Hey everybody welcome to the third chapter of the Darkened Force. Sorry we haven't updated sooner, we both have schoolwork to do. I also needed time to think on how this story will play out. Credit to Ddude for editing. Without him this fic wouldn't be as good as it is. I don't own Star Wars, that's George Lucas people.
Chapter 3: Truth
Haduun glowered at Eradicus, then asked, "Become the apprentice of the man who killed the ENTIRE Jedi Order?" He readied his lightsaber again. "I'd rather die."
"Don't be boring, Jedi." Eradicus said, almost casually, "Everyone who's ever said that has perished."
"Then I suppose you should get it over with." Haduun challenged.
Eradicus simply looked at Haduun like a predator at its prey, then nodded. "As you wish."
Eradicus brought out his lightsaber, but rather than kill his family, the Dark Lord sprang at Haduun instead. On landing, he unleashed a flurry of attacks with his lightsaber. Haduun met each attack with a movement of his own saber, then reached out with the force. Furniture tore itself from the room and flew at Eradicus like projectiles, but the Sith Lord showed no fear. He jumped to spin in a kind of pirouette and carved the decorative furniture to pieces.
Eradicus scowled under his helmet, then used the force to throw, not furniture, but pieces of the wall. Haduun reacted fast and used the force to jump out of the debris's way. But when the Jedi Knight landed, Eradicus was there to meet him with a pair of whirling crimson blades. One slash nearly beheaded Haduun, and a swift raise of his blade saved him by mere inches.
Haduun was amazed at his opponent's agility and skill with two blades. The humming that the two blades produced as they raced through the air could almost amaze whoever heard them. Often at times, Darth Eradicus would backflip through the air, his lightsabers held close to his body, and he wasn't even burning himself.
Haduun jumped after Eradicus, and soon, the two were ascending the staircase while his family could only watch, helplessly, down below. Fans of blue met streaks of red and the air was rich with the sound of crackling lightsabers. There hadn't been a lightsaber duel on Naboo so fierce since two Jedi went up against a single Lord of the Sith centuries ago.
Haduun pushed harder and harder in his attack on Eradicus, who met his every attack and countered with a few of his own. Eradicus noticed an astromech droid that was in his way, and a movement of his hand sent the squealing droid flying away. Eradicus parried one of Haduun's strikes, then planted the heel of his boot into the Jedi's midsection. The result was that Haduun flew backward over the railway and landed on the floor below. Eradicus sprang after him, one of his lightsabers sheathed while the other one pointed down for a killing blow. Haduun rolled backward, putting himself back on his feet, and Eradicus ended up burning a hole into the floor instead of Haduun's midsection.
Haduun pulled back his hand, then launched it forward to use a Force push, to which Eradicus almost slammed into the wall. Eradicus, instead of crashing into the wall, flipped in midair and landed, feet-first, on the wall instead. He sprang off the wall to land behind Haduun and tried to slash at his opponent. Eradicus, however, had seen it coming. He reached forward and produced Sith Lightning unlike any that had seen before. Eradicus' Sith Lightning was different from the first time he used it back at the school. This lightning was as black as deep space with a burning-red glow to it.
As the dark lightning coursed through Haduun's body, an unbelievable pain coursed through his body: pain that he had never felt in his entire life. Haduun raised his hand, remember that some Jedi could catch Sith Lightning and absorb it. But when he raised his hand, he produced lightning of his own. It wasn't the color black, blue, red, but white with a golden glow. It was also apparent that Haduun's Lightning and Eradicus' Lightning were evenly matched, because they clashed repeatedly, filling the air with crackles.
Haduun activated a small device on his belt with one hand while his other kept the Sith Lightning at bay. "IJ!" he hissed, "Switch to attack mode!"
In Haduun's bedroom, IR-JK's eyes turned on, and the Omni-Droid sprang into action. The droid sprinted down the stairs and threw an electrostaff at Eradicus. The Sith Lord, however, caught it with the Force while at the same time using Lightning to hold Haduun back.
Eradicus turned the weapon around in the air to point at IJ. IR-JK obviously didn't like the intention that the weapon was going to be used for, so he quickly pulled a blaster out of a compartment in his leg. Red energy burst from the barrel to fly at Eradicus, who spun Electro-Staff to deflect the blast to Haduun. Haduun broke free of the lightning fight in time to both avoid injury and block the oncoming blast.
Alleina watched the battle unfold as her brother and the Sith exchanged blows. There was nothing she could do, but then something extraordinary happened. Haduun's words traveled through her head, but her brother hadn't spoken.
Oh man, I wish they would just get out of here. The longer they stay, the bigger the threat this guy becomes.
Alleina had actually used the Force, albeit unintentionally, then moved. "We have to get out of here." She said, prodding her parents.
"And just let him die?" her mother asked in disbelief.
"There's nothing we can do." Alleina reasoned, "If we stay here, we'll only get killed."
Haduun's father understood and hurried over to IR-JK, placing something in the droid's hand. "Give this to Haduun as soon as possible." The father said, hurriedly.
IJ nodded. "Understood, sir." The droid said with a nod. Without another word, Haduun's father took his mother and made for the back door for their escape.
The duel between Jedi and Sith continued with a flurry of lightsaber slashes, Force Pushes, and lightning strikes. But it soon became apparent that Eradicus wanted to end the fight here and now. He dropped the electrostaff that was thrown at him, then lunged forward and used both hands to use a Sith Lightning so powerful that the glass behind Haduun shattered.
Haduun quickly tried to use both hands to catch the lightning, but Eradicus overpowered him too quickly. The young Jedi was not adept at catching Sith lightning, which hit him full-on. Eradicus kept the lightning up, then used the Force to send the Jedi flying into the back door.
Haduun collided with such force that it blew open, and he tumbled across the grass until he came to a screeching halt. Just a few meters away from him, thankfully, was his speeder.
Haduun attempted to get up, but the pain was still too much for him to handle. Haduun managed to crawl on all fours and actually got close enough to touch the speeder. One second later, however, the speeder crumpled like cheap paper and levitated higher into the air.
"I don't think so, Jedi scum." The cold voice of Eradicus growled, his hand held up slightly. With a flick of his wrist, the Sith Lord sent the speeder flying away to explode in a blossom of fire.
Haduun attempted to crawl away, but with his current injuries, he wasn't going to go anywhere in a hurry. He had been electrocuted, shot through a closed door, and exhausted. Eradicus walked up behind the crawling Jedi, then slammed his foot onto Haduun's back. Haduun froze as a hiss pierced the air closely followed by a low hum of a lightsaber blade. Eradicus pointed his crimson blade at the back of Haduun's head.
"This is my last offer, Jedi." Eradicus said, Haduun not even bothering to turn and face him, "Join me or die."
Haduun remained silent for a while, then answered, "Well, then you'd better kill me. I will never join the Dark Side."
Eradicus sighed. He had seen this coming so many times that it wasn't even fun anymore. "So unwise." He raised his crimson blade over his head. "But that's the Jedi for you, always avoiding the dark…" Eradicus didn't sound sorry, not even in the slightest. "Now, DIE!"
Eradicus almost brought his lightsaber down when something pushed him: something so strong that it sent him flying to the side. Haduun rolled over to see his sister, Alleina, had her hand outstretched.
"Alleina…" Haduun said in amazement. Had his sister actually used the Force. He pushed it out of his head and used the Force to summon his lightsaber, which had fallen out of his hands when he flew out the door. The handle raced into his hand and into his grip, but when Haduun attempted to stand up, he fell back down.
"Haduun!" Alleina said, rushing over to him.
IR-JK came out of the house holding a lightsaber the color of a cloud. "Haduun!" he called out, then spotted the figure in the grass, "Master!"
IR-JK watched in horror as Eradicus stood back up, though his lightsaber was mysteriously missing, and slowly walked toward the injured Haduun. Alleina spotted the Sith Lord and attempted to Force Push him again. Eradicus saw it coming, though, and lightning forked from his fingertips to course through her body. Her screams gave the Sith Lord pleasure, giving him even more as she fell to the ground right next to Haduun. She was still conscious, but in complete agony.
"Another wielder of the Force?" Eradicus asked, his voice hinting mild amusement. He removed his helmet and Alleina recoiled in fright of his pale face. Eradicus turned to Haduun, who was now barely conscious. "If you won't join me, Haduun, then maybe this little girl will…"
Alleina slowly stood to look Eradicus in the eye. "Never." She snapped at him, her eyes burning right into his.
"Is that so?" Eradicus asked, indifferently. He lifted Alleina into the air with the Force, invisible fingers around her throat. "But maybe I can make you see differently…"
With a very forced-sounding roar, IJ bravely charged at Eradicus and swung with his white lightsaber. Eradicus sidestepped the attack, then lifted the droid up into the air with the force.
"Pathetic being of metal." Eradicus growled, throwing him across the grassy plain. IJ rolled on contact with the ground and collapsed, not even trying to get back up. "I'm ashamed that it has come to this." Eradicus said with mock-lament, "Had you cooperated, Jedi, your sister would have lived. Are you SURE you don't want to change your mind?"
"Even if he did join you, you still would have destroyed him." Alleina growled, despite the pressure on her throat, "The Sith always betray one another. Why should you be any different?"
Eradicus didn't answer, because at that moment, something strange and powerful just happened. Haduun stood up slowly and deliberately, as if he had just woken up from a long sleep. When he spoke, his voice was strong and had a unique echo in it.
"Eradicus." Haduun said, earning an odd stare from the Sith Lord, "You will not harm her or any other beings."
Eradicus cocked the brow over his huge, almond-shaped eye. "Will I now?" he asked, mildly amused.
"I will be the cause of your downfall." Haduun said, his lightsaber finding his hand in an instant.
Eradicus now looked openly concerned. Although Haduun's lips were moving, he felt that it wasn't the boy that was talking. "I take it that you're NOT Haduun, are you?"
"Yes," Haduun said, "And no."
Eradicus released Alleina, then unclipped his lightsaber. "You claim you can destroy me, but you have yet to prove it." A crimson blade burst from the lightsaber handle.
Eradicus sprang from the spot so suddenly that he seemed to vanish. A split second later, the Lord of the Sith swung his blade at Haduun, intending with every bit of his being to end the Jedi's life. Haduun wasn't worried, however, and blocked the oncoming attack. The strange thing about it, though, was the fact that Haduun was matching Eradicus move-for-move, even though the Sith's moves were so fast that it was all a blur to the naked eye. Before Eradicus pulled back from Haduun to get a better look, he noticed that Haduun's eyes had turned a very bright blue.
This is quite a challenge… Eradicus thought to himself, A minute ago he was weaker than a youngling, but now he rivals my own strength.
Eradicus charged again, this time taking out his other lightsaber. Now with a blade in each hand, he was twice as deadly before, swapping to a new fighting style: the Acklay style. This move rarely involved jumping, rather it would be more of a run-and-strike style. He continually lashed out at the Jedi with his lightsabers, being sure to keep at a close range to ensure that his opponent couldn't back away.
Haduun, however, met each strike with perfect composure, never moving his blade more than needed. It seemed that now, like the long-dead Obi-Wan Kenobi, the boy had become a master of Soresu: the most common of all Jedi Arts.
The two continued their deadly duel, matching each other blade-for-blade. Eradicus swung with both of his blades only to meet Haduun's sky-blue blade, the two ending up pushing against each other's blades, filling the air with crackling plasma.
Eradicus was suddenly caught off-guard, and when he jumped back, he realized that his left hand was holding only half a lightsaber. A subtle change of angle had managed Haduun to cleave the weapon in two. The Sith Lord wasn't hurt, but he now recognized Haduun as a threat and knew that he had to be eliminated.
Eradicus dropped his now-useless lightsaber and held out his hand. A compressed orb of flowing Force power flowed through this simple thing, which was no bigger than a marble. Haduun sheathed his own blade and also pulled out a similar orb.
"Come now, Haduun. We both know how this will turn out." Eradicus said, barely stifling a laugh, "The two Force energies will touch each other and send us both flying."
Haduun remained calm, then said, his voice still echoing, "That's what you think."
Haduun raised the hand holding the compressed Force Push so that the palm was facing upwards, and the energy floated into the air between them. Then, everything changed…
BANG!
An explosion of Force energy had erupted from Haduun's hand in the form of a transparent blue shockwave. The resulting explosion sent everything nearby flying, including IJ, Alleina, and Eradicus.
IJ and Alleina landed a few feet from the door while Eradicus got sent flying to parts unknown, probably because it was directed at him. IJ and Alleina stood up, aching from the crash, and stared at the spot where Eradicus had previously stood.
"Haduun what just happened?" Alleina asked, both impressed and scared.
"I'm afraid that now's not the time to talk." Haduun said, his voice still echoing with an unknown entity, "That compressed Force Repulse won't keep him there for long." He held out his hands, then added, "Hold on tight."
Haduun took IJ and Alleina's hands in each of his own, and with surprising strength, lifted them both off the ground and tucked them under his arms like luggage. He then dashed forward with superhuman speed, but it was a far cry from what he had done in the school. This time, he was running so fast that when he was going to run into the lake, he ran on the surface of the water.
It wasn't long before Haduun had gotten to the nearest docking bay, where his parents were waiting for him. Haduun stopped when he was only a few inches from them, narrowly avoiding a collision, and leaving his parents downright stunned. He let it sink in a bit, then put down the droid and his sister.
IJ felt normal because he was a droid; he didn't have any body functions like any organic, so he felt as normal as ever, save a damaged photoreceptor from that Force push by Eradicus. Alleina, however, was an organic being, thus she was plagued with motion sickness and nearly tripped over her own feet.
Haduun spoke again, but everyone in his family seemed to notice that the echo was starting to fade away. "You need to get to a ship. You'll be safe in space…"
Haduun's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he fell back to land on the floor.
"Haduun!" Haduun's father said in surprise, "Haduun! Wake up!
Haduun's father, on hearing no response, slapped his son across the face. His response was to wince in pain, groan and put a hand to the side of his face.
"Ow…" Haduun groaned as he sat up. The pain from his battle with Eradicus was oddly absent. "What happened?"
IR-JK cocked his head to the right in curiosity. "You mean you don't remember anything?" Suddenly, the Omni-droid's damaged photoreceptor popped out of its socket, earning a concerned "oh dear" from IJ.
Haduun shook his head. "No. The last thing I remember was Alleina saying 'no' to Eradicus." He massaged the spot between his eyes, then finished, "The rest is a blur."
Alleina regained her footing, then put a hand on her brother's shoulder. "I promise I'll explain this later. But for now, you have to stand up."
"I would, but I can't." Haduun said, trying to move his foot and failing. "I can't feel my arms or legs, so I'm not going anywhere."
Haduun's father and mother lifted him onto his feet, supporting each of his arms on their shoulders and carried him into the docking. At that moment, Haduun was glad that he had a family that cared for him…it was something that separated him from Eradicus.
As they entered the dock, they spotted someone they could trust. It was a woman in ornate white robes: the current queen of Naboo, who had returned from a business trip to Coruscant.
"Your Majesty!" Haduun's father called out, trying to make his way to the queen.
His plan worked, because the queen turned and spotted them. On seeing Haduun's condition, her eyes widened. "What do you need?" she asked, looking at the father.
IR-JK caught up with them, staggering due to vision problems, then continued where Mr. Jaal had left off. "We're sorry to disturb you, Your Highness, but we'll be needing to get off-planet." He paused a second, then added, "As soon as possible, if that's agreeable."
"And why should I help?" she asked, curiously.
Haduun answered this time, rather than IJ. "Someone very dangerous is on this planet. If he kills me, he'll kill all of you next and no one will stop him."
The queen gasped at the urgency of this situation. But this was only for a second, because the next, she got down to business. "Alright." She said, her voice strong, "Where are you planning to go?"
Haduun thought quickly, then answered, "Polis Massa." It was the first place Haduun could think of, added that it would be well out of the reach of Naboo.
The queen nodded, then beckoned for them to follow. "It's not too close to Naboo, but if you say so…We will use my special ship, the Solar Phoenix."
The queen led the way to the port, and there they beheld the Solar Phoenix. The streamlined ship had a long orange hull, with a bright red symbol shaped like a bird emblazoned on its right wing. It had an engine on the sides that looked like the wings of some kind of bird and were the color of gold.
Haduun actually smirked at the sight of the ship, noticing that it had weapons, too. "Nice."
A bridge came down from the side of the ship and the small group got onboard, Haduun still being carried by his parents. The interior of the ship was the usual metal of a ship: white and colorless. It was better than what Haduun had been in previously.
They found a nice comfortable bed and laid Haduun on it. Alleina stayed by his side, though, and asked, "How do you feel?"
Haduun shrugged. "I've seen better days…"
The queen looked up at the ceiling, then said, in a firm voice, "Voice command."
A robotic male voice responded to the queen and said, "Yes, milady?"
"We're leaving Naboo." She announced, "Set coordinates for Polis Massa immediately."
The robotic voice, surprisingly asked, "Polis Massa? Heading for a picnic, miss?"
Haduun scoffed. "That's new: a Voice command with sarcasm."
The autopilot set to work immediately and the Solar Phoenix rose from the ground with a roar of its engines. As soon as it was above the building, the fiery ship took off, reaching space in only a few seconds.
Haduun then realized something…something he had forgotten since his battle with Eradicus: he really hated flying. It was going to be a VERY uneasy sleep…
Sleep well, Haduun Jaal. You have a long journey ahead of you…
Haduun closed his eyes and let sleep take him, albeit uneasily.
Back on Naboo, Eradicus watched the Solar Phoenix take off. Taking ships out of the air was beyond his power, especially from a long range. In seconds, he lost Haduun's presence, then put his helmet back on.
"It matters not where you go or how far you run, Jedi. I will find you one day and the Sith will rule the galaxy."
So, there's the third chapter of "The Darkened Force" for you. We won't see as much lightsaber action in the next few chapters, so be prepared.
Hey, this is Lunatic 121. Sorry there won't be a new chapter for a bit longer than I thought. I got into a bit of trouble, and I'm trying as hard as I can to get to work. Don't review to this, if you have any questions PM me.
