Oh no…
The thought that all was for nothing did not slow her down. She walked and walked for miles. She scaled the mountain without pause and navigated through the smoke-filled caves in almost complete darkness.
Hours and hours went by as Okha ignored her physical exhaustion and loss of blood. Even the pain of her injuries was set aside. Her resolve to enter her once-called-home and find Moon was all that mattered. She was aware that her training, and perhaps her genetic design had prepared her to overcome the physical demands. However, nothing would prepare her for the emotional demands she was about to endure.
On the brink of exhaustion, Okha finally arrived to the landing platform deep inside the mountain face. The once secret location in the Takodana mountain, now lay in ruins. There was smoke, fire scorching, and debris everywhere. The landing platform was wrecked. The main entryway, destroyed. Each step was dread.
Okha rushed across the landing platform to the main entrance. She came to the realization that she had no armor and no weapons. Everything she had been wearing on her flight suit, was now at the bottom of that lake.Yet, she was ready to fight anything or anyone remaining. The main sliding door between the landing platform and the foyer was already opened, and damaged. Placing her back against the entryway wall, she edged her head to take a look at the foyer and main area. She slowly turned the corner. There were multiple scorch marks all over the walls. Okha realized there was a major exchange of weapons fire.
Okha took small steps through the wrecked room. She knew that giving her position away was a risk, but she needed to know if Moon was still there.
“MOON!?”
Hopefully, she was alive. Possibly trapped. The dark, smoke-filled air made it difficult to see.
There was no responde.
“MOON!?”
As Okha proceeded to the main living quarters, it became more and more difficult to walk. The floor was littered with pieces of an astromech droid scattered everywhere. “TIC!”, Okha exclaimed to herself as she followed a trail of the parts to the communications room. There, most of her modified R5, TIC, lay in disarray. “TIC!” She exclaimed as she knelt down to take a closer look. She felt rage as she picked up parts and pieces of her beloved astromech. Its dome was detached from the main body and it’s rollers were fractured in multiple locations. There were some blaster scorching, but the rest of it was physical. “They took you apart... “, Okha softly spoke as her eyes became glossy. “We’ve been through so much together, let’s see if your memory core is still... “ Okha paused. She realized that it was more than just vandalism. “They took it…” Okha softly spoke to herself as she came to the conclusion that they were searching for more than just Moon. They wanted information. Looking around the room, she noticed all of her systems were taken apart.
Suddenly, Okha’s thoughts shifted to her other droid.
GASP! “TAC!!”
Her heart sank. She looked around the corner and took off to the garden. There, in the center of the garden, lay her modified B2 Super-Battle Droid, TAC, in pieces. Okha knelt right next to it and began to look at the wreck that was once her most prized possession, and companion.
“NO, no, no… what have they done?!...”
TAC was also disassembled beyond the mortal wounds. Searching through the armor remains, she noticed the memory core was also missing.
“Bastards!”
She remained kneeling and shifted herself ever so slightly and imagined what it was like to be there. To be Moon in those final moments. Her sight shifted to the ground and the surrounding plants.
There was a firefight, TAC stood his ground until his end. Somehow, Moon must have been sedated and taken against her will, Okha thought to herself as she slowly closed her eyes.
Unless… Perhaps, while I was in the Lab - our connection… it distracted her. Her eyes opened and widened with the realization of the impact of their connection.
She knew Moon’s potential. And knew she could not be taken without a fierce fight. She began to feel guilt and blame for what had happened. She slowly spoke to herself, “this would not have happened if she hadn’t felt my need…” her voice began to break and falter, “she felt that I needed her…”
Okha closed her eyes and tried reaching out to Moon. There was nothing. Okha closed her eyes and tried to focus, “common, Moon… please…”
Eventually, the emotional pain was more than she could bare, and winced in sadness.
“It’s all my fault. All of it….”
She remained kneeling, and braced herself. Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed silently. One tear found its way to dark gray stone floor at the center of her once lush and beautiful garden.
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