𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐌𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 - 𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐤𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐬

𝐅𝐎𝐔𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍 ⸺ 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐞𝐲𝐞𝐬.

1643 local hours. Year 7963 (14 BBY)
Ancient Vault, Bogano.

⚡︎ ⁺. ◍ 。

𝓝O. IT CAN'T be her.

Væmas staggered back, blood pounding in ears. Words came out stuttered, disordered. "That...no...I can't be. I...I thought you were dead...and my best friend would never have betrayed the Republic."

"You have you friend Cere to thank for that." The Second Sister — Trilla — spit scornfully. "She sold me out to the Empire. She betrayed me."

Her hands shaking, Væmas whispered for herself, pieces of the puzzle slowly coming together to form a dreadful image: "Master Junda. Cere Junda."

She slowly turned to Cal, who stared at her, his whole body tensed. She asked slowly, calmly. Too calmly. "Did you know about this?"

"Væmas..."

"DID YOU?"

He stayed silent for a moment and looked at her right in the eyes. "Yes. I knew."

Væmas felt like receiving a kick in the stomach, again. Her glance fell down on the ground, eyes redden, and mouth half opened in disbelief. "You lied to me?" She let out in a broken voice, barely trusting herself to speak, slowly rising her gaze to meet his. "I... You and Cere where the first I trusted since the Purge, and you lied to my face?"

Cal took a step back and let out a sharp breath, each word leaving a mark on his face as though she physically struck him. "Cere told me you knew her before the Purge, and that if I told you who she was, you would have been...unbalanced."

"Unbalanced?" The mocking voice of Trilla sounded, listening to every word of their exchange. "They betrayed you, Væmas, Cere betrayed you, just like she betrayed me."

She took a step forward, closing her fist before her. "Come with me. You don't want to be around them when you find the children. They are not worthy of your trust."

"Don't listen to her, Væmas!" Cal hissed, reaching for his own lightsaber.

"Save your breath, Padawan." Trilla snapped. "We are having a conversation here." She suddenly threw her helmet towards Cal with the Force, who grabbed it reflexively. He immediately gasped and fell on his knees, dropping his lightsaber.

"Careful with that thing." Trilla snickered, almost amused, looking down on him with despise. "It's been through hell."

Cal fell to the ground, unconscious, as Væmas knew he was seeing the troubled past of the object. And yet, she did not run towards him to see if it was okay. BD jumped to the ground, rubbing his head against Cal's arm in worried beeps.

"Now now, where were we." Trilla resumed, not bothering to look at the little droid, clicking her tongue.

Væmas turned back to her, legs like anchored in the ground, her voice loud with emotion. "How could you do this to yourself, Trilla? You were always the first to protect innocents, to serve justice!"

"Innocents?" She snapped back. "Is that what you call the weak traitors and murders who fell during the Purge? The Empire is justice."

"This isn't you." Væmas insisted, struggling against the panic compressing her chest. "It's not too late, Trilla. You can come back, with me."

"No, Væmas. You can come with me. Why should you keep defending them? At the first given occasion, they lied to you just to keep you on their side."

Væmas opened her mouth to respond, then closed it again. They betrayed me. At the word, burning, raging fire awoke inside of her, coming dangerously close to the surface. She looked down on her lightsabers, still clenched in her fist, then glanced to Cal, still laying on the ground. Trilla took her silence as an invitation to come closer.