Thank you all to those who have viewed my third installment and I truly hope that you enjoy the rest of the book because it has been a joy to write it. I went through several iterations of how I wanted the story to progress, but I think I've come up with a way that allows the story to run smoothly, fill gaps, and show how different this timeline - the one I affectionately call the Blaze Route Timeline - differs from the one seen in the regular continuity.
Now, I have gotten questions about some things considering what I consider to be canon. I grew up reading the books alongside watching the movies, so when Disney bought Star Wars and stuck a big sticker on my books that said LEGENDS, you can guess how unenthusiastic I was about it. So, my story deals mostly with the characters from the LEGENDS timeline. However, I have included DISNEY CANON characters such as Caleb Dume, Hera Syndula, etc. because the man on the front of that team was Dave Filoni, a mastermind of how Star Wars SHOULD work. So, in my mind, I think he created those characters BEFORE Disney bought Star Wars, so I can use them in my stories. But, for the most part, the characters, both main and secondary and background, are from the LEGENDS timeline. But, again, you can see where the path deviates, especially since AGFAJ I: Legend Comes Alive. Anyways, enjoy!
Chapter 3:
Cataclysmic Intervention
"And, so, the deal is done."
Slowly, I came back to my senses, my eyes blinking a few times before waking fully. I was sitting on a leather couch in a cozy, almost rustic room. There were bookcases and dressers all around the room, diverting attention from the décor that hung on the walls.
After a quick scan of the room, I focused my attention forward, seeing Claire sitting in the chair adjacent to me, on the other side of the small caf table in front of us. In her hand, she held a porcelain cup full of a steaming liquid. She brought the cup to her lips, sipped it softly, then caught my eye.
Without a word, she gestured to look down. I did so and found an identical cup waiting on the table. My throat tightened at the sight of a drink.
I nodded and picked up the cup, looking at the translucent brown liquid swashing around. With a silent prayer to the Force, I took a drink. The liquid coated my throat and gave me a strangely nice but painful reprieve. I felt it hit my stomach and send a chill through my body.
But, it was delicious.
"Thank you." I said softly, taking another sip.
Claire gave a smile, "Of course. I would think that you'd be parched after such a feat."
Remembering the previous conflict, I felt my face flush, "My apologies."
"No worries." She said, then gestured to the cup, "Ola tea. It should help relax your body, letting the Force interact with it much more smoothly."
Straight down to it, huh? Good. I nodded, taking another sip and stretching out with the Force, feeling the tension start to ebb and fade. The chaotic wind that seemed to be stirring beneath my skin had calmed, becoming a low purr.
"Again, thanks." I said, placing the cup down, most of it gone now. I cleared my throat and began again, "So, you said I'd get answers. Let's get to talking."
Claire gave a single nod and put down her own cup, then crossed one leg over the other, slightly raising her dress in the process. She placed a hand on her leg as she gave me an interested stare, "I did say that. So, please, after you."
"Where am I?" I said flatly.
Claire's smile wavered only slightly, "You are in a medical facility that I have affectionately labeled as the Kraber."
My mouth neither frowned nor did it smile, "What planet?"
Claire gave a sideways glance, then refocused, "I would tell you, but this is the first conversation that we've had. I would rather learn more about you before I let you in on where our facility is based. I'm sure you understand that much."
"No." I said, this time frowning. "While I get it that you're trying to protect your people and your facility, I can't respect that. Either tell me, or I'm gonna try to leave again."
Claire didn't flinch. She didn't even move. I reached into the Force to peer at her aura, and found that she resonated with wisdom and understanding, but she also held great compassion.
I didn't let her answer. Instead, I moved onto the bigger question, "If you won't answer that one right now, then let's try this one: how did I get here?"
This time, Claire did react. Her eyes turned slightly sad as she looked as if she was remembering something that had happened…a lifetime ago.
"Ah, yes. I can answer that one." She said. "While returning from a routine trip for supplies, one of my pilots noticed a small crater that lay three clicks out from the entrance to our facility. We investigated immediately, and there you were. But…" She trailed off for a moment, then regained her composure.
An icy cold started to set over my heart, "Continue."
She closed her eyes, "You were curled up into a half circle, your arms protecting your face, but also clenched. Your legs, however, were gone."
What? I blinked my eyes, then looked at my legs. Are these…artificial?
Claire continued, "Your body was in tatters. You had lost most of your blood and I had thought you dead. But, when I saw what was clenched in your fists, I realized that you were still clinging to life. I took you back here where I set every doctor and specialist within my arsenal to repairing you."
There was something else, I sensed. I could feel the hesitation in her voice. As if, she had left something out. Or, was about to in that moment.
Thinking ahead, I said, "Were you successful? I mean, I'm alive." It was the first time I had said it aloud. Then, it changed. The question, "Wait. What was in my hands?"
Claire's eyes changed to one of mystery and discovery. She slowly slipped on one of her gloves and reached into her pocket, pulling out a small, blue crystal that sparkled in the light.
Immediately, I felt the Force pull at me, the crystal starting to float in her hand. It spun in circles before flinging itself at me. Instinctively, I reached out my hand and grabbed the crystal, feeling the familiar essence flow through my body.
"My kyber." I whispered, my eyes tearing slightly, "I was holding onto my kyber? Then, where's my lightsabers? I had two."
"I only recovered the one crystal." Claire said gently, taking off her glove and seeming to…stare. She stared at my hands as if they were something else: a wondrous, foreign object, "If I may ask, do you know what you are holding?"
I looked up, the tears fading away into my eyes as my mind refocused, "It's a kyber crystal. Obviously."
Claire shook her head and pointed to my hand, "That is no mere crystal, Blaze. That is a Kyber Shard."
My brain pulsed once and I saw the bridge of the Galaxy Gun once again. I was facing Vader as he pressed the activation switch that powered up the super laser.
"It is a shame that you die here, Marko. But, at least, I'll be ever closer to achieving what Wrath wanted. What needs to be done. They will be mine."
At that time, I hadn't even focused on what he was saying. I had heard the words, but now they felt like they were said in a different time. One that had long since passed and been swept away by the sea of my own blood.
"Kyber Shard?"
Claire nodded and continued while leaning back in her chair, "Kyber Shards are the hearts of the first Kyber Comets that struck five planets millions of years ago. They have the potential to unlock powers of the Force that no other artifact can."
"Is it because the kyber is a living thing?" I asked.
"Yes." Claire said. "The Kyber Shards can connect to the Force unlike anything else in existence. For many years, I thought they were a legend. A myth."
"This is the first I've heard about it." I frowned at my hand, feeling the Force tip the back of my consciousness as another voice hit my brain.
"Mastery…true mastery…"
"That does not surprise me." Claire said, "The only recorded instances of their existence were written in one of the Whills journals."
I snapped my head at her, my heart flipping inside of my chest. Those journals…those are the same ones that Qui-Gon read. If I remember correctly, Qui-Gon trained with the Whills in order to preserve his consciousness after death. That's how he was able to talk to me all those years. But, did he know about these?
My memories came back to slap my vision across the sight lines. I recalled a single piece of dialogue that Wrath had said when we had first been captured on the Galaxy Gun. Again, at first, I had dismissed it because this was common knowledge about the super weapon.
He had said: "With the power of the kyber, I'll finally be done with the hypocrisy of the Jedi. At last, there will be true piece. Vapaad was only the first step to enlightenment. Now, my eyes are open and this station will begin the cleansing."
I passed the crystal between my fingers, "I had no idea." I said more to myself than anything.
I felt Claire's gaze when she spoke next, "How did you come about it?"
I thought back, remembering all the events, "Originally, I was given two lightsabers when I joined the Jedi Order."
"Ah." Claire made a noise, "You are a Jedi then?"
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. It took a handful of seconds to respond, "Yes."
"You don't sound sure."
"I've been through a lot." I almost snapped, "My answers won't be immediate."
Claire bowed her head slightly, "My apologies. Continue when you are ready."
I took a deep breath and held her gaze this time, "When I joined the Order, I was given two lightsabers. A year into the Clone Wars, I crafted my own, created from a fragment I found on Naboo and I put away my two sabers. Eventually, I lost that lightsaber in a duel and went back to my previous two. After the end of the war, I melded the two crystals together and this formed. Is it possible that this Kyber Shard was spilt?"
Claire held a hand up to her chin in thought, "Anything is possible. However, the only way to do something like that would be use another shard to split it."
"Then, why did she have them?" I asked myself, remembering Ahsoka handing me the lightsabers onboard the shuttle.
Ahsoka.
I couldn't help the tears that flowed this time around. They welled up so fast I wondered if I had willed them to exist in the first place. They streamed down my face and my breath hitched in my throat as I remembered the last time I had seen my beloved.
Her hand had been pressed against the glass as Kane held her back from activating the door controls of the escape pod. She wanted to be there with me at the end, but I couldn't let that happen with her being…pregnant.
"Please! Don't! We can stop it together! BLAZE! JAMES!"
My name. My real name. The name I had been born with. The name that was who I am. The boy that had been ripped from his home – his planet – to go on an adventure that had once been mere fiction. He had to rise up to the challenge and become the most powerful being in the galaxy to end a war that masters and knights and armies could not defeat. He had to overcome an evil so vast that it threatened to blot out the stars and cover the universe in a blanket made of the Dark Side, fueled by death and terror for decades to come.
And, in that penultimate moment, I had chosen to be selfless and to lay down my own life so that others could live. My brother. My best friend. My team. My master. My fiancé. My children. Death was already knocking at the door of my consciousness, telling me to close my eyes and accept the end. That I had done all I could do.
But, I hadn't done that. I still had fight. So, bleeding and broken all over, I fought until I defeated my foe: Vader. One that I thought I had stopped. Yet, he still arrived. Not by conventional methods, but he had been created once again. And, Anakin was defeated. It had been up to me.
And, the galaxy was saved.
I had died.
The story was finished.
The circle was finally complete.
I looked up at Claire, her gaze one of compassion and sympathy. She looked as if she was about to leap over to hold my head in her arms again, to offer warmth and comfort that of a caregiver.
I held a hand out to her to stop her, then lowered said hand and let her approach. She sat on the couch and enveloped me in a hug. She laid my head on her chest and rubbed her hands through my hair, the familiar twang of peace trying to wash away the pain and sadness. But, the tears were also those of joy. Joy that the circle had not been completed yet.
After a full minute, I regained some of my composure and sat back up. Claire reached a hand forward and wiped away the tears on my cheeks, her smile small but comforting.
"Were those tears for Ahsoka?" Claire said softly.
"How did you know?"
She tapped her head, "Your thoughts project. While you were in the tank, that name was the only thing I could hear from your thoughts. Who is she?"
I closed my eyes for a moment, then took a deep breath to center myself, "She is the Jedi that I fell in love with when I first joined the Order. We've been through countless battles together and have shared a life – a real life – together."
"And, where was she when you fell?"
"She was there." I said, then fell back into my memories, "There was another war. The Shadow War."
"I am acquainted with it."
"Then, you know that it was a surprise attack on the entire galaxy and it was a crippling blow to the Republic and the Jedi." I explained, "But, as all wars, it reached a boiling point. The Shadow Brigade had created a super weapon called the Galaxy Gun, capable of destroying an entire system in the blink of an eye if charged to its full capacity. The final duel happened on that station."
Claire laid a hand on my shoulder, "And, she was there?"
"Not in the beginning." I continued. "It was a small squad of Jedi led by me. I had hoped that my knowledge of how the weapon's layout was I could get in, kill the leaders, and get out while destroying the station in the process. Things did not go according to plan. In the end, the team split up and one half was in charge of planting explosives while the other was in charge of ending the leader: Wrath." I sighed deeply, remembering the twist.
"But, he was not the true leader, was he?" Claire asked.
I shook my head, "No. After Anakin and I killed Wrath – with Anakin being gravely injured and unconscious –, the real brains behind the operation came forth: an exact clone of myself." I felt shock through the Force and I nodded my head, "I know. I felt the same. I felt even more shocked when the clone – called Kane – suggested that he had fulfilled his directive: to start a war and see if he could win. And, now that his directive was finished he could make his own choices in the matter. He suggested a truce."
"That explains the truce that occurred on Chandrila." Claire said. "Galactic affairs never pass by our notice, and you can imagine how many patients we had across the galaxy."
"Yeah." I sighed, "But, it only got worse from there. As we were about to shake hands, Anakin got back up, but his eyes were yellow and he struck at both of us. He had been brainwashed when we were captured earlier on the mission, unbeknownst to us. The worst part was that it would only activate if Wrath was killed. As if he planned to die all along, knowing that only Anakin had the power to destroy us."
"That is either a terrible gamble…or he saw a possible future and went with his instincts." Claire hummed more to herself than to me.
"We defended ourselves as best as we could, but I was pretty beat up and Anakin's potential released itself and he used the Dark Side to beat us down. That's when I saw a fleet of a two hundred Republic Venator-starships blast out of hyperspace and engage the entire Shadow Brigade fleet in a battle so massive that I could barely see the stars anymore. That's when Ahsoka showed up, joining our fight just as Anakin – now named Vader – came to finish me off." I clenched my fists in abject anger, "She threw herself into the fray and we were gaining ground before Vader threw rebar through my body, impaling me through the shoulder and the ribs. Nonetheless, Ahsoka jumped in and tried to help, but I had to get her away. She had to survive."
Claire gave a slow nod, understanding, "And, Ahsoka was pregnant. You couldn't let her die while she carried your children. So, you made the hard decision."
I nodded, my heart sinking as memories flashed again before my eyes.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"But, what of Anakin?"
"Anakin was being controlled by the Dark Influence, a device capable of created a second consciousness over the original person and causing them to become a passenger as the dark personality controls the body. I knew Anakin was still in there, so I gathered the rest of my strength and ripped the two entities apart. Kane caught Anakin and threw him into his emergency escape pod. Then," I took a deep breath, "I told Kane through the Force what had to be done. Despite everything, he looked sad. But, he complied. He reached through the Force and took Ahsoka's crystals, then grabbed her with the Force and put her inside the pod, yelling what needed to be done. She fought him, but he got her in the pod and as she tried to rip away, Vader came to finish me. The last thing I heard from her was that we could find another way."
"But, there was no other way." Claire whispered, her heavy heart visible on her sleeve. "All other outcomes ended in unnecessary bloodshed."
"My blood was the only one that needed to be spilled." I said firmly. "Then, Vader activated the super laser. As the time ticked down, I trusted in the Force and ripped the rebar out of my body and picked up my lightsabers once more and fought until we both were on the verge of death. But, he slipped up. He stabbed his blade into my shoulder and that gave me the opportunity for me to ram my sabers through his chest, killing him. Ten second remained and I knew that it was over. So, as I watched my life flash before my eyes, I ignited the explosives on the lower levels and…now I'm here."
Claire nodded, then gave my shoulder a squeeze, "I'm sorry, Blaze. I can only offer that and the chance to get back into the fray. You still live."
A question popped into my mind, "How long have I been here?"
"Today marks the second year." Claire said, "Some time has passed I'm afraid."
My heart sunk. Two years? Everyone thinks I'm dead and it's already been two years.
"Could be worse." I whispered under my breath. "Could've been twenty."
"Agreed." Claire said, reaching to the table and picking up her cup and my cup and handing me mine, "Here."
I sipped it and then spoke, "Do you have the materials to build another lightsaber?"
Claire nodded, "Yes. I can have them brought to your quarters."
"Then, I can leave?" I asked.
"After I arrange some tests, you may go. Your body may need to rest a bit so that the Force can properly flow through it once again." Claire smiled, drinking more of her tea, "Then, I will give you whatever you need to get back to where you are destined to be, Blaze."
I couldn't help the warmth my heart felt in that moment, and the shame that followed. This random woman – who had no prior knowledge of who I was or what I was – had come to my aid two years ago and saved me when no one else in the galaxy, that being a random bystander, would.
I bowed my head slightly, "Thank you, Claire. For everything. I am very sorry for all the damage I caused to your facility and even your staff."
Claire's free hand came up from my shoulder to cup my cheek, "No apology is necessary, Jedi Knight. I only hope that this encounter bears fruit for the future."
I smiled back, "I'm sure it will."
The tests performed were simple and quick, but the last one took over half an hour to complete, but it was quite necessary. But, during the tests, I fell into a deep meditation while I assembled another lightsaber with my crystal.
The Kyber Shard.
It still shook me to believe that the crystal that I had carried with me throughout my entire Jedi carrier was one of five kyber cores that the first comets containing millions of years prior. But, I hadn't received any of the powers that Claire had described.
"But." I said, my brain cogs turning quicker, "I did master Force abilities in weeks which took others decades to master."
Claire hadn't said much about the Kyber Shards, but she had explained that each one gave the user almost instant access to that aspect of the Force. However, as it turned out, she might have missed something in the explanation. Something she might not have known.
Or, something she elected not to tell.
Regardless, the missing piece of the puzzle was: they might need a catalyst to completely unlock. It might have been that because of my close proximity, the Kyber Shard allowed me to absorb and learn faster than others. Knowing about a technique didn't mean you knew it, but with the shard maybe that's exactly what it meant.
I opened my eyes and my new lightsaber floated in front of me. A sleek design in its own right, but it looked like a cross between an Imperial Knight lightsaber and Obi Wan's first saber. Regardless, it was complete. But, I couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the darksaber.
It had been there at the end, though it had fallen to the ground with my blue blade. Yet, the crystal to the blue lightsaber was clasped in my hand and not the darksaber.
The Kathar nurse moved from the other side of the room finally and came to give me the results. All in all, I would be fine, but I would need to be careful not to exert myself too much for the next forty-eight hours. I agreed and she left me to my own devices.
Luckily enough, Claire had the nurses drop off a new set of clothes because mine were gone. First and foremost, I spiked up my hair to my trademark style and grinned. I slipped on the light brown tunic and pants before tying the sash around my waist and attaching the belt clip to it. I plucked the lightsaber out of the air and attached it to my belt as I pulled on my socks and boots.
Then, I reached into the Force to let it flow through me…but something else answered. The light fleeted away as the Dark Side seeped into my senses like an indiscrete fog flooding a stagnant swamp.
Immediately, I was on my feet, my new lightsaber in my hand, unignited. I reached back out one last time to confirm my suspicions. Sure enough, the feeling again lashed out at me and I felt a sensation: evil intent.
I threw open the door to my room and looked directly ahead, seeing Claire talking to a nurse. Her face contorted just as she turned, the sense hitting her as well.
"Claire!"
She gave a sharp nod before raising her wrist to her mouth, "Tylon! Something is incoming! Give me a readout!"
I dashed towards her as the communication came through.
"Mistress. There are three Gozanti-class class cruisers and three dozen smaller starfighters coming into the atmosphere! They passed through one of our bio-scanners attached to the satellite in orbit. There are at least two hundred individuals of all different species! ETA: three minutes."
Claire looked at me as she talked, "How can they know our position?"
"I don't know, ma'am. They shouldn't be able to find this facility, yet they are on a direct course!"
Claire gave a groan of irritation, "Acknowledged!" She tapped a few more times on her wrist and her entire outfit transformed. For a moment, she was completely bare and I almost closed my eyes. However, it was the transformation that made me keep my eyes glued to her. Her red dress melted away into her wrist as another suit materialized around her. It was now a near skin tight battle suit that had rivets and edges to allow maximum flexibility. Her belt came out of thin air as she threw her lightsaber from hand to hand. Even her boots came into existence from nowhere.
"That's handy." I said, "And, it looks durable."
"Let's get these guys out of here and I'll give you one." Claire smirked.
Then, her comlink crackled to life again, "INCOMING ATTACK PODS!"
Mere seconds after the alert came through, the ceiling down the far hallway split open, an explosion rocking down the hallway as a metal cone split open, species of all sorts spilling out of the pod, blasters in their hands. Claire's guards spilled out of the nearby hallways and they engaged in a firefight.
I ignited my lightsaber as a bolt flew past my cheek, only missing me by an inch. For one who had spent years fighting those guns, I knew what would hit and what wouldn't. The next few bolts, however, I did deflect, sending them into the walls where they disappeared, no burn to be held.
"The blast plating." Claire said, deflecting bolts herself, "Absorbing kinetic energy to disperse it at an accelerated rate."
I nodded before feeling another pod slam into the facility. I flashed around to see another pod open up, letting loose more enemies. Then, three black robed figures with weapon sashes took the charge. Each of them reached behind and pulled out a cylinder, letting a crimson blade spring forth.
"Damnit." I muttered to myself. Not Sith.
I reached into the Force and felt the Dark Side slam into my senses. A familiar presence was near.
I threw my head back at Claire, "Hey. Might need your help."
Claire turned around and saw what lay before us. She cleared her throat as the blasting came to a halt.
She brandished her blade, "Your presence is unwelcome! Leave now or face the consequences."
The robed figures looked at each other before they nodded individually. Then, they charged, breaking out into a dash.
I smirked, "I didn't think I'd fight this early, but hey, let the fun begin."
"Don't let them through."
"I didn't plan on it."
Let's rock.
It may have been two years since my body had physically been involved in a fight, but my mind remembered everything. The adrenaline in my system kicked in and I let the Force flow along with it. The cool energy filled my entire being, sending waves of power through my veins.
The first hooded figure struck, his blade above his head and swinging downward.
Double Vision: the strike would slash through my right shoulder and cleave through my chest, splitting me in two pieces.
With that little bit of foresight, I adjusted my stance as the scarlet blade slam downward. I ducked out of the way, bringing my own blade upward, cutting through both of the person's wrists. With the left-over momentum, I stopped the blade at neck level and drove it to the right, decapitating the assailant.
The next one was attacking now, driving his blade forward to strike at my exposed left side. Claire dove in, blocking the thrust and parrying accordingly, pushing the robed figure backwards as the third attacker took his shot at Claire. I deflected his strike and threw him back with the Force, his body flying well behind his foot soldiers. Slowly, he rose to his feet and stabbed his blade forward, "ATTACK!"
I bent my knees slightly and reached deep into the well of power I had become well accustomed to. The energy swelled within my chest before spreading to my arms, then it concentrated in my palms.
Lightning crackled between my fingertips for several seconds before I sent it forward, palms outward. The streams of white, hot energy screamed through the air, knocking out lights and short circuiting electrical outlets all around the hall until they reached their target. Each soldier was engulfed by the storm, turning their brown battle suits into hunks of black char. The red sabered foe, however, brought his blade up to defend against the storm and managed to keep it at a standstill.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Claire leap over a bisection-slash and carve her opponent from cranium to pelvis. The two halves split and she immediately joined by my side, saber down towards the ground. She wiped away a drop of blood that landed on her cheek and she gave a grin.
"Still need that help?"
I chuckled in spite of the situation, "Not really. He's the last one."
"Oh, if only that were the case."
That voice…
Slowly, I turned around to face where the other soldiers were, only to see that all of Claire's men were down on the ground, limbs slashed and heads rolling away from once bright lives. Ahead of me stood three more robed figures, but the one in the middle was the one who was talking.
Claire was about to respond when her comlink went off, "Levels two through seven under attack! Security personnel and warriors dispatched to all levels!" Then, she looked down at the last kill and I followed her gaze to an emblem, a half circle that seemed to be gold with a black background, all encircled by a silver sphere.
"Dusk." Claire growled.
"What are the Dusk?" I asked, my focus now on the middle dark robed figure, the Force screaming in the back of my mind.
Instead of Claire answering, the middle man did. His voice was low, "The Dusk is the organization that will bring about the order the galaxy deserves." Then, he chuckled, "I must say, I am surprised to say the least. I had heard you perished, Blaze Marko." He removed his hood.
I involuntarily took a step back as the old horned adversary made himself known.
Claire tossed me a glance, "What?"
Then, the anger set in. I grit my teeth and hardened my eyes, "You never learn, Maul."
The red skinned, black tattooed Zabrak former Sith Lord gazed at me with a look of incredulity, "Did you honestly think that after our last duel I would simply fade into death's embrace?"
"I thought that you would have known by now that you can't stop what is supposed to happen." I ground out, my voice raising to a shout, "You will always lose, shithead!"
Maul's yellow eyes blazed with a new fire and he reached behind his back and pulled out a rectangular item.
"The darksaber!" I exclaimed, "How the hell did you get that?!"
Maul smirked, "By the Dark Side's grace, I found this floating in space near Raxus Prime. Oh, some near two years ago. Sound familiar?" Then her looked at Claire, "But, he doesn't know, does he?"
"Know what, monster?" Claire retorted fiercely, but I felt something within her shift through the Force.
Maul bared his teeth, "Witch! You know very well from the Journal of the Whills! The darksaber itself is the key to unlock the Holocron of Fate!" He must've saw the confused look on my face because he continued, this time directed back at me, "Ah, so, you don't know. Well, whoever created this darksaber knew that it needed to be created from phrik in order to withstand the power of the Kyber Shard inside. The Dark Side flows through this crystal at a rate unprecedented. And, now, I've been able to harness it. But, that power amplifies with the Holocron of Fate."
Claire took a step forward, "You'll never get your hands on it."
Maul chuckled and clutched the darksaber tighter, his eyes shifting from golden to red.
I felt the intent and I clutched my own saber and kicked my leg out, pushing Claire to the side of the wall just as Maul literally disappeared and reappeared in front of where she was a fraction of a second prior, the darksaber ignited and pressed forward, striking air.
Maul turned his gaze to me, his eyes sparking as he reignited his red saber and dove.
Gathering lightning in my hands, I pushed outward, blasting him and myself away from each other. But, Maul was on me in an instant, a new power emanating from him. A dark presence that messed with the ebb and flow of the universe. He had become a center of absolute power. Of Darkness incarnate.
I parried his next two strikes, but failed to completely block the third one and he brushed past my right side, the tip of the darksaber cutting into my upper arm, cauterizing the wound almost instantly. A few drops of blood leaked out, but the pain was nothing new. I had experienced worse, and my body knew it.
Except, it was different this time.
What would have been a normal injury from a lightsaber turned out to sear and burn with an unknown surge of pain.
Claire reached a hand out, "Blaze!"
I held a hand to stop her, "No!" I reached out and felt the injury, specifically what lay beneath the surface, beneath the epithelial layer.
The injury was only minor, but it was the dark energy that had been pushed into the blade that changed the effect. Instead of cauterizing to a black color, it turned a greenish yellow.
Maul chuckled, "Still so easily broken."
I grimaced, then smirked back at him, causing his face to scrunch up in confusion.
Again, I reached deeply into the Force. This time, however, I tore between the lines. Maul immediately felt what I was putting out.
He placed his right foot backward, "I can feel it. You've touched the Dark Side, Marko."
The monster beneath deep within my soul screamed out in abject agony. It was as if it had been repressed for so long that it had been eating away at its own constraints. The constraints being my very being.
I felt the nerves across my body flare up as I dipped into the pool. A dive that I knew could end in absolute darkness. Especially since it had been two years and my powers were just now waking up fully.
But, I found, in that moment, it didn't matter. It didn't matter if the beast was going to come out. Memories of Mandalore flashed in front of my eyes for a brief instant, Cultrous melting in a pool of dark goo. The power that coursed through my veins. The Dark Side's power. Absolute power.
Necessary power.
For that moment. Just as it was necessary for this moment.
"I haven't just touched the dark." I growled out, meeting his eyes and seeing my own reflection in his. My right eye had turned yellow and I felt the Dark Side course through my entire physical form, right down to the cellular levels, causing them to multiply, die out, and multiply again.
As the overflow reached the peak and I readied to strike, my entire body exploded in a concourse of unbelievable pain. Every muscle started to seize and my blood vessels threatened to burst from my very arms, my veins extended grossly now.
I hadn't even realized that I was attempting to push far past the limit until it had been too late. My eyes, once again, met Maul's, and his concerned look transformed into one of visible relief and triumph.
I willed my arm to come up to defend against his next strike, and it did, but the force behind the blow was so strong it shot me directly into Claire's path. She caught my body and laid me against the wall, reaching into my very being and sending a wave of healing energy through, the muscles starting to loosen but the pain still remaining for now.
Then, Maul charged.
Claire was up in an instant, pulling my saber to her hand and locking both blades with Maul's. He swung high and low at the same time, going for a bi-sectoral finisher. However, the woman who had saved my life years ago parried the two attacks easily, driving her foot forward into his chest as well as deflecting the next strike from the remaining hooded man.
The ceiling started to crack even farther above our heads and the lights started to blink in and out. There wasn't enough time to have a prolonged fight.
I closed my eyes. If there was any time where you could give me just enough energy to make this even, Force, I would be really, really grateful.
"…anger…fear…aggression…a…Chosen…few."
A millisecond later, I was on my feet, not by my own choosing, but I quickly realized that it was the will of the Force at this point. Claire had sent the quickest glance I'd ever seen backwards while pulling my lightsaber back as if she was going for a strike from the right side, but I saw her fingers loosen.
Reaching out, the lightsaber flew to my hand and I cut down the last hooded, red-sabered assailant besides Maul, his body splitting open from trap to rib, his heart visible between the two halves.
A piece of the ceiling fell and I threw my hand up to stop the fall. Then, another piece fell, then another. The upper layer had started to completely collapse. I opened my mouth to warn Claire, but she was far too engaged in her fight with Maul.
It was amazing.
Maul was nearly blinking in and out of reality at times, but she was countering with almost as much speed. Her muscles flexed and relaxed with each second between blows and I felt extreme calmness and power radiate through her. Her golden blade was fending off both his red and black blades simultaneously, as if she was wielding three sabers, because her attacks were slowly getting through.
In the back of my mind, I couldn't help but wonder how Maul was even here. My last encounter with him was his last-ditch attack on the Jedi Temple after the Battle of Coruscant. I had tapped into a new understanding of the Force and pushed him off the Spire of Knowledge, where he fell onto a speeder and flew away. If it had been that simple, I wouldn't have been surprised.
But, in that moment of power, I had pushed him so hard I felt organs nearly rupture and bones shatter beneath the blow. It was the first time I had used, though unconsciously, Shatter Strike. Those injuries, coupled with already his cybernetic legs, should have been enough to kill him with a little time. There was nothing in his vicinity, or time limit, that could have stopped him from dying.
Yet, there he was. In fact, I realized then, he was much more muscular and his horns had grown slightly, almost resembling his brother's horns. Savage Oppress had been tainted with Nightsister magick, resulting in the accelerated growth of his horns.
Is that what happened? I asked myself as Claire and Maul tore away at each other. Did Maul make it to Dathomir and heal his injuries with Dark Side magick?
The thought quickly died away when Maul blinked out and reappeared in front of me, his bladed reared back to stab through my chest. I tensed, readying myself for a counter-attack through the power of my mind. Claire appeared a second before the attack was ready and she grabbed Maul's arm, slinging him backwards with a shout of intense effort, sweat starting to drip from her flawless forehead.
"How you holding up?" Claire asked.
I grunted as the ceiling continued to buckle and I poured more energy into keeping it up, "Hanging in there. I really should have listened to that nurse. She said to keep away from using too much power for two days, and here I am holding a building up." My veins started to fill with blood again. "I can't keep this up for long." Maul got back up and growled. "But, we can't stop fighting him."
Claire grunted, "If you can keep that up then I can handle him, even if he is using a Kyber Shard."
I looked at the darksaber in his hands and remembered his words. "Witch! The darksaber is the key to unlocking the Holocron of Fate!"
"He wants this holocron." I whispered, "Where is it?"
"Hidden."
Maul's comlink chimed, "Supreme Lord Maul, we have found the holocron but it is incased in Kortanium. There is no way to penetrate the box!"
Kortanium was the hardest material in the entire Star Wars universe. It was almost never used due to its rarity and only the ancient Sith were said to have had limited access to the natural ore for their Sith swords, which they would imbue with Dark Side magick.
"Fuck." I muttered. "So much for hidden."
I saw Claire roll her eyes, then her expression darkened, "They can't get in that box."
Maul raised his eye from his comlink and grinned, "Oh, what a turn of events. It seems that I shall be in need of assistance to reach my goal and you are the one to do it."
Double Vision:Maul would throw his hands forward, blue lightning springing forth to overthrow Claire in a surprise attack, leaving her defenseless for a non-lethal blow that would let her be…
I threw a single hand forward, white lightning springing out just in time to meet his blue lightning. Claire, like the foresight foretold, was caught unaware for the first few seconds. But, that was all she needed to throw her hands forward, adding to the stream struggle.
"I've waited far too long for a chance like this!" Maul shouted, "I will not let a dead man stand between me and my goals! I've lost my mother, my brother, and the Sith took away EVERYTHING! You will not stop me!"
Then, Maul let loose a surge of power that completely overwhelmed our combined efforts. At the last possible second, Claire opened up her hands and absorbed the energy before it came into direct contact with our bodies. The over surge of power was enough to cause her to direct the blast back, but it flew directly past Maul's right cheek, melting the wall and the subsequent next seven rooms behind him.
Claire fell to her knees and I felt my veins start to flood over now. Any moment, my body was going to collapse.
Maul walked up to Claire and deactivated his lightsabers, curling his hand and holding her in the air, making me listen to the sound of her choking, gasping for air. I glared, putting power into the glance and an invisible wall of energy slammed into Maul's face…only for it to fail completely.
But, he noticed the attempt.
Maul punched his arm forward directly into my stomach, making me double down to my knees while still barely managing to keep my arms up, dust and small pebbles starting to rain down on our heads.
"I will take that as my cue to leave." Maul said, pulling Claire with him through the air. As he reached the hole he came to, he stopped and turned around.
"I want you to know that I am glad you survived." He reached his free hand out at me, "It means that burying you alive will be so much more rewarding. Everything you've been through, and it was me who snuffed you out for good."
The Force push that ensued was deafening. Glass shattered and lights exploded as sparks and shards ripped through the air and across my body, making me finally lose my concentration and the levels above me came crashing down on my head.
Then, blackness.
Then, awakening.
Then, the dark started to creep again.
Before it consumed me again, I reached deep into the Force once again and released my energy outwards. Then, I closed my eyes and sucked in a deep breath, finding a sort of peace. But, the rubble was far too heavy and I felt the pressure building and building until…
"Hear me."
"I hear you!"
The Force exploded.
