KGWrites

3983 BBY (Before Battle of Yavin), Corellian System, Coronet City, Corellia

Allana Thek

Coronet city was a gem of the Republic, its tower spires shining silver in the setting sunlight. Below, on the streets people of every species bustled past one another, shopping or making their way home after long workdays. The skylanes too were a blur of motion, sky cars and speeders darting past one another in a dance of near chaotic organisation.

Allana Thek smiled as she watched people go about their lives, laughing and loving, not concerned about the rest of the galaxy or who was in power, or whether a bounty hunter with a blaster cannon was waiting around the corner. It must be freeing, she thought to herself, to have a life away from such issues. Allana closed her eyes gently and felt the familiar and comforting touch of the Force against her mind. Taking a breath, she allowed herself to fall slowly into its embrace.

The noise around her fell away, replaced by the ebbing, wild river of all the lives surrounding her. Slowly she began to sift through them, feeling their emotions and thoughts like pebbles beneath the water as she gently touched their minds. One man was frustrated, something to do with losing out on a business deal at work. She pushed that one away, too negative, and searched once more. A woman’s emotions were spiking wildly, one minute excited, the next nervous, she expected her partner to propose at dinner that night. Allana smiled gently as she touched the partner’s mind and found that the woman’s instincts were indeed correct. Then another mind forced its way into her mental view. It positively buzzed with curiosity and wonder and Allana knew instantly who it was.

Gently she reached out through the force and touched the curious mind, feeling the child like imagination wash over her like a refreshing wave. Against her arm she felt the small body of her four-year-old son stiffen slightly. Allana raised her eyebrow in surprise, so young and yet he could feel her touch his mind, something many adults struggled to do. He was certainly strong in the Force. Suddenly she became dimly aware of a slight nudging against her arm.

Allana opened her eyes and looked down at her son. Drejek was looking up at her in wonder, his sky-blue eyes still rimmed with sleep dust. It occurred to Allana that he may even have sensed that it was her who had touched his mind, but she doubted it, Drejek was smart for his age, a trait he had gained from spending the first few years of his life moving from planet to planet, he had most likely felt the touch of her mind and simply assumed that as she had been a Jedi, she had been the most likely culprit. Drejek yawned and stretched himself out towards her, a single lock of dark brown hair falling down across his face.

“Are we nearly there?” Drejek asked her. Allana smiled and reached down to scoop up her young son and shift him onto her lap where he cuddled up against her, laying his head onto her shoulder.

“I’m sure we are sweetheart. Nearly there?” The question was directed at the man in the driver’s seat of the sky car, who was dressed in bulky Mandalorian armour and wore a grim, concentrated expression. Allana’s voice seemed to pull him out of some sort of trance, and he turned his head to look at her. His square jaw was showing signs of developing a beard and his dark hair was cropped close to his head. As if he had just seen the two of them for the first time his dark grey eyes lit up and a shiny grin crept onto his face.

“Yes, just a couple more blocks from here.” He told her, his voice was rough and yet Allana couldn’t imagine one more calming. He removed his hand from the steering column and gently ruffled Drejek’s hair.

“Not long now ad’ika.” He comforted the boy. Allana caught the Mando’a phrase that the man had used and ran it through her mental dictionary: little one. His family reassured, Gredun Thek turned back to the sky car’s controls, concentration once more twisting his features as he guided the small vehicle through the madness of the sky car lanes. Allana watched her husband for a time, studying him carefully.

Gredun Thek was a Mandalorian, a powerful warrior people who had fought alongside Exar Kun’s Sith Empire against the Republic in the Great Sith War little over a decade before. It was during this war that Allana, a new Jedi Knight at the time, had met Gredun on a battlefield on Onderon. She had found the wounded Mandalorian on the fringes of the battle and had taken pity on him, pulling him away from the battle and healing his wounds through the Force. After the battle Allana had been stationed on Onderon to aid in the reconstruction and had continued to aid Gredun, who was still slowly recovering from the wounds. In doing so she had seen a gentler side to the warrior and had eventually fallen in love with him.

Eventually she had made the decision to leave the Jedi Order and pursue a life with Gredun. However, when the pair arrived on Mandalore, the found that Gredun’s people were entirely against the idea of bringing a Jedi, something they had always seen as a foe, into their community.

They had attempted to kill Allana soon after that and when that attempt was thwarted by Gredun the pair had fled Mandalore, planning to start another life somewhere else. But the Mandalorians were unwilling to allow Gredun to betray their trust and escape alive and had sent assassins after them. After four years of running, Allana had fallen pregnant with Gredun’s child. She had given birth to her son Drejek on Corellia, in a hospital only a few blocks from where they were now, but soon they had left the planet, Mandalorian hunters close on their heels. Ord Mantell, Tatooine, Coruscant and many more, Drejek had only been with them for four years and already the child had travelled to more worlds than many beings in the galaxy managed in a lifetime.

But now they were back on Corellia, with freedom suddenly closer than ever. Gredun had called in a favour with a friend on the planet who had succeeded in securing the family a new alibi, allowing them to start an entirely new life safe from their pursuers.

It felt almost too good to be true.

Allana felt her world shift as Gredun pulled out of the main lane and began a slow descent towards a small landing area in front of a cantina. There was a low rumbling thud as the metal floor of the car hit the concrete and the vehicle settled to a stop. Allana gently shook Drejek, wakening him slightly.

“C’mon sweetie, time to go.” She told him. Drejek looked at her groggily, barely registering what she was saying, almost still asleep. Allana shook him again.

“We’re here Drejek, you need to get up now.” He seemed to understand this time, nodding carefully and stretching himself out. He slid from her lap and Allana opened the door of the car, stepping out onto the street.

The first thing that she noticed was the noise. The car had muffled the buzzing whoosh of sky cars and speeders as they darted around, and the cantina was abuzz with music and chatter. The second thing was the cold air. It was winter on Corellia and Allana’s breath clouded in front of her eyes as she involuntarily shivered, suddenly envious of Gredun’s armour with its regulated temperature system.

On the other side of the car, Gredun was striding towards the two bouncers at the entrance to the cantina. Allana reached down to put a hand on Drejek’s shoulder and the two of them walked to join him. They made to step past the pair when one of the bouncers, an imposing looking Delphanian, stepped into Gredun’s path. Despite her husband’s bulky armour, the bouncer still dwarfed the man. Allana carefully pulled Drejek tighter to her as the man’s partner, a Weequay, circled around behind the family.

“Where d’ya think yer goin’ Mandalorian?” The Delphanian asked, leaning close to Gredun’s face. Alana could tell it wasn’t a friendly inquiry. Suddenly the weight of her lightsaber at her belt was a lot more reassuring.

“We have an appointment with Ralena.” Gredun responded calmly, but Allana could sense the disbelief coming from the other man in waves.

“Really?” The Delphanian laughed in disbelief and looked to his partner.

“You hear this Krell? They says they has an appointment with Miss Ralena.” The Weequay released a sound that was half giggle, half hiss and crouched down to get a closer look at Drejek. Allana tightened her grip on her son’s shoulder, but the boy seemed to have the full intention of staring the Weequay down. The alien made the strange sound again before moving to stand next to his partner. The Delphanian meanwhile, had leaned in close to Gredun’s face once more.

“Funnily enough, I don’t believe that a respectable businesswoman like Ralena would be doin’ no dealins with Mandalorian scum.” He nearly spat into Gredun’s face. Allana saw her husband tense, clenching his fists with barely contained anger. She raised her hand and placed it on Gredun’s shoulder, and he turned his head to look at her.

“Let me handle this.” She whispered, her lips barely even moving. Gredun looked from her back to the Delphanian and back to her again before nodding and stepping to the side, allowing her to take his place.

“What’s this, a Mandalorian who won’t even fight his own battles? What good is that?” The bouncer sneered. Allana smiled her sweetest smile even as she gently probed for the Force.

“You’re going to allow us to pass.” She said, her voice matter of fact and perfectly level. Down at her waist height she subtly waved her hand, guiding the Force to the Delphanian’s mind and giving it the gentlest of nudges. The alien drew back, looking confused, almost lost before his eyes glazed over and he slowly nodded.

“Yes, of course, you can pass.” He muttered, sounding close to falling asleep. From behind him the Weequay made a light chuff sound of confusion at his partner’s sudden change of heart before he too stiffened and nodded as Allana guided the Force to his mind also. She offered the pair another sweet smile as they stepped aside, allowing the family to enter the cantina.

Inside, the heat of the cantina was almost stifling compared with the cold air outside, and the music was almost deafening. A dancefloor teemed massively with bodies all crammed together, Allana wasn’t really sure if what they were doing could truly be called dancing. At the top of the stairs leading down to the main floor of the cantina Gredun took the lead of his family once more while Allana scooped Drejek up and carried him with her through the noise and heat. She could sense his curious eyes scanning the room behind her, taking in the dancers, drinkers and other patrons. Gredun led them across the cantina to a back room where a large man stood at the entryway, a large blaster sitting obviously on his belt.

Unlike the cantina employed bouncers outside however, this man recognised Gredun and simply nodded before he said simply.

“Weapons stay with me.” Gredun nodded to Allana before he unslung the blaster that Allana had come to view as an extension of her husband and handed it to the man who nodded his thanks. Following Gredun’s example Allana reached down and took her lightsaber from her belt and handed it over. That done she shifted Drejek up on her shoulder and felt the small holdout blaster held inside the boy’s jacket press against her, a precaution for anything going wrong with Ralena inside.

“Thank you, follow me.” The big man said, turning on his heel and leading them into the small private room.

The room was bare besides a cosy looking booth at the far end in which a lithe purple skinned Twi’lek sat. Two armoured Zabraks stood to the sides of the sofa, blaster rifles in their hands and vibroblades slung over their shoulders, clearly the bodyguards. In the booth the Twi’lek looked up from a datapad and smiled.

“Gredun, Allana, it’s been far too long, come over, sit down.” At this Gredun smiled and led the way over to the booth, sitting across from the woman while Allana followed him in, lowering Drejek to the sofa between his parents. He sank back into the comfy seat, seeming almost ready to slip back into the sleep that Allana had pulled him from in the skycar. Meanwhile the two guards, sensing their boss’ familiarity with her clients, stepped away from the booth and wandered down to take positions at the door to the room. The Twi’lek, Ralena, leaned in, her purple Lekku falling from their position draped across the high back of the sofa.

“So, what can I do for you hmmm? Another new alibi? A way off-world? Or maybe you want rid of a thorn in your side?” She asked them. Allana recalled her last meeting with the information broker, Ralena had set them up with an alibi to get them off Corellia when Allana herself had been a new mother, clutching her five-week-old baby to her chest. Now here they were again, and that baby was now a four-year-old boy with a mess of dark brown hair.

“You can save the act Ralena you know why we’re here; it was you set up this meeting in the first place remember.” Gredun replied impatiently, he didn’t like playing games with words and secrets, he was far more a man of action. Allana could sense the frustration building inside her husband. For her part Ralena simply laughed.

“Of course, Gredun, hon, I’m simply going through the motions is all.” She reassured him. Allana supposed she was likely used to dealing with many dangerous characters. She sensed the frustration in Gredun begin to subside as he relaxed. Ralena twirled the end of one of her long, ornately jewelled Lekku as she spoke again.

“As I said in my message, I believe I have found you a more permanent solution to your troubles. Three families, all in transit, on their way to new homes, I can make it happen that you become one of them.”

“And what would become of them after we chose them?” Allana asked simply, already knowing the likely answer.

“Why Allana, it’s simple, after you choose them then they become you.” Ralena replied cryptically, giving Allana a look that said, “That’s all I’m saying on this”. Allana nodded uncomfortable with the answer but knowing that she couldn’t get any more from Ralena.

Gredun then took over the negotiations once more, learning about the groups so he could weigh the pros and cons of each choice. Allana was quite content to allow him to lead that part, she had no wish to know about the groups she may essentially be signing the death warrant of. Instead, she retreated into the Force and let her immediate surroundings wash away.

Once more she delved to the river of the lives surrounding her, although this time she felt the presence of Drejek’s curious mind more readily, almost as if they were bonded together. She probed at minds once more, feeling dancers desperate to forget their problems, drunk patrons who could barely string two thoughts together coherently, the Delphanian bouncer at the door as his body was racked with…. Pain!

Allana sat bolt upright in her seat, her mind now a focused weapon as she searched for the Weequay bouncer and found him, just his mind too went dark. Dead.

She became aware of Gredun calling her name and she pulled away from the Force’s grasp to warn him.

“The bouncers were just killed outside, there are four men entering the cantina.” She said quickly, her eyes still closed as she assessed the threat. Across the table, Ralena too had moved to action, calling for her two Zabrak guards to take up positions at the door and ordering the man outside to bring Gredun and Allana their weapons. Her eyes snapped open however as the loud crack of a blaster echoed across the cantina, followed by screams, running feet and a clatter as the big man, who had been halfway through the door, dropped to the floor, a hole burned in his side. Gredun’s blaster and the hilt of Allana’s lightsaber rolled away from the corpse and Allana stretched out through the force, gripping the weapons and guiding them to her hands.

She tossed the blaster to Gredun, and he leapt from the booth, tipping the table with him and yelling.

“Ralena, keep Drejek with you, blaster in his jacket! Stay down!” Then he joined the two Zabraks and the three rushed out the door and suddenly blaster fire became the cantina’s new soundtrack. Allana looked down at her son, still on the sofa next to her and smiled as reassuringly as she could muster.

“Okay honey, you stay with Miss Ralena. We’ll be right back, promise.” Drejek looked up at her, his blue eyes radiating nothing but concern and nodded. She leaned down and kissed his forehead before gently pushing him to Ralena who took him carefully and reached inside his jacket and found the gun. Then she looked up at Allana and nodded.

“Go! I’ve got him, we’ll be fine.” Allana nodded her thanks before she too leapt over the table, igniting her lightsaber as she did so. The emerald blade leapt from the hilt with a hum as she rushed into the main room.

The scene that met her was one of pure chaos, the club was a mess, tables and chairs were flipped and broken, light fixtures flickered and sparked, and blaster bolts lit up the room like a deadly disco. One of the Zabrak warriors lay face down, but from where she stood Allana could clearly see the burns from the baster bolt that had caught him full in the face. To her left Gredun was behind the bar, firing his pistol at the enemy on the far side of the room. Allana now examined her foes, they all wore heavy Mandalorian armour like Gredun’s and carried heavy blaster rifles.

Mandalorian assassins sent for her family.

Allana wasted no time in leaping to action. With the force guiding her, she sprinted across the room, sidestepped the corpse of the second fallen Zabrak and leapt, landing right between two of the warriors.

The Mandalorians had been focussed on Gredun and hadn’t spotted the approaching Jedi until it was too late and now their foe was upon them with them completely unprepared. Allana pressed home her advantage, her lightsaber swinging across her to strike first at the man to her right. He had been turning to face the new threat as her blow landed, severing his left arm at the elbow effortlessly before continuing upwards and leaving a deep slash across his torso. He dropped without a sound, dead before he hit the floor. Allana continued onwards however, completing a spin that brought her around behind the second warrior just as he turned to where she had landed. Allana thrust her green blade upwards through the man’s back, its tip appearing on his other side above his heart, and he crumpled to the floor.

Now she spun again, searching for another target just as the third warrior brought down a vibroblade in a vicious slice across her. Only her connection to the force allowed her to bring her blade up in time to parry his blow and the two stepped away from each other, each dropping into a combat stance. Allana prepared herself for a duel when suddenly the Mandalorian’s head was wrenched sideways as a blaster bolt slammed into it from the side and he dropped to the floor.

Gredun stood behind the man, his blaster still held ready. Allana looked around at the chaotic room, tallying the dead. The big bouncer lay dead in the doorway to Ralena’s room, the two Zabrak guards were also dead in the cantina, plus the three Mandalorians, although Allana could have sworn there’d been….

BLAM!

The blaster sound cut into Allana’s thoughts like a lightsaber through paper. And the second she placed it her blood ran ice cold.

Oh no, please no.

She was already moving, the force speeding her actions a hundredfold as she darted back across into the private room, her lightsaber held high overhead. Images too horrible for her to handle filled her mind’s eye as she flung herself through the open doorway, snarling as she dropped to a low combat stance, ready to tear her foe limb from limb.

The sight that greeted her however was not, in fact, a Mandalorian warrior with a smoking blaster rifle. Instead, it was Ralena, holding a Mandalorian rifle trained on the warrior who was on his knees, a hole burned deep into his thigh. And there, holding a smoking holdout blaster and looking altogether too proud of himself, stood her son.

Allana felt the lightsaber slip from her grasp as she sank to her knees, tears of relief rolling openly down her cheeks. The next thing she knew was a pair of small arms snaking around her neck and Drejek’s voice, also crying, simply saying.

“It’s okay mommy, it’s okay.” He told her as she wept openly into his shoulder, hugging him close. Meanwhile, to her side, Gredun had entered the room and, satisfied that all was well with his wife and son, he stormed over to the downed Mandalorian and brought his armoured knee up sharply, connecting with the man’s jaw with a loud crack! The Mandalorian fell backwards but did not cry out, Allana was surprised that the blow hadn’t broken his jaw. Gredun gripped the chest plate of the man’s armour and hauled him back up, crouching down to get right into his face.

“Enjoy threatening children do you di’kut? Think yourself a big honourable Mando?”  Gredun screamed at the Mandalorian warrior. The man’s face spread slowly into a smile, revealing bloody teeth and he spat blood at Gredun.

“I have nothing to say to you aruetti. You can say nothing of honour, you who left your Mando brothers and sisters and went to marry a Jedi skanah.” That last insult was thrown towards Allana as she stepped up to Gredun’s side. She looked at her husband and motioned towards the man, raising her eyebrow.

“Go ahead.” Gredun told her. She closed her eyes and felt out for the Force, letting it wash over her like cool water. Then her eyes snapped back open and she lashed out with it and the Mandalorian warrior was suddenly and violently thrown backwards across the room, crashing down headfirst over the booth. Allana was pretty sure she heard his arm break as he landed. She strode purposefully after him and stood behind him, arms folded across her chest until he scrambled back to his feet.

“You b-.” He began when suddenly Allana leapt the full height of him and spun, her foot darting out. She felt her boot connect with his face and his nose burst as he spun to the floor again.

This time when he rose however, he found a glowing green blade pointed directly between his eyes. From behind her lightsaber Allana smiled at him, the memories of her fears about Drejek almost completely forgotten.

“I really wouldn’t even breathe if I were you chakaar.” She told him, dipping into her limited knowledge of Mando’a to deliver the insult. It had its intended effect however. The use of the Mandalorian language by one of their greatest foes took the wounded warrior quite strongly aback and he obeyed her command.

Meanwhile behind her, Allana heard Ralena speak to Gredun.

“My boys?”

“Gone, but they died honourably, far more so than these cowards.” He told her sadly.

“Oh,” Ralena’s voice was near to breaking, the care for her fallen employees obvious. Then suddenly she made a funny little gasp sound as the tiny figure of Drejek wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. The boy looked up into the Twi’lek woman’s eyes and he simply told her.

“I’m sorry about your friends Miss Ralena.” His tiny voice the only sound in the room besides the gentle hum of Allana’s lightsaber. Awkwardly, the Twi’lek smiled at the boy and ruffled his messy brown hair.

“Thank you little one, thank you for protecting me as well.” She replied, allowing her hard business-like exterior to melt away for a moment before it snapped back and she strode over and swept up her datapad from where it had fallen to the floor in the chaos. Then she looked over to Gredun.

“So, shall we talk about your alibis again? Or should we deal with our guest first?” She glared pointedly at the Mandalorian warrior who still stood stock still with Allana’s green blade mere millimetres from his eyes. Allana looked at the man and suddenly an idea spread through her mind like wildfire. She held up her hand quickly.

“Hold on! Let me try something first. Gredun, I need a gun on him please.” She said quickly, not taking her eyes off the man for a second lest he try for a surprise attack. Gredun drew his blaster and walked over, holding it primed at the Mandalorian’s head. Once she was satisfied that Gredun had taken up his position Allana removed her lightsaber from the man’s head, all the while staring straight into his eyes, daring him to be stupid enough to make a move. He stared straight back, jaw clenched with rage and eyes watery with pain, but he didn’t move to attack at all. Allana stepped close to him and closed her eyes, drawing upon the well of the Force and letting it immerse her. Then she reached her arm up and touched the side of the man’s head, gently guiding the force to his mind.

She felt the man’s mind, finding the memory of the last few minutes and drawing it forwards. She saw him put a blaster bolt between the Weequay bouncer’s eyes, saw him wait until she herself had sprinted across the chaotic main room, lightsaber already flashing for his allies on the far side of the room. She watched him stride over to the fallen table and grab Ralena by her Lekku and drag her out, then a burning pain fired up his leg and he fell as Drejek shot his holdout blaster into his leg. Pride in her son surged through her veins but she supressed the feeling and focussed her attention on the man’s memory of attacking Drejek and Ralena.

Now came the worst part of the plan.

She drew upon her own mental images, replacing the man’s memory with her own ideas. First replacing the memory of Drejek shooting him with one of him snapping Ralena’s neck before grabbing the boy and holding him hostage as his mother sprinted in through the door. Next came a false memory of Allana pleading on behalf of Drejek, putting her lightsaber down, giving the Mandalorian a chance to put a blaster bolt through her heart and then killing the boy, leaving mother and son on the floor right next to one another’s bodies. Next Allana knew that her plan hinged upon being able to explain the Mandalorian’s wounds. So, she planted the image of Gredun throwing himself into the room with a snarl of rage, placing a blaster shot into the man’s leg before tackling them both to the floor. Allana did not go into the specifics of the fight, simply leaving off with the Mandalorian having his arm and nose broken by Gredun before he successfully killed him.

Her illusion successfully planted Allana released her hold upon the warrior’s mind and stepped back, opening her eyes. Gredun still held the blaster levelled at his head, but he needn’t do so any longer. The Mandalorian’s eyes were glazed over, and he had a slight smile on his face, completely overwhelmed by Allana’s meddling within his mind. She turned to look at the others, who were all watching her, unsure of what she had done. She gave them all a confident grin.

“That’s done then.”

“What is? What did you do to him?” Ralena asked her, curious.

“I planted the idea in his head that he had successfully completed his mission and that we were all dead. He’ll be like this for about an hour and then he’ll come to, safe in the belief that we were dead and that he could return to Mandalore and report his success. Meanwhile, we can move on with our lives, without any pursuers, we can settle down, live our lives. It’ll be just as we hoped.” This last part Allana directed towards Gredun who had stepped away from the Mandalorian and lowered his pistol. A smile spread across his face to match the one on her own. He turned to Ralena.

“Sorry Ralena, looking like we might not need one of your solutions after all.” He said, smiling, feeling nonetheless guilty about the situation they had put her in. But the Twi’lek information broker simply laughed and waved her hand.

“That’s perfectly fine Gredun, this was honestly the most entertainment I’ve had in an age!” She told him, laughing. Allana was still smiling when she felt her son run over and wrap his arms around her waist.

“Does this mean we can have a home now Mommy?” Drejek asked looking up at her, his blue eyes full of unadulterated hope at being so close to the promise that Allana and Gredun had spoken of for as long as the boy could remember. Allana couldn’t help herself and she began to laugh, a sound which quickly infected both Gredun and Drejek. “Yes honey, we can have a home now.” She told him, hugging him to her. Pure joy washed over her as she quickly realised that what she said was true and that, after eight years of pursuit, her family was finally free.