DISCLAIMER: Surprise, surprise, I STILL don't own the concept of Jedi,
Sith or the Force . . . or anything that is familiar to you. The great
George Lucas and various authors take the credit.
Chapter 7 - Solace
Much later, when Taren shook her awake, Koja wondered how long she'd been asleep. The Sith stared into her eyes, and his shone in the bright glare of the torch. "Come on, it's time to get our packs."
Koja stood up and stretched her aching limbs. Led by Taren, the two girls found their way back to the cave they had left their supplies in. As they neared the cavern cautiously, Taren concentrated; and, on finding no faint scent on the stale underground air, declared their passage safe.
They returned to the large chamber with its double-pool, and it seemed as if nothing had happened. The pool with the ominous openings in its bottom was also quiet and placid. Hurriedly, they packed up their camp and left the cave as quickly as possible.
The trio followed the same route they'd taken to escape the gas since that was anyway the only way from the cave. Taren led the way past the bend they'd rested in, and after about an hour they found themselves at a fork in the tunnel. They stopped; looking down the other passage that had sprouted from the one they'd traveled in.
"Which way do we go?" Koja whispered, helplessly looking from one tunnel to the other.
Beside her, Taren said nothing. He closed his eyes, trying to find the hint of a draft, or cold air coming from either of the tunnels. But the air was still and had the same temperature even to his Force-honed senses. "Let's take left. We can always turn back."
The girls stared at him uncertainly. 'Turn back . . . when?'
Nevertheless, they followed the initiate down the left passage, wondering where it would lead them. Hopefully, if it was wrong, it would end in something as obvious as a blind alley.
As he trudged on, Taren said, "Jalekk told us we'd be out by tonight. We can't be that far from the exit."
The others didn't reply and followed him further down the passageway.
* * *
Some uncountable hours - or minutes - later, they reached a cavern. It was small, about as big as a Sith's bedchamber and with a ceiling even lower than that of a student's room. Some of the stalagmites reached for the floor of the cave, while some stalactites grew up to almost touch the roof.
Taren saw a dark tract at the back of the almost tiny room, and moved toward it. He had to lie down on his stomach to see into the hole that opened where the wall and ground joined. He looked into total darkness, and brought his glow torch forward to find a narrow space just beyond. He straightened up in the main cavern.
"You two - I'm going in there to see what's going on. Stay right here."
The young women huddled together as the glow from the torch seemed to disappear in the wall.
Jalekk was forced to crawl on his belly with his chin almost touching the rough ground. His heart started pounding in the tight confines of the place. There was just blackness ahead, and he moved carefully, keeping his eyes on the rock just in front of him. Then, after he had laboriously crawled for about four meters, he realized that the light from his torch no longer reflected off two surfaces - the floor and the wall above him. He reached up experimentally with one hand to feel the ceiling just above his head - It wasn't there. Supporting himself on his fingertips, he kicked up with his heels - and they contacted nothing. Slowly, he sat up. The ceiling above him was gone.
Just then a tiny, muffled voice called from somewhere behind him. "Taren! Are you all right?" He recognized Koja's voice, and yelled back, "I'm okay. Stay there!"
After that he stood up slowly, wary of bumping his head, but nothing happened. He raised his glow torch to see how far up the roof was - and found only blackness. The light of the torch could not reach the ceiling somewhere above him. Suppressing a gasp, feeling suddenly very lonesome, Taren moved forward to see how far this gigantic hall went. The gray ground in front of him went on - and on, but then, suddenly, there was blackness again. Curious, the initiate moved walked forward but halted a few centimeters from the inky gloom. He picked up a fist- sized rock from nearby and tossed it over the edge.
He listened for the sharp crack of rock striking rock, but heard none.
Gradually, his mind connected what little information it had on this place to form a picture. He had crawled through a narrow space onto a ledge, and this ledge opened up to a huge hole in the recesses of the earth. Beyond and above this shelf lay a deep pit, of which the powerful light of his flare torch could not even touch the perimeter.
Taking a deep breath, Taren moved back to the narrow hole that lead back out to that almost microscopic cavern he wanted to go back to so badly.
"I'm coming back!" he called loudly as he lay down on his stomach for his crawl back.
"Okay!" the muffled reply floated from somewhere ahead.
When Taren the Sith initiate returned to the girls, he explained to them what he'd found on the other side, and almost cheerfully announced that they were wrong and that the other - the right - passage led to the outside.
The other two had started assembling the framework in his absence, and Taren quickly helped them tie on the last of the canvas sheets and prepared the bedding.
They ate a well-deserved, well-needed supper - perhaps it was even a midnight snack - and relaxed in the yellow warmth the trusty glow torches brought.
Kairal had finished the meal early and she had moved to the opposite side of their walled 'enclosure' to brush her hair and rub oil into her face and hands, and Koja used this opportunity to speak with Taren.
"She is still sad about Jalekk," The Sith went on chewing his meat as if he hadn't heard, but Koja persisted.
''So are you." This finally teased his attention and he looked at her, eyebrows raised in a 'So?' expression.
"Kairal misses him terribly - and not only psychologically, because she misses him in her heart - also physically. Her body had gotten so used to him, but now, he's gone."
"I'm not going to - "
"Shh. Let me finish. Both of you grieve for Jalekk - for different reasons, of course . . . but both of you had a friend in him. You understand how she feels, and vice-versa. Kairal is my friend and I don't want her to pine away. So I ask you, the only request I will ever beg of you, please spend the night with her."
Taren stared into the glow of the lamp, a lock of hair falling into his eyes. "Do you really want me to?"Although Koja had needed to convince herself that it was best, she had finally agreed to her own plan.
"Yes." the Jedi touched his hand and smiled encouragingly.
His hand found hers and he kissed her knuckles. "I'll do as you ask."
Koja felt moisture welling in her eyes. "Thank you." she murmured, nodding to him.
Kairal had returned to her own bed between the two torches, and had started removing her outer clothes.
Koja watched as Taren stepped over to her, and took her by the arm. Then she turned her back on them and started removing some of her clothes as well to feel more comfortable.
Taren stared into the ice crystals that were Vornei si Kairal's mournful eyes. "Don't be so sad . . ." he whispered, running his fingers over her cheek. "Jalekk cannot be hurt anymore, and he knows no pain now . . ."
Kairal stared up at him, and he could see her eyes misting over. "I know - It's just that it's so hard letting go! Everything I do or see or smell reminds me of him."
"I know, Kairal. Come here."
For a moment the girl faltered, eyes darting to the Jedi busy undressing just behind Taren's back. But then she leaned forward and buried her head in his chest, struggling to quell the sobs emerging from her chest. She allowed herself to be pulled down by him as he sunk onto his knees on the soft blankets.
He ran his hands over her back in an effort to comfort her. "It's all right to cry."
Wiping her face, Kairal looked up at him. "Now Jalekk knows how much I felt for him."
Taren nodded understandingly, and leaned down to catch her lips on his. But after just a few seconds she struggled against him and pulled away. "No! Jalekk will avenge himself if he sees us together - he will curse you even from Ukari!" Kairal shook her head vigorously, fear widening her eyes. "Please no! I don't want him to be angry at you."
The young man looked into her eyes again, catching her upper arms with both his hands. "Kairal - if Jalekk truly loved you he would want you to be happy. He realizes that he is not in that position anymore and he will acknowledge that fact. Jalekk knows me, knows that I will not hurt you."
Koja heard the soft murmurs from nearby and listened as they dissolved into kisses. She hoped she had done the right thing in getting them together.
She had indeed been the odd one out. She had felt repugnance and fear at Jalekk's sudden death; but she had never really been sad. And she liked Kairal a lot and had hated to see as both she and Taren slowly wasted from the inside - each in their own, subtle way. Koja had also seen that Taren had been stricken by his fellow's death, even though he had attempted to hide it.
Taren could feel the girl's hungry body pressing against his, and acknowledged Koja's previous words to have been true.
As his mind almost drifted away, he allowed his body to act on instinct. He remembered how he and Jalekk had first met - Jalekk's had been the first face his age Taren had seen when he'd been brought to Irrchanor Kag as a four-year-old boy. He remembered a day in the classroom when Jalekk had beaten him in an astronomics exam, and the leer he'd received. He recalled the many times he'd packed snow into Jalekk's bed, always to find it in his own boots the next morning. The initiate remembered how angry he'd been to find out that his long-time rival would actually accompany him on Initiation. And, more recently, how they had slain a huge gerr with hardly any clothes on. The sounds that had woken him just a few nights ago floated back up into his head, and Taren remembered how they'd discussed it the next day while their slaves bathed. Then, the macabre image of his friend's contorted body flashed vividly in front of his mind's eye.
Taren gasped, and found his groin quivering as Kairal wiped the tears from his cheeks. She rubbed her cheek against his jaw, running a hand over his naked back. "Now Jalekk knows how much you felt for him." she whispered softly.
Chapter 7 - Solace
Much later, when Taren shook her awake, Koja wondered how long she'd been asleep. The Sith stared into her eyes, and his shone in the bright glare of the torch. "Come on, it's time to get our packs."
Koja stood up and stretched her aching limbs. Led by Taren, the two girls found their way back to the cave they had left their supplies in. As they neared the cavern cautiously, Taren concentrated; and, on finding no faint scent on the stale underground air, declared their passage safe.
They returned to the large chamber with its double-pool, and it seemed as if nothing had happened. The pool with the ominous openings in its bottom was also quiet and placid. Hurriedly, they packed up their camp and left the cave as quickly as possible.
The trio followed the same route they'd taken to escape the gas since that was anyway the only way from the cave. Taren led the way past the bend they'd rested in, and after about an hour they found themselves at a fork in the tunnel. They stopped; looking down the other passage that had sprouted from the one they'd traveled in.
"Which way do we go?" Koja whispered, helplessly looking from one tunnel to the other.
Beside her, Taren said nothing. He closed his eyes, trying to find the hint of a draft, or cold air coming from either of the tunnels. But the air was still and had the same temperature even to his Force-honed senses. "Let's take left. We can always turn back."
The girls stared at him uncertainly. 'Turn back . . . when?'
Nevertheless, they followed the initiate down the left passage, wondering where it would lead them. Hopefully, if it was wrong, it would end in something as obvious as a blind alley.
As he trudged on, Taren said, "Jalekk told us we'd be out by tonight. We can't be that far from the exit."
The others didn't reply and followed him further down the passageway.
* * *
Some uncountable hours - or minutes - later, they reached a cavern. It was small, about as big as a Sith's bedchamber and with a ceiling even lower than that of a student's room. Some of the stalagmites reached for the floor of the cave, while some stalactites grew up to almost touch the roof.
Taren saw a dark tract at the back of the almost tiny room, and moved toward it. He had to lie down on his stomach to see into the hole that opened where the wall and ground joined. He looked into total darkness, and brought his glow torch forward to find a narrow space just beyond. He straightened up in the main cavern.
"You two - I'm going in there to see what's going on. Stay right here."
The young women huddled together as the glow from the torch seemed to disappear in the wall.
Jalekk was forced to crawl on his belly with his chin almost touching the rough ground. His heart started pounding in the tight confines of the place. There was just blackness ahead, and he moved carefully, keeping his eyes on the rock just in front of him. Then, after he had laboriously crawled for about four meters, he realized that the light from his torch no longer reflected off two surfaces - the floor and the wall above him. He reached up experimentally with one hand to feel the ceiling just above his head - It wasn't there. Supporting himself on his fingertips, he kicked up with his heels - and they contacted nothing. Slowly, he sat up. The ceiling above him was gone.
Just then a tiny, muffled voice called from somewhere behind him. "Taren! Are you all right?" He recognized Koja's voice, and yelled back, "I'm okay. Stay there!"
After that he stood up slowly, wary of bumping his head, but nothing happened. He raised his glow torch to see how far up the roof was - and found only blackness. The light of the torch could not reach the ceiling somewhere above him. Suppressing a gasp, feeling suddenly very lonesome, Taren moved forward to see how far this gigantic hall went. The gray ground in front of him went on - and on, but then, suddenly, there was blackness again. Curious, the initiate moved walked forward but halted a few centimeters from the inky gloom. He picked up a fist- sized rock from nearby and tossed it over the edge.
He listened for the sharp crack of rock striking rock, but heard none.
Gradually, his mind connected what little information it had on this place to form a picture. He had crawled through a narrow space onto a ledge, and this ledge opened up to a huge hole in the recesses of the earth. Beyond and above this shelf lay a deep pit, of which the powerful light of his flare torch could not even touch the perimeter.
Taking a deep breath, Taren moved back to the narrow hole that lead back out to that almost microscopic cavern he wanted to go back to so badly.
"I'm coming back!" he called loudly as he lay down on his stomach for his crawl back.
"Okay!" the muffled reply floated from somewhere ahead.
When Taren the Sith initiate returned to the girls, he explained to them what he'd found on the other side, and almost cheerfully announced that they were wrong and that the other - the right - passage led to the outside.
The other two had started assembling the framework in his absence, and Taren quickly helped them tie on the last of the canvas sheets and prepared the bedding.
They ate a well-deserved, well-needed supper - perhaps it was even a midnight snack - and relaxed in the yellow warmth the trusty glow torches brought.
Kairal had finished the meal early and she had moved to the opposite side of their walled 'enclosure' to brush her hair and rub oil into her face and hands, and Koja used this opportunity to speak with Taren.
"She is still sad about Jalekk," The Sith went on chewing his meat as if he hadn't heard, but Koja persisted.
''So are you." This finally teased his attention and he looked at her, eyebrows raised in a 'So?' expression.
"Kairal misses him terribly - and not only psychologically, because she misses him in her heart - also physically. Her body had gotten so used to him, but now, he's gone."
"I'm not going to - "
"Shh. Let me finish. Both of you grieve for Jalekk - for different reasons, of course . . . but both of you had a friend in him. You understand how she feels, and vice-versa. Kairal is my friend and I don't want her to pine away. So I ask you, the only request I will ever beg of you, please spend the night with her."
Taren stared into the glow of the lamp, a lock of hair falling into his eyes. "Do you really want me to?"Although Koja had needed to convince herself that it was best, she had finally agreed to her own plan.
"Yes." the Jedi touched his hand and smiled encouragingly.
His hand found hers and he kissed her knuckles. "I'll do as you ask."
Koja felt moisture welling in her eyes. "Thank you." she murmured, nodding to him.
Kairal had returned to her own bed between the two torches, and had started removing her outer clothes.
Koja watched as Taren stepped over to her, and took her by the arm. Then she turned her back on them and started removing some of her clothes as well to feel more comfortable.
Taren stared into the ice crystals that were Vornei si Kairal's mournful eyes. "Don't be so sad . . ." he whispered, running his fingers over her cheek. "Jalekk cannot be hurt anymore, and he knows no pain now . . ."
Kairal stared up at him, and he could see her eyes misting over. "I know - It's just that it's so hard letting go! Everything I do or see or smell reminds me of him."
"I know, Kairal. Come here."
For a moment the girl faltered, eyes darting to the Jedi busy undressing just behind Taren's back. But then she leaned forward and buried her head in his chest, struggling to quell the sobs emerging from her chest. She allowed herself to be pulled down by him as he sunk onto his knees on the soft blankets.
He ran his hands over her back in an effort to comfort her. "It's all right to cry."
Wiping her face, Kairal looked up at him. "Now Jalekk knows how much I felt for him."
Taren nodded understandingly, and leaned down to catch her lips on his. But after just a few seconds she struggled against him and pulled away. "No! Jalekk will avenge himself if he sees us together - he will curse you even from Ukari!" Kairal shook her head vigorously, fear widening her eyes. "Please no! I don't want him to be angry at you."
The young man looked into her eyes again, catching her upper arms with both his hands. "Kairal - if Jalekk truly loved you he would want you to be happy. He realizes that he is not in that position anymore and he will acknowledge that fact. Jalekk knows me, knows that I will not hurt you."
Koja heard the soft murmurs from nearby and listened as they dissolved into kisses. She hoped she had done the right thing in getting them together.
She had indeed been the odd one out. She had felt repugnance and fear at Jalekk's sudden death; but she had never really been sad. And she liked Kairal a lot and had hated to see as both she and Taren slowly wasted from the inside - each in their own, subtle way. Koja had also seen that Taren had been stricken by his fellow's death, even though he had attempted to hide it.
Taren could feel the girl's hungry body pressing against his, and acknowledged Koja's previous words to have been true.
As his mind almost drifted away, he allowed his body to act on instinct. He remembered how he and Jalekk had first met - Jalekk's had been the first face his age Taren had seen when he'd been brought to Irrchanor Kag as a four-year-old boy. He remembered a day in the classroom when Jalekk had beaten him in an astronomics exam, and the leer he'd received. He recalled the many times he'd packed snow into Jalekk's bed, always to find it in his own boots the next morning. The initiate remembered how angry he'd been to find out that his long-time rival would actually accompany him on Initiation. And, more recently, how they had slain a huge gerr with hardly any clothes on. The sounds that had woken him just a few nights ago floated back up into his head, and Taren remembered how they'd discussed it the next day while their slaves bathed. Then, the macabre image of his friend's contorted body flashed vividly in front of his mind's eye.
Taren gasped, and found his groin quivering as Kairal wiped the tears from his cheeks. She rubbed her cheek against his jaw, running a hand over his naked back. "Now Jalekk knows how much you felt for him." she whispered softly.