Private The Silence of Brindle's Reach

[Talia Larkin Swift]

"I'm aware you're not food," Talia answered, even though Kade had clearly intended the declaration for more than just her benefit. "Unfortunately, I don't think anyone consulted them." His immediate objection to her assessment of the retreating creature earned him the faintest smile, even with the floor continuing to tremble beneath them. "Fine. Better informed than us. Is that sufficiently protective of your reputation?" She didn't wait for an answer. His tone changed, and so did hers when he asked for a path out. Talia looked toward the doorway, measuring the distance and everything between them. "I can."

She didn't immediately run. Instead, Talia shifted her stance and brought her sea-green blade around, using its reach to claim the space between them and the exit while keeping herself close enough to Kade that neither creature could easily slip between them. She wasn't interested in killing anything that was already trying to withdraw. She only needed it to understand that the route she was taking wasn't available for contest. "I'm moving," she warned Kade, edging toward the doorway rather than sprinting, trusting him to move with her until there was enough distance for her to break toward it. The floor rolled beneath her again, harder this time, and something crashed from the shelving behind them. Whatever was happening was escalating quickly.

Talia reached the doorway and stepped through, immediately turning to cover Kade's retreat rather than continuing without him. Only then did the open air give her a clearer sense of what was happening beyond the warehouse. Her attention went instinctively toward the coastline, following the same direction the watching creature had looked. Something was wrong with the water. The shoreline seemed to be retreating, exposing ground that should have been submerged. For half a second, her mind tried to fit the sight into something harmless. Then years spent studying worlds, settlements, and the ways geography shaped them supplied an explanation she desperately didn't want.

"Kade!" Whatever humor remained disappeared from her voice. "Forget the warehouse. We need high ground. Now." Talia looked inland, searching for the highest terrain she could identify rather than merely the tallest nearby structure. "The water's pulling back. If that quake was under the ocean..." She didn't need to finish. A tsunami would turn the entire coastal settlement into a killing ground, and hiding inside a warehouse would accomplish nothing except trap them beneath debris when the water arrived.

She backed farther from the doorway while keeping her saber raised to give Kade a clear corridor toward her. "I'm not leaving without you, so don't make me come back in there." It was perhaps the only warning likely to work on him. Her eyes flicked between Kade and the route inland, already plotting the fastest way upward. Whatever those creatures intended to do was suddenly secondary. They had known enough to react before the Jedi had, and Talia had no intention of ignoring the same warning twice. "Once you're through, we run. No stopping, no chasing anything, and absolutely no arguments about which one of us is smarter until we're somewhere the ocean can't reach."

Kadeon Virell

 

[Kadeon Virell]

Objective: Survival
Location: Brindle Reach settlement
Outfit: Combat Ready
Equipment: Double-bladed lightsaber - Twin Verdict
Tag: Talia Larkin Swift

Kade answered the observation about the creatures not consulting anyone regarding his status as food with a low grunt. That sounded like their problem. His mood improved considerably when Talia amended her assessment. Better informed. Not smarter. There was an important distinction there. "That's—"

I can. Kade's mouth closed. Fine. Reputation successfully defended. They had more pressing concerns. His jaw tightened as he turned his full attention back toward the creatures. Both hands settled firmly around Twin Verdict, the twin green blades casting shifting light across the room as another tremor traveled beneath his boots.

He expected Talia to move. She didn't. Not immediately. Instead she prepared. Good. Kade didn't need to look behind him to understand what she was doing. He felt her position relative to his own and watched the space ahead while she created the opening they needed. Then came the warning. I'm moving.

Kade drew a slow breath. Talia stepped. One heartbeat later, Kade followed. Not rushing. Not turning his back. He retreated one controlled step at a time, Twin Verdict moving continuously before him. One blade guarded high while the other swept low, constantly presenting the creatures with a barrier they would have to cross if they wanted to follow.

Talia moved. Kade moved. Always about a second behind. Another breath. Another step. One of the creatures shifted. Twin Verdict immediately rotated toward it. "Don't." Whether it understood him was irrelevant. The lightsaber translated well enough. Kade was only delayed a few seconds.

Another tremor rolled through the warehouse. Harder. Something crashed behind the shelves. Kade ignored it. Whatever was happening beneath them was rapidly becoming a larger concern, but guessing wouldn't help. He had one job right now. Get out.

Talia could worry about everything else. She was better at that anyway. Kade felt her pass through the doorway. He continued backward. Then he sensed her stop. His brow furrowed. She hadn't run. She was covering him.

Despite himself, the corner of Kade's mouth twitched upward. Of course she was. Then Talia shouted his name. High ground. The ocean. The water was pulling back. Kade couldn't see much of the coastline from his position, but he could feel the sudden urgency from Talia. Her thoughts weren't something he could simply read, but the direction of her attention was unmistakable.

The settlement. The coastline. The shaking ground. Kade wasn't particularly interested in working out the geology. That was “The Brain's” department. He kept his attention on the warehouse. The creatures had reacted before they had. If they were smart enough to recognize the danger, they might follow the Jedi outside. Or they might already have another escape. Either way, Kade wasn't giving them his back until he absolutely had to.

Then Talia threatened to come back inside after him. Kade's head snapped slightly toward the doorway. "Oh, absolutely not." One final sweep of Twin Verdict forced space between himself and the nearest creature. Then he moved. Fast. Kade spun through the doorway and broke into the open air. "Nobody saves Kadeon Virell." He extinguished Twin Verdict as he reached Talia, freeing one hand. "Terrible for the legend."

His hand caught hers. Not to drag her. Not because she needed help keeping up. It was simply the clearest message he could give her without wasting another second. Now. Kade accelerated into a sprint. For several strides they ran together, his hand around hers as they put distance between themselves and the warehouse. Then he released her.

Behind them could be three alien hunters. Ahead of them could be a tsunami. Somehow this mission had escalated considerably beyond investigating a missing colony. Kade glanced toward the shoreline as they ran. The retreating water finally made everything Talia had said click into place. "Oh." That was bad.

His eyes swept inland. Buildings weren't good enough. They needed actual elevation. There. At the edge of the settlement, the ground rose above the surrounding terrain. Not much. Yet. Kade angled toward it immediately.

"That way!" He pointed toward the rise without slowing. "Please turn into a hill." The ground trembled beneath his boots again. Kade ran harder. "And preferably a very tall one!"

For once, he wasn't interested in fighting anything. He wasn't interested in solving the mystery. He wasn't even particularly interested in proving he was right. There would be plenty of time for all three once the ocean stopped trying to kill them. Although one matter remained settled. The alien had been better informed. Not smarter. Kade would make sure Talia remembered that distinction when they reached the top.


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