Chapter Seven: In Which We Have a Very Pathetic Ripoff of LotR and We See How In Character the Characters can Stay While Being Evil

(A/N Tiana: Well, we were following the LotR plot, so we had to try... heh... it was a bit pathetically done for this scene though. LIVE WITH IT!)

Shadow paced, her steps echoing within the otherwise silent room. "Jethine, Jethine, Jethine. Why does it always tie back to her and Audreidi? Why is it always around the mystery which can't even be unwrapped by the union of two worlds?" Step, step, step, and she was across the room. She turned around, and started back again, her cloak twisting around her with the motion.

"Why does Tiana not fit in at all? There's no way to put this puzzle together."

A memory...

"I'm just a piece of the puzzle. But what can you do when a piece is missing?"

"A part of the puzzle. You're most of the puzzle."

"It's extremely difficult fabricating another piece, a replacement."

"So where is that puzzle piece then?" Shadow hissed, throwing her shoes across the room. "As Jandalf said, it's a puzzle-- and she's a part of the puzzle. I myself said she was a large part of it. What can we do when a piece is missing?" Her shoes hit the wall with a resounding clunk, but it gave her no satisfaction. "With what we have, there's no way the pieces can fit together. Not even if the missing people were able to find their way into this world would it work."

Shadow used the Force to call the shoes back to her, and drop them off in a corner, annoyed. "The only way it fits is if Tiana's gone," she hissed darkly. Her eyes changed then, morphing into a distant expression. "Tiana, or myself. And there's no way we could do that..."

Shadow closed her eyes. "There's a way, yes..." she whispered to herself, withdrawing a small book from her pocket. "We're bound to our pasts, both of us are... to destroy the past at the right time would destroy us, and put this right again. But would it stay right? It's likely that it will just rebuild. No matter what you try to tell yourself, Tiana was meant to meet Jandalf, all that time ago, just like you were meant to face this." She stared down at the book in her hand. "But it seems the only answer."

Shadow was silent, though she had merely spoken softly. "And I couldn't bear to destroy someone so close to myself." Her face remained dark, but one lone tear drifted down her face to land at her feet in its slow fall. That broke her, and she fell to her knees sobbing softly. "Oh, Tiana... which way will it have to be? Why did it have to be like this? I can't bear the knowledge of knowing that I will break up such a peace... by breaking you, I break Jandalf, Audreidi, Lara'li... cause a chain that could cause more of a downfall than this itself." She dropped the book she held, and it fell to the floor, its pages wrinkled by the fall.

She made no move to retrieve it, knowing only what she had to do. "Oh, stang, why did it have to lead to this?"

--------

Shadow walked across the hall swiftly and silently, tear streaks rubbed off of her face, and the redness diminished. However, she still held an aura of sadness about her, a grief that should not've been there. Her destination: Darth Vader's apartment. He had something she needed.

All too soon the walk was over, and she found herself knocking on his door almost mindlessly-- as if another controlled her. In truth, another did. "Lord Vader? Helllllooooooooooo??" She knocked, and let her personality take over instead of true feelings.

The door swung open. "What's your problem?" Vader asked. He didn't appear to be in much of a state for visitors, wearing a dull suit, and looking rather dull, instead of evil, shiny, and Sithly.

Shadow decided to get to the point. "I need something from you. An old diary."

"I don't think so."

Shadow sighed, and stuck her boot in the door. "TIANA'S diary, Vader."

He attempted to close the door anyway, and then paused. "What?!"

Shadow shrugged, letting her normal act hide her frustration, and sadness. "Look, do you want to save the world or not? That diary is evil."

You could almost hear him snicker, which was a talent considering the mask. "That's not exactly on the list of Sithly things. But all right." He walked in and got the diary, which had been sitting on the shelf.

Shadow took it, and stared hard at it for a moment. "Thank you. You see, it has to be destroyed or we'll all fall to a rogue plot bunny."

Obvious confusion led away to the inevitable. "...Ah... right. Now, shall I call the men in white coats, or were you leaving?"

Shadow rolled her eyes. "Oh, for heavens sake, you know it's the truth. I need to give it to someone."

"Very well." He let go of the diary though darkly. Maybe he had been reading it, or something.

"Thank you," Shadow said, taking it, and sticking it into her pocket.

"But for what purpose?" he asked, still somewhat confused.

"To destroy it," Shadow pointed out dryly. They were ripping off LotR, after all.

"And since when do you say thank you? Ever?"

Shadow looked slightly red-- that much of her old personality was showing through again. Darn. "Uh... never. But it's the only way that Tiana will stop this madness."

"I see. Shadow... describe to me exactly what has been going on," ordered Vader, or more, suggested Vader.

"When do you start ordering me around?" asked Shadow. They strolled leisurely down the hallways, Shadow's cloak working quite nicely as a broom.

Vader stopped, his breathing filling the area. "I'm not ordering. I'm suggesting."

Shadow snrked. "Yeah... right... anyhow, in her time, Tiana changed the plot rather significantly. The only way it's recorded in this time is through this diary, however. You know very well that in her time she married you."

Vader started to ask how he was suppose to help, then stopped. "It would do well if you never mentioned that. Again."

"Well, that's the point. I can't help she had to be so foolish." Shadow muttered something about like master, like Padawan. Both fools with more behind them then appears to be.

Vader shook his head. "That's all your here for? Destroying a simple book?"

Shadow flinched. "Well, no. It'll destroy Tiana as well, but that's beside the point."

"Then there is a greater danger behind all this."

Shadow had to struggle to keep up with Vader, who was walking rather fast, and thoughtfully. "Yes."

"And what do you think I should do about that." He stopped rather abruptly.

Shadow snickered slightly. "Why do you ask so many questions? Do you still love her?"

"That is in the past." His breathing changed, but Shadow couldn't tell what he was thinking. "We must not look to it for answers in the future. Now tell me."

"The only way we can keep our world-- the canon world-- is by removing the danger of theirs," Shadow said through clenched teeth. She wasn't telling the whole truth, but enough of it that he wouldn't catch her lies.

"The canon world," echoed Vader. "It seems to me it's a little late for that, wouldn't you think?" He started walking again, and they approached his quarters.

"That's not the point. They are ruining our world by creating their own." A half truth... the worlds could coexist with some work. "To save the past we have to change the future. By destroying them." They entered his quarters-- the door slamming shut forebodingly.

Vader turned to face the shorter Sith. "Everything is recorded. It is too late to change what this has wrought. We must work with it." She met his eyes sharply, darkly, even though no one could actually see his eyes.

"We cannot work with it. We have to destroy it!" Shadow hissed, and narrowed her eyes slightly.

There was a silence, and nothing made a sound in the room beyond Vader's mechanical breathing and Shadow's softer breathing noises. "Then perhaps it is you who will have to be destroyed," he hissed in his artificial voice.

As if he had read my mind almost... Shadow shook her head. "That will never work." At least not yet.

Vader drew his lightsaber. "Oh, no?" The snap-hiss broke the silence of the room with a darker feel.

Shadow felt a nervousness descend upon her as she drew her lightsaber. "You still love her." The blue light from her lightsaber was counteracted by the red glow of Vader's-- and also showed yet one other thing-- she still kept some remnants of Tiana within.

"You forget yourself. You forget your place in the universe."

"I know my place. You do not know yours." She kept her eyes closely on the masked Sith Lord who paced around her slowly, advancing.

"If this foolishness is continued, you will be labeled a traitor."

Shadow laughed grimly. "A fool, am I then? Like Master, like Padawan, is it not? Maybe I'm already a traitor. When did Tiana care of such labels?"

"When did anyone? Do you defeat an enemy with indifference? I think not." Vader drew closer, and struck out with his lightsaber, a red flash in the dim room. Shadow parried the blow quickly-- it was not a battle yet, the both were merely testing each other yet.

She flicked her blade around, and brought it into a defensive position. "You are the traitor, Lord Vader."

"And how are you to know you still fall under favor in the eyes of the Emperor?" asked Vader. They crossed blades again, a quick motion as they tested the other's defenses and weaknesses.

"How are you to know I don't?" asked Shadow cryptically. She spun her lightsaber around to flick at his arm.

He parried the simple attack, spinning her around at the same time as himself, and they were facing again. "You have lost the connection." A quick attack, and they moved around, pacing again. "You have lost your place here." They locked blades, Shadow's eyes burning flames in the red reflections of the two blades. She being the weaker was not so able to hold into the position and was gradually driven back-- which isn't a good thing if you remember... "If you do not regain it, you will die." There was foreboding words within that, but Shadow made no comment.

Vader pushed his lightsaber harder against hers, feeling her weakening strength to hold the lock until she tripped over the platform shoes she was wearing-- rather foolish when lightsaber dueling. Her lightsaber rolled across the room, our of reach but still on, casting a bluish gleam over the room.

He raised his lightsaber over her head. "I suggest you make your decision quickly, Shadow."

"What decision?" she hissed, moving one hand just enough to levitate and throw her ignited lightsaber at him with the Force. He deflected it, and it went flying into the gloom beyond her reach, and levitated her into the air.

Shadow found herself thinking that this was an interesting view of things.

"You have been lost. You have rejected the way of the Sith with your own foolishness!"

"I never was a Sith... OW!" She hit the wall with a loud THUD.

"Do not pretend to hide the fact that your mind has left the dark path. You never were a Sith, but you were on the path to becoming such. That has changed." He held her against the wall with the Force and paced towards her slightly.

"I never was a Sith," Shadow growled. "I was Tiana all the while, though hidden she was beneath another. Kill me, you lose her."

"That no longer matters."

Shadow had a feeling it had been such. "Then kill me, and be done with it." Even in her position of being held with the Force, she was still able to get that irritating smirk on her face.

"Not yet."

Shadow chose that moment to curse violently, and non-PG-ly. The wall opened up, moved by Vader, of course, and he released her to fall down through a chute. "AAAAAAASSSSSSSSSSS YYYYYYYOOOOOOOOUUUUUU WWWWWWWWWWWWWWIIIIIISSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHH......" she called as she fell down the chute. A loud thud was heard in Vader's chambers as Shadow--or was she Shadow--hit the bottom of the chute, and her destination... a cage attached to the bottom of the grand balcony of the Imperial Palace. It was a shame, really, that the others had to be on Coruscant at the same time. Nothing was between Shadow's feet-- which did not include the platform shoes, being as she had lost them when she tripped-- but some wire mesh. If that wouldn't've been there, she would've discovered the laws of gravity regarding falling many, many kilometers down into the depths of Coruscant. Luckily, they weren't intending on killing her... yet.

But, as usual, it was the evil, foreboding yet that ended the paragraph. Yet...

-------------------------------- hr

In the meantime, Obi-Wan Kenobi was busy attempting to get all the new, Sithly, names straight. Not an easy job, trying to adapt to a new name, and remember all the other names, while remaining in character. "Right. Shadow, Anathema, Ravenhunter, and Xiian." He attempted to lock the names in his mind.

Tiana, at the same time, was staring in the mirror. "Yeah. Whoa... I look... evil." She turned pale, which somehow fit her character quite nicely.

"A motley evil group," Jandalf said, snickering. The Jedi Master was still having trouble adapting to the role of an apprentice, but she wasn't doing that bad of a job with her appearance, if nothing else.

Obi-Wan shook his head. "I'm not even going to look." Everyone else had been staring into the mirrors for some time, causing Tiana to nearly faint once, and Jandalf to laugh insanely.

"Aww... you look good in black." Jandalf sighed.

"Really?" Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

Tiana thought this was a good moment to try out her newfound role by borrowing one of her master's lines from Paint Wars, which is unlikely anyone remembers, but she happened to. "Remember your place, Apprentice Anathema," she said sternly, trying to keep from laughing.

Jandalf bowed formally. "But of course, milady." The seeming seriousness of Jandalf finally caused Tiana to crack, and dissolve into laughter.

"And remember to carry an evil glint in your eye," Obi-Wan put in once Tiana stopped laughing.

"I'm not going to be able to stand this," Tiana choked out, trying to keep from collapsing in laughter. "Don't you bow to me ever again."

Jandalf snrked. "Evil glint? It'll be hard enough keeping a straight face at this rate..."

"I was just kidding." Obi-Wan rolled his eyes.

Tiana smiled distantly. "I'll manage... just..." she gave Jandalf a wry look. "Just don't be too much like me, Master." She attempted to try out the evil glint, but failed, and settled for a very Shadow-like smirk.

"AWWWWW, WHY NOOOOOOOOTTT?" Jandalf whined, doing a fairly good imitation of Tiana from two years ago, though her appearance and height rather ruined the effect. "Heehee."

Tiana hit her playfully. "Quit imitating me, and NO WHINING FOR HEAVENS SAKE!" In the meantime, Obi-Wan attempted to try out the evil glint. He failed as well, sadly. Jandalf pouted.

"ARG!" Tiana threw her hands up. "You three are really going to be the death of me, you know..." She put on a scowl.

"Now, now, we're not suppose to be in character yet," Obi-Wan filled in, noticing something in Tiana's eyes that wasn't just acting, but deeper than that. A shadow over her face, almost.

The ship flew across the Coruscanti skies, towards the landing coordinates Anakin had received. "Landing in two minutes," he said, playing around with the switches to activate the landing gear.

"Sith apprentices don't pout," Jandalf said. "They stare menacingly." She stared menacingly at Obi-Wan. "Howzat?" Obi-Wan shuddered, and Jandalf grinned at him.

Tiana snickered, and sat down. "Just... be yourself."

"Oh, no. We don't want that."

Obi-Wan gazed out of the window down at the landing pad. "Big reception party."

Tiana grinned, her old smile crossing her face for a moment. "You're right, Master, we don't want that." But the smile was too swiftly lost as her face faded into a sad shadow of her former self-- or a mirror of who she was becoming.

"Look at all the stormies..." Jandalf gazed down at all the Stormtroopers-- not quite 152763, but still a lot of them. Enough to present a problem, should they be figured out.

"No evil, menacing glares either, Master," Tiana added.

Jandalf sighed. "Fine, fine. Just a really solemn face."

Tiana's eyes were distant as she replied, "As you will."

"In character now." Anakin glared at them all as he landed the shuttle with all his typical skills-- for Anakin, that's not a bad thing. They landed with little trouble at all.

hr

You're here...

Yes.

You know the danger of this, don't you, Tiana.

Of course I know. I know it's there, as present as this fate you have presented me with. Darkness. A wry calm in her voice, but also a faint grief. The danger is preferred, in a way.

You read me too well. Though you lack the foresight, if nothing else, you read me well. A grim expression to the other seeming voice, as well as a dark shadow. I tried to find a way around it, but it's not escapable.

I know.

I know that you know. I know the pain this is causing.

The hate that was thrown through the Force was all too strong. Know?! You know nothing about what I've went through since I collapsed, and awoke to know what was happening to me, what you were doing to me.

Me? I didn't do anything to you. And if you think know nothing of your pain, Tiana, think again.

Tiana? A grim calm swept over her voice this time. You name me Tiana, and yet you know I am no longer Tiana.

Pause. No. No, you are no longer Tiana, Lania.

It was a dark smile that flitted across her face. As I am Shadow, so are you Tiana.

No.

Yes. Maybe you won't see it yet, maybe you don't want to see it, but you are as like to me as I am you.

No.

No? You truly are blind, as much a fool as my master if you think such. If you refuse to see such.

A longer pause this time, and a darkness in the shadows that was not there before, and was not of the same shadows. Then you have already began to slip away.

And you knew it all the while, didn't you, Shadow.

It would be wise to your health to never call me such again, Tiana.

hr -------------------------

Tiana shook her head, walking to the ramp silently. Once again it had happened, she had fallen into the realm again. It was akin to stepping into another element, into a darkness-- she couldn't remember what had happened, only that it had grabbed her again. Her voice was dull and not her own when she spoke. "You know the order in which to disembark." She walked down, eyes straight in front of her, and shadow clouding her gaze.

Obi-Wan walked after her, uncomfortable being the Sith, but playing his part out completely. Jandalf followed with her chin up, and her eyes set straight in front of her, staring at nothing that was there.... but at something beyond the area.

"Jethine," Tiana murmured, almost unintelligibly. Jandalf didn't react to the name, and she breathed out a sigh of relief. She got to the bottom, and stared menacingly at the Moff that greeted them, along with his escort of Stormtroopers.

"Less of the glare," muttered Obi-Wan under his breath.

She muttered back, straight away, "I'm the master here, I'll glare if I want to."

Jandalf blinked, and shot at Tiana mentally, /He's right, you're overdoing it./

The Moff of Coruscant, whose name evades me, walked up and bowed formally. "A pleasure to receive you, milady."

Luckily, Tiana didn't start laughing again at being bowed to. She spoke as someone not herself, as if she was accustomed to doing so. "A less of a pleasure to receive you, but I suppose that it will have to do." /Who cares?/

The Moff paled-- he was quite informed about what happened when Sith were displeased.

/You should./ There was possibly another tone to Jandalf's thoughts-- almost a recognition of sorts.

"I am here with the representative for Tatooine, Moff (whoever), which, as you probably have heard, is considering joining the Empire. You do not wish to detain me now. If you will do me the favor of sending an escort to my representatives office, I will take care of business now, and pleasure later."

"Yes, milady." Tiana was pleased to note a tone of fear in his voice, though Jandalf was mentally poking her.

/I'm Sith, I don't care,/ she shot at Jandalf. There was far too much truth in her voice, too much emphases on that statement to be ignored-- as if she was telling the truth. As if she herself believed the statement.

Jandalf glanced at her slightly in real life, her eyes narrowed. /All right... just don't blow it. That goes for everyone./ Shadow.

Anakin muttered something about Sith these days.

"Thank you." Tiana inclined her head in acknowledgment. "My companions, the Lord Xiian, and his apprentice Anathema, and the Senator Ravenhunter will need accommodations, if such can be arranged. I'm certain the Emperor will be pleased with your work."

"It will be done at once, milady. Thank you. I pray you enjoy your stay."

Anakin sighed, and shot at Jandalf through the Force. /I heard you, worry not. I won't blow it./

The Jedi Master mentally elbowed Anakin.

"I'm certain I shall enjoy it well enough. Thank you for meeting us here, and, if you will send our guide, we shall be on our way, and on to talk later."

Anakin elbowed Jandalf through the Force back.

"Yes, milady." The Moff gestured for an aide to escort them in. The aide bowed, having appeared from nowhere, and gestured for them to follow. Tiana, Obi-Wan, and Jandalf followed stiffly, but Anakin took the moment to stop, and grab the Moff's hand, shaking his hand hard. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Moff. Glad to be joining you!"

"Yes, yes, a pleasure. You are?" The Moff seemed relieved that not everyone there was about to kill him.

"Come along, Senator," Tiana ordered, annoyed.

/Less of the happy how-are-you, Anakin.../ Jandalf shot at him.

"I'm Senator Ravenhunter of Tatooine."

"Delighted. I hope to be seeing you in the Senate."

"Anyhow, glad to have met you, but I'm afraid there's little time to chat," Anakin said. "Talk to you later?" /FINE!/

"Of course. Enjoy your stay."

/Sheesh./ Through the Force, Jandalf sounded just as annoyed as she could in reality as well. /Just tipping you off./ She nodded coldly at the Moff before following Tiana.

/Come on! We don't have all day!/ Tiana sounded genuinely annoyed. /I can't keep Shadow's cover too long, you know./ She'll want it back, anyhow...

/I know that. We're following./

The aide led them down the hallways, to their rooms. They finally made it, and the aide showed them their rooms.

"Not the best, but they will do fine," Tiana said. "You may go."

"Yes, milady." The aide bowed, and hurried off, glad to be rid of the task of leading Sith around.

Tiana attempted to figure out the locks, and Jandalf muttered, "Not the best? Who are you kidding?"

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and stopped Tiana from blasting the room open. "They're Force-locks." He waved his hand, and the door clicked open.

/Hey, I...er...Shadow is used to better than this,/ Tiana sent, waving her hand to open the door, slightly reddish.

"These rooms are designed for Force-users," Obi-Wan pointed out. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Yes... they are testing the Senator, then," Tiana commented, dryly, as Anakin pretended to be clueless on opening the door, pulling at it, and finally reverting to cursing at it in Huttese. Both Tiana and Jandalf snickered. Obi-Wan rolled his eyes, and waved his hand.

"Thank you, ma...errr...milord." Anakin had to stop and think up the correct title.

"Get some rest," Obi-Wan ordered.

"I will." /What, you think I wouldn't?

Jandalf hid a grin behind one hand.

/You never know./

Anakin rolled his eyes.

"They are probably watching us. As if they wouldn't trust me." Tiana's mouth curled into a wry smirk, saying more than her words did. "I will have to have a word with the Emperor."

/Sigh,/ Anakin sighed.

"Very well. Perhaps we will have time to discuss things later." Obi-Wan began to enter his room.

"Yes. Have some rest, Darth Xiian. In the morning our skills will be needed." Tiana's voice was distant, and mysterious.

"Indeed." He entered the room.

Tiana turned to enter, but was stopped by Jandalf's voice, with an inflected and sweetly sarcastic tone. "Milady. They have prepared the evening meal."

/Me?/ Confused. "I sense it as well. Senator?"

/Yes, Padawan! You! I wouldn't call Anakin "milady"./ Jandalf rolled her eyes.

/I'm sorry, Master... I'm not used to this./ "Apprentice Anathema?"

/That's all right. You're doing well for someone who hasn't gone undercover often before./ Almost too well.

/Yeah. Darn Jedi didn't trust us./ Tiana rolled her eyes. /I wonder WHY.../

"What, milady?" asked Jandalf.

"Inform your master of the meal being prepared. I shall get the Senator, and await your presence."

"Of course, milady." She walked over to knock on Obi-Wan door.

"Yeah." /Okay, that is annoying, you know./ She waved her hand to open Anakin's door. "Senator?"

/Hah. YOU think it's annoying?/ Jandalf rolled her eyes.

Tiana sighed. "Senator Ravenhunter, the evening meal is being prepared. C'mon." /You know, Master, you don't HAVE to title me like that.../

Obi-Wan came out, carrying the Sith act quite nicely, by looking solemn, and dark as he left the room. Anakin came out quickly himself. /FOOD!!/ "Yes, milady." Tiana rolled her eyes.

/Rather the contrary,/ Jandalf answered to Tiana's previous comment. /I'm not suppose to be disrespectful, you see./

"Which banquet room?" Obi-Wan asked.

Tiana grimaced slightly. /Disrespectful... right. I suppose as a Padawan, I wasn't exactly respectful... and I think it's that way./

"I think it's 101," Anakin said, pulling out a schedule from his pocket, that heaven knows where he got.

/Nah, Sith are a little more uptight about such things. No problem at all, Padawan. And yes, it's that way./

"I've been here before," Anakin intoned.

Obi-Wan rolled his eyes. "No doubt you have, what with your previous employment's."

/Yeah... I'm really sorry, Master. I wasn't exactly the best Padawan I could've been./ She bit her lip slightly. /I can't believe I TURNED... mutter./ And, reading this now, even having wrote that myself, I don't even know what I meant-- because Tiana didn't turn Darkside... did she? Agh, never mind. I think she's talking about Shadow in this world, now that I think about it.

/The past is the past. Focus on the here and now./ Jandalf motioned to the correct direction. There had been something in her tone, darker, but it was gone now.

Anakin glared at Obi-Wan for a moment, and sighed. "Well, you are correct." /And if you meant Padmé.../

Tiana had a laughing feel to her voice, though without humor at all. /Focus? I'm focused harder then I ever have in my life, Master, and I'm not so sure that I like what it's leading up to./ It was a grim smile that crossed her lips for a moment, a shadow flitting across her appearance and mind. Jandalf chose not to answer, but merely lead the way to the banquet hall.

Obi-Wan was confused. /What? No, of course not./

/Oh. Sorry, Master./ Anakin grinned lightly.

/That's all right./

Anakin snickered, but other then that, the trip to the banquet hall was silent, in the real world, and through the Force as well. Tiana walked into the banquet hall easily, leaving the thoughts behind her, and the dark feel of something coming. "We are here for the evening meal. I truth that you are prepared to receive us?" Servants and random aides were scurrying about, looking after last-minute things.

"Yes, milady, we are ready," a random aide gasped, out of breath from running around looking after things. "Sit."

"Thank you." Tiana sat down, as well as the others. She narrowed her eyes, looking at a certain aide over in the corner. /That's... interesting./ That aide looks very, very familiar... She glanced at Jandalf, sitting over across the table, and compared her to the aide's appearance. If I didn't know better...

Anakin, in the meantime, sat down and began eating happily.

Noticing Tiana's gaze, Jandalf reached out with the Force to locate a familiar presence. /Don't pay too much attention to that girl in the corner,/ she shot at all of them. Impossible... or is it?