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anchanted-one · 1 year

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Legend of Vajra, Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Scramble on Coruscant

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43208574/chapters/109571698

Dina had always dreamed of a daring mission into gang-held territories, even dreamed of being backup for one of the Jedi. Alas, the galaxy had a sense of irony. Not only was her new assignment to a kid Jedi, it wasn’t some spectacular firebrand like Satele Shan. She’d even have settled for that old Jedi the General had walked out with!

She had tried harder to pay attention to the Jedi’s briefing, determined to not be hit with a second curveball in a single day, but all she got was that they were raiding Guild territory.

“Guild territory isn’t very far,” Ila piped up. “But it is underground. Almost underneath the Senate, actually. It was once called the Galactic Markets Sector, and was a centre of trade and commerce. Since the Sack, it’s become home to many refugees. We can access it via elevators and landing platforms. But movement inside is… difficult. A lot of chokepoints. Traffic can get bad.”

“And then there’s the possibility of a fight,” Timmins said. “If a firefight breaks out in one of those chokepoints, it could take hours to clear out!”

“Let’s hope it doesn’t happen,” the kid said.

I hope it does, Dina thought with a suppressed grin. Kid or not, she wanted her dream of fighting beside a Jedi to come true.

The first five minutes went by without incident; they arrived at the speeder landing, entered the Sector, and walked past the initial layer of houses. The boy chuckled when he saw the Dealer’s Den Cantina, but didn’t break his stride.

But they soon hit a snag.

The sounds of blasterfire and explosions became audible. Dina felt her spirits rise; she was spoiling for a fight! Three years in the service, and she hadn’t discharged her blaster even once! She only ever got assigned to guarding hallways in the Senate, and escorting bigwigs. This, this right here, this was what she was born for!

As they approached a checkpoint, they saw a small team of Coruscant Guards, along with a few soldiers, and armed civilians.

The boy Knight stepped up to a guard. “What’s the situation here—why, Captain Stede! Jerre and Corso too! I see you wasted no time finding trouble!"

"Well, howdy there, little Knight!” the woman cried. She seemed to have sobered up nicely. “And this one’s a special exemption; you get to call me Juun!”

“The honor every Jedi needs,” Vajra smiled.

“Lieutenant, we met this one earlier,” the man with pink hair said to a large Zabrak in heavy armor. “Despite his age, he’s a full Jedi Knight. Can’t vouch for his skill yet, but his droid says he killed seven Rancors.”

For the second time that day, Dina’s head snapped in the brat’s direction.

“That’s a nice feat,” the Zabrak said evenly. His face was no-nonsense, like most veteran guards. “A Jedi might be useful here. I’m Lieutenant Roban Queens. The one leading the Guards is Captain Winborn. This is Sergeant Aric Jorgan. I was about to take command here.”

“Not that Coruscant Guard is bad,” Jorgan said. “But this feels like I’m back fighting Seppies on Ord Mantell. Full out war down here.”

“Do you have any experience stopping a full-scale assault, Master Jedi?”

The Astromech piped up, and the pink-haired Captain gasped dramatically. “He did what, now?”

“Don’t keep us in suspense,” Lieutenant Queens said.

A wild eyed Kraot turned to answer. “He says a bunch of primitives on Tython got their hands on a shipload of blasters and attacked the Jedi training grounds. And Vajra wiped out the attack all on his kriffing own! Is this all true?”

The boy was covering his face. “I didn’t get an early promotion for my singing voice.” He uttered a few deliberately off-key notes for emphasis, and the three civilians roared with laughter. Queens’ chuckle was polite, but obviously forced. “That said, those were primitives. These shooters are bound to be more strategic. And I heard explosions in there too, right? I don’t know what else they have. I’d rather defer to your command.”

“Got it,” Queens nodded. “So here’s the situation; those scum have set up twelve barricades in a narrow corridor on the other side. I don’t know where they got em, but they have high-grade munitions, heavy pavises, and shield generators.”

Vajra sighed. “A military storehouse got robbed. Maybe Vistis gave them some of his spoils in exchange for their protection.”

“Got it. Moving on… normally, we need armor to get past such well-defended strong points.”

“How tight are the corridors?”

“About three metres high, five wide,” one of the guards answered. “Oh, and it’s a kilometer long, if that was a question.”

“Plenty of space. I can deflect the blaster fire. I can probably repel munitions too, with the Force. It may not be fast, but I can get you to each barricade. Alternatively, I can just blast them when I get close enough. It’ll be like a light artillery strike.”

“How close is close enough?”

The boy hesitated. “Fifty meters, I think?”

“Maybe we should just sit back, let the kid handle this,” Stede grinned.

“Sending me in alone might not be such a bad idea,” the Knight smiled.

Queens ignored them. “So, this is our new plan of attack. The Jedi takes point, and protects us while we clear the barricades. Once we break through, we can see what they’ve been plotting out there.”

“What plot?”

“They’ve gone and levelled a threat against Senator Vanara Kayl. They threatened to set off several bombs in the Galactic Market sector if she didn’t pay them off.”

“But there’s thousands of refugees down here!”

“Hundreds of thousands,” Queens corrected. “Yeah, I was shocked too. Coruscant… it’s huge. Packed. Really messes with your sense of scale.”

“Can we afford a slow approach then? I really can clear these thugs out by myself.”

“Can you guarantee it?”

“Yes.”

Queens’ eyes flashed. “That sounds like overconfidence to me. I can’t risk it. Stick to the plan. Defend us, and we’ll break these filth.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Good. Questions? Sorry, we’re out of time. Move out!”

The Jedi nodded, and took up position right at the front door. The Captain took a deep breath and hit the release button… a grenade flew in a few seconds later, but the boy repelled it; so kriffing nonchalantly! His Lightsaber came alive, only one of the four, and he marched ahead, deflecting all incoming blaster fire.

Lieutenant Queens growled “For Coruscant!” and entered after him, and all the rest followed.

The kid hadn’t been exaggerating; he didn’t let a single bolt get past him, but somehow didn’t impede his allies’ counter fire. The sound of Lightsaber deflecting blaster bolts was so satisfying to hear, and the Lightsaber’s glow inspired and drove her.

The criminal scum, meanwhile, shouted in dismay; things like “Why can’t we hit anyone?” “Is that a real Jedi?” “There aren’t supposed to be many Jedi on Coruscant!” “Shit, shit! Shit!”

Some tried to flee, but were shot down by the crossfire. Others got hit by their own bolts getting reflected back at them; the Jedi managed to aim into the small murder holes in the barricades.

It was everything Dina had dreamed it would be! It was glorious! A hundred guns or more levelled at them, but she and her group were untouchable!

“Forward!” Queens ordered. “Pick up the pace! Not a full-out sprint!”

The Jedi complied, and the ad hoc squad started jogging after him, firing all the while.

When they reached around fifty meters of the first barricade, the Jedi thrust a palm, and a blast shot out like a cannonball. It struck the barricade dead center, knocking off the walls and tossing the remaining thugs into the air.

Captain Stede shouted a fierce warcry and fired at all seven goons, and they were dead before they crashed into the floor. She and her boys were good; Stede’s blasters almost always forced her targets to take cover. She even scored a few bull’s eyes, clipping these criminals despite their shields. The pink-haired man was also good; every one of his shots was well-aimed.

Queens used a blaster rifle, which he used to spray the enemies with so much ammo that they hid behind their cover, and Jorgan’s sniper rifle always hit someone in the eye… even if he didn’t fire all that often.

Pretty soon, more and more gunmen broke off and tried to run.

“BREAK OFF!” Queens ordered. “Jedi! Stop those thugs from escaping!”

The boy chased after them so fast, it was like he’d jumped into hyperspace. A blur of motion, and the men screamed in horror. Some fell; angry, burning slices on their bodies, others were flung out of the way by the momentum of his charge.

He thrust out with his palm again, and the closest line of barricades he’d traipsed across collapsed and fell like a deck of pazaak cards. The enemy closest to Dina looked disheartened.

“I SURRENDER!” one of the thugs screamed, and others hastened to follow. They threw aside their weapons like they had suddenly gotten scorching hot, and threw themselves on the floor. The Astromech gave a pleased whistle and rolled after the Jedi. It fired upon some of the thugs as it passed, albeit with blasters set to stun. It really knew what to do!

“Captain Winborn! Slap some cuffs on em!” Queens ordered. “And call the garbage collectors. I want them interrogated for any info they might have.”

“Yes… uh, Sir.”

“The rest of you, move, move, move!”

The Jedi was at the next door, waiting for his T7 to unlock the next door.

He looked troubled. “I don’t like this,” he told Queens. “I can Sense great danger.”

“That’s just nerves talking. Just do the same thing again, and we’ll have them beaten within the hour.”

The door popped open, and the Jedi began warding off a barrage of fire at once. The first ten steps were the same as before, but then he stopped in his tracks.

“What happened?” Queens demanded.

“A bomb has been armed!” he cried. “We have minutes. I’m sorry everyone, take cover! I’m going ahead! T7, use your jets to keep up.”

The Astromech whistled.

“WAIT!” Queens hollered, but it was too late. The boy had vanished again.

Everyone darted for cover, but they weren’t quick enough; several of Winborn’s squad took a few nonlethal hits before they got behind statues and crates.

“MEDIC!” Winborn called, but there was none near him and the wounded.

“JERRE! GO!” Stede rose from her hiding spot and fired a barrage at the enemy, and Queens joined in a second later. The pink-haired man rolled across the aisle and pulled a field medic’s kit from his bag.

Dina was frightened. This had suddenly got a lot harder. They had cheesed their way past the previous line of defense, but she hadn’t realized just how much work the Jedi had been doing. Without him, it was all the team could do to stay under cover.

Vajra did not like abandoning the team, but he had no choice. He could See it. The bombs were set; and their Shatterpoints were massive. When they ruptured, it would be a lot more than hundreds of thousands dead.

Vajra did not know how, but all of Coruscant would fall if he let those go off.

It was no choice at all; he leapt into action, hoping T7 would be able to follow him safely. With luck, those jets would help him keep up with Vajra’s speed long enough.

Vajra’s blade struck any enemy in his path, but the timer forced him to avoid going out of his way. In less than a minute, they’d arrived at the first bomb. It was strapped to a support beam which held up Force-only-knew what.

He cursed. There was no off switch on this one.

“Disarm!” He ordered T7, and took up a position to defend. The barricades were pointed in the opposite direction, so he was able to reflect most incoming shots right back at their points of origin. Dozens of thugs cried out and fell, taking hits to the face, chest, neck, stomach, and in a few painful instances, groins.

Twenty seconds later, his buddy whistled. “Bomb = neutralized, explosive material = collected. Jedi: Vajra = can destroy the device with Lightsaber.”

Vajra cut the device in two and said “Come on! Two more!”

The second one was harder to get to, on account of the thugs being ready for him this time. They also had the sense to spread out and aim for T7 instead of him.

Vajra changed tactics, picking up nearby crates with the Force and Hurling them at the scattered gunmen. They screamed, but many were crushed. Vajra repeated the tactic and chased off or killed another group of thugs, which left the remaining path clear.

T7 hurried up and began to disarm the bomb, but Vajra began to panic.

“We have just a minute and a half left!”

“T7 = has shields. Can take shots = 50. Jedi: Vajra = go ahead.”

“Stay safe!”

Vajra dreaded leaving his little buddy behind; but again, he had no choice. He ran for the final bomb at high speed, far beyond what he had demonstrated until now. The startled goons cursed and ran, their nerve breaking.

Vajra used the Force to knock them down—they had tried to kill too many to be allowed to escape—but kept his focus on the final bomb. When he reached it, he felt panic course through him again. He didn’t know what to do.

But T7 was watching. He sent an urgent transmission. “Cut wires in order: Black, red, purple, blue. Remove explosive from device.”

Vajra knelt down to comply, grateful that he always carried his toolkit with him. A gunman approached, but Vajra paid him no mind. He didn’t care if he got hit, or even killed. The bomb was the only thing.

He felt one of the bolts hit him in the shoulder, and one of his right arms went numb... but he managed it. He cut the last wire before standing up to give his attackers his full attention. All shooters he had knocked down were on their feet now, guns in hand.

He was targeted with a barrage of fire, and he was a little slowed down by his injury.

But he took a deep breath and listened for the Song of his Lightsaber. The blade came alive, and he knocked all bolts aside, guided by the music. These thugs, just like the Khrayii, had almost managed to kill him, and he was deeply embarrassed. He had to show them who he was. He had to show them all.

There was a microsecond where he saw his chance, and he took it; he raised his hand, and all gunners were Picked up by the unseen Force. He pulled inwards, and they all came hurtling towards him. One swing of his Lightsaber, and fifteen criminals fell to the ground without their heads.

Vajra gritted his teeth, fighting off the pain for a second. This is nothing. Not compared to that poison.

He still had a duty to fulfil; he had to extricate his comrades. Getting back to his feet, he retrieved the explosive material. Then he went to T7, and together they made their way back to their friends. The second the Guild members saw them; they began to surrender.

The team left their cover, some hundred and fifty feet from their starting point, and made their way to him. The guards stunned the enemy, with one of them calling for support.

Juun reached him first, and clapped him real hard on the wrong shoulder. Vajra winced, but didn’t cry out.

“What? Ohmigosh! You’re wounded?! I’m so sorry! Jerre! Get over here!” Her friend ran up to him and applied a kolto spray, and the pain began to subside at once. It began to itch as the wound healed at many times the speed, but Vajra ignored it best he could.

“How did you get hit?” Lieutenant Queens’ voice was filled with scorn. “I thought you were untouchable.”

“I had five seconds on that last bomb,” Vajra said. “It was this, or let it blow.”

T7 agreed mournfully. The ElTee’s eyebrows rose. “Wow. You did good then.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve had worse.”

“Like I said, good job. But… well. I feel a little uncomfortable when a soldier breaks ranks without a direct order.”

“Come this way please.”

Vajra led Queens, Jorgan, Juun, Jerre, Corso, and Captain Winborn to the nearest bomb.

“What am I looking at?”

“I want someone to scan this support. I have a horrible suspicion…”

Winborn gasped. “This… this is directly beneath the Senate!”

Queens roared “WHAT!?”

“It’s true!”

Queens bit back his shock. “And this bomb… do you have the explosive material?”

Vajra handed him the cannister he’d pulled out, and T7 gave him the two he’d kept.

“This… this is nasty stuff,” Queens whispered. “It would definitely crumple the supports, no matter how well reinforced they are. The damages… they’d have been immense. Catastrophic.”

“I Sensed the possibility of Coruscant’s end. I got the last bombs with seconds to spare. I’m sorry for running ahead, but I truly had no choice.”

Queens glared at the closest thug, clearly wanting to start smashing in faces.

“I believe him,” Juun said. “He’s got an honest face. I’ve seen my share of glory hounds. Heck, I see one in the mirror every ten seconds! And this kid ain’t one of them.”

Queens looked back at the Jedi. “Listen, kid. You stopped the bombs, it all worked out this time. Next time, it might make things worse. Several guards were injured when you suddenly disappeared. Next time, wait for the command to go.”

I follow the Will of the Force, first and foremost. Vajra bit back the words and simply nodded. “I’m sorry.”

“Good. I feel scummy for saying it, but my last command…” he trailed off. “People get killed no matter what we do. And we can never predict everything. This is the sad nature of war. I feel… naked, when fighting beside a soldier who has left his post without orders before, no matter the reason. I need to be able to trust the guys next to me to always have my back.”

“I see.”

His escort finally made it back to him. The older, dark man looked unmoved, the younger a impressed. The cadet actually applauded, and Sarge had a fierce grin on her face. “What a fight, eh kid?”

“The thief who raided the storehouse also stole some important datafiles. Please tell the Council if you want me punished. Or General Var Suthra, I suppose. I really need to get going.”

Queens sighed. “I don’t. Like I said, you were right today. Best of luck to you.”

“Lieutenant! Come see this! It’s—it’s…!”

Vajra didn’t wait to hear the rest. “We’ve fallen behind,” he said tensely. “We need to double-time it.”

“No problemo!” Sarge grinned. “That scrap really got my blood a-pumping!”

Dina had reassessed her charge. He really was a great warrior, despite his age! And he had finally made one of her dreams come true! If he’d been a few years older, she’d have offered him a lengthy tumble in the sack.

Only grizzled Amon kept his level expression; everyone else was pumped. Finally, they were doing something glorious!

The kid led them to one of the survivors who looked like a high-ranked member and asked “Do you know anything about a Rodian thief? The one who gave you all your hardware.”

The hardened criminal wilted under the child’s gaze. “Y-y-y-y-yes, Sir! H-h-h-he’s in the base. Guest accommodations. Those are n-n-n-n-normally well-defended, but… but we sent out ev-ev-ev-every last one of our elites today. I c-c-c-c-can give you the c-c-c-c-coordinates.”

“Thank you.” He straightened up, and tossed one last glance at the civilians, who had come to see him off. “You going the same way?” He pointed at the door they had to take.

“That way, I’m afraid,” Juun said regretfully, pointing at a different door.

“Shame. You guys are fun to hang around!”

“You too, kid!” the dark male said, affectionately patting his head. “You too.”

The Jedi and Dina’s team took off at a brisk jog, tensed and ready for trouble. But there was little. A few times, they heard the sound of hurried feet and closing doors. They’d made an impression.

The resistance began to pick up again near the Migrant Merchants’ HQ, but the Jedi used the same tactic as before, and allowed his guards to kill the enemy. Dina found herself awed all over again. He hadn’t needed them at all. He might have gotten through faster without them. But he had given them a chance for real glory, and for that she would always be grateful.

The T7 unit whistled, and the boy led them to the building on their datapad. A few seconds later, the Astromech had unlocked the door.

The Rodian thug was inside, squirming and whining. He said something in Rodese, and the Jedi said “I’m not looking to make a quick buck. You took something that—” he frowned as his comm rang. “Agent Galen? I’ve found our thief.”

“That… that was quick. I owe you more than just an apology. Now hurry back with the stolen files. We’ve had a major security breach.”

Vajra’s heart skipped a beat. “Another one?! This is just…! Tarnis and Kira, how are they?”

“This channel isn’t secure enough. Head back. Pronto!”

The Rodian whined again.

“Do you always ignore your instincts?”

The Rodian sighed and mumbled.

“Is money all that important to you?” Timmins burst out. “Do you have any idea the shitstorm that’s coming? The shitstorm that already almost hit us, thanks to those munitions you gave the Guild? If those plans fall into the wrong hands, Coruscant itself might fall! Do you think the Sith will be better overlords?”

The Rodian held up his hands defensively and replied.

“So, you had the guild slicer decrypt those files, then transmitted them… to the Black Sun?”

“You are out of your mind,” Timmins hissed. “Give us one reason why we shouldn’t kill you!”

The Rodian’s answer was laced with terror.

“Yes. Give us your partners, and we’ll take you in alive.”

The Rodian’s relief was evident in his response.

“Cuff him,” the Jedi ordered. “We’re heading back to the Senate Tower.”

But Timmins squeezed his trigger finger, and the Rodian died with barely a sound of surprise or pain.

The Jedi was stunned. “WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!”

“My job,” Timmins hissed. “This thief is willing to put trillions in danger if it means a little more wealth. He deserved to die!”

“He was unarmed, and defeated!”

“We’re in the middle of enemy territory, and he was a dangerous, slippery schutta! There’s no way we were going to evacuate him—”

The Jedi swung his Lightsaber, and Timmins fell down with a squeak. The top of his hat fell to the floor.

“I want to arrest you for killing a prisoner… but we’re in the middle of enemy territory, and there’s no way we can evacuate you…”

Timmins squealed again. “Okay, okay! I get your point! I’ll go quietly! I’m sorry!”

“Let’s head back now.” The Jedi pointed the way, and poor Timmins went first. Dina followed with Ila and Amon, feeling stunned.

They returned to the Senate tower an hour later, and the moment the Jedi disappeared around a corner, Dina burst out “That was so unfair!”

Amon sighed. “Maybe I should have warned you. The Jedi take this code thing very seriously. It’s all that separates them from the Sith.”

“Who cares about that?” Dina raged. “How dare he equate that filthy thief’s life with Timmins’? Timmins is a guard!”

“Was he, really?” Ila looked conflicted. “He killed that Rodian without hesitation! This is not what we’re supposed to stand for! This is why we have the courts!”

“And for a crime this big, the Rodian would have been locked away in some box. But I get what you’re saying. Jedi are a bunch’a dogmatic pisspots.”

“Shouldn’t they be? I don’t want them turning into Sith!” Ila looked terrified. “Imagine if that kid just lost it one day… we’d never be able to stop him. If outdated dogma is all that keeps them from—”

“It’s all they think keeps them from the other side,” Dina retorted. She was thinking all the worst things about them right now. Were they really heroes? Were they really on the same side? “Have you ever seen someone go bad from just playing a little fast and loose?”

“Well, no… but how do we know how the Force works! Maybe all it takes is a crack, and they let the bad stuff in? Don’t forget. What Timmins did was technically murder. It’s not like letting a petty cutpurse go.”

Dina and Amon stared at her like she’d turned into a slug.

“I guess you’re a kid too after all,” Amon said. “Just like that Jedi. And you…” he stared at Dina. “Are an idiot for getting carried away.”

“Yes,” Dina said fervently. “Yes, I was.”

“Don’t get me wrong. Next time Malgus comes knocking, it’s Jedi like him who will beat him back. And any threat that’s too much for the likes of us. Without him, the Senate would be a crater today. Doesn’t mean he’s some god. Jedi are as different from us common folk as the snobby nobles of Alderaan. We don’t mix with em. Their kind of justice doesn’t work in the real world, and they will never accept that.”

“I disagree,” Ila said stubbornly. “You said there’s nothing wrong in turning the other way, but you’re wrong about that. I’ve heard you complain about how the higher ups are always turning a blind eye on Sorigar’s activities. How they’ve gotten used to it after all these years. But now he’s out of control, and they’re still not saying anything. Even if it’s unrealistic, I prefer it if they held on to that archaic, pure set of morals. Someone has to.”

“You just like him coz he’s cute!” Dina snarled. She was feeling like crying; she felt like someone dear had betrayed her faith in them. She had been raised on tales of Jedi being the greatest people in the galaxy, for crying out loud!

“Ewww, no! What is he, fifteen, sixteen?! I’m twenty-two! That may sound like a kid to you two ancient fossils, but he’s underage and I know it! Besides, I only like women!”

“Then why are you in his corner?”

“I’m not. He’s in mine. I joined the Guard to serve and protect. To follow the law. Like it or not, what Timmins did, violates our mission.”

Dina sighed heavily. She didn’t know what to think anymore. She didn’t like seeing her fellow Guardsman arrested just for shooting a man who deserved it. Arrested by a snot-nosed little Jedi.

“She’ll grow out of it,” Amon sighed. “They all do.”

“What can we do about Timmins?”

“What’s to do? The superiors will let him off with a slap on the wrist, and he’d have learned a valuable lesson: don’t do anything stupid around people you can’t trust.”

“I know I’m not to be trusted,” Ila groaned.

“Right you are. Run along now, little wannabe angel.”

Twenty minutes earlier

Kira groaned as she woke up; chunks of plaster and debris fell off her body as she stood. She had to dust off a fucking metric ton of dirt.

What happened? It felt like a Wampa had charged past her.

It started coming back to her. A sudden Red Alert. She'd barely had time to blink before several heavily armed intruders had charged into the room. She hastily activated her Lightsaber, deflecting a volley of blaster bolts. Luckily, the assailants weren't aiming at anyone in particular.

She tried to shield herself from the Merr-Sonn Concussion Detonator but hadn't made it in time.

As she stood up, she saw a dozen other security personnel fallen around her, most stunned by the blast, but no one looked mortally wounded. The attack had been so sudden, that none of the intruders had even been shot at, much less shot down.

Agent Galen stormed into the room. He took one glance at the mess, then immediately looked inside one of the offices behind them and groaned loudly. The Lead Researcher's office.

Tarnis' office.

Kira winced as she remembered her earlier promise. Famous last words!

"Black Sun," Galen informed her as she stepped near him. His words were slightly muted; her ears had been affected by the blast. Thankfully not too bad. Her shield had been of some use. “Coming in, they sent in three different teams on different objectives, each looking like a diversion to the next. This must have been their real objective.”

"Do we know where they went?" she asked.

"Their exit was much less subtle than their entry. We're tracking them.”

"Give me some backup and call the Masters!" Kira said, staggering towards the door. “I’m going after them with anyone you can give me!”

"You look like you can barely walk straight!" Galen observed.

"I've no choice, we must save Tarnis," Kira said. "We can't let anyone have him! Not with what he knows!"

As she walked out, real fear took root in her gut. If Tarnis was taken, then they—whoever "They" were—would have access to many Republic secret weapons projects! And Vajra had said that he was even more important than that! He had claimed that he infamous ‘growing darkness’ was centered around the lead scientist!

Kira fought off her building panic. No. No there had to be time to save him still. She had to move. Maybe she couldn't do it herself, but maybe she could keep them busy until Master Kiwiiks got here. Or Master Orgus. Or Vajra. Yes, there had to be time. She couldn't let it end like this!

Kira hopped onto one of the speeders, and the captain of this team, Edna Phelps, took the wheel. It took off from the landing pad with seven more in tow; a total of thirty-two personnel. The smash-and-grab had been chaotic, but she thought there had to be more than that. She needed reinforcements.

“Please hurry up,” she whispered, half to the help, but mostly to the speeder. It was far too slow. Though, to be fair, anything seemed slow that didn’t solve this problem right now.

She had difficulty holding in her nervous energy. She held her Lightsaber tightly in hand, unable to put it away. Her foot tapped an angry rhythm on the floor, and she chewed the nails of her right hand.

“How are you feeling?” Phelps asked.

“Dizzy,” Kira admitted. “That emergency kolto infusion is working… but a bit slow. My hearing is… better. Not a hundred percent. A few bruises too, but I can move.”

“Good. We need a Jedi out there today. Those thugs managed to break into the most secure building in the galaxy. They had numbers and coordination. We… most of my division are green. Too many of us were killed during the Sacking, so the most experienced of us are out in the hottest zones.”

“Just like the Jedi,” Kira sighed. “I wish we could go faster. Master Vajra said that Eli Tarnis is the most important person on the planet right now.” Damn, it was so hard to remember to say ‘Master’ Vajra.

“The pipsqueak?”

“He’s a Knight. And a very good guy.”

“I’m talking about Tarnis.”

Kira chuckled. “He’s not that small, is he? He just wears clothes three sizes too big.”

“Yeah… wonder why? Strange to think, that of all the Senators and Generals, the visiting kings and queens, the most important guy on the planet is a scientist.”

“One in charge of weapons development.”

“I guess. I don’t know what he was designing, but—”

“His own design aside, he’s the overall leader of the scientists. He knows a lot about other projects. I don’t want to think about it.”

“We can’t lose, then.”

Kira looked at her. More to occupy her mind than anything else, she asked, “You said most of your people weren’t guards during the Sacking of Coruscant…”

“I was. But I was posted in the Garnet zone. Nothing happened there. And, of course, with their ships in orbit, we couldn’t attempt to fly to the hot zones. I have often cursed my cowardice. I lost some friends that day.”

“I’m sorry. But that sounds like the only thing you could have done.”

“It’s the lot of the survivors to feel guilty for not doing more.”

Kira thought about Bengel Morr, and fell silent.

They ran into trouble almost at once. These Black Sunners weren’t very lucky during their escape. Sirens had sounded the second someone breached the Senate, and the citizenry evacuated. Many clearly still remembered the Sacking. The Spaceport had been closed too.

So, not only had they been unable to pick up any hostages, they’d had to lose valuable time cutting open a hangar entrance with a plasma torch. No doubt unlocking the hangar doors would be an even bigger task.

Kira had been given training in leading troops, but this was her maiden voyage. And, as Phelps had said, the same was true for most of her guards.

Kira tried to take comfort in the fact that Vajra had done quite well in his first solo command, but there had been a few critical differences. Having trained the militia himself, he knew how to use them. They also knew the enemy was coming. In addition, the enemy were not very bright, so they just charged right in, where a more sophisticated opposition would study the defenses first. Map out a strategy.

Much like these goons had.

Kira was also aware that her Lightsaber skills weren’t up to scratch. She’d only been a Padawan for three years, and Master Kiwiiks had been busy teaching her the softer skills involved with being a Jedi.

The situation was hopeless, if her intent was to defeat the Black Suns. No, her mission was to harass them until Master Orgus arrived. Surely, he heard the siren? He was in the same building, for crying out loud!

Unless… “Hey, Captain. Are there any special protocols in place for the Chancellor’s office when those sirens go off?”

“Yes. Everyone gets sealed inside. I hope the Masters we’re waiting for aren’t inside.”

“Two of them are. That leaves Master Vajra.”

“I don’t like our odds. Didn’t he leave for the Galactic Markets two hours ago? He’d have to be very lucky indeed to get here in the next hour.”

“I wouldn’t count him out. Battles are his specialty.”

“I hope you’re right.”

Kira emerged from her speeder first, her spinning Saberstaff deflecting some of the shots, and her footwork letting her evade the others. There was a lot more space here in the Port, which allowed her some breathing space.

The guards opened fire, and there was a full firefight in the mouth of the Spaceport.

Kira ducked behind a sculpture to catch a breather. She huffed out a breath and tried to calm her nerves. Her heart was beating way too fast, here.

She counted to three then broke cover, running at full speed towards the closest goon. The enemy were mostly distracted and failed to respond in time. Kira extinguished her lower blade, holding her Lightsaber like a standard one for a moment. Taking the hilt in both hands, she leapt forward, blade thrust out in front of her. She stabbed the first bastard, and her momentum allowed her to spear three more. She extinguished her primary blade so that it didn’t get dragged down with the bodies, then reignited both in time to parry a few shots.

One shot singed her elbow.

Hissing in pain, she ducked and rolled to find more cover. Her backup did their thing, taking advantage of their enemies’ distraction to attack them.

Some of the thugs kept her pinned down, but she couldn’t just cower here. She counted to three again, then emerged from the right side of her chosen statue. She used the wall behind her to kick off into another dash, but this time the thugs were readier. She only nailed one of the bastards, and a spinning attack clipped another one.

The Force warned her of an incoming attack from behind, which she dodged hastily. A heavy cudgel smashed into the ground, but she was untouched. She slashed the offending woman with a sweeping cut to the head, and watched her go down.

Seconds later, the last of the Suns went down, and her guards ran towards her.

Kira’s eyes burned as perspiration entered her eyes. Kira was sweating hard, and had to rub off her sweat on her sleeve. The fabric came away soaking wet. “I can’t be that badly out of shape yet, it must be the nerves,” she grumbled. “Stay calm, Kira. Peace. Peace. That’s right. A Jedi enters battle calmly. You must be calm.”

“Good job!” Phelps said warmly.

“Come on. Let’s find their friends. Give them the bad news.”

“I’ll find a way to do it gently. Your arm—”

“Right. Make it quick, medic!”

The medic applied a kolto spray, and the pain reduced immensely. She flexed the elbow experimentally after about a minute, happy that she had full use of it again.

The thugs in the next room greeted them with a hail of fire.

“HEY, THAT’S NO WAY TO GREET A LADY!” Kira cried. “DON’T YOU KNOW GIRLS PREFER FLOWERS TO BEING BURNED ALIVE?”

Amazingly, a man with a very smooth voice answered her. “YOU AIN’T NO GIRL! YOU’S A WITCH!”

“WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME? A BITCH?!?! THAT’S JUST HURTFUL!”

“WHAT? NO! UH CALLED YOU A WITCH! YOU KNOW, FOR YOUR JEDI POWERS.”

“LOOK, CAN YOU STOP SHOOTING FOR A MOMENT? I GOT A MESSAGE FOR YOU CLOWNS.”

“WE DON’T WANNA SURRENDER! YOU’S NO THREAT TO US!”

“THAT’S NOT THE MESSAGE, DICKHEAD!”

“THEN WHAT IS? STOP FIRING, YOU DUMB LOT!”

The blasters stopped for a moment, though they remained pointed at the door. Kira stood up. “I regret to inform you that all your friends are dead. Biff up there made the funniest gurgle when he went down…”

The thugs looked stupefied.

“I think Rosa wanted a ‘Ghirahalm’ to know her eternal love for them…”

They whispered among themselves, then the leader, a Houk, spoke up again. “We don’t got no Biff with us. Nor a Rosa. And we haven’t a clue where ‘Ghirahalm’ is.”

“She’s fucking toying with you, Bregar!” a woman spat. “Kill her!”

“Right you are, Risia. Kill her!” Only Bregar and Risia raised their blasters. The man cursed. “That order was for everyone, not just Risia!”

There was a collective ‘Oh!’ and everyone opened fire.

But the distraction had given Kira the moment to get a sense of the situation. Where all the enemies were. The different places they could take cover.

She felt more confident now. She was calm. Er. And she’d survived one round of thugs.

She charged ahead, darting from cover to cover when possible, hoping to draw away some of the fire from her troops. Unlike most Jedi Knights, she wasn’t yet good enough to defend her squad while they focused on offense. The best she could do was distract them as she approached.

Once she got close enough, she forced another heavy exhale and charged with her maddest battle cry.

She was able to defend herself well enough until she reached the line, but she could smell the fabric of her robes getting singed. She sliced off the first thug’s arms, then felled the next one—a Gamorrean—with a trio of strikes. The next one, a human man, dodged her first strike, then attacked her with a pair of vibroblades. She sliced the first one, but the man kept the second one—and himself—out of her Saberstaff’s reach. Two of his comrades surrounded her in the few seconds; another Gamorrean, this one with an axe, and a Twi’lek with a force pike.

Kira dodged the heavy blow from the axe and cut the Gamorrean’s flank. The Twi’lek charged her with a spinning attack she managed to evade. But then the human struck. Leaping out, he buried his dagger in her thigh.

She screamed, but kept her wits about her enough to end his life with her Lightsaber. The Twi’lek slammed the handle of his pike into her nose, stunning her. Her hilt fell from her fingers. She fell backwards, dazed and weaponless. The Twi’lek roared in victory and tried to spin and stab her… but she was saved.

Someone appeared so fast it was like he’d teleported. In her state, Kira hadn’t even seen him enter the floor, let alone the fray.

Vajra caught and pulled away the pike before its pointy end could skewer Kira.

The Twi’lek lost his balance when his weapon was unexpectedly pulled away. Vajra kicked him with such force that the Twi’lek left a small crater in the wall.

Vajra ran to Kira and began protecting her from the blaster fire. “UP! He roared. “Get behind that pillar!”

“Right!” Kira moaned in pain as she dragged her useless leg to the pillar. She didn’t worry about the enemy at all; she’d seen Vajra doing drills a few times.

Once she was safely ensconced in her new safe place, the boy Knight went on the attack.

He swatted away a torrent of blaster fire with his blade, and Kira watched in awe as almost every deflected bolt hit a target. A Black Sun target.

The last six remaining screamed like children when Vajra holstered his Lightsaber and charged at them. With just his fists, he slapped away their weapons and struck them with disabling blows. Kira could only stare as he worked his magic. He had clearly trained as hard in unarmed combat as he had Lightsabers.

He caught a vibrosword blade as it descended with one pair of hands, and another punched the wielder in the stomach thrice. His foot connected with the woman Risia’s jaw, and she was launched into the air. She fell onto her back, staring up at the wall opposite Kira.

Vajra blocked another flurry of blows, then slapped a Rodian in the ear, and gave the final Gamorrean a savage punch in the belly. Then he smacked Bregar in the solar plexus, and the Houk fell clutching his chest. The last one, a large Mirialan male, screamed “I give! I give!”

Vajra waved the captain over. “Secure them. We need to interrogate them.”

“Yessir!”

Vajra ran to Kira, looking frightened. “Kira! You okay?”

“A little light-headed. I lost some blood.”

“I’m glad you didn’t remove the dagger. Here, get ready to apply pressure. I’ve got a kolto pack on me, and bandages.” He took out the kit and remembered to put on sterilized gloves first.

“They didn’t lie about you Master. You really are a good swordsman. OW!!!”

“Thank you.” With the dagger removed, Vajra worked quickly. He injected the kolto into her bloodstream, along with a painkiller. Then he began stitching up her leg. It was clear he’d done this before. Once he’d finished stitching her up, he used an antiseptic before spraying a thin film of kolto on top of the wound. He then wrapped her leg in a bandage.

He then removed the gloves and tossed them off to the side.

“Sorry for getting blood all over your clothes.”

“Don’t be.” He embraced her, and she returned it. “If I’d gotten here a millisecond later… Thank the Force. Thank. The fucking. Force!”

Kira snorted. “Got you to curse. Jasme owes me five credits.”

She was startled to realize that her friend was shaking. And almost sobbing too. She tightened her hug. “I’m sorry, Master. I was reckless and got carried, wasn’t I?”

“You did your duty, and you did it like a true Jedi. This was just a shitty, shitty situation.”

“Wait a second, can you repeat that? I want a recording. For my Master. Not the ‘shitty, shitty’ part, the ‘Kira is awesome’ bit.”

“I’ll say it however many times you want me to. I’m so glad I got to you in time.”

“Yeah,” Kira shuddered, imagining being impaled through the chest for a second. She’d almost died today.

Vajra stood, wiping his eyes discreetly. “Anyone still left in here?”

“Scans show… no one,” Captain Phelps answered. “You’re damn good. Padawan Kira said combat was your specialty, but clearly, she undersold it.”

“Any casualties on our side?”

“We took some hits, but nothing serious. We’re treating the wounded. We were lucky they were out of grenades. Clearly used them all during their attack.”

“It’s fishy…” Vajra said slowly. “They pull off a clever, well-planned heist, but don’t plan their getaway very well?”

“Shit,” Phelps cursed. “This group was a distraction.”

“You figured it out, did you?” Bregar chuckled. “It’s too late. The boss is long gone by now!”

Vajra sighed. “Like Kira said. I’m a combat expert. But she is good at getting into heads.”

Kira chuckled. “Oh, please let me at im. He called me a bitch after all!”

“I said ‘witch’,” the man looked deeply uncomfortable. “Coz you can use the Force!”

“Oh, that’s even worse!” Kira loomed over him, supported mostly by Vajra’s discreet use of the Force. “Because of how true it is. Tell me, do you know how Jedi interrogate bad terrorists in an emergency? We enter their heads. Imagine someone looking through your head like a book… but with oily, greasy, dirty palms. Leaving dust and grime and stuff every place we touch… it’ll take only a few minutes, but I can find the answer I need in seconds.”

The man screamed. Risia shouted at him “Don’t listen to her! She’s messing with you again!”

“NO, SHE’S NOT!” Bregar screeched. “SHE’S INSIDE ME HEAD RIGHT NOW”!

Kira had Reached into his head and prodded the nodes responsible for fear. Darksiders had an easier way to do it, but Kira neither knew how, nor cared. This was more natural. Simple nudges of the right region in the brain. She Leaned on the Force and established her total domination over his will. “That’s right. I can do it, but it’s much better for you… if you tell me. You want to tell you everything… right?”

“I want to tell you everything!” the man agreed. In seconds, he pulled out a datacard and pressed it into his pad. A few keystrokes later, it was decrypted. “There! All the info you need, and more!”

“Anyone has anything to add?” She put some Force into her words.

Everyone looked terrified. Risia nodded furiously. “This wasn’t our plan. There was someone big involved. I think he was a Sith.”

There was a collective moment of silence. Even her comrades gaped at her. She hid her face. “I just happened to see it, alright? There was a man, and he wore a mask. He had a Lightsaber. But his insignia… I knew that insignia. It was Angral’s burning tower.”

“You knew… and you didn’t tell us?” the Rodian cried. “You know what those bastards did! One in every three of us lost family and loved ones that day! One in twenty lost everything! Like I did!

“Look, I was scared, alright?” Risia ducked her head even further. “It was a Sith! And Saalar’s almost as bad! You know what he’s like!”

Vajra sighed. “We’re out of time. Captain, please finish up here. Search every inch of this place. If there’s so much as a hidden microchip, you need to find it.”

She saluted. “Yessir!”

“Looks like the rest of your backup has already caught up.”

“Good. We can take things from here.” She ordered her Lieutenant to evacuate the wounded.

Pressed for time, Vajra carried Kira in his arms and set off at a jog.

“You know… I never noticed it before, but you’ve really grown since we first met. You almost look like an adult now. Shit, am I mooning over my savior already?”

He chuckled. “It’s probably the anesthetic.”

“Probably. Even an evil gal like me’s got standards. I don’t fall for underaged boys, I mean,” she added hurriedly. “Wasn’t saying you’re ugly.”

“I remember that time I almost got myself killed. I was dazed. Didn’t see things right. Emotions felt… loud and overbearing.”

“Sounds right to me. But I am so grateful you saved my life, Master.”

“None of that now, it’s just us.”

“I know. I’m afraid I’ll break character at some important part if I let it slip every time.”

He chuckled again.

“Where’s T7?”

“I had him stay behind with Agent Galen. He’s verifying all the datafiles we recovered, and checking to see if anything was left with its encryption intact. In addition, there was another incident we needed to file a report on. A bomb. I’ll tell you later.”

“Right.” She squinted a little as they emerged into the brightly lit night. She coughed into her fist as Vajra deposited her into the passenger’s side of a speeder, then allowed her eyes to close. She needed to rest, just for a moment.

Her brush with death had been… a little scary. It was no wonder she felt that sudden, insane attraction to the one who saved her.

The Shatterpoint had splintered. Long before Vajra had reached the Senate with the datafiles. Tarnis had been spirited away in the confusion and was now deep in Black Sun territory.

He saw to it Kira was comfortable, then went to join the meeting with Var Suthra and the Masters.

They were already in the middle of a heated discussion when he arrived.

Galen was speaking. “Doctor Tarnis is the least of our worries. The datafiles had details. Not just of the Planet Prison, but of every weapon prototype and research facility under your jurisdiction.”

Var Suthra tossed aside the chair he’d been gripping; it crashed into a table with a vase on it, leaving a mess of broken ceramics and water on the floor. “How did this happen?” he lamented. “How could a gang of common gangsters breach our security twice?! How did they shoot their way in and out of the Senate of all places, and make off with our most important scientist? Now the Black Sun have access to our most powerful experimental weapon designs!”

Silence reigned for a moment. Then Master Kiwiiks spoke up. “We need to secure the sites. Where are they? How well defended?”

“We have over a hundred R&D projects all over the Core systems! Most of them are lightly defended due to the classified nature of their work. Secrecy was their best defense. We can’t move it quickly!”

“Secrecy really is a bad defense,” Vajra noted. “Something we need to tell Master Satele.”

“We know,” Orgus sighed. “We’re working on it, alright? Things are tight right now.”

“Sorry, Master. About the facilities… maybe we can sort them by how deadly they are? How far along in their research cycle? And also deprioritize ones that we can get a large force to watch over too; which ones are in nearly-neutral territories.”

“You’re right. We can secure the facilities on Corellia, Selonia, Chandrila, and many other places. That leaves… Dantooine, Nar Shaddaa, Tatooine… and Alderaan. Dantooine should be a top priority. They have a working prototype of a Lesser Mass Shadow generator. The same kind that was used to crush the Mandalorians at Malachor V, but less destructive.”

“Of all the stupid…” Master Orgus looked angry. “I’ll head there at once.”

“Tatooine is the next most important.”

“Then that’s where I’m headed,” Master Kiwiiks said.

“I can take Nar Shaddaa…” Agent Galen said. “Which leaves the kid… excuse me, Master Vajra to go to Alderaan.”

“No. I need to find Tarnis. Whatever you might think, he’s still the key to the growing darkness the Council has been Sensing.”

His Masters gave him a long, searching look. Vajra sighed and shook his head. Later. He’d tell them later.

“He’s important. I swear it.”

“We have allies on Alderaan anyway,” Var Suthra said. “Unlike the other places. They can keep a lid on things until one of you can make it there. And we do need the copied datafiles.”

“Kira can help in your search,” Master Kiwiiks offered. “She’s a good slicer. You’ll need all the help you can get, with Agent Galen leaving too.”

“Look in on her before you leave, would you? She was wounded in the fighting.”

Kiwiiks jumped and half ran to the door. “I’ll go right now. I hope she’s awake.”

Master Orgus clapped his shoulder. “Find these files quickly, and we may not have to find these facilities at all.”

Vajra hesitated, then whispered. “The best-case scenario is no longer in reach. That Shatterpoint… is gone.”

Orgus gave him a sad look of understanding.

#star wars #swtor #the old republic #jedi knight #hero of tython #smuggler #trooper #coruscant #fanfic #fanfiction

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greatshell-rider · 3 years

Text

Jerry leaned against the open doorway to Lani’s room. “Hey, I killed a guy in the back alley.”

His sister sat hunched over her desk, a lamp pooling light around her head as she scribbled rapidly on a notepad with one hand and flipped quickly through a thick book with the other. Jerry was hardly surprised to find her still awake; it was only an hour or two past midnight. “Cool,” she said without looking up. “Put it over there.”

She didn’t gesture towards a “there”, so Jerry lugged the guy’s corpse into the room and dropped it against the far wall with the window. After a second’s hesitation, he cracked the window open. He didn’t know how soon Lani would get to the body, and while she might not care about a stench, he had to live with her.

“Didn’t think Dalpho would act so soon,” Lani commented as Jerry made to leave. He slowed and she continued, “Might throw a wrench in our current plan.” He saw a smile curve up her cheek at that.

Oh no. No. “Wasn’t Dalpho,” he said hurriedly. “Just some crook jumped me wanting my purse.” He scowled, flexing his hands and feeling the blood drying on them. “Tried to warn him off with my sword, but he was determined.”

“Or desperate. Don’t you ever spare a thought for all those poor souls out there? The whole city’s starving, Jerr-Bear, and you only think of yourself. Tsk.”

Clenching his jaw, Jerry reminded himself of the resolution he’d made this morning: No responding to Lani’s taunts. If he succeeded, he’d promised himself a spoonful of peanut butter (or the closest approximation to it this ’scape could produce) as a reward.

It is not worth it, he told himself. He took a deep breath and walked toward the door.

“It’s funny,” she mused idly, “how this keeps happening. Whenever I get jumped, we’re all friends by the end. But for some reason, showing off your pretty blade always makes things worse. What’s up with that?”

He threw a dirty look over his shoulder, opening his mouth to remind her how her “friends” always ended up. But he saw her smirk, recognized that glint of honed mirth in her eyes, and forcibly swallowed the retort.

“Shut up,” he growled, and slammed the door shut behind him.

She snickered behind the wood, and Jerry nearly turned right back around to tear the door off the hinges and smash it over her stupid head. He stood before it, hands clenching and unclenching, anger radiating through his body so painfully he had to bite down on his tongue so as to not scream. He’d just killed a man and, as always, his sister. Didn’t. Care. So why did he?

Spoonful of peanut butter, Jerr-Bear.

Jerry forced one lungful of air in, then out, then in, then out. He drew back his foot and slammed it against the door, found the shudder that went up the wood to be satisfying if not relieving, and limped into the kitchen to get that peanut butter.

“I’m going to eat the entire fucking jar,” he muttered.

But his sword, still dirtied, was lying on the table. He couldn’t put it away until he saw it cleaned and inspected it for damage. And he couldn’t eat with it dripping on the floor like that.

He sighed, dragging his hand down his face before remembering that it, like the sword, was also covered in blood. Swearing by the names of every deity he knew in both English and Wide and the other alien curses he’d picked up over the years, he went to the sink and scrubbed himself clean as well as he could, though the blood on his tunic was likely going to stain—the fabric was off-world, and so far had reacted poorly to most materials on this ’scape—and he got too frustrated to finish picking his fingernails clean, then stomped over into his room to get his stupid maintenance kit to get the stupid blade all nice and sparkly for its next stupid victim.

“Who’s the real victim, me or them, huh,” he muttered as he sat down with a towel over his knees, the kit set out on the table, and the sword in his hands. “Who’s the one who has to clean everything up in the end?”

Speaking of, there were smears and drips of blood all over the apartment from dragging the corpse in. That needed to be cleaned as well.

“Everything needs to be cleaned around here,” he snarled, scrubbing harder than what was polite with a rag at the blade. “Should just burn it all down and don’t bother building anything on top. Or else the ghosts will get at it.”

He was rambling nonsense. It was too late. He should be in bed. He should’ve been in bed hours ago. No, he wouldn’t have slept, but at least there were no random strangers to murder in bed. Not so far on this ’scape at least. Yeah there had been that one time, but that had been one time—

Rambling.

Jerry determinedly finished cleaning his sword in silence, not letting himself think a thing but focus solely on the monotonous, repetitive motions that had become familiar habit so long ago they should’ve been comforting now. Should have.

When it was done, he held the sword up, tilting it back and forth to watch the steel be highlighted at different angles. It wasn’t reflective enough to mirror his own face in it—which would have been far too thematically symbolic for Jerry to hold his lunch—but as he held it he couldn’t stop picturing the moment again and again, sliding the blade into the man’s gut before he could plunge his knife in Jerry’s throat or arm or whatever his wild swing had been aimed at. One moment, as shiny as it was now, the next, slick with gore. How quickly a thing became spoiled, and how easy to wipe it all away as if it had never happened.

Rambling.

Scowling, Jerry slid the sword into its sheath—good leather and metal, not flesh and bone—and put it on the table again. He tossed the towel onto the nearest puddle of blood (He was not scrubbing floors tonight. Not tomorrow either. He would make Lani do it. New resolution.) and, feeling exhausted, went to the cupboards. He didn’t even really want to eat anymore, but he did deserve at least one spoonful. Miserably, he pulled a cabinet open and dug through the mishmash of their rations gathered across the ’scapes and dumped in here in case of emergency to the fake back he’d installed early on. He pried the cruddy door open and wrapped his hand around the one remaining jar of air quotes peanut butter he had left.

The moment his fingers touched the plastic, he knew something was wrong. The weight was off.

Slowly, he pulled the jar out, dragging it through the rations without trying to maneuver it safely out. Old dusty packs of dried oatmeal and crumbled crackers fell to the floor, piling around his feet, as he held it up to his face.

He stared at the jar.

It was empty. Licked clean. Drawn on the lid in black marker, a smirking face winked at him.

Oh. Oh! Two murders tonight, then. It was a pity he’d already cleaned his sword.

The plastic squeaked. Jerry blinked and realized he had squeezed the empty jar so hard it was now crumbled in his fist, twisted in painfully distorted warpings.

“I’m going to do that to her bones!” he announced, cheerlessly, to no one.

“Wuh?” came a muffled yell from Lani’s room.

“You ate my peanut butter!” he called back, since apparently she’d been listening at the door. Waiting. Knowing. Giddy with excitement, no doubt.

“It wasn’t even good!”

“I am going to kill you!”

“Can’t! Locked the door!”

“There’s a window!”

“Ha! Wait, let me get a camera, I want to remember this!”

“Lani, I’m going to kill you! Straight up!”

“Thought you were bi.”

“You should see what I did to the jar.” He brandished it, though she wasn’t even in the room. “I didn’t even mean to.”

“Funny, the similarities between that statement and what I said about thugs in alleyways . . .”

“Going to kill you!”

“The day you say that sentence in past tense or at the very least present, I might start believing you!”

“Haha!” His voice dropped. “I’m going to bed.”

He closed his ears to whatever Lani said next and did that, crashing face-first onto the cot, which nearly buckled underneath his weight, and lay there with his eyes open, staring at the pilled fuzz of the mattress. He’d forgotten his sword in the kitchen. He always meant to have it on him, or close enough to be within arms-reach. He’d always had it, ever since Lani found out it in the sewers . . . he should go get it. Just in case. It was all he had to keep himself and his sister safe.

From the ghosts?

Rambling.

It could stay in the kitchen. For one night. Please, give him one night.

Jerry covered his eyes with his hand. Maybe that would help him sleep. But he could feel it, the dried blood still under his fingernails. He should’ve just cleaned that out, so it wouldn’t distract him. But it seemed, no matter what he did, he could never get every little bit out . . .

#my writing #Lani & Jerry #in which: jerry feels bad and lani Does Not #not much to say about this one. it was fun tho #oh if you want to know what lani's going to do with the body she likes dissecting things to see how they work #the less ethical the science the better amiright

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