Without A Hitch
Twi'leks clutched one another along the left wall of the cargo bay. One in the brown robes of a Jedi and the other in the dark robes of a Sith.
Dia moved off of Ivix after a moment, coddling her head. The ship's quaking had left her dizzy, out of sorts, and stuck with a pounding headache.
The turbulence in her body matched the turbulence of her spirit. The trooper's choice -suicide?- was so beyond her mind's realm of possibility that she felt as though her very world had been cracked wide open. The man had been defiant, unwilling to listen, unwilling to even consider that something beyond his idea of how the world worked existed. He would rather have died than done so.
She glanced back at Ivix, the thoughts swirling about in her mind. Ivix had said truth was what was missing in the Republic, that the Jedi worked to suppress it. She hated the possibility that he could be right; she was loathe to blame the Jedi for anything. But even as the sentiment rose in her, she was struck with another. Perhaps it was the Jedi's own teachings that caused her to feel this way. Perhaps she was no different than that soldier.
And more than anything, she did not want to be like him.
Ivix groaned from beside her, his hand stuck to his hip.
Dia quickly came back to him. "You're hurt, aren't you?"
"Nothing to concern yourself with, Dia, my dear."
She nodded, still concerned. And then another thought struck her. "Estela's tied up in the storage hold! She could be hurt!" She turned to leave, but Ivix stopped her.
"No, no. I'm afraid I neglected to mention it. She's left. Escaped, and didn't spare a thought for you."
What? Gone? "How could she escape? That monster's in the other room. Couldn't he sense her?"
"And I wouldn't be surprised if he's chasing her as we speak." Ivix shook his head. "He'll hurt her, tear her apart. Perhaps even kill her." The Sith sighed. "I tried to convince her to stay, but she wouldn't listen. She would've been better off."
Dia stiffened. She couldn't imagine a world without Estela. She'd already lost Joei; losing Estela too would be a complete severing of all she considered dear in the Galaxy.
"I'm going to bring her back." Dia said, determination filling her voice.
"That would be best." Ivix said. "And you must not fail; her life hangs in the balance. Use whatever means necessary, as well. Her mind is still caught in the Jedi hostility, and she may be too far gone to hear reason." He handed her a saber, the hilt a sleek black.
Dia took it gratefully. It felt good to hold a weapon again, but she doubted she would need to use it.
Ivix watched her leave, he wasn't sure what to call her anymore. No longer was she a Jedi, but nor was she a sith. She stood in the divide between the two philosophies now, unsure. She would need his guidance as time went on, and how she dealt with Estela would determine her future in the Sith order. Ivix had a preferred outcome, of course, but her destiny was her own, as it was with his, and even the Barbarian.
He clutched his side and tapped commands into his wrist-mounted computer, summoning the Smile's veritable army of astromechs to repair the holes left by the trooper's suicide. The small tripodal droids swarmed all over the cargo hold, cutting new bulkhead slabs and welding them into place, coordinating with long series of multi tonal beeps and simple comm frequencies. Soon the damage wouldn't be visible unless one looked for it, even the exterior's blast scoring could be repaired by the resourceful droids.
Ivix oversaw the repairs, calling out to individual droids when a more efficient repair was possible. Ivix had a slight limp after the explosion, where his shield, unable to protect them both fully, had broken, exposing him to shrapnel. His injury pained him, and fatigue began to cloud him before he moved to the nearby Med-bay, dressing his wounds with kolto. It wasn't until he was finished that he pondered the possible outcomes of the imminent clash between old friends.
Well it should be interesting, to say the least.
He sensed Drakal's presence on the ship still, but it was... calm. Subdued, he was not active. The pureblood Sith was likely unconscious, or passed out drunk. Ivix smiled at the revelation, the next stage of the plan would be so much easier.
Dia cut through the jungle, the force guiding her steps. The connection she had was weak, and flitting in and out like a bad radio signal. She felt rusty, and out of practice, and her mind felt clouded; focus wasn't coming to her as easily as only a few days before.
Her connection to the force was returning, slowly, but it was returning to a body and mind that were no longer the same. Dia's eyes felt opened, and the force was interacting with her differently than before. It was a difference she couldn't quite put her finger on, and her thoughts were far too consumed with her friend's safety to bother with it.
She caught scent of Estela's aura, but that too was odd and fluctuating both with darkness and light, an unstable sensation. Dia sent her friend a mind-link, but without Estela sending one back, the connection was unable to stabilize, and faded within moments. But Dia was gaining on her target, and after breaking through one last thicket of leaves and bugs, she caught sight of her.
Estela's back was to her, the hilt of her saber held in her right hand, the soft glow of Onderon and its other moons glinting off the hilt. Her body was cut in black, the light casting darkness over her.
Her head turned first, and then her body. Dia was struck by the fierceness in her friend's eyes. Such a stare had never been directed at her before. Only at the enemy.
Dia cleared her head, shaking it. This was her friend before her, someone she had known since before she could speak. Grasping onto that confidence, she started walking forward. "Essa," She said quietly. The nickname reminded Dia of the bond they shared. "Essa, we should talk. You aren't going to like what I say, but it needs to be said."
Estela was just staring stoically, her expression not forthcoming. It reminded Dia of statues held up in the rural areas of Typhon, the ones representing justice and judgement.
Dia swallowed. "You need to come back to the ship with me. Drakal will kill you otherwise. Essa-"
"Don't you dare utter that name, Sith." Emotions rushed over Dia from the Jedi before her. Anger fierce, fiery, and hateful so potent it overwhelmed Dia, sending terror crawling up the Twi'lek's spine. Estela's lightsaber ignited, the yellow blade humming into existence.
"I'm not a Sith! Not by any means!" Dia said.
But Estela was walking briskly towards her, and fear of the woman's dark energy sent Dia into a panic. She ignited the saber Ivix had given her, purely in self-defense.
Scarlet red, the color of blood, lit up Dia's face as the saber sprung to life. Estela's eyes widened, and her fury reached its height. The woman's face broke into a snarl.
"Even your blade reveals you!" Estela swung her blade down, and Dia caught it with her own, even as the impact sent the Twi'lek down to one knee.
"Surrender, Dia! Return to the light!" Estela snarled. Anger emanated from the woman in waves. Dia's hands shook from fear. Estela pressed down, and Dia felt herself being pushed back, the power in Estela's arms too much for her. "Or I will cut you down like any other Sith in this cursed Galaxy!"
Dia choked back a gasp. Panic was mixing with a heavy wave of despair. The emotions were fierce and overpowering, and Dia fought them back with little success, trying to focus. Her friend was willing to kill her. No, she was actively trying to kill her. Dia cried out and used a burst of force to blow them both back, sending both women sprawling into foliage.
Dia pushed herself to her feet, spitting out leaves and dirt. Estela was groaning somewhere ahead of her. It seemed she still hadn't recovered. Dia sucked in a breath, trying to regain some semblance of calm. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she stood.
She had to analyze the situation. She had to bring Estela back to the ship. Estela had to survive this.
"Will you not listen, Essa?" Dia asked.
"Don't call me that!" Estela's fierce voice came from beyond her, muffled by leaves. There was a rustling and Dia saw the Jedi move to her feet, pained thought he motion was.
Dia's eyes ran over her friend's bruises, cuts, and blackened areas. On her neck the skin was peeled and blistered, and her right hand's nails were chipped and cracked -she had been clawing desperately at something. Dried blood clung in clumps to Estela's mouth, and purple and black swelled across the side of her face, on her thighs, on her shoulder.
"Why won't you talk to me, Essa?" Dia asked quietly, the words a breath. "Why did you leave without me?"
"Because you're a filthy Sith!"
The words seemed to strengthen Estela, and the Jedi's lightsaber flitted through the air, her body moving with it in a fluid motion. Even injured and fatigued, the Jedi's ability was present. Dia wouldn't stand a chance; strong-arming this fight would by no means succeed. And the sight of such hatred from Estela directed at her still sent a shock through Dia, and it was shaking her to her very core.
Her hands were shaking as she lifted the blood-red saber. Estela was coming at her again, form steady and intention clear as she struck at Dia's center. The attempt was an obvious one, and Dia was able to turn it aside with her saber. But Estela immediately twisted with the motion, and slipped her blade past Dia's guard, and was about to pierce the Twi'lek's heart, but at the last moment the blade ceased its movement.
"Estela!" A voice drew both of their attentions to the edge of the clearing. A man in filthy white armor stood among the trees with a rifle at the ready, the confusion plain on his face.
Dia whipped her head back to the Jedi to find Estela staring dumbly at the Trooper. Dia bit her lip in anticipation. Now was probably her only chance.
She stepped forward with her left and thrust her hand in to grab at Estela's lightsaber hilt. The idea was to wrench the blade from Estela and then force Estela into a paralytic mind-link, but Estela recovered too quickly. Her strength returned to her, and she pulled back from Dia. Grabbing Dia's arm so she couldn't escape, Estela smashed the hilt of her blade into the side of Dia's head.
Dia crashed to the ground, her senses lost. Her head felt like it was spinning. She couldn't move her legs and the dirt seemed like seawater. It was the same disconcerting sensation she had when the ship was tossing her around like a ragdoll.
Dia closed her eyes tight. She put her arms to the ground, shaking, and pushed herself up. She heard footsteps. Estela was moving away from her. But Dia couldn't let her go. She forced herself to her feet, slipped twice, and managed to get to a standing position. Dia cracked her eyes open, catching sight of a shadowy figure moving away from her. She stumbled towards it.
Her senses returned to her as she moved. She saw Estela following the Trooper deeper into the forest about a hundred yards ahead of her. Dia forced herself into a kind of run, calling out to Estela, waving her arms above her head.
Estela stopped to look back, once, and continued the rest of the way unhindered by hesitation. The forest soon broke into a clearing, the ship grounded in the middle of it. Estela and the Trooper disappeared inside and the boarding ramp was sucked in behind them.
The roar of the engine, the heat of exhaust, and the ship was unapproachable.
Dia watched the ship take off into the dark starry sky and fell to her knees. Bitter tears streamed down her face. Her friend had left her alone on the jungle planet. She wailed out in panic, in despair, and in the sudden and forced knowledge that the Jedi had deceived her.
There is no peace; peace is a lie.
The entire conflict played out in Ivix's mind's eye, his Tachs had followed the action every step of the way. Estela's escape was foreseen, but her desire to kill Dia was unexpected, even with the 'proof' of a crimson saber.
He moved to a hidden compartment in the lounge and retrieved two items, one hidden from Drakal, the other a gift from an Imperial Intelligence agent. Both would be essential if his plans for Dantooine were to succeed.
Hey there friends! Just letting you know that the Jedi are being written by a new collaborator! We now have three of us working on this grand adventure, and our newest addition has been a tremendous help. Thanks a ton Revan!