Chapter Five
Joza sat meditating in her room on the ship. She shivered. Not because she was cold. It seemed that the closer she got to Ruusan the more she could feel almost taste the Dark Side. She stood up and took her cloak off. Meditating was not helping right now.
Joza picked up her lightsaber and summoned some of the many training droids that were in her room. Eight total came up and Joza commanded them to on auto and not stop until the limit. Forty-five minutes later the remotes turned off. Joza disengaged her saber in disbelief. It had only seemed like a few minutes, not almost an hour.
The chrono said that is was only nine and a half hours until the battle. Joza could feel and knew that all other Jedi and Sith knew as well, that this battle would one of two things. The end of the Sith or the beginning of a reign of terror by the Dark Side. It would depend on the choices made by the ones fighting. The choices that they would make on the battlefield and off.
Joza turned the lights off and put her sleeping clothes on. Climbing into bed, she used the Force to set the alarm on her chrono. Rolling over, Joza thought about the choices she had made. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, silently swearing that she would not go back on them.
Sichi fitted the last piece of the puzzle in place. She placed it on the shelf near her bunk. Joza had been right: the puzzle was a good thinking exercise. Flopping onto her bed and snuggling under the covers she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling.
This was to be the last great battle between the Jedi and the Sith. Sichi had been there at the first one and now she would be there at the last one. Some of the apprentices that would be present, were facing battle for the first time. How many of them would be surviving?
Force, as many as possible, was her last thought before finally going to sleep.
Alre and Ralo had gone to bed an hour earlier. Ralo though couldn't go to sleep. He kept going over and over in his mind what he had learned about the Sith while on Zoist. He also kept thinking about the strategies that he had come up with to counter the Sith. Ralo sighed as he rolled over onto his back.
Am I ready for this? What if I don't make it and I can't feel the Force when I die? And if I die, will I join the Force?, the questions rolled through his mind. They stopped and Alre finally allowed herself to go to sleep now that Ralo was.
Master Amge Padane sat quietly at the table, thinking. Keji Lele walked over and sat across from her.
"A credit for your thoughts, Amge?"
Amge looked up startled.
"Oh, I didn't hear you come in."
"Well you'll definitely see me."
Kari Da-na sat down next to Amge. They say quietly for a few moments as they studied their drinks. Keji broke the silence first.
"Joza is going to make a fine Knight someday. So will Ralo."
Kari nodded.
"He's still got a lot to learn. He studies a lot. Maybe too much. I can't keep him away from the Library whenever we're at the Temple."
All three of the Masters laughed. Kari looked at Amge.
"I take it Sichi is almost ready for the Trials?"
Amge nodded slowly.
"Yes. She has been a good apprentice to me. So many times, she had done more than what was necessary. Sometimes even placing her life on the line."
Amge took a sip of her tea.
"I will greatly miss her companionship."
Kari nodded in agreement.
"What about you Keji? Will you be choosing a new apprentice?"
Keji shook his head.
"I won't be looking for another apprentice for awhile. After Joza becomes a Knight, I won't get another one for couple of years. I intend on taking some time off."
Amge smirked.
"Yeah that's what you said the last time. Then the next time I see you, you have the little blue-eyed, blonde haired kid following you around. You said you were only going to have one apprentice. Then you took Joza on. I won't even go into what she's pulled."
Keji threw is head back and laughed. Kari chuckled as he stood up with his drink. The other two masters followed.
"To our apprentices!" They chorused and clinked their drinks together.
Kaan smiled at Ara from where he sat. They had spent the last hour talking. Now it was midnight local time. He felt he should tell her.
"Ara. I have something to tell you. But you have to swear to me that you won't tell anyone else."
She nodded, sensing that is was important.
"You remember me telling everyone of the thought bomb? That's a last ditch effort on my part. We either win this battle or we lose it. Completely. Ara, I don't want you connected to it."
"I wasn't going to be anyway. I need my full concentration for Miwe tomorrow."
Kaan nodded as he watched Ara stand up and head for the door.
"I need to be getting back to my ship and resting. Godd night, Kaan."
"Good night Ara."
Ahxa stood before his Master, lightsaber blazing. He listened to Edko's words, absorbing them and locking them away.
"Concentrate on your anger. It is your connection to the Dark Side. It is the fuel that the Dark Side uses to make you stronger. To make you powerful. Now. Attack me again."
Ahxa obeyed instantly. He opened the doors in his heart and mind. He let the hatred in himself go. The Dark Side was a part of him and he, a part of it. Edko blocked his apprentices blows and felt proud. Someday his apprentice would be a powerful Dark Lord. He would fell honored to be kille by Orkem. Ahxa finally slowed as he felt himself growing more tired.
He finally had to stop and admit exhaustion. He stood panting hard before Edko.
"Very good my apprentice. Now go sleep. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."
Ahxa nodded and headed off to his tent. Edko watched him go.
"Yes. One day. Just as long as you survive the battle tomorrow."
Diqu sat in his tent, meditating. He wouldn't be sleeping that night. In his meditation, he could feel the camp as Sith prepared to fight and live or fight and die. Yet it seemed as though they all knew that the latter was all that there was.
Joza sat meditating in her room on the ship. She shivered. Not because she was cold. It seemed that the closer she got to Ruusan the more she could feel almost taste the Dark Side. She stood up and took her cloak off. Meditating was not helping right now.
Joza picked up her lightsaber and summoned some of the many training droids that were in her room. Eight total came up and Joza commanded them to on auto and not stop until the limit. Forty-five minutes later the remotes turned off. Joza disengaged her saber in disbelief. It had only seemed like a few minutes, not almost an hour.
The chrono said that is was only nine and a half hours until the battle. Joza could feel and knew that all other Jedi and Sith knew as well, that this battle would one of two things. The end of the Sith or the beginning of a reign of terror by the Dark Side. It would depend on the choices made by the ones fighting. The choices that they would make on the battlefield and off.
Joza turned the lights off and put her sleeping clothes on. Climbing into bed, she used the Force to set the alarm on her chrono. Rolling over, Joza thought about the choices she had made. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, silently swearing that she would not go back on them.
Sichi fitted the last piece of the puzzle in place. She placed it on the shelf near her bunk. Joza had been right: the puzzle was a good thinking exercise. Flopping onto her bed and snuggling under the covers she lay on her back and stared at the ceiling.
This was to be the last great battle between the Jedi and the Sith. Sichi had been there at the first one and now she would be there at the last one. Some of the apprentices that would be present, were facing battle for the first time. How many of them would be surviving?
Force, as many as possible, was her last thought before finally going to sleep.
Alre and Ralo had gone to bed an hour earlier. Ralo though couldn't go to sleep. He kept going over and over in his mind what he had learned about the Sith while on Zoist. He also kept thinking about the strategies that he had come up with to counter the Sith. Ralo sighed as he rolled over onto his back.
Am I ready for this? What if I don't make it and I can't feel the Force when I die? And if I die, will I join the Force?, the questions rolled through his mind. They stopped and Alre finally allowed herself to go to sleep now that Ralo was.
Master Amge Padane sat quietly at the table, thinking. Keji Lele walked over and sat across from her.
"A credit for your thoughts, Amge?"
Amge looked up startled.
"Oh, I didn't hear you come in."
"Well you'll definitely see me."
Kari Da-na sat down next to Amge. They say quietly for a few moments as they studied their drinks. Keji broke the silence first.
"Joza is going to make a fine Knight someday. So will Ralo."
Kari nodded.
"He's still got a lot to learn. He studies a lot. Maybe too much. I can't keep him away from the Library whenever we're at the Temple."
All three of the Masters laughed. Kari looked at Amge.
"I take it Sichi is almost ready for the Trials?"
Amge nodded slowly.
"Yes. She has been a good apprentice to me. So many times, she had done more than what was necessary. Sometimes even placing her life on the line."
Amge took a sip of her tea.
"I will greatly miss her companionship."
Kari nodded in agreement.
"What about you Keji? Will you be choosing a new apprentice?"
Keji shook his head.
"I won't be looking for another apprentice for awhile. After Joza becomes a Knight, I won't get another one for couple of years. I intend on taking some time off."
Amge smirked.
"Yeah that's what you said the last time. Then the next time I see you, you have the little blue-eyed, blonde haired kid following you around. You said you were only going to have one apprentice. Then you took Joza on. I won't even go into what she's pulled."
Keji threw is head back and laughed. Kari chuckled as he stood up with his drink. The other two masters followed.
"To our apprentices!" They chorused and clinked their drinks together.
Kaan smiled at Ara from where he sat. They had spent the last hour talking. Now it was midnight local time. He felt he should tell her.
"Ara. I have something to tell you. But you have to swear to me that you won't tell anyone else."
She nodded, sensing that is was important.
"You remember me telling everyone of the thought bomb? That's a last ditch effort on my part. We either win this battle or we lose it. Completely. Ara, I don't want you connected to it."
"I wasn't going to be anyway. I need my full concentration for Miwe tomorrow."
Kaan nodded as he watched Ara stand up and head for the door.
"I need to be getting back to my ship and resting. Godd night, Kaan."
"Good night Ara."
Ahxa stood before his Master, lightsaber blazing. He listened to Edko's words, absorbing them and locking them away.
"Concentrate on your anger. It is your connection to the Dark Side. It is the fuel that the Dark Side uses to make you stronger. To make you powerful. Now. Attack me again."
Ahxa obeyed instantly. He opened the doors in his heart and mind. He let the hatred in himself go. The Dark Side was a part of him and he, a part of it. Edko blocked his apprentices blows and felt proud. Someday his apprentice would be a powerful Dark Lord. He would fell honored to be kille by Orkem. Ahxa finally slowed as he felt himself growing more tired.
He finally had to stop and admit exhaustion. He stood panting hard before Edko.
"Very good my apprentice. Now go sleep. You'll need your strength for tomorrow."
Ahxa nodded and headed off to his tent. Edko watched him go.
"Yes. One day. Just as long as you survive the battle tomorrow."
Diqu sat in his tent, meditating. He wouldn't be sleeping that night. In his meditation, he could feel the camp as Sith prepared to fight and live or fight and die. Yet it seemed as though they all knew that the latter was all that there was.