Here it is FicFolks! Chapter 10. Sorry this one took so long. I figured I'd make it up to you all with a supercharged chapter. That's why this one is kinda long! Hope you all enjoy! Thanks to those who have been leaving reveiws and to those of you who haven't hope you keep enjoying!
He hugged her goodbye for what seemed like the thousandth time. Pylar had said that splitting up was not a good idea, but to Mady there seemed to be no choice and if there had to be a life at least near the line, she wanted it to be hers. She would wait until the others had commenced the assault on the command center and use the obvious distraction and confusion to sneak into the POW camp and spring her father. Of her past few plans of action, this one actually seemed to be the best thought out. Nothing left, but to make it happen. They went their separate ways into the jungle and began the operation. Mady hunched in the brush outside the camp and waited. She stared at the gigantic makeshift building and tried not to think about the legion of Sith troops that were surely inside. She thought instead about Ben. She had told her father that there was someone in her life that cared for her. She hoped with all her heart that her instinct on this matter was true. When she was with him, she felt somehow warm and safe…a feeling she had never known. He had told her that she was worth it…until she had known him, she had been worthless. He believed the things that she said. Most Mandalorians would view such devoted trust as a weakness and exploit it, but Mady felt not even the slightest urge to do so. To her, being trusted in such a way no longer felt like a responsibility but rather a gift. Her feelings told her that she should be worried, but somehow she was not. She felt safe…for once, and he was the one who did it for her.
"Are you in position?" came the crackling voice over the comlink.
"Affirmative. Are you in position?" She replied.
"Yes, we are. Good luck, kid." Axol said.
"Thanks, Axol. Commence assault in 3…2…1…now!" she ordered. There were a few moments of silence when all of a sudden the alarms in the encampment in front of her began to sound. The great gates opened and out rushed soldiers and vehicles to go aid the surely already seized command center. Just as the gates were beginning to close, Mady rushed through them unseen due to the commotion. A dark alley became Mady's shelter as she sat and waited like a trap ready to spring. No more than three minutes after she had begun to wait, a female officer came bolting around the corner and running full speed down the hall. Perfect. She approached the darkened alley and…WHAM! She had no idea what had hit her. Mady stood there clutching her fist into her stomach. That woman had been running faster that she had thought. Under her breath she uttered a few four-lettered words then snapped back to reality and dragged the unconscious form into the darkness. A few minutes later, an officer emerged from the alley…and no one would notice the lightsaber strapped under her jacket.
"3…2…1…now!" came the order over the comlink. Two of Gandon's men rushed the patrolling guards and with mighty war-cries decapitated the both of them. The guard watching the security cameras saw this entire grisly scene play out and sent the best guards in the compound to deal with these two rogue Jedi…all according to plan. As the guards rushed out into the small clearing they were jumped by Gandon's men as Ben and Axol snuck into the compound behind them. The alarms had sounded as the two ran through the halls slicing through the occasional guard. They finally came to a room with a gigantic "Authorized Personnel Only" sign on it. This, of course, meant that this was the room they had to enter. Axol neatly cut a hole in the door where the locking mechanism was. The instant the circle was complete the two forced the door open. They were met with an empty and glittering room of control panels and computer screens that nearly looked like a laser show. They deactivated their lightsabers and ran into the room.
"Alright, kid. You get in and start looking for battle plans and I'll start looking for troop statistics." Axol ordered.
"Got it." Ben said as he turned to sit at a panel.
"Not so fast!" said an officer standing up from behind a panel. The next instant the men were surrounded by an entire squad of Sith troops that had popped up as if it were a surprise party. Ben and Axol stood back to back and stared at the troops.
"You Jedi aren't the only one's who can set a trap." The officer said, with a devilish grin.
"Any bright ideas?" Ben asked.
"I was just about to ask you." Axol whispered back.
She walked down the halls trying to pretend that she owned the place and actually did a very convincing job. Salutes were given and returned in the proper fashion as she made her way slowly to the detainment section of the camp. She walked through the gigantic metal doorway with the "Detention" sign above it and proceeded through to be met with the officer at the desk. He instantly saluted as he noticed the exceedingly decorated officer before him.
"Good day, ma'am. Glory to the Sith." He said robotically.
"Glory to the Sith." Mady replied as she returned the salute.
"What can I do for you, ma'am?" he asked.
"I was sent by the Captain to see that Mandalorian who was brought in earlier." She said.
"Which Captain, ma'am?" he asked. Mady nearly had to pat herself on the back for what she said next. She surprised herself by how quickly her answer came.
"That new guy…oh…ah, boy…what's his name?" she asked the man.
"Ahh, Captain Sorillio." The man piped up. Mady slapped her palm on the desk in recognition.
"That's it! Sorillio!" she said, excitedly.
"And what is your name, ma'am?" he asked, ready to enter it into his logs. Mady glanced down at her identification badge on her belt.
"Nomi Gurtoff." She replied. The man stopped typing for a moment, then began again.
"And Nomi, who did you need to see one more time?" he asked.
"That Mandalorian that was brought in." she answered. Suddenly, she heard the door to the detention center slammed shut behind her and the locking mechanisms whirred. She snapped her head over to look at it and the instant she snapped back the officer had a blaster drawn on her.
"You stupid spies think you've got it all figured out. You forget that some of us actually know each other by name. Sergeant Gurtoff is a very close friend." He said. Mady only glared at the man.
"Also, only level five clearance officers know about that Mandalorian and the decorations on that uniform only indicate level three. An officer of that rank is not yet worthy of such information." He explained.
"Well, I'll be sure to get that right next time." She said.
"And a smartass, to boot! Oh yeah, you're funny. We'll see how funny you are after a few days in a torture cage." He said. She glared again.
"Hands on your head. Turn around and face the wall." He ordered. She obeyed and slowly turned around.
Ben and Axol desperately tried to come up with an escape route. As their eyes darted left and right they were only met by the working end of blaster rifles and helmeted guardsmen.
"Both of you put your hands on your head." The officer said. Suddenly, the opposite wall was blown to bits by an explosion that sent debris in all directions. The two men activated their lightsabers and began fighting their way through the horde of guards. Axol bumped into someone whirling around and crossing blades with Gandon.
"I thought it would take you longer to get here." Axol said.
"Likewise." Gandon replied. They cleared the room of guards and Ben and Axol began their work. They downloaded to holocrons all the statistics, plans and information they could find. They both stood as they finished and all the runaways made a B-line for the entrance. They turned the corner and could see the light of day when suddenly the door crashed down in front of them. Ben pounded the door with his fists as he swore at their luck. Ben noticed that Axol was not hitting the door with him. Ben thought that in Axol's usual state of mind that he would be, but there was suddenly a strange heaviness in the air. Ben turned to find the five runaway Jedi in defensive stances lightsabers still activated, but now turned on them.
"I tried to warn you that we were cowards, Jento. The one thing about cowards is, you can always trust a coward to pick the winning side." He said. Ben's jaw dropped. Then his teeth clenched.
"You nerf-herding son of a bitch!" Ben growled.
"Hey, hey now. Let's not forget who put you here. Without a certain someone you'd still be a squeaky clean Jedi miles from harm. But now…well…I suppose we won't have to worry about that variable for much longer." Gandon said.
"Where is she?" Ben asked, concern leaking into his words.
"Oh she's right where you think she is. The only thing is that right now, little miss Conway is walking right into a trap. Like father, like daughter I suppose." Gandon said nonchalantly.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Axol asked.
"How do you think the Sith knew that the Mandalorians would be waiting here? I'll just tell you. It's because your little friend back there doesn't pay attention to who is awake when he is making plans on over his communicator. Yeah, that's right. I heard everything and then I went and contacted the higher-ups of the Sith army who then paid me, handsomely mind you, to make sure that at least a few of you came here and whoever was left went to the POW camp. As it just so happens, the right people seemed to go to the proper place." Gandon said.
"You snake! I swear by the Force if you lay a finger on her…" Axol began.
"Oh, you needn't worry about that. My work here is done. I am just the delivery boy here and the package has been dropped off. It's all up to them now." Gandon said.
"Who's them?" Ben asked.
"Give you two guesses." Gandon said. Ben could indeed come up with two guesses and either one of them spelled out doom for Mady.
"Get up against the wall and put your hands on it." The officer said. Mady obeyed. He began to search her starting at her boots and working his way up. His hands slowed as they reached her buttocks. He seemed to be searching that area very thoroughly. She dared not move as the blaster that was jammed into her back reminded her that for the time being this man was in control.
"I gotta say, you do fill out a uniform better that Nomi." He said lecherously. Mady closed her eyes for a moment. The pressure from the blaster lessened slightly. Now was not the time yet for rage…just a minute…just wait.
"Is that door locked?" Mady asked through clenched teeth.
"You bet. Thought you and I might need some privacy." He said, inches from her ear.
"Good thinking." She said. She reared her head back hitting the man squarely in the cheek. He staggered backwards a few steps and was stopped by the desk. He pointed the blaster back at her only to find that she had already ignited her lightsaber and before her could even think about pulling the trigger, the barrel and working parts of the plaster were sliced away leaving him with a useless handle. She extended her lightsaber at the man.
"Open the cell block." She ordered. He hesitated.
"Would it scare you more if I told you I was a Jedi or a Mandalorian?" she asked. The man said nothing.
"Tell you what. You think about it and when I come back you can let me know. Right now, though, open the cell block." She ordered again. This time he obeyed. She walked around to the other side of the desk and looked the man in the eye. In the next heartbeat, he was on his back faster than Nomi was with a black eye already beginning to form.
"That's for grabbing my ass." She said to herself as she walked into the cell block. She proceeded down the hallway and reached an activated cell. She peeked in through the power grid and saw a man in what looked like Mandalorian armor. She deactivated the cell and could see that she had been correct. Her legs could not move fast enough as she rushed to his side. She rolled him over onto his back and set his head in her lap.
"Dad. Dad, wake up." She said, urgently. He awoke slightly.
"Madylyn?" he said.
"I'm here, Dad." She replied taking his hand.
"Get out of the cell…it's a trap." He whispered. Then time slowed down. Without fully understanding she obeyed her father springing backwards and rolling out of the path of the power grid just as they reactivated. She leapt to her feet as she activated her lightsaber and prepared to defend herself at whoever had set the trap. The other lightsaber activated followed quickly by two others. The first was green…the second two were red. The light from the weapons illuminated the faces perfectly. Vinli. She reached over and deactivated the force field again.
"Just step back into the cell, Madylyn. No one needs to be harmed." She said calmly.
"That's where you're wrong." Hissed Mady.
"You are outmatched, child. Come to your senses. I don't wish to hurt you." She said.
"Well, I'd be lying if I said the same." Mady said.
"Such is the path to the Dark side, Madylyn." Vinli pointed out.
"And no one would know better than you." Mady shot back. Vinli hesitated for a moment the piped back up.
"This is your last chance, Mandalorian. Get in that cell!" Vinli ordered.
"Not a chance." Mady said, relatively calmly.
"So be it." Vinli said. From behind her, the two Dark Jedi sprang into action directly at Mady. She deflected several slashes until her back was to Vinli and she was still furiously fighting. Suddenly, her entire body began to burn and feel as though it was vibrating. She dropped to one knee and realized the Dark Jedi had stopped attacking. The burn stopped and she could smell the smoke exuding from her clothes. She stood slowly and turned to Vinli. Another bolt sent her back to her hands and knees as she fought not to scream. The bolt ended again as Vinli's fingers smoldered.
"Stay down, Madylyn." Vinli said. Mady took a deep breath and even more slowly rose to her feet again. Vinli stretched both hands toward Mady this time and Mady flew against the wall. She slid down the thing until she lay on her side. The burn stopped.
"Stop fighting the inevitable, Girl!" Vinli screamed at the gasping form of her old apprentice. Mady squeezed her eyes shut tight. She did consider just letting this happen. At least this way she would likely die at her father's side, just as every Mandalorian should wish. Her thoughts turned though, to the other man in her life. Her thoughts turned to Ben. She could not quit yet. It was not yet her time. Not today. She placed a hand on the floor and began forcing herself yet again to her feet. The Dark Jedi only watched in amazement as did their Master. Mady reached her feet and stood about ten feet in front of Vinli. Both lightsabers were in their hands yet neither was activated.
"You have a Mandalorian's stubbornness, Child." Vinli said.
"I'll take that as a compliment." Mady managed.
"I didn't want it to end this way." Vinli said, as she flicked her sleeve back on her arms. A tear rolled down Mady's cheek.
"Yes you did." She said simply. With that Vinli began the shock that would surely kill this stubborn child. However, to everyone's surprise Mady did not fall. She was taking the entire brunt of the voltage and keeping her feet. Then, in an even more trumping feet, she took a step towards Vinli, then another, and another! Vinli used all her power to strengthen the shock but the girl kept moving towards her. Suddenly, the blue blade of her lightsaber shot from its hilt. Vinli looked and could see Mady's eyes just before the strike. Vinli's right arm went flipping back behind her into the hall and the shock stopped as she clutched the stump. The Dark Jedi snapped out of their trance and attacked again. Mady seemed to be ten steps ahead of them and each turn until finally the blue blade emerged from on of the Dark Jedi's chest and in the next motion had run the other through as well. She heard a lightsaber ignite from behind her and whirled around. Vinli stood in the cell, lightsaber at Bax's throat glaring at Mady.
"Mandalorian's aren't the only stubborn ones, Madylyn." Vinli said. Mady's eyes widened but she tried not to show fear.
"Let him go, Vinli." Mady said.
"Step into the cell, Madylyn." Vinli replied not budging.
"Don't do it, Daughter! You must escape!" Bax said.
"Silence!" Vinli said.
"Vinli, stop this! Don't you see what you've become?" Mady reasoned.
"I see that I have become more powerful than I ever could have been without the Dark side! What do you see?" She asked.
"I see a monster. I see someone who has fallen." Mady shook her head. "But most of all…I see a coward. Just like you always have been."
Vinli nodded mostly in shock of what the girl had just said to her given her position. This would not stand.
"Is that so? Well then, let's just see if we can't find another coward. Old man! It seems as though your darling baby girl has forsaken you. Choice is yours now, Bax. Your life…or hers." She said. Mady shook her head competitively.
"Give her to me, Dad! I can take her!" Mady said, unable to stand still.
"I love you, Madylyn." He said. Mady's eyes widened again.
"Dad, Dad…don't…" Mady said. Bax's eyes focused directly on Mady with his next words.
"Vinli, is it? Mandalorians never forsake their own. Never. Mandalorians are never cowards like you." He said. Without another word Vinli stabbed downward into Bax's chest.
"NO!!" Mady cried as she sprinted at Vinli. Mady screamed in fury as she overwhelmed Vinli. Heat rushed through every part of her body and it was all directed now at her old Master. With one final blow, Mady sliced the hilt of Vinli's lightsaber in half and shoved Vinli into the corner of the cell where she cowered. Mady seethed as she stared at Vinli. Suddenly, Vinli grinned. Mady was confused.
"Not so high and mighty now, are you?" Vinli said gesturing at something on Mady's face. Mady looked down at her feet and saw her reflection in a puddle that had gathered from a dripping pipe. She looked in horror at the thing she thought she would never see. From the heat of the battle, her eyes glowed orange. Mady's hands shot to them as she staggered backwards.
"No. NO!" she screamed to herself. Her back hit the opposite corner. She looked back at Vinli who had stood upright.
"The path has begun, child." Vinli said softly.
"No, you're wrong!" Mady said, trying to convince herself just as fiercely as Vinli.
"Join us, Madylyn. Help us bring ultimate order." She tried.
"I…I…no, I won't!" Mady said. Vinli put her hand on Mady's shoulder.
"You belong with us, Madylyn." She said. Mady's glowing eyes shifted now to Vinli's hand then back up at her face.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!!" she screamed as she sent Vinli flying back to her corner with nothing more than a stare. She ignited her lightsaber again and walked quickly over to Vinli hovering over her again.
"Oh, what are you gonna do, kid? Kill me? You don't have it in you. You're no Mandalorian like the Chief over there! I guess you're not so much alike, after all." Vinli said. Mady screamed and sliced Vinli right at the belt. Vinli's face showed shock as she fell into two pieces. Mady turned to where her father lay and fell to her knees. He was gone. She hadn't even gotten to say goodbye. She buried her face in his chest and sobbed. Suddenly, a voice came over the comlink.
"Mady, come in. It's Gandon!" he said, urgently.
"Gandon, what's wrong?" Mady replied.
"Mady, you have to get back to the ship!" he said.
"Why? What's wrong?" Mady asked.
"There's no time to explain ju…et…ck here!" Gandon finished through cutouts.
"I'll be right there!" Mady said. Mady placed one hand on her father's forehead and closed her eyes.
"Vistar, guide this warrior into the land of heroes. Take him under your command and forever keep him as a Mandalorian in your armada. Praise Mandalore." She finished. This would be the way any Mandalorian went to their grave and she would not deny her father this because of the surroundings.
"I love you, Dad." She said as she stood up.
Before she knew it, she found herself sprinting back through the forest toward the ship. She burst into the small clearing and bent forward hands on her knees. Gandon was standing near the boarding ramp. She hustled over to him.
"Gandon, what's the matter?" she said. As she got closer to him, his expression told her that nothing was the matter. In the next breath, she was on the ground underneath three men who were struggling to get her hands behind her back. The lone female runaway had her hand outstretched towards her seeming to suppress Mady's use of the Force. Mady struggled with all her might, but the three quickly had binders snapped onto her wrists and one held a foot on the back of her neck to keep her under control.
"You womp-rat kissing traitor! You were with on their side this entire time!" Mady growled.
"That's the problem with you Jedi. You see things so much in black and white. I don't see sides, I just see money." Gandon said. He signaled two of his men who ran onto the ship.
"You really think they'll pay you?" she asked.
"Even if they don't I got myself a new ship." He said. Mady glanced up as best she could to see Axol and Ben getting dragged out of the ship also in binders. They were thrown to the ground right where Mady could see them.
"However, you do have an excellent point. So here's the deal, you have a choice. I need the head hancho Jedi, what's his name…Lucky…Luster…?" he tried.
"Luskex?" Mady tried. Gandon snapped his fingers.
"That's the guy! I need him taken out. I also need someone to hand the Sith when they get here. I am afraid the other will have escaped." He said with a smirk.
"Screw you! I'm not…" Mady was cut off, by a little shock to the side of her face.
"Don't interrupt. Anyway, you got a choice to make. Do you want to be the one to take out O Supreme Jedi Master…or do you want the gentlemen to be the one's to do the dirty deed." He asked.
Mady inhaled the dust from the ground beneath her and fought off a cough as she tried to decide. If she went to take care of Luskex, she would get the revenge she craved, but it would also mean that Ben and Axol would be getting the Jedi treatment in some Sith prison. If she sent them to fight Luskex, she would get the same treatment, plus there was no guarantee they would even be able to beat him. She looked across the cloud of dust and saw Ben looking back at her. She could tell by his expression that her eyes were still looking…unnatural. She suddenly felt a lot less trusted. Ben was scared. Very scared. She could tell that this was the most frightened he had been since they had met and it was likely that the runaway Jedi were not the only source. He didn't know which decision she would make, and the scariest part was…neither did she…
Alright FicFans, make the choice. Should Mady send her friends away to the Sith and take on Luskex herself? Or should she endure whatever the Sith have in store and send Ben and Axol to deal with Luskex? Are they capable of such a thing? Is Mady capable by herself? Let me know what your choice is and help me write the next chapter of "Choices from a Dark Past"!