A/N: An RPG between-fic. I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters except for Choquet D'Var, Eitn Leesra, and Tanfa. Written for Senator Elizabeth Organa and Rimera, who, for some odd reason, enjoy my writing.
When the vision of a young Mistryl and a strange silver-haired woman appeared to the Sith apprentice in the early hours of the morning, he woke up and rolled onto his back.
It was time to leave.
High above, the heavens with their scattered silver shards hazed with the approach of day. Around the Sith apprentice, the night noises of creatures on the hunt were gradually lessening and one or two birds chirped in the blueleaf trees around him.
Rubbing his eyes, he sighed and sat up. His chin itched. Time to shave again. He reached over to a small pile of clothing next to him, picked up a cylinder of rolled up cloth, and stood. After he stretched and took a moment to appreciate the cool sunless air against his skin, he turned and approached the nearby lake. On the opposite shore, a dark temple loomed over the treetops, exuding a blackness that seemed to swallow all noise and light.
Unperturbed, the Sith apprentice unrolled his cloth, revealing four lightsabers that clacked against one another. For a second, he studied them, then selected the one with the longest handle and activated it. An orange blade shimmered forth, crackling and humming in the air. He adjusted the knobs on the handle and it shrank to the length of his index finger.
Then, ever so carefully, he began to shave his face with the deadly blade, knowing that one slip could cost him his life or worse, cut another hole in his already over-patched cargo pants.
Two years was a long time to remain isolated from civilization and he grew to learn that clothing had to last. Besides, wearing a shirt during the humid day seemed pointless. It was the rainy days when he needed one, and even then the temperature was not uncomfortable.
Such was the fourth moon of Yavin, once the host of the Rebellion under threat of extinction, now the soon to be former home of one Choquet D'Var, ex-Imperial Infiltrator, ex-mercenary, and last student of the legendary Sith Lord, Exar Kun.
Through the hidden paths of the jungle, D'Var ran, leaping over fallen trees and rushing streams. Woolamanders hooted and shrilled as he flew past their nests; once or twice in the dim morning light, he caught a glance of a furry form up in the trees.
Still, he ran on, flowing under low branches and around mossy boulders, his stride almost a dance as he skirted obstacles. When the Sith reached a clearing, he raised his eyes to the horizon. Over the treetops, a huge black mountain jutted, outlined with an orange aura that denoted Yavin's imminent rise.
He blinked, then concentrated, the dark side of the Force trickling into his body…
Beneath his feet, the grass blurred; the trees whipeed past, gapping the scream of wind in his ear-
Then, the jungle was spread out before and below him as he sat on the mountain's crater rim, breathing easily.
A brief nudge of warning from the Force brought him to his feet. Behind the Sith, a distant roar from the mountains depth grew louder until the mountaintop erupted in a fiery fountain of molten rock and choking smoke.
Lightsaber already in hand, D'Var ignited it. On either end of the long handle, blades of bright orange beamed forth and he twirled the double bladed lightsaber to deflect the rock shards and lava drops lancing his way. Planting his feet firmly on the slender ledge of the rim, the Sith whirled and bisected a head-sized globule of heated debris flying towards him. The two pieces barely passed on either side of his head, the heat of their passage almost breaking his force shield. Time to go, he thought.
It was at that moment he realized he could not move his feet; D'Var looked down and found lava pooling over his boots, covering him. If not for his Force shield, his feet would be mere chunks of burned flesh. Bending his knees, he jumped. The sudden force was enough to break free of the lava's hold and he landed further down the slope, disengaged his saber, stowed it, and continued down the side of the erupting volcano as though he was enjoying a stroll through an Alderaanian garden, as though escaping an erupting volcano was a daily occurrence, as though the wraith-like form hovering at the bottom of the mountain was not trying to kill him.
The spirit of Exar Kun raised his hands, sending a roiling tide of darkness through the Force.
With another almighty roar, the ground before D'Var cracked, lava rising in a sheet and swamping over him, driving him to his knees. The melted rock slid over his form like a living mold, cooling until his struggles ceased. Tendrils of red light in the stone faded out with a hiss.
Exar Kun lowered his hands. The volcano silenced itself gradually, letting off hisses of steam and gas now and then; as quickly as it had trickled out, the rest of the lava cooled, leaving zigzags of fresh raised rock down the mountainsides.
The Sith Lord gazed down at the frozen rock form that had been his pupil, breaking the silence. "If you knew anything of the Sith, you would have known this day would come, Choquet D'Var." Drawing closer, the spirit reached out to draw a transparent hand over the lava-entombed body. "If the apprentice does not overthrow the master, then he will perish." An echo-y chuckle rattled in his throat. "But then, that would have been impossible for you, fool. I am Exar Kun, who was hailed as the greatest Sith Lord in the universe. And, once I possess your remains and kill this pitiful 'Emperor Xarkun,' I shall be thus known again."
He was cut off by the sound of tearing rock. The crouching statue stood up and shrugged the hardened shell from his shoulders. D'Var coughed, fresh air flowing into his lungs, and wiped his sweat-sheened face. "You're right," he admitted. "I know little of the Sith, but I do know they like to monologue a lot."
Getting over his surprise faster than D'Var expected, Exar Kun nodded. "I have indeed taught you well-" His hands moved again, stretching out like claws toward his apprentice. "-Or have I?" Invisible bands of dark Force pressure wrapped around D'Var's body, pinning his arms to his sides.
"Impressive," continued Exar Kun, drawing nearer. "Your control over the force allowed you to create a barrier a scarce few molecules thick to block the heat and rock."
"Right," admitted his apprentice. "Then, when the lava hardened, I expanded the shield and shattered it."
"And yet, you are still unable to use the Force on distant subjects." Exar Kun raised his head, the shadow of his hood moving and revealing a triumphant smile. "The result is here and now – I have trapped you with the abilities you cannot use."
D'Var ground his teeth, unable to do more than glare at the spirit.
"Oh, do not worry my foolish apprentice…" Exar Kun placed both palms on D'Var's forehead, his hands feeling like two burning chunks of ice. "Rest assured that I will use your abilities in perfect unity with my own. In a way, you will be able to use the force in the ways you were unable to before."
Surprised widened the Sith apprentice's eyes and Exar Kun brought his full power to bear in that moment.
"Aha. What have we here?"
Exar Kun sneered around at his new surroundings. Lights on the console flickered red, gleaming off the flight controls and levers. Out of the viewport of the ship, a black hole swirled, grasping light and gulping it down.
It was growing bigger.
Which meant they were heading straight toward it.
"It's the Wounded Marnock."
The Sith Lord turned to see an Imperial officer standing behind him, Corellian by the look of him. Down either side of his pants, a decorative crimson stripe was sewn. "Who are you?" he demanded. "This is the center of D'Var's soul. What are you doing here?"
Laughing, the officer crossed his arms. "Looks like you managed to fool him, Choc…" He nodded to someone behind Exar Kun.
Whirling, Exar Kun snarled to find Choquet D'Var sitting in the pilot's seat, appearing haggard and weary. Yet, around him, a strength burned and his eyes glared up at the spirit with no trace of fear. When he spoke, it was the same. "Yes, this is the center, but until now, you could not penetrate it."
"Yes, you let down your guard," smirked the Sith Lord, though he could not rid himself of a small feeling of unease. "It was so easy to insert myself into your very existence. Soon, I will master you and all this-" he gestured all around. "-will cease to exist. You will cease to exist."
"Want to bet?" The officer behind him asked quietly. "You didn't insert yourself so easily."
"What?"
"Chocky let you in!" exclaimed a young voice. Whipping around once again, Exar Kun found a young Mistryl standing next to the officer, arms crossed. One of her eyes was missing, but the other stared down the Sith Lord with an incredible strength in its blue depths.
Looking out the view port, D'Var noticed the black hole flicker for a split second, then grow larger.
"Who are you all?!" demanded Exar Kun, his rage trickling out in his voice and through the Force. "How can you be here? I sensed only D'Var!"
"Sith buggers think they know everything." Flicking a few switches, another Corellian exchanged eyerolls with D'Var and leaned back in his chair. "Choc can mask his aura, you idiot. And those memories you thought he got rid off when he first came here? Not gone. Buried."
"You mean…?" Now Exar Kun was openly surprised and not a little panicked.
"Correct."
At the sound of another female voice, both the Sith Lord and D'Var turned around.
A fourteen-year-old girl stood in the door of the cockpit, dressed in mechanics overalls and face smudged with engine grease and a smirk. "Yo. The name's Tinder, one of Choc's memories. Pleased to kill ya."
"I'm Eitn. Ditto." The young Mistryl nodded.
"Tanfa." The Imperial officer introduced himself.
Before the copilot could introduce himself, Choc nudged him. "This's tinshou."
"What? Do you mind, kid?!" he complained.
A low laugh grew in volume until Exar Kun was guffawing. "You fools. How does a group of children and non-jedi expect to kill me?" he bellowed, reaching out to grasp the Force, his anger turning his spirit darker, dimming the lights from the console, and speeding the rotation of the black hole. The ship trembled beneath them all as the gravitational pull of the anomaly drew them closer. "I have defeated death!"
"Perhaps you cannot be killed." With that admission, Choquet D'Var, or "Choc" as he was known to many, stood up and advanced. "But how about defeated?" Without warning, he thrust both hands into the center of the spirit of the Sith Lord.
A blazing fire spread from the touch, quickly surrounding them both; other streams of flame billowed from each of the others in the cockpit. From the young Mistryl's eye came a bright blue fire, from the two Corellians, a scarlet flame, matching that of their Bloodstripes, and the girl smiled, a white fire trickling from her mouth. Every flame lashed around the Sith Lord, chaining him. He screamed – their touch was powerful, a sheer pain he felt only once before when he had died. "Mercy!"
"Relax."
Utterly confounded, Exar Kun opened his eyes to find Choc gazing up at him with an unfamiliar look in his eyes. Pity? "You will live on," assured the Sith apprentice. "In much the same manner I would have if you succeeded. A memory, held by them."
Around them, the group nodded once.
"Let go, Exar Kun." Behind Choc, the black hole flickered again; simultaneously, the tremble of the ship ceased for a moment. Then, the anomaly vanished utterly, along with the shaking. The colors of the flames mingled, swirled, brightened, blinding him-
Stars returned outside the viewport and the sound of unstrained engines thrummed beneath their feet. Like a top-heavy pole left without support, Choc fell to the deck, unconscious.
"We did it." Tanfa raised an eyebrow, while Eitn crouched down to check on the Sith apprentice. Nodding, the other Corellian stood up and stretched.
Tinder breathed out a sigh of relief, joining the young Mistryl and taking one of Choc's hands. "This is only the beginning."
Tanfa sighed. "I'm afraid so."
A/N: Perhaps an Eitn chapter next...