Death of the Sith

Chapter 27: Nightmare

Driven by an unseen foe (Hothok, perhaps?), Palpatine refused to abandon his plan. He craved not one, but two Sith apprentices, and their raw power made them invaluable. Brandon's words echoed — Ahsoka was collateral damage in his manipulation of Anakin. Palpatine, keenly aware of the unconventional bond between Master and Padawan, a bond far exceeding the Jedi norm, intended to exploit it for his own gain.

Palpatine thrived on Brandon's isolation. Nomi's presence disrupted his plans. The situation became even more precarious with Hothok's unpredictable dream intrusions, forcing Palpatine to fight a two-fronted battle.

Years of adherence to the Light only fueled the inferno of hatred burning within her. The perpetrator of galactic suffering, the architect of countless tragedies, stood before her. Her dearest friend, on the precipice of becoming another pawn in his vile Sith game, ignited a fierce protectiveness within her. She wouldn't allow it. Not one damn bit.

Hothok, aware of Brandon's power... still worried. Could his resilience withstand these relentless attacks? He'd endured so far, but she wouldn't let him be pushed to the brink. While Ituor offered sporadic support, a chilling absence gnawed at her - Sam's.

Engaging Palpatine directly was too hazardous. A wrenching realization settled on her — separation was their only hope. The urge to join Brandon in his dreams, to fight alongside him, was fierce. But the clutches of the Sith were notoriously tight, escaping a treacherous ordeal. Her only solace: to be a steady presence when the nightmares subsided.

The moral support he got from his Jedi Master was more help than the ones that helped him in his dreams. One morning he was sitting alone. He was quieter than usual. When she came to the table he was sitting at, she sat across from him. She gave him a big genuine smile and asked, "How are you doing?"

He did not answer right away, but when he did he answered, "Fair."

"Tell me about it."

"If I could get away from it all, I would go in a minute."

"Brandon, I want you to tell me how you feel, not what you would like to do. My Padawan, you need to stop hiding behind trivial matters when confronting your fears." Through the Force, she realized that he was holding back emotions that would light up half of Coruscant. She did not need the Force to see this, but she was using it to help her Padawan to let go of these emotions. It seemed not that long ago that her Master did that to her. She grabbed both of Brandon's hands into hers. "I know what you have gone through. Remember, I have been through it all myself."

He replied with no emotions at all, "That is how I feel."

"Nonsense. In all the time I have been training you to be a Jedi, I haven't once seen you give up, and I know you aren't giving up now."

"No Master. I will not give up or give in."

"Then why are you not telling me how you feel?"

He looked at her eyeball to eyeball. "Palpatine has given me experiences I have never faced before. It is hard to know how I feel."

"We aren't leaving here until you do." Seeing he has shown no emotions from what she said, she told him in a military commanding tone, "you will not hold these feelings inside you. It will only eat you up inside, please trust me." She used the Force to tug on his feelings. It was not like he was fighting her, but he was simply too afraid to let go. Because of how he was feeling, he simply did not know what to do. Since he had a hard time with the unknown, it did not make it easy for him. He was not much of an outward crier. With Sam tugging, he could not help stop the tears streaming down his face. She squeezed his hands and said, "let it out, my Padawan. Let it all out."