Ezra woke up to the sound of a steady beeping noise. The Jedi Knight slowly opened his blue eyes and squinted at the bright light hanging above him. He turned his head left and saw a Republic Medical Droid applying something to an area on his skin which had a patch of dark red. He guessed it must have been a burn from the fire.
The door to the Medical Bay opened and Sergeant Burns walked in, followed by another soldier. 'General Bridger.' Burns said as the two soldiers saluted him. Ezra raised his right arm and saluted the best he could. 'We captured the weapons factory and drove the Imperials all the way back to Sobrik.' Burns continued, but Ezra wasn't concerned about the factory.
'Where's General Dume?' He asked. The two soldiers bowed their heads slightly and the truth dawned on Ezra; his master was gone. 'Thank the stars Private Connor here got to you when he did.' Burns continued, gesturing to the soldier standing besides him. 'You suffered third degree burns and broken bones in some places. He took care of the more life-threatening ones'. 'You have my gratitude, Connor. Dismissed' Ezra replied and the two soldiers left the Med Center.
His master was gone. Ezra had been taught that Jedi who have died become one with the Force, but that brought little comfort over the loss of a mentor and a Father-figure in his life. Finally, the tears fell and they only stopped when he went to sleep.
The funeral for Master Dume was held the next day at the Jedi Temple on Tython. It was a solemn event, with Grand Master Satele Shan giving the funeral speech:'He was one of the order's finest warriors, the mentor to a gifted and talented young man and a good friend to us all. Jedi Master Caleb Dume, we bid you farewell.'
Ezra lit the pyre where his master's body lay and stepped back, watching in sadness and guilt. Not only had he failed his master, but he had let his emotions get the better of him by slaying that Mandalorian on Balmorra. Whoever it was, he could tell that this Sabine was close to the deceased Mandalorian.
After the funeral, Ezra returned to his quarters in the Jedi Temple. He considered telling the Council about his brush with the Dark Side on Balmorra but chose not to. 'I'll get over it, eventually.' He told himself. But even as he lay in his bed, he struggled to deny his desire to avenge his master. 'Revenge is not the Jedi way.' He muttered before proceeding to recite the Jedi Code over and over again until he fell asleep.
'There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.'
Meanwhile...
On the Imperial fleet orbiting the planet of Dromund Kaas, Sabine Wren returned to her quarters onboard the White Nova, a Harrower-class Dreadnought. She sat down on her bed and removed her helmet. The female Mandalorian had been working for the Empire as a mercenary for several years now with her father. Now he was gone, slain at the hands of a Jedi. And she had a physical scar to remember it by; the mechanical left arm she had gotten to replace the one cut off by the Jedi.
She took off her armor, then her jumpsuit before heading to the fresher, the mechanical arm wrapped in plastic to protect against water. The warm water splashed onto her skin and face. It allowed her to relax and think clearly. She slid down the wall and sat on the floor, letting the water flow down her naked body. Before she knew it, tears were flowing down her face. 'No!' She told herself 'Don't cry. Mandalorians don't cry!' But it wasn't enough to stop the tears.
Eventually, after putting on a tank top and shorts, she turned to the next best thing to relieve battle stress; painting. Her Clan and the house they aligned with; Vizsla, didn't think highly of her because of her unusual personality. The Imperials were no different. But they respected her nonetheless since she rarely failed a mission. Before she knew it, the wall was covered in a painting of- the Jedi! The one with blue eyes and hair! The one that sliced her father in half! Anger surged through her. She switched the colour to black and sprayed a huge cross over the painting. She then stepped back and threw the sprayer at the painting.
'Screw this crap!' She thought as she climbed on to her bed and sleep took over her.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Not much action in this one, but the next chapter should have Ezra and Sabine back at it. I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, review. If you didn't, review. Thanks again and May The Force Be With You.
~Paul