Ch. 21
As Tal destroyed the last Jedi-Hunter droids, he motioned Miranda and Melissa to follow him; they were getting close to the main propulsion systems. However, something was making Tal uneasy; he knew that Malkovich was aware of their plans at that point, yet security was thinning out. Tal was very well aware that he hadn't killed everyone, so something didn't add up; he knew they were walking into a trap, so he was careful to keep his guard up. The three eventually found the propulsion systems, and saw that the room was surprisingly empty.
"Keep you're guard up…this doesn't seem right." Tal said, and he began exploring the room, while Miranda began punching in hyperspace coordinates into the main navi-computer.
Suddenly, in the center of the room, a figure began distorting into vision, revealing itself to be a large mechanical device of some kind, armed with blasters, rockets, and an individual shield generator. Tal turned around when he heard the machine move, and saw that it was actually a mechanical suit, being controlled by none other than Malkovich.
"Malkovich…finally decided to come out of hiding, have you?" Tal asked, and Malkovich just looked at the Jedi with a smug look.
"I'll admit Tal; I'm impressed. I didn't think anyone would be able to beat my weapons. But you've proven me wrong…that's never happened before." Malkovich said, and Tal smirked.
"I guess you're not as smart as you'd like to think, though, I think that was proven when you thought you could take me down." Tal said as he activated his lightsaber.
"You may have beaten my other creations, but this suit I'm wearing is Jedi-proof; a Cortosis lined energy shield that will protect me from both your lightsaber, and Force Lightning, and my magnetic feet will keep you from using the Force to toss me around like a ragdoll." Adam said, and suddenly, a helmet rose from the back of the suit, and covered his head as the energy shield he mentioned appeared from the shield generator. However, nothing Malkovich said scared Tal, which was shown as he charged the mad scientist with his lightsaber raised.
Tal swung down at Malkovich, but the blade of his lightsaber stopped at the shield as it made contact, and suddenly, the lightsaber shorted out and deactivated; Malkovich was telling the truth; the shield was lined with Cortosis somehow. Tal was distracted long enough to allow Malkovich punch him, sending Tal flying back a few feet, before sliding on the ground. Tal quickly stood back up, and realized that his lightsaber was useless, so he threw the hilt to the side, and charged at Malkovich, ready to fight him with his bare hands. An energy shield could stop an attack like Force Lightning, but it couldn't stop a solid object, like a fist. Tal's punch landed square in the center of Malkovich's helmet, knocking him back. But Malkovich quickly recovered, and aimed his arm-mounted rocket launcher at Tal, and fired three rockets at him. Tal avoided the first one by ducking, and he dodged the second one by doing a back flip. However, he realized that was a mistake, because it left him vulnerable for the third missile, which hit him square in the head.
Meanwhile, Miranda covered Melissa's eyes as the missile hit Tal, not wanting her to see any gory details. When Miranda looked at Tal however, she was surprised to see him slowly get back up, amazed that he was still alive. That's when she realized; the Mandalorian Iron still had some strength left in it, but the helmet itself was severely damaged; most of the metal was crinkled and cracked, and the visor had a large crack on it as well. But Miranda noticed that Malkovich was completely distracted by Tal, and apparently didn't notice her presence.
"Melissa, stay here. I've got to do something important; do NOT leave this spot and reveal yourself to Malkovich, understand?" Miranda said, and Melissa nodded as Miranda made a mad dash towards the navi-computer. However, Malkovich heard Miranda's footsteps, turned around, and began firing his wrist-mounted laser cannons at her, making her dive for cover at the corner of the console, which barely protected her from the blaster fire.
As Tal began to collect his bearings, he could tell that his helmet was too badly damaged from the missile explosion to function properly, and the crack in the visor made it near impossible for him to see, so he was left with no choice but to remove it, the first time he's had to, outside of his personal life-support sphere aboard his flagship. Tal then threw the damaged helmet to the side, and saw that Malkovich was firing at Miranda, so Tal rushed Malkovich, and punched him in the face again, and continued to do so repeatedly, until there were several dents in it. With a final uppercut, Tal was actually able to knock Malkovich's helmet off his head.
Meanwhile, although Melissa was told to remain in hiding, she was too scared for her mother, so she ran from her hiding space, hoping to make sure her mother was safe.
"Melissa! Don't!" Miranda warned, but it was too late; Malkovich noticed Melissa, and was ready to take her out. Malkovich then grabbed Tal and threw him onto the ground, head first, and then punched him in the gut, hoping that would stun the Jedi long enough to allow him to kill Melissa; Malkovich turned around and aimed his rocket launcher at Melissa, and fired a rocket at her. Miranda reached out for her daughter, but she knew she couldn't reach her daughter in time; the missile was too fast. Melissa tried to use her powers to protect her, but even she wasn't that powerful enough, yet. Tal also reached out his hand towards Melissa, and time itself seemed to slow down as the missile got closer. Suddenly, Tal raised his arm in the air, and the missile shot up, and began flying towards the ceiling; he was able to get a grip on the missile, just in time to save Melissa's life. Tal then jumped back up, and while Malkovich prepped another rocket, Tal grabbed Malkovich's arm with the Force, and moved it away from both Melissa and Miranda. As Malkovich struggled to regain control of his arm, Tal balled his hand into a fist, and used the Force to crush the mechanical arm of Malkovich's suit, crushing his actual arm in turn.
"ARRRRRRGH!" Malkovich screamed in pain, but Tal wasn't done; with a swift motion of his arm, he tore the suit's arm off, causing Malkovich's arm to be torn out of its socket as well, causing Malkovich to scream even louder. As Malkovich got on his knees, the pain too much to bear, Tal gripped a nearby computer console, and ripped it off from the ground, and threw it at Malkovich; the computer rolled off of him, and hit the shield generator on his armor, knocking it off, and deactivating the shield. With nothing but durasteel being Malkovich's only protection, Tal reached out with the Force and brought his lightsaber to him, and pressing the activator. With a snap-hiss, the lightsaber came to life; it was functioning properly again. Tal then made a final charge at Malkovich, and with a quick swing of his blade, made a mortal slash across the scientist's chest.
Looking down at his wound, Malkovich realized that he had lost, and fell to the ground, where he struggled for breath as Tal stood over him.
"It's over Malkovich; you lost." Tal said as he put his lightsaber away.
"That's…what you think…Jedi…but I…already sent the…information…that my master…wanted…the ability to…make clones…Force Sensitive…the new Jedi-Hunter droid schematics…and…the schematics for this armor…" Malkovich struggled to say as he gasped for air. "My master…will destroy the…Jedi…and I…I…" Malkovich said, but he couldn't bring the word up.
"You will be forgotten, and Sidious will fall, just as you have." Tal said, and Malkovich tried to argue, but as he drew on his last breath, his head fell and his mouth dropped; he only had a few breaths left, and couldn't speak.
Tal then turned around, and saw that Miranda was hugging Melissa tightly, obviously relieved that her daughter was safe, again.
"Melissa…don't you ever scare me like that again! I told you to stay in hiding; from now on, do what I tell you!" Miranda said, but she was overjoyed to be mad at Melissa, and she just hanged onto her as Tal walked over. "Tal…thank you, for saving my daughter, again." Miranda said, and Tal nodded, and that's when she noticed that Tal wasn't wearing his helmet. "Are you…going to be okay?" Miranda asked, and Tal nodded again.
"Yeah, for awhile; my lungs can handle the strain for about two hours before I have to rely on my armor again…but without my helmet being able to regulate the systems, I'll be…" Tal started, but he looked down at Melissa, and covered her ears tightly before finishing his sentence. "…screwed." He finished, and he took his hands off of Melissa's ears, and patted her head.
"Well then, we better hurry and get out of here. But first, let me set the station towards that black hole." Miranda said, and she went to the navi-computer, and punched in the coordinates, and that's when Tal remembered an important AI.
"Wait…what happened to Adam; he was still in my suit's computer when I got hit by that missile." Tal asked, and suddenly, the computer console flashed blue.
"I am here Tal; I launched myself into this computer right before the missile hit. I am pleased to see that you are well." Adam said, and Tal smiled.
"I'm glad you got out of there Adam; things might get more difficult without you around." Tal said.
"Indeed. Though, I fear that I won't be of much help to you, now that I can't keep you updated on situations on this station." Adam said as Tal picked up his damaged helmet and clipped it to his belt.
"That won't matter now Adam; this station is about to be sent into a black hole, and then we won't need those updates. I'm just worried that we'll have to leave you here." Tal admitted, but Adam had a plan.
"Don't be concerned Tal; we're close enough to the hanger that I can program myself onto a shuttle, while remaining anchored to your suit's computer, and wait for you and the Barnes' family to arrive." Adam explained, and Tal felt relieved.
"Well, that's good. Go ahead and wait on us; we'll be there in a couple of minutes." Tal said, and Adam disappeared.
"We better hurry; we have ten minutes until the station enters hyperspace." Miranda said, picking up Melissa, and the two ran out of the room, and dashed towards the hanger.
After Tal and Miranda left the navigation room, Malkovich struggled to move, as he crawled to a nearby computer. Using his arm to get him on his knees, Malkovich looked at the computer console, and struggled to key in his last command.
"You…won't beat me…Ordo…" Malkovich struggled, and he pressed one final button.
"All contained life-forms released. Destination; main hanger." The computer announced, and Malkovich smiled, thinking that he had won.
When Tal and Miranda entered the hanger, there was a single shuttle in there, and its access hatch opened, meaning that Adam was in control of it. However, he knew something wasn't right; he could sense it. Suddenly, Tal could hear a familiar screeching noise; he turned around, and saw a part of the wall in front of him turning orange, meaning something was burning through it. Before Tal could realize what it was however, it was too late; RDLY flew through the opening it created with its flame breath, and stared down at Tal with bloodlust.
"Tal!" Miranda yelled, noticing RDLY, and knowing what Tal was thinking. "Tal! You have to come on! We can still get out of here!" Miranda yelled, but Tal knew better; so he activated his lightsaber, and got ready for a fight. However, RDLY turned his attention to Miranda, hearing her yell, began staring her down, and nosedived towards her.
Miranda was surprised at RDLY's sudden attack, but she managed to pull out her stun pistol, and fire off three shots, all which made her mark. Unfortunately, this RDLY was also wore Phrik armor, so her shots did nothing. Miranda then pushed Melissa out of the way, as RDLY landed right in front of the doctor, and swung his razor sharp tail at her. Miranda was sent flying across the hanger, and slammed against a wall mid-flight, and she hit the ground with a large thud.
"No!" Tal yelled, and Melissa saw what happened to her mother as well.
"MOMMY!" Melissa yelled, and she ran to where Miranda had landed, only to find her mother unconscious, and a deep gash across her chest, where RDLY's tail had hit her. Melissa was too distracted by the state her mother was in to notice how close RDLY was to her, until she was already in the monsters hand, squeezing her tightly. However, RDLY didn't realize that what he had just done made Tal furious.
"LET HER GO!" Tal yelled, and he charged at RDLY, and tackled the giant creature, making him lose his grip on Melissa, and sent RDLY flying into a wall. Tal then started punching RDLY in its face as hard as he could, repeatedly knocking its head into the wall. Tal then jumped back, and began attacking RDLY with Force Lightning, and the beast howled in pain. As RDLY raised up as it tried to escape Tal's onslaught, Tal dashed forward, and attacked the lock on RDLY's armor, like he did the last time, and the armor fell after the lock was destroyed. Tal knew that his opponent would be faster without its armor, but he was ready for it this time; RDLY nosedived at Tal, hoping to catch him off guard, but Tal countered by using the Force to grip its wings, stopping RDLY in its tracks. Using his anger to give him strength, Tal literally tore both of RDLY's wings off with the Force, causing it to screech in pain again, but this time, much louder. Tal allowed RDLY to hit the ground, and it landed with a thud. Tal then dashed towards RDLY, and slashed its neck with his lightsaber, and then stabbed it in the back. Tal finished the battle by driving the blade down RDLY's spine, while it was still in its back, and sent it straight to the monsters head, killing it.
Tal had realized that his anger had made him touch the Dark Side, and he quickly calmed down because of it, which allowed him to remember Miranda. Tal ran to where the doctor had landed, in hopes of reviving her, but when he saw Miranda and the state she was in, he knew there was no hope for her, and Melissa was in tears.
"Mommy…" Melissa cried, and Miranda raised her and began stroking Melissa's cheek.
"It's…going to be okay…sweetheart…" Miranda lied, and she looked at Tal, and motioned him to get closer. "Tal…please…before I go…I want you to promise me…you'll take care…of Melissa for me…" Miranda pleaded, and Tal wanted to reject, and try to revive her, but he knew there was no point; she wasn't going to make it, much to Tal's disappointment. "Thank…you…you're…the only one…I trust with…her life." Miranda said, and with that, she gave off her final breath; she was dead.
Both Tal and Melissa were greatly saddened by the turn of events, but it was more evident on Melissa, because her face was covered with her tears. Tal wanted to mourn Miranda's death, but he knew they didn't have time; so Tal snatched up Melissa and dashed towards the shuttle.
"Adam! Get us out of here!" Tal ordered, and the access hatch closed behind them, and the shuttle shot out of the hanger.
"Tal; this shuttle doesn't have enough fuel in it to make it to Republic space before your lungs fail. I'm sending off a distress signal; hopefully, the Republic will find it in time, so they can get you to a proper medical facility." Adam said, but Tal's main focus was consoling Melissa about the loss of her mother.
Meanwhile, Anakin Skywalker was keeping an eye on the Unknown Regions, after receiving information from Ahsoka, and was making sure his fleet picked up any distress signal coming from the area, when Admiral Yularen walked over to him.
"Uhh…sir, if I may; why are you so focused on the Unknown Regions? There's nothing there that's of any importance to the Republic." Yularen asked.
"I have reason to believe that we'll receive a distress call from there; I want to make sure we're ready." Anakin said, and Obi-wan stepped forward.
"But how can you be so sure of this Anakin?" Obi-wan asked.
"I have my reasons, master. Just trust me." Anakin said, and all of a sudden, one of the clones running the communications relay ran over to the two Jedi.
"General Skywalker; we're receiving a distress call coming from the edge of the Unknown Regions!" The clone announced, and Anakin smiled.
"Admiral; get the fleet ready for a pick-up! We need to get to that signal!" Anakin ordered, and Yularen saluted as he got the fleet ready to move.