Hey, everybody. Back with another chapter.
So, here we go. We've come to the final battle. Let's get it started.
Chapter 29- The End of All Things
Jakan and his three fellow Mandalorians stand completely still, standing behind Aragorn as he stares out at the surrounding Orcs. The massive Orc army had completely surrounded the Army of the West, with thousands more yet to come though the Black Gate, stretching as far into Mordor as the eye can see.
Jakan is silent as he holds a blaster in one hand and the Darksaber in the other, the blade humming ever so slightly. Next to him, the other three Mandalorians are all holding their weapons at the ready, ready for the fight to begin.
As Jakan watches Aragorn, Aragorn seems to tilt his head to one side, and he starts slowly stepping towards the Black Gate, while lowering Anduril. Looking at him, it seems to Jakan that Aragorn is looking right at the Eye of Sauron. Concerned, Jakan is about to take a step after Aragorn when Aragorn slowly starts to turn back to face everyone. He looks back at all of his friends, and then focuses on Gandalf. Gandalf looks at Aragorn, then slowly raises the mithril shirt.
Aragorn looks at the shirt for a moment, then back at Gandalf and says, with a tear running down his face, "For Frodo." He then turns, raising Anduril into a ready position, and charges towards the Orc lines, cape flapping behind him.
Behind him, Merry and Pippin watch him run with determination on their faces, then shout their war cries before they begin running after him. Then, with a massive roar, the rest of the Army follows Aragorn.
Jakan firms his face and yells his war cry as he sprints after Aragorn. Behind him, his three fellow Mandalorians bellow as they charge after their leader, determined to go down fighting.
As Jakan sprints towards the Orc lines, he points his blaster in their direction and fires it with abandon. The bolts fly all around the Orcs, many hitting an Orc, most bolts killing on the first hit.
Finally, he reaches the Orc lines. Using his jetpack, he boosts himself into the air, putting his blaster away and drawing Hadhafang before coming down and slashing both the Darksaber and Hadhafang downwards, cleaving two Orcs in two.
The armies clash, the Gondorians and Rohirrim pushing against the Orcs, hacking at them with a ferocity that anyone would be proud of, determined to fight to the death for all Middle-Earth.
Jakan ducks under a blow from an Orc before driving Hadhafang through its face. Jakan then leaps over its falling corpse and cleaves a pair of Orcs in two with the Darksaber. He then raises one of his fists and sets three more Orcs on fire with one of his flamethrowers.
Beside him, Mirta leaps over the body of a fallen Gondorian and buries her sword in an Orc's brain. She then ducks under a spear thrust from another Orc before driving her sword through its heart. She then rips the spear out of the dead Orc's grip, hefts it in her free hand, and throws it through the throat of an Orc several yards away. Almost as soon as the spear leaves her hand, another Orc swings its axe at Mirta. Mirta blocks it with her vambrace before killing the Orc with a blaster shot to the underside of the chin.
A few yards away, Fel and Gar are fighting side by side. Fel is using both of his blasters, while having blades deployed from his vambraces. He rapid fires his blasters, while driving his blades into any Orc that gets within range. Beside him, Gar has stolen a spear from an Orc and is spearing any Orcs that come close, while cutting down any that get past his spear with his sword.
Jakan ducks under another blow from an Orc's sword before cleaving it in two with the Darksaber. He then spots a contingent of Easterling warriors charging right towards him.
"For Mandalore!" he shouts as he charges towards the Easterlings. He fires a series of darts from a wrist launcher, killing three Easterlings. He then fires grappling cable from his other wrist, which wraps around an Easterling. He yanks the cable towards him, and as the Easterling flies at him, he lifts the Darksaber in time for the Easterling to be impaled on it. Jakan then removes the cable and whips the Darksaber out of the Easterling's body, cutting down another Easterling.
Despite Jakan having killed five of their number, the Easterlings feel bound to die fighting against this enemy. The one in the lead thrusts his spear at Jakan's chest, but Jakan cuts off the tip with the Darksaber, then removes the Easterling's head. Jakan then kills two more with a series of blaster shots. A fourth Easterling stabs his spear at Jakan's chest, but the spear tip breaks against his breastplate. Jakan then kicks the Easterling in the chest, knocking him down. Jakan then kills another charging Easterling with a slash of Hadhafang before cutting another in half with the Darksaber. Jakan then looks at the Easterling he kicked to the ground before crushing the man's head under his boot. With that, he's killed the last of the Easterlings that charged at him.
As Jakan looks for a new target, his earpiece barks to life. He had handed out a few earpieces he had to the other leaders of the army so they could communicate with him and the other Mandalorians. He quickly recognizes the voice as Aragorn as he says, "Jakan, trolls are hitting our left flank. They need help!"
"On it!" Fel calls out, and he and Gar take to the air with their jetpacks. The two fly towards the left flank of the army, which is primarily made up of the Rohirrim. The Rohirrim are trying desperately to hold up their shield wall against a phalanx of trolls hammering away at them.
"For Mandalore!" Gar bellows as he cuts his jetpack and falls towards one of the trolls, bringing his sword down with him and driving it right through the troll's brain. He then activates his jetpack again and flies right at another troll, driving his sword through the troll's heart. As he does, Fel flies down and slashes open the throat of another troll.
The two Mandalorians continue attacking the trolls. The distraction they provide allows the Rohirrim to begin to regroup and push back against the trolls.
Meanwhile, Mirta has moved over to the right flank of the army, which is being faced with a wall of Orcs. Mirta moves fluidly, cutting down any orc that opposes her. Behind her, the Gondorians and Rohirrim soldiers within view below war cries and charge after her. Despite the views they've had for a long time about women being able to fight, they are very quick to admit they were wrong, and are more than willing to follow her into battle.
In the center of the army, Jakan has moved to be fighting alongside Aragorn and Boromir. Boromir is fighting without his shield, using the arm that would normally hold his shield to hold the Standard of Elendil. Jakan, not wanting his friend to fall because of this duty, keeps close to Boromir, cutting down any enemy that approaches Boromir from his open side.
"We're really in it now, buddy," Jakan says as he ducks under a slash from an Orc before killing the offending Orc with a slash of Hadhafang.
"Definitely," Boromor responds quickly, stabbing an Orc in the stomach as the orc tries to stab its spear through the Standard.
"If we keep this up, perhaps we may just survive this long enough," Aragorn says as he cuts down an Orc with a slash of Anduril.
Jakan ducks under another spear before killing the offending Orc with Hadhafang as he fires his blaster in his other hand into the Orcs, killing an Orc with almost every shot. He then looks up at the sky, scanning it for any sign of the Nazgul. He's beginning to wonder why Sauron is holding them in reserve.
Suddenly, Jakan and everyone around him hears a voice bellow, "Mandalorian!"
Everyone turns in the direction of the voice. Instantly, they see a figure coming through the ranks of the orcs. The figure is clad in a suit of armor, and wearing a peaked war helm. However, everyone can instantly tell that there is something different about this individual. The helm is adorned with a number of crests. The armor is he is wearing is pitch black, but looks as if it was forged by Elves. The workmanship of the armor is of very superior quality. Clearly, this individual is either an extremely good craftsman, or was taught by Sauron himself.
Jakan narrows his eyes as he glares at the newcomer, wondering who this is that is challenging him. The figure stops about 15 feet from Jakan, and just stands there for a moment, looking at Jakan. A Gondorian soldier rushes towards him, but to the shock of Jakan, the figure raises his hand, and the Gondorian is immobilized. The figure then raises his hand, raising the Gondorian off the ground, then making a throwing motion and sending the Gondorian flying.
"Wait…" Jakan says, a feeling of apprehension rising in him. As he does, the figure reaches up and removes his helm. As his face is revealed, Jakan's eyes widen under his helmet in pure shock, unable to believe what he is seeing. At last, he manages to open his mouth and get out the figure's name.
"Maul!"
Sure enough, standing about 15 feet in front of them is Darth Maul himself. His distinctive red and black facial markings, along with the spikes protruding from his head, are easily recognizable. Though Jakan has never seen Maul in person, he well knows the stories of Maul told among the Free Mandalorians.
"Good that I am recognized by you, Mandalorian. It is nice to see someone from without this planet," Maul says arrogantly.
"Who is this, Jakan?" Aragorn asks in concern.
"Someone from the galaxy. A Sith Lord," Jakan says tersely, still glaring at Maul. He had explained the Jedi and Sith to Aragorn previously. As Aragorn hears this, he feels a sense of nervousness.
"Leave him to me," Jakan says firmly in a tone that makes it clear he will not take opposition. Though Aragorn and Boromir feel they would much rather assist their friend, but also recognize they are out of their element here.
Jakan takes a few steps towards Maul. "How did you get here, Maul?" he demands.
Maul laughs a few times before he says, "After the Clone Wars, I wandered the galaxy. Finally, after many travels, I arrived in Middle Earth. By happy chance, my ship crashed in Mordor. Since then, I have studied under Lord Sauron. From him, I have learned far more secrets of darkness than I ever could have learned under my old master. Under Lord Sauron, I will conquer this world, and then finally seek vengeance on my old master and claim what should be rightfully mine!"
Jakan glares at Maul as he slowly stores his blaster in its holster and returns Hadhafang to its sheath. Then, as he slowly removes the Darksaber from its position, he says, "You caused so much distress to the Mandalorians, Maul. You corrupted so much of our people and traditions. That alone is reason enough for me to challenge you. But now, you serve Sauron and threaten the people I have sworn to protect." He then activates the Darksaber and settles into a combat stance as he says, "I'm going to enjoy killing you, you SOB."
Maul laughs arrogantly before he removes something from his belt. Its identity is revealed a second later as he ignites the two red blades of his new double bladed lightsaber. Maul laughs again before he says, "The pleasure of killing someone will be mine, Mandalorian."
"We'll see," Jakan says before whirling the Darksaber in his hand and taking off with his jetpack, flying forward a few feet before cutting it and falling towards Maul, bringing the Darksaber down towards his head. Maul brings his saber up, and the Darksaber clashes against Maul's blade with a loud crackle.
Jakan crouches slightly and slashes at Maul's legs, which Maul easily leaps over. Jakan follows up with an upwards slash towards Maul's hip, but Maul easily blocks it with one of the blades of his saber. Maul then slashes the other blade of his saber at Jakan's head, but Jakan just manages to block it with the Darksaber.
Jakan leaps back and shoots several whistling birds from one of his vambraces, but Maul lifts a hand and, using the Force, stops all of the whistling birds in midair and then flings them back towards Jakan. Jakan dodges them, but the whistling birds kill a Gondorian behind him.
Jakan leaps at Maul, driving the Darksaber at Maul's chest. Maul easily deflects it with his saber. Maul then kicks at Jakan's chest, but Jakan brings his fist down on Maul's knee, causing Maul to stumble back while growling in pain. Maul then raises his hand and sends out a wave with the Force, sending Jakan flying back. Maul then leaps towards him, swinging his saber down towards Jakan. Jakan manages to roll to the side just in time to avoid the blow. Without getting up, he raises a fist and shoots a jet of flame at Maul, but Maul leaps backwards far enough to avoid it.
Jakan does a kip up and rushes at Maul again, slashing the Darksaber at Maul's neck. Maul blocks it with one of the blades of his saber and forces it down, then slashes at Jakan with the other blade. The blade catches Jakan on one of his pauldrons. Thankfully, the armor holds up, but Jakan can feel the heat of the saber so close to his body, and is forced back by the strength of the blow. Maul follows up with another slash that hits Jakan in the breastplate that is again deflected, However, with Jakan still slightly off balance, Maul follows up with another slash. This slash is aimed at a gap between his armor on his left arm. The tip of the blade just manages to cut through his skin, sending pain shooting up his arm. Jakan growls as he stumbles back. Again, he shoots a jet of flame at Maul, this time to buy himself some time to recover. Again, Maul leaps back to avoid it.
"I'm not out of this yet, Maul," Jakan says before growling and rushing the former Sith. He feints towards Maul's head before slashing at Maul's waist. However, the feint is a little sloppy from the pain in his arm, and Maul is not fooled. Maul deflects the blow with his saber, then kicks Jakan in the chest, knocking him back. He then slashes at jakan's leg, catching him in a spot not protected by his armor and again giving him a shallow cut.
Jakan growls before lunging at Maul again. However, Maul easily deflects his blow, then reaches out and uses the Force to restrain Jakan. He stalks forward to kill the Mandalorian, but Jakan manages to twist his wrist enough to shoot a cable from his vambrace that wraps around Maul's leg. He yanks it, tripping Maul and releasing his grip on Jakan. Jakan falls to his knees, the pain shooting through his body again on the impact.
Jakan begins to feel nervous, and even a little despair. Maul was already a trained Sith before coming to Middle-Earth. Now, he has spent possibly years learning under Sauron, and that has made him all the more dangerous. Jakan is beginning to wonder if he can hope to defeat Maul.
Then, as he happens to glance downwards, he sees a gleam on his hand. As he looks at what is causing it, he spots something he hasn't looked at in a long time. Vilya.
Jakan stares at the ring for a moment. It had been so long that he had possessed the Ring of Air without needing to use it that he had almost forgotten about it. He had hardly looked at the ring since they first began pursuing the Uruk-Hai after the fight at Amon Hen. He has hardly even thought about it, and begun to think that maybe Elrond was wrong, and he would never use it.
Now, as he looks down at Vilya, he realizes that this is the moment that Elrond foresaw. While he may not have realized exactly who Jakan would face, this was the moment he had given Jakan the ring for. Vilya, the most powerful of the Elven Rings of Power, may just be enough for him to counter Maul's powers.
Jakan takes a deep breath, thinking about the ring. Then, he feels a feeling of power coming from Vilya. Looking down, he sees the gem beginning to glow. He smiles, especially when he feels the pain from his wounds beginning to fade. He faces Maul, then says, "Let's do this."
Maul, having recover and regained his feet, charges at Jakan. However, Jakan raises his hand, and a blast of energy emanates from Vilya. The blast sends Maul flying back. Jakan charges at him, leaping up and swinging the Darksaber down at Maul's head. Maul deflects the blow, but Jakan follows it up with two more slashes that Maul barely manages to dodge. Jakan then kicks Maul in the chest, sending him stumbling back. Jakan then slashes at Maul's leg, cutting a shallow cut in his leg. Maul growls and manages to kick Jakan away.
Maul quickly regains his feet. He then lifts up a fallen spear with the Force and sends it flying at Jakan, piercing the side of his leg just above the ankle. Jakan quickly heals his wound using Vilya. Jakan then takes off with his jetpack and flies right at Maul, trying to drive the Darksaber through Maul's chest, but Maul manages to deflect it. Jakan then whips around and slashes at Maul's neck, but Maul just manages to deflect it. Maul then uses the Force to throw him back, sending Jakan flying back, but Jakan rights himself in mid air with his jetpack. Jakan then draws his blaster and fires several shots at Maul, but Maul deflects them all. Jakan then flies back at Maul, trying to bring the Darksaber down on Maul's head, But Maul raises his saber to block it, the sabers clashing with a loud crackle.
Jakan and Maul struggle against each other, growling as they try to overpower each other. Finally, Maul kicks Jakan in the knee, then uses the Force to send him flying back. As Jakan tries to regain himself, Maul again uses the Force to restrain him.
Jakan glares at Maul. Again tapping into the power of Vilya, Jakan summons a burst of wind to buffet Maul. The wind forces Maul off his feet, releasing Jakan from his hold. He then sprints at Maul, driving the Darksaber right towards his heart. Maul manages to deflect it, as well as a slash at his leg. Jakan then slashes downwards towards his head, which Maul blocks.
The two warriors stand face to face for several seconds, Jakan trying to force the Darksaber down towards Maul, and Maul trying to hold it back. After a moment, Jakan growls, "You'll never succeed, Maul."
"Your confidence is misplaced, mandalorian. I have taught by both Darth Sidious and Lord Sauron. Even with that ring on your finger, your strength is naught before me!" Maul declares.
Jakan smirks under his helmet. "Maybe. But when it comes to the mind vs strength, the mind always wins," he says smugly. Then, quick as viper, Jakan lets go of the Darksaber with one hand, reaches down to his side, and whips Hadhafang out of its sheath before slashing at Maul's leg, cutting deep into his leg. Maul yells in pain.
Seeing his chance, Jakan again raises the hand on which he wears Vilya and unleashes a powerful blast of energy from the ring, knocking Maul flying backwards and onto his back. Then, as he is struggling to get to his feet, Jakan leaps into the air, boosted by his jetpack, and raises the Darksaber over his head. Then, he comes down, and with a fierce war cry, he stabs the Darksaber down through Maul's heart.
Maul's eyes widen as Jakan falls all the way onto Maul's chest, his knees pressed down on either side of the Darksaber. He stares down into Maul's face, and also feeling a bit of satisfaction at knowing Maul cannot see the face of the man who finally killed him.
After a second, Jakan says triumphantly, "You may be powerful, Maul. But unlike you, I had something worth fighting for." Then, with triumph in his heart, he stands to his feet and rips the Darksaber out of Maul's chest. Maul stares up at Jakan with a look of defeat on his face before his eyes finally close for the last time.
Jakan stares down at Maul's body, feeling an extreme sense of justice and accomplishment that he has become the one to finally kill Darth Maul and rid the universe of him.
Suddenly, something strikes Jakan in the side of the head, knocking him sideways. Jakan manages to recover and look up in time to see a troll stalking towards him. Jakan growls and throws the Darksaber through it's stomach. As the troll keels over dead, Jakan gets up and rushes forward, yanking the Darksaber out of its stomach and dashing past the troll's body, cleaving two Orcs in half with the Darksaber.
As Jakan looks around for another target, he suddenly hears something. A familiar screech. Jakan looks up, and his heart sinks as he sees the Nazgul flying in on their fell beasts. Sauron must have bred new fell beasts for the Nazgul since Minas Tirith.
Jakan draws a blaster and readies himself to take off to engage them in the air. Then, he hears a screech. A screech like a bird. Jakan looks up, and his eyes widen in awe as he sees a Great Eagle fly in and strike one of the Nazgul's fell beasts, grappling with it with its talons before forcing it back and pressing its attack. Jakan looks around, and looks on in awe as five more Great Eagles dive out of the clouds and engage the Nazgul.
However, jakan immediately recognizes there is still a disadvantage. Only 6 of the Great Eagles have arrived. And there are 8 Nazgul. The two Nazgul not being engaged by the Great Eagles move in on their fell beasts to attack the Army of the West.
Jakan now takes to the air, ready to engage the two remaining Nazgul. Glancing around, he sees Gar and Fel taking to the air as well. He can't see Mirta, but assumes she is still okay and still fighting.
However, as Jakan is about to fly towards the Nazgul, he hears something. A familiar sound, but he fears he's hearing things. Then, he looks up, and laughs aloud as several Kom'rk class fighters dive down out of the clouds towards the ground. One of the fighters fires its laser cannons at one the Nazgul's fell beasts, killing the beast and sending the Nazgul falling to the ground. The other free Nazgul pulls up to fight them, but another fighter shoots it out of the sky.
The fighters come to a halt about a hundred feet off the ground. Their passenger bays open up, and sixty Mandalorians come flying out of the craft.
"Yes!" Jakan, Gar, and Fel yell triumphantly. They hear Mirta yell the same thing a second later over their earpieces.
One of the Mandalorians flies up towards Jakan. Halting in a hover in front of him, the Mandalorian removes their helmet, revealing it to be Bo-Katan herself.
"Jakan. It's good to see you again. We've been worried about you," Bo-Katan says with a slight smile.
"Good to see you, Bo-Katan. And we'll have time to catch up later. For now, the freedom of this world from an unspeakable evil depends on our victory. Anything that's not human down there, kill it," Jakan says before flying back down towards the ground, cleaving an orc in two with the Darksaber as he comes down.
"You heard Jakan. Fight!" Bo-Katan yells out as she slides her helmet back onto her head. And on her orders, all sixty of the newly arrived Mandalorians dive towards the ground.
The hosts of Mordor feel a sense of fear rising among them as the number of Mandalorians on the field has been multiplied 16 times over. The four Mandalorians on the field from the beginning have already caused plenty of chaos among Mordor's armies. To be having to deal with so many more Mandalorians scare many of Sauron's forces. A number of Easterlings that are part of the army begin to flee as they see the arrival of the Mandalorians.
Jakan lunges into a phalanx of Orcs charging at him. He kills two with blaster shots before they get within reach. He then slashes the Darksaber through them, cleaving three Orcs in half with it before drawing Hadhafang and beheading two more Orcs. Jakan slashes his way through the Orcs, cutting multiple Orcs down with every stroke.
Behind him, Bo-Katan has landed and is engaging the orcs with her blasters. As she ducks under the blow of an orc that gets too close before shooting it in the face, Bo-Katan looks over to where Jakan is cutting through the Orcs around him. As she watches the ferocity with which Jakan is fighting, the Darksaber flashing as it cuts through Orc after Orc, she realizes that despite her wish to be the one to reunite Mandalorians and rule Mandalore, she now realizes that Jakan is the worthy possessor of the Darksaber, and the rightful inheritor of the title Mand'alor. She quickly refocuses her attention on the battle as several more Orcs rush at her, and she guns them down easily.
As Jakan leaps up and brings the Darksaber down on a large Orc charging at him, he suddenly hears a roar. Looking around, he sees a troll engaging Aragorn. Despite Aragorn's extreme skill in combat, Jakan feels a chill as he sees the troll backhand Aragorn, sending Aragorn flying several yards before landing in a heap on his stomach.
"Aragorn!" Jakan yells, and charges towards Aragorn, cutting down everything that faces him, determined to reach his friend. The Orcs in his path try to attack him with swords or axes, but Jakan easily blocks their blows and cuts down every foe that he faces.
Jakan finally reaches Aragorn as the troll has put its foot down on Aragorn. As Aragorn draws a knife and stabs the troll in the ankle, Jakan lunges forward and slashes the Darksaber at the troll, cutting off several fingers. The troll roars angrily and swings its massive sword at Jakan, which he just manages to duck. The troll then swings its sword again, which Jakan tries to block with Hadhafang, but is knocked back by the strength of the blow.
Jakan hears a noise and looks up to see two of his fellow Mandalorians flying towards him to help him. The two Mandalorians fire their blasters at the troll, and it roars as the bolts singe its skin. However, the troll is strong enough that the bolts don't kill it.
One of the Mandalorians draws his vibro-blade and flies down to attack the troll, but the troll swipes its hand at him and knocks the Mandalorian flying. The troll then throws a dead Gondorian at the other Mandalorian, forcing him to fly down and land to avoid it.
Jakan gets back to his feet, readying the Darksaber and Hadhafang as his fellow Mandalorian readies his blasters again. Then, all of a sudden, a strange screeching fills the air. The troll, about to attack Jakan, suddenly turns and looks back into Mordor. Then, a second later, the troll suddenly drops its sword, turns back towards the open plains and makes a run for it.
The entire battlefield seems to go rather still as everyone turns their attention into Mordor as the screeching continues. Jakan is among them. As he looks into Mordor, he looks towards the tower of Barad-dur, and sees that something is unusual. The Eye of Sauron seems like it has enlarged slightly, and if he had to describe its activity, it seems like it's going crazy. At the same time, it seems like clouds are being drawn in in a spiral towards the Eye.
Then, almost loud enough that it can be heard, the tower of Barad-dur begins to crack and break apart, and the top of the tower begins to collapse, crushing the tower beneath it. Everyone watches in shock as the tower of the Dark Lord continues to collapse as the Eye continues to almost thrash atop the tower. Then, the Eye of Sauron seems to fold in on itself, before the Eye seems to explode, sending out a massive shockwave that obliterates what remains of Barad-dur and radiates out across Mordor.
Pure joy filters through the Army of the West as they realize what has happened. At last, Middle Earth has seen the day they thought they never would. Sauron has finally been defeated. Which means that the Ring-bearer has finally accomplished his task. Merry in particular realizes what has happened, and he thrusts his sword into the air as he shouts, "Frodo! Frodo!"
Jakan removes his helmet as the biggest smile graces his feet. Mirta and Fel land next to him, and Mirta asks, "Is that it? Is Sauron done?"
"Yes! Sauron is destroyed at last," Jakan says with a sense of relief. After the time he spent in the Fellowship, Jakan feels about as much joy at Sauron's destruction as any native of Middle Earth.
The shockwave from the Eye's explosion radiates out through the pass, past the Black Gate, and out over the battlefield. Then, the ground starts to rumble, and the hosts of Mordor descend into panic. All of the Orcs, Trolls, Men, and other creatures make a run for it as the ground in Mordor begins to fall and give way, taking the armies of Mordor with it. The expanding sinkhole stops at the Army of the West, and curves around them a bit to claim more of Mordor's hosts before stopping.
Everyone in the Army of the West, feeling a sense of joy, watches as this is happening. Then, in the distance, Mount Doom begins its final, cataclysmic eruption. The volcano almost blows itself apart as it enters its death throes. As it does, splashing lava consumes the remaining Nazgul, who had all flown towards Mount Doom to recover the One Ring when Frodo had put the Ring on.
Among the members of the Fellowship, they can no longer feel joy as they watch Mount Doom erupt so fiercely. For all of them know that Frodo and Sam are still on, and possibly in, the volcano, and feel a fear that those two Hobbits may have finally met their end.
However, Aragorn knows there is hope to get them out, if they're still alive. "Jakan! You know what to do!" he yells over the sounds echoing over the battlefield.
"Yes!" Jakan replies. He then calls over the Mandalorians' network, "Bo-Katan! We have two friends on that volcano! I need a fighter!"
Bo-Katan reacts quickly. "Blade 1! We need a rescue mission! Get over here and open your bay!" she calls over comms. One of the Kom'rks flies over and halts over the Army of the West. Jakan, Mirta, and Fel fly up into the Kom'rk. Once the three Mandalorians are aboard, the Kom'rk turns and sets off for Mount Doom.
Jakan waits anxiously in the passenger bay as the fighter flies over Mordor. Mirta looks at Jakan and says, "You're really worried about them, aren't you?"
"I spent over a month traveling with those two Hobbits, and swore an oath to follow and protect Frodo until the end. Our Fellowship is bound together forever, perhaps even more so than those of us bound by the Mandalorian Creed," Jakan says passionately. Mirta and Fel look at him as they begin to realize more how much he has changed since he came to Middle Earth.
It doesn't take the fighter long to reach Mount Doom. The pilot calls out, "We're over the volcano! Opening the bay!"
The doors to the passenger bay open up, and Jakan immediately flies out, Mirta and Fel following close behind. The three Mandalorians fly over the slopes of Mount Doom, which are covered in lava flows, looking for Frodo and Sam.
Soon enough, Mirta points with one arm and shouts, "There!" Jakan follows her pointing finger, and sees two small figures huddled together on an outcropping of rock, which is surrounded by lava flows. He immediately flies right towards the rock, Mirta and Fel following him close behind.
Frodo smiles as he embraces Sam, both of them accepting their fate now that they have accomplished their mission. "I am pleased to be here with you, Samwise Gamgee, here at the end of all things," he says.
Suddenly, they hear a sound above them. They look up, and are shocked as they see three Mandalorians flying down towards them. Two of them land in front of them, while the third hovers behind them, keeping watch for any possible threats. The two Mandalorians that landed remove their helmets, revealing Jakan, and another Mandalorian they don't recognize.
"Mr. Jakan?" Sam asks.
"Hello, Sam. Long time no see," Jakan says. Then, he smiles brightly as he says, "This seems like a nice place to hang out, but it's a bit warm. Want to come with us and get out of here?"
Sam and Frodo stare at the three Mandalorians before Sam manages to say, "Yes, sir."
"Good," Jakan says with a bright smile. He looks at the other Mandalorian next to him and says, "Fel, take Master Samwise. I'll take Frodo."
Fel nods, then both he and Jakan slide their helmets back onto their heads. Fel bends down and picks up Sam, slinging him around his back and holding his hands tightly to make sure he doesn't fall. As he does, Jakan bends down and gently picks up Frodo. Almost as soon as Jakan picks him up, Frodo passes out. Jakan feels that the relief from knowing he's now safe overwhelmed him and caused him to pass out.
Jakan takes back off and flies up to the fighter, Fel following close behind, with Mirta bringing up the rear. Once inside, the pilot closes the bay doors and sets off for Minas Tirith. Aragorn had ordered them while en route that if they found Frodo and Sam, they were to take them to Minas Tirith immediately to receive medical care. Gandalf was already en route to Minas Tirith, being carried by the Lord of the Eagles Gwaihir, to help provide the care the two Hobbits will need.
As Jakan examines Frodo to get a sense of any injuries, he feels a sense of relief come over him. After a moment, he says with relief filling his voice, "It's over. It's finally over."
And, I'll end there.
I hope the identity of Sauron's greatest servant was a good choice. I knew I wanted to give Jakan a serious challenge while in Middle Earth, and after some thinking, I felt that Maul would make a good choice. I do apologize if any of you were disappointed there was only one chapter with him in it where his identity was revealed, but i wanted to keep up the mystery. I also hope the duel between Jakan and Maul was a good one, and that it made Elrond giving Vilya to Jakan make sense.
Next chapter will begin to wind things down, but we probably have at least 3 chapters to go. Next chapter will be up in a week or two. Until then, leave a review, and stay tuned!
