Only Shadows in Coruscant

[Dark Link]

As the rhythm and noise of the discotheque above continued unabated, the facility underneath it once again became quiet. The guns — along with their operators — turned silent, the acrid smell of death and gunpowder hanging in the air. The already disorderly factory floor was given a gruesome makeover, splatters of blood and dismembered corpses littering the area.

Standing amidst this butchery was the dark boy, attempting to catch his breath after besting what seemed to him a countless amount of foes. He was overwhelmed by a burning sensation, both from his heaving lungs and the innumerable wounds littering his body. Though the goons weren’t able to best him, their efforts had certainly exacted their toll.

But the youth’s focus was neither on his injuries, nor on the messy handiwork surrounding him. Once more, he was able to sense ‘her’ presence. He could feel his companion tugging at his mind, drawing him to her whereabouts. With a staggering step, he pushed his way to where she was leading him, plastic and glass crunching underneath his feet.

His movement intensified as he drew closer to his destination. The boy’s haste was not solely motivated by his desire to be reunited with his partner. The sensation she was emitting to him was of a fervour he had yet to experience, leaving a sense of weight in his gut. Though it was unfamiliar to him, it felt threatening enough to cause alarm.

He found his destination to be the underground parking lot they had passed by earlier. Not encountering any further obstacles in his way, the boy had broken into a sprint, at least to the extent his injured legs permitted him. Feeling like she was close enough that he could practically touch her, he turned a corner and his eyes of crimson expectantly laid upon where he knew she was located.

Nothing. The surface of the large moving object, where he had anticipated to see her, was vacant — there was nobody there expecting him. The sensation that had drawn him to that place instantly vanished, as if it had been an illusion. As much as he strained his blank mind, he was no longer able to sense her presence, giving way to confusion and solitude.

The young man frowned. It dawned even upon him that, wittingly or not, he had been abandoned in this unfamiliar and hostile place. After what had seemed like an eternity of attempting to survive and reunite with his only companion and guide, for the first time in his short-lived existence, he found himself well and truly alone.

Now what?