The Young Apprentice

Part 1C

FOUR DAYS LATER

I hear a loud noise and cheers erupt from somewhere and echo through the caverns. "What's going on?" Minus mutters rubbing sleep from his eyes and successfully smacking his head on the low part of the cell. He grunts and slowly shakes the captain awake. "Captain somethin's happenin'." Blast says in clipped Basic.

"Ugh, it better be important Laser Brains." He grumbles as he wearily approaches the gate and stops next to me.

"THE JEDI ARE DEAD AND THE REPUBLIC IS GONE!" Someone shouts racing down the hall and other clusters of prisoners cheer.

"No. No, it can't be possible the Republic can't be gone." Blast mutters and I survey Captain Zero's dimming eyes as he realizes the only thing he has left to live for is gone.

"But how can the Jedi be gone?" Minus says in an angry voice before punching the rock wall and yelping in pain.

"There's no point." Blast days sliding down next to Drive who had given up long ago.

"Of course there's a point, we have to get out of here." I demand,

"Listen here Ma'am, we lost. We lost to a bunch of CLANKERS FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!" The Captain argues, "We lost, we failed at THE ONE THING WE WERE MADE FOR." They all drift off into their own worlds and I feel a sense of hopelessness arise as I slide down the way next to Minus.

"No..." Sleep slowly overtakes me sometime in the foul smelling, despair filled cell.

"Slowly now." I can't make out who is speaking but someone with a smooth voice. "I'm sorry, I know you want results quickly but these things take time." She says to a dark blob in the corner as my vision is blurring. "This is Verse, one of the finest we have." She makes sure to roll the beginning of my name (Vert-Se).

"Good. I am excited to watch her progress." The dark figure slowly approaches me as everything goes black. A loud bang causes Minus to shoot up in a ready position and me to smack my head against the wall.

"Ow."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were using me as a pillow." He says carefully, pulling me to my feet.

"What's going on?" One of the sleepy clones sitting in the dark asks.

"They're coming to get us." Drive mutters, "Say your goodbyes now."

"No, we can't just give up now." I whine like an exhausted toddler.

"She's right." Minus says looking at me and asking with his eyes if he's sure I can do this. I nod at him, both as an answer and as a way to thank him for the support.

"Who's gonna lead us, she's not a Jedi." Blast says with hesitation as Minus gets closer.

"We don't need a Jedi, we were made to fight." He growls dangerously.

"Captain?"

"If you think we can do it Ma'am."

"I do." As if on cue a group of guards come to pick us up - of course they're armed to the teeth. They yell for us to single file leave the cell and we comply. I hear more cheers as we walk down the leaky hallway. Some of the parties in cells lean forward and gawk at us; four clones and a Jedi? Some of them ask and I smirk at the idea of me being a Jedi. We stop and I see a group of pyke's come to inspect us.

"Yes, yes, very good."

"We finally should have a chance." Another replies blowing orange smoke in my face as I choke and gasp for fresh air. A dark chill runs through my back, something or someone is here who is powerful and could harm me.

"How many are we putting in?"

"Do all five, Vos is putting in the new ones again in order for some entertainment." I am led to this box and I can sense dread from every one of the clones as their placed into their own boxes.

"Let's do this boys, just like clankers eh?" Blast asks, "And of course you there Blue hair." I smile at his childlike attitude,

"Name's Verse." I tell him through the wall mimicking his speech pattern and tone.

"Well then Verse. It was nice serving with you." At that moment the gates open and we rush out only to be met with a set familiar violet eyes and a tall figure to her left in the shadows.

"I'll take the girl." I announce before springing onto her trying the grab at her skin tight minimal clothing obviously made for this type of combat. She curses as soon as I grab her arm and pin it behind her back.

"Who do you think you are?" She hisses, knocking my feet out from under me as I grab her tightly braided hair. "I'm going to kill you." She threatens before lunging at me once again. I catch a flash of red and know I'm in trouble if I don't move. My adrenaline kicks in and I make the rash decision of jumping over her head. She stares at me as I can see anger rise,

"I'm not losing Zaal because of some sort of Jedi brat." At this point she draws a brilliant red knife into the light and I realize my gut feeling was right when it told me to get out of there. As I'm running I ponder who this Zaal could be as a sudden scream answers my question. He must be her mate or something... I see Blast fall to the ground like a torn up, deathly white rag doll. ""Once you fall the rest will give up," she hisses like an angry Trandoshan. I dive onto the arena's disgusting floor as her blade drags a long thing line through my arm. Just like on the Zygerrian transport we are in a deadly dance even though I'm at an extreme disadvantage. I see a body fly just above her head and as it hits the wall and slides down blood drips steadily into a pool surrounding his feet.

"NOOOO!" I scream diving towards Minus who had completely just given up after watching Blast and Captain Zero get ripped apart by this monster. I see them both approaching and I wonder where Drive is as I shove them both back as far as I can with the force.

"Why did you do that?" Minus chokes as he slowly collects himself on the ground. "We're gonna die anyway." I stare at his now hollow eyes that normally have some sort of fire behind them.

"Not on my watch." An impending sense of doom surrounds me as two forces of darkness threaten to overwhelm me. "It's time to go now, where is Drive?"

"I think he's sulking in the corner over there." I notice that Minus is slowly becoming more and more pale.

"Are you sure you're alright?" I ask as I help him up. His answer is cut off by a loud bang like artillery, but of the Republic lost who could be attacking us? I wonder as the ground rolls and pitches the girl forward onto me.

"I'm gonna kill you now." She screams before I throw her off of me, with the help of the force she goes about 60 meters from me and I see her mate rush towards us. He stops surveying us and then her, I prepare for my death as the Arena begins to be torn apart by artillery and blaster bolts from several parties.

"Most save Alk." He panics yelling out in some exotic tongue, this monster sounds almost caring in the way that he thinks of the other cold blooded killer. I crawl over to Minus and it's a miracle he is still conscious.

"Minus, we're gonna get out of here." I mutter and he smiles allowing me ]to help him up as we waddle to the seemingly safest path as the sides of darkness battle.

AUTHOR NOTE: In Vert (m.) *green in French - random fact* the T is SILENT! Best English pronunciation guide I can give you for it is; V-air-S. I know that isn't the best, I'm sorry.

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- STARWARSNERD235