001 - Week 2 Day 1: Challenges of War

Ever since he had woken from his coma, Dominik had sensed something was wrong. Lo had changed, as any Padawan would when they were thrust into a leadership position with their Master’s condition as uncertain as his had been. Lo had little time to unwind, to step away from the work she constantly put herself into due to her healing talents. Dominik felt as if he was finally back to his old self. His strength had nearly returned, his body ached less. He felt stronger and more prepared than before. His hip was still bothersome but thanks to Lo’s efforts, a simple mix of herbs allowed him to feel hardly any pain at all.

He had managed to find a few spare moments to pull Lo away from her work. They left the cavern, left all prying eyes and open ears, Twi’lek and Jedi alike. They finally had help, which meant Dominik could finally pull Lo away and be the Jedi Master she deserved.

With the sun still high above the horizon, but past midday, Dominik led Lo through the tunnels and out onto a trail that they often took on patrols. It led through the rough land around the tunnels and off into the vast expanses of rock and forests of Ryloth. They would walk to the remains of the Mirage and give it a proper survey. But, he also wanted to sit and allow Lo the time she needed. He hoped she would open up now that it was just them.

The entire way there, Dominik said very little. His aura radiated the strength that was often felt by the other Jedi, he was nearly back to his old self. His eyes scanned the land around them as he led the way, his senses pushed out and his thoughts swimming in his head. They finally topped a small hill before the treeline came into view, the ship wouldn’t be much farther.

“I wanted to find a place for us to sit and talk, Lo.” He began after what seemed like an eternity of silence since he last spoke. “I know something is bothering you. And as your Master I want you to tell me so that we can figure it out, together.”

Lo shifted her feet in place. Her eyes glanced back to the way she came, considering heading back and avoiding the subject. This conversation was something she didn't feel ready for.

"There's not much to say. I'm just... adjusting to you being back." It was the truth for the most part. She avoided the unspoken confusion and frustration as she watched her master's reaction.

Dominik looked back at Lo for a moment before he started to lead the way towards the treeline again. “We will come back tomorrow and stay for as long as we need until you tell me what’s really bothering you. There’s more to it. I feel it every day, Lo. Your aura feels foggy, uncertain. You can talk to me.”

“I don’t think that’s wise. You’re…” She paused in her answer as she gritted her teeth, unsure how to put it delicately. She inhaled then answered honestly.

“A lot of it is at you when it shouldn’t be.”

Dominik made sure to keep his pace slow as they walked and talked. He wanted to make it out of the sun to the treeline so that they could sit for a while.

“Tell me what you’re feeling, Lo. I want to know so that I can help you through it. Just because you’re a Jedi doesn’t mean you can’t feel emotion. But it does need to be dealt with. But you have to tell me.”

Though Lo wanted to retreat and return to the village, her feet kept her locked in pace with her master. Her figure closed in behind him wherever he led. A paw-like hand scratched along her neck as she pondered what he said.

"I don't know what's acceptable to feel in this situation. We're taught that fear, anger, and other emotions can lead Jedi astray from the light. They are not allowed to influence our judgement or choices. They don't tell you what to do when mediation doesn't work..." Her head hung a bit lower than normal, eyes pinned to the ground. Even her fur had flattened against her body.

“You can talk to someone about it. A fellow Jedi, Lo. Your Master. You can feel these things, but you cannot sit on them. You cannot let them control you. If you let your emotions control you-”

“I’m trying not to!” Lo immediately snapped then flinched at her own sudden outburst. She inhaled, trying to clear her thoughts and continued.

“I’m not supposed to feel this way. This can’t be how a Jedi is supposed to feel and....” Lo couldn’t finish her statement.  

The outburst caused Dominik to pause. He glanced up, they were almost to the treeline. He stopped and turned to Lo, looking over his Padawan. He felt a wave of emotions washing off of her, but he wasn’t mad. Not at the emotions she felt, not at her outburst. He only wished he would’ve been strong enough to be there for her when she needed him before.

“Trying, Lo, is better than not.” Dominik began. He stepped forward and kneeled down so that he could see her face. “But you cannot try alone. You do not have to do anything alone. Not while I’m here.” He stood up and looked back at the treeline. “Come, let us find some shade to sit in. I have a lot to tell you.” He said before he started forward again, glancing back to make sure his Padawan would follow.

"But you nearly weren't." Lo stated in a cold tone, her feet had stopped about three feet from her master. She refused to move at that point. Her body trembled slightly from the anger in her core warring with the other emotions and trying to consume them.

"Trying isn't working. I still feel angry, sad, and more balling up inside me and I shouldn't. I can't count on you being around forever and I have to learn to do this before you're gone."

The gentleness Lo would’ve felt in Dom’s aura suddenly disappeared. Replacing it was something more serious and almost sad in nature. The Master Jedi however still was not mad.

The older Jedi inhaled sharply while he shifted the weight on his hip as he stood there. He moved as if he was going to turn, but didn’t. The walking stick in his hand shifted slightly as he adjusted his posture.

“You understand why I did what I did, right? Why I forced the tunnel’s collapse?”

“Yes, you told me. I know it’s childish of me to still be bitter and mad. All Jedi learn they have to sacrifice for the many, not the few. Yet… I can’t make the pain or anger stop.” The young Bothan still hadn’t moved as the distance became more than physical. She felt emotionally and mentally alone, lost in the core of her own storm under the surface.  

“I wouldn’t have left you alone, Lo. I hope you know that.” Dominik said, turning finally to face his Padawan, his walking stick held in front as both hands rested on it. “It wasn’t just a sacrifice for the many over the few, Lo. I didn’t just do it in that moment for all of those we came here to help. I did it because I was upholding a promise your father asked me for years ago. There is more to it than just the Jedi Code.” he explained, taking a deep breath before turning away.

“Now, you can come with me, and I can tell you everything you want to know. Or you can go back to the cavern. I will not fault you if you need to walk away.”

At this point, Lo just stood there. She listened to his footsteps drift into the treeline while she stood rooted by her own weakness and indecision.



The laboratory on Nimm Deenia’s ship was tiny compared to, well, basically all other laboratories used by Sith. A modular unit, it was currently set up in the cargo bay of the ship. As she often switched ships, it had to be modular so it could easily be moved between them. It had severe constraints on size, but she couldn’t bring a full-fledged laboratory suite into the field. Not only was it impractical, but it was also unnecessary. A fury-class Interceptor like the Aruk could easily have had a larger setup than this, but many of the ships she used didn’t have such large cargo holds. No, this was just for making fairly simple things. Nothing like the creations of her master.

She smiled as she beheld the small vial. It wasn't much compared to the amount of work involved in its creation, but she did not need more than this. Not for the use she had in mind. No. This would be enough to take out more than one target if used right.

Now all that remained was to deploy it. The Jedi down on Ryloth wouldn’t know what hit them. It would take time to get into the right position, but she had plenty of it. After all, the other Sith would not arrive for a few days yet. There were a number of other elements to put into place.



Kayda Guerrin had not had much trouble getting onto Ryloth without anyone undesirable being informed of the fact. A few small bribes and suddenly the records no longer had her on that ship, let alone walk off it on Ryloth. While she didn’t openly look like a Jedi Knight to the untrained eye, other Jedi would easily recognize her as one from her bearing and posture. She had bought a small speeder bike from one of the local magistrates, then used that to move across the planet to her destination.

On approach, she parked the speeder and locked it down, pulling out the unique ignition key that would keep anyone from stealing it. That part she tucked into one of the pouches on her belt. As she walked towards her destination, she sensed the presence of two Jedi. One steady and determined, the other more flighty. Though she was not familiar enough with either of them to sense anything more than a vague direction, it did not take her long to locate them. She crept closer, using the thick forest to hide her presence as she observed the two. The older one, presumably the master, was clearly human. The younger one, presumably the padawan, was on the other hand something else. She guessed bothan, but the exact species did not really matter.

The human must have said something before walking away, something that made the young bothan conflicted. ‘Interesting…’  she thought to herself, not emerging from the trees, but not actively hiding either. She would observe a little more first.

Lo's fingers tightened into a fist, then released. Slack at her sides as she focused on her storm and tried to calm it. A futile effort when nothing seemed to listen to her reason. Confusion gave rise to questions while his word rattled in her soft head, leaving her frozen to the spot. Distraction came in the form of a presence. A light, swirling aura of a Jedi.

Promptly, Lo's head snapped to the right and spotted an individual. The woman didn't bear the robes of the Jedi order, but her posture and force told the truth. Another thing to deal with at least.

She was still unsure if she wanted to follow her master or not. Lo decided to use this distraction to delay her choice as she turned to face the woman and cautiously approach her.

"Hello. My name is Lo Lyr'Tre. Who might you be?" She hadn't rushed close the distance immediately, recalling her master's caution when greeting each new arrival. His point stuck well enough for her to at least not make assumptions though based on the behavior, she was fairly sure this woman bore no ill will.

Kayda saw the padawan notice her and approach and made it subtly clear that she knew she had been spotted. It would be easier to approach a lone Jedi first, so this worked well. She greeted the padawan with a respectful bow before answering, “Kayda. Kayda Guerrin.”. To keep the padawan relaxed, she kept her hands in the open, so as to not offer any hint of threat.

Lo returned the bow with a polite gesture. Her internal conflict settled down for the moment as she focused on the task before her. Far easier than sorting the mess of her emotions and preferred over it. Taking a deep breath, she glanced toward her master’s direction then back to the Knight.

"It is nice to meet you. I take it you are here to help? I should bring you to Master Rothul so he can get you caught up on the situation." Lo knew she could've easily gotten the woman caught up, but her master had made a fair point.

Looking towards where the padawan glanced, Kayda saw nothing, but had the feeling that the youngster was looking towards her master. When the girl spoke again, she shook her head, breaking out of her musing. “Help? Yes.” She answered scattermindedly, “I was in the region when I got word about others being here. Better to go here, where there is a clear need, than to go to another more distant place with less need.”

“What brings you out here? And your… master?” she added, gesturing with a hand in the general direction the other Jedi had gone. While logic dictated they were a master-apprentice pairing, she could not know for certain.

Lo frowned a bit. The Knight's answers seemed distracted and unsure. It was behavior displayed in younglings and Padawans rather than Knights. At least, in those she had interacted with before. The idea of bringing the woman to her master felt better and better as the conversation progressed.

Trying not to show her wariness, Lo nodded then began to lead the way toward the direction of her master. He would know what to do. Clearly he could likely sense her nerves rising in the woman's presence ever slightly.

"Humanitarian efforts. Master Rothul wanted to help the Twi'lek who suffered the most during the conflict. So far, it's had its ups and downs. With more help hopefully arriving, we'll be able to help the Twi'lek much better."

Kayda reined herself in a bit before responding. “Yes. The war was terrible.” She shook her head, thinking about some of the horrors she had seen during the war. There was nothing nice about it. “I did not get much intel on the situation here, and I could not exactly ask around after arriving at the starport. While not killed on sight, known Jedi are not given a warm welcome there.” She smiled, grinning mischievously, “However, a few credits here and there, and you were never there.”

Lo noted the statement and the comment reaction. Something was off, but she couldn't understand the source or reason. She didn't like it. Deciding conversation was better than silence, she continued it.

"I haven't experienced that, but I'm sure Master Rothul has. I'm now curious to how you learned about our mission and why you decided to help." She asked as she continued to lead the way, navigating into the treeline now. Her feet stepped up onto a fallen log, then hopped over it easily.

That answer surprised Kayda a little. “Your master hasn’t spoken of his experiences from the war?” she said, clearly a little perplexed. Burying the truth would not erase it. “I myself lost much to the war. My master, my home. Friends. Not speaking of it helps no one, I came to see after going into exile.”

“It’s not for lack of me asking, but he tends to change it. I won’t pry because I know there’s pain involved and it might take time for him to open up. I know I’m the second padawan and something happened to the first one. I do vaguely recall meeting the padawan, but every time I asked about him… there’s a lot of pain.” Lo admitted, seeing little harm in being truthful.

“Master Rothul! We have a new arrival it seems.” She shouted into the trees, hoping to get his attention before they stumbled across him.

He had nearly made it to the ship before feeling a flood of emotions from his Padawan. Dominik had stopped momentarily and had almost turned around. But he knew she needed this time to figure things out on her own. And he needed a few moments as well. He wasn't sure how to go about with her emotions in a way that could make the situation better instead of worse.

A flood of emotions swept over him from Lo, he assumed she was trying to figure out her decision. Although, soon after he felt someone else. What he felt suddenly changed with the addition of a new aura of the Light side. He debates going back again, but it seemed as though it was helping Lo. Finding himself a stump next to the remnants of the ship, because all that were left of the trees were stumps, Dominik slowly sat down and surveyed the destruction. The forest around the ship was nonexistent, it had burned quickly once the explosion went off and had continued to burn long afterwards. All that was really left was the blackened chassis of the large ship, resting on the ground unceremoniously.

He took in a deep breath as he felt Lo draw near. Her emotions had shifted again which raised some concern within him. He stood from his shirt resting spot and turned to go meet her. He didn't walk but twenty steps before he heard her call out. He stopped around a larger, taller stump to see his Padawan being followed by another. He could feel the Light from the second, and as many she was not dressed as a Knight upon arrival.

He took in a deep breath, walking cane in one hand and the other respectfully behind his back as he leaned against the large stump.

"Who might this be, Lo?" He asked calmly, looking from his Padawan to the new Jedi as he waited for an introduction.

“Kayda Guerrin. She might’ve have been standing nearby without either of us noticing.” Lo bit her lip, unsure how long the Jedi stood there during their earlier conversation.

“She came to help and I didn’t want you left out here.” She stepped toward her master, letting him take the leadership role once more.

Kayda bowed respectfully as before, then spoke for herself. “I arrived just as you finished talking. I did not want to disturb you while you spoke.”

Dominik quickly found it odd that he had not sensed the Knight until just earlier. He watched her for a few moments as she spoke, trying to figure out why he had not known she was there. Even if he had been distracted, he expected himself to have felt her presence. Perhaps he was falling behind in his abilities, it was alarming.

Dominik nodded to the Knight as she bowed, glancing down at Lo for a moment before back to Kayda.

"I will have to brief you on everything that has happened." Dominik began as he adjusted his posture, standing up fully and readjusting the cane in his hand.

"What system were you in when you received the message? How much did the Council tell you?"

“I wasn’t contacted directly. I picked up notice in a dead drop on Tatooine almost three weeks ago. Then I had to figure out how to get here. I eventually found space on a freighter headed this way.” she paused for a moment, then added, “Unnoticed, that is.”

Turning away from the Jedi, Kayda looked at the wreckage. “Is that your ship?”

"Yes, it is." Dominik said, his thoughts taking in her explanation before he looked back at the wreckage. "It was hit with something some weeks ago. We haven't had the time or opportunity to properly see it until now." He explained, taking a few steps back in the direction of the wreckage.

She walked over to the wreckage, looking around the remnants. The fact that it had rained didn’t help, but the hallmarks eventually revealed themselves. “Looks like a missile strike. Ground to ground. Who did you offend?”

Dominik watched as Kayda walked over to survey the wreckage. He followed suit, standing close to her as he looked over the destroyed hull. "I'd like to think it was the Sith. But I have no evidence they're helping out the Zygerrians. It's obviously someone who doesn't want us to leave. Alive, at least." He replied, kneeling down to examine the lower part of the hill as it rested on the ground.

“For sure, we know it’s the Zygerrian slavers that captured us. That much is fact.” Lo chirped in.

“A single missile against an empty ship? Most Sith I’ve had the displeasure of encountering tend to prefer more garish displays of death and destruction.” She shuddered a little, thinking about the last images she had seen of her home temple.

"It wasn't the Sith who sent the missile." Dominik began as he attempted to clarify. "But our enemy did not have the capability to do this when we first arrived. The Hutts and the Zygerrians control the planet. But in my experience, and as you may know, there's always one more hidden step when it comes to figuring out your enemy." Dominik explained. He stood slowly, cane in hand, and moved towards the nose of the ship. One hand reached up and rubbed against the scorched and blackened metal. He wanted to stay and reminisce, but such luxuries weren't afforded right now.

Kayda broke in, “The hutts are fond of indiscriminate missiles, I heard on Tatooine. Apparently they claim it sends a message. Personally, I am not so sure about how effective such a ‘message’ is.”

"It's getting dark." He began, looking back towards Kayda. "Lo and I can take you back to where we have everything set up. I'll introduce you to the Twi'leks leader and the other Jedi who've arrived. Tomorrow we can catch you up on everything."

“Oh, Master, I’ll need to talk to you later. I’m trying to improve from the last salve.” She didn’t mention anything about the training. As predicted, it appeared to have been postponed once more. She turned to follow the way back, adding one more thing on.

“It can’t hurt to collect more numbroots too.”

“Shelter for the night would not be a bad idea. While not as cold at night as Tatooine, this world does not have a reputation for being excessively hospitable. Please. Lead the way.” She looked ready to follow them. “Oh, and numbroots? I think I saw some plants over there.” Kadya pointed in the direction she had come from.

"How far?" Lo asked, her eyes looking in the direction and not immediately spotting any. Not a surprise since they frequently grew underneath larger foliage.

“A quarter kilometer, maybe a little less, I think.”

Lo debated in her head then turned to Dom, a sense of desire to collect the plants grew. They weren't at risk of low supplies, but the more plentiful than the more she could experiment with.

"Master, we could detour before heading back."

Dominik glanced in the direction Kayda pointed, looking to Lo as she suggested making the trip to grab extra. The older Jedi glanced through the burned trees to make out the horizon. The days had been longer recently and he had a faint idea as to how much time they had left before it got truly dark.

"We must be quick then, Lo." He said, nodding to his Padawan at her suggestion. He glanced at Kayda, waiting for a few moments to allow her to take the lead and show them the way to the numbroot she had seen.

"Lead the way, Jedi Guerrin. I'm not fully sure the direction you came from, and we're short on time. Ryloth is dangerous at night since many predators are nocturnal." Lo held her ground and looked to the Jedi to lead the way.

Kayda led the way towards the plants she had seen on her way over. “There.” she said, pointing directly at them.

The walk hadn't been far, thankfully. The terrain had remained in their favor, mostly trees and small foliage before they came upon the small clearing with the numbroot. Dominik allowed Lo the space she needed to start collecting whilst he started to walk along the outer edge of the clearing. Eyes kept glancing through the treetops towards the horizon, he did not want them to be stuck walking back while the light was starting to fade.

Lo carefully walked forward toward the numbroot. Her eyes glanced about and took stock, ensuring no patrols crossed the path. Her tracking and stealth still needed work. Small sounds of cracking twigs caused her to flinch as she drew closer to the plants.

As the padawan gathered the roots, Kayda silently observed, seeing no reason to speak. Eventually the padawan finished up so they could head towards the camp.

Lo counted the plants, satisfied with her gains. She strapped the bag on her belt then turned to Dominik. “This will allow me to experiment on the poultice I gave you yesterday and hopefully make it last longer.”

Dominik turned at Lo's words, huffing in frustration for a moment as she made a slight mention about his pain. He realized there was no hiding it, especially since he still somewhat required the use of his walking cane to aid him every once in a while.

"There are others who can use it too, Lo. It won't just be me who benefits from it." Dominik muttered, trying to broaden the subject and take the focus and mention of pain off just himself.

"Come, we should start heading back. We can return here when we have more time." He said, moving back to Kayda so that he could start leading them back.

Lo's fur flattened against her body. Any additional words fell into silence, lost from her tongue. She could sense and knew she did something wrong. Her chest inhaled as she began to trail behind her master rather than fall in behind him.

Dominik wasted no time in finding their way back to the ship and then following the trail from there. It wasn't anything too visible, but Dominik had started to memorize the terrain and its features that led to certain parts of the land around them.

They emerged from the treeline back into the open expanse, large rock formations dotting the landscape as they started back towards the tunnels.

Dominik glanced back and noticed Lo was trailing, but decided not to say anything for a few long moments.

"I still would like to talk Lo, later. We have much to discuss." Dominik said, his mind moving back to the end of their conversation earlier.

“I have herbs to preserve and with the recent arrival, I feel the time to talk has passed.” Lo stated as she kept her eyes on the surroundings. Avoiding her master’s eyes.  

"There will always be time Lo. I've told you this before, even if you refuse to see it." Dominik replied as he felt the tension rising between them. He said nothing further however, as he didn't want to raise any concern with Kayda.

"I think today sort of proves that time is not in our favor. With the number of Jedi arriving, they will all need your attention and involve you in decisions made. I feel like that's evidence enough that time is going to be very limited." Lo didn't mention how much free time she might have with Cora around. Instead, she fought his stubbornness with facts.

Dominik let Lo's words trail off as his thoughts wandered. Tension was high recently, more in some areas than in others. It took a little over an hour for them to make it back to the tunnels and come upon the cavern. Very few words had been spoken from Dominik in that time as the Master Jedi was mostly pondering over the recent arrivals, and the tension between him and Lo.

The cavern was mostly quiet from any activity. Many of the Twi'leks had gone to sleep, the only that remained seemed to be Sar as he sat near the formation of crystals at the center of the cavern. Dom led Lo and Kayda over towards the Twi’lek leader who quickly noticed the small group once they were closer. Standing, Sar moved to meet them so that Dominik need not walk all the way to him.

“You know I was becoming worried, Dominik.” Sar said sternly, frowning at the older Jedi before glancing to Kayda, and then to Lo.



“I apologize Sar.” He said before turning to the Knight behind him. “This is Knight Kayda Guerrin. She met us outside near the wreckage unexpectedly.” he explained. Sar nodded in hello towards Kayda before glancing at Lo, then back to Dominik.

“We’ve still got a couple extra huts left.” He said, almost reading Dominik’s next thoughts before he spoke. The older Jedi smiled softly and nodded, glancing towards Kayda and stepping aside slightly.

“Knight Guerrin, Sar will lead you to your quarters. We have a little to spare, so if you’re in need of a meal we can bring you something.”

Kayda had remained largely silent on the journey over, preferring to observe. There were more people in these caves than she had expected. She had also not expected to hear about the number of other Jedi present or arriving soon. The more the merrier, she supposed.

“I do not need much. I have some rations on hand that will spoil if left too long. A place to rest would be much appreciated, though.”

“I need to dry these herbs quickly before they become useless. I also need to add to the notes I gave Cora about artem leaf, especially for nerve damage.” Lo stated as she turned away, moving to escape the situation and retreat to her comfort zone.

Dominik allowed Lo to leave. He said nothing for now, there was too much tension. He didn’t want it to rub off onto Kayda and Sar, there was far too much else to worry about besides a Master and Padawan not agreeing on some things.

Sar gestured for Kayda to follow him whilst he nodded in thanks to Dominik. The older Jedi nodded back before he turned, deciding to retire back to his hut for some rest.

Once back to his quarters, he stepped down the couple of stairs into the single-room hut. The man shrugged off his outer robe and draped it over the wooden stool next to the bed. Rubbing his eyes, he sat down, using the bed as a backrest, and put himself into a meditative position. He knew he couldn’t properly sleep, not now. There was too much tension, too much uncertainty. Meditating was the best course of action for his tired mind.