Chapter 28 - Will of the Force and Will of the Man
Vader's body, what little of it remained organic, ached.
No different than any other day. Pain, the Sith's oldest companion, remained close as ever. Even as a child slave, he knew it well. Hands covered in cuts and nicks, little muscles sore from carrying a load too heavy for his Toydarian owner. His time as a Jedi, particularly once the Clone Wars kicked off, became a series of battles and near death escapades. Yet each time, he emerged the victor, stronger than before. And most mornings, he rolled out of bed massaging life back into a stiff body, ready to do it all over again.
ksssst
"Pain is an old friend. Let me show you."
The Dark Lord of the Sith extended two fingers.
Kirak Infil'a rolled to one side and sprung up at the ready as a stone wall collapsed atop the ground he'd been standing on, roof tiles sliding off and crashing down without the support of the ancient structure. As soon as he straightened, he sensed the shifting ground and jumped back as several cobble stones burst up. "Is that it, Sith? A few tricks with the Dark Side?"
ksssst
"Do you feel it beneath us? The reason your Order built this temple? Here, at this place, on this planet?" The Force thrummed in response to Vader's will and Infil'a, eyes widening, realized what they were standing atop. Or rather, what they weren't standing on.
Solid ground.
Stone cracked and split at their feet. Dirt crumbled. In an instant the ground dropped awa. A yawning maw into the darkness opened beneath the Jedi's feet and he plummeted into the shadows. He saw the Sith fall as well until debris blocked his view, then there was naught but the rushing wind and crumbling earth all around him. In a moment he spread his senses out, feeling the Force flow, even in the cacophony of chaos and violence wrought by the Dark Side. As if he'd done it a hundred times, Kirak pushed off a cracking boulder and bounced from rock to rock, avoiding the crashing stone and soil. In the work of the moment, he jumped above most of the avalanche and let the Light guide him down safely into the gloom.
He slowed his fall with the Force, alighting on the rough, wet stone floor of the cavern. Lightning flashed above, casting an eerie blue glow upon the cave. Shadows danced against the uneven rock walls and the darkness beyond the reach of that light seemed so much deeper. Infil'a realized it now. A feeling on the edge of sensation made obvious. The Force ran thick all around him. Somewhere, far below them in the furthest reaches of this cavern, the Unifying and Living Force spilled out like a natural spring bursting with pure water. In this place, any Jedi would find themselves practically erupting with power. Kirak could feel it now, his wounds and exhaustion fading as if no more than a bad dream. The ache in his body and the cold rain seeping into his skin left him like a fog in sunlight.
However, at the same time, the overwhelming power clouded his senses. Vader became a dimmer presence in the face of such pure Force energies. The Sith, kneeling in a shallow pool of water, stood slowly, the charred and melted armor looking ragged and his artificial limbs barely holding together.
kssst
"Jedi," Vader wheezed. In a burst of violent strength, he slammed the butt of his lightsaber into the death mask he wore. The transparasteel lens shattered and fell away. As the Sith Lord rose, two yellow eyes burned from the shadows. "This Vergence, this Locus of deepest Force energies, has been waiting for us."
"Waiting? Speak plainly, Creature. The Force is not-" and he stopped short. Reaching out, Kirak felt the Sith's words held truth behind them. "How?"
Kssst
"The Power of the Force is not bound by time or space, Jedi. Upon this duel, the fate of the galaxy turns. We are both cause and conclusion. Beginning and end. From our presence, here and now, this Vergence formed millenia ago. Your ancient predecessors knew it, and for this purpose, built their temple in hopes of purging the Dark Side. They failed."
Although he might not wish to admit it, might deny it even, Kirak knew. The Dark and Light mingled, twisting and turning around one another. Snakes, coiling and striking in an endless fight for dominance. Even though he'd waited here for days, only now that it was spoken aloud did he realize the faintest of inklings he'd felt the entire time. Two sides, pushing back and forth, yet maintaining balance. Reaching deep below him, into the pits of the earth, it seemed so very ancient, yet so fresh and new. He looked up and stared at Vader.
Kshhhhhh
"You wonder why I know? Why I felt it so easily? So assuredly?" Vader took a strong step out of the pool, the splash of water echoing. Then another step and another. "It is what I am, what I always have been, what I am destined to be." He continued on, his boots hitting the damp rock until he stopped just beyond the reach of Infil'a and his saber.
"A living Vergence."
Vader ignited his red blade once more, raising the point towards the Jedi's throat.
###
Infil'a side stepped another thrust and slashed out, only for Vader to bring back his sword and block it. Back and forth, trading blow for blow, the two ranged across the sky-lit cavern floor. How many times had clashed against each other only to push apart again and again? At least several hours, by the Jedi's reckoning. But the Force flowed strong and deep here, and their strength and stamina held. In fact, he felt fresher than when they first fell.
Drawing from the Vergence once more, Infil'a pushed off, shooting forward faster than sight and with a leap he spun his lightsaber into a slash with all his weight behind it.
Once more, Vader responded with a parry, twirling the tip of his red blade in a tight circle to push the emerald plasma aside and respond. A thrust shot past Kirak, barely missing his head as he dodged to one side, bringing up his guard just in time to fend off a cut quick as the lightning overhead, past the yawning mouth of the cavern. With the Power of the Force surging through both men, pushing them to surpass their limits as duelists, even the barest flaw in either one became a shining opportunity to deliver the killing stroke. Vader's boot slipping on the damp rock, Infil'a bumping against a crumbling stalagmite, either one losing focus for even the briefest moments, every single flaw became the catalyst for an attack to press the advantage and end their opponent. And yet, time and again they each recovered only to return to a lethal stalemate, inches from oblivion.
Batting aside anther thrust, the Jedi shifted Forms yet again, flowing from Vaapad back into Niman. Stepping in, he brought his green lightsaber into a close-range rising slash. Vader stepped back, beyond the reach of the blade, but Infil'a took a second step. From inside the Sith Lord's reach, he punched out with his left hand, fist colliding against Vader's chest. The Force-empowered blow shattered armor and sent the Emperor flying backwards into the rock wall.
"Haaah," Releasing a long breath, Infil'a returned to a cautious neutral stance and raised his lightsaber in front of him. "I know that wasn't enough to put you down, Creature."
Chest sparking and sputtering, Vader managed to get his feet back under him and glared out from a broken helmet. Without a word, he brought his saber straight down. Sensing the sudden flow of Dark Side energies, Kirak jumped back, just in time to avoid three stalactites slamming into the cave floor. If he'd focused on ending Vader, rather than trust his instincts, they'd no doubt have skewered him before he could finish the fight.
Kshhhhhh
"You are skilled, Jedi. But skill is not enough. The Storm that comes cannot be stopped by an Order which allowed Palpatine to guide the course of the galaxy right under their noses. Only the True Power of the Force can crush it. Search your feelings, Kirak Infil'a. You know I speak the truth. Nothing less than a unified Empire will stand ready for what is to come."
Kirak didn't answer, not a muscle moving. He was in a stable stance, his hips slightly lowered and ready to attack or defend. He said nothing. There was no need for any response. The path before him was clear. Kill the Sith, rebuild the Order, and prepare. Come what may.
"So be it, Jedi," Vader said.
It took a second for Master Infil'a to grasp what he felt as the Force shifted and flowed around them. He didn't understand what Vader, standing with his lightsaber lowered, might try.
It didn't matter, he dropped low and planted his back foot against the rock. Faster than before, he shot forward, letting the Light Side carry him on into a lethal cut.
The instant before he struck, the Jedi spun to the side, aborting his attack and pulling the Force around him like a coat against cold wind. Confused, he stared at Vader. A moment of shock flashed across his face as he realized what he felt. The Dark Side flowed around and through the Sith, as it always did. This was no surprise. But for the briefest moment, the Light stirred in response to the Dark Lord.
In a flash, Kirak settled into a new stance. "Understood," he said. "Calling you 'Creature' was a mistake. You are a malignant, festering rot. An Abomination. And I must remove you." In his heart of hearts, master Kirak Infil'a hoped to cut down the Sith before him and rebuild the Jedi Order. Now, it was obvious he'd be leaving that second task to one of his brothers or sisters. "Cut down the enemy before me and allow the Alderaan dawn to break over a galaxy free of Sith tyranny," he whispered. Not that he was stupid enough to think the entire Empire would collapse the moment its leader fell, but certainly without a Force-sensitive at the helm, the remaining Jedi would at least have a fighting chance.
All it took was a single breath. The Force surged through him, as he became a vessel. All Jedi Masters learned, in time, that 'Light' and 'safe' were two very different concepts. The Power of the Force was beyond comprehension and giving yourself over to it fully was little more than suicide. However, for a few precious minutes, his body would hold together. After that? There was only so much life in a single body, only so much will power one being could command, and the ravages of the Force, even the Light Side, would bleed it dry. However, accepting the end meant he needn't concern himself with the future.
Vaapad was a half-measure by some standards, one developed by Master Windu in the days before Infil'a took his Barash Vow. A Form allowing Jedi to make use of Juyo, the most vicious lightsaber style ever created. Jedi who utilized it often fell to the Dark Side, but if he would burn out and die in the next few minutes, no need to worry.
Infil'a vanished. No trick or illusion, Vader's eyes and brain simply couldn't process the sudden acceleration. Carried by the overwhelming Power of the Light Side he swung his saber around to catch the side of Vader's head. The Sith tried to block, but surprise dulled that response. He brought up his red blade a moment too late. Green plasma sliced into the hilt of his weapon, sundering it in two. The crimson beam winked out and the tip of Kirak's saber cut Vader's black helmet.
"Gaaah!"
Blinded in his left eye, Vader recoiled and pushed with the Force. The Jedi driven back for a precious second or two, Vader dropped the remains of his weapon and two fingers fell away. He tried to restore his vision, but the molten metal of his helmet had already destroyed one eye. Focusing, he willed the pain to recede and summoned the Force around him again.
Half blind, his left hand severed and only three fingers on his right.
And yet, even now, Kirak felt nothing but certainty and confidence rolling off the Sith.
Kshhhhhh
"I am the Chosen. I will bring Balance to the Force."
Kirak tightened his grip around the hilt of his lightsaber and the muscles in his legs tensed. He could feel his body deteriorate moment by moment. 'Not long left,' he thought. Raising his lightsaber high above his head, he wanted to cut Vader in twain, ending the fight before he succumbed to the effects of the Force ravaging his body. He released a long slow breath, and with it all tension. No fear of death, there was only oneness with the Force. No self-preservation, only the Will of the Force. No concern for tomorrow, only the here and now. He stepped forward and swung down.
Vader stepped in. His severed left wrist caught the blow and redirect it to one side. The saber sliced a clean cut across his forearm, metal glowing orange as Kirak continued the cut and brought it back around. A never ending barrage of strokes and slashes, each coming within hairs of finishing the Sith, but he dodged or used the rapidly diminishing remains of his left arm to parry.
When Darth Vader felt his back touch the cavern's rocky wall, he glared from one eye and Kirak spun his saber around, ready to behead his foe and end it. At the same moment, a twinge of pain ran through the Jedi's body. A sure sign of the damage he'd done in allowing the Vergence to use him as a conduit of the Living Force. It was less than a twitch, less than a blink. But Vader didn't miss it. His right hand shot out and grabbed the pulsing green blade.
Kshhhhhh
The Force surged up his arm. It would only last a moment before Infil'a pushed it aside and delivered a killing blow, but that was enough.
A shock, the feeling of cold metal, made Infil'a look down.
"Y-you let me cut your arm?"
The jagged metal of Darth Vader's left forearm, deep in Kirak's stomach, slowly pulled out as blood poured from the wound. Molten metal dripped onto the cave floor and a prosthetic right hand fell away, finally succumbing to the lightsaber.
Kshhhhhh
"This was always the inevitable conclusion, Jedi. The moment I arrived on this planet, I felt this place and knew. It is a shame, one of your caliber is rare."
In a single Force push Vader launched Infil'a back, slamming him into the rocks and breaking bones. The lightsaber fell out of his grip and clattered to the ground. Then the Sith released him and stumbled backwards. Victory or not, he'd bought the win with flesh and blood. Collapsing against the cavern wall, he slid down, feeling strength drain away as sure as the Jedi's lifeblood. On the far side of the cavern he watched his enemy. One hand clutching the wound to his stomach as he tried to stem the flow and keep his organs in, the other spasmed, trying to reach for the hilt of his lightsaber. A pair of legs twitched, sporadic signals trying to get through a shattered spine. It was over, but Lord Vader would not let his guard down. No single enemy since Obi-Wan Kenobi had injured the Sith so terribly. For the last hour, he'd been using the Force just to keep his limbs moving. Now he was all but drained. Even the wellspring of Force energy beneath them felt thinner now. Still, he had the power to lift his arm and extend the right stump towards his enemy. Vader's remaining eye narrowed and Kirak Infil'a noticed pressure on his neck.
He tried to reach up for his throat, tried to summon the Force, but what he'd already done left him beyond weakened. He could barely move at all, let alone reach out and defend himself. His body twitched as an unseen grip tightened.
Master Infil'a felt cold as his vision grew dark.
###
Vader collapsed against the rock.
Moving would be difficult now. He'd been using the Force to keep mobile. The damage to his artificial limbs was so great he couldn't even walk on his own anymore. A problem, considering he still had to get out of this cave. The Dark Lord of the Sith didn't sleep anymore, not often at least. He merely lost consciousness when pushing himself too far. Now however, he knew if he let himself drift off, he might never open his eyes again.
Kshhhhhh
"Eye," the Sith corrected.
The Power of the Force recede. The Vergence deep within the cavern shrank and withered until it vanished and only Vader remained. Its purpose was done and now it melted back into the Living and Cosmic Force. Unfortunately, that left the Sith stranded. Without the wellspring of Force Power, he barely managed moving his own failing prosthetics.
Considering his options, he quickly settled on the most expedient. Meditating, Vader reached out. High above him on the surface, his Actis Interceptor powered on. Roaring to life, the engine throttled up. Dust swirled and the custom fighter rose off the ground. In a slow hover, it drifted across the temple grounds until he heard the rumble of its engine directly overhead. Inside the cockpit, a small lever flipped and a tow cable dropped from the underside and down into the gloom of the cavern. Master Yoda might be able to lift a starfighter, but piloting one through the Force? Only a mechanic who knew his machine inside and out.
"Mmm," he muttered and as he reached out for the line with his remaining, damaged, right forearm, he glanced back at the cave floor. Wrapping his stump around the line, he pulled himself upright and stepped onto the hook. He looked up, willing the switch to flip back. As the cable pulled him up, two lightsabers, one cut in half the other whole, followed the Sith Lord up and out.
###
Aboard the Executor, Emperor Darth Vader's personal Venator-class Destroyer, the officers grew nervous. Stress, never in short supply aboard starships, was all the more common during such important missions. Now, on a mix of diplomatic protocols, rescue operations, and Imperial proclamations, they added to it the fact that their Galactic Ruler had gone alone to Alderaan's surface, only to return many hours later covered in life threatening injuries and missing his hands, most of one forearm and an eye.
Blood oozed from a dozen wounds and his helmet, or what remained of it, was barely holding together. A single yellow orb glared straight through their souls when he gave orders. For perhaps the first time, men and women facing the Dark Lord thanked the Force that his mask usually shielded them from that crushing gaze. Somehow, against all odds, staring into the cold emotionless mask was an improvement to looking the Sith Emperor eye to eye. Then he entered his private quarters, not to be disturbed.
And they'd heard nothing since. For two days.
This left the command staff in a bind, to put it mildly. Major Gaunt, the officer who'd worked most closely alongside Vader, was still bedridden. Black Squadron, his personal wing, lacked the sort of authority to make any decisions. All they could say was that, through their slight Force connection, he was definitely alive. Beyond that, they knew nothing.
This left the fleet in a precarious position. Communications from Alderaan wondered if the Emperor would be gracing them with a further visit. If not, the fleet should be heading home to Coruscant. Instead, Vader gave very direct orders to remain in orbit until he said otherwise.
So the officer corp carried on, ever worrying they'd made a mistake.
Until a young doctor on the medical staff walked into Major Gaunt's room and found herself face to face with Darth Vader himself. There he stood, fully armored, although the lightsaber hanging from his belt was of a radically different design.
"M-my Lord!?"
Kshhhhhh
Without a word, Vader raised a hand and the data tablet in her hand shot out of her grip and flew across the room. Floating in front of the Sith, he said nothing, staring at the information. "It seems you are soon to be fully healed, Major. If so, this ship returns to Coruscant. I will make a perfunctory appearance on Alderaan in the meantime."
"Aye, Lord Vader," the major said from his bed.
The tablet sailed back as it had come, into the doctor's hands and Vader stalked out of the room without another comment.
"Major," the doctor said still staring after the Emperor. "How did he get in here? No one said anything."
A question more than a few would ask. No reports on Darth Vader leaving his private quarters reached anyone's ears. Not even ship security, watching the cameras made a report. A later review of video revealed that the Dark Lord did nothing more than exit his chambers and walk, unimpeded, to the medic wing. And yet no one monitoring cameras saw a thing. According to their claims, they never spied even the shadow of a cape, but subsequent review of security footage proved the truth. The Emperor simply walked to the medical wing, passing by any number of crew, all of whom ignored the Emperor entirely.
It was only his appearance on the bridge, sending the officers on duty into panic, that fully alerted the ship of his return.
###
Darth Vader felt the panic and confusion rippling through his ship. The barest hint of a smile played at his lips underneath the black mask. Contact with a Vergence in the Force, one outside himself, became an unexpected boon. During his duel, power roared through him, but now? He understood subtleties he'd been utterly ignorant of before. No doubt this aspect of the Dark Side, the slightest touch on many minds, was once the realm in which Sidious felt most at home. Meanwhile, Vader, a man of direct action, had little time for illusions. Raw power, a far more reliable tool, was his weapon of choice. Still, it couldn't be said this didn't have its allure. Walking unnoticed, unseen, along the corridors of his own ship, spreading his influence to every thought in every head and blinding them to his very existence… There was an intoxication to such power.
Kshhhhhh
"But it cost Palpatine his life. I will not be overly enamored of such trifles. Greater heights demand my attention."
Leaving such thoughts, Vader peered out across the Barren Wastelands towards the Storm.
"How much time do you have, boy?"
"Enough. I feel the path before me. Whatever this is, my Empire will be ready. It will not find the galaxy caught off guard or fractured. Instead, it will face the full wrath of my Imperial might and a mastery of the Force like none before me."
"Do not be overly proud. Destroying that Death Star? Experiencing a single Locus? Slaying one Jedi? These are nothing next to the true Power of the Force. In time, you will learn, boy. Burning on the shores of that lava flow will seem a joy before you are ready to face what comes."
Vader's eye opened. He was in the middle of his room, wearing only a light robe. His armor, and even his mask, lay on the work bench. He pulled air into burned lungs, letting the pain rack his body as it tried to overwhelm him, but he held.
"One hour."
The whispering wheeze, barely loud enough for him to hear over his own rattling breath, sent him into a coughing fit.
However, here he was.
An hour of meditation, and he yet lived and breathed. Vader stood, stumbling over to his armor, in need of the life support system. He'd reached his limits and pushed beyond them, but if he persisted much longer he'd find himself one with the Force. Still, an improvement was not to be ignored. Every battle, every struggle, every near-death experience brought him one step further. Through the Force and his own experiments he slowly healed.
Looking at his body, he could see the wounds from his latest battle already vanishing, his body knitting itself back together through Force energies. His mind went back to something Palpatine once told him. The tale of Darth Plageus.
Kshhhhhh
"The full potential of Anakin Skywalker and the full might of a Dark Lord of the Sith…"
Darth Vader turned his attention to the holo-screen, a Krayt Dragon's biology laid bare before him. Soon, for the first time in five years, he would set foot on his homeworld. "Tatooine," he said as his fist tightened and his eye glared at the Outer Rim planet of dust and deprivation. Far below in the hangar barracks, Black Squadron shuddered in their sleep a nightmare of sand and blood disturbing them, only to be forgotten in the morning.