Hunt - Part 2

TW: child death, death, mentions of abuse and child abuse

Zaiya stared down at the Jedi as she faded, her face was serene. It was almost unnerving to witness. A grim look crossed Zaiya's features, watching as Feral reached down and plucked the now forgotten lightsaber from the forest floor.

A wheeze drew her attention back to the fallen Padawan. Zaiya said nothing as she approached, and knelt beside the dying teenager. He was such a fighter, but there was nothing that could be done to help him now.

The Nightsister pursed her lips and looked into his eyes.

She raised her blade.

"Mon-monster," he hissed through gurgling breaths and blood spattered lips.

"I know."

She brought her blade swiftly across his throat, ending his suffering. It didn't make her feel any better.

"Let's go," Feral said as he picked up the boy's lightsaber from beside the body.

"Not yet," Zaiya replied firmly. "They were headed to the village. There's clones there, we can deliver their payload-" she gestured to the Padawan's pack, "and leave the bodies to be taken care of in whatever way the Jedi see fit."

Feral was silent for a moment.

"Why?" he asked, with obvious disdain.

"Because-" she scoffed. She was at a loss, but this was important. "Because I said so." Feral shot her a wary look. Zaiya fixed him with an emotive stare. "I need your help with this, Feral. I can… I will try to explain later. Please."

There was a moment of tense silence. Eventually, the Nightbrother's shoulders slumped and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine, we will appease your sense of honour," he huffed.


There was a hollowness in Zaiya's chest. Killing the child had not been the intention. She had reacted on pure instinct to an attack.

Monster, he called her. Well. She supposed she'd truly earned that now.

The two Dathomirians had wrapped the bodies, for travel, and waited until the cover of night. They carried the Jedi along with the pack they had been so worried about back to the village. They were left where they would be quickly found, and by that time, Zaiya and Feral would be back on the ship.

"Were you unsuccessful?" Maul asked, as soon as he saw Zaiya's face. She returned looking glum and surly.

"We got them," Feral said as he joined Zaiya in the main compartment. "But there was… well…"

"Did you know that one of the Jedi was a Padawan? A child?"

"Is that what this is about?" Feral asked. "He was hardly an infant."

"He was still a kid," Zaiya protested. "I do not kill children! We do not kill children!" Maul looked at her with a frown, his arms folded over his chest.

"A Jedi, is a Jedi," he said slowly.

"We are not Sith." Zaiya hissed. "We are not like Him. We are not like the Jedi that draft younglings into war. We are not the Sith that sacrifice babies for power. We are not maniacs that send little girls into the unknown with strangers-" she cut herself off and took a breath, trying to bring her rage to heel. After a moment she managed to gather herself. She looked at Feral and Maul in turn, her eyes sparking with emotion and intent.

"We are not who made us," she said emphatically. Maul took a moment, seeming to think over her argument. She could tell he did not fully agree, but eventually he nodded and stepped closer. He laid a warm hand on her shoulder.

"If it is so important to you, I will concede this, even if I do not fully grasp this," he said quietly. "We are not who made us, perhaps you are right." Zaiya let out a heavy sigh, finding more relief than she expected in his answer.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"Do not release your anger so readily, Lieutenant," Maul countered. He looked between her and Feral, "for now, you must use it."


Maul set them up on a distant planet. Far from the one in which they'd killed the Jedi. A place private, dark, and secluded. A planet where their connection for the Force would be strong, and not disturb the inner workings of a ship in mid-flight. Savage had joined them on the planet for this excursion, and Treshan left in charge of the Temptress temporarily.

Feral and Zaiya sat opposite each other. A circle drawn in the dirt at the mouth of a cave. Savage sat by a small fire he'd made behind them, Maul stood with the lightsabers in hand.

Huge dark jagged rocks seemed to have erupted out of the earth like gigantic knives of volcanic glass. There was ash in the air and on her tongue. The Force surrounded them, Zaiya could feel it here, but it was different. Electric, prickling at her skin. It was not like the cold familiar darkness of Dathomir, this was harsher.

"To bleed a kyber crystal, you must pour all of your anger into it… fracturing it into something new and powerful, but far wilder," Maul held out the lightsabers and tossed one to each of them. Zaiya stared down at the Padawan's lightsaber she'd caught with clear hesitation. After a moment, Feral held out the hilt that had belonged to Avona.

"Here," he said quietly. Zaiya looked between it and him curiously.

"It isn't mine to claim," she said, a little confused. Feral reached over to take the Padawan's lightsaber back.

"We'll swap, this one suits you better anyway," he replied, and laid Avona's black and white saber in Zaiya's hand. Feral looked at her, a soft expression on his face. He knew how the kid's death bothered her now, and likely knew how much trouble she would have using his crystal.

"A kind gesture, brother," Maul interrupted as Zaiya accepted the slimmer hilt. "But kindness has no place here." He gestured to the weapons. "Dismantle them." Feral tried to twist the saber between his hands but Maul held up his own. "With the Force," he clarified with the slightest of smirks. For Maul, it may as well have been a laugh.

Zaiya closed her eyes, reaching out with the Force. The air around her rippled, the Lightsaber seemed to resist. She'd heard that the crystal chose the Jedi… if that were true, could she ever make this one hers?

The weapon hovered in the air before her, the pieces didn't seem to want to separate, but after a moment of persuasion, the lightsaber broke apart into individual components, pieces that made up Avona Teller falling away to leave the crystal floating and glowing green before her.

Her eyes opened, and she turned, to see Feral was doing the same with his, the crystal before him felt different to hers, she could feel the minute differences, almost hearing the different melodies in the Force from the crystals, the planet, and each one of them.

"Now, focus your attention on your emotions, your anger, your pain, find what is the most agonising, and funnel it into your crystals," Maul instructed, his smooth and breathy voice urging her into the dark once again.

Zaiya closed her eyes again, letting herself fall, digging into the pain she'd felt in her life. The boy, Farley. Leaving Dathomir. The manipulation of her mentor. Loss of friends. Of her freedoms. The torture and mutilation.

The sound of the Force became loud and screeching in her ears. She reached out with her mind. The world shook as she pushed the feelings out, letting them flow through her.

The crystal hummed and vibrated, shimmering green like her eye… it began to change. Shimmer and sparking with the light turned electric and dark. The colour shifted, turning darker… Redder. Angrier. The colour of her home planet. The colour of her lover's skin.

Zaiya let out a cry of anguish and heard another echoing in her ears. It felt good. It felt freeing. She could feel the music return to her like a symphony in her ears, notes of sorrow and longing and despair. Of agony. Of tragedy. She felt it run through her as the crystal before her shook, and cracked down the centre.

Suddenly she felt herself splitting, tied to the crystal as the pain she poured into it was rebounded against her. The scar on her face stung, like it was burning flesh once more, searing her eye away and right through her skull. It was as though the kyber crystal itself was striking back against her.

Zaiya cried out and collapsed, sweating and leaning forward, hands in the black dust, trying to catch her breath. One eye opened, her nexus eyes squeezed shut from the pain.

Before her lay the kyber crystal, glowing faintly, red and pulsing with the remnant anger and pain. A violation of the natural gem.

Split in half.

A few stray white hairs fell into her face as she pushed herself back up. Beside her, Feral was panting too, though he lay on the ground, covered in the ash and dust all over. His gaze slid to hers and he gaze a tiny nod.

"Well done," Maul's voice cut through the thick silence and the two Dathomirians looked up. The crimson Zabrak stepped forward and reached out a hand to Zaiya, helping her up. Her knees were weak but still, she stood, her crystal now in hand.

"I think I went too far," she said, holding out her hand. The two pieces of the gem sat in the palm of her glove, Maul leaned over, looking at it carefully, she thought she could see him smirking.

"We shall see," was all he said, before turning to assist his brother to his feet. With a gesture, he guided them to follow him, leading them both back to the cave and where Savage awaited them.

His big golden eyes seemed concerned as he looked them both over; exhausted, dirty, sweaty and generally ragged. Before she could say anything, he tossed something at her and she jerked to catch it with her free hand. It was a bottle.

"You look thirsty," was his only explanation. She couldn't help it, Zaiya cracked, laughing and nearly doubling over. She didn't even know why it was so funny.

The three looked back at her for a moment, confused. Then Savage snorted, and Feral started cackling… even Maul let out a chuckle. The odd tension across the group of them seemed to ease, the laughter interrupted by mechanical footsteps approaching. Sixy looked over the four of them and tilted his head in a way that designated a roll of the eyes.

[Organics,] he said with exasperation.


"What are you thinking about?" Zaiya asked a very quiet Savage as the fire was dying down. Savage lifted his head to find three pairs of glinting almost glowing eyes looking back at him, and made a slight shrugging motion. The droid had set on doing scans of the area so it was just family.

"I have been… trying to put my memories back, not all of them make sense." he admitted. "Jumbled, I think. I don't remember everything yet. Especially the time in the village. There's a lot of time missing."

He felt Feral's shift in the Force, and Zaiya's expression softened.

"Do you want me to…?" she raised a hand and a tiny spark of green ignited in her hand. Savage flinched slightly, and the spark vanished, Zaiya's eyes widening slightly. Damn, she'd seen that. Savage gave a sigh, inwardly cursing himself.

"It's alright, I think I have had enough of Nightsister magick for a while," he said with a slight grimace.

"Understood," she replied, and sat back. "Is there anything else we can do to help?" The big Zabrak just chuckled.

"It is not the Sith way to offer help," he said sardonically. This time Zaiya frowned.

"We're not Sith," Feral interjected vehemently before she could say so.

"Well we aren't Jedi either," Savage replied, and all of them made a slight disgusted face. At least in that they were in agreement.

"We don't have to be either," Zaiya suggested and Maul made a low noise in his throat. She gave him a sharp look and his hands clenched for a moment.

"I do not know anything different," Maul began. "Before my training I… I have flashes-" he gestured to Zaiya, "-the memories you showed me are just images, but they are intertwined with nightmares from my former Master. He trained me in the Dark, in pain and anger and rage… rage is all I know, all I feel…" He huffed out a breath. "Or… it was." He looked between them. "This, having a family, is against everything I was taught, even now I feel I should-" he cut himself off with a snarl.

Savage knew what he meant. A Master and an Apprentice. Only two, and yet, there were four of them. Savage guessed the teachings warned him to get rid of the two weaker members of their group. Savage also knew that meant he and Feral. Though now he would be able to give Zaiya a run for her credits with all his recent training.

"I know," he said calmly. "The training robs you of anything connected to your old life, any memories you might have, especially happy ones."

"When I fought the boy… he reminded me of you," Zaiya said suddenly, looking between them. "All of you. I remembered the way you carried yourselves when we were small. It made me think… if we do the same as those that took our childhoods from us…" She shook her head.

"I… know what you mean," Maul said thoughtfully. "When I battled the Jedi - my first Jedi kill, it was a Twi'lek girl, not much older than we were. Eldra Kaitis."

"I remember," Zaiya nodded.

"There was a moment. She looked at me and for just the slightest moment, her eyes looked just like yours, Zaiya," he confessed. Savage's eyes widened.

"I remember you telling us about this," he said, looking at Zaiya. She had explained how she had buried the Jedi before escaping the moon and crashing the ship into its surface.

"Zaiya told me once that it would stay with me, this death, and she was right, even so many years later and I can see it. In my mind's eye so very clearly." The former Sith looked away for a moment, lost in thought.

"You were manipulated, sire," Zaiya said quietly. "We all were, but we can be more than that."

"We are not who made us," Maul said in a tone that indicated a new understanding. "So this is what you meant." He looked at Zaiya.

"Yes," she replied. "The Nightsisters, Mother Talzin, the Sith- those paths do not hold meaning for us anymore."

"It will not be so easy," Savage countered, "if I still struggle with the Dark Side, I cannot imagine how much worse it is for you, brother."

"When has anything in any of our lives been easy?" Feral interjected. Savage had to admit, he had a point.

"We are neither Nightsister, Nightbrother, Sith nor Jedi. We make ourselves into something all of our own. We are a family, are we not?" There was a silence between the group as they let the words settle over them.

"Aren't you a Dawnsister?" Feral asked after a while. Zaiya chuckled.

"Perhaps."

"If we are neither Light nor dark, then what are we?" Savage asked with a frown, "grey?"

"I always thought we were more colourful than that," Feral replied with a wry grin. "I mean the planet was red, are we walking a red path now? Sounds rather messy." He was joking but Maul finally looked up.

"Crimson," he said quietly. Savage looked between them and was a second behind his brother.

"You're right," Savage said, and gestured to the three Nightbrothers, "crimson," he pointed to Zaiya, "dawn."

"Well that has a ring to it, doesn't it?" Zaiya chuckled. "Just like the mornings of Dathomir."

"We have a ship, bounty hunters that we can call on, we just need a more solid hold in the galaxy," Savage offered.

"That is the plan, brother," Maul nodded. "Do you believe your… associates are reliable?"

"I do," Zaiya said firmly.

"Then, it is time for Crimson Dawn to rise in the Galaxy," Maul said with a wicked curve of his lip.

A moment later, Zaiya's communicator began to beep. She held it up.

[This is Siren.]

[My Lady? This is Slick, I believe we may have a lead for you. Have you ever heard of the Spice runners on Horven Prime?]


Notes:

HAPPY THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY!
I mean technically it's tomorrow but I'm not waiting. But yes... it's been three years since I first published the very first chapter of APOD. Good grief, time goes by so fast. In honour of that... here is a chapter of angsty goodness.

I've done these before and usually I like to prepare ahead of time, but yknow, better late than never, right? In celebratory post, why don't you guys ask me some questions? Ask about the fics I write or me, or if you like, ask a question to the characters themselves. Wanna ask Siren a question? Or Maul? Or Adaji? Or any of them? Send me some questions, just specify who you're asking and keep it respectful please.

In the meantime, I should probably write some more. I have had a lot on so writing is a bit difficult, however, things are good. ^^ I appreciate every one of you and as always I love comments, shares, likes, all that jazz cos your engagement is directly linked to my motivations. It's like fuel! (burnout aside ofc)
I hope you all are doing well and I shall see you next time!