(no subject)
Jedi still rule.
Title: Episode II
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,036
Pairing: Rachel/Sydney
Author's Note: Takes place during the events of Attack of the Clones. Also, it's uber Alias/crack!fic, so if you tend to find these things ridonkulous...don't click the lj-cut.
Summary: Sydney has held on to one memory for nine years.
There were times when Sydney missed Master Jach. His cool demeanor had kept her from getting in over her head in many a situation. She could have used his influence now, as she parried desperately with her lightsaber, seeking room to maneuver more freely. She had never been adept at the Soresu form of defense and knew that prolonging this close combat was dangerous.
She feinted left, drew her opponent into striking low and left with his phrik staff, and then she was flipping high and right, backing away quickly. The bounty hunter immediately charged away in the opposite direction and Sydney realized that she had been outmaneuvered. She gave chase, sprinting down the landing pad even as the bounty hunter summoned his ship from above and jumped into its open hatch. Sydney skidded to a halt at the edge of the platform, watching in frustration as the ship soared into the upper atmosphere of Coruscant.
Reluctantly, she unclipped her transmitter and contacted Master Windu. "He got away. I wasn't able to get a look at his cargo."
"Report back to the temple," said Windu, sounding disappointed.
Sighing, Sydney headed back to her transport and set a course for the temple. She knew she was in for a reprimand; even worse, her target had escaped with important information. She was lost in thought throughout her trip to the council's chamber. She had been having the same dream for a few days now, reminding her of a time before the responsibilities of knighthood. She often awoke with the lingering scent of sweet grasses in her nostrils and found herself unable to sleep further. She kept herself rested with meditation, but sooner or later, the lack of natural sleep would take its toll.
She almost didn't hear Yoda summon her into the master's chamber and hastened to enter. She bowed her head to the Grand Master and waited for his questions. He held a gnarled finger to his mouth, apparently thinking. "How feel you?" he asked at last.
"I feel fine," said Sydney, startled.
"Disappointed, are you?"
"I failed to complete my mission," said Sydney.
"Track down this bounty hunter you will," said Yoda confidently, sounding as if he were making a prediction and not giving an order.
"Of course, master," said Sydney.
"But for now, send you to Mon Calamari we must," Yoda continued.
Master Windu picked up the thread of the conversation. "The Bothans have been experiencing individual acts of sabotage. They believe the Trade Federation is attempting to interfere with their exports. There's a shipment that needs to arrive at the Mon Cal shipyards in two days. You're to go immediately to Bothawui and accompany the ship to Mon Cal. You will supervise the transfer of materials and personnel, ensuring their safety at all costs."
"I understand," said Sydney.
"Mindful of the bounty hunter you should stay," said Yoda. "Find the unexpected, you might."
Confused by his words, but relieved to have a clear course of action, Sydney bowed and left the chamber. She stopped by her quarters to add a few supplies to her belt and change robes, but packed nothing. The mention of Bothawui had stirred old memories that were best forgotten.
*
The trip to Bothan space was uneventful. The other passengers on the transport were mostly business types, with very few vacationers. Security had been tight since the assassination attempt of Senator Amidala, and no one looked very comfortable.
Sydney transferred to the freighter quietly, checking in with the captain before beginning her inspection. She read over the cargo manifest while the hold was filled. They were underway in a matter of hours.
On a hunch, she waited in the aftmost cargo hold, the one closest to the sublight drive. Perched in a high corner, she gathered her robe around her and waited. Hours went past, and she fell into a meditative watch, her attention never wavering.
She felt a tremor in the Force, and snapped to alertness. Someone was approaching the hold. Still, something felt strangely familiar about it, like an echo. She peered at the entry hatch and saw a tall, hooded figure enter. It checked a datapad, then hurried to a group of crates in the far corner of the hold. Sydney unhooked her lightsaber, then dropped silently to the floor. She used the Force to leap to the top of large stack of engine parts, intending to take the intruder from the high ground. She bent her knees and was in midair when the figure turned, pulling back its hood to reveal a flash of blond hair. It screamed as Sydney fell on top of it. Unable to entirely change course, she twisted her body as soon as her mistake registered, managing to clip the other person on the shoulder. They both tumbled to the ground in a confusing mix of arms and legs.
"Son of a whore!" spat the other woman as she attempted to roll away. She sat up, saw Sydney, and froze. "You," said Rachel.
Equally frozen, Sydney only managed to drop her jaw before the hatch opened again. She clapped one hand over Rachel's mouth and scooted the both of them out of sight between crates. She shook her head and held up her lightsaber, trying to get across the importance of silence. Rachel nodded, and Sydney removed her hand.
The new intruder was in normal clothes, pants and a fashionably cut shirt. He also wore a large pouch on his belt, from which he drew a handful of devices. Sydney recognized them immediately as smaller-model thermal detonators, designed to adhere to any surface. He was mining the cargo.
She waited for him to come within her striking distance, then Force leapt from her hiding place, planting a kick squarely in the small of his back. He fell forward, the detonators scattering everywhere as they escaped his grip. She saw him reach for something, ignited her lightsaber and caught three blaster bolts across its blade. The blue light threw shadows everywhere in the dimly-lit cargo hold.
The saboteur fired repeatedly, slowly backing towards the far end of the hold. Sydney whirled gracefully, picking off the bolts with sweeping arcs of her blade. She finally caught one at the right angle, reflecting it back towards its owner. He took the bolt in the leg and collapsed with a sharp grunt. Sydney sent his blaster skittering away with the Force before approaching her opponent.
"I surrender," he said as she towered over him, lightsaber held menacingly high. "I'll confess."
Slowly, she lowered her weapon, then deactivated it. "You're under arrest for attempted sabotage and for attacking an agent of the Republic." He rolled his eyes, so she flipped him over with the toe of her boot and restrained him with cuffs from her belt. She pulled out her comlink. "Captain, I've secured the hold. I have a prisoner for your brig," she said.
The reply came back in heavily accented Bothan, but was clearly affirmative.
"What are you doing here?" asked Rachel, standing up and marching indignantly towards Sydney.
"I should be asking you the same question," said Sydney. "Cargo hold's off-limits to passengers."
"I'm being transferred to Mon Calamari by my company," said Rachel. "I needed to check my equipment." She stared at Sydney, her gaze just as clearly blue as Sydney remembered. "You look like you haven't changed at all."
"I'm a Jedi Knight," said Sydney, unsure of why she needed to say it. "You look…very different." The image in her mind of the awkward girl from Bothawui was vaguely similar to this tall, lanky woman, but there the resemblance ended. Her hair was cut slightly shorter into a modern look, and her homestyle tunic had been replaced with a drab grey jumpsuit marked with a corporate logo on the shoulders and breast.
"It's been nine years," said Rachel. "A lot can happen in nine years." There was an unspoken hint there, a veiled accusation against Sydney. Her voice was more mature, now.
"I know." Sydney glanced at the door. "You'd better go before the captain catches you in here."
"I'm afraid you'll disappear again if I do," said Rachel, bitterness tingeing the edges of her words.
"We won't reach Mon Cal space for a few more hours. I'll find you," said Sydney. She nodded encouragingly. "Go."
Rachel left Sydney alone with her prisoner without looking back.
"That your girlfriend or something?" asked the prisoner, wincing from the pain of his blaster burn.
"Don't make me gag you," said Sydney.
*
After the prisoner had been secured, Sydney's instincts led her to the galley, where a few of the ship's passengers were buying food and watching the holoprojector in the corner. Rachel sat alone, nursing a single mug of something that smelled sweet. "You like lomin ale?" asked Sydney.
"Not really, but it's the only thing not on tap," said Rachel. She toyed with her drink, unwilling to look directly at Sydney. "You know, I thought about you after you left."
Sensing that she needed to speak her piece, Sydney made no reply.
"I was so young. I thought if I hoped hard enough, you would show up one day and we'd take a walk just like old times. I even started watching the news, hoping to hear about you. I never knew how many Jedi there are."
"Did you see me on the news?" asked Sydney.
"They run a list of who's been knighted and who's been made a master. And I saw the story about that incident at Duros. You've been busy."
Sydney acknowledged this truth with a tip of her head. They were silent for a moment. "I can stay on Mon Cal for a few days. I'd like to speak with you more. Catch up." She left the question in the tone of her voice, scared to ask outright.
Rachel looked like she might object, but when she spoke, said, "I'd like that too." She seemed almost saddened by her decision, and Sydney knew she should have just walked away.
*
For all its technology, Mon Cal was primarily an ocean world. The freighter had nowhere to land, instead docking at one of the many shipyards orbiting the planet. Sydney saw Rachel only briefly as she debarked, heading for the planetary shuttle with a duffle over one shoulder. She felt distracted throughout the cargo transfer, impatient. At the end of the process, she took a few deep breaths to clear her mind, then used a secure HoloNet channel to contact the council.
"I captured a saboteur en route to Mon Calamari. The cargo transfer is complete," she reported.
"Good. Stand by on Mon Cal. We may need you to rendezvous with Master Gallia on Lianna," said Master Windu.
"May the Force be with you," said Master Yoda before terminating the connection.
Sydney felt better just hearing him say it, and went to the docking bay to take the next shuttle down to the planet.
*
Locating Rachel would have been easy enough by searching a few company directories, but Sydney felt compelled to sense her out. She closed her eyes and recalled her most vivid memory of Rachel, their last night on Bothawui. For a few minutes, she let herself remember, let herself make it as vivid as possible. The Force whispered to her, sending her from the Coral City spaceport to one of the residential areas. She wound up at the base of a tall apartment building, its rounded Mon Cal architecture curving gently into the blue sky. In the outer foyer, she found the name she was looking for and pressed the buzzer.
"Yes?" Her reply sounded short and perfunctory.
"It's Sydney. I'd like to come up."
A pause. "All right." The inner door slid open, allowing Sydney to enter the rather posh main lobby. Like all Mon Cal design, the room was soothing, centered around a prominent display of water. Sydney felt its calming atmosphere wash over her as she walked to the lift.
She got off on the thirty-first level and found Rachel's apartment a short way down the hall. She waved her hand over the chime and was answered almost instantly by a nervous-looking Rachel. "Hello," said Sydney.
"Hi. Come in," said Rachel. Her body was tense as she stepped aside.
The inside of the apartment matched the building perfectly, clashing only with the straight lines of Rachel's personal effects. "A lot of things to unpack," Sydney noted.
"Yeah. Who knew everything here would be so wavy?" said Rachel. She stood rooted to the spot, unable to do much more than stare at Sydney's boots. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "Can I get you anything?"
"Water would be nice," said Sydney. She went further into the apartment, stood at the window, observing with her hands clasped behind her back. She could see an artificial beach nearby, the sand glaring white under the midday sun. Speeders formed air traffic in orderly lines, though the lanes weren't nearly as clogged as Coruscant's.
"Here you go," said Rachel.
Sydney turned to accept the glass, leaned casually against the transparisteel window. "Thank you."
"How long are you here?" asked Rachel politely.
"Indefinitely. I've been instructed to wait here until further notice," said Sydney.
Politeness turned into a flare of hope, so bright that Sydney would have noticed no matter her connection to the Force. "Where are you staying?" asked Rachel, unable to entirely mask her new feelings.
"There's a Jedi consulate attached to the capitol building. They have spare quarters there," said Sydney, aware of the questions Rachel wanted to ask but not willing to push her any further. She stepped away from the window. "I just wanted to stop by. I should go check in with Master Eerin."
"Have dinner with me tonight," Rachel blurted. She continued quickly, "I don't know where any of the restaurants are. So I'll cook."
Sydney almost refused. Almost. "I'll come back in a few hours, then," she said, unable to stop herself.
*
Master Eerin wasn't at the consulate; she was currently in residence at the temple on Coruscant. Sydney knew this very well, and had used Eerin's name as an excuse to leave before she did anything inappropriate. The Jedi weren't bound by chastity, and she had had several partners since Bothawui. But Rachel had stayed first in her heart for so long that a physical experience would make it impossible to walk away.
Which made the matter of dinner all the more confusing. She needed time to clear her mind, to meditate on the day. She went to the consulate, got a security guard to let her in, and found the meditation chamber she knew would be there. Eerin must have left it set to her personal preferences; the room was humid and smelled strongly of sea salt. Sydney cracked one of the windows and settled on the center cushion, letting her frustrations and fears fall away as she had been taught.
She felt the trance tug her deeper, until she couldn't feel anything at all. She was floating somewhere, observing events from above the galactic plane. She saw fire and smoke, devastation-and times of quiet, moments of peace and happiness. There was no coherence to any of it and she snapped out of the trance feeling almost as worried as before. Many of the Jedi had been sensing turmoil ahead, but this was her first vision of that future.
Sydney checked the chrono, saw that she had enough time for a quick shower before dinner. She hit the refresher, then set out for Rachel's apartment, the vision still at the front of her mind. It was the end of summer on Mon Cal and the beginning of the wet season. She just managed to avoid the rain as she entered Rachel's building, shaking a few raindrops out of her robe before taking the lift.
Rachel had cleaned most of her apartment and was wearing a light summer dress. "Hi," she said. "I made a meal from home. I hope you don't mind Bothan."
"I'm sure it's great," said Sydney.
The food was average, but Sydney didn't eat much of it. She was used to either simple temple fare or whatever she could get while she was traveling.
Rachel kept up a steady stream of nervous chatter, trying to fill in the years between them. She had grown up well, Sydney noted. The difference between sixteen and twenty-five was incredible, more than she had counted on. Rachel had been to university and worked for a Bothan subsidiary of Koensayr, her sister had enrolled in the Bothan Martial Academy, and her brother was tramping around the galaxy on a spice freighter. She was articulate, intelligent, not as clumsy or as shy as her younger self. And she had grown into her looks, prettiness blooming into clean, simple beauty.
"You haven't said much," said Rachel, finally pausing. She sipped the wine she had purchased from the market around the corner.
"I've been enjoying listening to you talk," said Sydney truthfully. "But it's getting late. I should go back to the consulate."
As if on cue, there was a flash of light, followed by a crack of thunder that shook the windows. Fat raindrops pelted the building, creating an omnipresent deep drumming sound.
"Maybe you should wait for the storm to end," suggested Rachel.
"The consulate isn't very far away," said Sydney. Her mind was screaming at her to leave. Now was the time; if she stayed any longer, she would be caught. "Thank you for dinner," she said.
"Please, I…" Rachel followed her to the door and stopped less than a foot away, close enough for Sydney to smell the wine on her breath and the soft soap scents of her skin and hair. "It was nice to see you again," she finished.
"I'll see you tomorrow. I promise," said Sydney, the old words coming back to her so easily. She forced herself to leave, waited until the lift doors closed in front of her to fall against the wall and take a deep breath, eyes squeezed shut. She put her hood up in the outer foyer, then began trudging back to the consulate. She was barely a block from the apartment building when she heard someone calling her name. She turned, saw Rachel running towards her in her bare feet.
"I couldn't wait until tomorrow," she said as she closed the last few inches between them. She was soaked, dress plastered tightly to her body.
Sydney felt something snap inside her chest, surged forward to bring her mouth down on Rachel's. Her hood fell back as she wrapped her arms around Rachel, pressing the length of their bodies together. Rachel opened her mouth, tongue hot and insistent as she pulled just as hard at Sydney's body, hands clutching the sodden fabric at her waist and back. They kissed until thunder rolled overhead, and Rachel pressed her forehead to Sydney's while she fought for breath. "Stay. Please," she said.
Sydney cradled her face with her hands. "I will."
*
The storm had all but passed by the time Sydney awoke. Thunder rumbled in the far distance; the sky outside of Rachel's bedroom window was light grey. They were tangled together in bed, their still damp clothes scattered from the bedroom to the door. She had only been careful about her lightsaber, placing it on the hallway stand before discarding her obi and outer tunic.
Rachel was fast asleep, exhausted from the move and their lovemaking. She slept on her side, facing the window, skin warm to the touch.
She had not done anything wrong last night. As long as she planned to leave, she was disobeying no Jedi law. But Rachel had asked her to stay, and she had consciously chosen to do so. It was hard to argue law, though, when Rachel rolled onto her back and hummed contentedly in her sleep.
Slowly, Sydney pulled away. She found her pants, undertunic, and boots, dressed quietly, and went to the balcony to think. She stared at the ocean, willing the sound of waves breaking on the shore to lull her into meditation. The waves became the pounding of the phrik staff against her lightsaber. She watched as she fought the bounty hunter again, calmly aware of her dream state. The bounty hunter ran, she followed, and his starship rose to meet him. His starship, a two-man Corellian craft with outrigger cockpit, heavily modified. She stared at the starship, frozen against the cityscape of Coruscant.
"Rachel, wake up," she said, gently shaking the other woman.
"Syd?" Rachel mumbled.
"I need your help. Can you get me into Koensayr's records?" asked Sydney.
*
"I lost the trail of a bounty hunter on Coruscant. He was flying a modified Corellian transport, the kind of modifications only made by Koensayr," explained Sydney. "I didn't notice it until now. You see so many 1300s coming and going, and they're all modified in one way or another." She had had Rachel pull up all bills of sale for this particular upgrade and was ruling them out one by one.
Rachel yawned heavily. "So you think he's going to return to the shipyard where it was done?" she said through the yawn.
"That's my hope." She stopped flicking through the records and brought the one she wanted to the front of the computer screen. She knew instinctively that this one was right. She transferred the information to a datapad, then began looking up flights leaving Mon Calamari.
"Departures?" said Rachel. "You're leaving?"
"These modifications were made at the Kuat Drive Yards," said Sydney. "That's where my bounty hunter has gone to ground. Master Yoda instructed me to track him down."
"I thought your orders were to stay here until further notice," said Rachel, gradually sounding more alarmed.
"That doesn't preclude an ongoing investigation." She spotted a transport leaving within the next few hours and booked a seat.
"I'm going with you," said Rachel.
Sydney blinked, turned to her in surprise. "You're what?"
"I know I can't convince you stay, so I'm going with you," Rachel repeated.
"No. You're staying here on Mon Cal, where it's safe," said Sydney as she searched for her overtunic and tabards. She found her obi first, twined around her belt and its pouches.
"What happens if you're hurt? What happens if you don't come back?" asked Rachel.
"Then you'll be sad, and one day you'll be less sad and you'll go on with your life," said Sydney, finally locating all the pieces of her outfit. She began layering them, wrapping the obi over everything.
Rachel held up her belt, pulled it back as Sydney reached for it. "If you didn't come back, I would wait for you. I would search for you until I found out what happened. And I would never be the same."
Sydney closed her hands over Rachel's, tugged them down so that Rachel could run the belt around her waist and fasten the clasp at the front. "I would do the same for you. And that's why you have to stay here, because I can't fulfill my duty if I have to worry about you." She kissed Rachel's forehead. "I'm a Jedi. It's all I've ever been, so it's going to take time to figure out how to be with you, too. But we will, when I come back." She smiled a deep, genuine smile. "I promise."
*
During the hyperspace flight to Kuat, Sydney continually ran her fingers over the outline of the necklace she now wore underneath her tunic. It was Rachel's, a rare Corusca gem inherited from her grandmother. She had fastened it around Sydney's neck, murmuring something about luck. Sydney had never believed in luck; there was only the Force. But the slight weight of the necklace was comforting.
She contacted the council the moment the ship dropped out of hyperspace, intending to deliver her report to Master Yoda. Instead, she was received by the grave face of Ki-Adi-Mundi. "After you have found your bounty hunter, return to Coruscant," he said.
Sydney thought of Rachel, waiting for her on Mon Calamari. "Yes, master. But why?"
Ki-Adi-Mundi scowled. "There's been a crisis at Geonosis. The Republic is at war."
Title: Episode II
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 4,036
Pairing: Rachel/Sydney
Author's Note: Takes place during the events of Attack of the Clones. Also, it's uber Alias/crack!fic, so if you tend to find these things ridonkulous...don't click the lj-cut.
Summary: Sydney has held on to one memory for nine years.
There were times when Sydney missed Master Jach. His cool demeanor had kept her from getting in over her head in many a situation. She could have used his influence now, as she parried desperately with her lightsaber, seeking room to maneuver more freely. She had never been adept at the Soresu form of defense and knew that prolonging this close combat was dangerous.
She feinted left, drew her opponent into striking low and left with his phrik staff, and then she was flipping high and right, backing away quickly. The bounty hunter immediately charged away in the opposite direction and Sydney realized that she had been outmaneuvered. She gave chase, sprinting down the landing pad even as the bounty hunter summoned his ship from above and jumped into its open hatch. Sydney skidded to a halt at the edge of the platform, watching in frustration as the ship soared into the upper atmosphere of Coruscant.
Reluctantly, she unclipped her transmitter and contacted Master Windu. "He got away. I wasn't able to get a look at his cargo."
"Report back to the temple," said Windu, sounding disappointed.
Sighing, Sydney headed back to her transport and set a course for the temple. She knew she was in for a reprimand; even worse, her target had escaped with important information. She was lost in thought throughout her trip to the council's chamber. She had been having the same dream for a few days now, reminding her of a time before the responsibilities of knighthood. She often awoke with the lingering scent of sweet grasses in her nostrils and found herself unable to sleep further. She kept herself rested with meditation, but sooner or later, the lack of natural sleep would take its toll.
She almost didn't hear Yoda summon her into the master's chamber and hastened to enter. She bowed her head to the Grand Master and waited for his questions. He held a gnarled finger to his mouth, apparently thinking. "How feel you?" he asked at last.
"I feel fine," said Sydney, startled.
"Disappointed, are you?"
"I failed to complete my mission," said Sydney.
"Track down this bounty hunter you will," said Yoda confidently, sounding as if he were making a prediction and not giving an order.
"Of course, master," said Sydney.
"But for now, send you to Mon Calamari we must," Yoda continued.
Master Windu picked up the thread of the conversation. "The Bothans have been experiencing individual acts of sabotage. They believe the Trade Federation is attempting to interfere with their exports. There's a shipment that needs to arrive at the Mon Cal shipyards in two days. You're to go immediately to Bothawui and accompany the ship to Mon Cal. You will supervise the transfer of materials and personnel, ensuring their safety at all costs."
"I understand," said Sydney.
"Mindful of the bounty hunter you should stay," said Yoda. "Find the unexpected, you might."
Confused by his words, but relieved to have a clear course of action, Sydney bowed and left the chamber. She stopped by her quarters to add a few supplies to her belt and change robes, but packed nothing. The mention of Bothawui had stirred old memories that were best forgotten.
*
The trip to Bothan space was uneventful. The other passengers on the transport were mostly business types, with very few vacationers. Security had been tight since the assassination attempt of Senator Amidala, and no one looked very comfortable.
Sydney transferred to the freighter quietly, checking in with the captain before beginning her inspection. She read over the cargo manifest while the hold was filled. They were underway in a matter of hours.
On a hunch, she waited in the aftmost cargo hold, the one closest to the sublight drive. Perched in a high corner, she gathered her robe around her and waited. Hours went past, and she fell into a meditative watch, her attention never wavering.
She felt a tremor in the Force, and snapped to alertness. Someone was approaching the hold. Still, something felt strangely familiar about it, like an echo. She peered at the entry hatch and saw a tall, hooded figure enter. It checked a datapad, then hurried to a group of crates in the far corner of the hold. Sydney unhooked her lightsaber, then dropped silently to the floor. She used the Force to leap to the top of large stack of engine parts, intending to take the intruder from the high ground. She bent her knees and was in midair when the figure turned, pulling back its hood to reveal a flash of blond hair. It screamed as Sydney fell on top of it. Unable to entirely change course, she twisted her body as soon as her mistake registered, managing to clip the other person on the shoulder. They both tumbled to the ground in a confusing mix of arms and legs.
"Son of a whore!" spat the other woman as she attempted to roll away. She sat up, saw Sydney, and froze. "You," said Rachel.
Equally frozen, Sydney only managed to drop her jaw before the hatch opened again. She clapped one hand over Rachel's mouth and scooted the both of them out of sight between crates. She shook her head and held up her lightsaber, trying to get across the importance of silence. Rachel nodded, and Sydney removed her hand.
The new intruder was in normal clothes, pants and a fashionably cut shirt. He also wore a large pouch on his belt, from which he drew a handful of devices. Sydney recognized them immediately as smaller-model thermal detonators, designed to adhere to any surface. He was mining the cargo.
She waited for him to come within her striking distance, then Force leapt from her hiding place, planting a kick squarely in the small of his back. He fell forward, the detonators scattering everywhere as they escaped his grip. She saw him reach for something, ignited her lightsaber and caught three blaster bolts across its blade. The blue light threw shadows everywhere in the dimly-lit cargo hold.
The saboteur fired repeatedly, slowly backing towards the far end of the hold. Sydney whirled gracefully, picking off the bolts with sweeping arcs of her blade. She finally caught one at the right angle, reflecting it back towards its owner. He took the bolt in the leg and collapsed with a sharp grunt. Sydney sent his blaster skittering away with the Force before approaching her opponent.
"I surrender," he said as she towered over him, lightsaber held menacingly high. "I'll confess."
Slowly, she lowered her weapon, then deactivated it. "You're under arrest for attempted sabotage and for attacking an agent of the Republic." He rolled his eyes, so she flipped him over with the toe of her boot and restrained him with cuffs from her belt. She pulled out her comlink. "Captain, I've secured the hold. I have a prisoner for your brig," she said.
The reply came back in heavily accented Bothan, but was clearly affirmative.
"What are you doing here?" asked Rachel, standing up and marching indignantly towards Sydney.
"I should be asking you the same question," said Sydney. "Cargo hold's off-limits to passengers."
"I'm being transferred to Mon Calamari by my company," said Rachel. "I needed to check my equipment." She stared at Sydney, her gaze just as clearly blue as Sydney remembered. "You look like you haven't changed at all."
"I'm a Jedi Knight," said Sydney, unsure of why she needed to say it. "You look…very different." The image in her mind of the awkward girl from Bothawui was vaguely similar to this tall, lanky woman, but there the resemblance ended. Her hair was cut slightly shorter into a modern look, and her homestyle tunic had been replaced with a drab grey jumpsuit marked with a corporate logo on the shoulders and breast.
"It's been nine years," said Rachel. "A lot can happen in nine years." There was an unspoken hint there, a veiled accusation against Sydney. Her voice was more mature, now.
"I know." Sydney glanced at the door. "You'd better go before the captain catches you in here."
"I'm afraid you'll disappear again if I do," said Rachel, bitterness tingeing the edges of her words.
"We won't reach Mon Cal space for a few more hours. I'll find you," said Sydney. She nodded encouragingly. "Go."
Rachel left Sydney alone with her prisoner without looking back.
"That your girlfriend or something?" asked the prisoner, wincing from the pain of his blaster burn.
"Don't make me gag you," said Sydney.
*
After the prisoner had been secured, Sydney's instincts led her to the galley, where a few of the ship's passengers were buying food and watching the holoprojector in the corner. Rachel sat alone, nursing a single mug of something that smelled sweet. "You like lomin ale?" asked Sydney.
"Not really, but it's the only thing not on tap," said Rachel. She toyed with her drink, unwilling to look directly at Sydney. "You know, I thought about you after you left."
Sensing that she needed to speak her piece, Sydney made no reply.
"I was so young. I thought if I hoped hard enough, you would show up one day and we'd take a walk just like old times. I even started watching the news, hoping to hear about you. I never knew how many Jedi there are."
"Did you see me on the news?" asked Sydney.
"They run a list of who's been knighted and who's been made a master. And I saw the story about that incident at Duros. You've been busy."
Sydney acknowledged this truth with a tip of her head. They were silent for a moment. "I can stay on Mon Cal for a few days. I'd like to speak with you more. Catch up." She left the question in the tone of her voice, scared to ask outright.
Rachel looked like she might object, but when she spoke, said, "I'd like that too." She seemed almost saddened by her decision, and Sydney knew she should have just walked away.
*
For all its technology, Mon Cal was primarily an ocean world. The freighter had nowhere to land, instead docking at one of the many shipyards orbiting the planet. Sydney saw Rachel only briefly as she debarked, heading for the planetary shuttle with a duffle over one shoulder. She felt distracted throughout the cargo transfer, impatient. At the end of the process, she took a few deep breaths to clear her mind, then used a secure HoloNet channel to contact the council.
"I captured a saboteur en route to Mon Calamari. The cargo transfer is complete," she reported.
"Good. Stand by on Mon Cal. We may need you to rendezvous with Master Gallia on Lianna," said Master Windu.
"May the Force be with you," said Master Yoda before terminating the connection.
Sydney felt better just hearing him say it, and went to the docking bay to take the next shuttle down to the planet.
*
Locating Rachel would have been easy enough by searching a few company directories, but Sydney felt compelled to sense her out. She closed her eyes and recalled her most vivid memory of Rachel, their last night on Bothawui. For a few minutes, she let herself remember, let herself make it as vivid as possible. The Force whispered to her, sending her from the Coral City spaceport to one of the residential areas. She wound up at the base of a tall apartment building, its rounded Mon Cal architecture curving gently into the blue sky. In the outer foyer, she found the name she was looking for and pressed the buzzer.
"Yes?" Her reply sounded short and perfunctory.
"It's Sydney. I'd like to come up."
A pause. "All right." The inner door slid open, allowing Sydney to enter the rather posh main lobby. Like all Mon Cal design, the room was soothing, centered around a prominent display of water. Sydney felt its calming atmosphere wash over her as she walked to the lift.
She got off on the thirty-first level and found Rachel's apartment a short way down the hall. She waved her hand over the chime and was answered almost instantly by a nervous-looking Rachel. "Hello," said Sydney.
"Hi. Come in," said Rachel. Her body was tense as she stepped aside.
The inside of the apartment matched the building perfectly, clashing only with the straight lines of Rachel's personal effects. "A lot of things to unpack," Sydney noted.
"Yeah. Who knew everything here would be so wavy?" said Rachel. She stood rooted to the spot, unable to do much more than stare at Sydney's boots. "I'm sorry," she sighed. "Can I get you anything?"
"Water would be nice," said Sydney. She went further into the apartment, stood at the window, observing with her hands clasped behind her back. She could see an artificial beach nearby, the sand glaring white under the midday sun. Speeders formed air traffic in orderly lines, though the lanes weren't nearly as clogged as Coruscant's.
"Here you go," said Rachel.
Sydney turned to accept the glass, leaned casually against the transparisteel window. "Thank you."
"How long are you here?" asked Rachel politely.
"Indefinitely. I've been instructed to wait here until further notice," said Sydney.
Politeness turned into a flare of hope, so bright that Sydney would have noticed no matter her connection to the Force. "Where are you staying?" asked Rachel, unable to entirely mask her new feelings.
"There's a Jedi consulate attached to the capitol building. They have spare quarters there," said Sydney, aware of the questions Rachel wanted to ask but not willing to push her any further. She stepped away from the window. "I just wanted to stop by. I should go check in with Master Eerin."
"Have dinner with me tonight," Rachel blurted. She continued quickly, "I don't know where any of the restaurants are. So I'll cook."
Sydney almost refused. Almost. "I'll come back in a few hours, then," she said, unable to stop herself.
*
Master Eerin wasn't at the consulate; she was currently in residence at the temple on Coruscant. Sydney knew this very well, and had used Eerin's name as an excuse to leave before she did anything inappropriate. The Jedi weren't bound by chastity, and she had had several partners since Bothawui. But Rachel had stayed first in her heart for so long that a physical experience would make it impossible to walk away.
Which made the matter of dinner all the more confusing. She needed time to clear her mind, to meditate on the day. She went to the consulate, got a security guard to let her in, and found the meditation chamber she knew would be there. Eerin must have left it set to her personal preferences; the room was humid and smelled strongly of sea salt. Sydney cracked one of the windows and settled on the center cushion, letting her frustrations and fears fall away as she had been taught.
She felt the trance tug her deeper, until she couldn't feel anything at all. She was floating somewhere, observing events from above the galactic plane. She saw fire and smoke, devastation-and times of quiet, moments of peace and happiness. There was no coherence to any of it and she snapped out of the trance feeling almost as worried as before. Many of the Jedi had been sensing turmoil ahead, but this was her first vision of that future.
Sydney checked the chrono, saw that she had enough time for a quick shower before dinner. She hit the refresher, then set out for Rachel's apartment, the vision still at the front of her mind. It was the end of summer on Mon Cal and the beginning of the wet season. She just managed to avoid the rain as she entered Rachel's building, shaking a few raindrops out of her robe before taking the lift.
Rachel had cleaned most of her apartment and was wearing a light summer dress. "Hi," she said. "I made a meal from home. I hope you don't mind Bothan."
"I'm sure it's great," said Sydney.
The food was average, but Sydney didn't eat much of it. She was used to either simple temple fare or whatever she could get while she was traveling.
Rachel kept up a steady stream of nervous chatter, trying to fill in the years between them. She had grown up well, Sydney noted. The difference between sixteen and twenty-five was incredible, more than she had counted on. Rachel had been to university and worked for a Bothan subsidiary of Koensayr, her sister had enrolled in the Bothan Martial Academy, and her brother was tramping around the galaxy on a spice freighter. She was articulate, intelligent, not as clumsy or as shy as her younger self. And she had grown into her looks, prettiness blooming into clean, simple beauty.
"You haven't said much," said Rachel, finally pausing. She sipped the wine she had purchased from the market around the corner.
"I've been enjoying listening to you talk," said Sydney truthfully. "But it's getting late. I should go back to the consulate."
As if on cue, there was a flash of light, followed by a crack of thunder that shook the windows. Fat raindrops pelted the building, creating an omnipresent deep drumming sound.
"Maybe you should wait for the storm to end," suggested Rachel.
"The consulate isn't very far away," said Sydney. Her mind was screaming at her to leave. Now was the time; if she stayed any longer, she would be caught. "Thank you for dinner," she said.
"Please, I…" Rachel followed her to the door and stopped less than a foot away, close enough for Sydney to smell the wine on her breath and the soft soap scents of her skin and hair. "It was nice to see you again," she finished.
"I'll see you tomorrow. I promise," said Sydney, the old words coming back to her so easily. She forced herself to leave, waited until the lift doors closed in front of her to fall against the wall and take a deep breath, eyes squeezed shut. She put her hood up in the outer foyer, then began trudging back to the consulate. She was barely a block from the apartment building when she heard someone calling her name. She turned, saw Rachel running towards her in her bare feet.
"I couldn't wait until tomorrow," she said as she closed the last few inches between them. She was soaked, dress plastered tightly to her body.
Sydney felt something snap inside her chest, surged forward to bring her mouth down on Rachel's. Her hood fell back as she wrapped her arms around Rachel, pressing the length of their bodies together. Rachel opened her mouth, tongue hot and insistent as she pulled just as hard at Sydney's body, hands clutching the sodden fabric at her waist and back. They kissed until thunder rolled overhead, and Rachel pressed her forehead to Sydney's while she fought for breath. "Stay. Please," she said.
Sydney cradled her face with her hands. "I will."
*
The storm had all but passed by the time Sydney awoke. Thunder rumbled in the far distance; the sky outside of Rachel's bedroom window was light grey. They were tangled together in bed, their still damp clothes scattered from the bedroom to the door. She had only been careful about her lightsaber, placing it on the hallway stand before discarding her obi and outer tunic.
Rachel was fast asleep, exhausted from the move and their lovemaking. She slept on her side, facing the window, skin warm to the touch.
She had not done anything wrong last night. As long as she planned to leave, she was disobeying no Jedi law. But Rachel had asked her to stay, and she had consciously chosen to do so. It was hard to argue law, though, when Rachel rolled onto her back and hummed contentedly in her sleep.
Slowly, Sydney pulled away. She found her pants, undertunic, and boots, dressed quietly, and went to the balcony to think. She stared at the ocean, willing the sound of waves breaking on the shore to lull her into meditation. The waves became the pounding of the phrik staff against her lightsaber. She watched as she fought the bounty hunter again, calmly aware of her dream state. The bounty hunter ran, she followed, and his starship rose to meet him. His starship, a two-man Corellian craft with outrigger cockpit, heavily modified. She stared at the starship, frozen against the cityscape of Coruscant.
"Rachel, wake up," she said, gently shaking the other woman.
"Syd?" Rachel mumbled.
"I need your help. Can you get me into Koensayr's records?" asked Sydney.
*
"I lost the trail of a bounty hunter on Coruscant. He was flying a modified Corellian transport, the kind of modifications only made by Koensayr," explained Sydney. "I didn't notice it until now. You see so many 1300s coming and going, and they're all modified in one way or another." She had had Rachel pull up all bills of sale for this particular upgrade and was ruling them out one by one.
Rachel yawned heavily. "So you think he's going to return to the shipyard where it was done?" she said through the yawn.
"That's my hope." She stopped flicking through the records and brought the one she wanted to the front of the computer screen. She knew instinctively that this one was right. She transferred the information to a datapad, then began looking up flights leaving Mon Calamari.
"Departures?" said Rachel. "You're leaving?"
"These modifications were made at the Kuat Drive Yards," said Sydney. "That's where my bounty hunter has gone to ground. Master Yoda instructed me to track him down."
"I thought your orders were to stay here until further notice," said Rachel, gradually sounding more alarmed.
"That doesn't preclude an ongoing investigation." She spotted a transport leaving within the next few hours and booked a seat.
"I'm going with you," said Rachel.
Sydney blinked, turned to her in surprise. "You're what?"
"I know I can't convince you stay, so I'm going with you," Rachel repeated.
"No. You're staying here on Mon Cal, where it's safe," said Sydney as she searched for her overtunic and tabards. She found her obi first, twined around her belt and its pouches.
"What happens if you're hurt? What happens if you don't come back?" asked Rachel.
"Then you'll be sad, and one day you'll be less sad and you'll go on with your life," said Sydney, finally locating all the pieces of her outfit. She began layering them, wrapping the obi over everything.
Rachel held up her belt, pulled it back as Sydney reached for it. "If you didn't come back, I would wait for you. I would search for you until I found out what happened. And I would never be the same."
Sydney closed her hands over Rachel's, tugged them down so that Rachel could run the belt around her waist and fasten the clasp at the front. "I would do the same for you. And that's why you have to stay here, because I can't fulfill my duty if I have to worry about you." She kissed Rachel's forehead. "I'm a Jedi. It's all I've ever been, so it's going to take time to figure out how to be with you, too. But we will, when I come back." She smiled a deep, genuine smile. "I promise."
*
During the hyperspace flight to Kuat, Sydney continually ran her fingers over the outline of the necklace she now wore underneath her tunic. It was Rachel's, a rare Corusca gem inherited from her grandmother. She had fastened it around Sydney's neck, murmuring something about luck. Sydney had never believed in luck; there was only the Force. But the slight weight of the necklace was comforting.
She contacted the council the moment the ship dropped out of hyperspace, intending to deliver her report to Master Yoda. Instead, she was received by the grave face of Ki-Adi-Mundi. "After you have found your bounty hunter, return to Coruscant," he said.
Sydney thought of Rachel, waiting for her on Mon Calamari. "Yes, master. But why?"
Ki-Adi-Mundi scowled. "There's been a crisis at Geonosis. The Republic is at war."