Bab 40: HOME
'Let us be friends'. Malavai couldn't help but smile as he was seated in a taxi, founding himself in the familiar atmosphere of Dromund Kaas. With only a small briefcase at hand, he couldn't remember how long it has been since he was home.
As his family, Malavai was loyal to the Empire and everything it stood for: Order, the glory of the Sith and the conquest of the Republic. Though he was disgraced at the Battle of Druckenwell and stationed on Balmorra afterward, he didn't know how his family would even react upon his return.
He was the disgraced son after all. Shunned by Moff Broysc for a victory he proceeded alone. Duty-bound and honorable, he wasn't afraid to express earned admiration to his superiors – especially to this new Sith Lord he was currently serving.
He owed Baras his whole military career, but seeing everything that has happened to him in the past few months, he could safely say that he now owed Sern his whole life.
It was often strange how he could feel so attached to this Lord he only recently met. Especially when she would state unintentional flirtations, he would get easily knocked off-balance, it wasn't accepted military communication.
She was younger than him. He remembered how shocked he was to finally see her true face. How white her short hair was, how yellow her hues were before they became an even darker color than before. She had her eyes set on a goal, Malavai didn't know what that goal was – but he knew her dedication towards it.
Once the Captain climbed out of the taxi with the briefcase at hand, he took a deep breath before he could go inside the building. It was everything he remembered it to be, the infostructure of the core planet of the Sith Empire – droids assisting the residents, neighbors having smiles on their faces or disappointed eyes. The cold atmosphere of the planet was home but, he didn't feel it as much.
He stepped in the elevator and proceeded to take out an old card, having it scanned as it brought him to level forty – where the apartment complex was. The higher the numbers go, the more nervous he became. He would remember the loyal service 2V proceeded with all of them, even towards their Lord.
He suddenly remembered the annoying chitter of Vette, though he could now feel the silence annoying him instead of her voice. He suddenly remembered Jaesa, even for a short time, would ask him about the protocols and traditions the Empire had in store for her. Then he remembered how much his Lord enjoyed sweets – regardless of which planet the ingredients would come from, she would have this childish smirk on her lips.
They became family to him, even if he tried to deny it – although he already accepted it.
When the elevator opened, he entered the hallway and proceeded to scan the numbers through the doors. He couldn't help but remember his whole childhood along these halls. He remembered running around with his brothers or trying to ask the neighbors if their kids are allowed to play with them. He remembered running towards the door when his father would return from service.
He remembered when his brothers would leave the academy one by one until it was his turn to proceed with the family tradition. He remembered his mother leaving for her next assignment off to Taris. He remembered the first-time coming home with no one around, that it was only him – it was the military life for them.
Malavai gently tapped his card onto the scanner, hearing a light 'click' and see the red light go green – the Captain took one last deep breath before entering the apartment. Everything was left the way they were before he was assigned to Moff Brosyc all those years ago.
Closing the door behind him, he could tell that the cleaning wasn't left in vain. He wondered if his parents or even his brothers left the droid on, he thought no one would be home – that everyone would be off to their assignments.
His blue eyes would turn to the entrance of their hallway, to find a little boy peeking through. The Captain couldn't help but blink a few times – it was a little boy around the proper age of four. Ever since he languished in Balmorra – he never attempted to communicate his family. He was afraid that they were disappointed in him.
He had a staredown with the child for a couple of moments before he could finally hear footsteps coming down the hall. "Son. Why are you there?"
"There's a strange man in the entryway dad!" Answered the child as he continued to point towards Malavai.
The Captain looked up as another person emerged from the hall. It was his older brother Raymond who couldn't help but smile. "You son of a Hutt! You should have told me you were coming home!" Raymond rushed toward his brother, with his arms wide open – going in for a hug.
His little brother home after so long.
Malavai closed his eyes, hugging his brother back with a smile on his lips. He had his Lord to thank for this moment.
The former Padawan Jaesa was walking through the muddy path to Kaas City with her new mentor and her Twi'lek companion who couldn't help but chatter nonstop. Leena, on the other hand, listened in silence as always, she would occasionally give out a giggle.
Vette would find it amusing if Jaesa would ask her a question or two, or even exchange stories with the Twi'lek. Now being a Sith apprentice under Lord Leena Sern, she couldn't help but admire her. She walks through the darkness with the Sith and still holds the light somewhere inside of her. She had this sense of clarity and regained this sense of purpose – Jaesa was young and Leena was already experienced.
The girls would slay beasts that stood in their way. The apprentice would see soldiers and Sith alike who would greet the Lord Sern with respect or fear, some have been arrogant towards her but Leena would simply brush it away.
Jaesa didn't know why they had to walk down the pathways, especially when she saw how annoyed and discontented Leena was with the mere sight of mud. She even didn't know why her Lord was so insistent on keeping that heavy helmet when they would walk around under the rain. The Sith Lord would speak with calmness and sureness – giving Jaesa hints on how not to get lost around Dromand Kaas – especially when she permitted them to stay within the week.
A whole seven days and the young apprentice was already eager to learn from her new Master. It did cross her mind a couple of times why they had to walk while the Captain could take the taxi across the city, as well as the droid.
The droid of all things.
Leena stopped. Finding themselves entering the Outpost Warden. The Sith Lord smiled behind her helmet and turned to the Twi'lek. "Vette, you can go on ahead to the stronghold. I will remain here with Jaesa."
Jaesa would look around until she found the speeder point just waiting for them, but the Sith Lord insisted that the Twi'lek would proceed alone. Vette didn't need to question why – she just smiled and nodded before leaving the Master and apprentice alone.
When Leena gestured the young Jaesa to follow her, the apprentice did without any second thoughts or any question at all.
"Why do you think Master Karr wanted to prove your skills to the Jedi Council?" Leena began to ask as they walked down a familiar path. With the sound of the dripping rain and the smell of the rotten mud. The sight of familiar trees and caves around them. She found this a good lesson, to begin with.
"Because Master Karr thought that I could bring justice and secure the galaxy with my gifts."
"There is some truth to that but, he lied to you." The words of her new Master made her puzzled. She took a good look at her profile, wondering what was inside of her mind. Jaesa wanted to hear more about what her Master had to say. "I've seen the shadows in his mind. He lied to himself, saying that you would be something good to the galaxy when the truth was, he was only using you as a weapon to bring down his most hated enemy. To bring down the Order than the Jedi created for themselves."
"How do you know that?"
"Because I am the same as my own Master. Like you, I have become a weapon to him. To destroy the Jedi and its Republic with a single word from his mouth. I am to bring him the victory he craved for, the power than all others also wants for themselves. If you were with Master Karr longer, then you would have been ended up like me. A puppet for your Master's ambition. We are their monsters." Leena slowly began to remove her helmet when she sat down by a large rock.
The apprentice would look around, there was nothing special about this place. Besides the fact that it was rather empty. She found herself starring at her Master with a concerned gaze and yet, there was curiosity coming to her. Questions like why would her Master bring her to such a place. "But unlike Master Karr, Baras knew that I would soon realize my true potential and break free from his domination. He saw my future and knew that my power would be too strong to control. Master Karr would have treated you well, unlike Baras who has treated me like an animal – turning me into his 'dutiful disciple.' Normally, I would have taken an apprentice much like any other Sith Lord in this Empire but this is a special case."
"They said that the Force can do terrible things to a mind," Jaesa spoke with caution. Her Master knows how to show mercy, but she also expected that the Sith Lord would be harsh when it comes to training – strict like any other mentor in the Jedi Order. "Can wipe away your memories and destroy your very identity. I know there are things about the Force that the Jedi did not tell me… but are they true?"
Leena nodded. "They are. I learned most of the Force from other Sith… even from other Jedi." The Master continued to tell her story as she gestured the young Jaesa to sit down beside her. It was something similar for the Sith Lord, but the roles were reversed. "When you feel that you have doubt about me, or doubt within yourself – remember this, I want you to look within yourself. There is nothing wrong with being afraid because there is something stronger than fear."
"What is that, Master?" Jaesa asked when she sat down beside her Lord. Leena couldn't help but smile and ruffled the young apprentice's hair.
"The Force." Through all those years, she didn't know that she would become like this. A mentor to her apprentice. After their little conversation in the middle of the jungle, the Sith Lord proceeded to go and make their way to Kaas City.
Jaesa's amazement when she first laid eyes on Kaas City was something that caught the attention of her new Master. Leena wore her helmet as she stood tall and well respected as the Imperials began to give out their respective salutes.
Climbing on a taxi, the apprentice wondered what else was there in the galaxy. Master Karr taught her well as well as the other Masters in the Jedi Order – but what more can her new Master teach her?
There was more to the Force, Jaesa could feel it. She wondered if her new Master could teach her more, more than the Force, more than just combat and more than just the ways of the Sith. She wanted to know Leena more than just a mentor but as a person, she wanted to know who Leena Sern is.
The mystery surrounding her Master was something she was curious about. How Vette was so cheerful around her, how Quinn was able to grasp the respect towards her – how much she inspired her. Jaesa considered herself to be a shy girl, she wasn't as dedicated and as talented as the rest of her fellow Padawans.
She remembered being brought to Tython by Master Karr to learn the history and teachings of the Jedi. She remembered the Masters who assisted her combat skills, she remembered the wisdom that they granted her when she had questions. She remembered the friends she made throughout the gentle and enlightening experience.
She then wondered how her Master's friendship with Vette happened, she wanted to know the whole story behind it. She wondered how she was able to meet someone so dedicated like Captain Quinn, how was she able to make him so dedicated to her cause. She wondered how she was able to hide herself, her connection to the light to the Sith around her, especially her Master Darth Baras.
Leena brought her new apprentice to a stronghold. Jaesa looked around with awe – it was rather huge, expecting droids and servants alike around this place.
Jaesa turned around, noticing that her Master wasn't moving from her place. The taxi didn't leave just yet. She was about to ask Leena why she was just standing there until she finally heard a voice: "Jaesa?"
The girl turned around, to see her mother with tearful eyes.
"Mother?" The girl mumbled with happiness filling inside her heart.
"My girl! My sweet girl!" Jaesa's mother opened her arms as she rushed towards her only child with a delightful hug. The apprentice could feel happiness, delight, love, and relief as she hugged her mother back with tears of her own. "Gregor! Jaesa's here! Jaesa's home!"
Hearing his wife's voice, he rushed out of the stronghold and had tears in his eyes as well, finally seeing their little girl back in their arms. He couldn't help but take a good look at the apprentice before having her into his arms. "We thought we will never see you again!" He cried.
Gregor turned to the Sith with a smile and tears still on his face. "Thank you, my Lord! Thank you so much for bringing her home!"
Leena gently placed her hand onto her chest, bowing slightly as she spoke. "She is your daughter. You should spend time with her for as long as you can. I will take my leave."
Jaesa attempted to follow but, the Sith Lord raised her hand – gesturing the apprentice that she should stay. "Your training will begin once we leave Dromund Kaas. Till then, apprentice."
Leena wanted to give her apprentice the time she never had before brought her out there to the galaxy's horrors and sorrows. She climbed up to the taxi and proceeded to her stronghold. Having the drips of rain from the planet's clouds – she missed it, despite how much she hated the cold.
The Sith Lord felt like she was dancing with ghosts when she arrived at the stronghold, with 2V and Vette waiting for her inside. She could remember the ones she lost and the ones she had found, and even at least – some who have loved her the most.
There would be times where her memory would go back to where it all started, to find the names that she had forgotten. The faces that her mind couldn't make up. The voices that she could no longer recognize. The path she never wanted to take.
Vette smiled at her friend's return. It was just like old times but the difference was that – Leena was no longer the shadow she used to be. Removing her helmet, the Sith Lord smiled as the droid offered her a nice bath and some sweets when she was done. So many things happened – Vette knew that so well.
The Twi'lek waiting by the living room cleaning her blasters, waiting for Leena to finish her bath. So much has changed and yet so little could be remembered. Vette's eyes would unconsciously turn to the door that leads to the balcony where the taxis would usually stop to drop a visitor off. Deep down inside, the Twi'lek hoped that Arrun would just waltz in with his usual smile and ask for Leena.
The Sith Lord hoped for the same, somewhere inside of her heart and soul.
Vette remembered how she was captured on Korriban, placed in a cage for three years – she was lucky that they didn't kill her. She remembered how Leena first came into the prison, she remembered how she was given to her like a slave – a gift for a job well done. She remembered when Leena removed her slave collar, dressed her up, fed her, paid her for her services just like any other citizen in the Empire.
She remembered the time when they introduced themselves to one another. She remembered their tasks and missions together, the measures they took to survive. She remembered how much Leena was suffering, how much she wanted to ease that pain from her heart and mind. She remembered how Leena looked at Arrun and how Arrun looked at her. She remembered how genuine and kind her smile was, how warm her embrace was, how pure she can be.
But Vette couldn't also forget how terrifying Leena could be under measures that she could never imagine. She couldn't forget how much she died inside when Arrun was murdered in front of her. She couldn't forget how her eyes looked as they craved for vengeance, how she craved for the blood of her Master. She couldn't forget that inside that lovely person, was also a terrifying Sith who had agendas of her own.
"Vette." The Twi'lek turned around to find Leena drying up her white hair. "Aren't you going to eat?"
"Yeah, yeah! I'm comin'!" Vette answered cheerfully. Rushing towards the dining hall, accompanied by the Sith Lord who became her companion and her sister.
Leena listened to Vette's stories and would occasionally laugh.
Through all her years with the Sith, Leena Sern continued to struggle with the idea of power and vengeance in her mind. At the same time earn the respect and fear of those who wish to serve her, avoid her and make an enemy out of her.
The Force has a will but it still needs a commander.
A Sern alone in the galaxy, such a terrible thing and at the same time, it was necessary for her to learn how to adapt and for her to learn how to survive in such a cruel galaxy. Those who stand tall in history are supported by a thousand nameless faces. In which evolution requires a push or some sort of sacrifice.
Leena found her companion sleeping soundly on the couch. With a smile, the Sith Lord couldn't help but slowly shook her head as she carried the Twi'lek with the Force and tucked her in her bed. Carefully she did, and quietly she left the chambers. When the doors closed behind her, Leena gave out a small sigh and quietly walked back to the living room with her hands resting on her arms.
Looking around this stronghold, as if this was the last time, she was going to be in it. She remembered when her Master named her his apprentice. She remembered her first kill on Korriban. She remembered how much pain and suffering Baras made her go through.
She remembered when she first arrived on Dromund Kaas with Vette. She remembered how much she hated the cold, how much she was so happy to find someone who cared about her, who was worried about her after all those years of being alone. She remembered how Tremel was murdered, she remembered Eskella leaving her to feel this pain being planted inside of her.
She remembered how much Vette would scold her when she would come home late, or how come she had so much mud around her clothes. She remembered how Arrun came into her life, how Darth Occlus was slowly preparing her for things even she could never imagine.
She remembered how much Arrun told her he loved her. She remembered how much her doubt and fear consumed her when Baras had her around his finger – how much she drowned in pain and anger when he was finally taken away from her.
Everything she's done so far is to avoid the pain. Battles, sarcasm, keeping everybody at arms-length so no one could hurt her anymore. As opposed to everyone else in the world who goes looking for pain like it's some buried treasure. She knew she knew it very well – that pain happens when she cares.
The pain will never go away. The fear will never go away.
No one can love someone without making yourself open to their problems and fears.
She remembered how the noise in her head kept telling her to listen. It spoke to her, pulled strings from her heart that she didn't know she even had. She remembered how the noise in her head gave her fright, later on, comfort, and then warmth. This voice, this Jedi… this Jedi named Cyrus – there was this unknown comfort, the feeling of the flame on that candle that stood in the middle of the void.
The feeling of home.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone