Beginning of the Empire

[Writer]

"It may be the only way off," Caitlin insisted. She pushed forward, making sure she never lost sight of the pirates. Erica followed her, not out of choice, but out of loyalty and trust.

[Curt-Man]

Karten had them now, he was but 15 meters away, soon he'd get the blasted jedi.

[Writer]

((Weiderudare, are you still there? I'm assuming Zamar's still with my characters.))

 

 

Erica, Caitlin, and Zamar were soon within visual range of the pirate camp. Caitlin paused and looked over at Erica. Both women unleashed the power of the Force to make it sound as if something large were crashing through the forest. The pirates jumped up in alarm and ran the opposite direction. When they did this, Caitlin leapt forward into the large clearing. Erica also ran forward, tugging on Zamar's hand to get him to join them. None of the pirates saw them.

[weiderudare]

((((Still here..Kinda))))

Zamar followed the two Jedi, not commenting the use of their Force powers.

[Curt-Man]

When Karten saw the jedi run and he heared the beast he also broke into a run after them, he drew his vibroblade.

[Writer]

Caitlin slowed just a little, realizing that they were being chased. Erica realized it also and tugged at Caitlin's hand. The Jedi were sent into an urgent state that Jedi tend to do when they're being chased. Using the Force to run faster, they dragged Zamar behind them.

 

"Sorry," Erica muttered to him as they ran. "We've got to get out of here!"

 

They reached a ship and boarded. The ramp closed and Erica rushed to the controls. "Just give me a minute. I'll figure the controls out in at least that."

 

She bent over them, studying them and pressing the occasional one. Lights came on and sheilds shortly thereafter. One press of a button sent an ion bolt streaming across the clearing. Erica looked up, smiling in a sort of embarrassed way.

 

"Oops," she said. Then, she bent over the controls agian...

[weiderudare]

Zamar looked around in confusion before he suddenly found himself on the ground, having hit a part of the ship the Jedi had boarded.

Scrambling himself from the ground, he made his way into the ship, holding his bleeding nose.

When blaster-fire was heard, he simply grunted at the Jedi.

"I don't know if you are the worst companions I have ever met, or the best ones..."

[Curt-Man]

Karten ran around the opening to another ship, he got in and severed the heads of everyone in there, then went to the cockpit and started up the ship.

[Writer]

"We hope to prove ourselves as the best," Erica mumbled as she continued to busy herself with the controls. Suddenly, the ship lifted off the ground and Erica's face lit up.

 

"Good!" she said. "Now about the other controls..."

 

Caitlin turned to Zamar. "You'd best get strapped in. When she figures the controls out, you have the potential of more than a bloody nose."

 

With this said, she reached out and touched his nose lightly, using the Force to stop the blood flow and repair the damage. Then, she sat down and strapped herself in.

 

Meanwhile, Erica happened to glance up and notice Karten enter another ship. Caitlin saw that Erica had stopped working and asked what was the matter.

 

"You were right," Erica said, redoubling her efforts at the ship's controls. We're being followed."

 

"I suspected as much," Caitlin sighed. "When we reach space, make the jump for Coruscant. Prepare the nav computer for the jump now. When I tell you to pull out, set a course for Bakura."

 

"Got it!" Erica exclaimed as the ship lurched forward and upward.

[Curt-Man]

Karten pulled the ship out perfectly and fired what he could from the pilots seat at them, for he saw which ship they entered. He also activated the droid for his ship.

"follow this ship now, i'm sending you their position" he commonly used this tactic to follow any ship, he would go to where his nav computer told him where they were going where as his other ship could read hyperspace routes perfectly.

[weiderudare]

Zamar hurridly strapped himself in, slightly confused over all the names and turns they did.

"Isn't it just best if we stop and kill whoever follows us?"

[Writer]

"No," Caitlin answered. "And there are two reasons. One, it's the same guy who nearly killed Erica back on Naboo. Two, by tracking us this far, he's proven he's more dangerous than I originally anticipated."

 

She sighed. "When we reach Bakura, set a course for the Watchtower."

 

"Are you sure we want to drag her back into this?" Erica asked quickly. Caitlin nodded. Erica noticed Zamar's puzzled face and explained.

 

"You'll not find the Watchtower on any planetary lists," she said. "It's hardly to be called a system. Just a single planet orbiting a single star. We know somebody there. If anybody can help us go successfully into hiding, she'll be the one."

 

"There's only one question that remains," Caitlin said. "That is, will she be willing to help?"

 

Erica shuddered and sent the ship into hyperspace toward Coruscant.

[Curt-Man]

Karten went into hyperspace towards coruscant, as did his personal ship.

[Writer]

Halfway to Coruscant, Erica pulled the ship out of hyperspace and headed to Bakura.

[Curt-Man]

Karten was on his way to Coruscant when his dorid told him we was now headed for Bakura.

"sneaky little jedi, alright follow them and wait for me to get there." Karten pulled the ship out fo hyperspace and then set a new course for Bakura, he'd get there a while after the jedi since this was not the best ship he could have chosen.

[Writer]

The Jedi came out of hyperspace and landed on Bakura. They decided it was time to change their appearances again and encouraged Zamar to do the same.

[Curt-Man]

Karten met up with his ship in orbit and boarded it, then blew up the ship he was in. Then he headed down the planet using the same path the jedi did. He did have the best ship in the galaxy.

[Writer]

Caitlin decided it was time to change dramatically. She altered her hair color, fading the black she had made it first to gray and cutting it off at her chin. Erica's hair faded from dark brown to a sandy brownish-red. Caitlin's eyes became a steel-blue and Erica's were changed to hazel. They'd bought clothes earlier and now changed into them.

 

When they took to the street again, Caitlin was an old woman who leaned on her daughter, Erica for support. This drastically changed the way they walked and they got Zamar to support her other side. This way, none of them walked even remotely the same way as they had.

 

They approached a ship whose owner stood nearby. He looked in disgust at them, but Erica flashed him an innocent smile and his face softened slightly.

 

"If you please, sir," she said, thickening her Coruscanti accent into the drawl of a homeless wanderer. "My mother is dying and..." Here, Caitlin threw herself into a coughing fit and fell to the ground. "... and she wants to see Coruscant one last time. It's where she was born, you see."

 

"I see," the man said. "But there's a problem. I'm going the opposite way... to a planet you've most likely not heard of."

 

In the feeble voice of an old woman, Caitlin said, "A planet looking at and beyond the borders of the galaxy, perhaps?"

 

"In a place so far removed that it is found only by accident," the man answered, a peculiar smile crossing his face. Caitlin grinned and Erica helped her move forward a little.

 

"The home of a great warrior," she said. The man nodded.

 

"A great warrior in hiding," he agreed. Caitlin sighed and leaned heavily against her two supporters. Then, the man motioned for them to enter his ship and he followed them in.

 

"Drop your disguised accents," he said once the ship was entirely sealed. "I know you both lived on Coruscant for most if not all of your lives."

 

"True," Caitlin answered, her voice strong once more. "To whom to I have the pleasure of speaking?"

 

"My name is Shaam," the man answered. "I have been a close friend of your great warrior for nearly twenty years."

 

"I am Caitlin Bryce," Caitlin told him. "Your friend trained me and I am training this girl, Erica West. The man is Zamar, our companion now for a month or so."

 

"Riebe does not often welcome visitors," Shaam said. "But I do not doubt that she will see you."

 

He moved to the controls of his ship and lifted off. What the Jedi didn't realize is that, though their appearances had been modified drastically, Karten's probes had still found them and had recorded the entire conversation. One of them also monitored the hyperspace coordinates programmed into Shaam's ship.

 

((A little character control is necessary, Curt... don't worry I'm not digging into Karten's feelings... just telling what he sees.))

 

The probe returned to Karten and delivered the hyperspace coordinates. Karten brought up a galactic map to learn where they were headed. It was a rather strange thing.

 

The coordinates signified nothing on the map. That portion of the map was empty space.

[weiderudare]

"So this is another Jedi?"

Zamar scratched his head at the whole thing, and then shrugged before sitting down.

"Where are we even going? From the start that is..."

[Writer]

"No," Caitlin answered. "The woman we go to see is not a Jedi... she's much more powerful in her own way..."

 

"On my home planet, we used to call her the Phantom Jedi," Shaam said. "That was only before we learned what she really is..."

 

"I don't think I've heard that story," Erica said. Caitlin sighed and shook her head. Shaam turned in his chair to stare directly into Erica's eyes.

 

"Oh, you wouldn't unless Riebe told you herself," he said. "And she doesn't do that much... don't count on learning her past."

 

"I'm used to disappointment by now," Erica muttered.

[Curt-Man]

"Empty space? interesting...They must have a space station there." Karten said as he jumped inot hyperspace after them.