Path of Destiny - Chapter 6
The Path of Destiny
Chapter Six
Part One
Armory-Jinix government center
Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan stood off to one side, as Entok handed
out weapons to Elkan and Archer, while pointing out the important basics to
them.
Archer
shook his head, grinning slightly to himself. Entok caught the movement.
�Captain?
Is there something wrong?� Entok questioned.
Archer
looked at him. �No. No. Everything�s okay,� he replied. �I was just thinking
how much my armory officer Malcolm would enjoy this place.�
�Perhaps
when everything calms down, I could show him our weaponry.�
Archer
smiled. �I�m sure that Malcolm would love that.�
Entok
smiled in return. �Excellent.�
Qui-Gon
suddenly had a sense of danger come to him. He almost reeled under the
magnitude of it.
�Master?�
Obi-Wan questioned concerned.
Elkan
saw the almost pained expression on Qui-Gon�s face. �Master Jinn? Is something
wrong?� He questioned.
�Through
the Force, I felt some sort of danger. But I am not sure what it is,� Qui-Gon
replied.
Upon
hearing this, Archer spoke: �Let�s hurry up and get back then.�
The
others nodded and hastened their preparations.
Part Two
Dwelling
Jeyzen
noted that there was an incoming message on the computer that he was seated in
front of.
�Lord
Drayce,� Jeyzen called. �There is a message for you.�
The
former chief of staff strode over to the computer. He nodded to Jeyzen who
relinquished his seat. Drayce slid into the chair and touched a button.
He read:
[�Good
news! It is done, brother. They are free and are heading your way. However, I
regret to inform you that Jedi Knight Krysira Antilles is leading a group
seeking you.�]
Drayce
grunted softly. �So...that is her name,� he whispered to himself thoughtfully,
as he touched another button. He watched his words appear on the screen as he
spoke: �Excellent! I look forward to meeting them. And as for the pretty Jedi,
I would not worry about her or her group. I have arranged to keep the
group...shall we say...distracted. Continue as planned.�
Satisfied
with his response, Drayce touched another button and the words disappeared.
A
few seconds later, a single sentence appeared.
[�As
you wish, brother.�]
Drayce
allowed a smile to cross his face, as he switched off the program, then turned
to see not only Jeyzen but Myrek as well, standing nearby.
�Gentlemen,
we have guests arriving,� Drayce began. �I would like them to be comfortable.�
Both
men merely bowed and left the room.
Drayce
leaned back in the chair, obviously pleased with the present progression of
events.
Part Three
Passageway in building
Trip found himself suddenly staring at the ground. Why had
he been pushed? He heard a thud and peering over his shoulder saw Krysira slide
down the wall onto the ground in a heap.
�KRYSIRA!�
Trip bellowed, looking horrified, as he scrambled over to her. He knelt down
near her gently touching her hair. �Krys?� His voice was softer, but quavered a
little. His face paled upon seeing red blood on the floor. �NO!� He exclaimed
in a sob. �Please...no!�
There
was no response from the beautiful Jedi Knight.
Trip
reached down to gather her in his arms.
At
this point, the others joined them. Upon seeing Trip reach for Krysira, Caden
intervened, gently stopping the young chief engineer.
Despite
the tears in his eyes, Trip glared at Caden. �She�s bleeding!� He snarled.
�Yes,
I know, Commander Tucker,� Caden replied in a gentle manner. �I can temporarily
stop the bleeding, but what other injuries she has sustained, I do not know.
Therefore we can not risk moving her, lest we cause more harm to her. I need
something to stop the bleeding.�
Trip,
despite the sudden upheaval of emotions, knew that Caden was right. And so he
nodded, pulling his hands away. He gazed at Krysira, praying that injury was
not as severe as it looked. He could not lose her, not when he had just found
her. He felt tears begin to slowly spill onto his cheeks. They had just
declared their love for each other only a few hours ago. It could not end this
way.
Sedona
approached with her cloth belt, handing it to Caden, who took it.
Caden
swiftly folded it and with Trip�s assistance, gently, carefully slipped it
under Krysira's head. He looked at Trip, who was gently touching Krysira�s
hair. �Commander,� he began, then continued upon seeing Trip look at him. �She
is alive,� he said reassuringly.
Trip
tried to blink back the tears, but failed miserable. He nodded, as he hastily
wiped his eyes and cheeks with the back of his hand.
Sedona
stood, watching her hands clasped tightly together, hoping that Krysira would
recover. She suddenly felt herself being turned around. She saw that it was
Malcolm.
�Sedona,
can you contact the government center with your communicator?� Malcolm
questioned.
She
blinked, then nodded. �Yes! Of course!� She exclaimed, as she took out her communicator.
Part Four
Recreation/dining hall
Archer, Qui-Gon and the others entered the area.
The
Jedi Master had been preoccupied on the way back from the armory, trying to
ascertain what the danger that he sensed could be. Could Drayce be on the move?
He was not absolutely sure.
Qui-Gon
was about to reach out with the Force to contact Krysira, when a flood of
emotions hit him. He had never felt so many intense emotions at once: surprise,
panic, fear, anger...and love? He scowled slightly. He was well aware of their
presence and knew that it was not Obi-Wan nor was it Krysira, but then who?
He
looked over at Obi-Wan, who was gazing at him in a concerned matter. He smiled
gently. �I am fine, Padawan,� he assured the youth. �Did you just feel
something through the Force just now?�
Obi-Wan
shook his head, his Padawan braid flipping around his shoulder to rest on his
chest. �No, Master,� he replied.
The
Jedi Master grunted softly, then closed his eyes, gathering the Force.
/�Krysira?�/ He communicated.
However,
much to Qui-Gon�s surprise, he got no response. He opened his eyes and was
about to speak when the communicator in the room beeped.
Roxx
went over to it, touching a button. �This is Roxx,� he answered.
�Roxx,
this is Sedona,� the voice on the other end replied. �Is Healer Gadi there?�
�Yes.�
He touched another button. �Go ahead. We will all hear you now.�
Sedona�s
voice trembled, as she spoke. �There has been an accident and Knight Krysira is
unconscious and bleeding.�
The
group stood/sat in stunned silence.
Qui-Gon
recovered first, now understanding why he could not get a response from
Krysira. �Let us follow. Time is of essence,� he spoke, urging the group into
action.
Roxx
spoke into the communicator. �They are on their way.� He shut off the device.
Part Five
Jinix government center � small office
Durriken switched off the screen and leaned back in his
chair, a smile of satisfaction spread across his handsome features.
�Durriken?�
A female voice broke the silence.
He
spun around to see Nayda in the room, looking perplexed. He rose to his feet.
�What are you doing here?� Durriken demanded.
�What
was that all about?� She motioned to the computer.
�None
of your concern!� He snarled.
�I
did not know that you had a brother.�
�And
no one else ever will.� He gave her a vicious smile.
Not
liking what she saw or heard, Nayda began to back up. �What do you mean?�
Durriken
said nothing, as he closed the distance between them before Nayda even had a
chance to react.
Part Six
Passageway in building
Trip
held one of Krysira�s hands, while stroking her hair with his other hand. He
felt so damn helpless to do anything.
�Please
don�t die, sweetheart,� Trip thought desperately to himself. �I don�t wanna
lose you.�
Trip�s
emotional thoughts were interrupted by the sound of several running feet
approaching. He looked up to see Trey and Malcolm whirl around with their
blasters drawn. Both lowered their weapons, upon seeing Qui-Gon, Archer and the
others coming down the passageway.
Kaylar
and Gadi immediately went over to Krysira, to examine the unconscious Jedi,
while easing Trip out of the way.
The
same flood of emotions that Qui-Gon felt only minutes before hit him again.
This time he followed the source and found it led to Commander Trip Tucker. Even
without using the Force, he could see just by Trip�s expression that the
emotions that he felt through the Force were radiating from the young
commander. He blinked, upon realizing that it was Trip who was in love with
Krysira.
Qui-Gon
thought for a few moments and then realized that Krysira did spend a great deal
of time with Trip. Did Krysira�s destiny truly lie with this young man from
Earth? He was not entirely sure, but the Force was revealing things that
pointed in that direction.
His
thoughts were interrupted by an announcement.
Kaylar
straightened a bit, as he turned towards the group, his face laced with deep
concern. �Healer Gadi and I have discovered that Knight Krysira has sustained a
severe concussion and has some internal bleeding as well,� he replied, his
voice trembled ever so slightly.
�However,�
Gadi continued, his voice just barely under control. �Her injuries are beyond
Exoian medicine.�
That
statement hit Trip like a ton of bricks. �WHAT? NO!� Trip exclaimed in a highly
emotional manner.
Qui-Gon
moved forward, bending down next to his Jedi companion, as the two healers made
room for him and Obi-Wan, who knelt next to his master. Laying their hands on
Krysira, both master and apprentice attempted to Force-heal her.
After
about a minute, Qui-Gon looked at the concerned group. �I am afraid that her
injuries are beyond our ability to heal as well,� he said, softly, his gray
eyes laced with sadness.
Trip
shook his head. �No...� he almost whimpered, then looked over at Archer. �Captain?�
He practically begged.
Archer
looked at Trip, seeing fear and anguish in his chief engineer�s face. He, then,
gave the group a reassuring smile. �But I know someone who can help,� he
told them.