BATTLE SCARS [✓]

× Chapter Twelve: Flashback ×

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(Warning: Flashbacks of abuse)

: Shadow Squadron! Take evasive action! : Anakin shouted over the comms as Broadside swerved a hard right to avoid one of the mantas approaching himself and Maleshei. Maleshei bumped her head against the glass, groaning loudly as she did and holding her head.

Flashbacks started coming back. Blood running down from her mouth, from her head. Sobs and cries of plea fill her ears and mouth. The sounds of punches being landed on her, kicks being thrown, shouts of degrade, disgust, and anger being thrown at her.

"You are a disgrace to this family!"

"I will not let you ruin our family name! You're not fit to be a Jedi!"

"I hate you! I WISH YOU HAD JUST DIED LIKE THE OTHERS!"

"No..no..NO!" Maleshei mutter loudly, grasping her head as she did. "Kid! You okay?!"

"Get..get out of my head.." She mumbled, tears streaming from her eyes as she did. : Maleshei, listen to my voice! :

"M-Master?" Maleshei mumbled while taking her hands away from her head. : Maleshei, listen to my voice. You're okay. You're fine. :

"You okay?" Broadside asked again before Maleshei blinked her tears away. "I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Yes, Broadside. I'm fine." Maleshei mumbled, though she knew deep down, she wasn't. She was shaken. She tried to forget about her past, hoping it would go away. But it always seemed to crawl back to her.

"I'll haunt you anywhere you go. You can try to run from me, but you'll never hide." And that person was right. She could never go one day without having some kind of terror from her past.

Some kind of memory.

' How did I even end up being born to them? ' Maleshei asked herself while  looking outside the bomber. The Mantas had just flown by, and the Nebula started to disappear from her sight. She looked down to see that Matchstick's bomber was sparking and on fire. : Shadow 2, what's the damage to your bomber? : Plo asked, beating Maleshei to the punch.

: Just a scratch, sir. :

: Let's just hope that's all it is. If we lose even a single ship before we reach the medical station, that's less of a chance in succeeding. : Plo said as Maleshei looked back at her Master's fighter escort then at Matchstick's bomber.

"Matchstick, keep your bomber steady. I have an idea." Maleshei said while she closed her eyes. She stretched her hand onto the glass, her thoughts went to the engine that was ablaze at the moment.

Matchstick was confused as to what the Padawan was doing until the beeping on his controls had stopped and the flashing red turned to green instantly. Maleshei opened her eyes and saw that Matchstick's bomber wasn't flaming anymore and she smiled under her mask as she did.

: Um...thanks, ma'am. That was.. incredible! : Matchstick said while looking over at her for a split second as Maleshei nodded to him. "Anytime, Matchstick."

"How did you do that?" Broadside asked as Maleshei's smile disappeared. "Um..my friend taught me how to do it back on Tattooine. I just used my powers instead of wrenches." She lied, while rubbing her arm. She hated lying about something like this, but after what just happened back in the Nebula, she didn't even think to speak of it.

"They'll hate you. They will look at you and see the kind of monster you really are." Those words, those were the words that kept her up at night. The words that speak the truth. If she ever did take that mask off, her life would be over.

And it's all because of what hides under the mask.

"Sir! They're targeting the medical transports!" Broadside shouted while Maleshei took her attention back to reality and looked to her right to see that the medical transports were being fired upon and the Malevolence was just ahead. "Well, then let's do this!"

: We got vulture droids inbound! : I heard Ahsoka shout as the bombers got into position. "Ready, kid?" Broadside asked as Maleshei nodded. "I was born ready, Broadside."