Chapter 13

His body not wanting to move, Trent slowly lifted himself off the floor. He had lay on the floor and cried after his brother's death, but now the time for remorse was over. He was a Jedi and his duty came first. Besides, what he and Mace will do today will surely make the Imperials pay for what they had done to Kirrick. Trent knew revenge was not the Jedi way, and that he should not even be thinking such thoughts, but still the Imperials had tortured Kirrick and through Kirrick tortured Trent.

Trent stood tall and turned around and came face to face with ten Imperial blasters.

"Freeze, Jedi." One of the stormtroopers said. "Put your hands up."

Slowly Trent raised his arms, lightsaber still in hand. In a flash, Trent pushed all the stormtroopers back with the Force and ignited his blade. Then he pulled all the blasters out of the Imperials hands and sliced them up.

"Now you get up." He said to the prone Imperials. Slowly they all stood up, their hands up.

"So what are you going to do now?" A stormtrooper said contemptuously to Trent. "You may have defeated us but there is no escape for you."
Trent turned to look at the trooper who had spoken and his mind spun. He remembered all that the Imperials had done: They had killed his family and friends, destroyed his home, sent him into exile, captured and tortured his brother, using him for their own machinations, and ultimately forced Trent to kill him.

Something in Trent snapped.

A great fire was suddenly unleashed within Trent, one that he had been trying to subdue for many years. He continued looking at the stormtrooper who had spoken and with a quick twirl of his lightsaber cut off the stormtrooper's head.

-

Mace felt the fire that had been unleashed within Trent.

He gasped and leaned back against the wall. Mace felt such a huge rage within Trent that he had not felt before. He tried calling out to him but was forced back. Trent was doing something horrible and there was no way to help him.

-

The last trooper silently fell to the ground. Trent stood above the stormtrooper corpses, breathing heavily. Then the fire suddenly died and Trent realized what he had done. He dropped his lightsaber, which deactivated before it even hit the floor. He looked around, at all the carnage he had done, and was devastated with his actions.

"Mace, forgive me." He said.

Then Trent felt something new. Though he knew he had unarmed prisoners, and he felt terrible about it, he also knew that, though rare, a Jedi makes mistakes. Trent had felt the pull of the Dark side, in his moment of revenge. That was his mistake. But now he knew what it was and would never be consumed by it again.

Trent picked up his lightsaber and started back to the entrance.

-

Mace felt Trent's embrace with the Dark side, but now he felt Trent's wisdom from the experience. Trent had confronted and defeated his dark side and would now never again be pulled back into it. He smiled.

He was close to the entrance now and sensed that Trent was closing in as well, making up for lost time. He called to him in the Force and notified him their current situation and how they were short on time.

Mace, about what happened. Trent said in the Force.

Tell me about it later. Mace said. I am at the entrance. Meet me here and- Oh no.

Mace?

Not now.

Mace had came right up to the entrance and ran into a legion of stormtroopers blocking his exit, with General Grund in front. All blasters were pointed directly at Mace.

"Greetings, Jedi," The General said. "We have been expecting you. Let me introduce myself. I am General Grund, and I am in charge of this facility."

Trent, do not come all the way to the entrance. There are Imperials here. They've got me.

What? I have to help you then. I'll-.

No, if the see you, you will get caught also. Come here quietly and hide. Just watch.

Right. Mace felt Trent approach slowly and mask his presence.

"Don't you have anything to say?" General Grund asked.

"Yeah, why haven't you killed me yet?" Mace asked.

"Because we have specific orders not to kill you." The General replied.

"Your mistake." Mace said and activated his lightsaber.

"So you are a Jedi." The General said. "It is as we thought. That is good though, we have someone who will want to meet you."

"Who is that?" Mace asked.

"You will find out when he arrives," The General said. "He will be here shortly. But I think he would not mind if we soften you up for him." He signaled to his stormtroopers to open fire. At once they fired and in a whirl of purple and red most of the blaster bolts were deflected back at the stormtroopers. One bolt hit Mace's foot, making a hole in his boot, but the only stormtrooper left was suddenly picked up a slammed into the wall. Now there was only General Grund left.

"Impressive," The General said. Behind him the doors made a click and groan. "Oh, I think our visitor is here."

The doors opened and the first thing Mace saw were two beings dressed in red robes walk in to either side of the door. The stood silently, holding their electrostaffs. A chill ran down Mace's spine, as with Trent as well. Then another shape slowly walked forward.

It was a man dressed in black cloak with the hood slightly covering his face. The only parts of his body revealed, his face and hands, were horrible scarred. General Grund bowed as the man came in and walked fully into the light. He spoke.

"Hell, Master Windu," Emperor Palpatine said smiling wickedly. "I has been a long time."

-

On the other side of the building, in the core room, the timer finally reached zero.