"Kusana, the last thing any self-respecting Force wielder wants is to use the Force without due reason. It is not a parlor trick, it is the Faith." Vekau sighed as they placed their hands over Kusana's. "You're twelve years old now, you have to learn control."
Kusana's eyes shot open. She was underwater—deep, deep underwater—and sinking. Her ship was some ways in the distance, metal fires crackling under the water, providing a source of light in the deep night. She swam up to the surface, her face breaking through the film of water and oil at the top as she gasped for air. A nearby floating piece of fuselage provided a sufficient respite from the violent waters, and she shut her eyes once more.
"Kusana, the Dark side and Light side were always meant to be in balance. That is the Faith. If you have to kill, then kill. But if you can live and let live, then let the Force guide your way." She opened her eyes once more, and the sun beat down on her face like a blanket of swampy heat. The beach she had washed up on was composed of blood red sand and ship parts. On her hip, her lightsaber hilt was worn but alive. She stood up and ignited the blade to test it. A radiant green illuminated her face even in the bright midday sun. Functioning normally, good. The last thing I needed was for this to break on me.
Overhead, a ship flew by. It looked just like the one that had been tailing her before her memories failed her and she woke up in the water. She quickly ducked for cover in a nearby thickness of washed up seaweed, but it looked to be too late as the ship doubled back and settled for a landing on the beach near her. From out of the ship came sprinting a group of mercenaries. Well-armed, well-trained, and well-prepared for her. For as she ignited her blade a blaster bolt had already connected with her hand and knocked it out of her grip.
"Kusana, dearie! Glad to finally see you again." Kusana had no recollection of this character, or of any of the troop that accompanied her. "I'm so delighted to finally be able to take you back home, where you belong."
Oh for the love of— It was a mercenary group hired by the remnants of her family. She was technically the heir after all. Whoever wanted power wanted her dead. This "take you back home" nonsense was a sly ruse to get her guard down. She was not oblivious to the firing squad forming around her.
"Don't worry Kusana, we'll make sure it's fast." She motioned for her mercenaries to raise their weapons. A moment too late, however, as Kusana had already retrieved her lightsaber and ignited it by the time the first blaster was pointed at her. The weight of the hot sun pressed her into the sand as the standoff threatened to erupt at any moment. Suddenly, she found herself deflecting bolt after bolt, a desperate defense for her life. Four mercenaries, five blasters, but ultimately she became overwhelmed as even her honed technique in Form III combat proved insufficient. A blaster bolt screeched at her from her right, cutting her across the bridge of her nose and twirling off into the water to her left.
With blood trickling down her face, her eyes deepened into a crimson red, the influx of oxygen from her hyperventilation richening her Chiss eyes. With a clearly unexpected flurry, she lunged forward and halved the closest mercenary with her blade. The blaster fire stopped momentarily as the shock took hold of the others. Just as the fire erupted again, she ducked under a bolt and spun twice before converting that momentum into a swipe of her blade that vivisected the next mercenary. The red sand concealed the gore as though reclaiming what belonged to it.
Two more bolts flew her way which were quickly deflected back, punching the perpetrator in the gut and chest and killing them instantly. The last mercenary readied a grenade, meaning to kill them both. She skidded to a halt in the sand and reached out with the Force to contain the explosion enough to protect herself. Not much of the mercenary remained.
However, in a moment of exhaustion, she was caught off guard by the woman leading the troop. A beskar blade swung down on her and as she attempted to block with her saber, the blade deflected downward and halved her saber hilt along the Kyber crystal, rendering her defenseless. Exhausted, saberless, and completely shattered by the loss of her lightsaber, Kusana was hopeless. In a last effort, she reached out with her hands and grasped the woman by the neck, tackling her to the ground and choking her. It was the longest five minutes she had ever experienced, taking that life.
She sat back and breathed carefully in, then out. In, then out. After an hour or so of crying and vomiting from the anxiety, she mustered the power to stand on her feet. Left with an unoccupied ship, a broken lightsaber, and a shattered will, she took off toward Coruscant.
