“Jae… Are you sure you’re ready to go back? You’ve practically just gotten here.”
“Kael… I know you don’t want me to go. But I have to.”
“Star Struck needs you, Jae. This isn’t fair to us.”
“And me staying here isn’t fair to me. I did what I came here to do, now it’s time for to go-“
“Home? How can you call that place home, Jae? This is your home. We are your family. This… this isn’t fair.”
“Kael, if you haven’t noticed, this place is swarming with Rebels. You have no idea how many of those bastards I’ve killed while carrying my DC-15. And you have no idea how hard it is for me to not attack them now. I’m lucky I’ve been able to be under their radar for this long.” She took a deep breath, looking into the chocolate brown eyes of the man she had grown to love so much. Even if it was only as a brother. “Kael…” She said placing a hand on the shoulder of the man before her, who stood only a few inches taller, baring a red star under his left eye. “I need to go. Me being here is putting Star Struck in danger. They don’t need danger right now.
You don’t need danger right now, Kael. I don’t know what I’ll do if I get a transmission telling me that you died during a Rebel raid on a suspected Imperial sympathy group.”
His chocolate brown eyes flew open in a fit of anger. “We aren’t Imperial sympathizers.” He growled taking a step back, letting Jae’s hand drop from his shoulder. He stared, hard and cold into the sea-foam eyes that he had fallen in love with years ago.
A sigh rolled from Jae’s lips as she let her head hang for a moment, looking at the ground. “Yeah… I know. You’re fucking neutral. Which is why this is hard on me, Kael! You’re not the only one being hurt in all of this! So stop thinking that!” She looked back up as her voice began to raise. The rats in the alley the pair were standing scattered. Jaenna Caldwin glared at her best friend. Her brother. He second in command of the gang she started in order to take her mind off of other things.
Kael took a deep breath, his chest rising and falling slowly. He stood there, staring at the woman he loved, tired of begging her to stay and abandon the army for good. “Just go…”
“What?” Her voice became shaky, as if she were holding back tears. She looked up, eyes glossed over. “What are you talking about?”
A growl came from the lips of the man standing before her. “Just. Go. Leave Jae. Like you’ve always wanted to. You never wanted to come back here. You never even wanted to come back to us, your home, your gang, your fucking
family, Jae! You never wanted this! So just… Just fucking go!”
“Kael you don’t know what you’re saying-“
“Sure I do, Jae.” He growled again, taking a step back, fists clenched. Those eyes were on fire. On fire with rage, with hate, with the shards of a shattered heart, the shrapnel stabbing through his very body, bleeding out. Bleeding all of the love he had ever tried to confess for the woman before him. “You’re right. We don’t need you, Jae. We… We don’t need some fucking army nut in our gang. You said you’re self. It’s taking a lot out of you to not kill the Rebels that walk the streets of Coruscant! What if you snapped one day? Huh?! You’d put all of us in danger!”
Jae’s breathing became shallow, short and almost labored it would seem. Those eyes were large, showing fear. She took a step back from her best friend, her brother. She shook her head, eyes glossed over with tears that she refused to shed. “Kael… please. Don’t. Don’t –“
“Don’t what, Jae?!” Kael screamed taking a step towards her. His face, it was full of rage. Rage that Jae had never seen come from her best friend before. It was terrifying. She wanted to run. She wanted to just… leave. “Huh? Don’t what? Tell you the truth? Well I’m fucking sorry, love. But the truth hurts! Star Struck… We don’t need you anymore Jae. So just leave.” There was a pause, Jae took another step back. “Fucking leave, Jaenna! GO!”
Jaenna was about to speak again, but then, voices rang down the alley from the east entrance. Both Jae’s eyes shifted and there were two Rebels standing there, blasters at the ready. “There he is! That kid that stole the datapad!”
Kael turned around, then quickly turned back to Jaenna. “Jae, run. I’ll stay in contact. Just leave. Star Struck will be fine without you.”
“Kael, but-“
“But nothing, Jae, just fucking go. And no hugs, I’m too pissed.” He placed a hand on Jae’s shoulder and then took off, free-running up the wall behind him.
Jaenna shifted her eyes to the Rebels, who had taken chase now and were heading for the wall that Kael was climbing up. Her eyes were wide, with worry, fear and most of all sadness. Right before Kael leapt over the side of the roof to start roof hoping towards the Star Struck base, he turned his head and smiled at Jaenna, who was quickly back peddling towards her end of the street. She smiled back, but then, a blaster bolt struck Kael square in the temple. His eyes shut instantly and his body slumped, then fell to the ground. The girl stared at her now dead friend. Her breathing once again became quick and shallow. Her eyes were glassy and brimming with tears. She still refused to shed them. She shook her head, still back peddling. Then, the Rebels turned to look at her.
“Wait, get her! Before she gets away!” one of them screamed. They both took off towards Jae, who turned quickly and climbed over the gate behind her, then escaped into the street, which was filling with a sudden crowd from a local parade. The two Rebels stopped at the gate, giving up on the chase. They looked at each other, shook their head and turned around. One of them lifted his wrist to his mouth and began to give out a heads up of a girl who was running from the law.
- - - - - -
The com connection in her IVE REDTHORN-CLASS SCOUT, the
Renegade Ghost beep and a voice chimed in. “Jaenna Caldwin, captain of the
Renegade Ghost. Come in.”
“Caldwin here. How did you get on this channel? It’s restricted.” She said softly, obvous confusion in her voice as she steadied the yolk of the ship and flipped a few switches to put it in Auto-pilot. She had just left the atmosphere of Curoscant, the view port of the
Ren. Ghost showed only blackness and stars now.
The voice on the com connection, a younger male, chimed in again. “Guess who, Jae. I just wanted to say bye. And that I’m sorry you had to leave right after seeing… that…”
Jae’s eyes glossed over again. She leaned back in the pilots seat and took a deep breath. “Yeah, I’m sorry I had to see it too, Jessup. Anyways, that whole thing. Well I it leaves you in charge. I don’t think I’m going to be back any time soon. Maybe not ever. I don’t know. Just… Take care of Star Struck, okay Jessup?”
“You got it, mam. Jessup out.”
“Caldwin out.” The com connection beeped twice and was shut off for the rest of the ride.
’There’s no where left to go, Jae… You might as well.’ She thought to herself. She clicked a few switched and pressed a few buttons then rested back in the seat again, the course that the
Ren. Ghost would take set, no matter how much it bothered the girl.
- - - - - -
“Miss…. Ayme Katash?” The scratchy voice of the rather old Protocol droid called out to the woman who was lying in her bed. “You have someone waiting for you.”
“What? How the hell did you get in here, you little pest?” The woman hoped from her bunk and stood before the droid, an obvious expression of anger and confusion crossing her visage as those blue eyes were aflame with just wanting to get more sleep. Her fists clenched as she took a deep breath, keeping in the want to punch the silver Protocol Droid in its metallic head. “Wait… What do you mean someone waiting for me? It’s three-am.” Confusion crossed her face, the flames in those blue pools dying down some as they moved to gaze passed the droid and into the hall.
“Follow me, Miss Katash.” The droid said as it turned around and made a right into the hallway of the RAIDERS barracks corridor.
Showing reluctance, the Squad Leader took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders, trying as hard as she could to shake the sleepy expression that was apparent on her face. She moved out of her bunk room and began following the droid. Finally, the two came to a door.
“Here we are Miis Katash. Your visitor is just inside.” The Droid said, before turning and walking away.
Havock was left, slightly confused and highly agitated. “This is the dojo, visitors don’t come here.” She looked at the door, took a deep breath and let it out, shaking her head. “Oh whatever.” She said while taking a step forward, the steel door sliding up with its tell tale ‘hiss’. Havock stepped into the dojo, taking another deep breath as she kicked off her shoes. “I could use a visitor any….ways….” Her voice trailed off as she looked up slowly, and saw the back of a person standing in front of a punching bag. The short, layered and slightly spiky black hair was sticking out in all directions. The woman was wearing a black coat and brown smuggler trousers, a gun holster belt wrapped around her waist, a DC-15 in the holder. “No, fracking way….” The words left Havock’s lips as she stood there, staring at the back of the woman.
Slowly, the ‘mystery’ woman turned around, sea foam eyes greeting blue eyes as a smile slowly flickered across the ‘mystery’ woman’s visage. “Well it’s about time.” Jae said, a soft chuckling rolling from her mouth as looked at the shocked and obviously confused Havock.
