Private Running Against the Wind

[Katarine Ryiah]

Seems like yesterday​

Location: Lothal
Objective: Escape Planet
Tags: Acier Moonbound


Katarine knew she had no business being on Lothal. The Imperial Confederation was already extending its shadow over the planet, creeping outward from its neighboring territories. The Core was no better as yet another Galactic Empire had taken root there. So many had given their lives in the Rebellion only for the galaxy to fall back into the same cycle of tyranny. The bitter irony drew a faint smirk to her lips, but underneath it was pain she refused to examine. That was the story of her life these days, and the reason she'd come to this dust-blown world.

The market in Dinar bustled around her, a chaos of hawkers, spice-sellers, and scavengers shouting over one another. Kat kept her head down, moving with the weary shuffle of the poor laborer she pretended to be. For the last month she had worked as a sap collector in the forests north of the settlement, a cover to explain her presence and to disguise her true intent. She might have abandoned the dream of destroying the Empire, but the old lessons of the Rebellion were etched into her bones: never get identified, never get caught. Cloak drawn tight, she slipped between stalls, weapons hidden beneath the folds, her blaster and her lightsabers, though she prayed she'd never need to draw them.

Her mission was simple, or so she told herself. She wanted only to see the children at the orphanage north of town, to watch them play for a few stolen minutes. Reconnaissance had given her the schedule; she knew when they would be outside. But her reasons were far too personal to admit, even in the privacy of her own mind. To reveal any connection would put those children in danger, and she had sworn never again to be the cause of a child's suffering. Her head told her to turn back, yet her heart drove her forward.

A faint scowl tugged at her brow as her boots struck dust. Someone was behind her with the same cadence, and same pace for at least seven meters. Coincidence? She doubted it. Ducking down a side street, she stopped at a merchant stand stacked high with rare meiloorun fruit. She picked one up, pressing its skin between her fingers as if testing for ripeness, while her eyes flicked over her shoulder. No one seemed to be watching, but the unease coiled in her gut refused to ease. She set the fruit back down and slipped onward, ears straining for those same pursuing footsteps.

Then her senses shifted. A flicker rippled through the Force, drawing her gaze sideways just in time to see a boy no older than seven tug a piece of fruit into his palm without touching it. Kat froze. Her stomach dropped. She prayed no one else had noticed, but the prayer came too late.

"A padawan! Get him! There's a bounty on their heads!"

Kat closed her eyes for a heartbeat. She couldn't intervene. To do so would unravel everything. Her cover. Her mission. Everything.

"Sithspit." The curse hissed from her lips as she turned, her body moving before her thoughts could catch up. Her boot arced in a sharp roundhouse, cracking against a stormtrooper's helmet. He crumpled, giving her the precious seconds she needed to drag the boy behind her. Blaster fire erupted in the market.

"Move, kid!" she barked, shoving him down a narrow alley as troopers gave chase, their coms already squawking for reinforcements.

This was the last thing she needed. What she needed now, more than anything, was a way off this planet before anyone realized who she truly was, and why she had come here.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Lothal

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Tic

Ace had stopped off on Lothal to resupply and refuel. Ironic, since he was already on a supply run for the Path - for Snowpeak Sanctuary. To be specific. The Flickerfox was fast and stealthy enough, nor did she draw attention unlike any of the other starships in the Path.

Then there was Ace himself, officially he belonged to no one and served no one. Empire? The Sith? Wouldn't give him a second look. Which made him perfect for little runs like this.

Tic tooted something curiously, pointing out some repair parts at one of the vendors. Positioned snugly on Ace's shoulder, his head bowed in the direction of what he was referring to.

"So you've learned to backseat shop now, too?" he asked disapprovingly "Who's teaching you this stuff?"

The BD unit fired something back in Binary, something that made Ace roll his eyes. It seemed like the little droid was becoming more bold the more time they spent together.

"Essentials only, Tic."

Tic said something else, beeping almost frantically and bouncing in place as he said so.

"What're you talking about? The Flickerfox's--I did her maintenance last week." Ace argued.

He didn't both continuing, throwing his hands in the air and sighing. Ace wasn't about to entertain this. Simply, he nudged Tic with his shoulder, adjusted the straps of his pack and continued on his way through the Dinar market. Honestly, he didn't know what he was still doing here as he was pretty certain he had everything needed. Maybe it was just to kill time, or something else.

Then he heard it. Someone hollering about a Padawan... and bounties. Ace sighed and without hesitation, he turned around ready to engage and defend whoever'd just been outed. Only, he didn't need to. He watched as a woman had roundhouse kicked a Stormtrooper, clean on the helmet. Cracking it, even.

Then he watched as she dragged the kid away with other Stormtroopers in pursuit, lighting up the market in red.

Tic chirped sympathetically, but also with uncharacteristic determination. Eyes still on the commotion, the ashen haired rebel simply nodded before breaking off into a sprint after them. He followed them into the alley way they'd turned into, refusing to slow. His lightsaber was in his hand with a snap-hiss, blade catching the attention of the Stormtroopers pursuing the woman and the Padawan.

One of the bucketheads turned to adjust aim, but Ace was already inside his guard. His blade carved through the rifle, then cracked across the trooper's chest plate with the force of his shove. Another swung the butt of his weapon at Ace's head, he ducked low, swept his leg, and the man went down hard.

All the countless situations he'd found himself in recent months? They forced Ace to grow and advance much faster than someone with his level of training normally would.

Leaping over the squad of troopers, he landed in between the woman and Padawan, and their pursuers. Then it hit him, the woman behind him? The Force flowed through her, like it did both him and the Padawan. She held a fire within her but it was faint, tired even.

"You may as well use it if you got it. No point hiding." He said, indirectly referring to the woman as he stared down the Stormtroopers.

Katarine Ryiah

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

But it was long ago​

Tags: Acier Moonbound

Katarine yanked the boy into the narrow alley as crimson bolts of blaster fire scorched the walls behind them. She'd expected trouble, but not the sudden arrival of a young man who threw himself into the fight at her side. In the five years since her unthawing, she had pieced together the fractured state of the galaxy. The Jedi Order had risen after the Rebellion, even flourished for a time. So seeing another Jedi wasn't impossible. Still, it wasn't something she had dared to expect.

"You may as well use it if you've got it," he called over the hiss of blasterfire. "No point hiding."

So.. he could sense her. Her control over her Force signature had atrophied during centuries of stasis; hiding herself had become a lost discipline. For a heartbeat she considered running, her deep green eyes flicking toward the far end of the alley. Then upward to security cameras linning the rooftops like watchful eyes. The Empire would have her tagged and logged before the night was out. If she ignited her saber, there would be no pretending, no talking her way out of this.

Her thoughts darted to the orphanage. One child's face burned bright in her mind, her chest tightening with the weight of impending loss. The grief lasted only a breath. Another squad of stormtroopers rounded the corner, cutting off both exits.

"Stay down, kid!" she barked.

The boy dove behind a crate just as the sharp snap-hiss split the alley. Her ancient white blade ignited, its glow painting her features in pale fire before she fell into motion.

Then came the storm.

Her body remembered what her mind doubted. The lightsaber became an extension of her will, intercepting bolts in a seamless dance of defense and reprisal. She flowed through the troopers like a river through stone, graceful, relentless, disarming, cutting, silencing. Each movement was second nature, the choreography of decades past, carried out by a dancer who could never forget the steps.

The young man fought rough, but with surprising power. Between his raw talent and her precision, the squad faltered, then collapsed.

When the smoke cleared, she stood motionless in the fading hum of her saber, deep green eyes burning with fierce light. With a snap, she extinguished the blade. A flick of her hand ripped the security cameras from their perches; they crashed into the alley, sparking at her feet.

"We have to move."

Her voice was calm, but tight. If her new ally didn't have a plan, then they were nothing more than prey waiting for the next net to fall.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Lothal

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Tic

White fire cut through the smoke, painting the woman in a pale glow. She didn't fight like someone rediscovering an old skill but someone who'd never let it go. Every sweep of her blade was sharp, practiced, like memory turned into muscle.

A bolt hissed toward him and he snapped back into motion, deflecting it wide before barreling into the nearest trooper. Another fell when he shouldered him hard into the alley wall. It was enough to keep her flank clear, but he couldn't shake what he was seeing. The Force burned through her, steady but worn, like coals refusing to go dark. Fierce light in tired hands.

Blaster smoke still hung in the alley when Ace's blade hissed off. He blew out a short breath, eyes flicking to the sparking cameras she'd just torn down.

"Subtle." He muttered with a lopsided grin. "Guess low profile's really out the window now."

Then he jerked his chin toward the southern streets. Tic beeped once and projected a quick map overlay in faint blue light, the little droid's lens wobbling toward the southside docks.

"My ship's docked that way. Flickerfox. Fast enough to beat whatever they scramble, if we move now."

His dark eyes flicked toward the crates, he saw the boy's head peek out. Ace's palm lifted, fingers opening in a slow curl toward himself, the gesture patient but insistent. Once the boy had stepped away, he rushed toward Kat - hiding behind her.

Without waiting to askk if they were ready, Ace darted toward the alley exit. Sirens wailed somewhere deeper in the city, their echo bleeding into the market noise behind them. Tic clung to him as he cut left through a service lane, vaulted a low barrier, then skidded around another corner.

For a moment, the path opened - the faint gleam of the docks flickered ahead between stacks of shipping crates. They were almost there.

Then the ground shook. A repulsor whine split the air as an Imperial troop carrier roared into place at the far end of the street, floodlights snapping on in blinding beams. White armor spilled out in formation, rifles already rising.

Ace drew up short, breath catching as he snapped his lightsaber back to life. The blue glow licked against his face, sharp grin tugging even as tension coiled in his chest.

"Nothing's ever simple." he muttered, eyes cutting to Kat.

Tic scurried down to Ace's backpack, clinging to it as laster barrels leveled on them in unison. The first volley was about to fall.

Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

She was the queen of my nights
​

Tags: Acier Moonbound


They slipped out of the alley, and Katarine could only hope the shattered cameras would keep the Imperials from tracking which way they'd gone. She kept a firm grip on the boy's arm as they ran, his small legs struggling to keep pace. A sudden ache twisted her chest when she noticed the insignia on his tunic. the orphanage uniform. So he had no parents to search for him. At least there would be no accusations of kidnapping. Small mercies.

The docks loomed ahead, just as her mysterious ally had promised. A ship waited. Safety waited. Part of her wanted to turn away, to resist being drawn deeper into someone else's plan but there was no time for doubts. A troop transport screeched overhead, descending in a wash of dust and exhaust. The ramp dropped, and stormtroopers poured out, blasters raised.

Katarine's blade snapped to life, the ancient white glow casting firelight in her green eyes. She shoved the boy behind her with one hand, the other already moving in a blur, turning aside the hail of bolts that came screaming their way. Step by step she guided him backward, shielding him with every strike and parry. The enemy numbers swelled, more than they could hope to cut through. And if someone fell, she knew it would be the child. Not this time. Not on her watch.

"We need cover!" she shouted over the chaos. "A different way in!"

Her gaze flicked to her companion, searching his face for agreement, for any plan at all. Maybe they could smuggle the boy back to the orphanage before making a stand. Or maybe that was just her own wish, that this whole desperate flight hadn't already been for nothing.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Lothal

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Tic

Blasterfire lit the street in jagged flashes, forcing Ace to keep his guard tight as he moved shoulder-to-shoulder with her. He caught her shout through the chaos and for a second, his eyes cut to hers.

She looked fierce in the glow of her blade, but beneath it he felt that same weight he'd glimpsed before. Protective. Relentless. Carrying too much. The orphanage uniform on the boy's tunic hadn't escaped his notice either. That ache she was hiding? The Force practically sang with it.

"Working on it, yeah." He muttered, snapping his lightsaber up to catch a bolt before driving it back into a trooper's chestplate. "Keep the kid close, I'll--"

A shrill, urgent chirp cut him off. Tic scrambled up onto his shoulder, lens whirring as a small projector flared to life. In the haze of smoke and light, the droid painted a crude map against the wall. It was a maintenance tunnel hidden behind stacked cargo containers, running straight under the docks.

Ace's grin sharpened. "There's our cover." He batted another volley wide, then jerked his chin at his ally. "You heard him. Get the kid ready to move. I'll buy us the opening."

Blaster bolts carved the air as Tic darted ahead, his little frame weaving through rubble until he vanished behind the wall of cargo. The droid's projector flickered again, throwing a quick flash of light to mark the tunnel entrance.

A sergeant's voice cut sharp through the comm-chatter of the squad.

::Two Jedi confirmed. Repeat, two Jedi in sector. Initiate special containment protocols.::

The troopers' formation shifted instantly, tighter, rifles lifting in perfect unison. Two of them broke off, dragging a heavy power pack into place. The rising whine of an E-Web cannon filled the street, its barrels swinging toward the stacked crates hiding their escape.

Ace's grin thinned as he watched the cannon charge.

Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

There in the darkness with the radio playing low, and​

Tags: Acier Moonbound


The droid had a plan.

If they could just make it to the hatch, they'd have enough cover to reach the docks. Without hesitation, the droid darted toward a stack of crates, leading the way with surprising urgency.

Katarine followed, one hand gripping the terrified child, the other deflecting blaster bolts with precise sweeps of her lightsaber. The situation was chaotic but still under control.

Until they brought out the cannon.

"Take him and go!" she shouted.

Without waiting, she flung the child toward the young man who'd emerged from the shadows to help them. The boy screamed, stumbling as he collided with Acier's legs, clinging to him in panic.

Katarine exhaled slowly, her deep green eyes closing as she raised her hand.

Everything seemed to slow.

The stormtroopers hesitated, not in fear, but in awe. Even those without Force sensitivity could feel it: the air charged with something immense, ancient, and alive.

Her face tightened in focused concentration. Energy surged to her fingertips, and with a sudden, fluid motion, she released it all at once.

The cannon lifted clean off the ground but it wasn't alone. The entire front line of stormtroopers rose into the air, limbs flailing in stunned silence. For one breathless second, they hovered, suspended in the invisible grip of the Force.

Then Katarine opened her eyes.

A ripple of raw energy burst outward. The soldiers were hurled backward like rag dolls, slamming into those behind them. The cannon discharged as it spun, unleashing a blast that kicked up a storm of dust and debris, cloaking the corridor in a choking fog.

If everything went right, the blast would buy them the seconds they needed, enough for Acier and the boy to reach the tunnel.

And Katarine would be right behind them.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Lothal

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Tic

The boy hit Ace's legs hard, small fingers knotting into his pack straps as he clung on. Ace steadied him with one arm, lightsaber still seering in the other, eyes cutting to the Jedi just as the Force shifted.

It wasn't just power. It was weight. The kind that pressed against his chest, made the hairs on his arms rise. He'd felt the Force surge before - but this was something older, something vast.

"Kark…" he muttered under his breath, the grin slipping away as he watched her lift an entire line of troopers like they were nothing.

Then the world cracked. Dust and debris swallowed the street in a choking wave, the cannon's wild discharge rattling his bones. Ace dragged the boy against his chest and dropped low, sprinting blind for the crates where Tic's beacon still flickered through the haze.

"Hold on!" he barked, skidding across duracrete as the tunnel hatch loomed.

Ace threw his shoulder into the metal, praying it would give... but it barely rattled, locked tight. He hissed in frustration, setting the boy down and wrenching at the handle. Blasterfire cracked somewhere in the fog behind them. But Tic was already on it, the little droid bounded up the crate stack, plugging a tool into the hatch's access panel with a burst of Binary chatter. Sparks spat, the lock coughed once and then the hatch groaned open.

Ace exhaled sharply, relief flooding in as he bundled the boy forward. "Go, kid. Down the tunnel."

The boy hesitated, wide-eyed, but Tic gave a sharp whistle and nudged him inside. Ace lingered at the threshold, lightsaber raised, the dust swirling with red flashes from scattered bolts.

The Jedi was already behind them. Good. Ducking into the hatch the metal groaned as Tic slammed it shut behind them. The blasterfire dulled at once, replaced by the echo of their boots on duracrete and the hiss of stale air.

The tunnel was narrow, lined with pipes and dripping condensation, the glow of Ace's lightsaber cast jagged shadows along the walls. The boy clung close to his side, still trembling, but alive.

For the first time since the chase began, the noise above faded. But the relief was fleeting. If the Imps had tagged them as Jedi, the entire sector would already be locking down. This wasn't escape, it was a head start.

Ace blew out a breath, running his hand back through sweat-damp dreadlocks. "Alright. We've got a few minutes' grace, maybe less. Flickerfox is southside. If this tunnel spits us out near the docks…" His eyes flicked between Kat and the boy, grim determination settling into his jaw. "We run for it. No second chances."

Katarine Ryiah ​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

And the secrets that we shared​

Tags: Acier Moonbound


In the dust and chaos that followed they were able to make it through the hatch and into a momentary reprieve. She knew the stormtroopers above would be searching quickly however. Her little stunt had likely landed her face all over the holo. With a pang she thought of the orphanage and the impossibility of visiting now. They had to leave and she wouldn’t be able to come back for some time.

"We run for it. No second chances."

The little boy nodded, still trembling. Katarine hated what she had mixed him up in, but there was no fixing it now. They kept moving south through the tunnel. When they saw the light flickering above and the ships she breathed a sigh of relief. They were where they needed to be.

She turned to the white haired young man, her deep green eyes steady despite what they were about to attempt.

“Thank you. We would both be goners without you.”

She hopped it didn’t sound like a bad omen but she would rather say this now… just in case.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Lothal

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Tic

Ace blinked at her words, caught off guard by the steadiness in her voice. Gratitude wasn't something he heard often. Even now, the words continued to strike him. For a moment, he just stood there, lightsaber still humming faintly at his hip.

"Don't thank me yet." he muttered "We're not clear till we're off-world."

Tic chirped smugly from his perch on Ace's pack, lens flickering in a jittery blink that was just shy of a bow. Ace rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, you helped too."

He slowed as the tunnel bent upward, light bleeding down through a grating above. With a grunt, he climbed the last few rungs of the access ladder and pressed his shoulder to the hatch. It creaked open and the docks sprawled before them.

Rows of cargo haulers, transport shuttles, and freighters, floodlights casting long white beams across the duracrete. And there, snugged between two heavy lifters, was the Flickerfox. Charcoal hull streaked with red, cockpit lights already glowing like a beacon.

Ace exhaled through his nose, the tightness in his chest loosening just a fraction. "There she is. Told you we'd make it."

The relief lasted only a breath before he spotted movement on the far side of the platform, stormtroopers fanning out between stacks of cargo, sweeping their way.

He looked back at Kat, jaw set, dark eyes alive with resolve. He didn't say anything - his look was enough. We run. Now.

Tic scurried on to Ace as he broke off into sprint, leading the way to his freighter. A bolt slammed into the ground just ahead of them, spraying sparks., Ace angled his lightsaber ready to defend himself and the others The freighter's boarding ramp began to lower, hydraulics groaning. For a fleeting second, salvation hung wide open.

Then a piercing siren split the air, and floodlights swung to bathe the Flickerfox in blinding white.

Katarine Ryiah​

 

[Katarine Ryiah]

The mountains that we moved​

Tags: Acier Moonbound


His look told them all it was time to move. Katarine hoisted the little boy up out of the tunnel and then they all took off for a run. Blaster bolts lit the air. Two lightsabers sprang to life as Kat and Acier deflected the bolts, seconds before an ear splintering siren sounded and flood lights lit up the area around the ship. Katarine clasped the young boy tightly against her, pushing him forward and deflecting bolts away from his tiny body.

They ran through the chaos, every step uncertain, every sense heightened as they tried to close the distance between them and the ship. Their exit was in sight and it looked like they were going to make it through the craziness. The ramp started to lower as their legs pounded forward, but the Force screamed a warning suddenly. Katarine pivoted just in time to see a man dressed entirely in black ignite a red lightsaber. That wasn't a good sign, but there was no time to wonder who the frak this new entry was. His intent was clear and that's all they needed to know.

"Get him in the air! I'll catch up!"

The boy ran forward, clinging to Acier once more. A second latter Her white blade was dancing against red, both parties moving so quickly they were a blur. The storm troopers were still shooting at Acier and the child, but hopefully he could make it to the ship and get them airborne. Kat would hold off the unknown darksider for as long as possible and jump for it.

If that didn't work out... they were all cooked.

 

[Acier Moonbound]

Location: Lothal

Equipment:
Training Jumpsuit | Lightsaber | Modified DL-27 | Tic

The red blade hissed to life and for a heartbeat Ace's chest tightened. It dragged him back to Kattada - the stench of ash, howl of combat, and Darth Hydra's dual-lightsaber carving arcs of crimson through the destruction. He'd survived their encounter but the memory still burned, but so did the lesson.

Now another stood in his way. Another chance. His grip shifted on the hilt, shoulders squaring, blood hot with the urge to test himself. Then her voice cut sharp through the chaos. "Get him in the air! I'll catch up!"

The Jedi. He blinked, dragging in a hard breath, gaze snapping to the boy trembling against him. Every instinct screamed to turn, to throw himself into the clash of white and red, but he remembered what he'd seen in her already. The way she had lifted a cannon and a line of troopers like they were nothing. The fire that still lived in her, fierce even through the weight she carried. She could hold her own.

Resolve snapped into place. He hoisted the boy up, carrying him with one arm, lightsaber flaring to swat a bolt aside as he broke into a sprint for the ramp. Tic zipped ahead with a shrill burst of Binary, his lens flickering like a beacon as he scrambled for the cockpit.

"Strap in!" Ace barked, setting the kid down into the first crash seat he could find.

The boy's eyes were wide, terrified, but he obeyed, fumbling with the harness as Tic fussed over the buckles with twitchy precision. Ace sprinted forward, fingers skimming the bulkheads as he hit the cockpit and dropped into the pilot's chair. The controls hummed to life beneath his hands, familiar as his own heartbeat.

"C'mon, girl." He muttered, flipping switches in a blur.

The engines roared awake, vibration rolling through the deck. Outside, blasterfire pinged off the hull, floodlights drowning the ship in harsh beams. The ramp was still down - he left it that way, eyes flicking once toward the feed on his console that showed the dock.

The Flickerfox lifted in a shudder, repulsors whining as she tore free of the pad. Troopers scattered beneath, rifles tracking, but Ace wrenched the yoke to throw the freighter sideways, her belly armor catching the worst of it.

"Ramp stays down till she's on." He snapped, though Tic wasn't arguing. The little droid clung to the console with a defiant squeal.

The ship climbed, ramp yawning open to the chaos below. Ace's jaw clenched, knuckles white on the controls, eyes fixed on the image of the Jedi. All she needed to do now was get on board and they were home free.

Katarine Ryiah​