Elayne Starwind - Padawan of Ashoka

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Too easy.

I ran inside and threw my hands up, expecting to get ambushed as soon as I entered, but it was empty.

Then I remembered I was wearing a disguise and if anyone was watching me, I would've already given myself away. Stupid, stupid!

I lowered my hands and looked around. The room didn't seem any special, just a dome of metal with lights ligning the walls. I pulled my helmet off, unable to see anything through the tinted glass.

There, in the middle of the room, was probably what I was looking for. A database looking thing with blinking lights and buttons sat on some sort of metal podium. I took a few cautious steps forward, looking for any signs of traps. Nothing. Besides the stormtroopers outside, who were gone now, the map was completely unguarded.

I swept strands of hair behind my ear. I was missing something, I knew it. Some sort of trap, lasers, or defense. But as far as I could see, the only thing in the room with me was the target.

A few more small steps forward told me no trap doors, so I decided to chance it. I waved my hand in front of me and before I knew it, I was being thrown back twenty feet, the fingers on my right hand burning with pain.

I cried in pain and ripped my glove off the hand. The burn crept up to my palm, scorching my skin until it was ash black.

I groaned, biting my lip to prevent any more noise from escaping my mouth before I was caught.

"Elayne? Elayne!" Sabine's comforting voice reached my ear and I was barely able to mumble back, "Here! I'm here."

"Are you okay? What happened?"

"A force field," I muttered, forcing my eyes up to the map. As I thought, a red force field shimmered where I had touched it before disappearing completely to fool whoever decided to come near it again.

"Are you hurt too bad?" Sabine asked.

I shook my hand, which just made the pain even worse. "Yeah. All I feel in my fingers is burning."

"Are the doors closed behind you?"

I glanced to the side and muttered under my breath to the open door, "Damn it. Wolffe, can you do something about that?"

"Sorry, kid, but I'm in a bit of a situation myself!" Wolffe responded, followed by grunts and blasting.

"Listen, Elayne," Sabine said. "You're gonna have to find a way to get that map, and quick. We can't wait for you forever, and we're just about cornered into our ship. Can you figure something out?"

"I-I don't know!" I stammered, still clutching my burnt fingers. "I didn't ask to be the one getting this thing!"

"Yeah, well life doesn't always give you what you ask for!" Sabine snapped in between grunts and kicks. "Do some Jedi tricks or something. But get that map!"

I swallowed down a lump in my throat. What I needed was Ahsoka giving me comforting advice. Instead I got Sabine yapping in my ear as if she's under more pressure than me. If anything could distract me from the throbbing pain in my fingers, it was the rapid thumping of my heart in my chest. I tried slowing down my breathing, but it was pointless. At this rate, I was going to have a heart attack and die before I got to actually fight.

I decided to do something within my capability while I thought of something. I managed to pick myself up and limp my way to the doors, where I found a set of buttons. I slammed my good hand on all of them and somehow one of those buttons shut the doors. Well, there's one problem down.

I slumped down against the wall and found out that my entire body was shaking. Again, I tried to control my breathing, but my nervous energy got the better of me. Tears threatened to fall from my eyes but I wiped them away with my good hand. What was I going to do about that stupid force field?

Do some Jedi tricks or something.

Yeah, easier said than done.

For a few moments, I just sat there, staring at the invisible force field. My hand seemed to be healing itself, but I couldn't bring myself to look at the scorch marks.

This is it, I thought to myself numbly. This is where I'm going to rot, if no one finds me first.

I felt guilty. I couldn't come up with any way to get through that force field, and all I was doing was sitting there. Not even trying. What kind of Jedi was I? And what made Ahsoka think I was so special? In the end, I was just some lowly thief from Endor, just fighting to stay alive.

Some lowly thief from Endor...

Some lowly thief from Endor?

Suddenly, my body went into autopilot. I sprang to my feet with a new sort of energy. Not nervous, but excited. Every wall has a weak spot. My old hut back on Endor had one that angry merchants would take advantage of if they had enough anger with me to follow me into the woods. They threw stones at it constantly, and I would always have to repair it. That one part fell much easier than the rest of my hut.

If I could find that weakness in this force field, I could somehow take advantage of it. With the Force? It was worth a shot. Now all I had to do was find that spot...

I closed my eyes and held my burnt hand forward. Maybe touching the force field established some sort of tiny connection between the hand and the wall. I concentrated on my fingers, still tingling with that burning sensation.

Something happened that I couldn't describe. It was like I was being pulled, but not really. Guided, perhaps. Directed toward a certain spot in the room, where I knew I was standing in front of exactly what I was looking for. The weak spot.

I didn't really know what I was doing anymore. Just letting the Force guide me. I concentrated hard on breaking the force field, and after a few minutes and a couple beads of sweat dripping down my forehead, the force field shimmered once more. It seemed like it was battling itself, and eventually, it broke open. A small hole in the barrier, but a hole nonetheless. I desperately stuck my hand through, the edges of my arm burning at the touch, and latched my fingers around the map. I was hardly aware of the alarm I had triggered. All I cared about was that I got what I came for, and now I needed to get out.

Unfortunately, I was in too much of a daze to think of putting back my helment on. Instead, I bolted out of the room, clutching the map tightly. I ignored the burning in my wrist as I weaved my way through the halls.

I had reached the floor our ship was docked when I was greeted by a wall of stormtroopers.

A/N

GUESS WHO'S DONE WITH SCHOOOOOOOL

i wouldve given up on this story completely but my friend begged me to continue and since i was beginning to have some sort of inspiration, i just continued to write

also since i finally got elayne out of that room, i think ill be able to continue for another chapter or two before losing inspiration again

anyways, vote, comment, and see ya later!