Chapter 25: Enlightened

Rodrigo's strike drove Delm to his knees.

"Well well, there is some strength in you," Delm smirked. He rolled away from another slash. For a moment the Padawan realized what he'd done and hesitated. "Too bad it's wasted on you, stumpy. You'll be remembered as a weakling and traitor to the Order."

Rage erupted from him as he struck again and again, toppling statues that Delm dodged. The Knight parried two strikes with his yellow-bladed shoto, before he fled. Rodrigo's mind was overwhelmed by his rage. He didn't even realize his lightsaber moved with a will of its own.

Heartrending memories flashed within Rodrigo's mind. His arm cut free. Seamus' ruined body. Stumpy. Traitor. Again and again these images repeatd in his thoughts. Each and every time he struck, his anger flashed like lightning.

"Stand and fight!" Rodrigo roared.

Delm pretended to consider it, "Mmm no."

Rodrigo saw movement out of the corner of his eye and struck, his lightsaber clashing with a beam of white. The leader of the Jedi Brutes stood nearby, his lightsaber pike lit and blocking the attack. He said calmly, "I'm not your concern."

"Did you forget about me? Over here stumpy!"

Something was wrong. Rodrigo couldn't understand what was happening but his fury blinded him. He lunged at Delm, striking twice, before the smaller man fled again. Delm desperately blocked the animated lightsaber as Rodrigo raced around the other side of the statue.

With his back exposed, Delm was taken by surprise when Rodrigo kicked him. He narrowly avoided impalement on Rodrigo's lightsaber, flying with a will of its own. He had no time to consider it as Rodrigo's lightsaber shattered his guard and drove him to the ground. Delm looked around and screamed at the Jedi Brute, "Help me!"

The Brute shook his head no, calmly watching, causing a moment of tranquility in the Padawan. Rodrigo's eyes turned from the Brute to the fallen Knight and stormed forward. Delm watched the lightsaber float to Rodrigo and hover at the end of his arm, as if he still had a hand. He crawled away, until he backed into a statue, and realized he was trapped. For a moment fear overwhelmed him but then his eyes hardened.

"Do it, you filthy traitor!" He snarled as Rodrigo felt his anger rising. His defeat and shame fueled his rage. Now he stood over a Jedi Knight that persecuted him, ridiculed him, and tormented him. All of Delm's power and rank was meaningless. Rodrigo had crushed him effortlessly. All that was left was to strike him down…the Brute too, if he interfered.

NO! A voice cried, weak and distant. This is wrong! You're a Jedi! His rage boiled beneath his skin as images of his shame and insults seethed within him. Remember who you are! Stumpy. Traitor. Be mindful of your feelings.

"You're pathetic! Even now you can't do it! Traitor! Stumpy!" Delm screamed.

"RAAAaaaaaa!" Rodrigo raised his lightsaber above his head before throwing it away. "NO!"

He centered himself and the rage disappeared. He found calm…but weariness arrived with it. Every inch of his body was sore and begging for rest.

"I may be expelled from the Jedi Order. I might go to prison," Rodrigo looked at Delm. "But I'm stronger than you and your insults or anything else you can throw at me. I am a Jedi."

"Bravo," the Jedi Brute told him.

"Said as well, I could not," Sitting upon a statue, Yoda hopped down to join them.

"What?" Rodrigo looked from one to the other and then to Delm who smiled. "What…what's happening? You were watching us?"

Yoda returned Rodrigo's training lightsaber while the Brute helped Delm to his feet. Rodrigo's thoughts remained a swirling mess.

"Bottle your anger," Yoda told him. "You must not. Dangerous place, lead to… it will."

"Many Jedi have tried to smother their anger," the Jedi Brute told him. "Like water, people underestimate it. Anger is treacherous, insidious even, the more you push it down the wetter you become. Until the day arrives that you're drowning in it. Countless Jedi have imprisoned their anger and tried to trap it only to have it explode, harming innocents and loved ones. You were seething with anger; you couldn't control it."

"You wanted this to happen. You intentionally provoked me, why?" He demanded.

"Bestow upon you," Yoda ignited his lightsaber and sliced off Rodrigo's Padawan braid. "The rank of Jedi Knight, the council does."

"But…but I gave in to anger."

"You lost your temper," the Jedi Brute corrected him. "You're hardly the first. We deal with the vilest of criminals and the most heinous of crimes. Anger is not a disease that you catch; it's as natural as your joy or sorrow. The key is to properly vent and control it, to wield it and not allow it to control you."

"This is master Themrin," Delm motioned to the Jedi Brute. "He leads the Brutes for the whole of the Jedi Order."

Themrin bowed but Rodrigo missed it, "I…I fell to the darkside. I almost killed Delm."

They laughed, "Poised you were, strike him down in anger, you could. That choice make, you did not. Ready for the trials, Seamus declared you."

"I haven't taken the trials," Rodrigo insisted.

"There are three trials," Delm explained. "The tests of flesh, skill, and finally to become a Jedi Knight you must pass the test of spirit. You lost your arm and you've proven your skill."

"Anger burning, give into you did not. The Jedi Code upheld, you have."

"Our enemies are ruthless and they are legion," Themrin emphasized. "They're not going to attack when we're strong, prepared, and in ways we expect. They'll attack when we're broken and in ways we can't imagine. They'll use anything and anyone against us if they think it will succeed, or just to hurt and weaken us. When have you ever been weaker than now?"

Rodrigo knew it was true, had always known, but felt profoundly awakened to it.

"Masters, have you ever seen anyone do that?" Delm pointed at Rodrigo's lightsaber.

He looked down at it, floating in the air as if his arm was not lost. As soon as he saw it there, he tensed and the lightsaber fell to the ground.

Yoda shook his head and Themrim said, "I've heard of items manipulated at distances as if they had a will of their own. Alert and conscious, but no, I have never seen it."

"Replaced, your arm could be," Yoda said quietly. "Preserved it is, returned as it was."

They were quiet for a while, Rodrigo considering his answer, "No. I ignored the will of the force. It warned me about the droid. That's not to say I should have run away but I should have done things differently. My pride led me to fight him and it betrayed me."

Rodrigo looked at his lightsaber and it rose to his belt and snapped into place.

Themrin smiled at Delm, "When he kicked you in the back, I thought you were dead."

"Master Yoda protected me. I'm sure he gave it his whole attention."

Yoda looked up from gnawing on his cane, "Said something did you?"

They laughed and Delm sighed, "I hate you guys."