Chapter 3
“Focus Rend. You are too reserved. Hesitation is fatal in combat. I gave you a clear opening which you should have exploited. Instead, you allowed my error to pass without repercussion and I overpowered you.” Rend’s master, clad in a form fitting black outfit meant for sparring, continues to slowly circle the padawan. Her sabers are ignited and she holds the left in a reverse grip. The purple blades hum as she moves. Rend kneels in the center of the room breathing heavily from exertion. Sweat drips down his face as he rises from the floor, gripping a long saber handle tightly in his right hand while he composes himself. The Padawan nods firmly, the rising and falling of his chest slowing as he catches his breath, “Yes master. I understand”.
Anhiel comes to a stop in front of Rend, a few meters away from his position in the center of the room. She fixes her eyes on the young man as she crouches slightly, “Then show me. Come at me like your life depends on it because one day, it will.” Rend grips the saber with his other hand as well, holding it at his right hip as it ignites. Warm golden blades extend from both ends of the handle, their light clashing with the purple of the master’s sabers. A shift occurs in the air, invisible to the eye as Rend prepares for his attack. The Force begins to move around the Padawan as he subconsciously opens himself to it, allowing the energy to flow through him. Anhiel smirks lightly, a quick thought flashing through her mind, “Very good, Padawan”.
Rend leaps towards the woman, bringing his saber down on her as he lands. He is a fair bit taller than his opponent and seeks to use that to his advantage. But his master is quick, and far stronger than her slender frame would suggest. Her left saber swings up quickly as she starts to spin to the right, the reverse grip allowing her to direct the opposing saber away from her. She continues the spin, quickly bringing the right saber up to deflect the other end of her opponent’s dual-bladed weapon. After exchanging blows evenly for a couple minutes, she takes the opportunity to step inside Rend’s reach, making a backhanded slash aimed at Rend’s right leg which is currently positioned forward in his stance. He steps back quickly, narrowly avoiding the blow as he shifts his stance to bring his saber around to parry the thrust of the second saber aimed at his midsection. The master expected her opponent to step further back, putting space between them as had happened in their previous bout. To her surprise, which in this particular case brought feelings of joy and pride, the padawan remained in his position. His opponent's back is now exposed and he brings the back end of the saber around for a slash across the shoulders.
Anhiel drops her head and shoulders as the blade cuts through the air. It does not connect except for catching some stray hairs as the woman launches a kick upwards. It connects with Rend’s midsection, sending him into the air before he lands squarely on his back. A dull thud fills the room accompanied by a sudden exhale as the breath is knocked out of him. The Padawan lies still, panting heavily as he still grips the hilt of his now unignited saber.
Anhiel rises to her feet, taking some time to breathe deeply while wiping sweat from her brow. She fixes her sabers to her hips before striding over to her Padawan, offering a hand to him while she speaks. “That was better. You used your superior size and reach to your advantage. You allowed the force to flow more freely within you, empowering everything you did.” She pauses, the faintest of smiles appears and disappears so rapidly that Rend almost didn’t notice before her normal reserved look returned. “Most importantly, you acted when the opportunity presented itself. The force acts through us and we are one of its many vessels. It is our duty to act when called upon by it. To use knowledge and strength acquired both through our own efforts and as gifted by the force. No matter whether the task is small or large. A one-on-one confrontation, taking up the mantle of a leader, or making a difficult choice despite your own personal feelings.” The master pauses, reaching out and placing a hand on her padawan’s shoulder for a brief moment. Rend is stunned at the contact, failing to remember a time when his master had shown such a gesture to him. “All callings have their importance and we must be prepared to answer them all. The strength to act with purpose. That is today’s lesson.” Rend bows to his master, “Yes master. Thank you for your wisdom. I shall meditate more on what you have said.” Anhiel returns the bow before striding from the room, leaving her Padawan to ponder their interaction and her words. “Is that why we are here?” he thinks to himself as he seats his lightsaber on his belt before exiting the room to go clean up.
“Commander, we are approaching the Eriadu system, as scheduled.” a young ensign states while looking over the monitor in front of him. “Thank you, Ensign. I will notify the High Admiral.” The commander keys in a command on the communicator console near him, waiting quietly as a connection is established. “Admiral, we are approaching the Eriadu system as planned. The scout group is preparing for departure upon arrival.” The system had been chosen for its location in the outer rim and access to various hyperspace routes. Should their plans need to be altered, it offered the best set of options for movement. These were tactical reasons for the decision. However, the High Admiral did not share her final reason for the selection. There is something she was supposed to do here, or see. The specifics were not clear but she would not ignore the call.
The admiral’s voice carries from the communicator, “Proceed as planned Commander. Prepare a shuttle for me as well. I would like to visit the planet in the interim.” “Yes ma’am, right away.” The connection is cut as the commander addresses the Ensign, “You heard her. Have the shuttle prepared. I am going to check on the scout group.” Everyone on the bridge attends to their tasks, various chatter occurs as orders are relayed and statuses are acquired. A couple standard hours pass before the fleet drops from hyperspace, a blueish planet, covered in mountains and various flora appears rapidly. The Shadow Redeemer holds its position upon exit, its support vessels moving slowly into position around it. A moderately sized frigate moves off to the edge of the group, joined by two smaller cruisers as a small shuttle carrying the Admiral exits the capital ship. The shuttle makes its way towards the planet, vectoring towards the capital city on the surface. As the shuttle touches down, the scout group jumps to hyperspace leaving the rest of the task force behind.
The sound of metal on metal radiates throughout the area surrounding the shuttle as Anhiel strides down the ramp. She is dressed in a durasteel suit, custom made for her slender body. A white robe is worn on top of the plating, covering the back and open at the front. The boots collide with the ramp as she continues to stride with determination. The armor was chosen as she wished to travel alone, leaving her padawan to oversee operations with the fleet. His capacity would be limited but he needed the exposure. He was hesitant to leave her side so she compromised, agreeing to dress for combat in case the need should arise. It was not a bad idea, they were in the outer rim now and the attacks had thus far been random. She could be stuck down there in one and the armor would come in handy.
Anhiel walked through the port, not taking much interest in the various stands geared towards tourists until she came to a stop at a large hologram of the planet. The populace of the planet was made up mostly of Humans and Rodians, with other races mixed in sparsely. Most of them were stopping temporarily on various hyperspace routes. She studied the hologram, her hands folded behind her back.
A man stood a few meters away, gazing in the direction of the woman in armor. He did not see as most do. Rather, he saw the aura of the woman, swirling tumultuously around her smaller form. Her presence in the force was strong, very strong but there was also an area of emptiness. Where the force swirled, it was loud, powerful. The void within was silent. It was not all encompassing but it was clear that its weight was heavy. A wound that never healed. He strode towards her, noting a familiarity in this aura as well as.
The woman felt a presence approaching from behind. Her movements were purely reflexive. One of the sabers on her hip began to rise from her belt before she started to spin to her right. The hilt landed in her left hand, raised throughout the spin. The purple blade snapped to life, extending out from the bottom of her grip before coming to a stop at the throat of the Miraluka man.
He was dressed in loose fitting tan robes, the wrap covering his eye sockets was of a similarly colored leather. His hair was slightly disheveled, a light brown color matching the stubble adorning his face. The man slowly raised his hands, a slight smile on his face as he spoke with a moderately deep voice, “Master Anhiel, it is I, Athin. We have met before at your enclave. I apologize for startling you. You have a particularly unique aura and I could not help but look to see if it was indeed you.”
Anhiel appraises him for a moment before cutting off the saber, “My apologies Athin. It would seem I am on edge. I was not expecting to run into a familiar face here.” The man waved the apology away casually, “The fault is mine. I should know better than to approach a battle-hardened master from behind, unannounced. I confess I am surprised to see you out here. What brings you to this system?”
She returns the saber to its place on her left hip, “Have you heard about sudden unknown attacks here in the outer rim?” Athin nods lightly, “I had heard some stories here and there. Nothing terribly concrete though. I had chalked it up to pirates.” Anhiel turns back towards the hologram before continuing, “It would appear that it is not pirates, but outside of that I do not have any more information. I have been tasked to look into it. A scout group is being sent to the edge of the rim as we speak.”
Athin nods slowly, “But what brings you here, to this planet? I would expect you to be with the fleet overseeing the operation.” The metal plates covering the jedi’s chest rises before falling again as she exhales, “I do not know the answer to that.” She pauses for several long moments before posing a question of her own, “What brings you here? The last thing I remember was that you were taking a nomadic approach to life.” Offering a light shrug, Athin replied “I was. I have traveled to many places but recently I had felt a pull to this area.” He scratches his head, looking upwards as he continues “I do not know why but I saw no reason not to come. It allowed our paths to cross once again though, so I am glad.”
Anhiel glances over her left shoulder at the man. The look is skeptical, thoughtful at best. Their meeting is too random to be coincidence but the reason for it is not apparent. Before she can continue that train of thought, her comlink beeps. She keys it on, her voice ladened with command “Report.”
The voice of the commander comes through the link “Admiral, the scout group is away. They should arrive within the next couple hours.” “Very well. I shall be returning shortly, Commander.” She terminates the link, turning towards Athin. “It is time I returned to the fleet. Until next we meet, Athin. May the force be with you.” Athin bows low, “It was a pleasure, Master Anhiel.” He watches her stride away. The confidence and power in her stride and composure are apparent to him even through his force sight. The weight of the wound is equally apparent to him. Unknowingly, he lifts a hand as he takes a step forward to call out but he stops. It was becoming more clear that he was where he needed to be but what he was meant to do was still unclear.