Post by Bobbi on Jun 29, 2022 21:49:07 GMT -5
Remember your training. Let them do their jobs, and mind your own task. Work with them as you have worked with me all these years, that is where you will find success. The Force will always be with you, Murra.
The parting words from Master DuBonte still settled heavily with her, echoing in her ears during the quieter moments of her journey. It wasn't as easy as leaving the caves, and hopping into a ship. Where they had hidden themselves, a ship would have given their position away. She had to trek, weaving her way through dense forests, and across a river deep as her thighs, to reach the nearest settlement. These people had no idea that she and Crest were out there, so close and yet so far. That was by design.
The stories of Jedi were dwindling and had been for a very long time now. Crest had often told her tales of how grand The Jedi Order had been at one time, stories of magnificent temples that dotted worlds like Coruscant, and times when the Jedi were such a presence in the galaxy that all you had to do was open your eyes and you'd find yourself looking at one. Those days were long past, their numbers having slipped away like sands in an hourglass. Like those sands, there were Jedi that remained but they were too few in number. They were too scattered within the galaxy to be much of a presence anywhere. They were too hunted to be out in the open as they had been at one time.
That was why she had carried her lightsaber in the bag that she had slung over her shoulder. DuBonte had made sure she understood the need to protect herself while out there, away from their caves. There were far too few of them for anything like open carrying while Inquisitorious was still thriving. So Murra was just like anyone else that stumbled into the settlement, having gotten lost out in the forest while trying to cross the terrain. She made herself dirty, she made herself look harrowed by the journey. She made herself sound grateful for whatever little bowl of broth and bread that could be scrounged on the measly credits she had with her. She did it because that is what would get her close enough to what stood for a port in the settlement. She did it because it would get her a ride if she could fork over just enough credits for one while maybe looking worse for wear.
Deception. Not her favorite pastime.
But it worked. Her outgoing transport was a frigate called Rock Hopper, and it was heading core ward with stops planned along the way. Her ride would end on a planet she knew to be occupied by the resistance. She knew through their contacts where to find them. And find them she did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Let us do the hard stuff," The Resistance commander was eying her up, his blaster held across his chest while their ground transport bounced up and down, jostling those riding withing and giving the commander's voice a reverberating quality, "Stay back, and watch for the signal. If we need backup, you'll know."
Murra's head bobbed once, and then her attention was drawn out of the viewport next to her. It wasn't a viewport, exactly, but a small break in the transports armor that the wind of their quick pace whistled through. It wasn't large enough to let much more than that in. Just some wind and daylight. Beyond the transport, though, she knew the world they were traveling across. The rocky terrain, the civilization. Where else would someone decide they were going to hole up and hide away from the Empire? The problem with that thinking was that it was the perfect place to start looking.
"At your ready!" She barely heard the commander's voice, just as she barely heard the sounds of those within the transport giving their equipment one final check. Their destination was growing closer, and all she could hear was a whisper within The Force that something was waiting ahead of them. It was more than battle, deeper than bloodshed and death. It made her tremble. She could feel her shoulders shaking ever so slightly. It wasn't anticipation.
"Hey kid," The sound of gloved fingers slipping against each other wasn't enough to pull her away from what she was sensing, "Yo, Jedi!" The commander had gotten in as close as he could and yelled into her ear while waving that same gloved hand in front of her face, "You okay in there?"
The movement caused her to blink, a nod setting in half a second later when she tore her eyes away from that little fracture in the transport's armor to look up at the commander. He looked skeptical. She was young, and looked pretty green. What did he know of Force Wizards and their ways besides what the holos had told him? But, still, she'd been assigned. He hoped to the ninth level that he and his men weren't going to regret bringing someone like her along.
Let them do their jobs.
"Yes," she answered, realizing he was still waiting for confirmation from her, "I'm fine." a glance around the transport told her that final preparations had been seen to within the past few moments.
"Good, 'cause we're almost there." He turned his attention back toward the resistance fighters with them, "Word from the front isn't good so be prepared. Find cover as soon as you're out of the transport, and let them come to us." His reminder got a chorus of acknowledgement from the fighters around them with Murra adding her voice in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Not long ago she'd been in a transport with Jedi Master Crest DuBonte. That one hadn't been armed, and it hadn't been on a battlefield. It had been in a populated settlement, one that hadn't been occupied by the Empire until after they had gotten there. The transport had been their ride away, a quick escape to a smaller settlement they had heard was too far under the Empire's radar to be a concern. That was when she had met Inquisitorious. Boarding checks and ident cards had been ordered, the transport detained for what they called 'routine passenger checks'. What it was, what they were looking for, was exactly what the Inquisitor found. In the unloading of the transport she and Crest had slipped away, but they hadn't gone unnoticed. They were followed, and forced to split up in hopes of using the settlement's winding walkways to throw off their pursuers.
Murra had made it to the edge of the settlement, DuBonte had managed to lose his pursuers and backtracked to find her. He found her alright, just as she was crossing lightsabers with the darkly robed figure. She held her own, and he was proud of her for that. But Inquisitors are relentless, and it was only going to be a matter of time before he found a weak spot he could take advantage of. She was no expert with her lightsaber, not yet. One day, Crest was fond of telling her, that would be different. She just had to keep practicing, she had to keep honing her speed because that was where her strength was.
Right then, they needed speed of a different sort so he stepped forward and intercepted the blade of the Inquisitor against his own. "Go." He hissed at his Padawan, catching the Brother's attention. "I'll catch up!"
Her reluctance was evident, but that was an order and it was taken cleanly with Murra turning on a skip and dashing for the wilds beyond the settlement.
Crest found her some hours later hiding within the shadow of a desert rock outcropping, wanting for water, wanting for food. Wanting for the knowledge that he was alright. And he was, but for the wound he had taken during the fight with the Inquisitor. It wasn't bad, but it was ugly and it hurt like the ninth level of Corellia's hells.
The parting words from Master DuBonte still settled heavily with her, echoing in her ears during the quieter moments of her journey. It wasn't as easy as leaving the caves, and hopping into a ship. Where they had hidden themselves, a ship would have given their position away. She had to trek, weaving her way through dense forests, and across a river deep as her thighs, to reach the nearest settlement. These people had no idea that she and Crest were out there, so close and yet so far. That was by design.
The stories of Jedi were dwindling and had been for a very long time now. Crest had often told her tales of how grand The Jedi Order had been at one time, stories of magnificent temples that dotted worlds like Coruscant, and times when the Jedi were such a presence in the galaxy that all you had to do was open your eyes and you'd find yourself looking at one. Those days were long past, their numbers having slipped away like sands in an hourglass. Like those sands, there were Jedi that remained but they were too few in number. They were too scattered within the galaxy to be much of a presence anywhere. They were too hunted to be out in the open as they had been at one time.
That was why she had carried her lightsaber in the bag that she had slung over her shoulder. DuBonte had made sure she understood the need to protect herself while out there, away from their caves. There were far too few of them for anything like open carrying while Inquisitorious was still thriving. So Murra was just like anyone else that stumbled into the settlement, having gotten lost out in the forest while trying to cross the terrain. She made herself dirty, she made herself look harrowed by the journey. She made herself sound grateful for whatever little bowl of broth and bread that could be scrounged on the measly credits she had with her. She did it because that is what would get her close enough to what stood for a port in the settlement. She did it because it would get her a ride if she could fork over just enough credits for one while maybe looking worse for wear.
Deception. Not her favorite pastime.
But it worked. Her outgoing transport was a frigate called Rock Hopper, and it was heading core ward with stops planned along the way. Her ride would end on a planet she knew to be occupied by the resistance. She knew through their contacts where to find them. And find them she did.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Let us do the hard stuff," The Resistance commander was eying her up, his blaster held across his chest while their ground transport bounced up and down, jostling those riding withing and giving the commander's voice a reverberating quality, "Stay back, and watch for the signal. If we need backup, you'll know."
Murra's head bobbed once, and then her attention was drawn out of the viewport next to her. It wasn't a viewport, exactly, but a small break in the transports armor that the wind of their quick pace whistled through. It wasn't large enough to let much more than that in. Just some wind and daylight. Beyond the transport, though, she knew the world they were traveling across. The rocky terrain, the civilization. Where else would someone decide they were going to hole up and hide away from the Empire? The problem with that thinking was that it was the perfect place to start looking.
"At your ready!" She barely heard the commander's voice, just as she barely heard the sounds of those within the transport giving their equipment one final check. Their destination was growing closer, and all she could hear was a whisper within The Force that something was waiting ahead of them. It was more than battle, deeper than bloodshed and death. It made her tremble. She could feel her shoulders shaking ever so slightly. It wasn't anticipation.
"Hey kid," The sound of gloved fingers slipping against each other wasn't enough to pull her away from what she was sensing, "Yo, Jedi!" The commander had gotten in as close as he could and yelled into her ear while waving that same gloved hand in front of her face, "You okay in there?"
The movement caused her to blink, a nod setting in half a second later when she tore her eyes away from that little fracture in the transport's armor to look up at the commander. He looked skeptical. She was young, and looked pretty green. What did he know of Force Wizards and their ways besides what the holos had told him? But, still, she'd been assigned. He hoped to the ninth level that he and his men weren't going to regret bringing someone like her along.
Let them do their jobs.
"Yes," she answered, realizing he was still waiting for confirmation from her, "I'm fine." a glance around the transport told her that final preparations had been seen to within the past few moments.
"Good, 'cause we're almost there." He turned his attention back toward the resistance fighters with them, "Word from the front isn't good so be prepared. Find cover as soon as you're out of the transport, and let them come to us." His reminder got a chorus of acknowledgement from the fighters around them with Murra adding her voice in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Not long ago she'd been in a transport with Jedi Master Crest DuBonte. That one hadn't been armed, and it hadn't been on a battlefield. It had been in a populated settlement, one that hadn't been occupied by the Empire until after they had gotten there. The transport had been their ride away, a quick escape to a smaller settlement they had heard was too far under the Empire's radar to be a concern. That was when she had met Inquisitorious. Boarding checks and ident cards had been ordered, the transport detained for what they called 'routine passenger checks'. What it was, what they were looking for, was exactly what the Inquisitor found. In the unloading of the transport she and Crest had slipped away, but they hadn't gone unnoticed. They were followed, and forced to split up in hopes of using the settlement's winding walkways to throw off their pursuers.
Murra had made it to the edge of the settlement, DuBonte had managed to lose his pursuers and backtracked to find her. He found her alright, just as she was crossing lightsabers with the darkly robed figure. She held her own, and he was proud of her for that. But Inquisitors are relentless, and it was only going to be a matter of time before he found a weak spot he could take advantage of. She was no expert with her lightsaber, not yet. One day, Crest was fond of telling her, that would be different. She just had to keep practicing, she had to keep honing her speed because that was where her strength was.
Right then, they needed speed of a different sort so he stepped forward and intercepted the blade of the Inquisitor against his own. "Go." He hissed at his Padawan, catching the Brother's attention. "I'll catch up!"
Her reluctance was evident, but that was an order and it was taken cleanly with Murra turning on a skip and dashing for the wilds beyond the settlement.
Crest found her some hours later hiding within the shadow of a desert rock outcropping, wanting for water, wanting for food. Wanting for the knowledge that he was alright. And he was, but for the wound he had taken during the fight with the Inquisitor. It wasn't bad, but it was ugly and it hurt like the ninth level of Corellia's hells.