BALANCE | A Star Wars story

XXIV

     The lobby of Cupola is a grand one.

     It resembles that of a 5 star hotel back in the nicer parts of Coruscant. A large glass chandelier hangs from the ceiling casting the room in a sunset lighting and plush sofas are dotted about. A large desk is at the back of the room with two large black doors to its left and right. Behind the desk a man stands his white Chiss uniform is pristine and he stands up straight like a soldier. Apart from him the lobby is empty.

     I follow the woman to the desk and two guards drop back and stand by the door that we entered.

     "I need to use integration room one." Wow the Chiss do not like visitors.

"Bah vuct'san'antah ren'musen'i" the clerk says and I'm glad I manage to understand some of it, Cheunh is a difficult language to learn and my weakest one.

The clerk grabs some keys from under his desk and moves to open the black door on the left. It swings open and leads to some dark stairs.

"Come," the woman says impatiently storming down the stairs, two guards stand by the door and the last one follows me into the dark.

Thankfully it's only a few stairs and once I'm at the bottom there is a small desk with two chairs either side. The woman has seated herself in one and I take the one opposite.

The room is pitch black apart from a large overhead light and I am really regretting my decision to come here.

"I am Crahsystor Zeza'zosu'krarmu," the woman says. "Zosu is my given name but if you need to refer to me it's Crahsystor."

"I— okay," I say a little bewildered. "Erm my names Erin," I say hesitantly.

"Well now that introductions are out the way, what are you doing here?" Zosu is straight to the point, my rattled brain can barely keep up.

"Well I'm on my way to a planet quite far away and I needed to stop somewhere to pick up some provisions for my journey. It just so happened that Csilla was the closest planet to me, it was purely coincidental that I came here I promise." I say trying to explain the situation without giving away too many details.

      "And what planet have you come from? There's not many about here in the Unknown Regions." Her tone sounds accusatory, like she knows something but wants me to admit it.

     My heart rate increases slightly but I use the force to drop it back down again before answering the question.

     "Sarvchi" I think of the first planet I can in the Chiss Ascendancy. "I was visiting learning about the history of Csilla to expand my knowledge of the Chiss when my ship broke and I found a TIE interceptor, it's only when I had left Sarvchi that I realised I had no hyperdrive to get back to Coruscant and stopped here to see if you could offer me help." I say talking out of my arse, stringing along the lie as I go.

     "Don't lie to me, I can tell." She says her tone hardening more if possible.

     "It's true," I insist.

     "So why is your heart rate increasing wildly?" I stop and take a breath, she's right I let my focus slip and my heart rate began increasing again. I clear my head and try to connect to the force, I slow my heart rate and ground myself like Master Nilim taught me to do whenever I'm in stressful situations.

     "I don't know what your talking about" I say flatly.

     "You came here from Iokath, home of the Church of the Sith," she states and I look at her in shock. "You're here to spy on us, to try and convert some of us to your sickening religion and I won't have it."

      "What? No! I came from Iokath yes but I'm a Jedi! I want nothing to do with the Sith!" I plead desperately, gods if Master Nilim could see me now he'd be so disappointed. He was always good at negotiating, I should be better, more like him.

     "I've heard enough! Guards!" Two guards burst into the room and walk over and grab my arms tugging me out of my chair.

     Desperately I struggle against them before remembering what Master Nilim once told me long ago.

     Relax padawan, take a deep breath and the force will guide you to your freedom.

     He said that when we were sparring at the temple, I was trapped in a corner and my Cleithrophobia kicked in. I began to panic until I stopped and sent away my fear into the force, in return the force guided my movements to escape.

     Now I do the same thing, I feel their hands tugging and pulling, dragging me out the room but I close my eyes and reach out to the force.

      I call for it to guide me once again, to send one guard crashing to the floor and the other to bash his head into the wall. I feel their hands drop off me, the two guards on the floor their faces covered in mahogany blood. A sick sense of achievement rushes through me. I did that.

     I look at the woman and tilt my head slightly at her as she stands with her gun pointed at me, her hand quivering slightly.

     I feel the force flow around me, whispering into my ear about all the horrid things I could do to her if only I opened the door. I smirk, and reach out and twist my hand slightly.

     There is a loud crack as her nose breaks and immediately blood swirls down coating her face. She yells out in pain and drops the gun, I take the opportunity to go over and take my lightsaber of her belt.

     "I'm going to go now," I say leaning over her cowering figure "and your not going to tell anyone, your going to let me go without a word about what just happened."

     She nods her head fervently and I turn and walk out the room her soft sobs echoing in the background.