Chapter 12

Having just discovered a new enemy in the form of who was once his wife, Hiccup made his way to the Jedi Council so he and Obi-Wan could tell them all about what just happened, who is behind this and what she wants.

Having heard everything, Mace replies, "So, this Astrid is someone that you know from your world and now appears to be Dooku's new apprentice."

Hiccup nods. "Yeah, that's about the gist of it."

Mace puts his hands together and looks down. "Yes…this does complicate things."

Obi-Wan adds, "Hey, that's my line."

Hiccup sighs. "From the sounds of it, Astrid is looking for me which likely means that Dooku is also looking for me, I'm also willing to bet my shirt that he's after the Jedi Scope on top of it."

Mace adds, "Well, rest assured, the Jedi Scope is being kept under high security. As for you, Haddock, we'll make sure that you're ready, should she find you."

Yoda then speaks up and asks, "Curious. How exactly do you know Astrid? A friend?"

Hiccup then rubs his arm. "Well…she's a bit more than a friend."

The other Council members exchange glances as they try to figure out what that means before Mace asks, "What exactly do you mean by 'more than a friend?'"

Hiccup wasn't sure if the Council could handle the full truth, so he looks around and says, "Could everyone else leave?" Figuring this must be important, Mace nods to the other Council members, so they all leave leaving Hiccup alone with Obi-Wan, Mace and Yoda. Once everyone was gone, Hiccup says, "Ok, so Astrid is the sort of…special friend. One that you…know long enough to develop…feelings for."

Mace and Yoda exchange glances before Mace asks, "Haddock, I'm about to ask something that I hope isn't correct. Are you saying that you were in…a relationship with Astrid?"

A deep blush develops on Hiccup's face as all eyes were on him. He stares down to the floor and replies, "…No, Master."

Mace nods. "Ok."

Hiccup sighs deeply. "She's…well at least she was…my wife."

Everyone else pauses once the fact was heard as Mace rubs his temples. "That's the other thing I was afraid you were going to say."

Hiccup needed to defend himself. "Ok, in all fairness, we got married long before I even knew the Jedi existed."

Mace sighs deep. "It's not the actions of your past life that concern me, it's how those actions affect the present. What worries me is how these emotions towards Astrid will affect your decisions should you end up having to face her. It could easily lead to you making the wrong judgement call. This is why Jedi aren't allowed to have such attachments."

Hiccup thinks about this and replies, "Well…is there a way we could find out whether or not that would be the case?"

"Maybe there is." Said Anakin after he was informed of the situation and they all went to meet at his room.

Mace asks, "Skywalker, why exactly did you bring us here?"

Anakin replies, "Well, I think I have the answer to our problems. Behold." He pulls a piece of cloth off of the bed, revealing a humanoid droid with silver plating lining its body.

Mace asks, "What is it?"

Anakin replies, "This is a holodroid, it's something I've been working on on and off for a few weeks now. I call it Proxy."

He flips a switch on the droid's side, causing it to activate and stand up before saying, "Ah, Master! So good to see you!"

Mace then asks, "So, what exactly does this thing do?"

Anakin replies, "Well, why don't I just show you? Proxy, load up data file 0B1-K."

Proxy replies, "Right away, Master." Before its arms and legs start glowing with holographic energy.

Obi-Wan thinks for a second before saying, "0B1-K…wait, that's-" Before he could say anything else, Proxy's body becomes surrounded in a white light before, covering its body, was an orange haired, bearded man with a tan robe. Obi-Wan hangs his mouth open. "You made another me?"

Anakin replies, "Close. You see, Proxy here has data files stored in its system that can allow it to take on the appearance of whatever file it desires. Right now, it only has members of the Council, but give it time and it can take on just about anyone you can think of, past or present."

Yoda then asks, "find time to make this, When did you?"

Anakin replies, "I've been…getting up early. Besides, this suspension has given me more time to work on him. Go on, Master, give it a shot."

Obi-Wan raises a brow and looks to the replica in front of him. He walks up and says to the droid, "Hello there."

Proxy replies in a perfect Obi-Wan voice, "Hello there."

Thinking for a moment, Obi-Wan says, "Say, uh, when I started out as a Padawan, what was that one extremely embarrassing thing that I did?"

Proxy replies, "You spilled your juice all over your new lightsaber hilt. Master Qui-Gon looked like he was going to feed you to the rancors."

Clearly not expecting him to actually getting an answer there, Obi-Wan begins to turn around saying, "Alight, you know a few things about me. But, can you match my-" He whips out his lightsaber, activating the blue blade, and begins to strike at Proxy, only to be blocked by another blade.

Proxy smirks saying, "Fighting style?" making Obi-Wan even more surprised.

Anakin chuckles to that. "Did you really think trying to sneak attack yourself was going to work?"

A bit ticked off by both Anakin's comment and this droid, Obi-Wan swings his lightsaber downward, to be perfectly blocked, then up, then to the left, then to the right, all of which were blocked in the exact fashion that Obi-Wan would block blades.

Mace then asks, "Skywalker, as impressive as this droid is, I don't see what it has to do with our situation."

Anakin nods. "Right. Master, as much as I enjoy watching you play with yourself, we've got bigger issues. Proxy, did you get that new file I sent you?"

Proxy stops fighting Obi-Wan and replies, "Right away, Master." Before he gets surrounded in the white light and soon taking on the appearance of Astrid, blond hair, yellow eyes and all.

"Astrid?" Hiccup asks.

Anakin then says, "Remember, not the actual Astrid. Now, since I know so little about her, I couldn't put in her personality data into the file, but based on that call I think I have it somewhat accurate. Go ahead, give it a shot."

Looking into the yellow eyes of the animated girl that he once called his wife, Hiccup picks up his black hilted lightsaber and activates the purple blade, Proxy/Astrid responds to this by pulling out a blue, spiked hilt and activating a red blade.

From there, Hiccup swings his blade a few times, which were successfully blocked by Proxy/Astrid. Hiccup manages to knock the saber out of Proxy/Astrid's hand, she gets on her knees and Hiccup points the blade towards her. Hiccup stares Proxy/Astrid down for a good minute, contemplating just what to do now.

Proxy then says in Astrid's voice, "Go on…do it…it's your duty as a Jedi, right?"

Hiccup's arm was shaking as the nerves got the better of him. "I…can't." He deactivates the saber and drops to his knees, holding his head in his hands as tears build up in his eyes.

Mace comments, to this, "It's just as I feared."

Obi-Wan pulls Hiccup back onto his feet and says, "I'll walk him out." Before they leave.

Once they were gone, Mace looks to Anakin and comments, "I must say, Skywalker, this droid is quite impressive. With enough programming and tweaking, it could be quite useful for training not only ourselves but the younglings. Especially if we can get complete files for Dooku and such."

Anakin then raises a brow. "So…is it impressive enough to lift-"

"Don't push it." Mace replies in a stern voice.

Anakin nods. "Sorry. Worth a shot."

Mace then sighs. "However, perhaps the suspension period could be…shortened."

Anakin grins to that. "I will take that."

Later, Hiccup and Obi-Wan were sitting in Hiccup's single bedroom apartment as Hiccup was just settling down from earlier. Hiccup lets out a deep sigh. "Well…guess that proves that."

Obi-Wan puts a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Don't worry. We will find a way to not only find Astrid but to take her down." It was then that Obi-Wan gets a message on his transmitter that he listens to.

It was a message from Mace saying, "Kenobi, we seem to have picked up some trace of Separatist activity on the Mustafar system, but it just seems to be one single unidentified ship that made its way there. We need you to investigate. I don't need to tell you how dangerous that system is, so be careful."

Obi-Wan nods and gives Hiccup a side glance. "Would this little trip help take your mind off of things?"

Hiccup sighs. "Better than nothing, I suppose."

With that, the two of them board a small carrier and head out. After traveling through light speed for about half an hour, the two of them end up on a black ash covered planet. Hiccup asks Obi-Wan, "So, what exactly is Mustafar?"

Obi-Wan replies, "It's basically one big volcano. Rivers of lava, frequent eruptions, things of that nature. Certainly not suitable for any Padawan, but as long as you stick with me, we'll be fine."

Obi-Wan steers the ship through the dense clouds of the system, heading to the coordinates given by Mace, when Hiccup suddenly hears something in a familiar voice, "Haddock."

Hiccup looks around and sees no one else there, so he looks to Obi-Wan and asks, "D-did you say something?"

Obi-Wan shrugs. "No. I did not."

Figuring it was nothing, Hiccup looks back through the windshield when he hears the voice again. "Face me, Haddock. Face me."

Hiccup rubs his head. "You're not hearing that too, are you?"

Obi-Wan replies, "I'm not hearing anything other than you asking if I'm hearing anything." Hiccup nods again.

Pretty soon, a large building appears from the direction they were flying in and Obi-Wan sets down on a landing platform. The two of them look around and Obi-Wan comments, "Well, besides the usual volcanic charm, I'd say there's nothing too odd about this place." However, out of nowhere, Obi-Wan starts levitating in the air and appeared to be choking.

"M-Master?" Hiccup asks. "Master, what's going on?"

Obi-Wan replies, "I…I don't…" It was then that Obi-Wan was flung to the back of the ship's cockpit with enough force to knock him out.

Hiccup checks on Obi-Wan and sees that he's alive, but that's when he hears the voice again. "No distractions, just pain."

Now finally realizing whose voice that is, Hiccup gulps deeply. Looking out the cockpit, he dashes to the ship's exit where he steps onto the platform and, standing in front of him in all of his glory…there she was.

She was wearing a black cloak of some kind, but the braided blonde hair, yellow eyes and slim figure said it all. Hiccup comments, "…You."

Astrid replies, "Yeah, it's me." She crosses her arms. "Expecting someone else?"

Hiccup stands his ground, "What do you want from me?"

Astrid replies with a scoff. "I want what that idiot, Dooku, couldn't get me. I want your head on the end of my lightsaber blade."

Hiccup gulps to that. "Astrid, I-"

"Don't call me Astrid." She says with a stern voice. "That feeble little girl was weak, so I destroyed her. I am Stormstriker."

Hiccup's eyes widen as he realizes just how far gone she really is. "Stormstriker, I'm not going to fight you."

Astrid replies, "Then this will be easier than I thought." She says as she pulls out a blue, spiked lightsaber hilt.

Hiccup wanted to try something, anything to reason with her. "You…you really don't recognize me, do you?"

Astrid replies, "I recognize you as the precious little new Jedi that's been going around and stealing what is rightfully ours."

Hiccup replies, "If you're talking about the Jedi Scope, then you're out of luck. I don't have it on me, I don't even know where it is."

Astrid scoffs. "Jedi Scope, huh? So that's what you're calling it. In any case, I'm taking it from you Jedi and bringing it to its rightful owner, Count Dooku…and if you think you can stop me…" She activates the blood red blade of her saber. "…then be my guest." She swings the blade in a circle around her head and ends with the blade pointing to her left before moving the blade to point at Hiccup.

So this was it, Astrid has no clue who Hiccup is. It seemed that logic and reason wasn't going to work here, and it seemed like Astrid really was with the Dark Side now, so he replies, "…If all you want to do is kill and take things…then I guess you really are a Sith…which means I need to take you down." He pulls out his black hilted saber.

Astrid's brows crinkle with anger. "I'd love to see you try."

Hiccup nods and activates the purple blade of his lightsaber as the two of them stare each other down for a solid minute, one was only thinking of how good it will feel to take the other down and the other knowing how difficult of a fight this will be, not because of the opponent's unknown skill but because of who they know the other to be.

After staring each other down, Hiccup and Astrid leap towards each other, shedding their cloak in one move, as they raise their blades and clash with each other, holding position as the recognize that this duel has officially begun.

I said things were about to heat up in the last chapter, but things have just reached the boiling point and the duel has just begun.

I hope you keep a lookout for this next chapter, because if it's anything like I have planned in my head, it's going to be one worth reading.

Take care and see you next time!