Regrouping

[idontneedluck]

Some would imagine a desert world cannot have seasons.

Some would be wrong.

They had come with the first night of plunging winter cold. They came with monsters with metal feet throwing fire, with orders muffled by static, with enough of an army that the Guardians hadn't so much been bested as over-run.

The new Governor was not interested in prisoners, especially not in a blind monk who developed a raspy cough after a fight to exhaustion and a few nights in a freezing cell.

Chirrut huddles in an alcove of the market, out of the thin wind that rises out of the desert. No one comes near him, out of fear of their new oppressors, but no one takes advantage of him either... he doesn't know if it is out of respect for what he was, or fear of a more immediate retribution.

He doesn't care much. The Force isn't speaking to him, he has no idea where the others are, and he feels a Hutt sat on him.

Comments

[idontneedluck]

"I am fine, it is..." He trails off, head cocked as if listening to something faint and far away. "I know that sound."

He just can't place it, with so many other noises and distractions in the way.

[iprotectyou]

"What sound?" Baze says, pulling his hood over his head again, to better hide his features. It wouldn't do to be recognized in the broad daylight. A fight in the middle of the bustling crowd could be disastrous. "Do you need to follow it?"

[idontneedluck]

"Yes." There isn't any hesitation in that answer, or in the way he hooks his fingers in the shoulder strap of the rifle and tugs, leading the way through the tangle of the crowd. Now that he's given himself over to the thing he's as focused as a hound on the scent, taking an unwavering path towards the outer walls of town.

[iprotectyou]

Baze follows dutifully, even though he has no idea where his friend is leading them. He dodges people in the crowd--and once steers Chirrut into an alcove to let some Stormtroopers pass--but otherwise doesn't interfere with Chirrut's dogged pursuit of this mysterious sound.

[idontneedluck]

They turn down a disused alley way - once part of a larger street until construction blocked off easy access, it is only occupied by stray rats.

"... Baze." Chirrut's harsh whisper sounds almost gutted. "It is kyber." There is a doorway at the end of the cul-de-sac, and Chirrut makes for it unerringly.

[iprotectyou]

"Kyber?" Baze says, thoroughly disbelieving. "I thought the Empire snatched up all the kyber crystals."

He ducks through the open doorway, inhaling the scent of dust and stale air. Baze has no choice but to trust in Chirrut's extra senses--ones Baze doesn't understand. If Chirrut says there's kyber, then there's kyber. "What is it doing here?"

[idontneedluck]

"I don't know." Inside is a sanctuary, built in a similar if more primitive style than the temple proper. Near the back, against the wall, are items laid out almost ceremoniously - a dark brown cloak gone stiff with age, a pair of metal gauntlets...

A staff. The wood of it is knotted and heavily grained, the metal grip engraved... and there is a lantern on the top, dark for now.

Dark until Chirrut reaches out and grabs the staff. Silvery light spills from the lantern, lighting the room in a steady glow. Chirrut spins the staff experimentally, a contented smile spreading across his face.

[iprotectyou]

Baze whistles. "It wanted you to find it," he says reverentially, grasping Chirrut's shoulder. "The Force is with me, and I am with the Force. Is there a kyber crystal in the end?"

[idontneedluck]

"Yes. It is just a sliver, but its song is so sweet. Can you hear it?" He feels completely relaxed, as if he were back walking the grounds of the Temple, without a hint of Imperial interference.

[iprotectyou]

"No," Baze says, shaking his head. "I'm not as connected with the Force as you are. I don't mind. I'm just glad you have a stick."

He chuckles, running his fingers along the staff, and stopping before he hits the lantern. "Now we can really take down those Imperials."

[idontneedluck]

Chirrut grips Baze's shoulder, grounding and sure.

"Our people will be rid of them." There is unshakable confidence in his voice, his renewed faith a core of steel.

[iprotectyou]

"Then what are we waiting for?" Baze says, his smile vicious. He's sure Chirrut can hear it in his voice. "Shall we wait until night and test out your new staff?"

[idontneedluck]

Chirrut worries, Chirrut will always worry, about how Baze is finding solace in violence... but he doesn't have any alternatives to give.

Besides. He still has so many who are lost who must be avenged.

"You do think of the most interesting outings." He agrees, his smile less bloodthirsty, but content.