A Deed of Dreadful Note

He rose, looking around and feeling the sense of anger around him. He saw Sekula, resting upright, still unconscious. Dante looked around for Rin, seeing nothing. He reached out into the Force and felt her fighting the fight of her very life. "No," he whispered as he knew that Lotus was beginning to gain the upper hand in their fight.

Calling his lightsaber to his hand, he began to race down to the tunnels, knowing that whatever fate awaited Rin, also awaited Dante.

She arced her crimson blades high and low, forming a small M, while Rin did the same, forming a horizontal M.

They continued to lock eyes on one another.

"You won't live much longer," Lotus spat.

"Neither will you," Rin shot back as she snap-kicked Lotus in the stomach.

Gasping for air, Lotus barely managed to block the downward slashes that Rin had made on her. This gave her enough time to twist her wrist and slash horizontally with one blade, nicking the hilt of one of the sabers, shearing it away.

Rin leapt back as she watched the energy flicker out from her left blade. Casting it aside, she tried to reach for another blade—the lightsaber of Tun Kira—only to be forced to block with her single lightsaber.

Lotus wasted no time, bringing her lightsabers to force the Jedi on the defensive, allowing no room for error, she arced her blades all over, pressing Rin back.

Spinning her blade in a counterclockwise fashion, Rin allowed herself to be pushed back, noticing that there were two large, solid doors that might lead to where their quarry lay.

Forcing all of her concentration on Lotus, she dismissed the ripples that told her Dante was coming. He was racing to get to her. He was racing for her life.

Lotus locked her blades against Rin's own single blade, forming an X. She could only smile as she knew that Dante, her true quarry lay only a handful of seconds away. Unfortunately for her, she didn't know that it bought Rin all the time she needed, for one of the Twi'lek's hands extended, presenting a chrome cylindrical object that ignited a violet blade that came speeding towards her neck.

"No!" She screamed as she put all her weight on one leg and kicked away, forcing the blade to come within a hair's breadth from cleanly slicing her head off.

Catching Rin off guard, Lotus rose, bringing one of her swords to slash downwards, while one blade moved horizontally towards her stomach.

Rin blocked her blades and felt Dante just a moment away.

He leapt the last few feet, curling his legs to his stomach and flying over the worn statue that stood tall and proud. As he landed on his feet, he turned around in time to watch Rin lock her blades with Lotus.

Lotus saw him and smiled as she guided her vertical blade down, slicing through the violet blade's hilt as she spun around. Knowing she had caught Rin off guard, she continued to let one hand guide the other blade, while Rin tried to regain her footing, while the other blade found itself buried within the chest of the Twi'lek.

"No!" Dante screamed for what seemed like an eternity as he saw Rin collapse to the ground with a surprised expression. He saw her fall to the ground as the crimson blade was released from her chest, leaving her there to die. He watched the sapphire blade in her hand wink out of existence as her hand left the activation plate and moved to her chest, as she could barely call out his name. The sound of her lightsaber clanging onto the floor filled the cryptic silence.

"Dante, I'm sorry."

"Rin," he sobbed as he fell to his knees.

He felt her drifting ever so slowly away from him.

Lotus smiled as she walked slowly towards him. "Leave her be, Dante. You knew it would come to this. She was never rightfully yours in the first place."

He looked up, his anger rising. Lotus had done this and for what? For something she would never have—and he would make sure of it!

"She is a Twi'lek, you and I—we're human. You know that you must leave her to this fate. But you," she extended her hand, almost sympathetically, "are someone who deserves more."

"And I suppose this is your way of telling me to give in?" He rose slowly, his eyes burning with an intense hatred of this woman—this thing that took life away. "You want me to give into passion? Into making the Force my weapon as easily as the one I have in my hand? You want me to have power?"

"Yes," she said, allowing his anger to rise as she began to speak earnestly towards him. "You can give in, let your passion strengthen you. Allow yourself to let go of her, give yourself to me! Together, we can rule the Galaxy, side by side—as more than Apprentice and Master!"

"More than," he said, rather than ask. He clipped his lightsaber to his belt. His hand went to the silver cylinder that was Rin's remaining lightsaber. His black clothing was covered in dust, yet it seemed somehow darker, almost as if it were a window to the sheer malice and malevolence that lived through him. "Lovers," he said thoughtfully. "Is that what you've wanted this whole time?"

"You've left a mark in me no one else has," she admitted silently. "Come," she beckoned. "Join me."

"I left a mark in you..." he replied, as his mien became darker. "All right," he said, resignedly. "I'll be yours—"

She could only smile as she embraced him.

"As you make your peace in the void!" He hissed as his lightsaber tore through her torso.

Screaming in agony and shock, she only looked at him fearfully as he brought his palm up, throwing her into the gates.

She brought both of her lightsabers up as his single blade came crashing down, roaring in anger. "How's this for love?"

He brought his blade across her face, forcing her to block it, as he continued to slash side to side and his blade became a whirring propeller of death.

Hard-pressed, Lotus found herself losing strength as her body began to suffer from the torn ligaments and the hole through her body.

His blade moved incredibly fast as anger and hatred and remarkable sadness poured through him. His blade arced high and low, slamming across both of her blades as she tried mightily to stop his relentless onslaught.

She extended both of her hands to her side, eager to draw him in and kill him as he would kill her—eager to die as something akin to lovers. She had never admitted it to Dierak or anyone else—but from the beginning, she found herself drawn to the Jedi. And now she would find herself dead at the hands of the very same Jedi.

Anticipating her strategy, he strafed back, then lunged, arcing his blade to his right.

She gasped as pain raced along her arm—from her shoulder to her back. She collapsed as she looked at her right arm, to see an azure shaft of light through her chest, just under her shoulder, but through the shoulder blade.

Dante enjoyed watching her in pain, watching as she would beg for her life. He wanted to cause more pain to her. He wanted her to suffer, knowing that she would beg for death before he would willingly grant it to her. He wanted her to—suffer as Rin? He withdrew his blade, knowing that she was dying and would die for a long time. He was saddened to see that the Dark Side continued to eat at him, consuming his very being and tempting him to no longer flirt, but to become one with it.

But he let go of that fear—it too led to the path of the Dark Side. Instead, he looked upon the Dark Side with no fear, but with respect. It would always try to consume him, but he knew that he could always keep it at arms' length, ready to use it to protect others, but never to become a slave to its will.

He walked away, leaving her collapsed figure to pant heavily, and allow pain to wrack and writhe along her body. He raced to Rin, clipping the lightsaber to the other side of his belt and wrapping his arms around her.

"You—you didn't give in," she said weakly.

"No, Rin. Never." He smiled weakly as tears began to blur his sight. Wiping it away, he looked at her, wanting to gaze on her and try to keep her alive.

"I'm dying, Dante," she said flatly, knowing that he would never accept it.

"No, no, you'll be fine, dear. I promise. Come—," his voice broke as he continued to cradle her in his arms.

"Nothing can stop that now," she said as she smiled softly to him. "Just promise me you'll live on. You will go on for the both of us."

"I will, Rin. I will never let you go."

"I know, Dante. I know. I will always be yours. I shall always stay safe in your arms," she whispered before her eyes closed and her expression let him know she began her eternal sleep.

He closed his eyes and kissed her forehead and cried for what seemed an eternity.

He awoke, waiting and looking around. He could move his arms, but he knew he could not move his legs—if only for a while longer. His left arm was weak, but he knew he had better control over his right. It seemed the only one that still worked properly.

Hearing a shuffling sound, and footsteps that approached, he mustered whatever strength he could to use his right hand to lift his left arm—eager to grab the pistol that still remained in that hand. Fumbling for it, he knew that Dante and Rin might not have survived; that he might be the only survivor. He tapped several keys on his wrist comlink, and saw something that made him smile grimly: the Republic task force had arrived.

Dante's plan to send encoded short-burst transmissions to the Republic had worked—and in time, no doubt. Now, Sekula tapped the keys and waited for the confirmation of a missile strike on this location. It was better to make sure that no one would walk out of here alive, than to let the artifact fall into the hands of the Sith.

He prepared himself as the confirmation signal came in.

The footsteps continued to approach—though somewhat haphazardly.

Raising his blaster towards the pathway, he saw a figure carrying the body of a Twi'lek female.

"No," he whispered as the minor light revealed a distraught Dante.

"Sekula," Dante said. "It's just me." Those words hurt him as the truth echoed. Just me, he thought lamely.

His eyes wide, he screamed, "Dante, down!"

Before the Jedi could reply, he dropped as he felt a dark wave speeding towards him.

"No! Don't leave me!" She screamed as two crimson bolts tore through her other shoulder and stomach, sending her flying down into the black void that was the center of the spiraled pathway. The echoes of her scream were sent upwards as Lotus continued to fly through the hole, never to be heard from again.

"Women," Sekula muttered. "Dante," he called out. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, thanks," the Jedi replied as he rose.

"Good, now let's run! The Republic is going to launch a strike on this place!"

"Perfect," the Jedi replied smartly.

"We don't have much time—," before Sekula could even finish, Seth rose from the rocks.

"No!" He screamed. "This will not end! I refuse to finish!"

"This guy just doesn't quit, does he?" Sekula shook his head, feeling stiff and sore.

"Seth, it's over," Dante replied. He couldn't care about his brother anymore. Too many had died and it was just enough.

"No," Seth replied as he brought the thousands of limbs of droids towards each other to form a barrier around the only exit from the tunnels. "It isn't over until I say so!" His other hand emitted an orange flash that seemed to almost weld the droid limbs together to form the barrier. His face was cut and bleeding once more, his armour had been scratched and dented. But his expression was fierce and determined.

Sighing, Dante removed his lightsaber. "Let's finish this, Seth. Once and for all." Igniting his blade, both Jedi charged at each other, their blades hungering for the blood of the other.