It had been a long night, but at least it had helped the Togruta keep her mind busy.
As she finished the touches on the last cybernetic limb for the victims of the attack, her mind drifted into the events that had transpired.
“So many lives lost, so much destruction… To what end?” Thess questioned herself.
In many ways, they were like these victims; they had been gravely wounded and lost a part of themselves, but they had survived.
There would be some phantom pains, but they would endure.
She brought her hand across the forehead to clean a few drops of sweat and made some final adjustments to the connectors on the cybernetic arm.
Everything seemed to work as intended. She was exhausted, but at least she would bring some relief to those victims. This gave her some
comfort for a fleeting moment.
She had replayed the murder of Master Argus in her head many times through the hours, with a knot forming on her throat at the memory.
This time was no different.
There is no death, there is the force. She understood that very well.
But that didn’t make it any easier.
She dropped her work tools and covered her tired face with her hands for a minute, reminding herself, “Get yourself together, Thess; there is much to do.”
After a few deep breaths, the togruta returned to work, the last pieces put in place. It was finished.
To her left, a pile of cybernetic limbs she had constructed were ready. She packed them up and got ready to leave.
Walking through the corridors of the Jedi temple, the silence reminded her of walking the streets of Veles last night.
Dead bodies of inocent bystanders scathered all around, the floor of the hospital covered in blood, and the screams of pain of the victims in the background.
They had endured the assault, but there was no sense of victory or achievement. Quite the opposite.
As she walked up the stairs to the exterior of the temple, she questioned, “What words of wisdom would Master Argus have for them in these dire hours?”.
Then something reignited her hope a little bit. Lord Endo’s final moments, a Sith Lord who refused to kill a Jedi at the cost of his own
life. She took one deep breath, and her resolve strengthened. Many lives were lost last night, but there are still many who need saving.
Master Argus had shown faith and trust in her, and she would not disappoint. She was a Jedi, and she would do what she must. The tears would have to wait until the war was over.