Leon brought the stolen saber up and deflected the Jedi's attack, the blue clashing against yellow in a green flash. "I had been wondering where you'd run off to," the Jedi growled, his eyes a sickly shade of yellow. Leon snarled back and slashed at the Jedi with his vibrosword. The Jedi laughed and weaved below the metal blade, disengaging the saber lock. He delivered a force enhanced palm to Leon's midsection and the soldier stumbled back. "Though I was hoping to fight the monster, not the boy."
Leon narrowed his eyes as he felt the rage building in his chest. He glanced over his shoulder and saw Deranis snarling and drawing his blaster to train it on the, as of yet, frozen troopers. Leon shook his head, catching the Echani's eye and receiving a confused nod in reply. Leon returned his attention to the Jedi again just in time to bring the lightsaber up to parry a stab.
Leon bottled his anger down and took a breath. He couldn't afford to go out of control again, not so close to victory. Besides, that wild rage hadn't helped him against the Jedi before. "I think you overestimate yourself, buddy," Leon retorted with a smirk as he slashed his vibrosword through the air, aiming to decapitate his opponent. The Jedi expertly leaned just out of the sword's path before slashing at Leon's chest, a blow blocked just in time by the blue blade. Leon slashed down with his sword, since the Jedi was preoccupied with the saber lock, only to have his wrist grabbed by the Jedi's right hand. The two struggled in a battle of wills and strength. "I mean, I beat you last time."
"With the help of that schutta, perhaps," the Jedi snarled. The two struggled uselessly against one another, and the troopers grew restless and confused.
"A non-force sensitive schutta, thank you very much," Leon said with a mocking grin. "What would your Jedi buddies say? Beaten in a sword fight by a normal soldier then beaten by a surprise attack? Aren't you supposed to sense these things?"
The Jedi growled. "Aren't you supposed to die!?"
"Wow, real witty," Leon responded. He lashed out with his leg, breaking the Jedi's hold on his wrist and sending the both of them tumbling away from each other.
"Fire, men!" one of the troopers said as the Jedi cleared their line of fire.
"No!" the Jedi snapped as blaster fire began to fly towards Leon. The Jedi growled and leaped between his prey and the fire, deflecting the blaster bolts away from Leon and into the bodies of the troopers who had fired them. They screamed as they died at the hands of their ally. The attack quickly stopped as the remaining troopers stared in terror at their commanding officer.
"He is mine," the Jedi hissed, the air around him almost visibly darkening. Leon gulped down a pit of fear in his throat and raised his weapons back to defend himself.
The communicator in Leon's ear beeped. "What do you want me to do, kid? I'm not much help against a Jedi," Deranis asked, the warrior needing direction.
"Hold off until I need your help," Leon whispered. He took a breath to steady himself. "You'll know when."
The Jedi turned slowly back, a manic smile on his face. "Now... where were we?"
Leon narrowed his eyes and rushed forward, deciding to get the first attack in. This Jedi wouldn't defeat him, not when the Crimson Eagle was at stake. His saber slashed through air and he hissed in pain as pure plasma nicked the side of his abdomen. He stumbled to the side; the only other indication of his pain was the twitching of his eye as he stayed in control. "I must commend you," the Jedi hissed, yellow eyes and matching blade glowing threateningly. "Few have the fortitude you do." The Jedi rushed forward and Leon was barely able to block the sheer force behind the downward swipe of the Jedi. "You! –" Another battering assault. "Just! –" Leon brought his vibrosword up to resist the attacks with both arms. "Won't! –" Leon fell to one knee. "DIE!" The Jedi swatted the weapons to the side and blasted Leon with a wall of concussive force, sending the soldier flying and crashing into the hull of the Crimson Eagle.
Leon struggled to get to his feet, but quickly fell back to the cold metal floor. He couldn't move.
SWSWSWSWSW
One Month Before Revan's Death
"What bothers you, Lord Revan?"
Theron turned slowly to the source of the voice. It was his apprentice. "Nernyn," Theron said with a nod of greeting. He turned back to gaze out into the open wilds of the galaxy. Stars upon stars glimmered in the endless expanse. "The actions of my predecessor. They were not as... Hm. Nihl was not as concerned with preservation as I am."
"And why would that dead fool's actions concern you?" the apprentice asked. Theron's hand was on his saber. The man he had once known had been corrupted in Nernyn. Theron trusted his apprentice with important tasks because he was powerful, but he was more Sith than Theron himself ever had been. He had his heart fixed on betrayal, but Theron was not quite sure when.
"Actions upon actions, Apprentice," Theron noted, his thumb dragging softly against the activator of his weapon. "This Empire was born because my parents found a mask, Nernyn. The smallest actions will wreak devastating consequences upon the galaxy, and Nihl's use of Kralle's... manipulative abilities was no small action."
"You worry for the sleeper agents we have behind the enemy's lines?" Nernyn asked. "Why?"
"She is not dead, Apprentice, merely insane," Theron replied calmly. He was still as a statue as his gaze locked onto the star of the planet below his fleet now orbited, up until he held his hand out and traced one gloved hand across the plasteel window. "Besides, the assets she programmed would be useless to us. Weak, as was their master."
"You left her alive?" Nernyn berated. "And you wonder why so many Sith do not respect you."
Theron sighed from behind his mask and let his hand fall from the window. He turned to his apprentice, shaking his head. "Yet many more do. I wage a war that must be waged to prevent deaths. That death must occur to save lives is... unfortunate, but unavoidable."
"What are you?" Nernyn asked, quiet rage in his words. "You speak of mercy and this... weak will. Why not embrace the Dark Side to its fullest and force that same power upon all who follow you?"
"You misunderstand the Dark Side then, Nernyn," Theron responded. His mask beeped as it scanned his apprentice. Nothing was out of the ordinary. Though the ordinary for Nernyn was out of the ordinary. "Chaos, evolution. That is the nature of the Dark Side. The Light is Stasis, preservation. The Dark Side's power lies in its ability to change everything. The Light cannot do that. Similarly, the Dark Side is incapable of healing or preserving anything."
"Preservation is the destruction of evolution," Nernyn hissed.
"Then you do not understand," Theron responded. He turned and waved his hand dismissively. "Leave until you can understand power as it is, not as you wish it to be."
Darth Nernyn was quiet for a moment. Finally, he begrudgingly spat, "Yes, my master."
Theron stood still, gazing out into the stars. Alone, once again. The door hissed shut behind him and he sighed sadly. "I only have myself to blame, I suppose," he whispered to himself. He deactivated his mask's speakers with a flick of his thumb against the shell. His gut burned with rage. "No, not only myself. All that happens from here on out is their fault." He reached up to the plasteel again and glared at the planet below. He had given the Miraluka colony ample time to evacuate, but they would not listen.
Theron activated his communicator. "Is the Triumvirate Fleet close?"
"Yes, Lord Revan," the soldier responded. "The enemy fleet has nearly entered the star system."
"Then begin preparations for lightspeed. We do not want to be in system when the attack ends," Theron commanded as he began to grip the sun with his mind. Rage and compassion ran through his chest. He had to destroy this star, force the people of its planets to die in an instantaneous, fiery death in order to prevent something much worse from coming for them. "Would you contact my apprentice and tell him to watch the power of a true Master?"
"Yes, Lord," the Admiral said before signing off.
Theron raised both hands to the plasteel and let rage run through his body; rage at the Jedi and the Triumvirate who had destroyed everything. Rage at himself for creating Nernyn. Rage at the galaxy. All ran through him until his desire to break the galaxy for breaking him reached a fever pitch. Then he let his memories of his first friend drift through his mind, the only friend who hadn't betrayed him. "I'm coming Mari."
"Enemy fleet inbound!" the Admiral shouted over the ship's speakers. Theron sneered behind his mask as the first enemy ships appeared as if from nothing. "Entering lightspeed!"
"Goodbye, fools," Theron snarled. He pushed his outstretched palms together, dragging them across the window until they met. The star drifting in the abyss of the galaxy began to fluctuate, as if a powerful force was crushing, condensing it. Theron's flagship and fleet entered lightspeed.
As the Sith Emperor tactically retreated, the star collapsed from the pressure of the Force upon it, condensed into a singularity of destruction and death. The fires ran through the solar system before the black hole was formed, permanently destroying one of the Triumvirate's main hyperspace routes with its gravity well. "Nernyn, this is the power of a true Dark Lord."
SWSWSWSWSW
Leon woke up, confused about what he had just seen. Why did he keep seeing the life of a dead Sith Lord? Moreover, why was he seeing the life of the late Emperor, the lowly peon he was? "Oh, please, you're worth more than that," a semi-familiar voice called from around the ship. Leon turned his head slowly, not wanting to attract the Jedi's attention.
The Black-Robed man stood there, faceless and staring down at his student. "I was hoping you would have already defeated him."
"How did you get here?" Leon asked.
"Again, ask me that or save your life?" the Black-Robed man responded. He put his hands up and made the universal motion of a comparison scale. "You want to beat the... well, I guess he's not a Jedi anymore."
"How? He's... too powerful," Leon said worriedly.
"Him? Well, you aren't trained yet. But still, never say something that stupid ever again. He's a lightweight," the man ordered. He glared down at Leon. "Now, how about you get up and get back in it."
"I..." Leon began he shook his head. "He's too strong for me. I don't know anything about the Force!"
"Oh, so you're just being a little schutta?" the man shot back. He looked up. "You better hurry before blonde and nuts over there ends up killing... blonder and less nuts?"
Leon looked where the Black-Robed man gaze was fixed. His eyes widened when he saw Deranis leveling a blaster at the Jedi and unleashing a rapid stream of red bolts. "Kark," Leon hissed he pushed himself up to his feet and bolted towards the Jedi, who began to deflect the bolts. The repeating rifle was fast enough that it ave even the Jedi trouble deflecting them all, and few made their way back at the Echani. More and more did so every moment, however.
"Okay. Fight, win, succeed!" the Black-Robed man called as Leon ran away.
Leon ignited the lightsaber in his hand as he ran. "He's still alive!" one of the troopers called. He leveled his weapon at the Sith soldier, then stopped as he remembered the earlier actions of the Jedi. "Sir! The Sith is still alive!"
The Jedi turned his head towards the voice, catching sight of Leon as he did. "You just won't die!" the Jedi snarled. He turned from Deranis, ignoring the blaster fire that soon hit his shoulder. He jumped through the air, striking at Leon. To the troopers, the Jedi screamed, "Attack the Echani!"
"Sir!" the troopers shouted. They turned towards Deranis, who shook his head and fired at them before they could kill him.
"You're like a roach! You just won't die!" the Jedi snarled again as Leon deflected the next blow. He spun out of the guard and his next blow was blocked as well. The Jedi growled angrily and brought his elbow around to strike at Leon's face. The soldier blocked the attack with his hand, grabbing the Jedi's wrist and pulling it down to his side before snapping his head forward to clash against the Jedi's. The blonde stumbled back.
"How are you fighting like this?" the Jedi snapped. He rushed forward as he regained his balance and his next blow was deflected with a flashy deflect. Leon grinned, cocky now, and allowed himself to be pushed back, inch by inch, towards the Eagle. The Jedi's blows became more rage filled, more erratic, but to Leon it was as if they were coming in slowly, ponderously. He suddenly felt like a Jedi fighting a soldier, instead of the other way around. When he knew he was approaching the Eagle, finally, he deflected the next blow hard enough to cause the Jedi to stumble to the side. He lashed out with his foot and the Jedi fell to the ground, head colliding with the ground and knocking him unconscious.
Leon brought his saber down, ready to kill the Jedi. Then he froze, his mind returning to how Erea had asked – no, begged him to leave the Jedi alive. He really wanted to kill the Jedi – after all, look how much trouble the guy had caused in just a single re-encounter. He lowered his blade to the Jedi's neck. "Stop!"
The troopers turned and froze. Deranis peeked out from behind the corner and walked across the room. "You're going to let us go, or the Jedi dies," Leon shouted to the troopers.
"What are you doing?" Deranis hissed.
Leon ignored him. "Drop your weapons now!" The soldiers hesitated, remembering the way that the Jedi had treated them just a few moments before. Then they all palled – if they tried to kill this Sith, the Jedi would likely murder them all. Queen Jool observed the entire encounter with wide, scared eyes. The troopers dropped their weapons. "Deranis get in the ship. Get it primed. I'll be in in five minutes."
"Aye," Deranis replied, and he ran into the ship.
SWSWSWSWSW
"You let them escape?" the blonde Jedi asked, his voice even, when he awoke.
The captain of the troopers did not know what to do. "I... yes, Sir. It was that or let you die, Sir."
The Jedi was quiet for a while. He turned to Queen Jool. "Where were your men?" he asked quietly. His fists were clenched tightly at his sides. "Why did none come to our aid?"
"I ordered them away," Jool explained crossly. "Your Admiral told me that I should let no one know of our deal. The deal you were going to go back o-" She clutched at her throat with her stumpy arms as her throat was suddenly constricted.
The trooper captain turned, wide eyed, back to the Jedi. The blonde man's eyes glowed yellow, and his left hand was shaped as if clenched around someone's throat. He was killing the Hutt. "Sir, is this wise?"
The Jedi, without stopping, turned to the captain and stared apathetically for a moment. Then his yellow lightsaber arced through the man's chest, bisecting him horizontally. The Jedi turned his hand to the side, snapping Jool's internal structures, and attacked the rest of his men as they raised their weapons on him. Who were they to question him? Who were they to attack him? He was only doing what was necessary to kill the monster, to make any who aided him suffer? Couldn't they see that? Well, it didn't matter anymore – he had to ensure that what he had done did not get out. He had to hunt the monster down, and the Council would not let him if they believed he had fallen. He hadn't fallen, but he would get revenge for the fallen. He had to.
SWSWSWSWSW
"So where are we supposed to go now?" Leon asked Deranis and Erea. Erea was piloting the ship off planet; the Triumvirate had not enacted a blockade, fearing that such an act would only serve to incite terror and bring attention to their military's secrets in the war against the Sith Empire. "Which Imperial planet do we go to?"
Erea shook his head and sighed. "It has to be close, somewhere that we can get Mari's arm fixed," she said. "So Kaas and Korriban are out of the question. Mid-Rim or closer."
"If this data you are carrying is important, it will need to be a key sector of space," Deranis continued. "Home to real Sith and Admirals."
Leon frowned to himself. And it had to have a Sith or Imperial Knight academy. He wanted to know why he was, suddenly, able to use the Force. The Black-Robed man... With everything going on, with his visions of Revan coming more and more often, he had to know more about the Force and, maybe, how to use it. "Ruusan," Leon said with a sense of finality. He walked to the front of the cockpit and placed his hands on the copilot's seat. "We're going to Ruusan."
