Against the Odds

Chapter 18: The Failure

Vella's eyes widened as she looked into Mando's visor, only greeted by the reflection of herself. They'd stopped firing? That rarely led to anything good and by the way Mando was staring at her she could tell he knew it too.

Malik's breathing was ragged, his heart pounding hard against his chest. It was now or never. If he was going to avenge their fallen friends, he was going to have to knock Vella off her feet enough to land a hit that would slow her down.

"I saw you," he called, edging closer with his blaster ready. He looked to his hired gunners and crew, tilting his head towards their hiding spot. They backed into the trees to surround them while he continued, drawing their attention. "I saw you push everything around you backwards without even touching it." His heart was racing and the pang in his chest was guilt mixed with rage. "When I was sitting there with Kalena's dead body, I saw you panic, I saw him dying, and then you threw them all back like they were nothing."

As Malik neared, he could see Mando standing in front of her, facing her. He continued, moving a little slower until he was sure he'd have a clear shot on Vella. "I thought it was my eyes playing tricks on me at first but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. You had that much knowledge of the Republic and Separatist functions and the inner workings of the Clone Wars because you were there." He nodded to the others who followed him, surrounding the two with blasters ready. "You're a Jedi."

Vella's chest tightened in pain as her head bowed. She wasn't a Jedi, she'd never been knighted. Her master, her purpose, her entire livelihood, was torn from her. All because of her association with the Jedi.

Din's head tilted as he saw her posture change. Only seconds ago she'd been worried, now she was petrified. Her body was rigid and tense and she looked on the verge of tears. He'd had his doubts about whether or not she was a Jedi, and he didn't trust this Malik character in the slightest, but her reaction spoke volumes. His words cut her deeply. Din also realized that if Malik was speaking truth and she did move things with her mind, she and the Child were the same.

Vella had resented it for years, it had caused her so much grief, and for what? She'd never been Knighted. Now after all she'd done, she wasn't even sure if she ever could be. The Jedi were dead and she was the last remaining remnant of them. Vella's jaw clenched as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She wasn't a Jedi but they had once protected the galaxy, she supposed she could start by protecting her family.

Malik continued, tears filling his eyes. "The others didn't believe me when I told them you'd show up after we captured and tortured your mother. But here you are. And what brought you, hm?" He scoffed bitterly. "You have all this power. Think of the lives you could have saved. His life. You know that, that's why you ran. You were ashamed. As you should be."

Din looked at her, she wasn't shaking or curling in on herself, she was standing tall with her back against the tree. Her eyes were closed and tears were streaming from them. He could see the pain she was feeling and wondered if she really could have saved whoever it was they blamed her for. The Child had saved him more than once, and assuming she was a Jedi, she might have been able to save them too

He saw Malik's approach but his reflex was to duck instead of fire. When he did, it gave Malik an opening as he shot Vella in the side of her shoulder. She let out a yell and whirled around only to be shot again in the thigh. Vella's jaw clenched as the searing pain shot through her body and she fell against the tree for support.

Din raised his blaster at Malik but didn't fire. The two men stood at a stand still, Mando could hear quiet footsteps surrounding them but now he wasn't as sure about his decision to help Vella as he had been before.