SPECIAL A/N, READ IT:
Disclaimer: I have no claim over the intellectual property of Star Wars.
Trigger warning for death and abuse mentions.
A/N: I wrote Dark Utopia back in my early days of writing, and it wasn't great. I took it down with promises of a new version, and I finally have that. It has reflections of the old (if anyone remembers it) but it has a new spin and is only this one-shot. Enjoy, maybe?
It was not a world worth bringing back. It was full of pain, of suffering. It was a world lost to everyone, and it should have remained that way.
"Master Raider?" Sol asked as he looked around the darkened room. His master was investigating realistic art of sith from long ago.
"Yes?" Master Raider did not move from where he was, though lit his lightsaber which gave off a green glow. Sol opened his mouth to speak, but something shifted. The two force-sensitives tensed and glanced around.
"If we are attacked, make for the ship. We cannot afford to have enemies lurking here. The Jedi will wish to know of this place," Master Raider told Sol, who was lighting his own lightsaber and giving the room and eerie orange glow.
"Of course sir," Sol answered with a nod, his lank red hair brushing his nose. "Shall I reach out to Qui-Gon Jinn?"
"If you have a chance, tell him Derek Raider sent you. However, I wish you to go over there." Derek indicated the far end of the room. Sol nodded, the orange reflecting off his pale skin while the green darkened against Derek's darker tone. Sol turned and began making his way carefully. This atrium was bare aside from the art that hung from the wall, depicting an ancient cult of sith that had disappeared along with time. He and his master had only discovered this place by chance, after nearly colliding with a meteor.
Sol lifted his lightsaber for more light as he reached the end of the room. This art was by itself, and depicted someone much different that what was near the beginning. Thus far, all of it had been male humans, but this one was of a human female.
"Ma-" Sol began, but the ground shook and Sol fell to his knees. A loud hiss sounded from above.
"We have triggered a trap, Sol!" Master Raider called. "Hurry, we must leave!" Sol began to push himself up, but a wave of the force knocked him back down. A loud thump sounded from beside him before it suddenly sounded as if there were many things falling.
Is the place falling down? Sol wondered as he finally got to his feet. However, his bearings quickly let him know they were no longer alone. The artwork was gone, and was instead replaced by people. One of them was behind him, and had the strongest force signature he had ever felt. Sol was still holding his lightsaber and went to attack the one beside him. A powerful blast sent him flying instead, and Sol lost consciousness.
"Father, I don't understand." The girl scratched at the dirt on her face and her father looked down.
"Your mother was a Jedi, but she could only show you parts of the force," he answered. "I, as Darth Maw, can show you the rest." The brunette watched her father for a moment, taking in his eagerness to teach.
"Yes...I will go with you. Mother usually let me learn on my own, though," the girl answered. She followed after the man towards a cave not far ahead.
Sol gasped as he came back into consciousness. He glanced up and someone was looking back.
"Are you okay? I am sorry for throwing you, I thought you were one of them," a girl answered. Sol pushed her off of him and she watched him. She looked like the girl from the dream—memory, no...it couldn't be, it wasn't his.
"Who are you? Where's Master Raider?" Sol asked and rubbed his face to clear the tiredness from it. They were deep in the forest surrounding the cave.
"I am called JS, and I am not sure who you are asking for. Darth Maw and his minions were inside their lair, and there was someone else present aside from you and I. Was that your Master Raider?" JS cocked her head at Sol, and seemed to be considering something. Sol saw two lightsabers on her person and took a step back.
"What are you?" Sol remembered the force presence, and it was exuding from her. However, it seemed fainter like it was further away.
"I can feel the force, though if you ask my discipline I am...not exactly dark nor light," JS answered deliberately. She kept an eye on Sol as if to gauge his reaction. Sol opened his mouth to protest, but then shut it. He looked towards the east, where he could feel many people, many force users.
"Look," he finally said, turning back to JS. "I need help getting back to my ship. You seem a...decent enough person. I'll help you with this Darth Maw, once I can alert the Jedi Council." JS looked at him in confusion before nodding.
"I can do that. Darth Maw will not be easy, since he has a dozen while there is but two of us. Come, I will show you back." JS brushed past him into the forest and Sol sighed. It was going to be a long day.
"Where did she go?" Darth Maw questioned as he looked the man over. He was from Korun, that much Darth Maw could tell. He had been there once, in his youth long before he met the Jedi woman and fully embraced the Dark Side.
"I do not know, master," one of his younger minions answered. "But she had a boy on her back, but she has hidden her presence from us." Darth Maw nodded. The girl's mother had taught her well with camouflage.
"We need to find them, and search the ship. I want to know when we awoke, and where the nearest civilization is." His followers nodded before dividing themselves and scattering to do their appointed tasks.
"Now who were you?" Darth Maw wondered aloud as he began looking at Raider's face.
"Embrace your angry, your hate," Darth Maw instructed as the girl was watching the pieces of a lightsaber float before her. She frowned before glancing at him.
"What am I supposed to hate?" she asked, her voice revealing genuine confusion. Darth Maw's eyes flashed, but he spoke in a calm tone.
"Your mother left you, abandoned you. Yes, you are powerful and you are no longer a child...but you must ask yourself why she would leave you. Did she not love you? Did she want to go back to the Jedi more than she wanted you?" The girl clenched her fists and the pieces fell down into the ground, embedding themselves into it.
"But there's no proof..." Darth Maw could hear the tears in her voice and nodded to himself.
"And yet, both sides are plausible. She left you, whether intentional or not, but you will never know."
"Stop that," Sol muttered as he rubbed his head. The figure in front of him paused and turned to look at him.
"Stop what?" JS asked as she stepped towards him. Sol glared at her before softening. Whatever JS might be, she was rather sincere, and if she was causing these...memory intrusions she was not meaning it.
"I keep seeing this...Darth Maw, and a girl who looks like you," Sol muttered. JS opened her mouth before closing it.
"Oh. I see." She turned back around, though gave him a glance before continuing on. Sol followed her in silence, eyeing the lightsabers on her belt. He didn't understand how she and the sith had suddenly appeared, but he was glad at least one was willing to help.
"My name's Sol," he said. JS glanced at him before nodding.
"Thank you. I was wondering what to call you. And for that, I must tell you. The galaxy was very different when Darth Maw and his minions were...turning against me. They planned to freeze me in carbonite, but it seems to have backfired and got us all. It is a...hazy memory." JS continued walking as she spoke and Sol listened as he thought.
"Nobody knew this was here, so whatever was here," Sol said. "Along with you and this Darth Maw, were forgotten." The forest began to thin and JS crouched down and glanced at Sol with weary eyes.
"So the galaxy won't know what hit it if they escape."
Darth Maw was now inside the small ship and was inspecting it.
"How marvelous," he said. "I have never seen anything like it." He rubbed his hand across the control panel that was so different than from what he knew. They had been out of commission for a long time, it seemed.
"Men," he said and the few in the ship glanced his way. "It is time for us to rise, and show the galaxy that the dominant race is not yet beat. Humans will rise with us at the top."
JS watched the men exit the ship and felt Sol's presence behind her. He was trained, and was quite adept at the force based on his youth, but this was no simple foe. Her father would kill him, and possible her, rather quickly.
"We cannot let them leave on the ship," Sol answered, voicing what JS had been contemplating.
"Indeed, but it will be difficult to get them away. Darth Maw has surely figured out that our galaxy is not yours, so to speak." JS could feel Sol's confusion, but he did not ask for clarification. That was fine by her, because in truth she was still very disoriented. It seemed that she had been asleep mere hours, maybe days but in truth it was likely hundreds of years based on the sense she was getting.
"Can you fly your ship by yourself?" JS asked as her eyes found a still body.
"For a time, yes," Sol answered. "Why do you ask?" He had not spotted who JS feared to be his master and she sighed.
"Because your Master Raider is dead, and someone has to stay and stop this cult." Sol clenched his fists and JS had to grab him and restrain him from running out.
"They killed him! The bastards killed him!" She could see tears running down Sol's face and darkening his dark eyes.
"I know, and you can use that anger later." Her words seemed to shock him into silence, and she was glad that she had said something right. "However, we need a plan. I know how to distract them, but you must find a way onto the ship." Sol nodded slowly and JS released him.
"If you can get them far enough away from the door, I can get in and seal them out," Sol answered. "It might take me awhile to get the ship going, because I have never done that on my own." JS nodded and looked towards the cave atrium.
"I know what to do, be ready."
Darth Maw felt his blood pumping as the atrium was lit in the glow of battle. He had taught her well, as evident by the bodies at the entrance and the atrium floor. He should have only let her train with one lightsaber.
The red ones were batted away from the blue and red pair that was JS in the middle of the atrium. He counted about seven of his—no, five were left. He was about to join the fray when he felt it.
There's the other one... Darth Maw turned and ran out the entrance. He could see the red-headed boy in the star ship and he jumped up on the front. The boy was properly startled and fell back.
"Nice try," Darth Maw said. "But you don't get to leave." He drove his lightsaber into the window and watched as it began to melt. The boy lit his own, and he was pleased to see it was an orange instead of red or blue.
"Finally, some variety," Darth Maw said with a grin.
Four to the right, fifth down. JS rolled to the left as one of the men fell and sent a force blast at the remaining men. One of the lightsabers went out, there was a cry of pain and three immediately rushed back at her.
Where's Darth—no! JS ran out of the atrium and saw Darth Maw destroying the window to get to Sol. She wouldn't let the boy die.
"Blazes no!" JS shouted as she gripped and pulled at Darth Maw. He was taken by surprise and came flying back. JS threw her red saber into one of the their necks and winced as the head came off.
"I can't fly the ship now!" Sol shouted from the hole. JS forced the remaining two back into the cave and heard a satisfying crunch.
"I should have done that a long time ago," she muttered before turning around. "Is there anything else you can do?" She felt it and saw Sol's eyes widen before it happened. She had not anticipated Darth Maw emerging so quickly—and had sensed him too late.
"Just as easy as your mother," he said as he drew his lightsaber from her back.
"You...what..." JS fell to her knees and was struggling to breathe.
"I found your mother, killed her and took you. You had such potential, and whatever feelings I had as a youth were long since gone." Darth Maw turned JS by the head and grinned at her horridly.
"If only you had truly taken to the dark side." JS felt herself falling but saw a flash of orange before feeling the ground.
Sol dropped his lightsaber and nearly tripped over the other two now on the ground. Darth Maw glanced were his arm was now missing at the elbow and back at Sol.
"You'll pay for—for—no..." Darth Maw widened his eyes and Sol glanced down. JS, who he thought had died, was still breathing.
"No...No...," she muttered. "Sol...run..." He looked behind him and saw the star ship shakily rising and bolted towards the forest. The explosion behind him told him everything he needed to know.
He was alone, and was going to die here.
It was a world quickly stopped, but it could have risen to heights that not even the evilest of evil had yet reached. The galaxy was spared one evil only for another to slide into its place.