I do not own Star Wars or any of the characters.
Bested
Damian sat silently in the copilot's seat, drumming his fingers on his helmet, the rest of his juggernaut suit already on. Mustafar grew larger ahead of them, four destroyers in between him and them. Even from this distance, he could sense the prison on Mustafar where Kanan was being transferred to. It was like a beacon of fear, hopelessness, and death. It was also the one from his most recent vision, the one he saw on fire, and felt fear from. They had to get to Kanan before the star destroyers landed or any hope of getting away alive, with or without Kanan, would be gone.
He glanced to the side at the screen showing the the TIE fighter they had with them, which Sabine had rigged into an EMP. The TIE fighter was one Zeb and Ezra had apparently stolen, then hidden and claimed to have crashed. Then after that, Ezra had presented it to Sabine to be painted as a way to score some points with her. It was a now orange, white, white-and-black checkered, and a list of other colors.
"Is he still here?" Hera asked, looking to Ezra.
"I'll check," Ezra said.
"No need," Damian said. "I can sense him. He's alive, and he senses us coming. But my old acquaintance is here as well."
"Can you keep him busy long enough for us to get Kanan out?" Hera asked. "And can you escape after?"
"We'll have to wait and see," Damian said.
"I could help you fight him," Ezra said.
"No, you couldn't," Damian said. "You would be completely powerless against him. If he decided to fight you with his lightsaber at all, he'd kill you before you could even activate yours."
"Is he really that strong?" Ezra asked.
"Yes," Damian nodded.
"Are we taking your PROXY droid?" Sabine asked, glancing at it.
Damian was silent for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. Proxy, you're going with them. While you're on the ship, you're going to be following Sabine's orders until Kanan is with you, then you follow his."
"Of course, Master," the droid nodded. "And in the even you are killed?"
"Ezra will become your master," Damian said. "Train him."
The droid nodded.
"Alright," Hera said. "It's time. Chopper, send Sabine's present."
Chopper activated the TIE fighter's autopilot and flew it into the star destroyer where Sabine set off the EMP. Hera quickly flew them to the side of the star destroyer where Ezra cut them a hole in the side of the ship, allowing them all in. Inside, the hallway was crowded with unconscious stormtroopers and Damian extended his lightsaber, beginning to kill them all quickly.
"All of you get going," Damian said, pulling his helmet on. "I'll keep the Sith Stalker distracted."
"Good luck," Hera said.
"Thanks," Damian said. "If I don't make it back, tell Ahsoka I love her. And that I'm sorry."
Hera nodded and they all ran away from Damian, Proxy adopting his Obi-Wan Kenobi form. Damian sighed, turning in the other direction and running through the ship quickly, killing any downed stormtroopers he passed before reaching on of the hangars. Just as he arrived, three shuttles with nine elite stormtroopers arrived, only for Damian to growl in annoyance and effort, blasting all of the stormtroopers, and the shuttles, back out of the hangar with a giant Force Push. He fell to one knee, taking a couple of seconds to catch his breath, then pushed himself up, turning to the front of the hangar, where the Sith Stalker was watching him from the door.
"You've grown powerful," the Sith Stalker noted, igniting his lightsaber.
"And you've come to fight me again," Damian said. "To the death this time? Or is this another test?"
The Sith Stalker shoved a hand forward and Damian's arm snapped up. In the blink of an eye, the ground between them was rent asunder and the trail of destruction parted around Damian, continuing as two slightly smaller ones behind him to the edge of the hangar, the wall opposite the opening in the floor suddenly having jagged bits of metal sticking out of it. Damian lowered his arm, separating his lightsabers and igniting both.
"Good," the Sith Stalker nodded. "Fear not, I've no intention of stopping your friends from rescuing Kanan. I'm only here for you."
"That's good," Damian said. "Then I don't have to worry about keeping you trapped here."
The Sith Stalker smirked before streaking forward and slashing at Damian. Damian spun out of the way and slashed at the Sith Stalker's back, the Sith Stalker spinning and blocking it. He shoved it away and Damian deflected a slash over himself before spinning and slashing at the Sith Stalker. The Sith Stalker stepped backward, avoiding it, then stelpped forward, beginning to slash and stab rapidly, Damian fending him off as best he could. He backpedaled as the Sith Stalker pressed his advantage, slashing again and again. Damian deflected the blows quickly, then suddenly stepped forward, spinning and slashing at the Sith Stalker's waist, only for the Sith Stalker to launch himself into the air, flipping and landing on top of a Star Fighter. Then, he jumped backward, the TIE fighter flipping and following him before being sent flying at Damian. Damian halted it with the Force, then closed his hand, crushing it into a ball before sending it rocketing back at the Sith Stalker on the front end of a Force Push, firing a second, stronger blast immediately after. As he expected, the Sith Stalker caught the homemade cannonball, only for the second blast to hit it, sending it exploding into the Sith Stalker's chest.
The Sith Stalker flipped, landing on his feet, blood running out of the mask's breather, as the crushed TIE fighter fell out of the ship. Then, the Sith Stalker roared in rage, launching himself forward and beginning to slash at Damian rapidly again, only for Damian to again begin deflecting the slashes quickly. Their blades met again and again, both of the fighters moving in a blur as they worked their way around and around the hangar. Damian leapt to the top of a TIE fighter and the Sith Stalker hurled his lightsaber, splitting the Tie Fighter in half at the cockpit, barely missing splitting Damian as well, or at least hitting his armor, because Damian had leapt off. Damian flipped, landing on his feet and immediately crossed his blades, blocking the Sith Stalker's. Then, the shook suddenly lurched, throwing the Sith Stalker off balance and allowing Damian to blast him point blank with the Force, sending him exploding into the wall behind him. Damian launched himself at the Sith Stalker, driving both lightsaber blades into the wall just a second after the Sith Stalker had rolled out of the way. The Sith Stalker stabbed at Damian but Damian deactivated his lightsabers and flipped into the air, reactivating both and slashing downward at the Sith Stalker as he fell.
The Sith Stalker deflected the blows and kicked backward into Damian's chest, a Force blast launching him away. Damian flipped, stopping himself with the Force and landing on his feet before reconnecting his lightsabers and drawing his blaster, firing at the Sith Stalker quickly as the Sith Stalker charged, however, the Sith Stalker dodged out of the way of the blasts, seeming to know what would happen if he blocked them. Finally, he reached Damian and Damian deflected his blade with one of the blades, the other whipping around toward the Sith Stalker, only for the Sith Stalker's finger blades to block it. Then, Damian pressed the barrel of his blaster to the Sith Stalker's abdomen and fired. Instead of punching through him, the blast missed, the Sith Stalker's lightsaber hand having batted the arm aside, the lightsaber falling beside him.
Damian smirked and jumped, both feet slamming into the Sith Stalker's chest, a Force blast sending him flying, his lightsaber streaking after him. The blast flipped Damian backward, letting him land on his feet as he holstered his blaster and separated his lightsaber blades again. The Sith Stalker stood, readying himself only for the door he had come through to explode, hurling both of them into the hole of the floor and out of the hangar. Damian flipped, blasting the Sith Stalker and sending him spinning away, only for the Sith Stalker to grab Damian with the force and yank him after him. Damian swore, connecting his lightsabers and deactivating one blade just before the Sith Stalker grabbed him, swinging him around and sending both spinning toward the hull of another Star Destroyer. the Sith Stalker hit first, bouncing away from Damian, who grabbed ahold of the edge of a metal plate, then cut himself an opening. Everything in the hallway was sucked out before a shield appeared to stabilize the pressure and Damian dropped into the hole, barely escaping a slash from the Sith Stalker. Then, he leapt away from the hole just before the Sith Stalker dropped into it. The moment the Sith Stalker hit the ground, he shot forward, his lightsaber clashing with Damian's single blade yet again, the two striking at each other again and again.
Finally, Damian charged his lightsaber with a Force Push, sending the Sith Stalker ricocheting along the hallway before he crashed into the wall at the far end where the hallway turned. The Sith Stalker stood and shoved his free arm snapped up, Force Lightning exploding out of his fingers. At the same time, Damian's arm snapped up and the same white lightning he had used to kill the Gen'Dai serving Dulheif Ghaar exploded out of his own fingers, once again with a faint tingling sensation. The two attacks met in the middle, the arcs of electricity fighting each other for several seconds before Damian's began to overpower the Sith Stalker's, quickly speeding up. Then, the lightning hit and sent the Sith Stalker crashing into the wall, Damian continuing the lightning for a moment before letting it end. The Sith Stalker fell to his hands and knees, gasping and wheezing before standing and stumbling backward, leaning heavily against the wall.
"That power," the Sith Stalker panted. "It's been so long since I've seen that."
"What is it?" Damian asked.
"It's the Light Side counterpart of Force Lightning," the Sith Stalker said. "It's also more powerful. However, it takes such a powerful connection to the Force to use that I can count the number of Force Users that have used it on one hand, including you."
Damain nodded, readying his lightsaber again. The Sith Stalker took another moment to catch his breath before launching himself forward. And just like that, they were right back where they started. Damian deflected the Sith Stalker's blade again and again, but noticed the difference immediately. He was exhausted. He had lost his horrifying brute force, and his strikes were slower now. After several more seconds, he deflected the blade upward and slashed at the Sith Stalker, only for the Sith Stalker to use his claws to deflect the blade, then stab at Damian, drilling them into his chest plate and sending Damian stumbling backward. The Sith Stalker pursued him, striking rapidly with both his claws and his lightsaber. Damian grit his teeth fending him off as best he could, but struggling, the claws screeching against his armor every few seconds. Finally, Damian blasted the Sith Stalker backward, separating his lightsabers again just before the Sith Stalker reached him again, Damian once again fending him off, this time with much more success. The Sith Stalker growled in effort, beginning to speed up again as a with aura began to glow brighter and brighter red. Damian squinted against the light, being able to see the aura even through his mask, but then blinked and suddenly the light was dull. Still definitely there, but dulled. Not that the Sith Stalker's power had changed any. He was actually growing stronger and faster as his aura began to grow brighter again quickly, though not growing blinding. Then, suddenly, Ahsoka stepped up beside Damian in her own juggernaut suit and shoved her hands forward, blasting the Sith Stalker away, sending him once again ricocheting down the hallway.
"We're leaving!" Ahsoka said. "Now!"
Damian nodded and followed Ahsoka as they ran through the hallway.
"You must have been doing pretty well," Ahsoka said as they ran. "He was glowing."
"Wait, you could see that light too?" Damian asked, then realized something.
He couldn't see Ahsoka's Force Connection. He blinked in surprise, focusing. Then, as he blinked again, it was suddenly there. He focused again, blinked, and it was gone. He smirked. After all these years, he was only just now figuring out how to turn it off and on. He shook his head, smiling and leaving it off. As they reached the Hangar, he found the Ghost waiting, though under fire. There were troopers wearing armor Damian didn't recognize firing at the stormtroopers. Damian shoved a hand toward the stormtroopers, sending several cannisters of fuel from off to the side, slamming into them, crushing a couple before one of the troopers on the ghost shot one and detonated them all, killing the stormtroopers. Then, Damian and Ahsoka ran onto the ship and the ramp closed, the ship taking off and leaving the hangar just before jumping to Hyperspace. Damian sighed, pulling his helmet off just in time for Ahsoka to grab him by the face and pull him into a kiss. He smiled, kissing her back and wrapping one arm around her, holding the mask out with the other. One of the troopers took the helmet and Damian's other arm wrapped around Ahsoka as well, both remaining there for several long minutes before separating.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again," Ahsoka finally said.
"Sorry," Damian said. "But on the bright side, I'm officially stronger than the Sith Stalker."
Ahsoka smiled. "So I saw. I'm proud of you."
"Oh, and that Force Lightning thing I did against the Gen'Dai is apparently a Light Side power," Damian said. "The Sith Stalker confirmed it."
Ahsoka nodded. "Good. Still try not to use it too much."
Damian nodded.
"We're coming up on the other ships," the pilot said. "Dropping out of Hyperspace now."
The ship shuddered slightly as they dropped out of Hyperspace, then settled. Both turned to the airlock, and a couple of minutes later, it opened, Hera and the others all walking into the ship, only to stop, staring.
"You made it!" Hera smiled.
"I did," Damian nodded, looking to Proxy. "Can you call him?"
Proxy nodded, walking over before turning back to the others and transforming into Organa.
"Hello my friend," Organa smiled. "It is good to see you again."
"I don't understand," Kanan said. "I met you once. For a few moments. I don't even know your name."
"His name is Senator Bail Organa," Hera said.
"And the crews of the blockade runners?" Kanan asked.
"Members of other rebel cells," Organa said.
"There are other cells," Sabine breathed.
"We're a cell?" Ezra asked, then turned to Zeb, raising a hand beside him mouth and speaking quietly. "Wait, did you know we were a cell?"
"Um, no," Zeb said flatly.
"The cells weren't supposed to know that there were others," Damian said. "all of them were supposed to believe they were working alone, and getting intel from an individual named Fulcrum, with a few exceptions."
"Wait, you're Fulcrum?" Ezra gaped.
Damian chuckled. "A part of it, yes," Damian nodded. "But the person Fulcrum Hera has been contacting that you've seen in the cloak is my wife, Ahsoka Tano, former Padawan of the Jedi Order. She taught me to wield a lightsaber and to use the Force. Alongside Barriss Offee."
"Wow!" Ezra said. "You must be really strong then!"
Ahsoka chuckled. "Not as strong as Damian. He surpassed me years ago. Although, that was only because he, coincidentally, comes from a long line of exceptionally powerful Force users."
"There are no coincidences," Damian said. "The Force wanted me to be a badass."
Ahsoka rolled her eyes, the others all grinning, Organa chuckling.
"But wait, why did you come here?" Kanan asked. "Why plant a Fulcrum agent on our team? Did everyone get a Fulcrum insider? And why bring the other rebel cells here?"
"Because of you and your apprentice," Ahsoka said. "Your team was the only one to work directly with a Fulcrum agent like this, and that was entirely Damian's choice. He wanted to be able to help train Ezra, and to help protect you both. Jedi are precious few, so he wanted to keep that number from shrinking unnecessarily. Many in this system and beyond have heard your message. You gave them hope in their darkest times. We didn't want that hope to die."
"Careful Ahsoka," Damian grinned. "Don't inflate the kid's ego too much."
Ahsoka smiled, shrugging.
"So what happens now?" Ezra asked.
"I don't know," Ahsoka said. "One chapter has closed for you Ezra Bridger. This is a new day. A new beginning."
"Is the Inquisitor dead?" Damian asked.
"Yes," Kanan nodded.
"Then it's also going to be the beginning of even worse trouble," Damian said.
"He said something similar," Kanan said.
"Now that you've beaten an Inquisitor, they'll send more," Damian said. "And the Sith Stalker's still alive, so I'll be seeing him again."
"They may send worse than that," Ahsoka said. "Vader himself may be sent."
Damian nodded. "That's also a possibility."
"Vader?" Ezra asked.
"Darth Vader," Damian said. "A Sith Lord."
"What's a Sith?" Ezra asked.
"I'll explain it later," Kanan said. "Where will we head now?"
"We'll find a place to hide," Damian said. "Then, once things have settled and everything's sorted out better, we'll return to Lothal."
Kanan nodded and Damian turned to Organa, thanking him for sending help before Organa disconnected.
"Where's Alina?" Damian asked.
"I left her with Riyo," Ahsoka said. "Come on. Once we land, we'll meet up with Barriss, Jek, and Shaeeah."
"They came?" Damian asked.
"Of course," Ahsoka smiled. "The Wraith is our best ship. It can't fly itself, and R3 and Katie can't control everything, even between the two of them."
"I suppose," Damian nodded.
They walked toward the cockpit, leaving the others to settle back onto the ship.
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