Kaitis - Part 2
The first group of hunters were not much of a challenge, neither were the second… or third. He growled, his goal being pushed back again and again… he was growing impatient. Each time the Jedi watched them, noticing how his apprentice covered his back, repelled any attack, kept her eye on both him and the Jedi. Each of them watching the other, a strange dance between them. A dance… and that was exactly how she moved. The Jedi had the forms she had been taught, flowing strikes and defending, his own as his master taught him, precise, efficient, fast, in and out… but his apprentice barely seemed to touch the ground, her steps in a flowing dance, as though there was some music he could not hear.
Finally the hunters were dispatched and the droids told them there were no more inbound. At last. He would kill the Jedi, prove to himself and to his apprentice how powerful he had become. His master was wrong to make him wait! It went against the teachings of the Sith! A Sith was to strike first! Master betrayed his own teachings by asking him to wait! He was a weapon- the eyes of his apprentice entered his mind. She would say otherwise. What would she know? She wasn't there. She didn't understand.
'She knows more than you think…' came that voice in his head again, the young one, the one that agreed with her. He let out a soft growl. He knew he should eliminate her for some of the things she'd said… but he could not deny, she made a good ally, and she had a loyalty to him that was unlike any of the hunters or other beings he had encountered. She was powerful, intelligent and seemed to have connections. She was useful and beautiful.. Though her appearance didn't have any bearing in his keeping her alive, of course. She wanted to increase his power and seemed to have no desire to take it from him. Foolish, but it definitely helped him, and why would he not wish to take advantage of that? He assured himself it was wiser to keep her around than to abandon her. His own apprentice. One that knew him, that would stand with him against his master. Loyal to him alone. He glanced at her briefly as she checked the bodies of the hunters around them, ensuring they were indeed dead. Graceful as she moved, powerful in her attacks and eyes that stared into him in a way that made him feel utterly bare before her. He could almost feel the touch of her on his skin still. She belonged to him. He would unlock these hidden memories, and he would know everything and he would become even more powerful than his master, with her at his side. Or… on her knees-
No! This was not the time to delve into the history she stirred up, nor the time to get distracted! His gaze returned to the Jedi, who was watching them with a narrowed gaze, like she was trying to figure out what was going on. She seemed to be able to sense what was about to happen however. Was she prepared to die?
"We needn't be enemies." The Jedi spoke up finally, whatever else she was thinking, she didn't say it. "We don't have to fight. You don't have to give yourself over so completely to this… darkness." Now she sounded like his apprentice.
"If you believe that, you are not the Jedi I thought you were." He sneered in return, did she think she could delay the inevitable? That appealing to his non-existent light would spare her? The Twi'Lek's expression darkened.
"Yeah." She replied flatly. "I thought maybe I would give you a chance to back down before you get yourself humiliated and then killed." her voice cold, she knew that for all the kindness his apprentice had shown, she could not avoid her death, "That's all." His lip curled in anger at her words.
"The same chance your Jedi predecessors gave the Sith?" He snarled.
"All right then." She responded, striding across from him and readying her blade. His yellowed eyes flicked to his apprentice, she was now sitting on a boulder, watching them. Good, she knew not to interfere.
"Finally." He hissed with a sadistic grin. He just hoped it would not be over too soon. He had risked everything to be here. To face a Jedi, to defy his master, not for the first time either. If he were caught, everything would be lost, and it was not the Jedi or an enemy that he needed to fear. His training to kill the Jedi would be for nothing if his master struck him down. He had more than just his own pride and survival now, he had his apprentice to protect. As a master he had a responsibility to his student.
The Jedi took her time to gauge his skills against her own, defending against his strikes. His blood boiled in his veins, his hearts pounding as lightsaber clashed against lightsaber. He knew it was dangerous, this fight, this betrayal…
But it was worth it.
This padawan, Eldra Kaitis… she was strong with the force, she was cunning, fast and strong… but not his equal. He was faster, stronger and more powerful! Jedi were inferior to the Sith! This fight… this would prove it. To himself… and to Zaiya. He would show her she had no reason to doubt him, or question him. That was why Eldra Kaitis must die, far from anyone, her kin and fellow Jedi could not help her here… alone on a desolate moon.
Zaiya sat watching them… she looked calm on the outside but he could almost feel her tense up when Eldra slashed at him or attacked him. The Nightsister wasn't excited, nor was she smiling. Shouldn't she be? Her master was showing his skills, showing her what a real Sith could do! So why did she look so sad? It just fuelled his anger and he took it out on the Jedi.
It seemed he had underestimated Eldra… he had thought her defeated before the battle began, yet the tenacity was impressive. She took advantage of his overconfidence, and his distractions whenever his gaze slid to the Nightsister behind her. A slash across his chest and they both heard Zaiya gasp, the female on her feet, blue eyes wide. But no, he was not wounded, just his robes were damaged, and he tore them from his upper half to be discarded. Now Zaiya had a completely different reason to be wide-eyed. He smirked.
"Do you two mind flirting after you kill me?" Eldra asked with a curled lip.
"I didn't think jealousy was the Jedi way." He sneered, striking back at her.
"You wish. She might be the only one that looks past the fact you're a psychopath…" Eldra scoffed, his eyes narrowed. "It's sad… she clearly loves you and all you want to do is use her for power."
"Silence!" He growled, tired of this conversation already, what would a Jedi know of anything? Ah… no that was not what she was trying to do, she was just trying to distract him, set him off balance with nonsense about the only thing she could latch on to. Distract him so that she might cut him down. Clever.
"Seems a shame… you're such a disappointment to her…" He frowned, what did she mean by that? No! This was all lies to gain the upper hand. She darted away and glared down at him from a rocky platform. "I'm not going to let you butcher me." She hissed, glaring at him. She was indeed defending, but he could see her waiting, waiting for her chance to strike, to destroy him utterly. So like a Sith. Zaiya's words floated back to him, the possibility of turning her. A shame indeed, that her fate was already sealed. "Even if you do kill me, I am not the Jedi Knight you want to fight!" Eldra snapped, was this her way of begging for her life? "I'm just a student- a Padawan." Foolish Jedi, no matter what she said, her words were hollow, nothing would stop him! He leapt toward her with a murderous look, but the force sent him flying back, his back hitting rock hard, a grunt escaping him. Eldra threw her saber like a javelin… but it missed the mark, hitting the stone above him, making it rumble and groan from the force.
"A wasted effort," he scoffed, "If you're going to throw your weapon, make sure you hit your target." He lip curled into a snarl, then he noticed Zaiya standing behind the Twi'lek
The Jedi smirked, "I wasn't throwing it at you."
Shit.
He looked up in time for him to see the cascade of rock tumble toward him at speed, soon burying him beneath it, and his vision became dark.
Zaiya watched as Eldra retrieved her saber, then turned to look at the Nightsister, a wary, measured expression.
"Well done." Zaiya told her with a calm look, "My master is not easily defeated."
"You can be free of him now." the Jedi told her, "You can go-"
"No…" Zaiya shook her head, a sad little smile on her face. "I am bound to him for the rest of my existence and I will not falter in my oath."
"You have the loyalty of a Jedi…" Eldra sighed, "So I suppose I have to fight you now too…?"
"There is no need." She replied with a calm, almost sad expression. It was then Eldra's eyes widened, and she turned back- too late. The zabrak's saber pierced her torso. The moment lingered and tears sprung to the Jedi's eyes, Zaiya could see them as she drew closer.
"Make no mistake, Eldra Kaitis." He growled "You are a Jedi." With that, he pulled back, and Eldra collapsed back into Zaiya's arms. The Nightsister looked down at her with saddened eyes.
"From you… I'll take that… as a compliment…" The Twi'lek groaned weakly, able to speak but fading fast. Her eyes looked to Zaiya's. "You… have light… perhaps… you can save him… afte-" but she could not finish her words, falling limp in Zaiya's arms. The zabrak felt her hearts ache. Despite being a Jedi… Eldra Kaitis was not deserving of death. She fought with nobility and grace, and did not beg for her life. She was brave, strong and clever. The galaxy was a little colder for having lost her.
Zaiya laid the girl down, gently resting her head against the stone beneath. Her master picked up the weapon and turned it in his hand, he moved to destroy it, she felt the force move… but he stopped. He glanced over to her and then held out the weapon in his gloved hand.
"I believe this should belong to you now." He told her. Zaiya stood, holding the saber of the now dead Jedi.
"Thank you master…" She muttered dully, after a beat, she spoke again. "We should bury her."
"We do not have time for such a thing. You are softened for one dead Jedi, apprentice?" He hissed with disdain.
"She was a worthy opponent master, and the first Jedi to fall by your hands, I believe she deserves the respect of a burial." The Nightsister looked into his eyes, and there was something in them that bothered her. "How do you feel?" She asked with a slight frown and took a step toward him. "Was it the battle you desired? Are you satisfied with your victory?"
There was a long pause, and finally he looked away. "No." He told her.
"No..?" Her frown deepened.
"No!" He spun back to face her. "I am unsatisfied! The battle was all I wanted and more but... victory felt hollow! This is not how it's supposed to be-!" He looked utterly distressed. "Her death was meant to be more than this! This is my victory! I killed a Jedi! I am stronger than they are! Yet the only time I felt any satisfaction was-" He stopped. He was looking at her with a strange expression, then abruptly looked away. What… what was that about? She wanted to ask, but she could feel his walls rise up, and knew he would not answer any more of her questions. "...you may bury her if you wish." He sighed, stepping away to collect his tattered robes.
"Thank you." She replied quietly. But she did not yet go to the body, instead following him and taking his hand. He looked at her sharply, the question clear by the look on his face. "I need to tend to your wounds first, Master." She told him.
"I am not an invalid." He sneered, snatching his hand back.
"Of course not, but that doesn't mean you have to do everything on your own." She replied, hands moved to her pack to grab an aid kit. She was diligent in applying the bactum and wrapping up the more serious wounds. She was delicate in her work, not touching him unless she had to, and being careful not to be too rough, but still moving quickly. He watched her the entire time, she seemed to be taking extra care not to hurt him. Stupid, he had known too much pain for this to be a bother… but the soft touch was... "Master…" She said finally.
"Don't." He warned, not wanting to hear what he knew she might say, but she kept going.
"If you feel nothing… only emptiness. Then are you sure that killing another Jedi will not leave you with the same feeling?" There it was.
"You think I can make that choice? You think I have that option even if I wanted to?" He hissed back, lip curling into a snarl, the edge in his voice returning. "You think I could escape him?"
"Yes." She responded, levelling her gaze on him. "I believe you can do anything." She responded without hesitation, the look in her eyes was utterly haunting. She believed it? She must from the look in her eyes… they were too… too much. He looked away, the intensity too powerful for him to confront.
"It is not a simple task."
"No." She replied, shifting and reaching up to cup his cheek with a soft hand, suddenly she was only a few inches away, he felt frozen by the strange tingling feeling that was overcoming him, replacing that hollow feeling with a strange warmth that felt alien to him. "But it is worth it." She whispered. That look crossed her face again, the one that told him she was determined. She was so sure she would free him from the grasp of his master. Did she still not realise how powerful he could be, standing at his master's side? Was she so foolish to think she could defy him?
Yet… the emptiness was proof. Yes he could best a Jedi, he was strong, powerful… yet the emptiness that remained… It shook him. Should he not feel more from this victory? For the sake of the fallen Sith before him? Zaiya left his side to tend to the body, moving the rocks and stones to cover the Twi'lek. There was respect in her movements, though she had not fought the Jedi, she did respect the Padawan, even in death.
"Why do you care?" He asked suddenly. "She was our enemy."
"Enemy or not… the dead remember." He frowned, what was that supposed to mean?
"Dead is dead."
"Maybe to a sith." She replied. "To some, death is just another journey."
"What a comforting lie." He responded with a scowl. "You sound like a Jedi."
"Maybe." His eyes narrowed.
"You wish to be my enemy?"
"Never, my master." She spoke with a firmness in her voice. "But there is wisdom in learning the beliefs of others. Knowing one's enemy and all that."
He paused to think about this. It seemed abhorrent to delve into the hypocrisy that was the Jedi faith… though she seemed to think it wise to learn of this? He was swirling with strange thoughts and feelings. His wounds did not seem to hurt as much, tended to with gentle hands. What did it mean? Why was it so empty? Why did she look so… disappointed? Why did that bother him? He had to do what he did. He had to kill the Jedi. The moment she had seen his saber, he had condemned her. Zaiya knew this, so why did she still look at him… like that? Why was she so insistent on burying the Padawan? He watched her, she was speaking, something low that he could not hear, to the body. As if she could speak to the Jedi beyond the veil of death. There was a reverence, he noted and vaguely recalled that the Nightsisters dealt with death and had strange rituals regarding the practise but… something churned in his gut as he watched the eerie calm come over her. He began to wonder if he had chosen differently, would she look at him differently? He blinked. It wasn't like he regretted killing the Jedi. They were his enemy! He was born to destroy them! This is what he did! There was no reason for these thoughts!
But why… when he had dealt the final blow, had his hearts seized? For a moment he had sworn the blue eyes he looked into were not those of the Jedi, but his apprentice. So similar, yet not the same. His apprentice was fine, even with the dried blood on her temple, she was alright. He hadn't… she was shook his head, turning away until she was finished, and by his side once more, a strange calm in her eyes.
"I am ready, master." She said, "Shall we return to the bounty hunters?" He looked her over once more, she seemed far older than him suddenly. Not in her face of course, but in the way she held herself and the way she spoke. Was this the Nightsister's influence? It seemed she lingered on the spiritual side of the force… where he was trained for combat. It seemed the Dathomirians made an excellent pair.
The Zabrak stood, and walked forward, back toward the way they had come, in order to return to the bounty hunters, hopefully now they had a ship.
Notes:
I hope you all aren't disappointed... I did wanna save her but I couldn't figure a way to do that. Not one that made sense in the situation at least. Still, its a very important moment for his growth as a character.
Tomorrow, I shall post Reconnect part 1! There might be a touch of spice in there. Just an itty bitty bit.
