Star Wars: Jedi Prodigy

New Course

After her date with Brikka, Daliss informed Qerreth about the hole in the fortress' defense and it was fixed immediately without getting Brikka into any trouble. Luckily, nobody knew about Daliss' little date, and she was tickled to have gotten away with it so perfectly.

In the next couple of days, Qerreth invited Daliss to join him on a training exercise which she agreed to participate in. The two knights are walking along the beach around the area where Brikka's ship was landed. It's a quiet afternoon, and the waves are calm, making up a peaceful, soothing atmosphere. Qerreth leads Daliss to a rocky area, where they stare out at the ocean. The sun pierces through the clouds just enough to reveal a small, green coral reef just below the surface of the water.
"Our greatest battle is the war we face internally." Qerreth begins, speaking in a calm tone. "I have been able to sense great struggle within you."

Once again, Daliss doesn't answer, but she is listening. Qerreth has her attention.
"I somewhat understand what you're going through, Daliss." He goes on. "Do you know who my master was?"

Daliss shakes her head. She's never actually thought about who trained Qerreth.
"His name was Pong Krell..." Qerreth answered, noticing that Daliss is shocked. "Yes... I suppose you've heard all about him... His reputation became a dark one towards his end... And even before any of that, master Krell was a difficult man to understand."

The Jedi master who trained Qerreth, Pong Krell, turned to the dark side of the force, when he was assigned to a mission on Umbara. He was sent to fill in for Anakin Skywalker and lead the 501st legion, but ended up manipulating a scheme wherein the clone troopers would fire on each other under the impression that Umbaran troopers had taken clone trooper armor and weapons. Krell was intentionally trying to lose the planet to the separatists, and was eventually captured and executed by the clones he was commanding.

After hearing about Pong Krell's death and the circumstances surrounding it, general Qerreth could not believe it. He could not believe the report of his master turning to the dark side and manipulating clones into attacking one another. So, he he flew to Umbara to hear the report from commander Rex himself. Qerreth lands his starfighter in the Umbaran air base where his master was killed, his heart is filled with anger and confusion, and there is a part of Qerreth that is afraid to find the answers he's seeking. He finds commander Rex by the landing pad waiting for him. There's no pleasantries, and the two head into the base with only a couple words exchanged. Qerreth half expected Rex to be well guarded for his arrival. It is no secret that he took after Krell in some ways regarding clones, and Qerreth thought that he would be treated with hostility. Though, he has only just landed...
Once they're inside a meeting room wherein the windows were destroyed, and blaster marks and lightsaber lashes show Qerreth that the clones definitely attacked his master here... Qerreth is again surprised to find that commander Rex will face him alone. Perhaps it is a show of trust? Or is it a display of strength? Perhaps Rex is showing Krell's apprentice that he does not fear him. Either way, it doesn't really matter.
"Explain to me why you killed my master." Qerreth began, trying very hard to hide his anguish.

"He committed treason to the republic," Rex said, his demeanor poised and professional. "manipulated my fellow soldiers into attacking each other, and admitted to being a sympathizer of the separatist alliance and the dark side of the force."

With the force, Qerreth can tell that everything Rex just said was the truth. But he still can't believe it. He doesn't want to. Pong Krell was a harsh master in the best of times, but he was still the closest thing to a father Qerreth ever had - and that's exactly how Qerreth saw him. His father.
"No trial?" Qerreth asked, his voice cracking a little. "Just immediate execution?"

"He didn't exactly give us a choice." Rex answered.

"You had him imprisoned and unarmed!" Qerreth yelled, finally losing control. "It doesn't sound like he was the one forcing any hands!"