CHAPTER 28
Endgame
"We will face the odds against us and run into the fear we've run from."
Ziost, 14 BBY
Aboard the Fury
Xur sifted through the contents of the crate his mother had left him, running his hands through the fine fabrics and lightweight metals of an intricate suit he had never seen before. Its design resembled that of a front-line warrior as well as a Jedi Knight, perhaps more in line of the Knights who were born into war and subsequently died to it. It was for a man whose peace was battle, and to be rid of the fight was to be rid of himself.
"Shaped by war…" he whispered, pulling out what looked to be the main under suit.
"What's that?" Trilla asked, walking along the end of the bed frame and to where he knelt before the box. She was nearly dressed by now, only missing the armored bits of her full suit, and simultaneously tinkering with the purple hued variant of her helmet.
"Oh, nothing," Xur shook off, rising to his feet and trying to slide the under suit on. "Just something you said to me once…being forged by war."
Her eyes panned upwards in thought, but the memory eventually resonated. "That was a long time ago."
"Yeah," Xur agreed, and then fumbled with the material, struggling to decipher how he was supposed to put it on. "Now how the fuck…"
Trilla giggled, setting her helmet aside. "Darling…see the back? Unzip and slide your legs through."
Xur flipped it around and saw the aperture for his insertion. "Ah…thanks, hun."
She tipped her head, reclaiming her helmet as she continued to toy with the vocabulator. "I couldn't bear to watch you be defeated by a set of clothing."
"Your concern is well received," Xur scoffed, sliding it over his body, and then struggling to reach the zipper on his back. "Son of a…"
Trilla shook her head, setting her helmet aside once again. "Alright General, it appears you need a girlfriend intervention."
"I can do it…" Xur protested.
"Shut up. Hold still," she directed, grasping his shoulder from behind as she pulled up the zipper. "I have experience with these intricate constructions. You should utilize it…and besides," she came up from behind, wrapping him in a hug as she rested her chin on his shoulder. "You get to have my hands all over your body."
"Hmph," Xur smirked. "You always were persuasive."
"It's an art," she pulled away, kneeling beside the crate and running through its contents. Xur could only cock his head in wonder as she mumbled to herself…but in a short time she nodded. "I see…oh…this is lovely," she remarked, lifting what looked to be a clump of shoulder plates and the chest piece, until she unraveled it to show the shape of his upper body. "This looks like composite beskar…perhaps with…cortosis?"
Xur felt his own eyes gleam. "So basically no bolts are getting through."
Trilla rose and prompted him to lower his head, and with assistance, slid the top piece over his body. It was very light, despite looking rather cumbersome, and the composite armor covered his vital areas very efficiently…looking elegant as well as achieving its purpose. She pulled at it behind him, unable to see what she was doing, but he felt it lock into place…so she obviously knew what she was doing.
The rest of the suit was almost the same story, light and not overbearing, but also protective in its design, and Xur especially liked the boots and gauntlets. His mother had spared no expense, and while he could question how exactly she had gathered all the necessary resources to assemble it, he found himself too impressed to worry about it.
"Ah, and the belt," Trilla retrieved, and a fabric flopped down, which Xur deducted was the half-cape that covered his rear and legs from the back but was short enough to stay off the ground. Coming from the front, she didn't allow him to do the honors as she wrapped it around his waist, sliding it through the loops, and then planted a kiss on his lips as she clipped it closed. He didn't let her off that easy, wrapping her lithe frame into his strong grip as he kissed her back, relishing in the taste of her lips and the energy she granted him. When she pulled away, she smiled, running the back of her hand over his face. "I always knew we'd start to get along…even when you looked like that…imbecile."
Xur chuckled at the memory of the two of them in that shuttle heading to Bracca. "We've come a long way, haven't we?"
Her eyes panned down as she nodded. "Indeed," holding her hand over her stomach. "Our future is here…"
He looked down, sensing the life within much more vividly now that he knew what resided there. "We need only earn it."
Trilla nodded, stepping away and paced to the rest of her garments, proceeding to pull over her gloves and securing her gauntlet pieces. "There's one last thing in there."
The zabrak turned, peeking within to spot a silvery helmet, its design sleek, intimidating, and yet beautiful in the same instance. Lifting it from within, he observed the optical cutouts for each eye, as well as the elegant design for the vocabulator…but a distinct engraving caught his eye on the right of the forehead. It was a symbol…perhaps a glyph…but he couldn't read it.
It was a good thing the woman he loved was a particular expert at such things.
"Trilla," he asked, and she turned, just about to slide her helmet over her head. "Take a look at this."
She looked at the glyph intriguingly, and once he saw her eyes flash in recognition, he made no move to stop her from taking it from his hands. "It's Sith…" she surmised, and studied it further, falling silent.
"Can you read it?"
After a moment, she turned, pacing forward with pride. "It means balance."
Taking it back, he smiled. "Balance…I like the sound of that."
"As do I," she agreed, and slid over her helmet, already giving him returning memories of seeing her walk beside him in her full getup. "How does it sound?" she asked, the projection of her voice deep and mechanical.
"A lot less scary now that you're on my side," he said, pulling over his own and activating the HUD, which was clear and perfect, granting him integrity information as well as other various bits. "How does mine sound?"
She cocked her head, the violet gaze slightly unsettling, but the effect faded quickly. "I want to say…like you, but with a bit more of an authoritative edge…"
He scoffed. "I didn't have one before?"
She giggled, stepping towards him, and revealing her hilt. "It was…inconsistent," she admitted, and Xur noticed the circular track mechanism had been attached to her old hilt, as well as a second emitter.
"I see you couldn't be without the spin," he noted.
"I admit I did miss it on Kashyyyk," she tipped her head, and then ignited the gold blades, opening the tracks and spinning them in a flash, proving it to be functional before deactivating her weapon. "We embrace who we are."
"Agreed," he nodded. "Are you ready?"
There was no hesitation, and he could feel her resolve rooted in the life she contained.
"Born."
Trilla found intense amusement from Cal's less-than-subtle guarded reaction to seeing her fully dressed once again, flinching for his blade as he entered the Fury with Merrin just behind him, only to take a breath with unsettled eyes.
"Is this all of them?" Trilla asked.
"Ha, ha," Cal mocked as she reenacted their first meeting on Bracca. "Hilarious."
Merrin furrowed her brow. "I don't get it."
"Long story," Trilla smirked behind her helmet, before finally pulling it off for the briefing. "You needn't be so jumpy, Kestis."
Cal scratched the back of his neck. "Yeah. Forgive me for being a little on edge, especially with what we're about to do."
"We're all on edge," Cere agreed from behind, and Greez followed. Trilla met her eyes with little restraint, their time spent together the night before finally melting away at the ice that had stuck them apart. They may never be entirely healed, but they were far better in terms of relations than Trilla ever thought possible. "This mission…well, it isn't going to be easy."
Merrin nodded. "In my short experience, I have noticed that nothing with Jedi is ever easy."
Jedi.
Part of Trilla didn't feel right being grouped within that title, even with the happiness it had granted her…but not necessarily because she didn't feel she deserved it.
She just didn't feel that was her.
It mattered little anyhow. If Merrin ever saw a being with a lightsaber, the first thing that came into her mind was probably Jedi, whoever that being may serve. Xur had even previously admitted that he still preferred her to be her, and not conform to the Jedi Code if she didn't feel it was right. He had maintained that standpoint for many years, and it only seemed to enhance after the Jedi Order formally died.
She only hoped they had made the right choice.
"Where's Xur?" Cal asked as the others assembled around the large holotable, passing the time with outside conversation.
"Conversing with our asset," Trilla answered. "He will be out in a moment."
"He is already finished," Rava interrupted from below, rolling alongside Trilla's feet. "I have the schematics uploaded to my memory, and we will be going over the plan shortly."
BD chirped from Cal's back.
"It was fast, bipedal, because unlike you, I have VI hardware that can process and store the information and near quantum-computing power," Rava bit back.
Deet-beep boop.
"No I do not have a humor node. That would take up valuable hardware space. Can you track starships through hyperspace?"
Doooo. Bree-doo-oop.
Trilla scoffed and giggled at that. "Yes, BD, at least you aren't always a grouch."
"I am not a grouch," Rava protested.
"Obviously," Cal remarked, patting BD on the head.
"Ah yes, mock me, Cal Kestis," Rava grumbled. "And when your latero pilot fails to navigate the pathway necessary to infiltrate the Fortress, we shall see who gets the last laugh."
"Hey!" Greez pointed. "I'd trust living hands at the yoke over a bucket of bolts any day."
"I'm sure everything is under control," Cere eased.
"Yes, everything on the Fury is perfectly under control," Rava agreed. "I cannot say the same for the Stinger Mantis."
Trilla nudged Rava with her foot. "That's quite enough, grouch."
"I am not a-," she paused as her red optic fell upon Trilla's intense gaze, who had grown tired of her discord-brewing attitude at such a pivotal moment. "I see…" she bowed. "Apologies."
"It's alright," Trilla knelt, patting her domed head. "I could not have made it this far without your help. You are a very smart…construction."
Rava seemed as humbled as she could display. "Thank you…Trilla…and perhaps you are right, Bipedal Designation 1. Perhaps I could use a humor node."
"Nonsense," Trilla shook her head. "I like you the way you are."
Deet-deet.
"BD…" Cal warned, and he merely insisted he was kidding.
Merrin cleared her throat. "I am still confused as to what is going on."
Trilla turned her gaze to Cal. "You haven't bothered to teach her binary speech yet?"
Cal flushed red with embarrassment, and Cere only smirked with crossed arms. "Duh-uh…I was planning to, but, well…" Merrin was craning her head with a smile, and Trilla was surprised to see his embarrassment fade. "I will soon."
There was blissful happiness between the two of them, which Trilla didn't take long to deduct that it had to be the result of the nightsister taking her advice, an thus acting upon it…of course that now meant Trilla had lost yet another thing to tease him about. Calling him Padawan no longer made much sense either…
She smiled to herself. None of that mattered anymore.
Merrin, Cal and Greez eventually drifted away for their own conversation, giving Trilla and Cere a chance to be alone.
"You look ready…" Cere noted, and Trilla only popped her brow.
"Then I must be good at wearing a face," she admitted. She knew she had told Xur otherwise, but that was necessary, as she couldn't have him worrying about her when they hit the Fortress.
In truth, she was not ready to see that place again, not after losing the mindset that had been burned within her as the Second Sister. The devices, halls and sounds all instilled terror and disgust as opposed to pleasure and satisfaction, and she was truly unsure how she would react when she saw it.
"And you?" Trilla asked, finally setting her helmet aside. Cere's eyes couldn't help but gaze at it momentarily, and her former apprentice caught it in time.
"Are you sure going in like this is a good idea?" she asked in a quiet tone, referring to her clothing. "Sometimes traumatic events can be triggered by…"
Trilla raised her hand with a stern look. "Believe me, I understand traumatic triggers, Cere."
"I know, and I didn't mean it like that…"
"I'm sorry this reminds you of what we went through in that place," she apologized. "But like it or not, this is who I am now. That loss…that pain will forever be a part of me…but that doesn't have to be a bad thing."
Cere swallowed, her eyes witnessing that hurt she felt once again.
"It is not suffering that defines us," Trilla said, her tone matter of fact. "It is what we do with that suffering, that makes us who we are."
She smiled at that, the pride in her expression brilliant. "I am what you've grown beyond, aren't I?"
Trilla smiled back. "Then you've done your job…Master."
She could think of no better gesture than to pull Cere in for a hug, sharing and expelling the pain held in within themselves, and almost immediately she felt her unease at the coming mission flutter away. Cere returned the gesture, and years of animosity…the remnants of it…had been expunged and relinquished.
When they pulled away, Trilla reached within her cape. "And…well, I know it's not perfect, but it's the last one I have," she presented her final inquisitor hilt she had in storage, offering it to her. "But a weapon is a weapon."
Cere hesitated for a moment, but eventually reached out, grasping the slick design and twirling her wrist with it. "It will do…thank you, Trilla."
"Of course," she bowed slightly, and in that moment, Xur emerged from her room, his helmet in his grasp…and a sharpened expression of raw focus on his face. It was so solid, in fact, that when he passed by, he barely offered her any acknowledgment, simply taking his spot around the holotable.
"General," Raven greeted. "Nice suit."
"Thanks," he tipped his head. "Sorry if I kept you all…but the final piece has been fit. In a few hours, we'll be hitting that Fortress with our combined strength; all we've worked for in recent weeks is about to come to fruition."
Trilla watched him anxiously, his eyes pacing to all that stood beside him: Raven, Lockdown, Brutis, Petro, Merrin, Cal and BD-1, Greez, Cere…and finally to her.
"We've all had a hard five years, to say the least. Some of us filled with fear, regret…and some of us suffering. I know it has been difficult for us to cope with it, and sometimes even impossible…but here we are…with a chance to make it right. Each and every one of us has a stake in this operation, and I promise you, by the end of it…we will be standing atop the rubble of that wretched place."
"Damn right," Brutis nodded, and the agreement was unanimous.
"Rava…bring up the schematics," he prompted, and Trilla watched the VI plug into the port below and work her magic, bringing up the hologram of the entire Fortress, most of it submerged beneath the sea. Her mind raced at the sight of it, but reclaiming calm focus, she was quickly back under control.
"Based off of what our asset has provided us, there is an underwater hatch that can be accessed from the front of the facility, here," Rava highlighted.
"That's the defensive perimeter," Xur noted. "Used as the last line of defense to prevent prisoners from escaping, but they'd never expect a direct attack from there. Best we can tell, that's our ticket in."
"Don't forget the landing pad," Trilla interjected. "If we can get the Fortress to extend it, we'll be able to hit them from two fronts. In honesty, their forces aren't as plentiful as you may believe."
"Only a couple platoons, if I remember correctly," Lockdown added.
"Yes, but they know we're coming. I wouldn't be surprised if we find an entire army waiting for us there, so careful tactics are going to be key," Xur warned. "Once we get past the blockade…"
"Woah, woah, woah, hang on," Greez stopped him. "Once? What's the plan for the blockade? With the defenses they've got, the usual tricks just aren't gonna cut it."
Trilla had enough outside knowledge to infer what his plan was, but he didn't know Nur's defenses like she did…and she wasn't sure Vorchenko's presence would be enough.
"I have an…Admiral…on the inside," Xur admitted, which somewhat surprised her, but she was glad he decided to reveal it. "They will be subverting the defenses…and eventually opening fire once the time is right."
Cere didn't look convinced. "They'll have every Star Destroyer in the sector swarming Nur if that ever happened."
"Not if we cut off communication from the ground," Trilla argued, a thought appearing. "If one of us can get the shields down from within the Fortress, then Rava can use the Fury to destroy it."
Greez huffed. "Okay, say this works to some capacity. One of your Admiral's ships can only occupy two at the most. What's stopping the excess guns from vaporizing you?"
"I have cyber warfare suites that the Empire has no counter against," Rava revealed from below. "I can hack their central computers and throw their targeting off course."
Petro leaned in. "Could you get them to fire on their own ships?"
"I admit my task capacity has its limits…" Rava said, begrudgingly. "I must also fly the ship."
"Nonsense," Trilla denied. "This is my ship. Allow me," Xur didn't seem as on board as she wanted him to be, but he kept it to himself, something that bothered her more than if he had spoken up. "I flew TIE Interceptors quite often. I'm a better pilot than you may think."
"That isn't the problem. I need you on the ground, and if you're up in the Fury, we're down a lightsaber," Xur corrected.
"I can reassume control once we hit the atmosphere," Rava offered. "The Fury will be far too small to the Star Destroyers by then anyhow."
Cal grumbled. "This is great, but the Mantis is still exposed, and, no offense Greez, not as fast as the Fury."
"And without a cyber war-thing," Greez added.
"I think I can help," Merrin jumped in, coming out of a moment of thought.
Cere leaned in. "What are you thinking?"
"A ritual," she explained. "It will hide the ship, or at least it should."
Greez and Xur were both taken aback, and gasped in unison, "A ritual?" The three soldiers didn't seem too fond of that idea either, and Petro merely held an intrigued look.
"She has a knack for this kind of stuff," Cal eased.
"Yeah, no shit," Xur retorted. "What kind of ritual are we talking about here?"
"And this will require…what exactly?" Greez questioned.
Merrin's huff and roll of eyes made Trilla quietly giggle to herself. "A sacrifice. I'll just need perhaps one of your arms, and a black lock of your hair, Eon."
"Wait what?" Greez gasped, eliciting laughs from the less dense residents of the room, even Xur included, who snorted in amusement.
"It's a jest, latero," Trilla answered for him, rolling her own eyes.
"Well, if that hocus-pocus gets you past the blockade, I don't give a damn," Xur accepted, and Cal and Cere were content with that plan, Greez shaking off the embarrassment. "That's the easy part, though. The hard part is going to be getting deep enough into the Fortress where we can do enough damage, and then find a way to destroy the entire base without killing ourselves as well."
Trilla was not surprised to see Lockdown key in on the hologram. "The entire Fortress is suspended above a lava river that flows beneath the surface, but its anchored in bedrock far too dense for us to sink it. Nothing short of a nuke is going to blow this place to hell."
"And I'd say we're a little short on those…" Raven remarked.
The ideas died as all studied the hologram, trying to determine some method that could possibly destroy the durasteel manifestation of hell, and all looked stumped. Even Trilla could not see an immediate answer.
"No…we're not," Brutis denied, and then keyed in on the lowest part of the Fortress, just below the Interrogation Chamber. "Underneath the armored cunt's lightning rod is a prototype fusion accelerator. I know this because I walked patrols down there. From what I've heard, if we can get it to overheat…"
Xur waited as if prepping for a punchline. "And?"
Brutis smirked. "Ever swim a few laps on the surface of a star?"
The zabrak nodded with a smile. "Alright, we just need to find a way to get there."
"Don't worry about that. The kid and I will handle the demolition. The rest of you should focus on getting…well, whatever it is you intend on doing here aside from blowing it to bits," Brutis suggested.
"You sure you don't want us down there?" Raven offered.
"Yeah," Brutis snorted. "Pretty sure."
Cal finally took his chance to speak up, as he looked as if he were about to burst. "The holocron…we need to be absolutely sure we get that."
"We will," Xur confirmed. "If Merrin can completely hide your ship from sensors, then I recommend that you and Cere head in first, disable the shields and extend the landing pad, while the rest of us will take out the comm tower and kick down the front door."
Trilla raised her brow. "Frontal assault…on a Fortress?"
The zabrak wasn't surprised by her concern, and he only graced her with a confident gaze. "They can't stop the two of us together, let alone everyone else behind us."
Trilla sighed. "Arrogance is perhaps unwise…"
"Maybe," he granted. "But if they know we're coming, they'll expect us to be careful. You and me…we're infiltrators to them, quiet scythes in the night. This time we'll show them we're hammers…battering rams…slayers. They won't be prepared for it…I guarantee it."
It was foolhardy, and she knew it, but she had no better option. Rushing the pad would be the best way to draw attention away from Cal and Cere, while also forcing the Empire to divide forces.
"Alright."
The consensus was sound, and by then they knew the plan was set. There was a reverberation of coming to terms with what they were about to do, but there was no fear…no hesitation present, and Trilla knew best that this had to be done. Not only just for her…but for all of them to heal…to look beyond the horrible things they've experienced as a result of this terrible place.
The wait was over. The time was now.
"I don't know how many the Empire has taken…ten, fifty, a thousand…we've lost many of our brothers and sisters to what they have wrought in this place…and the despair that they hope to imprint upon the galaxy. Today we have a chance to end it…today we have the chance to tell the Empire that we will not stand by while children suffer under their grasp, and that they may have killed the Jedi…but they can never kill our tenacity," he paced, and Trilla felt the inspirational reaction. "Each and every one of us will march straight into this hell that they have built, and I guarantee that we will wreak a havoc so terrible that all those who seek to instill terror in our hearts will beg before us to show mercy.
"Let's tear this place apart," he stepped forward, pointing his finger. "Let's hit the fuckers where they live!"
Trilla clenched her fist, and that's when she knew her retribution had begun.
ISD Valkyrie, 14 BBY
Mustafar System
"Ma'am…Nur is fast approaching."
Vorchenko's eyes were fixed on the gas giant Jestefad as they left the magma planet Mustafar in their wake. Using the massive planet's gravity well as a slingshot, the Valkyrie was now approaching the water moon at an incredible speed, much faster than the suggested approach velocity for the moon's orbit.
She was about to commit high treason against the Galactic Empire, as was every crew member aboard her ship. Handpicked each and all, their loyalty to their Admiral came above all else, as many of them were of worlds that had been ruined by the Empire's exploitation.
They would follow her no matter what side she adopted…and the time had come for her to reveal herself.
Through the enhanced viewport image, the blockade of Nur was three Star Destroyers in all, the flagship being the Pride…the flagship of Admiral Slovis. She knew he would be here, and it was unfortunate she could not have caught him sooner, but it would be no matter. If, for but a moment, his crew believed he would lose, there would be no one left aboard to man their stations.
"Admiral, we are being hailed."
Vorchenko kept her eyes fixed, probing the field of battle. "Ignore it. Press forward."
One of her death trooper guards stepped forward beside her, disabling their vocal scrambler. "Ma'am…are we sure about this?"
The Admiral felt her head lean back slightly. "Not to worry, Antaria. You will be rid of that armor soon enough."
Her echani guard in disguise momentarily shivered with anticipation, which was precisely the reaction the Admiral had been searching for, followed by a silent nod in approval.
That was when the brakes were manually engaged, and the Valkyrie began to grind to a halt.
Stinger Mantis, 14 BBY
Exiting Hyperspace
Cal kept his grip on the pilot's chair as Greez pulled the Mantis out of hyperspace, and in the distance, their quarry was waiting before a deep blue planet, its oceans and clouds visible even from such a space away. His mind ran through the scenarios over and over, checking his bases and shoring up his confidence, as well as assuring himself that if he did everything right, everyone would make it out alive. Every child on that list depended on a small band of force users and soldiers…against an entire Empire…and yet he felt it was possible.
Three Star Destroyers stood between them and the planet Nur, but if their plan went full circle, they wouldn't have to fire a shot.
"Honestly Greez," Cal nudged the latero as he eased his ship forward. "What do you think the odds are?"
There was no hesitation in his answer, just a mere turn of his head and a supportive smile. "My money has always been on you, kid."
Cal appreciated that more than he could ever display, and he could only grant him a confident smile in return, just as he felt another presence in the cockpit…one he at least knew would be safe aboard the Mantis. When he faced Merrin, she displayed anxious worry, slight fidgeting of her fingers and arms as her brown eyes looked upon him…a longingness that appeared to store the image of him as if it was the last time.
"Cal…be careful…please," she begged, but not in an undignified manner. "Whatever you see in that place…do not let it change you."
He eased forward, taking her hands into his. "Everything is going to be fine, Merrin."
Her eyes shut. "You say that, but you do not believe it yourself. You think it might, but you do not know."
His eyes panned down, accepting her correct assumption. "There isn't a way to know," he admitted. "We're going into a place designed to break people like me…but I won't let them. I'll get the holocron, and I promise…I will come back to you."
"You'd better," Merrin warned. "Or I swear I will haunt your dreams for eternity, dead or alive."
Cal laughed at that. "Well…now I'm certainly more motivated to make it out alive."
She hadn't been kidding, but she managed to crack a smile anyway. "I'm going to need my Jedi to make this galaxy a little brighter, just as he always does."
Even with all the built confidence he had manifested, that still brought a blush to his face. Pulling him in, Merrin planted her lips against his, and they shared a final moment they both deserved in every capacity, relishing in each other's presence once again.
When it ended, Merrin adjusted his hair to a finer position, and stepped away. "Now watch this," she said, and took the co-pilot seat, preparing herself to enact whatever magik was supposed to hide the ship.
Greez cleared his throat while Cal reaffirmed his spot. "So uh…Merrin…how is this going to work?"
The nightsister did not reply, centering herself where she sat, and Cal could already sense a powerful force concentrating itself upon her. It was no different to when he watched a Jedi meditate, drawing energy from the field around them, focusing it to a clarity that could never be achieved naturally.
"Sisters…Mother…lend me your strength," Merrin chanted, which was a change of pace from her usual speech, and almost immediately Cal felt that power increase. "Sisters…Mother…lend me your strength…" her eyes enflamed in a green glow, and the energy field she had stored expanded from the center of her body and around the ship, just as Greez pulled the Mantis within sensor range. From their viewpoint, not much had changed, but not one Star Destroyer reacted to their movement, and Greez could only look on in awe at a clear sensor ping.
"Whatever she's doing…it's working," Greez confirmed.
With one last look at Merrin, Cal patted the pilot on the shoulder and headed for the back of the Mantis. "Let's go, buddy," he huffed to BD-1, who was anxiously planted on his back. Pacing to the aft section where the escape ejection pods were situated, he climbed aboard the ladder and slid down, landing with a grunt of durasteel against his boots. Cere was already there, priming the pods for ignition with the inquisitor hilt in her grip.
She felt different this time around. Almost always her emotions were bottled up and hidden, but with her connection to the Force fully restored, all of her tenacity and hatred was coming to a head.
"Once we're inside, I'll engage their defense level, sabotage their shields and extend the landing pad so the Fury can land, and the Mantis can extract us," she relayed the plan with haste. "You, find the holocron."
"Shouldn't we stick together?" Cal insisted, more out of concern for her sudden change in demeanor.
Cere could see through his question, and only focused on opening her pod until she finally paused, her eyes fixed on many past events that she had struggled to let go. "I feel the pull…" she admitted. "The lives of every child on that list are at stake…whatever happens in there…and whatever you see…" she trailed off, and then shook herself back into focus. "Don't worry about me. Just get it and get out."
"It's going to be alright, Cere," Cal insisted.
"Closing in on the Fortress," Greez called in from the intercom, giving Cere the excuse she needed to dismiss his comment.
"It's time," she directed, waving at him to take the second pod across from her. With nothing else he could do, Cal accepted her current disposition with the closing of her pod, and then assumed the proper position into his own.
When the hatch shut, an uneasy quiet befell his hearing, replaced only with the echoing sound of his rampant breathing, and the adjusting servos of BD on his back. The tension within him intensified, resulting in pods of sweat rolling down his face, and with breaths of calm, he closed his eyes and centered himself.
The pod roared as it was jettisoned from the Mantis, and Cal was granted the view of the distant stars until the pod hit Nur's atmosphere and the friction-induced orange sullied his view.
ISD Valkyrie, 14 BBY
Orbiting Nur
"Report, now!" Vorchenko spat to her deck officer as the Valkyrie continued to slow, only exposing them further.
"Manual brakes have been engaged ma'am!" the replied, panicked. "Someone in Engineering!"
"Override!" she demanded, marching across the command walkway as her entire ship shuddered from the backwards momentum, tempers flaring across the bridge. "Get us moving!"
The central console crackled shimmered, the components looking as if they were experiencing a seizure, before the holoprojector flashed and revealed the image of Admiral Slovis, and the chaos came to a stark silence.
"Reyna Vorchenko…" he mocked, a knowing smirk on his face. "At last, I have you tied at the end of a string."
The Admiral growled, but quickly reasserted herself, hiding her surprise at the turn of events. "I fail to see your meaning."
He only bared his teeth. "There will be no escape this time, traitor. Lord Vader has tasked me with exterminating the likes of you once and for all, although he did request, I take you alive."
Vorchenko shrugged. "Unfortunate. I do hope you intend to make this personal, Admiral, and know that whatever traitor aboard my ship cut the engines will pay the price for their treachery."
"They have played their part," he sneered. "Now I will play mine. Prepare cannons and prep the boarding parties!"
"Get this man off my bridge," she demanded, and with a quick keystroke, her deck officer cut the communication. "Find whoever engaged the brakes! I want them up here now!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Battle stations!" she continued to berate, and the siren blared through the ship, just as she felt the manual lock disengage and the Valkyrie pick up speed. All three Star Destroyers unleashed their flurry of fighters like a swarm, and the Admiral braced for the coming impact.
"Admiral, shall we deploy fighters?"
Vorchenko shook her head. "No…let him think he has us," she determined, also knowing she'd just send her pilots into a slaughter. She turned to her guards. "Ready the garrison but position them in the choke points we discussed."
Antaria nodded, flicking her head so the other would follow, their boots moving with haste against the command walkway. With the plan in place, Vorchenko braced for impact.
Fury, 14 BBY
Exiting Hyperspace
Trilla's gloved grip was steel against the steering yoke, half of that literal. It was somewhat surreal to be hit with the reality that she had owned this ship for some time, and yet never had much of a chance to stretch its legs or take it for a spin on her own leisure. So much of her time had been spent away from it that Rava had done all the flying, and that had unintentionally become the norm. Piloting was something Trilla had never actively partaken in until she became the Second Sister, but she had been a very fast learner.
But those had been mostly fighters…not a craft of this size.
How hard could it be? Port for left, starboard for right, down for up, and up for down. Simple.
She could do it…she had to.
"I can take control any time," Rava suggested from her port, and earned not even a gaze from Trilla.
"You focus on planting those bugs in their systems. I'll worry about flying," she insisted rather harshly, fed up with the unspoken doubt that wafted through the ship.
"Just stay ready," Xur communicated from the entrance to the cockpit, his attention towards another just as he joined her in the co-pilot seat.
"Where were you?" she asked.
Xur gave her a reassuring look, setting his helmet aside. "Going over the plan one more time. Didn't think you'd need another round."
Trilla smirked. "At least someone has faith in me."
"I always do," he smiled back. "Remember, avoid the space rocks."
"Right, right," Trilla rolled her eyes, just as the hyperspace alarm began to blare, and she felt herself sink into a state of chaos that fell into sharp focus, not allowing the sweaty anticipation to set in. "Pulling out in five," she relayed, reaching up to the lever above, counting down in her head before pushing it forward, and the lines of hyperspace became dots in the sky.
Her senses were overwhelmed by intense conflict, and already she rolled the Fury hard to starboard as TIE fighters screamed overhead. Caught in the middle of a swarm, Trilla flipped to instinct, avoiding danger to assess the field.
"Shit!" Xur enunciated. "This was not part of the plan!"
"It is now!" Trilla retorted as she dove under a Star Destroyer, pacing its belly at the incredible speed that the Fury was capable of pulling. Bottom turbolasers groaned as they turned, unleashing the lime-green payload upon them in an unending deluge, a few landing direct hits on her potent shields.
"Accessing targeting," Rava relayed. "Keep me within tightbeam range."
"I'm going to try and raise the Admiral," Xur got to work on his side. "What the fuck happened?!"
"I don't much care about the details as of now!" Trilla remarked, angling the ship vertically to shorten the Star Destroyer's underside target. The massive bolts raked past her view when she finally broke from the belly, and then violently pulled the Fury upwards and over the Star Destroyer's bridge. The wave of assailing fire did not cease as the topside cannons merely picked up the pieces, and Trilla was finding it more difficult to keep her ship unscathed even with the help of the Force. "Rava…"
"There we are," the VI confirmed, and immediately Trilla noticed a much more chaotic firing pattern, the turbocannons going haywire with their targeting scrambled, and some blasts impacted the ships beside them by stroke of luck. While there were less beams to avoid, Trilla quickly noticed that they were much less predictable, and it certainly felt no less safe.
"We need to break for the Fortress," Trilla grit her teeth, pulling the Fury into another roll.
"Planetary scans show the shield is still up," Xur denied. "And we are not leaving until I get word from the Admiral!"
Trilla had certainly taken a liking to the Admiral…and with all she had done not only for Xur, but for her as well, she had an immense amount of respect for her. Yet, their mission was too important to set aside, and if Xur was not willing to let her go, it would jeopardize all of their lives…including the life of his unborn child.
Contemplating the idea of death while nursing her future within her body was intensely terrifying, and she felt her fear infect her in that instant, spreading rampantly like a virus. Her movements slowed, her hesitation increased, and the stray turbolasers were beginning to graze against their shields.
Not once had she ever considered the idea of looking death in the eye, knowing it would not only take her life…
No.
Her senses flared into an intensity that raged within her, blazing across the Force in the form of a shockwave that purged her hesitation in an instant, converting that fear into fight or flight action. A primal power unlocked within her mind; her muscles becoming more precise, her eyesight sharper, her sensations more direct. She saw events transpire many seconds before they ever happened, charting a course through the hail of fire and towards the Valkyrie, trying desperately to avoid the excuses and get Xur the transmission he needed for them to proceed.
Grasping ahold of the throttle with her prosthetic hand, she pulled to a more controllable speed before smashing her thumbs against the fire controls, green bolts flashing against the canvas of space as they ripped through the aft section of helpless TIE fighters that never saw her coming. Her eyes darted to port as one screamed in, and she slammed the throttle into full forward, the Fury's engines roaring at maximum power as they propelled her ship away from the attack. Sensing three fighters turning in pursuit, Trilla pushed forward, drawing them away from the swarm…waiting for the danger sense to chill her.
Trilla's pupils narrowed, and in a violent downward yank, she pulled the Fury up and cut its engines, allowing it to float with its own uninterrupted inertia, before engaging the directional controls to reorient the ship to face backwards, while still traveling in the same direction. Now with direct line of sight of her pursuers, she unleashed her much more devastating cannon fire, ripping through their soft canopies until one knew better than to continue pursuit, pulling up to avoid her superior position. Pushing forward on the throttle, she fought off the intense acceleration as the inertial forces pressed her body against her seat until their momentum had ceased and the Fury blasted in the correct direction, pursuing the final fighter with a ferocity that delved into the Dark Side for but a moment. As a relentless predator, she hounded the final assailant until they too were a cascading ball of flame tumbling through space.
With a breath, she tapped into her serenity to regain her proper focus, and then pulled alongside the Valkyrie, which was now being spared the relentless swarm of TIE fighters that were pulling away. Parts of the capital ship were in flames, but for the most part still intact, and it was a wonder how it hadn't been destroyed as of yet.
"I will never doubt your flying ability again, hun," Xur promised, flashing her a slight smile before refocusing on the connection.
Trilla didn't reply…as she could not summon the words to explain what had just happened to her…or how she had done what she had done.
The comm bore static and finally flared to life, and the relief on Xur's face to see Vorchenko alive was evident. "Reyna! What's happening?!"
Battle sirens could be heard through the communication, and Trilla could only hear her voice as she continued to pilot the Fury.
"Admiral Slovis knew I would turn. Someone has sabotaged my engines and as of right now, we have boarding parties advancing upon the bridge. We're holding them at bay as of now, but it is only a matter of time," the Admiral grimly remarked. "I suggest you continue to the planet below."
Trilla could sense his distress. "Absolutely not. I'll send in Raven and Lockdown to get you out."
"General…" Vorchenko urged.
"This is not up for debate!" he denied, also aiming his voice towards Trilla before she could even protest. "I already had them prepped as a contingency. They're ready."
What?
The Admiral sighed, and more shouting was aroused around her. "If you insist. The hangar doors are already open. It should be an elementary drop off."
"We will. Just hang in there," Xur eased, cutting the transmission and rising to his feet. "Think you can swing us in there?"
This was madness, and Trilla knew it. "Xur…don't be foolish," she warned.
"I'm not," he grasped her shoulder with a certainty in his voice she did not expect. "Trust me…"
She did…she always would, and the sigh she emitted was the admittance of that fact. "I'll pull us in."
No words were exchanged as he left the cockpit, preparing to break the news to his men that they would not be accompanying him to the surface of Nur…but she pushed it aside. Her focus had to be on this tricky maneuver.
Rava turned her head. "I may assume control, if you-."
"Not a chance."
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Defensive Perimeter
"Listen to that water drippin'. Hey stormtrooper, how you handle that? I'd be running to the fresher every couple of minutes."
Cal's head peeked above the water level as he swam to the surface. The hatch had not been hard to find…judging by the fact there was a distinct flashing white light that had guided him there. Unlike Ilum, the water was much more pleasurable than he was used to, as the heat radiating from the ocean floor warmed his body quite nicely.
But he wasn't here for a sauna, and the joking demeanor of the pacing scout trooper commander he observed from the edge of the durasteel walkway was only making him angrier.
"Hey, you hear me?"
His fellow guard at the trapezoid durasteel door shook his head at attention. "Huh? What's that sir?"
"You daydreamin' or is there something wrong with your equipment?"
"All good sir…we turn down our mics in here. The water can be uh…distracting, sir."
Good to know.
"Guess that answers that…as you were."
"Sir!"
Cal probed his options, but stealth had never been the plan in the first place, and the actions he could take regarding that were quite impossible. The way forward was the only way, and after these troopers adopted a nonchalant stance within a place of such terror and torture, he felt almost no remorse for bursting in.
With BD above water, Cal grasped the edge of the walkway and vaulted himself up and onto his feet.
"The hell?!" one trooper gasped.
"Hey fellas," Cal greeted, his violet blade blazing to life as he grasped ahold of the commander with a harsh pull, impaling his body with ease as he slammed into the edge of the hilt. With a pained groan, he flopped over and died, while the two ranged troopers panicked and opened fire.
"Sound the alarm! We have a Jedi in ugh-!" his own bolt ripped through his helmet and into his brain, the embrace of death taking him as Cal advanced, slamming a second scout trooper against the durasteel wall before he could warn the others, his bones cracking from the incredible impact. Unclipping his blades, Cal lunged forward and decapitated his push victim, before deflecting the last stray bolt straight back at his attacker, clearing the checkpoint.
With a breath and twist of his blade back together, Cal extinguished the violet hue and turned to the controls. From what he could gather from his immediate findings, this was one of many airlocks around the edge of the Fortress, and if he could keep his movements unseen, a one-man incursion would be very difficult to track in such a massive installation.
But Cal knew better. This place was meant to keep people in…and any chance at remaining unseen were slim to none.
"Cal, are you there?" Cere chimed in to his commlink, just as he was about to get moving again.
"Yeah," he answered. "It's good to hear your voice, Cere."
She dismissed his platitude, returning straight to business. "I've located the holocron. Sending you the location now."
That was quick.
BD beeped on his back as the signal came through, and in a flash his little droid projected the schematics of the base. It was no different from what they had gone over on the Fury, and the central heart of the base was highlighted in tan. "Got it," he confirmed. "We're on the move."
The communication died after that, leaving Cal to only wonder how far Cere had already progressed through the Fortress…and how she was faring thus far.
Bee-dee-deet.
"Yeah, go ahead and slice through this door," he granted, letting the bipedal scutter along until he reached the port, using his scomp link to cut through the door's security and force it open.
On the other side of the door was a long hallway with windows that peered into the ocean around them, as well as a squad of stormtroopers standing in his way.
It was time to get to work.
Fury, 14 BBY
Orbiting Nur
Xur held on tight as the Fury swung into the hangar bay of the Valkyrie, already occupied by a lone Imperial shuttle, watching the loading ramp descend while Trilla kept the ship elevated.
"Just push to the bridge!" Xur shouted over the loud downdraft. "They won't expect you from behind!"
Raven slid his helmet over his head as Lockdown leaned in, already prepped. "Are you sure about this, General?"
"Yes!" Xur nodded, just as the Fury stabilized. "Do whatever it takes to get her out of there before Slovis has the chance to reach her!"
Raven pounded his helmet. "We will! Good luck, General!"
"Go!" Xur waved, and the two of them leapt from the ramp and into the hangar bay, where they readied their blasters and pressed towards the bridge. Punching the button to raise the ramp, Xur held on as the engines screamed, pulling them out of the generated atmosphere once the ship had been sealed.
He didn't want to give up two men to assault the Fortress, but he couldn't afford to lose the Admiral either, and without her overhead, they'd never be able to pull out…and letting her die because they had miscalculated the Empire's knowledge was not acceptable.
Losing her was not an option either.
Pacing back to the cockpit, he reassumed his spot in the co-pilot's chair, his bitterness clearly present enough to resonate to Trilla, who had her eyes on him from the moment he sat down. Knowing what she'd say, he beat her to it. "It was the only way."
"I know," she admitted…which was not what he expected. "We adapt and make the most of it."
Xur huffed. "Yeah."
With that, Trilla returned her attention back to the viewport, pushing the Fury towards Nur at full speed, her eyes intense and focus absolute. Part of him was envious of her ability to hold it together, but he stopped himself before he made the deadly assumption that he was not capable of such an adjustment himself. Reyna would figure out a way to get herself out of her debacle. She always did, and he had to put his faith in her and his men to focus on the current, more pressing task at hand.
"Rava, shield status," Trilla prompted, fighting the chop that came with atmospheric entry.
The VI grimly remarked, "Still operational."
Xur grumbled. "If they don't get them down soon…"
"They will," Trilla insisted, keeping her attention forward. "They will."
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Central Shield Control
Cere's blaster burned at the barrel as she unleashed a barrage of bolts upon the unawares squad of scout and stormtroopers situated around her goal, and many of her Force-guided shots hit home before the retaliation commenced. Activating the spin control on the inquisitor hilt, the crimson blades roared and growled as they continued their circular motion around her, effortlessly preventing any one of those harmful beams from reaching her body. One scout trooper charged, swinging his stun stick with a long wind up, and Cere sidestepped underneath, cutting him down at his torso before unleashing another flurry of bolts. As her attacker's top half collapsed atop his severed legs, that's when Cere could sense the fear roar through each of them. Unintentionally feeding off it, she lurched forward at an incredible speed, the red blades spinning in a sphere of crimson that left behind seared and severed limbs, as well as the smell of death while more Imperials met their demise.
The rest didn't last long against her onslaught, but that's when the alarms began to blare, and in rushed two purge units with charged electrostaffs, their intensity much more potent than the last group. Knowing they could not deflect her blaster, she went on the offensive, letting loose and forcing them to pick their targets as many of her blasts were shaken off by their strong armor.
It was all a ploy.
Holstering her blaster and unleashing a battle roar, her blade clashed with one reeling soldier, while she used the back blade to deflect the swing of the other. Engaging the spin, the mechanism threw off one long enough for Cere to reach out and slam the other into the back durasteel wall, the impact cracking his armor and drawing pained grunts in response. Feeling her unsealed wounds from years ago reopen, her hatred manifested, and the power behind her swings made the trooper's electrostaff virtually useless as the blade cut through the emitter and then subsequently through his heart. With a stark groan, he died in that position while the other attempted to rise to his broken feet, but Cere's saber throw incinerated his brain and consumed his world with black as death took him.
Closing her fist around the hilt as it returned to her grip, Cere extinguished the blade and marched straight for the shield controls, wasting no time getting to work. Each trooper she killed was only one more reminder of what she had suffered in this place…all that pain, all that humiliation, hatred and regret stemmed from the life-scarring torment she had been subjected to in his place, and every bit of damage she created was just rightful retribution
Tearing something apart had never felt so good.
Finding what she was looking for, she activated the control and turned the nob, which was followed by a low, descending tone that shook the entire building. A smile came to her face. "And now…this."
With a single press of a button, the entire Fortress rocked as an explosion ripped through one of the outer airlocks, and immediately emergency sirens blared for a water breach.
"Cal, I've disabled the shields on the outer sections of the Fortress," she activated her commlink, making sure to bring down the deflectors atop the building as well. "Flood the base and swim to the central keep."
"That's a hell of a plan," Cal remarked.
"We'll meet up inside, hopefully with Eon and Trilla by then. Good luck," she wished, and then severed the connection, maintaining her focus. Igniting her blade, she destroyed the console with an x-cut so her damage could not be undone and marched towards the door where the purge troopers had come from.
She had a lot more pain to collect for.
Fury, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Approach
Trilla's thoughts as the Fury broke Nur's cloud cover were jumbled, mixed with an arrayed assortment of perverse nostalgia, vile disgust and deep hatred. There was no one, singular word that could possibly describe her strong feelings for this place…and to see it again without the taint of the Dark Side clouding her vision, poisoning her mind…
It was horrifying.
This…this was the graveyard of her past where she lost everything…the dark corner of her mind that still echoes of failure, despite all that she had overcome. The Empire…he…had broken her here, almost utterly and completely, and if it were not for the singular survival of the construct of her love, she could never imagine putting herself back together. She would have forever remained the Second Sister…an assassin, a slayer, a drone born of pain and unending suffering, and subsequently doomed to spend the rest of her days spreading it to others.
She would have served her purpose, and then been casted aside like a tool easily discarded. No matter how many Jedi she had killed, no matter how many Imperial enemies she crushed under her heel, it would never have been good enough.
Before a disguised zabrak appeared one day, all she ever cared about was survival…now it was different. Now she had something to fight for…something to live for, and even after all the pain she had suffered in this place, it had never completely destroyed her. She had never been strong before…not when all she had known was violence and murder. She was strong now, because she fought for something greater than herself…what truly matters.
Trilla Suduri had and always fought for life itself. That is what the Force had granted her when she had the power to seal whole wounds closed in an instant, saving the lives of those marked to die before her. Life was the byproduct of love, because hatred could only destroy, and never create the miracle that now grew within her.
That power she had sacrificed to save the man she loved had granted her a second chance to remake herself…to give back to the galaxy she had taken so much from, and perhaps give it another chance at freedom from the darkness that had consumed it.
The pain dragged at her, but she crawled back.
Xur's hand was on her shoulder, his own will feeding her own, and his passionate blue eyes instilled within her a serene ferocity that could never be quelled or rattled.
You are my world.
She didn't have to say anything…he knew.
Pushing forward on the yoke, the Fury fell into a steep dive before she pulled up just above the water level, kicking up mist from the downdraft as she flew under the range of the autocannon towers, their defensive beams screamed past the ship as Trilla fell into a state of total awareness, spotting dangers long before they ever occurred.
"Those shields are down, hun," Xur informed her. "We can take out those cannons."
Trilla banked starboard and pulled up, firing her forward cannons until the turret erupted in a ball of flame from the attack, bringing a pleasurable smile to her face.
"Outstanding," she sneered, executing a U-turn and rocketing towards the spire that protruded from the ocean below. Acquiring a lock, she unloaded the entire might of her forward cannons upon the comm tower, leaving it a melting pile of smoldering durasteel as the Fury roared around the building, the autocannons' targeting not enough to track the ship's movements. One by one Trilla took them out, waiting for the moment in which the landing pad unfolded from within…and their assault could begin.
Xur chuckled to himself. "They never expected an air assault…otherwise they would've considered installing fighter craft. Fuckin' idiots."
"They relied too much on the blockade," Trilla answered, blowing another cannon to bits and pulling the Fury into another bank turn.
"Well, let's not give them a chance to patch their holes."
Rava's optic flashed. "The landing pad is currently being extended. I suggest we make haste before it automatically closes once again."
Trilla's eyes locked on her target…and sure enough, their pathway into the Fortress was peeking out like a tongue from a mouth.
Cere had done it.
"Rava…now you may take control," she granted, reaching for her helmet and rising to her feet. "Bring us in."
"As if you even had to explain," the VI remarked, just as Xur followed Trilla's movements.
"That was some pretty impressive flying, hun," he praised.
She smiled with gratitude just as her helmet slid over her head, sealed and brought up her HUD. "I had quite the benchmark to live up to."
Xur applied his own with a nod, and then turned towards the cockpit exit. "Petro, Brutis! Let's move!"
They were both already waiting for them by the loading ramp, Brutis wearing his full armor set, while Petro wore an assortment of stolen pieces and a scout trooper helmet, which was slightly amusing.
"Did you scrounge all that up?" she asked, and the teenager only shrugged.
"I kinda felt left out with all the helmets going around."
"Whatever works," Xur affirmed, leading the way as the four of them packed in through the walkway. "Once we're inside, we'll all press for the elevator together, but after we reach the central keep-."
"We'll head below. I know the plan, Eon," Brutis grumbled. "You kill whatever fuckers you need to. We'll blow this piece of shit into oblivion."
"You can count on us, Master Eon," Petro nodded.
Xur scoffed. "Sounds like you two got it down. I like that. Saves time."
"Opening the ramp," Rava relayed.
"Don't crash my ship," Trilla warned, to which her VI completely ignored, bringing a smirk to her face.
When the ramp lowered, and Trilla saw that black landing pad once again, she shifted into a mode she hadn't tapped into in a long time…not since Katarr, which may have well been centuries ago.
The assault had begun.
ISD Valkyrie, 14 BBY
Halls
Raven creeped beside a hall junction, his DC-17 pistols in hand as he peeked around the corner, only to jerk straight back as he spotted four elite guards at the door of the command turbolift. He and Lockdown had already taken out many lesser stormtroopers along the way, but the closer they came to their mandated goal, the more intense the resistance became.
"Four of them…shit," Raven whispered.
"That's the only way forward," Lockdown recalled. "They make the bridge difficult to access on purpose."
The former captain grumbled, probing the tight corridor through his HUD, noticing a side hall they could take to bypass this central pathway, but to reach it would require them to fall into their quarry's line of sight…and neither of them had been trained or bred for stealth.
"Starting to miss Mars a lot more right about now," Raven remarked.
"And a Jedi," Lockdown agreed.
There was movement back the way they came, and they both pointed blasters only to see a tear-sullen face they had not seen in many, many years.
"Antaria?" Lockdown shout whispered as the white-haired echani warrior limped forward and fell to her knees. The commando was quick with his MAHI, already scanning her vitals while Raven knelt beside her.
"Are you alright?" he asked. "What happened?"
Antaria sniffled, her death trooper armor riddled with blaster pock marks. "We tried…assembling the others…but they came too quick. G-got my sister."
Her twin sister, the second death trooper guard that had been enlisted by the Admiral to protect her even when the Empire did not. Raven had known them both, however briefly, and despite their outside appearances, they were both pleasant people to be around…and absolutely lethal in combat.
It was just a shame her twin had to go down like this.
"Hold still," Lockdown eased, pulling a stim from his belt and injecting it into her neck, prompting a groan of relief from her. "That blaster burn along your hip should heal quickly with that."
Antaria slowly picked herself up, rolling out her shoulders and presenting her superior height by a few inches. "Thank you," she said, wiping her face clear of tears and priming her E-11D. "I know another way to the bridge. Follow me."
"Lead the way," Raven nodded with approval.
Vorchenko straightened her collar just as her unwanted guests marched onto the bridge, shouting curses and commands for all bridge workers to cease operations and raise their hands. Some of them shouted back in response, moving to draw weapons, and she knew that would only be counterproductive.
"Lower your weapons, men," she eased, only to have more blasters trained on her. "Everything is going to be fine."
"Is that so?" Slovis sneered as he revealed himself, flanked by three death troopers. Immediately his slimy presence wafted a foul stench aboard her pristine command deck, and her annoyance at the current debacle hit home in that moment. To think herself to be beaten by such a foe so below her skill in all terms.
It was almost superficial.
The bearded Admiral wasted no time marching up the command walkway, before waving to his men. "Subdue this Azurian whore."
The death troopers pressed past him, and in that moment, her defensive instincts fell into place. Displaying a passive acceptance of her current fate, a holdout blaster slipped into her palm from her sleeve and she lunged forward, driving the barrel underneath one's helmet and into the one weak spot of their armor, pulling the trigger three times until they fell limp. The other two were not as complacent, grabbing ahold of her with their far superior strength and pinning her to her command console, the impact making her spine scream in pain. She attempted to free herself, but she was only met with a hard punch to her nose that drew blood and hazed her vision…but she did not let herself black out…not now.
"You are a difficult skank to wrangle," Slovis glared with a sense of inhuman desire. "I always knew you weren't one of us…and now we see you for what you truly are…a foreign whore who doesn't know her place."
Vorchenko rolled out her neck. "I apologize for not submitting to your…meek personality. All this time I was able to navigate the Empire…planting seeds of deception in every pod I saw fit. Your subpar intelligence was never a match for my machinations."
Slovis growled, wrapping his hands tightly around her neck, his eyes filled with intense hatred. "Subpar intelligence? I sabotaged your ship without your knowledge, and now here you are, gagging and begging for mercy!"
Vorchenko struggled to breathe…her vision fading as her lungs were deprived of oxygen, but had just one, last word to speak to him.
"Fool…"
A blaster bolt ripped through the death trooper to her right, and with one free hand, she grasped the Admiral's face and planted both feet on his chest, pushing his hands from her neck as the second death trooper turned, blaster fire raging through the bridge as Slovis' forces were flanked from behind, many of them shot dead before they realized what had happened. Her deck officers drew their own blaster pistols and added to the attack, and after the sudden and absolutely devastating retaliation, Slovis was all that remained.
Rising to his feet in a fit of rage, blasters were pointed, but Vorchenko waved them off. "You imbecile. You think I didn't know you tried to slip an unwanted guest aboard my ship?"
His eyes widened.
"I sabotaged my ship!" she revealed, just as Raven, Lockdown and Antaria came up behind him. "I knew you couldn't possibly resist the chance to wrap your disgusting fingers around my neck, and in so you unwittingly fell into my trap…giving me what I had always wanted from the day you first dared to open your mouth against me."
Slovis spat. "If you're so intelligent, then prove it to me," raising his fists. "Show your men that you are the superior one!"
Vorchenko smirked. "That was always the plan," she fell into a fighting stance, ready for him to charge.
When Slovis roared and pressed forward, Vorchenko sidestepped past his first swing and plowed her fist into his nose, shattering the cartilage with intense power, before tripping him up with one sweep of her leg. Colliding into the floor in a heap, he wheezed, struggling to rise, only to find that he did not have the strength or will to. With a satisfying breath, Vorchenko held out her hand to Raven, to which he flipped and presented one of his pistols for her to take. The Admiral gasped, crawling along the floor as he looked up to her.
"How…how just once have you managed to defeat me?"
Vorchenko primed the blaster. "You tried to defeat a gundark with only claws…and never realized it was twice your size. I must commend you for your…misogynistic tenacity. Clinging to such an archaic practice and way of thinking must've taken an immense will to plant yourself firmly in the past, constantly underestimating the krayt dragon you intended to hunt."
"The Empire is stronger for it," he insisted.
"Is it? Today you have allowed not one but two incursion teams to slip into one of the most secure detention facilities in the galaxy…and it was your arrogance that made it so."
Slovis adopted a look of intense fear, now staring down the barrel of her weapon. "W-wait…no!"
Vorchenko pulled the trigger, and at last the vermin had been cleared from her ledger.
Her vision faded momentarily, and Antaria was there to stabilize her balance before she fell. "Admiral…are you alright?"
With the support, Vorchenko focused herself and regained her footing. "Yes…where's your sister?"
Antaria said nothing, only looking away, and Raven was the one who stepped forward. "Killed in a firefight. We came as fast as we could, Admiral."
Vorchenko sighed. "I see…that is…unfortunate," she sent a silent thank for her service, before snapping back into focus. "We must maintain control of Nur's orbit. They may have deactivated the comms tower below, but we don't know if the others have called for reinforcements yet."
"Why haven't they fired?" Lockdown inquired.
Vorchenko huffed, looking through the viewport at the three Star Destroyers. "If all went as planned, Rava should have planted a virus that will confuse their tracking for some time. They are also in hierarchal chaos, as Slovis was never one to have a competent replacement."
Raven scratched the back of his neck. "So…"
"So we wait…and hope our companions complete their mission in time."
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Central Keep
"Charge and lock! Hold positions!"
The orange-shoulder held his fist steady as an entire squad of stormtroopers trained their blasters upon the single turbolift door, the quiet ticks of the pod passing each floor only adding to the widespread unease. Sweat poured down faces in single droplets behind helmets, some shaking their heads before it seeped within their eye and enabled a burn. Fingers remained anxiously on triggers, twitching with the desire for movement as their knees flared with discomfort at the prospect of kneeling for a prolonged period. Knowing one-fourth of the base was now underwater did not ease their troubled souls.
Let alone how an incursion team had breached their defenses, lowered their shields and destroyed their comm tower…leaving them without any method of calling for reinforcements. They had no idea who had come to raid a Fortress they had never been trained to protect, only to prevent fugitives from escaping. The explosions were enough to rattle them all, at first simply considering it a drill…and then the reports of their fellow soldiers cut to pieces came in.
This was either a sick drill or an all-out attack…and the turbolift came to a halt.
"Ready!"
Silence followed, and all that remained was their individual breaths in between each second.
Durasteel creaked and screamed as the door was bent in a horrific fashion, and every trooper emitted a gasp with their blasters raised, the anticipation of the coming conflict rising. It looked as if a rabid animal had plowed its horns into the door, dented like a vicious creature begging to be free…and the fear each of them felt only escalated.
Another bang, and the dent only worsened. Someone whimpered in fear, and that was when most of them had the same idea.
The door was plowed open with the third bang, and immediately a light show of gold spun like a fan before them, just as the firing began from each of the stormtroopers. No bolts breached the terrifying blare, and some only seemed to return to their senders through vital parts of their bodies, killing them instantly. Troopers dropped here and there until the spinning stopped, and another figure emerged, followed by a rippling wave that felt like a maglev train plowing into each of them. Knocked off balance, the slaughter began, an electrohammer and vibroblade splattering crimson blood across the hallway as fellow troopers were ripped apart one by one. Tracheas snapped in the grip of a prosthetic hand, and the smell of charred flesh soon followed, stormtroopers cut in two as their screams were cut short by a brutal and unstoppable force.
"Call for backup…oh my…call for fucking backup!" the orange shoulder cried, only to be the next victim of a harsh pull into a lightsaber. None of them stood a chance…not even remotely, and soon there were nothing but echoes left of the squad who had hoped to stop them here.
Trilla felt an innate satisfaction for going on the offensive within this place, as well as the perverse image of the people who guarded this place dead before her. The rush was intense, and it was becoming more and more intoxicating the more Imperials she cut down, just as it did on Kashyyyk.
Only this time she felt no lust for screams, terror and death. It felt more like an obligation; the repaying of a debt long owed to the people who had made her suffer. No stake, no pleasure…only a job that she had to do.
It was odd.
Xur extinguished his blades as the hall was cleared. "We're in. Nice work," he praised, stepping forward whilst activating his commlink. "Cal, status?"
Petro gazed at the trapezoid framed hallway, and Trilla once again felt that enclosing helplessness that the architecture had been built to create…the walls constantly boring into the soul as their claws wrapped around your arms and legs, holding you still. All that remained was the next jolt of pain that would soon come, even as the haze dulled your senses.
Trapped, alone…and the darkness eating away at your essence.
Trilla grimaced, feeling its pull sap her strength, but she denied it. Her will poured out from her eddies, and the claws shriveled and died, burning away under her internal radiance.
"I've made it to the central keep, and I'm pushing towards the holocron," Cal called in from Xur's wrist comm, pulling her out of her distant reverie. "Did you guys make it in?"
"Yeah. We just breached the turbolift and are near the barracks. We'll meet you as soon as we can," he answered. "Send us the holocron's location."
Trilla paced up beside him as Petro and Brutis waited, going over their own plan for the final time. Xur received the signal within a few minutes, and then projected the location on the holomap. "Ah, of course. Interrogation chamber."
Trilla shivered as its name was emitted from his mouth.
"It looks like we have to go through the dojo and the holding cells," Cal surmised. "If all goes to plan, I'll meet you there."
"Indeed. Stay safe, Cal," Xur acknowledged, and then cut the connection, turning his attention to Brutis and Petro. "Are the two of you ready?"
Brutis kicked aside a body as he looked down the opposite hall and granted him a slight nod. "See you on the other side. Come on, kid."
Petro nodded and turned to Xur. "Good luck, Xur and Trilla. May the Force be with you."
"And you as well!" he called out as the two of them broke into a jog, disappearing around a bend.
Trilla remained mute, struggling to put the past behind her as she thought she already had, all of the memories of her torment returning in an instant. She felt her bloodied knees as she was dragged through the halls…the sound of the ray shield humming as she slowly went insane, the weight of Cere's betrayal crushing her soul with every moment she let it hang over her head. She remembered the corruption that slowly and painfully corrupted her mind; its dark tentacles destroying all she had loved, tearing out her heart and replacing it with a dark kernel that felt nothing but the pain she was continuously subjected to. The voices had come next, goading her to give in…to take revenge on all who had wronged her…to make others share the unending torture that would forever be a part of her. Men would open her cell and beat her into submission, referring to her in demeaning terms in humiliation, before throwing her to the feet of the monster who had owned her dreams; the subject of all her nightmares…the machine that felt like an unkillable deity.
And yet he wasn't. That man all along had been Anakin Skywalker…not someone who took pleasure in the pain he inflicted, but had become so lost in the darkness that had consumed him, that he felt the only way to quell his own pain was to share it. It was no different that what she had felt when she tormented so many…even now…with all the Imperials she cut down with an ease that felt natural. There was no remorse…and she had forgotten mercy long ago.
She had once felt that submitting to that monster was her only salvation, and only now did she realize that he was no better than her.
No one here was.
Xur wrapped her in a hug without her realizing he had made the move, but pulled away quickly, using more of his Force connection with her to project his own power within her being. "You're not alone. You never were," Xur answered the question she never asked.
She shook her head, huffing through her violet gaze. "We need to keep moving."
His hand gripped her arm tightly, and he pulled her back. "Don't do that. We didn't come all this way just for you to lose yourself now."
Trilla roughly pushed his arm away. "The longer we stand here the greater risk Cere and Kestis are put in," she spat, and then pressed forward, down the hall.
The past had become her enemy, and she was here to kill it.
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Imperial Dojo
BD's slice through the black durasteel door didn't take long, and neither did Cal's nerves begin to settle in as he paced into the best-lit room he'd yet been in. The swim through the sunken portions of the Fortress was surreal…all the moving parts and internal systems required to keep the place running were intricate, let alone being almost entirely underwater. Being above the surface, so to speak, was a nice change of pace from the heated and soaking ocean…and another chance to tear this place apart was an added bonus.
All the darkness…the hatred…the pain and the anger were rampant within this place, and even the dojo echoed of corruption as he paced through it with his hilt in hand. The red and black Imperial banners were like twisted versions of the banners he saw at the Jedi Temple; a place where he had learned how to hold his lightsaber correctly.
The far door opened at the end of the rectangular fighting space, and Cal ignited his blade.
"Welcome…Cal Kestis," a tall and slim pau'an inquisitor greeted, his stance proper and secure with each step he took. "Oh…how I've been waiting for this moment for some time."
Cal twirled his violet blade as BD compacted himself. "I don't think we've met."
"Ah, no," he shook his head, holding his pose as the door shut behind him. "But you have met some of my students…two or three in particular. The passing of the Ninth Sister was rather unfortunate. I always enjoyed her…spunk."
Cal lowered his blade, adopting a more analytical stance as the two combatants began to circle each other. "You trained the Ninth Sister?"
The inquisitor chuckled, his pointed teeth unsettling to say the least. "I trained all of the inquisitors…to a particular degree, I will admit. The one who found you was my best, as a matter of fact."
The red-haired Jedi growled at the mention of her…and the conversion of such a horror into a platitude. "So it was you."
"Me?" he shrugged. "Whatever do you mean? All I did was train who I was given. I did not much care for the process. It was above my interests."
Cal scoffed. "Bullshit."
"Your belief matters not," the pau'an revealed his durasteel circular hilt, adopting a masterful Form II stance as his crimson blade ignited. "I am the Grand Inquisitor, and you, Cal Kestis, must be dealt with."
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Inquisitor Barracks
Trilla's run came to a halt as a distinct feeling in the Force called to her, and its power was so strong she could not muster the will to press on. It was difficult to process what she was experiencing, but as her surroundings settled in, she felt an odd sense of familiarity that didn't materialize until her sights fell upon a door to her left.
Her door.
"Trilla," Xur called, once he noticed she was no longer following him. "Come on, we need to keep moving."
She knew he was right, but she couldn't take her eyes off that door, and she could not unhear the call that was dragging her there.
"Go on," she urged. "There's something I have to do. I'll catch up with you."
"No," Xur denied. "If we split up-," he was cut off by the blaring of his commlink. "It's Cere. Cere, what is it?"
Blasterfire could be heard through the connection, and Trilla felt a deep worry manifest within her. "Xur…I'm sorry but I'm pinned down near the holding cells. If you can send help…please do…and fast!"
The connection fizzled out, and Trilla's heart sank. "Cere," Xur called. "Cere! Dammit, she needs help."
"Let's move, then," Trilla urged, but he held her back.
"No…I'll go help Cere. You…take care of what it is you need, and we'll meet back as soon as we can."
She wanted to protest, but the call was only getting stronger, and its pull only more violent the longer she let it be. Cere was in trouble…but something was telling her this was more important than all of that.
"Alright…" she sighed. "Hurry, please."
"I will," he promised, holding their helmeted heads together. "I love you."
"I love you too," she grasped his upper arm tightly, just before he turned and ran off, wrenching her heart slightly to see him go.
Now she felt an urge to wrap this up quickly.
Approaching the door as the whine persisted, she slowly reached out with her defenses raised, pulling at the door's mechanism with a firm grip in the Force. Once it slid open, however…the whining stopped…and all she was left with was her old quarters, just as she had left them.
Déjà vu.
There were so many memories from this place…how much time she had spent when she was accumulating data on her current target. Mostly she had spent her days as the Second Sister on various capital ships, traveling the galaxy with an escort from time to time.
Her fingers glided along the plain, durasteel desk, her fingertips picking up dust as she paced through. The bed was just as she remembered it…boring, uncomfortable and effortless. Nothing at all like the bed she now shared with Xur on the Fury. That one was warm…inviting.
Safe.
She hated this place.
In a sudden fit of rage, she ignited her blade and cut the desk down at the legs, letting it collapse in a heap before sticking her blade out to the mattress…holding it against the fabric until it caught fire. Soon the entire room was ablaze, and she bathed in its fire, feeling the repressed memories free themselves from the horrid confines of her mind.
Through the flames…she saw herself…that same spectre in her Jedi robes, only this one beaten, battered, bruised and bloodied…and yet still standing. The spectre walked through the flames and towards her, limping as she did so, her once beautiful Jedi robes ripped and torn in various places…singed in others.
This…this was what she had seen in her reflection the day she had broken.
Her spectre approached, her eyes amber and corrupted, but her face was sad…filled with despair; regret for what she had become.
Trilla instinctually reached out and corralled that spectre of herself into her arms. They cried, sobs of anguish prevalent as she hushed them silent, soothingly rubbing their back with the care of a mother. When she pulled away, looking upon her ruined reflection, the epitome of her absolute lowest point, Trilla unhinged her helmet and revealed her face. Her reflection looked upon her longingly, and eventually the amber glow in her eyes faded.
Trilla pulled her reflection's matted hair from her eyes. "It's going to be alright," she promised.
Her spectre looked back and smiled. "I know."
With that, she faded away, and Trilla was left with nothing but the smoke and flames she had created.
One tear rolled down her face…just before she reapplied her helmet and moved forward into the future.
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Imperial Dojo
Cal's own defense was great, but the quick cuts and counterattacks made by the Grand Inquisitor were devastating and precise, very reminiscent of Trilla's masterful use of Form II dueling. He found himself having to fall back from time to time, or even pick himself back up after being forced to ground by a harsh shove or a push with an outstretched hand. That being said, the Grand Inquisitor's adeptness in the Force itself was not strikingly powerful; a dim dwarf star in comparison to the blue-violet giant that was Xur Eon. Even Cal felt his own connection to be more impressive, his pushes more devastating in terms of raw power when he needed spacing to regain the attacking turn.
None of that truly mattered in the grand scheme, as the Grand Inquisitor was certainly a more impressive duelist than he.
Falling into a saber lock, Cal grit his teeth as the Grand Inquisitor held his swing at bay with only one hand on his blade. "Your forms are mixed…unorthodox," the pau'an noted. "Impressive, may I say."
Cal ignored him. He wished to share no compliments with such a vile being. Untwisting his saber, he engaged with both blades, and the sudden turn forced the Grand Inquisitor to readjust his tactic, igniting his second blade to shore up his fleeting defenses as Cal barraged them. The Jedi threw in a variation of Form IV, planting his foot into the pau'an's stomach and flipping over him, swinging both blades with enough power to make him stagger as he blocked, allowing Cal to land a burning mark on his armored shoulder. Grunting, the Grand Inquisitor flipped back, gaining space as he shook off the hit he did not expect to take.
"You know," Cal noted, twisting his hilt back together. "Trilla's better than you."
The Grand Inquisitor spat, flipping forward his circular tracks. "Do not insult me. The Second Sister may have been my greatest student, but she was never a match for the likes of me."
The overlooking glass cracked and shattered catastrophically, forcing both combatants to shield themselves from the glass as two purge trooper units flopped onto the grated flooring. Seeing them to be already dead, Cal looked up to see Trilla land from the overlook, the shattered glass cascading around her as it ricocheted off her cape. Rising to her full and impressive height, she removed her helmet and tossed it aside, revealing the slick black hair he remembered through that ray shield after their duel on Zeffo.
Her gold blades ignited, her own tracks flipping forward. "So sure…are you?"
The Grand Inquisitor grimaced, and Cal knew that meant the pau'an knew he was outmatched against the two of them at once. They both advanced upon the inquisitor, twirling their blades in intimidating fashion as he paced back, spinning his hilt in a fan of crimson.
"Scared, are we?" Trilla taunted, coming alongside Cal as they marched his way. "How unfortunate that now I am free of my chains, and you will not face me."
"I understand where I am at a disadvantage, my dear," he admitted, tapping a control on his wrist. Behind where he stood, a trap door opened and allowed him to slip away from view, the door shutting tightly before Trilla or Cal could reach it. In fierce frustration, Trilla slammed her foot on the door and emitted a harsh growl.
Cal huffed. "Guess we'll get him another time."
Before Trilla could comment, all doors of the dojo opened, and in flooded a squad of purge troopers with the electric weapons primed and sizzling. Encircled, Trilla and Cal found themselves back to back against the lot of them, and without anywhere else to go, their blades were all that stood between them and capture once again.
Neither of them had any intention of remaining here alive.
It was little more than a quiet serenity in the Force that granted them a moment of clarity, and despite the entire squad of troopers bearing down upon them, neither of them panicked. They spotted their openings as one, relaying them back to each other in a moment of thought…and almost like a primal instinct, they saw what had to be done.
One purge trooper boot shifted, and Trilla reached out, her grip ripping the man off his feet and into the air, while her prosthetic arm ripped her spinning saber around the group, the gold blades cutting down some unawares while the smarter ones either deflected the attack or ducked beneath. Dropping the decapitated trooper and feeling her hilt clap back into her hand, Trilla advanced as Cal pressed in the opposite direction, his dual blades ripping through defenses before splitting his saber, and the violet blur blinding his assailants as his two-handed ferocity ensued, some meeting a grim fate as the blade sliced through staffs at the middle and subsequently through torsos and chests. Flipping back to not overextend, Cal pushed both hands forward to unleash a howling push that downed the front line and left the back staggering, while Trilla attempted something similar, although scoring more kills thus far.
"It appears your training is over," Trilla remarked, spinning her blade in a defensive pose while Cal held off his side.
"I think everyone's training is over," he scoffed, batting away another staff while deflecting another.
One trooper charged at Trilla with his fist clocked back, but a quick jerk of her head avoided his swing, and she retaliated with a swing with her prosthetic that hit home, feeling his jaw dislocate from the much harder impact, and then ending his life with a precise stab.
After dealing with more back to back, they both flipped towards the front doorway, and Cal was quick to issue BD the order. "Get this door open, buddy!"
The bipedal hopped from his back and scuttled to the port link while Trilla defended his path, letting the full spin of her blade keep any units from advancing. Once his scomp link twisted and the door opened, they jumped through and forced it shut with violent holds in the Force, leaving the purge units to hopelessly slam their fists into it like madmen. Cal lunged forward and used his blade to melt the sides shut, and then turned to Trilla.
"The holocron is just ahead…beyond these holding cells," he reminded her. Her nod was stoic, as her eyes were fixed on the ray shielded hexagon shaped cells that lined the walls. Cal could only feel sympathy for her as he finished the cut, leaving the troopers to figure out another way to force it open. "I'm sorry we had to come back here."
Trilla sighed, pulling her attention away from the sight. "You said the holocron was in the Interrogation Chamber."
He nodded. "I'm supposed to meet Cere here, and with this back guard of troopers trying to press forward…I'm going to try to hold them off for you."
Her eyes widened. "What?"
"I can't leave Cere hanging. Not in this situation," he reiterated. "And honestly…you're better equipped to take on Effa than I am."
Trilla's brow arched momentarily, but it quickly faded. "Cal…"
"You can do it, Trilla," he insisted, grasping her shoulder tightly. "You've come this far…don't stop now."
The brunette sighed, but Cal could sense that his words were correct in her mind as well. There was more at stake than just the holocron. If Trilla was to truly be free of the darkness within…she had to face what waited for them inside that terrible place.
Grasping his hand on her shoulder, she nodded. "Thank you, Cal Kestis."
He nodded with full confidence, and once she began to descend the stairs, his attention already returned to the door. "Now, BD…let's see what we can do about this."
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Reactor Maintenance Halls
Brutis marched through the wave of blasterfire that advanced upon him, bolts dissipating off his armor as his TL-50 screeched with a high concentration of retaliatory bolts that ripped through the weak white armor of the stormtroopers in his path. Charging forward in the tight corridor, he slung over his repeater and roared, clearing a path forward with his massive and devastating electrohammer. The final stormtrooper had the unfortunate pleasure of being his battering ram through the grate at the end of the passage, grabbing ahold of the man with his massive hands and plowing him head-first through the durasteel. Jumping out into the hall, Brutis heaved and slammed his hammer into the man's head, killing him instantly.
Taking a breath and wiping the blood off his chest armor, he slung his hammer over his shoulder and waited. "Any time now, kid."
Almost on cue, a stormtrooper's scream sounded as he fell through the ceiling grate, and Petro followed through, sinking his vibroblade deep in the man's throat. His gurgling was then silenced by a blaster bolt through his head via Petro's side pistol.
"Not bad," Brutis commented as Petro pulled his blade free. "You remembered to not give him any time to react."
Petro huffed through his helmet, its white ruined by dried blood. "I know it took a few times, but yeah, I finally did."
Truthfully, he didn't expect him to make it through the unknown area so quickly, and it showed that his adaptation to the situation was growing, but he'd already given him enough praise this time around. Complacency was dangerous, especially here, and he needed him on his toes at all times.
The former youngling swung his blade through the air to rid it of the wet crimson. "So, where to now?"
They were nearly there. The shortcuts they had taken through the pair of maintenance tunnels did exactly what Brutis had intended, and he could detect the rumblings of the advanced machinery nearby within the ground that he walked. As the familiar setting established itself, he paced the hall and turned the corner, reaching the central pit of the entire Fortress.
Through the massive door and radioactivity warnings was the massive fusion accelerator, its tubes and machinery funneling intense heat into a highly intense reaction contained within a central module.
"Wow," Petro gasped, just as the two of them paced through the doorway. "This thing powers the entire Fortress?"
"Yeah," Brutis nodded. "Now we just need to figure out how to get it to overheat."
He was never a scientist, and he certainly was not much qualified to know the inner workings of this machine, but he figured if he cut a few wires, then the intricate design would succumb to a fatal flaw in time.
"It's a fusion reaction, right?" Petro asked, pacing up to the control panel and giving it a look. "If I remember correctly, it requires nearly the heat of a star to have that occur, and no material has a melting point above that. The only way they could possibly contain it would be through a coolant of some kind."
Brutis caught on. "So, if we cut off the coolant…"
"The Empire swims laps on the surface of a star."
The former purge trooper smirked behind his helmet. "Get to work then. In the meantime I'll…" he was cut off by his natural instincts, and when he turned, two massive guard droids were marching their way, their piercing red eyes and dark tones of communication their most striking features. Brutis growled and drew his hammer, charging it as the mechanical terrors revealed wrist large wrist blades from their gauntlets.
"Kid, whatever you need to do…figure it out quickly."
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Interrogation Chamber
There were no words that could describe what Trilla felt once the door to her most terrifying memory opened, revealing the intense heat that radiated from below…and the chair that remained centered in the vault-like room. Wires dangled from above that powered the Dark Lord's terrible machine, created solely to induce intense suffering within any who were unfortunate enough to find themselves within its embrace.
She had been one of those people.
At the time she had asked herself why so many times it almost became an obsession. Why her? She was simply a girl who could manipulate the Force in various ways, and because of that, she had been made to suffer, scream and subsequently break into an animal who knew nothing but destruction.
That time had long passed.
Her boots stopped atop a specific spot on the retractable flooring that resonated, and when she looked up, it felt as if roles had been reversed momentarily, peering into the eyes of the man who had destroyed who she once was…and threw someone else within. Only then did she ask herself how she ever managed to overcome all she had been subjected to.
Only then did she realize that none of that mattered…only that she had.
Stepping out of that spot, she felt herself released from her past like a serpent shedding its skin, and new resolve solidified itself. Approaching the chair control, she ran her hand along its surface, and closed her fist. "You were never the quiet one."
Trilla slowly turned, and standing behind her was Effa Azulia, the dirty blonde adopting a look of mild rage and disappointment.
"It was worth a shot," she admitted. "At least I got a little closer than usual."
"Not close enough," Trilla remarked, pacing towards her, only to see the inquisitor circle her movements.
Effa grumbled. "I'll be honest…I was hoping that boy toy Cal Kestis would be the one to show…but instead I have you. Why?"
Trilla continued her pace. "I guess I surmised I may be able to talk some sense into you."
That made her scoff into slight laughter. "Talk some sense. Ah, Sister, the time for talking is unfortunately long gone. You see…I knew your band of misfits couldn't resist the urge to launch an all-or-nothing assault on your own home…I just never expected the brutal tenacity that you all have shown."
The brunette shrugged. "Yes…it appears that once again the Empire has fallen prey to underestimation of the tenacity of their enemies. Complacency has its way of worming into those who believe that having a larger weapon makes them invincible."
"Ah, but it does elicit a great deal of fear," she countered. "Something you have managed to hide very well."
Trilla chuckled. "You think I have any degree of fear towards you?"
"Of course not. I would never expect such wishful thinking in the first place…but in your arrogance, you have granted my Master the opportunity he has been searching for all this time."
Trilla found herself ending her pace at the door she had entered from, looking back upon Effa with the backdrop of that chair. "What opportunity?"
Effa's laugh became maniacal for a moment. "The moment is upon us…it's right there and you just can't see it!" she madly paced away; her eyes turned upwards. "All he's ever wanted is him…here…in this spot…vulnerable…broken. You have granted Lord Vader more than you could possibly know."
Her annoyance bristled, and Trilla's teeth grit. "It's over! It's not too late for you to come back."
"Come back…" she mocked. "Don't you get it by now, Trilla? This is where I belong. This is where my eternal loyalties lie, and it's where you belong as well."
Trilla emphatically shook her head. "I will never be his slave again. Not like you."
"I am not his slave!" Effa denied, her eyes searing amber. "I am his student, protégé, apprentice…learner…whichever you prefer. I have been since the beginning…and what he desires…he shall receive."
Trilla shifted her stance. "And what is that?"
Effa's deep growl drooled of hatred as she emitted the words, and her crimson blade roared with its ignition. "Your head at Eon's feet…just as he finally breaks."
Something within her snapped at the very image she described. Effa not only wanted to harm the man she loved…but she wanted to murder the unborn child growing within her. Serenity gave way to instinct, and she felt that darkness return with a terrible roar.
Trilla released her cape and tossed it aside, reaching for her hilt and igniting the two gold blades with a spin before falling into her ready stance. "You're insane, Effa, and I will not allow you to continue your reckless destruction."
The inquisitor roared. "Die, traitor!"
Effa's rage was so potent that Trilla felt it in her first deflection, the inquisitor's barrage of Form VI devastating in its own right, desperately trying to blow her over in the first exchange. Trilla was not surprised by its use, however, and utilized her impressive techniques to establish superior footwork to counter the immense strength Effa was displaying. One she was set, she felt her leverage push back, her superior height and length assisting in that endeavor as she took the offensive turn, utilizing a more powerful string of Form IV Ataru that did not seem to catch her opponent off guard, but it was never meant to. Once her turn ended, she ceded back to Effa, who roared as she spun her blade in between swings, still trying to blow her over with raw power.
If only she knew what kind of strength Xur could project. This was but cosmic dust compared to what she had experienced against him.
Falling into a saber lock with Trilla on her back heel, Effa leaned towards the blades, never minding the flares that burned her skin. "Do you really think you can beat me here?!"
"You said it yourself, Effa," Trilla grunted. "This is our home."
"Indeed," she conceded, pushing off her blade and outstretching both hands into a powerful push that Trilla halted with a force barrier, reserving the effects to only sliding back with perfect balance.
"Anger burns bright…but it fizzles out quickly," Trilla remarked, twirling her blade. "A powerful lesson you have yet to learn."
Effa spat as they circled each other quickly. "You have your blasted self-righteousness back, I see. I always hated that about you."
"Fuck righteousness," she waved off. "It's just fact. What has all this anger ever amounted to? When was the last time you succeeded in something of your own efforts?"
"How about taking this?" she sneered, revealing the green holocron from her back pouch, drawing Trilla's full attention. "While you were all mourning the death of a worthless clone trooper, I stole it right out from under your new Jedi friend," she then placed it back in her pouch and held her blade at the ready. "And when I'm done with you, he'll be next…along with your precious master."
Trilla growled and fazed forward, swinging in a cross chop that Effa ducked beneath, kicking her exposed chest. The impact winded her, but the brunette recovered quickly to deflect Effa's attacks with precision until the lack of air in her lungs weakened her stance, and a powerful swing knocked her off balance. Taking the chance, Effa outstretched her hand, closing the woman's throat and throwing her across the chamber, landing in a hard heap against the durasteel floor.
Effa dragged her blade against the floor as she approached. "Don't run out of breath now. I'd hate to see you die in such a pitiful fashion."
Flipping to her feet in an acrobatic fashion, Trilla summoned a large amount of force energy into her prosthetic fist before slamming it into the ground, and the shockwave that followed knocked Effa off her feet in a pained grunt. Landing a fair distance away, she cartwheeled back to a stand, only to barely stop Trilla's blindingly quick advance. That was when Trilla went on an acrobatic Form IV assault that Effa was not ready for, kicking her twice mid-air before unleashing a flurry of cuts from both blades that had her backpedaling…and landing a mark on Effa's armored thigh. The hit stunned her more than it hurt, and Trilla used that chance to blow her over with a one-handed force push, skidding along the rough surface.
Trilla heaved. "You've spent so much of your time running that you've forgotten to improve yourself in the art of a duel," she remarked, pacing forward. "Has the master not trained his apprentice?"
Effa slowly picked herself up, still with a grin on her face. "I'm glad you noticed…but believe me, old friend, you have yet to see the full extent of my power."
The brunette spread her arms. "I'm right here."
Effa took that taunt, holstering her hilt and charging force energy directly at her feet, and in the next instant she rocketed forward at a speed nearly rivaling her own, and the unexpected use of that power caught her off guard. Her gloved hand wrapped around Trilla's neck, and her victim fell to her knees as she used her second to rip into her force essence and drain it from her body. It was a universal power that was quite similar to the horrifying and devastating use of Death Field that she once could conjure, but only hurt physically more than destroy supernaturally. She held back a scream as the pain was immense, but it was nothing worse than she'd experienced before, and through that suffering, her hatred fueled her strength as she grabbed ahold of Effa's outstretched hand with her prosthetic, using the mechanized strength to slam her own power back into her. The feedback loop discharged, resulting in a harsh scream from Effa as they both collapsed from the exchange, an echoing wave in the Force the only sound that remained.
Trilla's body felt as if it had been sapped of its reserve energy, and it was impossible not to move without feeling a measurable amount of pain. Nevertheless, she pressed on, forcing herself to rise to her knees and subsequently her feet as she heaved, calling her blade back into her grip. With its violent ignition, Effa stumbled back, visibly spent, and her rage at its absolute peak.
"You will never escape this place alive, Trilla," Effa vowed, her hilt igniting once again. "None of you will."
Trilla shook her head. "This…ends…now."
Time grinded to a halt as their stances solidified. Echoes of the past were prevalent, both former Jedi…whose friendship had even somewhat survived the terrible trauma they both endured. It was potent…strong…but most of all, still alive. Trilla could sense it, even if Effa could not, but the love they once shared had not yet been stripped away.
There's still a way.
Relinquishing her anger in that moment, Trilla's eyes focused clearly and absolutely.
Effa screamed, slashing twice into perfect blocks that Trilla executed, and once the inquisitor used the other end of her blade for the third, Trilla swung through her hilt, severing it in two, before landing two deep cuts on each thigh. The blonde let out an anguished cry and fell to her knees before the chair…her hilt severed and legs no longer able to support her weight. With her hand outstretched, the holocron flew straight into her grip, free of the Empire's grasp at last.
Their fight was finally over.
As Trilla extinguished her blade, the sound of pounding footsteps came from behind, as well as a shout from Cal Kestis, "Trilla!" only to halt once he saw Effa's broken and shattered state kneeling before them. Trilla never relinquished her gaze from the inquisitor, and instead passed the holocron to the red-headed Jedi.
"Try not to lose it this time," she said, and Cal slowly accepted it into his care, while still keeping his eyes on Effa. "Go…get out of here."
Cal reared back. "What? I'm not leaving you here alone!"
Doop-pree!
Trilla grimaced with their respectable pleas but held firm. "This place will be ashes, and you now hold the key to the next generation of Jedi," she instilled upon him her fierce eyes, while also projecting soft urgency. "Cal…find Cere…and go."
He didn't like her idea, but she could tell he nonetheless understood the practicality of it all, eventually nodding his head in acceptance. "I'd better see you behind me."
"Go," she urged more firmly this time, pushing him away. Just as he began to pace away, however…the chilling cold she remembered shivered down her spine.
Effa looked up to Trilla as an above platform shifted, white smoke pouring from its crevice. "We…we're all going to burn, Trilla," she heaved, the inquisitor's fear becoming apparent. "This is the day we die."
Trilla felt the cold freeze her body into place just as before, planting her feet where she stood…and her breathing became sharp, made difficult by the trembling that came. The fear she felt…it could not be wrangled…it could not be controlled. It was inbred…forever.
And she felt the cauldron of her will ignite.
When Darth Vader looked down upon her from his perch, her trembling faded entirely, and she looked up to that mechanical monster with such intensity that any other being would've backed down under its gaze.
"That doesn't look good," Cal noted, backing away.
His terrifying breathing persisted as he landed with a sharp thud against the durasteel surface, rumbling the entire Fortress as Trilla faced him with her blade ignited, showing absolute defiance against the subject of all her worst nightmares.
Effa mumbled to herself, unable to stand, move, or anything for that matter. It was a jumbled array of words as her mind finally shattered, but the most prevalent phrase was: "I'm sorry…Anakin."
Vader rumbled as he brandished his hilt. "Anakin Skywalker is dead. I destroyed him."
It was only then that Trilla saw Effa's expression return to that she once knew…the innocent woman whose care for others knew no bounds…and whose love for one man was so pure, it left echoes behind wherever she walked.
"You have failed me, inquisitor."
She gasped, looking up to Trilla as Vader's blade ignited. "Avenge him."
Even in her final moments…she thought of him.
Trilla only grimaced in utter pain as Effa's life was extinguished before her, knowing there was nothing she could do to save the woman whose love had destroyed her…a woman who had sold her soul to the devil…and lost.
"Where is he?" Vader growled, stepping over Effa's bisected body, blade held at his side as he heartlessly showed no remorse for the woman he had ruthlessly cut down. Trilla's rage was rampant, but she forced it back to stare back his way with clear vision.
"You will find out soon enough," she spat, falling into a ready stance.
Cal grimaced from behind as Vader began to march. "Trilla…what the hell do we do?"
"I told you to run…now run!" she roared, leaping forward, only to feel her throat close and her body suspend above. Cal gagged alongside her as Vader held them both in place, pulling them both close with the contraction of his arm.
"You will not escape," he declared.
As air was kept from her lungs, Trilla frantically looked around for any way to free them, and her eyes locked on a weak part of machinery held by the ceiling above. Subtly, she twisted her hand and pulled the cylinder free from behind Vader's view, but he reacted with his second hand, halting it in place. With the strain upon him, Vader threw them both out of the chamber, tumbling through the closing doorway. Stopping just before the platform ended into a perilous drop, Trilla gasped as Vader gripped the closing door so violently with the force that it dented, jamming it upwards, before outstretching both arms to rip whole panels from the flooring around him…sending the heavy onslaught their way.
Heavy boots slammed in front of her, and in a sudden surge in the force, the panels were halted mid-air…and Xur Eon grunted with both hands held out before him. Grimacing under the heavy strain required to halt Vader's attack, he groaned, "Both of you…go!" he roared, pushing them all back in a wave of durasteel that Vader merely casted aside with a wave of his hand. Leaping through the air with both orange blades ignited, Xur clashed with the Dark Lord of the Sith, his grunts of intense effort apparent.
Trilla's eyes widened as she moved to help him, but Cal grasped her gauntlet. "Trilla, we can't! We have to go now!"
It almost made her cry, forcing herself to rip her gaze from him, but Cal was righter than ever. Sniffling and jogging to the bridge, she followed Cal Kestis in his effort to flee from the two giants colliding.
Please come back to me…darling.
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Fusion Accelerator
Brutis dropped his cracked helmet, kicking it aside as his fist collided into another fellow purge unit, knocking him to the ground with his intense power before executing him where he lay with his pistol. Both droids crackled from the places in which his hammer had torn them apart, lying dead on each side of him as wave after wave of Imperial troopers marched to him…and died all the same. He'd come this far…and now that he could taste the death of the place he so despised…none would rob him of this victory.
"Come on, kid!" he shouted, swinging his hammer into two men before suffering another blast to his shoulder that became another pock mark. Petro was climbing above, dangling from his grip as he drew his vibroblade and slashed through the final coolant tube. It noodled and spasmed as the fluids were shot from its mouth, and Petro dropped to the floor with a grunt, assisting Brutis in his defensive efforts at last.
Red lights and sirens blared as the core destabilization began…the heat of the room already beginning to rise.
"We need to go!" Petro urged. "We only have twenty minutes until it blows!"
Brutis roared as the last man died in horrible fashion, and through his bloodied eyes, he saw only more coming…desperately trying to reach him and stop the meltdown that would vaporize them all. There was not enough time to breach through them and escape…and he couldn't reach the ladder above…not without letting them halt the progress he'd made.
The choice was obvious, and there was no hesitation.
"You're going to leave, kid," Brutis grumbled. "And I'm going to stay."
"What?!" Petro gasped. "You're crazy! I'm staying with you! We'll make it out of here together!"
"It's not in the cards, Petro," Brutis denied, grabbing ahold of him with his massive hands, and then heaving him up to the shaft's ladder above, that which Petro managed to grab. "Go! Get out of here!" he yelled, batting away another stormtrooper with his hammer.
"I can't leave you!" Petro cried.
"Don't be like me!" Brutis urged, continuing to fight. "Don't let your hatred consume you! Go! Live! Be better!"
No tears came from the young man, but he looked down upon the mentor he never asked for and tipped his head with sad eyes. "Thank you…for everything!"
"Get out of here, you skug!" he growled, knocking down another.
Petro swallowed and began to climb, leaving Brutis alone against an army of men.
"Come on you fuckers…come and get it."
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Fortress Citadel
Xur grunted as he backed up along the bridge to the Interrogation Chamber, twirling his blades as Vader heaved, his slashes precise and devastatingly powerful. Without his natural affinity to project his strength beyond super-human levels, he could never imagine standing a chance against the Dark Lord's attacks. Instead, he merely managed, holding him off where he could, but hardly ever finding a chance to go on the offensive. Vader looked to have no intention of letting up for a moment, and the zabrak knew he'd have to try something insane just to get himself back in the fight.
Riding Vader's powerful swing, Xur flipped and let the impact project him through the air, firing a burst of Force Lightning that was merely batted away as he landed a measurable distance away.
The zabrak took a chance to breathe, already fairing better than he had on Ordo Eris, but he was just slowing him down at this rate…not really fighting him.
"You should have joined me when I offered you the chance, Eon," Vader grumbled, holding his blade out in front as he marched forward. "Your skills are wasted serving a pointless resistance to the inevitable."
Xur huffed. "You know I get it," he admitted. "The Jedi were flawed…and maybe they did have it wrong…but that doesn't justify all you've done! So much suffering…so much slaughter! What have you to show for it? What have you to gain?"
"Nothing," Vader shook his head. "The Dark Side will consume the galaxy, and the Empire will be there to see it through."
"Is that what you want?" he questioned. "To be forgotten? Where's the legacy in that?"
"My master's will is all that matters," Vader approached, his blade now held at his side. "He commands your death, and he shall receive it."
Xur scoffed. "You're no different than any other sorry bastard in this place. A lap dog to bend over for the Emperor whenever he needs his damn feet scrubbed."
"Enough," Vader growled, reaching out and ripping the bridge from its foundation, making Xur stumble as it shook in his grip. "Your continued resistance to Imperial justice ends here!"
The zabrak looked around, thinking quickly as he turned and ran towards the other end of the bridge, leaping with all his might as Vader relinquished his hold. His stomach lurched into his lungs once the weightlessness of falling kicked in, and he gasped as his hands screamed under the strain of hanging by the broken edge of the bridge. Groaning as he clambered up, he flipped to his feet to look across the way…but Vader was gone.
Danger sense jolted him into action as he rolled away, the Dark Lord plunging his saber into the ground as he landed from above, and Xur used another blast of Force lightning to hold him off. Vader blocked the attack with his blade, raising his hand to reinforce his defense behind the crimson beam. Xur let the lightning flow through him, just as his mother had taught him, but even at full power Vader still kept coming. Dropping the attack, Xur reignited his blades and swung both with a roar, and only then did Vader grunt with effort to hold it back. Feeling a chanced to push forward, Xur unleashed a Form VII attack string, a form Vader was not quite accustomed to, but adjusted incredibly quickly as his defenses held back the zabrak's constant barrage that it unleashed.
Parrying Xur's last cut, Vader swung heavily, and his deflection knocked him to his knees, before Xur desperately stopped the downward hammer with both of his blades crossed. His back cried for a reprieve, but he poured all of his energy into his arms, shoring up his impressive defenses for what he was up against. Vader only bore down upon him, his anger prevalent as the chance to vanquish the zabrak came within reach.
The Dark Lord raised to hammer again, but Xur was ready for it, unleashing that power through a bone-shattering Force push that merely made Vader stumble backwards for a moment, and then quickly block Xur's retaliation. After two quick blocks, Vader reached out and pushed Xur over the edge, watching him fall into oblivion with the cold stare of a monster who had won.
Sirens blared as the entire Fortress rumbled and shook, taking Vader's attention away. Knowing the holocron was escaping his grasp, he marched into action…never seeing Xur who had grasped ahold of an outcrop in the wall from where he fell.
Breathing heavily as he shook off his near death, Xur looked back up from where he fell…and began to climb.
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Tower Transit Passage
Trilla and Cal sprinted at full speed once the turbolift door opened, moving as quickly as possible to escape the wrath of Darth Vader. Trilla had fought off tears the entire ride up, but she knew she had to remain vigilant if her child was to survive…and if more children were to be spared the fate she had to endure.
"I think we lost him," Cal huffed, keeping up just behind her as they slowed their run, turning a corner as the windows displayed the surrounding ocean once again.
"Do not underestimate his power, Cal," she warned, picking up the pace again, but then halting violently once a passing turbolift door opened, her blade ignited.
Out walked Petro, his helmet long relinquished and his eyes red from tears. "Trilla…Cal!" he shouted.
Her eyes widened as she extinguished her blade. "Petro…what happened?"
He sniveled, shaking his head. "Brutis…he's staying…to make sure this place blows."
"What?!" Trilla gasped.
"He told me to go…and I listened," Petro explained, wiping his face clear. "He told me to be better than he was."
She wanted to deny it…but there was nothing they could do about it now. All she felt was sorrow for the man she had tormented long enough…perhaps even ruined…and now was the man who would save them from ever seeing this place again. He'd die a hero…even if he didn't want to be one…and Trilla would be sure his name is remembered in a fashion he deserved.
With a deep exhale, she grasped his shoulder. "Come on…we need to go."
Cal flinched as his commlink blared. "Greez…I'm here. We're heading to the surface…what's left of us."
Trilla's eyes widened. "Where's Cere?"
"Cere's finding her own way," Cal informed her. "She told me she would meet us at the surface."
Searching the Force, Trilla latched onto the long-tarnished master-apprentice bond she had shared, and through the echoes of the shattered past, she felt Cere still alive…a flicker in the dark forest.
"We'll meet you there, got it," Cal cut the transmission, and then ushered them to follow. "Let's go."
The three of them sprinted as fast as they could, and Trilla desperately searched for Xur in the Force…but she felt nothing…nothing at all. Still, she held out hope that he was just shrouded by Vader's shadow, and would still find his way back to her.
He'd better.
Coming to the distant door, Trilla swiped her hand to force it open, and out came Vader, baring down upon her with his crimson blade as she barely ignited her gold in time. Her first deflection knocked her down, and the overhead hammer pinned her to the ground on one knee, almost screaming as she held him at bay. Cal and Petro rushed to the rescue, only to be swiped away like specs of dust with the wave of his hand, and his metal hand reached out to grip Trilla by the neck, holding her in place as she gagged.
"I want you to know, Trilla Suduri," he growled, his deep voice rattling her bones as he spoke. "That Xur Eon died the most pitiful death he could muster. With him gone, I will now silence his legacy for all time."
Her eyes widened…he knew.
Trilla had never contemplated death after she had become pregnant. It never seemed to be possible, not after the Force had granted her such a gift. To imagine such a cruelness to be enacted upon her seemed unlikely, as well as brutally unjust.
Yet, here she was, staring into the black holes of Vader's soulless gaze, preparing to feel the dragon fire through her abdomen as he ended two lives at once.
At least she would be reunited with him…wherever she went after death.
Vader's gaze turned, and in a sudden movement he released his grip upon her throat, using both hands to deflect and parry an attack from behind. In flipped Cere as the hilt smacked back into her hand, and then locked the crimson blade with Vader's own, while Trilla crawled away and gasped for air.
Cere looked up to Vader in stark defiance, her expression fierce and resolve solidified. "You can't have her…"
Vader growled with intense annoyance, swinging with both hands on his hilt, a powerful swing that knocked the blade off balance so far, he was able to step forward…and drive his beam straight through her body.
Cere gasped as her heart was incinerated and screams of peril and denial came from both Trilla and Cal as the death blow was given. Through that devastating blow, she heaved, forcing herself up with the blade still in her body, and suddenly thrusted her own towards the mechanized demon, her attempt pulled off course by his retaliation, but the attack sunk deep into his circuitry at his hip. He groaned and fell to one knee, just as Cere's lifeless corpse slid from his blade and stared wide-eyed into nothingness.
Trilla wailed at the sight…her cry in anguish for all her former master had done…and the life she had given to save her. All the hatred she had ever carried evaporated, her story becoming that of resilience…instead of betrayal.
"Cere!" Cal screamed, his throat projecting it loudly as Trilla fell forward, her fingers digging into the metal beneath them.
Rearing forward, her heart in pieces, she bellowed, "WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!"
Vader struggled to shake off his wound…but something else was holding him back…an immense power that radiated through the hallway and crushed all within its grasp. Cal and Petro groaned in pain under its power, and only then did she realize…
It was her.
"Trilla…no!" Petro begged.
The Sith Lord slowly rose his head, locking his expressionless gaze upon her. "Yes…release your anger…just as I taught you. The Dark Side is strong within you…embrace your hatred for me!" he goaded, rising to his feet with a reversal of his own power.
Trilla glared at him with a piercing gaze that could kill, and the durasteel creaked and groaned around them…cracking the thick glass that separated them from the engulfing ocean. He was right…she hated him more than anything in the galaxy, and more than ever she wanted to kill every living being between her and her revenge.
She embraced it…and saw nothing but red.
"Trilla!"
Her world went silent, and the power she emitted stalled out. Looking back…Xur was standing there…alive…smiling back at her.
"Give him hell, girl."
She smiled back to him, and when she turned, she unleashed that focused energy upon Vader, which was enough to kick him off his feet momentarily, until he dug his saber into the ground to slow his momentum. With a blissful smile at the relinquishment of her anger, her vision faded to black.
"Get her," Xur said to Cal, before stepping forward with both blades ignited, just as Vader rose to his full height.
"You…are a difficult man to kill, Eon," Vader admitted.
The zabrak stood with his blades at his side, protecting the three of them while Cal hoisted Trilla over his shoulder. "You can't win, Vader," Xur denied. "You'll never win."
"Victory is not the goal," he growled. "Only security."
"Do you see this?" he presented…drawing something his mother had once told him…a lesson he never forgot. "This is what you've created…countless murderers, slayers, assassins. All of them born of war that has as always…taught us the wrong lesson."
Vader remained silent, and Xur looked through his red optics…seeing the amber-eyed gaze of Anakin Skywalker.
"I was there…it broke me too," Xur admitted. "And I'm sorry. All I ever dreamed about was killing you…but now I see. Hatred, anger…revenge…it's the death of the galaxy as we know it."
The Dark Lord offered him no reply, only stepping forward.
"If that is all you desire…then I will do whatever it takes to stop you," he twirled his blades, falling into a ready stance.
"Know this as you die in vain," Vader declared. "You never mattered. All that matters is what my Master demands."
Xur stared through his own blades, just as the entire Fortress shook once again, and the sirens went critical.
Vader charged.
The zabrak deactivated his blades and outstretched his hands, throwing up a powerful force barrier that deflected Vader's swing like glass. With a roar in anger, Vader plunged his blade into the energy field, and Xur tipped his head.
"Until next time, old friend," he winked. "Cal, now!"
With a heave, Cal's Force push ripped through the glass, and water rushed into the open air pulling he, Cal, Petro and Trilla into the ocean. Vader, his suit not able to filter that much water, held out his hands and pushed back the rushing wave with all his powerful might.
Xur looked up to the surface, Trilla's limp body sustained in Cal's grip as he passed her his breather, and he felt himself ease at the sight.
That was when Merrin appeared from above, swam to where they resided, and pulled them into her grasp of magik.
Nur, 14 BBY
Fortress Inquisitorious – Fusion Accelerator
Brutis felt the heat burn at his skin as he lay atop the bodies he had left behind, the sirens deafening him long ago. His bones shattered…his body broken…he looked up through that shaft and smiled.
"Burn in hell…fuckers."
He ripped.
He tore.
It was done…and all he saw was white.
Nur, 14 BBY
Beaches
Vader clambered ashore, his suit a static mess and burnt to a crisp as it breached the sand. Rolling onto his rear, he looked back at the irradiated ocean that had been left behind. The Fortress had been utterly erased by the ensuing blast that had come, water kicked up for miles as it splashed far from where it came.
It was gone.
Activating his comm in his helmet, he looked past his sharp breathing and spoke, "Grand Inquisitor. Find me at these coordinates."
The response was slow, but he envisioned that was the surprise he had survived the blast. "As you wish, my Lord."
Vader killed the comm and sat there, staring, for a long while.
=STAR WARS EONS: INQUISITION=
Thank you…truly and thoroughly…all of you for being along for this amazing journey. This story was an incredible ride for me…and by no means is it over! For now, I wanted to conclude the "novel" portion of this story, since that is what it had become.
I can't stress how fucking awesome you guys have been. This has been so much fun to write; to give back to a character that deserved way more than what she got! There are still so many stories to tell involving these characters and be sure to still keep an eye out for this story!
So what happens now?
Nothing is really changing. I just won't be numbering the chapters any longer, but the story will go on! Stay tuned…I've already got some ideas that will be fresh off the press in the coming days!
Before I sign off, let me make some acknowledgments to some special people who helped out big time along the way.
Xwing1357 – The man, the myth…the hyper-critical legend! Your brutal honesty has made this story what it is, and I know it is better for it! Thank you for all your help, and I hope you are pleased with what you have missed recently…and won't be too mad once you do read this far :P
DFM23 – Aside from giving me the keys to your Porsche (Wraith I mean), thanks for bouncing ideas off with me! Our brainstorming sessions helped immensely with putting this together, and I can't wait for Wraith to rear his head into this universe again! Keep up the great work with that epic you've built. In fact, all of you, each of my followers…go check this guy out! I mean it! He writes some kickass action, and who doesn't like that?
The Begging Guest – I guess I should acknowledge your persistence. Yes you, anonymous person who keeps copying and pasting your reviews! Man, that was annoying to be honest, but I admire your love for this story anyhow. So…thanks…I guess?
All of those who left reviews, I thank you for your support, and know that your enthusiasm and critique is how we keep this story going!
So…you want a hint at what's next? Guess I can give you a few key words at what the next couple of chapters may entail.
A date?
A togruta?
A new species?
Sketch comedies?
Crossovers?
Fluffy, icky-gooey fan service?!
Hm…who knows?
See y'all then, and may the motherfuckin' force be with you all.
