Working Class Hero

Star Wars: The Bergeron Chronicles, Part 1

A fanfic by Sisiutil

Chapter 6

Kilu stepped warily towards the Sith, her lightsaber humming as she held the blade up and in front of her, maintaining a defensive posture. She was reaching out with the Force, just as she'd been taught, trying to discern as much about her opponent as she could. What she was getting back wasn't exactly good news. Far from it, in fact. She sensed a mastery over the Force that exceeded her own; since she was still an apprentice Jedi, this didn't surprise her, but it was far from reassuring. She could also sense the dark side of the Force in him, could feel its dark, icy presence reaching towards her like so many invisible tendrils of some fearsome beast. Worse still, she could feel its pull. The dark side was calling to her, playing upon her fear, the certainty of the death she was now facing. She took a deep breath and did her best to mentally steady herself.

She was within two meters of him now. Easy striking distance for the lightsabers. Yet he held off his attack, and Kilu maintained her defensive posture. She forced herself to remember her lessons, for that was all she had to fall back on. She'd never faced an opponent in true combat with the lightsaber before. And she was certain the Sith could sense that.

"I can sense your fear, young Jedi," the Sith said, his tattooed lips curling into a malevolent grin, "and it is sweet. Drop your guard, turn off your saber, and I shall grant you a quick and easy death."

"Are you going to talk or fight?" Kilu said, but immediately regretted her momentary bravado. She had to buy time for Axel to get his ship away. Keeping the Sith talking was the best way to do that. The Sith's smile broadened and he shifted his stance as if preparing to attack. "Are you even a real Sith?" she suddenly said, desperate to stall him and buy Axel whatever time he needed. "Your order was wiped out when Vader and the Emperor died. For all I know, you're just some Force-sensitive wannabe with a tattoo fetish."

The Sith laughed. It wasn't a comforting sound. "It is amusing to see such bravado in one so young... and inexperienced. The Force has already confirmed what I am to you. And you were correct the first time... I weary of this pointless conversation."

So much for that idea, Kilu thought. Me and my big mouth...

The Sith's red saber blade made an angry humming noise as it sliced through the air in a downwards arc towards her. Kilu stepped to her right and deflected the blow, letting her opponent's momentum carry the glowing blade down and away from her, the energy beams making a loud crackling noise as they struck one another. She then swung her own blade back towards him in a counter-attack, but he brought his blade back quickly and parried her blow. He forced her blade aside and then swung at her neck, forcing Kilu to throw herself back into a Force-aided somersault to avoid being decapitated. She landed on her feet and raised her lightsaber into a defensive posture once again.

"Impressive," the Sith sneered, "for a mere child. This should prove most amusing."

Her opponent then came at her with a series of rapid blows that sent her retreating, stepping backwards as she desperately swung her blade to parry each vicious attempt to sever one of her limbs or eviscerate her. The blades crackled and sparked as they made contact time and again. Within moments, Kilu was panting and sweat was running down her face. She parried one blow and, when the Sith drew his blade back for yet another attack, she Force-jumped several meters up and back across the hangar, just to give herself a few seconds to catch her breath. The Sith wasn't going to give her that chance; he, too, Force-jumped and landed within striking distance of her.

"Leaving so soon?" he asked with mock solicitousness. "The lesson has only just begun."

Again, he came at her, and again, Kilu found herself retreating as she desperately struggled to parry each dangerous blow. She kept looking for an opportunity to turn the tide with a counter-attack, but her opponent did not present her with any openings that she, with her limited experience, could detect. So she focused on defense, on surviving. She realized that her only chance was if she stayed alive long enough for him to make a mistake. With any luck she'd be in a position to take advantage of it. Not that his performance thus far had made it seem like this was a likely possibility. His reference to this fight as a lesson wasn't far off--his execution thus far had been flawless. If her life hadn't been on the line, Kilu could indeed have learned several things from the battle.

She parried another blow, then moved her blade to parry the next, reading his posture and movement to try to anticipate his next attack. Too late, she realized she'd fallen victim to a skilful feint. Her lightsaber blade was in position to block a blow to her left, but his blade was moving to her right, towards her shoulder, and she tried to bring her blade back to defend herself, but she was too slow, he was too fast...

"AAAAHHH!!" she cried out as his blade struck her upper right arm. She stumbled backwards and the scent of burning cloth and flesh assaulted her nostrils. She somehow managed to hold on to her lightsaber in her right hand, but her entire right arm was dangling uselessly as she instinctively reached out towards the wound with her left hand. She inhaled sharply and grimaced as she touched her tender burnt flesh. It was already cauterized thanks to the nature of the Sith's weapon, but it hurt like hell, and no force in the universe--including the Force itself--was going to enable her to raise her right arm again during this fight.

For a moment, she marveled at the fact that she was still alive and in one piece. He'd had a clear opening; he could have easily cut off her entire arm, or even sliced right through her torso. It was then that she was struck by a horrible sinking feeling that roiled in her gut as though something cold and slimy had taken up residence there. He was toying with her, she suddenly realized. She was going to die; she knew that. She had accepted it as soon as she'd sent Axel into the freighter to take off without her. But her death would not be quick, nor would it be easy. The Sith wanted her to suffer.

She shifted her lightsaber to her left hand and raised it again, leaving her injured right arm to hang limply at her side. She'd been training, of course, to use the lightsaber ambidextrously. That didn't mean she'd mastered that tactic--far from it. But she had no choice.

"You fight on," the Sith said with mock admiration in his voice. "How valiant." He spread his arms wide, holding his lightsaber far off to his right side. "Out of respect for your tenacity, I offer you this chance. Take your best shot."

Breathing heavily, her body shaking from exertion and pain, Kilu knew he was taunting her. Yet she also knew she couldn't refuse the opportunity. No matter how slim the chance, she had to take it. With a shout of defiance, Kilu launched herself at him, swinging her lightsaber at his torso.

His own lightsaber swung back across his body to deflect hers aside so quickly that all she saw was a red blur. Then he swung his blade back again, swiping low, and Kilu cried out as the infernally hot tip of the blade sliced through her leading left thigh. Her leg gave out and she stumbled and fell awkwardly to the hard cement floor of the hangar. She lost her grip on her lightsaber as she used her left hand to reach out and absorb some of her fall; the weapon deactivated and spun across the floor away from her. With her right arm out of commission, she fell heavily and her right cheek struck the pavement hard. Lights danced in front of her eyes. She gulped down a breath and then desperately looked around for her lightsaber. Seeing it lying on the floor a few meters away, she reached out with her left hand, using the Force to call it to her. The saber hilt wobbled, then rose and flew through the air...

...Straight into the extended left hand of the Sith, who was standing triumphantly above her. Kilu could not suppress the groan of despair that rose to her throat in response to that sight. She was utterly defeated now, and knew that death was only moments away.

Yet the Sith was not done with her, was not going to let her off that easily. Her opponent tucked the captured lightsaber into his belt. He deactivated his own weapon and returned it to its belt clip. He gestured down towards her with his right hand, then upwards. With a gasp, Kilu found herself suddenly rising into the air until she was floating vertically in front of the Sith. Her right arm and her left leg throbbed with pain, her skin was covered with sweat, and her lungs were desperately gulping down air. Her entire body was trembling as it hung in the air in the Sith's Force-grip. Her brown eyes were opened wide in fear as his cruel, merciless grey eyes held her gaze.

"I offer you a choice, Kilu Branon," the Sith said, and Kilu's mind registered mild surprise that he knew her name. "I sense the Force is strong in you. You have much potential--killing you would be a waste. Renounce the Jedi. Embrace the dark side of the Force. I will take you as my student. I will teach you the way of the Sith..." he paused as his gaze wandered over her body lasciviously, "...and much more besides," he said with a salacious grin. "I will be your Master. What do you say?"

Behind her, at long last, Kilu heard the high-pitched whine of the Nomad's engines powering up in preparation for lift-off. In seconds, Axel would have his ship rocketing out the open-roofed hangar and through the planet's atmosphere, and there was nothing the Sith could do about that now. She had lost, but she had also won. Just as her master had indirectly transferred responsibility for their mission to her, so she had transferred it to Axel. She only had one regret: that she would not get an opportunity to thank him. Well, she did have one other regret regarding the freighter pilot, but she couldn't do anything about either one now. Instead, she stared defiantly at the Sith who had defeated her.

"I'd sooner die," she snarled at him, then spat in his face.

The Sith's lip curled, and he wiped the spittle from his heavily-tattooed cheek. He then released his Force-grip on Kilu, and the injured and exhausted young Jedi fell to the hard concrete floor in an awkward, jumbled heap.

"Then you shall," the Sith said as he activated his lightsaber and swung it above his head.