"Woe unto he who holds the memory of the dead in higher reverence then the fate of the living; for it is he who shall see the legacy of his fathers fade, and the light fail."
Excerpt from the Book of Lucias
Chapter Fourteen: Fallen Angel
In the dark recesses of the jungle, I navigated my way through the night and toward Coruscant. My every thought dwelling on my sister, alone with that human; every passing second filled me with rage.
"Filthy Human," I thought to myself, "I swear if he so much as touches her…" if he touches her then what? Kill them? Kill them both? No, I couldn't. Could I? My mind drifted in and out of the possible scenarios, fantastic and horrific as they may have been, but at the time, perfectly rational.
Finally I came to the clearing just before the city's walls; smoke was rising from within. My gut told me that where there's smoke, there's Eva. I immediately unclipped my lightsaber from my belt and rushed into the city.
The warehouse in downtown Coruscant stood enveloped in flames. Outside it is surrounded on all sides by the Libertas. Suddenly a massive explosion tore a hole in the front of the building, knocking the soldiers back. From within the inferno, a man wielding a katana rose to his feet and rushed out toward the disheveled Libertas. Splin leapt up into the air and attacked, thrusting his sword downward into the nearest soldier. The other Libertas quickly swarmed upon him only to be knocked aside by a wave of the force from Eva who also emerged from the burning building. She and Splin stood back to back as the Libertas reorganized themselves.
"Well… looks like this is it," Splin said, "At least we can die with honor."
"Don't say that," Eva answered, "Can you still not see it?" Splin looked up into the sky, straining to see past the thick plumes of smoke rising from the warehouse. A small break in the ash allowed the slightest ray of moonlight to escape and catch Splin's eye. He smiled.
"Come on!" Splin shouted, "We can still make it to the palace… together,"
Splin raised his katana over his head and with a loud war cry, rushed forward into the mass of armor and steel before him; Eva not hesitating to follow after him. The two sliced and cut their way down the main street of Coruscant that led directly to the palace steps. As they advanced forward the Libertas just kept on coming, one after another until it became almost useless to fight. Splin and Eva made a desperate dash for the palace gates.
Eva extended her hand and used the force to break open the gates. As she and Splin passed beyond them, Eva spun back around quickly used the force to reseal them, knocking over one of the courtyard statues to brace the gates.
"That should hold them for now, but they'll find another way," Eva said, "Quickly, we must hurry!"
Splin nodded and the two of them rushed up the palace steps and disappeared inside.
It was still dark in the camp when Terentius sounded the wake up call. The men stumbled out of their shelters and into the clearing where Terentius and Constans were already waiting.
"Gentlemen!" Terentius shouted through the thick morning air, "The time has come, we can delay no longer. Coruscant needs us now!"
"What about our weapons?" Miles asked. The others began to murmur in agreement.
"Your weapons are in the process of being procured," Constans answered, "But we cannot wait; smoke has been rising from the city for hours now… I fear the worst has happened."
"You are Jedi Knights," Terentius said, "The force shall be your means of defense. Now form up, we march to Coruscant!"
The Jedi all formed ranks behind Terentius and Constans and they began their march into the jungle.
In the shadows of the palace, Splin and Eva snuck past the guards who seemed to be oblivious to the goings on outside. Splin led Eva down a long set of winding stone stairs and into the palace vault.
"This is it," Splin said pushing open the wooden door, "This is where father kept all of his most prized possessions. My guess is your lightsabers are in here."
Inside the vault was all manner of junk piled high and deep. The walls were lined with shelves where books and trinkets had been incoherently placed. The entire room was coated in a layer of dust as if it hadn't been touched in ages.
"Look at all this junk," Eva said, "This could take years!"
"Years we don't have, my dear," Splin answered, "What did the container that you kept the weapons in look like?"
"It was a chest… from the elder temple. It would have had the elder seal emblazon on it in gold."
"The elder seal?" Splin asked.
"The sun rising over a battlefield strewn over with the corpses of the dead; it is supposed to symbolize Lucias' rise from the darkness, freeing the Luminos from death."
Splin looked all around him and began tossing random things off of one of the junk piles. Eva slowly closed her eyes.
"What are you doing?" Splin asked, "Give me hand here,"
"The lightsabers contain crystals with special properties… perhaps I could feel them through the force…"
All around her the room was cold and dead, there was little for Eva to feel. But suddenly something caught her attention and Eva opened her eyes. Splin watched as she made her way to the back of the room to a chest covered by red cloth. Eva whipped the cloth aside to reveal the glimmering golden emblem.
"Look at that…" Splin said gazing into the brilliantly crafted seal. Eva slowly pushed open the lid of the chest.
"Some of them are missing…."
"Looking for something?"
Splin and Eva spun around at the sound of the voice behind them to see Ajunta Pall standing at the vault's entrance. Eva ignited her lightsaber.
"Wait!" Splin shouted, "Let me handle this."
"But Splin, he's too strong. There's little chance you could beat him alone…"
Splin turned to Eva with a smile on his face.
"Don't worry Eva, I don't need to hope anymore." Eva turned off her lightsaber and nodded, "Toss me one of those,"
Eva reached into the chest and tossed up a saber that Splin grabbed out of the air, a blue blade shot out from the hilt.
"I've waited a long time for this, Splin," Ajunta said as he reached into his robe, producing a lightsaber of his own. Upon igniting it the room around him turned blood red. "At last the house of the great James Cell will fall."
"Eva!" Splin shouted, "Take the weapons and go! I'll hold him off." Splin quickly extended his hand and with power he didn't even realize he had, knocked one of the junk piles toward Ajunta. He raised his hand and stopped all of the objects in mid air.
"Is that all you've got?" Ajunta swung his arm back across his body and the objects came flying back at Splin. He managed to dodge most of them only to have a large crate coming right at his head. Suddenly Eva leapt in front of Splin and ignited her lightsaber, slicing the crate in two.
"Thanks," Splin said, "Now go!" Splin quickly turned around to find Ajunta standing over him. He desperately fought off Ajunta's advances as he swung his lightsaber at him. In the midst of the chaos, Eva picked up the chest and headed up the stairs. When she finally reached the top she was surprised to find the palace completely empty. Pressing onward, Eva continued to carry the weapons to the entrance. However, outside she no longer could hear the sounds of the guards banging at the gate… only silence.
As Eva emerged onto the palace steps, she froze. Dropping the chest, her eyes scanned over the scene before her in horror. Bodies were strewn all about the courtyard, most of which were in several pieces. Libertas were skewered on the fence posts and the gates lay twisted and broken on the ground. The light of the setting sun caused the entire courtyard to glow red.
Finally she saw me, crouching atop one of the statues in the courtyard that remained standing. I leapt down and onto the steps before, unable to hide the blood that stained my robes.
"Atredious?..." Eva whispered in a voice that seemed almost afraid.
"Where is he," I responded as I examined her. I could smell his stink all over her.
"Where is who?" She answered, still a bit overwhelmed by the graphic scene before her.
"Don't give me that," I snapped back, "You know damn well who! Where is Splin?" I thought that seeing my sister would calm me down, but it only made things worse. That she would try to hide this from me; she knew what she was doing, she knew what it would mean, but she was doing it anyway. At that moment I hoped with all of my heart that Splin was still alive, so that I may have the pleasure of finishing him myself.
"Splin is still inside," Eva finally answered, "But why are you here?"
"I've come for you, now let's go!"
"No, wait!" She shouted, "You can take the weapons, but I have to go back and help Splin!"
"Forget him, Eva. He's only a human, it's not worth risking your life over. Now let's go!"
"I can't leave him!"
"Why the hell not!?"
"Because I love him!"
Her words hit me like a ton of bricks, the wind was suddenly knocked out of me.
"Y-you… love him?" I gasped.
Eva quickly turned away from me, tears in her eyes. My face twisted under the pressure as I struggled to contain my rage.
"How?" I asked, "How could you? How could you dishonor our father like this? A human? Do you care nothing for his dream?"
"What dream!?" Eva suddenly shouted back, "That's all it ever was Atredious… a dream. We have a chance to make things right now… to do what our father couldn't. He would not have wanted us to follow down the same path he took."
"No!" I yelled, "You don't understand him, none of you did! You all thought he was a fool, you didn't even believe him when he tried to save you from your own deaths! I made a promise… and that's all I have left. I will fulfill my oath, no matter what it takes."
"What are you talking about Atredious? Father and all the other Luminos… they're dead. How many more have to die to see this impossible dream come true?"
"As many as it takes…"
With my words suddenly Splin came limping out onto the steps. His leg was cut up badly and his left arm was pressed up against his chest. Eva quickly ran over to him, helping him stand up straight.
"Splin!" Eva shouted, "Are you alright, what happened?"
"Ajunta, he… what the hell happened out here?"
"Judgment," I answered. As Splin looked over at me the fear in his eyes filled me with a sense of power unlike anything I had ever felt before. I saw that he was clutching a lightsaber in his hand, "So… you think you're a Jedi Knight?"
"Atredious, don't," Eva pleaded, but still I ignored her. I ignited my lightsaber and began to walk toward him.
"You think that just because you can perform a few cheap tricks, play with a lightsaber and violate my sister, that that makes you a Jedi?"
"What are you talking about, Atredious?" Splin asked, "I thought you'd understand…"
"Oh no, I do. It is you who fails to understand… the universe belongs to the Luminos, and all who do not believe as such shall meet the wrath of the almighty Lucias himself!"
"It doesn't have to be like this, Atredious," Splin said, "Why are you doing this?"
"Because that was the last wish of a dying man."
With that I raised my saber to the air. Eva lurched forward to grab my arm, but I quickly grabbed her and threw her aside. Then, I plunged my saber deep into his chest. I watched as he fell to the ground and struggled for breath. I watched as my sister ran over to him and wept over him, then kissed him. I watched all of this, but still I felt nothing. The pain was still there, the anger had only grown worse.
"Splin!" Eva shouted as she cradled him in her arms, "Splin, don't go! Please, don't go!"
"Eva…" Splin choked out, his eyes fixated upward on the moon in the young night sky, "It's ok…"
"Splin… you can't go… I love you,"
"I… love you too… thank you,"
Eva kissed Splin one last time and laid his head down on the ground. As she continued to weep uncontrollably I walked up behind her.
"Atredious!"
The voice stopped me. I turned to see Terentius standing at the palace gates with Constans and the so called Jedi. Eva stood up and ran down the steps into Terentius' arms. As he tried to console her, Constans scanned the area around him, finally stopping on me standing over the body of Splin.
"What did you do Atredious?" He asked me.
"He did what had to be done!"
From behind me Ajunta Pall emerged from the darkness. He walked up to Splin and kicked the lightsaber away from his hand, and then slowly he turned to me.
"I told you," he said, "Didn't I? They cannot be trusted. Only you have the power to rule over Coruscant."
I stared at him for a moment, not saying anything. Then I turned my attention back to Constans.
"It ends now, brother," I shouted, "Either you will join with me and rule over these people… or you will choose to bind your fate to theirs… and be destroyed."
Ajunta smiled grimly behind me as Constans stared back with a stoic disposition.
"That is how you feel?" he asked. I answered by raising my lightsaber and Ajunta then ignited his as well, "Then I'm sorry, brother… Father forgive us."