Chapter Twenty-One
Vagrant cockpit, Wild Nomad
Emdee, to her chagrin, was piloting the ship, with Val manning the primary turret instead. While Bao and his friends, one of whom might be his son, were risking their lives in the Temple, Val was just waiting here, securing their escape route and desperately hoping they would survive.
A small beeping dot appeared on his targeting screen.
"What the…" Val swung the turret around and locked onto the dot, which morphed into an image of a Thranta-class assault shuttle. Val recognized this design as Asharr's personal transport.
He moved the cannon in the direction of the shuttle and opened fire.
The Thranta lost her engines and cockpit in the first barrage. Val almost congratulated himself, only for his sensor to pick up a life-form exiting the ship and landing on the cliff.
"Em, move us towards that guy on the cliff," Val ordered.
"Yes Captain," Emdee responded dully as she maneuvered the Nomad towards the cliff. Val could see them, grasping onto the cliff with a grappling hook.
Unless he was mistaken, he had some kind of dar'Jetti in his sights.
They were climbing towards the Temple's entrance, scaling past the cliffs where the Temple kept its craft.
He opened fire, only for the warlord, with an incredible grace that he had only seen Jedi accomplish, jump to the platform's surface.
Val instructed Emdee to elevate the Nomad's position, and the ship moved upward on the Y-axis, with Val's screen showing Asharr, completing a smooth roll onto the cliff's surface, landing on their feet.
Val resumed fire, only for his opponent to ignite a lightsaber and retreat.
"Bao, it's Val. You have company!"
Temple Corridors
Riko had never personally entered a warzone. He had known that it might happen at some point; it was part of Jedi's duties that they prevented conflict, or ended it if it had already started.
He kept his new lightsaber activated, but the orange glow was actually frightening rather than soothing. It gave everything the glow touched a hint of a fiery look.
The glow unnerved the apprentice. He tried to find the courage within himself he had a few minutes ago rather than drawing on his fear. He wasn't quite successful.
Jade kept her lightsabers activated as well, the green glow creating a ghost-like image over the corpses. And of course, Harkaq's white blade did the same.
They had yet to encounter a live Jedi. Instead, they only found corpses. Maybe that was what caused Riko to think of ghosts. He knew that they didn't exist; beings became one with the Force when they died. There were stories of Jedi learning to preserve their souls after death, but Riko had never found evidence of that being the truth.
You okay? Jade projected worryingly.
Yeah, just unnerved, Riko wasn't sure if he was lying. Maybe he was just fibbing; he was unnerved, but maybe not okay.
Riko, I know you better than that. I'm nervous too. You really think I can ignore this?
Riko didn't mind that Jade was able to see through his lie. Maybe it would be better to have a friend to talk to about this feeling.
"Wait," Harkaq motioned the team to stop. The team was in the middle of a corridor with five dead Jedi on the floor, their lightsabers scattered. This corridor was dimly lit, their lightsabers the primary source of illumination.
"Someone's coming."
"I feel it too," Jade added. Riko felt a steadily growing sense of danger.
"Alright, you have to run." Harkaq ordered, clearly panicking "I'll catch up behind you."
"You sure, Harkaq?" Jade asked, "You can't handle this alone…"
She stopped talking as a figure suddenly appeared out of the shadows. They moved like a shadow, clad in ghostly black robes. The only feature Riko could distinctly make out was their mask, which featured a pair of glowing artificial red eyes and intricate, artistic markings, not unlike those that adorned the hilt of his old lightsaber.
They were standing in the presence of Asharr themself.
Surprisingly, Riko didn't want to run, even if he didn't want to fight.
To an even greater surprise, Asharr didn't activate their lightsaber. They did nothing, merely staring at the group.
"You will pay for what you have done, you criminal!" Harkaq lunged.
Asharr quickly ignited their lightsaber to deflect his strike and quickly spoke one word in a language Riko didn't understand, "Jen'jidai!"
Whatever it was, it had an effect on Harkaq. The Cerean crumbled to the floor and fell slack.
Jade gasped.
Harkaq opened his eyes, feeling...wrong.
Riko only heard one word from Jade as Harkaq began to rise.
Run.
Temple Archives
Bao blocked Tau's slash as Thalia attempted to strike the former Jedi Master's chest. Tau simply moved his blade to block Thalia as he telekinetically pushed Bao into a computer terminal.
This saddened him. The love of his life was attempting to kill him. If only Tau had opened Thalia's mind to the goals behind his ideas, she might have joined him.
Thalia kept slashing at him with precise bladework, which Tau himself was barely able to counter.
He had started by attempting to move Thalia out of the fight with telekinesis, so he could focus on Bao, whose lesser strength in the Force would make him easier to defeat. It hadn't worked; Thalia was too strong. So he instead kept pushing Bao back, routinely telekinetically pushing him or throwing objects such as data cards or chairs at him, which did slow down his former apprentice. But between defending against Thalia and his efforts to slow down Bao, he was growing exhausted. In addition, his heart was not in the duel. If it came to it, he didn't know if he could bring himself to strike down Thalia.
Despite his skills with the blade, Tau's bladework was sloppier than usual. Normally a combatant that could employ a variety of styles at will, now he was barely able to deflect Thalia's precise strikes.
Tau didn't wonder why; it was obvious to him. He couldn't bring himself to attack Thalia, or even mount his best defense against her.
He had started by attempting to move Thalia out of the fight with telekinesis, so he could focus on Bao, whose lesser strength in the Force would make him easier to defeat. It hadn't worked; Thalia was too strong. So he instead kept pushing Bao back, routinely telekinetically pushing him or throwing objects such as data cards or chairs at him, which did slow down his former apprentice. But between defending against Thalia and his efforts to slow down Bao, he was growing exhausted. In addition, his heart was not in the duel. If it came to it, he didn't know if he could bring himself to strike down Thalia.
Striking down Bao would be a deep wound that would also be hard to heal, though it wouldn't affect Tau as much.
Tau was disgusted that he was thinking this way.
He knew that at the end of this duel, someone was going to die. He just had to make sure it wasn't himself. But he didn't know if he could do that.
Thalia struck at his left arm, leaving a shallow cut along Tau's wrist, "You can still surrender Tau," Thalia's voice was pleading, "I don't want to do this."
"Neither do I," Tau responded, ignoring the pain.
Bao charged against Tau, taking the temporary opportunity Tau's injury gave and slicing at Tau's right arm. Tau ducked back towards the shelves.
Then, for one second, a comlink at Bao's belt activated. A man on the other end yelled, "Bao, it's Val. Asharr's here!"
Bao was distracted for one second, but it was all Tau needed. He Force-pushed Bao back into a shelf, and then threw a large number of data cards at his former love.
Flipping ahead and landing on his feet a few meters away from Thalia.
Tau raised his palm for a moment, and smashed a nearby window, the glass falling hundreds of feet.
Wind began to tear at Tau's dark robes, but he continued to focus. Bao yelled as he was lifted up, Tau easily tearing through Bao's Force-Shield. He threw his former apprentice through the window, presumably to an unseen death below.
Tau almost gasped. He couldn't believe he had just sent Bao to his doom.
Focusing on that one thought proved to be a mistake. Thalia jumped towards him, using her blade in a style that reminded Tau of a scalpel. Before Tau could respond and place all of his attention back toward her, her blade passed his own and moved toward his right bicep.
Tau screamed as the blade painfully burned through cloth, skin, nerves, tendons, and even bone, slicing the arm off completely.
The pain fed his anger, which filled Tau's consciousness as he used the Force to snatch the lightsaber from his severed hand to his remaining hand. He completely drew on his anger, and he was focused on one goal; he must defeat his opponent.
Roaring, he swung with fury, intoxicated in his emotions. Even with her combatant only having one remaining hand, Thalia struggled to deflect his blade.
Thalia…
Tau realized what he was doing. If he continued to be ruled by his anger as he was at that moment, she would die.
He quickly tried to calm himself, to rid himself of his anger, angle his saber away, but it was too late.
He had backed his opponent against one of the stacks, his green blade embedded in Thalia's chest, horror etched into her features.
"No," he whispered, though his voice grew louder, "No no…."
Tau quickly deactivated his weapon, horror and self-disgust filling his mind. The dark rage that had gripped him evaporated. Everything faded, everything else was blown away.
He only looked at Thalia as she fell and saw only two emotions in her eyes.
Pity and acceptance.
Then she stopped breathing, her light went out.
Tau screamed, cursing himself, the Force, everything.
When his voice was hoarse, he stopped screaming and instead wept, crouching down on his knees. He had just murdered his only love.
"What have I done? What have I done?"
Tau buried his head in the cadaver's lap and wept at Thalia Fel's brutal and unnecessary end.
Temple Corridors
Riko and Jade kept running, the Dark Jedi closing. Asharr had apparently chosen not to pursue them, instead leaving Harkaq up to the task. Their former friend now chased the two apprentices through the temple.
Luckily, he didn't know the temple the way Riko and Jade did, which gave them a small advantage.
Let's see if we can get back to the Nomad, Riko suggested, We might be able to…
Riko's projected voice grew dim in Jade's head as a dark sensation flooded her consciousness. A feeling of loss. It was brief, but overwhelming. Jade suddenly realized with horror what it was.
"Mom…" Jade barely heard her own voice.
"What happened?" Riko was speaking verbally now.
Jade barely acknowledged his question, "Mom's…."
Riko understood. Jade felt a hint of sadness from him as well.
"I'm really sorry," Riko said. As he spoke, a deep rage flooded Jade's mind.
"Don't be," Jade said angrily. She barely recognized her own voice, "I'm going back."
"Jade," Riko replied. Jade could hear worry in his voice, "What are you saying? You'd never do this…"
"I'm doing it now, Riko," Jade reignited her lightsabers, "You can leave."
"Jade," Riko's voice grew even more worried, "We can't do this. You're probably going to get yourself killed."
Jade ignored him, walking back towards Harkaq and Asharr.
Riko ran past Jade and stopped his feet in front of her, igniting his lightsaber, "I can't let you do this."
"I've lost my family, Riko," Jade said furiously, "I think that I have the right."
"Jade," Riko replied, "Vengeance isn't the Jedi way. Taking your anger out this way won't make it go away, it'll only increase it…"
"How'd you feel the day I met you? When you possibly lost Kali'sto forever?"
Riko's tone was starting to grow angry. Jade had reopened an old wound, "Not forever. I'm going to find him someday…"
"An empty promise," Jade accused. Judging by Riko's emotions, she had probably dealt a blow to their friendship.
Right now, she didn't care.
Wild Nomad
Val began to fly the Wild Nomad around the slope of the structure. So far, Bao had not acknowledged his signal. Something must have been wrong.
Any remaining Jedi in the Temple were most likely dead.
Val probably should have just cut and run then and there. But for some reason, he remained in the area.
"Look!"
Val looked behind him. That patchwork droid had slipped into the cockpit, he was pointing at something Val was missing.
Val looked down at his scanners. According to them, one life-form lay just above the Wild Nomad.
Val looked up through the viewport. He could just make out a large-headed humanoid clothed in brown hanging from a vine near a ledge.
Val moved the ship closer. Apparently, the movement caused the rock to shake, the reptilian barely hanging on. Val realized that Bao-Sklar Pierce was hanging from the ledge.
"Fierfek!" he yelled, "That's Bao!"
Interior, Jedi temple corridor
Riko was wondering what had happened to Jade. In a manner of seconds, she had turned from his supportive, kind-hearted best friend, to an angry young woman obsessed with revenge.
Riko had little doubt that her anger was taking hold of her, he had to stop this.
But now his own emotions were betraying him. The goodbye he had been forced to give to his father. The commando clutching his throat. The dead Mandalorian. All the pain, all the anger, it all started to come back.
Swallowing his pain, an old pain he had learned to numb, he reached out.
Jade, getting yourself killed won't bring Thalia back. It won't suddenly make everything right again. It'll just make things worse, you'll die. It's not justice, it's vengeance. Isn't vengeance what you should be avoiding using the Force for?
It seemed to do the trick. Riko could still sense Jade's anger, but it seemed tempered, controlled.
"You're right," Jade said, sounding more like herself, "We ...We need to go. See if Bao's still alive. If he is, then we have to escape."
"Exactly," Riko said, "We can stop him, we have the tapes, we can do this."
"Okay," Jade nodded, "Let's…" their conversation was interrupted by the sight of Harkaq entering the corridor. His lightsaber was brandished and his eyes were blank.
Harkaq extended his arm and Riko and Jade were thrown across the corridor, barely raising Force-shields as the window behind them shattered.
Riko almost dropped his lightsaber as he landed on the ground just a few feet away from the broken window.
"You can leave with me," Harkaq's voice didn't sound any different, "My master cares about you."
They could still try to run. They could also fight Harkaq.
Neither of those options seemed to have much chance of success.
Should we surrender? Riko asked. He wasn't seeing any other options.
No. Jade's statement left Riko filled with surprise.
I know what to do, Jade suggested. Her tone sounded sad as she stood up, I need you to run. I'll catch up behind you.
Riko was starting to know where this was heading. He stood up.
No, you're not….
Jade activated her sole remaining lightsaber and charged Harkaq.
Go! Go!
Jade swung at Harkaq, attempting to buy Riko as much as she could. Jade opened herself up to the Force in an attempt to bolster her strength.
Harkaq easily deflected her attacks. Jade wished she had her other lightsaber. She might have stood a better chance then. Unfortunately, Jade rarely practiced with just one blade, relying on the advantage of her second blade to confuse her opponents. Robbed of that advantage, she was barely able to hold off Harkaq's attacks.
Jade began to run away from Harkaq, back down the corridor towards the Wild Nomad.
Harkaq continued to follow her. Jade was just hoping that at least, she had bought Riko enough time to locate the Nomad and escape.
Riko didn't want to leave his best friend behind. He wasn't going to lose her in this mess. But Jade had said that she would attempt to follow him. With luck, she would find him.
Jedi Temple exterior
Bao was barely able to hang on to the vine. It was barely enough to support his weight, and falling down and grabbing it as he had done left his fingers sore, making it more difficult to hang on.
This slope was very smooth, with the vine being the only thing that stood between him and a death hundreds of meters below.
Bao's left manus slipped. He was about to fall.
There is no death, there is the Force.
As he tried to make himself accept his death peacefully, he heard the familiar drone of an engine beneath him.
Bao probed his senses, attempting to find a lifeform. He felt the aura of Val Fett beneath him. Bao looked down and saw the Wild Nomad's scarred hull.
An aperture opened in the upper hull. Bao could just make out the round head and large eyes of Niner. His voice was barely audible.
"This way Bao! You might die if no!"
Jedi temple Observatory Complex
"Val," Riko said into his comlink, "I'm in need of evac. I'm in the lower levels."
"Just find the nearest window. I'll try to trace your comm signal."
Riko recognized his location as the upper entrance to the meditation balcony, a series of terraces carved into the rock, reinforced with railing. Apprentices were often encouraged to meditate there. This meant that he was was located just two corridors away from the apprentice quarters. For a minute, he considered finding his own quarters and retrieving some of his things.
He decided against it. He didn't have time. He just ran inside, being greeted with Atarashi'ie's beautiful vista through the massive window.
Riko waited, quickly realizing what he had to do next.
Jade, Riko projected, I'm a few corridors away, in the apprentice quarters. Val's en route. Can you try to stay close by for a few minutes?
Riko grew nervous when he didn't get a reply.
He stretched out with the Force and attempted to find her. He did, but he had trouble finding her precise location. All he could tell was that she was close by.
He hoped that she was close enough to find him when the Wild Nomad showed up.
Jedi Temple corridors
Jade was near Riko's position. She could only tell that much.
Harkaq still pursued her, though Jade was still able to rely on the fact that Harkaq, and by extension, Asharr, had probably never set foot in the Temple before.
Unfortunately, the Temple's structure made it harder for her to find Riko's position. So she had to rely on logic in addition to the Force.
Riko had probably gone to one of the corridors with a window in them, to make it easier for the Nomad to extract him from the Temple.
Jade was making her way to one of the observatories now, hoping to catch him.
As she started to find her way around the corridors, Harkaq's form became visible in front of her.
Jade turned around and attempted to flee. She heard the sound of crackling electricity behind her, turning her head to see.
Harkaq's fingers were dancing with small bolts of lightning. A larger bolt flew from his hand towards Jade.
Jade raised her saber and attempted to block it.
Her saber collided with the lightning and absorbed it, though the pressure caused her to retreat slowly.
Harkaq sent more bolts towards her. These became harder to deflect.
Throughout all of this Jade was just wondering how Harkaq was capable of these dark abilities. This was a question that was quickly answered; either he learned it at some point under a dark Jedi, he was doing it instinctively, or…
Or Asharr was lending Harkaq some of its power. Perhaps she had a link with these artificial Dark Jedi.
That was probably the answer.
Jade moved forward, ready to attack Harkaq, only to fall to the floor in pain. Bolts of lightning slammed into her body. Jade screamed as she fell to the floor, writhing from the pain.
As she started to black out, she saw Asharr's cloaked form walk towards her.
Jade was just barely able to hear Riko's voice in her head before she passed out. With her last conscious thought, she hoped that he would safely escape.
Temple Archives
Tau was barely able to pull himself away from Thalia's corpse. He had never experienced such sadness or guilt in his life. Not when his parents died, not when he had been forced to assassinate the high council, never.
He had to move on, to continue his dream of bringing peace. He no longer trusted Asharr. She was becoming an obstacle to his journey, and Tau had to do something about her rebellious tactics.
But he wouldn't leave Thalia's corpse alone in this room. Not like this.
With a painful effort, Tau dragged Thalia's remains to the center of the room, and placed her arms across her chest. He then proceeded to close her eyelids.
Tau removed his cloak and placed it around the corpse, like a blanket. The Jedi Master took Thalia's lightsaber and placed it on his belt. He would carry it, and Thalia's memory, as long as he lived.
Tau made a final inspection of Thalia's makeshift grave. He smiled weakly as he looked at her.
She might just be sleeping, he thought.
"Goodbye, Thalia," Tau said.
"Master Skywalker."
Tau turned around and saw a Cerean clad in civilian clothing in the room. Tau's mouth opened in shock as he saw his daughter floating a few meters behind, unconscious. He could barely see a trace of smoke coming from her tunic. Force lightning.
Tau ran to the Cerean, asking, "Is she alright?"
The Cerean nodded, "She will be alright. We must leave." Tau noted the odd variation in his voice. There was something...off.
One of her agents, Tau realized. The rituals Asharr told him about were more sinister than he had realized. He had tolerated Asharr's darker deeds for too long. Out loud, he said, "I will leave now."
As he began to leave the room, Tau's thoughts turned to Thalia again, and he felt relieved that her daughter, his daughter, was alive and well.
Goodbye, Thalia, Tau thought as he stroked his daughter's face, leaving his former lover behind.
Meditation Observatory
Riko saw the Wild Nomad's rise through the window, the Vagrant facing the boy. Through the transparisteel viewport, Riko could just make out Val moving his arm to the right.
This probably meant that he was supposed to move to the right. Riko did so accordingly.
Blasterfire tore through the window and even left some charred circles on the adjacent wall.
A faint burning smell filled Riko's nostrils as he continued to search for Jade. He was taking a closer look.
To his shock, he felt no conscious emotions on her part as he felt Jade's presence. She was still alive, but not conscious.
The Nomad's airlock moved up against the window. Riko moved closer to it as the door opened.
Riko could see Bao in the small chamber.
"Where's Jade and Harkaq?" Bao asked.
"Something happened to Harkaq. He attacked us. I think Jade's been captured," Riko replied. It was the most likely scenario.
"Is she nearby?"
"I don't know." Riko admitted, "Let's see if we can catch her on the landing pad."
Riko walked over to the Nomad's airlock. Luckily for him, it was close enough to simply walk onto this time, rather than jump, though he still felt a hint of vertigo.
Through the three-minute flight to the landing pad, Riko waited in the cockpit. His odds weren't looking good; Bao was injured and unarmed, he would remain behind in the cockpit.
The landing ramp lowered. Riko activated his lightsaber and walked out.
The bodies of a dozen dead Jedi were strewn about the platform. Starfighters which had once sat on this landing space had been reduced to flaming wreckage.
The smell of charred flesh filled the air, nauseating the young apprentice, filling him with fear and making him dread what was to come.
There is no emotion, there is peace…
"Hey!" Riko looked up and saw a squad of mercs in patchwork armor.
"Scrap," Riko cursed under his breath.
"Get that kid!"
Riko ducked behind a crate as they opened fire. He was skilled with his lightsaber, but he still had difficulty deflecting blasts from more than three adversaries at once. He didn't know if he could survive the combined fire of the squad. Odds were that one hit from their blasters would kill Riko.
He was saved by the Nomad. Her anti-intruder cannon deployed from her ventral hull and made short work of the mercs.
With the cliff more or less clear, Riko reactivated his lightsaber, keeping his weapon in a defensive position.
He sensed a powerful presence walking onto the landing platform. Riko looked and saw Tau Skywalker, his right arm sheared off below the bicep.
Harkaq and Asharr were next to Tau, their lightsabers activated. Behind them, Jade, floating in the air.
"Hand over Jade!" Riko yelled without thinking first.
He mentally kicked himself. Alone, he was in no position to make demands.
"What he said!" Riko heard Val's voice coming from the Nomad's comms.
Her forward gatling gun targeted the traitorous master.
"I will not give up my daughter!" Tau yelled, raising his remaining hand. A bolt of what looked like blue lightning crackled from his hand and flew towards the Nomad, hitting its blaster cannon and engulfing much of the ship in electricity.
"No!" Riko ran towards Tau.
Tau ceased his attack.
Riko was about to swing at the murderer, refusing to let him leave with Jade, before he rose up into the air and was held still, unable to move.
Then Tau spoke, "You don't have to do this, Riko. I did this for a noble purpose."
"What's so noble about killing Jedi?" Riko snarled. He barely recognized his voice.
"I'm doing this to create a lasting balance in the Force. I hope you will one day understand."
Tau's threw Riko across the platform toward the damaged Nomad.
Riko landed on his back and felt the ground bump against his burn injuries, stinging them.
Riko heard the whine of a shuttle engine, and looked up to see a Crix-class assault shuttle land on the platform. The landing ramp lowered.
No, Riko thought as he tried to stand up, managing to do so barely, and began to run towards the shuttle.
He was too late.
Tau, Asharr, and Harkaq boarded the shuttle, with Jade in tow behind them. The landing ramp raised, and the shuttle flew off.
Riko ran back towards the Wild Nomad, whose bow looked like the ship had flown into a star and barely escaped.
Luckily, the landing ramp was still intact.
"We gotta go after them! They have Jade!" Riko yelled as he entered the cockpit. Bao and Val were already at the controls, already lifting the vessel off of the platform.
"We can't shoot down the shuttle, kid. It's too much of a risk. And half our weapons aren't working, so it'll be hard to defend ourselves," Val said grimly.
"We can't just leave her!" Riko yelled, panicking.
"Don't worry Riko," Bao looked at his apprentice calmly, "We won't abandon Jade. I have no intention of leaving anyone behind."
Riko ignored him, looking up, just able to make out the shuttle entering the hangar of one of the largest vessels. And he could only watch helplessly as the fleet entered hyperspace.