Chapter 70:
Mara stepped back, finally satisfied with her work. She was confident that the lock was secure, and only a Force sensitive could open it. The normal locking mechanism had been blasted apart, possibly during one of Atrox's rages, and the internal locking mechanism had to be manipulated with the Force. She sighed, and rested a hand over her stomach, wearily. They had heard nothing from Atrox or Vader in several days, and it worried her. Padmé had been more than kind, but not even the work could allay her fears. Was he safe? When would he return? She turned away, and headed for her quarters, too tired and anxious to focus any longer.
Dan reentered the cell, slightly apprehensive. He'd tried to catch a glimpse of the guard posting, but his duties in the kitchen had left him little time. He looked down at Atrox's tray, and saw that he had left his food untouched. "Shall I come back…?" he asked, hesitantly.
"Take it away." Atrox demanded, not caring that the camera could hear him. His voice dropped to a whisper. "When does the High Command retire to their quarters for the evening?" Atrox demanded to know, coldly.
"I don't know." Dan bit out, his voice strained with the effort of keeping it to a whisper. "Do you expect me to know when they eat breakfast as well?"
"You will monitor their quarters and once they have retired you will inform me… or you can have a discussion with my master." Atrox ordered, his voice as cold as ice.
"I'll let you know when I can," Dan responded shortly. "Unless you want me to be visiting with you permanently."
"Once you have that information, and disable the base's alarms, it will not matter." Atrox hissed. "You fail to realize that I have a comlink connecting me to my master in my possession."
"I can't—" he broke off, abruptly. The Sith Lord evidently expected, no, demanded miracles; feats which were beyond his ability to achieve. "I'll do what I can," he said in a rough whisper as he bent and seized the tray of food from the floor. "I'm not a hero; you want the impossible."
"I'll show you the impossible when we return back to orbit, when we are off of this wretched planet." Atrox hissed, glaring at the boy with his cold eyes.
Dan glared back, sullenly, and carried the tray out of the room.
He lingered near the command center as close as he dared, watching the members of High Command come and go, and marking their location. Eventually their meeting seemed to end, and the various generals and commanders drifted off towards their respective barracks. When he was sure the command center was empty, but for those on the night shift, he headed back to the detention center. Dread gripped his heart as he reached for his blaster, knowing what he would have to do, and hating himself for it.
He walked into the control room, where an officer was monitoring the security feeds. He glanced up at Dan, and said, "Hey, kid, you're not really supposed—"
Without a word, Dan brought his blaster up and stunned the man. He glanced over the control panel, and unsealed the doors to Atrox's and Leia's cells. He then ran down the corridor to Atrox's cell, and stunned both the men outside the door. He burst into the cell and paused to regain his composure. "You don't have much time, they'll probably notice the silence from the control room before long."
Atrox stood at once, no longer whispering into the comlink. "Master, the boy has succeeded in releasing Leia and myself from our cells and reports that the High Command has retired for the night. I am on my way to the guard post now to assist you in taking out the guards." He paused, regarding Dan for a moment. "Take me to the guard post," he ordered.
Dan led him back through the main area of the detention facility, where Atrox paused to reclaim his possessions. Leia emerged a moment later, awakened by the commotion. Observing what was happening, she took a blaster from the rack on the wall. Then she went to her designated locker and drew out her lightsaber, different from her brother's in almost every way. She clipped it to her belt and held the blaster loosely in one hand. Her eyes followed Atrox, questioningly.
Dan led them both to the guard post, careful to stay in the shadows as much as possible. They came across no one in the halls, however, and managed to arrive without further incident.
Atrox drew his lightsaber's hilt into his hand and continued silently walking into the guard post, spotting four guards as he did so. Bearing towards the right, deciding to take the two guards on the right most side of the guard post, Atrox continued silently walking until he was within his saber's range of slicing them in half. In one smooth stroke, he ignited the blood-red blade of his saber and cut the first guard in half through his stomach, continuing the stroke cleanly through the second guard, cutting both of them in half, a twisted smile on his face as he did so.
Vader and his men began firing on the remaining guards, swiftly felling them. Leia turned away, her expression frozen, not willing to witness the carnage, but Dan could not tear his eyes away from the horrific sight. He had never seen battle before, and the glee with which Atrox cut down his brothers-in-arms was sickening.
Atrox walked over to where Vader was entering the guard post and knelt before him. "Master, our objectives wait in their quarters not far from here."
Vader nodded, pleased. "Excellent, apprentice. The victory is yours; lead the way."
Atrox got up as he was commanded to do so. "Thank you, my master," he replied with a twisted smile. "All of you, secure the area where the High Command's quarters are and capture them. I will take Cracken myself," he ordered coldly.
The men filtered into the quarters, silently taking out guards where necessary. Dan uneasily pointed out to Atrox which room his quarry had entered, but lingered outside the door, unwilling to follow him into the room.
Atrox slipped into the room like the shadow of death; the only light was from the crimson blade he held in one hand. Cracken stirred, awakened by the shift in the room's atmosphere, but with senses dulled from the pain and sleep medications he had been given. "Who…?"
Atrox stormed up to Cracken, reached out and forcibly hauled him from the bed with his free hand. Atrox grasped the General's upper arm and forcibly dragged him across his quarters and out into the hallway where the troopers were already beginning to drag stunned members of the Alliance High Command.
Cracken struggled against his captor, determined to do something to thwart him. He inhaled deeply to cry out, only to be met with a searing pain in his left arm that left him gasping for breath. He stared, dazedly, at the stump of an arm where his hand had been, barely comprehending it.
Vader emerged, tossing an unconscious Rieekan to the floor. "I believe that is all who were present, apprentice. Let's go."
Atrox stormed towards the adjoining hangar, but paused in the doorway. His expression darkened, and he shoved Cracken toward one of the guards, who rendered him mercifully unconscious. The Sith Lord turned and stalked towards the array of ships, and the solitary figure alongside them.
Wedge Antilles wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead and glared down at the astromech droid. "What do you mean, you can't find anything? Check the hyperdrive again. I know there's something…" He looked up, his eyes widening as he saw Atrox walking towards him slowly, lightsaber held loosely in one hand. "Luke…" he breathed, stunned, "What… how…"
Atrox continued slowly walking up to his former friend, glaring at him every step of the way. "You truly are a fool if you thought you could contain a Dark Lord of the Sith." Atrox hissed as he stopped right in front of him. His hand tightened its grip on the hilt of his lightsaber and drove it into the side of Wedge's head, rendering him unconscious.
Vader had his men load the prisoners onto one of the Rebel ships. "Stop at the clearing, Admiral," he ordered Solo. "Someone needs to be dispatched to pick up the shuttle before we leave."
"I'm on it," Han replied, taking the ship over the forest canopy.
As they left the planet's atmosphere, Wedge stirred. His head pounded unceasingly, and he could feel the large knot on his head where he had been struck. He opened his eyes slightly, and saw Atrox and Vader from across the shuttle. Before his eyes, their features seemed to decay, with pale skin and yellow eyes. Both inhaled deeply as they felt the Force surround them once more. Sure that he was hallucinating, Wedge closed his eyes again, and slipped back into unconsciousness.
The ship pulled into the docking bay, closely followed by the shuttle. Mara, Padmé and Admiral Piett stood by, waiting. Mara fought to contain her nervousness; she had sensed the moment they had cleared the planet's influence, but had refrained from making contact. She held herself stiffly, eyes glued to the ship's boarding ramp, waiting.
Vader strode down the ramp, his dark cloak billowing behind him. Atrox followed a few steps behind, dragging Wedge across the ground with the Force. Mara's eyes widened as she saw him, then narrowed as she saw Dan trailing behind him with Leia, looking as out of place as he felt.
Padmé rushed up and embraced her husband, tightly. "Ani, thank the Force you're safe!"
He returned her embrace, engulfing her slender form in his arms. "I missed you, Angel," he whispered into her hair.
Mara slowly walked towards Atrox, keenly sensing the pride radiating from him at his success. She knelt before him, head bowed. "Master."
"Rise, my apprentice," Atrox said coldly, motioning for her to rise as he did so. You don't know how much I missed you, my love. Atrox sent into her mind as he pulled her into a tight embrace, making sure to keep part of his mind focused on keeping his prisoner forcibly pinned down to the ground.
Mara embraced him fiercely, joy and relief releasing the tension she felt. And I missed you… Her eyes narrowed suddenly, and she looked up at him. You smell like bacta, farmboy, she accused, her concern rising up again within her.
Later, apprentice, Atrox warned shortly, not wanting to deal with this in front of the prisoners. He gently backed out of their embrace, needing to get Wedge to the cell bay. "I am going to take this… thing to the cell bay, master." Atrox said as he turned towards Vader, waiting for his acknowledgement before walking off with his prize.
"Go ahead, apprentice." Vader nodded, releasing him.
Mara followed her master, still simmering with mixed annoyance and concern.
Wedge, mercilessly jostled along the ground behind them, was jolted awake by the constant battering against walls and doorways. He found himself completely immobile, with the exception of his head, though he could not speak. Panic rushed through him before he managed to quell it, as he caught sight of Atrox storming along the corridor ahead of him.
Mara led Atrox to the holding cell she had secured. "I did as you commanded, master," she said, showing him how to unlock it through the Force.
"Good work, apprentice." Atrox said as he walked into the cell, using the Force to throw Wedge into it, releasing him from his control as he stared at him, stalking him like a predator stalks its prey.
Wedge winced, squinting up at Atrox. His head still throbbed violently, and the light, dim as it was, was blinding. "L-Luke?"
"Luke Skywalker died. I am Darth Atrox." Atrox said coldly as he punctuated the statement by opening a channel for the dark side of the Force to flow freely from him into the pain centers in Wedge's brain. He didn't hold back any of the power that was now ravaging his former friend, a twisted smile on his face as he did so, taking immense pleasure in punishing him.
Wedge screamed with an agony that seemed to last for eternity, though in reality it was only a split second. He was left gasping for breath, the throbbing ache threatening to split his head in two.
Atrox slowly walked up to Wedge's crippled form and stared down at him. "Did you honestly think I would turn against my own father? You are like all the rest, Wedge, blind and misguided."
"I… I don't know what you're talking about…" Wedge croaked faintly. "We… we were friends…"
"And the moment you found out I took my rightful place at my father's side, you despised me... hated me. You, like the rest of the Alliance would rather that I kill him." Atrox said coldly, his contempt for the Alliance clear.
Mara shivered, sensing the pain that it had caused her master.
"Y-you're wrong… we would never have asked you to… I didn't despise you… none of us understood why you had turned against us… every one of us would have given our lives for you…" Wedge's voice trailed off, too weak to continue.
"Yet you continue to stand against me." Atrox said as he lifted both of his arms up, sending waves of powerful Force lightning tearing through Wedge. After several moments, he stopped the lightning, "Each time you lie to me Wedge, I will increase your suffering." Atrox said coldly before resuming the lightning again, only this time, tripling the amount of power, all the while reaching into Wedge's mind forcing him to remain conscious, forcing him to suffer.
Wedge moaned with pain, convulsing as the electricity burned through his body. He couldn't speak, all he wanted was to die and put an end to his torment.
Mara watched the exchange, silently. Master, if this continues, he's going to die, she murmured through their bond.
Very well, Atrox muttered through the Force. You will return and… educate him later, apprentice. Atrox said coldly into their bond, as he finally stopped the lightning.
Angry burns began to form on Wedge's skin as his convulsing gradually subsided. The lightning had stopped, but the pain remained, and it was nearly blinding with its intensity. "Never… wanted… hurt you… friends…" he gasped out between waves of pain, on the brink of unconsciousness.
"I'm sure." Atrox said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He paused for a moment. "My apprentice will be back later. If you ever want to undo the pain you have caused me… you would be wise to listen to her and do as she says," he said coldly, chuckling darkly as he left the cell.
On his way down he encountered Vader bringing up the other members of High Command, still unconscious. "Apprentice," he greeted his son with a smirk. "How is your friend?"
"Learning just how painful it can be to betray a Sith Lord." Atrox replied in turn, a dark smirk also present on his face.
"As will they all," Vader nodded. "Carry on, apprentice."
"Yes, master." Atrox said as he walked off towards his quarters.
Mara walked by his side, curiosity and concern still pulling at her thoughts. When they reached their quarters, she glanced up at her master expectantly. "How was the mission?"
Atrox turned to face Mara, his expression unemotional. "Leia and I were captured… my father also placed the young boy in my care."
Her eyes narrowed. "You were captured? How? Were you hurt?"
Atrox knew that this moment was inevitable, deciding to open his mind to her, allowing her to access his memories of the events that transpired down on the surface.
When she finished, she was silent, processing the information. At last she said in a controlled tone, "The boy will have to be rewarded for his help. If not for him…" she looked up, staring straight into his eyes. "If not for him, you could have been killed, or worse."
"You can go after Cracken if you wish, apprentice. He is responsible for the force cage." Atrox muttered softly.
A ghost of a smirk crossed her face, and she murmured, "Perhaps later… though I doubt I could match your feat."
Atrox took a step up to her and pulled Mara into a tight embrace. "Perhaps. Perhaps not." Atrox said as he returned her smirk, staring into her eyes, now flecked with yellow.
Captivated by the intensity of his eyes, she reached up and kissed him, gently at first and then with greater passion. I missed you, so much.
Atrox returned her kiss with as much fiery passion as Mara was showing him. I believe… you promised some… private time, apprentice. He sent to her mind.
Why, yes… I believe I did. She gradually pulled away from the kiss, and smirked at him. Just make sure to… turn off any outside influences. We don't need any more… complaints. She pulled the cloak from his shoulders, letting it drop to the floor as she reached out to caress his mind with hers, reveling in being in his presence once again.
Atrox chuckled. I've already taken care of that. Atrox replied as he pushed Mara's cloak off of her and pulled her closer to him, kissing her deeply, returning her passion from before.
Mara's fingers slowly pried his tunic off before reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck, his passion melding with her own. I love you, Skywalker.
Atrox wrapped his arms around Mara's back and dug his hands into the fabric of her tunic, and pulled it off of her. Not as much as I love you, Jade.
She Force pushed him backwards onto the bed before joining him, a wicked glint in her eye. We'll see about that, Skywalker.
Both used the Force to strip away their remaining clothes. The room was Force-sealed, ensuring that no one could enter, and they had already cut off everyone but each other.
What woke Cracken was his lack of oxygen. He panicked, struggling desperately to free his windpipe from whatever had cut it off. The next thing he knew, he had been slammed against the wall, his head exploding with pain from the impact. "A-Atrox…" he spat, forcing the word out despite his lack of air.
The unseen hand loosened its' grip, allowing him to breathe. "Rebel fool," a harsh voice growled at him, deeper than Atrox's.
Cracken forced his eyes to open, and found himself staring into the burning eyes of Darth Vader. "If my apprentice did not have plans for you, it would be a pleasure to end your miserable existence," Vader stated before hurling him into the cell with the other rebel leaders.
Dan trailed after Piett as the admiral made his way back to the bridge. "Admiral Solo," Piett said calmly. "Set course for Imperial Center. It's time we went home."
Han immediately began plugging in the coordinates, and Piett turned to Dan, as if he had forgotten the boy was there. "Now, I believe Lord Vader said you needed quarters, is that correct?" At Dan's nod, he led the youth down another series of passages into the crew's quarters. "This will have to do for now. It's not private, but we have limited space on this ship. I'm sure the Emperor will see that you get better quarters when we reach Imperial Center."
Once the admiral had left, Dan sat down on his cot with a sigh. Privately, he wondered what would become of him now. He had heard plenty of rumors about Darth Vader, none of them good, and he feared that he had outlived his usefulness to them.