Chapter 21
"This is getting us nowhere!" Luke shouted over to Kieran as he shattered a Kerash's battle-ax in half with his lightsaber. He swept his blade across the man's left leg, cleaving it cleanly off just above the knee. The man screamed as he fell to the ground, grasping at his cauterized stump. "There seems to be no end to this fight!"
"I know, sir!" shouted Kieran back as he engaged another Kerash with his mace. With amazing strength, he swung the spiked club toward his opponent's face, which the Kerash evaded. Seconds later, Kieran brought the mace smashing into the back of the man's legs, knocking him off his feet and onto the ground. As he fell, Kieran brought the mace down upon him, smashing open his stomach. As Luke, Kieran, the rest of the rebels engaged the Kerash in a battle that seemingly had no end in sight, Luke felt a sudden chill in his heart. In his mind, he could hear the screams of his daughter...and his wife.
"Callista?" he said aloud, stopping in place. He felt her pain, her terror, and in his mind's eye, he saw her, blood running down her chest as someone stabbed her with a knife--
"No!" Luke shouted, as another Kerash came at him from the side. Luke was so taken by the Force disturbance that he didn't even see the Kerash coming. Kieran did, however, and he smacked the man up the chin with his weapon, knocking the Kerash flat on his back. He looked over at Luke, more concerned than angry.
"Don't slack off on us now, sir," he said, then noticed Luke's stunned expression. "Is something wrong?"
"It's Callista," Luke said. "I can feel her."
Luke had his full attention. "Where is she? Is the Fyorga in danger?"
Luke nodded. "She's in pain...I have to go to her." He turned to Kieran. "I have an idea. We've been fighting outside for far too long. We need to take the fight into the temple. Callista's in there, and she's trying to stop the ritual."
"And she needs our help," Kieran said as realization dawned on his face. He nodded. "Very well, sir. Lead the way."
Luke paved a way through the crowd of Kerash with his lightsaber, sending a single thought to each and every rebel still standing. Follow me. We're going inside the temple. Within seconds, the rebels began pushing through the Kerash. Some fell, but others kept going, killing any Kerash who barred their way. Luke himself cut down warrior after warrior, focusing on nothing more than getting to his wife and daughter in time.
The blood... The fire...
They headed straight for the temple.
Llia watched as the direction of the fighting changed. The rebels, led by the man armed with the strange green light-sword, stopped fighting the Kerash, and began heading for the Temple of Arak. They easily tore through what was left of the front gate, and began pounding away at the entrance door. Others began scaling the walls, finding their ways inside through the temple windows. Enraged, the Kerash followed them in hot pursuit.
Llia remained at her sister's side all throughout the battle, never taking her eyes off her. Leanna was still moving, but barely. Her eyes remained closed, as if she were asleep. "Lea?" she asked weakly, shaking her sister. "Lea, are you still there? Please, get up. You have to get up. We have to stop Armenia before..."
Her sister coughed up more blood, and her eyes weakly opened, glassy and unfocused. She smiled when she saw her little sister. "Llia..." she whispered, her voice barely audible. "My sweet little Llia. I have waited for so many years to see your beautiful face again. And now...I've finally found you...only to lose you again." She coughed, blood flecking from the edges of her mouth. "I love you so much."
Llia smiled through the curtain of tears. "And I love you, Lea." She gripped her sister's shoulders tightly. "But listen to me. You are not going to die. You hear me? You're too strong for that. I won't let you die. You can't die."
But deep down inside, she knew that she was lying to herself. Her sister's eyes began to dim, as if the light inside those ice-blue irises were slowly being switched off. "Llia...I need you to do something for me."
Llia nodded. "What? Tell me. I'll do anything."
Leanna's hand began to move. Her fingers twitched, and she groaned, as if it hurt to do so. With incredible difficulty, she managed to dig into her pants pocket and withdrew a small, metallic thing. It was in a shape of a cylinder, unlike anything Llia had ever seen before.
"I want you to have this," Leanna said, offering it to her sister. Llia nodded as she took the cylinder, closely examining it.
"What is it?" she asked in puzzlement.
"A lightsaber," Leanna replied softly, her voice strained. "The weapon of a Jedi Knight. Dad gave it to me when I was a child. He got it from an old Jedi Master. No weapon in the galaxy is a match for it."
"What...What do you want me to do with it?" Llia asked.
Leanna's voice grew slightly louder. "I want you to use it to kill Armenia."
Llia's eyes widened in horror. "Wha-What?" she gasped. There was no way she could ever hope to take on her cousin, with or without a lightsaber. "But...I can't. You saw what she did to you, Lea. She'd cut me into little pieces before I could even--"
"You must," Leanna coughed, clasping her sister's tiny hand. "Or else she'll just carry out the ritual, and it'll be too late. Please...I know it's hard for you, and I hate having to put you through this...but it's the only way. I can't fight Armenia anymore, and the Jedi woman will need help." Her voice softened, as her eyes lost focus. "Promise me that you'll do it, Llia."
Llia looked down at the cylinder. "How...How do I turn it on?" she asked.
Leanna's finger rested upon a small red button on the cylinder's side. "Just press that, and it will activate the energy blade," she whispered. "Promise me, Llia."
The little girl nodded, without even thinking. "Okay," she said. "I'll do it for you, Lea. I'll kill her...I'll kill her good." She reached over and kissed her sister gently on the forehead, as if afraid she might bruise her skin. "Do you promise to still be awake when I come back?" Leanna nodded with a weak smile. "I will, Llia. I promise...I promise..." Llia stood up, fingering the lightsaber with one hand. Casting one last glance at her sister, Llia smiled, and headed up the temple steps. As she left, Leanna's body shuddered a final time, then went limp.
Kara's hand fell from Callista's chest, tearing the dagger free. Her knees buckled and she fell on her back, taking Callista with her. Callista grunted with the pain, and took a deep breath. It hurts so much...
Kara smiled. "It does, doesn't it? Now you know how it feels to have your heart ripped out by someone you love."
Callista shook her head. "Kara..." She reached out her hands and touched her daughter's wound, which was now gushing blood.
Kara weakly batted her hands away. "Don't touch me, bitch!" She spat, blood accompanying her words as they left her mouth. Callista ignored Kara's protests, and pressed her hands into Kara's blood, trying to stop it from leaving her body.
Trying to save her life.
It's never anyone you expect, Callista thought, for the first time remembering what Geith had told her over thirty years ago, when Kara had first gone missing and was believed dead. There's nothing you can do to change what has happened...all you can do is make do with it and learned what is to be learned. That's why I think people die...not to die but to teach others something.
She stared at her daughter now, feeling her own life seeping away. Their eyes were locked, and a thousand conversations passed between them, but only Callista could speak:
"Kara, I'm so sorry for the pain I've caused you. I love you, my dear daughter, always and always, ever and ever."
Kara's body spasmed in her death throes, and a single tear trickled down her cheek. Callista touched her cheek, then pressed her hand to Kara's forehead. "Go...go to your father now. He's waiting for you, on the Other Side." She knew that as she said this, she was accepting her own excommunication from the Force. But she also knew that her exile would be brief, as her own life ended.
Movement caught her eyes. Callista raised her head, saw a shimmering blue form above her.
Geith.
His blue eyes shone as he held his hand out to them. Callista looked back at Kara, and said, "Your father's here to take you now. Go with him. You've been redeemed, Kara. You're free of the darkness."
As Kara's eyes lost focus, she muttered, "Mother..."
Then she was gone. Callista looked up again as Geith's form faded away from her sight. She saw just enough to see a second form beside him. When she looked down, Kara's body lay motionless, bereft of life. Callista lifted her hands from Kara's chest, looked at the blood on her fingers. She felt the power of the Force start to drain away.
A shock of pain tore through her failing heart. She clutched at her chest with her hands, the blood mixing. As it did, she felt the flow of the Force cease in its retreating stream, and change direction...
...back to her.
It was returning.
As the Force filled her again, the pain in her heart began to subside, and the hole in her chest closed. Her strength returned, and she stood. Armenia still stood there, in awe of what had happened.
"Behold the Power of the Light Side of the Force," Callista said.
"So, meditating again, huh? You do that too often."
"You should try it sometime, you'd be surprised at what it can do for you."
Tired blue eyes glanced at the ceiling as their owner thought, Meditate, huh? Might as well give it a shot. Weakly, he struggled into a sitting position. Breathing heavily, he thought, Meditating might be the only thing I can do for a while, I don't have the strength for anything else.
Remembering what his sister taught him, he closed his eyes and rested his hands on his legs.
Opening her eyes, Leanna looked around to see nothing but darkness. Feeling the cool smooth texture of the floor under her hand, she sat up thinking, Where am I?
Standing up, she gasped when there was no pain from her wounds. I must be dead.
Spinning on her heel, she tried to study her surroundings, but still couldn't see more than a foot into the blackness. Standing with her arms crossed over her chest, foot tapping against the floor Leanna said, "So this is where you go when you die? I'm not impressed. Where's the light at the end of the tunnel?"
Suddenly, a bright white light appeared at the end of the 'hall.'
"I'm still not impressed," she mumbled. Shrugging her shoulders she slowly walked towards it when she heard someone groan, "Not this place, again." Standing still, Leanna thought in shock, It can't be..... it just can't. Turning around, she called unbelieving, "Benjamin?" She clenched her hands. Bully. Why do you have to make being dead harder on me then it already is? And he better not be dead too, because if he is, I swear, I'm going right to the person in charge of this place.
"Lea? Is that you?" he asked, as he took a step toward her and said, "How did you get here? If this is where you go every time when you meditate, I think I'll stop right now. I've seen this place too many times for comfort."
Leanna's eyes nearly bulged out of her head as she exclaimed, "You meditate? Since when?"
Shrugging his shoulders he replied, "Since I woke up from my coma. By the way, how's Llia? Did you find her yet? And why are you here? Are you meditating again?" Looking at him with confused eyes she asked, "How..."
Chuckling, he interrupted, "How did I know about Llia? I could hear you when you were talking to me in that hospital, I just couldn't respond."
Slightly smiling she shook her head, "Well, I did find her. I think she'll make it through, she's pretty smart."
Nodding, he replied, "Of course, she will, she'll have us with her. So are you meditating, or what? Why are you here?"
Shuffling her feet she whispered, "Well.... I.... I'm...."
Resting his left hand on her shoulder, he looked at her with concerned eyes and asked, "Lea?"
Looking straight into his eyes she said bluntly, "I'm dead."
Benjamin looked at her dumbfounded. "Wh-what?" he asked breathless and unbelieving. "No, you can't be dead. I only just woke up. You just can't be dead. Besides, if you were dead dead you already be in the light when you first appeared. I know, I've watched it happen enough times," he rambled on.
"You mean you've watched it happen?"
Running a had through his hair, he explained, "Throughout all...this, I've been stuck here, between life and death. Some people who are dead, dead appear in the light. Others appear where you came in and then walk towards the light, which internal death, and others walk the other way, towards life."
"So all I have to do is choose? I didn't think it would be that simple. Besides," she continued, "my heart has stopped beating."
"That's why you have to fight to be alive. That's the struggle philosophers talk about. But right now, it's all a matter of what you choose." Laying a hand on his shoulder, Leanna said, "Ben, the knife went through my back, cut my spine in half and lodged in my heart. If I do fight to live, I would need medical attention that there's no hope of getting, even then it would take a miracle."
"Then where are you? Physically I mean." He was getting desperate, and they both knew it.
Sighing, she replied, "Anasazi."
He was clutching at straws he knew it, she knew it, but at least it felt like they were doing something. "Maybe I can reach a medic or something..."
Rolling her eyes, she replied, "It would take days to reach here. And do you remember our homeword coordinates anyway? I guarantee that no one else will know it. Besides do you even have the strength to get out of bed?"
"I have to do something!" he cried. "You're my sister!"
Squeezing his shoulder a little she said, "Its too late, brother, its too late."
Tears building in his eyes, he said, "It can't be too late! Isn't there anyone there that can help you?"
Shaking her head, she replied, "They are all busy fighting, right now."
"Then you just have to hold on until they are done fighting." He demanded, his eyes shining bright with determination.
"I don't think that will happen," Leanna said, tears beginning to form. Pulling her into a hug, he whispered, "You have to try Lea, please, I can't stand losing another family member."
Burying her head in his chest she mumbled, "But my heart has stopped."
"You can make it start again."
He hit her shoulder gently to relieve some of the tension. "You're a Kai, use that bullheadedness of ours."
"I prefer to call it tenacity." Leanna crossed her arms.
"Whatever you call it, use it," her brother said crossing his own arms. "Exactly how am I supposed to fight my body back to life and get my heart to start beating again?" Shrugging his shoulder he replied, "I'm not sure..." Pointing to the flickering blue light that was connected to her he said, "See that small thread of light?"
After seeing her nod, he proceeded. "That connects you to your body. The reason its flickering like that is because you are on the verge of staying dead, so you'll have a tough battle ahead of you, but you can do it. Just follow that strand. Once you get to your body, I'm not sure what you have to do. Who knows, maybe meditating will work."
Looking her brother straight in the eyes, she said, "You do understand, this might not work."
Growling, Benjamin, threw his arms up in the air, exclaiming, "Will you stop thinking like that? If you think like that, of course its not going to happen. Think that it will succeed, and it will." Privately he was thinking, I hope so anyway. Putting his hands on her shoulders he continue, "Listen to what your saying, Lea, you're not being yourself. The Leanna Kai I knew would never give up, no matter how grim the situation."
She looked away, scowling and a little indignant. "Well, maybe I'm not the Leanna you knew. It's been awhile you realize," she said looking back up at him coldly.
Looking at her with pleading eyes, he said," Please Lea, you're a Kai, start acting like it. Don't give up. You may not be the same person that I used to know, but I can tell that you still have the same fighting spirit as you did then. I can see it in your eyes. You just have let it free, or reunite with it, whatever you want to say. I know you can win this battle. Please, Lea."
Her brother had a pleading tone in his voice that she wasn't used to hearing. She could feel his eyes boring into the top of her head. Heaving a large sigh, she came to a conclusion. "All right, I'll do it."
Smiling slightly he said, "Thank you, Lea, thank you."
A frown creased his forehead. "Darn, I think someone is trying to wake me up." As he started to fade out he called to her. "Remember, don't give up--and good luck!"
After her brother disappeared she whispered, "Thanks, I'll need it." Looking at the flickering strand of light she said, "I'll try, I just don't know if I'll succeed."
As she took her first step following the strand, she thought, Since when did our family believe in luck?
For a moment, Callista couldn't breathe, as she stood in the midst of the Great Hall, the wound in her chest now gone, as if it had never been. Rain poured down from the open ceiling, further soaking her. But she barely felt it. All she could feel was a huge burden being lifted from her shoulders. She looked down at Kara's lifeless, blood-soaked body, now one with the Force.
Her daughter's suffering had finally ended.
"Rest in peace, Kara," she whispered softly.
"Mommy?" Hope said weakly, looking at her mother in awe, at her chest, where she no longer bled from where Kara had stabbed her. She reached out with one weak, bleeding hand toward her. "Mommy, are you okay?"
Callista smiled as she went to her daughter, summoning the Force and ripping through the chains holding Hope prisoner. Hope collapsed in her arms, crying in relief. "Shhhh," Callista soothed softly, stroking her daughter's beautiful brown hair. "It's okay, my dear. You'll be fine now. Everything is all right..."
"Is she really dead?" Hope suddenly asked, glancing at what was left of Kara's corpse, her voice still tinged with fear.
Callista nodded. "Yes. She's at peace now."
And so am I... she thought to herself as she kissed her daughter on the cheek. She stood Hope up, holding her by one hand. The little girl's legs wobbled, but Callista steadied her. "Come on. We have to get out of here."
But as they began heading for the entrance door, Armenia stepped in their way, the only obstacle left between them and freedom.
"You're not going anywhere, Skywalker."
"What is the meaning of all this?" shouted Tsin from the altar. "Don't worry, Tsin," Armenia said confidently, glaring daggers at Callista and Hope. "Everything will be taken care of momentarily."
Callista's hand tightened around Hope's, as she sent a thought out to her through the Force. Hope, I want you to get out of here and find your Daddy. And stay with him until this is all over.
Hope looked up at her, horrified. But...what about you? I'm not leaving you here! Trust me, Callista thought softly. Armenia won't stop coming after me. I have to defeat her once and for all. She gazed down at her beautiful daughter, one of the two people in her life who was her reason for living, and smiled. Be safe, Hope.
Hope barely nodded, as she said a silent goodbye, and dashed out of the Main Hall, moving as fast as her small, chubby legs would allow her. Armenia didn't even try to stop her.
"Are you ready to die, Skywalker?" asked Armenia in a menacing voice.
Callista looked down at the staff she held in one hand, and saw that Armenia was unarmed. It didn't seem to bother her in the least. "Fine, Armenia," she said, not even bothering to reason with her. If she wanted a fight, then she was going to get one. "You want me? Then you'll have to come and get me."
Armenia sneered. "Let's play a game, shall we? Capture the Jedi. The object of the game?" She hesitated as she inched closer to her opponent. "Take a wild guess."
Callista nodded--and took off running. She ran right past Armenia, despite the woman's angry protests, and practically flew through the open doorway, out into a darkened hallway. She saw that Hope was already gone, and she silently prayed that she would make it to Luke in time. A Kerash guard stepped in her way, throwing a predictable kick for her side. Callista's arm went down to intercept the leg, and she punched him in the gut. The guard reeled, and she grabbed him by the collar of his robe, and threw him through the closest window. Callista could hear footsteps from behind as Armenia began to catch up with her. Thinking fast, she went to the window where she had thrown the Kerash guard, and poked her head out. Her eyes quickly scanned the outside, when she saw a ladder off to her left, leading up to the next floor of the temple. The sounds of battle seemed closer to her than before, and as she looked down, she saw that the fighting had moved away from the original battlfield, as the rebels attacked the temple itself, and the Kerash tried to stop them.
Through it all, she saw Luke, fighting off hordes of Kerash with his lightsaber as he led the rebels into the temple. With no time to lose, Callista forced her entire body through the opening. A powerful gust of wind pushed at her body, and she almost fell, but her hands reached out and gripped the rungs of the ladder just in time. Once she had steadied herself, she started to climb up. She could hear Armenia coming after her. Good, she thought. If Armenia wanted to keep fighting, then she was going to have to play by Callista's rules,whether she wanted to or not. She was going to take their fight to the temple rooftop, into the heart of the Force storm.
Armenia watched as Callista leaped through the window, and began ascending up the wooden, rickety ladder. "Oh, clever, clever girl," she said aloud, knowing that her opponent wouldn't hear her. "I know what you're up to, believe me." Armenia knew of a shortcut to the temple roof. If she hurried, she could be there before Callista. The voice that had been taunting her earlier, telling her to kill Callista, was now gone. It had happened sometime around when Callista had killed that Kerash priest in the Main Hall. Armenia had no idea what had happened to it, but she had a feeling that it would not return. She was still up to full strength, but she knew that she couldn't continue to draw strength from this "voice" again. She would have to make this fight count. Feeling her muscles sing at the thought of confronting Callista again, Armenia began running.
Jacen, Jaina, and Tenel Ka continued to sit stoically around the dead campfire, their eyes still glowing with pure blue light, as they continued to feed the Force storm over the Kerash temple. In his mind's eye, Jacen saw Aunt Callista climbing up a ladder, heading upwards, closer to the Force storm. Then he saw another woman, with white skin and black hair, rushing up a flight of stairs that led to the roof. Something inside him said that this woman was bad, and she wanted to hurt Aunt Callista.
"They're getting closer to the Force storm," Jaina said. The voice that came out of her mouth was her own, mixed in with the voice that had spoken to them in their dreams, as the Force itself merged with themselves.
Jacen nodded. "We have to make it stronger. So that this bad lady will die."
"We must not harm your aunt," Tenel Ka added. "She is of the light. The darkness must be annihilated."
Callista finally reached the next floor of the temple. As she stood to her feet, she got a good look at her surroundings.
There was a bridge that towered over deep chasm and connected another part of the temple rooftop, as well as a flight of steps that led downward. She saw another wall, several feet away from her, with a door leading inside somewhere, and two ladders going up, leading to the highest part of the Kerash temple, where the Force storm raged in all its beauteous glory, covering over half of the rooftop. Callista smiled. Excellent, she thought. The winds blew stronger here than ever before, and she had a difficult time steadying herself, but she managed to hold her own.
As she began to run, she saw Armenia burst through the door in the wall, quickly scanning the area. The wind blew at her hair and robes, causing her to shield her face as she continued searching. Her eyes narrowed when she saw Callista, and she headed toward her without a moment's hesitation. Callista came towards Armenia as well, and waited for Armenia to strike the first blow. She did, and Callista ducked the punch, and swung her staff across Armenia's face. Her jaw cracked, and the woman was knocked back against the wall. Stay there, thought Callista, as she headed for the leftmost ladder, intending to climb up to the very top, into the core of the Force storm. Armenia could never hope to fight her up there. When she was almost there, Callista cried out as the heel of Armenia's boot struck her firmly in the upper back. She fell over, grabbing onto the lower rungs of the ladder to prevent from falling to the ground. She remembered her earlier battle with Armenia in the arena, how she had fallen, giving the Kerash woman the perfect opportunity to pummel her. I'll lose if I fall...
She heard Armenia approach from behind, and she pushed back against the ladder rungs, steadying herself back to her feet. She spun to her left, and slammed the end of the staff into Armenia's midsection. The woman grunted in pain, and Callista's staff smacked her again, this time hitting her in the jaw.
As Callista prepared for another blow, Armenia's fist met her face, and she staggered backShe lost her grip on the staff, and it went tumbling over the chasm. Callista cursed and went over to the bridge, careful not to step too hard on the old, rickety planks of wood. She looked over the bridge, and saw her staff. It had landed on the lower floor of the temple, far from her reach. Callista focused on the staff itself, imagining an invisible hand snatching it, and bringing it back to her.
Within seconds, the weapon lifted from the air, and began propelling itself toward Callista, slightly buckling out of her grip due to the wind. What she didn't see until it was too late was Armenia foot hitting her in the face as the Kerash woman attacked her from behind. Stars exploded in her head, and Callista felt herself being knocked down, farther down the bridge. The staff stopped its slow ascension, and fell right back down, landing somewhere behind Armenia and Callista. Callista scrambled to her feet, trying not to be overwhelmed by her ever- increasing panic, as Armenia strode forth and landed a powerful uppercut to her jaw. Callista staggered, and a second punch twisted her to the right, almost knocking her off the bridge. She mantained her balance, and spun around, ffacing the Kerash woman. With a leap, Callista brought both feet back and into Armenia's face, driving her back. The Kerash recovered within moments, and tried to throw another blow for her face. Callista ducked, and moved behind her opponent, and delivered a kick to the spine before she could turn around. The impact drive Armenia forward, and she barely managed to stabilize herself. That gave Callista just enough time to run. She sprinted across the bridge, and headed back to the ladders leading to the top of the temple. The Force storm continued to bring rain and lightning down upon the earth. The winds seemed stronger than ever, almost knocking Callista off her feet.
She finally reached the ladder, and began climbing. Armenia followed after her in hot pursuit, also struggling against the chaotic winds. But something in her--a fierce, fiery determination to kill Callista once and for all--made her able to withstand anything the Force storm could throw at her.
Sometimes, human resolve was the strongest power in the galaxy.
As Callista climbed, Armenia came up to her, and her fist sank into Callista's gut. She gasped, but didn't let go, and sent her foot flying in Armenia's face, causing her to spin around. As she tottered back, off- balance, Callista landed back on her feet, and kicked her opponent firmly in the center of the back, causing her to hit the wall, and dropping her to her knees. As she turned to run, Callista felt Armenia's hand reach out and snatch her wrist. The Kerash woman, still determined not to let her opponent go, stood up, and pulled Callista back. With a firm grip on her arm, she punched her hard in the stomach. The blow felt more like a hammer than a fist, and it took Callista's breath away. She threw her own fist into Armenia's gut in reply, and performed an acrobatic backflip, both feet smashing into Armenia's face as they sailed upwards int the air.
The blow was so strong that Armenia was knocked cleanly off her feet and onto her back. With the woman down, Callista returned to the ladder, and resumed climbing. Her foot almost slipped off on one rung, but she kept moving, her eyes fixated on the temple rooftop, where the storm waited for her and Armenia.
Come on, you bitch, Callista thought. Come and get me, if you can.
Seconds later, Armenia did just that.
She leaped back up, and went over to the other ladder. She began climbing up after Callista with incredible speed, despite the powerful winds that tore at her body, ripping great holes into her black robe. She moving so fast that Callista was having a hard time staying ahead of her. The rooftop was now only a few rungs away.
Come on, come on, Callista thought, feeling sweat slide down her feet. Her teeth gnashed together as she willed herself to climb faster. Come on, you're almost there. You can do it...
She saw movement from the corner of her eye, as well a large, black shape, and when she turned, and saw Armenia, on the other ladder beside, now both on the same footing. Lightning broke from the sky, illuminating the woman's blood-soaked face. "Surprise, Callista!" she snarled, as she threw a kick into Callista's ribs. Callista yelled out when she felt one of her ribs--or maybe two, she couldn't tell--snap under the impact. She lost her grip on the ladder, and she tumbled back down to the earth. She had enough sense left in her to stop her plummet with the Force, and she landed on her feet rather than on her back...not that it helped the fiery pain in her ribs any. Something hit the ground behind her. Callista whirled and saw her opponent land gracefully behind her, a look of triumph in her dragon-green eyes. The two women rushed each other, and Armenia was knocked to one side with a powerful high-kick to the temple. She recovered instantly, as if she hadn't even felt the blow, and threw one of her own kicks. Callista predicted the attack, and blocked it with her arm. Another kick, and again it was blocked. Armenia tried a different approach, and aimed a jab for the neck. Callista raised her hands to block it-- When she remembered the arena fight. Armenia had used the same blow against it when the duel had begun, and it had been a feint--
Even as she realized what her opponent was planning, it still did no good when Armenia shot her other fist forward, landing painfully in Callista's belly, on her scar. Callista doubled over in pain, and she couldn't fight back as Armenia grabbed her by one arm, spun her around, and delivered a powerful knee to the back, knocking her forward. Callista hit the ground on the moments later, flat on her face, a few mere inches away from the chasm.
For a split second, she couldn't get up. Her back throbbed with pain from where Armenia's knee had struck her. Slowly, she began to rise on her elbows, knowing that she had to continue the fight- -
--when she saw Armenia stand over her, brandishing Callista's staff. As Callista rose quickly to her knees, she felt one end of the golden weapon strike her squarely in the left shoulder, hitting a nerve, causing her to roll out of control, and over the chasm. Callista's other hand reached out at the last minute, gripping at the edge of the temple rooftop, preventing herself from falling...at least for now. Her other arm was numb with pain. She wouldn't be able to move it for a few minutes.
And by then... She looked up and saw the leader of the Kerash standing over her, her booted feet near the edge of the roof. She still held the staff in both hands, as she looked down upon Callista with mock-pity. Then, without a single word spoken, she brought the staff down upon her. Callista moved aside at the last minute, the staff sailing past her left ear. Armenia brought the weapon back, and tried again, and twice Callista evaded it. When she began to move back into place, she felt the tip of the staff strike her dead-on in the face. An immense wave of pain crashed into her skull, causing everything around her to disappear in a white flash of light. Callista felt her nose break even more, blood streaming down her skin. She almost lost her grip on the roof, but managed to hold on, but only the tips of her fingers. Armenia was taking her time, watching as Callista slowly lost the battle.
Some Jedi I turned out to be, Callista thought bitterly, feeling herself start to slip. The ground below seemed so far away. I've been bested by a person who can't even use the Force...twice.
Her eyes focused on the dark sky, toward the eclipse.
Luke, Hope...I'm sorry I failed you...
You haven't failed yet, my child, Djinn's voice whispered soothingly. You cannot just give up. A true Jedi never gives up in a battle, no matter how hopeless it seems. Let the Force flow through you, Callista...flow through you...
Another voice whispered in her head. The same voice Callista had heard in her trance.
The voice of the Force.
Let me guide you, Callista. Let my powers flow through your body, through your soul...The light will conquer the darkness...
Callista suddenly felt her strength return to her. The pain in her shoulder stopped, and she could feel the numbness in her arm wear off. The sheer agony in her ribs and face subsided. She was still badly injured, but she could fight again. As Armenia raised the staff high into the air, ready to swing the final blow that would send her opponent plummeting to her death below, Callista placed her feet against the wall of the temple, and pushed back. She flipped through the air, and slammed both feet into the woman's face.
Armenia cried out as she was sent reeling back, the staff leaving her hands. Callista was on her feet again, facing Armenia, a cold, steely look on her face. The Kerash warrior looked at her in surprise, then swung her fist in her direction. Callista's arm shot up, knocking the blow aside. At the same time, she called upon the Force, and lifted Armenia into the air, an invisible cord wrapped around her neck, and tightening. Armenia choked as she dangled helplessly in the air, her eyes almost exploding from their sockets. With a single push through the Force, Callista tossed her back through the air. Into the storm. Callista watched as Armenia screamed and disappeared into the dark blue- black clouds, landing somewhere on the highest tower of the temple. She reached over and pulled the staff off the ground, and raced after her, leaping high into the air, almost as if she was flying. She felt her body hit the cold clouds almost immediately, and all the air left her body. The wind tore at her from all sides, as rain pelted her body. Lightning passed her, too close to her liking. She finally landed on her feet on the highest rooftop of the Kerash temple. She could make out the outline of a large opening in the roof, and she realized that she was standing atop the ceiling of the Main Hall.
And there, standing several feet in front of her, being tormented by the powerful winds of the Force storm, was Armenia. The Kerash warrior was screaming to the point where she almost shattered her vocal cords, as wind battered her body, and rain and hail smashed down upon her. She didn't seem to notice Callista at all. Callista ran forth with her staff, surprised at how hard it was to move in the center of the blinding storm. A loud burst of thunder startled her, but she kept moving, until she directly in front of Armenia. The warrior's eyes widened when she saw her, and she was barely able to dodge an attack with the staff. Callista spun, and brought one end down, and up, this time hitting Armenia directly in the chin, splitting open a large gash. She struck a third time, but Armenia ducked the attack, and the brutal winds almost tore the weapon free from the Jedi's hands. She watched as Armenia stood back up, and threw a punch for her face. The blow struck her in the jaw, slowed down by the winds. But the impact of the punch was still able to knock her to one side, and with the combined might of the winds hitting her body--
--caused her to loose her footing and begin falling down the ceiling opening. Callista cursed, and reached out with one hand, determined to grab something--anything--to prevent from falling. She ended up snatching Armenia by one hand and pulled the Kerash warrior down with her. The two combatants fell, leaving the Force storm, as they toppled back into the Main Hall.
"Come on!" Luke shouted, as the mob of rebels burst through the entrance door, and found themselves in the Kerash temple. The only light that illuminated the large chamber was a few torches mounted on the smooth, limestone walls. Luke used his lightsaber to guide him, as he and the rebels began storming the temple. Almost immediately, a hail of arrows came from above, catching the group by surprise. One rebel next to Luke went down with an arrow to the breastbone, while another was hit in the chest. "Take cover!" Kieran shouted.
"Won't be necessary!" Luke replied, as he threw a Force shield around the rebels to protect themselves from the hail of arrows. He could make out the outline of several Kerash archers attacking several floors up, on the balconies. They kept firing, their arrows bouncing harmlessly off the invisible Force shield.
"We have to get to the Main Hall!" Kieran exclaimed, as the remaining Kerash from outside began pouring into the chamber.
"Can you show me where it is?" Luke asked over the din.
The rebel leader nodded. "Follow me!"
Callista had remembered to erect a Force field around her body just before she hit the marbled floor. She let out a wordless gasp as her back bounced off the floor, sending an avalanche of pain down her spine. It took a few moments for her to regain her equilibrium, and she staggered slowly to her feet. As she stood, she looked around the Main Hall, and saw Tsin and the other Kerash priests in a circle, watching as a young man crucified into the far wall sizzled and burned. Callista shuddered, and she heard the smallest amount of movement from behind--the whisper of a robe--and she turned to see Armenia standing behind her, ready to pounce. With only a fraction of her strength, Callista summoned the Force and shoved Armenia away from her. The Kerash woman stumbled back, nearly lost her footing, and steadied herself back up. The two women now stood a good distance apart, both bloodied, bruised, battered, and worn out to sheer exhaustion, but neither willing to go down. Callista glared at her opponent, smoke-grays locking onto emerald-greens, both waiting for the other to make the next move.
Armenia let out a tired laugh. "You've lost, Skywalker," she said, sounding like a drunken Corellian. "Look around you. You are too late to stop the ritual. Soon, the portal will be opened, and Arak will be free for all time." She managed a few steps toward Callista, ready to continue the fight. "I'm impressed, Skywalker. So far, you've held your own quite well. Much more than in our earlier duel." She smiled. "Perhaps you are not the weakling I thought you were. Unfortunately, time is running out, and I do wish to carry on with this further. So, if you'll excuse me, I'll make your death swift and painless." She lunged at Callista--
Jacen saw the bad woman begin to attack Aunt Callista in his mind. "Guys, we have to do something," he said to Jaina and Tenel Ka. "We can't let that bad lady hurt Aunt Callista."
Jaina smiled, as she closed her eyes. "Already on it, bro..."
Callista didn't even have time to react to Armenia's advance...but a second later, she realized she didn't need to. As soon as the leader of the Kerash bore down on her, a great wave of lightning shot from the Force storm above them. The hair on Armenia's head and arms lifted from her skin as the bolt traveled from the dark clouds, through the opening in the ceiling, sizzling through the air--
--and coursing into Armenia. The woman shrieked in agony as the blue-white flames touched her skin, sizzled through her body, and knocked her cleanly off her feet. She went sailing through the air, moving at the speed of a ship going into lightspeed, and impacted the opposite wall, making a hole completely through it, and tumbled to the ground outside. Callista stepped back in surprise, as her brain began to register what had just happened. She looked up at the Force storm, saw it still raging in the black sky.
"Thanks," she said aloud.
"Aunt Callista!"
Callista stopped when she heard her nephew's voice, and she turned to see Anakin, still chained to the wall. She gasped when she realized that in all the commotion with Hope, Kara, and Armenia, she had completely forgotten about her nephew.
"Anakin!" she shouted, as she ran over to free the little boy. Callista used the Force to shatter the chains that bound Anakin's arms, and she scooped up her nephew in a hug. "Yeah, well, it took you long enough," Anakin said jokingly, and he hugged her back. "Where's Hope?"
"Hopefully with Luke," Callista said, as she said Anakin down. "But she's safe." She turned and looked back at the circle of priests, who seemed to be in a trance of some sort, for none of them seemed to even notice what was going on. Then she looked back at Anakin. "Anakin, listen to me. I want you to get out of here. Go find Uncle Luke and Hope, and leave this place as quickly as you can. Is that understood?"
Anakin nodded. "No problem, Aunt Callista."
Callista smiled, and ruffled his dark brown hair. "Then may the Force be with you, Annie."
Anakin began to run, but he stopped, and looked back at his aunt, worried. "Aren't you coming with us, Aunt Callista?" he asked hopefully.
Callista hesitated and glanced over at the hole that Armenia had made. She could still sense the Kerash woman's life-force, still burning brightly, but much dimmer than before. "I will in a minute," she said coldly. "I have one other thing to take care of first."
Anakin froze, as if sensing that he knew what Callista's intent was. She had no doubts that he knew, but he made no move to stop her. The little boy merely nodded and ran out of the Main Hall, toward safety. Callista's eyes rested upon her staff, which had fallen with her and Armenia. She quickly went over and retrieved it with both hands, and headed for the hole through the wall--where Armenia waited for her. She was going to finish this once and for all.
Hope could feel a stitch forming in her side as she ran, but she forced herself to keep moving. She ran, ran like her life depended on it...and it did. Her nerves burned with fiery, intense pain from where Kara had stabbed her with the knife. Hope bit her lip to stifle another cry, but it was so hard. As she ran, she kept thinking of what Kara had told her. About the brother she would never have, and how Mommy knew about it. At first, she had thought that her sister had been lying to her, but she had seen the guilt shine in Mommy's eyes. Did she know something that Hope didn't? She wished she could have asked her about it before she had left the Main Hall, but she decided to save it when this was all over. Brother I would never have? What did she mean by that... Daddy! she called out through the Force. Daddy, where are you?!
She heard noises coming from downstairs. It sounded like fighting, with people screaming, and arrows being fired. Swallowing a lump in her throat, Hope began following the scary sounds. She opened a door, and saw a flight of stairs leading downward. A few steps, and Hope could see a huge battle taking place in the large chamber. And there, she saw Daddy, fighting with his lightsaber. Hope felt her heart sing as she found her father, after a long time of not seeing him. She shouted as loud as she could, carrying her voice through the Force.
"Daddy!" she screamed, as she began running down the stairs. As she ran to be with her father again, she didn't notice the Kerash on the balcony above her as he aimed an arrow at her back...
Callista leaped out of the large hole Armenia had created by crashing through the wall, and found herself outside again. The rain continued pouring down, turning the ground into an ocean of mud. She flipped her soaked hair back, releasing hundreds of tiny raindrops into the air.
And there was Armenia, groaning as she slowly got to her feet. She did not look good at all. Her face was covered in blood, mud, and rain, all three mixing together in a disgusting potion on her skin. Parts of her skin had blackened from where the lightning had touched her. Her robes were ragged and torn, and one of her arms hung at an unnatural angle. Her hair was unkempt and sticking to her face, and for the first time, Callista realized how pale-white this woman really was. Armenia seemed in no condition to continue the fight...but that didn't mean Callista was going to stop.
"Armenia!" she shouted over the storm, striding over to her with the staff. The Kerash woman turned to face her, and Callista smacked the staff hard across her face, tearing through the skin on her left cheek, and cutting open the muscle beneath. Armenia staggered back, not making a sound. She slowly began to turn back to Callista, as if trying to strike back, but unable to. She didn't even bother to resist as Callista struck her again.
Tsin watched patiently as the body of Kinshur began to burn away, his flesh turning red with blistering heat growing inside him, then black as it started to sizzle. "Yes," he whispered. "Just as it was written. The portal is opening up within the Vessel. And once the Vessel dies, the portal will be opened." The priests gathered around him nodded in silent agreement. As they watched, Kinshur's agonizied screams died out as his body began to melt. His skin began turning into a black tar-like substance, melting away from his bones. At the center of his chest, a bright blue light began to glow within him.
"Yesssss," Tsin repeated, feeling a victorious smile part his face. "Open. Open!" Kinshur let out a final scream, and his body continued to melt, dripping slowly to the floor in a mass of black flesh and blood. The Vessel lifted his head up into the air, and whispered, "For Arak..."
With that, Kinshur breathed his last. The blue white continued to glow bright as it burst from Kinshur's melted chest, now hovering high into the air. As seconds melted away, the vortex opened wider and wider, a swirling blue light that simmered with evil.
Tsin immediately dropped to one knee, his head staring at the floor. His fellow priests followed suit, as the portal began to hum and move, growing larger and larger until it encompassed the entire chamber.
The portal had at last been opened...and Arak was entering their world.
*
"Daddy!"
"Hope?" Luke whispered, as he heard his daughter's voice ring throughout the vast chamber, rising even over the deafening battle cries of the Kerash and rebels. He looked around in a frenzy, searching for his daughter. "Hope, can you hear me? Where are you?" "I'm up here!" screamed Hope. Luke turned, and he saw his daughter running down the stairs, a delighted smile on her face. One look at her, and Luke was horrified by her appearance. Her hair was in a disarray, blood stained one of her hands from a large rip in her palm, her clothes were in tatters, and her face was caked with mud, grime, and tears.
But she still looked beautiful to him. She was still his little angel. And there she was, running quickly down the steps, toward him, her arms stretched out to hug him. Luke smiled as he ran over to scoop his daughter up in her arms--
--when he saw a Kerash on one of the balconies firing an arrow at Hope from behind.
"No!" Luke shouted, reacing with lightning reflexes. He flung his lightsaber overhanded in the direction of the Kerash, the green energy blade stabbing the robes man deep into his heart. He lost his grip on his longbow, and he slumped to the ground. Luke called his weapon back into his hand, grabbed Hope and pulled her into the empty space beneath the stairs, wrapping his arms protectively around his little girl.
"Hope, by the Force, you're okay!" he said, kissing her on the cheek.
"Daddy!" Hope exclaimed, tears of joy running down her cheeks. "I'm so glad you're here! I thought I'd never get a chance to see you again!"
"No matter what happens, Hope," Luke said, "I'll always be there for you. No matter what."
"Can we go home now, Daddy?" Hope asked sadly, as she pulled away from him, gazing sullenly in his eyes. "I hate this place so much. I don't want to stay here anymore." Luke's heart broke when he saw his daughter so distraught. If only it could be that easy, he thought. "I want to go home, too, Hope, as much as you do. But we can't just yet. We still need to help these people. That's what Jedi do. We help people." He placed his hands on her shoulders, quietly comforting her. "But I promise you that we'll be going home very soon."
Hope nodded, feeling a little better.
"Sir!" Luke heard Kieran call. "These archers are wiping the floor with my warriors. I need your help in taking them out as soon as possible!"
Luke nodded at the rebel leader, and turned back to Hope. "Hope, I want you to stay right here in this corner until I get back, okay?" he said. "Don't leave this spot, no matter what happens."
Hope nodded. "Yes, Daddy. I'll stay right here." She stomped her foot on the ground she was standing on for extra measure.
Luke smiled, and he hugged his daughter again. "I'll be back soon, my little angel," he said softly. He stood up and went over to Kieran, who patiently waited for him. "Okay, I'm ready. We don't have much time left, do we?"
Kieran nodded sadly. "I fear that by now, the Kerash have already succeeded in opening the portal. We may not be able to win this after all."
"We are going to win," Luke said. "Because the Force will be on our side." He glanced back at Hope, who sat down at the corner, nodding over at him in silent support. "If we're going to take out the archers, we need to move now."
The Force storm outside had begun to subside. The winds still blew, and it continued to rain, but a little less harder than earlier before. There was no more thunder, no more lightning. It was as if that whatever power the Force storm was drawing from was beginning to dissipate. Not that it mattered much to the two women who continued fighting outside the temple.
Callista, having spent the last five or six minutes smacking Armenia left and right with her staff, threw a front-kick into the woman's gut, knocking her down to her knees. Armenia moaned in pain, and looked up at Callista, fear and loathing in her eyes.
"You must be enjoying this a lot," she said, spitting every word out like rotton meat.
Callista shrugged as she stepped closer. "Maybe just a little," she replied, as she smashed the staff across her face again. Blood flew out of Armenia's nose as her face twisted to the right. It took her a few seconds to turn back to face her opponent.
"You can't stop Arak," Armenia snarled, blood dripping from the corner of her left eye. Her body sagged, on the verge of collapsing like a toppled tree.
"Oh, don't worry about Arak," said Callista. "Her turn will come later." She brought the staff up, and down upon the crown of Armenia's head, opening a large crack on the top of her head, releasing another river of blood.
The Kerash archers were so high up in the balconies that it seemed impossible to scale the walls to reach them. As Luke and Kieran went up the steps until they were standing right under the first balcony, the Jedi Master knew that scaling the wall wouldn't be necessary. With an incredible boost from the Force, Luke leaped high into the air, with the grace of skill of a trained acrobat, and landed on the rail of the balcony. The Kerash archer cried out in surprise and stepped back. Not even giving him a chance to react, Luke leaped off the rail, grabbed the man by one arm, and threw him none-too-gently off the balcony, where he tumbled into the mass of fighters below. His companion protested angrily, even as Luke snatched the longbow from his hands, smacked the Kerash across the face with it, and threw him down after his friend. Neither of them were dead, he knew, but they sure wouldn't be getting up for a long while.
"Sir!" Kieran called from down below, gesturing toward the balcony next to the one Luke was in, where two more Kerash archers fired down upon the crowd. Luke nodded, and grabbed hold of one of the red silken curtains that stood on one side of the balcony, and used it to swing across the wide gap. He flew right over the flight of stairs, which moved past him in a blur, and landed on the second balcony, right behind one of the Kerash. His lightsaber came to life, and Luke stabbed the archer in the ribs. The man screamed and fell to his knees, and was silenced when Luke plunged the blade deep into his back. The second Kerash turned to confront him, and began aiming an arrow in his direction. Luke came forth, sliced the weapon in half, and slammed the metal handle of the saber into the side of the Kerash's head. He heard a loud crack, and the man stumbled back against the railing, almost falling.
With his opponent incapacitated, Luke grabbed him by the front of his robe, and offered him a powerful head-butt that pulverized his nose. He threw him off the balcony, where he tumbled down toward Kieran. The rebel leader brought his mace up and into the falling archer, shattering his body into several bloody pieces with one hit. With all four archers down, Luke leaped off the balcony and landed safely on his feet. He grinned over at Kieran.
"Problem solved," he said.
Kieran nodded. "Excellent work, sir," he said.
The job done, Luke ran over to see his daughter, and he held her tightly in his arms. "Hey there, my little girl," he said. "It's okay now. You're gonna be all right."
"But what about Mommy?" Hope asked. "She needs help."
Luke looked at her. "What do you mean? Where is Mommy?"
"She was in the Main Hall," Hope replied. "She saved me from Kara. And then Armenia arrived, and Mommy told me to leave and go find you. I don't know where she is right now. Daddy, I'm scared she got hurt..."
Armenia...
"It'll be okay, precious," Luke soothed. "I'll go find Mommy." He searched the chamber, and saw Cray, who was mopping the floor with over a dozen Kerash warriors. "Cray! Come over here!"
The HRD heard him immediately, and ran over to him.
"Can you take Hope outside, away from the battle?" Luke pleaded, handing his daughter over to her. "I need to find Callista."
Cray nodded. "Yes. Of course."
"When will you be back, Daddy?" asked Hope.
"Soon, Hope," Luke answered, kissing his daughter. "Very soon...and with Mommy." He looked up at Cray. "Thank you."
The HRD nodded, and she led Hope out of the battle. Once they were safe from harm, Luke turned to Kieran. "I have to get to the Main Hall," he said urgently. "Can your handle yourself here?"
"Yes," Kieran said, and placed a friendly hand on Luke's shoulder. "Be careful, sir." Luke nodded, and began heading up the stairs.