Star Wars - Shadows Of The Outer Rim

10. | The Ridge

The wind on the ridge hit them first, hot and harsh, carrying the distant crack of blaster fire. Kiera reached the cliff's edge and froze observing the scene. Below, the ravine seethed with chaos. Galen and his farmers were pinned in a shallow pocket of rock, half-collapsed carts overturned for cover. Two bandits crouched on higher ledges firing down at them with terrifying precision. Another trio advanced along the left flank, forcing the farmers inward. And at the center of it all a heavy blaster cannon on a tripod spat bolt after bolt, chewing the ground inches from Galen's legs.

The farmers' shots were wild, frantic. One of them couldn't even fix the jam on his weapon, his hands shaking with fear. A body already lay sprawled between the rocks, unmoving. Jax exhaled a low curse. "Well," he muttered, "this looks like a mess."

Then he glanced sideways at her, expression dry. "Alright, kid. Do what you do best."

Kiera didn't respond. She was already moving. She stepped back from the cliff's rim, inhaled once, centered herself, then sprinted forward and leapt. The world dropped away in a rush of wind and grit. She fell like a streak of gold, her boots hitting the dusty ground with a thud that echoed across stone. Eight bandits jerked toward her at once.

Kiera ignited her saber, the yellow blade roared to life, casting a flare through the dust. A volley of blaster fire met her instantly. She raised her blade, eyes narrowing. Her mind slowed. Seconds stretched. Through the force she focused, seeing the outcomes, the possibilities branched like threads of light. She saw the cannon's rotation, predicted the tightening of a gunner's muscles, sensed the shift of footsteps behind her before they came. The Force poured into her, focus, precision, clarity.

She moved.

Three bolts slammed into her blade and ricocheted back in perfect arcs, one striking the cannon gunner square in the chest. The second hit a rock beside another bandit, sending him sprawling. The third shot into the dust. Kiera thrust out her hand. The sand and grit around the farmers exploded upward in a swirling cloud, forming a makeshift screen. Their shouts turned from panic to stunned relief. With the bandits momentarily blinded, she sprinted towards them.

Her speed blurred her outline, cloak snapping like a banner as she closed in on two armored attackers. One swung a vibro-axe, she dipped beneath it, stepped inside his guard, and sliced the weapon's shaft cleanly in half before cracking the hilt of her saber into his temple. He crumpled.

The second bandit barely raised his rifle before she wrenched it from his grip with the Force and smashed it into his chestplate. He hit the dirt gasping. He recovered quickly and pulled a small blaster from a sitting position firing upon her. Kiera deflected one bolt and with deadly precision dodged the second, watching the brilliant streak of light pass by her eyes. With one perfect strike she swiped the blade across his neck.

Another bandit rushed her from behind, she sensed her, pivoted, and drove her palm into her chest with a Force-enhanced shove. She flew backward, slammed into a boulder, and didn't get back up. The dust cleared enough for the remaining bandits to see what they were facing.

Their eyes widened.

"Jedi—Jedi! Fall back!" one yelled.

Too late.

Kiera cut through them with effortless control. Her blade was a line of sunlight carving through the gloom, her movements fluid and merciless. Bandits scrambled for cover, slipping on shale, tripping over each other as the soldiers above opened fire from their ridge positions. Within seconds, it was over.

One bandit dropped his weapon and threw up his hands. Another tried to run, only to be tackled by Jax's men as they slid down the ravine walls. The last two lay unconscious or dead in the dust.