Chapter 11
Gray fog begins to dissipate, revealing the body of a Sith male writhing on the ground as a purple saber slowly penetrates his abdomen. Above him looms the owner of the saber, a slender woman clad in white robes and form fitting armor. The intensity of her focus renders the surrounding scene unviewable as it remains shrouded in fog. “Anhiel” a faint whisper in the air broke through the woman’s focus on vengeance. Without warning an external push propelled her saber deep into the Sith’s body, ending his suffering. “No! Why have you taken this from me?” raged in her head as she turned her fury to the blurry figure that vanquished her prey. Deep yellow eyes fixed upon a man clad in a burnt brown trench coat as she slashed at him with the very saber that was exacting the revenge she desperately needed. The tip of her blade made contact as the man attempted to side step her assault. The older jedi fell back and brandished his deep blue blade, landing in a cross body defensive position. Instinctively Anhiel’s second saber focused in on her target as she caught a glimpse of the fallen Miraluka woman that lay nearby. In an instant her rage washed away as she sensed the fading life, realizing that there wasn’t much time left. The broken knight disengaged her assault and headed straight towards her partner, kneeling gently as she gazed down at the fallen Miraluka, cradling the woman’s head in her lap. Several moments pass before she exhales her final breath, her body becoming still. A tearing sensation rips through Anhiel’s chest as the Miraluka passes causing her to clutch at her chest. Her nails scrape against the armor plates as she struggles under the agony she was experiencing, as if a piece of her very soul was being ripped from deep within. Mind numbing pain deafens the woman to her own screams ladened with fear, rage, sadness and regret before she collapses, unconscious.
A dull thudding noise repeats in triplicate, sounding far off at first and growing louder with each repetition. The sound is originating from a worried yet frustrated Miraluka as he bangs on the door before him. An unsettling feeling from the room adjacent to his had pulled his focus from meditation to a troubling shift in Anhiel’s aura. It was unsettled, erratic, as though it was lashing out at an unseen assailant. When Athin had focused on the woman a feeling of dread washed over him. The ever-present chasm at her core, normally dormant and unmoving, pulsed erratically triggering the woman’s aura to respond. Inside the room Anhiel tossed and turned with an anguished look as the memory played within her subconscious. While she struggles, most of the bedding falls to the floor exposing her to the cool air. Athin tries to key the door open once more but it remains locked. He bangs on the door sensing the continually rising distress within before releasing a growl of frustration and unseating his lightsaber from his belt. The blue blade snaps to life before he drives the length of it into the metal where the locking mechanism should be located. Smoke rises as the lightsaber melts its way through the metal and Athin is rewarded with a satisfying click as the lock fails. He retracts the saber quickly as the door slides open and rushes in. On the bridge, an alarm sounds prompting an alert to pop up on the main console “Breach in Commanding Officer’s quarters.” The Older Commander looks at the message with a hint of astonishment before looking towards General Rend. “General, an alarm has been triggered saying there was a breach in the Admiral’s quarters.” Rend had been so focused on his task of reviewing what data they had from the recent space battle that he had not noticed the waves of distress radiating out through the force. Opening himself more the sensation became apparent and he jumped up quickly, shouting an order to the Commander as he ran from the bridge, “Get a medic over there, now!”
Meanwhile, Athin has fully entered the room and rushes to the Admiral’s bedside. Anhiel continues to writhe on the bed covered in sweat. Her breathing is shallow and rapid, nearly hyperventilating in her unconscious state. She wears a gray compression bra and very short, skin tight shorts in a matching color. The training and care put into the Master’s physicality is apparent as the various muscles of her legs, arms, and abdomen flex and relax underneath her fair skin with the frequent shifting of her body’s position. Athin kneels, placing his left hand under the woman’s head and his right on the left side of her waist. He shakes her gently, calling out her name, attempting to pull her back into consciousness. The initial attempt is unsuccessful in waking her and Athin moves to sit on the edge of the bed. He pulls the woman into his lap, cradling her head as he attempts to rouse her once again. “Anhiel” the sound cuts through the memory, but is different from the original voice in the memory. It carries compassion and concern with it, drawing the woman’s attention despite the repeating memory. She focuses on the voice, cutting through the fog around her as she follows it in order to return to consciousness. Her eyes flicker open, their vibrant blue irises focusing on the familiar face above her. Confusion colors her expression as she still breathes heavily, her chest rising and falling with each breath. In between gasps she manages a query, “Athin?”.
A small amount of relief shows on Athin’s face as he begins to respond, “Mast…” but stops, electing to address the woman by her name alone, “Anhiel, you were having another fit. Your aura was more erratic than I have seen and it looks like your injury…” He stops, starting to reposition himself as he becomes aware of the fact he is cradling the scantily clad Jedi Master. A hand reaches up, grabbing his arm as he attempts to move. The woman’s grip feels like a vice as it halts the Miraluka in his movements as she questions him with labored breathing, “My injury….what?” Athin settles back in his original position supporting the woman as he sighs “As you know, we Miraluka see in a different way than most other species. I have seen your aura many times and there is always a chasm at the center. However, during your fit, it looked to be alive. It was pulsing and seemed to be causing your aura to react in defense.” The woman settles in the comfort of Athin’s support as her breathing starts to slow. Her expression is thoughtful as she remains silent for several long moments before speaking quietly, “I need to contact Rajavia.” As the sentence finishes, an anxious Jedi General, his Padawan and a medic appear in the doorway. Athin nods, recognizing the name Anhiel mentioned as he carefully extricates himself from the woman’s bed. “I will prepare a message. You should rest and let the medic look you over. I will be nearby if you need me.” With that, Athin bowed low before exiting the room, heading towards the communications room.
Reluctantly, Anhiel leans back and allows the medic to look her over, offering repeated statements that she is indeed fine. Rend watches over the scene nervously, not understanding what was ailing Master Anhiel. A sharp voice cuts into his thoughts as Anhiel poses a question to him, “General, how far are we from reaching the Belloth system?” Rend hesitates, unsure of the answer until Sun interjects, “Ma’am, we will arrive within the next standard cycle.” Anhiel nods, moving to sit up despite the protests from the medic. She reiterates to the medic and the rest of those gathered with an authoritative tone, “I am fine, it was only a nightmare. I am going to the refresher to clean up. Alert me when we are preparing to drop from hyperspace.” The medic salutes, followed shortly by Rend and Sun who bow low to the woman before leaving the room. Anhiel takes a moment to gather her thoughts as she sits on the edge of the bed before moving to the refreshing and removing what clothing she had on before stepping inside. She sets the water to a cool temperature and stands motionless for a half hour or more as it washes over her. The memory replays in her mind as she begins to wash herself. Her focus on the memory blinds her to the individual that re-entered her quarters and sat in one of the chairs. The water cuts off and the woman steps out of the refresher, drying her body before dressing in a white robe made of very light material. She steps out into the quarters, noticing Athin as he stands up quickly. “I have sent a message to Master Rajavia and included our destination.” The Miraluka could sense the narrowing of the woman’s eyes before he continued, “I am not a healer by any means. Someone needs to evaluate you.” Anhiel remains silent as she moves to sit on the edge of the bed. The silence continues for a minute or two before she speaks softly, “Thank you, Athin.” It appears that she wants to say more but she ends the statement there. Athin nods gently as he appraises the woman, noting her aura appears to have returned to its normal state.
The pair sits quietly, both avoiding many questions they wished to ask. After some time, Athin finds the courage to ask one, feeling it was far enough from the recent events that it would serve as a distraction. “Anhiel, when you engaged the enemy aboard their vessel, the other two squads retreated quite suddenly. I do not understand why. They seemed unwilling to do so in prior engagements.” The woman looked at him as she responded gently, “What do you know of Battle Meditation?” Athin ponders the question for a few moments before responding, “It is a rare ability that allows one to bolster the resolve and ability of allied troops.” The Admiral nods, “That is partially true. However, it can also be used to erode the will of enemy forces. Prior to my arrival I focused on eroding their will to continue fighting. That, with the eradication of one of the squads, broke their determination to keep fighting.” Athin nods thoughtfully as the memory replays in his mind. He frowns, gazing ahead debating how to phrase the follow-up question. With care, the Miraluka speaks again “And the lightning? Did that draw from a similar place?” Anhiel tightens the robe around her as she wraps her arms across her abdomen. While looking forward with a reserved expression she responds flatly “It is not necessary to draw on the dark side to use Battle Meditation directly on your enemy, nor is it necessary to wield lightning.” The Jedi Master pauses, turning her gaze towards Athin before continuing “But you are correct, in this case. I did dip into the darkness.” The woman ponders what else she should say but elects to stop with the admission. A foreign expression of timidness forms on her features as she awaits a response. Use of the darkness was never something she felt ashamed of before nor had she cared what others thought about it either. However, admitting so to Athin at this moment brought along a feeling of anxiety at how the Miraluka would respond. Relief washed over the woman as she heard his response, “I understand why you did and I thank you for having the strength to do so.” Anhiel exhales deeply as exhaustion washes over her. She looks around the room for several moments before speaking quietly, “I should try and sleep again. Will you stay nearby?” Athin inclines his head gently, suppressing his astonishment at the vulnerability she showed in the request, “Of course, Anhiel. I will remain here until you no longer need me.” Comforted by his response, the woman lays down on the bed and closes her eyes, falling into unconsciousness without fearing what may come in the darkness of sleep. Anhiel slept soundly for many standard hours while Athin sat within her quarters, watching over her.
The remains of the fleet hurtles through hyperspace, nearing the Belloth system. In her quarters Anhiel rested heavily under the watchful eye of Athin who had refused to leave her side during her slumber. The door remained open as repairs were delayed so as to not interrupt the Admiral’s rest. Rend approached, carefully stepping into the room, looking at the Admiral’s motionless body before addressing Athin. “We are arriving at the Belloth system shortly. How is she doing?” The Miraluka rises from his chair as he responds in a similar tone, “She has been out most of the time.” Rend looks over the woman with an apprehensive expression before Athin interjects, “I will wake her and pass on the message, General. Go see to what needs your attention.” Rend nods, bowing lightly before moving from the room. Athin sits gently on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on the woman’s shoulder before squeezing and shaking her gently. “Anhiel, we are arriving.” A quiet and mumbled response escapes her lips while she remains mostly unconscious, “Thank you Dulci….my love.”