LIVING HISTORY
by ardavenport
= = = Part 28
The two Jedi, having finished their singing, discussed how they were going to defeat Yarr, their target. Their conversation ranged over what they knew about the Sith, the Light and Dark sides of the Force, the Council and other details that sounded historically right from what Obi-Wan had reviewed about Jedi history during Yarr's time. But while they talked on the left side of the stage, a woman stealthily entered, going from rock to rock, creeping closer to the inattentive Jedi. She had dark, short shaggy hair, peppered with gray, Obi-Wan recognized the shapeless, coarsely woven Nirid costume. He consulted his Play roster. Adie Tykon-Tuzie played the parts of Nirid and Yarr, but was only credited as Nirid. And she now looked and moved completely differently now from the smiling blond woman he had met.
Keth suddenly tensed, dramatically stepping forward.
"I feel a disturbance in the Force!"
Minigan alerted, the tail of his headband flapping back and forth as he looked both ways around them. "It is the Dark Side, my friend." Both of them still somehow missed seeing the woman in plain sight, spyng on them.
Keth nodded, and conceded that the influence of the Sith Lord nearby was strong. The two wandered off the stage to the left as the woman who watched them moved to the center, the lights focusing on her, the stage behind her going dark. The orchestra played a dainty tune. The roster in Obi-Wan's lap glowed with the words she sang.
. . .
"Jedi Knights
See them there
Is it him?
Returning?
Is it Keth?
My old love
Come back home
From above.
. . .
"When I loved you, we were both so young.
When I loved you, we were
Learning how to learn to love and - -"
. . .
She raised her arms up above her head, twirled and stretched them out to where the Jedi had gone and then back to touch herself, throwing herself into the song.
. . .
"Find ourselves
In the dark
Sweaty nights
Breathing hard
Clumsy moves
Touching me
Touching you
You're my first.
. . .
"When I loved you life had just begun,
Not just a crush or a one night stand,
Yes, you were the one.
I never said before you were gone.
. . .
"You went and left this love we gained
To a world where you would be trained
By a Master who said, 'tough,
That I was not good enoooo-ooough."
. . .
She struck out at the air in frustration, but the dainty tune continued, her tone still earnest.
. . .
"So you went
Left this world
Left our love
Far behind
Now you're back
Now you'll see
Things have changed
Come to me.
. . .
"When I loved you we were both - - -"
. . .
"Hooooo!"
A loud male voice calling from offstage startled her. Gasping, she turned around and then ran off. Guads in maroon and gray armor marched across the back of the stage. A woman's low voice shouted, "Hooo!". Guards ran across the back of the stage in the opposite direction, shouting. "Jedi, my Lord!" another voice shouted; another called back. "Go! Tell our Lord! I will face them! Go!" Nirid ran across the stage and darted behind one of the rocks.
A performer in shiny silver armor accented in red, yellow, green and black strode in with black boots and gauntlets and a mostly black lgithsaber on a wide silver belt. A black cape billowed behind the Sith taking center stage to announce his intention to kill the Jedi and present the bodies to his Master, Darth Yarr. A platform of a Sith, standing proud in shiny dark gray and red, floated high over the back of the stage. The Sith - - the Play roster said it was Hulus - - spotted the girl and demanded to know why she was spying on him. Terrified, she denied it and shouted that she loved Master Yarr as much as anyone. She asked why Hulus would risk confronting two dangerous Jedi alone. Was he ready for such a challenge?
The music resumed again.
. . .
"A Sith's gotta do what a Sith's gotta do.
The Dark Side will be the end of those two.
I'll defeat them, kill the Jedi, gain my Master's love
Soon they'll lie dead at my feet, their throats crushed in my glove - - "
. . .
Hulus's intentions were rudely interrupted by Keth and Minigan rushing back on stage. Two Jedi figures in pale blue and pale gray tunics confronted the Sith figure, their floaters circling but never coming close to each other. Their pale lightsaber blades swung about as they struck threatening poses at each other.
Hulus's red lightstick blade shot out, humming ominously. On stage, it was a very good imitation of a real lightsaber. Keth's blue and Minigan's green blades shot out.
. . .
Minigan: "Stand back evil Sith, we've come to take you down!
We'll vanquish the Dark Side and liberate this town!"
Keth: "We're Jedi Knights who've come
To save the day and the evil Sith will be undone!"
. . .
Minigan confronted Hulus while Keth went to Nirid.
. . .
Minigan: "A Knight's gotta do what a Knight's gotta do!
This day will end with us defeating you!
Your end is near, your time is done, you've come to meet your death!
So face us now, it's time for your last breath."
. . .
Hulus and Minigan's lightsabers clashed while Keth knelt, his mouth open in surprise as Nirid sang to him.
. . .
Nirid: "Thank you Jedi Knight it must have been our fate
That just now you came to me and you were not too late,
But I think I know you, and I think that you know me.
Thank you Keth for saving me."
. . .
The two of them started singing over each other, but their melodies matched:
. . .
Keth: "Nirid? Is it you?
A Knight's gotta do what a Knight's gotta do!"
Nirid: . . . "You came from above . . . ."
. . .
Minigan dodged a close swipe of Hulus's lightsaber.
. . .
Minigan: "Uh, I could use a little help here!"
. . .
Keth seemed to have forgotten about his partner as he and Nirid rose together, their hands clasped.
. . .
Keth: "Seems destiny comes with me saving you."
Nirid: ". . . You were my first love . . . ."
. . .
Hulus kept attacking with vicious blows.
. . .
Minigan: "The Sith Lord's still here Keth!"
Keth: "I'm sorry you were hurt when I left that way."
Nirid: "My heart is beating like a drum."
. . .
Hulus swept his lightsaber low and Minigan jumped over it.
. . .
Minigan: "Did you notice that the fight was over here?"
. . .
The three of them sang over each other in compliementary harmony. Minigan gained the advantage and struck blow after blow, driving Hulus back.
. . .
Keth: "It has been years but now it seems like only yesterday."
Nirid: "I'm seeing you again."
. . .
Minigan swiped Hulus in the leg and Obi-Wan saw smoke and a black gash appear. he sat forward.
. . .
Minigan: "It's do or die! Because we're supposed to be Jedi!"
. . .
Stabbing downward, Minigan impaled Hulus in the chest. Obi-Wan sat forward. From his angle he could see that the blade did not go through, the lightstick just retracted as Minigan pushed the prop hilt in. Hulus made a very good show of convulsing and dying.
. . .
Keth: "Finding you again makes this a bright new day."
Nirid: "Maybe it's the dawn of a brand new day."
. . .
Keth and Nirid were still clasping hands, staring into each other's eyes while Minigan stood over the body.
. . .
Minigan: "What-eeeeeee-ver."
. . .
Minigan knelt, picked up Hulus's lightsaber and put it on his belt. The music died down; the Jedi and Sith figures retreated behind the tall black walls. The crowd below cheered and applauded.
"Great." Minigan retracted his blue lightsaber prop, He pointed it away from the audience so they could see the blade disappear but not how mechanical it looked from Obi-Wan's point of view above and on the side.
Obi-Wan glanced up at his Master to see his reaction to such a ridiculous fight. But Qui-Gon had not moved as if he wasn't watching the Play at all. The two Jedi on stage implored Nirid to help them. It was the scene fragment that Obi-Wan heard over and over again for the Nirid auditions. Keth finally prevailed and with many warnings about the danger, she led the two men off the stage.
The stage lights faded down, the backdrop shifting into stone walls with windows and a gallery. The rocks pulled back, replaced by tables, benches and chairs, statues and a stone archway. It looked very much like Acren Hall.
People flowed onto the stage to an overture of new music as the lights brightened again. They twirled and danced in mock activities. The clothes of most of them were simple, flowing tunics and skirts in pale colors. Others were guards in armor and one of them was Yana. A man with his costume trimmed in dark red posed in the center of the stage. Obi-Wan saw more song lyrics appearing on his Play roster.
. . .
Head Servant: "We live our lives in shadow,
The Sith have given us grace,
We serve our lord and master,
Happy to stay in our place
All hail to the night
Her power is so bright."
. . .
The other people paused in their twirling long enough to answer.
. . .
"We all love the Sith!
We will always be
Grateful for her charity.
It's you we all are with,
For all eternity,
You're our only diety"
. . .
They were apparently too busy to notice Nirid, Keth and Minigan darting part way across the back of the stage, taking refuge behind a large statue. The servants and guards went about their symbolic work-dance while individuals added their voices.
. . .
Guard #1: "We did not always serve you,
When we lived in ignorance."
Servant #1 "At first we didn't want you,
And then you gave us a chance."
Guard #2 "When your power shone,
Brighter than any we'd known,"
. . .
Yana was the last of the three, a big smile on her face. She had a loud, strong voice.
Meanwhile, at the back of the stage, Nirid, Keth and Minigan darted again, but this time a couple of guards finally interrupted their singing long enough to notice and make a grab for them. They struck with long staffs, hitting both Jedi and dragging Minigan back, grabbing arms and legs and both light sabers from his belt. At the front of the stage the song continued, unstoppable.
. . .
"We all love the Sith,
And you love us, too.
You just took our souls with you.
It's you we all are with,
Finally we knew
The passion you brought was true
We worship the Dark. . . . ."
. . .
Amazed, Obi-Wan listened to the enthusiastic tribute to the Dark Side while at the back of the stage, with Nirid's help, Keth staggered to safety, a hand held up to a red patch on his forehead; he tried to turn around, but she pulled him back behind another large statue. The guards who held Minigan turned their way but did not pursue as they escaped off the stage.
. . .
Servant #2 "Loving you is free,
And it's compulsory."
Guard #3 "We worship the Sith,
Lost in ecstacy,
Blinded by your majesty."
Servant # 1 "Lord and only kith,
Such intensity!
Hail the Sith's supremacy!"
. . .
The singers and dancers surged to the front of the stage, some of the armored guards holding up a bloodied Minigan by the arms, their staffs across his back and front.
. . .
"We worship the Dark. . . .
We live for the Dark. . . .
We love the Sith Dark. . . ."
. . .
The music ended and a guard, the one played by Yana, stepped forward and shouted the obvious.
"Intruder!"
= = = End Part 28
'When I Loved You' is roughly filked from 'Freeze Ray' from Doctor Horrible's Sing-Slong-Blog.
'A Sith's Gotta Do What a Sith's Gotta Do' is roughly filked from 'A Man's Gotta Do' from Doctor Horrible's Sing-Slong-Blog.
'We Love the Sith' is roughly filked from 'Under Your Spell' from Once More with Feeling - - Buffy the Vampire Slayer.