Star Wars: Ahsoka

MIARA WENT OVER the circuitry as carefully as their current predicament allowed. Generally speaking, it was not a good idea to rush explosives. Plus, she needed these ones to blow discreetly. It wouldn’t do them any good to blast the hillside, only to have whatever was out there follow the explosion back to its source. She kept her head clear and calm and worked with steady hands. Beside her, Kolvin was not so patient.

“Will you stop that,” she said, when his fidgeting got to be too much for her slowly fraying nerves.

“It’s getting closer, Miara,” Kolvin said.

“I know that, you idiot,” she said. “But if I rush now, I might blow you up instead.”

“Right,” said Kolvin. “Sorry.”

“Just go stand somewhere else, would you?” she requested. “You’re blocking my light.”

He gave her some space, and she went back to work. Just another couple of switches and she’d be ready to go. Fortunately, when she’d first rigged this, she had anticipated a stealth blast would be necessary. Everything was already in place. She just needed to lay the final ignition sequence.

“Okay, Kolvin, back into the tunnel,” she said, closing up the final circuit board.

“You’re really going to blow me up?” he asked, but he was already moving.

“No,” she said. “Though it’s tempting. It’s going to get dusty in here, that’s all. Most of this blast is directed downward.”

Kolvin crawled into the tunnel and she followed him. When they were both entirely covered by the lower ceiling, she hit the detonator. There was a quiet rumble beneath them and a louder clamor behind them as the rocks fell inward. They both started coughing.

“Go,” she said, sputtering. It was going to take her weeks to get the taste of the smoky crap out of her mouth.

Kolvin went, and she followed. A few seconds later, they emerged into the main cavern. Kaeden was still playing crokin with poor Neera, but she got up and walked over as soon as she saw Miara, and started dusting off her sister’s back and shoulders as well as she could with one arm.

“Hey, hey, cut it out,” Miara said, though to be honest, it felt nice to know that Kaeden was watching out for her.

“I’m sorry,” Kaeden said. “I just really hate all this waiting, even when we’re not split up.”

“I know,” Miara said.

They had never spoken about it, but the night and day Miara had spent waiting for Kaeden to come back after the raid was the worst time of Miara’s life. Even though she’d known, logically, that Kaeden wouldn’t be able to return until it got dark, every minute of daylight seemed to taunt her. When she’d heard Ahsoka’s ship take off, she’d almost given up and run out onto the hillside, screaming like Neera. Kolvin had practically sat on her chest until she’d calmed down. When Kaeden had finally arrived, her hair a mess and her poor arm trailing uselessly at her side, it was hours before Miara was willing to leave her.

“I hope Ahsoka does come back,” Miara said. “I mean, obviously I’d like her to rescue us again, but more important, I want to tell her that I’m sorry.”

“You have strange priorities, little sister,” Kaeden said. “But I guess I already got to apologize.”

“Yeah,” Miara said. “I don’t really blame her for anything that happened. I know she helped us as much as she could.”

They didn’t talk about the others, about Vartan and Selda, or any of the rest of the farmers who hadn’t been part of the raid. Not knowing was bad, but speculating would only make it worse.

They waited.

Neera lost interest in the crokin board and started pacing in a corner, muttering under her breath. Kolvin went off to check on the vaporator, which had been making strange noises for a few days. The rest of the insurgents checked their weapons, even though nothing had changed since the last time they used them. Anything to keep distracted while they waited to see if the mysterious creature would find them.

Then, from outside the cave, there came a very loud voice.

“Kaeden Larte! I know you are in there.”

Kaeden started, jerking her arm painfully. Miara’s eyes widened, and everyone in the cave, even Neera, froze.

“Come out, Kaeden Larte,” the shouting continued. “Surrender or I will collapse your little hiding spot, and your sister and your friends will die gasping for air.”

Kaeden was on her feet before Miara could stop her.

“What are you doing?” Miara said. “You can’t just go out there.”

“I can’t stay here, either!” Kaeden said. “We knew they’d get us somehow, and we knew they wouldn’t fight fair when they did. I’m just the name they know, that’s all.”

“He might blow us all up anyway.” Neera materialized next to them, her face completely still and her blue eyes focused in a way they hadn’t been since her brother died.

“Ahsoka picked the escape doors because they have lines of sight with each other,” Kaeden reminded her sister. “I’ll go out the smallest one, and you can keep watch from the others. Maybe you’ll get a clean shot.”

“If he didn’t bring any friends,” Kolvin said.

“Kaeden Larte,” came the voice again. “I grow tired of waiting.”