Disclaimer: I do not own The Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
Note: What can I say? Huge apologies for not meeting my deadline for this chapter. For an IMPORTANT note on updates, please see the end of the chapter. Many thanks for your patience all you beautiful readers and reviewers. And, of course, a huge thanks to Liisiko who put a lot of work as beta into this particular chapter.
CHAPTER 37 - Temptation
Location: Moon orbiting Bestine IV
Galen's attempt at seeking more clarity from his visions failed. He saw nothing at all and eventually the frustration forced him to admit a reluctant defeat. He hadn't been gone long, but as he returned to the cockpit he could hear Juno speaking with Leia. He supposed that meant that they'd been given a location.
"—It's as close as I could get you." Leia was apologizing.
"It will suit. Are they expecting our arrival?"
"Yes, preparations are already underway to evacuate the area."
"If we take the Corellian Trade Spine, we can be there in good time. If we leave it too long to put this plan into action we run the risk of getting outmaneuvered or facing another disaster. Patience is not a Sith trait."
"Indeed not." There was a momentary pause and then: "Is Starkiller there with you?"
Galen hesitated in the doorway and then drew back, out of sight.
"He's meditating."
"Juno, if there is any sign at all that Vader has personal involvement in this; you must be sure to avoid confrontation at all costs. I'm sure that you understand that we can't risk Starkiller falling back under his influence."
"He won't." Juno's reply was fierce.
"I'm not saying he will want to, Juno. But the Force is a powerful entity. He could fall back without even realizing it."
"I know him, Leia. He would never do that."
"I don't mean you any ill will, Juno. I do have your best interests at heart. I just don't want you to be put in a position where he could be compromised."
"I know you're worried about him."
Not just worried, Galen realized. They were afraid of him, too.
"But he's come a long way. He's far stronger than he once was," Juno continued.
Were they really so afraid that he might get tangled up with the dark side of the Force again? That he might allow himself to be dragged back into that smothering insanity? They made it sound like it would be so easy; as if merely being on the same planet as Vader could be enough to corrupt him. Did they truly think he was still so blind to it? There was no part of him that wanted that sort of power anymore. No part at all.
So wrapped up in these thoughts, he didn't even notice that the communication had come to an end until Juno raised her voice and called out to him.
"How long have you been standing there?"
"Long enough."
She turned to look at him and the apologetic look there aggravated him somewhat. What did she have to feel sorry for? She hadn't invited that conversation.
He dropped down into the chair next to her and for a moment there was an awkward silence – it had been so long since there had been any awkward silences between them that it took him by surprise.
"The Armistice has made a jump to avoid detection by the clone." Juno continued at last. "And we've been given co-ordinates for one of the moons orbiting Bestine IV. It's in the direction of Cerea but, to be honest, it's nowhere near close enough to be convincing."
"So long as he comes after us, that's all that matters."
"What Leia said…"
"They're afraid of me." Galen voiced his thoughts.
"I don't understand a lot of things about the Force, Galen. I see you using it or—or manipulating it—everyday, but I don't understand what it is. But even when you were working for Vader, even when you were under the influence of the dark side of the Force, you weren't lost. Do they really believe you would fall so deep that you couldn't climb back out again? Could the Force even do that to you? Could Vader do that to you?"
"I don't know." He frowned.
"The right answer was 'no'." She replied firmly.
Galen thought back to some of Kota's lessons on patience and ridding oneself of attachments. He had much to regret in not making the most of the old man's knowledge, even if he hadn't appreciated his lecturing at the time.
"I won't go back to him, Juno." He replied after a moment. He'd sooner take his own life than be pulled back into slavery. "Neither you nor Leia need to worry about that."
Even still, he was touched by her confidence in him. Either she was an incredibly good actress or she did, genuinely, trust that he was still the same man - or the perfect likeness of that man - who had died for the rebels all that time ago.
The darkness moved; the rasp of a heavy body against ancient stone. Claws? Scales? Horns? Protruding teeth? It was impossible to tell, but he could hear the beat of its heart, like the rhythmic thump of a steady drum. It shook the walls, small bits of stone clattering to the ground. It shook the floor, too, so that he rocked from side to side as he attempted to keep his balance.
He called out and his voice echoed again and again, so distorted that the words were lost to a clamor of meaningless noise.
But the unseen monster turned, its eyes glaring like white fire which expanded as the two eyes became one.
Yet again, the single eye became the Death Star.
And everything shattered.
"Anything?" Juno asked, when he finally emerged from meditation.
He shook his head grimly. "There's something waiting out there. A hungering darkness. Something besides the Death Star." He shook his head. He remembered its warning growl; distant thunder. Something was awakening, some horrible power that had been resting undisturbed – until now. He had almost been able to feel its strength; its dark power not dissimilar to the aura of a Sith.
"What do you think it could be?"
"It could be anything."
"Something to do with Vader?"
"Most likely. I can't think who else would be behind it."
They lapsed into silence, this one far more comfortable than the last – interspersed by the sound of the hyperdrive.
"By my calculations, Captain, we should be leaving hyperspace within three minutes."
And, almost down to the second, the ship lurched out of hyperspace just as PROXY had predicted. Ahead of them, piercing the darkness, hung a planet of such a vibrant shade of blue. Water planets, as far as Juno was concerned, were the most beautiful planets when viewed from above.
Given that, Juno wished they could have been visiting Bestine under better circumstances. She'd never had a chance to visit before and even now – so close to its perimeter – she wouldn't be landing. They were set for one of its moons; a much more remote and sparsely populated land that wouldn't mean putting entire cities at risk.
It was sad, really, that her view of the planet below was marred by said moon and the scattering of naval shipyards.
"We're going in cloaked. Don't want to draw any unwanted attention from those shipyards. PROXY, are you able to link through to Control?"
"Certainly, Captain. Opening an encrypted link now."
She left the droid working on communications as she pulled up the evacuation schedule Leia had sent across to them. "I hope they're ready for us. They've not had a lot of time to prepare and we don't know how much further the clone is behind us." She shook her head. "Come to think of it, we need to prepare. Do you have a plan?" She didn't look at Galen.
"Sort of."
Which probably meant no.
"I don't think it's wise to make this up as you go along, Galen."
"We wait for him to arrive and then I confront him. If I don't have to worry about anyone getting in the way I can focus on what needs to be done."
"And Kota's plan?" She knew she was bringing it up yet again, but she couldn't help but press him on it.
"It comes with greater risk. It might not work."
"Do you know why Kota stopped you from killing Vader on Kamino?" Juno asked carefully. "You could have done it, couldn't you?"
"He wanted to question him."
"And that's the only reason?"
"You're worried about what Leia said?"
"No." Juno replied. "I guess I'm worried about the effect it might have on you; fighting a clone of yourself." It would be enough to rattle anyone and he'd already been through so much.
"Whether it's good for me or not, it needs to be done. I'm the only one who has a chance against him. There is no other choice."
To that, Juno said nothing.
The colony still hadn't evacuated completely when the Rogue Shadow settled gently on its landing struts, the suspension allowing the ship to touch down with barely a jolt. Across the way, officials were still struggling with reluctant colonists; those unwilling to leave their livelihoods behind. The little moon looked, when viewed from the air, like a mix of industrial and agricultural land, though the crops grown most certainly could not have provided enough food to be exported. Juno suspected that the planet was kept mostly self sufficient, the fields and livestock feeding the workers who mined resources and prepared materials to ship out. And once the resources were used up? Well, the little moon would be rendered useless; maybe even abandoned.
The soft lowing of the nerfs fenced off from the settlement was a strange backdrop to the harassed voices of those trying to get the last of the evacuation done.
"Need any help?" Juno asked when a young lad of about eighteen moved across to greet them.
"Sorry about the delay. If the danger is not in sight, they don't see the need to rush. Some of them are refusing to leave."
"If they stay, they take their lives into their own hands." Galen replied, leaning slightly to peer past the younger man to where a small group argued. If negotiating didn't work, maybe frightening them would.
"Be nice." Juno warned, seeming to have read his mind.
"What's that saying? Be cruel to be kind? I won't have them here getting in the way."
In the end, however, it didn't take much of a threat to get them to move on. Galen wasn't sure whether that was a good thing or not. But when he snarled at them to get out or be torn to pieces by a servant of the dark side, their determination ebbed. And, instead of stubbornness, they were hesitant and wary and backed away.
Half an hour later and the last of the residents were evacuating – though many had insisted on taking some of their belongings with them. The nerf herd had grown bored of the commotion and had moved out into the fields.
He stood, watching the last of the people following the bend in the road and heard the familiar footsteps behind him.
Juno's hand settled on his arm. "They should be able to get far enough before he arrives."
"We've done all we can here." He replied. "The transmitter is planted. It's just a waiting game now." He set his hands on her shoulders and caught her eyes, hesitating to collect his thoughts.
"No." She leapt in to respond before he'd even conjured his sentence.
"Juno." He squeezed her shoulders. "I can't have you here, not when he arrives."
She set her jaw and glared at him. "You can't ask me to leave you. Not now."
"We have to assume his Force-using abilities are as great as mine, Juno. If you're close enough, he could drag the Rogue Shadow from the sky and there's nothing you'd be able to do to stop it."
"You love me, don't you?"
He nodded. "Of course I do."
"Then let me help you."
"You can help by keeping yourself safe. Juno, this isn't a battle you can get involved in."
"You're asking me to leave you?"
"Not completely." He tapped his com-link. "We'll still be able to communicate. It won't be different from any other assignment."
"But it will." She replied. "Because I wasn't far away those other times. I could get to your position within moments."
He leveled his gaze at her. "You worry too much."
She said nothing, refusing to back down.
"I need to be able to focus. I can't do that if I'm worrying about your safety. What was the point of evacuating these people if the person I care about more than anything else stays behind?"
"You're right, but it doesn't make it any easier. You shouldn't have to face this alone."
"It's how it has to be."
"Will you be okay?"
"I'll be fine. I promise." He leaned forwards, bumping his forehead lightly against hers. "You'd best go."
Juno kissed him hard on the mouth and then, reluctantly, stepped away from him. His hands dropped from her shoulders and hung limp at his sides.
"Let me know when it's done."
"I will."
He watched her turn and move towards the ship, pausing to speak with PROXY. Probably confiding her worries about the battle ahead.
Galen wasn't particularly nervous. He'd never really felt nervous about any mission before. He'd had no reason to be, for one thing, having the confidence in himself to be able to overcome every challenge thrown his way. Even when facing Vader in battle, he hadn't felt any sort of fear. In fact, it would be more correct that he'd felt almost numb to the whole event, focusing on what needed to be done and not getting absorbed in the details. Only anger had punctuated that lethal, calm concentration and it was that same anger, now, which bubbled quietly beneath the surface.
Kota would have disapproved. But Kota wasn't there.
He turned to survey the deserted farm, the machinery silent, the collection of houses and outbuildings abandoned. He hadn't been able to promise that the people living here would be able to come back to find it all in one piece. The likelihood was that it wouldn't be. All things considered, though, it was a small price to pay. They'd still have their lives.
He glanced back across to the Rogue Shadow to find Juno still speaking with PROXY. She was clearly in no great hurry to leave and he stirred impatiently. Every moment she lingered decreased the distance she could put between herself and them.
And then his senses prickled with warning.
He swung his head around, casting his eyes skyward as the edge of a huge shadow fell over him. Not the shadow of a cloud but the shadow of a ship. It was an older vessel, short and stout with a snubbed nose that directed straight down at their position. The directness of its approach left little doubt in Galen's mind of who was aboard.
The aura of darkness that emanated off of it was also unmistakeable. It was a wild, unrestrained power that pulsed with destructive energy.
The clone was here.
And Juno hadn't left yet.
The craft glided over their heads, coming in low to land, stirring the trees and grass into a wild frenzy. The nerf herd kicked up dust in agitation and stampeded in circles, unable to define which part of their pasture was safe and which was not.
The ship was so close now that he could see the door open, see the figure standing just inside it, braced with a hand against the frame. There was something else with him, too. But what it was, he couldn't tell. And then the clone was falling, cocooning himself with the Force so that, when he touched down, he was completely unharmed. The ship continued without him, dipping behind the line of trees.
Juno's name burst from him and he was running across to her as she and PROXY stared motionlessly up at the ship. He grabbed her arm and twisted her to face him. "Juno. What are you still doing here? How long is it going to take you to lift off?" There was panic in his voice now. Any moment the dark clone would be on them.
"Not long. Was that him? How did he get here so soon?"
"You need to go." He replied, more forcibly than perhaps strictly necessary.
Juno started to respond, her brow furrowed, but his pleading look seemed to be enough to convince her to go without any further word. She grabbed the blaster from the holster at her hip and broke into a run.
"Go with her, PROXY. Keep her safe."
He unconsciously counted down the seconds and realized, to his despair, that there were too many.
She was perhaps three or four strides away from the Rogue Shadow's loading ramp when he appeared – a smile stretched grotesquely across his face – and she turned, her blaster raised protectively as she continued to back up towards the vessel. She might have been afraid but her aim was steady.
"Please, don't leave on my account." The dark clone laughed. He was not alone. There was a hostage with him, a human child no older than nine years of age. The dark clone had a vice-grip on the back of the boy's neck. The child swayed on his feet, looking disorientated from the fall. Tears ran down his cheeks.
Galen felt his banked rage reawakening, stirring inside of him like the slow uncoiling of a mighty dragon.
"You look surprised to see me." The dark clone continued, turning to glance at the empty space beside him. "Don't they look surprised?"
It was a strange thing, to look upon one's own face and see it so twisted and morphed. It had been strange the first time, when they had fought in the skies of Selonia, but this time was stranger still. That unsettling smile remained fixed in position as if permanently pinned there, his waxy skin clammy as if he was suffering from some horrible sickness. The eyes looked more bloodshot than before, too. Less gold and more crimson now. His appearance was unkempt, too, much like the days of his – their original's – youth, tattered and torn, stained with sweat and blood.
The dark clone laughed, a harsh, brittle sound, as Galen started to edge towards Juno's position. He couldn't help but be distinctly aware of her standing there, poised to attack, her heart hammering. So exposed and vulnerable. He was struck with fear at seeing her so close to the enemy, painfully aware of how breakable she was.
To make matters worse, the dark clone's eyes were fixed on her now and something grotesque writhed within them; a look that promised something far worse than just death. "You are flesh and blood. Not a droid. Not a droid. You won't get back up again if I strike you a lethal blow. Wouldn't that be nice?"
The raw anger coursed through Galen's body, all consuming, but Juno's response disarmed it just enough to keep him rooted.
"I still haunt you, do I?"
What was she doing? Testing Kota's theory?
"That's not the word I would use to—" The nameless clone's head swung around to look to the side again, his face curled in fury. "Shut up!"
Juno blinked, startled, and Galen took that moment of distraction to edge closer to her position. Intent on closing the distance between them. But the dark clone looked back again and snapped: "Don't move. Don't take another step."
Galen's immediate reaction was to lunge straight for him, but he was reminded of Juno's susceptibility to attack and thought better of it. He froze instead and the dark clone took a step forwards, dragging the child with him.
"It's so very noble of you to want to protect the woman, but you needn't worry. I'm not here to kill her today. She can wait her turn. I'm to deal with you, first." The manic smile was back again.
"Then that makes my job easier," Galen bit back, his hand on the hilt of the green saber, "because I don't intend for you to leave here alive. You're going to pay for what you've done."
"See, I knew you'd be like that. That's why I had to bring this little creature with me." He tightened his grip on the child's neck. "If you try anything, the child dies. Play nice and he gets to live." He gave a delighted laugh. "And I'm sure you do want him to live."
"And risk you escaping again? I don't think so." Galen glanced at the frightened child and scowled. He could end it now. End the tirade of this madman and all that he'd need to do was risk the life of one child. A life for a life. It made sense, didn't it? To sacrifice the few for the many?
"You can live with the blood of an innocent on your hands?" The insane clone gave a bark of laughter. "And here I was thinking you weak."
"I'm not like you."
"Perhaps you are more like me than anyone realized. But it doesn't matter now. Your destiny is sealed. You will die at my hand, but today is not that day."
Galen took a step towards him and the clone's red saber flared; swinging close to the child's throat. He hesitated again, his fingers tightening on Kota's old blade.
"I won't let you leave here."
"Oh, but you will. It has been foreseen. You will die by my hand and my Master will take me back. I will become what you could not." He bristled as if someone had thrown an insult, his eyes straying to the left again. As far as Galen could tell, there was no one there. "If you sacrifice this child and force my hand, what's to stop me from taking the woman's life?"
"I will." Galen growled.
"And what makes you think you'll be able to take my life?" Juno interrupted, the blaster still raised.
"You think you can stop me?" He sneered.
"Not me. Your conscience."
"Conscience? Ha! A Sith has no conscience." Again his shoulders tensed and he whirled to his left, swinging the boy around with him. "And I told you to shut up and let me deal with this myself."
He was absolutely insane, Galen decided. Talking to ghosts. To shadows. And he had once worried about his own mental state?
Juno let her arms drop slowly, though she kept her finger on the trigger. She threw him a cautious, questioning look; what's our next move?
"She keeps you from your true nature, you know." The dark clone continued, taking another step forwards. "She makes you weak. If it were not for her, you would have come at me by now. Attempted to tear me limb from limb. Relished in the fight and the desire to kill. Don't try to deny it. You know I speak truly."
"You've lost your mind." Galen concluded.
The dark clone smirked, his bloodshot eyes gleaming. And then the saber in his hand went dead and he reached into a pocket and drew forth a small datacard. "A gift for you." He continued, sniggering maliciously under his breath as he threw it in their direction. "From my Master. It'll tell you all you need to know." And at last he began to edge away, dragging the boy's heels against the earth as he did so.
He was leaving and the realization sent a bolt of anger through Galen. He lurched after him but the clone froze and lifted the child by the throat. "You don't want to force my hand. Not with her here." He laughed again, wild and uncontrollable as if recalling some private joke.
Juno's questioning eyes were on him again. The clone was backing away. Galen's face burned with both anger and shame, his fists trembling at his sides. He took another step but Juno's fingers tightened around his wrist, holding him in place.
His eyes snapped up to hers and she shook her head solemnly.
Later, when the clone's ship had ascended, they retraced his path through the trees in search of the child. It didn't take them long to find him; limp on the ground, his head cut from his body.
Long suppressed anger filled him, a blazing fire into his veins.
"I shouldn't have let him go." He hissed between clenched teeth.
Juno, trying to keep her emotions in check, shook her head solemnly. "Jedi don't kill innocent people for their own goals."
"The Jedi are extinct!" He exploded. "What does that tell you about their lifestyle?"
"Galen." She fixed him with a long, hard look. "He was a child."
"One that died for nothing." He shook off her placating hand and, after a moment, she retreated back to the ship to leave him with his thoughts.
Sometimes there were no words of comfort.
To be continued...
Okay, information on future updates. As life has become increasingly busy and I have had some problems with the draft of chapter 38 I've fallen behind in my chapters and can no longer promise updates by certain times. Because I hate to break promises/deadlines I've decided to give a rough estimate, instead. As such the next chapter should be available: Mid-Late September.
If you want to know how I'm doing with the progress of chapters you can check out my profile which I aim to keep up-to-date, so you know exactly what stage I am at and when the next update should be.
I really am sorry about this and I hate to do it, but at this moment in time it's the only way I can work whilst keeping everyone informed.
Thank you! :)