Thank you all for the reviews. I'm not sure how I'm going to go about finishing up this story, so if any of you have any ideas or suggestions, feel free to let me know. Input is always appreciated. Now, without further ado…
Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters or anything Star Wars related.
Chapter 12
Ambush
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Anakin ran for what felt like an eternity. Winding around corners, searching the shadows for what might linger in the darkness…the dark side was strong on Korriban. Hatred seethed in the very air that he breathed as he fought to fill his lungs. He could feel it pulsating from the Sith holocron that rested in his tunic pocket – the very holocron that the Respian had held in his possession.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he continued on his way with the hilt of his lightsaber firmly in his grasp. Blinking away the stray strands of hair that fell over his eyes, he ignored what was now plastered to his forehead. He had to keep going. He could sense danger. Something terrible was about to happen, but what exactly he could not be sure. All he knew was that the Force was urging him to prevent it. But as his leg muscles ached from the strain put on them, doubts raced through his mind. The Force felt tainted, impure. How could it be trusted? Something about it didn't feel right…didn't feel as he knew it should. He could feel himself waltzing straight into a trap.
Pushing the disturbing notion from his thoughts, he did his best to refocus his attention on the situation at hand. Above wherever it was he had been imprisoned, he felt the distinct Force signatures of numerous Jedi. Unsure of what was unfolding topside, he moved as quickly as his body would allow to find and join them. He could sense them waltzing straight into a trap as well.
Suddenly, Anakin came to an abrupt halt when he rounded a corner and met a dark silhouette standing in his path. Igniting his lightsaber, he moved into a defensive position and struggled to make out the mysterious figures face through the darkness.
"Who are you?" he asked, not easing his stance as he spoke.
"Kuntag mal haran," a deep voice answered. "Vas lucat jes pauna."
"I don't know what you just said, but you would be wise to step aside," Anakin retorted.
"We meet at last," the voice replied a moment later. "The Chosen One…The Hero With No Fear. The famous Anakin Skywalker. The Negotiator's apprentice."
Anakin glared at the figure as it took a casual step forward. "You seem to know a lot about me, but I don't seem to know who you are."
"You made quick work of my loyal servant," the figure said with a chuckle. "Quicker than expected. I am most impressed, to say the least. Kenobi has taught you well, my friend…but he has taught you all he can. Only by fully releasing yourself can you learn the true value of the gift that is the Force."
"Do all of you Sith imposters talk in riddles?" Anakin spat.
"I apologize if I speak unclearly," the figure replied as it emerged from the shadows. A middle-aged man with flowing white hair that hung down his back in one long braid stepped into the light. His shoulders were broad and he stood almost a full foot taller than Anakin. Anakin instantly recognized the symbols that marked his face as the same that the Dark Jedi had dawned. "Please, allow me to introduce myself. I have gone by many names throughout my life, but the Jedi know me as…the Respian."
"That's impossible, I…" Anakin trailed off.
"Killed me?" the man laughed. "No, I assure you I am very much alive. My servant is the one who met an unfortunate end. He failed his task."
"Task? What task?" Anakin questioned, not even realizing the words had left his lips.
"To turn you, of course," the man said matter-of-factly. "You have proven much stronger than I had foreseen. Your will cannot be easily broken, can it? You will not embrace your true self without persuasion."
"I don't know who you think I am, but you're mistaken," Anakin retorted. "I'm a Jedi and nothing will ever change that."
"Powerful words from a powerful being," the man replied as he took another step forward. "Are you so sure you really know who you are?"
"You will not change me," Anakin stated. "Your type never learn, do they? I am who I am."
The man smiled almost warmly as he retrieved something from beneath the folds of the black cloak he wore. "And that is why you must do what you were born to do."
"And what would that be?" Anakin growled, his gaze fixing on the mans' hands as he held what he now knew to be the hilt of a lightsaber.
The man held his lightsaber at arms length and activated its duel blades. Anakin immediately remembered Obi-Wan telling him about a similar weapon…the very weapon that had stolen Master Qui-Gon's life from him.
The crimson blades cast an eerie glow as the man lazily rotated the lightsaber in his opened palm.
"You will know soon enough," he replied.
Without warning, the Respian lunged forward and swiftly whirled his lightsaber overhead, bringing it down on Anakin's own blade. Anakin easily deflected the strike, but the sheer force of the attack left him slightly startled. Quickly returning a blow before his adversary could make another move, he did his best to penetrate the Respian's defenses. Unfortunately, his advances were unsuccessful. The Respian calmly slapped his blade away and laughed yet again.
"This should be very interesting," he remarked, sizing up the Jedi Master that stood before him. "I have always loved a good challenge…"
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Obi-Wan Kenobi stood with the red blade of his lightsaber pointed directly at the chest of his cornered foe. Master Secura remained behind him, holding her wounded shoulder while she cautiously watched Darth Palomeil.
"Siri, it does not have to be this way," Obi-Wan pleaded. "You are my friend, not my enemy. I do not wish to fight you. Let go of your anger; release your hatred."
"Siri Tachi is dead, Obi-Wan," Darth Palomeil sneered. "She died long ago."
"I don't believe that," Obi-Wan replied.
"Believe it, Jedi!" she exclaimed, charging forward to attack.
Obi-Wan barely managed to block a deadly blow just before it reached his neck. Ignoring the excruciating pain in her shoulder, Aayla leapt forward to join in the battle and assist her comrade. Palomeil moved in a blur – deflecting lightsaber blades and using her own to lash out at the duo that closed in on her. Not wishing to kill Siri, Obi-Wan did his best to land disabling blows instead of fatal ones, but his tactics seemed to be getting him nowhere.
"Your emotions blind you!" Palomeil growled. "You will never win if you allow your feelings to interfere!"
"We are only trying to help!" Aayla spoke up, deflecting a strike aimed at her torso.
"I have found help!" Palomeil shouted back. "The Respian gives me all the help I need!"
"You don't – " Obi-Wan started, only to be cut off when his old friend kicked him in the gut, sending him tumbling to the ground.
Aayla skillfully spun around, hitting Palomeil in the temple with her elbow and knocking her back several steps. Furiously resuming the fight without skipping a beat, Palomeil moved with stunning speed and accuracy. Aayla did her best to fend off the assault, but she soon found herself overpowered by the Mistress of the Sith. Then, slicing through the soft tissue of the Twi'lek's arm, Palomeil pushed the Jedi back against the wall with an unexpected Force shove. The back of Aayla's head hit the durasteel and she slumped to the floor.
"You have sealed your fate, Jedi!" Palomeil declared, lifting her lightsaber and preparing to bring in down upon the fallen Aayla Secura.
Aayla could only close her eyes and wait for the raised blade to deliver its lethal blow. However, it never came. Opening her eyes in confusion a moment later, she spotted the crimson blade that had pierced Darth Palomeil's midsection and watched her lightsaber hilt fall from her hand. The blade disappeared a second later and the Sith's lifeless body crumbled to Obi-Wan's feet.
Unshed tears glistened in the Jedi Masters eyes. "Siri…forgive me."
Pulling herself up from the ground, Aayla gave Obi-Wan a brief moment of silence before speaking up. "We have to stop this ship."
"I know," Obi-Wan said, switching off his lightsaber and turning on his heel. "Quickly."
Together, the two Jedi started for the ships control center.
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Anakin steadily circled the Respian, impatiently searching for his next plan of action. He didn't have to wait long for an opening. Flipping through the air and landing behind his target, Anakin swung and cut through the fabric of his robes. He grimaced when the swipe failed to make successful contact. The Respian was facing him before another move could be made.
"Amazing," he said in delight. "The power you possess is unlike anything I have ever felt before. You truly are the Chosen One."
"Complimenting your opponent," Anakin mocked. "That's very polite of you."
"I only speak the truth, my friend," the Respian replied. "You are capable of so much more. Why waste your talents?"
"Why waste my life hating and killing?" Anakin returned.
Extending his hand, the Respian called upon the Force and pulled the Sith holocron from Anakin's tunic, snatching it with one hand while he securely held his lightsaber staff in the other. "This is all you need, Anakin Skywalker. This is the key to eternal bliss…to immortality. Learn from it as I have."
"I have acquired all the wisdom and power I need from the Jedi," Anakin said as his gaze intently studied the older man. "Nothing can make me turn."
"Nothing?" the Respian asked, his tone kind and innocent. "Not even to save the life of a loved one? To obtain such abilities you must learn to use the dark side. It is the only way to spare the Senators life."
Anakin felt his anger rise at the mention of Padme. "What are you talking about?"
"Right now, my young friend, Senator Amidala seeks you out," the Respian answered. "She does not see the dangers that await her. If there were to be an accident…"
"If you touch one hair on her head – "
Anakin was cut short when the ground violently shook and nearly toppled him over. Glancing up at the roof to the rocky cavern, he held a hand up to shield his eyes as dust and debris fell loose and drifted down.
"What's going on?" he demanded, holding his lightsaber out to keep the Respian at bay. "What was that?"
"It has begun," the Respian replied. "The war to end all wars. Your foolish friends have done exactly what I had hoped they would do. They came to rescue you and Kenobi, but The Falard had a wonderful surprise waiting for them."
"I have already lived through one war," Anakin said, his rage threatening to consume him. "I will not live through another."
Using the Force, Anakin pulled a large bolder from the nearest wall and hurled it at the Respian before leaping forward to continue their duel.
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Mace Windu piloted his Delta-7 starfighter, trailing the vessel that held both Aayla Secura and Obi-Wan Kenobi. His patience running thin, he was eager to take action, but he knew that rushing into things would only make matters worse. He let out a heavy sigh and allowed the Force to surround and soothe him. He remembered one of the first lessons he had ever been taught: patience. A Jedi was to know patience.
Suddenly, he was pulled from the memory of his teachings when a distorted voice came over his communications link.
"Master Windu, we…at the…succesfully! We have…hostiles…into an ambush!"
Mace tightly clutched the controls to his starfighter. Through the static he had heard the word ambush. The Jedi had stumbled into a trap.
"I am on my way," he said as he changed his course to the surface of Korriban. Looking back over his shoulder, he silently hoped that the Force would guide Obi-Wan and Master Secura back to safety…
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