49 Not Bad

(Wanna share something funny that I saw. Someone left a 1 star review, which I deleted, claiming that this is a copy of a novel with the same name with only a few things changed. Hmmm, I wonder who wrote the other one? I'll let you figure that out…

Also, I decided to release this one early since I took last week off. My brother was leaving for college so I didn't have time to write. Enjoy!)

A familiar voice distorted by static came from my right ear. "My padawan, our drop zone is quite active. Trust in the force, listen to it, and act without hesitation. Follow this, and you'll be well on your way to knighthood."

I rolled my eyes, tilting my head to the side to get a crooked look at this Jedi Master. "Master, you're making it sound like I'm almost done being a padawan."

Ven shrugged, glancing towards me before turning his gaze back to the airlock in front of us. "Some encouragement never hurt anyone. My master was very supportive. Look how I turned out."

I shook my head, looking back to my front. "Whatever floats your boat."

The only light within the shuttle we were currently in was a solid red light that was above the airlock. It dyed both my master and I red much like the lightsabers that were so kindly donated to me.

*BEHHHHH*

The red light began to blink at a frequency of about half a second. This signified that we were approaching the drop zone.

A voice came over the intercom. "Master Jedi, T minus ten until drop zone. Please step away from the door and brace yourself."

Ven glanced towards me. "Hold tight."

I nodded, tightening my grip on the canvas strap I was holding on to. "So why are we dropping in from the stratosphere again?"

Ven chuckled. "What's wrong? Getting cold feet?"

I shook my head. "Nah, never. Just wondering why we aren't landing."

Ven scoffed. "Come on, Soryn. I know you're smarter than that."

Before I could respond, I was almost ripped out of the shuttle by a raging stream of air. The vast difference of air pressure between the cargo bay of the shuttle and the outside caused an intense gust that lasted mere seconds.

The roar of the air was nearly deafening even through the air tight mask I was wearing. I felt the air rush past my body, threatening to disrobe me quite literally.

I was able to feel my arm stretch from the overwhelming force, my knuckles turning white from the pressure. Imagination was the only thing I could turn to when trying to figure out what would have happened to the air in my lungs if I wasn't wearing a mask.

The voice of the pilot came through our comm channel this time. "We're in the drop zone. Clear to jump."

Ven nodded and walked up to the open door. He gripped the frame and looked back at me. "Well, let's not keep the troopers waiting. Shall we?"

I swear I saw him wink at me as he leaned back and just fell out of the shuttle casually. I could only shake my head in response while walking up to the door.

Looking down, all I could see was a bed of pillowy white clouds. The only things I would find beneath those clouds was the surface of Kuat and a whole lot of violence.

Shrugging, I put my right foot outside of the shuttle. "Well, here goes nothing."

*FWOOMMMMMMmmmmm*

The thrusters sounded like perpetual explosions as they flew past me just as I dropped out of the shuttle. Looking back at my ride, it took but a few seconds to shrink into nothing.

*Whhoooooooooosh*

Through my mask, I was able to hear the air that rushed past me whistling goodbye as it was left behind. There actually wasn't that much air resistance. At least less than I was expecting. It was probably because of how high up we dropped from.

Almost two dozen kilometers separated me from the ground at this point. This drop would take approximately seven minutes. It would be closer to eight minutes if the amount of time it takes to slow down to a non-lethal velocity is considered.

The clouds below me gradually became closer and closer. Details I wasn't able to see less than a minute ago were now visible. The bed of clouds was flowing and alive like the ocean. It felt as if I had jumped off of a diving board and was plummeting towards the water below.

I pulled my arms in and straightened my legs before leaning forwards. Almost instantly, I accelerated downwards. The increased speed raised the frequency with which my robes flapped against my body.

Closer… closer… closer…

*WHOOSH*

Like a fox into the snow, I pierced into the clouds. At this altitude, the temperature was well below freezing. I was able to feel small shards of ice forming on my robes, causing them to become stiff. This brought a slight chill to my skin.

It was surprising how long it took for me to get through the clouds. I believe this type of cloud was called a cumulonimbus? Whatever the storm clouds are called.

Before the drop, we were informed that the weather on the surface of Kuat was quite stormy at this time of year. For the entire season that the planet was currently in, the whole of Kuat would be covered with rainstorms and the occasional lightning storm. Fortunately, there was no lightning today. Quite the relief if you were to ask me.

After a few minutes, I finally emerged from the clouds. Quickly looking around, I was able to find my master a few hundred meters ahead of me. After finding him, I nodded and then turned my gaze back towards the path ahead.

Stunning.

Even under the dark gloominess of the storms, the view from several kilometers in the sky was breathtaking. Oh, taken it was. I had almost forgotten to breathe.

Much of the surface below me was covered in shallow and clear water that spread for several kilometers. I would call it a swamp but it was far too beautiful and vibrant for that to do it justice.

Well, I'm sure that normally it would be even more beautiful but war was not very forgiving. The once breathtaking land was riddled with craters and destroyed armor pieces. Fires were feasting upon the brush and nearly reaching the forest at the wetlands edge. I guessed that the only reason the flames had yet to reach the forest was the steady shower of rain and the plentiful amount of water.

My master's voice sounded in my right ear. "Soryn, check your HUD (Heads Up Display). Ground command has designated our LZ (Landing Zone)."

I nodded subconsciously despite him not being able to see my face. "Yes, master."

I put both of my hands in front of me so I could see them. I then tapped on my wrist comm, causing the glass shield covering my face to glow slightly. The glow subsided as the emblem of the Old Republic appeared in the center.

The Old Republic's insignia was quite similar to that of the Rebellion throughout the Galactic Civil War. Although this particular conflict would not happen for thousands of years, I was almost certain that some inspiration for the Rebellion's insignia was taken from the Old Republic.

The insignia faded and a square minimap appeared in the upper left corner of the visor. In the center of the map was a white dot which I presumed was myself. The only other thing on the map was a pulsing blue dot. I could only guess that this was our LZ.

Putting my arms back, I leaned slightly to my right in order to move in that direction. As the sight before me shifted, I noticed that my master was already heading in this direction.

Just a few kilometers separated us from the surface. This meant that within the next 20 seconds, we would be deploying our parachutes. I could see the LZ now. It was right on the edge of the forest and was surrounded by a field of naturally formed stone pillars. Within a clearing, a yellow flare was spewing smoke that was being carried off with the surprisingly gentle breeze that flowed across the surface.

I could only sigh as I moved my hand onto the cord I would pull to deploy my chute. The conditions truly were near perfect for a paratrooper. Especially for one such as myself that was quite the novice. The only experience I had was a few practice runs in the simulator on the cruiser we rode here.

As soon as I was able to see the outline of the Republic troopers that were waiting at our LZ, I pulled the cord. The upward force came almost instantly and I felt like my stomach was about to pop out of my ass.

That feeling quickly subsided as I gripped both of the steering cords on the parachute. Due to the nature of the drop, this was going to be a close call. Less than a minute separated me from the ground.

I could feel the tension of the chute through the cords and harness. It was struggling to slow me down. The only thing I could do was take a deep breath and trust in the equipment provided to me and the force.

Ahead of me, I watched my master comfortably land right in the center of the LZ, nearly stomping on the flare. As he landed he was dragged forwards by his chute until it hit the ground. Then he came to a stop and started unfastening the harness.

I tightened my grip on the steering cords, as my nerves ran high. Was I supposed to be coming in this fast? Would I really be alright? Ah, whatever. It's too late to worry about that now. Let's just try to land in the middle…

My head swiveled as the flare passed by below my feet. I was supposed to be on the ground now but that didn't appear to be the case.

"Uh oh."

My head snapped to the front just in time to see one of the stone pillars mere inches away from my face.