Star Wars: Darklight

by AB

Chapter 13

Darth Solus and Darth Typhus

"She has grown so much Urel, she looks so much like you." His wife smiled at him. Kaa'ara was twelve by now.

"Yes, and she has both our affinity to the Force. My Dark Side… your Light Side."

"Do we still have to move around every so often? She has no friends… "

"Yes, I know but you know who is after us. He'll never rest until he has her and I won't allow this to happen." Urel told his wife then looked up from where he was sitting. "Where's Kaa'ara? She's not in her room?"

"She should be?" Kastana, his wife commented.

Urel stood up and walked to his daughter's temporary room. He opened the door to find the room empty.

"I feel… a disturbance. They're here. We have to leave, where's Kaa'ara?" Urel felt the hair on the back of his head stand up tense.

He rummaged her room her room in haste for any clues as to her whereabouts but found nothing. He ran outside grabbing his lightsaber to see cross-ties descend on the planet's surface. He had found them after twelve years. Kastana followed him.

They ran to the village's square where they heard screaming and shouting followed by laser blasts.

"Come out Darth Invictus. I have your precious daughter!" A voice yelled.

Urel and Kastana entered the square lightsabers powered up. They were met by a hundred or so troopers and two hooded men wearing black.

The younger of the two men was holding on to his frightened daughter's shoulder and hair.

"Let her go or I'll flay your skin alive!" Urel threatened the man who just chuckled.

"Hold her, my apprentice while I deal with the traitor scum." His old Master told the younger man.

"Yes, Master."

Darth Mortus powered up his lightsaber and attacked Kastana pushing Urel back. Urel bounced back attacking Darth Mortus on his flank. Kastana blocked his lightsaber attack, slashing at his thigh. Darth Mortus parried her attack and pivoted around blocking Urel's lightsaber before pushing it towards his wife's lightsaber. She parried both lightsabers before using Force-Malacia.

Darth Mortus stumbled back feeling nauseous for a second or two before using Force-Lightning on the both of them. Kastana failed to dodge it. It hit her square on her torso electrocuting her. Urel used his lightsaber to channel the energy of the lightning into his lightsaber.

Before she could stand Darth Mortus threw his lightsaber at her killing her instantly.

"Pathetic." He sneered while Urel cried for his fallen love. Urel turned tear-eyed to Darth Mortus and using both his hands he cast Force-Darkshear at Darth Mortus. As if struck by an invisible dark spear Darth Mortus' left hand severed from his body. Another second wound appeared on his abdomen gashing out blood.

Darth Mortus gave a maniacal yell and started Force-Draining Urel. Urel Tried resisting at first but the power of Darth Mortus' drain was too much for the man. He staggered and fell to his knees. His lightsaber falling from his hand.

"My apprentice… kill him! I need your life force. I need to drain you! I'm dying!" Darth Mortus shrieked. His apprentice laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke. He hit Kaa'ara on the back of her head knocking her out cold and Force-Levitated her to two of the troopers.

"Hold her while I deal with this." He commanded them and slowly walked to where Urel kneeled.

"Know that your daughter will suffer greatly at the hands of the Sith. She will be the genetic "sister" of the experiment that will give me eternal life." He whispered to Urel's ear before striking him with his lightsaber.

"Old man… you are pathetic if you think I will give my life to heal you. We are Sith, Dark Jedi, call it what you will. I break the rule of two. I will continue your experiments worry not. For now… DIE SO THAT I DARTH VITUS CAN RISE!" Darth Vitus unleashed Force-Lightning from both his hands levitating Darth Mortus up high on the air before choking the man to death. "You do not deserve a lightsaber death, no vermin like you does. A real Sith dies by the enemy so that his apprentice can rise. You had not the honour to even do that." He let the lifeless corpse of his Master fall to the ground and turned his head to the troopers. "I am your leader now. Come we have much work to do."

Cyra felt it first. The undeniable feeling of a disturbance emanating from a single location in time and space tied to a horrible misuse of the Force. A disturbance in the Force had just passed through her just as they were about to jump out of Hyperspace.

"Mum… what was that?" Next to her Volun held the arms of his chair to steady himself. He had never before felt anything similar to this.

"You… you felt it?" Cyra looked at him with scared eyes. "Never mind we shall deal with this later."

She nodded to Garos. "Patch me in to the whole fleet." Garos nodded back and pressed some buttons in his console.

"Hear me, men and women of the Coalition. We are about to jump out of Hyperspace, to join the Battle of Balmora without having any intelligence, any idea of what awaits us on the other side. We do not know if the Sith took the bait, if Tern's fleet won or if the Life-Eradicators under the command of my eldest son have arrived. We will join this battle guns blazing with all the courage and honour we can muster. If the Life-Eradicators are there we must all be prepared to die valiantly and take as many of the Sith as we can. May the Force be with us. Jump!" Cyra communicated to the fleet.

The fleet jumped out of Hyperspace.

"Woooaahhhh!!!" Volun yelled. Garos had to make a nearly 180 degrees pitch and roll to avoid several different laser shots straight off Hyperspace followed by more evasive maneuvers to avoid incoming enemy fighters.

Volun ran to the rear turret manning it. He started blasting anything that moved and wasn't Coalition.

"Coalition fleet, target the damaged one. The Korriban, target the Korriban, wait until it fires its main weapon then you have two minutes to do some damage." General Gavor's voice came through.

"You heard the man. Coalition fleet target the damaged Life-Eradicator cruiser." Cyra commanded. "Gavor, how did you find out?"

"We detected huge power fluctuations when… " Gavor hesitated. "when your son's cruiser fired its main weapon at Tern's fighter. Shields, engines, even artificial gravity. Everything except for life support including turrets and weapons shut down for two minutes after they fire it. It's a huge flaw in the design but I'm guessing if they are retrofitting this from ancient Rakata designs they may not have had the time or expertise required to fix it." Gavor replied. His cruiser's side cannons kept firing shot after shot at the Korriban hitting its shields.

"They must be hoping that the cruiser is big enough to not be damaged so badly during those two minutes." Cyra voiced.

"That or they intended those beasts to be amongst other ships, other cruisers, frigates, auxiliary ships and so on. These things have more than two thousand fighters per ship on them. They are fucking huge." Gavor replied.

"This arrogance will be their downfall. I have a little surprise "gift" for them." Cyra countered and turned to Garos. "Tell the fleet to fan out, make it tougher for the three Life-Eradicator cruisers to hit more than one ship per shot and locate Tern's fighter. I'll be damned if I let them take him. Take us near the other one, the Fall of Lothal. The moment it fires its main weapon I want us to be near enough to unload a certain thing we have in the cargo bay." Garos nodded grinning, he knew exactly what she had in mind.

"Volun I'll unleash the gift we have for these dogs, be ready to fire on it."

"Yes, ma'am they hurt my boyfriend these sons of bitches are going down!" Volun told his mother. A second later another tie-interceptor exploded by his fire.

"Fall of Lothal is powering up main weapon. It's targeting… Gavor's cruiser." Garos told Cyra who activated the hologram on her personal communicator.

"Gavor, you're being targeted. Abandon ship! You… " Gavor cut her off.

"No, we signed up for this we are not abandoning the battle. Besides… I was not born yesterday." Cyra heard him tell her before he addressed his men.

"Turn all power to the engines, cut power from weapons and shields. Full thrust starboard and descend. Emergency turn." Cyra saw Gavor's cruiser plunge from one moment to the other committing an almost ninety degrees turn "down" from where The "Fall of Lothal" was targeting at.

Cyra felt it coming and limited her connection to the Force. She did not want all that Dark Side energy and emotions flooding her mind. Volun untrained as he was felt it all when the "Fall of Lothal" fired its main weapon. It was as if a thick liquid-looking stream ejected from the cruiser's front and travelled a straight line to miss Gavor's cruiser by a few meters. The Dark Side laser beam hit a frigate behind Gavor's cruiser which did not have enough time to evade it, went right through the Space-Frigate and some seconds later smashed against one of Balmora's moons enveloping it in a black shadow.

"By the Force… it's as if the moon is boiling… " Volun said after the Life-Eradicator beam's influence had passed.

"Garos now! Takes us near that thing. Coalition fighters leave "The Fall of Lothal" 's blast zone." Cyra ordered. Garos plunged forward avoiding enemy fighters. "A few more meters… a few more meters… now, launch the seismic mine now!" Garos pushed a button launching the seismic mine and turned the flight stick fully on the opposite direction making The Pilgrim commit a 180 degree turn before he pushed the thrusters at full burn.

Cyra waited a few seconds. "Now Volun make that thing explode. Remove them from my sight."

"Aye, fucking aye captain." Volun replied pushing the turret's trigger. Five shots later he hit the seismic mine. A disc-like visible wave of almost white energy left the exploding mine. A concentrated form of kinetic and sound energy wave travelling at almost at the speed of sound. It hit "The Fall of Lothal" 's engines all the way to the middle of the ship almost splitting it in half as if a knife cutting through butter. Secondary explosions wreaked havoc on the hull starting from the engines and the fuel tanks. A couple seconds later the fusion core exploded illuminating the space-battlefield like a second sun. All nearby enemy fighters were evaporated in an instant. The shock wave penetrated the shields of the other two cruisers causing minor damage. The engines of the Korriban damaged as they were exploded disabling the cruiser.

"Korriban keep firing only your secondary batteries. They cannot penetrate your shields." Darth Solus' voice came through. He was angry, very angry.

"Ma'am I found Tern's ship it's being towed back to Solus' cruiser "Charon"." Garos informed Cyra.

"Computer… is there a life sign in there?" Cyra expected to hear no. "Yes, Cyra I'm reading one life sign." The computer replied.

"What? How is that possible mum?"

"He is… was created from Dark Side energy and midi-chlorian manipulation… in a way he is the Dark Side made manifest and yet he fights for the Light Side. He loves you… I do not know why he is alive but he is and for some reason although your older brother came here to kill him he has apparently decided not to… probably because he also would like to know why Tern is not dead. This is an opportunity. Red team save Tern's ship. Tow him back to Gavor's cruiser. Gavor you are to… " Cyra was interrupted when Charon fired its main weapon. This time Gavor's maneuvers were not enough and it took a hit. The black laser passed through half the ship from the middle to the bridge.

"Gavor! Gavor please reply!" Cyra screamed in the communicator to receive no immediate reply. "Crew of the Firefly head to the life pods!" She received no reply again.

"Garos do we have any remaining seismic mines?" Cyra was seething, anger visible on her expression.

"No, we spent the last one on "The Fall of Lothal"."

"Fuck… at least Tern's fleet is fleeing away from the front of the "Korriban". Red team how are you doing in retrieving Tern's ship?"

"Not good, we are being slaughtered out here." Red Two voiced. Two explosions followed his message. Two cross-ties destroyed.

"Hello mother… " Cyra heard her oldest son's voice coming from the holographic communicator. "Time to die. Korriban, Charon release all fighters. Destroy the rebel scum." Cyra felt both cruisers powering up their respective main weapon.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Cyra yelled. Garos took them away from the cruisers' bows.

"Fleet, they are about to fire their main weapons. Concentrate your firepower on Charon, I want that thing destroyed!" Cyra commanded.

"Cyra Antari, this is Horul of the Firefly. I am now the commanding officer after General Gavor's death. All non-essential personnel have evacuated the ship… " There was a short pause. "It has been an honour serving under you, commander of the Coalition. May the Force be with you. Ramming speed." Horul's voice sounded grave and yet there was no despair in it. He was a man ready to die having accepted the fact.

"Horul, no! Abandon ship." Cyra tried to convince him otherwise.

"No, we signed up to do a job. Our honour requires this of us, we're going down and we're taking the bitches with us."

"How? You will crash on their shields. Your sacrifice will have been for n… " Horul broke her off.

"You said, they are about to fire their main weapon. I never explained how we will die." Hurol terminated the connection.

Cyra saw the "Firefly" align itself horizontally with The "Korriban". She saw the Firefly's engines flare up and go sublight gaining in momentum and speed. She saw the Korriban's main weapon fire and the Firefly enveloped by the dark laser. She knew every single crew member of the Firefly was now dead but she also knew that the Korriban's main weapon did not destroy the Coalition cruiser or reduced its speed. She saw the Firefly impact the Korriban right at the main weapon's muzzle swell. The two ships collided with the Firefly's speed carrying it almost half way through the Korriban like a huge bullet, metal bending and breaking outwards. The Firefly's path followed by secondary explosion after secondary explosion before the Firefly's fusion core became critical, igniting in a bright flash. The Korriban was split in four large chunks followed by an even brighter explosion flash when its' fusion core imploded.

In the resulting multi-shock wave Cyra saw multiple smaller explosions as fighters from both sides were caught in the blast.

The Korriban's shockwave due to its close proximity to Charon caused its' shields to fall before it fired its main weapon.

"Fire at Charon! Fire now, fire at will!" Cyra ordered. Every ship in the fleet stopped firing at the enemy fighters and bombers and concentrated their firepower on the Charon.

"Commander, they have Tern's ship, we were unable to retrieve it. We have failed you." Red two's voice came through clearly disappointed at his and his team failure.

"Garos, take us close to them, close enough to touch their hull. Volun try and damage as many of its turrets as you can." Garos took a fleeting look at his boss as if asking her "what are you doing?"

"They have Tern and they are now the only ship in the battle, they will leave. My son may be evil but he is not stupid. He knows for all his fighters and his main weapon we now can destroy him so he'll jump to hyperspace. If we're close enough we'll be caught in their Hyperspace bubble and they'll take us with them. Now floor it and get us near them before they jump." Cyra explained.

"General Vorik, you are now in command of the fleet, take out the straggler fighters and follow the beacons I'll be leaving you behind us as we jump. Cyra out."

"My Lord, target is secured in the Hangar bay." A fighter pilot told Darth Solus.

"Excellent, prepare him for the scientists on-board I want to know why he yet lives. They can dissect him if they want. Helmsman take us away from here." Darth Solus hissed.

"M… my Master, what about your mother and brother?" His apprentice Darth Typhus asked him.

"Worry not, filth… they will follow us." Darth Solus replied. Charon jumped away from Balmora.

Tern felt the Life-Eradication laser come his way before he even saw it leave the cannon in the cruiser. He knew he did not have enough time to evade it. He shut down his engines and entered meditation awaiting death.

The laser hit him.

He felt as if his soul was being ripped from his body. Like someone was tearing holes on the fabric of his being. He could feel hatred, hatred like he had never felt before, sorrow the likes of which could shutter the minds of the week. Such anger could surely swallow planets.

He sensed something different amongst all the cacophony of voices surrounding him. It was a female voice. Familiar yet unknown. Sweet yet sad beyond measure.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"I… I don't remember. It has been so long. Who am I?" It was a girl's voice.

"Who are you? I cannot see you." Tern repeated his question.

"I cannot see you either. I am in a dark place covered in sticky slime. I… am trying to remember who I am. Who are you?" Her voice resonated with sadness.

"I am Tern Amargo. I am… I do not know what I am." Tern confessed. Outside Tern's spaceship the battle raged again.

"Tern… I know that name, why do I know that name? I think I am a girl. I was happy once."

"What happened to you? I am a boy. I am happy… when I am with Volun."

"What is a Volun?" The girl asked perplexed.

Tern had to giggle. "Not a what, it's a who. He is my boyfriend. I love him. He loves me."

"Love… I remember this… vaguely. I was loved once."

"By who?"

"My… my parents. They are dead now." The girl's voice turned from sad to angry.

"How did they… die?"

"A Sith Lord… " She paused abruptly. "A Sith Lord murdered them. A Sith Lord and his apprentice."

"That's horrible… I am sorry."

"You should be… my name is Kaa'ara and my parents were killed so that you could exist."