Chapter 4: The Shepherd

Perched atop a volcanic spire, its exoskeleton glistening in the heavy fog, the Acronemsis peered through her infrared binoculars to survey the landscape. The tide had risen twenty meters since the end of the assault, and she surveyed the potential route the fugitive might have taken. Her handheld tracking device displayed scattered, irregular pings indicating that the fugitive's transponder was issuing sporadic location updates. The irregularity of the transponder, itself designed to be a foolproof location device, triggered disquiet within her alien mind. Instead of relying on the technology, she reached out through her senses, which expanded into the mist surrounding her. In the distance, she caught a sense of panic – a particularly hominid emotion laced with confusion, hormones, and sweat.

With the scent of the fugitive's emotions leaving a clear trail before her, she homed in on the disembodied emotion, following traces through the Force that led directly to the base of a city. A pair of massive, translucent gray wings emerged from the Acronemsis's back and began to flutter. The alien creature took flight into the enveloping mist in pursuit of her quarry.

***

Vulta City had stood atop a volcanic plateau over one-hundred meters above the ocean's high tide line for several hundred years. The plateau had been settled by Indigenous homesteaders thousands of years ago, but over the years, it evolved into a modest stopover spot for the local mining trade. Under Imperial rule, the city became the home to over a hundred technicians and troops servicing the information facility, which housed hard copies of Imperial records. The locals did not care much whether Imperial or Republic rulers oversaw their city. Life was harsh, and the presence of Imperial or Republic military made trivial difference. Excepting some modest income from housing the handful of Republic technicians and soldiers overseeing the facility, the locals survived off a fishing trade and sparse agriculture nourished by a complicated aqueous system that harvested moisture from marine layer incursions at high tides. The ramshackle city possessed a smattering of antiquated technology mixed in with houses and huts constructed from the sparse materials available in the area, primarily basaltic rock. The city's plumbing system took advantage of lava tubes formed during the eruptions that created the plateau, with much of the run-off and sewage diverted into the tubes and drained into a canal that led to the ocean.

JX-3846 had worked his way over the rugged terrain below the city through dense fog until he reached the canal. He had shed his armor and communication equipment, keeping only his blaster for self-defense. Although the foul smell of raw sewage induced several rounds of vomiting, he followed the canal to a culvert draining the northern edge of the city. After climbing to the base of the culvert, he pulled himself up and in, covering himself in sewage in the process – the dark, viscous sludge coating his blue skin. He pulled himself into the lava tube that had been converted into a sewer system. Within a few hundred meters, the passage became a labyrinth, and without any sense of where he was going, JX-3846 had become lost. Awash in confusion, he fought off powerful waves of hunger and fatigue, which threatened to engulf the lingering surge of adrenaline that made his heart pump so loudly that he could hear it beating within his skull.

Amidst the fatigue and hunger, memories and sensations that had long lain dormant continued to flash through his mind. The ensuing confusion threatened to overwhelm him as he fought both against the fear of being lost on a foreign world where the Order of Ren would certainly come hunting for him as well as against chaotic images of past actions and strange, disembodied emotions and sensations. He had no frame of reference to connect the sudden emotional chaos with any specific event, although in the few moments of clarity he had as he fought his way through the sewers, he wondered about the inexplicable warnings and impulses he felt during the battle. He had always followed commands before and heeded orders. Never once had he broken from orders, even when those orders asked him to do terrible things. Why now? And what was that strange compulsion to duck that had saved his life? The lack of explanation and clarity only added to his fear and confusion.

With each step deeper into the labyrinth of volcanic tunnels, JX-3846's strength waned, leaving him at a point of near collapse. He knew that somebody – perhaps the Acronemsis herself – might be seeking him. Given his current fatigue and weakness, he understood that he would not last long, especially if found by the Acronemsis. Would it be the strange beast's blade that got him, or the firing squad, he wondered as his mind sagged under the weight of fatigue and hunger.

He continued to stagger through the foul-smelling tunnel, nearing collapse. A voice within his mind that seemed separate from his own conscience whispered an instruction. "The cave to the right," the voice seemed to say, leaving JX-3846 uncertain if he was hallucinating. The voice had a moderated, reverberated quality, giving JX-3846 the impression of an old man speaking from within a deep tunnel. He stopped, attempting to ascertain if there was somebody with him, but after a minute of straining his eyes to see in the dark and hearing only dripping water, he concluded that nobody was there. He looked to his right and found the small opening, barely wide enough for him to fit through. Uncertain why he was obeying a voice that was likely a hallucination brought on by hunger and fatigue, he passed into the opening that led into a dusty cave large enough for three men to lie prone, side-by-side, and nearly tall enough to stand in. JX-3846's last bit of strength gave out, and he collapsed against the wall opposite the opening. He settled into a seated position, training his blaster on the opening of the cave and preparing to fire.

He may have sat there for minutes, hours, or even an entire night, but in his confusion and fatigue, he quickly lost track. He struggled to remain conscious against an inexorable pull of sleep. At some point – he could not know for sure when – a rising tide of oblivion overtook him just as the ocean tide outside the city had overtaken the smoldering Republic facility.

Moments before unconsciousness overtook him, JX-3846 registered a faint blue light illuminating the cave. Through blurred vision, he watched the figure of a man, translucent and emitting a faint, blue aura, raise his hand. Moments later, a boulder rose from a corner of the cave and then settled in front of the cave's entrance. With the entrance thoroughly blocked, the figure faded into the darkness as JX-3846 drifted into unconsciousness.

***

The Acronemsis stalked slowly through the sewer, reaching out through the darkness to find her way. She sensed more of the fugitive's emotions leading down branching passages like stains on the Force. The emotions now had a leaden, fatigued quality, and she felt a palpable thrill associated with the joy of a hunter homing in on her prey. Slowly, cautiously, she followed the aura of fear, pain, exhaustion, and confusion through the labyrinth.

She stopped at an unexpected shift in the emotional reverberations in the Force. The emotion had suddenly and inexplicably ceased altogether, leaving nothing but the cool solidity of rock and the decay of sewage. The Acronemsis paused, uncertain about where to turn next. She turned to the left, the right, but she saw no indication of a possible escape, and even there she would expect to see some lingering emotion.

For the first time, the Acronemsis registered her own fear. Failure was always met with death. From deep within her, a greater consciousness muted her recognition of peril with an overriding sense of purpose. With the scent gone cold, the Acronemsis continued onward, seeking out a continuation of the emotional trail she had followed through the guts of Vulta City.

***

JX-3846's consciousness swam in and out of focus before a more assertive corner of his mind registered the irregular drip of water on his face. The stiffness and soreness in his body told him that he had been asleep for some time, and as he stretched, myriad pains from his panicked flight surfaced. As he began running a mental inventory of his physical aches, he became aware of the presence close by. His adrenaline surged, bringing full awareness as he turned sharply to his left, blaster trained.

There, seated on a rock, sat an old man cloaked in a brown robe. The man assessed JX-3846's condition concernedly before a half-smile spread across his face. The man nodded congenially, saying, "Hello, there."

JX-3846 registered more details about the man. He was semi-translucent, with a glowing, blue aura radiating from his body. He was calm, patient, even a touch amused, as if sitting in a sewer while being pursued by a monster was an event of trifling consequence. JX-3846 lowered his blaster and released some of his tension.

"You will be pleased to know that your pursuer is currently slinking through the city, desperate to pick up your scent." The old man smiled patiently, as if in no hurry for a response.

"What happened?" JX-3846 asked, piecing together the information that he was safe – for now – within a cave with a. . . ghost?

"Your foe hunts by sensing emotions. I've never encountered its kind before, but it appears a highly evolved, Force-sensitive predator. I led you to this cave and created a diversion." The old man paused. "You are lucky to be alive."

JX-3846 was still unsure how he had survived and how this man could have helped. "Who are you?"

"You can call me Ben." And then, as if in anticipation of JX-3846's next question, he answered, "I am a Jedi – or, at least, I was."

"Are we dead?" asked JX-3846, confused. Unreality was threatening to overtake him as he wondered inwardly whether he was dead or had gone insane.

"From a certain point of view, perhaps," Ben chuckled lightly. Then, his tone became more serious. "My friend, we do not have much time. An old friend named Han Solo is approaching this city. He comes seeking answers about what happened to the Republic facility. It is imperative that you find him."

JX-3846 interjected, "But the Acronemsis…"

"Your pursuer? Yes, it will still be hunting you. You must find this man before the Acronemsis finds you," explained Ben.

"How will I know who he is?" JX-3846 asked, still uncertain and confused.

"His ship will be the only ship you see at the landing pads on the outskirts. When you find him, tell him that Ben Kenobi sent you." Ben paused, thoughtfully, "He may be suspicious. If so, ask him, 'Who is the more foolish?' If he responds, 'The fool, or the fool who follows him?,' I think he may trust you."

JX-3846 considered the man's directions, which seemed suicidal and opaque. He looked around at his relatively safe surroundings, and he reached the conclusion that leaving the safety of this shelter was a terrible idea. "I can't go back out there," he exclaimed.

"You can stay here, certainly," Ben acknowledged patiently. "But you are hungry and dehydrated. You will not survive long if you remain."

"But the Acronemsis…" JX-3846 started, but his voice trailed off.

"Indeed. The danger will be great. However, I do not think that my finding you was an accident," Ben explained, although his explanation only caused more confusion for JX-3846. Ben saw the confusion in his face, and he elaborated. "Not long ago, you caused a disturbance in the Force."

JX-3846 asked, perplexed, "The Force?"

"Yes," continued Ben. "It is an energy field binding the galaxy together. I am part of it. As are you. As is the Acronemsis. Your consciousness touched the Force twice during the battle, leading me to you."

JX-3846 considered the old man's words. The impulse he felt during the battle felt like something separate from him, but also of him. It felt familiar, yet alien. He remembered the pain he felt following that impulse, then he touched the back of his neck. The man continued, his half-grin morphing into a look of curiosity. "I've never seen an awakening occur in one of your kind. It's said that only the females. . ."

Ben left the sentence to hang as he observed JX-3846 wrestling with the recognition of what had occurred. "In time, you can come to know it, wield it, perhaps even understand it. Before that time, should that impulse arise again, heed it. Just as before, it can help you, even against the Acronemsis."

JX-3846 felt a flood of questions, but just as they were about to spill from his mouth, the old man ended the conversation. "Others will explain more, but for now, you must survive. Tell my friend what you know. Follow me."

Ben raised his hand, and to JX-3846's wonderment, the boulder blocking the entrance lifted from the ground, floated through the air, then settled softly to the floor of the cave. Ben offered another half-smile, answering JX-3846's unasked question, "Yes, the Force. Now, follow me."

Ben's figure devolved into a blue light, which hovered above the cave's floor momentarily before drifting through the cave's opening. JX-3846 lifted himself up, grimaced through stiffness and soreness, and began to follow the disembodied light through the caverns.