Star Wars: Darth Eclipse
Summary: After Starkiller died, Eclipse began fighting the Empire, leading the Rouge Shadow Squadron. But she can always feel him there, guiding her, and when Darth Vader finally fights her, she too becomes more powerful than ever. A Force Unleashed fic that ties into my Dark Galaxy trilogy.
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of tar Wars.
Juno sat in the small room aboard the Rouge Shadow where he used to sit, meditating as he did. Here, she wasn't alone, except to an onlooker. Here, she could feel him, hear him tell her what he always wanted to, but never did.
Juno,... Juno,...
"I'm here," she said aloud. "I'm here, Starkiller." She could feel his amusement at her use of his Sith name. "I'm going on a mission tomorrow."
Are you taking the Shadow?
She shook her head, now looking up at his ghost-like form that flickered like a bad hologram, "No. It's been decommissioned after what Vader did to it last time." That was not a dogfight she wanted to repeat anytime soon either.
I wish I could do more than just channel my powers through you.
"It's okay," she insisted. Ever since she had started flying in earnest for the Rebellion, she had felt him beside her. There was some sort of link between them, so that even though he was dead, she could wield his powers.
It was unusual for a while, being Force-sensitive through unnatural means, but she found she enjoyed it, especially sense it meant she could see him. "Will you teach me your favorite?"
Force Lightning? If you feel you are ready.
She stood, a lightsaber similar to the one he used to wield springing to life in her hand, "Then let us begin."
Another explosion shook her Y-wing as she struggled to escape her opponent's target lock. Than another, and another. They had completed their mission, stealing the plans to the giant Death Star. Just as she planned, Vader had immediately traced her Y-wing, following the deliberate trail of bread crumbs she had left behind. Even though he had won their last dog fight, she had wounded his pride by severely damaging his ship, leaving him dead in space for someone else to pick him up while she escaped. Now he had engaged her one on one in his TIE X1, and it was personal.
Today, I will die, she realized. He will not let me live. He is here to kill me. Surprisingly, it didn't bother her in the slightest. She was ready to die, to sacrifice herself so that the Rebellion could live on, just like Starkiller did.
A final hit struck her ship and she began to spiral toward the planet Raxus Prime. She took several deep breaths, calming herself, waiting for the last moment. Then she ejected, her canopy blowing off and her para-sail allowing her to gently glide away from her downed ship until she reached the ground. Quickly unstrapping the sail and removing it, she headed towards the Junk Temple that still remained. Vader would follow quickly, and she intended to anger him as much as possible.
Reaching the central chamber, she knelt down and began to meditate, trying to reconnect with the Force. It wasn't long until she felt Starkiller's presence enter her body. This would be his last fight, their last fight.
"You have given me a great deal of trouble, Captain Eclipse," Vader's voice echoed from behind her as he activated his lightsaber. "I should have killed you when I had the chance."
She stood, igniting her own lightsaber and holding it in a reverse grip, "You have the chance now, Dark Lord, but you will be hard pressed." She turned toward him, "My name is Darth Eclipse, and I am being aided by Darth Starkiller. We are members of the original Sith Brotherhood, a brotherhood that were allies to the Jedi before the Last Hyperspace War, when the Sith order became corrupted by those seeking power. This is not an even battle, and you are on the weaker side."
"We shall see," Vader growled through his respirator, stepping forward.
Eclipse smiled, "Indeed we shall, but as mortals, not Sith." She closed her eyes, feeling Starkiller and innumerable Jedi and incorruptible Sith that had become one with the Force reaching out with her, and then the Force vanished.
Vader paused, gasping in surprise as Eclipse laughed, "I have not yet mastered the Force Drain, technique yet, but Starkiller knows it, and so long as I'm alive, the Force cannot exist here." Almost casually, she went on the offensive, slashing at Vader's limbs. He faltered, backing away before his training came into play, he may not have the Force, but he knew how to wield a blade, something Eclipse had little experience with. For hours they battled clumsily, but Vader soon began to have the upper hand. In his case, artificial limbs were an advantage he never thought of, as they didn't feel tired and continued to function. As Eclipse began to tire more and more, he pressed his advantage, forcing her back.
Knowing the duel was coming to an end, Eclipse made a gamble, feinting to the right, and then slashing at Vader's left. It worked, and she sliced off his left arm at the shoulder, but it was the only hit she would manage. Ignoring his arm and taking advantage of her open defenses, Vader jabbed down with his blade, slicing her Achilles tendon and causing her to collapse. Her lightsaber rolled away, extinguished.
"You still have much to learn," Vader hissed, pointing the tip of his blade at her throat.
Eclipse snorted, "You have nothing left to teach me, Anakin Skywalker."
Vader stood there, unmoving, his breathing echoing for five minutes before he asked, "How did you find out?"
"The Force," Eclipse answered. "You were always meant to be a Sith. You were meant to restore the original Sith Order, to become an ally of the Jedi, and bring balance to the Force by defeating the last corrupt Sith in the galaxy, but you didn't. You failed, because you didn't do what you should have all those years ago. You should have killed Darth Sidious."
"I needed him alive," Vader growled.
"No, you just wanted his power," Eclipse countered. "Lust for power has turned you into a Dark Lord instead of a Sith Lord. Lust for power will gain you nothing but misery, because if you lust after power, you can never get enough. Its a greed that corrupts you like a poison. The only way to counter it is to serve selflessly, rather than selfishly, something you used to do, when you remembered how to love, how to care for others, and how to help someone in need. There is still hope for you, if only you would slay Sidious."
"It is too late for me," Vader replied. "I must obey my Master."
"That's what Starkiller thought, until you betrayed him one last time," Eclipse chuckled. "Love and Hate cannot exist in the heart at the same time, however, and his love for me overpowered his hatred of you. He even loved you like the father he never got to know. What about you? Was he the son you never had?"
For a moment, she thought she might have gotten through to him. She didn't need the Force to tell that he was hesitating, that she had cracked the mask of Darth Vader that Anakin Skywalker wore, but then it was gone. "Where are the plans to the Death Star?" he demanded.
"I never had them with me," Eclipse smiled. "By now, they are safely in the hands of the Alliance. You fell for the oldest trick in the book, Dark Lord." She knew that one of the members of her Rouge Shadow Squadron, a young hotshot rookie by the name of Wedge Antilles would take care of the plans. "I wanted you to think I had them, but I never did. Even if you kill me, I win."
Enraged, Vader stabbed her through her heart with his blade, hissing, "You can't win if you're dead." Her head fell back and her eyes fell closed in death. The Force suddenly rushed back into the area, and the Dark Lord's anger crushed several nearby support beams. Deactivating his blade, Darth Vader turned and left her there, heading for his personal fighter. Though he was loathe to admit it, Eclipse was right. She had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat through her sacrifice. He had wasted his time falling for her ruse, and now it would be even harder for him to track down the plans. But he had the Dark Side as his ally. He would succeed.
After Vader's ship left, Eclipse slowly opened her eyes. Her body felt numb, except for the sweet taste of victory. She had shaken him, and stalled him, and it was enough. Smiling triumphantly, she closed her eyes, and her body vanished.
Darth Eclipse had become one with the Force.