Seeing Khal Dryll really shouldn’t have come as a surprise for Lyra. After all, that man was dead set on facing her again. He said as much after their brief encounter on Alderaan a few days ago. But if he was here, then that meant he was onboard the flagship that Nightmare Moon had boarded and destroyed in orbit, which raised a question.
How on earth was he able to survive that encounter?
“What’s the matter, Padawan Heartstrings? Do you have nothing to say?” Khal asked jokingly. “Are you so surprised to see me that you are at a loss of words?”
Lyra said nothing. The thought of her enemy surviving the encounter with Nightmare Moon still plagued her mind.
“So you are to remain silent, eh? Hah! Like a true Jedi. It’d be wrong of me to assume that you would simply attack me on sight.”
Khal’s eyes suddenly drifted to the dead bugbear on the ground. With a smirk, he plunged his vibrosword into the creature’s chest once more as a means to agitate and provoke the young Padawan into attacking. And it almost worked too. His blatant disregard for the dead animal angered Lyra to the point where she ignited her lightsaber. But Jedi Knight Knogg Shad stepped in just in time and stopped the Padawan before she could make any move.
“Get a hold of yourself, Padawan!” cautioned the Jedi as he pulled the pony back with the Force. Thankfully, his voice was able to reach Lyra as she finally realized her mistake and she immediately deactivated her lightsaber.
Khal chuckled at this. “And here I was thinking that our spectacular duel would begin now. How sad. Then again, your species is known for their cowardice, so I shouldn’t be surprised you would get in my way.”
“Enough, Mandalorian. Why are you out here all alone? Are your allies not with you?”
“The answer is quite simply my Rodian friend. I am simply stalling.”
“Stalling?”
Suddenly, a loud noise was heard from within the camp. Lyra tried to figure out where the noise came from, but she could not pinpoint its location due to the large trees that surrounded her location. Even more worrisome is that the noise seemed to be getting louder.
“What… what is that noise?” asked Knogg Shad.
“Oh, you’ll soon find out, Master Jedi,” replied Khal in a rather menacing tone.
“Quit it you damn Mandalorian!” barked a Republic soldier who was standing next to Knogg Shad. He grabbed the rifle from his back and pointed it directly at Khal, causing a domino effect. Soon a handful of allied soldiers all had their weapons pointed directly at the Mandalorian. “You have some explaining to do, you bloodthirsty savage! Talk! What is that noise and why are you out here all alone?”
Khal laughed. “I am a savage you say. Well, I suppose there is truth in what you say. The thrill of battle and the enjoyment of fighting a worthy opponent excites me to no end. But I am not here to talk about my passions. I am here to fight.”
“So, what? You plan on fighting us all alone?”
Khal smirked. “Oh, I wouldn’t dare to. As much as I would like to test my capabilities against these Jedi, you Republic fodder would only get in my way. But let me ask you this, dog of the Republic. Have you ever experienced a basilisk droid up close?” he asked just as the ground began to shake. The tremors were quick to stop, however, but that only worried the allied forces even more.
Suddenly, Lyra felt it. A disturbance in the Force, and a very big one at that. It’s as if someone threw a humongous boulder into a river. In response, the young mare tried to warn the allied forces about the incoming danger, but her cries proved meaningless as a basilisk droid had leapt out of the forest and into the allied encampment.
The allied forces gasped as they saw the droid behemoth. As the machine readied its weapons, the men ran. Knogg Shad was one of those men, though his intentions were good as Lyra spotted him picking up the still crying bugbear cub with his bare hands and carried it over his shoulder, fleeing to a large boulder that lay nearby.
Lyra wanted to follow them, but she found herself somewhat perplexed by the droid in front of her. The galaxy had shown her some really strange and amazing things, and the machine of war was mesmerizing to look at. For one, she had never seen a droid this large before. The books and datapads she read back on the Enclave never mentioned any droids like this. Even stranger was that the Force seemed to be flowing through the machine itself.
What, what? Was this machine a sentient being?
Her curiosity piqued; however, the realization that she was in the middle of a battlefield pushed aside whatever interests she had on the machine. Just as the basilisk droid aimed its blaster cannons at her, the Padawan leapt away with a Force-imbued jump, narrowly dodging the incoming fire. After landing on her fours, she ran to the same large boulder that Master Shad hid behind.
When she made it to her destination, she saw Master Shad soothing the crying bug bear in his arms. Poor thing. To survive a near death experience only to witness its parents die right in front of it.
“Master Shad, the situation has gotten really bad,” exclaimed Lyra. “What the heck are we supposed to do?”
“It is pretty obvious, isn’t it, Padawan?” replied the Rodian. “Taking out that basilisk droid is our top priority. As long as it is here, it endangers everyone.”
“But how are we supposed to take on something that big? With that many weapons and Mandalorians on its side, it’ll be impossible to get close. And I’m not sure if this info matters or not, but I think the droid is sentient.
The Jedi Knight stared at Lyra. “Hold on, Padawan. Did you say that machine is alive?”
“I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m telling you the truth. It’s faint, but the Force is flowing through that machine just like any other person.”
“Interesting,” replied Knogg Shad as he placed his right hand on his chin. “I have heard rumors that the Mandalorian war machines were formerly living beings. I suppose there is some truth in those rumors, though I cannot recall what sort of creatures those things were before.”
Lyra groaned. “Master, as interesting as that sounds, that is the least of our concerns. We need to do something about that basilisk droid now or else we’re dead!”
“I’m aware, Padawan. Just give me a second or two. I’m coming up with a plan.”
“Well, I hope you are a quick thinker, Master!” Lyra shouted as the sound of blaster fire rang into her ears. Explosions soon followed, causing a massive shock boom that shook the very ground she sat in.
By the Force this was terrifying. If it weren’t for her Jedi training, she would’ve succumbed to the pressure and fled the battlefield. And the crying bugbear cub also didn’t help her situation either.
But as chaos ensued the encampment, it all came to an abrupt halt.
“That’s odd,” Lyra whispered to herself. Curious, she carefully peaked her head out of her hiding spot and saw the destruction that the Mandalorians had caused. Trees were literally on fire, and the once lush mountain greenery were all scorched away, revealing the rocky mountain terrain. In the midst of it all were the Mandalorians who had strangely ceased fire.
“What the… they stopped. They stopped firing, Master,” Lyra said to Jedi Knight Shad.
“Indeed, they have,” replied Knogg Shad. He frowned. “Now why in the world would they do something like that? Are they taking pity on us or is this an attempt to goad us into attacking?”
Lyra asked herself the same question. But as she pondered on the possibilities, she heard Khal’s shouting. “Padawan Heartstrings, I challenge you to a duel! Come out and face me, Jedi!” he yelled. His booming voice immediately made Lyra flinch.
To think that he’d order his own men to stop fighting just so that he can have his duel with her. So ridiculous. So foolish. But if that is what he wants, then she will do what she must. No way was she going to let him get the better of her this time.
“Padawan, wait!” shouted Knight Shad just as Lyra unhooked her lightsaber from her belt. “Restrain yourself. Now is not the time to do anything reckless.”
“But master, I have to do this. If Khal is ordering his men to stop firing just so he can have the opportunity to fight me, then I have no choice. It’s the only way I can get him and those soldiers off our backs,” said Lyra.
“Don’t be foolish, Padawan. Fighting him isn’t necessary. Just look up and you’ll see why.”
“Up?” Following the Jedi Knight’s words, Lyra looked up into the night skies. The light from Princess Celestia’s spell irritated her somewhat, but she could finally understand what the Jedi Knight had meant.
It was a stroke of luck. At long last, Republic reinforcements have arrived. A total of three dropships were visible in the skies, hovering above the tattered allied encampment. Seeing the ships made Lyra sigh in relief. These reinforcements would help turn this fight in their favor.
But in her excitement, Lyra had forgotten one thing. Her eyes shifted to the still present Mandalorians, who were all staring at the three ships above them. Unsurprisingly, Khal ordered his men to fire at will. As a result, the Republic dropships began to fly away in hopes of avoiding the incoming fire.
“Master, we have to stop them!” shouted Lyra.
“I’m aware, Padawan,” said Knogg Shad as he let go of the bugbear cub. Though the child clung onto the Jedi Knight’s leg, the Rodian shook his head and slowly laid the beast down. With a push of the Force, the cub fell into a blissful sleep.
“Will it be okay, Master?” asked Lyra.
“I do not know, Padawan. The loss of one’s parents can be a huge strain on a person’s psyche. The same can be said about beasts, like this one. Though the naked eye cannot see such emotions right away, the Force gives us the privilege to feel what they feel,” explained the Jedi Knight. “This cub had strong attachments to its parents. Losing them hit it pretty hard.”
“Then what can we do, Master?”
“The only thing we can do, Padawan. Drive the Mandalorians out of this mountain,” replied the Jedi Knight as he took a peek out of their hiding spot. “Our main focus is to get rid of that pesky basilisk droid. Now that our enemies are preoccupied with our allies in the sky, we can use it to our advantage. Tell me, Padawan. How is your mastery in Force Speed?”
“Well, my technique is nowhere near the level of a Jedi Master, but I’ve been training very hard. Master Darran always kept me on my hooves when it came to Force enhancement abilities. Force Speed being one of them.”
“How quick are you?”
“Quick enough to get compliments from Master Vrook of all people,” Lyra replied. Her witty response earned a chuckle from Knight Shad.
“Then that is sufficient enough. I will go in and use Force Speed to gain the attention of the Mandalorians. While they are distracted, you run in and take out the pilot of that basilisk droid. We may not be able to disable the machine but taking out the pilot will buy our allies precious time.”
The Jedi Knight unhooked the lightsaber from his belt. “I will charge in first, provide a distraction. If your speed is as good as Master Darran claims, you will use my distraction to charge and cut down that droid pilot.”
“But master… I’m not good at deflecting blaster fire.”
“But are you good at running and dodging?” asked Knogg Shad. Lyra answered with a nod. “Then that is sufficient. We do not have that many options left, Padawan. All we can do is trust our instincts and push forward.”
Lyra curled her lip. That was not the response she had expected from him. Hearing this made her hesitant to reply at first, but the respect she had for this Jedi eventually made her speak up. “Y-yes, master,” she said with her head down.
The Jedi Knight smiled. “Be confident in yourself, Lyra. Any doubts that you have in your mind will only lead to fear. And a Jedi who is afraid of their own demise will never be at peace with themselves. Remember, there is no death, there is the Force.”
Lyra meekly nodded her head. Being lectured on the Jedi Code in the middle of a battlefield wasn’t something she liked, but Knight Shad had a point. A Jedi’s life is sacrifice. If she were to fall here, at least it would be for the betterment of her home.
Deep down, however, she did not want to die. Her personal feelings were against the Jedi Code itself, but she did not care. She had people, aliens, and ponies that she wanted to be with. No way was she going to die here. No way was she going to let Khal get the better of her. She would protect her home and come back to her family alive.
“Stay here, Padawan. I will draw out the Mandalorians first,” said Knight Shad. “Once I have gained their attention, you jump in and take out the droid pilot, understood?”
“Yes, master,” Lyra replied.
The Padawan watched as the Jedi Knight somersaulted out of their hiding spot. Why he simply couldn’t do a normal jump was beyond her, but as pointless as that was, she needed to keep a close eye on him. Peeking out of the huge boulder, she witnessed the Rodian charge headfirst into the enemy line.
By the Force, his speed was amazing. It took him only seconds to reach the enemy; and given how quick he was, he wasted no time cutting down the distracted Mandalorian forces. And as expected, the Mandalorians were just as quick to turn their weapons on him.
Now was her chance.
Leaping out of her hiding spot, Lyra ran directly toward the Mandalorian basilisk droid. Time was of the essence, so she had to use every ounce of her Force reserves to reach her target. When she finally got close, she harnessed whatever power she had left to her legs. Bending her knees, she jumped and soared through the air like a bird. Her presence was ignored by the Mandalorians as they had their sights on Knogg Shad and the Republic dropships. The only one who spotted her was Khal Dryll.
“Fools! The Jedi is after the basilisk droid!” he shouted. But his warning came too late. Lyra landed right on the droid’s empty passenger seat. The pilot did manage to spot the pony and tried to pull out his sidearm, but his reflexes were no match for a Jedi.
After catching the pilot off guard, Lyra quickly summoned her lightsaber to her hooves. Grasping it, she quickly slashed through the pilot’s chest just before he could fire his weapon. Just as the Mandalorian’s body lay dead, she Force Pushed the body out of the pilot seat.
The droid’s main computer was now within reach. She had to act fast before any more of the Mandalorians would spot her.
Taking her lightsaber, Lyra plunged the green blade into the droid’s main computer. Sparks of electricity flew on her face, causing some minor burns on her face and front legs, but she did not care for it. The basilisk droid was disabled. She had done her job.
Channeling the Force once more, she focused her energies on her legs and performed another Force jump. This jump was much more powerful than before as she needed to put some space between herself and the Mandalorians. However, her actions had finally garnered the attention of the entire enemy force. Many had fired their weapons at all, hoping to graze the young Padawan with a stray blaster bolt. But their efforts were meaningless. Should they have fired their weapons earlier, they might’ve had the chance to graze the young Padawan.
As she landed on her fours, Lyra overheard the shouting of an enraged Mandalorian trooper. “What the kriff? Don’t you imbeciles know how to shoot? Come on, the Jedi is standing right there! Shoot her, now!” the trooper ordered.
Seeing the imminent danger in front of her, Lyra readied herself for another run. Before she could make a move, though, she spotted Khal stepped in front of her would-be attackers. “Stand down, men,” he ordered, surprising his allies and the young Padawan. “Shooting at that Jedi would be a waste of time.”
“What? Why?” shouted one of the soldiers. “Khal, we can’t let that… thing get away! She killed our brother!”
“Usually, I’d agree with you. But need I remind you of the Republic dropships hovering above us,” Khal said as he pointed his finger toward the sky. “The equine disabled our greatest weapon. Once the Republic realizes this, they immediately send down their soldiers. So unless you imbeciles want to foolishly throw your life away, I suggest that we retreat.”
“But Khal, I thought you said that you wanted to fight that Jedi,” argued the angry soldier from before.
“The fight between the two of us will be done on my own terms. And I for one will not waste my life over a meaningless fight. Let the allied forces savor their victory here. In time, we shall strike back with an even larger force.”
“What about the basilisk droid?”
“Destroy it!” Khal replied bluntly. “Toss a thermal detonator into the pilot’s chair. The machine may be disabled, but we cannot leave it in the hands of the enemy!”
Lyra’s eyes widened as she observed the Mandalorians make a hasty retreat back into the forest. Before they left, however, she spotted a lone soldier throwing what appeared to be a grenade into the basilisk droid’s pilot chair. It seems their intent on destroying their own droid was not a bluff. Given how far she had jumped, Lyra assumed that she was safe from the incoming blast. However, the Force said otherwise and warned the mare to get away from the machine as far away as she could.
Using whatever Force reserves she had left, Lyra leapt as far away as she could. Though she was nowhere near the droid, what worried her most was the aftershock. In all likelihood, she’d be sent flying dangerously head course into a tree or rock.
As she finally put herself within safe distance, the thermal detonator that was lodged onto the droid went off. An explosion set off, engulfing the droid into a fiery blaze. The noise that came from the explosion was nothing to be scoffed at either. It echoed throughout the entire mountain range, causing the young Padawan to cover her ears for protection
The explosion had also caused a mass shockwave just as the Force predicted. Lyra was sent flying, her back skidding across the rough mountain terrain. If it weren’t for her coat and mane, she would’ve suffered a grievous injury. Even so, her back arched like crazy. It’d probably be best if she were to go see a Healer before moving out again.
Getting back up on her four hooves, Lyra shakily trotted over to the boulder where she hid earlier. When she arrived, she noticed that the bugbear cub was still there. Though it was fast asleep, tears could still be seen dripping on the cub’s eyes.
“By the Force. I’ve never seen anything like this before,” Lyra whispered. “Poor thing. To endure such grievous injuries is one thing, but to witness the death of your parents in front of your very eyes. I’m not sure anyone would be able to handle what you’re going through now.”
“Indeed. What happened to this child was a tragedy.”
Turning around, Lyra spotted Jedi Knight Knogg Shad slowly approaching her. His robes were tattered, though that was likely due to the brief skirmish with the Mandalorians. “Are you alright, Padawan?” he asked.
“Don’t worry, Master, I’m fine. Thanks to you, I destroyed that droid before any Mandalorian could touch me,” the Padawan replied, showing a hint of pride in her voice. She did, however, notice that the Rodian was clutching his abdomen with his right hand. “Master, what happened? Were you hurt?”
“Don’t worry about me, Padawan, it is only a scratch,” replied the Jedi Knight. He then followed up with a sigh. “I thought my Soresu was impenetrable, but a single blaster bolt managed to slip by my defense. It’s not lethal by any means. Just burnt flesh that can easily be mended with the Force. Though my pride in my Soresu technique may be unmendable.”
“That’s okay, Master. Even the best of Jedi can mess up sometimes. That just means you gotta work on your technique more.”
“Well, I can at least be thankful that I managed to survive. Perhaps when this is over, I can return to the dojos on Coruscant and practice my technique. But enough joking around. We need to figure out why the Mandalorians retreated back into the woods. Padawan, did you happen to hear anything before they made their move?”
Lyra nodded her head and went on to explain everything that she overheard. Needless to say, this worried the Jedi Knight.
“So this attack was a ruse as well? It’s hard to believe given the amount of damage and casualties they caused, but I’m inclined to believe it,” said Knogg Shad. “Khal Dryll. Even though we met only once, I can tell he is a serious threat. And a crafty one at that.”
“He’s also obsessed with me too,” Lyra replied solemnly.
“I noticed that, yes. What is your history with that man, Padawan? He seemed quite interested in you.”
Lyra sighed as she gave the Jedi Knight a brief explanation regarding her encounter with Khal Dryll back on Coruscant. She was pretty clear on the details too. Even going so far as to mention her mistake and near-death experience.
“So we have a man that is clearly obsessed with fighting Jedi, huh?” Shad replied. He frowned. “I knew the Mandalorians have been wanting to pick a fight with us ever since they started this damn crusade of theirs, but this is absurd. Are you certain you want to face him, Padawan?”
“I am, Master. I admit, it’s scary going up against a person who had nearly killed me. But avoiding him won’t do me any good. I have to confront my fear and face him. Even if a part of me doesn’t want to.”
“Well said, Padawan. You might make an excellent Jedi in the future,” said Knogg Shad with a smile. “Though I am curious. What sort of plan does Khal have in mind right now? Does he intend to face you alone or with an army?”
“At this point, I’m not sure. The man is clearly has the physical capabilities to fight a Jedi, and he’s not stupid or reckless enough to pick pointless fights either. You saw how he ordered his men to fall back when their basilisk droid was destroyed. And when I saw him again on Alderaan, he chose to fall back and protect his squad mates.”
“I see. Clearly this Mandalorian knows a thing or two about tactics.”
“Not to mention he’s compassionate enough to care for his own squadron,” Lyra followed up.
“Yes, that too. This is very valuable information you have given me, Padawan. I’m sure our allies would be appreciative of this information. Speaking of which, one of the dropships should’ve landed right about now. We should check with our allies and come up with a plan.”
Lyra nodded her head in approval; however, she immediately looked back at the bugbear cub. “Master, what do we do with this creature? We can’t just leave it here alone.”
The Rodian sighed. “Do not worry, Padawan. I will tend to the creature. Now, go back to the encampment and tell the others what you told me. I will join you shortly.”
“Yes, master.” Looking back at the bugbear cub, Lyra gently patted the creature’s head. She knew it wouldn’t really help the poor thing; but at the very least, it’ll know it won’t be alone. The Jedi will certainly take care of it after the battle is over.
She just hopes this cub will be the only tragedy she’ll see tonight.
As she trotted over to the allied encampment, Lyra observed her surroundings. The Mandalorians wasted no time in showing their dominance. The trees and lush mountain greenery were completely charred. The fire from earlier may have been put out, but it left a big black scar rendering the area uninhabitable.
The allied encampment was also destroyed too. Bodies of Republic soldiers lined up together by those still standing. The sight of the corpses made the Padawan sick, so she quickly hurried to her designation.
Suddenly, she overheard someone yelling from a distance. Curious, she galloped over to where the remaining Republic soldiers were stationed; and after a while, she spotted a handful of soldiers talking amongst each other. A few Jedi were there too, though one in particular stood out among the rest.
“Where is it? What happened to the basilisk droid!” the Jedi asked.
Lyra winced. Oh no. Is that who I think it is?
“Master Jedi, I’ve already told you everything,” replied a Republic soldier who seemed to be having issues keeping the Jedi calm. “The basilisk droid is already destroyed. The Mandalorians blew it up themselves.”
The pouting Jedi known as Luka Emira grimaced at the soldier. “But that can’t be! Why would the Mandalorians blow up their own weapon?” he asked. In a fit of anger, he stomped his right foot into the ground. “Sithspit, I jumped out of the shuttle for nothing.”
“Padawan, calm down. That attitude of yours is not how a Jedi is supposed to act!” warned one Jedi.
“Oh, come on. Does that really matter at a time like this, Master?” Luka fired back. “We’re in the middle of a war! So what if our emotions are running a bit high!”
“Because throwing a little temper tantrum doesn’t help anyone, Luka!” shouted Lyra. It was somewhat unnecessary for her to yell like that now that she had gotten everyone’s attention. But someone had to snap Luka back into reality. Granted, he hated her, but she was already used to his antics.
“Where are Jordan and I’daka, Luka?” she continued. “If you are here, then I assume the others are here too?”
Luka grimaced. “If you really want to know, our clanmates were on board the other two dropships. But answer me, Lyra. What the kriff happened while you were down here? Did you see who destroyed the basilisk droid?”
“If you really want to know, the Mandalorians destroyed it themselves,” Lyra answered, much to the despair of Luka. “Me and another Jedi Knight managed to take out the pilot and disable the droid. The enemy then tossed a thermal detonator into the pilot’s chair once they realized their machine was useless.”
The mare silently watched as Luka seethed. His face turned bright red as he, in a fit of rage, gritted his teeth. By the Force, Lyra hadn’t seen anyone this angry before, let alone a Jedi. So unprofessional. It’s a wonder how he became a Padawan in the first place.
After a few seconds of silence, Luka was just about to release all of his anger. However, the deathly stares of every Jedi and Republic soldier around him caused the young noble to hesitate. Realizing he was garnering unwanted attention, he turned around and walked away.
Lyra sighed. This little rivalry that Luka was clinging onto was getting absurd. Yes, they frequently competed with one another during their Initiate days, but when did things get this bad? It’s like the man wanted to one up her ever since she became a Padawan before him.
Oh well. It’s not like she can do anything about it. There are far more pressing matters at hand. If Luka really wants to become a Jedi, then he’ll have to let go of this silly rivalry sooner or later. She can only hope that her former friend won’t get himself killed.