Avatar the Last Airbender: Jedi Outcast - Book 1 - Prodigal Butcher

Chapter 18 - Shatterpoints

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Chapter 18 - Edit

The towering trees reached up to the heavens, their auburn leaves casting a vibrant red hue over the forest floor as Katara carefully filled her water flask. She tightened the lid securely; they were preparing to depart. Leaving the freedom fighters behind hadn't sat well with her, but her brother Sokka was resolute. Aang needed a proper waterbending teacher, and Benjamin, the Jedi Knight, had suggested this place.

They had hoped to find another Jedi, someone like Benjamin who had fought against the Fire Nation. Instead, they encountered a Sith warrior, clad in armor and stationed here. Were it not for Benjamin, she shuddered to think what might have transpired.

Sounds of splashing from upriver drew her attention, her eyes widening as she spotted Ben. His eyes seemed empty, his breath absent, even when she screamed his name, he remained unresponsive. Only her touch roused him, causing him to stumble back.

"Katara..." He uttered her name, his voice distant, almost as if he'd been thawed from carbonite. As she traced her finger along his face, he turned away, his face etched with shock and faint bruises marring his body.

"Benjamin, what happened?" she inquired, her voice trembling.

He didn't answer, instead pushing past her, his eyes vacant as he gazed fixedly at something in the distance. Blood stained his lips, and his fingers trembled.

But then, he halted.

Katara wrapped her arms around him, her forehead resting on his back. Her gaze drifted over the crimson fabric of his attire, and she couldn't help but notice his maimed left hand—a testament to the sacrifices he had made for them. She took a deep breath. "I won't let you go until you tell me what's happening. You're my friend, so please."

Benjamin's gaze remained fixed on the forest ahead, his dark hair rustling in the wind. He parted his lips, his words emerging haltingly. "I don't know who I am anymore..."

Katara strained to hear him, her eyes fixed on his dark mane. Hours had passed since whatever had transpired with the old man, the last of the Mandalorians. The last of a once-feared warrior race, extinguished by the last of the Jedi. Benjamin knew he should feel pride; that Mandalorian was part of Exar Kun's personal fighting force, a threat to countless Jedi. He would have continued killing Jedi if he hadn't crash-landed here.

Yet, guilt gripped Benjamin, an unshakable sensation. "Why do I feel so guilty?" he wondered. "I didn't do anything wrong. The Mandalorians were evil, they..."

His eyes widened as thoughts churned within him. This wasn't the picture of a young Mandalorian soldier, proudly executing civilians. Instead, it was the image of an old man who had shed his armor and the warrior's creed. An old man who had retreated to the forest, seeking peace and solitude.

Did Benjamin, in all his darkness, have the right to snuff out a life?

"Benjamin," Katara implored, her words laden with earnestness, "you're a Jedi Knight, the last of your kind. You've saved us countless times. You're our friend."

"A Jedi," he muttered to himself, the words tasting strange on his tongue. But was he truly a Jedi anymore? Jedi didn't wander so far into the abyss of the dark side as he had. They didn't revel in vengeance, nor did they act out of hatred. It was antithetical to the Jedi way.

Benjamin shook his head, trying to dispel the relentless grip of these thoughts. They twisted around in his mind, refusing to let go. He gasped for breath, the weight of his choices heavy upon him.