“Ugh...”
‘My eyes opened, I tried to sit up, but the sudden movement caused a just as sudden spike of pain in my head.’
“Ouch... damn... no sudden movements, I guess.” — ‘I winced, tormented by my discomfort.’
‘It was one of the worst hangovers I ever felt, but... I can’t seem to recall when I managed to get this drunk?’
‘Oh, yeah... wait, I am a child… so that’s unlikely that I got drunk. What the hell happened to me then? When did I fall asleep? I can’t remember that kind of important detail...’
‘Was I kidnapped? Oh hell, not that please…’ — Nizzal was beyond confused at the moment of her waking. An understandable reaction after going through so much extremity in such a short time.
‘I was in a garden, with the healer...’ — She finally recalled. — ‘I was back in the damn temple... Sigh... No matter, I will have to play the part of a padawan for a few more weeks...’
With slow and calculated movements this time around, she finally managed to sit up. She heaved a sigh of relief afterwards.
‘I finally managed to sit up in a way to not move my head more than it is entirely necessary.’
‘That was the first time when I looked around... I saw an even more minimalistic room than the jedi usually used... There was nothing except this bed built into the wall, in a way that it was impossible to move it. There was a water source built into a different wall and a room that was clearly leading to the toilet.’
‘While assessing my situation, I was passively channelling healing energies towards my brain to soothe the constantly pulsing pain that was distracting me from thinking over the causes that lead to this situation.”
‘There was a massive door in front of me. It was obviously locked, since there was also an energy shield, stopping me from even touching the inside of the doorframe.’
‘There was no window in this room. I was unable to check my surroundings behind the walls of this place. Not that I needed to do so to create my conclusion.’
‘Yep, it seems that I am in prison. That’s well, that’s not exactly what I expected, but it wasn’t too unexpected either... I mean, if that damn girl, who I freed from the lizards shared my plans to never ever go near to Coruscant, and maybe even some of my more interesting opinions of their order...’
‘My face paled gradually, as I couldn’t certainly remember if I only thought, or actually spoke out loud when I called Yoda a green shit and wanted to see him boil in his sweat.’ — Nizzal face palmed at the memory, a sense of desperation flipping her empty stomach. — ‘Oh damn, I would never have said that, if I knew that I will be brought back here so soon... If the “here” still means the Jedi Temple, but there is an easy way to figure that out.’
‘I reached out with the force, and immediately found a few more force sensitives, but... there were not many actually... I was not in the Jedi Temple anymore... Why?’
‘I pushed my senses even further. There were three, four... no five jedi in close proximity, and one of them was a familiar one.’
‘Obi-Wan Kenobi, my so-called substitute master. I sensed a few other humans without any special force presence, most likely clones and also two droids moving around the ship.’
‘Yes, I was being transported on a ship. Based on the constant low frequency humming created by the burning engines, resonating through the body of the ship. I could feel it if I focused on it a bit. I don’t even need the force to figure that part.’
‘I just have to touch one of the steel walls surrounding me, and I can easily feel the resonance.’
“Auuurgh... damn... why does my head hurt so much!?”
‘The memory of being shot in the back by an infuriating human girl, only to crash into the cold floor face first like a cut down tree, flashed in front of my mental eyes.’
“So that was the reason for my concussion!” — The girl exclaimed in disbelief stumbling across the room while grasping the sides of her pulsing head.
‘My head began to hurt even more... That was strange... I was constantly healing it. It should have been mostly healed...’
‘Now, I was feeling a fresh wave of drowsiness too... Something was wrong... The air... it must have been poisoned!’ — Nizzal realized her eyes widening with newfound fear. — ‘What is the meaning of this?! It is one thing to put me in prison, but to kill me on the way there. No, wait... Calm down... this is not the style of the jedi... Then who?’
“Cough... cough...”
‘No time to think about that... I sat down on my bed and relaxed my mind. I must focus on creating an air bubble around my whole body. Who knows what kind of poison is this?’
‘This force aura technique is an old one. Its purpose is to filter any type of harmful material from the air around the user. A master of this technique is believed to be able to use it in raw space and survive. Well, at least until they have enough air locked inside that bubble.’
‘Honestly, I am not sure about that space part at all. I never tried it, and I am not that bored to actually try it out in space. I mean, not willingly... What if I fail, or it is simply misinformation?’
‘I opened my eyes after I activated the technique.’
‘An invisible bubble appeared around me containing only clean air and pushing anything else away from my body.’
‘Although I can’t see any visual difference, since the gas or poison that is in the air is also perfectly transparent, but since I stopped coughing and can breathe without a problem, it can be said that the technique was a success. I only have to support it until I figure out what to do, which was not a big deal, even for my current self.’
The energy shield protecting the doorframe suddenly disappeared. It was followed by a hissing sound as the door opened out of nowhere.
“What? Who?” — The sudden opening of the door took Nizzal by surprise. She was certain that she would sense anybody getting closer to her cell in her alarmed state, be that clone or droid.
She shouted, somewhat bewildered seeing the opening door. Her slightly raised eyebrows furrowed once again when she realised that nobody was standing at the door.
‘Well, that at least explained why I didn’t feel anybody getting closer… For a second, I thought I was getting senile!’
‘I stood up, still hesitant about the headache, but since I could breathe clean air while keeping up the healing process in the background, my head felt much better now.’
‘I walked towards the door on mostly stable legs.’
‘Peaking out into the corridor, I noticed two temple guards. They were knocked out, lying on the floor. I kneeled down right next to them and checked their pulse.’
‘I was relieved to find them still alive, only asleep. The gas was evidently not focused on my room. It was unleashed across the entire ship.’
‘I don’t know who is behind this, but I will never have a better chance of getting away. I was about to pick up one of the guard’s lightsabers when I realized that my own blade was placed on the belt of one of the unconscious guards.’
‘I couldn’t believe my luck? Why would they place my weapon in such an obvious place?’
‘I picked it up, activated it and it worked! Unbelievable. I looked over my clothes with a smile, as I noted that I was still in my rich girl clothes, which I loaned from the pirate gang. I will easily fit in with the Coruscant people, at least on the surface levels.’
‘I stole one of the wrist computers from the knocked-out temple guards, then I picked up a one handed blaster gun from one of the clones that was sprawled out across the floor. I checked our current position on the wrist computer real time map.’
‘Luckily, we were in atmospheric levels. Merely a few kilometers above ground level.’
‘What was the ship’s goal? I wondered... A prison perhaps? That would make sense... I tinkered with the map and found out that our route was in line with one of the highest security prisons on Coruscant, capable of restraining force sensitives.’
‘I gulped, a bit frustrated but not even surprised anymore.’
“They were really about to put me on ice for the forceable future... Fuckers, well, nobody can say that I didn’t try.” — The girl complained while standing still in the middle of the corridor between a few unconscious soldiers and guards.
‘Maybe the Grey Order is not the best in raw force power, like the Sith are, nor are we that incredible in force heal or other light side powers as the Jedi. But, if there is one thing we excel at, that is hiding and surviving.’
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A surprised expression appeared on the still golden-eyed girl’s face as she accidentally saw a small paper attached to the hilt of her previously reclaimed lightsaber...
‘I knew it, they would not simply leave my weapon on a guard posted in front of my cell... Someone placed it there later, most likely after the guards had been put to sleep... Clearly the same person who was the cause for this entire charade.’
‘I read the message... It was one single word, telling me to “JUMP!”’
‘Well, I would do that on my own anyway...’
‘I planned to levitate down to one of the buildings. Sadly, with my midi-chlorian count, I will not be able to fly with the use of the force, but to slow down my fall to a survivable degree. That is a piece of cake. I walked to one of the doors and opened it through the console.’
‘I didn’t even have to use my saber to cut an opening on it. As the pressure door retreated, I was slapped in the face by the rushing air current. I had to grasp onto the door frame to stabilize myself, unless I wanted to take the plunge sooner than I was mentally prepared for.’
‘I stared down over the swiftly passing buildings underneath and the general hustle and bustle of the galaxy's biggest city planet. It was a marvel to see and sense so many souls pressed into one planet. It was also tiring to watch, especially after living almost a decade in a tomb, and many more centuries through my memories.’
‘I took a deep breath, preparing to make that leap of faith. No matter the power and knowledge one accumulated, jumping out of a flying ship merely relying on your force abilities will always remain a terrifying deed, one that required the utmost level of focus.’
‘I was just about to step over that doorstep when a desperate and somewhat angry voice appeared behind me.’
“Nizzal, if you step out of that door, there will be no going back!” — Sounded the warning.
‘I turned around, partially, and looked at the face of my substitute master... No, he never really deserved that titled, did he? He was, but another Jedi Master, called Obi-Wan Kenobi. A person who was not my enemy, not even now, yet he had never been my friend either. Nor will he.’
“Obi-Wan Kenobi. I should have known that some simple sleeping gas is not enough to stop you.” — ‘I acknowledged his presence with a glance over my shoulder. Never for a moment stepping away from my way to freedom.’
“Maybe that is why you sent that assassin droid after me,” — The slightly disheveled master answered with cold distrust. — “but I will give you one more chance if you go back to your cell right now, on your own. I will do everything in my power to make the council look over this... You will have a fair trial and-...”
‘I showed him an easy-going smile, while I weakly shook my head.’
“Assassin droid, you say? Let me guess, it’s color was, copper?” — ‘I asked with a newfound suspicion.’
“Why am I not surprised that you are right about that?”
“I hope you destroyed it.” — ‘I added, causing the master to feel quite confused all of a sudden.’
“Well... yes.” — He answered. Clearly unsure of what to think about the situation.
“Good riddance,” — ‘I chuckled heartily.’ — “thanks for that assist. It’s a pity that was not the real one, though.”
‘Obi-Wan rayed a questioning eyebrow at that, which I promptly ignored.’
‘Aside from that annoyance, I have to say that I can clearly see why the council trusted you to be my investigator. If there is one person who can turn someone away from the dark side, it needs to be just as stubborn with the pestering as you are.’ — Nizzal sighed helplessly, while turning ahead, looking over the forest of skyscrapers once again. — ‘To be honest, there were times when I kind of enjoyed being your padawan. Messing around and stuff like that. It was fun, at least for a while, Master Kenobi. Although, I have to say, that you were never meant to be my tutor, because I had one already.’
‘No… that is not quite true either. I had many tutors. All of them were great in their own ways, eccentric, true, but wise. Their gazes piercing far beyond the horizon, seeing things with a sense of certainty, things that could be merely anticipated by the best of your order.’
Obi-Wan narrowed his eyes at the girl, a sense of uncertainty lingering on his features.
‘There is no arrogance in my tone, Master Jedi… if you are wandering, the reason for that… is that I am merely stating facts.’
There was a short silence passing between the two.
‘We all have our burdens to carry, Master Jedi. Mine lays elsewhere and it is shrouded by darkness and uncertainty, but I sense that our path will cross again.’
‘I spared one last glance towards the sky above Coruscant. The sky seemed calm and eternal, compared to the colorful city moving under my feet. The blue sky extended over the horizon, promising sweet freedom with countless possibilities. My heart fluttered from sensing the massive life energy of the trillions of beings living on this colossal city planet. The whole thing seemed to call out to me. It wanted me to join to live the life I was promised. An empty promise that I have exchanged for survival on a faithful night on the streets of Ryloth.’
‘That was the truth.’
‘Now… I am bound to my order with more ties than I could ever cut. Being a living manifestation of the Grey Order’s secrets, a personification of everything it entails… This planet would sooner cease to exist along with me than my existence would be allowed to become compromised.’
Obi-Wan spoke up behind me, his tone more pleading than demanding this time.
“Nizzal, think about your friends! What about Ahsoka and Rika? Are you going to make them suffer this way? They are already worried about you! Come over here and we can still think through this... Choosing suicide is not the way, it is not what the council intended for!”
‘My face whipped with frustration towards this idiot. Who the hell is talking about suicide here… oh, wait… I guess, from his point of view, this might as well look like it.’
‘A new sense of frustration jolted through my body, realising that this entire scene was once again misunderstood by the annoying jedi, and my lack of common sense.’
‘For fuck’s sake, I couldn’t hold one single serious conversation over my entire stay here with this idiot!’
‘The frustration I felt quickly grown into anger under the influence of the lingering dark side energies in my body. I snapped at the man with newfound anger and a cheap pink blush spreading over my cheeks, which he no doubt noticed, that only added to his general confusion.’
“What is there to think through?! I already know what the Jedi would do with someone who is suspected to be a sith. You either kill them or strip them from the living force entirely, or perhaps mold them into a different person?”
‘I felt as my eyes for a second turned to the deepest golden glow as a burning hatred shook my whole being unleashed from the depths of my subconscious.’
“I will not suffer that fate again!” — ‘My voice contorted, coiled and twisted by the dark side as it shook through the hull of the ship, making it shake like a leaf in a storm.’
‘I shut my eyes forcefully and forced myself to calm down through a few deep breaths.’
‘Those were not really my words, since I was never stripped from the force. They belonged to someone else, Revan’s… Revan’s memories got triggered by our conversation. The shame and powerlessness when they took away what he worked for in his entire life. What he rightfully earned! It left behind a deep scar, which could never heal even after they altered his memories. That impotent rage kept boiling under his skin.’
‘I saw as Obi-Wan shook from the power of my voice. Words that seemed to have left my mouth against my will. He was confused, but there was something else visible on his features, a new emotion... pity.’
‘I sighed again.’
“Let me warn you here and now. If any of you would ever try to descend into my mind as I am now, Master Jedi. You would only find your own death. A long and hopeless death. Eternally wandering in the dark until the last segments of your memories turned to nothingness.”
“It is better for all of us if I leave now before any of you succumb to the temptation.”
“Oh, and don’t you worry about me. I did not intend to kill myself. Far from it, really.”
There was another moment of uncertainty before the girl continued her monologue.
“Kenobi, you are a good man. A good jedi. A jedi that the people may actually need these days. You remind me of my master in many ways... except, maybe that he was more cowardly in nature, which you are clearly not.”
The girl chuckled with unbidden mirth.
“He had missed many opportunities, that he regretted later. All because of his fear. He lost many friends because he was afraid to die, afraid to risk more than what was absolutely necessary. But, is that really what you call a coward?”
“I would say no, yet he somehow, along the passing years, managed to stigmatise himself, and therefore he truly believed that he was a coward and in a manner indeed became one.”
“One day, when I was much younger, I asked him this question. Is it really your mistake that your friends didn’t listen to you, when you told them not to risk your lives foolishly in a stupid endeavour? Is that your mistake, that you didn’t join them and die too in the process? For nothing? Because, if he died, I wouldn’t be arguing with you right now.”
“I would have died in a slum on Ryloth seven years ago. But even if my master was a coward in his life. In his death, at the end, he chose from his own free will to give me something precious, in exchange for his very life. He showed courage, something that I could only hope to ever rival.”
“Joseph, Joseph Grey was my master’s name that you clearly had never heard before. He was not an outstanding man, but for me, he was everything that I could wish for.”
“Tell your council to forget about me, and our paths can differ in peace until fate once again ties them together.”
“Yet, I can already see in your eyes that you will not let me go that easily... I guess, then I will have to play the cat-and-mouse game. Let me tell you one last thing, I am pretty good at this game...”
‘With those words left in the air, I lazily jumped out of the door backwards while showing a double bird in Kenobi’s general direction.’
‘The man was clearly flabbergasted by my childish antics, especially after such a serious conversation. Still, I could only think about one thing on the inside.’
‘Oh god, that felt good.’
‘I saw as Kenobi rushed towards the door, looking down at me with a horrified expression, only to see that I had landed on the top of another ship. It was, of course, the Ebon Hawk. Which I have long since noticed from standing in the doorframe. I have to say that there are many differences since I last saw the ship. It was upgraded with new technologies, hopefully with shield generators too, and weapon systems, because I have a feeling we will soon need them.’
‘I spared one last glance at Kenobi, before starting to climb down into the ship.’
~oOo~
Kenobi was standing in the door of the prisoner transporter ship. He felt utterly helpless about this whole situation.
Why the hell did the council have to force him into this damn role? He knew at the beginning that it would not end well.
He walked over to the door’s console and closed the door. The others should be about to wake from the sleeping gas, since he had already destroyed the strange protocol droid, and most of the poison was sucked out through the draft.
That damn thing was an actual assassin droid in disguise. Damn droid... cough... It even had some weird martial arts program. He was occupied with it for a whole ten minutes. He didn’t want to imagine what would happen if these types of droids would be the ones that made up the bulk of the separatist armies.
What a nightmare... And the worst thing is the fact that after he finally managed to destroy it, the whole damn thing turned into dust. Some kind of in built self destructive release triggered the moment the droid went down, releasing nano machines that ate up all the evidence, leaving behind nothing but a pile of metal dust.
But how did this cursed droid manage to slip up on a high security prisoner transporter ship in the first place? This thing was supposed to be a well-guarded ship? And where are the reinforcements? He has asked for it about twelve minutes ago?
“R-4? Do you copy? R-4? Oh, damn it! Of course, the communication is also compromised... Sigh...”
Kenobi looked out on a nearby window towards the currently accelerating ship while a simple sentence left his mouth.
“The council won’t be happy about this...”