Chapter Eight: Secrets (Part Four)
Blue skies. White clouds. Golden sun. Liasha rested upon the flat of her back, hands clutching at her abdomen, eyes staring at the peaceful scene above. She had hoped to spend the last moments of her life at peace, but there wasn't a single facet of her mind that would allow it at this point. Her husband lay dead by her side. Her son hid in the house whilst her former ally searched for him. And she was powerless to stop it.
Her clear vision was interrupted by the arrival of a dark figure hovering over her. Her vision cleared as the light settled behind the man, revealing the visage of an unfamiliar face. Slowly, the Human with the red coat knelt down beside her. Liasha didn't know what to do. What to say. She didn't know the stranger, but that wouldn't deter her from reaching out.
"Please… my son," Liasha muttered, the taste of blood overtaking her senses. "You… you have to…"
The Human brought a finger to his lips, accompanied by a soft hushing sound. "My name is Vai Thorel. I represent Lord Tash, a very powerful figure in the Sith Empire. We know about you, your family, and your past with Lord Zyos. Our interest lies in your son, whom we would like to bring to the Korriban Academy."
"But he's not… how could you know…" Liasha struggled to speak.
"We've an ally with a particular talent for finding Force-sensitive children."
"You mean… Jresh is… for sure…"
"Yes. It would seem your son has the gift after all. One we would like to see flourish. I can save your son and deliver him to the Academy safe and sound. There Zyos won't be able to touch him."
The mother remained silent, breaking eye contact as she turned her head away from the Human. "Korriban…"
"A harsh life, as I'm sure you're aware of. But a life of trials is better than an early death. Which would you like for your son?" Thorel asked. Liasha's head swayed against the grass beneath it as she struggled to think. "The balance tips toward death the longer I stay out here."
"Go… save Jresh," Liasha finally whispered. With a nod of his head, Thorel raised himself and took his first step toward the home. "Tell him… tell him to be strong."
With that, the mother fell silent and still, gaze eternally locked staring toward the front door of her once home.
"Of course," Thorel said.
Inside the house, Ravek slowly and methodically made his way through the rooms, lightsaber drawn and ignited, its tip playfully nicking the furniture and walls to the warrior's side.
"Come on out," Ravek taunted. "I know you're in here somewhere. You think you're safe. You think I can't find you. But with each passing second, the fear inside of you is growing. I'll sniff you out, like a tuk'ata stalking its prey. It's only a matter of time."
Ravek came to a stop in front of a door that remained slightly cracked open. Slipping his free hand into the gap, the warrior then mightily pushed the door ajar. He had found his target. A boy, cowering under a desk at the far end of the study. The room was almost bare, giving Ravek a clear path to his next victim. The Pureblood entered the room with a single calculated step. He did not rush things. He savored the moment, drawing upon the child's fear as he continued to cower, aware of the warrior's presence but unable to do anything to escape. Another step, and Ravek held the saber at his side, blade glowing with an angry red hue.
"It's over boy. Accept your fate and join the rest of your pitiful, worthless family," Ravek snarled. "You're a disgrace to the Sith. An affront to your bloodline. This galaxy will be better off… without…y-y-you…"
Jresh raised his head and opened his eyes to see the approaching killer had stalled. His stance appeared locked as his head tilted back. His limbs struggled to move, but one of his hands managed to grasp at his throat. Eventually, some invisible force completely overtook the warrior's body. His legs bent, sending Ravek to his knees. His arms stiffened, locking them in place by his side. His head remained motionless, whilst his eyes began to dart across the room. The lightsaber fell from his hand, shutting off as it struck the floor. The metallic cylinder began to roll ever closer to the child, until it came to a stop directly in front of him.
"Take it," an unfamiliar voice rang out in his head.
The worried look had not yet left the child's face, but Jresh refused to take his eyes off of the weapon. Without any further hesitation, the boy took ahold of the lightsaber, gripping it firmly with his hands.
"Red button. Point the emitter away from your face," the voice continued.
Jresh complied, jumping when the weapon flashed its crimson blade of plasma. Lifting himself from his cowered position beneath the desk, the boy stood in front of the frozen aggressor, the saber in his hand making subtle noises as it struggled to stay still in the child's hands.
"Use it. This man is responsible for the deaths of your mother and father. Do what needs to be done."
Jresh stared at the man fixed to his knees. He didn't know what to do. Everything felt heavy. His hands. His head. His heart. He felt like collapsing, but still he remained standing, as frozen in place as the man responsible for his parents' demise.
"You're afraid. But you're also angry. One emotion will hold you back. One will set you free. Use your anger. Strike him down. Avenge your family. Be strong."
Jresh closed his eyes. Took a deep breath. And with no further hesitation, plunged the lightsaber into the chest of Ravek. Whatever force had been holding the warrior dissipated. His arms and jaw dropped, one last breath escaping his maw as his eyes finally stopped their panicked darting. The body began to fall forward, prompting Jresh to withdraw the weapon and take a step back before the torso collided with the hard floor with a resounding thud. The boy looked upon the motionless warrior, not noticing the intruder standing in the doorway.
"You did it. Good."
It was the same voice as the one in his head, this time finding its way to the child's ears. A startled Jresh lifted his gaze and his weapon, pointing the lightsaber toward the unfamiliar Human.
"Now, now. Settle down. It's all over," Thorel said in a comforting tone. Jresh hesitantly deactivated his weapon, then lowered his gaze as he continued to stare at the corpse of Ravek. "I'm Vai Thorel. A Sith. Like your mother. Like this man. If it weren't for me, there would have been nothing to stop him from ending your life."
"Why would you save me?" Jresh muttered, tears softly flowing down his face.
"Well, because your mother asked me to," Thorel admitted. "She held on to that last bit of life just long enough to make sure you would be okay.
"Why were you even here?"
"I was hoping to talk with your mother about you. It's really a shame I couldn't have arrived earlier."
"Why would you want to talk about me?"
"Because you're special Jresh. Like me. Like your mother. You've the power of the Force flowing through your veins."
"That's not true," Jresh firmly stated, his sight glued to the floor. "I'm just like my father. Powerless."
"There is no single way for the Force to manifest itself. You've the potential resting inside of you. You simply need someone to bring it out. That's why I'm here. I want to bring you to the Korriban Academy. The same place your mother received her training."
"Mom said that place is bad."
"Because it is," Thorel admitted. "It's a bad place filled with bad people doing bad things. But it's that way for a reason. It tests those who enter it. It reacts to those within it. It is a product of its students, and its students a product of it. It doesn't care about your past, only your strength. It requires it. Desires it. Cultivates and motivates it. You mother's last words were to tell you to be strong. Come to Korriban, and you'll be given the tools necessary to become the strongest being in the galaxy."
"Can I… can I see my parents one last time?" Jresh asked.
"Of course," Thorel said.
The boy relinquished his grip on the lightsaber, where it would clang against the floor to rest with its previous owner. The boy and Thorel exited the home, side by side, to the scene of passing. Underneath the soft rays of the planet's sun, Jresh looked upon his mother and father who lay side by side. Kneeling between them, Jresh clenched his eyes amidst the clenching of his fists as more tears ran down his cheeks.
The boy mourned the loss of his family as uncertainty wracked his mind. He did not know how to proceed in the slightest. He thought to give his parents a proper burial, but the thought of laying his hands upon them rattled his psyche. He was the last of his bloodline. The son of a lost warrior and an impurity. Jresh had nothing to bring with him as he began his new life, only the last words of his departed mother.
Eventually, the boy rose from his parents' side, and joined Via Thorel as they made their way toward the nearby colony's starport. Jresh was heading for the Academy.