"I... what?" Sylphiel stuttered, trying to find the right words.
"But... I can't be..."
Kota chuckled knowingly.
"There can't be any doubt. If you're willing to learn, I'm sure Marek can certainly teach you the ways of the Force."
It was now the apprentice's turn to gasp in disbelief.
"But... Kota..." he argued, thinking of a hundred reasons why this wouldn't work.
"But nothing, boy! Sylphiel would benefit greatly from your own teachings at the hands of Vader. As I have come to realize, the Jedi's methods were too... restricted, too focused on the light. We need warriors, not peace-keepers! You, boy, will teach Sylphiel in the ways of the Jedi!"
Galen opened his mouth to object, but, upon consideration, bowed his head.
"Of course, master Kota. But, I will need your help in teaching her. I'm still learning myself."
The blind Jedi nodded knowingly.
"As am I."
Sylphiel sighed, looking at the stars beginning to dot the sky.
"If I go... will I be a burden to any of you?"
Juno shook her head.
"No, my dear. The Rogue Shadow has plenty of room. Besides, it's always nice to have an extra feminine hand on the ship."
The shrine maiden nodded, a little nervous, yet also excited.
"In that case... I'll go."
Galen nodded, then warned her.
"The path of a Jedi will not be easy."
Sylphiel smirked at her new master.
"Try fighting the Hellmaster at some point, Mister Galen."
Draekmus turned, facing away from everyone, as a Saber-class fighter tank tore through the brush, a bronze-domed astromech droid mounted in the top turret.
The droid beeped, as it ejected out onto the ground, projecting a hologram of another commander, a human.
"The Executor has fled, general." the human reported.
Draekmus nodded, before turning back to Galen.
"Geenine here has reported that there have been no casualties, and the droids lost in the fight are being recovered and repaired as we speak."
He looked out over the charred remains of the city and sighed.
"I just wish I could have gotten here faster..."
Galen shook his head, patting the general on the back.
"There was nothing you could have done, Beltone. The city was doomed to begin with."
Draekmus nodded, then brightened, an idea coming to mind.
"Perhaps it was. But, that's irrelevant now. What we need to focus on is now. I will leave the Halberd here. My droid army will ensure that the city is rebuilt. They've been looking to interact with people for a while, anyway."
Juno walked over, an eyebrow raised.
"So, it's true, then? The Halberd's droids are-"
The general nodded.
"Produced with sentience programming, yes. Every single one. In addition, my assistant, Commander Tim, will remain behind as well. The droids respect him as much as they do me, despite his... history."
Kota chuckled.
"So, Tim's an old clone commander, eh? This... could be amusing."
"Indeed..." a new voice said, as the purple-haired priest appeared out of the shadows.
Zelgadis growled.
"Xellos! Of all the times to show up..."
Xellos just shrugged, keeping a cheery voice.
"Glad to see you, too Lina."
Lina smirked.
"I suppose you're here to feed off of these people's misery." she queried.
Galen looked at Xellos, confused.
"Your presence... I detect incredible power, but not bound to a definite form... Strange."
Xellos raised an eyebrow at the Jedi.
"And you... you possess an incredible astral body. You certainly aren't like normal humans..." He mused a moment.
"So, Xellos... what are you doing here?" Lina asked.
"And don't you dare try to hide it behind a secret..." she added, charging up a small Fireball.
Xellos chuckled.
"Oh, Lina, you know that I could never keep secrets from you for long. My master wanted me to find out what could possess the power to destroy an entire city like that. But, it seems like I've moved too late, and that ship has already left the area."
Juno nodded, as PROXY scanned his databanks.
"The Executor, the first of the Star Dreadnaught line of ships. When linked together, the more than 5,000 turbolaser batteries can render an entire planet uninhabitable. Whatever forces left over are dealt with the fleet of fighters aboard." the holodroid informed. "It is by pure good luck that the Halberd was able to repel the ship, probably because the ship itself wasn't at full capacity yet."
Xellos nodded, intrigued.
"Incredible. And this... Empire has this as one of its little toys?" he asked innocently.
Galen nodded.
"Yes, but there are weapons far more powerful... the Death Star..."
The Mazoku's eyes opened up in astonishment.
"A weapon... more powerful? Now this could prove a little... problematic for my master."
Kota looked at the priest.
"And just who is your master?" the blind Jedi asked.
Xellos smirked, holding his finger in front of his face.
"Now that... is a secret!"
Draekmus surveyed the ruins of Seyruun, as a massive metallic sphere, the central control module for the Halberd, landed where the palace once was, the massive device a ship in its own right and occupying almost all of where the city once was.
He placed his holobinoculars away, smiling.
"The droids will be pleased working with the people of Seyruun." he commented, as Geenine beeped in agreement.
The general walked back to his tank, prepared to leave. Galen and Juno casually leaned against the Rogue Shadow, PROXY and Kota already on board, and ready to leave.
Lina and company watched the massive sphere with interest.
"It's huge..." the sorceress breathed.
"And that's only the center of the Halberd?" Zelgadis wondered, shocked at the sheer size.
"I-incredible..." Sylphiel added.
Galen smirked at his new apprentice.
"And this is just one of our ships..."
Gourry scratched his head in confusion.
"Um, what are you talking about?" he asked.
Lina punched the swordsman in the head.
"You idiot!" she hissed. "Sylphiel is leaving with these people, for their Rebellion in the galaxy. She is studying under Galen Marek to learn the ways of the Jedi!"
Gourry nodded, then asked, "Who are the Jedi?"
Lina sighed, as Zelgadis shook his head.
"Forget it. We're staying here, to help rebuild Seyruun."
Draekmus nodded, closing the tank.
"And now, it's time for Sylphiel and I to leave. Already, I have received information that the Rebellion has received some plans vital to their cause. We must leave at once." he said coolly.
Galen shook hands with Lina.
"It's been wonderful meeting you, Miss Inverse." he said, smiling.
"Yeah, same to you, Jedi." she replied.
Juno began shaking hands with Amelia, but drew her into a hug, ruffling the princess's hair.
"We'll meet again, someday. When we do, I'll turn you into a real pilot."
Amelia giggled, replying. "I look forward to that, Miss Juno. One day, we can strike against the evil Empire with the fury of justice!"
The general, pilot, shrine maiden, and Jedi boarded the ship, as a pair of Vulture droids used towing cables to pick up the tank, the astromech already installed and ready for transportation.
As the Rogue Shadow and droids left the atmosphere, Sylphiel gasped at the starry expanse.
"It's... amazing..." she muttered.
Draekmus chuckled.
"Yeah, my first flight at four was as inspiring." he said, looking at the approaching Munificent-class frigate.
"Rogue Shadow, prepare for docking." a mechanized voice announced, the pair of fighters already loading up the tank into the cargo hold.
Juno nodded, already twisting the ship to dock.
"We have docked with you, Spark of Hope. Sending over General Beltone." she said.
The general stood up, grunting slightly.
"Well, it's been great meeting you, especially you, Sylphiel. Perhaps, one day, we will meet again. However, for now, I must meet with High Command. I'm sure they will be... displeased with my actions here."
Sylphiel smiled at Draekmus.
"I look forward to that, Mister Draekmus.
He walked out, traversing the airlock.
Juno undocked, and moved away from the planet.
Sylphiel gasped.
"From up here, it's beautiful..." she commented.
The pilot looked up from the control panel.
"Sylphiel. I want you to come here, and sit in this chair, I want to show you this."
Meekly, the shrine maiden sat down in the copilot's chair, looking at the stars.
"It must be wonderful, being able to see all kinds of new places." she said.
Juno smirked, then said.
"But the best part is when you first take the jump."
Confused, Sylphiel tilted her head.
"Jump?"
Eclipse nodded, slowly turning a lever.
"The jump to lightspeed."
Sylphiel gasped as the stars seemed to stretch, blending together into a single light that seemed to consume the ship.
The shrine maiden was abruptly pulled back into the seat, the stars now rapidly shifting through various colors: reds fading into blues. An awe-inspiring sight.
Once she recovered from the shock, Galen tapped her shoulder.
"Come, my apprentice. Let's begin your training."
Sylphiel nodded, following her new master towards the training room, and on towards her new life.
END OF ARC ONE
A/N: Yeah, I know that final part is a little unexpected. And, I'm sorry, Xellos fans, for the rather... slapped together way I put him in. I realized that he wouldn't fit in the current storyline I had planned. But, don't worry, he will eventually reappear. After all, he IS Xellos.
Anyway, it's early because I had the inspiration to finish this arc ahead of schedule. This arc may end here, but the story is far from over.
In fact, here's a little preview for the next arc:
Sylphiel looked across the Rebel Base on Yavin IV. She had spent the last three months training with her master, Galen Marek. She had gone on several missions with him, and had learned a fair amount of the galaxy.
She watched as the Delaya-class courier flew across the sky, landing inside the hangar of the base.
The Jedi priestess smiled, running from her post above the doors into the landing area below.
She approached the ship, as the landing ramp descended. Three figures exited, hoisting a large amount of supplies for the Rebellion.
