Greater Than the Sum of Their Parts: Chapter Seven

Tahiri and Noelani step off the transport, the light breeze ruffling their hair, as they both gaze around the spaceport. A man in a security uniform is briskly walking towards them. He stops a few paces away, and gives a half-bow.

He is a heavyset human, with brown hair, and a long mustache drooping on either side of his mouth. Attached to his collar are the pips indicating his rank as a lieutenant.

“Master Jedi! It is a pleasure to greet you. Are you here to replace Nelani Dinn? My name is Neav Samran.”

Tahiri shakes her head. “Sadly no, we’re here to investigate her disappearance. I am Tahiri Veila and this is my apprentice, Noelani Darklighter.”

“Ah. Well I’m afraid that our small planet will not be of much use to you then. We were visited by Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker, and they assisted us with a few situations before finally leaving the planet, taking Jedi Dinn with them.”

From the corner of her eye, Tahiri notices as Noelani tilts her head slightly. And then before she can stop her, Noelani is speaking. “How do you know all of this? Were you with them? Do you know where they went?”

Tahiri quickly raises her hand, and Noelani quiets down, a blush coming to her cheeks. Tahiri gives her a mental hug through the Force, before turning her attention back to Samran.

“My apprentice asks some valid questions. How do you know all of this?”

Samran gestures towards the security office of the spaceport, and Tahiri begins walking that way, with the lieutenant falling in line beside her, and Noelani a few steps behind.

“I was there for the situations that Jedi Solo assisted us with. Jedi Skywalker even saved my life when a Y-Wing exploded. I was there for a lot of their conversations – and I saw when all three of them boarded a transport and left for space. Unfortunately, I am unaware of where they went.”

They enter the security office, and Tahiri gestures to one of the seats. Noelani drops herself in it, her eyes wide as she looks around the cluttered room. Tahiri herself stands in front of the desk, which Samran has sat behind. She smiles down at him.

“Can you get me any information which Jedi Solo, Skywalker or Dinn viewed or accessed during the time that Jedi Solo was here?”

The security officer nods his head quickly. “I’ll get that request into our information department. It might take a day or two though.”

“That’s fine. We have a few other leads we need to check out before we’re through here. Thank you for your time.”

Samran quickly stands, giving them another half-bow. “It is my pleasure Master Jedi.”

Tahiri smiles for him again, a smile she knows makes an impression on men, and turns away, walking through the door. Noelani quickly stands and follows. As soon as they’re outside, she steps up beside Tahiri, her head bowed slightly.

“I’m sorry I just blurted out my questions, Master.”

Tahiri wraps an arm around the girl’s shoulders, hugging her close as they walk towards the street. “It’s perfectly fine. Your questions were good ones.” Then she lets out a little chuckle. “You just don’t need to ask them all at once.”

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Pilk Shai hunkers down in the shadows in the alley outside of the entrance to the college. The arched gateway is just a few dozen meters away and he watches it, waiting for the return of the Jeedai.

His trained eye is able to pick out the other members of his hunting party as they lounge around within plain view of the entry way. He grins, excited at the prospect of fighting against the Jeedai again.

A breeze blows from the direction of the college. He sniffs the air, and can smell the Jeedai. He smiles, and makes a subtle hand signal, and watches as it is passed through the others of his party.

Next he can hear the soft murmurs of their voices, then the elder Jeedai’s laughter. Pilk can feel his heart rate increase, and his grin grows larger.

The Jeedai step out through the archway, walking beyond it and Pilk steps out of the shadows throwing a blastbug at the archway. It connects and detonates, causing the massive stone arch to crumble in a heap blocking the Jeedai’s escape back into the college.

The two girls turn and look at the crumbled pile of stone, and Pilk jumps forward. “Do-ro’ik vong pratte!”

The five other members of his hunting party rush forward as well, all brandishing their amphistaffs. Pilk watches as the two Jeedai turn around until they end up facing Pilk.

The elder Jeedai snarls slightly. “What do you want?”

Pilk laughs. “Tchurokk Yun'tchila, Jeedai.”

She snarls and jumps forward, her lightsaber igniting as she comes in to attack. Pilk snaps his amphistaff up, catching her blade, and twisting it down and around.

His fist snaps out, and slams against her jaw. As she stumbles backwards, he makes a quick hand gesture, and two of his warriors move forward, intent on capturing the younger Jeedai girl.

He comes in once more, swinging his amphistaff in a downward arch in towards the elder Jeedai. She catches his amphistaff on her blade, and then she swings in another attack.

Pilk parries, and then stabs forward, impaling her on his blade. He grins at the sheer shock that flickers across her face. He twists his amphistaff, reveling in her grunt of pain, and then yanks it back out.

Her hands clasp onto her stomach, and she falls down to her knees. He glances to the side, and sees his other warriors holding the younger Jeedai. He sees the horror on her face, and gestures for them to take her away.

They walk away, and he turns back to the elder girl. For a moment, he admires the way her pain contorts her face, the brightness of the thick blood as it bubbles out from her wound, rolling over her hands.

“Rrush'hok ichnar vinim'hok.”

She spits on him. He ignores it, and he turns away, heading in the direction of his warriors. He is happy in the knowledge that Ulya will enjoy breaking the young infidel.

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Tahiri can feel the burning in her stomach. A rolling pain washing over her in multiple waves. She glances up and sees the Yuuzhan Vong warrior walking away from her, following the other warriors who have taken Noelani.

In the Force she can feel the girl’s fear and concern.

In her heart she can feel the despair and utter sense of failure.

Noelani, her apprentice, yanked away from her. Dragged away in bonds. Tahiri struggles to stand, finally getting to her feet. She staggers forward, heading in the direction which the warriors traveled.

She gets another dozen meters, and then the world turns dark.

She reawakens, the pain still settled firmly in her stomach. A painful ember, as much failure as the wound she can still feel. Tahiri opens her eyes, and looks up to see the soft blue ceiling tiles of a medical center.

She sits up, and the ember of her pain flares into a raging inferno. A scream erupts from her lips, an exclamation of intense pain.

“Hu-carjen tok!”

An elderly male human rushes to her side, gripping her arm tightly. “Rest easy, Jedi Veila. Your stomach is not fully healed yet.”

She looks at him, and feels a lance of pain driving through her skull. A second scream erupts from her lips, an exclamation of intense pain, but this time it is a pain which does not belong to her body.

“Noelani!”

Tahiri shrugs her arm away from the medic, and slides her feet off the bed. When the medic tries to grab her arm again, she uses the Force to fling him against the far wall, and stalks out of the room.