THE ARC OF SKYWALKER | a star wars story✔️

39 | cornered

—"YOUR ASTUTE PANIC SUGGESTS YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR SITUATION."

Din, Cara, and Greef turned back to the broken window and looked out to the small army of stormtroopers outside. The man standing there grinned a little as he continued speaking.

"I would prefer to avoid any further violence, and encourage a moment of consideration. Members of my escort have completed assembly of an E-Web heavy repeating blaster. If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I'm sure Republican Shock Trooper Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan will advise you that she witnessed many of her ranks vaporize mid-descent facing the predecessor of this particular model. Asa Skywalker, or maybe you would know her as Vader's Executioner, Darth Axcia, would know all about the death and destruction she reigned down on the Rebels and on Alderaan if she were still alive to tell the tale. Rest assured, the traitor is no longer a threat."

Upon hearing the true identity of Asa, Cara stepped forward, a look of disbelief and anger flashing across her face as she resisted the hot tears welling up in her eyes. Din and Greef looked to one another, not knowing what say.

"Or perhaps the decommissioned Mandalorian hunter, Din Djarin, has heard the songs of the Siege of Mandalore, when gunships outfitted with similar ordinance laid waste to the fields of Mandalorian recruits in The Night of a Thousand Tears."

Din walked forward now, wondering who this Imperial man was. He had a vague idea, but he wouldn't to be able to confirm anything until he heard more.

"I advise disgraced Magistrate Greef Karga to search the wisdom of his years and urge you to lay down your arms and come outside. The structure you are trapped in will be razed in short order and your storied lives will come to an unceremonious end."

Greef looked at the two with him before looking back out to the Imps. Shaking his head dejectedly, he shouted out a response to him.

"What do you propose?"

"Reasonable negotiation."

Greef scoffed at his answer before he replied. "What assurance do you offer?"

"If you're asking if you can trust me, you cannot. Just as you betrayed our business arrangement, I would gladly break any promise and watch you die at my hand. The assurance I give is this: I will act in my own self-interest, which at this time involves your cooperation and benefit. I will give you until nightfall, and then I will have the E-Web cannon open fire."

When the man walked away, the three looked among one another. Cara dropped her weapon and approached Din, throwing a put at his stomach then shoving him against the wall.

"You knew what she was the whole time! Why didn't you tell me?!" She shouted angrily at the Mandalorian.

Din recovered his breath from the harsh punch before answering.

"Ace...Asa's changed."

"Bullshit! What'd she do to your head, huh? Are you under some type of mind control?!"

"Cara, listen to me. I would have told you the truth, but Asa...Asa felt guilty in what she did to you and your people. She wanted to make up for her wrongs."

"Well, I hope she gets what she deserves in the afterlife!"

x x x

—ASA INHALED DEEPLY AS SHE SAT UP FROM THE CHARRED, ROCKY GROUND.

Searing pain erupted in her back and the smell of burned flesh stung her nose. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see the burn wound from a plasma shot and the white smoke coming from her charred clothing.

"Kuiil!"

Asa scrambled to her feet and stumbled to the small body of the Ugnaught. She fell to her knees, rolling him over to see the charred shot in his chest. Judging from the wound, the plasma shot went straight through and killed him instantly. His bluurg laid in the distance, unmoving and most likely dead as well.

Standing up and giving the Ugnaught a silent farewell, Asa used the Force to bury him in the black sand. She did the same for his bluurg before turning to go to the Crest. Her boot kicked the comlink Kuiil had when she took a step, the device clattering against the small rocks on the ground. She picked it up and shoved it into her pants' pocket.

Asa approached the Razor Creat and opened the side door, stepping inside and finding IG-11 staring at her.

"You are injured. Let me treat your wounds." The droid observed and stood up from his chair. Asa watched him walk up to her but she backed away, holding out her hand to stop him.

IG-11 looked at her inquisitively, wondering why she didn't want him to help.

"You are injured." He said again and tried to approach again.

"I'll be fine. Right now, we need to go so we can help the others."

Without another word, Asa stepped out of the Crest and started to make her way back in the direction of the town. IG-11 soon caught up with her and, without consulting her first, applied a light layer of bacta spray to her blaster wound. The coolness of it made her shiver and step away abruptly.

"I told you no!"

"My duty is to nurse and to protect. I am only fulfilling my programming."

Asa looked at the droid, her glare softening when as she watched it walk ahead of her. She unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and held it in her hand, channeling the Force and reaching out to see if Din and the others and the Child were safe.

They deserve to die... Sidious spoke, his voice warped and echoing in her head. You want to kill them all, do you not? Strike fear in their hearts and make yourself unstoppable?

"Yes, Master, I do."

Asa had to snap out of her small trance and stop walking. A horrified expression surfaced on her face she looked at her soot covered hands. Why did she openly respond to Sidious' spirit in the Force? Why did she let herself get lost again?

"There are two speeders ahead. Are they the ones who took the child?" IG-11 asked once Asa caught up with him.

She didn't respond as she kept walking forward, the pace quickening to a full on sprint as she ignited her lightsaber and lunges forward, slicing a groundtrooper in half then using the Force to choke the other. Her eyes turned yellow as she let out all of her anger on him, the trooper gagging and clawing at his throat.

Once his body went limp, Asa breathed heavily, her hair falling around her face as she tried to fight off the Dark Side. Whispers deafened her senses and Sidious' laugh echoed in her head.

Asa.... There it was again: the small voice of a child.

She shook her head and looked to IG-11 who had the Child. He was tucked into a small satchel that hung around the droid's slim body and he looked at her with concern. He reached out and gently touched her shoulder, the Dark fading away from her mind and was replaced with a light, fuzzy feeling.

The Child titled his head, his big brown eyes peering up at her. He cooed softly and let the Light guide Asa's mind back.

"Thank you." She said softly before looking up at IG-11. He took off the satchel holding the child and handed it to her, the small creature cooing excitedly and grabbing the ends of her long hair to chew on.

Asa looked back to the speeders and walked to one of them. IG-11 followed too, getting on the other one and speeding off.

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the story will be told in 3rd person from now on