The twin guards stood watch at the door. In the dark, they were only made out by the soft glint of their polished pauldrons. Fell stared at them, wondering if they could even see him, and if they could, what of him they could see. One of them had his lightsaber. The gleaming metal occasionally peaked out from amidst the sea of blue.
Only the whirring of HK-47's motorized components could be heard. The droid's slit-shaped eyes glowed in red fury. Those, and the red dots at the center of each restraining bolt the Mandalorians had thrust upon it, were the only lights here.
Fell had been trapped here since Mandalore's abrupt departure. The warrior-king was fighting Cinder now, believing he had set in motion a clever bargain. Fell had not even finished making the choice in truth, but Mandalore had taken Fell's hesitation as acceptance in his haste to pursue battle.
The bargain had been been half-tempting, though Fell scorned himself for it. It's nothing that could ever be. His master would kill Mandalore where he stood. No matter what he or his people thought, he was still just a man beneath the armor. Sith squashed men like gnats underfoot, and there were plenty enough splattered across Cinder's soles.
If she somehow failed, then there was nothing stopping Fell himself from finishing the job and taking Cinder's place. That would be the way of things: raw power, not scheming in the shadows. A true Sith would master both, she would say, but where had that gotten the ancient Sith lords in the end? Dead, buried, and rotting in ancient tombs dotted across the galaxy, their power lost to the all-consuming void of the Force, their forces scattered to the winds in shambles. Strength and strength alone would be his guiding light.
Though brute strength would not get him out of here.
He could fight his way out, he had no doubt about it. But how many warriors were still aboard? That thought nagged him to no end. He would be overwhelmed soon enough.
The droid! The thought came to him quickly, though not without its own nagging question that trailed close behind. How do I release the restraining bolts? He grew frustrated and hopped to his feet. The guards started to speak, but he silenced them quickly. "Let a man pace in peace," he said as his boots echoed across the metal floor. They grumbled, but stayed at their posts.
Fell paced for a time. Gradually, he built up speed, his footfalls growing heavier and faster. He flexed the fingers on his right hand. Nothing happened. His resentment and anger grew. He tried again. Nothing. He had always had great difficulty bending the Force to his command. It seemed to manifest only on its own terms. Cinder had spent a great many years trying to correct this fatal flaw and now, when it mattered most, her seeds bore no fruit. The rage built as his head raced.
You are weak, his mind spat at him. You will never kill Darth Cinder and take her place. You will never be Dark Lord. You can't even be rid of these fools. You will-
He screamed and threw his hand out. The guards couldn't even react before they slammed into the wall with such power they created shallow depressions. With his other hand, he flexed and the room lit up. The guards groped their way to their feet with staggered, laborious steps, their hands snatched tightly against the sides of their helmets. Fell stretched out his hand and snatched his lightsaber, bringing it towards him but stopping short of igniting the blade. He flipped the hilt in his hand and stepped over to the guards.
One ripped his helmet off, a grey-haired man hardened with age. Smoke and blood poured in equal measure from his ears. He crawled backwards from Fell, slamming his back up against the wall. The sound wasn't all that loud, but it must have rattled his skull all the same. With a whine and a groan, he slumped back against the wall, blood trickling from his nose and ears. His companion sprawled across the floor, dragging himself forward at a ponderous pace with one hand, the other pressing against his helmet.
"Request," HK-47 said from across the room. "Meatbag, I am left no choice but to admire your ferocious conduct, but leave the overgrown worm be and remove these restraining bolts. The master will not take it kindly if you leave me here."
"I know ships, not droids." Fell obeyed nonetheless, making his way over to HK-47. The surviving guard was moaning hoarsely as he kept up his meandering crawl. "Walk me through the process. Promise I learn quick."
"Affirmation: The master puts a great deal of trust in you, warranted or no. A droid cannot hope, so I am left to assume your fleshy appendages will do no harm to my circuits. Direction: We shall move from the bottom up. Query: Are you ready?"
Fell nodded and stooped down to face the bolts at the droid's knees. The blinking red lights were dull as the blue grey metal that surrounded them, though the color clashed intensely with HK's rust red coloring.
"Instruction: You will find a clamp that fastens the bolt in place. It is surrounded-"
"Got it," Fell said as the restraint fell free and clattered to the floor. He did the same for the others, working his way up until he got to HK's neck. "You think we could leave this one?" His mouth twisted into a sneer.
The droid reached out and grabbed Fell by the throat, hoisting him into the air. "Statement: I suppose we could, though I would miss the use of my neck very much. Rebuke: Perhaps I could stiffen yours as well? Maybe that would make us even."
HK dropped him and Fell rubbed at his neck. With a grimace, he got to his feet and removed the final bolt. HK-47 swiveled its head from side-to-side as if to make sure its functionality were still intact, then walked with stiff steps towards the crawling guard.
"Query: And you there, where is my rifle?" There was no answer other than a low pained mumble. "Agitation: Bah. Meatbags." The droid lifted its foot and drove it down on the Mandalorian's head, smashing it like a berry. HK-47 turned to Fell. "Statement: Let us leave this place and return to the master."
The other guard had HK-47's rifle. When Fell took the carbine in hand, the long leather strap sagged low to the ground and nearly tripped him. He tossed it over to the droid. "There you go. We've got things to do before we leave. Let's get a move on."
HK-47 seemed to light up. "Adulation: Oh, meatbag, I never thought I would see the day. Addendum: It has been a long time." The droid secured the rifle in its grip and followed Fell out the door.
The hallway was narrow, grey and drab on all sides, pocked above by small slats of white light. At the end was a door the same as all the others. Fell and HK took up flanking positions at the sides. Crooking his fingers, Fell pulled the door open and peered inside.
It was indeed the bridge, staffed only by a skeleton crew. Officers in olive drab stood sentry at terminals, while a lone guard suited in ocher patrolled the deck with a snubbed rifle. Fell was able to see out the viewport. It was not the vastness of space that met his vision, but a sea of marbled green. How close to the planet are we?
"How's the view?" An officer spoke to another somewhere out of Fell's line of sight. "The cameras at my station must be miscalibrated. It's all fuzz."
"Real funny," a man answered gruffly. "No one's seeing anything, there's smoke all over the place."
A series of beeps and chirps camefrom a computer. "The droids are down!" shouted the dainty ensign behind it. Fell watched her fingers dance around the screen in rapid strokes, but couldn't quite discern what she was doing. "I think it's all of them. We have no visual, no vitals, nothing."
"The big man's still up," the gruff one said, his voice dripping with a tinge of apathy. "His droid just went into sleep mode. Smoke's clearing, tap into Big Boy's cams." They stopped their idle chatter and went about their tasks.
"We storm the bridge," Fell whispered. "Don't affirm, don't say anything witty. Quiet." He pressed a finger against his lips in some vain hope it would drive the point home. The droid just looked at him before swiveling around the corner of the door. He fired a single shot as the lone guard walked back into view, smashing a hole through his helmet. Fell bounded in, his silver blade whirring to life as he stepped into the center of the bridge. The officers raised their hands, though their expressions were as disinterested as could be.
"Tell me," Fell said, holding his saber at the ready. "Tell me everything that's going on down there."
The officers said nothing. HK-47's metal feet clanked and clattered as he strolled into the room. He surveyed the area and pointed his gun at the two officers stationed to the left. One was a chiseled, barrel-chested man as grey and wrinkled as his uniform, the other was a scrawny youth about Fell's age.
"I said tell me!" Fell reached out with the Force and sent the youth flying into the ceiling. He came crashing down with a smack, slumped and broken.
"The smoke's clearing," the female ensign from before said. "Come over here."
"Warning: Do not fall for her ruse, meatbag," said the droid as he turned on a dime to point his gun at the new voice. "Just give me the signal."
"Be silent, droid." Fell walked over to the ensign, who trembled at his approach. She was blonde and small of frame like Cinder, though she could not have been much older than he was. "Tell me."
She danced her fingers around the screen again and pulled up a camera feed from Mandalore's war droid. He saw Cinder fighting Mandalore. His men were all sprawled dead, in headless heaps around the body of the Mirialan Sith that they had sent down at Cinder's side.
"She won't win," the gruff officer called out. He was stooped next to the crumpled youth, his fingers checking for a pulse against his neck. He shook his head. "Mandalore's fought over a hundred battles and never lost one. He has killed twenty Jedi himself since the start of this siege. Hell, I'd wager even more 'n that. What is one Sith to him?" He narrowed his eyes and laughed. "And when he comes back, he'll gut you too and scrap your droid for parts." He crossed his arms tight across his wide chest. HK approached and grabbed him by the nape of his neck, slamming him down into his monitor so hard the glass shattered and sliced his face.
"Repudiation: Unfortunately, meatbag, the Great Pretender has taken a liking to your kinsman and myself. Conjecture: I believe he will keep us alive, in the unlikely event he survives his quarrel with my master." HK-47 thrust the barrel of its gun into the officer's back. "Meatbag, I will defer to you: shall I kill this one?"
"Leave him be." Fell was not even looking at him, keeping his focus on the duel between Cinder and Mandalore. Whoever came out on top would decide his fate. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the ensign watch with him.
"Seal the bridge," he said to her. "Now." She doffed her cap to him and walked towards a panel to the side of the door. She entered a code, and the bridge sealed.
"Lynora, you idiot!" the gruff officer said as he struggled against HK-47's grasp. Blood ran in streams from the cuts in his face. "You were supposed to set off the alarm and get the warriors in here."
"Shut him up!" Fell banged a fist against the side of the monitor. The droid spun its rifle around and reared up to bash the officer over the head, but the whomp of a green blaster bolt beat it to the punch. As the dead man slid to the ground with a meaty thump, both Fell and HK-47 turned to Lynora, who blew on the barrel of her blaster before stowing it away.
"You gave me an order." She shrugged and walked back to Fell's side. The droid moved towards him as well, realizing the pointlessness of its current position.
"I gave my droid an order," Fell said as his eyes bounced between Lynora and the screen.
"I'm not one for being on the losing side. Look, your master's winning." She pointed at the screen. Fell saw Cinder slamming her blade over and over into Mandalore's staff, pushing him back with every blow. She dug into it, knowing she could not break through the alloy, and began to trace her lightsaber across the length of the staff. It broke through something, though Fell could not tell what. He watched as Mandalore brought the staff around in his other hand, making a haggard swing towards Cinder's head. She did not even notice the clumsy move and instead cleaved his arm at the elbow. Then when Mandalore stumbled forward on his knees, she took off his head in a single motion. So much for "unassailable".
"Finally," Lynora muttered. She turned off the monitor and turned to Fell. "What's your plan now, Sith?"
"Well, to tell you the truth, I'd really like to crash your ship." He lowered his eyes to the floor. "But I really need to get Mandalore's head back to Nar Shaddaa."
"This was all some deal for the Hutts?" The look she gave stung him. "I would've thought you better than that."
He looked at her in confusion. "Lady, I didn't even know who this guy was until I came here."
"But your master-"
"My master barely knew more than me," he said, cutting her off. "We got here by some fluke. Open the hangar and let me get our ship out of here." He grabbed her by the chin. "Make this easy for us."
Lynora's mouth twisted and she rolled her eyes. "Fine, get out of here." Fell let her go and started back towards the hall, but stopped when she said, "You want to crash the ship?"
"That was a joke." He did want to crash a ship, ever since they had been in that Hammerhead above Korriban. "But really, there's no time-"
She ran down the length of the bridge to another terminal and began tapping hurriedly across the screen. "Get to your ship," she called back to Fell as the bridge door hissed back open. "I'll meet you in the hangar."
He stopped himself from questioning her and did as he was told, bidding HK to come. They barreled down the hallway, eventually ending up in the audience chamber where they met Mandalore. It was now barren. As they made their way down the gantry to the now-empty floor, a sudden explosion nearly knocked Fell off his feet. He wrapped his arms around a railing.
"Observation: That explosion came from the engine bay, meatbag." HK-47 helped him get back to his feet and ushered him on. "We must move quickly, before the ship goes up in a fireball. Musing: Then, we will all be like the master."
They were rocked by several more explosions as they made their way into the hangar. A small group of soldiers were stationed outside The Ashen One, a squad of no more than five, though Fell could not tell count them from his position. Others were filing into their starfighters, leaving the hangar in haste. The hangar was enveloped in dark red light as klaxons blared, their siren song echoing. The soldiers in front of the ship scattered as he and HK approached, not even attempting to put up a fight.
"Where is she?" Fell said as his eyes darted around the hangar for any sign of Lynora.
"Scolding: Up the ramp, there is no time." HK was pushing him forward up the cargo ramp before Fell got the message. Another explosion sent him swaying side to side as he trod up the ramp. He clasped a support beam to keep upright. The droid barreled past him, heading through the cargo hold toward the cockpit. Fell felt the ramp begin to rise under his feet as he staggered inside the ship.
The droid was already setting the vessel up for flight when he made it into the cockpit. "We go down, we get her and the head, then we get back to Nar Shaddaa. Can you handle that?" He slumped down into the copilot's chair and leaned his head back. His heart pounded so fast he thought it was sure to burst through his chest.
The droid affirmed and the thrusters fired. "Commentary: It will be difficult getting the ship out of the hangar since we are this low."
"Get up and let me do it if you can't." Fell got to his feet and leaned towards the pilot's controls. "Get up!" He forced HK out of the chair and thrust himself into it. He raised the landing gear and eased off the thrusters until their levels were about as low as they could be. Then, gently, he eased the throttle and drove the ship out of the hangar into the green mist of the Malastare skyline.
All around him, everything was green. "See if you can spot her below," he said, leaning over to the droid. "I'll land this thing soon as we find her." He decreased the speed by just a smidgen. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the Invictus catch fire and begin a nosedive. Good riddance.
Soon enough, HK-47 had located the battleground. He lowered the cargo ramp and made his way out into the jungle air. The Mirialan Sith from before, the one his master called Bestia, was struggling to get Cinder to her feet. Again? Fell was starting to wonder if this would happen after every fight.
"Let me help," he said as he approached. Bestia nodded and the two of them carried Cinder into the cargo hold together. HK-47 followed them out to grab Mandalore's head, though ended up dragging his body inside as well, shoving it in a cold storage closet.
"Where are her chambers?" Bestia said. "I'll carry her the rest of the way." Fell pointed down the hall without a word. She was one of Ruin's disciples still, and he could not bring himself to trust her.
"Droid, get us moving," he shouted towards the cockpit. As he began to make his way back, he stopped in his tracks at the sound of a door sliding shut. He entered the terminus and looked around. "I know you're here." He stepped slowly towards the supply closet, then remembered he didn't know the code. He grumbled and turned around.
"Thank you." He looked over his shoulder at the sound of a woman's voice, coming muffled from within the closet.
"Lynora?" Fell didn't get a response and he thought maybe that was for the best.
He felt the ship lurch beneath his feet as it took to the air. When he made his way back into the cockpit, they were already back in space. He watched the droid press a few buttons to prime the navicomputer, then pull a lever. The Ashen One entered hyperspace, and all went white.