Ask In The Middle Of It

[Prani Shalrazi]

Blaster bolts streaked through the air like vibrant, blue ribbons. It would have been a stunning display if not for the explosions and deaths they left upon finding purchase. The enemy had an organized militia and it left humantarian support like Prani completely outnumbered. She arrived on the outskirts of the Dinar settlement to assist some of the refugees that had no access to food and aid. Padawans like herself were deployed to calm any tensions between the settlement residents and the refugees.

All hell broke loose when Sith reportedly arrived on the planet, bringing with them a small force of mercenaries. The planet was critical because of its kyber crystal deposits. With the loss of Ilum, Jedi had to find alternative locations to mine them for future padawans. The planet also had those in the settlements that could lean to favor Jedi, so the Order saw fit to have a larger presence.

Prani was caught amid a firefight, protecting two families to the best of her abilities. This was supposed to be a simple mission, so only a few Padawans were deployed. Her partner for this was Regina who honestly came here to hang out with Loth kittens.

“WE ARE NEVER GONNA MAKE IT OUT OF HERE!” Regina shrieked, crouching behind a boulder. Dinar sent out some local forces to combat the mercenaries, but they would be overwhelmed soon. There was also a glaring lack of anyone taking command to rally them. There was a Sith acolyte reportedly mobilizing toward the settlement to capture the Jedi-leaning diplomat.

“Calm yer fathier, Regina,” Prani quipped back, a rare instance of irritation bleeding into her tone. Regina looked scandalized, her perfectly manicured fingers coming to clasp over her mouth.

“The comms said they’re sendin’ reinforcements,” Prani told Regina. She sprang up when the shooting started to get closer. As two mercenaries leveled their blasters, Prani formed a barrier to deflect the bolts, “GO GO GO! TAKE ‘EM TO THE NEXT BUILDIN’!” She called out to Regina. The other padawan nodded, ushering the families away while Prani cast a protective shield.

Her normally bouncy curls were matted with sweat and grime, exhaustion on her face. The fighting had been going on for hours and fatigue began to wear on her. They wouldn’t last long like this and even her optimistic demeanor was struggling.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Now that master and padawan were separated, Shaw was afraid that life might return to the status quo. Whatever that had been, before the sephi had whisked the teenager off for the adventures of a lifetime. Now that he didn't have a pair of silver eyes leering over his shoulder and observing his every move he would have to work really hard to maintain the training and physique Master Valtiere had passed on. That required discipline, something that Shaw knew very well he wasn't very good at. But he had made a silent vow back in that chamber on Jedha, to be a better padawan than the one the sephi had left behind, and he intended to keep that promise. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but he had to try.

Any fears of monotony had been dashed aboard the transport ship soon after it departed Jedha, when a distress signal came in from the settlement of Dinar on Lothal. Jedi humanitarian efforts had been interrupted, and the refugees were under attack. Reports indicated that it was a Sith led attack with a band of hired mercenaries thrown into the mix. A trail mix nobody had asked for.

If Shaw had a credit for every battle he had witnessed he would only have two, but he still felt like two was a lot for someone that had just turned seventeen. An explosion rocked the low altitude assault transport, and the Lothalian soldier beside him said something about that being close. Shaw wasn't really paying attention, eyes focused on the chaos below. Firefights had broken out everywhere, with the enemies' main forces making a push for the center of the settlement where a high ranking diplomat was holed up.

That was their objective, and yet... Shaw felt a call elsewhere. To one of the firefights on the outskirts of the settlement. "The diplomat is our first priority!" the Jedi Knight a few men down was calling out orders, "We must reach him before the Sith do!"

"Let me off here!" Shaw spoke up.

The knight looked at him like he had lost his mind. "Are you crazy? I said—" but Shaw wasn't really listening. Master Valtiere's words echoed in his mind. You will never be able to help everyone, but if you trust in the force and the choices you make, it will not consume you. For whatever reason, for whatever cause, the force drew him toward the outskirts of the settlement. Not the diplomat. Shaw didn't know what awaited him down there, but he knew that was where he was meant to be. Where the force wanted him to be. And if there was one thing Master Valtiere had taught him, it was to always trust the force.

"We can cover more ground if we split up!" Adding as an afterthought, "Uhh sir! Let me off here!" He must have said it with more authority than he thought or the knight was tired of arguing with him, because the knight actually waved for the pilot to descend.

"Fine. It's your neck. You're not my padawan. Can't spare any men for you."

No skin off Shaw's back, at least not yet. A group of refugees and Jedi were pinned down by mercenaries, Lothalian soldiers outnumbered and soon to be overwhelmed. This was where Shaw needed to be. He could feel it. Not waiting around for second thoughts or fear to creep in, the padawan leapt from the transport as soon as it swept overhead. He landed on one of the mercenaries, rolled when the enemy's body hit the ground, and then using the force pushed a second into a boulder. That was one way to take the enemy by surprise! @Sreeya

​

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

“Oh, biscuits, I really can’t keep holdin’ on..” Prani mumbled to herself, dropping the barrier and running for cover for a better vantage point. She was exhausted from trying to protect the civilians, and even then she had to witness casualties. Prani was crouched next to Regina who was breathing heavily as if she ran a mile, “How did I get stuck with you?” She spat, “I requested a combat Jedi, not..whatever it is you do.”

Prani said nothing, focusing the Force to bring nearby plants to life and ensnare the mercenaries. Before she could act, a transport zoomed above and someone effortlessly leaped out, slamming down one of the attackers and tossing another into a boulder. Both of them were knocked out, the Lothal militiamen standing and staring in wonder.

She heaved a sigh of relief, realizing that the combat Jedi were finally deployed. Prani came out from behind a boulder to brief the new arrival, but Regina slammed into her with her shoulder, bolting past her. Prani toppled unceremoniously into the mud from the collision.

“Oh thank gods! You came just in the nick of time! It's been awful!” Regina cried out as she embraced Shaw, “Ooh look at you,” She said gleefully, squeezing his bicep as she drew back. Regina cleared her throat, “I have everything under control here,” She said, fixing up her hair, “I managed to get most of the families out of danger.”

Meanwhile, Prani spat out mud and wiped her face, squinting to see the commotion. She almost didn’t recognize him at first. He stood taller and bigger, but most importantly, he had more self-assurance than she had ever seen in him. But the friendship bracelet was unmistakable, even though it fit more snugly now. There were a lot of different emotions that spiraled in her then, but externally she gave him a tired, fond smile.

“Hey, Shaw,” She said calmly, wiping some of the mud out of her hair as she walked over much to Regina’s chagrin.

“Sir, our captain was killed!” One of the militiamen said to Shaw, assuming he was some sort of commanding Jedi officer, “We’re disorganized and don’t know how to prepare for the second wave of forces coming at us!”

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

No sooner had the second mercenary hit the ground than Shaw felt a pair of arms wrap around him and Regina's voice in his ear. Wait. Regina?! Shaw looked at the other teenager, awkwardly returning the hug up until she squeezed his bicep. Okay, that was a little weird. What had gotten into her? Was this some sort of trauma response? "That's great," Shaw replied, "Where are—"

Then he looked past Regina and spotted Prani walking toward him. Her signature curls were a disheveled mess, some combination of sweat and soot and mud. Exhaustion tugged at her features, but somehow she still managed a smile. Looked like that hallmark of her character was still there even amidst the blood and gore of the battlefront—her undying optimism. Some things never changed, and yet it felt like everything had.

"Prani!" Shaw exclaimed, lips lifting into a grin. Regina and Prani were the last two people he had expected to run into out here, although he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised. Prani was a healer and a giver—where else would she be? Regina though, that was a little more odd. She had never showed an interest in humanitarian work before. "See you're keeping it 100."

Reunion aside, this was still a battlefield, and they were all still very much in danger and had jobs to do. When the militiamen addressed Shaw, he looked around for a Jedi Knight or maybe even a commanding officer, but there was no one standing there. Just him. Brown eyes looked at each face in turn, from Prani to Regina to each soldier, just to find them all looking back at him. Expecting him to lead. Shaw was no leader, but if he was all they had... then he would just have to wing it.

"Fan out but keep to groups of two—head for the high ground and wait for my signal to open fire," he instructed the militiamen. Some of them would be able to hunker down on the roofs of remaining buildings, others would hide amongst rock formations. From there they would be able to get a bead on the enemy and have cover. They needed every advantage they could get if they were outnumbered.

Then he turned to Prani and asked, "Where were you taking the refugees before you were ambushed?" So in other words, where was the safest place for them to go? Regina looked miffed that he hadn't asked her instead, crossing her arms, but Shaw didn't notice. Their first priority was to get the refugees to safety while the soldiers and Shaw covered their retreat. @Sreeya

​

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani was a healer and particularly skilled at defensive maneuvers. She was not classed as a crusader or combat Jedi, and she was far out of her element. Prani was among the people looking at Shaw expectantly, and she found herself marveling at that. She still remembered the boy who tried to shuffle into the trunk of a speeder or flailed off the edge of a canoe. Was he still that boy or had he changed entirely? It was a bittersweet thought.

“Yes, sir!” The soldier nodded with a salute before scurrying off to relay the orders to the other groups. Regina practically swooned. Prani’s thoughts were back on the civilians and getting them to safety.

“We were just passin’ out rations and medical supplies,” She explained quickly, ignoring Regina’s sulking, “If we get ‘em inside Dinar, they’ll be safe, but the Sith mercenaries set up a roadblock!” Prani said, pointing towards where the settlement was in the distance. Lothal wasn’t modern enough to have the best defenses in place, but the settlement had sentries and defensive turrets. It was a matter of blowing open a path through the rapidly accruing Sith forces between the refugees and Dinar.

“If we can find a way to split ‘em up, Regina can lead them through the opening and into the settlement!”

“No! I’m staying with Shaw!” Regina screeched, “Why are you making plans, loser, you don’t know what you’re doing,” She huffed.

Blasterfire erupted in the distance to herald the arrival of even more attackers.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Shaw had never been called 'sir' a day in his life. Not seriously anyway. It was an odd feeling. He wasn't sure he liked it. If the teenager had done anything right so far it was to seek Prani's advice. She had been here longer than he had, knew the lay of the land better than he did. Before they could really hatch a plan or come up with any sort of coordinated game plan blaster fire punctuated Regina's screeches. Later Shaw would wonder which he found more grating, the blaster fire or Regina's whining, but at the moment he didn't have time for the other teenager's temper tantrums. None of them did.

"Stay back," he said, stepping in front of Prani and drawing his lightsaber. If either of the other teenagers had been trained in combat, he would have gladly welcomed them at his side, but as far as he knew neither of them really had much of an interest in that. Unless something had changed in the last six months. The orange blade hummed to life and, taking a few steps forward, Shaw would adopt one of the basic opening stances that Master Valtiere had made him practice over and over until it was muscle memory.

Dozens of mercenaries appeared on the hill. Some of them remained there, opening fire on the planet's defenders. Most of them rushed down the hill, hoping to overwhelm the Jedi and Lothalian soldiers with a straightforward charge. Two of them on speeder bikes veered off the beaten path, hoping to catch their enemies unaware from the rear. Shaw was hoping that this particular bunch of mercenaries would be long on guts but short on brains. No such luck.

The object of the initial blaster fire, Shaw deflected a series of plasma bolts, redirecting them toward the snipers on the hill. That was the militiamen's signal to open fire, and open fire they did. Charging mercenaries began to drop like flies as they rushed down the hill. As soon as there was an opening, Shaw advanced. There was no flurry of orange like when Master Valtiere wielded a blade, but the teenager was getting the job done. One mercenary at a time, disarming them with his lightsaber and, when he could, throwing them out of the way with the force. @Sreeya

​

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani had heard about the effects of morale on soldiers, and how it had the power to completely turn the tides. As Shaw took charge and that orange blade ignited, there was a dynamic shift in the militiamen. They saw him standing in front of them, ready to throw his life on the line, actively engaging the enemy, and they knew they had a chance.

There was a rallying cry as the militiamen returned fire, peppering the incoming forces with bolts from their positions. Regina ducked away but Prani remained, the ground quivering beneath the mercenary forces’ feet. Deep roots thrust up from the grounds to coil around legs and ensnare enemy forces.

Prani despised engaging in violence, but in the past six months, she knew it was naive to think she could avoid it. A Jedi’s role was to protect, and she would have to put her own strict principles aside to ensure that.

With the snipers taken out, they had more cover. Prani remained at Shaw’s side, working in concert with his deflections to yank the attackers down. One of the bolts grazed her shoulder, searing her skin. She yelped as smoke rose from the wound, but there was no time to check it.

“Regina! There’s a path! Take ‘em!”

“I-” The girl fumbled, entirely unsure of herself.

“You can do this, Regina, we got ya!”

Regina finally started to move, conjuring a barrier around herself and guiding the refugees through the path that was opened. Shaw and Prani would have to keep pressing forward, the militiamen offering them cover from the back.

Unbeknownst to them, the Sith acolyte that was originally focused on assassinating the diplomat had new orders to intercept meddling Jedi. With a growl, the woman abandoned the first objective, swiftly making her way towards the skirmish.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

"See you haven't lost your touch!" Shaw said over his shoulder as the ground beneath their feet shook and unearthed roots seized the mercenaries and held them in place. It made disarming them a lot easier. He didn't have to look over to know that it was Prani at his side. He knew it was her because he could sense her. Something he had never been able to do before, but he could now. She was a beacon of light too. Not as bright as Master Valtiere, and yet somehow warmer. More welcoming.

The padawans topped the hill, just in time to see a second wave of mercenaries in the distance. They would be right on top of them within a matter of minutes. Just how many of them were there? Prani's yelp of pain drew Shaw's immediate attention. "What happened? You alright?" That distraction would cost them. Blaster cannon fire sprayed the dirt at their feet. Staring down the steering vanes of one of the speeder bikes that had successfully flanked them, they only had seconds to react.

Shaw didn't have to think twice. He grabbed Prani and veered. The teenagers would tumble down the other side of the hill, a heap of limbs and sore muscles as they rolled to a stop at the bottom. Now was probably the time to apologize or check in and make sure that Prani was alright, but there was no time. The speeder bike was circling back around for another go. Shaw's extinguished lightsaber had rolled down the hill with them. It flew into its master's outstretched hand before humming to life again.

Back on his feet, Shaw gathered the force around the hilt of his blade. Time to try something Master Valtiere hadn't taught him directly but had shown him by example. With the flick of the wrist, the lightsaber was sent spinning toward the speeder bike. It made contact, slicing the racing speeder in half. Its pilot managed to jump free right before it crashed and exploded. The concussive blast knocked him unconscious, and he rolled a few feet. So did Shaw's lightsaber. It hadn't come back, which meant he would have to go get it. That was kind of anticlimactic.

"You alright?" he asked Prani at last, jogging back over with his lightsaber in hand. @Sreeya

​

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani felt Shaw grasp her hand, and the next thing she knew she was rolling down a hill. The wound on her shoulder burned and she landed in a heap. Blasterfire peppered where they just stood but Prani recovered, coughing, “What’re you doin’?!” She called out to him, “Some of them refugees are still up there!” In the moment she had no regard for her own safety and Shaw shoving her from danger’s path meant he wasted precious time for her instead of others.

The speeder bike had been a diversion, more forces coming in to aim at the citizens that were trailing in the back. Regina managed to protect most of them, but a few took hits on the way in.

“I’ll be fine!” Prani called out to Shaw, though her wound burned an angry red. She was about to climb up the hill, but something gave her pause. She looked at Shaw, “I…sense something.. Go back up. I’ll be back okay?” Prani didn’t elaborate further, turning and bolting away.

By the time Shaw surfaced back into the action, he would see a group of militiamen lifted and thrown away. Behind the attack, there was a young woman clad in all black, a red saber in her hand. She had a mask on and she took slow steps towards Shaw.

“Are you the one foiling my plans?” She hissed. With that, she attempted to coil the Force around Shaw’s neck to constrict it in a choke. If she succeeded, she would levitate him up in the air and keep at it till he was dead, "Just give it up. You're overwhelmed."

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Shaw just stared at the other teenager. "What are you doing?" he retorted. This was a battlefield. They were in the middle of a battle. She couldn't just go wandering off! They were supposed to stick together. They were supposed to— "Where are you going??" But Prani was already gone. So much for sticking together. Running a hand over his scalp and down the back of a tense neck, Shaw let out a low growl before stalking back up the side of the hill.

His thoughts would not linger on Prani for long, topping the hill just in time to catch sight of a Sith strolling toward him. As if things weren't bad enough already. She took out an entire group of militiamen with one flick of the wrist, knocking many of them unconscious. The padawan learner gathered the force around him, but the Sith had taken him by surprise and made the first move. He would feel his feet leave the safety of solid ground as a cold, restricting hand wrapped its lifeless, invisible hand around his neck and began to squeeze. Continuing to call upon the force, Shaw attempted to resist the unseen hold she had on him. His eyes began to water, and he spluttered.

How had he not sensed her? Not known she was there? Because he had allowed himself to become distracted. That was always his problem. How many times had Master Valtiere told him to focus? Distracted. Shaw needed to distract the Sith. Force choke required a high level of concentration to maintain. If he could just keep her talking, keep her focused on him instead of her surroundings maybe he could break her concentration just long enough to slip free.

Shaw had always hoped that when faced with evil he would have lots of quippy comebacks and wisecracks that would really grind his enemy's gears, just like so many of his favorite comic book superheroes. But his mind was blank. He couldn't come up with anything clever. Plus it was really hard to talk while being choked to death. Who would have thought? "Spare me... the mono...logue," was all he could manage, a broken sentence coughed out and barely coherent. Certainly nothing comic book worthy.

Meanwhile he had redirected the force, away from the hand at his throat to a timed frag grenade on the belt of one of the unconscious militiamen. Bit by bit it rolled toward them, away from the soldier that had carried it, until Shaw flung it at the Sith's head. It wasn't activated of course, but she didn't know that. If it managed to break her concentration, Shaw would hit the ground and roll, coming up with his lightsaber activated and held across his body. If it didn't break her concentration, then he would still be, you know, hanging there. @Sreeya

​

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Prani could feel a pulse through the Force, a hushed whisper, a brush against her psyche. It happened the moment she summoned the roots, the moment she connected with the earth and life here. There was a presence that wanted to be found, a presence that hadn’t interacted with outsiders in a while. Prani’s touch to the Light side in its purest form nudged awake something that had been asleep for a long time.

She let the Force guide her path, trusting in it completely as her feet took her where she needed to go.

—​

Shaw’s ploy worked. As the grenade was tossed at her head, the Sith quickly released her hold and jumped back a measurable distance. She kept that distance while waiting for the grenade to explode, glaring at Shaw across the field. The acolyte considered doing an attack on him, but a cruel grin spread beneath the mask. Using the newly created distance, she instead turned and ran towards where the refugees had fled.

“Suit yourself, Jedi,” She called out with a laugh, “I’ll go carve up some of those refugees instead!”

The acolyte would attempt to lure Shaw right where more of her forces were positioned so he would walk into an ambush. From his vantage point, he couldn’t see that Regina had already managed to get them to safety.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

As the Sith withdrew, Shaw allowed one hand to shoot to his neck where it rubbed at the tender skin. There would probably be bruising later, but it was his throat that hurt the most. The parts that he couldn't reach or massage. Not the sort of sore throat that a hot cup of tea with honey was likely to ease, that was for sure.

Brown eyes never strayed from his opponent. Though he could not see the cruel grin that spread across her lips behind the mask, he could hear the cruelty in the timbre of her laugh. It echoed in his ears. Taunted him. Reminded him why he was here in the first place—to protect and defend against those intent on nothing but destruction. Against people like her. He would not allow her to lay a hand on those refugees, not while there was still breath in him.

The padawan sprinted after the Sith, but not before calling the undetonated frag grenade to himself. He would remember what Master Valtiere had said about not throwing live grenades at force sensitives, but it might be handy to keep around. Just in case. Lightsaber still activated, Shaw rushed right into an ambush. By the time he realized what he had gotten himself into it was too late. The Sith had ordered sentries to the roofs of remaining buildings, while half a dozen mercenaries flanked her on each side. Others had hidden in the tall grass, approaching Shaw from behind.

Shaw swallowed. He was so screwed. What had Master Valtiere said about never leaving himself open? Too late for that now. All he could do now was make himself a smaller target and try to take out as many of them as he could. The teenager dove to his left just as they opened fire, tugging the grenade pin midroll and tossing it toward the mercenaries at his back. A blaster bolt struck his left shoulder, and he sucked in a breath as the skin began to burn away. @Sreeya

​

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

Fortunately for Shaw the transport he arrived in landed in Dinar and the additional soldiers supporting the Jedi were deployed. They quickly made their way towards the front of the settlement, climbing to get a vantage point to shoot the Sith forces. Additionally, Shaw’s earlier suggestion of ordering militiamen to take up high ground came in clutch as they were able to pepper the Sith’s sentries.

Unfortunately, the numbers were almost overwhelming, the Sith having counted on brute force to take Dinar by force. Shaw had a moment to peel himself up before the acolyte sprang back towards him.

“Just die already!” She cursed, swinging her right-handed saber in an arc to slash across his torso. Regardless of how he caught the blade, she unleashed a stream of weak lightning toward his torso with her free hand. It was clear she was furious and tapping into that rage to power her attacks, a very different method of using the Force than what Shaw was taught.

The acolyte was the only thing keeping the mercenaries organized. If she was defeated, the entire operation would collapse because they were ultimately hired forces.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

If it wasn't for the fact that Shaw was actively fighting for his life, he might have had time to stop and consider the fact that he was about to duel a Sith. A real, dark side using, red lightsaber wielding Sith. He didn't have time for any of the thoughts that might have otherwise occupied his mind—like what his parents would have thought, if Master Valtiere would be proud of him for being brave or disappointed in him because he had foolishly rushed head first into a trap.

Lightsaber already ignited, Shaw staved off the enemy's blade with his own, drawing it across his body. He was acting on pure instinct, calling on and relying upon the force to direct his every movement and step, with a dash of common sense and survival instinct throw in for good measure.

One of the things Master Valtiere had spent countless hours of dueling drilling into his head was to dodge, duck, or dive—whatever you had to do to avoid leaving your torso open. So that was exactly what Shaw did, using the momentum of his swing to push off from their crossed blades and pivot to his right in an attempt to dodge the lightening. He could feel the heat coming off of the electric charge, heard it crackle as it hopefully struck nothing but empty air.

If that worked, Shaw would bring his left hand out to try and throw the Sith back with the force. @Sreeya

​

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

The acolyte’s lighting charged through thin air, leaving her momentarily perplexed. She wasn’t used to anyone that moved like that. In all her classes, she had been taught about brute force and pushing an aggressive offense. The Jedi abruptly darting to the side caught her off guard, and she was left facing forward. As a result, when Shaw unleashed his Force blast, she was thrown aside.

The acolyte landed in a thud on the ground, quickly rolling to come up with the saber held up across her torso. She was at a momentary disadvantage, perched on a knee and attempting to lash out with her saber from a half-knelt position.

The situation grew more desperate around Shaw with the Sith forces beginning to overwhelm the militia. However, in the distance at the top of the hill, a curious sight would befall any who looked that way. There was a tall, majestic beast regarding the chaos below. It was a massive Loth-wolf, one threaded to the Force itself. Before long, several more wolves appeared, all flanking the alpha. Stepping out from behind them was Prani.

Just as morale had a way to inspire, so too did the appearance of these mythic wolves strike fear into the hearts of the mercenaries. There was a brief pause as they regarded the animals right before the wolves launched into action, bounding down the hill and charging through the forces effortlessly.

The pack easily incapacitated droves of mercenaries, sending many of them fleeing and breaking formation. Prani came in from the side, using her specialty to ensnare and trap, vines striking up like whips to yank weapons out of hands.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

Prani appeared on the hill surrounded by a pack of wolves like something out of a fantasy holomovie. Even the wind tugged at their hair as they rushed down the hill in the charge of a lifetime. Shaw's heart skipped a beat. Those things were massive. Prani looked like a little doll beside them. Could they even be real? Shaw would have been hyped out if he hadn't promised himself that this time he would stay focused.

The mercenaries didn't stand a chance, falling out of formation and running for cover when they could. Those brave few that stood their ground would wish they hadn't when long, salivating fangs bore down on them or vines coiled around them and drug them down to the ground. Several mercenaries ran right past the acolyte, but Shaw kept his gaze fixed on his opponent.

The Sith was on the backpedal—at least for now. Shaw could have pressed his advantage. Could have charged forward and tried to hit her while she was down. It was surely what she would have done had the roles been reversed, but Master Valtiere had taught Shaw to be patient and wait for the right opportunity. Not necessarily the first opportunity. Patience had never been one of Shaw's strong suits, but it was one that he was slowly learning. Cularin had been the first step. Jedha the second. Maybe this was the third.

Take what was given and wait for an opening. Nothing more. Everything in Shaw told him to bear down on the acolyte, from the sweat pouring down his temples to the searing pain in his shoulder, but the soothing, silent voice of the force told him to take what was given and wait for an opening. Nothing more.

Drawing closer, Shaw would wait for the acolyte to lash out again before meeting her blade with his own. He held it in one hand, his right—reckless maybe, but he was concentrating the force in the other. Waiting until the precise moment when orange and red blade locked to channel the force into his closed fist and strike his enemy's hilt. Sun djem, Master Valtiere had called it. @Sreeya

​

 

[Prani Shalrazi]

The acolyte met Shaw’s blade with her own, pushing upwards and back on her feet. This was what she had practiced and she had him now. She was channeling the Force to unleash another attack on Shaw, his posture suggesting he wasn’t going to be able to roll away so easily. Before she could act, however, his hand came in and struck her hilt.

“NO!” She screamed, the strike finding purchase as the red blade of her weapon disappeared from a move she never could have anticipated. Since Shaw was pressing his blade against hers, the orange blade sliced through where her blade had been. The acolyte managed to stumble back to take a searing graze down the front of her torso, crying out in pain. Her broken hilt landed on the ground, leaving her defenseless.

“You bastard!” She shrieked, clutching at her torso. The acolyte looked around herself, panic rising as the wolves began to take down several of her forces. Mercenaries were looking to her for orders and she stepped backwards.

“FIRE AT WILL! KILL THE JEDI! KILL ALL CIVILIANS!”

With that, she attempted to unleash a massive Force blast to throw Shaw back on the ground. If successful, she would turn on her heel and flee the scene, completely abandoning her forces.

Prani was focused on the mercenaries that were closer to Dinar and taking shots at the innocents there. Some of her vines snaked up to coil around their legs and toss them out of the way. The wolves cleared out a lot of the forces and the acolyte abandoning battle was enough to mark the Sith assault a fail.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

A wave of invisible energy struck and flung Shaw. He hit the ground, rolled, and came up coughing. A cloud of dust settled over the blast radius, but the acolyte was nowhere to be seen. She had abandoned her men just as she had abandoned her honor long ago.

Shaw rejoined the other militiamen, fighting at their side until the mercenaries that remained lost ground and were driven back. Back toward the transports and war ships that had brought them to Lothal. The local militia, feeling more empowered than ever by the charge of Prani and the loth wolves gave chase, a sharp war cry on their lips as they pursued the invaders to the end.

No one would escape their fury, and those that did would think twice before ever stepping foot on Lothal again.

Once the dust had settled, Shaw found himself standing at the spot where he had defeated the Sith. He stooped down and picked up some of the pieces of the shattered lightsaber, turning them over in his hand a few times before stuffing them in his pocket. Had this been why the force had led him here? To defeat this Sith? To help the refugees? He wondered which it was, but he supposed it didn't really matter. The result was still the same. He was just curious, as always.

Regina and the refugees were nowhere to be seen, so he assumed that they had made it safely to the walls of Dinor. That just left Prani to find. If she hadn't wandered off again, that is, riding off into the sunset on some wolf or something. @Sreeya

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[Prani Shalrazi]

The Sith forces retreated and the Jedi reinforcement deployed to ensure they wouldn’t continue to pose a threat. This left many wounded or dead on the field to tend to. The militiamen cheered and clapped for their victory but Prani was in no mood to celebrate. She could feel the deaths and pain through the Force and it made her sick.

Do not despair, A voice resounded in her thoughts. Prani looked over to regard the alpha Loth-wolf that sat down on his haunches, retaining his regal and authoritative posture, For they are with the Force. In a place where I can see them.

Prani considered that for a moment. She didn’t know what it meant, but she knew she believed the beast. He had an intelligence in his eye that transcended time.

The Loth wolf’s voice would echo in the minds of everyone present, With the Jedi and Light, we return as guardians of these lands. There has been much darkness in the galaxy and much more persists. Your presence here is a step towards a balance that has long since been skewed.

The locals revered the mystical Loth-wolves and the militiamen gathered around the beasts. Some of them even knelt before the alpha. Prani let them all have their moment, her mind in a wide array of thoughts. What else could the Loth wolf see? Was her grandfather in the same plane? Could she find a way to speak with him?

She made her way across the field, stopping now and then to assist anyone she could. Medical droids and paramedics were on the scene so she didn’t have to exhaust all her energy for healing. Eventually, she found Shaw again, giving him a sheepish smile. She knew he wasn’t pleased with her antics and it briefly made her consider how the tables had turned.

“Hey Captain Shaw,” She said with a tired smile, making a joke about the infamous Shaw Tours. Prani sat down on the grass beside him, thinking back to how that silly day with the museum and canoe felt like centuries ago. She thought about how the curator’s severe words reduced her to tears and how little all of that mattered in the face of the atrocities she witnessed since. Or the atrocities she witnessed today.

“You’re hurt,” Prani said suddenly, noticing his shoulder. They both sported shoulder burns, though hers was healed with the strength the alpha Loth-wolf lent her. She placed a hand over Shaw’s wound, hovering almost close enough to touch but not quite. A gentle glow emanated from her palm and he would feel his pain alleviate almost at once.

@throwitintothefire

 

[Shaw Amaris]

The aftermath of a battle was what Shaw got to witness now. He and Master Valtiere hadn't stuck around for that on Corellia, so this was a first. Some of it was downright depressing, watching paramedics carry away the dead on stretchers or a militiaman knelt across the corpse of a fellow soldier sobbing. Some of it brought hope—the pride in the faces of those soldiers that remained, the hugs and tears exchanged between those that thought the other lost to battle, and the locals putting aside any and all differences to work together to clean away debris and help transport the wounded.

Shaw was no healer, sitting in the grass and leaning back against an old stone fence that had managed to survive the battle somehow. He didn't look up right away whenever Prani sat down, staring down at a blade of grass that was brushing against his boot in the wind. He couldn't figure out if he was annoyed with her or just annoyed. He really didn't have a reason to be annoyed with her, he realized. If it hadn't been for her and her wolf pack, they might have lost the battle. Certainly they would have lost more troops.

Still, he wished she had bothered to fill him in at least a little bit before just taking off with no explanation. Prani looked tired. Maybe that was a conversation for another time. "I'm afraid Shaw Tours have closed for the day, ma'am, due to falling debris and a sudden Sith infestation," he said, offering her a half smile. He leaned his head back against the stone and stared at her. "So you gonna tell me what happened?" He referred to the wolves of course, how she had just run off and then returned with them and overrun the enemy forces. Honestly it was a real comic book worthy moment.

"Not really," he lied, trying to act like it didn't hurt. Plenty of Jedi had taken worse and didn't complain. Who was he to complain about a single blaster wound? "But this shirt is ruined." He tugged at the material, muttering to himself, "Brand new too..." He stole a glance over at her shoulder, where he thought she might have gotten hit earlier, but saw that it had already been healed so he didn't say anything. Though he did wonder how, if she had done it herself or if someone else had.

A little glow, a little concentration, and the pain had already subsided. It was amazing what healers could do. Master Valtiere was really gonna have to show him a healing thing or two one of these days. "Thanks, Prani," he said, brown eyes drifting to the wound. He rotated his shoulder a few times. "Good as new." @Sreeya

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