Crossroads

A Problem

I should not have done that. I should not have saved that little girl. Granted, growing up, I was taught to protect all life-- it was the Jedi way. Protect life and uphold peace and justice in the galaxy, killing only when necessary. I had never taken a life before that day on Naboo. I didn't know for certain that I had killed a few of those Clones, but I could feel it.  A shift in the Force that day; I had taken a life. I had snubbed the light, the living Force, out of another being.  It was do-or-die in that moment. It was their life or mine, but it didn't make it any less hard to accept. And if I just stood by and let those Troopers shoot that girl, her death would have been on my hands because, hunted down or not, I was still a Jedi. 

Or what remained of the Jedi. I could be the last one, for all I knew, and it was up to me to try and protect who and what I could. And that little girl, who was likely looking for credits to buy food with, was mine to protect. I don't regret saving her, but it was a dumb decision. That one Trooper, the one who shot at her, never looked away from me for the rest of my shift. When it was time for me to head back, I grabbed my bag and walked as quickly as I could back to my cave. My senses were on high-alert, as I didn't know if those Troopers had sent a droid to follow me. I even took the long back back to my cave, twisting and turning deep into the forest to ensure that if something or someone was following me, they would get lost in the darkness. 

I took out my saber when I arrived back. The cool, heavy metal sat in my palms as a familiar feeling washed over me. I tried to train with my saber as much as I could, to stay sharp and alert if I had to fight my way out of a bad situation, but I could only practice so much. The sound of my saber was a dead giveaway, and the light shone through the darkness like a beacon. If anyone was looking into the forest at night, they would surely see it. I couldn't practice out in the open because I would likely knick a tree, sending it tumbling down. That would defintely alert anyone in a five-mile radius. 

And the daytime was just as dangerous. With the uptick of Imperial presence on Takodana, StarDestroyers flew overkead quite often. Last thing I wanted was to be hit from above with no warning.  

But even now, after all this time, the saber fit in my hand like a glove. It belonged there, in my palm, with me. It called to me, and it always would. Against my bettr judgment, I ignited it, the green beam slicing through the thick darkness of the cave. Seeing the glow brought a rush of memories back to me. Memories of a time where I had a Master, I had friends, I had a home. None of that existed now-- I was a fugitive, with no real solution or light at the end of the very dark tunnel.  

I could remain in hiding, but I couldn't stay hidden forever. Eventually, I would have to move and leave this planet. And the moment an Imperial ship spotted my StarFighter, a ship that was used by many Jedi during the peak of the Republic, that would be it. My ship and face would be plastered on holograms and frequencies all across the galaxy. There would be nowhere to run and hide, and the Empire would surely capture me.

I had heard rumors of what happened to captured Jedi. Some were killed on the spot-- the more powerful ones especially. Others were captured and taken in Imperial prisons where they were tortured for information on any remaining Jedi among the stars. The rest were taken to prison and then killed not long after they were shoved into a cell. No matter what happened if I was captured, my fate was grim. I could not outrun the Empire-- they had spread to every world, every system, every planet in the galaxy. They would hunt me down and snuff me out of hiding. Their resources were vast and unlimited, their weaponry extensive and dangerous. I had nothing but my saber-- a Lightsaber used to be enough to rely on, but without connections or help, it would only get me so far.  

One thing was for sure-- I needed to leave. After the scene tonight, it would likely only be a matter of time before the Troopers realized why that bullet moved so far to the right.  They could believe that they were just terrible shots, but I wouldn't put it past them to dig a little deeper. If I left now, in the thick of the night, someone would see the lights on my ship and hear it. Fleeing during the night would certainly put a target on my back. It was better to wait until morning, before the Troopers and Imperial ships arrived. 

Sheating my saber, I pulled back my thin, meager blanket to get ready for bed. Clutching my saber in case of emergencies, I drifted off into the night.

**************************************************

Of course, my plan didn't go as expected. When I was readying my ship, the one that hasn't flown in years, I realized I was a small part that, if missing, prevented my guns from firing. Normally, I would have taken off anyway, but I had a strong feeling that wherever I was going, I would need some bullets.  I had no choice but to head back into town, quickly. I could get in, head to the small general store and get out in a few minutes before the Troopers came.

Grabbing my saber and tucking it beneath the waistband of my pants, I trecked back the village. It was eerily quiet that morning, but it was still early, the sun still not yet fully peaking over the horizon. The tempertaure was nice and a faint layer of dew covered the mud ground. I kept my head down, my eyes trained on the mud in front of me. 

I almost ran into the store, but I maintained my composure. If I acted like I was in a ruh or hurried, it woudl draw attention to me. Thank the stars they had the part. The store owner, a small, older man with greying hair and green eyes, did not utter a word to me as I paid him a few credits for the part. 

"We're looking for the woman who works at the pub as a bartender. Have you seen her?" My hear thudded in my chest as I heard a Trooper utter those words. I could sense that there were. a few of them, blasters at the ready, standing in the street. They were likely going up to anyone and everyone they came across to ask if anyone had seen me. I needed to get out of here, but I couldn't go back into the street. I scanned the store to see if there was a back entrance-- there was not. 

I nodded to the clerk, grabbed the part, and hurried back to the entrance to the store. It was a broad arch, and I hid in the corner of the arch, my back molding up against the cold rock. There were five Troopers fanned out across the street, all talking to different villagers. And they all had their backs turned to me. If I moved quickly, I could sneak out and duck into an alley before they turned around. Once they moved further into the village, I would hopefully be able to make it back to my ship and fix it before they realized that I did not reside in this town. 

Force, be with me. I uttered in my mind. I cleared my mind as Master Yoda had once taught me to do, allowing the peace and fullness of the Force to wash over me, helping calm me. 

Slowly, I slipped out of the store and walked back toward the forest. 

"Freeze!" I froze, my skin crawling like someone had dropped ice water down my back. I turned slowly, my eyes connecting with a lone Trooper whose blaster was trained on me. I didn't move, didn't put my hands up. They didn't say they had proof of what I was-- they were merely looking for me. I could try to trick this man, allow the Force to scramble his brain to allow me to escape, but when I saw the other five Troopers notice me, it was too late. I couldn't trick all six of them.

Now, I was surrounded by six Troopers with six blasters pointed toward me. I had trained to fight multiple assailants at once, but that was years ago. And the max I trained with was four, not six. This was going to be tricky. I could try and jump toward the roof of the store, but it was too high. I couldn't make that jump.  

They had not said yet why they had stopped me, but as long as they didn't identify me as a Jedi, I could likely get away from this. 

"Don't move, Jedi." One of them uttered. 

My heart stopped. 

They knew. 

Now, this was going to be a problem.