Chapter Text
Telos- TSF apartment after assassination attempt in the holding cells.
Kriea’s suggestion to meditate was very tempting, but Meetra’s body had other ideas. A swim in a kolto tank can leave anyone drained, not to mention following that up with a fight for their lives and mad run to another planet, and the instant her body touched the bed sleep overtook her.
* * *
She was back on the Hawk as the asteroids exploded around them. Atton cursed as a beam flew past uncomfortably close to the cockpit missing them by a hair and igniting the asteroid in their path.
“Hang on!” Atton yanked at the controls making the Hawk dive.
She scrabbled at the belt in the copilot chair trying to latch it as she was thrown from side to side. The explosion light up the view and seemed to set of more around them each shaking the Hawk from another direction. She closed her eyes against the blinding light and opened them to dust and chaos. Bodies steamed around her and blaster bolts flew in all directions, grenades detonated in the distance causing more dust to fill the air. Screams punctuated the blaster noise.
Surik! Get your head out of your ass and lets go!”
A large figure beckoned her forward with his free hand while deflecting beams back at the mandelorians appearing through the haze, his lightsaber a wide fan in front of him.
“Your informant was full of schuta Alek!” She joined him her double sided blade better fitted for defending multiple people from the battle around them.
“I realized that but we might as well make the best of it.” He grinned his eyes catching the gleam of both blades. “Lets push these bastards off this planet.” He let out a cry that was answered in a booming echo of hundreds of voices.
They moved forward together pushing back against the wave, striking, blocking, slashing. A blast sent several flying to their right and another to their left.
“Minefield!” She warned.
“Keep going.” Alek urged the soldiers around them forward.
“Alek wait-” but she never finished that thought. Grenades started to fly through the air at them. All it took was one, one to start the chain reaction of mine upon mine, one to start trap that had been set for them. Alek was too far ahead so she threw up a force wall between the mines and the small group around her as the world exploded under her feet.
* * *
She woke panting and arm extended. The room cool and clean with just the sound of Keria and Atton breathing. She brought her extended hand to her chest focusing on slowing her breathing. It’s a dream, it’s only a dream. But that was a lie and she knew it, it was a dream but most of it had happened years ago on Suurja. Not her first battle but the first that had turned so quickly.
Her breathing was refusing to slow and her feet where starting to bounce almost in spite of her efforts. The explosions and screams still echoed in her ears, and she knew from the past ten years that meditation was not going to silence them. She stood in the open area away from the beds and let her body move. Slowly the patterns of from her early training came to her. It felt slightly wrong to do the moments without a blade of any sort but seeing as the TSF were not yet willing to give them their weapons she made do and lost herself in the steps, twists, and strikes. Her foot struck one of the lamps as she turned to repeat the pattern on the other side and it clattered into the bedside table before she could grab it.
“What the-” Atton sat up in his bed hair sticking up on one side.
“Shh,” Meetra held a finger to her lips and gestured to Kreia. “It’s just me, sorry..couldn’t sleep.”
Atton took a moment to take in her situation, lamp caught just before the floor, barefoot in grubby tank and shorts (thank you TSF). “What is it with you and trying to kill things in your underwear.” His eyes lingered at her chest.
Her face flushed as she realized the lovely angle that the tank had fallen that was spotlit by the lamp. She straightened setting the lamp down where it belonged. “Like I said I couldn’t sleep, and it’s not like the TSF will let me go on a walk at this moment.”
“Well now,” he lounged back on one arm. “There are other things that we could do to help with that, that probably won’t have you attempting to kill the resident light source.”
She met his grin with a glare. “Really Rand? There is someone else in the room and a very attentive guard at the door and you still want to try your luck?
He shrugged. “I’m just working with what is in front of me. But honestly I was thinking of this.” He fished under his pillow and pulled out a deck of cards. “Found it earlier, seems the last people in this room where a little bored and forgot this when they left.”
“No credits, remember those are with our things.”
“That’s alright, we can play for the sake of playing. Or if you insist we can play Nar Shadaa rules.”
“If you are going to give into this fools insipite request would you two please do so quietly in the far corner.” Crap Meetra had been sure that the lamp had woken Kreia as well but she had hoped that the older woman was simply a deeper sleeper.
“Yes your highness,” Atton tilted his head in a mock of a bow. He glanced at Meetra raising and eyebrow and waggling the deck in query.
Meetra sighed, “Alright, but not Nar shadaa rules.”