The small Jedi ship emerged from hyperspace, overlooking the asteroid in the red nebula. Raine had been able to extract the location of the secret stronghold, from the head of the droid they'd slain, and they had spent the time in hyperspace, making modifications to theirs, and the Jedi's weapons, that would produce the supersonic frequencies they had identified, as the ones that disabled the droids.
Raine stood behind the Clawthorne's as they flew, and shifted their weight back and forth, to alleviate their anxiety. "Are you guys ready for this? Have you guys ever done anything like this before?" They asked.
"We've… fought training droids at the temple…" Lilith offered.
"They weren't made of beskar, though…" Eda added.
"And they didn't use automatic weapons…" Lillith finished.
"Oh boy…" Raine whispered quietly.
The ship flew through the nebula towards the asteroid, and the castle slowly same into view.
"Dank farrik…" Lilith quietly swore in disbelief. "It's one of the lost Sith fortresses from the days of the Sith Empire! The Sith were practically ruling the galaxy when this was built!"
"You think it's a coincidence that it was found by a Jedi-hating Mandalorian?" Eda asked.
"I doubt it…" Lilith replied.
"Look!" Raine urgently interrupted, leaning over the Jedi's seat, and pointing.
A squadron of Beskar assassins were marching out of the castle, in military formation, each one armed with a blaster rifle.
"Hurry! Get us down before they shoot us out of the sky!" Raine shouted.
Lillith hastily complied, pushing forwards on the controls, and veering the ship into a dangerous nosedive, just as a blizzard of laser bolts were fired in their direction. Raine clung for dear life, to the back of Eda's chair, as the Clawthorne's flew the ship directly at the asteroid, in a bid to avoid the laser fire, pulling up at the last possible second, and flying into a shallow trench, where they'd be safe from any more ranged attacks. The ship, still flying fast, veered to the side, and touched down, dragging along the rocky surface of the asteroid, and breaking off a set of landing gear, in a desperate bid to come to a stop, before they flew back out into the open. The ship dragged along the rockface violently enough to make any engineer wince, but before the ship sustained any serious damage, it ground to a stop.
The somewhat damaged airlock slid open, after an angry kick from Eda, and she, Lilith and Raine leapt from the ship, and fearlessly charged towards the approaching army. The very air in front of them seemed to turn red, as a hundred droids unleashed the wrath of their rifles upon the young interlopers. Just as they had rehearsed, Eda and Lillith stood close to Raine, on either side, deflecting the bolts, with their lightsabers. In many ways, the droids' ruthless efficiency was their downfall, as every single one of them aimed to eliminate their target in one hit, meaning the Jedi barely had to move their blades, to defend their vital organs.
As they ran, Raine produced their violin, and played as long a solo as they dared, before lingering on the key note. A dozen of the nearest droids began to slow, and fall to the ground, inactive. Realising the danger, the droids further back sought to end the fight quickly. They leapt into the air, drawing their lightsabers and striking downwards, at the musician.
Lilith and Eda blocked the attacks, and, thanks to some lightsaber modifications the Clawthornes had reluctantly allowed Raine to make, their blades sang at the killer frequency, as they were locked with the crimson attackers. The blade-wielding droids soon dropped their weapons and collapsed where they stood.
Due to the din of the fight, and the thin atmosphere, the range of the sonic attacks was proving disappointing, and so the vast majority of the droids remained, and they sought to split up their enemy attackers. The army divided into squadrons. A third of the droids charged directly forwards, while the rest split into two more groups, which attacked from either side.
While Eda and Lillith reluctantly stopped protecting Raine, to retaliate against the pincer movement, the bounty hunter only smirked. As the nearest droid struck with its lightsaber, Raine retaliated with their secret weapon. From under their coat, they flourished a sword-sized tuning fork, made from the melted down head of the first assassin Raine had defeated. The approaching droid unknowingly struck against the beskar instrument producing an ear-splitting chime that sent sparks flying from the necks of the ten closest droids.
Meanwhile, Eda and Lillith held their own, too. They ducked, dodged and leapt clear of dozens of slashing blades, imagining they were running one of the obstacle courses they trained on at the temple. With every chance they got, they struck against a slashing blade, or a beskar shell, producing the sonic screech needed to shut down the surrounding droids.
One by one, the assassins fell. Every attack they launched, producing the sonic screech that was their undoing. When half of the droids remained, they abandoned their lightsabers, realising they were doing more harm than good, and tried to beat the intruders to death with their bare hands instead, but this didn't serve them any better. At one point, a droid managed to grab the front of Eda's robe, and lifted her off her feet, bracing the fist on its other hand.
"Eda!" Lilith cried, throwing her lightsaber to her sister.
Eda caught the weapon, and held the two blades together, producing another ear-splitting screech, freeing her from her attacker, as it fell.
After a brutal and hair-raising battle, Raine struck their tuning fork against the final droid's head, sending it falling to the ground, with another sonic chime.
The trio barely took a second to catch their breath, before racing to the castle, and through the towering double doors, into a cavernous entry hall. The ceiling was just barely visible by the ominous, red light coming in through the stained glass windows.
"Ok, how do we find…" Raine began, but trailed off, when they turned to the Jedi. "What's wrong?"
Eda and Lillith had turned to each other, to share an urgent, unspoken realisation, the moment they crossed the threshold of the castle.
"There's a… There's a bad feeling in the castle…" Eda tried to explain.
Lilith cleared her throat and elaborated. "We Jedi are able to sense the living Force of the galaxy. The crystals that power those droids are a rare example of things which call on the dark side of the Force. Something much more powerful is drawing from the dark side, within this castle… and we can sense it…"
"Creepy…" Raine acknowledged, not fully understanding. "Well, that sounds like Jedi business. Why don't you go sniff that out, and I'll try and find any records, or data I can destroy, that'll keep the Mando from making more of these monsters?"
Agreeing on the plan, the Jedi and Raine split up. Raine Whispers ran through the castle halls, looking for any sign of modern technology, that could indicate a nearby data terminal or hard drives. Before they found anything of the sort, though, they heard a distant sound. Jogging towards it, they realised it was a voice. It got clearer, as Raine ran towards its origin.
"... go of me! You're all going to be made into scrap once I get out of here!"
Raine soon arrived at a small castle chamber, which had been repurposed into a medical ward. Hunter was strapped to a gurney, still missing his helmet, which he'd left in his uncle's secret chamber. He'd somehow managed to get a hand free, and a medical droid was desperately trying to restrain him, while another approached, with a syringe of yellow liquid.
Raine recognised Hunter, even without his helmet, and even though they had come, specifically to kill the young Mandalorian, Raine realised that he was about to be murdered by his own droids, which was a development they hadn't planned for. Figuring they could still kill Hunter themselves, if they changed their mind, Raine drew their blaster, and blew a hole in each droid's head.
"Hey Mando…" Raine said, pointing their blaster at him, before he tried to free his restrained wrist.
"Whispers…" Hunter breathlessly greeted. "Look, I know about what happened on Correlia… You have to believe I had nothing to do with sending that assassin!"
"Do I…?" Raine coolly replied.
"Yes! A Mandalorian would never use treachery and deceit to kill someone!" Hunter insisted. "Believe me, if I wanted to kill you, I'd have flown to you, told you my intentions, and killed you in fair combat!"
Raine lifted an eyebrow. Hunter seemed sincere, but then again, most people did, when staring down a blaster.
"Then who did send the droid?"
"My uncle!" Hunter spat the word in distaste. "He's a traitor and a nerf herder! He betrayed every rule of engagement Mandalorians stand for, to keep themselves fair and just, and then he had the nerve to claim a right to dethrone the Jedi, for their treachery! He killed a bunch of clones of his brother, and now he's trying to kill me! He's the one you want revenge on, and trust me, you'll need my help!"
Raine frowned thoughtfully. The Clawthornes had filled them in on Philip Whittabane, his brother, and his brother's anachronistically young doppelganger. They groaned to themself, as they made their decision.
"You'd better not make me regret this…" Raine warned, as they undid Hunter's restraints.
Meanwhile, the Clawthornes followed the pulsating power of the dark side, through the castle, soon finding Philip's workshop. With no way of knowing where the secret switch might be hidden, Eda sank her lightsaber into the wall, and carved out a circular passage, through which the sisters raced into the cavern, containing the gigantic, red crystal.
Eda and Lillith came to a halt, staring in disbelief at what they saw. The power of the crystal cascaded over them like waves on a beach. They felt the seductive call of the Dark Side, urging them to seize the power for their own, the very urge the Jedi had spent years training them to resist. Just standing in the ominous mineral's presence felt like a trial, even for Eda who, despite her bad attitude, knew the Jedi had a good reason for training them to resist the Dark Side.
It was some time, before the Clawthornes noticed Philip. He sat, cross-legged beneath the crystal, his face hidden by a Mandalorian helmet, with taller horns than any other helmet they'd seen, and his black cape rippling behind him, despite the lack of wind.
"Hey Philip!" Eda called, confrontationally, the anger in her voice masking how nervous the crystal made her feel. "We smashed all your toys. Your sad obsession with ancient history ends here!"
Eda's heart hammered anxiously, as she waited for Philip to reply.
"Yes…" Philip said. His terrifyingly quiet voice echoed across the silent chamber. "I hear the Mark One assassins have a flaw. Thank you for pointing that out. I'll be sure to install internal soundproofing in the next generation…"
"There's not going to be a next generation!" Lilith insisted. "You're coming with us!"
"Oh, I think not." Philip said. The complete lack of concern in his voice unnerved the Jedi greatly. "Neither of you will ever leave this chamber, and the next set of droids will tear the Coruscant temple apart, brick by brick…"
"Ugh!" Eda cried, trying to lean into her frustration, to make herself less afraid. "Why are you so obsessed with some ancient rivalry!? You tried to conquer the galaxy a million years ago, and you failed! Get over it!"
Philip stood up, and started to slowly step towards the Clawthornes. "I'm not dwelling on the past…" He told them. "The Jedi have been an oppressive force in the galaxy since the war, and continue to rule the galaxy, behind the facade of the Republic, from a throne that should always have belonged to Mandalore… You're hypocrites and tyrants, preaching peace, and wiping out anyone who stands against you."
"That's not true!" Lilith insisted, engaging the Mandalorian, despite her better judgement. "The Jedi are peace-keepers! We serve the Republic!"
"Oh?" Philip challenge. "So I suppose if the Republic elected a Sith Lord into power, they'd serve him too?"
Eda and Lillith thought about what the Jedi had told them about the Sith, and doubted that was the case…
"It doesn't matter if you're right, or not." Eda eventually dismissed. "You can't honestly expect us to give up and let you destroy the Jedi."
Philip reached Eda and Lilith and came to a stop, towering over them like some ominous headstone. "Let?" He repeated. "Of course not. As I said, you're both going to die here."
Eda and Lillith activated their lightsabers in unison, and braced them, defensively.
"How!?" Eda fearfully demanded. "There's two of us, and you're out of your Beskar murderbots!" She said, hoping she was correct.
"Ah, of course…" Philip said, as though he'd forgotten something important. He turned around, and started to walk back to the crystal. "I fear you're missing some important context." He took a deep breath, before launching into a monologue. "During my studies at the Mandalorian university, my… rage at the Jedi was all-consuming. It cost me the credibility I'd need to graduate, and ostracised the cowards who dared called themself Mandalorian… but it wasn't for naught. You see, the Jedi have many enemies, many races and cultures they've eliminated and crushed, for not falling into line, and eventually… some of them called out to me. My new friends could sense my fury from across the stars…"
"Who… who were they…?" Lilith practically whispered, fearing she already knew the answer.
Philip returned to the shrine beneath the crystal and turned. "You can't sense them? They're here with us now…"
The light from the crystal glared, and dozens of shadows stretched from Philip's feet, and climbed up the chamber walls, taking the shapes of sinister, robed figures.
"The Sith of old reached out to me through the Force… They told me such secrets… The secrets and powers that the Jedi tried to hide… And after I used them to track down and slaughter my first Jedi… they gave me something else…"
"What…?" Eda prompted, trembling where she stood.
The red light of the crystal glared off the T-shaped visor on Philip's mask. "They gave me my name… With your dying breath, you may call me… Darth Belos."
Belos thrust out a hand, and Eda was pulled off her feet with a cry of alarm, and across the chamber, her neck arriving helplessly in his grip. As she choked, she activated her lightsaber and swung it at the Sith Lord, but he grabbed the blade with an armoured hand, and continued to strangle her with the other.
Summoning all her might, Eda unleashed a Force Push, barely making Belos stumble, but compelling him to release her. As Eda hit the ground and gasped for air, Belos thrust his hand again, and arcs of lightning leapt from his fingertips, sending Eda flying the way she had come, with an agonised screech.
While her sister was under attack, Lillith sprinted the length of the chamber, to her rescue, and as Eda was repelled by Force Lightning, the older Clawthorne leapt high, and struck downwards, at Belos' helmet. Belos stumbled, and retaliated with more lightning, but unlike her sister, Lilith was ready. She held her lightsaber defensively, and when the attack ended she jump-kicked the face of Belos' helmet, eliciting a flinch and a grunt of pain.
With the benefit of her surprise attack running out, Lillith felt as though she was staring down a rancor, as Belos prepared his counter attack, sure enough, Belos's power struck her like a tidal wave, as he seized her through the Force, lifting her off her feet, immobilising her, and choking the life out of her.
With an angry hum, Eda's lightsaber came flying to Lillith's aide, shooting at the Mandalorian Sith like a bolt of lightning. With a wave of Belos' free hand, he telekinetically seized the blade, and with a strenuous tensing of his fingers, he crushed the Jedi weapon with a burst of sparks, deactivating it.
As the purple glare of Eda's weapon vanished, the young Jedi came flying into view, aiming to throw a bare-handed punch at his Beskar helmet, but before the attack arrived, Belos' lifted his hand, and began Force Choking Eda, as well as her sister.
The Clawthornes hung in the air, their jaws twitching as they desperately tried to draw in a breath. They felt as though they were drowning, not just because they couldn't breathe, but because of the all-encompassing energy of the Dark Side, keeping them from retaliating, or even moving.
Just as it seemed all hope was lost, the whistle of small rockets announced that the Clawthorne's salvation had arrived. Hunter flew into the chamber with the aid of his jetpack, and rocketed fearlessly at his uncle. As he came into range, Hunter unleashed a barrage of small missiles, which flew from his pack, directly at his treacherous uncle, consuming him in smoke and flames.
The Clawthornes fell to the ground, gasping for air, and as Belos rose from the smoke, Hunter flew at him, throwing a jetpack-assisted punch that sent his uncle's helmet flying from his head. Coming just short of falling over, Belos managed to grab Hunter's shoulder with one hand, and tore his jetpack from his armour with the other.
Belos threw his brother's clone back the way he had come. Hunter rolled to a stop, next to the Jedi, who were slowly climbing to their feet.
"This is truly pathetic…" Philip scolded, an angry scowl on his face. "Slaughtering these Jedi was only natural, but for you to stand against me?" Belos spat the word 'you' as though it left a bad taste in his mouth. "Do you know why I could depend on clones, even when you all betrayed me?" He posed. "It's because clones can't wield the Force… You're the one being in the galaxy who couldn't possibly stand against me…" He gave a wicked smirk.
Wearily rising to their feet. Eda, Hunter and Lillith stood shoulder to shoulder, not the least deterred from their mission, for their injuries. Hunter pulled a knife from his belt, and Eda cracked her knuckles.
The three charged. Belos cast lightning at Eda, but Lillith wordlessly threw her lightsaber at her sister. Eda caught the weapon and used it to block the attack, while Lillith pulled Belos forwards, sending his face on a collision course with Hunter's fist. Belos retaliated by trying to Force Choke Hunter and Lillith but was instantly sent flying by a Force Push from Eda.
"Where's Raine?" Eda asked, while she blocked another blast of lightning.
"They're finishing off my uncle's computers…" Hunter breathlessly replied.
"Then I guess we'll have to manage without them." Lilith added.
With a collective battle cry, the trio charged at Belos, but before the attack came, Belos roared, "ENOUGH!"
He thrust his hands out, and seized all three attackers in a Force Choke. With his powers spread thinner, Belos was just able to hold all three attackers still, their toes still touched the floor, and their limbs flailed helplessly. Lilith threw her lightsaber at the Sith, but it recoiled helplessly against his armour. Hunter drew his pistol and fired, but Belos was able to shield his face with his forearm.
The three stood, the life being choked from them, but then… the snarl on his face slowly turning from one of pain, to one of rage… Hunter took a step forwards, and then another.
"Wh… impossible!" Belos roared.
As Hunter took a third step towards his uncle, Belos released the Clawthornes, leaving them to collapse, gasping to the ground, and focussed both hands on the young clone. Hunter stopped again for a moment, coughing and choking briefly, but then he took another step. With panic on his face, Belos changed tact, and thrust one hand, but before a bolt of lightning erupted from his fingertips, Hunter waved his own hand, telekinetically forcing his uncle's limb upwards, sending lightning cleaving through the wall and ceiling of the chamber. As rocks began to fall, Hunter lunged the remaining step and, with his free hand, he thrust his dagger between the plates of his uncle's armour, into his torso.
Belos cried out in pain, and collapsed to his hands and knees. With his dying breath, he chocked, "Mandalore… will never… fall…"
Belos fell, face first on the ground, and for one, precious moment, all was calm. Then, the crystal glared angrily, and lightning began to erupt from it, into the walls of the chamber. The entire asteroid seemed to shake as more rocks fell from the cavern ceiling, threatening to bury the Jedi attackers.
"Time to go." Lilith urgently suggested.
No one felt inclined to disagree, and the three of them raced for the doorway to the castle. As they ran, Hunter fired his blaster at the corners of the bacta tank holding Caleb. The glass shattered, and the bacta flowed to the cavern floor, allowing Hunter to help his mutilated, armless donor from his prison, and guide him, as they raced from the falling rocks.
The condition of the castle wasn't much better. It seemed the Sith of old weren't prepared to wait another 4,000 years for someone to come along and unlock their power, and were destroying their castle in an act of petty revenge. Pillars fell and stained glass rained like bullets, as the group raced for the exit. Eda and Lillith practically had to hold the entrance chamber together with the Force, as it tried to rain down on them.
As they ran through the crumbling doorway, they realised they still hadn't found safety. Great fissures were opening in the asteroid, spreading away across the horizon, and red lightning was flying from the cracks. Before anyone could ask where Raine was, the Jedi ship came soaring from the sky, dodging lightning bolts, and chunks of rock, being cast from the surface.
Sensing they had moments in which to escape, the Jedi didn't wait for Raine to land the ship. As the airlock opened, Eda grabbed Hunter's waist, and Lillith, Caleb, and the four of the leapt into the ship as it passed. The airlock promptly sealed behind them and the ship veered upwards ninety degrees, and launched into the sky, as the asteroid was consumed in flames and lightning behind them.
-x-x-x-
Not far away, on a remote refuelling station, hanging in deep space, the Jedi ship docked next to Raine's ship, where they had left it, prior to the mission.
"Thank you… for everything…" Caleb said, wearily. He was looking at Hunter, whose shoulder he was leaning on, but he added, "All of you… My brother wasn't always a murderous warlord… I'm glad that whatever was left of Philip is finally at peace…"
"It's what we do…" Lilith said, with less pride than Eda was expecting.
"Not your situation, specifically, just to be clear." Eda clarified.
Hunter turned to Raine. "I hate to ask for a favour, while I'm in your debt, but do you think we could catch a ride with you?"
Raine rolled their eyes. "Yeah, obviously I'm not leaving you here. Come on, get on the ship." They ushered Caleb and Phillip up the loading ramp. "And check the droid parts in the cargo hold. Might be something pops can use for new arms, until you can find something better." They turned to the Jedi. "Well, this has sure been an experience… You're some of the most fun people to ever arrest me…"
"Do me a favour, and stay out of trouble, at least for a while." Lillith requested. "The council are going to be angry enough at us already. Don't make me regret letting you go."
Raine sniggered, and shot Raine a wink, before stepping on their ship's ramp.
"Raine, wait!" Eda said, prompting the musician to freeze.
After shooting a nervous look at her sister, Eda stepped over to Raine, and whispered something in their ear. Raine's eyes widened, and they turned to Eda. "Are… are you sure?"
Eda nodded.
"Alright…" They replied, in a surprised voice, before briefly looking at Lillith, and continuing up the ramp, into their ship.
Eda and Lillith shared a look, and a moment of silence. Lilith had a suspicion of what Eda had just whispered to Raine, but she hoped she was wrong.
"So…" Lilith nervously began. "You think the council are going to knight us, or expel us, for all this?"
"Well, for me… I'm guessing neither…" Eda said, quietly.
"Yeah…" Lilith sighed.
"Lil, I'm sorry… I can't go back…" Eda said, sadly.
"Eda!" Lilith pleaded. "I know you've never liked all the rules, but…"
"It's not that…" Eda replied. "Philip was insane, but he was also right… The Jedi don't keep the peace, they just wipe out anyone who challenges the way things are… I don't wanna be a part of that anymore…"
"Eda, that's not… that's a very idealistic way of…" Lilith trailed off, knowing that there was no defence of the Jedi, she hadn't already tried on her sister.
While Lillith struggled, Eda stepped over and pulled her sister into a hug. "Don't let those nerds change you, okay?"
Sighing, Lilith reluctantly hugged her back. "Don't get into any trouble…"
Eda broke off the hug, and made her way into Raine's ship.
"I mean it, Eda…" Lilith warned. "If you break the law… I'll come for you…"
Eda held the leg of the ramp, as she walked past it, and grinned at her sister. "I'm looking forward to it. See you then, sis…"
The door closed with a hiss, and Lillith watched, as the ship, Eda, and her ne'er-do-well friends vanished into the darkness of space.
-x-x-x-
"So yeah… The Jedi made her go through a bunch of dumb trials, just for show, but they knighted her soon after… She was one of the youngest knights in the order, and she's been on my back ever since."
As Eda wrapped up her story, she took a swig of wine with one hand, while parrying Luz's vibroblade strikes with her other.
"You're still thinking too hard." She coached. "Stay in the moment."
"That's the whole story?" Luz complained. "I thought it was an epic love story, but you and Raine barely spoke!"
She struck at Eda's lightsaber, and as her elder mentor parried, Luz spun around to strike her blind spot, prompting Eda to dart backwards, with a surprised look on her face.
"Oh I'm sorry." She said, quickly regaining her composure. "Was my story about how I saved the galaxy from an ACTUAL SITH LORD not exciting enough for you?"
Luz rolled her eyes, not wanting to admit that she had enjoyed the story, despite the lack of romantic drama. "So what happened to Raine, Caleb and Hunter? It sounded like you were setting up some epic, team-up spin-off adventure, but this is the first I've heard you talk about them."
"Well, we were all bounty hunters for a few days after that, but Hunter and Caleb quickly decided that didn't suit their 'Mandalorian code of honour'." She scoffed the words in a mocking tone. "Then it was me and Raine for a while…"
Eda trailed off, and stared at the sky, lowering her weapon. Luz did the same, hanging on Eda's words. When Eda realised Luz was staring at her, she promptly continued.
"Adult relationships are complicated, kid…" She sighed. "When you're young, it's all fun and games, hunting each other down across the galaxy, and going on high-stakes adventures, but a relationship can't just be fun… Next time you see Amity, try to have an actual conversation, before you cross blades, okay?"
Luz blushed, still not having admitted to Eda that she and Amity liked each other.
"So when was the last time you saw them?" Luz asked.
"We still run in the same circles, so we cross paths now and then…" Eda said. "But I never really know what to say to them…"
At first, Luz frowned, but then she grinned mischievously. "Well, next time you see them…" she started talking more quickly. "You can tell them you got your butt beaten by a kid!"
She lunged at Eda, launching into a flurry that Eda just about activated her lightsaber in time to block. Stumbling backwards in surprise, Eda was powerless to evade a Force Push glyph, as Luz threw it at her feet, sending her flying from the roof of the Silver Owl, into the grassy meadow below.
Eda sat up, and shook an indignant Loth-rat from her hair. "Sneak attack, classy…" She complained.
"As classy as being a sore loser." Luz jeered back.
"I think that's enough training for today…" Eda said, clipping her lightsaber to her belt, and heading for the Owl's loading ramp. "Isn't it your turn to pick a mission?"
Luz dropped to the ground next to her, and fell into step, as she boarded the ship. "Yep! I'd like to go to the nearest bounty hunter's guild! Who knows what kind of interesting characters we'll find!"
"Subtle…" Eda smirked, ruffling Luz's hair, as they boarded the ship, and the ramp closed behind them.
