Back on Coruscant Aubrie and the others were still reeling from their interaction with Jaden, Aubrie most of all. It was like the man they had once known was gone and in its place appeared a stranger. They'd thought the bonds they'd made during the war unbreakable. Aubrie had helped him save Jabiim and prepared to die with him to destroy the separatist super weapon.
Zule also felt like her heart was in pieces though she did a lot better job of hiding it. Most of all she suffered the most out of the three; she had not only lost Velea; someone who had done much to bring her out of her shell, but now she'd lost Jaden. She felt completely alone and spent most days in her room, not even getting dressed.
Scout had been away at the temple for the past few hours, something she didn't want to do but considering the ruckus she caused when she'd escaped last time she needed to at least talk to them—both to apologise and to let them know that she wouldn't be returning to the temple. Meanwhile Aubrie sat in the main room on one of the comfortable sofas; she'd been waiting for her since she left. While she wanted nothing more to stay in her room under the safety of her blanket, she knew how much leaving the Jedi order affected someone. It was your whole life, and while she felt conviction in doing so because of Jaden, not everyone had that.
It was a few more hours wait until she got the notification that a shuttle from the temple was arriving on the landing pad outside. Aubrie got up and crossed through the corridors of the apartment to greet Scout, at least that was her plan. Little did she know said girl was already bursting through the door to the landing pad, a wild look in her eye.
"Aubrie!" She shouted as she rushed towards the older girl.
"Jedi! Collan! Planet!" Scout shouted nonsensically as she grabbed onto her arms.
"Calm down Scout, take a breath," she said guiding the younger girl. Scout did as instructed and calmed herself down with a few deep inhales.
"Now tell me what is it?" Aubrie asked.
Scout took another breath before looking up. "While I was at the temple I overheard one of the Jedi Masters talking," she said, the look of panic still etched into her face. "They were talking about a transponder signal that was being sent from a ship."
Aubrie gave her a look with a slightly raised brow, not seeing the reason for panic.
"Belonging to Collan Eislo."
That look soon disappeared as pieces began to fall into place. Had Jaden received the signal somehow? Is that why he was distant? He was preparing to go after Collan and didn't want them in the way. 'What if he's in danger...' she thought to himself. Collan likely had an entire army; she trusted in Jadens ability but there were limits.
Unless...
'He doesn't plan to come home...' Aubrie thought as her heart hurt so much she thought it might burst. Her eyes snapped back to Scout. "Did they say anything else?!"
Scout nodded her head. "The Jedi are mobilising, every available Knight and Master Padawan are going after him!"
Aubrie frowned. "That seems excessive does it not? Despite being dangerous he is still only one man, albeit with a few hundred men at his command."
Scout shook her head. "No! It's because of what he stole, they believe that his actions are somehow going to bring Darth Nihilus back!"
Aubries eyes widened and she felt her heart skip a beat. Darth Nihilus was a scary story that initiates told each other, that he was one of the most dangerous Sith Lords to ever plague the galaxy and that he was still alive somewhere and would take and drain unsuspecting Jedi.
Wait!
Does Jaden know this? If he doesn't then he'd be walking into certain death. There was no way that Jaden could know what he was about to face. They had to help him or at least help him. Aubrie stepped back, her hands tightening into fists as the weight of Scout's words sank in. She needed to move—now.
"Where's the ship the Jedi are using?" she asked, the desperation clear in her voice.
Scout blinked. "I don't know. They never said."
Aubrie turned without another word and headed toward the main room, Scout following close behind. "Then we'll find out." The living room lights flickered on as they entered. Aubrie moved straight to the holoterminal embedded in the center table and dropped into the seat, her fingers already flying across the panel. She turned to Scout. "Splice into the Jedi Temple network. We need the ship name and launch pad."
Scout grinned despite the tension. "Easy."
She dropped to her knees in front of the terminal, fingers working with a speed and comfort that Aubrie had never seen anyone match, not even Jaden. Lines of code scrolled across the display as Scout tapped into backdoor access protocols and piggybacked off security clearance routes she clearly shouldn't have known. Aubrie hovered over her shoulder, arms crossed, teeth biting into her lip as the seconds dragged. "Anything?"
Scout waved her off. "I said I got it, give me a sec—" Her eyes flicked. "Wait... got it."
Aubrie leaned in as Scout expanded the readout. "It's the Valorant. Old diplomatic cruiser—recently retrofitted for combat deployment. Launch pad C6 at the senate hangar, departing in thirty minutes."
Scout looked up. "Do you really think they'll let us on? I mean, we aren't even with the temple anymore?"
"If it's as bad as they say it is," Aubrie said, already getting to her feet, "then they won't argue."
She didn't waste a second, heading straight for Zule's room. Though Zule already stood at the entrance to the main room. Zule stood there, arms limp at her sides. Her face was pale, eyes shadowed, hair unkempt, and she wore the same oversized tunic she'd been in for days. She looked exhausted—like she hadn't slept, like her soul had been hollowed out.
But her voice still had the same power to it that it usuallly had .
"Let's go," she said. "We can't afford to wait any longer."
___________________________
Jaden who was crouched in a tree right at the edge of the security zone lifted his binoculars again. Nearly a hundred people, and droids were at this checkpoint; there were likely more inside. Once he started attacking they'd likely all converge on his position. Multiple turrent placements, high elevation positions that had multiple sniper units. Even some heavy artillery, Jaden zoomed in and looked at it; TX-130 Saber-Class tank. Not the best firepower, but they made up for that with its manoeuvrability.
This wouldn't be easy.
The main issue was the two miles of scorched earth he'd have to clear to reach the temple. Whoever was in charge had ordered the jungle surrounding the temple to be burned and blown away—a smart move—but made things a lot more difficult for him. Between that and the sensor bursts he wouldn't be getting in there stealthily.
Putting down the binoculars again Jadens mind started racing on how he was going to do this; he went over the equipment he had, and while he had enough to take on a small army it wouldn't matter if he couldn't reach it. Jaden's eyes moved quickly across the encampment again, mentally cataloguing every position, every blind spot, every possible weak point. His brain was going faster than his heartbeat—calculating distances, reaction times, response patterns. They really were too well-coordinated for a direct approach, in any other situation Jaden would applauded their commander but now it was just frustrating; and even if he got lucky with the first few seconds, they'd box him in before he got within five hundred feet. He needed chaos. A distraction. Something they wouldn't expect.
Then it clicked.
He dropped from the branch and landed silently in the underbrush, moving toward one of the thicker trees just behind him. He ignited his lightsaber, the violet blade casting a faint glow across the jungle floor. With wuick strokes he began carving into the vines hanging from the branches above, severing thick strands and letting them coil down onto the mossy ground. He grabbed the nearest one and began wrapping it tight, knotting the ends until he had a series of makeshift tethers. He then moved to a fallen branch, split the bark with two quick swings, and began slicing off jagged edges and smoothing it into a flat, curved plank. It wasn't pretty, but it didn't have to be.
Ten minutes later, a crude raft sat next to his speeder. Just big enough to fit him. He tied the raft to the back of the speeder with the vines, tested the connection with a few hard tugs, then stood back and looked at it.
This might work. It also might blow up in his face.
He stood there for a long moment, one hand resting on the speeder's handlebar, the other clenched into a fist at his side. The wind shifted slightly, brushing through his hair.
He didn't want to die.
He didn't want this to be the last thing he ever did. He didn't want his final memory to be of this. He wanted to see Aubrie again. Zule. Scout. He wanted to go back to them. He wanted to feel something other than hate.
But he couldn't live... Not while Collan was still alive.
He clenched his jaw, gripped the speeder, and pushed. The front of the speeder passed through the blue ripple of the bubble shield, and within seconds the crude raft followed.
He wasn't turning back.
(AN: Will Jaden die? Will there be a new main character? Will it be the MC with the Rinnegan from my other Star Wars fic? Maybe?! Will he stop being edgy? Who knows, maybe he will finally join the Jedi order, perhaps this is what Collan wanted. Did Jaden just fall for one of the classic blunders?)
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