Chapter 27 - Light and Dark
Kshhhhhh
"Do you feel the storm approaching, Jedi? Do you think you can rebuild the Republic to face it? When I arrived, it was an animal, hollowed out by corruption and decadence. Like parasites, they sapped it of all vitality. Only the Empire can prepare for what comes."
Vader stood in the center of the archaic court yard. Untended flora grew above and through ancient stonework tiles. Perhaps once, in times long past, Jedi trained here. Now, only the wind stirred long silent ruins. Emerging from the shadows, Kirak Infil'a, removed from the Order's activities after taking his Barash Vow, stood as a solemn sentinel of the Light.
"I sense it, Creature. But once you fall, I will regather the scattered survivors and in time, we will be ready. The Will of the Force foretells it."
Darth Vader's prosthetic right hand wrapped around the hilt of his lightsaber and he pulled it free of his belt. "If you will not kneel, then you will die. I, and I alone, will bring balance."
Infil'a ignited his blade, verdant green light shooting out from the handle of his weapon. The wind stirred his long white hair, bound in a high ponytail. His beard, recently trimmed, offset the dark skin of his face and body. He wore no armor. A bare chest proved he'd spent his time under the Barash in hard training. Corded muscles stood taught against skin darkened by hard labor in the sunlight. Even now, Vader understood the man before him stood at a pinnacle of physical skill he'd never encountered during his travels across the galaxy. Neither as he now was, nor as Anakin Skywalker. An angry hum as his red blade flashed to life meant the end of any diplomacy. As he'd sensed, only one of them would leave Alderaan. For the other, it would be a grave.
Kshhhhhh
"You felt Order 66, didn't you, Jedi?"
"Do not bother playing at my emotions, Creature. My Vow was absolute. Only now, that you stand before me, does it end. In time, the Order will be rebuilt. I can sense others, out in the galaxy. They will come and your Empire of shadows and death will fall as it began," Infil'a said as the two circled. The Jedi's steps, smooth and silent, contrasted Vader's heavy footfalls against the grass and stone. Howling through the temple, a violent wind ripped at Vader's cape and gathering clouds threatened a deluge at any moment.
As seconds ticked by, time grew sluggish. The future, the galaxy, even the Jedi and Sith drifted away, until only the two remained. No Empire, no Order, nothing beyond the duel. A thousand years and more narrowed like grains of sand in the hourglass, coming to this single point in the flow of past to present. Whether or not the Dark and Light of ages gone watched, none could say, but this moment was, in a way both men felt, the culmination of something far beyond a mere battle between two warriors. And yet, it focused down into just that. Even the weight of history lifted as both men stopped, opposite one another. Nothing was left, but the roar of wind and the hum of sabers. Everything and nothing stood in aberrant hesitation before the first move of a fight wagering so much on the outcome. Both Vader and Kirak keenly felt the Dark and Light recede.
"Whatever comes, Creature, it seems the Will of the Force shall be with the victor."
Whether or not the Jedi had seen the oncoming storm in that barren place, Vader didn't know, but he did sense that the Force itself would allow only one to move forward. The fate of the galaxy, both now and forever, stood on the precipice. In rare times, Vader knew, the wheel of history hinged on a single spoke. A place, an event, or an individual became the point of leverage. Normally, one man could never hope to bend the flow of time, but he sensed the Force itself watching.
Kshhhhhh
"Before you die, I will show you the true Power of the Force, bent to my will."
###
Obi-Wan was sitting, legs crossed, underneath a tree. His disassembled lightsaber floated in the air before him in the quiet of the night. Luke, Leia, and Galen slept inside the house, but Kento and Mallie sat with him, joined in meditation. Deep in the Force, they could, all three of them, feel a connection to the other Jedi scattered across the galaxy. Likewise, the dark presence of many who eschewed the Light remained at the edge of perception. Both sides of the Force waited, each in their own way. Sages and sorcerers, Nightsisters and witches. The Force extended across the stars far beyond only the Jedi and Sith. However, all of them felt what now began on Alderaan.
On Naboo, Obi-Wan and the Marek couple reassembled their weapons, letting them come to rest in their laps.
"Is this Vader?" Mallie asked.
"It is. I don't know if I could defeat him now," Kenobi admitted. The Jedi Master keenly felt his former padawan's strength. An artifact of the bond they once shared.
All three drifted deeper into the Force.
With a sudden shift, they felt pulled far from themselves.
"What is this?" Kento said first. "Everything looks dead, even the soil." A ruined landscape, choked with dust and decay, stretched to the horizon. A new sensation, being dragged so deep in meditation, but the Force remained all around them, comforting and familiar. A cold wind whistled past, cutting straight to the soul and the Jedi gathered closer.
"I'm more concerned about that," Obi-Wan said and pointed to a horrific storm in the distance. It dominated the sky, almost towering over the world like a monster ready to pounce. Lightning slashed across the cloud front. Thunder rumbled, stirring the dust at Kenobi's feet.
"By the Force," the Marek's said in unison. Staring in terrified fascination, they felt sure of one thing. In a way indescribable, they all knew it moved steadily closer.
"Hard to look away, isn't it, my Padawan Learner," said a voice Obi-Wan knew well.
###
Vader felt a subtle shift, as though the Dark Side pulled away from him ever so slightly. Judging by the hesitation he felt coming from Kirak Infil'a the same must be true of the Jedi and his mastery of the Light. However, unlike the Order and its view of the Force as a higher power to serve, Vader didn't intend to simply allow his connection to slip away. A will stronger than any steel anchored him to this time and place, and as it did he reached out, pulling the Dark back to him.
Kshhhhhh
Taking in a deep breath, left hand balled into a tight fist, the Lord of the Sith centered himself and the Force swirled around him, chained and bound. "Even alone, I will overcome this trial, but I will not stand meekly by. I am Sith, not Jedi."
Reaching some internal conclusion of his own, Infil'a advanced on Vader, one sure step at a time. "Come, Creature. Show me all that you are."
Answering the challenge, Vader launched himself forward. Green and red blades blurred and in a single breath they'd clashed a dozen times. Sabers flashed, spun and thrust in myriad patterns. Every swing and cut a lethal blow only to be parried, blocked or avoided entirely. Infil'a matched his agility against the raw power and fury of Darth Vader. In their own way, the two developed a respect for one another only born of skilled warriors. As they locked blades and jockeyed for an opening, Vader tried to sense any weakness in his foe. At last, they pushed off and broke away, blades twirling and combatants settling back into ready stances.
Kshhhhhh
"You fight well, Jedi. Imagine what we could do together," the Emperor implored. He raised his hand, fingers curling into a tight fist. "Kneel and the galaxy would know Order and Justice at long last. We could prepare for the threat we both know is coming."
"I will never serve the Dark Side."
Dropping his arm, Vader did something new. For the first time since his rebirth he took his lightsaber in both hands. One boot forward, he brought his hands down into a forward stance, blade ready to defend or attack. An achievement of the modifications he'd made to his suit and arms.
Kirak charged, his full weight and might behind the initial blow, but despite such power, Vader's strength and massive frame took the strike head on. Blades locked in sparking fury, the Sith pushed him back. First one step, then another, until the Jedi bent backwards trying to push against the Dark Lord. Towering over, Vader's emotionless helmet bellied the raw rage burning within. "You have more, Jedi. I sense it. Give me a true challenge."
Deep in his heart of hearts, Kirak knew he couldn't take down the Sith before him with half-measures. And in some small way, he rejoiced. The Jedi, for all his training, never faced a proper foe. But now, here, right in front of him stood an opponent who demanded the best Master Infil'a could bring to bear. At long last, both faced an opponent who could push them to the limits and beyond. A hair from death, and neither one could be satisfied by anything less than a duel on the razer's edge. The slightest error, a wayward swing, losing even for an instant their focus and connection to the Force would mean the end. Riding a warrior's high, Vader and Kirak were, if you could use the word, joyous. Only on the slim path between victory and oblivion could either man feel truly alive.
Raindrops pattered against the temple grounds and the hiss of steam as they hit the blade of each saber signaled a renewal of the fight. As water beaded on Vader's helmet and rolled down Infil'as brow, the Jedi pushed away and gained a few meters of distance. A moment of reprieve, the Jedi took a breath and felt the Force flow around and through him. Breath control ingrained over a lifetime asserted itself and the Master found his balance once more. He drew one more long deep breath, then in a burst of movement vanished.
Force empowered speed might fool the eyes, but Vader sensed it coming and his body moved. He brought his blade up to defend, blocking a cut which would see him split in two. Kirak yanked his head back, narrowly avoiding the stone Vader ripped from the ground and sent flying with the Force. Before he could react, the Sith broke their entanglement and his red saber flashed, trying to claim the Jedi's head. Even on the back foot, though, Infil'a parried and used Vader's strength to flow into a spinning slash. Vader caught the blade, holding his palm out and pushing against it with the Force. The fibers of his glove smoldered and burned as the green saber singed them. Breaking off again, they traded blows, giving no ground, stuck in a brutal stalemate. No matter the technique, neither one found an opening.
Vader yanked another stone from the ground, directing it with the tip of his saber and it launched across the dueling grounds. Kirak side-stepped and sent a Force push against Vader, but the Sith anchored himself to the ground and only his cape stirred in the burst of power.
"Useless," Vader said and one hand reached out to choke the life from Infil'a. The Jedi felt pressure around his neck and that moment of distraction as he protected himself with the Light Side nearly cost him as a red blade flashed across his vision. He ducked and thrust out, stepping back to gain distance at the same time. Vader parried and stepped in, bringing another slash crashing down.
Back and forth, lightsabers flashing, the Power of the Force on full display as two masters threw everything they had at the enemy before them. A dozen burn marks appeared on Kirak's robes, every dodge a matter of inches. Vader's armor and cape, likewise, showed the scars of this battle as he avoided lethal blows by a hairs breadth. Dropping his left hand, he clawed his fingers and ripped upward. A brick from the training ground floor launched up, trailing grass and dirt like a comet tail as it streaked towards the Jedi. Infil'a threw himself aside and rolled back up, countering a one-handed thrust and spinning into a cross-cut to take the Sith's head. Vader's blade returned, catching the blow and shoving it aside.
Kshhhhhh
"This is not all you have, Jedi. Show me the true extent of your powers."
Green lightsaber held defensively in front of him, Infil'a cautiously stepped backwards and settled into the standard Form Four stance.
Vader watched impassively and said, "Ataru, is it?" The fourth form of combat, an acrobatic style allowing the Force to flow through the user and deliver a flurry of quick blows from multiple directions, was well known to Vader. He responded with Djem So, the Fifth form, which he could use to leverage the massive strength his artificial limbs commanded.
The Jedi attacked, blade flashing and arms pumping to rain down blows from left, right, below and above. Using the Light Side to fuel his speed and energy, Infil'a knew he couldn't keep the assault going forever. Ataru wore on the body. Using it for too long could wear the user so heavily it left them open to a counter. But few forms of combat were better for ending a duel in as quickly as possible. His blows rebounded off Vader's blade only to spin back from a new direction, almost faster than the eye could follow. However, during the Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker became a master of Djem So. Every parry and strike almost sent the Jedi reeling backwards and off balance. The Force alone pushed him onward and kept his attack speed at a level Vader couldn't ignore. Only the full might of the Sith Emperor stopped any one stroke from ending his life.
An outsider would see only an instant of rapid strikes and then the two pushed back, parting for the briefest moment only to engage again and again. Kirak Infil'a knew this wasn't the way to end the abomination of Darth Vader and his Galactic Empire. In a single flash, he chose his favorite style. The flow of the Force shifted as he switched to his specialty.
Form Six: Niman.
The sixth form of lightsaber combat, characterized by the use of Force techniques blended perfectly with saber strokes, caught Vader off guard as he caught up with the Jedi's style. Gripping his hilt with both hands, he swung down with the full power, weight, and might of his cyborg body, trying to push the Light Side user back on the defensive.
In an instant, Kirak's green blade spun, knocking the red blade aside with a Force Push, and Vader's left hand flew free, hitting the damp stone as sparks crackled and sputtered from the stump left behind. Without hesitation, Vader hammered the Jedi, sending him flying backwards with a burst of Dark Side energy that left cracked pavement where he stood.
Kshhhhhh
"Impressive," the Sith said glancing at his stump. "But insufficient."
"You plan to kill me with one arm?"
"I will kill you. No matter how many or few arms I have."
Despite the boast, Vader knew he faced an uphill battle. One arm, against a Jedi Master with more years of experience than Vader had seen in his entire life. 'It does not matter,' Vader's thoughts rang through his mind. 'I am the Chosen. I will bring balance to the Force. And I will surpass this trial as I have the others. Obi-Wan could not kill me, even as I lay burning on Mustafar. Palpatine could not stop me, even as I took my first steps in this body. The challenges against me since taking my place as Emperor, Sheyvan the Hand, even the Death Star did not stop me.'
Kshhhhhh
"Nothing will stand in my way." He swung, and the power behind the blow sent Infil'a skidding back. Another strike and the Jedi quick stepped away, attempting to gain ground.
But without his left hand, Vader felt the shift in this duel.
Even the slightest weakness was enough for Infil'a to take advantage. Vader managed to avoid a lethal strike, but in seconds his armor showed signs of a saber melting into the surface in a hundred near-death blows. Step by step, cut by cut, blow by blow, the Sith gave ground and every inch brought him that much closer to a loss. And death with it.
Pushing harder and faster than any fight in his life, Master Kirak Infil'a sensed the defiance well up in his opponent. Acting on instinct honed over decades, he instantly made his choice. Vaapad. The style developed by Mace Windu, who could balance on the edge of Light and Dark, the offensive power was unmatched for any Jedi capable of riding that beast. But falling would give Vader the instant to overcome. If the Jedi failed, for even the barest fraction of a moment, it would be the end. Still, he pushed deeper and deeper into the Force, holding that dragon by the tail and soon enough his training and dedication brought results. A single slash, a quick shift followed by the full Power of the Force carried Infil'a to the edge of victory.
Vader tried to block the strike, but it came faster and harder than any blow he'd ever encountered. He lost his weapon and in some distant way, heard it clatter off the ancient stones. A bright green light bisected his vision and his body fall to the ground, helmet cut open, the controls at his chest sparking as the tip of the blade sliced into his armor and burned his skin.
Calling upon the Light, Kirak reached out and grabbed Vader through the Force and wrenched up, lifting the cyborg into the air. Body creaking, the Jedi threw with every ounce of his will. The Sith crashed into a half wall hidden in the under brush, the remaining lens in his helmet cracking as he slammed through the stone. Dizzy, vision swimming, he tried to stand, stumbling before another surge of Force energy hit him from the side and he tumbled into the ruins of an old building. The HUD wavered a moment then went out, leaving Vader half blind. Only his left eye, open to the world, could still see.
And Infil'a was sprinting towards him.
With a spinning leap the Jedi came cartwheeling down into a slash carrying the man's weight, momentum, and every bit of the Force he could bring to bear. Vader barely had his hand up in time to block it with the Force. The kinetic blow carried on, cutting into his pauldron and biting his left shoulder.
"Graaaagh!"
Vader unleashed the Dark Side, sending Kirak back. A ragged breath rattled his chest and he pushed himself back to his feet, but caught himself starting to slump forward.
"You can't win, Creature. Strength alone is nothing. I have you beat in skill and speed. The Force is with me."
Without a word, the red blade sprung from the ground and burst to life, spinning towards Infil'a. The Jedi parried and shot forward into the ruins without hesitation. He was at Vader's throat before his saber could return. Instinct alone saved Vader. He snatched the blade, holding it back with one hand and the Dark Side. It wasn't enough, his glove smoldered and the steel of his fingers burned orange in the heat. If he held it for much longer, he'd lose this hand too. The Jedi leaned in, locking eyes with the Emperor.
Vader's head snapped forward.
A wet crunch and blood splashed over the front of his death mask. Infil'a stumbled back, broken nose gushing blood.
Catching his red lightsaber by the hilt, Vader tried to take a step forward, but stumbled. He looked down and noticed a new wound in his stomach. An unseen blow when he head-butted the Jedi?
Trying to take a breath, he failed.
"Fall, Creature," Infil'a said as blood dripped down his beard into the wet soil.
Darth Vader collapsed, drifted away from all thought and sensation.
###
"You forget your basics, boy."
"Have I died?"
"Hardly. If you were dead, I wouldn't be speaking to you. No, you've merely disappointed."
Darth Vader felt a distance to any emotion. No sorrow, no anger, merely the cold indifference of one so far away as to be meaningless. The Storm, the fate of the galaxy, his Empire, all of it meant less than nothing as he stood in the barren wasteland. All he felt was a sense of disquiet, like a minor task one couldn't recall. A needling sense you'd forgotten something important.
"Why am I here? What was so important for me to accomplish? Did it ever matter?"
He watched the lightning flash across the cloud front in the far distance. Feeling small, Anakin wondered what difference it would make if the Storm came or not. If it roared across the galaxy, destroying everything and wiping every planet clean. In the end, who could say what did or didn't seem worthy of struggle? The man felt himself float further away. Everything he was and might become felt distant, pulled in a thousand directions as he drifted into oneness with the Force. A sense of contentment washed over him. No struggle, no strife, no effort. Merely the ebb and flow of power binding the galaxy and all life within it together.
Kshhhhhh
"No."
Vader did not rise above every challenge, every trial, every barricade that stood before him to fall here. The Galactic Empire and nothing else would suffice to stand against the Storm. "I will resist it, no matter how many stand in my way. They will kneel or fall. I will bring them all to heel."
###
Vader's eyes opened, rain hitting his bare skin where Infil'a cut the helmet open. His body slumped against the stone of an ancient wall where he'd fallen. It seemed like eons, but only the twinkling of an eye passed.
The Jedi advanced, and as he did Vader remembered Vectivus' words.
ksssst
"Basics."
The Sith called on the Dark Side and summoned his weapon into his hand once more, shifting his grip around the hilt of his saber. Years ago another master of the Dark Side used a one handed grip. The fencing style known as Makashi. Form Two.
Dooku used it to fine effect against Master Kenobi and a young Padawan Skywalker.
Kirak brought his blade down on the fallen Sith, only for Vader to flick his wrist and parry the strike. A quick thrust sent the Jedi back. Rain fell harder, soaking both warriors to the bone and Darth Vader stood. Lightning flashed and Infil'a saw the ruined Sith standing anew. "Come, Jedi."
Infil'a answered, shooting forward, green saber leading the way. Vader dodged or parried what he could, but soon burns from even more blows peppered his body and where the cauterization didn't take, blood flowed freely. Rain diluted the red streams running down his legs into a frothy pink mud at his feet.
Breathing hard, Kirak narrowed his eyes and wondered how much the Sith could take. In all his time active in the Order, he'd never encountered a foe capable of withstanding such punishment only to rise again. The Sith should be dead. Dead several times over, in fact. Armor or not, wounds covered his body. No one should still be upright after all this. No one should even be capable of sentient thought. Before the Sith collapsed he'd been on the receiving end of so many blows it amazed Infil'a he had the wits to block or parry the last few attempts to finish this duel. But somehow, unconsciously, Vader protected himself from a finishing stroke. Every cut and thrust, Vader pushed them aside, leaving a glowing molten slash in his armor where the blow narrowly avoided a lethal wound.
ksssst
"I have lost my own limbs and burned on the edge of a lava flow. If that was not enough to kill me, Jedi, do you think this will fell me?"
Infil'a felt the truth behind this Sith's words. Mere combat wasn't enough. In a rush, he charged, giving himself over the full energy of the Light and gathered everything his body could contain. Slamming his foot down hard enough to fracture bones and crack the stone, he anchored himself and both arms shot out. A Force Push, strong enough to bring down a tower, hit Vader with such might even the Sith couldn't resist. Infil'a knew as he absorbed the Light, flowing through his body unchallenged, that win or lose, he wouldn't survive to see another sunrise. His entire purpose rested in the slaying of this Creature of the Dark.
Micro fractures raced along his bones as he sent Vader careening into the stones of this forgotten temple. Nothing less than total commitment, even to the point of tearing himself apart, would bring the duel to an end.
Kirak Infil'a dropped to his knees, his lightsaber falling from a near broken hand and rolling into the grass. It was a wonder he still held his eyes open. Using Ataru, Niman, and Vaapad so long, letting the Force flow in him as a vessel to cut down the Sith… It felt like he'd been awake for days.
"Haaahh… Creature, I know you live. Come out and face me."
A torn, tattered glove reached out of the misty rain and grasped the shattered rock. Vader's breath rattled as the control panel on his chest sparked. Shadows parted and one yellow eye glared out. The joints of an exposed, prosthetic leg managed to support the Sith Lord.
"Not. Enough," He wheezed.
Vader knew the Jedi, more experienced, had the advantage in skill and technique. All that remained left to him was his own will. And a command of the Dark Side of the Force. Upright, Vader swung his hand and broken stonework exploded across the empty training grounds at the Jedi.
Infil'a side stepped the debris and rolled, grabbing his saber, the green glow and hum, the sizzle of rain hitting the blade, a mere background to the rush of wind and fury all around them.
kssst
A look of hate burned from out of the dented and broken helmet. "You will take nothing from me. Not my Empire. Not my purpose. And not my life."