Chapter 9: Endgame, Pt. 1
Death Star II, 2 ABY
Throne Room
Luke, accompanied by Vader, ascended the steps to the Emperor's throne. His hands were bound by cuffs that he didn't bother to try and take off. The young Jedi had been parted from his lightsaber, and he could almost hear Ahsoka's voice in his head: This weapon is your life, don't ever lose it. It was something her master had told her once.
Something his father had told her once.
The Emperor turned in his chair as soon as they reached the top, and Luke was repulsed by the gnarled face that was presented to him. Xur had told him stories about the Emperor, but he never guessed that he would look so…deformed.
"Welcome young Skywalker," he said in his raspy voice. "I have been expecting you. You no longer need those." He then waved his hand and Luke felt his cuffs release and fall to the floor. Freed, he looked up to the Emperor like he was insane. How could he know that he wouldn't attack?
"I'm looking forward to completing your training. In time you will call me master," he said once again in a repulsive voice.
Luke shook his head defiantly. "You are gravely mistaken. You will not convert me like you did my father."
"Oh no, my young Jedi, you will find that it is you who are mistaken…about a great many things." The reply already sent shivers down Luke's spine. He then rose from his seat and made his way over to him.
"His lightsaber," Vader offered. Palpatine took it with a smile.
"Ah yes, a Jedi's weapon…much like your father's," he observed. "By now you must know that your father can never be turned from the Dark Side…so will it be with you."
"You're wrong," Luke growled. "Soon I'll be dead, and you with me."
Palpatine's laugh filled the throne room, and Luke's smile faded. "Perhaps you are referring to the imminent attack from your Rebel fleet? Yes…I assure you, we are quite safe from your friends here." He then turned back towards his chair.
Luke shook his head. "Your overconfidence is your weakness. After your flags burn to the ground on Coruscant, Xur Eon will be here to end this war."
Palpatine growled at the mere mention of that name. "The pretender will never make it past the trap I have set for him at the Jedi Temple, nor will your father's apprentice."
"They are far more powerful than you realize. Your hours are numbered your highness, and you know it. I can sense the fear within you, your uncertainty, your-,"
"Silence boy! You know nothing of the true nature of the Force!" Palpatine whirled around, anger filling his face. "Eon will die, as will your friends on the Forest Moon."
"I will make my way to the moon's surface as instructed Master," Vader bowed.
"Yes, Lord Vader," Palpatine nodded. "Be sure to take care of General Solo and the Princess. Then young Skywalker may choose to join us." Vader then made his way to the elevator and exited the throne room. It was at this time that Luke was terrified for his friends' safety. His only hope was Xur and Ahsoka at this point…and only the Force knew what they were going through right now.
Coruscant, 2 ABY
Jedi Temple
Xur's purple lightsaber cleaved the head of an inquisitor off cleanly as he charged forward into the sea of red sabers. The Force flowed through him perfectly as he sent his red lightsaber into the chest of another from afar and called it back to himself. Now armed with both, he dodged an oncoming inquisitor and jumped with a clean spin, which killed the assailant and a would-be in front of him. He finished the move with a Force shockwave, which cleared the area a good 20 feet all around him.
He breathed heavily into his communicator. "Stay back Raven! Have your battalion kill everything from a distance. We'll hold them at bay!" He finished as more inquisitors enclosed around him. This time he disarmed a pair and then engaged two behind him, using lightning laced with his sabers to break their defenses and a force push to send them away. The pair then foolishly engaged him without their sabers with force pushes of their own, which Xur shrugged off with a force barrier. He retaliated with devastating force lightning and a massive force push that sent a shockwave through the temple.
Xur could now sense the fear that the inquisitors felt when they saw him. He tapped into the Dark Side, which used their fear as fuel for his next attacks. He cut down 10 more inquisitors with relative ease, and they began to back off him, knowing it was asking to die.
Ahsoka finally reached his side. "Don't lose control now," she prepared for the next wave with her bright green sabers ignited.
"It's all under control," Xur said with a deep breath and a calmer voice than she expected. "Come on, more are asking for a fight." As the masked Zabrak pushed forward, Ahsoka couldn't help but feel like she had to put a stop to him. He was marching through waves of inquisitors and ending each of their lives mercilessly. These were people who were likely taken from their homes as children to become slaves of the Empire against their will…and they didn't stand a chance.
Xur cut down 5 more inquisitors that dared to challenge him, while she defeated 2 of her own. Another thing was obvious, these inquisitors were nothing like the ones they faced on Malachor. They were pathetic to say the least, and some didn't even have a proper lightsaber.
The inquisitors then suddenly backed off and retreated back into the temple rather than outside on the steps. Ahsoka let out a sigh of relief when Xur didn't chase after them. The Zabrak took a deep breath and then tapped into his comm-link.
"Bring the troops forward Raven. They retreated into the temple," Xur ordered and received a "Yes sir" back. He deactivated his lightsabers for a quick break, taking a few good breaths in. After he took his final breath, he looked over to Ahsoka…who was staring him down with her arms crossed.
"What?" he asked defensively.
"You know, when you say you want to eradicate the Sith from the face of the galaxy, it doesn't help when you use their tactics and practices to fight them," she scolded.
"What do you-," Xur then realized what she was referring to. "They made their choice!"
Ahsoka approached him, obviously upset. "That's just it! They didn't have a choice! They didn't grow up in a temple full of people who cared about them or gave them any sort of choice!"
He grit his teeth. "This is war Ahsoka!"
She shook her head. "It's never that simple. If we reduce our honor to murdering our enemies without mercy…then we're no better than those we fight against."
Knowing she was right, but still pressing his side, Xur sighed. "I'm not a Jedi."
"You and I both know that's no excuse," she reminded him with a quick pointed finger before crossing her arms again.
His head drooped downwards once she finished. "I know," he admitted.
The togruta nodded and then lost her frustration in the blink of an eye. "Just remember what we're fighting for. All this murder; killing…it's what Palpatine wants," she then began to make her way into the temple. "You may be invulnerable to corruption, but you still have a choice. Make sure it's not the one he wants you to make."
Xur clenched his fist. Never, he thought. He would never serve the Emperor…he would end him. Ahsoka was right however, like she always was. Mercilessly murdering the people who he has enslaved was working against his own cause.
He couldn't help but remember all the people he had killed because they served the Empire. The zabrak never forgot Christophsis…and what he ordered. It still haunted him. All of it led back to Ahsoka. The dark part of him blamed her for everything terrible he had done, but he knew that only he could be responsible for his actions.
Only a Sith deals in absolutes, he thought, or he didn't know how to explain how the thought got into his head. He could've sworn he heard that from an old friend.
He wouldn't do that now, not when the Endgame was approaching.
Endor, 2 ABY
Rebel Fleet
The Millennium Falcon erupted from hyperspace and behind it the Mon Calamari cruisers of the so called "Rebel" fleet. Lando Calrissian didn't consider them Rebels…at least not anymore. Now they were liberators, and they had one of the most powerful beings in the galaxy at their side. He always knew how to turn the odds in his favor.
"There it is…the Death Star, right where it should be," Lando announced as he accelerated forward. The color leaders called in as his squadron advanced on the battle station.
Lando's wingmate, Nien Nunb, began to mutter in the Sullustian language that he could understand. The General gave him a confused look. "We should be able to get a read on that shield up or down."
Nien Nunb continued, and he shook his head. "Well how could they be jamming us if they don't know-," he hesitated to think. "If we're coming?" It was at this point that his worst fears had been realized. "Break off the attack!" he shouted. "The shield is still up!"
He pulled Han's ship away from the station as fast as he could. "Pull up! All craft pull up!" As soon as he maneuvered away, the Imperial fleet was upon them…and a wave of fighters that rivaled anything he'd ever seen was barreling towards him.
Coruscant, 2 ABY
Jedi Temple
The second wave had come, this time with Stormtroopers trailing behind the inquisitors. Xur had ordered Captain Raven to stay behind once again and pick off the shooters, but he was beginning to regret that decision. The troopers were raining bolts down on them from above and it was just too much to deflect and duel the inquisitors at the same time.
He bunkered back with Ahsoka behind a pile of rubble, the inquisitors staying back after they had learned their lesson from the last wave. Bolts impacted the ground around them and chipped pieces of their cover on top of their heads.
"We're going to need a new approach!" Ahsoka shouted over the deafening noise of blaster fire. "Raven can't get close when they have this kind of high ground!"
Xur growled behind his mask. "Starkiller should be here by now!" he tapped in to his communicator. "Starkiller!" he grimaced as a bolt grazed by the edge of the cover, spraying debris into his face. "Starkiller where are you we're pinned down!"
After a few moments of tension, his comm signal buzzed to life. "We're almost in positon hang on for a few more seconds!"
Xur wanted to ram his fist into the ground but knew that wouldn't change anything. "Dammit Starkiller hurry before they rip us apart!"
Almost instantaneously he heard hundreds of battle cries and two lightsabers ignite. He looked up to see Starkiller and the clone assassins pour out from behind the imperial hold out in the upper levels. Their wrist blades ignited as they cut through the Stormtroopers with minimal effort. Surrounded, the inquisitors turned to combat the new threat.
"Raven, now!" Xur shouted, and he heard the clones behind them charge forward with their own battle cries. "For the Jedi!", "Death to the Empire!" and "For the Republic!" were all cries he heard from them as he and Ahsoka engaged the cornered inquisitors.
Knowing they had been beaten, the remaining Imperials threw down their weapons and surrendered. They had won. At last…the Jedi had been freed from darkness.
It was almost surreal to Xur, as he switched off his lightsabers, that they had finally taken the Jedi Temple back from the Empire. As the clones led the surrendered Imperials into groups, Xur crossed his arms and closed his eyes behind his helmet. He could feel the Force flowing through the conduit of light once again, and Palpatine's corrupting energies began to fade away.
Starkiller put one hand on his shoulder but kept walking on. "You did it Eon. I told you not to worry."
Xur chuckled. "That you did," as Starkiller followed the clones out of the temple with the imperial prisoners. He felt the presence of Ahsoka come up next to him, and he opened his eyes once again.
"Old memories," she said.
Xur nodded. "Too many."
Ahsoka head panned down. "Too bad the Jedi are dead to see this. How they would rejoice and celebrate…that would be something to never forget."
Xur shook his head and pulled down his hood, deactivating his mask. "But the Jedi aren't dead." He placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've always been a Jedi. Whether you call yourself a Revanite or Gray Jedi…I think you've always tried to do the right thing; the most selfless thing possible."
She didn't seem convinced by his compliment, and uncomfortably shifted. "But…I betrayed you and everyone I tried to protect out of-," Ahsoka protested.
"Love, care, attachment, longingness. Yes, the worst sins ever committed were out of love…but the best acts of selflessness and benevolence stem from that same feeling."
Ahsoka narrowed her eyes. "Wha-…what are you trying to say?"
"I'm saying that the new Jedi should never forbid attachment, for it was the downfall of their predecessors. That will be your job…along with Luke."
"And what will you do?"
Xur hesitated, and took a few steps forward. "I will follow Revan's guidance and continue his legacy…as I see fit." He felt proud of himself for saying that. He would do whatever he could to push Revan's idealism forward in his own way.
However, what he was suggesting made Ahsoka uneasy and almost disappointed, but her professionalism kept her from brining the topic up.
The Temple was nearly empty now, but Xur and Ahsoka remained as the battle went on the skies and space above. Kota had just called in that the Senate building was theirs, and it was only a matter of time before Coruscant would be liberated.
They both looked out the massive entrance that was the temple as night descended, and they could see the Imperial flag burning in the distance, just as they predicted.
"Beautiful…isn't it?" Xur asked. "It's been so long since I've been here."
Ahsoka nodded, and almost wanted to tell him the same. However, something stopped her. It felt like they were finally at the end, yet just beginning in a sense. She thought how they have never been together during a time of peace…and what they had shared on the Rectifier. They'd always been warriors, commanders, and rebels their entire lives.
It had to stop. It was time to stop running.
"Xur…you sa-," a rumble behind them stopped her cold and it was quickly followed by a massive Force discharge that sent them both tumbling forward. Xur was quick to his feet and watched as a hooded figure emerged from a new hole in the rubble. He couldn't sense who it was…and doubted he knew them at all.
The figure confirmed to be a female as she screamed, lashing out again with the Force, but this time Xur could brace himself as Ahsoka got back up on her feet. Anger was erupting from the woman, and he could almost feel it burn his essence. Whatever…it…was, it was the very definition of the Dark Side.
He lashed back with force lightning to check its guard, and instantly regretted that decision as it came flying back to him. His purple lightsaber barely ignited in time to save his body from disintegration. The force of it made him drop down to one knee, and his mask came back over his face.
"What…are you?" Ahsoka managed to say as she was shocked by its sudden appearance. When mysterious woman shifted, her green lightsabers ignited, but there was a moment where all three of them paused.
A horrifying laughter filled the room and the air around them, and Xur pulled over his hood. She finally spoke. "I am everything you have ever feared," she laughed again. "And everyone you've ever hated!" Her dual-bladed red lightsaber came to her hand and she leapt forward, creating a force shockwave where she landed. Xur was taken by surprise and fell back, while Ahsoka dodged and charged her. The two locked sabers and exchanged multiple parries before locking back up again, Ahsoka trying to identify who she was. All she could see was a smile, and she could feel herself slipping. The dark woman then grabbed her with a force choke, and she was helpless as she was lifted into the air and thrown into the hole that the woman had come from.
She was buried under rubble, and out of sight.
"NO!" Xur screamed and had both sabers ignited. He charged towards the woman at a blinding speed that looked as if he faded out of existence and locked sabers with her. His rage powered his next few strikes, and he could feel the woman begin to struggle to hold him. When he felt he had an opening, he took it, but the woman lashed out with force lightning faster than he could react. He was soon a static heap on the floor, his lightsabers out of his hands.
"Ignorant fool! Your rage feeds my power, which means you will never defeat me without letting go of your anger!" she then lunged out again with her hands, lightning pouring from her fingers yet again. Xur could stop it with his hands this time, but it was the strongest lightning he had ever faced. His defenses crumbled and he screamed in pain as he was engulfed by her lightning strike. It kept coming, and all he could do was writhe on the floor.
"You will die here pretender! Just as you were always meant to!" she laughed as she continued her onslaught upon him. All he could do was scream…and hope someone could help him before the woman disintegrated him entirely.
Ahsoka rolled over as rubble rolled off her back and onto the floor, the dust filling her lungs as she breathed in, resulting in a fit of coughs that followed. Instinctually, she reached for her lightsabers, preparing to rejoin the fight, but soon realized that she was trapped inside a long hall, possibly where the strange woman had originated from.
Through the rubble, she heard force lightning crackle…and then a scream in pain. Suddenly, her body seized up and an excruciating pain ripped through her.
It was the Force Bond…which meant Xur was within Death's reach.
She screamed, but a primal instinct took hold as she realized what was at stake…and her body practically numbed itself of the pain she was feeling. Desperation took hold…and she could feel her anger spiking…manifesting…followed by the intense hatred for whoever was trying to kill the man she loved.
She had no choice…it had to be done.
"No," a female voice sounded behind her. Ahsoka, neck deep in the Dark Side, whipped around and swung her lightsabers…only to see them pass right through a shimmering figure of a red-skinned female togruta. Before she could blink, the figure reached into her mind with her hand, and Ahsoka was enveloped in a blinding white light.
"Save Eon!" the figure shouted. "Save our legacy!"
The rubble that had buried Ahsoka before exploded behind the woman, and the shockwave knocked her clean off her feet. Xur was freed from the unrelenting assault, and all he could do was pant…exhausted. He turned his blurred vision to see Ahsoka, clad in a white robe with silver armor plating, and her lightsabers glowing a brilliant gold. The woman looked up and lashed out at her in anger with lightning, but Ahsoka deflected it back at her with her sabers.
Xur remembered…he remembered all of it. He looked at himself.
All was swept aside…Revan and the Exile were cast at my feet.
What Scourge had told him…his vision. Ahsoka deactivated her sabers and used the force to pin the woman against an outside pillar.
But then…out of the shadows.
It was happening…she had become the Light Side itself…the Hero. She pulled the woman back towards her and impaled her with her gold saber.
One Jedi emerged to cut the Emperor down.
This one I left mostly alone, only a few minor dialogue changes and the added scene with Ahsoka at the end there. The next chapter will likely see more attention, so watch out for that! If you enjoyed, please follow/fav and leave a review! Thanks for reading!
