Before - Legends A Crisp Conundrum (For the Angst Settings Roulette)

Title: A Crisp Conundrum
Author: ConservativeJedi321
Timeframe: c.67 BBY
Characters: OC’s Mostly (Jedi Knight Rekolv Sanrm, Aurasezesr), other OC’s and possibly one or two minor canon characters hanging out in the background
Keywords: Freeing slaves, battle, stranded, transference, nightingale effect, loneliness, love.
Total Word Count: 2836
Genre: Angst, Romance
Summary: A Jedi Knight fresh from his trials finds himself biting off more than he can chew when he’s trapped in the middle of nowhere and confronted by a heritage he never thought he could understand.
Typical Disclaimer: I don’t own Star Wars, obviously. All this is the intellectual property of Lucasfilm and Disney.

Author Note #1: This story was written for the Angst Settings Roulette. My location was a Frozen Tundra, it needed to be at least 500 words and there was a bonus challenge to use the words malleable, mesmerize, and malevolent in the script.


Authors Note #2: This story takes place in the same universe as what I will call my “Clawmouse Chronicles”: Ie. A Shattered Minds Eye, and A Diary for the Historical Record. You do NOT have to have read those stories to enjoy and understand this one, because it follows a mostly new cast of characters and occurs earlier than I’ve ever written in this timeline before, so no other future events will be referenced. Those well acquainted with my characters however may be able to put a couple fun puzzle pieces together….


Post One of Two
How did I find myself in this situation?

Jedi Knight Rekolv Sanrm dodges a blaster bolt, intercepts another with a spin from his lightsaber and jumps behind one of the turrets he and his master had just disabled with a panicked cry.

My friends are all off doing the easy stuff, negotiating with bankers, banquets with senators, and my first mission as a Jed Knight is a full fledged battle!!

“Is this war?” his breath is visible before him as he feels panic gripping his heart, and the intensity of combat leaves him feeling hot if anything. The Jedi closes his orange eye’s and throws his hands over his deeply creased cranium. Desperate to be any place but here.

“Don’t be so melodramatic!” His old Master, the forty-year-old dark haired human female Estel Vahn cries. “I’ve been in a dozen police actions worse than this.”

Her lightsaber spears a Weequayan through the chest, and she swings it high to take off a Nikto’s arm. “Master Bouri and his apprentice have cleared out the west courtyard.” She calls back. “They need us occupying these pirate scugs in the east if they’re going to get at the captain!”

Rekolv is panting harder, he takes a deep breath, recites the code, tries to depend on his training but it doesn’t help. Nothing he has experienced before now could have prepared him for this!

He watches the older woman wave off another series of red blasts, redirecting them, blocking them and avoiding them all in a moment. A warrior if there ever was one, constantly on the move. Her actions are both elegant, and purposeful, never set to do more damage than strictly necessary.

At this time Someone throws a thermal detonator, and with the wave of her hand she pushes it back at them and the ensuing explosion deafens the young Jedi briefly.

A moment later his former teacher is standing over him. Lightsaber in hand. Scolding reprimand on her lips. “Look, Rekolv. I know most of our missions together have been pretty light, but the Council saw fit to make you a Knight. Now ACT like it.”

She reaches down to his hand, and helps him pull himself to his feet. He is reluctant to look her in the eye but when he does he see’s only softness there. “I believe in you.” she says with a smile.

“Yes. Master.” He exhales. “Where next?”

She gives him a thumbs up, and quickly uses it to direct him down another path. “Intel say’s the bulk of the slaves are held down below, Arraira’s team will see to them. We need to get to the hanger. Get ahead of their escape, and hopefully stop any last minute ‘exports’.”

The two Jedi dashed forward, finding their way down a well trodden rusty metal corridor. Sirens were blaring now, and more pirates were after them. “Free the slaves!” Master Vahn calls back. “I’ll hold the door.”

The orders newest Knight feels a surge of panic, but bites it down. “Priorities!” He whispers to himself. On the fringes of the hanger there are some cages, people are inside. Slaves.

Rekolv swings his lightsaber at the nearest lock, and inside he finds a small furry biped of a species he had never seen before. “Yib Tab?” The creature responds in a vaguely question-like tone. The Jedi doesn't stop, the next cage contains a being that almost reminds him of a Ftaaghn, quite tentacly and slimy. “Ghrnmr!” It shoutes giving the Jedi a mild startle before realizing the being was more scared of him than he was of it.

Then the last cage, when the lock is removed and the door swings open the sight leaves him stunned. It’s a female, but that is not what leaves him frozen in place. At least the Jedi in him hoped not. “You’re. You’re like me.” He says.

“Rekolv!” His Master shouts. “Get them to the shuttle. Get them out of here!”

This moves him back to his senses. “Right.” Gathering the three freed slaves he calls to them. “You’re free, quickly, we have to move!”

It takes them a moment, but they understand well enough to follow. Thank goodness.

“Master!” He shouts, looking back at her near the hangers entrance. She is being swarmed by dozens of pirates from all sides.

“I’m fine.” She calls. “Get them out of here! Now!”

The Jedi closes his eyes, trusting his instinct, and does what he is told.

As the shuttle lifts off he whispers “May the Force be with you.”

The Judicial Fleet ought to still be in orbit. He thinks to himself.
But they don’t know we’re in a pirate ship. Rekolv reaches for the keyboard, and begins typing a security code so they don’t shoot him down.

Before he can finish the line, an explosion rocks the ship. “What?” He responds. “No, we’re not even out of orbit yet.” The Jedi checks the diagnostics, and sees the warning signs.

“Sabotage!” Those horrible, malevolent pirates would rather kill the slaves than let them go free!

“HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!!!”

The crash that follows is both fiery and destructive, and with the wide swing of the ships bow and lashing of its stern in the chaos of the moment the Jedi’s head hits something hard.

 

Woo, gripping action and a very vital mission. Nothing worse than racing against time and then being sabotaged on top of it.

 

Talk about a race against time, this was crazy good. Looking forward to the next part.

 

Nice OC's and getting an insight in their thoughts. And Action, gripping action ending in a cliffy.

 

Glad you enjoyed it! Easy to forget in the casualness of combat in Star Wars that battles to the death ought not be the norm. They can be quite traumatizing for regular people!

Thank you for the review! This story has a fast-paced beginning but a somewhat slower conclusion.

Happy to see you liked Rekolv, though technically his Master has appeared before in my stories once or twice.
This fresh-faced Jedi Knight is quite the interesting character I'd love to write again, and I'm sure there are stories to tell of him. He kind of reminds me of another of my characters actually, just a lot more up front with his flaws.
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Post Two of Two

Rekolv wakes up some time later with the female standing over him. She’s checking his pulse. “Ugh.” He groans. Everything hurt, and he really just wanted to pass out again. But he couldn’t, he was the Jedi here, the one responsible for them.

“The… the others?” He looks around and couldn’t help but recognize how everything in his line of sight looks blurry. Only a moment later she follows his unfocused gaze softly. Before shaking her head in clear regret.

There is a mournful expression there and Rekolv feels a pang of guilt. It was his fault, if he had maneuvered for a softer landing, or found a ship that wasn’t set to blow they’d be alive right now. He was a very poor Jedi, unworthy of the title. He could wallow in his grief, and he is tempted to do so, but there is one being left counting on him. The Jedi couldn’t fail her too, by the force she would survive.

The man force’s his way into an upright position, and the freed woman place’s a cautious hand on his chest. There is what might be a worried look in her gaze. “I’m fine.” He says, though as he tries to stand, he feels his right leg give in. The pain.

Stifling a shriek of agony, he bites his lip and looks her in the eye. “Do… Do you understand Galactic Basic?” he groans as he sets himself back down.
Tentatively she nods her head. “Speak it?” He presses further.
She averts her eye’s. “Well.” He gives a halfhearted smile. “Not the end of the world either way.”

Then a noise startles them, something outside. Rekolv leans against the dashboard and tries to get leverage enough to see through the shattered viewport. “We can’t stay here.” He whispers with a clenched jaw. “Pirates will be fleeing the compound into the wastes.” He looks across the distance, and see’s that based on the star line that their ship must have entered a tailspin when it hit the ground. They were now facing the direction they had just fled from. “I’d say aside from the base we just fled; we are the biggest marker on the horizon right now.”

She grabs his shoulder and points away from the setting sun. “A cave.” He realizes. “Brilliant.”

He leans on her and she helps him out of the busted shuttle, but as their boots crunch over the slick snow of the tundra for the first time she nearly faints shivering in the ice cold hellscape. The lack of support quickly brings Rekolv to his knees as well, and he grabs at her arm. “Come on.” He shakes her. “You’ve survived so much already.” The Jed Knight takes off his brown robe and throws it around her shoulders.

“Stay strong. Just for a little longer.” They lean on each other and drag themselves up and forward. Inching towards their destination, a little at a time, the wind cutting at every speck of skin, ice running to their very bones.

It’s cold. Oh, so very cold. With the blood rush of combat having long since faded, Rekolv can’t help but feel the chill creeping in on him like death itself. As they get closer to the opening, they see the first signs of life, and not friendly life either.

“Run!” Rekolv cries, and the woman hesitates to follow the order, looking him in the eye her terror is palpable. “I’m not alone.” He comforts her with his lightsaber in his free hand, not exactly resolved in his tone but enough false confidence that her worry lesson’s.

In a moment she releases him, and the pressure on his leg intensifies a millionfold.
But he is a Jedi, and while the fear and pain boils over, he does not let anger take hold.

Blocking out the sharp throbbing for all of a moment, he forces himself to stay standing, blade on the move as he had been trained. It was almost hypnotic.

He swings as the creature leaps.

The green beam buries in its neck, and it recoils, clawing him in its escape.

The Jedi feels himself begin to collapse, his leg seeming to give in on itself as the threat no longer blocks his way and he is no longer staring into the jaws of death fatigue that threatens to overwhelm him all at once.

“No time.” He whispers to himself, relying entirely on the force to throw his limp body through the opening of the cave. Each step sent fire into his whole body. “Get as far in as you can!” He screams, and waves his hand above, launching a cave in behind them with a casual exertion of the force and tossing himself beyond the last of the boulders ready to crush anything in its path and the torment of his injury at last overtakes him.

Then Rekolv collapses. Out of breath. Out of stamina.
He is sure, out of life.

Then a warmth awakens him, her lips on his. “Wh…” He sputters. “NO!” He backs off quickly. “No we… we can’t.” Jedi didn’t do that, and even if they did…. This circumstance. No, she was more amenable to him because he saved her. She saw him as a hero.

As he pulls away, he sees her look down, ashamed.

“It… It’s fine. We just can’t. Not now.” He tries to calm his breathing. “Lets calm down first ok? Get to know each other?”

He closes his eyes, tries to remember his teachings.
“Yuh. Blaid.” Her voice. At last.
Looking back at her, he sees she is focused on the cut he got from the beast.
“It’s fine.” He whispers.

Pulling off the cloak he had thrown around her shoulders, the woman rips at the sleeve, tearing it free before dabbing the wound. “Ay, Ners.” She smiles, and he looks into her mesmerizing eyes.
“Wow. Really?”
She nods.
“Do you have a name? Ms. Nurse?” He teased a little, as she continued to dab at the blood and applying pressure to help the clotting of the wound.
“Aurasezesr”
Very unique, the Knight thought. Just like her. “I’m Rekolv Sanrm”
“Es nece tuh met yuh.” She responded back with a delightful laugh.
“Where are you from?” He spoke a little hastily just then. “I mean. I don’t think I have ever seen one of us in the greater galaxy.”
“Dressel.” she answers in her delightful accent.

“Must be where I was born too.” He chuckles, just a little. “I never put much thought into it.” He scratches the back of his head. “The Masters don’t like us thinking too much of the past.”
“Es beytahfol worl. Erywan geds alung der.”
She almost sounds wistful now. “Buh fery far oud. We no like like oudseeders mush.” if he had to guess that was a mock reproach, and she tapped his chest with her free hand as she continued to try to maintain pressure on his wound with the other.

“Well you’re not the only one’s.” He shrugged. “A lot of worlds tend to be suspicious of strangers.”

“Deh raaders.” Aurasezesr looked down. “Dey attahk. Dey come from spahce.” There are tears in her eye’s now, and she does not need to say more. He understands. Even trained to fight as he was from a young age, he wasn’t prepared for a real battle. What must it have been like for her? Or her people who were so peaceful and unprepared?

“I’m a Jedi.” He tells her. “Keeper of the peace. Hero of the galaxy, warrior for the downtrodden. Or so they say.” In another's voice it might sound boastful. To his ears it seemed timid. “I don’t know about that.” He sagged his shoulders. “I didn't do much fighting today. Just running and hiding.”

Aurasezesr leaned in, and he was afraid she would kiss him again, but instead she simply gave him a hug before drawing back. “Yuh a hiro to meh.” Looking back at his wound, she seemed to have decided that the worst of the bleeding had stopped, and she signalled for him to turn around.

Her smile, by the force, her smile. Could he even think for himself now? “Thanks.” He said, following orders blindly as she pulled the ripped sleeve around him tightly. Though his frown was deep as he said the words. “Didn’t do much for the others though. Or my master.” Was Estel Vahn even alive? He desperately hoped so. If something had happened he was sure he would have sensed it.

“Wrry nut.” Aurasezesr pulls back after tying a knot around the gash, turning away as she moves to lean by the cold damp wall of the cave. “Yuh ded gud.” She smiles and shivers. “Mur dan feytin meks a hiro.”

For the first time Rekole realizes it’s not that much warmer here than it is outside. Biting his lip nervously, he scoots over by her side, and suddenly he felt like he was the one being all too malleable here. “Wouldn’t have made it this far without you.” He place’s one arm around her shoulder, and when she looked back at him the mixed feelings that followed could probably have given him whiplash. For starters, he very strongly felt his fear begin to mount again.

The line he was toeing now was a very delicate one, and he felt for sure his future hung in the balance. Whether the increasing pounding in his chest was from that terror, or something else he didn’t want to know. But when she kissed him next he didn’t back away.

“He’s in here!” The voice startled him awake some hours later. “I sense him.”

The giant boulders blocking the entrance began to float away, as Rekolv Sanrm looked up eager to see Master Estel Vahn waiting for him and also terrified of what she may think of his current predicament. Pulling away from his sleeping companion, he began limping his way forward and shrank slightly from the light as the small gathering of watchers moved in on them when the entryway was clear.

Without hesitation his master embraced him. “Thank the force!” She called out.

After an intense doubletake of surprise, he leaned into the hug. “So happy to see you.” He agreed shortly, before pulling back and leaning on the wall again. Last night flooding back into his mind, suddenly he felt a pang of sadness for what had been lost in their escape. “There was one survivor.” Even he was surprised by the commanding presence in his tone, given the situation. “She seems uninjured, but has been out in the cold all night.”

An Iktochi and human Padawan came forward with a stretcher, and his friend stirred awake just as they began moving her onto it. Aurasezesr reached out for him, and despite himself he reached back as she was pulled away.

“You were trapped in here all night too.” His master whispers to him. “And look a lot worse for it than she does.” If Estel had noticed his affectionate gesture she makes no mention of it. “You should go to med bay too.”

“You’re probably right.” He nodded but couldn’t look away as Aurasezesr was loaded onto a transport. “What will happen to her?”

At last he senses the older woman’s curiosity. “Same as the rest.” she offers in a slightly more formal tone, folding her arms together and looking up at him with a smirk. “The refugee movement has a camp on Coruscant. They will get them sorted.” As he glances back at her, Rekolv sees a sparkle in her eye that he couldn’t place, and in his own gut he knew she suspected something.

“Don’t worry. All will be well.”

 

Superb action and mutual teamwork and great connection between the two. Love how his Master surmises his feelings but refrains from comment. Hope we encounter these characters again.

 

Tended to by Aurasezesr and rescued by his master. A nice setting on that frozen tundra.

 

Thank you! In fairness he didn't exactly make his feelings subtle, and Estel Vahn is certainly an interesting type of teacher for sure. Strict but caring.
I expect you will see at least one of them again very soon. But I'd always be happy to write them! They've got plenty of interesting stories to tell

It's a cold, windswept world with feels all around. On the subtler side of angst, but I love it.

Thank you both for the reviews!