Chapter 13: Fire From Above
The stars snapped back into view as they dropped out of hyperspace, Rakata Prime visible in front of them against the backdrop of inky blackness. From what she had read, Rakata Prime had been home to one of the first galactic civilizations, the aptly named Rakata, who had ruled over much of the galaxy in times long past. As with most dynasties, the Rakata’s rule, the Infinite Empire as they called it, fell, and Rakata Prime became nothing more than a tropical planet covered with the ruins of an ancient power. There were still a small number of Rakatans throughout the galaxy, but the vast majority of them had been wiped out during the collapse. Why Nadia and the rest of the team were currently here, hovering on the edge of the atmosphere waiting for contact from Kayora, was beyond her.
Time stretched on as the four of them stood in the cockpit, growing restless at the lack of direction. Surely Kayora had already arrived, given that it had taken a bit for Nadia to round up the rest of the crew to leave Manaan. Her thoughts jumped to and fro, ping-ponging between worry for her master and certainty that she could handle whatever situation she happened to be in. Calling upon her training, Nadia attempted to calm her mind, reasoning that now was as good a time as any to get some meditation in.
Finally, the communications system lit up, signaling an incoming call. Felix quickly allowed the call through, and they all let out a sigh of relief as Kayora’s figure flickered into being. She looked weary, and fairly battle-worn, but still had that unwavering look of determination in her eyes. There was a loud sound, and she ducked her head as a shard of something flew past her, passing into and out of frame quickly.
“I’m glad you made it,” she stated plainly. “I don’t have an abundance of time, so I will keep this brief. We’ve discovered that key members of the Republic and Empire are working together on behalf of a third unknown faction in an attempt to become the ruling power in the galaxy.” Another explosion off screen had Kayora stumbling slightly, but she regained her balance and threw a glance to the left, grimacing. “Vera and I, as well as Jakarro the Wookiee, are assaulting the stronghold that two of the leaders of this faction are currently located at: Darth Arkous and Colonel Rian Darok.” Nadia heard a sharp intake of breath from Felix, and she understood why. Colonel Darok was a highly respected officer in the Republic, and had also been the commanding officer in the Korriban raid. If someone with that much influence and power was working against the Republic, there was no telling how far this web went.
“I need you to get to the stronghold,” Kayora said, but then was interrupted by a blaster bolt flying past. Instantly her lightsaber was ignited, and after deflecting several more shots, she threw her saber in the direction that the bolts were coming from. There was a scream, and then Kayora’s weapon was back in her hand. Lowering it to her side, but keeping it activated, she turned back to address her crew. “I expect I will need transport once we take care of Arkous and Darok. We’ve detected several systems on the roof of the stronghold that we need to investigate, so that’s where I’ll be when I’m finished. There shouldn’t be much in terms of anti-air defenses, but stay alert. I’ll see you soon.” Kayora’s eyes seemed to zero in on Nadia, and then the transmission cut out.
With no reason to wait any longer, Felix engaged the thrusters and they all held on as the Star of Ryloth rushed toward the planet.
—
If they had been there under any other circumstances, Nadia would’ve admired the scenery. It truly was a lush tropical paradise, with dense patches of vegetation giving way to sandy beaches and ocean inlets, where the water was blue and clear. Even the various structures that could be seen dotting the landscape gave it a mystical vibe, with most of the architecture crumbling and succumbing to the persistent growth of nature. Drawing closer to the stronghold Kayora had directed them to, they were able to see evidence of the combat the Jedi had been a part of. Various fires were burning, and some of the more open areas allowed them to make out bodies strewn about the ground.
“She really doesn’t mess around, does she?” Zenith murmured, as they soared over a handful of casualties that had undoubtedly been struck down by a lightsaber blade.
The need to defend her master’s actions bubbled to the surface at Zenith’s callous observation. “I’m certain that they didn’t give her a choice,” Nadia blurted out somewhat brashly. “Master T’ven always tries to find a peaceful solution before resorting to violence.”
“Easy now, I wasn’t commenting on her morals,” Zenith responded. “I was just complimenting her combat skills.”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed at her sudden outburst, Nadia swallowed awkwardly and gave a stiff nod. They all knew Kayora’s preference to avoid bloodshed, and Kayora certainly didn’t need Nadia to come to her defense even if it wasn’t known. The more Kayora and Nadia spent time together, the stronger Nadia’s urge to protect her master grew. She sighed, wondering if this was one of the reasons the Jedi Order wasn’t outwardly supportive of Jedi having relationships. It was definitely something she was going to have to work on, and most likely talk with her master about.
The ship crested a small hill and the stronghold loomed in front of them, towering over the surrounding area. Felix angled their trajectory upward, and as the structure drew closer, they rose above it, now able to see down onto the roof. Flashes of light caught their attention, and upon closer inspection they were able to make out five figures on the rooftop, locked in a vicious battle. Nadia easily picked out Kayora, finding her pale green lightsaber clashing against a competing red one, which must belong to Darth Arkous. A hail of blaster bolts sent Kayora diving to the side, rolling out of harm’s way.
“Is there anything we can do to help?” asked Nadia, unable to tear her eyes away from the combat in front of them.
“They’re all too close to be able to provide any support,” answered Felix. He’d brought the Star of Ryloth to a standstill, hovering close enough that they could observe the action on the roof, but far enough away to be out of range of any attacks. “The cannons on this ship have a big impact radius; there’s no way I’d be able to do any damage to our foes without hitting our allies with the splash.” The four of them on the bridge continued to watch, the feeling somewhat surreal, as if they were viewing a film, but taking place in real time. An errant explosion knocked Kayora to the ground, but several well placed sniper shots from Vera kept Arkous from pressing the attack. The seconds stretched on agonizingly slow, and the tension in the cockpit had grown to uncomfortable levels. Then Darok made a mistake: he pivoted to engage Jakarro, but lost visual on Vera who had managed to circle around behind him. The extended window in which she was left alone allowed her to fire an overcharged blast, hitting the colonel right between the shoulder blades. His personal energy shield didn’t have enough charge remaining to absorb the shot, and the energy bolt tore through Darok’s back and burst out of his chestplate, leaving a smoldering hole. As he dropped to one knee, they saw Arkous whip his head around and let out a yell, only to be cut off by Kayora’s blade slicing through his torso, the consequences for taking his eyes off his opponent even for a moment.
The crew on the bridge let out a cheer, and they watched the three remaining figures walking toward one of the large consoles that was at the edge of the roof.
“Hopefully they find something to help us combat this threat,” Felix said, hands resting lightly on the control yoke. “I can’t imagine trying to root out every traitor in the Republic and the Empire without some sort of direction.”
A flash of light distracted them and pulled their attention back to the center of the roof. A large hologram had manifested, and appeared to be conversing with Kayora and Vera. “Any idea who that guy is?” inquired Tharan, looking around at the others. None of them had any idea, and since they couldn’t hear the conversation, they’d have to wait until Kayora was able to fill them in.
“Should I start moving in? It looks like they’re close to done.” Felix looked like he was getting antsy just sitting and waiting.
Nadia rolled her eyes. She was impatient too, but they had their orders. “No, just wait until-“ A sudden shadow covered the entire stronghold, stopping her short. In unison, they all looked up and saw an enormous battlecruiser hovering above the structure.
“It must have just dropped out of hyperspace!” exclaimed Felix. The destroyer was significantly higher than they were, but its sheer size made it intimidating even from such a distance.
“So, do we think it’s friendly, or … ?”
Zenith scoffed at Tharan’s question. “If a massive warship drops unexpectedly appears at your location, it is never friendly.”
The comm crackled to life, and they heard Kayora’s voice calling through. “I’m going to need a pick-up, immediately.” Returning their focus to the roof of the fortress, they saw the three figures sprinting, though all in different directions. Another ship was fast approaching the structure, which they guessed was Vera’s, judging by the fact it was moving in the same direction she was running. The wookiee was high-tailing it back to the elevator that they arrived in, apparently deciding that it was a better option than leaping aboard either of the nearby vessels. Kayora was heading their direction, and Nadia spun around, dashing out of the cockpit.
“Get it close and lower the landing ramp!” she shouted over her shoulder, vaulting the railing to land at the bottom of the stairs that led to the aforementioned ramp. As she slapped a hand on the door control, she felt more than heard an explosion that rocked the ship. Flailing her arms to catch herself, the door opened and the vision beyond it sent a shock of terror through Nadia. The battleship had apparently decided to open fire on the stronghold, lasers from cannon batteries peppering the structure like rain. Dust and chunks of stone and metal flew through the air with reckless abandon, and another explosion was so close Nadia had to shield her eyes. Carefully, she stepped out onto the boarding ramp, realizing that one wrong move and she’d go plummeting down into the forest below. Grabbing one of the ramp struts for support, she watched as Kayora darted across the roof, getting ever closer as she continued to dodge turbolaser fire. The barrage was unrelenting, and Nadia swayed as the ship moved a little bit further away from the building. Kayora would easily be able to make the jump with the Force to help her, but Nadia understood why Jakarro had opted for the elevator. She only hoped that he made it down before the entire fortress collapsed.
Kayora was nearly to the edge of the roof. Nadia could see her pushing herself, gearing up for that extended leap she’d need to make to cross the gap. A handful of steps, and then she was at the edge. Pushing off with both feet, Nadia could see the power, the jump amplified as her master left the ground and soared through the air. Another laser blast struck the rooftop where Kayora had just been, and Nadia watched as the shockwave rippled out, striking Kayora and knocking her trajectory to the side. Time slowed to a crawl as Nadia saw the realization dawn in Kayora’s eyes: she was no longer going to reach the ramp. Refusing to accept that fact, Nadia let go of the strut and reached out with both hands, pouring all of her affinity into this one action. She yelled out in defiance as she felt physics attempt to overwhelm her, but then she found the connection to the Force and pulled with all her might. As if she had been caught by a hook, Kayora twisted in midair, shooting toward Nadia in an unnatural arc. As she drew her master to her with the Force, Nadia at least had the presence of mind to take a few steps backward and align herself with the door to the ship. Kayora’s body hit her with a solid amount of momentum, knocking both of them through the door and onto the stairs. Nadia felt her head impact one of the steps and her vision immediately went blurry, pain lancing through her skull.
She was barely able to hear Felix yelling something, but heard Kayora shout back, and suddenly the door slid shut and the sound of explosions was muffled. The ringing slowly fading from her ears, Nadia felt the ship moving, and slowly opened her eyes to see Kayora’s face above her. Quickly she noticed that Kayora was practically laying on top of her, the weight of her body pinning Nadia to the stairs, which were beginning to be very uncomfortable, though Nadia wasn’t really aware of that. What she was aware of was the emotion in Kayora’s eyes, everything from concern to relief to happiness. The purple eyes became glossy with unshed tears, and then Kayora was lunging forward, closing the distance between them and capturing Nadia’s mouth in a passionate, primal kiss. Head still slightly pounding, Nadia let her hands run up Kayora’s back, grabbing her shoulders and pulling her close. As quick as it had happened, Kayora pulled back, Nadia letting out a small whine and leaning up to chase her. As she looked into her master’s eyes again, this time she saw nothing but pure desire. Nadia’s throat went dry as she lay there, watching Kayora stare at her with unbridled need before pushing herself to her feet. Kayora held out a hand, and upon grabbing it Nadia was yanked to her feet as well, falling somewhat into the Twi’lek’s arms. Lacing their fingers together, Kayora practically dragged Nadia up the stairs and toward her room. Nadia saw the others emerging from the cockpit and immediately stopping short, letting the two women sweep past.
“Chart a course for wherever you want to go,” Kayora said to the group, not even looking in their direction. “If Theron calls, tell him I’m unavailable.” With that, Kayora led Nadia into her chambers and closed the door.
