Legend of the Sorai
A/N: So after the last intermission, we now head into the finality sequence. I was going to originally do a chapter with the sliders going to different worlds, but decided that wouldn't work, because I want this to work right, so instead, in the end at the Trial, the fruits will be shown as to what the Sliders did. Does The Doctor show up anymore? I don't know. I know at finality, when the trial occurs, all characters from the Dark Guardian series as well as Darkness Triumphant will be there, because in a way, everyone was responsible. Will everyone be accused and jailed? Again, you'll find out at the Trial. I can say this though for the next few chapters, you'll be surprised at a few things.
Chapter Ten: Beginning or Ending.
I was enjoying sleeping, especially when I didn't have to work, however, working for Palpatine I'd learned over the years, just because I slept, didn't mean I had a normal sleep schedule, though in my one month return since I'd been captured by the Rebels, I'd slept what I believe was a normal 8 hours or so. However, that changed, as of right about...
"Commander Goldwood," said a voice on the overhead, "Report to the viewing platform."
...now.
Serving as the Emperor's personal security specialist was a good position, and good pay, however, the hours, were to say the least murder, literally, I'd had to murder a few people, but this month, since my return and reintegration, I'd been on desk duty, so no actually killing.
I pressed the com next to my bed, "This is John," I had hoped that I had punched the right com code to the viewing platform, since the attacks by whoever I had been kidnapped by, the Emperor had moved to Project Death Star, and most of his staff had come as well, including me and my wife Lady Liandra Kestral. Byss was no longer safe for Palpatine, as evidenced by my brainwashed attack on the place, which after integration everything was back to normal, minus a few things, just as the force bonded platnum rings around my wrists, due to the fact that the rebels or whoever captured me tried to turn me into a super being. "I really hope there is a good reason I'm being awakened at six am, after having gone to sleep less then two hours ago."
I waited a couple of seconds before a response came in, this time it was in the form of High Com Darken Rahl, personal bodyguard as well as second in command to me, as he walked in. "It's been a month John," he said, turning up the lights slightly, and opening my closet, "in five hours, Project Ironclast will go into effect, we will find not only the Rebel Alliance, but the other group as well."
"For a wizard Rahl," I said, "I find it amusing sometimes that you don't use your powers to train the emperor's assassins."
We had suspected for a while, that the Rebels were being aided by other realities, we weren't sure how, but someone in tech command suspected that interdimensional wormholes were being used. We couldn't find any, nor any way of bringing over large groups, but usually tech found some way to figure the mystery out, which is why everyone in tech was never arrested if they mouthed off to the emperor or any of his subordinates, in fact, I'd had to be restrained several times when a tech cursed me out, under his breath, and I went to smack him down as a reminder who was better, only to have two or three other techs come up and hold me back, with a reminder that they knew right. We were right when Darken Rahl had suddenly appeared, this is when I had been gone for the month of my capture by the others. Apparently he had died in his homeland, but upon dying, a strange light came around him, and instead of being in death, he appeared on the Star as most of us called it, looking slightly dazed and confused and well slightly bleeding.
"My powers would only destroy what Lord Palpatine is trying to create John," he said, "Besides, the guantlets that i wear from my world still remained after I died, they kept my power from over flowing, I am just as powerful as Lord Vader, who may be more powerful then me."
"speaking of his dark suitedness," I said, "Has anyone heard how project Black Strike is going, or is that still 'hush hush?'"
Rahl sighed, and nodded, "As far as anyone knows, including Palpatine, who hasn't seen Vader since a week after your return, Vader is still out there searching for the group or groups who destroyed the Trinian Fleet on the Outer defenses, since your return, which they hoped, I believe wouldn't happen, instead I believe you were supposed to kill the emperor, and then they would claim the victory, but because of your return, they've gone to ground, Black Strike is supposed to bring them out of hiding, but if anything, it's costly, more costly then reintegration for you was, or for that matter the new project tomorrow."
Tomorrow, would be the full cycle of the month, my return had heralded the fact that we needed to show the Empire that we were not afraid of some group of hard edged extremists. We were going to announce on the com, that we would offer amnesty if the group or groups showed themselves, even if they sent out a message, which we could track, and bring them down.
Suddenly the com buzzed again, "Lord Rahl and Commander Goldwood, this is Outpost 3, we have sensors reporting a ship incoming, we believe they might be rebels."
"Outpost 3," said Rahl, "Relay that to the viewing platform and inform Palpatine, let them in to whatever docking station is available, I will be along when they are docked to greet them, and then if they are, arrest them, have a trooper contingent on standby as well."
"Understood sir." said the outpost tech.
I nodded to Rahl, and he clicked his fingers, and we were on the bridge. Techinically it was the viewing platform, but it was the center of operations, "You heard then?" I asked as I saw techs running to and fro, and others going on bout.
"Yes," said the Emperor, "The ship is coming in, John, you will go invite them to my throne room, here."
"Sir," I said, stumbling, "Protocal dictates that if they are enemies, that they are to be taken to the brig til you decide otherwise."
Palpatine smiled, "Yes," he said, "however, due to the recent events, if we offer them a show of good faith, we might be able to persuade them to give up and offer amnesty to their friends, all it takes is a glimpse of truth, and we are victorious."
Suddenly a holo call came in from the outpost, "Sir," said the tech, "The ship has dispatched a shuttle, the commander of the ship, has informed me that his ship, the Acolyte is too big to fit, and instead a shuttle of smaller nature will be sent with a representative and his protection, holy men, called Clerics, his name is Lu-ui, and you will address him as Prior Lu-ui."
I could see the tech cringing as he made the demands known. I almost stepped in to stop Palpatine from knocking one of his men out in anger, but Palpatine stepped in, "Thank you Lieutenant, were you able to get any drones or probes to scan the ship?"
"Sir," said the nervous tech, who by this time was sweating, that I was almost tempted to dispatch a medic unit to the outpost, "our scans returned nothing, there is an energy field surrounding the ship, the one thing we can tell you is that it's a Juggernaut class, yet it has a Behemoth feel to it."
The way ships were rated, each one was different, Juggernaut, Behemoth, Level, Kindler, Plausit. Juggernaut and Behemoth were large ships, Behemoth the largest. Techincally, Vader's super star because of it's design was a Juggernaut, but because of the modified power structures, it was classified as a Behenaut, the only combo out there, and quite powerful. Most star destroyers, with the exception of the star destroyers with gravity wells were Level's.
"Any disruption fields?" asked a tech on this side, "polaron, iodion, kimarion readings?"
"No," said the tech, "But the smaller ship looks like a plausit, no weaponry detected, yet it feels like it's Level."
"Other reality technology differs from this one," said Rahl, "Let it go lieutenant, as long as they're not running weapons, you're good, remain at the outpost, and do not arm weapons, we do not need a reason for an incident to occur.....yet."
The tech nodded and the transmission ended, then Palpatine turned to me, "Commander," he said, "You will go down and meet this Prior, see what he wants, then bring him here to the chambers, where we will then arrest him, of course."
"Yes," I said bowing, "At your will."
Walking down, I had thoughts, things were weird, my dreams this past month had been odd, yet not out of place, yet I felt like they had been preparing me for this moment, like an intersection or crossroads of destiny.
Walking down to the dock, I saw the Cargo bay commander salute, "The shuttle is coming in shortly," he said, "scans show no weapons, but from what I gather, reality isn't everything these days, should I order a tech sweep of the ship?"
"No," I said, "Palpatine wants them to believe they are friends, not prisoners...yet, once we have him arrested, you may act."
"Understood sir," said the commander.
The ship docked...actually it landed, legs appeared out of nowhere, space time unfurling, and the ship hovered til they hit the ground, then the ship settled, now that was impressive, then a ramp came down, and out walked....suddenly a memory flashback... [three full battalions walking down the main corridor on Byss, looking for me]...passed. ten men came out and assembled on either side of the walk way and a man came out with three men behind him, I could tell there were more men on the ship, because as the man walked forward, the ten snapped to and followed him, after that, ten more men came out and surrounded the ship, followed by ten more men.
"Nice Honor guard you got there," I said, "I am Commander John Goldwood."
The man nodded and held out his hand, "I am Prior Lu-ui."
I shook his hand, suddenly I felt a surge of power go through me, and all of a sudden, my mind was elsewhere.
"Sorry," said Lu-ui, "We didn't think that we could pull this off, but we had to go with what you wanted, a month, did it work."
"Yes," I said, "I assume we're still in normality, and nothing is being observed, other then formal courtesies?"
"Yes," said Lu-ui, "That's the nice thing about a blood stone, minds go elsewhere, the bodies stay, and keep on doing, we'll be back shortly, your powers and everything else is returned, but you will have to keep up the facade til you return with me to Palpatine's chambers."
"I figured as such," I said.
"I assume," said Lu-ui, "Arrest when I get there, and then capture of the shuttle and a fire blast from the Galaxy Gun cloaked nearby?"
"Yes," I said, "I assume the Gun has been commandeered, or destroyed?"
"No," said Lu-ui, "we're leaving it alone, the ship is way too outside of space time for it to have much effect."
"Good," I said, "The bracelets, was the power transference, accounted for?"
"Yes," said Lu-ui, "You can harness the power and collectively use it better with the bracelets now."
"Good," I said, "Let's return."
Our spiritual selves returned, and it felt like a head-rush, it was awesome, but back to basics.
"Welcome to "Project Death Star," I said to Lu-ui, "You will come with me to meet the Emperor who wishes to meet you."
"My guard shall come with me as well," said Lu-ui, "They after all, are part of my entourage."
and no doubt ready to die, I thought.
"So tell me about your ship," I said, "Our scanners find it unique, both the shuttle and mother-ship."
"It is not unique, it is just unique to your reality," said Lu-ui, understanding where the talk was going, he was in constant telepathic communication with the ship captain, making sure the harmonics were constantly readjusted.
"I see," I said, "So, the reality you're from, your people are a priest-warrior caste, are you monotheistic or polytheistic?"
"We believe in many," said Lu-ui, "We are very open minded, there are those who believe we are just the dormant phase before being, so many of us believe we will one day ascend and be like our gods."
Hmm. I should have remembered that, the Ori did believe they would ascend, I wondered if that was true now with Morgana calling the shots, Adria certainly hadn't allowed that to happen.
We talked a while more, and finally reached the emperor's throne room, the doors opened, and the honor guard walked in first, five men on each side as Lu-ui and I walked in, me trailing him, so it wouldn't appear we knew each other. I loved seeing Palpatine's reaction when he saw the honor guard, he looked pissed, so did Rahl. Rahl did a double take, composed himself, but Palpatine remained more in shock, til Rahl muttered something to him, and he composed himself.
"I am Prior Lu-ui of the Ori," said Lu-ui, "I am a representative of the Army of Light."
"Indeed," said Palpatine, "how do you do?"
"Enough of the pleasantries," said Lu-ui, "I am here to inform you that you are under arrest by order of the Army of Light, for crimes against the multiverse."
I had to play along, til I knew it was time to turn, so I cocked my gun and pointed it at Lu-ui, "Careful there Prior," I said, "I've got an itchy trigger finger, and all my boss has to do is nod."
The honor guard knew that I was on their side, but they had to play along as well, pointing their staff weapons at me, which then in turn had Rahl's hands glowing, and the Crimson Guard pointing weapons at the honor guard.
"I came here to say what I was asked to say," said Lu-ui, "so drop your weapons everyone." somehow the inflection in his voice had everyone all of sudden drop back to readiness. Interesting trick, I'd have to learn that technique, I wondered if he knew the 'weirding way.'
"You cannot be serious to think that just eleven men could arrest me," said Palpatine, laughing, "I am the Emperor, many stand between you and me, many will die for me."
"In case you haven't noticed Palps," said Lu-ui, just because there are eleven in the throne room, doesn't mean there are more on this station; all I have to do is say the word and my men can easily get in here, they will die for me as well."
yipes, I thought, this wasn't going to turn out well.
"Yes," said Palpatine, "But your ship is out of range, all I have to do is order it and the ship is toast."
seconds later a vid screen appeared, "Sir," said a tech, "Small problem, the main ship which you wanted us to capture is no longer there, it didn't cloak, it just left, we sent a patrol ship and a fighter corps out, but nothing, if they went to hyperspace, they could be anywhere."
Lu-ui seemed unsurprised by this, and smiled, Palpatine glared, and the screen disappeared.
"You knew," Palpatine said, holding his rage in check, "someone here gave you inside information."
"No," said Lu-ui, "You're easy to guess Palpatine, that's why the Rebels and the AOL have stayed one step ahead of you this entire time, we can guess your moves and then make moves of ours that counter you, that way, we have the upper hand."
"Not today you don't," said Palpatine, "John, execute him."
I nodded, clicked the gun, then pushed Lu-ui down and shot three of the crimson guards in one second, and killed three more before anyone knew what was going on, Rahl was surprised, and actually watched, before starting to fling magic around, Palpatine stood back, unsure what to do, because too much smoke was going on.
Finally a few seconds later, everything cleared up, Rahl lay on the ground bleeding from several cross shots fired between the crimson guard, how he got there, no one knows, except me, and I don't think I actually used my powers. The crimson guard lay scattered, most dead, more bleeding and wounded. Lu-ui was still alive. Oh and my gun was empty.
"Well," said Palpatine, "that was unexpected, I didn't think that you'd betray us so openly John, I thought you were with us."
"Yeah," said Kestral, coming out of cowering behind the throne.
"Brainwashing only works so long as there is no way to bring the person back jack ass," I said to Palpatine as I withdrew my sword, from it's scabbard, "Frankly you should have been a bit smarter, more safeguards, not a direct rehashing of my mind."
Palpatine looked shocked, Kestral was confused. "What are you talking about?" I think they were both confused.
"Simple," I said, as Dragon's personality finally started meshing again with mine. "You didn't know about the Bloodstone when you converted me, you figured you could do whatever and nothing would bring me around back to the other side, you figured you had this war one, and the battle in your pocket, that I would betray the others. I outsmarted you Palps, I allowed myself to be captured, for the duration of that one month, so I could find out how to defeat you. The Prior's showing up here today was not a coincidence either, it was so that we could show you just how powerful we are, and how insignificant you are."
Rahl by this time was standing, though shaking, "I think you still have me to contend with," he muttered, as he waved his hands, then pushed outward. I flew across the room, same did Lu-ui. "This is what we expected to happen, except later, this is why Palpatine brought me here, this is why you will finally die today Dragon."
I shrugged off the blast, Lu-ui did too, but he was shaken, he wasn't used to having that much power thrown at him, Rahl noticed mine, not his, which was a good thing, "You just shook off something that no one can shake off, there's a dent in the wall, yet you're up?"
I waved my hand in a circle and then shot my hand out. Rahl got a taste of power as he was flung out a window, which broke, though thankfully, a blast window came down on that window.
"I need to reinforce those windows," muttered Palpatine, "Okay hotshot, so you can contend against the force, but can you contend against yourself?"
Huh. I thought, what's that supposed to mean.
By this time, the honor guard was standing over by Lu-ui, but the men that came in, walked in through the same door I walked in when I had brought in Lu-ui. These men looked nothing like me, so no clone action, but suddenly I felt the power welling in each of them, as they brought out their swords. Damn. He had taken a sample of my blood, which had the power running it, the blood stone couldn't take that out, and made the men into power users.
"Dragon," laughed Palpatine, "Meet the Drago-Shuriken, men trained in the art of ninjetix and your powers."
They charged. Seven against one wasn't going to be a big help, and Lu-ui wasn't either.
"Lu-ui!" I shouted, "Get out of here, now!"
Palpatine laughed, "Fool!" he laughed, "There is no way out."
seconds later he stopped laughing as blue light surrounded the men and they disappeared. Rephrase that, I thought to myself. long range interdimensional porters, thank God for Aladdin.
I cast a grace around me, and prayed silently for a few minutes. Then a portal opened, and I ran into it and elsewhere.
Seconds later, I was elsewhere, in a different reality, in a....shopping mall...on Earth.
"Well," I muttered, "This is interesting, I am on Earth."
But not for long, I started walking, my sword in my sheath, suddenly my senses tingled as I caught a wiff of....oh crap...seven showing up here. I ran, toward the mall, cowardly, I know, but inside I might have a chance of fighting. The men ran after me as well, two had guns and started firing past me, people screamed. I started praying again, and a hole opened as well, and I ran into it.
I kept running.
they kept pursing.
I kept jumping.
They kept up as well.
and on.
and on.
and on.
and on.
and.........well I think you get the idea. kinda repetitive.
Finally twenty or so realities later, I think it was twenty, I wasn't sure, I was getting tired and feeling drained, they were still going strong. I made a stand. "For the glory!" I shouted. I ran at them, and suddenly stopped as the suddenly put their hands together and merged into one being, a man extremely powerful, and the energy rippling from him scary.
"Give up," he said, "You are over."
"Wrong," I said, "I will fight, you will be over."
He swung, I dodged.
I swung, he blocked.
the same thing for about ten minutes, he got three hits in on me, and I started to feel even more tired.
Finally I put my sword down, and put up my hands, "Good choice," he said, and swung. But missed. Because I wasn't there. But he got ended, by what? I don't know, but I heard whisperings to this day that a firebolt ascended from on high and vaporized him.
"Where am I?" I asked. I was in a foresty area, and it felt weird.
"Sorry about that," said a voice, "But you were hard to lock on to with all those jumps, oh and your pursuer is dead."
"Tenchi Masaki?" I said surprised, the man looked like him.
"Yamada," the man said, "Seina, cousin."
"Ah," I said, Galaxy Police, reality 89.8x"
"Something like that," said Seina.
"So it took a day to find me." I said, "Couldn't you have done it sooner, there is a war to finish."
"The war is over John," said another voice, I turned to see Susie Derkins walk down to where I was, her rabbit being Lady Bun behind her, scars all over, and an eye patch. "Your disappearance twenty years ago, caused the war to swifty turn south, the Rebels fled and hid, the AOL lost hope as you didn't come back, Phoenix and Chronis fell within the first onslaught of the Death Star, and as for Tyronis, well he disappeared."
"Time Travel?!" I said, "I Time Traveled?!"
"Yes," said another man walking down the path, "You ran from a fight, though I don't blame you."
"Captain Picard," I said saluting, "How bad is it?"
"There are only twenty of us left, and this ship, the Harayo Muti," he said, "We kept searching for twenty years, and finally found you. The Emperor still lives John, Kestral is his bride."
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" I screamed as energy around me flittered in and out and I found myself back where I was, still facing my oncoming doom.
Eyes blazing, we picked up our sword as the other sword slashed down, and we counter balanced it. "THIS ENDS HERE AND IT ENDS NOW!" We/Dragon/I said, "ROSETEX PRIMUS!"
We swung with all our power and the being could not block it, and it fell. Laughing.
"You....defeated....me," it said, "however....Palpatine....will....still....win.....we have traveled through 8 realities and 12 times, there is no way you can win."
"Wrong," I said, as I became the Dragon, "There is hope."
I jumped, and calculated and appeared in the same spot as I had left.
Pulling out my sword I turned to face Palpatine.
"Lets do this."
End Chapter.