A/N: Arik married his childhood best friend and with his friends helped put an end to Terrak Morrhage, once and for all. Inspired by the defeat of the Dark Exarch on Sarkhai, the powerful alliance formed by Arik has been able to gain ground in taking back the planets conquered by the Dark Zakuul Knights. They were even able to destroy the asteroid rail gun by using the final remnant of the Eternal Fleet with SCORPIO using her slicing abilities to cause them to hit hyperspeed on the superweapon all at once. Left without a superweapon, the DZK begins to suffer major losses. Over the course of several months and close to a year were able to all but cripple the organization permanently. Arik is planning his next move to finish off his former Sith Master while resting with his beloved wife. Unknown to them both, a dangerous enemy is seeking revenge for Arik and his allies victories...
Chapter 15: Kidnapping Crisis
3609 BBY, on Coruscant in one of the apartment megablocks, in Arik and Talia's apartment
Clothes had lain all around the bed of the loving Jedi couple as the Coruscant moons light shine on the two lovers covered with thick bed covers. Arik and Talia, after a night of lovemaking and peace, lay in each other's arms peacefully. Talia was rubbing her head on her husband's muscular, but slightly hairy and tattooed chest. Arik was holding her close and kissed the top of her head.
The Revanchist then had a terrible dream of him and Talia on Nar Shaddaa. After Peladius put the bare-chested, heavily tattooed Sith Lord Deimos on a statue of Darth Nox with his arms up in chains, he began to have a speech.
"My followers, these two Jedi in these skimpy outfits are responsible for attempting to free your tormentor." Pointing to the Dark Lord, the followers then poked and prodded the Jedi with their shock sticks. "These Jedi, we will sell to the slavers in which the funds will be given to each and every single one of you once our leader recognizes our work. She will take us back."
Deimos woke to hear cheering as he saw the obese Sith Pureblood attempting to use a knife one of Talia's bikini straps. Peladius then whispered, "You will be desired more than Bailyn will. I would start giving into to your carnal desires, because many men have veracious appetites for brown-haired, brown eyed girls."
Deimos then stood up and started growling like a raging animal. The Sith Lord also began to move toward Peladius with a look of uncontrolled hatred of his fellow Sith. His eyes began flickering between yellow eyes ringed with red to glowing red with rage. The chains were digging into his wrists as tried to focus on the Force. Peladius laughed thinking that Deimos' connection was unable to help him due to it being blocked by the rival Sith Lord. What he did not realize what that the former Jedi had Sith Pureblood descent. And with that descent came with a bittersweet gift. A gift that many descendants of Sith do not have but wish could use: the gift of blood rage. The rage inside made him attack Peladius within his mind causing his worst fear to come to life: a Sith rival having his gift disrupted to interrupt another Sith's connection to the Force. Deimos began to use the Force to call his lightsabers to its master's aid and turned on causing Talia and Bailyn to duck when one of them came near them like a javelin. One of the black-red blades cut into Peladius' arm as it moved toward the chains cutting them off with precision. Within seconds, Deimos chains were broken and with it death and terror to the one attempting to give away his rivals for carnal desire and pleasure.
The Sith Pureblood threw a black dagger at Deimos, only to see him catch the blade with his bare hands in a clap. He proceeded to throw it back at the thrower. Peladius grabbed his lightsaber and cut it in two. Deimos then pulled his black and red lightsabers to him and lifted them above his head with an X shape in front of his face of glowing red eyes. Peladius threw Force Lightning at him, hitting him in the chest. This angered the rival as he proceeded to walk with ferocity in his steps. Some of the members tried to charge at him, only for him to grab them with the Force and choking them before setting them back on their knees. Deimos then swiftly killed them on the ground. His death stare scared the rest of the cult into scattering away from the statue screaming as Peladius and Deimos fought in a fierce duel. Peladius attempted a lunge and ended getting blocked as Deimos slide off and sliced across his back, deep enough to cause his legs to give out. Deimos effectively paralyzed him with a single stroke. As Peladius was attempting to crawl away from Deimos, the young Sith then proceeded to choke and throw him around like a ragdoll and then pulled him into his lightsabers. One lightsaber was stabbed in his neck and the other into his gut. With one skilled move, Deimos pulled the lighsabers out and cut his head off and bisected the Sith Pureblood. With his dark deed done, he used the Force to break the chains of the Jedi before disappearing with Force Teleport with a dark smirk toward his rival.
The scene then switched to the surface of Dantooine where Deimos was torturing Talia with Force Lightning. She was wearing her blue tank top while still wear her blue and brown battle skirt as she was chained up like a piece of meat off the ground. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!" She screamed.
"NO!" Lana Beniko cried. Theron also in shock could do nothing to help his only child from her tormentor. Satele and Kira began to cry as to how far Arik had fallen into darkness. His father and his brother looked away in shame of their family member becoming the worst evil Sith Lord they had ever seen. Talia began panting as the lightning stopped and she was able to use the Force to help heal the damage caused by her former friend. She began to mourn for her friend's condition and hoped that her pain would awaken him from his evil.
"If you want the pain to stop, then turn to the dark side and kill them all. We can rule the galaxy as lovers. And if you wanted children, I could give them to you and they will be the most powerful creatures in the galaxy. And then no one will stop us from spreading the rest of our influence. Join me." Deimos said as he cupped her chin.
She proceeded to spit in his face. "You have no idea. I cared for Arik's light, not your darkness. I would sooner rot in your prison cell than to sit at your table."
Deimos proceeded to slap her for defiance. "You've got a little fight in you. I like that. However, you have gone and worked my last nerve. I intend to repay you for escaping from Korriban. The gall to use your own anger against me and then left me to live for Vitiate to punish me for failure by being electrocuted and given the tattoos I now have. You'd have done me a favor by killing me in my weakness. You should've killed me when you had the chance... Now you will learn why you should never elect the way of pain! AND IF YOU WISH TO DIE A SLAVE TO THE LIGHT, THEN SO BE IT!" He said before activating a dark red lightwhip. He turned it on and then proceeded to walk behind her and hit her across the back multiple times causing light but painful shiim marks. She began to cry, not from just the pain, but from the fact that her friend was deep in the dark side and she let the Force flow through her to help her ignore the pain. Unknown to her, a Force Ghost appeared from the corner of her eye in the form of Angelique Onen. She began to pant heavily when he grew tired. He then saw the Force Ghost of his grandfather and Angelique beckoning him to return to the light. "I know the rage that drives you, the impossible anger strangling the grief until the memory of your loved one becomes nothing but poison in your veins. Then one day, you find yourself wishing the person you had loved had never existed so you'd be spared your pain."
"STOP TELLING ME HOW TO LIVE MY LIFE, YOU MISERABLE OLD FOOL LEAVE ME ALONE!" Deimos shouted as he summoned black Force Lightning. The bolt of lightning hit nothing but the wall. He began to let his tears fall. "WHY ME!? WHY DO I HAVE TO BE THIS WAY!? Talia began to breathe heavily. She then began to feel the conflict of good and evil in Deimos.
"He is right, you know. You hide your pain and love lost underneath terrible grief, Arik. Please, come back. Turn away from the dark side before it consumes you. Vitiate is using you for your own power and ability to terrorize. When he gets what he wants, he will destroy you. As he did to Vaylin." Talia pleaded as she began to heal herself. Deimos took notice at that and gave her a few kolto strips along her back by carefully lifting her tank top.
"I already know that. I am just biding my time to betray him first. And that name, Arik, has no relevance to me anymore. As I told you on you on Korriban, it is too late for me. Strange thing, every time I sleep or meditate, you show up and imbalance me. I cannot follow the dark side completely with you distracting me in a bad way." Deimos said.
"Perhaps, it is the will of the Living Force to show you that you need to wake from your delusions of power, Arik. Please, turn away before you end up like Malak." Talia said.
"My rival in the Force, there is nothing that you can do for me. I regret all the lives that I needlessly took, but I am far too gone. Arik is no more. I will give you several hours to rest. It is the least I can offer to someone to who can end my pain. My sorrow, my death is at hand. If you beat me, do not show me any ounce of mercy. You will have wished that that you had left me to drown on Manaan. See you soon." Deimos said as he gave the bacta and its equipment to heal her.
Deimos walked away from the cell room and unhooked the chains to her and threw her thin blue turtleneck at her when she land on the ground, along with her gloves. He then sealed the door shut and went to meditate with his Master.
He then awoke with heavy breathing with Talia stirring in her sleep. He carefully got out of the bed leaving her to sleep in peace. Arik got his pants off the ground as he went to go get his medication and let the cool air of his apartment balcony blow across his heated skin. He began to bow his head in shame over what he once was and began to mourn for losses sustained to undo his four and a half years of terror and death. It was then he was stirred by his wife in her sleepwear hugging him and placing her head on his bare back. She then heard his sighing.
"Hello, dear. I thought you were asleep." Arik said he began to look at the metropolis from his viewpoint.
"After all the love we have shared and made last night, I couldn't when you left. I felt your disturbance in your connection to the Force. Nightmare, might I guess?" Talia said.
"More like the dark side of me haunting me for me refusing to kill you. It was you and Bailyn on Nar Shaddaa as slaves in those skimpy outfits and me tied to the statue of Darth Nox. You saw firsthand, the deadly rage I possess, but carefully used as a Sith. The blood rage. Then I tortured you on Dantooine. By the Force, that haunts me more than what I did to you on Korriban. Everytime, I see your bare back, I am ever reminded of choice to avoid giving in to the dark side. I was truly lost without Angelique. Still, you were there to redeem me. Now I must finish what your ancestor started." Arik said as he turned around and held her close. He then cupped her face and kissed her deeply as the Coruscanti moons shined on.
"Beloved, it has been almost a year since we married. Not to rush into anything like this. But how about we have little ones running around our little love nest?" Talia said looking into his eyes.
"I don't know, min larel. It would seem like a pretty big step to have them being brought up in this apartment. I wouldn't mind little ones once this war is over." Arik said as he held her closely. "Somehow, I don't deserve you. Not after all I did. I am a loser to fall in love with someone who I once resented for telling me to give up my darkness. I am more like my ancestor than I care to admit."
"Yes, but I won't push you away. The light in me says to forgive you and move on. Can't you forgive yourself or your former Master? If we had children, it wouldn't help you to let that attitude of self-pity teach them to let go of their wrongdoings. My love, I made the decision to help redeem you when I heard my ancestor redeemed yours, even in death. Something I should've told you. Angelique told me to tell you that she will always love you, even when she is not here physically. She also told me to take good care of you and not give up on you. I love you, Arik." Talia said hugging him deeply.
"I appreciated you telling me that. Thank you, for everything. I am grateful that you love me, despite my shortcomings. I knew I made a good choice in you, being my best friend, and ironically a wife. I love you, too, Talia Sophia Shan-Elan, with all my heart, beloved. Darth Marr was right, 'There is no death, there is only the Force and It has a plan." Arik said as he held her tightly and kissed her with controlled passion.
He then grabbed her bridal style to their living room to watch their favorite Holonet shows until they both fell asleep leaning on one another. Unknown to the Revanchist and his lover, a little surprise in the Force growing was within his wife.
One day later...
Darth Fross was in her disguise as she went to follow Talia as she went to see her mother on her condition as a mother-to-be. She was on her way to the apartment when she felt a dark disturbance in the Force. Not wanting to put innocents in harm's way, she went to an alley to lure the Twi'lek away from people. There she meditated carefully waiting for her.
"Hello Fross, still angry over losing your Master's toy in the galaxy?" Talia asked respectfully.
"He is and he wants to you to pay for it. He spent years planning his revenge against Master Terrik for years only for you and his little brat to interfere in the affairs of it. You know, I almost envy you. For all your beauty and your strength, he chose you over us. "Fross said with venom in her voice.
"That is because he loves me for who I am as a person, not because our families are great friends with one another. But guess what? I am going to be a mother soon. I am with child, or should I say, children. They are growing. I am asking you nicely, walk away." Talia declared.
"No, you see I do not plan on killing him right now. I plan on making him suffer as I have on Nar Shaddaa. I was bruised, stripped of my robes, and defiled by that bastard and his fledgling cult that Nox had abandoned for two days. He should've helped me, but instead Deimos rescued and let me walk back to the ship in my shame." Fross said with tears of anger. "I will make you pay for not killing him when you had the chance."
"Actually, I warned you not to mess with him and his cult, but you figured you could infiltrate with your pretty looks. The Pureblood was not easily fooled. Look, I am sorry you were defiled and all that, I really am. Do not make the same mistakes as I have, Fross. Do not force me to kill you, my former comrade." Arik said with regret.
"You little fool. I was always evil, and will continue long after you and that harlot are dead. DIE!" Fross said as she activated her lightsaber.
Arik was able to draw lightsaber and her red blade clashed with his purple lightsaber. He slash at her only to miss and get kicked in the face causing him to fall down, scraping his face on the duracrete. Talia joined and started twirling her saberstaff and unleashed a barrage of slashes and maneuvers to the point that she had Fross on the run. Fross had countered with furious strikes and slashes at the Jedi for defending her husband's honor and his decisions. One of them hit her on the left arm and her left thigh causing her to fall over in pain. In her anger, she about to kill her despite orders to bring back alive.
Arik noticed this and brought of his lightsabers in front of his wife to protect her from harm. Fross huffed at his attempt to protect her.
"Brave of you, Jedi. She IS your strength and your weakness. I once was enamored with you. I even offered myself to you, but rejected me. I can the sense Sith Pureblood descent in you. That harlot that was your ancestress was an old fool to think you could've been that deadliest and most terrifying Sith in galactic history." Fross taunted.
"I WAS. Remember? I made you, Hadje, and Nilyav my main lieutenants. I was acting under Tenebrae and Malgus. I refused your advances because you were my subordinate. It would've demoralized the men and made them forget their places. I am sorry I rejected you, but even in my darkened mind, I still loved Talia. You just wanted pleasure from me and wanting to dominate me. Fross, please, I am begging you. Leave Tenebrae or he will destroy you as he almost did to me." Arik said blocking furious strike after strike.
"She will not leave, my old friend." A mechanical voice said as he turned around to see Malgus throw Force Lightning at his left arm. The cybernetics hit him hard enough to make him clench his heart in pain. On his knees, he was lifted in a Force Choke causing him to gasp for air. Fross chuckled as her former superior was being choked to death for his betrayal of her. Arik began to close his eyes as he was losing his ability to breathe. Talia quickly got off the ground and tearfully approached Arik and Malgus.
"Malgus, please stop. Don't kill him, let him live and I will go with you. Just let him go." Talia said with tears in eyes. Malgus relented after Arik passed out and he dropped Arik gently. Before he put the cuffs on Talia, he whispered to his former pupil, "Do not worry, I will take good care of her for you, because I am NOT a complete monster like the Emperor. I will train her in the dark arts and maybe we'll see if you will still love her when goes to kill you without a second thought. Goodbye, my student. I hope that you have conviction to kill someone you know you cannot redeem." Malgus and Fross left Arik unconscious on the ground and had their stealth shuttle. Lana saw it and tried to throw Force Lightning at the craft before Theron motioned her not to. They saw their son-in-law on the ground face down and helped him off the ground.
Meanwhile...
Talia began to feel sick over the ship leave the atmosphere. The ship's shuddered as it able to sneak past Republic air defenses. Malgus looked at her intently with his good eye and approached her. The Jedi was suspicious at the Sith Lord's intentions and narrowed her eyes at him.
"Feeling sick there, Jedi? Here throw up in this, if you have to." Malgus said handing a sick bag. Talia took it and began to throw up profusely. Fross looked at her disdain and sneer at her for having children that belonged to Arik.
"Why are you doing this?" Talia after throwing up in between speaking to Malgus.
"Because, I have an eye for talent, especially those of powerful bloodlines like your husbands or yours. Besides, I sense that those children of yours are going to be powerful in their own right. I suspect that you and your husband got very well... acquainted a lot." Malgus said with a chuckle.
"How did you know I was pregnant?" Talia asked as she began to be not so nauseated from being pregnant. "And why are you helping me?"
"For starters, you are throwing up and that it is evident in your connection to the Force. I am may be ruthless, but I am not overly cruel. To the second question, I am not helping you. I am trying to make my plan to destroy Tenebrae come to pass. Whether by your prodigical husband's hand or someone else's. You want to know a little secret? I fought his grandfather when he was blind and teaching Tania the ways of the light. I knew those would one day create a new bloodline to challenge me not once, but multiple times. How pathetic that Arik would marry you, his best friend, and someone he held as an infant. And to add insult to injury, he ends up getting her pregnant during a war, like ancestor, like descendant."
Talia became enraged and went to get up, but was stopped by her pregnancy symptoms and began throwing up once more. Malgus just smirked as she grabbed the bag and went to the cockpit. "Watch her and do not harm her." He ordered to Fross who looked at her with contempt. The Twi'lek began to mentally taunt her with plan of making Arik suffer for his betrayal of the Sith... and her.
Meanwhile on Coruscant...
Arik was angry in his apartment that he failed to properly protect his wife. To him, the incident of being turned into a monster was playing over and over again. He began to panic and breathe heavily struggling to keep his emotions in check. Theron attempted to calm him but it only earned him angry stare. Despite the stare, the SIS agent was not intimidated. Upon realizing this Arik sat in his chair and began to cry over possibly never seeing Talia or his children ever again. That was when Tania walked and noticed the sad tone in the room, when she saw Arik crying. She immediately went to him to comfort him.
"Arik, what happened to you?" Tania said with concern.
"My daughter was kidnapped was when she was on her way back when she was intercepted by Malgus and Fross. To make matters worse, my wife told me that she is pregnant. Arik is wanting go after them with the Alliance but I warned him, it may be a trap. He agrees that Malgus may kill them or worse, if he follows them. When he lands, we will come up with a plan to rescue her.
Just then, Malgus showed up on Arik's holocommunicator and everyone, except Arik, stood at attention. Malgus then looked at Arik with contempt. "What's the matter, Deimos? Missing your beloved wife and her little pups to be?" Malgus laughed very hard until he felt his throat being choked by the Force.
"What's the matter, Malgus? Are you at a loss for words?" Lana said with red irises glowing with anger. Fross then moved Malgus and broght Talia with her. She had her lightsaber emitter pressed against her belly. "Release my Master or she and her little pups get impaled. It will be Angelique dying all over again."
"What do you want, Fross? Come to gloat over blindsiding me with Malgus?" Arik said looking at the Twi'lek with a blank, but teary-eyed face. "Or maybe your still angry over something that was entirely YOUR fault!"
Feeling her frustration and being put in her place, Fross grabbed Talia and moved her out of the way for Malgus to communicate with Arik. "Hey, Revanchist, look at me... old friend." Arik looked with seriousness in his eyes. "If you want to see her and your unborn children, you will return to us out leader."
"And go back to a life that promised me nothing but death and betrayal? I will decline, Talia would agree with my choice... old friend." Arik said walking up to the holo device. "Besides, I would rather deal with hardship in the light than fight it out in the dark."
Malgus chuckled subtly at his response. "You realize that I could kill her and her unborn children, just like your former Master once did with Angelique. Or I could train her in the dark and maybe she will teach her children the same. It will be Revan and his doomed crusade all over again. Hahahaha..." The Dark Lord had shut off the holo as Arik and the others were left pondering their next move.
"Well, what are we going to do now? He's got her and the babies. If we don't do something, Force knows what will happen to her and them!" Theron said with worry in his voice.
Tania was typing something on the computer after the holo had shut off. This confused Arik as he started approaching her with confusing looks. He was about to speak when she cut him off saying, "I was tracing the call while you and your former compatriots were parrying words with one another. They are on the planet Hoth. It's a fitting place for a self-centered, cold-hearted monster like the former Emperor himself and his lackeys. If you will let me, I will rescue her myself."
"Grandma, you'll be killed in the attempt, Malgus is expecting me and his little helper is more assassin than warrior. You don't stand a chance!" Arik argued. Theron was about to agree when Lana shot him down with an aggressive scowl.
"Arik, I may be old, but I am not weak enough to take down two dark siders. I faced Malgus before, I will do it again. Besides, that female lackey had a pride, ego and apparently, unresolved anger issues. People who have these tend to be relatively easy to defeat. Hold on, let me contact your sister and see if she can help us out." Tania explained as she got her holodevice out.
"Yes, grandma? Is there something you need?" Bailyn said as she was putting her little one in the crib to sleep.
"Yes, Talia has been kidnapped and, to make matters worse, she's pregnant. I have reason to believe that she was taken to Hoth. Do you think that you and your husband can help me rescue, we have to do it delicately or Malgus and the others may kill her and her babies?" Tania asked in a carefully desperate way.
"I will, I just have to get my mother to take care of our girl, then I will help you. In the meantime, head to Zakuul so that we can procure a ship to full the Dark Zakuul Knights. They need to be caught off-guard if Talia is safe and secure. Arik will have stay back from this mission." Bailyn said.
"What? Why?" Arik asked.
"Because Tenebrae is still aware of an impending counterattack. Having you on board would likely alert him to kill Talia. We need to do this right, not quick. Let's go!" Bailyn explained. So the race was on to rescue the Revanchist's wife from certain doom. A plan has been enacted to rescue one of their own. Tania with strong resolve left the apartment to help her family once more...
A/N: As promised, I finished this chapter. I will begin on the next Resident Evil chapter. I apologize for making ya'll wait, but this pandemice makes it hard to come up with ideas. Hopefully, God will help us defeat this disease. As always, take care and God bless!