reborn § cal kestis

11

Somewhere, hidden in the fog, Sadira sat crying. She wasn't particularly upset, just overwhelmed. The memories of her sister were nothing; she wore that reminder around her neck every day. But meeting the man who had failed Aiyana and being unable to defeat him? That had shaken her. She felt almost as if she had failed her sister.

She wasn't far from the base, at least she didn't think she was. Upon arriving, she just couldn't bare to walk in and face everyone else, so turned and walked into the fog. Merrin, who was powerful and strong. Greez, who remained unshaken and loyal. Cere, who was always understanding and kind.

  And then Cal, who had forgiven her even when she didn't deserve it. Sheepishly, she thought over the events at the temple. She knew what she had done was right, but felt guilty for ruining Cal's mission.

  For a moment, she pondered over what her mission was. When D'ri had asked her why she was there, she hadn't known how to respond. It was true: she had no other choice. But if she did have a choice, would she leave her newfound crew, or would she stay and fight alongside them?

  Sadira sat curled up, with her knees pressed against her chest. She thought for a long time; about death, purpose, morality. If she could have one thing, she decided, it'd be an answer. Just one sentence that would answer all her questions. She felt as if she was a child again, curious and in awe of the world, asking her mother and father question upon question until they got sick of her and made her go play outside. Part of her would do anything to be that innocent child again.

When her tears stopped falling and her sobs ceased, she stood up. She figured that Cal would be at the headquarters already, so she began to mentally prepare herself for his reaction to what she had let him see. Sadira didn't fully trust him, but she trusted that he was the best person to know, and she really needed to talk to someone. Everything was bubbling up inside of her, and it threatened to spill.

  Sadira cleared her throat, brushed herself off and sighed. She was ready. Just as she took a step towards the base, a voice sounded from behind: "Sadira."

  She froze in her tracks. The slight lilt of the voice; the unseen but obvious smirk; the cockiness of the tone—she knew it so well. "Jase," she breathed, not daring to turn and confirm her suspicions.

  He did it for her. "That's me."

  She span around. It was like a dream. Jase stood there, as tall and handsome as ever, with a large grin on his face. "What are you doing here?"

  "I wanted to see you," he said, as he stepped forward. "I missed you so much after you left."

  "How did you know where I was?"

  Jase lifted his hand, revealing a tracker. It's red light flashed erratically. "I always knew you were reckless, but I never thought you'd be stupid enough to betray Sorc Tormo and get a Bounty on your head."

  "I didn't betray him."

  "Then what did you do?" Jase waited, but there was no reply. His eyes lit up knowingly, and Sadira's lack of an answer was enough of a response for him. "Oh, Dee. How did he find out?"

  Sadira studied her feet as she bit her lip. "I was on a mission. The guy, he was stronger and faster than me, so I tried to use...it."

  "And it worked?"

  Sadira nodded. "Did a lot of damage. The guy was spooked, and ran away. I don't think he knew what it was so he didn't tell anyone but..."

  "There was a witness," Jase finished for her.

  "There was a witness," she repeated. "Thought I killed him, but he must've been saved."

  As Jase sidled closer, he dropped the tracker on the ground. "So now you're here." He crushed it with his foot. "Travelling around with two Jedi, a gambler and a Nightsister."

  "I never thought I'd see you again," Sadira whispered, ignoring his words.

  "Isn't that why you left the Guild?"

  A stab of remorse bloomed in Sadira's heart. "I'm sorry Jase, I—"

  "No, don't apologise." He held his hands up and smiled. "Worked out well for me anyway. If you'd have stayed, I wouldn't be where I am now."

  "Which is?"

  "Leader of the Guild. With you, there would've been too much competition. Everyone knew you were better than me." Sadira heard the venom in his kind words. As he moved towards her, she began to slowly walk back.

  "That's great, Jase." Crossing her arms defensively, she took another step back. "Why are you here?"

  "Am I not allowed to visit an old friend?" She made a face. Chuckling, he moved towards her. "Don't give me that face, Dee." They were only a few centimetres apart, and Jase took the opportunity to gently take ahold of Sadira's hands. She wanted to protest, but she had really missed him too. "I have an offer. Come with me, rejoin the guild, and I can make Tormo's gang drop the bounty on you."

Sadira's eyes widened. This was everything she wanted—to be with Jase again, to live freely. But it seemed to good to be true. She narrowed her eyes. "What's the catch?"

"I knew you'd ask that," Jase laughed. He bit his lip. "You have to give in your new friends. Prove your loyalty. Plus, we could really use the money."

Gasping, Sadira tugged her hands from Jase's. "Why would I do that?"

Jase rolled his eyes. "Come on Sadira. I've seen the signals—the Empire are on their way. They're gonna be caught at some point."

"But-"

Holding a finger to her lips, Jase shushed her. She grimaced. Does he think I'm a child? she thought. "Listen, Dee. I have some of the Guild members here with me. I told- no, I guaranteed them that you cared about our history enough to help us out. Please, do this for us. Do this for your family."

If it was anyone else, Sadira would be angered by his mention of her family, especially to bribe her. But it was Jase, and to her, he was family. At least, he was the closest thing she had.

She wanted to wait and think it through, but time was her enemy. The Empire were on their way and if she didn't make a decision soon, it'd be too late. Cal appeared in her mind, but she pushed him away. She couldn't deliberate on it any further. "Fine, I'll do it."

Jase grinned, then pulled her into a warm hug. "I knew you would, Dee."

Sadira moved back, then looked into Jase's deep brown eyes. "Now tell me what the plan is."