The Second Sister
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Star Wars. This is merely a fanfiction.
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Starkiller's lighsabers spun in a never-ending, fluid arc as the three Shadowguards flanked him. Starkiller repulsed them, creating a gap, giving himself some more wiggle room.
The Shadowguards combined their Force energy into one simultaneous attack. Starkiller was blasted into the reflecting pool in the center. He stood up, drenching wet. With a wave of his hand, he sent a torch flying at one of the guards. The torch made contact, and the Shadowguard's armor erupted into flames. The flaming Shadowguard launched himself into the reflecting pool, sending steam erupting to the ceiling.
Starkiller rolled out of the reflecting pool - just in time to block the shimmering red blades of the other two Force Users. The two Shadowguards flanking him and they dueled around the pool towards the sarcophagus of ancient Sith Lord, Freedon Nadd.
One of the Shadowguards used the Force to wrench open the Sith Lord's casket, revealing the dry corpse within. The Shadowguard grabbed Starkiller by the head, bashing him into the open edges of the coffin. Starkiller grappled with him, flipping him into the casket, before slamming the lid shut and blasting the coffin across the room. It smashed into pieces on the other side, cracking the Shadowguards skull through his helmet.
The final Shadowguard arced his saber-pike mockingly, urging Starkiller forward. Starkiller lunged, and the Shadowguard leaped over him. The Shadowguard landed in the reflecting pool, before using the Force to levitate a blob of water. Smashing his fist forward, the Shadowguard engulfed Starkiller's head in the blob of water.
Starkiller sank to his knees, his head engulfed. He was drowning. The Shadowguard cackled.
But to his surprise, Starkiller actually grinned.
Too late did the Shadowguard realize the danger. Starkiller deactivated his lightsabers and, struggling to see through the water blob covering his head, raised his fingertips.
ZAAAAP!
The Shadowguard braced for the coming Force Lightning ... but he was not the target. He looked down as electricity coursed down through the reflecting pool, effectively turning it into one giant electrical deathtrap.
A deathtrap the Shadowguard had stepped right into. There was a loud ZAAAAP as the Shadowguard was shocked into a smoking heap. The blob of water covering Starkiller's head splashed to the ground.
The Jedi clone staggered back to his feet, and headed for the exit.
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Starkiller stepped out into the lush green foliage of Dxun and spoke into his comlink. "Kota. Kota!"
"You there boy?"
"Moff Reeden's dead. Something big's about to happen on Onderon, General."
"Dead? You do 'im in boy?"
"I had nothing to do with it. Some old lady ... apparently one of Queen Ashti's advisors ... she's going to frame the queen and her boyfriend and try to take the throne for herself."
"Bold move. But even if she succeeded ... I don't think the Emperor would just let her have the throne. I mean, killing one of his Moffs doesn't put you too high on his friends list."
"We need to get to Onderon. Send Juno my coordinates."
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The Rogue Shadow spun in an arc in space, heading back for Dxun. Kota stood in the cockpit behind Juno, arms folded.
"This is not adding up," Juno began. "Why murder a Moff? This ... woman ... whoever she is ... doesn't she realize that if she's caught, what the Empire will do to her?"
"There's more to this than meets the eye," Kota answered. "She may not be acting alone. After all, the Empire is filled with scores of ambitious men who would kill to become a Moff. One Imperial killing off another for their position is more common than you would think. It is the way of the Sith, after all."
Juno nodded. "Makes sense. Our mission just got more complicated."
"Well, Captain Eclipse, if you can't handle it ..." He paused, waiting for a sarcastic comment from Juno for his barb. None came.
"You alright, kid?" he asked her.
No response from Juno. The Rogue Shadow began listing to the side - off course.
"Juno!"
Kota swung the captain's ship around. Juno was breathing, but her eyes were closed, her mouth slack, a thin line of red blood trailing down her mouth. Kota shook her. "Juno!"
He glanced out the cockpit. They were going to crash into the forests of Dxun!
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Starkiller meditated in silence in the jungle, waiting for extraction. That's when he felt the disturbance.
"JUNO!"
Something had happened to her. But what?
He pulled out his comlink. "Kota! Come in! Kota!"
Static.
Starkiller stood up, breathlessly. He reached out, sensing for their position.
So engaged in finding the location of the Rogue Shadow in space, that he never sensed the cloaked figure creep up behind him and place a thin cloth over his face.
Starkiller was unconscious in less than a second.
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Queen Vashti sat on her throne room as several aides scrabbled out legislation on their holopads. Beast Lord Korr Sunka stood next to her, arms folded, while Pooja Naberrie sat on a small cushion slightly below the throne.
"I'm surprised Moff Reeden isn't here," Ashti said with genuine surprise. "I mean, I'm foregoing the execution of those imprisoned Beast Riders." She glanced up at Korr Sunka, who allowed a small smile.
"Maybe he did us all a favor and dropped dead," Pooja joked.
"All too ironic words!" Gazellia appeared in the doorway, distraught. A squad of Imperial stormtroopers appeared behind her.
Ashti stood up. "Gazellia ... what's going on?"
"What indeed?" she asked. "Moff Reeden was found dead this morning in his bed chambers. The murder weapon - found in the bedroom of none other than Korr Sunka - Lord of the Beast Riders!"
Ashti and Pooja gasped, and Korr Sunka straightened to his full height. "That is outrageous!"
"The law is very clear, Your Highness," Gazellia said. "Korr Sunka must be taken into custody ... the penalty is death."
"I'm aware of the law," Ashti said. "But ... there's no way ..."
Pooja rose to the defense. "Actually, I'm quite familiar with the law as well. Korr Sunka gets a trial, if I'm not mistaken!"
"Indeed he shall have one," said Gazellia. "As shall you, I'm afraid to say, Your Highness."
"Me?" Queen Ashti said. "Gazellia ... what you're suggesting ..."
"Onderon's laws are very clear. We have enough circumstantial evidence I think," Gazellia replied. She pulled out a small holocron before the entire throne room to see. The holocron showcased the kiss between Queen Ashti and Korr Sunka just the day before.
Silence permeated the chambers. "As you can see, the two of them are ... involved. Can anyone seriously believe that Korr Sunka didn't have an accomplice?"
"It is very suspicious," one diplomat said.
Korr Sunka balled his gauntleted hands into fists. "I will allow myself to be taken into custody. But you will not arrest the Queen!"
"You have no say in this matter, I'm afraid," Gazellia said. "As Royal Advisor, I have no choice but to order you both taken into custody." Her voice dripped with fake sorrow. She motioned and the stormtroopers moved, arresting both the Queen and her Beast Lord. As the two were led out of the chambers, Gazellia stepped forward.
"The law furthermore states that in times the Queen is unable to govern, the Royal Advisor must step in. I do not relish having to take on the burden of the throne, but the law is the law." Gazellia sat down upon the throne, her fingers gripping the armrests like talons.
Pooja watched her, eyes narrowed.
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Starkiller woke with a start. "Juno!" He bolted upright. He had been lying on a stone bed. He looked around. Stone walls. A fire roaring the corner. Where was he?
He heard shuffling. He saw a hooded figure walking towards him. Now he remembered. A hooden figure had attacked him from behind and drugged him.
"Lie down, you'll hurt yourself," said the hooded figure and Starkiller was shocked to hear a woman's voice.
"You attacked me!"
"I saved you!"
"Drugging someone saves them?!"
"From a certain point of view!"
Starkiller groaned. "Okay then. Who are you, and why did you feel it was necessary to ... 'save' ... me."
The figure threw back its hood to reveal an old woman. In fact, she looked remarkably like that Gazellia woman back in the Sith Tomb. "I saved you from running off to face my sister unprepared and facing gruesome death!"
Starkiller's eye twitched. "S-sister?" He rubbed his eyes. "Where's Juno!"
"Your friends are in no immediate danger. They crash landed a few miles away. Their ship is banged up, but those on board are skilled indeed."
"I have to go to them!"
"Not yet! First, I would have know what you are up against."
The old woman set down a pale of water, which she began heating over a fire. She slowly stirred it. "My name is Zarbina. That murderess in the tomb ... was once my sister."
Starkiller sat up. "What's she planning? Is she working with the Empire?"
"No. Her master has no love for the Empire."
"So then she's not working alone?"
Zarbina shook her head. "Not in the least."
"Who is her master? Please don't let it be the spirit of Naga Sadow. I head all about what went down with Exar Kun thousands of years ago."
At this, Zarbina actually laughed. "No, no. No dead Sith Lord's ghost this time. Her new master is much more fearsome anyway." Zarbina set down a bowl and ladled some gooey soup into it. "Decades ago, Gazellia and I were born to one of the Witch clans of Dathomir. We learned all about the Craft - what you call the Force. We thought ourselves the greatest sorceresses alive, but we were never satisfied. We wanted to leave, to grow our powers elsewhere. Our talents were wasted there. But then Gazellia's master came."
"What happened?"
"He offered us a way off planet. The other witches claimed he was demon, sent to test us. If anyone left with him, they were deemed heretics. But Gazellia and I ... we jumped at the chance. We left with him, and he showed us the true depths of our powers. That power we attributed to the Spirits - actually came from us. The Force. And it served us, a slave to our wills. We never felt such exhilaration. We became his students."
"But it didn't last," Starkiller realized.
"Indeed. At the end of our training, he took us to a remote planet. And there, we would face our final test. Gazellia and I were forced to duel against each other. It was long and brutal, but I eventually emerged victorious. And The Master gave the order. I was to finish her. As I stood there, seething with the energies of the Dark Side, I looked into her eyes and no longer saw the proud, cruel woman she had grown into. I saw the little girl I was raised with. I could not kill my sister. The Master was outraged, considered it weakness. I barely escaped with my life. But where was I to go? I could not return to the Nightsisters, for I was a heretic. I became a nomad, but I kept tabs on my sister. The Master, deeming me a failure, took her as his apprentice. I finally tracked her to Onderon, and settled myself here in the forests of Dxun."
"What can you tell me about your sister's master," Starkiller asked. "You said he has no love for the Empire, but was he ever affiliated with them? With Darth Vader? What's his goal?"
Zarbina laughed. "Oh, he's not affiliated with them. Well, at least not with Vader. He told us nothing of his past, except that he has a seething desire for revenge. Revenge for what, he did not tell us. He hates the Empire and wishes to see it fall. That is, I think, his main goal."
"Okay. But why would he not join with the Rebel Alliance? Help them?"
"Why would he need to? He operates behind the shadows, manipulating events. He has great financial assets coming to him - mainly from traitorous Imperials themselves. And he's got his own militia. Made up primarily of the scattered Mandalorian clans. But a couple high-ups in the Trade Federation have lent him a few squads of battle droids."
Just great.
Starkiller leaned forward. "And you couldn't have told me any of this without sneaking up on me and rendering me unconscious?"
"I had to assess if you were a threat," Zarbina replied, shrugging. "A guy walks into a dead Sith Lord's tomb, easily dispatches three Shadowguards ... I wanna know if he's on the right side or not."
"Good point."
"Now, about your friends ... I may have some spare ship parts here. You wouldn't believe the amount of wreckages in the Dxun jungle."
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Juno awoke in the medbay of the Rogue Shadow. What had happened? She was flying towards the extraction point when she just ... faded. Did she lose consciousness?
She slowly sat up, and her vision swam. Proxy was standing over her. "Oh, Captain Eclipse, it is so invigorating to see you up and about again!"
"Proxy? Ugh, what happened?"
"You seemed to have a malfunction whilst piloting. Thankfully, General Kota was there to grab hold of the controls to avoid a deadly crash."
"So the ship is okay?"
"I said deadly crash, Captain. We did, in fact, hit a tree. General Kota had been nipping on the Tarisian ale shortly before your glitch occured."
She heard footsteps. "Ah, good! You're finally up!" Kota leaned in the doorway.
"How bad is the ship?" Juno asked.
"Couple scratches and bangs. Gotta replace a few parts here and there. Antilles is outside now, working on it."
"What happened to me?" she breathed.
Kota shrugged. "Beats me. One minute you're fine, and the next, your head is hanging back and blood is running out of your mouth."
"Blood?"
"Juno, be honest. Have you been feeling alright recently?"
"Well I ... truthfully General, no I haven't."
Kota sat down across from her. "Tell me. What's been going on?"
"I don't know! Sometimes I feel like I'm going to pass out! Once in a while, I'll find blood trailing down my mouth."
"When did this start?"
"After we left Dantooine!"
Kota nodded. "When we get the chance, I'll give you medical leave from the Alliance. Get you to a doctor."
"No, Kota! I don't want medical leave! Piloting ships, fighting the Empire - this is what I live for! I'll see a doctor, but please ... don't make me go on medical leave! Don't take me away from Starkiller!"
"Fine. But Starkiller will want to be appraised of the situation, given your ... relationship."
"I'll tell him."
Kota stood up. "That's if we ever find the blasted kid! I haven't been able to reach him since we crashed! I've been trying to send messages to him telepathically, but I don't know if his receiver's working." He grinned. "Alright, bad joke. Let me go check on Antilles. Come on, Proxy, let's give Captain Eclipse some privacy."
Proxy nodded. "Feel better, Captain." The two exited, leaving Juno alone.
Truth be told, Juno was extremely frightened. She'd never blacked out before. But recently, she had been feeling sick. Nausea. Fatigue. Loss of energy and appetite. What was coming over her?
She stood up and went over to the refresher, splashing some cold water all over her face. Toweling off, she turned and looked into a mirror. That's when she noticed a slight discoloration under her shirt. She carefully removed her over-shirt, leaving herself in a tank top, exposing the top of her collarbone.
She gasped, and backed up in horror.
The scar - the scar left from the Dark Apprentice's vibroblade - was not healing. It had turned a deep purple, with pinkish veins sprouting out from it. It pulsated too, as though the scar tissue were growing, living.
"Juno! One more thing!"
She could hear Kota returning back to the medical room. She quickly threw her overshirt on, covering the disfiguring scar on her chest.
No need to worry anyone just yet, right?
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"You do not need to escort me all this way," Pooja remarked as two Imperial stormtroopers led her down the prison hall of Onderon's infamous Sky Turret. "In fact, I would like some privacy!"
The two stormtroopers shrugged. "The Queen's cell will be straight down that way. She's in solitary confinement."
Pooja nodded as the two stormtroopers returned to their post. She broke into a run, finally reaching Queen Ashti's cell. Ashti sat forlornly on a metal cot as a purple laser wall kept her imprisoned. She looked up when she heard footsteps.
"Pooja!"
She raced to the edge of the cell, and sank to her knees in tears.
"It's okay," Pooja was saying. "I'm going to take this issue to the Senate. I will get you out of this!"
"I don't doubt that. But Pooja ..." Ashti was crying.
"You've been through a lot," Pooja replied. "Getting implicated in the murder of a Moff. Your secret lover being the chief suspect."
"We'll get the death penalty ... oh why?" The tears came harder.
"I've heard the whispers," Pooja soothed. "A lot of people - myself included - believe Gazellia was in on it."
"She would never -."
Pooja gave her an are-you-serious look.
"Okay, she might ..." Ashti admitted.
Pooja looked her deadpan in the eyes. "I'll get your name cleared. And Korr Sunka's too. I'll get you out of this, Ahsti, I swear by the Force I will. Please, stop crying."
"I can't. It's ... oh, why?"
"What is it?" Pooja asked. "What's the matter?
"It's Korr Sunka."
"What? What about him?"
Asthi wiped her eyes. "They let us talk. For five minutes. He's got this ridiculous plan. Oh, he can't go through with it!"
"What plan?" Pooja pressed. "Is he planning a breakout?"
"If only!" Ashti lowered her voice to a whisper. "He told me ... he's going to confess to the murder! Confess to the whole thing and tell everyone I had nothing to do with it! And you know what that means!"
Pooja's mouth hung slack as she herself sank to her knees. "The law requires the death penalty."
And not even proud Pooja could stop the tears from flowing.