MEEKO-JON, THEN TON-KIMBLE

STAR WARS - INTERLUDE FOUR
"Meeko-Jon, then Ton-Kimble" written by Scott Bower, and edited by Mark Stinson (print this out!)


I found myself in the light. That was the only way to explain this place I was in...no, not IN...but a part of. And there was someone here with me. A familiar presence that I never thought I would encounter again. "Master," I thought.

"Kenai it is good to see you have chosen the path you have."

" Master, I am sorry I failed in my duty to protect you."

"You did not fail in your duty Kenai, I knew before we even left the White Tower that our path to Fendora-Bengala would end...prematurely. But, I believed enough in the Force, that though the path we chose would surely end my mortal existance, I knew that path was neccesary. That deadly path made possible many new and life-giving paths...not the least of which is the one you now walk."

"How do I know which way to go."

" The signs are always there, it just takes an open mind to see them."

"Kenai, are you there?"...then a loud static...that last voice had been a different voice...deeper that Master Meeko-jon's...and full of fear. And then the new voice spoke again, "Kenai, can you read me, please respond!?!"

I was no longer in the light...and I was aware of an intense pain I felt in my chest, my right leg...my arms...I hurt all over. I opened my eyes and bolted upright to find myself sitting back on a roof on the industrial slave planet...Milos. How long had I been out?

"Kenai are you alive? Come in!" It was Ranar on my com set. I took a quick inventory of my condition, I was hurt, but I could move. I hadn't taken any injuries that would kill me...not yet, anyhow. I still grasped my Quantum rifle in by bionic left arm. The explosion must have knocked me onto the roof of the shorter building next to my original perch...thank the Force I had been wearing armour. I glanced back and found the building I had jumped from was missing most of its top floor, and a burning sky car was resting amid its rubble. I could have sworn I missed! Debris was still falling around me so I wasn't out long.

"Yeah, I'm alive, has the raiding party gotten away?"

"No...well, by the High Lord...I can't tell. There is so much smoke, I can't see from this angle. A moment ago...I could see Ton Kimble and his troops on the roof...things were going badly...his men were falling all around him. Then this quite came over the whole scene...an unearthly quiet...and the Twilight Guards began writhing around...bumping into each other...falling off the roof! I could see the flames inside their armor...flames licking at their faces behind the blast-glass face shields. Then they began popping open, fire exploding outwards from them. Right before the smoke obscured my view, I saw Ton Kimble, his men huddled around him...and he was laughing and screaming like a mad man!"

I could hear the wonder in Ranar's voice...the disbelief. Clearly there was much about Ton Kimble that perhaps we did not know. I scrambled to the edge of the roof in time to see a sight that I will not soon forget. A fully-armored Twilight Guard unit was hurrying up the street towards Justice Hall, obviously as reinforcements. A shabbily dressed middle-aged woman dashed out of an alley and right into the middle of the armored squad. I had to look away as a large explosion engulfed the entire T.G. squad. By the Force! This poor woman must have been been carrying a large explosive device...Almost the entire squad had been imobilized...with several of its members clearly dead...of the woman, nothing remained except a scorch-mark on the street's surface.

"There's not much more we can do...let's clear out. Go silent"

I retraced my route to the field hospital that had been set up at The Gutter. Ranar had made it back before me, and he was helping Morgan and Wala tend to those wounded that had already returned. But what of Ton-Kimble and his men? What of the Jedi and their mission?

A short time later, we heard activity on the stairs that lead down to The Gutter. In through the door marched the 14 remaining troops of the 24 that had been lead by Ton-Kimble...in their arms they carried their unconscious leader. Wala rushed to his side, and directed the surviving troops, almost all of them fight-club members, to carry Ton-Kimble's body to the back room. Ranar, his work done on the wounded for the moment, stood at my side. He paused a minute looking after the fallen rebel leader, an then spoke quietly, "I got off a lucky shot at that sky car that was headed for you...I think I caused it to crash!" Ranar paused again, and I did not speak. "Did you see the woman sacrifice herself to blow up those Twilight Guardsmen?" I nodded slowly. "I asked one of the rebels why she had done that...he said that many of the female rebels had lost their children to the Hindar Harvesting...and to the cruelty of the Shades. These women have mourned deeply, some for many years...some for only a few months. But, they all have one thing in common...they are willing to die to ensure the power of the Hindars and the Twilight Guard fails." When Ranar was done talking, he turned away quickly...obviously deeply touched by the loss these slaves have experienced.

I was driven to know what was happening with Ton-Kimble, so I made my way into the back room. Wala was washing his face with a cold wet cloth. I could see no injuries upon his body...but Ton-Kimble appeared somehow thinner...perhaps older. His eyes fluttered open, and though his pale body appeared drained of energy, his eyes flashed with life and fire. "Kenai...come close, I must report on our successes and failures." I moved closer, and the people caring for Ton-Kimble...all except Wala...stood, and exited the room.

"Kenai...I am afraid we lost 10 brave souls on that roof...proud men...free men...every one of them...<cough>...I don't know how the Jedi faired...we never saw them on the roof...and I am told they have not yet returned. If we have lost Quinn, Vette,...<cough>... Zengral, Ohmnar...or either of the Fire Mages...it will be a great loss for so early in the war! May they return unharmed from the fires of battle."

Ton-Kimble paused...obviously catching his breath. Why was he so weak? "We were able to take the...<cough>...three skycars completely out of commission...and the one that crashed into the building. We killed a little over a dozen of the Twilight Guard...and they...<cough>...died horribly. The fires...the fires took them." Ton-Kimble closed his eyes and a look of pain came over his face. He muttered what sounded like a prayer, but I didn't understand a word of it.

"If the Jedi, and all with them return safely...this will have been a good start...<cough>...to the war. A success, but I fear it is one of many successes that we will have to purchase at a great cost...." Ton-Kimble's words trailed off at the end, and he seemed to fall into a deep slumber.

I looked at Wala, who continued to run the cool wet cloth over the rebel leader's face. She seemed to be deep in thought. "Wala, what happened up on that roof...why is Ton so completely wore out? It is almost as if he's somehow older...."

Wala looked into my eyes. "Ton-Kimble studied to be a Fire Mage all through his youth...his ability to call fire was strong, but his control was lacking. The Mages determined that Ton was unable to focus the chaotic energies of the fire...that the fire lived in him...that the fire loved him too much. The fire is willing to do anything Ton-Kimble asks...but the fire devours Ton a little each and every time he calls upon it. The Mages wisely removed Ton-Kimble from his studies and forbid him to use his power over the fires...but we all have sacrifices to make now that there is a rebellion to fight...we all have a price to pay. Ton-Kimble allowed the fires to take those Twilight Guardsmen tonight, but in doing so...he is one step closer to that day when the fires will take him...."

Cool story, but what the hell happened to the Jedi and their companions in the Justice Hall? Scott, you get 2 A.P. points! Mark L. Stinson

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