ADVISORY: The following chapter contains sensitive material relating to: Violence, torture, mutilation, alcoholism, and drug abuse. Remember to practice self care before, during, and after reading.
Chapter: 135 Raise Your Wings (Part I)
- ACCESSING IMPERIAL NETWORK -
IHC: Imperial High Command to General Stavo.
Stavo: This is General Stavo. Proceed.
IHC: We've been trying to reach your governor for several rotations now. Where is she?
Stavo: She's been...occupied, Command.
IHC: There is a backlog on her weekly reports. If these aren't updated by the next rotation, there will be consequences.
Stavo: Apologies, Command. All data will be received on time, I assure you.
For over a thousand generations, the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice. Their presence struck fear in the hearts of wrongdoers and brought hope to those who had none. The mere sound of a lightsaber igniting was enough to serve as a call to action. The blade's bright flicker...its mighty hum...Many had come to associate these traits with the power of the lightsaber. But with the rise of the Galactic Empire, the Jedi Order had passed into myth. And even so, their stories had been snuffed out and twisted. The Order was demonized until those who carried their memories were either dead or afraid to speak out. Many members of the next generation would never even know what a Jedi was.
Over the years, Anna had forgotten the sound of her saber. Although she'd used it plenty, it was all a distorted blur in her hateful memories. Part of a collective dissociation as she'd fought to survive over the years. But this time was different. Perhaps the drugs and alcohol were warping her mind. Or maybe she'd simply lost sight of who she was. But it was also quite possible, that Anna had finally struck in the most deserving of places.
As she listened to her weapon's song, time appeared to slow. Flare's eyes widened as she was left with a dumbfounded expression. Her jaw dropped as she gasped for an ounce of breath. Anna's scowl deepened with each twist of her saber, the green blade burning further into Flare's body. This attack was as personal as it was satisfying to Anna. For in that moment, she felt like she was in the Republic again...fighting the good fight. Hatred filled her azure stare as she watched the light leave Flare's eyes. In a galaxy filled with corruption and hatred, Anna felt like she'd at least snuffed a villain out once more.
Although dulled by Revnog and stimulated by death sticks, Anna senses fought to keep up with the situation around her. "Get her!" one of Flare's goons brayed, leading the others to scramble on the offensive. Listening for the first click of a blaster, Anna spun towards it. Pistol shots went off, sending red lasers zipping to her position. Still keeping Flare skewered on her lightsaber, Anna held her corpse like a human shield. While Flare absorbed the initial barrage of laserfire, several burned through her thin shoulders. As the shots came dangerously close, Anna withdrew her blade with a flourish and bisected Flare in the process. As her halves flopped to the ground, Anna spun her saber against incoming shots. While many blasts ricocheted against the walls, one of the shots reached a gunman's torso. Heavily outgunned, her first instinct was to dive for the nearest set of storage crates.
Anna dropped and deactivated her lightsaber. She sat in the shadows, recollecting herself for a moment as her enemies regrouped. The wounded gunman could be heard groaning before ultimately succumbing to the shot. Callouts echoed throughout the room as Anna eyed the hangar doors. I just need to make it to that second supply transport, she thought. The skidding of boots closing in had Anna snapping her head to the corner.
A Sullustan rounded the crates just in time to have Anna swing her saber upward. In a furious flash of green, a blaster struck the floor...with the Sullustan's hands still clutching it. The big-jowled man screamed in shock while stumbling backward. He flailed the cauterized stubs that were his wrists while others closed in. As if it weren't for the drugs alone, Anna's stamina wasn't what it once was. Her saber sparked on crates as she stumbled between them, blocking shots where she could. The thugs had her pinned, forcing her to attack once more. The fools made the mistake of closing in, allowing Anna to slice another across the chest.
"What is that thing?" one of them hollered in the darkness.
"Don't let it touch you!" shrieked another.
Without fully coordinating herself, Anna Force-pushed one of her assailants across the room. She struck the wall with a splitting crack, leaving a crimson puddle behind her skull. The dismembered Sullustan continued to scream, making Anna swing her saber back in his direction. A sizzled gurgle emerged as she slashed across his face. Layers of the Sullustan's jowls slid off as his face was sliced horizontally. While some of Flare's loyal thugs stayed to fight, many observed the horrific carnage and made a run for it.
Tizu knelt beside Flare's bisected remains. Trading his disbelief for fury, he unclipped a scattergun from his back holster. "You kriffing monster!" he hissed. "I'll kill you myself! I'll kill you!"
Ducking back behind the crates, Anna snorted whatever death sticks she could crush in her hand. She gathered the rest of Flare's death stick stash and stuffed it in her bag. Riding that pulse of rage and adrenaline, she ignited her saber once more. Anna charged out from the storage area, flailing her saber and roaring like a madwoman. While her vision occasionally blurred, the rest was a collection of advanced colors spiraling towards her. She welcomed the vibrant sensations, swinging her saber at anything in her way. The tip of her blade cracked the podrace datascreen, while the rest impaled a man against it. She frontflipped, but couldn't stick the landing as laserfire crackled around her. From the floor, she jabbed her blade into a Twi'lek's shin. With a swift repulse, she severed his leg and sent him toppling over.
Miss Belcam lost her stoic demeanor...and her stirrer. The amphibian dropped her membraneous jaw and bellowed with fury. As she untied her bulky cloak, she revealed a pair of heavy blasters strapped just beneath her arms. Switching to explosive rounds, Belcam opened fire. Her blasts shook the warehouse's very foundation and tore smoking holes in the flooring. The Frog's shots were so sporadic, that even her fellow gangsters had to take cover. Anna rolled for her life, narrowly avoiding shots until she found the fallen Twi'lek. Finishing him off with a slash to the chest, Anna grabbed his pistol and returned fire. Her aim was atrocious, but Belcam was a bulky target. While several shots skimmed the cauldron, Anna's fifth would meet the Frog's chest. Belcam croaked in pain before dropping the guns and collapsing beside her cauldron.
Anna forced herself up and made her way towards the hangar. While dashing over, the aroma of Belcam's delicacy proved too great. Anna couldn't help but grab the stirrer and sip a portion of the broth. Letting the deliciousness warm her imbalanced senses, she grumbled, "Good soup."
A laser crackled from behind and grazed Anna's shoulder. While she was merely burned, the impact was enough to have her spinning against the nearby wall. As Anna turned, she looked down to see Belcam aiming a third pistol she'd kept stashed on backup. Gritting her teeth, Anna fired back and unloaded several blasts into the Frog. "Kriffing-" she hissed while clasping her smoking shoulder. Shoving the blaster into the back of her pants, she staggered towards the hangar doors. Upon getting them open, she found her only getaway vehicle guarded by one too many thugs.
"Blast her!" Tizu snarled from the warehouse.
"Oh come on!" Anna fretted before retreating. Forced back into the warehouse, she returned to cutting down any in her path. Her high would only keep her stimulated for so long, and the blastershot weakened her further. Still Anna persisted, realizing she'd have to fight her way to the front of Binali's. A Gran howled in horror as Anna sliced his arm off. This atrocious sight bought her enough time to make for the main corridor. The echo of pursuing footsteps made them sound as though they were right on top of her. Focused on escaping, Anna deactivated her saber and barged through the secret door.
Her abrupt exit had heads turning from both the kitchen and counter. While initially concerned by the noise, most patrons were quick to go back to their drinks. Binali himself however...was not so easily convinced. Furrowing his silver brows, he set his nerf filets aside and approached her. "You alright?" he asked, his mustache dropping wth his deepening frown.
"Fine," Anna was quick to answer. She tried to ease her heart rate and keep slowly walking away. "Just gonna get going."
"Where's Tizu?" Binali queried.
Anna winced, still clasping her shoulder. "He's wrapping up some cargo counts!" she hollered back and kept moving. Anna kept her eyes on the doors ahead. She was almost to them when a brawny Nikto laughed much too hard at the nearby table. As the drunkard fell back, he sent Anna tumbling with him. Her hand slipped, revealing the blaster wound and making Binali gasp.
In that instant, the secret door opened again as Tizu sprinted past Binali. Without wasting another moment, he fired his scattergun in the air and brought the restaurant's festivities to a halt. Heads ducked under tables while others swiveled. The Twi'lek dancer screamed from her stage while a pair of hooded Avinarians froze at their barstools. Tizu's entourage formed up behind him while off duty members set their drinks down. Even Binali unbuckled a blaster rifle from behind the counter. D-50's head swerved around the room as his broken, outdated circuits tried to comprehend what was happening. While the remaining patrons sought cover, Anna was left standing in the center. She turned with twitching eyes and shallow breaths as the Trandoshan stared her down.
There was a slight tremor to Tizu's grip as he aimed at her. He shook his head out of both unsureness and disgrace. While part of him wanted to capture Anna and understand her actions, he knew there was no hope for such. She'd crossed a line of no return, and the blood she'd spilled had to be payed with her own. As Anna stood there in a moment of distorted time, she accepted the path she'd taken. Escape was no longer an option. Either she'd be gunned down...or she'd kill every single hostile in that room.
Memories of the Republic were faded in her mind. Anna couldn't recall if she'd ever attempted a Force repulse, and certainly not in her deteriorated state. Still, she flung her hands outward with a frantic shout. Instead of creating a bubble of energy, she sent a couple of random objects spiraling through the air. Silverware darted for people's heads while a table splintered against a wall. Patrons made a run for it as Tizu's crew opened fire. Anna surged forward, driving her lightsaber into the nearest foe. As her green blade sparked, it caught the Avinarians' attention. While one of the figures wanted to depart, its counterpart just moved them to the back of the room.
Anna cut her attacker down and deflected a blastershot. As the laser made its way into an enemy's jugular, she couldn't help but feel lucky. That luck fell short as Tizu aimed his scattergun. Firing the metallic slug, Anna had no choice but to roll behind a downed table. As she landed, she made herself vulnerable to another Sullustan's tackle. He pinned her to the ground, delivering ferocious punches to her stomach...then her face. Anna's saber deactivated and rolled under the barstools.
"Get off of her, Lopo!" Tizu called out, unable to get a clear shot.
"Not a chance!" he snarled, death-gripping Anna's other wrist as she desperately tried to keep her pistol. His jowls trembled as his bulbous eyes narrowed on her. "He was my brother, you bitch. You're gonna kriffing pay for-"
No matter how foul, Anna furiously bit down on the Sullustan's crusty hand. She chomped until blood met her lips and his grip was forced to loosen. And in those split moments, Anna flicked her wrist. As the Sullustan recovered, he stared down the barrel of her pistol.
Tizu flinched as a sharp bolt flashed from behind the table. "Lopo!" he hissed as the Sullustan rose for a moment. The relief was short-lived as he collapsed with a sizzling blaster hole in right eye. Baring his fangs and roaring into the fray, Tizu was unhinged. "You kriffing animal!" he cursed to Anna. Furiously firing his scattergun, he aimed to keep her pinned behind the table. Meanwhile, two more thugs flanked from opposing sides of the eatery.
Anna frantically scoured the floor for her lightsaber, accidentally picking up a broken stein handle instead. In the process, one of the flankers fired into her thigh, sending Anna to her knees. With wounds on opposite sides of her body, Anna's desperation heightened. She blindly fired the pistol, even as her face started to swell from the punches she'd endured. Anna's poor shots only gave away her position, and left her open for another shot against her hip. Had it not been for the amount of drugs pumping through her body, she'd likely feel an even greater intensity to it all.
"Come on!" she raged. "Is that-...All you've got? Come on!" She kept ducking between tables as her enemies closed in with ease. "Come on and kill me!" she shouted. "Kill me!" Tizu's next scattergun blast obliterated the table she was hiding behind. While Anna felt it push her to the floor at first, she suddenly felt a rising itch take over her right arm. This itch turned to sharp prickles of pain as Anna observed several, exploded splinters wedged into her skin.
Though her spirit willed for her to stand, Anna collapsed. Shattered glass crunched at her heels as she struggled to see straight. Tizu locked another slug into the scattergun's chamber. When he stepped forward, his silhouette morphed in Anna's distorted mind. She saw Hans' broad shoulders...only to have them transition into Mattias' hunched back. A heavy blink snapped her back into the moment as Tizu relentlessly approached. And yet, as he aimed to deliver the finishing shot...Anna wasn't fazed. She didn't offer a satisfying flinch nor scream. Instead she remained frozen, partially upright, and staring down the scattergun's barrel.
The most movement to come would be from her brows when the shot finally came. It was sharper than the previous slugs, and had an odd...blue color to it. By the time Anna realized it was a laser instead of slug, Tizu was already stumbling back. He dropped his weapon and instead clawed at a sizzling wound in his scales. This accurate shot had scorched through his neck, causing the Trandoshan to hiss and gargle. As he collapsed, his remaining cohorts were shot dead by a series of blue blaster bolts.
Of all the reactions for Anna to blurt, she could only sputter a "Hah!" Both out of triumph and terror over Tizu's dead body, Anna could hardly lift her head. As she inched across the eatery's flooring, she painted the tiles in her blood. She fell again, and observed two pairs of taloned feet traversing between the tables. They rounded the debris to her position, revealing a pair of hooded Avinarians. While one surveyed the scene, the other turned its weapon towards the bar. Binali instantly dropped his blaster and raised his hands in surrender.
"I just own the place," the old man pleaded.
With a swift nudge of its blaster, the Avinarian ordered Binali to scram...and he was quick to listen. Anna's heart skipped beat as the hooded figures turned their beaks to her. Unable to muster the strength to fight nor get away, Anna gritted her teeth at the strangers. "If you're looking to get something out of this-" she huffed through fleeting breaths. "-you might as well just...get it over with-"
The Avinarians paused as Anna succumbed to the stress of it all. Her head fell back and the older Avinarian knelt beside her. Its black tipped wing swept under her cheek, cradling her tired face under faded traces of yellow feathers. The Avinarian gingerly picked her up, watching for any unchecked injuries. "Let's get her back to the ship," he spoke gruffly.
"But what about the bounty hunters?" the younger Avinarian asked. "Or mercenaries?"
"Nar Shaddaa might be lawless," the old bird answered. "But that doesn't mean we won't get mixed up in whatever gang war just went off in this bar. Besides..." He motioned to the lightsaber in her plum-feathered wings. "She's all we need. Now come on."
The youth hesitated as her elder departed. "You've got to be kidding me," she scoffed. The revving of airspeeders on an outside street was enough to have her quickening her pace.
A chilling stillness came over the ruined bar as they left. And only then did D-50's horrible lag catch finish processing the situation. Flailing his rusted arms, he shouted to himself amid the pile of dead bodies. "Gunfight! Mr. Binali! There's a gunfight!"
Anna slowly stirred, her wounds numbing as feelings of familiarity came over her. Whenever an instance of sadness tried to enter, Anna found it drowned out by a series of kisses. This tenderness traveled up her wrist and against her nostrils. As Anna opened her eyes, she found herself glimpsing up across a welcoming vista. The Jedi Temple dormitory was blurry, yet comforting as she sighed. The kissing came to an end as Hans' auburn head lifted. Comfort clashed with surprise as her breath hitched.
"H-Hans?" Anna worried. "What are you?"
"Don't say a word," Hans insisted and smiled softly. "You're safe here. I've finally found you at last."
"Found me?"
As Hans rose from the edge of the bed, his shadows didn't shift with the light coming in. Instead they clung to his body, making him appear like a moving silhouette. And as he turned back, nothing but his corrupted eyes had succumbed to blackness. Anna tried to move, yet found her body immobilized. As if the mattress was tightening on her limbs as Hans grabbed a pillow. "I told you I'd make you suffer," he hissed and clenched the fabric. Lunging forward, he pressed the pillow to Anna's face and began smothering her.
Anna's muffled screams translated to a guttural yelp of sorts as she woke up. Bacta still oozed from wraps across her body while supplementary stitches came undone from her movements. Numbing agents lingered on her swollen face, leaving a terrible tingle. Groggy, aching, and unsure of where she was...Anna tumbled against a metallic floor. Her upper arm clunked from the wrap it had been sealed in, causing greater panic as she clawed for her neck.
"Hey!" a distorted voice called out in her state. Talons scraped as a lumbering being rushed towards her. And as it descended, Anna soon found herself trapped in a pair of yellow wings. Years of hardship had befallen this Avinarian, his family, and his people. Yet Ryx Finc's blue gaze remained stern and vibrant. He slowed his breaths in a hopeful effort that Anna would follow suit, but her anxieties persisted. "You're okay," he assured. "You're safe."
"My bag," Anna sputtered. "My...bag."
As her wild eyes scoured the ship for the bag, Ryx ultimately gave in. He calmly stepped away and retrieved her belongings. To both his surprise and dismay, Anna only wanted to take another death stick hit. The Avinarian grimaced at the sight as she swiftly snorted several granules. Throwing her head back against the medbay's wall, Anna leveled out and scrubbed the residue from her nose.
"Thank you," she panted as Ryx remained apprehensive.
"My patch job's not the best-" he professed. "-but Vona did the wrap."
"Dad?" a voice worried as more taloned feet came scratching over.
"Speaking of which," Ryx sighed.
In came a broad-shouldered, plum-feathered Avinarian. While age was taking its toll on Ryx, Vona was in her prime. She was truly a mighty Avinarian to behold, towering over both him and Anna. Unlike her father's flat head, Vona had styled her top feathers into a prominent and sharp crest. She'd grown into Ryx's black tips and that same plumage rounded her eyes and tail feathers.
"Everything alright?" Vona asked, more for her father's sake. She tilted her head at Anna, who was a bruised mess over on the floor. "I told you that I should've done the bandages. They're already falling off."
"I was decent," Ryx jeered. "It's just cause she went tumbling. No offense um...Who are you?"
"Anna," she answered, feeling like she had nothing to lose.
"Ryx," he greeted. "And-"
"Vona," Anna answered, catching on. The ladies looked each other over until Ryx broke the ice.
"Kiddo-" he squawked. "Why don't ya check the ship's controls. We should be coming out of hyperspace soon."
As Vona reluctantly stepped away, Anna was left to find her footing alongside Ryx. "Hyperspace," she uttered. "Where am I? Why did you-"
"Because you nearly died on Nar Shaddaa," Ryx said. "And you would've if we'd left you there."
Anna snorted at his words. "You should've," she muttered.
Ryx squinted while rising from the floor. "What?"
Anna took her time rummaging through her bag and found a flask of Revnog. "I always wanted to go out in a blaze of glory," she admitted while unscrewing the cap. "Making a final stand against overwhelming odds." As she glared at the scarlet liquid in her flask, she briefly saw Blazer's red helmet. The sight made her impulsively chug the beverage. "Would've been something," she whispered.
"It was a bar fight," Ryx grumbled. "Against some lowlife crooks and they almost killed you. That was hardly glorious."
"Ah ah ah," Anna gulped her Revnog again. "Slave traffickers. Against slave traffickers and they almost killed me." She glared at Ryx and flashed a childish smirk. "What would you know about glory, Feathers?"
Ryx started grinding his beak until a sharp trill came from the cockpit. "We're on approach, Dad!" Vona hollered.
Reigning himself back in, Ryx urged Anna to take a seat somewhere and buckle up. As their shuttle thundered out of lightspeed, they approached the faded...yet forested world of Avinaria. Anna inched her way to the medbay viewport for a closer look and immediately found herself observing an orbiting Star Destroyer.
"Transmitting clearance code," Vona declared while pattering on the dashboard. As it was sent to the destroyer, she glanced at her father. "I hope she's worth it, Dad. That was the last encrypted code we had to get us offworld." Whether he fully believed so or not, Ryx had to nod and stand by his decision. Regardless, both Avinarians breathed a sigh of relief as their final clearance code was accepted.
Pollution was already taking its toll on the planet's once eco-friendly atmosphere. It was so much to take in, that Anna ultimately had to limp her way over to the cockpit. "Wh-where are we?" she queried.
"Tristis," Vona said while flying. "Capital of Avinaria."
Ryx watched as Anna saw their city and spoke over her. "Our people had perfected a way to blend our society with nature. But as you can see, the Empire isn't so accommodating."
Anna squinted and observed entire sections that had been deforested. The towering trees of Avinaria were now limited to its woodlands and far from civilization. Metallic streets stretched to the horizon as Imperial banners waved from edifices.
"Oh but hey," Vona snarked. "At least those new housing units look pretty." She gestured to an entire block of pristine, chromium-roofed complexes.
"Those are for the Empire's distinguished representatives," Ryx snarked. "All Avinarians have been pleasantly relocated to those slum districts you see further to the west." While they were hardly visible from the cockpit, Anna could see shadowy layers of ramshackle rooftops...and not a single tree in sight. "As a senator, I tried to keep us neutral in all of this," Ryx recalled. "But still, they came and took what they wanted." As his own pain festered, he shook it off and gestured to Vona. "That's enough," he mumbled. "Let's go home."
"The slums?" Anna asked.
"No," Ryx assured. "One of the only places still untouched by these animals." As they flew towards a vast forest, Ryx couldn't help but glance back towards Tristis. He could still see the Capital Building and felt the memories calling out to him. He remembered reaching its steps as a senator and looking up with hopeful eyes...
A pair of hopeful eyes observed the dark, Imperial banners draped over the Capital Building. The longer this young Avinarian stared, the greater his anguish became. The winds ruffled his deep blue feathers as he grinded his dark beak. And as that anger festered, a woman's voice came through his earpiece. "Jay...Jay."
"Y-yes ma'am," he whispered.
"Stay focused," the woman asserted. "You can do this. Now...do you have eyes on the convoy?"
Jay walked alongside the capital's steps. He tucked his wings into a bulky jacket and kept his head down. His heart raced at just the idea of any patrolling stormtroopers giving him a passing glance. Still, he took a moment to notice a series of landspeeders traveling down the street. "They're on the way," he whispered sharply. "Reaching the intersection."
"Well done, my son. It's time for us to end this. For Avinaria."
The sharp trill of Imperial landspeeders echoed down the street. Sunlight beamed down on their chromium hulls while Imperial flags swished from their hoods. Amidst the line, two passengers sat in one of the darker transports. They were sunken into refined, leather seating. The well-pressed, olive green uniform of an Imperial general was partially illuminated by the incoming sun rays. His companion's grey sleeve met the light, while the rest of her body resided in the shadows.
"I can't stall High Command forever, governor." the general said. Pressing a glove to his bearded chin, he pondered through his superior's silence. "They know we've fallen behind on reports. The Summit will be here before we know it, and if we don't make Avinaria presentable before Grand Moff Tarkin-" The governor loosed a sharp and exacerbated scoff. All it did was put her general further on edge as they continued to discuss their plan.
To see such an extensive convoy was routine for many districts in the capital. Many Avinarians knew better than to stick out and usually just kept their heads down. While some trudged down the sidewalk, others toiled away to scrub the duracrete. Jay found his place in one of the adjacent alleys and kept his eye on an older janitor. Her faded feathers still had traces of blue as she slowed her scrubs. Her head tilted as the convoy neared their corner. As if coughing, the janitor chirped sharply. Within moments, a black-feathered vagrant wandered into the street. His crest puffed up as the lead landspeeder beeped at him.
The vagrant didn't budge, instead timidly digging his talons against the pavement. The speeder beeped again, bringing the rest of the convoy to a halt. Both bystanders and Imperials alike turned to the feathered fool standing in traffic. Still he didn't move and kept his wings bunched together. He'd become enough of a nuisance for one of the stormtroopers to exit the lead vehicle. Flustered, the trooper angrily slammed the door and stomped over. "Out of the kriffing road, you damn bird!" he yelled, in no mood for any setbacks. He aimed his blaster, causing the trooper in the driver's seat to exit.
"The hell are you doing?" the driver scolded. "You really want to bodybag that thing and set us back further? Just shove him off."
As the first trooper advanced, the driver turned around to explain to other speeders what the holdup was. And it was betwixt this turn, that he heard a rapid ticking spike from the front. The driver's head swerved back as the stormtrooper was already aiming. "Bomb!" he shouted as the vagrant became a feathered blur. With a swish of his wings he revealed a homemade, cylindrical explosive. The flashing device was barely airborne as the trooper was able to gun the vagrant down. But any effort to stop the bomb had been futile, as it detonated seconds later.
Having reached the landspeeder's hood, the engine exploded on impact. This blast sent the lead vehicle flipping backward and crashing into the next speeder. The first transport's two occupants fell dead beside the bomber, their plastoid armor charred from the impact. While the second speeder didn't explode, it was totaled in the collision and tumbled into the third behind it. This destructive chain reaction had bystanders fleeing the scene. Most of them anyway.
Once the chaos had started, the nearby Avinarians went into action. The alleged janitors reassembled their cleaning equipment, revealing hidden blasters. Trudging Avinarians drew pistols from their coats and flanked the street from both sides. Though her feathers had faded and age had slowed her, nothing could stop her fighting heart. Ever since she was an officer, she'd earned every promotion protecting her people. She might not have been Chief of Capital Security since the fall of her world, but nothing would stop Halcoa Poma from taking her home back. Assembling her hidden blaster, she rigorously aimed and fired into a stormtrooper's face. "For Avinaria!" she squawked alongside her people. "Raise your wings!"
Pushing their advantage, the Avinarians closed in on the trapped convoy. They didn't even give troopers a chance to recover from the wreckage nor assess the situation, and blasted indiscriminately as they emerged from the smoke.
The blasterfire intensified as stormtroopers clustered around the governor's speeder. "It's the Resistance!" a captain called over comms. "They've got us pinned! Send immediate reinfo-" A blaster bolt struck his chest, sending him toppling over.
Despite the chaotic firefight outside, the governor remained unfazed. She sat in darkness, her gloved fingers angrily drumming at her knees. "Governor!" the general gasped. "We need to move, now!" He gritted his teeth over her silence. "Governor Reina!" In that instant, a thermal detonator exploded just outside of their transport and sent it flipping over.
While stormtroopers flailed through the air, others rallied to defend the governor. Scraped up and fed up, the general unclipped his pistol and crawled towards the door. The governor slowly recovered and watched as her subordinate exited to join the fight.
"General Stavo!" a trooper called. "The captain's dead!"
"Then rally to me!" Stavo commanded. "Hold a tight circle on the governor!" He fired into the smoke as a flurry of feathers went up. With them came an aching squawk as an Avinarian rebel fell dead. "Keep up the fire!" Stavo yelled. "Drive them back!"
The storm of laserfire hindered the Avinarian advance. "Cover!" Halcoa squawked as her forces ducked behind charred vehicles. "We need to keep pushing! Get to the governor!"
"We're losing momentum," another Avinarian cawed. "We need to fall back!"
"No," Halcoa snapped. "We retreat now and we'll never get a shot like this again."
"Your call, ma'am," one of her troops said over the blasterfire. As Resistance members looked to her, Halcoa realized that their fates were sealed in her wings.
Rising in the name of freedom, she vaulted over cover and advanced. "Attack!" she yelled and led the charge. As soon as her unit emerged, a chunk was immediately gunned down. Those who weren't managed to shoot enough stormtroopers to create a gap to the governor's speeder. "Push left!" Halcoa called. "Left!"
The Resistance pushed left, just as Halcoa said. And while Stavo and the stormtroopers tried to hold their lines, a sudden 'whooping' sound echoed from down the street. It was enough to have heads turning as Imperial reinforcements arrived. Bolting down on speeder bikes, a trio of scout troopers accelerated to attack speeds. They were like dashing blades, opening fire from their bikes' mounted cannons. These heavy lasers tore straight through the Resistance and broke their attack. One of the scout speeders rammed an Avinarian head on, leaving him as nothing more than a blur of feathers. By the time Halcoa had realized what happened, the victim's blood was already splattered across her shoulder.
"Take them!" Stavo roared, realizing the Resistance attack had stalled. His troops pushed up, the bikes rounded for another attack, and a gunship arrived with more soldiers.
As heavy shouts replaced rigorous blasterfire, Governor Reina emerged from the fallen speeder. Fragments of broken glass rolled from her uniform and crunched beneath her shadowy boots. Realizing that the crash had undid her hair, she proceeded to bring her wavy black locks back into a bun. There was no urgency to Reina, even as the street burned around her. Her long, broad nose had a bold silhouette against the flames. She took her sweet time tying her bun and slowed her breaths before assessing. As her vividly blue eyes scoured such an infernal scene, she fixated on her troops' handiwork.
Having greatly overwhelmed their attackers with backup, the Empire had prevailed. Although many Avinarian bodies lay strewn across the street, several had been captured. They were lined up before the general, who looked at his governor questionably.
"Four survivors, ma'am," a trooper told Reina. "The rest of the hostiles have been neutralized."
"The 'Warbirds of Avinaria' are far from gone," Reina mocked while observing each bruised and captured rebel. "All these years, and you still let the past repeat itself. This little insurrection is as futile as that civil war of yours." Halcoa didn't say a word. Unwilling to give Reina any satisfaction, she stared her down. The deathly, violet glare caught the governor's attention as she put a face to the name. "Speaking of futile," Reina scoffed. "Look what we've caught in our net, General Stavo. The former 'Chief of Security' herself." Stavo scowled at Halcoa while Reina taunted further. "I must say, your president's seat is incredibly comfortable. It's a shame such a weak leader held that position before me. I still remember how much she wept before the firing squad." While her words didn't goad Halcoa into a fight, it was enough to have her grinding her beak. "General Stavo," Reina ordered. "Have Chief Poma and her friends here clipped. Then hang them out for all to see."
Despite the horrid news, Halcoa accepted her fate. She knew the risks and would be damned if she showed any weakness to this false ruler. Yet despite her bravado, her heart stopped when she heard Jay's frightened caws. Halcoa kept trying to tell herself otherwise. That her son had run away and stayed out of the fight as ordered. But the sounds were getting closer and harder to deny. No two Avinarians had the same call, and those in a family were audibly bonded for life. Halcoa grew misty-eyed as one of the scout troopers arrived with Jay in binders.
"Caught this one across the street," the trooper reported.
"The more the merrier," Reina spat while sneering at the youth. Prolonged problems on Avinaria had only increased her disdain for its populace. But in those moments, Reina noticed Jay's frantic eyes. Unlike his stoic companions, the boy kept staring at a particular prisoner...who was doing her best to look elsewhere. Raising a brow, Reina spoke up. "On second thought. General Stavo, what say we execute Miss Poma now?"
"Mom!" Jay cried out as the street fell silent.
Halcoa hung her head, knowing her son had fallen directly into the governor's trap. Reina smirked and put a firm hand around the captive youth. "This is precisely what people mean when they say 'think of the children'," she professed. "It's sad, really. How easily corrupted a young mind can be by an even worse influence." Reina scowled as Halcoa kept her head down. "Look at me," she demanded. "A moment ago you couldn't stop staring...so look at me." Her tone deepened as Halcoa raised her head with reddening eyes.
"I'm sorry Mom," Jay worried. "I'm s-"
Halcoa's screech was ear-splitting as Jay fell to the governor's smoking pistol. She tried launching towards Reina as multiple troopers held her and the other rebels down. Yet out of all of them, the troopers kept the firmest grip on Halcoa. Governor Reina had no other words to fire with, for she'd succeeded in breaking her opponent. Broken and dazed under the weight of so many stormtroopers, Halcoa's struggle lessened as the governor firmly gripped her face. Reina's black-gloved thumbs reached the edges of Halcoa's eyes as she peered down to meet them. Pursing her lips in fury, Reina made sure Halcoa's dead son would be the last thing she ever saw. And with a furious jab, the governor sent her thumbs pressing inward.
Despite the Empire's ongoing deforestation efforts, vast expanses of the planet's greenery still remained. These lush woodlands provided temporary comfort, as Avinaria's looming occupants remained a constant threat. Still, it was nice to see a part of the world untouched by the Empire's industrious hands. In time, Vona descended into the canopy and revealed a network of traditionally crafted dwellings. Elongated treehouses looped around trunks while hovels connected from the ground level. A network of bridges weaved between the trees as armed Avinarians passed between them. During their landing, Anna observed several blue-winged banners.
"Welcome to Payori Village," Ryx told Anna as Vona seemed cautious over the reveal. "What?" he scoffed. "Something tells me she's not Imperial. Are you?" he jested.
"Kriff the Empire," Anna had never answered so quickly in her life.
Ryx winked at his daughter before proceeding. "As I was saying, welcome to Payori: Home of the Avinarian Resistance." Ryx tried to help Anna up, but she shooed his wings away. "You might get some...looks. Try to ignore them."
"Might get some looks?" Vona blurted.
"How about some optimism, kiddo." Ryx sighed.
"Optimism-" Vona answered while lowering the ship's ramp. "Right. It's not like you told mom you were going to recruit more fighters or anything."
The ramp dropped, and the trio was soon greeted by a warm welcome. Many Avinarians were quick to salute Ryx, call him 'general'...and then turn their bewildered eyes towards Anna. Ignoring the stares, she focused on her host. "From senator to general, eh?"
"Desperate times," Ryx professed.
"Mom!" a yellow feathered youth chirped. She would've been nearly identical to Ryx had it not been for her curled top feathers. "Dad and Vona are home!" She tilted her head with intrigue. "And they brought a...human?"
A series of heavy scrapes had the young woman making way as a plum-feathered matriarch emerged. She might've been scowling, but Ryx was just happy to see her. "Idrial, my love-" he greeted.
"Olgi-" Idrial grumbled. "Go back inside."
"But Mom," the youth uttered. "I finished stacking supplies."
"Well now you can count it all out," Idrial doubled down. "Go." As Olgi sulked off, Idrial descended towards the rest of her family.
"I tried to warn him, Mom-" Vona tried to speak up, but her mother silenced her with a lifted wing.
"And yet I'm sure you went through with it anyway," Idrial asserted.
"Come on," Ryx defended.
Idrial's stern eyes observed the surrounding Avinarians. As leaders of the Resistance, she was unwilling to have any arguments out in the open. "Inside," she commanded. "Now." The group followed her up a wooden staircase and into a central treehouse. This base of operations was thriving with Resistance members hard at work...when they weren't gawking at Anna. Idrial brought them to the second, more secluded level. Only then did she feel comfortable turning for a full squawking. "We had one offworld clearance code left, Ryx! You know how hard those are to come by?"
"I'm well aware, my love," he answered. "But you're acting like we came back empty feathered." He happily gestured to Anna, who could barely stand up straight.
"What is she supposed to be?" Idrial sputtered. "She looks disastrous. By the stars, is her arm bleeding?" Anna glanced down as traces of blood trickled down from her poorly patched abrasions.
"I told you that you put it on wrong, Dad." Vona huffed.
Idrial rolled her eyes at such growing incompetency. "Minerva!" she beckoned as a service droid stepped into the room. While the jungle had left some wear and tear on her plating, it was shocking for Anna to see a BD-3000 unit still functioning. These feminine-modeled droids commonly served senators in the days of the Republic, and Anna never expected to see one in a treehouse of all places.
"Yes Miss Idrial?" the 'betty-bot' inquired.
"Please get this...creature...some proper medical care before she bleeds all over our floors," Idrial ordered. While the droid grabbed a medpac to tend to Anna, Idrial pinched above her beak. "This is bad," she spoke in a lower tone. "You two were supposed to recruit more fighters for us."
Vona hated seeing her parents butt heads. She wanted to try and placate things, but Ryx stopped her with a pat on the shoulder. "I know Anna doesn't look like much," he said. "But you have to trust us." Bringing his voice to a whisper, he leaned in. "We saw it ourselves, Idrial. She's...a Jedi."
Idrial almost wanted to laugh instinctually. While she hadn't met many Jedi in her life, she had a hard time believing that the battered vagrant with unkept hair was a noble warrior. "You can't be serious," she said. "Just look at her." All three Avinarians glanced over as Minerva reapplied bandages. Their heads shot away when Anna so much as looked in their direction. "I don't know what she told you, but that's no Jedi. She's a far cry from that elegant woman we hosted all those years ago."
Ryx sighed, "Idrial...We saw her use the Force. She is a Jedi. You have to trust us."
Relenting to her family, Idrial hung her head. "Even if she is, I don't know how one person is supposed save us all." Vona kept glancing between her parents, unsure who to side with in the debate.
"It's less about who she is-" Ryx explained. "-and more about what she stands for."
Idrial shook her head. "My dear, I've always admired your ability to see the best in others. But you can't forget how others view people."
"I'll make them change."
Realizing she couldn't stop her husband, Idrial sighed. "Let's just...keep her identity on a need to know basis for now. Especially with how the others would react."
As the family reached their conclusion, Minerva discovered Anna's weapon while assessing her body. "A lightsaber!" she computed loudly. "Why, I haven't seen one of these since the days of the Republic! You must be a Jedi!"
"Kill me," Ryx and Idrial jinxed while Vona clunked her head against the nearest wall.
The word 'Jedi' might as well have been an activation phrase for every Avinarian in the downstairs planning room. If they didn't like Anna before, they hated her now. The weight of a dozen seething glares fell upon her while other personnel spread the gossip.
"A Jedi?" one chirped.
"Get her out of here!" screeched another, puffing up his feathered chest.
"Filthy coward!" a third squawked.
"Disease!"
"Bitch!"
"Lies!"
"Smelly!"
"Okay, now you're just yelling words." Anna murmured, only agitating the group further. The Avinarians flapped their wings aggressively as their chest feathers ruffled through their shirts.
As the outrage intensified, Ryx pulled Anna further upstairs while Idrial addressed the crowd with an angry squawk of her own. "That's enough!" she yelled. "There is enough division across our planet and I will not tolerate it amongst ourselves!" Her sharp words were enough to reduce the shouts to mutters.
As Ryx brought Anna to the back of the room, she noticed Vona staring at her confusedly. "What's your kid's problem?" she asked.
"Vona's just uncertain," Ryx explained. "A lot of people are. And they might not see it yet, but you are exactly what the Resistance needs."
"Oh?" Anna scoffed and unclipped her bag.
"My people are so angry because deep down, they're just frightened. All they need is to hope again. And a Jedi...is the symbol of-"
Anna bit back a disdainful laugh. "You're out of your mind, Feathers. There is no hope." Ryx's eyes widened at her declaration as she withdrew a bottle of Revnog and sipped from it. "Sorry that you wasted your trip on me." Ryx leaned back, grinding his beak as she gulped her alcohol.
Rumors and gossip were running rampant around Payori Village. Generals Ryx and Idrial had a Jedi... And yet no one was worried about someone reporting them to the Empire. The Resistance might've come to hate the Jedi, but they still hated the Empire more. But as the responsible party, Ryx couldn't let his efforts appear as a mistake. He had to put on his best smile...even as Anna made a fool of herself at the table.
Anna didn't discriminate, between the fruits and the bugs. She just took and she took and she took. Her hands clawed at the dinner platters as she shoved clusters into her mouth. While Idrial gave her the occasional scowl, Ryx tried to see past the carnage. As Vona looked on in disgust, Olgi seemed fascinated. The younger Avinarian stared Anna down with folded wings, as if studying a feeding animal. Yet no matter how intrigued she was, nothing could prepare her for Anna's tumultuous belch. The resounding gurgle had Idrial groaning.
"I will not have animals at my table," she cawed.
"Easy, my love." Ryx tried to calm her. "She's probably starving. You know how I eat when I've been scouting for a while."
"Then what a pair you two are," Idrial countered.
"What?" Anna questioned, although she was unsure why she did so. The family turned to her as she slowly tilted her head. Anna couldn't quite understand why, but Idrial's words had her brows furrowing. Her breaths became shallow as she recalled the day she first met Hans.
"It sounds like you're the sneaky one," she'd said.
"Then what a pair we are," Hans chuckled.
It seemed so simple. So...nothing. And yet Anna's heart was racing faster. Her fruit-stained fingers curled at the table as her mind spiraled. Just seeing Hans became witnessing his sadistic grin. And within moments, that transitioned into Mattias' body...abandoned because of her.
Unknowingly triggered, Anna sprung up from her chair and rushed for her bag. "What's going on?" Olgi worried as Ryx stepped in front of them.
Anna ignored anyone's calls as she furiously unzipped her bag and withdrew a vial of death sticks. Hearing that familiar clink was enough to stave off her nerves as she cracked it open and snorted it in front of everyone. Olgi gasped while Vona was taken aback. Ryx sighed heavily as Idrial simply glared at him. To make matters worse, a knock came to their door.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, dears." Minerva computed. "But it's Captain Tinun. He says it's urgent."
The generals took one more look at Anna, who was far too busy getting high to care about the situation around her. "Minerva," Ryx said. "Take her to the extra bunk upstairs."
"Girls," Idrial chirped to their children. "Finish cleaning up dinner. We'll be back."
"I want to know what's going on too," Vona groaned.
"That's an order, soldier." Idrial doubled down, forcing Vona to relent and help her little sister. With solemn nods, Ryx and Idrial left their treehouse to meet up with Captain Tinun.
The news was worse than what they'd feared. Ryx and Idrial held each other's wings while peering at datascreens from the reconnaissance hovel. Captain Tinun, a stout and silver-speckled Avinarian, went over the footage. "This just aired within the hour," he lamented.
Images flashed across the datascreen, showing charred vehicles on a street alongside countless dead bodies. The generals' hearts sank as the next segment of footage showed Halcoa Poma and her companions strung up by their wings. As a sign of shame, all of their wings had been clipped...with the ends burned off so no growth could find them in the afterlife. Dried blood stains filled the hollows of Halcoa's gouged out eyes as she was left dangling next to her son.
"Who told her to do this?" Ryx uttered.
"It looks like Halcoa acted on her own accord," Tinun said.
"It was a suicide mission. She had to have known better! If nothing else, for her son's sake."
Tinun sighed. "After her husband was killed in a raid last month, I don't think there was another option, sir. Maybe she knew it was a one way trip."
The sight had an involuntary tear rolling down Idrial's cheek as she rushed to scrub it. "Ryx," she whispered. "We need to talk. Alone."
Stepping into a backroom, it was as if both partners could sense each other stress. Wrapping their wide wings around each other, they disappeared into a display of purple and gold feathers. "I have you," Ryx assured.
"And I you," Idrial murmured. "Ryx...maybe this is it."
"What are you saying?"
"What if Avinaria is lost?" she questioned, feeling safe to voice her true feelings.
"Don't talk like that," Ryx said. "Think of everything we've sacrificed. How hard we've fought. Everyone we've lost."
"That's all I think about," Idrial answered. "And what we still have. What if our girls saw us dangling like Halcoa. Or even worse, the opposite for them. Or all of us strung up as an example. What if we've fought the good fight and now it's time to cut our losses. We've saved who we can," Idrial sniffled. "Let's just go."
"Go where, my beloved?" Ryx grieved. "I know you're scared. I am too. But if we don't fight them here, it will just happen somewhere else. We'll never be free."
"So this is all we have," Idrial sighed, recollecting herself.
"Yes," her husband admitted. "But things are going to be different."
"Why? Bec-...because of that miserable excuse of a Jedi?"
"I believe in her," Ryx affirmed. "I need you too as well."
Idrial softly shook her head while resting against him. "I want to," she professed. "I really do. But we need to face the facts, Ryx. One person cannot save a planet. And as if the entire Jedi Order falling wasn't enough, we've already had a Jedi fail us."
"She's-" Ryx huffed. "She's not like him. She won't be. And I have a plan to prove it."
"I hope you do," Idrial said. Her teary eyes returned to the datascreen as she focused on her dead companions. "Because time is running out for us."
SECRETS OF THE JEDI - FROZEN FORCE TRIVIA
1. Many inhabitants of the galaxy are unfamiliar with lightsabers and view a Force-sensitive being as something surreal. As is evident by the gangsters being utterly terrified of Anna revealing herself. At this point, the Galactic Empire has practically erased the Jedi Order from history.
2. Scatterguns were a popular weapon utilized by Trandoshans. Similar to Mandalorians, they possessed weaponry that fired solid projectiles instead of plasma-based lasers.
3. Avinarians are one of the few Star Wars species that I created for the story. They embody my love of anthropomorphic creatures and birds in general. As a child growing up in the north, I was an avid birdwatcher. I became enamored by the American Goldfinch. This yellow-feathered, black domed bird would become the basis for Ryx Finc.
4 . Ryx Finc first appeared in Season 1 - Chapter: 8 "Lord of the Wings." He starts as a war veteran turned senator, ultimately making Avinaria secede from the Republic.
5. Ryx returned for a story arc in Season 3 Chapters 64 and 65. This arc contains several moments that foreshadow the current events of this chapter. The Republic's constant interest and need to control Avinaria remains an ongoing theme. While Elsa succeeds in helping them stay neutral, Chapter: 65 ends with the following exchange:
Back on Coruscant, a holotransmission chimed through Chancellor Palpatine's desk. He spun in his chair and answered the call. "Chancellor," a strident Avinarian voice said.
"President Kestri," he greeted. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Your spy has been returned," she said. "You should consider yourself lucky that a Jedi was here to negotiate and secure our information. While we will remain neutral in this war, make no mistake. If you ever trespass on our planet again, there will be bloodshed."
Palpatine sucked his teeth. "I'll remember that," he remarked nonchalantly. "Good day, Madam President."
By this current chapter in Season 5, Palpatine has followed through with his personal vendetta against Avinaria. The Republic turned Empire has now invaded and occupied the planet.
6. Security Chief Halcoa Poma first appeared in Season 3 - Chapter: 64 "Planet of the Birds." She was always ready to protect her homeland in the service of her president. Two seasons later, she'd give her life for Avinaria.
7. The Imperial occupation of Avinaria is foreshadowed during the dinner scene in Season 3 - Chapter: 65 "The Bridge." When Ryx steps away from the family dinner table with Elsa and Frost, he leaves Idrial alone with the children. There is a brief moment where Frost's helmet is left to sit on the kitchen counter, staring over her and her children. A soulless visor glaring over Avinarian innocence. This ultimately makes Idrial so uncomfortable, that she has to turn the helmet away.
8. The Avinarian capital gets its name from the scientific name for an American Goldfinch: Spinus Tristis
*
Author's Note: Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter of "The Frozen Force!" Your patience on this adventure is always appreciated and I've gone back to updating "Frozen Force News." Be sure to follow that separate story on fanfiction . net for chapter updates! I'll see you next time for Chapter: 136 - Raise Your Wings Part 2.
Long Live Imagination and May the Force be With You!
~ Sparks