Star Wars Jedi Lyra: The Search

by currentlemon

Chapter 50

Cold sweat fell on Lyra’s face as she stared wide eyed at the situation in front of her. She wouldn’t dare to act lest a Jedi die at the hands of this Mandalorian. But that itself was just an excuse. In truth, she was afraid. Afraid that someone she once knew her whole life would die in front of her. While it’s true that she and Luka are not on the best of terms, she bore no grudges against the man as it was against the Jedi way to bear ill will toward others.

Regardless, seeing the once prideful, yet determined, Jedi beaten up to a bloodied pulp made Lyra freeze. The Force itself became stiff as a swell of raw emotions began to overtake the young Jedi. Feelings of fear, sorrow, pain, and… satisfaction?

“Ah, Lyra Heartstrings. Once more, we meet again on the battlefield,” said Khal Dryll who seemed very delighted that the mare had finally arrived. “Your timing is impeccable. While this Jedi put up a decent fight, he fell pretty quickly.”

The Mandalorian leaned forward as he applied more pressure onto Luka’s neck, causing the latter to scream and cough up blood. “It’s disappointing really. For all that bravado and self-righteousness he spat during our duel, he didn’t last as long as you did during our fight in Coruscant. One good punch to the face was all it took to daze this man.”

Why was she not surprised? Of course Luka of all people would allow his emotions to get the better of him. As skilled as he was with a lightsaber, the moment something didn’t go his way, he’d abandoned all sense of technique and relied on reckless brute force.

He got what he deserved. After all, Luka was the reason why Chessk was so hurt. If he had only worked with Chessk instead of blindly rushing in. And for what? To prove that he was the better Jedi. Imbecile. He got what he deserved! He got what was coming to him….!

Lyra gasped. No, what was she thinking? A true Jedi wouldn’t be glad that their rival would be in this condition. Though she detested Luka’s boastful attitude, there were times in their Initiate days where they have gotten along just fine.

She didn’t want to see him like this, all bloodied, beaten, and full of despair. Their history may be turbulent, but there was one thing that drew these two together since their days as initiates. The destruction of all manner of injustice throughout the galaxy.

The fear that Lyra had felt had suddenly grown in power. Her fears of Khal or the possibility of Luka’s life ending had all but evaporated from her. In its place was the feeling of anger. Of rage. And with all that power in her hooves, she called upon the Force to unleash a powerful telekinetic push that sent the Mandalorian screaming as he flew right into a large rotting tree.

When one is hit by a Force Push, it’s as if they were being struck by an invisible punch. Because of this, rumors spread throughout the galaxy as some believed that a soldier trained in heavy armor could mitigate the blow. All of it was nonsense of course. No matter how well-crafted one’s armor is, it stood little chance against a true practitioner of the Force.

Lyra was very fortunate though. The only reason why she was able to pull off such a feat was because of her rage. Rage has the ability to strengthen one’s connection to the Force, albeit temporarily. Granted, it wasn’t the way of the Jedi to succumb to rage as it violated the Jedi Code. No doubt that Master Darran would’ve berated her for making such a reckless move.

On the receiving end of that Force Push, Khal winced in pain as he struggled to get back up on his feet. He was fortunate. The large tree had saved him from being flung deeper into the mountain range. He didn’t come away unscathed though. The plating on his armor had softened the blow but being flung back first into a large tree at high speeds still hurt.

Lyra frowned as she watched her enemy struggle to recover. She had put everything she had into that Force Push, and yet Khal was still able to get up? How absurd. If she wanted to end things now, then she would simply have to finish this fight with her lightsaber.

Wasting little time, the mare leapt straight at her opponent, using the raw power of the Force to enhance the power and speed of her jump. However, the way she used her power was unnatural in the eyes of a true Jedi.

As the mare landed mere inches away from where her enemy stood, her rage slowly intensified as she swung her lightsaber directly at Khal’s waist. A panicked Mandalorian swiftly blocked the incoming strike and redirected the blade right toward the same tree that he crashed into mere moments ago. Seeing his chance, he swiftly backed away from an angry Lyra that seemed upset that she couldn’t finish him.

“That… was impressive, Jedi. Clearly you are more determined than ever to fight me,” said Khal as he took a moment to catch his breath. Lyra, however, cared little for his comments. Immediately, she went back on the offensive and attacked her enemy with flickering strikes and stabs swifter than the tongue of a garollian ghost viper.

Alone, she wouldn’t be able to perform a feat such as this. But with the power of her rage at her disposal, it’s as if she could fight for hours on end.

This feeling wouldn’t last long though as Khal would eventually keep up with her offense. Lyra was fast, but her reliance on her newfound power made her predictable in some way. Gone were the precise strikes and elaborate acrobatic maneuvers she practiced for years on end. It was all discarded and replaced by something akin to a rampaging kath hound.

Fearsome indeed, but predictable as Khal proceeded to kick the pony right in the face. Lyra shrieked as she flew headfirst into the rocky terrain. Such power. It’s as if someone had thrown a dumbbell at her face.

“Good. Good!” said Khal rather enthusiastically as he regained his posture. Though their skirmish had only been a short couple of minutes, dodging and blocking so many strikes all at once was exhausting even for a trained soldier like him. “That was invigorating! Never in my life, not even during my training sessions with my uncle, have I experienced such vigor! Oh, I was right to call you a worthy opponent!”

Lyra grunted in frustration as she wiped the blood away from her nose. She was about to attack her enemy again but noticed something was off. Khal’s kick had done more than just damage to her face. The rage she built up during their brief confrontation was all gone. It’s as if her body was a lake and the sheer rage that she felt earlier was like a burning sun that dried up all the water within it

Without that power, Lyra was nothing more than a normal pony. And she hated it. She hated the fact that she allowed her anger to dictate her actions. It wasn’t the Jedi way to act based on emotions, yet she did it anyway because of Luka’s condition.

No, that wasn’t the only reason. Seeing Luka’s injuries was enough to anger the mare, but something else welling inside her heart caused her to act so ballistic. Of course. She remembered now. It was all bottled-up inside her this whole time, from Dantooine to Coruscant. But she never really noticed it until now. As a Jedi, one mustn’t allow their emotions to dictate their actions and Lyra did a good job of being the upstanding Jedi her masters desired her to be.

At least, until now.

Lyra let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. By the Force, was she always this tired? Perhaps it was a combination of fatigue and all the pent-up frustration she’d built up had finally gotten the better of her. With all her energy spent and her companions fighting their own battles at the moment, there isn’t much she could do. She was alone.

Wait, what?

What was she saying? Of course she wasn’t alone! No matter what mistakes she made or how far away her friends are, there was one thing she could always rely on.

The Force. And a powerful ally it was.

Centering herself, Lyra breathed through her bloody nostrils, allowing the soothing waters of the Light to flow through her body. Her eyes widened in shock. Did the Force always feel this… good? Sweet Celestia it’s as if she were bathing in a streaming warm river.

“You’ve been standing there doing nothing for quite some time, Jedi. Are you contemplating a strategy of some sort or are you buying time for reinforcements?” Khal said out loud that he broke Lyra’s concentration. “If you are trying to find a way out of our duel now, then I would consider this fight pointless!”

“I’m not trying to do anything, Khal,” replied Lyra who was rather annoyed that he interrupted her meditation. She couldn’t blame him though. From a certain point of view, it really did appear she was stalling for time.

Twirling her lightsaber in a Makashi like flourish, she readied herself for another confrontation between Khal. “Prepare yourself,” she said, calmly. Khal’s lips twitched into a devilish smile as Lyra jumped straight at him with her weapon held high. Twisting his double-bladed vibrosword, he blocked the Jedi’s falling leaf strike and allowed the mare to make landfall shortly afterward.

The two were mere inches away from each other, ready to act whenever the other made a move. Lyra was the first to act. She leapt in and proceeded to bombard her opponent with a quick saber swarm. Khal, grinning mischievously, blocked her attacks with relative ease. Though Lyra’s offensive barrage was much more precise than their previous encounter, it was nothing that the neo-crusader had seen before.

During his studies of the Jedi and their ways, he understood that the Force can grant an individual strength and speed to that of a superhuman. But what was the point in having such amazing feats when you are so predictable? The Jedi that Khal had faced so far were predictable in their offense. It’s the sole reason why he was so successful in winning all of his encounters with them. Lyra was no exception.

As the mare swung her lightsaber at Khal’s torso, he swatted away the incoming strike and countered with his weapon. He expected the mare to block his attack like before in their duel on Coruscant, but to his shock, she stepped back and dodged his blade. A surprise to be sure; however, he didn’t think much of it as he immediately continued with his counterattack.

But once again, the Jedi dodged the incoming strike instead of blocking it. This left him in a vulnerable position as he realized that, due to his attack missing, his overextended arms were prone to a counterattack. Seeing this, he reeled his body back and blocked an incoming counter.

The mare frowned at her missed opportunity, but she remained headstrong as Khal attacked her once more. Lyra dodged the incoming blow and countered with a strike at her opponent’s torso; but once again, Khal blocked her attack.

Despite the back and forth between her and Khal, a sense of confidence began to ignite within the mare. No longer was she distracted by blind rage. Instead, her mind was clear, and the Force naturally flowed through her body like a gentle river. Though she lost some degree of power and speed within her attacks, the return of her precise bladework more than made up for it.

She also recalled the lessons that her master had given her back on Coruscant as well as Chessk’s warnings about Khal’s fighting technique. Given her small size and stature, her master had warned her not to take on opponents who were physically stronger than her head on. Instead, he instructed her to instead rely on her small body to evade and counter incoming attacks.

It’s an exhaustive practice, yes, but it was a technique that best suited her in this fight. And with Chessk’s warning regarding her opponent’s fighting technique, her knowledge and training would prove to be beneficial as she countered yet another overextension from Khal. The neo-crusader blocked the incoming attack and struck at Lyra’s hind legs, hoping to throw the mare off balance. Showing grace, the mare dodged the attack and, to her opponent’s confusion, spun around in mid-air.

Not deterred by the Jedi’s sudden show of elegance, Khal immediately swung the other half of his sword. Unbeknownst to him, this was the opportunity that his opponent had been waiting for. Using the momentum of her spin, Lyra gracefully swatted the incoming blade away, causing her dumbfounded opponent to stumble backward.

At last, an opening!

Upon making landfall, Lyra swiftly leapt at her opponent and attacked him with a lunging thrust attack. Khal, who was still trying to recover from the odd counter, tried to put up a decent defense. But it was too late. The tip of the green-hued lightsaber blade had pierced through his beskar iron armor.

Lyra suddenly felt a rush of adrenaline. Seeing the tip of her blade pierce through her opponent’s armor made her believe that she was close to achieving victory. Buther brief moment of excitement quickly wore down as she watched Khal bat her lightsaber away before the blade could do any further damage.

Disappointed, but not undeterred, Lyra continued with her assault. Tucking the hilt of her lightsaber, she prepared for yet another lunging assault. Khal anticipated this and braced himself. If the mare were to lunge at him again, he would swat the lightsaber away with one side of this double-bladed weapon and then counter with the other half.

His plan was foolproof; however, he didn’t expect the Jedi’s assault to be a feint as Lyra suddenly abandoned her lunging attack. With a twist of her body, the mare retracted her lightsaber, bent down, and pulled off a Force Jump that sent her somersaulting in mid-air.

Seeing this, Khal Dryll raised his double-bladed sword to defend against the attack, believing his strength alone would be enough to block and counter the incoming blow. But as the two blades clashed, the Mandalorian grit his teeth as he suddenly felt a heavy burden on his shoulders. It’s almost as if someone had dropped a large boulder on top of him

Lyra didn’t fare that much better. The sheer amount of power she dealt with her strike was something she had difficulties controlling in the past. The su ma rotations of Form IV allows practitioners to use elaborate spins, twirls, and somersaults in their attack patterns, which in turns adds power to their strikes. Lyra wasn’t used to this as she relied more on precision and agility to get the job done. If she weren’t allied to the Force, she would’ve faulted and lost balance as soon as her and Khal’s blades connected. At the very least, her latest attack had taken her opponent off guard.

Well, off guard would be a bit of an understatement. Her attack was so powerful that it caused the left side of Khal’s double-bladed sword to ricochet into the muddy mountain dirt. Realizing her opportunity, Lyra somersaulted into the air and landed right behind her opponent. She spun around and swung directly at her opponent’s back, intending to incapacitate the man.

Seeing this, Khal let loose a terrifying roar as he desperately tried to yank his weapon out of the mud. His persistence eventually paid off, but it was too late. Just as he finally got his weapon free, the neo-crusader howled in pain. A lightsaber blade had just cut through his armor and pierced his backside.

Panicked, Khal desperately tried to gain some distance away from the Jedi. He was successful in his endeavor, but not before Lyra pierced his left leg with the tip of her lightsaber blade. While the blade did not pierce through the armor, a mistake on Lyra’s part, it did graze it enough to send the neo-crusader tumbling backward.

Lyra’s eyes widened as she saw her golden opportunity. Her opponent was down. She can go in and finish him off right there and now! Yet despite her clear advantage, she stopped in her place and gave Khal a brief moment of respite. A foolish move on her part perhaps, but given her history with this man, she didn’t want to take any chances.

“Ugh, damn it!” Khal cursed out loud as he slowly stood back up. The double-bladed weapon he had was used as a means to assist him. “Very impressive, Jedi. Your skills have improved tremendously since our encounter back on Coruscant. And in such a short time as well!”

A confused Lyra blinked at the unexpected compliment “Yeah, well… I couldn’t have done it alone. The people around me helped me as best as they could. Without them, I wouldn’t have learned from our previous encounter,” she exclaimed.

“Of course! That Jedi Master of yours must’ve trained you rigorously after our duel. And I can only assume that your Trandoshan pet gave you advice before our encounter,” Khal said as a wide grin suddenly grew on his face. “It’s a remarkable thing, really. Having such close companions. It’s a gift that many do not appreciate.”

Lyra raised a brow. “What do you know about having friends, Khal?”

“It’s a gift that we share, little one. While you have your master and that strange crew of yours to keep you company, I have my uncle. He is the one that trained me from youth. To become the soldier that I am today. Granted, he didn’t take my appreciation of the Jedi well, but he respected my choice as it meant that I would become as great a man as he is.”

A surprised Lyra went stiff as she slowly took in Khal’s speech. The realization of the bond that he shared with his uncle seemed strong. Almost akin to that of a bond shared between a Jedi Master and his student. And it made Lyra smile. The modesty and affection Khal shared with his uncle was respectable in a way.

But regardless of any personal feelings she might have, justice still had to be served. This man and his people had plans on invading her home world. It’s her responsibility to see her duty fulfilled till the end. Assuming an Ataru opening stance, Lyra took a deep breath and allowed Force to flow through and rejuvenate her body.

Seeing this, Khal assumed his own fighting stance, bracing himself for whatever trick his opponent had up their sleeve. If he were to fall here, then at the very least, he would die a warrior’s death fighting the very thing he always wanted to fight.

He grinned.

“Stop it!”

A loud scream caused both Lyra and Khal to fumble out of their prospective stances.

“Who dares interrupted our honorable duel?” shouted a now angry neo-crusader. Despite the fact that he was on his last toes, the man really didn’t appreciate someone interrupting his fight. “Show yourself, now! Or else you’ll face the wrath of a son of Dryll!”

Lyra too also wondered who in the right mind would interrupt her fight. She had everything in her control this time, so the last thing she needed was for anyone—whether it be ally or foe—to disrupt her duel. As she scoured the area for any clues, she eventually spotted a lone bloodied man standing several feet away from her. The sight of this man made her gasp.

“Luka?”

Standing some distance away from where the duelists stood was a bloody, ragged Luka Emira. The Jedi, who didn’t even look like one in the first place due to his torn robes, hobbled his way toward the duelists like a kath hound stalking his prey.

“Stop it… right there!” he shouted once more. Though the Jedi feigned confidence, his raspy voice made it apparent to both Lyra and Khal that the man was in no condition to fight, let alone stand. “That man… that Mandalorian, is my enemy. Not yours. So stand aside… Lyra and let me finish that scum for myself!”

“Luka no! You are in no condition to fight!” pleaded Lyra as she abandoned her Ataru stance and leapt toward her former clansmate. “If you move around like that, you’ll continue to lose more blood! Please, stay back and let me handle Khal.”

But Luka didn’t care for Lyra’s pleas as he shoved the mare aside and immediately activated his lightsaber. “This fight is mine and mine alone! I won’t let you take it away from me!” he shouted.

Khal shook his head as he witnessed the wounded Luka struggle to maintain his footing. “You shouldn’t be walking around with those injuries, Jedi. Regardless of your power, no man can ever hope to fight with those wounds. Do yourself a favor and listen to your companion and stay back. Once I win my duel, I will deal with you later.”

“Shut up, Mandalorian scum! I will not let a savage like yourself look down on me!” shouted Luka. His anger had very much reached its boiling point. Lyra tried to calm her former clanmate down, but her pleas did nothing as Luka suddenly burst forward with blinding speed, which caught both her and Khal off-guard.

It was confusing at first, seeing a badly injured man move so quickly. But soon it dawned on Lyra. It’s his rage. By the Force, Luka is using his rage as a means of his power.

A cold chill ran through Lyra’s spine as she felt the currents of the Force explode around her. She had experienced this sensation moments ago, but it was her that caused this unnatural flow instead. To be fair, her failure to notice this pain was her own fault as well. The rage that she had built up throughout her journey had finally leaked out after seeing Luka so badly injured.

“Die, scum!” cried out a rage induced Luka as he ran toward Khal with blinding speed. Lyra tried to call out to him again, but it was to no avail. An enraged Luka leapt into the air with a Force enhanced jump, ready to cut down his enemy with all of his might.

Khal scoffed at the Jedi’s pathetic show of strength. Assuming his fighting stance, he swung his damaged sword the moment Luka’s lightsaber blade got close. To the surprise of both Jedi, the neo-crusader was able to perfectly parry the blow and send Luka flying, despite the injuries he sustained during his bout with Lyra.

Padawan Luka cried out in pain as he fell to the rocky ground on his back. The hard impact caused the young man to not only lose his weapon, but he also coughed out some blood which made Lyra worry about any internal damage he might’ve suffered in his body.

Shaking his head, Khal walked up to the injured Padawan and gave him a cold unemotional stare. “While your tenacity is admirable, it does not change the fact that you should not be fighting with those injuries. Such recklessness would get you in trouble in the military. And I don’t think your Jedi Master would appreciate this either.”

Luka screamed in frustration, but he quickly shut up when Khal lowered his blade down to the Jedi’s neck. “Such a waste, really. You could’ve become something so much more, but instead, your recklessness and desire to prove yourself hold you back. While there is nothing wrong in seeking glory, that attitude of yours does not belong in the ranks of the Jedi Order. And you, Luka Emira, are no Jedi.”

Taking the hilt of his weapon, Khal maneuvered the blade just above Luka’s heart. “May you find peace in the Force,” he said. His intent to kill is clearly showing now. But before he could pierce Luka’s heart, he was interrupted by an ear-piercing scream.

Lyra, who had been watching from afar, shouted at Khal and demanded that he stay away from Luka. It was then followed up by a rage induced Force Push that sent the Mandalorian flying. Where he was, she didn’t know. The telekinetic blast she unleashed was so powerful that it sent him deeper into the forest and out of her sight.

Again, she had used the power of her emotions to drive Khal back. Not something that her master or the Jedi Order would approve of, but everything worked out in the end, right? Luka was safe for now. And with Khal taken out of the picture for now, she could at least tend to his wounds. But she had to act quickly. Even though the enemy wasn’t here anymore, she knew Khal would return.

Immediately, Lyra rushed over to the injured Jedi. Upon seeing him up close, she gasped. His tattered and bloodied robes were covering a large cut that went from his left shoulder to his abdomen. And though the cut wasn’t deep enough to pierce through his heart, the mare quickly noticed a large bruise on Luka’s right hand.

Was it broken? Probably. But the large cut on his torso was more of a priority.

After cursing herself for not seeing these wounds earlier, Lyra positioned her hooves just above Luka’s torso and reached out to the Force. Using the lessons provided by Masters’ Shad and Bokal So, she quickly applied Force energies to mend the injured Jedi.

Luka moaned in pain. “I… I don’t need your h-help,” he muttered. The wounds he endured made it difficult for him to speak.

An annoyed Lyra rolled her eyes, finding it ludicrous that Luka wouldn’t accept help even at death’s door. “Just shut up and let me heal you, idiot!” she said just as the bleeding on Luka’s wound began to stop.

The mare sighed in relief. A skilled Jedi Healer may have done a better job than her, but at the very least, she didn’t have to worry about any more blood loss. As long as Luka refrained from running, fighting, or acrobatics of any sort, he’d be fine. Then again, this is Luka she was referring to here. The man was stubborn to the core. Even if he was given orders to sit back and wait, he’d run off the moment he saw an opportunity.

Foolish, perhaps, but Luka was never the person to sit back and wait. Back on Dantooine, he and Jordan would take up their lightsabers whenever they saw acts of injustice or when someone on the planet was in danger. Of course, their actions were reckless in the eyes of the Jedi Masters, but their altruism is why both men took arms and left Dantooine to fight in the Mandalorian Wars.

“Are you feeling any better?” Lyra asked, hoping that Luka wouldn’t say anything demeaning. Thankfully, the man said nothing as his breathing steadied. “You stay here and wait for help. I’ll deal with Khal.”

Luka grit his teeth in frustration as he struggled to say anything, but Lyra had none of it. She ignored his incoherent rambling and instead focused her efforts on locating Khal. Unfortunately, locating her enemy proved to be more difficult than she realized. Despite Celesita’s light shining in the sky, it wasn’t enough for her to determine the location of her opponent.

Lyra cursed herself for her reckless use of the Force. Granted, such use would’ve been the right decision based on Luka’s need for medical attention; but given the current situation, she is at a disadvantage. Khal could be anywhere right now. And with his expertise in combat, tactics are probably his expertise. No matter what situation he’s in, he can probably think of something.

Igniting her lightsaber once more, Lyra waited patiently for her opponent to make a move. While her skill with blaster deflection isn’t the best, she could at least defend herself and Luka from any incoming blaster bolt should her opponent decide to use blasters. But as she scoured the area for any signs of Khal, something in the sky caught the Padawan’s eye. At first, it was difficult to make out what it was even with Celestia’s bright spell shining above her, but she could eventually make out a pair of wings.

A bugbear perhaps? No. The shape of… whatever was floating in the sky did not match the body and physicality of a bugbear. It was something else. Something strangely familiar. Eventually, she’d receive her answer as the unknown entity lowered its head and fired a large golden beam directly below its position.

The mountain began to shake violently. So much so that Lyra lost her balance and dropped to the ground. When she regained her composure, she could finally make out what was floating in the brightly lit sky.

Princess Celestia, matron of the Sun, had arrived on the battlefield. And from what Lyra could tell through the Force, she wasn’t happy.

Author's Note:

Sorry I was a bit late on this. Wasn't feeling well yesterday. This is part one of the fight between Lyra and Khal. The next chapter will continue the fight, but not before a certain Princess has a word with Lyra.

Hope you all enjoyed. Leave a comment below and tell me what you think. Let me know if I happened to have made a mistake anywhere.

Comments

[currentlemon]

Let me know if you happen to see any grammatical or spelling issues.

[Joe Toon]

Uh oh. Mama Celestia is mad.