Padawan Gone ~ AU (2nd Installment of the Padawan Series)

Chapter 21

After several hours, we got a transmission.

            "Hello, this is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi." Faven and I had fallen asleep on each other's shoulder.

            I groggily looked up at the console. "What... hello?"

            The transmission repeated. "Hello, this is Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi."

            My sleepy eyes shot open.

            "Faven," I whispered, shaking her shoulder.

            She shrugged me off and slowly started to wake up.

            "Master Kenobi!" I said through the transmission.

            It was him. We were face to face. It was my Master.

            "Andora, is that you?" Had I really changed that much?

            "Yes! You're on Tatooine. I was right!" I said.

            "Where are you?"

            "Utapau, our ship crashed. We don't have a way out of this place."

            "Anakin has every clone out looking for surviving Jedi. You need to stay where you are. They won't look for you on Utapau. Settle down, lay low. Embrace the culture and make a life there."

            "I can't." I said simply.

            By this time, Faven was alert and awake. She was standing by my side.

            "Andora. You will be slaughtered."

            "We have to get all the surviving Jedi together! We need to band together and rebel against this new empire." I shouted.

            "Andora," Master Kenobi started slowly, "This is bigger than you or I could have predicted. The Chancellor has been planning this for years. You can't stop this."

            "You're wrong." I corrected him.

Faven lightly touched my arm. When I looked at her, she shook her head slightly.

"We should stick together." I argued, ignoring Faven's warning to stop.

"Andora. That's a bad idea. Have you encountered any other Jedi?" He asked.

I moved and Faven stepped into the console's view.

"This is-" I began.   

"Faven," He said simply, "It's nice to see you again, alive."

"You too Master Kenobi."

"Faven, make sure Andora doesn't do anything reckless."

"Hey!" I said.

Master Kenobi ignored my comment. "Don't leave Utapau. It seems safe there."

"It is. I've scoped the surface, nothing but wind and dry desert. The caverns in the ground are buzzing with life. The Utapauians are very hospitable. We will make a good home here."

Faven was so sure we would stay. I couldn't do that.

"We shouldn't talk anymore. The Empire will realize the transmissions. Only contact me if you need me. Use the phrase I taught you, Andora, if you need anything."

"Thank you Master." I said and the transmission cut out.

Just then, Juh Quit ran into the Com Center.

"Juh Quit, what's wrong?" Faven said, rushing to his aid.

"You need to leave. They're here."

Faven looked at me, and my heart stopped.

"Who's here?" I asked.

            "The clones. This General Skywalker is with them."

            "No," I breathed.

            "Do you have any high ground?" Faven asked, clearly not distracted by Anakin's presence.

            "You should be safe on top of the buildings." He answered.

            "Juh Quit, you must hide. You need to go into hiding until he leaves." I commented.

            "He won't leave." Juh Quit said. "If he's after Jedi, he won't leave until he has Jedi. You need to leave Utapau. Take what you have. There is a Starship in the hanger, big enough for you two."

            "Juh Quit, thank you for everything. Your people have helped us immensely and we will not forget that." Faven thanked him.

            "Travel safe. Evade the Empire. When you spark a rebellion, we will be backing you. We thought the Jedi were ones to be feared, ones with vengeance. Now I realize you only want to help the galaxy."

            "Thank you." I said briefly.

            "We will try to send as many supplies as we can find for your people." Faven added.

            "You need to leave now. Goodbye Faven, goodbye Andora."

We ran as fast as we could. The lizard that I had as my companion was nowhere to be found. My chest was heaving and I was trembling. I wasn't ready to see Anakin again. He would kill me for sure. More importantly, he would kill Faven.

            "Keep going, Andora! I can see the hanger." Faven said, exhausted from the trekking up the mountainous terrain of the large cavern.

            We suddenly heard shooting, and I stopped dead in my tracks. Faven kept running.

            "What are you doing?" She looked back at me.

            "Come here!" I said and she listened. "Look!" I said, pointing to the Com Center.

            We were on a mountainous path which led to the Hanger, and eventually, the surface. We could see the Com Center and the hospital where we stayed perfectly.

            A ship had landed on one of the platforms and I could see a large battalion of clones unloading from the ship. Anakin was leading the charge. 

            The clones were massacring the Utapauians. Faven fell to her knees, sobbing. A tear slid down my cheek but I quickly wiped it away.

            "They're just killing them!" Faven sobbed.

            I held her in my arms. "Shhh, it's okay." I tried to soothe her.

            "We need to keep moving." I said.

            "What's wrong with you? Why doesn't this upset you?" She asked me, outraged.

            I looked at her. Tears streamed down her cheeks in an endless flow. She was physically exhausted from all the climbing. She was crumbling. Seeing those innocent Utapauians slaughtered... it killed her.

            "It does, Faven. We need to keep moving. We need to push forward. It's what we are trained to do."

            "No! We are trained to fight. To stand up for those who are in need." Faven fought back.

            "Look, Faven!" I said, pointing to the massacre. "We are outnumbered. We can't win this one. We need to build up our forces. Vengeance isn't the way." I knew we couldn't take them. Mostly, I was afraid of seeing Anakin.

            Faven took one last look at the massacre at the Com Center.

            Then she looked at me. Faven closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You're right." She breathed.

            "Let's go." I helped her to her feet and we pushed on, just like Jedi are supposed to.

            We were rebels. We were fighters, and fighters always push on.