Dantooine, The Chamber of the Jedi Council
Juhani
In the chamber of the Jedi Council, Juhani felt small beneath their collective judgement. The Jedi Masters Vander, Vrooke, Zhar Lestin, and Juhani's own Master Quatra gave them no praise for what they had accomplished. Alongside Belaya the two had given their account of last night's fight. Detailing the Raiders attempted kidnapping and murder. Of how they had managed to fight them off. Killing eight in total with the last fleeing on their speeder bike. The heirs hadn't been hurt thankfully. The two Padawans hadn't given the Raiders a chance to split their focus away from their lightsabers. The heirs were safe, the raiders defeated, and now the Padawans found themselves in trouble.
"You should have called for aid.", Master Vrook chided them, "You're lucky to be alive. One mistake could have cost not just your life, but those you wanted to protect."
'But we didn't make a mistake!', Juhani chewed the rebuttal inside. Beside her Belaya shifted uncomfortably. Unused to being reprimanded by the Council. Master Vander nodded his head agreeing with Vrook, "You were too quick to act. The Mandalorians have always used underhanded tactics. More could have been hidden, and while there were none this time, they will certainly do so in the future."
Again, she had to swallow down what she wanted to say, 'But there wasn't!'
The smallest and oldest member of the Council saw her struggle.
"Yes Juhani?", Master Vander asked, giving her a small chance to defend their actions. Juhani rubbed her arm, "Master, I do not wish to misunderstand the Council's wisdom, but…it sounds as though we shouldn't have done anything. That you wish we had let Shen Matale, Rahasia, and Casus Sandral to be captured."
Master Zhar crossed his arms, "Tell me, what would have happened if they were captured. Their fathers would have paid a ransom, and the heirs would be returned."
Belaya dared to interject, "But Master, the shot at Shen would have killed him!"
"Would their greed have allowed it to be a fatal shot? The Matale boy may have suffered a limp for some time, but I doubt he would have died. This may have even united their fathers. Ending their feud with each other, but now it has only grown worse. Both now think this was a plot by the other to abduct their child."
Juhani sighed knowing it was impossible to change their minds. They were just supposed to accept that they had handled it wrong, but she couldn't believe that. She felt the eyes of her Master rest heavily on her, and knew the Jedi felt her obstinance. Master Quatra, a red Togruta in matching scarlet robes, was examining her Padawan with fresh scrutiny. Juhani felt naked under her Master's cold gaze like she always did. Quatra could perceive and reflect everything Juhani disliked about herself like a mirror. Master Quatra spoke with a clear voice devoid of emotion, but heavy with judgment, "You have no regret in taking their lives."
She pushed forward unwilling to give them any chance to coordinate a response. Her lightsaber becoming a blue blur that blinded them with how close she brought it. Juhani's footwork a prime example of su ma as she threw herself into the air. Controlling the tight spin of her axes while her blade sliced through two of the Raiders too slow to react. Landing atop one speeder bike with her blade pointed directly at the Mandalorian driver. His eyes visible through his visor under the glow of her blade.
He feared her.
She didn't fear him.
Juhani lowered her gaze to the floor, "I do not Master. I did not take them gladly, but such was the only path they provided me. My choices were my own to make from there, and in the defense of those who could not protect themselves I'd make them again." The Council looked amongst themselves at her answer, but Quatra kept her stare fixed on her. Attempting to look directly into the memories of her Padawan. As if Quatra could transpose herself through time and space to see what had happened for herself.
Maybe she could.
She aimed for the small gap between the beskar plating, just under the chin and above the breast collar. Piercing through the weaker flexible material at his throat. The harder resistant back of his helmet prevented her lightsaber from pushing out the back. There was no sound except the sizzle of her lightsaber as he died, there was nothing left in the physical shell that went slack under her, nothing to hate anymore. Except for the titular mask the corpse wore, a symbol of conquest, of worlds transformed into battlefields; Juhani hated it instinctively.
Leviathan, Hyperspace
Darth MalakHe looked impassively at the crippled body of his apprentice. Once again submerged in a kolto tank. Floating helplessly in the expensive and finite healing solution. Malak had felt the events transpiring from his private chambers. He was pleasantly surprised to see that Bandon had survived by the narrowest margin. Only saved by the strength of his will. When the medical crew had responded they found his room completely destroyed. At first the assumption had been a freak internal decompression leak with no survivors, but Malak had commanded them to retrieve all three souls he knew to be inside.
Amazingly they had all survived. The would-be Assassins had managed to shield themselves just in time. Leaving the med-bay, Malak made his way to where they awaited his judgment in brig. Finding them composed with no intention to beg behind their energy cells. Their arms bent painfully behind their backs. Restrained by Sith made binders to prevent any use of force powers. The twins greeted their executioner with reverence, bowing their heads against the cold floors of their cells. Not uttering a sound until he gave permission.
There was nothing about his Empire that he didn't know, and they were no exception. Malak wasn't blind to his Shadow Hand's underlings. They were skilled; he knew they had played a part in culling several weaklings from their order. Something he was personally thankful for, but now it seemed they had acted of their own accord. With their deadly sights set on his own apprentice.
"Speak, explain your actions.", he commanded.
"My Lord Malak, we crave what all your lesser do.", Vial-tox said first. His sister speaking second, "To become greater than even yourself." Malak's cold mechanical laugh was loud, "You have great ambitions."
They spoke as one, "We will remove every obstacle in our way to see it through. Including each other."
Malak almost wished he could still smile, "And if I were to just kill you instead. Would you accept that outcome?"
Orzon gleamed at him with her burning yellow eyes, "We accept no one's judgment about when we die. I will never submit my life without challenge. If we're too weak to survive, then that simply means we did not deserve to live."
"A fine answer. It was you who planted the ideal in Darth Bandon to attack me, wasn't it?"
"Yes, my Lord. I found him lacking to be your successor. He is a gifted physical fighter but has never shown the cunning or patience of one worthy to be called Dark Lord. I wished to see if I was wrong, and you proved me right."
"So you sought to end him yourself."
"To become your apprentice, I was prepared for all it would cost me.", She smiled proud of herself.
"You enjoyed it all.", Malak saw it evident in the way she licked her bruised lips. He turned to her brother, "You had no qualm if she died?"
"I would expect it to be the ultimate satisfaction for her, my Lord. If she needed to die for I to prevail, then I would only benefit."
"You're equally dedicated to all you must do?"
"My Lord, I have and will whore myself beyond my sister's talent." The waves of jealousy rolling off him said enough. He had been jealous it had been Orzon that received Bandon's attention. The two masochistic assassins who vowed to kill him one day looked at him carnally.
Malak opened their cells with a wave of his hand. Jerking them with the Force to his feet.
"Very well.", He said as energy crackled at his fingertips, "Let's test your resolve."
Their screams echoed all the way to the bridge.
Dantooine, Jedi Enclave
Belaya
They were released from the lectures of the Council after an hour. Forbidden to speak of their fight with the raiders with anyone else. She repeated the mantra of the Jedi code in an attempt to calm down.
'There is no emotion, there is peace.
There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.
There is no passion, there is serenity.
There is no chaos, there is harmony.
There is no death, there is the Force.'
But it was to no avail. She was probably the most devoted Padawan in the whole Enclave, and even she could not see any reason in how the Council had treated them.
Especially how they had focused on Juhani. Belaya had seen the suspension in their guarded gaze. They had all but accused her friend of dancing with the Dark Side. Their warnings about embracing destructive emotions highly geared at the Cathar. In her opinion the Masters had no right to judge what they did! Belaya chewed on her lip at having the rebellious thought. It was so unlike her, but she could only be aghast at how they scrutinized them. Her own Master, Zhar lestin, had shocked her with his dismissal of the attack on Shen. She knew he wouldn't have been left with a simple limp.
As fast as they ran there was no time to get there before the Raiders had encircled the trio. Her limbs burned already as she doubled her speed. Kicking up clouds of dust as she sensed the cold-blooded decision to kill the Matale boy. This wasn't about simple greed, but a sadistic display of power the Mandalorians called a game. She wouldn't make it, her powers weren't strong enough yet to save his life, but Juhani's were. Belaya watched as her courageous friend cleared the distance. Saw her choose to put herself in the way of harm, instead of simply killing the Mandalorian aiming for Shen's heart from behind.
The young women circled the inner garden. Ignoring the curious eyes of other Padawans on them. They wouldn't find any peace among the tranquil trees shading them here. Juhani was quiet, and Belaya felt the hurt hang heavy in her friend. Belaya was at a loss to how to comfort her, but she wanted to find a way. Last night had been so different, they had been heroes. All their years of devoted training in the order finally put to use defending the weak. They had been so exhalated, and why not? Belaya had felt more like a Jedi than ever before.
Her golden blade illuminated the dark like a shield. Blocking and reflecting so many shots she couldn't count. Relying on reflexes built on years of studying Soresu. Letting herself drop into a moving meditation. It would have been impossible to see through the hail of fire with her naked eyes. Using the Force Belaya could perceive the Raiders positions, how they held their blasters, and even what they saw. She didn't let herself think, allowing the living Force to puppet her.
She didn't have to worry about attacking. Juhani had already cut down three before she even noticed. There was a minuscule pause in the shooting as the Raiders became distracted by Juhani standing over a dead Mandalorian. In the glow of her blue blade and the moonlight, Juhani equally terrified her and enthralled her. All the Raiders turned to fire on her, but Belaya wouldn't allow it. She switched to form V, amplifying her strength with the power of the Force and brought it crashing down on the closest Raider.
His body offered no resistance, searing apart like wet paper to her blade. Jerking half of the groups focus back on her. Immediately shooting at her, their shots returned with lethal intention. They trapped the Raiders between their moving blades of energy. Cutting their numbers down one by one from both directions. She could taste Juhani's power, Belaya drew on its attractive nature to empower herself even more. They moved like a mirrored reflection of each other. Meeting with a Mandalorian in the middle doing his best to fend them off.
His iron deflected their blades, but they worked together to open his defense. They weaved in between each other attacking as one. Belaya destroyed his blaster with a Sun Djem that cleaved two of his fingers off. He roared in pain reaching for his long dagger, but Juhani separated his good arm in two at the elbow. Belaya would not let him suffer long, Sai tok was considered barbaric in its use against anything other than droids, but the move was only way to end him quickly. The two turned their attention to the last one standing.
The lone Mandalorian looked to his bisected fallen companion and judged rightly his chance to avoid a similar fate. Raising his hand in surrender, Belaya lowered her blade, but Juhani kept hers raised. Before Belaya could protest, Juhani was proven right. The Mandalorian moved faster than she could react, punching out a fist in the direction of the heirs, releasing something flying from his wrist at them. Juhani reacted in time, catching it with the Force and sending it high in the air. The explosion turned night into deafening daylight blinding them all.
The Mandalorian had taken the chance to escape. In the immediate aftermath Belaya had taken charge. Seeing to the Heirs and escorting them to the Enclave. It just dawned on her that she hadn't even thanked Juhani for saving all their lives. Belaya shuffled her feet, rubbing her hands together behind her as she blushed in embarrassment. Juhani noticed her fidgeting and looked curiously at her.
"Yes, my friend?", her voice sounded weary. There were too many eyes here in the garden. Belaya took Juhani's hand and led her away, "Come with me. I want to show you something." Juhani didn't fight her as Belaya pulled the woman out of the gardens, and in the direction of her room.