Chapter Thirty
Hyperion arrived to Denon, the halfway mark between Bandomeer and Ando Prime for refreshment. But when he got off, he sensed an all too familiar presence that he knew to expect when he was home or something similar. The Jedi Knight known as Polydeuces had finally caught up with him, though he had seemed like he was ahead of him at first. But when he sensed that Hyperion had arrived, he was all too happy to turn back and face the former Sith. "I had a feeling that you would be making your way back home by the same route that you came," said the Jedi Knight.
"It is the easiest way to get home. Now, are you going to ignite those lightsabers at your belt or are you going to waste your breath talking?" Hyperion said.
"Where is the boy you were with, Sith? Did you decide to kill him at long last or something similar? He was an annoying little bugger when I first met him, don't worry," Polydeuces taunted. Why don't you ask Inoy for the whereabouts of my son, jackass? Hyperion thought but didn't say aloud. He reached for his own blade however but didn't ignite or even unclip it as Polydeuces hadn't yet gone for his own blades.
For Hyperion, it was noteworthy to notice that he had taken Agni's blade after the Sith had killed the Echani warrior, likely intent on wielding it in conjunction to his own blade. "Agni and Rudra were friends of mine before you killed them, you know. So today, I wield Agni's blade in simultaneity to my own so that you will know the full might of your brother's former Padawan!" Polydeuces exclaimed.
"Let's hope you've trained in the use of the blade half as well as you've been trained in the use of your mouth. Or else this will be quick and painful for myself and your brother," Hyperion snapped back quietly. Then he unclipped his blade and ignited it, readying it for action against his brother's former Padawan in a classic stance of Juyo. It was then that the two of them fought with Hyperion sizing up his opponent before he had ever engaged him.
To the older Sith it was clear that Polydeuces typically wielded a combination of Ataru's acrobatics, the stabs of Makashi, and the slashes of Djem So whenever he fought traditionally. Jar'Kai, however, was his favorite style which indicated that he was his strongest whenever forced to rely on Niman to conserve energy or else his Jar'Kai skills wouldn't be so brilliant. Any elements of Shii-Cho that were to be found in his form were no more than was necessary for training in other lightsaber forms as well. He also wasn't terrific on defense or else he wanted Hyperion to believe that as he fought aggressively.
So when Hyperion fought him, he knew to counter this with the quick arcs and twirls of Juyo along with the power of Djem So and the precision jabs and stabs of Makashi. Anyone looking one would have only seen blurs of yellow, blue, and red as the two of them clashed but Hyperion wasn't concerned for this. Not the way he was concerned about whether or not Polydeuces had yet registered that his lack of knowledge in the seventh form would yet prove to be a hindrance to his victory against the ex-Sith. As the two of them continued to clash, it was clear that Hyperion held one other advantage over his adversary. Though his Soresu knowledge was limited to knowing how to reflect an enemy's strength and compound it with his own, it was enough against Polydeuces.
Therefore, whenever Hyperion successfully deflected a strike from one blade, he was able to ride on the momentum to easily counter the other. The duel, as a result was starting to turn in his favor with increasing time and intensity in the process of the duel. Hyperion hadn't even yet used Force Rage to heighten his own strength which made this even more confounding for him. Either Polydeuces' Jar'Kai skills were not up to the par that Hyperion had once thought they were or he was deceiving him into exhausting his strength before finishing him off.
It was a strategy he'd normally seen Imperial Sith execute on Jedi who became overexcited that their lightsaber skills were actually making a dent. Strategically speaking, it was brilliant when it was executed successfully since both opponents' precognitive abilities were usually neutralized. But Hyperion didn't think that Polydeuces had the kind of experience to successfully execute a strategy that usually was performed on Jedi Masters (or by them). Regardless, he made a tactical retreat when Polydeuces provided the opportunity by trying to slice him in half, reevaluating how he was going to defeat this boy.
After briefly catching his breath, Polydeuces prepared to charge him again but that was when Hyperion surprised him with a volley of Force Lightning. The fact that the younger Jedi knew to deflect it with his lightsabers came as no surprise to Hyperion, he merely hoped it would distract him long enough to put the physical settings of their duel back under his control. Apart from not fully knowing Polydeuces' lightsaber credentials, he also would be trapped on Denon for several months if he missed the transport that would take him to Mon Gazza. If he could get on the shuttle and evaluate what he'd seen in the way of the skills at Polydeuces' disposal, he'd be better prepared for him when he returned to Ando Prime.
Plus, he'd hold one other advantage once he returned to his homeworld of eleven years. On Ando Prime, Hyperion would know the terrain better than the young Jedi and so would know how to strike from any number of angles that Polydeuces couldn't counter. Unfortunately, it didn't look like Polydeuces was going to give him the opportunity, teleporting in front of him before he could really run. This complicates things if he can teleport even as many as twice or thrice in a single duel Hyperion thought grimly.
"Going somewhere, old man?" Polydeuces taunted. Hyperion scoffed before readying himself for another round of fighting against the younger Jedi.
"I thought I would be before you revealed one of your best cards to me. Thanks for that bit of information, when I escape you I'll keep it in mind when you find me again," Hyperion replied.
"Why bother running when you can just end it now? Be done with this life for Menelaus' sake as well as the galaxy's?" Polydeuces asked. Hyperion ignored it as the fighting continued with their clear differences of style creating brilliant displays for non Force-sensitives to perceive as they fought one another. Then Polydeuces scored a decisive blow that Hyperion had not been counting on, a blow that nearly ensured Hyperion's death. When Hyperion landed an overhead strike on Polydeuces' blue blade, the sabers were crossed for long enough that he used the yellow one to slice the hilt of Hyperion's blade almost perfectly in half.
Of course, Hyperion had one more trick that was revealed as soon as Polydeuces tried to slice him in two from the shoulders down. When Hyperion looked like he wouldn't be able to escape it, he clutched both of Polydeuces' wrists and freed the yellow blade from his grasp. Then he Force-pushed Polydeuces a dozen meters or so before levitating the hilt of Agni's lightsaber into his own hand. Reactivating the yellow blade, he then gave into the Force Rage ability that had been building up in him and charged into Polydeuces with the reckless abandon of the bald Human's youth.
Before Polydeuces could even react, Hyperion had him down on his hindquarters and a hand to the ground, holding up his lightsaber in defense of his life. He had mocked Menelaus, implied that Hyperion had killed him because was annoying, and hadn't relented in his pursuit of him even when his records had been expunged. Hyperion needed the best way he could end this quickly, which meant showing what he could do when his Force Rage ability was put to the best use it could be. But before Hyperion could strike the killer blow, the bit of railing which supported Polydeuces gave out, sending the young Jedi spiraling to what would have been the death of anyone else in his shoes.
"This isn't over!" he yelled as he plummeted several hundred meters below. Hyperion knew as much, even while under the control of the Rage but that wasn't what mattered. What mattered was that Polydeuces would now be thinking twice before continuing to pursue Hyperion across the stars of the galaxy. Odds were that the poor bastard had never fought against Force Rage in his life and now that he had, he'd know better than to use the same tactics if he continued his pursuits.
Inside, Hyperion felt at once elated and terrified. On the one hand, a Jedi nuisance had been dealt with long enough for him to make his escape to a place of greater tactical value. But on the other, he felt the slip to his old ways that he had always feared closing in on him like a wolf pack closing in on its next meal. He'd battled it three or four times on Ando Prime when he fought some of the more savage native predators to defend himself and Menelaus.
But they had been just animals and Hyperion had had good reason to fight as savagely as they did. This was different, this was someone of sentience and what's more, someone with a gift in the Force that had made him an asset to the Jedi Order which had always tried to destroy him. So when Polydeuces warned that it wouldn't be the last time he and Hyperion would be crossing blades with one another, he knew the poor boy was probably right. He just wanted it to be in the kind of place where defeating the Jedi would be assured and Ando Prime was the only such place in the galaxy for that sort of thing.
Worst of all, he was going to have to do it with an unfamiliar lightsaber that he had never gripped until now. It was going to take a little bit of getting used to but fortunately, the transport's journey back to Mon Gazza would be long enough for him to do just that throughout.
Chapter Thirty-One
Darth Khonsu's instructions from his Master were fairly simple. Find the Nautolan Jedi who'd killed the lesser acolytes and either capture the boy in tow with him or find out where he was. Then he could dispose of him provided he brought the boy back to Dathomir alive for Verrin to question at some length. The young Kaleesh didn't know what he was going to enjoy more between completing the mission or the fact he was finally going to fight a Jedi Knight.
He'd been raised in the Empire all his life and at one time had been enslaved but had earned his freedom when Verrin spotted his potential. Then he'd been trained in all seven forms of lightsaber combat, Jar'Kai, and saberstaff as well as the lightwhip. He had also been trained how to fight unarmed and could perform various complex feats of Dark Side energy if needed. As such, his getup was a trio of lightsabers, two of which were magnetized at the pommels so that they could become a saberstaff as needed. Thus, they were usually the first blades he wielded so that his enemies were instantly overwhelmed at the ease with which he could wield the combination.
He'd also collected blades from the Sith who had been the most challenging to him when he was proving himself as Verrin's apprentice and assassin. Thus he not only had the third one which was strapped across his back in the guise of a vibrosword, he had two more strapped above it. At his belt were twelve more blades in addition to the two he already used on a normal basis as well as two more stored in his wrist gauntlets so that they could be shot into his hands. Sometimes, he liked to display his prowess in the Force by using ten of the blades at his belt for telekinetic combat but simultaneously create doppelgangers that could fight as well as he could.
Thus it was that he won both by dominating his enemies and outmaneuvering them with his powers, a trait Verrin respected. "Brute strength alone is never enough to defeat an enemy such as another Sith or a Jedi Knight. So it is that I am glad that you took to using a combination of trickery and ruthless skill in order to win your battles," the older Zabrak had once remarked. Now, he'd have a chance to test his abilities against a Jedi though he confessed he would have loved to test it on Verrin's enemies in the Dark Council or even the Emperor. Still, perhaps defeating the sworn enemy of all Sith Lords would be the way he proved his worthiness once and for all.
Perhaps his master was sending him on this mission to be certain that he was ready for the kinds of assassinations that he dreamed of. On top of not having been revealed to the Council as Verrin's apprentice, he knew he could make sure his victims never communicated his existence to their allies. Most of all when they usually saw him in the guise of his birth heritage whenever Verrin sat down to meet on the Council, his presence concealed from his Master's peers. No matter, in time he would not only have the lightsabers of his master's enemies but he would also have their skulls, a trophy from opponents he respected.
To his thinking, taking the lightsabers of those who challenged him was manners enough but he figured that because the Dark Council were the twelve most powerful besides the Emperor, they'd be different. With their power, they would surely be respectable enough to where taking their lightsabers as trophies would be an insult where it hadn't been elsewhere. So, taking their heads and boiling the flesh so he could keep their skulls would be the way to show them respect for the challenge that they would present. Once he had their skulls, perhaps he would take his Master's own as one of the last trophies before he faced the Emperor and usurped his place in fair combat.
At any rate, he was content to serve Verrin for now and content to bring the child that Verrin's surveillance described in intimate detail. He reckoned the Jedi would start his travels to Dantooine by heading for Ord Cestus and getting himself on the trade routes. For purposes of disguise, he was taking a transport that would make him look more like a smuggler or a mercenary than Sith. At worst, he'd look like a Mando'a who had killed several Force-sensitives and claimed their lightsabers for trophies.
Arriving at Ord Cestus, he asked around and found out a few things which confirmed his Master's details. He was able to receive confirmation of the Nautolan's name, Inoy Llimetch, and his Sith-killing career. Apparently, apart from the recently-deceased Brothers Bane of Dromund Kaas, Inoy was one of the most feared and respect Knights in the Order. Which made the fact that Darth Khonsu was headed off to face him all the more exciting than it might've been already.
But Khonsu would've really loved to face down the warrior responsible for killing the Brother's Bane. Apparently, he had done the work with little more than an ax and a shield with the brother known as Rudra then dispatched the one called Agni within two saber strikes. If that was true then he too would be an excellent challenge for the young Kaleesh apprentice. Even so, he also discovered that finding the Human would be a lot more difficult than it was the week before.
Apparently, he'd busted a former corporate tycoon for cruel experimentations that were intergalactic violations of ordinance over Bandomeer then disappeared. With his record cleared, it seemed that he had decided to head back home while the boy had gone with the Nautolan first to Dathomir then back to the temple on Dantooine. So confronting the Human would have to wait until he found out about the Nautolan and the Zabrak. But he was a hunter at heart and hunters were nothing if they weren't patient during the chase and relentless in the catch. And he liked to believe he had been well trained for the purpose of hunting by the man he called Master for most of his life.
When he had asked for more information, he had been told to consider going to Coruscant. There, the boy would most likely have been tested for Force-sensitivity with the best technology and then turned over to a foster home if he'd come back negative. This meant going into the very heart of Republic Space and testing his powers of concealment against the most powerful members of the Jedi Order. Reporting this back to his Master, he asked for the only sensible thing he could at the time: guidance on where he should direct his search next.
"Hang tight on Denon for now then see if Inoy comes through. Once you find him, interrogate him on the boy and bring that kid in no matter what it takes. If he says anything that confirms my hunch that he is my long lost son, kill the Jedi and anyone protecting the boy. Your orders are to not stop until you have either captured him and successfully brought him back to Dathomir or perished in the attempt," said the holographic figure of his Master.
Khonsu only nodded, understanding the logic behind his Master's stratagem about heading to Denon. It was a trade route world that would see much traffic going through and that included far more than a few Jedi Knights. If Inoy was allied to the Human who'd killed the Brothers Bane in any way, he would have to go through that world. He'd even have to stop for fuel in his ship and information along the way there.
Plus the bait of a strong Sith presence would likely be too much for him to resist once Khonsu dropped his Concealment. There was always the risk, however, that because he couldn't use the Force whilst concealing then he would miss the Jedi and not know when he arrived. But he'd had a long enough time period to figure out that sensing beings through the Force tended to work regardless of Concealment. He could then ambush the Jedi and figure out what the story was on the young Zabrak that was in his company.
Once he knew where the boy was, he could then find out how the hell to retrieve him from the clutches of the Republic for Verrin to examine. "To defeat the Jedi, you will have to know how they operate. However, something that we know already is that they are compassionate to the extreme. They will save hostages who deserve to die, any time there is such a terrorist insurrection in progress," Verrin said.
It was when he said that that the wheels in his mind began to turn, thanking his master for the subtle hint he had dropped. Would the best situation for catching the Nautolan be to create a hostage situation, right here on Denon, then call him out specifically? If the Jedi were so compassionate that they would try to save the masses when security couldn't, it was strategically sensible. As he thought carefully, he began looking around for places that he could hold hostage in order to stage the trap for the young Nautolan Jedi.
Once he came, he would kill the hostages then capture the Jedi for interrogation on the matter of the boy in his company. After he had all that he wished to know about the Jedi's young companion, he'd kill him and proceed from there. "Thank you, Master. Your advice is as wise as it is generous," Khonsu said before shutting off his comlink. Underneath the mask he wore so that his face could not be identified, he began contemplating the sort of place where he would attempt such a daring deed.
He would also need command over the kinds of resources where he could do it without revealing his skill with a lightsaber just yet. Some sort of mercenary group that was willing to fight with him in return for the credits he'd promise at the end of this artificial crisis. Looking through the list, he actually found about half a dozen that could serve his purposes just fine. Only two of them had the numbers that would allow him to successfully mastermind such a crisis and fortunately, they were easy to pay off. Now, it was just a matter of acquiring the right target for their mission.
