As Ezra brought his saber down for an attack, Lance brought his staff up to parry the attack. In response with Lance's movement, Ezra pulled back and moved to swipe vertically, which Lance dodged. The two were currently engaged in a practice match. At some point in time, the question of who was a better fighter between the two came up, and for reasons only a teenager could understand, Ezra was all too eager to find out. During their first lightsaber duel, Ezra practically mopped the floor with the older Force wielder, which made sense. Ezra had almost a year's worth of practice with a lightsaber. That's when Kanan suggested Lance use his staff.
The following duel was a lot more riveting for both participants. Ezra set his lightsaber to training mode, which turned the blade a brighter shade of blue with duller light, and a much higher pitched hum. Lance always thought it was strange how deep the hum and activation sound of Ezra's lightsaber were, but to each their own. In training mode, it wouldn't cut through anything, and it only gives anyone it hits a light shock. Perfect for a practice match with a staff.
Lance fared far better with the staff. Ezra's attacks were blocked left, right, and centre. He struggled to find an opening to exploit, and when he did, Lance was usually able to dodge. Not to say Ezra didn't land any hits at all, but they were few and far between. Not like the light bruises he'd picked up from all the times Lance struck him with his staff.
Ezra performed a backflip as Lance tried to sweep his feet out from under him, good instinct on his part, and he blocked the horizontal strike the staff-wielder threw. They were locked in that position for a split second before Lance pulled back and turned, jabbing Ezra in the stomach with the back end of his staff. This sent the teen stumbling back for a moment, allowing Lance to attack his hand, and knock the sabre out of it. He grabbed the sabre out of the air, and aimed the blade right at Ezra's neck with a smirk.
It was clear that Lance was much better with his staff than Ezra was with a lightsaber.
Kanan had been watching the scene from the Ghost, leaning against the wall at the very edge of the open cargo bay. He was impressed. Lance was certainly a skilled young man, with or without the Force aiding him. As the two got themselves ready for a seconds match, at Ezra's insistence, Kanan couldn't help but picture Lance's staff as a dual-bladed lightsaber, with bright blue blades. It would suit him, if he wasn't so insistent on disliking the blue weapons. For reasons that escaped the Jedi, Lance preferred his red blade. It disturbed him a little that the young man preferred a Sith's weapon over a Jedi's, but Lance did make it known that red was his favourite colour, and he grew up in a galaxy where Jedi and Sith did not exist, so it made sense that he'd prefer the weapon he'd stolen from Vader over Kanan's or Ezra's. Maybe he'd do better with green blades.
Kanan was pulled from his thoughts as a familiar figure walked up to him.
Ahsoka had returned.
"This is unexpected." He said to her. "Don't get me wrong, it's always good to see you, but it usually means there's trouble." He said, catching himself. As a Youngling, he'd always looked up to Ahsoka Tano, Padawan to the legendary Anakin Skywalker. It was still a little strange for him to talk to her.
"What I have to say is Jedi business." She responded, her tone serious but not unfriendly.
"Then I guess I qualify." Kanan said wryly.
"Heh, you qualify more than I do." Ahsoka reminded him, smirking as she followed him inside.
"Seriously Ezra?" I asked with a tired sigh as he stared after our respective teachers, a curious look in his eye. He even deactivated his lightsaber.
"Hey, Ahsoka said it was Jedi business." He reminded me, heading on into the Ghost.
"And if today is any indicator, Jedi, you and I are not." I shot back, getting a stink eye from him as he continued. I rolled my eyes with a sigh and followed. If the incidents with the Medical Station or the Broken Horn are any indication, this is undoubtedly going to lead to a mission full of headaches and self-discovery. I found the kid pressing his ear against the door of mine and Kanan's cabin. "Really?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Sh!" He shushed me, listening carefully. I rolled my eyes and leaned against the wall opposite the door. May as well see how this plays out.
Several moments passed in complete silence, Ezra doing his best to eavesdrop on the conversation, constantly adjusting himself to better hear them. Which, might I add, would not help. There's no way in hell Kanan doesn't know his student is listening in.
"He's already briefed on the mission." Kanan's voice suddenly came from the other side of the door, probably meaning he was standing close to it. It was followed by a bang as Kanan punched the button to open the door. As it opened, Ezra immediately fell to the ground, but was able to catch himself before his face kissed the floor. He instantly got up, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hey!" He greeted with an innocent smile. "She did say this was Jedi business." he pointed out, getting an amused chuckle from Ahsoka.
"Bring Zeb as well, he proved himself against the Inquisitors before." She told Kanan, who nodded in agreement. "Lance, you'll be coming with me." She informed, surprising me.
"Really?" I asked.
"Yes, I've been gone these last few weeks, and I thought this would be good for us to catch up." She told me. "Is that a problem?"
"Not at all." I said quickly. "Guess I've just gotten a little used to being with the Spectres in the field." I said with a shrug.
"Fair enough. We'll be leaving in a few minutes, so make sure you're prepared." She instructed me. I nodded as she left the room, and I went inside to grab my belt, blaster, and coat.
Ahsoka and I had taken one of the A-Wing fighters, with Ahsoka piloting and me sitting behind her, whilst Kanan and Ezra took the Phantom. As cool as these fighters were, I wasn't sure I liked being in them. When I'm in the Ghost, or the Phantom, or a Blockade Runner, space is only visible in front of you, and to the sides. Here in these fighters, you could see space all around you. It was highly unnerving, and I was beginning to feel a strange mix of claustrophobia and agoraphobia at the same time. Unpleasant, to say the least.
I spent most of the trip through hyperspace listening to music on the music player Hera got me, Ahsoka didn't mind, but once we the swirling mass of hyperspace transitioned back into the endless black void of normal space, two words I never thought I'd put together in my life time, I stopped the music and pocketed the device. My new coat had several pockets on the inside, which was awesome.
"We're coming up on the coordinates." She told me as we slowly drifted through space. "Once again, I'm sorry for not being around recently. I've had a lot of work to do, and I don't want you to feel like I'm neglecting you." She told me.
"It's no issue. I can practice with Kanan and Ezra at any time, and you're a high ranking Rebel leader." I responded, pulling my hood up. That helped with the unnerving sight of space all around me.
"I appreciate your candour Lance, and I… are you alright?" She asked me, seeing me huddled with my hood up and not looking anywhere except my lap.
"Yeah, sorry, it's just the small space of the fighter, and the massive emptiness of space, I'm feeling a little claustrophobic and agoraphobic at the same time." I said, a little uncomfortably.
"Oh, I see. Next time, we'll take a shuttle." She assured me, though I didn't notice the undertones of amusement in her voice. "Anyway, I appreciate your understanding concerning my hiatus." She went on.
"Don't worry about it." I responded.
"And I understand you turned 22 the other day, so Happy Birthday, belatedly." She said kindly. "Had I known, I would have at least spared some time to stop by."
"Thanks, and don't worry about it. It was a nice day, all things considered." I assured her. "How did your investigation go, if you don't mind my asking?"
"Not as well as I'd hoped. I found very little information concerning Vader, but I did decode two sets of coordinates that the Inquisitors were sent to for some sort of retrieval missions." She explained. What could they be retrieving, I wonder?
"We're going to one, Kanan and Ezra are going to the other with Zeb." I guessed, getting an affirmative hum from the Togruta. "What are the odds of the Inquisitors being there to greet us?" I asked.
"Pretty evenly cut, I'd say. I'm almost certain that they've already made one pick-up." She answered, grim undertones sneaking their way into her voice. I could understand that. Who knows what these guys are after?
"And you have no idea why they were sent here?" I asked.
"None whatsoever." She confirmed. "Although I doubt it's anything good." She noted. As she finished her sentence, a small alarm sounded on the fighter's console, and she deactivated it. "We're approaching the coordinates." She announced.
Sure enough, in front of us, there was a derelict starship, similar in build to the shuttle Sabine and I stole from Garel spaceport when Ketsu attacked us, although it was larger. It was clear the ship had been attacked. The engines at the back were destroyed, and several bits and pieces of scrap metal were floating around it. Ahsoka said she was sure that the Inquisitors had already been to one the places we were investigating; looks like this is it.
Ahsoka docked the A-Wing onto the disabled ship and we boarded. Though there was almost no power, there was still some oxygen left, and just enough power to keep minimal lighting active. We carefully stalked through the halls of the dead ship, silent as possible. We had our guards up in case the Inquisitors were still here. It was unlikely, neither of us could feel them anywhere, but it was possible for one to mask their presence in the Force. We weren't about to take any chances.
We followed the damage, and found ourselves in a room, dimly lit by the flickering lights. Though the light was dim, the carnage that had taken place here was clear to see. I felt my blood run cold as I saw the bodies scattered across the whole room. They were all civilians, innocents. Some were bisected, others were only slashed, and some were beheaded, their faces showing exactly the terror they experienced before their demise. I had to keep myself from puking at the sight, coupled with the smell of seared flesh. Ahsoka put a comforting hand on my shoulder, sensing my feelings no doubt. It helped, a little.
Still, there was no doubt about it. The Inquisitors were here.
Once I felt a bit better, we continued on. Ahsoka ran her hand over some scorch marks on the walls, the metal slashed and melted, by a lightsaber no doubt. I briefly recalled that the Inquisitors' lightsabers could spin at rapid speeds. If they threw those weapons, it would be easy to do this much damage, to the people and the ship alike. I'm guessing the damage to the ship's internals was just collateral from attacking the civilians. I felt a cold fury burn through my veins. These people were civilians. They weren't Rebels, or criminals, they were innocents! And they'd been slaughtered like farm animals. No way was I going to let this slide.
"Help… I'm here…" A raspy, broken voice called out to us, no doubt noticing our presence, if only barely. Ahsoka and I immediately dashed towards the owner of said voice, finding an elderly woman, probably in her 50s or 60s, laying on the floor, injured and barely breathing, but alive and conscious.
"It's OK, you're safe now." Ahsoka assured her, gently taking her hand as we both knelt down beside her. I gently brought her up by her shoulders.
"Help… my grandchild…" She sobbed, tears staining her face as she looked up at us.
"Grandchild?" I asked in confusion.
"They took her… The red blades… they… know… She has… it… She has it!"
"Shh… You need to rest." Ahsoka told her soothingly.
"Please… f-find… her…"
"It's alright Ma'am, we'll find your grandchild." I promised the woman. "I won't let them keep her."
"Tha… Thank…" She tried to say, but she closed her eyes and went limp in my arms. I gulped, and felt her neck, relieved to still find a pulse.
"She's alive, but she won't last long in this condition." I said to Ahsoka.
"Agreed." She said as she stood up. "Stay with her. I'm going to call Commander Sato and get a ship here to help her." She instructed me. I nodded in response as she grabbed her comm and made the call. I looked at the woman in my arms and all the bodies around me.
The Inquisitors slaughtered everyone on this ship except for this woman, and for what? So they can kidnap her grandchild just because she has 'it?' What is 'it' anyway? I can take a guess. In The Clone Wars, Sidious hired the Bounty Hunter, Cad Bane, to steal a holocron with a massive list of names on it, names of children, and then he even tried kidnapping some of these children. I don't remember how the whole thing turned out, but I do remember the children being kidnapped, and why. This woman said her grandchild had 'it.' I can only think of one thing that 'it' might be.
"I've called for a ship." Ahsoka's voice snapped me from my thoughts. "It'll be a little while before they get here, but they're on their way." She told me. "Are you doing alright?" She asked.
"Well enough." I responded, my chest clenching at the thought of how all these people must have felt when the Inquisitors came. "How can anybody do this?" I asked, mostly rhetorically as AI looked at the carnage around us.
"The Dark Side." Ahsoka answered, giving me an understanding look. "The power it offers, the temptation it whispers in your ear, the exhilaration you feel when it flows through you. It warps your mind, corrupts you, and eventually you don't care about the pain you cause as you relish in the power." She gave a depressed, wounded sigh, clutching at her chest briefly.
If I recall, during the Clone Wars, Ahsoka, Anakin, and Obi-wan found those weird Force Gods, representing the Dark Side, Light Side, and I can only assume Balance. The Son, the Daughter, and the Father, respectively. At some point, the Son forcefully turned Ahsoka to the Dark Side, though I don't remember how, and she fought against Anakin. That's.. Pretty much all I remember of that particular story arc. Plus Anakin taming the two in their big beast forms.
I felt a cold determination as I looked at the corpses once more.
The Inquisitors were going to pay for this. One way or another, I'd make them.
The Rebel transport arrived after not too long. Sato dispatched it immediately, and they arrived in about as much time as it took Ahsoka and I to get here. That being a little less than an hour. Ahsoka felt my emotions and put a comforting hand on my shoulder once more as I watched the Rebel Medical Officers carry the woman away in a stretcher. I was still reeling from the massive influx of emotion I felt when we first saw all those bodies. Ahsoka thought it was best we get out of there as soon as possible, and I agreed. I really didn't want to watch Rebel Medics playing Match with bisected corpses.
We got back to our A-wing fighter and took off, leaving the ship to the other Rebels, and heading on to the second set of coordinates, a planet called Takobo. There were numerous settlements there of many different species, and we were headed for the Spaceport of an Ithorian settlement by the name of Hammertown. I can only imagine there must a baby Ithorian there that the Inquisitors intend to kidnap.
No way in hell was I going to let that happen.
"I can sense your anger." Ahsoka's voice broke the silence as the fighter soared through hyperspace.
"Damn right I'm angry." I said darkly. "Innocents slaughtered, children kidnapped, what next?" I asked.
"I understand you're upset, but you cannot allow your anger to grow." She warned me. "Control it, or you may very well find yourself down a path you don't want to follow."
"Right, the Dark Side." I responded, sighing. I was still unsure where I stood on the whole Dark/Light Side thing. I've seen Kanan and Ezra get incredibly frustrated with each other, and Ezra's anger at Chopper antics were nothing to scoff at. Kanan and Hera even get into some heated fights now and again, and he seems fine afterwards.
"You don't sound convinced." Ahsoka noted, breaking me from my thoughts.
"I'm still having a bit of trouble believing that getting angry or afraid is going to turn me into something like the Inquisitors." I admitted, crossing my arms.
"It's not that simple." She reminded me. "The Dark Side corrupts. It slowly worms its way into your heart, addicting you to its power. It warps your mind, it doesn't just turn someone evil overnight." She explained.
"And it expands its grip every time you feel things like anger, fear, or hate?" I asked doubtfully. I know I was concerned about this before, and it's not like those concerns left me completely, but still seems a little too clear cut for my tastes. "How can something as massively complex as the Force be so simplistic?"
"It is, and it isn't." Ahsoka responded with a sigh. "Not helpful, I know. And believe me, I know why you would ask such things, I asked my Master the exact same questions." She seemed a bit down at the mention of Anakin. "All I can say right now is that no good will come from acting out of anger or hatred." She said sternly. "Only by overcoming the darkness, can you prevail."
I didn't speak for a moment. "Darkness exists in everyone." I said quietly. "You can't shine a light without casting a shadow. How do you overcome your own nature?" I asked with a sigh. "You can't overcome being a human, or Togruta, or Lasat, or whatever... You can't overcome the fact that your favourite colour is red or green, and you can't overcome the fact that your hair is brown. How do you overcome the darkness that you were born with?" I asked, staring out into the blue streaks of Hyperspace.
Ahsoka didn't answer for a moment. "It's different for everyone." She finally said. "We'll be arriving in a few minutes. All I can say is that if the darkness within is allowed to flourish, disaster falls." She said, tapping a few keys on her console. We spent the rest of the trip in silence.
We arrived in Hammertown not a moment too soon. As we sailed through the air, intent on landing in the same hangar bay the Phantom did, we saw Kanan, Ezra, and Zeb being chased by the Inquisitors. Right as we landed, we saw Kanan and Zeb be pushed to the ground. Ezra, being the last one standing, pulled out his lightsaber and aimed it at the incoming Inquisitors, ready to defend the baby Ithorian he held in his arms with his life. That was the last thing we saw before we landed the A-wing right next to the Phantom.
"It may be a good idea for you to stay behind." Ahsoka advised as we both hopped out of the fighter.
"I know I'm not the best fighter, but I think I can defend myself well enough to allow the others to get to safety." I responded.
"Are you certain you're ready for this?" Ahsoka stopped in front of me, looking me in the eye intensely.
"No." I said honestly, but hardly. "But right now, we have two children depending on us, not to mention Ezra and the others." I reminded her. "Besides, we don't have to defeat the Inquisitors, just hold their attention long enough for the others to get away." I pointed out, which she didn't deny. "That, I can do." I said. She looked at me for a moment, her eyes narrowing before she let out a soft sigh.
"Alright." She nodded. "But the moment it seems like the heat is too much for you, you get away, understand?" She asked sternly, getting a nod from me. Satisfied, she continued on her way to the hangar bay door, with me right at her side. With a wave of her hand, not even bothering to stop walking, she activated the door's switch, opening it. This caught the Inquisitor's attention as we walked out, finding the others on the ground still, Ezra having joined them, but using his body to protect the baby.
The two of us each brandished our sabres and got into our respective stance, Ahsoka in her reverse grip Jar'kai, and me in the high guard Form VI stance, ready to fight.
"Unexpected, but not unwelcome." Seventh Sister smirked, her lightsaber in full circle mode, both blades active. The Fifth Brother, as Ahsoka learnt he was called, still had his sabre in half circle mode, with one blade active.
"Ezra, get the Youngling to the Phantom." Ahsoka told the younger Jedi, who was looking up at us. He nodded in response, getting an affirmative wink from her as she and I attacked.
Ahsoka gave a massive leap towards the Fifth Brother as I dashed towards the Seventh Sister. With our respective attacks, we were able to separate the two Inquisitors from each other, preventing them coordinating their attacks together. Of course, we couldn't do that either, but we didn't need to. Our purpose here was to distract.
Seventh Sister was a speedy attacker, no doubt about that, but I was able to block off most of her attacks, and she would struggle to break through my defence due to her lacking strength. I don't mean to sound chauvinistic, but men are typically stronger than women, even in this galaxy, barring a few racial differences. Physically speaking, I was stronger than both Ahsoka and Hera, and more than capable of taking them both out if we were to get into a mere fist fight, and I'd wager I could do the same with Seventh Sister. However, she was far more experienced with a lightsaber and the Force than me, not to mention much faster. I couldn't move fast enough to hit her, and she couldn't strike strong enough to hurt me. At least, not easily. It was a vicious circle.
As she spun her sabre with that cheat mode thing active and made to attack, I blocked with a hard swipe. Apparently, the spinning blades are fast, but easy to stop with another lightsaber. Maybe it's programmed to stop spinning when enough force is applied to halt the motion of a lightsaber blade? Metal and flesh won't do that, but another lightsaber will. I imagine that if that spin function was still active as we pushed our blades against each other, the hilt would probably overheat.
"We know why you want the children." I spat with narrow eyes as our locked blades separated and collided once more.
"Well…" She let out with a small amount of exertion, probably from me using my superior physical strength against her. Hey, in a life or death situation like this, I will not apologise for using every advantage I have! "Who doesn't want to be a mother?" She quipped darkly, and before I could comment on her awful sense of humour, she pulled back and did a single twirl, activating the spinning mode of her weapon and swinging it at me. I did a simple step-and-slide backwards, just enough to dodge the attack, before bringing up my sabre and lunging forward, intent on stabbing her through the shoulder. I was thinking it would slow her down, but she countered my attack easily, pushing my blade down to the ground with her own. "Perhaps you'd be willing to help with that?" She asked suggestively, her face close to my own.
"Sorry, I don't go for evil cunts." I responded dryly, deactivating my sabre and bringing my knee up to her face.
She was surprised when I deactivated my weapon, and wasn't able to dodge my knee in time. I don't think I broke her nose, but it was definitely bloody. While she was distracted, I gave her a good Force Push, sending her flying. No way was that enough to knock her out though. I was still too fresh. Seventh Sister was able to get up, any hint of playfulness or flirtatiousness in her eyes gone as she glared at me. Ahsoka and I had backed up into each other, in the centre of the two Inquisitors as they approached us once again.
"Are you doing alright?" she spared a second to ask.
"I think so." I returned, reactivating my blade. "Care to trade dance partners? Mine is making me uncomfortable." I told her wryly, getting a smirk.
"Sure." She said, and as if we were in complete sync, we both spun to the left with our backs to each other, facing our new opponents.
It was the weirdest thing. Throughout the whole fight, I was completely focussed on whoever I was fighting, but at the same time, in the back of my mind, I was… Aware, in some way, of Ahsoka. Her feelings, her thoughts, her actions... On some level, I could feel all of them, and I'm getting the sense that she could feel the same from me. Is this normal? I know it's not unusual for Jedi to develop a bond through the Force when a Master and Padawan spent a sufficient amount of time training together, but Ahsoka and I hadn't been training that long. Are we just really compatible in the Force? Or maybe it has to do with my raw power? Who knows?
Back to the fight.
Fifth Brother was easier to fight. He was slower, so I could dodge his attacks easier, but he was physically stronger than me. It made blocking his attacks a real pain. I noticed how this fight was similar, but less intense, than my fight with Vader. Most of his attacks I was able to dodge, which frustrated him to no end, though we did have some close calls here and there. The ones that I blocked were difficult to keep off of me. I think I actually had a light burn on my cheek from the mere proximity of our sabres to my face as he slowly edged locked blades closer and closer to me.
Thinking quickly, I brought up my foot and kicked him in the crotch. This caused him to hunch over in the pain all males fear, before looking back at me with a snarl. His attacks were slow, but vicious. As the fight raged on, I found it harder and harder to block his blade, and it looked like at any moment he might be able to land a lethal blow. The adrenaline I felt was intensifying with every passing second, and I won't lie and say I wasn't getting a little scared.
Fifth brother surprised me by landing a blow to my face with his fist, knocking me to the ground. As I regained my bearings, I looked up and noticed he was seconds away from bringing his sabre down and stabbing me through the stomach. Immediately, I rolled away, getting to my feet as his blade was buried in the ground. I used the opportunity to attack with my blade, but he easily blocked it by activating the second blade of his weapon, so I immediately pulled back as he pulled his weapon out of the ground.
He didn't allow me to attack again. He activated the spinning mode of his weapon and threw the blade at me, much to my chagrin. I was hoping I wouldn't have to deal with that. I tried to deflect it away, and only moderately succeeded. I was able to stop a lethal blow, but the spinning blade did graze my hand, and that hurt let me tell you. I wasn't able to hold onto my weapon, and Fifth Brother took advantage of my momentary distraction to attack.
I howled in pain as I felt his blade pierce through the side of my stomach.
"Lance!" I heard Ahsoka cry out in fear.
"Your meagre training is no match for someone of my power." Fifth Brother said as I fell to the ground, clutching my sides. The pain was blinding. One of my bigger weaknesses was a low pain threshold. A light graze on my hand, and a jab to the side with a lightsaber, and I couldn't focus anymore. I was just barely aware of the Fifth Brother looming over me. He brought his sabre up, grinned down at me, and struck.
I was just barely able to extend my arm out to catch the weapon in the middle of the attack, using the Force to stop it just barely an inch away from my hand. I could feel blisters forming on my hand as the blade got closer and closer, millimetre by millimetre.
I'm not quite sure what happened next. The strain of keeping the incoming weapon at bay, and failing at that, coupled with the pain I was feeling, not to mention the adrenaline, the anger and rage I'd felt earlier because of the children, and the terror I felt when seeing all those bodies…
I black out.
Ahsoka felt everything her student was going through. He was faring far better than she'd initially hoped, keeping up with both Inquisitors in the beginning of the battle. However, it would only be a matter of time before his inexperience and minimal training would catch up to him. She felt his emotions as the Fifth Brother turned the tide of the fight against him. She had to take care of the Seventh Sister soon, else Lance might be in trouble.
As she finally managed to disarm the woman and send her to the ground, she aimed her sabre at the Inquisitor's neck.
"You are beaten." She said simply, glaring down at the Inquisitor, who only chuckled deeply in response. Seconds later, they were surrounded by several tanks, and a lot of Stormtroopers.
"It looks like you are the one who is beaten." Seventh Sister grinned up at her, right as they both heard a loud howl of pain.
"Lance!" Ahsoka cried out in fear, turning her attention to her student, who was on the ground, using the Force to barely keep Fifth Brother's lightsaber off of him. Seventh Sister used the distraction to call her lightsaber back to her hand and get up, jumping away from Ahsoka.
Right as she was about to attack again, every Force-sensitive in the vicinity felt something. Ahsoka felt it, the Inquisitors felt it, Kanan and Ezra felt it in the Phantom, and even the two infants in the Phantom started crying at the cold feeling. Small bits of rubble and debris that had been created during the battle, which were scattered all over the battlefield, started floating off of the ground.
A loud scream of exertion suddenly escaped Lance, and a massive wave of raw Force power burst from his body in all directions. The tanks were overturned, Stormtroopers were sent flying, and even the Inquisitors were sent back aways. Ahsoka was just barely able to protect herself.
"Lance?" She asked quietly, seeing her student stand up, hunched over as the Inquisitors got back up and activated their sabres, ready to attack.
The Fifth Brother was the first to do so. He roared and sprinted towards the young man. Lance barely moved for the first few seconds before he looked up at the attacker, his blue eyes sharp with a fierce glare. With a hard scowl on his face, he pulled his arm back and thrust his hand forward, sending a massive pulse of Force power at the Fifth Brother. There was even a white glow at the palm of his hand. The attack sent the Inquisitor crashing right into a building. The wall cracked at the impact.
But Lance wasn't done.
He refused to let the Inquisitor even move. Fifth Brother tried, but Lance was holding him strongly against the wall. He couldn't escape from the young man's grip. Lance pulled his hand back for a moment, collected a massive amount of Force power between his hands, both of which started to glow, and hurtled it right at the Inquisitor. The attack was so potent with the Force it was actually visible; a massive pulse of telekinetic power so strong one could see the actual physical force behind it. When it hit, the Fifth Brother was sent right through the wall, and out the other side of the building.
Everyone watching was quiet for a moment.
"The Force is so strong with him…" The Seventh Sister whispered in shock and awe. She could see now why Lord Vader was so interested in him.
Lance heard her voice, and turned his glare to meet her. Despite her composure, she felt the smallest twinge of fear in her chest as Lance turned his attention to her. Though unrefined and minimally trained, it was clear to her that Lance Mikaelson was not to be taken lightly. There was no doubt he was stronger in the Force than everyone present: the Inquisitors, the Jedi, the infants, even Tano herself.
She readied herself to attack, but before she could do anything, Lance growled and brought his hands up, facing his palms, no longer glowing, parallel to each other, almost as if he was about to clap. Seventh Sister felt the effects of the attack immediately. She dropped her weapon, finding it hard to breathe. It was like sinking in the ocean, with each passing second the pressure she felt coming from every direction got stronger and stronger, and it got harder to breathe. She fell to her knees, no longer able to stand. If she didn't get out of this soon, Mikaelson would crush her whole body in on itself, like an imploding star.
"Lance!" Ahsoka finally called out to her student, standing next to him. The presence of his teacher soothed him, easing the attack. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, using her free hand to make him look at her. "It's alright, you won." She told him softly, his fierce expression fading. "It's over, there's no need to keep fighting." She whispered.
Her words reached him, thankfully. He let go of the Seventh Sister, much to the Inquisitor's relief. She dropped to the ground, catching herself with one hand as she clutched her chest with the other, coughing as she tried to regain her breath.
"Ahsoka… I… I…" Lance mumbled out, going limp. Ahsoka caught him before he hit the ground, barely conscious.
"Enough." Seventh Sister managed, getting up and igniting her sabre as more Stormtroopers took the places of the ones that had been sent flying. "Your capture will please Lord Vader." She said, smirking. Right as she finished her sentence, the Phantom hovered up out of the hangar bay, flying off, but staying low.
Ahsoka smirked. "Tell your master he'll have to wait." She said as Kanan jumped out of the Phantom, landing next to her. Ahsoka brought Lance's weapon to her hand as she and Kanan both pulled one of Lance's arms over their shoulders, and jumped to one of the nearby rooftops. From there, they jumped into the Phantom, and Zeb, who was piloting, shut the doors, taking off into the sky.
Why was I so cold?
As I slowly regained consciousness, I looked up to Ahsoka, Kanan, and Ezra looking at me with concern. They were sitting opposite me in the back seats of the Phantom, and I was barely supporting myself. With a pained grunt, feeling a sharp, burning pain in my right side, I managed to sit up straight. I grabbed my side where it hurt, a fruitless attempt to ease the pain, as I looked up at everyone.
"Ahsoka? Kanan?" I blinked the blurriness out of my eyes. Yeah, it was them. "What happened?" I asked. "And why is it so cold in here?" I asked, a slight shiver escaping me.
"It's not." Zeb's voice spoke. He was piloting the ship.
"What happened?" I repeated.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Ahsoka asked calmly, a soothing tone in her voice.
"We were holding the Inquisitors long enough for the others to get out, and it went well for a bit." I massaged my temple with my free hand. "Then Fifth Brother threw his blade, and… Did he stab me?" I asked, looking at my wounded side. Yep, that was a cauterised stab wound.
"Yes, though thankfully it didn't go all the way through." Kanan noted. "We can get that treated back at the Fleet. We should be there soon." He told me, getting a nod.
"And the children?" I asked. A big bleep from a certain metal menace. To the right, I saw him holding a human infant, and next to him, there was an Ithorian, holding the baby Ezra was holding before. She was probably the mother. "That's good." I let out a sigh. "Still doesn't explain what happened after I got stabbed." Ahsoka and Kanan shared a worried look at my statement. "What?" I asked, getting a little worried myself.
"Lance, you kind of… blew up at the Inquisitors." Kanan told me hesitantly.
"Blew up?" I repeated, confused.
"When one opens themselves to the Force, one can become vulnerable to the Dark Side." Ahsoka reminded me.
"Unless your will is strong enough." Kanan added. "Though, when you've been stabbed with a lightsaber, full of adrenaline, and seconds away from a lethal injury, willpower isn't always at its highest." Survival instinct huh?
"I don't remember anything." I said honestly, feeling a headache. "What did the Inquisitors want with the children?" I asked.
"They're Force-sensitive." Ahsoka told me.
"Yep, figured." I sighed. "You think they were going to train them into Inquisitors? Or were they just trying to eliminate possible future Jedi?"
"Both, probably." Ezra said. We all nodded in agreement, and I groaned in pain as my wound flared from my trying to readjust myself.
"Let's get some bacta on that." Kanan said, pulling a med kit out from under his seat. It didn't take long for him to apply the gelatinous substance on my wound and cover it with light bandage. "It's no substitute for real treatment, but you should feel better until we get back to the fleet." He told me.
"Thanks." I said, pulling my shirt down. I'm really glad that the sabre didn't damage my coat.
"Lance… I feel I owe you an apology." Ahsoka said, a little downtrodden as I turned my attention to her. "Your powers are growing faster than I ever imagined, and I wasn't able to teach you what you needed to know in time." She said regretfully. "I shouldn't have allowed you to fight the Inquisitors."
"Don't worry about it Ahsoka." I waved her off. "There are a thousand different ways today could have gone worse or better. I'm not too fussed about a small stab wound and a Force-fueled temper tantrum if these little guys are safe." I turned my attention to the baby Chopper was holding; the woman's grandchild from earlier. "Uh, Chopper, may I?" I asked, holding my hands out.
Chopper bleeped huffily and pulled the baby away, his metaphorical nose in the air. "Chopper." Kanan looked at the droid with narrow eyes. Chopper let out a mechanical grumble and passed the infant along to me.
I looked down at the baby in my arms, seeing her cute face smile up and urgle at me. Her beautiful blue eyes shone with the wonder and innocence of a child as she brought her arms out of the blue blanket she was wrapped in and reached out to touch my face. She actually pulled herself up to reach me before I could lean down. She could hold her head up on her own, so I'm guessing she was at least six months old. I couldn't help cooing and awww-ing at the baby playing with my cheeks.
If it wasn't already obvious, I have a soft spot for children.
"OK, that's cute." Ahsoka admitted, smiling softly as the child squeezed my nose. "She senses your presence, and I'd say it's a good sign that she seems so happy with you around." she told me.
"What are we going to do with them?" I asked, holding my reaction in as the baby yanked on my hair, laughing.
"The Rebellion will find a safe space for the children and their family." Ahsoka answered. That was a relief. I smiled at the child in my arms once again, glad she was safe.
The trip back was uneventful. After we'd gotten back to Garel, Hera saw my injuries and ran up to me like the mother hen she is, berating me for not being more careful. She probably would have been a lot harder on me if I hadn't been holding an impressionable and adorable baby in my arms. I could see in her eyes how much she wanted to coo all over the baby, who I learned was named Alora.
Though I agreed to get my injuries treated without any hassle, I did want to get Alora back to her grandmother. Hera wasn't happy that I was putting my treatment off, but she understood that I wanted to see the child back with her family, so she conceded and let me take a speeder to where the Blockade Runner was docked. The entire fleet was scattered across the planet in case we were discovered or attacked. That way, most of the fleet would probably get away.
Needless to say, Darja, the grandmother, was delighted to see her granddaughter safe and sound. She burst into tears seeing her precious Alora safe, and thanked me over and over again for bringing her back. I decided not to mention that I didn't technically save her, Zeb did from what I was told. Still, it wasn't important. She was even apologising to me as the medical droid treated my injuries. There was a chair for me to sit on, and space for it to work, so I decided to just kill two birds with one stone and let it treat me there.
I have to say, seeing that woman and her grandchild reunited… It made getting stabbed and almost killed totally worth it.
Aboard a Star Destroyer, the Fifth Brother and Seventh Sister were kneeling in the communications room before a holographic image of one Darth Vader. Even though he was halfway across the galaxy, his anger was tangible, and the cold bit right into their bones. It was not hard to guess that the Sith Lord was not pleased. Not in the slightest.
"You have failed me, Inquisitors." He said, the cold intensifying. "Twice now, you've encountered Mikaelson, and twice he's escaped you."
"My Lord, we cannot begin to atone for-" Fifth Brother was cut off as he felt pressure on his throat, obstructing his breath.
"Mikaelson's intervention should not have interfered with your mission. I do not tolerate failure." Vader said darkly.
"My Lord, i-it was not a total failure!" Seventh Sister stuttered out. "We acquired some information which I'm certain will please you!"
"I will decide that for myself." Vader released his grip on the Fifth Brother.
"Firstly, Mikaelson was not the only one to intervene. Ahsoka Tano was there as well, they fought together." The Seventh Sister said quickly.
"She was there?"
"Yes My Lord." She affirmed. "The two of them, Tano and Mikaelson, fought in complete sync. There is a bond between them, reminiscent of the one between Master and Apprentice. I believe she is training him."
"The Student has become the Master…" Vader spoke under his breath, probably unaware he's spoken aloud. It was an odd thought, the teenage girl from his memories taking on an Apprentice of her own. "Continue."
"Yes, My Lord. I think we have all underestimated just how powerful in the Force Mikaelson truly is." She said, piquing Vader;s interest at least a little. "He accomplished things in our fight today that most Jedi Masters couldn't. More than that, he without a doubt tapped into the Dark Side, and easily at that. Turning him is most definitely a possibility."
"He will turn, or he will die." Vader said coldly. "I still see no reason to spare you."
"I know where the Rebels are hiding!" Seventh Sister blurted quickly in response. "They're on Garel!"
"And how do you know this?" In response to Vader's question, Seventh Sister immediately brought out one of her pets, having it play the recording it had of the boy, Ezra Bridger.
"Once I get you back to your mother, maybe you can come live with us on Garel? You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Ezra's voice came from the droid.
"Perhaps you are still of some use." Vader decided after a moment of silence, much to the Inquisitors' collective relief. It was cut short, however, when Vader gripped both of their throats through the Force, lifting them up. "Be warned, I will not tolerate failure again. Next time, there will be consequences." He hissed through his mask, the very tone of his voice striking fear into both of his victims.
He dropped the two of them to the ground, and deactivated the holo-terminal without another word.
April Fools! Get it? Because there was no April Fools chapter? Whatever. I realised I hadn't updated this fic in literally a year, so I put a rush on this chapter. Hope its to your liking. I will likely be focussing more on Hunter and Hunted in the coming future.
But anyways, Lance's first big Dark Side moment! I plan on having several of these throughout the story. Did I do well with this one? It was inspired by Satale Shan vs Darth Malgus in the battle of Alderaan. I've always loved the Cinematic Trailers from SWTOR.
Anyway, thank you all for reading, and let's hope this chapter ain't the last!