Ask The Heart is an Arrow

[Song Wren]

Little bird. The word struck her like a punch to the gut. That nickname was reserved solely for her mother, for Kanan, and not from the lips of a masked stranger. How could he have possibly known it? Coincidence, perhaps, but Song knew that wasn’t the case, not with a Sith. She’d heard stories about their tampering of the mind, how easily they broke the weaker willed and turned them into puppets on strings. He must have seen a glimpse in her head. A name, a memory.

Flashes of an old life.

She shut it down instantly. High walls raised around her mind, just as her family had taught her, fearing that one day she might cross paths with a Jedi or Sith. Those fears had been right, and she’d been lucky to learn. Otherwise, who knew what else this stranger could have gleaned from her head? Secrets, locations, or names—just the very idea disturbed her, and she knew she couldn’t spare an ounce of her focus on anything other than this monster standing before her.

“I could say the same for you, Sith, and your lightsaber. At least my blade has a history and a name and a future. Yours only reeks of death and the blood of innocent people. Honor lives in my weapon. Not fear or hate.” She raised her chin, feeling proud for coming up with such an heartfelt declaration on the spot. It was the truth. But the time for talk was over, and at the sound of Val making yet another mess, Song leapt forward, an arrow loosed from a taut string.

She extended her arm first, delivering a wicked jab toward the Sith’s chest, right for his exposed heart. But she knew it wouldn’t land. He’d likely see it coming even with Val’s distraction, and she readied for a retaliatory strike, for anything, so as to stay alive long enough for the Kryze to get their shp running. Song didn’t doubt her skill against the Sith. She could probably kill him if she wanted to, but if reinforcements were coming, time was of the essence.

@Mockingjay

 

[Valeska Kryze]

The Sith's weapon was in his hand faster than Song could close the distance. Supernatural speed guided him and its bloodshine blade burst to life just before her new weapon reached his chest. The blade of beskar was formidable, but it could only meet a lightsaber evenly. It could not short one out. And he had another weapon. One far stronger than any blade.

"You have a strong mind, little bird," the Sith said, their blades locked. "But I wonder about your body."

With his free hand, the Sith clenched his fingers into a ball. The Force surged around Song like a fist seeking to crush her with her own armor. The Sith's hold on their bladelock was also iron clad. He didn't seem to want to let her free. He wanted her to panic. To lose her breath as her own armor became a compactor crushing her bones.

Meanwhile, on the ship, Val settled into the cockpit and started flipping switches. The first thing she did was close the loading ramp. She could reopen it when it was time to get Song, but she didn't need the Muuns or that Sith coming aboard in the meantime. Next, she switched on the engines. The ship roared to life, sending the unfortunate Muuns near her thrusters flying away from the scorching wind that exploded from them. The sudden eruption of ship activity whipped the Sith's cape, but did nothing to shatter his focus.

"Your friend seems to have gotten your ship to work," he mocked her. "Pity you will not be joining her for the trip home."

At the same time, the two great doors to the hangar began to wheeze and heave as they moved together towards clothing. The two Mandalorians had a minute, maybe two, before they were closed. And then there would be no escaping. None at all. @Song

 

[Song Wren]

“Oh, eat shit.”

Song seethed as an invisible entity enclosed her in a viselike grip. She’d seen the Force in person before, watched as limbs twisted and bones popped against the weight of so much power, but never had she felt it in this way. Never had it been used against her. The Force was strong, but her own strength pushed and waylaid against the walls tightening over her body—her arms tensing, the muscles in her fingers turning to her wrist. With the Sith exerting so much control, between her and the hangar doors, he wouldn’t be able to restrain her for long.

Especially once she activated her jetpack.

Flames roared to life at her back. Song would lurch up and back, retreating far enough to stay out of his lightsaber’s reach. The Sith could try to seize her again, but with sheer physical strength and the momentum of her jetpack on her side, it would require a ridiculous amount of effort—the kind of effort that might leave him exposed for her next attack. But not from the Sword of Wren. She’d learned now that the Sith did not intend to fight her fairly in a duel. Instead, she used her flamethrower.

Blade still in hand, she activated the wrist flamer and watched as a three-meter long stretch of fire screamed toward her enemy. She hoped it would swallow him whole, like a phoenix consuming its prey, but doubted it would do little more than singe his robes. This was a Sith, and an experienced one. It would take more than a few tricks up her sleeve to defeat him, and that was only if she could in the first place.

Over the two seconds of continued flame, Song would drift hard toward her left, trying to position herself into the Sith’s blind spot before she dove in for another strike. She prayed to all the gods, even if she didn’t believe in a single one, that Val would have the ship off the ground soon, otherwise they’d be trapped on this nightmare of a planet forever.

@Mockingjay

 

[Valeska Kryze]

Val had hoped too much that Song's fight with the Sith would be over by now. She had to act if she wanted to get them out of here before the doors closed, so she did the only thing she knew how to do. She did something batshit crazy. Which was to say she pointed the guns of Song's ship at the hinges of the hangar doors and fired. The shockwave of the explosion would surely throw everyone in the hangar back, before another rang out as she shot the other side. It was a bit dramatic, but it worked.

The doors had stopped.

The Sith had not. What Val could not see from her spot in the cockpit was how the Sith had sensed the danger, steeled himself, and rode out the shockwave without so much as breaking eye contact with the fleeing Song. He caught the flames she projected along the length of his lightsaber and held them back. Then, when the flamethrower had exhausted itself, retaliated with an explosive burst of Force lightning that spidered out from his hands and sought purchase in her metallic armor.

He didn't seem winded by the fight so far. If anything, he was invigorated by how desperately his prey were trying to escape him. That gave some hints as to his actual power. His status within the Sith. A couple of Mandalorian bounty hunters weren't going to stop him. And even if they did escape, he would report their actions to the Empress. They would never be safe wherever they went. He would always follow them, feed off their fear of him, until one of them killed the other. That was, if they did not kill him here and now.

All of this remained unknown to Val, who used the opportunity to pull the ship up off the ground and float into the air. If Song was going to make her getaway, now was the time. @Song

 

[Song Wren]

Lightning forked through the air and Song gasped as she felt it slam against her beskar’gam. While it and the thermal suit underneath absorbed the worst of his blow, she was practically cast out of the air like a bird with clipped wings. Her jetpack spiraled out of control until she thudded against the side of the hangar, crashing into the same scaffolding that had carried Val to the ship. Blood sang in her ears. Every muscle in her body ached. And yet, when she looked at the Kryze, she didn’t feel hopeless or exhausted. She felt ready.

“Val,” she murmured, rising from the fallen debris.

Song understood now. As long as the Sith lived, neither of them would be safe. He needed to die here, else risk the lives of their kin and the fragile alliance that had been forged between Darth Raze and the Mand’alor. This heist and their identities had to be kept secret, or shame would come to Clan Wren once more, and Song would rather die than to see that happen. She’d rather die than let this Sith win. And if losing her life meant Valeska escaping and the last of her family surviving, then so be it.

That was a price she’d gladly pay in full.

“You’ll find your credits in a hidden compartment underneath the ship’s cabin. Everything else is yours. Thank you for fighting alongside me. It was an honor, Kryze.” She gave Valeska a sharp salute through the cockpit window, pressing a hand over her heart. “Go now, while you still have the chance.” Then, without another word, she jumped from the remnants of the scaffolding, intending to meet her enemy on the ground.

Once she thudded to the hangar floor, she discarded her stolen jetpack. The Sith’s lightning had temporarily short-circuited it, and it would only serve as an unnecessary weight on her back if she kept it on. She did the same with her pair of blasters, letting them clatter on the ground as she approached her enemy. With a lightened load, she could focus more on her speed and agility, drawing on what she’d been taught as a child, back when she didn't have armor.

Perhaps it was dramatic of her to do so, but if she was going to die today, it might as well be in style.

She brandished the Sword of Wren and fell into a defensive stance five meters away from the Sith. There was nothing more to say to him. So, she just glared coldly at him and said, “Let’s finish this, asshole.”

@Mockingjay

 

[Valeska Kryze]

The Sith barely made out the words murmured into the comlink hidden in the Mandalorian's helmet. Yet, he sensed the shift in her demeanor. Gone was her need to escape, replaced by something else. Acceptance, perhaps. Resolve. It did not matter. Her reflected her determination, empowered by her words, with the cold, facelessness of his mask. At the same time, behind him, the ship suddenly screamed away through the breach the pilot had created moments earlier with their twin blaster cannons.

"It would appear your companion has abandoned you," the Sith said. "A curious decision. I was always told you Mandalorians were honorable to the end. I suppose that information was faulty, as well." He pointed the tip of his lightsaber at her, an accusatory finger. "I respect you, Mandalorian. You are about to die—I sense you know this. But you faced your death with pride. That, at least, is commendable."

It was the folly of all Sith.

So consumed by his own victory that he could not sense that Val had never intended to leave Song. If anything, she was pissed off that Wren had thought she could get rid of her so easily. Make no mistake, she would take the credits. She was damn tempted to take the ship, too; but then, if she did, there would be nothing left to use as a weapon. As she wheeled the ship around and barreled back towards the hangar, she spotted others dotting the nearby facilities. There would be other ships to take.

Val considered comming Song. Cussing her out, telling her she was a loser for even making the suggestion, but she chose to keep comms dark, in case any emotion she elicited in Song tipped the Sith off. She saw the red glow of his saber move. Saw lightning spear out from his open hand again in what she assumed was Song's direction. Then she kicked the gas and throttled the ship down towards the smoking maw of the hangar bay.

Her helmet struck the steer yolk so hard she saw stars. The crash didn't cause an explosion, just a screech of metal as the ship rapidly lost momentum penetrating the hangar. One minute the Sith was in front of her, then he wasn't. He could have leapt, ducked somewhere she could not see, or simply rolled aside, aided by his sorcery. Or he could be a bloody pulp somewhere in her smoldering wake. All she knew was that she didn't see him anymore. Nor did she see Song, but she had hope that Song had jetpacked out of her trajectory.

That Mandalorian was hard to kill.

Only then, did she open comms again. "Sorry to steal away your heroic sacrifice," Val said haughtily. "But we don't do that around here. Try that again and I'll rob you blind before killing you myself."

It was a sweet sentiment, but now they were right back where they started. A bunch of pissed of Muuns on their ass, and a ship to find. @Song

 

[Song Wren]

Song let out a relieved sigh. At least Val would make it out, at least she’d be able to lead a life of her own, perhaps even be more than just a lousy Kryze bounty hunter but a Mandalorian once more.

As long as she was free, then she could—

Song dove aside as her ship, the ugly bucket of bolts she’d found in a Taris junkyard, came crashing back down from the sky. Its plated nose crashed into the Sith, smashing him like a fleshy pancake, and she could have sworn she caught a spray of blood just before their body was swept underneath the hull. Smoke filled the already ruined hangar. A fire raged, and so did her eardrums, ringing from the sudden impact. She couldn’t believe what had just happened.

Not until she rose from the ground and heard Val’s voice through the comms.

“Val, you are absolutely mad,” she said with a wide grin. “And positively the greatest Mandalorian I could’ve ever met.” As the other woman emerged from the ship’s wreckage, a shaft of cold sunlight catching her armor as if she was some hero plucked from a storybook, Song considered running over to her and crushing her in a hug. But they had more important things to deal with right now. Including the fact they were now without a ship and stranded in the middle of an extremely hostile prison complex.

“Come on,” she shouted, greeting the Kryze with an outstretched arm, hoping to help her down from the broken shuttle. “We need to find another ship. Preferably something that can outrun a TIE and jump us into hyperspace the second we hit the clouds.”

Her dark eyes roamed the hangar. Most of the vessels had been wrecked in the fighting and the crash, but not far ahead, in a tight secluded corner of the building, was exactly what they needed. Another TIE, and an interceptor at that. She only prayed there was enough room for them both, else Song would have to strap Val to the hull and hope for the best.

@Mockingjay

 

[Valeska Kryze]

The best Mandalorian she could have ever met? Well, that was a stretch. But who was she to rain on Song's parade? The praise made Val's heart flutter, and she supposed that was all that mattered. Following Song's line of sight, she too saw the TIE interceptor—the only ship that had been undamaged by her unhinged attack on the Sith. They would have only a minute to grab it. Already, their surviving enemies were recovering, shaking off the shock of the explosion. Song in tow, she rushd the ship, using her jetpack to fly up to the top hatch, which she unlatched with ease.

There were two seats for two people. A pilot and a gunner. Val took one look at the wreckage she'd just made and vaulted down to the lower seat, taking hold of the gun controls. "You fly," she said, flipping a myriad of switches. The guns came unlocked and she swiveled them, green lances of energy bursting from the cannons and obliterating the recovering Muuns. "If I fly," she continued, "there won't be much of a ship left after we hit orbit."

As she talked, Val patched their ship into the local communications. They needed to know if reinforcements were coming, and how many. She slipped on the headset just in time to hear the announcement. Launch all available TIEs. They were about to have a swarm on their asses. Val engaged the proton torpedos. Guns alone would not be enough depending on how many the Muuns had left.

"You might want to get us out of here right now," she called up to Song. "Get the hyperdrive warmed up while you're at it. We're about to have a lot of dinner guests."

Val pulled the targeting computer down over her eyes. This was it. Either they escaped this bank with the Sword of Wren, or they became orbital space dust. She didn't like their odds, but with a dead Sith under their belts, what else could possibly hold them back? @Song

 

[Song Wren]

Song nodded, only hesitating for a second before she jumped into the pilot’s seat. It had been clear since their arrival on Scipio that she was not a particularly talented flyer, no matter how many years she’d spent traveling the Rim, but right now, none of it mattered. They needed to leave as soon as possible, before another dozen TIEs came bearing down on them like a second avalanche. Besides, Val had a point.

One quick glance to the wreckage of her former ship—a junker Song wouldn’t miss anytime soon—and it was obvious between the two of them who was better suited for the controls.

“Delightful,” she replied to Val, fingers swiping across the dashboard as she settled in. “No pressure.” That was a lie. She could feel more pressure on her shoulders than a diver at the bottom of a sea, and the threat of being chased down by every starfighter the complex could muster was not a comforting thought. “Here goes nothing,” Song muttered, and with the flick of a lever and the press of a switch, the interceptor hummed to life. In a breath, they were in the air.

The ship rocketed forward, shrieking from the hangar. “Damn, she’s got a kick to her,” Song murmured, surprised by how fast the interceptor could fly compared to the bucket of bolts she’d been using for the last few months. Perhaps she would keep this one for the future—as long as they weren’t ash and debris in the next two minutes.

It didn’t long for them to reach the clouds. Song had soared past the closest mountain, practically clipping its snow-capped peak, and climbed the atmosphere at a startlingly fast rate. She didn’t bother glancing over her shoulder to see if they were being pursued. The screaming alarms in her ears were evident enough. “Get them off our tail,” she called down to Val. “The last thing either of us need is a shot to the engines when I’m prepping our launch to lightspeed.”

@Mockingjay

 

[Valeska Kryze]

Val was already on it, swinging the guns around to face their pursuers. She counted twelve of them, all ordinary TIEs, though some looked to be First Order model. Those would be a problem. Energy lanced out from their ship and crashed into one of the nearest ones, which went up in a ball of gas and flame. She switched the weapon over to proton torpedos and waited for the targeting computer to lock before squeezing the trigger again. More flames, more explosions. The enemy was going up one after the other.

And then she saw it.

She mistook the mist for natural phenomenon until she realized it was more TIEs in the distance. Dozens, maybe even hundreds. They had about four more missiles left, and Val couldn't go too hard on the guns, else there wouldn't be enough power for the hyperdrive. "Song, I mean this with all the love in my heart—or the love that would be there if I had one... punch the drive!"

Yes, they were still in the atmosphere. Yes, there was more than a coin-toss' chance they would be torn to shreds by the planet's gravitational pull. But there was also a chance they wouldn't and they would escape before reinforcements caught up. Val kicked the pedal at her feet, throwing all available power to the engines. The guns went silent, but the interceptor lurched forward, putting a wider and wider gap between them and their pursuers. Song had seconds to engage the drive. If she didn't, Val would have to reclaim the power she gave up to start shooting again. @Song

 

[Song Wren]

Song spun the interceptor through the clouds, white mist trailing the wings as warning alarms blared in her ears. For the first time in years, she’d considered praying to the old gods, if only for the chance to escape this madness once and for all. It might have been barely a week since they’d arrived on Scipio, but she felt like it had been an eternity. Fighting Muuns, prison guards, Sith. She and Val had gone through hell and back for her clan’s ancestral sword, and she had no intention of going back. It was escape, or die in a fiery blaze.

Song wanted to at least reach through the upper atmosphere before they launched for hyperspace. At the first sight of stars, she would have. But as the enemy ships neared their tail and Val screamed at her back to make the jump, she wasn’t sure what else to do besides listen. Sure, it was madness. Sure, it came with the small chance that the planet’s gravity would tear them to shreds and drop them on the other side of the galaxy as chunks of debris. But what else could they do?

Eyes shut, Song slammed on the hyperdrive.

Light blurred around her, the sky giving way to a twisted blue, and for a long, agonizing moment she waited for both of them to be ripped apart. Except, nothing happened. By some miracle, she and Val had managed to escape their captors, perhaps either too far back to pinpoint their exact direction or too cowardly to attempt the same maneuver. Probably the latter. It’d take serious guts to attempt a jump in such a small ship, the kind of brazen flippancy only a Mandalorian would possess.

A spine only a Kryze or a Wren could have.

Song could barely contain her laughter as they blazed through hyperspace. And only once she’d finished did she finally glance back at Val and flash her the widest grin she could muster—even if she couldn’t really see it. “I can’t believe we managed to get out of there intact,” she said, running a hand over the back of her head, her nerves frayed. “And what I can’t believe more is that you decided to come back for me.”

She looked over at the other Mandalorian again. “Why’d you do it?” she asked. “Don’t tell me you’re actually starting to like me?”

@Mockingjay

 

[Valeska Kryze]

Val didn't feel the relief that Song expressed. Even though the physical danger was behind them as the adrenaline bled out of her body, she was left with the sudden reality that she had nearly died flying a ship into a Sith to save a fellow Mandalorian. Wrapping her mind around that thought was nearly impossible. Months ago, she wouldn't have even considered doing the same for any other Mandalorian, even a member of her own Clan.

Then there was the fact that they were actually alive. And successful. The Sword of Wren was clinging to Song's hip, Val could see it dangling above her even now. Which meant that they had successfully fought through one of the most well-secured Muun banks in the galaxy, retrieved a priceless Mandalorian heirloom, and escaped. She had even killed a Sith to do it. A Sith. And then the panic hit her—a Sith... It was no secret that the Mandalorians had at least a tenuous partnership with the Sith. Would the Empress find out about this? Would she react?

Val put the thought out of her mind. They had been through so much over the past few days, she couldn't allow herself to think about consequences yet. "I couldn't exactly consider the job completed if my employeer was dead, could I?" Val replied. But there was absolutely no conviction in her voice. She didn't know how to say 'yes, I absolutely like you - why else would I have done this?' It wasn't her style. Didn't seem like Song's style, either, so maybe that was for the best. "You know we're going to be all over the HoloNet, right? Hell, we might already be. Scipio wasn't exactly the most secret bank in the galaxy. And the Sith..." A shit-eating grin crossed her face beneath her helmet. "We're going to be absolute legends when we get back. Mand'alor might just kill your pops for you."

Of course, she doubted that was likely. But Daddy Wren had to be feeling a little nervous, or he would after he saw what his daughter had done. Was capable of. If the credits were right, Val might even help her get rid of him. She might even do it without the credits. Having an employeer who was also Alor could be profitable, even desirable, perhaps. And if that employeer became a friend...? Well, who was to say. @Song

 

[Song Wren]

Song let out a jittery laugh. “We’ll see about that.”

Despite the overwhelming relief of escaping, she couldn’t deny the nervous ache in her gut. The twitch of her fingers. The blood still pulsing in her ears. The adrenaline rush would take only a moment to wear off, but not her anxiety. Once news broke about their heist on the secret bank, people might come looking for her or Val. The Muuns wouldn’t be happy at the loss of a prize like the Sword of Wren, and the Sith about the death of one of their own. Would they try to find them in revenge?

No, what was she thinking? The Sith killed their own all the time, and the one Val had crushed didn’t seem like anyone of great importance. The Mandalorians were a rising force in the galaxy too, and any attempt by the Muuns to attack Krownest or any Mandalorian holding would likely end in a slaughter, both there and back to their homeworld. Besides, this all was if their identities and locations were uncovered. Perhaps the Muuns would simply be too embarrassed by the fiasco to even report it.

Song leaned into her seat, relaxing a bit. One more look down at the sword and she still couldn’t believe it was hers. With it in her possession, she could be in a position to unite the warring factions in her clan. She could challenge her father. Of course, becoming the Wren’alor wouldn’t be easy, and she didn’t feel experienced enough—or strong enough—to fight the man who’d raised and taught her everything she knew. She needed to train harder, faster, and she needed more allies. Friends.

Friends like Valeksa Kryze.

She glanced over to the other woman, kicking her feet up onto the dashboard, resting her head on the back of her arms. “Let’s head back to Taris,” she told her, thinking back to that bar where they’d first spoken. “Drinks on me.”

end thread.​