TPF Chapter 15

Mace Windu’s shuttle pierces the storm. The Jedi Master scans through the curtains of sand hiding the landing site.

The computer locks onto the Jedi shuttle still in place in front of the temple.

His eyes linger on the computer’s representation of the temple for a moment as his ship descends.

“Computer, land there,” he orders, taking off his straps and getting out of his chair. He shrugs out of his robes and takes the lightsaber off his belt, striding down the short hall to the rear of the ship, where he triggers the ramp.

Wind and sand blow in as it starts to lower. While the ship is still ten meters from the ground, he drops to the sand and takes off at a run toward the red and blue flashing lights in the storm. Ryoke is battling the white Togruta from the temple.

The Togruta viciously kicks Ryoke’s lightsaber out of her hand, sending it spinning away.

Mace sees what’s about to happen and reaches out with the ****, but he’s still too far away. His push probably doesn’t even feel like a breeze to the Togruta, who lifts Ryoke from her feet with the ****, and almost absently pushes her lightsaber through the Theelin’s heart.

She tosses Ryoke’s body aside and turns with a curious expression. Mace raises his lightsaber, controlling his anger and maintaining his focus.

“Mediocre,” the Togruta says with a disdainful look at Ryoke’s corpse. She smiles at Mace, but he sees her expression flicker. This Togruta is powerful and sensitive. She knows that she is dealing with a different caliber of Jedi now.

But that doesn’t appear to bother her. She lifts her free hand with two fingers together, but Mace feels no attack. No lightning, no push. He isn’t sure what she’s doing. Shielding herself? From what?

The Sith Temple explodes. Massive chunks of rock and stinging shards fly. The blast is deafening and erases all sound. The shockwave hits Mace like a battleship, lifting him off his feet and sending him tumbling across the sand.

Unperturbed, the Togruta stands here with the black tails of her tunic fluttering in the breeze as pieces of the temple rain into the sand all around her. Mace can’t hear anything over the ringing in his ears, and he hit his head as he landed, but he can see that she’s laughing.

( T P F )

“You’ll be fine,” Laki assures Blu in the medical bay aboard the massive, eerily empty battleship that serves as her base of operations. Blu has a robe on, and she sits on a table as Laki scans her body with a device and studies the screen. “You’ll have more discomfort from irritated skin because of the sand than from the poison in your blood.” Laki always talks as though everything is a joke.

“What was it doing to me?” Blu asks guardedly. She isn’t sure that she likes Laki very much, but the Jedi woman’s power is too tempting to pass up. Blu will put up with her.

“I think your heart would’ve popped like a Republic Senator’s head at a budget meeting,” Laki murmurs.

“Then that Jedi saved my life.”

“Very likely. What did she look like?”

“Dathomirian,” Blu replies distractedly. “Small.”

Laki sighs. “Pity. I had high hopes for her.”

“Why do you want to destroy the Jedi if that’s how you feel about them?”

“Destroy? I’m not destroying anything,” Laki says, putting the device aside. “You have a clean bill of health, Blu. But I want you to rest and be well before we get back to work. You’re too important.”

Blu reaches out and catches Laki’s collar as the other woman starts to step away.

“You didn’t really answer me,” Blu says.

Laki sighs, gently taking Blu’s hand off. “I’m going to make the Jedi better.”

“Make them more like you, you mean.”

“Wouldn’t that be an improvement?”

Blu doesn’t know. It’s not lost on her that she knows almost nothing about Laki and Silvi. Sith? What does that even mean? She scowls.

“I’ll hold up my end,” Laki assures her with a laugh. “In fact, we’ll begin your training before I send you on any more jobs. So don’t worry. I know you’re used to dealing with scum and villains. But I’ll always be honest with you, Blu.”

Blu stares at her. She can’t tell if the other woman means it or not.

But nobody’s ever said anything like that to her before.

That Dathomirian Jedi flashes into Blu’s mind, and she looks away from Laki.

“Are we going to kill more Jedi?” Blu asks.

Laki pauses by the door and looks back. “Not if I can help it.” She hesitates for a moment. “But I can’t let them stop us.” She smiles again. “That’s what Silvi’s for. If you’re squeamish.”

“I’m not squeamish,” Blu says defensively.

“Of course you aren’t,” Laki says with a wink.