At What Cost
By
Christopher Foss
Jessen Dawnbringer stood at the edge of a landing pad. The Force had brought him here almost against his will, but, now, there seemed to be nothing to indicate why. The Jedi Knight cast about with his senses and his Sense, but could discover nothing other than what could be readily seen.
In the near distance, there was a hanger and an abandoned, but serviceable, shuttle. Further out, a forest started, stretching to the horizon. A formless dread caused him to draw one of the small Light Foils sheathed in his belt. He did not ignite it, but kept it in his hand, just in case. The small weapon fit comfortably in his hand, lending a calm that he did not consciously realize he needed.
After a quick, but thorough, search of the hangar and the shuttle, Jessen continued on toward the forest. He had noticed a trail leading into the briars, and something tickled his Sense as he got closer to the woods. It heightened his feelings of foreboding, as well.
Coming to a clearing, he found the cause of his dread in the person of his younger brother, Jerrod. The black robed figure bowed mockingly, casting the robes off as he returned to the upright.
"So, brother, you have come to me at last," the Dark Jedi sneered.
"Jerrod, why do you do this? Give up the Darkness. Come home, and we can yet see this resolved."
Jessen's younger brother snarled. "Always the consummate Jedi, aren't you; still trying to save me. Did it never occur to you that the reason I killed our parents was because father was always comparing me to you. I was never, quite, good enough for him…"
Jerrod stood sweating and nursing a small burn on his left shoulder. He had successfully fended off and destroyed all six of the attack drones that had been his last Trial, but had not managed to stop all of their attacks.
Jedi Master Gannon Dawnbringer stepped onto the field with his older son. Jessen spoke first.
"Well done, Jerrod! Much better than required."
Gannon agreed, saying, "Yes. You did almost as well your brother Jesson…"
"Father finally found out that I was better than he gave me credit for, and killing you will heal the pain you caused. Why would I want to come back, Jess? So you can lord it over me and "save" me?"
Before Jessen could respond, Jerrod ignited his Sabre and leapt to the attack. Jessen had both Foils out before he got there, countering the attacks. They exchanged blows at a rate only possible to initiates of the Force, but neither could seem to gain the upper hand. Regardless of Jerrod's opinion, the two of them were too evenly matched.
Flashing blades seemed to be everywhere, and bits of trees flashed into fire as the weapons sheared through them. Jessen retreated steadily away from his brother, unwilling to commit to the offensive. Jerrod, seeing the retreat as a sign of weakness, began to taunt his older brother.
"What's the matter, Jessen? Are you afraid of your kid brother? Worried you might lose?"
Jessen continued to fight a silent, defensive battle. This caused a rising amount of frustration for Jerrod, who began felling trees toward his sibling. Jessen leapt backward, away from the first tree, but this gave Jerrod more time to plan and he increased the pace of the battle.
They were moving back toward the landing area and more open terrain when Jerrod suddenly changed the pattern of his attack. Jessen, conditioned by his brother's continued use of the same techniques, was unprepared for the lunge forward. His training served him well, however, and he instinctively counter-attacked, knocking aside his brother's blade and driving his own off hand weapon up into Jerrod's chest.
With a gasp of horror, Jessen stepped forward to catch his falling brother.
As he looked into the dying eyes, he heard Jerrod's harsh whisper, "You lose…"
Tears streamed down the staggering man's face, blinding him as he carried the corpse of his brother back to the shuttle. On the ground behind him, abandoned, lay three metal cylinders.