Chapter 35
The stars were coming out now, faint pinpricks of light, light that might have been coming from stars that were far away ad long dead. Here, in the middle of nowhere, the night sky was not simply something black and empty, it didn't look like the endless void that it was. No, here, the sky was full of millions upon millions of stars, the black taken up by luminous gas clouds that shone with vibrant colors, making small the distance between them. Overhead hung the silvery disk of a moon which bathed the world in shades of grey from dull white to inky black that limited vision to a couple dozen feet. Or at least it would have been for an ordinary human being. For Vader, things looked slightly different. Even with all the technology that was nonfunctional in his helmet, the lenses in his mask still did their jobs. He could see far into the depths of the forest until trees obscured his view and his unending search for the canines that threatened at every moment.
Behind him, the river bubbled and gurgled and roared where it raced passed the rapids, but he ignored it, filtering out that noise, focusing his attention on the other side of the miniscule islet. There was some color cast into the world, their bonfire painting a red tinge on everything touched by its warm light. Some people were blind enough to think that fire was beautiful, entrancing. Vader knew better. Fire was pain and danger, it deceived and lured with the hope of warmth. Fire was deadly. In this instance however, fire was their protector, much to his dismay. Without it, the night would be dark indeed.
Without turning his gaze away from the looming forest, he threw another log on the fire. It instantly began to hiss and crackle noisily as the water inside of it evaporated. Thick clouds of smoke floated past him, but the mask kept both the pollutants and the acrid stench out of his already smoke and fire-damaged lungs. Ferus was not so lucky. On the other side of the fire, Vader heard him coughing and saw out of the corner of his eye the man flapping his hands in a vain and idiotic effort to diffuse the smoke. Vader smiled slightly at his displeasure. Of all the Jedi that could have possibly crashed with him on a planet, what were the odds that it would have been the one and only Ferus Olin? There were very small, infinitesimal, he was sure, and yet, there he was.
His hands clenched into fists as the dark lord returned his attention to the woods and the danger that lurked there. If given half a chance, he would have strangled the ex-Jedi's neck right there. He was useless anyway, getting rid of him wouldn't decrease their chances of survival, it might actually increase them because they wouldn't have to drag him along. If only he could convince Barriss of that piece of logic.
Ferus Olin.
They were both around the same age and had gone on several missions as Padawans together, but that had not made them get along any better. Ferus had been everything, had everything that Anakin had lacked. He had been poised, calm, confidant, responsible. He had been one of the most promising Jedi at the Temple and he had never really trusted Anakin. He had always talked down to him as though he was superior somehow. All the masters had adored that calm, focused Padawan. It had been almost a happy moment for him when Ferus had decided to leave, though it was tainted with gilt and sorrow. It had been the death of one of their mutual friends that had sparked the decision. Her lightsaber had failed at just the wrong moment. He had always blamed Ferus for not helping her fix it properly, but he had known, known that it would backfire at some point, and Anakin had done nothing. He pushed the memory away from him, locking it somewhere where he hoped he wouldn't ever have to see it again.
That wasn't his life.
A motion suddenly caught his blankly staring gaze, he saw a darting shape that signified that at least one of the monsters was lurking in the shadows. He straightened, mechanical muscles whirring and clicking quietly beneath the suit. So far, he had seen several of them. Most had been further away than this brave beast that dared to come close enough that he saw the fire reflected in its eyes. Still, this one didn't dare to cross the river. Perhaps it knew that this prey wasn't worth the risk, that it would take too much effort. Whatever it was, he was glad. Vader didn't really want to fight them right now. Not when half of their party was asleep and Ferus was utterly useless with his broken leg. He knew that the creatures could attack very fast if they wanted to, a pack could be on him before he could wake up Arden. Besides, she needed more sleep that he did, she needed to heal. Any fighting that she would be able to do would be very, very minimal with her ankle anyway. He took his eyes off of the darkness to check on her.
Eclipse was curled up as close to him as she could be, curled up into a ball, a frown on her face. She was dreaming, and not a good one, he thought. She was twitching spasmodically, her fists clenching and unclenching, her muscles tightening and loosening, her feet scattering pebbles which clattered around her. Vader hovered in indecision, wondering if he should just wake her up. If only their minds were connected, then he wouldn't be having this problem. He could just take away her dreams and let her sleep without the memories that haunted her.
Vader turned his eyes back towards the forest, but the beast was gone. Instead, he looked up towards the moon which was still rising in the starlight sky. Perhaps when it got halfway up he would wake her. He didn't need as much sleep as a regular human, but he did still need it on occasion, however, the ever present threat of nightmares hung over him, dampening the inclination to catch sleep where he could. Even slightly tired, especially slightly tired, watch was boring, he had forgotten how boring it really was, especially when your enemy showed no inclination to attack. It wasn't like he had anything in the way of conversation -decent or no- either. If it was Arden he was sitting watch with, it would have been a far more interesting night, but he wasn't about to start up a conversation with Ferus. He wouldn't have answered Ferus even if he did talk which seemed increasingly unlikely as the minutes passed.
He stayed up for the rest of the night, not talking to Barriss either when she was awoken half way through the night. Instead of waking Arden as the moon reached its half-way point, he reached into his belt and pulled out a stim instead, feeling alertness seep into him as it made its way into his blood system
They weren't attacked at any point throughout the night. He began to wish that he beast would attack already instead of just wandering up to the banks and fading out into the blackness again. He did hear and see some other creatures as they came near the water to drink, but the fire ensured that they kept their distance. These canines seemed to be one of the few violent creatures on this world, and for that he was glad, even if it was boring.
Eventually, the stars began to fade again, the sky became indigo and then grey and then orange and pink. As the sun came up he allowed the fire to grow lower and lower, their stock pile of wood all but gone. The world came back to life as color returned to the world. Vader watched as the monsters disappeared into the inky shades and no more appeared to take their place. Once that happened, he decided that it was time for them to begin to leave. They needed to travel as far as they could; the faster they could get off of this blasted, Force-scorned world, the better. He reached down, shaking Eclipse's shoulder. She leapt up as suddenly as if he had given her and electric shock. She clambered up to her feet swiftly, without thinking and he saw her face whiten suddenly as she put her full weight on her ankle again. She fell back down, Vader's arm reaching out for her too slowly, but he pulled her to her feet and held her until she regained her balance. She nodded at him in thanks, wincing as gravel fell from her.
Her face grew more defensive and closed as she looked around, glaring at the Jedi across from the smoldering embers of their dying camp fire. Barriss was waking up Ferus and Syann, paying little and less attention to Eclipse. "Why didn't you wake me?" She asked suddenly, a bite of annoyance entering her voice.
"You were tired," He said, hating that he came across as defensive.
"I had fallen asleep before, I wanted to do this!" She exclaimed, running her fingers through her hair in frustration.
"You're injured." He said, turning towards the others. Their attention at been drawn towards him as soon as he had opened his mouth. Arden looked ready to retort, but with everyone watching, she said nothing. Instead, she gave him a sidelong glare and began to look around, squinting at the sun. He wished that she could understand that he only wanted what was best for her, that he was just trying to help. But their minds were separate, two parallel universes, so close and yet so very far away. If only there weren't rips in this damn suit, then he could walk right into the river and feel the Force himself, but he was unwilling to risk the technology that kept him moving forwards, that kept him alive, at least until situations became very dire indeed. Vader wanted to start moving right away, but, to his annoyance, he could hear the quiet rumbling of Arden's empty stomach. Normal beings needed food regularly, he had to remember that, especially in this situations. He had to remember that she was far more fragile that he was. Arden looked over her shoulder at him, but he had no idea of what threads were twisting through her mind, so he just looked back, taking in her injuries, assessing her.
After a couple moments of empty silence and stares, his apprentice rolled her eyes and sighed, spinning around to limp towards the river. She began to wash herself again, keeping her clothes on and rinsing out her hair. The others followed suit, everyone that was, except Ferus. The ex-Jedi turned to him, and even before he could open his mouth, Vader tensed in dismay.
"What was in that survival bag?" Ferus inquired, searching with his eyes for the black sack that had been discarded some time ago. Upon closer inspection, there had been almost nothing of value in it, no water injections and broken food injections, no thermal blankets or signal flares or comlinks, only a simple fire started that was now being housed in his belt. Vader didn't feel the need to respond, instead standing there, staring down at Ferus with hate in his eyes, buried behind his mask. Ferus managed to hold it for a while, but soon he gave up. He gave Vader a laughable glare and tottered around to join Barriss and Syann in the water. Eclipse washed herself somewhat further down the river, watching the others with suspicion layering her bright blue gaze. Vader just stood there and watched.
With horrible suddenness, Arden gave a shriek and disappeared, slipping beneath the surface of the water, disappearing in an instant. Vader's heart began to pound, leaping into his throat and he began to run as fast as he could along their islet until it came to an abrupt end in a narrow strip of gravel. Without hesitating, he began to wade through the shallows, paying no mind at how close the water was coming to the rents in his armor. The Jedi contingent began to slosh through the water as well, even Ferus who staggered along on his splinted leg and sticks.
For what felt like an eternity, he saw only the river, heard nothing but the splashing and the bubbling water as it roared between the banks. Wild panic filled him. He couldn't lose her. He wouldn't She was supposed to be safe now, if she was going to die, he would have gotten a vision of this instead of Arden falling out of the cargo bay. He couldn't be alone again.
To his sudden joy, he felt a consciousness brush up against his mind, a million galaxies of thought rushing past his own. I'm here. A voice whispered, faint as a dream, but he couldn't respond, trapped inside his own head. With a rush of water, in the middle of the rapids, Eclipse floated up to the surface. She flailed and thrashed for a moment before she realized she had reached the surface. She made her way towards him and he grabbed her body, pulling her to him without getting himself any deeper into the water. The presence in his mind vanished as though someone had turned off the lights. Eclipse sat in the shallows, coughing and choking on the water that she had gotten into her lungs. Blood trickled down her face, new cuts and bruises dotting her face and arms. She looked up at him, but he couldn't hold her, not with the Jedi coming up to them. The best he could do was to pull her to her feet.
"I'm alright," Eclipse breathed softly, saving him from asking, but Vader didn't believe her. Her limp was more pronounced than ever, behind her the water was tinged with dispersing trails of red that floated from her ankle. Cuts wept all over her from the sharp rocks she had been slammed against whilst caught in the undertow. Her lip was split in a couple of places. She was clearly not alright, but what could he actually do to help? He was worse than useless at healing. That had been the one thing that Anakin had never been able to do, the only thing that, in the end, really seemed to matter
Barriss finally caught up to them, watching Eclipse with dark, cautious eyes. Eclipse glared back, shifting unconsciously closer and closer to Vader. He grabbed her shoulder, and she back up towards him, relaxing as she fell against his chest, at the contact between them. Barriss gave them both a disgusting look and turned back, seeing the rest straggling close behind. "Let's just keep going, we can eat later." Vader nodded, staring at Syran. She was staring them with fear, as prey watches a predator, but there was something else in her eyes. Behind terror was curiosity, intrigue. He was missing something about her, something about her species as a whole, but it continued to elude him, drifting at the back of his consciousness.
Letting go of Darth Eclipse, they both began to walk, Vader going as close to the edge of the river as he could get, the banks were becoming too steep to climb at the moment. She hobbled along beside him, letting as little of her pain drift across her face as she could. If he didn't know her better, he would have missed the tightness in the corners of her mouth and eyes, the stiff way her arms swung at her side that screamed her pain to the world. Behind him, he could hear the sloshing of the Jedi and Syann, but he ignored it for the moment. He looked at Arden instead, wondering if he should carry her.
"No," She said as she met his gaze, seeing his mind as clearly as if they were connected in that singular moment. "I will do this myself." He let the matter drop, at least for now
Everything was going as well as could be expected until they reached the waterfall. He heard it before it came into view, a thunder that didn't come from the clearest of skies. Giving Eclipse a look, they both stopped. He was suddenly conscious of the current as it pushed him ever forwards. The banks were even higher now, and solid rock, impossible to climb without specialized equipment. What could they do?
The waterfall thundered several dozen feet ahead, clouds of mist billowing up into the bright blue air. The current had grown stronger, water rushing past her thighs. Eclipse could just see where the water dropped off in the distance. On the either side, the gentle banks of the river had grown into sheer rock walls. Arden looked around, trying to see if there was something, some other way out of this. She wondered how they had let this happen, when had the banks grown so tall? When had the current begun to increase? She felt silly, blind as she stood there, oblivious to the dangers ahead. At least no one had mentioned the changes up until that moment, then she would have felt idiotic indeed. As it was, nothing could be done by going back; something else would have to be done. Barriss helped Ferus and Syann over to where they stood, looking towards the falls.
"Well, there's really only one option," Barriss said, Eclipse glared darkly at her, she was just unbelievable!
"Do you care to enlighten us?" She snarled at Barriss, her eyes narrowing dangerously as her body automatically went into attack mode. Barriss made her skin crawl, She had never been more glad that she was a Sith Lord. The Jedi looked at her with what might have been a hurt expression on her face and Arden rolled her eyes dramatically.
"We have to go to the middle of the river, we can use the Force to survive, I will protect Syann. Can you see if there is anything else we can do?" She offered belatedly, sarcasm in her voice. Much to her disgust, Arden really couldn't see any other way. Eclipse turned towards Vader, he seemed to have an aversion to going any deeper into the water, probably because of the mechanics of his body, but he nodded at her.
"Fine." They said as one, and Vader began to wade towards the middle of the river without hesitation. Eclipse followed, hoping that nothing would go wrong, she had no wish to die here, on this unremarkable world. He entered the strip of the river where the Force existed before she did, and she felt him reach out and hold her mind tightly. Then she was suddenly so very much larger than her own feeble form again. She took a moment, doing nothing but standing there and basking in the wild joy and freedom that came from the Force, from reuniting. The river's pull in the middle was so much stronger, so much so that it took the power of the Force to keep her upright. Still, she tried to dull the pain in the number of injuries that dotted her body, but at least most of them had stopped bleeding. The cuts and bruises under the water burned slightly, but they could be ignored for a time.
Hello, Arden said in her mental voice, feeling the complex threads of thoughts and memories that flowed between them. A smile played across her face, a smile that simply refused to go away
Hello. Emotions rippled between them, joy and happiness, forgiveness and trust. They were finally together again, as they were meant to be. Let's do this. He said, striding forwards. Eclipse watched Vader's electronics carefully, protecting them so that the water didn't destroy them. As one, they let go of their hold on standing vertical. Without the Force holding her upright, she immediately was sucked underneath the water and Vader was suddenly lost from her point of view. She gripped his mind tighter as they slid under the water. It rushed around her, all sense of direction momentarily lost.
Her world became nothing but a violent swirl of blue, white and grey. The water stung her eyes and she closed them, instead reaching out with the Force. She tried to sense the waterfall, to slow herself as she fell. Eclipse scraped the river bed, jagged rocks opening new wounds and causing old ones to bleed again. With red, agonizing pain yet more rocks stabbed into her wounded ankle. She felt a bubble of tears in her throat and pushed them away. No one would see, but she would know that she was a failure. Eclipse felt as she reached the lip of the waterfall and drew the Force into a protective bubble that encased her. She felt those around her doing a similar thing, though she felt, somewhat biasedly, that hers and Vader's were stronger. The comforting presence of her master was slightly ahead of her, behind were the lighter bubble of Force energy that indicated Ferus, Barriss and Syann. The Zelatron was terrified and somehow projecting her emotions onto the nearby Jedi. How she was doing that, Eclipse couldn't spare the thoughts to figure it out.
The river suddenly dropped out from under her and Eclipse was falling, falling down, water crushing around her, gravity holding her in its indomitable grip. She felt the world around her, seeing without her eyes, feeling where the bottom of the falls was, where the sharp rocks were, where Vader and the others were. She drew on the Force even more, grabbing all that she could while trying to take nothing from Vader and was grateful when he did the same. She filled her head with emotions, dark and angry, emotions she wanted to flinch from, but she used them, seizing the power they gave her. The water stopped touching her, but gravity didn't let her go, she was falling in a void. It was bizarre
Arden hit water with a resounding slap that she felt resonating through her whole body, a shock that jarred every bone. As she hit, the Force bubble disappeared, absorbing most of the pressure of the impact. Eclipse fell under the water, it began to fill her lungs and eyes, the weight of the falls hitting her with its entirety. Frantic, she pulled on the Force, trying to get a sense of direction, trying to get to the surface, only to come up still under the waterfall. Gasping and spluttering, she inhaled even more water. With increasing desperation, she held onto the Force, using it to ignore the pain, to find the direction she needed to go, to calm her frantic lungs.
The ground swelled up beneath her as the Force disappeared and her head hit the surface of the water. She broke through and felt the air try to fill her water-logged lung. Body half in the water, began to cough and retch, water running down her face. For a long time, she lay, head on the sandy bank, breathing in the air. She had always thought fire was the most dangerous of the four primitive elements, but water had a dark power that was all its own. It was a power that could crush and destroy as easily as fire. She sat up slowly, sand covering her body, filling her hair and looked around, muscles groaning in protest. The water was calm after the falls, and after the basin, the river narrowed. Around her, the forest continued, dark and mysterious and unending.
Yet, they had made it, or at least she had. She had survived.
With a sudden worry, she looked at the shores, searching for Vader. Her head leapt and twisted, it was premature, but she couldn't help herself. He lay on the bank across from her, a dark, immobile shape. Pulling new air into her screaming lungs, she splashed across the basin towards his side, not devoting a single thought to the others. Vader. Her soul-mate. Her best friend. Nothing else mattered to her in that moment, from their surroundings to her injuries, it was all irrelevant. She fell down on the bank beside him. For a moment, the blood roared in her years so loudly she couldn't hear if he was breathing. She tried to slow it down, clenching her fists, digging her nails into her palms, breath shuddering in her throat.
She relaxed, breath whooshing out of her as she finally calmed enough to hear the sounds of automated breathing. "Are you alright?" She asked breathlessly, not caring how loud she was. She knew that she was shaking, but fear still held her in its grasp. Time stuttered, becoming drawn out as he didn't respond. Worry blossomed in her. Perhaps he was dead and gone, but the machinery simply continued, heart and lungs working away while the brain expired. Without the Force, she was blinded, crippled, helpless. "Master," her voice cracked, she heard the tears in her throat and despised herself for them. Arden grabbed his hand, hoping and wishing, feeling each of the uncovered metal bones beneath his glove. She hunched over him, felling oh so small, useless, alone, and abandoned.
The fingers twitched as she gripped tighter, but she refused to let go even as she allowed herself a shuddering breath. Eclipse stared into his mask, wishing uselessly that she could see his face; see if he was alright, to brush her fingers against his skin to feel the warmth of life. The sounds of automated breathing doubled sudden and Vader sat up slowly, turning to look at her. She felt the tears in her voice migrate into her eyes and twisted to sit on her broken ankle, fiery pain driving her tears away. She wouldn't cry. "I'm fine." He said, standing up, gears groaning louder than usual. He held his other hand out and pulled her up. She finally looked around, searching for everyone else. They were all standing on the same shore as her and Vader. Barriss was inspecting Syann's arm while Ferus was leaning up against a massive tree, trying not to put any weight upon his leg. None of them were paying any attention to the Sith, wrapped up in their own troubles. She kept holding Vader's hands. "How are you?" He asked.
"Uh, I think I'm fine," She looked down at herself. Her robes were little more that sopping rags now. The binding on her ankle desperately needed replacing and her head was throbbing, there was a black ring around her vision, and the inconsistent fog in her mind seemed to be returning. Vader was watching her intently, and so she pushed it all away.
"You're lying. You look down when you lie." He reprimanded and she let out a huff of displeasure.
"I'm fine," She said firmly, straightening her shoulders and looking him in the eyes, defiant. Sith weren't weak. Sith never showed their pain. She had to be one of them. She couldn't let them see, no one would laugh at her, no one would call her feeble, not again, not ever. He stared at her, his fingers tightening uncomfortably around her hands. She stared at him, making sure not to look away, knowing she was caught in a lie. She wouldn't back down. Eventually, he looked away, Eclipse rolled her eyes and yanked her hands from his, massaging her tendons where he had pinched them. As she turned her head to finally look around, all she could see was more blasted trees.
How far could it stretch? She suddenly had a horrible thought, what if this was an uninhabited planet? What if the only people who lived here were the dead slavers? What if there was no way off? She ran her fingers through tangled hair, fingers catching in snarls. These thoughts wouldn't help her. Even if the pirates were the only ones they would have some sort of base. There would be comlinks there, maybe another ship, speeders, parts, something. If only the voice in her head would shut up. If there was a single base, how would they find it? It was a whole world, they were four people. Even if it was built near a river, nothing said that it had to be this river. They could be wandering for years. Vader wouldn't last years. He wouldn't last months. She wasn't sure if he could last a couple weeks. All those electronics needed charging. What was the point of surviving if upon leaving the planet, her mind would be destroyed?
She sat down, ripping off strips of her pants for new bindings, breaking a branch in two for a splint. The wood was damp, but it would serve. The wound didn't seem to be healing, but she didn't know what to do, and she guessed that Vader didn't either. Barriss might be the only one, but she couldn't swallow her pride enough to ask her, not yet. If it got infected… she could die here. It was a sobering thought. She wasn't as invincible as she thought, as she liked to believe. The now-familiar mantra floated through her mind, if only I had the Force.
She held the sticks on either side of her ankle and wrapped it the way she had before, lacking any better ideas. The strips of pant leg were unravelling in her hand, but they would have to do for now. Vader was watching the forest, so she used a tree to haul herself to her feet. Glancing at the position of the sun, she guessed that it was still midmorning; her stomach was very empty now, rumbling like some far-away earthquake. She hobbled towards the basin, there had to be fish there, it would be impossible for any small being to fight the current that had sucked her under. She passed Vader who stared at her with his hands on his hips. He wanted to go. Eclipse glared back, making an irritated face. She needed more food than he did; there was nothing she could do about it. She said nothing, ignoring him as she waded into the water. She hoped half-heartedly that perhaps in the middle of the pool she could perhaps feel the currents of the Force, but alas, there didn't seem to be a rhyme or reason for where it showed up on this world. With a sigh, she decided to just sit, it would put less strain on her ankle and it would be easier for her to be still while she tried to acquire a fish. With any luck at all, the fish would be stunned after their tumble down the waterfall, maybe some of them would have died.
It took a frustratingly long time for her to catch a fish with her bare hands. They didn't seem stunned and they certainly weren't dead. The sun was noticeable higher by the time that she had caught a fish, mostly out of frustration rather than any real skill or luck. Eclipse staggered out of the water, clutching her struggling fish with all the desperate grip she could manage as though she were clutching the edge of the cliff. It died soon enough as she impaled it on spike and roasted it over a small fire with Ferus, Barriss and Syann. It was actually a pretty fish with rainbow scales, but she felt no remorse as it died. Vader stood in the shadows. She could almost feel Vader's impatience to leave, but she ignored it as she slowly roasted her fish. He would just have to wait.