The Avalan Crisis: Culpability
Posted on Sun Mar 22nd, 2015 @ 6:58pm by Thane & Bomoor Thort & Theon
Edited on on Wed Jun 8th, 2022 @ 2:00pm
4,622 words; about a 23 minute read
Chapter:
Additional Stories
Location: Outside The Regal Hotel, Onderon
Timeline: 1,208 ABY, After "Less Than Regal"
OLD
The intendant stopped his words short, his angry gaze shifting immediately from Thane to the stairs leading down from the hotel's crumbling entrance. Opening and closing his mouth for a few moments, lips quivering with anger as no words came flowing forth, he finally managed to thrust an accusative finger at the figure descending. "You!" He shouted, thrusting his finger once again to make his pointer clearer, voice raised so as to gain as many people's attentions as possible. "You did this! Traitor!"
Slowly emerging from the haze was the dirty figure of Theon carrying a charred and battered body in his arms. The entirety of the padawan's body was blackened with in a fine layer of soot save for two pure streaks below his eyes, wiped away by a steady flow of tears. His eyes did not look down to face Thendleton's accusation. They never wavered from dead ahead as if they had been fixed to the default position and unable to focus anywhere else. With a straight back, straining under the weight of his load, he walked down the tarnished steps that had been a glistening cream colour mere minutes ago.
As he drew closer to the group waiting at the bottom of the stairs, the body he was carrying became identifiable. With short horns protruding from the skull, the humanoid was some form of Zabrak, but the mechanical hand drooping down on one side confirmed the identity of the body.
It was the corpse of Rift Jedi Sazar.
NEW
Another instalment of The Avalan Crisis posts, chronicling the young Padawans, Thane and Bomoor Thort.
Theon held his course straight but was halted by a pale hand being sharply thrust forward and pinning his left shoulder. The motion brought him to a full halt and unlocked his gaze, which was now set firmly upon the intendant as the owner of the hand. Thendleton immediately withdrew his hand as the Rift Jedi's cold glare locked onto him.
"You will let me pass," Theon stated through gritted teeth, seemingly holding back the wash of anger and sorrow that currently consumed him.
Despite the momentary withdrawal, his face having dropped with sudden concern for his self-preservation, the intendant quickly rediscovered his bravado, puffing up his meagre and light chest in an effort to appear more authoritative. "I am the Intendant of this sector and do not take orders from the likes of traitors to the Republic such as yourself!" He declared, lithe frame an embarrassing sight to behold against the broad shoulders and barrel chest of the impressive Rift Knight before him.
Nearby, the clacking of military-grade boots could be heard pummelling the pale stonework of the hotel's courtyard, several Militiamen running to their commander's aid, weapons raised and trained upon Theon. An eerie silence had fallen upon the survivors about them, save for the odd groan or grunt of pain, and even the air seemed to go still. Not even the sounds of the sprawling wilderness that surrounded Iziz and usually assaulted its denizens with the unceasing calls of nature interrupted the scene now playing out before them.
Turning to Thane, Thendleton thrust a finger in Theon's face and stated, "Master Jedi, arrest this m-"
"You dare to call me a traitor, little man?" the Rift Knight shot in before the intendant could finish, "You who ally with no-one but your selfish ambition; masquerading under the banners of the Republic and of GalactaWerks? You are filthy and rotten and you, YOU are responsible for this! My master, my friend... is dead."
His string of accusations cut short suddenly as he gasped, holding back a tear. He pressed his head down into the fabric of Sazar's robe, the synthetic weave made stiff by the heat of the explosion. He took a breath and continued, "Just let me pass and take her body away from this place. Let me go or I swear I will crush you into a singularity."
Thendleton once again made a show of letting his jaw go up and down, eyes wide as no words rolled just yet from his acid tongue. Theon's rebuke had quickly been followed by a series of clicks as the weapons of the Militiamen were armed. "Y-you hear this, Master Jedi?" The intendant finally managed to caw, eyes quickly zipping back and forth from Theon to Thane. "He is threatening me. Ar-arrest him immediately!"
Sensing the growing ire of the Rift Knight, Thane could also feel the trepidation - and eagerness - of the GalactaWerks security forces just steps behind him, their fingers and minds keen to unleash the full fury of their weapons upon the young man before them. Having suffered repeated attacks from the Avalans, losing friends and receiving abuse from the locals they still regarded as traitors anyway, few men and women amongst their numbers were hesitant to end the life of a suspected terrorist.
Not talented in projecting an aura of calm through the Force, Thane, as was his way, did not waste any time in an attempt to do so. Whilst stiff, his arm was not aching so much that he could not tighten his grip about the lightsaber hilt clasped in his dirtied hand, and so stepping forward, he brought the inactive hilt up before Theon so that it was in plain sight and raised his offhand to motion backwards at the Militiamen behind him, for what little attention they might pay to it.
Having placed himself between the corporate soldiers and Theon, he said calmly, "Now is not the time for threats, Theon," his blue eyes only wavering to spot the approach of Bomoor some yards away. A level of confusion was emanating from the Ithorian, but it was easily overshadowed by the misery and conflict being exuded from his fellow Human Force user. "Don't give them the excuse they need to believe this. Let us find the truth of the matter; your master has been murdered and we must find out by whom." He paused, hoping to see some flicker of reality register in Theon's mind, hoping his emotions would not cloud his judgement so much he would respond with fury. "Help us find justice."
In his mind, Thane noted the body of Sazar was in fact a part of the crime scene, for whatever part, good or ill, she may have played in what had transpired. Her very presence here alone threatened to lead his thoughts astray, to the well-being of Masters Thurius and Sotah, but he believed at least the Selkath to be alive. He could feel it.
Feeling trapped not only by the group before him but by the last of his self-restraint, Theon's breathing quickened and his eyes darted about, looking for some way out, "There is no justice! Not on this planet any more," he shot through gritted teeth, "I have no quarrel with you. I simply wish to take Sazar back to where she belongs."
"Ha!" came a sharp burst of laughter from Thendleton. He turned to Thane and gestured around as if pointing out the obvious, "Of course he wants to leave the planet. He is guilty of this terrorist attack. He and his "master" clearly have been working with the Avalans. Why else would she have been in the building just now?"
Theon's eyes blazed, "How DARE you-" he stepped forward only to stop abruptly and with confusion as if he had hit a wall.
At that moment, Bomoor walked forward with his hand outstretched until he stood next to Thane before the Rift Knight and blocking his pathway to the intendant, "You will NOT engage with GalactaWerks. Surely you still retain enough of your senses to know that someone is manipulating you right now. This attack was clearly meant for Thendleton so killing him now would only serve to make their plan a success."
Bomoor maintained his hold, pinning Theon in place, "Now, we can try to make this as easy as possible. You cannot leave now. You know that. But we may still yet have a chance at saving Iziz if we stay true to our purpose."
Now shivering with unused adrenaline, Theon looked down to the body in his arms, "They will take her. Accuse her..." he clenched his eyes for a brief moment, welling up a tear in each corner, "No. I... I could escape them. I could escape you!"
"Perhaps," Bomoor replied, "But you would only be escaping physically. In your absence you would certainly be condemned, along with her. You would also be running from your duty to the Rift Jedi..."
Suddenly, the barrier held in place was broken off as Bomoor was pushed aside by Thendleton, who had now drawn a thin scoped pistol which he aimed forwards towards the grieving Jedi, "Enough of this!" he snapped, "All you Jedi do is talk. It is up to me to take action against this terrorist scum."
Both Jedi padawans felt the surge of emotion as Theon's anger re-ignited but were too slow to act before an intense shockwave flew forth from Theon and towards the intendant. Beneath Sazar's body, he had flung both hands forward and unleashed the full force of his fury into the man. He flew backwards at great speed until he smashed against the side of his landcruiser. The sturdy vehicle rocked but did not tip over.
Reacting instinctively as the Force wave crashed against himself and Bomoor, Thane himself called upon his own innate talents to absorb the brunt of Theon's attack. With its brilliant blue blade springing forth, arriving just a few metres short of Theon's chin, Thane kept a firm one-handed grip on his lightsaber, his posture dropping seamlessly into that of a experienced Niman practitioner, padawan or otherwise.
"We don't have to do this," Thane said, his voice betraying his mere age of sixteen years, but his confidence belying it. "I don't want to do this," he added truthfully. Whilst the short time he had spent working alongside Theon had proven there were numerous divergences in their philosophies - at least as adherents to different organisations - a grudging respect had developed.
Both Sazar and Theon deserved better than to be treated as criminals - they were undoubtedly innocent, pawns in whatever twisted game the factions on this world insisted on continuing to play, even after the atrocities of the most recent war. Thane could not help but wonder if the conflict was truly over for the beleaguered denizens of Onderon. If it would ever truly be over.
Grip tightening slightly and eyes narrowing in the few seconds that had passed since he last spoke, groans began to greet them from behind as the Militiamen began to rise. "Bomoor speaks the truth. Let the authorities take her," he urged, as much as the notion bothered him, too. "Take the time out; let us continue the investigation." Eyes pleading as much as they could with a lightsaber grasped between his fingers, he added, "Let us find the truth without any further violence. One Jedi has already died this day." And hopefully just the one, he added to himself, once more thinking of their own masters, least of all themselves.
Theon shot a hate-filled glare at the Thane's face. No longer distinguishing the Jedi apart from the others in his way. His arm jerked instinctively for his own lightsaber but he quickly realised he could not fight with Sazar in arms. Summoning a burst of energy, he jumped backwards, landing back atop the steps of the hotel where he placed her body down quickly but carefully.
From the raised position Theon barked down, "Do not force me into a corner and then expect me not to fight for my freedom. I am not in the wrong here!"
Kicking off from the ground, he flew back down and ignited his blue lightsaber, holding it steady before him. His whole body brought the force of the blade against Thane's own. The sharp electrical snap as the two beams clashed echoed around the street like a burst of thunder. With Thane forced back by the weight of the blow, Theon made a swift hop back and attempted to bring his blade around to his opponent's side. He was fuelled with tremendous energy and his movements were swift and sharp. Much faster than he had every been able to muster with the Ataru form in the past.
Bomoor had steadied himself and watched as his friend held off the attacks. He first thought he might be able to catch Theon off guard with the Force as he had before. However, his combat technique was violent but not sloppy enough that he was yet exposed to Force abilities. With his attempt failed, Bomoor ignited his own blade and gripped it firmly with both hands. He was about to step forward when his thoughts turned to where Theon had laid his master's body. This fight might yet be stopped before anyone was harmed.
Coming down upon his blade with great might and ferocity, Thane struggled to keep up with the tremendous blows being dealt against him by the older and larger Rift Jedi, gripped as he was in the throes of emotion. As blue blade crashed against blue, the younger Padawan's spinning Niman parries were barely holding back Theon's onslaught.
Concentrating on little more than self-preservation at this juncture, Thane was fully on the defensive, the small spinning parries typical of his form serving to buy him as much time as he could muster. Whilst energetic and considered amongst the more promising aspiring young swordsmen of the Reborn Order, the Human had taken to adapting an agile form of lightsaber combat punctuated with purposeful lighter strokes. Preferring the adaptability of Niman, Thane only exerted much physical force in his efforts when the appropriate time or opening arose - a lesson Master Sotah had been careful to impart when first tutoring his oft-aggressive student.
Stepping backwards as Theon advanced, the heavy two-handed grip of his foe unrelenting, Thane was forced to bring his offhand in to support the hilt of his weapon. A lesson long-learnt from sparring matches with fellow Jedi, combating Ataru typically came down to a waiting game, or perhaps drawing the opponent out from the open and into a more enclosed space.
Sensing his opponent's next move, a spinning motion intending to cut at his midsection, Thane called heavily upon the Force, leaping upwards in a manner not unlike Theon's own recent acrobatics, hurtling himself over to where Bomoor and his green-lit saber stood watch over the unmoving body of Sazar. Landing heavily, knees bent and his head turned upwards to keep track of his foe, Thane held his blade to the side of himself, tip pointed downwards and ready for Theon's approach.
By taking up position alongside Bomoor and with the corpse of his master, Thane considered more avenues being opened to them. In a worst case scenario where Theon refused to disengage, the young Jedi could always draw him into the crumbling hotel. If nothing else, it reduced the risk of him harming others, and would severely inhibit his ability to combat them.
Sweat beading on his forehead, Thane could not help but be somewhat impressed the Rift Jedi had not tired himself out more during their engagement. A certain concern as to Theon's duelling talents also lingered in his mind; was this what the Rift Jedi prepared themselves for - conflict against other Force users?
Now with Thane's support at his side, Bomoor felt more confident that their defensive forms would be able to hold off their attacker. However, like Thane, he was aware that drawing out this fight would be dangerous with so many people about, many of whom would be unable to escape due to previous injury. He brought his striking green blade before himself and Thane as a shield.
"You will not be able to simply flee, Theon!" shouted Bomoor, "You can choose either to endanger more lives now or lay down your weapon and sort this out without bloodshed. We may not be of the same order, but the three of us are all Jedi; diplomacy comes hand in hand with our training."
Theon now stood glaring up at the pair, who were guarding the remains of his old master with a righteous passion. He tightened the grip on his hilt, the sleek groves of the silver metal imprinting upon his flesh, "Diplomacy is dead in a world...no, a galaxy of traitors and looters. There is nothing to be gained by holding Sazar from me unless you wish to make an enemy of the Rift Jedi."
With a dramatically-wide swing, he brought his blade forward, pointing it towards the Reborn Order Padawans in accusation, "Despite your claims of diplomacy and resolution, you stand here with GalactaWerks against me. You think you can disgrace the Rift Jedi and drive the ORA away? Perhaps you are all aching for a third conflict."
Theon's arm shook as his rage continued without interruption and his feet slowly edged closer to the steps, "I think you are the ones who must make this decision: Let me go with Sazar and maintain the peace or fight me and let it crumble!"
As the man roared at them, so too did Onderon roar back; a great cracking sound erupted in the distance, the sound of thunder rumbling about them. During the heat of battle, Thane had not noticed the skies darkening above them nor the flocking of the various flying fauna away from Iziz. The first raindrops of the coming storm sizzled as they vapourised upon contact with his weapon's bright blade.
Regarding Theon with caution, he too was conflicted, seeing the verity of the Rift Jedi's beliefs and actions, Thane himself wishing to see justice for Sazar, Onderon and to hold GalactaWerks to account for their misdeeds. Whilst he had not fought in the Second Outer Rim Conflict himself, Master Sotah had, alongside his first padawan, Loren. Older than Thane, she had spoken little but evocatively of the warring against her fellow lightsiders, of the deep conflict they had experienced when engaging individuals they could not wholly regard as misguided or immoral.
That said, there was no denying the darkness that now had their foe in its grips - the very reason the Reborn Jedi had taken up arms against the Rift Jedi all of those years ago, for fear of war infecting their hearts with the dark side in the name of a righteous cause. Surveying the death and destruction now around himself and Bomoor, Thane could not help but feel a sense of deep failure.
Seeing that Theon was about to move forward, Thane noticed the Rift Jedi's head immediately jerk back as the Force alerted him to a threat from behind. Before Theon could adequately react to what was happening, Thane shot his free hand forward, summoning upon the Force to yank at the hilt gripped by his opponent.
His grip too tight and reactions too well-honed, the motion did little but yank him forwards slightly, but it was enough to allow Thendleton the time and opportunity to jab Theon firmly in the back with a shock staff, blue crackles of light lancing across the Rift Jedi's impressive bulk, evoking an even greater shout from him than had been heard before. Joining their superior, two other GalactaWerks Militiamen joined the foray, jabbing shock weapons into the screaming Jedi's abdomen until he slumped fully to the ground.
At viewing the spectacle, Thane let out a low sigh, the blade of his weapon retracting into its hilt with a sharp hiss, a sound now almost lost in the growing storm overhead, although the heat from the fires behind continued to warm the flesh of his skin, flecked as it was with rain water. It gave him no pleasure to have acted as he did, assisting the intendant in his opportunistic deception, but he could not deny its efficiency.
Theon now was still apart from the slow rise and fall of his body, lying against the hard, broken steps to The Regal Hotal. The Militiamen still pointed their own staffs towards the Rift Jedi but Thendleton had now withdrawn his own, now bracing it against the ground with one hand and stroking his chin with the other as he observed his capture. He thrust a boot out and flipped Theon over so he faced up into the darkening sky and felt the patter of raindrops on his face, washing away the remaining soot a tiny spot at a time. He motioned to the man on his left who swiftly grabbed the extinguished lightsaber from Theon’s side.
Powering down his own blade and relaxing his defensive posture with great relief, Bomoor observed Thendleton’s dance of dominance over the powerful opponent; he seemed to be taking great pride in his personal defeat of Theon. The Ithorian frowned and turned to Thane, “This will not be easy or pleasant,” he noted, “But at least hostilities have ended.”
He softened the tone of his voice, “Well done on holding off Theon’s attacks for so long; your technique has really come a long way. Allow me to carry Sazar's body down as your arm must be in agony after exerting yourself so soon after your injury.”
He swiftly picked up the body of the deceased Rift Jedi Master and descended the steps alongside Thane until they stood just above Theon and the group that now surrounded him.
"Where will you take him?" Bomoor asked the Intendant, knowing it was inevitable that Theon would be arrested now.
With disdain at being questioned while taking such pleasure in ordering his men to pick up and bind Theon, Thendleton gestured loosely in the direction of the city centre, "I have requested another vehicle to transport this traitor to one of our holding facilities. Don't expect access to him, however, Jedi. This is now strictly a GalactaWerks matter and your services are no longer required."
Bomoor allowed the Intendant's grating manner to pass over him, trying to remain reasonable, "You cannot simply dismiss us. Sazar should have been with Masters Thurius and Sotah. Her being here... dying in that explosion means that something has gone gravely wrong and our masters may also be in danger."
Thendleton snorted in derision, pulling an impressively dismissive face at the Jedi's words. "As I said, Ithorian, this is a GalactaWerks matter. One terrorist lies dead and another is now within our custody, to be processed accordingly. I don't doubt that this traitor's she-devil mistress has already cut your masters to ribbons, or perhaps left them in the capable hands of their Avalan overlords."
Already, a speeder was careening towards them, accompanied by numerous security services and emergency personnel who immediately set upon attending to the disastrous scene that served as the backdrop to this confrontation, the weather growing steadily worse with each passing moment.
Motioning sharply to the speeder, Intendant Thendleton's fellows shifted the unconscious bulk of Rift Knight Theon into the vehicle, their helmets masking whatever expressions lay beneath. "Now, foolish young Jedi, I must attend to important matters of state and security, whilst you cosy up to ORA sympathisers and other 'misunderstood' freedom fighters. Put the body in the back."
Seemingly buoyed by his grand victory over Theon, the intendant climbed into the speeder, adorned as it was with the GalactaWerks logo and colours, with an exaggerated amount of finesse and self-importance, replacing his cap and straightening it extensively. Quickly, two of the Militiamen sidled up to Bomoor and tugged away Sazar's corpse, their demeanour making it clear there was to be no discussion on the matter.
"Our masters were with Rift Knight Sazar," Thane then insisted, his still not fully broken voice struggling against the increasing volume of the storm overhead. Still somewhat rattled by the conflict with Theon, confused as he was to his feelings on the matter, his hands were shaking slightly as he then placed them on the side of the speeder heavily, drawing his face closer to Thendleton. "This was clearly staged; we find where they are, we find out who is behind this!"
Pulling himself back from the interloping young Padawan, a look of disgust crossed the intendant's face as he regarded the pale hands of the Caanan clenching his speeder, not even looking up as he responded, "Rift Knight Sazar," he began with disdain, "was clearly acting in concert with the terrorists, as all Rift Jedi have done; servants of separatism and personal glory. Being Jedi, I would think you of all people would appreciate what these dissidents and their 'Outer Rim Alliance' overlords have tried to do to our beautiful Republic, bitter in their failure and protected by the weakness of our apologist Senate. Now," Thendleton slapped away Thane's dirtied hands with his own gloves ones, "spare me your drivelling. Take the next transport back to your Council at our expense and tell them GalactaWerks has all in hand. If we find your masters, we'll be sure to ship their bodies back to that fine temple of yours."
Not waiting for Thane to respond, Thendleton tapped the headrest of the driver twice to indicate they should move away. The force of the motion thrust Thane backwards, causing him to almost lose balance, only to have Bomoor deftly move to support his beleaguered friend.
Thane give only a brief nod of thanks as his blue eyes followed the path of the speeder back into Iziz, tears even threatening to break through at his confusion and frustration with the whole affair. He looked to the older Bomoor, clenching his fists.
"We need to find Sotah and Thurius," he said simply, gritting his teeth. Even now, overcome as he was with determination and upset at their circumstances, his body ached from both the explosion and the confrontation with Theon, unprepared as he was for such a capable foe. "I have not felt their passing," he suggested with some hope, believing his words to be true. "Whoever thought to frame Sazar must have them."
“Agreed,” Bomoor nodded back, “While there is great emotion surrounding this place, I am fairly certain our Masters are still alive. However, we should take a moment to centre ourselves and determine which course of action will lead us back to them.”
The Ithorian was also shaken by both the terrorist attack as well as the frustration that resulted from Thendleton’s careless attitude towards Theon. However, Bomoor had always attempted to maintain the passive calm that was taught by the Jedi. He saw the advantages of setting emotion aside in situations such as this; keeping a clear head meant that rational decisions could be made that could save lives and quell disagreements.
He slowed his breathing and focussed on the first line of the Reborn Order’s code: ‘Peace shall overcome emotion’. However, as he did so, the face of the elderly Bivall he had seen and felt dying before him came into focus in his mind. He remembered the emotion he had felt as her life slipped away, even though he had met her only several minutes before. As he thought of this, he felt as though no amount of meditation or mental-blocking could subdue the deep grief many people had felt here today: that same grief Theon had come face-to-face with.
There is great darkness in this world that we can never escape from and, in some ways, it seemed better that we acknowledge that we feel rather than become detached. Because, right now, in this moment, peace was a lie.
TBC
RSS Feed