❝ divided at the center ❞

THE PLANET was absolutely silent when Alysia and Obi-Wan finally crossed the threshold of the township. They entered from the side of Air Clan, following a winding river that trickled downstream. They began to emerge from the desolate landscape of the planet and into an area of human inhabitants. As they reached the stretch of bubble dome houses, Alysia came to an abrupt halt.

She looked this way and that, bothered by something that Obi-Wan didn't understand.

He closed his eyes for just a moment and it hit him. The quiet. The entire way down the street, all of the houses had been abandoned. "Is this normal?" he asked. He glanced around at the houses, some of whose doors had been left wide open.

"No," Alysia murmured. "Something's wrong."

She walked over to one of the homes in the middle of the block and raised a hand to knock on the door. It swung open without any effort, revealing a windswept living area that had been left in a hurry.

"Everyone just left," Alysia muttered. Possible explanations began to fly through her brain, each increasingly more horrible than the last. As she walked away from the house, she pulled the door closed until it clicked shut. "I have a bad feeling about this."

Suddenly, the sound of a gong rang with a piercing clarity that could be heard for miles. It continued to bang for a solid minute before it cut off.

Fear swept over Alysia. That sound was the call for an emergency gathering of the Shapers. In the entire time she had been alive, it had only been utilized twice. She tried not to think about either of those times.

Then the shouting started. It was coming from the village center. Alysia and Obi-Wan exchanged a look before she took off running.

"Alysia!" Obi-Wan called after her, but she could barely hear over the buzzing in her ears.

Her heart pounded a terrifying, unsteady beat as bits of gravel ground beneath her feet.

She slid to a stop at the edge of a building just off the village center. Peering around it, she could see that a crowd had gathered around the fountain. They formed a circle all the way around, making it impossible to see through.

Alysia began to slip through the people, keeping her head down and concealed under a hood. In her peripherals, she saw some of the Air Clan members. There was Lynn, Venka, Mara, and Kadin, the four oldest of the students from her clan that Alysia had helped teach over the last few years. They were gathered together, whispering with quiet intensity. They collectively raged with an anger Alysia had never felt from any of them before.

The cause of their anger quickly became apparent. In the middle of the ring of people, Athena was strung up on a platform of wood. Nerezza stood on one side of her, while Typhon and Echidna stood on the other.

"We have told you what has happened," Nerezza was shouting. "Athena Strisha is guilty of aiding and abetting Jedi traitors, and will be killed for her crimes."

Confusion emanated from the crowd and hushed whispers began to grow louder. They weren't buying it. "What did the Jedi do?" an unidentifiable person from Earth Clan called out from the crowd.

"They tried to have us killed," Typhon replied in his heavy manner.

Fury rose in Alysia. She took an angry step forward, prepared to abandon every ounce of control and reveal herself at once when a gentle hand placed itself on her shoulder.

Turning around, she met Obi-Wan's calm blue eyes. They spoke to her without saying a word. Wait. Have patience.

She didn't want to, but ignoring Obi-Wan never came easily to her.

"Is it true, Claj?" someone from the Water Clan shouted.

For the first time, she saw the figure half-hidden behind the others on the platform. Claj Shihan looked more disheveled than Alysia had ever seen him. At the sound of his name, he looked up. Recognizing that they were all waiting for his response, he took a step forward.

"I wasn't there," Claj finally said. "We must put our trust in those who were."

As he said the words, his eyes locked on Alysia. Her heart nearly stopped. If he knew she was there, the others might as well. And then, so quickly she nearly missed it, he gave her a tiny nod.

Relief washed over her like a flood. Water clan was with her, which meant they now had the advantage of both numbers and surprise.

As Nerezza moved closer to the wooden platform, adrenaline began to course through Alysia. She was no longer nervous, instead, she only felt excitement. She would enjoy this next part.

In front of everyone, Nerezza walked up to Athena and ran a finger along her throat. She leaned down and whispered something in her ear that made the restrained girl go red in the face. She began to struggle against her binds furiously.

But she was held firmly back, and Nerezza backed away with a delighted smirk on her face. Having antagonized the prisoner enough, she gave a casual hand flick, and a small fire began to burn through the rope holding up the guillotine.

The smell of fire burning tickled Alysia's nose. She watched as the frayed pieces withered and broke.

When the last string snapped, the metal piece dropped.

In one motion, Alysia stepped forward. But what surprised her was that she wasn't alone. Beside her, a dozen other Air Clan members stood with hands raised defiantly.

The metal stopped right above her neck.

A confused expression passed over Nerezza's face before she laid eyes on the Air Clan members. It contorted into fury. "You dare interrupt our execution?"

Lynn glared at Nerezza with such intensity a lesser life form would have withered under it. "That is our leader," Lynn said. "We're loyal to her."

Lynn had only just turned nineteen, Alysia recalled with admiration. She couldn't help but feel proud of the girl.

Nerezza didn't feel similarly, giving Lynn a look of pure irritation. Alysia quickly slipped to the front, moving protectively in front of Lynn. She knew the younger girl was powerful, but not enough to take on Nerezza. And as Alysia had learned the hard way, courage alone wasn't always enough to beat an opponent.

"For good reason," Alysia called out. She let her cape fall as she walked towards the platform. She cocked her head. "Hello, mother."

It was a difficult feat to surprise Nerezza, but Alysia knew she had accomplished it by the way she froze. It was only for a brief moment, but Alysia considered it a success.

"You shouldn't have come back," Nerezza snarled.

"Did you think I wouldn't?"

"You're a fool."

Choosing to ignore that, Alysia faced the crowd. "Athena is innocent!" she announced. "My mother and the Nox's are the traitors! They attempted to kill the Jedi ambassadors sent here on a diplomatic mission."

"Do you really believe that?" Nerezza addressed the crowd with a scoff.

"Why don't we let Athena speak?" Alysia asked. She waved a hand and sent the metal piece on Athena's podium down so that they cut her binds.

Athena immediately spat out the gag in her mouth and slipped out of the binds. She massaged her wrists and straightened. Despite having been held captive, she looked more powerful than ever.

She brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes and narrowed them at Nerezza. Everyone was waiting for her to defend herself, but Athena chose her words carefully. "You should be sent to Mount Altus," she declared.

The reaction in the crowd was immediate. Mount Altus was reserved for the most offensive of traitors. In the past, those Shapers who had been considered too dangerous to live had been executed on its peak.

Athena didn't stop with that. "How dare you accuse me of conspiracy when you sold us out to be attack dogs for the Separatists?"

A collective murmur rose from the people. Alysia recognized the emotions circulating in the air with satisfaction. They were angry.

"Blasphemy," Nerezza said impatiently. "It's true we have aligned with the Separatists, but they welcome us with open arms. They offer more for us than the Republic ever has."

There was a movement in the crowd as someone moved towards the center. Alysia held her breath. She had spent the better part of the afternoon coaching him on how best to approach her people. Everything depended on it.

Obi-Wan removed his cape as he walked and held up his hands in a gesture of supplication. "Please, forgive my interruption," he began. "I do not wish to intrude. My name is Obi-Wan Kenobi, and I have come here on behalf of the Republic. We have the utmost respect for all citizens of Kro Var, which is why we have sent forces to break the Separatist blockade. I understand that the history between Jedi and Shapers is riddled with unnecessary conflict. But it is our goal now to allow your people to remain autonomous. When Nerezza agreed to the terms of the Separatists, she signed you over to their government. They will not offer you the same courtesy."

"Jedi scum," Echidna hissed, interrupting his speech. She spat at his feet. "We will send your head back to Coruscant."

Alysia's eyes flashed. Without even thinking about it, she raised her hands and sent Echidna skidding back with a forceful gust of wind. "You can try," she said lowly.

Echidna let out a snarl. Her fingertips ignited into flames, a favorite trick of hers that even Alysia had to admit looked pretty cool. "I should claw your eyes out."

"Would you stop threatening mutilation?" Alysia asked, slightly amused. "That got old by the time I was five."

"Let's be civil now," Nerezza interrupted swiftly. She fixed Alysia and Obi-Wan with a cruel stare. "You two have upset order on Kro Var. As Supreme Chief, it is my right to detain you until proper protocol can be followed."

Alysia took a step closer to her mother. Lowering her voice so no one else could hear she asked, "Do you think we will be easy to detain? I've been imprisoned before and I have no intention of allowing it to happen again."

"And how do you plan to stop me?"

"I have more allies than you know," she whispered. "And we're prepared to fight."

"You think you'll win?" Nerezza asked with a low chuckle. "You're delusional."

"It doesn't have to be this way. Let Athena go, let all of us go, and we can find another course of action."

"You are in no position to be making demands," Nerezza snapped.

The sound of aircraft carriers began to rumble throughout the village center. All of the Shapers looked up to see ships with Republic insignias descending over the planet.

A flash of green and white streaked overhead. Alysia grinned up at the familiar Jedi starship in the lead, arriving right on time. She turned to Nerezza and asked pleasantly, "What about now?"

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only a few more chapters left of act 1! yay!

thank you guys so much for reading, don't forget to like and comment if you're enjoying😍