Chapter Text
“Padawan.”
Taeyn turned from where he’d been staring out through the sleet and the snow, and headed back to where his Master was lying at the back of the cave. He was cold. A bone-chilling ache that had crept through his robes and into his bones. Somewhere back in the darkness, he could hear his Master’s shuddering breaths as the poison worked its sorcery.
“I’m still here, Master.” Taeyn tried to keep his voice level and the panic away from the edges.
This was supposed to be a simple mission. It was just intelligence gathering from the local security forces as to why people had disappeared in the area. It had been one of those fly in, fly out type jobs. Nothing much to see, not much to do really, just fill in reports. Certainly nothing heroic or deadly, unless you could die of boredom or papercuts.
It had been his idea to lighten up the mission by climbing into the foothills of Mount Pompinux to find the fabled noonflower. Secretly he had wanted to give one to Namia, to show her the beauty of a flower that grew amongst the snow.
That was yesterday. That had been before the things had appeared. The reptile men with their staccato laughter that had chased and fought and harried them higher into the hills.
“Taeyn.”
His Master’s voice normally so strong now had a fevered edge to it. Taeyn shut his eyes and tried to give his emotions to the Force but there was nothing there. Nothing but bone aching cold and emptiness. The warmth that had surrounded him his whole life had been sucked away by the reptile men, just as their poison was sucking away the life of his Master.
“Coming Master.”
He tried to fix a comforting smile on his face as he reached his Master. The back of the cave was moderately warmer, out of the wind where the eddies of snow could not reach.
It had been his idea to rest here.
They’d lost the reptile men as the storm had started but he knew they were still out there somewhere. He’d used what little Force sense had left to find the cave and half-carried, half-dragged his Master with him into it.
Now they were stuck here until the storm eased, or the reptile men found them or help arrived.
Taeyn had little hope for the latter, there was no reason to go looking for a Jedi and his padawan. Not when the Jedi were so capable, so determined and so foolishly sure of their place in the world.
He knelt down by his Master’s body and bit the inside of his lip as he looked at Master Indoa’s pale face. The Togruta’s breathing was shallow and pain was etched into his expression making a mockery of the strong and wise Master he’d always been.
“You have…have to run, run pada…padawan,” Indoa’s voice wavered as he spoke as if each word was effort. “The Mukdar…Muk…dar will kill you if, if they find…find you here.”
Mukdar. So that’s what the reptile men were called. Force Eaters . He vaguely remembered Initiate Master Pynde-gard telling them stories of the Mukdar to scare them into doing the right thing.
“ Eat your dinner, initiate D’levosh or the Mukdar will come and get you.”
He shuddered. As a child, he’d been scared of these creatures who ate a Jedi’s ability, and, if you believed Pynde-gard, snacked on small children. He’d dismissed them as he’d gotten older as a fantasy, like believing in Star Birds or Silans.
“I’m not going to leave you Master. I don’t care what you say. I just wish I could do more.”
He found his Master’s hand and squeezed it, noting how cold the fingers were and the weakness of his grip. He stared at his Master’s shoulder where the Mukdar’s weapon had entered. He could see oozing blood and could still feel the thick, yellow paste that had coated the projectile his Master had pulled out.
“You…you need to run. Run…padawan. The pain…pain is getting stro…stronger. I will not, not live out the night. If you kill…kill me now, you, you can run.”
Taeyn froze. His brain could barely process what his Master had asked of him.
“I can’t. I--Master--how--uh--I can’t.” The words came out as a rush. Despite the cold, his face was suddenly burning. Indoa’s grip on his hand was suddenly strong and powerful again. The Togruta half lifted himself off the ground and Taeyn could see the beads of sweat that suddenly appeared on his Master’s face.
“You must padawan. It’s the only way you will survive.”
Taeyn shook his head, tears pricking his eyes and leaving hot trails down his face.
“Just wait Master, I can feel The Force returning.” He wiggled his fingers in the air as a desperate attempt to will his abilities to return faster. “When it returns, I’ll be able to heal you. You just need to hold on.”
His master gave a hollow laugh that turned into a whimper of pain. His face was white now.
“It…it won’t be, be enough Padawan. I’m ask-- asking this of you, you as my, my pada- padawan. Relieve my…my suffering and make, make your escape. This is, is the only way.”
“I can’t Master. I just can’t.” Taeyn was sobbing now. He hated himself and the fact that the reptile men, the Mukdar, had stolen away his one ability to make his Master whole again.
“Padawan. Padawan you, you have been my great…greatest joy. You will make a wise…and kind…kind Jedi, but…but the only way to get….to be--become the Jedi that I have seen…seen in my visions, is for you to escape now.”
Taeyn shook his head.
“I can’t Master. I can’t. I can’t be the one responsible for your death.”
Master Indoa gave him a sad smile and closed his eyes. Taeyn squeezed his Master’s hand again and then closed his eyes in the cave’s gloom as the tears ran in little steaming rivulets down his face.