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Dathomir was littered with insane creatures and plants, each one trying to kill Cal as he attempted to find Kujet’s Tomb to get the astrium. Taking on the chirodactyl that the dathomirians called Gorgara was his latest roadblock and had been no small feat. When he finally drove the winged creature to the ground, diving off of its back in the process, he stood and stared at the now-dead beast. Flying around with that dathomir bat had been both terrifying and exhilarating. His adrenaline began to fade, forcing him to acknowledge that he hadn’t quite escaped injury.
“You okay?” Cal asked BD-1 breathlessly. He knew he’d bruised a few ribs.
The droid chirped in response. “Beeeep! Boo?”
Cal sighed, grasping his ribs with both arms and kneeling over for a moment while he caught his breath. “Yeah… I’m great. Wish I could say the same for this creature though.”
BD-1 didn’t seem convinced or amused. He climbed up Cal’s back and secured himself to his friend, chirping contently and offering a stim shot.
“Not unless I really need it,” Cal replied, pulling his saber from his belt. “I don’t want to get addicted to the stim. That stuff is… almost too good.”
They undertook their search for the tomb once more, dodging more terrifying creepy crawlies. Soon he found himself back in the cave-like nighbrother village. He crept through the quiet passages, hoping to avoid any confrontation. His ribs were screaming at him to rest but he knew that if he stopped he would have a hard time getting going again.
A rather unsafe looking bridge appeared before Cal as he rounded a corner. He mulled over his options. While he could find a way to jump across, his injuries told him that probably wasn’t a good idea. It was probably better to risk the rickety platform. He looked over the ledge, noting the deep crevice and small creek that flowed through it.
“WHO’S THERE,” came an angry voice.
Great, I didn’t get all of them on the first pass, Cal thought bitterly. He ignited his saber and prepared for a fight.
A large zabrak appeared at the other end of the bridge. He looked the same as the other nightbrothers that Cal had encountered. However, Cal was considerably more weak and tired than when he’d come through this area before.
“The Jedi! The one who slaughters the nightbrothers!” the zabrak yelled. He charged over the bridge. Cal soon realized he was armed with a crossbow.
The first bolt was well off the mark, making it easy for Cal to jump forward and take a swipe at the enemy. The zabrak recoiled and aimed another blast at him. Cal managed to deflect the bolt, then reached out with the force and tried to pull the weapon toward him. Instead he managed to pull the entire nightbrother.
The large figure toppled into Cal, sending them both rolling back to the end of the bridge. Cal lost his grip on his lightsaber during the unexpected maneuver. They smacked a rock wall, their limbs entangled. BD-1 leapt off of Cal’s back and zapped the nightbrother, causing him to scream and untangle himself from the Jedi.
“You’ll pay for your murders, Jedi scum,” the zabrak growled. “I will avenge them all!” He had lost his crossbow, but still had a sharp looking dagger that he was now threatening Cal with.
“Not if I kill you first,” Cal said as he shakily got to his feet.
The nightbrother lunged and struck Cal on the arm with the blade. Cal reached out with the force, pushing the nightbrother away before he could embed the dagger in his throat. He managed to knock the weapon out of the man’s hand, sending it over the ledge.
Before Cal could regain his footing a large hand had wrapped itself around his throat. The nightbrother lifted him off his feet and slammed his head against the wall, tightening his grip. Cal desperately clawed at his arms and hands, trying to free himself.
“You disgusting wizard,” the zabrak spat. “Killing you was almost too easy.”
Spots began appearing in front of Cal’s eyes. Am I really going to die like this? He thought. He tried to take a breath but only managed to get a small amount of air before the hand tightened again, completely cutting off his airway. Small sounds escaped his lips as pain and lightheadedness began to overtake him.
-bzzt -
“AUGHH!”
Cal fell to the ground, gasping for breath and slowly realizing that BD-1 had shocked the nightbrother again. Just as fast as he had been dropped he was being lifted again by the fuming zabrak. Instead of pinning him back against the wall he threw Cal toward the ledge. Thankfully Cal landed on the precarious bridge, his legs nearly dangling over the side. He heard many creaks below him, and wondered if the old wood would give way.
“Beedee,” Cal croaked. “Run!”
“Pathetic,” the zabrak spat as he approached the immobile Jedi.
Cal tried to stand but his head was still spinning from the lack of oxygen. The bridge began to shudder from the weight of Cal and the nightbrother. Each step the zabrak took brought more and more creaks and splintering sounds.
“Stop!” Cal managed to yell. “Stop you’ll kill us both!”
The zabrak didn’t listen and instead took a flying leap. Cal raised his arms in defence, the large body of the nightbrother slamming into him. Almost immediately the bridge began to crumble, sending both bodies tumbling down into the ravine.
Cal had blacked out. When he opened his eyes it was nearly pitch black. A few seconds and he began to feel pain in almost all parts of his body. A large weight was covering his chest as well as one of his arms. He was laying in about an inch of water, large beams pinning him to the ground. He tried to move but the timber was too heavy. He tasted blood.
“Beedee!” Cal cried out desperately, pain shooting through his chest. “I need you! Where are you?”
“Beep boop!” came a familiar chirp. Cal could barely make out the slight glow from BD-1’s lights. The small droid was scurrying around, trying to find a way to Cal.
“Over here,” Cal choked out. His throat felt raw and the beam over his chest was making it difficult to speak.
“Brooooop!” BD-1 wriggled between some large panels and was finally standing next to Cal’s head illuminating the small space that they both occupied.
“H-hey, bud,” Cal said quietly. “I can’t reach my comm to call for help. I’m… stuck.”
The droid pushed his head into Cal’s for a moment, offering reassurance. “Boop boooop?”
“Well good I’m glad he’s dead. Now I need to figure out how to keep me from dying.” Cal tried to shift under the weight of the wood. Fear began to take hold, quickening Cal’s breathing as he tried to free his left arm from the heavy log.
“Beeeeep beep!” BD-1 protested. He opened his top hatch, revealing the stim shots.
Cal reached out and grabbed one, making sure to also pat the droid on the head. “You’re right, I should have listened before.”
The extra adrenaline from the shot helped Cal free his trapped arm. He was still pinned to the ground, but was able to wriggle his body in a way that made his chest feel less compressed.
Trust in the force.
Cal closed his eyes, working to calm his thoughts and his breathing. His fears began to wash away as he focused on the ever-comforting force around him.
Trust in the force.
The splintered wood began to tremble, loosening its hold on Cal’s body. He opened his eyes, gently manipulating the fallen bridge pieces away from himself so that he could stand. When it was clear, he released the timber, allowing it to fall around him.
“Booooop,” BD-1 whirred softly.
“Couldn’t have done it without you, buddy,” Cal said affectionately to his droid companion. He motioned for BD-1 to climb on to his back.
After some searching he finally found his lightsaber. Clipping the familiar weight to his belt gave him renewed energy as he and BD-1 finally emerged from the nightbrother village. The next objective was to find Kujet’s tomb and hopefully find the astrium inside.
“Maybe we don’t tell Cere what just happened,” Cal said thoughtfully. “Just now and also with that… bat thing.”
BD-1 chirped back in agreement.