Ghosts of the Order

Posted on Tue Sep 29th, 2026 @ 11:55pm by Inquisitor Second Sister

1,137 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Daiyu
Location: Daiyu – Lower City, Market District and Industrial Quarter

The Second Sister was growing increasingly irritated. Daiyu was a wretched hive of humanity and alien life, a sprawling labyrinth of streets, markets and elevated walkways that seemed designed to frustrate anyone attempting to navigate it. The crowds were relentless, the air thick with chemical fumes and the acrid smell of industrial waste. Everywhere she turned, another street vendor, transport vehicle or group of desperate refugees obstructed her path. And somewhere in this miserable city, she had lost her quarry. She stopped at an intersection, watching the crowds flowing around her. Somewhere ahead, an argument erupted between a pair of merchants. A speeder sounded its horn, scattering pedestrians who had wandered into its path. She reached out through the Force. Nothing. Then—

There. Her head turned sharply. It was faint. Barely perceptible beneath the overwhelming emotional noise of the city. Yet there was something unmistakably familiar about it. Fear. Not the ordinary fear of a citizen who had encountered an Imperial officer, nor the animal terror of someone running for their life. This was different. Fear buried beneath years of discipline. A desperate attempt to remain calm, to become invisible, to suppress something that could never truly be extinguished. A Jedi.

"Well, well," she murmured. Perhaps the day would not be a complete disappointment after all. She turned away from the direction in which she had last seen her original quarry and began pushing through the crowd. Ahead, a hooded figure had stopped beside a stall selling salvaged droid components.
The figure turned. For the briefest moment, their eyes met. Recognition flashed across the stranger's face, followed by an expression of absolute horror.
Then the Jedi ran. "Oh, don't make this boring."

She started after them. The fugitive knocked over a stack of crates, sending metal components scattering across the pavement. Civilians shouted in protest, scrambling out of the way as the Jedi plunged into a narrow passage between two buildings. The Second Sister barely broke stride. With a casual gesture, she hurled the fallen crates aside, sending them crashing into a nearby market stall. She entered the alley just as the Jedi reached its far end. A flicker of movement. The stranger leapt. Not an ordinary jump, but a Force-assisted leap that carried them to a narrow maintenance balcony three storeys above the street. She smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere."

Her own leap carried her onto the balcony moments later. The Jedi was already running. They raced along the elevated walkway, their footsteps ringing against the metal decking. Below them, Daiyu continued its business, oblivious to the pursuit taking place overhead. The walkway ended at a gap between buildings. The Jedi jumped. She followed. They landed on the roof of a low commercial building, startling a group of workers eating beside an industrial ventilation unit. The fugitive spun around. A lightsaber ignited. Its blue blade illuminated the surrounding machinery.

The Second Sister slowed to a walk. "Finally." Her own weapon came alive with a furious red hiss. "Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find one of you these days?"

The Jedi said nothing, adopting a defensive stance.

She tilted her head. "Nothing? No stirring declaration about the Force? No lecture about the evils of the Empire?"

The stranger's grip tightened. "Leave me alone."

She laughed. "Oh, I'm afraid that's not going to happen."

She attacked. Their blades collided with a brilliant flash of light. The Jedi was quicker than she expected, turning aside her opening strike and immediately attempting to disengage. She pressed forward, forcing them back across the rooftop. Again and again, their blades met. The Jedi fought defensively, refusing to commit to an attack that might leave them vulnerable. Whoever they were, they had received proper training. That made things considerably more interesting. "Who was your master?" she demanded, driving another attack towards their shoulder.

The Jedi parried. "Dead."

"Aren't they all?" Her next strike caught the stranger off balance, forcing them backwards into a ventilation unit. Sparks erupted as the blue blade sliced through its metal housing. The Jedi thrust out a hand. The machinery tore free of its mounting and flew towards her. She ducked beneath it, laughing as the heavy unit sailed overhead and disappeared off the rooftop. A tremendous crash echoed from the street below. By the time she straightened, the Jedi was running again. "Oh, you are going to make me work for this."

She gave chase. They crossed two more rooftops before the fugitive dropped onto a maintenance platform overlooking one of Daiyu's industrial thoroughfares. Cargo speeders passed beneath them, their engines drowning out the noise of the city. The Jedi jumped onto the roof of a moving transport. She followed. Her boots struck the vehicle hard enough to dent its metal roof. The driver swerved, sounding the horn as the transport lurched dangerously towards another vehicle. The Jedi stumbled. She lunged. Red and blue light flashed above the traffic as their blades collided once more.
Their battle continued across the moving transport, each strike becoming increasingly desperate as the vehicle accelerated through the crowded streets. A low overhead bridge appeared ahead. The Jedi saw it first. They dropped flat.

The Second Sister twisted sideways, narrowly avoiding the concrete structure as it thundered overhead. When she recovered, her opponent was already leaping towards a neighbouring vehicle. She stretched out her hand. The Force caught the Jedi in midair. For one glorious moment, they hung suspended above the traffic. "Got you."

Then the stranger reached out. Something enormous shifted beneath them. The transport carrying the Second Sister lurched violently sideways, its driver screaming as the vehicle smashed into a roadside barrier. Her concentration broke. The Jedi fell, striking the roof of the neighbouring speeder before rolling over its side and disappearing into the traffic below. She barely managed to leap clear before her own transport collided with a support column. The explosion sent flames billowing into the narrow thoroughfare. She landed on a pedestrian walkway above the wreckage. For several seconds, she simply stood there, watching the fire. Then she laughed. "Very clever." She deactivated her lightsaber.

"But not clever enough." The Jedi was injured. She had felt it during the final exchange. Something in their shoulder, perhaps, or the ribs. Nothing immediately fatal, unfortunately. And they had used the Force openly. Now she knew exactly what to look for. Below, civilians fled the burning transport as emergency sirens began wailing throughout the district. The Second Sister turned towards the industrial quarter. She could feel the Jedi moving.
Slowly now. Desperately. She began walking. There was no longer any reason to hurry. "Run, little Jedi," she whispered. Her fingers tightened around her lightsaber. "Let's see how far you get." She may have lost Allore or Shia as she was known, but this would do.

TBC

 

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