emile fischer

Xaash: A Necessary Burden

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"  I was barely five years old when my first master took me under his wing. She found me when I was just a scared child in the jungle, scared of the night, of hunger, and above all of myself... She held out her hand to me, brought me back at her home in Kaas City, and promised me a destiny I had long hoped for. It was she who trained me, raised me, developed my language, both in words and in combat. I was able to learn so many things, in the books, in the relics, in the Force, in my heart, thanks to the Sith Code. By his side I understood who I was. In his eyes, maybe I was just another apprentice in his career... but I doubt it.

Day after day, she sent me machines, beasts, prisoners, acolytes, each time more and more tough, fast and unpredictable. Its arena of black rock, with its vertiginous precipice, was tinged a little more scarlet day by day. With each victory, an encouragement. With each defeat, a lesson, followed by another victory. She kept telling me  :

"  No one is immortal, Xaash. Nothing and no one is unbeatable.  »

This justified my failures, but forbade me to stop there.

"  Victory makes you stronger, but so does failure. Life is made of obstacles. They are made to slow us down, but never to block our way. We are Sith.  she reminded me constantly.

She was wise, but also stern and strict. Outside of lessons, I was on my own. I could ask for simple things, but I shouldn't waste his time or his money. She sheltered me, fed me, forged me, but could not be as present as a real mother...

And then, after a year, she had to hand over my care to other overseers, other Sith trainers. I think she had to receive other apprentices, that's normal.

But the monster that took me next wasn't looking for an apprentice. Rather a slave. A release of flesh, bone and blood.

I... I still remember the tone of his angry voice... the cracking of his leather whip on my back... his barbed wire whip on my cheeks... my only defense position, in a ball, arms over my head when he beat me. The discomfort... the hunger... the cold... the pain... the loss of all self-confidence.

Going to beg for help for the very first time from Zash, my first master, was my best decision, considering my condition at the time. Then I spent other years with other competent coaches, until the day I was ready for Korriban. The day Zash came to tell me. The day I left to stick my blade in the face of the monster that had destroyed mine.  »

Xaash was silent. His voice had fluctuated, his heart had accelerated. His head had just rolled on the pillow, revealing to the little echany who listened to him at his side, passionately, his scarred face, and his hard air.

"  Wooooh...  Jahnelthra whispered, her eyes filled with stars and admiration for her new friend. She was thoroughly.

The two young students of the ruthless Korriban were lying on their woven mattress mattresses installed side by side in the dark room, itself arranged in the secret attic of the academy. The small oil lamps, arranged all around them on the purple and gold embroidered carpets, emitted the only orange light which protected them from total darkness. Outside, the temperature was finally dropping after the period of intense perihelion, and the hard day of testing in the sand and hot blood. The acolytes returned to face the bellows and vociferations of their supervisors, Horuset plunged into the steep horizon, and Xaash and Jahnelthra rested, their heads against the carved bookcase, comfortable and safe from all danger.

It had been a week since the 13-year-old echanie had just saved the life of his 16-year-old human companion, after their first clash, in the heat of hell. Fully recovered from her dehydration, Xaash had at first refused to visit the strange kitten in her admittedly secret and abandoned, but probably no less illegal hideout. However, strategically, the echania was right. No one could come and assassinate him while he slept here... None other than Jahnelthra at least.

Curiosity. Yes, that was another strange detail that had pushed her to keep her end of the bargain. Xaash was curious by nature. Distrustful above all, but curious about Korriban's kitten. Thus, she gradually let her hand sink into the quicksand of this strange thing that would later be friendship, while taking care not to open up too much. Because if it was a trick from his adversary, it was solid.

"  But then... Who sewed your face up?  ?  asked Jahnelthra, between passion and horror, bruised by the suspense. From the fake smirk that her neighbor produced, the echanie understood how strong and independent she was. Sure, if an expert had taken care of it, with the right equipment and kolto, there would have been hardly any visible after-effects today, but a six-year-old girl... alone... The idea made him clench his eyes and teeth.

"  You know... I don't think he destroyed anything for you. It's true, you're quite cute... In my culture, scars are proof of pure strength, of a merciless fight, of dignified suffering...  »

"  There is nothing dignified in being treated like this at such an age.  Xaash snapped.

"  Excuse me. You're right... But you're still alive, no  ? You survived that monster, and you got stronger. I am wrong  ?  »

"  You already talk like a sith, little kitten  ?  remarked the human.

"  No. It's true in my culture too. The Échanis live to fight. Scars and pain are natural things. I also went through hell before I met you. A hell that has held me back for so long for one purpose. Make me stronger, to escape, to kill...  »

"  Some kind of junior academy on Kaas or something  ?  Xaash asked, turning back to the ceiling.

"  Something like that...  »

Little Jahnelthra bit back a small smile and looked back at her roommate. Even at rest, a body says so much... She could read Xaash. His rather rigid pose, his arms parallel to his body, his gaze never far away. His face seemed quite cloudy with emotion, but his uncomfortable position betrayed his lack of confidence. If only she could prove her peaceful intentions to him...

"  And... before this Zash... you had family, relatives...  ?  »

And then the opaque face shattered. As if coming out of a relaxing trance, her lips parted, her eyebrows twitched, and as she gazed up at Jahnelthra's beautiful, troubled green eyes into the white, curious irises, the echania knew she had just made a mistake.

"  ...M-Mes by... How t...  ?  stammered the young woman, as if she had just awakened in the middle of a war.

And then his gaze fell on his left hand. Jahnelthra's was resting on it, warm, calm, loving... Xaash hadn't felt a thing, before seeing it. She withdrew her hand like fire, and struck down the Echany.

"  what have you done  !?  she groaned as she stood up. "  How long have you...  ?  »

"  I did nothing, I swear  !...  implored the little girl, however guilty. His expression asked too much for forgiveness.

"  Why do you study me like that, huh  !? Why do I talk when you ask  !? What spell does...  ?  »

The sith stopped in her anger. She had just understood. This kid used the Force... used her... She had already told him about her strange mental abilities. What was she in his eyes  ? Guinea pig  !?

She grabbed her things by simply raising her arm, and prepared to leave.

"  Stay  ! xaash  ! I beg you  ! I didn't mean... I'm sorry  !...  the child tried as if his own mother were abandoning him in the dark.

But the pale sith didn't want to hear it. She crouched down, opened the heavy stone trapdoor on the floor, and cast her devastating gaze once more at the one who looked far too much like a rival to gain her trust.

"  Touch me, one more time... Ask me just one more question... Challenge my rage one last time... and you'll regret it.  she warns, restraining herself from chilling her out just yet.

The echania barely tried to pronounce the beginning of a 'But...', and her neck, as if pinched by an invisible insect with colossal force, made her fall on all fours, tense with pain without even having the force to scream. She looked askance at her guest jumping out of the attic through the hatch, then tears clouded her sight before moistening the ashy rock on which her warm cheek rested.

A week later....

"  slaves  ! Bunches of incompetents  ! Listen to me carefully...  »

The gentle compliments of the supervisor with the epic goatee echoed through the academy hall like the song of a large cruise ship having lost control during docking. More effective than a war stim for waking up in the morning, his voice hummed the orders of the day's mission, under the tired silence of his eight fellow supervisors, including Tremel.

All the classes of the four years were confused for this test, at least what was left of it. The two-tone herd of acolytes – black for the elders, purple for the newest – awaited instructions. The number remained fairly balanced, because to make up for the daily loss of pupils, newcomers earned the right to take their place. In the middle of the very attentive small crowd, Xaash listened carefully, while keeping a close eye on his next rivals.

"  Our requirements are crystal clear. Those who do not return from this ordeal by twilight will rot forever in the tombs or be driven from the Academy. The first to cross the threshold of this room victorious will have the honours, … and the compliments of my colleagues. Warden Ragate, if you would like to continue...  »

A little further in the crowd, to the right of Xaash, a figure stood out with its long and beautiful dazzling hairstyle. The young Sith narrowed her eyes and clenched her fists and nostrils. Jahnelthra was there, dressed in red, training blade on her back, ready for her sith training. Thus, she had managed to start from scratch... as promised. The little kitten had slipped into the minds of the supervisors, and had managed to dissolve the old Jahnelthra, to make her return among the first years. This little cheater was probably going to skip two years soon, given her experience already acquired over the past two years, and her petty little tricks. To return to where it was, but this time with the congratulations of the masters who will have seen nothing but fire. Be that as it may, the echania was no longer his problem. She had only to die here, like the others.

"  Thank you, Overseer Harkun... So the rules... yes...  began the old woman, detaching herself from the group of adults. "  There is a rather... unique artifact, which has lain for generations in the tomb of Ludo Kressh. This event is an archaeological race. Whoever brings us the artifact will have the compliments of all the supervisors. As there is only one artefact, the others who return empty-handed, but who have nevertheless gone to the heart of the tomb, can stay. Those who come in trying to trick us...well, they'll die. Departure is in a minute... Oh  ! And, of course... murder is encouraged. thank you  !  »

The crowd dispersed. Xaash waited for the echania's gaze to meet hers, then stared at her sternly. But the little thing gave him a look that only meant one thing. A confident look, full of defiance, that of a loving but determined rival. The human did not expect it. The dice were rolled, once again. The mystery artifact was meant for Korriban's top student, and Jahnelthra, the snow tiger, wasn't going to give her that chance.

Let the game begin, again.

By that age, Xaash was already far more nimble, quick, precise, and tactical at wielding a lightsaber than any other student on the planet...soon she would surpass even most teachers. His elegance, his grace, his fluidity, his every move during a fight were impossible to parry, to avoid or to guess. Like a choreography, learned and repeated thousands of times in advance, his swirling dance cut through the crowds, only rarely stopping to truly cross swords, or plasma. The small number of acolytes who had survived this spectacle, from a far enough distance, without taking part in the massacre, believed her simply unbeatable. But, as the young sith learned long ago...

Nothing and no one really is.

A series of quick little steps, a soft charge, a hiss. A head falls. The others turn around, analyze and understand. Their entrails are already hanging out. The last of the group widens his eyes, clenches his teeth and draws. His right hand, his throat and his spine are severed, and his corpse falls to the ground when the steps are already far away. Nothing will stop him. The first place is hers, and hers alone.

A cry resounds, a flash is deflected, four other corpses stain the sandy rock and come to feed the k'lors. They are the ones who ran off at the start of the race. She should be in the lead now.

A fine interrupted roar, a split cartilage, a crushed skull under his boot and another, against a pillar fifty meters away. The critters in the tomb can't do anything. The stairs descend, steeper and steeper. She's almost there.

She jumps the last thirty steps, and kicks up the dust at the bottom. Slowly straightening, she takes a look at the interesting architecture without removing her little hood. The dark, circular room with large red columns hasn't seen life in ages, it seems. Its slightly hollowed floor is covered with a black, viscous, probably inflammable mud... The few canvases in the corners only retain dust. The walls engraved on all sides seem to tell the story of Kressh and Sadow.

In its center, an altar rests. Xaash hardly waits any longer. She walks forward without fear... but then slows down... Something is wrong... A problem she hadn't seen coming, that she hadn't even imagined possible...

Where... where is the artifact  ?

The Sith child fidgets. He must be nearby, somewhere on the ground maybe  ? Nothing. An insect may have eaten it  ? No. He couldn't have gone very far...maybe in the dark gasoline  ? He is not there.

The girl kneels down. Failure invaded him for the first time in a long time. For the second time on this planet, unofficially... And there, she understands.

Jahnelthra.

No one else could beat her. Nobody is faster than Xaash in the tombs and nobody can sneak between the last critters she has just crushed... except maybe a tiny little kitten.

The green-eyed sith feels hatred boiling inside her. Her breathing hitches, her fists crack, her own voice anchors to her lungs to hold back the howl of anger that wouldn't even relieve her.

The little échanie kid, who sometimes thought she was her little sister, had just challenged her as an absolute rival, and while she had been wary of it from the start, she hadn't seen it coming. Her irises warmed slightly to scarlet just imagining the child on her way to the academy, victorious. Jahnelthra really wanted to know who she was  ? She was going to fight until blood and tears to show him  !

There was not a second to lose. As the next acolytes came just behind his back, Xaash unleashed his anger in a roar, and threw his lightsaber at their throat.

A few hours later, dusk set in. Xaash walked up the steps of the academy, tired, arms dangling in the cinnabar-laden wind, head down, hood pulled back. She hadn't crossed paths with the dazzling echany on the way back, which meant that, for her, she had lost. Jahnelthra must have already returned.

For Xaash, his objective went from the start of the event beyond the minimum. She was aiming for the maximum. Like always. But not this time... Entering the great central hall of the building, she only raised her head a few seconds later. To her great surprise, between her and the gigantic stone obelisk that served as the heart of the academy, the supervisors began little by little... to applaud.

Under the blissful gaze of the pale child, Tremel, surrounded by his lined up colleagues, applauded his return. The serious gaze, the straight pose, every supervisor showed his respect, even Harkun reluctantly.

"  Congratulations apprentice Xaash.  his teacher came forward. "  You are the first arrival. You deserve all the honors.  »

But what did all this mean  ? She had failed. Where had the kitten gone?  ? It all made no sense  !

"  But... I didn't recover the artifact...  she remarked shyly, in embarrassment.

At the same time, the second acolyte ran into the building. It was Jahnelthra. Out of breath but quickly regaining her stamina, she rested a hand against one of the large statues guarding the entrance, the one to her right. She had come back empty-handed, too... Why  ?

Little by little, the other survivors arrived at the picket behind the echania, and none left the corridor of the entrance, for fear of passing too close to the lunar kitten, which had just proved itself, judging by the blood on his hair. Xaash watched the animation behind him, confused by this illogical victory. Jahnelthra sent her a charming smile, as the questioning faces clustered behind her and sought to see the one who had preceded them all. Turning back to her master, she noticed his small smile.

"  There was no artifact.  Tremel shouted a little louder to calm the crowd in the background. "  The purpose of this mission was to make you all feel the important feeling of disappointment...defeat...being outmatched by a more capable rival than yourself.  »

Xaash opened his mouth in surprise. They had all tricked her. This whole mission was just a mental test, not a physical one. All that anger she had saved on the drive home, all that hatred she had reserved for Jahnelthra, to pour her rage on her head like boiling steel. It was all...for no reason  ? She had arrived on the scene first, after all...

"  Defeat is not acceptable here on Korriban. But even the greatest sith encounter her, one day or another. So would you let it consume you like a termite, or would you turn it into revenge, motivating enough to pick you up and finish the job?  »

His supervisor's words were right. The old man was good at talking, or he had prepared it in advance. This hatred had not come to her in vain. She had indeed used it to get home as quickly as possible. And yet... she wasn't justified... The kitten had nothing to do with it... She knelt in front of the dark-skinned speaker.

"  Those who came back from this long journey this evening, with the black gasoline boots, understood the lesson. The others didn't go all the way. Also, they will be executed.  »

As soon as these words were spoken, a few students in the crowd took to their heels, straight outwards. They were instantly knocked down by the pair of black honor guards stationed in the hallway.

Xaash looked down. Indeed, the thick viscous liquid still covered his boots, and retained with him thousands of grains of sand. She smirked at the trick.

"  Stand up. Victorious once again, Xaash. Congratulation.  he repeated.

The young teenager sat up, quite relieved. She gave him a slight nod of thanks, when a soft snap sounded behind her. Xaash turned his head. In front of the crowd of students, defying the silence and the seriousness of the event, little Jahnelthra began to applaud in her turn. A wide smile on her lips, a passion in her eyes, her little hands were agitated widely in a childish uproar. And soon, the other students followed her, a little forced perhaps. The soothing hubbub spread through the room with powerful acoustics, and Xaash didn't know how to react except with a bewildered, surprised but shy look. Jahnelthra redoubled her efforts in her excessively exaggerated gestures. Then the guards got down to it again.

...Not Harkun. He had already given enough.

Shortly after the murderous twilight came the peaceful night. Korriban slept a little less populated tonight, and would fill up quickly at dawn. Even the sith need rest. Some don't get it, some forbid it, for more security. Xaash wasn't sleeping, and wasn't really tired. Sitting, alone awake in her dormitory among the exhausted students, she couldn't sleep a wink. What a day... what a story... Tremel's lesson was not new to the young Sith's ears. She took a deep breath and meditated for a few moments. But nothing she was looking for came to her. A memory, a thought, a tactic, an advice, a vision... No. Nothing but Jahnelthra's smile floated in her mind that night. Jahnelthra applauding despite finishing second. Jahnelthra delighted to see her rival safe and sound. Jahnelthra... who had been the target of so many lies in her own head. What could she  ? It was planned by the masters.

She lay down again, and curled up in her blanket. Well ten minutes passed, and not an eyelash of Xaash tired. No... She wasn't going all the same...

Well if...

As if dragged from her bed by the conscience of a stranger, by a strange desire for company, she left the dormitory and slipped towards the upper floors.

The small corridor that led to the attic still seemed as risky as ever, as if constantly under surveillance by the large statues holding up the ceiling. If anyone saw her here, at this time or at any time, she could be in serious trouble. All shadows danced on the walls, in the glow of the clawed braziers, and the slightest draft caused a feeling of unease and dizziness. But no one was watching. It was just that good old paranoia that likes to follow people in violation.

Xaash nonetheless moved cautiously down the long coral-red corridor. She moved close to the wall to her left like a careful spy, checked behind her as she approached the bend in the hallway, and jumped two steps away.

"  XAASH  !  »

Hardly had she time to understand, to emit a small 'ouhf', that a silhouette seized her violently, twisting around her body and squeezing her arms and her ribs. Head lower than his, Jahnelthra's cheek brushed against his heart.

"  You came back  !  “, released the echanie in relief, without loosening his grip. Her chin was now rubbing against the pale Sith's right arm, who remained enamored with this thing far too cute to call home on this planet. All that was missing was the purr.

The scent emanating from the child's hairstyle was discreet but delicate. She had just washed her hair, probably to remove the sweat and blood it had collected during the day. The warmth of the small body was soothing, its caresses pleasurable, and although she didn't feel comfortable in the bewitching arms, something kept her from getting rid of them.

"  ...Not so loud, we could be heard...  Xaash whispered.

"  You're right.  replied the white cat, straightening up. "  come follow me  !  she continued, catching him by the hand.

Xaash let himself be dragged at full speed to the end of the corridor, towards the vine hanging from the trapdoor in the ceiling. That same trap door she didn't expect to see again anytime soon.

"  I took new rations and we have new candles and a window now look  ! Oh, I'm so glad you came back  !  skipped the child, overexcited by the return of her favorite roommate.

Xaash closed the heavy trap door, checking down with a last glance, then straightened up towards the echany. But the euphoric girl, overflowing with love and quick as a panther, jumped on his neck to try to steal a kiss from his lips.

"  Do not abuse...  insisted the human, pushing her away at the last moment.

"  Excuse me... I'm hysterical  !  she confessed, biting her lower lip. "  Come see  !  she hastened to continue, dragging her to the new little window she had just cut in the roof.

Xaash let himself go. The liveliness of the echania was what he lacked tonight. She didn't want to sleep. Indeed, the decoration had changed somewhat since his departure. A narrow window overlooked the night and its tiny luminous children. The piece was gaining a blue color to its old, weak flame tint. Only a few small candles remained in the corners and on the reading table. Anyone who wanted to live with this maniacal child had to let her do the decorating, that was clear.

"  I'm so sorry for the last time. I want to leave all of this behind. I promise, I won't ask you any more things you don't want to tell. But stay with me... please...  implored the kitten whose eyes were already reflecting the moonlight, just like his hair. She was squeezing his hand so tightly.

"  We forget everything... But never play with my brain again.  Xaash offered, relieved that she didn't have to apologize before Jahn. In reality, she might have come for that, at least a little… but she couldn't. "  Let's open something. I am hungry.  »

Night fell quietly that evening, above the heads of the two young girls. After a small meal by candlelight, they lay down side by side, as before, to tell stories while admiring the populated sky, and to get to know each other a little better.

Jahnelthra took several deep breaths, calming down. From time to time, she did not fail to examine her neighbor, send her a few smiles, inspect her pose, which was a little more comfortable than the last time, but her cold hands remained resting on her chest. His calm breathing, his calm voice. Even his heartbeat, discernible only in a few veins and arteries, kept a serene rhythm. Only an echania could read that kind of detail naturally. The pale young woman was distant, but more confident, and that was enough for her little sister for now.

Tonight, Xaash was having a harder time maintaining too much eye contact. His gaze was lost in the stars, in the window sills or the ceiling. What she discovered there was interesting, but suspicious. Could she really surrender to this way of life  ? Could she afford it, or was she just capable of it?  ?

"  It's funny, what Tremel was saying earlier...it made me think of what your mistress told you, about failure.  »

"  Yes, it happened to me too.  Xaash remarked. "  I had already had the lesson, but I had never been forced to defeat before.  »

Jahn raised his eyebrows in obvious understanding. The defeat... she knew, too. She lost herself alone for a few long seconds in a silence of heavy memories. Then, as if to confess, she opened up to Xaash.

"  I had a brother... before my family left...  she began. Xaash held his breath for a moment, at the very pronunciation of this cursed sentence. "  I stayed with him and my two cousins all the time, on Eshan... His name was Herkaana. He was more than a brother to me actually...I would even say he was my hero. Bigger, I wanted to become like him.  Jahnelthra let out a nostalgic chuckle. "  You would have loved to see it in action, just as I loved to do it. He was gentle, kind, almost like a grandfather sometimes... but in battle he was a bear  !  »

She stopped, stern. "  He left the house before me, and not in pleasant conditions... He left me a magnificent black lily, accompanied by a little note, and in the early morning, he was no longer there to watch over me. He had called it a "point of view difference" with my parents, but I knew he just wanted to spare me more foul language. He was a warrior, not a... Anyway, I hope he still lives.  “, she concludes, too quickly. "  Once away from Korriban, I want to find him. Him and my cousins.  »

"  It's more reasonable than your ambitions for the... world and the Empire at our feet... and your great castle.  Xaash remarked.

"  Oh, it still holds...  smiled the echany capriciously, sticking out her tongue.

At that moment, a comet penetrated the cobalt sky, tearing the mottled canvas above the two dreamers for a second. They remained there, in the most perfect silence of the night, without saying a word. If it was enough to simply ask the shooting star for a favor, no doubt the two children would have tried. But sometimes the simple silence of a sweet spectacle unleashes unexpected miracles much faster than you might think.

"  Talk to me... what's up  ?  Jahn encouraged. Xaash turned back questioned towards the echania. "  Your lungs block while inhaling, your lips stick out and your heart races a little when you want to speak...  »

This little witch was incorrigible. Indeed, tonight, a new step was going to be taken.

"  I have... I had a brother too...  “, she struggled to confess. Jahnelthra stood dumbfounded, and regained her passionate, attentive air, but more compassionate, sadder than last time, matching the tone of Xaash's deep voice. "  ...A little brother... I didn't know him for very long, but... I remember him so well... He too left, at the age of three, to be trained in Kaas City as a sith. I never saw him again, then I learned of his death about five years ago...  »

Jahnelthra had guessed the boy's fate beforehand, by Xaash's tone. Something told her that this was not the only tragic story she was going to learn from this sad sponge of darkness that was her friend. She looked down and tried to understand a little more  :

"  ...How did you know  ?  »

"  I went to the Imperial Public Library in town and looked up his name in the military databases.  continued the poor teenager whose eyes were beginning to tremble, but not yet to shine. "  I remember the sound of the machine displaying the simple word "deceased" in red across the width of the giant screen. And nothing else. A list, a name among many others, a date of birth, and this cold word, without justification or contestability.  »

"  What was his name...  ?  Jahn dared to ask. The only response she got was a difficult, fragile exhalation from her friend, and she didn't insist. Neither about him, nor about the rest of his past. It was already a lot for Xaash. Like a flower on the first spring morning, she had just opened up like never before. Of his own volition, without any petty sleight of hand on the part of the echania.

Jahnelthra curled up against her, clutching her arm and resting her heavy head on the collarbone of the one in whom she would soon entrust her life, her desires and her hopes. Together, they had so much to accomplish, so much to explore, so much to tell each other... And they had time, here, alone in the shadow of the sleeping academy, under the light of the cursed moons.

Suddenly, Xaash jerked his head up sharply. Jahn stared at him in amazement. What was happening  ?

"  You heard  ?...  asked the pale child, like a dog on guard. The echanie withdrew from her friend, and scrutinized the darkness, then the human with a questioning air. There was nothing here...

"  It's from there...  Xaash muttered as he stood up, sniffing out a trail.

She advanced in the darkness on all fours, towards the end of the room. Jahn followed her, curious, then saw her stop short, and close her eyes. No one breathed for about ten seconds, then light murmurs were finally heard.

"  It comes from below...  murmured loudly the echany excited by the mystery.

Xaash slipped her fingernails and then her little fingers under a broken piece of flagstone, carefully removed then placed the piece of cut stone beside it, and both leaned towards the strange discovery which called them.

A bland red mixture of dirt and dried clay covered the layer beneath the flagstones, but in the middle a crack let out a faint midnight blue glow. A glimmer from an unknown world. A world below their feet, yet far beyond their heads. A forbidden world, and full of power.

"  It's scandalous  ! simply outrageous  ! Ravaged  ! Support me damn it  !  »

"  We are not here to divide once more, Aruk, but to keep our boot on Coruscant.  !  »

"  Our boot won't hold them long with such soft and lax policies, Vowrawn! ...Mekhis  ! What do you propose ?  »

"  My technology isn't perfect yet Lord Decimus.  »

Xaash and Jahnelthra held their breath. The younger covered her mouth with her hand, while the older left hers hanging wide open. Although the view was only dim through the crack, a few figures below were moving. But the words, though weak, did not deceive.

"  This is the Dark Council  !...  Jahn whispered in surprise.

"  Shhht  !...  the attentive human returned. She knew very well what it was about. Every name and almost every voice she had just heard she had studied with admiration and respect long ago. But what she was admiring…virtually no one had had access to it.

"  Colleagues... no need to panic. I assure you that the situation is well in hand. Lord Marr, I think we are ready to listen to your wisdom...  asked one of the leaders, calm, masked by the chrome.

"  Thank you my friend.  “, thanked the concerned, also masked. The imposing man rose from his throne, and began pacing in the middle of the room, appearing and disappearing regularly from the field of vision of the two passionate spectators. "  My brave associates... Vowrawn is right. This is not the time to divide us, but on the contrary to gather our forces. If a Kaggath were to prevail now, our unity would be so shaky that the populace would find out...and the Republic with it. I speak especially to you two...  he said, pointing to a zabrak and a grumbling Zeltron with arms crossed. "  Your constant rivalry is enough...  »

"  What are they talking about  ?  Jahnelthra asked, confused, but already lying on her stomach, chin in her hands, elbows on the floor and feet kicking in the air.

Xaash was far too focused to respond. What she was doing was forbidden. Punishable by death. But her curiosity and admiration were in charge that night. How to Look Away From His Beloved Empire's Greatest Heroes and Politicians  ? As long as she never told anyone... As long as the two of them never told anyone...

"  Anyway... our spies have just reported that construction of the Jedi Temple on Tython is finally complete. Last-minute additions and hasty repairs have delayed the architects, but our enemies now welcome seven percent more students. Hence the greater entry of acolytes with us this year, to maintain a higher quota...  »

At these words, Jahnelthra jerked forward to listen better. Xaash knew she hated Jedi too, as every Sith should, but the mere mention of the temple had ignited her rage like a red flag that of a reek. The face of the small echanie displayed the wrinkles of frustration, his mouth breathed the breath of contempt and his clenched fists fell on the ground...

A little too hastily...

When an accident occurs, it is not uncommon for the weather to give the illusion of braking. Events pass in slow motion, the sounds become muffled, and the feeling of helplessness escalates in the souls of those responsible, who freeze without acting in the face of the inevitable. And when a very small pebble, which until now had been dozing on the clay like the other slabs of the floor, rolled straight towards the crack... the hearts of the two teenagers imploded.

The tiny stone fell like a credit down a sewer, and slowly fell towards the center of the lower room under the distraught eyes of the startled little girls.

The stone would have shattered in plain sight, with the most excruciating noise, if Xaash hadn't emerged from its grasp to catch up with it in thought, a couple of seconds earlier.

The members of the great Dark Council would have all looked up at the mischievous intruders, then had them executed on the spot, if the human hadn't kept up her reflexes.

The two young Sith aspirants would have heard the new findings about the old dissident Jedi operation on Kaas, if the panic hadn't deafened them.

But things are what they are. Fate, if it exists, has a plan, and time, whatever it is, never turns back.

"  We were hot... Well done...  Jahn whispered.

Xaash gave her a serious and accusing look, and brought up the stone that the echania surgically grabbed, before smiling apologetically. The human sighed, and gave up her serious air in the absence of a slight smirk that her partner did not miss... Yes, they had been hot.

Tonight, like many others after, perched in the opera house of high politics, Xaash and Jahnelthra listened to their leaders work, then went to doze together, between books and embroidered rugs. They learned so many useful things for the glorious future that awaited them in the warmth, in secret. But something even more important had just hatched between the two young women. mutual interest. An interest in one person who was becoming less and less a rival to the other, and more and more a sister. An interest that little by little would turn into a powerful love.

A love, which would save the galaxy... more than once.

Nine years later....

As the sun rose among the clouds, offering a horizon of vivid watercolors, Xaash-tâ sat cross-legged, her eyes closed, breathing calm. She had had a very bad night. In her rare moments of slumber, her ghosts turned her mind, played with her fragility, and left her to wake up, alone. To cope, at dawn, she meditated in the dark side. It was the only solution. Ignoring them was futile, defeating them seemed impossible. Xaash needed this silence...just like that day on Korriban, during the trial by fire. This silence, peaceful on the outside, but deadly on the inside.

When Rish the Resplendent attacked the cloaked Pale Lady's eyelids, Jahnelthra stepped through her aquatic curtain to join her. She landed beside him, and admired the view of the golden beach from the height.

"  How are you feeling ?  asked the echania to her sister.

"  Very well...  »

Jahn turned to her, concerned, and leaned down to try to see the serene face of the conflicted woman.

"  You've never been really good at telling a lie.  »

"  A pleasant night...  the human replied, continuing the lie but this time with the sarcastic tone that was appropriate. She did not move, however, and remained with her eyes closed facing the landscape. "  Does the red dog snore well?  »

Jahnelthra chuckled. Obviously, his question was a double-edged sword. No matter the distance or the continuous humming of the waterfall, she must have heard it, at night.

"  He sleeps soundly... I have rarely seen him so calm, so peaceful...  »

She cast a vague eye into space while smiling. The frequent, even sometimes constant disturbance of her dearest friend was a pain she wished she could overcome more than anything. But she had long understood that this was not a fight she could win with words.

"  Have you thought about what I proposed to you?...  »

Xaash kept silent... she knew very well what the echania was referring to...

"  I have this power... but the cruellest thing about it... is that I can't even use it for myself. I can only give this gift to others. While I would have liked so much to forget everything, me too... sometimes...  Jahn confessed, crossing his arms in the light breeze. Her snow-white hair looked like flames as it swayed chaotically in front of her motionless face.

"  It's nothing cruel.  Xaash cut off, finally turning his head towards the echania. His blood red eyes contrasted with the darkness that surrounded them. She stood up abruptly. Hadn't Jahnelthra learned the lesson  ? "  The past makes us who we are... If you erase it from yourself... you erase your soul.  dictated the terrifying-looking sith firmly, without raising her voice. She disappeared into the palm trees to join the camp, leaving her to meditate on what she had just said.

Jahnelthra smiled sadly. Her friend was as wise as she was determined. She looked at the gaping void in front of her feet one last time and whirled around.

"  You may be right, my sister...  »