Chapter 15
Rend and Sun sit quietly at the center of the training room, legs crossed as they meditate. Joash sits along the edge of the room, relaxing as he recovers from the contest with the Grandmaster an hour or so prior. Rend speaks while his eyes remain closed, “Flowing through all ,” “ There is balance.” The sentence was finished by Padawan Veruna in a gentle tone. “There is no peace” “Without a passion to create” Again, Rend begins and Sun finishes as they continue the call and response exercise, “There is no passion” “Without peace to guide.”
“Knowledge blinds” “Without the strength to act.”
“Power blinds” “Without the serenity to see.”
“There is freedom in life.” “There is purpose in death.”
“The Force is all things” “And I am the Force.”
Sun exhales gently as she completes the final response, opening her eyes to gaze at the far wall. Rend mimics her before posing a question, “Padawan, what is the most vital teaching of this code?” Lines form across the young woman’s forehead as she ponders the question quietly, allowing many moments to pass before she answers “Balance, Master. All things have their antithesis, life and death, good and bad, each is a part of the force regardless of the ways in which we view them.” Joash smiles lightly at the Padawan’s response, admiring the eloquence in which she formulated the opinion. Rend nods while rising to his feet, “Well put, Padawan.” Sun inclines her head, “Thank you, Master.” She begins to rise before she poses a question of her own, “How does Master Anhiel use force lightning?” It is something the young woman had pondered since witnessing it firsthand aboard the enemy vessel and drove her to look through many of the writings Rend had made available to her. The question catches Rend by surprise, causing him to hesitate as he attempts to formulate a response. Joash raises an eyebrow in interest before offering a flat statement, “Master Anhiel has never been one to shy away from the darkside when it suits her fancy.” Nervously, Sun continues as she explains the basis of her curiosity, “From what I have read, force lightning is widely considered a darkside technique. All of the references I could find showed a deep blue color. However, the lightning I saw Master Anhiel use was a different color. It was a very light green, nearly white at times.” Rend remained still, looking towards the ground as he recounted the scenario he witnessed aboard the enemy vessel “I saw the green color you speak of but in that instance there was also blue mixed in and what I felt from Master Anhiel was different than anything I have sensed before. It was menacing, like a feeling of malice dripped off of her.”
Joash shifts, offering a slight grunt before speaking with an I-told-you-so tone, “As I said, that would not be the first time she has tread into the darkness.” Sun frowns, thinking back on the memory once more as a slight sensation of anxiety forms within her. Timidly, she interjects “I did not sense any such thing from her when we first boarded. I know I am still very early in my training, but I am sure those emotions were not present.” Silence hung in the air for many moments before Rend began nodding slowly, speaking as if only to himself as he followed the train of thought he was on “The Force is neither good nor bad, light nor dark. It simply exists. These labels come from those that use the Force. The difference between a Sith and a Jedi is the ideology they employ to wield the same force.” Rend pauses with widened eyes as he comes to a conclusion in the form of a question, “Is it possible Master Anhiel has discovered how to use techniques typically associated with the darkside in a way that does not warp the Force, resulting in green lightning as opposed to what is traditionally seen?” Joash’s expression is skeptical at the conclusion but he withholds his thoughts on the matter, thinking quietly “It is not my place to challenge a Master’s teachings to his Padawan.” Instead, he offers a non-committal response to the question, “If it were possible to do so, I would not be surprised if she was able to figure it out.” While he had reservations about the idea, a small feeling of regret began to rise within him “ Perhaps she has grown more than I could have imagined, or gave her credit for.” The older Jedi continued to think on Rend’s conclusion as the younger pair talked for several more minutes until a pained sensation radiated through the force.
A half hour after the completion of the duel between Anhiel and Joash, the Admiral arrived at her quarters, having stopped off at the Bridge to check on the status of departure preparations. The door slides open, allowing the woman to step inside before it slides closed. She moves to lock the door but hesitates with a finger centimeters from the control panel, eventually deciding to not lock the door. After setting her cape on a nearby stand, Anhiel enters the refresher room, closing the smaller door behind her. Inside, she removes her uniform and undergarments which were saturated from the exertion of battle and unbinds her hair, letting it fall to its full length. The woman takes a rare opportunity to examine herself in the large mirror nearby. Her lean musculature gives the impression that she was carved from stone. Her skin shows the results of regular care and possesses a supple softness as a result. Several scars adorn her otherwise smooth and clear, light skin. The largest scar is long, starting at the edge of her left hip and moving upwards around her side, ending mid back. The other most prominent scar begins just above her right clavicle and ends at the start of her cleavage. Anhiel slowly traces a finger along the scar above her moderately sized chest and she exhales deeply, recounting the memory of its origin before she turns and steps into the refresher. The warm water washes over the woman as she stares up into the stream, steam rising around her as the sweat washes away. As she stands in the warm water, the duel with Joash replays in her mind and she mulls over the words of her old friend. “ You have to let go of her.” Joash’s voice rings in her mind before the refresher is replaced with images of the battlefield of Ord Radama. Explosions can be heard in the distance, muffled in the memory. A writhing Sith becomes still, causing even more rage to build before a flash of purple lances across the face of an older Jedi. A dark hood and a black wrap with ornate lace pattering flash into place, the soft cheeks and dark lips of the wearer fall slack as the woman dies, leaving only pain on an indescribable scale. Blackness fills Anhiel’s sight as the woman collapses in the refresher, landing on her right side facing outwards as the water now lands on her midsection. Her eyes are partially closed as her body seizes sporadically on the floor.
In the lounge, a quiet conversation was being held between Rajavia and Athin. “I must admit I was surprised to receive a message from you, Athin but I am grateful. How did you come to be traveling with Master Anhiel?” The Miraluka took a drink from a gray cup before responding with a chuckle, “That is an interesting story and one I am not sure I understand either.” He recounted the events at Eriadu, including the clash with the mysterious enemy at the shuttle crash site and the journey to rendezvous with the fleet. Rajavia listened attentively to the recitation, her features molded into an expression of deep thought. Athin takes another drink from his cup as he finishes the story and sets it on the nearby table. “On your ship, that was the first of these fits that you have witnessed? Did you notice anything prior to its onset?” Athin shook his head, “I did not see or sense anything out of the ordinary. She was resting calmly then…” His head turns quickly in the direction of the door as the sensation of great pain radiating from the now collapsed Anhiel reaches him. “That.” he sighs heavily. The Miraluka and Rajavia leap up simultaneously, bolting from the small lounge. Athin led the way through the corridors and came to a halt at the Admiral’s quarters. He slapped the door controls and was surprised that the door was unlocked and slid open. The position of Anhiel’s aura made it clear she was on the ground as Athin entered the room, noting the sound of the still running refresher. Without hesitation he keys the door open and enters with Rajavia to find Anhiel where she fell, her body writhing under the steady stream of water as she releases a familiar feral growl. Athin quickly cuts off the flow of water as Rajavia kneels beside the anguished woman, placing a hand on her cheek and closing her eyes. The healer’s voice is calm while she examines Anhiel, “Athin, is the void you spoke of acting the same as before?” The Miraluka gazes at the fallen woman, examining the very familiar aura as it pulses and fires erratically. At its core, a void as empty as deep space lashes out sporadically causing the aura to react in response. With a somber tone Athin confirms “Yes, it is as before. It is as though the wound is alive and it feels threatened.” Rajavia nods slowly, her hand upon Anhiel’s face and eyes still closed. She exhales gently and the anguished woman on the floor below falls still. “Can you move her to the bed? She is far too heavy for me.” Athin nods silently, tossing a towel to Rajavia before taking a few steps to the hanging white robe nearby. Rajavia quickly dried the other woman and moved aside as Athin knelt down. Gently he shifted Anhiel’s body to loosely wrap the robe around her slender form before scooping her up in his arms and exiting the room.
In the main quarters, Rajavia prepared the bed and stepped aside, allowing the Miraluka to place the woman down gently. As he pulled the covers over her, he asked quietly “What do you think is causing these episodes? This is the first I have seen that began while she was awake.” Rajavia sat in a nearby chair, eyes glancing over her resting friend “It was difficult to find teachings with any detail. But from what I could find, and based on what I have gleaned from your observations and brief talks with Anhiel, I believe a piece of the bond remains. I am not sure as to its true nature though. You have stated it is like a void in the aura you see. But I believe it actually shows the presence of the bond remnants, rather than the absence of something.” She pauses, now casting a look bordering on pity towards the younger woman “I suspect she is trying to access the bond, subconsciously and when the other end of the bond cannot be reached, that which remains lashes out.” Athin slowly nods, contemplating the words as he turns his head slightly, making note of the three familiar auras now just outside of the room. “Is it something she will ever be free of?” Rajavia sighs deeply, moving to sit on the edge of the bed, placing a hand on the resting woman. “I do not know the answer to that. I will need to continue researching what teachings I can find.” The muscles of the Miraluka’s jaw are clenched as he looks over Anhiel once more. His attempt to conceal his emotions are futile as he clears his throat and begins moving away, “I will update the others. They wait just outside. I’ll be nearby if you need anything.” Rajavia watches the man as he walks away, offering an inquisitive “Hmmm” as she does.
The door slides open, revealing Sun, Rend and Joash each with their own version of concern upon their faces as Athin steps into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Unsurprisingly, Padawan Veruna is the first to voice her concerns “What is happening to Master Anhiel? Can we help? What…” The flow of words stop as Athin places a reassuring hand on her shoulder, “Peace, Sun. Master Anhiel is not in mortal danger. She just needs rest at the moment.” Athin masked his lack of confidence in the statement as he truly worried about the woman’s quality of life. The mask fools the youngest two in the group. However, Joash frowns lightly as he gazes at Athin. The Miraluka responds only with an ever-so-slight nod of the head to confirm to the older Jedi that there is more afoot than the young ones know. Understanding the situation, Joash interjects “General, are we underway to the station?” Rend nods, slightly taken aback at being addressed as General by the older Jedi, “Yes. The jump was initiated within the last hour. We should arrive in about two standard days.” Joash clears his throat as he moves to stand to one side of the door to Anhiel’s quarters, “Athin and I will stand watch over the Grandmaster while she rests. You should see to the fleet in the meantime. I am sure she will be frustrated enough by these events without waking to find the fleet in disarray.” Rend nods, turning to Sun “Let’s go to the bridge, Commander Veruna.” The pair departs quickly in the direction of the bridge as Athin moves into position on the other side of the door. Silence hung in the air for several moments as the two men stood motionless on either side of the door. Joash’s gruff voice cuts through the air as he speaks amusedly “You have interesting taste, Athin.” The Miraluka glances to his right slightly with a raised brow but remains silent. The older Jedi continues with a wry smile on his face, “I don’t know if it's a species thing but you Miraluka sure can’t hide your feelings well.” The quizzical look on Athin’s face elicited a chuckle from Joash as he continues, “She is a powerful and beautiful woman. Your interest in her is understandable.” Athin’s features scrunch up as he scowls at the old man, unable to deny the insinuations as he faces forward once more. Joash continues to chuckle as he settles into the watch. The young Miraluka Dulci flashes into his mind as he remembers the joy long since gone from Anhiel’s face over the years. The older man smiles slightly at the thought of seeing such an expression again as the door slides open, allowing Rajavia to step out. Athin’s features soften as his focus shifts from the older man’s jests to the healer. She speaks gently as the door shuts behind her, “I was able to stabilize her mind and put her to sleep. She should be out for several hours. I am going to do some more research while she rests.” Athin nods gently, offering a slight smile “Thank you, Master Rajavia. I will alert you when she wakes, or if anything changes.” Rajavia returned the smile before departing down the hallway. Joash chuckles again as he mutters just loud enough for Athin to hear, “I am sure you will be the first to know.”