Una stopped, her chest heaved up and down as she took a look at her surroundings. Her body still hidden from view, she was fairly certain she was still completely undetectable. Fromher vantage point on the roof Una could see that the palace was a long way away. Far off from where she was standing right now. She'd need some way to get there and fast. If she walked by the time she got there the invasion might have been done and dusted with. Turning her head and glancing around, she decided that the first thing she needed was a map. But she had no idea where to begin.
Una lowered her body down from the lip of a roof and let herself fall to the floor. The shock that was sent from her feet up to her head lasted for a matter of seconds, but boy was it painful. She bit down on her lip to stop herself from cursing out loud. It did her no good to stand still so instead she began walking. Una was headed in the direction of the palace, or at least in the direction she assumed the palace was. Theed was a huge place and nothing at all like she remembered it all those years ago. In fact, it wasn't that many years ago but now the city was on fire and blood curdling screams could be heard in every direction it gave the city a different tone. It no longer represented beauty and safety for its people. It was a place of death and destruction now.
As she walked along her merry way her ears met with a new sound. The distinct chatter of two OP soldiers and their armor clinking heavily against their bodies. Una panicked. She had let her guard down in that one moment it took her to feel safe on the side streets. The sound was getting closer and closer. Darting down an alley way she pressed her back to a wall, hidden in the shadows as she held her breath and waited patiently. It took what seemed forever for the guards to lumber lazily past her. They thought they were safe too, which worked well for her. Una couldn't breath, her chest refused to inhale as she stepped out of the shadows and curled her fingers around her saber hilt. She willed herself not to ignite it yet as the force cloaked her body once again and she disappeared from sight. Carefully stepping, she made her way up behind the two soldiers. Keeping up with them was incredibly easy, they were walking at a slow pace, with not a care in the world. Her saber held steady and true in the small gap they left between them. It took her no less than a second to ignite the saber and in this time, there was nothing they could do.
A blood curdling scream emitted from them both, piercing her ears. If it weren't for the fact that her knuckles were going white with the pressure she kept on her saber hilt, Una would have dropped it there and then. The double bladed sabers had ignited in a flurry of color and ripped through the midsection of both guards. A small nub of saber could be seen either side of their bodies. She disignited the blades, cauterizing the missing section that had been gouged out by her saber. Her hand was shaking as she brought the hilt toward her chest. Three kills. She had been on this planet no more than 5 hours and she had already taken three lives. There was no denying that she felt some guilt for what she had done. But another part of her brain insisted that she had done it for survival. And for Gravy. Swooping down she began to pat the guards down, feeling for a datapad. So it turned out, she was in luck.
The screen flickered a dim white as it turned on and connected to the holonet. A map of Theed was brought up in less than half the time she had expected. Admittedly she was a little technologically retarded but she had worked with datapads before and especially the holonet. The map was complicated and there were twists and turns every which way. With an exaggerated sigh, she began her walk once again. But this time, not in the direction of the palace.
The shop she headed for wasn't too far away from where she was, luckily. But the map was more than confusing. On a number of occasions she got lost and had to turn back around to her original starting spot. It was easy to find. Though the stench of burning flesh had filled the city, Una couldn't quite smell it as well as on the two guards she had just murdered. Remembering something her Father said before she left for the Jedi, Una gave a quite whimper. He had told her that death was nothing to be afraid of and if she ever administered death of her own accord, it would stick with her for the rest of her life. Una wondered how long it would be before she could rid herself of the stink and of the visions that flashed before her eyes. Glancing down at the datapad to distract herself, she halted mid step and looked up. The speeder shop was right on the edge of Theed and it seemed to be untouched. The metal bars had been dragged down in front of it. But that wouldn't stop her.
She ignited one side of her saber and stuck it against the metal, watching it melt before her eyes. In a matter of minutes she was inside. It had a homely feel to it and almost looked unscathed by the battle that was going on a little further away. The speeders sat on the shop floor, held in place by metal brackets. Una felt like a child in a candy store. Speeders had been her specialty ever since her parents had given her some kind of leeway back at home. And the streets of Theed were no different to that of Corellia. She stepped toward one, running her finger tips over the handle bars and smoothing them over the leather seat. This was the one.
A noise that sounded like wood scraping against metal made her snap her head away from the speeder. Her heart stopped in her chest as she clutched her saber a little more tightly. "Who's there...?" Taking a step forward, the floor creaked underneath her weight. With her senses hightened she could hear the subtle sound of someone moving not to far away. "I'll ask again, who's there?" Her voice sounded strong and unafraid, but inside she was screaming. What if it was an OP soldier? She wasn't prepared. An attack now would ruin everything. Then, from the corner of the room, a man scooted out from behind the counter. His face looked pale and shocked as he held his hands up to show he had no weapons. Una felt a wave of relief wash over her. "Are you the owner?" He nodded quickly and began to mumble something inaudible. Turning a little ways she motioned to her speeder of choice. "I need this... do you have the keys?" He didn't waste any time and scrambled to get off the floor and reach for the circle of keys hanging up on the wall behind the counter. With shaking hands he pulled one away and offered it out to Una. "Here, please take it. Just don't hurt me.."
She walked forward and took the key from his vibrating hands. She had no intention of hurting him but it was best if she let him think that. That way she could escape without having to deal with a civilian who thought he was saving the day. Leaning forward, she unlocked the metal brackets that held the speeder in and flicked on the engine. It purred. It was a beautiful sound that sent a shiver down her spine. Turning back to nod at the owner she walked toward the door and butted it open with the nose of the speeder. Now the fun would begin.
It sank underneath her weight. Revving the engine, she slid the datapad into her belt and sped off through the streets of Theed. The streets were narrow and hard to navigate, but the datapad blaring instructions out to her made it a hell of a lot easier. Una also had the advantage of a small frame. Weight next to nothing it was easier for her to turn the speeder at a moments notice. With the wind blowing through her hair she almost felt like she was back at home again. She was able to block out the noise of destruction and hold back the smell death. She was back on Corellia, racing through the streets with her friends. The sound of laughter filling her ears and her friends voices screaming joyfully behind her. The datapad beeped loudly, disrupting her thought process.
Una pulled the speeder to a halt and slid off it. Her legs felt like jelly. One thing she disliked about speeders was the fact that she always felt weightless after a long ride. She'd take the rest of the journey on foot. According to the datapad she was only a few minutes away. Turning a corner she was met face to face with an OP guard, who almost looked as terrified as she did. Within a second her saber was ignited for the fifth time that day. Her attacker looked afraid. She was there to guard the bottom of the cliff and it was clear she didn't expect to be disturbed. Una took her stance and put on a menacing face. The guard couldn't handle it. Her whole body shook as she pulled out her blaster and took aim. In the blink of an eye Una had called on the force and the blue shine covered her entire hand. The blaster bolt flew toward her and Una raised her limb. It bounced off her palm and once again Una had to whisper a silent thank you to her Master. Everything he had taught her so far had come in use and had saved her life on multiple occasions. The look on the young womans face was one Una knew she would never forget. Her eyes were wide and her hand pressed to the gaping wound in her stomach. Curling up, she fell to the floor and remained motionless. Without even looking back, Una stepped over her body and was met with a glorious sight.
The palace loomed up ahead in all it's glory. The force conceal she had wrapped around her body was long since gone. Anyone who was following her from the beginning would have been bound to lose her the second she faded into non-existence. As far as Una was concerned she didn't exist. To any on looker she was a civilian, standing at the bottom of the cliff that lead up toward the Palace. She figured that most guards would be so focused on protecting the main entrance to the palace that they wouldn't even consider someone scaling the side of the cliff. She cracked her fingers and got on with it. Everyone had to start at the bottom. She clipped her saber to her belt, which hung loosely from her waist. For once in her life she decided that wasn't a good idea. Turning back to face the city once again, she got one last glance at Naboo. Once inside the palace she had no idea if she'd make it out alive. But that was the cost of adventure. Tightening up her belt around her midsection, Una began to scale the giant cliff face.
Her hands were sweaty and the drop was stomach wrenching. Una had only managed to pluck up the courage to look down once. Even from where she was at she could, if she fell she wouldn't survive. Heavy winds were ripping into her body, sending her this way and that. It was a dangerous move and she was ever so grateful for the time spent in the jungle along side Master Syn. It had made her stronger and better as a whole. That seemed to be the only reason why her fingers kept their grip. But she could feel herself slipping. Her arms were getting tired and she wasn't even half way there. Luckily for her the jagged rocks that protruded from the cliff face made for perfect resting spots. And so her journey continued. Five minutes of strenuous climbing. A minute of resting and regaining her strength. Then another five minutes of climbing.
What was in fact no less than an hour felt like days to Una. But she could see the end of her notorious climb. The edge of the cliff was a very much welcomed sight as she threw her hand up to meet the flat, solid land. Una had never been so grateful to see a horizontal floor before. Her elbows shook as she hoisted herself up and pressed her back against the palace wall. The easy bit was over and done with. Now it was time for the difficult parts to begin.
TLDR - Una killed two guards, stole their datapad, pulled up a map. Found a shop that sold speeders. Stole one. Navigated through the city to the palace. Killed a third guard and scaled the cliff of the palace.
