An Ordinary Day

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

”True enough.” Aela commented dryly as she sat herself down in one of the transport chairs. She and Adder had discussed the possibilities of her learning, but in order to do so Aela knew that she would need some sort of force nullification, something that wouldn't be easy to come by. Not to mention it would likely be unpleasant for her to wear.

She’d more than once been trapped in a Ysalimir field, and exiting those wasn't the most pleasant experience.

”Buckle I'm guys.” She said reaching over and strapping one of the smaller children into place. ”Otherwise take off is going to be uncomfortable.”

Along with the children they were also taking two of the Temples Jedi Knights. They were young, both having only recently attained their rank. Aela knew them well enough, having fought with them both when they were just padawans. It seemed like an age ago, but she knew that they could be trusted. They cared for these children as much as she did.

The rest of the Academies staff would stay behind.

Each of them knew what that might mean, but the consensus had been that if the Sith found the Temple entirely empty they would attempt to pursue the children faster. With the remaining staff to occupy them it would give Jacen and Aela a chance to slip away. It was a morbid plan really, but one that would work.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

"Nothing?" Jacen asked.

"Absolutely nothing," replied the pilot. The station loomed over them. A heavy, dark ring against a faint crimson nebula. "It's still active. We've got an open channel just no one replying."

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Jacen murmured.

"This is the last Alliance refuelling station. Regardless of your feelings we stop here or we take a port close to First Order space." The pilot spoke as if he was growing tired of Jedi and their feelings. He spoke with the pragmatism of a man who considered a potential First Order blockade as a much greater threat.

"But if it's not manned..."

"Most of the systems are automated. We dock and activate the pumps on a control panel just inside. The staff probably just abandoned their post. Twenty minutes and we'll be gone."

Jacen looked towards Aela. The Force was telling him this wasn't as simple as a desertion.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Aela had used most of the trip to catch up on the news that was flowing out of the core. She had her little datapad, and although Communications were still spotty she'd managed to get a larger breath of the situation. The Sith and the First Order had struck, the Alliance had fallen, and most elements of the New Jedi Order had been broken into pieces.

All of that made her sick to her stomach, though with the kids around her she showed absolutely no sign of it. Instead she simply sat in her seat, features stoic as her eyes slowly scanned over the information she was receiving. Before they reached the fuel station she sent out a small message to her SIS contacts and reached out to the 5th Legion. Though many Alliance Soldiers may have run, she knew that the Legion would not. It just wasn't their way.

Biting the bottom of her lip Aela hoped Verik would get her message.

When she heard Jacen speak to the pilot her head perked up slightly, lips thinning as she snapped back into the real world for a moment. Her eyes narrowed, glancing towards the cockpit and shutting off the datapad as she unstrapped herself from her seat. She motioned for the children to stay put, quickly heading into the cockpit. "Boost long range sensors."

Aela said as she came up behind Jacen.

"See if there's anything else out here." She doubted it, but better safe than sorry.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

"I'm not picking anything up," the pilot replied after a few seconds. "Ship wasn't really made for long range scans though."

Jacen opened his eyes. As the crew has done their work he had reached out towards the station. "Nothing," he said with a shake of his head. "I've been deceived before though."

"No battle damage, no other docked ships. No quarantine signal but maybe suit up just in case."

Jacen nodded. He wouldn't have thought of that as a possibility. He didn't like this. He didn't like risking First Order assault ships. There were no Alliance tactical channels left to find out if anyone had logged anything.

"Aela?'

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

She considered for a moment. "We don't have much of a choice."

They would need fuel if they were going to make it to Borleias, and the only other choices would see them skirt First Order Territory. She figured this was their best option, even if they were walking into the unknown. She let the pads of her fingers tap against her thigh for a moment, then half turned back.

"Let us get on the station first." She told the pilot. "You can start refueling after we've made sure it's safe."

The Knights could stay with the children, but Aela wanted to make sure everything would be safe first. "Will the station have long-range scanners?"

For a moment the Pilot seemed to be somewhat surprised, but after a few seconds he nodded his head in affirmation. Aela didn't want to get caught out while they were refueling. The man had said it would take twenty minutes, and during that twenty minutes they would be sitting ducks. If she and Jacen could activate the Scanners and watch for anyone approaching it would make them that much safer.

Couldn't be too sure of anything right now.

Without any further argument the shuttle began to launch itself towards the station, quickly coming alongside it to dock.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Having been in the same tunics since the rush from Coruscant, Jacen was certain being in a spacesuit for twenty minutes was going to make him need a sonic even more. Wasn't a big shuttle either. He left his outer robes in a pile and kept only his under tunic on to get suited up.

Standing in the middle, Jacen could almost touch both walls of the shuttle's airlock. In truth it was just a tube that extended out from the shuttle to dock. But it was all they had to keep the children seperate from any potential infection.

There was a hiss as the pressures were matched and then the station's doors opened. The corridor ahead was bathed in the dim, emergency lighting. It had a ruddy, ochre quality that made everything seem slightly aged.

"I'm at the panel," Jacen called over the com-link to the ship. "Looks like there is fuel." He tapped a few keys and initiated the fuel line.

"Confirmed. Twenty two minutes to fully fuelled. We can probably make the jump after fifteen."

"Sealing the door behind me," Jacen said. Not that it would slow anyone down, but it would give the Knights left to defend the younglings a warning of anything coming.

"Command deck then?" He asked Aela.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

She nodded, already feeling sick to her stomach.

Aela had always preferred to keep her feet on the ground. Standing inside of a starship was enough to bring her anxiety, wandering around in a space suit? Even worse. She frowned slightly, as the door sealed behind them, her gaze flicking towards the small screen on the inside of her wrist. The air levels read normal, oxygen and everything else was apparently perfectly fine. For a moment she considered in silence, then slowly lifted up the visor of her suit.

Air rushed against her face for a moment, and a stale sort of smell touched her nose. "Reminds me of something..."

She said to herself quietly shrugging.

"I don't sense anything." Aela commented as they slowly passed from the airlock room and headed towards the command deck. They could have stripped their space suits at this point, but given the emergency lighting and the situation they were walking into it seemed prudent to wear the things. They were heavy, but if there was a breach somewhere it would pay to keep them on.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

"You know that doesn't necessarily..." He trailed off. There was no point mentioning the potential of a biological weapon now. If there was anything in the air Aela would have already sensed it in her system.

"It's not the same as an ysalmiri. But not the same as having nothing ahead of us," Jacen murmured. "Somewhere in between. I don't like it."

"We don't necessarily need to check it out. Could hole up here and wait." It wasn't something he would normally suggest, but there was a shuttle of youths behind them.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

For a moment Aela considered what Jacen said. He was right of course, they didn't need to go exploring the station. There was no telling if they would actually find something dangerous here, but she was truthfully far more worried about what was out there. Those children were safe on the shuttle, but that only remained true as long as the shuttle itself remained safe. "We need those long-range sensors."

She said quietly.

"The First Order or the Sith could drop on us in an instant." That was truly a concern. "You said yourself the Jedi were compromised."

Though he hadn't exactly told her how. "And if they know about those kids..."

Aela trailed off. There was no need to describe what would happen if the Sith captured them. She hated to think of them that way, but the children were valuable. They could either become the future of a new Jedi Order or the death knell of a thousand worlds.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Jacen didn't fuss any further about the decision. The last thing he needed now was to start questioning himself. He liked to imagine he was past that part of his life where he questioned everything he did. Past the dark time where he had been locked within one of the Alliance's cells until he could control himself.

"Oh good," he said sarcastically. "Textbook flickering horror lights."

Around the corner stretched a length of corridor. To the best of his spatial awareness he thought it must connect the outer docking ring with the inner command area.

"This really isn't the time, i know. But how have the kids we brought back been settling in?"

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Aela remained quiet for a moment, glancing around the flickering hallway for a moment. She wasn't one for holo-flicks, though on occasion she and Jamie had stayed up late and watched a scary movie or two. Her padawan had insisted that it was some sort of tradition, though Aela hadn't really enjoyed it. Why would you scare yourself on purpose? No one enjoyed that, it was just silly.

"Only Allara ended up at Wroosti." She answered finally. "The others mostly went to Temples around the Alliance."

She stayed quiet for a moment. "Allara has a talent in battle meditation."

It had manifested itself in innocent ways so far, mostly in bringing feelings of calm and warmth to those around her. In the future the girl would likely be able to further her gift, allowing entire armies to push themselves beyond what they were ordinarily capable of, but for now it was something she did naturally.

"The other children from Wroosti all have their own unique talents." That was why they had been there in the first place.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Jacen had a private smile with his back to Aela. He liked to listen to her speak of her charges fondly. He preferred her as a sherpard of the children than leading them into action against the Sith.

He came to an abrupt halt. With a shake if his head he continued forwards; the flickering shadows had just been playing tricks with his mind.

"And she's settling in well?" he asked, returning to his original question.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Aela couldn't help but feel as though they were being watched. She knew that the notion was ludicrous, there had been no life-signs aboard and she sensed nothing, but she couldn't shake the feeling. Her lips thinned slightly as they turned another corner, fingers tightening just a bit.

"Very." She said quietly.

It had taken some time for Allara to feel comfortable among the other children, but once she'd realized that everything was more...calm, she had settled in well. "Those two boys that you found outside fight over her."

She sounded amused.

"I think she rather likes the attention." Aela shrugged. She herself had never experienced something like that.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

"My older ones were out on praxeum ships when the Sith came," Jacen whispered. "Had the opposite problem. Girls are even worse."

There was a subtle shift in his stance. With each step he kept his balance in case he needed to move quickly or drop into a stable, defensive stance. There was no sign of any crew.

"And I say that knowing full well how bad I was. Remember I was showing off with lightsabers when I hurt someone badly? Certain girl was watching. Hmm maybe girls aren't worse."

Still, he hadn't seen anyone switch between effervescent laughter at an awful joke from a boy to glaring daggers at another girl quote that quickly before.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

Aela smiled as Jacen spoke.

She had never quite had the standard childhood that many others did. There had been no school for her and her siblings. There had been no real close by friends. Oh sure there had been her cousins, the others of the brat pack, but Aela had never been a part of an academy or anything of the sort. Not that as a child she would really have participated in any of that nonsense anyway. Still, talking about it now made her somewhat...envious.

The Jedi Master couldn't have said why, but it did seem to her there was a certain joy in the antics of teenagers. ”I-”

Aela was about to speak when a loud, ear piercing screech rang through the hall.

The cry was loud, like metal tearing apart metal but somehow more disrupted. The sound of it seemed to bounce from wall to wall, creeping along and echoing again and again. Her hands cake up to cover her ears, slipping into the helmet. Eyes bulged slightly, and she looked at Jacen with a mixture of confusion and fear.

What the hell was that?

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

"At some point," Jacen murmured, "there becomes a certain inevitability to this. Like teenagers showing off."

He canted his head to one side and drew his lightsaber. "How long to refuel?"

"Eight minutes if we are in a rush. Are we in a rush?"

"Maybe." Jacen clicked off the comm. The cry had stopped but he could feel vibrations through the deck. Something was coming. Part of him was still frustrated at leaving the temple behind. It was the part of him that the dark side could twist to anger if he let his guard down.

"Trust me, they're more trouble when you're their parent. Back to the ship and hold the corridor or press on?"

Despite the casual tone of his voice, his hawkish gaze stayed fixed on the door ahead.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

For a few seconds Aela didn't respond, her lips thinning as she slowly slipped the ancient lightsaber from the holster on her thigh. She was keenly aware that the space suit would make fighting more difficult, particularly if whatever was out there was more agile than a normal human. She glanced at Jacen for just a few seconds and then took a small step back.

”Corridor.” She said quietly.

Eight minutes.

The command center was just around the corner, but by the time they got the long range sensors and whatever else up and running they would be fueled up and ready to go. If the First Order or the Sith were going to drop on them then they would just have to deal with it. Right now she was far more concerned with what that noise had been, and more importantly why it had just sounded now.

”Did I ever tell you what happened on one of my SIS missions with Jamie?” She said quietly. ”Scouting An outpost near First Order space.”

Aela sounded somewhat concerned as she slowly wandered back the way they had come.

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Jacen kept his eyes on the corridor behind them. He didn't activate his saber yet. The Force hadn't given him much guidance here, but he trusted it to still warn him of impending danger.

"Everyone at the Outpost had been eaten by a space monster?" he hissed back. There was a cream from behind them and Jacen planted his feet and lit his saber.

Nothing. Just the door they had considered going through.

"This doesn't excuse you from telling me your embarrassing teenage stories. Like the time you spoke too loudly at the library."

Unfortunately he'd already admitted to Aela that he spoke too much when he was nervous.

 

[Aela Talith]

[member="Jacen Voidstalker"]

"Sithspawn." She said quietly, continuing to slowly back up.

Aela flicked her eyes around the small corridor, half expecting something to pop out from one of the vents or perhaps even from beneath the bulkhead floor. Paranoia began to grip them both, something that was obvious from Jacen's blubbering.

The feeling wasn't quite fear, she doubted that either of them were prone to that. It was more of a consideration of possibility. There was no telling what had made that noise, and although she and Jacen could defend themselves quite well there were more than two dozen children that they still had to consider and care about. A large crack rang out just around a nearby corner, the splitting of two metallic plates. Her lips thinned, and finally the lightsaber in her hand ignited.

A bright white blade flashed into life.

"Lets run." She suggested. "Seal the blast door to the hangar."

 

[Jacen Voidstalker]

[member="Aela Talith"]

Jacen turned towards the sound and brought his saber up into a defensive position. He caught sight of movement. Something large. A maw beneath a crown of chitnous spikes. Smaller creatures pushed through the gap that had been forced open.

He didn't gawp for long, turning to run with Aela. Even in a suit her long legs carried her more swiftly. Not fast enough however. He could hear the clatter of claws on metal decks closing on them.

Keep going and hold the doors. Brushing up against her mind conveyed intent with no chance of misunderstanding. This was no brave act to shield her delicate self. He just wanted her at the door controls more quickly.

Jacen planted his left foot and pivoted around it. The air shimmered as a telekinetic wave rushed back up the corridor. His blade snapped up once and cut something in half. That had scattered the first group of them. They were roughly dog sized, but ran on back legs with an array of claws and teeth out front. More were coming, as well as whatever had forced the doors.