FORSAKEN - Target: Zero

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

The team sailed in silence near the edge of the lake aboard a Wookiee corvette, a long wooden boat with a pair of parallel motorized sails. It had four thin lateral wings resembling those of a bug, allowing the vessel to fly if necessary. With an intimate knowledge of the terrain, Choyyssyk sat in the back and piloted the ship. The rest of the group sat by the bow. Elynn used her comm pack to monitor both Imperial and Partisan transmissions. She welcomed the distraction, otherwise she would have to wrestle with the anxiety of going to battle. Everyone else seemed alert but unbothered, which made her wonder how many times they found themselves in a similar situation.

"Theleema told me you served with MedStar during the war," Syrran said.

"I did," Jarriss said. "I was part of the Medical Corps."

"How come?" Elynn was glad someone broke the silence. She knew Jedi Healers were one of the smallest groups serving in the Jedi Service Corps under the Council of Reassignment.

"Healing is one of my Force abilities... but so is foresight."

"What do you mean?" Gorin said.

"I started to experience visions as I reached the end of my training as an Initiate in Master Yoda's Bear Clan, after of the Battle of Naboo."

"What kind of visions?" Theleema said.

Jarriss sighed, leaning his head back on the side of the ship. "It started around the Battle of Naboo. I would see a black substance oozing from the Jedi Temple's very foundation, blood covered the floors, and every Jedi I came in contact with appeared to be dead—even the younglings. With the passage of time, the visions became stronger and more frequent. It tormented me to a point where I couldn't function. I discovered I could center my mind when I practiced with my lightsaber and kept the visions away. So, I spend a lot of time training.

"The High Council became worried. At first, they thought I was falling to the dark side, due to the fact that my species could experience terrifying hallucinations when we dwell in it, which eventually drives us insane."

"Why?" Elynn had never heard of something like that.

"Due to our lack of eyes, we Miraluka rely on Force sight to perceive our surroundings and thus we develop a deep connection to the Force since birth. The Lore Keepers recorded my visions and the Jedi Seers tried to interpret them, but their obvious implications compelled the High Council to keep them secret, until they could better understand them."

Syrran scoffed. "The High Council and their secrets. Let me guess, they never managed to decipher them?"

A melancholic Jarriss shook his head. "No. But they decided that one of their members, Master Shaak Ti, should be my Jedi Master."

Syrran's eyebrows arched up impressed. The powerful Togruta was renowned for her wisdom and diplomatic talent, as well as her combat skills. She was an expert in both Makashi and Ataru lightsaber forms, and well-versed on the five others. "That's quite the honor," he said.

"It was." Jarriss smiled.

"Is that why your lightsaber has a bone sleeve?" Elynn said. "Is that part of an akul?" The dangerous predator, natural to Shili, was the highest trophy a Togruta could aspire to.

"It was part of my Trial of the Flesh." The dangerous test was meant to test a Padawan's ability to overcome pain, loss, and hardship.

"And the crystal?" Syrran said. "I've never seen an indigo blade before."

"I'll get to it," Jarriss said. "Because of Master Ti's tutelage, I always thought I'd end up serving as a Jedi Diplomat on the Council of Reconciliation. But my visions of death and destruction led me to gravitate toward healing once I was Knighted. So, when the war exploded, I served as a battle surgeon with the MedStar unit. But my lightsaber skills often compelled me to fight on the field, acting as a combat medic.