Behind Enemy Lines (Day Two)

[Akirapryde]

Frija nodded to Jaden, "you gave us this remarkable gift. So yes, you." She motioned him to join her as she started to walk away. As she walked she spoke over her shoulder, "Trysta, if you must return home and be seen by the healers. If not, get on over watch with that clone." She said speaking of Duncan.

Trysta looked down, "I'll be fine." Trysta then turned to Duncan, "come on,"

As they walked Frija over to a table and set down. And motioned him to join her as she set the bloody head on the table between them. "You know, you and I are not so different. We both don't have parents." she said looking closer at the head. "I was a war orphan. I was adopted by a wonderful family," she explained as she moved the head side to side. "I can't say that I had a hard childhood. Each night, we would sit by the fire and listen to stories of the Jedi. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a Jedi," she said softly then signed, "just like him."

[Jaden_Starchaser]

Jaden listened to her as she told her story. He couldn't necessarily empathize with her on being orphaned, but he could remember stories about the Jedi when he was very young and he could remember the joy he felt when they came to bring him to the academy on Coruscant. He was going to live his dream of being a Jedi just like his brother. He made his body relax, but his mind was on alert for any attack that could come. He quickly took note of his surroundings to see what he could use as a weapon and how he could escape. He asked Frija,"Did you? Become one I mean."

[Duncan_Starchaser]

Frija nodded to Jaden, "you gave us this remarkable gift. So yes, you." She motioned him to join her as she started to walk away. As she walked she spoke over her shoulder, "Trysta, if you must return home and be seen by the healers. If not, get on over watch with that clone." She said speaking of Duncan.

Trysta looked down, "I'll be fine." Trysta then turned to Duncan, "come on,"

As they walked Frija over to a table and set down. And motioned him to join her as she set the bloody head on the table between them. "You know, you and I are not so different. We both don't have parents." she said looking closer at the head. "I was a war orphan. I was adopted by a wonderful family," she explained as she moved the head side to side. "I can't say that I had a hard childhood. Each night, we would sit by the fire and listen to stories of the Jedi. For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a Jedi," she said softly then signed, "just like him."

Duncan looked towards his brother and then back towards Trysta and also nodded and then followed her.

[Akirapryde]

She took the head of Duke Saar, "oh yes. I followed in my brother's foot steps and attended the Fray Academy." She smiled, "You should have seen it. My families personal flagship delivered me to Fray under royal guard." She let out a laugh at the look on his face, "I told you I have a good childhood. My father was the ruler of my homeworld. My world, Bargess IV, is a powerful ally of the Republic in the Outer Rim. Because of the path my brother took, I am the world's crown princess." She returned her attention to the head, "my father made sure that I was trained by the best during my time on Fray. I was chosen to be the Padawan of Jedi General Sifo-Dyas. You should have seen the celebration when I was Knighted. My bother, my father, and the Masters at Fray were so proud of me. But nothing could prepare for what I saw when I returned to Fray for my Advanced Classes."

She picked up the head as anger filled her heart, "I watched my roommate and friend on her most special day get arrested for daring to marry the man she loved!" She had to actually will herself to not crush the head. "It was then I started to question everything. She set in a cell, and her only crime was daring to love a man." She looked up and smiled, "I love my family, would the Jedi have me arrested?" She laughed and leaned back in her chair taking the head with her. "I wont give them the chance."

[Jaden_Starchaser]

Jaden listened to her story and noticed she was holding back from crushing Duke Sara's head. "What happened then?," he asked her. He still wasn't 100% certain as to why she was telling him all of this, but he figured it had to do with the deceased Jedi Hunter.

[Akirapryde]

Trysta didn't speak as she led Duncan up to the roof of a near by building. From there, they could watch as the scavengers picked through the buildings looking for anything. The Republic Troopers were picked clean of their equipment. Over watches like Duncan and Trysta made sure that they were not surprised by another Republic patrol. Though, a Star Destroyer could have slipped back Trysta as she found it very hard to focus. After about ten minutes she finally broke her silence.

"I can't explain it. I felt the moment he died. No, it wasn't when I cut his head off. He was dead before that moment. I felt his life fade from this world. I saw his life that he was leaving behind. His family, his children. I saw them all, I felt their loss," Trysta explained as she looked in to her hands. "I don't know what is wrong with me," she said looking up to Duncan. There was genuine fear in her eyes over what was happening to her.

Back at the table, Frija returned her gaze to the head. "I stopped seeing the Jedi for the omni-good that they want everyone to believe they are. I saw them for who they really are. I vast corrupt organization who's rules would impression the innocent. My friend was released from her cell, so that she could serve the Jedi and the Republic during the Fray's Civil War. She gave so much for the Republic and guess what happened to her. She was arrested. I was arrested, we all were arrested. Our crime this time, was failing to report to the Jedi that one of its greatest Jedi was a clone."

She looked up in to Jaden's eyes, "yes, a clone. My friend was a clone. And she was with child." She looked back at the head of Duke Saar, "I want you to know this because, your war for freedom IS our war."

She turned the head for Jaden to see, "this man you killed today, he would have murdered you. Murdered your friends, and murdered all of us, simply because you and your friends are clones and want freedom." She looked back at the skull, "just like they murdered my friend's unborn child."

[Jaden_Starchaser]

Jaden thought hard on what to say next. He knew that he couldn't tell her about the Darkside calling to him in that battle lest he be discovered as a Jedi. He decided to be as truthful as possible without giving too much away. "I didn't kill him for some symbolic reason or to be a hero. He was hurting my friend and was going to kill her like he killed Pel and how I believed he killed my friend who's like a brother to me. I just wanted him to stop," he said. "My apologizes for everything you went through though."

[Duncan_Starchaser]

Trysta didn't speak as she led Duncan up to the roof of a near by building. From there, they could watch as the scavengers picked through the buildings looking for anything. The Republic Troopers were picked clean of their equipment. Over watches like Duncan and Trysta made sure that they were not surprised by another Republic patrol. Though, a Star Destroyer could have slipped back Trysta as she found it very hard to focus. After about ten minutes she finally broke her silence.

"I can't explain it. I felt the moment he died. No, it wasn't when I cut his head off. He was dead before that moment. I felt his life fade from this world. I saw his life that he was leaving behind. His family, his children. I saw them all, I felt their loss," Trysta explained as she looked in to her hands. "I don't know what is wrong with me," she said looking up to Duncan. There was genuine fear in her eyes over what was happening to her.

Duncan felt for her. Since he had been learning from Auro's holocrons he had been opening himself up more to the force letting it guide him. Since then he had found himself feeling more... he didn't know what to call it. The closest word he could put to it was compassion. He didn't know what he was becoming, but it was no longer the pure warrior he had been trained to be. He was becoming something else, someting more. "I don't know what you're going through. But it sounds like you might be feeling regret for what you did. It seems to me that those of you that feel the force strong enough to use it to do the things you guys do, are connected to life on another level. Why wouldn't you feel the loss of a life or even the loss of many lives deeply? This whole war must be effecting you and every force user on this planet in ways they never thought possible."

[Akirapryde]

Trysta thought for a moment as she continued to look in to her hands. 'Could it be true,' she thought during that moment of silence. Before yesterday she felt that fire deep within her. It gave her strength and warmth. And now, for what ever reason that warmth, that sense of power had been replaced with this sense of emptiness. Anger filled her, more over the fear of what was going on than over anything else.

She got up from where she was sitting and motioned at Duncan, "the only thing I regret was not killing that bastard instant of saving your friend!" Rage dripped with every word of her dishonest statement. There was anger in her voice and conflict in her heart. And Duncan could sense it.

She turned and walked to the other side of the roof and scanned the area. Already workers were starting to turn Frija's vision in to a powerful psychological weapon. The dead Republic troopers were stripped naked and their bodies were placed on their knees as if praying to the center post. Their bodies were staked in place.

Trysta watched as the clothed body of Duke Saar, the legendary Jedi Hunter, was hung from a post in the center upside down. Behind that post, a hanging structure was being built. It was clear that Frija meant to hang the family who had attempted to help hide one of the Republic troopers. A tear dripped down her face, "I hate this world," she mumbled. It was just loud enough for Duncan to overhear.

Frija laughed at Jaden's comment, "you may not have killed him as a symbol," she said laughing, "you sure did just that."

She shook her head, "don't be sorry for what we had been through." She leaned back and put her feet up on the table. "As I said I had a good childhood. I can't think of one day, I regret."

She looked to him, "I want to know more of you. Tell me your life, tell me what made you decide to join the fight for clone rights."

[Duncan_Starchaser]

Trysta thought for a moment as she continued to look in to her hands. 'Could it be true,' she thought during that moment of silence. Before yesterday she felt that fire deep within her. It gave her strength and warmth. And now, for what ever reason that warmth, that sense of power had been replaced with this sense of emptiness. Anger filled her, more over the fear of what was going on than over anything else.

She got up from where she was sitting and motioned at Duncan, "the only thing I regret was not killing that bastard instant of saving your friend!" Rage dripped with every word of her dishonest statement. There was anger in her voice and conflict in her heart. And Duncan could sense it.

She turned and walked to the other side of the roof and scanned the area. Already workers were starting to turn Frija's vision in to a powerful psychological weapon. The dead Republic troopers were stripped naked and their bodies were placed on their knees as if praying to the center post. Their bodies were staked in place.

Trysta watched as the clothed body of Duke Saar, the legendary Jedi Hunter, was hung from a post in the center upside down. Behind that post, a hanging structure was being built. It was clear that Frija meant to hang the family who had attempted to help hide one of the Republic troopers. A tear dripped down her face, "I hate this world," she mumbled. It was just loud enough for Duncan to overhear.

Duncan walked over towards where she was looking and saw what was being done. "This is wrong. We might be fighting the Coruscant Jedi, and the Republic. But there are things that should never be done. Disgracing the dead like that taints the spirit." he told her.

He was silent for a moment. "I understand the anger your feeling. I think you Jedi keep things to bottled up inside trying to make yourselves emotionless. Then when something happens that you can't control you go all the way to the opposite spectrum. At least that why I think so many Jedi fall into darkness. I think the true path is somewhere in between. You need emotion, but you need to deal with it instead of bottling it up or letting it explode like a volcano. If you were still at the temple on Frey what did they teach you to do when you felt in conflict?" he asked her.