The Darkness Within

Chapter 11

Jano woke to find tall dark shapes around her. There were trees... He hadn't killed her. He hadn't even captured her. He'd just left her. Again. Why does he let me live, while so many others are killed by his blade?  Now that he was gone, Jano felt strange, the warm sensation that had prickled her skin was gone. She suddenly felt very cold and an odd sinking feeling in her chest. Jano stood up too quickly and fell right down again because her vision was cloudy. She noticed something gleaming from under a bush nearby. She instinctively summoned it to her.

 "My saber." She held it close to her chest. "Ben's saber." 

She felt an unfamiliar electricity-like jolt in her body as she drew the saber. That's never happened before. I've just forgotten the feel of it. She took a minute to look it over and make sure it hadn't been tampered with. It hasn't. Strange... if I had another lightsaber I would dissect it. Using the light from the saber, Jano slowly made her way back towards Maz's castle. She had lived by these woods for so long that as she got closer she did not need the saber. The sight that met her eyes upon exiting the forest was shocking. Rubble. The entire building had been toppled and was now just a pile of powder and stone. The light of a fire shone from behind one of the larger piles of rubble. Jano put away the saber and crept up on top of it to peek over. Instead of seeing troopers, Jano saw Maz and a few Resistance fighters. Jano slid back down the side of the rock and came face to face with a blaster. "Who are you?"

"A friend of Mazz Kanata."

"Liar."

"Go on ask her about Jano. Or better yet, take me to her."

"I'm not taking you to her, you might be an assassin." The blonde haired Resistance fighter squeaked.

"Yeah, cause I could kill Maz." The fighter jabbed her still healing side with the nose of his blaster. Jano winced before shouting. "MAZ!"

"Who called me?" Small footsteps pattered towards them and Maz's face soon came into view. "Is that Jano? It's good to see you!" She turned to the Resistance fighter who was still aiming at Jano. "Put that damn thing away boy. If she was going to make an attempt on my life, you'd know already. Come to the fire, Jano, then we can talk."

Jano winked at the fighter and held back a chuckle as she followed Maz. As she rounded the corner of the rubble, Jano heard a shout.

"JANO!" Something collided with her body and she felt her body leave the ground, before being pulled down into a deep hug. "Thank the Force. No one knew where you were. We didn't hear from you."

"Poe!" Jano hugged him back. An overwhelming feeling of safety came over her. "I'm sorry I missed our check-in. I got in a bit of a run in with Kylo Ren."

"Kylo Ren?!?" He looked her dead in the eyes. "Dark man, crazy mask Kylo Ren?"

"Mhm!"

"Don't make me ask all the questions. What happened? Did he hurt you?" His grip tightened a bit as he asked the last question.

"I'll tell you when we get back to base. While we're here I need to catch up with Maz."

"Fine. But I'm not letting you out of my sight till you've had a medical check and told me that story. We leave in an hour." Poe reluctantly let her go and watched as watched as she walked to a seat next to Maz.

"You were there when Tekka died?" Came the quiet question, after Maz had given Poe a knowing look. "I was told that he died bravely."

"Yes. He did. I saw him get struck down." Jano's memories flashed between the two dreadful massacres she'd witnessed in her life.

"He was such an old friend. You know I met him when he was just a young fellow." Maz sighed.

"What happened here?" Jano asked looking around at the wreckage that reminded her too much of her past. Remains of a few customers, some that Jano recognized as regulars, the bodies of troopers, a pile of their armor stacked nearby. The smells of smoke and death permeated the air.

"Apparently the First Order had a spy here who informed them of the arrival of that BB-8 droid. I think it was that Belize girl. I knew there would be trouble the moment I saw that Han Solo. They destroyed the Republic while we fought. Whole planets destroyed in mere seconds. Dreadful. I have seen far too many movements crumble." Maz seemed to get lost in thought for a moment. "They got what they wanted. A Jedi. Her name is Rey, she arrived here with Solo on the Millennium Falcon and a boy named Finn. Very troubled boy. The First Order got what they wanted and destroyed my life. I'll just have to start from scratch."

"This is awful. I saw the girl get captured, but I was unarmed so I couldn't help."

"Isn't that your saber?"

How do I explain the saber? Jano's eyes darted to Poe who still sat watching her. He's noticed the saber too. Wait... did Maz say, Finn?

"I'm sorry, Maz. Is there anything I can do? Perhaps now you should retire, you seemed to like the idea a few years ago."

"Yes, I did didn't I. Ah. This might be a sign." Maz took off her goggles and tried cleaning them on her undershirt. "Still... I could open a small place, nothing quite so grand as this place was. Just a place to come together. That's what I loved about this. I'll go along to the Resistance base for now... Then I'll come back and clean all this."

"Maz, you can't possibly stay here all alone!" Jano protested.

"I may look old, but I'm still quite young for my species. I'm going to stand on my own two feet and take this like a woman." Jano and Maz talked for the rest of the hour till Poe ordered everyone onto the last evacuation ship.  He, however, would be taking his fighter. "Jano. Come here." Jano ran over to him.

"What? I have to catch that ship."

"I meant it when I said I wasn't letting you out of my sight," Poe said putting an arm around her waist. "You are going to be riding with me."

"Poe, you are being unreasonable."

"No, I'm not. I keep losing you, and not knowing if you are safe, or lost, perhaps dead makes me sick to my stomach. Please. Do this little thing for me and don't try to reason your way out of it."

Jano wanted to say no, wanted to laugh at him and tell him he was being ridiculous, to make her own choice. But the moment she looked into his eyes, the moment she heard what he was thinking. She made her choice, she would go with him.

"Alright."

"Thank you." He said fiercely kissed her forehead. "Up you go."

There was only one seat. Again.

"Ah I see how it is, you just want me to sit in your lap again," Jano said with a wink as they climbed in.

"You saw right through my scheming, didn't you?" He chuckled.

"Let's not get stranded in a desert this time, Dameron."

"You doubt my piloting abilities?" Poe said with mock shock. "I'm genuinely hurt, dear Jano."

After they were both secured in the seat, they took off behind the evacuation shuttle and headed toward the Illeniam system.

"So tell me about that saber."