Chapter 31
A long hiss rings out in the hangar bay as steam is released from the sealed ramp of the XB-70 before it begins to lower to the deck. The older command stands just outside of the ramp at attention as he watches it extend and Admiral Dulcinae’s form stride down confidently. As she steps from the ramp to the deck, the Commander salutes briskly, “High Admiral, I hope your excursion was successful. Repairs should be completed within the hour.” Anhiel nods shortly as the remainder of the group follows her down the ramp. In the center is Thea, doing her best to mask the nervousness she felt as Anhiel gestured in her direction, “This is Thea Tragonus. She will be accompanying us from here on out. Prepare the best available quarters for her and her pet immediately.” Without hesitation, the Commander salutes once more and responds sharply, “As you command, Admiral.” Anhiel turns to face Thea, “Miss Tragonus, please accompany the Commander. He will ensure you are set up with the best accommodations we have available at the moment. I have several matters to attend to and will discuss your future with you soon.” Thea moves to respond after several moments of hesitation, “Very well, uuum.” The noise fades as she thinks of how to address the white haired woman but before she could come to a conclusion, Anhiel raises her right hand gently, “You are neither a full fledged member of my enclave nor the military, yet and thus are not required to address me in any particular manner at this time. You may call me Anhiel for now, until your future is determined.” Thea nods in acknowledgement before slowly moving through the group to stand next to the Commander.
As the commander and Thea depart from the hangar, Anhiel addresses those that remained in a hard tone. “Joash, report to medical immediately. I understand you are feeling much better but I want a full medical diagnostic done before you do anything else.” Her eyes now move to Rend, “I leave oversight of the repairs to you as you oversaw their start. Advise me if there are any issues. If not, begin the return journey to Zonama.” The Admiral’s gaze now falls to Sun, “Commander, assist with the repairs if necessary. If no assistance is required, begin compiling a list of casualties and supplies lost.” The trio acknowledges their instructions with deep bows before departing. As they walk away, a presence becomes apparent on the edge of her senses and she looks up and to the left with a quizzical expression.
On Zonama, Athin sits on the cliff that overlooks the compound that he and the others often meditated on. His gaze is focused upwards, bringing his sight to Anhiel’s unique aura lightyears away. He had been watching her for many hours, gauging the shifts in her aura during her time on the unknown planet, only feeling relieved when she returned to her capital ship. The beep of his communicator breaks his focus and he keys it on after a couple moments. If he had eyes, they would have widened such that they would have fallen out. With a confused voice, he queries, “Anhiel?” A cool, knowing voice responds “Hello, my love. I hate to admit it but Joash is right. You really are not capable of masking your emotions.” The lack of response is as Anhiel expected as she smirks lightly, “I sensed your gaze, Athin. I am fine and we will be returning soon.” Stunned, Athin stammers, “You sens…sensed my gaze? How?” The question sombers the woman’s expression and tone, “You are not the first Miraluka I have become close with, Athin. I am used to being viewed with your sight, more so than most.” She pauses before continuing, “It brings me comfort, for you see me for who I truly am.” Athin smiles at her words before adding in a soft voice, “Who you truly are is beautiful, Admiral.” The smile on Anhiel’s face is brief before a young soldier enters her perception. Quickly, she bids Athin farewell before turning to the new arrival.
A couple hours later, Thea sits down on the bed in a moderately sized room down the hall from Anhiel’s and Athin’s. Quietly, she looks around the room, unsure of how to feel after her time in the lone hut. Many minutes pass before a knock on the door brings her back to focus. She rises and keys the door open, revealing Sun in her usual dark garb with an open and friendly expression, “Miss Tragonus, Admiral Anhiel asked that I show you around. Are you available now?” Thea nods and responds in an even voice, “I am”. Sun’s smile widens before she beckons, “Great! Follow me, miss Tragonus.” The older woman moves to follow but adds, “You may call me Thea, Padawan.” Sun nods in response before moving down the hallway. After a minute, she beckons to a pair of doors next to each other, “These are Master Athin’s and Grandmaster Anhiel’s quarters, should you need them.” Continuing to weave their way through the many corridors, the pair passed the bridge before eventually arriving at the mess hall. In a soft tone, Sun spoke “Here is the mess. Meals are served on a regular schedule. However, if you miss those, you have been added to the list of those that may require unique or as needed meals.”
Black diamond irises look over the area with a deeper interest than someone only looking for a meal. Many moments pass before Thea nods and speaks, “Thank you for the tour, Padawan. Is there anything else I should know?” Sun ponders the question for a moment before responding, “The Grandmaster wished me to tell you to make yourself at home. We will be returning to our base of operations shortly before your next steps are determined. Until then, you are our guest so please let me know if you need anything.” Perplexed by the respect and kindness shown by not only Sun, but the remainder of the squad and Anhiel, Thea inclines her head in a gentle bow before responding softly, “Thank you, Sun.” The response received is a wide smile before Sun’s communicator beeps and she keys it on quickly. After several moments she states shortly, “Right away, General.” and cuts the link. Green eyes turn back to Thea, “General Rend needs me on the Bridge. Do you need directions back to your room? You are also welcome to accompany me if you wish.” The older woman thinks quietly before voicing the question that had sat in her mind since somewhat reluctantly agreeing to join the white haired Jedi, “Where are we going?” Despite smiling once more, Sun’s expression had a hint of Anhiel’s knowing smirk mixed in as she responded, “Suffice it to say that we are returning to our base of operations on Zonama Sekot. Sekot will be most intrigued by you, I am sure.” Thea’s eyebrow raises, continuing to be perplexed by the group of individuals she has now become involved with as she asks a follow up question, “Your base is…on this person?” With a slight chuckle Sun answers as she turns and begins to walk away “I won’t spoil the surprise for you.” Many moments later Thea moves to catch up, her curiosity getting the better of her.
The pair arrives at the bridge in time to see the stars begin to stretch as they step over the threshold. A few meters away stands Rend, still clad in the new golden armor now illuminated by the vibrant colors of Hyperspace. Y’sanne stands before him with a nervous look on her face, a result of anxiety regarding whether or not the patchwork Hyperdrive Core Module will fail during the journey. Rend offers a reassuring voice as he addresses her, “Peace, Y’sanne. Have faith in your abilities. The Admiral would not have appointed you to this station if you were not capable.” The young woman nods in response, attempting to portrait a sense of ease. Thea looks onwards with a perplexed expression, once more surprised by the interactions of the mostly unknown Jedi. Sun and Thea approach Rend, who turns to face them, offering a light smile, “Ah, Sun, the Admiral requested a pivot of her previous instructions to you. Please consult with Lieutenant-Commander Barnes on what is necessary to acquire a replacement Hyperdrive Core Module. We will likely need to mobilize once more sooner than later.” Sun nods in confirmation before moving around her master to speak with Y’sanne. Thea continued to stand awkwardly looking out the viewport until Rend took a couple steps towards her, “Miss Tragonus, I hope you have found your accommodations satisfactory. Please let us know if you need anything.” Thea inclines her head gently as she responds, “They are quite satisfactory. Thank you.” She pauses, appraising the young Knight before speaking again, “I am perplexed by this group and your master. I have never seen a Jedi involved in the military as much as you are. I know Revan went to war against the Mandalorians against the Council’s wishes but other than that…”
Her voice trails off and Rend looks out of the viewport, pondering her question. Many moments pass before he responds in a light tone, “Master Anhiel is not like any typical Jedi. Our enclave stands apart from the main order as a result. She advocates heavily for integration of Jedi into the military, likely due to her service in the Great War. Thus is one of the reasons the Republic gave her command of this task force.” Her curiosity piqued, Thea asked, “And the other reasons are?” Brown hair rocks backwards as the General’s head tilts back, bringing his gaze upwards towards the ceiling. In an even tone he answers with a question, “She showed you visions, didn’t she?” Thea nodded slightly in confirmation before Rend continued, “Then you already know the answer to that question. She will have to be the one to reveal more than she has already shown you.” Diamond eyes betray Thea’s confusion and Rend smiles after looking at her before beckoning to an open seat a couple meters away, “If you wish, please have a seat. It won’t take us long to arrive.”
A half hour or so passes as Thea watches the ongoings of the bridge from the seat she resided in. The large door slid open, revealing an older figure adorned in brown robes. Joash stretches upwards before crossing the threshold and making his way towards Rend and Thea. Joash offers a bow to Rend, who looks up from the monitor he was examining to incline his head in response. He comes to a stop next to Thea, clearing his throat gruffly, “Thank you, miss. That was one hell of a potion. I have not felt that bad in decades but whatever that brew was rewound the clock.”
Thea addresses the elder Jedi that she recently healed, seemingly ignoring his statements and instead voicing yet another question fueled by the perceived uniqueness of the group. “Hey old man, why don’t you have an apprentice?” Joash responds with a somewhat condescending tone, “You mean a Padawan. We are not training Sith here, they are called Padawans.” Thea’s response is detached, “The question still remains, old man.” Joash’s irritation is apparent in his words, “I gave up that life a long time ago. It's a long story, one I wish not to dig into at the moment.” Either oblivious to the hints or willingly ignoring them, Thea continues to press, “Did you ever have a PAADAAWAAN?” Joash, now beyond irritated but in a slightly enjoyable way replies, “I had many during my tenure with the Jedi Order but after my last Padawan, I decided that I needed a change.” Thea, sensing the conflicting feelings swelling within Joash, continues her attempt to gather information to sate her desire to be nosey, “What happened?” A deep breath reverberates in the area as Joash begins to recount his final memory of his Padawan.
A young teal colored Twi’lek girl with orange eyes approached her master and stood in silence for a moment or two before bowing and addressing him. “Master, I have been given a mission by the Order.” Her master slowly turns and appraises the young Padawan, “Oh? And why wasn’t I notified?” Eyarfila Akul’side responds evenly, “ I was not aware of the reason behind the summons, Master. Otherwise, I would have notified you immediately.” Although approximately 15 years prior to the present, the older Master still possessed a grizzled appearance despite the lack of the deep scar and wear of age on his face. His hair barely qualifies as long and is a deep brown color. He quietly watched the young Padawan as she straightened before offering the slightest smile, “It is not your fault, Padawan. I shall take it up with the Council as I suspect their need for unnecessary secrecy is the reason. Did they inform you of the reason for your selection?” Eyarfila nodded eagerly, “I was asked because of your evaluations and high marks. It is a diplomatic mission. I am to travel with an ambassador to the Lorta system as their guard detail.” Joash rubbed his chin while he contemplated a response. “Padawan, this mission is an honor. You have progressed well and I can’t think of anyone better fit for the job. May the Force be with you.” “And with you Master.”
“And that was the last time I spoke with her. The official report said the negotiations never took place. It was an ambush and there were no known survivors save one pilot and a low ranking guard. I spoke with the guard while they were in the infirmary. There were just too many militants. She died protecting the two that escaped. She fell just outside the ship's ramp and her saber bounced up the deck where the guard grabbed it and shut the ramp.” The old Jedi snarled, “I was crushed. I never understood why and held that anger within me, only allowing it to fester and turn bitter. I continued in the same way during my self imposed exile, until I saw her blade that had been extinguished far too early, snap back to life. Only then did I fully understand it was not a waste. She succeeded in protecting two individuals that might not have survived otherwise.” He pauses, clearing his throat as he looks off to the side for a few moments, confused as to why he felt the need to continue the story let alone tell it to this all but unknown woman. “Sun did that for me, and I will forever be in her debt. I have seen the error in my ways and now know that helping the enclave is my mission, my purpose, but I do not believe I will ever have a Padawan of my own again.”
Thea, slightly moved by the story, returns a snarky comment, “And what do you do exactly?” Mildly offended, Joash retorts, “I provide guidance, and ahh…. I do other things.” He pauses before letting out an exasperated tone, “Woman, you sure know how to get under my skin and I barely even know you!” The devious chuckle she let out matched the woman’s expression, “And the scar? How did you manage to do that during your so-called exile? Out of practice with your saber?” An intangible weight settled in the atmosphere as her string of somewhat mocking questions finished. The source was the arrival of a presence that Thea, Rend, nor Joash had noticed. All focused on the discussion that had been ongoing for a couple hours at this point. A chilling voice answers, dripped with a malice that Joash was far too familiar with and hoped to never experience again. “I gave it to him. As a gift.” All eyes slowly turn to face Anhiel, her pristine white uniform reflecting the lights of Hyperspace. Her hands are folded behind her back beneath the cape while the blue of her eyes is icier and sharper than usual. The levity and snarky attitude drains from Thea’s face as she turns her eyes back to Joash’s scar. With a quiet and confused voice she asks, “Wha…why would a Jedi do such a thing?” Thea’s diamond eyes hesitantly turn back and lock with Anhiel’s when the response did not come immediately. To her surprise, an all too familiar vibrant yellow streaked through the woman’s blue irises, continually moving for however many long moments passed before Anhiel finally responded, “Because he stuck his nose into matters that did not concern him.”
Dead silence reigns on the Bridge for many moments, only interrupted by the occasional beep made by nearby navigational equipment. Joash clears his throat while turning and bowing to Anhiel, “I do not believe Miss Tragonus has any ill-intent. Only a very active sense of curiosity.” Having recovered from the initial shock of Anhiel’s answer, Thea nods then inclines her head in the other woman’s direction “I see it is a sensitive topic. I will temper my curiosity in the future. My apologies to you both.” The Admiral’s eyes linger on Joash first, then Thea for several seconds before her head inclines slightly in acknowledgement. Her gaze then turns to the left towards the current Helmsman, “What is our ETA?” “Forty five minutes, Ma’am. Just in time as well. Lieutenant-Commander Barnes indicated that the temporary module will only last another hour or two.” Anhiel’s head swivels to the right to gaze at Y’sanne, waiting quietly for the young woman to confirm the Helmsman’s words. The young engineer’s head had been buried in a datapad for the last couple hours, reviewing data and oblivious to the ongoings around her. Gently, Rend clears his throat, leans over and speaks with a soft tone, “Y’sanne? Can you confirm your latest estimate on the life span of the temporary hyperdrive module for the Admiral?” Eyes widening, she nods rapidly as she makes several keystrokes on the datapad before she spins quickly to face Anhiel and stands straight, “Ma’am, data available at this time suggests one point five hours of stability remains at current operating conditions.” The Admiral’s expression is difficult to read and she merely states to the Helmsman, “Continue as planned.” Her eyes fall back to Y’sanne who is doing her best to mask the bit of fear welling up inside of her. With a sigh, Anhiel turns, waving with her left hand for Y’sanne to follow as she begins to stride to the front of the Bridge to look out of the viewport.
The young curly haired woman slowly comes up next to the Admiral, holding her datapad low against herself as she waits quietly. Anhiel gazes out of the viewport upon Hyperspace as she addresses the younger woman, “You have performed well, Y’sanne.” Nervously, Y’sanne speaks, “I do not understand, Admiral.” Continuing to gaze forward, Anhiel continues, “The damage to the Hyperdrive was not your fault. Yet you were able to design and implement a passable solution with only the resources onboard. Your anxiety is unfounded.” Nervously, the Lieutenant-Commander fidgets with a long curl before she speaks quietly, “Thank you…Admiral.” Before the conversation could advance further, a voice calls out from behind, “Sixty seconds until we exit Hyperspace.” Anhiel merely nods in acknowledgement and gazes flatly out of the viewport. The seconds dwindle as the helmsman counts down. Those on the bridge continue with their tasks, save for Thea who moves to stand near the Admiral in anticipation of where they will arrive.
Stars begin to stretch and slow until they and a green planet snap into place. Thea’s diamond eyes examine the celestial body with unending curiosity, but mild disappointment at the seemingly lack of uniqueness she was led to suspect. Without thinking, she turns to speak to Anhiel but the words are halted by a booming voice that reverberates within her mind, “The Silver Butcher returns victorious. And I see you have found another interesting member. A stolen Jedi turned Sith, trained in ancient alchemy yet I sense that is not the whole story.” Thea’s expression is one of unadulterated shock at the accuracy with which the unknown entity assessed her. Before she could recover, Anhiel states nonchalantly, “Thea Tragonus, meet Sekot. They reside within the planet you see before you.” Stuttering, Theas queries, “Yo…you mean…they reside…on the planet…right?” The smug look the Admiral adopted was concealed as she continued to look forward, but her words betrayed a portion of her thoughts, “I did not misspeak. Zonama is the planetary body you see before you. Sekot is the being that occupies Zonama and is the owner of the voice you just heard.” Stunned, Thea’s eyelids blink rapidly several times before she poses another question, “And who is this Sekot?” Anhiel allows the quiet to remain for several heartbeats before responding in a mild tone, “Sekot was once a teacher of mine. Now they are a friend and ally to me and teacher to those I hold dear; including you.” Curiosity grips the slightly younger woman and she immediately moves to the next question in an attempt to sate her desire for knowledge, “I assume the Silver Butcher was in reference to you? How does a Jedi…” The flow of words halts abruptly when Anhiel’s head turns ever so slightly towards Thea, her hardened eyes communicating more than words could. Thea nods once, biting her tongue and making a mental note to hold any further questions until a more appropriate time. Satisfied with the response, the Admiral turns about and speaks towards the old Commander, “I leave you in charge. I expect a report on casualties and other losses within the next standard day. Once that has been completed, all personnel are granted two days reprieve from their duties. Officers will coordinate scheduling to maintain critical functions.” The older man salutes briskly, “As you command, Admiral.”
On the planet’s surface, a lone Miraluka watches the approaching transport as it descends towards the pad. The atmosphere and Force radiate several emotions, relief, excitement, desire, elation while the ship comes to a gentle rest on the pad and the ramp hisses open. At the top stands the woman he had been waiting for, clad in a white uniform with her silvery white hair pulled back in a tight ponytail. A smile creeps across Athin’s face as he watches Anhiel stride down the ramp with her usual confidence, coming to a stop less than a pace away. She offers a small smile and addresses Athin softly, “I apologize for making you worry, Athin. But I have several things to attend to before I can rest.” An unusual smirk crosses Athin’s face, eliciting a raised brow from his partner. He chuckles and remarks in a devious voice, “I have made arrangements for you already. Unless our enemy arrives on our doorstep, none shall bother you for the remainder of the day.” As Anhiel moves to retort, Athin extends his left arm out to the woman, his smirk replaced with a grin “If you will accompany me, Admiral. Sekot has told me of a particularly beautiful lake far from here where you can relax.” Bewildered, Anhiel allows herself to be guided around and back up the ramp she recently descended. The shuttle pilot glances backwards towards Athin, who nods an affirmative which the pilot reciprocates before closing the ramp and beginning the lift off sequence. Nearly an hour passed with Anhiel questioning Athin in an irritated tone initially, growing into an exasperated tone towards the end. All the while, Athin merely chuckled in response until a call from the pilot came, alerting the pair that they were arriving at the destination. With the same grin foreign grin he remarked, “For today, you are not in command, Anhiel. Now come with me.” Similar to the Admiral, Athin strides from the craft without another word grabbing a black canvas bag that hangs by the exit, slinging it over his shoulder.
Reluctantly, and still on the backfoot from Athin’s unusual forwardness, Anhiel follows after straightening her uniform. With a hardened face attempting to mask the anxiety she felt, she followed Athin along a dirt path lined with shrubs and flowers for several minutes. The path opened as the hills on either side began to rise up steeply. Just beyond the opening is a white beach a hundred meters long with clear blue freshwater lapping at the bank gently. The body of water sits in a deep cauldron. Sheer rock faces encircle all but the one beach and path leading to it. Although it was mid afternoon, the sun was already behind the cliffs, an indication of how high the walls rose. Despite her anxiety and irritation, ice blue eyes could do nothing but examine the pristine water and magnificent cliff face until strong arms wrapped around the woman’s petite frame from behind. In that moment, she felt comfort followed swiftly by self consciousness as the realization of the last time she had been in the refresher came to the forefront of her mind. Embarrassed…that emotion felt revolting to the woman. She turned quickly and stepped back, blushing lightly. “I have been so focused I have not had a chance to…freshen up.” The devious grin was back, still looking foreign to Anhiel as she gazed upon Athin’s face as he spoke, “Ah, so you are capable of being embarrassed. I was not sure that was an emotion I would ever see from you.” He chuckles and takes the bag off his shoulder, rummaging around for a moment before pulling two small pieces of black cloth out. “I was pretty sure you did not have a set. Luckily, one of your communication officers is just about the same build as you and had an extra unused suit they were gracious enough to gift you.”
Anhiel’s face scrunches in a playful scowl. Though she was remiss to admit it, her heart was overjoyed by the gesture already but still she tempered the sensation. Still unwilling to fully accept the affection she was receiving. Athin holds the swimsuit out to her and adds gently, “Join me in the water when you are ready, Anhiel. You have earned a break.” She offers a defeated sigh and takes the suit, rolling her eyes some as she begins to remove her cape. Athin leaves her to change, shedding his robes, then boots and finally his undertunic before wading into the cool water. Anhiel carefully folders her uniform and sets her undergarments on top before slipping on the two pieces of the bathing suit. While modest, the bottoms still reveal a portion of her buttocks and the several scars adorning her otherwise fair skin show dark in the shadows of the cliff. With her right hand, she reaches up to the tie binding her hair and pulls it loose, letting her hair fall to its full length. Even when tied up it falls nearly straight, resting at the base of her shoulder blades. She runs a hand through the length of the strands as she strides to the water's edge where she offers a smile to Athin, who remarks “You look great.” She laughs at the joke and the noise of the first laugh he had heard from her hits the Miraluka with great force. As if entranced, he rises from the water where he had been sitting, now only thigh deep and takes several long strides to her. Without warning, he lifts her up, each hand cupping the bottom of her bare thighs as he pulls her close. Anhiel wraps her arms around his neck as he turns back and begins to take them deeper in the water until only their shoulders are barely exposed. Athin leaned his head forward gently to brush his lips against hers before speaking quietly, “Promise me you won’t make me stay behind again. I know I am useless in space, but I would rather be useless by your side than be relegated to watching you from afar.”
Anhiel tilts her head to the left slightly, the length of hair in the water streaming behind gently as she places her right hand along Athin’s face. After a moment, she only nods before leaning in for another kiss, this time with a heavy passion behind it. Athin pulled her in tighter, wrapping his left arm around her waist to hold her up as the dense layers of muscle she possessed were not very buoyant. His other hand moved to her back and tugged on the simple knot across her back before doing the same with the knot around her neck, allowing the top to fall away. She presses her bare chest against her lover, grinding her hips forward then lets her legs straighten to allow the bottoms to be worked down until a single leg can be pulled free. As she already knew, Athin was already bare and she wrapped her legs around him once more before lowering her hips gently.