//------------------------------// // Chapter 49 // Story: Star Wars Jedi Lyra: The Search // by currentlemon //------------------------------// Deep in the outskirts of the Bug Bear mountains, the reserve forces of the Republic military made their march across the mountain terrain. With the injured taken care of and the timely arrival of allied reinforcements, a handful of Jedi and high-ranking Naval officials decided that it was time to reinforce the main unit. However, trekking through this type of terrain proved difficult for the newly arrived Republic forces. Even with the assistance of the Jedi and a handful of men that arrived earlier with Master Kavar, many were not accustomed to the rocky, high-altitude area. Yet that wasn’t the only thing that worried the new arrivals. As they trekked deeper into the mountain, many began to hear loud buzzing noises coming from the sky. When they looked up, they saw the bugbears. Swarms of them. Increasing in number the longer they tread down the mountain. Some of the more inexperienced Republic soldiers grew fearful of the creatures and wanted to shoot them down with their rifles. Even a few Jedi among their rank, particularly a handful of young Knights and Padawans, considered the creatures to be a threat. Before anyone could do anything, however, a pair of Jedi grabbed the army’s attention. These Jedi Knight Knogg Shad and Padawan Lyra Heartstrings. The latter warned the soldiers not to fire at the creatures, explaining that the fighting had forced the bugbears to flee their home in fear. For that reason, nobody should be provoking or attacking said creatures at all with the exception of self-defense as doing so would be a distraction, which is something they couldn’t afford. Thankfully, the Jedi Knight’s words reached the ears of the allied forces. The superiors of said army barked orders at their subordinates, telling them to leave the bugbears alone and continue with their march, which made Lyra very happy. At the very least, they owe it to these creatures to drive the Mandalorians out of their home and avoid situations that led to more orphaned cubs. But as the army continued with their march, Lyra suddenly felt uneasy. At first, she believed it may be related to her trek along the rocky mountain terrain as walking up and down these elevated slopes can make anyone sick, but she had her doubts about that. This was no normal headache. Rather, it felt as if someone had smacked her on the head with a large tree branch. Jedi Knight Knogg Shad, who was walking alongside her, quickly noticed her condition. “Are you alright, Padawan?” he asked as he knelt down and checked on the mare. “No, master. I don’t feel well,” Lyra said with a shake of her head. Granted, she could still walk, but the pain made it difficult to stay upright. “I’m not sure why but I somehow got this aching headache.” “I see. Then I assume that this isn’t some normal headache you are experiencing?” “I don’t think so, Master. When I look at some of the other Jedi here, they are perfectly fine. Some of the soldiers look a bit queasy but their conditions are understandable given our location. But me? I’m can’t say for certain, but this headache feels unnatural.” The Jedi Rodian sighed. “Padawan, what are probably experiencing is a large influx of raw emotion. Something that is very common in scenarios such as these.” “What do you mean?” “I’m talking about the mountain we are standing on, Padawan. This place has become a battlefield between two intergalactic armies,” Knogg explained as he pointed in the direction of their Republic allies. “You see those soldiers there? Aside from mountain sickness, most of them are delving headfirst into battle against the Mandalorians. They may not show it, but a lot of raw emotion is swelling inside them right now.” “How so?” “Simple, Padawan. It’s their fear. The fear of the unknown. Much like the bugbears you see in the sky, these soldiers have no idea what’s going to happen to them. Some will survive. Others will not. And this uneasiness—this fear—leads into a swell of emotions that we Jedi can sense.” “So, that is what’s causing my headache,” muttered Lyra. “But why am I feeling this now? My sense abilities have never given me this much pain before.” “Have you ever been this close to a warzone before?” the Jedi asked, to which Lyra shook her head. “Padawan, you must understand that when it comes to war, everyone experiences these emotions. To the bravest of soldiers, to the wisest of Jedi, and even to the bloodthirsty Mandalorians that we’re facing now.” “So what should I do?” “Remember the first line of the Jedi code, Padawan. You must clear yourself of these emotions and focus on the task ahead. Your knowledge of the healing arts will be needed once we meet up with the main forces and believe me when I say you’d be doing them a great disservice if you cannot maintain your composure.” Lyra nodded her head just as she and Knight Shad overheard a Republic Official barking orders at the reserved forces. “We have rendezvoused with the main forces! To any soldier or Jedi who can fight, Master Kavar is requesting your assistance! To our medics and Jedi Healers, please follow me! There are many wounded and several of them have been poisoned by the flying beasts above us!” “I guess that’s our cue. Come, Padawan. Let us tend to the injured.” “Yes, master,” replied Lyra as she obediently followed the Jedi Knight.  With their arrival at the main camp, the reserve forces began to move. From a distance, Lyra could spot Master Kavar working with a pair of Republic Officers. Though he was difficult to see amongst the crowd, she did notice that the Jedi Master’s robes were torn and battered down, which shocked the young mare.  She had just seen this man a moment ago, yet now he looked as if he had been trekking through these mountains for days. Does war do this to people? Immediately, she shook her head. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking about something so miniscule. There were people who needed her help. Recalling the words of Master Shad and the Jedi Code, Lyra hurried over to the hospice area of the main camp where all the wounded were being tended to by field medics. To say that there were many was an understatement. Dozens of injured soldiers and Jedi lined up together in rows of leather bed rolls. All moaning in pain. She approached a field medic and asked what happened. It was explained to her that the Republic looked as if they were about to win, but everything fell apart when enemy reinforcements arrived. Amidst the battle, a Jedi fell at the hands of an ambitious Mandalorian leading the reinforcements, turning the tide of the fight, and forcing the army to fall back. Lyra immediately knew that the Mandalorian the medic was referring to was Khal. And while it wasn’t a surprise that the man had defeated a Jedi, what did surprise her was that his victory rallied the neo-crusaders. How was the death of one Jedi enough to rally the enemy? A question for later. Right now, there were other things she had to prioritize. Before tending to the wounded, the field medic informed Lyra that many of the injured laying here were not harmed by blaster bolts or swords, but rather poisoned. When Lyra asked the medic on how poison played a role in this, he mentioned that the creatures from the sky prevented both sides from taking an early offensive. Many retaliated at the presence of these bugbears, believing that their weaponry would scare them off, but the creatures kept coming. Eventually, the Republic regained control, but not before a platoon of their troops were injured by bugbear stingers. What’s more, the creature’s stingers contained a poison that they were unprepared for. If it weren’t for the aid of the Jedi and a Trandoshan of all people, they would’ve been in a much worse situation. Lyra’s eyes widened. Oh, Force! She had completely forgotten about Chessk! Immediately, she demanded the field medic to tell her where her friend was; and after some clarification, the medic told her that he hadn’t seen him for some time. Last time he saw him was during the battle when he was giving out antidote kits to all the field medics. The mare nodded and thanked the soldier for telling her this.  As the field medic left, Lyra let out a breath she had realized she was holding in. The news about Chessk had left her tense. She hadn’t seen him in a while, not since he left her behind to join Master Kavar in the front line. Was he okay? Probably given his fighting prowess, but she can’t seem to get her worries out of her mind. No, focus! Now was not the time to be worrying over a friend who is more than capable of taking care of himself. Reciting the first line of the Jedi code in her head, Lyra shifted her attention to the injured laying on the ground. At the very least, her work will keep her mind preoccupied. Working alongside the field medics, Lyra quickly tended to the wounded. Her skill in the healing arts wasn’t as powerful as Master Shad; but with the aid of the Force and the field medics that worked alongside her, she did her duty well. She couldn’t help everyone though. Those that had major injuries and were poisoned by bugbears were not within her capabilities. As such, she had to leave some injured in more capable hands. Time would pass. To Lyra, her work made it feel like she’d been out here for hours on end when in reality only a quarter of an hour had passed since she arrived at the main camp. Eventually, her work would be interrupted by a Republic soldier shouting at the top of his lungs. His message made the mare’s eyes open wide. The Navy is winning their fight out in orbit. Cheers erupted within the camp. The celebration was so large that even the wounded couldn’t help but raise their fists up and cheer; however, their carelessness and lack of awareness of their injuries left them scolded by many of the field medics and Jedi Healers, including Lyra. As the area began to settle down, the soldier who had barged into the medical hospice began to elaborate on what’s happening out in space. He explained that the reason why the Navy was winning is because of Nightmare Moon. The dark princess had been playing as a third party throughout the entire battle, taking out starships belonging to both Republic and Mandalorian forces. She eventually destroyed two Mandalorian flagships that matched the size of a Republic Praetorian class frigate, which in turn, shifted the fight into their favor. Several gasps and whispers were heard among the soldiers in camp. Some worried that Nightmare Moon would target the Republic frigates next while others wondered how a single being was able to destroy a flagship the size of a city. Some even began to look and question Lyra for answers, to which the mare simply claimed that she didn’t know anything about. Her answer didn’t stop the questions from pouring out though. Eventually, the sheer bluntness of raw emotion became too much for her to bear and forced Lyra to storm out of the campsite before any Jedi Master could step in and calm everyone down. On the outskirts of the camp, Lyra attempted to recompose herself by citing the Jedi Code. It worked, to an extent, but she couldn’t find the strength in herself to go back. Despite being outside the camp’s premise, she could still sense the raw emotions emanating from it. Word of Nightmare Moon’s actions had only spread. Being the only pony here, it’d only make sense that many, both soldier and Jedi alike, would come to her for questions to settle their curiosity. Biting her lip in frustration, Lyra slumped to the ground as she waited for the entire camp to settle down. “Little Jedi? Little Jedi, is that you?” Lyra’s eyes widened as she heard a familiar raspy voice. She spun around and saw her companion, Chessk Fess, approaching her. “Little Jedi, what are you doing out here? Shouldn’t you be in camp helping out the field medics?” he asked. Before she could reply, Lyra noticed that her companion looked different than the last time she saw him. His previously polished body armor was torn apart and covered in black soot. Given its current state, she could assume that he’d been shot. Multiple times as a matter of fact. “It’s not wise to be out here by yourself, little Jedi. If you were to be attacked by a swarm of bugbears or a squadron of Mandalorian troops, you’d be rendered helpless,” Chessk warned. But as he approached the mare, he immediately fell to his knees. Panicked, Lyra quickly galloped over to her weary companion and asked him to quietly lay down on his back so that she could check on his injuries, to which Chessk obliged. But as he laid down, the mare quickly spotted something odd in the condition of her friend’s armor. The black soot she saw earlier had covered several slash marks that were found on the armor piece. The cuts weren’t deep, but it did tell Lyra that her friend must’ve gotten into a sword fight. That wasn’t all. Upon further examination, she noticed that Chessk was being somewhat careful with his right shoulder. Believing it to be an injury of some sort, Lyra gently touched it to see what was wrong. Her curiosity, however, caused the Trandoshan to howl in pain. “Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Lyra wailed as she attempted to settle her companion down with the Force. “It’s… alright, little one. I’m fine,” Chessk replied. He let out a sigh as the pain eventually withered down. “I know you are trying to help, but please, don’t do that again.” “What happened to you, Chessk?” “I got into a sword fight with the Mandalorian sub-commander, Khal Dryll,” Chessk explained, much to Lyra’s shock. He then went on to explain what happened while he was fighting in the front lines and how his fight against the Jedi crazed sub-commander turned out. “I had the advantage, but two of his subordinates saved him in the nick of time. He was angry with them, but I don’t think he realized that if we continued our due, I could’ve won eventually.” “Wait. You were winning against him? How?” “Two factors played a part, little one. In terms of experience, I say that I had the most significant advantage. The man may be a good fighter and seemed more familiar with the battlefield more than me, but he’s nowhere near my level of expertise. Fighting may have been drilled into his head, but I’ve fought beasts that are on par or stronger than many battle-hardened soldiers,” Chessk explained. “The second reason is our fighting styles. They’re very similar.” “Can you explain?” “Khal is a defensive fighter. When we fought, I noticed that he did not make any offensive push and instead relied on my own offense to make a move. In my opinion, he likely developed this style in order to counter whatever Jedi he ran into. And given his desire to fight Jedi, I can assume my opinion may be fact.” “Then how were you able to best him? And more importantly, if you could’ve beaten him, why are you so injured?” “I never said that I was victorious, little one. I said that I could’ve beaten him. For all of his bravado, he had no counter against someone who shared a similar fighting technique. Our encounter could’ve been a disaster for him; but sadly, I never got the chance to make the finishing blow.” “You said his allies came in to save him. Is that why your armor is covered in all this black soot?” Lyra asked, to which Chessk answered with a nod of his head. “The bastards shot me in the shoulder multiple times, which left me in a helpless state,” he replied, with Lyra wincing at the curse word he spouted. “A previous encounter rendered my battle rifle dysfunctional, so I had to fight with my vibroswords to take care of Khal. But because the enemy reinforcements were equipped with rifles of their own, I had the disadvantage. I might’ve perished as well, but two things went in my favor and allowed me to escape.”   Lyra winced again after hearing her friend’s blunt response. For him to narrowly escape death and then casually talk about said near death experience was haunting to say the least. “Khal didn’t appreciate his allies coming to rescue him,” Chess continued. “Though he was losing, he wanted to fight me one on one with no interference from anyone else. Sounds foolish to me, but I suppose his Mandalorian pride made him forget about common gratitude.” “That doesn’t sound surprising Chessk, but what was the other factor that led you to escape?” Chessk scowled as a small hint of anger slowly emerged from his Force signature. “A Jedi appeared, little one. He came out of nowhere and challenged Khal to a duel after eliminating the enemy reinforcements.” “A Jedi saved you!” shouted Lyra in surprise. Though she was grateful to her brother in the Force, the scowl on her friend’s face tempered her excitement. “You seem angry, Chessk? Why is that?” “Because I could’ve helped him, little one! I could’ve helped him rein in Khal and end the fight right there. But the Jedi didn’t want any help whatsoever! Even though I tended to my injured shoulder with all the med-kits I had.” “Wait, the Jedi who saved you thought he was better off without your help? Why?” “He showed confidence, little one. Confident that his power alone would be enough to best the Mandalorian. But to be honest, little one, his confidence seemed… unbefitting for a Jedi.” Chessk said as the scowl on his face grew. “While I can understand the man’s prideful and stoic nature, but he didn’t have to reinjure my right shoulder.” “He did what?” shouted Lyra in disbelief. “I am speaking the truth, little one. And please, do not shout. Doing so doesn’t make my injuries any better.” “S-sorry! Anyways, you said that this Jedi is responsible for your injury?” Lyra asked as her uneasiness grew. “Indeed, he is. When I tried to reason with him, he used his powers on me to thrust me onto a nearby tree and dislocated my shoulder once more,” Chessk described. “With no med-kits and my weapons lost, I had no choice but to flee from the area. Thank the Scorekeeper I didn’t run into any enemy forces on my way back to camp. If I did, I would’ve been done for.” Lyra bit her lip. “About this Jedi, Chessk. Did he say his name?” she asked, albeit hesitantly. A part of her didn’t want to know the answer as she had a gut feeling who this mysterious Jedi might be. But for all she knew, this Jedi could be in danger. “Yes, little one. He revealed himself shortly after he took down the Mandalorian reinforcements,” Chessk answered. “He revealed himself to Khal as Luka Emira.” Immediately, Lyra’s face went pale. She recalled the short encounter she had with her clanmate moments before and how he was all too eager to get into action. A bit too eager to be frank. The man had literally jumped off a Republic transport ship in order to fight the Mandalorians, only to find himself disappointed and angry—at her specifically—that the enemy was driven off. There’s no way Luka can take down someone like Khal on his own. And if he’s still as angry as before, then his chance of victory is even slimmer! Lyra thought to herself. I… I have to find him quickly. Search through this Force forsaken moutain if I have too! “Little one, what are you thinking just now?” asked Chessk. His question, however, was ignored as Lyra began to stare at the forest in front of her. Realizing that something was amiss, he immediately grabbed the mare’s tail, causing the Padawan to shriek. “Yikes! Chessk, what the heck was that for!” “In order to get your attention!” Chessk spat with a stern look on his face. “I can tell by the look in your eyes, little one. Your concern for that Luka person is showing. May I ask why? If I recall, your history with him isn’t exactly good and he didn’t particularly treat you well on the Sunrider, yesterday.” Lyra frowned. “I admit, my history with Luka isn’t all that great. As Initiates, we got into a bit of a scuffle every now and then. But as a Jedi, I can’t just leave him out there. Sure, he may be able to handle himself just fine, but I got this aching feeling that he might be in trouble.” “You don’t believe his skills would be enough to best the enemy sub-commander?” Lyra shook her head. “Maybe. Maybe not. But it wouldn’t be right for me to leave him out there fighting an enemy in a world that’s unfamiliar to him. We do not get along, but as his fellow Jedi, I must see to it that he is okay.” “Then I will not stop you,” Chessk replied as he slowly got up from his position. Lyra cried out that he shouldn’t be moving with such a grievous shoulder injury, but he ignored her warnings and instead pointed his non-injured arm in the direction of where he came from. “Head north, little one, and you should eventually run into Khal and Luka. Be quick about it and try not to get distracted by the battlefield either. If your intention is to save your clanmate, then your focus should be on him and him alone. Do not engage with any enemies or bugbears unless they attack you first.” “Got it. Thank you, Chessk.” “And don’t forget what I told you about Khal’s fighting technique! Use that knowledge to your advantage and end his campaign against your people.” Lyra waved one last goodbye as she watched her friend walk slowly into the allied main camp. Once he was out of sight, she immediately dashed into the direction where he pointed to. Using the Force, she tried to pinpoint the location of her former clanmate, but to no avail. Her ability to sense others proved difficult as she drew closer to the battlefield. So much raw emotion. It’s a wonder how the Jedi Masters kept their heads together in such difficult situations such as this. Have Jordan and the other Jedi who left the Order have experienced this sensation too? The mare had no time to think as an explosion set off not too far from away from where she ran. This was getting dangerous. She needed to find Luka and get out of here fast! As she continued to run, Lyra suddenly felt a painful sensation through the Force. Goodness, it’s as if her head had been pierced through a broken shard of glass. Taking a moment to center herself, she sat down and began to breathe inward in an attempt to relieve herself of pain. But as she settled down, she spotted two figures out in the distance. Despite Princess Celestia’s light shining above her, she couldn’t tell who these people were. All she could see is that one was standing and the other was laid flat on his back. Needing answers, Lyra galloped toward the direction of the two silhouettes. But as she drew closer, she heard dreary moans of pain from one of the two individuals. Oh, Force. That did not sound good. When she finally reached her destination, the two individuals looked directly at her. The mare gasped and skidded to a halt as she came in contact with them both. One of the individuals was a bleeding and beaten Jedi while the other stood tall with a double-bladed vibro-sword on his hand and his armored right foot firmly pressing down on the other’s neck.