"Kahlei?"
Kahlei swallowed and averted her gaze from his face. Not that avoiding eye contact helped to salvage the predicament. She had to get out of here. And fast. Maybe he didn't know that she was no longer part of the Order?
When she finally found the courage to look back up, she noticed him frowning. "There are rumours that you've fallen to the Dark Side. Are they true?" He asked.
She bit her lip and then regretted not putting on a good Sabacc face. Then again, hers was terrible. Deciding to come to this section of the Archives had been a mistake. No, a mistake was defined as being accidental. This had been no accident. She'd known how great the risk had been as soon as she'd seen him huddled over the data-terminal.
After she failed to respond, he gaped at her. She felt him reaching out through the force and tried to shield herself. However, she'd felt it too late. "But... how?" He shook his head. "As a padawan, you were the Order's rising star. Then you saved Tython. Then you saved the galaxy." He shook his head, again. This time the frustration behind the action was clearer. "How could you of all Jedi fall?"
"It's not like that, Karn," Kahlei said, now up on her feet. "I haven't fallen. I'm just thinking for myself."
"No. I can sense the darkne-"
"Everyone has darkness inside them! It's nature and it's wrong to fear it."
"And it's right to embrace it?" Karn scoffed. "Remember when you first joined the class? You said it was your destiny to become a Jedi." He sighed. "Why've you done this?"
"I said that because I believed it was my destiny to follow in my parents' footsteps. But I was wrong. It never was my destiny."
He took a step closer. "I admired you. I envied you. You were strong. You were the perfect Jedi. ...I don't understand why you fell."
"'Perfect' Jedi? Don't you remember Master Tainer shouting at me because I told him that I wanted to exterminate the Sith? Because I wanted vengeance?"
"Every padawan goes through an emotional outburst," he said. "We have to. It is how we learn right from wrong."
"Vengeance isn't wrong. What is wrong about preventing the offender from offending again? From preventing them from hurting people again?"
"And what of forgiving the offender? Everyone can be forgiven - including yourself."
"Forgiving the offender doesn't guarantee stopping him." Kahlei paused and raised her head high to power her words. "I don't need forgiveness because I've done nothing wrong."
"You've delved in the Dark Side. I can feel its effects on you."
Kahlei moved to the side to walk past him. But he blocked her path. She raised her eyebrows.
"I can't let you leave Tython. You're powerful, Kahlei. Maybe now you have your sanity. But if you continue down this path, soon you won't. We can help you. You can still turn back."
Kahlei placed her datapad into an inside pocket. "I won't return to being the Council's puppet."
She could see him biting the inside of his cheek. "You haven't got a choice," he finally said. "We will save you. Surrender now. Please. I don't want to resort to violence."
Kahlei narrowed her eyes. "If you don't move out of my way, then you won't have a choice."
For a moment, he stared at her and then sighed. "I'm sorry."
He raised his hand and her feet were held in place by an invisible grip. The technique reminded her of a force choke. But she didn't have time to waste by analysing his moves.
Kahlei forced herself out of the constraints and dived for the door. But he stood in the way. She winced. This was certainly not how she had wanted this to turn out, but it was unavoidable. Turning herself over to the Council was an absurd thought. Kahlei lit a lightsaber. With equal reluctance, he did the same.
Circling round him, Kahlei could see the hesitation in his movements. She didn't want to do this, either. Perhaps she would be able to disarm him without causing any serious injuries?
Kahlei leapt at him, but he pushed her lightsaber aside. With her lightsaber arm pinned, he aimed for her midsection with a force enhanced fist. But Kahlei caught his wrist and tried to use the contact to twist his arm round. He swung his lightsaber back towards her. Letting go of his wrist, she jumped back.
Out of their class, he hadn't been the weakest but nor had he been the strongest. She hadn't expected him to be this much of a challenge. Perhaps his martial skill had taken longer to blossom? Kahlei narrowed her eyes. The longer she spent here, the longer she risked another Jedi witnessing the fight. She needed to deal with him as quickly as she could.
His brow furrowed as she raised her lightsaber above her head, taking a Juyo stance. Not giving him much time to react, again Kahlei charged. But this time, she drew upon her fear in every attack. She quickened the pace of the jabbing motions of her lightsaber. He managed to keep up, although barely. If she went even faster, he'd be unable to block.
But she didn't get chance to launch the plan. Instead, she felt the scorching heat of his lightsabers slice through her sleeve and into her skin. Her lightsaber rolled out of her hands. Seizing the opening, he charged towards. Kahlei ignited her second lightsaber with her offhand and parried the slash, gritting her teeth at the searing pain. For a brief second, she came face to face with him, their lightsabers interlocked. She hissed.
How was this happening? She had always been the stronger one! So much stronger that he shouldn't have posed a challenge at all - never mind have been able to wound her.
Using the hand of the injured arm, Kahlei pushed him back into the book shelves with the force. Her opponent was momentarily dazed and Kahlei dived towards him, lightsaber poised to strike. But he leapt back up in time to block.
How? It should have been over after the first few moves. How had no Jedi yet noticed the fight? It was only a matter of time before one did. No, this had to end. She had to show him she was superior.
Kahlei feigned left and he took the bait. Whilst he moved to block the lightsaber that wasn't there, she spun round him and swung at his back. It hit. He shrieked and Kahlei swore. No doubt another Jedi would come to his rescue after hearing that. She had to leave.
She started towards the exit. But somehow, he'd regained himself and pushed her off her feet with the force. Kahlei jumped back up as he launched himself at her.
How was he still fighting? Through sheer determination? She could see the pain behind every movement. He wasn't going to last much longer.
He struck her again and Kahlei snarled, becoming more and more furious at each exchange of blows. Anger replacing sense, she kicked out at his feet. He fell. Kahlei thrust her lightsaber towards him and he tried to roll away. But it was too late. The attack got him straight in the chest.
And then, he lay still. Dead at her feet.
The only two sounds in the room were the beeping of the terminals and her own deep breathing. As the adrenaline faded away, the sting of her wounds grew more and more intense until they were unbearable. When her fury had dispersed, Kahlei collapsed to her knees.
No! It wasn't meant to have turned out like this. Tears threatened and her uneven breathing turned to wheezing. She'd killed him. Murdered him. Her bottom lip quivered.
She was a murderer.
Why had it come to this? Because he'd been caught up in her fury? No. She couldn't blame this on the Dark Side. Her eyes trailed down the corpse, lingering over each wound she'd inflicted. By her hands.
She didn't know for how long she'd sat there. Nor did her mind register what her ears were hearing: the clamour of footsteps, the shouting of her name. Hands grabbed her arms and pulled her to her feet. She didn't resist. She didn't realise what was happening. Her eyes only broke away from the corpse when she was out of the room.
She thought she'd vomit. The image of her crime was still imprinted on her retina. It was all she could see in front of her. The mysterious hands behind her urged her forwards, out of the Archives. It was only when the cold breeze hit her that she gasped, realising that her fears had come to reality.
Kahlei shrieked. Then, she screamed louder. She tried to writhe away from the grasp. To break free. But it wasn't one pair of hands that held her in place: it was several. She tried to throw them off, but they pushed her forwards.
Every Jedi walking through the courtyard stopped to stare at the display. They probably thought she looked pathetic. And she was pathetic for getting caught. Kahlei kicked out at one of her captors, but he moved out of the way. The rest of them held her place.
What would Scourge have said if he'd seen this? Perhaps he'd have laughed at her. Or perhaps he'd have told her it was her own fault for being weak: for giving into the darkness and then regretting it. He'd have mocked her for her own powerlessness. And he'd have had every right to.
No. She had to escape. The Council would turn her back into their puppet. They'd manipulate her and her mind would no longer be her own. Kahlei glanced around. Half a dozen more Jedi had joined her original captors in leading her to their detention block.
She couldn't trust the Dark Side. It encouraged her to do terrible things. If she hadn't relied on it, she'd have defeated Karn and left Tython with ease. But now, now she was trapped.
They held her arms still and fitted her with shackles. Kahlei tried to break them open, but it was no use. The metal was dissipating her energy. It was likely cortosis. She whirled around to the cell's entrance, but the durasteel bars flew towards her. The door was a frame to watch the outside world from.
Her captors slowly dispersed. Eventually, only one remained. His glowing red eyes gazed at her, holding nothing but disappointment. And guilt?
Praven shook his head, further demonstrating his disappointment in her. He took a step further, and another, until he was close enough to grasp the metal bars. Kahlei also stepped forwards, only the bars separating them.
"He did this," Praven said. There was no question as to who 'he' was.
Kahlei glowered. "He did nothing. Do you honestly believe that I can't see the truth for myself? That I can't see how weak the Light is? That I can't see how the Council brainwashes us?"
Praven lifted one hand off the door to clutch his forehead. "What I can't believe is how far gone you are, Kahlei."
"I'm not far gone." Her voice was akin to a hiss. "I don't walk the Dark Side, but I don't walk the Light Side, either."
"You killed one of your fellows. How is that not far gone?" Praven asked.
Kahlei stepped away from him, until the back of her knees hit the edge of the small bunk in the corner of the cell. "No. No! That was an accident. Just an accident!" The repetition was an attempt to convince herself as much as Praven.
"Kahlei, I was investigating a matter with security when it happened. I saw everything through the cameras. He tried to help you and you killed him. It was no accident."
Her lip trembled and she blinked back the tears that tried to reappear. "No. He wanted to stop me. To hand me over to the Council."
"He only wanted to stop you to save you. He wanted to redeem you."
"I don't need redeeming! Is that why you came to see me? Because you thought you could?"
"I came here to see this with my own eyes," Praven said.
"You mean you came here to laugh at me? To taunt me for my weakness?"
"No. I came here to witness the madness that has taken control of you."
"It doesn't control me. I control it!"
"Nobody can control the Dark Side, Kahlei." His voice was calm, as if to soothe her. She scowled. Praven watched her facial expressions and sighed. "I can't help but feel responsible for this. I told you to choose your own path, but I didn't mean this. I never thought this would happen to you."
Her scowl deepened and she sat on the bunk, body turned away from him. Praven remained for a few minutes before finally leaving. She dug her nails into her palms, movement still restricted by the shackles.
No matter how much she tried to oppose it, Praven's words continued to replay in her mind. Had she really been naïve in thinking that she'd be able to control the darkness? It was power but it was chaos. When you embraced it, you became its tool - its weapon to carve destruction.
Kahlei drew her knees closer to her chest. Each time she drew upon darkness, the consequences grew more severe. What would happen the next time that she embraced it? What if she hurt Ashara, Doc, Rusk, Teeseven or Scourge? Well, she probably wouldn't be able to hurt Scourge. But there was little relief in that thought. To fully draw upon the darkness again would be reckless. Trying to temper it with the light hadn't worked. She needed to be completely balanced - like she'd seen in the Je'daii teachings. What was truly a relief was the feeling of her datapad digging into her leg.
But if the Council used their mind tricks on her, there'd be no chance to study the Je'daii teachings. There had to be some way to get out of the cell. Kahlei glanced round. It was small but clean. The only exit was the barred doors. She tried to smash open the door with the force, but she only scratched the metal. And the attempt left her feeling even weaker. Was there really no way to get out?