Here you go guys! Chapter 11! Wow, eleven chapters. I never thought I would get so into a story in which I don't make all the decisions, but I am loving this! That's why this chapter's a little but of a Golliath. Sorry, but I really got rollin'. When we last left Mady, she had to choose Luskex or Sith Prison and Ben and Axol would get whichever she didn't choose. Thank you guys for writing your reveiws. I went with the majority vote on this one because I thought it would advance the story best (Sorry Brooklyn! Still great to have you! Don't abandon us!). Anyway, thanks again readers and with a hearty "May the Force be with You" here's chapter eleven...
"I'm sorry." she mouthed the words to Ben unsure whether or not he even noticed her mouth past the more attention-grabbing part of her face. New tears wet the dirt beneath her face as she spoke.
"I'll take care of Luskex." She said, sadly.
"Thata Girl! I knew you'd be the one to want to deal with that old windbag! Help her up for Forces sake! Get those uncomfortable things off of her!" Gandon ordered. The two men lifted Mady to her feet and unhooked the binders. They maintained a strong grip on her arms. Gandon walked right up to her so he stood mere inches from her face.
"If you follow us, I'll kill them. If you don't kill Luskex, I'll kill them. If you kill yourself, I'll kill them. If you run, I'll kill them. Clear?" Gandon asked, with the utmost bluntness. Mady glared.
"Just out of curiosity how will you know if I do any of that?" Mady asked angrily. Gandon tapped his temple.
"Jedi." He said, simply. With that the two men shoved Mady back into the clearing so hard that she fell into the dust. She rolled over onto her back and stared at them as they boarded the ship. Ben and Axol were nowhere in sight and obviously already aboard. Gandon was the last one not on board. He walked over to Mady who was still on the ground.
"I'd hate to send you in there without this." He said as he extended her lightsaber to her. She stood quickly and snatched it from him, anger flooding from every pore. She would have liked to run him through right here, but she knew what that would mean for Ben and Axol. He seemed to enjoy the invisible wall he had created. He stood there for a few seconds more just staring at her and grinning before he turned and made his way to the ship. He stepped onto the boarding ramp and turned back.
"By the way, I love what you've done with your eyes. Suits you." He said. She said nothing back but only glared. The ship slowly lifted off and blasted out of sight. Mady screamed then at the empty sky. She felt so small and so alone. She had no ship, no ideas…and no help. The forest around her seemed no longer to envelop her in comforting warmth, but rather surround her in an ever-tightening vise. The world around her seemed to be falling in on her head. After several minutes of sitting there in the barren clearing, she finally came to a conclusion. She had three choices. It was true that the world as she had known it up until now was crumbling and it could very well fall. The only question now was would she let it fall on her, run and get out of the way, or would she try to stop it. The Jedi's sense of duty in her told her she could not let it fall on her and the Mandalorian in her would die sooner than run. This left only one option. She stood up and brushed off her knees. She looked around her and began walking into the jungle slightly off one of the beaten paths.
She had walked for a few hours now. Right about now she would have liked to have been walking and stumble upon a full-blown starship. This did not end up happening, of course, but what she did stumble upon was the next best thing. In the forest right in front of her was a landspeeder especially made for the forest landscape. She could see the Sith owner of the speeder from where she was now, but she walked forward without a second thought. She did not run, she did not sneak, she just walked and nonchalantly hopped onto the speeder. She began flipping switches and adjusting dials preparing for her ride. The Sith trooper suddenly noticed her and ran over. The only reason he hadn't simply shot her in the back had been the sight of the now quite ragged uniform.
"What are you doing?! You can't just take—" he was cut off as Mady ignited her lightsaber and held it to his throat. Mady glared at him without emotion as he stood there. One could only guess what his expression was behind the dark visor of his helmet, but odds were the guess would be correct.
"Run away now." Mady said, plainly. In the next heartbeat the man was sprinting off into the forest screaming like he had just seen a rancor. Mady calmly finished her fine-tuning of the speeders settings and was off like a rocket through the trees. She dodged and ducked in, around, and under trees as she sped off for the one place that she could now get a ship. One of the few legit and neutral ports on the forest moon…the Porgok space port.
Axol sat cross-legged in the brig of their own ship as he meditated waiting for the Force to offer them a way out of this mess. Ben paced back and forth in the cell occasionally shaking his head or letting out a quite boisterous sigh. Finally, Axol opened one eye and peeked at him.
"You're throwin' me off, kid." Axol said, annoyed. Ben's eyes snapped to Axol.
"Oh…sorry." Ben said distantly as he plopped down on the small metal bench. Axol wearily rose to his feet.
"That's alright. Not sure how much good it was doing anyway." Axol said, through a groan as he stood. He walked over to the bench and sat next to Ben.
"So what are you thinking about?" Axol asked, actually already having a decent guess.
"Did you see her, Axol?" Ben asked.
"I saw her put up one hell of a fight." Axol said, a small grin meeting his lips.
"No, I mean did you see her face? Did you…did you see her eyes?" Ben asked, still trying to make himself believe that he had been seeing things. Axol now sighed.
"Yeah, I saw." Axol admitted.
"I don't know what to think anymore. I mean, I knew that a long time ago she had been angry and that she still was to a degree, but I never thought…" Ben said, sadly and not being able to bring himself to say the next words.
"Hey, I don't think we have any right to judge her at all. She's done more for the two of us than we can ever repay her for. Plus, she has been through more shit in her life than you or I could ever imagine and somehow she is still here." Axol said.
"But, I want her to stay here. I want her to be able to say that she has been through so much and prevailed not that she's been through so much and that's why." Ben said.
"You want her to stay with you." Axol said. Ben's head turned then he nodded.
"I guess I do." He said.
"Then why don't you tell her?" Axol asked.
"I can't. She's too close to the Dark Side already. I don't want love to drag her in." Ben said.
"You stop right there. Love does notturn Jedi to the Dark Side. Anger, revenge, hate…those are the things that do it. Never love! It's foolish to say such a thing. We are trained to live our lives entirely for others. We are trained to give our lives for others' without a second thought and we are expected not to love? It's unreasonable!" Axol said standing up and beginning to pace himself.
"Have you ever loved, Axol?" Ben asked. Axol's expression suddenly softened.
"Yes I have…a long time ago." Axol said.
"What was she like?" Ben asked. Axol smiled as he took his seat again.
"She was so beautiful. Not in the way you might think though. Well…her face made her pretty, the way she was made her beautiful. I loved everything about her." Axol said.
"What happened to her?" Ben asked.
"She got killed. We were both young. She was a Jedi, I was a Jedi. We both knew that something could happen." Axol said.
"How old were you?" Ben asked.
"We were both eighteen. Council sent her on her first mission and…well…she didn't come back." Axol said, dismissively.
"I'm sorry Axol." Ben said.
"Thanks, kid." He returned.
"Have you ever loved again?" Ben asked.
"Not like I did her, but sure, I guess I've loved again. I love Mady like she were my own daughter and I guess you're alright, too." Axol said, nudging Ben. Ben chuckled.
"But most of all, I love the idea that two people like you can find each other. I…well…it give me hope, you know? I think it could do the same for a lot of people." Axol said, with the utmost seriousness. Ben nodded to himself and didn't say a word. The two men sat there for a few minutes without saying anything.
"You know what else I'd love?" Axol asked.
"What's that?" Ben replied.
"Getting the hell outta this cell." Axol said.
"I hear that." Ben said. Axol stood then, and began pacing the cell, hands on his hips.
"What do you think Mady would do?" Axol asked.
"She say 'We just need a plan, that's all. A really good plan.'" Ben replied. Instantly the two began to think of that really good plan.
Mady pulled into Porgok only a few hours after she stole the speeder. She stepped off the thing and began walking the streets. As she walked, she smoothly snatched a black sensory amplifier from a mechanic's kiosk. She instantly donned the thing to hide her eyes. After a few odd stares she realized that she was also still wearing the Sith uniform. She decided that it was a bad idea to be exuding such a vibe here and she ducked into and alley and took the thing off. She untucked the black t-shirt underneath and dirtied herself up a bit with some of the dusty dirt at her feet. She hid the Sith ID badge in her pocket just in case. There. Now she should blend in a little better. She walked back out of the alley and strolled the streets once again as if she had been there thousands of times before. She noticed a building that appeared to have a larger section in the back. She assumed that this was a hangar and she walked in the front door.
"Can I help you?" asked the receptionist seeming slightly disgusted as Mady's appearance. Mady felt slightly like slapping the girl, but then remembered that this just meant she had done what she set out to do.
"Is this the docking bay?" Mady asked.
"Yes it is. Was there something you wanted? We are very busy today." The girl said. Mady looked around. There was no one in the office but her.
"Have I done something to offend you?" Mady asked, becoming annoyed.
"I suppose I don't like vagrants coming into my office and trying to steal my ships." The woman said in an uppity tone. Mady scoffed slightly and looked down.
"Look, I've had a little bit of a rough morning. All I need is a ship and I'll be on my way." She said with as much poise as she could muster.
"One: all of our ships belong to people who dock here. Two: I don't really care what kind of a morning you've had." The woman said, crossing her arms. It was only then that Mady realized the magnitude of the understatement she had just made. She had had a bad morning. She had seen her father killed before her eyes, taken a step into shadows that she had never known, agreed to help a fallen Jedi after he had threatened to murder the only two friends she had in the world. She had had a bad morning. Now, this woman was treating her as her own personal punching bag…and Mady was letting her. She pulled the Sith ID out of her pocket.
"Alright, I didn't want to have to play this card with you, but you've left me no choice. My name is Nomi Gurtoff and I am an officer in the Sith army. I need to commandeer a vessel to get me to Corescant." Mady said, flashing the ID. The woman scoffed.
"This is a neutral port Miss Gurtoff. You have no authority here." The woman said. Mady sighed and slid the thing back into her pocket.
"Look, I really need a ship. Please…can I buy one from you?" Mady asked desperately.
"As I have mentioned all our ships belong to spacers who dock here. Secondly, what would you buy one with? I can see you have no money and I doubt someone would take the clothes off your back if you paid them. Now, get out of my office or I am calling the authorities." She said. Mady glared at the woman for a moment.
"Hey stupid. Do you speak basic? I said get out of my office!" she repeated. Mady saw no other option. She needed a ship and the only thing that stood between her and getting one was this woman who quite frankly wasgetting on her nerves. Mady ripped of the sensory amplifier and ignited her lightsaber. She extended it at the woman who backed away from the desk. Mady walked around behind the desk and cornered the woman. She stared at Mady in horror.
"Give me a ship's ignition codes right now!" Mady ordered. The woman stepped to the computer and pulled up a set of codes.
"Bay 28 is open. The ignition code is B78653." She said, meekly. Mady committed this quickly to memory. Mady glanced at the woman once more.
"If a single alarm goes off while I am in here, I will be back here quicker than you can imagine…and I won'tbe this nice." Mady growled. The woman seemed to manage a nod. Mady disengaged her lightsaber and proceeded to walk towards the hall. She turned back.
"By the way, your customer service could use some work." She said. She walked to docking bay 28 which was, as promised, open. The ship inside didn't look like much, but Mady had hope that she had it where it counted. She walked up the boarding ramp and into the cockpit. She entered the ignition codes and was off to do what she should have done long ago.
"Are you ready?" Ben asked.
"Yup. You?" Axol asked.
"Yeah. Sorry in advance of any of these land." Ben said cracking his neck side to side.
"Same here." Axol said. From the cockpit, a ruckus could be heard from the aft of the ship. Two of Gandon's men rushed back to the brig.
"You son of a bitch! I'll kill you for saying that!" Ben screamed as the two rolled wrestled around on the floor.
"You would if you could, junior!! Come back when you grow some chest hair!" Axol said. Gandon's men opened the cell and rushed in to break up the fight. They pulled Axol and Ben to their feet and tried to keep them apart, but the two seemed to be winning the fight to get back to the fight. Each of the men had freed up one arm and were grabbing for each other fiercely.
"I swear by the Force, old man, if you call me Junior one more time!!" Ben said.
"You'll what? Slap me?" Axol asked. Suddenly, both Axol and Ben made one great jerk at each other. Ben slammed his fist into the face of the man who held Axol and Axol did likewise. Both of the giant men fell to the floor out cold barely even knowing what had happened. Axol and Ben just stood there for a moment and admired their handy work. Ben looked up at Axol.
"I can't believe that worked." Ben said in shock.
"Neither can I." Axol said much the same. Suddenly, a woman's voice called down the corridor accompanied by footsteps.
"Pylar, Kajou? Everything alright back there?" she called as she got closer. Ben and Axol just looked at each other and nodded. They knew already what to do next. They had indeed made a really good plan.
"AH! My arm! Please, someone help!" Ben screamed. Axol stood in the corner on the same wall as the entrance slightly in the shadows. Ben sat on his knees and clutched his arm into his stomach. The woman turned the corner and saw the unconscious bodies of Pylar and Kajou. She rushed to Pylar and tried to arouse him. She was not facing Axol.
"H-he was trying to kill me and they tried to stop him…he's gone!" Ben explained. Axol then reached down and clapped a hand over the woman's mouth and wrapped his arm around her two. He backed up into the corner with her and Ben followed closely. She struggled only for a moment before Ben spoke.
"Hey, HEY!" he whispered. The woman stopped and looked at Ben, unsure of what he would say next.
"Look, if you know what's good for you, you'll call Gandon back here right now and you'd better be normal about it, understand?" Ben asked.
"First, I'm gonna let go you talk so you can tell us where our lightsabers are. Think real hard now. If you do scream, the two left aboard would come back here…but I doubt they'd be in time. Are you gonna be good?" Axol asked. The woman nodded against his grip. He released his hand.
"Your lightsabers are in the cockpit with Gandon." She said softly. Ben nodded. This was indeed what they had thought would be the case.
"Are you ready to call him now?" Ben asked. She nodded again.
"Go back into the ship where the hyperdrive is and call him for help with repairs. If all goes as planned, we have no intention to harm you." Axol said. The woman nodded again as Axol let her go. She walked away from the cell. A few seconds later they heard her voice.
"Gandon, Ondur! Can you guys come back here and help me with the hyperdrive? Something doesn't sound right." She called. Ben and Axol heard the footsteps walking towards the hyperdrive down the other corridor not passing the brig. Once they were far enough back in the ship Ben and Axol snuck to the cockpit and grabbed their lightsabers from under the pilot seat. Ben guarded the door as Axol began punching in hyperspace coordinates. A small beeper began to beep and the coordinates were set.
"Grab onto something, kid." Axol said. Ben sat backwards in a chair so he still faced the door of the cockpit.
"Go ahead." Ben said. Axol jammed the levers forward and hyperspace was achieved. When the jolt of the lightspeed jump had subsided and the ship was safely in autopilot, Ben and Axol began to walk to the back of the ship cautiously yet also fairly sure of what they would find. They reached the hyperdrive cabin and found that their plan had indeed gone off without a hitch. There, in a neat pile, were the unconscious bodies of the remaining three runaway Jedi, Gandon included. Axol looked over at Ben and smiled. Ben shot the smile right back. They dragged the three back to the brig and locked them in to have at each other in whatever way they may. The door reactivated and the two men shook hands.
"Not a bad bit of acting, Jento." Ben said.
"You're no hack either, Junior." Axol joked. For the briefest of moments everything in their world seemed to click. For the moment, they had won a small victory. The true Jedi had wound up on top. It had indeed been a really good plan.
"We better get to Corescant before Mady does something she'll regret." Axol said. Ben nodded.
"You're right. Let's go." He agreed. The two men walked quickly back to the cockpit. Axol switched away from auto pilot.
"What are you doing? Autopilot will get us there fastest." Ben said. Axol grinned.
"Not faster than me." He said as if accepting a challenge. They whizzed through space towards Corescant both men praying they'd not be too late.
Mady arrived on Corescant ready for the fight of her life just to get to Luskex. That was why she was surprised nearly to the point of speechlessness when two Jedi were calmly waiting for her in the docking bay. She walked towards them cautiously, waiting for the worst. Each new second, she grew more and more surprised that they were not attacking her. Finally, she spoke up.
"I suppose you gentlemen think you are going to stop me." She assumed.
"On the contrary, Miss Conway. We are here to escort you to our Master." The older looking one spoke up. Mady nodded. This was just the type of thing Luskex would try to pull.
"I assume you both know my intentions here today." Mady said calmly. This had to be a mistake.
"We also know what the outcome of them will be." Said the other Jedi. Mady felt slightly nervous by how quickly that answer came. It was so quick and sure. Luskex was surely confident that he could beat her.
"Come with us, Miss Conway. We will take you to our Master now." The first Jedi said. Mady nodded and began following them. She followed them through the meandering hallways right to the door of the High Council's chambers. The two Jedi stepped behind her now. The doors opened slowly revealing only Luskex in the grand room, and he appeared to be waiting. He donned a new mechanical arm and he stared at Mady with a strange look that portrayed greed, arrogance, hate, and excitement all at once.
"Leave us." Luskex said bluntly. Mady took a step into the room and the two Jedi shut the doors behind her. Mady's heart pumped loudly in her chest. She wasn't sure whether this was because of fear or anticipation or both, but she was nevertheless on the edge.
"That was a nicer welcome than I expected, Luskex. My thanks." She said, sarcasm saturating each word.
"But of course. I would do no less for my new apprentice." Luskex said, not trying to hide the last part of his sentence.
"Well, I'm sure he'll be very pleased with it too when he gets here." Mady shot back.
"Don't think I am blind to the things you have done, Mandalorian. I can feel your hunger for revenge. I can feel it from across the galaxy. It hangs on you like weights and makes you stronger with each passing day. Don't tell me you haven't noticed your eyes." Luskex said. Mady glared.
"I am here for one thing, Luskex. I need to get my friends back." Mady said.
"Don't even try that with me, Girl! I know you better than anyone! I know you better than Axol or Ben…I know you better than you know yourself. You are here to kill me because you thirst for my blood. You friends' safety just makes a convenient excuse." Luskex said. Mady glared at the shriveled man in front of her and hated his more than ever…because he was right. With every fiber of her being she wanted to make him pay for all he had done to her. This was not a Jedi instinct and she didn't care. He had said long ago that she wasn't to be a Jedi, and maybe he was right…and she didn't care anymore.
"But it doesn't have to be this way, Madylyn." Luskex said, voice teaming with the sound of found potential.
"What are you babbling about?" Mady asked, annoyed.
"Madylyn, you are one of the strongest Jedi I have ever seen and the past years have only made you stronger. Your hate has made you stronger. You must sense that you don't belong…that feeling of discomfort everywhere you go. I used to think it was because you were a Mandalorian in a Jedi world, but I was wrong, Madylyn! You are a Sith in a Jedi world! You haven't even tapped your true potential. You are not fit to be a Jedi because the Jedi cannot encompass you! You belong in the Sith world, child, where the possibilities are limitless!" Luskex said. There was a long pause. Mady stared at Luskex and realized that part of what he said had been true. She did feel a sense that she didn't belong, but did that make her a Sith? Her thoughts raced.
"Join me, Madylyn. Join me and we will be more powerful than any Sith or Jedi has ever dreamed of being. It will be our statues that people will be walking by in the enclaves of the future!" Luskex raved. There was another long pause. Mady looked Luskex in the eyes as she spoke.
"Pretty words, old man. But sometimes even withered old lunatics can make poetry." Mady said, beginning to slowly circle Luskex who stood dead center in the room. Luskex looked angry for a moment.
"You're right, Luskex. I hate you and I want to kill you because you have hurt me more than you will ever know. But, that doesn't make me a Sith. The truth is I'm not a Sith or a Jedi and I don't want to be! I don't hate you for being a Sith. I hate you for being a coward. You were always afraid. You were afraid when I became a Jedi, you were afraid when I went into exile, you were afraid when I came back. You know the hell of it? You had no reason to be…not until now." Mady said.
"Without the Sith or Jedi, the power will eat you away, Madylyn." Luskex warned. She had completed the circle around him and now whipped back around.
"Then let it eat me away! I don't care anymore! I just want to forget about all of this, but I can't!" Mady said, eyes glowing bright.
"Getting rid of me won't help you forget, Mandalorian." Luskex said.
"It's a start." Mady growled as she activated her lightsaber. Just then the doors opened and in rushed Axol and Ben.
"Mady, stop!" Ben cried. Mady whirled around.
"Ben?" she questioned, trying to figure out how he was here. Luskex saw his opportunity. He lunged at Mady bright yellow blade igniting. Axol's eyes widened.
"Look out, kid!" he yelled. Mady blocked the attack and launch two parries of her own. He blocked expertly and the two broke. Mady noticed Axol and Ben rushing at the lightsabers drawn. She extended her lightsaber towards them which seemed to freeze them solid.
"Stay out of this!" she hollered. Ben and Axol looked confused…almost as confused as Luskex.
"You could defeat me easily…without them, you will likely fail." Luskex pointed out.
"This fight is yours and mine. No one else's." Mady replied. Luskex lunged and Mady blocked. Mady slashed and swiped trying to best him, but he had not even broken a sweat. They broke again. Luskex spoke softly.
"You're holding back, child. Go ahead. Show them what you really are!" Luskex said. Mady screamed as she lunged at him again firing his way five attacks a second. The sabers locked.
"That's more like it!" Luskex taunted. Mady launched at him again with even more fire than before. Suddenly, he seemed to be weakening. She screamed as she fired blow after blow that came ever closer to hitting its ultimate mark. Finally, sabers locked, Mady twisted hers against the angle of his wrist and flicked his saber away from him. She then ducked to a crouch and swept his feet out from under him before he could even blink. She sprang quickly back to her feet and held her lightsaber at his throat. She stood there breathing heavily for a moment. This was it. This was really it.
"What are you waiting for? Do it! Kill me and show your friends the path you have truly chosen!" Luskex hissed. Mady glanced over her shoulder at Ben and Axol. They both stood wide-eyed. She focused on Ben. His look was less wide-eyed than it first appeared. It was nothing like when she saw him through the dust. His look was more confident, more sure. He knew what she would do even though she herself didn't know. She looked back at Luskex and her rage shot through her again. He was smiling.
"Oho. I see you found that special someone. How would it make you feel if I told you if you don't kill me, I won't be interested in you anymore. I'll get him. Even Yurick knew that you two are very much alike. Surely he'll break." Luskex said. Mady seethed. Her heart thumped painfully at the very thought of such a thing. Her mind was humming.
"Mady." Ben called. She looked at him.
"Don't do it. If you kill him then he wins." Ben urged. Luskex smiled again. He spoke in low tones.
"Then again, if you don't kill me…" he said grinning. Tears began to form in Mady's eyes.
"I hate you so much!" she said through clenched teeth. Luskex smiled.
"I know." He replied. She stood there above him, stone still yet moving at a thousand parseks an hour at the same time. She wanted so badly to kill him. She wanted him to suffer as horribly as she had. She wanted revenge…sweet, fiery, red revenge. Yet, she wanted Ben's love as well. Could he love her with all the hate she had inside? Could he love her if she did this? She also felt a small twinge of pain. The hatred she felt was not the way she was supposed to be. But, he had made her this way. This was not her fault! It was his! And he had threatened Ben. She could not let him live. Ben may not understand it, but she had to protect him. But that would also mean losing him. Her thoughts shot back and forth like a hydrobug, though she and everyone in the room remained still…
So guys...what's it gonna be? Should she kill him and give into her anger while also protecting Ben, yet risking losing him in the process? Or should she walk away and assume that Ben will be as strong as she is? Let me know what your choice is and it might turn into Mady's choice in the next chapter of "Choices from a Dark Past"!