Samirah

Samirah was very uneasy regarding Luke's banishment.

She'd pretty much only known him because of Magnus' relation to Annabeth, meaning that they liked to train together a lot. He'd been friendly enough at first. He was enthusiastic about teaching Annabeth, often had a smile that made the scar on his face crinkle, and he even laughed at some of Magnus' sarcastic remarks (Samirah had given up trying to have him tone down on the sarcasm). However, in the months leading to his banishment, Luke had become more and more closed off to anyone besides Annabeth. He often pushed her to her breaking point in lightsaber training, and when he wasn't teaching her, he was training himself. He'd made staggering progress, rivaling Battlemaster Toria in any of the six main forms.

Master Plute had sensed darkness growing around Luke. He'd confided this information to Master Triv and Samirah in private, and Master Triv had told him to have his recently knighted apprentice keep an eye on him. DeeAngel had observed him, but came up with no actionable evidence to accuse Luke of embracing the Dark Side. Hade was going to let things continue to play out when Samirah's least favorite member of the Council spoke up. Octavian Caesura, that scrawny Cerean who was supposedly a seer had made the claim that he'd had premonitions showing that Luke was a part of some dark plan to bring about the Sith's return. He went on to say that allowing him to remain in the Order would only allow him to grow stronger. Samirah herself had argued that, if he was part of such a plan, it would be in their best interests keep him somewhere where they can keep an eye on him. Her words weren't considered as reliable as Octavian's, however, since she was the Council's most junior member at the moment and Octavian had been on the Council for almost fifteen years before she was inducted.

The Council cast a vote to decide whether to expel him from the Order or continue to observe. The only members who voted against his expulsion had been Master Plute, Master Ves, and Samirah herself; the other nine (or ten, depending on whether Jan and Nus counted twice) voted in favor of it, giving them their two-thirds super majority.

The meeting with Luke after he and Annabeth had returned from Kashyyyk was a mess. Samirah and Hestia didn't speak at all. Master Mes was too distraught to speak as well, considering Luke had once been his Padawan. As soon as Hade had begun to suggest that Luke had been embracing the Dark Side, Luke began to scowl. He denied the accusations, but Master Caesura had said that he could see the darkness around him clear as day. Samirah was unsure of what abilities Octavian had as a seer and what the extent of those abilities were, so she was cautiously skeptical of him.

Luke asked what the point of that meeting was if they'd already set their minds on the 'false assumption' he'd been taking part in dark practices. Everyone was silent for a moment before Master Odin spoke, saying that the Council had already discussed the matter and had come to the decision to expel him. Luke was (understandably) outraged. He called the Council hypocritical and weak. Octavian then told him that if he didn't want to be expelled, he should have come to the Council when he'd begun embracing the darkness instead of waiting for himself to be caught. Samirah was not pleased by Octavian's deceptive rhetoric.

However, bantha poodoo really hit the turbine when Luke brought up the subject of Annabeth's training. He demanded that Master Mes train her, but Athea spoke up saying that Mercury already had a Padawan so she'd volunteered. Luke and Athea then got into an argument that became so heated that Athea stood up from her seat. Nothing shuts a room up quicker than a 2.1-meter tall Tholothian whose gaze can cut through you like a lightsaber rising from her seat aggressively. Luke didn't talk the rest of the time. He was just silent, sending cold glares around the room. It may have been Samirah's imagination, but she could've sworn the scar on Luke's face began to turn a more vibrant red. He'd spun on his heel and stormed into the turbolift. Within the hour, he'd left on his swoop bike. Master Plute sent DeeAnjel to follow him, but by then Luke had already abandoned the swoop bike at one of the spaceports and was gone.

It disturbed Samirah that Luke had managed to disappear so quickly and completely. What disturbed her the most, however, was that no one mentioned finding Luke's lightsaber after his departure.

—————————

Samirah was walking through one of the high-ceilinged hallways of the Jedi Temple with Masters Ves and Plute. The tapping of Hade's ironwood cane against the floor echoed through the corridors.

"I have a bad feeling that he's not just sitting idly by in his exile," Samirah muttered as they rounded a corner.

"If you thought anything else, I would have called you delirious," Hestia Ves said. She was a kindhearted Jedi, but she was still quite cautious about such things. Her brown hair was braided behind her head and her soft brown eyes were tight from the stress of recent events.

"Master Plute," Samirah addressed the Anzat, "have you had any insight as to what Luke has been doing?"

"No," Hade answered, his voice smooth but old. "Since he left Coruscant, I have been unable to find him in any way. Something dark is concealing him. Trust me, Sam. If I learn anything, I will tell you."

Samirah smiled slightly at her old Master. Hade was the only person in the galaxy allowed to call her Sam. Her first Padawan, Jedi Knight Mallory Keen, had been the only other people originally. Unfortunately, Mallory gave her life to save a transport full of civilians that was rigged to explode. Therefore, Hade was now alone with the privilege once again. Samirah figured she'd let Magnus in on the nickname eventually.

"I feel quite sure that Nico is having better luck on his search through the Mid Rim," Hestia said when they arrived at the dojos. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to assist Master Chiron with the Younglings."

"And I must go to the Communications Tower to check in on Nico," Hade said. They all bowed to each other and parted ways. Samirah walked into the dojos. She sat on her knees at one end of a mat and placed her lightsaber on the floor before her. After a few minutes of waiting, Magnus and Annabeth arrived.

"Where's Master Nerva?" Annabeth asked.

"She is still recovering from going four days without sleep," Samirah explained. "Master Triv gave me permission to oversee you today." She picked her lightsaber up off the ground and stood. She activated it, and the two emerald blades illuminated the dojo. "Today you two will practice cooperation against an opponent equipped to duel two people at once."

Annabeth didn't hesitate to activate her lightsaber and take her stance. Magnus did the same a second later. He took a Soresu starting position; his body perpendicular with Samirah's, his lightsaber in his back hand angled over his head and his right hand outstretched. Samirah held her lightsaber horizontally before her with both hands and angled her body slightly. Magnus advanced defensively while Annabeth rushed forward. She arced upward and Samirah blocked with her left blade. She spun her saberstaff clockwise, forcing Annabeth's blade away. Annabeth recovered quickly and swung for Samirah's back, but she held her blades vertically behind her, blocking with the lower one. Magnus lunged forward and swung for Samirah's front, and she responded by pulling her saberstaff over her shoulder, flinging Annabeth's blade away again and blocking Magnus' strike. She twisted and swept for Magnus' ankles, but he deflected her strikes, keeping his form tight.

"Annabeth!" Magnus shouted, and his cousin responded instantly by jabbing for Samirah's back. Samirah moved her saberstaff, spinning it like rotor blades around her body, and deflected Annabeth's jab. She lunged to the side so both Padawans were before her. They silently circled each other for a moment before Annabeth lunged forward again. Samirah was impressed by Annabeth's choice of where she was focusing her strikes; she was aiming more for Samirah's legs and torso, which were slightly more awkward to defend using a saberstaff. As Annabeth kept up her assault, Samirah thrust her palm forward, channeling the Force to shove Annabeth across the mats. She grunted as she landed on her back. Magnus rushed forward in her place, moving with newfound speed. Samirah smiled as her Padawan swiftly swung for areas that were less defended with even more precision. Samirah decided to use her greater height to her advantage and switch to the offensive. As Magnus forced her to block low, she swung her other blade down, forcing him to block high.

"Magnus! Crouch!" Annabeth shouted. Magnus deactivated his lightsaber and did as Annabeth said. His cousin sprinted towards him, she stepped up onto his back and pushed up into the air. She summersaulted over Samirah, and as she landed, she deactivated her lightsaber and swung for her knee. At the same time, Magnus swung for her other knee. Samirah kicked off the ground herself, swiftly avoiding the two-pronged attack. She swept their blades away with her own before she landed. She pivoted and kicked into a midair cartwheel, her heel knocking Annabeth's lightsaber out of her hand. As she planted her foot on the floor, she pivoted again so she was facing the padawans and held her saberstaff with two hands at a defensive angle.

"Your technique is admirable," Samirah said as Annabeth pulled her Lightsaber back into her hand, "as is your cooperation. Now," she held out her saberstaff horizontally with one hand and held her other arm back, "let us continue."