Desperate: A Star Wars Fan Story
By Ruben J. van Wingerden
Part 1: First Encounter
Three persons moved through the darkness of night, hunched. They used the high grasses that grew on the hills as their cover. The whistling wind drew out the sound of their movements. The smallest of the three and the last of them, was a young female Twi'lek, a Padawan. Her Master was a Jedi Knight, human. His name was Master Liorell and he walked in front. The other human was an experienced Republic Commando with several medals for heroism and bravery. The Padawan, Fyara, didn't like him. She hadn't liked him from the first time her Master had introduced him a few days ago. What it was, she didn't know. Maybe it was the bragging about all the wars he had fought in, which made her feel uncertain. She felt more an obstacle than someone of value with him around. Maybe it was just why he fought. She had heard he was an adrenaline junkie, that Gort Hayys. Or she just didn't like him, it occurred occasionally. You feel more at ease with one person than with others, it's just the way things are. You can't be best buddies with everyone, she thought. Despite that, she hid her feelings carefully for her Master; she didn't want him to know, or she would be reprimanded for being judgmental.
The Jedi Knight moved swift and stealthily through the grassy terrain and was followed close by the Commando. Fyara came along and watched the back of the Commando two meters in front of her. She wondered why the man had taken his helmet off: the rest of his body was heavily armored, it didn't make any sense to leave the most important part unprotected. Maybe he forgot it, she thought. But that occurred to her as stupid and very unlikely. He probably knows what he's doing. But she shrugged the thoughts away, she had to be alert and concentrate on the mission. The Outer Rim Territory world of Dathomir in the Quelii sector was overrun by the Sith, and they had to get to the large valley to the North of their position where a vast number of people lived that needed their help. Fyara knew it was a risky mission because it would be a matter of time, days or hours she didn't know, that the Sith would come there and wipe out the entire population and destroy the entire valley. What their goal was, she didn't know, but her Master had said so. Just destruction and dominion? she wondered and remembered of how she had learned about the current balance of power in the Galaxy. She could not imagine that destroying people was a goal. Or maybe she could. We Jedi fight the Sith…she thought. But not to destroy them, we want to save them. Let them renounce their ways of Darkness. So that they come back to the light. To peace and tranquility.
As the New Sith Empire had been crumbling down due to the centuries-long war against the Galactic Republic and the Jedi and infighting between the Sith, Sith Lord Kaan had reunited the Sith in the Brotherhood of Darkness. They had the Outer Rim in control and fought fierce and continuously against the Republic and the Jedi. Their goal was to over topple the latter and create a Dark Side dictatorship. But what do they want here? she thought again. This planet was remote and was worth nothing, economically. At least we should help the people with our best efforts.
Suddenly the Jedi Knight stopped moving, and his arm went up in a stop-sign. All three perched in a crouching position and listened carefully. First, Fyara heard nothing but tried harder. She had to concentrate. In her head, she could almost hear the Academy's teachers hammer the mantra Concentration is everything, distraction is destruction they were trying to teach her. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She heard the controlled breathing of the Republic Commando, the rustling of the grass in the wind, some insects, then a few little mammals under the ground. Then she heard it behind her, raw muffled voices above the whistling grass. Almost unconsciously Fyara moved her right hand to her belt and touched her lightsaber. But she didn't draw it, 'only in the most dire time of need, our first priority is to help, not to fight,' her Master had said at the beginning of the mission. She could see herself ignite the silvery blade and lash out to imaginary soldiers. This was the first time she had been allowed on a mission that was high risk and possibly lethal, and rashness could prove to be fatal. So, no lightsaber unless it was necessary. She would know when to use it, had her Master assured her. Dozens of times she was warned by Masters of the dangers that the Sith appeared to be, to be very careful and always listen to her Master. Too often Jedi Padawans who wanted to prove themselves had been killed before they could really do any good, due to reckless behavior. There is no emotion, there is only peace, she reminded herself eyes closed still and regulating her breathing.
The voices approached rapidly and it seemed it was a large group that didn't waste time by moving slowly through the grass like the small Republic envoy. They didn't seem to care whether they were seen or not. Fyara opened her eyes and fixed her gaze on Master Liorell. He lowered down close to the wet soil and beckoned to the other two to do the same. With the high grass and the darkness as cover it was very unlikely they were to be spotted. Unless the group has heat scanners, but Fyara hoped they didn't. What they did have were torches; white bundled lights that danced through the black night. Fyara's heart began to pound faster. This was it. This was the moment every Padawan wanted to be part of, to join their first action. Not the boring assignments that meant a lot of studying in the library on the history of the Jedi, questioning people and solving puzzles or petty crimes. Despite all Padawans were taught patience and finding non-violent solutions, missions with action like these were the ones that would get them excited.
The group contained about twenty men and they approached from the same direction as Fyara, her Master and the Republic Commando had come. It seemed they walked on a path or through lower grass on their left because they moved very quickly. But as they came closer Fyara felt something that made her head flinch. She was not highly trained in the Force like a Jedi Master but this approaching presence was unmistakable. She could have sworn her Master flinched his head too. She didn't ask what it was, but amongst the group were probably multiple Force users, or a lone individual strong in the Force. And the whole group was headed their way. The presence she had felt was cold, dark and aggressive. It was a bit like...What was it like? she reflected. A rage barely contained? Like a disease, contaminating everything and lashing out. Almost an ever-hungry beast devouring everything in its path. A shiver ran down Fyara's spine and she regretted her anxiety for action a little. Maybe this would prove to be too difficult for her, maybe her abilities would fail her. Doubts began to gnaw their way in her mind and made her feel uncertain. Could she handle this mission, or had her Master made a mistake taking her with him?
The sound of approaching machines snapper her out of her thoughts and got her attention. It came from their right, a few hundred meters downhill. The wind carried the gurgling sounds of the engines and the screeching metal to the top of the hill. The group on foot stopped and listened. Master Liorell crept silently forward, and seemed to look downward to where the sounds came from. Then he turned his head and beckoned Fyara and the Commando to come closer. As they did, he moved aside and pointed with a finger down the hill to the machines that looked like transport vehicles. 'Sith?' the Commando asked softly, more in disbelief than really asking. 'Not just ordinary Sith. You sense them too, don't you, my Padawan?' Fyara stared down the hillside through the waving grasses and knew what her Master meant, or rather who he meant. On the first transport vehicle she saw, enlightened by the headlights of the following transporters, four cloaked figures, each one standing on a different corner of the transporter. She didn't take her eyes of them as she answered with a whisper: 'They are Sith Lords, servants of the Dark Side.' Her Master nodded in silent confirmation. Fyara knew this was the worst thing that could happen to them, to encounter the Dark Side equivalent of Jedi Masters and Jedi Knights. She had learned they were merciless and cold-blooded killers. They wanted to overthrow the Republic and annihilate the Jedi. She had also learned that they were very brutal with the Force and that most of them used the more aggressive styles of lightsaber combat. She had thought about dueling a Sith, but not four Sith Lords.
Suddenly she wondered if there were girls like her with the Sith, would they feel the same as I feel? Doubt the same as I do? She didn't know much of Sith training, nor where and how the apprentices were trained. She saw a picture in her head of a young female Twi'lek like herself, igniting a crimson red lightsaber so her dreaded face full of hatred and blood red eyes were visible. 'That's ridiculous,' she breathed inaudible and shook her head to lose the image. But she couldn't let go of the idea that one of the Sith Lords standing on the transporter might be of the same age as her.
Suddenly one of the Sith Lords on the transporter facing the hillside shouted an order and the vehicle stopped. He said something that Fyara couldn't hear and pointed towards the top of the hill where they were. She feared they had discovered them and she ducked as low as possible in the grass. Her face and knees touched the dark wet cold soil and she felt the cold moist come through her tunic. Her heart began to race and she closed her eyes. At the same time, the group on foot passed their left and stopped just meters away. Another shout from downhill that was directed at that group sounded through the night. A bright strong searchlight followed and scanned the area between the two groups. They clearly sought something. After a short while the beam of white light went out and the machines moved on. The group to the left didn't continue yet. 'Must have been a rodent or something like that, hell knows what lives on this damned planet,' someone growled softy. 'Just let´s continue, Jasuff,' another man reacted with a low soft voice. 'And shut up, you don't want to get him angry. He'll kill for no reason or less,' he added under his breath. Fyara couldn't help but open her eyes, curious as she was to see how close they really were. She wished she hadn't, they were so close she didn't dare to breathe. And who is he?
The searchlights danced through the high grasses. 'Move on!' a low cold voice commanded. It gave Fyara the creeps and instinctively she made herself small again. They didn't see us, she thought relieved as she heard the soldiers moving. The Sith had not yet passed when the Commando moved slightly and made a small sound. Master Liorell gave a stern look to be silent to the Commando as he whispered: 'The valley is very near. We can take 'em.' Fyara's curved her toes in anxiety and she clenched her fists as tight as she could. How can he be so stupid? Talking and moving with enemies just meters away! And they gave him medals? What idiot thought of that? she thought terrified and angry at the same time. Despite the sound the moving soldiers made, the whispering was heard.
Suddenly the poor Commando was pulled back on his feet and shot up in the air, his legs kicking wildly and letting out a faded cry. Fyara almost let out a shriek but kept quiet by biting on her lip. The Commando hung helpless in the air and tried to move free from the invisible grip that held him by his throat. The soldiers got ready and the sound of loading blaster rifles sounded above the gurgling and sputtering of the man. But before they could unleash the energy guns at the Commando, the same cold and dark voice that had ordered them to move sounded again.
'Wait!' he ordered sharp-toned. The Sith troops didn't fire. 'Hold your fire.'
A tall cloaked figure with an outstretched gloved hand came forward, roughly pushing the troops away. Fyara guessed he had to be almost two meters long, but his thin body made him even look taller. A Sith Lord, here? Fyara thought terrified. They were deceived. They had thought the presence in the Force they'd felt earlier was the combination of the other four and hadn't counted on a Sith Lord walking amongst the troops. The four other Sith Lords downhill had masked the presence of the one right to their left.
An awful familiar hissing came to her ears, and with that the man's face was lightened up by a reddish glow of an ignited lightsaber. The humming of the blade sounded awkwardly loud and drew out all other sounds. For what Fyara could see through the grass, the man had similar characteristics as humans, but was not of the human kind. He was bald and had deep, red eye sockets with lifeless black eyes. His skin seemed greyish, and some sort of furrows ran down all over his face as if he was very much dehydrated. It looked like the barren wastelands on some other planets, in times of extreme drought. The cracks almost hid a nose and under it were his lips, also grey, curved cruelly upwards on the sides. His grin showed vanilla-colored pointed teeth.
'You are not alone, soldier of the Republic,' he said quietly and closed his four fingers. With a sickening crunch the neck of the Republic Commando snapped. His head was thrown awkwardly backwards and his hands and feet stopped protesting and dangled lifeless in the air. Instantly dead. Fyara almost had to throw up and looked away. It was not the dead body or the strange position of the Commando's neck that sickened her. It was the carelessness and ease of how the Sith Lord killed him.
With a heavy thud she heard the body collapse on the ground just a few meters away. Was this all the anxiety she had felt for? Cruelty and death? War was dirty and gruesome, she had known it of course; it was not all heroism and glory. But sometimes the Padawans forgot, this time she had forgot. The Masters who had taught her and the others were right, she realized, and she strangely longed for the non-violent assignments and puzzles they were given when she was still at the Jedi Academy. Solving farmer squabbles on the planet's surface and spending long hours in the library searching in the archives for a forgotten entry seemed now utterly attractive.
'Where are you Master Jedi?' the Sith Lord asked with a mocking voice and looking around lazily, slowly lowering his long arm with which he had killed.
'Hiding in the grasses like a scary gizka. I thought cowar-' Mid-sentence he was cut off by a loud roar from Master Liorel who jumped up, released a Force wave upon the troops and ignited his lightsaber in the blink of an eye. Blue light illuminated the determined face of Master Liorell.
Some of the troops had been knocked down on the ground or against rocks from the Force wave but others who stood further away started to empty their rifles. The Sith Lord had been ready, he hadn't fallen over but had only been forced to take several steps back and was grinning with a humorless smile. Fyara was slower than her Master but followed quickly and jumped to her feet. She bit hard on her jaws to fight off the fear and ignited her lightsaber, holding it steady in her two hands and positioning herself in lightsaber form Ataru as she had learned. This was part of her life, and now her skills would be put to the test. Immediately her Master cut down three Sith troops that looked taken aback by the sudden appearance of the two lightsaber wielding enemies. Now the blasterfire was split, not only aimed for the Master, but also for Fyara. Training took over and she jumped quick between the bolts of energy and deflected those she couldn't sidestep with her lightsaber. She hacked down a trooper who stumbled in his attempt to flee. The silver lightsaber cut in his back with an ease Fyara was surprised to see. She didn't take time to consider this was her first kill ever made. Determination had the upper hand, for now; she had to do this to survive.
As she jumped through the blasterfire she could see the blue beam of her Master's lightsaber move through the air gracefully but terribly accurate and ending the Sith troops' lives within moments. But in the center stood the Sith Lord, grinning and looking somehow curious, as if he wanted to guess the outcome of the battle. He hadn't raised even his lightsaber, but followed the Jedi with his yellow eyes. Fyara saw this and feared he would suddenly attack, but when he didn't she fully concentrated on taking down the Sith troops. What is he waiting for? she thought. Why does he care so little about his men?
Twenty Sith troops, even with several years of experience, were no match for a Jedi Knight and a Padawan. The lightsaber forms the two Jedi used could deflect the blaster fire and the two were much quicker, stronger, more agile and more alert thanks to the Force and their intense training. Soon only three figures were standing in the darkness between the dead Sith, the lightsabers and a few fallen torches as their lights. Fyara breathed quicker than normal and felt warm as she kept her eyes on the Sith Lord as she moved to Master Liorell's side.
'Well, well…two Jedi. Or actually, one, I must say,' he sneered. Fyara grinded her teeth although she knew the servant of the Dark Side was right. He had made a fair point, she was not a Jedi. Not yet. But it was not that fact that made her angry, it was the tone, the mocking and disgust that she heard in his voice. Then her Master put one hand on her shoulder. It was if the words flowed through his touch to her mind. She could hear his voice say: 'Patience, he is only mocking. There is no emotion, only peace. Remember that.' Her shoulders relaxed and she repeated the words silently. She was with her Master, at least that brought a little comfort, and just now she realized she had killed eight of the Sith that lay dead around them. She looked at them, some laying on their backs, with a painful expression on their faces, others face down in the trembled grass, the armor they wore covered in blood and mud.
'Getting angry, are we?' Fyara was swept out of her thoughts by the raw cracking voice.
'Don't give in to your anger, that leads to the Dark Side,' he said again with a sneering voice followed by a harsh hard laugh.
'What does the Jedi Council try to accomplish? What do they want? Sending a Knight and his pupil! Pathetic really! You surely have felt the other Sith Lords presence that passed by only moments ago. They even might as well check out what happened, they surely have heard the blasterfire and the cries of agony of those you've cut down. Don't you Jedi recognize a lost cause in this? The Jedi Council mustn't like you then, sending you here.'
Fyara got troubled and looked up to her Master. What did he mean? Was the presence of these Sith Lords known to the Council? Were they sent to a certain death? Was that what the Sith Lord meant? She almost wanted to speak, but her Master stepped forward with the blue lightsaber clenched in his fists. He had gripped the hilt so tightly that his knuckles had turned white. 'Hold your tongue, Sith! Spreading your poisonous words and devilish deceit. This is not a lost cause nor am I or my Padawan planning to let it become one!' With a pursed lips Master Liorell pushed forward his hand and jumped towards the Sith Lord. A new Force wave blew the Sith Lord away and he stumbled backwards, trying to stay on his feet. When the Jedi Knight lashed out first he was ready and with a bright flash the blue and red lightsaber met each other in the night on Dathomir.
For a moment Fyara stood transfixed, watching as the deadly extensions of the arms sought openings in each other's defenses. This was the first time she saw her Master dueling without holding back, using his full arsenal of skills. Never in her time on the Jedi Academy she had seen such a fight. Of course, there they didn't fought until death, they only did sparring matches for training purposes only. Seeing her Master fighting was at the same time graceful and frightening. But her Masters opponent was also very good with a lightsaber. The Sith Lord used the most aggressive style of lightsaber combat, Juyo. Savage lungs, impossible parries and counterattacks followed within a single count. It was different from the other aggressive style, Ataru. With that style, one used the Force and was nothing more than a blur for spectators. Fyara started to panic, what could she do? Now she could see that she indeed was far from being a Jedi. She had to learn an awful lot more if she wanted to best a Sith Lord, let alone to injure one. If she would engage with one in lightsaber combat with one, it would be only a matter of seconds and she would be dead. She swallowed hard and gripped the hilt of her silvery blade tight as she stared into the beam. She hoped to find the courage to join the battle. A warm feeling spread through the hilt into her hands as she thought about the sparring matches she had fought with fellow Padawans. She was not the best, but she had more matches won than lost.
With her will she broke her eye-contact with the beam, as she wanted to join the fight. She wanted to help her Master, although she didn't know how. The two duelists were still in fierce combat and the flashes of clashing blades lightened up the sky around them. Fyara couldn't help it, she was again amazed by the speed and ferocity of the two. She tilted her head slightly and watched where she could jump in. Joining the duel wasn't really an option she realized after a few seconds, she'd probably injure herself or her Master if she became desperate or reckless.
She looked around trying to think of something. Then she saw several blaster rifles in the mud, lying between the dead Sith troops. For a moment, she thought she had found a solution to join her Master, but it soon evaporated. She wasn't experienced in fighting from a distance; handling and firing a blaster rifle hadn't been a major part of her training. So picking up a one of the guns wasn't smart either, she could easily miss with the speed at which the two fought, and injuring her Master was likely to happen.
There was one other option, she realized. Using the Force. She had learned that the Force was the best weapon of a Jedi, more than the lightsaber, and a great help to guard the peace in the Republic. Only the Sith used the Force with bad intensions. But it could be used to gain advantage in a fight, just like her Master had done earlier with the Force wave.
Fyara switched off her lightsaber and put it back on her belt. She looked at the fighting and pulled, unaware, on her lekka. The men didn't notice her and that gave her a hurtful feeling. Somehow it didn't feel fair. But on the other hand, she thought, this could prove to be useful. If they don't count on my involvement, then they don't expect me do use the Force! Now it was just a matter of choosing the right time, or she might blow her Master away.
Sith Lord Vincirr was confident about the outcome of the battle, he would surely win. He had many years of extensive training behind him, he did have had many Masters. Not that he'd killed them all, he simply had outlived them, he was a Pau'an. Most of them had died in battles against the Jedi anyway. He had fought many Jedi before and won, the Dark Side was strong with him. He could feel it flow through his veins, much stronger than the ordinary adrenaline, giving him more power and strengthen his senses. Not the pathetic Light Side, that spoke of serenity, of no emotion. No, they'll never understand the true potential of the Dark Side, he thought. And yet…The Jedi Knight in front of him proved to be more resilient to his quick lightsaber combo's than he initially had expected, it was even difficult. He made sure he wouldn't underestimate him anymore, but then he had to give his best. A wry smile appeared on his lips as he finished his combo and positioned himself for the next series of slashes. Most sounds had vanished to the background, only the hum of his lightsaber sounded in his head. It was steady, it guided him. He looked now in the determined grey-green eyes of his opponent, but in the corners of his eyes he saw the man's shoulders go up and down quite quickly, although he kept his mouth firmly shut. Ah, the first signs of exhaustion…Pathetic!
Then it all happened fast. First, he didn't hear, but slowly another sound penetrated his concentrated mind. The sound of a rushing wind, quickly becoming louder until it drowned every other sound. Then he felt it, air pulling him to his right. As he turned to face it he only saw twigs, leaves and grasses swirling up like a tornado. Just before the Force wave, a blast of pure energy, hit him, it was totally quiet. Totally unexpected. Master Liorell had leaped away as he saw the Force wave was aimed perfectly towards the Sith Lord. It hit him full in the chest with such a force he lost his balance and fell backwards, his lightsaber flying in the air. Master Liorell saw this was his chance and lunged forward, slashing the lightsaber in two and ended with a diagonal stroke across the Sith Lord's chest. He didn't kill him straight away, but he would die slowly.
Sith Lord Vincirr moved slowly. Time seemed to stand still. Now it was the Sith Lord who was heavily breathing, a rasping gurgling sound as he struggled to get on his knees. Fyara didn't know what to think or feel. She had just created a Force wave that had knocked a Sith Lord of his feet, and it had proved to be the ending of the fight. Of this fight, she corrected herself, more is to come. She felt proud, it was the strongest Force wave she had ever cast. But an unfamiliar exhaustion made her thinking go hazy. It's not over yet, it's not over yet, stay alert and vigilant, she kept repeating in her mind. Slowly she walked to her Master who stood before the kneeled Sith Lord, their eyes locked as if they fought with their minds. Now the Pau'an's long, thin figure was accentuated, but hadn't lost his appearance.
'Well done, Padawan,' he spat out with a sneer without looking Fyara in the eyes. She kept silent.
'I overlooked you, but you stroke like a coward, impressive team play.' The sneer and mocking tone didn't reach Fyara this time. It didn't make her angry, she was only too glad to be alive.
'Finish it then, young Twi'lek, and know how it feels to look a true Sith in the eyes before he dies.'
She stared over his head into the sky, even on his knees he was as tall as Fyara. She thought of the long night ahead. So much more…
Tensed she reached for her lightsaber, but a warm hand held her from doing so.
'No, she won't.'
'Master, I can do it!' she said.
'No Fyara, it's not a matter of trust, I know you can do it,' Master Liorell had now turned his gaze to Fyara. She could see a hint of sorrow and tiredness in his eyes. Tiny drops of sweat stuck to his forehead and reflected the blue light. She bowed her head and murmured: 'Yes, Master.' Somewhere deep inside she was glad she wouldn't have to kill the Sith Lord, to give him the final blow. She was scared of him, scared of his coldness, his arrogance, his stature, his gaze.
Part 2: On the Run
Fyara ran down the hill in pursuit of her Master who, with his longer legs, had an advantage of thirty meters or so. She had to concentrate on the running or else she would trip and fall, for, descending a grassy hill with concealed rocks wasn't easy. Still, she saw the sky turn light blue, a sign of the rising sun. It comforted her a little.
Just before she had come with her Master to this system, she had given a quick look on the astronomical map and knew there were four moons surrounding the planet. She only remembered the red one; Koratas.
The planet had a small population that consisted mostly out of humans, and the rest of the planet was unexplored. That was all the information she was able to remember. It was a long run down into the valley, but they already saw they were too late. They could see the orange and yellow specs of fire. As she stared to the it, she slowed down, shocked.
'Master!' she called out. 'They're already there!' Her Master shouted over his shoulder: 'Fyara, keep running. We have to save who we can!' Then he used the Force to gain more speed downwards. Fyara followed with great difficulty and forced the image of the Sith Lord out of her mind. He had grinned and had sought her gaze as he coughed up blood and breathed for the last time. He had been still on his knees and had fallen over after his last breath. Silently her Master had turned around, and put away his lightsaber. After that they had turned their backs to the dead Sith Lord and headed to the valley.
The sounds of the burning homes, screams, machines and blaster rifles became audible but it was not particularly close. The first house they passed was almost intact. It was circular, made of dark wood and was built up high with a thatched roof. It stood on poles to protect it against the water that flowed down the mountains to the lower parts of the valley in times of rain. Master Liorell passed it without looking, but Fyara saw its door splintered and the walls battered. She wanted to look inside whether there were people or not, but she followed her Master who now had slipped past the next houses in front of her, out of sight. She slowed down and grabbed her lightsaber from her belt, but didn't ignite it, yet. The sounds of war, the blasters, the sounds the Sith made, they seemed closer. Suddenly a house in front of her exploded. Fyara felt the shockwave passing her and looked how pieces of wood were blasted in the air and got devoured by the flames that shot high in the sky. She shielded her eyes with her arm against the brightness, flying splinters and small debris, and felt the sudden heat of the fire. She ran to the burning house and used an opening, blown away by the explosion, and jumped inside. 'Anybody here?' she called out above the roaring flames. No reaction apart from a wooden beam that fell down and splintered in two. Quickly she looked around but realized that the owners had left already or were killed instantly by the explosion. The heat was immense so she fled outside coughing, the smoke stinging her throat and her eyes. She ran to another house and banged with her fist on the door, which was locked.
'Come outside, this place is about to burn down!' When she heard an anguished cry, she kicked against the door. People were in here, and she wouldn't let them burn down. The door held the first few times, but with another hard kick the door shattered and she stumbled in. Wildly she looked around and in the orange light of the flames she saw a woman with two small children. They were all pressed together against the back wall, as far away from the door as possible. The woman looked scared and wore only a nightgown. Her red shot eyes told of tears, her mouth was shut tight, her chest moving fast. In her arms a small baby sobbed softly.
The other child, a blond-haired boy with bright blue eyes, looked up to the strange thin Twi'lek that had kicked in the door. Fyara was bigger than the boy, but a lot smaller than the mother. Fyara's skin color was light grey and she wore a white-yellowish Padawan tunic with a leather utility belt. Underneath she had brown tight leather boots that reached up to just under her knees. Over her shoulders hung a dark brown cloak. 'Come on, hurry!' she said again, and picked up the boy and looked the woman in the eyes and said: 'I won't harm you, I promise. I'm here with my Master to protect you from the Sith.' Just then the woman reacted. Something in her eyes changed, as if she woke up, but she quickly followed the young Twi'lek out of the house.
To get people out of their houses was one thing, but getting them safely away from the Sith was another. She was glad the woman had followed, but now she had no idea of where to go. The burst of a blaster rifle sounded left of her, very close. It scared the boy and he clasped his little arms around Fyara's neck and held on tight. While cautiously moving, she moved the boy to her left arm so her right one was free. With that one she ignited her lightsaber. Immediately the boy buried his face in the brown cloak as he saw the deadly silver beam of plasma.
'I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you,' Fyara replied softy with her most soothing voice and retracted the beam.
'Where are you taking us?' the woman asked with trembling voice behind her. 'Do you know where my husband is?' she added bewildered. Fyara didn't dare to turn around, let alone to meet her desperate eyes. With all her heart she wanted to help, to say her husband was safe, that they would survive, that all would be fine, but she couldn't. She simply didn't know. She closed her eyes and let out a deep sigh. Then she looked up to the sky and asked: 'How far is the nearest spaceport?' The woman was quiet for a moment and then said: 'It is to the south of here, in the middle of the valley. It takes about fifteen minutes on foot. But wouldn't it be obvious to go there? It probably lies to ruins already.' Fyara now turned around.
'Yes, it would be obvious to go there, unless there are any spaceships here. If you have a private ship, that's okay too, but I'm trying to get to the spaceport to hold out as long as we can, so everyone gets a chance to escape. But for many who don't have a private ship, that spaceport is the only way out of here, their only chance to escape the Sith. Hiding in the hills or in the forests is not an option. You'll starve or they'll find you eventually.' The woman stayed silent, and Fyara understood she had no private ship, so they would be the first refugees Fyara led to the spaceport. Fyara headed south, lightly running and with the little boy on her arm. Zigzagging they moved between the houses and more than once they saw one burning, battered or worse, but no sign of other people. After a few minutes they heard a grunting voice. Fyara stopped dead in her tracks and didn't move, terrified as she was. Her heart began to pound faster.
'Here are some,' the voice said in heavy accented Basic Galactic. It came from Fyara's left, from behind a few houses. Did they see us? she wondered and silently turned her head around to gesture to the woman to stop and stay silent. Her eyes were round and big, she looked terrified. Fyara lowered down, put the boy on the ground and looked into the frightened boy's eyes. She put her index-finger on her lips as a sign to be quiet. Then she looked between the poles on which the houses were built. Approximately thirty meters from her she saw a vast number of black boots, smeared with mud: Sith.
'Bring them to me,' a powerful charismatic grim voice said slowly. Fyara's heart skipped a beat. In the midst of the boots, she saw one figure, his legs obscured by a black muddy cloak. Another Sith Lord? Fear struck her veins, and she clenched a fist. Not here, not now! she thought.
'Yes, my Lord,' a trooper answered and a man turned away. In a whispering tone, he ordered to other troopers: 'Men, get them, now.' Fyara's eyes widened further and feared all was lost, but the boots didn't come their way, they moved in the opposite direction, up the stairs of another house. Fyara was desperate, she didn't want to fall in the hands of a Sith Lord. Oh, where is Master Liorell? she called out in her mind. Quickly she looked around to see what the best route was they could take that wouldn't lead them closer to the Sith. Then she heard the struggling and crying of a child.
'Let go of me! Why are you hurting us?' She saw two pair of Sith boots from under the house and in between them dangled two small bare feet covered in mud and filth from the kicking and struggling. Behind them two other Sith soldiers dragged an adult with them. Also bare feet, and a long dress. A woman! She heard soft sobbing.
'Release the boy,' the charismatic voice ordered. With a soft thud the boy fell on his knees in the soft soil, a few meters from the Sith Lord. He quickly got onto his feet and stumbled to his mother.
'What did he say? Did you hurt them?' the Sith Lord questioned his troopers with a loud voice. An uncertain Sith Commander answered. 'Lord Selltor, you asked me to get them.' An uncomfortable silence followed.
'Did you hurt them?' the Sith Lord asked again. But before the Sith Commander could answer, the boy had already opened his mouth. 'Yes, they did! They hit my mother, she's bleeding!' he blurted out with a mixture of anger and fear. 'Please be quiet, Karn,' his mother begged whispering and sobbing.
'Indeed, where are your manners?' Lord Selltor asked and stepped forward. Fyara saw the small bare feet being lifted up in the air, they kicked and the boy shouted again, then they were out of sight. 'Karn! Please don't hurt my son, I beg you!' the woman cried with heavy sobs as she fell on her face in obedience and desperation. Now Fyara could see her face, it was swollen and blood ran down her nose. A lip was cracked and left a thin red line dripping down her chin. Fyara looked to the boy next to her, he was staring at the woman too, lips pressed tightly together and his small fists were white from clenching. She almost had forgotten them! We've been here far too long, she thought. We shouldn't have stopped. She picked up the boy as silent as she could and slowly turned away. But her heart went rigid as she heard an all too familiar sound: the igniting of a lightsaber. She didn't look back for she knew what was coming. Silently she gestured the woman to move on, to follow her and with shaking legs she got on her feet. Then a swoosh filled the air, breathlessly followed by an agonizing scream.
'NOOOO! KARN!' the mother on the soil cried out. With a thud the small body fell on the ground. Fyara forced herself not to turn around and look, she bit hard on her lips, her eyes growing wet. Move, move! a voice in her head screamed. The woman in front of her gasped and clasped a hand against her mouth, only a soft squeak escaped. Fyara pushed the woman with her free hand around and led them away between the houses. It was a struggle for Fyara to run away. It didn't feel right. Should she have tried to save the mother and her son? No, she reasoned. Then I would probably die and then two children and their mother are dead too. She swallowed hard and brushed away a tear. No, I'm more useful if I'm still alive. Only the Sith would gain something with my death. It wouldn't be heroic, Rather stupid, she thought running.
Sith Lord Selltor switched off his lightsaber as soon as the woman was dead and turned around to face his men. 'Next time don't trouble me with women and children,' he said and kicked against the lifeless body of the woman. 'Leave them alone, but capture the men. That was the order. But if they resist, kill them. But keep it to a minimum. We could use their hands to build the Sith Academy here.' His men nodded. Then he turned to the Commander.
'Commander, take two men and let them put these bodies in one of these pathetic sheds and burn it to the ground.'
'Yes, my Lord,' he said and gave small bow as the Sith Lord faced his troops again.
'And the rest will spread around. Just a moment ago I felt a Force sensitive around, very close to us. A child…A girl…' he turned away and seemed a moment lost in thought. 'She is afraid, I felt her fear. She fears the Sith,' he said smiling more to himself than to the troops.
'Spread up and move fast, she is not far away. I can still sense her. Bring her to me, alive.'
'But sir,' a soldier asked. 'How do we know we've got the one you want?' The Sith Lord replied simply. 'She will resist and move with extraordinary speed and strength. Some of you will die.' Then he turned away and walked with his gloved hands on his back to one of the damaged houses, seemingly curious.
'I'm waiting…' he said impatiently as he didn't hear them run. Troubled they separated in groups of five and rushed off.
Fyara hurried the mother on to speed up, but they were not quick enough. Exhaustion, the child she carried and shock prevented her from being as quick as Fyara wanted. I better hope they didn't notice us back there, she thought. She often looked back over her shoulder, not to see whether the woman with her child followed her, but more because of possible Sith pursuers. The darkness was now gone and left the houses in a pale morning light. Clouds kept the direct sunlight from the planet's surface. Because the soil was so damp, a strong mist appeared. First it swirled around their ankles as Fyara and the woman ran through it, but it spread rapidly higher up to their shoulders. Fyara feared that it would obscure their view and that it would slow them down to get out of the maze of houses. But on the other hand, she thought, we'll also be invisible for any Sith that might be around. Unconsciously she moved slower as the mist grew thicker. She tried to comfort the woman and children by saying she had studied the map of the area well so they wouldn't get lost. But that was a lie of course, otherwise she wouldn't have asked the directions to where the space ports where. But they bought it, or were too afraid to notice. As Fyara shifted the boy from one arm to the other, he spoke in a hesitant tone at first.
'If there is white cloudy like this, mum won't let us play outside. She says cloudy makes you get lost.' The honesty with which he said it made Fyara smile. She looked him in the eyes and said: 'Then your mother is very right. It can be very dangerous.' She looked back to his mother, but she didn't seem to have heard it. 'I think she will approve this time for you to be outside. You have been very quiet,' she said to the troubled boy.
'But you have to stay quiet for a bit longer.' The boy wanted to ask why, but Fyara put a finger on his lips to keep the boy from speaking. 'Shhh, I'll tell you later,' she whispered.
There was something she had heard, and in a split second she decided what had to be done. She turned around and got close to the woman who was standing still, busy binding her baby on her back with a piece of cloth she had ripped from her night gown. Maybe she can run now, her knees are free now, Fyara thought. The baby on the woman's back was asleep. Good, but the poor child will probably wake up soon. Blaster fire enough anytime. She put gently her free hand on the woman's shoulder and whispered something. Her eyes went wide with terror, but nodded as Fyara looked her deep in the eyes. She moved a few meters to the side into the mist where she couldn't be seen. Fyara followed her and put the boy on the ground next to his mother.
'Remember,' she said to the boy who looked at her with great expecting eyes. 'Stay quiet, as you've been doing so wonderfully already. I'll come back soon.' Then she moved swiftly away and got out of eyesight from the three humans she tried to rescue. As she listened again and controlled her breathing she noticed her inner side of her arms ached. It was from the boy, she wasn't used to carrying children.
'I just don't understand why Lord Selltor says so little,' a gruff voice said softly. 'It's like he always talks in mysteries, you never know what's gonna happen.' A man turned around a corner and leaned with his back against a wooden pole. 'Clear,' he said.
'Man, Eran, just shut up and watch out,' the commanding Sith trooper of the small group hissed. Some of the men laughed silently, but Eran looked at them angrily. 'Yeah, just laugh. If he says some of us will die, I don't think it's just an ordinary kid we have to capture.' A big man stepped just passed him with his blaster rifle in one hand, he brushed with his shoulder against that one from Eran.
'Fair enough, if you're scared of children,' he sneered. 'Oooh, I'm attacked by a tiny girl!' he said with a high-pitched voice. The laughing that followed was quickly cut down by the Commander.
'Quiet now, all of you!' he said hissed. 'Lord Selltor said the girl was Force-sensitive. That's enough for me. She'll be a heck of a challenge, so let's hope we don't have to deal with her. Now move!' he whispered with a hoarse voice. And he himself went up front, followed directly by Eran. The trooper who had spoken to Eran shook his head, thinking they were too serious. Nevertheless, he followed in line. 'Beware of the upcoming mist. It can give us an advantage, but it makes also the searching harder,' said the Sith Commander over his shoulder. Each one of them cursed silently as the mist grew thicker and higher until they could see only the back of the trooper a meter in front of them. They walked slowly in a line. How can we find a girl in the mist? Eran thought as two men got up the stairs of a house and kicked in the door. Just seconds after they got in, a soft call told the men outside there was nobody in. Why is the Sith Lord not going after her himself? He had said he could sense her, that would be quite handy with this dense fog. But oh yes, he doesn't give a damn if we die! he thought cynically.
Just when they wanted to move to the next house they saw a vague figure standing in the mist, on the middle of the street. The figure was smaller than any of the troopers. Blaster rifles were loaded and they stood still, all in firing positions. 'Don't shoot,' the commander ordered in a loud whisper over his shoulder.
'Show yourself!' he called out. His voice was steady, but tensed. The figure stepped slowly forward and they saw it was a Twi'lek girl, a teenager. Some of the men looked surprised. She didn't look weak, or scared as the Sith Lord had told them. She walked slowly to them, her back straight and her head slightly turned to her right. Her eyes were determined and she had crossed her arms in front of her chest.
'Good lookin' as all Twi'lek do, I could spend a night with her I guess,' one trooper whispered to another. The other grinned and shot back: 'You always want to spend nights with non-humanoids, but this one is a bit young, don't you think?' But soon the laughing died as quick like a burning torch is dropped into the water. Along with a hissing sound a silver beam of plasma appeared. The girl had a lightsaber. Surprised, some of the troops recoiled a bit.
'There's your Force sensitive, it's a Jedi! Open fire!' someone shouted at the back of the line and started shooting. But the young female Twi'lek jumped away and rolled towards the Sith Commander with amazing speed. She stabbed him in his stomach and retracted the lightsaber, disappearing in the mist. Gurgling for air and writhing in agony the man dropped on the ground. Rising panic blinded their aims and let them fire in any direction. The quick Twi'lek Jedi moved between them and cut them down with the silver glowing lightsaber one by one, but took time to strike. She now and then retracted the lightsaber and disappeared in the mist, only to strike from a different position. Some of the strokes were deadly at once, but the most weren't, they merely crippled the troops. Screams of pain and mercy rose up. Fyara answered their calls and killed all troops but one. It was the trooper who had said she was good looking. He lay on his back and writhed in pain, clutching his right arm where a deep gash was visible, blood streaming out. Fyara had sliced through his gun and then had left a gashing wound on his arm. Now she stood next to him, mist swirling around her, her lightsaber pointed downwards to the heart of the wounded man.
'Please, please, don't kill me!' he begged half sobbing and his whole body shaking. The girl that looked down on him breathed fast, but had her lips pressed hard together. Her eyes were piercing and full of disgust and anger.
'How pathetic,' she said. 'Only moments ago you insulted me, and now you're begging for your life.' Part of her wanted to finish him off and kill him, she felt hurt by the arrogance of the man earlier, by how he saw her as an object.
'I'm sorry, I was wrong to insult you. Please, have mercy!' the man below her grumbled. He anxiously tried to get away from under the lightsaber, but Fyara brought the tip only centimeters from his chest. You don't mean it. You don't even know why I feel hurt! You're a coward and see how you show it. Just being tough with the others, but now you only want to live, to survive…The man could feel the vibrations of the blade now, every sound disappeared except for the humming of the silver beam. He stopped squirming around and he wanted to hold his breath, but the fear and panic made him breathe very fast and irregular.
The Twi'lek sighted deep and suddenly retracted her lightsaber. She turned around, ran away and disappeared in the mist. The opening she had left was quickly replaced by shreds of mist. The trooper that was left alive felt suddenly a wave of emotions crashing over him and he couldn't hold it anymore. He cried loud and uncontrollably: the burning pain in his arm, relief that he was alive, a pang of guilt at his failure for not keeping his fellow-troopers alive, but the strongest was the fear of what his master would do to him.
Master Liorell! Where are you? Fyara cried out in her mind. She stopped and waited for a moment. She heard a loud crying behind her. It was raw, from the heart. Did I do that? she wondered. The woman and her children were very close now, only one corner left, but she didn't go to them immediately. One intense moment followed the other. Fyara was scared, she had almost killed out of anger instead of self-defense. Was the path to the Dark Side so easy to fall for? Was it such a narrow line between the light and the dark? For a moment, she leaned with her hands on her knees and took a deep gulp of cold morning air. It stung her lungs but it cleared her mind a bit. But I have not fallen, thanks to what Master Liorell has taught me though. When she had seen the wounded trooper lying on the ground and she wanted to kill him, she suddenly was reminded by her Masters words: 'We Jedi never kill a wounded opponent. It only feeds the Dark Side.' That had opened her eyes and now she had turned away from it. She had only doubts whether she had shown the man mercy by letting him live or not. Maybe he would be brutally killed by the Sith Lord he served. A shiver ran down her spine by the mere thought of it. She immediately had to think of the sickening crunch of the breaking neck of the Republic Commander maybe just an hour ago. So much had happened since then. But I thought I was right, she finished and concentrated on getting the woman and her children away. She straightened her back and put away the lightsaber she had been clinging in her fist.
'Don't be scared, I'm back,' she smiled as she saw the small boy with frightened eyes reacting at the sound of approaching footsteps and the girl who came into view. 'I heard screams, what were they?' he asked whispering. Fyara looked up at the mother, she looked still scared but her eyes were determined. The baby on her back was awake and looked brightly around, too young to comprehend what was going on. 'She scared away the angry men that chased us, so we're safe now,' she said to her son and stroked him through his long curving hair.
'That's right. We should move on.' The boy seemed satisfied with the answers and turned to his mother. 'Do you want to come with me again?' Fyara asked him with a friendly voice and loosened her cloak from her shoulders. Now she wanted to carry the boy in the same way the mother did: on her back. It gave her hands freedom in case they were attacked again, and it released her of the pain in her arms, caused by the carrying. The boy nodded after he had looked up to his mother.
'Come on, climb on my back, but just don't pull on my lekka,' Fyara said and bowed down and sat on her knees so the boy could climb up. 'It's easier for me to carry you like this,' she explained as she felt the small hands trying to find some grip on her back.
'Aren't you strong enough?' the boy asked curiously. 'Daddy would carry me a whole day in his arms.' He was on her back and clasped her shoulders as she stood up. Fyara smiled at the boy's mother.
'As I said, it's easier. And no, it's not that I'm not strong enough.' She tried to put the cloak around the boy. The woman helped her when she failed at the first two attempts. 'Thanks,' she replied. The woman nodded curtly and the corners of her mouth went upwards. Something of a smile...
Part 3: The Valley
'Come on! We're nearly there!'Fyara shouted. She was barely audible over the explosions, blaster fire and screams of running men and women around her. She looked over her shoulder and saw the woman on her knees in the ankle-deep water. She stopped, ran back and helped the woman on her feet. The children on their backs were both crying now, scared of all the loud sounds and screams. Fyara thought best to ignore them and splashed forward through the swamp-like grasslands, holding the hand of the woman behind her. But they were not alone, from every side people came running through the water, fleeing from the Sith. Some of them had reached the space port ahead of them already; ships were already flying away. Just in front of them a woman got hit by a blaster bolt in her back. She arched her back in pain and let out a scream as she lost her balance and fell forward in the water. The man in front of her turned around, screamed in horror and plunged with big steps back to the body. He fell on his knees next to the woman and tried to get her to move. But she didn't.
Fyara forced herself to move on, she couldn't save them all. More dead people laid in the water, most of them were shot in the back, but some had lost limbs by bombings. It was a terrible slaughter.
The space port was almost two hundred meters away and Fyara could see the people pushing to get into the few ships.
'We have to hurry,' she called out. But as she looked back, she saw the Sith troops spread on the field behind them, they'd soon fall into their hands.
But suddenly someone jumped in and a flashing blue light cut down several men.
'Master Liorell!' Fyara shouted in surprise and relief and stopped running.
'Fyara,' his voice said through the Force. 'Save as much people as you can. Know that I'm very proud of you, my Padawan.' Fyara peered at her Master who deflected some bolts back to the troopers and killed them with it. 'But Master,' she protested out loud. She couldn't let him fight all those Sith alone. 'Go!' he ordered her gently. She turned her back to the fight and looked at the woman standing before her. 'What was that?' she asked confused. 'Nothing,' Fyara answered. 'Let's go,' and she led them on, but was relieved and troubled at the same time at the blessed appearance of her Master. They would have more time to get away, and for Fyara to save more people still struggling to get to the space port.
Just as they stepped on the platform of the space port there was a massive explosion behind them, the shock wave threw them forward. Fyara fell on her outstretched hands and broke the fall, although her wrists took a nasty blow. The mother was not so lucky, she was too late and fell on her arm which turned in an awkward position. She cried out in pain and tried to get up what was made harder by the small child. Water, mud and bits of grass that were thrown in the air by the explosion rained down on them. Fyara had trouble hearing, everything sounded dull, but she helped the woman on her feet as soon as she got up herself. The boy on her back kicked and cried in terror and needed to be calmed down. She whispered gentle words in his ear and stroked the boy through his hair, but not really focused. As she looked up, still dazed from the enormous blast, she saw a man gesturing wildly to her, standing before an opened cargo hold from a small ship. She exchanged looks with the woman who held her arm with a painful expression on her face, and started running. The platform trembled by the shock of another close explosion. Her hearing came back gradually, and it hurt enormously. Her ears felt as if they were about to explode. The woman ran up the cargo ramp into the hull of the ship and turned around shouting for Fyara to come too, but Fyara stopped.
'I'm not coming, I have to save more people.' She untangled the cloak and gave the crying boy back to his mother. While she had the crying boy in her arms the mother started crying too.
'Thank you so much, I'll never forget you!' she managed to say. Fyara nodded.
'Take care,' she replied with a slight smile and turned around. She started running to the edge of the platform. The soldier leading the evacuating called after her from the ramp:
'Are you nuts? We're leaving, and this is one of the last ships! You should get back on! Come back!'
But she didn't listen. Her eyes were locked on the watery fields in front of her. An old man was hobbling through the water as quick as he could. His back was arched forward and he used some sort of walking stick on which he leaned heavily. He had only about hundred meters to go to reach the platform, but obviously had great difficulty to reach it.
'Just don't go yet, I'll bring that old man!' she shouted back to the man at the ship. Fyara sprinted to the man and grabbed him by the wrist. First the man stiffened at her touch but then she quickly comforted him by saying she'd help him to the platform to get in one of the ships. With her help he managed to get to the ship were Fyara already had led the woman and two children to.
He grasped her hands and buried them in his own, shaking them in all honesty and murmuring his thanks. She let go before he was done and turned around. They need so much help, why didn't they send more of us? she thought frustrated. And where are all the men, and the soldiers? The Jedi Order could have easily sent more Jedi to Dathomir, to protect the locals from the Sith. She didn't understand. Didn't they know? Had the Sith outwitted them, or was the intelligence the Jedi had gathered, old or incomplete?
There were several other people she could help, but not many. Dead bodies lay everywhere. When she saw nobody running through the fields anymore, and the last ships had taken off, Fyara ran through the water to join her Master, to face the coming Sith. They had approached to a hundred meters. She saw them aiming for the last ships that took off.
Fyara drew her lightsaber, the silver beam humming steadily and familiar. She gripped the hilt tight with both hands and looked for a moment at the approaching Sith troopers that were marching in a wide formation, and deflected the few bolts that were aimed accurately aimed at her. She swallowed hard: where was her master? Was he already dead? She hoped with all her heart he was still alive and fighting, but there was no flashing blue saber that cut down troopers.
Then a strange thing happened: the troopers in front of her, maybe two hundred, stopped walking and shooting. Fyara began to feel nervous, her eyes shooting from one side to the other. What's going on? And then she felt it. It was the same feeling she had felt on the hill. Through the Force she could feel one or more Force users. But this time it was much stronger and it almost overwhelmed her somehow. It was so strong she had to use all of her concentration not to break under it. It reached out to her, a cold, dark touch, encircling her mind, wanting to seize control over her. Fyara closed her eyes and resisted the urge to stop concentrating and run away. Then the presence pulled itself away from her mind, but didn't disappear entirely. She could still feel it, waiting, lurking like a hunting predator. She opened her eyes as a shiver ran down her spine. Beside the rushing of the flames and the blowing wind, it was quiet. The morning sun wasn't strong, but its rays rained down on the wet battleground and had evaporated the mist already.
Then Fyara's eye fell on the movement of some the troops, who pressed themselves aside so a pathway was created in their midst. For whom would they make way? she wondered, but as she looked for a short time, she knew. At first it seemed one single figure, but soon she could distinguish more than one, but she didn't know exactly how many. They seemed to be very tall, or maybe that was just because of their clothing. They wore black robes, the deep hoods of their long black cloaks covering their faces.
It was clear they were in charge, they had to be the commanders of these Sith troops, undoubtedly Sith Lords. When they reached the front line of troops they walked several meters into the field towards Fyara. At about thirty meters they stopped and took place side by side. There were three of them, three Sith Lords and one by one they lowered their hoods.
The most left of the three was a muscled, cruel looking human who was standing wide-legged. He was bald, with no facial hair whatsoever. Across his face ran five thin white scars, so his ashen grey skin was unmistakable. He had one eye that was yellow and seemingly good, the other one was milk white and big; that eye was probably blind.
The middle of the three was a handsome woman with a smooth tanned skin. Her hair was snow-white as her eyes, an Arkanian. She had obviously the most graceful stance of the three Sith Lords with her slender long legs, slightly leaning on one side. Her facial expression showed alertness, cruelty and cunning.
The Sith on the right side was also a human male, but his appearance was different from the muscled one. This one was slender and seemed young, maybe just a few standard years older than Fyara. His skin was pale and smooth, and curly brown hair fell hung half in front of his left eye. With a wry, cruel, almost boyish smile he brushed it away and showed his eyes, full of arrogance and disgust.
'Child,' the most left Sith Lord said in a rasping low voice. He seemed to have trouble swallowing for it took a short time for him to continue. 'Put down your lightsaber and look around.' Fyara didn't move her head, although she looked nervously to the corners of her eyes. What does he want?
The Sith Lord turned his head away and pointed with his hand to the surroundings.
'Do you see all that? Do you see the burning houses, the destruction, death itself?' He shook his head and sighted deep, it sounded more like gurgling. 'How exhilarating, isn't it?' he said.
Fyara didn't know how to react, so she kept her defensive stance with the lightsaber in both hands, looking from the one Sith Lord to another.
'Oh, shut up,' the woman said sharply. 'Must you start every time about how thrilling the fighting and killing is?' she asked. The Sith who had spoken first gave her an angry look.
'But,' she admitted. 'It is rather thrilling, we must feed on the passion for the Dark Side. But let's deal with the child Padawan here.'
'Yes, Lord Sahriik,' the muscled Sith Lord said amused and turned his scarred face to Fyara.
'Child,' he started again. Fyara couldn't help but press her lips together, she really hated it when she was spoken to like she were a child.
'If you thought there was hope,' he began slowly. 'There is none. Well, not for you if you think the Jedi are in it. Your Master is dead,' he stated loud with his low rasping voice. It was as if the words attacked Fyara her mind, like a strong wave crashing on the shoreline. It really felt like a punch in her stomach. She could almost swear a knot was forming in her stomach and automatically she tensed her muscles, shrinking a little bit. Master Liorell! she screamed out in her mind. But almost right away the shock was overpowered by denial. He can't be dead! He's lying, it can't be true! He was a Jedi. She couldn't believe it. I should have felt it! Wouldn't I? She wouldn't believe it. Her Master with whom she had been since her fifth year, was dead? She didn't want to give in, but she couldn't prevent tears forming in her eyes. Sith lies! Don't believe them! she retorted in her mind. Again, she screamed her Master's name out in her mind, but no answer came, just a devastating silence and a lingering cold presence, waiting to overtake her. Slowly a dull emptiness fell over her. Never again would he comfort her or talk to her again. Untamed emotion ran through her body as a wounded animal. It wanted out, it was on the verge of breaking the barriers of her mind. She started shaking heavily and swayed a bit on her feet, just keeping balance. She stared to the soil in front of her through wet eyes: just a few pieces of grass stuck out of the water what now came halfway of her shins. Her boots were soaked, just as was the rest of her, and covered in mud. Questions blocked her mind from clear thinking. How did he die? What am I supposed to do? Am I wrong that I feel such strong emotions towards my Master?
As she struggled within her mind, the three Sith Lords were watching her carefully. They saw the change in her body and on her face as the girl was told her Master was dead. Soon she would be broken. She was full of raw emotion and it was not too late to turn her to the Dark Side. There she could feed on her emotions to grow stronger and explore the what the Dark Side had to offer.
Lord Sahriik knew the Lord next to her was right. It was thrilling to fight on this planet. More than on most others, because the Dark Side was strong with this one. She looked back and called an officer to her. 'Yes, my Lord,' he said softly and bowed his head when he stood before her.
'Get the body of the Jedi,' she said softy with a cruel smile. 'And throw it down before the girl her feet.'
'Yes, will do my Lord.' The officer moved quickly back and made the order clear to some troops. They disappeared for a short time only to return with a body. It took four men to carry him. They had their weapons strapped on their backs and threw the body in front of the girl, a bit reluctant, though. They didn't understand much of the Sith Lords, but one thing was certain: they were never what they seemed. And they thought the same of the Twi'lek girl before them. They quickly retreated to their ranks, especially as the girl looked up, her expression torn between grief and despair.
Fyara hadn't looked up as she had heard the splashing footsteps. Somewhere she had expected to be killed with a lightsaber. She wondered how it would feel, she had killed now almost two dozen Sith with her silver beam. But as the killing blow didn't came, but instead the plunge of a large object dropping into the water, she had looked up. There were four Sith troops scurrying away, but the three Sith Lords stood still on their places, arms folded. But they had all the same sadistic and cruel smile. And without thinking she looked down to the object thrown in the water in front of her. With a shock she saw it was not a mere object, but a body. She knew immediately whose it was and fell on her knees in the water, crying out loud.
'NO!' She didn't know what to do and touched her Master with shaking hands. It was him really. There was a gaping wound just under his chest, a lightsaber stab. His face was barely recognizable because it was covered in blood and mud, marks where they had kicked him with their boots. As she looked at him, again she felt a burst of grief, shock and despair coming up. But this time she didn't held back. She buried her face in her hands, putting her head and hands on Master Liorell's chest. Her whole body shocked as she gave way to her emotions.
'He was a coward,' the low rasping voice mocked after a short while. 'He begged for his life you know, just before I struck a lightsaber through his stomach.' He's lying, he's lying! They're all lying. I know Master Liorell wouldn't do that, she thought, grabbing her Master's robe in frustration. She struggled to lift up her head, she didn't want to look at them. She wiped the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. She swallowed hard.
'My Master was not a coward,' she said through gritted teeth and her eyes cast down. 'He was brave and taught me a lot, he was a good man,' she reminded herself loudly.
'Of course you say that,' another voice said bored. She hadn't heard him before, it was the arrogant young Sith with the curly hair. 'You Jedi always patronize your fallen heroes, bah!'
'You don't know him!' Fyara shouted and suddenly stood up. But she struggled to stay on her feet, because she felt suddenly very light in her head.
'Didn't, we didn't know him, actually,' the female Sith Lord Sahriik corrected her calmly and cold.
'Shut up!' Fyara said loudly, an unfamiliar warmth coming out of her stomach.
'Don't insult my Master again!' For a brief second the three Sith Lords looked surprised to see such a sharp reaction, but they reacted with wry smiles.
'We see you have much strength, young one,' the scarred Sith Lord said. 'Raw and passionate you are. But you need to be formed, so you reach your full potential. Those Jedi teaching are only holding you back.' Fyara frowned and squeezed her eyes shut.
'Come to the Dark Side, you'll become stronger.' How is it possible they are even trying? They just killed my Master in cold blood. Are they really that naïve that they think they can turn me to the Dark Side? she thought. I'll probably never will be a great Jedi, never have a pure heart or be like my Master, but to fall so easily to the Dark Side? That's even worse! No Master, I won't betray you. The dizziness was now gone and she could feel the cold seeping through her bones. She sighted deep and still had her eyes closed. A sad smile appeared on her face and the three Sith Lords looked troubled, not understanding what happened to her.
'Did you hear me?' the Sith Lord asked as the Twi'lek girl stood before them with closed eyes and a smile. They tensed somehow as she didn't react. After a minute or so, she shrunk a bit: she arched her back slightly forward, bowed her head down and held her clenched fists in front of her, against her chest. Now the smile was gone and fierce concentration was visible on her face.
Lord Sahriik tilted her head slightly as she felt something in the Force, a stir, and it was directly in front of them. A blur it seemed, even the air was affected by it. It felt heavy, drowning the sounds of the fire and wind. Even the Sith troopers behind them were affected, she could hear them growing restless, feeling uncomfortable. It felt strange, like everything was sucked slowly towards the young Twi'lek. Oh, we have waited too long. We should have killed her immediately! she thought shocked. Then she grabbed her two lightsabers and ignited them. Simultaneously she wanted to call to the other Sith Lords to do the same and to kill her, but before she had opened her mouth she could see that the Twi'lek Padawan had jumped up and that her eyes had burst wide open. With that she gave loud roar and threw her arms open. An immense Force wave was unleashed in every direction and knocked over the three Sith Lords and sent them flying into the rows of Sith troops behind them. It all happened within an utter second and gave them no chance to react at all.
When they all lay confused and shocked in the mud and water Fyara splashed down on her feet, falling on her knees and hands. She was heavily breathing and shivered violently. She was cold and felt exhausted, drained. Her arms ached for carrying her weight, her legs and knees hurt. Even more than ever before.
'I'm sorry Master, I'm sorry I couldn't do more to save these people,' she cried softly between her heavy breaths. She closed her eyes again and waited. As she heard a raw roar she knew at least one Sith Lord had survived the blast. Probably more, she thought. She wanted to face them, to fight, but her body wouldn't follow.
A pair of boots ran through the water, coming to a halt right before Fyara. She didn't bother to raise her head to see which Sith Lord it was.
'Get up!' a violent and raging voice thundered. The scarred one, Fyara thought panic stricken, almost feinting. The next thing she knew one of the boots hit her in the stomach. The force with which it hit her was incredible, she was thrown upwards in the air. Fyara gasped for air, but a terrible sharp pain stopped her from doing so. One of her lowest ribs had cracked. She fell again, but this time she couldn't stretch her arms to break the fall. She splashed with her head in the water, eyes closing in a reaction. Then her arms hit the muddy bottom and she pushed herself up as quick as possible. She got barely her head above the water and gulped some air in as a big and strong and grabbed her by a lekka and pulled her on her feet.
'You little piece of Jedi-trash!' the Sith Lord shouted in her face. Fyara gasped in pain of her broken rib and the squeezing in her lekka. The Sith Lord held her so she had to look him in the eyes. His only working eye, the yellow one, was bright and full of fury. He pulled her roughly closer, so Fyara's ear was in front of the Sith Lords' mouth. She reached for her lightsaber in an ultimate attempt to free herself of the iron grasp. She managed somehow to grab it and ignite it and lunged at the large Sith's head, but her swing was slow and unfocussed. The Sith had time enough to grab her wrist with his free arm and shook it violently. Fyara's lightsaber fell down into the water with a sizzling sound, and steam rose directly.
'You will die,' The scarred Sith whispered through gritted teeth. Fyara felt his hot breath against her ear and cheek, and fear as vast as the galaxy started to crawl upwards from out her stomach. It was the same Dark presence that had touched her mind, moments before the Sith Lords had come forward, but now it was inside her. It crippled every reasoning, every spark of hope. It devoured her slowly. But as she looked past him, she saw the Sith troops lying across each other, either dead, crippled or disorganized and confused. Then her eye fell on the two dark clothed figures, who lay motionless on the ground. The woman's neck in an awkward angle, and the young Sith face down in the mud. Her eyes went wide and for a moment and forgot everything around her. Are they dead? The cold fear receded for a moment. I did what I could, my Master. I'm sorry that I couldn't save you, that I couldn't save more…
Then with a quick movement a red lightsaber ignited and stabbed through her heart. Fyara sighted, then her head fell down. With a splash her body fell in the water. The Sith Lord walked away. Time to build a new Sith Academy.