A soft knock at the door announced Bril’s arrival at Tahiri’s personnel chambers within the Citadel. He waited with his hands folded behind his back, making polite conversation with the two DDF soldiers posted there before the sharp hiss of the sliding door pulled his attention away.
“Hello, godmother,” he said in Togruti with a smile.
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“Ameeno'nop,” Tahiri replied in Zabraki, her fanged smile bright as ever. “Please, come in.”
Stepping back she paused as if remembering something, and immediately turned to her two pets padding towards the door from behind her. Raising her hand, and keeping her tone firm, “Be good, we are not outside. Indoor behavior only.”
Both the Akul and Vornskr stopped and looked from her to Bril, and then back before both sat and waited.
“There, now they won’t jump up on you. Come, make yourself at home,” Tahiri quickly moved a few knives from the only chair in her quarters. “Would you like something to drink?”
He bowed his head in quiet thanks for her hospitality, then stepped inside. “Thank you,” he replied, making note of the knives she plucked from the chair’s cushions. Some things never changed, nor should they. “A water is fine.”
While he waited, Bril reached out to pet Zuska. “Hey, boy. Good to see you.” It wasn’t long until the vornskr had flopped over onto his side to have his belly rubbed, which earned a laugh from the Zabrak.
After a moment or two of that, he looked to the akul. Practically jumping on him, Bril wrapped his arms around his large neck in a bit of play, just like he used to when he was younger. Of course, they both were a lot smaller then. “Happy to see you as well, Solan. Your coat is looking shinier than ever!”
Returning from the small kitchen with a glass of water, the petite Togruta watched and waited till Bril, Zuska, and Solan were finished greeting each other before stepping forward and offering the beverage. Tahiri then sat on what was the largest piece of furniture within the living space part of her quarters, which was a small tight backed sofa. The only other seating was the single chair she had, with a small desk against a wall, and two comfy looking bean bag chairs, one of which had two bright starry blue eyes of a Marqaal peeking out from under a blanket, watching Bril with quiet interest.
The center of the living space where Bril was standing was taken up mostly by a large oval rug, stylized with Togrutan tribal designs. If anyone was to look around the room, she had a few piece’s of artwork and pictures of friends up. A few piece’s looked like a child’s handiwork, one with several creatures, and another with two Togruta and a little Twi'lek Togruta hybrid. Along two walls there were special weapon racks, which held the Elders collection of various weapons.
“Make yourself comfortable, Bril. It’s good to see you. How is Minnow, Femi, and Ishi doing?”
“Femi and Ishi are great. Doing what felines do, you know? Always finding ways to scare us with the new thing they’ve decided look like food,” he replied with a chuckle, shaking his head. “Minnie is doing okay. Recovering from the last battle of the war. I’ve been supplementing her bacta treatments with tinctures made from old Iridonian recipes, and that has been helping a lot.”
From the corner of his eye, he noticed the merqaal peeking at him, but didn’t directly acknowledge it just yet. “How have you been? How are Zeva and Ro?”
Chuckling herself, Tahiri nodded at the pets.
“Good, good. Sometimes the older remedies work better than the new,” she smiled softly. “Ro and Zeva are good. I believe he’s finally decided on an apartment within the city, that has both a garage bay, and an outdoor area he’s happy with for them both. I had offered accommodations closer, but my brother didn’t want to be this close to center of the city, till he knows the area better.”
“I’ve been doing well. Just really busy, the Inquisitorious, Envoy Corp and now becoming the Shadow Scion for Arcona, plus the move from Aliso to here…” Sighing heavily, she leaned back and gently rubbed her temple with her right hand, “And then the war happened, but I don’t need to tell you about that. There is one thing I’ll admit though, I felt better when I heard that you and Minnow were going to stay planet side, take care and watch things here.”
She stopped rubbing her temple and leaned forward again, looking him straight in the eye, “Finding out, that both of you decided to join, wasn’t exactly what I had wanted to hear midway through the battle. Especially since Nora and I was already in the thick of it.”
Realizing her tone had gotten a bit harsh, she gave a small sigh again and slowly stood up to walk over and without hesitation, gave the tall Zabrak a hug.
“Next time, I would ask if you’d let me know whether you two are going to come fight, just a little forewarning so that I know where you are,” her voice now sounded stained a little. “And if it’s possible to be at your side if…” Tahiri stopped talking and just squeezed his frame a little tighter.
Bril listened intently as Tahiri spoke, smiling when he heard that both Ro and Zeva were doing well. It’d been too long since he’d seen them both, but now that they’d all relocated to Selen, he’d make sure to invite them to the next cookout at his and Minnie’s place.
It wasn’t long before his expression darkened a bit. She didn’t have to say that she was troubled by their decision to join the war. He could hear it in her voice and, even worse, he could feel the worry rippling through the Force. He’d opened his mouth to speak, but decided against it when she pulled him into a hug.
He wrapped his arms around her and squeezed her tight. “I know,” he said, “We weren’t going to, but I kept getting these premonitions in the Force. Warnings that one of you, someone close to me, was going to die. I couldn’t stand and just let that happen. And thankfully, it didn’t.”
Tension started to build in his throat, and he felt the wetness of unshed tears coalescing in his eyes. He took a deep breath to steady himself.
“That’s actually related to why I wanted to meet with you. In the final battle, Minnie got hurt really badly and I–” The words hung on his lips, unwilling to leave lest they become real. But he pushed through. “I killed someone. I killed them with lightning. But it wasn’t out of anger or revenge. I felt only love. I felt … I felt the Light stronger than I had ever felt it before.
"I thought it just a temporary sensation born from my desire to save her, but it hasn’t faded. It’s like the Force is calling me to some higher purpose.”
As close as they were, both bodily and through the Force itself, Tahiri could feel the emotions rolling within him. She could sense the confidence in his body and through the Force. However, she heard something, a crack in his voice, and then what felt to her like rocks lying just under the current of the Force, threating to rise and diverge that flow of confidence. Those feelings betrayed the underlying hesitance he felt going forward towards the “calling to a higher purpose” he spoke of.
Taking a deep breath, trying her best to calm her own emotions while sending calm vibes to him, she gave a small chuckle. Gently pushing herself away from him, until he was at her arms length away, looking up at him.
“Come. Sit with me,” gently pulling him to the couch. After urging him to sit first, she sat down next to him. Letting out a sigh, she smiled.
“I think you’ve just discovered the one thing that, well, I wasn’t even sure was real or not within the Force.”
“I…” she paused taking a deep breath before continuing. “I was taught by my mother, that I would take over as matriarch of the Drakon tribe, when I knew how to be stringent with my brothers, since I needed to learn how to not get pushed around.”
Tahiri stood up and walked over to the wall of weapons and took worn dagger from it’s place.
“My father told me, that I could lead with compassion as well, since I would have the hardest decisions to make within the tribe.”
The petite Togruta came back to the couch and sat down, setting the dagger on her lap, and reached over, placing both of her hands on Bril’s.
“My Master… he taught me that when you have more power than anyone else, you can command through fear and presence alone.”
“What I’m trying to say, Bril, is that the Force showed me that I didn’t need to lead through fear, as my Master did. Instead it showed me that the passion I had, the compassion I had for others around me, showed me that I could lead differently. Not with fear like the Sith usually do. And I’ve seen that being too stringent to the code, like some Jedi, shows that there is no room for compassion.”
“If the Force, especially the Light side, showed you that you can defend and protect through the unconditional, unwavering love that you feel towards your loved ones. I’ve used lightning in anger, but I’ve also used it to protect those I love. It felt oddly lighter and easier when I did it protecting, however I didn’t understand.”
Looking into the young Zabrak’s crystal blue eyes, her own eyes wet but filled with fire.
“The Force has shown you something great. You can, through passion and love, protect those around you. Those you care about,” she withdrew her hands from Bril’s and turned slightly away, Tahiri picked up the dagger from her lap. “I’ve known pain, heartbreak, and anger far too well, and for far too long. I protect those I love with those feelings, as well as the compassion and love that I’ve grown up with. I know that makes me different from many Sith, but I’m no Jedi either.”
“The Force has shown you a path that I could’ve only have dreamt of,” she gripped the handle of knife with one hand and traced her finger along the symbol carved into the durasteel blade. “It’s a path I can’t, maybe never, tread. But you, Bril.”
Her voice had began to crack with emotion, and she paused for a moment to gather herself.
“You have been shown something special.”
Bril was at a loss for words. He reached out to grasp his godmother’s hand, and squeezed it tight while holding her gaze. Tears formed beneath his eyes.
They didn’t talk about her past often, but he knew enough to know that she had endured so much hardship, so much pain. The life of a Sith was never easy, and the Brotherhood had taken its pound of flesh from the woman whom he’d only known to be kind. Gentle. Sweet. All the things that were supposed to be anathema to Sith.
“You’re walking your own path, too,” he said, pushing the words past the knot in his throat. “And I wouldn’t be where I am … I wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for you.”
Tahiri looked up into Bril’s eyes, seeing and hearing his sincerity. She remembered saving him, memories of the bright and adventurous boy she and Solan had found, came flooding back to her.
The Force had drawn her to that ravine, even though it was off from her missions path. She had sensed the Force strongly within him, knew it had to surface somehow. What if she had just watched, and not interfered? What if she had let the events play out and only stepped in when he was possibly on the brink of death?
What if she ignored and not followed the direction of the Force? Continuing on her mission, and then investigated later, what would’ve happened? How would that have played out? How would he have faired?
Those thoughts flowed through her mind, but she didn’t hide them from Bril through their connection, if he wanted or didn’t want to hear those thoughts. There was still no reason to hide it, simply her mind going through and processing the emotions.
“I … know,” she finally managed to say, past the knot within her own throat. “I know… and I…”
The Togruta paused and took a deep breath to center herself. “Bril, you have a path set before you that feels, to me, like a once in lifetime chance to grow and experience this ability. I’m here to support you for as long as you need it.”
“This is big in discovering something that you could possibly carve a path for others,” Tahiri smiled at Bril. “And mentor those who want to walk that path.”