11

Dawn was still an hour off when Krell came to fetch her for morning training.

Neither of them spoke as he led her down towards the training room. The Fortress was quieter than usual at this hour. Most of its inhabitants would be asleep for several more hours. Saedii, too, felt the early hour and blinked against her heavy eyelids.

At her side, Krell was wide awake. No matter what time of day, he never seemed tired. No matter how late he had her up training or how late he was out on assignment. It was unnerving. It made him seem inhuman.

There was something...strange about him today. Saedii tried to observe him from the corner of her eye and noticed what appeared to be a bruise along his chin. A dark, terrible bruise, right along his jaw bone. It looked roughly the size of a fist.

"What are you looking at?" Krell demanded, cutting her a glance.

"Nothing, Master." Saedii returned her gaze to the floor.

The lights were already on in the training room – a dull blood red that cast long shadows across the sparring ring at the center. On a stool nearby, a stack of black leather sat beneath Saedii's helmet.

"Get dressed," Krell snapped, slipping back out the door. "You have two minutes."

She did as he asked. By the time she slipped her helmet back on, Krell was charging in nearly thirty seconds early. Impatient.

He tossed her a training blade. His own lightsabers were already in his hands, buzzing to life.

Saedii took a step back. She could sense his rage. His wrath. He would be dangerous this morning.

Sure enough, he launched himself at her without preamble. Saedii swung her blade up, meeting his first strike, then his second which came soon after. Her feet shuffled backwards as his blades starting swinging, moving too fast for her to keep up with.

As she ducked beneath one, the other quickly lashed out, swiping across her back.

The blades had been set to training mode, but even so, the heat was enough to burn. A grunt tore from Saedii's chest before she could help it. She stumbled.

Krell's foot crushed into her chest.

The breath evaporated in her lungs. Saedii choked, gasping as she dropped down onto all fours. The kick had aggravated her already sore ribs.

"Sloppy," Krell snapped.

Saedii had been right. He was definitely angry.

Grimacing, Saedii got up to her feet. Immediately, Krell lunged forward, striking out with both blades. Red sparks danced as Saedii's blade met his, pushing him back.

But Saedii was slower than usual this morning. Still sore. Normally, keeping up with Krell was tiring, but not impossible. The faster and stronger Saedii had become over the past year, the less burns she'd walked away with.

This morning, her feet couldn't seem to move fast enough. After a few more traded blows, Krell landed another blow across her upper thigh. She hissed as she felt her skin burn. As the smell of melted flesh filled the air.

Krell was baring his teeth. "Are you being intentionally slow?"

"No, Master." Saedii grimaced, a hand going down to feel her thigh. Even through the leathers, she knew she'd have a burn. The heat of the training blades was high enough to teach a lesson with every hit.

"Then perhaps you want me to hurt your little friend again?"

Anger burned in Saedii's chest. She jumped up, slipping beneath Krell's first swing and taking a swipe for herself. He blocked it easily enough, and countered with a vicious backhand across her face.

Metal pealed as her helmet fell off, bouncing several feet away. It rested right-side up, eyes staring straight at her. Mocking her.

One of Saedii's hands reached up, massaging the back of her neck. While the helmet had taken the brunt of Krell's hit, the force of his punch had been strong enough that she'd felt it all the way down the back of her neck. Straight into her shoulders.

"Are you even trying?" Krell snarled. "Get up."

Reluctantly, Saedii did as he asked.

She wasn't on her feet two seconds before he rammed the hilt of his blade into her gut.

Wheezing, she stumbled onto one knee.

"Lazy!"

Saedii frowned. Usually, Krell was cruel in their sessions, but never this brutal. He gave her time to rest. Called out what she was doing wrong and how she needed to fix it. This morning, he seemed intent on beating her as badly as he could. No lessons involved.

What was it that had him so angry this morning? Was he still mad at her betrayal on Celiph? He'd punished her for that – severely. Usually, that was enough to stall his anger.

Her throat worked as she swallowed. Krell was never more dangerous or unpredictable than when he was in a mood like this. She would have to tread carefully if she didn't want anymore serious injuries. Or for Omega to face consequences.

Determined, Saedii pushed herself to her feet. She engaged her hilt, letting the double blades swing around in a circle of light. It hummed like a shield as she held it up before her.

Noting the shift in her focus, Krell's eyes narrowed.

When they came back together, it was a brutal dance. This time, Saedii made up for her tired and sore body by forcing her mind to speed up. By using the quick intuition that she'd learned from all her Masters – Jedi and Inquisitors alike.

Their blades bounced off each other, neither gaining purchase. Krell's lips twitched up at the revelation that Saedii was giving a better effort, pleased that she was finally playing along. He always thrived on a challenge. The mornings where Saedii gave him a true fight seemed to be his favorite.

Saedii's body flipped around the arena, ducking and striking in equal measure. Her fighting style had become much more aggressive since she'd come here. Her habit of ducking and avoiding had been replaced by daring advances. By progressive swings and attacks full of confidence and aggression.

"Better," Krell crooned as they came together, blades locked in a stalemate. His eyes were glittering with excitement. With expectation. "If only you'd fought like this on Celiph. I wouldn't have needed to punish your little Clone."

Fresh anger burned. Saedii shoved him away, touching into the Force to launch him back several feet.

Krell cocked his head. "Have I touched a nerve?"

"No," Saedii spat.

"Your anger is misplaced. I am not the reason your friend was hurt. If you'd only killed the boy sooner –"

Air whistled as she struck. Krell was quick to block her, but snarled as her blade spun back around, catching him across the jaw. Blood spurted from his mouth, spraying across the floor in a crimson fan.

Immediately, Saedii knew she had erred.

The toying air around Krell vanished, replaced by something ruthlessly cold. His eyes filled with murderous intent – the only warning Saedii had as his hand flung out towards her.

A startled gasp whistled from her throat as the Force wrapped cruelly tight around her neck, lifting her off the ground. Her hands clawed helplessly at the invisible bands of power that held her while her mind fought to untangle them.

Cold, dark energy swirled in the Force. When she reached out, it brushed against her in a chilling, seductive shadow.

Krell was channeling the Dark Side.

"You dare," Krell hissed, voice so low that Saedii nearly didn't catch it, "to mark me? Your Master?"

The bands of power tightened. Blackness danced at the edge of her vision. Saedii's grip on her lightsaber slackened and it fell to the ground, bounding off the cold stone.

"Please," Saedii begged. Mouthed, as her air was gone.

"Do you know what your failure did to me? How I was punished?" he demanded. Blood dripped down his chin, collecting in the folds of skin around his neck.

Saedii's eyes began to droop.

Just as suddenly as he'd lashed out, Krell suddenly withdrew his power, letting Saedii fall bodily to the floor.

Gasping breaths tore into her chest. She couldn't seem to get enough air. To fill her lungs as they demanded more.

As she struggled for air, Krell loomed over her. His foot came up and collided with her chest, knocking her flat on her back. Then, it rested hard on her chest, pinning her to the floor.

"My Master holds me responsible for your continued failure. For your betrayal on Celiph," Krell snarled. He jerked the leathers down from his neck, showing another flash of a bruise hiding beneath. "Do you see what he's done to me? All because of you."

"I'm sorry Master," Saedii began, but broke off with a sharp breath as he increased the pressure on her chest.

His eyes blazed. "Your apologizes mean nothing to me. The only way you can atone for your sins is to fall in line. To obey."

She swallowed. "I am your loyal servant. I will not disappoint you."

Every muscle in Saedii's body locked in place as Krell's lightsaber hovered over her face and he switched from training mode. Heat from the blade bathed her cheek, sending a line of sweat straight down her spine. The look in Krell's eye was wild. Unpredictable.

"I know that you have not embraced our ways. You say the words without believing them." His voice was like velvet – soft and silky. A terrible sound. Blood stained his teeth a dark red.

Saedii's lips trembled as she tried to turn away from the blade. She remembered all too well how hot a lightsaber felt against skin. But Krell tracked her movement, hovering his blade just close enough that the heat was uncomfortable.

"You believe you can protect your friend instead of serving me," Krell said. "And that makes you believe that you are above the rest of us that have embraced the darkness."

A low cry escaped before Saedii could help it. Krell's lightsaber was close enough that it had begun to sting along her cheekbone now. A sharp pain like a sunburn, growing hotter every moment.

Krell snarled, "You have no hope of redemption, little Padawan. The moment you took an innocent life, you broke every vow that you ever took. You will never be a Jedi again."

No, that defiant part of her whispered, as the darker part roared, He's right.

"You will not escape. There is no life for you outside of the Inquisitors. You have nothing – are nothing without us," Krell insisted.

Saedii closed her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek. "I-I won't leave. My place is here."

It was the same words she'd said last night to Kalth. Had he told Krell that she hadn't fallen for his trick? Was Krell now trying to coax a confession from her himself?

"You have no place," Krell snapped, pushing the blade ever closer. "You are nothing! Do you understand?"

"Yes," Saedii cried, teeth gritted as her cheek flared with hot, searing pain.

Satisfied, Krell finally pulled his lightsaber back.

The burn on her cheek was mild compared to what it could have been. Nothing more than a glancing touch. It didn't feel like a deep burn, or a large one. No larger than her pinky nail.

But the warning had been enough.

"Let this mark be a reminder to you." Krell's voice wound around her, terrifyingly calm despite the horror he'd nearly inflicted on her. "You have nothing to fight for. No life outside of these walls. The next time you think you can show mercy to our quarry, remember that mercy is not enough to redeem you. You will never be a Jedi again."

The words struck deep in her gut. Burrowing like a knife. She nodded, too afraid to speak and betray just how terrified she really was in this moment.

He was right. She'd killed innocent people – a child. It went against every vow she'd ever taken. She could never be a Jedi again.

Monster, that cruel voice in her head whispered.

Krell stepped back, giving her space. Slowly, with shaking arms, Saedii pushed herself into a sitting position. Watching as Krell bent down to retrieve her discarded lightsaber.

He held it out to her. "My advice to you is simple: fall in line. Obey your orders and think only of yourself and your little friend. It will do you no favors to try and play the hero."

Saedii's hand was still shaking as she reached out, accepting her lightsaber. She dutifully ignored the voice in her head that screamed at her to refuse. To fight back.

She wouldn't fight.

She couldn't.

A year ago, fighting would have been her first instinct. Saedii would have raged and rebelled. Defiant. Unwilling to yield or accept defeat.

But now? Saedii didn't have anything left to fight with.

"Lord Vader is just," Krell said through tight lips. The bruise on his jaw looked nefarious in the dark. A stark contrast to his words. "But he does not give second chances often. If you fail again, your punishment will be death – your death and your little Clone. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master." It was all she could do to keep her voice level. To speak evenly. She wouldn't meet his eye.

That chasm inside of her split wider. Eating away at her. Leaving nothing but gaping, empty darkness in its wake.

Krell took several casual steps away, pulling his lightsabers back into his hands. His gleaming eyes observed her on the ground, head bowed in defeat. "Stand, Sister. Training has not ended. You still have much to learn."

Saedii stood. With a shaking hand, she held her lightsaber out in front of her, letting its red hue bathe her in its claiming light.