt his eyes,
"Well, the fact that my whole body feels like I got run over by a Rancor tells me that I'm still alive, so that's good, at least," Killian thought with a chuckle as he opened his eyes again and took in his surroundings.
He was lying on top of a relatively comfortable blanket, with another blanket laying atop him; over his head was spread a green tarp that kept the sun off of him somewhat, and nearby burned a campfire, upon which some sort of animal was cooking.
As Killian raised himself up, he let out an involuntary groan of pain, causing someone nearby to issue a cry of surprise. Before Killian could register who it was, he was tackled back to the ground as someone wrapped him in a tight hug.
"You're awake!" Aola's voice cried, and Killian realized that she was the one hugging him; a moment later, Alexander and Dani stood in front of Killian, both wearing expressions of relief, though Alexander's was mixed with something else that Killian couldn't place.
"How long have I been out?" Killian asked softly; his throat hurt terribly as though he had been denied water for some time.
"Nearly four days," Alexander replied, "That dive you took nearly killed you. What were you thinking?"
"I was thinking that I didn't want to be an involuntary guest of the Jedi," Killian joked back as he raised himself back up into a sitting position, causing Aola to release her hug and swat him across the back of the head.
"Hey!" Killian cried in annoyance, "You want to knock me out again!"
"You complete dumbass!" Aola raged, "You could have died! Did you ever think about that!"
"I…" Killian began, only to be cut off by his sister again.
"Of course not! You just walk head-long into danger and damn the consequences for those that care about you! Did you ever stop and think about me?! If something happened to you, I'd lose my little brother. Did you even care?!"
"Of course, I care!" Killian shot back, "But what else was I supposed to do! I was trapped!"
"How about not taking a dive off of a fifty-foot cliff!" Aola spat back, "Did you forget that Jedi can make things float with their powers? What if one of them had caught you, and you'd been unable to break free!"
"I…. I didn't think about that, actually…." Killian said with a sheepish expression that seemed to calm Aola down a little.
"Of course not," Dani scoffed, rolling her eyes for emphasis, "You always just jump in the fire with no plan and expect things to work out. But the problem is that that will not always be the case, Killian."
"I'm sorry," Killian said softly as he hung his head, "I never meant to worry you all. But, unfortunately, I was trapped and thought jumping off that cliff was my only way out, and…well, it worked, didn't it?"
Aola growled softly at Killian's grin and was about to swat him again when Alexander caught her wrist,
"Enough! We have no time for your childishness! We have more important matters to discuss, namely why you hid the fact that you can use the force from us, cousin!"
Killian's mouth fell open comically, and for a moment, he simply stared at Alexander, who was glaring down at Killian from where he stood.
"I…" Killian began before he was cut off by Alexander,
"Don't try and lie to me! You knocked those Jedi from their feet simply by clapping your hands! I guess we now know why the Jedi focused on you instead of the rest of us when we split up."
Alexander, I'm sorry," Killian said softly as he stared into his cousin's eyes and saw only hurt, "I never meant to hurt or lie to you! I wanted to tell you, all of you!"
"Then why didn't you!" Alexander demanded,
"I was afraid!" Killian nearly shouted back, "Afraid that once my secret was out, your father would call for my execution for no other reason than the fact that I was born with the ability to use the force and the Jedi are our enemies!"
Alexander stopped short at that, seeing the honest reasoning behind why Killian kept his own council. It was true that Mandalorians had no love for the Republic and even less for their hated enemy, the Jedi, but Alexander doubted whether that hatred would extend to one of their own.
"Father would never have done that," Alexander said simply, "He is not a barbarian who executes one of his own people for being born with the force. Rather, he would have lauded your abilities as a boon to our people. A hero born to Mandalore with the power of our enemy; such a proclamation would have shaken the Republic and the Jedi to their core and perhaps even given us an edge."
"Are you going to tell him?" Killian asked softly, his head down and his eyes closed tight.
"No," Alexander replied, making Killian's head shoot up in surprise, "You're going to. Right after we get off this damn planet!"
"Where's Ben?" Killian asked after a minute of silence,
"Doing surveillance," Alexander replied with a sigh as he slowly lowered himself to the ground and sat cross-legged in front of Killian; a moment later, Dani copied Alexander.
"After we pulled you from the river, Ben and Dani tried to warn the other squads about the Jedi," Alexander said in a low voice, "But the Jedi's soldiers had gotten to them first."
"What happened?" Killian asked,
"The other squads were all rounded up and taken prisoner," Dani replied, anger lacing every word.
"They're keeping them all locked up on their ship," Alexander said simply, "It's in a small valley about five miles north of here."
"So why don't we go and get them?" Killian growled,
"Because it's being guarded by a dozen Republic commandos," Dani said simply, "We've been taking shifts keeping an eye on them to see if they have any patterns we can exploit."
"Malcolm tried to stage a breakout a few days ago," Aola said sadly, her lekku drooping with the words, "The commandos shot him and five others down before they even made it ten feet. Then they left their bodies lying in the grass to rot. Since then, the others have not tried again and are remaining relatively docile."
Killian felt hot rage course through him at Dani's words; true, Killian and Malcolm were not friends and never would have been, but he deserved better than to die in the dirt, shot in the back by Republic cowards.
"So, what do we do?" Killian asked,
"The Jedi are still looking for us," Aola said as she poured some water into a cup and handed it to Killian, who drank greedily, "They're determined to find us at all costs, you especially."
"We've had to move a few times over the last four days," Alexander said, "The Jedi keep finding us somehow. They've almost caught us three times so far."
"Well, I'm awake now, so let's go get our friends back!" Killian said as he tried to rise to his feet, only to collapse a few seconds later.
"You're in no condition to fight," Alexander said simply, "All you'd do is get captured or killed."
"But we can't just sit here and do nothing!" Killian retorted, "The Verd'goten will be over soon, and most likely, the Jedi will flee back to Republic space with our people as prisoners of war!"
"Which is why we have been watching the ship for the past few days," Alexander replied, "Once we figure out their routine and you're well enough to help, we'll make our move and free our people."
"That's not going to work," Ben said suddenly as he strode into the camp, making the others jump slightly.
"What do you mean?" Dani asked as Ben sat down next to her,
"The Jedi are getting ready to leave," Ben replied, "I managed to get close enough to overhear some of the conversation they were having with the commander of their troops. The lead Jedi said they have run out of time, and if they can't find us by dawn tomorrow, they're planning on heading back to Coruscant with our people in tow."
Alexander sighed at the news and rested his head in his hands as the others exchanged worried glances,
"So, we have less than twelve hours to devise a plan to rescue our people without getting killed or becoming prisoners ourselves," Alexander said wearily, "Wonderful…."
I have an idea," Killian said slowly, "Something that my people did on our planet once. Of course, it might get us all killed, but if it works, it'll be a cool story to tell back on Mandalore."
"Well, who could turn down such an enticing offer?" Dani said with a smile, "I'm game."
"Guess I can't let you two do it alone," Ben said with a grin, "You're both pretty useless in a fight."
"Hey!" Dani and Killian cried in unison, making the others grin in amusement.
"Okay, cousin," Alexander said, "What's your plan?"
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Satele stared sadly at the teenagers seated on the ship's floor in front of her; around Satele, Republic commandos were watching, their rifles held tight in case they needed to use them suddenly.
Master Sheen had decided they had wasted too much time trying to capture the Mandalore's family. Any time now, a ship would be sent to pick up those who had survived the Verd'goten. Unfortunately, the Jedi and commandos simply did not have enough men to fight a drawn-out confrontation against trained and hardened Mandalorian warriors. As such, Master Sheen had decided that if they couldn't locate the Farr children by dawn the following day, they would be leaving with the children they had captured and returning to Coruscant.
As Satele looked down at the teenagers, she felt pity well up in her; no doubt, upon returning to the Coruscant, these children would be given a choice to either fight for the Republic or be imprisoned until the end of the war. However, given how prisoners, especially Mandalorians, were sometimes treated in Republic prisons, Satele wondered if any of them would last until the war's end.
One Mandalorian teen, a girl with fiery red hair and cool green eyes, glared at Satele, and the Jedi knight could feel through the force the hatred that the girl was directing at her, and to be honest, Satele didn't blame the girl one bit.
Sensing her fellow Jedi approach her, Satele tried once again to make her masters see reason, something that they seemed to lack since this mission first began.
"Are you sure we can't just let them go, masters? They're just children, after all. They're no danger to us."
"They will not always be children," Master Ve replied coldly, "And the more warriors we can take from our enemy, the faster this war will end."
"So now we see children as the enemy?" Satele asked, turning to the Togruta Jedi that stood next to her, "If so, that makes us no better than the Sith!"
"Remember your place, Knight Shan," Master Ve growled, showing her pointed teeth, "You do not question a master of the Jedi Order. You lack the wisdom to do so, and I would advise you to remain silent unless you wish to further embarrass yourself."
Satele colored slightly at the barb, and Master Sheen placed a calming hand on Master Ve's shoulder, looking at her with a disappointed glare that made whatever the Togruta was about to say, die in her mouth.
"That's enough." The Bothan said, "It's your turn to lead a patrol to try and find the Farr children; I think you should do so immediately before you say something that you'll regret."
Master Ve colored at her superior's words, but quickly bowed and turned to leave, all the same, leaving Satele and Master Sheen alone, save for the prisoners and guards.
"I know you don't like this, Satele," Master Sheen said in a sad voice as the two Jedi turned back to the prisoners, "I like it no better than you, but Master Ve is correct, these children will not always remain so, and the Republic cannot afford to allow our enemies to grow stronger."
"But these aren't warriors. They're children!" Satele retorted, causing a few of the teenagers to shift their glare from their feet to the two Jedi who seemed to be fighting on their behalf.
"All Mandalorians are warriors, no matter their age," the Bothan replied sternly, "And these children, if left to grow, will one day cause the death of a great many Republic troops."
"You don't know that!" Satele retorted,
"Master Ve was correct about another thing, it would seem," Master Sheen said softly, "You are young; you have not seen what we masters have in our long lives. I envy you, your youth."
"Are you saying I am naïve simply because I refuse to believe that how someone is raised determines how they will always be?" Satele sneered, "That is very arrogant thinking, Master. Arrogant and ignorant."
The Bothan's face went hard at Satele's words, and for a moment, the two simply glared at one another before Master Sheen regained his composure,
"Perhaps you have been in the field for too long, Knight Satele. When we return to Coruscant, I will recommend to the council that you be suspended from further deployments until you can focus on the greater good for the galaxy instead of the individual."
Without another word, the Bothan turned on his heel and quickly walked away, leaving Satele to glare at his back in impudent fury; quickly centering herself, Satele regained her composure and turned back to the watching Mandalorian teenagers.
"I'm sorry for this, truly," Satele said in a soft voice; rather than reply, the redhead spit at Satele, the glob landing at the Jedi's feet in a final act of defiance. One of the commandos approached and raised his rifle to strike the teen, only to stop when Satele raised her hand,
"Leave her be. I want no physical punishment inflicted on these children, is that understood?"
"Yes sir," the commando responded, his training taking over in an instant as he lowered his rifle and snapped to attention.
Turning back to the watching teenagers, Satele took a breath to center herself before speaking again in the same sad voice as before.
"I promise I will do all in my power to see that you are properly cared for, and when we reach Coruscant, I will try to see you placed in comfortable housing rather than a Republic prison."
"And we're supposed to trust the word of a Jedi after what you all did to our people four years ago!" Demanded a black-haired boy angrily, "You Republic scum murdered my entire family, and we're supposed to trust that you won't kill us!"
Satele sated at him sadly; she could feel the pain, anger, and despair coming off the child and once again cursed the Supreme Chancellor for the attack all those years ago. After the bombing, he had been run out of office for the bombing; his replacement had tried to repair the damage that had been done, but all attempts at reconciliation with Mandalore had resulted in the messengers being sent back to Coruscant in pieces.
"The Jedi had nothing to do with your family's death," Satele said softly, "And I am sorry it happened in the first place, but my word still stands, when we reach Coruscant, I will do all I can to ensure your safety and cared for."
"Why should we trust you?" A blonde boy asked angrily, "When your soldiers just gunned down our friends not even three days ago!"
Satele sighed sadly; she had been out searching for Killian Farr, leaving Master Ve in charge, and had only discovered what had happened to the Mandalorian teens who had attempted to run when she returned. Even so, Satele had been disgusted at the act and made even more so by the indifference that the bodies had been shown by Master Ve. Satele had already decided to report the whole affair to the council upon their return, but that hardly mattered to the teens who had watched their friends gunned down and left to rot in the grass.
"I am sorry for what happened to your friends," Satele replied wearily, "I promise that the ones responsible will be suitably punished when we return to Coruscant."
A few of the commandos shared a worried glance at that as the teens stared at Satele angrily for a moment longer before looking back at their feet.
Nodding her head at the guards, Satele spun on her heel and strode away, her thoughts racing on what to do when they reached Coruscant.
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Author's Note:
Happy Christmas, everyone! I tried to get this chapter out before I left for Ireland, but it wouldn't cooperate, so I apologize for how long it's been since the last update. Hopefully, this will make up for it until the next time, which won't be as long.