Clouded by the Dark Side

Chapter 41 - Inside the Jungle

Alema Syndulla

I pull myself up, fists clenched and raised slight in preparation for the coming battle. Turning around, I scan the area, reaching out with the Force. Trandoshans don't stand out much – they're not nearly sentient enough – and the planet is so full of life it's hard to sense them. I circle my way around a few trees, careful to keep the others out of sight.

"Hey, liz-lizard! Come find me, you coward!" I stand in the center of a small clearing, turning around fully, reaching deeply into the Force. I can hear him stalking towards me through the jungle.

Then I sense it behind me. I spin around in a flash, Force-shoving his blaster aside. Before he has a chance to react, I pick him up with the Force and hurl him against the rocks beside me. Ahsoka is about to come out any minute now, I know.

The Trandoshan shakes his head, probably to shake the stars from his vision, and scrambles to his feet. I hastily take several steps back, almost forgotten images of getting beaten by Krell flashing through my mind. The size of the creature in front of me is probably what's triggering it. They're just memories, I remind myself. What happened then doesn't change who I am now. It won't hurt me.

Just as the hunter lunges, Ahsoka leaps down from the trees. She lands soundlessly behind him, kicking his leg. He stumbles and falls to his knees while I run forwards, kicking him hard. He's up again before I even register it, grabbing my neck.

"Pathetic, useless child! You disobeyed me again!" I can almost hear Krell yelling, throwing me into a wall.

I do my best to shake the memory as I struggle to free myself from the growling Trandoshan's grip.

Ahsoka reacts instantly, jumping him from behind. He throws me back and rips Ahsoka off his shoulders, throwing her to the ground. We're on our feet again in a moment, standing crouched in our fighting stances. My darkest memories are trying to fight their way back to the surface, but I force them away. I need to focus right now.

Suddenly, the Trandoshan is lifted into the air, his hands flying to his neck. I spin around. Kalifa, with Jinx and O'Mer just a few feet behind. The girl's expression is darkened with anger as she stands with an arm outstretched towards the hunter.

"Kalifa!" Ahsoka is the first to react, running to the youngling. "Don't kill him out of hatred. It's not the Jedi way." My sister lays a calming hand on her shoulder as she falters, finally releasing her grip and he falls to the ground.

"The others will be coming," Kalifa warns.

I pick up the Trandoshan's blaster, running over to them. We sprint off into the trees, leaving the dazed hunter behind. We manage to stay out of sight for the rest of the night, finally sneaking back up into our little cave once the sun starts setting.

Ahsoka takes the blaster from me, and looks at it, trying to press a few buttons. Nothing happens. "I don't understand. Why won't this thing work?"

"The Trandoshans deactivate the blasters if we take them," Kalifa replies, "That is why none of us have any."

"Isn't there anything we can do with it?" I frown, "I mean, can't we fix it somehow?"

"If there is, we certainly have no idea how," points out Jinx.

"I know our masters could," Ahsoka grumbles, "But I don't know how to."

"We can keep this as a club or something then," I decide, though even that does nothing to quell my frustration. How are we going to fight properly if we can't even get ahold of a weapon? The Trandoshans are much bigger and stronger than us. There's not much we can do against them, and even the Force can only go so far. I take it back from her, setting it down beside me. "At least it'll be useful for something."