Family Found: Chapter 12

Previous Chapter

---

The Stolen Star dropped out of hyperspace with a flash of actinic light. As soon as she did so, she banked hard to port, diving towards the blue and green orb of Ossus. At her helm sat a determined Jedi Knight.

Tahiri was focused on her flying. She chewed at one half of her lower lip, while the other had an open wound that seeped blood, a small reminder to herself to not chew too hard. Her eyes were swollen and rimmed with red, after effects of the tears that she had cried.

"Stolen Star, this is Ossus Flight Command, please come to a course of 5663 mark 2."

Tahiri ignored them, and focused on the Force, letting it guide her on where to land.

"Stolen St-" Tahiri reached over and shut off the com-unit.

She broke atmosphere, the edges of her hull starting to glow red as she descended faster than her heat shields could compensate for. She hit some turbulence and the entire spaceframe shuddered and a bank of warning lights flashed from green to red.

She ignored it all, just continued to turn her starship into a bright jet of flame rapidly descending from the upper atmosphere towards the remnants of an old building.

When she reached an altitude of only a few hundred meters from the ground, she pushed power to the repulsors and then reversed thrust on the sublight engines. The entire ship lurched with the sudden deceleration and she slammed her forehead onto the console in front of her. Pain exploded across her forehead, but she just shunted it away, ignoring it.

It was only pain.

Lifting her head, she reached over and shut off power to the sublight engines. The sudden absence of the sound made Tahiri realize just how hard she had been pushing the engines. She shook her head and immediately regretted it as fire slashed across her awareness.

Frowning, she flipped a switch, lowering the landing gear. She hovered in place for a moment, noticing the four speeder bikes and the larger ground transport parked in front of the steps leading up into the ruins.

Then she turned her attention towards the doors that led into the ruins and saw four small figures standing there.

Slowly, she lowered the ship to the ground and with a blast of steam the Stolen Star settled onto her landing gear. Tahiri cut power to the engines and closed her eyes, listening to the slow pings of the starship as she settled.

Finally centered, she opened her eyes and stood up. The world wavered for a moment but she ignored it and walked towards the ship's egress hatch.

As she exited the ship, she noticed the other Jedi standing around the boarding ramp. Luke Skywalker stood in the center a scowl on his face, to his right is his wife, a worried expression on hers. To his left stood Corran Horn and beside him, Thann Mithric.

When she reached the ground she noticed that Luke's expression had changed from the scowl to one of concern.

Mara though, was the first one to speak. "You look awful, Tahiri."

Tahiri could only laugh. "I could feel Noelani's distress on Rhen Var. I got here as soon as I could."

"Yeah, and broke a few ordinances in the process,” Corran interjected.

Tahiri shrugged her shoulders. "So, any idea exactly what's happening?"

Luke shook his head slowly. "No. We think they're in the lowest level of the building, but we can't find a way in. The stairs that used to lead down there now lead to a blank wall.”

Tahiri nodded her head. “So, our plan then is to just sit here and hope for the best?”

Mara shook her head. “Nope, we’re waiting on another transport to bring some excavation equipment, so that we can bust through that wall.”

Tahiri turned away from the group, looking up at the Stolen Star and noticed the burn marks along her hull. She frowned for a moment at her starship.

“Did I really come in that fast?” she asked no one in particular.

From beside her, Corran answered. “Yeah. You had us worried for a moment. Afraid you were going to crash into the ruins.”

Tahiri dropped her eyes from the ship and then turned to face Corran. “Sorry Master Horn. I was just worried about my apprentice. If I had known this would happen, I’d have made her go with me to Rhen Var.”

Corran shrugged his shoulder. “But you didn’t, you couldn’t have. Such is the price of being a master of a padawan, or even a parent of a child.”

Tahiri nodded her head in acceptance. “I know you’re right…”

Just then, another landspeeder pulled up, and a couple technicians clambered out. A large droid with mining equipment in the place of one arm came out behind them.

Luke waved at them from the top of the steps. “This way.”

Then he disappeared into the building. The rest of the group followed him, and after a moment, Tahiri did so as well.

Hoping, praying to the Force, that her padawan was all right.

She stepped into the building, looking around at the murals on the wall. Then she noticed that the others were heading through a tunnel, one which her sense told her led deep into the earth.

-----------------------------------

Noelani stumbled into yet another room.

It had been nearly thirty hours since the cave in, and she was starting to seriously get worried. Hunger had begun to gnaw at her stomach, and her throat was dry and parched.

She looked around, her vision blurring for a moment as she saw yet another empty room.

Letting out a small strangled cry, she slumped against the wall, sliding down it until she was resting on her rump. She pulled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them, rocking slightly back and forth.

She had spent the entire time since the cave-in, walking around this place, trying to find her friends. She had followed their Force presences, yet no matter how far she walked, she never drew any closer to them.

In fact, Poll felt further away from her than when she had started.

Then a scream cut through the room.

It was a sound that she had heard before. A sound that haunted her nightmares.

A sound that she had hoped to never hear again.

The nightmarish scream of a terentatek.

She reached down and gently touched her saber, stretching out with the Force. She could still feel her friends. All of them tired, scared, hungry and alone. All of them were still as far away from her as ever.

Frowning, she turned in a circle, hunting for the next path to take.

Muttering under her breath, she turned a corner and found herself staring at a shape in a dark robe.

Light flared from one of the wall sconces behind the dark figure, backlighting it, casting it further into shadows. Yet Noelani could still see two bright, shining feline-like eyes. Yellow and inhuman.

Fear clutched at her heart once more and she reached down for her saber.

-----------------------------------

“So, Ben… how was Ziost this time of year?”

Ben frowned and looked back up at the teenager sitting across from him. He shrugged his shoulders. “How do you know about that?”

The teenager threw his head back and laughed. “You’ve still not figured it out? I’m dead. Just like you.”

Ben frowned, his brow narrowing as he tried to figure out just what the other person was talking about.

The other shook his head for a moment, and then speared Ben with his ice-blue eyes. “Have you thought more about death? It’s a funny thing isn’t it?”

Ben slowly nodded his head. “Yeah. Not having to worry about anything anymore. Not having to live up to your parents. Not having to deal with right or wrong, life or death anymore.”

The other laughed again. “If only that were true. The dead do have to worry about such things. We’re watching the living quite intently. If we weren’t, do you think I would be here?”

-----------------------------------

Poll tripped and slammed against the floor hard, sprawled on his hands and knees he gritted his teeth and smashed a fist against the stone floor.

A chuckle came from the darkness, and Poll sighed again. Then he ran his hands across the floor by his feet, and found the stone which tripped him. Venting his frustration, he heaved it towards what he hoped was a wall, and smiled with satisfaction as the echoing crash came back to him.

“Up, youngling. You have far to travel, and little time to do so. And as you go, tell me what you’ve learned here.”

Poll sat up, and balanced on his haunches, twisting his head in the darkness, hoping yet again for a light.

“I… I’ve learned,” he replied. “That the Force hates us all, and enjoys torturing me this way.”

Again the laughter erupted from out of the dark. The sound of it surrounding him, echoing back at him from everywhere and nowhere.

Suddenly a nightmarish scream ripped through the darkness, sending shivers down his spine.

“W-wh-what was that?”

“That,” the voice replied. “Was the darkness made flesh.”

Poll frowned, twisting his head to the right and the left again, hoping to find even the tiniest hint of light.

-----------------------------------

Kor stumbled forward, exhaustion pulling at her. Thirty-two hours, lost in this Force-forsaken cavern has stolen her vitality, especially due to the biting cold. Despair and fear warred for dominance in her mind, as she continued forward.

She took a few more steps forward, and glanced into the next room. Finding yet another empty room, she dropped to her knees, covering her face with her hands.

Tears threatened to fall, and she screwed her fists against her eyes and looked around.

A part of her wanted to give up. To just stretch out and stop. Stop trying to escape. Stop trying to be a Jedi. Stop trying to live.

She just wanted to stop. To give up.

To just let herself freeze to death. To die.

Shivering, she glanced around her again. She frowned for a moment and then brushed away a tear.

Her body hitched. "I… I don't want to do this… I don't want to die…"

She sat down fully, pulled her legs up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them and placed her forehead onto her knees, the tears flowing freely.

"I…"

She blinked, and then struggled to her knees, a low growl erupting from her throat. "I'm not going to die down here."

---

Next Chapter