Chapter Eight

Apprentice or Peace

It had been 3 days since being rescued from the Sith Prison convoy. Lyd still did not feel like herself. She rarely left her room. She had been given quarters around where Rezin and Valkyria were. She woke up each night screaming from a nightmare. Rezin or Valkyria would run in, sometimes both, and make sure she was ok. There were several times when one or two of their kids had come as well.

"She really is a mess. I just do not know how to help her. Do you really think she is going to be your apprentice? I just do not see her making it." Valkyria told her husband. She was genuinely worried about Lyd. She knew Rezin worked hard with her over the last few years. She was worried.

"I do not know." Rezin stated dejectedly. "Time. She needs time. The scary thing is that I do not know how much time we can give. Everything is moving so fast." Rezin told his wife. They continued to stare out the viewport on the bridge of the Skyline. The fleet sat in space combing the wreckage of the convoy. After the strike teams had escaped the slave ship, Revan and Rezin combined their respective fleets and drove the sith presence from the area. Not many enemy ships were destroyed, but they still took it as a solid win.

Valkyria decided to give Rezin some time to process everything. A lot had happened in the span of a few short days. There was a time when the people of Viridian did not have to worry about others from their home, their true home, coming to this war-torn galaxy. Now though, Lyd was the first person to come in a while. She knew as well as any of their people what this could mean. She also knew Rezin understood the implications of this. He needed time. Just like Lyd needed time to recover and process what was happening to her, her husband needed time to process their next move as well as how to help this former pupil of his. So much is different now, Valkyria thought to herself as she walked away. I wonder how they will handle this.

Rezin was grateful for the solitude. He was concerned. The war with the fractured Sith Empire raged on. More of his people were coming through. Lyd was proof of that. His brother led part of the Sith Empire that was allied with the Mando'ade, but the empire was torn between the old ways and the former Wrath of the Empire. "I still cannot believe he made his move. It's too soon." Rezin spoke aloud. He had been informed by his brother, Darth Zealous, that Zealous had made his move for the throne. His forces had control of Dromund Kaas and several of the surrounding systems, but civil war had broken out. And to top all of this off, Lyd, a former student he had taught when she was younger, was nowhere.

As Rezin stood pondering about all of this, he did not hear the doors to the bridge slide open. No one disturbed him as he stood. The newest presence on the bridge simply walked up, shakily, and stood by him. "Sorry to disturb you but I really need something familiar right now." Said a quiet and timid voice. Rezin looked over and saw Lyd standing there. She was fighting to keep her emotions and panic in check. Failing but doing her best. Rezin smiled and put his arm around his former student.

"How are you holding up?", he asked her.

"I honestly have no idea." Lyd replied. Her eyes remained looking at the floor. Rezin simply gave her time to think and respond. "Is this really real? Am I dreaming? What is going on? Where am I?" She fired off several questions at once.

Rezin took a deep breath, still holding on to this fragile woman. "Lyd, where do we stand?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Came her reply.

"You know you are like a daughter to me at times. Other times, a really good friend. Where do we stand right now?" He clarified.

"Oh. I…umm….friends I guess would describe it. I don't really know how to answer this." She replied.

Rezin smiled. "Yes, this is all real. There is a lot to explain and it will take time. Right now, know that you are safe." Rezin felt his friend's posture shift. Not much, but there was still a shift. She felt a little more comfortable. Almost like she was relaxing a little.

"What does this mean? For me I mean." Lyd asked. She was very confused and not sure what to do.

"Let me show you something." Rezin replied. He turned her around and guided her from the bridge. They walked along the corridor towards an open area. "Just watch what's going on." Rezin told Lyd. She stared down into the pit-like arena. As she scanned it, she noticed it was more like a massive training field. There was lots of equipment everywhere. At this moment though, the center of the arena was open. There were two people standing in the middle facing each other.

As Lyd and Rezin stood looking down on the pair, they began to circle each other. Slowly, they moved. As if lifted into action by a massive hurricane, one ignited their saber and charged at the other. The second raised their vibroblade to parry. The blades met.

"What are they doing," Lyd asked.

"Training." Rezin answered. "The Mando'ade is helping that apprentice to hone his close combat skills."

Lyd stood watching the two for a couple more minutes before replying, "You want to train me." This was more of a statement than a question. She had been around Rezin for long enough to be able to read his thoughts. Aided by the Force, and she was no match, even untrained.

"I just can't hide anything from you can I." Rezin replied. He smiled though. He had missed this.

"Never." Lyd said, smiling back.

"Yes, I would like to train you. When you are ready though." Rezin finally admitted. He was worried about what would happen if she stayed in this galaxy but did not receive training. He also did not want to push her too hard. He knew from experience that that was not the right way to help her.

"OK." She said. "What do I need to do?" Rezin just smiled as they continued to watch the training lesson. He felt his wife smiling behind them.

Valkyria was observing this from a distance. She knew her husband and this student had developed a close friendship. She also knew that if anyone could help this girl again, it was Rezin.