Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 16

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Chase followed behind Noelani, occasionally stealing glances at Asyra'mata. It comforted him somehow that the young Twi'lek was as confused by Noelani's actions as he was.

He thought back to what he had seen: a Guard unit slaughtering the Ferals; ruthlessly and without provocation or mercy. He personally, did not see anything wrong with it; after all that's why they had been in this sector of the Under City.

Yet, Noelani had reacted badly. Her hands had clenched the railing until she shattered the plasteel that it had been made from.

Sighing, he tried again. "Noelani?"

She stopped suddenly, and he stumbled to keep from running into her.

She spoke without turning to face him. "You think I'm something of an oddball don't you? You think this was about the Ferals?"

He glanced over at Asyra'mata for a moment. She shrugged her shoulders, letting him know that he was on his own. "No, 'Lani, I don't think that at all. I was just wondering what you were thinking."

"That was Mom."

"What?" Asyra'mata cut into their conversation.

Noelani glanced over her shoulder at the Twi'lek for a moment, and Chase saw tears streaking down her face. Instinctively he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer to him in a hug.

Her body shook slightly as she fought against the tears. "That was Mom who was leading those Guardsmen."

"How do you know?" he asked.

She barked a short, brittle laugh. "I'm a Jedi remember? I'd feel my Mom in the Force anywhere. Yet she felt odd, as if she was hiding something; something that she was ashamed that she had done."

"What could it be?"

She lowered her head to her chest. "I don't know. All I know is that her Force presence felt dark… dirty somehow."

Noelani's body tensed suddenly in his arms, and he frowned down at her. She pushed away from him, her lightsaber igniting in the gloom of the undercity. "We're under attack."

Blue stun bolts ripped out from the dark and struck Asyra'mata.

The girl yelped in pain as she dropped to the ground. Chase's blaster rifle was up against his shoulders within seconds. The bits and pieces of yammosk that were in his brain were feeding him details about where the stun bolts had come from.

Looking down the barrel of his rifle, he centered the finder on the spot, and squeezed the trigger. A bright red bolt of energy was spat from the end of the rifle. A feminine cry of pain came out from the darkness.

Then suddenly there was a second lightsaber shining.

Their attackers stepped into the light, and Chase realized it was the Guardsmen from earlier. One of them spoke. "You are all under arrest."

Noelani's body was hunched over slightly. "For what?"

"Pursuant to Galactic Alliance Code 75124.4Aurek, you are trespassing. The Guard has annexed this entire section as part of our training compound."

Chase barked a laugh. "Jeez, 'Lani. Why is it that whenever I'm with you, someone is trying to arrest me?"

He could almost sense the amusement from her.

Then the Guardsmen with the lightsaber took her helmet off, and Chase felt his stomach flip. He knew that Noelani had said her mother was in that squad, yet he hadn't really believed it. He had thought that Tahiri's Master was too good for that; that she was better than joining the Guard.

Tahiri stepped forward, her blade held low. "Come on, Noelani. Don't do this. Come home with me."

Noelani shook her head. "You ran away from me. You left ME." She gestured towards Chase an Asyra'mata. "I found myself a home."

Tahiri sighed and then nodded her head. A blaster bolt erupted from one of the Guard's blasters. Noelani's blade shifted and batted the bolt back.

Then Tahiri was there. Her blade slashing in; the attacks aimed at her daughter were fast and furious. Chase stared in shock for a moment, and then ducked down behind a desk. Lifting up slightly, he sighted along the gun and pulled the trigger. The bolt caught one of the soldiers in the shoulder and she spun around and dropped to the ground.

The attack seemed to wake up the remaining two Gaurdsmen, and they began pouring blaster bolts into his desk. He cursed and hunkered down. A moment later, he lifted his head up, and saw that one of the soldiers was pulling Asyra'mata away from them.

"No!" He screamed at her, and fired three times in that direction, haphazard shots. The soldier hunkered down slightly and continued pulling Asyra'mata away. Then the other soldier threw something at him.

He glanced down, and felt his eyes widen in shock. Sitting at his feet was a small-yield explosive device. "Kriff!" he muttered as he jumped away from the grenade.

From the corner of his eye he saw Tahiri kick Noelani in the stomach, knocking her down through a hole. Chase raised his blaster and fired off a quick shot, amazed as it struck Tahiri in the thigh.

Noelani's mom dropped to the ground, clutching her leg, and Chase glanced over at the doorway that Asyra'mata had been taken through. He frowned for a moment and then dropped through the hole, chasing after Noelani.

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Noelani felt Tahiri's kick to the stomach. The wind rushed out from her in a whoosh, and suddenly she was falling.

She slammed into something hard and unyielding and heard her saber skitter off into the darkness. Her chest burned, and she suddenly remembered that she had to breathe.

Her first gulp of air, burned and she rolled over coughing, as tears sprang to her eyes. They were tears that had nothing to do with the pain in her back and stomach, and everything to do with the fight that she had just had.

She struggled to up until she was on her hands and knees and then lifted her head, looking up at the hole in the ceiling through which she had fell. A shadow crossed over it and a moment later, someone landed with a thud on the ground next to her.

Reaching out with the Force, she latched on to her saber and pulled it to her hand. Once she felt the metal hilt hit her palm she activated it to find Chase getting to his feet.

He blinked in the sudden light, and glanced up. Giving a quick shake of his head, he grabbed her hand and started pulling her towards a door. "Come on, we've got to run."

Noelani was startled, and stumbled after him, as she looked up at the hole. "But what about Asyra'mata?"

"She was captured."

Shock reverberated through her, as she stumbled to a stop. "Captured?"

"Yeah," Chase replied, pulling her arm again. "We've got to move."

Then a wave of concussive pressure slammed into them, flattening them both to the ground.

Noelani lifted her head, and found herself once more wrapped in Chase's arms. Hearing returned with a sharp ringing in her ears, and she shook her head in an attempt to clear it.

After a minute or two, Chase stood and glanced over where the hole had been. Noelani looked that way, and discovered that it had been enlarged and the floor beneath it was filled with smoking rubble.

Noelani stepped forward, and began to pull the Force to her, intending to jump up through the hole.

"Wait," Chase called out to her.

She paused, and glanced over at him. "What?"

"What are you planning on doing?"

She felt her face twisting into a scowl. "I'm going to go after Asyra'mata."

He shook his head. "They're probably already gone, but we know who they were and where they're probably at. Let's go talk to Evir." She frowned at him, and he stepped forward, holding his hands out towards her. "Please, 'Lani."

Sighing, she lowered her head, grief slammed into her, and she dropped to her knees, her hands covering her face as the first of the tears formed in her eyes. "I don't want to leave her…"

Chase dropped down beside her and wrapped her in his arms. "We're not going to. I promise; we'll get her back."

She lifted her face from her hands and looked into his eyes. Slowly, she nodded.

He smiled and she felt her heart jump in her chest. "Good, now let's go make some plans on how we're going to get Asyra'mata back."

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Asyra'mata felt herself being dragged down a hallway. A black bag was over her head, hiding her surroundings from her. She strained her ears, trying to hear anything that could help her escape.

Then the movement stopped, and she felt herself being lifted up and then tossed. She curled up, trying her best to protect her head from the inevitable fall.

Then she slammed hard into the floor. She coughed, and the bitter-chalk taste of blood filled her mouth.

A moment later, she felt the wrist restraints being released, and with a profound sense of joy, she yanked the bag from her head.

Blinking in the bright glare of the lights, she looked around, and found the door. Standing there was one of the Guard soldiers who had attacked them. She was not much taller than Asyra'mata herself was, and had long bright blonde hair—and she looked exactly like Noelani.

The deep pain of betrayal slashed at her.

"Noelani?"

An odd emotion flickered across the soldier's face. "No. But hopefully we both will be seeing my daughter soon enough."

Asyra'mata spat a mouthful of blood at the soldier.

It landed on her thigh; a bright red in direct contrast of the black body armor. The soldier looked down at it for a moment, and a look of anger and hate formed on the blonde's face. Asyra'mata felt something picking her up, and as her feet left the ground, she found it hard to breathe.

A gurgle escaped her lips and the sound seemed to snap the woman out of her reverie. Asyra'mata dropped to the ground, coughing once again as she tried to gulp down air.

The blonde spun on her heel and left, the door closing with an echoing finality behind her.

She crawled into the corner, and curled around her legs. Intently, she stared at the door; waiting for her chance to escape.

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