Star Wars: Rebels: Rising Darkness

Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.

A/N: Well, here we are my respected readers, the climax of the story! I actually found myself proofreading this one more than any other chapter thus far. I hope you all enjoy. ;)

Warning: Severe depiction of a disaster/wartime devastation scenario is featured in this chapter, including depictions of both mass destruction and death.

Chapter 9: Understand Agony

Barreling through the cityscape, the Rebels and the Freedom Coalition operatives had just cleared the range of the Imperial base's anti-air turrets. With the Imperials still jamming the comm channels, Kanan used Aygo's holodevice to contact Hera and let her know they were on their way back to the spaceport with General Dodonna, as soon as Aygo and his men were dropped off back at the Freedom Coalition HQ.

"Another job well done I see," Hera smirked as she spoke to Kanan, regarding Dodonna who nodded at her respectfully.

"More or less, just another typical day, really," the newly-promoted Jedi Knight replied with a grin. In the background, Zeb rolled his eyes.

"Get a room, you two," as the Lasat warrior finished his remark, Kanan and Hera both noticeably blushed as Ezra and Kavir chuckled. Aygo paid them no heed as he was observing the Imperial fleet above them, still in full blockade around the planet.

"I wish you Rebels the greatest of fortune in getting past the Imperial ships out there. Rajom back at HQ confirmed for me earlier that it's a full planet-wide quarantine; no ship is allowed in or out of the atmosphere under threat of their guns," as the grizzled Bothan continued to stare at the massive ships in orbit, Ezra didn't seem to share his concern.

"We'll find a way out, we've survived worse."

The gunship continued to move ever closer to its first stop with Sabine at the controls. However at this moment, with his holocall with Hera concluded, Kanan could make out a group of gunships in the distance approaching the center of the city, a squadron of TIE fighters providing cover.

Aboard the gunship in the center of the aerial formation, the Grand Inquisitor stood with the Seismic Bomb to his back, looking down at the city below. The streets covered in the scars of the ongoing civil war, the damaged buildings and wrecked speeders bearing the telltale signs of it all. It was all about to come to an end. The airborne formation ground to a halt at their destination, directly over the center of the city, a commercial district with a scenic park. The afternoon sun shined hotly above them. For a moment, for Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist and the personnel he had brought with him, the eerie calm had captured their attention. Temporary silence between fighting, a stillness unbearable in times of war, disrupted only by the roar of the TIE squadron flying around them, and the hum of the repulsorlift engines on their gunships.

At once the Grand Inquisitor turned around to face his secret weapon, the Seismic Bomb. Entering an access code via an uplink on a data pad, one of the troopers turned to him as the red light on the side of the bomb began to blink in and out slowly.

"It's armed, sir. Ready for deployment at your leisure," the armored soldier informed his superior.

The menacing master of the Dark Side said nothing as he slowly outstretched both his arms, his gloved palms splayed open as he did so. He spoke declaratively after a moment of silence, as if in contemplation.

"Those who resist the order and the peace of the Empire incite the kind of war we see below us. In their absurd arrogance, they believe they get to disrupt the stability of society for their own selfish desires. Those who do not know what it means to truly suffer will never understand the value of true peace. It is time for the citizens of this world to know. They will know what it means to be rent of everything, left with nothing. The misery of loss and loneliness, the pain of being surrounded with death and destruction. That is the kind of suffering they must know. This world will understand agony."

Summoning the power of the Force, the Grand Inquisitor thrust both of his arms forward, and in a tremendous push the massive bomb was heaved from its restraints and out the left side of the gunship.

"Pull up!" the pilot of the gunship urgently told the rest of the formation and the escorts over his comm, and they did so.

The gunships and the TIE squadron soared upwards, higher into the sky and out of range of the bomb. The Grand Inquisitor merely watched in silence as the bomb plummeted down to the city, reaching out through the Force with his right hand. A lone Force lock placed on the bomb began to activate as it neared the ground.

At this point the stolen gunship was nearing the Ruby Sanctum Hotel and Casino Worlport, the Freedom Coalition HQ. Through the cityscape, Kanan didn't miss the ominous sight of the Seismic Bomb being deployed from the gunships higher up in the distance. His eyes widened in horror at the sight.

"Sabine, full throttle! We gotta move!" he called out to the teenage Mandalorian piloting their craft while pointing in the direction of the bomb.

Aygo spotted the ordinance as it neared the ground and immediately took on a similar expression to the Jedi Knight.

"Brace yourselves!"

The rest of the team hunkered down within the gunship, tightening their grip on the handrails. At that moment, the Seismic Bomb detonated just a few feet above the ground. The surge of electromagnetic energy hummed as the weapon first collapsed in upon itself, and then a pulsing burst thrust gigantic waves of the energy outwards, seismic shockwaves that surged forth in all directions.

The sheer destructive force was overwhelming. Within seconds the ground buckled and gave way, a massive crater forming in the surface of the city. As the shockwaves spread outwards at an ever-increasing radius, dozens upon dozens of buildings including towering high rises were literally knocked off their foundations, inverting towards ground zero, tumbling and shattering at an angle down towards the crater forming beneath them. Speeders, either parked or wrecked throughout the city went flying, smashing through the crumbling buildings all around them. If the sounds of crashing and crumbling, and the screeching of metal breaking upon metal hadn't been drowning them out, the screams and cries of the people trapped inside the collapsing buildings would have been echoing throughout the city. Shards of glass and metal along with chunks of duracrete were flying and falling everywhere.

Within twenty seconds of the initial detonation virtually seventy five percent of the entire city was leveled, humongous dust clouds rising from the collapsing buildings and other debris. Finally just moments later the shockwaves reached the outlying streets, including the district by the beach with the Ruby Sanctum. The pulse was so intense even in the air, the stolen gunship was instantly and violently thrown off-course, spinning out of control despite the best attempts of its young pilot. Kavir quickly lost his grip, having been on the side to take the brunt of the shockwave. He was knocked from the gunship and tumbled down to the surface below, screaming as he did so.

"Kavir! No! Nooo!" Ezra shouted in terror at the sight.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Eiten cursed, equally horrified at losing his longtime ally. Dodonna was at a complete loss for words as he grit his teeth in disbelief.

"Hold on!" Sabine told those in the canopy of the gunship, her control of the craft completely lost.

Diverting full power to the repulsorlift thrusters, Sabine put them in full reverse as she turned a hard left, in a frantic effort to counteract the right-ward spiraling of the gunship. It worked just in time to set the ship in a forward course again, but the force of the shockwave was still too much to outperform. The gunship slammed down onto the roof of the resort just beyond the south tower on the building, sparks flying as the metal underside grinded against the concrete-paved balcony on the rooftop.

By now the seismic shockwaves had lost their destructive power, causing no damage to the Imperial base, the government building, or the spaceport which all lay on the fringes of the city. The last traces of their might had hit the Ruby Sanctum, causing severe damage to the foundations beneath the basement and shattering most of the windows. The building was still standing, but was slanting towards the crater and debris field just beyond in front of it. The structural stability was compromised, to put it lightly. The gunship had come to a stop just in front of the central tower in the building, Sabine and everyone else battered and bruised from the impact. Amazingly, the engines were still on, albeit suffering moderate damage. The gunship would still fly, though much slower than designed to.

Everyone groaned as they regained their senses and collected themselves. Aygo had hit his head on the partially-reacted shield door on the left side, blood staining his fur as it ran down the right side of his face. Ezra and Zeb crawled back to their feet and quickly ran out onto the rooftop balcony, over to the edge facing the city in front of the building. Only the sight of rubble and the rising collective dust cloud could be seen, no signs of Kavir anywhere. Dodonna and Kanan had both been thrown to the back of the gunship, and helped each other to their feet before assisting Aygo, who evidently was suffering from a concussion from his bleeding head injury.

Sabine cautiously crawled out of the cockpit as she opened the forward hatch on the windshield, her helmet being the only thing that spared her from a similar blow to the head. She gasped as she caught sight of the devastation around them, having been denied a clear view of the carnage while trying to retake control of the craft.

Shrugging away from Kanan and Dodonna as he stumbled near Ezra and Zeb on the edge of the rooftop balcony, Aygo collapsed to his knees, his face contorting in what could only be described as a combination of disbelief and pure rage at the sight of his city all but completely demolished. By now, the groaning and cries of the wounded and dying emanated from the piles of debris within the dust cloud.

On the opposite side of the city on the outskirts, the very few survivors from inside the carnage who still had enough mobility to try walking were attempting to flee the devastation behind them. Every last one was immediately gunned down by the Imperial forces entrenched outside the city, including the 338th Legion.

Aygo roared out in sheer anguish and desperation, the trauma of the nightmare before him and the others too much to handle in silence any longer.

"Damn them all! Filthy Imperial sons of murglaks and disgusting schuttas! I'll kill them! I'll KILL THEM ALL! AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Aygo howled at the very top of his lungs as blood and tears streamed down his face. At that moment, one of his lieutenants, a human male, arrived on the rooftop from a door into the central tower.

"Deputy Governor, sir, you're needed inside immediately! Imperial forces are mobilizing toward the government building! I think they mean to free the prisoners now that we're cut off from the location!" with this message relayed, rising to his feet, Aygo turned to the Rebels and the defector general, Bidding them his farewell.

"Get back on that gunship and go, now. My work here is not finished," as he finished, he waited for Kanan to speak as the Jedi Knight stepped forward abruptly.

"Aygo, virtually the entire complement of your resistance fighters were in the city when the bomb went off. You can't take on the Empire in battle, your uprising is at an end. Please, come with us. A man of your expertise would be most welcome in the Rebellion," Aygo immediately shook his head at the suggestion. Ezra and Zeb moved back towards the rest of their team as he replied.

"My place is with the people of Ord Mantell. I started this with them, and I'll finish it with them. If anything, it will buy you the time you need to make your escape, while their forces are occupied dealing with us. Now go, I'm not dead yet," Aygo told the Rebels sternly as he stared at them with conviction.

Sabine felt a hand on her shoulder as her eyes remained glued to the unthinkable devastation around them. She found Ezra had stepped over to her, and she reached up and closed her hand around his. His expression mirrored her own, a mix of shock, anguish, and disbelief. Reconstituting herself as best she could, the teenage Mandalorian moved back towards the cockpit of the gunship at a brisk pace.

"If we're going, then we need to go now. Imperial forces will be moving to take back what's left of this place any minute," Sabine informed the others, accepting Aygo's decision to stay behind.

Unknown to anyone present, off in the distance out on the outskirts, the 338th Legion began advancing towards the ruined city, the other trooper divisions spreading to cover the positions behind the barricades they were leaving. Two full units of AT-ST's and AT-DP's moved up behind to cover their advance, as if they really needed the extra firepower at this point.

Reluctantly, the Rebels along with General Dodonna boarded the gunship once again as Sabine powered up what remained of the engines. The damage was just minimal enough to get the craft off the ground again. Dodonna and the others turned to face Aygo as he and his men moved to head down into the building beneath their feet.

"Aygo, take care of yourself. You've been a good friend," the veteran general told his ally sincerely.

"That goes for you as well, general," Aygo replied. Both men saluted one another as the gunship slowly and clumsily lifted off once more, and soon departed as steadily as Sabine could manage under the condition it was in. Aygo and his subordinates quickly ran inside the central tower and out of sight.

The stolen and damaged gunship had just barely cleared the third tower on the north end of the building when a barrage of heavy blasterfire struck the right left corner of the aft end, disabling what remained of the engines instantly. The gunship, now completely out of commission, spun out again as it fell toward the beach below. Timing herself just right, Sabine utilized the emergency brakes and sealed the doors, both among the few functions she could muster control over, to dampen their impact. The gunship slammed into the sand, cratering the beach upon impact and tumbling over and over as the wings snapped off before coming to rest on its side.

The source of the sudden attack had been another gunship, the same one that had deployed the bomb just minutes prior. Encircling the damaged building below, the pilot gave the Grand Inquisitor a clear access point, which the menacing Dark Side master did not hesitate to use. Calling upon his power, he leaped from the gunship's canopy and down to the steps that led up to the main entrance. He landed gracefully on both feet, drawing and igniting just one of his two lightsabers, his custom-built one, before using the Force to charge through the front of the building with unbelievable speed, a single slash of his blade breaking apart the already damaged twin glass doors.

Inside the main lobby, the Freedom Coalition volunteers who had been fortunate enough to be this far from the blast zone of the devastating bomb immediately began shooting with their blasters. It was a useless measure, for Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist effortlessly dodged and deflected every bolt, taking more than a few down that way before he was upon the rest within the blink of an eye. Without hesitation or even a word he sliced the militiamen apart with his blade, clearing the entire room including the other side of the makeshift barricade in mere moments. He then set his sights on the turbolifts to the upper levels.

Up in the luxury penthouse atop the central tower, Aygo and his men were struggling to try and establish contact with their forces in the government building, now under the command of Rajom who had gone there minutes before the bomb was dropped. The blast had severed the city's connection to the holonet, leaving the private Imperial channels the only ones still active, and with their equipment knocked out by the shockwaves, trying to slice into those at this point was nearly impossible.

A loud bang that emanated from outside the entry doors to the penthouse pulled Aygo and the others with him from their focus, the haunting sounds of vain blasterfire, a lightsaber cutting flesh, and the resulting dying screams, immediately following before silence resumed. The grizzled Bothan and his cohorts drew their blasters and took aim at the doors, still sealed shut from the inside.

"Shoot to kill immediately," Aygo told his loyalists.

"Yes sir," one of them, a male Devaronian, replied.

Just seconds later, both doors flew from their frame, the Freedom Coalition personnel docking and dodging to avoid them just in time as they smashed into the disabled computers and visual screen on the wall behind them. They immediately took aim and fired as instructed, to no avail.

The Grand Inquisitor first disabled Aygo by deflecting three bolts into him, the Evocii watching the Bothan tumble to the floor before setting himself upon the rest. It was over as quickly as the struggle began. The lone Devaronian was the last one standing. The Grand Inquisitor used a single Force push with his free left hand to hurl the screaming man out the windows and down to the pavement below in front of the building. Aygo desperately tried to reach for his blaster, but his nemesis promptly stepped on it with his right foot, keeping it in place on the floor. Looking up, the wounded Bothan gazed into the crimson eyes of the Grand Inquisitor, and found them to be glaring intensely back at him.

"Your efforts were valiant, but in the end, futile."

Shoving Aygo back with the Force, Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist stopped just short of telekinetically sliding the Bothan right out the same set of windows in front. Looking over his shoulder behind him, Aygo could see the bloodstain beneath the broken corpse of the Devaronian on the pavement outside on the bottom level. Struggling to his feet, gritting his teeth as he grunted lowly through the pain, he glared back at the vicious Imperial.

"I'm glad… you're here… Imperial lapdog… now I get to avenge my people… and our capital…!" Aygo remained defiant even as he nearly doubled over and fell back to the floor, his injuries severe.

"Stubborn to the very end. Look around you, you and your uprising are both finished. One last chance, surrender. I will ensure you receive a fair trial in the high courts," the Grand Inquisitor made one last offer for this to end without further violence, but as far as Aygo was concerned, it was far too late.

"I've seen more than enough of Imperial 'justice' for one day! Die, you disgusting murderer!" Aygo spat as he drew the vibrosword sheathed on his back and lunged.

His charge was clumsy and was not without stumbling, but the grizzled and bloodied Bothan yelled through the pain, using both hands in an attempt to bring his blade down on the Grand Inquisitor, who effortlessly ducked and dodged to avoid every blow. The menacing Dark Side master mused that the pure adrenaline allowing his opponent to put up a substantial fighting effort at this point was impressive, even if meaningless.

In the next instant, a single slash with his lightsaber nearly bisected Aygo through the stomach, cutting through both his forearms in the process as well and dropping the vibrosword to the floor. Aygo howled out in agony as he fell to the floor face-down, completely helpless at this point and nearly paralyzed. Telltale footsteps alerted him as the Grand Inquisitor approached, deactivating and sheathing his lightsaber as he did so.

"Your reaction time even while severely wounded and acting on blind rage is impressive, Lieutenant Governor. If you had been but a nanosecond slower in your response in attempting to back up, I would have completely cut through your spinal cord, rather than nicking it as I just did," the Evocii noted how the crippled Bothan was attempted to keep moving even under these new permanently debilitating injuries, "You really should just lay still. You may still have feeling in your legs, but your arms are severed at the elbows and your spine is barely connected together at this point. It's not a matter of willpower, but a simple structural impossibility."

Snarling at the cold and condescending words of his victorious foe, Aygo struggled to look over his shoulder and up at the man standing over him.

"You may as well… finish me off… but I promise you… the Rebellion will be your undoing…" blood was running from his mouth at this point.

"Bold words, but not convincing all the same," and with that, the Grand Inquisitor slammed his right foot down into Aygo's back.

He had been defiant and stalwart in his conviction to the end, and the crippled Bothan screamed out in sheer agony as the boot in his back finally snapped his damaged spinal cord, effectively severing his broken body in two and killing him.

Leaving the morbid scene at his feet behind, the Grand Inquisitor pressed a button on the device on his right wrist, sending a signal to the gunship pilot. Shattering the glass out the back windows with the Force, the menacing Dark Side master leaped up back into the sky above, landing back on the gunship as it came back around with perfect timing. Outstretching both his palms as he thrust his arms outward again, looking down at the building below, the Grand Inquisitor used his power to break apart the already severely damaged foundations below the basement of the building.

The Ruby Sanctum Hotel and Casino Worlport, which had served as the HQ of the uprising for weeks, crumbled down to the ground below under its own weight, entombing the corpses of all the Freedom Coalition personnel inside, including the body of their respected leader. The uprising on Ord Mantell was officially and thoroughly crushed.

As this was taking place, outside the entrance to the government building, a detachment of the 338th Legion, with Commander Alpha leading them, were steadily advancing towards the barricade at the front doors, the few remaining resistance inside firing back as best they could, but they were wounded, exhausted, and running low on ammo. Rajom relayed instructions from the upper levels via holodevice to a Human militiaman leading the others behind the front doors. He was coordinating from further back near the overturned reception desk, which had a stolen E-web repeater turret set up behind it. A firing team among the dwindling militia was busy loading it.

"Hold the line as long as you can! We're completely surrounded, there is no retreat! If we're going down, then we're going down fighting!"

"So be it! We'll keep fighting to the end!" the ranking militiaman affirmed.

"Commentary: Agreed, that will be the most entertaining solution to your predicament, meatbags."

The Human militiaman turned around and saw that HK-47 had dropped down through the ceiling, using both hands to strangle the two resistance fighters at the E-web behind the desk, and snapping their necks in the next instant. Growling, the Human raised his rifle and took aim at the droid, enraged at the sight before him. The ancient assassin droid offered no remorse or even another word.

Meanwhile, back up inside the canopy of the gunship that had deployed the bomb just minutes prior, the Grand Inquisitor shifted his focus to the downed gunship on the beach ahead of them, noticing the occupants were crawling out of the downed craft. He merely narrowed his eyes at the sight, ready to confront them at long last.

A/N: The next chapter is the one that I suspect most of you have been waiting for, the battle between the new Grand Inquisitor and our favorite team of Rebels, well, Rebels outside of the Original Trilogy that is! This is what it has all been leading up to! I hope to see more reviews from you folks before then, as I would greatly like to see your thoughts on the story so far. Your continued support has made this all worthwhile, so once more, thank you. :)