Chapter Eleven

Plot

"What?" Valkyria yelled. "Why on earth would you agree to that?"

"This will bring the war to a quick end. Zealous will be in charge of the Empire as the new emperor. The council will no longer have command. We will be able to sign a treaty with them and Nox will be out of the way." Rezin said, for the fifth time.

After defeating Ashara in the Sith Academy, she called off her sith forces. They surrendered to the Mando'ade. Many had refused to do so and they were slaughtered as the Mandalorian forces cruised through the planet to victory. Korriban was under the control of the Mando'ade Votyc.

"Ashara said she had a vision. Her husband, Darth Nox, was in control of the Dark Council. My brother sat on the throne as Emperor. She brought this to Nox. He refused to believe it. His anger and the Sith Force Ghosts he had accumulated were tormenting him again. Or something like that anyways." Rezin said with a wave of his hand. He did not take much stock in these sith rituals. Rezin and his Viridian people, and the Mandalorians as well, focused on pure strength and one's innate abilities.

"Just to make sure I understand. Ashara wants you to go to this planet, Nathema. She wants you to lure Darth Nox, her husband, there. Then she wants you to fight the most potent and dangerous sith since Vitiate. And beat him. All while on a planet that literally cuts the Force abilities of those there in half." Valkyria summed up exactly what Ashara Zavros wanted. Ashara wanted her husband back to who he was prior to this war. She may be a sith now, but she wanted an Empire that was focused on survival and peace with their neighbors over constant war. She did not want innocents to die.

"Yes. That is what she wants. Valkyria, I have been to Nathema before. It does not affect me like others. The planet is constantly changing and growing. Life and the Force are both coming back. In fact, they have been for years." Rezin reassured his wife.

"Are you going to take anyone with you? Lyd or Alli or M? Anyone?" She asked.

"No. It is too dangerous for them. Alli could probably come but she is needed here." He hugged his wife. "Ashara is coming, though. She needs to be there so that he will not suspect anything." Rezin said.

"At least use all your power. I know you have been holding back since you became Manda'lor." She could sense his hesitation. Rezin Varidian was, and still is to this day, the strongest Mando'ade Votyc. He surpassed all the Jedi, both ancient and present, and was trained to be the Heir to Revan's legacy. He had even managed to save Revan himself and bring him and his wife, Bastila, back to their time to help them in their fight against whatever brought out this timeline merging.

"I feel like it is time." He said. Rezin also knew he could not hold back any longer. If the Mandalorian people were ever to have a Force-sensitive presence in the galaxy, he had to be the strongest and lead them. No time like the present he thought.

With that, Rezin boarded his ship. As he made his way to the cockpit, he could not help but think that he really wished he was taking his Raptor Fighter. If he got into trouble in space, his Infiltrator class starship would hold its own, but his fighter would be so much better. Ashara sat next to him in the copilot's chair. He did not fully trust her but he could not shake the feeling that this would bring a quicker end to the war. That was something both sides wanted.

It took a few hours to reach Nathema from Korriban. During that time, Ashara had filled Rezin in on Nox's past. She opened up fully to Rezin. He found that he could not help but trust her. Well, maybe not trust her, but believe her.

As Rezin looked out the viewport at the planet before him, he felt the familiar pull of the void on him. It was cold and empty. Nathema continued to change as he had said. The Force was in constant motion there. Although he could feel this pull, it did not diminish his abilities. In the past, he had wondered how this was even possible. He did not have time for that now. He took the ship in and landed at the base on a few cliffs. His goal was to hide his ship and allow him to ambush Nox. Ashara left quickly and went to meet up with Darth Nox. She could not easily sense him, but he would practically see her through the Force. As he reached out further, he could feel Darth Nox. He only hoped that what Ashara had told him was true. He had a feeling that Nox was not going to be affected by Nathema. Just like he avoided it.

Rezin began to climb the cliff. Once he arrived on the mesa, he staked out a location to wait. Fortunately, he did not have to wait long.

Rezin first spotted Darth Nox as he came up the far side of the mesa. His infrared scanners in his HUD spotted him easily. He was alone. That was good. Rezin did not want to endanger Ashara. He could not place a finger on why, but he trusted her. What he did not like was the idea of capturing this member of the Dark Council. Darth Nox and Rezin had fought time and again. Each time, ending with either him or Nox narrowly escaping certain death. Ambushes had never worked. Brute force always had failed. Patience had been a frequent letdown. Allies and lackeys could not keep up. Technology disappointed. Nothing had ever worked. Both of them always failed to eliminate the other. So what was going to be different this time? Rezin did not know. He just hoped. He trusted in the Force. He felt like this was the right choice.

Rezin pulled out his twin dual-blades…..

Ok ok. So I know what most of you are thinking. Wow, Rezin. Two double-bladed lightsabers will not and do not work. It is impossible. You'd be right, most of the time. When I wield both, I have a second handle or grip that shoots out perpendicular to the main. This allows me to keep the main handle or grip parallel to my forearm. I can even use my gauntlets to magnetize them in place. This means that I literally use them as extensions of my arms. Sure, I could use just one, but I have a very unique style. I had to. I was the only force wielder in my little group for years. I had to become the weapon. This is what the Varidian Knights were based on. Every one of us had a very unique way to fight. This is also why a strong connection with the one fighting by my side is crucial. They have to be able to anticipate my every move and not be there when my blade or body gets there.

Rezin pulled out his twin weapons and readied to attack. As he was about to leap out and strike, he felt a very strong impression. Instead of striking, he simply stepped out from where he was hiding and faced his opponent.

"Lord Rezin. Ashara must have set me up." Darth Nox snarled. Rezin could feel the hatred and betrayal radiating off of this Dark Council member. "Aren't you going to say anything!" Nox bellowed. He hated being ignored more than being set up and betrayed. The only reply that came was one dark green blade igniting. Rezin already had his weapons secured to his gauntlets. In response to this, Nox shot a powerful blast of purple lightning at Rezin. It was quickly blocked by Rezin's blade. Nox shot a second bolt of lightning. Again it was batted aside.

This continued for a few more attempts. All the while, Darth Nox was growing more and more angry and frustrated. What Rezin realized, almost too late, was that Nox was taping into the sith force ghosts he had bound to himself. As soon as Darth Nox had enough energy built up, he unleashed a massive surge of electricity. Rezin was forced to switch to a standard dual-blade stance to block the attack. It was more like dodging than blocking. Rezin used his right hand to wield his weapon while his left stored his second weapon on his back. Rezin did not know it yet, but this fight would push him to his limits.

As soon as the storm stopped, Rezin was on Nox. Rezin knew that he could not stand up to this Sith in a battle of the Force. His skills were in lightsaber combat. Nox was skilled with his dual-blade, but he was not Rezin's equal. The Spirits bound to him would help, but if Rezin could outlast him, he could win. This became a battle of attrition.

Rezin struck first. He moved fast and hard. At the first chance he had, he magnetized his weapon to his gauntlet again. It felt right. He was used to fighting this way. Even with only one of his weapons out, it came naturally. He lunged for Nox. Nox batted the attack aside and tried to bring his own weapon to bear but was forced to parry again as Rezin swept his blade around to try to remove Nox's feet. As soon as their blades collided, Rezin twisted and spun, forcing his second blade to swing around and down. Again, Nox parried this aside. Rezin pushed through the parry and forced Nox to jump back. This gave Rezin the split second he needed to get his second weapon out. He attached it to his gauntlet and ignited the forward blade. He kept the rear blade unlit. He charged at Nox again. As he did so, he spun and flipped. This allowed him to utilize his weapon's reach. He landed behind Darth Nox. This sudden shift in pressure made Nox turn too quickly. As he turned, Rezin saw his opening. He ignited the final blade and began his relentless assault.

From Darth Nox's point of view, it was as if Rezin was dancing with glowsticks. There was no opening to strike. Anytime that Nox tried, Rezin blocked it and struck back. Rezin made a minor shift in his stance. He freed his blades from his gauntlets and switched to the normal grip. He swung them in an attempt to cut Darth Nox in half. Nox blocked the first set of blades but lost his own in the process. Before he knew it, Rezin had him slammed up against the near cliff with the Force and aimed his sabers at his heart.

"Now, Darth Nox, it is over," Rezin said through deep gasping breaths.