Flurry and the droids kept wandering about the vendor stands, passing by some more shady looking owners and customers. While the teenager did have IG-11 with her, she did get the harsh truth that she wasn't going to be protected forever. But she was going to cling onto whatever protection she had now. Wald's Parts, great deals, hard to negotiate with the owner, she thought. One small eatery underneath the shade of a tarp; good place, meh food.
"Say Spike, is there anything you can tell us about these friends of yours that can make it easier? Are they a particular race or species?" Flurry asked.
"I suppose I could tell you that. One of them's an Equestrian, just like you. Tan-yellow skin, dark turquoise green hair," Spike said, nodding to her. "Let's see, there's--"
The astromech froze. Flurry and Eleven stopped as well, and Spike's dome slowly tilted over to an alleyway. He saw something that made his dome rattle. "Ohhh great."
Flurry and Eleven looked over, catching what he saw. A young adult, this bird-like humanoid with gray-bluish hair, light lavender fur and feathers, with shorts, a tank top, and a vest was currently being hassled. Three of those supposed 'Midnight' troopers who had pauldrons on their shoulders and sand over their padding. And one of them, standing so still as if she had a stick up her rear, was the superior officer.
"But ma'am, please! I was just going to purchase some Mantell Mix, I'm innocent, I swear!"
"Spread her legs!"
The two troopers slammed her body against the wall, moving her legs apart. The superior officer patted her hands over her legs, her waist, and on her back where her wings were desperately trying not to wiggle in fear or swat at them. They were armed, she did not want to lose those wings today. Spike, Eleven, and Flurry threw their backs against an adobe wall, hidden from the Imperials. Needless to say, none of them liked what they saw.
"This is unnecessary brutality," IG-11 stated.
"Yeah, and she's one of my friends," Spike pointed out.
"Friend?"
"Yes, friend!"
This gave Flurry and IG-11 an idea. An awful idea. One that made the two of them slowly look at each other, and Flurry had a rather devious smile. "Eleven?"
"I am standing by."
"Think you can, say, take them out?"
"Hold on. Don't kill them," Spike interrupted. "Just don't kill them, alright?"
"Well... okay. Take them out without killing them," Flurry instructed.
"Acceptable," IG-11 agreed.
--
The poor bird was still being given grief by the Midnight troopers, even though she really did nothing to warrant this.
"I swear, I didn't do anything--agh!" One of the troopers pushed her face into the wall. "No, please! It hurts!"
"ST-5933 and ST-5472, keep that Rebel scum restrained. We're going to bring her in for interrogation," the officer ordered, rather cold and maliciously.
Suddenly, out the corner of her eye, the officer saw a shadow lurking down the alleyway. She turned around, hearing a few mechanical footsteps march, and caught sight of the ominously silent assassin droid.
"Whoa!" The other trooper gasped, pulling out his weapon.
The officer whipped out her blaster as well, as the two of them stood together and pointed their weapons at IG-11.
"Oh no... this can't be good," the Midnight trooper moaned.
"Don't tell me you're afraid of one of their kind, ST-D17," the officer grunted.
"Ma'am, I hate to question authority and breaking my silence... but do you not know what that thing is? That's an assassin droid, those things are not something you mess around with," the trooper responded.
"He's right Captain, those things ripped apart one of my men when we were going through the lower side of this backwater town," ST-5933 added.
The officer ignored their warnings and instead, spoke strongly to the assassin droid.
"Who are you?"
IG-11 was silent, and stood there menacingly. He looked at the Imperial woman, his eyes focusing on her as he analyzed the situation. Four threats and only one of him. Risk assessment calculated that his chances were going to be okay. But right now, he just had to take them out without killing, as Flurry ordered.
"I said, who are you?" The Imperial officer demanded.
Still, silence was present. IG-11 faced them, and without a second thought, he slowly marched forward towards the group. The bird-like woman who was struggling to break free from the two troopers looked terrified, and within good reason. Flurry however, hidden behind her cover with Spike, wasn't afraid for Eleven. She knew he was going to be fine, there was only four of them.
"Stop! I said, stop moving! I will shoot!"
The officer fired first, landing a shot on IG-11's plating, but it didn't kill him. The shot was too far from his main circuitry to have any effect.
"Oh freaking Karabast," ST-D17 cursed.
"How is this thing dangerous?" The officer mocked. "How can this skinny junker be--"
IG-11 interrupted before she could finish her word by clutching his claw onto her wrist. He yanked her when she gripped her, and twisted her wrist enough to make a loud snapping sound and for her to scream in agony.
"OH GOD!"
And before anyone else could react, IG-11 gripped her tightly and threw her body up into the air and slammed her against the ground, knocking her out. The other trooper fired at her, but IG-11's torso spun around knocking the weapon out of his hand, and his other arm whipped around to grab him by the throat.
"Oh, wait! Ack--no, please!"
The assassin droid's next response was to spin around and slam his back against one of the dwelling walls, making him scream as he kept slamming him like machine on an assembly line. He slammed harder and harder, until finally the adobe wall started to crumble and break a little from how hard he was using him as a puncher. There weren't any holes made, but the massive dent was enough to create some damage. Eventually Eleven let him go, and turned his focus on the other two troopers. Both of them decided to just shove the Arisian girl into the ground before running up towards him.
IG-11 still held back, and continued to fight without killing them. He grabbed ST-5933's left arm and slammed his fist against his gut. ST-5472 tried to move in, but IG-11 swatted at him like a bug, slapping his face hard enough to knock him out cold. He then proceeded to throw the trooper he had a tight grip on on top of him, like he was piling a stack of food. Just for good measure, he delivered a swift kick to his stomach, eliciting a moan. His eyes looked around, and he took notice of one of their weapons. Picking it up, he pointed it at the downed troopers.
"Whoa, whoa! Eleven, wait!" Flurry yelped, finally emerging from hiding to step in. Spike soon joined her as well. "Don't kill them!"
"They incited unnecessary brutality, they must be terminated," IG-11 said, using only his simple analysis as an answer.
"Eleven, wait!" Spike protested, putting his little claws up. "These guys are looking for me, I don't want them getting back up right away, but if they're dead, it's going to tell the Empire that I'm definitely here. Just stun them, at the very least, they'll look incompetent to their superior officers and face repercussions."
IG-11 thought this over, and came to a single conclusion. "Understood." Immediately, he lowered his weapon, dropping it by the trooper's side. At last, their attention came to the bird-like girl they were trying to help. She was afraid of Eleven, rightfully so, but not so afraid when she saw Flurry.
"Hey, are you okay?" Flurry asked, offering a hand to help her up.
The bird did accept, and she got back up on her feet. And when she looked at her, she grew a big grin on her face. “You… you saved me,” the fluffy girl stammered. “You saved me from them!” And she picked up Flurry in a big hug swinging her around. “How can I ever repay you?”
“You’re… crushing… my lungs!” Flurry heaved.
“Oh, sorry!”
"But really, I didn't do anything. You should be thanking my nurse," Flurry said, gesturing to him.
The bird gulped. "H-H-He's your nurse droid? But he's an assassin droid!"
"I am not a hunter. I am a nurse droid," IG-11 replied.
She couldn't believe what she heard. This assassin droid wasn't going to kill her?
"How is he--"
"--My mama found him as spare parts. She reprogrammed him." The bird looked at him again, and back at Flurry. And taking notice that the Imperials had been taken out for now, Flurry cleared her throat, looking at the fluffy bird lady… thing. “Who are you anyway?”
“I’m Silverstream, I’m an Arisian, from Seaquestria. Long-time refugee, and now a mighty Rebel!” She cried out, pretending to swing a long-range rifle in her arms, holding it proudly in the air. “Who are you?”
“I’m Flurry Heart. And this is IG-11. Why were those guys harassing you?” Flurry asked, raising a brow.
“Because I… wait. How do I know you’re not one of… them?” Silverstream whimpered, backing away slightly.
“Them? Them, who?”
“Those Midnight troopers, how do I know you’re not on her side!”
“I’m not!” Flurry protested. “I saw them harassing you, why would I be on their side if I helped you?”
“I… I don’t know,” Silver admitted, her ears flopping. “I’ve been around so many sketchy characters, I don’t know who to trust anymore.”
"Silverstream, it's okay, you can trust them," a familiar voice said.
The Arisian looked to the side, and squeed when she saw Spike rolling towards her. "Spike! You made it! Do you have the... you know...?"
"I have it, safe and sound," Spike said, giving a salute. "But we can't look out here. Those guys will get up any minute."
"Then follow me! I know where we're currently staying, come on!" Silverstream said with a chipper demeanor. She gestured the group to follow, and so Flurry, Eleven, and Spike trailed after her.
Silverstream led the three of them around the corner towards another alleyway, far from the one they were just in. Silver's hand knocked on the door, and she waited. A gatekeeper eye extended from a hatch, looking at Silverstream.
"Coo ne?"
"It's Silverstream. I just got back," Silverstream replied, focusing on the gatekeeper's eyes.
"Uba koee doneha."
The gatekeeper droid pushed itself back in it's little slot, and a door slid open. She walked in first, with Spike rolling right behind her. Flurry and IG-11 were last to follow, and poor Eleven had to duck as he walked inside the small dwelling. Together they walked down a small set of steps into a large open room. It's clear from the inside that the house was just meant to be used as a cover. Hardly any furniture to be considered 'homey', aside from a few chairs, and an indoor firepit in the corner.
“Hey guys, I’m back!”
Flurry heard a loud clamor of joy from inside.
“And I made a new friend!”
When Flurry walked into the room, she was met with of a group of five new faces in front of her. An orange Draconoid (mainly known as just dragons from Drakein), a turquoise and red Changeling, a hulking Yakyakiee, a blue Griffon, and a lime-skinned Equestrian with green hair. And they made their first introductions to her in the most wonderful way; with all of them cocking blasters and pointing them straight at Flurry like they were ready to kill.
“Whoa, whoa, hey, hey!” Flurry held her hands up in the air.
“Guys, it’s okay! She’s with me, she’s a friend!” Silverstream defended.
“It’s not just her we’re pointing them at,” the Draconoid growled, steam hissing from her nose.
Flurry was confused until she saw IG-11 trying not to bump his head into the entrance as he emerged.
“Where did he come from?”
“I say we blast it to smithereens!”
“Wait, no!” Flurry yelped, standing in front of him. “He’s with me, he’s family! He’s just my bodyguard… and also my nurse.”
The five of them stared at her in disbelief.
“That’s your nurse?” The Griffon asked. “That’s an IG unit, they’re hunters.”
“I am not programmed to hunt, but to nurse and protect.”
His eyes spun to Silverstream’s arm, and he softly pulled it towards him, making everyone reinforce their weapons on him. Silverstream felt like panicking, especially as a small nozzle extended from his bony arm, only to watch as some chemical sprayed on her cuts.
“I… huh?”
“This is a bacta spray. It will heal you in a matter of hours,” IG-11 replied, finishing the hose down on the cuts before removing his hand from her wrist.
“I… t-thank you,” the Arisian replied, unsure of how to react.
“You have behaved well,” IG-11 replied. One of his panels opened up with a small little hand, extending out a small piece of candy. “Have a blue lollipop.”
“Ooh, piece of candy,” Silverstream squeaked, accepting the lollipop.
Spike managed to squeeze past Flurry and the assassin droid. “Hey guys, I’m here!”
“Spike! You made it!” Ocellus clamored.
“Of course I made it, why wouldn’t I?” The astromech asked.
“Glad you made it safely, Spike,” Gallus acknowledged. “Is anyone else with you?”
“Not really, outside of these two,” Spike gestured with his claws.
Flurry and IG-11 received plenty of judging stares from the Rebels around them. This group sure seemed like an odd bunch. Some were worried, others looked more territorial, and few were excited to finally introduce them.
“Sooo… who are you?” Smolder asked.
“My name is Flurry Heart. This is my nurse droid/bodyguard, IG-11. Who are you guys?”
“I’m Sandbar,” the Equestrian young adult introduced. “And this is Smolder,” he introduced, with the Draconoid snorting smoke from her nostrils. “Yona,” continuing to show a friendly wave from the cloven-hooved Yakyakiee. “Gallus,” he gestured to the very chill looking Griffon. “And Ocellus,” he finished, getting a shy but cute wave from the Changeling. “And I take it you already met Silverstream?”
“I have. Now can someone tell me what all of this is about? I really hope I didn’t sic 11 on those Imperials for nothing,”
“Hold on. How do we know we can trust them? I know the assassin just sprayed your arm and gave you candy, but that doesn’t mean you should just accept them,” Smolder said, glaring at the strangers. “How do we know they’re not just going to turn us over?”
IG-11’s scopes swiveled as he stared at the Draconoid. “The Imperials were harassing your Arisian ally. Flurry Heart told me to cripple them so your friend wouldn’t be hurt.”
"He's right!" Silverstream confirmed. "They found me, but then he started whipping them all around like they were nothing!"
"Still though, I'd like to know who we're dealing wit here. Where do you come from?" Smolder asked.
"Well... I don't know. I guess here? I live somewhere out in Beggar's Canyon," Flurry said, unsure.
"And you somehow have a fully functional assassin droid?" Gallus asked.
"He's family. My mama's good with droids, she revived him when he was just a box of parts," Flurry explained.
The Changeling's eyes took notice of the white and teal arm armor she wore. Standing up, she walked closer to her, looking at her more carefully.
"Um, what are you doing?"
"That symbol on the armor there," Ocellus pointed. Flurry looked down, noting the Mandalorian symbol that was branded on the shoulder piece. "That's Mandalorian. Are you a Mandalorian?"
"Well... kinda, sorta. My mama's a Mandalorian," Flurry admitted.
"What?"
"No way!"
"Yona heard of Mandalorians. Legends say Mandalorians were proud, strong warriors, much like us Yakyakiees!" Yona said with excitement. "But yet, you don't wear traditional Mandalorian armor?"
"Like I said, I'm sort of a Mandalorian," Flurry tittered, rubbing the back of her head.
"And what about your father?" Sandbar asked..
"Um... I don't have a father, I do have a mom," Flurry said.
"I don't understand, what's she getting at?" Smolder asked. "... Wait. You just said you had a mama, and a mom? Does that mean..."
Flurry nodded.
"Ohhh..." everyone said, simultaneously.
"That makes sense," Gallus shrugged.
"Guys? The plans?" Spike interrupted. He extended something from his torso, and used his little claw to hold it. "I have them intact."
Everyone let out a sigh of relief.
"Good. I was wondering if they were safe," Silverstream sighed with relief.
"Well come on, let's pull them up!"
Spike put the data back in his hard-drive. And taking center in the middle of the room, his holoprojector activated, accessing the data. And with the shades drawn, the projection finally displayed, showing a large factory/outpost. Connected to the factory were a few power-generators, some barracks, communication centers, it was a completely operational center. And the next screen flipped to show a list of several numbers, identification numbers of course. These however were names listed for prisoners; as shown by the few mugshot photos that Spike pulled up.
"That's Aroli!" Yona pointed, showing a mugshot of a blue Twi'lek woman.
And then Spike went through some of the numerous mugshots, pulling up the pictures.
"Mogra, Nairomi, Siero, all of them!" Sandbar exclaimed. "How did they get here?"
"I'm sorry, who are these guys?" Flurry asked.
"They're Rebel friends of ours; they were believed to be dead during a supply run on Malastare," Sandbar explained. "But how did they end up here?"
"I think the bigger question is, why are they here? This is a factory, isn't it? What are they making?"
Spike was just about to go to the next picture--
Boop. Boop. Boop.
A soft beeping noise came from one of the datapads on the wall, alarming the 'housemates'.
"Uh oh! Proximity alert!" Ocellus warned.
"Flurry, assassin droid, get down!" Smolder yelled, shoving Flurry to the ground.
"Ow! I could have just gotten down!"
The six Rebels pulled out their weapons, aiming them at the steps and facing the door up top. They heard a hand knock on the door, but no one on the other side speaking. IG-11 was about to raise his weapons, but he lowered his hands instead. His scopes spun around as he faced the door.
"The ones approaching are not enemies," IG-11 determined. "My scanners are detecting allies."
But that answer was followed by what was trying to pry the door open. A glowing green blade was seen going right through the door, making everyone gasp. Even worse, the blade started to move around in a circle, cutting through the door without any issues whatsoever. None of them even knew who possessed that kind of weapon, certainly not anyone on Tatooine! But Flurry raised her head, and her pupils shrunk.
"Oh no..."
After a perfect circle had been made, the group heard a few soft taps on the on the door. And moments later, the circle had been pushed right through with a powerful slam, bouncing down the stairs right in front of them. Two adults rolled inside; Flurry instantly knew who they were. Even with the golden helmet that her mother was wearing to hide. Lyra kept her lightsaber blade pointed at the Rebels who all backed off, immediately. Bon Bon even twirled her twin blasters, pointing them at the group members with determination to shoot.
“Alright which one of you little bantha shits kidnapped my daughter!?” Bon Bon yelled.
“Wait, hey, we didn’t—”
“—Save your lips buster before I slice them off like frosting!” Bon Bon threatened, pointing her blaster at Smolder. Smolder shut up at once, but snorted smoke.
“Mom, Mama, hey! Stop! They’re fine!” Flurry yelled, standing in front of them. “They’re friends! They didn’t kidnap me and they haven’t endangered me!”
The two of them slowed their movements, looking over to IG-11 who stood by. “This is true.”
Bon Bon still sighed under the helmet. “Flurry, why are you here? I told you not to—”
“—They’re not strangers, they’re part of the Rebellion!”
The two exchanged glances. “What Rebellion?”
“The Rebellion against the Empire, haven’t you heard?” Gallus asked.
“Oh we’ve heard. And it’s not something we want any part of,” Lyra glared under the helmet. “Flurry, come on, we’re going home.”
“Mom, this is important! They need our help, they’ve been looking for this astromech droid who has information!” Flurry insisted, gesturing them to Spike.
“Flurry, we’re not—”
“—Wait a minute,” Lyra held her hand up. She crouched down to get a better look. She pulled the helmet off her head to let her face become visible, and once the C1 unit saw that face, his optics were locked onto her. Lyra couldn’t believe her eyes, she knew that purple and green color scheme anywhere. “Spike? Spike is that you?”
The C1 unit looked up at her. “Lyra?”
Lyra’s defenses lowered as she started smiling and laughing with joy. And out of nowhere, she yanked Spike over and embraced him in a friendly hug. “It is you! Haha, how you’ve been buddy?”
“Wait, you know him?” Ocellus asked.
“Of course I do! Spike here is a Clone Wars veteran, I fought by this little guy for a few missions.” And Lyra cursed herself for speaking up, realizing what she had just revealed.
“Are you a Clone Wars veteran?”
“... more or less,” Lyra admitted.
“And you’re a Jedi!” Ocellus pointed.
“… No I’m not,” Lyra said quickly.
“Yes, you are. Why else would you have a lightsaber?”
“… I stole it?”
“You rolled in like an acrobat. I think you’ve got enough stamina to slice our heads off if you wanted to,” Smolder rolled her eyes.
“Maybe so but—wait a minute. How do you know what a Jedi is?” Lyra asked, raising a brow as she glared at the Changeling.
“Our leader is a Jedi! We were sent here by General Shimmer to pick up Spike for an intelligence operation.”
The minty Jedi lost her voice. She didn’t speak, but instead just stood with absolute stillness and curiosity. Was she hearing her words right? “General Shimmer? As in Sunset Shimmer?"
“Yeah! You know her?”
Lyra slowly sat down, trying to take this all in. “Shimmer… She’s alive. All this time, I thought everyone I knew was dead but… she’s alive.”
“Dead? What do you mean?”
Lyra looked to her partner, squeezing her hand briefly before looking to the group of Rebels. “I thought she had died a long time ago, along with everyone else I knew during the rise of the Empire. You’re telling me, she oversees your Rebellion?”
“Yep!” Everyone shouted.
Lyra and Bon Bon looked at each other with unsure faces, and back to them.
“What exactly are you six doing here, anyway?” Lyra questioned.
“We were stationed here. We got a transmission from Spike to come find him, said he had secret plans he needed to get back to the Rebellion,” Sandbar explained.
“Which explains why you kept spouting off about a secret mission and avoiding us,” Flurry said, crossing her arms with a little pout.
“I’m sorry, but I had to leave. What I have may be very important to help the Rebels win the war,” Spike reassured, patting her leg slightly.
“And what do you have?”
“A data disc. We barely scratched the surface of it, but it’s a new project the Empire has been developing. Whatever it is, I have a feeling it’s being mass produced,” Spike explained, spinning around where he stood.
Lyra and Bon Bon looked at each other again.
“Should we?” Lyra quietly said.
“I don’t know, I thought we chose to stay out here because it’s far from this,” Bon Bon whispered.
“We couldn’t avoid it forever,” Lyra frowned.
“Hey! Why don't you four come with us! Can you come with us? Please?” Silverstream begged. “We could use your help!”
“You’re a Jedi, you’re a Mandalorian, and if you two could tame and control an IG unit, we could use people like you to help us!” Ocellus also begged, giving them a rather adorable expression with those little bug eyes of hers.
Flurry was next to speak up, noticing her moms were still not entirely on board. “Mom. Mama. They need help. You always said there’s not enough genuine nice people in the universe. We should help them. Besides, what else are we going to do here on Tatooine? Podracing is nice but we can't stay here forever."
Lyra cursed herself, why did she had to teach Flurry that. Now she couldn’t argue against her, she’d be a hypocrite.
"Flurry, we've stayed here to keep you safe, away from conflicts like this," Lyra said, trying to defend her argument.
"And you've done a good job. But I want to help. And I know we can help. Please, Mom?"
Dang it, she got me again, Lyra cursed to herself.
“Well? Hon, whatever you want to do, I’ll be right with you,” Bon Bon said with a smile. “If you want us to go back out there and fight, I am with you all the way.”
Lyra looked at the group of Rebels again. This group was of course, new to her. Some species she hadn’t seen in a while, mainly species she had never seen before. Sure a few of their systems were neighbors to Equestria, but that was aside the point. This group looked serious about fighting the Empire; an evil that they were familiar with, having heard about their constant spreads throughout the galaxy. Made from ashes of the former Republic she used to work for, now a force that intended on conquering the universe.
She looked over to Bon-Bon. The woman whom she had been happily married to for over 18 years, and always had her back no matter her choices. IG-11; the former assassin droid made to nurse and protect, still programmed with memories of fighting and combat maneuvers. And then to Flurry: her daughter who she swore to protect until the end of time, eager to join the Rebels to fight.
Her hand moved down to the lightsaber sticking out the side of her belt. Her weapon that she never let go of, knowing she would need it to fight. And she thought their proposal again. A chance to fight again. A chance to see her old friend, Sunset Shimmer once again. A chance to do something that she once stood for; fighting injustice and to fight for the freedom of the galaxy.
Lyra knew what she would be risking. Not just her life, of course. But if she did this, if she said "yes"... it would mean an end to the life that she and her family had made for themselves. No more hiding from the Empire. No more being able to live quietly - or as quietly as she and Bon-Bon had been able to, at any rate. Joining the Rebels would mean joining a war... and hadn't she walked away from that, all those years ago? But was it even possible to avoid that, any longer? How could she, when there were kids here - some of them barely older than Flurry! - who were trying to fight for a better future?
Lyra thought it all over, weighing the options before her, until finally, she found herself at a decision.
She pulled out her lightsaber, and ignited it, letting the green light of the blade glow inside the little hut. Lyra looked at the group of Rebels, and a small but confident smirk grew on her face. "The Jedi are coming back. Let's show the Empire that we're not wiped out."
"Alright!
"Yeah!"
"Whoohoo!"
"Alright, settle down guys," Lyra said, ushering everyone to calm down. “Now, if we’re going to be a part of this... Rebellion, we need to discuss some things first. Is your Alliance against anyone who is, say... Mandalorian?"
"Not really. Sunset Shimmer's philosophy was to have the Rebellion be open to everyone in the galaxy, at least those who wouldn't turn and betray them to the Empire," Sandbar answered, putting his hands on his hips, checking his blasters. "Though I do think they might take issue with the assassin droid..."
"I can convince them," Bon Bon said, patting Eleven's shoulder joint. "And now here's something I want to know; do any of you have a starship?”
The six of them were about to speak, until they all froze, sinking their heads.
“We uh… don’t. Pirates kinda…”
“Trashed it, stripped it, sold parts on the black market,” Ocellus said, meekly, her little wings flapping in fear.
Lyra scrunched her face. “Oy… okay, that’s fine, we can deal with it. We do have a ship out in Beggar’s Canyon. Do any of you have any other friends we should know about?”
“Not really,” Gallus shrugged.
“Rebels try to make any friends out here, but no one wants to join Yona or Rebel friends,” Yona pouted.
“We considered talking to this farmer out west, some neighbor to the Lars homestead, but she’s… something,” Smolder hissed, some smoke puffing from her nostrils. "We couldn't get an answer on whether or not there were other Jedi out here. We were also trying to find a Jedi Master, goes by the time of Rainbow Dash."
"We searched everywhere, but no one knows if she's even on Tatooine. We were hoping if she was around, we could invite her to join the Rebellion, but..." Ocellus continued.
"The vagueness of our search has basically gotten Rebel friends nowhere," Yona pouted, folding up her arms.
“I see…” Lyra rubbed her chin. “Okay, tell you what. If you still have business to take care of here, do what you need to do, and meet us over at the Sweetie Drop. We’ll leave tomorrow morning.”
“Sounds good to me,” Bon Bon agreed, walking with Lyra through the front door. “Flurry, are you going to come back with us, or…?”
“Can I just stay for a few more minutes?” Flurry begged. "Maybe Eleven and I could go look for that Jedi, Rainbow Dash?"
“Well… okay. I don't know if you'll find any Jedi, but you're welcome to look. But IG-11’s staying with you,” Bon Bon agreed. “And be out of there in an hour. We checked the scanners, the forecast says there’s going to be a sandstorm closing in an hour and a half.”
"It can't be that bad, can it?"
"Okay, it's worse!" Flurry yelled as the hot sands hit her face.
Flurry and IG-11 stayed over a lot longer than Bon Bon had hoped. By the time they left Mos Eisley to try and look for that supposed Jedi, a heavy sandstorm had arrived, making it impossible for either of them to see where they were going. It didn't help matters either that their landspeeder had decided to break down by the time they had reached the middle of the desert, so now they were stranded even more. Not even IG-11's proximity scanner could help them guide their way through the storm. Not even the Force could help her feel her way through the storm.
“Agh, this storm’s getting worse!” Flurry yelled, keeping her eyes shut, having lost the protective goggles on top of everything else. “We can’t stay out here, we have to find shelter.”
“I am widening my radius to search for cover,” IG-11 acknowledged, not even flinching with all of the sands and winds blowing right past him. Every step his stick feet took, it just felt like they were going in circles. Nothing but continous grounds and sand brushing past his feet. He did keep hold onto Flurry's hand to make sure he didn't lose her, and out of guardian instinct as well. But neither of them could feel or sense any familiar surroundings, or even any canyons or walls to take cover behind.
But his eyes looked ahead, seeing something just up ahead in the wind. A strange shape pushing its way through the sandstorm, with a cape blowing in the wind. “We have a potential threat on the horizon.”
Flurry still didn’t open up her eyes. “Well, what is it!?”
“My scanners indicate an Equestrian-based life form of some kind is approaching us,” IG replied, still keeping a watchful eye on the shadowy figure and Flurry.
Somehow, within all of that howling of winds, they could hear a voice calling out to them.
“Hey!”
“I believe she is calling to us.”
“Come on, follow me!” The figure yelled in the wind, urging them to come to him.
Flurry and IG-11 pushed as hard as they could through the harsh and stinging winds, coming closer to the figure. As they got closer, IG-11 could see the figure much more clearly; some woman, hidden in a massive headwrap and goggles to block her eyes from the wind.
“Come! You’ll be safer inside!”
Regardless of whether or not she was friend or foe, they still kept going towards her, wandering in the hot storm.
--
Flurry had no idea how long she had been out there, it must have felt like forever, even though it had only been 10 minutes since the stranger had come and called to them. Somehow, even as an inhabitant of Tatooine and having lived here for a long time, she never got used to the sandstorms.
“You are about to walk down some stairs. I advise you be careful and hold onto my claw,” the nurse droid suggested.
Flurry tried to move her hand out, unable to see where he was. But thankfully his metal claw moving to her fingers got her to hold on as the two slowly moved down some stairs to get out of the cover. But even as they went down, they still had to get inside. So they followed the hooded figure inside, and heard a door slamming behind them. And the sounds of the wind were getting quieter, only to be heard as the sounds of the outside world.. Flurry still felt ringing in her ears from the sound, and her face was stinging.
Thankfully the stranger was ready for an emergency such as this.
“Use this, splash some in your face,” she said, holding a water bucket.
“Oh, thank you,” Flurry said graciously, as she splashed hordes of water into her face to cool down. She rubbed some in her eyes, slowly adjusting her vision to the lights of inside. Adobe covered ceilings and walls, but built in with metal padding for the floors and furniture. She found herself in front of a masked stranger. “Ah!”
“Hey, easy kid. You’re fine, I won’t bite,” the voice said, sounding scratchy but still female at the same time.
The goggles were removed, revealing a pair of magenta eyes with baby-blue skin. The head scarf came off, revealing her whole face, with a chiseled chin and spiked up rainbow hair, almost like a military haircut in a way.
And she was wearing a black tanktop with sleeveless vest, with a rainbow lightning bolt graphic on the vest. Her left arm was packing some serious muscle, but Flurry also noticed her right arm was completely artificial, a skinny three-fingered B1-unit arm but with armored padding near the shoulder. Last of all were a pair of long pants to keep her legs safe from being covered in sand, and work boots that kept sand away from her toes.
“Hey, who’d you bring down!?” A farmer's voice called.
“It’s okay, I just brought them in to keep them safe from the storm,” the woman replied.
Another figure came into view, one just as tall as this short-haired woman. Orange skin with some freckles on her face, and a noticeable cowboy hat atop her head. A plaid shirt and denim looking sleeveless vest, with a graphic of three juicy looking apples. Her arms were packing muscle as well, only she had both arms instead of one artificial. And a pair of cowboy boots and pants held together by a buckle. She also had two holsters clipped to her pants, revealing two blaster pistols.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to, I-I, I mean, I—”
The cowgirl chuckled. “Now you listen, you don’t have to apologize. We’re happy to let you stay here until the storm clears, you can’t go anywhere until it dies down. Just as long as you don’t try and rob us, you hear me now?”
“O-Of course,” Flurry protested, holding her hands up.
“Now who even are you kid?” The short-haired woman asked, pulling up a chair for her guest and for the others.
The rainbow haired girl moved her chair backwards so she could rest her arms on the backrest, while the cowgirl just sat up regularly. IG-11 hesitantly parked himself in the seat, keeping all of his optics on the two of them and all around; he didn’t care, he was going to nurse and protect if he had to. And eventually Flurry sat down too.
“I’m Flurry Heart, and this is IG-11. He’s my nurse droid, and also my friend,” Flurry introduced herself.
“A nurse droid? This assassin droid is a nurse?” The farm-girl asked, moving herself up defensively.
“I will not attack you. I was reprogrammed to help those in need, and to protect those who cannot protect themselves,” IG-11 responded.
The cowgirl raised a brow. “I see…" she hesitated, keeping the holster-side open just in case. "Now why are you two doing out here anyway?”
“The speeder broke down. We’re trying to find someone, some woman who I think used to be a Jedi Master. Master Rainbow Dash, I think.”
The rainbow haired woman’s eyes looked at her with intrigue. And her slouching pose turned a bit more up straight, as if to give this kid her full undivided attention.
“Jedi Master Rainbow Dash… now that’s a name I haven’t heard in a long time,” the woman said, nodding.
“Do you know her?”
“Of course I know her. She’s me,” she said, with a soft but prideful smirk.
Flurry was speechless. “You? You’re… oh my gosh, if you’re Rainbow, then you must be,” she stammered, looking at the girl with the hat.
“I’m Applejack. Formerly Jedi Master Applejack,” the farmer chuckled, shaking her hand. “Nice to meet ya, partner. Now what were you doing out there in the desert with the assassin droid by yourselves?”
“I, well, it’s a long story, but I rammed into an astromech droid in the desert, and he was carrying information that needs to go to the Rebellion and directly to Sunset Shimmer!”
The two farmers looked at each other, exchanging glances.
“Sunset Shimmer. Now that’s another name we haven’t heard in a long time,” Rainbow admitted, looking at her friend.
“So you do know her?”
“Of course we do, kid. She’s a Jedi,” Applejack grinned. “And we’re Jedi as well. Well, used to be.”
Flurry blinked. “Used to?”
“It’s hard to explain kid. The Jedi were a thing of the past,” Applejack said, getting up to get a refreshment from a dispenser. She poured some blue milk into a cup for Flurry, offering it to her which she accepted. “Why do you think we’re living out here?”
"Because you're moisture farmers?” Flurry tilted her head.
“That’s only forty percent true,” Rainbow said, crossing her arms. “We don’t want to be anywhere near the Empire. They’re problematic as it is. Besides, their people wiped out half if not all of our friends.”
"Wiped out? What are you talking about?" Flurry asked.
Rainbow and Applejack were quiet. The rainbow-haired girl sighing softly as she looked at her prosthetic arm.
"Kid. What do you know about the Clone Wars?"
Flurry scratched her head, and rubbed her chin, thinking momentarily. "Well... from what my moms told me, they were long, painful. Then out of the blue, the Empire rose up and the Republic became decimated. But whenever I try asking about that further, they don't tell me anything."
"We won't give you a full history lecture; but you need to understand somethin'. The Clone Wars were called the Clone Wars for a good reason; our battles were won thanks to soldiers that were purchased and mass produced. Clone troopers. Bred for combat, and some of the best fighters we've ever worked with. I still smile every now at then at some old memories with my clone commander," Applejack admitted. "But... that came to an end."
"Why?"
"Out of nowhere, all of our clone battalions just turned on us. No reason, no words, not a second thought. They just turned on us and tried to kill us," Rainbow said, seething. Her puny metal fingers were clenching at the memories. "They wiped out so many friends... I don't even know how they could do that..."
But as the two friends explained, Applejack noticed something. Her eyes slowly leered to something shiny that reflected in her eyes. A small metal object clipped to Flurry's belt. At first, it looked like some type of blaster, but upon a secondary view, it looked like it was something else.
"... Actually. Flurry, what's that?" Applejack asked.
"What's what?"
"That thing on your belt, what is that?"
Flurry looked at her side, pulling out the object she referred to. "Oh, um. It's nothing, I--"
"--That's a lightsaber," Rainbow realized, looking at it. "That's a lightsaber, isn't it?"
"Um. Maybe?" Flurry hesitated.
IG-11 slowly started to stand up, unsure of their intentions, but he didn't attack. The two adult women looked at each other for a second, then back to Flurry.
"Turn it on."
Flurry wasn't sure, but she gave in anyway. She had a steel grip on the piece of junk and she flipped a button. A medium green glow filled the room, as a shimmering blade ignited.
"For land's sake..."
"Kid, do you... she has to. She's gotta be."
"Gotta be what?" Flurry asked, getting a bit impatient.
"You're a Jedi, aren't you?"
"Wait, give me a minute," Rainbow snapped, darting out of the room and down a set of stairs, leaving the guests and Applejack alone for a bit. The droid and the two girls heard the sounds of things being thrown around, as hinted by the clattering of metal and random junk. Finally after two minutes, Rainbow Dash ran back up the steps into the living room with two pieces of curved metal clutched around her battle-droid fingers.
She gave her farmer friend her weapon, and the two of them gripped the weapons tightly. Together, they activated the blades, letting two new lights shine in the room; a green and a baby blue blade. The sight alone was enough for Flurry to gasp with wonder and awe.
"You two really are Jedi..."
"We are. Now we just wanna know one thing; do you have the Force?"
Flurry said nothing. A Jedi was asking if she had the Force? Oh she had to show her! But on what, what could she use? Looking behind her, she saw a staff leaning against a wall. Slowly, she closed her eyes and tried to cancel out all potential distractions. She slowly raised her hand, letting the Force guide her to where the staff was. The tools on the wall made a soft clinking noise. And the noises got louder as they vibrated in their place.
Until finally, one of the tools started to remove itself from a hook on a wall, and slowly float towards Flurry's hand. Keeping it steady, the tool hovered right into her open fingers, and she clenched it once she grabbed it. And, for the first time in over a decade, the two Clone Wars veterans felt the start of something they had not known in a very long time: hope.