Chapter Two
Joza was outside of the palace, as she and Anshi called it, meditating. Anshi was in the library getting very bored. She grinned as she sensed it.
Spar? She sent.
Yeah sure. Of course you realize though that you're asking to be beaten. You can't win against me, he replied.
Oh brother. How many times have I heard that line before? Joza told him teasingly.
Within a couple of minutes, Anshi was there and ready to go. Joza stood up and faced him.
"You know, I didn't know any better, I'd say that you looked forward to me winning these matches," Joza told him with a grin.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you like to be humiliated by me."
"I hate to tell you this but, nobody is ever around when we fight so how can I be humiliated," Joza taunted.
Anshi rolled his eyes and ignited his saber. Joza mimicked him and took up a defensive position. Anshi struck first. He brought his lightsaber down and around on the right. Joza blocked it easily.
"What was wrong yesterday," Anshi asked as he stepped back and attacked again, this time from the left.
Joza blocked it as well.
"I sensed a presence that had been there when I defeated Netoa." Joza spun and aimed her lightsaber low.
Anshi blocked then went high again.
"Who was it?"
Joza ducked out of the way and slammed her saber into his.
"Ara Medea. A very powerful Sith Witch. The woman can use Force Lightening."
Anshi pulled his saber free. He brought the blade around at stomach range and feinted left. Joza anticipated it and her blade was waiting for his.
"A lot of Sith can use Force Lightening."
Anshi swung his blade at Joza's back. She ducked and kicked his legs out from underneath of him. Anshi rolled up onto his hands and hand-sprigged onto his feet. Joza brought her saber down hard. Anshi just barely blocked it.
"Yeah, so what? They can only use it with their hands. Medea...it seemed like she was nothing but Force Lightening."
Anshi used the Force to push Joza back. She back flipped and landed in a crouch. Her lightsaber blazed above her head as she held it there. Anshi was careful in getting up.
"What's the matter, Anshi? Getting old?"
Anshi shot Joza a look. She just laughed. He attacked and Joza leapt clear, but came right back down again. The two went at it as if there was never going to be another chance.
Sichi heard sabers at work and came running. She stopped when she saw who it was. She leaned against the wall and watched as the two circled each other. Joza glanced up and noticed Sichi standing there. Anshis' and her sabers' clashed into another deadlock.
"Hey, Sichi. How's it going?"
Anshi turned to look. Joza took advantage of it and gave Anshi a light kick in the chest. He fell backwards and sat down practically.
Joza grinned and dis-engaged her saber.
"I'm okay. I don't think Anshi would say the same though," Sichi said with a chuckle.
Anshi stood and walked over to one of the benches. He sprawled out on it on his stomach.
"To say the very least," he said.
Joza plopped onto the ground and leaned against the building. Sichi sat next to her.
"You know one of these days, you two are going to end up killing each other in one of your sparring matches," Sichi told them.
"I doubt that, Sichi. Joza and I are very in tune to the others fighting styles. If something were to happen it would be because something suddenly went wrong with the sabers," Anshi said.
"This sunshine feels good," he added.
The trio sat and laid quietly in the sun for a few minutes.
Alre and Ralo went walking past then turned around and came back.
"You three are the laziest Padawans in the entire order," Ralo announced.
Joza's response was quick.
"No, we're not. I'll have you know we are doing something very serious."
"Oh yeah. What?" Alre wanted to know.
"Absorbing sun shine and storing it away that way the next time we are on a cold planet, we can call it up and keep our selves warm," Anshi quipped.
They all laughed. Alre laid down in the sun, while Ralo just sat on the balcony. Anshi rolled over onto his back.
"Ah. Nothing like a tan. Speaking of tans, hey Joza," Anshi said. Joza was the palest out of the two of them. She also didn't tan— just burned.
She threw a small rock at him. It bonked him on the head.
Anshi pretended to be knocked out.
"Finally. Maybe now we can have some peace and quiet," Joza commented.
"I doubt that. Ralo's here," Alre said.
"Hey!"
The girls laughed. They were always ganging up on each other.
"At least I know when not to say something," Ralo said.
Alre groaned.
"You're not gonna let me live that down are you," she asked.
"Not until you're a knight or the Sith are exterminated. Which ever one comes first," Ralo told her.
Sichi snorted.
"That'll be a long time from now."
"Not necessarily. The Sith have lost the last six major battles against Lord Hoth. Word has it, the next battle is our last battle. We either win it or lose it," Joza said.
The apprentices were silent as they thought about this.
"A sobering thought. Well I have to get going. I promised Master Padane that I would meet in the library," Sichi said as she got up.
"Okay. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
"See you later."
"Have fun."
Anshi stood up off of his bench.
"That reminds me. Ralo, you and me have work that we have to do."
Ralo nodded and the two left. Joza stood up and walked over to the balcony. She turned and looked at Alre.
"I'm gonna go for a walk. Wanna come?," she asked.
"Nah. I'm gonna go find my master and see if he needs help with anything," Alre stood and walked inside. She called back over her shoulder, "Don't get in any trouble."
Joza shook her head.
"You pull one little prank and you're pinned for life."
She headed off into the woods.
Ara Medea sat in meditation. Nolu Edko came in quietly behind her. She turned and smiled at him.
"You're angry about yesterday, still?", she asked him in a mocking voice.
"Yes. One girl isn't worth it," he snarled back.
Medea laughed coldly.
Edko glared at her.
"Would you mind telling me what is so funny?"
Medea stood up.
"Do you remember my apprentice, Netoa?"
Nolu nodded.
"How could I forget her? She was the second most powerful apprentice in the entire order. She had the most potential out of anybody to be the next Dark Lord. But no. She had to be killed by a Jedi Padawan."
"And the Jedi responsible is this girl. I either want her as my apprentice or dead. Also the only reason that she was able to defeat my Netoa was because they were twins!"
Edkos' eyes became wide.
"You mean to tell that...," Edko couldn't believe his ears.
"Why should that surprise, Edko?"
Pally Asmo stepped out of the shadows. Walking, almost sauntering, over to Medea, he kissed her gently on the cheek.
"Hello, Ara."
"Hello, Pally. Nolu Edko meet Pally Asmo, a Jedi Knight. Also, my son," She said with obvious pride.
Edko raised an eyebrow.
"You're son is a Jedi Knight?"
Medea flicked her hair over her shoulder.
"You'd be surprised at all that I've arranged over the years."
Edko would've said something snide, but his gut told to take her for her word.
Joza watched the exchange in shock. The most disliked Jedi in the Order was the son of a Sith Witch. No wonder he had such a bad reputation in using the Dark Side frequently.
Joza reached into her mind trying to figure out what had led her to her. There was nothing...that she could feel with the Light Side of the Force. Now if she were to use the Dark Side then she could find out.
NO!, she told herself. Don't give in to what you did. The past is just that past. Don't let it control you!!
Medea smiled. She had felt the Jedi girl come in. She could feel the conflict within.
Medea looked into the shadows at Joza.
"Come out, my apprentice. Come out. Meet your fellow Sith."
Joza stepped out of the shadows.
"You have a lot of nerve calling me your apprentice. Cuz I'm not."
Medea smiled causing Joza to shiver.
"All in good time. My young friend. All in good time."
Asmo felt angry. How could his mother feel that this brat was worthy of being a Sith? An apprentice to her? Medea put a hand on her sons' shoulder.
"Come now, Joza. Surely you would like an opportunity to remove the man from the Order. Fight her, Pallyn."
Asmo brought his green saber down, intending to kill Joza. She wasn't there though. She had leapt clear and was several feet away from where she had been originally been standing. Pallyn charged her. Joza reached out into the Force and caught him. Then she used the Force to throw him back. Asmo froze then flew backwards as if he had been hit by a hovercar.
Joza used the Force to throw a cloud of dust onto the Sith. She turned and ran. She slid out of the door and headed for the woods. Asmo beat her though. He stood in her way and gave fer a feral grin.
"You should accepted my mother's offer."
"The day I become a Sith is the day the Order is no more."
Asmo snarled at her and charged again. Joza waited until the last second and then side to the right. Asmo flew by her and landed hard on the ground. He didn't move, which Joza was glad of. She summoned his saber to her.
"I don't think you'll be needing this anymore."
Joza turned and ran hard. When she was almost back to the palace she slowed down and walked. She had taken a different route back. She hoped that there wouldn't be anybody outside.
Joza paused as she felt the air around her grow cooler. She sucked her breath in.
A thunderstorm. Medea really is a strong Sith, Joza thought as she felt the Force crackling around her. Dark grey and black clouds filled the skies. The wind began to pick up and grow stronger.
Joza walked a little bit faster. She didn't want to run though. This storm was matching her mood.
Sichi and Master Padane raced inside to escape the rain. It was coming down hard and fast. The two had been outside practicing with their sabers. Sichi decided to go see if Joza was around. She walked past the library where Alre and Ralo were arguing. Master Padane was talking to Master Da-na now. And Anshi was going over something with Master Lele. Yet no sign of Joza.
Joza sat in the window of her room. She was using the Force to play with the lightening. Sichi knocked on the open. Joza looked at her and grinned.
"The doors open. Why knock?"
"Because we are Jedi and Jedi are polite to everyone and everything. Even best friends," Sichi said as she sat down on Jozas' bed.
Joza came over and joined.
"Your hairs wet. Were you outside when the storm hit?"
Joza nodded.
"Yeah, I kinda figured you'd notice that somehow. Especially seeing as how I'm not in Jedi clothes and my boots are over drying by the fire."
Sichi laughed at her friend. Joza was always being sarcastic if not realistic. Sichi looked around the small room.
"Why did you take the smallest room."
"Easier to keep warm."
"If I didn't know you any better, I'd say that you were from a desert world."
Joza laughed. In realty, Joza was from a world that was an outpost for the Republic. It was more of an ice world than anything else. Joza laughed again as she watched Sichi start to try and put one of the many puzzles in her room, together.
Sichi started to become frustrated and reached out into the Force.
"No, Sichi. Use your mind. Think about it. These puzzles are not meant to be solved using the Force."
Sichi looked at the puzzle then at Joza.
"How about helping me put it together then?"
Joza smiled.
"Bring it over here."
Heber Grepa stood talking with another member of the Council. The move to Coruscant from Ossus had been some time ago, but they still didn't have everything put away. All around Grepa and Gely Hoca, Jedi bustled about putting things away. Yet there was more to it. Lord Hoth had announced the location of the last battle. Now everybody was getting ready.
Grepa after a few more moments, walked to her room. The tall lilac Twi'lek moved with ease down the halls. After she reached her room, she closed the door behind her. She went to the middle of the floor and knelt to begin meditating.
The only thing on her mind these days seemed to be her former student Joza Miwe. She had sensed changes in Joza. Disturbing changes. The kind of changes that Lord Malak had exhibited so long ago. The ones that lead to his downfall as a Jedi and his triumph as a Sith Lord.
Heber felt a twinge of sorrow. If Joza was to fall to the Dark Side, she would be a powerful Sith Lord. Maybe...too powerful for any Jedi to beat her. Heber shook the thought from her head. Joza was a smart girl. She understood what the decisions she made would do.
Heber smiled as one of the many memories of Joza floated into her mind. It had been a few years ago. Joza had turned up missing and Master Lele was just about going out of his head trying to find her. They had scoured the temple but had turned up no trace of the girl. Finally, she went to the library and low and behold, there was Joza. Reading a book on the fauna of the world Naboo.
Heber laughed. From then when nobody could find Joza, they always looked in the library first. Heber thought that, when Joza was old and no longer able to have an apprentice or go out on missions, that the council should probably offer the job of archive librarian to her. Joza though had to survive the war, and many, many, many missions before that.
Which led Heber to thinking on something else. Joza had many friends, both Jedi and non-Jedi. Joza herself was responsible for about fifteen to seventeen of the students being at the temple.
Joza, please be good. Don't do anything that would force you to chose your allegiance, Heber thought to herself.
She rose. It was time to start preparing for the Battle of Ruusan.
Joza was outside of the palace, as she and Anshi called it, meditating. Anshi was in the library getting very bored. She grinned as she sensed it.
Spar? She sent.
Yeah sure. Of course you realize though that you're asking to be beaten. You can't win against me, he replied.
Oh brother. How many times have I heard that line before? Joza told him teasingly.
Within a couple of minutes, Anshi was there and ready to go. Joza stood up and faced him.
"You know, I didn't know any better, I'd say that you looked forward to me winning these matches," Joza told him with a grin.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say that you like to be humiliated by me."
"I hate to tell you this but, nobody is ever around when we fight so how can I be humiliated," Joza taunted.
Anshi rolled his eyes and ignited his saber. Joza mimicked him and took up a defensive position. Anshi struck first. He brought his lightsaber down and around on the right. Joza blocked it easily.
"What was wrong yesterday," Anshi asked as he stepped back and attacked again, this time from the left.
Joza blocked it as well.
"I sensed a presence that had been there when I defeated Netoa." Joza spun and aimed her lightsaber low.
Anshi blocked then went high again.
"Who was it?"
Joza ducked out of the way and slammed her saber into his.
"Ara Medea. A very powerful Sith Witch. The woman can use Force Lightening."
Anshi pulled his saber free. He brought the blade around at stomach range and feinted left. Joza anticipated it and her blade was waiting for his.
"A lot of Sith can use Force Lightening."
Anshi swung his blade at Joza's back. She ducked and kicked his legs out from underneath of him. Anshi rolled up onto his hands and hand-sprigged onto his feet. Joza brought her saber down hard. Anshi just barely blocked it.
"Yeah, so what? They can only use it with their hands. Medea...it seemed like she was nothing but Force Lightening."
Anshi used the Force to push Joza back. She back flipped and landed in a crouch. Her lightsaber blazed above her head as she held it there. Anshi was careful in getting up.
"What's the matter, Anshi? Getting old?"
Anshi shot Joza a look. She just laughed. He attacked and Joza leapt clear, but came right back down again. The two went at it as if there was never going to be another chance.
Sichi heard sabers at work and came running. She stopped when she saw who it was. She leaned against the wall and watched as the two circled each other. Joza glanced up and noticed Sichi standing there. Anshis' and her sabers' clashed into another deadlock.
"Hey, Sichi. How's it going?"
Anshi turned to look. Joza took advantage of it and gave Anshi a light kick in the chest. He fell backwards and sat down practically.
Joza grinned and dis-engaged her saber.
"I'm okay. I don't think Anshi would say the same though," Sichi said with a chuckle.
Anshi stood and walked over to one of the benches. He sprawled out on it on his stomach.
"To say the very least," he said.
Joza plopped onto the ground and leaned against the building. Sichi sat next to her.
"You know one of these days, you two are going to end up killing each other in one of your sparring matches," Sichi told them.
"I doubt that, Sichi. Joza and I are very in tune to the others fighting styles. If something were to happen it would be because something suddenly went wrong with the sabers," Anshi said.
"This sunshine feels good," he added.
The trio sat and laid quietly in the sun for a few minutes.
Alre and Ralo went walking past then turned around and came back.
"You three are the laziest Padawans in the entire order," Ralo announced.
Joza's response was quick.
"No, we're not. I'll have you know we are doing something very serious."
"Oh yeah. What?" Alre wanted to know.
"Absorbing sun shine and storing it away that way the next time we are on a cold planet, we can call it up and keep our selves warm," Anshi quipped.
They all laughed. Alre laid down in the sun, while Ralo just sat on the balcony. Anshi rolled over onto his back.
"Ah. Nothing like a tan. Speaking of tans, hey Joza," Anshi said. Joza was the palest out of the two of them. She also didn't tan— just burned.
She threw a small rock at him. It bonked him on the head.
Anshi pretended to be knocked out.
"Finally. Maybe now we can have some peace and quiet," Joza commented.
"I doubt that. Ralo's here," Alre said.
"Hey!"
The girls laughed. They were always ganging up on each other.
"At least I know when not to say something," Ralo said.
Alre groaned.
"You're not gonna let me live that down are you," she asked.
"Not until you're a knight or the Sith are exterminated. Which ever one comes first," Ralo told her.
Sichi snorted.
"That'll be a long time from now."
"Not necessarily. The Sith have lost the last six major battles against Lord Hoth. Word has it, the next battle is our last battle. We either win it or lose it," Joza said.
The apprentices were silent as they thought about this.
"A sobering thought. Well I have to get going. I promised Master Padane that I would meet in the library," Sichi said as she got up.
"Okay. Talk to you later."
"Bye."
"See you later."
"Have fun."
Anshi stood up off of his bench.
"That reminds me. Ralo, you and me have work that we have to do."
Ralo nodded and the two left. Joza stood up and walked over to the balcony. She turned and looked at Alre.
"I'm gonna go for a walk. Wanna come?," she asked.
"Nah. I'm gonna go find my master and see if he needs help with anything," Alre stood and walked inside. She called back over her shoulder, "Don't get in any trouble."
Joza shook her head.
"You pull one little prank and you're pinned for life."
She headed off into the woods.
Ara Medea sat in meditation. Nolu Edko came in quietly behind her. She turned and smiled at him.
"You're angry about yesterday, still?", she asked him in a mocking voice.
"Yes. One girl isn't worth it," he snarled back.
Medea laughed coldly.
Edko glared at her.
"Would you mind telling me what is so funny?"
Medea stood up.
"Do you remember my apprentice, Netoa?"
Nolu nodded.
"How could I forget her? She was the second most powerful apprentice in the entire order. She had the most potential out of anybody to be the next Dark Lord. But no. She had to be killed by a Jedi Padawan."
"And the Jedi responsible is this girl. I either want her as my apprentice or dead. Also the only reason that she was able to defeat my Netoa was because they were twins!"
Edkos' eyes became wide.
"You mean to tell that...," Edko couldn't believe his ears.
"Why should that surprise, Edko?"
Pally Asmo stepped out of the shadows. Walking, almost sauntering, over to Medea, he kissed her gently on the cheek.
"Hello, Ara."
"Hello, Pally. Nolu Edko meet Pally Asmo, a Jedi Knight. Also, my son," She said with obvious pride.
Edko raised an eyebrow.
"You're son is a Jedi Knight?"
Medea flicked her hair over her shoulder.
"You'd be surprised at all that I've arranged over the years."
Edko would've said something snide, but his gut told to take her for her word.
Joza watched the exchange in shock. The most disliked Jedi in the Order was the son of a Sith Witch. No wonder he had such a bad reputation in using the Dark Side frequently.
Joza reached into her mind trying to figure out what had led her to her. There was nothing...that she could feel with the Light Side of the Force. Now if she were to use the Dark Side then she could find out.
NO!, she told herself. Don't give in to what you did. The past is just that past. Don't let it control you!!
Medea smiled. She had felt the Jedi girl come in. She could feel the conflict within.
Medea looked into the shadows at Joza.
"Come out, my apprentice. Come out. Meet your fellow Sith."
Joza stepped out of the shadows.
"You have a lot of nerve calling me your apprentice. Cuz I'm not."
Medea smiled causing Joza to shiver.
"All in good time. My young friend. All in good time."
Asmo felt angry. How could his mother feel that this brat was worthy of being a Sith? An apprentice to her? Medea put a hand on her sons' shoulder.
"Come now, Joza. Surely you would like an opportunity to remove the man from the Order. Fight her, Pallyn."
Asmo brought his green saber down, intending to kill Joza. She wasn't there though. She had leapt clear and was several feet away from where she had been originally been standing. Pallyn charged her. Joza reached out into the Force and caught him. Then she used the Force to throw him back. Asmo froze then flew backwards as if he had been hit by a hovercar.
Joza used the Force to throw a cloud of dust onto the Sith. She turned and ran. She slid out of the door and headed for the woods. Asmo beat her though. He stood in her way and gave fer a feral grin.
"You should accepted my mother's offer."
"The day I become a Sith is the day the Order is no more."
Asmo snarled at her and charged again. Joza waited until the last second and then side to the right. Asmo flew by her and landed hard on the ground. He didn't move, which Joza was glad of. She summoned his saber to her.
"I don't think you'll be needing this anymore."
Joza turned and ran hard. When she was almost back to the palace she slowed down and walked. She had taken a different route back. She hoped that there wouldn't be anybody outside.
Joza paused as she felt the air around her grow cooler. She sucked her breath in.
A thunderstorm. Medea really is a strong Sith, Joza thought as she felt the Force crackling around her. Dark grey and black clouds filled the skies. The wind began to pick up and grow stronger.
Joza walked a little bit faster. She didn't want to run though. This storm was matching her mood.
Sichi and Master Padane raced inside to escape the rain. It was coming down hard and fast. The two had been outside practicing with their sabers. Sichi decided to go see if Joza was around. She walked past the library where Alre and Ralo were arguing. Master Padane was talking to Master Da-na now. And Anshi was going over something with Master Lele. Yet no sign of Joza.
Joza sat in the window of her room. She was using the Force to play with the lightening. Sichi knocked on the open. Joza looked at her and grinned.
"The doors open. Why knock?"
"Because we are Jedi and Jedi are polite to everyone and everything. Even best friends," Sichi said as she sat down on Jozas' bed.
Joza came over and joined.
"Your hairs wet. Were you outside when the storm hit?"
Joza nodded.
"Yeah, I kinda figured you'd notice that somehow. Especially seeing as how I'm not in Jedi clothes and my boots are over drying by the fire."
Sichi laughed at her friend. Joza was always being sarcastic if not realistic. Sichi looked around the small room.
"Why did you take the smallest room."
"Easier to keep warm."
"If I didn't know you any better, I'd say that you were from a desert world."
Joza laughed. In realty, Joza was from a world that was an outpost for the Republic. It was more of an ice world than anything else. Joza laughed again as she watched Sichi start to try and put one of the many puzzles in her room, together.
Sichi started to become frustrated and reached out into the Force.
"No, Sichi. Use your mind. Think about it. These puzzles are not meant to be solved using the Force."
Sichi looked at the puzzle then at Joza.
"How about helping me put it together then?"
Joza smiled.
"Bring it over here."
Heber Grepa stood talking with another member of the Council. The move to Coruscant from Ossus had been some time ago, but they still didn't have everything put away. All around Grepa and Gely Hoca, Jedi bustled about putting things away. Yet there was more to it. Lord Hoth had announced the location of the last battle. Now everybody was getting ready.
Grepa after a few more moments, walked to her room. The tall lilac Twi'lek moved with ease down the halls. After she reached her room, she closed the door behind her. She went to the middle of the floor and knelt to begin meditating.
The only thing on her mind these days seemed to be her former student Joza Miwe. She had sensed changes in Joza. Disturbing changes. The kind of changes that Lord Malak had exhibited so long ago. The ones that lead to his downfall as a Jedi and his triumph as a Sith Lord.
Heber felt a twinge of sorrow. If Joza was to fall to the Dark Side, she would be a powerful Sith Lord. Maybe...too powerful for any Jedi to beat her. Heber shook the thought from her head. Joza was a smart girl. She understood what the decisions she made would do.
Heber smiled as one of the many memories of Joza floated into her mind. It had been a few years ago. Joza had turned up missing and Master Lele was just about going out of his head trying to find her. They had scoured the temple but had turned up no trace of the girl. Finally, she went to the library and low and behold, there was Joza. Reading a book on the fauna of the world Naboo.
Heber laughed. From then when nobody could find Joza, they always looked in the library first. Heber thought that, when Joza was old and no longer able to have an apprentice or go out on missions, that the council should probably offer the job of archive librarian to her. Joza though had to survive the war, and many, many, many missions before that.
Which led Heber to thinking on something else. Joza had many friends, both Jedi and non-Jedi. Joza herself was responsible for about fifteen to seventeen of the students being at the temple.
Joza, please be good. Don't do anything that would force you to chose your allegiance, Heber thought to herself.
She rose. It was time to start preparing for the Battle of Ruusan.