I figured I'd better put in a disclaimer before someone sues me, so here it is!
Roses are red violets are blue.
Me no own so you no sue.
(I did not write this disclaimer myself, I read it on a Zelda fic but it summarizes everything. Whoever made up this disclaimer, please don't sue me!)
AN: Thanks a lot to Jacen200015 and Teekoness for your great reviews! Without you two I probably wouldn't be writing so much!
Now, on with the fic!
CHAPTER NINE
Aro-Ken was awake in an instant, breathing heavily and looking around. He'd hand an odd dream. He'd seen Master Wesia engaged in a duel with one of the Shadowraiths. Just as it seemed Del-Mon would die, someone shouted, and he woke up.
What did it mean? Was it an omen? Was Del-Mon going to be killed? Aro-Ken's mind raced with a million questions as he rose to his feet once again. His eyes quickly adjusted to the light once again.
He quickly decided that the time had come for him to escape. He had to get away from his dark captors before he really did give in to them and turn.
Suddenly, the door slid open, casting light about the room once more. He could see a Shadowraith standing in the doorway once more, and recognized from the way that the Force flowed around it that it was the Apprentice. Its robed silhouette cast a shadow over Aro-Ken.
"There is a war coming, boy. It will be here soon. If you are The One, you will want to be on our side," the rasping voice of the Apprentice said again.
"I may be this One of yours, but I'm not turning," he said, fighting to keep his quick temper in check.
As the Apprentice approached him, Aro-Ken stood his ground this time. He was more observant, deciding that he had to escape now.
"The Darkness is far more powerful than the Light will ever be. My Master has said that you shall turn, or you shall die," the Shadowraith before him said.
"No," said Aro-Ken as the Apprentice came even closer. He could feel its ice-cold breath as it leaned down. He stared at its burning eyes as though he was in a trance.
"Then make your last wishes," the Shadowraith coldly said.
It began to focus on him. Aro-Ken saw its hand twitch. It was the time he had been waiting for.
Before the Shadowraith had time to react, Aro-Ken pushed off with one foot, spinning around on the other. His heel caught the Apprentice in the head.
It staggered sideways, and Aro-Ken brought both fists together and crashed them down on its side, knocking the Shadowraith to the ground.
Instantly he ran for the door, which was still open.
The instant he was in the hallway. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted two other Shadowraiths, and took off in the opposite direction.
As he ran, not focusing on his pursuers, he took a mental note on the style of the hallway. It was square and metal, just like the chamber he'd been in. It must be the old storerooms that were no longer used.
Aro-Ken could remember a few occasions when he was younger trying to come down here with his friends, all of them convinced it held something different since they were not allowed to go down there. Aro-Ken had personally believed it contained the tombs of Sith Lords the Jedi had defeated.
They had found out the truth when Jax Dondora caught them trying to get in a few years ago, and told them that they were simply old storerooms that were no longer used. Students were not permitted in them because there was old loading equipment that the Masters did not wish them to hurt themselves should they fool around with it.
Aro-Ken nudged away the memory and kept running, pumping his legs up and down like he never had before. He began to wish he had been in the area previously, because he truthfully had no idea where he was going.
He was running down a long metal corridor with doors on the walls every few meters. Various labels above them read, "Bacta," "Focusing Crystals," and, "Droid parts."
Aro-Ken hoped he was going the right way. For all he knew the path he bolted down led to a dead end.
He could sense two of the Shadowraiths behind him, gaining on him. He could tell that they were the Master and the Apprentice.
Up ahead, he read a sign on the wall pointing further down the hallway that said, "Loading bay." He put on a burst of speed, turning as the corridor did and arriving in a large open room. It contained large cranes and an opening for cargo ships to come in and out. Stacks of empty crates lay about the room, some so high they brushed the ceiling. Near the top of the room was a walkway that encircled it.
Aro-Ken froze momentarily, looking frantically back and forth. He had to get to the catwalk. He bolted off again towards one of the cranes. He could sense that the Shadowraiths had not rounded the corner to the room behind him.
Quickly, he jumped, landing atop one of the huge treads. He clambered onto the hood of the enormous vehicle, and got next to the large structure that led up to the crane. He edged around it and jumped down, pressing his back against the other tread just as the Master and Apprentice entered the room.
He leaned against it, trying to keep his breathing quiet. He heard no voices, but could sense them split up to look for him.
Aro-Ken stood up straight, ready to run in an instant. He wanted to stay in the same place until he had a definite plan.
He spotted a pile of crates that had some sticking out, which would make good footholds. One of the Shadowraiths was drawing nearer to the crane, about to look around the side of the tread.
Taking a deep breath, Aro-Ken ran.
"There!" shouted a voice. He knew one of them was pointing at him. He briefly wondered why they hadn't just used to Force to stop him, and assumed it was because he was moving so fast.
He jumped as hard as he could, shooting up about half the distance of the stack of crates and grabbing one that stuck out. Aro-Ken pulled himself up, going hand over hand as fast as he could until he found a foothold to move faster.
Below him, he suddenly heard a hum of machinery. He glanced down, and saw that one of the cranes was moving, a Shadowraith in the cockpit.
The large structure that housed the cable suddenly swung, and the claw bashed into the pile of crates below him. The stack began to collapse, Aro-Ken jumped away from it.
Out of pure luck, he found that his arms wrapped around the claw of the crane itself as it swung again, this time at a wall.
Quickly he released it, dropping to the ground. He managed to twist his body in midair, and he landed on his side rather than his chest.
Aro-Ken looked up, and saw the crane rumbling towards him, the treads about to run over the very ground he stood on. Instantly he dove aside, rolling a short distance before coming up on his feet. He found that he was between the two sets of treads.
Once he was up he ran, watching as the inner sides of the crane went past him.
He spotted another smaller pile of crates, and easily jumped to the top of it. Where was the other Shadowraith? Looking around, he spotted it on the ground near the crane, which was swiveling around to the pile he stood on.
Aro-Ken pushed off again, flying through the air and landing on another pile that was a bit higher than the one he had just been on.
The rumbling of the crane suddenly stopped below him. Aro-Ken jumped to another pile of crates, and found that he was level with the walkway that encircled the room.
Before neatly jumping over the railing, he kicked a crate over the side of the pile and threw two others. He knew they were empty and wouldn't hurt his two pursuers, but they would slow them down.
He spotted a door, and ran to it, entering the codes while glancing back over his shoulder once more. Just as the door opened he saw the Shadowraiths land on the top of the pile in a single jump.
The young Jedi ran into the corridor, and found himself in slightly familiar territory now. He had only been in this hallway on a few occasions.
Almost instantly he turned left, and saw a fork just ahead of him, going to the left and the right. He went to the left again, and found that the door at the end of the short hallway was jammed.
Frantically, he turned to go back the other way, but sensed the Shadowraiths too close to do that.
His mind racing, Aro-Ken looked around. He suddenly spotted a ventilation shaft on the ground. He'd found himself in a similar situation back on Coruscant's Pride, which seemed like ages ago, though it was probably only a few hours.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a ventilation shaft on the wall near the floor. He kicked the grate away and quickly lowered himself in. There was a slight drop before he could squat down out of view of the hallway. He saw the grate lying next to him, and he seized it, holding it up to the opening just as the Shadowraiths came to the fork.
"Where is he?" one of them asked.
"I do not know, my Master," replied the Apprentice.
"Find him. Go down there, I'll go this way," the Master ordered.
A few seconds later, the Apprentice stood in front of the grate. Aro-Ken could see his feet as he stalked about.
A slight few suddenly gripped him. On impulse, he moved to the side, still holding the grate up with his fingertips so it looked as though it had never been moved.
Aro-Ken held his breath. He could see outside the shaft with the corner of his eye, and saw the Apprentice stalk about outside.
Suddenly, it dropped to the floor, peering into the shaft. Aro-Ken closed his eyes, getting ready to bolt for it if he needed to. But instead, he heard the Shadowraith rise up and stalk away.
As soon as he was sure it was gone, he let out his breath. Quickly, he jammed the grate in the opening of the shaft so it wouldn't move, and then crawled away as fast as he could in the narrow shaft. He made a quick mental note to tell the Masters that they needed larger ventilation shafts.
The boy still wasn't quite sure where he was, so he crawled in the same direction, glancing through the grates as he passed not only to check for Shadowraiths, but also to see if he recognized his surroundings. He still didn't, and assumed he was still in the storage area.
As he followed the shaft, he suddenly heard voices up ahead. He went a little closer until he could see through the grate.
"Sith," he whispered.
The two Shadowraiths were standing there speaking to each other in their low voices.
"Where is he?" demanded the Master.
"I do not know, my Master," said the Apprentice.
"Find him. I don't care if you have to rip this Temple to pieces, I want that boy," said the Master.
"Yes, Master," the Apprentice said, bowing.
Before they turned to where he was hiding, Aro-Ken began to edge away, but suddenly the thin metal creaked, denting as he crawled on it.
Though they were behind him, Aro-Ken could feel the two Shadowraiths' eyes on him.
"In the shaft," the Apprentice said.
Aro-Ken didn't listen to more. He took off, going as fast as he could. He quickly looked back as he pulled himself along the shaft, and saw a black-booted foot kick away the grate.
The tall, black figure followed it, landing in the shaft and swiftly coming after him.
Frantically Aro-Ken turned twisted, taking the most complicated path he could through the shaft. Up ahead, he suddenly saw that he would have to leave the shaft. He was approaching a dead end.
At the next grate, he turned sideways and flung himself at it, his shoulder hitting it away.
Aro-Ken started to pull himself up, but felt a cold hand grip down on his ankle as he was halfway out. The Shadowraith's hand was so cold that it stung.
The boy tried to keep pulling himself through the opening, but the Shadowraith was tugging him back.
Just as he was ready to give up, an idea came to him. He reached out, stretching his hand as far as he could, and his fingers wrapped around the ventilation shaft grate he had knocked out of the way.
As he was dragged backwards, Aro-Ken quickly brought it to himself, slipping it through the opening in the shaft just as the Shadowraith managed to yank him back in.
Instantly he turned and swung with all his might, slamming the grate into the side of the Master's head.
It hissed in pain, slightly arching its neck, and Aro-Ken hit its wrist with the sharp corner of the grate.
He felt the Master's grip loosening, and he swung once more, hitting it in the forearm.
The Shadowraith hissed again and released him. As fast as he could, Aro-Ken pulled himself through the opening in the shaft and took off again.
He was so grateful that he had escaped that he failed to notice the Apprentice waiting just around the corner until he narrowly avoided running into it.
Before he could react, the Apprentice extended its hand, and Aro-Ken found he could not move a muscle. Slowly, the Apprentice lifted a finger and moved it back and forth, clicking its tongue as though it were punishing a small child.
The Apprentice extended all its fingers, and Aro-Ken felt an invisible force slam into his chest, sending him flying through the air. He bashed into the wall and slumped to the ground.
As the Apprentice came towards him, he tried to struggle to his feet, but the Apprentice's sharp boot connected with his ribcage several times until the Master arrived at its side.
"May I please kill him now, Master?" the Apprentice asked.
The Master coldly stared down at the boy at his feet, who was clutching his chest and moaning.
"Not just yet," it said.
Aro-Ken sighed in relief.
"But, of course, he must be punished. Have some fun with him, my Apprentice, and then come find me. All that commotion the boy caused will be sure to bring some Jedi to the scene. We must move," the Master said.
Fear instantly gripped Aro-Ken, and he felt his blood run cold.
"Yes, my Master," the other Shadowraith maliciously said.
The Apprentice reached down and gripped Aro-Ken's shirt front, slamming him back against the wall and holding him there with the Force so he couldn't move his arms or legs.
As it drew back a fist, Aro-Ken squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head, knowing that this would be extremely painful.
* * *
Well, there's chapter 9. You didn't think I'd let him get away that easily, did you?
I need a little help here too. I can't decided which one of Aro-Ken's friends should show up and help him in another chapter. Just tell me in a review, should it be Ada-Rin, Wolden, or Erdan?
And remember, being an author, I live for feedback! And I've decided to go along with other authors' ideas of including my reviewers' names in the next chapter! Could it get any better than that?
One more thing. If you liked this story, I recommend reading my other fics. Also, not to sound selfish or anything, but if you have friends who read Star Wars, I would really appreciate it if you would recommend my fics to them. Being an author, I naturally want people to read my stuff.
Thanks! :-)
Roses are red violets are blue.
Me no own so you no sue.
(I did not write this disclaimer myself, I read it on a Zelda fic but it summarizes everything. Whoever made up this disclaimer, please don't sue me!)
AN: Thanks a lot to Jacen200015 and Teekoness for your great reviews! Without you two I probably wouldn't be writing so much!
Now, on with the fic!
CHAPTER NINE
Aro-Ken was awake in an instant, breathing heavily and looking around. He'd hand an odd dream. He'd seen Master Wesia engaged in a duel with one of the Shadowraiths. Just as it seemed Del-Mon would die, someone shouted, and he woke up.
What did it mean? Was it an omen? Was Del-Mon going to be killed? Aro-Ken's mind raced with a million questions as he rose to his feet once again. His eyes quickly adjusted to the light once again.
He quickly decided that the time had come for him to escape. He had to get away from his dark captors before he really did give in to them and turn.
Suddenly, the door slid open, casting light about the room once more. He could see a Shadowraith standing in the doorway once more, and recognized from the way that the Force flowed around it that it was the Apprentice. Its robed silhouette cast a shadow over Aro-Ken.
"There is a war coming, boy. It will be here soon. If you are The One, you will want to be on our side," the rasping voice of the Apprentice said again.
"I may be this One of yours, but I'm not turning," he said, fighting to keep his quick temper in check.
As the Apprentice approached him, Aro-Ken stood his ground this time. He was more observant, deciding that he had to escape now.
"The Darkness is far more powerful than the Light will ever be. My Master has said that you shall turn, or you shall die," the Shadowraith before him said.
"No," said Aro-Ken as the Apprentice came even closer. He could feel its ice-cold breath as it leaned down. He stared at its burning eyes as though he was in a trance.
"Then make your last wishes," the Shadowraith coldly said.
It began to focus on him. Aro-Ken saw its hand twitch. It was the time he had been waiting for.
Before the Shadowraith had time to react, Aro-Ken pushed off with one foot, spinning around on the other. His heel caught the Apprentice in the head.
It staggered sideways, and Aro-Ken brought both fists together and crashed them down on its side, knocking the Shadowraith to the ground.
Instantly he ran for the door, which was still open.
The instant he was in the hallway. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted two other Shadowraiths, and took off in the opposite direction.
As he ran, not focusing on his pursuers, he took a mental note on the style of the hallway. It was square and metal, just like the chamber he'd been in. It must be the old storerooms that were no longer used.
Aro-Ken could remember a few occasions when he was younger trying to come down here with his friends, all of them convinced it held something different since they were not allowed to go down there. Aro-Ken had personally believed it contained the tombs of Sith Lords the Jedi had defeated.
They had found out the truth when Jax Dondora caught them trying to get in a few years ago, and told them that they were simply old storerooms that were no longer used. Students were not permitted in them because there was old loading equipment that the Masters did not wish them to hurt themselves should they fool around with it.
Aro-Ken nudged away the memory and kept running, pumping his legs up and down like he never had before. He began to wish he had been in the area previously, because he truthfully had no idea where he was going.
He was running down a long metal corridor with doors on the walls every few meters. Various labels above them read, "Bacta," "Focusing Crystals," and, "Droid parts."
Aro-Ken hoped he was going the right way. For all he knew the path he bolted down led to a dead end.
He could sense two of the Shadowraiths behind him, gaining on him. He could tell that they were the Master and the Apprentice.
Up ahead, he read a sign on the wall pointing further down the hallway that said, "Loading bay." He put on a burst of speed, turning as the corridor did and arriving in a large open room. It contained large cranes and an opening for cargo ships to come in and out. Stacks of empty crates lay about the room, some so high they brushed the ceiling. Near the top of the room was a walkway that encircled it.
Aro-Ken froze momentarily, looking frantically back and forth. He had to get to the catwalk. He bolted off again towards one of the cranes. He could sense that the Shadowraiths had not rounded the corner to the room behind him.
Quickly, he jumped, landing atop one of the huge treads. He clambered onto the hood of the enormous vehicle, and got next to the large structure that led up to the crane. He edged around it and jumped down, pressing his back against the other tread just as the Master and Apprentice entered the room.
He leaned against it, trying to keep his breathing quiet. He heard no voices, but could sense them split up to look for him.
Aro-Ken stood up straight, ready to run in an instant. He wanted to stay in the same place until he had a definite plan.
He spotted a pile of crates that had some sticking out, which would make good footholds. One of the Shadowraiths was drawing nearer to the crane, about to look around the side of the tread.
Taking a deep breath, Aro-Ken ran.
"There!" shouted a voice. He knew one of them was pointing at him. He briefly wondered why they hadn't just used to Force to stop him, and assumed it was because he was moving so fast.
He jumped as hard as he could, shooting up about half the distance of the stack of crates and grabbing one that stuck out. Aro-Ken pulled himself up, going hand over hand as fast as he could until he found a foothold to move faster.
Below him, he suddenly heard a hum of machinery. He glanced down, and saw that one of the cranes was moving, a Shadowraith in the cockpit.
The large structure that housed the cable suddenly swung, and the claw bashed into the pile of crates below him. The stack began to collapse, Aro-Ken jumped away from it.
Out of pure luck, he found that his arms wrapped around the claw of the crane itself as it swung again, this time at a wall.
Quickly he released it, dropping to the ground. He managed to twist his body in midair, and he landed on his side rather than his chest.
Aro-Ken looked up, and saw the crane rumbling towards him, the treads about to run over the very ground he stood on. Instantly he dove aside, rolling a short distance before coming up on his feet. He found that he was between the two sets of treads.
Once he was up he ran, watching as the inner sides of the crane went past him.
He spotted another smaller pile of crates, and easily jumped to the top of it. Where was the other Shadowraith? Looking around, he spotted it on the ground near the crane, which was swiveling around to the pile he stood on.
Aro-Ken pushed off again, flying through the air and landing on another pile that was a bit higher than the one he had just been on.
The rumbling of the crane suddenly stopped below him. Aro-Ken jumped to another pile of crates, and found that he was level with the walkway that encircled the room.
Before neatly jumping over the railing, he kicked a crate over the side of the pile and threw two others. He knew they were empty and wouldn't hurt his two pursuers, but they would slow them down.
He spotted a door, and ran to it, entering the codes while glancing back over his shoulder once more. Just as the door opened he saw the Shadowraiths land on the top of the pile in a single jump.
The young Jedi ran into the corridor, and found himself in slightly familiar territory now. He had only been in this hallway on a few occasions.
Almost instantly he turned left, and saw a fork just ahead of him, going to the left and the right. He went to the left again, and found that the door at the end of the short hallway was jammed.
Frantically, he turned to go back the other way, but sensed the Shadowraiths too close to do that.
His mind racing, Aro-Ken looked around. He suddenly spotted a ventilation shaft on the ground. He'd found himself in a similar situation back on Coruscant's Pride, which seemed like ages ago, though it was probably only a few hours.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a ventilation shaft on the wall near the floor. He kicked the grate away and quickly lowered himself in. There was a slight drop before he could squat down out of view of the hallway. He saw the grate lying next to him, and he seized it, holding it up to the opening just as the Shadowraiths came to the fork.
"Where is he?" one of them asked.
"I do not know, my Master," replied the Apprentice.
"Find him. Go down there, I'll go this way," the Master ordered.
A few seconds later, the Apprentice stood in front of the grate. Aro-Ken could see his feet as he stalked about.
A slight few suddenly gripped him. On impulse, he moved to the side, still holding the grate up with his fingertips so it looked as though it had never been moved.
Aro-Ken held his breath. He could see outside the shaft with the corner of his eye, and saw the Apprentice stalk about outside.
Suddenly, it dropped to the floor, peering into the shaft. Aro-Ken closed his eyes, getting ready to bolt for it if he needed to. But instead, he heard the Shadowraith rise up and stalk away.
As soon as he was sure it was gone, he let out his breath. Quickly, he jammed the grate in the opening of the shaft so it wouldn't move, and then crawled away as fast as he could in the narrow shaft. He made a quick mental note to tell the Masters that they needed larger ventilation shafts.
The boy still wasn't quite sure where he was, so he crawled in the same direction, glancing through the grates as he passed not only to check for Shadowraiths, but also to see if he recognized his surroundings. He still didn't, and assumed he was still in the storage area.
As he followed the shaft, he suddenly heard voices up ahead. He went a little closer until he could see through the grate.
"Sith," he whispered.
The two Shadowraiths were standing there speaking to each other in their low voices.
"Where is he?" demanded the Master.
"I do not know, my Master," said the Apprentice.
"Find him. I don't care if you have to rip this Temple to pieces, I want that boy," said the Master.
"Yes, Master," the Apprentice said, bowing.
Before they turned to where he was hiding, Aro-Ken began to edge away, but suddenly the thin metal creaked, denting as he crawled on it.
Though they were behind him, Aro-Ken could feel the two Shadowraiths' eyes on him.
"In the shaft," the Apprentice said.
Aro-Ken didn't listen to more. He took off, going as fast as he could. He quickly looked back as he pulled himself along the shaft, and saw a black-booted foot kick away the grate.
The tall, black figure followed it, landing in the shaft and swiftly coming after him.
Frantically Aro-Ken turned twisted, taking the most complicated path he could through the shaft. Up ahead, he suddenly saw that he would have to leave the shaft. He was approaching a dead end.
At the next grate, he turned sideways and flung himself at it, his shoulder hitting it away.
Aro-Ken started to pull himself up, but felt a cold hand grip down on his ankle as he was halfway out. The Shadowraith's hand was so cold that it stung.
The boy tried to keep pulling himself through the opening, but the Shadowraith was tugging him back.
Just as he was ready to give up, an idea came to him. He reached out, stretching his hand as far as he could, and his fingers wrapped around the ventilation shaft grate he had knocked out of the way.
As he was dragged backwards, Aro-Ken quickly brought it to himself, slipping it through the opening in the shaft just as the Shadowraith managed to yank him back in.
Instantly he turned and swung with all his might, slamming the grate into the side of the Master's head.
It hissed in pain, slightly arching its neck, and Aro-Ken hit its wrist with the sharp corner of the grate.
He felt the Master's grip loosening, and he swung once more, hitting it in the forearm.
The Shadowraith hissed again and released him. As fast as he could, Aro-Ken pulled himself through the opening in the shaft and took off again.
He was so grateful that he had escaped that he failed to notice the Apprentice waiting just around the corner until he narrowly avoided running into it.
Before he could react, the Apprentice extended its hand, and Aro-Ken found he could not move a muscle. Slowly, the Apprentice lifted a finger and moved it back and forth, clicking its tongue as though it were punishing a small child.
The Apprentice extended all its fingers, and Aro-Ken felt an invisible force slam into his chest, sending him flying through the air. He bashed into the wall and slumped to the ground.
As the Apprentice came towards him, he tried to struggle to his feet, but the Apprentice's sharp boot connected with his ribcage several times until the Master arrived at its side.
"May I please kill him now, Master?" the Apprentice asked.
The Master coldly stared down at the boy at his feet, who was clutching his chest and moaning.
"Not just yet," it said.
Aro-Ken sighed in relief.
"But, of course, he must be punished. Have some fun with him, my Apprentice, and then come find me. All that commotion the boy caused will be sure to bring some Jedi to the scene. We must move," the Master said.
Fear instantly gripped Aro-Ken, and he felt his blood run cold.
"Yes, my Master," the other Shadowraith maliciously said.
The Apprentice reached down and gripped Aro-Ken's shirt front, slamming him back against the wall and holding him there with the Force so he couldn't move his arms or legs.
As it drew back a fist, Aro-Ken squeezed his eyes shut and turned his head, knowing that this would be extremely painful.
* * *
Well, there's chapter 9. You didn't think I'd let him get away that easily, did you?
I need a little help here too. I can't decided which one of Aro-Ken's friends should show up and help him in another chapter. Just tell me in a review, should it be Ada-Rin, Wolden, or Erdan?
And remember, being an author, I live for feedback! And I've decided to go along with other authors' ideas of including my reviewers' names in the next chapter! Could it get any better than that?
One more thing. If you liked this story, I recommend reading my other fics. Also, not to sound selfish or anything, but if you have friends who read Star Wars, I would really appreciate it if you would recommend my fics to them. Being an author, I naturally want people to read my stuff.
Thanks! :-)