Exchange
They had landed on a plateau, the largest of the stone tables which made up a large part of the surrounding landscape. From cracks and crevices among the lead black rock, what appeared to be water gushed out to form tiny pools, which reflected the blue light from the sky like large irregular mirrors lain on the ground. Around these pools grew extensive clusters of tall horsetails. Thin steam rose from the surface of the water and dissipated in mid air.
Before them, on the other side of the plateau, were a comglomeration of gigantic grayish white domes, ranging in size from one in the middle that rivaled the senate building, probably a hangar or housing some secret weapon, to smaller camps along the edges of the facility, compacted into each other like bubbles adhering to one another. Unlike bubbles, these were made of stone, and their outer surfaces were covered in intricate, overlapping angular patterns which resembled oversized circuitry partially covered by their protective plates. Some of the domes had caved in here and there, probably further signs of disrepair.
At the base of each large dome were dark, semicircular doorways spaced roughly forty five degrees apart, each large enough to allow a speeder through, but not anything bigger.
And from one door there appeared a shadowy figure in a black hooded cloak. To his left was a shorter figure in black robes.
Behind them were four tall lean figures in flowing purple and black robes, carrying long thin lances. Their faces were totally hidden under their hoods except for a red glow from their eyes. Further behind came forty battle droids, each equipped with a laser blasters clipped onto its hands, who spread out to the sides as they advanced together with the shadowy figure and his entourage. The latter approached the two Jedi and the Protoss warrior who had just emerged from the shuttle on the opposite side of the plateau, until they were ten metres apart from each other.
The shadowy figure lifted his hood to reveal a face painted blood red, and covered in a tattoo comprised of black angularly curved strips which converged around the eyes, mouth and darkened the whole area behind his head, to give his face the appearance of a skull. His irises were a shocking gold, with orange fringes. His glare was threatening and unwavering. In place of hair, he had short horny spikes protruding up the top of his scalp.
The Sith Lord grimaced, showing his horrible black teeth. "Hand him over." His speech was deep, precise, and menacing.
"So you are the Sith Lord ?" Enri called out. "You appear different from the one we met last time."
"Darth Maul, foremost apprentice of the Dark Lord." The Sith Lord scowled back impatiently. He stared at Zeratul for a while. "Hand him over."
"Where is the Chancellor ?" Farid asked.
"Hand the renegade Sith over." Darth Maul demanded.
"We need to know that the Chancellor is safe." Farid explained.
"He is." Darth Maul replied. "Hand over the renegade Sith !"
Zeratul, getting fed up with the way he was being labeled, stepped forward and proclaimed. "You are mistaken, Sith Lord. I am not one of you. I will come with you, but we want to be certain that the … Chancellor is unharmed."
"Silence !" Darth Maul roared, glaring angrily in Zeratul's direction, eyes on fire. The Grey Templar obliged.
"If you will not hand him over, then we will take him by Force !" Darth Maul detached his light sabre from his belt. It was twice as long as the hilt of the weapon of a Jedi. He turned it on. A metre long rod of bright red light extended out from both ends of the hilt. With blinding speed, he dashed straight for Zeratul.
The Grey templar ignited his warp blades and hurriedly took a step back just as a rod of red light was swung down towards him, striking an invisible barrier a metre away from him, causing a blinding flash and a shower of sparks at the point of impact.
The strength of the blow caused Zeratul to stagger back even further. Just as he regained his balance, he saw the rod of red light strike his plasma shield again, and again and again, until the latter had thinned out. Reeling from the Sith Lord's relentless attack, Zeratul raised and crossed his warp blades, catching the striking blade of Darth Maul's light sabre between them.
"What does the Master see in you ?" Darth Maul growled. "There is no place for you. Die !" Without warning he lifted the forward end of his light sabre and brought the other end down and forward to strike Zeratul from below.
Zeratul spun and pulled himself backwards to his right, allowing the red blade to slash harmlessly through the empty air where he stood a moment ago. Simultaneously he punched to his right, thrusting the warp blade on his right hand at the Sith Lord's face.
Completing the upward slash, Darth Maul brought the attacking end of his light sabre close to his face and parried Zeratul's stab. The latter thrust another warp blade at the Sith Lord's face, and again Darth Maul deflected the blow.
Now Zeratul's eyes glowed a fiery orange. The air around him began to shimmer and ripple, distorting his appearance and breaking up his outline. Within seconds, his entire figure seemed to fragment and dissolve until he had totally vanished.
"Petty illusions." Darth Maul cursed. He closed his eyes and reached out through the Force. At once, he felt something shift to his left, and bent down hurriedly as an invisible thread slashed into where his midsection would have been if he had not ducked down in time. The unseen blade cut through the back of his hood and proceeded to shear off the back of his robe. Like his face, the rest of his body was painted red and covered in black tattoos.
"Show yourself !" He bellowed and pointed an open palm forward. Several black boulders dislodged themselves from the rock around him and hurled themselves at the space where he last felt the presence of the invisible opponent. To his surprise, they split cleanly into several pieces in midair and flew apart in several directions. "I see you !" He closed his palm.
Zeratul gasped as the ground beneath him cracked and shards of rock shot up towards him like daggers, while he struggled to prevent himself from slipping into the gaps opened up below.
"Time runs short. Another time, renegade Sith." Darth Maul turned and sauntered back towards one of the dome like structures.
…
"Last one down !" Enri flipped his light sabre up, catching a laser beam and reflecting it back onto the head of the last battle droid, which went up in smoke and collapsed, sparks flying from its head. "Um … four more to go."
"Stand down !" Farid shouted at the four tall lean soldiers approaching them. The latter ignored his warning and pointed their lances at the two Jedi whom they had surrounded. A purple rod of light, slightly shorter than the blade of a light sabre, emerged and extended forward from the tip of each lance.
All at once they charged at Farid and Enri.
"Their weapons." Farid whispered to his friend, who nodded and whispered back. "You turn them up."
They stood back to back, each pointing his light sabre forward in his own direction. The four soldiers were within three metres of them now.
Farid creased his eyebrows in deep concentration and raised an arm, open palm facing skywards.
Now just as they were about to run their lances through the two Jedi, the soldiers suddenly felt the front of their weapons being pulled up at the same time by an unseen, incredibly strong force. The next moment, they were standing a metre away from Farid and Enri, lances pointed upwards. As they struggled to bring their weapons down, the two Jedi swung their lightsabres before them in a wide arc.
The top portions of all four lances broke off and dropped harmlessly onto the ground in unison. Stunned, their wielders stood and stared down with glowing red unblinking eyes.
The next moment, they were thrown backwards as if something heavy was rammed into their waists, and flew off in four directions towards the edges of the plateau.
"Seems we still got it, partner." Enri patted Farid on the back. "If only we could see their faces !"
"They were likely droids." Farid said. "I could sense no life in them."
"Oh ? Maybe we should have cut them in half instead." Seeing Farid's stern glare, he waved and laughed. "I know, I know, we Jedi do not kill unless we have no choice. However, our enemies do not think that way."
"We are no longer sure how the Sith think. I sense that there is more to this than just a simple exchange." Farid frowned as he pondered the situation.
"Oh, perhaps she could tell us." Enri pointed forward.
Farid looked up to see a young woman in black robes standing before them. She had red hair tied into braids and claw like tattoos on her face.
"You must be Kart's sister." Farid smiled.
"So Kart told you." Gaya forced a smile as well, eyebrows raised sarcastically. "And you must be the Jedi scum who ruined my homeworld and slaughtered my people."
"So your masters told you." The smile faded from Farid's face.
"Yes, and the Master has promised me, that if I kill you, I will become Lord Maul's equal, His favoured apprentice !" Her eyes shone with excitement as Gaya fingered the lightsabre at her belt. "And here you came !"
"The Sith do not keep their promises. History has shown that." Farid replied calmly.
"- but the Dark Side does."Gaya retorted. "Vengeance is all I care for now."
"And what will you do once you have achieved that ?" Farid asked.
"You Jedi and your stupid questions." Gaya spat. She slid out her light sabre, turned it on, and leapt at the Jedi Master with a yell.
-
"Rest assured, Vice Chairman. We will rescue the Chancellor." Mace Windu proclaimed to the holographic projection of the blue skinned creature in the centre of his room. He pressed the fingertips on each hand against each other, forming a triangle, and rested his chin on the thumbs to hide his own frustration.
"You need to hurry, Jedi Master. " The Vice Chair of the Galactic Senate stressed. "We are trying very hard to keep the Chancellor's absence a secret."
"The retrieval of the Chancellor is already underway. We have already negotiated a deal with the Sith."
"The Sith !" Mas Amedda flared the lethorns drooping down the sides of his neck onto his chest.
"Real they are." Said the green skinned, donkey eared dwarf sitting beside Windu, stabbing the lower tip of his wooden staff at the floor to show his conviction.
"That's makes two big secrets we are trying to keep from the public, Master Yoda."Amedda said. "Now, I trust that they are real, but how will you deal with them ?"
"Unfortunately, we have no idea where their base is, or who the Sith Lord is, so there is nothing we can do against them. For now, we have sent two of our agents to make a … n exchange with them."
"Two agents ?" Amedda jerked his head back. "Exchange ?"
"We have captured … found a person, who appears to be a master in the Dark Side of the Force. We suspected that he was a Sith. Only, he denies any affiliation with the Sith." Windu explained.
"That I believe." Yoda added in.
Amedda stared at the two Jedi Grandmasters. "So ?"
"The Sith Lord who contacted us wanted us to hand him over in exchange for the Chancellor." Windu replied.
"Are you trying to confuse me, Jedi Master ?" Amedda tilted his head and raised a brow ridge.
"Just as confused we are."Yoda shrugged.
"No matter. The important thing now is to get the Chancellor back safe and sound. If there is anyway I can help, please do tell me." With that, the translucent projected image of Mas Amedda flickered and disappeared.
"Is this alright, Master Yoda ? Sending Farid and Enri with the strange one to TP6, when we have yet to figure out the Sith's true intentions. If I remember, Farid brought his apprentice along as well." Windu whispered.
"No, it is not."Yoda replied.
At this Windu sat up straight, showing the worried look on his face.
"Beyond our control this is."Yoda added, shaking his head sadly.
-
"I can do it, I can do it !" Kart muttered to himself. He took a deep breath and tried to bend light around himself again. The air around him shimmered and rippled.
On the opposite side of the passenger cabin, sat a middle aged man in a grey suit and cap. He watched amused as the young shivered while holding up his hands before him like an old man doing his morning exercise. "You look cold and pale. You sure you are alright ?"
"I am." Kart replied. He was no longer trembling as profusely as just now, but still this was getting nowhere. He can still see me ? How long must I go at this ?
He closed his eyes and went over what Zeratul had said. 'Clear your mind of resistance. Do not resist the cold.'
How would I resist the cold ? What is resisting the cold ?
'Living things do not react well to the Void at first.'
Living things …
Kart frowned. What did master Farid say about living things ?
'Life creates the Force, and the Force strengthens life. It is an energy that flows through and surrounds all life."
'… while Dark Templar, like you, shun the Force and learn to wield an altogether different energy.'
Kart felt for the presence of the Force within him. More precisely, he just looked. It was always there, a warm sky-blue light which covered his whole body, giving him strength, and connected him with similar lights all around him. With all life. The latter appeared as a constellation of blue stars which stretched out endlessly in all directions.
He willed this light to fade away. It dimmed and receded within him. At the same time the lights around him drew further and further away, until all around him it was nothing but pitch darkness. The Void.
Then, dim red points of light appeared and took the place of the bright blue constellation. The lights approached him, touched him, and filled him with a dim red light of his own, sending chills throughout his body. What was more, he found that he could manipulate this deathly radiance just as he could manipulate the Force, concentrate them where he wanted them, or disperse them. Effortlessly, he directed its flow out and around his body, until it formed a sphere encasing a space of total darkness in which he resided.
The optical distortion occurring around Kart's body took on a rhythmic nature. Waves flowed over him, and broke up his appearance into warped, disconnected strips which thinned out, until he could not be seen anymore.
The pilot stood up and stared in shock at the seemingly empty bench where Kart just sat. "Jedi. Are you still there ?" He asked in concern, then jumped as he heard the young Jedi's voice.
"Yes I am." Kart replied excitedly.
-
Gaya was breathing quite heavily from exhaustion. She held her light sabre up and kept her gaze on the Jedi Master standing before her. A few disheveled braids fell over her forehead and partially covered her face, giving her stare an even more murderous quality.
Farid returned the stare with a calm look, and pointed his light sabre down at the ground behind him, while pressing his other hand against his heart. It was a gesture used by older Jedi to show that he had no intention of continuing this fight, that further aggression was pointless. It was an expression of the Jedi philosophy of peace.
And it irked her. Philosophy of peace my foot. She hated the Jedi and their hypocrisies.
"You lack discipline, child. Follow … the Path of Ascension. Fight not for your own desires, but fight to protect. Do not let the Dark Side control you. It is still not too late !" Farid appealed to her, mostly to distract her, but part of him also wanted to believe what Zeratul had said, that one who had fallen to the Dark Side could still be saved.
Now Gaya laughed. "Don't lecture me about discipline, old man."
Farid could sense from her a dogged determination to get what she wanted. It reminded him of Kart's motivation to learn anything new, through whatever methods allowed. In a way, both siblings desired power. The power to dominate their own destinies. The power to right the wrongs that had been done to them.
How much pain had Gaya endured in her brutal Dark Jedi training? How much disappointment had Kart felt when he was told that what he asked for was against the rules?
For a moment, Farid was overcome with doubt. He was unable to fill the void in the spirits of these two youngsters. Perhaps, Zeratul's arrival would finally –
"DIE !"
Farid snapped out of his trance just in time to see Gaya rushing at him with light sabre upraised and screaming loudly. The latter's tip was now half a metre from his face.
Then a blue rod of light shot out from the side one foot in front and below her face, causing her to halt in mid charge and gulp in panic, the rod of light just a centimeter from her throat. "Play time is over." Enri remarked coldly.
"Wait …" Gaya stammered. "I can show you where the Chancellor is."
Composing himself, Farid smiled and motioned for both Enri and Gaya to keep their weapons. "Lead the way, child."
-
( Lead the way, readers ;)
Sorry for hanging from the cliff all the time, Greypezzola. Can't help it. It is such an addictive sport lol.
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year !
- Starspawn07 )