Star Wars Infinities: The Warrior
By Christopher W. Blaine (darth_yoshi@yahoo.com)
DISCLAIMER: The characters and situations contained in this story are ©2003 by George Lucas and are used herein without permission for fan-related, non-profit entertainment purposes only. This original work of fiction is ©2003 by Christopher W. Blaine and may not be reproduced in part or as a whole without the express permission of the author.
CHAPTER 28
The woman had once been Padme Amidala squinted in the glare of the twin suns of the desert planet. The Force was with her, but even it could not change the natural reflexes of her eye. Luckily, her artificial one could adjust so that she could "see" even looking directly into the Twins. The construct of Imperial science allowed her to see in several different spectrums, but right now all she wanted to do was watch the distant solar activity and remember.
Over two decades before, she had traveled her with Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi when she had been running from the Trade Federation. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had been good Jedi Knights; even the Emperor had respected their skill and ability. Stuck here without a way to repair their hyperdrive, Qui-Gon and Padme had traveled into the small desert community of Mos Espa to try and find parts. In a junk shop owned by a creature named Watto, Padme had first met the young boy named Anakin Skywalker.
Anakin later revealed that he knew at that precise moment that he was going to one day marry her, but she hadn't believed it. A decade later as Darth Vader, he had seduced her and she had fallen head over heels in love with him. Together they had seen the beauty and correctness of Palpatine's New Order. Only Darth Maul's jealousy and Bail Organna's treachery prevented them from ever being truly happy.
After Anakin's death, Padme had been transformed into Deceptra, the Dark Lady of the Sith and loyal apprentice to the Emperor. She had awakened from her coma to find herself with new bionic limbs, a shard of the Kaiburr Crystal embedded in her chest and a child growing in her belly.
There was supposed to be two children she now knew.
In order to have a piece of the woman he lusted after from afar, Bail Organna had violated Deceptra in a way that went beyond the concepts of rape. In contrast, she would have preferred rape by a thousand Hutts to what she now endured. Since learning the truth, there had been a gnawing sensation at the back of her mind, a sensation that only grew when Palpatine had been killed. Not that she really cared anymore; the relationship between her and her master had been somehow changed when she learned of Organna's betrayal. A part of her told her that the Emperor should have known and that maybe he had all along.
Now she had to decide whether or not to see this Lord Ravage, whose voice called to her in the Force, but was unable to penetrate the defenses she put up with the aid of the Kaiburr Crystal. She suspected that this was another of Palpatine's tricks and was not about to waste time trying to figure it out. In her dreams, Deceptra saw herself on the throne of the Empire.
She almost laughed; the former senator from Naboo she once was would never have desired such lofty office. The Dark Side had shown her, though, that the only way to ensure peace and security was through force and fear.
"So, you're the bitch that killed my father," Leia said as she stepped through the ferrocrete archway into the small stadium. This was normally reserved for droid battles, once the foremost entertainment of the workers for the Death Star that were stationed here.
Deceptra held her emotions in check and turned around slowly. She unhooked her black cape and let it fall to the brown sand at her feet, revealing that she was nearly 100% human again. "Leia, how kind of you to meet me."
The Alderaanian princess approached. She was wearing a white jumpsuit that was reminiscent of the fashion Padme Amidala had been fond of. "I'm not afraid of you," Leia said, her hand patting the sporting blaster at her hip.
"I don't care of you are or not," Deceptra replied. "Your fear is inconsequential, your compliance is all that I require. You are a fugitive from Imperial justice and a traitor; I am here to take you to justice."
"In case you haven't heard, you aren't at the top of the food chain anymore. Palpatine is dead and Lord Ravage is too busy worrying whether or not Tarkin is going to blow up Imperial Center." Leia stopped several meters from the Dark Lady. "It might be justice that comes for you, Sith."
"You have no idea what that word means," Deceptra said, measuring up her daughter. Close inspection did reveal many traditional Naboo features; features that were often confused with those of Alderaanian descent. There was Anakin's fire to her eyes and tone, though.
"Oh, I know much more than realize," Leia responded. "I am an apprentice to the Jedi Master Quinlan Vos. The Force is with me."
The red eye in Deceptra's skull glowed as it did a midi-chlorian scan. It seemed that Leia had inherited some her father's strength as well. She was not Luke's level in raw ability but that could change given time. The name Quinlan Vos meant nothing to her, but that was not surprising. The Emperor's operatives killed many Jedi Masters while Deceptra had lain in coma. "You are untrained."
"And I'm not alone."
Deceptra felt the surge in the Force as Ferrin and Kyp leapt over the stadium walls on opposite sides. Their lightsabers were activated and Deceptra wondered where her stormtroopers were. They had been taken out slowly, most likely put to sleep with Jedi mind tricks. Clever, but nothing for her to worry about.
"Ferrin Durron, it has been so very long," Deceptra said in greeting. She pulled her own lightsaber from her belt and activated it. The blade was purple this time. The Dark Lady had a large collection of weapons she had taken from various Jedi.
"Senator," Ferrin replied.
"Ah, still clinging to the past I see." She stretched and Ferrin noted that the years had been extremely kind to the former senator. Her form was exactly the way it had been before and her face, with the exception of the red eye that now dimmed to look normal in the sunlight, had not changed at all. "The person you speak of has long since died."
Ferrin shook his head and pointed to his temple. "You forget whose memories are locked in my brain." He saw that the statement had slightly rattled her and he pressed the initiative. "Every day, I hear his words echoing in my mind, a result of when I tried to subvert his will all of those years ago. It tainted me and I'm afraid my son has inherited a little of it."
Kyp smirked and waved his lightsaber. "A boy?" Deceptra said, trying to regain control. Her comment didn't seem to faze Kyp, though. There was a look in his eyes that she recognized when she reviewed battle-hardened Imperial troops. His youth was simply covering, a face that he wore. The mind that radiated in the Force was mature in most respects except one.
It was subtle for the boy's control over his emotions was near perfect. He had been trained very well, but his desires could not be hidden. As much as the boy did not want to admit it, he had a simple crush on Leia. "A boy with a secret love," she said in warning.
Kyp caught the warning and his stance softened as embarrassment, the greatest fear of any teenager, ate away at his resolve. "Tell me little man, have you shared your secret with the others."
"Shut up," Ferrin said and his look told Deceptra he was fully aware of his son's attraction to Leia.
"Don't try to confuse us with your riddles, Sith-witch," Leia spat out. She went for her blaster but Deceptra called the weapon to her before Leia could draw it. On fingers of the Force, it fell into Deceptra's hand. "I'm not impressed. You killed my father. You are going to die."
"Revenge is a very useful thing, but only in the right hands and for the right reasons, little padawan," Deceptra said as she used the Force to crush the weapon into a small ball of useless junk. She allowed it to drop to the sand and then stepped away from it as if it radiated dangerous radiation.
Deceptra knew that her stormtroopers had not been killed; they were close enough that she would have felt their deaths. They could not stay asleep forever and once they started to revive, the odds would be more in her favor.
The Jedi would have to die, but Leia would be a large problem by herself. Deceptra was determined to take the young woman alive. She would not be denied her heritage any longer. "Have you learned the truth yet, padawan?" Deceptra sneered.
"All I know is that my father's only crime was loving you, you heartless cow!" Leia cried out as she launched herself at Deceptra. Ferrin called out a warning and Kyp tried to reach out with the Force to pull her back, but Leia's rage was too strong and the young Jedi did not have the time to compensate. Leia landed a hard right on Deceptra's jaw and the Dark Lady responded with an outstretched hand. A wave of the Force picked Leia up and threw her across the stadium. She landed hard in the sand and rolled towards a ferrocrete barrier.
Both Ferrin and Kyp saw an opening with Leia out of the way and they rushed Deceptra. Two lightsabers came crashing down only to be met by Deceptra's own blade. The crackling of the blades as they engaged drowned out the grunts of exertion. Ferrin could not believe the strength of the former Naboo senator but guessed that her new limbs were filled with bionics.
She pushed them back and slashed hard, forcing them immediately on the defensive. They were both competent swordsmen, she saw, but there was something wrong. It was almost as if they weren't used battling against another Jedi. Their moves and reactions seemed almost alien to the ways she had studied.
"You have grown strong in the Force, Padme," Ferrin said, blowing away the sweat on his lip. Kyp danced away from a thrust and added two quick swipes. Deceptra back-flipped away and used the Force to grab hold of the crush pistol. The ball of metal flew, a deadly missile at Kyp and she saw the young Jedi smile as it approached. He stabbed it out of the air with his blade.
"The name is Deceptra, Jedi; remember it well for it is the name of the person who will send you to hell," she said as the two again approached. Leia moaned and sat up and started to shake off the effects if her tumble.
"Funny, Anakin never knew that name," Ferrin added just as he leapt over Deceptra, trying to cleave her in half. It was only a half-hearted attack and Deceptra began to wonder what their exact plan was. The Jedi appeared to have different motives than Leia.
"Come, Leia, come ask your Jedi friends why they are not trying to kill me," Deceptra taunted.
Kyp glanced at his father. Ferrin didn't say anything but looked back to Deceptra. "You are correct, Padme, we are not trying to kill you."
Leia made her way to the standoff and looked at Ferrin. "Is that why you came with me?"
Kyp spoke this time. "Jedi do not murder, they do not give in to hate or the need for revenge."
"What do you know…boy?" Leia gasped.
Kyp gave her a cold stare and deactivated his lightsaber. "I saw my mother die at the hands of the Vong. I watched every human except me and my father either sacrificed to their gods or made into a slave."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Deceptra asked, wondering what was going on. "Leia, do not listen to them. It is a Jedi mind-trick!"
"Since when do you care about people from Alderaan?" Leia asked.
"I don't. It is time you started hearing the truth," Deceptra started.
"The truth is that you were once a good, kind person," Ferrin started, turning off his own lightsaber. "We believe with the Emperor dead, you can be saved."
Deceptra laughed. "Saved? Oh, yes, the Jedi concept of charity to the enemy! Where were you to save Anakin Skywalker?"
"What happened to your husband was wrong, Padme, but was it worth subjugating an entire galaxy?" Ferrin shook his head. "Was it worth killing a man like Bail Organna, a man who was once your political ally!"
"And my father!" Leia said stepping forward, her fists again clenched in fury.
"No! He was not your father!" Deceptra growled, slashing the air with her lightsaber. "Quit saying that!"
Leia screamed back. "Yes he was! You killed him!"
"Your father was my husband! Anakin Skywalker is your father!" Deceptra stepped forward, her voice an octave lower. "I…am…your…mother."
"By the Force," Ferrin whispered and suddenly the pieces feel into place. He saw it now, the uncanny resemblance and he realized that he had overlooked the obvious. Kyp was dumbfounded too, but Leia was shaking her head. "No…no! It's not true!"
Deceptra held out her gloved hand. "The Emperor is dead. It is time to have a woman's perspective on the New Order. Join me, Leia, and we will rule the galaxy as mother and daughter."
"I'll never join you," Leia said as she searched her feelings for the truth. It made no sense whatsoever, but she couldn't deny that it felt right. Was it the Force reaching out to her? Was her real father reaching out to her?
Ferrin turned to his son. "Now."
Kyp nodded and dropped his lightsaber. Closing his eyes, he opened himself completely to the Force. Deceptra and Leia both felt it, a surge of power as Kyp removed the psychic dampers he had been forced to employ since returning to this galaxy.
In the universe they had come from, the Jedi were cut off from the Force; all of them except Kyp, the child of two Jedi who was so strong that he could use the Force in a place far, far away. Kyp had always known he was different, but he didn't realize just how much until his encounter with the TIE fighters.
Kyp pulled and yanked on the Force and pushed it down through the planet. Green plants, their seeds dormant for millions of years, suddenly sprang to life around the boy as he focused his mind's eye on the Kaiburr Crystal. It called to him, the shard did, in a song of life, light and joy. The Crystal was a double-edged sword and the side not being used by Deceptra wanted to be free.
Deceptra cried out in pain as she realized that she suddenly became nothing; Kyp was communicating directly with the Crystal and her own Force ability was too minor to compete. Kyp grabbed hold of the shard and whispered to it in a voice of color and through it, he saw images of the life of Padme Amidala.
Any time the true person on the inside tried to come out, the wet blanket of the Dark Side was dropped onto her soul and there was the taste of the Emperor in the sights. Kyp was unprepared for the emotions of passion for Anakin, motherly love for Luke, outrage towards Bail Organna and loathing of Palpatine. Padme Amidala had become that which she hated and her hate grew every day.
Then came the guilt. The deaths and murders, the lies and treachery, the evil that had turned an idealistic young woman from Naboo into a pitiful creature that had to kill in order to feel anything. "Free me," the voice called, a childlike quality to it. Kyp wasn't sure how for this was so different from what he had done before. He was used to using his abilities to destroy minds in battle or to tear out information.
"Tell me how," he responded and the music grew and he saw the Force as it truly was with eyes made of emotion behind tears of light. Other voices called to him, one of them with a small chuckle to it.
"She wants to be free; free my love, please," the voice said.
"Who are you?" Kyp cried out into the Force.
"Someone who loves them both. Let me add my strength to you," it offered.
"No! I have to do it myself!"
"Pride will destroy you," the voice warned him.
"I am a warrior of the Jedi; I cannot fail," Kyp said, diving deeper into the Force. He could not hear the voice now, but he could listen to the midi-chlorians as they chattered between each other in his own body. They seemed overjoyed by his presence and he felt a strange desire to just stay here where he was.
Then he caught the link.
The Crystal shard flew out of Deceptra's chest and whirled into Kyp's hand. The young Jedi stood in a field of green grass that stretched out well beyond the stadium. In the distance, sand dunes were being transformed as the Kyp's power, magnified a thousand fold by the shard, brought a new balance to the Force. All of the death and destruction of Deceptra and the New Order was being equalized as Tatooine was turned into something else. Plants, genetically designed to thrive in the heat grew as millions of years of evolution occurred in minutes.
Deceptra fell into a field of grasses and flowers, her lightsaber, ruined along with others, falling smoking from her hand.
Kyp stumbled forward and fell on his knees. Ferrin was there immediately. "I never imagined…"
Kyp shook his head. "Not me, not completely. Someone else, someone strong in the Force was there." He turned to Leia, who looked to be in complete shock. "I think it was her father."
Ferrin merely shook his head and pulled his son close.
They had won.
