Stolen - part 15

Shara's eyes widen in surprise. She didn't remember taking a lightsabre crystal with her into exile. Then again, she didn't remember bringing half the stuff she had, and what's more, she hardly used a quarter of it.

"I can't believe I've got all this! I should have done a clear out years ago," she thought to herself, marvelling over the multitude of gizmos in her long abandoned pack.

She had taken as much as she could with her when she went into exile. It seemed a good idea at the time. But when she had decided to finally take residence on this world, she found that she didn't need any of it.

Shara smiled as she felt metal, cool and spherical, encased within her palm. She drew her arm out of the pack and opened her hand. Within her palm was a tiny sphere of machinery; she'd been looking for this.

She'd been looking for this ever since those Sith had taken that little girl. The kid had almost gotten away, once, until that perimeter guard ran after her. Shara had hoped that by shooting him with a dart, he'd release the kid and she'd be able to get her into the forest and safe. She hadn't expected him to fall over and nearly crush the poor girl.

Shaking her head, Shara focused on the sphere. It looked undamaged, but the only real way to know would be to switch it on; but she had no intention of doing that, just yet. She needed to find a transport for the little machine. She needed to find a woolamander.

She had always been fascinated by the brightly coloured creatures and their morning calls. And in turn, they had always been fascinated with her. Perhaps a little too fascinated.

She knew how to easily catch a woolamander. First, she needed some fruit and wide open space. Then, all she had to do was wait and appear overly interested in the sphere. Sooner or later, a woolamander would be drawn in by the scent of fruit, and then would be curious about the little device in Shara's hands.

The fruit and a wide open space was the easy part. Sitting still and not being disturbed, however, wasn't so easy. She watched warily as a troop of klikniks marched across the clearing, her blaster in hand just encase. Thankfully, they appeared not to notice her.

As time passed laboriously slow, Shara turned her attention to examining the device. She had always sworn that she would never need to use this, but now she had the need. It seemed ironic to use it after all this time, and it wasn't even for her.

A small chit-chit-chit sound from behind made her turn her head slowly. A woolamander, and a young one at that, was happily eating the fruit. Time to get moving.

She slowly positioned herself so the woolamander could see everything she was doing. Then, she started to examine the device. In the midst of her fake examination, she turned the device on. It began to blink a tiny light and whirred at her. The commotion also brought the wooloamander's attention.

Shara, faster than lighting, grabbed the woolamander and slipped the device into a crevice behind one of its ears. It would have a hard time dislocating that. She released the creature and quickly backed away. She had no desire to be bitten by it.

The woolamander indignantly screamed at her before running back into the trees. A few seconds later, small, hard objects were being pelted down at her. Shara graciously took her leave. As she ran, she crossed her fingers.

"I hope that signal gets through," she prayed.

 ----------*****----------

He was nervous. He knew that he shouldn't be nervous, but he was. He was so nervous he couldn't sit down, and had to pace. He was so nervous, and yet, his eye was twitching. Maybe the twitch had finally gone away, or maybe he was nervous enough it didn't have to bother.

Then, something brushed against his senses: a presence. It was a presence he hadn't sensed in over five years, and yet he knew it like the back of his hand.

Dustil smiled and turned round, straight into the uneasy face of Mekel. He hadn't known what had happened to the young hopeful, since he had left the Sith Academy. Mekel had come back from a mission saying that Dustil was right about not knowing all about the Sith, and had asked Dustil not to reveal that he intended to leave as soon as he could. Dustil had managed to leave before Mekel, so he hadn't known if he'd actually made it off Korriban.

"D-Dustil? Is that really you?" Mekel asked timidly

It was completely unlike him to be timid, but then again, Dustil hadn't been the most confident person when he had entered the Jedi Temple on Coruscant.

"Mekel! I thought I'd never see you again, you seemed to drop off the face of the galaxy," Dustil greeted him warmly; anything to keep his mind occupied.

"I... I guess I had a lot to think about, after... Korriban," Mekel finished quietly, before looking up at Dustil brightly. "What about you? What are you doing here?"

Dustil's face fell, and he was annoyed to feel the twitch start up. A few moments of twitch-free bliss were now gone.

"Uhhh..." Dustil stalled. "I'm... waiting for the council to make a decision about whether I'm suitable for a mission."

"You were one of the best in... the academy. What could make them doubt your abilities?" Mekel asked.

"It's not my abilities they're questioning. It's..." Dustil trailed off, biting his lip and trying to rub the lids off his eye. "It's whether or not I can be trusted not to give in to my anger... again."

"Again?"

Dustil turned round, cursing his twitch. He had come so far since Korriban, everyone had said so. And now, all his hard work seemed to unravelling from the seams. But then again, he hadn't had a little sister when he was on Korriban.

"Dustil?" 

"My little sister was taken by the Sith, about six weeks ago. There've been rumours that kids from Onderon have gone missing, too. A day ago, the Sith attacked Onderon's moon, Duxn. I've opted to go to Onderon, but I'm not sure if they'll let me go. I've gotten emotionally involved, and that is not what the Council want in a Jedi who's about to go on a mission."

"That doesn't sound fair," Mekel observed.

"It is. My sister has been taken by the Sith; and by going to Onderon, I'll be so close to them I could spit on them. What promises could I possibly make? 'I won't kill any of them'? 'I won't beat them to a pulp to find my sister's location'?"

There was silence between the two. An uneasy atmosphere lay between them, as neither knew how to continue the conversation.

"I..." Mekel started, "didn't know you had a sister."

"She'll be four in a few months' time."

At that moment, the doors of the council chamber opened, and Master Kavar stood there. He was waiting for Dustil. Nothing could be judged from his face, but Dustil was glad that it was Kavar who had come to call him back in. Master Vrook terrified him.

He turned back to Mekel. He smiled sadly.

"See you later then."

"Maybe a lot later," Mekel encouraged.

Dustil silently snorted a doubtful laugh. With nothing left to do, he walked towards Kavar, and followed the Master in.