Chapter 3
After meditation for a while more, Rowahn arose. They still had at least a few hours before they reached the planet, so Rowahn decided to practice. He would need his skills to be at their peak if he were to defeat Jord this time. Arriving at the simulation room, Rowahn removes his saber. His decides to work with that in a little while. Right now, he just needs to hit something. Every time he fights, he sets the simulation to Realistic. This means that it will watch and analyze Rowahn as he fights, learning how to better defeat him, which in turn causes Rowahn to get better himself. As always, it starts out fairly easily with a couple of “mercenaries”. As the battle begins, Rowahn easily defeats the first wave without even thinking about using the Force. As the waves become progressively harder, Rowahn is forced to rely on every ounce of training he has ever had. Still, he does not use his saber. It feels good to completely destroy all opposition with nothing but his fists and the Force. Adding his saber into the mix would only make the battles easier. Once the battle becomes him against about fifteen highly trained mercenaries who actually “know” how to fight, and fight well, Rowahn finally starts to feel challenged. Still he cannot be defeated. The Empire has trained him better than anything else possibly could have, not to mention his years of tracking down surviving Jedi for their sabers. Finally after about an hour, he decides to pick up his saber. Using a setting that was built specifically for him, he faces off first against Inquisitors, Jedi, and finally Vader himself. Rarely does he even make it to the Vader simulation, and those few times he does, he is quickly defeated. This time however, he lasts about seven and a half minutes before losing the battle. A significant amount of time for sure. Especially to his previous best of three minutes. That’s good, he thinks as he wipes the sweat off his face.
Means I’m at least able to anticipate the strikes before they happen. I still don’t know how Jord defeated me so easily. Just then, his comlink beeps.
“Sir, we are just coming out of hyperspace. We will be arriving shortly.” “Good, I’ll be with you in a moment.” Rowahn says as he places his saber on his back once more, and walks out of the room.
As the ramp slowly opens, and Rowahn walks out of the landing shuttle, he signals to his men to begin searching for Jord. He knows she can’t be too far away, because her ship was spotted about 2 clicks southeast of their position. “She probably already knows we are here, so be sure to alert me as soon as she is spotted.” He says to one group. He turns to another and begins speaking, “Go to her ship and secure it. Make sure she has no means of escape. If there is anyone else around, kill them.” As the two groups move off to their separate duties, Rowahn takes his first scans of the area. It is indeed what he thought. Rocky, and volcanic. There does not seem to be many volcanoes in around him for a ways, but there are quite a few tall spikes of stone. Not mountains really, just random spires sticking into the sky.
While they are odd looking, they do look natural, and are definitely interesting. He thinks.
I wonder if anything lives on or around them. The nearest one is about one-hundred and fifty meters away, so Rowahn begins walking towards it while he waits for a report back from his men.
As he nears the base of the spire, he begins to notice small holes in the side of the colossal spikes. Almost like caves, but far too small for humans. He decides to stop, and see if something will come out. After removing his helmet, and waiting for about two and a half minutes, a small birdlike creature cautiously to the mouth of the whole and after a second begins pecking around.
That’s weird, it looks and acts like a bird, but it uses its wings as a second pair of legs. Rowahn observed.
I wonder if it can actually fly, or if the wings are too small or too weak. Just then, the creature made a sound strange sound similar to a Wookiee cry, but much more gentle and loving. After a series of chirps reminding him of a mixture between an astromech droid and a Wookiee, the creature flew off at a surprisingly fast rate.
No idea what kind of creature that was, he thought.
But I could feel the Force in it. A beautiful song flowed and twisted around it, and not just when it sang. It was indeed something unique. As he listened, he heard more of the creatures all around him. Their songs blending together in perfectly harmony. As the strain ended, he looked up, and saw a flock of them flying overhead. The presence of the Force was so strong within them that he felt he could almost see it, as well as hear it. And as they flew, they circled and spiraled around as if following the shape of the song.
Absolutely beautiful. They need a name. But before he could think of one his comlink beeped.
“Inquisitor, the target has been sighted. Sending the location now.” “Very good Sergeant. I’m on my way. Has her ship been secured?” Rowahn asks.
“Yes, we just got the alert that there was no sign of anyone else, and the team has the ship secure. She will not escape that way.” Came the Sergeant’s reply.
As Rowahn put his helmet back on, and began to move in the direction that Jord was, he sent one more quick reply. “She is closer to my position than expected. Hold you fire for the time being. I don’t think she will run.”
With that, Rowahn took off running. As he came over a rise, he saw her. She was just sitting there, meditating. Meditating and waiting for Rowahn to arrive, so he slowed his pace down to a walk. He could see his men encircling her, he couldn’t see their faces through their helmets, but he could sense their apprehension. That mixed with curiosity as to why he wasn’t already fighting her.
Let them watch and wonder. He thought.
It’ll be good for them to see how truly powerful I am. As he approached Jord, she spoke. Without looking up she said
“You’ve been watching the Synyps haven’t you.” “Yes. Synyps. So that’s what they are called. It fits them. A name implying a strong connection to the Force and an ability to weave the different threads into something beautiful, but in one without actual access to it. Tell me, did you name them?” His questions was one of both interest and intrigue.
“Partly. Before order 66. . . Before the Empire. My master and I came here on a mission from the Council. They had heard reports of strange creatures similar to birds, but completely different. We were sent here to observe the creatures, and search through the library databanks for any reference to them. It seems they were unknown, because they were completely undocumented. When we arrived we found them, and as I watched them, I felt as though they were singing to me through the Force. My master said that wasn’t possible. That the Force doesn’t work that way, but I could also almost see the Force around them. Once again, my Master said I was wrong, but I persisted. Finally she gave in, just so we could finish documenting them by giving them a name. I was young, and knew little of the Force, so when I described the flowing patterns around them, and how they seemed to know the Force, she recommended Synyps. I knew it was right the as soon as I heard it.” She finished.
“How did you know I was watching them?” Rowahn asked, once again intrigued.
“That was easy”, she said.
“The Force has begins to swirl in similar patterns around someone who has been near a Synyp. It was just a matter of listening to, and feeling the Force as you came near.” Finally she looked up, and stood.
“I knew it would bother you if you did not know about the Synyps, which is why I waited for you. I could’ve been long gone.” “You’re not wrong.” Rowahn replied, “but any chance you had of escape is now gone as well.” While they had been talking, Rowahn had removed his saber pike from his back, and now activated it. As the blade sprang to life with a whoosh, Rowahn moved into a ready position, much like the one he had started with in their first fight. “T’Risha Jord, you are under arrest in the name of the Galactic Empire, and the Emperor. Surrender now, or your life is forfeit.” He said.
“I will not surrender to a man who has denied himself, and become someone he is not.” Jord said as she activated her emerald green saber. As she raised her blade into a ready position she continued,
“Turn back to the light. It is not too late, but if you don’t do it now, you may never have another chance.” “I don’t need a chance. I have seen the light, and know that the Jedi are wrong. Lord Vader himself showed me the truth.” With that, he struck. Swinging his blade in an overhead arc, and bringing it down at Jord’s left shoulder. Jord leapt backwards, using the Force to lend her speed and agility. As Rowahn’s blade passed harmlessly in front of T’Risha, she attacked. Her saber was already it an adequate position for striking at Rowahn’s head, and since he had swung his saber so far out, he did not have time to bring his saber back to block the blow. Instead, he raised his arm and took the strike on his forearm.
I love this cortosis clothing. Rowahn thought, as he looked watched the surprised look of Jord’s face. He only been to Prakith once, and the only clothing they had available for him at the time was a pair of gloves, and a jacket. Still, they had been useful. He had always meant to go back, but he’d been too busy. As the battle continued, he could feel a bruise coming on where he blocked Jord’s saber. Luckily, it wasn’t anything major, and he would deal with it later. Right now he needed to focus on the battle at hand. Jord had beaten him once, and he could not let that happen again.
As Rowahn brought his saber over to his side to block an attack, he watched. Desperately looking for an opening to finish Jord, and end the battle. She was too good. Too fast. Every time he thought he had an opening, T’Risha would twist her body, or twirl her saber in a way that would just block the opening. Soon, he could feel himself start to sweat. His helmet once again trapping the heat. It was one of the major annoyances of his clothing. It did not breathe well. Rowahn spun, and blocked an attack behind his back, finishing the twirl with a strike at Jord’s side. She, of course, blocked it, but it gave Rowahn the opportunity he was hoping for. Before she could react, Rowahn kicked her in the stomach. The kick knocked her of balance, but she recovered before Rowahn could make a move. They were now about six feet away from each other, so they began to circle. Rowahn was not a fan of this waiting, but he needed the chance to study Jord again, and see how she would react. But she did not react. Instead, she did what every fighter is trained to do. Instead of reacting, she acted. Levitating some of the stones around her, she slowly moved forward. The debris was now circling her slowly like a tornado, and easily gave her a good foot of space that Rowahn could not penetrate. As she began to close in, she started launching the rock at Rowahn. Some of it he was able to push away with the Force, and some he could block, or destroy with his saber, but it was not enough.
Soon Rowahn was backing away from Jord, trying to stay out of the reach of her whirlwind. However, he knew he could not keep it up forever, so he reached out his hand, and summoned a blast of Force energy. Throwing it directly at Jord, and scattering the debris. He had not expected it to throw up as much dust as it did, momentarily blinding him. He could not see the Jord, until her green blade came flashing down through the dust. Raising his saber, he managed to block the strike, but the force of it knocked him to the ground. Suddenly he went flying backwards. The dust had settled enough that he could see Jord, but he hadn’t seen her push him backwards. Before he could recover from the fall, and the push, Jord took off running in the direction of her ship. Immediately the Stormtroopers began firing, but to little avail. Any bolts that came near Jord, she easily deflected as she ran. As she neared the line of troopers encircling them, she blasted them out of the way without even a wave of her hand.
Once she arrived at her ship, she quickly dispatched the five troopers, and took off. Before she was even out of the atmosphere, she went to lightspeed. Apparently she did not want to be shot out of the air. Rowahn turned to the Sergeant and asked, “Is the tracker active?”
“Yes sir,” Came the reply.
“But we won’t be able to know where she is heading until she comes out of hyperspace. Once that happens, we will be able to follow her wherever she goes.” “Alright. We need to get back to the ship. I must make my report.” Rowahn stated as they began to walk back towards the ship.
“You failed again!” Came the Grand Inquisitor’s voice over the hologram.
“I believe that I told you to capture her, or else you would be recalled, and face the consequences. We have made contact with Ti-Rell, and your pursuit is being terminated. Lord Vader has ordered you to return. Caedon Ti-Rell will take it from here.” “Yes Inquisitor. Inform the Lord Vader of my return. I will be there as soon as I can.” Rowahn replied with a scowl, making it well known that he did not like this arrangement. However, he could not disobey a direct order from Lord Vader, or the Emperor. With that, the holoprojector blinked off, and Rowahn removed his helmet, and sat down. This mission hadn’t gone right since the day it began. In the last two weeks, he had fought Jord twice, and lost miserably both times. He had to know what gave her such a big advantage, and how she defeated him so easily each time.
Replacing his helmet upon his head, he walked out of his quarters to inform the pilot of their change in course.
