CHAPTER NINETEEN
"Well," said the Sith Master, "it seems you have been lucky once again, brother."
"Don't call me that," said Gar-Ren-Jedi. "You are not my brother."
"Just as well," said the Sith Master. "I am beyond such mundane terms, anyway. I am stronger in the Force than father ever dreamed possible. Or than you ever dreamed possible."
"Your power comes from evil," said Gar-Ren-Jedi. "It can only destroy you in the end."
"No, it won't," said the Sith Master. "It will make me a god. I will use the Force to make myself live forever. Each day I become more powerful. It is inevitable that I will take my rightful place among the gods themselves."
Gar-Ren-Jedi reached out with his mind. He tried to envelope the mind of the Sith Master. To hold him paralyzed as he had the two Sith Padowan whom Vain had ordered to kill him, Grimm, and Taul. As he did, he felt a strong resistance coming from the Sith Master.
"That will not work with me," said the Sith Master. "I am not a weak willed fool as those Padowan were. No force in the galaxy can match my power."
He raised his hands and fired lightning bolts into Gar-Ren-Jedi's chest. Gar-Ren-Jedi was flung to the floor, fire burning in his chest. The Sith Master flashed the lightning again, and again the fire burned in Gar-Ren-Jedi.
"Did you honestly think the pathetic little skills that father taught us could compare to the power of the Dark Side of the Force?" asked the Sith Master. "You have no comprehension of the power of the Dark Side. Nothing can stand against it."
He raised his hands again. Gar-Ren-Jedi knew that he could not withstand many more attacks like that. With everything he could summon within himself, he tapped into the Force. Raising his hands, he cast the power at the Sith Master.
Lightning bolted from his fingertips, striking the Sith Master in the chest. It forced the Sith Master back several steps. The Sith Master did not falter, however. He remained on his feet facing his former brother. Gar-Ren-Jedi rose to his knees. Still stunned and groggy from the Sith Master's attacks, he was off balance.
Again the Sith Master flashed his power. Again it burned into Gar-Ren-Jedi's chest. Gar-Ren-Jedi flashed his power back, but the Sith Master was able to avoid the blast. He simply brushed it aside as if it were a bothersome insect and the power exploded on the wall beyond. Once more, the Sith Master fired his power into Gar-Ren-Jedi.
Gar-Ren-Jedi was unable to focus. Try as he might, he could not bring the Force to bear to protect himself. The Sith Master moved up to him and stared down. An evil smile crossed his face.
"Well, brother," said the Sith Master, "it appears our battle is at an end. This end was inevitable. I will miss you, brother. It is a shame you would not join me. We could have ruled the galaxy together."
Gar-Ren-Jedi raised his arms, trying to draw on the Force for protection. His mind would not focus. He could not draw power from the Force. The Sith Master raised his hands and Gar-Ren-Jedi knew that he was about to die.
Suddenly an object struck the Sith Master in the right shoulder, sending him faltering backward. Gar-Ren-Jedi looked toward the doors to the audience hall; the direction from where the object had come.
Pell and Grimm stood over the bodies of the Sith Lords they had been fighting. Grimm had several fresh cuts and his robes were in tatters. He was in a position that suggested he had just thrown something.
Gar-Ren-Jedi looked at the Sith Master again. The Sith Master was holding his right shoulder and his right arm dangled at his side. The hilt of a dagger stuck out of his right shoulder.
"It would seem," he said, "that you get a reprieve for the moment." He pulled the dagger out of his shoulder and threw it to the floor. "Your friends seem to have bested my Sith Lords."
Almost casually, he turned and moved back up to the throne. He seated himself in the throne and sat smiling at the three men. Gar-Ren-Jedi rose to his feet, his head beginning to clear. Grimm and Pell moved up and stood next to him.
"It seems I have underestimated you yet again," said the Sith Master. "That is a flaw I must correct in the future."
"You'll not have that chance," said Grimm. "There can be but one outcome here today. Your death."
"Oh, I am afraid I shall have to disappoint you there," said the Sith Master. "Do you honestly think I would not have a plan for my escape prepared? The Darth Guard taught me many things. One is to be prepared for any contingency."
He reached down with his left hand and pressed a hidden button on the arm of the throne. The throne slid silently downward, a stone slab closing over the opening.
Grimm and Pell ran to where the throne had been only moments before. They tried with all their strength to pry open the stone slab, but it would budge. Finally, Grimm used the Force to break the slab open. A passage led down below the palace. Grimm and Pell hurried into the passage after the Sith Master.
Gar-Ren-Jedi moved over and checked Sell-Nar. His body was already beginning to turn cold. He then moved over to Taul. The large Darth Knight was still alive. It was apparent that not even the Force could save the man. The dagger still stuck out of his chest, blood seeping into the brown robes. Gar-Ren-Jedi cradled the man's head in his lap.
"Do not grieve for me, my friend," gasped the Darth Knight. "My sacrifice is not in vain." His body spasmed. "We have defeated the Sith Master. You should be able to find and finish him easily."
"Quiet, my friend," said Gar-Ren-Jedi. "We'll get some help for you."
"You are a poor liar," said Taul. "We both know I am dying. It is an honorable death. As a Darth Knight, I could ask for no more than that."
He coughed and spat up blood. His body spasmed again once, then he lay quiet. A tear fell from Gar-Ren-Jedi's eye.
Grimm and Pell moved back up the passage and stood over Gar-Ren-Jedi and Taul. Neither said a word. When they saw the body of their fallen leader, both felt tears well up in their eyes.
"The passage below the throne," said Grimm, "leads to a tunnel I never knew existed. I don't know where it leads."
Suddenly, several Elite Guardsmen, led by Captain Kil-Ten, charged into the room, swords drawn. Pell and Grimm turned to face the new threat. Although they did not consider the Elite Guard their enemy, they would defend themselves.
Grimm sidestepped a swing by one of the Guardsman, then struck back with his lightsaber. The man brought his left arm up to shield the blow. Gar-Ren-Jedi knew it would be a futile gesture. The lightsaber would slice through bracer, and the man's arm, as if they were nothing more than wisps of smoke.
The lightsaber connected with the shield-bracer; and bounced off. The reaction startled the Darth Knight. Never before had the lightsaber failed to cut through any material, save that of another lightsaber blade.
Pell had the same response when he defended against another of the Elite Guardsman. He was able to evade the attacks by the Guardsmen, but his lightsaber simply bounced off
the shield-bracer. Both Knights stepped back a couple of steps to get better positioning against their opponents.
The two Knights were facing two guardsmen each. The Darth were better swordsmen than the Guardsmen. Facing two opponents made it just that much more difficult to fight. Ordinarily it would not have been a problem. With the added advantage that the Guardsmen could defend against the lightsabers, the Knights knew they were in for a tough fight.
Gar-Ren-Jedi watched as the Knights and the Guardsmen sliced and parried. Anger welled up in him as he surveyed the bodies of the men lying about the room. They had achieved their objective. They had gotten into the palace without detection. The Sith Lords had taken them to the Sith Master. They had come so close to destroying the Sith Master. Now, all their preparations had fallen apart. Suddenly, he rose to his feet. He turned to face the six warriors.
"Enough," he shouted.
The sound of his voice carried to all areas of the audience hall and out into the corridor beyond. He had screamed so loudly that even the clang of the weapons paled in comparison.
The six men stopped their attacks against each other and turned to face Gar-Ren-Jedi. He stood there trembling, rage rising up in him like a malevolent creature, threatening to consume him.
"We are not your enemies," he shouted to the Guardsmen. "We have defeated the Sith Master, but he still lives. If you want your people to be free, you need to stop fighting us and face the real threat. The Sith Lords are the enemy here. If you cannot see that, you are as blind as they are."
Grimm and Pell were still facing the Elite Guardsmen. All the men were in defensive positions; ready to resume their attacks. Each stood facing Gar-Ren-Jedi, looking at him as if were a madman.
Grimm looked first at Gar-Ren-Jedi, then at Captain Kil-Ten. He then looked at Pell and the other Guardsmen. Even though he did not consider the Guardsmen his enemy, the years of training he had endured had taken over. He sought to best his opponents as he had his entire life. Suddenly, he deactivated his lightsaber and lowered it.
"Captain Kil-Ten," he said, "what Gar-Ren-Jedi says is true. We are not your enemies. We sought to stop the Sith Master and his minions so that the people might live free from fear. They do not attack with blasters and swords. They seek to enslave the people through political subterfuge. Are the Elite Guard so blind to political intrigue that they cannot see the danger which the Sith Master and his followers pose to the province?"
Kil-Ten had not lowered his sword. Neither had any of the other Elite Guard. The Captain stood poised, ready to strike down the Darth Knight. He was defending the palace and the ruler of the province. It was his duty to protect this charge, even though he should forfeit his life in doing so. It was a price he would gladly pay if it meant safeguarding those entrusted with his protection.
He stood looking at the Dearth Knights and Gar-Ren-Jedi. The sounds of blaster fire and the clash of lightsabers could be heard reverberating through the palace halls. The Darth Knights' attack on the palace continued beyond the audience hall.
Suddenly Kil-Ten lowered his sword. He stood looking at the Darth Knight for several long seconds. Then he turned to his men and ordered them to lower their weapons as well.
"I am not blind," said Kil-Ten. "And if the leader of the Darth Knights says we are not enemies, his word is good enough for me.
"I have seen the danger presented by the Sith Master and the Sith Lords. We have never had proof that they had ever done anything to endanger the province."
"Surely," said Grimm, "you have heard the rumors of what they have done?"
"Rumors," responded Kil-Ten, "are not proof. I know that the Sith Master and his followers are a danger to the province. Until now, we had not thought anyone could stand against the Sith Master and the Sith Lords. Now, we see that the Sith Lords can be bested. We can defeat the Sith Master as well."
Suddenly, the doors to the front of the palace burst open and Soll, along with several Darth Knights, burst into the hallway. Lightsabers raised, they moved down the hallway toward the audience hall.
Several Elite Guardsmen moved in from intersecting corridors, intercepting the Darth. Each of the Guardsmen had the special bracers which seemed to negate the damage of the lightsaber blade. Badly outnumbering the Darth, the Elite Guard would soon destroy Soll and the other Knights.
Suddenly, several women moved in from an adjoining hallway. Gar-Ren-Jedi decided these women must be the ones whom Taul and Grimm had arranged to replace the regular staff. The women moved in to engage the Elite Guard.
The women were doing more than simply harassing the Elite Guardsmen. To Gar-Ren-Jedi's surprise, each of the women brandished a lightsaber. They fought with nearly the same skill as the Darth Knights. With the aid of the women, it was an even match between the Knights and the Elite Guard.
As quickly as he could, Darth Grimm stepped into the hallway between the Elite Guardsmen in the audience hall and the combatants in the hallway. Kil-Ten moved alongside the Knight as they advanced on the melee.
"The fight is over," announced Grimm. "Captain Kil-Ten is not our enemy. They have joined us."
"Guardsmen," shouted Kil-Ten, "put up your weapons. We have vanquished the Sith Master and his Sith Lords."
The group continued to fight for several seconds. Then one by one, they pulled back from the fray and stood ready. Looking around, they saw the Darth Knight leader and the Captain of the Elite Guard standing side by side. Within seconds all fighting had ceased.
"Well, Captain," said Grimm, "at least we seemed to have brought a truce to our troops."
"I never knew there were any female Darth," said Gar-Ren-Jedi, moving into the hallway to stand beside the two men.
"There aren't," said Grimm. "Not officially, anyway." He motioned to a young woman with waist length blonde hair standing at the forefront of the combatants. "My daughter always showed interest in my work. Over the years, she has learned a great deal. I even taught her the use of the lightsaber as a form of exercise.
"A couple of years ago, she confided in me that she had taught many of her friends it's use. I was angry at first. I soon decided she had done no real harm.
"When you told us of your plan about attacking the palace, Taul and I discussed it. We felt that having them in here might give us an added advantage. When I talked with my daughter about it, she and her friends were more than happy to aid us in any way they could."
"Quickly," said Gar-Ren-Jedi to Kil-Ten, "do you know where the passage under the throne leads?"
"It leads to a secret passage out of the palace," said Kil-Ten. "If I'm not mistaken, it leads to the landing port outside of town."
"By all that's holy," said Grimm. "The ship with the new hyperdrive sits at the landing port. If he makes it to that ship, he can escape to anywhere in the galaxy."
"Then we'd better hurry," said Gar-Ren-Jedi. "What's the fastest way to the landing port?"
"I can lead you there," said Grimm.
The group of Darth Knights and Elite Guard hurried out into the street in the hope that they would reach the spaceship before the Sith Master did. According to Kil-Ten, the passage led to a secret entrance just outside the palace. Apparently the Sith Master had the passage constructed only a couple of years ago.
The passage twisted and turned before it exited. With a little luck, they could reach the landing port before the Sith Master did. Then it would be a simple matter to put an end to him once and for all.