Shattered Stars (TCW)

Bonus Chapter 4 -- Trials

“Master?” The young Padawan cried out, noticing during a break in the onslaught of deadly mercenaries and pirates that her Master had disappeared, not even her unconscious figure in sight.

She took a long breath, which was hard to do past her already racing heartbeat and sudden shakiness. Being only seventeen standard years old, she was still young and inexperienced, both by human and Jedi standards.  I can’t do this on my own!

A horrible grinding noise suddenly filled the empty air around her, and she looked to the crag where the men had retreated to see… a… beast? Climbing out of it.

“I’ve been wanting to try out my new toy,” The Trandoshan manning it announced, the metal fingers of the machine spreading out on the ground.

Taska watched in pale fear as the thing revealed its full height, a mech suit with giant metal limbs mimicking the movements of the man inside. She took a few quick deep breaths, trying to push the fear out of her and harness the calm of the Force. I will win.

She was not the one to rush forward, or to make the first blow. She was, however, the first one to duck out of the way, the first one to get in her opponent’s blind spot. This, understandably, was most frustrating to the bloodthirsty pirate.

Blasters shot at her from slots in the machine’s forearms, but she slid through all the defensive forms she knew without much trouble, her mind running calculations on their trajectory without her having to think about it. Even as a few brushed across her side, she grit her teeth against the burn and readjusted her stance.

When she spotted an opportunity, she vaulted into the air, flipping to land on the mech-suit's shoulder, where the arms would have a more difficult time reaching. They flailed in the air, trying to dislodge her as she sliced across the latch of the “cockpit”, allowing her to grab onto the Trandoshan and remove him from the suit. She threw him to the ground, hoping against hope that her master had disappeared because she was going to free the hostages.

Freed from control, the suit began to collapse from its contorted position. A large hand slapped Taska down to the ground, and she screamed as pain exploded across her back.

She tried to scramble backwards as she saw the droid falling toward her, rapidly seeing that it would crush her, but she wasn’t sure if she had the strength to move fast enough. Instead, she tried to slow its descent, keeping her eyes off of the Trandoshan now unconscious and just in the path of his weapon, as she dragged herself to a space she hoped would protect her.

“I… can’t…” she whispered frantically to herself, pulling herself once more before her grip on the mech-suit failed, and it fell to the ground with a mighty crack.

It was only when she tried to move again that she realized she had not been safe, and the suit had not only crushed its owner, but her leg as well.

The pain took time to make itself known, and it reached her at the same time her Master did. Shaak Ti suddenly burst into view, lightsaber deactivating as she ran.

“Master!” Taska screamed.

“Padawan,” she called back, sliding to a stop at her side.

“Master, why… why did you leave me?”

“I had to, Taska, I had to.” Those were the last words that Taska heard before the world began to fall black.

I had to. The thought danced on the back of Taska’s eyelids, and she wondered about it as she woke up.
Why did you have to?

There was probably another group she had to deal with. She might’ve found the hostages on the way and had to rescue them, she reasoned. That’s why she couldn’t help me. That’s why she didn’t come for me right away.