I - The Duel in the Dark
Jay was not afraid of the dark. He knew the possibility of danger lurking in the shadows, and accepted the fact. Fear was dangerous, so he tried to cast the very possibility of it from his mind. For fear led only to the dark side. Still, it was hard not to be nervous, as there was absolutely no light. They had only the cave walls and the Force to guide them. He wondered if his master was at all afraid, or nervous, or whatever this feeling was. No, of course not. The old Quarren always remained calm and stoic, regardless of any peril they faced. The apprentice could only hope to be as steady as his master one day.
As they finally reached the end of their section of tunnel, the young man felt Master Setava place a firm hand on his shoulder, and spoke for the first time since the pair had descended.
"Hold, young one. I feel something, a presence." The Padawan reached out with his mind, searching for what his master had found with the Force.
And he found it. Deeper, far deeper, but strong enough to be sensed from where the Jedi stood. It was a life form, cold and angry, and the Force was with it.
"I feel it as well." the Padawan said, hoping none of his anxiety found its way into his voice. "Is it a Sith?"
"I have no doubt. Two of them. They tend to travel in pairs, like us."
Two Sith? Jay reached out again, and indeed, there was a second being. A smaller, weaker force, almost eclipsed by the other Sith, but it shared the same anger as the first. A Sith apprentice, Jay thought. A poor, lost soul. Not for the first time, he was grateful for the way his own life had turned out.
"Master, what are the Sith doing here?" Setava was quiet for a moment, then spoke in his usual solemn demeanor.
"They must be after the tablet. Or they have already found it, and stand as its guards. Whatever the case, they are close, to it and us, and will surely attack should they find us."
Now the Padawan's mind began to race. Could they defend themselves against the Sith? Was he ready? He had faced danger, but never on this scale. He was unsure, and afraid.
No doubt sensing the thoughts of his apprentice, the master spoke words of comfort in the familiar, soothing, slightly slurred voice of his people.
"Do not fret, young one. Fear turns into anger, and anger consumes and destroys even the brightest. You need not fear the Sith, for I will face them alone."
"What?! No, Master, I-"
"There is no shame in retreat, if you are not ready. Go, back to the ship. Alert the Council of this threat. I will venture forth and retrieve the tablet by myself."
Jay shook his head, forgetting the darkness that hid the action, emerald eyes filled with worry. "You cannot! You are one against two!"
He sensed rather than saw the four tentacles that hung over the masters faced wiggled slightly. A Quarren smile. Setava's were few, but warm. "Do you doubt my abilities, young one?"
"Against these odds, yes."
"You need not tell me the odds. Now go. I will be fine."
The worry had left the young man's eyes and was replaced with stubborn determination. He had made his decision, it was clear. "I am not afraid anymore, Master. The dark side is no match for the light, however strong these dark ones believe they are. Together, we can defeat the Sith. I will join you."
Setava was silent in thought. The boy - though Jay was nearly twenty, he would only ever think of him as a boy - had developed a certain maturity, something most individuals, even Jedi, lacked at his age. He was incredibly strong in the Force, much more so than the old Quarren was at that age. And his skills with a lightsaber were excellent. Yes, he was ready.
"This will be your toughest trial yet, young one. You must clear your mind of all doubts. Believe in yourself, and the Force, and it will guide you."
Jay nodded. He was not backing down. He would face the Sith, with his master at his side and the Force flowing through him. He was ready.
The two Jedi followed the tunnel down, and after what felt like ages, they reached a large cavern. The ceiling was fifteen meters above them, and the walls stretched out far into the dark. At the other end of the entrance was a stone staircase leading still further down, lit dimly by a faint red light, no doubt coming from below. What concerned the Jedi, though, were the room's occupants.
The sinister light cast two shadows, illuminating two figures, like statues in the center of the room. One was tall and masculine, with broad shoulders and thick, muscular limbs. The other was slimmer and shorter, most likely female. The cold, angry feeling from earlier was almost overwhelming now. These must be the Sith. As he reached for his saber, his master placed a hand on his chest to stop him.
"Yield, young one. I wish to speak to them."
"What was that? You always were a quiet one, Master Squid." The new voice boomed across the room, deep and dangerous. The voice's owner, the tall man, began to slowly advance towards the two. While it was still hard to see, the Padawan could make out a dark cloak, flowing behind the man as he approached. His apprentice soon followed, and Jay could feel eyes watching him, sizing him up.
The Jedi Master called out to the man, who the young man assumed to be the Sith lord.
"I recognize that arrogant voice anywhere, Rojen Varr."
"Rojen Varr? I abandoned that name when the Jedi abandoned me. It's Darth Atros now." The man and his lesser stopped, perhaps fifteen four or five meters from the Jedi, in a stance that conveyed that conflict was not far.
Jay did not expect the chuckle from his master. "Atros? That's almost as ridiculous as Darth. But yes, congratulations on becoming a Sith Lord, Varr. You always did crave recognition and titles." Setava spoke as if he knew the man, whose rage was strong enough to sense without even reaching out with the force. Now the apprentice was truly afraid.
"Who is this ancient fool, who thinks he can talk ill of the Sith? Say the word my lord, and I will slice his throat with my saber." The female's voice was surprisingly calm despite the ferocity of the her words. The accent was strange; sophisticated yet seductive, with a faint rumble. Jay thought it familiar, but couldn't quite place a name with it. He was not sure how the voice made him feel, but he certainly did not like it.
The threats of the woman seemed only to amuse her companion. "Noira, this is Jedi Master Setava. He sat on the High Council when I was still a knight, and was an avid supporter of my expulsion from the Order." The Padawan could almost taste the bitter hatred in the statement. Rojen Varr, he pondered. I've heard that name before, I know it. But where? Atros raised his arm and gestured towards the female. "Setava, this is my apprentice Noira. Her Chiss name is much longer and more dramatic, but Noira suits her fine. I plucked her from a Core World, with the intention of using her as a slave, until I learned she was Force-sensitive. She has served me well, in many ways, ever since. " The dark apprentice gave a mock bow, causing the Sith to chuckle. "Ever the performer."
A Chiss. That would explain the accent. Jay studied her for only a moment before returning his attention to the Sith Lord, who spoke once more.
"Enough about us. Who's your little pet? I'd like to know who I'm killing today."
Angered by the humiliating title, Jay took a step forward in spite of his fear."My name is Jay, and no one is dying today. Not by your hand, at least." He sounded braver than he felt.
The cave-filling laughter from the two Sith did nothing to boost the youth's confidence. "Did you hear, Noira? The mighty Jay is here to battle us! We wouldn't want to disappoint him, now would we?"
The apprentice reached down to her thigh and retrieved a slim lightsaber. "I think not, my lord."
Laughter, again from Atros. "Then the die is cast, and once again I will spill the blood of the Jedi!"
Three sinister hisses, the trademark sounds of ignition from Sith lightsabers, preceded the light from the sabers. Two came from the master, whose dual sabers intimidated the young one. In the dark cave room, the new light was almost blinding. It did not slow either of the Jedi, however, from quickly brandishing lightsabers of their own. Blue and green light flowed into the room with a pair of snaps. The time for talk was over. The battle had begun.
It seemed natural that Atros would fight Setava, and Jay would duel the apprentice. He lost sight of his master as he and the Chiss began to circle each other, slowly, in a timeless ritual. The light of the sabers illuminated Noira's face, briefly revealing a portrait of his opponent. The voice matched the face - the woman was beautiful and deadly, with the dark blue skin and deep, red eyes of her race. Dark hair, tied back, ran long past her shoulders. Her face was regal, her bones defined and sharp. Jay quickly refocused, all thoughts of combat gone from his mind. This was no ordinary woman; this was a Sith, his opponent, who would take any chance she could to kill him.
The first chance was upon them. The woman lunged forward, her blade darting fast at his heart. He was barely able to bring up his own in time, deflecting the attack ungracefully. He followed soon with a counterattack, two quick cuts from either side. The Chiss blocked both with ease, then returned to the offensive. Slowly moving back, Jay held his sapphire sword firmly with both hands, recalling the training exercises of years past. He guarded against all of Noira's attempts, analyzing her strategy all the while. This one is fast. She moved with noble grace, fighting like a fencer, hitting fast with light blows from all angles. Her saber complimented her style, as it appeared thinner than his own. He would need to be careful around this one.
The sudden explosion of sound from across the room reminded him that they were not alone. Clash after rapid clash, each echoing off the stone walls of their arena, the two masters must have begun fighting with all their might. Jay could not afford to watch, though, for his opponent was not at all distracted by the other battle.
Noira was relentless, tireless in her attacks. Blow after blow, for what felt like eternity, the Sith apprentice advanced, looking for any opening in the Jay's guard. The Padawan was not enduring as effectively. The pounding of his heart against his chest, and the air struggling in his lungs told him this. He needed to recuperate. Thinking fast, he parried an overhead slash and threw forth his left hand. With minimal effort he called on the Force, pushing forward. An unexpected move, for sure, as Noira flew backwards several meters, landing on her back with a solid slam against the cold floor. Knowing he had only a few seconds of rest, Jay's mind began to race, desperately, and unsuccessfully attempting to form a new strategy.
What do I do? Attack? Defend? Call for help? No. This fight is my own. I can win, but how? Noira was up now, gesturing at him with her lightsaber. She cursed at Jay, though not in any language he knew. It was do or die now, with the Chiss stepping forward, back into a battle stance. Still without a plan, Jay began to panic, thinking rapidly.
Do not think.
Jay almost whipped his head around when he heard his master's voice, before realizing it came without sound. Telepathy? This was new. Setava had never reached out to him with such coherent words. Could he respond in kind? Did he even have time to? Would this-
Stop thinking. Act!
Jay acted.
The Padawan lept forward with a hard right cut. Noira, taken aback by the sudden aggression, sprung back to avoid being sliced in half. She barely raised her saber in time to block his next attack, a swift strike from above. Holding their sabers together in the age-old clash, the Chiss took her first look of the young man she fought. His eyes, striking pools of green, had an odd look to them. There was no emotion in his face - no doubt, no rage. Surprising, considering the harshness of his fighting. She wondered where this newfound vigor came from.
The lightsabers pushed against each other, red and blue, fighting for dominance. The Sith apprentice threw all her weight into the struggle, slowly but surely pushing Jay's saber back towards him. Still, no worry crossed his face. Just as things appeared to be swinging in Noira's favor, Jay effortlessly shoved her blade away and slammed the pommel of his saber into the bridge of her nose. Staggering back, she reached up to her face, and her fingers came back, blue stained crimson. This was immensely frustrating for the girl - this seemingly random surge of power was beginning to prove troublesome. She hated this boy already, hated the fact that he was even still standing at this point. She took some solace in the idea of her hate empowering her, spurring her on to destroy this fool.
Jay advanced, saber held at his side in traditional battle stance. Noira raised hers to a point, ready to take on her opponent. They both paused, however, at the loud sounds coming from across the cave. At first, Jay thought it a roar - some ancient, underground beast awoken by the fury of combat - but after further listening, it appeared that Atros's primal shouts were the source of all the noise. Though the two youths had largely ignored the duel between their masters, an unspoken truce, albeit temporary, formed as the pair turned to watch the spectacle unfold.
The deadly dance was a sight to behold; two artisans of their craft fighting to the death. Atros's twin blades flew like vipers, darting in and out, slashing erratically. The Quarren fought like he lived - calmly, almost lazily. He was deaf to the Sith Lord's cackling and cursing, blocking slash after slash without hesitation, never counterattacking. In the lulls between Atros's rambling, he would softly speak to the ex-Jedi. Jay could not hear all of what his teacher was saying, but phrases like "all is not lost" and "we can still help you, Varr". Even in combat, he still tries to help. Jay was not at all surprised by the generosity of his master. The fight continued on, one and one, light and dark. Neither showed any signs of faltering, and this was apparently frustrating for the Sith. A loud crashed echoed throughout the cavern, as both of Atros's sabers slammed against Setava's own. Setava held his blade out, with Atros in front and to his right. His scarlet sabers pressed hard against the Jedi's green one, the Quarren struggling against the might of Darth Atros.
The man once called Rojen belted out yet another roaring laugh. "You are nothing, Squidhead! I will rip your arms from their sockets and feed them to your apprentice! Surrender, and I'll make his death quick. Resist and I'll give him the same torture I will bring down on you."
"Empty threats, Rojen. I will not falter now, not with the Force on my side." Setava's words were steady, unlike his lightsaber. They only seemed to enrage the dark lord further.
"Your side?! The Force is not with you, Master Jedi, despite what you phony priests preach. The Force is with me - it is mine, a tool, a weapon that I shall use to destroy every last one of you. Nothing can stop the Sith. Do you hear me? NOTHING!"
The undeniable hatred in Atros's words exploded across the room. Jay could feel pure anger and dark energy flowing through the man. Atros gave a particularly vicious shout and pushed against Setava's saber with all his strength. The sheer force of the larger man, combined with two lightsabers pressing into his own, caused the Jedi to falter, if only for a moment.
A moment was all Atros needed.
He quickly slid the blade in his left hand down the length of Setava's, moving fast towards the handle. With nothing to stop it's rapid movement, it sliced through the Quarren's hand, removing the thumb-like tentacle and parts of other digits. With a howel only his race's lungs could create, Setava dropped his saber, and it clinked, disengaged, onto the stone floor. Atros roared like a beast, victorious, and switched off his left saber.
"NO!" Jay screamed, spurred on by instinct and thoughtless rage, and sprinted towards the kneeling old Jedi. His path would soon be stopped - an inhuman, almost catlike leap from Noira placed her directly between her opponent and her master. Not remotely tired by the flip, the Chiss hissed a challenge at the young apprentice.
"Not so fast, Jedi scum. Your fight is with me." Jay's glare took all of her confidence, however, as the previous innocence and curiosity behind his eyes were replace with blind fury. He slowed to a walk, but did not stop on his path to Atros.
"Move." His voice was low, and dark. Noira shook away the chills it gave her, and charged. Jay, still moving, merely pointed at her and then flicked his hand away. Quick and simple, the Sith girl was lifted off the floor and thrown ten meters across the room. She was quickly forgotten as he closed the distance between himself and his new adversary.
His master was still kneeling, his left hand clutching at what remained of his right. Setava looked up as he heard his apprentice approached. He shook his head and muttered something about going back to the ship before Jay spoke.
"Master! Are you alright?"
The soft chuckle from the Quarren was all the answer he needed. "Yes, young one. Are you?". Even in great pain, Setava worried about others, never himself.
"Fine, master. Don't worry, I will get us out of here." Setava's pale eyes twinkled as he thought, eyeing his apprentice all the while.
"Yes, I believe you will. But you must believe it yourself before you can succeed."
Atros, having been silent for once during the exchange, stepped from behind the Jedi Master and stretched out his arms mockingly, his saber glowing sinisterly.
"Oh yes, belief and love and hope is all you need, Padawan, and not even I could stop you. Go on, see how far the Jedi ways get you. I'll spare you the trouble - it gets you nowhere, except a boring life or an early grave. Do you want either? Or do you want power, wealth and longevity? You could go far as a Sith, with your natural abilities. Such potential..."
"Sith propaganda will not sway me, Atros. I am a Jedi, now and forever."
For what seemed like the hundredth time, Atros laughed. "Oh, how eloquent. Your forever ends here, then. A shame, really, because from what I observed of your battle you could be an even more efficient tool than Noira. You are a more than competent fighter, and your skills with the Force are… impressive. Most impressive. You really would choose death as a Jedi, rather than life as a powerful, unstoppable Sith?" Jay's response was to raise his lightsaber and shift into a battle stance.
"Fine. Die then. But let's make this a little more interesting!" Atros growled, moving around behind Setava. Jay quickly realized that something bad was about to happen. He began to move, but he was too slow. Atros grabbed his master by the back of his neck, lifted him off his knees and high into the air, and stabbed the Jedi through the back. Jay opened his mouth to scream, but no sound came out. It felt like all the air had been torn from his lungs. Setava crumpled back to the ground, silent. Atros moved between the young man and his master, took out his left lightsaber and switched it on, and spoke once more.
"Did that surprise you? Good. You seemed a little too comfortable. Now our duel has stakes. You'll be fighting time as well as myself. Old Squidface here yet lives - the heat from my lightsaber cauterized his wound. He won't bleed out, but if he isn't helped he may die of an infection. Or maybe organ failure. Who knows? Needless to say, I think you should get him out of here. But of course, you'll have to kill me to do that. And I promise you, that won't be happening."
Jay felt tears coming to his eyes, and tried his hardest to blink them away. Jedi do not cry. "Why? Why make him suffer like this?"
"Would you rather me kill him now? No, I didn't think so. Besides, watching the man who helped expel me die, painfully, slowly...I love it!" Atros's voice was filled with sadistic glee. Jay could stand by no longer. The dark lord would pay for his actions.
"Monster!" Jay shouted as he lept into the air, slashing down at Atros. His opponent blocked the cut and returned with ferocious attacks. On the defensive again, Jay backed up, as Atros fought with two sabers that whirled quickly in wide, dangerous circles. As he blocked, parried, and blocked again, Jay got his first look at the Sith master.
The man was huge, probably a little over two meters tall. His attire consisted of a black, flowing hooded cloak that partially covered his armor; the latter was made out of dark material that seemed to be the pelt of some alien creature. He had thrown back the hood, revealing flowing black curls and a deathly pale face - unnaturally, inhumanly pale. Atros must have been in this cave a long time. A dark red tattoo stretched across the length of his face, just below his eyes. His face was pulled back in a hideous grin; his yellow fang-like teeth completed his beastly appearance. He flicked his blades back and forth, swinging wide and stabbing fast, fighting with an unpredictable style that threw Jay off and forced him to give up ground. Atros's skills backed up his boasts, and his acrobatic and animal-like techniques made full use of Jay's inexperience.
Jay repelled the Sith Lord - to the best of his abilities - with a form the Jedi had named Soresu. It was a defensive form, built around letting the opponent dictate the flow of battle while the user adapted and countered. An effective form against aggressors like Atros, but the man was much faster than Jay had expected, so it took all of his ability just to stay alive, much less observe and learn and respond. He began to slow his breathing, attuning himself more and more to the Force. As his body and mind opened up as a vessel to the Force, as he slowly slipped back into this state he didn't understand, his last thoughts were of his master.
Noira raised her head from the floor and looked around. Her flight was so fast she barely comprehended what happened. Jay had obviously not considered her a threat, tossing her away like a broken toy. What power, she thought. I never expected him to be this strong in the Force. He may be more skilled than Lord Atros. She finally found her lightsaber, a yard or so from where she landed. After calling it to her hand, she looked out across the empty darkness and found what she was looking for. Three lights; one blue, two red. The Jedi, and her master. The lights were moving fast, rapidly clashing in a flurry of sparks. How is it possible that he is even alive? Lord Atros is a lightsaber master! Noira doubted that her master needed her help, glorious as he was, but she wanted to see this boy bleed for humiliating her. She began crossing the cave, occasionally stumbling due to the pain in her side. Noira told herself she had landed on a rock, trying not to consider the possibility that the sheer power of Jay's Force-push had not bruised her ribcage. As she approached the two men, she wondered if she would be any help to her master in this fight.
She slowed her advance as she neared the battle. The Jedi apprentice was doing that thing again, with his eyes half-closed and his movements quick and inhuman. He knew where to block before her master even swung. Of course, she knew of the sense of premonition the Force granted its wielders, she used it herself even, but his was too strong, especially against an opponent who was using the Force himself. Atros swung his two blades at Jay, from each side, and Jay simply jumped, effortlessly flipping over the Sith and attacked fast, incredibly fast. The dark lord blocked just in time, narrowly avoiding a stab in the back. Jay continued his assault, almost lazily, shifting the flow of combat into his favor as Atros was forced to defend against a completely different opponent. Noira stepped forward ready to strike, when a growl from Atros stopped her.
"No! I will kill this boy myself. If you dare deprive me of this glory, I will make you suffer!"
Noira was taken aback - but she shouldn't have. Her master frequently snapped and raged at her. She never blamed him - such was the path of the dark side, of true power. Noira stepped back and resigned herself to watching the duel.
And what a feast for the eyes it was. The young Jedi moved with impossible speed, easily keeping up with Atros's two sabers. It was clear that in this state, the boy was at the very least her master's equal. This may not be an easy fight.
Jay, as usual, was only half aware of what was going on when he let the Force take over. He wasn't exactly sure how he did this, or if it was even safe, but he knew that it could save his life, so he accepted and embraced the unknown. He saw light, red and blue, moving fast. He heard water dripping in the cave, and a low hum from far down below, and four different breaths, here in this room.
One was heavy, weary from battle.
Another was quick, short. Signs of injury in the lungs, or nerves. Or both.
A third, farther away, was slow, fading.
The last was steady. Deep. His own.
Jay saw - no, felt, an opening. The Force was showing him something. Atros's chest and neck area was guarded by his constantly moving lightsabers, but his face was never covered by the blades. He quickly moved forward, slipping out of his semi-consciousness and slicing up at Atros. The unexpected slice cut open the Sith's face and tore through his left eye. The master howled and dropped one lightsaber, and the open hand flew up to cover his new wound. Noira screamed, farther away than Jay expected. He looked around groggily, shaking away the feelings of the Force surrounding him. He hadn't been aware of much of the battle, so the blow was as surprising for him as it was for the two Sith. Atros picked himself off the ground, with only one lightsaber and filled with absolute hatred. The cut had apparently been shallow, as a deep one would've hit brain and killed the man. No, this was most likely only skin deep; painful, but survivable. Atros was not laughing now. He lowered his saber, and without ever taking his eye off Jay, he called out to his apprentice.
"Noira. We're leaving. Now."
The young Chiss looked confused. "But master, the tablet -"
"NOW!" he roared. He turned and swiftly strode through the dark, Noira moving behind as fast as he could.
"I don't think so, Atros!" Jay called as he extended his hand skyward. Neither Sith could be pulled - they had already moved too far from him - but he could block their path. He concentrated, breathed calmly, and began to pull with the Force. With a loud grumble, numerous stalactites fell from the ceiling high above. Atros hurried his pace, fleeing towards some unseen exit. Noira struggled to keep up.
"Jay..." A weak voice called from afar.
"Master!" Jay ran towards the Quarren, all thoughts of the Sith fading as he approached Setava, who lay defeated on the ground.
Noira didn't even remember where this secret entrance was. She hobbled hurriedly behind her master, who showed no signs of slowing. Stalactites still fell, larger rocks and chunks of the ceiling coming with them. She saw Atros reach the crevice, and he began to slide in. She opened her mouth to call out to him, to tell him to wait, but all that came out was a scream as she felt her leg explode in terrible pain and then quickly go numb. She fell on to the ground, trapped under a heavy stone. "Master!"
Atros, halfway into the secret tunnel, looked back. A smile crossed his face as he spoke.
"You were a good tool, Chiss." He then turned and faded into the dark of the cave. Noira's last thoughts before passing out were filled with confusion, sadness, and anger.