Chapter 14- Crossing swords with the enemy.
Ethan's head thumped painfully from the recent efforts to stop Brandt. He felt ashamed that three jedi had failed to counter the power of the man who they had all begun to trust. Brandt didn't look like he was suffering from a flashback so his actions now must have been deeply imbedded within. Not even Yoda had predicted this, which was a sobering thought. But perhaps he should have because now he had not only been captured himself but caused his whole team to go down with him. Dammit that was so stupid. Out of all of them he feared most for Jane. Brandt's passionate kiss against her lips indicated where his thoughts regaring her were leading. She had struggled for a while but now like them sat entwined in the metal coils awaiting the arrival of Jarrod..
Brandt paced back and forth in front of them throwing them scowling glances. Ethan decided he needed to plead for the others life, it was he thought the least he could do. He cleared his throat and opened his mouth, 'don't even bother", Brandt snapped at him. "sacrificing for others life is the least endearing quality of a jedi". It won't make any difference and I don't find it amusing."He waved his hand at Ethan.
Ethan found his mouth would not open, no matter how hard he tried. "That's much better", Brandt remarked snidely. "My master will be here soon to deal with you. I will suggest he makes use of you first Ethan, then the others can watch".
It was said in a type of matter of fact tone that incidated Brandt did not give a damn what was done to him. To Ethan it was like a stab in the guts with a sharp knife, final proof that Jedi Brandt had gone for good. Now there was only a sith in front of him, a man who was part of a duo of evil. Thinking about Jarrod ,Ethan probed the area. The evil blast he felt chilled him to the core. This man had no compassion with twisted dark thoughts compounding his being. It was the complete blackness that made him hastily retreat and shield his mind. He sent a silent message to the others to be prepared.
The wind begn to pick up blowing ice all around them. Small hard chunks of hail hit pelted them hard for several minutes and all they could see was a white mass . When the wind died a tall man in a black hood clock stood before them.
Brandt was on his knees and the Sith lord strode toward him ignoring them. "Now", Ethan sent. The combined power of three jedi flew Jarrods way. It should have at least brought him to his knees and prehaps lessened his control of Brandt. But it had the same effect as on Brandt sliding off to rebound at them, painfully. He could hear himself , Jane and Benji scream in pain while Brandt just watched with a look of pure malice.
Finally the pain stopped and Jarrod slid off his hood to regard them. He would have been a handsome man, but constant dark force use had marred his features making his complexion white and corpse like. His eyes burned with hatred and a snear reveal slightly pointed teeth.""Your pathetic abilties are no match for us jedi". "Your entire race is no more important than ants that crawl upon the ground and I am the boot that will squash you all". He briefly squeezed the bonds around Ethan to make his point then turned to his apprentice.
"My master " Brandt acknowledged. Striding over to him, Jarrod reached down to pull him up. 'You have done well my apprentice", he stated," perfect subjects for the final test of my toxin".
"So it is complete", Brandt asked with what could only be described as glee. "Indeed my apprentice it is", Jarrod confirmed proudly. He moved away from Brandt to stand before them,tall, proud and totally evil. "So you were expecting a trap, but unable to see that the trap was already amongst you", he pointed a Brandt. "Jedi always were fools and the world will be rid of them soon enough."
"We are not that easy to defeat", Benji stood up as much as his bonds would allow and spat out the words with a deapth of malice that Ethan had never heard from him before . It was, Ethan thought a brave thing to do but he knew it was going to have consequences." It you who is the idiot", he snapped it out in as insulting manner as he could manage hoping to draw Jarrod away from Benji.
But the Sith Lord just glared at him and spat, "pathetic, I hope you don't expect any mercy from either of us". "Brandt scowled at them, "my lord I would love to see them all suffer. Putting up with them has been almost more than I could bare." He sounded like he thought of them as ants as well.
Jarrod laughed hard approaching Benji and staring into his face. "So you think you are not that easy to defeat", he clenched his fist and the bonds around Benji tightened. He could feel it becoming harder to breath as the metal dug into his skin. Ethan and Jane tried to throw more fierce force salvos only to continually have them rebound causing them pain that had them screaming again. Benji's skin went gone from white to dusky pink and now was turning purple. He could feel sharp pain in his lungs like the stabbing of broken glass as his tortured lungs tried vainly to draw in air. It seemed his heartbeat thumped louder in his ears as his panic affected the muscle. Then a detached feeling came over him and he knew that his body was giving up the struggle. Ethan and Jane clearly saw his eyes begin to glaze over and his body sag . Then suddenly the pressure was gone leaving him feeling the pain as oxygen rushed back into his starved system. All the time Brandt had been smiling obviously enjoying the entertainment. He even looked surprised when Jarrod released him. Benji would have no trouble turning on him if he could get free.
"I need you for a test subject otherwise you would be dead", Jarrod told him coldly.
"If you think that was painful it is nothing compared with what the toxin will do to you", Brandt told Benji with a feral grin. "Yes it does some rather interesting things to those who wield the light side of the force", Jarrod announced like he was just saying something mundane." Any ruler needs to eradicate the rats that will infest his population with poisonous ideals. But it is hard when there is so many of them. For years I pondered on how to reduce their numbers all at once. It would have to be quick and decisive . I worked many years ago with using small amounts of poisons for medical uses. On this one little planet I found this rather intriguing plant that effected force abilities. Thus I began to manipulate its DNA so it would only effect those who are light users. It was not an easy task and I needed jedi subjects to test its effectiveness. It is easy enough to find a few stray jedi in the outer rim worlds and have them disappear".
"But their number depleated rapidly meaning I needed to move more farther afield. This one was rather useful in finding more subjects ", he stroked Brandt cheek with one nail. "I only had to use the toxin on him once to allow me to influence his mind. He was quite powerful and it was the only thing that saved him from more experimentation. Instead I recruited him to serve me. He is now my loyal subject and can never be made to serve the light again." He looked at them, "know that the one who was your friend now holds you in contempt". "Now come my apprentice let us get the toxin and end this".
Brandt had moved to stand before Jane while Jarood was speaking, "I guess I won't have time to play with the woman", he remarked. "Maybe just a little", Jarrod told him with a glance in Jane's direction.
"I am sure he can show you all sorts of creative things my dear",he laughed. Jane felt chilled as the sith lords gaze slid over her. The thoughts coming off Brandt were not that much better and she felt deepy afraid.
"Indeed I can", Brandt approached her allowing the bonds holding her to loosen a little. He reached for her and she struggled away trying to hit out with her hands. But they would not move far enough away from her body. "If I get time I'll show you a little room below filled with all sorts of amusing things". Not a place either Hunt of Dunn would go being pure jedi. But I'm sure you'll like it. " Before she could react further Brandt had his arms around her pulling her close. Jane tried to gather some saliva into her mouth to launch at him but found her throat dry.
"Cooperation is much easier Jane", Brandt told her as her locked his lips onto hers. Benji and Ethan could only watch as Brandt held kiss with his lips while his hands moved upon Jane. At one point he dug his hand rather painfully into hers as she tried to resist. Jarrod just watched and laughed. "Enough my apprentice, you may have more time later". Let us go and get the toxin and try it on our subjects".
Brandt pulled abck from Jane though held her eyes with his as he said, "I recommend that one first", he pointed to Ethan," he is the most powerful and in his mind he believes he would never break. His friends can watch and see how wrong that assumption will be."
"Wrong indeed I have broken many jedi fool", Jarrod announced. "You will be the instrument that will wield death on the rest of the jedi. In you mind you will know what you are doing but will not be able to stop yourself. It is a little creative twist".
Jarrod moved to within inches of Ethan, "it's going to hurt jedi and your friend there will have to listen to your screams. " You in turn will have to watch what is going to happen to your companions".He smiled and slid his sharp nails down Ethan's cheek.
Ethan was trying hard to through a force blast Jarrods way but could not even muster a spark of light. Jarrod looked at him like he was pathetic and right now Ethan was agreeing with him.
"I couldn't bring the toxin up with me and expose it to the cold for too long. So you'll have to wait while I go get it", Jarrod told them as he waited until Brandt joined him. The wind began to pick up again blowing hard for several minutes before dying down. When the snow cleared was no sign of Jarrod or Brandt.
Ethan sagged against his bonds and felt despair creep into his being. He was about to find out first hand exactly what Brandt had been through before he was broken. Seconds later he decided he was being selfish, the others were facing just as much as he. Benji was pale but and Ethan could see the traces of tears in his eyes. He turned to Jane fearing what he was going to see on her face.
Below Brandt walked down a corridor cut out of pure stone. On either side were closed metal doors that led to the cells where the test subjects were kept. He stopped in front of one cell recognizing it as his own. Jarrod stopped beside him and reached out his mind probing Brandts thoughts. He felt like usual the support for his work and dedication to eradicating jedi. "What I did only made you stronger Brandt, a more prefect sith. You were the best gift ever enticed here," he praised.
"So you used Master Greden to get myself and my master here", Brandt confirmed. "Indeed, he may have been an old man, but he too was powerful. Too old for an apprentice though or it might have been him instead of you. He resisted the toxin for several hours before it began to take hold. It might have been longer if not for his physical injuries."Still it was strange I never felt him die". Maybe it was an unexpected side effect of the toxin", Jarrod mused. "He was in the cell next to mine and I heard and saw what he suffered", Brandt was saying it like he enjoyed what had happened. Yet in his mind someone was screaming very loudly , "stop, remember who you are. Remember what we both are, I did this to save us both, remember Brandt". It was like a light bulb turning on, a horrible clarity when you can see clearly not only yourself but what you have done. Guilt rushed in upon him only to be held back by that presence that he felt beside his own. He recognised it now as the spirit of Jedi Master Greden that lived inside him, giving him strength and ultimately keeping the darkness away. Now the old man was reasurring him, "he had to believe Brandt and so did the others. But not to worry when you were unable to think I thought for you." I have already acted. Now you must as well."
"Jane," Ethan was staring at her face in horror. Benji disturbed by the tone his friend was using turned toward Jane and immediately saw what had caused the concern, she was smiling. Worried that Brandt had influenced her somehow Ethan began to reach out with his mind. He got an overwhelming sense of peace that was explained seconds later when Jane launched small canister out of her mouth. It flew threw the air and exploded into a fine mist. When his bonds began to dissolve seconds later Ethan began to realize that the canister could only have come from Brandt. He must have transferred it from his mouth to hers during the kiss.
Benji was blinking, "but he wasn't faking, I could sense that". Ethan had sensed it as well and been totally convinced at Brandt's conversion. "Well if we never saw it coming then neither will Jarrod".
"I hope he doesn't, otherwise we are all still in trouble", Jane remarked with a shudder.
Ethan rolled his eyes at her, "gosh Jane when will you stop stating the obvious".
Jane glared at him, "when it is Brandt and not Jarrod that joins us", she retorted.
When she saw Ethan bite his lip at that she began to wonder. Benji too picked up the doubt that circled through his friends mind. 'What is it Ethan", he asked. "Just that I don't think Brandt intends to rejoin us, that is why he has led Jarrod away. He is giving us a chance to get away while he dies stopping Jarrod'.
Benji saw and felt the truth in that statement. After all he had suffered Brandt would defintely go out fighting rather than live with the torture of knowing what he had allowed to be done to them. He thought he knew how Ethan felt about that but asked in a testing manner, "so we are leaving". He got the reply he had thought when Ethan engaged his lightsaber and yelled, "not bloody likely".