Chapter 5: Waiting and Planning
For Zora, the day passed in a blur. It was a struggle, minute by minute, to keep her composure, let alone consciousness. Her arm hurt like hell, and every time someone bumped into it she nearly blacked out. Every moment was agony. She knew she should go to a healer, but she was afraid Krayn would punish her for it and her pride wouldn't let her.
She had seen Krayn only once that day, and he had simply smiled sweetly at her. She had no idea what she was going to do. She could stay with Krayn, but he would never trust her again. She could leave, change her disguise, find work elsewhere. But she wasn't sure he'd let her go. She knew too many of his secrets. And she knew she wasn't going anywhere while she was injured. So she settled herself down for a long, agonizing wait.
Anakin, after watching Zora and Krayn for the whole day, decided that Krayn didn't know that Zora had been a Jedi. It made sense. He hated Jedi, would never accept one into his service, even if she had cast them out. So he decided that that was the best way to break her. Simply reveal the truth. No complex plots, no intricate plans, lies, truths, half-lies. Simply the truth.
Anakin considered all of the effects his "plan" might have on Zora, Krayn, and himself. First, Krayn may not believe him over Zora. Or he might already know and not care. In that case, Anakin doubted anything would happen. They might kill him, but he was a good worker, so he doubted that. Krayn may cast Zora out, kill her, exile her, just get rid of her in one of many ways. Then she would be gone, and Anakin found himself wondering what good that would do. Perhaps, if she died, his shield would go down. This time, with no one to stop him, he could escape. There was also the possibility that she would reveal him as a Jedi, and then he would be killed. He doubted Krayn wanted a Jedi working for him, even one so young as him.
So Anakin decided that the only way to escape was for Zora to die. He could kill her, but that would be hard. Or he could reveal her, and hope that Krayn would kill her. Anakin sighed. This wouldn't be as easy as he had originally thought.
And then there was the Jedi. Perhaps someone would come to rescue him? It was possible. But he couldn't count on it.
Anakin decided to sleep on it, and watch Zora more carefully the next day. He would see if it seemed at all possible to kill her, or if he would have to be subtler. He hoped he could just kill her. She deserved to die by Jedi hands.
After watching Zora another day, Anakin decided it would be easy to kill her. Although she hid it well, he could tell that her arm was broken. From the way she held herself, she had been beaten recently. She would be in a lot of pain, unable to defend herself well. Tonight, he would be the slave to bring her food, and once he was inside.
Anakin carefully navigated the corridor, not wanting to spill any of the food on the tray he held. He knocked softly on the door to Zora's room, and her harsh voice answered.
"Come!" Anakin entered, carefully pushing the door open. Zora sat on her bed, looking out the window. Her face was hard, but Anakin thought he saw tear steaks on her cheeks. And her eyes, which had seemed so familiar before, were now so full of pain and agony he hardly recognized them. He almost gave in, almost decided not to kill her. She looked so young now, so alone. Without her hard face, she looked like the child she was.
But Anakin hardened himself. She had still left the Jedi, no matter how vulnerable she looks. For that she must die.
Anakin walked to the table in front of the bed and placed the tray on it. Zora seemed not to notice, her eyes staring blankly at something out the window. Anakin chose that moment to strike. He didn't have his lightsaber, only a blunt kitchen knife. He plunged it toward her heart, hoping for a quick death. Jedi did not torture people with slow deaths. If they wanted someone dead, they killed them outright.
Anakin saw the knife raise in the air above him, saw it flash as the light glinted off the silver metal. Then it dove, down, down, his hand aiming on its own, down toward her heart. He saw it near her skin, down, down. Zora still stared out the window, eyes blank. The knife pierced her flesh.
And then, the next moment, Anakin found himself twisted around, the kitchen knife at his throat.
"So," Zora hissed, a girl no longer. "Another one of your Jedi tricks? No, just simply a boy with murder on his mind. Well, perhaps it's a surprise to finally meet someone you can't beat, after being the perfect Padawan for so long." With that, she flung him from her, into the wall. Anakin turned slowly to meet her.
"No, Siri," he answered, watching her flinch at the name. "The only surprise I feel is at finding a Jedi traitor. Most Jedi who chose to leave the Order are at least smart enough not to get caught." Anakin had been hoping to get her mad, so that she would attack and do something stupid. But if anything, his words had the opposite effect. Anakin felt a rush of rage at this traitor, and much as he tried to suppress it, it remained. Siri, on the other hand, simply sighed dejectedly.
"Is that what they call me now?" she asked sadly. Anakin simply stood in shock. She was surprised by this? "The Jedi Traitor?"
"What did you expect when you left the Order?" he asked, scorn overlaying his words. He knew he shouldn't be speaking with her, but she seemed so. naive. Not at all like what he imagined a "runaway" Jedi would be like.
She whirled around so fast he was surprised she didn't fall over.
"Left the Order?" she snarled. "Left the Order? The Order left me. The Jedi abandoned me!" Anakin stood, speechless, unable to think straight. Either she was delusional or what she said was true. And there had been a quiver in her voice, a quiver of unshed tears.
Anakin tried to shake it off, this feeling that she wasn't the rogue Jedi that she should be, but it wouldn't leave. She was in pain, great pain; he could feel it, even though that damn shield was still up. That shield brought him back to reality.
"Lies," Anakin sneered. "All lies. You turned to the Dark Side; deception is your way. You try to sway me with pretty words, but they won't work. I can see past those. You're just a girl who's lost her mommy, and doesn't know what to do. I'd say you were a Sith, but that gives you too much credit. You must be pretty low to partner with a slave trader." Siri had been growing more and more pale as he spoke these words, cutting her like a dagger to her heart.
Anakin continued, enjoying the pain this was putting her through. She deserved to suffer for leaving the Order. He decided that he would torture her first before he killed her. Not physically, but mentally.
"Didn't you think of the pain it would cause when you left? To the Order in general? To Master Yoda, who loves every Jedi like they are his own children? To Mace Windu, just a step below Yoda? To Qui-Gon Jinn? You went on many missions with him. To your own Master, Adi Gallia? Don't you think that this would hurt her? For months after you left she ate little, slept little, and spoke to no one. She nearly killed herself. You would think she would feel angry, betrayed, but she only grieved, and worried about you. And to my Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi? You had a strong friendship; Yoda says the strongest in the Temple. And you just threw it away. He loved you like a sister, and in turn you betrayed him."
Siri was dead white. She could have been a statue. For a moment Anakin feared she wasn't even breathing, but then he saw the slight rise and fall of her chest. Could he have been wrong? Could she really still be a Jedi? Had the Order really abandoned her?
He tried to steel himself against her, telling himself she was just acting, but no one could fake the state she was in. He knew he should kill her now, while she was vulnerable, while he had the chance, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when there was a chance she was a Jedi. He would never forgive himself if she was. And so, not knowing what to do, he simply turned around and left.
Walking back to his room, he lay on his "bed" all night, thinking. He couldn't sleep, not after that. Looking out the tiny window, so small there wasn't a chance of escape, he noticed the moon, shining bright in the sky. It was a pale blue, and it only deepened his depression, his mourning.
In her room, Siri simply stood, long after Anakin had left, staring out the window at nothing. Her mind was numb. She felt smothered, like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes shone bright with unshed tears. The boy. he had done more damage than a thousand swords could. He had taken all the ties to her heart and sliced them in two. Everyone she had ever loved was gone, blown out of her life by the cruel winds of fate. She was alone.
In her window, substantially larger, the moon also shone with an unnatural light. Looking on it, Siri could almost imagine that it lamented for her. As she watched, and Anakin too in his own room, a shooting star fell, streaking across the swollen moon. The moon was crying, and it wept for a girl who had lost everything, laughter, life, and love.
For Zora, the day passed in a blur. It was a struggle, minute by minute, to keep her composure, let alone consciousness. Her arm hurt like hell, and every time someone bumped into it she nearly blacked out. Every moment was agony. She knew she should go to a healer, but she was afraid Krayn would punish her for it and her pride wouldn't let her.
She had seen Krayn only once that day, and he had simply smiled sweetly at her. She had no idea what she was going to do. She could stay with Krayn, but he would never trust her again. She could leave, change her disguise, find work elsewhere. But she wasn't sure he'd let her go. She knew too many of his secrets. And she knew she wasn't going anywhere while she was injured. So she settled herself down for a long, agonizing wait.
Anakin, after watching Zora and Krayn for the whole day, decided that Krayn didn't know that Zora had been a Jedi. It made sense. He hated Jedi, would never accept one into his service, even if she had cast them out. So he decided that that was the best way to break her. Simply reveal the truth. No complex plots, no intricate plans, lies, truths, half-lies. Simply the truth.
Anakin considered all of the effects his "plan" might have on Zora, Krayn, and himself. First, Krayn may not believe him over Zora. Or he might already know and not care. In that case, Anakin doubted anything would happen. They might kill him, but he was a good worker, so he doubted that. Krayn may cast Zora out, kill her, exile her, just get rid of her in one of many ways. Then she would be gone, and Anakin found himself wondering what good that would do. Perhaps, if she died, his shield would go down. This time, with no one to stop him, he could escape. There was also the possibility that she would reveal him as a Jedi, and then he would be killed. He doubted Krayn wanted a Jedi working for him, even one so young as him.
So Anakin decided that the only way to escape was for Zora to die. He could kill her, but that would be hard. Or he could reveal her, and hope that Krayn would kill her. Anakin sighed. This wouldn't be as easy as he had originally thought.
And then there was the Jedi. Perhaps someone would come to rescue him? It was possible. But he couldn't count on it.
Anakin decided to sleep on it, and watch Zora more carefully the next day. He would see if it seemed at all possible to kill her, or if he would have to be subtler. He hoped he could just kill her. She deserved to die by Jedi hands.
After watching Zora another day, Anakin decided it would be easy to kill her. Although she hid it well, he could tell that her arm was broken. From the way she held herself, she had been beaten recently. She would be in a lot of pain, unable to defend herself well. Tonight, he would be the slave to bring her food, and once he was inside.
Anakin carefully navigated the corridor, not wanting to spill any of the food on the tray he held. He knocked softly on the door to Zora's room, and her harsh voice answered.
"Come!" Anakin entered, carefully pushing the door open. Zora sat on her bed, looking out the window. Her face was hard, but Anakin thought he saw tear steaks on her cheeks. And her eyes, which had seemed so familiar before, were now so full of pain and agony he hardly recognized them. He almost gave in, almost decided not to kill her. She looked so young now, so alone. Without her hard face, she looked like the child she was.
But Anakin hardened himself. She had still left the Jedi, no matter how vulnerable she looks. For that she must die.
Anakin walked to the table in front of the bed and placed the tray on it. Zora seemed not to notice, her eyes staring blankly at something out the window. Anakin chose that moment to strike. He didn't have his lightsaber, only a blunt kitchen knife. He plunged it toward her heart, hoping for a quick death. Jedi did not torture people with slow deaths. If they wanted someone dead, they killed them outright.
Anakin saw the knife raise in the air above him, saw it flash as the light glinted off the silver metal. Then it dove, down, down, his hand aiming on its own, down toward her heart. He saw it near her skin, down, down. Zora still stared out the window, eyes blank. The knife pierced her flesh.
And then, the next moment, Anakin found himself twisted around, the kitchen knife at his throat.
"So," Zora hissed, a girl no longer. "Another one of your Jedi tricks? No, just simply a boy with murder on his mind. Well, perhaps it's a surprise to finally meet someone you can't beat, after being the perfect Padawan for so long." With that, she flung him from her, into the wall. Anakin turned slowly to meet her.
"No, Siri," he answered, watching her flinch at the name. "The only surprise I feel is at finding a Jedi traitor. Most Jedi who chose to leave the Order are at least smart enough not to get caught." Anakin had been hoping to get her mad, so that she would attack and do something stupid. But if anything, his words had the opposite effect. Anakin felt a rush of rage at this traitor, and much as he tried to suppress it, it remained. Siri, on the other hand, simply sighed dejectedly.
"Is that what they call me now?" she asked sadly. Anakin simply stood in shock. She was surprised by this? "The Jedi Traitor?"
"What did you expect when you left the Order?" he asked, scorn overlaying his words. He knew he shouldn't be speaking with her, but she seemed so. naive. Not at all like what he imagined a "runaway" Jedi would be like.
She whirled around so fast he was surprised she didn't fall over.
"Left the Order?" she snarled. "Left the Order? The Order left me. The Jedi abandoned me!" Anakin stood, speechless, unable to think straight. Either she was delusional or what she said was true. And there had been a quiver in her voice, a quiver of unshed tears.
Anakin tried to shake it off, this feeling that she wasn't the rogue Jedi that she should be, but it wouldn't leave. She was in pain, great pain; he could feel it, even though that damn shield was still up. That shield brought him back to reality.
"Lies," Anakin sneered. "All lies. You turned to the Dark Side; deception is your way. You try to sway me with pretty words, but they won't work. I can see past those. You're just a girl who's lost her mommy, and doesn't know what to do. I'd say you were a Sith, but that gives you too much credit. You must be pretty low to partner with a slave trader." Siri had been growing more and more pale as he spoke these words, cutting her like a dagger to her heart.
Anakin continued, enjoying the pain this was putting her through. She deserved to suffer for leaving the Order. He decided that he would torture her first before he killed her. Not physically, but mentally.
"Didn't you think of the pain it would cause when you left? To the Order in general? To Master Yoda, who loves every Jedi like they are his own children? To Mace Windu, just a step below Yoda? To Qui-Gon Jinn? You went on many missions with him. To your own Master, Adi Gallia? Don't you think that this would hurt her? For months after you left she ate little, slept little, and spoke to no one. She nearly killed herself. You would think she would feel angry, betrayed, but she only grieved, and worried about you. And to my Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi? You had a strong friendship; Yoda says the strongest in the Temple. And you just threw it away. He loved you like a sister, and in turn you betrayed him."
Siri was dead white. She could have been a statue. For a moment Anakin feared she wasn't even breathing, but then he saw the slight rise and fall of her chest. Could he have been wrong? Could she really still be a Jedi? Had the Order really abandoned her?
He tried to steel himself against her, telling himself she was just acting, but no one could fake the state she was in. He knew he should kill her now, while she was vulnerable, while he had the chance, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Not when there was a chance she was a Jedi. He would never forgive himself if she was. And so, not knowing what to do, he simply turned around and left.
Walking back to his room, he lay on his "bed" all night, thinking. He couldn't sleep, not after that. Looking out the tiny window, so small there wasn't a chance of escape, he noticed the moon, shining bright in the sky. It was a pale blue, and it only deepened his depression, his mourning.
In her room, Siri simply stood, long after Anakin had left, staring out the window at nothing. Her mind was numb. She felt smothered, like she couldn't breathe. Her eyes shone bright with unshed tears. The boy. he had done more damage than a thousand swords could. He had taken all the ties to her heart and sliced them in two. Everyone she had ever loved was gone, blown out of her life by the cruel winds of fate. She was alone.
In her window, substantially larger, the moon also shone with an unnatural light. Looking on it, Siri could almost imagine that it lamented for her. As she watched, and Anakin too in his own room, a shooting star fell, streaking across the swollen moon. The moon was crying, and it wept for a girl who had lost everything, laughter, life, and love.