A New Life

14 BBY: Sarong Plantation, Cif

KEMA GAZED TOWARDS HER OLD HUT.

Her feelings overwhelmed her to the point she felt numb and locked away from focus. She heard the voices of everyone circle through her head and with many sleepless nights all she could do was hide and get by. Although her training gave her the will to feel those close to her, she was lost; alone.

She would walk from the city to the old plantation for miles, hoping to at least feel something. Maybe a lovely memory of her parents, or maybe the built-up anger from the droids that rusted away by the gates.

She would sit by a rock overlooking her old hut and meditated, thinking of only one thing: Her old buddy Zena! As she meditated, she saw the fun times she had with Zena.

"Hey, I'll miss you!" Zena smiled in her head.

"Don't worry! I'll be right here," she gazed towards herself.

"I'll remember that," she smiled as the vision faded.

The day felt bland, just like the past five years. She grew a metre and a half more, with tight garments and a nice overgarment that made her look fierce. She kept her hair short and paid homage to her old comrades; trimming down her sides and dying it all pink.

The outer rim had become the best place to lie low. For this long, she remained safe from those who plotted her death and kept herself quiet from the force. Governments rarely existed out here, and the empire never had interests to its worlds. Only if they showed fascinating features. However, she missed Yossut, and it's black sandy beaches. Most of all she ached to see Zena, plotting of how she would start looking for her.

"Hey! Leave this scrap heap, you have a guest." Vinnie leaned against the decomposing gate in a smile.

Kema gazed for a few moments before she stood to leave, "you better be careful of what you're saying, that was my home!" she laughed.

"Oh, I should've brought tissues, I lived in a box so stop whining." she scoffed as she received Kema within her arms.

"Life's at least better," she smiled as she embraced Vinnie with a side hug as they headed towards a speeder. The two hopped into the packed speeder; which hosted old rusty ship parts and smelly oil valves. "But not good enough."

They drove miles past old farmhouses, waterholes and torture houses. Memories of the past circled past her as she saw her little self in those old times.

"You've been here before?" Vinnie leaned her head to get a view of the old landscape.

"Yep! They whipped me twelve times right in that barn," she pointed towards a fallen building.

"Why?"

"I had to separate the Kiwip straw from the leaf," she laughed.

-

Kema made her way inside the hangar's building and into the living space that had a large cleaning station separating it. There her gaze lifted to see Kai surveying the items she had just finished polishing.

"Wow, these gears are blinding," Kai lifted one in the chuck and observed it.

"What are you doing here?" she laughed and ran to embrace him tightly.

The two friends hadn't seen each other in a while. Kai also tended to his duties, just as she had to, but the longing feeling of each other was a pleasant sight to see.

"Well, I came to see my old friend," he pulled his arms and dipped them inside his pockets, "how've you been?"

"I've been getting by," she brushed her nose and pointed out the cleaning station. "Just scraping any credits I can!"

"You've been awfully quiet in the force," he mentioned as she walked to the station and began cleaning more items. "Did you really recover?"

"Well, if you never asked. I'd be okay!" she jokingly snapped.

"Alright then," Kai retracted. "At least your hair did you justice,"

"You like it?"

"Goldie would!" he pointed out.

"Then why are you here," she caught his persistent body waiting for an opening.

"I'm here to get you working again!" He laid the gear down and walked towards her they took a step back and sat down on the old sofas in the living space. "It's a mission and some credits won't hurt, I suppose?"

"Sure, who's our client," Kema sat down while Vinnie brought a tray of Larus drinks to the little table that sat in their midst. "Thank you," she smiled before she took a sip.

"It's someone called Gambit," Kai also took a glass. "The client knew you and asked you to have this mission done."

"Gambit?"

"I don't know either. They hide their identity for protection," he replied and revealed a transponder out of his pocket. Activating, it unveiled a holomessage recording. "This is the message the client sent."

"Dear Corde, wherever you are in this galaxy. Hear my message, I have heard about your work helping desperate refugees." the client spoke in a coarse voice that seemed like someone had tampered with. "I need your services to help a cause for change. To help the oppressed,"

"Attached in this message is the location in Kijimi that is desperate need of supplies. Five clicks west from the location will be your touchdown where there'll be a cargo transport, you will need to infiltrate, get the supplies and deliver!"

The hologram sputtered but came back together, revealing the image of a Rodian.

"Hugo Bomei, that's him!" Kai interrupted. "He used to serve in the Empire but disenfranchised."

"Whisper to him the name Gambit and he will receive your cargo along with the town itself, May the Force be with you!" the client disappeared while the hologram faded into the transponder.

"Yeah, I'm not doing it!" Kema retracted as she took another sip.

"Kema these lives depend on it!" Kai leaned forward in concern, "out of all people you would mostly do it."

"Tell me, Kai, do you know who this client is?" she questioned.

"Are you serious?"

"What are the chances that this is the Empire trying to look for Jedi?" she scoffed. "If they contacted you this easy, then we're in grave danger,"

"But if lives are at stake, shouldn't we risk it? Besides, we're Jedi. We have a gift," he explained. "Imagine what Xido would think if you said no to her,"

"How is she,"

"She's great...just her and Goldie are enough for a day," he sighed. "But we need to focus and get this mission through." he finished before he gulped the last bit of his juice and set it down. "Think Kema, thousands of credits right at your reach,"

"You're doing this for credits, huh?" she laughed.

"No, for the people!" he scoffed, "I'm not as selfish as you,"

"Well, if you want to leave this planet, you'll need a ride!" Vinnie joined in and led the two to the hangar and dragged down the ship's cover revealing a newly furbished freighter. "Used the Imperial shuttle and your two starfighters to make this beauty of a freighter, try not to explode it!"

"That thing is a beaut," Kai laughed as he dropped the ramp and walked into the new ride. "C'mon let's get this done,"

"If you don't hear from me within two rotations, call Sirlin!" Kema told Vinnie before she embraced her and walked in. The engines grunted into life and in a loud hum lifted into mid-air.

Kema was finally inside a ship and back to her days of duty. She reminisced of the times she jumped on missions in the Clone Wars. She missed it. This was different; she just had Kai and a mission to accomplish and it was happening.

"Hyperspace routes, calculated. We are ready!" Kai said as he pushed the lever. The ship then entered hyperspace.

"I've missed this," Kema smiled.

"Yea, you've missed out on a lot!" he laughed as he swayed the steering wheel side to side before the ship rode hyperspace in auto-pilot. "We once almost got sucked into a gas giant last three trips,"

"I wouldn't have made it," she laughed. "But let's hope this one's fun!"

"This is going to be good!"