A/N: New art of the trip to Raxus Prime has appeared on the you-know-where.
Chapter 71
Obi-Wan had expected a moment like this to only come much later in his life.
A moment of looking back and observing his journey, celebrating the joys, regretting the mistakes. Yet here he was, literally outside of the universe, in an impossible monastery looking back with the eyes of memory and questioning how he could have been so blind.
Beginning all the way back when he'd been a freshly minted knight in the wake of Master Qui-Gon's death, taking on the responsibility of Anakin before he'd even formally taken the oath.
It was customary for new knights to at least spend a few years out in the galaxy, coming to terms with the new role, finding their feet, forging their own path. Yet for Obi-Wan, his mentoring of Anakin was the defining path of his knighthood.
Now Anakin was a knight himself and he a master, yet Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel that in some respects the old padawan-knight relationship hadn't ended at all.
Into the equation came Ahsoka.
The Council had expected the padawan to temper Anakin, apply the brakes somewhat to the new knight who was being thrust center stage into the war and even add to his education in the Force. The latter had succeeded marvelously but the former had failed. On the contrary, Ahsoka and Anakin together had 'punched the hyperdrive to max' when it came to their respective progression as knight and padawan.
It was inevitable in retrospect, something that the war had forced on them both.
The blasted war.
It was forcing change on the Jedi and in many respects, not for the better.
He only had to look to the grand architect of the war to see that.
How many times had they stood in the same room? Yoda, Windu, Mundi, himself and other Council members in Palpatine's office on many occasions for meetings and none of them had perceived a thing. Only that the genteel Sheev Palpatine, was nothing more than a shrewd, cunning politician from Naboo, reluctantly shouldering the burden of the extreme executive powers afforded to him by the Senate during wartime.
He could only marvel at the fact that it was possible to hide and deceive even the potent senses of a Jedi Master as old and experienced as Yoda.
That it was all made possible by a hidden Sith shrine in the deepest depths under the Temple on Coruscant was… frustrating to say the least.
Something had to be done.
For nearly five thousand years, this hidden darkness and malice had been seeping into everything subtly. It was somewhat awe inspiring that his generation was the one to see the fruition of such an old plan. Yet it was also now his and the others' responsibility to safely lead the Order out of this trap, which Palpatine was taking advantage of.
For the last few hours he had been trying to chart a course that would actually do that, but always ran headlong into the problem of the Shroud.
"Many sleepless nights I've been wrestling with this problem, Master Kenobi. Searching as subtly as possible through the Archives for any clue that would lead me to some form of technique or artifact that would pierce or even cast off the Shroud. I found a few, but it all runs into the problem that it is actually a pointless endeavor, that would only serve to alert Sidious and in the worst case scenario, retreat whilst he murders his way through key senators. The sad fact of the matter is, that Coruscant is lost to him, but whilst he is here, at least he is stuck in his role and not at large in the galaxy, free to spread misery. We do not want him enacting his exposure contingencies, master."
Her words rang through his mind.
The words of full blown Foresight or as she called it, Prescience.
Even as he was briefly angered at them both for hiding it, with hindsight he couldn't fault Ahsoka.
The actions of the Council collectively of late did not inspire confidence that they would act with prudence or wisdom if such a power was revealed to them. Not to mention what Sidious would do.
That was another fact that really stuck in his beard.
Any Council meeting he attended in the future was now essentially a charade where he had to dance to the tune of Darth Sidious. Not only to the enemy but to his fellow masters as well, who were all clueless. If he started acting strangely, they would pick up on it. In their own probings and inquiries, they'd bumble forward and in turn alert Sidious.
So much was explained by Yoda's recent behavior now. It was incredibly subtle, but the grandmaster had begun to reduce the official Council sittings, in lieu of the war not allowing the usual amount of time to be dedicated to them. More often than not, decisions were being made only by a smaller quorum, consisting of Yoda, Windu, Plo Koon and himself.
All the other masters were usually on the sidelines to keep the day-to-day of the Jedi Order functioning or busy with the war effort in some way.
"Obi-Wan."
Master Qui-Gon's voice cut through his meditation like a lightsaber.
He blinked open his eyes, seeing that night had fallen on Mortis again through the window. There was no lightning this time, but he felt a shudder go through the floor of the monastery under him.
Great, earthquakes as well? He thought wryly.
The absence of something that should be in his senses was his second clue that something was very wrong.
He stood and whirled around, only to see no Ahsoka in the small quarters. He reached out further and managed to barely find Anakin, though it was difficult to make him out against the sun of power that Bendu represented.
Obi-Wan rushed out the doors with speed, following his instincts.
In the large central chamber, he came upon Bendu and Anakin sitting across from each other.
The former was holding his large hands vertically in front of him, palms facing each other. In between was a small pebble that was floating, held suspended with the celestial's power. The Force seemed to flex in a way that made Obi-Wan's head hurt just trying to perceive it.
Bendu abruptly stopped what he was doing and let the pebble fall to the floor.
"Master Kenobi," he acknowledged.
Anakin turned around with annoyance written on his features, "Obi-Wan what-"
"Have either of you seen Ahsoka?" Obi-Wan interrupted urgently.
"She was with you," Anakin said, closing his eyes for a moment. "I can't reach her again."
Bendu stood and looked into the distance, his eyes seemingly piercing the monastery walls. He raised an aged brow at what he was perceiving. "It seems my son has actually taken her into the heart of his domain on Mortis. She wouldn't break to his manipulations, so now he has her fighting her own Darkness, which he has given physical form. All in the effort to weaken her so she will eventually give in to him, just to make the torment stop."
"Then we need to go there now," Anakin insisted.
"We will, but certain preparations must be made first, Skywalker. We are not simply going on a random stroll out into Mortis. That is where my son is strongest. He could even strike me down if he was so inclined. Come, follow."
Bendu began long strides along the walkway towards the main doors of the monastery and both Jedi hurried to follow. He began an expansive gesture with his arms and they felt a brief disorientation as their perceptions suddenly changed in the Force and conventionally.
They were now walking outside, the giant monastery suddenly more than twenty kilometers distant on the horizon.
The ground beneath them shifted with rock and sand.
Looming ahead was a very tall mountain, with a path snaking up all the way to a midway point, which led into a large cave entrance.
"What are we looking for in there?" Anakin asked.
"A key," Bendu said, his strides came even faster now and they had to lightly jog to keep up.
Even as they walked the earth beneath their feet shuddered occasionally.
"Are earthquakes common here?" Obi-Wan wondered.
"No," Bendu answered as they reached the cave entrance and plunged inside without hesitation.
Initially there was only darkness but then the massive interior was lit up with green light that flooded the entire chamber. Obi-Wan belatedly realized that the entire mountain was hollowed out, lit with torches of green fire and down below a massive chasm was also filled with flowing green lava that radiated more of the fire. Rather disquietingly he also determined that this interior was also larger on the inside than what should've been possible given the exterior dimensions of the mountain.
Bendu led the way down a staircase cut out of the interior, which soon became a narrow bridge that crossed over the green lava, leading to a prominent central island that hung in mid air with no clear physical support.
Prominent on this island was a three meter tall pyramid made of the same metal-stone hybrid material which the Mortis space station had been composed of.
"To defeat my son, we will need what is inside. Skywalker, approach the pyramid, it will react to you. Also important, make sure you focus on your true goal. Understand?"
Anakin frowned slightly before a light of realization entered his eyes. "Yes."
"Good, off you go. Your apprentice is giving Bogan a good show, but she is only mortal and will tire out."
"Chrono is ticking, I get it."
Obi-Wan watched with worry and apprehension as Anakin began walking the bridge, occasionally stopping and closing his eyes.
When Anakin was well out of earshot, Obi-Wan sidled up to the celestial, "Why do I get the feeling that this is a test?"
"It is, I had to protect the key from both my daughter and son. In the hands of either, the balance would be severely disrupted on Mortis. The pyramid judges you as you approach."
"And what happens if you fail this test?"
"Nothing, you will simply not gain what is inside."
"A key to defeating your son, don't think I didn't notice how carefully you chose your words. Anything capable of killing a celestial like you must be powerful in ways I can't even conceive of."
"You might be surprised, Master Kenobi," Bendu gave a rare smile.
Anakin took the final steps and reached the pyramid.
Nothing seemed to be happening.
"What happens if we can't get this 'key'?"
"Then Master Kenobi, we will have a true fight on our hands that I do not feel confident in our chances of winning and even if we win, the cost might be too great to bear."
The pyramid abruptly hissed and split open in an intricate dance of parts that Obi-Wan struggled to even look at. Triangles turned to quadrilaterals, which turned into shapes that his eyes struggled to make sense of, that were phasing in and out of view. Finally, the bizarre display of eldritch shapes ended and it seemed to be open. Now from inside, a stone plinth emerged with a simple cylinder of what looked like liquid metal.
Anakin reached out to it and immediately the cylinder seemed to come alive with movement, again forming shapes that were both conventional and yet others that gave Obi-Wan a headache trying to comprehend.
A straight handle eventually formed and Anakin didn't hesitate to grab it.
By the time he had pulled it out of the pyramid, the rest of it had formed a long curved blade.
Obi-Wan blinked in astonishment, all this for an exotic looking vibroblade?
He looked at it through the Force though and immediately wished he hadn't.
"What is that?" he asked Bendu flatly.
"What does it look like to you?"
"My eyes tell me it's a blade, but it's wrong. It shouldn't exist, yet it does. There's no better word I have for it."
"Correct," Bendu turned to Anakin and called out. "Skywalker, do not bring that blade close to your hand or test it in any fashion. You will die instantly should any part of it touch you."
Anakin froze midway through a swing, clearly to test the balance, then looked at the weapon wearily and hurried back over the bridge.
"So how is this a key?"
"You saw its shape before it became a blade, it's merely reacting to you. Deep down, you realize you need a weapon that is stronger than a lightsaber, since you saw how Bogan effortlessly neutralized yours. Now you have one. Something capable of killing a celestial. I will not elaborate on the mechanics or science, and yes there is science behind it. We don't have the time. Come."
The large celestial walked off, heading back up the staircase.
When they were back outside the mountain, Bendu held up a hand to stop their walk and in the same movement made a circular gesture right in front of him.
The Force twisted, folded in on itself, then in a hundred other directions.
In the visible spectrum all that was seen was a slight haziness to the light that reached Obi-Wan's eyes. A flat plane that was distorting light in the shape of a circle.
"Stepping through this, you will immediately be in the courtyard of Bogan's citadel. Ashla will join you on the other side."
"You're not coming with?" Anakin asked, his face twisting with unhappiness.
"My presence will only inflame the situation into open conflict immediately. Both myself and Ashla in the heart of his domain can mean only one thing to him."
"That you intend to kill him," Obi-Wan nodded in understanding.
"From his point of view, yes. Skywalker, use that blade only as a last resort. Bogan's death is not what we want or need, not when he is needed to fight the Mother in the future."
Anakin shared a grim look with Obi-Wan.
He knew immediately what Anakin was silently asking and nodded.
Both men steeled themselves and walked towards the distortion.
It didn't feel strange at all. No more difficult than walking through an open door from one room to the next, only in the Force did they perceive what was actually happening. The world of Mortis changed instantly around them.
They were now standing on a dark paved courtyard with black stone tiles beneath their feet. The circular courtyard was massive, easily measuring more than two hundred meters from the base of a colossal citadel that towered high into the air above.
The citadel itself was an eight sided affair, wide at the base and narrowing to a tip, upon which was hovering a green ball of energy that seemed to be the only decent source of actual light for the entire area. In the courtyard also stood four much smaller towers placed at equidistant intervals around the citadel, these were barely five meters in height. The entire structure was also placed on a perfectly circular plateau, with a high wall bordering it. From this wall radiating outward was ribbed battlements that seemed designed to fend off an entire army.
The general environment was shrouded with low lying, dark clouds, but off in the distance a nearby active volcano was actively spewing a lava river that was channeled to surround the entire citadel, creating a deadly moat.
"There's ego and then there's this ego," Anakin said with amazement as he looked around and up at the massive citadel.
"This is just the one he currently resides in," Ashla's voice said from behind them.
The tall celestial gracefully walked into view and looked rather out of place, her radiant presence and severe beauty in stark contrast to the dark and depressing surroundings. Obi-Wan felt his heart and spirit naturally buoyed just by her sheer presence.
"He has more?"
She nodded gracefully but her fair face frowned at the sight of the celestial weapon in Anakin's hand.
The paving and earth rumbled again, the Force rippled and shook.
The gloomy clouds above seemed to ripple as if something was moving through it with great speed. Then there was a flash of red and green light.
In the Force, it was as if two great forces had clashed in the unseen gloom, a shockwave radiated outwards and disturbed the gloomy clouds, pushing them outward.
It finally allowed them to make out that it was in fact the clash and characteristic flashing of lightsabers in combat.
"It's Ahsoka," Anakin stated grimly.
In the gloom of the night, a blue crackling stream of lightning seemed to surge through the clouds, this reached a point in sky above and was instantly redirected to connect with the tip of the citadel.
More surges of force went back and forth through the broiling clouds, which were themselves not natural. They would've all been dissipated long ago by the competing forces.
Flashes of green and red appeared again at another point in the sky.
"That's fast," Anakin said, sounding impressed.
"Fighting in the sky, that's a new one," Obi-Wan mused, trying to imagine the mechanics of a lightsaber battle with a fully three dimensional sphere of movement available to the combatants.
"It's something she only theorized about, given the boot jets we have in our armor. It was always impractical or there was never a chance to put it into practice. Only Durge has flight capabilities anyway and he doesn't use it to fight as such."
"Well, now it seems she's found an opponent, herself."
There was another rapid clash of lightsabers, then a radiant wave of clashing surges in the Force.
A small figure streaked out of the clouds and crashed into the side of the citadel with bone breaking force.
Obi-Wan felt his heart and stomach clench as he recognized the distinct skin tone and white montrals and lekku of Ahsoka as she now lifelessly fell the long distance to the unyielding courtyard floor.
However, before the body could impact… it vanished?
From the sky another figure descended with speed towards them.
The hiss and whine of boot jets reached their ears as Ahsoka, clad in her patterned Aegis armor landed a few meters away.
Her lightsaber blades hovered protectively around her and the Darksaber was clenched tightly in her right hand.
Her face was fierce, grimacing with clenched teeth. Her eyes were hyper focused but it was also clear she had not gotten through the fight so far without injury. Numerous bruises adorned her face, a burn on her right cheek and blood was leaking from both her nostrils and mouth. Her armor also had scorch marks and pitted areas that clearly marked near misses of a lightsaber.
Then she collapsed to one knee and began breathing harshly.
"Ahsoka!" Anakin rushed to his padawan, turning the Mortis blade into a reverse grip.
"About…" she gasped, "bloody… time."
Anakin placed his hand on her cheek and he grimaced. "Sithspit Snips, you need a bacta tank."
"No…" she grimaced and spat blood to the side. "... Time. She'll be back."
"She? Your Dark Side? Was that her you killed?"
Ahsoka nodded and closed her eyes. Obi-Wan felt the Force surge inward around them as the padawan called on it. "That's the fourth time. She just frakking reappears without a scratch on her after seven minutes or so."
"How long have you been fighting?"
"Can't tell at this point, lost helmet, armor too damaged. Feels like it's been hours at least. If this was any place other than Mortis, I'd be dead in so many ways. My body should be cooked from using the Force this much."
"Many things are different here," Ashla said and strode forward. She placed her hand on Ahsoka's head and smiled softly at her.
Obi-Wan had seen the healers in the Jedi Temple work wonders with the Force and modern technology. What Ashla did next made them seem like they were working with ancient needles and thread.
In mere moments, the bruising faded, cuts closed and Ahsoka's burnt cheek seemed to ripple and reorganize itself, the clotted blood and dead flesh falling off, replaced with immaculate and healthy light orange skin.
The padawan also winced, clutching at her ribs and suddenly took a deep, smooth breath.
So she had broken ribs as well, Obi-Wan thought, which were now presumably also healed.
Ahsla removed her hand, "You are well."
Ahsoka hardly seemed to believe it had happened, touching her face briefly and nodded. "Thank you, Ashla."
"Thanks is not necessary."
The padawan got to her feet with Anakin's help and tested her balance. Then when she was satisfied she stepped away. Her lightsabers, which had retreated above her head to remain out of the way, shut themselves down and clipped to her belt.
"Whatever you plan on doing, do it quickly," Ahsoka said intently.
"We will." Ashla bowed her head.
A pillar of dark flame erupted from the ground just five meters away and out of it stepped another Ahsoka.
Obi-Wan could only raise an eyebrow at the risque appearance, the sheer darkness and palpable apathy radiating from the dark mirror of Ahsoka.
"Go," Ahsoka said with a grim determination, her lightsabers activating as she strode towards her opponent.
"Snips…"
"Don't Snips me, Skyguy," Ahsoka snapped. "This is my fight."
"Yeah, don't you just hate that nickname," Dark Ahsoka commisterated with her other half, her own red dual lightsabers bursting to life.
"You shut up," Ahsoka snapped again.
An abrupt Force Wave shot forward and caught the Dark Ahsoka off-guard, sending her flying backward with astonishing speed.
Ahsoka blurred with speed, jumped and flew after her dark incarnation.
Anakin flipped over the Mortis blade and glared at the distant battle as the clash of lightsabers began again, looking very reluctant to leave.
"Come Anakin," Obi-Wan put a hand on his old padawan's shoulder. "Trust her to fight her own demons and battles, trust in the training you gave her."
Anakin reluctantly nodded and they followed a patient Ashla, who led them to a giant stone door set into the side of the citadel.
It opened automatically at their approach, groaning ominously despite moving smoothly into huge recesses on either side of the entrance.
Ahead was a large landing that led to a wide staircase. The interior was dark, lit with only red torches of fire. The walls and ceiling were lost to the smothering darkness despite the light. Only Ashla's natural radiance seemed able to illuminate things when she was nearby, banishing the darkness and allowing them to see the walls were inscribed with all manner of unknown jagged writings and glyphs.
The staircase itself ranged upwards as far as they could see. If Obi-Wan looked quickly, he could convince himself he was on an infinite set of stairs.
I really hope that's not the case, he thought wryly.
They walked and walked, for what felt like the equivalent of twenty floors, with no end in sight.
"How high is this staircase?" Anakin asked with annoyance.
"It seems my brother is enjoying the battle outside, he's delaying us reaching him," Ashla commented.
"Isn't there anything you can do?"
"I could, but it would anger him. Anger is not where we want to start this."
"My padawan is fighting for her life outside and for his sick amusement. I don't care about his feelings."
Ashla tilted her head, giving Anakin an arched eyebrow. Her typically placid, serene expression morphed into annoyance. "As you wish." She raised her hands and threw them down hard.
Obi-Wan and Anakin stumbled slightly as the staircase under their feet vanished.
Now they were in a long room, with sharp arches supporting the ceiling high overhead. The floor was covered with a long red carpet that led to one end of the room. On that side, a familiar jagged throne, but on an even larger scale. It was backlit with a yellow orange stained glass design. It featured a large teardrop shape, within that a single dot surrounded by a circle. That in turn, was encapsulated with two arms that formed an eye, but if you looked at it as a whole, seemed to be a stylized representation of a person surrounding the circle with their arms.
Bogan lounged on his throne, resting his face on his fist as he stared into the distance with a mild smile and his red eyes shone with eagerness. Their appearance in his throne room immediately drew his attention and he frowned with annoyance.
"Sister," he acknowledged idly. "That is quite rude of you. Barging into my inner domain like that. Not to mention when I have such fine entertainment. I never imagined any Jedi could be so creative and grand in their application of the Force." He breathed deeply as if he was savoring the smell of something. "Can you sense the anger, the desperation, the determination?"
"We both know what Ahsoka is, what she represents," Ashla said sternly. "Yet still, you would corrupt her?"
"I'd be a fool not to," Bogan retorted. "With her I can leave this prison at last, we can kill the Mother together and then… the galaxy will be ours again. We can stride amongst the races, we can stop this conflict with the snap of a finger."
"Your arrogance is getting the better of you, brother," Ahsla retorted, shaking her head. "The Mother is but one threat. Besides, you know how she fights."
"Hence why I want Ahsoka, who will see Mother's tendrils clearly."
"I know you brother, you would end this war being fought in the galaxy, only to see dozens more sprout up in its wake. Do you really think that they will tolerate us walking amongst them? Using them as dejarik pieces as we play our inevitable conflict. They are not so young anymore."
Bogan waved her concern off, "That may be true, but they are as yet incapable of truly harming us."
"They will rebel."
"Then they will be destroyed!" snapped Bogan, his red eyes glowing.
"Inevitably they would all rebel, you would cleanse the galaxy of life?" Ashla narrowed her eyes. She seemed to be her usual self, but Obi-Wan could hear the dangerous undercurrent in her tone.
"Don't be ridiculous, dear sister. It'd just be a pruning of the tree. The Force will always find a way, but this time we will guide and mold the path it takes."
"More arrogance. We are guardians and representatives, we are not embodiments of the Power. You cannot truly speak for the Dark any more than I can speak for the Light."
"Sister, you're beginning to bore me. Not to mention interrupting my show."
"Enough!" Anakin shouted. "My padawan is not your entertainment, she is not yours and never will be! Stop embodying her Darkness!"
"Or what?" Bogan asked with amusement.
Anakin simply raised the Mortis blade, pointing it directly at Bogan.
The celestial was instantly on his feet and for the first time something like a hint of fear was in his eyes. "What? Where did you get that? How did I not see it?!"
Obi-Wan and Anakin looked at each other in confusion.
"I've had it in my hand the entire time, Bogan," Anakin shrugged.
The celestial glared at his sister now, "Clever father. So he's finally willing to kill me? To forever disrupt his precious balance?"
"You're doing a very good job of that already, brother."
"Does father seriously think, even with that in the hands of the Chosen One, he would be able to achieve anything? He might as well have handed me the blade on a platter," Bogan laughed darkly.
He raised his hand towards Anakin.
The Force twisted, surged, pulled, pushed as suddenly Ashla, Anakin and Obi-Wan raised their hands and contested Bogan's control, as he attempted to wrest the blade for himself.
Obi-Wan for the briefest moment, felt like a leaf being battered in a storm, until he reluctantly took the plunge and started calling on the greater and greater amounts of the Force to strengthen his control in the battle of power being waged.
Even then he felt very much like the proverbial child in this battle.
Anakin's strength was monstrous, Ashla's strength was even greater and Bogan was like a wall of water bearing down on them that they were trying to hold back.
Well, child he may be in terms of strength in comparison, but he was a Jedi master.
Instead of just brainlessly bashing their heads against Bogan, Obi-Wan began to channel and direct, to where the power could have the greatest effect.
Turning their side into blades of power that sliced through, instead of just bluntly bashing against their opposition.
At that point, Anakin closed his eyes, gritted his teeth and shoved both hands forward.
The entire room began shaking as Anakin's strength grew and grew.
Bogan's eyes widened and showed for the first time some measure of concern as he continued wrestling for control.
Such was the torrent of contesting power, that cracks and dents began appearing in the structure around them as slivers of telekinesis began splattering uncontrollably in all directions.
Anakin took a single step forward, the Mortis blade now hung from his armor's belt.
Bogan's face began showing strain. "What is this?"
"Enough!" shouted Anakin.
The shout echoed through the Force as well and heralded a burst of power that only briefly stopped against Bogan, before it bullied its way straight through his defenses. Shearing through it like a collimated laser beam though ordinary steel.
Bogan only barely managed to reestablish his defenses to weather the storm that followed.
The citadel was cracked in half.
The upper portion simply disappeared into the distance, riding the resulting telekinetic energies until it vanished from view.
Obi-Wan looked up at the ashen dark Mortis sky and struggled with the disbelief that something like that had just happened.
"Argh," Bogan screamed in frustration. "Look what you did to my citadel!"
"Brother, you can rebuild it easily," Ashla pointed out.
"That's not the point, it's mine, my own, my work, from my power!"
"It's not your power."
Bogan snarled in response, the Force screamed in warning.
Obi-Wan and Anakin's lightsabers lit with moments to spare before Bogan released a storm of red lightning at them from his fingertips.
Ashla didn't have to bother with a lightsaber blade to perform her own Tutaminis. She held up her palms and gathered all the lightning arcing in her direction to harmlessly coalesce.
The Jedi on the other hand were having major trouble defending from all the lightning. The strength was so overwhelming that bolts were arcing out, threatening to ground and hit them anyway despite the defense.
"This- isn't… good!" Anakin gritted his teeth as he pushed his saber against the storm.
Obi-Wan could feel it immediately, "Our blade's crystals are going to explode in our hands at this rate!"
Anakin transferred his blade to his left hand and held out his right to Obi-Wan. "Take it now."
"Hope you have a plan," Obi-Wan grunted and grasped the offered hand with his left, holding his own blade horizontally against the lightning.
"Trust me."
"I do."
Obi-Wan felt his former student push his Tutaminis over and in that moment they somehow linked their efforts in a way that would definitely merit a visit to the Council of First Knowledge if they survived all this.
The errant bolts became fewer in number until over a few agonizing seconds later, they disappeared entirely.
That still left the problem of their overloading lightsabers but Anakin seemed to have an answer for that one too, as he suddenly kicked out a foot towards Bogan and sent a stream of the celestial's lightning straight back at him!
"What?!" Bogan winced in surprise as he suddenly also had to use Tutaminis with his right hand to keep himself from being cooked with own technique.
Obi-Wan inwardly felt only relief as he sensed his lightsaber's kyber crystal stabilize and pass off the destructive energies through the bizarre circuit they had created with Bogan.
Bogan laughed again, "How long do you think you can go on like this Jedi? You will falter long before-"
Anakin shut him up thoroughly in the next moment when Obi-Wan felt his presence in the Force swell and surge to a new high mark.
The lightning streaming to Bogan from his foot suddenly gained a new hue, turning emerald and increased vastly in volume, to the point where now it was as if Bogan was the one actually under assault.
"Arghh, this is… not possible!"
Bogan suddenly refocused his own assault completely on Anakin.
Ashla kept her palms up, holding onto a considerable portion of Bogan's power that was swirling in her grasp.
Obi-Wan didn't dare disrupt the flow of Tutaminis that had been established between him and Anakin - that way lay only disaster. Yet his lightsaber was now free, the only problem was that it was useless against Bogan.
Anakin's version of Electric Judgment streamed into Bogan's Tutaminis defense, Bogan's lightning continued to pound Anakin's defense.
Natural lightning streaked overhead through the clouds and they roiled with the disturbance the battle created.
Ashla vanished.
"Oh?" Bogan chuckled. "Typical sister, always running when things get really tough!"
Anakin slowly put down his foot and yet, somehow the Electric Judgement kept going, now emerging just half a meter from the front of his chest.
"Well done, you're learning, oh Chosen One! Let's dispense with the affectations!"
He now dropped both his hands, his red lighting emerging from the air, an arm's length from his chest towards them and even his Tutaminis was now beyond his body, acting much like a ship's shields.
"Any… ideas?" Anakin gritted out the words slowly and with effort. Obi-Wan sensed his concentration, focus and their lives were hanging by a thread.
In any other situation, he would've tried blasting Bogan with a Force Push or even a Crush. His own focus was just on maintaining the shared Tutaminis between them. If he tried anything else, that would shatter.
Either Bogan would outlast them or he would grow bored of the endless battle and end it another way.
"Sorry, Anakin."
"Yeah, figured that."
My blades orbited around me, spinning constantly, I held the Darksaber ready.
Around me the world was just an ever-changing, dark gray cloud that would occasionally flash with a lightning discharge, creating a snapshot of light that seared into my eyes like a photograph that would linger. Fortunately, my eyes were the last thing I was relying on to keep track of Bohsoka.
I pushed myself abruptly left, just in time to dodge her own spinning red blade.
My boot jets flared and I shot myself backward, head first before rolling, the Darksaber leading the way as I did. Thinking of myself as a starfighter in the void of space was helping a ton in the fight, including taking some inspiration from other sources.
The Darksaber was intercepted by Bohsoka's blade and she tried throwing a right hook to my face at the same time.
My spinning blades came in from odd angles, trying to fillet her from behind.
Her own second blade that hovered behind her fended them off.
We proceeded into another exchange of single bladed battle, whilst our hovering blades dueled for supremacy around us.
We ended up in a blade lock straining against each other with gritted teeth.
A sudden burst of my boot jets combined with the Force, allowed me to push her blade just enough to create an opening, which my knee exploited with full force against her stomach.
It broke our lock and she spun in a brief uncontrolled yaw.
"Hah!"
My follow up Force Push blasted her back, the clouds deforming around us with the strength of the wave.
With bursts of her own jets and Force emissions she regained control and stopped her yaw and backwards momentum.
Her hovering blade zoomed back to her and she smirked at me with an eager maliciousness.
"Getting a bit physical are we?!"
A sudden, massive Force Pull slammed into me, carrying me towards her at crazy speeds.
Instead of resisting, I engaged full boot jets and a Force Push radiated outward behind me.
I called on every bit of the Force to buff my arms and slammed a dual palm strike on her upper chest and lower abdomen.
I felt her ribs break as I powered through her own Force defense.
The momentum transfer sent her flying backward again.
"How's that?!"
It took her a good few seconds to stop herself and she was growling with fury, her eyes flaring orange as she took the pain to further fuel her own Darkness.
"How long have we been fighting, Ahsoka?! Do you even know?" she shouted.
She closed the distance to me in a surge of Force Speed that was barely over in an eyeblink.
Our blades locked in battle and for good measure we started to throw in punches, strikes and kicks.
I blocked her blade low, preventing her from chopping my left leg off, whilst angling my right arm into her left hook that sought to slam into my right montral.
My right elbow slammed into her side, breaking another rib.
I paid for that by taking a rising knee straight under my chin.
It was all I could do to prevent my jaw breaking but I felt a spike of pain nevertheless as a number of teeth decided to take a vacation.
I spat blood and two teeth directly into her eyes.
She didn't need her eyes to fight or see, but there was no overriding that instinct to flinch and the sharp burning of a foreign liquid in the eyes.
It provided the moment I needed to flip over and nail her with an ax kick that connected hard right on her left shoulder, snapping her clavicle.
She was propelled downward and flipped ass over teakettle, screaming in anger and pain.
When she regained control again, she hovered closer but stopped a dozen meters away.
I was treated to the sight of her using the Force internally to put the bone in place and keep it there.
"It won't help, Ahsoka," she shouted over the distant sound of thunder. "We've done this dance and it will end the same way. I'll just come back. You cannot defeat me. Why bother?!"
"In the same vein, you cannot truly defeat me either," I retorted. "You will only ever win, if I choose to give up fighting."
I met her eyes and we ended up in a minor staring contest.
Bohsoka raised her blade, holding the hilt above her head. A stance from Djem So. Her other blade deactivated itself and clipped to her hip.
So that's what she wanted. A more conventional duel suddenly, with the minor difference we were still a few hundred meters in the air.
My own blades also returned, whilst I kept the Darksaber in my right hand, pointed directly at her with my right side facing her, my left hand tucked behind my back.
Both our Prescience was severely clouded in Mortis, but we still had seconds of time to work with and so we began a stop-start precog duel.
Back and forth we went, testing each other's defenses, high, low, left, right, riposte, deflect, thrusts, strikes, overhead and low.
Then the Force rippled as a massive disturbance buffeted our senses.
Bohsoka looked down and scowled with irritation. "Not now!"
Then she was gone, vanishing into thin air with a ripple. Her awful stench in the Force dissipated and I only sensed the general darkness of Bogan's realm.
I kept my guard up for a full minute, pushing my senses to the limit to find if this was some sort of trick.
Nothing.
'Ahsoka!'
Anakin's urgent scream over the bond penetrated my brain.
'Master? Are you-'
'No time. Come!'
He pushed a single memory to me.
"Frak!"
I angled myself in the direction of Bogan's citadel and flew as fast as I could.
There would be only one shot at this.
The clouds streamed past me and after less than a minute of breakneck speed I broke through the lowest level of darkness and spied Bogan's citadel… or what was left of it.
The crackle of green and blue lightning was clearly visible as Anakin and Bogan fought.
I pushed my flight path straight up, gaining altitude to obscure me in the clouds again, then arced over and dove.
The remains of Bogan's throne room was at first merely as big as my thumb, but swelled in size as I streaked down from above.
My will reached down and using our bond as a guide, my telekinesis grabbed a hold of the Mortis blade hilt.
I could only hope Bendu and Ashla had done their part at this point, because otherwise…
I flipped my body over, bringing my feet down and flared bootjets and a pulse of Force Push to decelerate, even as I pulled on the Mortis blade.
It met me halfway through my descent and latched onto my palm.
I gripped tight and pointed it straight down, aiming straight for the back of Bogan's neck.
I couldn't afford to slow down too much, otherwise leave him time…
A mere five meters before the tip would've pierced his white skin, I was suddenly blasted with a Force Push that sent me way off course.
I frantically threw out telekinesis waves to get myself back under control, but I still ended up hitting the unyielding stone floor of Bogan's throne room at a speed that knocked the wind out of me and did a number on my left knee, twisting it to the point where it almost snapped, but I could feel the pain of torn ligaments tearing through my consciousness.
What happened to the Mortis blade?
My brain was fuzzy with pain and I rolled over, desperately engaging internal damage control via the Force.
By the time I was in any state to think and comprehend again, I looked up to see a nightmare.
Bogan holding the Mortis blade casually and smugly in his right hand. Anakin still on his feet, defiant, his power strong and rising. Obi-Wan on the ground, injured somehow and out cold. No Bendu or Ashla.
"Frak."
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