Part II
Into The Darkness…
Chapter 7
Nightfall, Part I
Yoda gripped the side of the cockpit doorway to steady himself as the ship connected to the spheroid space station with a series of unsettling metal clunks. The ship grew silent as Kaine powered down the engines. A series of loud staccato hisses erupted around the main hanger door as pressure equalized around the airlock.
"This station, explain," Yoda rasped. His heart skipped a beat at the sound of his own voice. Closing his eyes, he steadied his breathing and concentrated. His connection to the Force was still sporadic, but it was not as weak as it had been earlier. Yoda sighed with relief as he considered the possibility that the effect was not permanent.
"We'll need to sit tight for a few minutes while the decontamination protocol runs its course."
Rizza put her hand tenderly on Yoda's shoulder and fixed Kaine with stern eyes. "His question, you have not answered."
Kaine turned in his chair and faced them both. His eyes met Rizza's and they stared intensely at one another. Yoda watched the silent exchange as Rizza's hand went to her lightsaber hilt. The Jedi Master frowned and stepped between them. He cast a sidelong glance at Rizza before squaring his shoulders.
"Mr. Kaine. This station, explain. A weapon, it is?"
Kaine raised an eyebrow and smiled. He bowed his head curtly and turned to Yoda.
"I thought we agreed that you would call me Dorran," Kaine replied at length. He settled his gaze on Yoda for several long moments. When Yoda narrowed his eyes, the politician seemed to take it as an indication that Yoda was not going to respond further.
Kaine smiled.
"Yes, it is, Master Yoda. The most wonderful weapon ever designed. I call her 'the Moon of Death.'"
Yoda frowned.
Kaine seemed to notice this, and his face grew apologetic. "A trite name, I agree. But…." He sighed and turned to look out of the viewport, his hand sweeping in a wide arc as if showcasing the vast ship. "I suppose it will do for now."
"Your classified project, this is? Your prototype?"
Kaine stood and smiled warmly. "You know, I was right when I said that you don't miss much." He walked past Yoda and Rizza, bending his head slightly as he walked through the archway. Yoda turned and followed him. When Rizza didn't join him immediately, he looked back at her over his shoulder and inclined his head. Nodding, she walked behind Yoda as he pursued Kaine.
Yoda entered the converted dining room and found Kaine standing with a glass of red liquid in his hand. The Jedi Master glanced at the table and saw a bottle of wine and two empty glasses, apparently staged for his and Rizza's arrival. Yoda's frown, which had remained steadfastly on his face, deepened. He looked up at Kaine's smiling visage questioningly.
"So? What do you think?" Kaine's face was alight with apparent glee. Yoda's eyes widened in surprise. "Admittedly, you have not seen much yet, but she is amazing is she not?" He stared at Yoda expectantly.
The Jedi Master looked sidelong at Rizza but said nothing.
Kaine shrugged. "I realize I have not been completely forthright with you." Kaine lowered his gaze to the floor in a contrite manner. Observing the silence briefly, he lifted his head and smiled. "We are in orbit around the planet Geonosis. I had the great fortune of developing a partnership with these interesting creatures several decades ago. They are remarkable workers and ingenious engineers. Fortunately for me, the Republic has never utilized their talents very effectively. These Geonosians are phenomenal. They create the most remarkable devices."
"Built this…weapon, they did?" Yoda stared through the cockpit doorway and out the viewport but could see nothing of the planet below. The entire view was obscured by the metal hulk to which they were attached.
"Oh, yes. They worked primarily from my designs, of course, but they have been most efficient."
"The purpose of building this weapon, explain." Rizza's voice sounded uneasy.
Kaine fixed Rizza with an incredulous stare. Sighing, Kaine lowered his gaze and looked to Yoda. "I must admit, I am a little disappointed in your reaction, Yoda. I was sure you would appreciate the magnificence of this creation."
"Why are we here?" The room began to swirl. Tightening his fists, Yoda tried to connect with the Force. It felt as distant as ever.
Kaine raised his glass and moved it in a perfect arc to encompass Yoda and Rizza. "I propose a toast!" Yoda watched the drink swish in the glass warily. "To new beginnings! You, Master Yoda—and you, Padawan Rizza—are the first to learn that this prototype is fully functional! My Geonosian friends assure me that this last shipment of cadrinium along with what I have managed to collect over the last few decades will make it possible to build an entire fleet of ships just like this one!"
"Join you in your toast, we will not," Rizza interjected. She turned to Yoda with pleading eyes. "Amiss, something is."
"Master Yoda, is she not your padawan? She should learn her place! Come now, join me in a drink!" Yoda watched Kaine's smile widen as if he was enjoying a private joke. "No? Very well, I guess I will be drinking alone."
With a grand flourish, Kaine lifted the glass to his lips and emptied its contents in a single gulp. Grinning, he placed the glass on the table and walked over to where Yoda and Rizza stood. Rizza's hand found Yoda's, and she drew closer to him. He looked at her and saw the concern etched on her face.
"Disturbing, your behavior is," Yoda said as he gently pulled Rizza behind him. "Answer our questions, you do not."
Kaine stopped in front of Yoda, keeping his gaze fixed on the Jedi Master's eyes. His smile vanished. He turned his back to the pair and walked casually back to the table. Methodically, he picked up the empty glasses that he had set aside and held them to the light. His voice dropped an octave. "Refusing my offer for a drink was not wise." He put the glasses back on the table almost reverently and turned, leaning against the tabletop. "Well, I suppose what's done is done."
Yoda's hand went to his belt, and he gripped his lightsaber.
"That won't be necessary, Master Yoda." Kaine's eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth drew downward in a malevolent glare. "I find it hard to believe that either of you would choose to engage in battle, diminished as your Force-powers are."
Yoda's mouth fell open. He turned to Rizza, his heart pounding with sudden dread.
She looked at him with terror in her eyes. Her voice quaked. "Sorry, I am. Told you, I did not. Believed I did, that only in my mind it was."
Yoda closed his eyes and sighed. Lifting his hand to her face, Yoda caressed her cheek and looked into her eyes. "The same mistake, I made. No apologies, make." He looked back to Kaine. "What have you done?"
Kaine smiled. "I recently visited this wonderful planet called Myrkr…"
"Ysalamiri…" Yoda gasped. A quiet hissing noise filled the air.
"Apparently, you Jedi never visit the planet." Kaine chuckled. "Well, I couldn't help myself. I managed to come across some rather interesting creatures in my time there. There are creatures that seem to hunt Force-sensitive beings and there are others that seem to have found a way to block the Force itself. I found these latter creatures to be rather interesting. Unfortunately, removing them from their arboreal homes has the disturbing effect of killing them. Of course, if you harvest the trees themselves, you can keep them alive for some time. But even this is a temporary solution given that the trees require very specific conditions to survive."
Rizza blinked her eyes and shook her head violently as if trying to clear her mind.
The feeling of dread strengthened in him as Yoda's mouth went dry. "What…have you done?" he rasped.
"Given the limited range of their Force-blocking abilities and their relatively short lifespan, I am afraid we're going to have to move things along. I am sure you understand."
Yoda stepped threateningly toward Kaine, but the politician didn't budge. "Why? What do you want?"
Kaine laughed.
A wave of nausea churned Yoda's stomach, and immediately directed his stare at Rizza. He watched in terror as she dropped to one knee, her hand going to her head. Yoda's throat tightened, and his lungs suddenly felt starved for air. His knees buckled. Yoda's hand landed hard against the floor. His vision grew steadily cloudy as he struggled to lift his head. Kaine's voice grew distant as the Jedi Master slipped into unconsciousness.
"It is not about what I want, Master Jedi…."
Yoda stirred.
A steady hum penetrated the fog of unconsciousness.
Lifting his ear slightly, Yoda tried to gauge his surroundings. His sensitive ears picked up no sounds beyond the perpetual drone of some sort of power conduit and his own breathing. Yoda arched an eyebrow as he noted sourly that he hung from his outstretched arms, bound at the wrists and ankles by uncomfortable metal shackles. With interminable sluggishness, Yoda's mind drew the conclusion that he was rotating slowly in mid-air. He frowned.
Tentatively, Yoda furrowed his brow and inhaled deeply, opening himself to the Force. Immediately, Yoda felt energy surge within him. Elated, Yoda tried to stretch out and search his surroundings. His delight immediately dampened as he realized he couldn't extend his senses beyond his own body. Something was containing his power. Deciding he had no choice, Yoda opened his eyes.
With painful brilliance, light broke through the narrow slits of his eyelids, forcing the Jedi Master to squint them shut. Tilting his head away from where it had been, Yoda willed his lids open again. Dazzling blue-white light again poured into eyes, but Yoda ignored the pain. Before long, his pupils shrank, and the Jedi Master began to discern shapes.
Raising an eyebrow, Yoda took careful note of the shackles around his wrists. They were some kind of rust-brown metallic device with a series of interlocking bolts from which azure light emanated in striated patterns. Each bolt hummed quietly. Glancing around, he saw that the blue-white currents ran along his body from above and below. In both places he noticed white orbs that seemed to be the source of the light. Irregular eruptions of static electricity between the two orbs sent tingling sensations along his skin. Yoda surmised that the combination of the bolts and orbs created some sort of Force-nullifying cage bounded by the sky-blue light. Pursing his lips, Yoda considered his options.
"Ahh…I see you're awake."
Yoda lifted his head and saw Dorran Kaine moving casually about the chamber, checking readings on computer terminals along the curvilinear walls. Squinting through the light, Yoda took in the room. He was in a control chamber. Small droids on wheels bustled about, maintaining the high-gloss obsidian floors. Multi-colored displays and lights covered the bulkheads. Kaine stood before a large deactivated viewscreen that was seamlessly integrated into the durasteel curvature of the room. Turning his head slowly, Yoda looked around.
Rizza was not in the chamber.
Yoda stared directly at the back of Kaine's head. His eyes narrowed. "Where is Rizza?"
Kaine turned, smiling. He walked over to Yoda and stood before the Jedi Master. "Your padawan is quite safe, I assure you."
"What do you want from us?"
Kaine seemed to consider answering for a moment. Then, shrugging his shoulders, he assumed a casual gait and paced slowly around the Force-cage with his arms behind his back.
"I'm pleased you've recovered from the nueroxiprine. I apologize for having to utilize the gas, but I'm afraid that my ysalamiri were dying. They don't survive for long if you remove them from the trees they inhabit, and the trees don't survive long when removed from Myrkr." Yoda continued the slow, uncontrollable turn in his cage, making no effort to maintain eye-contact with Kaine. He heard his captor sigh. "I suppose it is unlikely at this point that we will be able to talk as we once did."
"Suppose correctly, you do."
Yoda's rotation brought Kaine back into view.
The politician seemed contemplative. "I suppose I can understand that," Kaine said. He turned away and walked back to the primary console.
"How long?" Yoda asked.
Kaine turned and regarded Yoda. "I'm sorry?"
"How long, a Sith have you been?"
Kaine's eyes widened and his mouth fell open. He seemed to catch himself immediately and turned his surprised gaze into a smile. Kaine lowered his head and closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, then opened his eyes from beneath his lowered brow and looked directly at Yoda with a malevolent glare. "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. You are the greatest of the Jedi, after all."
"Answer my question, you have not."
Kaine turned away from Yoda and punched a series of buttons. Yoda's rotation came to a halt, facing the viewscreen, and Kaine turned to face him. Kaine stood tall and lifted his chin.
"I am Darth Frigeus."
He walked toward Yoda with a steady, determined look fixed on his face. "I have studied the Force all my life. Your Jedi Seekers actually rejected me as a child, concerned that my midichlorian count was not high enough." Kaine chuckled. "I spent a lifetime, honing my skills. My family, unfortunately, never understood my need for power. I had to…remove them from my life. Several decades ago, my Master found me and began my training. I have learned much."
"Your visit with me on Coruscant, a test that was." It wasn't a question.
"One that went extremely well, in fact." Kaine stopped at the edge of the Force-cage and smiled at Yoda. "How does it feel, I wonder? Are you angry? Would you like to destroy me?"
"Sith, you are. Destroy yourself you will."
"Ahhh, yes. The famous Jedi approach to the Sith. Leave them to their own devices and the Sith will be destroyed. Bury your head in the desert sands. If you cannot see the danger, then it does not exist." Kaine chuckled. "Well, that might be true if I were anything like the Sith you've read about in your archives. But I am not. You will come to learn this, in time."
Yoda lifted his head and gazed at Kaine in surprise, his eyes narrowing. "Mean for me to join you, you do."
Kaine looked back at Yoda, grinning. "Why else would I go to all this trouble to collect you?"
Yoda laughed aloud. "Join the Sith, I would not. Know this, you must."
"I wouldn't be so sure, my little Jedi friend." Kaine raised a hand and gestured casually. The viewscreen came to life, showing the distinctive blue-white roiling clouds of hyperspace. "Do you know where we are going, Master Jedi?"
Yoda's breath caught in his chest. "No!"
"Oh yes. It is interesting to me that you've chosen the test site for this weapon of mine. It fits my needs quite nicely, as you can imagine. Far on the outer Rim and outside of Republic control—no one will even notice it's gone."
Yoda's fists tightened and he pulled against the Force-bonds for the first time. "No!" he snarled.
"Yeesss," Kaine hissed with a smile. "Release your anger. Your anger will make you powerful. Only with all the power of the Force at your disposal can you hope to stop me."
"Release me!" Yoda roared. His muscles ached but the bonds didn't budge.
Kaine smiled and pulled two lightsabers from his belt. "I am curious as to why you kept Winn's lightsaber. Yours is much better constructed, I must say."
"Release me!"
"I'll tell you what, Yoda. I'm going to do you a favor." Kaine raised his hand casually and a simple black table floated into view from the far side of the room. The table settled gently on the black floor between Yoda and Kaine. Darth Frigeus smiled as he placed both lightsabers on the flat, smooth surface. Yoda gazed longingly at his blade. "It will be a few days before we arrive at our destination. I fully intend to test-fire my weapon at your home. You are free to use whatever means you feel necessary to try and stop me. If you manage to free yourself from your little prison…" Kaine reached down and picked up Yoda's lightsaber and hooked it on his belt. He smiled. "Well, you'll have one weapon at your disposal."
"Kill you, I will!" Yoda screamed. Every muscle in his face tightened with rage.
"Perhaps…" Kaine walked to the door. "But somehow, I doubt it."
