Turning Point

Chapter Twenty Nine

I jump to my feet as I hear Crys of horror and fear in the street below. Taking advantage of the thick dust, I launch myself of the roof and back down the side street. I grab my lightsaber and sneak unseen even further away from the market place. No need to injure innocents.

As I secure my hood, I realise I'm covered in a yellowish dust. Clouds of it follow me as I run towards the direction of where the shots came from. I hope the person after me doesn't see the trial I've left.

I clatter of tiles falling onto the alleyway ahead of me draws me to a stop. Glancing around, I find a doorway, and immediately use the small archway as cover. Using the force, I do my best to find their identity. I close my eyes.

Manderlorian armour, speeders, running, chasing, shooting. A lightsaber swinging from a belt. Pain. Unknown.

Images, or memories slide into my mind, telling me what I need to know. The shots fired at me and me only. This woman is after me. But I have no idea why.

I glance out from my cover. Shattered tiles from a roof lie beyond repair in the middle of the alleyway. Someone is on the rooftops. And they're looking for me.

I dart out, and fly up into the air gracefully, landing noiselessly on the roof of a house. I tiptoe to the chimney, crouching behind it. The woman doesn't know where I am, and I'm going to use that to my advantage. Widening my senses, I scan nearby.

I sense her nearby. Exactly two and a half roof tops away. My only problem with this is the angle of the rooftops. Slanted, two sided, and tiled rooftops will be awkward to travel across. Not to mention, loose tiles will definitely create a din. But, I can cheat.

Swinging myself onto the other side of the chimney, I prepare to jump. Thankfully the woman is crouched, looking in the street below. I leap up into the air, flipping around and landing behind the chimney on the next house. I wait to see if she's noticed.

After, I'm sure it's clear, I awkwardly jump again, landing on the same roof as her, but behind the chimney. Suddenly the tile beneath my foot flys free, whisking down the slope and into the street. I grab hold of the ledge of the chimney as the unidentified woman swings around. I hold my breath as she stands up straight, looking around. Moving as quietly as possible, I move back behind the chimney out of sight. That was too close.

Closing my eyes so I can concentrate better, I reach out my hand and use the force to break away a tile from another roof, behind her. It drips with a loud bang, and the Manderlorian lady swings around.

It's now or never.

I jump into action, activating my green saber as I do so. When I land, I flick the blade upwards, so it balances perfectly at the back of her throat.

"Drop your weapons and surrender!" I demand loudly. She spins around in shock, stepping on a lose tile, and her feet come out from beneath her as she plummets to the ground. From a three story building.

Without a second thought, I swing my weapon back onto my belt, and lunge forward, grabbing her hand as she plummets downwards. I hook my foot around the edge of the chimney, to stop myself joining her. But in doing the lunge, and balancing on one leg, with her added weight, I find myself lying on the roof, pain shooting up my left arm. Again.

I look down at her awkwardly. I can sense fear and panic radiating from her, and I can't do anything to help her. I have one free foot, which isn't actually that free because, I'm using it as backup for my first foot.

"Swing up... Your...free...hand," I grunt, trying to ignore the pain from my arm. She looks down at the floor as if looking for an alternative. There isn't one. She looks back up. Then, she sneaks her hand to her belt, unclips a blaster and points it at my face. Only then do I notice the lightsaber that hung next to it.

It seems both of us are doomed either way. Apparently there is an alternative.

"You'll die, there is no way you'll survive the fall," I inform her. For an answer, she nods her head towards the hand holding mine. There's a hook and wire gadget, which she can hang on and lower herself down with. Oh...

Well, it looks like I'm doomed.

I don't let go though. I've only just caught her. However, this woman obviously thinks it's been long enough. She pulls the trigger and I let go, rolling to the side as the blast almost burns my face. My feet lose grip on the chimney and I plummet over the edge after her. About half way down, her hook brings her fall to a stop, and she starts climbing back up. I carry on falling.

Just at the last moment, I twist myself so I land on my feet, but stumble and fall with the impact of the uncontrolled fall. I collapse backwards, slamming my head on the floor. I let out a yell of pain and everything goes black.

My eyes flicker back open and I roll over with a groan. Blinking, dazedly in the bright light, I clamber dizzily to my feet. I'm not sure how long I've been out, but it's been longer enough for the woman to get away. Great.

I check myself for injuries and my weapon. Thankfully, my lightsaber is still attached to my belt, but I have a few cuts on my arm, and a few on my face, judging by the slight stinging. My ankle hurts from the second fall, and my left arm feels worse a lot worse than before.

I limp down the empty street, having no idea what the time is, or how long I was out. All I want to know is how I was traced. And I'm ready to blame Anakin's ship.

As I turn the corner, I'm aware of a man coming towards me. A large hat covers his face, and I can't identify what species he is, but apparently he isn't pleased to see me.

"You were the source of the earlier commotion, weren't you?" He sneers, "You're covered in dust and cuts from the rubble,"

"What's it to you?" I snap, rushing past him, but he grabs my left shoulder.

"My daughter was injured by the flying rock. She has a long, deep cut here," He describes, running his finger above my eye. I push him away uncomfortably.

"I'm sorry, it wasn't me," I say, stepping back.

"I came here away from the war so I could be happy with my family," he says coldly, "but now I can't be, because that scar on my beautiful daughter's face, will never go. It will be a constant reminder,"

I walk away from him. I feel guilty, even though deep down, I know it wasn't my fault. But, if I hadn't have chosen that hiding place, his daughter would be fine.

"COWARD!" the man screams at me. I ignore him.

"COWARD!" he runs after me and grabs my shoulders, shaking me as hard as he can. I duck away in disgust.

"What am I supposed to do about it?" I snap at him.

"I want justice!" He crys out to me frantically.

"I'm sorry," I repeat again, slinging a handful of credits at his feet from a puch on my belt.

"Money won't pay for this!" He says, throwing a punch at me, and I turn around and run down the street away from him.

"COWARD!" echos through the street after me.

Eventually I burst out into a main street again, and I slide to a walk. I need to get back to my Master. But then I remember something. I try to get back into the side street, but it's too late, because they've already seen me.