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SHATTERED
All Roads Lead To Tython, Part. VI

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At long last, the landing platform came into view ahead. Despite his growing fatigue, Cailen managed a triumphant giggle at the sight: An Alliance transport awaited them, engines still hot. He wanted to stay, to help fight the Maw, but deep inside he knew he wasn’t ready to face them. Even if he hadn’t been so adversely affected by the turbulence of the Force, he wouldn’t have stood a chance. The cannibals alone, merely rank-and-file cultists, had petrified him. Master Undara was the only reason they’d survived the mountain pass. And now the Alliance needed him at Akar Kesh.

“Master…” Cailen said, breaking the silence.

“Will there be more of those… those things… at Akar Kesh?”

Undara nodded solemnly, but offered the Padawan a reassuring smile.

“Don’t worry about me, Cailen,” he said warmly.

The Master Jedi turned to face the boy, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“You must trust in the Force, and trust in me.”

Cailen nodded, the corners of his mouth forming a weak smile.

“Let’s get you on that ship and back to Prosperity. I know you feel your place is here, with me, but now is not the time. You’re in no shape to fight the Maw,” Undara told him.

“What you truly need is rest and proper care.”

It was as if he could read Cailen’s mind, understanding exactly what he felt just by looking at him. It was a gift that paralleled Cailen’s own ability to sense Force Echoes. Undara had a second sense about people and emotions.

“Yes, Master,”
Cailen conceded as they reached the platform.

Undara walked up the metal stairs first, with Cailen in tow. But as the Padawan wrapped his hand around the railing, a sharp pang of emotions struck him. He winced, stumbling back from the stairs.

“Master… something’s wrong…” Cailen stuttered as he recovered from the unexpected psychometric overload.

“Yes… I sense it, too,” Undara said.

The Jedi Master continued up the stairs, his hand resting on his lightsaber hilt as he went. Cailen made to follow, but Undara halted him. He scanned the surrounding area, but only the rain and the whirring of engines could be heard in the stormy mountain pass. Nothing seemed out of place. Only the shuttle and nondescript cargo crates sat on the platform.

The occasional flash of lightning in the distance brought a low rumble of thunder that was strangely soothing. Cailen looked to the horizon, taking in the dark clouds and far-off rains that had beset the mountain range. It was almost therapeutic to see nature at work after the bloodshed he’d witnessed in the valley.

A cold shiver brought the Padawan back to reality. His clothes hadn’t been dry in hours, and the coming rain only worsened things. The breeze made his teeth chatter as it swept across his saturated gear.

Undara looked down from the platform and gave him a summoning wave. The rain was pattering steadily on the metal surface as Cailen climbed the stairs. His legs were burning intensely, as if coming this close to safety had reminded his body of the strain it’d been under.

The transport doors slid open, and out hopped two Alliance troopers. The troops fanned out with blaster rifles drawn. A third soldier held onto a support bar in the cabin of the shuttle, and shouted over the engines and rain:

“Need a lift?”

He grinned jokingly and waved for the Jedi to board the ship.

Cailen stepped forward, but his Master remained still. He shook his head.

“Only my Padawan,” Undara called back.

“Can you bring him to Prosperity? He’s not wounded physically, but he’ll need medical attention when you arrive. He’s… he’s seen a lot today.”

The trooper nodded, reaching out an arm to help Cailen board the ship, but he froze in place as a look of terror spread across his face.

“Behind you!” the man shouted to Master Undara, who swung around, lightsaber ignited.

A pale woman wrapped in a dark cloak stood on the other side of the platform. Her eyes were glowing fiercely, dark red with an outer ring of gold shining beneath her cowl. She had a venomous smile, and strange tattoos on her face.

“Going somewhere… Master Jedi?” she taunted, her words almost serpentine as they hissed from her lips.

She eyed the yellow glow of Undara’s lightsaber, chuckling cruelly.

“Must all Jedi be so paranoid?”

“What do you want, Sith?” Undara spat impatiently.

Cailen let go of the trooper’s hand and stepped toward his Master, but Undara growled, “Stay back!” through gritted teeth.

“Paranoid and rude. That’s no way to behave in front of a child. A Padawan Learner at that. What kind of example are you setting for this… impressionable boy,” she prodded as she waved her fingers toward Cailen.

He couldn’t see Master Undara’s face, but the tone of his voice was heavy and serious.

“Leave him out of this,” the Jedi Master retorted.

The woman cackled as she pushed back her cloak, revealing a pair of silver hilts clipped to her sash.
The troopers had their blasters trained on her, but neither had opened fire. They likely wouldn’t, unless Master Undara ordered them to. The trooper in the cabin grabbed Cailen around the bicep and tried to pull him into the ship, but the boy snatched his arm free. he kept m his eyes locked on the Sith standing before his Master.

“Don’t shoot!” Undara said over his shoulder.

“If you wanted me all to yourself, you should’ve just said so,” she sneered as she ignited her lightsabers.

Cailen’s lips parted in surprise; One of the blades glowed deep crimson, the kyber crystal bled and twisted to the will of the Dark Side… but the other was a brilliant purple. Had she stolen it from a Jedi she’d slain in battle? Was she once herself a Jedi, the purple saber a remnant of a past life?

“Are you ready, little boy?” she goaded as she stepped toward Master Undara, her boots thudding on the metal platform.

“Are you ready to watch your Master die?”

In a fluid motion nearly too fast to track, she brought both sabers down in an overhead strike. The red and purple blades clashed violently against Undara’s, a burst of sparks flying from the impact. Cailen wanted to lurch forward, to help defend his Master, but his feet were planted. His muscles were rigid with fear, his stomach churning, his head spinning.

Master Undara forced her back but didn’t pursue. He held a defensive stance, one Cailen recognized as a Form III stature. The Sith warrior rushed in again, clashing her blades against Undara’s, but she found herself deflected once more. Her attacks were powerful, but they were reckless. Even with the limited training of a Padawan, Cailen knew she was over-exerting herself. As an expert in the Soresu form, Undara would rely on her unrelenting attacks and use them to his advantage. Sooner or later, she’d tire herself out and start making mistakes.

“Take her down, NOW!” the trooper in the shuttle commanded to his comrades, but Undara barked back a firm “No! Stay your hands!”

The soldiers followed Undara’s command without question. She’d easily deflect their blister bolts, potentially putting themselves and the Jedi Master at risk.

The Sith paced back and forth, her burning eyes glued to Undara.

“What’s the matter, Master Jedi? Don’t you like to dance?”

She launched herself in a spinning motion, her lightsabers a whirlwind of red and purple. She came down hard on Undara, and this time, he dropped to one knee under the crushing force of the blow. He held his lightsaber perpendicular to hers, keeping them locked just above his head. The Sith pursed her lips, clicking her tongue condescendingly as she bore down against his blade.

“How disappointing. I thought you’d put up a better fight with your little pet watching.”

At that, Undara burst upward, knocking the Sith back. He took advantage of her staggered state, pushing the offensive with a series of controlled strikes. She managed to recover, returning several blows, but Undara’s unexpected retaliation had weakened her. She fought back, regaining the offensive hand. Now that the Jedi Master was on the defense again, in his true element, she’d have to work even harder to break his resolve.

“Kid, we’ve got to go!” the trooper said as he gripped Cailen’s arm again. He tried to resist, but the trooper wasn’t letting go a second time.

The Sith growled loudly, her voice gravely like the stone of the mountains surrounding them. It seemed to pierce through the rain, making Cailen shiver. She brought both sabers down with incredible force. Master Undara held his form, but Cailen could tell that his strength was waning. He wouldn’t be able to withstand many more attacks of that magnitude. Not after exerting so much energy traversing the mountains, fighting cannibals, and carrying Cailen through the pass.

The Padawan felt a twinge of guilt in his heart, but he pushed it down.

Undara deflected another strike, and in the brief window before her follow-up, he Force-pushed her backwards. She slid a fair distance, catching herself as she neared the edge of the platform. She looked up slowly, her hood blown back now to reveal her long, white hair. The rain was plastering it to the sides of her pale face, which was screwed into a devious grin.

“Now that’s how a true Jedi fights! I knew you had it in you.”

Her boots thudded loudly on the wet metal as she strode toward Undara with unsettling confidence. The Jedi Master prepared himself for the next round of blows.

She delivered a powerful overhand swing, clashing the purple saber into his.

“You…“

She swung again.

“…will…”

And again.

“…die!”

The fourth blow came with incredible force, and Undara’s arm finally gave out. His lightsaber hilt dropped to the ground, the sound of metal-on-metal echoing in the rain. He held his right hand to block his face as the Sith raised the crimson saber high above her head. It’s sinister glow reflected in her Sith-stained eyes, and she relished the moment before she dealt the final blow. In a devastating swing, she brought the lightsaber down, severing Undara’s right arm at the elbow and slashing across his face.

“NO!” Cailen screamed as his Master fell to his knees.

“We’ve got to go! NOW!” the soldier shouted.

The two armed troopers retreated into the ship, while the third soldier wrapped his arms around Cailen’s waist and hoisted him inside the cabin. The Padawan was kicking and screaming, a second wind rushing through him. He broke free from the soldier’s grasp, but it was too late… the shuttle door slid closed just as Cailen lunged forward. Through the streaks of rain on the tinted window, he saw his Master kneeling before the Sith, cradling his cauterized wound.

Cailen banged on the glasteel panes as hard as he could, screaming so loud he thought his throat would burst.

The Sith gave Cailen what he thought was a wink before pressing the tip of her lightsaber against Undara’s chest. She held the boy’s gaze as she slowly pushed the lightsaber through Undara until Cailen saw the crimson blade emerge from his back. He pounded his fists vehemently as tears flowed down his cheeks. He was screaming so loudly his voice began to crack.

The shuttle began to ascend as the Sith removed her lightsaber and reattached the hilts to her belt. Master Tarus Undara slumped before collapsing on his side. Cailen’s face was pressed against the glass, his sobbing all but useless as the transport angled upwards and made to break the atmosphere. He gasped violently, struggling to breathe as the platform, the Sith, and Master Undara’s lifeless body grew smaller and smaller.

Cailen turned and slid down the door, his back against it as he buried his face in his palms. He wept uncontrollably as the Alliance troops prepared the ship for a jump to the Prosperity. The soldier who’d pulled him into the craft knelt beside him, a disparate look on his face.

“I’m… I’m sorry, kid… we’re heading for Prosperity now. We’ll be there soon.”

Cailen’s silence said everything, and the man simply patted him on the shoulder before disappearing into the cockpit.

Everything Cailen knew had been turned upside down. Master Undara was… dead? The Maw had killed him. That Sith had killed him. Murdered him.

Cailen felt empty. Lost. Shattered.