19 BBY: Jedi Temple, Ilum
THEY ALL GASPED!
Bothka observed the artefact in her hand and almost couldn't believe his eyes. Yu'sarai didn't recognise the object but just thought of it as any other Holocron. As for the young padawan, that ball was just a floating ball. But to him, it was the Holocron of Knowledge.
"How did you get your hands on that Holocron?!" Bothka was left dumbfounded.
"Credits are the way to knowledge eh?" she chuckled pointing to the Holocron in a pun. "I've realized that the order has become unjust!"
"Unjust?! My young pada-" Yu'sarai was cut off, "I am not your padawan anymore," she growled. "I have become, something more. An eye that sees through the lies of the Jedi!"
"Our profession was to be the keepers of the peace, students of the force...now we're puppets about to be thrown away by the very factions we serve!" she rambled.
"What are you even talking about?" Kema asked.
"Soon enough Kema, you'll understand!" she exclaimed, "but now I have better things to do!"
"Jysell what's with your eyes?" Kai surveyed as he stared on.
"Kai. No!" Yu'sarai barked. As Jysell stared back to watch her own best friend, he backed down in fear. Shivering at the most as the nearby padawans dared not to stare her down.
"Why have you done this?" Kema pleaded, "Come back to us, leave all this selfish desire behind!"
"Selfish?" Jysell laughed, "Can you not see? I am something that the Jedi think is danger, but no! I am potential realized."
"Jysell, please stop this. The students don't deserve this," Yu'sarai pleaded.
"You know, I always hated your voice!" she barked. "I really hoped you could teach me what I needed but no! This right here has fixed everything!"
"That Holocron will ruin your mind," Bothka warned.
"My mind...is my own!" she barked in anger almost chucking it to his face. "So if you excuse me, I have things to attend to!" Jysell began walking past the students but before she could approach the entrance Yu'sarai stood in front of her. "Get out of the way!"
"I can't let you do this, please come back to me...I'll make things right!" she began tearing. Pleading that her padawan comes back. With their history, it became heartbreaking for her.
"I'm sorry I have to do this," Jysell uttered. She ignited her newly made sabre and thrust into her own master.
"Ack," Yu'sarai held her padawans hands as she gazed towards the stab and back to her own padawan. All the other padawans stared at their teacher who fell to the ground in a thud. The mercenaries lead the way out and prepared their ships. As she tried to leave, she was held back by Kai.
"Wrong move, brother!" she gazed back in anger, as her hand shot out a handful of red lightning towards her own friend. "Kai," Kema dash to catch him on the floor passed out. She gazed up to see Jysell booking it to a ship nearby. However before Jysell could hop in, the ship was pushed towards a statue, destroying it.
"Where do you think you're going?" Kema stood behind her as the icy wind blew their garments to the side. "You're like our sister!"
"My ship," she growled.
Meanwhile in the cave, as a few mercenaries tried to leave, Bothka began giving them a beating preventing them from leaving. Taking one after another he got through a batch as the students watched helplessly. Until a wounded one grabbed a weapon.
"You shouldn't have done this!"
"Just why?" Kema asked.
"The galaxy is about to witness an event, I'm trying to sway from it as much as possible!" she grunted, "but you're gonna get us killed!"
"What event?" Kema asked.
"I still can't see past here but I feel it!"
"What even is this?" Kema tried to bring her back, "This isn't you, even that red lightning...how?!"
"The Jedi have left us with useless rules, now we depend on the dark side to defeat any threat!"
"We?" she was left puzzled. "Someone did this to you,"
"Listen! We can be stronger than this," Jysell began walking towards her. "We can have all the power possible, I can feel it. It's...it's refreshing!"
"Are you out of your mind? We were taught to not crave this, it's sickening!"
"No, it's eye-opening. It makes you see through the lies of the Jedi!" Jysell got close enough, "join me. Sister and sister!"
"I'm sorry I can't do this," she uttered. "I want you here, with me...with us!"
"Then your my enemy!" she grunted igniting her sabre. Dashing towards Kema she attempted a slash but Kema ignited hers and clashed both sabres.
"A green one, fascinating!" she grinned. "Trying to end this is pointless, you'll die by my sabre."
"I don't even know you anymore," Kema tore. Pushing Jysell's sabre away she stood in her classic Ataru form and let the sabre rest. "You're something else!"
"I like the name, Enraga. It suits me!" she smiled as she thought. She recognized the form Kema was about to use and with the newfound knowledge from the Holocron, she stood in a Makashi form. Then began the fight with a rough salute and a charge.
Enraga stormed towards Kema and began raining blows on her opponent. Since this was Kema's first duel, she budged and began treading backwards trying to parry all slashes and cuts towards her.
"You're sloppy," she uttered as they thrust their sabres to a clash.
"So was Jysell," she gave her thrust more power before Enraga would strike again. Enraga had a newfound elegance in her swordsmanship, her attacks were precise but slow. She still needed training. However as she began to throw more strikes, they became slower, heavier.
Noticing this, Kema kept her sabre steady and moving. Figure four spins and skilful acrobatics kept Enraga furious. Even so to the point where she delivered several blows and force choked her. "Ack," Kema held her neck in despair.
Dropping her, she approached and prepared to deliver one last blow. "I warned you!" Raising her sabre she paused in the position as two blasts zipped right through her chest. Looking back towards the entrance a dead Yu'sarai held the blaster and after he last breath she collapsed.
"No!" Kema shouted at the top of her lungs as her best friend, her sister, fellow padawan, Jysell flashed her eyes to her and began falling as the Holocron slipped towards the mercenaries. "I'm sorry Jysell," she held her before she hit the ground.
"I'm sorry too, but heed my words," she struggled but uttered one last phrase. "We're all going to die!"
Letting go she died in her arms, the warmth of life was chilled by the embrace of death. Her lifeless body laid still and limp synced with the painful wait of the one who held her. One who hoped she would come back to her, hoping the outcome would be different. Bothka sprinted over to Kema, right after taking out a few of the mercenaries, some who would escape in their ships. An attempt to find any burn left within her was met with cold silence.
All they were left with was a gaze of the caravan of ships lifting off. "I'll call back up,"
-
In the deserted space of the unknown regions, the caravan of ships glides to connect with a larger vessel. With each one docking in the ports, the pilots boarded the ship with Enodo leading the group to a hooded figure awaiting their arrival.
"May the force be with you!" he smiled beneath his hood.
"Yea, yea whatever...we worked hard for this thing," Enodo spoke over his mercenaries. "So, our credits?"
"Excellent, you've done well!" the figure force pushed a cart of credits towards the mercenaries some of who rushed to get it.
"We're gonna be rich!" one of them exclaimed in happiness.
"Pleasure doing business with you," Enodo smiled. "So can we get a transaction name?"
"Try Rhugo," he grinned.
"Perfect! Call when you need anything!" he smiled as his whole group left. However, as they began to leave one of his mercenaries became concerned.
"What if that name doesn't work?" he whispered quietly in a smile.
"It doesn't, we'll clean it!" Enodo laughed. "Smart people, smart plays Citro!"
-
Bothka's back up came as a starship and picked them up from their misery. Yu'sarai's body would be wrapped and the padawans would give their honours before they laid the body beneath an icy lake. In groups, they would be accompanied by a trooper in a carrier and head back to Bothka's starships.
Kema stood in the ships hanger holding her old friend's sabre tightly. She felt her presence but it was getting colder, obscure and hard to focus on. She missed her. Bothka approached her and embraced her.
"Who did this to her?" she wiped her tear.
"I don't know," he uttered slowly. "But know she didn't die in vain, we do what we do for people like her!"
"Why is she saying the Jedi are liars?" she asked. "We are peacekeepers, we try not to lie and try to be role models for the general people!"
"She's just been lied to," he explained. "Remember we have a war to go to, prepare yourself!"
"Yes sir," she wept her last tears and clipped her sabre to her waist and went to her quarters. She would spend the time meditating, trying to find Jysell if she could. She was distracted but still heard her voice bouncy throughout her mind.