Lana opened her eyes to the dimly lit surroundings of her quarters. A shift in the Force had stirred her awake, a familiar feeling like that of a building storm. Instinctively she knew it was the Inquisitor, but she could already tell that he would not be found anywhere around the base. No, he was further out somewhere in the wilds of Odessen. Doing what she had no idea, but she had spent five long years searching for him and would not lose him a second time to anything. Slipping out from under the covers she dressed and picked up her lightsaber on her way out toward the hanger to take a speeder, trusting in the force to guide her way.
It was still dark for the most part, the sky a dark grey with the coming dawn painting the towering trees and boulders little more than silhouettes as they flew by at high speed. The storm's power continued to climb the closer she drew to it. At the rate it was building it would only be a matter of time before every Force Sensitive in the Alliance would feel it as well, if they hadn't already. Concern sat in her gut like a stone; was it really the Inquisitor, or was it Valkorian? While he was indeed powerful in his own right, none of them yet knew how much Valkorian's spirit could exert itself over the Inquisitor's formidable strength of will. Despite the multiple offers, he had only acquiesced to the former Emperor twice. When he had clashed with Arcann atop the spire in Asylum, and the first when it appeared they had been cornered while attempting to raise the Gravestone.
She had challenged him about his decision of accepting Valkorian's help at the time, convinced that whatever end game he was playing for wasn't worth the short term risk. There had been something fleeting, almost imperceptible that flashed across his pale eyes, but Imperial stiff upper lip won out. He simply stated he knew what he was doing and reassured her that he wasn't taking Valkorian's offers lightly.
There was a clearing up ahead and with it the source of the disturbance Lana felt, spotting an abandoned speeder and pulled up alongside it. She was close now, the air charged with the distinct scent of ozone a dead give away. A mighty, furious roar sounded off and the sky lit up in a brilliant purple white. Drawing her weapon with the familiar snap hiss of the saber's blade Lana charged through the brush, ready to take on whatever was on the other side.
Force Lightning swirled around a lone figure like a violent tempest, scorching everything in its wake as the Inquisitor stood alone and defiant against one of Odessen's native inhabitants. It was large; taller than a rancor and almost twice as heavy, sinuous muscles rippling with its every movement under a tough, leathery hide. To say the creature was angry would be an understatement, holding its forelimbs wide in challenge, each ending in deadly three toed talons as it roared again before moving in to attack. Its brute force was reciprocated with a thundering blast, and the creature howled again as purple electricity exploded across its form and arced painfully over already afflicted skin. Lana gathered the Force to her, ready to charge into the fray with all the fury she could muster. A wayward bolt instead forced her to retreat. It hadn't been cast with the intent to strike, but served as a warning all the same.
This fight was the Inquisitor's alone.
The sith lord once known as Darth Occlus faced the beast, his face set in grim determination. So much had been out of his control ever since he had been thrust into a galaxy five years older than the one he had known, into a role he never wanted and an uninvited guest living in his head. Those he trusted most were scattered to the far reaches of space, their fates unknown. Everything had changed and everyone was expecting him to fix it. He was sick of being the crutch, the linchpin, the ever vital component for an empire and a galaxy teetering on the razor's edge of annihilation. With no other acceptable recourse currently open to him, he had purposely come out to seek a challenge to vent his frustrations upon and Odessen had provided it in kind.
The nature of the planet was such that the creature he now faced had some formidable measure of resistance to the Force, but it was not entirely invulnerable to it. He didn't know how long he had been battling it, but he had channelled so much lightning that it felt as if he was burning with it, the pain feeding his anger which in turn fuelled his ability to draw even further on the dark side. Through it all Valkorian had been mercifully silent, seemingly content to leave his host to his own machinations.
However for all the power he was drawing on he could feel himself reaching the point of exhaustion, although to his credit the beast was also flagging. These last final moments would decide who would be the victor of their vicious duel. Finally drawing his lightsaber its blade cracked to life with an ominous hum, the dark red black glow a stark contrast to the painfully bright lightning he began to channel around his arm and down into his free hand, fingers curling around it as it formed in the centre of his palm.
Lana felt the Force build stronger and stronger until he finally released it as the creature charged once more, the sensation almost feeling like a physical blow to her senses. The acrid smell of burning flesh hung cloyingly in the air as it pushed through the attack, each lumbering step dragging it defiantly closer to the small thing that had refused to be prey and had caused it so much pain. The Inquisitor unleashed a primal roar of his own; his frustrations, anger, and half a dozen different emotions flooded through him in one last all or nothing burst as the beast finally came within striking reach. Lethal claws flashed toward in a deadly arc to be answered by a flurry of red and black, his figure disappearing as the giant form finally collapsed, obscuring Lana's view.
The battlefield stilled and the feeling that drew her to this place vanished. Snapping out of her trance Lana raced toward the fallen beast, leaping over its carcass to land neatly on the other side and finding the very still form of what was supposed to be the Alliance commander and for an achingly long moment Lana was confronted with a chilling possibility of what it could mean. She kneeled down next to him, a sense of trepidation roiling in the pit of her stomach as she reached out to find any sign of life.
"Surely you didn't seriously think I'd be done in that easily."
Lana couldn't help the startled jerk at his soft spoken words, his hand closing around her own.
"You obstinate, bull headed, incorrigible-" The light tremor of his chest underneath her palm gave her pause before she could really get a tirade started as he chuckled softly.
"By all means, don't stop on my account."
It wasn't until he finally opened his eyes that she truly felt a sense of relief as light grey found her own amber yellow. "Look at you! You can barely move," she retorted. "Just what were you thinking?"
"You're rather adorable when you're angry."
"Don't avoid the question."
"I needed an outlet," he confessed as he released his his grip. "So I decided to find one."
He had never been much for words, but still waters run deep and Lana could only imagine what was lurking just under the surface. It had been something that had carried over from his previous life as a slave, no matter how much power and influence he had accumulated since taking his seat on the Dark Council. While he didn't outwardly come across as the most ruthless among their number, having a strong sense of his own moral code that sometimes bordered on an antithesis of Sith belief, those foolish enough to cross him could easily find out that he could be as merciless as the rest of them when provoked.
Eventually he shifted into a slightly comfier position as his strength slowly returned, each of them respecting the silence of the other while the sun slowly began to rise. Not for the first time he wondered what his band of motley misfit followers had been up to in his absence. He dearly missed the long hours of exuberant conversations with Talos, and the archaeologist's infectious enthusiasm while regaling his lord with all the adventures and wonders he had been a part of during his time with the Reclamation Service. The debates with Ashara between the philosophical differences between Sith and Jedi. Sparing with his apprentice Xalek. Listening to Andronikos as he waxed lyrical about the Sky Princess and his pirate days. He even missed Khem Val and the sheer terror the dashade could inspire in anyone who would refused to co-operate.
The early morning light was a warm caress against his skin as he took a sideways glance at his current companion. As isolated as he felt it was nice to have a reminder that this wasn't entirely the case. Even Theron's presence in the structure of their fledgling army was reassuring in its own way, not that he would dare admit it to the former Republic spy. But Lana was different. Out of all those he called allies, and the fewer still he considered friends, it was Lana who never gave up searching and finally freed him from what would have been his carbonite tomb. She was intensity, power and beauty all wrapped into one, the true driving force behind this alliance against the Eternal Empire. As much as he disliked being the rallying point for the cause, if it meant Lana could do her job than he would accept his role and be the weapon she needed him to be.
Lana sensed the calm settling around the Inquisitor and turned to find him studying her. "What?"
"Merely appreciating the view," he replied casually, then slowly got to his feet and stretched before turning his attention on the fallen creature momentarily. "I might have its head taken as a trophy. Have it mounted it in the war room or something."
"We'll discuss it later," Lana said, gently herding him toward the speeders. "And next time you feel like picking a fight with something we could always try sparring."
"Perhaps we can scare Koth with it somehow," he continued, smirking a little when she sighed in exasperation.
The base was already bustling by the time they returned, the Inquisitor's somewhat dishevelled appearance drawing stares as they passed. As he headed for his quarters to clean up Lana pulled some of the rank and file aside, giving them the co-ordinates and instructions to return with his hard won prize. It might not be the most important of the countless things the Alliance had to accomplish, but considering all she was expecting of him now and in the future, it seemed like least she could do. Checking on her messages, a note from Doctor Oggorubb caught her eye and she smiled. This could quite possibly make the Commander's day.
Sure enough, less than twenty minutes later the Inquisitor marched through the war room stating in a tone that would tolerate no argument that he was heading for Yavin Four…
Just a little late night dabble that's been bouncing around my head for a while now about my Inquisitor (who remains unnamed because he's about to get a new one, as soon as I can find one I like that hasn't already been taken). First shot at anything Star War related, so this was double the fun writing it.