Star Wars - Jedi Fugitive

Chapter 17

"Get inside," Jethro said through gritted teeth.

He pushed Marsie off of him and swayed a bit before he gained his footing.

"Come on Leadfoot. I don't want to fight you."

"All Jedi are traitors to the Republic and must therefore be executed."

He turned his blaster from Daneran and towards Jethro.

Throwing subtlety to the wind, Jethro cast the blaster upwards as he fired, sending it out of his hand.

Without missing a beat, Leadfoot drew his vibroblade and charged Jethro.

Deflecting the blade away from his chest, Jethro felt the full force of Leadfoot's body impact with him, sending both of them slamming into the ground.

The knife was screaming towards Jethro again, and he caught it. It glinted, inches away from his chest.

"Leadfoot, please," he begged.

Leadfoot stared back at him with cold, unfeeling eyes.

"Good soldiers follow orders."

Jethro wrenched hard on the knife and drove it into the ground next to him. Driving his fist hard into Leadfoot's face, Jethro shoved with the entire rest of his body, rolling him off from on top of him.

Staggering to his feet, Jethro could feel the warmth spreading from his wound. The fight had opened it back up again.

Blaster fire raked the area.

Dom was back.

Jethro started to ignite and raise his saber, but Leadfoot had him around the waist, dragging him to the ground.

"Stop," Jethro cried. "You don't have to do this! This isn't you! There's a chip in your heads!"

"Good soldiers follow orders."

Dom raised his blaster to fire, then was flung backwards by an explosion.

Leadfoot looked back at the ship to see Daneran sliding the grav lock of the landing strut, and past him, the ship's lower cannon repositioning to aim at him.

The explosion sent both men flying and tore shrapnel from nearby ships.

When Jethro shook himself from his daze, he was surprised to find that he had been relatively unharmed.

Being on top, Leadfoot's armor must have protected him.

Jethro rose with a start.

Leadfoot, he would be on him in a second. Where was his lightsaber?

A groan came from next to him. It was Leadfoot.

He was pinned under a chunk of ship's plating. A burn covered half of his face.

Jethro grabbed at the knife that lay next to the pinned man and held it ready to strike.

He looked back at him, eyes full of hate, as he tried to shove the wreckage off of him.

"Do it. Kill me," he said. "Do what has to be done. What you never could."

All the anger drained out of Jethro.

"I'm not going to kill you."

"Do it," he spat back. "Do it!"

"No."

Jethro felt a tug on his arm. It was Daneran, pulling him back to the ship.

"Come on, they're right on top of us!"

Jethro snapped out of his trance and looked around.

"Wait, my lightsaber!"

"No time now!"

Behind them, the sounds of the ship cannons could be heard opening up on the approaching troopers.

Jethro let himself be guided back to the ship and onboard.

He felt the ship lift off under him as he was sat down on an acceleration couch.

Marsie came up from the lower gun deck and started grabbing the medkit.

"No," Jethro pushed her off. "Both of you, get back to the guns. We're not out of this yet."

Even as he said it, blaster fire raked the hull.