Fugitive of the Empire

18 BBY: Lair Inquisitorious, Coruscant

A DAZED ZENA

Was carried towards a platform by two stormtroopers who stood her upright and strapped her into some restraining chair. She slowly awoke and rolled her weak eyes up and down, finally getting an unrestricted view of the interrogation room she was in. It was a dark room with only a light on top of her, blindingly turned up.

The troopers stood back and saluted for the entrance of their supervisor. In the distance, a platform shone a bright red colour and from the depths of it ascended a dark figure.

Zena shivered, "where am I?!" she demanded as her voice refracted in the empty room. "Oh, if I get my hands on you. The republic will have you destroyed!"

As a moment passed, the dark figure ascended further with his head peaking from the bottom. His floor connected with the ground and finally locked in place, releasing a screeching hiss. A series of breaths accompanied the eerie man, in and out with a pause in between. The tall, dark and grim figure marched towards her in loud stomps.

However, before he could reach her, the chair activated and began running. The edges closed in and the pins that pointed towards her began twitching. She jerked side to side, trying to set herself free. When the whole machine pressed on her, she wailed in pain. The figure stopped a short distance from Zena and waited until the process finished.

"The republic is over, days of the Empire have arrived!" the figure spoke boldly. His voice was loud but clear. It evoked fear and a sense of authority, a sense of—danger. "You're a fighter, you will be important for the preservation of the Empire,"

"No! Never," she growled in her last strength.

"There will be no free will here, I'm afraid," he uttered, then made his way back to the red platform. Motioning for the process to repeat. "Again!"

-

18 BBY: Central City, Pantoine

Central City in Pantoine was a newly built city that the fallen republic organized. Dozen thousands of refugees and asylum seekers all ended up here to find a living in the new world. However, after the formation of the new empire, guaranteeing this new life was hard.

The citizens of the world weren't that concerned about it, since the change would be gradual and almost hidden. Prime Minister Gawynn Madell and Senator Sapienza made sure the threat of the empire never touched the planet. Cutting off all major routes to the world and creating sustainable sources for themselves.

The world became hidden in all maps and registries, but only if they were old records. Some refugees left their homes to join the new world that rose, while some did their best to protect the former.

After the events of the Jedi Purge, Kema remained in Pantoine to help the slaves of Cif find a home and tend to her clone legion; only until some would end up missing. When she finished her charity around the planet, she would visit Sapienza's office seemingly for the last time.

Kema rode a speeder to the bustling city and officials escorted to the government offices of the capital; making her way inside and towards his office where she met Xido and Bothka already waiting.

"Oh, look who turned up!" Xido smiled and took notice of her as she came into the room in exhaustion. Bothka would smile and keep his words untouched. They spent their time here trying to communicate with any other Jedi outside the system or even those who hid in the galactic edges.

Kema had just hit ten years old and was now an official Jedi padawan. Service had become her duty, and she never wasted an opportunity to do good somewhere. However, her days of service went interrupted, "we didn't find him!" she sighed. "We've been looking for hours upon hours, and nothing!"

"Patience is key, Kema. Don't worry, he'll turn up somewhere," Sapienza smiled as he assumed his chair. [Translated from Shyriiwook]

"He beat me to that," Xido laughed. She never wanted to seem annoying to Kema because she wanted to give a good example of what a Jedi should be. "Get some rest and we'll get back to it by the next rotation,"

"Next rotation?" she paused, "we need to find the rest. Maybe whatever you did to Goldie can happen to them all!"

"It might be dangerous," Bothka chimed in. "He woke up dazed, what if the others never woke up?"

"Well, I don't want my comrades to kill me, surely they shouldn't die too!" she grimaced, then shook it off.

"So what's your plan?"

"Find him," she said. "we need to finish this, find out what's going on!"

"She's intuitively smart for a young one!" Sapienza interrupted. It looked like he was signing some papers, probably about some construction on a next level highway.

"A good place to start would be Coruscant," Kema pointed. "We haven't been there in a while, but that's where they're always stationed back since Kamino's shut down!"

"But we need to be cautious, there might be even more clones trying to kill us, anyway." Xido followed. "We'll go there, hopefully, we get Sharpe and help get him safe,"

"I'll stay here and keep the signal going," Bothka finished.

"Sublime!"

-

The master and her apprentice made their way to one of many hangers in the city and boarded their ETA-2 Interceptors. They plugged in their earpieces and started the engines and after warm-up; they lifted off, piercing the atmosphere, and jumping into lightspeed.

"Hey," Xido began. "You alright?"

"Yea, I'm alright!"

"I can feel it too Kema, just let go!" Xido advised her. She felt a lingering depression radiate from her. Not everyone knew about it. Not even Bothka, but Xido felt it all. All the pain and suffering, "If it builds up, it'll be dangerous!"

"You never taught me about this part of life, why?" Kema questioned coldly.

Emotions were something that the Jedi Order tried to sway away from. Only because a great deal of it became "threatful" or a weak point to the dark side. However, Kema had a certain confusion, anger to wrap her head around and find out how to make the pain go away. She would then direct the anger towards her master.

"I only teach you what the Jedi council obliged me to," Xido answered, but Kema could tell she dodged it.

"Really?" she scoffed, "the council? People who only sit to decide who fights and who doesn't," With the bitter remarks, Kema wanted her point driven. Xido rarely accepted disrespect, but what Kema had to let out was an exception. However, in the earlier days of the order, it was a sure way to get kicked off.

"You don't understand. Kema it's complicated," she explained.

"Sometimes, complicated means there's an error," Kema finished. Her transponder began beeping while they rested on autopilot.

"Goodness' sake, turn that thing off!" Xido warned before her brain would grow tired of hearing 'ping', 'ping'.

"I don't know how to activate the message it's somehow locked," she attempted to explain until the device itself opened the message. A hologram of a Jedi appeared on top and he began speaking.

"This is Master Obi-Wan Kenobi," the Jedi began. "I regret to report that both the Jedi and the Republic have fallen-"

"With the dark shadow of the Empire rising to take their place."

"This message is a warning and a reminder for any surviving Jedi: Trust in the force."

"Do not return to the Temple. That time has passed, and our future is uncertain. Avoid Coruscant. Avoid detection."

"Be secret... but be strong. This will challenge us: our trust, our faith, our friendships. But we must persevere, and in time, I believe a new hope will emerge. May the Force be with you, always!"

The hologram faded into the transponder silently as the two remained dumbfounded.

"Was that Master Kenobi?" Kema attempted to remember.

"Yes," Xido trembled. "This is bad,"

"Oh! How convenient," Kema began, "we've just stopped at Coruscant!" Both of their interceptors jumped out of hyperspace and came out of the egress point looking on to Coruscant below.

However, before they would resume heading down. Clone starfighters rushed to their location and surrounded them. "Attention, fugitives! Surrender or be destroyed," they warned as their voices tore through the comms.