Child of Balance

Stories

"It's been a while, Ania. Tell me, what does it feel like to be hunted across the galaxy? I wouldn't know. I'm usually the one doing the hunting," the Twi'lek laughed.

A name fell on Ania's tongue, one that she hadn't spoken several years. "Hello, Cyana. I see servitude didn't come very easily to you."

Cyana's gaze darkened. "Watch yourself, Bonteri, or I'll take you in with your throat cut." A plasma blade whipped across her fingers and then was out of sight.

"Um, how does she know you?" Kit whispered.

"An old friend," Ania replied.

Cyana laughed at that. "An old friend. Hm. All right. I'll leave it at that. It will be fun to see how this plays out."

"What are you doing here?" Cal asked, stepping forward. His lightsaber was held firmly in his grip.

"I'm here for her. Although, bringing in three additional Jedi would set me up for the next twenty years," Cyana replied. "I'll make this simple. Come with me willingly, or we'll do this the hard way."

"You're outnumbered, bounty hunter. It's six to one," Cal argued. BD beeped from his shoulder. "All right, fine. It's seven to one."

"I like those odds." Cyana narrowed her eyes maliciously. Without warning, she lunged at Ania. Ania flipped her shoto up, catching the plasma blade against it. Thinking quickly, she pushed back against Cyana and stamped her foot out. The bounty hunter stumbled back but quickly recovered herself.

Vinn rushed at her, his arms spread wide. Cyana vaulted onto his back and yanked open his control panel. Kit shouted as Cyana stabbed her stunner into the panel and activated it. Blue electricity pulsed through Vinn, short circuiting him. He collapsed, the white light fading from his eyes.

Cyana rounded on Kit next. Ezra dashed towards them, blasting at the Twi'lek. Kit drew his own blaster and lightsaber, making good use of both. Still, Cyana managed to slip past their guard. She slammed her elbow back into Kit's arm and screwed his wrist backwards. Kit cried out as his lightsaber fell from his grip. She sliced a plasma blade across his other wrist and his hand slackened, the blaster falling from it. Cyana grabbed his arm and yanked him over her shoulder. Kit gasped as he hit the ground.

Ania barreled into her from behind. Cyana careened to the ground, with Ania on top of her. In another instant, Cal had joined them. Ania pinned the bounty hunter's legs to the ground with her own while Cal pointed his lightsaber at her head.

Cyana smirked and smashed her head backwards into Ania's face. She fell off, clutching her nose. The Twi'lek rolled as Cal sliced with his lightsaber. She leaped to her feet and swept Cal's legs out from beneath him.

"Merrin!" Cal shouted.

The Nightsister was at the other side of the Temple, a piece of a white orb held in her palm. Her eyes glowed green as she finished an incantation. Ania glanced up uneasily as unearthly sounds echoed around them. She crawled towards Kit and leaned over him as several corpses fell from above. She looked up, but there were no burial pods.

The corpses hissed and screeched as they slowly unfurled themselves. Ania turned her face away at the snapping sounds that came from them. Cyana backed away uncertainly.

"My sisters, defend Dathomir. Defend our family," Merrin gestured to all of them. Her voice was layered with the deep voices of others.

"Is that what I sound like?" She furrowed her brows, glancing towards Ezra.

"When you're in that scary mood? Yes," he replied.

"Wow. Weird." Ania covered Kit's body with her own as the mummified Nightsisters moved around them. She watched them anxiously as they crept towards Cyana.