24 / Springing the Trap
DATHOMIR
No sooner had Cal, Kata and BD-1 disembarked the Mantis than Merrin and Teelo met them in the swamp, now decidedly less boggy. Cal's feet had barely touched the ground before Merrin was in his arms and he held her tightly. They had only been gone less than a day, but after all they'd been through recently, it was unbearable to be apart for even that long. Merrin had known the danger was minimal, but it had not stopped her from worrying, no matter how many times Teelo had assured her that they would be fine.
Cal pulled away from their embrace to kiss her tenderly, his hands resting on her waist. He was momentarily distracted by Kata walking past them and rushing straight to Teelo, throwing her arms around them. They hugged her back, but seemed a bit startled by her urgency. She pulled back from them and their brows furrowed as they looked at her face.
"Are you alright?" They asked her.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
It was the same answer she'd given him a couple hours ago, when she'd emerged from her room on the Mantis. Immediately Cal had known something was up with her and had asked her if she was ok. She claimed she'd had a nightmare, and he had no reason to believe otherwise – it had been a trialling few days, after all. But he knew her well enough to know when something wasn't right, and she had been very quiet since then. And something else bothered him; the way she'd looked at him. It was a look he didn't know how to describe.
Teelo seemed equally concerned now as they studied her face, then she turned away from them to welcome Merrin's embrace. The Mirialukan looked up at Cal, down at Kata and back at him, raising their brows in question. Cal shrugged and shook his head slightly in response. Clearly it wasn't just him picking up on her strange mood.
"Did you find Saw Gerrera?"
Merrin's question had Cal's eyes snapping back to her.
"Yeah, and he might've found our compass, but it's... complicated. We'll explain inside."
He led the way back onto the Mantis, definitely not wanting to have this conversation up in the Temple within earshot of everyone else. The four of them stood in the living area, BD-1 perched on the low table, while Cal explained what Saw had told them about the mysterious "Inquisitor" on Onderon, and what Kata had deduced in turn about their wayward Nightsister.
"Well, this situation just keeps getting weirder." Teelo remarked.
"boo-loop."
Cal huffed a laugh in agreement.
"Do you remember seeing this Nightsister wielding an Inquisitor's saber?" Merrin inquired.
"No, I don't," Cal admitted. "But it's possible she was concealing it. I feel like I would've noticed it in one of the echoes for sure."
"It'd be hard to miss," Teelo nodded. "But how would a Dathomiri Nightsister end up an Inquisitor?"
"Maybe she wasn't one," Kata suggested. "She could've killed one and stolen their saber."
Cal looked down at her, her withdrawn tone worrying him still.
"Maybe, but it doesn't explain why a Nightsister would be wielding a lightsaber at all." Teelo contended.
"Either way, it's not really important," Cal reminded. "We can figure out the why later."
"How do we be sure that this package she delivered is our compass?" Merrin asked.
"bwoo-bap."
"BD's right; we can't. But something tells me we're on the right track. And if we are, then we have the opportunity to both apprehend the Nightsister and retrieve our compass. We have to move on this lead, we won't get a chance like this again."
"I agree, but we're goin' in a bit blind, here," Teelo pointed out. "And call me a sceptic, but does this not seem a little convenient to you? That our compass and the person who stole it just happen to be in the same place and the Rebel Alliance just happened to hear about it?"
"You think this could be a trap?" Merrin questioned.
"That's exactly what I think." Teelo confirmed.
"brrleep-woop."
"Yeah, I think you're right, it probably is a trap," Cal conceded. "Which is why we're gonna walk straight into it."
"You think they won't be expecting that?" Teelo sounded sceptical.
"Oh no, I think she's expecting us to take the bait, so that's what we're gonna do."
There was a short, confused silence in the room.
"I don't follow." Merrin stated.
Cal smirked, having spent the six hour flight back from Geonosis already thinking about this and coming up with a plan. It sounded crazy, even as he was saying it out loud, but he had a good feeling about it.
"If she's as smart and as cunning as I think she is, she's already expecting us to figure out that this is a trap and try to circumvent it, so that's just what we're not going to do."
"So, you want us to evade the trap by... not evading it?" Teelo clarified.
"Exactly."
Teelo and Merrin exchanged a very dubious glance.
"You breathe in too much dust on Geonosis?" Teelo asked teasingly.
"prrt-prrt-prrt!"
Cal rolled his eyes at them, but explained further.
"If she thinks we're gonna try and outsmart her, she's likely already accounted for that possibility. By meeting her on an even field, we're doing the exact opposite of what she's anticipating."
"Sure, but is that wise?" Teelo wondered. "We have no idea how powerful or dangerous this Nightsister might be. We know nothing about this Vice Director, either, or the research facility for that matter."
"You're right, we don't. We're not just gonna charge in and hope for the best."
"So what are we going to do?" Merrin asked insistently.
"First we're going to establish whether or not our compass is even in the research base. Teelo, if we get you close enough, can you locate it?"
"Yeah, I still have my locator beacon for it, but I can't guarantee they won't notice when I activate it."
"If they do, that may end up working to our advantage. If they realise we're tracking the compass, they may just try to move it off-world, giving us a window where it will be outside of what is likely a high-security facility."
"And if not?"
"Then we get to do things your way."
Teelo smirked at him saying this, clearly pleased by the idea.
"So we locate the compass, then what?" Merrin asked.
"Then you and Kata retrieve it while Teelo and I go to Iziz Palace to have a little chat with this Vice Director, see if we can't lure out our mysterious adversary."
"Wait, Cal, I think I should go with you." Kata suddenly piped up.
He looked down at her, as did everyone else. She had barely said a word this whole time, and it obviously hadn't escaped anyone's notice. She was looking at him very seriously now, and he was curious to hear what she had to say.
"Why is that?" He asked.
"She's a Nightsister," She pointed out. "Neither of you can use Magick, but I can. She might not even know I can wield it."
"Possibly, but Teelo's right, we have no idea how dangerous she could be," He refuted. "We can handle her and you two can handle the compass."
"Teelo's the one with the background in security, not me," She insisted. "They'll be better suited to infiltrating the research facility."
"She's right about that, Cal," Teelo agreed. "Wouldn't be the first time I've broken into a high-security facility, Imperial or otherwise."
Cal sighed.
"Kata—"
"I know you think it's too dangerous, Cal," She interrupted before he could protest further. "But we have to be smart here. It's like you said; we get one shot at this. We kriff this up, we lose both her and the compass. If you want to meet her on an even playing field, you're gonna need me."
Cal stared at her for a moment, conflicted. He felt exactly like he had back on Tanalorr, warring between wanting to protect her and knowing that he couldn't. She still had that serious look on her face and he couldn't help but wonder why she was so insistent on this. It was almost like it went beyond the reasons she'd stated. Like somehow she knew he would need her help against the Nightsister.
He had a sudden, terrifying realisation that maybe that was exactly it, but he dismissed the thought immediately. He was reading into it too much; if she knew something, if she'd seen something, she would've told him. She'd promised him she would. And yet, he couldn't help the doubt that was now gnawing at the back of his mind.
Eventually he sighed again, returning her serious gaze.
"Ok, you're right," He conceded. "You and I will go to Iziz Palace together."
She nodded once at him, a hint of almost relief on her face. He looked to Merrin and Teelo, who had both been watching their exchange with bated breath.
"And you two will retrieve the compass from the research base."
"Sounds like a plan." Teelo tilted their head.
"myam-wam!"
"I must admit, I am surprised you did not insist I stay behind." Merrin jeered.
"Because I know there's no chance in hell of that." Cal admitted.
"You are right."
The corner of his mouth pulled up as he huffed a laugh.
"We should leave now, chase the lead while it's fresh." He suggested.
"I'll go find Greez and fill him in," Teelo offered. "We're gonna need a pilot on this one."
"Let Mosey know where we're going and tell her to wait for a signal to the Rogue."
"Will do."
Teelo excused themself from the ship and Merrin, Cal, Kata and BD-1 were left looking around at each other.
"bee-dee-woop?"
"Well, you have the most important job of all, buddy," Cal addressed the droid. "I need you to stick with Kata and make sure her overconfidence doesn't get her killed."
"Is it my overconfidence, Cal, or your over-protectiveness?" Kata rebutted.
Her tone was unhumourous and it caused him to look at her, seeing that pensive expression still on her face. He frowned slightly, his mind wandering back to that terrifying thought he'd just had.
"Kata, is there something you want to say to me?" He asked directly.
She looked right at him, her steely brown eyes boring holes through him. For a moment, it seemed like she might falter, then she sighed and her face softened.
"No, sorry, I'm just..." She looked down at her feet. "...tired, I guess."
Cal was frustrated at first, as he could tell she wasn't being honest with him. But he put it aside for the moment, trying to remind himself of the enormous amount of stress she'd been under lately. Not to mention all of the loss and sorrow she'd endured. And she was still just a teenager – he wasn't much older than her when he'd begun his journey with Cere and Greez all those years ago. He remembered how crushing the weight of the Galaxy had felt on his shoulders.
He stepped forward and put one hand on her right shoulder and cupped her face with the other, making her look up at him.
"I know," He said understandingly. "I'm sorry, the last week has just been—"
"Completely screwed up." She finished with a shaky voice.
"Yeah." He nodded sadly.
She nodded back and a tear escaped her watery eyes, falling down her cheek.
"Hey, listen to me," He soothed, wiping the tear away with his thumb. "Everything's gonna be fine. We're all gonna get through this together, I promise."
She sniffled and looked up at him with that same look in her eyes – the one he couldn't decipher. She exhaled and closed the distance between them and he welcomed her in an embrace. Merrin stepped forward to put an arm around the young Padawan, and Cal also pulled her in. Then BD-1, obviously feeling left out, clambered his way up onto Kata's shoulder, making them all chuckle. The four of them held each other for a while, all of them needing the comfort desperately.
ONDERON
Cal hadn't been to Onderon since the Clone Wars, and even then, he had never seen the city of Iziz up close. It was more vibrant than he'd expected, with its lush garden beds filled with green ferns, purple palms and red bottle trees dotted in-between the sandstone buildings painted in stripes of blue and gold. It looked paradisiacal – an impressive walled oasis in amongst the monotony of the surrounding desert. Iziz Palace stood on the highest hill, the imposing structure shining brilliantly in the sun. The planet's largest and closest moon – Dxun, he remembered it was called – cast its colossal shadow in the sky.
He laid his hand on Greez's right shoulder, who was piloting the ship.
"Drop us at the landing pad, I want them to know we're comin'."
"You got it. And Cal...?"
The Jedi turned back, as he'd started to leave.
"...You be careful in there."
"Will do." He patted the Latero's shoulder reassuringly.
He moved into the living room where the others were gearing up, four pairs of eyes looking at him as he entered.
"We're approaching the Palace," He turned to Kata who had BD-1 perched on her shoulder already. "Once we're inside, I want you both to stay right on my heels. BD, I'll need you to tap into the security system to locate the Vice Director."
"brr-twoot."
He turned towards Merrin and Teelo.
"The research base is in the high desert, I've left the coordinates with Greez. Comm us once you've located the compass."
"Copy that." Teelo confirmed.
"Are you sure about this?" Merrin asked. "Once you are inside the palace, you're on your own, and we have no idea what to expect."
"I know it's risky," Cal admitted. "But we're not gonna get another chance at this. We've been in worse situations and survived."
"Now who's overconfident?" Kata remarked.
"bzzrrt!"
Cal gave her a disapproving look.
"I'm sure you two can handle it," Teelo said confidently. "Give the Nightsister our regards."
Cal smirked at them. The ship came to a stop, hovering above the landing pad and Cal hit the button to open the door. The wind hit them as the ramp extended and he shielded his eyes for a moment against the sun shining brightly off the tall structure before them.
"Good luck," Teelo said. "May the Force be with you."
"And with you." He returned.
He turned to Merrin as she stepped forward and pulled him in to kiss him intently. She didn't know why, but she had a sinking feeling in her gut, like she had when they'd fled Tanalorr. She had faith in Cal and Kata, more than anyone, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was awaiting them in that palace. She pulled away from him to look into his emerald eyes.
"I love you." She said.
The corner of his mouth pulled up.
"I know."
She tried to smile back, but she could not force it through her fear. Cal saw that fear plain as day and he cupped her face with his hand.
"I'll see you soon." He promised.
The Nightsister could only manage a nod in response, a shaky exhale leaving her mouth as she watched Cal and Kata turn and walk down the ramp. Cal turned to his Apprentice and BD-1 and they turned to him.
"You ready?" He asked.
"brrleet!"
Kata's expression was as serious as he'd ever seen it, and just the smallest bit afraid.
"Yeah, let's do it."
She was the first to jump down to the walkway below and Cal followed. The Mantis quickly took off behind them and they sprinted up the walkway and into the palace.
It was somehow even grander on the inside than on the outside. The great hall they stepped into was lined with tall windows, ridiculously high ceilings and a black and white marble floor that was so shiny she could see their reflections in it. Kata would have usually stopped to wonder at such a sight, but she was far too on edge. The hall was deserted save for the three of them, and her eyes were darting as she could sense the danger.
"It's too quiet." She murmured.
"Yeah," Cal agreed. "Keep your guard up. BD, where're we goin'?"
The little droid popped his long-range scanner, sweeping it around the room.
"brrloop."
"Alright, stay close."
Cal led the way up the hall quickly and quietly. Kata looked up when they reached the far end and noticed a surveillance camera that was following their movements a little too closely. She tapped her hand to Cal's arm to get his attention and nodded up towards it. He glared at the offending object and reached out to wrench it to the side with the Force, the sparks indicating it'd short-circuited. If they didn't already know they were here, they did now. They finally reached a security office at the end of the hall, and of course, the door was locked.
"I got it."
Kata and BD-1 disappeared in a puff of green smoke before Cal could even open his mouth to protest. He sighed to himself and waited with his hands on his hips. The door soon opened and he saw Kata standing behind the security desk, BD-1 already slicing into the system. Two unfortunate security officers were unconscious on the floor beside their chairs. He didn't know whether to be proud or annoyed.
"I hate it when you do that." He stated.
"I know." She tilted her head, not taking her eyes off the holo-screens in front of her.
"brrllrrt!"
He made his way into the room to join them, stepping over one of the officers.
"Any sign of 'em, buddy?"
"boo-woop."
The droid shook his head.
"Can you locate the throne room?" Kata asked.
"boop-bweep."
"What makes you think she'll be there?" Cal inquired.
She glanced at him sideways.
"Just a feeling…"
His brows pressed together in doubt.
"boo-wa-woo-wa-woop."
Both Jedi's eyes were on the middle screen as BD pulled up the surveillance cameras in the throne room. Sure enough, there was a middle-aged human woman, standing alone in front of the throne towards the back of the room. There were holobooks and datapads scattered on the large desk in front of her that she seemed to be poring over.
"Guess that's our Vice Director." Cal deduced.
"Throne Room's directly below us, seven levels down." Kata informed.
"That's a lotta stairs."
"You worried about your knees or something?" She teased.
"brrt-brrt-brrt!"
"Yeah, I am, actually," He jabbed back. "But it's too risky to use the elevators."
"There might be a faster way."
"What d'you have in mind?"
"Remember the casino on Hosnian Prime?"
Cal did remember - he remembered the series of unfortunate events that was the Hosnian Prime mission all too well.
"Alright, let's do this."
He headed for the door, but Kata's voice stopped him.
"Wait, Cal..."
He turned back and saw the hesitation on her face.
"What's wrong?"
"Does this not seem too easy to you?" She questioned.
"bwa-bap!"
"Yeah, it does," He agreed with them. "But what choice do we have?"
"We can not go down there. We can just leave and figure something else out."
"We can't let this Nightsister go," He reminded. "As long as she's out there, our home and our people won't be safe."
"I know, but..."
She exhaled, her expression conflicted. Cal went back to her and placed his hands on her shoulders gently.
"Kata, what is it? What aren't you telling me?"
She looked up at him, brown eyes darting between his. He could feel her anxiety, her fear, her uncertainty.
"Nothing, I just have a really bad feeling about this."
She was lying to him, he could see it. It was clear to him that she knew something about what was waiting for them in that throne room. It wasn't in her nature to be deceptive, so he knew there must've been a reason why she felt she couldn't tell him. Maybe it was something only she could understand. He hoped so.
"Do you trust me?" He asked.
Her face softened.
"You know I do."
"And I trust you. Whatever it is that's waiting for us down there, we're gonna face it together. All three of us."
"myam-wam!"
Cal smiled at the droid as he jumped back onto Kata's shoulder, then he looked back at his Apprentice.
"Ok?"
She hesitated, that brooding, anxious expression still on her face.
"Ok, Cal."
The loud sounds of glass shattering disturbed the silence as Master and Apprentice crashed through the tall windows on the sixth floor of the palace. They both rolled as they landed on the throne room floor, then stood and faced the obviously startled Imperial just as she drew her blaster. Cal ignited his orange saber and deflected her fire and Kata disappeared in a green cloud, reappearing mid-air and bringing her left foot around to kick her directly across the face. The Imperial fell backwards into the throne and Kata seized her left arm, wrenching the blaster from her hand and tossing it to Cal, who caught it deftly. He dismantled the weapon with the Force and dropped its components to the floor as he stalked towards the Imperial who was now firmly in Kata's grasp, the Padawan holding one arm behind her back and her blaster pointed at the side of her head.
"You must be Val Arkin. We've heard so much about you."
"Cal Kestis," Her voice betrayed her fear. "Your reputation precedes you."
"Hm."
He kept his saber held by his side, prepared if she tried anything stupid.
"You know why we're here." He stated.
"I suspect I do," She admitted. "But I'm sorry to inform you that you're too late – your compass isn't here."
"We're not here for the compass."
Cal narrowed his eyes and waved his left hand in her direction as he reached out to her mind with the Force.
"You will tell me where the Inquisitor is." He commanded.
"I... won't..." She resisted.
He reached out with his hand, gripping her mind tighter, determined to make her talk.
"Tell me where she is now."
The Vice Director looked at him with genuine confusion.
"She...?"
"Tell me." He pressed.
Blood trickled from her nose from Kata's kick to her face and she stared at him, her eyes glazing over.
"He is here..."
Cal's brows pressed together in confusion. "He"? The Inquisitor was a man? He was about to press further, when an urgent voice rung over their commlink.
"Cal!"
"Teelo?"
"The compass isn't here, the Empire's all over us! This whole thing was a setup, get out of there!"
The sudden terror that gripped him as he realised this was a much larger trap than he had anticipated had his blood going cold. He looked at Kata and her expression was hard and equally terrified.
"Merrin, get dow—!"
"Teelo?!"
The line went dead, nothing but static. Either their comms were being jammed, or...
Cal inhaled sharply as he sensed the imminent danger, but before he could react to it, Kata had already ignited her saber and thrown it to parry the strike of the double red blades that had been spinning in their direction. He looked at her for a second, stunned, as her weapon returned to her hand. She had reacted to that too quickly – she couldn't have sensed it before him. He put it from his mind, turning towards the door and freezing in shock when he saw who was walking through it.
His red saber spun back towards his outstretched hand as he stalked towards them, the door closing behind him.
"We meet again, Cal Kestis."
His voice sent a familiar chill down Cal's spine. He couldn't wipe the astonishment from his face as he stared at him – his almost white eyes, his pointed teeth, his angular face, his pale green skin...
"Who is that?" Kata whispered behind him.
Cal's head turned towards her slightly, but he dared not take his eyes off the approaching Inquisitor.
"The Fifth Brother..."
He stopped some distance away and Cal raised his saber instinctively.
"You seem surprised to see me." He remarked.
Cal looked him up and down. He was surprised to see him, especially since he'd heard that he had bitten the dust on Malachor almost a year ago. He was supposed to be dead, like all the others, but then Cal knew better than most how hard Inquisitors were to kill.
"Surprised to see you ditched the hat," Cal shot back. "Good for you."
"I see the years have not matured you at all."
Cal resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He heard Kata climbing over the desk behind him to stand to his left. He glanced down at her briefly, but her face was unreadable as she stared at the Inquisitor before them. Had she seen this coming? Had she known who was waiting for them here? He was suddenly afraid for her, knowing from experience how formidable the Fifth Brother was. The last time he'd faced the Inquisitor many years ago, he'd almost killed Cal and Cere both, and had cut off Greez's arm when he'd intervened to save them. It seemed a lifetime ago now, and he never imagined he would contend with him again, but here he was.
"It's about time you showed up," Val Arkin's voice sounded behind them. "Now if you'll excuse me, I—"
"Thank you, Vice Director," The Fifth Brother interrupted. "You have fulfilled your usefulness."
Cal and Kata both spun around as they heard the sound of another lightsaber igniting, seeing a red blade piercing the Vice Director's body through the back of the throne. They both watched with wide eyes as the blade was shut off and her body fell limply to the ground.
Kata was once again the first to act, pushing him back with the Force towards the windows they had entered from. He slid, struggling to stop himself as he hadn't been expecting her to do that. He looked up to see someone appearing in a cloud of green smoke and slashing the empty air where he and Kata had just been, her saber slicing the desk clean in half. Kata appeared by his side as he got to his feet and he looked at her in shock. The way she looked back at him was knowing and he instantly understood – she knew that was going to happen.
There was no time for him to question her, as they stood across the room from now two adversaries. Cal's eyes scrutinised the second, recognising her brown robes, silver mask and braid of white hair. It was almost strange to see her in front of him. She indeed wielded an Inquisitor's saber also, and this situation was making both more and less sense to him at the same time.
"I believe you have already met Jerserra." The Fifth Brother said.
Cal inhaled deeply in rage at the very sight of her. There was no mistaking that she was the one he'd seen with Maven, and that what he'd just seen her use was Dathomiri Magick. And now he had a name to put to the mask.
Jerserra.
He tried not to let his anger overtake him as he stared at her, but he couldn't help but think about all the pain she had caused. He couldn't help but think about Maven plotting with her to kill him and everyone he cared for, about her framing Teelo for what she'd done and almost turning him against them. Teelo, Merrin, Greez – kriff, he hoped they were ok. But he knew he couldn't afford to worry about them right now.
"She was most helpful in bringing an end to the Hidden Path." The Fifth Brother grinned.
Cal and Kata both pulled their left sabers to their hands and ignited them in unison, squaring off with their foes, preparing to face their fate, one way or another. Cal's head was a swirling mess of conflicting emotions. He was angry, he was scared for Kata, he was worried for the others. But he had to put it all from his mind and focus, their lives depended on it.
"We do this together, Kata." Cal reminded.
"I'm with you, Cal." She replied.
"brrleet!"
The Nightsister – Jerserra – was the first to charge forward, teleporting mid-charge, Kata barely getting her purple blades up in time to meet her. She could feel the other Nightsister's strength outmatching her own, and she knew this was one of those times where she would have to be faster and smarter. But one mantra kept repeating in her mind, one objective she knew she could not fail, no matter what: get Jerserra's lightsaber off of her.
Kata teleported behind Jerserra, but the older Nightsister was ready for it and turned to meet her attack. They clashed blades, and from her peripheral, she could see the Fifth Brother engaging Cal. She knew he could handle him, now she just had to do her part and handle Jerserra. BD-1 popped his projectile module and zapped her with an electro-dart. She exclaimed and clutched at her shoulder. The momentary distraction gave Kata enough of a window to slash her left saber at her face. Though she managed to jump backward, she had not avoided her strike completely and Kata saw a fresh gash melted through the center of her silver mask.
The Nightsister ripped the metal object from her face that would undoubtedly have been extremely hot with an angry growl. Kata could see her face now and she was spooked at first by how much she reminded her of Merrin. But there was something much different about this Nightsister. Her pale skin, her white hair, the darkness around her eyes and mouth. Her tattoos that wound like vines from her hairline, around her eyes and mouth down to her chin. She looked up at Kata, her silver eyes wide with hunger and an unsettling grin spread across her face.
"brrrllllrrrt!"
Jerserra chuckled at BD-1's angry sound and reached out with her hand, gripping the little droid with the Force and flinging him across the room.
"BD!" Kata screamed.
She saw him hit the far wall behind the throne and fall to the ground. He tried to get up, but he was definitely hurt. She turned back just in time to defend against Jerserra's strike, feeling her anger rise to the surface. The Nightsister chuckled as she pressed her attack, flashes of red and purple lighting up her face.
"You are the one trained by my wretched sister."
Kata didn't have the words to describe how unnerving the sound of her voice was. It was harsh, but calm with a hint of madness behind her words.
"She is no sister of yours." She spat back.
Jerserra laughed and the sound was bone-chilling. So swiftly Kata almost couldn't react, she broke their clash and began to attack. Her movements were strange, alternating erratically between fast strikes and jabbing movements. Unfortunately for Jerserra, Kata had spent the last three years getting her ass kicked in the sparring ring by the best double-bladed fighter in the Galaxy. She stayed focused, watching her movements, trying to predict where her strikes would land, and she managed to hold the Nightsister at bay. She couldn't help but think about the others now, hoping that they were ok. She met both of Jerserra's blades her with own and the Nightsister forced her backwards.
"Your thoughts betray you..." She taunted. "I can sense your fear..."
Kata felt a strange sensation creeping into her mind. She didn't know what it was, but it felt unnerving.
"I'm not afraid of you." She defied.
More sinister laughter before Jerserra disappeared and Kata, not knowing where she was going to reappear, flipped to the side. It was the right move, she realised, as Jerserra reappeared right back where she was, probably thinking Kata would expect her to move behind her. Her head whipped towards Kata, her face contorted and her yellow teeth bared. Kata was already leaping forward, raising her blades to strike, and the two of them were locked into battle once more. She could hear the Nightsister's sniggers as she attacked, almost feeling them echo in the room. Her red blades spun in front of her face, lighting up the frenzied look in her eyes.
They clashed blades again, and without warning, Jerserra pushed Kata with the Force, sending her back straight into the thin wall between the two broken windows. She collided with it hard and fell to her hands and knees, gasping as she felt the sharp pain of one of the shards of glass on the floor slicing her left palm. She looked at her hand, blood seeping from the cut across its heel and dripping down the white hilt of her saber. She forced herself into a kneeling position and looked over at Cal, who was currently locked in battle with the Fifth Brother. She knew he would be fine – the man had faced Vader and survived. The Fifth Brother was not who she was worried about. Jerserra's taunting laughter stole Kata's attention once more.
"You may not fear me yet, child..."
She stalked forward, smoke and green flames of Magick enveloping her form. Kata watched in horror and disbelief as right before her eyes, the Nightsister transformed into Teelo. It was their face, their body, their clothes, their white lightsaber, even the energy felt familiar. Now she understood what Cal had seen in his vision – if she didn't know better, she would've thought it was them smirking down at her.
"...But you will." Teelo's voice finished.
Shaky breaths left Kata's mouth as she got back to her feet and readied her weapons.
"It's not them, Kata..." She whispered to herself.
Jerserra's smile widened as she charged forward and Teelo's white saber locked with Kata's. Their face – Jerserra's face – was so close to hers now and she struggled to believe it wasn't them. It was truly frightening.
"You know you can't beat me." Teelo's voice sneered at her.
Kata pushed her saber away, attempting to slash at her, but she dodged it. Kata brought her saber up in time to block her next attack, then she teleported away and reappeared above Jerserra, bringing her right foot down to collide with the side of her head, knocking her back. Kata landed gracefully and stood, glaring at her. Jerserra shook her head quickly and her lips quivered in rage as she stared the young Jedi down.
"Your new tricks won't save you." She said.
"I know this isn't real." Kata stood firm.
The corner of Jerserra's mouth pulled up in a smirk that reminded her far too much of Teelo.
"Are you so sure it isn't?"
Jerserra twirled her double blades in her left hand and her face contorted as she burst forward incredibly fast. Too fast. Kata barely dodged out of the way in time, rolling on the floor and turning back towards her. Her eyes widened as she realised what the Nightsister had just done. The way she'd used the Force – that was how Teelo used it. She barely got back to her feet before Jerserra was spinning her weapon in her direction. Kata barely kept her guard up against the flurry of her attacks, her eyes growing wider. She recognised the patterns in her aggressive attacks and she realised that she didn't just look like Teelo and sound like them, she was fighting like them.
And that was a mistake.
Jerserra's attacks were unpredictable to Kata, but she knew Teelo's. She had fought with them hundreds of times and she knew how they moved. In trying to mess with Kata's head, Jerserra may have just given her a distinct advantage, and she wasn't about to waste it. Putting her feelings aside, she tried to imagine that this was any bout with Teelo and use that to predict Jerserra's movements. The Nightsister spun her blades towards Kata and the Padawan managed to parry her successfully, knowing where her strike would land. She slipped under Jerserra's blades and slashed at her back, but she was quick and turned to block her strike.
Teelo's bright blue eyes glared at her between their clashing blades and Kata's focus lapsed for just a second. The Nightsister saw this and took the opportunity to push Kata's weapon back and kick her square in the gut. The force of the blow sent her onto her back, wheezing and coughing as the wind was knocked from her. She scrambled to her knees quickly to see the Nightsister hadn't moved from her position, staring down at the young Jedi, a chillingly familiar chuckle leaving her mouth.
"I can see why Maven chose this one to do her bidding," She taunted as she began to circle the Padawan from afar. "Such anger, such hatred, such shame, such fear... so easily manipulated."
Kata glared at Teelo's form, her lip twitching in anger at her words.
"Tell me, Kata..."
Hearing their voice say her name like that sent a chill down her spine.
"...Are you so certain I wasn't involved in Maven's plan willingly? That I had nothing to do with the destruction of your home?"
"This isn't gonna work, Jerserra," Kata got to her feet. "There's nothing you can say that I'll believe."
"Believe what you want, but I know the truth," Teelo... Jerserra continued. "I'm inside their head; I know the secrets they keep."
"You can't manipulate me against them."
"I can't... but they can."
She grinned widely and disappeared. Kata raised her sabers, looking around her, trying to sense where the Nightsister might strike from. Then suddenly, a great cloud of darkness enshrouded her, swirling around the room like a hurricane. She could no longer see Cal or the Fifth Brother. She could no longer see anything but the wall of rushing mist and the ground beneath her feet.
"Cal?" She called out in fear.
Cal shielded his eyes from the sudden blowing winds, only faintly hearing Kata's call from inside what seemed to be a dome of dark energy. He couldn't see her, or the Nightsister, whom he'd witnessed transform into Teelo minutes before. He was terrified that Kata was in there with her and he couldn't see what was happening.
"She's going to kill your Apprentice, Cal Kestis..." The Fifth Brother taunted.
He turned back towards his adversary, anger curling his lips back from his teeth.
"...And she will not be merciful."
Cal lunged forward with a yell to attack the Inquisitor, feeling his anger and fear beginning to get the better of him. He had to deal with this bastard and get to Kata before it was too late.
Kata tried to keep her feet planted firmly on the ground as the air current whipped around her. She'd never seen the Force used this way before, but the energy swirling around her was undeniably dark. Finally, Teelo's form reappeared through the mist, Kata's eyes growing wide in fear as she looked upon them. It was Teelo, but different. They were dressed all in black, and their hair and face had changed. It was as though the very light had been sucked from them. When they opened their eyes, they were no longer blue, but a vivid yellow with a bright red ring around them. They ignited their saber, the crimson blades glowing menacingly.
"I'm not who you think I am."
Even their voice sounded different; harsher, like Jerserra's. They lunged forward to strike her and they clashed sabers. Seeing this dark version of them up close was horrifying. She didn't even recognise them like this.
"This isn't real," She strained. "You're not them."
They laughed in a most sinister manner and pushed her saber back. They unleashed a flurry of attacks, using the Force to aid their speed. They seemed to be coming from every direction at once, knocking her off-balance every time their saber met hers. She knew they were toying with her – that they could've killed her easily. In all the years she'd known them, Kata had never seen them fight like this. This wasn't their usual reserved aggression – this was power, it was bloodlust... it was rage.
"Don't you wonder what I'm hiding from you?" They asked.
"Shut up!" Kata shouted, pushing them back with the Force.
They grinned at her as shaky pants left her mouth. She could feel it again, that creeping feeling inside her mind. She could hear it whispering...
"It's a shame you won't live through this," They continued to taunt. "You'll never know the truth."
The whispers were growing louder, threatening to rob her of her sense and reason. She tried to resist it, to shake it off, but it was difficult to think through the noise.
"What truth?" She demanded.
They grinned wider and she regretted asking. She knew that they were just trying to manipulate her, to confuse her so she'd lose focus. But she needed a moment to break through this fog in her mind and think, so she let them talk.
"Why don't you ask me?"
"You're not them!"
"I am them. Ask me what really happened on Ryloth."
"No..."
"Ask me what I did on Coruscant."
"Stop!"
"Ask me what I know about your mother's death."
Kata stopped, looking up at them as they circled her once more. She couldn't hide the shock and confusion on her face.
"You're lying..." Her voice shook.
"You don't really believe that finding me on Ontotho was an accident, do you?"
"It can't be..."
"You think it was the bonds of friendship that brought us close? It was guilt, Kata – guilt over what I did."
"No, you're lying!"
"Or they are. Either way, you'll never know if the person you love most in this Galaxy was the one responsible for destroying your family."
"NOOOO!"
Kata's anger and confusion overtook her and she raised her weapons, lunging forward to strike them. They laughed wickedly as they blocked her, showing no remorse. She refused to believe their words. Teelo wasn't lying to her, not again. They'd promised – they'd promised her no more lies! It wasn't true. Jerserra was just trying to screw with her head. Trying to turn her against them, just like Maven. She wouldn't let her. She wouldn't let this evil bitch win.
Kata teleported behind Teelo and leapt to strike them. They prepared to meet her, but she faked them out, dashing to the side at the last second, then teleporting away again. She reappeared some distance away, pulled her blaster and shot at them, which they of course deflected. She charged forward as she fired, then teleported again mid-strike. She continued this dance, trying to disorient them, and it was working. She could see them failing to predict her movements, barely getting their defenses up in time when she attacked.
Teelo – Jerserra – screamed with rage and Kata knew she had her. She made one last dash forwards, locking both blades with her again. They stared each other down, Kata seeing the anger in her yellow eyes. Without warning, Kata shut off both her sabers and ducked under hers. She used the Force to propel herself as she jumped upwards, kicking Jerserra square in the chin. The Nightsister was knocked back, clearly not expecting that. As Kata flipped through the air, she holstered her weapons and reached out with one hand to anchor Jerserra in place with her Magick and pull her saber from her grasp with the other.
The second Kata landed on her feet, she teleported away again, finding herself now on the outside of the swirling mist that seemed to be filling almost half of the throne room. She looked down at the saber in her hand, now no longer Teelo's, but returned to its original form. She turned towards the broken window and threw the object out of it, watching it fly through the air. She curled her fingers, green tendrils trailing from them as she reached toward the broken glass all around her and restored the windows to their original state. Now if Jerserra tried to retrieve her weapon, she'd have some warning in the form of the glass shattering.
She exhaled deeply, satisfied that she had accomplished what she'd set out to do. She turned back towards the mist in time to see it begin to dissipate, like the last moments of a violent storm. She couldn't see Jerserra, and wondered if she had fled since she was now unarmed. She could see Cal and the Fifth Brother still fighting intensely on the other side of the throne room. She drew her saber and ignited it as she started to move towards them. She caught Cal glancing over, relief evident on his face when he saw her.
She barely had time to register the green smoke of Jerserra appearing in front of her before she struck and Kata felt a sudden sharp pain in her face. She screamed as the impact knocked her to the ground and she was immediately blinded in her right eye by the blood pouring from her head. She got to her hands and knees and pressed her right hand to her face to try and stop it. Rivers of red were streaming down her arm and dripping onto the marble floor. She hadn't seen it coming, didn't know what had hit her, but judging by the blood, something sharp had sliced her face open. She couldn't tell if it had hit her eye or not, but the pain was terrible.
"Foolish girl," Jerserra's voice taunted. "Did you really think I wouldn't come here prepared?"
Kata looked up at her with the eye she could see out of and she realised the Nightsister was now holding a spear, not unlike Merrin's. Its pointed tip was obviously what had struck her. She looked around frantically for her lightsaber, which was no longer in her hand, and spied it on the floor some distance away. She reached out to pull it to her left hand, but just as she grasped it, Jerserra's foot came down on her hand hard. She pressed down with her boot and crushed the hilt of Kata's saber and her fingers along with it, causing her to scream in pain.
"KATA!"
She heard Cal's panicked cry from across the room, but the blood loss and the pain were starting to make her feel woozy. Everything sounded muffled and her vision began to blur. She knew she would lose consciousness soon, and there would be nothing to stop Jerserra from killing her.
Nothing but Cal Kestis.
He ripped his eyes away from her bloodied form on the ground and pushed the Fifth Brother back into the wall, the Inquisitor colliding with it and falling in a heap. He turned and sprinted towards her, seeing Jerserra raise her spear. He dashed forwards and stopped her strike with his sabers just in time. He locked eyes with her as she strained against him. She teleported away, but he had been expecting that, and he turned to meet her strike.
The two of them traded blows – hers fast and aggressive, his stronger and more calculated. He was seeing red, his anger boiling beneath the surface knowing that she'd hurt Kata, but he stayed in control. He didn't care what it took now; he intended to wipe this Nightsister off the face of the Galaxy. He thought about Merrin, Teelo and Greez. He thought about Mosey and Zee and Porro and the other survivors. He thought about Master Gidun and Nells Caro and all the others she had killed and it fuelled his fire. He wouldn't let her kill anyone else.
He sensed the Fifth Brother approaching and dashed backwards before he could strike. He squared off with both of them now, feeling his anger rise to the surface, and he knew now was the time. He threw his arms wide with a yell and released the dark power within him. Time seemed to slow to a crawl around him as he leapt forward and unleashed his fury on the Nightsister, seeing how it had disoriented her. He had never expected to use the Dark Side again so soon, but without it, he was outmatched, and he would do whatever was necessary to protect Kata.
He was unrelenting as he attacked Jerserra, forcing her into defensiveness, until she teleported away. She didn't reappear immediately and the Fifth Brother had finally managed to break from the hold of his stasis. Cal turned his blind rage onto him, feeling much as he had when he'd faced Vader. That same burning anger that he'd used to channel his power then was alight within him now. He disarmed the Fifth Brother easily, his lightsaber flying from his hands at Cal's forceful strike, and he punched him hard across the face, knocking him to the ground.
The Jedi pointed his weapon at the Inquisitor's throat, staring him down for a brief moment, indulging in him knowing that he was beaten. He pulled back, preparing to end the Fifth Brother's life for good. He was halted mid-strike, a sharp, involuntary gasp rushing into his body as he felt something impact his back. A choked exhale left him as he looked down to see the tip of a spear sticking through his gut.