Remaking the Future (Book #1 in Bridging the Gap)

Chapter 13 - Prepare to be Green (Teagan)

Danger! The warning is suddenly screamed by the Force as the three of us head to the Jedi Temple to continue out training with Anakin. By the time it registers, Anakin is already moving. His lightsaber is already ignited, and he's whirling to face the incoming attack. I notice that Ariana also has her blade in her hand, swinging in unison with Anakin to deflect the blaster bolts whizzing our way.

I shouldn't be surprised, especially after our conversation last night, but I am. Ramona and I also ignite our lightsabers, preparing to block any other bolts coming towards us. My eyes follow the direction the bolts are coming, and I spy a shadowed figure peering around the corner of a building, aiming a blaster at us. After firing a few more shots which we deflect, the figure spins around and takes off running.

He – at least I think it's a he – crosses our line of sight for a moment as he sprints to a nearby waiting speeder. How could it have taken him so long to realize that if you're alone, you don't try to kill a Jedi with only a blaster? At least not when they're armed with lightsabers. Jedi don't usually die that easily.

I frown, slightly. I don't recognize the figure from any of the movies, so I don't think he's anyone I've ever heard of before. Probably a random bounty hunter hired by Palpatine. I sigh quietly. It's not even been a day later, and they're trying to kill us already. How will we survive? I shudder, realizing that if we'd drawn our lightsabers one second later, at least one of us would be dead or seriously injured right now. Just another typical day in the life of the Starlights.

Anakin dashes to his speeder and leaps inside with the three of us right behind him. The potential assassin's speeder takes off and zooms away into the sky towards the busy traffic lines far above us. Firing the engine, Anakin speeds after, his jaw set in a determined expression. He's clearly intending to catch him, come what may. I fasten myself inside and brace for anything.

Even if we catch the bounty hunter, he'll never tell us who hired him, and even if, by some miracle, we got the name out of him, we would never be able to trace it back to Palpatine. At least we'll have one less person trying to kill us. With our life having just taken a downwards turn, I guess we just must look for whatever positive aspects are left. Although, I suppose being with Anakin and Obi-Wan is worth all the trouble we're experiencing.

I tense as Anakin begins executing a series of maneuvers that leave me feeling a bit shaken. Memories of the bounty hunter chase in Attack of the Clones flicker through my mind as we speed higher into the sky. It seems this chase will be going on for a while. The assassin can fly well, but Anakin's better.

"I'm going to be green," I mumble mournfully under my breath to my sisters. I just hope the flight won't go on long enough for me to become sick. The wild moves we're taking to avoid losing sight of the speeder is enough to make my stomach turn.

"That's what we get for laughing at Obi-Wan when he was in this situation!" exclaims Ramona with feigned cheerfulness, clearly no more appreciative of the mad flying race we're trapped in than I am. Actually, she likely feels worse than me, because she always gets motion sickness worse than I do on Earth when we drive.

Ariana and I laugh at the comment as we dive in and out of the traffic lanes and turn sharply around a couple buildings. A blaster bolt suddenly flies our direction, but Anakin pulls the speeder out of the way just in time, and we continue zooming forwards. I never got a chance to discover how traffic laws work on Coruscant. Are there even police around to enforce the laws?

We take another sharp turn right between two traffic lines. Saying it's "amazing" we haven't gotten in a crash yet is more than an understatement. At least we're only chasing one person though, because we'd never be able to chase two. Ariana shifts in her seat somewhat uncomfortably, a clear sign that she's not exactly feeling amazing either, though I suspect she's only considering it a miracle she's still alive with Anakin's flying.