Jedi Adept: A Path In The Dark -- Ch. 18

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A voice rolled out from the distance, echoing loudly against the dome. "Attention, this is the Galactic Alliance Guard. Pursuant to the War Crimes Act you are all under arrest for suspected treason."

"Kriff," Noelani muttered, her hands squeezing tightly against the railing.

Another shockwave rattled their building, and Noelani pushed inside running down the hall and jumping down the stairwell. She landed with a grunt and then rushed into the room they had set aside for training, and grabbed her combat suit.

Chase was a moment behind her, and yanked his from the hook where they were stored. Anger flared through Noelani as she noticed the empty hook which should have held Asyra'mata's uniform.

Fastening the suit closed, she glanced over at Chase. "So, what's the plan?"

He snorted as he began pulling on his boots. "I was hoping you'd have one."

By this time she was pulling weapons from the cabinets and attaching them to her utility belt or stashing them in various pockets. "I say we get out of the dome, and then follow the Guard back to wherever they're going.

Chase glanced over his shoulder. "How sure are you if that's a good idea or not?"

Noelani turned and looked in the same direction he was watching, to see Jena, Prilla and Huff standing in the door way. Huff's muzzle quivered slightly, and she could see the abject terror in both Prilla's and Jena's eyes.

Noelani frowned for a moment. I don't need this distraction right now.

She felt Chase's attention return to her. "We can't leave them here, and we can't take them with us."

Noelani nodded her head. "Then you're going to stay with them and protect them."

"But you ne-"

"No!" she interrupted him with a slash of her hand. "I can get Asyra'mata out of whatever prison they're holding her in. I need you to watch these three. I need to know that they're safe."

"'Lani…"

She smiled at him wistfully, knowing what was going through his head. He hated the thought of letting her go out there; as much as she hated the thought of leaving him behind.

"I found you twice so far, I'm certain I can do it again," she finally said, a grin appeared on her lips; one that anyone who had ever met a Solo would have instantly recognized.

He stepped closer to her, and she swallowed hard. Suddenly, she was more nervous than she had ever been in her life.

He leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. Dimly, she was aware of the handful of vibroblades clattering to the floor as she dropped them.

While this wasn't her first kiss, as that dubious honor belonged to Ben—who she now knew was her cousin—it was the first time that Chase had done so.

As suddenly as the kiss began it ended, and he stepped backwards away from her. She blinked her eyes, trying to once again regain control of her thoughts and her heart. Giving up, she glanced over at him. "Chase…"

He shook his head, and gestured towards the door. "Get going. I've got a few more preparations in order to get the kids ready."

"I…" She snapped her mouth shut, not certain what she had intended on saying.

"I love you, Noelani. Make sure you come back to me."

She smiled at him, feeling tears as they threatened to fall. Then she threw her arms around him, hugging him fiercely. "I love you too."

She dropped from him and went to the children grabbing them into a tight hug as well. "I want you all to be good for Chase, all right?"

"Okay, Mama," Prilla, the youngest replied.

She quickly kissed them each on the head once, checked to make sure she had her blaster and her lightsaber and then left the room at a jog.

She felt tears burning her eyes as she ran towards the main gate. Slowing down, she stopped and quickly worked through a breathing exercise. She couldn't go into that area distracted by thoughts of Chase and the children. She had to focus on the here and now—and trust Chase.

Once her emotions were under control again, she started moving forward.

She heard the sounds of battle first. The blasts of the blasters, the screams of the wounded and dying. Then she was close enough for the smells; charred flesh, discharged blasters, and the acidic tang of low-yield detonators.

She crept towards the edge of the next building and peered around. She saw Evir's soldiers as they slowly fell back away from the advancing Guard unit.

Then odd movements caught her eye. Someone was on the battlefield using a lightsaber.

She throat closed up, and she struggled to gain control of her pounding heart. A single thought slammed through her mind: the Jedi had found her, and were now killing all of her friends in order to take them away from her.

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Jacen smiled as he led his troops into the compound.

His intelligence network had been working for weeks trying to find the location of this group. They had been interfering with his plans concerning the Ferals, and he had finally decided that it was time to stop them.

So, not only was he happy over that, but he was also happy because for the first time since he had killed Mara, he was leading his Forces into battle.

From the front lines, just like his Grandfather had.

He couldn't help but smile as his blade slashed through the insurgents around him.

In fact, it was all he could do to not laugh as he fought on; slaughtering the enemy around him.

Suddenly, there was a surge in the Force. It was a spike of fear and horror which flooded his awareness. He paused, his blade humming loudly even over the sounds of the dying around him.

Stretching out with the Force, he found the source. She was young, trained, and terrified of… Jedi?

Jacen frowned, as he stepped towards the building she was hiding behind. "Come out, youngling. I'm not a Jedi, I won't hurt you."

He saw a moment of blond hair stick around the corner, and another surge of fear in the Force.

Her voice wavered for a moment, "I, I don't believe you."

Jacen grinned. She wasn't as trained as he thought. If she was, she would have known better than to start talking to him. He advanced.

"Why don't you believe me?"

"You're using a lightsaber. You've come to take me away."

He frowned, wondering what she was talking about. After a moment, he decided it didn't matter, she would either be useful to him, or she would die.

He took a number of steps away from the building, and then sprung forward so he could see her clearly.

Her scream echoed back at them, and he savored the fear that flooded the Force. For a moment, she reminded him of Tahiri, but he assumed it was just the fact that she had the same color hair as his potential apprentice.

A snap-hiss startled him out of his reverie, and he suddenly realized that she held a lightsaber, and had it pointed towards him.

He grinned again, wondering just how much fun this would be. As he raised his own saber into a mid-guard, he hoped that she had at least enough training to make this entertaining.

Then he darted forward, his blade thrusting forward. She side-stepped as he expected her to, just as he pushed out with the Force.

She flew through the air and slammed into the building across the street. Her body convulsed with the impact and the saber fell from her fingers.

He allowed her to drop, a frown coming to his face.

"That was easy and not fun at all," he muttered under his breath.

He closed the distance, until he was standing over her. He watched her for a moment, that annoying similarity once again at the edges of his awareness; though this time she reminded him of his Allana.

He shrugged the feeling away and raised his saber to deliver a killing blow, when the girl's hand flew up. He braced himself with the Force, expecting telekinesis.

So, he was caught off-guard when the handful of dirt flew into his eyes.

"Kriffing, Jedi," he heard her snarl, and suddenly, he felt a weight slam into his stomach.

The impact knocked him backwards, even as he struggled against the dirt in his eyes; fighting against the urge to rub them as he knew that could scratch the lenses.

Instead he took control of the autonomous functions of his body, and forced his tear ducts to begin operating.

As the dirt began to flow out of his eyes, he found himself grinning. Maybe this will be fun after all.

The girl's saber ignited again, and he brought his own blade around. With the Force guiding him, he inserted it perfectly into the spot necessary to deflect her blow.

Then a blaster bolt rang out, and the girl yelped as pain flooded through the Force. He glanced over and saw that his personal squad had advanced when they noticed his fight. He fought against the urge to send lightning at them for interfering and instead turned back to the girl.

She writhed in the dirt, one hand clasped tightly against the shoulder, which had been discolored, and burned from the blaster.

As he stepped forward, a yell came up from behind him, and he turned that way as two dozen soldiers came running from around a building, their blasters blazing.

He snarled, and began deflecting the bolts. Then he swore as four droidekas rolled up and transformed into their deployed mode.

The voice of one of his squad rang over their personal comnet. "Where the kark did these guys dig up four working droidekas?"

Jacen merely shook his head, as he responded. "I don't know, but we need to fall back so that the heavy artillery can deal with them."

Four double-clicks sounded over the comnet, and he glanced at the ground, to discover that the girl had disappeared. Uttering another curse, he began falling back towards the entrance.

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Chase smiled down at the children as he bundled them into an ancient XJ-15 airspeeder. He didn't like the fact that it lacked anything by way of offensive weaponry or even defenses, but it was the only vehicle he could find which both held them all, and Evir's guards would let him have.

He just wondered how it had survived by the Galactic Civil War and the Vong War.

Shaking his head, he quickly strapped the children in and powered up the systems. A handful of green ready lights flickered into existence, and he pulled back on the stick, lifting the craft up off of its landing gear.

Then he was moving, flying towards the rear entrance of the compound; away from the Guard invasion force.

Away from Noelani.

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