Ascension - Jedi: Fallen Order (Fanfic)

Chapter 10: Eleventh Brother

I sat across from Kohan in the large cell, who was currently occupied with being unconscious. It was dark and damp in here, low quality lights flickered from time to time in the hallway just outside the metal barring. It wasn't a complete mystery as to where we were. Considering that it was an inquisitor that had found me, and that had brought me here... 

The feline groaned, rolling onto his back. One paw-like hand rubbing his face.

"Welcome to the world of the living. You've been unconscious for a good few hours."

Kohan gingerly propped himself on the opposite wall, rubbing the sore spot on his head. "Where are we?"

I crossed my legs. "No where good," the feeling of guilt was heavily pressing down on my shoulders, "I'm sorry. I never should have visited you, this is all my fault."

There was a moment of silence between the two of us. I could feel his eyes studying me, but chose not to make eye contact.

"I knew you were a Jedi, Tarylin, alone in that crashed escape pod and wearing that familiar garb," he said, "It was unmistakable. I had friends in the Order, and you were just a kid. So, I took you under my wing and pretended you were a normal girl."

"But why? You spent all those years looking after me, knowing you could get caught. So why did you do it?" I wrung my hands together, rubbing a thumb across my scrapped knuckles.

"Because it was the right thing to do, Tarylin." Kohan replied simply.

I chewed on my cheek. "My name isn't Tarylin, Kohan. It's Y/n..."

"Y/n..." He looked at her thoughtfully, "It's a beautiful name, but Tarylin seems to suite you more." There was a light-hearted jab in the comment, and it made me smile.

"You think so? It's a bit weird, hearing my real name nowadays. Call me whatever you want," I let out a small laugh, "thank you for doing what you did all those years ago. I appreciate it."

Our conversation was cut off by the sounds of footsteps that echoed down the hallway toward us. I leaned to the door to look, seeing two pairs of troopers come toward us. Kohan and I watched as they punched in numbers on a keypad next to the cell. The metal door slid up and out of sight with a metallic squeal that made me shudder. I stood, giving Kohan a gentle pull to his feet.

"Come with us, and don't try anything Jedi, we won't hesitate to kill you where you stand." They motioned for us to follow them. We walked down a few dark and twisting hallways to a wide circular room.

In the middle of it stood an Inquisitor, in black clothing and a helmet with a wide, red T in the mask for their eyes. From the figure, it was definitely a male, and about a head and a half taller than myself.  We were stopped near the center of the room before the troopers retreated back towards the wall to stand and wait.

"Being recently recruited and finding you so easily will have surely gained me great favor for our leader, and as a bonus, your furry friend as well," He said, "I'm very curious as to how a young Jedi like yourself has managed to evade the Empire for this long?"

"It wasn't difficult," I replied truthfully, "you must be brighter than the rest, who ultimately failed."

The man crowed, I made it out as a horrible laughing sound. "I am the Eleventh Brother, trained by Darth Vader himself. The Empire got word of your whereabouts when a seeker like myself sensed your presence. Once you entered Lotho-Minor, we found you rather quickly."

"And what do you plan on doing with us?" I asked.

"With you," he specified, "I don't want to waste you. We need new people to help weed out the remaining Jedi that seek to destroy the great Empire that has now taken over. What happens to your friend here is none of my concern."

I glared. "Let him go, you want me right? He's old, and can't do any harm to anyone. Please..." Stepping in front of Kohan as the Eleventh Brother grew close, I pushed the feline back one step with my body.

"Tarylin..." Kohan's low tone held a note of hesitancy and warning. 

The devil in front of us smiled. "He's more than an old feline to you, Jedi. We shall see what he has to say."

Kohan let out a grunt as he was grabbed by two troopers and pulled back toward the hallway where we had come through.

"Hey, let him go!" I shouted, throwing out a hand to use to force, but was thrown to the ground by unseen hands and held there until Kohan was out of sight. Once I was released, I sat up, staring icily at the Inquisitor. "What are you going to do with him?"

"That is not what you should be worried about."

A blunt force to the temple from behind threw me into darkness. I woke strapped to a tilted-cold metal chair. Blinking, I stared with squinted eyes at the inquisitor watching me. "Where is my friend?"

"He's right over there," he replied with a nod, "I thought it would be a shame to not have him here to watch."

Glancing over at Kohan, I could see that he was barely conscious, and seemingly beaten have to death. Struggling against the bonds, I let out a frustrated yell.

"Please, let him go. He's no harm to anyone." Pleading was no help to the old cat, this was the end of the line for him, and I knew it, but maybe...

As the Inquisitor answered my plea, large metal arms that sparked with electricity  began to raise above me from the left and right side of the chair I was in. "He raised you, a Jedi. Who's to say that he won't do the same thing for other Jedi. But he is an old man, you're right about that. I'll let him go, but he will watch you suffer and turn into a monster just like me. Then he may never make that mistake again."

I couldn't remember anything else after that, knowing only pain and the sounds of my own screams.