Destiny Unleashed

Seth continued to gaze out at the stars. He had felt nothing but sheer rage for Lotus and Dierak. Their incompetence had cost them the second key and the location of the third. He had saw fit to punish the young woman and he let the Mandalorian stay inside the caves for a few days before he let his soldiers retrieve their asset. Luckily, he still had a trump card in play. He had gained the location of the Jedi heading towards a remote part of the Galaxy from it.

"My lord," came the snobbish voice of Vincent. Seth turned around and looked at the young man, who was wearing a black robe with a grey cape draped over his right shoulder. The Adept kneeled in front of the Sith Lord.

"Yes?" The cold mechanical voice did nothing to hide the cold anger that was being exuded.

"We've dropped out of hyperspace. Our task force has formed up on the Inferno, and the squadrons and troopships are ready. We are waiting your command, Lord Seth."

The Dark Lord looked at the Adept. "Inform Lotus and Dierak to join me in my shuttle."

This is a new development, Vincent couldn't help but think. Trying to act surprised, the young man answered, "you're going to the station?"

"That is correct, Baroque. And I hope, for their sakes, that Lotus and the Mandalorian are successful in my presence. I do not readily accept failure." With that, the Sith Lord left the bridge.

Well now, the young man thought, this is certainly going to prove most interesting. I can slay them all in one strike. If only I can convince Stormov to open fire on the station when they are on it.

The captain had been a friend of Seth's from the beginning of the Mandalorian war. It was safe to assume he was the only one alive who knew of the former Jedi's identity. His loyalty to the Sith Lord only made things much harder, especially since Stormov knew enough of Sith teachings to assume that anyone that was not Seth was a potential assassin.

The Thunderbolt had dropped out of hyperspace, eagerly waiting to board Gateway station. The vessel continued on a safe trajectory towards the station, passing a nearby asteroid field and what appeared to be a medium sized cruiser. The cruiser had one large cylindrical section—presumably its engine—that was connected to a rectangular section that converged at its bow. Just before both sections of the non-reflective silver vessel connected, there stood a pedestal that appeared to be the bridge.

As the freighter came closer to the station, the crew noticed that the area contained several more cruisers of the same design. The station, on the other hand, was a large spherical object—almost the size of a small moon—with its eastern hemisphere flattened and connected to a cylindrical shaft that ran towards a large disc-like section of the station. It was presumably the living quarters of the station, though there was no doubt that the cylindrical shaft was the main docking port.

"Wow," came a breathless Dante. He and Sekula were in the cockpit adjusting the ships systems.

"I know how you feel," the commando said, taking in the sight of the station. "I guess when you're living in the far reaches of space, it is better to have some allies rather than strike out on your own." He flipped a switch and received the green light to dock in the cylindrical shaft. "Well, we're cleared to land. Shall I take her in?" He smirked at the Knight.

"She's all yours," he said, grinning. "When we land, you all go for some R & R, while I go find what we're looking for." He unbuckled and left the co-pilot's seat, clasping his hand on the older man's shoulder. "This is almost over. Soon we can go home."

After the freighter landed, everyone—with the exception of Phaete and Dante—left the vessel, eager to get some rest. The first place the commandoes were heading to was a weapons shop—Sekula would go to the nearest cantina. Lon and Simon were glad to join the captain. Rin, Tun and Frreral made their way towards the bazaar within the station, entertaining the thought of purchasing an exotic item to take on their trip back to the Order.

Dante walked towards the dormitory, hoping to grab a few things. He paused for a moment and then decided to go back to the storage hold—the makeshift detention cell of the vessel. As the Jedi opened the door, he saw Phaete looking out towards him, locked in a force cage. The Knight came face to face to the former Master. The Iktotchi only leered back, taking care not to provoke the Jedi in any manner.

"Have you come to gloat, young Dante?" He finally asked after a few moments passed with silence. "Or have you come to release me?"

The stoic young man replied. "Neither."

"Oh? Then what are you here for?" His burgundy eyes locked with the deep brown eyes of the human.

"We are on Gateway station. We're almost finished. When we get back to the Enclave—"

"The Enclave?" The Iktotchi scoffed—the first time anyone had ever seen the Master make any attempt at displaying emotion.

"Is there a problem?" The young man cocked his head, raising an eyebrow as well.

"Dante, the Enclave has been destroyed. Nothing is there, save for corpses and rubble."

The young man was taken aback. "How do you know this?"

"I am a Master," he stressed. "The Council knew there was an impending strike. We informed you, which is why you have so many Jedi with you. Malak razed the Enclave to the ground—it's even likely the people of Dantooine are dead."

Dante only lowered his head, closing his eyes for a few moments. It can't be true, he thought.

Oh, but it is, Dante, came another voice—Phaete's voice.

"I will tell you this once, Phaete: stay out of my mind." His eyes held an icy glare that told of millions of ways Phaete would suffer if he intruded again.

For a few moments, both Jedi held their gazes at one another. After a few more, it was Phaete who finally spoke up. "What is really on your mind, young Jedi?" He noticed the slight apprehension in the young Jedi, almost as if Dante feared the Jedi Master.

"Why are you here?"

"You locked me in here."

"Not that," Dante replied stolidly. "Why did you join us in this mission?"

The Master cocked his head to the left. He took a deep breath and finally spoke. "Perhaps I wanted to search through the sepulcher, tombs and caverns that have the artifact and where I can retrieve things I want. Or perhaps I wanted to save my neck and leave the Enclave before its destruction. Will any of my answers satisfy the growing hunger within you? Or will it make sure that you effectively seal the end of my time as a Jedi?"

"I see we will be going nowhere with this. I'll see you soon, Phaete." With that, the young Jedi left the vessel and begun to make his way towards the western hemisphere of the station.

Haden had made his way from one of the cantinas within the area towards the docking bay, eager to return to his bunk. It had been several hours since the freighter docked and the crew had some time to enjoy themselves. Dante, as it turned out, had met his contact and was eager to get his job underway. As far as the information retainer was concerned, the sooner this mission was over, the easier he could just move on with his life.

Lately he had found himself strangely drawn towards the Jedi Master Phaete. For some reason, the Jedi seemed to be the only one he could really talk to. Not even his old comrade-in-arms, Sekula, seemed trustworthy. Of course, he figured that the Jedi Master probably thought he was malleable. Haden Torch never bowed to anyone's will—be it Jedi or otherwise. Of course, one thing he could never count on was the way the Jedi seemed to influence those around him.

He walked towards the shuttle bay, eager not to attract any attention to himself. He had found himself in quite a number of predicaments, especially since he almost jumped up on the stage and attempted to dance with an unsuspecting Twi'lek entertainer. Trying hard not to stumble along the way, he walked through the curved corridors and flew past a few warm greeting species that even he didn't know. Walking up to the freighter, he nervously looked around.

For some reason, he felt that Phaete was being treated unfairly. After all, it was a few kids who would end up wasting precious credits the Jedi Order needed. In fact, he found that Dante was a bit pompous and even too young to be left unchecked with his own powers. Who gave him control over the mission? The Jedi Council was right to let Phaete come along, in fact, it would seem to make more sense to go and put Phaete in charge.

He walked up the ramp, looking around and making sure that no one was there. For some strange reason, he knew that Phaete was all alone—no one had bothered to check up on him. The poor Master must have been starving or thirsty. He came into the main hold, walking towards the detention cell, and there he saw the Jedi Master, staring at him intently.

"Yes?" The Jedi Master said, a small glimmer in his eye spoke the words 'I know what you are here to do.'

The rotund man looked around and shifted his gaze to the floor, almost as if he were bent to the very will of the Jedi Master—but no Jedi could do that to anyone, it was against the code of the Jedi. "I, uh, think that you were imprisoned wrongly."

The Jedi Master bowed his head, intently listening, carefully weighing his words. "Do you? Perhaps you think I am being treated unfairly?"

"Oh quite unfairly." Haden nodded, his grubby hands rubbing against each other.

"And what do you think about me being locked up? Certainly I have no food nor water. I could seriously be hurt." He smiled softly. He took care not to mention that the Jedi could meditate and fall into a trance with which the Jedi would not have to worry about lack of nutrition.

"Why I think that Dante should not be in charge. You should! I mean, he has no respect for his superiors and he has a blatant disregard for the safety of others."

Now it was time for Phaete to say the key words softly. "Perhaps we should have a chat with him? In person?"

"You're right. Give me one second!" The chubby man looked for a control panel for the force cage. He wrapped his hand around a lever; pulling it down and watching the yellowy shield glow for a second and then shimmer away.

The Jedi Master walked out, his cloak swirled around him. "Thank you, Haden Torch." He smiled amicably. "Now let us go and find our destiny."

Rin, Tun, Frreral and Dante had met at a local restaurant. They sat down, gazing out at the promenade, watching the flow of people. Through the Force, Dante felt the entire station teeming with life. He could barely sense anything else.

"This is quite spectacular," Rin said, sipping her caf. The stimulating and rich exotic beans made the beverage seem all the more enticing.

"Yes, the people here have worked hard for their home. I can understand how they must feel." Frreral looked towards Dante, the young Jedi had seemed to enjoy the view of the people working together.

Dante continued to peer out, only to feel…something elusive. Was this what Alec had warned me of? He continued to reach out into the Force, probing out for the slivers of the void that came throughout the Force. There was something out there, something he couldn't feel.

Realizing that Dante seemed a bit preoccupied, Rin took her eyes off him only to feel the taunting gaze of Tun. She glared at the young Padawan, who only smiled and looked away, only to glance at the chuckling wookiee.

Miraculously, Dante seemed to miss the entire spectacle. His face seemed to reveal a sense of foreboding. His eyes went wide as he realized what was going to happen. "Down!" He leapt from his chair, pulling his companions down with him, as a loud bang occurred, shattering a wide hole within the shaft, pulling several unlucky figures outside into a cold, lingering death.

The table flew high into the air, the Jedi had held onto the bars that protected them from falling off the edge of the balcony in the restaurant. The air continued to hiss outside, the space was eager to envelope all of the inhabitants, almost as if it were a hungry creature. The atmosphere, continued to flow from the station, unabated as countless more bodies were flown outside. In a short moment, the blast shields closed over the gaping hole.

Struggling for breath, Dante looked up, only to gaze at a sight that brought the most terrible memory towards him—it was the woman who killed Alec.

As his shuttle launched towards the docking port, he couldn't help but gaze out at the large hole within the station, pulling several people out. His forces had engaged the local militia and the cruisers. The militia had been losing, the Sith cruisers had opened fire and surprised the Fringe forces.

Hidden inside his sable helm, no one could see the smile that formed; he was eager to cross blades with a Jedi.

Sekula had dropped his drink as the explosion had ripped through the promenade, destroying a level above where he and Lon and Simon stood. They ad moved safely out of the way when the level collapsed and many people had fallen to their deaths. Many more had begun to flee as several distinct forms in silver and ebony armour came rushing at the Jedi and commando.

He heard the lightsabers activating, while he withdrew his blasters and opened fire on the Sith soldiers, taking two down in the first volley, while Lon and Simon leapt into the fray, cutting down three more where they stood. Sirry, I hope you're all right, he thought grimly to himself while he fired several more times towards a group of Sith soldiers, holding them up and providing cover for the Jedi.

She stood poised, gazing out at some of the civilians who had fallen and stayed on the ground. She grinned to herself, eager to commence with the slaughter. She looked around and didn't notice the Jedi hunched over behind a few tables. She had been surrounded by several droids and Sith soldiers, mostly flanked by droids, armed with sonic weaponry.

She turned around, issuing orders to a man in crimson Sith armour before she left, eagerly hunting something or someone else. In that specific moment, several blasters and disruptors had opened fire, hitting several droids and killing two soldiers. In that moment, the calm eeriness of the scene had been lit with flames from a war that had made its way to the Fringe.

The commandoes had made their way to the fight—Sirry was leading the group.

Dante leapt up into the fray, igniting his sapphire blade, eager to slice through his opponents, while Tun made her way to the freighter to make sure that Haden and Phaete were not in danger. Rin had made her way to cross blades with two Dark Jedi, who had made their presence known. Frreral had proceeded to join Dante in the fight, eager to aide their companions. The group had begun to fight, deflecting blaster bolts and slicing through the droids.

In one sudden instant, Sirry dived to the ground, firing rapidly, tearing chunks through the droid that had assaulted the group. Two droids spun around, firing at Hex, who had paused in one moment, a plasma grenade in her hand. She screamed out in pain as her bones resonated throughout her body, her eardrums popped, her eyes began to bleed as the sonic discharge flew over her body. She couldn't gain any balance as she flew back into the tables and civilians that littered the battlefield. Her grenade ignited in her hand, vapourizing the area around herself, taking 7 hapless victims and the 2 droids that assailed her. Flin had screamed out for Hex, watching her fly towards the civilians in pain, with the grenade in her hand. Flin flew several meters away, her heavy carbine flying from her hands.

The Jedi were faring much better, their blades were crossing with the Sith, sending the Dark Jedi back. Dante had sliced through two droids, sending three more back with the Force. His sapphire blade found itself buried in the chest of a Sith soldier behind him. He let the Force flow through him as he brought his blade and the Force to bear on any who assaulted him. He felt Hex leave the Force as a wave of heat overcame himself and the Sith soldier. After blocking a slash towards his neck, Dante shoved his blade right down on the chest of the soldier, tearing the warrior in half.

Suddenly, a disturbance came through the Force; he felt the one who was responsible for this. He spun around, noticing that Frreral had left towards the cantina; Rin had disposed of the Dark Jedi and was helping the commandoes. He glanced around and made his way towards the empty corridor that called to him.

He left the ship with Phaete; his fear had gotten the best of him. He needed to leave the place and go wherever the Master had guided him. Suddenly, an explosion had occurred, throwing several militia away from the door in front of the Master and the rotund man. The Master had his lightsaber, after searching for it in the dormitory. In a sudden movement, his emerald blade flared to life, deflecting several blaster bolts right at the Sith soldiers.

The rush of the crowd pulled Haden away from the Master, throwing him towards the other side of the station. He continued running frantically with the mob. Spotting a corridor, he shoved himself right through to it and entered the hallway, running past doors and droids. The hefty man found a door unlocked and ran inside. As he hid behind the door as it slid shut, he gasped for breath, hoping to be far away from the foray. His eyes lit up as a familiar cold voice spoke.

"Hello Haden," the voice said. "It's been a long time."

Whimpering, Haden turned around and looked at the barrel of the disruptor rifle before him. The last thing he heard was Dierak Hessian laughing coldly as the weapon discharged and knew nothing more.

She continued to run towards the Thunderbolt, her only thought was that of the well being of both the Master and Haden. She suddenly came to a stop as she felt a new presence through the Force. A powerful one. Someone was exuding the Dark Side, but nowhere near as much as that which was flowing in the promenade—the place where Dante was making his run.

She peered out to the hallway across from her and saw her old Master standing in front of the Sith woman who had both her crimson blades ignited. It seemed both Jedi knew each other, in some form or the other.

"Do you really think that it will work?" He asked her, his tone slightly darker.

"Of course," the woman replied. "It will all come to fruition and then--," she was cut short as a violet blade came streaking at her.

"Master!" Tun yelled as she leapt to impale the Sith. "Get down!" Her blade continued streaking for the head of the woman, who only welcomed the fight, crossing her blades in an X to block Tun's strike.

"Time to die, whelp!"

Tun's blade swirled around her, bringing only violet death; her nemesis, however, blocked and parried, throwing the Padawan's blade away from both of them.

"Time to end this," Lotus said to herself, eager to be rid of the young woman and attend to other matters. She glanced away, noticing that Phaete was gone. She grinned, blocking the Padawan's blade, locking it and bringing her own crimson blades to knock the Padawan's lightsaber away from her. In one swift motion, Lotus Xa brought both her blades towards each other—severing the head of Tun Kira.

Dante entered the hallway; he stopped suddenly, feeling the presence of Tun leave. No, he thought. Tun… Rin…

He stood in front of the Jedi, his crimson blade in his hand, gazing out at the young Knight. His obsidian armour revealed nothing except the promise of never-ending agony and destruction.

"Darth Seth, I take it," he said casually. He activated his lightsaber, a cerulean glow flaring angrily at the Sith Lord's crimson blade.

"Dante…" The mechanical voice radiated, somehow revealing the confusion buried within the faceless Sith Lord. Painful memories were surfacing, slowly eating through his resolve.

The young man, sensing the Sith's confusion, lunged at the Dark Jedi, his blade aiming for the chest of the Sith.

Seth, noticing the Jedi's move, quickly deflected, forced with leaving the Jedi with the edge of momentum. He tried to shove into the Jedi, eager to strike; yet his movements were delayed with…something else. His thoughts were preoccupied on someone else… someone from the past. Slowly losing ground against the relentless attacks of the young Jedi, Seth parried, following through with a riposte and kicking at Dante, shoving the Jedi several meters apart from him. "Dante…" He said once more.

"Seems we know each other," the young man replied, not realizing the Sith wanted to say more. Before he could give the Dark Jedi the chance, his blade came at the stomach of the Sith, each strike forcing the blade to come closer. He deflected the thrust of the crimson blade and smacked the butt of his lightsaber across the obsidian helm, stunning and sending Seth stumbling backwards. In a low growl, Dante leapt at the Dark Jedi.

The Sith Lord brought his own blade to block against the young Jedi. His crimson blade whirled around himself, eager to deflect the streaks of sapphire that continually assailed him.

In a stunning manoeuvre, Dante locked his blade with the ebon-clad Sith, bringing his fist to smash against the transparisteel facemask, sending the stunned Dark Jedi back. He lashed out against Seth, a renewed fury and frenzy that pushed the Sith Lord back on his heels.

He brought his crimson blade to parry the lunge the young Jedi made against him, pivoting his body and kicking out with his leg, sending Dante across the other side of the corridor, air blown out of him. He thrust his blade at the young Jedi, who was recovering from the blow prior.

Anticipating the lunge, Dante forced his lightsaber to face upright, only to slam it against the side of the clashing blade, the crackling of energy filled the room. The Jedi spun around in a blur, smashing the butt of the lightsaber against the back of Seth's head, forcing the Sith Lord to drop his lightsaber. Dante knew he was presented with the chance to kill Seth right there. He flipped his blade around his hand and in a backhand sweep, sliced through the facemask, followed with his foot to knock the transparisteel glass to pieces. Seth had fallen to the ground, grunting in surprise. It appeared that Seth was not as malleable as Dante had originally thought. Of course, to doubt the skills of a Sith Lord was to be as careless and ignorant as a bantha walking into a krayt dragon's cave.

Stunned, but surely not out of the fight, Seth felt for his lightsaber, only to have it slapped into his palm. The familiar snap-hiss of the blade did nothing to hide the rage and contempt he had for the young Jedi's ability to best him right there. Dante's skill reminded him of another time… another Jedi who had bested him a long time ago. He felt for his helmet, only to realize it was gone. The helm lay in pieces; only the frame still covered a part of his head: the base of his skull. He smiled to himself; eager to surprise the young Jedi in a way no one would ever think possible. He turned around and saw the astonished look on Dante's face and took satisfaction in the gasp that followed.

"It can't be!" Dante exclaimed. His surprise was evident. The face that stared back at him was that of a familiar image from his past. The face that stared at him was that of two people: Nathaniel and Xavier Ravenmoon. Dante's older brothers.

"Dante," Seth started, "it's me. It's Xavier."

The eyes that stared back at Dante was that of a sickly yellow turned brown. Those were the eyes of someone who had spent the last 4 or 5 years immersed in the Dark Side. "How?" He finally managed.

"You already know," Seth—no, Xavier, answered.

"And Nathaniel?"

"Dead."

The words that struck him were so much more powerful that any weapon the Sith could bear on him. Nathaniel was dead. But of course, Dante had already known that too. Flames licked their bodies as they continued to fight against each other. "No…" he finally mustered.

"I am…sorry, Dante."

He took no comfort in those words. Xavier had killed Nathaniel, all in a bid for power. The only thing that Dante could take comfort in was the vengeance of Nathaniel. Xavier had to be killed. He had sold out Nathaniel by joining the Dark Side and throwing in his lot with Revan and Malak.

"I feel your anger, Dante. You, my brother, are right to want to kill me. I am a fool, but do not take your vengeance just yet. You must hear me out. Join me, we can put an end to this war and Nathaniel's death will not go unpunished! The Jedi tore us apart, Dante. Now I can bring us back together. The Jedi did this to us all! If it weren't for them, Nathaniel would be alive, not dead from the tenets of a hypocritical Order. You can join me, and we can make sure that no one else has to die for a foolish cause."

Dante looked at Seth vehemently. "No. You killed him, and for that, you shall die." With that, Dante leapt at Seth, only to feel subtle ripples in the Force—only to feel the stun blast from a grenade hit him. Dante felt his lightsaber loosen from his hand, the energy receding back into the hilt itself. The last thing he saw was Seth—no, Xavier, walking away with two Sith soldiers who had managed to escape.

In that moment, Seth knew he had made an unwanted enemy for life—his own brother. He fled, leaving Dante to hold on the floor, while silently berating himself for not cajoling Dante sooner. His shuttle was waiting, as was his task force—now fighting a flotilla of newly arrived Republic vessels.

Frreral had crushed the last Sith droid within the station. Most of the Sith soldiers had fallen back, retreating under the coordination of the Jedi and the rallied militia. He noticed that Rin had ran towards the docking bay earlier during the fighting. He had made his way there, eager to find Rin and the others.

When he made it towards the docking hangar, he found that Rin had been holding the corpse of Tun, crying softly and feeling the pain around her. Dante had his arm around the poor Jedi Knight; he too had seemed tired and haggard. The fight and some new feeling had come over him. This fight had taken its toll. But it was far from over. The newly arrived Republic battle group had obviously come here on fluke, but now it was a gundark's nest out there.

"We need to go now, my friends." The wookiee understood the pain that lingered within Rin, but like his own, it would have to wait until the end of the war.

"You're right," Dante said. He stood up and looked at the wookiee. "But you have no intention of joining us."

Frreral shook his head. "I cannot join you now, Dante. The Republic and the people here need us. Flin and I are going to stay back here; perhaps there is more we can do. I hope that you find the key to ending this war—and soon, my friend. The Force be with you."

"And you too, Frreral." Both Jedi bowed. "Be careful."

"You too. See you around." With that, the wookiee left, eager to aid the Republic battle group anyway he could. The Sith and the Republic had brought the war to the far reaches of space—the least he could do was make sure that it would be won in the Republic's favour.

Dante watched his friend go, and then he looked back at Rin. "Rin," he said softly. "We need to go."

She nodded somberly. "I know." She picked up Tun's violet blade, then got up and joined Dante in the Thunderbolt. Phaete had decided to stay aboard with them; he had found a way out of his cell.

"Sekula! Punch it and get us out of here!" Dante called as he ran towards the cockpit.

"No problem!" The commando punched in a few keys and dry started the freighter, immediately pulling her out of the docking bay and making haste away from the station.

The entire area was lit with flames. Several militia cruisers had been destroyed—and one Sith vessel had made the jump to hyperspace, while the rest continued to fight with the Republic and the militia. Republic, militia and Sith fighters blanketed space, making it harder for the Thunderbolt to evade enemies as well as avoid getting caught in the crossfire. In one swift spin, the freighter gunned its hyperdrive, making the jump to Dagobah—where they could finally find the third key.