NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 17: Chapter 17
The neon abyss of Coruscant's undercity swallowed them whole as Harry and Zara plummeted through the shattered skylight, wind roaring past them. The sea of hovering speeders and neon-lit platforms blurred beneath their descent.
Above them, Inquisitor Valen stood at the edge of the broken glass, her golden eyes burning with fury, her crimson saber humming at her side.
And then—she jumped too.
[OBJECTIVE: ESCAPE VALEN]
• Status: Mid-air pursuit initiated.
• Environment: Coruscant undercity – high-speed traffic zone.
• Obstacles: Moving vehicles, security droids, Imperial patrols.
• Bonus Objective: Use Force Manipulation to hijack a vehicle before crashing.
Zara screamed, her body twisting mid-air. "THIS IS A TERRIBLE PLAN!"
Harry barely had time to respond—a speeder shot past them, just missing his head by inches.
His instincts took over.
[Skill Activated: Force Pull]
His hand shot out, and a nearby hover-bike suddenly jerked toward him. The driver—a stunned Weequay smuggler—shouted as he was yanked clean off the vehicle, tumbling into the void below.
Harry landed hard on the seat, gripping the controls.
Zara wasn't so lucky.
She kept falling, her blaster wildly firing at anything that might slow her descent.
"CATCH ME, DAMN IT!"
Harry gritted his teeth.
[Bonus Objective Triggered: Save Zara Mid-Fall]
He leaned to the side, one hand off the controls, reaching into the Force.
[Skill Activated: Force Pull – Enhanced]
Zara's fall slowed abruptly, her body yanked toward him. She landed hard against his back, arms locking around his waist.
"That was CLOSE!" she gasped.
"You're welcome," Harry shot back, gunning the speeder forward.
But they weren't in the clear yet.
[ALERT: INQUISITOR PURSUIT DETECTED]
A shadow loomed behind them.
Valen.
She landed gracefully on the roof of a passing speeder, her lightsaber igniting in both hands. With a single leap, she launched herself toward them.
Harry yanked the controls, swerving to avoid her mid-air attack—her blade just missing them by inches, scorching the side of their vehicle.
"She's REALLY PERSISTENT!" Zara yelled.
"No kidding!"
Valen landed on another speeding transport, keeping pace.
Her eyes locked onto Harry. "You cannot run, Shadowborn."
Harry clenched his jaw.
He needed to end this chase—NOW.
[Final Escape Maneuver: Make a Choice]
1. [Outmaneuver]: Use Force-enhanced piloting to lose Valen in traffic. (+10 Agility, lower risk)
2. [Confront]: Lure Valen into a trap and engage her in mid-air combat. (High risk, High reward)
3. [Sabotage]: Cause a chain crash, forcing her off balance. (Unpredictable result)
Harry's eyes flickered toward a massive cargo hauler hovering ahead. If he timed it right…
He gripped the controls tighter. "Hold on."
Zara barely had time to curse before he swerved—
—straight toward oncoming traffic.
[Skill Activated: Force Reflex – Precognition Boost]
The world slowed.
Harry twisted the bike between two freight speeders, weaving through a mess of honking, screaming pilots.
Valen followed—but she was half a second behind.
And that made all the difference.
As Harry shot underneath the hauler, Valen landed on top of it—and realized too late that the speeder was docking.
[ALERT: Valen's Path Cut Off]
The massive hangar doors slammed shut behind them, trapping her inside.
Valen's frustrated snarl echoed in the distance as Harry and Zara vanished into the Coruscant night.
[MISSION COMPLETE: ESCAPE VALEN]
• EXP Gained: 10,000
• Skill Progression: Force Reflex (Unlocked at Level 1)
• Alignment Status: Balanced – Light/Dark Holding
• New Objective: Reach Mustafar
Somewhere in the Depths of Coruscant
They landed the stolen speeder in the deep industrial sectors, far from prying eyes. Harry disassembled the controls, ensuring the Imperials couldn't track it.
Zara leaned against a rusted pipeline, catching her breath. "That… was insane."
Harry wiped sweat from his brow. "Yeah."
Silence stretched between them.
Then she nudged him. "So… Mustafar?"
Harry exhaled, his fingers clenching involuntarily.
Mustafar—Vader's domain.
Where Project Shadowborn began.
And where it might end.
"Yeah," he finally said. "Mustafar."
Meanwhile… Aboard the Executor
Darth Vader stood before the holographic form of Inquisitor Valen, who kneeled, her expression taut with frustration.
"He escaped."
Vader was silent for a long moment.
Then—he turned.
"Let him come."
The stars stretched infinitely beyond the viewport.
"Mustafar will decide his fate."