Star Wars Jedi Lyra: The Search

by currentlemon

Chapter 51

What was Princess Celestia doing here? It was a question that rang through Lyra’s mind as she stared at the royal pony soaring across in the night skies. Didn’t she say that she wasn’t going to participate in the fight? Or perhaps she changed her mind? It’s certainly possible given the swarms of bugbears fleeing the mountain. If that were the case, then perhaps she must’ve believed the Republic troops had taken too much time. Regardless of her reasoning, she made herself a prime target for the Mandalorian forces.

Lyra pondered if the Princess was ready to take on a futuristic military the likes Equestria had never seen. However, her worries were all for not when she saw the Princess cast a large golden beam with her magic horn. Oh, right. She and that Nightmare Moon were siblings. If the latter could take down large flagships, then it’s likely that the Princess of the Sun could too.

A shivering thought if Lyra had to be honest with herself. It made her question what kind of power both Princesses held at the tip of their horns. Is it more powerful than the Force itself? Not likely? It was hard to say since she didn’t know any advanced Force techniques. Still, seeing such magical power did make her wonder if a unicorn like her was capable of such a feat.

“W-what the kriff?” stammered a flabbergasted Luka. It appeared that he too saw Princess Celestia’s raw magical power.

“Luka, I told you not to move from your position,” said Lyra as she berated her former clanmate for ignoring her wishes. Before she could hold him in place, a disturbance in the Force caused the mare to ignite her lightsaber out of pure instinct. Assuming her Ataru brace ready stance, she scanned the area for any sign of Khal, but the neo-crusader was nowhere to be found. Confused, she lowered her guard and wondered why the Force would warn her over nothing.

Suddenly, a pair of red streaking blaster bolts suddenly came out of nowhere. Thanks to her training and strength in the Force, Lyra deflected the bolts just at the nick of time, saving herself from either a gruesome injury or perhaps even death. Realizing the bolts came from Khal, she scanned the area for any signs of the neo-crusader. But she still didn’t see him.

Lyra frowned. She didn’t expect Khal to use trickery like this. The man seemed intent on facing her and other Jedi head on rather than using ranged weaponry. And the sheer thought of that made her wonder. Where on earth did Khal obtain a blaster? She didn’t see one of him when she dueled the man. Did his armor have some sort of hidden component that she didn’t notice? Impossible. No armor to her knowledge had any built-in contraptions that would allow you to hide large weapons. In all likelihood, the man must’ve looted the weapons off the corpses of the two neo-crusaders that Luka killed earlier.

As she tried to think of how Khal obtained his new weapon, two pairs of blaster bolts came streaking at her. Lyra effortlessly deflected the attack but noticed something rather alarming as she redirected the last bolt. Every one of those bolts were aimed directly at Luka.

Lyra’s face went pale as she realized that Khal was trying to use Luka as leverage. By aiming his bolts at him, it would put her on a constant defensive. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal as she would either rely on her Force powers or her companions to assist her. But she was alone in this fight, and her Force powers wouldn’t be of much use if she can’t even see her opponent.

Granted, if she were given time, she can probably pinpoint Khal’s location with her Sense abilities and take him out. It was a risk that Lyra didn’t want to take though as it requires some concentration to locate a specific person. And even if she determined her opponent’s location, a direct charge would only endanger Luka’s life. For all she knew, Khal would simply gun him down the moment she leapt away.

Lyra frowned as she clumsily redirected yet another pair of blaster bolts. Her current situation felt as if she were entangled in an elaborate trap. One that she unfortunately put herself into. In a moment of weakness, she couldn’t help but wonder if Chessk would come back with reinforcements. Unlikely, given his current condition, but she just wished that her companion would have alerted the Jedi Masters about her and Luka’s predicament and sent Jedi to their location. At the very least, they could take the latter away while she dealt with Khal.

Unbeknownst to her, the light emitted from her lightsaber and Khal’s blaster bolts would catch the attention of a certain regal Princess. While Lyra was preoccupied, Princess Celestia had noticed the mare’s little skirmish from above. She had taken to the skies once again after rescuing a Republic squadron from certain death. Her original intent was to locate the enemy camp, but the sight of a lone unicorn defending herself made her stop.

With her little pony in danger, the Princess swooped in and landed gracefully right beside the two Jedi Padawans. Her hard landing caused Lyra to nearly tumble to the ground, but she quickly recomposed herself just as the Princess erected a magical barrier of some sort that shielded the two Jedi from a pair of incoming blaster bolts.

“Are you alright, my little pony?” the Princess asked as her and Lyra’s eyes met. The latter didn’t answer at first as she was too stunned by the mare’s regal form and the magical barrier that she had cast.

Seeing that her question was being ignored, Princess Celestia raised her voice. “Now isn’t the time to be fixated on my magic, little one! Answer me! Are you alright?”

“Huh? Oh, no worries, Princess! You don’t have to worry about me! I’m perfectly okay,” replied Lyra. She spun around to look at Luka, who was also staring at the Princess. His very expression mirrored hers just a moment ago. “Luka on the other hand needs medical attention right away. While I managed to heal up from his most gruesome injury, he’s in no shape to fight. A field medic will have to take a look at him.”

“For the last time, Lyra, I don’t need your help!” shouted a still angry Luka. Despite his condition, he still didn’t want or ask for the mare’s help. Princess Celestia, however, thought otherwise.

“Young man, it’s clear as day that you are in no condition to fight. If you don’t receive treatment now, who knows what might happen to you,” she warned. “I will teleport you both back to the main camp where you can get treatment and rest.”

“N-no! I’m not finished here! T-the sub-commander, he… he is still nearby. I have to finish him now before he gets away!”

“Oh for crying out loud, Luka! Can you please swallow that gosh darn pride of yours for a second and let us help you! Walking around while injured and calling Mandalorians bloody savages isn’t exactly something an ideal Jedi would do!” spat Lyra, who had just about had enough of her clanmate's brashful attitude. Taking a moment to calm herself down, she looked at the Princess again. “He is right about one thing, your highness. We can’t allow Khal to escape. He is the sub-commander of the entire Mandalorian invasion force and is one of the reasons why they’re here in the first place. I suggest you leave me behind while you take Luka away from here.”

“Are you certain about this, my little pony?” asked the Princess. “Certainly a retreat would be a good solution. You can rendezvous with the main force and join us in a joint attack.”

“So you do intend to fight alongside the Republic forces,” said Lyra. “Tell me, Princess. Why do you wish to participate in this fight? From what I heard; you weren’t keen on joining the battle earlier. So what changed your mind?”

The Princess stared at Lyra with wide eyes, causing the latter to realize she wasn’t expecting a question like that from her. Eventually, she gives in and tells the truth. “Correct, Miss Heartstrings. In truth, I had planned on staying out of this battle, but current circumstances proved that wasn’t the best idea.”

“Is this about the bugbears, Princess?”

“Yes, to some extent. The bug bear populace is dangerous and can harm just about anyone who dares trespass their home. And it’s for that reason why my ponies avoid these mountains; although, if they had the technology and equipment the invaders currently own, their fears would all but vanish into thin air.”

“Did a few bugbears manage to evacuate the mountains?”

“While I did communicate with a few pack leaders to settle down and wait until the fighting was done, I can only guess that a few of those animals retreated into Equestria.” The Princess sighed. “Sweet Sun, my S.M.I.L.E agents are going to have their hooves full after this.”

“What are the other reasons why you are joining the fight?”

“Well, my little pony, the battle is simply taking too long. Granted, it isn’t my place to criticize the tactics of an allied force that’s trying to help me, but this battle needs to be taken care of now or else bugbears won’t be the only thing my ponies will need to worry about.”

“So you believe that your magic and combat abilities will be enough to turn the tide,” muttered Lyra. “While a joint attack is a sound plan, I’d rather stay behind and face Khal here and now. That man is the sub-commander of the invading forces, so taking him out here would be beneficial for us.”

“You aren’t worried that he might call for reinforcements?” asked the Princess, to which Lyra shook her head.

“It is possible that he might request for aid, but his pride and honor demand that he’d fight me head on with no help. And even if any reinforcements from his side do arrive, he’d likely deny them for the very same reason.”

The Princess shook her head. “It sounds as if this Khal person is a very stubborn man.”

“Maybe you are right but being stubborn doesn’t discount him from being a great warrior. Brash and antagonistic he may be, giving him the opportunity to retreat and regroup with his army isn’t exactly ideal. Besides, it’s me he’s after. If that man is preoccupied with me, then it’ll give our allies one less thing to worry about.”

The Princess smiled. “You truly are the Captain’s daughter. Very well, Miss. Heartstrings. I leave you to handle the enemy sub-commander. But please, do be careful. I do not want to report back to your parents and tell them that the daughter they’ve been searching for the last decade has been killed in action.”

“Y-yes, ma’am. I will do my very best,” said Lyra who found Celestia’s words to be very discomforting.

As the Princess’s horn began to flare up in a brilliant gold, she looked down at the injured Luka. “Young man, we will be teleporting back to the main camp where you can receive treatment. And don’t even think about resisting. You are in no condition to fight.”

“W-wait, teleportation?” Luka asked. Not bothering to answer the young Jedi’s curiosity, the Princess activated her magic and disappeared from sight. Luka was gone too, and with nopony left to sustain the golden barrier, the powerful shield that Celestia conjured had faded away into nothing.

Lyra was alone. The only other individual left here besides her was the man who started this invasion. Good. Now she can finish what she started, but Khal needed to be found first.

Smacking herself on the forehead, Lyra cursed herself for wasting such a golden opportunity. Being safe inside the Princess’s barrier would’ve given her ample opportunity to use her sense abilities. Now she will have to deal with Khal’s blaster weapons again. But to her surprise, nothing happened.

That’s odd. With the barrier down, Khal was free to use his blaster again; yet for some reason, no bolt came.

This didn’t bode well. If Khal had taken the opportunity to retreat back to his squad, then she should’ve just joined the Princess and Luka back to the main camp. Calling upon the Force, Lyra used her power to scan the area for any sign of her opponent. While it is likely that Khal had retreated into the forest, she had to be sure. Her concentration was broken, however, when she felt a sharp pinch of the Force.

Lyra cried out in agony as she felt such raw power flowing through her. It was as if she were stabbed in the head with a piece of glass. The pain eventually subsided, so she called upon the Force’s power yet again in order to understand why this happened.

She immediately noticed something wrong, however, when she felt a single life entity approaching her from behind her back. When she turned around to look, she saw nothing but trees. Was the Force lying to her? Impossible. The Force can be manipulated to some extent, but it never lies.

Then she saw it. A slight flicker of electromagnetic waves that took the shape of a humanoid figure. Realizing the danger at last, Lyra ignited her lightsaber and raised it above her head. Her insight did her well as the green-hued bladed blocked what appeared to be an invisible vibrosword of some sort.

Soon, the electromagnetic waves that she saw earlier had appeared again. It evaporated and took the form of her wartime nemesis. “Excellent work, Padawan Heartstrings. Your Jedi powers are truly remarkable,” Khal said.

Tightening the grip on his vibrosword, the neo-crusader applied even more strength to his weapon, forcing a very surprised Lyra in an uncomfortable position. “Y-you have a stealth field generator?” she cried out.

“Indeed, I do. When I saw you talking to that large equine, I decided it was best to sneak up and attack when you least expect it. Shame I didn’t kill you. Your power in the Force saved you at the last moment,” Khal explained, which drew a look of disdain from the young Padawan. “Don’t look at me like that, Heartstrings. In combat, Mandalorians use every trick in the book to win our battles, including trickery. Which goes to show that you, Jedi, are worthy of fighting me at my very best.”

“Wait, are you serious? You mean to tell me you’ve been holding back during our entire fight this entire time!”

“A miscalculation on my end if I am to be honest with you. I believed my skill with my chosen weapon would be sufficient enough, but I was wrong. You, Heartstrings, have bested me in combat once. And for that, I congratulate you. But now, I must take this fight seriously. For the glory of my clan and Mandalore!”

Khal ends their deadlock and quickly puts some distance between themselves, much to the Jedi’s surprise. Putting his sword away, he knelt down and grabbed a pair of items that were attached to his heel. His hidden items turned out to be blaster pistols, which he used immediately to fire at Lyra.

How on earth was he able to hide those pistols in the first place? A question that Lyra didn’t have time to think about as she redirected the first bolt and dodged the next with an acrobatic spin. When she landed on her hooves, Khal was nowhere to be seen again. The neo-crusader must’ve activated his stealth field generator once more, hoping to catch the mare off-guard. Lyra tried to locate him with the Force, but a blaster bolt interrupted her meditation and forced her into a defensive stance.

As another pair of blaster bolts came her way, Lyra knew she had to do something about that stealth field generator. She came up with an idea. Something that she wanted to try herself after seeing her master’s own technique over the years. Granted, she wasn’t trained in Form III or Form V, but it was a gamble she had to try.

Twisting the hilt of her lightsaber, Lyra took the incoming blaster bolt and smacked it away. Her posture mimicked that of a traditional Form V specialist. While clumsy in her technique, her gambit did pay off as the redirected blaster bolt seemed to have struck an invisible target.

Immediately, Lyra leapt into the air with a Force enhanced jump. Landing just within reach of a barely invisible Khal, she takes her lightsaber and destroys the stealth field generator.

Khal snarled as the last bit of his invisibility faded away. He quickly aimed his two blaster pistols downward, hoping to fire weapons at point blank range against the Jedi. But Lyra was faster. She immediately destroys the two pistols, rendering the neo-crusader defenseless.

“Well played, Jedi,” said Khal as he tossed his now useless pistols aside. With a smile on his face, he reached for his waist and pulled a small canister of some sort that was hidden under his armor. “But what do you think about this?”

With a flick of his thumb, the neo-crusader drops the small canister into the ground. Lyra didn’t know what the item was at first; but as soon as smoke came out of it, it became clear. Khal had tossed a smoke grenade.

Lyra cursed at herself as smoke slowly clouded her vision. Khal seemingly disappeared in the smoke as well, which meant she’ll have to look for him again. Thankfully, clearing out the smoke is a lot easier than blocking blaster bolts. With her command of the Force, Lyra conjured a telekinetic wave that swept away all the smoke in the area.

As the last bit of smoke cleared out, Khal was nowhere to be found. Knowing that he couldn’t have gotten far; she scoured the area, hoping for any signs of the neo-crusader. She eventually got her answer when the Force warned her of an incoming threat from behind. Acting swiftly, she spun around and blocked an incoming overhead strike from Khal. Though her instincts served her well, she was surprised to see her lightsaber clashing against two vibroswords.

The Jedi’s eyes widened? Since when did Khal obtain an extra sword? Sure, their fight was briefly interrupted thanks to the Princess, but there shouldn’t have been enough time for him to actually obtain another weapon.

Soon, it dawned on her. The man never obtained another weapon. Rather, he’s using the same sword as before! But rather than using the whole blade as a staff, he split the sword in two!

As Khal raised his blades for another overhead strike, Lyra leapt away with a Force infused jump. Landing safely next to a rotting tree, she stared at her opponent’s weapon. The mere sight of it made her hesitate. Rarely did the initiates back on Dantooine practiced with dual weapon fencing as it was greatly discouraged by the Jedi Masters. They believed that such a complex fighting technique was ill-suited for those still new to the Force. Yet masters such as Kavar and even her own Jedi Master sometimes used two lightsabers in their mock duels. Even Chessk preferred using two blades when his blaster rifle isn’t needed.

Despite this knowledge, Lyra never came face to face against someone who wielded two swords at once. And seeing Khal wield his now broken hand made her very nervous.

The battle was rejoined; however, Lyra was forced on the defensive yet again. The unfamiliarity with Khal’s technique prevented her from using her dynamic and precise moves. For every strike she dodged, another would stop her from using her elaborate spins. For every attack she parried, another would come her way and force her to block.

Grunting in frustration, a flailing Lyra leapt into the air and landed some distance away from her opponent. As she assumed her Ataru brace ready stance, her back legs suddenly twitched, and she immediately noticed her shortness of breath. She cursed herself yet again for failing to realize that her duel had been going on for far too long. If things continue the way they are now, her fatigue would be the death of her.

“You aren’t getting away that easy!” shouted a very angry Khal as he threw yet another item onto the ground. Believing it to be a grenade of some sort like last time Lyra braced herself for the impending blast. Her instincts proved her well as the tossed item suddenly blew up.

While she was nowhere near the explosion, Lyra still had to use a modicum amount of her power to shield herself from the incoming debris. Once everything died down, she scoured the area for any signs of her opponent, but Khal was nowhere to be seen. The crater that was left behind by the grenade was the only thing she saw.

No, that can’t be right. There was no way that Khal would just go off and disappear like that. As crude and destructive his methods may be, he must’ve used the frag grenade as cover of some sort. Calling upon the Force, she used its power to determine the location of her opponent.

She sighed.

Spinning around, she raised her lightsaber and blocked an incoming attack from behind. She grunted in frustration as she found herself blocking two swords at once. “Seriously! Using a frag grenade as a means to close the distance?” Lyra asked as she struggled to hold her ground against the hulking neo-crusader. “Surely there were other methods you could’ve used?”

“Any tactic is worth using as long as it brings me victory, Heartstrings,” said Khal. His answer, however, made Lyra roll her eyes. There was truth to what he said, but why didn’t he allow his companions to help him before Luka came in and cut them down?

Hypocrisy aside, his tactic proved successful as Lyra was forced onto the defensive once again. Her front hooves ached as she felt the sheer power of Khal’s swords. No, it wasn’t just the swords alone. Rather, it was Khal using them as an extension of his body.

The mare bit her lip. The situation was dire. Her opponent simply outclassed her in terms of raw power and fighting technique. Even if she were to break their deadlock and retreat, she wouldn’t find much success as Khal would use every trick in the book to close the gap. Granted, she didn’t know what other items or weapons the man had; but if he was willing to use frag grenades of all things, the risk wasn’t worth knowing.

As she struggled to contend with Khal’s overwhelming strength, Lyra would eventually get a glimpse of a nearby rotting tree. She had seen it during the fight before, though she thought little of it as she was more focused on her opponent. Upon seeing it again, she noticed that the tree was not only rotting, but it was also relatively large in size.

Suddenly, the mare’s ears perked as an idea formed in her head. The move was risky; but if successful, it would temporarily break up the fight and allow a moment of reprieve. Taking the gambit, Lyra called upon the Force, allowing its power to flow through her body. Once enough power was accumulated, she took her left hoof and pointed it to the tree.

The move itself was a gambit. Due to the overwhelming strength of her opponent, Lyra had been forced to grip her lightsaber hilt with two hooves instead of holding it with just her dominant one. But with her left hoof preoccupied with the tree, her right hoof was now taking the sheer blunt of Khal’s power. One wrong move and it’s over for her.

As she concentrated all her remaining energy on the Force, Khal took wind of her actions. He was confused at first until he followed her hoof and spotted the nearby tree. Soon, loud snapping cracks can be heard from a distance, indicating that the tree is slowly being destroyed from the inside. Realizing her strategy, Khal raised his swords and attempted to strike Lyra down with an overhead slash, but it was too late. One final snap later, the large rotting tree soon fell on the heads of both combatants.

Author's Note:

Thank you all for waiting patiently. Hope you all enjoyed it.

The fight between Lyra and Khal will last for another chapter. Please look forward to it. If you happen to see any errors or notice anything wrong, feel free to comment below.

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[Joe Toon]

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