Open Terrain

Ander looked on speculatively, investigating the torn look on Mai's face. Her eyes seemed darkened, sad even, as she gazed at the mining lift in the town's center. He squeezed her hand firmly, hoping to wake her from her obviously doubtful thoughts.
"Hey," he prompted her, "What's done is done, you're not better or worse because of it. It is what it is, and there's no point dwelling on anything but the positive memories you have."

Mai felt the squeeze on her hand, and heard Ander's gentle yet strong tones. It took a moment, but slowly her head turned towards him, her eyes holding all resistance until they left the view of the shaft and rested on Ander.

Slowly she nodded. The past is what had happened. If it didn't, she wouldn't be where she was now. She wouldn't have the skills or knowledge to be the medic she was, or have the courage to stay by Ander's side through anything, or the love for him that burned in her heart. If the past hadn't happened... she wouldn't have any of it.

Mai curled her arm around Ander's back, resting her hand on his hip. She leant her head against him as they walked.

Ander smiled inwardly as Mai seemed to calm somewhat, wrapping her arm around his waist and leaning her head on his shoulder as they continued walking. Ander draped his arm over Mai's shoulder, hugging her to him as they made their way back to the ship. As they approached the vessel, Ander keyed the landing ramp over with his comlink, and led Mai inside. He squeezed her hand reassuringly as they settled down in the cockpit, and he brought the drives online, locking down the ship and readying it for take off towards Safaeyet. He looked over at Mai for a moment, a small smile growing on his face. It was nice, what he was feeling for her. "You alright?"

Mai followed Ander into his ship, settling back into her ususal position in the copilot's seat. She looked out of the window, a strange sense of finality washing over her. With a deep breath she looked back to Ander, nodding at his question slowly. A smile tugged at her lips as she looked back.

Yeah... I think I am she said dreamily, her mind replaying over a memory. Her smile broadened as she shifted slightly.

Goodbye... she whispered to herself, saying her last word for her father and her hometown.

Ander brought the ship off the landing pad and into the air, glancing over at Mai once more before kicking the sublight engines into gear and blasting off towards Safaeyet.

It's been Five years since I passed my Trials of Knighthood, just a week ago it was my twentieth birthday. I had been traveling the galaxy with my friends Sayjar and Adi Remicala. Adi passed her Trials too, in fact five days ago she had her twenty first birthday. Learning the ways to master the lightsaber, like myself. Sayjar was a bounty hunter, one of the best there is. He is about thirty years old, he usually keeps the ship running unless we really need him. We have helped people as much as we could, but it never seems to have an ending point. But this is the way of the Jedi.

A few days ago we had been informed by the council that Master Corniatchy and his students have gone missing, we were sent to investigate. We arrived on the planet of Anobis in turn found the ruins of the old temple, parts of the entrance was destroyed, the walls covered with plants and vines, the normal things you'd find on the outside of a building not in use. But what was inside was on the inside, was drastic. Inside the main part of the temple Adi and I found a freshly killed Jedi Padawan, it looked to be one Corniatchy's students, and was killed by a lightsaber. I shot a glance at Remicala, we weren't the only one's here.

I used the force and reached out to any living being, I was known to be one of the best force users to find people.
Nothing.
And if I couldn't sense them, that meant their all dead or they're hiding their presents. I hoped that they were hiding.

A suspision came to my face, in five years there has only been one Jedi who fell from my knowledge.

Renalga. I whispered.

Renalga?
I've never heard of the name. Adi was quite confused.

No, you wouldn't have.
Renalga, Padawan Renalga I should say, fell to the darkside about five years ago during a sparring match against me. Well he was using Form VI, the Juyo form, he probably didn't fully understand it and rather using it as a tool, he used it as a weapon, having the darkside run through him, like he shouldn't.

It sounded like he had issues with you.

Well he also didn't like the fact that I always beat him at every match too. I chuckled.
You know I should have you meet one of my friend's who uses Juyo. He's fun, but also always looking for a fight. After were done here I have you meet him.

Sounds good i guess -

She felt something through the force.
I nodded as an indication that I felt it to. We walked into the gardens, other than a couple of rocks out of place, the room was untouched. The water that formed the pond had fallen still, the tunnel system had partially collapsed. We walked on top of a rock formation that overlooked everything.

Two Sith snuck up behind us and whipped on their lightsabers, we turned around to face them. The fallen Jedi Padawan Renalga stood there in Sith Robes, and a double bladed red lightsaber in hand, next to him was a Sith I had fought before, a red Twi'lek named Menate Cenueget, his single red blade popped out from his Sith Master Robes.

Ambushing Jedi in an abandoned Temple? Oh how the mighty Sith have have fallen.

We turned on our lightsabers, my Icy Blue Permafrost color rained so much lighter than her Hurricane Blue. Then Cenueget attacked me without another word.

Cenueget jumped at me, then swung his blade, with a strong sweep, from the left to right. I ducked underneath it, then he swung from the right to left, I put out my blade to block it. He used a flurry, having his blade swing in a vortex motion. I swung my blade in opposite positions to block each of his blows. I noticed that he used the Vaadpad form very very aggressively.

Renalga then joined the fight, spinning his double blade and attacking Remicala. He swung his blade in a downward slice, she parried it with an uppercut. She spun around then attacked with a downward slice, he blocked it but just barely. He flipped the back end of his blade to attack her, she blocked it easily. Remicala put her blade back then with a strong attack knocked Renalga backward a foot or two. Renalga used his old fashion spin attack, she avoided the blow but was kicked off of the rock mound and onto the grass, but recovered fairly.

I jumped down to help her, then we ran a few feet, and turned back around. Both Sith came don in unison.

Ranalga ran back at Remicala swinging his blade in a downward left slash; Remical's right. She ducked to avoid it. Then he hit her with an upward right slash; Remicala's left. She blocked it, but Renalga drove Remicala backward. She was hoping to find a weakness in his form, and have him become exhausted.

I flipped my lightsaber around in my hand, as Cenueget walked toward me. he swung his blade left then right, I ducked forward and backward dodging each. Then swung it left again, I blocked it with my lightsaber this time. Then I jumped onto a large rock ledge six feet from the ground.

My Apprentice will become more powerful than the Sith itself! Cenueget was a fool.

You place misguided overconfidence in him, and that will be his and you downfall.

He growled loudly with rage and attacked me viciously and I began to lose my defense.

Remicala barely avoided the attacks from Renalga, indeed, he had mastered the double blade. Spinning, parrys, and block, still was barely able to hold on, but was able. She avoided the swing and spun around and kicked him in the leg, all that did was make him more angry than before. She got up, Renalga spun his blade from left to right, she block them both.

Then Renalga force pushed Remicala into the wall underneath the ledge where I was,. He takes out two knifes and throws them at her, they land into her stomach. She falls over losing life force, and Renalga stabs her with his lightsaber, ending her.

No! I screamed.

I jumped off of the ledge, kicked Renalga's face and knocked him onto the ground, and used a strong downward slash to finish him, but of course his master cuts in and saves the blow. Now I was facing both Master and Apprentice myself with one lightsaber, and of course I didn't give into defeat, but I knew I couldn't do this forever.

That's when Sayjar came into the equation. He sat high off into the distance above some rocks, but the three of us felt him there. He loaded a rocket launcher then fired it at us to try and give me a little leverage. Renalga dived out of the way, while Cenueget saw it and used the force to push it back at Sayjar at top speed, he almost didn't move out of the way in time. The missile destroyed the rock formation he sat upon, his jetpack became damaged from the blast so he fell from the five story rock to the ground, the rocks come smashing on him a few moments later.

I deactivated my lightsaber and force pulled Adi's to me and clipped it onto my belt, and ran into the tunnel system.

Do not let him escape! Cenueget has some major anger management issues.

They both ran after me into the Tunnels.
Both of them caught up to me as I stopped.

Surrender!
We are two, and you are no match for us both. Cenueget actually said that nicely.

I turned on both lightsabers.

You are mistaken.

They both attacked me simultaneously, Cenueget high, Renalga low. Side to side, I spun around blocking Cen's attack and kicking him five feet. Renalga attacked me with each side of his ligthsaber, I blocked each with both of my blades, then kicked his left knee with my right leg, and kicked him in the stomach with my left leg. Then aimed to cut off his legs with both blades, but he jumped to them. Cen attacked me from behind but I blocked his blow with both blades in an X, then pushed his blade to the right; Ayren's right, with both blades. And attacked him with a downward slice, Cen dodged it. I kicked Renalga in the stomach with my right leg and kicked his left leg with my left. Renalga was beginning to lose strength. I used a jump spinning kick lightsaber slash on Cen, he stepped back and dodged it. I attacked with my right blade then my left, Cen blocked both. I attacked Ren with my right blade, he blocked it. Both attacked me simultaneously again, they both used a downward slash, I blocked each with both blades. Ren used the back end of his lightsaber for another downward slash, I limboed down on my back and dodged it, then jump flipped back up. I used a jump spin slash attack on Cen the Ren, Ren spun his lightsaber downward I blocked it with my left blade and kicked his left leg with my left. Cen attacked me with an upward slash, I blocked it then spun around and brought my foot to the inside of Ren's knee bringing him down to his knees. I turned back to Cen, he used the force and picked me off of the ground, then slammed me against the wall. I got up just in time as they slashed both lightsabers against me, I turned mine on quickly and the three of us went into a lock. I shot a glance at Renalga's left knee that was out, I lifted my leg and kicked Ren's knee breaking his leg. Then I slid underneath the two blades and cut off Renalga's left arm.

Renalga! It actually sounded like he actually cared about his Apprentice.

Cenueget shot a glance at me, I smiled, I threw a strike at Cen, but he force pushed me twenty feet away and into a wall. The force from the push caused part of the ceiling to collapse and come down. Cen went over to Renalga.

Come my Apprentice. This plan, has failed.
But we will have another opportunity. Cenueget said firmly.

Cenueget carried Renalga out of the Tunnel System and into their stealthed ship that was right outside the Temple.

I got up and looked around, a dead end. I knocked on some of the walls and noticed that one of the sides was hallow, I activated my lighsaber and cut a hole into the wall. On the other side was Master Corniatchy and one of the three students was sitting next to him, only the Paadawan was alive.

Those two, they killed the other Padawans. Padawan Grekenal wimpered.
The Master's dead. They took our lightsabers, other wise I would have been out of here already.

Don't worry, I'm here. I'll protect you.

You took on both of them yourself? And won?

Yeah, but don't worry... They're gone. I'd rather not speak of another Jedi death, it would only cause more pain to the young one.
Come on let's get out of here.

The Padawan showed me a closed off section of the Tunnel System where It would lead back out.
I cut a hole out and ran over to Sayjar and used the force to lift off the rocks from his body. I took his helmet off, I felt that he was still barely alive. I used the force to heal the major wounds but the rest would have to be healed by himself. He was able to stand, but the Padawan insisted that he help carry him. I walked over to Remicala's corpse and carried her to the ship, we went back for Master Corniatchy and the other dead Padawans. We left for Coruscant.