Aayla proved immensely difficult to find, and every time I came close to catching up to her once more, she disappeared without a trace like she had never existed in the first place. I had a sinking feeling that she knew I was tracking her, and even though she would not know who I was because of the amnesia, she saw me as a threat and thus, continued to elude me. Finding Aayla was the mission that the Jedi Council had given me, though I had to fight for it before I was granted permission to go. Just like with Aurra Sing, the Council, predominantly Master Windu, felt that I was too closely connected to Aayla to be trusted to complete my mission apathetically, however this time, I did not relent.
I refused to leave until I was given what I wanted, and glared Master Windu down in the process as I vehemently announced that I would not allow the Council to abandon Aayla as Aurra and I had been before, that I would not rest until I had found her and brought her back to the temple as I had promised, because if I was to become a Jedi who did not keep her word, then I would sooner fall upon my own blade. So strong was my argument that I completely shocked the Council, as I had never dared spoken out before, and for the most part was known as a quiet, compliant padawan who kept mostly to herself. My surge of resolve and raw willpower overturned the Council's decision, though from that moment forth, Master Windu and I never saw eye to eye again, and I suspect he viewed me thereafter with a certain disgruntled disdain.
My mission had already taken me many months with Master Plo routinely checking in with me as I sought out Aayla's hiding place, tracking her through word of mouth until I once again began to enclose on her position, which this time appeared to be the planet Kiffex. Having tracked her all this way, I received a strong indication of danger from my instincts as I neared the planet, with a powerful feeling of the Dark Side somewhere down on the surface. If it was just myself, I would completely embargo that planet just to avoid the danger, but if Aayla was down there, then there was nothing that would keep me away.
So by ignoring my instincts, I brought my ship down to land. It was not a pleasant place, however where I set down, I once again received the indication of danger all around me, my senses coming alight with warnings. I was being watched, and the eyes which followed me were not friendly. I knew how to recognise a predator's eyes, and I had landed right within their nest. I refused to allow my fears to get the better of me, reasoning that I was older, stronger and better prepared than before. I had already sent my location back to Master Plo, so he knew where I was and also knew to send help if I did not make contact soon, so with these comforts in mind, I set off in search of my friend.
Determined to not let her escape me this time, I explored the planet by following the map I had uploaded to my communicator which brought up a hologram of the surrounding area, showing me the landmarks and layout of the planet, as well as the nearby security compound. I decided that this was as good a place to start as any, I made my way forwards whilst fully aware of the eyes that continued to watch me. They continued to creep closer, steadily seeking to take me by surprise, but I was all too aware of them to allow such a thing to happen. I wanted to lure them out, to give them a false sense of security before I could then turn the tide and capture them. Whoever they were, perhaps they could give me information about Aayla, as I sensed I was getting closer to finding her.
Upon reaching the security compound, I found myself faced with utter carnage, for the bodies of deceased inmates and guardians lay everywhere. Holding back my instinct to retch at the stench in the air, I carefully picked my way forwards and sent a message to Master Plo, informing him of what I found. "Take care, Theca. The Council has received word of the break in and slaughter and we have already dispatched Master Vos to investigate. He will be joining you soon. In the meantime, do not put yourself in danger, my padawan. Find somewhere safe to await Master Vos's arrival."
"Understood, master." I answered dutifully, turning around in order to face the security compound in order to investigate what had happened there. Just I did so, I sensed the eyes that had been following me suddenly burst with a predatory instinct and desire to kill, and felt the presence of my followers spring for me with a furious array of shrieks. The first one which came into range I flung back with the Force, seeing two proboscises quivering as they protruded from their cheeks. I had no idea what they were meant for, but I had a sinking feeling that I would do well not to find out for myself. There were dozens of them, each of them lunging for me with almost crazed intensity and I knew immediately that I had no choice but to destroy them in order to defend myself. The desperation they wielded to get to me made my skin crawl, and I suspected that only death would stop them, as they were not the type to flee.
With my lightsaber in hand, both blades burst into life as I took up my defensive stance and immediately began to protect myself from their onslaught, though they were swift and surprisingly strong, forcing me to continually move in order to keep from being pinned down. They came at me from all sides so I was constantly having to defend myself and ensure that I did not leave any openings as their hands came for me, attempting to grasp me by the head and hair. With a sweeping motion, I removed one attacker's arm from their body but still they continued to try and reach for me with the other, so I slashed my lightsaber with a twirl and took several of them out at once, allowing my natural instincts to prompt my movements and recognise when each attack was coming from.
Soon enough a dozen bodies lay before my feet, several of the attackers having gotten close enough to grasp hold of my arm and hold it back as they clasped hold of my head and leaned in until their face was directly before mine. The feeling tendrils moved closer towards me, crawling towards my nose and with an outcry of horror and disgust, managed to twist and drop my lightsaber after disengaging it, letting it fall into my other hand before I then spun it between us and sliced through the proboscises so that they fell to the ground. The attacker screamed, ripping himself away from me before I quickly killed him, cutting off the sound with a started gasp before he went completely silent.
Now I was alone, and all the more convinced that I did not like this planet. Why Aayla would choose to come here I had no idea, however my gut told me that it had something to do with the presence of the Dark Side of the Force here, which made my heart sink even further. I could do nothing right now except wait for Master Vos, and so I made my way into the security compound where I only had the dead for company and awaited his arrival, pinging him my location once the scanners in the control centre picked up on his vessel. I had already gone through the security footage and confirmed that those creatures that had attacked me also attacked this place, and to my horrified disbelief, they had been led by Aayla herself.
For a while I had not known what to do, torn between protecting my friend and doing what was right, the Jedi thing to do. So in the end, I selected a few of the archived recordings of the attack which did not show Aayla herself in view and sent them to my ship, then erased the rest so that any record of her being there was erased. I would tell the truth once I had found out what Aayla was doing and ensured that she would be protected from any kind of repercussions for this incident, as I knew that were Aayla in her right mind, she would never do anything such as this. Such wasteful carnage, even if most of the people here were prisoners, a life was still a life. She knew this as well as anyone, or at least, she did.
My contemplations were deep and time consuming, so much so that I was soon alerted to Master Vos's presence as his ship landed and quickly stood up in order to go and greet him and warn him about the wild humanoids with tendrils which protruded from their cheeks which seemed to have the purpose to feel up a person's nose. I could only guess as to what the rest of their usages were, and I hoped that it wasn't to drink a person's brain like I suspected, because that sounded wholly terrifying and excessively disgusting, for my tastes. My warning was needless, as it so happened, because Master Vos was attacked by the same humanoids almost the instant he stepped foot onto the planet's surface. He was swift to defend himself, and as I cried out his name I rushed to his defence as there appeared to be even more than last time.
Recognising me from before, Master Vos immediately turned his back as I reached him so that we stood against one another, facing opposite directions and protecting one another. "So you think you found Aayla, little one? Are you certain this time?"
"She's here, I'm sure of it. However, these creatures seem adamant to eat us. Don't let their proboscises touch you, or you will find them reaching up somewhere rather unpleasant." Grunting in thanks for the warning, the both of us leapt back into the fight. I was surprised how well we fought side by side, though I think Master Vos had adapted himself to my style in order to ensure maximum efficiency. Whilst I focused primarily on defending, he proceeded with a full out attack which made a deadly combination as we continued on defeating our attackers before we could become their foot.
"They are called Anzati, I came across their species in the Jedi Archives. Most of the galaxy believe them to be a myth." Master Vos informed me as we took a moment to catch our breaths and reform our stances as the Anzati had elected to back off a little, now more wary of our skills and deadly weapons. Although we had slain many, more seemed to take their place as the Anzati continued to surround us, seemingly determined to take us no matter what the cost to their own ranks. Just as our enemy seemed ready to stage their secondary attack, another ship descended from the upper atmosphere and with a rush of engines, landed itself beside Master Vos's ship. I had not been expecting anyone other than Master Vos, as Master Plo had only mentioned his coming.
When the ramp lowered itself to the ground and a figure stepped out with sweeping Jedi robes, I recognised the renowned Master Tholme as he drew back his hood. "Master Tholme." I greeted with no small amount of surprise, almost rising from my defensive stance as Master Tholme ignited his own lightsaber and walked measuredly forwards in order to join us.
"Focus yourself in the present, young padawan. Do not allow my arrival to distract you." He suggested as the Anzati all seemed to grow increasingly excited at the prospect of more victims to become their sustenance. Master Vos gave no indication that he recognised Master Tholme by anything other than his face and name, as his records were in the Jedi Archives as well. His amnesia still had not completely cured itself, and I found it saddening that a student could not recognise his own master. In any case, I refocused my attention on the enemy, and with the three of us fighting side by side, we soon laid them to waste with a great deal more effectiveness and efficiency than before, this time frightening the remaining Anzati to such a degree that they elected to flee rather than risk their lives for a chance of food.
"It appears the situation on this planet is far direr than we had first anticipated. That is why the Council elected to also send me after reconsideration. They felt it would be wisest for a Jedi Master to accompany you in this mission." Master Tholme explained before I could even open my mouth to ask, his eyes glancing towards his former padawan who still gave no hint of recognition. For a moment we all stood in silence, and I felt awkward to be in the presence of two people who I had never worked with before. Although I knew Master Vos and liked him a great deal, I was little more than a stranger to him, and I had never had contact with Master Tholme before now, evident when he had to ask me for my name as he did not know me either. I greeted him respectfully and informed him of who I was and who I trained under before then rising from my bow and glancing around, remaining aware of my surroundings.
"The Anzati are in full retreat. We are safe for the moment, though I do not think they will stay away for long."
"No, I agree young padawan. We should find somewhere more suitable to plan our next move." Master Tholme agreed in his matured tone, aged from years of experience and time. I naturally fell into step behind Master Tholme and Vos as we moved back towards the security compound, only to stop to regard a collection of storage compartments from which we could all sense a life form hidden inside.
"We should see who it is." Master Vos decided and with a glance to me and a motion to be prepared, I held my hand over my lightsaber hilt in order to be ready to grasp it as Master Vos then opened the compartment. Inside was revealed to be a Devaronian male of red skin and eyes, two horns protruding from the top of his head and golden hoops in his ears, making my eyebrow arch at the curious adornment which made no practical sense to me. The Devaronian squeaked rather shamelessly, jumping violently before then staring fearfully up at Master Vos where I immediately recognised a deep sense of dread and uncomfortableness radiate from him at the sight of the Jedi which he then hid behind an expression of glee. I did not need to be Force-sensitive to see that this Devaronian male was very wary of Master Vos. "You!"
"Quin!" Apparently the two knew each other, but it was nothing like a friendly reunion. In fact, Master Vos dragged the Devaronian out of his hiding place whereby he then beat the Devaronian rather furiously, punching him twice in the face before drop kicking him to the ground. The unbridled rage was shocking to witness, making me stare wide eyed at Master Vos as he prepared to attack again before Master Tholme stepped in and grabbed his arm, cautioning him calmly.
"Restrain your anger, Vos. Killing him will only lead you closer to the Dark Side." The warning gave Master Vos pause, time enough to calm himself before reluctantly agreeing and lowered his arm as the Devaronian lowered his arm. According to the only logical reasoning I had, this must be the smuggler Vilmarh Grahrk, who had accompanied Master Vos in his escape from Nar Shaddaa and the following journey in seeking his lost memory as well as Aayla Secura. I elected not to trust the Devaronian out of instinctive wariness, and ensured that my lightsaber was securely fastened onto my belt. "Tell us, smuggler, what is your business on this planet? Clearly you were an inmate of this facility." Taking charge of the questioning, the imposing manner of Master Tholme left no room for lies or deceit, as Vilmarh Grahrk hastened to stutter out his explanation.
He told us that he had been smuggling blasters onto Kiffex but had been caught by the local Guardians and arrested for the crime. Stumbling to his feet, Grahrk was constantly searching our surroundings to ensure that the Anzati had not come back and was desperate to seem useful to us as not to be left behind to their mercy, and promised to lead us to a nearby settlement were we would be able to take shelter for the night as sundown would soon be upon us. Considering that the Anzati were difficult enough to deal with during daylight, I did not anticipate meeting them again after nightfall, so after a quick consultation between the three of us, we allowed him to show us the way.
He told us about the settlement, a place called Deadend which was lorded over by an Aqualish by the name of Gorto Zaga. We were warned not to expect an open armed welcome, and sure enough when we came into view of the guards of the outer gate, they were ordered to open fire immediately. I had already anticipated the danger, giving a warning to both masters as well as Grahrk to expect an attack, and so when the first volley of blaster fire came rushing for us, we were all able to spring out of the way, though Vos had to grasp hold of Grahrk himself to ensure that he did not get shot. Clearly we were not welcome, with Gorto Zaga bellowing with furious clicks that we were not permitted to enter the town after sundown. For a moment I panicked in what we should do, however Master Tholme calmly made his way forwards after the blaster fire had settled down, and used subtle Force-manipulation techniques to make Zaga open the gates for us and allow us inside.
I was relieved, for the sky was already dark and I could feel my spine tingling uncomfortably, telling me that someone was watching us. Master Vos held out his hand to me in order to help me back onto my feet where I had dived behind a cluster of rocks, giving me an encouraging nod before we all entered the town together where Grahrk quickly showed us to his hiding place where we could at least find cover for the time being. "I sense danger is coming for us." I announced as I dusted my hands off from where they had become muddy from the ground.
"We are safe for the moment, young padawan. Take a moment to recover your strength." Master Tholme suggested to me kindly, and still keen to remain in our good graces, Grahrk hurried to pull up a chair for me and have me sit down, apologising that he had no food or beverages to offer me.
"It is quite alright, we are grateful that you brought us here, Mr Grahrk. I thank you for your hospitality." Having been raised to be polite and diplomatic to all I came into contact with, Grahrk immediately grinned at me.
"Please, call me Villie, little Jedi. All my friend's call me Villie." Smiling to him obligingly I assured him that I would from now on address him informally, introducing myself to him as Theca. Glancing towards Master Tholme, I received the impression that he wanted to talk to Master Vos alone, so I stood back up and turned to Villie.
"I am quite thirsty after all, Villie. Is there perhaps somewhere we can go to get a drink? Would you mind showing me the way? Only if it is no trouble to you." Continuing with my politeness, Villie seemed to like me all the more and became increasingly at ease with me as he quickly jumped up to tell me all about the Black Hole, a cantina where I was bound to find something to quench my thirst and assured me he'd be happy to show the way, so with a glance over my shoulder, I made eye contact with Master Tholme who nodded his head in a silent indication that he and Master Vos would join me soon.
Allowing Villie to lead the way, he began to tell me all about his exploits as a smuggler, primarily about the time he had helped to save Master Vos's life, as he probably felt it would keep him in my good graces and we were his only ticket off this planet, so he was being as charming and friendly as possible to ensure that we would not leave him behind. He insisted on buying my drink for me so I nursed it slowly, my mind thinking deeply about my troubles and concerns, most of them concerning Aayla. "Why the long face my friend? You look so sad." Villie said to me as he noticed my expression so I lifted my eyes from where they had been fixated on the bottom of my glass.
"The friend I am seeking, Aayla. She is here somewhere, and I worry that she is in trouble. I want to help her, but I do not yet know how." I admitted, deciding that it could not hurt to tell Villie this much at the very least.
"Ah I see, it is friend troubles getting you down. Do not be so down, I am sure you friend will be grateful you are searching for her. It seems to me she has many people caring for her, no? You and Quin together, she is a lucky little lady." Villie mused in an offhanded comment, however I reasoned that he was right. Aayla did have people that cared for her, and no matter what state I find her in, I was not going to give up on her. I made that promise, and I was going to keep it. This thought perked up my mood, and so I saluted my drink to Villie and drained it, feeling warmed and more refreshed than I had done before, much to his cheer. He was already on his second or third drink, but I refused anymore as I wanted to ensure that I could maintain a clear head should something happen, which I was certain would occur sometime soon. If my instincts were telling me this, then I was going to trust in them.
Soon after, Master Tholme and Vos arrived at the cantina, joining us at our booth where I immediately noticed that Master Vos was in low spirits. In fact, he seemed to be in pain, a deep mental agony which tore at him, though a single look from Master Tholme told me not to interfere. Villie was cheerfully babbling away, slightly tipsy from his drinks whilst we three remained quiet and observant. It was at that moment that I felt something in the Force akin to a cooling breeze which spread itself across me, urging me to look up and around to fixate my eyes on the figure of a blind Veknoid who had just entered from the kitchen, following a droid who was now serving a dish of food to Garto Zaga himself. "That is Master Zao." Master Tholme whispered to me quietly and I straightened even further. "He is a drifter, travelling the stars by the will of the Force in order to answer its directions. He has been off the grid for many years now."
"I did not know that some Jedi simply wandered through the galaxy like that." I murmured in reply, our voices low as not to be distinguished under the general hum of the cantina. With curiosity I watched and listened as Master Zao informed Zaga that the meal would taste according to how balanced a person's mental state was in relation to the Force. Zaga took no heed of the master's words, whereas I wanted nothing more than to taste that food for myself to discover what I would taste. I did not hold my breath expecting Zaga to enjoy his meal, I could tell from a single glance that he was not one balanced within the Force, and it expressed itself through Master Zoa's food as it tasted bitter and inedible to the town chief.
He upended the plate in his anger, making me watch sadly as the food hit the floor and I thought to myself then, what a waste. It was a true shame that some could not appreciate such a unique talent such as Master Zao's, I had never heard of such an ability before, but other than my fellow Jedi, it appeared no one else seemed to admire the master's ability. With an order to his men, Zaga had them open fire on Master Zao himself, however Master Tholme was already on his feet with Vos quick to follow his example. I too stood up and together, we leaped to Master Zao's defence who lifted his head in order to listen and sense us through the Force. "How unexpected. What, pray tell, brings so many of my brethren to such a place as this?" He questioned serenely, as if completely unaware that he was under fire.
Master Tholme was the one to explain to him as Vos and I focused on the guards, deflecting the blaster bolts but before our fight could grow too out of control, I had a sudden overwhelming wave of instinctual fear rush through me like a crashing sensation, making me hand shoot out to grasp hold of Master Vos as I stared with wide eyes at the main entrance of the cantina. "They are here." These words were the only warning I was able to give before the cantina was soon overrun with Anzati wildlings which erupted into total chaos.
Swinging myself around, I dove through the fray in order to grasp hold of Villie and haul him away from one of the Anzati, kicking them in the face with enough power to send her flying backwards and smack her head against the table where she dropped like a stone. "My saviour!" Villie cried out with relief as I helped him seize a blaster for himself so that he could at least defend his own life as the screams of the captured began to fill my ears. It was too much, my pulse racing as a sour, metallic taste filled my mouth and I began to freeze, unable to help but become trapped in my own head as the sounds of screaming filled amongst the snarls and gasps of death took me back to my own nightmares, lost in the confusion. I could not move, even with the danger all around me. I wanted to flee, to run for my life and escape from here, but even that function had seemingly shut down, so I could only stand there helplessly with my lightsaber thrumming at my side, perfectly still.
A shout over the noise came at me, but I hardly distinguished it as one of the Anzati turned and faced me, the writhing tendrils of their face waving ardently as they became fixated on my frozen figure. With a grin of glee, they launched themselves forwards and my instinct was to scream, but before I could even draw a breath to do so, the body was Force pushed away from me and tossed straight through a wall, causing me to jump and look towards Master Vos who still had his hand raised. "If you do not want to die, then fight for your life! Fight to survive!" His words kick started my senses once more, and as the next Anzati came for me, my limbs moved of their own accord.
With a single motion, my bright turquoise blades sliced the Anzati with such swiftness that they did not realise they had been cleaved in two until their upper body fell away from their lower, face dropping in shock before they fell in two pieces to the ground. Swallowing back my emotions, I sought to be free of all feelings and allowed my mind to become inconsequential to my movements, relying on my reflexes and trained skill to keep myself alive. The Anzati were capturing their prey with a sort of green webbing before dragging them away, feasting on the rest as they pleased. So focused on the Anzati, I almost missed the approaching presence of Aayla as I recognised her instinctively, head darting up to see her flying into the cantina in order to rush directly at her master, duelling him in a lightsaber battle.
She was alive, I was grateful for that, however I could feel and see that she had become twisted with the Dark Side as it had completely engulfed her, leaving nothing of the sweet, kind person that I had known before and left nothing but an unrecognisable figure which contained nothing but anger, rage and hatred. Still dealing with my own opponents, I witnessed Aayla dart for the rooftop with Vos swiftly following after her despite Master Tholme advising that he left her alone. On this occasion, I sided with Vos. After ensuring that Villie was alright, I too sprung across the cantina and followed both Aayla and Master Vos up onto the roof, nimbly swinging myself up and appearing just as Aayla swore that she would kill Master Vos for killing her uncle before she then smirked darkly. "But not yet." The breath caught in my throat, losing my voice momentarily before all at once, I cried out her name.
"Aayla!" Her eyes darted towards me and for a fraction of a moment, I saw a faint hint of recognition in her eyes. It was so fleeting that I thought it almost impossible, but I clung to that belief that even though she may not know my name or have any memory of me, she still recognised me somehow. Disengaging my lightsaber, I moved towards Aayla and reached out, intending to reason with her but her eyes then hardened and she hissed, baring her teeth at me in threat before she then turned away from me, from us both, and fled into the night on her bathwa, with numerous Anzati following her lead. I finally released the breath I had been unwittingly holding in.
My mind was overwrought with thoughts and feelings which bombarded the confinement of my skull until it was almost impossible to make sense of any of it, reaching up to grasp my head as I slowly brought myself out of my own contemplation to realise that Master Tholme and Vos were in a heated argument, Vos having accused Master Tholme and the Council of having known where Aayla had been all along and had sent him to retrieve her whilst keeping it a secret from him for so long. Irritated by their bickering, I turned and snapped at them both. "Enough! This is no time for arguments! We must track down Aayla and the Anzati before we lose their trail. If you masters have nothing better to do than squabble and argue, then I shall find Aayla myself." My tone shocked the both of them enough that their jaws dropped, staring at me just as Villie appeared with impeccable timing, along with four sky-cycles for us all to ride. At least someone around here had some sense. Dropping down to where Villie was anxiously waiting, I inclined my head to him in gratitude before swiftly mounting one of the sky-cycles and with a twist on the throttle, set off at speed to follow the bathwas.
Their great rippling shapes were still yet in sight, so I used my macro-binoculars to keep a track of them, following the direction they were escaping to. Behind me I could hear the other sky-cycles roaring, signalling that as well as Master Zao, Master Tholme and Master Vos had elected to put their disagreements aside for the time being in order to focus on the mission at hand, and with the knowledge that we were all finally on the same wavelength, I accelerated further in order to try and reach Aayla sooner, wanting nothing more than to face her once more and bring her back to the light.