Chapter 7
Nightfall, Part II
Fear.
His heart pounded.
His breath grew shallow.
His throat tightened.
Frantically, Yoda flailed against his bonds, desperate to free himself. His arms burned with exhaustion. Frustrated, Yoda dropped his head and hung loosely from his extended arms, breathing hard, eyes closed. He could almost hear the screams of his people echoing in his ears over the thrumming power of the Force-cage.
It was hopeless…
Darth Frigeus slid into the room, glancing at Yoda with a raised brow.
Yoda glared at the Sith with burning eyes.
Kaine let his gaze fall to the table on which the Iktotchi's lightsaber lay undisturbed and frowned.
"You are beginning to disappoint me, Master Yoda. I was convinced you would have found a way out of your bonds by now. Are you truly that powerless without the Force?"
Yoda's voice was tight and filled with venom. "Release me and see, you shall, how powerful I can be!"
"And what fun would that be, my diminutive friend? No, I'm afraid that if you want to engage me in battle, you will have to earn that right."
"Release me!" Yoda screamed.
"You're beginning to sound a little repetitive, my friend."
"Raaggghhh! Kill you!"
"Perhaps. But not today."
The Sith entered a few commands on the console, and then turned and left the room.
Yoda turned his head slightly and opened his eyes to look again at the bonds that held his right arm. Distantly, he noticed the loose curl of his gnarled forefinger a fraction of a centimeter from the top of one of the interlocking bolts on his bond. Yoda drew his brow tight and lifted his head. Narrowing his eyes, he drew his face as close to his arm as his position would allow.
Tentatively, Yoda stretched his finger and reached out to touch the bolt with his long nail. Digging it under the head of the bolt, he was surprised to see the bolt budge slightly. He pulled on the bolt head again but this time, it did not move. If he could free the bolt, Yoda reasoned, the entire Force-cage might collapse.
Determined, Yoda pursed his lips and tried again.
The whir of servomotors alerted Yoda to the impeding return of Darth Frigeus. Swallowing hard, Yoda forced the bile that threatened to erupt in his mouth back into his empty stomach. Sighing deeply, he hung his head again rather than look upon the politician who had betrayed him so completely.
Kaine marched into the room as elegant as ever. His armorweave cloak billowed gracefully behind him as his boots clicked crisply against the hard floor. Without a glance in Yoda's direction, Kaine stepped directly to the main viewscreen console and set about punching in a sequence on the computer.
Yoda's voice interrupted the silence in a raspy, dejected tone. "Release me."
"That mantra of yours is growing tiresome, Yoda," Kaine replied without looking up from his ministrations.
"Why do you do this?"
Kaine paused and looked up at the viewscreen but didn't turn. He sighed. "Because, Master Yoda, it is what I must do." He returned his gaze to the computer console and began his work anew. "We each have our roles to play in this galaxy, my friend. Mine is to ensure the survival of the Sith. Yours is to join us. It is no more complicated than that."
"Die, the Sith will, when kill you, I do."
"I'm afraid that you will not be the one to destroy the Sith, my friend." Kaine turned and faced Yoda. He seemed to be trying to decide whether or not to continue. He glanced back at the console and them shrugged slightly. "I suppose we have time," he smiled finally. "Besides, you will need to learn this at some point. The Sith have a prophecy, not unlike your prophecy of the Chosen One."
Yoda lifted his head looked up at Kaine, surprised. "The one who will bring balance to the Force?" Yoda furrowed his brow. "An ancient prophecy, this is. Came into being, it did, when defeated, the Sith were."
"Yes, quite right." Kaine grinned and leaned onto the console. "One wonders if the two prophecies aren't related. At any rate, Sith'ari is said to be a perfect being who will rise to power and bring balance to the Force. According to prophecy, he will rise up and destroy the Sith, but in the process, return to lead the Sith and make us stronger than ever."
Yoda dropped his head again and sighed. "The Chosen One, destroy the Sith, he will. Lead you, he will not."
Kaine chuckled. "I suppose we could wait and find out." Yoda eyed him as Kaine's smile evaporated. "But that is not our nature, we Sith. We believe that there is nothing beyond our control. If this Sith'ari is to come into existence, then it is best if we control the when and the how."
"Impossible, this is."
"Not at all. In fact, it is only a matter of time until we master the necessary skills to create the perfect being—one born virtually from the Force itself." Kaine crossed his arms, looking proud. "I hope you realize, Yoda, it is no small thing what I am telling you. You are going to be a part of the greatest achievement this galaxy has ever known. In fact, it is a sample of your blood that my scientists are working on at this very moment. Imagine it! You could be the cause of the rise of the Sith'ari! Does that not fill you with excitement? If we create him, and nurture him correctly, we could rule the Galaxy!"
Yoda flicked his wrists and his bonds fell free. The blue-white light dissipated. As Yoda fell onto the orb, his outstretched hand called the Iktotchi's lightsaber. Kaine's eyes finally fully opened in obvious surprise when Yoda reached the apex of his leap. A crimson beam of particle energy erupted from Yoda's hand as he began his descent toward the Sith Lord.
When he landed on the console, Yoda's blade clashed hard against the equally blood-red energy of Darth Frigeus. Yoda's eyes burned and his pulse quickened.
He felt no Jedi calm.
There was no peace.
Instead, his face contorted with rage as he called on the Force. The two warriors stood at a stalemate, each pushing against the other's blade.
Yoda stared into Kaine's eyes and caught a trickle of fear. Yoda laughed and pushed the man back with the enormous power of the Force. Frigeus hurtled backward and landed hard against a bank of computer consoles on the far side of the room. His blade fell to the floor, and deactivated.
As the Dark Lord of the Sith struggled to his feet, Yoda laughed. "Warned you, I did." Yoda hopped down from the console and stalked toward Kaine. He could feel the energy from the Force filling him completely. He felt more powerful than he ever had.
"Now, kill you I will."
