The Jedi From Earth: A Star Wars Story #Wattys2023

Part 200

Lothal, near the temporary Rebel base

   For days the rebels had been pushed back from the capital on two fronts, and now they were concerned to the north. Clara had noticed that Ezra was becoming more sociable in the week since Kanan's death, but wasn't sure if he was being genuine or was putting on a facade to appear unstressed still. Lots of other things had been creeping into Clara's mind lately, were her uncle and cousin still alive? Was her home still standing? Would life be somewhat normal if the fighting stopped and she went home? Would she even make it off Lothal alive? Though she didn't let herself become too distracted by those thoughts, for if she dwelt into them for too long it distracted her from being alert.

    This particular day she,Sabine, and Tatiana were scouting out an Imperial convoy heading west toward them. Clara looked through the binoculars and saw a single armored transport hovering across the ground with four speeders escorting it. "Must be a munitions resupply, or a Colonel being sent out" Sabine said as she adjusted the zoom on her helmet. Clara still looked at the transport but then it suddenly stopped in the middle of the ravine along with the speeders. "That's unusual" Tatiana commented quietly, "a good strategy would be to stop with some cover". Clara then heard a faint warbling sound behind her and looked back to see a single same probe droid floating in the air. "Damn!" She said before dropping the binoculars and drawing her blaster. Though when she fired the probe dodged it, she quickly fired again and once more it dodged the laser bolt until she managed to wing its antenna which made it fall to the ground in a smoky heap.

Except the transport now stopped and the troopers on the speeders began firing up at where they were. The three of them dropped down from behind the rock as laser bolts struck above them, "well they know we're here now" Sabine said as she prepped her pistols for combat. Clara peered over the boulder and fired at one of the troopers and hit him right in the neck then dodged the shot of another before firing again and killing the officer. But then the door of the transport opened up and out stepped a single figure in a dark colored uniform. Clara saw whoever this was wasn't wearing a helmet of any kind and knew something was up, she quickly grabbed her binoculars and looked into them to see who it was. She saw it was the same young man who she had fought at the temple.

His stern gaze was right on her and then as quickly as Clara blinked he had vanished into thin air. "What the?" Clara and Sabine said simultaneously. "Where did he go?" Tatiana asked in utter shock. "Not too far away from you sweetheart" a male voice said and Clara turned around to see the young man standing behind them with a slight smug expression. She fired a shot at him but he had raised his hand and the laser bolt stopped mid air. At the same time Clara felt an intense pressure from all sides holding her in place, immediately she struggled to move. Tatiana raised her pistol but it went flying from her hand into the young mans, Sabine fired two shots but then the young man drew his lightsaber and blocked her shots and thrust his hand out at Sabine and Tatiana and they were thrown several feet back down a small pit.

Clara still struggled to move but felt the pressure on her jaw relax which allowed her to speak finally, "let me go you bastard!" She shouted as the young man walked closer to her and pointed his saber at her face. "Who are you?" Clara asked and he tilted his head a little. "Don't get asked that usually" he replied in a pompous tone but Clara could tell it wasn't genuine. "I'm Maarek" he said and retracted his saber. "And you are?" He asked. "Clara" Clara replied. "You're from Earth aren't you?" Maarek asked in a plain tone. "How'd you know that?" Clara asked in slight disbelief. "I've only heard of names like that from one place, and it just so happens to be one a friend of mine is from" Maarek said while walking in a circle around Clara.

Clara struggled to move but only managed to flinch ever so slightly as the pressure would immediately reapply itself like a magnet. "You're not gonna be able to get out my grip, see only someone who can use the Force can even try to do so" Maarek said as he came back to facing Clara. He then gave her an inquisitive expression and at first Clara thought it was creepy, but then realized he was contemplating something else. "You could've killed me at the temple but you didn't, why's that?" Maarek asked and Clara saw a genuine curiosity in his eyes. "It didn't seem right, you looked scared", "plus I didn't want Sha-" Clara started then stopped herself from mentioning Shawn. But she knew Maarek had picked up on that small detail.