10

Chapter 10: Hard Answers Aftermath

A/N: Reviews welcome and encouraged. As always, huge thanks to my betas! :D

-x-

'The one good thing about this building being so full of holes is how quickly it airs out.' Rathe thought as he finished healing.

He did not know how long the task had taken, but it was long enough for the foul stench emanating from the hallway to fade to a bearable level of smell. The same could not be said for the smell emanating from Rathe's mouth. Although he'd done his best to remove the taste and smell of vomit, it continued to linger. What he needed was a mouthful of water to clean his mouth out, this, of course, meant that he needed to make a detour to the well he had spied on the opposite side of the Instructor's dormitory during one of his nightly trips to the ration storage. While Rathe had become more comfortable about sneaking into a building right next to the instructor's dorm, the idea of going to the well, filled him with grave fear as there would be no place for him to hide. And yet, as the taste in his mouth grew fouler, as it grew stale, Rathe realized that if he did not, he would find it difficult to get a restful sleep.

Carefully making his way through his makeshift tunnel, Rathe quickly scurried towards the ration storage. He figured that it would be safer to snag a ration bar or two before making his way towards the well, that way if he were spotted and managed to escape back to the dormitory he could at least have something to show for his efforts. Having encountered no trouble as he entered and then exited the storage building, Rathe steeled his nerve and began making his way along the backside of the dormitory for the instructors. Heart pounding in his ears, the red-skinned boy found himself jumping at every shadow and noise, eventually coming to lying flat on his belly and crawling to make it nearly impossible for anyone to see him at a glance. As he came within a foot of the well, he carefully poked his head around the corner of the building only to immediately duck back seconds later when the sound of a door banging open rang out.

"Quit whining Uthyn." The familiar voice of Instructor Akiva rang out, her words filled to the brim with anger and annoyance.

Scarcely daring to breathe, Rathe lay as still as possible, praying to the Emperor that she wasn't coming his way.

"I'm not whining!" The large instructor whined back. "I merely don't understand why I am the one who has to transport the remains back."

"Because if I remember correctly, you have volunteered to do it since you started here." Instructor Trevin replied dryly, his voice moving passed Rathe's location.

From beyond the building on the other side of the gap, Rathe could hear the crunching of Instructor Akiva and Trevin's boots on the sand. Judging by the location of the sounds, he guessed that they were headed towards the small landing pad he remembered arriving on. Carefully, Rathe peered around the corner, making sure nothing but his eyes were poking out. The moonlight was bright enough that he could see Uthyn carrying a medium sized crate, one like the one Rathe remembers his brother's remains being sent in, as he passed. A sneer of cruel amusement pulled at Rathe's mouth as he watched the overweight instructor struggle with his burden.

"Yes, well I have recently realized that this facility needs more of my attention." Uthyn struggled to get out, his words broken up as he gasped and panted from the strain.

As Uthyn's sizeable rear end moved out of sight, Rathe made a gamble and scurried to the next building. He pressed himself up against the corner, the jagged and rough edges of the brick digging into his back, just in time to hear Instructor Akiva let out a snort.

"More like you are afraid the Dresal boy will perish at the hands of Kasal the moment the ship leaves."

Rathe's curiosity peaked as he heard himself referenced. Once again he peered out from his hiding place to get a look at what was going on, sliding down into a crouch as he poked his head around the corner. Standing at the base of the ramp leading to the small landing pad, Instructor Akiva stood an amused look on her face. Slightly further up the slope from her, stood Instructor Trevin a bored look on his face as he looked up at the stars, waiting for their larger peer to join them.

"Do you disapprove of my methods?" Rathe could picture the sneer on Uthyn's face as he spoke, disdain dripping from his words.

"Not at all, I am merely amused by the fact that the arrival of the first and second Dresal children has caused a sudden interest in you doing your job."

"Outside of anything that involves leaving the planet anyway," Instructor Trevin interjected. Turning his gaze away from the stars towards the direction Akiva was facing. "Although one could say; only helping out during the arena fights is not helping out at all."

A growl of anger could be heard as the crate Uthyn carried went flying past, crashing into the sand just beyond the building Rathe was hiding behind. Moments later the large human came into view, stepping up to the crate he'd presumably just thrown, chest heaving as he panted. Thanks to the bright moonlight, Rathe could see the ordinarily pale human's face had turned a shade of deep red, due to a combination of both anger and exhaustion.

"Shove off." Uthyn snarled, openly glaring at both Instructor Akiva and Trevin "I highly doubt that this was where either of you had expected to end up." His mouth screwed up into a cruel smirk.

"Well, at the very least not you, Trevin," He turned fully towards the sole female instructor. "Becoming an Instructor was the best you could have hoped for. Slave."

The breath left Rathe's body as he felt anger coming from the Twi'lek woman in waves, her hand straying towards the lightsaber on her belt. Every fiber of Rathe's being begged for her to cut his tormentor down, but like with most things Rathe found himself disappointed as Instructor Trevin halted her with a hand on her wrist.

"No, Akiva." He said sternly, but, to Rathe's surprise, gently as well.

A look passed between the two, before Instructor Akiva finally relinquished her hold on the weapon, leaving it where it rested on her hip despite the visible tension in her body.

"Perhaps it would be best if you got a move on." The red-headed man said, the chill in his voice making Rathe shiver.

The larger human let out a snort but held his tongue as he bent to gather the crate once more. Silence enveloped the compound as three sets of eyes watched Uthyn put the crate aboard the small shuttle and moved to the cockpit. As the ship's engines came online, Rathe realized that this was the perfect opportunity for him to sneak to the well. Staying on hands and knees, the Sith boy quickly made his way over to the well, only moving to a standing position when he made sure Instructors Akiva and Trevin were solely focused on Uthyn. Rathe began quickly turning the crank that lowered the bucket used to retrieve water, using the noise the ship made to cover up the noise he was making. By the time the ship started taking off, the now filled bucket was making its way up, and Rathe was reminded of how precarious of a position he had been placed in. Virtually standing out in the open if he darted off to avoid being seen the bucket would fall, attracting the attention of the two adults he was hiding from. Redoubling his efforts, Rathe turned the crank as fast as he could, wincing as the movement caused an increase in noise. The moment Rathe's hands touched the bucket, was the moment Uthyn's ship left the atmosphere, and the two remaining instructors turned back towards the camp. As he maneuvered the bucket to rest on top of the wellhead, Instructor Trevin's head seemed to swivel around towards him. Scarcely waiting to make sure the bucket would stay, Rathe ducked down, pressing himself flat against the well, making himself as small as possible.

His heart pounded so loudly in his ears; the noise nearly covered up the sound of the instructors' boots hitting the ramp as they descended. He prayed to the Emperor that it had just been his imagination and Instructor Trevin had not been looking in his direction because if he had been, there was enough moonlight for him to be seen clearly. As the sound of boots hitting metal transformed into boots hitting the sand, the Sith boy began eyeing the building next to him. He knew he could dart behind it no problem, but the question was; which building should he run towards? If he should even move from his current hiding place at all. He could poke his head out to see where the instructors were, from the sounds of their boots and the soft whispers; he had a good idea of where they were. But, if those whispers were Instructor Trevin letting his more volatile counterpart know he'd seen someone by the well, then Rathe poking his head out would be the worst move he could make.

"You think I don't know that!?"

The sudden exclamation from Instructor Akiva had Rathe nearly have a heart attack. For a moment, the Sith boy thought she might have been referring to him hiding behind the well.

"You think I don't know that he was baiting me?"

Rathe's entire body sagged with relief as he realized she was merely talking about the incident with Uthyn moments before.

"All I was saying was that-"

"I know exactly what you were trying to say!" Instructor Akiva interrupted her rage a nearly tangible thing. Though Rathe thought he also detected a sliver of hurt, he was sure he just imagined things. "You both still think of me as being less! I have been here a decade, longer than either of you and yet both of you think you're better than me because of what I used to be." She spat.

"That is not true, and you know it." Rathe was amazed at how calm the other instructor continued to sound.

"Yes, it is! Uthyn thinks it an insult to be lumped in with someone who he thinks should be servicing men like him in a Cantina!"

Rathe's face flushed to a darker shade of red at the graphic depiction.

"And you stopped me earlier because you think he would have beaten me! Uthyn! A man who is barely a step above being lame!"

There was a metallic hiss, and the training yard began filling with the sound of a dull hum. Casting sense aside, Rathe cautiously peered over the top of the well. Amber-yellow eyes widened as he realized she had unsheathed her lightsaber, the blade washing both instructors in red light. Though he'd seen lightsabers attached to both Instructor Trevin and Akiva's hips and his father's back home, he'd never seen one turned on before.

"I will show you just how wrong you are," she hissed. Her upper lip curled back in a snarl.

"You cannot be seri-" Instructor Trevin was interrupted when a lunge from the Twi'lek woman forced him to dodge to the side quickly. "Very well then," The red light in the courtyard increased as a second lightsaber was unsheathed.

Rathe watched with bated breath as the two instructors circled each other, the air becoming charged as he waited for one of them to make the first move. Predictably, it was Instructor Akiva who made the first move, lunging once more at her opponent. This time, however, Trevin did not move out of the way. Instead, he blocked her blade with his lightsaber, causing Rathe to flinch at the large number of sparks that appeared when the blades struck one another. The red-headed man was forced to jump backward a moment later, when Akiva swung at him with a second lightsaber, one that had previously gone unnoticed by Rathe.

The red-skinned boy's fingers tightened their grip on the edge of the well as he stared in wonder at the Twi'lek woman. He had undoubtedly heard it was possible for Sith to wield two lightsabers at once, but he had never seen it with his own eyes before. His own father only used a single lightsaber, and so had the few Sith Lords his family was allied with. Rathe found himself moving around the side of the well to get a closer look at the dual blades, far more interested in seeing how well one could fight with two lightsabers than concerned about being seen.

The moment Trevin's feet hit the sand, he lunged towards Akiva not giving her a chance to attack again, forcing her back with a flurry of strikes so fast the Twi'lek woman had to use both blades to defend. The attack was halted when she lowered her blades, opened her mouth, and let out a scream that physically pushed the redheaded man backward. Had his eyes not already been as wide as they could be, Rathe's eyes would have widened in amazement at what he had just witnessed. Not only had the yell manifested itself as a physical force, but he had could feel it when she'd begun to create it within her throat. At least that's what Rathe thought the faint sensation, like water going down a drain, he'd felt on the edge of his mind had been. He desperately wanted to understand how she had could perform the ability and why he had could feel it. But as the Twi'lek woman took advantage of Trevin being off balance by the scream, he decided to ponder over it later.

Jumping forward, the purple-skinned woman came at the man with both blades raised. Sparks flew once more as the blade in her right hand connected with his, and Trevin was forced to roll to the side as she spun, keeping their blades crossed, and brought her second lightsaber around. From his kneeling position on the ground, Trevin lashed out with a kick, his boot connecting with the side of her knee. Shifting so he was in a crouched position, the redheaded man pulled back the hand not holding a lightsaber, balled it into a fist and brought it down to the ground. Though Trevin remained firmly on the ground, Akiva was thrown backward, landing flat on her back a few feet from where she'd been standing. Once again, Rathe found himself gaping in wonder at both being able to feel a steady pulse of energy radiating from his instructor and at the display of ability. Not only had Akiva been blown backward, but there was a slight crater about five meters wide surrounding Trevin.

For a moment, Rathe wondered if any of the other students were watching the fight. At the very least he knew some of them could hearit going on. He wondered if any of them were also realizing just how little they knew. Even Kasal, whom everyone considered to be the best student here, paled in comparison to the skill the two instructors were displaying. All his thoughts, aside from a single 'HOLY SHIT!' were erased as Trevin grasped his blade with both hands and jumped, somehow covering the distance between himself and the prone woman in the blink of an eye. Akiva must have sensed the man appearing above her because she was somehow able to bring her left blade up in time to block his attack. She let out a growl of pure rage as she pushed back, and for a moment, Rathe was confused as, unlike last time her growl did not manifest into an attack. Instead, a red flame-like aura began to engulf her. At first, Rathe thought it was an aura of flames, but when neither instructor, though specifically Trevin, did not react in pain to it, Rathe realized it only looked like flames.

When the red aura fully engulfed her, Instructor Akiva did something that genuinely baffled Rathe; she deactivated her lightsaber. It seemed to pay off as it threw Trevin off balance and allowed her to strike him in the abdomen with both blades, after reigniting the one she'd just turned off. But, she also took a nasty hit to her shoulder, producing the foul smell of burnt flesh that Rathe could easily smell from his position. Two similar marks should have appeared on Trevin's abdomen, but the damage to both blows was reduced by the shield that flashed briefly into existence upon each hit. The strikes did manage to throw the human over Akiva's head onto the ground behind her, his hair brushing against her lekkus as he landed flat on his back. Nearly as one, the two instructors flipped up onto their feet and turned to face on another.

"Akiva," Trevin began an almost pleading note entering his voice as he lowered his lightsaber fractionally.

Whatever else he might have said was cut off when the Twi'lek woman attacked him once more. The red aura around her turned a dark purple edging on black as she lashed out with both blades. Despite the rapidly increasing speed of her attacks, Trevin could block most, his shield occasionally flashing when a blow made its way past his defense. Eventually, the protection reached its limit for damage absorption and one of Akiva's blades contacted Trevin's arms, drawing a groan of pain out of the stoic man. The noise seemed to be as off-putting for the purple-skinned woman as it was for Rathe, because the blade in her left hand, which would have connected with his neck, froze in midair. Seizing on the opportunity given to him, Trevin knocked the frozen blade from her hand, sending it flying into the courtyard. Rathe squeaked faintly and moved back into the shadow of the well as the blade, thankfully extinguished, flew towards him.

The saber base bounced, flipping end over end on the sandy ground, coming to lie halfway between Rathe and the two instructors. But the lost lightsaber did little to keep the Pureblood boy's attention as Akiva rewarded Trevin for the loss of her weapon by knocking his own out of his hand and holding her remaining blade against his throat.

"Satisfied?" The man with dual-colored eyes asked his tone strangely calm for someone who was being held at sword point.

She seemed to hesitate for a moment, before nodding. "Yeah," She turned off her blade, leaving the yard solely lit by moonlight once more. "Sorry." The word was uttered so softly; Rathe thought it might have been a trick of the wind.

"Do not worry about it." Instructor Trevin shrugged faintly. "Uthyn gets under my skin too." He continued as he moved to retrieve his lightsaber.

Rathe's eyes widened when, upon moving closer to Instructor Akiva, the human man placed his hand on her shoulder. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head when she didn't immediately shrug off the hand. In fact, she seemed to lean into the touch, presumably deriving comfort from it. "Just remember, we are on the same side."

'I must be hallucinating.' Rathe thought as his eyes told him that a smile had appeared on the Twi'lek woman's face. There was no way there was a smile on the face of the woman he had only seen sneer or smirk. No, it had to have been a hallucination or a trick of the light.

"I remember." She said, while definitely not smiling. The world righted itself some, as she finally shrugged Instructor Trevin's hand off, though she did whisper something in his ear before walking away, towards the instructor's dormitory with the man following behind.

Rathe flinched as she held her hand aloft, directed towards his direction. He half expected to be pulled from his hiding place, or for him to be blasted with some other kind of attack. Instead, the lightsaber lying on the ground lifted off the ground and returned to its owner's hand. The moment he heard the door open and close, Rathe stood, knees, and legs stiff from being in a kneeling position for so long. His heart was still pounding in his chest, both from the fear of being caught and the excitement of having watched two actual Sith in action.

Hands shaking, he plunged them into the water-filled bucket, bringing a handful of water up to his lips. Swishing the cool liquid around for a moment, Rathe turned to the side and spat. Instantly, the taste of vomit in his mouth was reduced, and after a few more mouthfuls it was gone entirely. With his mouth now cleaned out, Rathe rewarded himself for not getting himself caught, by greedily drinking mouthful after mouthful of water. Pulling out the ration bar from earlier, Rathe began eating as he made his way back to his room. Belly adequately full for the first time in weeks, the Sith boy fell asleep the moment his body touched the thin mattress that made up his bed.