Having landed in an inhospitable part of Tao, Lop stood upside down holding herself on her arms above the ship over the dome of the upper canyon, while Vlad supervised her with TD-4 on his shoulder. She was apparently having trouble holding that position.
"Concentrate," Vlad said to Lop. "Concentrate on staying on a hand."
“On a hand? Wouldn't it be better to concentrate on staying on both hands?" Lop asked, trying to keep her balance. “Because believe me, I’m trying.”
"Do it or do not. But don't try it, okay?" Vlad said.
“Do something without trying? Really?" Lop asked.
Vlad scratched his head. "I know it sounds weird. I don't even really understand it, but it's a phrase the Jedi used to use if I remember correctly. I remember they used it at the Black Knights academy as a mocking term for the least experienced ones.”
“Hey, you’re still there?” Yavis asked as he was in the upper cannon’s cabin working on it. “Although I like to see the Lepi's face above my head, I have to adjust some cables on this cannon.”
“Look, I'm sorry, but we're still on this.” Lop apologized to him.
“Yeah, then sorry for this too,” Yavis said, beginning to move the cannon, which made Lop fall down. “Sorry again.”
Lop grunted after landing, rubbing her head while TD flew close to her to see if she was alright.
“We must do it here?” Asked Lop to Vlad as he passed near her.
“Normally the Jedi used to fight in the strangest places and the most inappropriate conditions. Something that carried over to the Black Knights.” Said Vlad. “If we want to have chances against Prar’s Black Knights, you must know how they fight.”
“And wouldn't it be better to show me how to fight like a Jedi?” Lop asked as she stood up.
“I have already told you. I am not a Jedi. This means that no matter how skilled you are in using the Force, I can't teach you how to use it. I can only train you using what I know.” Vlad explained to her.
“But I feel like that bothers you,” Lop said.
“To be honest, I don't have very good memories of my past as a Black Knight. But if to help you I have to look my demons in the face, then so be it.” He said.
Then Frall approached them, carrying a box with lots of empty bottles. “I took this here as you said, boss. I can ask for what?”
“Ah, just in time!” Vlad said, before facing Lop. “I was planning for something different. Lop, can turn on your lightsaber?”
She nodded and activated her weapon.
“Okay, let’s try some target practice. But instead of shooting at receding targets, you have to mow down targets that are coming your way.” Vlad said, indicating for her to move a little away from Frall and the box. “Frall?”
“When you tell me, boss.” Frall got one of the bottles, ready to throw it.
Lop gets ready to cut the bottle the moment Frall throws it, but Vlad moves his hand to her.
“Close your eyes. You must do it without seeing.” Vlad told her.
“Really? And how will I cut them if I can’t see them?” Lop asked.
“I know it seems complicated, but you must let your instinct guide you. Or in this case the Force, I don't know which will be more useful.” Vlad shrugged.
Lop sighed and closed her eyes, lightsaber ready.
“Let her have it, Frall,” Vlad ordered Frall.
Frall smiled and began to prepare his arm holding the bottle, throwing it directly at Lop who swung her lightsaber too soon, getting hit by the bottle, causing her to groan at the blow. Frall threw another bottle at the Lepi, getting the same result.
Vlad winced after that last one. “Be precise. Keep the blade…” He winced again when another bottle hit her again. “... up.”
Frall laughed after hitting Lop again. "I have to admit, this is being fun!"
“I can’t see the funny part here!” Lop groaned after receiving another hit by a flying bottle.
“This doesn't have to be funny!” Vlad scolded both of them, just as he sees the Zabrak throw more bottles against Lop and she keeps missing them, wincing each time she was hit. “No. You’re not focusing.”
They kept like that for a while, until that Lop was able to cut one of the bottles with her lightsaber.
“I did it?” She asked, hearing some bips from TD.
“Yeah, but can you repeat it again?” Frall said, throwing two bottles one behind another.
Lop tried again, but she was unable to cut the bottles midair, being harassed by Frall as he kept throwing bottles while he laughed at her. But suddenly he groaned and, opening her eyes she pushed her hand toward him, sending a flying bottle flying back to the Zabrak and hitting him to the head, sending him to the ground with a groan. Vlad looked at Lop and got ready for the worst as he saw Lop’s angry face, with her eyes turned yellow instead of blue.
“Lop, calm down!” Vlad said, putting a hand toward her. “Lop, breathe deeply and slowly.”
Lop breathed hard, staring at them until she closed her eyes and took deep breaths for a few seconds, after which she opened them again, revealing her eyes to be blue again.
“Okay.” He said. “Let's wrap it up for today. Go to your cabin and get some rest.”
Lop nodded and went down the ship through the stairs followed by TD, while Frall began to stand up with a hand on his head.
“Ouch. What just happened, boss?” The Zabrak asked as he stared at Vlad.
“Nothing, just as I feared.” He said with a low tone in his voice.
Time later, while Lop was in her assigned cabin, Vlad went to the bridge where both Drasha and Byte were working on the ship’s computer. He sat on one of the chairs, giving a loud sigh.
“How was the class?” The Togruta asked when she saw him.
“If I tell you, would you rate it between zero and galactic cataclysm?” Vlad said looking down.
Both Byte and Drasha looked at each other before looking back at him.
“What just happened?” She asked again.
“What I feared. The class had gone so badly that her eyes turned yellow.” He explained to them.
“Yellow? She’s sick?” Byte asked.
“No, Byte.” Drasha corrected the pilot droid. “She is a Jedi, and the yellow eyes are a clear sign of the use of the Dark Side of the Force.”
“Well, she isn’t a Jedi, but her link with the Force is still there,” Vlad said. “Look, if it was just training to fight with weapons, I'm the man for it. But what she needs is someone who knows how to use the Force, and I hardly know that.”
“I know a few things about them, but that would only be one percent of all she needs.” Drasha needs.
“So, what can we do now? Are we looking for a Jedi?” Byte said, soon crossing its arms. “Because I don't know where to look. Besides, I would prefer to avoid them at all costs. Maybe I'm a droid, but remembering the events of the Clone Wars makes my circuits quiver.”
“If we want to help Lop, we must find one. But in this day and age, it's practically impossible to find one. Most are dead, and the few that remain must have fled to the Unknown Regions at the very least.” Drasha explained.
Vlad crossed his arms thoughtfully until he remembered something and raised his head. “I think I have an idea. It's risky, but if we're lucky, we might get our Jedi master.”
Both looked at him with a puzzled look. Well, at least Drasha, as Byte’s head had no expression, but he was evidently puzzled too.
“Although for this, I must contact someone.” He said with a somber tone.
“Someone?” Byte asked.
“You mean him, right?” Drasha asked, making Byte look at her, making her answer him. “The man who helped him to leave the Empire, to abandon the Black Knights. I don’t know how.”
“I promised him that I would not contact him,” Vlad said. “But this situation is special. I hope that he understands.”
Time later, Lop felt how the Tengu began to move, taking her out of her thoughts, and both she and TD got out of the cabin and entered into the bridge, seeing Byte piloting the ship while Yavis aided him as co-pilot while Vlad and Drasha were in the room too.
“Where are we going?” Lop asked.
“To another planet,” Vlad said, soon facing the Lepi. “Don't worry, it's only temporary. When we're done, we'll go back to Tao, I promise.”
Lop was silent, fighting the urge to argue about the idea of leaving Tao, but decided to trust him on this.
Soon Frall entered the bridge. “Boss, where are we going? We have a job.”
“No, Frall. We go to Bespin on business.” Vlad said to him.
“To Bespin? Boss, why are we going to that mining planet?”
“Because I have to meet someone. If the negotiation goes well, we will all benefit from this.” Vlad explained to him.
Frall scratched his head at his answer while the Tengu departed from the planet, entering into Hyperspace.
After a long journey, the ship exited hyperspace near a large gas planet. Byte navigated the gaseous surface of the planet until he reached a large city that was built above the clouds, eventually landing on one of their spaceports.
“Okay, welcome to Bespin,” Yavis said to the crew. “Also known as Cloud City, the only habitable place on the entire planet, built in the only area with a breathable atmosphere on the planet, whose economy depends on the extraction of tibanna gas.”
“Tibanna?” Lop asked.
“A necessary gas for the manufacture of blasters. It is what allows weapons to shoot.” Drasha explained.
“Without that gas, our weapons would be nothing more than paperweights,” Frall explained. “But it is not the only business that the planet has.”
“True. As Bespin is an independent planet, the Empire has little authority in the system. That causes dangerous people to gather on the planet to do shady deals.” Vlad said. “But at least they have enough security so that there are no problems. Still, we will have to be vigilant.”
Then he stood up. “I'm going out, you guys wait here.” He said and went to the bridge's door before stopping and looking at Lop. “Hey, kid. You’re coming with me.”
“What?” Lop asked confused.
“Seriously? The Lepi?” Frall asked.
“Do what I order, period,” Vlad said flatly. “And get a tunic. Tao’s people don't usually visit planets like this much, so your clothes would attract attention.”
All went silent while both Vlad and Lop with TD left the bridge.
Both Vlad and Lop were walking through the sky city, while the Lepi was amazed seeing how advanced the city was compared to Tao. For a moment, as they walked, she could understand a little why Ochô was obsessed with the Empire bringing its advances to the planet.
They soon reached what seemed like the central plaza, where the two stopped. The place seemed very crowded, and apparently, they were not paying attention to anything around them.
“Vlad?” Lop asked.
“I’m going to see if my contact is here,” Vlad said. “You stay here, and don’t move. And if you get bored then…” He began to think. “Uhm, do what Jedi do. Try to meditate or something.” He shrugged and left her to look for his contact.
Lop looked around for a moment. None of the people there seemed to pay attention that she was alone. She could just wander around a bit, but Vlad told her to stay. Without having anything to do, she simply sighed and closed her eyes. Initially, she was just going to let time pass. But she instinctively began to feel with the Force everything around her. She didn't know how she did it since she first used the Force, but it was like something enhanced her own instincts. As she did that, both her fur and her ears ruffled by themselves, but nobody else seemed to care about it.
Until suddenly a hand was on her shoulder, pulling her out of their connection and startling both her and TD.
“You shouldn't do that in public, young lady. And less these days.”
She turned her head to see who spoke, seeing that it was an old tall, and muscular human with short silver-gray hair and a beard with dark eyes, and a scar on his right cheekbone. He was dressed in a tunic that covered the rest of his body, but he seemed to be wearing armor under it.
Lop was silent looking at the old man, surprised to see that he knew she could use the Force, but then she heard Vlad’s voice approaching them.
“There you are!” Vlad approached them, facing the old man. “I was looking for you right now.”
“And I told you to never contact me again, remember?” The man said with a serious tone. But then smiled and extended his arm to grab Vlad’s, he did the same holding each other's forearm. “But I’m glad to see you’re fine.”
“I can say the same for you, old wolf,” Vlad said smiling.
“Vlad, you know him?” Lop asked looking at Vlad.
“Of course. I owe him a lot.” Vlad said, breaking the forearm shake. “And the reason we’re here. Lop, allow me to present you to Jedi Master Rham Kota.”
A Jedi Master? That was Lop’s thought as she looked at the old man in shock. She never expected to ever see a Jedi, much less discover that one of her group knew one.
“I would prefer to avoid those kinds of presentations on these types of sites.” Master Kota said to Vlad raising his hand to him.
“Oh, sorry. I had the feeling that you wouldn’t come here after I sent the message.” He said.
“I was going to leave without contacting you, but then I saw this girl,” Kota said looking at Lop.
“Yeah, this is the reason why I needed to contact you,” Vlad said.
“Indeed,” Kota said. “But let’s not talk here. Follow me.”
As Kota said this he began to walk, soon being followed by Vlad, Lop, and TD, the Lepi still being confused about what was going on but decided to go with them. If Vlad trusted him, she should trust him too.
Little did they know that somebody else was watching them and following them in the distance.
Meanwhile on the Tengu in the spaceport, the crew was doing a little maintenance on the ship for when their boss and the Lepi returned to the ship.
“How long do you think it will take them to come back?” Yavis asked as he manipulated one of the ship’s panels.
“Who knows. It is likely that they are all day waiting for the contact to come.” Drasha said to him.
“True, but they've been gone a long time now. I'm starting to worry a little. What if they have fallen into a trap?” Frall asked as he helped Yavis.
“Are you worried about Lop?” Drasha raised an eyebrow.
“No, I’m more worried about the boss,” Frall said. “I know having a Jedi on the team is nice, but considering who we're up against... I don't know, I feel like I have a target on my back all day.”
“Yeah, but we gave you our word that we'd help you with Tao in exchange for your help on our tasks,” Drasha explained.
“But that's the problem,” Yavis said. “How does that girl expect a group of renegades like us to defeat an entire empire?”
“That's a good question, but we'll figure out how to do it one day. But for now, we must take things step by step.” Drasha answered.
“I hope the topic of the Force is also included.” Frall rubbed his forehead. “Believe me, I want to prevent that Lepi from losing her mind again.”
“It wouldn't have happened if you hadn't gone a little too far,” Yavis said, waving his finger.
“It's not my fault she wasn't ready.” Frall crossed his arms.
“It doesn't matter whose fault it is. We must support her where we can.” Drasha said.
“Well, if her wires get crossed, I'd rather be on the other side of the galaxy.” Frall shrugged.
“Uhm, guys,” Byte said approaching them.
“What happens, Byte? We’re in a conversation.” Frall said to the droid.
“I just came to tell you that I just detected an Imperial transport landing in the city,” Byte said, and everyone began to glare at themselves with worry on their faces.
Back in cloud city, Rham Kota took Vlad, Lop, and TD to a cantina where they stood for a while, the Jedi Master hearing Lop’s story about Tao and the problem that she and her family have by the Empire’s fault.
“I'm so sorry to hear what happened to Tao,” Kota said after hearing Lop’s story. “I am well aware of the independent spirit of the people of Tao, for despite not being affiliated with the Republic, they were at least loyal and never joined the Clone Wars. It is sad how the Empire has used the planet’s modernization problems to impose itself on the planet.”
“And now even Ochô works with them,” Lop said with a sad tone.
“And according to you, you awakened the power of the Force during your fight against your sister, right?” Kota asked.
“Yes.” Lop nodded. “But somehow I felt its presence from a time before then. It was dim, but I felt it there.”
“I tried to train her recently, but it didn't work as expected,” Vlad said.
“Leave me to guess, using the Black Knights’ training regime?” Kota asked.
“At least a simplified variant, yes.” He replied. “With very bad results.”
Kota shook his head. “I never liked how Prar twisted the ancient Jedi ways to create his elite thugs.” Then he leaned toward Vlad. “And how bad were they?”
“Well, from between zero and galactic cataclysm, where would you put the fact that her eyes turned yellow?” Vlad asked, waving his hand.
“Ouch.” Kota winced, leaning on his chair. “If you’re right about it, close to the top I would say.”
“For that, I was going to ask you, Kota,” Vlad said. “You're the only option I could think of to train her. If you don't already tell me where I find another Jedi out there lost in the middle of the Galaxy with the Impeiro hanging around.”
Kota began to think with his arms crossed for a time until he looked at the cantina’s owner. “Hey! Can you give us a sugar cube, please?”
Vlad and Lop looked confused as one of the cantina’s servant droids took a sugar cube to Kota.
“Okay, Lop,” Kota said, looking at the Lepi. “Place your hand on the table with the palm facing up.”
Lop looked at Vlad confused, but he nodded to her. She did as the Jedi told her and he placed the sugar cube on her palm.
“Now, I want you to close your eyes and concentrate on your hand. Do nothing but concentrate on your hand, you understand?” Kota asked her. “And don’t try, just do it. And until I tell you, don’t open them.”
Just as Vlad rolled his eyes, Lop nodded and closed her eyes as he said. Kota put his hand up above Lop's by several inches, closing his eyes as well.
Vlad stared for a while, wondering what the two of them were doing until he saw how the sugar cube began to shake in Lop's hand slowly until finally, it began to float and rotate on itself between the two hands.
“What the?” Vlad asked, amazed by what was seeing. TD-4 seemed to be amazed too by the beeps he was making.
They both continued in that position with the sugar cube floating between their hands with their eyes closed, until Kota opened them first, then told Lop to open them too.
“Whoa!” Lop exclaimed in a low voice, seeing the sugar cube floating and spinning between their hands. “What’s this?”
“That, Lop, is the Force,” Vlad said leaning to her.
“More or less. It's a somewhat unorthodox trick some of the Jedi used. Basically, the novice leaves his hand like you did, focusing on his hand. The Master does the same, except that in our case we must gradually increase the Force that we exert in the palm of the hand.” Kota explained until Vlad raised his hand.
“Can you summarize it for those who are not experts on the topic?” Vlad suggested.
“Alright then,” Kota said. “The idea is that everyone has a certain level of attunement to the Force. This technique is based on checking to what level you are in tune with it. If both I and you get in tune, this effect occurs. And the longer we take to get to your level, the more powerful the other is.” He moved his hand, making the sugar cube fall on Lop’s hand.
“And what does this mean?” Vlad asked.
“It's hard for me to admit, but his level of attunement to the Force is some of the highest I've ever seen. It's a miracle the Sith haven't figured it out already.” Kota crossed his arms, frowning.
“Sith?” Lop asked.
“The Opposite of a Jedi,” Vlad replied. “While the Jedi use the Force to do good and protect people, the Sith use it for their own purposes no matter the lives they have to ruin for that.”
Lop looked terrified to know that there was one kind of person that uses the Force to destroy everything on their path.
“Vlad, if I can suggest an idea, I would suggest that you skip all Force-related training,” Kota said.
“What?” Vlad asked as both he and Lop looked at the Jedi.
“She’s very powerful. Maybe too powerful.” The Jedi said signaling Lop. “I don't have to tell you what happened to the Jedi Order by that fact, do I?”
“Of course not. But-” Vlad tried to argue but Kota interrupted him.
“She must stop using the Force. If she becomes too powerful, if she were to fall to the dark side, the consequences for the galaxy would be dire.” Kota warned them. “In time, you will be able to use it. It's better this way, the galaxy is no longer a safe place for a Force user.”
Vlad gave a loud sigh as he placed a hand on his forehead, despairing at Kota's refusal. He opened his mouth to argue with Kota, but…
“Master Kota!” Lop said, facing the Jedi and making him look at her. Both could see how her mane and ears began to wave as if an invisible wind passed at her side. “I don't know the details of how the Jedi Order disappeared, but now you are the only person I can turn to. You want to help my planet and put an end to the Empire's oppression.” She then rolled her eyes to the side, lowering her gaze. “No. It's not just that. I also want my sister to come back to me and to my father, which is why I can't give up until she does.” She rolled her eyes to the other side. “I don't know exactly why I have this power, but I feel that it is the only way to help my people and my family.”
Then Lop faced Kota with termination in her face. “Master Kota, lend me your strength!”
Kota watched silently the Lepi as that waving on her fur and ears stopped until he put his hand to his chin thoughtfully.
“How sentimental.”
They turned their gaze to the cantina’s bar, where they saw a man with a brown duster coat, a wide-brimmed hat, a black undershirt, and pants, along with brown boots and gloves.
“A girl with a broken family, seeking help from an old Jedi to help her rebuild it.” He said, turning to them, revealing a blue-skinned humanoid alien face with red eyes and sharp teeth, with a distinctive breathing apparatus implanted in his cheeks. “Such a scene is not seen very often these days.”
Rham Kota put on a serious face seeing the alien, while both Lop and Vlad looked at him with some worry on their face.
“It's a pleasure to finally meet you, General Rahm Kota.” Said the alien.
“Cad Bane.” Kota narrowed his eyes. “Too bad the feeling isn't mutual.”
“Oh, it's nice to see you know me, Jedi,” Bane said with a grin.
“We had lots of documents about you and your actions, bounty hunter,” Kota said with a serious tone.
“Dad Bane?” Vlad asked, looking at Kota. “THAT Cad Bane?”
“Who?” Lop asked them.
“A bounty hunter who was very active during the Clone Wars, always messing with the Republic,” Kota replied to Lop before speaking to the bounty hunter. “Have you come for the head of a Jedi?”
“Well, I have to admit that capturing a Jedi Master is most tempting.”
Kota looked to Vlad giving him a nod so he placed a hand on his blaster ready to use it before facing back at Bane. “It's a shame, Bane. In case you haven't noticed, we're two against one. And even if we can't kill you, we're more likely to get out of here and lose sight of you.”
“Two? You’re not counting on the Lepi, Jedi?” Bane chuckled. “It's clear you don't have much faith in the girl. But unfortunately for you, it will not be so easy for you to leave the planet.”
The three stood silently looking at the bounty hunter. “You see, I recently laid hands on a fugitive from the Empire for whom they were offering a large sum of money on his head, and I sent them a message with the capture. A few hours before we met, Jedi, so there's at least one Imperial patrol in the city by now.”
“My, that complicates everything,” Vlad said, narrowing his eyes.
“Indeed.” Cad Bane said, facing Vlad. “I don't know what past you would have with the Empire, but they will surely be eager to see you again.”
Then he placed his hand on one of the blasters in his belt. “Well, how do we do this? You surrender peacefully, or we'll have your typical barroom brawl. Believe me, an old Jedi and a deserter are no match for me.” Bane said with a sinister tone in his voice.
The three stood silent facing each other in the cantina for a while. Lop thought for a long time what to do, until she immediately pushed her hands toward Bane, using the Force to push Bane backward and making him fall to the other side of the bar, exclaiming by the sudden surprise while startling the cantina’s owner.
Both Vlad and Kota looked at Loop surprised.
“That was quick thinking, Lop,” Vlad said to Lop.
“We'll have time for this later! Now we must get out of here!” Kota said as he stood up from the chair.
“Well thought!” Vlad said as he stood up too.
Lop stood up from the chair and with TD began to run alongside Vlad and Kota out of the cantina, while Cad Bane stood up and jumped over the bar.
“Note to myself. Don't underestimate a Force user, it doesn't matter if she started using it five minutes ago.” Grumbled Cad Bane as he grabbed his blasters and began to run after them.
The four of them ran through the streets of cloud city as fast as they could, until they had to stop when they saw a squad of stormtroopers advancing through the streets. The group ran into one of the alleys to avoid being seen, when Cad Bane appeared, bumping into the imperials.
“Hey, you!” Cad Bane called the imperials.
“You’re the bounty hunter that contacted us?” The squad’s sergeant asked.
“Yeah, but that’s not the story now! I found the Jedi Rahm Kota in the city, and it’s not alone!” The bounty hunter said.
“Rahm Kota, you say?” The sergeant asked. “And who’s adding him?”
“A man and a short female Lepi.” He replied. “And be wary of the girl, she can use the force as well.”
The sergeant looked at one of the soldiers. “He informs the rest of the captain that the Jedi Rahm Kota is in the city and that somebody is helping him. We need squads 1, 2, and 4 to split up across the city to cover more ground.”
At his command, the stormtrooper squad began searching the area, while Cad Bane looked around to see if he happened to spot the Jedi and the others. frowning at not seeing them.
The four of them had heard the bounty hunter's warning to the Imperials.
“Now they know we’re here,” Vlad said with a deep breath.
“They just know that I'm in town,” Kota said.
“But they know they are helping you. If you are seen with someone by chance, all those people will be in danger.” Lop said to him.
“That will only add fuel to the fire against the Empire,” Kota said with a serious tone.
“No, we have to get you out of here. This planet is not under the control of the Empire, and if you do that, you will only get them to send a legion to subdue the city.” Vlad said.
“You a ship by chance?” Lop asked.
“I’m supposed to meet my pilot in the port in a few hours,” Kota said.
“Too late,” Vlad said. “We will get you out of the planet with our ship, and no more arguing. The situation is too delicate to waste time discussing what to do.”
The Jedi looked at both of them, shrugging in defeat.
Nodding Vlad activated his communicator. “Guys? Are you hearing me?”
“Yes, boss!” He heard Yavis’ voice.
“Get the ship ready, the Empire is here and surely we will be running back to it with them firing at us,” Vlad explained.
“We already detected the imperial transport landing in the city,” Yavis said. “We’re getting everything ready for when you get back, but we can’t promise you to stay here if the imperials discover us.”
“We will get there as soon as we can,” Vlad replied, closing the communicator and looking at the others. “Well, the plan is simple. We will go through the alleys and some lower levels if necessary until we reach the port, avoiding as much as possible both the bounty hunter and the imperials.”
“It will be difficult now that the Imperials are here,” Lop said.
“But now it’s our only option.” Rahm Kota said.
“And your ship? Didn't you come with one?” Lop suddenly said.
“Yes, but I told the pilot to stay in orbit to avoid prying eyes.” The Jedi said. “I'll send him a signal while we go to your ship.”
Vlad nodded at it. “Okay, let’s go.”
Then he started running again. Kota and Lop followed him, with Kota keeping an eye on the stormtroopers coming closer, while Lop ran behind, listening to all the noises around them and trying to find any hint that they were going to spot them at any alley's crossroad.
They went down one alley after another, running along as best as they could until they came to a street filled with Imperials that were patrolling around the area. Some of them turned their attention to them upon seeing the group running through the streets.
“Over there! Two men and a Lepi!” Called one of the Stormtroopers
“Run!” Vlad yelled at them.
The three began to run the fastest as they could as they were being chased by a Stormtrooper group which happily began to fire against them. It didn't take long for them to go into an alley and duck behind a dumpster for cover, though unfortunately there was no way out except the way they came, a route that was occupied by the Imperials who started shooting.
“Great, the whole plan to hell,” Vlad said as he began to fire his blaster against the Imperials. “And just when we have the spaceport nearby.”
“Try to contact the others!” Lop said as she duck behind the dumpster while TD-4 attached itself to her shoulder.
Vlad tried to communicate, but there was only static on his communicator. “Damnit! Communications have been blocked! It looks like we are alone now.”
“Someone will have to go warn the others while we hold out here.” Rham Kota said.
Vlad shoots a few times with his blaster while looking up. “Lop, can you get there?”
“Up there?” Lop asked looking up, but then looked at the walls. “There is too much space between the walls. I don't even get that far.”
“Not at all,” Kota said to Lop. “If you really want to use the Force, you must learn to let go. Let the Force propel you into each jump.”
“Well… at least I can try,” Lop said.
Kota shook his head. “No. Do it, or don't do it, but don't try. If you just try, you know you're going to fail, so don't try. Just do it, with all your strength.”
Lop looked at Kota for a moment, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath even with the blaster fire flying over them. Then she looked determined and ran to one of the walls jumping at it, and when her foot touched the wall, she pushed herself toward the opposite wall, winning height and reaching it, repairing the process repeatedly while jumping until she got to the wall’s top.
Lop was surprised that she did that feat but then remembered she had to warn the other and began to run. But suddenly stopped in her tracks and began to have doubts about what to do.
“That has been impressive,” Vlad replied looking up, before firing his blaster again and taking a stormtrooper down. “Didn't you say that Lop shouldn't be taught?”
“The situation was dire, and it's clear that you trust her,” Kota said to him.
“Well, let's just say the trust is mutual. She trusts us to release Tao, so we must trust her when we need her.” Vlad said, firing a few more shots. “A clear case of mutual cooperation so to speak.”
“I think I get it. Now we must find a way out of here. Before more Imperials come.” Kota said, looking at the stormtroopers.
“Well, unless you use a blaster…” Vlad commented.
“I have my own way,” Kota said as he grabbed his lightsaber and jumped over the dumpster.
The Jedi ignited his lightsaber in front of the stormtroopers and began to block with his weapons the blaster shots against them, occasionally bouncing them back to the imperials and hitting them down with their own fire, all while Vlad covered him from behind the dumpster firing at them.
The duo seemed to be able to hold off the Imperials' fire until a soldier with a jetpack appeared flying above them and pointing his blaster at them.
“Great, they had a jumptrooper.” Cursed Vlad as he was aimed by the jumptrooper.
The imperial soldier kept aiming at them in the sky ready to fire, but suddenly something cut the jetpack from behind, making it fly out of control before exploding. It turns out that Lop had returned and had jumped back into the alley, using his lightsaber to slice through the jumptrooper's jetpack and landing on the ground safely.
“Lop? What are you doing here? You were supposed to go to the ship for the others!” Vlad scolded her.
“I had a feeling I should stay and help you. And don't worry, I have sent TD to the Tengu.” Lop said as she rushed to them.
“Well, I hope the droid does well. We depend on him now.” Vlad said before firing at the stormtroopers.
Then Kota turned his head to Lop, spotting her curved lightsaber, his eyes widening. “A curved-bladed lightsaber? Where did you get that lightsaber?” He asked with surprise in his voice.
“Father gave it to me,” Lop replied to him.
Rahm Kota tried to get more answers, but more stormtroopers appeared in the area, adding their firepower to the ones remaining and increasing the pressure against the Jedi. And to make things worse, Cad Bane appeared too in the area.
“Great. That was all we needed.” Cursed Vlad seeing the bounty hunter.
“There you are!” The bounty hunter said as he began to fire at the Jedi.
Rahm Kota was having a hard time holding the enemy blasters with his lightsaber by himself. Lop was about to jump to help but Vlad grabbed her hand.
“Where are you going?” Vlad asked her.
“He’s overwhelmed! He needs more help!” Lop exclaimed.
“I'm sorry, but the last training to do this didn't go well, remember?” Vlad said to her.
Lop looked down at his words, but another voice spoke to her getting her attention.
“Trust in the Force.” Began to say Kota as he kept blocking the blaster shots. “You must let the Force guide your weapon and your actions, not the other way around. Your lightsaber is an extension of yourself. Use it as you would your own body, with grace and purpose. Always keep in mind that your actions should be in service of a greater good. Use your skills and power for the benefit of others. And, trust in yourself.”
Lop looked at Kota as he said those words, soon closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. Saying to herself that she could do it. She saw in her mind the images of her father, her sister, the Tengu crew, and the place where she grew up, knowing why she was doing this in the first place. Suddenly her fur and ears waved up as she opened her eyes with a celestial shine in them, and she jumped alongside Kota.
At that moment Cad Bane saw her and shot at her. Holding tightly her lightsaber she moved her weapon, hitting with the energy blade the blaster shot and bouncing it back, passing at inches of Cad Bane’s head who turned to see his blaster fire flying away before looking in surprise at the Lepi.
“No way!” Vlad exclaimed seeing how Lop blocked that blaster.
In fact, both Rahm Kota and Lop began to block each one of the imperials’ shots and return them to the stormtroopers and the bounty hunter who had to be wary to not be hit by his own shots.
“Yes, that’s the way!” Kota congratulated the Lepi as he kept blocking the shots. “Keep at it. Feel the energy of the blaster bolts. Use the Force to sense their trajectory and anticipate their movements and try to send them back.”
Lop kept blocking the shots and returning them back to the stormtroopers and the bounty hunter, being able to now turn the pressure against them.
“That furball it’s getting me out of my nerves!” Cad Bane growled, narrowing his eyes as he stared at the Lepi and the Jedi Master.
Vlad fired a few shots at the stormtroopers from the dumpster, with a smile on his face. “I’m beginning to think we will get out of this.”
The crossfire kept like that until Cad Bane looked to the side and ran away, just before a few blaster shots began to land where the imperials were and take them down, soon revealing the Tengu flying in front of the alley, with the ramp open.
“Hey! Over here, quickly!” Called Frall as he yelled at them with TD-4 flying at his side.
“Come on!” Vlad said, getting out of hiding.
The three rushed inside the Tengu in time before more stormtroopers appeared, beginning to shoot at the ship while the ramp closed and the four began to climb the ladder to the cockpit.
“Hi, boss. In what mess did you get us this time?” Byte asked as it saw Vlad climb the ladder. Then he saw Rahm Kota climb the ladder too. “A Jedi?!” If Byte could make an expression, it could be of shock and horror.
“A Commando Droid?” Kota asked as he saw the droid.
“Not now, Byte! Get us away from here now!” Scolded Vlad to Byte.
“Roger, roger!” Bye exclaimed, taking the ship’s controls as Lop and TD-4 got to the cockpit.
“And the other?” The Jedi asked, seeing that the Zabrak wasn’t with them.
“He’s taking care of the frontal cannon.” The Lepi replied.
Soon the Tengu began to rise up until it flew off the planet as the stormtroopers fired at it, at the same time that Cad Bane watched the ship go away with a frown.
The ship soon left the planet, only to run into a Quasar Fire-class cruiser-carrier head-on.
“Oh seriously?” Vlad cursed seeing how dozens of Tie Fighters took off from the massive cruiser. “Yavis, we need the jump now!”
“If you can keep those ships at bay, maybe I can do something!” Exclaimed Yavis, working with the hyperspace’s computer.
“I and Frall will take care of the Tie!” Called Drasha through the communicator. “We need somebody to take the Suzaku’s cannons!”
“I’m on it!” Vlad said as he rushed to the door before facing Lop and Kota. “You stay here!” He said before the door closed behind him.
Both Lop and Rahm Kota sat on the vacant chairs seeing how the imperial Tie began to fire at them at the same time the Tengu’s cannon began to fire back at them while flying in the cloud of imperial fighters.
“Are you sure it can get us out of here?” Kota asked, looking at the droid.
“Trust me! I programmed it to be the best pilot in the galaxy.” Yavis said as he worked with the jump coordinates. “Let them blow us to pieces if I have made a mistake in their programming.” That gave a worried look to Lop and the Jedi master.
“Don’t be a doomsayer now!” Scolded Byte as he piloted the ship through the enemies, eventually getting them behind.
Vlad was aboard the Suzaku using his cannons to shoot down any Tie shot at him, but the shots from the fighters were very insistent.
“Yavis, we’re getting out of time!” Vlad called through the communicator.
“I almost have it…” He said as he was working with the last data for the hyperjump. “Now!”
At his call, he turned on the hyperdrives and entered into Hyperspace, getting away from Bespin and the imperials.
Entering hyperspace, Yavis leaned back in his chair, taking a deep breath. “Buff, that was close.”
“Too close for my circuits.” Said Byte as it turned to Yavis. “Next time do the calculations faster.”
“What can be done is done.” He replied back.
“Not that I don't appreciate being saved by a droid, but if I may ask, why does this commando droid sound like a B1 droid?” Kota asked them.
“It's simple, Byte's original voice chip was damaged when we found it, and the only thing we had on hand was a B1 voice chip,” Yavis replied to the Jedi. “You have to admit that it gives it personality, don't you think?”
“There are as many tastes as stars in the galaxy.” Kota shrugged.
“The truth is that that voice makes him sound dumber than he seems, which is funny,” Frall said as he climbed the ladder into the cockpit.
“Hey!” The droid yelled at the Zabrak.
“I must admit that this crew is the strangest I've ever seen,” Kota said, looking at Lop.
“And that's not all.” Said Vlad as he and Drasha entered the cockpit, getting the look of both the Lepi and the Jedi.
“Vlad, he’s the one that helped you back then?” Drasha asked him.
“Yes, that’s right,” Vlad said. “Yavis, Frall, Byte, Drasha, I present you to Jedi Master Rahm Kota.”
“Oh, a Jedi Master?” Frall asked before smiling. “That’s hit the Jackpot in our situation, boss.”
“Yes, unfortunately, it is not like that,” Vlad replied before looking at Kota. “As soon as we exit hyperspace, we'll find a safe planet to drop you off for pickup.”
“The truth is that I have changed my mind,” Kota said as he extended her hand to Lop, wanting her lightsaber, who handed it over with some reluctance.
He switched on the weapon and stared at it. “I've only heard of one Jedi from the past who used a lightsaber with this design. Getting the blade to come out curved and have those engravings is a very laborious job.” Then faced Lop. “If he gave it to your clan, it will be for a reason.” He turned it off and handed it back to the Lepi. “Also, I must admit that you have done feats at your age in a short time that younger apprentices take months to do.”
“Wait, that means what I believe?” Vlad asked.
Rahm Kota looked at the Tengu crew before facing Lop. “I will be your master, Lop of the Yasaburô clan. But I'm warning you, I'm going to be very strict with you, so don't let me down.”
Lop was shocked at his words but quickly had a smile on her face. “Really? Thanks, Master Kota!”
“Wait, what?!” Byte asked in shock.
“Wait a sec. If he’s staying here too, where’s going to sleep?” Frall asked.
“Yeah, every quarter is already occupied,” Yavis said.
“Well, you will have to share a quarter,” Vlad said with a smile.
“What?!” Both Yavis and Frall asked in unison, soon facing each other. “With him?!”
Drasha burst out laughing at their reaction, while Lop tried to hold back her laughter at their ensuing argument.
In Tao, Director Prar was receiving a transmission in his office in the Yasaburô mansion with Ochô present.
“So, what you say is true?” He asked the imperial officer’s hologram.
“Yes.” Replied the officer. “At our stop on Bespin to apprehend a criminal, our squads encountered a group of dissidents matching the description of the group that appears to be operating on Tao, including a small-sized Lepi.”
“Lop,” Ochô muttered.
“And what were they doing on Bespin?” Prar asked him.
“We don't know, but we do know that they fled the planet with another subject. A Jedi known as Rahm Kota.” The officer replied.
“A Jedi?” Prar raised an eyebrow. “Interesting.” He thought for a moment. “Good job sending this report to me first. I’m taking care of this situation. And please, don’t inform the Emperor or Darth Vader about this.”
The officer nodded, finishing the transmission. Prar sat on his chair with a hand on his chin.
“It seems that Lop just found someone to teach her how to be a Jedi.” Prar finally said.
“That could be a problem,” Ochô said. “If she gets too powerful for us…”
“Don’t worry, Ochô. We have resources to deal with this.” He said, raising a hand to her. “Also, the future capture of the Jedi could give us points in the Empire. And the more powerful your sister becomes when she decides to join us, the more likely the Black Knights’ twin project will be accepted by the Emperor.” He said with an evil grin.
Then he remembered something. “Oh, by the way, tomorrow the agent of the Imperial Security Bureau will arrive, won't he?”
“If there are no delays in your transportation, that is.” Ochô nodded.
“Well, have them prepare everything for our guest. We must make sure that he cooperates with us in our plan to capture Lop, and not in eliminating her as would be the usual procedure.” Prar said, waving a hand to her.
Ochô nodded at him and turned around to get out of the room, leaving Prar alone, while he activated some private holograms.
“Okay…” Prar said as he looked through them. “What we could use against them?”
