Chapter Three
Jozas' danger senses were on fire and with the way that everybody was acting in the marketplace, she had a good reason to. She walked rapidly to where the Chotos' booth was at. Tamy was rolling his canopy up.
"Tamy, what's going on? Why is everybody carrying their blasters and packing up their tents," Joza asked.
Tamy stopped and stretched. Joza helped him finish folding the cloth.
"The slavers are here."
Joza felt cold and sick inside.
"They came in last night and already there are over one hundred people missing."
Tamy looked at Joza. She had a very dark expression on her face.
"Joza?"
She looked at him and her face softened.
"Where are they? Does anybody know?"
"They are somewhere in the forest. Where at specifically, nobody wishes to find out."
Joza felt Anshis' presence before she saw him. She turned to him to say something, but was interrupted by the arrival of the slavers. Joza and Anshi didn't say anything as they took off running in the slavers direction. They ignited their sabers. Just before reaching them, Joza yelled as loud as she could, "Get out of here!"
The marketplace people understood. Joza and Anshi would take of this. They picked up their belongings and within a couple of minutes the place was empty. Meanwhile, Joza and Anshi were busy deflecting blaster bolts. Joza felt angry. Very angry. She ignored it though.
After a few more heartbeats, the two apprentices turned tail and ran as hard as they could go. The slavers followed. Joza and Anshi hadn't counted on that. They were soon in the Jungle.
They soon gained a small amount of space between them and the slavers. A very small space. The two stopped to rest. Joza was panting hard. Anshi leaned against a tree, resting.
"We'll have to spilt up."
Joza looked up in shock at Anshi.
"But then our chances of being caught are almost doubled. You and me would be enslaved for sure."
Anshi shook his head.
"No. If one of us ends up a slave, it'll be me. Here take my lightsaber and cloak. They'll only weigh me down."
"Anshi, I won't let you do this. If one of us then both of us."
"You have too much potential. Besides, Asmo is waiting for you. And if they take I can use the Force to convince them that they have enough slaves and they'll leave."
Anshi held the things out. Joza took them. She hung his saber off of her belt. Anshi hugged her tightly and then ran off into the jungle. Joza reached out into the Force. She cursed silently. Anshi was right. Asmo was waiting for her.
With Anshis' saber on her belt and his cloak over her shoulder, Joza headed off to where she had been yesterday.
Time for me to finish this, she thought,
Anshi slipped into the small knot of people that the slavers had taken prisoner. He stood quietly as they were counted and assigned to different groups. One group was nothing but teenagers. Anshi was assigned to this group. The slavers were leaving the world and Anshi was leaving behind the only life that he had ever known.
One of the teenage girls was limping real bad. Anshi walked over to her, picked her up, and carried onto the ship.
The townspeople who were watching for their hiding places stared in disbelief as the ships took off.
Joza left her cloak and Anshis' cloak outside of the building. She walked into it the place. She reached out into the Force to see if there was anybody else there. Just Asmo.
He stepped out of the shadows, his red lightsaber casting eerie shadows. The two stood apart for several heartbeats.
"I've been ordered to bring you with me when I leave for Ruusan."
"You'll be making the trip alone."
Asmo shook his head.
"You don't realize how powerful you could be, Miwe."
Joza shifted her weight.
"You could exact revenge on the Jedi for them not accepting your sister."
Joza remained silent. Asmo continued to push.
"You could make your family pay for making you become a Jedi and losing so much."
Asmo instantly reacted to Jozas' attack. Within a few blows the sabers were locked in a death grip. Joza looked Asmo straight in the eye. What he saw only infuriated him more.
Joza broke free and feinted left. Asmo over countered. Joza gave a searing slash on his arm. If he hadn't moved though it would've been more like cut in half. He somersaulted backwards and stopped with a glare. Joza let him.
"Everyday, I am thankful that my family let me become a Jedi."
Asmo charged her. She sidestepped it and shoved him with the Force. He slammed into a pillar and slid down onto the floor, his lightsaber clattering down beside him. Joza used the Force to fling the saber up into the air and cut it in half. Asmo started to get up, but Joza kicked him. He fell backwards and launched himself into a back handspring. He landed solidly and rose, anger practically filling him.
Joza disengaged her saber.
"It's not about how powerful in the Force you can become. It's about helping others with the Force. The ability to use the Force is not a tool to gain power and prestige. It's meant to be exploited to help others."
Asmo gave a cold laugh.
"Believe what you will, Miwe. In time you will see the truth."
"I've already experienced the truth."
With that, Asmo shoved Joza with the Force. She stumbled and in the that time, Asmo punched in the mouth. She flipped backwards and leapt clear.
Joza was seeing stars and tasting blood. She knew that if she tried to use hand-to-hand-combat to fight Asmo, she would lose. She ignited her saber once again. Leaping down and swinging it at Asmo, he moved to late. Jozas' saber hit Asmos' shoulder and sliced the arm that she had wounded a little bit ago, off.
Asmo fell to the ground again. Joza felt the beginnings of a Force choke on her throat. Quickly Joza put her saber through Asmo's heart. In almost the same instant the grip was gone. Joza looked down at the dying man.
"So aggression, hatred, misery, and suffering are giving up being a Jedi, Huh?"
Joza turned and walked out of the building. She was half-expecting Medea to come after her. It wasn't Medea though that stepped onto the path. It was Master Padane.
"Joza. We need to talk."
Alre was talking to Sichi outside the palace.
"I don't get it. Joza seems so different now."
Sichi nodded.
"She's changed drastically ever since we came here."
Alre looked at her friend. The question hung unspoken in the air. What if Joza hadn't changed for the better?
Joza walked beside Master Padane. She wanted to know what Padane was thinking and yet didn't want to know. She had a feeling though it was about her recent behavior. They walked on for several more minutes before Padane finally broke the silence.
"Master Grepa is worried about you. She's afraid that you are falling to the Dark Side. And I must tell you that I've seen little to dispute that. Especially since you just killed a Jedi Knight."
Joza stopped cold. Master Grepa was the only other person who knew her well enough besides Anshi to be able to tell if there were changes.
"I wish I could just say that she has nothing to be worried about but I can't. And as for Asmo...he was fighting me with a red saber. His mother is Ara Medea a Sith witch. He had gone over. He wanted to fight me. So I let him have his way."
Joza could feel herself growing angry.
"You should have come and gotten someone then. One of us Masters'. You're only a Padawan."
"Yeah and Asmo used to be a knight. Yet his blood is the blood on the floor back there. Not mine. I killed him. Not the other way around."
"I can feel the Dark Side in you."
"It was put there by Medeas' apprentice Netoa. Asmo just made it stronger. You think I don't feel what's growing inside? You think I can't tell that the Dark side is with even though the Light Side is too?"
Padane looked Joza straight in the eye.
"So are you going to join the Sith?"
"NO! I am not. Not willingly anyway. I don't want to stop being a Jedi. All this is great big battle inside of myself. I have to make the decision, but I don't know what to choose."
Padane wished she could think of something to say. Here Joza was fighting against one of the worst kinds of enemies—herself. Padane wanted to tell Joza that she was confident that Joza would make the right decision for her. She couldn't think of anything though.
Joza was lost in her own thoughts.
Maybe Asmo and Medea were right. Maybe I do belong with them. Maybe I should have become Medeas' apprentice. Maybe I should have gone back with my sister.
Trust your heart joza.
Joza looked around in surprise.
"Did you say something Master Padane."
Padane shook her head. Joza felt Master Padane turn to leave and waited until she was gone.
Out of the corner of Jozas' eye, she thought she saw her twin sister. Netoa smiled at Joza.
Trust your heart, Joza. It's the only way you'll be able to find your destiny.
"How can you encourage me like that after what I did to you?"
I forgive, Joza. Your problem is that you won't forgive yourself. Do the Jedi order and the galaxy a favor. Forgive yourself. Then you will be able to win your battle.
Netoa vanished from Jozas' view. Joza cried.
Jozas' danger senses were on fire and with the way that everybody was acting in the marketplace, she had a good reason to. She walked rapidly to where the Chotos' booth was at. Tamy was rolling his canopy up.
"Tamy, what's going on? Why is everybody carrying their blasters and packing up their tents," Joza asked.
Tamy stopped and stretched. Joza helped him finish folding the cloth.
"The slavers are here."
Joza felt cold and sick inside.
"They came in last night and already there are over one hundred people missing."
Tamy looked at Joza. She had a very dark expression on her face.
"Joza?"
She looked at him and her face softened.
"Where are they? Does anybody know?"
"They are somewhere in the forest. Where at specifically, nobody wishes to find out."
Joza felt Anshis' presence before she saw him. She turned to him to say something, but was interrupted by the arrival of the slavers. Joza and Anshi didn't say anything as they took off running in the slavers direction. They ignited their sabers. Just before reaching them, Joza yelled as loud as she could, "Get out of here!"
The marketplace people understood. Joza and Anshi would take of this. They picked up their belongings and within a couple of minutes the place was empty. Meanwhile, Joza and Anshi were busy deflecting blaster bolts. Joza felt angry. Very angry. She ignored it though.
After a few more heartbeats, the two apprentices turned tail and ran as hard as they could go. The slavers followed. Joza and Anshi hadn't counted on that. They were soon in the Jungle.
They soon gained a small amount of space between them and the slavers. A very small space. The two stopped to rest. Joza was panting hard. Anshi leaned against a tree, resting.
"We'll have to spilt up."
Joza looked up in shock at Anshi.
"But then our chances of being caught are almost doubled. You and me would be enslaved for sure."
Anshi shook his head.
"No. If one of us ends up a slave, it'll be me. Here take my lightsaber and cloak. They'll only weigh me down."
"Anshi, I won't let you do this. If one of us then both of us."
"You have too much potential. Besides, Asmo is waiting for you. And if they take I can use the Force to convince them that they have enough slaves and they'll leave."
Anshi held the things out. Joza took them. She hung his saber off of her belt. Anshi hugged her tightly and then ran off into the jungle. Joza reached out into the Force. She cursed silently. Anshi was right. Asmo was waiting for her.
With Anshis' saber on her belt and his cloak over her shoulder, Joza headed off to where she had been yesterday.
Time for me to finish this, she thought,
Anshi slipped into the small knot of people that the slavers had taken prisoner. He stood quietly as they were counted and assigned to different groups. One group was nothing but teenagers. Anshi was assigned to this group. The slavers were leaving the world and Anshi was leaving behind the only life that he had ever known.
One of the teenage girls was limping real bad. Anshi walked over to her, picked her up, and carried onto the ship.
The townspeople who were watching for their hiding places stared in disbelief as the ships took off.
Joza left her cloak and Anshis' cloak outside of the building. She walked into it the place. She reached out into the Force to see if there was anybody else there. Just Asmo.
He stepped out of the shadows, his red lightsaber casting eerie shadows. The two stood apart for several heartbeats.
"I've been ordered to bring you with me when I leave for Ruusan."
"You'll be making the trip alone."
Asmo shook his head.
"You don't realize how powerful you could be, Miwe."
Joza shifted her weight.
"You could exact revenge on the Jedi for them not accepting your sister."
Joza remained silent. Asmo continued to push.
"You could make your family pay for making you become a Jedi and losing so much."
Asmo instantly reacted to Jozas' attack. Within a few blows the sabers were locked in a death grip. Joza looked Asmo straight in the eye. What he saw only infuriated him more.
Joza broke free and feinted left. Asmo over countered. Joza gave a searing slash on his arm. If he hadn't moved though it would've been more like cut in half. He somersaulted backwards and stopped with a glare. Joza let him.
"Everyday, I am thankful that my family let me become a Jedi."
Asmo charged her. She sidestepped it and shoved him with the Force. He slammed into a pillar and slid down onto the floor, his lightsaber clattering down beside him. Joza used the Force to fling the saber up into the air and cut it in half. Asmo started to get up, but Joza kicked him. He fell backwards and launched himself into a back handspring. He landed solidly and rose, anger practically filling him.
Joza disengaged her saber.
"It's not about how powerful in the Force you can become. It's about helping others with the Force. The ability to use the Force is not a tool to gain power and prestige. It's meant to be exploited to help others."
Asmo gave a cold laugh.
"Believe what you will, Miwe. In time you will see the truth."
"I've already experienced the truth."
With that, Asmo shoved Joza with the Force. She stumbled and in the that time, Asmo punched in the mouth. She flipped backwards and leapt clear.
Joza was seeing stars and tasting blood. She knew that if she tried to use hand-to-hand-combat to fight Asmo, she would lose. She ignited her saber once again. Leaping down and swinging it at Asmo, he moved to late. Jozas' saber hit Asmos' shoulder and sliced the arm that she had wounded a little bit ago, off.
Asmo fell to the ground again. Joza felt the beginnings of a Force choke on her throat. Quickly Joza put her saber through Asmo's heart. In almost the same instant the grip was gone. Joza looked down at the dying man.
"So aggression, hatred, misery, and suffering are giving up being a Jedi, Huh?"
Joza turned and walked out of the building. She was half-expecting Medea to come after her. It wasn't Medea though that stepped onto the path. It was Master Padane.
"Joza. We need to talk."
Alre was talking to Sichi outside the palace.
"I don't get it. Joza seems so different now."
Sichi nodded.
"She's changed drastically ever since we came here."
Alre looked at her friend. The question hung unspoken in the air. What if Joza hadn't changed for the better?
Joza walked beside Master Padane. She wanted to know what Padane was thinking and yet didn't want to know. She had a feeling though it was about her recent behavior. They walked on for several more minutes before Padane finally broke the silence.
"Master Grepa is worried about you. She's afraid that you are falling to the Dark Side. And I must tell you that I've seen little to dispute that. Especially since you just killed a Jedi Knight."
Joza stopped cold. Master Grepa was the only other person who knew her well enough besides Anshi to be able to tell if there were changes.
"I wish I could just say that she has nothing to be worried about but I can't. And as for Asmo...he was fighting me with a red saber. His mother is Ara Medea a Sith witch. He had gone over. He wanted to fight me. So I let him have his way."
Joza could feel herself growing angry.
"You should have come and gotten someone then. One of us Masters'. You're only a Padawan."
"Yeah and Asmo used to be a knight. Yet his blood is the blood on the floor back there. Not mine. I killed him. Not the other way around."
"I can feel the Dark Side in you."
"It was put there by Medeas' apprentice Netoa. Asmo just made it stronger. You think I don't feel what's growing inside? You think I can't tell that the Dark side is with even though the Light Side is too?"
Padane looked Joza straight in the eye.
"So are you going to join the Sith?"
"NO! I am not. Not willingly anyway. I don't want to stop being a Jedi. All this is great big battle inside of myself. I have to make the decision, but I don't know what to choose."
Padane wished she could think of something to say. Here Joza was fighting against one of the worst kinds of enemies—herself. Padane wanted to tell Joza that she was confident that Joza would make the right decision for her. She couldn't think of anything though.
Joza was lost in her own thoughts.
Maybe Asmo and Medea were right. Maybe I do belong with them. Maybe I should have become Medeas' apprentice. Maybe I should have gone back with my sister.
Trust your heart joza.
Joza looked around in surprise.
"Did you say something Master Padane."
Padane shook her head. Joza felt Master Padane turn to leave and waited until she was gone.
Out of the corner of Jozas' eye, she thought she saw her twin sister. Netoa smiled at Joza.
Trust your heart, Joza. It's the only way you'll be able to find your destiny.
"How can you encourage me like that after what I did to you?"
I forgive, Joza. Your problem is that you won't forgive yourself. Do the Jedi order and the galaxy a favor. Forgive yourself. Then you will be able to win your battle.
Netoa vanished from Jozas' view. Joza cried.