The Night Without Stars
A Green Lantern- Star Wars crossover
For Shan'ika, from your Freshie
Ni kar'tayli gar darasuum
In the chaos of the Blackest Night, no one noticed that all eight of the central power batteries produced an extra power ring. Each of these power rings hurled toward the same point in space; a wormhole. Red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet and black rings, all going in at the same point, where they vanished out of our galaxy, moving through space and time to another…
The red ring headed for the planet Hoth.
Princess Leia Organa was studying star charts and battle plans when it burned through the snow and ice, bearing her a message. Leia Organa of Alderaan. You are the last of your people. You have great rage in your heart over the death of your planet. The ring slipped itself onto her finger before she could even react, stopping her heart. Welcome to the Red Lantern Corps.
The ring replaced the blood in her veins with fire. It did the job her heart could no longer do, pumping the lava-like fluid through her body. She awoke, but she did not want to fight the ring.
She wanted to kill.
The orange ring found it's way to the Imperial fleet in orbit around Hoth.
Darth Vader was in his personal meditation chamber when an alert came in from the bridge. He had sensed something was wrong, but he had no idea what, and the voice coming in over the comlink didn't really help anything. "Lord Vader, there is a unidentified object coming towards us- wait it just made contact- there is a hull breach and extensive internal damage- it appears to be headed for your position-" The voice cut off as the orange ring flew straight through the wall of the chamber, destroying the comlink.
Anakin Skywalker of Tatooine. You wish to control the galaxy. You killed your wife, turned on your Order, and destroyed many lives out of jealousy and lust for power. Vader's scarred eyes widened at this message, but the ring was on his finger before he could strike out at it. You are the new Agent Orange.
Vader felt the power coursing through him and smiled inside his armor.
The yellow ring entered Coruscant's atmosphere.
Emperor Palpatine sensed it long before it came. He knew something in the galaxy had shifted dramatically, but it was unclear what exactly it was. He did know, however, that it could pose a threat… but it could also be a powerful tool.
The yellow ring hurled into his office, shattering the window behind him and stopping abruptly in the air in front of him. Palpatine of Naboo. You inspire fear in the hearts of countless millions. You wield it as a tool, and skillfully. Palpatine sensed that this ring was fear, and as it had stated, he could use it as a tool. The Emperor held out his hand. Welcome to the Sinestro Corps.
As the golden power of fear flowed around him, Palpatine knew his senses had not failed him.
The green ring went towards Dagobah.
Yoda had also had a premonition of the events to come. He knew that something dangerous was coming. And he knew that the green ring would help him combat it. Yoda. You have had the will to keep going, even after all your comrades died. You either do something, or you do not. You have been chosen to join the corps. Do you accept this honor? Yoda waited, motionless, deep in thought. Then he nodded, and the ring slipped onto his finger. Welcome to the Green Lantern Corps.
His tunic turned green and black, the symbol of the green lanterns emblazoned on his chest. His feet lifted off the ground, and he quickly learned how to control his motions while in the air. It was then that he had the vision. He saw the Hoth system; there were colored lights playing along its surface, clashing with each other as if fighting. Then a shadow passed over the planet's surface, and the lights went out.
"Ring, take me to the Hoth system can you?" The ring glowed a little brighter as it allowed him to fly above the treetops and into space. Yoda had not smiled much since the Jedi Purge, but the feeling of freedom the ring gave him as he flew unaided through space made a huge grin spread across his face.
The blue and indigo rings took almost the same path as the red ring, but with a difference of less than a mile.
Luke and Han were in the Tauntaun stables of Echo Base when the twin streaks of color shot into the room. The beasts of burden reared at their sudden appearance, and the two men reached for their blasters, but were stopped from un-holstering them by the soothing voices that the rings addressed them with.
Luke Skywalker of Tatooine. You have given great hope to the Rebel Alliance. You are the last hope for the galaxy. Will you continue to spread this hope? Luke stared, wide-eyed, and slowly nodded. The ring flew onto his finger. Welcome to the Blue Lantern Corps.
A blinding, blue-white light shone over his body. When it faded, he was wearing a blue tunic like the one he wore on Tatooine. On the chest it had the same symbol that was on the ring around his finger.
Han Solo of Corellia. You saved a stranger, at the cost of your career and your livelihood. While you do not always show it, you care greatly for those around you and never abandon someone you think is worth saving. Do you wish to continue sacrificing yourself for others? Han numbly nodded, and accepted the ring. Welcome to the Indigo Tribe.
A staff made of what looked like wood materialized in his hand. His clothing flashed with purple light, and even as it faded it seemed to stay behind on his clothes, which also now sported strange markings and what looked like writing.
The two looked at each other in shock. They were even more shocked when the little green alien burst in through the ceiling of Echo Base. "…Luke, do you have any idea what's going on?" Han asked. Luke shook his head.
The alien spoke up. "Yoda, I am. Come with me, you must. A friend in trouble, you have."
The two looked at each other, and then realized what he was talking about. "Leia!" The three bolted out of the room and towards the main base, hoping they were not too late.
The violet ring took a similar path to that of the red one, but it wasn't quite as fast.
As they ran down the hall, Yoda explained the situation, who he was and what was going on. His own ring had told him what was going on and how they could each use their rings. Han and Luke would not have believed any of it, except there was proof on their fingers and flying along next to them.
Yoda told them about the seven emotions of the spectrum, and how the ring had come to him. He did not know why it had come, nor was it able- or willing- to tell him. But he did know that there was great danger nearby.
He did not tell Luke that he was one of the last surviving Jedi. That could wait until after the crisis at hand.
They entered the planning room and stopped dead in their tracks. Yoda readied his ring, beginning to weave a construct to hold the monster in front of them. Han and Luke just stared.
Leia's outfit had stayed the same in terms of its general form, but otherwise it was unrecognizable. It was blood red, torn in places, and emblazoned with the same symbol on the ruby-colored ring around her finger. Her hair was no longer braided, but instead flowed wildly around her head as she charged towards them. Her mouth was open, dripping the red, lava-like fluid that filled her veins. She let out a roar of fury as she lunged towards them.
It was then that Yoda finished the wall between them. Leia crashed into the barrier, clawing and flailing, her face contorted in hate. Luke tried to calm her down, but it wasn't working. Han just stood there, almost overwhelmed by seeing this beautiful woman torn apart by her own rage. And it was then that he realized she was beautiful, that he loved this woman he had only met months ago. He had to lean on his staff while Luke continued to try and sooth her.
"Leia, it's us! We're your friends! It'll be ok… all will be well!" On the last words his ring let out a blue light that shone through the barrier Yoda had made, enveloping Leia. When it hit her, she clamed slightly, her eyes widening with recognition.
"Luke… Han… I ca- caa—ki-kill… kill!" And then the mask was back on, she was a monster again, and Yoda grunted with the effort of keeping her back, even with the power boost he derived from Luke's ring. Just when Luke thought they would have to strike her down, another ring came through the hole the red one had left in the ceiling.
Leia Organa of Alderaan. You have great rage in your heart. But there is also great love. Love for your planet. Love for your friends. Love for your brother. The ring slipped onto her finger, shattering the red one. Welcome to the Star Sapphires.
She was shrouded by a blast of violet light. When it faded, she was in completely different raiment, this one the color of a rose and with a star-like symbol on the skirts that hung loosely around her legs. Han and Luke did some more staring, and this time Yoda joined them for a bit. Then Leia toppled to the ground, spurring them into action.
"What's wrong with her?" Luke asked. His ring answered for him, performing a short scan. Subject is in cardiac arrest and has sustained substantial tissue damage consisting of 2nd degree burns throughout the cardiovascular system. He almost fell to his knees at this response, but instead tried to use his ring to heal her. "Han! Yoda! Try and help me out here!"
"Luke… I think we have other problems right now…" Luke turned around to see what Han was talking about. What he saw was not encouraging.
The hole in the ceiling where the two rings had come through was being torn away by an orange construct, a giant pair of gloved hands. But this did not scare him quite as much as what came through the hole they left.
Darth Vader. The new Agent Orange.
The bearer of the black ring was to be of a different kind entirely. While the others flew off to their bearers, the black ring stayed near the wormhole.
Eventually, it constructed its own bearer. But it did not do this on its own.
The ashes of Darth Plagueis found their way to the ring, swirling around it and forming a body not unlike the one they had previously been part of. Hego Damask of Mygeeto. The ashes were now falling into place, the form of the Sith Lord forming around the ring. RISE.
Han and Luke stared in horror at this figure that had come to represent the very essence of death and destruction, his power increased tenfold by the ring. His armor was now detailed with orange markings like flames or spikes, and the controls for the life-support system had been replaced by the symbol that was displayed on the face of his ring. Yoda, however, kept his wits about him. "Fear you, we do not, Vader. Outnumbered you are."
Darth Vader held his ground. "What makes you think I would ever be outnumbered?" The constructs appeared around him like flames, orange facsimiles of dozens upon dozens of Imperial troopers, officers and pilots. "The Empire is MINE. And now I will use it to destroy the Jedi completely, beyond all hope of reconstruction."
The constructs started moving towards them. Yoda started weaving his own constructs, swamp creatures and Jedi knights, to battle those Vader had produced. Han and Luke let loose blasts of energy from their own rings, trying to help the former Jedi as best they could and protect Leia as best they could.
And then things went from bad to worse. A bolt of yellow lightning struck Yoda, throwing him into the wall and leaving him lying on the ground. Luke and Han turned to see a sight that made their guts fall through the floor.
The Emperor was floating in the hole in the ceiling, his yellow and black robes whipping in the cold wind. "Master Yoda, what a pleasant surprise. I could have sworn I already killed you, but I wouldn't mind doing it again." He turned to Vader. "You know, I could have sworn I heard you say the Empire was yours. Now how would you have gotten a silly idea like that in your head?"
Vader seethed with anger. "You're no longer the one in power. With this ring, everything you've gained will be mine. I will have all the power, the entire galaxy; I'll find a way to bring Padme back!"
The Emperor laughed aloud, an unsettling cackle that assaulted the ears as much as the freezing cold. "Do you really believe that? You poor, deluded thing. She's dead, unlike me. You will never rule the Empire until I am gone, which is not for a long while if I have anything to do with it. As for your precious wife, the dead do not come back from the grave, no matter what that ring told you."
The infernal laughter grew even louder as Palpatine sensed dread and despair taking root in his apprentice's heart. But then the Force gave him a different emotion: fear. Even as he fed off it, he realized it did not come from his presence but another. He turned around. The harbinger of fear became afraid.
"Oh really, my foolish apprentice? Then why do I stand before you now?" No one but Palpatine recognized the corpse talking to him, but that did not keep them from shrinking away in fear. The fact that the undead face staring him down was familiar was no comfort to the Emperor.
He tried to keep his composure, but didn't entirely succeed. "Well what a strange turn of events. So many people I had thought dead, coming to confront me. It looks as though the Force is trying to prove me wrong, Lord Vader." Despite his best efforts, the terror in his voice was clear as day.
The black-robed corpse spoke up again. "Really, Palpatine, I thought you would have been elated to see me. I've finally done it! I've finally discovered the secret to immortal, invincible, never-ending life!"
It was around then that Darth Vader was able to piece together the origin of this reanimated monster in front of them. "You're Darth Plagueis the Wise, aren't you? And… he was your master, wasn't he, Palpatine? But you killed him…"
The Emperor turned from his former master to look at his current apprentice, although when he spoke it seemed as though it was more to himself than anyone else. "…I did… and yet here he is… no matter. I did it once. I can get rid of him again." With that, he turned back and began creating a construct, a set of large golden spikes. Thrusting his hand forward, he sent the spikes hurling into Plagueis' reanimated corpse.
The elder Sith Lord did nothing to stop the attack or dodge. In fact, he laughed, a dry, reedy sound that set Palpatine on edge. "Nicely done, my apprentice. Now let me show you what these rings can really do." With that he held up his hand, releasing a beam of necrotic energy towards the Emperor, shattering the spikes and sending him flying into the wall.
Vader growled and turned his constructs upon the undead Sith Lord. Plagueis narrowed his eyes, almost looking as though he was enjoying himself as he used the force to let out a massive shockwave that blew back both the constructs and their creator. With a deathly air about him, the ancient Muun stalked toward the fallen cyborg.
Meanwhile, Luke and Han worked frantically to heal Leia.
"Nothing's working, why is nothing working?" Luke yelled, panic seeping into his voice.
"There's too much tissue damage… you can't heal all that on your own… but maybe you can get some help!" As Han said this, his staff glowed with the same blue light as that of Luke's ring, as did his tattoos. Their light washed over Leia, closing her wounds and restarting her heart. With a gasp, she started breathing again, opening her eyes.
"What's going on… why… what's happening…?" She tried to get up, but Han guided her back down.
"No time to explain. All you need to know is that we need to get out of here or we're all gonna fry!"
"No… stand and fight we must…" Yoda got to his feet, moving over to where the three friends had gathered. "This new enemy… defeat him, we must…"
They stared at him incredulously for a few seconds. "Are you suggesting we fight with Vader and the Emperor- against that thing? This is crazy, but I'm not at the point of suicide," Han said.
Luke was hesitant to agree with his brash friend. "No… Yoda's right, if we just leave this thing, it will come back to haunt us. I say we take it out."
Leia looked around herself, just seeming to notice the battle taking place on the other side of the room. A shadow passed over her face. "I don't really know what's going on here… but from the looks of it… we have no choice but to end this quickly. I'm with Luke."
Han just sat for a bit, then sighed. "Fine. I guess I'm outvoted." He used his staff to stand up, smiling down at them. "If you're going to make a stand or whatever… I'll do it with you."
Darth Plagueis nimbly dodged another of Vader's constructs. Palpatine had gotten up and was weaving constructs of his own, but they weren't having much more effect than those of his apprentice. The husk was almost laughing at how easy it was to toy with them.
The Emperor finally got an effective shot in, sending out a blast of golden light that blew off his old master's arm. A smirk spread across his face, but it quickly disappeared as he noticed that Plagueis didn't seem too concerned with this new development. He almost collapsed entirely from the shock of seeing the pieces turn to ash. The ash swirled into a cloud, re-forming around the stump to make a new limb in place of the missing one.
Plagueis used this shock to his advantage, creating a blade with his ring and bearing down on his old apprentice. Palpatine created his own blade, bringing his yellow blade up to block the black one that was being used to strike out at him. They traded blows, frantically swinging their blades, and it quickly became clear to both combatants that the Emperor would not last much longer against this onslaught.
Suddenly a beam of blue and green light flew towards Plagueis. He quickly dodged out of the way, but the spear of light still clipped his cheek, tearing the flesh. To the surprise of all three Sith, the wound did not heal as the other had.
The undead Muun whipped around to face the source of the energy. He almost laughed when he saw it. "This is your back-up, Palpatine? An aging Jedi and some children? I though you to be far more resourceful than this, but I suppose I was wrong." He sent a beam of necrotic energy towards the new group before him, causing them to scatter slightly.
The Emperor didn't bother to answer Plagueis' query, instead attempting to catch him off guard while he was distracted. Palpatine lunged forward, bringing his blade down to cleave the black lantern's skull. Unfortunately this move was obviously anticipated. The husk whirled around, tattered robes spinning and blade coming to bear, easily blocking the strike.
Vader also decided to take this opportunity. As his master was locked in combat with the undead Sith, he started preparing new constructs to battle with. As he did this, he glanced over at the other group. He slowed a bit as he realized that they were making a plan.
Plagueis gathered his strength, using his blade to push his former apprentice back several feet. The Sith Lord growled, gathering his own energy into a beam he fired at Plagueis. At the same time, Vader, Yoda, and the three young rebels let out beams of their own. Six beams of light all hit the black lantern at once, burning away his flesh. Palpatine's eyes widened as he realized what was happening, but for the sake of winning the battle he continued to pour energy into his target. The withered corpse let out a feral howl as the light caused his very essence to dissolve.
When there was nothing left of the monster, the six lanterns stopped firing. They stood warily, watching to see who would make the next move.
Finally the Emperor spoke up. "I think that, due to the present circumstances, we should leave each other to go our separate ways. Would you agree, Master Yoda?"
Yoda was fairly certain that Palpatine was merely gambling for time, seeking to fight another day. Unfortunately his group was in a similar position. Leia hadn't recovered entirely, and Luke and Han still didn't entirely know how to use their rings effectively. After thinking things over a bit longer, Yoda nodded in agreement.
A small grin spread across the Emperor's face, although it looked more like a grimace. "Come, Lord Vader. We're leaving." He turned to leave, but stopped when he realized his apprentice was not following him.
Darth Vader addressed his master with a resentful tone. "I don't need you any more. Mark my words, someday the Empire will be mine, and no other's. Until then… watch yourself." With that, he turned in place and left.
It was obvious that Palpatine practically had to hold himself down to keep himself from going after his apprentice. Instead, he flew back out of the hole he had arrived through, heading back to Coruscant.
Luke, Han and Leia turned to Yoda. "What will we do now?" Leia asked.
Yoda stared after Palpatine, then turned his gaze towards the spot where Darth Plagueis had been standing just minutes before. "Relight the galaxy, we will."