Chapter Nine

"We both know I was always the better swordmistress of the two of us, Vergere. You might as well just drop your sabers and come with me now before you humiliate yourself greatly," Depa warned. "When we were young, you did prove yourself, true but now I am more powerful than I was in those old days. Now I will destroy you Depa unless you give into who you truly are: a witch of the Dark Side that Mace Windu should have killed when he had the chance!" Vergere hissed.

She positioned her saberstaff in a ready stance, making sure that Depa knew she was serious about fighting. "Then you leave me no choice," Depa whispered sadly. She withdrew her own lightsaber and ignited the blade, donning an offensive Vaapad stance to signal her own readiness. The orange blade burst to life and hissed whenever drops of rainwater came in contact with the heat of it.

But Vergere made the first move in very much a similar fashion to what she remembered her doing when they first trained together. She raised the saberstaff over her head and spun down but Depa's new knowledge of Vaapad made it so that she didn't have to jump over her like she used to. Instead, she simply swatted on blade aside and defended the other whilst making long, sweeping arc and strong forward stabs in an attempt to penetrate her old friend's defenses. This also helped her build up momentum for creating the illusion of there being seven blades rather than just the one.

It was an keen observation that Windu had made whilst creating Vaapad and since he had used it against her, she could very easily count the number of blades that he made it appear he was using. True that Depa had not used this tactic on Vergere before but that was solely because Depa knew only Ataru at that time as well as some Shien which she integrated into her use of Vaapad. It was an application that had held its own surprisingly well against Mace Windu in their duel on Haruun Kal. Nonetheless, as she was observing, it was working very well against Vergere who then turned to the next part of her skill.

Here, Vergere incorporated her skills in Shii-Cho into her saberstaff bladework via channeling its aggression and raw power into each stroke. She also channeled the precision of Makashi into each aggressive stroke, making her application of the saberstaff much deadlier than was the norm of it. Granted, Darth Maul could probably surpass her application of it due to more training but even then, it would have been an impressive duel of saberstaffs to see. However, she directed her focus back on the task at hand and went on a full Vaapad offensive to repel further attacks from the Fosh warrior.

"You've learned some new things, did Windu train you in that style he was working on when I left?" Vergere asked as the duel progressed. "Yes he did and we both managed to become quite the experts at it," Depa answered. "It's beautiful, I'll give you that much but it is no match for my new powers," Vergere stated. Then she plunged one end of her weapon into the ground which and imbued it with so much Force power that it created a bubble that exploded outward and took Depa off her feet.

But Depa Billaba was quickly back on her feet with powers of her own, attacking first with the energy of Force Destruction. When Vergere dodged that, she attempted to strike her down with Force Lightning which Depa caught in her hand, absorbed, and reflected back at the avian. Vergere replied by simply throwing up her hands to form a barrier that reduced the lightning to nothing in minutes. After that, she tried again with the lightning though Depa once again caught it and reflected it back at her.

"Thracia never really did teach you how to restrain yourself, did she?" Depa mocked. They both knew that comment wasn't true but she hoped there was still some bond left between them. Being a Mistress of the Dark Side meant exploiting such things for personal gain and Vergere took the bait. "You know as well as I do what she taught me!" the Fosh woman hissed before charging at her opponent again.

She hacked down with both blades then brought it back up for another round of double slashing before concluding with yet another hack at Depa who dodged it all. Then just as Vergere was beginning to spin her blade over her head, Depa reached out with the Force and called Thracia's lightsaber to her. Smiling, she ignited it and raised in conjunction to her own to intercept both of Vergere's blades as they attempted to hack her down. She was always a little slower and sloppier with her use of the saberstaff than I was with my use of the traditional blade Depa regretted mentally.

Taking advantage of the exposure that Vergere's stance left, she kneed her in the stomach hard enough to push her back a couple centimeters. Then she positioned herself in such a manner that she was literally launched into the air at a diagonal angle, holding the blade tips out as she did so. She also held the hilts close to her chest in order to add a little more precision and ease into the next transition. Here, she positioned the blades in front of her back and arched her body so that the blades stood in front of her waist just in time to intercept a blow from Vergere there.

Using the momentum the arch gave her, Depa lifted her blades up and over her head then spun around so that her own blade would be whipped straight into Vergere's eyes if she hadn't caught it. Depa pushed the blade that caught her own aside and attempted to slice her in two with Thracia's blue blade though this was also intercepted by another of Vergere's light-green ones. However, Vergere managed to break off both crossings of blades and the two of them merely exchanged blows with Vergere spinning and hacking and Depa stabbing and slashing in long arcs. Then Depa began gaining the advantage with her continuous effort on Vergere's defenses combined with some bursts of Pyrokinesis.

It was here that Depa began to notice the tendrils that wrapped and even went into Vergere's hands began to heat up. Those creatures seem to be susceptible to heat, I think I will keep it up and see if it helps her snap out of this Depa thought to herself. She continued to attack with Pyrokinesis and Force Lightning, realizing that dry, burning heat killed these snakes. Chunks melted away but still Depa could see her fierce desire to be rid of her old friend, the desire apparently her own.

Using Jar'Kai to fend off Vergere's attacks whenever she couldn't use her Force powers against her. The snakelike creatures in her hands eventually died, slithering out of little holes in Vergere's hand and burned up. But Vergere still continued, likely because the creatures had already taken their full effect on her or else she genuinely wanted to kill Depa Billaba. However, as more lightsaber blows were exchanged, Depa began to observe a change in the patterns of her old friend's behavior.

No, I can't let her think I'm being merciful to her. I must push harder as my Mistress would want! she exclaimed to herself. And that was just what she did: she pushed so hard that she almost dislocated her shoulders but managed to make Vergere give several feet of ground away. It was then that Depa decided to use more Force powers than lightsaber technique against the avian woman. First, she attacked with a burst of Force Destruction which her friend dodged by leaping above the power wave as it crashed into a pillar behind her, crumbling it and sending the pieces down the tower.

Then Vergere replied with a wave of Force Lightning that Depa absorbed before reflecting it back at her. The Fosh couldn't do anything short of a barrier against it and when the lightning passed over her, she tried again only to have the same result occur where Depa absorbed and reflected. Then Depa went on the offensive again, watching as Vergere leapt for one final attack with her saberstaff. However, Depa managed to catch this with both of her lightsabers and even made many sweeping arcs with each blade.

Then suddenly, her luck turned for the better and she managed deflect with her own blade and use Thracia's to bisect Vergere's sabestaff. After that, she pommeled her in the face with the same lightsaber and threw her up against a pillar with the Force before applying Force Crush on her. When Vergere showed resistance and even surprised her with a sudden burst of telekinesis, Depa was harsh. Instead of letting her run off and escape after letting her go, Depa threw her former friend against the pillar again and then accumulated energy before releasing it as Kinetite.

The result was Vergere being smashed right through the pillar with the Force and send spiraling to the base of the Citadel, several meters below. Depa slowly walked to the edge and watched as Vergere disappeared, due to the height of her fall, before her very eyes. Tears of remorse shined in her eyes before rolling out and following Vergere down the shaft of the tower as if wanting to be with her. The fallen Jedi herself knew how much she wanted Vergere to return with her to the galaxy that had seen both their births and to the Jedi Temple they were both raised in from very young ages.

She was even tempted to the point of extending a foot over the edge of the tower and almost leaping after her. However, she pulled herself back in and turned to leave the platform of the Citadel spire. Unfortunately, Yuuzhan Vong soldiers started pacing up the stairs to where she was in an attempt to stop her from leaving, likely planning to imprison her. Smiling, Depa was amazed at the simplicity of her escape which was just simply to jump over the platform edge in front of her and slow her fall.

I'm sorry Vergere, I wish we could have taken you back home. There are many who still missed you even after I was put into the coma she thought to herself sadly. When she finally landed at the bottom of the Citadel base, she made her escape quick so as not to be tempted to find her. As it would turn out, it was probably for the better that she didn't try considering the soldiers attacking her.

Awakening from the effects of the Insanity, Vergere found herself in terrible pain and falling from the top of the Citadel. How in the hell did I get here and why am I in pain? she demanded to herself. But she suspected why: Nom Anor had put her in the insanity and then had her fight against someone who also could use the Force like her. Who could it have been, seeing as Onimi wouldn't dare turn against her now nor have the power to defeat her?

Deciding she would worry about that later, she decided to focus on the issue at hand of saving herself from her fall. Though it hurt her to do so, she called upon the power of telekinesis to slow down her fall and make it hurt less when she landed than she knew it already would. Using occasional burst, she slowed her fall only to have to do it again when it picked up deadly momentum. She would have done better were it not for the pains and aches in her body which were likely from an attack by a Jedi.

But what would a Jedi be doing all the way here and why would they come? Were they a search party sent by the Council to find Vergere, only discovering her location just now? Who knew what it was that caused this to happen for the old Fosh who had no friends that knew about her status? Unless there was someone who had left the Order and continued chasing her down or was an old Padawan of Thracia.

But then there was another possibility: what if it was Master Windu or his former apprentice, Depa Billaba? Truly, she hoped that it was Depa or Mace though the former was the more excitable idea than the latter. I will enjoy the possibility of Master Windu coming to my rescue though not if Depa has somehow perished since we last met she told herself silently. Finally, when she knew that she would be safe even if she didn't use telekinesis, she gave into her pain and went out.

This was especially so after she had finally landed on a pile of rocks that did nothing to soften her fall or prevent her from falling into blackness. But just before letting herself succumb, Vergere began a Force Trance that would see her heal slowly though she would remain comatose while doing so. When her limp, but living, body was eventually found by a search party sent by Onimi and placed into medical care to advance her healing. However, it would not advance it enough to make her useful to him again nor to any visitor she would have from then on.

Thus, Onimi decided best to keep his Fosh ally a secret, never letting anyone know that she was still alive after the attack. Whoever defeated her will be likely to come after me now, as well. If that happens, who knows what could happen to the success of my plans he told himself. However, as he would find out soon enough, there were those with other intentions for him.

"So let me get this straight, you extorted this woman through her apprentice, forcing the latter woman to fight an old friend of hers to persuade Arden to revive me?" Quoreal asked Nom. The Intendant nodded solemnly and held no regret for what he had done, even voicing as much to him. "Sometimes, to get what you want, you have to do what must be done in order to achieve it. That goes for all things that one may desire in this life of the material good and the lust for sexual union," he added.

"You would know nothing of sexual union, you don't even have the capacity for sexual union yourself thanks to your status," Quoreal said, mocking the remark. "I do not now, true, but I once did and I produced four sons and three daughters from those old unions," Nom replied. "Your former status notwithstanding, it was a shameful strategy and it's amazing it succeeded," Quoreal stated. "And may I ask what gives you to capacity to speak of strategy considering your religious background?" Nom asked.

"Just because I chose to accept my religious past does not mean that I wasn't trained for military purposes like any other Supreme Overlord. I underwent the very same training that Shimrra did and underwent the warrior codes that Shimrra adheres to now," Quoreal answered. "Very well, milord, what is the next move if you are so brilliant?" Nom inquired. "You will invite Shimrra to visit your home and explain to him that you had an interesting experiment to show him," Quoreal began.

I don't think I am going to enjoy where this is going Arden thought to herself silently. Nor do I think you'll enjoy what he has to say next the voice of the Talisman admitted. Just before she could ask what the voice meant when it said that, Quoreal continued. "Since Shimrra has an official route he takes to everyone's houses, I will hide along the route in question, lying in wait.

"Arden and her apprentice will accompany me on this mission, assuming this apprentice hasn't been killed, and wipe out the escort for me. Considering their powers and the fact that I need Shimrra alone, they will be their duty. And when he is finally alone, I will reveal myself and attack him with the women covering the rear and overwhelming him," he continued. "That is your grand plan?" an unfamiliar voice chimed in.

Arden was the first to turn and see that it was Depa, returned from her battle at the Citadel which appeared to have shaken her up a bit. "Not an unusually difficult one for the likes of you, I trust?" Quoreal replied, suspecting that it was the apprentice who came in. "Shouldn't be, we've killed Yuuzhan Vong before and we can do it again," Depa replied. The tone of her reply indicated that she had already deduced that the man with glowing orange eyes before her was Quoreal and didn't like him.

"Good, we can use every shred of strength that we can get but in the meantime, Nom... I have use for your skills in the political arena: I need allies for my return if I am to regain it," Quoreal said. "What would you have me do, Majesty?" Nom asked. "What I just said: gather allies and especially traditionalists that are still very much active and desire to have a return to their ways," Quoreal replied.

"And why would anyone support a Supreme Overlord that's technically dead thanks to the rise of another, stronger one?" Depa demanded. "Watch your tongue, young woman or you may not make it out of this alive," Quoreal warned. "Let me talk with my apprentice, it would seem as though she is not in the mood for things that seem- is this correct?- simple strategies," Arden suggested. Quoreal and Nom nodded, deciding to continue strategy talking while Arden counseled Depa and calmed her.

"Is something wrong, apprentice?" Arden asked. "Vergere attacked me most willingly when I arrived to rescue her. This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that we were once friends in the Jedi Temple. Our Masters were close to each other and often went on missions together, getting to know each other slowly and carefully," Depa answered.

"Many of my friends turned on me when I decided to side with Xendor though most didn't. I am sorry for the loss that was placed upon you," Arden stated. "There's no reason for me to think that she's dead but then, I threw her over a meters high tower so I guess we'll see," Depa replied. "If it is the Will of the Force that we meet your friend again then we shall, I promise," Arden said, reassuring her apprentice.

"I hope it is the will of the Force that we find her and that she will be on better terms with us, this time around. Who knows what I would do if we weren't when we faced again," Depa admitted. "My warning to you now, apprentice, is that if you have to fight her again then you must not hold back from killing her. She will not show the kindness you wish to show her if she is now your enemy," Arden warned.

Depa nodded and thanked her Master for that bit of wisdom which always cheered her up. "Ready to return to the committee meeting to kill a deity in mortal flesh?" Arden asked with a smile. "No deity has mortal flash, Shimrra is no more immortal than his Intendant or his predecessor," Depa replied before saying that she was ready. Giggling, Arden pulled her back into the meeting where Quoreal had managed to create a perfect plan that was now ready for execution.

Gazing upon the broken form of the Fosh avian known as Vergere, Onimi had to admit that he was deeply troubled by what had happened. One moment, she was domineering and omnipotent in his eyes but in the next, she was a shallow shell of her former self. Can it be that easy to break someone so powerful so quickly and if so, why hadn't I done it sooner? he asked to himself silently. He couldn't say for certain whether or not he felt grief for the woman who had been there when no one else was.

In fact, he could hardly say he ever felt emotion for anyone nowadays though he might have said otherwise, twenty-five years ago. Had he been asked how he felt then, he might have admitted to feeling distraught at what happened to her. However, now that he looked back on what he had been before he met her all those years before, he had to admit he was somewhat disappointed. Why had one who had been rejected as he had feel such emotions when someone gave him a second chance?

Was it some pathetic hope that perhaps, he could find some normalcy in the insanity caused by his deformities and his insatiable curiosity for the unknown? Could it have been that he was so lonely that he needed companionship of some sort? Was that why he married his wife even though she was given to him as a cruel joke by the other members of the Court? He didn't think he ever knew nor would ever know in the future until it was too late to share this knowledge with his kin.

But whoever the women from his vision were, he had the feeling that he would encounter them and they might reveal something that would enlighten him. He hoped it wasn't in the manner that he had been seeing in his visions of a green beam throwing him into a dark void behind him. The way it looked to him was that it would destroy him but he couldn't be sure just from a single, unconnected vision. Or were the visions he had been experiencing more connected than he gave them credit for being?

After all, something remained a mystery to him: what did Nom Anor and Quoreal have to do with it? Quoreal was dead and Nom was an unintimidating Intendant of the Elite Class. Why would they be involved with these mysterious human women who came to his world? He didn't like the indications this gave him and he hoped there was something he could do about it soon.