Chapter VI: Frayed Ropes
As Gerath advised, Salia had changed into her lightest clothes. It was a warmer than usual day for Malorus, and he had suggested that perhaps the robes of a Jedi would not be the most comfortable on a day as this. He brought to her a variation of the Jedi robes, only made of silk, and they exposed her legs to the breezy air. Despite her misgivings, she was grateful for them once they were out and in the sun.
Lord Tydis had already displayed great poise under pressure and injury, and today he was showing his ability to keep a meeting secretive. This one was just the three of them, sitting on cool sunchaser rocks near a beautiful waterfall. The water was crystal clear, just cool enough to feel refreshing. While they talked, Salia finally gave in, kicked off her sandals and sat with her feet in the water.
"And so they are sending us another Jedi?"
"My best friend, Kestrel."
"You do not seem very pleased with that decision, Salia." observed Tydis.
"I am not. I am worried both for myself and for her."
"Why is that?" asked Gerath.
"Something that Master Yoda got on me for before I left for here." She reached for her belt and unclipped both of her lightsabers. "I've never really talked about it before, except to the Council, but they wouldn't hear of it." She ignited the gifted lightsaber, the blue-bladed one that had been given to her. "This lightsaber was a gift to me during my days as a Padawan learner. Because I already possessed it, the Council would not let me build my own lightsaber, which is an unspoken right of passage for all Jedi. I never had the chance. This lightsaber has been both a blessing and a curse to me. So, as I prepared for the Trials, I began construction of my own lightsaber. I felt it was important to myself. And," she said as she ignited the whitish-blue lightsaber "it really feels better in my hands."
"However, Master Yoda told me that if I were to use it, it would end up killing my best friend."
"The matter is simple then, do not use it." suggested Gerath.
"Without it, I cannot defeat Saraius. The Council is hiding something about him, but I can feel that without my lightsaber, I will lose. I have seen an image of my lightsaber stabbing through his chest."
"Perhaps the right choice will present itself when the time is right." added Tydis, who seemed to know something of the Jedi philosophy. He did, after all, have contacts in the Council itself. "For now, however, we must figure out how to proceed."
"Why do I sense that the two of you have already figured this out?" asked Salia, staring into Tydis' eyes.
The lord smiled. "To a point we have. We know what must be done. The noble heirs must be elevated and a leader must emerge as the new king. The planet must resist the power of Ortorex and his army if we are to maintain our freedom. And you must confront and destroy Saraius Yavett before he can do any more damage to our world."
"If I can."
"I have the feeling that he will come to you."
"How does your lordship know so much?"
"Observation, Salia. One needs not be a Jedi to predict a person's actions."
"So I confront and defeat this former Jedi. If I prevail, what then? You will be nominated for the throne."
"Who else would there be? The other nobles are dead. The king left no heirs. Would you trust the run of the system to Linden Drosek?"
"Perhaps the Republic could…"
"Do what? Perhaps Chancellor Palpatine could deal with Ortorex the way that Valorum so deftly dealt with the Trade Federation."
Salia felt her heart sink. The Senate had grown so weak that she was not sure if it could ever rise again, even with Palpatine's help. "You are right, Lord Tydis. I cannot think of a better alternative to your kingship. Better an experienced man than a brash young noble. But what of when Ortorex decides to attack? From what I have seen, you military power is not enough to repel an invasion."
"That may be left to us, Salia."
Salia prodded and pried for the next hour, but never could find out any more than what they had already told her. She had no idea as to where they would find and train a military to take on Ortorex and defend their culture. It was a relief to say the least when her communicator went off. The spaceport was calling to say that Kestrel's ship had arrived. Tydis and Gerath chose to say where they were and hammer out more strategy. Nothing meant for the eyes of a young Jedi, no doubt.
The drive to the spaceport in the speeder was beautiful, and it gave Salia a chance to clear her mind. She knew that Saraius would have to be dealt with. Whatever Tydis' plan was, he surely would try to sabotage it. Right now the ruling class of Malorus lay in shambles, and anyone who tried to rebuild was likely to get cut down all the same. There had to be a way to lure Saraius…unless he were to come to her like Tydis suggested.
At the spaceport, Kestrel stood waiting, the look on her face troubled. As Silia pulled up, she could sense the strain on Kestrel's mind. Considering her friend's mastery of mental control, it was quite unusual. Her appearance on the outside matched - there were backs under her eyes and her normally flowing black hair seemed now frayed and tired.
"Kestrel! When I heard they sent you…"
"You may not be so glad for my arrival, Salia."
"What are you talking about?"
"The Council believes that you need more time…I know its not right…but I've been sent to relieve you."
"But they said…"
"I know, I know Salia," Kestrel pulled her friend close for a hug. "They figured that sending a good friend would make it easier on you."
"Easier? Do they not have the courage to tell me to my face?"
"I cannot answer for their motives…all I was told was what had happened, and that they had voted to relieve you of your knighthood until you could prove that you were worthy of it."
Salia was angry. Suddenly she could not calm her mind. How dare they! What more could she have done? Even a Jedi cannot stop time. Even a Jedi cannot run half a mile in five seconds. And now they were replacing her with her friend. Whom she cared about, and who knew nothing of the type of warrior Saraius was, or of the political situation of this planet. She couldn't do it.
"No."
Kestrel held her friend's shoulders at an arm's length. "Salia?"
"I'm not going to do that, Kestrel. I'm sorry, I am doing what I can, and I am convinced that no Jedi could have prevented these deaths. I will not leave this planet until the mission is completed. I will not return to Coruscant in disgrace."
"Salia they will strip you of your connection to the Force."
"Let them. A Jedi never lies down. A Jedi does not quit so easily. I will find Saraius Yavett. I will bring him to justice, and I will restore peace to the system."
"Salia, no you won't. The Council fears that you are unstable."
"The Council also grossly underestimated this assignment. I do not know if even a master could take this on."
"So why are you so determined to stay?"
"To prove them wrong. I am a Jedi, and I can do this. Somehow, I feel deep in my soul that I must be here. If I leave, not only will I disgrace myself, but some terrible danger will befall all of us."
"Salia, please. I don't want to fight you over this. Why can't you just accept the decision of the Council?"
"Because its wrong, Kestrel! Can't you see it? No, of course you can't! Help would be nice, yes, but to be replaced? I have seen what happened. I know that this is more than any Jedi can take on alone. If I leave, it will have been because of the Council's misunderstanding of the true situation. If I leave, Kestrel, Saraius would kill you. I don't want that guilt."
"How could you say that he would kill me?"
"Kestrel, I am a better duelist than you, and I could not defeat him. Together we could be strong, and defeat him. And…"
"What?"
"While I was healing last night…I saw a vision."
"What was that?"
"I saw myself killing Saraius. You were nowhere around. I must stay here, Kestrel. If you so choose, you may. But I will not leave until this is concluded."
Kestrel eyed her friend carefully. She had never known her to be this confrontational before. Whatever happened to the friendly Salia, the one who would go out of her way to play with the younger students? All of the sudden she was thinking up a thousand and one reasons not to go back. She would only make it worse for herself this way.
"I should probably notify the Council."
"If you wish."
"Salia…I…"
"Look, Kestrel. I still love you. You are still the greatest friend I could have, but this goes beyond that. I cannot explain it, but by the Force I cannot and will not leave this planet. It has a place in my destiny."
Kestrel felt her love for her friend flow through her shoulders, easing them. "You know, this is a pretty mountainous countryside. It would be tough to find you with all of the obstacles around. The Council's decree will just have to wait until I see you after this is all resolved, I suppose."
Salia smiled at her friend. "Thank you."
"Don't thank me yet. I'm here to solve this thing, same as you."
"Well we're working together at least."
"Kind of."
"Kestrel?"
"Just like you can't leave, I can't not fulfill my mission. I WAS sent here to replace you and to send you home. If I can't find you, I can't do that, so we cannot be seen working together."
Salia nodded. "I trust then, Mistress Kestrel, that you can find transport?"
"Yes," she said smiling, "thank you for the offer though, ma'am."
Both of them split up, headed their separate ways, neither of them seeing a figure in black step out of the shadows, a lightsaber hanging from his hip…
Chapter VII: Towards Destiny
Salia sat quietly on the rampart of Castle Tydis, watching the Lord and Gerath, among others, conduct a strategy meeting. She'd neglecting the meeting to clean her lightsaber and get some air. Her senses were particularly heightened tonight. She had a premonition that whatever happened would happen tonight.
She thought back to her history classes - how Ulic Qel-Droma had fallen to the Dark Side, and that his love, Nomi Sunrider, had stripped him of his Force Sensitivity. She found herself wishing for strength, for everything to work its own way out. Other's had defied the Council, and she'd never known of anyone to have the Force taken from them. But it had happened. She wouldn't let it.
"Mistress Salia?" said a voice behind her.
"Yes." she said, knowing it was a steward without having to turn.
"There is a holomessage coming in on your personal encrypt."
"I'll be right in." she said, knowing already what it was.
Hopping to her feet, Salia headed to the nearest secure holopad and locked the door. Reading her DNA, the message came on. It was Saraius, all right.
"Jedi Knight Salia Ara Matea, I believe you remember me? I must apologize for the other night, I did mean to finish with you, but other things came up. I propose a meeting to, say, end our feud. I will be in the ancient ruins twelve kilometers southwest of Castle Tydis at midnight. Come alone, or you shall never find me."
Salia took a deep breath and leaned her head against the bulkhead. That was it. He wanted to meet her tonight - a duel, far away, just the two of them. It could, possibly, be an ambush, but a duel was something respected by all Jedi, former or not. Salia suspected that even the Sith respected such a tradition. This meant that she could not tell Kestrel. She would leave her a time-delayed message, one that would get there an hour after midnight. So she stepped onto the holopad and recorded her message. Once she was finished setting the time, she stepped down from the holopad and went to change.
Her quarters never seemed hollower than they were now. Salia felt that she was going to meet her death. She changed into some of the more modern Jedi fatigues. None of the off-white and brown for tonight. Typical Jedi wear was loose as to allow movement. Salia's was different - hers was a sleeveless top and form fitting pants that would allow her freedom of moment. Her clothing would not catch on anything or bunch up as she swung and blocked with her lightsaber. To add to it, she was camoflaged so that she would not be so easy to strike. Standing up, she pulled on a pair of black boots and her utility belt. She went to pick up her lightsaber.
They were both lying there. She thought back to her vision…she should take hers. She looked at it for a moment, then took it. As she left the room, the old lightsaber remained on the bed.
Castle Tydis had become impenetrable, but sneaking out, and even in a speeder, proved easy for Salia. She felt liberated tonight - as if no matter what happened everything would be made right. Either she would die, or Saraius would die. One would end her suffering, the other would restore her standing with the Council. As the ruins appeared on the horizon, Salia felt butterflies in her stomach. She was at ease, but still nervous. The ruins were bigger than she thought. There was a destroyed castle, a crumbling old temple of some sort…among other things. Looking up, a pale moon dominated the eastern sky, with another one rising below it, while to the west she could see heavy clouds rolling in.
The calm before the storm Salia thought with a bit of a laugh as she pulled the speeder to a halt on the edge of the ruins. Shutting it down, she climbed out to meet her destiny.
Chapter VIII: Facing the Storm
Entering the ruins, Salia wondered how she would ever find Saraius in this maze. There was rubble everywhere, little porticoes, massive buildings, even a bridge crossing over the river. In the distance Salia could hear the waterfall as the river fell into the ocean.
Behind her she heard something and spun around. It was only a rodent knocking a rock off the wall as it climbed. Salia mentally shooed it away until her concentration was broken by an earth-moving thunderclap. As she looked up, the storm was getting closer.
Salia walked the grass field between the town center and the temple as the lightning lit up everything around her. More thunder hit as another bolt of lighting lit the sky. And in front of her, there he was. She felt a weird sensation in her mind, but with a shake of her head it was gone, and she was ready. There was no need for words, just lightsaber against lightsaber. As they approached, the wind began to blow cold.
At about five meters the yellow blade extended from Saraius' blade. He wore a hood, but it was him. Salia raised her own blade, the whitish-blue extending from the hilt. There was a moment of silence as both warriors regarded each other, but with the next flash of lighting and clap of thunder, it dissolved into a fierce lightsaber battle. Yellow and white-blue flashed across the landscape of green grass and gray ruins. The combatants were lit up by the approaching storm.
Salia and Saraius fought back and forth, through buildings and ultimately up onto the bridge. Saraius was almost caught off his guard by a ducking spin from Salia, but he managed to backflip away from it in time. Salia flipped after him, and the two were battling on the far plain when the skies opened up.
The two did not even notice, so wrapped up were they in their movement. The rain fell hard, so hard that their duel was all but invisible from two hundred paces. Water sizzled as it passed into the blades. Salia shook her head to clear her eyes and saw Saraius overextending in a swing. This was her chance.
Salia saved her life by spinning. Even as she spun around and stabbed behind her with her own lightsaber, Saraius did exactly the same. The duel ended in an instant. Salia such a flash of pain that her vision blurred. Then, suddenly it was gone, replaced by cold, and pain. Behind her, she felt a weight fall off of her lightsaber. As she turned she looked down at her right shoulder and saw that it had been stabbed through with a lightsaber. Thankfully a wound such as that cauterized itself, but she would still be without the use of her arm for awhile.
When she turned, Salia fell to her knees, tears welling up in her eyes. She suddenly felt more alone than she ever had. Lying on the ground, dead by a lightsaber stabbed through the chest, lay not Saraius, but Kestrel.
"Kestrel!" There was no response.
"Kestrel!" Salia was balling. Despite the rain, she could still distinguish the tears.
"She is dead." said a voice from behind her. She turned…it was Saraius.
"You."
"Yes, it really is me this time."
"But I stabbed…"
"You killed Kestrel, I'm afraid. A little trick I picked up a few years ago - where you can alter someone else's senses to make them see what isn't there. Watching you two duel was actually quite exciting. Two beautiful young women, best friends, fighting fiercely to the death. Something savagely wondrous about it."
"You will pay for this, Saraius." said Salia, her grief now overcome with that cold, emotionless mindset. Saraius would die.
"I'd like to see that."
So Salia showed him, or tried to. She soon found that fighting a warrior with only a left arm proved to be very difficult. She was backed through the great hallway of the old temple, the groin vaults overhead very ominous in the thunderstorm. She was down to her last reserves. Saraius kicked her in the chest and sent her skidding back across the mosaic floor. She slid until she hit a column, and stopped there, nearly forty feet from her opponent. She looked up…Saraius could not be defeated. Not by her, at least. She would die here tonight. She looked deep into herself, and begged the Force to show her the way, to avenge Kestrel, Numitor, and the nobles that died at this bastard's hands. All of the sudden she looked past Saraius, and found her answer.
Her lightsaber was across the hallway, and with the Force she picked it up. Saraius starting laughing at her.
"You really expect to do anything with that?"
Salia didn't respond to the mocking. Instead she used the Force to throw her lightsaber with all of her might at the keystone in the archways just over Saraius' head. The lightsaber cut right through the stone, and in seconds the roof of the temple was caving in. Salia, only feet from the entrance, got her way outside and collapsed into the cool, wet grass outside. Beside her, the temple shook the ground as it buried Saraius. His presence vanished from the Force. The temple had crushed him.
When Salia next woke up, the storm was gone, and the sky was clear. Salia gathered Kestrel's body and used her lightsaber, a deep green blade, to cut wood for a pyre. Using the Force and good old strength, the pyre was ready in under an hour. Salia said nothing as she lit the pyre, she only watched the flames take her friend into the Force.
As the pyre went out, Salia found her lightsaber among the rubble of the temple and lifted it out. Looking at it, she considered Kestrel's. She looked up at the moons, now moving into the west.
"With all of the Force as a witness, I, Salia Ara Matea, claim Kestrel Bal'antrell's lightsaber, that in its use I may never forget how she died at my hand against my will. With this lightsaber of a passed friend so pure, so good, I now destroy the one which nearly destroyed me."
And with her words said, she threw her own lightsaber into the air, lancing out with Kestrel's to slice it cleanly in half. She felt tears falling down her cheeks. She had killed her best friend. Suddenly the Council, the Malorians, none of it mattered next to what she had done. And sitting on the cliff edge, she cried until she could cry no more.