My highschool adventure as a Sith is wrong, as expected (OreGairu/Star Wars) (ch.2) (Patreon)

People have more than five senses. Sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell -- those made up most of them, but there were other senses. Not stuff like a sense of time, sense of self and so on, but a nearly tangible sense used to observe the world around us. A sixth sense. Most summarized is instincts, warning us of danger. 

I never felt it before, but when I opened my eyes, I couldn’t help but feel that something was wrong. Every hair stood on end, the course blanket that covered me couldn’t protect me from the chill that raced down my spine. It was the feeling that I could only explain as a certainty that something bad was going to happen. 

Wasting no time, I threw off my blanket, pushing myself out of the cot that served as my bed. My gaze swept over the interior of my base, every shadow a suspect. My heart started to hammer at my ribs, the feeling not going away. Keeping my breathing even, trying to remain calm as questions bombarded my mind, I reached out with my ability to find that my base was still empty. There was only me. 

That knowledge didn’t make the feeling go away. Something was wrong. 

My gaze landed on a blaster I had picked up some time ago, but never fired except to make sure that it worked. I picked it up, the weapon was deceptively heavy in my hands as I swallowed thickly. Holding it didn’t make me feel any better. If anything, I felt worse because the feeling still didn’t go away.

Then I heard it. A small thump. It practically deafened me since there was only the gentle hum of life support in my base. My gaze shot to the door of my home, my stomach dropping to my feet. As if to confirm my fears, I heard the thump again. Louder this time. Then another and another. Someone was digging out sand to get to my ship. 

My ship was found. I was found. How?-

No, there’s no point in panicking about how or why. Whoever they were, they were here. And they were trying to get in. 

I clenched my blaster, my mind racing. What could I do about them? Taking in a shaky breath, I reached out with my ability, searching for whoever was on the other end of the door. I felt their presence -- three of them. No, four, except the fourth was further away. Most likely the boss watching his underlings work. 

A plan formed in my mind. It would be a stretch to call it a good plan, but considering the circumstances, it was all that I had. I reached out with my ability, picking up a dozen odds and ends to hopefully disguise my ship. Then I put another dozen scattered about, trying to make it look like a pile of junk. Then I shut off all the lights, plunging my base into total darkness.

All the while, I moved to the door. I didn’t have any cameras on the outside, so I had no idea who they were or, more importantly, what they were armed with. The thumps became far more rhythmic, they had cleared a spot on the door. I crouched down, hiding behind some cover as I trained my blaster on the entrance, a thin sheet blocking my view. 

Then the thumping stopped. I waited. And waited. And waited. And kept waiting. Time might have stretched because of the tension, but right when I was considering that they might have left, I saw a glow coming from the door. The glow of melting metal. They were cutting through the door. 

Crap. I considered lowering the door to save myself some trouble, but the future didn’t matter at the moment. Instead, I forced myself to wait until they cut a large circle into the door, the center of it falling inwards with a heavy thunk. There wasn’t a stream of light outside of the glowing metal, so it was still night time outside. I could use that information. My clothing was dark to blend into the sands, at night they wouldn’t be able to see me. 

I heard a sharp crack that nearly made my heart jump out of my mouth, but when I saw a green glow through the thin sheet, I realized it was a glowstick. Three of them. The first stepped through the hole heavily, crunching sand underneath their boots. The glow got closer and closer until it was practically touching the curtain. 

Making myself as small as possible, preparing for what was to come. A hand reached out to grab the sheet, yanking it down to reveal a Dug. An alien that crouched low to the floor, walking on its arms while a blaster was clutched in its feet. In a way, it looked like a hairless cat with a longer snout and skin that hung off around its mouth. 

He scanned the interior, holding his glow stick high to look over my base. It didn’t take him long to notice that it was filled with scrap. It let out a low whistle, a signal because the others started filing in. An all-clear. They didn’t know I was here. Perfect. 

Another came in. Thanks to the glow, I recognized him as a Rodian. Deep blue skin, large black eyes and a mouth that reminded me of an anteater, with antennas that looked like the face of a trumpet. He was taller than the Dug, holding a blaster rifle in his hands as he crawled through the opening. He took a sweeping look over my home, tossing a glow stick into the darkness to reveal more scrap. “You go right.”

The Dug nodded, walking forward as the Rodian went left. As they did so, a third member of the group raiding my home stepped through the entrance they made. A Twi'lek woman stepped through, her skin a deep red with the tendrils that ran off the back of her head marked with tribal tattoos. Her gaze swept over the place, forcing me to make myself as small as possible so she wouldn’t notice that I was here. 

“Anything?” She asked as the other two slowly explored my base, not noticing the ship yet but it wouldn’t be long. 

“Looks like whoever lives here is gone,” the Rodian said, looking at my cot. “One bed,” he added, flipping my cot over incase anything was hidden underneath. So, they weren’t looking for me specifically. That begged the question of how in the hell they found me. 

As if to answer my question, the Twi'lek spoke again. “The tracker leads here, so find it,” she ordered, so maybe she was the boss. But what tracker? When I was taking everything apart, I never noticed a tracker. Was she talking about the datastick? Had that lead them here?! I knew I should have dropped that thing where I found it!

Before I could rip into myself for not passing the ship over because it was too high risk, the Twi'lek walked into the room, confident that there was no one here. Making myself as small as possible, I stepped out of my hiding place and soundlessly snuck out of my base. Peeking around the corner, I didn’t see the fourth raider standing guard, so I was free to climb out the entrance.

Once I was a couple of feet out, climbing up the hole they made to get to my base as quietly as I could. I peeked over the edge, using my ability to make my eyesight better -- a trick I learned a long time ago -- to see that there was no one standing guard. The fourth person I sensed wasn’t a raider. On the back of a hovercar, there was a cage with a woman in it. Despite the pitch-black darkness that smothered the world since Candith didn't have a moon, our eyes met. 

She was a human around the age that I had died. Her blonde hair had a single braid in it that went by one of her ears, her sea-blue eyes were wide as dinner plates as her jaw dropped. I was the first to look away, checking behind me before I began to make my way to her. I crouched low, tracing the footsteps that were already there to hide my own. It only took a moment to reach her. 

"Who are you?" She asked in a low whisper, shifting in her cage to come closer and revealing a collar on her neck. A slave collar. The inside was lined with needles to prevent it from ever resting comfortably, a vial of paralytic poison in it to knock out the weather when they tried to take it off. Given her lack of slave markings, she was a recent acquisition. And judging by the blood and burnt spots on her robes, she didn't go down without a fight. 

"Can you fight?" I asked, turning my attention to the cage that held her. Even her hands and feet were bound. Whoever this was, they didn't want her getting away. That was a good sign because two vs three sounded a lot better than one vs three. 

"I- yes, I can," she confirmed with a nod- well, she tried to but winced when the needles pricked her skin. 

"What did they track here?" I questioned, going to the simple padlock on it. I gave it an experimental tug to see that it was firmly locked. Then I used my ability to force it open. 

"A data- you can use the force!" She exclaimed in a stage whisper. The what? The force? What kind of name was that? 

"Shh," I hushed her, glancing at the ruined entrance to my home. The three raiders didn’t come running out blasters firing so that was a good thing. “What did they track?” I asked, wanting to know whatever it was that got my home broken into. 

“I…” she cut herself off, as I opened the cage, a torn expression on her face as she looked at me. Then she came to a decision as she started scooting out of the cage, sitting on the edge since her legs were still bound. “A datastick. I have to get it back, it’s extremely important. Lives are at stake.”

I knew it. I called this. Finding that ship was a Plot Advancement Flag. What else could it be? Up until this point, everything was clearly a character-building arc I was meant to go through by living on a harsh desert planet before the Plot decided to change things up by throwing in a very clear change that signified that I’ve raised a Plot Advancement Flag. Now, all of a sudden, I stumble into a plot between two rival empires and apparently this girl was in possession of extremely valuable information?

The universe is going to have to try a lot harder if it wanted to trick me into following the Plot. As soon as I can, I’m exiting stage left and going back to my old life. 

“I hide it in a vacuum tube in case I was captured by the sith, but I crashed. These people are bounty hunters working for the sith empire,” she explained as I used my ability- the force, apparently to undo the bindings on her hands and legs. Her hands went to her neck, but I stopped her. 

“Don’t tug on it. It’ll knock you out,” or worse. I eyed the collar with more than a little resentment, but my time wearing one proved to be beneficial. Using my abili- the force, it was a simple matter of imagining a small layer of an invisible force between the needles and her neck, before pushing outwards. The collar hinges couldn’t take it and it popped open. 

The girl let out a breath of relief, pushing herself to her feet as she tenderly prodded her neck. “Thank you,” she breathed, a hand pressed against her side where she was hit with a blaster. I just nodded in response -- the thanks felt undeserved. I didn’t save her out of the goodness of my heart, but to even the odds. Given that she was apparently a special agent or something, I assumed that meant she could fight. 

I heard a loud crash coming from my base. Probably one of the bounty hunters getting frustrated and taking it out on my shelves of junk. That was fine. The only thing important in there was my ship. While I was distracted by that, the girl hobbled over to the front of the skiff -- oi, you weren't trying to leave, were you- 

My unspoken question was answered when she reached into a compartment to grab a cylinder. Before I could ask what it was, she turned around to face me. "You have my thanks, youngling, but you should hide. I can take it from here. Don't come out until then I come and get you, okay?" With that, she started to walk towards my base- 

"Wait," I hissed, making her pause. The entire reason I left my base in the first place was to avoid fighting in there. Any risk of damage to my ship was too much. "We should ambush them out here. They're expecting a fight inside, so they won't expect a fight on their way out after they have what they came for." 

The girl hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "you speak wisdom, youngling." She agreed, gesturing to the lip of the tunnel they formed to get to my base, "hide there." 

I swallowed a complaint, though only because the place she pointed out would offer a good vantage point. Instead, I gave her a curt nod as I rushed over to the vantage point, still making myself as small as possible as I settled into the black sand. Thanks to my own dark clothing, and the lack of light, I was practically invisible.

The girl, on the other hand, chose to hide on the other side of the tunnel. Once she ducked down, I couldn’t see her since the light glow from the glow sticks leading up to the door couldn’t reach that far. We waited for the imperials. Each crash sounded impossibly loud, and each time I wondered what they were wrecking in there as they searched the place. I left the datastick on my desk, so it shouldn’t be that hard to find! 

I was never one to believe rumors, but maybe there was something true about these Sith guys being all-around jerks. If they were trashing the place just because they felt like it…! However, eventually, they got bored or they finally found what they were looking for. The sounds of their footsteps drew closer with every second before I heard them step onto the sand. 

“That was unusually easy-” One commented, one of the men before a sharp sound cut them off. 

*Pssshhew*

The sound seemed to echo in the vast desert for a split second before I saw the source of the noise a split second before she descended on the imperials, illuminated by a bright blue light from the tube she picked up earlier. An energy sword of some kind. The Rodian reacted first, his blaster going out, only to...be yanked from his hands? The same for the Dug, with a movement she disarmed the two aliens. She pushed one of them into the sand dune hard enough the Dun was buried in it, while the other she made a grasping motion towards then flung the Rodian with a flick of her wrist. 

The Rodian sailed through the air, only to come to an abrupt stop when he landed on the skiff. I don’t think either of them were dead, but they were certainly out of the fight. 

My jaw dropped at the sight. My ability, the one that was supposed to mark me as the Protagonist, wasn’t unique to me. No, not only was it not unique to me, I could never blast two aliens with so much force! My stupor was broken when the sands collapsed to the point that it nearly took me down. Rolling over, I realized that there were only two there. Where was the-

*Pssshhew*

A deep red glow emitted from the hole, another energy sword that must belong to the Twi'lek. “I’m impressed you managed to escape, padawan. I didn’t think you had it in you,” she commented, a dark chuckle rumbling in the back of her throat as she stepped through the hole. Like the Protagonist I was suspecting her to be, the girl, or Padawan, waited for her to settle in position instead of launching a surprise attack. 

“I’m just full of surprises,” Padawan said, throwing a cocky smirk on her face as she- Don’t look at me! Thankfully, it must have been dark enough that Twi'lek didn’t notice. “So don’t think that this will end as it did before.”

“And why would it change?” Twi'lek asked, striding forward with utter confidence. “A lone padawan, wounded and dehydrated. Though, you’re so poorly trained I could defeat you without those handicaps.” I saw Twi'lek cock her head to the side, Padawan’s smirk falling. “Ah, did I touch a nerve? I suppose that wound is rather fresh...but, I suppose I should expect failure from the padawan of such a failure of a Jedi.”

Padawan didn’t respond with words, but action. She launched her self at Twi'lek, her laser sword flashing about, clashing against Twi'lek’s red with a harsh, but sharp fizzing sound. Twi'lek redirected the blow, Padawan going to press the attack, but then the fight devolved into movements that I could barely follow if it weren’t for the flashing lights of their laser swords. 

They didn’t fight like a normal sword fight. It was too fast-paced, their counters too fluid, the attacks coming at all angles as both women gracefully dodged and evaded their enemy’s weapon. The air was filled with the sound of their laser sword clashing, the pitch changing with every block. 

It was so...flashy. Like this was a rehearsed fight rather than an actual battle for their lives. They never lost their footing in the loose sand, no matter how close an attack managed to come, nicking the loose robes that they wore, but no strike had managed to land. But, even as I struggled to follow the fight as they slowly made their way towards the skiff, Padawan forced to give ground, it was clear who was winning. 

“What’s wrong?” Twi'lek asked, her tone mocking as she leaned out of the way of an attack that would have taken her head off, twirling on her heel to deliver a blow to Padawans knee, only for it to be blocked. Then, by shifting her laser sword ever so slightly, Twi'lek blocked a thrust aimed at her heart. “You were doing so well! Let your anger fuel you, give in to the Dark Side. You might even defeat me and avenge your master if you do.”

Padawan’s face didn’t so much as twitch, her expression grave as sweat dripped from her brow with every movement. I watched her divert a thrust before lashing out with a hand towards Twi'lek. Twi'lek matched the movement, their hands so close they were nearly touching before Twi'lek won out, blasting Padawan back much like she had done to the Rodian. 

She landed heavily in a heap, black sand going up everywhere. She scrambled to her feet, but she didn’t need to. Twi'lek approached at a pace that could only be described as leisurely. “Use the pain. The fear. The rage! I didn’t just kill your master -- I tortured him. I started by cutting off his hands and feet, and I just kept cutting up until he died from the shock.” There was a savage glee in her voice, the darkness that seemed to cling to her growing that much more sinister. 

But, why was she doing that? She said that using the Dark Side could give Padawan the power to beat her. Even if that wasn’t true, why was she trying to make her use the Dark Side at all? It didn’t make any sense at all. Though, at the very least, Twi'lek’s gloating gave me an opening. 

I knew what was going to happen next before it happened. Padawan pushed herself to her feet, her laser sword thrusting out. At that same moment, I reached out with the Force. I couldn't throw people around like ragdolls, but what I could do was lift a few grains of sand from Twi'lek's robe and send them into her eyes. Twi'lek flinched, blinking to clear her eyes. Her hesitation only lasted a split second, a blink, but it cost Twi'lek her life. 

Padawan completed her thrust, her bright blue laser sword punching through her chest. The stench of burnt flesh filled the air, the incredible heat coming off the blades cooking her insides. Then, Padawan simply turned off her sword, making Twi'lek fall to her knees, then her face. Dead. 

Padawan looked over at me, breathing heavily but she managed a small smile. "It seems I owe you my life twice over, youngling," she commented, somehow knowing what I had done. I didn't respond, simply hopping down to make my way over to her as Padawan pulled out the datastick I had found at the crash site. 

"What happens now?" I asked, looking at the other two very alive intruders.

"Now, I find a way to get off of this planet," Padawan said, all but collapsing onto her butt, her breathing was deep, but even. I nodded, having anticipated that response. It was very...Protagonist of her. After seeing that, I had sincere doubts about my role of Protagonist in this story. 

Actually...now that I think about it, I had more than just doubts. I was building a spaceship, and she needed off this planet. I knew exactly where this was going. This was one of the oldest narrative plot devices in the book. I wasn’t the Protagonist at all! I was her ticket off this planet. 

But...at the same time...she could also be my ticket. Huh. It seems my transition from Protagonist to Side-Character was a seamless one. 

“Thank you for assistance, youngling,” Padawan said, pushing herself back to her feet. “You’ve-” she started, but she swayed dangerously, nearly collapsing on the spot. 

“You need to rest,” I commented, turning my attention to the fallen Twi'lek. Or, rather, the fallen laser sword laying in the black sand. I reached down, noticing that it was surprisingly heavy for such a slender tube. However, before I could tuck it into one of my pockets, an unseen force took it from my hands. 

“I can’t,” Padawan denied with a shake of her head. “Time is of the essence, I have to get this datastick to the Republic as soon as possible-”

“And how are you going to get here?” I cut her off, my gaze lingering on the laser sword that now rested in her hand. I would be getting that back sooner or later. “Do you have a way to get off? Or know where to find a ride that won’t sell you out for a handful of credits?” My words stuck home, earning a wince from her. 

“I-”

“You can’t save the Republic if you’re dead,” I pressed, seeing the resigned acceptance slowly appear on her face. She gave a shallow nod, closing her eyes as she did so. 

“You are right,” Padawan agreed, sounding frustrated even as she admitted it. “I must be patient. Master Okkur always told that…” she trailed off, looking sad before she mentally pushed the emotion away. “But, I have troubled you enough, young one. I can find my own lodging, and I shall take care of the other two so your home will remain undiscovered.”

It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t tempted by that a little bit. To just wash my hands of the situation and wish her the best. Maybe if I hadn’t seen her fight like that, I might have, but now I had too many questions to simply let it be. She didn’t just have my ability, the Force, she was better with it too. 

I scowled as I started to make my way towards my vandalized home, “just follow me already.” I said, glancing over as the Dug...dug itself from a pile of sand. As I moved to aim my blaster at him, Padawan was quick to lower it with a hand. 

“Allow me, youngling,” she said, waiting for the Dug to clear the sand. Before it could so much as say anything, Padawan raised her hand. For a moment, I thought she was going to ragdoll him again, but instead, in a calm voice, she spoke, “you will forget all that transpired here.”

“I-I will forget all that transpired here,” Dug repeated, his tone odd. My heart went still in my chest, my mind racing. That was mind control! 

“You and your friend crashed and are making their way to the nearest city,” Padawan continued, lowering her hand as Dug repeated what she said. Then, before Dug could get up, she added, “you will leave the floatcar.”

I watched the Dug get up, looking normal, though maybe it was because I wasn’t familiar enough with his species, but it didn’t seem like he was acting like a mindless zombie. He seemed normal as he marched his way towards the Rodian as Padawan said the same things to him. After that, they began their march towards Esteria. It was a two-day trip on foot, so they would be fine. 

I watched them leave for a long moment before we continued into my home. Reaching out with my ability, I turned the lights back on and it became clear that they had been trashing the place for the fun of it. Shelves and their contents were knocked over, covering the floor, my bed was tossed around, my work desk was crumpled up like a ball along with everything that was on it. 

“Oh,” Padawan said as she stepped inside but I paid her no mind, the only thing I had it in me to care about the moment was my ship. Making my way towards it, I cleared it of clutter, ignoring a gasp from Padawan as my ship was revealed. “Did you build that?” She asked as I inspected it for damage. 

A few dent plates, but the damage was superficial. I would have to do a deep check just to make sure, but I think it was spared of damage for the most part. “I did,” I answered, distractedly, finally giving her my attention. 

Padawan looked around at the damage with mournful eyes, likely assuming that I cared more for the junk than I actually did. I had more than a few questions about...pretty much everything at this point, but the first and foremost in my mind was the most obvious. 

“What’s on the datastick?” I asked, turning to face her seriously. Padawan’s gaze snapped to me, her mouth opening to explain, only to hesitate for a moment. Something flashed over her features, almost like a grimace, before she let out a soft sigh of defeat. 

“The Sith are coming to the Republic with an offer of peace, but it is a trap. I don’t know what they have planned, but I am certain that it will end with the deaths of tens of thousands, if not millions, should their plan succeed.” Padawan explained, her tone as grave as death itself as she pinned a fierce glare at the datastick in her hands. 

“My master and I were the only hopes to stop their vile plan. And now...it’s just me.”

I called it.