ADVISORY:The following chapter contains sensitive material relating to: Violence, profanity, trauma, and torture. Remember to practice self care before, during, and after reading.
Chapter: Return of Wrath (Part II)
- ACCESSING IMPERIAL NETWORK -
IHC: Imperial High Command to Inquisitorius.
Namaari: We read you, command.
Hans: Speak.
IHC: What is the status of the Nevarro situation. Have you found the Jedi?
Namaari: Not yet, command. We've got the pirates on the run and will double our efforts.
Hans: We will break them.
IHC: Them?
...
IHC: Command to Inquisitorius. Respond immediately.
...
...
...
Hans was always eager to get off of comms with IHC. Years of exposure had exhausted him on hearing that distorted and anonymous voice. As he shut off his channel, he could feel Namaari's seething gaze on him. "What?" he scoffed as rain pattered against them. "We can report back once the Jedi are dead."
"We need to be smart about this," Namaari asserted. "If our senses are correct-"
"They are," Hans interrupted. "She's here."
Fed up, Namaari continued speaking as if he'd never interrupted. "If our senses our correct, we need to play smart. There's no denying that Anna has escaped our entrapments one too many times."
Hans sneered, but knew Namaari's words to be true. "What's your call?" he grumbled.
"We know the Dellians have been seen fleeing and operating in the Path over the years. Anna's likely here on intercepted intel from them, similar to us."
"So?" Hans snapped.
"So," Namaari scoffed. "She'll be looking to make a quick exit. If we find the Jedi she's here for, we'll find her." Hans already started off on his own. "Where the hell are you going?"
"You worry about the other Jedi," Hans answered over the rainfall. "Leave Anna to me."
"Damn it, Hans." Namaari cursed before she addressed the stormtrooper platoon. "Fan out across the city," she said. "Sweep any houses and check your fire on civilians. As for the pirates, stun or blast. I don't really care. No one travels alone so split into pairs. Find the Jedi." On her orders, the Imperials dispersed into Nevarro city.
Anna and Kristoff kept their heads down and eased out of the alley. Their boots tracked mud as the downpour became torrential and they took cover behind the destroyed skiff.. Their cloaks went from dampened to soaked as Kristoff peered ahead. His observation was short-lived as a trooper's searchlight swayed to him. "Shit," Kristoff whispered before dropping beside Anna. "The Empire's already in. We'll need to move fast if-" Kristoff paused upon hearing his companion shudder. "Anna?"
The Jedi was balled up against the shrubs. Anna's hand was tremoring again, this time intensifying with each attempt to sneak. Kristoff's words were muffled and distorted as she clenched her shaking fists. Amidst it all, she also sensed a frigid, yet familiar disturbance in the Force.
"Anna," Kristoff beckoned again, this time shaking her by the arm.
"Hm?" she barely snapped herself back into the moment. The rainfall was at full volume to her senses again as she looked at Kristoff's drenched face. "I'm sorry," Anna uttered. "I don't know what's happening to me."
Kristoff raised a brow, but their survival took priority. "This wasn't what we expected," he said. "I think we need to abort."
"But the Jedi-"
"What good is saving her going to do if we can't save ourselves? We're outnumbered and far from any backup."
Anna sulked but found reason in his words. "Let's take the long way out," she compromised. "We can find another junction to the sewers. And if we happen to find the Jedi along the way, then this wasn't all for nothing."
Kristoff knew it would be the best deal Anna would settle for. With a firm nod, he looked ahead to find any escape route. "Too many troopers in the main square," he said. "If we head further down the road, we can put some distance between us and them. You with me?"
"Always," Anna assured and slowly rose to her feet. "Call it."
Kristoff glanced past the shrubs once more and waited for the majority of Imperials to turn. Taking his best chance, he made the call. "Go!" he whispered before bolting down the street with Anna.
Their dashing blurs caught a trooper's attention as he aimed his blaster down the road. "Hey!" he shouted as a weapon's mounted searchlight caught a leg for mere seconds. "Suspicious activity," he called in over comms. "Moving to investigate."
Anna and Kristoff ducked into a dilapidated establishment just as the searchlights came over them again. Each sinister beam pierced the cracks between boarded up windows. The duo caught their breath and basked in any semblance of dryness. Anna flinched when she heard hushed voices just ahead of them. She started reaching for her lightsaber until she heard a child's whimpers.
Using the slivers provided by searchlights, Anna observed a family huddled behind a shop counter. The child's parents clung to her and lowered their heads as much as possible. Blaster holes lined the walls, and Anna could only imagine how much they'd been through on such a backwater planet. Anna gently lowered her hand in an effort to keep them calm. Kristoff raised a finger to his lips and the family caught on. Stormtrooper chatter had everyone shuddering. Anna didn't want to reveal their location, but she'd be prepared to defend the civilians if it came down to it. Footsteps crunched the gravelly ground just outside of the store. Imperial shadows lingered in the doorway as Kristoff clasped his blaster.
"Pirates!" a trooper suddenly shouted. "Contact rear!" The Imperials turned away from the shop and opened fire on unseen targets. The family dropped to the ground and clung to floorboards.
With voices obscured by the blasterfire, Anna shouted to the family. "Go! Go!" She jabbed a hand towards the backdoor while she took the lead. Kristoff followed her and guarded the family from behind. Shots continued to echo between lightning strikes. Anna and Kristoff crept through an intersection of alleys. They were concerned when the family didn't follow and instead sought shelter in their cellar.
"They'll be fine," Kristoff assured but more so hoped. The storm only intensified and Nevarro city's poor structure didn't help. Puddles expanded, causing surges of water along the streets and alleyways.
Shifting through the rising water, a pair of stormtroopers continued around the corner. Anna didn't even have to communicate her plan to Kristoff. They'd stealthily teamed up enough times to know exactly what maneuver to fall into. Anna raised her hands as Kristoff lifted a foot. He quickly stomped, causing a splash beneath him. This had both troopers turning just as Anna Force-pulled the rifles from their hands. With their foes disarmed, Anna and Kristoff tackled each respective trooper.
Water rippled along the curb as Kristoff and his enemy exchanged punches. Stormtrooper helmets weren't the most pleasant on the knuckles, causing Anna to reach for her foe's throat instead. She pressed him against the flooding street, hoping there'd be enough water to drown him. Yet as she tried to tighten her grip, Anna's wrists started locking up. Her hands tremored and the trooper punched her off of him.
Kristoff rose from his downed target and delivered a swift kick to his face. The stormtrooper's body went limp, with his head turning more than it physically could. Blood trickled from his helmet and painted the murky waters red.
Anna didn't let up, even as the remaining trooper took another swing at her. She pushed through her tremors and weaved under the punch. Gripping the trooper by the shoulders, she kneed him in the abdomen. The plastoid plate crunched and muddied from the strike. Anna took advantage of her dazed enemy and threw him down. Out of options, the stormtrooper pressed a hand to his helmet. "This is TK-521. I need-" Anna threw herself on top of the trooper and wrapped an arm around his neck. The edges of the helmet dug into her skin as she kept squeezing and pulling. With her firm hold secured, Anna jerked leftward. Her twist sent water spraying as a nauseating crack sounded. The trooper fell dead and his comms continued to buzz.
"TK-521," another trooper called. "TK-521, respond!"
Anna had barely caught her breath when Kristoff pulled her by the hand. "Come on!" he urged. Their run across the street was cut short by an engine's heavy roar. The duo came to a halt amidst the waters as a pirate ship glided above. Its bulky silhouette pierced the downpour as another screech followed. Despite the vessel's efforts to return fire, the TIEs were much too quick. Their lasers struck its thrusters and sent it diving back to the city. The impact from such a crash sent shockwaves bursting over the water. Anna and Kristoff were flung back, but persisted towards the wreckage. Captain Sal's crimson flag drooped from the ship's collapsed interior. Dazed and bruised pirates stumbled out from the debris. Barely able to stay upright, the stragglers were put down by arriving stormtroopers.
"Wait!" Captain Sal brayed over the blastefire. "WAIT!" He flailed his arms as searchlights came to him.
Meanwhile, Anna and Kristoff proceeded into the breach. Amid the easily doused flames and strewn out bodies, Raya's cage could be seen on what remained of the bridge. Anna quickened her pace while Kristoff watched her back. She leapt at the cage and clung to its bars. The clamor startled Raya, who was still stirring from the crash.
"We're here to get you out of here," Anna whispered and didn't waste a moment.
"Lightsaber," Raya's speech slurred.
"Yes," Anna replied and pat her belt. "I'm one of you-"
"No," Raya hissed through a scowl. "My lightsaber." She pointed an aching finger across the wreck and towards a battered chest. "He...kept it in there."
"On it," Anna hurriedly answered and slid to the chest. Its durasteel-plated lock gave her only one option. Looking around, she quickly activated and deactivated her weapon. Anna's yellow blade had only flickered, and that alone was enough to sever the lock. Anna popped the hatch and didn't even have to reach for Raya's weapon. Calling upon the Force, the captive Jedi frustratedly pulled the hilt out. From the moment it graced her palm, Raya activated and severed the cage bars.
"Easy, friend." Anna said.
"I'm not your friend," Raya growled.
"Okay well then just turn the saber off," Anna snapped.
"No," Raya countered and gripped her weapon tighter. "Who are you?"
"You really want to do this now?" Kristoff jumped in.
Their bickering came to a halt when splashes sounded from outside. "Heard something in the wreck. Let's check it out."
Rolling her eyes, Anna sparked up her saber. "Oh terrific," she scoffed.
Two troopers shoved Captain Sal back to the city square. Had it not been for his plea, he would've battled the Imperials for such harassment. Instead, he stayed his temper as he was brought before Namaari. "Are you the sleemo in charge of this incursion?" He took the Inquisitor's silence for a yes and carried on his tirade. "We had a deal!" Sal groused. "I was to sell the Jedi to one of the other crews. Then you'd destroy them and get your prize. This is not what was agreed."
"Where is the Jedi?" Namaari asked smoothly.
"This is not what we agreed!" Sal continued.
"Where-" With one word, Namaari's booming tone forced Sal into silence. "-is the Jedi?"
The captain clenched up as raindrops clustered on his beard. "In my ship," he answered. "Still in the cage-"
A flash of red would be Sal's final sight. His body plummeted into the water as Namaari stood over him. His severed upper body floated away as she kicked his lower half to join it. Namaari's gaze fell to the stormtroopers as rain sizzled against her lightsaber. "Get to the crash site," she ordered and activated her wrist comm. "Hans, we have a lock on the Jedi." Her brows narrowed when his communicator was offline. Growing frustrated with his rogue behavior, she ended the call and proceeded with the troops.
Anna and Raya observed each other's lightsabers. The pulsing beams of yellow plasma were practically identical. Kristoff aimed his blaster as a bizarre buzzing emanated from the outside. While Kristoff and Raya appeared confused by the sound, it sent a chill up Anna's spine. She hadn't heard an electrostaff since the Clone War. For a moment, Anna thought the black armored figures ascending into the wreck were Inquisitors. But as they stepped further in, their appearances matched those described by Jedi survivors. Their visors were a dreadful red, just like the blades of those they served. The group of four flourished their electrostaffs as several stormtroopers formed up behind them.
"Purge troopers," Anna realized. "They are real. Two for me, two for you?" Anna's suggestion fell on deaf ears, as Raya was already attacking. "Oh come on!"
Raya sprung into battle, her bright saber pulsing against the enemy's electrified tips. The first Purge trooper already stumbled from the heavy hit and endured a kick across the chest. Raya swiftly raced to duel the next closest foe. Anna started her attack with a Force push to dishevel her enemies. As she clashed with a Purge Trooper, Kristoff engaged in a shootout with incoming soldiers. It mattered not how long Raya had been in captivity, she'd harnessed her fury to deliver heavy strikes against opponents. A stormtrooper got too close and felt the burn of her blade. Raya then spun to slash down on a Purge trooper's staff. Once he was disarmed, she Force pushed him into a jagged piece of wreckage. Blood dripped from his armor as he was impaled from the hip.
Anna was moving slower than she wished. While she evaded one of the elctrostaff's ends, the trooper quickly jabbed the other end into her torso. Purple bolts pulsed through Anna as she angrily grabbed his staff. Enduring the sting and pulling herself closer, she drove her lightsaber through the trooper's chest. While recovering, the third elite came swinging at her back. Before he could land a hit, one of Kristoff's blaster bolts struck his head. Anna nodded to her partner as their enemy's body fell away.
Raya picked up speed, overwhelming the final Purge trooper with a flurry of hits. It was only a matter of time before he broke his defense. Rainwater and affected his grip as the electrostaff wobbled. Raya swept her saber, and the trooper's head rolled to the ground before his weapon had a chance to.
The massacre prompted the remaining two stormtroopers to drop their weapons and run. "To hell with this!" one of them shouted as they stumbled and sprinted through the floodwaters.
Anna steadied her trembling hand and looked to Kristoff. "You okay?" she asked.
"Fine. Are you?" Kristoff kept eyeing her tremor.
"Yes!" Anna snapped on impulse before turning to Raya. "We need to get you out of here."
"With how you fight, I wasn't sure if you'd thought that far ahead," Raya snarked.
Unwilling to put up with her attitude, Anna rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry, would you prefer to be back in the pirate cage?" The women stared each other down until Kristoff split them apart.
"Escape now, argue later!" he blurted. "We've got to get back to the sewers before this flooding gets worse."
Raya reluctantly trailed behind Anna and Kristoff as they fled the downed vessel. By the time they touched the street again, the waters were sloshing against their knees. Pushing onward, they found another alleyway and hoped for similar structure like where they'd started. Anna activated her lightsaber and held it over the water. Once she caught a glimpse of a sewer lid, she deactivated and pushed with the Force. Floodwaters gushed downward as the ensuing current moved the trio closer. They dropped into the tunnel and Raya Force-pulled the lid shut. Residual water splashed against their faces before they continued through the tunnel.
With any imminent threat gone, Anna used her lightsaber as a torch and Raya followed her method. Their golden beams lit the way through the winding tunnels as Anna and Kristoff searched for familiarity. While the paths weren't linear, Kristoff used the Nomad's primary beacon to track where they were. "This way," he said and pointed down a shadowy corner. "No guarantees, but we'll at least be closer to the ship." While they passed through the underground network, the storm's watery barrage could be heard beyond every crack and crevasse.
The group reached a fork in the tunnels. It was hard enough to hear themselves think as water poured through the canals. Both potentially led closer to the ship as Anna and Raya swayed their sabers. "Now what?" Raya questioned. "We-" A sudden pair of footsteps had both Jedi pointing their blades rightward. With each moment of advance, a pair of dark red, armored boots stepped into the saberlight. Anna steadied herself as the warrior moved fully into view. An assortment of deadly weapons lined her unique set of armor, yet Anna found the helmet most striking. She hadn't seen the infamous T-visor of a Mandalorian warrior in years. The Mandalorian came to a stop and observed her surroundings. Her gloved hands slid to her holsters, but didn't reach further.
Taking the gesture as a show of dominance, Anna and her allies opted for the left tunnel instead. "Definitely not that way," Kristoff huffed. It wasn't long after they'd taken the leftward path that the sounds of outside had returned. A perpetuating heat reached their bodies as the lava river's glow came into view. Such a sight was accompanied by the constant sizzling of evaporating water against the lava's surface.
"Alright," Anna sighed. "This is it. Once we're out, it's a straight run to the ship." She glanced back and jeered at Raya. "Come on! You want out, don't you?" When Anna returned her focus to the mouth of the tunnel, she heard something metallic strike the duracrete. This brief clang was accompanied by a series of beeps.
Anna's eyes had spotted the device just as Kristoff called it out. "Grenade!" he shouted. As he and Anna hit the floor, Raya dashed deeper back into the tunnel. While they were anticipating a thermal detonator blast, a high-pitched screech emerged instead. The sonic grenade sent a wave of piercing sound into the tunnel. The burst was as disorienting as it was earsplitting. As the group was hindered, another sonic grenade dropped from outside. This second blast had Anna, Kristoff, and Raya shouting in pain. The sounds had been piercing enough to make their heads spin even as they cupped their ears.
Anna fought to balance herself out and slowly lifted her head. She could see Kristoff coming to, just as a silhouette dropped from outside. It kicked Kristoff across the face, rendering him unconscious. As it closed in on Anna, she found herself struggling to focus her vision. The ringing in her ears was agonizing while she kept buckling forward.
"Right here," a voice beckoned amid the ringing. "Right here."
Anna felt a heaviness tilting at her head. A gloved hand pressed against her cheek to steady her into looking up. From the moment she saw Hans' face, disgust filled her heart. She tried to wriggle away from his palm, but he clutched at her face. Anna flailed amidst her daze, desperate to fight back. In her dizzied state, Hans easily swatted her hands away and put her into a headlock. Anna's fight lessened as he continued to apply pressure. "Shhh," Hans hissed as she lost consciousness.
Anna's next flurry of thoughts became a blurry collage. Her eyes would flutter open one moment and then be shutting in the next. She recalled the sensation of her legs dragging against duracrete. The warmth of lava rivers would come and go as she was taken to an unknown. Her head was jerked upright at one point, and she couldn't tell the difference between the ground and ceiling. It was all so persistently dark and the rain never let up.
The first feeling to stick with Anna was that of great tightness. Gravity had its cruel way with her head as she slouched forward and observed her scraped up pants. The storm had become a distant echo as she examined her musty surroundings. When she tried to move up, a sudden clang kept her at bay. She soon realized she was cuffed to a chair, and used the Force to snap them on instinct. But as soon as she tried, a painful jolt pulsed at her wrists.
"Kriff," she panted. "Kriff kriff kriff-" Anna's head fell forward again and she noticed the pair of boots across from her. "Kristoff!" she gasped, realizing he had been cuffed to a chair as well. Bloodstains were speckled across his lap. Hans' kick had left a cut across his cheek. "Kristoff," Anna called again. "Wake up. We-"
"Sleep well?" Hans' casual tone had Anna stifling her breaths. He stepped in from behind and ran his fingers along her shoulder. He chuckled to himself when she took a bite at them. "I guess the Force really does work in mysterious ways," Hans remarked as Kristoff started to stir. "What are the odds that we'd meet again after all this time, both on the hunt for someone else?"
"Doesn't matter," Anna growled. "She got away, you failed, and we'll see how much your superiors like that."
Hans laughed off her words. "My superiors would have to care for that to be a threat. Besides, you were the real prize all along." He gripped Kristoff by the hair and forced his head up. "I mean, this stupid shit seems to agree."
"Take your hands off of him," Anna growled.
Kristoff coughed in Hans' tightening grip. The Inquisitor smiled, for he was thriving off of Anna's anger. "I can't say I'm surprised," Hans professed. "After leaving me to die, you really whored yourself out over the years. I just never thought you'd let him get a piece you too. Kriff...You'll let anyone take you."
Hans jerked Kristoff's head up again as Anna resorted to shouting. "Stop it! I'm the one you want! This is between you and I. Leave him out of it!"
"You're all I've ever wanted," Hans replied, released Kristoff, and approached her. "Do you have any idea how much it hurt to know you abandoned me?"
"Oh for the love of kriffing-" Anna cursed. "Get over it, Hans! How many years have you been telling yourself this story? It was an accident. I tried holding on to you for dear life. I watched you get shot and fall into fire. We had to flee."
Hans pressed his tongue to his cheek and huffed. "It's adorable how much you believe that shit. If I had been this sleemo across from you, or your sister...If I had been any of those meathead clones you 'loved' so much-"
"Don't you dare speak their names," Anna growled.
"Why?" Hans mocked. "Don't want to remember more men you were probably screwing behind my back?" Anna was as angry as she was hurt by the Deathchasers' disgraced memory. "Everything you are-" Hans continued. "Everything you became in that Jedi Temple, you owe to me. I helped you sneak out that night and finish that mission. I covered for you when the council tried to expel us. You'd still be shit without me!"
Anna thrust her head forward and spit across his face. Hans furiously scrubbed it off and snatched her by the throat. Only with a secure grip did he feel comfortable leaning into her ear. The chair legs rattled as Anna writhed in his grip. "The Force works in mysterious ways," he taunted. The breaths that once intimately tickled her ear were now like insects stinging her skull. "No matter how many years pass. No matter what you've done to me...it still brings us together. You abandoned me, so I had to heal on my own. I can imagine the guilt must be...horrible." A tear fled Anna's twitching eye. "Knowing that no matter who you've met, where you've been, or what you think you've learned, you will never be free of me."
"Let her go!" a fully awake Kristoff threatened.
Hans obliged, but took his time doing so. He let each finger delicately slink away from her throat. "Don't worry, Anna. If I wanted you dead 1-2-3, I would've done it when I first caught you. You'll get yours only after you've felt everything I want you to feel. When you're as alone as you left me." Hans slowly turned away from Anna and eyed her companion. "Starting with this one." Kristoff was stern and silent as Hans approached. He might've been captured, but he wouldn't dare give the Inquisitor the satisfaction of his fear. "Tell me, mutt." Hans snarked. "What do you know of the Force?"
"The only thing I need to know is that cowards like you hide behind it."
Hans feigned hurt as he clutched his chest. "Cowards like me? The Dark Side of the Force is all about power, you idiot. And I've had plenty of time to harness my hatred." Hans slightly glanced at Anna while raising a hand to Kristoff. "Let me show you-" he smirked. "-what I've learned."
The ensuing snap was enough to have Anna jumping in her seat. With a flick of Hans' wrist, blue bolts of Force lightning shot from his fingertips. The sudden shock came over Kristoff and pushed his head back. Hans concluded his short burst and let the smoke wisp from his fingers. Kristoff was as startled as he was aching, all while Anna flailed in her restraints. "I'll kriffing kill you!" she roared.
Hans paused, ultimately letting his smile return. "No," he spoke nonchalantly. "No you won't." He zapped Kristoff again, causing Anna to flail in her restraints. "You couldn't save me. You couldn't save yourself. You won't save him." Hans laughed off the concept. "All you'll ever be is a coward who buries her nose in drugs and finds company in bodies and the bottom of a bottle. That's all you were. That's all you are. Now suffer with me."
Hans lessened the intermission between shocks. It all felt so random as he kept striking Kristoff. He zapped the man until smoke was sizzling off of his clothes. When Hans tired of Anna's cries and screams, he shocked her too. Anna shook in her chair as the lightning pulsed through her. She could barely open her eyes past it all. And when she did, all she could see was Hans' toothy grin as he hit her...again and again. The room strobed blue as Hans electrocuted them both. Before he knew it, he was screaming along with them. He saw their torment as a shouting match and happily added his wicked howl.
Anna and Kristoff had lost track of time. They kept willing themselves to withstand just one more shock, hoping it would end. There would be moments during zaps where Anna would subconsciously think about death. It became an escape from such torture, yet she held on. When the next pause finally came, it was followed by profuse shouting.
Anna's body alternated between sharp burns and total numbness. She couldn't move her limbs and her head fell back against the chair. Kristoff could barely maintain consciousness as her spirit willed her to call to him. But no words could leave her dry, chapped lips. Her breaths were broken as her eyes listed to Hans. Namaari had found him, and the two descended into a furious debate. Anna couldn't bring herself to pay attention, and instead focused on staying alive.
"Why didn't you call in?" Namaari snapped. "You had one of the targets this entire time and-"
"I'm making her pay," Hans interrupted. "My business is my own."
"I have had it with this obsession of yours," Namaari fired back. "While you've been wasting time, the Jedi we came for could be offworld by now." Hans' stern silence had Namaari igniting her blade. "I'm ending this," she scoffed and marched towards Anna. Hans activated his saber and blocked her initial swing. Sparks flared towards Anna, but she was unfazed in her wounded state.
"She doesn't die until I let her die." Hans growled while pushing Namaari's blade back. As he shoved her out of the way, a lanky silhouette could be seen down the tunnel. Anna could barely keep her eyes open and tried to figure out who had arrived. Hans and Namaari sensed the stranger's presence and slowly turned.
A yellow lightsaber sparked up and Raya raised its glow to her face. Her pained eyes narrowed on the Inquisitors, who were quick to engage her. As they started their charge, Raya balled herself up. Using a Force repulse, she rattled the tunnel's brick walls. Dust, sludge, and compacted ash clouded the pathway while she deactivated her weapon. Namaari furiously Force-pushed the clouds away while Hans formed up behind her. While she cleared one side, Raya's yellow saber activated from her right. Namaari strafed as the weapon came sailing down. She lunged to engage while Hans sought an opening.
Unbekownst to Hans, he'd exhausted himself from channeling so much Force lightning. He parried Raya's incoming attack, but couldn't dodge a kick to the face. As Hans fell back, Raya endured Namaari's flurry of attacks. Glancing at Hans' utility belt, Raya quickly Force-pulled Anna's saber. The hilt clinked off of Hans' belt and zoomed into her hand. With a mighty flourish, Raya readied herself with both golden blades.
As the duel intensified across the tunnel, Anna pushed herself to break free. She wriggled in her restraints just as Kristoff did the same. Ultimately tipping her chair over, Anna collapsed onto her side. Hans heard the fall and prepared to head back.
"Hans!" Namaari shouted while going on the defensive.
Hans sneered, realizing he'd have to help his fellow Inquisitor first. He rejoined the fight, but still couldn't stay up to par. Raya was a wild storm of strikes. She channeled all of her late father's teachings and combined it with her pride. The result was a valiant attack in the name of two words: Never again. Realizing Hans could hardly block, Raya would repeat the same move. She'd swing high, forcing him to block upward. Raya would then follow up with a leg sweep to send him tumbling back. By the fourth time, Hans' frustration was building. His recklessness would be his downfall as he clenched his fists.
Meanwhile, Namaari felt like she was basically fighting on her own. Switching her saber to its spin settings, she tried to put some distance between her and Raya. To her shock, Raya actually advanced. Hans stepped back and attempted to shock Raya from behind. As he raised his hands to do so, the overexertion finally struck. Lightheadedness plagued his corrupted mind as he fell forward.
Namaari kept up her spinning defense. Raya paused and observed the rapid blades. Taking a deep breath, she spun and swung both lightsabers upward. The Force favored her timing, as she struck with enough Force to throw Namaari off balance. Everything was happening so quickly. All it took was for Namaari to lightly loosen her grip. and her very weapon had turned on her. The rapid spinning continued, long after it had diced her thighs and torso. A full breath couldn't escape Namaari's lips by the time what was left of her hit the ground.
Raya looked over her kill before raising her weapons to Hans. Realizing he was down, she rode the adrenaline of the moment to get to Anna and Kristoff. Imperial reinforcements could be heard echoing beyond the tunnel. Anna meekly looked up as she felt the heat of Raya's saber. She cut through the cuffs on both Anna and Kristoff. "Where's your ship?" she asked. "Where is your ship!" Her tone intensified through Anna's weary silence.
"I can...take us," Kristoff winced as he pushed himself to stir.
"Okay let's move!" Raya yelled and hauled Anna to her feet. While Kristoff hobbled ahead, Anna's feet were practically dragging against the duracrete. With each blink, she felt like she'd traversed a different location. Shadows of searching Imperials danced across the walls as the rainwater took hold. Anna recalled feeling the flooding up to her chest and coughing between waves. And in time, her boots were grazing a familiar ramp as they reached the Nomad.
"I can fly," Raya assured while dropping Anna in the hold. She was prepared to rush for the cockpit, but Anna clasped her hand.
"Is he-" she whispered. "Is he dead?"
Raya froze as Anna tightened her grip. "I don't know," was all she could offer before breaking free and dashing to the ship's controls. Anna's head fell back against the Nomad's grated flooring. While many sensations had left her body, she still felt every sting of Hans' words. No matter what he'd done or become, she desperately fought her mind to not blame herself. As the Nomad took off beyond the dark planet, a tear fled Anna's eye.
BEHIND THE SCREENS FROZEN FORCE TRIVIA
1. Video game reference: Purge troopers made their first appearance in the video game "Jedi: Fallen Order" (2019).
2. Disney reference: At one point, a stormtrooper is called out with a specific identification. 'TK-521' is a reference to the March 5th, 2021 release date of "Raya and the Last Dragon."
3. Series reference: The tunnels of Nevarro were first seen in the series "The Mandalorian" (2019). These underground pathways led to a secret Mandalorian enclave.
4. Character analysis: Hans is a narcissistic psychopath. In his mind, it's everyone against him and he can do no wrong. While smaller examples show themselves in earlier seasons, Hans has never taken personal responsibility for anything. He is a permanent victim in his eyes, and this is another reason why he hates Anna so much. Anna's improvements are reminders of his weakness, which is why he must consistently blame and bring her down. This goes as far back as during the Clone Wars, when he'd constantly criticize her choices and self deprecate.
5. Disney reference: When Raya emerges from the smoke to attack Namaari, this is a direct homage to the same scene their film counterparts have in "Raya and the Last Dragon" (2021).
Author's note: Thank you so much for reading this week's chapter of "The Frozen Force." I am moving to a new home next week and will be busy with this new life change. As a result Chapter: 154 "Trees of Tranquility" will debut in two weeks on Friday, March 7th. Thank you for your patience and understanding!
Long Live Imagination and May the Force be with you,
~ Sparks