Broken Order
She charged the pair.
Lotus smiled and extended both of her hands, as blue crackling energy left her fingertips and slammed into Rena.
Rena screamed out, as she felt jolts of pain writhe all around her body, causing her to cringe and cry out for what seemed an eternity.
Lotus laughed sadistically as she poured ounce of blue electricity into the poor girl's body, watching as she squirmed in pain and screamed in horror.
Deus deactivated his lightsaber and holstered it, surveying the scene.
After another moment, Lotus relinquished the pain she brought down on the young girl.
Rena could only whimper, as smoke left her body and she felt the pain and soreness overwhelm her senses. In a handful of moments, she collapsed into darkness.
Dante awoke several moments later, panting heavily for air, as he looked around his room. After a few more moments, he realized that he had been inside the medical room on board the large freighter. It was only a nightmare, he thought to himself, as he brought his hand over his face, wiping away the sweat that covered him. He rose, throwing the sheet away from him, and he threw on his shirt.
Where's Atton and Visas? He wondered as he holstered his lightsabers and his blaster, throwing on his jacket. He walked into the main hold and looked around to see no one. Where in the blazes could they be? He walked towards the cargo bay, hearing grunts from Visas and Atton, along with ringing metal.
They didn't decide to kill each other while I was asleep did they? He raced towards the cargo bay, opening the door as he pulled out his lightsaber, only to stop.
Atton and Visas paused and looked at Dante, who now wore an embarrassed expression.
"Uh, sorry," he said, as he saw both of them covered in sweat, undoubtedly from sparring.
"We were wondering when you'd wake up," Atton said in between breaths, dressed in a white, sleeveless shirt, and his usual form-fitting trousers. His hair was matted with sweat and his shirt bore soaked parts. "You slept for so long that we grew bored and decided to spar," he shrugged in his carefree manner. He spun his two swords in his hands, as he breathed deeply.
Dante looked at Visas, who wore a velvet coloured blindfold over her eyes, covering underneath her short, dark brown hair. She was matted in sweat, but wore a grey shirt and form-fitting pants as well. She carried a double-sided sword—matching her style with her own lightsaber.
"Sorry," was the best he could manage as Atton chuckled. After another moment at his expense, Dante couldn't help but ask, "how long was I out?"
"Long enough for us to spar for several hours—and long enough to complete our trip," Atton answered, as a beeping rang out throughout the ship. "If you'll excuse me," he said, resting the two swords against a wall, patting Dante on the back as he left.
He looked at Visas, who now placed her sword on the rack at the other end of the room.
"I felt a disturbance in the Force," she said after a moment. "I was wondering if you are all right."
Dante sat down on a bench near the rack. "Actually, I had a disturbing vision—or dream," he said.
Visas came and sat down, rubbing her hands again, almost as if she attempted to remember the way his hands had felt when they touched hers.
"I saw an old enemy—a dead one—injure and torture Rena. I wonder about her, but I am not sure if she is all right. I feel my bond with her weaken, as I woke up. I do not know how she is," he said sadly. "I felt a great loss in the Force that made me grow tired, which is why I probably lost consciousness." After another moment of silence, Dante looked at Visas. "How could you have felt the disturbances flow from me?"
She looked at him and she replied, "I am strong in the Force, but it would have taken a mere adept to not notice the waves of strong emotions that came from you as you slept."
Dante merely nodded in understanding.
"We'll be arriving on Coruscant in a few moments," Atton's voice said, as it came over the ship's internal communications.
"Well, I guess I better let you go change your clothes," Dante said, as he rose.
"Wait," Visas began uncharacteristically, "I, uh, wanted to show you something."
The Jedi furrowed his brow. "What is it you would like to show me?"
She bit the corner of her lower lip, bathing the crimson of it with the gleam of her white teeth. "I rebuilt my lightsaber—look," she said, as she removed it from its holster on the back of her hip. The silver glint of the hilt appeared to be brand new, as was its subtle intricate designs that reflected her own persona—the real Visas within.
Impressed, Dante moved towards her, watching the newly brandished and complete blade. "Wow," he mustered, as he touched its grip, rotating the double-sided hilt around his hand, feeling its perfect balance. "Exceptionally balanced too—I am sure it will be a great extension of yourself," he said, smiling amicably.
"Look," she said, as she took the blade back in her hand and took a step away. She ignited the blade, lighting both sides not in scarlet, but in a pale glow of silver.
Dante's eyes lit with wonder, as he watched her twirl her lightsaber before she thumbed the activation plate off, sending the silver shafts of energy into the hilt. "Very impressive," he commented, smiling wildly.
"I received the crystal as a gift from my mentor," she said, lowering her head.
"Nihilus?"
"No, Theresa." She holstered the blade and looked up at Dante. "She taught me to look within myself and to tap into the strength I always had. She showed me the way of the Force in a manner I had never thought possible."
Dante smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You've always been strong Visas, and I hope that one day you will teach me how to look deep within myself and unleash the true strength within."
She smiled back, resting her hand on his that rested on her shoulder.
After a moment of comfortable and pensive silence between the two—and feeling a little flustered—, Dante removed his perched hand and began to turn around to leave.
"Dante, there is something I wish to tell you," she said, startling the young man.
"What is it?"
What have I just done? She appeared apprehensive, and immediately regretted what she was going to say to him, but she had to. It was the only way to reveal how she felt. "I've never told anyone this before, but," she brought her hands to her chest, between her breasts as she felt her heart beating, "I have a great respect for you."
"And I have a great respect for you," Dante said, not quite sure where she was going with this.
"You have shown me a strength I thought I had never possessed. I find my thoughts turn to you when I least suspect it and I know now what the Force asks of me. I would die for you," she said softly, knowing full well that he didn't understand what she meant. "You've brought me a measure of peace and new meaning to my life. I love you," she declared, as she leaned in, raising her chin slightly and softly pressed her lips to his.
Caught off guard, Dante felt her soft moist lips touch his dry lips, and he felt her lean in towards him. He closed his eyes and almost embraced it, remembering the feel of someone so close to him, as he tasted her lips. Lost in the moment, his mind suddenly turned to the thoughts of others who he had once loved—others who had died for him. Rin, Jade—I will not add you to this list Visas, I dare not.
She moaned softly as her lips continued to dance with his, embracing his body.
He opened his eyes and pulled away, causing her to stop and bring her hands to her mouth in shock. "I'm sorry, Visas," he said, looking at the ground in shame. "I-I can't reciprocate. I can't love you." His gaze rose, as he looked at her veil, knowing full well that he would have looked at her eyeless sockets regardless. "Everyone I've ever loved has died—by my hands or the hands of those who sought to do harm. If I love you—if I embrace whatever I could feel for you, I will only cause you more pain."
She looked at him and lowered her gaze, knowing full well that this was what she had expected. She felt a wave of regret pass from the Jedi, knowing that some part of him—a part he had buried deep within himself—desperately wanted to reciprocate. It made her feel all the more hurt knowing that even though he wanted to reciprocate and couldn't, his tone was sincere. A sudden thought occurred. Did he see the vision? Her heart skipped a beat as she felt herself tense, but suddenly relax. If he had known, Dante would have done everything in his power to stop the vision from occurring. Maybe it was destined to be this way, but only the Force would truly show her.
"I am sorry Visas, more than you can possibly know," he said, taking her hands in his.
As she opened her mouth to say something, Atton's voice spoke again, interrupting her.
"You guys better get up here. Something has happened to the Jedi Temple."
The pair made their way to the cockpit, only to watch plumes of smoke around the Temple.
"What happened?" Dante asked, as they all stared in awe and horror at the destruction.
"I don't know, but it definitely reeks of a Sith assault," Atton said, his voice wavering slightly.
"Put us down," Dante ordered, "we need to see if they need any help."
"Will do," Atton said, as he tapped a few keys, and the ship shuddered slightly. He unbuckled himself and left the seat. "Let's go," he said, "if they're going to need help, they'll need the three of us and this behemoth."
Dante followed Atton to the ramp, and raced out of the ship, as two Republic soldiers moved to stop him. "We're Jedi Knights," he called out, passing the pair, as he raced into the Temple.
He paused as he witnessed the bodies that lay throughout the hallway. He looked around the chambers, looking for the signs of the Jedi Masters, hoping they weren't on the ground, along with the Dark Jedi.
Soldiers and Medics moved through the Temple, dragging bodies and tending to their wounded.
The Temple reeked of death.
His thoughts turned to Rena, as he raced into an adjoining hallway that led to her room.
"Dante!" A voice called out, causing the Jedi to halt and face it. The figure that walked towards him was Cyrin Jace, covered in slightly tattered robes.
"What happened?" Dante asked, as he moved towards the Master.
"The Sith somehow managed to get inside. They attacked us—killed a few of the Padawans and Younglings. We lost a few of the Masters."
Dante's heart skipped a beat as he looked to the ground, unable to comprehend how the Sith managed to enter the Temple and begin their assault.
"How?"
"They used charges on the doorway," Cyrin replied softly. "Come," he said, his arm gesturing towards the remnants of the Jedi Order. "We have much to discuss."
Dante walked with the Jedi Master, followed by Visas and Atton, who looked unsure of what would happen next. He turned to his right and saw Ash sitting beside the body of Tarn, and the Jedi felt his throat constrict as he saw his friend lying there, gone, while Ash's expression was somber and empty.
"Dante," Cyrin said, "I believe you already know Master Shan, her apprentice Dustil Onasi, and of course, Master Vandar."
"Master Vandar," Dante breathed, as he was surprised to see the small diminutive figure hobbled over to him and greet him.
"Greetings, Master Ravenmoon," the wizened Master said, "good it is, to see you."
The young Jedi nodded in acknowledgement. He turned, facing Visas and Atton. "Allow me to introduce you to Visas Marr and Atton Rand."
They nodded or bowed acknowledgment.
"As I said," Cyrin began, "we have much to discuss."
The others looked at the bald Master, listening attentively as he began to speak.
"The Sith assault has claimed the lives of the Masters and Padawans, but we still have much left to rebuild. With the help of Forn Dodonna, we were able to stem the tide and prevent the Sith from destroying everyone. Unfortunately, as I said, the incursion claimed the lives of Masters Vizta, Ze, and Seethes. At this point, we are at a loss as to who has been behind these attacks."
"I think I can shed some light on that, Master Jace," Dante replied, as he removed a datapad and handed it to them. "As it turns out, Atris has been behind all of this. She has become the new Darth Traya—and along with several Senators, Director Gran'gerst and a Republic General, they have been responsible for the deaths and the reformation of the Sith Empire. Consequently, Traya has also been behind the dissolution of the Republic."
This caused several stares as they listened to Dante explain.
He breathed in deeply. This is only going to get worse before it gets better. "The facility where Director Gran'gerst has been conspiring with the other members, was a developmental facility for the creation of cloned Dark Jedi. On some perverse view, they thought they were creating a group loyal only to the Republic, however, they were only making matters easier with Traya and her Sith."
"Wait," Bastila interrupted, "you said that they were cloning Dark Jedi. Who is the host?"
Dante sighed. "It's all on the datapad, but the person who was the genetic template is someone we all know. Revan."
Bastila brought a hand to her mouth and Cyrin looked to the ground, as the others muttered and cursed in shock.
"He didn't do it willingly, did he?" Forn, who was covered in dirt and soot, asked him.
Dante shook his head. "No, from what I've gathered, the DNA of Revan's was of when he was younger—and I am sure he never knew this. There is more," he said, gathering the others' attention. "They had successfully created some clones from their first batch. They had gone through with several failures except for a handful that performed admirably. Some of you would recognize them as a pair of assassins working for Traya; a powerful, yet blind Sith with vocal and ocular prosthetics, and finally," he looked at the ground in shame, "my Apprentice, Rena Naver."
"How can that be? Surely we would have recognized them as Revan!" Bastila said, her mind reeling with the thought of countless evil Revans bent on destroying the Galaxy. Her heart twisting as she thought of her husband leading the army or worse—giving his DNA freely to create the dark army.
"That was the problem. They all had minute differences from Revan. Biologically speaking, they had their own independent traits, which is why Rena came to be a female as opposed to a male, like the others." The Jedi appeared tired and he handed Forn the datapad. "Here you are, ma'am, I think you better prepare for another war."
After several moments, the group grew silent with grim awareness of what would happen if an army of Revan was unleashed. Despite the fact that the facility had been destroyed, several clones had undoubtedly been in circulation—posing as either Sith or Jedi. As Deus or Rena.
Cyrin left the group, heading towards Ash, knowing full well that the Master was crushed with the loss of Tarn. Sitting beside his best friend, Cyrin could only exhale as he turned to Ash.
"Funny isn't it?" Ash began. "I spent all those years keeping the secret that I was his father, only to watch him die in front of me. I thought I could keep him safe—stay on Coruscant and not participate in anything. But I was wrong."
"You did all you could, Ash," Cyrin said, "there was no telling that the Sith would have attacked us so quickly. We've all lost someone dear to us. I am sorry it had to be your son."
"Yeah," he replied, his voice bitter, "I am sorry too. I should have told him—I could have told him. He didn't know his mother and I thought I could keep him safe if he were with me without really knowing who I was."
"But you didn't tell him. Instead, you took him under as your Apprentice, you trained him and watched him grow. You spent time with him and you two grew in your relationship. He would have sacrificed himself for you, just as I know you would have done the same."
"Perhaps, Cyrin," Ash sighed, "but I am too tired of this. I've lost too much—we've lost too much. I don't know what else is out there for me."
Cyrin looked at Ash sincerely. "Don't give up; Tarn would want you to continue on stronger than ever. You and I both know that. We'll find a way to end the Sith, once and for all," Cyrin swore.
"I'll make them pay," Ash said. "After Atris is gone, I am going to retire."
Cyrin nodded. "You deserved more than this, my friend."
Ash looked at him, smiling softly as he draped an arm over his long-time friend. "It seems that we both deserved a lot more than we got, old friend."
Cyrin smiled and before he could say anything, he saw young Febe—whom he thought was missing—race across the hallway, running towards Dante.
"Master Ravenmoon!" She called out, as she ran towards him. "They took her! They took her!"
"Whoa, calm down," he said to the young girl, kneeling as he held her by the shoulders, "who took who?"
"Rena," she said, breathing heavily. "The Lotus and the big scary man with no eyes took her!"
No, it can't be. He looked intently at the young girl. "Where did they go?"
"I don't know, Master, but they hurt her."
He saw the panic in her face and the fear in her eyes. He clenched his jaw as he fought down the tide of rage that continued to rise within him, almost as if it were seeking to overflow him. He let her go and turned to face Bastila. "Take care of Febe, I'm going for Rena."
"Dante," Jolee said, "take care of yourself—she's a wily one, but she needs you. Don't do anything I would do—on second thought, don't do anything stupid."
Dante merely nodded. "When this is done, we've got some catching up to do."
"Over a cup of Juma Juice, my treat," the older man replied.
"Wait," Bastila managed, only to watch Dante turn around and run through the doorway, as Atton and Visas followed closely. She looked at Jolee and scowled at the older man, who merely shrugged.
"Atton," Dante said, "I need you to help pilot the ship—I need to locate her presence through the Force."
"No problem," he said, not wanting to argue with the Jedi, as he saw the untapped rage that threatened to pour out of him.
Why does everyone I ever care about get hurt in some way? He gritted his teeth, as he raced towards the freighter.
"How can you hope to find her in a populated planet such as this?" Visas asked, as she kept up with the two men.
"I have a bond with her—I'll find a way," Dante replied as his thoughts had turned to Rena. I won't let you fall—I'll be there for you. I'm coming, Rena, just hold on!
As the engines began to whine and the freighter lifted off, Dante closed his eyes, feeling for her through the Force, as he felt her presence speeding away across a silver streak. The tram! He opened his eyes and he looked at Atton. "Go to the tram—look for a railway or something nearby. She'll be there."
"Pure Pazaak," he replied as he brought the freighter around the Temple, moving towards a line of railways that weaved throughout most of the planet. The trouble to him was, which one had the girl?
Closing his eyes, Dante continued to guide Atton through the city, as he felt the surge of the bond growing stronger as he neared her. "Almost there," he said, as his fingers shifted across the navigational computer, keying in several coordinates. He felt the subtle gyrations of the Force and rougher shifts, as he felt the presence of not one, but three forms, all of which were familiar, but only one of them were different from the other two. "There!" He said, opening his eyes as they saw a tram that continued to move rapidly along.
At the top of the silver streaked train were three dark figures, one of them slung across the shoulders of a larger figure that was moving away from the other one.
Dante looked at Atton. "Lower the ramp, and get us near that train! I am going to jump down on it and get her!"
"You've got to be crazy!" He replied, as he pulled the freighter towards the moving train. "What happens if you slip?"
Dante smiled, "then I'll trust your piloting skills to save me again."
"You're putting too much faith in me," Atton said. "I never told you—but I've had my share of crashes."
"So I've been told," he replied.
"What? How?"
"I'll buy you a drink and tell you all about it once this is over," Dante said.
"You're on, pal," the scoundrel replied, as he brought the freighter closer, almost as if it were hovering.
Dante raced to the back, pausing to look at Visas.
"Be careful," she whispered.
"I will," he said, kissing her on the cheek. "For good luck," he answered, smiling as he leapt out of the freighter and rolled onto the surface of the train.
"Be careful," she whispered again.
As he rose, he managed to slowly move towards the trio as the wind blew his hair and his coat back. He pulled out his trusty lightsaber and ignited it, catching the attention of the two Dark Jedi.
Both of the Dark Jedi looked up to face him. One of them was the Beta known as Deus, carrying the unconscious figure of Rena, while the other one was a much more familiar face to the Jedi Knight.
"No, it can't be," he managed in shock as he saw those mismatched eyes and sadistic, yet playful smile greet him.
"Hello Dante," Lotus said, smiling amorously, "did you miss me?"
Author's Note: Yeah, I bet you're hating Dante right about now. I know I was when I wrote it. Up next, we see how Dante and Lotus reminisce.
