Chapter 22
As she followed the strand of flickering light, Leanna picked up speed until she was in a full fledged run, thinking, I don't have much time, so I'd better not waste it. Several minutes later she stopped at an intersection that suddenly appeared out of nowhere, panting for air. Which way do I take? Studying each path carefully through narrowed ice-blue eyes she thought, I have to choose fast, the longer I stay here, the chances I can return to life get worse. So this is my trial for refusing to croak, huh? And I have only one chance at it.
Once again she studied the tunnels the best she could in the dark. The right one seemed to have a smooth floor with vines clinging to its opening. The cave itself had an overall friendly appeal to it.
The cave in front of her seemed to be the worst of all of them. Chunks of rocks were scattered all around the uneven and potholed floor and spikes threatened to fall from the ceiling. At the bottom of the entrance were two skeletons with the half of their skin still clinging to the bone. The only thing that kept the one on the left standing was the spike planted through its neck and embedded in the wall. The second one was closer to right wall, a boulder laying on its crushed head.
Closing her eyes and shuddering slightly, Leanna shook her head and looked at the tunnel to her left. The cave looked like it came directly from Tatoonine with all the sand laying on the floor. Probably had the heat too. But the only other direction was the way she came, and that was not a choice for her. Taking a couple steps forwards to get a better look at the caves, a voice stopped her in her tracks.
"Leanna, my angel, come to me. Come home."
Looking at the right cave she whispered in disbelief, "Dad? Is... is it really you?" "Yes, Leanna, its me. Now let go and come home where you belong. With your mother and I," said the voice that claimed to be her father.
She began walking toward the cave, a tear slipping down her check mouthing, "Father."
"Promise me one thing, Lea, my precious daughter. No matter what happens to your mother, me, or what life throws at you, never give up."
Halting in her tracks her eyes hardened as she stared into the darkness. "You're not my father. You're just a trick to get me to choose the wrong path. My Father would never want me to give up my life, no matter what."
"Leanna!" a young voice cried from the left cave.
Snapping her head to the left, she started at it as she furrowed her eyebrows and voiced her question, "Llia?" It can't be... It has to be another trick.
"You little brat..." Armenia's voice came followed quickly by Llia's panicked scream. "LEANNA!"
Stepping toward the left cave, Leanna thought, It's probably an another trick, but I can't that risk.
"No child, its a trap," an unfamiliar voice said from the middle cave. She held her hands over her ears as more voices told her to pick one cave or the other, but never the same voice.
What should I do? Leanna thought. Who can I trust?
Who knows, maybe meditating will work.
Meditating can be very good when you want to clear your mind, to relax, or to seek and answer that can only be found within you.
Remembering her Father's and her brother's words, Leanna kneeled down resting her hands on her legs as she closed her eyes. One by one, the beckoning voices disappeared, all except one. The unfimilar voice that called to her from the middle cave. Snapping her eyes open, she stared at the cave with the skeletons thinking, Oh, sure. It takes a battle with death to get me to start meditating again. Leanna continued sarcastically, This is going to be fun. Might as will get this over with. Stepping forward she entered the cave and ducked as two spears flew over her head missing her by a hair's width. Yeah, real fun.
Rushing forward, Leanna kept a close look out for any more traps. Spotting movement from the corner of her eye, Leanna threw herself into a shoulder roll, barley missing a wickedly sharp arrow. Rolling to her feet and jumping over the small holes in her way, she said to herself, "Well, it could be worse, I could feel the pain I had from the wounds I received during life."
Seeing a spike from the ceiling falling towards her, she jumped to the side, but wasn't quick enough as it scraped the side of her left arm, leaving a trail of blood. She hissed as the full pain of the broken arm she had in her fight with Armenia came rushing back. Me and my big mouth.
Taking one step forward, she collapsed as her legs gave out from under her and the pain in her back returned. Propping herself on her elbows, Leanna clenched her teeth to fight an outburst. Of course my legs are going to give. I'm lucky I can still move my arms. Hearing a sound above her, Leanna looked up and saw a spike about to fall. Closing her eyes in defeat she thought, I'm dead.
You still have the same fighting spirit you did then. I can see it in your eyes. You just have to let it free or reunite with it.
Do you promise to still be awake when I come back?
Something in Leanna changed as her siblings' words came back to her. Snapping her eyes open, she pushed with her right arm to roll herself out of the way of the falling spike while firmly saying, "I... will ... not..."
Her eyes glowed bright with determination. A couple seconds later a tingly feeling spread over her back, and the pain started to fade. Leanna barely had time to notice as she continued to move out of the way of a spear. With one last push with her right arm and another push from her legs she rolled to the side just in time to miss being hit by the spike. Realizing she could feel her legs once more, she looked at them in shock while thinking, My legs ... how?
Jumping back to her feet, wincing a little when she bumped her left arm, she took off running further down the tunnel. As she ran, Leanna studied the area around and in front of her as a spinning bolder appeared in front of a dark opening. The bolder was about half as tall as she, and was as wide as she was tall. Narrowing her eyes in determination, she put all her strength into her run, doubling her speed. As she neared the bolder, she got closer to the right wall. When she was a few feet away from the obstacle, she jumped, pushed her self away from the wall and back flipped the rest the way over the bolder and into the opening thinking, I haven't broke a promise yet, and I will not start now. I will survive. Opening her ice blue eyes, Leanna looked at the temple with a slight smirk saying, "I never thought I'd be happy to see your face again, but it feels good to be alive."
Using her right arm she weakly pushed herself into a sitting position and gasped in shock when she didn't feel the pain that should have had came from her back wound. Carefully, she reached behind with her right arm and felt for the wound. Instead of the gouge that was there but moments ago, were four gashes. As far as she could tell they were about two inches long and not too deep, maybe only a centimeter or so. Shaking her head she thought, Well, what do you know, miracles do happen.
Armenia was on her last leg. All the fight she had had from the start of the battle was now gone, leaving her a helpless punching bag for Callista. Blood streamed from dozens of wounds on her face from where the staff had struck her. Even if she managed to survive this--and Callista would make damn well sure that that would not happen--Armenia would be scarred for life. The Force storm continued to brew in the sky, only not as violent as before. Callista ignored it and struck Armenia firmly in the chest with the Force, knocking her off her knees and leaving her on her back, her emerald eyes gazing almost lifelessly up at the storm.
"Come on, Armenia," Callista sneered, approaching the downed woman, feeling a great sense of satisfaction for the first time since their fight had begun. "Don't give up on me now. What's wrong, are you finally tuckered out?"
"Please..." Armenia squeaked, starting to rise back up. Her eyes stared up at Callista, practically begging for the Jedi to spare her. "No more. I can't take it any more. Please, I'm sorry..."
"Don't apologize to me," Callista replied. "Apologize to Leanna. And Llia, and pretty much everyone else on this planet whose lives you ruined, all because of some asinine, third-rate god! You're the most disgusting person I've ever laid eyes on. You thrive on the pain of others, and you just keep thirsting for more."
This time, a small twinge of strength returned to Armenia's face, and she smiled. Callista could notice several holes in her mouth from where she had struck two or three teeth out.
"Look who's talking, Skywalker. You seem to enjoying the hell out of yourself right now. That makes you no better than I am."
Callista finally lost it, and she smashed the staff across the Kerash's face so hard that she ripped her left eye loose from its socket. The eye skipped through the air, and flopped to the mud-soaked ground, leaving a bloody-gaping hole on Armenia's face from where her eye had once been. The woman was now on her back again, unable to even scream at the sheer pain of it all.
"Bitch!" Callista shrieked, as she struck her again. "You dare to compare me to you! After everything you've done to me! You kidnapped my daughter and nephew, beat me almost to death, and tried to resurrect a crazy god so that she can destroy the universe! And you think I am just as bad. I am nothing like you, you motherless piece of SHIT!"
With anger fueling her strength, Callista smashed the staff upon Armenia again.
And again.
And again.
And again. She had no idea how long she did that, only that she kept raining hard blows upon Armenia, who remained helpless and stunned on the ground, not even able to lift a finger. Over and over again, Callista pummeled her, in the face, the stomach, the chest, the hands, the legs, the throat, Armenia's blood flying into her face. A loud, angered wail rose from her lips, echoing across the empty battlefield, as she let out all her rage and pain upon Armenia.
"Mommy, no!"
Callista stopped when she heard her daughter's voice. "Hope?" she said weakly, and turned to see Cray coming out of the temple, carrying Hope in her arms. The little girl's eyes widened when she saw Callista and Armenia, and she jumped from the HRD's arms, taking a few steps toward her.
"Mommy, what are you doing?" Hope asked, pain in her voice. "Why are you hurting Armenia?"
Callista looked down at the Kerash warrior, who was on the verge of death, her remaining eye looking fearfully up at the Jedi Knight, silently pleading. "Trust me, Hope," she ended up saying. "This woman is a murderer, with no decency at all within her. She deserves to die."
Hope stepped closer to her mother, sadness in her eyes and voice. "Please, don't kill her, Mommy," she begged. "You're so mad, it scares me."
It was Hope's final words that stopped Callista from delivering the final blow. You're so mad, Mommy, it scares me...As she began to lower the staff from over her head, voices of people she knew whispered in her head: The dark side...
You're scaring me, you're scaring everyone else around you. Do you have any idea how close to the dark side you are?
I sense much darkness in you now. If you continue down the road you've already taken, you will become its slave.
Don't give in to your hate...Promise me!
"In the name of Chad," Callista whispered in horror, as she realized what she was doing to herself and Armenia, what she had been doing all along since Hope had been taken from her.
She was one with the dark side.
Ever since her daughter had been kidnapped, she felt that darkness long dormant within her struggling to get out, to gain control over her, to become her master. She had tried to fight it, but it kept coming back to haunt her, stronger than ever, until she had finally given in to it, surrendered to it. She had chosen the path of a coward.
Rather than extinguish the darkness in her, she had chosen to embrace it. In just one day, she had killed so many. The blood of over dozens of people was now on her hands, and Armenia would follow if she kept pummeling her. These people may be evil, but in the end, if Callista butchered every last Kerash in cold blood, fueled by the dark side, she would become no better than them.
With the words of her daughter--her beautiful little angel--repeating in her head, she finally found the strength to push back the darkness, resist its temptation, and drive it away from her heart. She looked down at Armenia, who seemed bracing herself for a final blow, and let the staff drop to the ground.
"It's over, Armenia," Callista said coldly, not a trace of warmth in her voice. "You've lost. Arak will never be freed from Raximidaj." She stepped away from the Kerash warrior, and watched as she slowly got up.
The woman was in terrible shape, and she would need immediate medical attention. "You...You're not gonna kill me?" she asked.
Callista shook her head. "No. You're not even worth the bother, Armenia. Just get out of my sight."
With that, she turned her back on the injured warrior, and headed over to her daughter. Hope began running toward her with a smile, then skidded to a halt, her eyes opening wide in terror. She seemed to be looking over Callista's shoulder.
"MOMMY, WATCH OUT!!!!" Callista felt the Force warn her of a danger from behind. She spun around to see Armenia advance toward her with a knife in her good hand, bringing it down toward her chest. Callista couldn't even move away in time--
"No!" Cray shouted, as she ran to Callista's aid. She moved with blurring speed, moving right past Hope. When she got close enough to the two women, she knocked Callista aside, and stepped into Armenia's way--
--just as the knife plunged into her chest.
Callista watched in horror as the knife penetrated the HRD's synthflesh, going deep enough to hit the CPU, causing it to overload and explode. Blue bolts of electricity sizzled through Cray's body, as her flesh melted, exposing the wires and circuits underneath. Seconds later, she fell to the ground.
"No!" Callista ran to her friend's side, and gathered her in her arms. Cray's eyes stared up at Callista, the synthflesh on one side of her face already starting to melt away. "Cray, can you hear me? Are you--?"
"Callista--" Cray said, her voice pattern becoming deeper as her body overloaded. "I..."
"No, you'll be fine," Callista urged, shaking the droid by the shoulders. "Your self-repair unit, you can..."
"I-I can't," Cray whispered. "It's already melted. In a few minutes, I'll completely shut down."
"No!" Callista begged, tears streaming from her eyes.
"It's okay, Callista," Cray said weakly, reaching up with one skinless hand to stroke Callista's cheek. "This is...what I want. I'm not the real Cray, Callista, no matter how hard I try to tell myself otherwise. Trust me...it's better this...way..." Her optical senses dimmed, and the droid's body completely shut down in Callista's arms. Cray's eyes continued to stare up at her, frighteningly empty of life.
"Well," Armenia said, still towering over Callista. "That was...interesting, to say the least."
Callista looked away from her friend, and up at her opponent, glaring with an intense fierceness, careful not to let her anger get the best of her. "You monster..." she said. Armenia sneered. "You Jedi whore. You should have killed me when you had the chance. And now look what's happened. Your little friend's dead. How many does that make now, with both her and Leanna dead?"
As the woman spoke, a small figure crept up behind her, unnoticed by either woman. Hope did, however, and she briefly looked behind Armenia, giving whoever it was a silent nod.
"Any last words, Skywalker, before I cut open your throat?"
Hope went over to Callista's side, and looked straight up at Armenia, not a trace of fear on her face. "I do, Armenia," she said quietly. "Two words: Behind you."
Armenia stared down at the little girl in confusion; then realization broke across her face as it begun to hit her. Letting out an angry cry, she began to turn around to slice open the new arrival--
--and looked down at Llia, and saw a metallic cylinder pressed tightly against her stomach.
"This is for my sister, Armenia," Llia said, and she pressed the red button.
Armenia's eyes widened as she saw what was happening, but there was nothing she could do but scream as the blue-white lightsaber blade sprung to life, cutting completely through her midsection, and out through her back. The knife clattered uselessly to the ground, and both hands went down to grasp the handle of the Jedi weapon, her eyes going glassy as she stared down at Llia. Then, without a single sound, she fell to her knees.
Llia grunted as she yanked the blade free from Armenia's body, and placed the tip of the blue blade against the woman's throat. Armenia continued staring at the little girl, her life slowly dripping away. She pushed the blade forward. Armenia's head rolled to the ground seconds later, and the rest of her body tumbled afterwords. Her fingers twitched for a few seconds, then fell still, smoke rising from the stump of her neck, where the lightsaber had struck her head off, as well as from her stomach. Llia looked down at her cousin's corpse, a haunted look in her eyes.
Callista began to stand up, gently laying Cray's body on the ground. Hope stepped over to Llia, concern evident in her eyes. Llia looked over at Hope--and began to cry. Hope reached out and hugged her friend. They both fell to their knees, as Llia sobbed on the younger girl's shoulder, looking away from Armenia's corpse. Callista knelt beside the children and wrapped her arms around them.
Llia had avenged her sister's death...and it had done nothing to ease her pain at losing her only family left. She knew exactly how the little girl felt.
"Llia?" The new voice startled Callista, and she whirled around, expecting another Kerash to attack her--
--and instead saw Leanna, alive and well, approaching Callista from behind. The woman was still alive...and she could walk. Words could not do justice to what Callista felt when she looked at Leanna.
"Leanna?" she gasped, not knowing what else to say.
Leanna nodded. "Where's my sister?" she asked.
Llia, having heard Leanna speak, looked up and saw her older sister standing beside Callista, very much alive. Her entire face paled, first with disbelief, then relief, and then joy. "Leanna!" she cried out, as she stood up, and ran to embrace her sister. Leanna returned to hug with as much strength as she could muster, and added a few kisses.
"I'm here, Llia," she said, as she scooped the little girl up in her arms. "I'll always be here for you. Oh, I love you so much."
Callista smiled as she watched the two sisters hug, and looked over at Hope. Her daughter was also smiling, and she ran over to her mother, leaping into Callista's arms. "Oh, my precious little baby," Callista said lovingly, as she hugged Hope. "I'm so glad you're okay."
"Mommy...can we go home now?" Hope asked.
Callista nodded. "Yes, honey. We can go home now." She had just set her daughter back down, when the ground they stood on began to shake and tremble violently. Hope screamed as she almost fell, but Callista reached out and hold her, careful not to let herself fall. Beside them, Leanna and Llia looked around in confusion and fear, as a mighty earthquake began tearing the ground apart.
"What's going on?" Hope shrieked fearfully, clutching her mother's leg. Lightning flashed from the sky, but this time, not from the Force storm. Another storm, larger and far more powerful, began forming in the dark sky, unleashing amazing arms of lightning that shattered into the ground, and struck down even the tallest of the gnarltrees. One bolt hit the top of the temple, causing debris and pieces of limestone to rain down upon them. And through it all, Callista could hear a dark, malevolent laugh tear at the back of her mind. It chilled her to the very bone, it sounded so terrifying and evil. Like a dark sunspot plaguing a sun, like a single drop of blood staining a white sheet...
And as Callista stood there, holding a terrified Hope in her arms, she uttered the words Kara had said to her so long ago. "It's Arak...She is Coming..."
Luke had almost reached the corridor leading into the Main Hall when the temple began to shake, causing large cracks to burst through the limestone walls. Luke lost his footing, and slammed against the wall, falling to his knees. Above him, the ceiling started to crumble.
What's going on? Luke thought as he stood up, getting out his lightsaber. Just what we needed. An earthquake, in the middle of a battle-- His eyes widened when he saw Anakin up ahead, who was writing on the ground, a large piece of rock jammed onto his left leg. The little boy was screaming for help, blood running down from one side of his face. "Anakin!" Luke shouted, running over to help his nephew.
"Uncle Luke!" screamed Anakin. "My leg...I think it's broken!"
"It's okay, Annie," Luke calmed him as he used the Force to lift the rock away. He picked Anakin up and held him in his arms. "Come on! We have to get to the Main Hall before--"
"--the portal has opened," Callista said gravely, as she looked down at Hope, who still clung tightly to her mother's leg, trying hard not to scream in fear. "I guess Armenia was right. I was too late to stop the Kerash after all."
She looked over at the hole Armenia had made through the wall, where she could see the barest hint of blue light streaming from the Main Hall. "And now Arak's coming...just like Kara said."
"What are we gonna do?" Llia asked, then shrieked as another bolt of lightning tore from the sky, causing her to hide her face in her sister's arms. Callista thought for a long moment, then handed Hope over to Leanna. "Leanna, I want you take Hope and get out of here. I don't want any of you near this place when I face Arak."
"No, Mommy!" Hope protested as Leanna held her hand. "I wanna go with you!" "You can't Hope. It's not s--" But as the words left her mouth, a single word erupted in her mind.
Calthazar...
Callista froze as she heard Sonya's voice. She looked down at her little girl, who was so scared of what was going on, and wanted nothing more than to just go home with her mother and father, so they could be a family again.
Hope is Calthazar...
"Wait," Callista said, as Leanna began to turn to leave. She went over and took Hope in her arms. "Hope will stay with me."
She hugged her daughter, and looked over at Llia and Leanna. "I'm so glad that you two are together again. Keep it that way, and don't go anywhere near this temple again until this is all over. Go back to the rebel camp, and look after the other three children. I want you all to be safe."
Leanna nodded, as she protectively held her younger sister. "You have my word, Jedi," she said, and led Llia into the jungle. With Hope in her arms, Callista turned back toward the entrance through the wall, her feelings a mixture of determination and fear. She had known that this day would be coming for so long, but she was in no way ready for it. "Mommy?"
Callista looked down at her child. "Yes, Hope?" she asked. "If something..." Hope couldn't find the right words. "...if we don't make it...I just want wanna say that I'll always love you. Forever and ever."
Callista was moved by her daughter's sweet words, that she fought hard not to cry. She couldn't afford to cry at a time like this. She rubbed her nose gently against her daughter's. "And I will always love you, Hope," she said softly. "Even in death..."
Then, still carrying Hope, Callista leaped through the giant hole. The first thing she saw was an enormous swirl of blue-white light hovering high in the Main Hall. Tsin and his Kerash priests were standing under it in a large circle, with Tsin in the center, bowing down before the portal. The Main Hall continued trembling, large pieces of stone breaking loose from the walls and falling to the floor. Callista set Hope down, who hid, terrified behind her leg.
"By the Force..." she gasped, one hand going up to her mouth.
"At last!" shouted Tsin, his voice marked with triumph as he raised his hands high into the air, his fingers almost touching the ever-enlarging vortex. "At last, she is Coming. Arak is Coming...into our world!!!"
It was then that Callista felt an earth-shattering wave of pain shudder through her body, and she and Hope both fell to their kness, screaming.
Luke burst into the Main Hall, with Anakin held in his arms. He stopped dead in his tracks as his eyes fell upon the massive blue white enveloping the air. The portal.
"Uncle Luke," said Anakin weakly, "I have a very, very, very bad feeling about this." Luke nodded, his eyes transfixed on the enormous vortex. "I know how you feel." He heard screams from off to one side, and Luke turned to see Callista and Hope writhing on the floor, spasms shaking through their bodies. She were clutching their heads in pain, unable to stop from screaming.
"Callista?" Luke said in horror. "Hope!" He began running toward his wife and daughter--
--when he suddenly collapsed to the floor, an incredible wave of fire burning into his head. He dropped Anakin, who landed next to the wall, his body begin to spasm uncontrollably. And as Luke felt the fire burn everything it touched his body, as he felt an endless stream of screams leave his lips, he could hear the sound of laughter...
"What the heck?" Jacen exclaimed, as the ground he and his friends sat on began to tremble, as if an earthquake had just started. All around them, the gnarltrees began to topple and fall on top of each other.
"It's an earthquake!" Jaina gasped, as their concentration on the Force storm began to falter, growing weaker. "Oh, great! Can things get any worse?"
As Jacen, Jaina, and Tenel Ka began to stand up, Jacen gasped as he felt a terrible ache in his head. One hand went up to rub his forehead, but it did nothing to alleviate the pain. Tenel Ka gave him a concerned look.
"Are you all right, Jacen?"
Jacen nodded. "Yeah...I think so. I just got a headache or something."
That ache suddenly turned into a searing agony, and Jacen collapsed to the ground, his hands clutching his head, screaming as large spasms tore apart his body.
"Jacen?" Jaina said, and went over to her brother's side. "Jacen, what's--"
She suddenly began screaming as well, falling right next to her brother. Tenel Ka joined them soon thereafter, unable to stop the pain coursing through her body. And as they laid there, screaming in pain, as the earthquake continued to shatter the ground, their grasp on the Force storm completely broke off, and the storm itself eventually faded away into nothingness.
*
Leia had had no idea what had happened to her. One minute, she had been discussing the casualties of the battle with Han and Mon Mothma in her office. Then the next minute, she was on the floor, screaming at the top of her lungs, her arms and legs flopping uselessly like a fish trapped on land. Pain tore at every nerve in her body, as if someone had set her on fire. She could barely make out Han's face as he grabbed her by the shoulders. She could feel his panic as he began shaking her, trying to snap her out of it. "Leia?" he said. "Leia! Leia, are you all right? What's going on--?"
"I'll get help!" Mon Mothma exclaimed, as she ran out of the office for paramedics. Han continued shaking his wife, as she continued screaming incoherently in agony. "Leia, answer me!" he begged. "Tell me what's wrong! Leia, sweetheart, can you hear me?"
"It's started!" Leia began screaming. She couldn't control what she was saying. All she saw was a bright flash of blue light in her eyes, and dark, frightening hands reaching out to grab her. "It's started! It's started! It's started! It's started! IT'S STARTED! IT'S STARTED--"
"It's started!" Tionne screamed, her hands going up to her head as a loud sizzle of pain entered her brain. She fell to her knees, her screams growing louder and louder. "The door has opened! It's opened! And it's starting to come out!"
All around her, Kyp, Streen, Cilghal, and the rest of the Jedi students on the small pleateau on Garkonis, still waiting for help to arrive, began to scream with her as well.
Artoo-Detoo strolled down the halls of the Great Temple on Yavin 4, very close to panic. The little astromech droid had been programmed to feel human emotions such as panic and fear, and now, those emotions were raging throughout his little mechanical body, worse than ever. The screams of all the Jedi students in the temple rang from their personal quarters. Artoo wheeled down one hall, he listened as the students screamed from their rooms. They began shouting incoherent words, in many different languages.
"It's started! It's started!" one of them shouted, while another shouted something about a door opening. Another spout out something about a triangle needed to close it. Artoo understood nothing of which they were talking about, no matter how hard he tried to decipher their "codes". He had no idea what was going on.
All throughout the galaxy, on hundreds of different planets, all Force- sensitive beings began to scream and writhe in pain as Arak began entering their world.
As the agony in Callista's body reached a climax, she suddenly felt it stop. Her body finally laid still, no longer plagued by spasms, trying to regain her breath. The earthquake and the storm outside had stopped as well, including the Force storm.
The Main Hall remained silent. Relief poured through her, as she looked over at Hope, and saw that she had stopped shaking as well. Callista reached over with one weak arm, and tried as hard as she could to hug her little girl.
"Hope, are you okay?" she whispered.
Hope managed a slight nod. "I hurt, Mommy," she said weakly.
Callista stood and picked her daughter up. "I know, Hope," she said, as she gave her daughter a comforting kiss. "I do, too."
"Callista?" Luke said as he began to get back up.
"Luke!" Callista exclaimed, as she picked Hope up and ran to her husband's side. She felt Luke's arms slide around her and their daughter, reuniting their family once again. "Oh, Luke, I'm so glad to see you!"
"Annie!" Hope gasped, as she leaped from her mother's arms, and went over to the little boy, who was still on the floor, grabbing at his broken leg.
Callista's hand went up to her mouth, and she looked over at Luke. "Is he-- "
"His leg's broken," Luke said softly. "But he'll be okay. Callista, what just happened to us...what was that all about? What happened?"
"I happened," a voice said from behind them.
A low, demonic growl of a voice, with not a trace of humanity in it. Callista saw Luke's eyes bulge out in horror, as he stepped back. Callista felt her bones melt into water, as she began to turn around--
--and screamed. Kara stood behind them both, all traces of the wound from Armenia's spear now wiped out. Her eyes, once a dark smoke-gray like her mother's, now glowed with blue-white fire. She smiled, and the sheer terror of her grin wanted Callista to cover her eyes.
"K-Kara?" she gasped.
The woman shook her head. "No. I am not Kara, anymore, Callista." She raised her clawed fingers into the air. "You know very well who I am."
Callista could not describe the horror she felt as it slowly started to sink in. "You're Arak," she said. She froze in place as she looked into Arak's blazing eyes. She could feel the pure evil emanating from this demon, now entrapped in the body of her deceased daughter.
Arak continued sneering at the Jedi, her grin growing ever so wider.
"I...I don't understand," Callista stammered, looking over at Luke, who seemed just as frightened as she was. "How...why are you in her body..."
"You fool!" Tsin exclaimed, as he stepped from the circle of Kerash priests, toward Arak. "In order for the Great One to live in this universe, she must find a host to inhabit, whether they are alive or dead." He smiled as he laid eyes upon the newly-resurrected deity, and he dropped to one knee, his head lowered. "O Mighty Arak, we welcome to to Anasazi." The rest of the priests followed after their leader, bowing before the power of their goddess.
Arak smiled down upon Tsin, sending a shiver through Callista's blood. "It was you who freed me from Raximidaj?" the goddess said in that terrifying, animal-like voice. Her eyes glowed even brighter as she rubbed her long, clawed fingers through the High Priest's long brown hair. "I thank you for that."
Tsin nodded. "With your permission, Your Unholiness, the Order of Kerash wish to receive their reward for bringing you into our world."
A wicked gleam shined in Arak's eyes as she nodded in acceptance. "Very well, Tsin. You shall receive your reward..."
Tsin raised his head, his eyes looking up at Arak with a mix of reverence and awe, as she pressed the palm of her hand upon his forehead. A second later, he started screaming. His flesh began to smoke and turn black.
Callista, Luke, Hope, Anakin, and the Kerash priests looked on in horror as Tsin's flesh began melting away from his bones. His blood boiled, and splattered onto the marble floor, his agonized screams increasing. Arak's hand remained clamped upon his forehead, until all of the man's skin was gone, melting into a large puddle on the floor, and exposing the skeleton underneath. Tsin's corpse clattered to the floor, and shattered into dozens of tiny pieces.
The remaining priests stood up, terrified, and began to run. Arak's hands came up, using a power Callista had never seen before to hold all of the priests in place. Blue fire erupted from her fingertips, striking each of the Kerash in the chest, and coming out through the back. Within seconds, their faces had turned a bright cherry-red, none of them able to scream--
--and exploded. Blood, brains, gore, and pieces of torn clothing rained through the air as the priests combusted, one by one.
Barely five seconds had passed before their remains littered the once-clean floor. And then Arak turned toward Callista and her family.
"Those poor, deluded fools," the goddess said, the evil burning within her staggering. Her eyes blazed when she looked upon Callista, through Kara's face, now a mere mask to hide the true face of the goddess. "Now...this is going to very fun."
"Get back, Callista," Luke warned, as he stepped between the two women with his lightsaber. "Arak, I don't know who you are, or what you want, but I swear to the Force that I'm not gonna let you lay a hand on my family!"
Arak scoffed. "The Force? So, that's what Shemra calls herself these days. How pathetic."
She took a single step closer to Luke, until her nose was nearly touching the Jedi Master's face. "Do me a favor, Jedi, will you? After I have ripped your heart out, if you happen to see Shemra in the afterlife, tell her that I'll be coming after her soon."
Luke gnashed his teeth, and swung his lightsaber in a curving arc toward Arak's midsection--
--and gasped when the goddess snatched the energy blade with her hand, her fingers curling around the green light.
The blade caused no damage whatsoever to her hand
"Impudent fool!" Arak snapped, as she landed an uppercut into Luke's jaw. Callista gasped as her husband was tossed back through the air from the force of the blow and into the opposite wall. She ran over to his downed form, fearing the worst. Callista heaved a sigh of relief when she saw that he was still conscious, but bleeding heavily from his mouth. "You all are just as foolish as those Kerash priests," Arak said, her voice reverberating across the Main Hall. "I am a god. You can't kill me, or even hurt me, for that matter. No mortal can ever hope to stand up against a god."
Callista helped Luke stand to his feet, and glared at Arak. "Leave us alone, Arak!" she shouted. "We have done nothing to you!"
"Oh, but you have," Arak said, standing in the middle of the chamber, where the portal continued to rage above her. "Unless I've made a mistake, you all plan on stopping me, is that right?"
Callista had no answer for that one.
"How amusing," Arak continued arrogantly, glancing from Luke and Callista, to Hope and Anakin, who cowered against the other wall, scared out of their minds. "Four pitiful mortals dare to challenge me?" Her voice grew louder as she became angrier. "The pantheon of gods were no match for me centuries ago. Compared to them, you all are no contest."
Blue lightning began curling around her fingers as she spoke, searching for a target. "Now...who shall be the first one to die?"
Callista suddenly felt an incredible surge of power course through her body. She felt stronger than ever before, and next to her, Luke pulled away from her grip, able to stand on his own two feet, the blood gone from his face. His eyes glowed with a burning white power...as did Callista's. Hope, who had a moment ago been crying in Anakin's arms for fear of dying, stood up as well, overcome by the same power as her parents. Her eyes blazed with white intensity, fixated on Arak.
"You shouldn't have come back, Arak," she said, her little three-year-old voice combined by another voice. The voice of a million-year-old power who had once banished Arak into Raximidaj.
Shemra...the light side of the Force.
Arak's eyes widened as she recognized the voice. "Shemra!" she gasped. "What are you doing here, you old bitch?"
"I am here to stop you," the Force spoke through Callista, as she and Luke stepped closer to the Kerash goddess.
"And this time," spoke Luke, "I intend to finish the job."
Arak laughed, her voice thick with derision. "With these people, Shemra? These three...mortals? They are no match for me, and neither are you! I'll kill every last one of you if I have to!"
"These mortals are Jedi Knights," the Force said through Hope, who stood to Arak's left. "And they have powers you have never even dreamed of." Anakin watched on, both amazed and frightened, as Callista blocked Arak from the right, and Luke stood directly in front of her, the three forming a triangle of a sort around the goddess.
The Trinity.
"Oh, Shemra, Shemra," Arak said in amusement, but with the smallest drop of uncertainty in her voice. "Still the same weak, sentimental fool you were ten-million years ago. I see what you're up to. My mother, Sheherhera, and her army of gods couldn't destroy me with the Trinity...and it will not work now."
"That's because I didn't let them win," Callista said, her eyes glaring at Arak. "I killed every last one of them on Kindora, on the day I trapped you in Raximidaj."
Shock painted Arak's face as she listened. "You...what?"
"The gods were becoming corrupt, thanks to you," Luke said. "So I had no choice to annihilate the entire pantheon. It was the hardest I have ever had to make, and I regret it to this very day." His voice hardened. "But now, your time is up, Arak. Now, you must be destroyed once and for all."
Arak tried to move away, escape from the triangle, but the Force trapped her in an invisible barrier, preventing her from moving a muscle. Callista felt a series of strange, unpronouncable words leave her mouth, as she, Luke, and Hope began chanting in a language she had never heard before.
"Neeha ufhga uerhal ghutka poralga bhutain shrian gueoal kehskeak."
"No!" Arak hissed, trying to cover her ears, but her arms refused to move. "No, you shut up! Shut up, all of you! I am not going back!"
The Trinity continued to chant, their hands rising slowly into the air. Arak began to scream, as if an eletrical surge had just passed through her body. "NO!"
"SEENAHK!" Callista shouted at the top of her lungs, pointing an accusing finger at the goddess. Arak screamed as her spirit left Kara's body, causing the corpse to sag lifelessly back to the floor. Callista could make out a dark, black smoke coursing uncontrollably through the air. Arak's screams permeated the Main Hall as she soared out of control, unable to control her momentum--
--and back into the portal. The screams of the Kerash goddess erupted from the swirl of blue-white light, causing the temple to shudder. Luke, Callista, and Hope remained in their place, unmoving. Anakin whimpered in fear. Once Arak's screams dissipated, Callista felt the influence of Shemra leave her body. And all three collapsed to their knees, weakened and drained from their ordeal.
"Uncle Luke!" Anakin exclaimed, unable to go over to then, due to his broken leg. "Aunt Callista! Are you guys all right?"
Callista nodded. "Yeah, I think so..."
"Well, that was easy," Luke muttered, as he stood himself up.
It's not over yet, the Force whispered in their minds.
Callista looked around in surprise, expecting someone to appear behind her. "What do you mean?" she demanded, glancing back at the vortex, hoping that Arak would not return. Arak is back in Raximidaj, but she is still alive and strong. In order to destroy her, you must perform the Trinity on her own ground...in Raximidaj itself.
Callista's knees felt weak at that point. "Take the fight to her?" she said in realization. Yes, the Force said. But you must hurry. The portal will not stay open for long. Callista turned back to the gaping portal, and then at Luke and Hope, knowing that they had heard the voice as well. "Luke--" she began.
Her husband nodded. "I know, Callista," he said. "We have to do it. If we don't, then the Kerash will just try again. And we can't allow that to happen. Arak has to be destroyed." Callista finally nodded in agreement, and she took a moment to gaze at her beautiful family for one last time. For she had a sinking feeling that this would be the last time she would see them again.
"Then I'm ready," she said.
With that, she turned and began running toward the portal. She could feel the portal drawing her in, like a tornado. Her arms reached out forth, and were the first to enter the blue-white light, and a cold chill ran through her body, as if she had just placed her arms into a freezing river. Behind her, she could hear Luke and Hope's footsteps against the marble floor as they ran after her. Callista took a deep breath, and threw the rest of her body into the portal, and knew no more.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Hope called out as she ran after her parents. She tried to run as fast as she could, but she couldn't keep up with them. "Wait for me!" She watched as Mommy entered the strange portal first, then Daddy a few seconds later. As she approached the portal, her breath coming out of her in small gasps, she could feel the portal's influence reach out to her, slowly reeling her in. It was a tingling sensation that gave her goosebumps. "I'm coming!" Hope shouted as she shot one hand out toward the portal--
--and watched as it disappeared into the air, leaving without her.
"No!" Hope cried as she fell to her knees, sobs racking her body. "Nooooo! Mommy! Daddy!" She felt despair and helplessness overtake her mind.
"I'm sorry, Hope," Anakin said sadly, unable to go comfort his cousin. Hope nodded, and continued to sob. Now, after all they had been through together, she would never see Mommy or Daddy again...
Do not cry, little one.
Hope gasped as she heard the Force speak to her again. She looked up and around, but she saw no one other than Anakin and herself in the Main Hall.
"Wh-Why?" she said, trying hard to obey. "What am I gonna do now? Mommy and Daddy have left me, forever..."
There is still hope, my child, the Force said, her voice beautiful and comforting, washing away Hope's tears. You are the Calthazar, Hope, the heart of the Trinity. You are the key to defeating Arak once and for all. Hope nodded.
"But the portal's closed now," she said. "How can I...How can I open it again?"
Let the light side guide you, Hope. And I will show you how...
Why do I keep coming here?
That's for you to decide.
Callista groaned as she woke up, and shielded her eyes as bright rays of sunlight streamed through a large window. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her surroundings--and almost passed out in shock. She was in her old childhood bedroom.
On Chad.
The last thing Callista remembered, she had been about to launch herself into the portal leading into Raximidaj, to battle the goddess Arak.
And now...
Callista looked around, at the room she had not seen for over sixty years. She remembered her old bed, her pet mooka Jeebie, who slept on the edge of her bed, making soft cooing noises through its nose. She saw old toys she had long forgotten, as well as posters of her favorite jizz-wailing bands.
Where's Luke? she thought as she got out of bed, still wearing the same clothes she had worn in the Temple of Arak. And Hope?
She heard noises from outside, and she looked through the window to see her little brother, Josef, fishing with their father on the shore. The little boy cheered with delight as he caught a rainbow-colored catfish, and threw it onto the sandy ground, and launched his fishing hook back into the crashing waves. Callista smiled as she watched her brother and father, the nostalgia starting to return. How she missed this place, before...
No, her mind said sternly, trying to snap Callista out of her reverie. This isn't real; none of this is. This is only a stupid dream, and as soon as you wake up...
"But I don't want to wake up," Callista said softly, sitting back down on her comfortable old bed, on the red-and-green-striped quilt her great- grandmother had sewn for her on her third life day, stroking Jeebie's soft white-brown fur, smiling as she felt the mooka's breathing under the palm of her hand. "I don't want to wake up...ever again."
Why do I keep coming here?
That's for you to decide.
She heard movement from outside her room. Callista stood up, feeling her muscles tense.
"Hello?" she called out, her voice slightly quivering. When no answered, she tried again. "Hello? Is someone there?" She could still hear the shifting of slippers on the green carpet, just outside her room. Callista gathered up her courage, and stepped gingerly out of the room, finding herself in the small hallway that led into the living room. Across from Callista's bedroom was the refresher. And on the carpeted floor was an empty bottle of poison.
Lissy...I'll be there, when you come. Come to me...when it's your turn to pass.
I will, Mama. I promise, I promise...
Callista crept through the hallway, and found herself in the living room. She saw the family holovid placed against the wall, next to the old- fashioned fireplace. This house was so old. Her father had told her before that it had belonged to his great-great grandfather... Callista sat down on the soft, leather sofa in the living room, and used the remote to switch on the holovid. An image of a black-and-white cartoon flashed to life on the screen. An animated cy'een who was talking to a big, fat fish.
"Juufoo," Callista whisperd, as she recognized the cartoon. "That was my favorite show when I was little." She remembered this episode, the first one she had ever seen. She remembered first watching it when she was around four or five, and giggling as Juufoo and his friends went on so many crazy adventures under the ocean...
She heard footsteps again, this time from somewhere in the kitchen. Callista quickly switched off the holovid, and stood from the sofa. She could feel the tiniest bit of sweat dotting her forehead.
"Hello?" she said weakly, but again, no one answered. Callista stepped into the large kitchen, and saw no one in sight. Not her older sisters, or even the house-droid. She recognized the table where she had always eaten lunch with Josef after having played at the beach. Her mother usually made them shrimp sandwiches or chocolate-coconut pie. It was her favorite dessert. And indeed, she saw a plate of pie sitting on the table, unattended to. Callista felt her mouth water, and she finally realized how hungry she was. She had not eaten anything in so long...
"Hello, Lissy." Callista almost screamed in surprise at the sound of the voice. She quickly turned around, her long brown hair flying over her left shoulder, and saw her mother standing at the kitchen entrance, a kind smile on her face, bringing out the green in her gorgeous eyes.
"Mama?" Callista gasped, disbelieving.
Her mother chuckled at the sound of her voice. "Well, what are you standing there for, Lissy?" she said in a slightly amused, but not unkind, tone. "Go over there and eat your pie. I made it just for you."
Callista looked over at the pie--which seemed more delicious than ever--and then at her mother, who continued smiling at her. She didn't know what to say. She wasn't sure if this was really happening or not. "Are...Are you sure I can...What if Josef comes in and..." "Oh, don't be silly," her mother said, stepping into the kitchen. "It's not Josef's seventh life day we're celebrating tomorrow. He's still got a few more years left."
Callista looked out through the kitchen window, toward where Josef and their father kept fishing. Her little brother was now hugging his father around the leg, proud of both their captures. Callista's eyes brimmed with tears as she remembered with vivid clarity of her little brother's death at the hands of Jedi hunters, killed because he'd helped her.
"Well, don't be shy," her mother urged. "I made it just for you."
Callista snapped out of her thoughts, and looked back at her mother. She had almost forgotten that she had been in the kitchen. She stared into her mother's beautiful, but weathered, face. She stared at her green eyes, her mane of long black hair, her slim figure.
And then she remembered the empty bottle of arsenic...and of her holding her mother's dying body in the refresher, too late to save her.
Come to me...when it's your turn to pass...
"Is something wrong, Lissy?" her mother asked, concerned. "Are you feeling all right?"
Callista shook her head. "Mama...I don't know what I'm feeling anymore. I just...I can't explain it..."
Her mother seemed hurt. "Well...aren't you going to eat your pie?" she asked, almost pleading.
Callista didn't know how to answer that. She wanted so much to. Hunger began gnawing at the edges of her stomach, fiercer than ever. But, for some strange, she couldn't get to the pie. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get anywhere near it. Why was this happening?
Why do I keep coming here?
"Well, suit yourself, then," her mother replied, in a bitter, angry tone. "I see where this is going, Callista." When she had been alive, her mother had only called her Callista when she was about to get in deep trouble. "You don't want the pie because I'm the one who made it. I completely forgot; you hate me. Now, if had been your father who had made it, on the other hand, you would've eaten it in just one bite."
Callista was taken aback by her mother's words. She had never been this harsh to her before. "What?" she choked out, feeling the long-held tears now starting to release. "Mama, how can you say that? I appreciate everything you're doing. It's just that..."
"I don't want to hear it, young lady!" her mother snapped, on the verge of shouting. "What do you want me to do, Callista? I've given you everything. I gave you life, a home, clothes, an education, everything you could ever ask for! And how do you reward me? You shut me out of your life!"
"No!" Callista sobbed, one hand going up to wipe her tears, but they kept coming, unable to stop. "No, that's not true! It never was! I love you very much, Mama! I just...I just..."
Her mother sneered. A cold, chilling smile that terrified Callista more than the Kerash, Kara, and Arak combined. "You just loved dear old Papa more, is that it?" she said, stepping closer to Callista. "It was always 'Papa this' or 'Papa that'. You never paid any attention to me, that's for damn sure, no matter what I did for you!"
"I loved you!" Callista screamed, leaving against the kitchen sink for support. Without it, she would have fallen. She felt a shudder run through her body as she fought hard not to erupt into uncontrollable sobs.
"If you loved me so much, why did you kill me, sweetie?" her mother snapped cruelly. "Admit it, Callista. After I had taken the poison, and you held me in your arms, you wanted me to die. You longed it for so much, you could practically taste it. You were thinking, 'Yeah, you old bitch. Go ahead and die! You deserve every last bit of it!' Didn't you? Didn't you?"
"No!" Callista screamed, placing her hands on her ears, fighting to shut out her mother's voice. "No, no, no, no, no, no, I'm not listening to you! I refuse to listen to you!" "Oh, come on, Callista. You're not fooling anybody!" her mother taunted. "You remember after my death, everyone else blamed you for what happened. You brother, your sisters...hell, even your loving father blamed you! That has to tell you something, doesn't it?" She reached out, and snatched Callista by the shoulders, forcing her to look her in the eyes. "Tell me the truth, Callista. Come on, do it! What did I always tell you? Telling the truth makes you feel better."
Callista shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut. She wished she could just die right then, if it meant leaving this horrible nightmare. "No! I won't say it! It's not true!"
"Yes, it is," her mother hissed in her ear. "YOU! WANTED! ME! TO! DIE!"
"YES!" Callista shrieked, her voice amplified a thousand times over with the Force. The window transparisteel shattered, as did the table, and the walls and ceiling began to crumble, as Callista unleashed her fury upon her mother, reliving her nightmares over and over again. And then, she began to cry. "Yes," she concended. "Yes, I did want you to die. There, are you happy now?"
She glared at the woman who stood before her. "I was glad you died, Mama. I spat on your grave, I cheered the moment you breathed your last on this world. There! Are you satisfied now? You cold bitch!"
When she looked up at her mother's face, she saw that it had changed. No longer were her eyes emerald-green, but an all-too-familiar burning blue.
"There now," her mother said, her voice different, a low-throated growl. "That wasn't so hard now, was it?"
Callista felt her eyes open wide, and she stepped back, almost tripping over the broken table. This was not her mother at all. It never was.
"Arak?" she gasped.
Arak, now in the form of her mother, nodded. "Very good, Callista. It took you long enough, though."
Feeling panic and confusion start to overwhelm her, Callista looked around at the familiar kitchen. At the place she had once called home so many years ago...then back at Arak. "I don't understand," she said. "Where am I?"
Arak smiled. "You're in Raximidaj," she said.
"What? This--" She gestured at their surroundings. "--is Raximidaj?"
"Of course," the goddess replied in that horrible, demonic voice. "What did you expect Raximidaj to be like, Jedi? A world of fire, lava, and brimstone?" She chuckled. "No, that's too clichéd." She spread her arms out, encompassing the entire room. "This is Raximidaj, my sweet, in all its nightmarish glory."
Callista nodded as everything started to make sense to her. "This isn't real," she said softly, looking out through the window again. Josef and her father were gone, vanished without a trace.
Mere illusions. "It's like one big nightmare, isn't it?"
"That's exactly what Raximidaj is," Arak said. "A nightmare. This dimension has no true form. How you interpret it depends on you."
Callista looked over at the god. "I still don't completely understand."
"Take a look around you, Callista," Arak explained. "This place, this very home, represents your worst nightmare. Your greatest fears...this is source of most of your worst memories. Your mother's death, your family blaming you for her suicide, your ever-increasing isolation, the deaths of your brother and father, both deaths barely a month apart...when a being is sent to Raximidaj, their worst memories becomes Raximidaj to them. In your case, your childhood on Chad is your Raximidaj. In fact, the term Raximidaj is Kerash for nightmare."
Callista listened intently to Arak's explanation. The pieces of the puzzle began to fit into place. "What's your worst nightmare?" she asked suddenly.
Arak seemed surprised by her question. "Me? Oh...the battle on Kindora. Losing to the gods, and being banished in this miserable place for all eternity, until the Ritual of the Coming brings me back into your universe." Her voice grew softer, almost gently. "Every day, I relive that same nightmare over and over...just as you will relive all this for all time." Callista felt horror pierce her heart as she listened to Arak's words. She would have to keep reliving her life on Chad every day until she found a way out of this place-- And it was then that Callista realized what she had said earlier. About her mother. About how glad she was that her mother had committed suicide, that she had longed for it to happen.
And it was a lie.
Her mother's death was the worst day of her entire life. It had forever shattered her life and her relationship with her family. Nothing would ever be the same again. And to say such things about her mother, who loved her dearly, and never quite realized how much Callista loved her back...
Arak seemed to be reading her mind. "Oh, don't fret over it so much," she said. "You're just lying to yourself. You never loved your mother at all. She loved you, that much is true, but you never loved her back...hence, the suicide."
Callista at first felt hurt by Arak's words, followed quickly by anger. "You know nothing of my mother and me," she snapped accusingly. Arak shrugged. "Hey, don't get mad at me. I'm just going by what I see. Besides...it's none of my business."
She turned her whole body toward Callista, malice glowing in her eyes. "What is my business is that you came here to stop me. And I intend to kill you and your husband, and leave this damned place forever."
"But you lost your chance," Callista pointed out. "We pushed you back into Raximidaj. There's no way out."
Arak smiled. "Oh, I don't think so, Jedi Knight. The blood of the Bond and the Vessel has already been drawn, and the portal has been opened. True, it's closed again, but I now have the ability to open it at my own free will. All that stands in my way now is you."
Callista drew herself up to her full height, glaring full-force at the goddess. "You're not leaving Raximidaj, Arak."
"Oh, really? Who's going to stop me--you?"
Callista suddenly felt a wave of invisible power smash into her chest, throwing her off her feet, and through the kitchen wall. She screamed in pain as pieces of brick and debris cut into her skin, and she hit the sand moments later, paralyzed with shock and pain. She had sprained her ankle in the fall, and her left arm hurt too much to move it. As Callista began to stand back up, she saw Arak glide through the hole made in the house, and landed gracefully on her feet. Her eyes glowed brighter than ever as she sauntered over toward Callista.
"I'm going to have so much fun ripping you apart limb from limb," she snarled, as she bore down on Callista.
I know you're here...
Luke felt a cold rush of air as the platform he stood on began to move. Not far
behind, he could hear Artoo's desperate whistles and beeps as the little droid
tried to follow him into the anteroom, but was cut off from his master when a
large metal door closed in front of him, sealing off the anteroom.
Luke ignored it as the platform carried him into another chamber, a large vast
cavern of pipes and machinery. The only sound was his own ragged breathing and
the barely discernible hiss of steam escaping from the pipes. The chamber was
darkly lit, and the air was freezing. Luke shivered as he look around the empty
chamber, feeling very much like he had stepped into the cave on Dagobah again.
Where are you? I know you're here, hiding...
Unconsciously, his hand moved to his lightsaber. The hairs on the back of his
neck stood. Intuition–or perhaps the Force; he could feel it flowing through
him–told him that was not alone. Someone else was in the chamber, waiting for
him.
Remembering Master Yoda's teachings–he could still hear the little old Jedi's
voice in his head, warning him not to go, that his training was not yet
completed–Luke stretched out with his feelings. His thoughts stretched across
every corner of the carbon-freezing chamber, searching for the monster that
awaited him in the dark–
Suddenly, the lights in the chamber brightened. A fresh burst of steam rose
from the opening of the hydraulic elevator. Through the newly-born noise, a
voice–accompanied by an all-too-familiar stentorian breathing that emanated from
a black mask–hissed through the room.
The Force is with you, young Skywalker.
Luke turned to the source of the voice, barely able to hold back an involuntary
shudder, and looked up at the creature that awaited him.
Darth Vader stood quietly, menacingly, on the walkway above him, shrouded by
steam. His breathing echoed in the vast room. That mask–that black mask that had
the silent ability to terrify any being who looked into its empty, dark
eyes–stared down at him, beckoning him. In one gloved hand, Luke could see
Vader's lightsaber, not yet activated.
But you are not a Jedi yet, Vader finished, unmoving.
A range of emotions ran through Luke's mind as he began walking up the stairway
to meet his enemy: terror, anticipation..and above it all, rage. This was the
man who had killed the people closest to him. This was the man who had murdered
his father, his uncle, his aunt, his mentor, and now threatened the lives of
those dearest to him.
Knowing what he would have to do–after all, this was why he had left Dagobah,
leaving his training incomplete–Luke put away his blaster; it would do no good
against a Sith Lord.
Don't give in to hate...that leads to the dark side...
Luke said nothing as he joined Vader on the top of the walkway, a mere ten feet
away from him. He looked into those cold, black eyes, the mask that hid the face
of a demon. He remembered what had happened in the Dagobah cave, the battle that
had followed, and in the end, Luke had decapitated Vader–
Only this time, it was for real. No more tests, no more illusions. This time,
Luke knew that this was the real monster. Only one person would walk away from
this confrontation alive.
Luke ignited his lightsaber. The blue blade hissed to life. His eyes never left
Vader, a challenge.
A second later, Vader followed suit. A bright red beam of light extended from
the cylinder–the same blade that had cut Obi-Wan down on the Death Star–and
nearly crossed with Luke's.
Luke could feel his confidence rising, pushing away the fear.
This time, he would not fail. He knew he could take Vader. He would not die like
Obi-Wan. This monster would pay his crimes against the galaxy. He would pay for
killing Luke's family–
Luke lunged forth, his lightsaber slashing through the cold air of the
carbon-freezing chamber. Vader moved as well, his blade intercepting Luke's
blow. Unfazed, he tried again, and let out a cry of surprise as Vader pushed
back with incredible strength, causing him to lose his balance.
Luke was on his feet within seconds, his blade held out in front of him. He
moved forth a few paces, and Vader stepped back. Neither spoke.
Luke's eyes bored into Vader's emotionless, terrifying mask. It seemed to be
laughing at him, taunting him–
He betrayed and murdered your father...
The anger in him rose, and Luke attacked. The battle began.
The two blades crossed over and over, as Luke and Darth Vader fought for
dominance across the platform. Drawing strength from the Force, Luke struck
again and again and again, and each time his attacks were repelled by Vader's
weapon. All the while, his hate and rage toward this man–no, this creature–grew
stronger and stronger.
Don't give in to hate...
Vader was extremely good; after all, he had been able to hold off a Jedi as
powerful as Obi-Wan. Never once did he take the offensive, although he certainly
could have–for although Luke was a good, strong fighter, even without the Force,
he was no match for a Dark Lord of the Sith. Instead, he merely remained
defensive, parrying and driving back every one of Luke's blows.
Hack, slash, jab, parry. The battle continued on. The minutes melted away,
until time became irrelevant. Luke clenched his teeth as he drove the Sith Lord
back, resorting now to brute force. He chopped away again and again, each time
aiming for Vader's neck, just as he had in the cave...
You have learned much, young one, Vader said, almost respectfully.
Luke forced a grin. You'll find I'm full of surprises.
The battle between them continued–and then changed.
Now they were in a different part of Cloud City. In the reactor shaft. Pain
burned through Luke's right arm, and as he backed away from Vader on the gantry,
he saw that his right hand was entirely gone.
Vader had sliced it off.
There is no escape. Don't make me destroy you.
Luke crawled to the end of the gantry, clutching his right forearm. He looked
down below, toward the abyss. He knew that if he fell, he would keep falling, he
would fall forever–
In his mind, he could faintly hear someone screaming. It sounded like a woman–
Leia?
No, not Leia. It was someone else. Someone he knew–
Vader said, stepping closer to the gantry. His lightsaber remained
activated, but no longer pointed at him. You do not yet realize your
importance. You have only begun how to discover your power.
Luke looked at him in Sith Lord. Vader had him right where he wanted; why
didn't he finish him off, like he did Obi-Wan–
And then he realized why. The knowledge of it chilled him to the core. Vader
had never intended to kill him at all.
He wished to turn him to the dark side.
Unbidden, a memory returned to him. Of him in the cave on Dagobah, facing off
Vader and decapitating him, the explosion that followed afterward, the
realization that the face looking up at him through Vader's mask was his own–
The cave...remember your failure at the cave...
Join me, Vader continued, his cape billowing around him like black wings,
and I will complete your training. With our combined strength, we can end this
destructive conflict, and bring order to the galaxy.
I'll never join you! Luke shouted defiantly, and he meant it. He would never
join this murderer, or his Emperor–
Vader raised an angry fist. If you only knew the power of the dark side... He
paused, looked at Luke as he struggled to maintain a hold of the gantry, as if a
thought had suddenly occurred to him. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to
your father.
My father? Yes, he told me what happened, you murdering bastard...
He told me enough! Luke growled. He told me you killed him.
Vader said, quietly, almost regretfully. I am your father.
It was as if the galaxy had stopped existing at that moment; all that was left
was Luke and this...dark thing that stood before him. He looked into Vader's
mask, at those cold, unmoving eyes. No words could describe the sudden explosion
of emotions in his mind. Luke almost let go of the gantry in sheer horror.
Shock, disbelief, betrayal, rage, terror, anger, revulsion...and even sadness.
He betrayed and murdered your father...
I am your father...
Betrayed and murdered your father...
Obi-Wan never told you...
Murdered your father...
Luke choked, feeling the tears well in his eyes. His throat tightened; it
became harder to breathe. No...that's not true! The anger began to take over
again. That's impossible!
But Vader was unfazed. Search your feelings. You know it to be true.
Liar! You are nothing but a murdering liar! You are NOT my father; you KILLED
my father!
You know it to be true...
Luke began to scream. Scream and cry. The tears flowed, the pain in his right
arm forgotten; it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart. He suddenly
wished he would just die, die and make the pain go away.
It's not true. None of this is!
But what if it IS true...?
Vader stepped back, shutting off his lightsaber. A new voice rippled from his
mask...different and more terrifying. It was an inhuman, animal growl. Look at
you. The great Jedi Master Skywalker, crawling and whimpering like a caged
animal. How pathetic.
Luke looked at him, confused. What...?
Time for a change of scenery, don't you think?
Vader–or whatever this creature was–waved one gloved hand, and the world swam
before Luke's eyes, blurring, losing shape and color, until he plunged into the
abyss...