Seth jumped. The knock on the door startled him. Visas was meditating, and seemed to be too deep in concentration to hear a blaster fight going on. Seth got up and opened the door.
Atton was in the doorway. "We've landed on Telos…if you've noticed," he said. "What the hell are you doing in here?"
"Meditating," Seth said, grinning inside. Atton rolled his eyes. "Hey, you're a Jedi now, aren't you? So, start meditating." Atton didn't reply to this, but mutter only to himself as he left to go back to the cockpit.
After Atton left, Seth didn't know what to do about Visas. He couldn't just leave her, but he didn't want to interrupt her. He decided the latter would be better.
Seth took a few steps back towards her and gave her armor a gentle tap. She came out of her meditations. "Yes?" she said right away, like a soldier receiving orders.
"We've landed on Telos," Seth said. "I've got to go stop…" He stopped. She was clueless to the situation. He reached for his belt with his lightsaber. "Where are you going?" Visas asked.
"The Telos academy," Seth quickly explained. "The Handmaiden brought Kreia to Atris 'cause she thinks Kreia killed me back on Dantooine. She thinks that Kreia's a prisoner, and she wants Atris to execute her. Long story—can't explain." He threw off unnecessary items of his belt.
He could feel Visas looking at him, despite she could not see. He turned and looked her directly where her eyes were. "I'll return," he said firmly. He squeezed her hand for reassurance and then sprinted out of the Ebon Hawk.
Seth stopped when he reached the hangar bay entrance, and then began to run again. The academy is empty. He then heard the buzzing and collision of lightsabers. The Handmaiden! Seth immediately thought.
There was a small knot of panic in his stomach as he walked up to the chamber where Atris had confronted him. He heard inaudible voices—Atris—and Force Lightning. Then he began to run.
He arrived to see Atris staring at the Handmaiden, who was on her hands and knees. Weakened from Force Lightning, she fell over on her side.
Atris gave a wry smile and a slight chuckle. "So, one exile arrives to save another?" she asked. "What the hell are you doing?" Seth said, his voice loud. It echoed through the caverns and abyss. The bodies of the Handmaiden's sisters lay round him.
Atris drew her lightsaber. "Don't make me do this," Seth said. Atris laughed. "You of all people are avoiding this?" She threw the lightsaber at him.
The blow was hard, and missed Seth. He counterattacked by issuing a flurry of attacks. Atris began to hit him harder and with more force to her attacks. Seth needed to retreat a few steps because she was so driven. It was like she was jumped up on a thousand stimulants.
He turned and ran towards the entrance where he first entered the academy. Seth put up his hand, and Atris fell back a few feet, but instantly got up. She jumped right in front of him. "You can run," she said, "but not fast enough."
She's going to make me do this, Seth thought. He set out his hand and Force Lightning erupted from it. Atris was finally disabled and fell. Seth stared at her for a few moments, and then she got up and hobbled back up to her meditation chamber as Seth just watched her run away. He heard the doors slam; the sound echoed throughout the entire empty academy. The Handmaiden!
Seth ran up back to where Atris first attacked him. He saw the Handmaiden stirring as he neared her.
Seth watched her stand up with great difficulty. Her lip bled, and she had a slight cut on her left temple. It was nothing serious though. Her robes were blackened a bit by her fight with Atris, and she was clutching her side. She seemed to light up when she saw Seth.
"Th-thank you," she said. Seth stared and ordered, "Go back to the ship." "Atris…" the Handmaiden began. "You can rest up there," Seth said, trying to dodge any conversation while she was obviously in pain.
"You are pained," Seth said. "Go and rest yourself before I have to get an entire squad to come and get you." The Handmaiden turned, seeming a slight bit dejected, and hobbled out. "We'll talk more later," Seth said. He didn't turn to face her.
He continued at a walk to the meditation chamber. "Come to finish me off?" Atris asked. "No," Seth said.
"Then why are you here?"
"Because you can be saved." Seth looked at her. "Don't tell me that I'm wasting my time." He paused. "You can start by telling me what happened to you."
Seth stood nervously outside the medbay. She loves you, you know that, his mind told him. How do you say this? Everything up until this point just seemed to clumsy in some way.
He took a deep breath in and silently exhaled. He shut his eyes, wanting something to drag him away. Seth turned away from door and looked towards the main hold. He jumped a bit when he saw Mira behind him.
She just stared. "Go," she mouthed and nodded her head towards the door. Mira pushed past him and walked off to somewhere he didn't really know nor care to know.
You're running out of time, he thought. Something pulled him in the medbay, he knew it. The steps he took were not under his control, and he was in an awkward situation so fast.
"Hey," he said to the Handmaiden. "You doing okay?' She was bandaging her wrist. She nodded. "Fine."
"You want some help?" Seth asked. She nodded. He stooped down to her level where she was sitting on the medbay bed and began to wrap her wrist with the white, cottony bandage.
"I thought you were dead," she began. "Kreia…"
"Nothing about Kreia," Seth said. "She's done enough, and we will find her. We're en route to Citadel to aid them."
"You saved me from Atris," the Handmaiden said. "She was going to kill me. She almost did. And I have you to thank."
She was looking directly at him. Seth looked up to find her unbelievably close to his face. "Nobody gets left behind." He finished wrapping and stood.
"What…where is Atris?" she asked.
"In her meditation chamber," Seth said, "with her darkness round her. She will come in time."
Then there was a silence where both stared at the floor.
"I am a Jedi now, aren't I?" The Handmaiden asked slowly.
Seth nodded. "Yes. You no longer serve Atris."
"If that may be, then I am the last of the handmaidens no longer." She breathed and talked slowly. "I am Brianna, disciple and servant of the last of the true Jedi."
"Brianna?"
"That is my name," she said. "I had a name since my mother was a Jedi…"
Seth grinned. "It's good to hear it."
"It is," she said, realizing it actually was true. "I have a name and will not go by 'the Handmaiden' any longer. Please tell the rest of the crew to call me Brianna; introduce me as Brianna."
Seth smiled and just nodded. "You know I will." Brianna opened her mouth to discuss something else when Bao-Dur appeared in the doorway.
"We're on Citadel," he said and hurried away, still with his hydrospanner in his hand. "Good," Seth said, "thanks Bao." He spoke to air.
He turned to Brianna. "Stay here and rest," he said. "You aren't up for a fight now."
Brianna stood instantly. "No," she objected. "I'm coming with." The tone of her voice was fierce.
"Rest until you are ready to fight," Seth said. "Your wound on your wrist is going to hurt later. And you must be weak after that Force Lightning. That always tires out the best of the Jedi Masters."
Brianna seemed a bit silent at this. "Sorry," Seth said quickly. The betrayal and attack of her mistress obviously left her somewhat in shock. "Stay," he instructed, "and just wait for whatever comes. Sometimes that's just best."
"You comin' Seth?" he heard Atton yell. "See you when I get back, alright?" Seth said to Brianna. She gave a sheepish grin and watched him leave.
"I couldn't believe when I got the report saying the Ebon Hawk had docked on Citadel again," Grenn said, "I just couldn't." He surveyed the group of dysfunctional looking crewmates with lightsabers. "We need you, and you certainly come up when trouble's coming."
"Going to lock us up again?" Atton asked. Mira kicked his shin; Seth cast him a shut-up look. "What's the situation?" Seth asked.
"They came out of nowhere," Grenn said, ignoring Atton, "and without fuel from Peragus, we can't operate fully. We've had to make cutbacks."
Please don't bring that up again, Seth thought. "I need to get aboard the Ravenger."
"Good luck," Grenn said. "The shuttles are on the other side of the entertainment module."
"Then that's where we're going," Seth said. He turned to his Padawans. "All of you...just remember the forms and training we've gone over. Don't kill the others, and most importantly—"
"Have fun?" Mandalore interrupted. The entire group turned and stared. It was probably the first time he'd talked in front of the group in a sarcastic manner. Seth grinned at this. "Sure."
He ignited his lightsaber, and then the other Jedi did so. The future Jedi. Seth couldn't help but think that. He turned to see them: Mira, Atton, Bao-Dur, and Visas. They all stared blankly, faces awaiting command. Seth nodded his head towards the doorway towards the residential module.
The small group of Jedi and the Mandalorian were fighting their way through the Sith assassins. The carnage was the foulest part of the strike. Robes were bloodied, bodies lay in piles.
"Bao-Dur, take out that guy on the left," Seth shouted. Bao-Dur didn't respond as he sprinted towards a Sith assassin, lightsaber out in front of him. He instantly cut him down. The rage and guilt of Malachor V dominated Bao-Dur; Seth could tell. He believed that drove Bao-Dur through everyday, and that's what glued the hydrospanner to his hands.
Seth stood back and watched the Jedi make their way to the next door. "Awaiting command," someone said behind him. It was Brianna. Her hand was still bandaged, and she held a blue lightsaber in the other.
"What are you doing out of the Hawk?" Seth said in a bit too loud of a tone. "Rest, damn it. Isn't that what I said!"
"I couldn't stand by and let Telos be destroyed when I can aid. Remember what I told you when I wanted to become a Jedi? That I must if I can aid the effort somehow? I need—no, I must—contribute and fight with you," she said.
Seth rolled his eyes. "Hang back though," he said. Brianna nodded and they ran together forward to join the group at the door.
"What's the Handmaiden doing here? I thought she was injured," Mira said.
"Actually, this is Brianna," Seth said. "She's got a name."
"Brianna?" Atton asked. "Why not just tell us your name and skip this awkward re-introduction?"
He was ignored though as Seth walked forwards a bit into the entertainment module. He nodded his head for the group to follow. They went into the TSF.
Naturally, a lot of Sith assassins hit the TSF first. There was a lot to clean out, but nothing too taxing on the group. After the bloodbath, they studied their robes.
"What a mess," Mira said looking at her robes. "And I just washed these damn things too."
Visas had remained quiet the entire time and she expressed nothing save the small, quiet smile upon her lips.
"This is where we board," Mandalore said. "This area's secure so we can go ahead and get on the shuttle, and it's finally here anyway."
"Okay, you guys can go back to the ship. Mandalore and I will get aboard and take her out," Seth said. He looked directly at Visas. "I'll see you all when I get back."
The group started to disperse in the general direction of the Ebon Hawk except for Visas. "I'm coming with you."
"What?" Seth turned. He was halfway to the shuttle.
"I need to go. It is something I must do," she said. "I must find peace finally in all of this. I must find something."
"Objections?" Seth asked, turning to Mandalore.
"None, as long as she doesn't slow us down," he said.
"Good," Seth said. "Hurry up."
Fire surrounded the trio as it danced and created shadows upon the rusting ship that deserved to be space junk. Seth led the small group about the ship, knowing that there were four sites where Mandalore was planting explosives to blow the ship up into space junk.
He led the small band of allies through out the ship, clearing out all enemies on their way. They reached the first target site and Mandalore planted the explosives. There was absolutely no conversation. Seth watched Telos outside a broken wall—Citadel Station was maintaining its orbit round Telos, but just barely. Starfighters from Telos were in the mess, and the bombardment of Citadel would not stop.
"All set," Mandalore said as he stood up from the small bomb. They made their way to the door, and out to the second target site.
All of a sudden, a large beam fell as if out of nowhere right behind Seth. It had just missed him by a few inches. He froze. Foreshadowing.
Hope it doesn't suck out loud so far. I'm estimating three chapters: finishing up the Ravenger, Malachor V, and then a little aftermath blurb.