Elayne Starwind - Padawan of Ashoka

Chapter Two

"Ugh..." I groaned and picked myself up.

Stormtroopers were surrounding me. I counted six of them, meaning six blasters aimed toward me.

"Stand down!" One stormtrooper ordered.

Reluctantly, I kneeled down and put my hands behind my head.

I scanned the wreckage and spotted my blaster laying under a piece of wood to my right. The stormtroopers didn't see it yet, so I needed to get it before they could.

"We have caught you robbing someone and must take you in," The same stormtrooper said.

"Why don't you just let me go and I'll stop bugging you?" I suggested, though I knew it wouldn't do anything.

The blasters stayed pointed toward me. "No can do, miss. Now come with us."

The stormtroopers slightly lowered their blasters. Slightly would have to be good enough. I took the opportunity and lunged to the side, right next to the weapon.

I snatched it up and aimed toward the nearest stormtrooper. Then I pulled the trigger and the white suited man fell to the ground with a hole in his chest.

"Attack!" The leader stormtrooper ordered. Red lasers flew past me as I ducked for cover. I aimed my own blaster toward the next stormtrooper and he followed his friend to the floor.

"Two down," I muttered to myself and clutched the blaster. "Four more to go."

I reappeared from the tree I was hiding behind and killed three more stormtroopers. The leader stood in the middle of his five dead teammates.

Yet he showed no sign of retreating. I kept on trying to shoot him, but he only dodged and shot at me.

This wasn't going anywhere. I had to get a closer and cleaner shot. And plus, he was advancing while I was still stuck behind this tree.

I tried again and showed myself from the tree. Apparently the stormtrooper was waiting for me to do that because he blasted me right in the shoulder.

The blast was enough to send me flying backwards a little bit, but I ran right into another tree with a loud thump! From my back a huge pain surged through my body. My shoulder started to bleed.

The stormtrooper didn't say anything more, only started to walk toward me. I strained myself to sit up and pick up my gun.

The stormtrooper positioned his gun up. If he weren't wearing a helmet, maybe I could've seen the grin on his face when he killed me.

But he made one mistake.

He gave me just enough time to get my blaster and shoot him right in the heart.

The man fell backward. Now I was the one grinning.

My bloody hand clutched my shoulder and I limped toward the now dead trooper. I took his blaster and all the other troopers' blasters and scavenged through my collapsed hut.

The only things I found was the bag of jogans and a picture that used to sit next to my window.

The picture was of my family. Not the rich family who enslaved me, but my blood mother and father. It was the only way I knew how they looked and that they were honest and generous people.

The frame was cracked now, some parts chipped away, but the picture itself was still okay. That was all that mattered.

I stood up with my bag slung over one shoulder and my arms full of dangerous weapons that would be useful in the future.

My head started spinning before I could get anywhere, though.

I forgot about my shoulder for a second.

How could I be so stupid? I was losing so much blood. There was no way anyone in the marketplace would help a thief.

My head hurt. I dropped to the floor and glanced back at my shoulder.

Blood dripped endlessly down my body. It hurt to touch. It hurt to even think about it.

I shook my head and ripped a piece of my shirt off to use it to block any more blood from coming out. But I had already lost so much. I didn't know how long I could stand it.

Maybe I could just let it out, let it be done faster...

No. I refused to think like that.

Ugh, this wasn't like me! I never got caught! Not when I was stealing a mere six jogans on some random Duoday! I smashed my head against my hand, upset with myself.

"You shouldn't do that, your head it going to hurt more."

I looked up. A hooded person stood in front of me, her hands on her hips. Two pointy things stuck from her head, but I couldn't make out what it was with her hood.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Someone willing to save your life, unlike the rest of Endor," The woman said and held her hand out. "Come on."

I raised an eyebrow. "How do I know I can trust you with the hood thing going on?"

The woman took her hand back. "I can choose to help you, or I can choose not to. I do have places to be. So did you want to come or not?"

I slightly touched my shoulder and sighed. This was probably the only reasonable solution right now. After I was all fixed up, I could kill her if she seemed like a threat.

I held my hand up and the woman took it to pull me up.

My head started throbbing again. I groaned and used the tree to rest on. "I don't know if I can walk."

"Do it," The woman insisted.

"I can try," I winced as pain started rolling through my back.

"Do or do not, there is no try," The woman stated plainly.

"Says who?" I asked.

"A very wise person," The woman sighed. "Now, are you coming or not?"

I bit my lip. Could I trust this person just randomly offering to save my life?

Again, it was the only reasonable option if I wanted to live...

I glanced back at my now destroyed hut. It was gone, and maybe I would be too if I stayed here.

Reluctantly, I sputtered the words, "I'll go."

The woman only turned around and motioned for me to follow. I pushed myself off of the tree and left with the mystery person, hopefully saving my own life.