"OUR BROTHER HAS ASKED US TO JUDGE HIM AND HAS EARNED THIS RIGHT! RANK ONE! STEP FORWARD!"
I felt frozen in place on the boarding ramp of the Royal Siren like the others and just watched. The Ugnaughts had thrown off their cloaks and stood around Zavart in circles bare chested or with modest wrappings for the women. Immediately though, one seemingly at random stepped forward and touched a spot on his back that we couldn't see but a light suddenly came on between them and stayed on for the whole announcement.
"RANK ONE: PERSEVERANCE! OUR BROTHER HAS ENDURED THE HARDSHIPS OF WAITING TO BE EXCEPTED INTO OUR FAMILY AND NEVER GAVE UP! NO MATTER THE YEARS OR THE TESTS HE WEATHERED THEM ALL SO AS TO STAND BESIDE US LIKE WE ARE NOW! RANK TWO! STEP FORWARD!"
That single Ugnaught left Zavart and lined up behind the tall buff one. Right away two more stepped forward and also touched a place on his back with a light coming on for the whole thing.
"RANK TWO: COMMITMENT! THE YEARS OF HARD WORK AND LABOR WAS BUILT UP TO TEACH YOU THAT THE FAMILY IS ALWAYS PROTECTED! YOU STRIVE TO SHOW THE PATH THAT YOU'VE CHOSEN IS YOURS ALONE AND THAT YOU WILL NEVER BETRAY US! RANK THREE! STEP FORWARD!"
The two individuals at Zavart stepped away and lined up behind the Rank One making their own line. Three stepped out of the circles this time and touched a spot on his back with another light appearing.
"RANK THREE: TIME! YOU HAVE DEDICATED YOUR LIFE TO THE PROTECTION OF OUR FAMILY! NEVER DISTRACTED! NEVER WAVERED! THE YEARS SPENT FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE OUR WAY OF LIFE IS GUARDED AND PEACEFUL SHOWS YOU HAVE THE MAKINGS OF OUR BEST LEADERS AND WARRIORS! RANK FOUR! STEP FORWARD!"
Again the three stepped away and made their own line behind the Rank One and Rank Two, and four random individuals stepped out of the circles and approached Zavart. There were only five of them left that hadn't moved. What would happen at that rank? Were there more that wouldn't be called until later? Would he not pass this test or whatever it was if he didn't make that last Rank? Suddenly I felt a massive amount of anxiousness well up in my chest but it hadn't come from me. I somehow knew it had come from Zavart, and this emotion of his had been so great that I imagined I could feel it.
Was this the Force?
"RANK FOUR: BOND! YOU HAVEN'T MERELY BEEN A LIFELESS SHELL THE YEARS YOU'VE SPENT SHOWING YOU ARE WORTHY OF JOINING OUR FAMILY! YOU HAVE NOT BEEN A MONSTER SEEKING VENGEANCE OR A LONE WOLF TAKING ON CHALLENGES BY YOURSELF! THIS FAMILY IS ONE AND WE ALL HELPED IT PROSPER AND BE PROTECTED! RANK FIVE! STEP FORWARD!"
Once again the four stepped away and made their own line, the five left moved and stood around Zavart like a pentagram. Each laid a hand on his body and there was a flash of light, but it disappeared and didn't stay on the whole time.
"RANK FIVE: PROTECTION! THE LAST AND MOST COMMENDABLE OF THEM ALL. YOU HAVE SPENT TEN OR MORE YEARS GUARDING OUR PEOPLE AND NEVER STOPPING ONCE TO ENSURE OUR WAY OF LIFE CONTINUES! YOU'VE RISKED YOUR OWN LIFE AND STOPPED A THREAT SO GREAT THAT PUTS YOU AT THE PINNACLE OF ALL OUR WARRIORS! YOU, ARE THE GUARDIAN FOR US ALL!"
The five Ugnaughts stepped back but did not fall in a line behind the buff Speaker. The platform was silent for a few moments and that's when I heard the sound of crying coming from in front of us. It was quiet but it cut into my soul like nothing else had.
"Rise, my Brother. You are recognized as a Rank Four among us, and you will be alone no longer."
He did stand up and as one they all surrounded Zavart and laid a hand on any body part they could reach. Almost all of them could touch and the few that couldn't laid a hand on the shoulder of someone in front of them. The scene would have been very moving and heart warming if it weren't for how Zavart stood. In the middle of the group he had his head tilted to the sky and his body looked like it was being wracked with sobs, we were far enough away that we only intermittently heard him crying. I looked at the others and saw they were as confused as I was so I held my questions in.
After a few minutes they broke apart and the extras that joined the "Ranking Ceremony", since that's what it seemed to be, ventured back inside. The buff Ugnaught patted Zavart on the back and then turned back to us.
"This Brother has been vetted and passed the Rank allowed to stay here! You all have been vouched for as well! You may leave your starship here and it will be guarded and taken care of by us. If anything needs to be done to it make a list for me and it will be taken care of! Let's continue the rest of the details inside!"
He turned then and walked to the building leaving us behind to sort ourselves out. I didn't move though, not really knowing if I could or not. Apparently I wasn't the only one with this idea because we all stayed still. That is until Zavart came walking back to us.
"Are you alright Zavart?" Master Wamo called out to him once he was closer to us.
He didn't answer her though and the Captain placed a hand on his chest to get a look at him but removed it quickly looking like she was shocked.
"Over ten years I spent, looking forward to this day. That's more than half my life. I was 3 days away from the anniversary, three days when you both kidnapped me. Grabbed Me. TOOK ME FROM MY HOME!"
He stood next to me with his head lowered but I could just barely make out his face. And his eyes. HIS EYES.
He finally looked up but I already took a step away from him.
"You ask if I'm okay. You two aren't the only ones who have lost, who have had their lives SHATTERED! Who have become broken and SUFFERED!"
The Captain came up behind him and tried once again to put a hand on his back but took it away immediately and cradled it to her chest.
"DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH I'VE SUFFERED BECAUSE OF YOU!?"
All was silent again and Zavart was breathing heavily, his chest visibly rising and falling. A couple minutes passed and he finally took one deep breath and let it out slowly. I saw his eyes bleed back to their normal color, no longer the orange-yellow hue that they were when he had yelled. He climbed up the ramp and disappeared into the ship but came back out in a few moments, now with his lightsaber held in his left hand and a cloak on. He passed by us all without another word and strode toward the building. Only when he entered it did I feel like I could breathe again.
Master Wamo squatted down and held her head in her hands and Master Shaddoc knelt next to her with his hand on her shoulder. The Captain leaned back against a support strut and closed her eyes.
"Does anyone know what that was about?" I was really confused and wanted to know what landline was stepped on so I didn't do it myself.
"I had a glimpse into his mind just then, by accident. His emotions were so raw and untamed, his mind was completely open for just a moment."
I cast my attention to Master Wamo.
"What did you see Contrillo?" Master Shaddoc asked her in a calm tone.
"I think whoever trained him in the Dark Side made him do a terrible act as his final lesson. It broke him to his core and set him on the path he's on now. We may have made a worse enemy kidnapping him than the Empire could ever be."
She looked up at Master Shaddoc here and they seemed to be communicating with each other for a few moments. In the end Master Shaddoc's jaw tightened and he lifted her up so she was standing.
"Captain, I'm going to get Contrillo inside, if you could have our Pada—Drazad, help you with anything you need that would be appreciated."
The Captain just nodded her head without looking at anyone and the two Masters slowly walked to the building. She looked as pale as a ghost and probably needed something to drink. Something more than our ship had in stock.
"I'll, uh, start a list of things the ship needs. Do you want me to bring anything to you Captain?"
She just shook her head and stayed where she was. I waited another moment or two before going up the ramp and starting the list. All the adults weren't going to be much help it seemed, I helped myself to the inventory log and looked around the ship. The basics like food, drinks, spare power cells and parts were obvious but I also noticed the refresher tank needed scrubbing out and changing and the shield capacitors needed a good overhaul since Coruscant. I noted it all down just in time for a floating droid to approach the ship as I left it. I figured it was here for the list and handed it over before walking over to the Captain. She stood halfway between the ship and building but was looking back at the ship.
"Are you alright now Captain?" Asking seemed appropriate although she hadn't said anything was wrong.
"Yeah, I'm just….hoping this isn't the last time I see my baby."
I looked back at the ship, not really understanding why it was a baby but figured any Captain thought their ship was important. It didn't feel right to walk without her though so I waited. It took another minute for her to finally turn and start walking into the building and I simply followed.
As soon as we entered the room I saw it was smaller than I thought it would be. The ceiling was maybe half a meter above my head if that and it was weirdly unnerving. Length wise though it felt like it could fit around 60 people. Zavart and the buff Ugnaught stood in the middle of it and Masters Wamo and Shaddoc stood against the wall. The atmosphere was still weird all around and I wouldn't be surprised if—
"My name is Bxax, so which of you Jedi will explain to me on the events that led to my Brother ending up here?"
A moment of panic hit, I had a feeling another fight would break out. My eyes darted over to the Jedi Masters and I reached out to grab a hold of the Captain before she continued her walk towards them. I hadn't really needed to though since she stopped in her tracks like she felt the same way.
Master Shaddoc stepped forward, "We were tasked by the Jedi Council to scour the Outer Rim Territories in search of clues of the individual that was keeping the Clone Wars from ending. All evidence pointed to a person who was telling Count Dooku, the Separtist leader at the time, what to do. I, imagine we weren't the only group to have done this but we never ran into anyone else. During our time searching we came across multiple accounts of an individual that could move things without touching them and snapping necks with a wave of their hand. Further investigation led us to the planet Gentes where we felt the presence of someone that was not a Jedi. We thought this individual was masking their presence with Sith Sorcery so as to stay below our notice if we had stayed in the Core Worlds. We landed, asked the locals about their whereabouts and apprehended this person. We felt the Dark Side on him and figured he must be the one we've been looking for."
Master Wamo cut him off, "So we attacked him. He was alone, in his home where no one else in the village would be hurt. We thought we had the element of surprise in how well we were able to take him down." She pushed away from the wall and walked towards Zavart and Bxax. "We fought with all that we had and it still took the both of us some time to disarm him and place him in cufflinks. We then took him back to our ship and planned to bring him before the Jedi Council. We had thought we found our Sith Lord."
Bxax turned to Zavart then. "And your side?"
Zavart took a breath and stared at the Jedi then.
"I lived in my village for almost twenty-two years. I guarded and protected them for the last eleven years. Raiders, slavers, pirates, and all kinds of rich corporations tried to come to it and take my people, and I beat them all back. I showed no mercy to them, and they deserved none of it. I was DAYS away from achieving the Fifth Rank when the two Jedi broke into my home and attacked me without provocation. I defended myself but had no chance against the two of them and they captured me. They dragged me back to their ship and took off without even listening to my people yelling at them. I was kidnapped just because they thought they had the right person."
Bxax laid a hand on Zavarts forearm and after a moment he calmed down.
"So, to understand this order of events. Your prestigious and high ranking Jedi Council knowingly sent out Jedi into the galaxy on secret covert missions to find the secret Sith Lord behind the Clone Wars, not telling anyone about it and to not contact any other Jedi for help." He moved away from Zavart then and walked over to the Jedi more. "And when you find even the closest thing to what you're looking for you don't watch him and see what he does to make sure, you just jump in and take him with no evidence other than "he feels bad". And then you don't listen to what anyone says that could contradict with you being right, or maybe, you don't even know what they say and so you don't care what they say? Is Basic the only language you know?"
"We didn't have a translator droid—"
"And these two," Bxax turned towards myself and the Captain. "I'm guessing the woman is the Captain. Not really sure why you're still ferrying them around considering who you are but that's not my business. And the kid, where do you fit into all of this?"
"Drazad has nothing to do with this!"
Masters Shaddoc and Wamo started to make their way over to me while staying between Bxax and myself when a ray shield descended on them. The two stopped in their tracks seeing they were cut off from everyone else.
"I was asking the boy," I heard Bxax say and I saw his hand was raised and pointing to the Jedi. He had raised the shield while they were focused more on protecting me and who knows how many more he has if he had missed the first time.
"So….Drazad, was it? How did you end up here?"
My mouth went dry. The two Jedi Masters were basically captured and couldn't do anything. The Captain was still near me but she felt as far as the other side of the galaxy. And Zavart was just standing back and watching.
"I…uh…I was a slave worker for a man named, Gany'sha, the God of Games and Bloodsports. He rules the planet Dhamaadka xariiqda, it roughly means End of the Line. I don't have any memories of being anywhere else before the place, just what I think is a memory of being safe and happy. Everything else is…..pain. We were given tally marks on our arms to show how old we are," here he tugged the right shoulder of his tunic off and showed that he had sixteen tally marks branded into his arm. "When we reached this age we were allowed to be…..used, as the older ones put it. I was about to be put into the rotation for that when the two Jedi Masters here came by. I didn't pay attention to what was said, it-it wasn't my job. There are others for that, for remembering what was said so it can be used for later. I was just, told to bring out the drinks when I was called. They had three meetings with, Geny'sha, and on the third they took me away with them. They told me I was going to be trained in the Force to be a Jedi. I'm something of an exception though, they talked with two other Jedi Masters who said I was too old and stuff but that they wouldn't make their decision for them."
"And you're here because you were also taken by the Jedi."
"Well, yeah, but they saved me….in a way. I may have my own problems with them right now but, I'm no longer a slave because of them," I grabbed hold of my left arm and hunched over, thinking I had talked to much. I'm usually whipped for saying anything and these last couple months has been making my instincts to shut up and curl into a ball way heavily on me.
"I see."
"This is a lot to go over. Most of which is not up to me alone to decide. I'll allow you all the use of the next floor to sleep and eat and refresh yourselves for the few days while I convene a meeting. But do not press your luck. We have not stayed secret this long from the galaxy by letting people wander. You are to stay on the floor I give you and that's it. If you can't handle it, we'll put you back on your ship and let the Empire and Bounty Hunters have you."
Bxax turned off the ray shield then and the Masters made their way over to me. Master Wamo laid a hand on my arm which I instinctively flinched away from but she didn't seem offended by it and tried again. I didn't move this time and she just kept her hand there.
"Follow me."
Bxax turned and made his way to the end of the room. Zavart followed right away and the Captain was next. Masters Wamo and Shaddoc stayed by my side but when I shrugged off her hand and followed as well they took my lead. A turbo lift door opened at the far end of the room and after we had all stepped inside, it closed and moved upwards before stopping in a second. The doors opened and showed us a huge open area meant for a communal living space with four branching doors at each corner.
"Before I forget, can I have a word with you alone Captain?"
The question made her hesitate which changed the mood of the group.
"I thought you said she wasn't your business," Master Shaddoc questioned, almost stepping between the two.
"I said why she was still ferrying you all around considering who she was wasn't my business. Doesn't mean I don't have some stuff to talk about with her."
"Privately."
Bxax looked pointedly at everyone and I've seen that look enough in my early training days to make myself scarce. Zavart and I moved at the same time and left the turbo lift. I wondered into the communal area and checked it out while he took the room directly to the right and locked himself inside.
The room was only slightly smaller than the Entertainment Area Gany'sha had. Outside the turbo lift it opened up with two rooms on the left and right. In the middle a short staircase led up to a raised lounge area of three sofas. Behind it was a dining room and another lounge area with a huge viewscreen on the left wall. A kitchen that a human stood in waiting patiently led to the last two rooms to the left and right of it.
I heard the turbo lift close then and turned back to see Masters Wamo and Shaddoc outside of it with the Captain no where to be found.