*Sigh*
First off, I know, I know, you're all gonna throw hands up and be 'Why?! Another attempt at this?!' And yes, I am doing it without regret because the Elder Scrolls/Inheritance Cycle idea wasn't working anymore. That story was just on dead legs and the only thing to do was put an end to it. And to be perfectly honest, I wasn't happy with it nor did I want to continue it. I wanted to do something different and that has to be a Star Wars crossover.
Say what you will, but this is my decision and I'm sure some of you can respect and understand it. Maybe, with this crossover I can do more than what I could with Rise of a Dragon. Plus, there's not that many great Star Wars/Inheritance Cycle crossovers, especially when both are a little similar just replace the dragons, Riders, swords and magic with the Jedi, Sith, Lightsbers and the Force. I'm hoping this will be a successful attempt, and perhaps better than the original.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or The Inheritance Cycle. I only own the OCs Jayden & Alexander Shan.
The Republic had finally managed to not only catch up with Darth Tyrantor's fleet, after it had conquered another world, but they had launched a very daring ambush to catch the enemy off guard. They hadn't expected the Republic's arrival, which gave them the element of surprise as they launched their attack, capital sheeps firing laser blasts at several enemy ships while smaller Starfighters engaged in dogfights.
The Republic intended to give it their all in order to defeat Darth Tyrantor's forces, and stop his reign of terror that's grown over five years. Planet after planet have been conquered, men, women, and children slaughtered, Sith and Jedi killed. And the Dark Lord has only grown stronger in his rise to power and conquest.
However, there was one who could match him in combat, only one who the Republic and Jedi had hope could defeat the Dark Lord for good.
As the Starfighters engaged in dogfights, a lone Republic shuttle flew straight towards Darth Tyrantor's ship, which was an Executor-class Star Dreadnought. The ship made it to the hanger with relative ease and docked. Once it had done so, the ramp lowered and a lone figure strode down with purpose. The figure, a man, was clad in black robes, face hidden by a dark gray and red mask with a straight-line black visor, two Lightsabers attached to his belt, one on the left side of his waist, the other on his right side.
This figure was Jayden Shan, once a Jedi Knight, and also a former Sith Lord by the name of Darth Khan... but he had walked away from that path long ago, walked away from both paths. Now he only walked on his own path, owned by no one, neither Jedi or Sith... yet he embraced the Light and the Dark Side of the Force.
Jayden stepped off the ship's ramp and looked around before snapping his gaze to the hanger-bay doors as they slid open and a squad of ten soldiers came out, aiming their rifles at him with the commander barking. "Down on the floor, right now!"
Jayden said nothing, merely striding towards them.
"I said surrender!" The Commander ordered once again, but Jayden did not obey as he kept approaching. "Open fire!"
The troopers did so, but in the blink of an eye Jayden had one of his Lightsabers in hand and activated it, the red blade snapping on with a hiss before becoming a red blur as he swung the weapon, deflecting and blocking the shots, some of which were deflected right back at the shooter which struck them dead. The soldiers broke formation out of fear, which Jayden could sense, as he watched them step back fearfully the closer he got. With only five out of ten dead, Jayden threw his saber into the chest of one, blasted a second with Force lighting while using his other hand to stop the laser blasts from the remaining three soldiers firing at him.
Stopping his Force lighting assault and calling his Lightsaber to him with the Force, Jayden sent the blaster shots right back at the three troopers, who screamed as they were struck and fell to the floor, dead. Jayden merely walked over the corpses without changing or slowing his pace, not even fazed or slowed down by the opposition.
Walking into a hallway, Jayden was once again swinging his Lightsaber as he encountered more troopers that were in the way of him and his goal. But no matter how many troopers he encountered on his way to an elevator, they were killed without much hassle for the ex-Jedi and Sith. Trained and expert soldiers they may be, but when it comes to one wielding the Force and a Lightsaber as their weapons... they were no match.
Arriving at an elevator, with the bodies of troopers lying dead behind him, Jayden entered the lift while deactivating his Lightsaber, but did not hook it back onto his belt like his second one. He merely stared ahead as the doors closed and the lift began taking him to the bridge... where the one he was here for waited for him. Underneath his mask, a conflict of various emotions passed through Jayden's eyes; sadness, hesitation, anger, sorrow... then acceptance. He closed his eyes, exhaling quietly before snapping them open as the elevator arrived at the bridge.
The door slides open, allowing Jayden to step out and make his way towards the bridge doors, passing through the star map room, uncaring of the pilots and crew that stopped their work to glance at him. He could sense their fear and trepidation, some itching to grab a hidden weapon but they halted. Their thoughts betrayed them; they had been ordered to not attack him, and the one who issued that order... they feared him more than they feared Jayden.
Entering the bridge, Jayden stared directly ahead at the figure standing at the far end, staring out the window at the battle raging outside even as the ship shook from being struck by a laser blast.
The figure was clad in black Sith robes, the hood currently up. The figure turned his head to the left a little before he fully turned around, revealing a young man in his mid-twenties, with short dark hair and green eyes, signs of stubble and facial hair growing. He had a single Lightsaber attached to his belt, only his one was a crossguard-type, rather than a standard blade like Jayden's two Lightsabers.
"Hello... brother." Alexander Shan, widely known to the Galaxy as Darth Tyrantor, greeted with a small smile. "I see you've brought along a few friends for our... reunion." Jayden said nothing, making Alex scoff lightly and shake his head in amusement. "You're here to kill me."
"Yes." Jayden said, finally breaking his silence. Behind the mask, he had a blank expression.
"Hmm." Alex turned, unbothered, to stare out at the ships waging war in the vastness of space. "I am surprised that you would join forces with the Republic and the Jedi to destroy me, Jayden... given your past of slaughtering Jedi. But then again, you were once a Jedi."
"It's not as simple as you make it to be, Alex." Jayden said, taking one step forward. "It's a temporary alliance, nothing more. I am no Jedi... nor am I Sith."
"Yes... that last part I am very much aware of." Alex said with growing anger and bitterness in his voice. He turned to look at his brother, disdain in his eyes behind the calm facade he had. "How low have you fallen, brother? Once, you were the greatest threat this Galaxy has ever seen since the days of our ancestor, Darth Revan. The terror of Darth Khan is a legend everyone still talks about to this day. Children are told about it as a scary story to keep them in check. Jedi and Sith feared you, as they were right to. We were going to change this Galaxy, the whole Universe."
"I was foolish and arrogant." Jayden said, sighing as he closed his eyes, recalling his days as a Sith Lord. Many times he had been looked at with fear and disgust everywhere he went, even though he was doing what he could to try and make up for his actions but he knew, deep down... there was no making up for the terror he caused. "Power-hungry, like all Sith."
"No... it was you who'd said we would reshape this Galaxy as it was meant to be, that it was our birthright." Alex reminded him. "But you walked away from it, from our path, our goals. You grew weak, and so it was only fitting that I continue what you started. However, it's not too late for you to reconsider and join me."
Jayden tilted his head, figuring out his brother's thoughts through the Force... the position Alex would want him to take at his side. "As your Apprentice?"
"The younger brother being the Master... the older brother the Apprentice." Alex gave a small, casual shrug of his shoulders before adopting a serious expression. "With or without you, I'll make the Universe mine, establish a true Empire before the extinction of the Sith can begin."
"What do you mean?" Jayden frowned.
"A Sith by the name of Darth Bane..." Alex said, turning to face the battle outside. "Brought to Korriban to be trained, however he's more ruthless and aggressive than they expected. His ambitions... threaten the stability of the Sith Empire. However, if there's one thing Bane and I agree upon... is that the current order of Sith have grown weak and obsolete. But, we have different ways of fixing that. Mine... is creating a stronger, better Empire, with those who would be willing to serve and join becoming greater than they were before but still knowing their place while also eradicating those who resist. As for Bane's... his is genocide. He believes that when it comes to the Sith... there should only be two."
"Two?" Jayden asked.
"A Master and an Apprentice. One to wield power, the other to crave it. The Rule of Two, he called it." Alex shook his head. "It's basically bringing the Sith to extinction, leaving only two remaining and the legacy would continue with the Apprentice taking on their own student once they've grown more powerful, kill their Master, and the cycle would continue. I disagreed with him on this, as all it would take is the death of both to put an end to the Sith... I disagreed even more when he decided I was to be his Apprentice. He's lucky he still breathes after our duel, for I had more important matters to attend to than his foolish ambitions. So you see, Jayden? This is why I need you at my side. We could prevent Bane's plans from coming to fruition, destroy him, destroy the current order of Sith, create our own, make things the way we want them to be. Darth Tyrantor and Darth Khan, the Emperor of the Universe and the Emperor's Right-Hand."
Jayden stared at his brother, sad at how far his brother had fallen into the darkness and lust for power. The madness of his goals... and he had once had similar goals in mind. But he had woken up, opened his eyes to the monster he had become and walked away before he could fully be consumed. Alex... had not been able to do the same. "I'm sorry... but no. You won't see an Empire established, the Universe won't be yours... because you will die on this very day."
Alex sighed and faced his brother. "I knew you were going to say that. It's such a shame, though. You're stronger than before, stronger than you ever were during your reign as the Dark Lord. I did not think that was possible. I am tempted to capture you alive, to break your mind and will then bind you to me as my Apprentice. But now I wonder... is it worth the risk? Perhaps you are too powerful to be my Apprentice. I intended to betray you, when I realized my strength had become greater than yours. In time, you might attempt to do the same with me. The Darkness and the Light wage a constant war within you. Saviour, conqueror, hero, villain, you're all things, Jayden, and yet you are nothing. In the end, you belong to neither the Darkness nor the Light, you will forever stand alone. No friends. No family. No one to love."
Jayden was silent, swallowing a lump in his throat. That had been a fate he had long accepted. To live alone... and to die alone. No one to call friend, no one to call family, nor find a woman to love, just... loneliness. "I have long accepted that I will always be alone... and that I will not be walking away from this ship alive."
With that, he activated his Lightsaber and assumed a Form III: Soresu stance, gripping his Lightsaber tightly with both hands, lining it beside his head. Alex said nothing nor reacted, save for a tiny smirk as he grabbed his Lightsaber and activated it with a twirl while taking on a Form V: Djem So stance.
The crew continued working on keeping the ship in the air, sometimes glancing at the two before looking back at their work. No one was to interrupt. That had been made strongly clear by Alex after he had killed an officer who had questioned his orders.
Alex was the one to strike first, going for a thrust attack that Jayden deflected with a twirl of his Lightsaber. The brothers slowly circled each other, gripping their Lightsabers tightly before Alex struck with an overhead attack that Jayden blocked, then he pushed back to retaliate with a series of swings that Alex effectively blocked while holding his weapon with one hand. Alex raised his free hand and a bolt of lightning erupted from his fingertips. The lightning danced across the room towards Jayden, who raised his own hand and the space in front of him distorted. The lightning met the distorted space and as if water hitting a rock, the lightning passed around him leaving Jayden unharmed. Alex sent more bolts of lightning at his brother, intending to break though his barrier. Jayden dodged a series of bolts jumping about the area, performing aerobatic flips.
Alex was becoming more enraged. He howled and sent a furry of lightning bolts in a wide spread, narrowing Jayden's ability to dodge. Jayden flipped backwards narrowly missing a bolt. Before he could land on his feet, Alex threw a ball of energy, hitting him in the chest. The wave sent Jayden through the air into a wall. The metal dented and Jayden fell to the floor, the wind knocked out of him. Trying to regain his footing, he barely had to react before he saw his brother dashing at him with the Force, his Lightsaber held above his head. Jayden reached for his Lightsaber and brought it up just in time to block his brother's attack.
The strength behind Alex's strike was great. He pushed his brother back and launched a series of powerful strikes. One was intended to slice off his arm but Jayden managed to kick his brother in the stomach making him recoil. Alex jumped to the side and with the Force pushed off, the floor benting underneath his feet. He momentarily left the ground and sailed across the air. He swung his Lightsaber up vertically in order to slice Jayden in two, however, Jayden side-stepped the attack and with the Force, pushed his away sending him into the ground.
Alex quickly got right back to his feet with a low, angered growl escaping him. Jayden strode towards him and swung his Lightsaber with a grunt, but Alex ducked, spun and blocked his brother's follow-up, then pushed him back with a Force push before trying to stab him only for Jayden to redirect Alex's Lightsaber to the side with a twirl of his own then went for a swing at Alex's head which would've connected had Alex not quickly raised his hand to halt his brother's Lightsaber with the Force. The brothers glared at each other before Alex sent a kick at his brother, who backed off to avoid it.
"So much like our previous duels." Alex chuckled before getting serious as he went on the offensive, forcing Jayden to go on the defensive.
Alex unleashed a series of aggressive attacks, forcing Jayden back, then spun around and sent his brother off his feet and into the closed bridge doors with a powerful Force push. Straightening up, Alex looked at the crew of the bridge and said only one word.
"Leave."
They took the hint and quickly left the two brothers to fight. Soon, the bridge was empty with only Jayden and Alex remaining.
Getting to his feet, Jayden faced his brother before quickly raising a hand to block a torrent of Force lightning shot at him by Alex. Absorbing it, Jayden sent the lightning back at his brother, who deflected it into the ceiling which caused the room to shake and pieces of metal to fall, clattering with loud, metallic bangs. Alex sent another wave of Force lightning at his brother, who absorbed it into his hand and clenched it into a fist.
"You still have much to learn." Jayden said, his tone slightly scolding.
Alex's eyes narrowed hatefully for a moment before he leaped at his brother with a yell, Lightsaber reared back. Jayden was quick to block as Alex unleashed a series of furious, rapid attacks, their Lightsabers red blurs as they clashed together. Alex twirled his saber and went for a thrust but Jayden knocked his saber out the way while turning around. Their backs collided before Alex whirled around, brought his saber down only for Jayden to quickly maneuver his arm behind him to block Alex's attack and push him back.
Jayden attempted to flip over Alex, but the Sith Lord immediately jumped up and kicked him to the ground. He went for a killing blow to Jayden's neck, but the Rogue Knight rolled out of the way in time and managed to dodge what would have been a fatal blow. Jumping back up to his feet, he landed a kick to Alex's face, making the Dark Lord stumble back two steps but it merely angered him.
Alex went back on the offensive again and forced Jayden against one of the control stations of the ship, the two of them entering a saber lock, grunting as they tried to overpower the other. Jayden did get off the control console, but the saber lock still held strong and both forced their Lightsabers into the computers, sending them sparking out of control and destroying them, with some alert sounds going off as a result. Alex broke the lock and swung, but Jayden jumped back. He swung his saber, which Alex blocked but then Jayden twirled and managed to send Alex's weapon out of his hand.
Swinging with one hand, Jayden prepared to end his brother's life. However, Alex ducked, caught Jayden's arm to stop the Lightsaber and also caught him by the throat with his other hand, gripping the neck tight enough to cut off Jayden's windpipe as he added the Force into his grip, using both physical strength and the strength of a Force choke to hurt Jayden. However, that wasn't all Alex decided to do in hurting his brother, he was also trying to force Jayden's Lightsaber towards his head, wanting to kill him in such a sickening way.
Desperately, Jayden lifted his leg up and his knee caught Alex in the side of the head, breaking his hold but also making Jayden drop his Lightsaber as he fell to his back. He got to his feet, only for Alex to run up and dropkick him with both feet, sending him back down onto his back. The brothers jumped to their feet again, Alex charging at his brother, who quickly sidestepped him, tripped him up which nearly made Alex land on his head. He rolled onto his back as Jayden Force called his Lightsaber to his hand, activated it as Alex did the same for his own Lightsaber, and quickly blocked his brother's downward attack.
Pushing Jayden back enough so he can get to his feet, Alex broke the saber lock to go for a side slash but Jayden blocked that, then blocked the next attack before retaliating with a trio of his own attacks, all of which were blocked by Alex. The two continued to slash and block each other's attacks, their arms and sabers becoming blurs as they twirled their weapons around each other before swinging them in sync, resulting in a saber clash. Together, both pulled their free arms back then thrust them forwards, only to be met in a Force push test of strength, as both had attempted to attempt a Force push.
The two grunted as they tried to overpower the other, but the result of them using the Force on each other in such a way resulted in them being sent flying back from each other. Alex collided with the window, which didn't shatter or crack, while Jayden smacked off one of the computer consoles with a grunt, clutching his ribs briefly before he looked up to see Alex dashing over, leaping and bringing his Lightsaber down. Jayden quickly rolled out the way and Alex's Lightsaber stabbed into the console instead, causing sparks to fly as Alex ripped his weapon out and swing at Jayden, who backed off, continuing to block and deflect his brother's attacks.
The more that Jayden blocked his attacks, the angrier Alex grew. His expression turned livid, angry, rage-filled, his eyes changed from green to yellow-red, showing his growing anger and hate, as well as him delving into the Dark Side of the Force.
"DIE!" Alex roared while deactivting his Lightsaber, hooking it to his belt, then unleashed a massive blast of red Force lightning from his fingertips, aiming straight for his brother who had sensed Alex's use of the Dark Side and had responded in his own way to meet his attack; by also sending a powerful blast of Force lightning which was blue, and it met his brother's attack head on. However, he also conjured a Force shield around himself for protection.
The torrents of power clashed with each other causing energies to spiral out of control. Jayden held his ground keeping the lightning at bay but it was too strong. He had to hold out. He reached for the last bit of energy left in reserve and tried to sustain the shield. Darkness and lightning raced across the bridge, intertwining with each other, forming a ring around the two men. A shroud of darkness fell over them, obscuring their surroundings. Underneath their feet, a circle of light appeared, bright and radiating. Somewhere a force gripped the warriors and pulled them away. Jayden felt himself float in space for a moment before falling into the light. As he passed into the void, the darkness he sensed from his brother vanished. He could not sense him anymore, wondering what had happened.
All of a sudden, a presence pressed against his mind. Jayden threw up mental barriers in an attempt to ward himself in case it was Alex's. The presence demolished his defenses and entered his mind, shifting through his thoughts. The attack was unbearable. He screamed with pain as the force delved deeper into his conscious, going through the memories of his life. Any attempt to retake control was impossible; the being had complete control over him. The inquisition felt like it lasted for hours when it only actually lasted for several minutes. Once the presence completed its search of the man's mind, it withdrew from him slightly and sent out feelings of peace and tranquillity into his conscious.
Somewhere from the white void, a voice resonated. You who have traveled from another world, protect Alagaësia in its darkest hour. Defend it against those, of this world and beyond, who seek to destroy it.
Jayden tried to turn his head struggling to find the source of the voice. The presence soon faded from his mind into nothing. He was alone, falling in space.
As he floated, an image of a boy entered his mind. He did not know him nor remembered seeing him in his life. The light that had surrounded him soon turned into darkness, the image of the brown haired boy vanishing with the light...
And that's it for this chapter. Tell me what you think in the reviews, and please give this story a chance. I promise I can see this attempt to the end.