1643 local hours. Year 7963 (14 BBY)
Ancient Vault, Bogano.
⚡︎ ⁺. ◍ 。
𝓝O. IT CAN'T be her.
Væmas staggered back, blood pounding in ears. Words came out stuttered, disordered. "That...no...I can't be. I...I thought you were dead...and my best friend would never have betrayed the Republic."
"You have you friend Cere to thank for that." The Second Sister — Trilla — spit scornfully. "She sold me out to the Empire. She betrayed me."
Her hands shaking, Væmas whispered for herself, pieces of the puzzle slowly coming together to form a dreadful image: "Master Junda. Cere Junda."
She slowly turned to Cal, who stared at her, his whole body tensed. She asked slowly, calmly. Too calmly. "Did you know about this?"
"Væmas..."
"DID YOU?"
He stayed silent for a moment and looked at her right in the eyes. "Yes. I knew."
Væmas felt like receiving a kick in the stomach, again. Her glance fell down on the ground, eyes redden, and mouth half opened in disbelief. "You lied to me?" She let out in a broken voice, barely trusting herself to speak, slowly rising her gaze to meet his. "I... You and Cere where the first I trusted since the Purge, and you lied to my face?"
Cal took a step back and let out a sharp breath, each word leaving a mark on his face as though she physically struck him. "Cere told me you knew her before the Purge, and that if I told you who she was, you would have been...unbalanced."
"Unbalanced?" The mocking voice of Trilla sounded, listening to every word of their exchange. "They betrayed you, Væmas, Cere betrayed you, just like she betrayed me."
She took a step forward, closing her fist before her. "Come with me. You don't want to be around them when you find the children. They are not worthy of your trust."
"Don't listen to her, Væmas!" Cal hissed, reaching for his own lightsaber.
"Save your breath, Padawan." Trilla snapped. "We are having a conversation here." She suddenly threw her helmet towards Cal with the Force, who grabbed it reflexively. He immediately gasped and fell on his knees, dropping his lightsaber.
"Careful with that thing." Trilla snickered, almost amused, looking down on him with despise. "It's been through hell."
Cal fell to the ground, unconscious, as Væmas knew he was seeing the troubled past of the object. And yet, she did not run towards him to see if it was okay. BD jumped to the ground, rubbing his head against Cal's arm in worried beeps.
"Now now, where were we." Trilla resumed, not bothering to look at the little droid, clicking her tongue.
Væmas turned back to her, legs like anchored in the ground, her voice loud with emotion. "How could you do this to yourself, Trilla? You were always the first to protect innocents, to serve justice!"
"Innocents?" She snapped back. "Is that what you call the weak traitors and murders who fell during the Purge? The Empire is justice."
"This isn't you." Væmas insisted, struggling against the panic compressing her chest. "It's not too late, Trilla. You can come back, with me."
"No, Væmas. You can come with me. Why should you keep defending them? At the first given occasion, they lied to you just to keep you on their side."
Væmas opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again. They betrayed me. At the word, burning, raging fire awoke inside of her, coming dangerously close to the surface. She looked down on her lightsabers, still clenched in her fist, then glanced to Cal, still laying on the ground. Trilla took her silence as an invitation to come closer.
"You cannot erase the dark inside of you. It is time to let go."
Her eyes diverted to Cal again, her memories bringing her back to what she felt the first time their hands met. A heart of gold. Then, she turned back to Trilla, whose hands was held out towards her. Her gaze met bright yellow, red circled eyes. Væmas launched her senses towards her. Voices cried out, darkness unleashing inside, the rage waging a war against itself in her broken, fragmented mind. Feeling a hand of her shoulder, she turned her head to the side. Master Plo Koon inclined his head, not needing to form any words.
She took in a deep breath, surprised to find it steady, then turned back to Trilla.
"Killing innocent people will not make Cere's betrayal go away, Trilla, for any of us."
Trilla sighted dramatically, shaking her head and letting her hand fall back to her side. "You certainly have not changed. Always brandishing your persistence around, playing hero and trying to save everyone around you."
Væmas tightened her grip on her lightsabers, quickly realizing this was a fight she could not run from.
"Do you really think I'm going to let you walk away with the holocron?" She balked, plating her feet in the ground.
"Of course not." Trilla spit out, igniting her red bladed double lightsaber. "We both have our pride. But yours has cost you the lives of all the Force- sensitive children on that list. As well as your own."
"Like you said, Trilla." Væmas retaliated, igniting both her lightsabers in a swift move, twirling them in a defensive stance. "I'm persistent."
Trilla's face deformed in a furious grin as she looked with surprise at the white blades. She reaffirmed her own grip on her own lightsaber and for a moment, the two friends turned enemies stayed like this, silent and immobile judging each other's posture.
Finally, Trilla threw herself at Væmas with a fierce cry, aiming directly for her heart. Inside of blocking the attack, that would use much of her strength, she rolled to the side in the water, her clothes and hair wet. Getting immediately up, she went for a strike in her back, however Trilla was faster than she thought.
She ducked and red and white clashed brutally, each one grunting to stand her ground. Væmas looked up to the face of her former best friend, her eyes that were one a beautiful green turned to a soulless yellow.
Væmas broke the clash by pushing her back with the Force before performing several backhand springs, blocking the attacks of Trilla who fought in an aggressive style, typical to the Inquisitors. They now dueling at the edge of the room without one seeming to take the upper hand, both being equally talented duelers. Væmas was glad she now had two sabers, fighting with more ease now that she had a second saber.
They both reached to the Force at the same time, their hands a few inches apart and teeth clenched in the effort. Both projected backwards, Væmas grunted when she landed in the water but got up all the same, ignoring the throb of pain in her back and side.
Following her instinct, she took a deep breath and shut off her sabers as Trilla threw herself at her with a cry. Væmas threw herself backwards, a hand on the floor as her leg went up kicking the hilt of Trilla's saber, throwing it out of her hand. She landed on one knee and, calling out to the Force, pushed her against a wall before she had time to realize what happened.
In a single leap, her saber was a Trilla's neck, down against the wall. "It's over, Trilla."
Against all odds, Trilla laughed, getting slowly up and looking at something behind Væmas' shoulder. She whirled around, to see at least twenty stormtroopers entering the temple, their blasters at the ready. Swearing in her mind, she got slowly back to Cal was, begging to regain consciousness.
"Get up." She hissed dryly through clenched teeth. "We have to get out of here."
BD beeped in protestation against her harsh tone, which she ignored. She had not even thought about wondering whether or not the droid knew as well.
Without asking any questions, Cal stood up, manifestly shocked by whatever he had seen in his visions but reached for his lightsabers and the holocron without a single word.
Trilla had taken back her lightsaber and placed herself in front of the exit, the stormtroopers lining up behind her.
"It is over, Væmas. For you." She sneered, a mocking smile stretching her lips. "Surrender, and we may let you live."
"When I give the signal," Væmas whispered, "run like hell to the Mantis."
"What about you " He replied on the same tone.
"Don't worry about me. What matters is getting the holocron to safety."
Igniting her second lightsaber, Væmas waited a second before reaching to the Force and unleashing in towards the troopers, most of them falling backwards. "Now!"
Væmas leaped in the air, throwing herself at Trilla, who blocked just in time. Væmas knew the troopers wouldn't be able to get out of the temple all at once, the path being too narrow. She caught a glimpse of Cal diverting blaster fire before slipping through the path at lightning speed. When he disappeared inside, she performed a backwards flip, jumping above the stormtroopers, and quickly disposed of the one getting ready to follow Cal. But just as she tried to slip in the path as well, one of the stormtroopers threw a detonator in the whole. Væmas' eyes widened, and she threw herself way from the doorway before it went off, sealing her only way out.
The ring was still turning around the temple, producing shadows inside. Lifting her head for a slip second, her ears ringing, she winced, slamming both her hands to the ground to get back up. As the ring passed again, an idea formed through her head. She progressed a lot since Crimson Station, her connection with the Force has strengthened. She knew she could do this.
The stormtroopers were not firing on her, standing back behind Trilla, but a few shock trooper approached, their batons at the ready. Taking a few steps back, she ran towards him and jumped on his shoulders, him gasping in surprise, before using the momentum of his fall to propel herself towards the hole in the roof.
Outstretching her hands, she grabbed the edge of the hole and waited for the ring to pass to climb swiftly onto the roof. She heard Trilla yelling with fury: "Don't let them escape!" as fire emerged uselessly from the hole.
Væmas cracked a mocking smile, sliding under the ring: by blocking the entrance to prevent her from escaping, they also locked themselves in. Evaluating the distance separating her from the ground, she let herself fall, performing a few flips and landing safely in front of the blocked entrance, which was probably going to be blown up in a minute or so.
As she ran out of the temple, she immediately located Cal, defeating the wave of stormtroopers waited for them outside. As much as she had extremely conflicted feelings about him, she had to think about the bigger picture and face the evidence: she needed him to get the holocron to safety.
"Cere! You have to tell Greez to get the Mantis running!" She shouted through the comms, unaware if the bitterness she felt when addressing the woman could be heard. Later.
"Copy that. Captain, start the engines."
Slipping on the muddy path, she started to divert enemy fire, pushing two in the void as they did not have time to take out all of them.
"Come on!" She yelled to Cal, already running towards the Mantis. Her strength began to fade as her mental state started to impact on the physical one, as much as she tried not to think about it.
The Mantis' engines were already running as they were only a few meters away. Suddenly, the holocron attached to Cal's belt began to detach and float in the air away from their destination.
Turning around, Væmas saw Trilla approaching, hand outstretched as Cal opposed his own, the holocron shaking halfway between them.
Væmas knew he could not hold long, his hand already trembling as Trilla did not seem to have any difficulty holding her ground. And in a split second, Væmas' choice was made.
She raced towards Trilla and leaped high in the air, calling on her lightsabers and igniting them, aiming directly for her head. Trilla was forced to break her focus to defend herself, allowing Cal to get the holocron back. She broke collision and stroke again in a predictable move, but that did not matter. All she needed was to keep Trilla occupied.
"Væmas, come on!" She heard him calling her as the ship took off the ground.
Gathering her strength, Væmas pushed Trilla back on a few meters before turning to the Mantis in a split second running as fast as she could, seeing that Cal had caught Trilla's lightsaber. However, the ship was already in the air, and she was still too far to reach the ramp in. She jumped as far as she could, Cal grabbing her by the hand.
The stormtroopers were arriving, setting up several canons to fire on the Mantis, those with blasters already taking their chance.
"Hold on!" He yelled, teeth clenched.
"You have to go of me, Cal!" Væmas shouted, plasma shots flying around her. "Protect the holocron!"
"I am NOT leaving you here!"
For a moment, time froze, and despite all she learned about him in the past hour, Væmas could not feel any anger. All she felt was their hands together, their eyes locked together, the thousand words of regret she read into his hazel gaze.
"You have to." She let out in a barely hearable voice. How the table had turned since Ilum.
"I'll come back for you." He whispered on the same tone, the muscles of his arm tensed in the effort.
"I know." Taking his words, she repeated in a breaking voice, loud enough for only him to hear: "We will see each other again, Cal. I promise."
She propelled herself away from the ramp, Cal calling her name as he was pulled inside the Mantis, the door closing, leaving Væmas rolling on the ground below.
Trilla immediately went for the offensive, armed with a Purge trooper electrostaff, having lost her lightsaber. Væmas countered her attack, her blades forming an "X" against Trilla's weapon, the purple energy crackled next to her face.
"Your friends are not here to save you, this time." She whispered in an almost soft tone.
"Good thing I don't need saving!" She retorted even though she knew there was no escaping for her.
After a few seconds, she heard the Mantis turning back and disappearing in the sky, the stormtroopers' blasters now all pointing at Væmas.
Trilla smiled, putting even more weight on Væmas' blades. "You're surrounded. Surrender." She articulated through clenched teeth.
"Too much of coward to take me on yourself?" Væmas retaliated. She wanted to promise herself that she would never be taken alive. But she knew that to ensure the survival of the crew, she had to get captured. Gain time. If, Trilla, and by extension the Empire, believed that she knew where the holocron was, they will not bother to go after the Mantis, which gave them time to get as far away as possible. And she also knew that her — now former — crew would not be coming back for her. Strategically, it would not make any sense. The thought was easier to accept than she had anticipated.
Of course they won't be coming for you. The little voice in her head blew mischievously. After all, what else would you have expected from liars and traitors?
Shut up.
Trilla looked at her, lips pursed, and ordered to the circle of clones around them.
"Stand down! I'll deal with her myself. Contact the fleet to see to the capture of the fugitives."
Væmas was tiring and knew she could not hold on for long. But she was also aware that Cere was jamming imperial communications and given Greez's abilities, Væmas was confident that they could make the jump to hyperspace without too much trouble.
All she needed to do was give them enough time to escape. Preparing to strike again, she reaffirmed her grip on her lightsabers. She swung her sabers gracelessly towards her head, Trilla blocking without any difficulty.
"Pathetic. Did Cere not train you?"
Not waiting any energy on retaliating, she ducked an attack than blocked another at her flank just in time, panting. Her muscles were starting to feel as though they were made of lead.
They continued like this for...actually, Væmas could not tell how long. She was fighting with all she had left, the energy of despair, struggling not to tap into the darkness. Trilla, on the other hand, seem to wield this weapon as easily as her lightsabers.
A second of disc traction was all it took. In a swift blow, Trilla disarmed her of the saber in her left hand and, with a kick in the stomach, sent her to the ground, making her other saber fly away.
Væmas grinned in pain, reaching for her lightsaber, only a few inches away. But it took off the ground to reach Trilla's hand, along with the second one. She signaled two stormtroopers, who seized her by the shoulders and brought her on her knees ruthlessly, handcuffing her hands behind her back.
"You're wasting your time, Trilla." Væmas hissed, teeth clenched. "I'll never tell you where they took the holocron."
"Oh, I believe you." She responded, looking with curiosity at Væmas' lightsabers before bringing her glance down on her with despise. "Commander!" She called without looking away from Væmas. "Status of the capture?"
"We just received word from the fleet, Second Sister." The trooper responded before hesitating. "The...the fugitive have successfully made their jump into hyperspace."
Trilla did not seem more startled than that, a satisfied smile even appearing on her lips, as relief flowed Væmas' body
"Well. It won't be long before they come back for this one. One meaningless Padawan against a prize that will win me the Emperor's favor...I can wait a little longer."
And the last thing she saw before receiving a hit in the back of her head were Trilla's yellow eyes and frightening smile. Then everything turned black.
˚ * .
⠀* * ⋆ .
⠀⠀· ⋆
Væmas woke brutally up, her eyes darting around to recognize her environment. She tried to move, but was helplessly strapped to a chair, the same chair.
No.
Intense panic overwhelmed her, as she struggled desperately to break free, taking in short and irregular breaths. But as her eyes acclimated to the darkness in the room, she noticed details, pattern that were unfamiliar to her. She was not in a ridiculously small cell, but in a large room, on a platform surrounded by lava.
The entrance was marked by a huge blast door. No such place existed in Crimson Station, it was too big. Væmas held on too that thought, trying to slow the frenetic beat of her heart.
The door suddenly opened, shadows advancing in front of her and revealing a far too familiar face, followed by two regular stormtroopers.
"Welcome back, Miss Eason." Director Kydrillo said with a scornful smile.
"It's Padawan Eason." She spit with disdain. "Where am I? This isn't..."
"Crimson Station?" He interrupted her. "Correct. Crimson Station was destroyed after your little escape to destroy certain... evidences."
"I'm surprised you didn't go down with it." Væmas retaliated with her usual dose of sarcasm.
"Lost none of her charm, has she?" He chuckled as if they were having a lovely conversation around a cup of tea, turning to his guards who remained perfectly still. "Unfortunately for you, the Emperor had better plans for me."
"You'll never find the holocron, Kydrillo. It must be on the other side of the galaxy by now. I can't imagine Palpatine will be proud."
"Find it?" The director laughed out loud, taking a few steps in front of her chair. "Oh no, I think you're mistaken in your role here, my dear. The Empire know quite well that you yourself have no idea where the holocron is."
"Then why didn't the Second Sister kill me on Bogano?" Væmas asked, frowning, her eyes following the pace of the admiral.
"We may have still use of you. For now." Director Kydrillo took a deep breath, his hands joined behind his back. "Let's talk about your little Jedi friend. Cal Kestis, is it?"
At the mention of Cal's name, Væmas stiffened, eyes narrow. "What about him? you want to see him dead too? Tell me something I don't know."
Ignoring her comment, Kydrillo rubbed his face marked by a clean-shaved beard and went on: "He carries a great emotional attachment to you, doesn't he?" He glanced at the ceilling and snapped his fingers in the air as if he was struggling to find the right words. "It's not...how would you say? Oh yes! It's not the Jedi way." He finished on an ironic tone.
Væmas struggled to keep her face a mask of impassibility as she started to put the pieces together, understanding that, of course, she was bait to lure Cal here and get the holocron. But something did not add up, something Kydrillo did not predict.
"What makes you think he will come here with the holocron, or even come here at all? Despite what you think, he is not half as stupid as your little minions (she nodded in direction of the stormtroopers.) They know they have no chance in freeing me."
Director Kydrillo did not go without noticing the bitterness in her tone and smiled. "Don't you worry about the details, Miss Eason. The Second Sister's report was quite detailed. I assure you that he will come back for you."
He nodded in direction of the stormtroopers at the left, who opened the door and disappeared in the corridor for a moment. Væmas caught a glimpse of her surroundings, a large bridge surrounded by pits of lava, and probably a lift and the end.
The stormtrooper came back followed by a medical probe droid, who had a seringe attached to it, filled with a shimmering red liquid. The door shut down behind them as Væmas looked at it with repulsion.
"Even if he does come back, which I highly doubt, he will have a plan." She affirmed, refusing to let herself be intimidated.
The director smiled as the other stormtroopers pressed a few buttons on the console, deploying a bridge between the two platforms. Kydrillo crossed and came closer to the chair, gently caressing her chin, Væmas tempted to spit in his face, and whispered:
"How could he have time to execute it...when he'll be so busy fighting you?"
——— ◜☆◞ ༉‧₊˚———
What's up everyone?
And for the grand reveal....*drum rolls* another piece of Væmas' past !
And the trouble is far from being over...
As usual, don't hesitate to tell me what you thought of the chapters and the cliff hanger for the next ; votes and comments are always appreciated <33
I hope you all are having a great week and see you next week !
May the force be with you all,
Artemis.