Chapter Fifty-five
"Revan." Kreia did not move from her meditative position as she spoke, but her voice echoed eerily in the cavernous room. "Punctual as always."
"I am not here to barter words with you, old woman," the furious Jedi spat with such venom that Canderous grinned evilly behind his helm and gripped his repeater more tightly. "Free my sister now, or I shall…."
"Shall what, Revan?" the old woman asked softly, a low, humorless chuckle rising in her throat. "Strike me down? Crush me as you once threatened to do? But that would kill your twin, would it not? Would you really try to kill her a second time?"
Revan's voice was icy as she ground out, "I will do what I must."
"As will I." Kreia's voice held a clear, unwavering threat, but Revan's determination did not falter. With slow, calm movements, the old woman rose to her feet and tilted her blind eyes defiantly toward the tall woman. "You disappoint me, Revan. As always, you have the desire and the ability, but lack the nerve."
Revan's heart wrenched painfully in her chest, sorrow rising up at the old woman's words instead of the fury that was expected. The truth was painful for her to hear, her own guilt over her past threatening to drown her. Revan's gaze drifted to where Atton was crouched beside her twin and the former Sith Lord's anger reared up once more at the agony etched on Aeryn's face.
"You cannot control me as you once did," Revan hissed between clenched teeth as she leveled a vicious stare at Kreia once more. "Never again. Do not make me repeat myself. Release her now."
-
Atton's hand, outstretched toward the small blade, jerked away from Aeryn as if she'd burned him with her words. "Wh…what?" The scoundrel's eyes went wide then narrow and he rocked back on his heels to look Aeryn up and down. "You…no, you're just panicking." He shook his head as if to physically shake off his disbelief. "Desperation, right? Not that I blame you, all things considered, but…"
"Stop…" Aeryn whispered as she slumped painfully back again, her hand and the dagger dropping listlessly into her lap, "stop…babbling…stop…"
"Look, sweetheart, I know things look bad, but…"
"Stop."
"There's another way," Atton insisted as his nervous eyes flickered to the blade then back to her pain-lined face. "There has to be something else. We can fix this. We can…"
"Shut up!" Aeryn's body convulsed but she swallowed the pained cry that tried to escape her throat. "Don't you think…I've tried to find another way…?"
"If you think this is the only way, then you haven't thought of everything!" Atton flung back, trying but largely failing to keep his emotions in check. "This can't be the way! You can't ask me to do this. I can't…"
"You can," Aeryn breathed. "She knew it. She knew you were strong enough…that you would care enough…"
"She?"
"The Jedi. The one you killed…killed to keep her safe." Aeryn's eyes opened to meet his frantic gaze, and despite her pain and internal struggles, Aeryn spoke calmly and without doubt. "I cannot stop her. Kreia is…too strong…this place. She wanted me here, wanted you all here, because she knew."
"Come on, she's just one bitter old crone," Atton scolded even though he didn't believe his own words. "She can't possibly be stronger than all of us."
"She doesn't have to be," Aeryn explained with a sad shake of her head. "She only has to be stronger than me. And she is, Atton. Here, she is."
-
"You know I will not back down," Kreia growled, her face now set in an impatient frown. "You know me better than that."
"Do not make me do this," Revan warned, a hint of fear tinting her voice as she shifted the weight of her 'saber in one hand. "Traya, please…."
"Your words are wasted on me," the old woman said with a dismissive wave of her remaining hand. With something like a disappointed sigh, Kreia lowered herself to sit cross-legged on the dais again. "I am too close. And you are too late."
Staring down at the old woman, Revan did not notice the Sith slowly seeping into the room until Canderous growled a warning. Together the companions formed a tight circle, their backs pressed together as they watched the black-clad men and women melt from the shadows like wraiths, their weapons gleaming in the dim light. Revan's eyes flickered worriedly to her sister and Atton, but they were being ignored by the Sith and seemed oblivious to the oncoming attack. Agony rolled off Aeryn, her terror at what Kreia was forcing upon her and her fury at being helpless reaching Revan through their bond in spite of the darkness all around them. Revan's heart ached. How can you stand here and let Traya do this to your own sister?
Torn, angry, and at a loss for any other possible solution, Revan willed her lightsaber to life and thrust one blade toward Kreia's passive form, a sharp cry that hitched into a dry sob breaking from the former Dark Lord's throat. Before the violet blade reached its target, the weapon jolted to a stop and skittered to one side as it crashed into an invisible barrier. Revan's hands ached from the impact, but the cold, callous laughter from the old crone was far more painful.
"Perhaps I was wrong. You seem to have found the nerve. A pity it must go to waste."
Revan spun in time to stop a crimson blade with her own weapon as fighting broke out around her, leaving her with no choice but to fight back and leave Kreia to her own devices.
-
"Don't…don't you see?" Aeryn bobbed her head weakly toward the center of the room where Kreia calmly sat once more. "This place…is her. Her will becomes real. She will break me, Atton. Please…don't let this happen."
Again, Aeryn held out the dagger toward him, her arm trembling madly, but her face set with determination. With a dazed expression, the scoundrel took hold of the weapon and stared blankly at it in his hand before slowly shaking his head. "Aeryn, I…can't you…I don't know, can't you severe your connection to the Force again or something? Anything but this."
At first Atton thought Aeryn was weeping, but he was startled to realize that it was weak laughter which shook her, a cold, empty sound that twisted her agonized face into a bitter smile. "I would rather die," she answered with stark honesty.
"I can't do this," he all but whispered. "I…Aeryn, I can't…."
"You've seen what will happen when she succeeds," the slumped woman murmured. At Atton's confused stare, she forced herself to explain in spite of her torment. "The vision you saw…the death of the Force…that is what's at stake. Here. Now." Aeryn sigh and fell silent, her face twitching into a snarl as she wrestled with something in her mind. "That's why she saved you."
"She…saved me so that I could murder another woman?" he demanded incredulously as he ran his hand roughly through his mess of hair a few times. "A woman that I…I…."
"It will start here," Aeryn kept speaking in a hollow voice as if he'd said nothing. "The ripple in the Force. You will die first…Revan, Canderous…Mira, Visas…these Sith…and I will feel it." A single tear dropped from the inner corner of Aeryn's eye, and Atton stared as it trailed slowly down her cheek. "I will feel every death as she forces me to destroy…destroy everything. Everyone, every life, everything in the galaxy…gone. If you don't stop me. Please," her voice was a ragged, desperate sound, "please stop me."
Atton ripped his gaze off of her, trying desperately to find any way to talk his way out of this. He was only vaguely aware of the sounds of lightsabers hissing together and blaster fire very close by, but they seemed petty and unimportant to him. Aeryn was all that mattered. "I swore to protect you," he murmured to himself.
"And you will fail, Atton," Aeryn gasped out as another tremor shook her frame. "If you don't stop this, stop me…then I will die last. The last life in a dead galaxy. All that blood…on my hands…."
Groaning in frustration, Atton crossed his legs and sat close beside her as he pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes. Think. You're missing something. There's a reason – she said there's a reason.
The scoundrel nearly cut himself on the dagger still clutched in his hand and he gave the small weapon a strange look as he lowered it into his lap. Why a dagger? Why not a lightsaber? A blaster? Damn it, idiot, think!
A pitiful whimper of pain from the woman beside him brought him out of his rampant thoughts. "Hurry…she's," Aeryn groaned and Atton jerked forward to support the weakening woman against his chest, "please, she's tearing me…apart…."
A wild, half-formed idea had only begun to take root in the scoundrel's mind, but he could feel through the currents of the Force that there was no time for him to weigh the consequences. "It's alright, sweetheart," he soothed as he shifted her body against him and rose up onto his knees in front of her. "I'll protect you."
Aeryn seemed to sense his intentions and some of the tension in her posture eased as she tilted her face back to look into his eyes. "I knew…knew you'd save me," she breathed with obvious relief.
Atton sighed and was unable to stop himself from brushing a tender kiss across her mouth. "I'm sorry," he whispered as he blinked back tears and tried to steel his resolve. "So…so sorry."
"Don't be," was Aeryn's soft answer.
Her forehead came to rest gently against his chest and Atton stared down at her tattooed scalp for a few, long seconds. The dagger in his hand suddenly felt like it weighted a thousand pounds. Trying to swallow the dry lump caught in his throat, the scoundrel lifted the weapon while his other hand traced a practiced path down Aeryn's spine. With a final, desperate plea to the Force to guide his hand, Atton whispered sharply, "Forgive me," before driving the blade deep into her back.
-
Revan felt the change as if icy water had been poured over her, but she was too busy fighting for her life against several Sith to allow the shift to distract her. She spun away from the nearest enemy and ducked as Canderous fired a barrage of bolts over her head at the oncoming Sith. The battle came to an abrupt halt as a terrible, keening shriek seared into their minds through a wave of the Force.
Revan cried out and covered her ears, but that did nothing to squelch the mind-numbing noise. It took all her effort to crack her eyes open and look around her, and she was not surprised to see that many of the Sith who had not yet been killed had fallen prone. Canderous and Visas were in a similar state of pain, their bodies half-kneeling over the unconscious form of Mira on the floor. With a start, Revan realized the wail was coming from Kreia.
The old woman had collapsed onto her back, her chest rising in frantic breaths that made her entire form twitch and tremble. The scream that she sent through the Force was a blend of pain, both physical and emotional, as well as a deep sense of betrayal and a desperate longing. As the echo faded, Revan stumbled in confusion toward the dais, neither noticing nor caring that many of the Sith were fleeing the room.
Standing over the crone, Revan realized that Kreia could not move, unable to do much more than breathe and bite back incoherent cries of pain. Revan spun toward where she'd last seen her sister, a gasp rising up in her throat when she saw Atton easing her twin's body down onto the ground on her side. Dark blood stained his gloves as he crouched over her.
"You bastard!" Revan screamed, a violent wave of Force energy ripping from her upraised hands and throwing the scoundrel several feet. He grunted as he was slammed into a pillar, and though he didn't actually seem injured, the man simply lay where he'd been thrown, staring back at Revan through haunted eyes. "I knew she was wrong to trust you!" She seized him by the throat through the Force and lifted him off the ground, anger and sorrow raging through her and blinding her. "Betrayer!"
"Revan. Revan!" Canderous jerked off his helm and repeated her name until the woman tore her attention off Atton, though she did not stop choking him. He knelt beside Aeryn again and said quietly, "She's still alive."
Atton thudded to the floor in a forgotten, groaning heap as Revan lunged to kneel beside her mate. Slowly, Aeryn's chest rose and fell in shallow breaths, but her life was fading fast as the pool of blood around her expanded.
Mira stumbled toward them, her face dazed with pain. "We can…heal her. Right?"
Tears stung Revan's eyes and she could not stop staring at the peaceful expression on her dying sister's face. "Healing her will heal Kreia," she answered in an empty, broken voice. "And this will start all over again."
"Kreia is dead." Revan's head snapped up to start at the Miraluka seer who stood on the dais beside the old crone. "I felt her spark vanish."
"But…how then is Aeryn still alive? Their bond…."
"Does it matter?" Visas asked softly as she moved to stand opposite Revan over Aeryn's prone form. "Kreia is gone, their bond is gone, but your sister…."
Without anymore hesitation, Revan reached for her twin. Canderous helped her lay Aeryn flat on her stomach, and they stared at the dagger still buried deep in her spine. Revan could not help but send a searing, hateful look toward where Atton sat against another pillar, but his face was expressionless, his eyes hard and bitter as he gazed back at her.
"Focus," Visas murmured as she knelt, uncaring of the blood that darkened her crimson robes. "It will take all of us to mend this…and even that may not be enough. Canderous, take hold of the hilt and when I tell you, pull the blade out as straight and quick as possible."
-
Buried in pain and self-loathing, Atton watched as the other four worked over Aeryn's fading body, vaguely aware of HK-47 prowling the room for any stray Sith who were stupid enough not to flee with the others. He hated himself for that he'd done, because he was capable of doing something so terrible to someone he loved more than himself. Revan's loathing was earned, and a part of him accepted that she would kill him for what he'd done. He knew he would do the same if he were her.
A pale blue light engulfed Aeryn's body, and the dagger was pulled free as the three Jedi poured all their strength into healing the dying woman. Atton could feel her pulse flicker and grow faint, her breathing become more and more ragged and weak, and he lurched toward them on instinct. No one looked up as he approached, aside from Canderous whose expression was unreadable, and Atton knelt silently beside Mira and lay one hand on Aeryn's shoulder. Desperately he poured everything he had into mending the damage he'd caused, and he was the last to open his eyes again.
Exhaustion numbed his limbs, but Atton did not flinch from the looks the others gave him, not even the naked hatred on Revan's face. "She seems stable," Visas spoke into the silence. "We must get her out of this place and…."
Beep.
Mira blinked. "What the hell was that?"
There was a long silence, and Canderous frowned around them, then down at Aeryn. "It…sounded like a…."
Beep.
"It's her Comm," Revan realized, and her mate reached to retrieve the small device from Aeryn's belt. "Who would be trying to contact her here?"
"Statement: Master, that irritating sound matches the noises broadcast by the Iridonian's remote."
Beep.
At Revan's confused expression, Canderous explained, "Bao-Dur had a little droid that assisted him with repairs."
"But why would it be contacting Aeryn?" Visas mused. "What is it saying?"
Mira's face had gone ashen and she abruptly shoved herself to her feet. "Oh…I…no…I…uh, Bao said once," she babbled wildly, "that t-the remote was…was with him, here! The first time. A-and you said," she pointed at Revan, who blinked blankly at the frantic red-head, "that Aeryn would blow this planet again! And with Bao-Dur dead, the remote must be…."
Beep.
Slowly Revan began to nod as comprehension dawned on her. "You think it is trying to set off the Mass Shadow Generator again. But…."
"No, no," the young woman insisted. "Not trying, it is setting it off! Don't you see – it's not saying anything! It's counting down!"
Beep.
Atton was the first to move, lurching to his feet to brush Visas aside and attempt to haul Aeryn into his arms. "Get your filthy hands off of her, murderer!" Revan snarled, but she trailed off with a hurt, confused look as Canderous moved to help the scoundrel roll the unconscious woman onto her back.
"You can kill me later," Atton spat bitterly, though if he'd been honest with himself, knowing that Aeryn was stable gave him more hope than he dared acknowledge. "Right now we have to get the hell out of here."
Revan opened her mouth to respond, but her mate cut her off. "Save it," Canderous ordered flatly. Atton tried to protest as the tall Mandalorian lifted Aeryn out of his arms and cradled her against his burly chest instead. "Don't argue. Now, move."
-
No one spoke a word as they struggled madly to reach the Hawk, tripping over sharp stone and sliding down treacherous, narrow paths as the shrill beeps from Aeryn's Comm grew closer and closer together. Tension crackled through the stifling air and Atton struggled to breathe even when the hull of the ship came into view. He tried to calm himself, to find some sense of peace before he was forced to climb into the pilot's seat, but he was plainly panicked. A glance at the faces of the others revealed similar levels of fear, and for some reason that comforted him.
"Get strapped in," he shouted as the loading ramp finally opened enough for him to sprint inside. "This is going to get rough."
He heard Revan say something harsh about not trusting him to fly the ship, but he ignored her and was grateful that she followed Canderous toward the medbay. Mira trotted into the cockpit behind him, limping to favor some injury on her left leg, and slumped down into the copilot's seat to help him begin the launch sequence.
"So. Why'd you do it?" the huntress asked conversationally, her eyes never leaving the panel as she prepped the ship.
"Because she told me to," Atton answered in a rough, quiet voice before forcing himself to focus back on his duty.
Mira snorted. "You're not the 'do what you're told' type, Atton. Why'd you really do it?"
Atton stopped and felt his hands ball into fists as he stared blankly at the flashing panel. He didn't want to explain it to her, because he knew she would probably understand. He didn't want her, or any of them to understand, because then they might forgive him for what he'd done, and he knew he didn't deserve it. He'd never forgive himself. "What does it matter?" he finally growled as the ship began to shudder and lift from the rocky ground. "We're all alive…for the moment."
He could feel her eyes rest on him for a moment, but he refused to look at her. "Damn it, I'm on your side, idiot," she muttered with an exasperated sigh. "I sure as hell hope you drop the tough guy act before Revan comes around asking the same question."
"It's not an act," he started to say, but he bit off the rest of the words and fixed his stare out the front viewport. "Look, shut up and help me get us out of here, or leave. Please."
-
"She is unconscious still, but her pulse and breathing are regular," Visas assured Revan as the worried woman stood over her twin. Laying strapped to the bed in the medbay, Aeryn looked to be sleeping peacefully, but Revan found she could not touch her sister's mind through their bond. "Let her rest," the Miraluka urged. "She should be fine with time."
Revan nodded stiffly and turned as if the leave the room, but Canderous caught her by the shoulders and gave her a stern look. "Don't," he said quietly.
The ship rumbled and Revan scowled. "Someone has to keep an eye on our pilot," she spat.
"Let him do his job," the Mandalorian said as he brushed one armored hand gently over her cheek. "You'll just…."
He grunted and braced the pair of them against the wall as the ship jerked roughly to one side. Revan opened her mouth to say something, but Atton's voice crackled over the ship's Comm system. "This is going to get worse before it gets better," he warned no one in particular. "I have to pull us free of the atmosphere and…just get strapped down."
-
Atton groaned and immediately regretted it as pain rippled through his foggy head. When he managed to crack open his eyes, he could see nothing but a few faintly blinking lights in the thick darkness. He couldn't remember what had happened, only that the ship was black, and he was still alive. I should be grateful for that, right?
A faint sound carried to him over the quiet beeping of the ship's thrashed systems. Stumbling to unsteady feet, Atton tripped over Mira's unconscious form sprawled half on the floor, half in the copilot's seat. He shoved her upright, and though he could still see very little, he could not sense any serious injuries.
Atton found Canderous and Revan in the common room, both unconscious as well, but he moved past them as quickly as possible as the sound he'd been following became louder. It sounded like crying. Revan stirred as he moved by her, but he didn't look at her.
Aeryn struggled in panic against the straps holding her to the bed, broken half-sobs twisting out of her throat. Atton made soothing sounds and whispered her name as he tore the straps free, but the woman fought him, pushing him away with the Force. Desperate, Atton tried to touch her mind, and to his surprise, she let him. With a cry that was equal parts relief and anguish, Aeryn flung herself into his arms hard enough to send him reeling backward against the far wall where he slumped with her cradled in his lap.
Her mind was a tumultuous mess, and some of the things she was experiencing frightened even someone as hardened as Atton. He couldn't tell if she was aware of what she was going on, but tears, hot and bitter, rained from her eyes, soaking the neck of his robes as she clung to him as if he would suddenly vanish. A hard lump of pain closed Atton's throat, but after a few moments he managed to murmur, "I'm so sorry." He ducked his head, pressed his forehead to hers and refused to acknowledge his own tears even when one sob, then another shook his body.
Revan watched silent and expressionless from the doorway, barely able to see the pair in the light-less interior. She startled as the Comm system crackled with static. "…hope you…alive…?" Carth's voice was broken and distorted. "…adrift…taking…inside. Stand by."
Revan felt her shoulders slump in a mixture of exhaustion and relief. She sank down to sit outside the medbay, her head cradled in her hands. The Ebon Hawk gave a groaning shudder as the Sojourn slowly drew the drifting cargo ship into a docking bay.
It is over…
A/N: Okay, the epilogue should answer all the unanswered questions, and I'm hurrying to finish it up. Thanks for reviews!
