Chapter 12
Bright light reflects off of the smooth silver metal of a lone corvette of unknown make as it sits motionless in space near Belloth. A small transport made of a similar metal moves quietly towards the corvette after rising from the planet’s surface. It glides into the hangar and lands gently on the deck. Blue light begins to intensify at the rear of the corvette class ship as the power is gradually increased until it disappears, suddenly entering hyperspace and leaving the frigid planet behind. Many minutes later, the Shadow Redeemer snaps into place near the planet, followed shortly by the remaining cruiser, frigates and support vessels. Anhiel stands motionless on the bridge wearing her armored robes with hands folded behind her back. Beside her stood Rend, gazing out of the bridge reminiscing on his last visit to the planet as the fleet moves closer to the planet. At a nearby station on the edge of the bridge a pair of soldiers, one male and one female approximately 30 years old, interact with their respective consoles. As data flows on the screens, they review the consoles intently before the woman calls out, “Admiral, there appears to have been recent activity on the planet’s surface. The planet’s atmosphere is interfering with our sensors and I am unable to tell if there are any lifeforms.” Anhiel closed her eyes for several moments, stretching out in the Force before uttering a command. “General Rend, contact Captain Jov’aine and have him prepare two transports and squads. We will be heading to the surface.” Rend bows quickly before turning departing the bridge, keying on his comm and heading towards the hangar. The Admiral turns towards the older Commander, “Commander, hold the fleet in a defensive position. Whoever was here may return.” The Commander responds in his gruff voice, “Yes Ma’am. Be careful down there.” Anhiel inclines her head slightly towards the man before turning sharply and striding from the bridge, her armored steps echoing through the air.
She arrives at the hangar where two transports idle, ready to depart for the planet below. Anhiel strides quickly on to the nearest one to find Rend, Athin, Captain Jov’aine and the rest of one squad onboard. As the ramp closes, the other transport lifts off from the deck and departs the hangar followed shortly by the second transport. The two transports descend towards the planet’s surface looking for a suitable spot to land and set down a couple hundred meters from the lone residence. The ramps extend and the first team begins to exit the shuttle onto the icy landscape. Their movements are sluggish due to the greatly increased gravity but the Commandos push through the resistance, weapons ready as they fan out. The remnants of an intense battle that had not long passed immediately becomes apparent to those present. Smoke gently rises from the ground in various places and there are bodies clad in golden armor sparsely scattered about. Master Anhiel confidently strides down the ramp of the second transport, seemingly unimpeded by the intense gravity of the planet. Her team, including Captain Jov’aine, General Rend, and Athin formed a defensive pattern upon exiting the transport. A commando positioned several dozen meters ahead of the main group calls out over his communicator, “Clear!”. With that, Anhiel led the way to the dwelling, stepping over the bodies in her path. Captain Jov’aine remained close to her, continually scanning the flanks with his weapon drawn. Rend walked backwards with his saber hilt held tightly in his hands covering their rear. The smoke came from Tauntauns that had been impaled and scattered throughout the grounds. The stench of seared flesh, death and destruction permeated the area, causing Rend and most of the Commandos to grimace as they moved. As the team approached approximately 15 meters from the dwelling, the bodies began to increase. Armored soldiers were struck down, laying in their own blood with their shields lying motionless near their bodies. Some were beheaded, others were gored by what appeared to be a large blade. In the doorway of the dwelling two bodies were crushed flat as if a large item had been placed on them.
Anhiel lifts her right hand gently, causing the Captain to raise a fist quickly, signaling the troops to halt. The Admiral holds her hands out to her sides as her saber hilts rise from her belt and gently make contact with her palms. She grips the sabers tightly and takes a step inside the dwelling, followed by Rend and Athin with the Captain moving to stand guard at the door. Inside lie more soldiers both decapitated and dismembered leading to a chair in the corner of the main living space. There sits an old Jedi clutching his saber, wounded but alive. The dim light partially illuminates the deep scar that runs diagonally across his right cheek. He sat with his burnt brown trench coat, covered with fresh cuts on the arms, shoulders and one on his lower left rib cage. He opens his eyes and gazes at the woman. “Ah, if it isn’t Grandmaster Anhiel herself.” Joash exhaled heavily. “I was worried I hadn’t finished them all off”. Anhiel smirked at the old man before addressing him in a flat tone, “And I thought you left this life behind, Ca’ JoasichuBana’kaeda.” She looks around the room for a moment as Rend tilts his head in confusion at hearing Joash’s full name for the first time. As he attempted to repeat the name in his mind, Anhiel opened a comlink with the Shadow Redeemer, “Send a medical team and a clean up crew to my position. There is a stubborn fossil here that seems insistent on living, despite his best efforts.” The old Jedi returned the smirk, closing his eyes and leaning his head back in relief. Anhiel turns towards Rend who was lost in a repeating verbal exercise, causing him to straighten up quickly as she speaks, “General, take Captain Jov’aine with you and identify a suitable area to erect a structure. We are going to be spending a significant period of time here.” Joash opens one eye to look at Rend and speaks with a sarcastic tone that contrasts the look of pride he was not able to suppress, “General, huh? So you have obtained the rank of Knight?” Rend hesitates as he catches a sharp look from the corner of Anhiel’s eyes before she starts moving from the room, followed closely by Athin. He bows quickly to Joash as he responds, “That is correct, Master Joash. It is good to see you again.” Joash chuckles, “You best be off before she starts getting cranky. I would recommend the area just behind the shed.” As the young man exits the shelter, Joash closes his eye again, quietly pondering the unknown Jedi in the group as a medical team enters the dwelling and begins evaluating him. “A Miraluka? Very…very interesting.”
Construction of a metallic structure began within one local cycle. As Joash had suggested, it was being erected in a mostly flat plot of land a hundred or so meters behind the shed where he kept various supplies. Construction moved quickly despite the challenging atmosphere of the planet. It neared completion after the handful of cycles Joash spent aboard the medical frigate in orbit, much to the older Jedi’s surprise. The structure was modular in nature, aiding in its rapid construction. A mix of rectangular modules of varying sizes formed a square around a central building that was the largest, approximately 50 meters wide and a hundred meters long. The roof rose at an angle for the length of the building, intersecting 60 meters above the ground. Joash exited his dwelling and walked towards the structure, being careful in his movements as his muscles and most prominent wound still ached. After several minutes walking through the frigid land he arrives at the compound and steps within its boundaries. To his surprise, the temperature rose sharply. While it would not be considered warm by normal standards, it was a drastic improvement to the temperature just outside. He paused, looking around the courtyard and noted a slight shimmering above him which elicited a simple, “Hmph” sound from the older Jedi before he made his way towards the center structure.
The interior of the buildings are not elaborate. Smooth gray walls and basic rows of lighting are the most prominent features outside of the occasional console in certain rooms and the large table within the war room. Athin stood just inside the central building gazing vaguely towards the farthest wall, lost in thought as Joash entered and looked around. The pair stands in silence for several long moments before the older man clears his throat gruffly, “It has been a long time since I have seen a Miraluka.” The statement pulled Athin from his thoughts as it made him aware of another’s presence. The Miraluka turns towards Joash, taking a moment to appraise his aura. Where Anhiel’s was bright and vibrant yet tumultuous with the ever present chasm at its center, Joash’s was even and reserved, perhaps even suppressed. Although it was stronger than when he had first gazed upon it. Athin offers a light smile as he replies in a pleasant tone, “I am glad to see you are recovering well. Usually when someone says that, I am the first of my kind that they have seen. But you have met other Miralukas?” Joash nods slowly, “Just one, during the war. She was a young and energetic Padawan that went by the name Dulci.” If Athin had eyes, they would have widened greatly at the mention of Padawan Dulci. Before he could form a follow-up question, Rend and Sun entered behind the two and paused. Sun spoke first in her usual light tone as she looked at the older Jedi, “Master Joash. Master Athin. It is good to see you.” Athin returned a smile, “It is good to see you as well, Miss Veruna. What brings you here?” Padawan Veruna moves to speak but stops, realizing she is not actually sure why they came to the compound. Rend interjects, directing another question towards his Padawan “Do you think you have mastered the gravity enough to begin some training?”
Deep green eyes light up and widen at the question as Sun nods rapidly and exclaims excitedly, “Yes Master!” Learning was a passion of the young woman even as a child. After showing great promise in standard schooling she enrolled in the military academy where she excelled at all things technology related. The prowess she showed led to her appointment as a Specialist for the Admiralty board. While Sun was surprised by the High Admiral’s request for her to accompany them on such an important mission, it paled in comparison to her shock at learning of her affinity to the force. Despite that, she had happily accepted the challenge of training as a Jedi, having heard many tales of Jedi during the war including Master Anhiel. Outside of training sessions with Rend and her normal duties with the fleet, Sun would review literature on the force, various Jedi teachings, and run what drills she could to train her physicality. However, there had been little time to do those things after their arrival on Belloth and Sun was having trouble adjusting to the extreme conditions. Understanding, creating, and manipulating technology was her greatest strength but physical conditioning, especially for combat, had not been an area she focused on prior to now. Standard military training kept her fit and she was conscious of her diet, giving her a generally attractive figure. Somewhat taller than Anhiel. Slightly wider shoulders and hips. Her chest on the smaller side of ample. Yet she lacked the dense muscles born from a lifetime of training and frequent battle that the more petite woman possessed.
“Good, lets begin'' Rend responded with a smile while Joash and Athin chuckle at her exuberance. He moved to the nearby wall where a rack of dueling swords sat, picking up one and tossing it to her. The sword was heavy as she caught it, nearly causing her to drop it. As she moves to join Rend at the center of the room, Joash picks a spot in the corner to sit down and meditate while also quietly observing the Master/Padawan pair. Athin remained in place, his curiosity piqued to see how the young woman was progressing. The pair stood side by side, oriented perpendicular to their two onlookers as they began to flow through the forms of Shi-cho. Sun’s movements are not as smooth as her master’s as they move from position to position. Several long minutes pass as they continue the routine. Strain and frustration are apparent on Sun’s face, each growing as the exercise continues. Rend’s voice cuts into the quiet atmosphere with a tinge of authority mixed among compassion, “Focus Sun; the sword, like everything else, is heavier here. You must focus on it and control it as you would your arm. It is an extension of you. Failure to control a weapon like a lightsaber poses great danger to the wielder.” Sun straightens, breathing deeply in order to catch her breath as she nods, “Yes Master.”
A smile creeps across the old Jedi's scared face as he continues to meditate on the recent events in the corner of the room. Rend appraises his Padawan for several moments before stating shortly, “Let's begin a sparring session”. Nervousness permeated the young woman as she contemplated her response. Her time with Master Anhiel when they boarded the enemy ship had left her with an impression that she was severely inadequate when it came to martial might. “Master, I don’t know if I am ready.” Her response carried her feelings of inadequacy with it as she looked down, not wanting to meet Rend’s eyes as she awaited his reply. To both Sun and Rend’s surprise it was Joash’s grizzly voice that replied “You’re ready young padawan. You see, your power is not your own. It flows from the force and you only need to open yourself to it. Besides, your young master wouldn’t tell you to do something that he did not feel you were ready for. I know he was trained better than that.” Rend nodded towards Joash in thanks before connecting eyes with his padawan, offering a reassuring smile. “I know you have been practicing in your free time and it appears that you have picked up the basic defensive form quickly. So focus on defending yourself.” Sun nodded gently while moving her sword into position, “Yes Master.” Rend brought his sword towards her in a downward slash and Sun countered with a raised block. The weight of the strike caused her sword to dip, requiring her to spin away from the blow as Rend’s weapon continued downward. Rend straightened, repositioning himself for the next strike as he spoke, “Very good, Sun. When it was clear you could not withstand my strike head on, you altered your movements to move the trajectory of the attack’s energy and utilized the residual energy to spin away. Now do it again.” Before she could respond, Rend engaged again, this time with a wide swing aimed at her hip. They continued sparring for a little more than an hour before Rend ended the training session. He bows to his Padawan, seemingly unbothered by the physical exertion as his brow was only slightly moist and his breathing was even. His padawan was drenched and sore as she returned the bow, still panting heavily. Rend retrieved the swords and began to place them back on the rack when he heard a familiar voice ring out, “Master Joash, how do you know Master Anhiel?”
Sun had made her way toward the meditating Master while Athin had begun to depart the room until the question halted him at the threshold. Rend’s attention quickly turned towards his Padawan as he cautioned her, “Sun, now is not the time for such things.” Sun moved to apologize for her outward curiosity but Joash opened his eyes and smirked, “That is just like your Grandmaster to not divulge too much. You are indeed a naturally curious individual. Never let go of that gift. Although, I believe that the answer to your question is best left for another time. But, I will leave you with this.” The old Jedi rose to his feet and began to rub his scared face. “I have known her for a very long time and you should not underestimate the power of that woman.” Sun bowed with a puzzled look and returned to her master's side as Athin left the building, followed shortly by Joash. After they were alone, Sun asked timidly “What do you think he meant by that?” With a reserved expression, Rend responds “I believe it was a warning that comes from experience. But as to how, I am not sure.”