Disclaimer:
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time one my hands.
See the difference? 'Nuff said, on with the fic!
*****
CHAPTER FOUR
Del-Mon instantly rose to his feet as he heard his Padawan's footsteps in the cavern approaching him.
He had been meditating, finding his calm center once more. He had managed to settle down. He knew he would never fully recover, but decided he had to try and accept the past.
The Jedi saw a lightsaber hilt, fully assembled and clipped to Aro-Ken's belt.
Del-Mon could sense something amiss. He had expected his Padawan to be happy or excited once his lightsaber was completed, but the Force told him otherwise.
Instead he could sense mixed emotions emanating in the Force around the boy. He sensed fear, uncertainty, confusion, a small bit of anger, and anxiousness all encircling him.
Curiously, Del-Mon nodded to the weapon at Aro-Ken's side. "Did you build that, Padawan?" he asked, a bit impressed at how quickly Aro-Ken had accomplished his goal.
"Um… Yes, I suppose I did," the Padawan slowly, almost uncertainly answered.
"Why don't you turn it on for me?" Del-Mon suggested.
Aro-Ken unclipped the lightsaber from his belt slowly, almost as though he were stalling, trying to buy time.
Before igniting it he held it out in front of himself and looked at it quickly, as though he had never really seen it before. The handle, like any other lightsaber, was cylindrical and grey, with a black grip near the bottom. The activation button was also black, standing out from the light grey. Next to it were a few various buttons, which could control the length of the blade and its power level.
Catching himself quickly, Aro-Ken hit the activate button, and a long crimson blade extended with an electric snap-hiss sound. It cast a red glow about the cave, increasing the visibility slightly.
Del-Mon could sense a different… Air, if you would call it that, about his apprentice. It was colder, somehow darker since when he had disappeared down the tunnel half an hour ago.
Looking back at Aro-Ken, Del-Mon saw that he went into what looked like a trance. He stared at his red lightsaber blade with a gaze that appeared to be empty, but Del-Mon could tell he was focusing on something.
"Aro-Ken? Aro-Ken, are you all right?" he asked.
The boy did not reply, and he took a few steps forward, beginning to raise his lightsaber in a position that looked as though he was going to attack someone.
"Aro-Ken! Aro-Ken! Snap out of it, Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon called his Padawan's name.
Abruptly the boy froze and slightly shook his head.
"Yes, Master?" he asked as though nothing had happened.
"Aro-Ken, are you all right?" Del-Mon asked him, concerned for the boy.
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Aro-Ken replied.
Del-Mon dismissed the question with a shake of his head. "Never mind."
Aro-Ken was definitely not himself. Del-Mon knew that for a fact, but the question was, did Aro-Ken know?
Del-Mon couldn't be sure, but he had a suspicion that it was because of something that had happened in the cave, but it was not his place to ask his Padawan about occurrences in there.
"Come along, Padawan, I've found a hotel we can stay the night at in Theed," he said.
"All right, Master," Aro-Ken said.
The two clambered out of the cavern, which had become slippery with all the rain and took a bit longer than anticipated.
The storm was still raging. Torrents of rain poured down in soaking sheets. It was almost pitch black, except when blinding flashes of lightning would illuminate the scene briefly. Roaring thunder would then follow, ripping through the sound of the rain pounding against the two Jedi, the trees, and the muddy ground.
As they walked amongst the mammoth trees that the swamps offered, there was a faint sound from behind them as the thunder roared like an angry tusk cat. Del-Mon just managed to hear it above the roar of the furious storm. He sensed something large approaching him from behind.
The Jedi instantly spun around on his heel and saw one of the thick trees looming out of the darkness. It took a moment, but he then realized it was falling towards them.
"Aro-Ken, look out!" he shouted as he ran out of the way.
The boy faintly heard his master say his name and turned. "What was that, Master?" he shouted as he faced the man.
Del-Mon swiftly pointed above his head, and the boy's eyes grew wide as he spotted the colossal tree falling towards the earth he was standing on.
Quickly he dove aside, and the tree landed where he'd been standing a fraction of a second earlier with a loud crash.
Aro-Ken got up out of the mud, trying in vain to wipe some of it from his robe as he made his way over to his master. Del-Mon had found the stump that the fallen tree had once been connected to.
"What happened, Master?" Aro-Ken yelled above the raging winds that whipped his robes and his braid back and forth.
"This tree did not fall naturally! We know lightning didn't hit it, and the wood isn't splintered! Somebody cut it down!" Del-Mon cried above all the noise.
"I don't sense anybody else around us!" Aro-Ken commented loudly.
"Neither do I, but they may be using mental shielding!" Del-Mon suggested.
"What does that mean? Is someone trying to kill us?" Aro-Ken asked.
"I don't know, but we must be cautious!" Del-Mon replied. "Let's get back to the ship quickly, before anything else happens! Don't let your guard down, Padawan! Let's go!"
With that they took off through the murky swamp, going as fast as they could in the difficult terrain. They climbed over fallen logs, ducked low branches, and carefully avoided the rather large ponds that were indeed expanding with all the rain pounding down.
A dazzlingly bright flash of lightning illuminated the swamp for a brief second, but it was all the two Jedi need to see their ship ahead of them.
"We're almost there, Padawan!" Del-Mon cried.
Aro-Ken put on a burst of speed as they neared their vessel. He grabbed one of The Guardian's landing struts to stop himself and started to enter the commands to bring down the boarding ramp. He had almost finished the sequence when Del-Mon, who had stayed back slightly, cried, "Look out, Padawan!"
Aro-Ken stopped hitting the buttons. In an instant he had spun around with his new lightsaber activated. He didn't see the bolt flying at him, but knew where to position his lightsaber to block it.
There was an electric crackle, and the bolt flew away into the foliage. Del- Mon arrived swiftly at his Padawan's side, side. The two looked at each other, and suddenly five bolts came streaking towards them from the surrounding trees and bushes.
Instantly Del-Mon had his lightsaber out and the brilliant emerald green blade activated. The two spun swiftly about, seeming to be everywhere at once. They covered each other, Del-Mon blocking a shot at his Padawan's head while the boy deflected one coming at his Master's leg.
Their lightsabers were moving so fast that they were just streaks of green or red in the air. It was hard to see who it was that was handling them so well.
As the fight progressed, Del-Mon noticed something about his Padawan. He was fighting more aggressively than he needed to. He was deflecting their attackers' fire back at them rather than out of the way.
"Aro-Ken, stop!" Del-Mon cried as a scream rang out from within the forest.
His Apprentice did not seem to hear him as he continued to fight instead of defend himself. Another scream rang out.
"Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon shouted above the roar of the storm. The boy was undoubtedly ignoring him now. There was no reason he shouldn't have heard him.
As another scream rang out from where Aro-Ken's deflected bolt had disappeared, the shots suddenly halted. He could faintly hear footfalls within the foliage.
Instantly Del-Mon turned on his Padawan, and he wasn't too happy. "Aro-Ken, what happened there?" he asked, managing to make his voice sound calm.
Aro-Ken didn't answer. Del-Mon could sense anger around him. He had a strange look in his eyes.
"Aro-Ken?" Del-Mon cautiously asked as he approached the boy, unsure of what was happening. Aro-Ken was looking past him, into the foliage behind him.
Without a word he lifted his lightsaber, still activated, and threw it as hard as he could at Del-Mon's head.
A shout escaped from Del-Mon's lips as he dropped to the ground, and the red blade disappeared into the forest. He didn't hear it hit a tree, but instead another scream pierced the air.
Del-Mon's eyes went wide. What was going on?
"Aro-Ken, get on The Guardian now and start her up," the Master instructed.
Aro-Ken remained perfectly still. He seemed to be in a daze.
"Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon cried.
The boy jumped slightly upon hearing his name. "Huh? Er, yes, Master?" he asked.
"I told you to start the ship. We will talk about your actions later," Del- Mon said.
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken said, sounding a bit confused. He turned and finished opening the boarding ramp before walking up and disappeared inside The Guardian.
Del-Mon then cautiously approached the area his Padawan had thrown his lightsaber. "Hello? Is anyone there?" he called.
The pounding rain was lifting to a heavy drizzle, and it had become a bit easier to see. The thunder and lightning were very faint.
As Del-Mon scanned the area, he saw a small patch of blood on the ground. Next to it was Aro-Ken's deactivated lightsaber. He bent down and picked it up.
The instant he touched the handle, a cold feeling shot through him like a quick jolt of electricity. Del-Mon slightly jumped and dropped it without meaning to.
Looking around warily, he saw no one else. He picked up the deactivated weapon, shuddering this time as the same cold feeling abruptly passed through his body. Slowly he clipped the lightsaber to his belt, and then turned back to the blood trail on the damp ground.
For a short distance he followed it. He could hear a gasping, moaning sound of some kind up ahead as he made his way through the dense forest.
He glanced over a fallen log, and saw a person on the ground, moaning and clutching her leg. She had black hair, dark blue eyes, and was clothed in black. When she spotted Del-Mon, she jumped to her feet right away, staggering on her injured leg.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
"Only to help you. That's a pretty nasty wound," Del-Mon said gesturing to her leg.
"No thanks to that boy of yours," she furiously said.
"Allow me to apologize for him. I don't know what got into him," Del-Mon sincerely said.
"Well I do, and it could mean the end for us all," said the woman.
"Who are you?" Del-Mon curiously asked.
"I think the question is where am I," said the woman.
"All right, where are you?" inquired the Jedi.
"Gone," she said with a sly smile.
Before Del-Mon could blink, she had seized something from her belt and dropped it to the ground. Just before it hit Del-Mon recognized it as a smoke grenade. He closed his eyes and held his breath just in time.
Del-Mon remained where he was, waiting for the smoke to clear, which didn't take long in the light rain. As he'd expected, the woman was gone when he opened his eyes again.
A bit irritated, Del-Mon made his way back to The Guardian, where he found Aro-Ken waiting at the boarding ramp.
"Master, where were you?" the boy asked as his Master approached him.
"Just looking around. Let's get out of here, it's not safe. Did you enter the coordinates for Theed?" Del-Mon asked.
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken replied.
"Good. Come on then," Del-Mon said. Aro-Ken followed him up the boarding ramp, which closed behind them.
Less than a minute later they took off, streaking away over the treetops.
However, both of them failed to notice the black-clothed figure on a speeder bike that followed them, weaving in and out of the trees just below them all the way to Theed…
*****
Well, what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, whatever!
George Lucas = owner of Star Wars
Me = Bored teenager with way too much time one my hands.
See the difference? 'Nuff said, on with the fic!
*****
CHAPTER FOUR
Del-Mon instantly rose to his feet as he heard his Padawan's footsteps in the cavern approaching him.
He had been meditating, finding his calm center once more. He had managed to settle down. He knew he would never fully recover, but decided he had to try and accept the past.
The Jedi saw a lightsaber hilt, fully assembled and clipped to Aro-Ken's belt.
Del-Mon could sense something amiss. He had expected his Padawan to be happy or excited once his lightsaber was completed, but the Force told him otherwise.
Instead he could sense mixed emotions emanating in the Force around the boy. He sensed fear, uncertainty, confusion, a small bit of anger, and anxiousness all encircling him.
Curiously, Del-Mon nodded to the weapon at Aro-Ken's side. "Did you build that, Padawan?" he asked, a bit impressed at how quickly Aro-Ken had accomplished his goal.
"Um… Yes, I suppose I did," the Padawan slowly, almost uncertainly answered.
"Why don't you turn it on for me?" Del-Mon suggested.
Aro-Ken unclipped the lightsaber from his belt slowly, almost as though he were stalling, trying to buy time.
Before igniting it he held it out in front of himself and looked at it quickly, as though he had never really seen it before. The handle, like any other lightsaber, was cylindrical and grey, with a black grip near the bottom. The activation button was also black, standing out from the light grey. Next to it were a few various buttons, which could control the length of the blade and its power level.
Catching himself quickly, Aro-Ken hit the activate button, and a long crimson blade extended with an electric snap-hiss sound. It cast a red glow about the cave, increasing the visibility slightly.
Del-Mon could sense a different… Air, if you would call it that, about his apprentice. It was colder, somehow darker since when he had disappeared down the tunnel half an hour ago.
Looking back at Aro-Ken, Del-Mon saw that he went into what looked like a trance. He stared at his red lightsaber blade with a gaze that appeared to be empty, but Del-Mon could tell he was focusing on something.
"Aro-Ken? Aro-Ken, are you all right?" he asked.
The boy did not reply, and he took a few steps forward, beginning to raise his lightsaber in a position that looked as though he was going to attack someone.
"Aro-Ken! Aro-Ken! Snap out of it, Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon called his Padawan's name.
Abruptly the boy froze and slightly shook his head.
"Yes, Master?" he asked as though nothing had happened.
"Aro-Ken, are you all right?" Del-Mon asked him, concerned for the boy.
"I'm fine, why do you ask?" Aro-Ken replied.
Del-Mon dismissed the question with a shake of his head. "Never mind."
Aro-Ken was definitely not himself. Del-Mon knew that for a fact, but the question was, did Aro-Ken know?
Del-Mon couldn't be sure, but he had a suspicion that it was because of something that had happened in the cave, but it was not his place to ask his Padawan about occurrences in there.
"Come along, Padawan, I've found a hotel we can stay the night at in Theed," he said.
"All right, Master," Aro-Ken said.
The two clambered out of the cavern, which had become slippery with all the rain and took a bit longer than anticipated.
The storm was still raging. Torrents of rain poured down in soaking sheets. It was almost pitch black, except when blinding flashes of lightning would illuminate the scene briefly. Roaring thunder would then follow, ripping through the sound of the rain pounding against the two Jedi, the trees, and the muddy ground.
As they walked amongst the mammoth trees that the swamps offered, there was a faint sound from behind them as the thunder roared like an angry tusk cat. Del-Mon just managed to hear it above the roar of the furious storm. He sensed something large approaching him from behind.
The Jedi instantly spun around on his heel and saw one of the thick trees looming out of the darkness. It took a moment, but he then realized it was falling towards them.
"Aro-Ken, look out!" he shouted as he ran out of the way.
The boy faintly heard his master say his name and turned. "What was that, Master?" he shouted as he faced the man.
Del-Mon swiftly pointed above his head, and the boy's eyes grew wide as he spotted the colossal tree falling towards the earth he was standing on.
Quickly he dove aside, and the tree landed where he'd been standing a fraction of a second earlier with a loud crash.
Aro-Ken got up out of the mud, trying in vain to wipe some of it from his robe as he made his way over to his master. Del-Mon had found the stump that the fallen tree had once been connected to.
"What happened, Master?" Aro-Ken yelled above the raging winds that whipped his robes and his braid back and forth.
"This tree did not fall naturally! We know lightning didn't hit it, and the wood isn't splintered! Somebody cut it down!" Del-Mon cried above all the noise.
"I don't sense anybody else around us!" Aro-Ken commented loudly.
"Neither do I, but they may be using mental shielding!" Del-Mon suggested.
"What does that mean? Is someone trying to kill us?" Aro-Ken asked.
"I don't know, but we must be cautious!" Del-Mon replied. "Let's get back to the ship quickly, before anything else happens! Don't let your guard down, Padawan! Let's go!"
With that they took off through the murky swamp, going as fast as they could in the difficult terrain. They climbed over fallen logs, ducked low branches, and carefully avoided the rather large ponds that were indeed expanding with all the rain pounding down.
A dazzlingly bright flash of lightning illuminated the swamp for a brief second, but it was all the two Jedi need to see their ship ahead of them.
"We're almost there, Padawan!" Del-Mon cried.
Aro-Ken put on a burst of speed as they neared their vessel. He grabbed one of The Guardian's landing struts to stop himself and started to enter the commands to bring down the boarding ramp. He had almost finished the sequence when Del-Mon, who had stayed back slightly, cried, "Look out, Padawan!"
Aro-Ken stopped hitting the buttons. In an instant he had spun around with his new lightsaber activated. He didn't see the bolt flying at him, but knew where to position his lightsaber to block it.
There was an electric crackle, and the bolt flew away into the foliage. Del- Mon arrived swiftly at his Padawan's side, side. The two looked at each other, and suddenly five bolts came streaking towards them from the surrounding trees and bushes.
Instantly Del-Mon had his lightsaber out and the brilliant emerald green blade activated. The two spun swiftly about, seeming to be everywhere at once. They covered each other, Del-Mon blocking a shot at his Padawan's head while the boy deflected one coming at his Master's leg.
Their lightsabers were moving so fast that they were just streaks of green or red in the air. It was hard to see who it was that was handling them so well.
As the fight progressed, Del-Mon noticed something about his Padawan. He was fighting more aggressively than he needed to. He was deflecting their attackers' fire back at them rather than out of the way.
"Aro-Ken, stop!" Del-Mon cried as a scream rang out from within the forest.
His Apprentice did not seem to hear him as he continued to fight instead of defend himself. Another scream rang out.
"Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon shouted above the roar of the storm. The boy was undoubtedly ignoring him now. There was no reason he shouldn't have heard him.
As another scream rang out from where Aro-Ken's deflected bolt had disappeared, the shots suddenly halted. He could faintly hear footfalls within the foliage.
Instantly Del-Mon turned on his Padawan, and he wasn't too happy. "Aro-Ken, what happened there?" he asked, managing to make his voice sound calm.
Aro-Ken didn't answer. Del-Mon could sense anger around him. He had a strange look in his eyes.
"Aro-Ken?" Del-Mon cautiously asked as he approached the boy, unsure of what was happening. Aro-Ken was looking past him, into the foliage behind him.
Without a word he lifted his lightsaber, still activated, and threw it as hard as he could at Del-Mon's head.
A shout escaped from Del-Mon's lips as he dropped to the ground, and the red blade disappeared into the forest. He didn't hear it hit a tree, but instead another scream pierced the air.
Del-Mon's eyes went wide. What was going on?
"Aro-Ken, get on The Guardian now and start her up," the Master instructed.
Aro-Ken remained perfectly still. He seemed to be in a daze.
"Aro-Ken!" Del-Mon cried.
The boy jumped slightly upon hearing his name. "Huh? Er, yes, Master?" he asked.
"I told you to start the ship. We will talk about your actions later," Del- Mon said.
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken said, sounding a bit confused. He turned and finished opening the boarding ramp before walking up and disappeared inside The Guardian.
Del-Mon then cautiously approached the area his Padawan had thrown his lightsaber. "Hello? Is anyone there?" he called.
The pounding rain was lifting to a heavy drizzle, and it had become a bit easier to see. The thunder and lightning were very faint.
As Del-Mon scanned the area, he saw a small patch of blood on the ground. Next to it was Aro-Ken's deactivated lightsaber. He bent down and picked it up.
The instant he touched the handle, a cold feeling shot through him like a quick jolt of electricity. Del-Mon slightly jumped and dropped it without meaning to.
Looking around warily, he saw no one else. He picked up the deactivated weapon, shuddering this time as the same cold feeling abruptly passed through his body. Slowly he clipped the lightsaber to his belt, and then turned back to the blood trail on the damp ground.
For a short distance he followed it. He could hear a gasping, moaning sound of some kind up ahead as he made his way through the dense forest.
He glanced over a fallen log, and saw a person on the ground, moaning and clutching her leg. She had black hair, dark blue eyes, and was clothed in black. When she spotted Del-Mon, she jumped to her feet right away, staggering on her injured leg.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
"Only to help you. That's a pretty nasty wound," Del-Mon said gesturing to her leg.
"No thanks to that boy of yours," she furiously said.
"Allow me to apologize for him. I don't know what got into him," Del-Mon sincerely said.
"Well I do, and it could mean the end for us all," said the woman.
"Who are you?" Del-Mon curiously asked.
"I think the question is where am I," said the woman.
"All right, where are you?" inquired the Jedi.
"Gone," she said with a sly smile.
Before Del-Mon could blink, she had seized something from her belt and dropped it to the ground. Just before it hit Del-Mon recognized it as a smoke grenade. He closed his eyes and held his breath just in time.
Del-Mon remained where he was, waiting for the smoke to clear, which didn't take long in the light rain. As he'd expected, the woman was gone when he opened his eyes again.
A bit irritated, Del-Mon made his way back to The Guardian, where he found Aro-Ken waiting at the boarding ramp.
"Master, where were you?" the boy asked as his Master approached him.
"Just looking around. Let's get out of here, it's not safe. Did you enter the coordinates for Theed?" Del-Mon asked.
"Yes, Master," Aro-Ken replied.
"Good. Come on then," Del-Mon said. Aro-Ken followed him up the boarding ramp, which closed behind them.
Less than a minute later they took off, streaking away over the treetops.
However, both of them failed to notice the black-clothed figure on a speeder bike that followed them, weaving in and out of the trees just below them all the way to Theed…
*****
Well, what did you think? Please review! Flames, like, no-like, whatever!