Revenge of the Jedi/Part 12

Snugging the leather wraps that held back her lekku, Zaella bounced on the balls of her feet, enjoying the feeling of her lightsaber thumping against her leg again. The gleam of the dawn on the waves surrounding Kaivalt Island made it worth waking up at the normal, ridiculous Jedi time, though only just. Dew still clung to the grass; stretching out her Force perceptions to be sure she was alone, Zaella got a running start, then dove and rolled through the grass, laughing as the damp wetted her tank top and the blades of grass tickled her lekku.

Springing to her feet, she jogged around the estate to the rear courtyard, which was half as wide as the manor house. The mismatched stones were set at random angles, but fitted tightly enough that Zaella didn't worry about slipping. With how uptight the baron had been, she hadn't expected the place to be so freeform and flowing. I guess artistry got bred out of the gene pool.

Narasi was just descending the curved staircase from the deck, yawning into her elbow, a pair of lightsabers in her other hand. Nodding when she spotted Zaella, she tossed one; Zaella caught it with a Force-powered jump. "Your aim sucks."

"Good morning to you too."

Her voice was sharper than Zaella had expected. "What's with you?"

Narasi shook her head. "We can talk about it later."

Turning the lightsaber over, tossing it palm to palm, Zaella asked, "Okay then, what's this for?"

"Training saber. It's powered down so it won't cut."

"Wimp."

"It'll still burn." Narasi flashed her fangs, though Zaella knew her well enough not to take it seriously. "Maybe we can put some more lines on your lekku."

Zaella glowered. She hadn't yet decided whether to try getting the tattoos off her lekku, or go ahead with new designs, but at the moment they looked like she was wearing a collar around each one. "Where's the kid?"

"She's coming."

"Well, you don't need a babysitter, right?"

Narasi activated her training saber. "Let's do it."

The weapon glowed pure white, and when Zaella ignited her own blade, it was the same. "Never saw a white blade before."

"Probably so they know it's for training."

"Yeah." Looking at Narasi's more carefully, Zaella cocked her head. "Why do you have a curved one?"

"Most of them are like this; Bernius had to dig around for a straight hilt for you."

"Right, right…all the fancy nobles use Form II." Zaella rolled her eyes. "Why do I get the straight hilt?"

"I've practiced with Tirien's lightsaber before. But if you want to switch…"

"Eh, if I kick your ass too badly, I'll take the handicap."

"So I'll be holding onto this one, then."

Zaella dropped back into a Juyo opening stance, dominant side back, blade pointed forward along her body. "Bring it."

Narasi started in a simple ready stance, blade held forward, but then frowned for a moment before raising her lightsaber over her head. Recognizing the Form V stance, Zaella grinned. "New year, new form for the Jedi?"

"This thing with Gasald…we're all going to need some new tricks. Let's go."

Sparring had been hard in the confined space aboard the Second Chance, and the two days since the Eriadu fiasco had been spent in reflection, moping, and sleep. After a week without fighting, Zaella was champing at the bit for a good scrape, and she knew in the first exchange that Narasi was too. They had gotten past the tentative probing and testing phase on Guudria, and it was clear they had not backslid during their time off. Narasi's attempt to work in Form V techniques slowed her down, but she hit like a hammer on every blow, and half the time Zaella found her counterattacks checked when Narasi nearly knocked her off her feet. She ducked under a sai cha and slashed one-handed at Narasi's hip, but Narasi's answering block was so ferocious she knocked the lightsaber hilt right out of Zaella's hand.

Lunging after it, jerking it into her grip with the Force on a diving roll, Zaella popped back up and raised her eyebrows. "Damn. Somebody brought her aurek game."

Narasi stalked forward. "Looks like it wasn't you."

Zaella blinked, then narrowed her eyes and stabbed in. She mixed up her attacks, stabbing and slashing, darting it and then dancing back out of range of Narasi's brutal counters. Juyo was exhausting, but Zaella thought Narasi was burning fuel even faster than she was. Both of them fought with gritted teeth, and Narasi started to work in whirling slashes and one-handed stabs from other styles. She even threw in a Savrip Stab Zaella had taught her; Zaella dodged it and nearly singed one of Narasi's horns on her answering slash, but Narasi jerked back just in time.

Zaella got in a horizontal slash, but as she wound up for another, Narasi brought an overhead swing down and Zaella had no choice but to block. The sheer force of it buckled her elbows; she took her left hand off the saber hilt and braced her right with it, but even with Narasi's arms almost extended—the Jedi was a little shorter than she was—Narasi took a step and got enough leverage that Zaella's hamstrings trembled, struggling to keep her upright. When she could almost taste the ozone from her own blade, she dropped to one knee, trying to focus her anger at her compromised position into strength. The Force gave her just enough to push the blades clear of her head, but she realized too late that she had played into Narasi's hands when Narasi kicked her in the chest. Zaella went up off the ground and landed on her back; arching her neck so she didn't smack the bases of her lekku against the stone, she still got the wind knocked out of her, and she didn't see Narasi's follow-up blow coming until the shielded plasma burned a line across her forehead.

"Agh! Ji cuna tonka!  Solar!  Sokan!  Whatever it is!"

Narasi waved the lightsaber over her. "You mean solah?"

"Yeah, that." When Narasi stepped back, Zaella sat up and stretched her back. "Kark, Narasi…where'd that come from?"

"I don't know." Narasi held her glowing white blade to one side; the look on her face suggested she'd forgotten she was holding it. "I guess I've got…more motivation now."

"What, putting Gasald on ice without dying? Yeah, that sounds pretty motivating." As Zaella clambered to her feet, trying not to groan—That was barely a tickle! she heard Guldroq's voice in her memory. Save the screams, you'll need them soon.—Narasi's eyes tightened even as her mouth opened uncertainly. "What? Is it 'later' now?"

"It's not 'later' enough. Are you coming with us?  To kill Gasald."

"I…" Zaella didn't know how to finish the sentence. I think you're all going to get killed, and you don't need my help for that? I kinda hoped I'd get more time before somebody asked me that?

I don't want you to go without me?

I don't want to die?

"I don't…"

She stopped, suddenly conscious of their audience. Renata stood halfway down the winding staircase, looking thunderstruck. Reactivating her lightsaber, Zaella pointed it at the girl. "You gonna stand there all morning, Short Stack, or are you gonna mix it up?"

"I…" Zaella thought that sentence ended did not understand what I signed up for in Renata's head. "I'm supposed to wait for a Jedi Knight."

"Awwww," Zaella sneered. She tapped her forehead where Narasi had struck her. "What's the matter, kiddo? Afraid to get a little singed?"

Narasi swung casually at her face; Zaella swatted the cut aside. "Be nice. She's still a kid."

"Hey!" Renata skipped down the rest of the stairs, frowning. "I'm a Padawan, and I'm only a few years younger than you! Weren't you my age when you fought Darth Alecto?"

"The first time, yeah," Narasi admitted.

"Wait, you survived Darth Alecto when you were thirteen?" Zaella asked, diverted. "Are you really good, or is she a lot worse than I've heard?"

"Neither—she almost killed me three or four different times," Narasi said sheepishly. She deactivated her lightsaber; Zaella considered keeping hers live to feint at Renata—or maybe Narasi—but ultimately followed suit. "Tirien had to save me."

"Oh. So you got lucky?"

Narasi grimaced, but nodded. "Yeah. It was my first duel, and I was panicked and overconfident.  Not this time, though; this time I'm gonna be ready for whatever Gasald can throw at us."

"What about you?" Zaella asked Renata. "You and your master mix it up with any Sith on Milagro?"

"We fought against the Sith soldiers in Rogeum—"

"So 'no', then." Zaella snorted. "Too bad; they probably wouldn't see it coming from down there."

She couldn't quite fit Renata under her chin, but it was a near thing. Renata flushed; it made her freckles stand out even more. "Hey!"

"Geez, you're snarky today," Narasi commented, grinning for the first time. "If you spent as much time practicing your saber techniques as you do your snark, maybe you wouldn't have that cut on your forehead."

Zaella pointed the lightsaber hilt at her. "You wanna go again?"

"Well, since Tirien and Raina aren't here for Renata yet…"

"What about me?" a voice rasped from above; Yan Razam leaned over the deck's railing. "Kaivalt just said 'a Jedi Knight', right?"

"Yeah," Narasi agreed. "Renata?"

Renata took a deep breath, as if she was about to battle Darth Alecto to the death herself rather than engage in a harmless spar, but she nodded. "Okay."

Narasi handed her the curved hilt; Zaella flipped the straight one upside-down and offered the pommel end to Narasi. Narasi paced off from Renata, but Renata strayed over to a retaining wall holding in a bed of flowers and dumped her equipment belt there. When she turned back to Narasi, she asked, "Are you going to set your lightsaber down?"

Narasi cocked an ear. "Do you want me to?"

"It's just…my master always does. She says it's just to be safe.  Not that I don't trust you!"

"No, it's fine," Narasi said. Taking her weapon, she tossed it to Zaella. "Hold that for me, will you, Zae?"

Zaella caught the hilt, too stunned to answer. She still had her own lightsaber on her belt, and now she held Narasi's weapon. The reversal of their positions on Guudria didn't escape her, but much more, Narasi had made herself defenseless; a training saber wouldn't hold up to a live blade for long, and especially not two. It would have been an act of trust unfathomable on Ryloth—unthinkable even a month before—but Narasi didn't even look back, exposing herself without even seeming conscious of the danger.

Because, in the end, there was none. Zaella couldn't avoid the truth of it; she would razz Narasi, spar hard, slap her around, bruise her and rash her with training burns…but really hurt her? Seize the chance to kill her? There had been a time when Zaella wouldn't have hesitated—when she might even have dared it under Yan Razam's gaze. But so much had changed in a month; now she couldn't imagine the circumstance when she'd kill Narasi even under threat.

A month ago they had nearly killed each other, and for weeks after they had been captor and captive, but now they were friends, and with friendship came trust.

And what else? Zaella wondered as Narasi let Renata try some lunges, hanging back on defense. ''Support? Does she expect me to go with them?''

Whatever the Tapani Jedi decided, Tirien seemed dead set on going after Gasald, and Zaella didn't doubt for a second that Narasi would go too. She and Narasi were friends, but enough that Narasi would expect that kind of life-and-death loyalty of her? Was it an abuse of friendship to even ask? Or would it be a betrayal of friendship to refuse?

Would a real friend ask me to die with her—or for her? Zaella thought the answer was obvious…but she couldn't be sure. She'd had friends and playmates before the Sith, but she'd just been a little kid then. There had been one or two other apprentices she'd liked on Ryloth—her feelings for Nykan Racor hadn't stopped at 'like'—but would any of them have left themselves as vulnerable to her as Narasi had? Her mind recoiled at the melodrama of thinking she'd never had any real friends, but she had certainly never had a friend like Narasi Rican. She was out of her experience, and looking at her comfort zone in the aft sensor; was there some degree of friendship where die with me was something that could be asked?

She tried to distract herself with the sparring session, but there was too little contest to hold her attention; Narasi had started striking back at Renata to test her defenses, but she was clearly holding back most of her considerable skill. Renata looked focused and determined; Zaella tried to think of a word for Narasi's expression besides indulgent and came up dry.

What's the point if they're just going to lose? she wondered. Whether Tirien and Yan's death squad killed Gasald or not, the Sith war machine probably couldn't be stopped now. The Jedi were smart enough to realize, as Zaella had, that killing Gasald wouldn't destroy her fleet, either; the men they had named, Halicon Karzded and Darth Vaszas, might have been Gasald's best, but somebody would step up to fill the void. Even the dumbest Sith Lord could remember keep building the big fleet, then go kill people with it.

Gasald in the south, Saleej on the Perlemian, the speciesist bastard up north…the Republic was losing space as fast as the different Sith factions could find more forces to throw at it. If the Republic had any chance left at all, it was still a sucker's bet, and Zaella didn't intend to let herself get taken.

All she had to do was nothing—let Tirien and Narasi go without her…fight without her at their side…maybe die without her help…

She actually growled aloud, and Renata was so little challenge that Narasi noticed. Slashing hard to knock Renata back a pace, she glanced over and called, "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Zaella snarled. Narasi raised her eyebrows, but turned back to meet Renata's next lunge.

Narasi humored Renata a moment more, but eventually Renata overcommitted so far on a lunge that Zaella opened her mouth to yell at Narasi. But Narasi turned into a quick, two-handed block that connected just short of the emitter of Renata's lightsaber; the blow tore the weapon out of Renata's hand. Like Zaella, Renata lurched after it, but this time Narasi was ready, and with a quickstep she had her blade at Renata's throat.

"Solah," Renata squeaked.

Narasi smiled, but Zaella shook her head. I don't think I'd be able to keep her alive even if I did go. She almost shared that one with Narasi, but choked it off at the last second; she didn't want to remind Narasi that she, Zaella, hadn't committed to go either. The idea of Tirien and Narasi going with only Yan and this twerp for backup wasn't comforting; Zaella hoped the Kaivalt twins were a cut above the average…

"Again?" Narasi asked.

"My turn," Zaella said, holding out her hand for the training saber.

Renata stopped halfway through scooping up her fallen lightsaber. "My master didn't say anything about that…"

"If she didn't say you can't, then you can," Zaella said. Narasi raised an eyebrow, but slapped the hilt into Zaella's palm and took back her own lightsaber. When Renata hesitated, Zaella rolled her eyes. "You've got Razam here, what's the problem? Afraid?"

"No!" Renata insisted. "My master's just very particular. I don't want her to be mad at me."

"She's gonna be pretty mad if you get killed in the first pass on the Kiss of Death." Zaella snorted. "And the way you fight, right now that's pretty likely."

Renata's big, nerf-calf eyes narrowed, and she reactivated her blade. Yan came down the stairs, taking her blade off her belt and dialing up the shielding. "Narasi?"

"Definitely," Narasi said, adjusting her own lightsaber. "Form V?"

"Is there another one?"

As Narasi laughed, Zaella ignited her training weapon and shifted into guard, but Renata hesitated. "Your lightsaber…?"

"Yeah, no, Squirt, I'm keeping it," Zaella said. "Relax—if I wanted to kill you, I wouldn't need a lightsaber."

Renata didn't look very relaxed, but she offered a Makashi salute. Zaella smirked and tossed off a two-fingered salute with her left hand, just because she knew it would pique the kid. Renata had the gall to look scandalized, but she snapped down into a Makashi opening stance. Just as Zaella was wondering whether she could get a diving stab and finish Renata before she even moved, the girl skipped forward in a lunge.

Zaella parried, but she knew in a few exchanges she was safe. She had sparred Tirien only once, but that was enough to appreciate what real Makashi expertise looked like, and Renata's form wasn't it. Narasi was nowhere near Tirien's skill, but she was at least as good as Zaella—Or better, said a little voice inside, which she tried to ignore. Probably better.—and head and shoulders above Renata in ways that had nothing to do with height. The kid wasn't incompetent—she had the right stances, her technique was decent, and she more-or-less kept a single line of attack and retreat—but for all that, it was a pale imitation. If Tirien Kal-Di was an artist painting a masterpiece with oils and fine-edged brushes, Renata Cul'Caritas was a kid trying to copy the piece with a crayon.

After a moment of fending off Renata's attacks, Zaella started paying more attention to Narasi and Yan. Yan was as much taller than Narasi as Narasi was Renata, but Narasi's Zygerrian brute strength put her on almost even footing. Yan was clearly better practiced at Form V—her attack sequences flowed better, she moved more naturally, and she didn't overextend the way Narasi sometimes did. But Narasi was faster, and even if she sometimes had to scramble back into a hasty defense, she forced her way back into the fight sooner or later.

Renata stabbed, trying to take advantage of Zaella's distraction, but Zaella swatted the blow aside. In a move so dumb Zaella almost missed her chance for staring, Renata spun around the long way, exposing her front and then her back as she whirled into a reverse stab. Instinct cut through blank disbelief, and Zaella stepped in, checked the stab sideways one-handed, and smashed Renata's triceps with the blade of her other hand. Renata cried out in pain and her lightsaber tumbled free from her spasming hand. She reached for it, but Zaella cocked back and swung into a curving slash. Narasi had stopped just short, but Zaella followed through.

Renata gasped and lurched back, coughing as she clasped the burn across her throat with both hands. Kicking her fallen lightsaber away, Zaella turned to find Narasi and Yan in a saber lock, both looking at her. "That's it for her. One of you want to hurry up and win?"

"I'm not finished," Renata choked, still coughing; she held out her hand, and her training saber sprang into her grip.

Zaella snickered. "I cut your head off, kiddo; I'm not Human, but I'm pretty sure that's 'finished' for your species."

"Again," Renata insisted. "And fight hard this time! You weren't even trying."

Zaella laughed, the tip of tchin rolling up to add a flavor of contempt to the sound. "Kiddo, you wouldn't last ten seconds if I was. Narasi and I both went easy on you."

"I'm not a kid," Renata said. "I'm a Jedi Padawan, and I'm not afraid of you, Sith."

She hurled the name like it was the worst insult she could think of, the way a Twi'lek would call someone schutta. As Zaella's eyes narrowed, Narasi called, "Easy, Renata."

Renata just saluted with her blade and dropped into guard, and Zaella brought up her own training saber. "Fine. You want it, kid, you'll get it."

"Take it—" Narasi started, but she had to defend herself against Yan, and as they battered each other away, Zaella and Renata moved.

This time Zaella did not hold back, launching a series of staccato attacks that shattered Renata's attack and had her scrambling back, waving her lightsaber wildly to fend them off. Zaella laughed at her, and Renata gritted her teeth before diving back in. Zaella sprang into a Rock Viper Twist, hooking Renata's blade out of the way and slashing her across the chest. Renata groaned through her teeth and stumbled back, but she lunged again anyway. Zaella retreated for two blows in surprise, but then came in hard, feinting high to draw up Renata's guard before kicking her in the gut; Renata doubled over, wheezing, and Zaella slashed the back of her neck.

Zaella turned away to watch the other spar, but she found Narasi and Yan squared off against each other, both watching her. Narasi winced and called, "Renata, don't—"

But Renata did; struggling to her feet, she reactivated her blade. Zaella turned to meet her series of stabs, smacking each one aside one-handed while covering a fake yawn with her other hand. The more wound up she got, the sloppier her techniques became; Zaella pressed in and forced Renata into a two-handed defense, scorching her arms and shoulders, not even trying for a killing stroke now. When Renata slashed down, though, Zaella connected with her wrist, then slid the plasma blade up Renata's arm to the elbow. Renata cried out in pain, clutching her seared arm to her chest, and Zaella stabbed to spear her right between the eyes.

She was centimeters from connecting when the Force hit her, a giant, invisible hand slapping her whole body from head to toes and sending her through the air. She hit the flagstones and cried out as she rolled along the courtyard floor; Narasi and Yan caught her and lifted her up, and as she struggled to get her feet back under her, Zaella blinked away the pain to see Raina Kaivalt gazing down on them from the edge of the deck.

"That is enough." Even from meters away and below, Zaella saw the cold lines of Raina's face that matched her icy voice. She took the steps down; Zaella noticed she was dressed as a Jedi rather than a noble.

Probably didn't want to get her nice, fancy clothes dirty doing real Jedi stuff, Zaella thought. She felt herself glaring without meaning to, but Raina flashed her a look just short of a threat. It reminded her of the dangerous looks she had seen from Tirien now and then, except this time the look was directed at her.

Raina took Renata's hand, pulling it away from her chest and examining her arm. She traced the other burns with the tips of her fingers, lingering on the raw, angry welt across Renata's throat. Zaella couldn't see her expression, but she saw Renata's reaction—fear and shame rolled together. "Master…"

"You're done for today," Raina said. "Go inside and clear your mind."

"Yes Master." Renata bowed her head, but peeked up from under her brows. "May I use the shrine, Master?"

Raina considered a moment, then nodded. Renata bowed, retrieved her equipment belt, and scampered up the steps into the manor. Raina watched her go, then rounded on Zaella. Her face was all ice without so much as a spark of fire, but Zaella still tensed; she had seen looks like that on Ryloth. Narasi put a hand on her shoulder, and Zaella felt her friend's tension too; Yan was more relaxed, but waited for Raina to speak.

The wait was not long. "You will not spar my Padawan again."

Trying for a tone of casual indifference, Zaella said, "Tell her that."

Raina advanced, and Zaella fought the instinct to back away. "I'm telling you."

"You said we could spar with her," Narasi pointed out.

"I said you could spar with her," Raina corrected. "And under a Jedi Knight's observation, not just when a Jedi Knight happens to be physically present. I don't know what liberties Tirien gives you, but I take my student's education seriously."

Narasi actually snarled, a feline sound in the back of her throat, and she pulled back her upper lip to show her fangs. "Tirien's a great master! He's taught me more—"

"Do not take that tone with me, Padawan," Raina warned.

"What, are you Narasi's master now too?" Zaella snapped; apparently friendship meant charging into danger together after all.

"Lighten up, Raina," Yan added. "The kid's gonna have to take some bumps and bruises eventually. Better here, in a controlled setting, than—"

"That's for me to decide, not you," Raina said. "And if that was your idea of control, I'd prefer to supervise her training myself from now on."

Yan crossed her arms. "What, are you just trying to see how many people you can piss off in five minutes? It's not the girls' fault that Renata's a poor fighter."

Raina's eyes narrowed, but before she could speak, Zaella heard Raven call, "Hey there…I'd say 'good morning', but it seems like it's not…"

He and Tirien were picking their way down the hill to one side of the courtyard, and Zaella was pleased to see them both in tank tops too. They had similar lithe builds—if anything, Tirien might have been a bit more muscular, though both were built for speed, not brute strength—but something about the darkness of Raven's skin on his muscles made Zaella grin in spite of herself. She wondered if it was as sleek to the touch as it seemed to the eye…

Tirien was good-looking in his way, but somehow Zaella didn't feel drawn to him; it just wasn't their dynamic. Of course, being attracted herself was a luxury she couldn't always afford…

Tirien studied the four of them, all standing within a two-meter radius, and asked, "Is there a problem?"

Raina raised her chin and clasped her hands at the small of her back. "I'm not comfortable with my Padawan training with a Sith."

"Former Sith."

"Really?" Raina glanced at Zaella, who read all the distrust in those cool, dark eyes. "Are you?"

Wow, way to call me out in front of everybody, bitch. "What do you think I'm gonna do, go back to Ryloth now? After I didn't get the bomb and let Tirien kill Izkara?  And helped a bunch of Jedi on Guudria?  I might get through the doorway of Lady Hadan's throne room before she killed me, but even that's a maybe."

"Tarni Hadan," Narasi said.

Instinctive discomfort made Zaella squirm. "I…yeah, her."

Raina's face showed no emotion as she said, "That's convincingly self-serving, but it isn't an answer to the question I asked."

It wasn't, and Zaella knew it, but before Raina could force an answer from her, Tirien said, "It's good enough for me. Zaella's fought at our side, saved Narasi from a terrible fate—"

"Helped save me," Yan pointed out.

Tirien nodded. "I trust Zaella. I told your father I would answer for her conduct, and that was good enough for him.  If it's not good enough for you, then take it up with me—or him."

He paused, and Zaella thought he would leave it there, but then something changed in his eyes for just a second, and he added coldly, "One 'heretic' or another."

Raina flinched, and Zaella could actually sense the blow he had landed. Raven stepped past him, touching Tirien's shoulder along the way—whether in warning or peacemaking, Zaella couldn't tell. "Come on, Raina. We already did a jog warmup; I'm ready to go if you are."

He drew his lightsaber hilt and gestured across the courtyard, and after a moment Raina followed. Narasi said, "Master, do you mind if I keep working on Form V with Yan?"

Tirien shook his head. "That's probably best; it suits you, and it's time you started anyway. Zaella?"

As Yan and Narasi got back to it, Zaella raised her training saber, but Tirien shook his head. "You don't need training thrusters with me."

Surprised but grinning, Zaella traded the practice weapon for her lightsaber. She could feel the eyes on her as the blade snap-hissed to life, and she felt the distaste for the red glow from the Jedi around her. But Tirien just drew his green blade, and Zaella grinned. "Promise not to get cranky if I cut you?"

"Don't worry—you won't."

Zaella couldn't call his expression a smile, but that hard, cool set around his eyes relaxed into something approaching a challenge. Maybe he could be cute after all, Zaella thought. He offered her a Makashi salute, and this time Zaella returned it. "Let's go, then!"