The Guest

[Clayton]

The Skira-class Battlecruiser Langvaran dropped out of hyperspace in the Anaxes system. She was fresh from a patrol around Kashyyyk, where the Jedi had attacked. Rookwrr had been there and captured a Jedi, though at a cost. He had lost a leg in the fight, and had spent a good deal of the trip to Anaxes in the medbay undergoing bacta treatment and being fitted for a prosthetic.

Reland had been stabilized and shoved into one of the high security cells, still in shock cuffs. Ray shield projectors were recessed in the ceilings of the halls, and a squad of troopers armed with sonic weapons were in a security station nearby. But those would soon pale in comparison to the people who had been informed of the prisoner the moment the Skira had dropped out of hyperspace. The High Inquisitor would surely love to meet with one of her former Jedi. Rook had wanted Reland executed, but better judgment won out. The Empress of course, would be mad if she wasn't informed of a captured high-ranking Jedi.

Now on the command bridge, a temporary prosthetic leg hidden by Sith robes, Rook watched the small speck that was a shuttle approach a docking bay.

@Raydo @Sreeya @GABA

 

[GABA]

Ebb sat alone, isolated on the shuttle as she found herself a moment to meditate. A holo played from her image-caster of herself, Thaed, and Vida; it was the one thing she would never allow to be taken away from her, her own family. It brought her more peace of mind than any other time she was with the Jedi, those who she learned to call family was nothing in comparison to the family she did create. She could hear Vida's laughter light years away, making note to herself that it was getting time to slip away in order to see her growing girl.

A chime alerted her to the shuttle approaching the star destroyer and she shut off the image caster and tucked it safely in her bosom. She felt the ship slow and eventually come to a stop; having received notification of the capture of a high-ranking Jedi, she was curious to see just who they had captured.

The High Inquisitor exited from the shuttle, met by a nervous officer who greeted her and then lead her the way to the bridge where Rook was waiting. He briefed her of the interceptions on Kashyyyk and the Sith gave him a look of disgust and was quick to dismiss him as she entered the command bridge.

 

[Raydo]

Reland was a bit surprised when he found himself awake in a cell. He started to remember flashes of consciousness from the time he had been captured up until now. His right arm and hand still ached furiously, but the wound on his neck had been healed.

He groaned slightly as he leaned his head back against the wall of his cell. They no doubt sought information of the Jedi whereabouts, but it was unlikely they would learn the location of the Jedi Fleet as when Reland failed to report back in, his codes would be considered compromised and the randomness at which the Jedi Fleet jumped would ensure its safety.

Reland had spent enough time on ships to know he was currently on one. The soft, constant rumble made it fairly obvious. Which was not a good sign for Reland. It would make any attempts to find him extremely difficult, not that he wanted anyone to risk themselves. He would continue to follow the will of the Force, and if that meant dying on this ship, so be it. Though the thought of never seeing his wife and children did bother him. He tried to push those thoughts away for the time being. He didn't want to make his soon to be tortures jobs easier by giving them ammunition.

He closed his eyes and let his mind slip into nothingness. In that meditation he sensed a presence all to familiar. He chuckled at the thought of Ebberla Daw, one of the women responsible for teaching Reland what it meant to be a Jedi, now being sent to torture him for information.

 

[Andraste OG]

Andraste was the last to join the party, her shuttle arriving moments after Ebberla. She had been informed about the capture, her first priority to ensure that her Sith Lord was still alive. Upon receiving note that Rook was alive and well, she boarded her private shuttle to join them.

She had only the space ride to really reflect on what had happened. This was a crucial time for the war, and she knew that the opposition was going to strike in full force. She closed her eyes, sighing deeply. She grew weary, having been in power for decades. Her desires for power had been met, she had conquered the galaxy and she had been exalted to the position of a dark god. And now, she felt nothing but empty. She was tired. She wanted to escape it.

But not yet.

Andraste thought about how to deal with this Jedi. He had been given the same opportunity she had, to train in the Force. He had succeeded where she had failed. He had been able to become a Jedi, where she had to escape and fall. In ways, she envied this man, as he had command of the Force in a way she couldn’t obtain. He knew how to befriend the Force, where she only knew how to chain it and enslave it. The Force would betray her sooner than it ever did him.

“Empress.”

By now, she had exited her shuttle, her black dress gliding on the floor behind her. A soldier greeted her, leading her to the command bridge. As usual, she was unarmed in every way but with the Force. Andraste had never used a lightsaber, and she had accepted that failure on her part.

The woman spotted the Jedi in the cell right away, slowly coming to stand beside Ebberla. Andraste was only 4’11 tall, small and frail compared to her prisoner. Thick, black curls hung around her pallid face. Her golden eyes peered at him curiously, no trace of hate or disgust on her face.

“Hello, Master Gil.”

 

[Raydo]

The hairs on Reland's back stood up as he felt another approach. The air seemed to cease flowing in his small cell and grew stagnant a few long seconds before the two figures appeared in the door way. He had never actually seen Andraste in person, though he had seen enough of her on holoscreens to know the woman's face.

He only assumed she would be taller. She appeared frail and weak to the point where she might break, but Reland knew better than that. No one could control force, but Andraste had come closer than any being Reland had ever heard of. There was no doubting her command of the Force. Even at full strength and one of the most senior of the Jedi in the study of the Force, he feared he would be severely outmatched by this small woman.

He looked up at pair as he struggled to stand from his bench. His right arm groaned in protest at him moving, and his head began to pound. He peered through the slightly sunken eyes of someone who had not properly rested in sometime. He returned her gaze for several seconds before slightly nodding to both women in greeting. "Empress Andraste. Master Daw." he said formally quietly in a pained tone as he lowered himself slowly back onto the bench. His head swam with dizziness from standing up.

 

[GABA]

Ebberla stared quietly at the Jedi in the cell, she was shocked to see who it was and where his fate has taken him. He struggled to rise for formalities to greet her and the Empress, but Ebb bit her tongue and clenched her left fist to dig her nails into her palm. A bubble of anger swelled within her as it begun to sink in he was really here and she would have to watch as another picked his destiny.

He was more than a lowly Jedi in a cell to her, he was once her friend, he stood by her during the Endor fiasco, and kept the search open in order to bring her back to the Order. However, realizing her thoughts, she scolded her own self, and cursed the Jedi's name.

"Dammit, Reland." Ebberla hissed, "You are terrible at playing the war game." Ebb finished, disappointment lined the tip of her tongue. She glanced down at Andrate before focusing back on the Jedi Councilor.

"What do you think is expected of you now?"

 

[Raydo]

He locked eyes with his old friend as she spoke. He chuckled as he remembered the first conversation he had with the Former Jedi Grandmaster. The small laughter caused him the cough and bend over in pain, most likely caused by bruised or cracked rib on his right side.

"In our first conversation you told me that "not all Jedi were meant to be soldiers"" he paused as he recovered and looked back at Ebberla, some of the usual warmth returning to his gaze "turns out you were right." he said as he cracked a smile.

"And what is expected of any of us, but to follow the will of the Force." he said looking at both of the Sith.

 

[Andraste OG]

Andraste stepped forward, mere inches away from the cell. She took a long, hard look at him. He had accepted his fate, something that silently angered her. She wanted him to fight it, see an ounce of protest. And yet here he was, putting all his faith in the Force.

“What if the will of the Force is controlled? What if your beliefs are nothing but an illusion?”

She spoke to him, her haunting face close to his through the bars.

“You understand where we are in the war. You understand what is to be done. Close your eyes and think of all your teachings, Master Jedi. Clearly they have done a lot for you, where the Jedi had failed me. Think of where you found your strengths and found courage. You will need it.”

Andraste closed her eyes.

“Ebberla. I sense your ties to this man.”

She glanced over at her.

“If these were different times, Ebberla, I would let him go. I have no desire to kill this man. He has welcomed his fate with open arms and I have nothing but admiration for that.”

Andraste looked back at Reland.

“It must be you, Ebberla, who passes judgment. I trust you.”

With that, she walked back towards Rook, pondering silently on her time with the Jedi. Seeing a Jedi so close had brought up memories she had buried long ago.

 

[Raydo]

He began to view the woman in front of him somewhat differently now they he had meant the infamous Empress. The pointless murders of countless indiviuals , while inexcusable, were not motivated by blind anger or devotion to the dark side, they were the actions of someone who was hurt, someone who was lost.

He could now sense it, and one only had to look into her eyes to see it. He knew only vaguely of her time as a Jedi. He knew that she had fled the Order. Had no one looked for this child? He thought about all the loves that could have been spared if they could have reached just this one girl. 'The Jedi have hurt many throuout the years, I am truly sorry for the pain caused you.." he paused before adding "..both of you."

He sighed as she turned and began to walk away. He hoped she would one day find the peace that was available to her if she would just accept it.

He turned back to Ebberla. His eyes held no fear for the path before him. He certainly didn't want to die. His mind wandered to his wife and children. If there was sadness to be had, it was for them, but he held tight to his belief in the Force.

 

[Clayton]

Rook entered the room, a heavy clunk sounded whenever his prosthetic hit the floor. Walking on it was weird and lacked the sensation of a true limb, or even an advanced prosthetic limb. This one was only temporary until he could be fitted for a proper, military grade limb. That day couldn't come sooner. Rook had entered the cell just in time to hear Reland's apology.

It pissed him off.

"Frak you with my leg," he growled, eyes narrowing. "You brought war and incited revolt, which failed by the way, to my homeworld. You went to a peaceful world untouched by the atrocities your propaganda circulates and tried to underhandedly start revolution. Welcome to the Sith." He looked over at Ebberla, "His fate is up to you, Inquisitor. I don't want to waste my time with him, there are better applications of it."

He turned to leave, false limb clunking on the floor as he moved towards the door, then paused. No, he had lied, he decided as he gazed down at the floor in front of the prosthetic leg. Reland's fate was not entirely up to the Inquistor, and Rook could spare a few seconds more. He held his breath while Reland's fate tottered precariously on a razor's edge in his mind, buffeted by cold fury. "Wait. Hold that thought...he has something I need." Rook's saber flew to his hand from its clip. He pivoted around swiftly and brought the lightsaber in a high arc up. The green blade snapped to life at the apex of the swing and in a blink of an eye he brought it down upon the sitting Jedi's leg. Such was the force of the blow that the plasma blade cut through the solid metal bench underneath the imb without the slightest resistance.

 

[Andraste OG]

Andraste breathed in deeply and exhaled.

She knew what Rook intended to do much before he executed his actions. She sensed the rage building up within him, a feeling she was all too accustomed to. The Empress glanced over at him.

Before Rook could understand what had happened, Andraste had come between him and Reland. Her hand shot up to catch the saber, effortlessly holding it in place. There was anger in Andraste’s eyes, the likes of which Rook would never have experienced before up so close. She burned with fury, hints of her raw strength flaring from her demeanor.

“His fate is up to the Inquisitor. Last I checked, that title did not belong to you.”

Without second thought, Andraste flung the wookiee bodily back across the room, keeping him suspended and pinned against the wall. She had half considered crushing the saber in his hand, but thought better of it. Disgust on her face, she made her way towards the wookiee, still pressing down into his neck with the Force while he hung several feet above the floor.

“You would do well to remember your place, Master Rook. Save your hatred for when you are on the battlefield. We have many more fights ahead of us.”

With that, she released him, allowing him to fall in a slump. She continued glaring at him.

“Leave us. Go rest and meditate. You need it.”