Episode 5 Part 2 - Hail to the King
Anakin Skywalker looked over the data in its written form on his databad before turning it off and waiting for others to finish. In the meeting were a number of generals and commanders, Kenobi, Nihilus, and both Revan and Mandalore on the holoscreen. HK-Forge was present with one of it's HK-47 droids. Despite evolving to a higher mechanical form, it still relished in the form it knew.
The data presented showed a high number of valuable targets around the planet. The first was a cloning facility. Status: Destroyed. The second was a fortress and space elevator. Status: Destroyed. The third was an experimental laboratory. Status: Destroyed, with the added benefit of whatever it was contained in the lab was most likely set loose. Long story short there was a lot of targets Revan had been gaining intel on that was destroyed by HK's little Warp suicide attack.
There were also a number of targets, though, that were presumed intact. First, a few Sith Lords with Scourge, Sion, Dread Lords, and finally Valkorian at the top of the list. Scourge was in their hold and the rest were missing. Second, the fortress Obi-Wan and he had seen that had an intact warp-portal directly to the Empire's homeworld. Third, a top-secret underground labratory that was working to extend Valkorian's life without the need for him to consume planets.
"What is it with bad-guys and their top-secret underground laboratories?" Anakin whispered. "Why can't they have something nice like a beach house, casino, or even an amusement park?"
Obi-Wan smirked, "Any bad guy with an amusement park falls into the serial-killer-creepy-clown category."
"Right now I'd rather deal with one of those. So much simpler to deal with."
Ahsoka whispered, "You say that, but you aren't the one in the horror films."
Anakin snorted, "Damn right, I haven't. You know how many idiots in a horror film there are? Or better yet, how many actually carry pistols or knives? None."
Obi-Wan smiled in amusement, "Because if they did the film would be 'boo' followed by 'BAM' followed by 'Got it, honey!'. It would be a comedy, not a horror film."
"True." Ahsoka nodded.
"And that's why I would never be horror-film material. I'm smart enough to not be a sitting duck."
Ahsoka glanced to Nihilus-in-disguise out of the corner of her eye. "Doesn't seem to be helping us though, what with our own personal horror."
Anakin sighed. "Fair point."
Anakin listened as the meeting started, but his focus was divided. He continuously reached out with his senses to search for Varus, but his former Padawan kept himself carefully hidden. Only brief flickers were the slightest clue that the man was even alive. Now if only he could discern where he was. The flickers were sporadic and at different locations each time, whether it was due to Varus assassinating a target or losing his focus to hide his presence for a moment.
Anakin smiled when he saw on the holovid Mandalore, Revan, and the leader of the Revanchist. It was good for father and child to be reunited. She certainly looked in high spirits. It was a small thing, but it showed to him that there was still good things happening around him, even as his life became torn with drama these days.
The meeting was basically a plan to attack all targets swiftly while the Sith were still reorganizing. The main forces would attack the fortress while a specialized team would attack the labratory and to steal what information they could and-or, at minimum, destroy it. Mandalore would lead the mass assault on the fortress and Sith army. Skywalker and Kenobi and Larry (as Nihilus with his new body was named on short-notice, much to his chagrin) would lead the team on the labratory in order to 'cut the heart out of the Emperor' as he put it. Anakin was not particurally looking forward to it, but knew it was necessary. He felt that underground facility was the source of the intense Force energy he felt within the very soil of the planet, and just generally covering the planet as a whole. Whatever Valkorian was doing there to extend his life was intense and powerful and corrupt.
"One question." Kenobi stepped forward. "Why would Emperor Valkorian show himself here? First, the Emperor allows a spy to bring back a starmap. Second, he doesn't really put up much of a fight. Third, he shows up with a huge fleet at the most critical location to himself beside his capital system, all but inviting us to come take it from him. Fourth, as if by sheer convenience this system holds the key to his longevity. Am I the only one thinking this is a giant trap?"
"It is." Mandalore agreed.
Revan stepped forward, "I think no one can argue this is a trap. Which is why we must be prepared as we press forward. But perhaps it can help you understand if I explain a bit of his mind. You see, while I was in the Emperor's service I found the greatest surprise about him was that he was: bored. He had no rival, and to this day believes he has none. He looks down on you, thinks you are nothing but a toy. You fight the Sith to his entertainment and pleasure. He is a narcissist. But the timing of the war is due to the one named Skywalker."
"Me?"
"The Emperor knew who you met, and when it was, when you found my Star Forge an the portal that extended to another. This has piqued his interest. He heard of the prophecy about you, your purpose for being born as a champion of the Force, your potential, and so wishes to meet you."
"You know, he could have just written or asked me to look him up on a dating app under the category 'go kiss my ass' if he was so desperate for a one-night stand..." Skywalker replied. A few chuckled.
Revan chuckled. "Yes, he could have. But this goes to show how grandiose the bastard is. He showed himself and has revealed his greatest weakness to you for a single purpose: To show he is no longer hiding and wants to bring this thousand-year shadow war to a close. Which is why it is all the more important we do not fail. Take every advantage, press in, show no room for error, and take him."
Revan looked to Obi-Wan. "Does this answer your question?"
"For the moment." Obi-Wan stroked his beard. He shared a glance with Anakin. Anakin caught the meaning: His old master was not satisfied.
Revan stepped back, and Mandalore stepped forward. "This leaves us with the thorn in our side in the shape of Darth Sion. The 'thing' survived everything HK threw at him and is raiding our forces. He has proven easy to find, but difficult to deal with. Every team sent has fled saying he cannot be killed or-"
"Declaration: Challenge accepted." A robotic voice said.
"Pardon?"
"Repeat of Declarative statement: Challenge accepted." HK said. "Boasting remark: I relish the opportunity to test my skills and ability on the meatbag you have failed to kill! Oh, what an opportunity to prove myself! The infinite lethality of my arsenal against the immortality of an unkillable Sith Lord! This is the proverbial unstoppable force against the immovable object!"
"You know... I'd actually pay to watch that." Ahsoka whispered.
"So would I. Does that say something about us?" Anakin whispered back.
Mandalore nodded. "Very well. HK will be assigned with dealing with the Sith Lord raiding us, so we may focus on keeping up the momentum of our offense. Jedi Master Skywalker and Jedi Master Kenobi shall lead the raid on the underground facility. Everyone else will either be assaulting the fortress or acting in support of the invasion. We have unloaded five dreadnaught class vessels worth of troops, heavy armaments, and equipment. Taking the fortress and the portal hidden inside shouldn't be difficult. Let's bring a swift end to this war. Dismissed."
Anakin nodded as others saluted and marched out. Anakin waited for Nihilus to cross the room to him before leaving. Seeing the Sith Lord approach, Ahsoka gave Anakin a brief sympathetic pat on the shoulder and left, sickened by the sheer presence of him. Anakin didn't disagree. His lips curled in disdain as the Sith Lord neared.
"Exciting, isn't it?" Nihilus wondered.
"Not the word I would use."
"Perhaps not. You do not understand the brilliance of men. To look into death and smile, to sit on the border of it and prove yourself the conqueror is a beauty I wish to gaze upon. It is a beauty I wish to understand before we destroy it. Alas... that beauty must be destroyed to contribute to this campaign."
"You never have any, so thanks for your contribution." Kenobi inserted. Anakin struggled not to smile even as Kenobi smirked. Nihilus turned his head and gazed at the Jedi.
"Was that a joke? Are you insulting me?" Nihilus turned to Anakin. "Did he just insult me?"
Obi-Wan was flabbergasted. "Re-Really? I- You don't- What's the point if you don't get it? At least get it when I am insulting you."
"Ah."
"Don't 'ah' me."
Anakin looked past them to see HK still standing in the middle of the room nearby. The droid had not moved. Curious, Anakin said, "Droid, do you plan on moving? You need to get started."
"Corrective statement: I already have."
Anakin nodded slowly. Right, this droid was one of many.
Sion flinched. Pain exploded through his head and he stumbled to his knees. He put a hand to his face and looked at it. Blood. He didn't need to see the blood to know, he could feel it. With the Force living in him, his body healed from the wound quickly and another scar appeared on his face.
"Fascinating. So the rumor is true." A robotic voice said nearby.
Out of thin-air, a droid appeared not ten yards away. The droid was holding a sniper rifle aimed directly at Sion. Sion hissed and drew his lightsaber. Behind him, his squadron of Sith prepared themselves.
It chirped in glee. "Finally! A worthy test!"
"You sound almost glad to meet me. Let me assure you, droid, you will try and you will fail." Sion said. His voice was slow, unnatural, and soft as a whisper. Every part of his body was covered in scars and cuts as if he had been cut in pieces and sown back together.
"Confirmation: I am so glad to have met you! It is within my programming to become the greatest assassin, to eternally evolve and improve efficiency, in preparation for defeating Valkorian, and you are next on my list on my way to perfection. Please resist, meatbag. I have so many tests to work through! But first-" The droid fired the sniper rifle at point-blank range into the face of one of the Sith behind Sion.
Without further ado, Sion lunged at the droid. He didn't know where the droid was sent from, but its intentions were clear. He was a simple man. He saw a target. He went for the target. If the target left the planet or hid or tried to run, then it was simple. If the target was worth the effort, he would hunt it relentlessly until the target was removed. In a way, he was the Sith version of an assassin. Slow and inevitable as death.
Sion swiped where the droid was, but the droid leaped back and fired another shot into another Sith. They all grouped up on it and chased it. The droid fired rapidly, shooting one after another. The Sith fired back and chased it, and managed to catch it. A Sith cornered it against rocks and shot lightning into it. The droid fizzled and fell.
"That was ea-" Sion said, only to be caught off as a laser bolt in the jaw.
"I'm sorry, what? Can you repeat that?" Another droid said. It appeared out of thin air as the first and looked identical to the first.
Sion glared at it, and glanced down at the ruin of the first droid to be sure. The droid was dead. So there was more than one. No matter, he would press on until they were gone. Sion took his jaw and fashioned it back in place.
This second droid proved to be slightly more annoying than the first. The Sith chased it, but this droid had positioned itself on a hill with a bit more distance. By the time the Sith cornered it and killed it, it had succeeded in reducing their number to two.
Another shot rang and Sion's last member of his team fell. Sion hissed angrily. Another blasted droid!
"There, now that we are through with the peanut gallery, shall we do this properly?" The droid inquired.
Sion roared and charged. To his surprise, this time, the droid did not fall back, but clubbed him in the face with its sniper rifle. Sion ignored the blow and swiped down. The droid caught his hands in its claws and braced against him. Sion pressed down and started to push the limits of its gears. Inch by inch his lightsaber drew closer to its head. The droid aimed a pistol at his face, and Sion's eyes grew wide. The droid had four hands?!
It shot him point blank. Sion faltered. Pain ripped through his body, but the droid would be in for a dark awakening. It was the way of Sith to use pain, to use hatred, to use such things as fuel for power. The droid may have inflicted upon him a lethal blow, but the more lethal the blow was, the stronger it made him. The wound healed, his anger grew, his focus sharpened, and with a roar he tore his lightsaber through its head into its torso.
The droid fired and fired into his chest, and then with a kick, knocked him back. Sion fell back, but grinned in satisfaction. The droid crumbled.
Another shot pierced his back. "AGAIN!?" Sion turned. Now there were two droids. Sion pulled his lightsaber back and leaped into the air. He slammed down on the first of the droids. To his surprise the droid drew lightsabers of its own and blocked him. It wasn't strong enough though, and he crushed it under him. As for the second droid, he aimed his hand and shot lightning.
The droid extended its own hand but lightning rippled through it. Sion grinned. Once again victory… was… his…
The droid continued to stand despite lightning- No! The droid was shooting back its own lightning!
"What?!" Sion gasped. He stopped shooting electricity at it, and so the droid also stopped. His brain stopped for a moment as he processed what he had just witnessed.
A droid, or rather this droid, could use the Force? How? Sion didn't sense either Light nor Dark side energy in it. He sensed the usual spark a droid might have in its circruits, but nothing more. How could it use the Force?!
Not one to ponder long, Sion engaged it with his lightsaber. The droid drew a lightsaber of its own and they fought. The droid hit him with a Force Push and more lightning. Sion allowed the lightning to hit him, roared, and with a Force Pull, pulled it into the air and cleaved it in two.
Sion panted. "Troublesome droid!"
"Oh, come now. Don't be tired, yet." Another droid appeared.
Sion's eyes widened further. "What? H-how many of you are there?!" He rushed it, grabbed the droid, and crushed it into the ground. Another droid appeared and he crushed it. Followed by yet another. "Enough! Fight me! All of you who hide, come! I shall take you all on!" Sion roared.
"Very well. Challenge accepted."
Sion charged the next droid to appear. He took a leap, he ran, he walked, he stumbled, he took a step, and stopped. He could only stare. All around him were dozens of droids. Further than that were hundreds of droids. Even further than that on the cliffs and waiting in every crevice of the terrain were thousands upon thousands of droids. Above him the air shifted, the clouds parted, and a giant space station descended into low orbit, and out of the space station belched hundreds of purely massive droids shaped as eels and crabs.
Sion's lightsaber fell from his hand. He had barely taken a breath before the air around him was thick with laser bolts as every droid in the air or ground opened fire on him. The air ignited into flames from the sheer amount of plasma melting it around him. Sniper bolt after bolt pierced him through. Cannon after cannon ignited his skin, the ground, and the air he breathed into plasma. The dust flew into the air, the ground shook, and parts of it gave away and fell. Lava poured into the area.
Sion did not know how long the bombardment lasted, how long he was rippled through and around. The pain he was in was more than he had felt in a great long time, but it wasn't enough to break him. He was the Lord of Pain! He used pain to extend his life and make himself immortal.
Finally the bombardment ended and Sion fell to his knees.
"Amazing. Truly amazing. I have never met a meatbag quite like you." The droid hummed. "How do you do it? How can you sustain life within a shell torn to pieces, pierced through every organ a dozen times, and with the air you breath ignited with plasma?"
"I… I am the Lord of Pain… the more you hurt me… the stronger I am." Sion lifted himself to his knees. He felt life flow through him. Every nerve in his body screamed in pain and he felt the Force ignite in him like a sun. He never recalled feeling this powerful before.
"I see. Thank you for that." The droid replied.
Sion roared and charged. The Force flowed through him, so while the droids fired back, ignited lightsabers, and bombarded him, it mattered little. He crushed droids underheel and tore them apart with his hands. One after another he reduced to sparks. All the while they pierced him with bolts and cut him with sabers. They even tore at him with shrapnel until his flesh was full of metal sticking out of his back and arms and legs.
One of the largest droids fell to the ground as a giant spider twenty-feet tall. It raised a leg to impale him, and Sion grabbed it with his hands. With a loud cry, he drew on the Force to strengthen him. He lifted the droid up and tossed it on its back. He tore its leg off and impaled the droid with it. Then another droid, even taller, landed around him. This time it was a snake. It curled itself around him, squeezed in, and crushed him within its coils. Sion's bones crushed within his torso and blood flew from his mouth.
"Not done? I'm sure your spine and ribs have pierced your lungs and heart by now. Inquiry: Can you feel pain despite a crushed spine?" The snake droid asked. "Let's try this then."
The droid crushed Sion tighter and tighter until it seemed to strain to be able to crush him further. Sion could not move, could not lift his arms, could not roar in pain and anger. The droid dropped him. Sion immediately tried to climb to his hands and knees, but a giant metal claw impaled his back and pinned him to the ground. The claw lifted and the droid walked away towards the lava.
Sion struggled, but there was nothing he could do. The droid dropped him in the lava.
Sion had never experienced lava before and so was unprepared for it. It was like the plasma he endured before, but this was a liquid form that caked him, latched on, entered his ears, nose, mouth, lunges. Sion struggled and managed to reach the surface. He reached out with darkened hands for something to grab onto, but the droid drove its claw into him once more forcing him down into the lava completely and going so far as to impale him and pin him to the bottom of the lava pool.
Something snapped in him. For the first time in his life, pain was all he knew. It was too much to fuel his anger or hatred. He didn't see an enemy in his mind. He saw no target. There was no target, there was only pain. There was no end to the pain, no hope, no purpose. It did not make him stronger, it only instilled in him agony.
After a solid minute, the droid lifted its claw up and lifted him out of the lava. Lava fell from his body, his head, and his mouth. It poured from his nostrils and ears. He coughed and threw it up.
"Please…" Sion whispered, with what remained of his voice. "F-f-inish…"
"Interesting. So your power continues even when you have lost the will to live." The droid reflected. It suddenly chirped in excitement. "Let's test the limit of this!"
"N-no!" Sion cried, wanting to finally truly die and end it. The pain was too much this time. But his own power worked against him. The more pain he was in, the less likely he was to die.
The droid dunked Sion into the lava again. HK watched and considered. This man was an interesting subject. The Force fueled him in a way that made him the ultimate test. HK was new to the whole 'Force' thing since it had merged with the Star Forge. It had a great deal of experimentation to do to understand the Force and how it could manipulate the Force as a Force-infused technology.
"I think I will keep you." HK decided. "I have so many plans in store for you! This is so exciting! Oh, so many tests! But only one subject to perform them on! I must categorize them… decide which are most necessary for the immediate. Which offer the greatest benefit… and how to inflict maximum pain. If pain fuels you, you will need a great deal of it to suit my purposes."
The journey to the facility was in and of itself uneventful. Whatever defenses remaining around the facility were reduced to sparks or skeletons. The outside of the building had its door and windows exploded outward from the sudden decompression of the atmosphere before and the inside of the halls were charred or slightly melted along the walls. Whatever there would have been, ranging from a curtain to a chair, was melted or ash.
"Nice to see they left the door open for us." Anakin joked. "Okay, everyone spread out. The scans show there is a way down. Find it, but be careful, I cannot sense anything here."
"Isn't that a good thing?" A soldier asked.
"I can't sense you either. The Dark Side is too strong here."
Obi-Wan explained, "He means there could be a Sith hidden here still and we would not know it." Nihilus coughed. "So stay in radio contact at all times, keep the channel clear, and provide regular updates."
The soldiers saluted and marched off. Obi-Wan and Nihilus also entered the dark halls as well, and Anakin would have, but he paused. His datapad was dinging with a very familiar sound, one he set up tied to a specific person.
He gulped, watched Nihilus, and waited for him to pass the corner. Anakin took a step back to further hide himself and checked his datapad.
The message read, "I am near. - Green Crystal"
"Green crystal…" Anakin murmured. He had given a green lightsaber crystal to Varus as a gift and sign of growth. Varus was near!
Anakin glanced down the hall once more and sprinted out the door. He had not seen anyone enter the facility while they were there, and he didn't know of any other entrances. Not that there couldn't be any, and not that Varus could not have entered the facility long before them, but Anakin wanted to be sure. His instincts told him Varus would be outside where an assassin could escape easier if necessary, or wait in ambush. And with Varus possibly in the mindset of an assassin, Anakin went with what he could figure.
Anakin turned off his comm and looked around as best as he could through the helmet visor. Hidden among the rocks nearby he saw a brief flash of green as a lightsaber was ignited and turned off just as quickly. Anakin glanced around once more to be sure he wasn't seen and followed it.
Anakin entered a hidden alcove deeper in the crevice of ship rubble and scorched rock; and there, on a higher ledge in Mandalorian armor perched like a spider, was Varus. Because who else would be sitting in such a position?
"Varus." Anakin greeted, cautiously.
"Tree-Hugger."
Anakin breathed out in relief. While Varus' voice lacked the usual warmth, it wasn't threatening. This reminded him of the first time he had to be cautious with Varus. That first time Varus had showed a lack of mercy or understanding by referring to him by name, instead of the usual nickname. Whether or not Varus was using nicknames was always a sign into his mindset.
"It is good to see you are alive and well. We worry for you." Anakin said. He gulped, concern filling his chest. "H-have you been sleeping?"
"Not really." Varus answered neutrally.
The moment passed into silence. Anakin wasn't sure what to say or do. He knew Varus would be near where Nihilus was, and would wait for his chance. But how aggressive was Varus into making his point here?
"Nihilus has returned to your side. A very smart move on his part. He means to pit you against me."
"And are you?" Anakin asked. He dreaded the answer even as he asked it.
"Yes and no." Varus answered. "Nihilus has succeeded in positioning us this way on the board, but I will not strike at you. For now."
"For now?"
Varus looked down. "I can restrain myself for now, for your sake. But I don't know how long I can. Nihilus has to die, and I need you to stay out of the way when the time comes. Tree-Hugger… from one father to another… perhaps you understand. Do you remember the talk we had before, when I said I did not want children?"
Anakin remembered. Varus compared his life to a father's shadow. Many children have to overcome their father's shadow, and for Varus, his shadow was Nihilus. He said Nihilus would come after his family to take Varus back.
Anakin felt like a complete fool. He and Ahsoka had given him so much tongue lashing just for believing Nihilus would do this, but they were the fools. They were emotional. It is true what Anakin had told him once, it was Varus' responsibility to protect any child he might have, but in his own way that was exactly what he was doing at the time! Who else but Varus would know Nihilus the best? Who else but Varus would know Nihilus' plans, schemes, mindset, goals, and machinations?
"I remember. You said Nihilus would come after your children." Anakin answered.
"Well, he did." Varus said. "Or rather… I did. We cut Nihilus' connection to me, but we didn't cut my connection to others. We didn't remove the Force from me… and I am a Void user, Tree-Hugger. My own power saps at the life of others. For you and Ahsoka and even your brats, even your wife who is the only one in our group without the Force, it has little-to-no effect. But can the same be said of freshly conceived cells?"
Anakin gulped. He felt his hands shake. "I-I thought it might be something like that… Nihilus hinted as much to me."
"Then you can understand why I do this, why I must ensure he is gone."
"I do. I… I understand. And I am sure Ahsoka will understand as well. As much as I want to say you should explain yourself to her, as she worries greatly, it is perhaps for the best you stay away from her." Anakin took a deep breath. "I sensed something in her… A spark."
Varus faltered, nearly falling from his ledge. "You can't mean-"
"Its new. Weak. It could just be my imagination, but if what you say is true…" Anakin hesitated. Varus put his head down. "It may be best if you stay away. Until we know for certain if she is… expecting, or not."
The two stood in silence for a long moment. Anakin gave Varus all the time he needed to process the information. The idea of being a father was no small thing. The idea of being a father with the power to kill your child just be being within the same square mile was something else entirely.
"Damnit…" Varus hissed. "I shouldn't- I shouldn't have given in to weakness yesterday. Haven't seen her in months, and the first thing we do is a colossal mistake."
"Ahsoka doesn't know, or at least doesn't act like it. She may sense it on the edge of her consciousness, but will be in denial until it is freakin' obvious. She may suspect it to be an illusion or another failure coming and is bracing herself for it."
Varus stopped sitting like a stupid spider and sat like a regular man. He put his head in his hands. Anakin continued. He sensed Varus' grief mixed with guilt. "Don't worry for her, Varus. I will make sure she is okay. Remember, she is not a front-line fighter in this war. She is back in support. She is safe. I will even send her away to another ship where Nihilus will not go near her… and I will make sure she understands."
"Thank you." Varus whispered. His breath was shaky. "Give her my love. And tell her… I cannot return, yet. I cannot rest, I cannot stop, I cannot give myself a moment of comfort. Not even in her. I cannot. If I do, I will break. I will shatter into pieces. I have a future waiting for me, and I accept it openly, but that future cannot begin until he dies. We tried it her way. I hoped. But Nihilus' hold proved too great over our lives. He has shown what he is willing to do to keep my thoughts on him, so there is only one thing left to conclude. I am at the end-game, Tree-Hugger. Either Nihilus dies, or I do."
"Agreed." Anakin nodded. Instantly he saw Varus' shoulders relax a tiny bit. It was no doubt a great comfort to have Anakin on his side of this discussion, if not war. Anakin sure was relieved as well to know Varus was still on his side, but it greatly concerned him how Varus spoke with such gravity. It was so much like him. Yet Anakin felt it as well. Nihilus had shown his hand, shown how far his reach was and how far he was willing to go, and he made it personal. He threatened their future. Anakin felt it in his bones that there was no turning back now, not until it was over.
Anakin cautiously took a step closer, not wanting to spook him. Varus did not react, so Anakin took another step and extending his hand put a comforting hand on his shoulder. "We will fight him together if need be. Screw the honor of a proper Sith duel. We will find a way to kill him, and you will not be alone in that fight. But for now, please, have a moment of patience. Valkorian must come first."
Varus squeezed Anakin's comforting hand gently before pulling it off. He stood to his full height and looked down. "That is why I will restrain myself. My every fiber screams to kill him, but for this moment, we need him. Force-Damnit, we need him to fight Valkorian… but thank you, Tree-Hugger. Before, I would dismiss the idea of a dishonorable duel. But this is no longer about honor, or guilt, or shame, or the deaths he has caused to my people or his crimes. He simply needs to die. He needs to be executed, but will resist with too much power to be anything less than war unto himself. He simply needs to die."
"In that, we are in agreement." Anakin said. "Now, you should find somewhere to get at least a little rest. And stay in touch. And for Force-sake at least send Ahsoka a message you are alive! Add that you and I briefly talked, so all is well. That much you can do."
"I… I can do that." Varus nodded.
Anakin turned around to leave, but Varus had one more thing to say, "Be prepared for what you find down there, Tree-Hugger. I have not been here, but the information I had found on this place…" Varus shuddered. "No amount of nightmare fuel compares to what lays beneath."
"What did you find?"
"Let's just say I will no longer ever be scared of horror films or horror video games or monsters. The monsters in our minds are nothing compared to the monsters within the hearts of real life people. If you want to not vomit in sheer horror, do not descend."
"But… it holds the core to why Valkorian is immortal now, doesn't it? If we destroy this place, he will lose some of his power."
"A few hundred years to remake a facility like this doesn't matter much to a man who's life expectancy is already in the millions, ya know." Varus chuckled sadly. "I assure you, coming here will not weaken him. It will only show you how far he is willing to go, just as Nihilus did to me. But… then… perhaps that is necessary. If you can see it for your own eyes, what I have only seen in pictures, then you will be more ready to face him. You will understand him more and can grasp his mind and power more, even if it as the cost of your innocence or sanity. Whichever breaks first."
"You're really selling this as a very bad idea." He turned around to face Varus, but his former Padawan was already gone. Anakin sighed. He gulped and struggled to still the shaking in his hand.
They were reaching some sort of conclusion, he felt. Whether it was with Nihilus or Valkorian, he felt he would be pulling his lightsaber on someone very soon. A conflict with either of the two was coming closer and closer with each day.
In all honesty, he was terrified of both of them. He was a powerful Jedi, but he had no inkling of an idea how to defeat either one. How can you kill someone who's existence defies all physics or reason? Or how can you kill someone who sees power equal to Anakin's as nothing more than pocket change?
Anakin took a deep breath and reentered the facility. While the talk had been long, the search through the top-most layer of the facility was much longer. It was a veritable fortress unto itself with many floors, many passages, and many rooms for research and experimentation. Anakin turned his comm back on, and privately established a channel with Obi-Wan.
"What did I miss?" Anakin whispered. "I was busy."
"Oh, nice of you to join us, your half-godliness!" Obi-Wan exclaimed, clearly aggravated. "I've been here having to make excuses for your scrawny butt, telling them your comm was broken for instance! But no, they said you're a master mechanic, you can repair your own comms just like 'that'! It took everything to keep people from thinking you were DEAD!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Look, it was important. I was met by a certain Sith friend of ours, and I ensured he was okay. He said he would stay out of the way for now."
Obi-Wan's voice dropped several octaves instantly and he shifted from aggravated to concerned, "He's alive? He's okay?"
"His mind worries me, but for now he is okay."
Anakin heard Obi-Wan sigh in relief. "That's good… Sorry I yelled."
"Understandable. I did disappear without reason. I'll catch up soon. We need to come up with a plausible excuse."
"I got one."
-Ten minutes later-
"'He had to use the toilet' is NOT a plausible excuse!" Anakin hissed into the private channel.
"Hey, it worked didn't it? You don't know how to use a Sith toilet. The things scream at you and I swear the Sith language is a cross between Klingon and German!"
Anakin sighed. The team had found the elevator and were tinkering around trying to get it to work. The elevator was damaged by the atmospheric explosion, but from what they could see beneath it, the damage didn't go further down. The lower levels were undamaged and secure. It took some time to get the elevator to work, in which time they entered in and descended. Anakin struggled not to react when Nihilus kept giving him glances, as if the guy knew something was up.
The elevator stopped, they drew their lightsabers and rifles. They heard a sound coming from the otherside of the doors. They listened for a moment, and Anakin's eyes widened. The sound was screaming!
The doors opened. There was nothing. There was no light. The soldiers turned the lights on for their rifles and through the light-beams they could see the tunnel was empty. It led to a corridor turning left. Glancing to one another, Obi-Wan motioned for them to move forward, but slowly and in precise movements. One hall after another they passed. There were few doors now, to which they checked each time and found destroyed labs and decayed bodies. It was a scene out of a horror film. Similar to the facility above, but this was so much worse. The very air itself tasted sick and their ears were filled with endless screaming, but they could not tell where the screaming was coming from.
Finally they came to the end of the hall, and it was from here that they found a door where the screaming seemed to be coming from. They positioned themselves to break in and rescue the victims of this torture. Anakin gripped his lightsaber tightly. It was here that he sensed the corruption in the planet was stemmed from. This was like staring into the very nuclei of a black sun. The Dark Side radiated so strongly from this room it nearly engulfed them all. The soldiers, even in their air conditioned suits, were sweating in trepidation.
"S-so, who wants to enter the creepy door at the end of the tunnel first?" A soldier inquired. All of their sights were aimed on the closed door.
"Oh! For Force sake!" Nihilus exclaimed. He stepped forward, shoved the doors wide open, and entered like he was strolling through the woods.
The soldiers and Jedi glanced to each other in surprise, but followed up and entered the room.
They barely took two steps in before they were stopped, stunned, and filled with terror. Anakin felt his lightsaber fall from his loose fingers. Obi-Wan fell to his knees and stare emptily at what was before him, and what he and Anakin both sensed. They had sensed it, but it was a confusing mess that couldn't possibly make sense… until they looked on it.
The door lead to a balcony. Beneath them was a pool of liquid. The liquid was flesh itself, moving, writhing, and most of all, screaming. It was alive, in a sense. Arms and heads and faces reached out of the pool in life only to fall back in into death and drown amongst each other. It was hundreds, thousands, millions of people climbing over each other to breath and scream in pain, unknowing what salvation was, as they were born and drowned and reborn and drowned again. All around the room were Force crystals of the Light Side that constantly fed life into the pool, making sure it was in a constant state of birth. Like a great cold metal womb that fed its young with each other. It was a never ending cycle of life and death.
Above the pool of liquid was a sword aimed downwards. Anakin could practically see the life energy coming from the liquid being sucked into the sword. The sword radiated a lack of any Force energy, as if it was a holocron of the Void itself. With each death from the pool, the sword sucked up the life. With each death, the flesh was fed with its own flesh. And the crystals of the Light Side forced there to be a constant spark of life within the pool, so that it would endlessly give birth to itself so that the newborn would feed on itself, only to be unable to sustain itself, and die. Only to feed the cycle as its life was given to the sword… and its flesh returned to the mass.
"What. The. ****!" A soldier whispered.
"I must say, this is ingenious." Nihilus remarked. He took his helmet off and smiled in what Anakin could described as only pure admiration. "A completely automated way of producing endless life, endless death, and bottomless power to feed on. A beautiful fusion of science and Force."
"Its an abomination." Anakin whispered. He put a hand to his helmet. The moment he opened his mouth to talk, he felt the overwhelming need to vomit. Varus was right. This… this was the mind of Valkorian. Who else could possibly be so vile as to mass-produce and automate a process of life and death. This life he sensed within the pool wasn't that of a beast, but that of the souls of men Valkorian had fed to his factory to jump start it. Souls fed by the crystals to- No! Anakin refused to think about it. To even contemplate the mind of that monster threatened to make him sick to his stomach.
A few soldiers managed the will to pick their rifles up again and continued down the balcony. They made a concious effort to not look down at the pool of liquid flesh, and to ignore the endless screaming. "Sir! There is a door!" They reported. They opened the door and aimed in. "Uh, sir. You might want to have a look at this."
Anakin struggled to stand, but could not find the will. What he had seen… what he was looking down at through the flooring… It was beyond anything he could have imagined.
Obi-Wan saw him struggling and extended his hand to help him up. "Come on, let's get out of here."
"How can you stand? Can't you sense what is happening all around us?"
"Oh, I can. I will also not be sleeping for the next year." Obi-Wan helped him to his feet. "Let's see what they found. Can't be worse than this. Nothing is worse than this."
"Pft… I could try." Nihilus scoffed.
"Yes, yes. We get it. You're totally jealous." Anakin whispered.
Anakin looked in the door. He was surprised by what he saw, but he wasn't at the point anymore where he could be stunned. Inside were a number of children sitting around, filthy, in the darkness, starved, naked, gazing back with wide eyes.
"Kids?" Obi-Wan whispered. "They all look the same… clones?"
"Must be." A soldier agreed.
"I think we found why the Starkiller clones were utterly insane." Obi-Wan concluded. "Anyone cloned in a place like this would be."
"What do we do with them, sir?" A soldier asked.
"We rescue them obviously."
One of the children stood and stepped forward. He looked up at Anakin with wide eyes and pointed up at him. "You! You're the one 'he' whispers of."
Anakin shared a glance with Obi-Wan. Anakin snapped his helmet off and lowered himself to a knee to look at the child face to face. "My name is Anakin Skywalker, little one. This one who whispers to you, does he have a name?"
"He doesn't really call himself anything. But I see your face in his thoughts when he whispers to us! I know you!"
"If you know me, then you know its okay to come with me."
The child looked back at the others. And together they stood to their feet and stepped forward. Anakin gulped. The way they silently went along with it reminded him more of sheep than he would like. Were they programmed genetically or braindead or brainwashed?
Anakin put his hand on the lead-child's back and guided them to the door. The children, numbering twenty in total, all followed. Anakin stayed back long enough to close the door and make sure everyone left.
"What do we do with this?" A soldier asked. "We didn't find any information to steal… and I don't know about you, but this isn't something I would want to take back with us."
"On the contrary… we learned something very valuable." Anakin said darkly. "We learned… just how far the Emperor is willing to go. We learned how evil he is. It is true, this isn't something precise like information or a resource we can use and exploit. But it does offer us something. A clear purpose. This is a challenge of sorts. This is his way of saying 'I am willing to go this far.' So we must be willing to go far as well."
Anakin pulled a grenade from the soldier's belt with the Force, tapped it, and threw it off the balcony into the pool. Anakin closed his eyes and waited. A moment passed. The grenade ignited. He would never forget the scream and cry of the mass of flesh as it screamed its final fiery death. He walked away and closed the door.
If he had taken a moment to look, he might have noticed the sword was missing.