This chapter is dedicated to everyone impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. If I can take you away from the global situation and share an adventure for a mere moment, perhaps that can be enough. I wish you all safety and good health.

Chapter: 7 Either Madness or Brilliance

"Not every snake is venomous."

Ancient demons defeated on Scarif! Padawans Elsa and Anna Dellian have braved Huzman Temple's curse. During their struggle, the sisters decided to destroy the temple in order to consecrate it. Being located atop a forgotten volcano, the temple's destruction prompted its explosive awakening. After surviving their surreal encounter, the sisters fled alongside their Jedi masters as an eruption ravaged the island. The siblings were separated from Yelana and Mattias during the explosion, and plummeted fathoms below. Upon emerging, they found themselves heralding an unknown craft.

Anna's memories seemed to blur together through her exhaustion. She recalled trying to stay afloat in the chilled waters of Scarif. Its mighty current forced her leftward as she clutched her coughing sister in one arm. An unknown ship was closing in on them as soreness caught up with her. Anna vividly recalled the sun setting over the waves as she rested her head back to float. Her hair bobbed while Elsa rested against her drenched chest. Anna's panic lessened though she feared the unknown vessel approaching from afar. At first, she believed it to be the Jedi corvette. But the craft was far too slim and drifted too closely along the water. Anna wasn't even sure if it was suitable for space travel. The sight only made her further fear what had become of Yelana and Mattias. She worried if they'd made it off Blúm Island before it'd become a volcanic inferno. Her steady treading juxtaposed against her shallow breaths. Anna felt her body sinking beneath the darkening waters as she desperately clung to Elsa. The mysterious craft left a daunting shadow over them as Anna slipped into darkness.

The lull of an unvarying engine was the first sound to return to Anna's ears. She slowly stirred to the ambience of gentle waves rocking whatever surface she lay sprawled across. An off-tune, belligerent humming emanated from beside her and she quickly opened her eyes. Though groggy, Anna whiffed the seawater on her damp robes and stared up at the starry sky. A sail comprised of a sheet-like, metallic material swayed above her. It was enough to deduce she was on a water skiff as she rolled over and spotted Elsa. Her heart sank as she noticed her sister was motionless on the skiff's adjacent side.

"El-" she began to call until a pair of boots tromped over.

Anna played dead and squinted her eyes as the stranger drew closer. She held her breath and hoped it'd be enough to spare her. Still she wondered if her sister was at least breathing. She'd already 'lost' her back in the temple. Though it was an illusion then, Anna couldn't bare enduring another close call or anything beyond it. The figure stumbled between them and hunched over Elsa's body. It rummaged through her belt and unclipped two of her food capsules. Anna listened intently as the stranger took two mighty whiffs before shrugging and scavenging the capsules. It rans its hand further across and unfastened Elsa's lightsaber. The teal glint of its arcetron hilt flickered under the stranger's flashlight. While it had its back turned, Anna opened her eyes further to see what she was up against.

A long, ebony coat lay draped across the hunched figure. It stuffed Elsa's lightsaber into one of the pockets and spun towards Anna. She shut her eyes again and felt the being's presence loom over her. Anna struggled to avoid grimacing in response to its malodorous stench. She knew not what fate had befallen her sister, nor what awaited her. What she did know, was that she had to act on her own accord. As she felt a hand brush against her belt, Anna sprung up with a growl and ignited her weapon. She kicked her opponent across the deck and he grumbled. He recovered and withdrew a tightly wrapped hilt. To Anna's surprise, he unsheathed a metallic blade and she lunged to strike. Her eyes widened as this seemingly feeble weapon was able to withstand a lightsaber.

"What?" Anna gasped.

The stranger's dark, unwavering eyes met hers under the blue hue of her saber. He backed away as Anna increased her aggression. She swung with greater intensity as the stranger matched her speed. They clashed across the deck, sending sparks flickering into the waters below. Anna was astounded at the man's bizarre, one-handed dueling. As he kept her at bay, he used his other hand to fling a blanket at her face. Learning from the Bug, Anna hastily severed the garb and kicked her foe back.

As he staggered, Elsa's lightsaber rolled out of his coat and caught Anna's eye. She wobbly called it to her with the Force and proceeded to dual-wield. Spinning the sabers like vibrant pinwheels, Anna dove towards her opponent. He fled to the sail so she'd lose momentum and then lunged back at her. As he deflected her frenzied attacks, the man noted that she wasn't particularly the best with two weapons. He eyed her weak spot as Anna swung with Elsa's saber. As he deflected, he parried with enough momentum to disarm her. While Anna was caught off guard, he then batted the second saber out of her hands. Without weapons, Anna resorted to rushing her foe. She ducked under him and performed a harrowing leg sweep. He struck the deck with a thud and she hurriedly kicked his blade away. As Anna prepared a swift fist, the man aimed a blaster pistol at her face.

Her momentum crashed as she froze in place. "Oh that's just cheating," she panted.

The man's dark goatee rose as he smirked. "Pirate," he simply answered.

His kohled eyes widened as the blaster zipped out of his hand, across the deck, and into Elsa's tired grasp. Anna seized the opportunity to recover her saber and toss Elsa hers. The sisters activated their weapons while the pirate stumbled between them. He threw up his hands, but to applaud instead of surrender. "Congratulations, lasses." he said. "This little dissipating duel was your examination. And it is my honor to say you've both passed." Anna and Elsa exchanged raised brows. Every word the pirate spoke was practically slurred to question his sobriety. "I was merely testing if you were worthy enough to be part of my crew. I'd fancy the answer as yes and beyond yes." He fumbled for his weapon across the deck while the girls didn't let their guard down. "Oh bugger," he mumbled as he nearly dropped it. "Now then," he said. "Welcome aboard."

Elsa was the first to deactivate her weapon and ask, "Who exactly are you?"

The pirate wrinkled his nose as if the question stunk. He humored her with a flip of his archaic, red bandana. "Captain Jack Convore."

"Convore?" Anna questioned as she deactivated. "Like the bird?"

"Better than the bird," Jack insisted with a toothy grin. "Because I've got a ship."

"You call this a ship?" Anna mumbled as she looked over the meek skiff. "I'm starting to think you're not even a captain."

Jack threw up his hands and marched up to Anna's face. "I assure you, lass. This is but a temporary vessel and I have merely fallen on hard times as of late."

"Haven't we all," Elsa replied.

Jack craned his neck towards her and draped an arm over her shoulder. Only then could she be fully exposed to his deathly body odor. "So we can relate then," he assured. "Well given your light-shivs and righteous obliviousness, I'd deduce that you lasses fancy yourselves as Jedi."

"Not bad for a weirdo," Anna admitted.

Jack flashed an apathetic grin. "We're all weirdos, love. Tell yourself otherwise and you're just living the lie. Now I could really use your help."

Elsa wriggled out of Jack's grasp and brushed herself free of whatever germs he carried. "Look," she intoned. "My sister and I are trying to get back to our masters. Since you know we're Jedi, you know we're the guardians of peace and justice," she said. "So we're not here to interfere with whatever shady-"

Jack's head shook as if it was going to spin and pop off. "Riddle me this then, lass. Do the Jedi not help the unfortunate and downtrodden?"

Elsa bit her lip as Anna watched on. "Well, yes but-"

"The feelings of misfortune and downtroddeness are greatly impacting my existence as of this moment. See your peace and justicing either helps everyone, or it helps no one. Savvy?"

Jack glared intently at Elsa as it looked as though he'd planted a bomb in her mind. She looked like she'd combust as Anna went to comfort her. "We don't have to do a damn thing for this guy," she insisted. "Elsa?"

"But...he's not wrong." Elsa admitted. "What is the Jedi doctrine?" she reconsidered. "Who are we really fighting for? What is it that makes and separates us from the politicians lecturing away in the senate? Do we get to distinguish right from wrong merely because we believe ourselves superior?" Jack and Anna backed away as Elsa hugged herself. She rocked back and forth while one of her eyes twitched. "Is the Force calling us to be better versions of ourselves when those in power say otherwise? What is life? Meanwhile as younglings we're taught that there exists a silver-lining between the confines of what was, what shall, and what will forever be known as-"

"ELSA!" Anna snapped as she grabbed her sister by the shoulders. "Breathe, sis."

Jack huffed. "What if we make a deal, hmm? I have a real, space-worthy vessel. I call it the Black Pearl, I do. You help me get it back, and I'll return you to your masters."

The sisters huddled together and whispered to one another. "I don't know about this," Elsa worried. "What if we're on the wrong side of this conflict?"

"I don't think we have a better choice in the matter," Anna considered.

Jack squeezed his dreadlocked head into their huddle. "You could always choose swimming," he admitted. "Though it is rather cold and night is when most predatory sealife comes to munch on Scarif."

Elsa and Anna exchanged a relating stare, knowing what they had to do. With Blúm Island destroyed and long out of view, only the path ahead remained. Their unanimous nod was all Jack needed to whip out a compass. The siblings were perplexed, having initially expected Jack to activate a holomap or at least a datachart. Instead, he unclipped a battered compass as green mists swirled around it.

"Right then," he muttered and waved a listing finger. His eyes focused on the compass' spinning arrow as he paced across the deck. "We shall be heading...no...not that way...maybe...um...perhaps..."

"I think your compass is broken," Anna admitted.

"Oi!" Jack snapped. "A deep magic encompasses this...compass. Don't question it."

Anna swirled her finger by her head and mouthed the word 'crazy' to Elsa, prompting a snicker. Suddenly, the needle on Jack's compass steadied and left the sisters astonished. "We have our heading," Jack proclaimed.

"Here we go," Anna griped.

"Right then!" Jack yelled at a volume that startled the Padawans. "All hands on deck! I wants the redhead!"

"Anna?" Elsa defined.

"Yes! Anna! Rush up and hoist the skiff's sails to set us due north. And you-"

"Elsa," she properly introduced herself.

"Reseal the engine coolants and make ready for full speed across the waves. We sail!"

"I'm on it," Elsa said and rushed over while Anna stood dumbfounded.

"Hoist the what now on the who?" she asked.

Smoke clouds billowed from the devastated remains of Blúm Island. While a forest fire raged on, the beach and summit had been reduced to ash. Amidst such infernal destruction, a pair of overhead lights flickered on in one of the heaps. The Jedi corvette lay buried amidst sand and soot while smoke passed over it. "It's been long enough," Jedi Master Mattias said from the cockpit. "I need to go out there."

"The environment is still too hostile," Master Yelana coughed. "It's a miracle we made it to seal the ship in time. Even then smoke is still seeping into the cabin."

"I don't care," Mattias intoned. "Our students are still out there."

"Your emotions shroud your judgement like the smoke blankets this island." Yelana placed a hand on his quivering shoulder. "I'm worried about them too, but we're no help to them dead. The corvette's searchlights haven't been damaged. I'm going start clearing out the engines for takeoff and then we can do a sweep of the island."

"We're gonna find them," Mattias assured for his own sake.

"I know," Yelana replied and rubbed his back. "Trust in the Force."

"And in communications!" Mattias realized and scrambled for his comlink. He grabbed the device and flipped it on. "Come on...come on...Anna, Elsa...It's Mattias. Yelana and I are still on the beach. Please respond." He hung his head when nothing but static crackled through his comlink. "Please...anyone...say something."

Anna stared remorsefully at her shattered comlink. "I must've fallen on it," she sighed. "Poodoo."

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Elsa said as she fruitlessly pat her pockets. "I don't even know where mine is. Maybe I dropped it while running off the island, or sometime in the temple."

"Or maybe Jack Convore stole it," Anna jeered and stared at him.

"First of all, it's Captain Jack Convore." he said from the skiff's helm. "And secondly, I'd never pocket your little device now that we're a crew. You can trust me because I returned your food nibblies."

"After you ate some," Elsa murmured as she pat her food capsule.

"On actually important matters," Jack said. "Are you lasses familiar with Weequays?"

"Oh yeah!" Anna replied. "I've seen some at the Jedi Temple. Huge blue heads, bright red eyes, lipless mouths that overall leave them pretty expressionless."

Elsa facepalmed behind her. "Those are Duros, Anna."

"Weequays are an ugly, leathery sort," Jack explained.

Anna scoffed. "Ugly doesn't necessarily narrow it down."

"Watch your judgement, sis." Elsa remarked. "I'm sure there are aliens out there who think humans are the ugliest species."

The skiff's steady glide wavered as it started to skim the waves. Its riders braced as splashes of whitewater battered their faces. "The blasted sail's giving out on us," Jack deduced.

"It might be an issue with the electro-wiring," Elsa considered. "Anna and I can deal with this sail-fail." The duo scaled the mast while trying to maintain their balance. Elsa was nearly to its central conduit when she had to clench her stomach.

"You good?" Anna asked.

Seasickness took hold of Elsa until she had to hug the mast. "Fine," she winced as the world bobbed around her.

Anna climbed with ease and sat beside her. "Hey, you got this."

Elsa worriedly nodded and opened the panel. Nausea pried at her as she struggled to flip switches and tug cables. "Almost..." she bleated. With the final flick of a switch, a powerful hum emanated from the sail. Elsa shut the panel and fell back into Anna's arms. "I don't feel so good-"

"Hey," Anna whispered soothingly. "Just focus on me. Don't look anywhere else." Elsa stabilized herself against Anna and stared into her calming eyes. The wild waves didn't matter for a moment as Elsa slipped elsewhere. She recalled feeling just as safe in another's gaze and embrace. Only it was on a planet long forgotten, and that world had left her far behind. Anna's smile faded as a tear escaped Elsa's eye. "I'm sorry," she said. "Am I doing this whole 'be comforting' thing wrong?"

"No no," Elsa replied. "I just. You remind me of someone I think I knew." Anna seemed all the more puzzled. "Back in the temple, the king and queen I saw-"

"The demons," Anna corrected.

"I think they were a clue to our past. Maybe even our-"

"Elsa," Anna insisted. "Those demons were desperate to stop us from destroying their sanctuary. When nothing else worked, they resorted to more Dark Side trickery. Had I not intervened, you would've been killed."

Elsa sighed heavily. "It just seemed so real."

"Trust me, I know. They almost got me too." Anna placed a gentle hand on Elsa's shoulder. "But it was a trick and nothing more."

"Do you ever wonder who our parents are?" Elsa asked much to Anna's surprise. "Where they came from or why they left us to be found by the Jedi?"

Anna pursed her lips and furrowed her brows. She pondered deeply on the question and released her grip on Elsa. "Sometimes," she finally responded. "But then I look at the life I'm building and think...If they don't want to be part of mine, I don't want to be part of theirs."

Elsa deeply detested her sister's answer. "How can you say that? Alive or deceased, they are our parents and we-"

"Brace yourselves, lasses!" Jack hollered from below. "We're approaching our destination."

"This conversation isn't over," Elsa insisted as Anna climbed down first.

The siblings found Jack peering off the bow with an ultraviolet telescope. A perpetual scowl lay plastered across his face as he scanned a nearby island. Contrary to Blúm, this isle was rocky and teeming with jagged cliffs. A fleet of skiffs similar to his were docked along its gravely shoreline. "Weequay pirates," Jack hissed.

"Do they have your ship?" Elsa asked.

"Something like that, love."

"Can you see it from here?" Anna added.

"No more questions!" Jack blurted and shut his telescope. "I'm gonna dock us on the opposite side of the isle and we can tread it from there." Elsa and Anna kept their heads down as Jack listed the skiff under the cover of night. He used the wind and waves to gingerly dock it between a set of eroded stones. "Right then," Jack said. "Follow me and keep it hush."

Anna couldn't help but ask about his sword. "How's does something like that block a lightsaber?"

Jack rolled his eyes. "This vibrosword's crafted with cortosis. The material is strong enough withstand your fancy blade. Now can we move on, please?" The trio vaulted out of the skiff and navigated across the rocky shore. If the sisters didn't know better, they would've thought it was debris from Blúm's eruption. They had trekked across a quarter of the small isle when they noticed the light of a crackling bonfire. An entire camp of Weequay pirates had been established and its inhabitants were engaging in a night of debauchery. Spice consumption and alcoholism ran rampant while uproarious cackles echoed. One of the stockier pirates listed away from the bonfire. He dropped his emptied bottle and blaster in the gravel before limping off by himself. Jack nudged Anna and Elsa towards the straggler.

"Alright," he whispered. "Which one of you lasses is most skillful in the frazzle frazzle?" Anna and Elsa were equally confused. "You know," Jack intoned and waved a grimy hand across his face. "When you make them do your bidding."

"Oh a mind trick?" Elsa realized.

"Elsa is more attuned with the Force, so I vote her." Anna suggested.

Elsa gulped. "Wait a moment. What exactly am I doing?"

Jack leaned in until his breath was unbearable. "You're going to approach our little loner down there and give him the frazzle frazzle. That's when you'll ask 'Where is the Black Pearl?' for your captain. That's my ship."

"I gathered that much," Elsa retorted and took a deep breath. "I-I don't know. I've never done this before."

"I believe in you, Elsa." Anna affirmed. "If I can lift a gateway, you can do a mind trick."

"Sure, what she said." Jack remarked.

Elsa huffed and crawled out from behind cover. She slid down as her heart raced. Every step on the noisy gravel seemed like her last. Thankfully, her intoxicated Weequay target was just as boisterous. He belched and swerved before collapsing against one of the stones. Elsa thought back to her training, only to realize she'd never actually seen a mind trick exemplified. She'd only ever heard knights and masters discuss it in passing. All hope for further consideration was dashed as the pirate glanced over at her.

Elsa didn't waste a moment to wave her hand across his face. "Where is the Black Pearl?" she asked.

"Hmm," the pirate thought as Elsa sighed. "It's right...HERE!" The Padawan yelped as he put her in a painful headlock. She struggled to break free while cursing her own stupidity. By letting her guard down, she was becoming as reckless as her sister. Never before would she attempt a maneuver she hadn't previously practiced. She didn't even start by making sure he was entranced nor did she focus on his mind. She was so frightened and now all she could do was struggle in his grip. Elsa effortlessly elbowed at his thick torso as he dragged her to camp. Her legs scraped into the gravely ground as she flailed.

Anna's eyes were furiously wide as she watched the situation unfold. "I count twenty pirates by the camp," she said. "If we flank from opposite sides, we can-" Anna turned to realize she was talking to herself. Her heart plummeted when she saw Jack fleeing back to shore. "That two-faced coward," she hissed under her breath. "Was this your plan all along?"

Elsa hyperventilated as the pirate heaved her towards the campfire. The others ceased their revelries and examined his peculiar catch. "Lookie, boys and gals!" he cackled. "Look what I caught me!"

He threw Elsa before a crate where a pair of legs were sprawled about. The hem of a scarlet jacket dangled off the edges as Elsa slowly looked up. "My my," a grizzly voice said. "What in the galaxy is such a little...mouse doing in such a desolate paradise such as this?" Elsa didn't answer as the Weequay leaned over the crate. His helmet tilted with his craning head, allowing her to meet the soulless eyes behind his goggles. The flickering bonfire reflected off the lenses, making him seem like an infernal demon. "Surely you did not come for the liquor. We drank it all." His crew guffawed around him as he plucked Elsa's lightsaber.

"What is it, cap'n?" Elsa's captor asked.

The captain grimaced and twirled the hilt in his hand. "A Jedi weapon, you imbecile. It seems the Republic is still trying to stick its uptight nose where it does not belong."

"No," Elsa assured. "That's not it at all." She opted for the utmost honesty, even if she was dealing with scoundrels. "Yes, I am a Jedi. But I wasn't sent after any of you." Her response was followed by resounding taunts from the crew. "Please, I don't know anything about you."

The captain shook his head and unclipped his blaster pistol. "And you never will." He aimed it at her head while the rest of his crew cheered. "Step back a bit," he said. "I want to keep my boots clean."

A saber sparked from the shadows as Anna leapt into action. She swung frantically, forcing the Weequays to back up as she protected her sister. Elsa utilized the distraction to produce a Force repulse, sending energy surging around the sisters. Pirates flew through the air as gravel rained upon them and the bonfire was extinguished. Elsa noticed the overturned captain and recovered her lightsaber.

"Run!" Anna shouted as the sisters made a break for it. They fled to the shoreline as Weequay reinforcements emerged. Red lasers zipped between the rocks as Anna spun to deflect them. "Do you think you can pilot one of those skiffs?"

"Why?" Elsa panted. "Where's Jack?"

"I'm afraid we're on our own on this one." Anna admitted. The pirates from camp had recovered and rushed to prime their weapons. Though not as skilled as Anna, Elsa readied her saber to help block incoming bolts.

Elsa eyed the nearest skiff and motioned towards it. "If you cover me, I might be able to-"

Several pirates emerged from the skiffs with their blasters readied. "You were saying?" Anna grumbled.

The Weequays ceased fire, but kept the Padawans surrounded on the shore. Their calmly collected captain returned, waving his blaster like a childish toy. "Just who do you Jedi think you are? I have my own matters to deal with here in the Outer Rim! Does the name 'Hondo Ohnaka' mean nothing to anyone these days?"

One his crew members raised a decrepit hand. "It means the world to me, sir."

"Shut up," Hondo spat.

"What my sister said was true," Anna defended. "Neither of us are here for you or your business."

Hondo rubbed his leathery chin. "Unfortunately for you, this became my business once you discovered my location. I wonder how much your Republic would pay for your safe return."

Anna flourished her weapon and said, "You'll never take us alive."

"Then it's a good thing the Separatists would pay an even greater sum for dead Jedi."

Elsa glared at Anna. "I much rather would've been captured," she muttered under her breath.

As the Weequays took aim, the roar of a water skiff prompted them to turn their heads. With a prominent, "Oi!" Jack Convore came swooping in on his skiff. Moving quickly, he set it to skim the shoreline and spew gravel at the pirates. As it did so, Jack hung off the side and fired his blaster indiscriminately. "All hands on deck!" he shouted.

Anna and Elsa sprung to the skiff while the pirates blasted beneath them. Hondo shook a furious fist and screamed across the shore. "Speaking of my own matters, we meet again, Convore! Get after them! I want that skiff thief and those Jedi blasted!"

Once the sisters were onboard, Jack steadied the skiff and sped it towards the open sea. "Not a bad escape, crew." Jack admitted.

Elsa gasped as Anna slapped him clear across the face. "You left us, you snake!" Anna cursed.

"And came back," Jack insisted. "He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day."

"Can you two stow it?" Elsa urged and pointed off the stern. A fleet of Hondo's skiffs were heading directly towards them. Some were already close enough for Weequays to begin firing blasters.

"Someone protect the sail," Jack ordered as he set the skiff to autopilot.

"I'll defend it!" Elsa shouted and ascended the mast.

"Anna, love." Jack said. "You're with me. Do the blocky thing and I'll-"

"You'll what?" Anna asked.

Jack thought for a moment only to simply shrug. "I'll do me."

"All this for a mission about self-discovery," Anna complained as she batted away laserfire. "All I've learned is that Scarif sucks! If I could, I'd blow it up!"

"Incoming!" Elsa exclaimed from atop the mast. She deflected several lasers while maintaining her balance. Anna and Jack slid to opposite sides of the skiff as rival craft hovered by. While the Weequays were busy shooting at Elsa, Jack blasted several of them to draw their fire. Grappling hooks launched from the starboard side as pirates swung over for battle. Anna sprung from the deck and severed one of the wires, sending its user plummeting to the sea. The rest of the pirates rolled across the skiff and charged into the fray. Lasers scorched the skiff's hull as Jack ducked for cover. He returned fire as Anna rushed her nearest enemy.

The Weequay fired rapidly, but she spiraled away from his shots. He loaded another clip as the Padawan closed in. With a swipe of her saber, Anna turned and found the pirate dead with a cauterized slice. Ironically, Anna had always been unsure of what it would be like to take someone's life. But here it had all happened so quickly. It felt so necessary in the heat of battle. Amidst her rush of adrenaline, Anna realized that her action was justified. She wasn't scared, but instead prepared. She may have been a Padawan, but she felt like a Jedi Guardian. Perhaps it was the exhilaration of it all, or maybe it was the lustful pull of the Dark Side teasing Anna yet again. Regardless, Anna had turned into a lethal force to be reckoned with. She cut down enough pirates to make others prefer to jump ship. With a mighty roar, Anna furiously impaled a gunman in the chest.

When she looked away from his sizzling corpse, she saw Jack making short work of another Weequay. "Nicely done, lass." he admired.

Anna nodded firmly and looked to the mast. "How are we looking Elsa?" Much to her and Jack's dismay, Elsa was barely maintaining her balance on the mast. The only foe she was warding off was seasickness as the sails above her brandished multiple laser holes. "Oh for the love of."

The skiff slowed until it was at the current's mercy. "Get your sister down," Jack ordered. Anna climbed up for Elsa as more Weequays closed in. Lasers blasted into the mast as they made the sisters made their way back to the deck.

"What's the plan now?" Anna asked.

"Abandon and commandeer," Jack announced as enemy skiffs sandwiched them from both sides.

"What does that mean?" Elsa asked.

"Just follow my lead," Jack insisted.

"BUT WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?" Anna blurted.

A wave of pirates swung over from one of the vessels. Jack flung a thermal detonator out of his coat and into his own skiff's engines. Everyone braced as the explosion sent the skiff colliding into the enemy craft. "Jump for it, mates!" Jack yelled as he sprinted to the port side. The trio leapt through fire and debris to crash land onto the final Weequay skiff.

"Did you even know that would work?" Anna asked.

"More or less," Jack groaned as he stumbled to his feet.

Pirates surrounded the group as they assumed fighting stances. Elsa instantly Force-pushed two foes over the railing while Anna leapt above her. The youngest sister cut down a gunman and rendered him a seared mess.

"Anna!" Elsa gasped.

Anna turned to her sister and shrugged. "What? It's them or us."

As Jack blasted a pirate overboard, a distinct roar pierced the nightly clouds. A Weequay starship glided through the blackness and hovered down to them. "Is that the Black Pearl?"

"No, but we're getting warmer." Jack assured as he rushed to the skiff's controls. "Hang on!" He banked hard as the starship fired lasers into the ocean below. The sisters slid across the slippery deck as Jack weaved between explosives. "Your time to shine, lasses!" he hollered. "I'll draw that their starship in for a harpooning but its up to you nail the shot!"

Anna and Elsa followed Jack's gaze to a chrome-glazed harpoon nestled against the skiff's starboard side. The Weequay ship continued firing lasers as Jack glided towards an archipelago. A narrow passage between jutting cliffs served as his perfect bait. He diverted all power to the skiff's thrusters and soared through the gap while Anna and Elsa prepped the harpoon. The Weequay craft soared ahead of them in attempt to cut them off at the exit.

"You've got one shot at this," Elsa said.

"That's a lot of pressure without much time," Anna admitted until she looked at Elsa's hands. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Now or never!" Jack shouted as the skiff exited the cliffside pass. Anna took aim as the ship above them did. She fired the harpoon, and would've missed completely had Elsa not guided it with the Force. The durasteel leister pierced the ship's lower hull and sent it rocking out of control. Anna, Elsa, and Jack braced as their skiff was temporarily lifted from the sea before getting wedged into a gully. Jack activated the harpoon's reel while the ship tried to force its way back up. While both vehicles were caught in a tug of war, Jack left the helm once more.

"Let me guess," Anna chuckled. "Abandon and commandeer?"

"Spoken like a true pirate," Jack admired before throwing himself onto the harpoon's thick wire. Anna and Elsa watched in disbelief as he began a death-defying climb from the skiff to the ship above.

"You next?" Anna asked her sister.

"Oh no," Elsa flinched. "By all means, Anna." Her little sister sprung up after Jack while Elsa fought to convince herself. She stared at the raging seas below and then at how high the ship was.

Suddenly, the Weequay craft leveled out so the tethering would as well. It was enough for Jack to walk across it like an inclined tightrope. He should've known there'd be a catch to the luxury as the ship's dorsal hatch opened. Honda Ohnaka himself emerged and leapt onto the wiring. He kept a lethal electrostaff centered for balance. The prongs on each of its tips sparked with violet bolts of electricity.

"Jack," Hondo said. "You never were one to shy away from the outrageous."

"And you were never one to shy away from me shying away from the outrageous," Jack quipped.

Hondo paused, attempting to make sense of what was said. Instead he scoffed and swung his electrostaff. Jack drew his vibrosword as the captains dueled atop the tether. They maintained their wavering balance, clashing weapons while Anna struggled to catch up.

"Come on, Elsa!" Anna called down.

"Working on it!" Elsa bleated. While everyone else was scurrying up or down the tether, Elsa was crawling up it like an inchworm. Just don't look down, she thought to herself. It's fine. Perfectly fine.

Hondo and Jack locked weapons as electric sparks flew. With a sudden spin, both combatants switched spots on the tether. "Works for me," Jack scoffed and dashed for Hondo's ship. "Oh bugger," he muttered as Hondo's crew emerged with weapons readied at the hatch.

Hondo cackled behind him. "Goodbye, Jack Convore-"

Anna grabbed Hondo from behind and put her lightsaber to his neck. "Drop your weapons or he's dead!" she warned his men. "Do it fast, because I don't have the best balance and my blade could slip."

There was a distinct pause as the pirates laughed amongst each other. "Go ahead and kill him!" one of them said. "That'd make me the new captain!"

"Or me!" declared another.

"You dirty, two-faced sleemos!" Honda cursed. "I'm...so proud of you all."

To everyone's surprise, the pirates started to lose their footing on the ramp. The entire Weequay craft tilted leftward as if pouring the degenerates into the sea like fish food. Unfortunately, the tether twisted with it and everyone lost their balance. Anna dropped Hondo and rolled to catch the tether. She turned to see Elsa behind her, clinging for dear life but stretching out a shaking hand.

"Elsa?" Anna asked. "What are you...What did-"

"Shh!" Elsa grunted. "Concen...trating!" It took everything for Elsa to focus intently on manipulating the ship's cockpit and twisting its steering wheel. "Are...they...gone?"

"Yes!" Anna pleaded. "Swirling fathoms below us. Now let it go."

Elsa removed her grip on the controls and the ship stabilized again. Anna helped her sister across the tether as Jack called from the hatch. "The ship's ours for the taking!" he proclaimed and threw the pilot over the edge.

The sisters were nearly there when a trembling hand nicked Anna's boot. They looked down to see Hondo still dangling from the tether. "Please," he gasped. "Help me up."

Anna raised her boot to stomp on him but Elsa stopped her. "Let's just go," the eldest said.

"Wait," Hondo intoned. "Is it not...the Jedi way?"

Elsa bit her lip and knelt on the tether. Anna watched with widened eyes as her sister actually offered a hand. When Hondo took it, he instead tried to pull Elsa down with him. Anna yanked Elsa back up and kicked the Weequay down to the sea. As they rushed towards the ship, something told them it wasn't the last they'd see of Hondo Ohnaka. Anna furiously severed the tether with her lightsaber and glared at her sister.

"I'm sorry," was all Elsa could say.

Far worse than any jeer or scolding...Anna offered nothing in response.

Jack let Anna and Elsa get some much needed sleep before landing on one of Scarif's more fertile islands. The beach was far too quiet after all of the excitement they'd faced.

"Ow," Anna muttered. "Ouch...Ow..."

"You alright over there?" Elsa inquired.

"Fine...just stupid sunburn." Anna's once pale skin was bright red and peeling painfully. "I hate this planet. I'm gonna make a list of worlds I never want to come back to and Scarif is gonna be in bold capitals at the very top."

"Should've worn your sunscreen," Elsa mumbled under her breath.

"What was that?" Anna asked.

"I said this planet would make anyone scream," Elsa assured while Anna raised a brow.

"I'd say we make quite a team, lasses." Jack admired. "But our adventure's just begun. What say we make this crew permanent, eh?"

Elsa and Anna looked to one another before the eldest answered. "I'm sorry, Jack. We have a duty to the Jedi Order. Thank you rescuing us from the sea, but we're no pirates."

Jack wrinkled his nose and sat up. "Well then," he said and gave each sister an awkward...smelly embrace. "I still consider it a privilege to be in your such presences. Now why don't we search for some food on this island because Cap'n Jack is starving."

"I'm down for food," Anna admitted as the ramp opened.

"Bananas are a good source of potassium if we find some," Elsa added.

As soon as the sisters got on the beach, they were shocked to hear the whir of engines behind them. They twirled to see the Weequay craft ascending along with its ramp. "Are you kidding me?" Anna snapped. "Jack!" she roared. "Elsa, quick. Stop him with the Force."

Elsa threw up her hand, but was surprised when a metallic device slipped out of her sleeve. "Wait," she said. "Is that my...comlink?" Elsa plucked it from the sand and recalled Jack's final, suspicious hug.

"Once we rejected the offer to join his crew, he just considered us dead weight." Anna pouted.

"Yet he gave us a means to get off," Elsa admitted as she activated the comlink. She couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess he did steal it after all." She waited for the comlink to chime and then spoke. "This is Padawan Elsa Dellian calling in. Masters, please respond."

Her heart leapt as Yelana answered. "Elsa? Thank the Force, you're alright! Mattias is with me."

"And I'm here with Anna. Follow my comlink's signal."

There was a brief pause until Yelana huffed. "How did you manage to get all the way over to that island?"

"It's quite a story," she admitted and glanced at Anna.

"Well don't budge from that spot and we'll be there," Yelana assured before ending the call.

Anna and Elsa sat on the beach, watching the waves gently reach their bare feet. The low-hanging palm trees kept them shaded as they reclined against the welcoming, powdery sand. Anna tossed her banana peel into the 'peel-pile' behind them and took another bite of the fruit.

"It saddens me that we'll have to report Jack to the Republic," Elsa sighed.

"I mean, we don't have to." Anna replied.

"It's our duty."

"Whether we like it or not, he did sort of help us. Isn't there a part of you that'd feel bad about turning him in?" Elsa pouted and Anna took advantage of it. "I'll take that as a yes. Look sis, the galaxy's not all right and wrong. Sometimes there's sort of a right and kinda wrong. Right for the wrong reasons and wrong to solve right things."

"Who would've thought life would be so confusing," Elsa said. "Maybe you're right about Jack. But we can't lie to our masters."

Anna rolled her eyes. "Please, as if they tell us anything and everything."

"Of course they do."

Anna gave Elsa a skeptical glare that prompted her to reconsider. "How's this sound?" the youngest proposed. "We escaped Blúm Island, only to find ourselves wound up in a territorial battle between pirates. But then we escaped! It's not necessarily wrong, is it?"

"I guess not," Elsa admitted with a shrug. "I do hope Jack finds that Black Pearl he was looking for, wherever it is. I wonder if he planned this whole endeavor out, or just made it up as he went along." Elsa decided to change the subject. "Say Anna, do you think you could help me with something?"

"Hm?" Anna turned and wiped her lips.

"I'm tired of feeling so powerless with my lightsaber. Watching it get stripped away so many times and-" Elsa clenched her fists. "It's so frustrating and it's an insecurity I can't afford if I'm to become a Jedi Knight."

"You're asking for my help?" Anna wondered as Elsa nodded. She faintly smiled, rose to her feet, and offered a hand. "If I can use the Force, you can wield a saber." Elsa happily took her sister's hand as they activated their weapons. "Now then, from what I've seen I believe you should follow the Way of the Rancor."

"That sounds a bit intense," Elsa worried.

"Don't let the name fool you. I think Form VI, or Niman, might be right up your alley. Now do as I do."

Elsa watched intently and mimicked her sister's saber techniques as they practiced on the beach. They swung and leapt across the sands as the sun climbed beside them. The Jedi corvette they'd sought for far too long approached from the horizon, heralding their imminent rescue.

"Is that?" Mattias asked.

"It is," Yelana rejoiced.

Mattias had to rub his eyes. "Are they...training...together?"

Yelana donned a proud grin and began the ship's descent. "They are indeed," she answered.