The Color of Truth: The Place in Between
Chapter Twenty
There were many creepies and crawlies in the jungles of Davaron. Some were tiny and some were quite large. Although we hadn't yet encountered anything over the size of a healthy rat, I kept up my guard. If there was anything I didn't like, it was something crawling around the ground using multiple legs and staring at me with its little beady eyes.
"Keep up, Leia," my Dad quietly requested.
I lengthened my stride, trying my best to avoid tripping on the vines that trailed across the ground in every direction, although I couldn't stop from peering up into the trees. I could think of nothing worse than something spiny or hairy dropping down on me from the branches and landing on my back or neck. This entire forest was very spooky, especially at night and with a thin veil of fog that seemed to have magically appeared in the last few minutes.
"Dad," I whispered once I'd caught up with him. "Isn't this place freaking you out a little? As soon as we got out of the city, I mean."
"I'm sure it's Count Dooku's presence that's affected it. This forest is nothing like I remember. You can literally feel the presence of the darkness inside it."
"Like trudging through a bog without a moon," Quinlan complained.
It was a fair comparison since entering the heavily timbered area, it felt like our steps had slowed as if an invisible hand was pushing us back.
"At this rate, we're going to tire out before we even find the compound."
Quinlan's words weren't an exaggeration. Even I had started to feel an added heaviness in my legs, and I was less than half their age!
Suddenly, Dad stopped us both and engaged us by sight first. I wasn't sure what he was wanting, but I was urged to step closer, as was Quinlan.
"We're heading into an abyss where the existence of evil is tactile. We need to ready ourselves and I'm not talking about physically. I have no doubt every single one of us is entirely capable of defeating Count Dooku in combat. What I'm concerned about is his ability to infiltrate our minds, rob us of the Light and infect us with the darkness we've already witnessed all around us. We need to arm ourselves."
I wanted to ask how we did that, but didn't since I figured a lesson was coming.
Quickly, my father knelt upon the ground. I followed his example, and even though Quinlan was hesitating, he eventually complied.
After holding out his hand, I placed mine upon his, with Quinlan's palm down on the top. The meditation process then began. At first, I was unsure what the purpose of this exercise was, but then there was a silent question of permission forming in my mind, and I realized my father was attempting to link us together. Immediately, I allowed him entrance and immediately was bolstered by a powerful surge of Light Force energy. It swept across my subconscious and then edge its way into my consciousness, eventually filling every fiber of my being. The trouble was, I didn't understand where it had come from exactly and what I was supposed to do with. How could I keep hold of it?
I had to gasp for breath, not realizing I'd been holding it all this time. Wow, I thought. So, this was what being in Pure Light was like? I was amazed at the strength and power emanating from it. I'd always been told that ultimate power was within the Darkness, but I'd never sensed anything like this from Sidious or Dooku. This was amazing, and what was even more so was the fact it was coming from my Dad.
Before the moment was complete, I opened my eyes to witness the three of us gathered together upon the forest floor, a bright light shooting up from where our hands were joined. I'd never seen anything like it!
Much too soon, the beam of light reversed its path and disappeared just above our bodies. When my father and Quinlan came to their senses, they looked as if nothing miraculous had just occurred. As if this was just another meditation session.
I, on the other hand, I'd discovered something I wanted very badly, and sadly discovered I didn't possess it. I now looked at my father differently, and Quinlan as well. Even the forest around me seemed less dark. I was no longer afraid of the crawling things whose eyes were focused upon me at this very second because I realized they couldn't touch me. Evil preferred the darkness.
"Let's go find Dooku," Vos announced with steely determination.
This time around, I was the one who took the lead. I couldn't get there fast enough, though, on a ridge overlooking the compound below, we held up to take inventory.
There were at least four beings in prison uniforms guarding the door of a flat, square stone building just below us. With its narrow windows and smooth sides, the only entrance would be either the front doors or perhaps another around the back.
"I'm tired of sneaking around," Quinlan uttered earnestly. "I say we jump down, surprise 'em, kill 'em, and barge in."
"And fall right into his trap? I'd rather think this through a little more," Dad insisted while scooting himself back down the ridge to make certain we hadn't been seen. "If we can incapacitate the four in front and get inside without alarming everyone, then the advantage will be on our side. Dooku won't see us coming."
"He knows," Quinlan argued. "He has to know we'd come for him eventually."
"Eventually, yes, but hopefully not today," Dad suggested. "Are we all in agreement?"
I nodded my head quickly while Quinlan's response was more of a shrug.
"Let's get to it then," Dad said with a worried grin. "And may the Force be with us."
We snuck down the rise, being extra careful not to make any noise, and leaned against the outer wall around the corner of the entrance.
"Leia," Dad whispered. "Can you handle this one?"
"Sure," I told him, confident it would be no problem, although I sensed some dullness of the light that had previously been within me when I did so. I'd have to think on that some more later.
The easiest thing to do was to call upon the vines running amongst the trees and along the ground to do my bidding. There were plenty of them around and they immediately responded to my call, twirling and inching their way toward the convicts who never could've expected to be overcome with living restraints. I asked the non-sentients to hold the four scoundrels while we went into the building and they seemed glad to do so. Apparently, they didn't like the heaviness that had come upon their surroundings either.
The double door opened to Quinlan's command and the three of us entered a narrow hall, lit at the top by a number of flickering glowlights. On either side of us was a row of crates, which made the walkway even more difficult to maneuver.
Hilts in hand, my Dad and Quinlan motioned for us to continue, until we came to a larger room filled with old machinery and even a QR5 tank I had only seen pictures of while attending the academy.
Most notably, however, was that the rear of the room was in complete shadow. Although the rest of it was lit through filtered sunlight coming through mere slits of glass at the top near the ceiling, this particular area was shielded from any natural light, almost as if there was a black curtain hanging there.
Indeed, there might have well been, when a red blade suddenly emerged, which lit the face of Count Dooku in its eerie light.
Quinlan was the first to jump forward, though his efforts were thwarted by the sudden appearance of several beings of different species, who jumped out from their hiding places, all apparently having one purpose: to kill us. Having obviously rummaged through the supplies in the compound, they were heavily armed, and we were hard-pressed to return their fire.
The lightsaber hung heavily in my hand as if it wished to escape, and with each laser deflection, it only gained weight. It didn't like me, which was okay, since I didn't care much for it either. I'd prefer to use my hands, and I vanquished its light, intercepting the blaster bolts into my palm. I'd never done this before, but something told me I could. At first there was a slight sting, but then that vanished and left nothing behind but warmth. I figured since the weapons were powered by energy, all it took was an opposite field of energy to disperse their power. It was something easily done, so I continued doing so, eventually learning that I could contain enough within my palm to form an attack of my own. I surprised a few of the prisoners with a blast from my seemingly empty hand.
One Trandoshan, in particular, seemed so stunned that he abandoned the fight, only to be cut down by Dooku's red blade. Apparently, the Count took no prisoners and didn't tolerate betrayal.
While he stood there mostly observing the attack, I met his feral gaze and was immediately touched by a sense of dark power. It wasn't an outright attack on my senses, but a sneaky spindle of evil that tried to snake its way into my mind. It was cunning and deceitful, full of venom and greed.
It whispered to me of possibilities, power, and control. Of hunger, pain, and ultimate glory. It fed upon my fears and I experienced horrific visions of being consumed by long-legged hairy insects. However, it also showed me the ability to conquer these creatures and how strong that would make me feel. It showed me how I would become better than I'd ever thought possible. I wasn't meant for the Light, which is why it skittered away from me like a rodent, the voice whispered. I was meant for the power of the Darkside and I needed to embrace it. This was my destiny, it told me.
I hadn't been prepared for such a powerful mental barrage, and I fell to my knees, doing my best to ward off this attack. My father quickly discovered my failure and rushed to my aid.
"Fight him off, Leia," he urged me although his voice seemed a light-year away. "You can do this!"
While I struggled, he fought by my side, fending off any wayward or targeted shots, sending back a deadly and accurate attack until finally, between he and Quinlan's efforts, no one was left standing other than us and Dooku.
"Strengthen your shielding as you've been trained to do!" Dad reminded me before stepping forward, lightsaber drawn.
I was dumbfounded by my failure. I had entered this building with so much confidence that I believed nothing Dooku could throw at me could hurt me in any way. I had underestimated his power, which made me angry with myself, and I placed my hand upon the solid grate flooring. I had to be careful not to bring down the entire building as I didn't wish to injure the other two Jedi, but I had to do something!
Much to my surprise, the destruction I had begun came rumbling back toward me, and like a powerful wave in an ocean, it slammed me up against the far wall.
For a few seconds, I lost consciousness but recovered in time to witness an intense lightsaber battle. Through slightly blurred vision, I witnessed the impressive assault of three men who were experts with a sword. It was impressive to watch, but it wasn't providing the results we'd hoped for.
Slowly though surely, Dooku was backing up toward another doorway we hadn't been able to see before now. Knowing him, he probably had a ship waiting for him on the other side which he would use to escape. I couldn't let that happen.
I had begun the process of asking the Force for help when my concentration was disrupted. Just before Dooku had been forced to flee, the door opened wide, though not to let him out, but another in. A young man, not much older than me with wavy dark hair, a scar across his cheek, and a vibroblade in his hand appeared and slit the man's throat from behind.
Utter shock and denial appeared on the Count's face before he fell to his knees, his life's blood flowing down his extravagant cloak.
I didn't care why he hadn't seen the surprise attack coming. He could no longer hurt my family. Count Dooku was finally dead.
And now I had to find out exactly who had stolen the opportunity of killing him away from me.