STAR WARS/PREDATOR: DARK APPRENTICE SAGA (PART NINE)

Successfully completing his Trial of the Spirit and defeating the spectre of the Dark Side, Xol had now emerged, reborn in the Force as a Jedi Master.

Upon his return to Sandcrawler One, Master Kuro began training him in her alternative ways of the Force for their upcoming assault on Yavin 4. Almost a year is spent preparing in the harsh jungle wilderness of Kashyyyk.

In that time, Xol became better acquainted with the variety of races at the camp including the native Wookiees. His many hunts with them have made him once again feel Yautja.

However, in all this peace, he understands that his time now is the calm before the impending storm. He must do what is necessary to ensure that he is ready to face the challenges that lay ahead.

For if he does not, he will fail and the galaxy will plunge into darkness from which there is no escape.

It is morning in the rebel encampment, and Xol is awoken by the chattering of tiny voices from beyond his thatch hut’s front door. In a fog, he steps out of bed and in one swift motion, throws the door open and playfully roars at the figures standing outside. The dozen camp children freeze in childish terror, then scream and run off down the beaten path toward the beach.

This is the fourth time they have lurked outside his doorway hoping to steal a glimpse of him while he rests. Amongst the young ones, he has become something of a hero, a strange alien that will single handedly defeat the Empire. He does not discourage their stories as they seem to bring them joy, especially among the woklings.

He smiles to himself as he watches them run, and then quickly turn to play once they reach the water. With a yawn, he closes the door and turns to where his belongings are set out, however waiting for him, standing only to his knee is a young Gungan male in white Jedi training robes. The child has in his outstretched arms, Xol’s own robes folded neatly and his lightsaber resting atop them.

“Jedi initiate Lee-po, why have you entered my chamber unannounced?” the Yautja says, displeased.

“Meesa sorry Master Xol, I just’an needin to being talkin’ to yousa, oober bad!” the youth explains with fearful excitement.

“Could this not have waited young one until after morning lessons with Master Yoda?”

“No, meesa sorry, but, I cannot be waitin’ that long.”

“Very well young one, tell me of your troubles, I sense you have great confusion and fear within you. Speak to me and let go of those feelings.”

“Well, it’s a being embarrassing. Other Gungans mockin’ Lee-po, laughing at meesa, it makin’ me so angry, I want to be hurting them.”

“Lee-po, you are young, others will try and goad you into becoming angry. As a Jedi we must take control of our anger like we would a wild Gundark. It will always be difficult, but in the end, Master Yoda teaches us that the living Force will prevail over any of the elements of the Dark Side, including anger. Now tell me, why do the other Gungans make comments that bring you to this dark place?”

“Likin’ meesa said master, its being embarrassing.”

“I am not like the others, I will not make any hasty judgments nor make light of your misery. You are safe here.”

“Okee-day, Lee-po being scaredy of the water. I know meesa Gungan, weesa be living under the water! But, I get a-scared every time meesa having to be swimming. I tink that Master Yoda bein’ throwin’ me out of Jedi soon, if’n meesa don’t getting da help.”

Once Leepo fully explains, he sets down Xol’s belongings on the bed, then covers his face with his floppy, ear-like haillu and begins to cry. His sobbing continues for a few moments before Xol kneels down in front of him and pats the young Jedi on his shoulder.

“Do not cry youngling,” Xol says as he brushes the boy’s haillu away from his face. “Fear is part of the Force, however, it can lead down the path of the Dark Side, and so we as Jedi need to control our fears, master them or they will becomes our masters. Master Yoda will not have you removed from the Jedi Order simply because you have fear, he will teach you to cope with it, as he did with me.”

“Yousa being afraid of somethin’ Master Xol? Meesa tinkin’ not, yousa bein’ the greatest Jedi that ever was!”

“Thank you Lee-po but, yes I too was afraid, and Master Yoda showed me the way to conquer my fears. Great Jedi are those who know fear and yet face it head on, never letting it take control. Do you understand what I am telling you young one?”

“Yes, master, I understand,” the young Gungan says, his head down in shame.

“As I said, you have no fear as long as you are a Jedi, you should be proud that you were courageous and wise enough to seek my wisdom so that you may overcome this obstacle.”

“Meesa guess.”

“Guess all you like Lee-po, I know, trust your master. I tell you what, it was an especially warm evening last night and I would like to indulge in a swim. Perhaps, you would honor a Master Jedi with some instruction on how to do so, in turn, I shall teach you to overcome your fear of the water. Does this sound reasonable?”

“Yes’n of course, master. Meesa tank you and meesa tinkin’ it be loverly honors for me to show yousa how to be swimmin’ like da Gungans!”

With a bounce in his step, Lee-po accompanies Xol to the beach where they indulge in an early morning plunge. The cooling still waters of the early morning dance with light under their surface from the Gungan village hidden there, its inhabitants darting back and forth between bubble shaped buildings. After a couple hours of swimming with Lee-po, the pair exits the water, walking up onto the ashy, sugar sand of the beach. As it warms him, Xol crunches his clawed toes into it letting the smooth grains glide in between them. A group of Mon Calamari greet them as they pass by, to which they return their salutation before donning their robes and fastening their lightsabers to their belts. Lee-po, nods in thanks and quickly runs off toward the grove of trees where Master Yoda conducts his morning practice for Padawans and younglings. Xol laughs to himself as he notices the boy change direction realizing that he had unknowingly taken the wrong path.

The Yautja still a little damp from his swim makes his way to Sandcrawler One walking through the tall green, brown, and orange grasses of the clearing. Above he can see the activity of the canopy, Wookiee Oevvaor catamarans flit back and forth like pollinating insects, while dull grey Alliance transports remain fixed, being loaded with equipment and supplies for the upcoming assault on Yavin 4.

As he nears the Sandcrawler, He can see Master Kuro and her class of Jedi knights out front, all training in lightsaber forms and stances. With each number Kuro counts off, each student assumes an identical pose to the one she is displaying. Once Xol is closer, the white haired Jedi Master stops her class and instructs them all to sheath their weapons. As each student retracts their lightsaber, they sit on mats that lie beneath their feet patiently for the Yautja Jedi to take his place next to Master Kuro. As soon as Xol stands next to her, she dismisses her class and tells them to reconvene the following morning. Now turning her attention to her fellow master, she greets him by patting his shoulder and ushers him inside.

Once inside, Kuro sits him down at a table with her, offering him a chair, she opens a bottle of Corellian ale and pours a small amount into two waiting tumblers.

“We have been through a lot these past few months, have we not Xol?” Kuro says, tossing white hair from her face as she talks.

“Yes Anya, we have, and you have taught me much, one master to another, despite your initial hesitation.”

“Naturally I was hesitant. I was supposed to just believe that the Force guided spirit of Tyvokka had not only rescued you entirely from the Dark Side but that also you were to be promoted to Master Jedi almost instantly. Were it not for Master Yoda’s own discussion with Tyvokka I never would have believed you.”

“I am very fortunate you did, your gifts are unique within the Jedi Order and they will greatly benefit me on my quest.”

“Oh, there you go getting all holocron on me again. My gifts, as you so call them, are nothing in comparison to the proficiency in which you wield the Force. All I did was provide you with training, nothing else, had I done the same thing for Skywalker back before the Purge, we probably wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“We have discussed at length why that frame of mind is never good. You are no longer the infamous Dark Woman of the Jedi Order. You are Anya Kuro, a well-respected Master Jedi, and my friend.”

“Thanks sweet tusks, but I think it will take a little more ale and a couple games of Dejarik with you before I start buying into any of that.”

“How about we skip the ale, but as for the games, I say you are on.”

“Got room for one more?” A voice says from the doorway. “How about a little Sabacc though, Dejarik’s for overgrown aliens that go around calling themselves Jedi.”

The voice is like a vague childhood memory for Xol. Curious, he turns toward the door and says, “Dex, is that you?”

“According to ol’ fish face, its Commander Kamino now, under the command of a one Jedi General Xol for the future operations in the Yavin system.”

Excited, Xol moves to embrace his friend and with a tremendous hug, lifts him off the ground in joy. Once the Yautja puts him down, Dex removes his helmet and smiles wide from his own happiness.

“Dex, I thought for sure the Empire had found you.” The hulking Jedi exclaims.

“Almost did, evaded every blockade for seven systems before Garbee told me a safe place to go.”

“Who’s Garbee?”

“Oh, that’s what I call him, you remember that Wookiee slave Orlo the Hutt sold us? Well, it turns out he’s hairball royalty. He’s even one of the generals in the upcoming attack, Chief Berserker Garbacca or something like that.”

“I had thought he looked familiar when I met him. I am surprised he didn’t say anything.”

“He doesn’t like to tell anyone about his time as a Hutt slave. Needless to say, Orlo better watch his slimy backside for the rest of his natural life. As for Typ, Wompit and I, we’ve been doing secret operations for this new Rebel Alliance ever since we hooked up with them here on Kashyyyk.”

“Okay, what exactly is a Wompit?”

“Wompit’s the name Typ and I came up with for that Mantellian Savrip we got same time as him and Garbee.”

“Understood Dex, but why Wompit?”

“It’s what we ask him to do to doors and walls all the time, sometimes the occasional Stormtrooper. He really seemed to like it so we named him that. Savrips are not nearly as stupid as people make them out to be you know.”

“It’s really good to see you again 1165 with all that’s happened, it is good to know that some things can remain the same.”

“I hear you big guy, I was horrified to hear about your imprisonment, but hey, why do you think I came along for the assignment with Master Kuro, because of me, the Rebellion has full schematics of all the Death Star battle stations.”

“You were the secret operative?”

“If you ask me, he wasn’t that secretive at all, we barely got out of there before they had scrambled a pursuit force.” Kuro says from behind them as she pours a third glass of ale and begins to set up the Dejarik board. “Now, both of you, come sit down, we can catch up on old times together over a couple games.”

Without a word spoken, the two sit down at the table and with a toast, all three begin to reminisce and talk of each others journeys over the nearly six years since they last saw each other. The stories and revelry continue long into the night until their amusement is interrupted by an incoming transmission on Kuro’s HoloNet transceiver. With a flick of a switch on the Dejarik game table by Anya, the holographic game pieces disappear and in their place is a projection of an Alliance soldier with a band of Ewoks standing behind him, jumping over one another to see the camera.

“Master’s Xol and Kuro, this is Echo-5, scouts have encountered something, possibly Imperial, I can’t be certain,” the young trooper yells attempting to speak over the Ewoks. “My Ewokese is not very good and our protocol droid is still in repairs with the Jawas. It might just be nothing, but you asked to be contacted should anything Imperial be detected.”

“Thank you corporal, we shall make our way to you as soon as we can,” Kuro responds before ending the transmission. She turns to the other two seated at the table, “Master Xol. You and I will use speeder bikes to proceed to Echo-5’s location to investigate. Commander Dex, round up a squad and meet us there in your ship. Should this turn out to be anything than a false alarm, we will be prepared. You have your assignments, may the Force be with you both.”

“You as well Generals,” Dex replies as he salutes before securing his helmet.

As Dex exits Sandcrawler One and boards a Flash landspeeder parked outside and jets off toward the tree line. The two Jedi are soon to follow but run in the opposite direction towards Sandcrawler Two, where the Alliance keeps any vehicles not in use. Kuro and Xol requisition two speeder bikes from the hodgepodge of those available. The Alliance has had to make due with mostly scrap vehicles on Kashyyyk retrofitted by Jawa and Wookiee technicians to accommodate the various races of the camp. Anya is issued a dilapidated 74-Z speeder bike, while Xol must resort to riding a STAP due to his size and a lack of the larger model Wookiee Hummbikes in service. The pair speeds away from Sandcrawler Two at breakneck speed in the direction of Echo-5.

Xol never liked STAPs; he felt standing while going this fast without as much as a transparisteel windshield to protect you from flying off was lunacy. This thought certainly crossed his mind as they got into the forest labyrinth of Kashyyyk’s wroshyr trees. These hulking starship sized wooden behemoths flashed past in a brownish-green blur as they made their way to their final destination.

Xol arrives at Echo-5’s transmission point first; he always was on point when traversing the forest due to his keen eyesight in the darkness of the undergrowth. As he slows his STAP, he can see black smoke and bodies in a nearby fern covered clearing, one human, the rest, Ewok.

As Xol hops off his speeder bike and ignites his lightsaber, Master Kuro arrives and with an acrobatic leap she flies through the air and lands next to the Yautja, deploying her lightsaber as well. The two Jedi, walk cautiously through the tall brush, scanning their surroundings for any disturbances or enemies waiting in ambush. As they come closer to the site of the carnage, they can confirm that the dead human is the young corporal at Echo-5. Xol feels great sadness at the sight of the dead warriors but also, the fact that he did not know the young man’s name. Even in such a small encampment, sometimes there are still strangers among the enlisted forces, no names, just ranks, serial number and call signs.

From a nearby cluster of ferns, movement can be seen heading in their direction. Unsure whether it is an enemy or an ally or even just a native Kashyyyk beast, Xol stealthily moves to the right flank of it and waits for it to pass by him. As he expected it does, but as it does, he catches a whiff of its scent. He smells Ewok blood, unsure if it is a wounded Ewok or something that killed one, he approaches the movement carefully. With a tremendous leap he springs overtop it to land directly in its path. Upon his landing he scatters some of the more delicate fauna revealing beneath it a very scared Ewok scout. His dark fur and primitive spear are caked in drying red blood, some of it his. Due to his grievous wounds, the small warrior uses his weapon as a makeshift crutch to walk over to Xol.

“What happened here, small one?” The concerned Yautja says as he kneels in front of him.

The Ewok barely able to speak utters just three words before collapsing at the Jedi’s feet, “Ehda shetai dengar.”

Xol watches as the small warrior at his feet, closes his eyes and exhales one last time. The Yautja lays the spear next to the body and folds the little warrior’s arms over his chest before standing up. His shoulders slumped in sadness; he retracts his blade and turns back toward Master Kuro. As he walks back toward her, she yells out to him.

“What was it?” she says.

“Ewok scout. He was pretty badly wounded and died soon after speaking a few words.”

“What did he say?”

“I’ve hunted with them enough to become an honorary member of the tribe, so my Ewokese is pretty good. He said ‘evil warrior attack’. It’s a way in which they describe Stormtroopers.”

“So, the Empire was here? They didn’t leave any signs whatsoever.”

“That seems to be their intent, that scout had taken a couple with him, the Imperials must have grabbed their dead and got out of here just before we showed up.”

“They failed to hide their presence entirely, Echo-5 managed to get the word out to us.”

“That’s not an oversight, they meant for that to happen. Somehow they knew that we would be called out to investigate. They purposely lured two senior Jedi away from the camp.”

“For what reason Xol? To spring a trap on us?”

“No, Master Kuro. If they wanted to spring a trap, I think they would have done it by now. I think they intend an assault on the camp and wanted to make sure we weren’t there when it was executed.”

“Well then let’s go, we have to go back to the base, Master Yoda will be caught off guard.”

As they both begin to board their speeders, a rush of air project downward into the fern covered clearing scattering the plant life in all directions. Seconds later, Dex’s Wayfarer transport lands and lowers its gangway. Dex runs down to the end and waves the Jedi duo over to him. Whirling their speeders around, they pull up next to the vessel.

“DX-1165, we must hurry. There is no time for explanation,” Xol yells, his voice nearly drowned out by the combined roar of the transport engines as well as the speeders.

“I know already big guy,” Dex replies. “The Empire found us out, they are making a move on the camp, and they have elite troops swarming through the bush as we speak. It would be suicide by speeder; I should be able to fly you in there though with their air support is pretty lousy with the canopy being so dense!”

Without another word, the three board the ship, bringing their speeders aboard as well. With a surge of air, the engines of the Wayfarer fire up and propel the vessel high up above the canopy and forward toward the camp.

It may have been more than five years, but being aboard the ship, brings Xol back to a different time. As he and Kuro lock their speeders into place in the open cargo bay, the Yautja notices his trophy wall is still up, relatively untouched. Walking over to it, he runs his clawed fingers along the surface of one of the skulls. He remembers how he came to have it, the anger he once felt, and the sort of materialistic notions he used to associate with them. He is compelled to pull it down but, he can’t. It is one of the few remaining symbols of whom he is and where he comes from. He knows for sure as a Jedi, he will never add to it, nor will he ever base his achievements based solely on it. He will leave it where it is, for Dex to remember him by.

Leading Kuro through the hall to the pilot’s area he passes Typ, and Wompit, who, along with a dozen droids are attempting to prep Xol’s old Cutlass-9 patrol fighter for flight. As he and Anya reach the bridge, Xol pauses briefly to take in the surroundings. Unlike when it was just him and Dex, every station is manned and being operated. With the exception of Dex, they are all droids, made up entirely it seems of scrap parts.

“Don’t mind them,” Dex says from the central pilot’s chair. “Those are just my flight crew clankers. Typ made them for me a couple of years ago, come in real handy. Now, suit up and strap down, this is not going to be an easy trip. Xol, I have some gear set aside for you in your quarters. Hurry up and get it, we’ll be at the camp in less than ten.”

In haste, the Yautja rushes down the hall to his room. Upon opening the door, he sees something he never thought he would lay his eyes on again, his armor. Its surface still covered in the symbols of his former life, much like his skin still bears the tattoos from his training as a Dark Jedi. Symbols without the belief behind them, have no power he reminds himself as he dons his long lost family armor. With the hiss of the helmet breathing apparatus he feels a renewed sense of purpose, like his old life and his new one have reunited and now work towards a common goal.

With his cloak flowing behind him, Xol re-enters the pilot area and strap himself into an available seat. From out the forward viewport, he can see the rushing sea of green from the Kashyyyk forest below and up in the sky standing out in the cloudless night sky, is a pair of Star Destroyers orbiting the planet. The Empire has put Kashyyyk under blockade.

As they near the camp, a droid in the co-pilot station announces with static in its voice, “two minutes to drop point, Commander Kamino.”

“Copy that, P-3,” Dex acknowledges as he whirls his pilot chair around to face Xol and Master Kuro. “Alright, you better get moving, this is going to be a hot drop, you’ll deploy from the hangar area on your speeders, and we’ll land the ship any where we can so we can evac Master Yoda and as many other as we can fit in our cargo area. Wompit, the droids and I will cover you as best we can. Sound good, generals?”

“May the Force be with you commander,” Xol replies.

“You kidding me? I am Commander Dex Kamino; the Force loves me, sir.”

As they part ways, Xol takes one last look at Dex, his mind remembering the last time they separated and how long it had been before they reunited. Chasing the thoughts of despair and fear away, Xol takes Kuro again through the hall to the cargo bay where their speeders are waiting. By the time they reach the hangar, the loading bay doors begin to open and a rush of fast moving air fills the space. From outside, the sounds of battle can be heard. Red blaster fire crisscrossing the valley below, while explosions send tremors and smoke through the air. With a violent push forward, Xol and Master Kuro engage the throttle on their speeder bikes and propel themselves out the open bay door into the chaos that awaits them. The peaceful encampment they had left only an hour previous was a theatre of destruction; AT-ST walkers and Imperial speeders chasing down any who cross their path, while a white wave of Stormtroopers flood the villages and beachfront. Occasionally Sith knights can be seen engaging in combat against their Jedi equivalents, their red blades clashing against the training saber blue of their opponents.

Xol quickly loses sight of Kuro in the fray, undeterred though he races towards the central grove of trees where the command is and possibly Master Yoda. As Imperials enter his path he opens fire on them with the twin blasters mounted at the top of his vehicle, dodging their return fire with his Jedi reflexes.

As he nears the command, he notices it is surrounded by enemy troops, but out from the center is a closed, ever moving circular formation is Master Yoda, Garbacca and several heavily armed Wookiees. The distinct green bolts of their bowcasters carving a path through the opposition. Those Imperials foolish enough to get too close, are struck or flung violently by the roaring, battle ready, Wookiee soldiers.

Once Xol’s STAP is close enough, he abandons it, choosing to leap from it towards Master Yoda’s position allowing the vehicle to spin off and crash into the enemy troop formation. With a flash of red light, he ignites his lightsaber and begins attacking any Stormtroopers obstructing his path. With perfect technique, he cuts down troops all around him, occasionally the Force to push some out of his way or fling them aside. If he is fired upon, Xol deflects the bolts away from him and into his enemies with expert precision. Once he gets closer to Yoda, he yells out, “Master, there is a transport to evacuate you, we shall make our way to it now.”

“Those left behind, help them you must,” the elder Jedi responds. “Fight with you, I shall.”

“No master, not this time. You are far too important to the Alliance! You must escape this place.”

The sounds of the Wayfarer’s engines stand out from the other sounds of battle to the Yautja as Xol sees Dex maneuver the bulky craft close to the Jedi’s position. He lands the ship with the cargo bay already open, allowing Yoda and the Wookiee defenders to board quickly before taking off towards the command station in the canopy above.

Xol, now having accomplished his primary goal, looks around to see where he can lend aid all the while defending himself from the Stormtroopers on his heels. Scanning the battlefield, he can see utter turmoil at the hands of the Empire, scattered groups of Rebels fighting against an overpowering number of Imperial soldiers. Most have fled off into the tree line to evade the larger walkers and speeder bikes. One group near the Sandcrawlers catches his eye. It is a small group of Tuskens and Nelvaan protecting Jedi younglings including Lee-po. His small green training saber’s light making him stand out in the fog of war. The Tuskens armed mostly with slugthrowers and their Gaderffii sticks are being mowed down by a squad of Imperial soldiers. Lee-po, although not even a Padawan yet is proficiently blocking the blaster fire headed his way, though it does not reconnect with anything but the ground. The Yautja Jedi knows that they won’t last much longer without his aid and rushes to help them using the Force to increase his speed.

Just ahead of him approaching the group of Jedi children, dressed in his black Imperial robes is a Sith Lord. Clearly, he is the commanding officer of this particular group of Stormtroopers. In a quick, Force driven motion, the Sith rushes the Tuskens and slashes at them with his lightsaber, killing them all, leaving the younglings exposed. With no remorse he kicks the children aside, using short bursts of lightning on some to dispatch them quickly. Lee-po is unafraid as he jumps to the defense of the remaining children, his green saber drawn in front of him in a basic defense stance. Completely unphased by the gesture, the Sith commander swings at the boy, leveling a mighty overhead strike down at the young Jedi, crashing the red blade of his lightsaber against the dwarfed weapon of the youngling. The diminutive Gungan barely blocks the attack as it knocks him to the ground. Lee-po catches sight of Xol running towards him and a look of hope washes over his teary, stained, face. In his moment of distraction, the young Jedi’s fragile form is punctured by the searing blade of the Sith Lord’s lightsaber. He screams out “Help me, Master!” before his body ceases to move and lies still in the beaten tall grass of the valley.

Seeing this atrocity, Xol shouts, “No!” as he stills runs to wear the boy lay.

The Sith Lord directs his troop’s attention towards Xol, who now is making his way towards them so quickly; they cannot land a single shot. Abruptly, the Yautja ceases his speed increase and leaps forward, towards the Sith Lord, his weapons blazing red next to him as he flies through the air. As he lands he strikes against the Imperial commander, only to be blocked by his opponents saber. The two now locked against each others weapon, push against one another hoping to gain the upper hand.

“My name is Jedi Master Xol, Sith Lord and you will be brought to justice for what you have done here today.” Xol says angrily.

“For a Jedi, you sure do dress a lot like a Sith,” the commander replies in a smug tone. “You even have one of our red lightsabers. It seems to me you are on the wrong side.”

“The color of a blade nor the uniform one dresses in does not define their existence within the living Force. Now, surrender yourself and I will be merciful. Do not, and you will give me no other alternative than to kill you.”

“You don’t stand a chance, Jedi. I will never surrender to the likes of you, the Empire has won this day and there is nothing you can do to stop it or me.”

“As you wish Sith Lord. As you wish.”

With his offhand, Xol pushes his opponent back with the Force and while he is still reeling from that, the Yautja launches his lightsaber into the chest of the Sith Lord, effectively running him through. Without a moment’s hesitation, he returns the saber to his hands and begins to assault the group of awestruck, retreating Stormtroopers. With each swipe of his lightsaber, one of them dies and before long, all of them are dead. Xol can feel the rage clawing its way up inside him but he suppresses it, just as Yoda taught him, he was not going to cross the line from justice into revenge.

As the battle still rages around him, his concentration is broken by the sound of a small voice behind him. It is Lee-po and he is calling out once again for Xol. The Yautja, relieved to hear the younglings voice, races to where his body lies. The fragile little body lying there still has a gaping wound through its chest, a wound that the child will surely not survive. The other children that are still huddled there crying fearfully shy away as Xol approaches them. As the Jedi Master kneels next to Lee-po’s body, he begins to speak again.

“Master Xol,” the boy chokes. “Isa was bein da good Jedi’s huh?”

“Yes pupil, you protected the other children as any Jedi would,” Xol says, tears forming in his eyes. “Master’s Yoda, Kuro and I are very proud.”

“Master, Isa tryin’ to not being scaredy anymore, just like yousa teachin me, but, meesa scared of going to the Force.”

“You cannot be fearful, Lee-po. The living Force is like the water we swam in this morning. At first it can be scary, but soon after you realize, that it is calm and peaceful, a natural part of the world that should be embraced. Through the Force, I will always be with you and you always with me. Does that ease your mind at all youngling?”

As Xol finishes his sentence, he is surprised at what he sees. Lee-po is already gone, rejoined with the Force as all Jedi do, his physical form transcending this existence leaving only his dirty, scorched, Jedi tunic behind. This is a technique only known to the most senior Jedi. It's as if the Force took the young Gungan like a mother reuniting with a lost child.

Holding back his tears, he takes another look around the encampment. He sees only destruction and death, it seems the battle has left the vicinity and carried over into the tree line towards the command hidden in the canopy. He knows forest here, and much like all forest and jungles, they are his hunting ground. The place where he has the advantage and the Empire will not. It might be a fool’s errand, but if he does not try, the Alliance forces here will never be able to escape and make their assault on Yavin 4.

Before he sets out, he picks up some Stormtrooper blaster rifles and hands them to the younglings standing near him.
“Take these,” Xol says, as he hands the biggest children a blaster. “If any Imperial comes near you, you shoot them okay. Now, quickly. Run and hide in that Sandcrawler. You will be safe, I promise.”

Assured by his promise the younglings run towards the Sandcrawler and dart inside. Once they are safe, Xol picks up the Sith Lord’s lightsaber and runs off into the tree line, where the Alliance is fighting a nearly hopeless battle against the Empire. Will he get there in time to save them is the question he ask himself as he runs full force towards the edge of the clearing, into darkness unknown.

TO BE CONTINUED…