Getting Reacquainted
"You're alive," Dante said bitterly, as the air blew wildly around him and Lotus.
She shrugged, smiling, "what? You expected otherwise?"
"The last time we met, I sent you down to the bottom of that hole in that forsaken planet," he hissed.
"Yes, well, let's forget that whole incident," she replied, shrugging it off easily.
He ignored the rage that coursed through his tensed body, as he eyed her warily. It took everything in him not to cut her down where she stood. He noticed Deus and Rena had gone missing. "Where's Rena?"
Lotus sniggered, "always straight to the point—I always liked that in you."
"Where is she," he repeated, adamant. He cursed inwardly, as he realized his eyes were solely on her, which ostensibly led to Deus running away with Rena.
Lotus pouted. "I see that you don't want to reminisce."
"I won't repeat myself again, Lotus," Dante warned, as his eyes narrowed, becoming rancorous slits.
"She's bonding with her brother," Lotus said. "I figured it would be wise to spend some time away, from the kids; you know, just you and I," she smiled.
"I want her back," Dante replied.
"I'm afraid my superiors won't like that," she said evenly. "They've gone to great length to obtain one such as her."
"What about the others?"
"Failures," she replied.
"I know who your Master is—I know whom you are working for," Dante said, hoping to catch her off-balance.
"Traya?" She asked, causing Dante's mien to grow shadowy. She shook her head. "No, Traya is merely a pawn—just like the rest."
He gritted his teeth. Things were far more complex than he had originally thought. "So whom do you work for?"
"You already know," she said, smiling. "Your friend angers my Masters greatly," she pouted, "and after all the things they've done for him."
Dante's senses perked up when he heard her remark. Seems he's got them at a disadvantage after all, Dante grinned. "Revan will do what he does best: beat you into submission."
"So they say," she replied uninterested. "But I've got my eyes on you."
"Give her back to me, Lotus—you won't take her with you," he warned. He brought his thrumming sapphire blade up.
"We don't have to fight," Lotus said, "you can come with me—you can have Rena and everything you've ever imagined!"
"I don't bow down to anyone—especially to the Sith," he replied determinedly.
Lotus sighed, removing both of her lightsabers from either side of her hips. "Very well," she said reluctantly, "I'll just have to follow your friend's advice: beat you into submission. Maybe then you'll see reason."
Dante's grip tightened on his lightsaber. This is for you, Rin, he thought, as he said, "let's end this, once and for all."
She ignited her blades and said, "I don't know what I ever did to wrong you."
This caught the Jedi off balance.
Lotus struck.
They had entered one of the cars in the train—an empty one as it turned out. The lights flickered slightly, adding to the macabre feeling of the situation in its entirety. Deus stood facing her, as Rena was lying uncomfortably on one of the sets of seats.
"Why do you resist against us, sister?" Deus said, as he eyed her curiously, clad in her white robes and the stun-cuffs that he fitted on her just moments before they entered the car.
She looked at him, surprised. "Are you kidding me? Were you awake when they did those things to us?"
Deus merely nodded.
"They were cruel—especially when they pit us against one another. I felt the pain of all of them whenever one of us killed them."
"As did I—as did the rest of us," he replied. "Why did you leave us?"
She shook her head, laughing mirthlessly. "I left because I couldn't take the pain they were inflicting on us. I left because of the thoughts that ran in all of our heads. I left when they killed Diara for a single misstep in our training."
Deus was silent, almost as if he were deep in thought, attempting to comprehend what she was saying.
"You don't know what it is like to completely bond to a twin—and what that feels like when they're tortured to death." Rena's eyes began to slowly form tears, as she felt the phantom pains that ran across her back and arms. "I left because I knew what they were doing—I was the only one who sparked any awareness. The others were just like you—merciless killing machines, bereft of any human emotion."
"I know what it is to be blind and mute," he said, hoping that would garner any understanding between the both of them. He was silent for a moment longer. "So you joined the Jedi Order because of their compassion?" He asked sharply, attempting to understand her.
She chuckled once more, replying, "no—it was blind luck that I ran into a Jedi when I escaped."
"He became your Master," he stated matter-of-factly.
"Yes," she answered, her thoughts taking her back to the first time she met him. "He is a good man, someone who I hope to have with me for the rest of my life."
Deus tilted his head, almost as if he were a pup who didn't quite understand what she meant.
"Nevermind," she said, as she looked at her lightsaber on his hip.
"He will come to an end soon enough," Deus replied. "The Mistress and the others shall soon have you. You and I will complete our function."
"My Master will stop this—he has a habit of destroying things before they ever come to fruition," she replied defiantly, allowing herself to smile for a brief moment.
"He will soon come to an end."
"What about our 'father?' He will inevitably face us and even if I were to fall and join you—which is not bloody likely—, he'd defeat us."
Deus let out a mechanical laughter, as he shook his head in disbelief. "The 'father' won't survive against me. I am far more powerful than him," he said, tilting his head once more, "or can you not feel my power in the Force?"
She could only sigh. "I don't think you'll ever understand," she replied sadly, causing Deus to look at her inquisitively. Master, please, hurry—I don't want to become one of them.
Lotus slashed at him horizontally, causing the Jedi to block with his blue blade facing the metallic rooftop of the car they were fighting on, as the buildings rushed by them in a blur.
Dante leapt back, slashing around as he continued to give ground against her relentless assault. She's grown more powerful—I'll give her that, he thought bitterly as he parried her thrust, forcing himself to deflect her second blade that came veering towards his throat.
"What's the matter, Dante?" She asked, as she lowered her stance to that of a predator waiting to pounce on its prey. "Worried?"
He bit back the rage that was slowly eating away at him. I won't give in, he struggled, as he was forced to deflect her blades that crossed and slashed against his.
She spun about, bringing each of her blades to clash against the Jedi's, forcing him back as she laughed in glee at the chance of revealing her power. "This is why you should join me! Together—with your power and mine—we could crush the Sith Council!"
Council? He grunted as he blocked both of her lightsabers that came flying towards his chest and waist. "I won't join you, face it."
All trace of joy on her face ceased to exist as she replied, "you will join me. If I had to kill that alien to take you, you will come with me—one way or another."
Dante bit back a retort as he extended one hand, sending her flying back.
Lotus landed on her feet deftly, as her left blade was pointing behind her, while her right blade faced Dante. She smiled. "I can feel the rage within you—use it. Join me Dante and we can achieve limitless possibilities!"
"You should get a life and quit obsessing," he replied, slashing diagonally, as he spun about, whirring his blade to glance against one of her blades and then another in a series of blinding flashes.
"That wench didn't deserve you! You were mine! She deserved to die!" Lotus spat, as she barely blocked his whirring blade.
"You killed her Lotus," he said in a low tone, "you took her away from me—and for that, you shall pay."
She giggled, "no I won't, Dante. You've only begun to realize the connection we have—the life, the love and the myriad of possibilities that are waiting for us."
"Us?" He asked, his face contorted in an expression of disgust. "There is no us. There never will be! You took everything that ever mattered to me! My Master, my Love—I will make you pay!" He screamed as he brought his lightsaber over his head, crashing against hers, as he spun about, driving his foot into her stomach—right beside the old wound he had given her so long ago.
She screamed and fell back, barely rolling away in time as the blue blade seared through the rooftop of the train. She pivoted her body and tried to sideswipe his legs, only to have him flip over her. She quickly rose and began to rotate, her blades meeting Dante's as he drove her closer towards the end of the car.
He spun, following her motion as he struck against her blades, willing himself to win and to crush her beneath his feet. He unleashed his anger, twirling his lightsaber all around him, effectively creating a barrier of sapphire energy that seemed impenetrable as it clashed against her faltering skills.
She thrust out with her left blade, slashing upwards, only to clash against his sapphire blade.
He slammed her right lightsaber away and thrust out towards her left hand, nicking the hilt and severing the emitter in the exact moment. He shoved his shoulder into her chest, sending her back.
She screamed as she was sent back and the air left her lungs for a moment. Her sight dizzied and she regained her vision in time, barely evading the blue blade that crashed into an antenna.
He brought his blade down again, missing her.
She whirled around him, struggling with all of her wavering resolve to defend against the vicious onslaught of the Jedi Knight before her.
He brought his lightsaber around his back and slashed horizontally as his blade arced around her blade. His eyes revealed a darker Dante, one who was far more powerful and hell-bent on killing her.
He's too strong, she gasped, as she felt his foot collide with her face.
He walked towards her, "you're going to die."
"Not yet," she said as she brought her lightsaber in front of her, upright, only to watch it fly away in halves.
He slashed the lightsaber away, knowing that she had hoped to block his next flurry of strikes. "Your cheap parlour-tricks are at an end."
She looked at him, fearing for her life. What have I done? My sweetheart—don't, please don't. "Wait," she said, bringing both of her hands out to stop him, "you don't want to kill me, do you? Think of your life as empty without me."
"My life will be far more fulfilled once you die," he replied coldly.
No! She shoved her hands towards him, sending him flying back. With a flick of her wrists, her gauntlets revealed a pair of vibroblades.
As he rose, he eyed them carefully. It hardly mattered to Dante anyway, as he would soon ensure his lightsaber would be imbedded inside of her chest. No, he thought, I can think of far more terrible ways to cause her pain.
"Don't do this, Dante," she warned, her voice quavering. "I-I don't want to hurt you."
"Is that fear I hear in your voice?" He asked her.
She shook her head fearfully, attempting to dissuade the Jedi's observation.
"I believe it is," he answered cryptically, a smile forming on his face.
"Don't," she said. "I will defend myself."
"Defend?" He laughed sinisterly. "You hate the Jedi way and seek to turn me and yet you say you are going to defend yourself?" He lunged at her, causing her to block with her blades.
She continued to bring her blades up, as the metal rang against the deadly thrumming of the blade. She turned about and brought her right forearm up in time, as she saw the silver metal clash against the blue blade. She looked over the lightsaber and saw the worn handle, decorated in intricate designs she barely remembered. "No," she whispered, the sight of the hilt brought memories racing back to her. The Twi'lek's blade!
Dante turned around and extended his left leg, taking pleasure as it crashed against her shoulder.
She fell to the ground and rolled away, watching as the blue blade found itself driven into another roof. Suddenly, she felt a quick prick in the Force, as her sight turning towards a wave of a long, sleek craft that ran parallel to the train, decloaking and revealing a black, angular vessel. Help had arrived for Lotus Xa.
Dante brought the blade up and heard the electrical crackle of a ship decloaking, causing him to look at the massive ship behind Lotus.
She turned back and saw Dante's dark, determined expression.
"You won't run away from me this time," he threatened.
"I'm sorry Love—but another time and another place. I will have you soon," she said, smiling. "Until then, you have my blessings."
Dante suppressed a shudder. He slowly began to move towards the assassin, who now was moving towards the ship that had now moved towards the train.
The ship hovered over the pair, its engines whining as a ramp at the aft section began to open, revealing two figures completely clad in black.
"I won't let you take her away from me!" Dante screamed at them.
Lotus didn't know if he was talking about her or Rena, who was now being ushered towards the ramp by the larger and black clad Deus.
Dante moved towards Lotus, who turned to face him. Moving his hands in their respective directions, the gauntlets came flying off and away, leaving Lotus relatively defenceless.
She looked horrified, but she managed to leap on board the ship, narrowly missing the slash that came down at her. She looked at the two Sith that bore no affiliations with Traya or her motley crew of Sith and Dark Jedi. "Stop him," she said, knowing full well that even with their advanced training they were no match for the Jedi Knight.
Had she paid any attention to Dante's seemingly frantic—and desperate—movements, she would have noticed the small tracking device that had planted itself aboard the hull.
Deus looked at her curiously, and then moved along the ramp to see the Sith that jumped onto the tram to confront the Jedi. He was eager to watch the duel, and eventually he would learn all he could and then earn the lightsaber of the notorious Jedi Knight who had so frequently wrought havoc—or so his sister had said—with the plans of the Sith Lords.
Lotus didn't look back as she eyed Rena, whose expression was glazed. "Soon you shall be taken back to my Masters—and you shall bring me your Master and you shall bring our Masters the head of your father."
No, Master, Rena fearfully managed in her mind. Don't lose me…I'm sorry I never told you—please, come back to me. Stay safe.. find me.. I lo—she managed as blinding pain burst across her face.
Lotus' expression grew furious at the glazed girl, aware that though she may have taken the prize that was Rena, Lotus hadn't come back with the prize she had waited for so long. Angry, she brought her leg out, as her foot slammed against Rena's face, rendering the poor Padawan unconscious.
Soon Dante, very soon, you shall be mine, she thought bitterly as she moved towards the cockpit. "Cloak us and take us back to our Masters—they'll be thrilled to know that everything is going according to plan."
Deus moved towards his sister and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close to him as he tended to the bloody nose and bruised cheek she had earned from the meager frustration of Lotus Xa. I should make it a point to deal with her soon if she ever brings a hand against my sister again, he thought, as he thought he heard her whimper from the pain she had earned. Rest easy, sister, all shall be well soon. He felt his hands tense momentarily at the thought of what the assassin did to Rena, but most of all, he found the sense of loyalty and compassion towards his sister most curious.
Author's Notes: Ah the plot thickens. I'd like to take the timeand thank everyone who has reviewed this fic so far. I am thankful for the support, suggestions and everything that you've given me. I hope you continue to read this and the other fics that I've been working on and that you enjoy all of them as much as you enjoy this.
