The Returning Knight: A Star Wars Story

Chapter 31: The Hunt

Above a moon of the frozen yet inhabited world of Kabal, a Y-wing followed a few seconds later by a Tie defender exited hyperspace and resumed their previous fight with the older bomber being on the backfoot.
Shots from the Tie defender's cannons scored hits on Eagle one's shields. Slowly dissipating and overriding them to the point they failed. With her ships' sensors showing no shields, Revan launched her proton torpedoes at Eagle one.
Spotting the fast approaching torpedoes, Sigil saw no way out but to eject and so he did. The ancient golden mask he wore, sealed him from vacuum as he sped at full speed towards Kabal, facing Revan's Tie defender, lightsaber ignited.
'Is he insane?' Revan thought to herself, he would be dropping from orbit right into a planet's surface. Yet deep down she knew that he, against all odds, would likely survive; the force told her so.
She kept her fingers off the trigger, a few shots deflected back at her would be crippling and unlike him she couldn't just fly out in space. It had taken them two days to come here and the closest imperial garrison would be a week away meaning they would only find a corpse fly8ng through space.
Although opting to not shoot, she still chased after him in her own fighter and watched as he dove into the atmosphere, a cocoon of plasma forming around him as he did so from the force of reentry.
Sigil was forced to turn his back on his sister and deactivate his lightsaber. Using the force, he put up a force barrier around himself to mitigate the astronomical forces being put on his body.
It took every ounce of his will and strength to maintain the barrier until he reached lower in the planet's atmosphere.
Hearing nearby thunder, he sensed a black cloud and dove into it, hoping to lose Revan in the thunderstorm. Inside the storm, he detached his smoldering wings to create a decoy for her to take and continued his now even more rapid descent.
Clearing the cloud, he, with force enhanced vision, saw the snow covered taiga forests of Kabal. Green trees hoisted atop massive peaks were all blanketed by thick snow in this world of nomadic tribes in the night time.
Calling them tribes in no way meant they were primitive however. Much like the Jawas of Tatooine, they lived in massive mobile homes which carried them across the hostile and sheltered them in the process.
Revan's sensors failed through the massive thunder storm and she was forced to go around it, else her fighter would become a comet.
"Mother, look up! A comet!" A young boy told his mother from atop a Kabalese snow crawler. His mother, a Caratanian female, looked over her shoulder and looked at what her son was pointing at. She had brought him with her on her shift as a spotter. But it looked like her usually mundain shift became a whole lot more interesting.
The woman reached for her communicator and spoke into it. "Captain Y'rum, this Winola." She began. "Winola, what is it?" He asked. "A comet is approaching our path." She reported. "Thanks." Y'rum replied, slowing the crawler.
Y'rum looked out of his window and as Winola said, a brightly burning object was illuminating the sky and landed in front of the now idle crawler dubbed 'The Atropath' after a minute.
"My Elam, a comet has crashed in front of the Astropath. What do you decry?" Y'rum spoke over the intercom to the Chieftain of the crawler. Bark, an old Caratanian nearing one hundred and fifty cycles of age, has been leading his tribe for a century at this point and was cautious.
"Captain." He began in a raspy and dry voice. "Send in four to see what that is all about." The Chief ordered over the intercom. "Yes Elam." Y'rum replied, addressing the Chief by his title, the Elam of the Astropath.
Upon Bark's order's, Y'rum dispatched four warriors to investigate ahead. Four men dropped from one of the side hatches of the moving settlement. Clad in animal furs and each wielding a halberd came out to investigate the crash site, illuminated by the searchlights of The Astropath.
They came upon the crash site and heard grunting noises which scared them. 'A person?!' They all thought in disbelief but didn't say it outloud. One of them stepped forwards and poked the slowly moving body. It groaned.
Determining that it was a person, they contacted Y'rum back. "Captain, it's not a mere comet, it's a person." One of them informed. "Stay put for a second." He told them. "Dear Elam, The comet I told you about seems to be an outsider from the outer plain." Y'rum reported. "Bring him in." Bark ordered. "Bring him to Shamen Onipo, carefully." Y'rum told them, continuing to pilot the crawler forwards.
Seeing the fuel gauge running out, Revan headed for the imperial garrison stationed on Kabal before continuing her presuit. She sensed him to be alive. Somehow he survived a fall from orbit.
"This is the control tower. Identify yourself, Tie defender." A voice said over the intercom. "This is inquisitor Kharna." She replied and heard the operator gulp. "I am profusely sorry inquisitor. Our scanners failed to identify the registry." The man said. "Let it not be repeated." She warned.
Her Tie defender approached the landing platform, where a squad of snowtroopers along with the moff were standing.
As she exited the fighter the moff saluted and the troopers stood to attention. "Inquisitor Kharna." He said. "Moff…" She began, gesturing for him to say his name. "Moff Tembo at your service." He said.
"Where is your vessel?" She questioned, eyeing him up. "Left a day ago for respully." He replied. "Tell them to bring more troops, walkers and probe droids with them. I have tracked a rebel Admiral here and the Emperor wants him alive." She ordered, stroding past him into the facility, accompanied by snow troopers
The four warriors carefully moved forwards and each pair used their halberds as stretchers to be placed under him, seeing as his metallic armor was still very hot to the touch.
Sigil was brought to the chambers of Onipo and her students for healing. Bringing him in, they received a questioning look from Onipo which morphed into horror as what she first thought was a suit of armor began moving. "What happened?!" She exclaimed in shock. "He dropped from orbit." One of the men responded.
"Students! Class is finished!" She said urgently. Although there to learn her ways, this one was more complicated and Onipo needed her fulp focus.
"Thank you." She thanked the warriors urgently as they left.
Onipo quickly moved her hands to the beautifully made golden mask and slowly she removed it and the person underneath it, grunted.
Peeking under it, she saw a youthful human with long golden blonde hair, high cheekbones and a strong jawline underneath. She stared at his face until his eyelids shuttered by didn't open.
Next she worked on removing his boots, chestplate and strange wings he wore. His chestplate was a heat resistant heavy fabric coat which she cut open, seeing it was damaged beyond repair.
'He actually survived a fall from orbit.' Onipo mused to herself. Once she had gotten most of his clothing off, she inspected the damage. He seemed to have suffered a few broken ribs and overall fractured rib cage with fractured elbows and knees.
The rest of his body was mildly scorched as it was red with severak nasty cuts running across his calves, forearms, thighs, biceps and back.
Prioritizing his joints, she moved her hands to his fractured knees and elbows and began chanting her healing spells. Passed through the generations of shamans in each tribe.
The healing spells took a lot of effort with slow results, so she was only able to heal one joint per day and for now only his right knee was tolerable.
Onipo, too exhausted to continue, headed for Bark's chambers to report on this outsider to the Chieftain. Knocking on his door, she heard his dry voice call "Come in."
"Shaman Onipo! Please sit." He greeted, gesturing to the cushions on the carpeted floor.
"Of course my Elam." She replied, sitting. "How is the outsider?" He asked. "He is… critical. It is a miracle that he hasn't died already with some injuries." She replied. "Is he awake?" The Chieftain asked. "No, he isn't." She replied.
The old man stroked his beard in thought. "Inform me when he is. I seek an audience with him." He informed Onipo. "Of course." She replied, getting up and heading out of his quarters back to hers for the remainder of the night.
Next morning, she headed back to The Astropath's medical center, if it could be called one. Waiting outside where her students who she beckoned in. Knowing she needed their help to heal the outsider.
Just like last night, spells were sung softly and their words and rhythms spread across the crawler's corridors as the healing took effect.
Resigning herself after a while, Onipo headed for her herb rack to make a remedy she knew that the outsider would need. An herbal mix from various plants which when mixed acted as a painkiller and sleeping drug.
Opening the outsoder's mouth, she poured in the mix to stop him from waking up in pain and if he did, at least not feel as if he was on fire as she resumed her healing alongside her disciples.
After the assisted heal, she felt there was nothing more they could do to advance the outsider's healing speed as such she had her students wrap his chest, arms and legs in bandages for all they could do now was waitand as night fell they headed back to their rooms for sleep.
Sigil slowly, body burning from the pain of the injuries he sustained. Every inch of his body was lit on fire yet that dire seemed to have been dukler than he expected from somebody who fell from high orbit.
He cracked his head to see around him and saw around him what seemed to be some kind of ritual area with a cauldron, rack of weird items and stacks of textbooks and seats all centered around the bed which he layed in.
Fighting the pain, he sat himself up. That's when he heard a gasp from behind him. Turning around, he saw a hooded figure dawning weird bone ornaments on its heavy black robes.
The figure lowered their hood, revealing a humanoid feline underneath with green predatory eyes, black and white accent stripes over a thin layer of white fur.
"Hello outsider." The being spoke to Sigil in a feminine tone yet an alien language, clearly startled. He reached out his hand and went inside her mind. The woman didn't notice his intrusion and just gave him a puzzled look.
After a few seconds he retracted his hand and cleared his throbbing throat. "Who are you?" He said, leaning back, yet he didn't sense any ill intent from her.
"I am Onipo, shaman Onipo of the snow crawler, The Astropath." She replied, moving to her sink and filling up a glass with water and handing it to him.
Sigil stared at the glass but the force didn't give him any warning so he drank it fully.
The fresh cold water was a blessing as it went down his throat and into his stomach, Sigil felt as if it was giving him new life.
"The Astropath?" He asked, putting down the glass. "It is our home which has housed our tribe for many generations. It is a crawler built long ago to roam the tundras of Kabal." She explained.
"Where are my belongings?" He followed up with a second question. "All except for your mask burned on reentry." She replied. Sigil's eyes went wide "Even my lightsaber?" He said in realization. "Your what?" She asked. Sigil took in a deep breath "The silver cylinder that hung on my belt." He explained. "You mean that?" She said, pointing towards a pile of slag on the table.
"That was it. I better go, I pose a threat to you." He said, trying to get off the bed. She moved forwards and put a finger on his chest and attempted to push him back down. "You are in no condition to leave. And what danger do you pose?" She asked.
"My sister. I am basically a beacon for her to home in on. She'll kill all of you. Let me leave." He said, concern lacing his voice. "She'll never make it past us." The Caratanian said confidently.
"You don't know her. She'll spare none. Whilst with my lightsaber I stood on equal footing now I am incapable of fending her off." He warned.
Seeing she couldn't talk him out of it, she invited him to at least meet their chieftain. "At least you should meet our Elam. He is the one who ordered your rescue." She said. Sigil nodded "Take me to him then." He replied.
Onipo nodded and gestured for him to follow behind her. He got so many shocked stares from the inhabitants of The Astropath. All shocked that he was walking two days after falling from orbit.
Elam Bark was seated on the ground with some of his advisors as they were discussing the impending food shortage that would hit The Astropath when they heard a knock on the door.
"Who is it?" Bark asked. "Shaman Onipo my Elam. I have our guest with me." Onipo told him. Bark's eyes went wide in shock. The man was back on his feet two days after falling from orbit. 'Either Onipo is far greater than we have guessed or this outsider is truly something else.' He thought.
"You may enter." He said and the pair walked in. Sigil earned shocked expressions from the small court seated in a semicircle around the Elam who moved to the side to allow the apir to sit.
Bark hesitated, guessing he didn't speak their tongue but was stunned when he greeted him in his own language. "My greetings Elam." He began. Bark hid his surprise and greeted him back "Hello outsider."
"Please call me Sigil." He said. "As you wish." The old man replied.
"Who are you and from where do you come?" Bark asked. Sigil spoke up "I am fleet Admiral Sigil Trial of the rebel alliance's navy. Hailing from the world of Naboo."