Gray Jedi - S01 E05

Story 1 year ago

Gray Jedi - S01 E05

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 5

Malik and Serra Come to terms With their feelings.

“Serra, they’re on our tail!”

“I see them! Hang on!”

Serra Keto and Malik Ran rocketed through the Coruscant system, the Republic navy chasing after them all the while. The Z-95 Starfighters were fast, but their antique Defender-class light corvette held up splendidly, able to evade most incoming attacks. Not to mention that it was also quite well armed.

“Get the hyperspace coordinates programed, I’ll keep ‘em at bay,” Malik said.

“On it!”

Malik pulled up the targeting computer, tracking the fighters behind them. He figured he wouldn’t be able to destroy them, but if he could just throw them off a bit, it would give them their chance to escape. As he placed them in his sights, a transmission came in over the comlink.

“Unidentified ship, you have entered Imperial space without permission. Identify yourselves.”

“Don’t respond,” Malik said to Serra. “The less they know, the better.”

“Agreed.”

Deciding to send a reply with actions, Malik took careful aim at the nearest starfighter and let loose a volley of blaster fire. He managed to wing the ship, forcing the pilot to abandon the chase, but his comrades now knew them to be hostile and engaged as such. They opened fire, but the shields on the Jedi ship were stronger than they anticipated, deflecting most of their attacks. Meanwhile, Malik continued to throw them off with his shots, forcing them to roll and evade.

“Ok, we’re ready!” Serra shouted.

“Get us out of here!”

Malik strapped himself in just in time as the ship accelerated to light speed. Soon, the capital of their once-great Republic had been left behind. The pair sighed in relief, relaxing back in their chairs.

“So… where are we headed?” Malik asked.

“Ord Mantell,” Serra replied.

“Ord Mantell?! Are you sure that’s wise?! The Clone Army is known to use that system as a base of operations!”

Serra smirked. “They use the northern half of the planet as a base, but the southern half is nothing but abandoned junkyards. Trust me, they won’t find us, and we might find some salvageable parts in those junkyards to help us. And since we’ll be approaching from the south, they’ll never even see us coming.”

“Oh. Uh, good… good thinking,” Malik stammered, surprised at how well though out her plan was.

Placing the ship on autopilot, Serra continued, “We won’t arrive for several hours at least, and it’s been a rough day. What say we go relax for a bit?”

“Sounds good…”

Malik stood from his chair and began to explore the ship a bit. Near the cockpit stood the captain’s quarters. He and Serra would sort that out later, he figured. Moving down the main hallway, a couple of extra sleeping areas lined the walls on either side of the exit ramp. Finally, he found three rooms in the back of the ship. The first was a small, dark room with a large holomap computer, perfect for charting courses and planning missions. The second was a conference room, complete with advanced communications equipment. The last room appeared to be a meditation area, containing several cushions and sofas on which to relax.

“Perfect,” Malik said, taking a seat on the sofa.

“Mind if I join you?” came Serra’s voice from the door.

“Please.”

Rather than sit in a different seat, she moved to sit next to Malik on the sofa, sliding close to him in the process. As he seemed apprehensive and distant, she attempted to calm him by placing her hand on top of his. He recoiled at first, but did not move it away altogether.

“You ok?” she asked, concerned.

“I… I don’t know…” he admitted. “I feel like… I should have done more for Master Windu. I could have found a way to save him.”

“Malik, what’s the first rule of being a healer?”

“First do no harm, of course.”

“Oh yeah… ok what’s the second rule of being a healer?”

Sighing, he knew exactly where she was going with this. “We save as many people as we can. Sometimes that doesn’t mean everybody.”

“Exactly. You didn’t kill Master Windu, Palpatine did. He didn’t die from your failure; he died in service to the Republic, in service to freedom. Don’t dishonor his memory with misplaced guilt.”

Seeking to comfort him, Serra moved closer, laying her head on his shoulder as she held his hand. She turned her face, planting a soft kiss on his cheek. Although she wanted to go further, Serra then noticed that poor Malik’s head was hanging and slumped; he was so exhausted that he had passed out sitting up. She gently guided his body to lie across the sofa, and then placed herself in his arms to spoon against him. Before long, both Jedi were fast asleep.

*****