Death of a Dream Pt. 1

"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Main Temple Floor

The metallic scrapes and chittering only increased as panels from the floor rose up. The sound of powerful blasts against the blocked door echoed through the ruin, and the group looked at the barrier that separated them from Tieria and Allelujah. The sounds sent shivers up the spines of the crew, and the new imperials on the crew wondered what was going on. Tieria looked down the hallway, and called out, "You aren't going to even kill us yourself?"

"Why do I need to concern myself with the bugs of the universe. But if you wish to see me, please follow the trail." Red lights lit up a trail down the tunnel, and Ribbons voice came through again, "Your friends will die fast, so don't worry about that. These machines are merciless." The glee in his voice just increased the anger in Hallelujah and Tieria, the rest of the group on the outside moving rubble to make some cover.

Lyle was yelling out orders, and Allelujah moved to the barrier, "What do we do? We need Setsuna for Ribbons."

"Just get moving and see if there is a way to turn off security further in. We can hold the line!" There was a façade of confidence in his words, but Allelujah could sense the worry and nervousness that the man expertly hid.

"I…"

A hand gripped his shoulder, and Allelujah saw Tieria nod, "We have our orders. They have Setsuna and will come up with a plan. And we know they can handle this." Tieria took a breath and began to walk as he loosened his grip on his blaster, knowing it would be useless here. Allelujah took one last look back, and Marie gave him a confident smile, a wave of support and love flowing into him.

"Don't die." He turned and collected himself, staying a few steps behind the armored man as they approached a destiny that had long been calling to them, whether they knew before or not. Footsteps echoed down the hall, and Marie turned away, focusing herself back on the battle that was to come. 'I am an Echani warrior. Fear shall not control me.'

The skittering was nerve racking, but they had bigger concerns as Lyle and Sergei dragged a broken piece of stone, moving it near the barrier. It was waist high, and they looked at her, "Can we get some help?"

Marie nodded, and focused on the object, lifting it just enough in the air to lighten the load, helping them put it in its place. It fell with a thud, and the first shine of metal appeared, the smaller droids crawling out of holes. The group took cover behind the three stone blocks, and a handful fell as Lyle looked to the group, "I don't know how many of them there are, but we are going to need to hold here."

They were in a good position, Sergei nodding, "How do we get rid of this field? If we can, then we have a better defensive position and Setsuna can help." Blaster fire echoed over the conversation, ion blasts filling the air. The rubble covered door shuddered more, revealing the larger bots.

Lyle hummed, and Feldt looked at the door they came from. She shot a few times at the droids leaving the holes, "I think I can solve this. The generators must be powering this, so if I can shut off the power to it, then we should be able to get to Allelujah and Tieria."

Anew caught a droid in the air, a bolt slamming into the chassis. It fell to the ground, one of the legs breaking off as numbers began to mount, the chittering and scraping only getting worse. There must have been hundreds in the walls, "And what about security? They would swarm you before you got a chance to even try."

Feldt bit her lip, and Lyle spoke in a calm manner, "Setsuna, you protect her while we distract all of these bots." He armed a grenade, and threw it to the middle of the room, detonating a handful of the endless horde. Shrapnel impacted into the throne, damaging the base of it, "And if you can find a way to shut off these bots, then that would very much be appreciated!"

Sergei called out to the group, "Tell us when you are ready, and we will cover your advance!" He shot another droid, and Feldt looked at her boyfriend. He had an even expression, but beneath the surface she could feel his intensity as he lifted a droid with the force and threw it against the wall.

Feldt shook a bit seeing all of these defenses, but she swallowed heavily. She moved to the cover near Sergei, Setsuna crouched in front of them. An explosion rocked through the room and rubbed scattered over the lower floor. Heavier steps slowly walked up the steps, a few powerful blasts impacting their cover. Thankfully they stood firm, but cracks were starting to form.

Setsuna looked over at the large droids, "They are going to overrun us."

Lyle shook his head, "Just get moving! If you can't shut down security, their numbers will overwhelm us before that!" As if to emphasize his point, Marie soared over the cover, landing in front of the advancing droids. She slashed through a few smaller ones, and immediately drew the attention of the larger bots.

A blow came in at rapid speed, but like the Jedi of old, she dodged out of the way, knocking the defender back, its legs digging into the ground before it hit the wall. She then deflected a blow with her double vibro-blade, shoving it off.

Sergei's breath was taken away at the sight. It had been years since he saw a Jedi show their true potential, and it was his daughter on top of that. Another blow was parried as she struck a blow in the leg, gouging into the thick armor of the droid. The droid took a few steps back, reevaluating their opponent. Marie's focus was absolute, her mind centered on the task at hand. Her soul sung at finally being able to do something that was good, and not just her survival. She was an Echani, and a Jedi, and she battled with a grace none of them had seen before.

Marie looked at the two other force users, her eyes then moved to the door. They just nodded, and Setsuna spoke, "We're ready." A large handful of droids blocked the way.

Sergei counted down from five with one hand, and when the last finger was down, he threw a grenade into the unit of defending droids, exploding as his shots hit a few of them. They sparked as Setsuna took point, carving through the two that stood after the grenade and the blaster fire. Feldt panted a bit, her tools jingling. But they were through, reaching the room, which looked empty of enemies.

Appearances could be deceiving, and she could feel the electrical pulses in the room, and three of them were on the move. Setsuna's head was on a swivel, and he caught movement as three figures loomed out from behind the generators. 'I have to hold them off.' Setsuna gestured to the console they saw before, "Feldt, get working. I'll hold them off." Feldt dropped her pack when she reached the console, freeing up some of the weight on her.

Feldt looked at the droids, then back at the console and wires. She let out a breath, and moved, "Don't die." Setsuna raised his blade, centering himself. 'She needs me right now.' Channeling the force through his blade, he moved to engage the first large droid as quickly as possible. He made sure to keep his connection open with Feldt, always between her and the enemy.

Feldt opened her senses, letting the world fade around her. She touched the terminal, extending her senses through every electrical impulse and mechanical component. Her mind scanned the construction of the device itself, but she followed the thread connecting it. The wires lit up in different colors. One was blue, one yellow, one red. There were others, but their wires weren't accessible from here. The gnawing hunger tore at her walls, but she stayed focused. It was like an aimless, blind beast, reaching out for prey just out of its sight.

She tried to keep her profile low and traced each route. Sweat began to form on her forehead, but she breathed evenly. The force was with her, and the Miraluka couldn't fail her friends and lover. She traced along the blue line, finding the controls for the doors, though it seems that many of the wall vents and holes were controlled by a different system. 'I can't just cut that. It would seal the temple!'

Feldt retraced her step back, following the yellow line. She let out a harsh breath, physically leaning forward. Darkness and fog filled the path, leaving her having to push more power into pushing further. She could sense the strain going through Setsuna, but all she could do was do her task. The line led a tangled path through the web of connections, leading to an origin point deep in the lower levels of the facility. She wasn't sure exactly where, but her mind instinctively understood this as the shield control and security door controls.

Feldt let out a little cheer of success, and now with a pattern to trace, she followed the red, the dark pressing on her harder. Her defenses tightened, and she had to hurry up. Finding the core of this, the red line definitely led to the droid controls, as even a cursory scan of it telling her that not all of the droids had even been activated. Like they were coming in waves, "I have to stop this."

She broke out of her trance, seeing a black mark on the wall. She turned to see her Kiffar lover fighting off the droids. She breathed hard, and she pulled out a plasma torch, lighting it up. She knew the wires she needed, but these cases would take a bit. They were thick metal, and she had to be careful and not cut the wrong wires.

As Feldt worked through the machine, power surged through Setsuna's legs as he blocked the first blow, the sharp metallic legs slashing his sleeves. Nothing that wouldn't be fixable, but his coat wasn't coming out intact. Setsuna skid back as another set of legs came down from above, too fast to parry in time. The force guided every action, and he slashed at one of the legs, the enhanced blade slicing through the metal near the tip of a claw. He charged forward, the enemy movements stuttering. Blasters were aimed at him, but no fear filled his mind.

A blast hit the wall near him, Setsuna's eyes narrowing. That would not stop his charge, and he slid under one of them, slicing out the bottom half vertically. He sliced it in half with a quick twist of his wrist, quickly grabbing the top half of it and throwing it in front of him, blocking a blast from another droid. The remains of the droid fragmented, Setsuna slicing through some of the larger fragments.

She redirected his focus on the next one, whose chassis was near the generator. Setsuna looked carefully, trying to avoid doing any damage to the generator. 'This might hurt our escape somehow.' He moved to the side of it, slicing off the blaster, a leg less than an inch from his neck. The force guided his hand, and the blade sliced through two of the legs, the droid toppling forwards. His blade sunk into the control center of the ancient droid, the Kiffar panting from the exertion. His use of force speed was draining him, and he had no time to recover as the last droid charged him aggressively.

Setsuna was able to dodge, but he had to let go of his blade. It skittered along the ground, and Setsuna swore under his breath. The droid positioned itself between him and his blade, the blaster turning to face Feldt. Setsuna's eyes went wide, and the barrel began to glow red. In desperation, Setsuna used the force to rotate the blaster to a few inches away from her. Sweat poured down his face, and he spared a second to extend his senses to Feldt, and she was deep in concentration. But she seemed to be pulling out her plasma torch, and he let out a breath.

Setsuna pulled out his vibrodagger, and parried a blow, losing the dagger in the process. He used the momentum to roll to the side, giving him an angle to call the blade to his hands. He reached out to it, and with the world in slow motion, it flew into his hand. He gripped the hilt with a firm confidence, and stabbed diagonally through the machine, blade covered in oil. The lights died in its receptors, and Setsuna fell back against the generator, a deep ache in his legs and ribs. The world faded back to normal speed.

The sounds of slicing and burning metal filled the room, Setsuna wrinkling his nose a bit. It was never a good smell, but getting even a several seconds of breathing was amazing. The oxygen almost burned, but it meant he was alive. He called his dagger to his hand, sheathing it back on his hip. Setsuna could hear the skittering coming from the other room, but the door suddenly closed between them and the rest of the group.

A hulking figure walked in from the hallway of corpses, a nasty grin on his face. Ali walked with a confident gait towards them, a new blade on his back. It was long and ominous, made of sleek metal with a dark leather handle, "Well if it isn't my two favorite targets."

Inner Sanctum of the Temple

The hum of the forcefield lessened in volume as Allelujah and Tieria's footsteps echoed down the hall. Allelujah had to hold back the darkness that was pushing on him. His mind was still wandering back to the fight, the sounds of blaster fire also becoming quiet. The low lights here made every angle seem more threatening. Interspersed on the walls was the symbol of the Infinite Empire, and more images of the glories of the conquests and great building projects. Of central focus were ones showing the construction of the great temple, with a glowing chamber in the center, though there was no detailed image of what was there.

Tieria's voice was low, "Can you hold him off long enough for our allies to get to us?" Tieria was playing with the safety of his large blaster, a low click with each switch. Allelujah kept his hand on his lightsaber, which created a glowing aura around him.

"Yes. But hopefully we don't have to." Their plan had fallen apart pretty quickly, and now Allelujah hoped the force had something in mind, "You can relax. We will confront him, and we will win." Allelujah saw the belt of thermal detonators on Tieria. 'Hopefully that will be enough.'

The clicking stopped, and soon there was a small staircase gradually rising up to a set of double doors. There were a few closed doors near it, other doors along the way blocked off by rubble. The pair approached the large door, inscriptions and art dulled by the elements that had been hitting this area. The shielded openings let light in here, and a voice echoed from a corner, "If you are here for my master, he is inside."

Regene stepped out, nothing in her hands, and Tieria immediately turned his blaster on her, the safety off. Allelujah put a hand on the rebel soldier's, "No. They aren't our enemy." There was something off, but he couldn't see any issues with letting the imperial servant talk to them.

Tieria grunted, "Fine. Speak."

"Thank you for being civilized." Regene looked at Tieria intently, "All of the men have been taken inside. I'm guessing you are wondering why there were no storm troopers." Regene could see in Allelujah's eyes she was correct, "Anyone else but Ribbons would be proud of how you escaped and prospered."

"Why are you not trying to kill us?" Tieria growled, Regene not reacting with any overt emotion besides bemusement.

"Because I have no chance for one, and two, I was specifically ordered to allow the two of you in. You were my master's favorite toys, and he missed you." Tieria's finger tightened around the trigger, but Allelujah narrowed his eyes. As blocked as it was here, the force was asking him to listen, to look. He studied the non-combatant, trying to scan her. She hid her emotions well, but there was an anger and ambition that lay in this woman. 'Divide and conquer.'

Allelujah took a deep breath, and stepped forward, "We are going in. If you try to stop us or join your master, I can't promise your safety." Tieria turned his head towards his teammate, threatening to fire, "She is not a threat to us. Trust me."

Tieria stared at the woman for several seconds, who calmly met his stare. He may have had his helmet on, but Tieria swore Regene could almost see through it. He trembled a bit before lowering his weapon, turning away from the woman, "Let us in and stay silent."

"As silent as a suppressed slugthrower." Regene walked up to the door and tapped a button on it. The large stone and metal door groaned, pushing out to show a large, grandiose chamber. There was a large device in the center, two chambers with a tube connecting the two of them. An interface like the generator room stood between them.

Along the walls were more murals, showing the creation of this device. It started with the Rakatans on their knees looking up into the sky, not praying to any figure as they are surrounded by dead bodies. It moved along, showing life essence being transferred to this crowned figure, this evolving to more until the device was created. This king seemed to rise in stature, until he was practically a giant in the end, crushing a rival under his foot.

And standing near a pile of desiccated corpses, their skin gaunt against their bones, was Ribbons. Still in his white, now dusty, getup, there was a manic look in his eyes. Even at the worst of the torture, he had always looked cold and calculated. He might have had it deep in him, but Allelujah was too focused on protecting his mind to extend his senses to dig into the inquisitor, and Allelujah doubted he would have succeeded at that time.

Ribbons looked at the two rebels, and bowed in an exaggerated manner, "I wish our reunion could have been somewhere better than this, but it means less hard work for me." His force power brimmed, the man not hiding himself from the casual probing by the Jedi, "I wonder what will happen to me if I absorb you." His eyes were focused on Allelujah.

Allelujah tightened his jaw, seeing the pile of corpses, "What did you do to them?"

"They were sacrificed for the good of the empire. Many more will follow them, but war takes sacrifice. And the more that sacrifice to me, the better."

Tieria took a step forward, "So that's it? You get rejected by a superior and plot to overthrow the empire?"

Ribbons turned his eyes to his failure, "Power is all that matters. If I succeed, then I must have been strong enough to handle it. I wouldn't have to deal with you."

It was unsettling to watch. Whether or not it would succeed, there was an order the Empire held up. This man's look only promised destruction. Allelujah held his lightsaber close, "You need to be stopped before you ruin the galaxy for everyone." His breath was steady, Hallelujah held back like a rabid animal chained to a wall.

Ribbons grabbed the blade on his belt with a smooth motion, flicking it in a circle before activating it, the red blade lighting his outfit ominously, "It's been a while since I faced a Jedi. Your traitorous friend, or was it lover, caught me by surprise. But let's see how you measure up." The man charged forward, Allelujah dodging out of the way, the blade singing his coat. The power behind the strike was worrying, and the Jedi had to recalculate everything. 'I really do need Setsuna.'

Allelujah looked at Tieria, "You know what to do!" The Jedi swung his blade at the inquisitor, the two blades meeting. Ribbons parried the blade to the side, but Allelujah swiped with a foot to trip the man. Ribbons deftly stepped back, but it forced him to disengage from his next strike. Allelujah took a breath as Ribbons scanned his opponent.

"Impressive for some so rusty." The man was twitching a bit, that manic smile still crossing his face. He struck like a viper, Allelujah sweating a bit as he pushed more power into holding back the blade. Allelujah swung for his legs, but that was swiftly blocked with a smooth twist of the inquisitor's wrist, "That might have made the old me sweat a little."

The Jedi leaped back to a side wall, giving him room. It was only his precognition saving him as the pair began to circle like kath hounds. Two blades humming. This man was a superior duelist, even in his addled state. He resisted the urge to look at the Tieria, hoping to keep him distracted long enough to either catch him in an explosion or Setsuna to show up.

"And here once again the Jedi show themselves as cowards. Strike me down!" Ribbons stopped circling, and opened his arms, giving a good shot at his chest. Allelujah shook his head, his hands twitching as Hallelujah yelled in his mind, "Kill him! He's wide open!" Allelujah just took a few steps forward, and Ribbons grinned, "Not confident you can kill me? I understand the concern. It takes awareness to understand one's place."

"The only thing I know is that you won't escape this place alive. For all the people you killed. For what you did to me, to Tieria. For trying to kill Marie." Allelujah's grip tightened on his lightsaber, and he charged forward, channeling all the power he could muster.

With Tieria

As the two dueled, Tieria moved to the left tube, placing the detonators one by one. He had already preprogrammed them to trigger from a detonator, the detonators on his belt. It was careful work, scanning the device for the best spots, and he could only spare a little time to watch Allelujah. But the looks he got were not promising. And worryingly, Regene was nowhere to be seen.

Allelujah was attempting to break through the defenses of the inquisitor. But every time it seemed he had gotten past them, the blade was deflected or parried away. It was still faster than anything he had seen. It was watching two high level warriors in a ceremonial duel, and sparks flew as blades clashed. 'Is this what it was like when the Jedi existed as an order? I wouldn't have minded a few more of them around.'

But that only distracted him for a second before he was back on demolitions. The last of his detonators were in place, secured to the machine. Sweat had built under the helmet, and just as he dropped the empty belt of thermal detonators, a hand was on his normal belt. On instinct, Tieria grabbed his blaster pistol, shooting where the hand came from. There was a feminine cry of pain, and Tieria snapped to see Regene with a scorch mark on her hip, clothing tattered on the impact site.

"Why did you do that?"

With Allelujah

This duel was not going his way in any way. Allelujah was tiring as he tried to keep up the flow of power and energy. Yet this man had an unbeatable defense, and when the Jedi took a step back, Ribbons jumped on that like a hungry predator. Allelujah met his blows as best he could, but he was getting driven back, unable to do anything but parry, deflect and dodge. The floor was scarred by missed blows, Allelujah's blows only becoming sloppier.

"I won't kill you. You are my next test. Once I dispose of you, your friends' explosives will be no issue." Allelujah slashed out at Ribbon unguarded stomach but was only greeted by a boot to the stomach. He fell to the ground, rolling to recover. He slumped a bit, catching his breath, and Ribbons confidently walked towards him, an elbow only hitting his cheek thanks to he dodged out of the way.

Allelujah stumbled back as he hit the wall, another blow hitting his solar plexus, driving the wind from his lungs, "Pathetic. Barely able to stand up to me." Another kick to the ribs. Allelujah coughed up some blood, trying to reach out to the lightsaber that had fallen out of his hand. He looked up at the man, defiance etched on his expression.

"I'll never give up." His voice was raspy, but an anger surged, and due to his weakened state, Hallelujah finally took control, the flood of raw anger flooding into him. A telekinetic force exploded around him, and Ribbons was knocked back several feet as a dark, familiar anger radiated from the wounded Jedi. A dark voice left the man.

"Now it's my turn!"

Author Note

Welcome back! We get to our final fights, and the rest of our crew is now struggling against the hordes of enemies. Can they survive and defeat the enemy none of them have beaten before? I'm excited to be so close to the end of the story, and giving you guys a proper conclusion to the story. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you guys' next time!