Chapter 20
Bright lights of blue and white stream past the ships of Anhiel’s fleet as they hurtle through Hyperspace. In the war room, fleet officers begin to assemble and steadily find their seats while various quiet conversations occur. The leader of the salvage team stands near the front of the long table, looking over a datapad as she occasionally makes keystrokes on the console built into the table. Along the wall sits Joash, his initial anger with the outcome of the raid now dissipated after his discussion with Anhiel, but doubts still remained within him. Sun and Rend enter, causing those gathered to hop to attention. The General had finally grown accustomed to the event and gave a slight wave reminiscent of the Admiral’s to return everyone to their seats. He continued to speak in a hushed tone with Sun as they found their seats near Anhiel’s place at the head of the table. The end of Sun’s sentence can be heard as they settle, “...that she had something for me and to bring you with me to the armory after this.” A puzzled expression forms on Rend’s features as he ponders the possibilities, leaning back in his chair. Data begins to appear on the large monitors at the head of the room, detailing the items recovered from the wrecked capital ship. The air in the room shifts as the door opens once more, revealing the Admiral in her uniform flanked by Athin. She preempts the standard rise to attention with a raised hand as she strides confidently to the head of the table, her cape flapping gently as she moves. The slightly older woman from the salvage team straightens, “Ma’am, the salvage data has been prepared, as requested.” Anhiel nods lightly, moving to take her seat “Thank you, Lieutenant.” After she settles, her gaze moves to Commander Veruna “Commander, what is the final estimate on how long our current supplies will last?” Sun straightens in her seat, clearing her throat before speaking “Admiral, worst case estimates indicate three months before significant resupply is required.”
Anhiel ponders the answer quietly for several moments before nodding curtly, “Very well. I am most concerned about fuel. Engineering will prepare best case estimates and recommendations for conservation within the next standard week. It goes without saying that all areas should endeavor to limit waste. Any ideas for conservation should be brought to me immediately.” Blue eyes scan the room during the woman’s pause before she continues in a somber tone “There will be no reinforcements and we cannot burden the Republic’s supply lines during this time. We must survive on our own.” Without waiting for responses, the Admiral makes a few keystrokes on the console before her, causing the hologram of a planet to arise in the center of the table. The color of the planet is distorted by the blue and orange lighting but the surface shows what appears to be grasslands mixed in with sharp mountainous regions. Anhiel beckons to the image as she speaks evenly, “We are en route to Zonama Sekot. I am sure none of you have heard of it. It does not appear on any maps. But it is quite safe from the invasion.” Those gathered around look over the image intently and it is the older Commander that raises a question first, “Ma’am, I assume we will be setting up a terrestrial base. What location is optimal?” Anhiel sighs lightly as she leans back, “We first must ask Zonama Sekot if they are willing to let us establish a base. If they allow it, they will guide us to the appropriate place.” The statement brings surprised and confused looks to all those gathered, including Joash but the Admiral does not elaborate. Instead, she moves onto the next topic leaving the room full of questions. In particular, the Jedi in the room tune out on the remainder of the meeting and ponder what the woman’s words meant and how Anhiel knew of that place. The remainder of the meeting went quickly and those gathered dismissed themselves before exiting the room. Sun and Rend departed, heading in the direction of the armory while still discussing the possibilities for the meeting. Joash lumbered over to Athin, clearing his throat heavily, “Want to grab some grub?” Athin hesitates a moment, his head turning slightly over Joash’s shoulder which elicits a chuckle from the older Jedi. “Relax, she will still be here when you get back. Besides, I believe she has another meeting.” Joash slaps the Miraluka on the shoulder as he continues chuckling and starts moving towards the door. Reluctantly, Athin follows, cursing the old man for his randomly astute observational capabilities.
The armory of the capital ship is large, with various subrooms and racks containing weapons and armor along the walls. Sun and Rend enter, looking around to see no one is present at the moment. They continue to walk deeper into the room, still perplexed by the request of the Grandmaster. Sun looks over the racks, stopping at a selection of stealth related equipment. Her intrigue glistened in her eyes at the technology. Several minutes passed with relative quiet before the door slid open, revealing Anhiel who stepped into the armory with her usual confidence. The Master/Padawan pair approached quickly and bowed while speaking in concert, “Grandmaster.” Anhiel returned the bow slightly, her voice is even but contains the slightest hint of what appears to be excitement. “Thank you both for coming despite the lack of information.” The Grandmaster strides deeper within the room, rounding a corner and coming to a stop at a door. She keys it open with a long sequence of numbers and is rewarded with a satisfying hiss as it opens. A wave of her hand beckons the other two to follow her within the room. Inside is a relatively small room with smooth metal walls, seemingly bare. However, several more keystrokes on a nearby panel cause three large wall panels to recede and slide away, revealing three custom stands for presenting outfits. The left possesses an incomplete outfit with white plating, a deep hood and solid metal mask. The armored portion is minimal, giving the impression it is still being developed. In the center is the Grandmaster’s combat robes with its silver durasteel plates, strong yet flexible base material and white outer robe. On the right is an outfit of pure black, save for the slight glistening of thousands of tiny metallic pieces that make up the main layer. The legs are made of more solid plates of a similar nature, all laid on top of a black material. A robe of pure black, fashioned out of exquisite fibers wraps around the main garment, including a very deep hood which shadows a mask. The mask is made of the same small metallic pieces and covers the face from the bridge of the nose down, with the metallic pieces covering the cheeks and narrowing around the head.
Anhiel turns to face Sun and Rend, folding her hands behind her back as she speaks, “Sun, as we have discussed, combat has been a difficult point for you. As Grandmaster I expect a certain level of combat ability from all of the enclave’s members. However, I believe that your talents do not lie in pure combat alone and it would be foolish to not play to your strengths.” She beckons to the black outfit, “This outfit belonged to the Sith Infiltrator that commanded the wrecked ship that we salvaged. The metal is Cortosis Alloy. Very strong and can impede the functionality of lightsabers. More importantly, it is designed for stealth and possesses the best stealth unit available to the Sith at the time.” Anhiel pauses, observing the mixed expressions from the pair. Rend exhibits his normal look of bewilderment while Sun exhibits a mixture of apprehension and excitement. She continues, “This is a gift for you, Padawan Veruna. I believe it is suited for you and your natural abilities.” Again, the Grandmaster pauses, glancing back at the outfit before turning once more towards Sun, leveling a determined expression at the young woman. “In my message, I indicated I would also be providing teachings on select Force abilities. They will be related to stealth, subterfuge and technology. It is my wish to develop you into what I call a Shadow Jedi. Similar to a Sith Infiltrator or Assassin, the difference being a Shadow Jedi serves the will of the Force and not their own desire for power. You will be the first of your kind.” Stunned silence is the response received as both Sun and Rend frantically attempt to make sense of her words. Anhiel’s eyes drift towards Rend, appraising him for several moments until he brings his own gaze up to meet her own. “Do you disagree with my assessment of your Padawan, Rend?” Hesitation hangs in the air which prompts the Grandmaster to continue, “Speak honestly. Sun is your Padawan and I will respect your opinion and wishes when it comes to her training.”
The young knight turns his gaze towards his Padawan and sees the nervousness in her expression. However, the determination and readiness she felt radiated through the Force causing Rend to smile lightly. He straightens up before bowing lowly, “You have never led me astray before, Grandmaster. You molded me into who I am today. I trust your judgment in all things, including Padawan Veruna’s training.” In a rare moment, Anhiel returns the bow fully “Your trust is appreciated.” After straightening, the Grandmaster gestures to the outfit, “Let’s have you try it on, Sun. I suspect the fit will be good but we should ensure no alterations are required.” Nodding excitedly, Sun takes a few steps forward. Rend excuses himself, stepping outside of the room and closing the door behind him. Anhiel moves to the far right stand, beginning to lift the mail-like material from it as she addresses Sun, “Remove your uniform. This was designed in two pieces and is mostly able to be donned without assistance.” Sun nods, removing the top and bottom portions of her uniform, folding them neatly before setting them on the ledge. She grabs the armored leg portion and slips into the material with metal plates. Afterwards, she dons the lightly plated boots which rise up just above the ankle. Despite the plating, the soles are soft and make virtually no noise as she places them on the ground. Anhiel raises the mail above the Padawan’s head and Sun raises her arms before it is lowered onto her. The overlapping small metal plates continue down the arms to the wrist and are finished by the plated gloves Anhiel hands to the woman. As Sun flexes her hands, the small plates separate and return as the young woman exclaimed excitedly, “Is this Shadowsilk?” A slight smile crosses the Grandmaster’s lips as she lifts the robe off the stand, “It is. As is the material of the robe.” Anhiel holds the robe up, allowing Sun to slide her arms into it. Before the hood is raised, the Grandmaster places the mask on Sun’s face and secures it into place.
A flick of the Admiral’s wrist keys the door open, signaling for Rend to re-enter the room. As he does, his eyes fall upon the dark figure of his Padawan, who is now nearly unrecognizable. Robes as black as deep space are draped around her frame. Each small metallic piece of the armor that is exposed glistens as it reflects the ambient light. Her face is obscured by the mail mask and deep hood. Only the vibrant green of her eyes shine through from deep within the hood. Rend stops, blinking repeatedly as he takes in the sight. “Master Anhiel, is it safe for her to wear such an outfit?” Walking around the young woman, the Grandmaster appraises her as she responds “If you are referring to the fact this is something worn by a Sith, there is nothing to fear. Style has no bearing on the affinity of objects. While these items have been exposed to the dark side, they are merely objects and have no bearing on the wearer.” She continues to slowly walk around the younger woman, taking in the details of the garments “It appears that no alterations are required. How does it feel?” Sun raises her arms, opening and closing her hands as she moves around, “It feels as if it was made for me, Master.” Anhiel smiles lightly, taking both Sun and Rend aback “I look forward to seeing how you grow, Padawan. Unfortunately, I must leave you for now. The teachings I mentioned will be made available to you and your master soon.” With that, Anhiel bowed slightly to the pair, which was returned by both before she departed the room. Sun turns to Rend, smiling lightly under her mask, “Well, what do you think, Master?” The young Knight smirks, “I sense you will become a force to be reckoned with, just like our Grandmaster, but in your own way.”
Two days pass as the fleet continues its journey through hyperspace towards the living planet. Sun sits quietly in her quarters with a 3D schematic of the stealth armored robes open on the workstation. Slight movements of her right hand spins the schematic as the young woman analyzes it. She sighs quietly, facial features falling slightly before she closes the schematic. Feelings of doubt rise within the young Padawan as she opens the teachings on Form V once more, having lost track of how many times she had accessed it. Again she reads through the document, visualizing the form in her mind and comparing it to the hours she spent flexing through the motions. Her eyes come to rest on one of the notes, reading the words again “Note: Current enclave Form V Masters - Grandmaster Anhiel Dulcinae, Master Ca’ JoasichuBana’kaeda.” After several moments, Sun jumps up, feeling a slight twinge in her nearly healed thigh as she moves from the room quickly.
An elder Jedi can be seen sitting in the middle of a room, meditating about the events on Nar Kanji and the heated discussion with Anhiel. His eyes are closed tightly, wrinkling his face and deforming his old scar. He ponders his need to be with the group, intently mulling over why the Force had brought them all together despite the staunch differences in ideology between the old Jedi Master and the enclave’s Grandmaster. An approaching presence in the Force causes his head to turn slightly, recognizing the individual that now stood just outside.
The entrance to the room hisses as it opens, exposing a young Jedi. She slowly walks into the room, only slightly favoring her uninjured leg. Joash immediately addresses the young woman. “Sun, you should be resting.” With a stern look on her face she responds, “Master Joash, I put my team in jeopardy because I had not studied and practiced enough. I understand you believe this was Master Anhiel’s fault but it simply is not. I wished to prove myself despite her disagreement and I learned her reasoning the hard way as a result.” She pauses, gazing at Joash with self-disappointment showing in her eyes as she continues. “There are several soldiers that lie dead as a result. I must get stronger for myself and for those around me, the ones that rely on me the most. To do so, I have some questions that I need answered.” Joash rises from his crossed leg position and walks towards the Padawan. Appraising her from head to toe, Anhiel’s recent final words to him ringing in his head before he nods and replies, “What would you like to know?”
Sun removes her saber from her side and presents it to Joash. The old Jedi reaches out with both hands and accepts the weapon with a confused expression on his face. Sun speaks in an even tone, “Master, you gave me this weapon, broken and in pieces. Somehow you knew I could fix it and the Force showed me how to fix it.” She exhales lightly before continuing, “You see, I am a quick study. I always have been. But when it comes to combat I struggle in a way I am not used to. No matter how much I study and research Form V, I cannot begin to become competent, let alone master it.” She pauses, attempting to mask the frustration rising up in her voice, “When I had a training session with the Grandmaster, she showed me a few moves from Form V, more specifically Shien and provided additional teachings on it. During my time around you, I have noticed that your standard form is very similar to this form. Also, the material indicated you were the only Master of this form in the enclave, besides the Grandmaster. I need help, Master Joash and I cannot add more to the burden the Grandmaster carries than I already have.” Joash grips the weapon tightly; he turns slightly and ignites the Padawan’s weapon. The deep green hue of the blade glimmers its pure color across the pair's faces for a few moments before he extinguishes the weapon. Joash begins to speak as he hands Sun her saber, “You really are something. I spent years trying to breathe life into that weapon, feeling more defeated with every failure. And the modifications you made are exquisite. You are right, The Way of the Krayt Dragon is my most comfortable form. But I feel like the standard form is not what you are inquiring about. Show me your stance and I will do what I can to help.” With that, Sun ignites her blade and gingerly crouches, holding her weapon in the reverse grip with the blade somewhat behind her.
“Ahh, I see, that makes much more sense. Master Anhiel showed you the sub variant Reverse Shien. That form allows for a physically weaker opponent to take advantage of their opponent's size and energy.” He mumbles something else that barely touches the younger woman’s ears “That woman understands combat like no one I have ever seen.” Sun’s eyes gave her position away as she had read and understood this from the materials that were given by the Grandmaster. Joash continues, “I know you have studied this form and your Grandmaster employs parts of this form at times, so why do you need my help?” Sun responds simply, “There are things in the materials that I do not understand and Master Anhiel included some notes that indicated I should ask you if something was unclear.” That statement raised a thick eyebrow on Joash’s face followed by a slight chuckle “That damn woman always has a plan”. Sun continues, asking the first question she had, “What is Dragon’s Fulcrum?” Joash’s chuckle ceases as he replies immediately, “That form is dangerous!”
As he spoke those words, memories of his last Padawan began to flood his mind, “If I had instructed her maybe she would have been equipped enough to survive”. Again, Anhiel’s words resonate in Joash’s mind, causing the old Jedi to grumble quietly “Alright woman, you twisted my arm”. Sun raises an eyebrow as she does not hear the statement fully. He waves the young Jedi to the edge of the room before he turns and steps to the weapons rack and grabs a large case. Joash walks back to the center of the room where he places the case down. The elder Jedi pops the locks open exposing a dozen training orbs. He presses a few buttons on the lower right hand corner and six orbs spring to life. The orbs float in a circle slowly getting wider until they form a circle with a diameter of about six meters. Joash turns to Sun and speaks with an authoritative voice, “Dragons Fulcrum, like all of Form V’s variants and sub-variants, is designed to provide both offense and defense in the same move. Specifically, Dragons Fulcrum can be used to ward off multiple opponents at both long range and close range. To demonstrate this I am going to use these training remotes.” Joash closes his eyes and reaches for his patinated saber, “Set attack pattern to random, set power to maximum stun”. The orbs make several beeps and hisses and begin to spin and sway in a random pattern. Joash ignites his blade and snaps his eyes open as the orbs begin to fire upon him. Starting from his standard stance he swings his blade across his body, then back across. Flipping his blade in his palm as he passes the weapon from his dominant hand to the other behind his back, blocking all the orb’s attacks with each swing. He swings his saber again in a whipping motion as he starts to spin, exchanging the blade back to his dominant hand. His movements are fluid and lightning fast as he envelopes his body with the spinning and whipping saber moves. One by one the stun bolts are reflected back at the orbs, sending them to the ground as the energy is bounced back with pinpoint accuracy until the last orb drops. Joash docks his weapon and it de-energizes almost simultaneously. Sun sits speechless along the edge of the room. “You see why this is so dangerous? I want you to practice this with a staff first, then you can progress to a bladed training sword. Once you have mastered those we will reconvene with the training orbs and your saber.” Joash gathers the orbs and begins to place them back in the case when Sun addresses him, “Master, do you have any reading material on the movements?” Joash closed the case and stood up before replying “ No, this form has very little material on it…. But I have a data file that I was going to give my Padawan, it is yours should you choose to have it.” Sun responds with gratitude,” Thank you, Master Joash”.