Chapter 13 - Inquisitor
The temperature in the room seemed to drop even further, a bone-deep chill crawling down Edric's spine. The figure below on the street continued to stare, a menacing silhouette waiting patiently, unmoving, as if savoring the inevitable. They were surrounded, there was no escape. The Inquisitor knew it and, more disturbingly, was in no rush. His presence in the Force was like a black hole, an inescapable power that pulled everything into the darkness with itself.
"I thought we would have more time…," Doran whispered before turning away. "You boys need to go. Now. I'll hold him off, buy you time to clear out the troopers and run to your ship."
Doran stepped closer to Edric, his eyes filled with a pain that mirrored Edric's own confusion. The years of separation, the absence of a father, all of it reflected in that single, anguished look. "Edric," Doran said softly, his voice carrying the urgency of a man with too many regrets and too little time. "I'm sorry. For everything. I know we didn't get the chance to… properly catch up. But it's important you listen. I can feel your doubts. Don't let that thing down there use them against you. Whatever darkness you think you're carrying, don't let it win."
With a flick of his wrist, a hilt slid from the inside of Doran's vest and into his hand, the metal glinting under the dim light. Edwin, already focused, nodded in silent agreement as he reached for his own lightsaber.
Edric glanced back and forth between them, still reeling from the events. Duty was something though that was familiar, and he never backed down from a challenge. Still, he wanted to say so many things. Ask so many questions. When would there ever be time?
His gut grew restless, and the flames of anger licked inside his ribs. Doran cast a quick, meaningful glance toward Edwin. Without a word, Edwin stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Edric's shoulder. In that moment, the fog clouding Edric's mind cleared, swept away as if by a strong breeze rolling through a valley. The anger simmered but didn't boil over. He could breathe again.
With his mind sharpened, he saw things with a clarity that had eluded him moments before. The holocron, this object they were entrusted with, wasn't just important. It was crucial, and not just to his family's legacy. Its significance rippled far beyond that. Perhaps the Force had been guiding him to this point all along, despite his doubts.
And those doubts... Edric had lived with them for so long, hadn't he? As a Padawan, they were his constant companions, an ever-present voice in the back of his mind, reminding him he wasn't as naturally gifted as the others. But that never stopped him. Back then, he welcomed every challenge, throwing himself into hours of grueling training to make his Master proud, anything to prove to maybe himself more than anyone that he was strong enough. It was his insecurity that drove him to work harder, fight longer. He had never backed down from a challenge before. Not as a Padawan, not as a bounty hunter and he certainly couldn't start now. Edric picked up his own lightsaber from the hidden compartment behind his blaster and squeezed the hilt in his hand.
A faint curve tugged at the corners of their father's lips.
"Time to remind the Empire why they should never have crossed the Kanes," he said, his voice low and steely, like a storm gathering strength.
The three Kanes descended to the ground floor in silence, their footsteps echoing softly through the narrow stairwell. As the entrance door hissed open, the humid air hit Edric's face once more, though this time it carried a faint, cooler breeze.
Five Imperial troopers immediately snapped to attention, blasters raised, their weapons trained on the trio as soon as they stepped outside. Doran took the lead, walking out with quiet confidence, Edric and Edwin flanking him on either side. The soldiers didn't waver, their fingers hovering over the triggers, eyes locked on their targets.
The Inquisitor stood just a few meters away, his presence radiating malice like a shadow that had come to life. He was lean, draped in dark robes that swirled around his form like smoke. A metallic helmet obscured his face entirely, but Edric could feel the smug satisfaction rolling off him through the Force. Beneath that cold, unfeeling mask, Edric was certain the Inquisitor was smiling.
"What a nice little family reunion," the Inquisitor said, his voice twisted and distorted by the modulator in his helmet, carrying an almost mocking tone. His hands hovered by the hilt of his lightsaber, clipped at his waist, as if savoring the moment before the storm would break.
Doran stepped forward, his hand already gripping the hilt of his saber. In a single, fluid motion, he ignited his lightsaber, the yellow blade springing to life with a sharp hiss. The glow bathed his determined face in golden light, casting long shadows across the square. Edric and Edwin followed suit, their sabers igniting in unison—Edric's yellow, Edwin's green. The hum of the blades cut through the air like a song of defiance.
Edric's hands felt like thousands of needles were pinned on them as he held the weapon. It had been so long he had to actually use it other than the training he did in the confines of the Beast.
Without warning, the Inquisitor's crimson blade flared to life, the red glow almost blinding in contrast to the others. His movements were precise, calculated. He lunged at Doran with a blindingly fast strike, their sabers clashing with a crackle of energy. Sparks flew as the two met in the center of the square, their blades locked, the sheer force of the impact rippling through the ground beneath their feet, the puddles from the rain clearing in a circle.
Edric's attention snapped to the five closest troopers who wasted no time raising their blasters and opening fire at the two brothers.
"Edwin, take the left!" Edric shouted, deflecting an incoming bolt with a flick of his wrist. The yellow beam of his saber buzzed as it redirected the shot back toward one of the troopers, hitting him square in the chest.
Edwin moved with practiced ease, spinning his green saber to intercept two bolts in quick succession, sending one back into the leg of another trooper.
Blaster fire rained down on them like the drizzle from the sky, but the brothers remained focused, their lightsabers spinning and whirling, cutting through the barrage of red bolts like a well-rehearsed dance.
From the corner of his eyes, Edric could see the flashes of lightsabers clashing. Doran and the Inquisitor circled one another, each testing the other's defenses with sharp, vicious strikes. The Inquisitor was fast, unnaturally so. There was something familiar in the way he moved to Edric. His red blade was a blur as he advanced, but Doran matched him blow for blow, his yellow saber moving with the strength of a seasoned warrior.
Edric moved instinctively, falling into a rhythm with the Force that felt as natural as breathing.
"Edric, on me!" yelled Edwin not far away and the former Padawan moved closer to his brother in between two blaster bolts. With their backs pressed together, they formed a tight defensive circle, sabers flashing in a blur of yellow and green as they deflected the blaster fire from the half-dozen troopers closing in on them. Each strike was perfectly timed—when Edric parried a bolt aimed for his chest, Edwin was already spinning to intercept another aimed at his legs. They shifted in perfect harmony, like a single, unified force. One trooper fell as Edric deflected a shot straight into his shoulder, while Edwin knocked aside another bolt and advanced, his green blade slicing through the blasters of two soldiers before they could react. The stormtroopers, though trained, were no match for the brothers' combined skill and speed. Each shot they fired was effortlessly redirected, their assault crumbling as Edric and Edwin dismantled them.
The last trooper fell, but Edric barely noticed. The Force trembled around him, shifting in a way that sent a cold wave through his spine. Familiar, haunting. It was the same feeling he'd had on Tarnos, a sensation that clung to him like a shadow he couldn't shake. He glanced over at his father and the Inquisitor's duel, his heart thudding in his chest.
Doran's yellow saber swiped dangerously close to the Inquisitor's head, the tip searing through his helmet, leaving a molten scar across the metal. The Inquisitor staggered back, his breath rasping through the modulator. For a moment, the world seemed to freeze. Then, with a furious growl, the Inquisitor tore off his helmet, casting it to the ground.
Edric's breath caught in his throat.
The world around him began to fade, as if the bustling city of Daiyu had been swallowed by thick, black smoke. The noises of the street vanished, the lingering smell of burning ozone from their lightsabers disappeared. There was nothing left, nothing but him and the Inquisitor.
"No..." Edric whispered, his voice hoarse. His hands tightened around the hilt of his lightsaber, trembling. This can't be.
But there was no denying it. The Force pulsed with a dark, twisted familiarity, and the face that stared back at him—distorted, pale, and twisted with fury—was all too recognizable.
Master.
The face that had once been a beacon of calm, a source of wisdom, was now a mask of rage. Kael Asher's eyes burned amber, bloodshot and swollen, brimming with hate. The light that had once shone in them was gone, replaced by something dark, venomous.
Kael's lips curled into a sneer, and the anger radiating off him in the Force was suffocating. He extended a hand, his fingers curling slightly. Doran, as if caught in an invisible grip, was yanked off his feet.
Edric's heart lurched as his father was flung through the air like a ragdoll, crashing into the waiting crimson blade of the Inquisitor. The sound was sickening, a sharp hiss as the lightsaber pierced through flesh and bone, slicing effortlessly through Doran's midsection.
For a moment, time seemed to slow. The red glow of the blade cast eerie shadows across Doran's face, his expression frozen in shock. His body slumped forward, his eyes wide with disbelief. As Kael deactivated his saber, Doran's form collapsed to the ground, lifeless. His lightsaber clattered beside him, the blade fizzling out, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.
"Dad!" Edwin yelled, or at least it sounded like yelling to Edric, but as if it was coming from underwater.
The darkness pouring from Kael was overwhelming, suffocating, and it stoked something deep within the former Padawan, a devastating fire he had always tried to suppress. A rage that had never fully left him, only buried beneath the Jedi teachings he had long since abandoned. He could feel it rising, curling inside his chest, matching the fury pouring from Kael. In its path, nothing but a void, the emptiness of feelings cast aside. His sanctuary was burning, wildfire destroying each and every strand of tall grass, ash falling from the dark skies.
Kael's lips curled into a wicked smile, his eyes gleaming with cruel satisfaction as they locked onto Edric. The former Padawan stood frozen, his gaze darting helplessly between the twisted figure of his former master and the lifeless body of his father crumpled on the ground.
I can feel it, Edric. You want it. Let it in. Let the rage consume you. Kael's voice slithered into his mind, dark and seductive. Join me. Become my apprentice once more.
The words echoed through the Force like a venomous whisper, an unwelcome intruder slipping into the deepest corners of his thoughts. It wasn't just a voice—it was a presence, insidious and persistent, wrapping around his mind like chains tightening with every second.
Edric clenched his fists around his lightsaber hilt, his knuckles turning white. The temptation was there, clawing at him, pulling him toward the darkness Kael offered. His anger was a fire that burned hotter with every glance at his father's lifeless form. The hatred radiating from Kael felt like an open invitation to release everything Edric had bottled up inside. To be with him again.
But something deep within him resisted, a faint flicker of the teachings he had tried so hard to bury. He could hear Kael's voice, feel the pull of the dark side, but he knew that if he gave in, if he let the rage take control, he would lose himself.
A firm hand grabbed Edric's arm, yanking him back into the present. Suddenly, his mind sharpened and his brother's voice cut through the chaos.
"We have to go, now!" Edwin urged.
Without hesitation, they ran, bolting through the neon-lit streets of Daiyu. The city blurred around them, its buzzing lights and noisy vendors fading into the background as their footsteps echoed off the narrow alleys. Edric's heart raced, his body fueled by adrenaline, but in the back of his mind, he could feel it. Kael's dark presence looming behind them, relentless, like a predator tracking its prey.
As they darted through the crowded marketplace, Edwin reached to his comlink. "Daxer! Get the Beast ready for takeoff. Now!"
Edric barely heard the response. Kael wasn't far.
They sprinted into the docking bay where the Beast waited, its engines already humming, ready for a quick departure. Max stood at the top of the ramp, waving them forward frantically.
"Hurry up! We're not sticking around for a farewell party!" he yelled, his voice barely audible over the roar of the engines.
The Beast lifted off the ground, but just as they gained some altitude, Edric felt a violent jolt, like something had grabbed the ship and yanked it back down.
"It's him," Edric muttered, his eyes widening. Kael was holding the ship back with the Force. They saw from the ramp Kael below, his hand raised toward the Beast, the unmistakable glow of his red lightsaber casting an eerie light across the wet tarmac. His fingers curled, and the ship shuddered violently again, its engines straining to break free of his invisible grip.
A blaster shot pinged off the hull, then another. Troopers had caught up, forming a perimeter around Kael and firing at the ship with everything they had. Sparks flew as several shots landed near the drives.
That's not good, Edric noted to himself and glanced at Edwin. They nodded in unison.
"We'll handle this!" Edwin shouted back to Max who quickly ran up the ramp to join Lyra in the cockpit. The brothers moved to the edge of the ramp and extended their arms together, reaching out through the Force, pushing against the soldiers below.
A wave of energy surged from them, strong and focused. The Force rippled through the air, knocking the troopers back like leaves caught in a violent gust. Several of them were flung off their feet, their blasters flying from their hands. Even Kael stumbled for a split second, his grip on the ship weakening just enough.
The Beast seized the opportunity and tore free of Kael's grasp, engines screaming as they rocketed into the sky. Edric and Edwin stumbled back, quickly closing the ramp as the ship shot upward, the city lights below growing smaller and smaller.
They barely had time to catch their breath as Max accelerated. "We're not clear yet!" he shouted from the cockpit. "That engine's not holding."
"Keep her steady," Edwin called back, sweat running down his face.
With a final, violent lurch, the Beast broke through the atmosphere, the stars blinking into view beyond the window. The ship rattled as it hit the outer layers of Daiyu's aura, the remaining engines straining to push them into the vastness of space.
"Punch it!" Edric said as they arrived into the cockpit.
Max slammed the hyperdrive controls, and with a jolt, the stars stretched into long, thin lines, and the Beast leapt into hyperspace, escaping the grip of Kael Asher and leaving Daiyu behind…
**Author's note**
So, I wanted to have these scenes part of the pervious chapter, but felt like a) that one was long enough as it is and b) this is such a pivotal moment in the story that I feel it deserves it's seperate chapter. Added bonus that it is the 13th chapter...
Let me know if this was a twist you saw coming of if it was a bit of a surprise. :)