Title: Twisted Fates: A Jedi's Fate- Book One
Author: Jedidanny
Rating: PG to PG-13
Genre: Romance, action-adventure
Summary: The first story in a series, this is the story of Avalynn Stormhaven, mother of Renoa and Cole Stormhaven, and her adventures. R&R.
A/N: Star Wars doesn't belong to me, unfortunately. However, these characters do, so please don't steal them or I'll be a very cranky Jedi. R&R!
Chapter Six
To the Rescue; Brayon's Sacrifice
Sith Prison
The Cell
The Next Day
When Avalynn woke up, Brayon was gone. She assumed he had been taken to be tortured; when she felt a cry of pain sore in her heart, she knew her assumption as true. She could feel his pain.
She sat up slowly, still sore from the ordeal she had gone through the night before. The collar was still around her neck and it seemed to get tighter every minute. The door slid open and two storm troopers entered.
Oh, Force. Now what do they want with me? she thought.
"Get up, Jedi," one of the guards sneered from beneath his helmet.
The troopers turned around for a moment and Avalynn sent a glare to the troopers back. She stood slowly, glancing down at her arm. She hoped a nice dip in a bacta tank would be able to heal her 'mark'.
After a moment, they turned back to face her and one of them backed into the room pulling on a table that lay flat with straps on it. Avalynn swallowed hard, not wanting to know what they planned on doing next.
One guard walked toward her and grabbed her arms, bringing her to the table. The second guard bent down to pick her up by her feet and the two lifted her onto the table, strapping her down tightly.
"No! Let me go!" she yelled, struggling beneath the straps.
The guards began to wheel her down the hallway, pushing her into a room different from the first one she'd been in. A button was pressed and the table began to move up so she sat up and Avalynn found herself practically staring into the eyes of Kathan.
"How are you today, my Princess?" Kathan asked.
"Why do you keep calling me that, Sith scum?" she sneered, knowing that she would pay for it within moments.
Kathan laughed, shaking a finger at her, "Such a temper, Avalynn. I'm sure that will soon change. You see, my master grows impatient with you, and wishes to extract
whatever information you have as soon as possible. Once you've given us the information we need, you and I will be wed. Isn't it perfect?"
"I told you, I don't know anything," Avalynn said. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to keep herself from getting angry, "I will not marry you. There is someone else I love, someone that my life for could never change."
"So be it, Jedi," Kathan said, no emotion on his face. He stepped back and watched as the examiners stepped forward to begin their work once more.
Once more, the electric shock belt was wrapped around her waist, and the white circles put on her legs, arms, stomach, and forehead. The two troopers then stepped forward and began pushing the table out of the room and down the hall, Kathan following behind her.
Avalynn frowned, unsure of what was going on. Soon, they came into the throne room and Avalynn swallowed hard, knowing that she was once again going to face the Sith Lord keeping her prisoner.
The guards stood by Avalynn, one on each side, bowing their heads at the man who sat upon the throne with a crooked, evil smile on his face.
"Welcome, young Lorran. I trust you've had an excellent stay so far," the Sith Lord said.
Avalynn said nothing, knowing that as soon as she made the Sith angry, they'd turn the belt on or do something worse.
Kathan moved to stand by the table, patting Avalynn's cheek, "I'm afraid she's been a little uncooperative, Master. She says she knows nothing about the Holocron."
Avalynn pulled her head away as Kathan patted her cheek, sending a glare at him.
"Have you placed the dream sifter on her yet?" the Sith asked.
"No, Master. The technicians are currently rendering it to make it a little more…painful," Kathan answered.
"Excellent See to it that she is the first to use it as soon as it is ready. Tonight will be the wedding ceremony of the youngest heir of the Lorran family to you, Kathan, and we will be able to control the galaxy with more powerful than the Jedi could have possibly imagined."
"I'll never merry him. My friends will come for me, and when they do, you'll be sorry you ever did this," Avalynn said, trying to keep herself controlled.
The Sith lord laughed, "Don't be so sure of yourself, young one. You see the collar around your neck? It will be used to bring your pathetic friends into a trap."
"What?" she asked, her heart skipping a beat. If only she could warn them . . .
"They should be here any moment; I have guards scouting the forest, and they've placed listening devices on the outside of your ship so they can hear what they talk about. I believe one of them, a brother of yours, is hurt badly," the Sith said, smirking. He took a step back, nodding to the guards, "Set her up and be ready for when her friends come. Make sure you bring a ysalarmi here so she can't use the Force to warn them."
The guards began to move the table toward the throne. They unstrapped Avalynn from the table and brought her to a spot on the floor, pressing a button on her collar. They forced her to the ground, one of the guards taking the white circles off of her with the belt that was around her waist before placing another belt around her waist with two pairs of binders attached to it, one for her ankles, and the others for her wrists. They locked her ankles and wrists and into place, then stepped back.
One guard pressed a button on a remote and a cage began to form around Avalynn, trapping her within. Avalynn looked around as the cage formed out of thin air around her, making her its prisoner.
"Excellent. Ready the guards with nets and set your blasters for stun. We'll place her here and when they come, you'll be ready for them," Kathan said.
The Sith lord and his apprentice moved out of the room, the guards following behind to ready for the trap, leaving Avalynn alone.
Outside the Sith Prison
Darius stood behind a tree, looking out at the Sith prison that was only a short distance away. He knew that Avalynn was there, and that he would do anything he could to get her out safely.
The hood to his cloak was pulled over his face; he glanced over at Garrik, Maverick, and Conan, who all stood behind trees, waiting for the right moment to make their move.
"What's the plan?" Darius asked.
"There doesn't seem to be another entrance to the prison, and it seems to be heavily guarded. We'll have to distract them and then fend them off before they can call for back up. Hopefully the door in isn't coded or we're going to be in trouble," Garrik answered.
" I have a better idea," Darius said. He thought for a moment, reaching into the pocket of his cloak and taking out a pair of binders. His friends stared at him as he played with them to make sure they locked okay. When he looked up, he gave a shrug and sheepish smile, "I thought we might need them."
Garrik shook his head, grinning at his almost-brother-in-law, "What's your plan?"
"Let's just say we're going to pull a move Master Skywalker used once long ago. One of you is going to have to pose as a prisoner, though," Darius answered.
The group made their way a little deeper into the forest so they wouldn't be seen as Darius placed the binders on Maverick's wrists. They walked back to their spots behind the trees and held onto Maverick's arms, one standing behind him. When they reached the entrance to the prison, they stopped.
"Who are you, and what is your purpose here?" one trooper asked.
"We're here to bring a Jedi prisoner to you. We found him just today," Darius answered, using a fake accent.
The trooper nodded, "Proceed." He punched in the activation code and the doors leading into the prison opened.
As they waited for the doors to open, Conan sent a grin to Garrik's back, trying not to let the troopers see it.
Once they were in, Darius took the binders off, waiting until the doors were closed behind them. "That was almost too easy, but at least we got in," he said.
"Yeah, well, be on your guard. For all we know, they could be alerted to our presence," Garrik said. He gave a short nod, "Let's go."
The group made their way down the hall, watching carefully for any on coming guards. Darius stretched out with the Force, trying to sense Avalynn's presence. He gave a soft nod when he felt it.
"This way," he said, heading toward where the presence felt strongest.
Finally, they stopped in front of the throne room doors. This was still too easy; each of them placed a hand on their sabers, ready to use them if needed. Darius turned the knob and pushed the door open, stepping into the throne room.
On the floor in front of the door was a net that none of them saw. Across from them, though, next to the throne room, was Avalynn, in a cage, a handkerchief over her mouth.
"Avalynn!" Darus yelled. He took a step forward, and once he did so, they all stood on the net. With one tug, the ropes of the net that was being held onto by guards from above pulled the net up, imprisoning the young Jedi within.
The Jedi struggled in the net as it was lowered to the ground and Kathan and his master made their appearance.
"At last, we have four heirs of the Lorran family. We'll have the fifth soon enough, and then this can be such a touching reunion!" the Sith lord said. He took the remote out of his pocket and pressed a button. The cage around Avalynn disappeared and two guards went to her sides, grabbing her and placing her on her feet, taking the handkerchief off. They then took the collar off her neck, and suddenly Avalynn was able to breath again.
"You'll never get away with this," Avalynn said as soon as the handkerchief was untied.
"Oh, but I believe I have. And we can finally have your wedding to my apprentice, Kathan," the Sith said.
He gave a nod to two of the guards, who disappeared into the hall. A few minutes later, they and two more guards came back holding onto Arek and Brayon.
"Arek, Brayon! Let them go, please. They have nothing that you want," Avalynn pleaded.
"You are so wrong, young one. They have one thing I do want, and your brother will give it to us . . . Or see you die," Kathan said, moving toward her and placing a hand on her chin.
Avalynn knocked it away, looking toward her friends as they were taken out of the net and stun cuffs were placed on their wrists.
"If you let them go, I . . . I'll marry Kathan. But you have to let me say good-bye first," she said, swallowing hard.
"Avalynn, no!" Brayon yelled, struggling as the guards tightened their grips.
"Excellent. Prepare for the ceremony, and make sure we have our guests of honor to watch. Let them go so they may say good-bye, as the bride asks," the Sith lord said.
The guards let Avalynn go and she ran over to her friends, hugging each of them. She hugged Darius last, looking up at him as she pulled away.
"Darius, I . . . I didn't want it to come down to this, but . . . I'm sorry," she said. She lowered her voice into a whisper, "You still have your light sabers. Use them at the opportune moment." She then backed up, looking at each of them.
"Are you ready, my bride?" Kathan asked, taking her arm.
Hoping that Darius had understood what she meant, she gave a small nod, her eyes not leaving Darius's. "Yes, I'm ready," she said, turning her head back and walking with Kathan.
A priest had appeared, wearing a black cloak. His head was bald, save for some sort of ceremonial tattoo. He stood next to the throne where the Sith lord awaited, a sinister smile on his face as they began to walk down the aisle.
Darius waited for the right moment before reaching for his belt and unclipping his saber. He flicked it on, turning it in his hand and sending it into the stomach of one of the guards who held onto him. He pulled his arm away from the second guard and did the same, waiting for the others to follow his lead and kill their guards, leaving Arek and Brayon with no weapons.
Arek kicked at one of the troopers hard in the stomach, making him drop his hands from his arm as he fell to the ground in pain.
"Arek, catch!" Garrik yelled, switching his light saber off and throwing it to him.
Arek caught the saber and flicked it on, bringing the blade to life and pushing it into the stomach of the guard that still held onto him. He then ran toward Brayon to help him do the same.
In the chaos, the Sith lord yelled, "Quickly, take the girl and hide her. Make sure she doesn't escape! If she does, I'll have your heads."
The guards holding onto Avalynn started to pull her away toward a second entrance into the room.
"Let me go! Darius!" she said, struggling to get them to let go.
"Avalynn!" Darius yelled. He ran toward her, flicking his light saber on. One storm trooper started shooting his blaster at him; as the shots came, Darius deflected them, finally making one deflect back toward the guard who was shooting. He ran toward the trooper and flicked the blade off, putting it on his belt. He then grabbed the guard by the shoulder and sent a punch toward his face with a hard fist, knocking the guard down.
When Avalynn was set free, she hugged Darius quickly. Darius hugged back and took her hand, "Let's go."
They ran toward the rest of the group; the only one missing was Brayon, who was dueling Kathan using Garrik's light saber.
"Brayon!" Avalynn called.
Brayon looked at her for a moment, watching her. Kathan took this as the perfect moment, raising a foot toward his stomach and kicking Brayon hard, knocking him down and his saber out of his hand.
"No! Brayon!" Avalynn yelled, starting to run toward him.
Darius grabbed her arm, pulling her back, "Avalynn, don't. This is his fight. We have to get back to the ship before we're caught."
Avalynn started to protest, but she looked back at where Brayon was. He was standing up slowly, staring at the Sith that was trying to kill her brother
Avalynn, go. If I don't make it out, I'll always be with you. Go, Brayon's voice told her.
Brayon kept his gaze on Kathan, stretching a hand out. He pulled in on the Force and pulled his saber to him, back in his hand. He brought the blade to life, and the last
thing Avalynn saw before leaving the throne room was the two blades sizzling as they were brought together.
The Destined Runner
They had made it; Avalynn, Darius, Garrik, Maverick, Conan, and Arek were heading safely back to the ship.
Waiting outside was Garren, who stood with his weight on his good foot, his arm wrapped up carefully.
Avalynn smiled when she saw her brother, running toward him and hugging him, careful not to hurt his arm. She then turned as the others caught up, coming together in a group.
"Arek!" Garren said, hugging his younger brother. When they pulled back, he looked for Brayon. "Where's Brayon?"
Avalynn's smile faded and she looked down before glancing at the others, unsure of how to answer.
"He didn't make it back, Garren. The last we saw him, he was dueling the Sith who had captured Avalynn," Garrik said.
"We're going to wait for him, though, right? We're not just going to leave him there," Avalynn asked.
Garrik started to answer, then stopped; he glanced around at the others. "If you guys agree, we'll stay and wait for him. If he doesn't come back by tomorrow, we'll go back to the Academy and ask for reinforcements so we can get him out of there for real. There are Jedi in there who need a chance to have their lives saved just as much as Brayon," he said.
The others nodded, making their way back onto the ship in silence. Avalynn stood by the entrance, waiting for Arek, who entered the ship last.
She smiled up at him, hugging him, "I've missed you, Arek. I'm glad you're finally coming home."
Arek hugged her back, "I've missed you, too, Avarose."
She pulled back and turned to look at Darius. She smiled, walking over to him and leaning against him as she looked up into his eyes.
"Thank you for rescuing me," she said softly.
"You're welcome. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I'm your Jedi in shining armor," Darius joked. He raised a hand and used it to tilt her chin, leaning his head down and pressing their lips together in a passionate kiss.
After a moment, they heard someone clear their throat and Avalynn pulled back, turning to look at Arek, who had his arms folded and an eyebrow raised.
Avalynn laughed, "I think I forgot to tell my somewhat overprotective twin brother about you," she said to Darius. She stepped away from him and went toward Arek, taking his hand and bringing him toward where Darius stood. She leaned against Darius, who wrapped his arms around her waist. "Arek, this is my boy friend, Darius Stormhaven. Darius, this is my twin brother, Arek Lorran," she said, introducing them.
Darius put one of his hands out and Arek shook it. "Been taking care of my sister?" Arek asked.
Darius smiled, resting his chin on Avalynn's shoulder and kissing her on the cheek, "You bet."
"Good. I'd hate to have anything happen to her under your watch," Arek said with a smirk.
"Arek! I thought it was Brayon's job to be fatherly," Avalynn said.
"His job to be fatherly, but mine to be big brotherly. I am a few minutes older than you, after all," he said.
Avalynn rolled her eyes and shook her head; when they were younger, they would joke about who was older, and it seemed that joke would never die, no matter how much older they became or how long they had been apart.
"Did someone say something about a father?" a voice asked.
They turned and looked toward the ramp where they saw Brayon. Sweat beaded down his forehead, and he looked tired and worn. He held an arm against his stomach, trying to show that he wasn't hurt, even though the blows he had received to his stomach had probably managed to break a rib.
"Brayon!" Avalynn unwrapped Darus's arms from her waist and ran over to her brother, hugging him gently. "We almost thought we'd have to go back for you. What happened?" she said.
"It wasn't easy, but . . . I defeated Kathan. He's dead; or, he should be, after the wounds he had. His master is still alive, though, but . . . I'm free," Brayon answered.
Avalynn hugged her brother again, "I'm glad you are." She turned toward the others, "Is the ship fixed?"
Garren nodded, "Yep. I was able to repair the damage even with a busted ankle. After the healing trance, I felt a lot better."
"Good. Let's go home," Avalynn said.
Okay. That's the end of chapter six! Don't worry, there's a lot more to come!
Chapter Seven: Facing the Council; Graduation and Birthdays