Last time: Sasha learned about Kyr's feelings for Cien.
Now: They arrive to deal with this Master Hill.
Chapter 7- Master Hill
After a few more hours of travel, they soon arrived at their destination. The 'event' was being held at a very small outdoor amphitheater, really just a slightly raised stage that was in front of a few rows of benches. For this little dust ball of a village, it looked like it was something of a community gathering place. The surroundings were nice, though, quite a few trees, and it was at the base of a dormant volcanic crater, so the rocks in the area were interesting shades of burnt red and black. As they approached, there was already a bit of a crowd gathering.
"Looks like there are a couple of seats in the back row there," Sasha pointed out as they surveyed the crowd.
"Good." Kyr commented as they walked up. "Right where I always preferred to sit in school."
She chuckled at that as she led them over towards the seats. Taking a seat down on the bench, Sasha looked past the crowd of people towards the stage.
"I'm curious to see if this guy is legit or not," Sasha mused out loud to Kyr as she continued to look at the stage. "Cause I'm just getting that he is quite the showman based off this set up."
"Is that really the way Jedi advertised?" He asked, looking at the garish standing poster that was on the stage, proclaiming 'Master Hills Miracles', and the matched bunting he had put up across the front of the stage that was in bright tones. Definitely not the muted, earthen colors he associated with the Jedi, though he supposed that he had seen some planets whose soil was that particular shade of shockingly bright green and piercing yellow.
Sasha shook her head. "Jedi don't advertise. Others have for the order, but that was never something a Jedi ever did. That was usually looked down on by the Council."
"You guys did pretty good without a marketing department then." He mused.
"Indeed," she said with a light chuckle.
'Master' Hill strode onto the stage, and Kyr had to admit his robes did look pretty good, albeit the Jedi he knew wouldn't dress so garishly. Sport might. But the overuse of colors was a bit much, most Jedi, again, preferred muted, earthen tones. This guy went all in with bright notes of blue and green, alongside the more traditional colors of the Jedi order, if they had tailors and a marketing department to make them look more spiffy. Sasha stared at him with a raised and unimpressed brow. She snorted to herself at how much of a joke this guy was.
"Gotta admit his sense of style is spot on." Kyr said, elbowing Sasha in the ribs.
Sasha winced a little at that as her stomach didn't seem to like that gesture, but she didn't let the wince show as she kept her gaze to the stage.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, people of all species and droids of all types. Welcome! I come to your beautiful little town in the hope that I may be able to help you with whatever ails you, using the ancient secrets of the Jedi order and bringing them to you, brave souls that you are settling the outer rim. I sense many among you have come with troubles that only a Jedi council master such as myself may be able to help with. Concentrate, deeply upon what you need, and I will try to help. Yes, I sense many of you…" He closed his eyes, putting a hand to his forehead as he cast the other out as if scanning the crowd with a laser beam from his hand. "You sir, you what ails you, how may I help you?"
A man stood up after being graced with the beam of Council Master Hill's hand. "Well sir, I haven't been able to hear from my right ear since I fell off my speeder two weeks ago." He said, earnestly.
"5 credits says he's a plant." Kyr said quietly to Sasha.
Sasha already had a hand over her mouth trying to silence her laughter at this guy and Kyr's comment didn't help. "Deal," she giggled under breath.
Council Master Hill spoke. "You poor man, please, join me on stage so I might heal you with the divine power of Force!"
The half deaf man walked on stage, and Master Council Hill looked upon him. He held up a hand, making some strange split finger gesture with his hands, as if trying to make a subspace radio antenna with his fingers, while he covered his eyes with his other's hands and stood aghast. "Oh, sir you have been tormented enough. This is no ordinary injury that some medical droid might cure, you have been afflicted with a powerful Sith!"
"Oh No!" Kyr shouted.
Sasha smacked him lightly as she tried to keep it together.
"That's right, a Sith has infected this man!" Master Councilor Hill shouted, as others in the crowd started to realize how severely this man had been afflicted. "Well sir, Let me Force that Sith right out of you!"
"Yes, use force!" Kyr said quietly enough for it to maybe not sound like it came from him.
"And that I will!" Hill, Master of councils, said. Looking out at the crowd and trying to find the earnest person who was so into this divineness. "Sith be GONE!" He yelled as he smacked the man in the forehead. The man stumbled back, Kyr wasn't sure he had been hit that hard, though. He was overselling it a bit.
The hearing impared fellow took on a shocked look as he hit the side of his head a few times, "Why… Why I can hear again!" He yelled! "Thank the Force!"
"Sasha!" Kyr said quietly next to her, "Maybe THAT is why you never got the red lightning to work again, you didn't hit people hard enough!" Kyr was glad for his buy'ce muting him down so he could laugh in private.
Sasha doubled over in laughter. "I think that is what Viran calls 'percussive maintenance.'" She said quietly.
"Thank the Force indeed!" Master Counselor Hill praised. "And who else out there has some terrible ailment, some terrible affliction like our poor friend here?"
Several hands shot up, more than were probably made up of plants, so Kyr was quite enjoying this.
The Master cast his hand beam out once more, searching the crowd for more people afflicted by Sith or something. "You madam!" He called out, "what ails you?!"
"Master Hill, I have terrible pain in my joints, and ain't no droid doctor been able to cure it!" She yelled.
"You poor woman, Let me come down and help you!" Mister Hill called out. He stepped lightly off the stage as she walked forward with a shuffling gait that, admittedly, looked like she was in actual pain. She was actually pretty good. The Master held out his sensor hand again, and closed his eyes, covering them with his other hand. "My Goodness, madam, you poor soul. Such a terrible affliction." He said.
"What is it, Master Hill?" She pleaded.
"Why madam the darkside has tried to claim you!" He cried out, "Its inky fingers spread through your body, trying to claim your very soul!"
"No! Not inky fingers!" Kyr wailed.
This time Master Hill caught what Kyr said and looked over at him, annoyed for just the briefest of seconds. "Yes! The dark evil of the darkside tries to claim this woman. But I am here to stop them!" He yelled, quite righteously. Then he looked at the woman, and spoke more tenderly. "Kind madam, please give me your hand."
She held out her hand, grimacing as the Darkside's inky fingers infected her elbow and her wrist in order to claim her soul through something that sounded suspiciously like arthritis, which was easily treatable.
"Darkside be GONE!" Master Hill, Counsel yelled. A bright light swept through the space. It reminded Kyr a little of his flashbang grenades. He was glad he had his visor on, so it deadened the flash of light and he was able to make out the magical hand movement he made of palming the bright arc light back into his sleeves.
The woman stood up, straight, and she flexed her joints like a woman who had just received a treatment for her arthritis, with a look of awe on her face. "It's gone!" She said as she started moving freely. "It's miraculous!" She exclaimed as she all but danced down the aisle to her seat.
"Mandalore be praised!" Kyr shouted with the others who exclaimed their shock and astonishment at the two miracles.
Sasha's sides hurt from how much this was making her laugh. She knew for a fact that was not how the Force worked and it made her giggle. She took a few calming breaths, but the laughs still burst through her hand as she still had it over her mouth to mute it.
"Who else among you are faced with devious ailments?" Master Hill shouted. And the entire group of people stood up.
Kyr also shot his hand up. "Do me! Do me next! I'm ailed!"
Sasha grabbed Kyr's hand and pulled it back down. "You're not helping."
Kyr shot her a look, "No, he is! Can't you see? It's a miracle!"
Sasha rolled her eyes. "A miracle was me bringing you back from the dead," she mumbled to him. "This is far from a miracle."
"Yeah but he does it with more pizzazz." Kyr responded. "This is what a Jedi with a marketing team is!"
They hadn't been paying attention while they talked, but Master Hill had. They looked back up as his voice peaked a little. "Among us we have someone who disdains the Force! An ancient enemy of the Jedi, of the light side! This believer in the way of crusades! A Mandalorian is here, to pull us away from the light!" He yelled, he pointed at Kyr strangely.
Kyr made a show of looking behind him, trying to find this heathen. Then turned around and pointed at himself. "Me?" He asked incredulously.
"Yes!" Master Hill spoke! "You who would disdain the light side, you who would crusade across the galaxy, and take countless lives!"
Kyr raised his hand as if to defend himself, and then brought his hand down and shrugged. "I did do those things. Except the disdaining! I never did that!" He yelled back righteously.
Sasha face palmed at that, trying her best to hide behind the copper mando.
"Wait!" Kyr yelled. "I did do the disdaining!" He corrected himself. "Sorry!"
"Be gone! Away with you, foul hateful person!" Master Hill yelled.
"No, I paid good money for this seat and I like the show so far." Kyr responded.
"Be gone!" Master Hill reiterated!
"Make me!" Kyr responded.
In that moment, Sasha stood from her seat and placed herself between Kyr and Hill. "Stop this now!" She ordered, her voice loud enough for all to hear. She looked at Kyr and pointed a finger at him. "You, knock it off." She then turned to Hill. "And you. If you are a Jedi, then stand down."
"And who are you madam, who would accompany this foul man?" He yelled at Sasha.
Kyr whistled and backed down, he wished he had popcorn for what would ensue.
Sasha gave him a pointed look before she pulled her lightsaber from her belt and activated it. "I am a Jedi. For your information. A real one at that." Her voice was even, unwavering, and frankly… kind of scary.
Master Council Person Hill looked at her aghast for a moment, his eyes wide with shock. And then he beamed brightly. "Force be praised! Another sister of the lightside, oh so long it has been since I have seen one of my own! Another miracle for this day!"
The crowd cheered. Kyr laughed. Sasha deactivated her saber and approached the man. The look on her face read that she was not very pleased with him at the moment.
"This charade ends here and now," Sasha said. "And I don't know what order of Jedi decided to make you a Council member, but you are not a Jedi, sir. I apologize for the disturbance, but I have come here to put this to an end."
He looked at her, and it was obvious he was trying to salvage the situation. "No madam! It is you who lies! I was a member of the council next to Mace Yoda and Master Vindu! You, an agent of the darkside trying to steer this crowd of people from the light!"
The crowd murmured, looking at this epic stand off between the two who claimed to be Jedi. Sasha looked unfazed by that, but a chuckle did escape her lips. "Amazing, everything you just said was wrong. A real Jedi would know the proper names of the Jedi Council. And a real Jedi can use the Force as their aid, not their parlor trick. Can you actually use the Force?"
"Well of course I have, you have seen it with your own eyes!" He declared.
"He fixed my hearing!" The one guy said.
The crowd continued to murmur, this was definitely worth the price of admission even if they didn't get their ails un-ailed.
Sasha looked around at the theatre they were in. Her eyes caught sight of a box. She looked back at him. "Alright, then prove it," she said as she pushed past him towards the stage. She hopped up without any hands or support. She then turned back to him and the audience as she pointed to the box. "Lift that with the Force."
"Ha!" He said as he climbed the steps to get on the stage next to her. "You accuse me of using the Force for parlor tricks, and yet you ask me to prove it by moving a simple box? What of the miracles you've already witnessed?!" He yelled out to the crowd.
"Hey she brought me back from the dead!" Kyr spoke up, "She's performed miracles too! And she can move boxes with her mind!" Kyr yelled.
Sasha shot him the death glare of the century that told him to stay out of it. She then looked back to the man. "Hitting someone in the head and touching another's arm does not make you a Force user. If you can actually perform a miracle like that then you should be able to lift a box with no problem at all." She challenged.
"Yeah!" Kyr yelled. "Lift! The! Box! Lift The! Box!" He started the chant as yet more people in the crowd picked up the chant as well.
"Lift! The! Box! Lift The! Box!" The crowd chanted.
"Well?" Sasha asked as she folded her arms across her chest.
Hill brought himself up to his full height, which was about in line with Sasha. "A Jedi Master has no need to prove himself to such foolish pretenders as you!" He yelled, and he started storming off the stage as the crowd jeered at him.
Sasha sighed. "I didn't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." She raised her hand and used the Force to stop the man in his tracks.
He started walking mid air as he tried to gain traction as he floated off the ground. "What, You have no right to treat me this way!" He yelled as he tried to balance himself.
"And you have no right to lie to these people," Sasha stated, very serious. "If you truly are a Jedi then you wouldn't do this." She gestured to the stage. "You would go out of your way and help people, not because it will give you a profit or fame, but because it's the right thing to do. Jedi bring balance and peace to the galaxy." She brought Hill to the stage at a slow speed.
The crowd cheered on Sasha as Master Hill struggled in the air.
"Put me down!" He yelled impotently.
With a sigh, Sasha lowered the man to the stage, allowing him to gently land on his feet. "I am sorry I had to do that, but you did leave me no choice. All I ask from you is a simple test of proof that you are what you say you are. If I am satisfied then you shall never see me again. But if you prove my theory then you must put a stop to this charade," she explained gently.
As the crowd cheered and exclaimed at the wonderful entertainment, Master Hill stalked over to her, speaking in low tones that wouldn't carry off the stage. "Listen here you little runt, I had a good thing going here why did you have to come mess it up?" He growled.
"I understand why you are doing it," Sasha said simply. "You are trying to give hope to these people by performing miracles. But you shouldn't do it through lies. I can sense you are not a Force user. You are just a con artist trying to make his way in the galaxy. And I am sorry to ruin your fun, but as a Jedi it is my job to uphold what it truly means to be one of us. I cannot allow this to keep going as it is."
He pulled his wig off and walked off in disgust, away from the crowd. And the crowd applauded and cheered Sasha.
Sasha watched the man go with a disappointed shake of her head before turning back to the crowd. Hopping down from the stage and landing lightly on her feet, she made her way back to where Kyr was in the crowd, paying no mind to the cheering.
"Three cheers for Sasha, the Jedi Knight!" Kyr yelled. "Hip hip!"
"Hooray!"
"Hip hip!"
"Hooray!"
"Hip hip!"
"Hooray!"
Sasha reached over and grabbed Kyr by the arm. She started to drag him away from the amphitheatre. "Would you shut up?" She hissed at him as she dragged him along.
"Look! She cured my inability to move!" He yelled as he was dragged away. "Miracle!"
As soon as they were far enough away, Sasha turned on her heel and smacked him in the shoulder. "Are you done?" She asked, annoyed.
"Yes, I am Sash'ika." He said with a grin as they started heading for the ship. "And I thought this would be a boring milk run. Best. Mission. Ever." He declared.
Sasha rolled her eyes as she walked along, feeling the fatigue of the day wearing on her. "Well it certainly was interesting for my first mission as Knight," she pointed out.
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