Two for the Sith
The hanger appeared more spacious from the inside than outside. Through a long elliptical opening in the middle of the enclosing dome, dim blue skylight shone in onto the middle of the white floor below, providing the only source of illumination except for the entrance at the side. Sections of the rest of the ceiling had broken off and fallen onto the floor below, turning the interior of the facility into a rocky mess. There was no aircraft kept in here except for one medium sized shuttle whose outline could be vaguely seen within the shadow.
In the middle of the area lit up by light from above, there stood a pile of grey and white rubble from the middle of which arose a triangular section of the ceiling, roughly the size of a small hut, which jutted up and bent gently forward, pointing towards the entrance. Sitting on the rubble and leaning against the smooth white concave face of the curved obelisk, was an old man with silvery white hair and a stern, clean shaven face, dressed in heavy, dark blue ceremonial robes. His hands were tied up behind him, and a piece of white cloth was wrapped tightly around the lower half of his face to completely cover his mouth.
Chancellor Finis Valorum stared ahead at the shining semicircle that was the entrance to the hanger.
Presently, three figures appeared against the hazy grey light of the entrance.
-
"There he is." Gaya pointed at the pile of rubble in the middle of the hangar as she stepped into through the entrance.
"Let's make this quick." Farid said.
"Mmhmm." Enri agreed.
The two Jedi walked briskly towards the Chancellor, Gaya following close behind.
The Chancellor started struggling violently against his bonds as he saw them approach. He grunted loudly and glared at them, eyes wide.
As they were five metres away from the Chancellor, Farid halted. "Something's not right." He sensed through the Force a mix of strong emotions from the figure sitting before them. Excitement. Elation from seeing his rescuers … and also a deep dread, as if something horrible was about to occur.
"Not right indeed." Enri looked around them. There was a faint rumbling sound coming from everywhere.
In the shadows were other piles of rubble. Without warning, they appeared to explode, and dark spheres popped out from within them, rolling towards the centre of the floor. They were black, with a strong metallic sheen, and appeared like curled up pillbugs, each roughly a metre in diameter.
As all twenty one of them rolled to a stop ten metres away from the two Jedi, each one of them unfurled itself to stand on four arthropod legs issuing from a foot-ball shaped base which supported a stalk-like, segmented waist, which supported a formidable upper body consisting of two long humanoid arms and a metal plate for a hood, all bristling with gun barrels aimed at the two Jedi. They were lined up into a horseshoe with its back against the entrance and mouth at the pile of rubble in the middle, effectively surrounding the four people and cutting off their path of retreat.
Each of the droids stood roughly two metres tall. The air around it shimmered slightly, like a bubble containing the machine. Droidekas, complete with force shields.
"Jedi, so predictable. !" From behind the fallen section of the ceiling, there stepped out a figure in tattered black robes. The top of its cloth had mostly been ripped off, revealing blood red skin covered in symmetrical angularly twisted black stripes. Its head and face was red and covered in similar tattoos as well. Small horns sprouted from its bald scalp.
Darth Maul stared and grinned sadistically at the two Jedi. "The Dark Lord's prediction was correct. Today we deal a heavy blow to both the Republic and the Jedi Council !"
At that the droidekas opened fire.
Instinctively, Enri dashed up to stand right in front of the Chancellor and spun round, just in time to catch and deflect the first round of laser fire. The bright green beams were bounced off onto the surrounding floor. One struck through the force shield of a droideka and it reeled slightly. Another was caught and deflected by Darth Maul's own light sabre as he leapt out of sight.
And they kept firing.
Farid turned around to face the entrance as the semicircle of droidekas fired at him in unison. Expertly, he spun his activated light sabre in a barely visible blur and deflected every beam in an instant. He kept up his defence. Each successive round of fire became more intense than the last one and tested his Jedi Master reflexes to their limit.
And then he sensed something shift suddenly behind him, and he bent down immediately, rolling forward to narrowly avoid the wide horizontal slash from Gaya's light sabre.
The Dark Jedi ran up after Farid, weapon upraised.
Now on his back three metres away from the nearest droideka, he whirled his lightsabre around him to deflect a round of laser fire, then held up his weapon just as Gaya swung hers down on him.
"This is your end, three eyes !" Gaya scowled, pressing down with all her strength.
"It's still not too late." All three of Farid's eyes narrowed. They caught Gaya's gaze. As she looked into them, they seemed to glow a pale translucent brown, like raw topaz.
Farid took advantage of the brief hypnotism to push Gaya away, then leapt to his feet, backed up close to her, then swung his light sabre broadly, deflecting several laser blasts which would have hit Gaya as well, if he had not stood before her.
His concentration slightly divided, Farid missed four beams which burnt and sizzled through the cloth covering his right shin, the left side of his waist, his left elbow and his left shoulder. He fell to his knees and clutched his left arm, resisting the urge to shout in pain.
Gaya stared aghast, first at the fact that Farid had used his unique species ability against her, secondly that the Jedi master had just saved her life.
"You !" She screamed angrily. Leaning back and pointing her light sabre backwards, he gave Farid a kick to the back with such force that sent him hurtling forward past the droidekas and towards the entrance.
"Master !" Someone exclaimed near where he collapsed.
Seemingly out of thin air, the figure of a younger Jedi and a tall scaly warrior wrapped in red and black cloth appeared and rushed to Farid's side.
"Look out !" the Jedi master groaned, before burying half his face into the ground.
Nearby droidekas had turned around to face the newcomers. Without hesitation, they opened fire.
In one step, Zeratul positioned himself before both Farid and Kart. All the laser blasts hit an invisible barrier around him, and dissolved into ripples, like fire drowning in water. His plasma shield had just regenerated enough to take this one round of fire.
From behind the Grey Templar, Kart leapt up and over him, landing right beside the nearest droideka. Before the latter could shoot him, he ignited his weapon and took a broad swipe at the two metre tall droid. The thread of concentrated energy tore through the droideka's force shield with ease and sliced off its arms and snout.
Zeratul leapt at another droideka. Halfway, his appeareance blurred and he faded out of sight. The next moment, said droideka's force shield began to sparkle and baulk on one side, as if it were a window pane being pounded by invisible hailstones. Now the shield shorted out, but before the droid realized what was going on, it fell apart and collapsed onto the ground in several pieces, its arms, legs and head having been cleanly shorn off all at once by invisible knives.
"Adun Torridaz !" Came a low resounding voice. Then another droideka had its shield shorted out and fell to pieces.
Enri felt an significant amount of energy being gathered near him and turned left just as Darth Maul unleashed a gust of Force lightning at him.
Enri caught the bright blue bolts and absorbed them into his lightsabre.
The both of them held this position for a while. Enri frowned as he withstood the Sith Lord's attack, while Darth Maul grimaced as he tried to overpower the Jedi.
Then Enri felt another presence near him, and looked to his right to see Gaya pointing her light sabre at him. Her eyes revealed a mix of excitement and uncertainty.
"Do it !" Darth Maul ordered.
At this Enri looked at the Dark Jedi and smiled. "This is my end."
Gaya's face darkened, and she plunged the red blade of her light sabre through Enri's chest, then withdrew it quickly in shock.
A bright blue phosphorescence trickled out from the gash on Enri's chest. There was a blinding flash, then both Gaya and Darth Maul staggered back and fell unconscious to the floor. Behind him, the Chancellor stopped glaring in fright and drooped down.
Laughing, Enri collapsed as well.
…
"No !" Kart sliced the last droideka in half at the waist and rushed to Enri's side.
"Tell me you are alright." The young Jedi stared at the gash in the older Jedi's chest in horror and concern. The wound emitted a flickering blue glow, which got dimmer as the seconds went by.
"Haha, no physical being lives forever, Kart." Enri chuckled meekly, then coughed. "This … this current shell of mine should have expired long ago."
"You have been gravely injured, old one." Zeratul appeared on Enri's other side. "Speak no more."
Old I am indeed, First Born.
Zeratul jerked his head back, eyes wide.
It has been an eternity since I last saw your kind. You are truly magnificent. I am proud.
"How …" Zeratul stuttered. "You are …" Zeratul was out of words. A thousand storms raged through his mind. Each flash of lightning lit up a particular memory or thought, and then it was dissolved in the rain, blown away by the wind, to be replaced by the next.
I have been wanting to talk to you, seriously. I truly did not intend to get killed again so soon. "Not much time left…" Enri muttered.
"Yes, there is time." Kart whispered, trying to suppress the tone of anguish in his voice. "Come with us. You'll be fine." He slid a hand under Enri's back, ready to help him up.
In a way I am fine. This cycle ends, the new cycle begins.
"Please … conserve your strength … rest, old one !" Zeratul pleaded "There are many things I want to ask you about !"
The answer is there to see, so long as you know how to discern it. Not everything is as it seems, First Born.
"I … I still don't understand." Zeratul shook his head.
Not all of us stand for the same things. We can be your salvation, or we could destroy all that you hold dear. Either way, we have no right to decide your fate. Walk your own path …"Go !" Enri blurted. "My psionic pulse has … knocked them out, but … it is not permanent, take … the chancellor … nd Farid … go !"
"No, I will not leave you !" Kart cried.
Again Enri laughed. His whole body began to glow a pale blue. Then it burst into blue flames.
Kart withdrew his hands and fell back, staring at the spontaneously combusting body with jaws agape. "Enri !"
And then the old Jedi was gone. Boiled away. Burnt down to nothing at all.
The Force be with you, First Born !
Both Kart and Zeratul stood staring at the spot where Enri had lain moments ago.
Then they snapped out of their trance together and nodded to each other.
"Master Farid !"
"The chancellor !"
"Right !"
"Make haste !"
Kart rushed towards the hangar entrance while Zeratul grabbed Finis Valorum, still tied up, by the waist, slung the unconscious Chancellor over his shoulder, and walked after the young Jedi.
Halfway to the entrance, Kart bent down over Farid and helped his master up.
Then all four of them hurriedly exited the hangar.
…
"Holy trash, what happened ?" The man in the grey suit and cap exclaimed as he helped Kart and Farid into the shuttle.
Behind the two, Zeratul dumped the Chancellor onto the floor of the shuttle from outside. Finis awoke with a start and groaned.
"You must leave this moon at once." Zeratul said hurriedly as he proceeded to free the Chancellor from his bonds.
"Oh."The pilot nodded and rushed over to the cockpit. "Understood." There arose a low mechanical whining sound which became louder and louder.
"You are coming with us !" Kart shouted.
"No, I have to end this." Zeratul shouted back.
"Then I'll stay with you !" Kart stood and stepped out of the shuttle. "Pilot, close the door !"
"Are you sure ?" Came the voice from the cockpit.
"Do not be rash, Jedi Knights !" the Chancellor said under his breath "The republic needs you !"
"The republic needs you too, Sir !" Kart uttered the nearest reply he could think of. "We must ensure your safety !"
The Chancellor sighed and shook his head.
"Be … safe … too." Farid groaned.
"Kart …" Zeratul began.
"Pilot, close the damn door and get out of here !" Kart shouted.
The shuttle door slid shut, and the white space craft lifted itself off the ground. It's two moth –like wings, as well as the dorsal wing on top, extended till they doubled in length. At the tip of each wing, a tube opened towards the back of the shuttle and blew out a steady stream of glowing blue gas, like a flame pointing sideways.
The shuttle hurled itself forward and turned up towards the sky. Soon, it appeared no larger than a moth. And then, it vanished.
"Jedi fools."
Zeratul and Kart spun round, and saw Darth Maul and Gaya standing five metres away from them.
At the sight of the Sith Lord, the anger returned to Kart. The latter shifted his gaze slowly from Darth Maul, to his sister, then back to Darth Maul again. He stared murderously at them both, and gripped the hilt of his light sabre tightly, activating it in the process. "You will pay for what you did today."
Darth Maul sneered and switched on his own weapon. "The Dark Side welcomes you."
Kart roared and leapted at the Sith Lord. Zeratul hurriedly ignited his warp blades and ran after him.
There was a bright flash as thin thread of energy clashed with red rod of light. Kart and Darth Maul locked sabres, while Zeratul and Gaya stared each other down, keeping an eye on one another and another eye on his or her so called comrade.
Spinning his light sabre down, Darth Maul effortlessly parried Kart's weapon aside and prepared to slash at the young Jedi. The latter leapt back, narrowly avoiding a thrust at his throat. Before he could steady himself, he was forced to raise his light sabre to block a swing from above, while almost in a kneeling position
"You fight well,"Darth Maul grinned. "but the power of the Dark Side shall defeat all."
Kart felt his blood boil. Anger, frustration, misery. Death of a close friend. Sister's betrayal. Defeat.
Power.
"Defeat this !" Kart suddenly felt a new strength flow through his body. He stood up abruptly, forcing the astonished Sith Lord back by several steps.
As the young Jedi subconsciously connected with the mystical crystal inside the hilt of his light sabre, his desire to defeat his enemy caused the blade to lengthen by half a metre. The blue haze around the thread of white light condensed, then swelled into a blue flame.
In a blur of movement, Kart dashed at Darth Maul and swung the extended psi blade at the Sith Lord. The latter held up his light sabre to block the Jedi's fierce onslaught, but upon contact the red rod of light contorted itself and broke up into twisted strips, then gave in to the psi blade. The Sith Lord jerked back to avoid his opponent's weapon, whose tip came within a hair's width from his chest. He staggered back and tripped, falling smack on his back.
Kart leaned in, raised his weapon high over his head, and prepared to swing it down onto his enemy.
And then he stopped, appalled.
They held that pose for a few seconds.
"I am not like you." Kart, muttered, looking over at his sister and. He slowly backed away. His psi blade shrank to its original state.
"Bad choice." Darth Maul laughed, then pointed a hand at Kart. At once, several bolts of Force Lightning shot out from his fingertips and caught the young Jedi by surprise.
"Kart !" Zeratul dashed towards Darth Maul and pointed a warp blade at the Sith Lord's chest. "Release him !" The eyes of the Protoss warrior flashed bright blue, and the lightning issuing from Darth Maul's fingers diminished.
"We win, Scaly."
Zeratul turned to see Gaya pointing her light sabre at his own chest.