Chapter 10
Living with my parents had been an awkward adjustment for me. There was no schedule to keep except for meals. My parents woke up at separate times, had breakfast together, went and did their work for the day, then just…relaxed.
I couldn't help it. I was up with the sun and practicing in my room. I had my saber set to its lowest power so if I bumped anything, it wouldn't do serious damage.
I paused after a round of katas. Something nudged my mind. Stepping over to the table next to my bed, I picked up Kalenta's saber. Stepping away from the bed, I ignited the purple blade. It sizzled for a few moments before settling into its normal crackle. The crystal inside sung to me, matching my own force signature. The crack was still there. But despite the pain, it still connected with me.
"A mutual grief, I guess…" I muttered under my breath. Over my time here, I had attempted to find a way to heal it. At the very least, lessen its pain. It has worked to an extent, but without a Force nexus, I had limited power. Not to mention I had no idea what I was doing.
Still, the crystal had stabilized. It wasn't at risk of breaking more, or blowing up in my face.
I switched to a unique stance and began moving through katas once more. When I was first an apprentice I had gone through every known form in the Temple. Form 2 and 3 had stood out to me, and I had developed my own combination of them. I had, at one point, considered getting a second saber.
I didn't need to consider it anymore.
The purple blade crackled as it swung through the air. My green blade hummed with a surety as I thrust it forward, then spun with a flourish. Both sabers stopped out in front of me, pointed at the door. My mother was standing in the door frame.
I blinked in surprise before straightening up and extinguished the sabers. I cleared my throat.
"Um, good morning," I said as I clipped my sabers to my belt. Since I had no reason to hide them, I wore them as I normally did. Granted, my current outfit wasn't my tunic, but it felt nice to have the familiar weight on my waist.
"Good morning, Jondu. Your father said you can use the ballroom to practice, did he not?" I felt my left shoulder stiffen ever so slightly. I feared I had crossed a line in practicing in the room they had given me.
"He did," I answered simply.
"Then why practice in here?" I watched her face for a moment. Only finding curiosity, and not any animosity or anything else, I relaxed.
"I do not wish to disturb. And, in the Temple, the rooms we used to practice were smaller than the ballroom. It helped us to remember restraint." She studied me in return.
"I see. You will not disturb us, Jondu. This home is as much yours as it is ours." She turned to go, only to look over her shoulder. "And instead of practicing restraint, maybe it is time to push your boundaries?" She smiled and left, closing the door behind her. I stood in the middle of my room, the silence loud.
Push my boundaries. What an interesting thought. I was always pushing myself, shown through what I had just been doing. But pushing boundaries? Did she mean the Code? Because even with the Order having fallen, I still held the Code close to me.
It was all I had left of my old home, after all.
I shook my head before frowning. If I wanted to push my boundaries, then she was right, my room was too small.
I headed out to the ballroom and began working again. The blades whizzed through the air as I twirled and struck. Every strike was more precise than the last. Each swing was swifter, cleaner. I felt myself grow more comfortable with both blades as they hummed with me. Our three tone harmony sung outwards. I felt the Force build within me as I continued. I was strange, I had never felt my own crystal do this on its own. Something different was happening. I wasn't stronger, per say. But I felt more energetic than I had in a long time.
Deciding to press my luck, my green blade was flipped into a reverse grip. I leaped skyward, about halfway to the ceiling, before spinning like a buzzsaw. I landed on fist and knee, a small gust from the impact shoved outwards by a foot or two. I righted myself and looked over both lightsabers.
"That was…"
"Incredible!" I whirled around, my blades up. A stranger stood against the wall near the entrance. He looked like a Twi'lek, only his headtails had been removed in some way. My eyes widened and I shut my sabers off, clipping them to my belt.
"Who are you?"
"Oh, don't mind me! I'm just passing through. I have an appointment with Orthun Savanger," He explained while stepping closer. I didn't sense any hostility from him, but my nerves still fired off red flags. I took a step back, my hand twitching towards my belt. "Oh, I'm sorry, I should introduce myself. My name is Derqu'in. I work with Orthun on occasion. Though I must say, you are a much more curious person than myself. I haven't see a Jedi in years." I tensed and my hand shot up. I didn't call on the Force, but apparently I didn't need to. He flinched back all the same. I took the weakness and began walking closer. My mind screamed warnings at me.
"You breathe. A word. To anyone. And I will make you regret it." He backed against the wall, his smile fading.
"Woah! Hey! Calm down! I'm not going to tell anyone! I swear!"
"Jondu." I stepped back as Arabin stepped between us. I lowered my hand. "It would do you good to get some air, I think." I stared before ducking my head.
"…I will be in the woods." I stepped away. Once I got outside, I rubbed my face. "What were you thinking. Idiot!" I hissed at myself.
"Jondu?" I looked up to see my mother coming around one of the hedges. She wasn't in a dress like she had been earlier. Instead she had clothes obviously meant for getting dirty, seeing as that's the state they were in. "Is everything okay?"
"I uh." I felt myself flush in embarrassment. "I, may need to apologize to father later." Her brow pinched, making me internally cringe. That wasn't a look befitting her.
"What happened?"
"I was practicing in the ballroom, like you said I could. There was a Twi'lek who showed up. He…" She gestured to a nearby bench. We sat down. "He recognized what I am. I, reacted. Badly."
"You didn't hurt him, did you?"
"He uh, might have a newfound fear of Jedi, but no. Arabin stepped between us before I could do anything."
"…Do you think you would have?" My mind spun faster than I had in that last lightsaber move.
"…I can't say." I dropped my face into my hands. "I'm sorry. I'm just. Something's wrong."
"You're scared." I glanced up at her. She placed a light hand on my back. "Jondu. You lost everyone in your life in a single night. You were hunted like an animal. Anyone backed into a corner like that would feel the need to protect themselves. While I don't agree with using violence to solve our problems, I can understand where you're coming from. Where those feelings, are coming from." I looked down at my hands. My right one reached down and pulled Kalenta's saber off my belt. I held it up.
"…Just like you…" I whispered.
"Just like who?" My mom asked.
"Sorry. You just helped me realize something." I replaced the saber. "I will speak to father later… Thank you." She smiled, though the worry was still there.
"I am here any time you need to talk."
"I will…keep that in mind." We went our separate ways. The rest of the day I spent in my room, meditating.
Father came in near the end of the day and we spoke. He was understanding, almost too understanding, in my opinion. He basically waved it off, even after I explained. He told me his client was a little shaken, but at the end of the meeting, apologized for calling me out on the mat.
"He knows the Jedi are all but gone. He said he should have known better than to approach you in such a manner."
After sunset and a slightly uncomfortable dinner, I found myself back in my room, meditating while occasionally floating off the ground. I was hard pressed to reach a minute each time, and it was shaky, but I needed to deepen my connection with the Force. The fact that I nearly attacked that man unprovoked was unacceptable. I had to get my fight or flight under control. I couldn't afford to lose it every time someone mentioned me being a Jedi.
My brow twitched when my ears picked up a faint sound. I settled back onto the floor before standing up. The Force pinged a general warning. My lightsaber slipped into my grasp with a single beckon. I opened the bedroom door and listened. I didn't hear anything else, but that warning grew ever so slightly.
Slinking down the hall towards the ballroom, I shifted my grip on my saber hilt.
Opening the door at the end of the hall, I froze. There were whispers.
"…insane. If there really is a Jedi here, we should inform the Empire! Not take them on ourselves!"
"He's nothing but a kid. One well-placed blaster will bring us a hefty reward. Just focus on the job." I scowled. That was the Twi'lek. I knew there was a reason for that freak out I had.
Entering the room, I silently shut the door behind me. It was nearly pitch black, but now that I knew there were others in here, I was able to focus and locate them. They were heading towards the hall with my father's office and parent's bedroom. My scowl etched itself deeper into my face.
I moved across the floor like water down a hill, silent, and when caught unawares, potentially deadly. I slid up behind the first guy, clapping my hand over his mouth before waving the other in front of his face.
Sleep. The man went limp in my arms. I gently set him down. I moved towards the second, only for him to spin around. The blaster was pointed right at my forehead, a light on it nearly blinding me. I dove out of the way, then leaped towards the ceiling. Not expecting me to vanish from sight, the Twi'lek spun around. I grabbed a small lip of crown molding and hung there for a moment.
Once he looked the other way, I dropped. He spun at the sound of my boots hitting the floor, multiple blaster shots ringing out as he did so. My forearm stopped his. I grabbed the blaster and twisted it from his hand, making him cry out. I tossed the blaster to the side. My heel came up and caught him in the chest. He sprawled onto the floor. I marched forward.
"You are invited into my father's home. You threaten their safety." I grabbed his shirt and hauled him up. A punch made him stumble back. He growled at me.
"You scum deserve to die. You're the reason my city was burned to the ground."
"The Jedi are dead."
"They will be." I ducked to the side as he pulled out a hidden blaster and opened fire. My saber flared to life as I deflected lots into the ground, trying to minimize the damage to the house. I threw my hand out, pulling him closer. His neck landed in my hand and I squeezed.
"Drop it." He went to bring it up, only for his flesh to meet green plasma. He screamed and thrashed as his hand fell to the floor. I frowned before shoving him back. "I warned you." He fell to the floor, only to hold his other arm out. I raised my saber to block the incoming attack, but his arm fell due to his pain.
The warning came too late as the vambrace he was wearing lit off a blaster shot. It hit the pommel of my saber, knocking it out of my hands. Sparks flew from the damaged hilt. I froze for a split second before my right hand lashed out.
Kalenta's saber flew from its holster and slammed into his chest, igniting at the same time. The man looked down at the shuddering blade. I recalled the black hilt to my hand. The man fell, dead.
"Jondu?!" Light flooded the room as my parents stopped at the doorway. "Jondu!" My mother started to run forward before father stopped her.
"So, are they dead?" He asked in a calm manner.
"One is. The other is unconscious." I stepped over to where my lightsaber had fallen. Picking it up, I examined it. A few wires were poking out of the bottom. The power cell was almost exposed. I gritted my teeth as I swallowed the heat in my chest.
"Jondu, are you hurt?" My mother met me as I stood up.
"Only my pride. My lightsaber got hit…"
"But you're unharmed?" I finally looked at her, letting a distracted smile play across my lips.
"Yes. I am unharmed." She sighed in relief before hugging me. I hugged her back before turning to my father.
"…I brought this on you," I said. He shook his head.
"Don't even consider that."
"It's true. I overheard them talking about me. How I would bring in a bounty for the Empire." My mother's hands covered her mouth. I turned and started heading towards my room.
"And where are you going?" My father asked. I slowed for a moment before continuing.
"Anywhere but here." I exited the ballroom. I started grabbing my meager belongings and tossing them into a bag. My parents entered the room.
"You're leaving?"
"I have to. I put you both in danger being here."
"You can't leave."
"I'm not going to risk someone else learning what I am."
"You are our son!" I forcefully set something in my bag before turning to them.
"And a Jedi! The title alone paints the biggest target on my back." My expression turned painful. "It's too much of a risk. I can't stay." I turned to start packing again.
"You think you can just walk out after we only just got you back?" I stopped. My eyes squeezed shut.
"I don't want to."
"Then don't."
"And put the only family I have left in danger? No chance."
"We already are." I turned around, my brow pinching. A hologram was floating above the display my father was holding. It was a bounty. For them. My heart sank. "Arabin just sent this to our commlinks an hour ago. We were both asleep when it happened. That Twi'lek out there reported us to the Empire, he had just hoped to get to you first. Even if it meant using us as bait." I sank onto the bed.
"…What are you going to do…?"
"We go into hiding. All of us."
"But your home."
"Is nothing but a building. We have lived in far less before, we can do it again." I stared at both of them as they took each other's hands. "And this time we have our son with us. That, is all that matters." My mother smiled.
"I guess it is fitting that you are packing already. We will be ready within the next two days ourselves." I slumped a little in disbelief.
"You're really doing this. Aren't you?"
"Of course. It is not only for our safety, but yours as well." She stepped over and hugged me. "I'm not letting you go any time soon. So don't think you're allowed to just walk off and not have us fight for you to stay with us. I just got you back." My arms slowly wrapped around her shoulders.
"…I understand."