Aleah stared at the ghostly form of her master, shock to see her standing right in front of her. The Nelvaanian looked at the Twi'lek. The two of had a brief silence before Daesha spoke. "I see that you're still always getting into trouble, Aleah," she said softy to ease her former padawan fear. "It pleases me to see that you are still alive."
Aleah could feel the force around them, it was very strange as nothing felt normal now. No doubt the arrival of her master was affecting the area around them.
"I can't believe it. You died fighting Skywalker," came the sad response from Aleah. But her sadness quickly turned to seriousness. "But I can't stay here. By nightfall this whole area will be swarming with clones."
"Then I'll lead you back to your friends," Daesha said. Then the master and apprentice began their journey back to Theeb. Along the way, Daesha told Aleah about why she had chosen her to be her padawan. It amazed the Nelvaanian that she had been chosen because her master had seen a vision of her becoming a great warrior of her people.
Still, Aleah had doubts about her master's vision.
They had been walking for quite some time when Aleah felt her foot make contact with something that wasn't dirt or rock. Looking down, her black eyes focused on the object. It was the head of an old protocol droid. The sound of a faint beep adverted her attention from the droid's head. TheNelvaanian saw a big crack in the cavern wall, the faint beep was heard again. She slipped through the crack and found an old treasure cove.
Daesha followed Aleah in a looked around. There was treasure all over the area, but also a coffin with a crest of the old Republic embedded on the lid. From the looks of the coffin, it was very old, so this had to have been made some two hundred year or more before the Clone Wars. The faint beep was heard again.
Looking behind the coffin, Aleah saw a very old holocron. The Nelvaanian picked it up and it opened in her hand. Sure enough, a small hologram of Jay Kaylon played.
"My friends, I fear that this is my last transmission. I have hidden Mandalor the Heartless' kneepads, thigh and shin guards in this coffin, along with his War hammer's handle. But whatever you do, don't let his blood line touch the armor – Don't let his blood line touch the armor – Don't le-" Aleah then crushed the holocron in her hand, her face filled with anger.
Daesha shook her head at seeing how angry Aleah was.
"He didn't leave the armor or handle in the temple." she said bitterly. "My friends could have died, and we would have never found this place."
Daesha placed her hand on Aleah's shoulder. "There was no way anyone could have found this room," she said trying to ease her friend's pain. "But you did. It was the force that led you here."
Back at the temple, Vader had found his way out of the ruble. His helmet cracked and his mechanical body damaged, the Sith enforcer limped his way back to Theeb. And back in the city, Captain Jens and his crew were gathering supplies and debating whether to leave now or wait for Aleah to return. Fang, Danny, Faolahd and Feline all wanted to leave, but Siv, Kenna, Dray and Lyra wanted to stay and wait for their friend to return.
"And why should we throw our lives away for some Jedi?" Fang growled getting up in Lyra's face. "Because of her, the Empire will hunt us down for sure."
"Negative Fang," Rusty chimed in. "We have been hunted before by the Huts and the Pikes, not to mention Count Dooku."
Cutie beeped in response. Rusty looked over at his fellow crew members. "Also, Cutie says Aleah's chances of survival nine hundred eighty-five to one." Then, tilting towards the shorter droid, battle droid grumbled, "Actually, Cutie has been known to make mistakes."
Faolahd just shook his head and went back inside the Nova Star. The wookie looked back and sighed sadly as he feared the worst for the young Jedi. He really did like her, but he knew if that they didn't leave now, then the Empire might catch up to them and kill them.
Siv began a silent pray in his native tongue. He so wanted Aleah to be safe. He didn't know why, but every time he looked at her, his heartbeat faster by the minute. And when they spent the night stargazing, he felt so calm, yet so excited. Was he… in love with her?
Not too far off, Vader had reached a group 501st. And his command to them was simple. "Alert my cruiser to prepare for my arrival." And then he pushed past the clones, black robes flowing behind him, to prepare for his journey.
Back with the Nova Star and her crew, the debate was now turning hostile. Danny pulled his knife on Siv, who drew his blaster in return and pointed it at the young Mirialan. Faolahd came rushing out of the ship, growling as he gets ready to back up Danny. Both men were ready to fight, but neither one wanted to be the one to draw first blood. Lyra got between the two men and tried her best to maintain the peace, but it was in vain.
A fight was about to break out.
Just at the moment, Aleah who had managed to make it back thanks to her master spotted the crew getting ready to fight. Daesha turned to Aleah. "May the Force be with you, padawan," Daesha said. "Remember what you heard about the armor you found. Stay ever alert and keep your wits about you. If the Empire gets a hold of the next location of the temples, the galaxy will be in grave danger."
"I will master!" Aleah nodded and hurried to the crew to stop them from fighting. Daesha shouted one more thing to her.
"And Aleah, don't let your feelings for Siv stop you from following the Jedi Code!"
"You only want to wait for her because you like her Siv," Danny smiled before slashing Siv's armor chest plating. Sparks flew off the metal and the Mandalorain landed a punch to Danny's left cheek, knocking him over. The other crew members drew their weapons and got ready for a fight when there was a loud…
"STOP IT!"
The crew turned to see Aleah looking at them with contempt. She stepped forward and helped up Danny. "You are all friends," she said softly. "Crew, friends, family even. You all want what's best for each other, but that doesn't mean you should fight to prove it."
The others lowered their heads down in shame. Aleah was right. They had totally forgotten the reasons they were a crew. Kenna then rushed forward and helped Aleah inside while the others gathered the rest of the supplies and loaded the ship. And not a second to soon, because just as the final crate of food was loaded, troopers of the 501st came with their weapons drawn.
"Open fire!" A clone commander shouted, his men raised their weapons to fire, but Dray shot his hand forward and launched the troopers into the air with the force. He knew the clones had to be slowed down long enough for the Nova Star to prep for takeoff, so he rushed out to deal with them along with Rusty. The battle droid was an expert shot with his blaster, scoring head and chest shots. The Bothan still in possession of Aleah's lightsaber, ignited it.
Seeing the former Jedi master wielding two lightsabers at once, most of the clones focused on him instead of Rusty. The Bothan began making quick work of the clones.
From inside the nova Star, Fang and Jens were already setting the engines to max power, while Danny helped Aleah secure the armor and war hammer piece she found in the tomb. From the sounds coming out from outside, things were going pretty good for Dray and Rusty.
As the Bothan Jedi cut down the final clone trooper, he glanced over his shoulder to see a speeder and its dark-cloaked rider bearing down on them.
"Drop, Rusty!" he shouted, wheeling about.
The battle droid threw himself facedown, flattening against the ground as the speeder whipped overhead, then the cloaked figure jumped off and landed in front of Dray. The Bothan saw this new threat pull out a very odd-looking object, but he was even more shocked when the object became a red lightsaber. It was another Sith.
Rusty rose to his feet and got ready to fire at the Sith, but Dray shouted, "Get on board!" as he deflected an incoming attack from the Sith warrior.
His attacker closed with him again, forcing him back, striking at him from every angle. Even without knowing anything else, Dray knew this Sith was trained in the fighting arts of the Jedi, a skilled and dangerous adversary. Worse, he was younger, quicker, stronger than Dray, and he was gaining ground rapidly. The Bothan Jedi Master blocked him again, but then the Sith's lightsaber became two as it disconnected.
Dray could hear the sound of the Nova Star taking off, but the Sith warrior wasn't giving him any room for escape. Just as the Sith landed a slash to the side of Dray's leg, the Bothan shot his hand forward and sent his attack flying into the river behind them.
Up in space above the City of Theeb, Vader stood on the command deck of his cruiser. His fists tightened in anger at the defeat of the Empire's new Jedi hunter – The Inquisitor. The Sith enforcer turned to a rather young officer, Lorth Needa. "Captain, send a gunship down to pick up the Inquisitor. He will pay dearly for failure."
Captain Needa could tell by the rage in Vader's voice that he was beyond angry and knowing the Sith enforcer's anger, he would be force choked to death if he delayed in following the order. So, the young captain turned to his aid and gave the order. Vader looked back out the window the observation deck and noticed the Nova Star leaving Naboo's orbit.
He crossed his arms as the Nova Star shot victoriously into hyperdrive.
Darth Vader stood silently. He gazed at the black void where, a moment before, the Nova Star had been. His deep, black silence brought terror to all on the command deck. Then light rumbling was heard and the glass windows cracked, but did not break.
The crew saw the cracks and were ready to seal the command deck if the windows shattered, but Vader did not move. He stood silently contemplative, with his hands behind his back. Then he turned and slowly walked away, his ebony cloak billowing behind him.
As the Nova Star traveled through vast voids of space, Dray was in the med bay being treated by Kenna. The white Shistavanen female inspected the wound to his leg. She saw no real danger from any chance that wound would get infected, but she did wash it and bandage it up nicely.
Jens looked at his fellow crew member. "Are you going to be alright?" he asked, his face mirroring his concern.
Dray nodded, giving his bandaged leg a smack. "Yeah. That was battle I won't soon forget."
Feline who had been standing close by spoke up. "What kind lightsaber was he using?" the Zygerrian pressed, her eyes narrowing.
The Bothan shook his head. "I'm not sure. But whoever or whatever he was, he was well trained in the Jedi arts. My guess is he was after the holocron."
"Which Vader will no doubt continue to pursue us for," Siv stated quickly.
"Yes, but I already know the riddle and where we have to go, Vader on the other hand doesn't know about the location," Aleah said walking up to Siv, the others quickly gathered around to hear the riddle. "In the Outer Rim, you will find me in a place where if I drink, I shall die, but if I eat, I shall live."
Rusty then spoke up. "The answer is fire."
"And where can you find fire?" Aleah asked looking around.
Dray sat up. "Down on Mustafar." he said.
Aleah pulled up the holomap showing the Atravis sector. "Correct," she smiled, then looked at the crew. "You all know that this place is going to be very dangerous, but whatever it takes, we will find the temple and learn of the next loacation."
Jens stepped forward. "I agree," he said, then a crafty smile appeared on his face. "And after all, there is a large deposit of iron ore that we could steal."
Fang leaned over to his sister. The two of them whispered something. Then Fang looked at Jens with a frown. "If we do this, my sister and I want an extra twenty percent of what we make on this job," he said.
Jens looked around at his fellow crew. They all seemed to agree on this. After all, what was the point of going to Mustafar without a plan. The captain smiled and replied, "Deal."
The crew cheered and went on with their work, but Aleah stayed and got down on her knees before Dray. The Bothan was certain that Aleah was going to ask him to train her, and he was right. The Nelvaanian did in fact asked him to teach her the ways of the force. But Dray wanted to know why.
Aleah pulled out her lightsaber and looked at it. "So, I may be able to defend myself and the others if the time calls for it," she said.
Dray smiled and got up. He stood over the Nelvaanian. "Only for defense, never for revenge," he proclaimed. Aleah nodded.
"I will, Master Dray," she said, but the Nelvaanian was lying. All she wanted was to find Vader and kill himfor her master's death that day in the temple hanger. One way or another, she would have her revenge.
Not long after that, everyone was settling down for another one of Danny's home cooked meals. The young Mirialan cook had prepared what looked like eggs mixed with some kind of green gravy. On the side was chunk of hard bread with greasy beans under it and not forgetting about desert, Danny had made some pudding that looked like it had been burnt.
"Great! More of your disgusting food," Siv groaned looking sadly at his meal.
Faolahd not liking the insults Siv was saying about Danny's cooking, the Wookie stood up and grabbed the Mandalorian by the back of his armor and shoved his face into the food.
"Eat it and like it, Siv," he growled.
Now, there was one thing you never do to a Mandalorian, and that was to pick a fight with them or attack them without warning. Siv reached over and grabbed Kenna's tray and flung it backwards at Faolahd. The Wookie had no time to react as the tray of food made contact with his face. This caused him to let go, his hands shot up to his face to wipe the food off, but this gave Siv the chance to strike.
With all his might, Siv threw a punch right into the Wookie's gut. This only anger Faolahd. Soon, he and Siv were on the floor fighting to see who was stronger. Aleah who was seated next to Feline, turned to her Zygerrian friend.
"Do they do this often?" she asked.
The Zygerrian nodded. "More times than you think, but it's all just good fun." she said ducking as a big glob of food went flying towards her. Feline ducked, but Aleah however got some on her, which ended up causing issues to her translator collar.
Later after everyone had calmed down and cleaned up the mess caused due to Siv and Faolahd's rough housing, Aleah sat alone in the mess, her ears being bombarded with the harmonious hum from the hyperdrive, the purring thruster pushing them further and further to their next destination; Mustafar. And Aleah didn't know why, but the mere mention of the volcanic planet on the far corners of the Outer Rim filled with a great dread, almost as if the force was warning her not to go there. So much so that the humming did little to calm, as it only reminded her of where it would drop them in three rotations.
She looked over and saw Danny and Faolahd cuddled up in the corner, the Mirialan and Wookie looked so happy with each other. Aleah took a look over at some crates that had been converted into a bed. There was Feline and Kenna, both girls sleeping peacefully as Fang sat behind them, snoring softly.
The other crew members of the Star were either somewhere in the back of the cargo hold or up in the cockpit.
ZAP!
"ACK!"
But at the present time, Aleah was more interested in repairing her translator collar, the device itself she had come to find, having been damaged during her tumble on Naboo. And truth be told, she would very much like to get it working again before the crew woke up. But unfortunately, she was not too knowledgeable when it came to tech. normally whenever she needed her collar repaired, or a new one, she would take it to one of the maintenance droids in the Jedi Temple. But, of course, for obvious reasons, she couldn't anymore. And needless to say, it only added to the nelvaanian's frustration.
"Having issues?" a new voice laughed, the sudden intrusion actually making Aleah jump a bit, only to calm down almost immediately upon noticing the ship's resident Mandalorian standing in the door, a teasing smirk on his lips as he went to sit beside Aleah by the table, the girl offering a bit of bashful smile in return as she returned her attention back to her collar.
"Sajnálom," she began in her native tongue, only to stop when she noticed Siv's teasing smirk turn into one aired with mild confusion. And it was for this reason she relied on her collar. Despite all the time she spent with Jedi, being surrounded by many beings who spoke basic, she never felt it necessary to learn how to properly speak it since a translator made it much easier. Though that didn't mean she couldn't understand in, in terms of listening, reading and writing as evident by how she was able to communicate with the crew.
"S-s-s-orr-ry," she managed to stammer, surprising Siv as deep red blush of embarrassment bled through the fur on her face, her yellow eyes focused solely on the translator in her hands as she continued to speak.
"I-I…w-wak-e…?"
At first confused, Siv was finally able to connect the dots as he his smile became more caring, a soft chuckle escaping his throat as he sat beside Aleah.
"Nah, I was up anyway when I heard ya working," he responded, his attention soon shifting from the alluring…Siv gave a quick shake of his head, removing those invasive thoughts of the still very strange girl by his side as he looked to the collar in one hand, and pick in the other.
"Here," he said as he reached for the two trinkets, his sudden action making Aleah flinch a little. But, after offering a gentle smile, Siv was pleased to see Aleah relax, the former Jedi slowly handing the collar and pick to him. However, much to their embarrassment, their hands touched. And despite the deep blush forming on both of their faces, Aleah was surprised by how soft his hands were, half-expecting them to be rough and calloused. But they were smooth, and soft, almost as if he took as much care of them as he did the ship.
For the next several minutes the two just sat in silence, Siv focusing all his attention of reconnecting the wiring that had been severed in the collar, the Mando faintly aware of the curious eyes staring at him as he worked. And that most certainly did not help the blush on his face. As for Aleah, she took advantage of Siv's distraction by studying his features. And it was then that she noticed for the first time since they left Naboo that Siv had washed up, his armor absent from his body, replaced a plain white tunic and brown trousers tucked into his boots.
Aleah's eyes then traveled to his face, his fair skin and blonde hair reflecting the dull light of the room, his cheeks actually peppered with freckles that had once been hidden behind a fine layer of grease and grime. And his eyes, his deep hazel eyes that focused on her collar, seemed as if they were so deep, she could drown…
Aleah abruptly turned away, the nelvaanian stifling a gasp as she tried to vanquish such thoughts. Even though they were gone, Aleah still felt she had to abide by the Jedi Code of no attachments. Yes, she couldn't break the code know, even more so given the fact that Siv was still very much a stranger. And a Mandalorian no less, the sworn ancient enemy of the Jedi. However, she couldn't hold that against him, as her master must have trusted him the past. But still did not leave her less confused of these new feelings that were forming.
"THAT SHOULD DO IT!"
Aleah was suddenly pulled from her thoughts by Siv, the Mandalorian setting down the pic on the table, handing the collard back to Aleah, who after taking a moment to register what was happening, accepted the offered device with a small smile before placing it around her neck, flipping the switch that brought it to life.
"Testing, Testing," Aleah said through the Collar, the blue-furred girl's smile growing even wider as it actually sounded like new. Looking to Siv, her smile never faltered as he returned it.
"Thank you Siv, I greatly appreciate it."
"Hey, no problem," Siv shrugged off with a wave of his hand, the mechanic leaning back against his seat as he spoke to Aleah, who quickly noticed that the young man's attention had moved to the collar around her neck, a curious glint in his eyes.
"You know," he began, leaning forward as he spoke, "I've been wondering why you need that thing. You understand basic from what I see, but you still use that to speak."
Aleah stilled a bit at this, her hand self-consciously moving to her neck, her fingers tenderly caressing the metal's collar.
"It's one thing to understand a language," she began, her gaze now on the cold durasteel floor, "it's another to actually use it."
It was at that moment that Siv realized he had overstepped.
"Sorry, I-I didn't mean…"
"No, no," Aleah interrupted with a laugh, her gaze now on Siv as a tender smile graced her muzzle.
"It's not the first time I've been asked that."
This resulted in the two sharing a good-natured laugh, the revelry actually a nice change from the otherwise awkward situation from moments before. But soon, the laughter came to an end as the two stared at each other, their eyes fixed on the other as Aleah finally let the hum of the hyperdrive calm her. And from her point of view, it seemed to have the same effect of Siv, the Mandalorian's breathing matching hers in perfect harmony. And it was at that moment that Aleah was faintly aware of the hypnotic affect the humming hyperdrive had on her as her entire being just seemed to relax as she stared at Siv.
Now, both weren't quite sure how it happened, but as the seconds ticked by, they seemed to be moving closer to each other, the human and nelvaanian inching towards the other, their eyes never leaving each other as they were vaguely aware of the fact that they were now leaning closer, and closer and closer until…
Aleah couldn't help the moan that escaped her throat the moment she felt Siv's rough, chapped lips brush against hers, the male himself letting out a little bit of a chuckle as the fur on hers tickled him. But, luckily for him, his laugh was infectious as Aleah released a throaty giggle. And while she felt strange, this being her first kiss, something she never thought she would have to prepare for, she found herself caring less and less as she moved herself to straddle Siv's lap.
As for Siv, the Mandalorian found himself with many conflicting thoughts, the male unsure of how to proceed with this girl he had only met days before. In truth, he knew it was a child's fairy tale to fall in love at first sight, but even he couldn't deny the obvious natural attraction between them, even if it was sudden. But he soon found herself pulled from his musings as he suddenly felt something prodding at his lips. And the moment he realized what it was…well, he couldn't explain, but all that fear and uncertainty just seemed to melt away as his arms wrapped around Aleah's lithe but fit frame as he granted her entrance, the nelvaanian wrapping her arms around his neck in order to deepen the embrace.
For a solid minute the two just sat there, a battle of dominance taking place in their mouths as they softly moaned together, the feeling of being in each other's arms just feeling so right, even though they had only met just a few weeks ago. But they could care less. Unfortunately, the need for air arose, the new couple reluctantly parting, their breathing uneven as they panted from the exhilarating moment they just had.
Unfortunately, the moment they opened their eyes, only a brief smile was exchanged before Aleah's eyes went wide in alarm, the nelvaanian female jumping from her place in Siv's lap, the Mandalorian just as surprised as he himself stood, albeit shakily to his feet. However, the shock seemed to quickly fade into mild embarrassment, Aleah holding herself as Siv merely shoved his hand's bashfully into his pockets.
"I'm…I'm sorry," he finally said after a long minute of awkward silence.
"I shouldn't have done that."
"N-No," Aleah immediately rebutted, "it was me; I started it."
For another long minute the duo just stood in awkward silence, both unsure of what to do. Eventually, without a word being said, Siv felt it best to leave Aleah alone to dwell on the these knew, confusing feelings. However, just minutes later, Aleah was brought to her knees by a crippling wave of anger…
Not from herself…
But from the bridge of Venator that was careening through hyperspace.
"You were warned what failure would bring, Inquisitor!"
Darth Vader's menacing form stood silhouetted against the viewport, his hand outstretched to pleading enforcer in his invisible grasp, the inquisitor's olive skin becoming paler and paler as his yellow eyes widened in fear, his hands desperately clutching at the invisible hand around his neck, the poor human trying, and failing to draw in a much-needed breath.
"Fot-giv-ve m-me, My L-lord," he attempted to gasp out, his feet dangling off the ground as he looked around desperately for anyone that might help him, be it the clone technicians in the wells on either side of the walkway on which they stood, or the clearly unamused Pau'an behind Vader.
"Forgiveness is not the way of the Dark Side," Vader growled, his hand slowly closing as the Inquisitor's desperation grew even more as his eyes began to roll into the back of his head.
"M-my L-l-lord!" he once again cried in desperation until finally, with a flick of his wrist, Vader felt deep satisfaction in seeing the inquisitor's head twist to the side, accompanied by a very satisfying SNAP! And his hand lowered, the Inquisitor's corpse fell to the floor, sitting on its knees for only a second or two before falling forward, his head sitting at an odd angle as a result, his former master stepping over the body with great disinterest.
"Apology accepted…First Brother."
Gesturing to two 501st troopers, the armored men wasted no time in dragging the body away, passing a visibly disturbed Captain Needa, ho, after taking a moment to recompose himself, looked upon Vader as he relayed his news.
"My lord, we will arrive at Mustafar within two rotations."
"Very Well Captain."
Taking the short response as a dismissal, Needa trend to make the preparations, all while Vader turned to address, the Pau'an by his side.
"My new fortress is already being built… but are you prepared to guard it if I command you to stay?"
Bowing to one knee, the Pau'an responded.
"By the grace of your training, I shall succeed."
However, what Vader said next did little to ease any worry this dark warrior had. "I hope so, for your sake."
And the Pau'an found another shiver run up his spine by the dark lord's final words before departing the bridge.
"You know the price of failure…Grand Inquisitor."
The Pau'an nodded, but for some reason, he felt a small, but powerful tremor in the force. Whatever it was, it had something to do with Mustafar.