Chapter 16: This is the Way

Light-filled the night as the storm threw itself against the mountain range. Thunder shook the stone and steel walls of the enclave muted only but the sheets of rain lashing the structure. With each arc of lightning, the pitch blackness was turned bright if only for a moment. A brief illumination that scattered shadows, filling the tumultuous world with otherworldly hope that the night would soon turn today.

It wasn't the storm, that roused Gaegan from his slumber. He'd grown up listening to such weather. High in his family's dwelling, the young boy had listened with awe at the ferocity and raw power of the weather. As a youth, the novelty had long since faded. Now the thunderheads barely registered as little more than white noise.

Gaegan wasn't sure what had brought him to full alertness. It wasn't the creak of a bed frame or the rustle of fabric. Nor was it the padding of footsteps faint with distance. No, it had been the careless whisper carried by a lull in the storm system. A quiet murmuring of, "I'm sorry." The young man's eyes flew open, he had been fortunate to have been laying on his side facing the door to the lodge. A flash of lightning had revealed a figure standing in the doorway. In an instant after the thunder cracked, the figure was gone.

Sitting up Gaegan looked around. He'd seen only one figure but noted two of the beds were empty. His interest and annoyance were piqued when he realized they belonged to both Jilo and Jarek.

Ever since they'd arrived at the fortress above Kart'a'Buir, the pair had grown close. They often stole away to enjoy one another s company when they thought no one was looking. But Gaegan saw. It disgusted him that anyone would have anything to the do with the Dar'Manda. Jilo was an exceptional warrior and hunter; a true Mandalorian. And she was beautiful. She would make someone a fine wife. It had gulled him that the Outcast would presume so much and yet Jilo had reciprocated.

Gaegan was not jealous of the Outcast. Anyone would make a better match to the young woman than Jarek. It disturbed him to see a smart Mando like Jilo was drawn to a... thing...like the Dar'Manda. But there was little he could do. The Outcast had Ja'Halir's favor and there were no rules prohibiting fraternization between students just as long as it didn't interfere with the rites. Like it as not, Jarek would become a member of the clan after the Verd'Goten and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

He'd only ever been partially successful at staying ahead of the whelp in the trials – his mind flashed to the moment when despite the pain Jarek had risen to Ja'Halir's challenge – but even in defeat, the chakaar won.

Rising, the young man hurried to the door. He wasn't sure why the pair had decided on a late-night rendezvous. Gaegan didn't even know what he'd do when he caught up to them, but in his anger, he didn't care.

Out in the night, Gaegan spotted two figures rushing through the rain towards the garden. Their silhouettes were but dark blue smudges against the night. Lightning cracked and he got a good glimpse. Jilo's long dark hair was instantly recognizable as it whipped about. She was in the lead and running like her life depended on it. The young woman moved swiftly from cover to cover, avoiding the open areas of the courtyard. Jarek followed at a sprint, desperate to catch her. Odd. What were they up too?

Bracing himself Gaegan entered the storm. Almost instantly his bedclothes were soaked through. He ignored the chill that penetrated all the way to his bones and pressed onward. Lightning flashed again and he spotted Jarek disappearing into the hydroponic gardens. He couldn't see Jilo which meant she must already be inside.

Raindrops stung like knives and he hurried through the storm to catch up. Avoiding the main entrance, he made his way swiftly around the side. Coming to an opening he peeked through the various vegetable and fruit plants and spotted the young couple.

Gaegan didn't know what to expect. Some perverse part of his mind suspected certain things, and he looked forward to interrupting them. He was surprised to find them talking...no... arguing. They were pleading with one another. Through the storm, he just barely made out the words. The argument lasted only a matter of minutes, but in that time the emotional weight of it rivaled the ferocity of the weather.

By the end what he bore witness to shocked him to his core. So much so that he no longer felt the sting of the rain nor the buffeting fists of the wind. He found himself rushing back into the enclave. His mind swirling with implications. Feet carried him without thought or aid, leading the young man to the private quarters of the cadre. By the time Gaegan's thoughts caught up with him his fist was already pounding on the partition. The senior warriors demanded to know what he wanted at such a late hour. The young man barely heard their derogatory comments. Like the thunder, it was like white noise. They became silent and still when the words fell from his lips.

"Jilo...betrays us..."

Screams split the early morning. Frantic defiant screams that reverberated through the compound and into the sleeping quarters. Jarek shot from his pallet sprinting to the hatchway dreading on what he would witness. The other youths crowded around to bear witness as well.

Outside a group of fully armored warriors were marching into the wet courtyard littered with debris from the storm. They were all soaked from the rain and several were coated in bits of nature as if they'd been flying through dense forest. A pair of warriors hauled an unarmored figure bound hand and foot. She was the source of the screaming.

"Jilo," he gasped. The young woman was giving a good account of herself, kicking out at her captures, and doing her best to wrench herself free. Many warriors on the periphery were chuckling and jeering but those that had captured the wily young woman were not laughing. The capture of the traitor had been more challenging than expected.

Orders were issued and the youths were herded out into the courtyard. Jilo was dragged to a pole set into the stone. She only stopped struggling when her arms and legs were secured to the post. Expressions in the group ranged from shock to anger. Only defiant desperation coated Jilo's face.

Any idle chatter faded when Ja'halir stepped forward. He was also in full kit but was to clean to have participated in the hunt. His grave expression was more than enough to set everyone on edge. When he finally spoke, his voice was filled with a combination of disappointment and barely leashed rage. "Strength is Life."

"For only the strong have the right to rule," The warriors finished as a single voice.

"Honor is life," the senior warrior intoned looking expectantly out at the crowd.

"For without honor, one might as well be dead." The youths all said in a ragged chorus, unsure yet fearful of what was to come.

"Loyalty is life," he said his voice trailing off.

"For without one's clan, one has no purpose," the entire assembly stated, even Jarek though his heart wasn't in it. Cold trepidation was tempering his enthusiasm.

"We have been betrayed," he rasped looking out at the youths, "Our sister has betrayed us. Choosing to flee in the night rather than face her obligations." A cold pit opened in the bottom of Jarek's stomach. "It is a dishonor that can only be cleansed by blood." Jilo caught his eye. He could see the desperation but no regret, and total resolution. Some part of him wanted to help her, but his father's desire stayed his feet. He suddenly felt unclean and his eyes stung but he never looked away from the young woman.

Ja'Halir approached the line of warriors. At a gesture one of the Mandalorians stepped forward and removed his buy'ce. It was Gaegan. "Loyalty is life," Ja'halir stated, "For, without one's clan, one has no purpose."

Alarm rippled through Jarek when he realized that the young man must've overheard them in the garden and reported Jilo to the cadre. Which meant he had heard him as well. But then why was Jarek standing in the crowd and not trussed up next to Jilo?

Rather than look proud or excited at proving himself worthy, Gaegan looked slightly ill. It was as if his duty was at war with his emotions. Yet he took the offered beskad and stepped up to the pole. The young woman didn't even look at him, even as he placed the point of the blade to her heart. She began to quake but didn't allow her focus to waver in the face of fear. Jilo only had eyes for Jarek.

"Death is life," Ja'halir declared.

"One should die as they have lived." This time the reply was less unified. Sensing what was to come the youth's voices stumbled while the warrior's remained strong. Jarek was silent. Anxiety coursed through him as he so desperately wanted to look away yet unable to do so. The softest and saddest of smiles dawned on Jilo's face. Tears streaked down her cheeks.

There was no scream when Gaegan rammed the blade home. Jilo's body jerked once as it clung desperately to life. Even as she struggled to breathe her eyes never left his. It was as if they pleaded with him to take the pain away while also begging for forgiveness. Jarek could do neither.

As her chin sank to her chest Gaegan looked from Jilo directly at Jarek. The young man stared with cold hatred at Jarek, and the young man returned it in kind.