Chapter 15: Search yourself. Find yourself. Be yourself.

[Song suggestion: TNG Enigma- Beauty in the Darkness]

After about three hours of much needed sleep, Nelo Hivaarr forced himself to wake up. The healing trance that Pal Taruk had induced him in worked its miracles: he recuperated. His strength, as well as part of his energy had returned; he surely felt better.

After a ten minute long exercise session, he managed to completely wake up the his whole body. He took off his bed clothes and replaced them with his armor, which he carefully inspected. Much to his surprise, someone tried to put recording devices in it… That same someone also tried to gain access to the secret compartiments. Suspicious, he casted wary glances all around him. With utmost care, he removed all the devices that he found; a total of five. Luckily, all the important stuff as still there. He now only lacked his DL-44 and his lightsaber, an issue that he would solve later.

He was instantly reminded of Inanna. He prayed to the Force that she hadn't died during the two great battles that had taken place today. He needed to return to her; to go back to that factory near the arena.

After he was done with the preparations, he exited the makeshift private medial room that he was in. Outside, just next to the door, were both Pal Taruk and Krav Erladin, relief all over their faces and in their stances, as they noticed him.

The zabrak jedi spoke first.

"I'm so glad to see you are alright, Nelo! Taruk here's told me that you were a top notch commander out there!" he stated, while pointing his finger at his green skinned twi'lek brother, who simply smiled and bowed his head in respect.

Nelo reciprocitated the gesture and sat down with them.

" It is the truth! His powers are nothing short of spectacular, although…" he trailed off for a few seconds until Nelo coughed impatiently.

"I'm right nere, you know, Pal! Better tell me what's gotten into you!"

He regained his composure, straightened himself, his tone even:

" Well, from what I've seen, your powers, great as they are, are lacking in sustainability. You might not have realized, but during the attacks you were leading, I was actively supplying you with Force energy. To put it simply, your powers were so great and costly, that they drived you to absorb any Force Push that I sent your way. Without me doing that, I doubt that you would have succeeded!"

" As I have feared!" added Erladin, concerned for the well being of his padawan. "You cannot control your powers. It is your ambition that is pushing your body over its normal capacity. Watch it, else you may become addicted to Force powers and that insatiable hunger leads to the Dark Side!" the warning was real and based on clear facts, that none of the three, especially Nelo, would deny. "Go now! I've found you a speeder that should serve you well! Return with your gear and senator Amidala's starship!"

Nelo bowed to both of them and took the two lightsabers that he used up until now. Who knows when or if he was going to need them?

He got on his speeder and drove it to the highest speeds available, relying on his senses to dodge any obstacles.

Taruk sighed, as he watched the teenager leave.

" The Grandmaster was right in his assumptions. We will have to take some mesures against him! Too much leniency and he'll think that he could get away with everything he does wrong!"

" Too much harshness and we will have alienated a most gifted jedi!" Krav Erladin replied, unfazed by his colleague's opinion.

"I'm just warning you, Erladin! Do not let your attachment towards your padawan cloud your better judgement! Remember: you are his master, not his father!"

They did not speak for another five minutes. Both were pondering what had happened and what they should be doing to avoid any problems. Standing outside of the field tent, they saw tens upon tens of clones being taken to the hospitals, some of them having suffered gruesome injuries. Many will not make it past the operating table, while a part of those that were conscious were screaming, crying or cursing their bad luck. It wasn't a sight for the faint of heart. War never was. And war had the infuriating habit of turning the best of people into monsters or shells of their former selves, or lead to other painful incidents or developments.

Many clones from Erladin's company would have died, were it not for Nelo's efforts. But, as history seemed to prove it over and over again, all that good would eventually be negated by the saviour's betrayal. And, Force forbid, such cases had been many; evil, tragic acts echoing for hundreds of years. Starting with the rogue jedi's rebellion that led to the corruption of the Massassi Sith species, then continuing with Exar Kun, Ulic Qel-Droma, Malak, Revan, Kreia, just to note the more famous of them. One man or woman alone, trying to right the wrongs of the entire Galaxy would only wnd up making things worse, eventually.

Pal Taruk was aware of all this. He had been surprised when Grandmaster Yoda asked him to supervise the boy. At first, he shrugged it off; called it overreacting, but he complied nonetheless. On the battlefield though, amidst sandstorms, laser fire, debris flying everywhere, clones and droids getting obliterated, he saw it.

As much as he didn't want to believe it, it was there. That obnoxious, elusive seed of the Dark Side. He doubted that the boy had ever discovered it, for it lay hidden from plain sight, covered by his desire to defend all those that he feels responsible to and of. That led to him overstretching his limits at an alarmingly fast rate.

Tow possible outcomes, none of them pleasant, came to mind:

Nelo has a nervous and/or bodily breakdown, which would render him aggressive and uncooperative for a long period of time.

He lusts for even more power, getting addicted to it and, slowly or not, turns to the Dark Side.

Anyway, he pitied Krav Erladin. His fellow Jedi Knight will have a hard time explaining all these facts to the High Council.

Internally, he also sighed. He now had to file a 20 pages long report on his most recent assignment, as well as take responsibility for a certain block on Nelo's powers.

What a day!

Someplace else, sometime later…

Some would call him paranoid. Others may label him insane, a nutcase. Eitherway, he cared little for the common citzen's opinion of him at the moment. What he did, essentially, was crush his speeder into a mountain. Cruel, yes. Stupid, perhaps. Necessary, oh yes!

With how many bugs Pal Taruk and his masters had placed on all his stuff, there was bound to be at least one in the vehicle and he didn't want to take any chances.

He was about to meet a very powerful, yet emotionally unstable, thus completely unpredictable sith lady. Any unwanted intrusion would certainly wreck his efforts. But then, he asked himself: what were his efforts? What purpose did they serve? What goals did he have in mind?

To be honest, he had no such goals . Rather, he acted as he judged it to be best; to be most humane. That included mending the soul and heart of a girl that had been harshly treated by life, enough to be sent into the arms of the Sith.

He walked for the reminder of the distance, reaching the arena in surprisingly short time. No one would want to linger too long out in the open, with how things were. He climbed a set of stairs that led to one of the tribunes. Once he was at the top, he was able to grasp the magnitude of the jedi'struggles. Over one hundred- nearly two hundred- bodies were scattered all over the place, some bearing worse wounds than the rest.

Activating his helmet's binoculars, he scouted the place for any visible and invisible threats. To his surprise, he found no active droid, no booby traps, geonosians or anything else alive or functional around.

He reached for his lightsabers. Usually, when the enemy zone seems quiet, there's some hidden threat just beyond one's senses. Wary of each sound, he made his way through the dark, humid and maze-like tunnels of the geonosian factory. How thankful was for his suit of armor. True, it wasn't the most beautiful piece of engineering, but it gets the job done, so to say. It may be a sort of patched-up thing, yet it offered him just what he needed. Like the nightvision, for example.

Now the hard part was finding a certain someone in all this mess of a building. She never told him where he was supposed to meet with her. Although, the Nabooian Starfighter was a pretty good landmark. Why not go there first? he asked himself.

Waking from a nightmare…

… Inanna slowly opened her eyes and scrutinized her surroundings; nothing.

Her half-sleep had been both refreshing and unpleasant, for it brought up some unwanted memories.

" Ahh! It's probably because of the damned necklace!" she cursed. And because of the person who gave it back to her.

" Are you still the beautiful, smiling girl from that picture?" his sincere, if not a bit sad and quite innocent voice, rang in her mind.

It wasn't as if he managed to make her regret her choice. Given what had happened… Anyway, were she to be put in the exact same situation, she would again and again join Dooku and learn the ways of the Dark Side. The power that had been unlocked through those teachings was what she really wanted. Feeling weak again… that was out of the question. She now possessed the means to destroy almost anyone who dared approaching her.

A short sting in her skin. A Force user was not that far away. Alarmed, she readied herself in under a minute. Her black attire allowed her to easily blend in the darkness of the corridors.

"What a befitting image of me!"she thought as she imagined how familiar, how intimate she felt with the shadows, the unseen, the unknown.

The big, bad, scary demon that would haunt the dreams of children… and adults alike. She smiled at that idea.

Turning, she saw a figure in the distance. The stranger was making his way towards the hidden passage of the upper levels. Only one thing of value was in that area, namely the senator's starship. So she followed suit, carefully and quietly. Eventually, as they exited the underlevels, light found its way into the factory's corridors (how could it not, given the numerous holes that the battle had left in the roof and some of the walls as well).

Recognition flashed her yellow, sith eyes. That patchwork armor belonged to the only foold that would ever chance coming here alone, after all that had happened. Shadows no longer an option, the dark acolyte chose to reveal herself. In fact, she did quite the menacing entrance, red lightsaber activating.

In an instant, Nelo Hivaarr ignited both his azure and his emerald lightsabers, turning around to face the threat.

Or was it really a threat?

Well, with Inanna he couldn't tell. But… he could remove some of the tension in the air. So he said with a mockingly Windu-like voice:

" Beware of the Dark Side, child, for it would forever twist your life! Stay away from this path!"

As she heard his near perfect impersonation of a particularly grumpy, stern Jedi Master, Inanna wasn't sure if she should laugh or, rather, hit the padawan.

He, however, ended his tirade and removed his helmet. A smile then formed its way across his face.

" Hello there, my lady! Good to see you're alive!" he bowed his head a little.

Even though she liked being called lady( or mistress, depending on each case), she shrugged off his pleasentries with a wave of her hand.

" 'You always tring to annoy me?" she asked with a sliver of amusement.

" Have I? Must have slipped my mind!" he joked again, this time taking a few steps forward.

Duly noted, though, none of them laid down their weapons during the time they neared each other. So, after a couple of minutes of silence, it was Inanna that spoke of the matter.

" I see that I was correct in my assumptions, Nelo dear! You managed to kill a Kell Dragon, although a baby one at that!" she laughed evily, her smirk hidden by her face cover. Only the glint in her golden eyes enabled Hivaarr to read it.

"Well, it was quite the challenge! Nevermind that I was tired, beaten, shot and shackled; those are just details!" he replied on a mockingly hurt tone, but then slumped his shoulders and looked away. "Enough about me! What have you been up to today, your evilness?"

" Me?" she almost purred. " I've been busy avoiding being killed by your people. Oh, by the way…" she suddenly remembered to show him that she didn't lose his trademark golden lightsaber. " I reckon this belongs to you!"

He extinguished his emerald saber, clipping it to his belt. After that he reached for his prized weapon, only for the dark acolyte to take it back.

" I didn't say you could have it; not like that!"

Inanna took a few steps back, her body turning to a dueling posture. Her killer-siren voice sang in his ears yet again:

" You'll have to survive a Dance Macabre with me to earn it!"

Baffled for a couple of seconds, Nelo shook his head and put his helmet back on. Both weapons to the ready, he made a mental note to stay on the defence. Any Force energy that he would need would have to be siphoned from her. No risking exhaustion this time!

She narrowed her eyes at him. Something was different, though what exactly, she did not know. He looked more… prudent, for lack of a better word. Her eyes and senses almost never deceived her; Hivaarr was wary of something. Whatever it was, she would soon find out.

A couple of seconds later, the dark acolyte launched herself in a straightforward attack. The red plasma blade hummed menacingly in the medium sized corridor that they were in, akin to the deadly rays of a supernova.

Nelo prepared himself for the worst. He concentrated on channeling his Force energy into his trademark Absorb, yet he was horrified that it did not work. He tried and tried again, but with no result.

" Shit, shit, shit! What's going on? Why can't I use it? It couldn't have been exhausted!" he shouted mentally.

He was vulnerable without that form of protection. His normal shield also didn't work anymore. Add to that the fact that he was used to fight with a single blade, instead of two, and one might find that the odds were stacked against him… again. Fate was incredibly ironic of late.

Inanna, on her part, aimed low. A predilection for throwing adversaries off balance, no doubt. What's more, her Makashi style was forcing him to extend his defensive moves. If that would go on, he would end up being overstretched, overwhelmed. Saber locks were notoriously dangerous, as one wrong move, one's misplaced weight usually resulted in amputation or death on one side or the other.

That's when he changed his Shien with Jar'Kai, also throwing in some Ataru. It seemed to grant him at least some freedom of movement.

First, he deflected a strike that went for his upper left leg. Next, he stopped another strike aimed for his right hand, then he rotated himself, forcing Inanna to take a few steps back. A quick kick to the stomach sent her into the wall.

Amazed and infuriated by the turn of events, she snarled, using Force Speed and her own blend of Ataru. Akin to a whirlwind, she pummeled Nelo Hivaarr's defences.

" Let's see how you like my sandstorm dance!" she shouted a little too maniacally.

Obviously, he didn't like it! Every blow that he parried was weakening his grip on his lightsabers. The speed and the ferocity of Inanna's "Dance" never even allowed him a counterattack, not enough time even for a Force Push. He still couldn't properly channel his energy into absorb. That also meant that his Vaapad was out of the question.

" How? Why? Since when can't I use those techniques?" he asked himself. It was as if someone had restricted that particular power. A part of him argued that he was being paranoic, nothing else; that he was too tired to cast such an ability. Another part of him said that, on the contrary, he had enough energy to actually use the Absorb at least once, but something… or someone was blocking it.

He could only test such a theory if his other, core abilities, were blocked as well. Jumping back, he extended his hands in a powerful Force Push… which didn't work at all.

Shocked beyond comprehension, he barely had enough time to raise his lightsabers in defence. His connection to the Force hadn't been blocked, but it had been tampered with; limited, somehow.

Her flurry of attacks threw him back again and again. As things were going at the moment, he didn't stand a real chance and she knew that.

After pushing Nelo into a corner of the room, she suddenly deactivated her weapon. When he didn't relax his stance at least, she Force Gripped him without inflicting pain, just disarming him.

" At ease, my dear padawan!" she said with a cooing voice, the golden eyes sending a piercing glare into his purple ones. Then she released him just as suddenly. " I said I wanted us to dance, not kill each other, remember?"

" I don't know!" he massaged his neck. "Dance Macabre does sound pretty deadly to me!"

" … just like you!" he added in thought.

She chuckled, but then backed down a bit. With a motion of her hand, Inanna beckoned him to follow her into a remote room; she told him it was her own, room. Evidently, that place had been cleared of all possible recoding devices that the Geonosians have installed so as to keep an eye on such an honored guest. It was private enough for the dark acolyte.

Meanwhile, Nelo seemed impressed that he found himself in a relatively comfy, good looking chamber. The walls were made of rock, but the owner- or the guest- had them painted midnight black wth dark red sith symbols and other similar decorations. The furniture was minimalistic; just enough for someone like her. The bed was a bit of a mess, admittedly, the grey pillows and covers strewn about, but, other than that, the place was relatively tidy, with no hint of dirt. And then, into a corner of the room, hidden behind one of the smaller tables, was the crate with his stuff.

" Nice place you've got here, my lady!" he complimented, also letting out a low whistle.

" Thank you! The slaves were thorough in their efforts!" she answered, earning a strange look and a sigh from him.

" Really? You just had to say something like that, didn't you?"

" My-my, young padawan! You should know whom you are dealing with!" again she used that almost seductive tone.

She seated herself on the only armchair there, reveling in the softness of the plush. When he remained standing, Inanna gestured for him to seat on the bed. Reluctantly, he did that.

After a minute of studying each other, it was his time to get her to talk.

" So what have YOU been doing today, esteemed shadow dweller?"

" Me?" she liked the titles that he came up with; they were befitting. "Well…" she began counting with her fingers. "First, I woke up, had breakfast, then a few sith training sessions…"

He laughed a bit. " You making a joke? I think Tatooine just froze!"

She used a small Force Push on him, burying him in the bed sheets.

"Killjoy! Right, I spoke with Count Dooku about you, so that he might test you, not outright kill you! For some reason, Skywalker is the one he wants to turn to the Dark Side and you, well, you stepped inbetween. After that, well, you know that Arena fight better than I do!" she spoke on a serious tone this time.

The next part would be an interesting one. Seeing his reaction at the news of the nautolan's demise will allow Inanna to gage his true opinion about her.

He, on the other hand, was troubled by the news. Not only was Anakin in danger, but Dooku had also set his sights upon him. Add to that the fact that his fellow Jedi were going to keep an eye on his situation for a while. Nelo now knew that he had to thread carefully from now on, regardless of time or place.

"… That reminds me…!" she interrupted his thoughts. Moments later, his lightsaber flew at him and he managed to expertly catch it, afterwards turning it on.

The crystals were intact, so was the hilt, the power coupling, yet something felt… odd, out of place. It had not been there the last time he wielded the weapon; a trace of darkness, of taint. Concentrating on the blade for a full two minutes, his conscience made contact with the special yellow crystal powering it. Essentially, what he did was ask the Force blessed object what had transpired. The answer he received wasn't a pleasant one

Death…Kill…Torture…Agony…

Opening his eyes, he repressed a shudder as he took in the dark acolyte's robed figure, scanning for any trace of combat that might offer him an answer. Indeed, a few places on her robe had suffered burns.

" So it was a battle after all!"

He took a deep breath, looked her in the eyes and simply asked.

" When?"

Baffled by hus question or, rather, by him not asking her to explain/confess her crimes, she answered, although with a hint of hesitance.

" After your first wave of rescuers arrived! A red skinned nautolan girl" she seethed the words. "…just had to royally step on my toes!"she leaned forward while calmly and menacingly saying: "And she died horrifyingly for that!"

Again, he fell silent, no doubt carefully laying out his next questions; smart boy.

" What did she say to get you to do that?"

He sounded… tired, accepting? No, she was just imaging it; wishful thinking, nothing more. None would be accepting or understanding of such a deed, especially a jedi.

" The bitch insulted my upbringing, my life, my hardships, my way of life… and- she added with almost a whisper- she trashed your name around!"

Now that left him speechless for a bit. When he regained composure, he could barely articulate words into sentances.

"You would go to all these lengths just to stand up for me? And I thought you never cared!" he said, seriously at first, but then chuckled a bit.

"WHAT?" her mind screamed, but then she saw him give a cheeky grin.

Snarling at him, she couldn't repress an indignant puff. She wasn't in the least prepared for the next question.

" Are you still that beautiful, smiling girl from that picture? Inanna… are you still yourself?" he asked with a hint of pleading and one of sadness.

" Why do you ask me this? Do you think that I've lost myself since becoming a sith?" a bit of betrayal had seeped into her tone. Her body also tensed. He was threading on a minefield.

"No! I ask because you need to be yourself; you have to do what you think is best, not what your master or anyone else commands of you!"

" And? Have I not already disobeyed him to save your skin?" she replied coldly.

He then got off the bed and took a few brave steps forward.

" True!... Did it feel the same when you killed my fellow jedi?" this time he spoke on a measured tone, his eyes unreadable, his body forcefully relaxed.

" Yes it did! She had it coming! No one talks like that to me and gets to live!"

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back, facing the ceiling.

" Then I shall mourn my colleague and pray that you stay on your own path, forge your own life and enjoy it as much as you can!" he added. He then faced her, locking her with his gaze. " You never did answer my question!" he smiled. " Are you still… you in there, beneath all that see of poison?"

Again with that pleading voice. Again with his enormous capacity to understand those that are different from him. Had he no fear of defying boundries?

Seems not, a part of her mused. Still, he did earn the right to see her true image, not the scary, looming shadow that she projected all the time. So, before he could react, she took off her outer robes, including the face mask.

Nelo just stood there, shocked by what was happening. She was revealing herself. Even in her armor, her body looked athletic, well maintained and-daresay- alluring. She wasn't too tall, but her usual image gave off that impression. Now she looked… normal.

But her face, Gods and Stars and Force, was she beautiful. Despite all the hardships and Dark Side exposure, Inanna's features were still natural, cute, attractive. Even though her eyes still bore the yellow colour, her veins had receded once again. Her olive skin looked smooth, no sympthomatic paleness. Her facial features a bit sharp, yet well balanced. The removal of the hood caused her rich, brown hair to flow freely.

There was something alluring about her. Perhaps that dangerous, rarissime, untamed beauty.

Nelo remembered something important. Back on Tatooine, as a means to thank him for his generous gift, Beru had given him a stunning turquoise flower- a Desert's Raindrop Rose. She said that it was extremely rare and had was one only gave up one of those to someone special.

"Someone special…"

With no sudden movements, he reached into his chest compartiment. Inanna watched him with intent, carefully scrutinizing his every move. She left her lightsaber on her belt, as had he, although the dark acolyte was still capable of neutralizing any threat.

Nelo, however, did not take out a knife, a grenade or a pistol; none of that. Instead, he revealed a … shining flower, which he then put at her left ear in a swift, precise motion- she was too stunned to stop him.

" There you go!" he smiled, then bowed theatricly. "My lady, you look stunning!"

Inanna felt strange. Something terribly weird was bubbling up somewhere in her belly. She didn't know what it was. Plus, her Dark Side was whispering warning after warning, though for the first time in years, the dark acolyte chose to ignore it.

Tenderly, she adjusted the flower with her hands. Moments later, she found herself in front of the only mirror in the room.

Now that she thought about it, she was pretty. A few grins and smiles found their way on her face, practically illuminating her entire persona.

Nelo Hivaarr was internally berating himself for falling for a dark lady's mysterious, dangerous, exoctic charms. It was kind of ironic that Anakin found his love in the form of a former queen and current galactic senator and he… he found Inanna…

… who suddenly turned towards him, smiling and she winked seductively. His face certainly took a shade of red. Her smile widened and Inanna slowly walked up to him, her every step sending strange shivers down Nelo's spine. She stopped mere centimetres from his face. He could smell her sweet, Felucian strawberry perfume. He could see the yellow eyes start losing their shine, being replaced with stark, emerald ones.

Something was definitely brewing between them; Force knew what.

To hell with all those stupid rules, his body and soul screamed.

Without a second thought, he closed his eyes and their lips met. He felt as if his body had been struck by a mellow lightning. His thoughts were jumbled, his heartbeats, erratic. There was something magical in their touch.

Inanna, on the other hand, felt like an angel. Her Dark Side whispers had stopped, her wariness had disappeared, her icy, killer demeanor had melted. Her mind was struggling to comprehend what was going on. Her body felt like it had been drugged, though it wasn't.

He was to blame, she shouted and then laughed in her own mind. His understanding, his tenderness, his likeable character, his bravery and open mind. Not to talk about an open heart!

For the first time since she'd been born, she truly felt like one of those fairytale princesses she had often read about- the half evil ones, of course!

She broke the kiss and reveled in his embrace, as did he. To the both of them, the rest of the Universe didn't matter.

Author's note:

There you go, readers, a double sized chapter focused solely on the "opposites-attract" OC relationship.

It'll be a while until I'll upload another chapter.

I can't wait to hear your thoughts!

The next chapters might also be based on your suggestions/ ideas, so leave a review or send me a PM

*credits for the song go to TNG Enigma *

* I don't own Star Wars or any of its spinoffs, just the OCs, nothing more; no profit here, obviously *

See you next time, fellow Star Wars fans!