Chapter 51
It has been some time since Siri and Bant left the Order, but no matter the time that passed, the feeling is shattering for both of them. Siri still cannot know where to go outside of the Jedi Temple where she has been living her whole life. Everything within her, the urge to return to the Temple, and offer apologies to the Masters while awaiting any punishment they have planned for her, is strongly tempting.
Nearly overwhelmingly so.
Siri reaches out to the Force, to the connection that she once had vividly with Obi-Wan, and she is met with a beautiful world, one that she cannot recognize but swears is familiar.
She tries to press deeper, but when is incapable of doing so, she pulls back.
"Still trying to find him?" Bant asks, and there is a strange tightness in her voice that Siri didn't think would ever be present in the Mon Calmarian.
"I - yes," Siri replies, knowing that the Jedi would sense a deception.
"Oh, Siri, I do hope this is all worth it, that I didn't forsaken the Jedi for no reason," Bant says sharply, surprising Siri at her coldness.
"Bant, why are you acting like -"
"Well, forgive me, but I have turned my back to my home! All my friends I had back in the Temple would consider me as an enemy and it's because I broke you out!" Bant snaps, knocking all air out of Siri's lungs. She had thought the Mon Calmarian has done it without hesitation, that she didn't feel much about betraying the Order for her old friends.
Yet, she cannot fault the Mon Calmarian. Their Order might as well try to capture them at least and kill them at most but hopefully there would be a chance for Siri to save them all. There has to be a way!
"You might as well have fallen to the dark side," Bant murmurs underneath her breath, though loud enough for the blonde Jedi to hear.
"Bant, h-how can you say that? I would never turn to the dark side. I may not agree with the Order about how they handled Obi-Wan but I would never turn my back on the Jedi's morals as a whole nor consider them an enemy that should be hunted down! You know me!" Siri yells, finding herself feeling an unexpected emotion that has been warned out of her countless times by the members of the Council. Absolute frustration.
Bant scoffs. "Siri, your betrayal was random, and yet I trusted you. However, that doesn't mean without suspicion. Why didn't you ask more questions?"
"Don't you think I kriffing tried?!" Siri growls, tired of her cold attitude. "I asked the Council questions and they imprisoned me for it! I fallen out of line and they considered me an enemy!"
And besides you didn't have to bail me out. The words are not said but the implications are clear.
"The Council-" Bant's eyes go wide as she begins to speak, stammering over her words for the next few seconds. "Y-you... I..." She couldn't find the proper response before she is forced to admit it with a long sigh. "I guess you are right about the Council having lost their sight and that impacting the entire Order. But what would you do if your opinion about Obi-Wan is wrong and... he tries to kill us?"
Siri stares down, unable to respond. Would she be able to live with herself if she ran her lightsaber through the chest of someone who has sparred and trained for hours? Would she be able to sleep at night knowing that she had killed her friend? Would she always regret this?
"I would deal with him," Siri simply retorts, her tone brooding no argument, but saying nothing more.
Bant frowns at that simplistic answer but chooses not to press, giving Siri the time she needs to meditate.
They are out here with no coordinates. However, if she depends on the Force, Siri is sure that they would be able to find her old friend! At last, she can get the answers that she needed for almost a decade now!
Siri wonders how much changed about her old friend. When she arrives, would she see nothing but a mad Sith making disgusting rambles? Not different than those elderly Sith in a village having knowledge of those of the past and the dark side. The dark side is seductive and cannot be resisted no matter what but maybe Obi-Wan had managed to pull away.
If he didn't...
No, if he didn't, Siri would do well to put him out of his misery. Obi-Wan didn't deserve suffering, knowing that he has committed horrible deeds, and unleashed his wrath on those of the weak.
"Help me find him," Siri says, still incapable of pinpointing his location. "Help me find where Obi-Wan is. Help me as you did when you left the Temple."
Bant nods before closing her eyes and reaching out to the Force, her mind going far and wide. Unlike Siri, she severed that bond with Obi-Wan, likely due to being the most obedient one out of them to the Code, and not having as close of a friendship as Siri did with the man before his departure.
After a few seconds, Siri places her hand on her back, increasing her senses far and wide. Together, with her friend, they manage to find something; they see Obi-Wan Kenobi standing alongside his companions. The one they know as Vader, proving that he didn't overthrow his Master if he did indeed become a monster. The other one known as Qui-Gon Jinn, seeming older than when they last seen him. And the final one being someone who they didn't recognize but can feel the connection between Jinn and her, even now.
That isn't enough though - Siri has to track Obi-Wan down, adding more of her assistance. This is definitely exhausting as tracking one with a Force Bond that has been closed off for so long is too grating for those involved.
Bant's moment of disapproval at realizing Siri disobeyed the Council and didn't cut off that Force Bond with Obi-Wan completely evaporates, also adding more of her own sensitivity. There is no wonder why the Council heavily forbidden this sort of thing.
But at last Siri and Bant finds an answer, one that they didn't suspect, but it's something...
'Tython,' the Force screams at them, residing in their heads, repeating every so often.
Siri finally pulls back, breathing heavily, and she senses Bant recoils, shocked as well. Why in the name of the Force would Obi-Wan go somewhere so strong in the light side of the Force if he is indeed a Sith? Let alone, why would he go to the ancient home of the Jedi? Perhaps to investigate and see if they can find anything that have been collected but it is still surprising.
There are many ancient relics in the galaxy that have yet been tracked down by the Jedi to be examined but they are going to the very place where the Jedi had lost so much in a time of peril but as well was a place of hope.
"Set course to Tython," Siri commands softly.
Out of all the places Obi-Wan expected for Vader to go Tython is the least. They should be continuing to search for Anakin relentlessly, going to the edge of the galaxy, and obviously the man agrees, but Shmi having another contraction forced them to go to a base where they can call home.
Vader seems to know precisely what to do, how to calm her pain successfully, while Qui-Gon is stalking around worriedly like a blind bantha. Given his student in another lifetime had children, the man of course knows what he have to do.
Obi-Wan feels a disturbance in the Force, a familiar presence that he haven't felt for a long time. Two in fact, strongly active and powerful. The Force is leading him to something but he doesn't know what.
Their presences caused Obi-Wan to leave and to think for a while, wondering if Vader has felt it. Given the man's perception, it is likely that he did, but he is currently focused on his mother.
It is understandable.
Shmi is the pregnant one among them and she needs the most attention possible.
Obi-Wan still can't believe that Qui-Gon would break the code that far. Their loyalties were formerly something that Obi-Wan believed a lot, and away from the restrictions of the Order, he allowed himself to feel a lot more. He had emotions that he kept buried within him but now he doesn't have to deal with that Jedi's kriffing shit anymore.
Obi-Wan has allowed himself to feel normal human emotions. Qui-Gon is the closest man to his father and always had been since the very moment he accepted him as a Padawan. He embraced that attachment two years after he left the Jedi Order and their bond have been stronger since, becoming more of fatherly and son bond and less of Master and Apprentice.
How can Vader try to save the one who he cares about? How can the man who he cut down before and left to burn alive be willing to grant him happiness? A lesser man would have wanted revenge, would have wanted to repay him with similar treatment, and he would have wanted to get rid of him immediately.
But in every conversation he had ever have with Vader, the man clearly gotten over it. He accepted that it happened and is capable of moving on. Yet, why can't Obi-Wan?
Why does Obi-Wan feel such anger towards another version of himself? Why does he want to travel to that very day and maim another version of himself for what he did to the man who was like his son? Why did Obi-Wan want so much vengeance against someone who he can never get?
Obi-Wan could never do something like that to his friend. If Obi-Wan had turned, would Qui-Gon have been willing to cut him down like that? No, Qui-Gon would have given him mercy and ended his suffering before it truly began instead of allowing him to live the remaining years of his existence in misery.
In Vader's position, Obi-Wan wouldn't have been able to forgive his Master for cutting off his limbs and leaving him to burn alive. Yes, it is argued that Vader didn't necessarily forgive Obi-Wan until long after the death of his other version, but Obi-Wan wouldn't definitely want to work with the younger version of Qui-Gon who seriously injured him.
Even now, Obi-Wan still wants to hurt Master Windu. He wants to do the same thing that the Korun Master did to him. He wants to make him bleed. He wants to crack his forehead. He wants to torture that man until he breaks before at last allowing him to die.
Vader isn't like that though. He no longer seeks revenge and instead wants redemption. Vader wants to give him a chance, and Obi-Wan can tell that he trusts him with his life, despite the things that he done to him beforehand.
He has every instinct within him to reach forward but he cannot wrap a hand around his stomach at the sudden weight.
Obi-Wan's hand travels to his lightsaber hilt, his back still turned to the two females behind him.
Now he recognizes the presences in the forms of a blonde young woman nearly his age and the orange Mon Calmarian. They are strong in the light side of the Force, all in all Jedi to the heart, and their intentions are unknown.
They are absolutely not visions of the past, memories of those that came before in his years under servitude of the Jedi Order, nor his mind playing games with him.
"Siri, Bant," Obi-Wan says, not even turning around to face them. "Why are you here?"
"The Force led us here, my old friend," Siri replies cautiously.
The response is genuine but it makes Obi-Wan wonder why the Force would lead two of his friends to him.
"And we want answers; what made you betrayed the Jedi?"
That stings a lot. Obi-Wan never heard Siri speaking in such a tone, but it is deeper than that. He remembers the moment when he saw Qui-Gon being run through, now knowing that is a burden that another version of himself had to faced unfortunately. Vader may have taken advantage of his negative emotions and birth the darkness within him but it gave him a chance to have a more freedom use of the Force.
"Siri, the Jedi turned their back on me," Obi-Wan responds calmly, in truth not wanting to bring harm to those who have been his friend in his younger years, but he cannot allow his feelings to them to cloud his reality. "Vader shown me a different side of the Force, some considered to be unnatural."
"You trust a man who just appeared in the galaxy over those who have been raised alongside you?" Bant chimes in seriously, her stern expression in truth making her look a lot more scarier.
"You don't know Vader," Obi-Wan replies, feeling overprotective of Vader even now. "He saved me and my Master. The Jedi taught us to wipe out those of the Sith, but the dark side he used have never been utilized against another. Please, my old friends, stand down and allow me to explain."
"Explain them," Siri snaps, her emotions coming out full force. Obi-Wan knows that him leaving the Order really damaged her but he didn't suspect it would have this far. "Damn it, Obi-Wan, you were my best friend! What made you just leave the Order?! I felt it and I saw it fit to report you to the Jedi Council!"
Obi-Wan closes his eyes, the dark urges from within his friend coming out. He doesn't trust her as much as he should, knowing that she is the one who abandoned him first, and wasn't definitely the last.
"Siri, easy," Bant advises, her large hand falling onto the shorter woman's shoulder.
Siri breathes, and after several moments, she manages to calm herself down successfully. "Please tell me, Obi-Wan. I have been willing to go against the Jedi Order for you, and for the friendship we once shared, I want to help you."
"I don't need your help, Siri," Obi-Wan responds, finding his heart slowly shattering into pieces. It has always led back to his cursed woman. She had always been someone who Obi-Wan felt deeper for, and even though she betrayed him in a mere instant, Obi-Wan would never truly be able to hate her.
He feels her honest desire to help, and it soils something within him. Obi-Wan had plenty of affectionate feeling surrounding Qui-Gon, Anakin, Shmi, and even Vader. They all mean something to Obi-Wan; Qui-Gon's his father, Shmi's his mother, Anakin and Vader's his brothers.
No matter of their role to him, Obi-Wan would protect them with his life. He would die instead of allowing anyone to ever hurt them. If a single hair on any of their heads is harmed, Obi-Wan Kenobi would haunt down those responsible.
But Obi-Wan's feelings towards them is different than his feelings towards Siri. He feels something that wants to run her through and also lean in at the same time. He wants to wrap his arms around her, give into feelings within that wants to-
No, she is his old friend who Obi-Wan would never force himself upon. Qui-Gon and Shmi's relationship is something special, yet now that he envisions them, Obi-Wan can see himself and Siri. He can see her chuckle, can see her clashing lips against him, can see nothing but only them.
Once, it may have disgusted him, may have been something that Obi-Wan could never fathom, but now Obi-Wan wants to have her. Maybe he can destroy her Jedi beliefs and give her something new so that foundation of a relationship can be started. It is a selfish thought for sure but it is something that Obi-Wan finds so tempting.
Instead of Obi-Wan reaching for his weapon, he takes his hand off and points a hand towards Bant. "Bant, I'm sorry, but you would not get in my way."
The Mon Calmarian is thrown backwards into a tree, hitting her head harshly, as she collapses onto the ground in a heap.
Obi-Wan cannot live with himself if he killed Bant. She is someone who have been his friend throughout his younger years, and although they are very close, they are not as close as Obi-Wan and Siri are. In truth, if placed with a decision of having to save one or another, he would choose Siri in a heartbeat.
Hopefully, there would come a time where Obi-Wan never have to make such a decision.
"Last chance, Siri, please don't make me do this," Obi-Wan says, a bursting plasma of orange coming to life. "I don't want to have to do conflict with you of all people."
"I cannot stand idly by without receiving the answers I need," Siri responds.
"The answers you would seek would be found if you stand down and join me, Siri," Obi-Wan snaps, a throb of hurt coming down their bond that have never been separated. He is surprised Siri didn't snap the Force Bond between them. She merely hidden it, burying it against her better instincts, instead of allowing the Council to severed their attachments.
"Only Sith deal in absolutes," Siri replies, her blue lightsaber coming out, though Obi-Wan would admit that it honestly doesn't suit her. "I would do what I must."
"The term, "only Sith deal in absolutes", is an absolute, Siri," Obi-Wan cannot help but lecture. He cannot ever imagine himself to be this perfect of a Jedi. "It's patently not true as it also precludes the possibility of anyone other than a Sith in the entire universe dealing in absolutes."
Siri smirks. "Still teaching knowledge, I see, old friend. Shame it has to end like this."
Obi-Wan waits for Siri's attack, cutting upwards, just in time to deflect the mad blue blade arching towards him. Siri spills volleys of barrages against him, pressing forward every so often, and Obi-Wan merely deflects all of them within mere seconds, not giving it his all.
After around thirty seconds of mad swings and slashes of their lightsabers, Obi-Wan headbutts Siri, causing her to fall back, her hand falling over her eyes. That is a brief moment where Obi-Wan lost control and luckily the temptation of impaling her dies quickly, his moment of adjusting colliding with her blade instead of her heart.
Siri takes the blunt of the attack, keeping her former friend at bay with all of the swings and stabs directed at him. Most notably, she performs better as a offensive user than defense, so he decides to use that, switching from Soresu to Makashi, his blade marking non-vital areas of her body.
Siri evades to the right before sending a kick towards Obi-Wan which stuns him for a brief moment, allowing Siri to wave her hands forward towards her former friend, causing him to fly backwards. The more the oceans of waves comes towards him, Obi-Wan raises a hand, shrugging alongside the waves, before aiming that said hand to send lightning towards Siri.
Siri, not expecting this, is forced into the air, her lightsaber deactivating and dropping onto the ground. To think, something dark and sadistic enjoys her being tortured like that even for a brief second, before common sense returns and he allows her to drop onto the ground.
"Stand down. If I wanted it, you would be dead already." Obi-Wan proclaims. Can't she understand what the benefits would be if she just gave up?!
Obi-Wan walk up towards her, unsure of what he should do. When he hears something coming at him behind him, he jumps into the air, as the lightsaber comes flying back into Siri's outstretched hand.
Taking a moment to push herself up, Siri dashes forward now more irritated as she gives into the Force. The Force, however, is with him as he is a companion of the Chosen One, and that loyalty alone would be something that Obi-Wan would be able to use to emerge triumphant in this battle. Every strike that Siri offers him, Obi-Wan deflects in a split second.
And then, the next is for Obi-Wan to attack yet again. Siri is surprised at the orange blur charging towards her, each daggers of the strikes targeting towards her being batted aside with great amount of difficulty. His form is blended between Ataru and Makashi, every strike not being denied to him but instead of being refused by him, his lightsaber switching hands within seconds.
Obi-Wan and Siri both lock lightsabers again, before the latter looks over to a tree, and pulls it down towards them. Both leaps back, the debris clouding them for a brief moment.
Siri launches on top of the tree, and Obi-Wan follows suit, sending more strikes after strikes against Siri which she barely can keep up. Agility is not an option in this battle. Siri has to depend on years of training from Master Gallia and allows the Force to fuel through her. That is the only way to beat this man.
Before, they were fairly equals, but now Obi-Wan has outclassed her, proving the Jedi right that Vader have taught him well. Imagining the literal god in front of her unleashing that sort of power on the Temple is strongly concerning. Vader clearly has plans for Obi-Wan, none of them moral no doubt.
Siri pulls her lightsaber back after a few hacks, her blue lightsaber feeling tight in her hand. She notices Obi-Wan isn't trying to kill her.
She rushes forward towards her former friend and spins her lightsaber around herself in an attempt to land a blow. Obi-Wan deflects and pushes her away, causing her to stagger.
"You attacked me. I'm trying to stop this. Don't make me hurt you."
Siri waves an hand and sends a Force Push towards her old friend which he simply waves off.
Obi-Wan walks up, and Siri throws herself at him. Their lightsaber clash with great intent.
"Your lightsaber," Obi-Wan says with an ounce of flatness. "What happened to it?"
Siri scowls. "Something."
Obi-Wan regards her with tiredness as Siri tries to push his blade back. "Did you lose your lightsaber in your quarters again?"
Siri roll her eyes. Of course he would lecture her through their lightsaber duel. She guesses time doesn't change everything. "We have been through this. I was rushing to talk to the Council."
Obi-Wan seems almost impressed when Siri chops at him furiously, her power increasing every time, but he manages to keep up with her speed. The knowledge of what he have learned from Vader and Dooku along with Qui-Gon made him someone who to be feared, a power source to be reckoned with, a near unstoppable threat to be reckoned. He puts Darth Zannah and the Sith behind her to shame in his maneuvers of Soresu.
The Force screams a warning to him, causing Obi-Wan to swipe at the air where a lightsaber is twirling towards his back, before quickly diverging his attention towards Siri who has been charging forward. Now that Bant has recovered, this makes Obi-Wan's life a lot more difficult.
Bant comes towards him less aggressively than Siri but still providing slight challenges for Obi-Wan as he has to desperately parry all of Siri's strikes while making sure Bant can't get one too close that might wound him badly.
Kicking Siri back, Obi-Wan and Bant enter a fierce clashing of lightsabers, and this time the former is less reserved, knowing that she has more experience and would be the greater challenge between her and Siri due to her healer path hardening her strengths. The Mon Calmarian's assaults are straight and powerful, a swoosh of his lightsaber arching towards the lightsaber, fending every single one of them off.
"I should have known that you have turned against everyone! Coming after you without expecting a confrontation was pure stupidity on our part!" Bant exclaims, throwing her full barrage of assaults toward Kenobi. He merely twist his lightsaber left and right, parrying the assaults before swiping his blade in the air, and catching some of her shin. The wound is not mortal but it does piss the Jedi off.
Obi-Wan tips his head towards Siri and pierces past her defensives, all the while still fending Bant off. He can see the moment the Council declared her to be a possible threat, the moment they handcuffed her, the moment they locked her away, and the moment that they were willing to kill her because she was asking questions. It all fuels him like Vader have taught him, bringing in a burst of power that he uses to drive Bant back.
When she is driven back, Obi-Wan points his lightsaber to his side, surprised when she didn't make a move.
"The Jedi will believe you truly lost but there must be a way to stop this senseless violence." Bant says, breathing deep. "But we all missed you. We fought for you to come back. What has Vader promised you? I can help you."
"I don't need help, Bant," Obi-Wan snaps back, his previously deadpan and cold features becoming harsh and vicious. "I made the choice to side with Vader that day when I saw the Council willing to place me under arrest! You know the pain! You know what it is like because they did the same to Siri!"
Now, neither is sure who moved first, but the orange and purple sabers clashes in a flurry of sparks, the blades echoing from the contact, the Force surging around both of the duelists, the ally of Vader centered perfectly and his former friend seeming to be lost. Bant is fast, faster than many would have anticipated, especially for her big weight, and he slips back into the easy soothing swipes of his defensive style, allowing the Jedi to rain strikes against the orange blade in his hand.
Like this is more than a dance then anything else, Obi-Wan attacks gracefully, retreating as the Jedi presses a furious assault, slipping between them whenever the moment arise, his endless strikes intercepting them before their strikes can even land.
Kenobi twirls, stabbing up, and the Jedi easily blocks it, but has to move swiftly to bring the blade up to block the vicious upward strike, his arms shaking under the strain as the blades locks. Obi-Wan is faster and stronger than the Jedi, and the hard offense is beginning to take its toll on both duelists.
"I see you haven't changed," Obi-Wan says, smiling devilishly at this display as they have always worked good together. He is genuinely enjoying this moment when it feels like another days of endless spurring. "Time is short and all good things have to come to an end. I'm begging you, for the friendship we once shared, please come with us."
Siri swing her saber around his head, the blue plasma leaving an arching trail in the air as it slashes down at the former friend, but the golden-eyed man dodged under the blade, the weapon narrowly missing the man's neck. Obi-Wan merely hold his hand out, and Bant suddenly finds herself lifted into the air, a crushing grip on her throat, and the Jedi drops her lightsaber as she claws at the intangible hands of the Force.
Obi-Wan is feeling a strong temptation to snap her neck. There, the dark side rings it's ugly nose, wanting him to kill his once friend, and what's scary is that he once would have. He had wanted to kill all the Jedi until he satisfied himself with vengeance after what happened to him on Tatooine; yet now that he is calmer, having more control, and is able to sustain his patience, Obi-Wan ignores that voice in his head.
Releasing his hold over Bant, Obi-Wan watches as she collapses onto the ground, breathing heavily. Sweat goes down his face, knowing that he has drawn so closer to the dark side and hating it. More now than ever, he wants to go back to what he was like as a Jedi Padawan, but-
Siri sends a powerful strike behind him. Only was he able to sidestep the attack but not long as the blonde Jedi stabs her blade through his gloved arm. Obi-Wan grunts at the impact, sending a Force Wave which sends her back, before grabbing his arm, and causing Siri to hesitate. What is going on?
Obi-Wan drops onto the ground for a moment. While lightsaber blows are bad, there seems to be smoke emitting from his arm. He breathes for a few seconds before his eyes pierce deep in her soul, crushing betrayal ringing through the Force.
Obi-Wan leaps up in an unexpected volley of attacks, bringing up his blade to clash against Siri. All of the slashes are without end. Kenobi seems to take the last strike very personally, shrugging aside the fact that his arm is literally smoking as he rains strikes after strikes down upon her every single second.
A fierce kick to her gut causes her to place her hand there as she is send flying backwards.
"Stand down, Siri."
"No, you are a traitor, and to think I went against the Council and believed that you were not!" Siri shouts, cleaving away at him in all directions, only to be deflected.
"You should listen to Obi-Wan and stop this," the voice of Vader interjects behind them, causing Siri to stare up at him but giving Obi-Wan the chance to disarm her at long last. "You bringing senseless conflict here is not only unnecessary but proof that the Jedi have fallen from grace."
Obi-Wan knows that Vader would never kill Siri. He knows how much she means to him, and that begs the question. What happened to Siri in the other timeline where Vader lived?
'A good question for another time.' Vader's voice responds in the back of his head.
"You turned him against me!" A disgruntled Siri shouts, her feelings coming out unlike normal Jedi; absolute despair and hatred for the one who took Obi-Wan from her. "His loyalty was meant for the Order!"
"His loyalty belongs to himself. He is not a slave of the Council." Vader replies coldly, seeming to be overprotective of Obi-Wan, signifying the man who he truly is. "You don't have to be one either. Stand down. This conflict does not need to increase."
Obi-Wan outstretch a hand towards the blonde female. For a second, it seems like that she have relented, and they can finally talk reasonably.
That hope dies just as swiftly.
A loud rumble vibrates throughout the world around them, and Obi-Wan feels the floor beneath them both transfer violently. Glancing down, Obi-Wan notices numerous cracks around his feet, likely provoked by a mixture of a fierce battle and the fact that Tython is of the past. This is reality.
Obi-Wan is barely able to jump back in time before the cracks finally snaps and split further, becoming a full gap of blackness underneath, prepared to consume those above.
And with it, Siri.
Instincts fuels through him. Despite all that ever happened to him, Obi-Wan extends his hand out and manipulates the Force, grasping hold of Siri as she begins to fall.
Fortunate for him, it is enough to save her. Siri ceases falling, levitated in the air above the darkness below as the rubble fall, disappearing into blackness, appearing to be bottomless.
"Hold on, my old friend! I've got you!" Obi-Wan shouts as he manipulates the Force, not willing to let her fall. Siri has always been a close friend of his and he wouldn't lose her! There is still a chance to fix this!
Closing his eyes, Obi-Wan is feeling his teeth grinding against one another. Blast it, why is this so karking difficult?! Levitation of the Force shouldn't be!
"Obi-Wan."
"Hold on!"
"Obi-Wan... I am glad to have found you again."
"No," Obi-Wan murmurs, his eyes still fixated on her with determination. "I wouldn't lose you!"
"The way of the Jedi is to let go!" Siri replies, her loud tone even and accepting, as if she expected to die here. Couldn't she see that Obi-Wan is trying to save her! If only this blasted Force power through him can save her!
Obi-Wan realizes in that second that it isn't the Force stopping him from easily saving Siri. It is the woman herself. Siri too is manipulating the Force as she floats in the air, but to block and hinder Obi-Wan, to stop his attempts to move her with the Force.
"Siri? Why?" Obi-Wan please, trying to understand.
And Siri closes her eyes as she speaks again. "The Jedi Order lost faith in me. I have nothing."
It all occurs so quickly. One second, Obi-Wan is keeping Siri in the air, safe and secured, seeming to bring her to freedom. The next moment, Siri releases a Force Blast which sends Obi-Wan flying back, breaking his connection to the Force instantly afterwards, hand still extended to his direction.
"Siri!" Obi-Wan shouts, trying to reach out to the Force for her yet again.
She comes to a stop, Vader's outstretched hand aiming towards her direction.
"No, Siri Tachi, there is still a way to fix this," Vader says, bringing her up to Obi-Wan's arms and allowing him to wrap his arms around her. Surprisingly, she didn't pull away as she looks down with shame about what she was willing to do. "Obi-Wan is in love with you. Accept it. You don't have to be a Jedi to keep people safe. Just us, Siri, join our collective."
Obi-Wan grimaces, his arms around her petite form sending a source of warmth down his spine. Vader stares on, not casting judgement as the members of the Jedi Council would have. "I hid it for so long... I am in love with you, Siri, and I would do anything for you."
"Obi-Wan, I-" Siri responds, and she still can't say anything. Vader can tell she shares these feelings but she is terrified to acknowledge them, having years of Jedi's trainings in terms of being emotionless and keeping them buried from within, out of the Jedi's borderline fear of them facing the complications of fallen warriors.
Siri still cannot say anything. She collapses back onto the ground and loses her breath.
Siri's eyes slowly flicker from darkness. Her eyelids are heavy as agony suddenly arches every inch of her body. She moans as she attempts to lift a simple finger, pain shooting across her entire body. Slowly her eyes regain their vision, finding herself on the ground, resting with a blacket on top of her.
"What...happened?" Siri whispers to herself. As she places a hand over her head, her head spun, as if it is split or maimed in a way yet all traces of such an injury were not discovered. The former Jedi tries to push herself to her feet only to stumble with pain. With all her willpower she almost successfully remove the blanket.
Her knees are met with the soft texture of grass and dirt. Her fingers kneaded within the fine stems of the long, green blades. She looks up and observes her surroundings. The plains are familiar to her, all too familiar. As she has never been on this planet before, Siri has to admit that part of her is fearful.
"Tython…" Siri rubs her head once more and stands up wearily. Instinctively, her right hand reaches out for her hip only to discover that her lightsaber is missing. It is then her senses heightened; she ignores all the pain, which resonates within her legs as she recalls the events prior to her landing on Tython.
"Vader…" She moans. Her head pivots around to observe the empty plains; there is no sight of the hooded figure. The battle which ensued hours ago that Siri Tachi almost lost her very soul. Everything is recollected until what happened that led her to after that was a blur, the last thing she remembered was the sudden eruption of her forehead apparently, causing her to lose balance and collide against the tough ground – her saber escaping the clutches of her fingers. Now was not the time to wonder about the fate of Vader, the more lingering question was how she ended up with a soothing blanket and the most important question was what to do from here?
Slowly, Siri reaches out to the Force, not that it is much help in her current situation – but follows her instinct and a current which radiates in the air. It is almost as if she is drawn to a certain direction she was meant to walk. Nonetheless, there is nothing else she could do. Siri turns to the drawing direction which comes around her. Knowing that she has to find some answers instead of remaining here, Siri steps forward to the plains of Tython.
On Tython's peaceful, green plains – the sun is steadily being swallowed by the ocean and disappearing into the horizon. The orange, dusk sky is the only way Siri can see the path in front of her. Well, if a 'path' was referring to an empty plain where her legs are obscured up to her knees in thick grass.
She grows hungry and starts to tire. Siri had heard tales of Jedi Masters and Knights who were able to sustain themselves from sustenance for days, no food, no drink – only them and their abilities with the Force. Such an ability would've been vital for the young Knight as of now. Alas, she was no Jedi Master – and even after years of training and merging the Jedi Code into her everyday life, the Council had seemed to not make her one anytime sooner. Such thoughts constantly cycles through her mind, bringing about emotions in which she will try to suppress, all according to the Jedi's teachings. 'Strong emotions, always lead to the dark side', she would be taught. A more recent example the Council would use will always be this: 'Look at the path of Kenobi and Jinn.'
Siri shakes these thoughts away from her mind and instead concentrates on what is in front of her. It will soon be dark; she needs shelter, a fire and food to survive the unforgiving night. To her fear, she realizes that without her lightsaber she is more compromised, and with her injuries it would prove difficult to continue her journey. What she is hoping for was she would come across a colony of settlers who came here to collect old Jedi Archives that may have been left behind and abandoned; perhaps they could provide the necessities she required. Alas, this did not come to pass as the further she goes, the more her surroundings appears familiar: endless grasslands.
Her feet aches, how long has she been walking in this same direction for? This mysterious guidance through the Force has led her to nothing but dirt, hills and grass. If Siri had tried to recollect how long she had been walking – she'd assume she has been roaming for hours. The Force is a fickle thing; sometimes Siri asked herself whether being Force sensitive was a privilege, or indeed a burden one must accept. Her mind ponders this statement for some time as she continues to treck across the fields before it is clouded by fatigue.
Tired.
Siri urges her body to push forward.
Hungry.
Siri forces herself to keep awake.
Hurting.
Siri uses every ounce of her power to keep herself standing straight, to ignore the agony and press on.
Through hindered eyesight, Siri can see shadowy figures hidden from what was left of the sun's orange rays and obscured within the grass. This is her first sighting of what looked like sentient beings, though her sight was there – it is too obscured for the Jedi - former Jedi - to make out whether they are settlers or rocks. Siri feels a great disturbance, as if something overwhelming was headed her way. Desperate and exhausted – Siri chooses to move closer to these three shadowy figures.
As she draws closer towards the shadows, she can see that they had noticed her presence and began to move towards her direction. In Siri's heart, she feels both a presence of comfort and caution. Soon the three shadows emerged from the shadows brought about the hills and into the orange rays of the sun. The figures come clear as day into Siri's view, her eyes looking deep into bestial, hungry and dark eyes.
She recognizes them from her history books.
"Tythonian reptilian…" Siri curses as she ceases advancing towards them. The quickest of the beasts charges itself at the injured Jedi. Siri quickly charges to the side. The hound does not hesitate to redirect it's momentum, once more pouncing towards Siri with jarred teeth and sharp claws. Though limited and weak, Siri is no stranger to unarmed combat. She shifts her weight down and finds herself under the beast's belly. With three swift punches applied through Force pressure, she breaks the hound's rib cage and hinders the beast as it flies over the Jedi and riles in pain, incapable to stand back up. The second reptilian is smaller yet it's ferocity is on par with the first. The reptilian directs it's momentum towards Siri's legs, the Jedi pulls her leg back just enough so that her leg is not completely bitten off. As a consequence, the reptilian's teeth sinks into the woman's calf, gnashing and gnawing as it tries to tear the rich flesh off the Jedi's leg.
Siri cries in pain but composes herself enough to concentrate a fatal palm strike across the Tythonian reptilian's head, shattering its skull and liberating her leg from the hungry beast. Siri looks down to the chomped area, some holes in the pattern of the Tythonian reptilian's jaw had been punctured through her Jedi robes, blood seeping out from these holes. Her calf is still good – however the wounds run deep, she could have sworn that one of the beast's teeth break off within her leg and still sits inside her. The Jedi's adrenaline spikes up, the final Tythonian reptilian is immensely larger than the other two – horns sprouting from the side of it's head, shaded by thick, brown fur. Slowly, the hound creeps up towards the wounded Jedi – anticipating for the quick kill.
As the beast draw closer, Siri couldn't help but wonder what presence she felt prior, this level of disturbance couldn't possibly be afflicted by mere Tythonian reptilian. That presence still remains, and it is dangerously close. It is a familiar in a sense, faint even, yet it remains with a strong connection to the Force itself. This Tythonian reptilian may have been shrouded with dark side energy, yet Siri didn't believe it. The creature stalks closer – as did the strong dark side influence. As Siri readies herself to face the beast, the dark presence ascends to clear light. Her eyes widens, now she recognizes it, recognizes him.
The Tythonian reptilian lunges it's horns towards the Jedi, catching the almost collapsing former Jedi off-guard. She loses her balance, trips on her weight like a foolish novice and lands on her back, crashing on the grass behind her and meeting the warm texture of dirt. The beast takes the opportunity provided and pounces on top of her, claws appearing from it's paws and attempts to scratch away at the bleeding Jedi. Siri holds it's paws back with her hands – her Force capability is just enough to hold out against the beast's brute strength. But hunger, fatigue and loss of blood give way for Siri Tachi to lose her strength.
The Tythonian reptilian growls and bites the air with Siri still holding out against its paws. Eventually, her eyes feel heavy, her arms feel numb, the steady flow of her warm blood seeps beneath her robes and runs down her thigh, exhaustion paves the pathway to her death.
"This is it…" Siri thinks to herself as she attempts to hold onto what's left of the physical world, "Alone and isolated. Left to die in the barren lands on the ancient world."
She can feel the Tythonian reptilian's warm breath and drool splat about on her face. She couldn't hold out much longer, it's snout gradually getting closer and closer, to the point where it can practically take a chunk out of her throat.
In a flash, the weight of the Tythonian reptilian is yanked away from the Jedi. Through narrowed eyes, Siri sees the animal pulled back and fly backwards. The ignition of a lightsaber is heard, and the flying Tythonian reptilian is impaled by a white blade. The beast hisses as it quickly loses its life. The white blade retracts back into the saber and the beast fall onto the lush green grass, it's body nurturing the rich soil in the decades to come.
Siri grunts. Her eyes barely holding themselves open any longer. Her ears pick up faint footsteps growing closer and closer until they stop right next to her. She rolls her grey eyes to face the side in which her saviour stand. The figure's boots comes into view, through heavy lids her eyes slowly moved up. A figure meet her eyes, a lightsaber in the hands of armoured gauntlets, familiar white armour with a cape attached to accompany the figure's dark robes. Finally as her eyes meet the head of her saviour, she is shocked and afraid to see the hooded figure who saved her life hours ago, but also having a strong Force Connection with Obi-Wan.
"Vader…" Siri cries with all the strength she had left – conducting into a soft, broken voice. The hooded man did not say a word; instead he stares at her, the winds of Tython carrying his cape to the breeze. His words didn't matter as of now – she expects to be dispatched of quickly with a swing of the Sith's saber instead of being feasted on by stupid beasts. She accepts this fate as her eyes grew dim, Vader's image distorting into a black blur before Siri finally succumbs to her tiredness.