The Drought - Episode II: The Lone Sith
Location: Tython - Southern Mountain Region
Era: 1,000 years before A New Hope
Time: 08:01:43
I open my eyes and what I see before me is an endless black pit that looks as if it descends into the most unnerving depths of madness. I’m standing on a large grey platform and an ominous white light shines from above. About fifty feet away is another identical platform… But that one has a door. It must be the way out. Connecting the two platforms is a thin tightrope.
“A puzzle…” I whisper quietly, tapping my finger against my chin. “Come on, Kira… Just think. They’ve taught you about this.” I remark, hoping that saying it aloud might bring a grand idea to me. I can remember the teachings about the tightrope in my lessons at the temple. The line that we walk as Jedi is narrow and difficult to navigate… It is like a tightrope. The rope symbolizes the path that we strive to stay on. Any mistake can result in one of us falling off of the rope which would ultimately turn us to the Dark Side.
“Stay on the rope.” I say, stepping onto the obstacle. “This is the Jedi way…” I inhale deeply, careful not to exhale too heavily. One foot after another, I begin to close the distance between myself and the other platform. “Almost…” I grunt, losing my balance. I can feel the fear take hold as my weight drops past the rope. Instinctually, I grab onto the rope, dangling over this pit of despair. “Fear… I cannot give into my fear… I cannot give into emotion. Emotions lead us to the Dark Side.” I mutter quietly. Just as I reach up to grab hold of the rope with my other hand, I lose my grip and I can feel the rush of emotions as I begin my descent into madness.
Anger. Fear. Regret. I can feel these bursting within me just before the unthinkable happens…
Gasping raspily, Kira sits up from the comfortable patch of grass that she has made her shelter. In a hot sweat, she looks around to make sure that everything is real before slowly leaning back against the oak tree behind her. “That dream… Again…” She says quietly, pushing her hair up out of her eyes.
Slowly standing up, Kira throws her linen backpack over her shoulders and looks up at an enormous mountain that ascends before her. “Alright, Caithe… I need you now. You said that you’d be here so… Please be here.” The Padawan whispers to herself, fiddling with the pin stuck to her pearl-white padawan outfit. The pin depicts an eye with a jewel-encrusted blue iris.
Climbing through the terrain was the easy part of getting to the summit. The hard part? Breathing. Only a force-sensitive could survive atop this mountain for the air is too thin at the peak. It is well known that Jedi are trained to not only control their breathing in harsh conditions but their body temperature as well.
The trek took but six hours before Kira reached the summit. Upon arrival, she finds that the gated entrance has been left wide open. Taking her bo staff, she readies herself for combat. “Caithe?” She slowly turns, looking around for the woman. “Caithe! Are you here?!” She shouts loudly. The sound of wooden creaking echoes from the wooden hut just a few hundred feet away.
“Show yourself!” Kira shouts, lifting her bo staff as she nears the hut. A man in dark robes limps out of the home and falls into the snow, his nose bleeding heavily. “Oh, druk!” She curses, running over to the man. “Are you okay? What happened to you? Where is Caithe?!” She questions the man.
“I… The Force… Gone…” He says raspily, grabbing onto her hands. “Please… help…” The man’s head falls back just as Kira grabs hold of him. His hood falls off revealing his pale and half-frozen complexion. His dark hair and beard didn’t quite strike her as familiar. Placing her hands upon him, she begins to transfer her own warmth to him using the Force which strangely has not abandoned her.
“I’ll get you out of here… I promise.” She says, leaning him against the hut gently. “Just… stay here…” She glances down at him with a half smirk. “Well not that you really have a choice. I’ll be right back.” She remarks to the unconscious man. Walking into the hut, it's clear that Caithe has left. All that remains is some bread on the counter which Kira quickly slides into her bag and a journal on the dining table. “Alright, Caithe… Once I figure this out, I’m coming to find you…” She says, tucking the journal into her robes.
The Padawan rushes back out and hoists the man over her shoulder, walking down the slippery slopes of Mount Thelnas. The trip down was easier than the trek uphill. Upon finally reaching the bottom of the mountain, an exhausted Kira slumps over onto a smooth boulder after placing the man down beside her. She takes a canteen from her bag and uncaps it, pouring a small amount onto the man’s face. “Rise and shine.” Kira arches a brow, looking at the man with curiosity.
“Wha- Who are you?!” The man wakes up in shock, crawling back away from her. “W-wait… I’m alive? How am I…? You saved my life.” The man sets his sights on Kira. “Didn’t you?”
“It was more of a right place right time type of thing.” Kira suggests, offering the canteen to him. “And since I did save your life, I think it's only fair that you tell me who you are first, yeah?” She requests.
“The name is Rodrick Bane. I’m a Republic pilot. My shuttle landed a few-” The man is abruptly cut off by Kira wagging her finger.
“That was a nice try. I don’t appreciate lies though. I spent a lot of time with you while you were dead asleep.” She glances over, shaking the canteen. “I saw your emblems. You’re with the Empire. You were part of the attack, weren’t you?” She tilts her head curiously. The man seems to go to reach for something on his left side but seems disoriented when it isn’t there.
“Looking for this?” Kira holds up what appears to be his lightsaber. The man stares back at the woman with what seems to be both fear and curiosity.
“You’re Jedi… If you know what I am… Why have you not killed me already?” He asks, taking the canteen and sipping from it like a nursing infant.
“For starters, I’m not a killer. You also weren’t at the temple when the attack happened. Instead you were all the way up there… Alone. Nobody in their right mind would have gone to the peak of Mount Thelnas if they knew what was coming. So either the Empire did not reveal their weapon to their own people or you chose not to kill hundreds of innocent younglings.” She arches a brow.
“Do you know what I am?” He shakes his head at her as if she were a naive child.
“You’re Sith.” She replies, igniting the red saber. After flourishing the weapon around, she deactivates the saber.
“Then I will ask you once more why I am not dead.” He says in a more demanding tone.
“Once again, I am no killer. I don’t wish to harm you. Besides… Not all of you can be so terrible. If there isn’t hope for salvation, then what’s the point?” She asks, thinking back to what the Jedi Masters taught at the temple. For the Jedi Order, there was only one way to redeem a Sith. To kill them. Calling it redemption was only a way to pacify the term when in actuality, it was simply murder. “So… Who are you? No lies this time.”
With a huff and a puff, the man slumps back against the rock and hands her the canteen. “Jake.” He admits, glancing over to the woman. “Jake Tadu.”
“Well, Jake… It’s a pleasure.” She nods, offering him the saber. Jake simply looks back at her as if she’s a complete idiot. Regardless, he reluctantly takes the weapon and places it back onto his belt.
“Thank you for not killing me. That would have been an awful way for my story to end.” Kira smirks, standing up to her feet. “I need your help.” She places her hands on her hips and looks down at him curiously.
“My help? Why the hell would I help you? I don’t know where you get these delusions, laserbrain.” He shakes his head, standing up and returning a cold stare. “I’m already doing you a favor by not cutting you down where you stand, Padawan. Run off before I change my mind.” He growls.
“I’m not going anywhere without you. I need someone who knows how to fight. You’re the best I’ve got. My friend is in trouble and you have to help me get to her.” Kira explains.
“So be it…” Jake narrows his eyes as his saber ignites, his hand raising it up to Kira’s chin.
“You’re going to need me if you want to use the Force again.” She tilts her head. This seems to strike a chord with the man. He looks at her with curiosity only for a moment before shaking his head and lifting his weapon. Kira quickly lifts her left hand, using the Force to rip the saber from the man’s hand. She cups her right hand low by her hip using the Force to lift Jake off of the dirt. Walking forward, she continues to push the Sith back until he is against a large tree with the lightsaber inches from his neck.
“You… You’re just a Padawan. How are you doing this?” He sputters fearfully as the zapping of the saber increases with intensity.
“I… Don’t know…” She says, dropping the man and his weapon to the ground. Kira takes a few steps back before considering leaving. She walks over to her bag and throws it over her shoulder heading for the woods.
“Wait.” Jake shouts, holstering his weapon. “I will help you. But in return, you will help me.” He says, walking alongside her.
“That is what I said I will do. I am a keeper of my word, Jake Tadu.” She says, scratching the back of her neck. As her robes adjust, Jake can see a lining of runes tattooed to her neck.
“What are those? Those runes? I’ve… seen them before.” He says, staring at her back. The runes are small and each is different. They seem to arch upward as if they are the outermost layer of a circle.
“What?” She asks, looking back at him. She immediately realizes what he is referring to and adjusts her robes to cover the ink. “Birthmarks.” Kira says plainly. The Sith scoffs at that and reaches out, pulling the neck of her robe back revealing part of her spine. There are hundreds of the tattoos, maybe thousands. They form a circular pattern that seemingly begins from her lower spine and grows outward.
Kira spins around as fast as lightning and slaps the absolute shit out of the man. “Do not touch me. Do you understand? If I wanted you asking questions about my birthmarks that I haven’t asked a million times, I would tell you.” She hisses, turning back and adjusting her robes once more to conceal the birthmarks.
“Those aren’t birthmarks… They’re tattoos. And you have… so many. How far do they go?” He asks, taking his place back on her left as they venture further into the woodlands.
“I said to stop asking questions.” She declares, adding an eyeroll for extra measure.
“Just curious. That’s all.” He shrugs, continuing their trek in silence.
“I was born with them. That makes them birthmarks. They cover my entire body. All but my face, hands, and feet.” She looks over to him with mild annoyance. “No more questions. Find a new subject.”
“Fine, fine. Let’s start with your name then. I’d hate for Laserbrain to stick.” He chuckles, making light of the situation.
“The name is Kira.” She looks over at him and sighs softly. “I’m sorry. I get defensive when it comes to my birthmarks. It’s been drilled into my head since I was a youngling that I can’t show these to people.”
“The Jedi taught you that?” He asks, glancing forward as an explosion shakes the ground beneath them. Up ahead, three padawans seem to be battling against the flesh golems of Tython. Kira grabs Jake’s shoulder as he begins to rush forward.
“Don’t hurt the padawans… Please.” She pleads, looking over to the battle. He grunts softly and charges into battle making quick work of the flesh raiders. After the last of the golems fall, the three padawans train their staves onto the Sith who’s red saber is clearly a threat. Kira walking out from the foliage catches their attention.
“Kira?” One of the padawans asks. “Are you with… that thing?” He says, clearly disgusted. This cocky padawan glares angrily at Jake before looking back to Kira.
“I am… He’s helping me find the woman who brought me to the temple. I… I know this is a lot to ask. I need you to pretend like you didn’t see anything here.” She asks. The three padawans look bewildered, but the cocky one looks more angered than anything else. Jake takes a step back and turns to whisper into Kira’s ear.
“You have the ability to make them forget this, Kira. They don’t have to pretend… Just compel them.” He suggests, looking back to the cautious students. Kira grits her teeth and shakes her head. “I won’t manipulate my friends. The fact that you would even say that…” She sighs softly.
“Well… I am Sith. You can’t be too surprised.” He shrugs, deactivating his saber. The man looks back to the padawans and puts his hands on his hips. “I’m not going to hurt any of you. But you can’t tell your masters that you’ve seen us. Not if you want her to find what she’s looking for.” Jake explains to the boys.
“Our… Masters? You killed all of our masters! Everyone in the temple is dead!” The cocky padawan shouts, leaping forward and swinging his staff at the Sith. Simply raising and igniting his saber, Jake slices the staff into two with ease and then holds the weapon out towards the padawan as he backs away.
“Stop!” Kira shouts, pushing Jake aside. “Go ahead and wait for me over there.” She demands, pointing to the treeline. The boys all lock their stares onto Kira as the Sith walks away.
“I know what this looks like. I do… But the woman who brought me here is the only one with answers. I need answers.” She bites her lip and takes the pin from her robes off. She hands it to the cocky padawan and sighs under her breath. “She gave that to me a long time ago. I was just a youngling. It’s shaped like an eye because no matter where you are, you’ll know that something is watching over you. Protecting you.” She says. “It’s kept me safe for this long. Now let it keep you safe too. When I find Caithe, I’ll come back for you. We’ll fly to Coruscant and the temple will take us in.” She assures them, placing the pin into his hand. “Go to Kalikori Village. They’ve been fending off the Flesh Raiders for decades. I will rendezvous with you there in a week.” Kira says, pointing to the pin. “Keep that safe for me.”
As the padawans depart, Kira catches up to Jake and the two continue on their journey. “I have to say that you’re not the most irritating Jedi I’ve met.” Jake remarks with kindness.
“I- Thank you? I think…” Kira tilts her head, pushing through the occasional foliage blocking the beaten path. “What were you doing up there anyways? In Caithe’s hut, I mean.” Kira asks, looking over to the man curiously.
“I was sent to kill her.” Jake looks over, holding his hands up innocently. “Look… I failed. I’m not going to try and kill her after all of this. Besides… It’s becoming clear that your connection to her is the reason I was sent. You said something earlier about the Empire not telling me what was planned. What did you mean by that?” He asks.
“Well… You know about the attack on the temple. I’m still not sure what the point of it was… But what they didn’t tell you is about the weapon that they’ve created. Just before all of our Jedi lost their connection to the Force, your flagship fired something at Tython. It felt like the Force had just been ripped out of everything.”
“You felt it? Yet you didn’t lose your connection…” He says curiously.
“I did not feel my own severance. I felt it for those around me. I felt the Force leaving everyone in the temple all at once. It was… horrible. Emptiness. I’m not sure if it was part of the plan for the weapon to take the Sith’s connection to the Force as well… But I suppose it makes sense. The only thing that doesn’t add up is-”
“You.” He says plainly. “You’re the only thing that doesn’t add up. In a world of force-sensitives who’ve lost the Force, you’ve grown in power.” He strokes his chin and shrugs. “It is strange.”
“To say the least.” She nods. The two continued for hours before finally making a stop by a large river. While Jake went to gather firewood for the long night ahead, Kira sits by the river and closes her eyes, focusing on meditation.
Anger. Love. Hope. Trust. Fear. I begin to focus on my emotions and feelings. One by one, I visualize them and I let them go like balloons to the sky. I then do the same with my thoughts until all that remains is an empty mind. “I rid myself of these emotions. I rid myself of thought. I clear my mind so that the Force may enter.” I whisper quietly. I can feel the Force begin to take place within my mind and soul as I give myself to it as a vessel. Within this meditation, I beckon the Force to show me Caithe. The visions of a woman in grey robes wielding a white lightsaber battles against Master Liana who wields her usual blue saber.
As the vision fades, Kira is unable to determine whether this is a vision of the past, present, or future. She leaps up and looks over to see that Jake has started a small campfire. “We need to go. Caithe and my Master are fighting… Or they’re going to fight… I’m not entirely sure. We need to stop them before they get each other killed.” Kira says, looking around for her bag.
“We will leave at sunrise. There are too many things creeping around the forest at night. It’s too risky to travel right now. Plus you need rest. You’ve practically been on your feet since I met you.” He says, holding up a fire-roasted red-tail fish on a wooden stick. “You need to eat.”
“You don’t understand. They need my help. I-” Kira begins but is quickly cut off.
“What they need is for you to survive the night. Now sit down and eat. You’re no help to them if you’re dead. And you’re no help to me if you’re dead either.” He says, tossing the fish up to her. With quick reflex, Kira grabs the fish and takes a bite after sitting down in the dirt.
“Wow… This is amazing. How did you get all of the bones out? This must have taken forever… How long was I meditating?” She asks curiously. Jake holds up a small dagger, waving it around for her to see.
“About two hours… And I had a life before this, you know.” He gestures to the lightsaber. “I used to run a tavern with my parents in Ord Mantell before the Black Suns took over. At that point it was either escape or die trying. I got lucky.” He chuckles softly.
“What about your parents? Are they well?” She asks, peeling a large chunk of the fish off before popping it into her mouth.
“They weren’t as lucky.” The man clears his throat and puts his half-eaten fish down onto the stone beside the fire. “I’m going to go ahead and get some sleep. I suggest you do the same.” He remarks, walking over to a small mossbed growing between two large trees. Kira finishes the last of her fish before turning and climbing up one of the two trees. Finding a comfortable branch, the woman lies back and looks up at the stars, seeming to connect them with her imagination. “I know you’re out there Caithe. I know you’re going to handle yourself. Just please keep Liana safe. She doesn’t know you like I do…” Kira whispers quietly to the night sky. “I’m coming… Just wait a little longer…” The young padawan says before drifting off into a slumber.
*** All illustrations are designed and provided by Kira Karboski. Thank you for your hard work and talent! ***
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