Defenders of Starlight: A Star Wars Story (Book 1)

L4 - 72

I clip the binoculars to my belt as Kheel stands beside me. My once black boots are now caked in the purple hinted mud, as are my knives, but still, Kheel and I creep along. The tall brown grass does its best to hide us, but I can smell the blood on Kheel and pray the Reppies don't have Corellian hounds.

I stay low to the ground, making sure the grass is no taller than my montrals. As I crouch, I place my feet in proper areas where I know the mud won't squish. Kheel doesn't seem to understand that we're illegally taking a Reppie base. He is crouched, barely, but he gets ahead of himself too quickly, leaving me to yank him back.

       Hard, concrete walls separate us from further getting into the base. They're tall. Too tall to scale or climb without equipment, which I didn't think to bring. I press my hands against it and hold my montrals there, waiting for a vibration or a hum. Any sound that could indicate an active gate.

Kheel doesn't follow. He looks up and tilts his head. I lift my own from the wall to look at him.

"What are you doing!?" I hiss quietly, glancing along the wall for any sort of patrol. Kheel ignores me as he begins to bounce his knees. I watch his movements with a look of horror.

This is why I work alone.

Then he jumps. Jumping higher than I have ever seen someone jump as he lands on the top of the wall. I press off the wall and look up, gaping. In anger and amazement. But mostly anger. Anger for his reckless decision and anger because he might get me killed.

I stand looking up, waiting for Kheel's body to fall and land, shot dead, but instead I see his bloody face wink down at me, wet brown hair dripping into his eyes.

"Unbelievable," I scoff and roll my eyes, turning back to the wall.

"Do you trust me?" Kheel shouts from above and I whip back to face him.

"Absolutely not!" I call back, confused by his question and momentarily forgetting about any potential guards. Then my feet are no longer suctioned to the mud. My eyes widen as my feet lift off the ground and my whole body passes the wall, vertically.

"Whoa... hey!" I can't help but shout, but my voice is shaking too much and it sounds shallow and weak. I kick my legs, trying to get back to solid ground. Kheel has his hand reached out and his eyes closed in concentration. I will myself not to look down and I reach out my hand, extending my entire self for Kheel, hoping he can grab me. I rise higher and higher, picked up by nothing but whatever Kheel is doing. I hold my breath. I have never wanted to be touched so bad in my life. Even so, I'm falling victim to whatever it is, the mesmerizing ability he's calling upon. I focus on his reached hands, just as mine are reached. His brow is furrowed in concentration but he still looks at peace, like a conversation with an old friend.

I watch him, hypnotized by this connection. But then I drop, my stomach plummets and I scream. I shut my eyes, waiting for the ground to swallow me whole, breaking my back. My stomach falls to my toes as I fall faster, squeezing my eyes tighter, but a hand wraps around my arm. My whole body lurches and I grunt as my stomach lands flat against the wall. When I open my eyes, Kheel's hand is wrapped around my arm. Hand clutched on my forearm as my hand reaches still, I grab his tighter, locking us, my chipped nails dig deeper into his wet sleeve.

I don't want to look down. If I do, I will fall. And if I fall, I will die. And if I die, I fail. And I can't fail. I can't fail.

"Hang on..." Kheel huffs, pulling with all his might. The drizzle has increased to a rain. The mud makes sense now. It's the wet season on this awful planet. My face drips with water and Kheel's grasp slips slightly on my arm. He lays across the wall, the upper part of his body is dangling off, holding onto me.