Happy New Years Everyone
=====
"Are you two the leaders for this challenge?" the man asked Rayden and George.
"We are," they both replied while looking at his jetpack. They noticed it was a JT-12, meaning Rayden won the bet.
George's face fell as he realized he just lost 100 credits, while Rayden broke into a bright smile at his victory.
Ignoring their reactions, the man pulled a holopuck from his belt. "This is a map to the extraction site. You have five hours to get there. Anyone who doesn't make it on time is eliminated." He handed the holopuck to Rayden and then flew away.
As they watched the man depart, all the kids from Clan Knight turned to Rayden, waiting for him to lead them to the extraction site.
Tossing the holopuck in his hand, Rayden grabbed his gear and stood in front of the lined-up kids. Powering on the puck, he and George examined the map, studying the terrain and determining the best route to their destination.
"Everyone, George and I have planned our route. We have five hours to make it to the extraction site, and I want to arrive in four," Rayden shouted, showing each kid their route and making sure they memorized it in case they got lost.
"Everyone pair up as we trek through the forest. It's your responsibility to ensure your partner stays with the group," George instructed as they slowly left the grove.
Rayden, with the holopuck, took point while George held the rear. Each kid carried their own supplies. Before leaving, they had prepared snacks and dried food, knowing they wouldn't have time to stop for long.
The forest was mostly quiet, with small bugs buzzing around and herbivorous animals grazing and watching the group pass by.
Most of the predator animals had been dealt with before they were dropped off, but there might be a few stragglers, so everyone remained on guard.
Maintaining awareness of their surroundings, they walked from the forest into a small open grass field where deer-like creatures bounded away as they emerged from the tree line.
Rayden used his heightened Force-sensing ability to ensure they wouldn't be ambushed. He was thrilled to have grown stronger in the Force and could hardly wait to get back to training after the competition ended.
He knew he had to take advantage of the next decade before the Battle of Naboo and the following decade before the Clone Wars began.
Three hours later, the group found a small area with fallen trees to take a quick rest. While everyone sat and ate, Rayden and George double-checked the map to ensure they were heading in the right direction.
"We are making good time," George said as they assessed how much further they had to go.
"Agreed. How is everyone holding up?" Rayden asked the group around him as he put the holopuck away.
"We're fine."
"I'm good."
"Just slightly tired, but I can make it."
Each kid provided an update on how they felt and their ability to keep going. Slightly relieved, Rayden nodded and sat down to eat his own prepared snack.
After a ten-minute break, the group continued their journey, now in the final stretch.
However, just as they entered a mountainous area where a small makeshift bridge should have been, they found nothing.
"Where is the bridge?" Rayden exclaimed, standing before a 30-foot drop with no bridge in sight. "Everyone fan out and look for the bridge."
Pulling out the puck to check the map again, Rayden said, "Damn it," as he kicked a rock near his foot, sending it tumbling into the ravine.
"What's wrong?" George and a few others asked, noticing Rayden's frustration. They were slightly worried since they hadn't found the bridge yet.
"I just looked at the map. If we don't cross here, a detour would take us over two hours out of our way. We'll never make it to the extraction site on time." Rayden began to pace back and forth, trying to think of a solution.
When everyone heard what he said, they were shocked, and anxiety set in as they too tried to think of something.
After searching for a few minutes, they realized there was indeed no bridge, and they needed to come up with their own solution.
As a group, everyone huddled around each kid, throwing out whatever solutions they could think of.
"Can't we take the detour? It would cut it close," one suggested.
"No, we can't run for two hours straight," another replied.
"How about we make our own bridge?" someone else proposed.
"We don't have any rope long enough," came the response.
As the group continued to brainstorm, Rayden sat silently. "Do you have anything, Rayden?" Ashley asked, noticing his quietness.
"I don't," Rayden said, shaking his head as he struggled to think of an idea. "Everyone, let's take a look around."
While sitting quietly, he was actually examining his system, which had given him a mission.
[No obstacle is going to stop you.]
[Objective: Cross the ravine and make it to extraction on time.]
[Reward: Blueprint for rocket boots.]
Rayden was determined to make it across. The rocket boots would be extremely helpful, even with a jetpack in his future. They would serve as a backup in case of emergencies or provide an extra boost when needed.
Minutes passed before Dave came running, yelling, "I got it! I got it!"
"Did you find the bridge?" someone asked.
"No, but I found this big, wide tree. If we can get it to fall over the ravine, we can create a bridge!" Dave exclaimed excitedly.
Everyone grew quiet at the thought. It was a good idea, but they realized they had no axes or cutting tools, just a small knife.
Dave led everyone to the tree he'd found. It was perfectly positioned so that if it fell, it would create a bridge across the gap.
After some brainstorming, the group devised a two-part solution. First, they would dig at the roots of the tree to loosen the ground while tying ropes and vines around the tree. Second, they would create a small fire at the base of the tree closest to the ravine. The fire would weaken the tree, and combined with the loose soil, it would be easier to fell.
"Let's get to work, everyone," Rayden agreed with the plan, and everyone started working diligently. About 45 minutes later, the kids had tied ropes around two-thirds of the tree's height and dug as much soil around it as they could.
At the base of the tree, after dulling a few knives, they managed to create holes to stick flammable debris into. "Everyone, step back," Rayden said as George walked over to light the debris in the holes.
The fire started small and slow, but after five minutes, it began to consume the inner wood of the tree as fuel. Tons of smoke billowed from the holes as each kid started to hear slight creaks.
"Pull the ropes!" Rayden shouted, grabbing the closest rope and starting to pull. Using a pulley system for leverage, the group pulled on the flaming tree for the next 10 minutes until it creaked ominously.
"Watch out, it's falling!" someone shouted. Everyone dropped their ropes and scattered. The tree gave way and fell toward the ravine.
"Boom!"
A loud crash echoed as the tree kicked up dirt, smoke, and dust. Each kid was either hiding behind a tree or lying on the ground, covering their heads.
When everything finally settled, they found the tree resting perfectly across the gap, with broken branches and leaves scattered about.
"We did it!" someone exclaimed as the group broke into cheers. "Well done, everyone, but we need to hurry. We need to make up for lost time," Rayden congratulated everyone, then urged them to move.
One by one, the kids carefully walked across the fallen tree to the other side. Rayden and George brought up the rear to ensure no one was left behind.
Once on the other side, they all caught their breath after working so hard. "We need to run if we want to be there on time," George calculated mentally, noting how much time they had left.
"Running and not stopping is the only way. We have less than an hour before we're eliminated," Rayden yelled as he walked to the front and prepared the group. "Everyone line up; we are running to the extraction site!"
====
At the extraction site, five Kom'rk ships lay in wait, each representing their respective clans. The clan leaders were on board their ships as they anxiously awaited the return of the children. With less than an hour remaining and no one arriving, the tension was palpable.
With thirty minutes left, the first group to arrive was from Clan Vhar'kar, followed five minutes later by the kids from Clan Drav'korr.
Clan Serdran arrived with fifteen minutes to spare. Lexi made her way to her mom, feeling tired, and noticed that she had arrived before Rayden.
With ten minutes left, two groups of kids could be seen sprinting toward the designated area. As they arrived, they dropped to the ground, completely exhausted. From what it looked like, Rayden and Clan Knight had managed to stay slightly ahead of Tov'ra.
A few kids who had gotten slightly lost made their way to extraction just before the timer hit zero.
"That's it! The survival challenge is complete." Varn announced through a speaker. Each kid let out a sigh of relief, relieved to be done with the challenges finally.
"I want to sleep."
"Me too! My legs feel like jelly."
"Wake me when we get back home."
"I could stay out here a few more days."
Each kid expressed their opinion, some more energetic than others.
=====
Rayden made his way to his parents, feeling tired. Even with all his training, running nonstop for almost 45 minutes took a toll on his young body.
Elyse felt a mix of pride for her son's accomplishment, relief that he was okay, and pity at the tired look on his face. She pulled him into a warm, loving embrace. "Good job, baby. You made us proud." She shook him back and forth in her hug.
"Thanks, Mom, but can you stop shaking me? I'm getting dizzy," Rayden replied.
Elyse stopped shaking him but didn't release her hold; she had missed holding him these past few days and wanted to savor the moment.
Varn allowed them their moment of affection while he and the other clan leaders counted to ensure no one was missing. Once the final count was in and confirmed that everyone was accounted for, each clan led their respective kids onto the ships and made their way back to the clan grounds.
Once back at the clan, all the kids took a shower, enjoyed a hot meal, and finally had some well-deserved rest.
After showering, Rayden met with Varn and asked a question that had been nagging at him.
"Where was the bridge that was shown on the map?" Rayden voiced his confusion while seated at home with Varn, Elyse, and Torin.
"There never was a bridge to begin with," Varn chuckled at Rayden's bewildered expression upon hearing the answer.
"Then why was it on the map?" Rayden asked, still puzzled.
"A misdirection, meant to force you to choose that route and encounter the obstacle," Torin interjected, taking a sip of his drink.
"The ravine?" Rayden began to understand what was happening.
Varn noticed he was starting to piece it together. "Correct. Each group had an obstacle they needed to overcome to reach extraction. Yours was the ravine gap. Others faced swamps, a big river to cross, or cliffs to climb or scale down."
"It was meant to see if you kids could come up with a solution in case things didn't go as planned," Elyse added, setting down a plate of hot food in front of Rayden. Just the smell of the food made him even hungrier.
Rayden made his way to his parents, his legs feeling weary after running nonstop for almost 45 minutes through the rugged terrain. The fatigue weighed heavily on his young body, and he felt every bit of it.
Elyse watched her son approach and felt a wave of emotions wash over her. She was proud of his accomplishments, relieved to see that he had returned safely, and sympathetic toward the exhausted look on his face. As he reached her, she enveloped him in a warm, loving embrace, pulling him close. "Good job, baby! You made us proud," she exclaimed. With affectionate energy, she gently shook him back and forth in her hug, thrilled to see him.
"Thanks, Mom, but can you stop shaking me? I'm getting dizzy," Rayden replied, laughter tinging his voice as he felt slightly nauseous.
Elyse halted her shaking but held him tight, savoring the warmth of their reunion. After days apart, she cherished every second of holdinghim, making up for lost time.