Chapter 35
A/N: Hey everyone! Welcome back! So, this chapter, it might be a little dark in some parts; it's part of the reason it took so long to update. I wasn't sure how dark I wanted to go and some of the parts didn't want to work with me. But hey, I got it!
Anyways, I just own my OCs, other original characters belong to Gabeherdon308 & Manadlore the Survivor, and all other characters belong to either Netflix or Disney.
/comms/
Taunting laughter echoed around the large chamber as Trezac stabbed his sabers into the ground where Maul had been standing. Sweat plastered hair to his brow as he scrambled back to his feet, lifting his sabers up as he searched for the Sith Lord.
His experience fighting Maul was limited. Mostly due to the fact that once his master had learned of the Sith's survival he practically had refused to leave him unaccompanied. Especially after Maul made his intentions to exact revenge against Obi-Wan known. But still, even with his lack of experience, Trezac knew and had heard enough to know Maul was not that fast. There was absolutely no way he could've even got out of his line of sight in the moment it took for him to lunge.
"Where is your Master, Little Padawan? Did he abandon you?"
Trezac scowled, raising his blades as he scanned the room. The once soft blue light slowly turning a dark violet, deepening the shadows. "I never took you as one to hide Maul. Are you that scared a padawan will take your legs again?"
Laughter reverberated around the chamber, bouncing off the walls, creating a haunting echo.
Beneath his growing anger, the young padawan could feel his chest tighten as he continued to fail to spot the Sith Lord. Even with the dimming light, there weren't many places to hide in the main chamber. Not unless Maul wanted to risk being burnt by the magma.
Reaching out with the force, Trezac almost doubled over as he was slammed with an icy wave practically enveloping him, chilling him to his very core as it tried to blot out every ounce of light. His heart began to race as he continued to hear Maul's laughter echo louder around him and for a moment Trezac swore he saw a shadow rush past into one of the halls.
It was painful, as Trezac tried to push himself out of the tidal wave of darkness, it seemed to cling to him, icy claws burning against his skin as they tried to dig in. He could hear a muffled roar of rage as he finally managed to dig his way out, the cold numb tingling of his limbs slowly starting to recede as he raced after the shadow.
The obsidian stone practically vibrated under his feet as he ran down the hall, tendrils of darkness seeping from cracks fracturing the ancient structure. A sight from the corner of his eye nearly sent him sprawling to the floor as he slid to a stop, a cry catching in his throat as he found himself staring at the reflections of his former crechemates standing in front of him. Some of them still had the wounds inflicted to them when the attack came, embers flickering off the severed limbs or blaster marks as black eyes stared at him.
No, no, this wasn't real. Shaking his head, Trezac turned away, sprinting further down the hall as the holocron in his pocket hummed, the noise serving as a welcome distraction from the sounds of blasters and screams.
"You could've stopped this."
The distorting voice almost made Trezac stop as his heart began to pound against his chest. That...that wasn't Maul. It didn't sound like him; not anymore at least.
"The jedi knew Dooku was responsible for making the clone army. You knew, and yet, you did nothing? You didn't tell the Senate; no, instead you let them kill your people."
A tremble ran through Trezac's frame at the memory. He remembered that mission well, even now it continued to haunt him. Learning that Dooku had made their army...it was frightening. What had scared him even more, was the fact the Council had been willing to cover it up, just to keep the public's favor on their side. He didn't understand it. Trezac had agreed with Anakin, he wanted to go tell the Chancellor or someone in the Senate at least. The memories of Pong Krell and Barriss Offee had still been fresh; the last thing he had wanted was for people he trusted to betray him again.
And...and yet, it had happened anyways. They played themselves right into Palpatine's hands. All because they followed the Council's wishes. They only family he'd ever known was dead because he was too cowardly to find the nerve to defy the Council and do it himself. How many innocent lives could he have saved if he just listened to his gut?
He shivered as the icy darkness began to scratch slowly at his already weak shields. The dark force rippled around him, seeming to grow colder as it continued to stalk around him, like a hungry predator.
"That's why your master abandoned you, isn't it? He must've realized that you were just like him: a monster in the making."
"You're wrong," he growled out, clenching his fists around his sabers. A small ember of anger sparked to life in his chest, causing some of the numbing cold to retreat. How dare they accuse his Master! This thing, whatever it was, it didn't know anything about him! Obi-Wan left to protect Padme's children. He couldn't afford to be slowed down by his hot-tempered padawan. Force forbid, have said padawan accidently light something on fire while they were in space again. No, Obi-Wan had a more important mission, and Trezac was a sacrifice that had to be made.
Besides, it would've been easier for both of them to hide. The Empire would've been looking for a man and a teen; even with a baby thrown into the mix, by separating, they were better able to protect themselves and Padme's children.
The entity he was facing, seemed to chuckle at this, as cold daggers stabbed through his shields violently. Trezac's head pounded as he fell to his knees, lightsabers clattering out of his grip and rolling along the floor as the mocking laugh echoed through his head painfully. "Oh, you really believe that? I knew you were naïve, but I didn't think you'd be this pathetic, little jedi."
Fists clenched in his hair as tears threatened to form, Ancients, it hurt. Every word this abomination spoke rebounded in his head, the noise seeming to amplify with every syllable.
"But that will be remedied, padawan. Everyone else knows what you are. It's time you learned the same."
An icy darkness stabbed into his head and Trezac screamed as his world exploded into agony.
-.-
Golden eyes gazed down out the window, watching small flickers of light move down in the courtyard below. Already she could see the different armies gathering into formation, to await her big speech. Of course, that would be once this new commander she heard Vader had sent to assist her arrived.
Eleven scowled, the last thing she wanted was for Lord Vader to be interfering. Hopefully, this assistant had arrived alone; she could stage an accident that way. Of course...that did depend on who he was. Clones, as disposable as they were, did have members who stood out more than others. She'd heard of the gallantry of clones like CC-224, CT-5555, CT-7567, and the Bad Batch.
Alas, she doubted Vader would send one of his good lapdogs. At least then she might've considered letting them live; at least so she could dispose of Soren. The "Captain of the Crown Guard" might've been an admittedly decent fighter and he was so, so easy to manipulate, but otherwise, he was useless. She could already sense the conflicting emotions within him upon the day she took the throne; no doubt the imbicile was already starting to question his allegiance.
"Soren should be here," Viren scoffed, tapping his staff against the ground. "Why is he late?"
Or perhaps he was acting on his betrayal earlier than she thought? Whatever, the boy didn't matter. By the time he could do any damage, she would already have rallied the armies who were already calling for blood. Of course, that was assuming that the fool actually had the brain cells to even come up with such a plan.
"Oh!" Claudia answered. "Soren told me he needed some bathroom time. He told me he at some bad cheese and now he's paying the price!"
Well, that was a lie if Eleven had ever heard one.
"Paying the price!" she repeated. Garnering no reaction, the young mage gave a sheepish shrug, "You do know what he means by paying the price, right? It means he's—"
Viren facepalmed, "Yes, yes, I get it. You don't need to paint me a picture."
"I'd only need one color for that picture...brown."
And she was officially done with this conversation. Turning on her heel, she strode past the pair, hoping her presence would silence any further conversation. "It's time for the speech, Soren and my Commander can meet us there if they're just going to make us waste precious time."
Eleven didn't wait for any response as she strode through the halls. Entering the main hall, she could see the men she stationed there stand at attention, opening the door for her as her soldiers mixed with those of Katolis. Walking past Prince Kasef, Eleven gave him a nod as his brows rose in surprise. Apparently the news of her ascent hadn't completely spread yet...that would make things interesting.
Striding forwards, she set her palms on cool stone, looking down upon her new subjects. Yes, a force like this would suit her aims quite nicely...at least once she removed the imperfections. "People of Katolis and the other kingdoms, I'm sure by now you have heard of King Ezran's abdication. I know many of you feel uncertain about having me, a foreigner, upon the throne of Katolis. But, today, borders do not matter. Today, it is not our nations that bind us together, but our common humanity! And with that, we have all faced tragedy brought upon us by the enemy of all humanity: Xadia. They hate us, think us as lesser, weaker beings! And they would destroy us all if we let them! But, today, I stand humbled to see the strongest fighting force in humanity's history standing before me. A force so powerful, that it could shake Xadia down to its very core!"
A roar filled the air as the crowd before her cheered and clapped. Some of the less...civilized banging their weapons on their shields.
Slowly raising her hand, Eleven silenced the crowd. "However, before we embark on our journey across the world, a journey that will change history and allow humanity to reclaim what's rightfully ours, there is one...unpleasant matter." She could hear people murmur nervously. Resting her palms against the stone, she leaned forwards, looking over the army with more scrutiny. "You see, Ezran insisted that I fulfill a request of his for him to feel reassured about his abdication. And I, a keeper of my word, agreed. Ezran requested that all the soldiers of Katolis who no longer wished to fight should be free to lay down their arms."
Gasps echoed through the courtyard, horror and rage etching themselves onto many.
Glee practically blazed in Eleven's eyes as she looked over the crowd. She could feel it, so many of them were enraged that such a thing be asked. "So, go on then! We don't want spineless cowards here anyways!" she jeered.
As she expected, the crowd went dead silent. Soldiers glanced between one another, no doubt challenging their comrades to even think of leaving. However, it didn't take as long as she had been expecting for the first imperfection to slither out. Beside her Viren scowled, showing his own fury at the sheer audacity as the man walked forwards; Eleven on the other hand, kept herself far more neutral as she met the gaze of the infestation. Anger boiled beneath her skin as defiant eyes stared up at her, not leaving her for a moment as the man pulled his sword from his sheath and stabbed it into the ground before placing his helmet on it.
Slowly, but surely, the rest of the infection made itself known as the crowd began to jeer at them. A small platoon had formed beneath her, some stabbing their weapons into the ground, others just straight up tossing them aside.
Taking a slow breath to control her fury, Eleven vowed that once she was done taking over this mudball, she would visit each and every one of them to make them pay for defying her. But, right now, she had to be patient. "No, no," she chided, waving her hand to the jeering crowd, "let them return to their families. However, even they will know they are deserters..." Viren walked up to her, allowing the queen to pluck a small badge from his hand, "They will wear a badge, a brand to show their shame and cowardice to all! A broken link!" Waving her hand, her men moved between the Katolis soldiers, forming a path towards where they could leave and go obtain their brands. "A chain is only as strong as it's weakest link! It's best we've gotten rid of ours today!"
The crowd cheered at her words, causing Eleven to smile. While the brand wasn't the retribution she had wanted, nor originally planned on, but, however, Viren had unfortunately made a valid point. Punishing the families of the deserters wasn't going to boost morale nor would it obtain loyalty. So, as it was, her fun would have to wait.
Well, most of it.
Glancing past the walls, Eleven grinned to herself as she could see heat rippling from one of her ships as it intercepted the deserters. She only wished she could be present to hear their screams as their brand of shame was burned onto their skin.
There was only so much one could do as Queen after all. And right now, she was more than willing to revel in the cheers of her army and the ripple of anguish she felt in the force.
"ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!"
"ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!"
"ALL HAIL THE QUEEN!"
-.-
Sol Regem paced, his tail lashing over the sands, sending soulfangs flying. Already he could sense the power of his arcanum slowly beginning to grow once again. That could only mean dawn was imminent.
The padawan had been in there for who knew how long. Alone, with the likes of dark magic that Sol Regem had never seen before. He didn't like it.
Through the darkness of the temple, the archdragon froze in his tracks as he sensed something. Reaching out with his magic, Sol Regem growled as it had the audacity to push against him. But, as the dawn grew closer, his power grew; just as this abomination's seemed to wane. Forcing himself through, Sol Regem managed to push his magic into the recesses of the temple. The darkness continued to try to fight him, but even he could tell, it's energy was getting weaker. And...it's attention seemed to be divided.
A growl rumbled through his body. The padawan, that's what this thing was focusing on as well. His magic trembled as it reached a room pulsing with darkness. Sol Regem could feel several dark artifacts, but currently none were what he was looking for. He just hoped this place hadn't smothered whatever light was in the youngster.
The sands shifted under him as he approached closer to the temple, the obelisks thrumming loudly as if to try to challenge his power. But, it was no longer the realm of darkness, with the first flickers of sunlight he sensed, this was now his world. Roaring, the archdragon dug his claws into stone, ramming his power against it as it violently recoiled from the direct blow.
Sol Regem was going to get that jedi even if it meant ripping the damned placed apart stone by stone. To make his point, fire erupted from his maw. He could feel the flames pass over the obsidian, the sheer heat starting to make the stone smolder and melt. Sharp claws dug into the rock, and he started pulling the outer layer of the pyramid away. His efforts to tear at the rock were slower than he would've liked, but otherwise he would've risked a cave in crushing his charge to death.
At his blatant threat, the darkness finally conceded to his superior powers. And, Sol Regem would've felt proud, had he not instantly sensed something was terribly wrong. Stopping his dig, the archdragon carefully pushed his magic back inside the temple, it seemed less hostile now that whatever entity residing in the pyramid had retreated, but there was still enough of the corrupt magic to make him wary. Through the darkness, the dragon paused as he sensed a flicker of light down one of the halls. His own magic practically barreled forwards, nearly toppling the shattered remains of what had once been the young jedi's powerful mental shields.
Something had happened. While limited due to the distance and corruption around him, Sol Regem did his best to try to check the youngling over. The boy was weak that much he could tell. No doubt the youngster had used everything he had to try to drive whatever abomination lurked within there away. But, given that thing could resist him, an archdragon, it was no surprise.
He just hoped the hatchling had enough strength left to manage to follow his magic and get to the entrance.
-.-
Janai couldn't believe she had agreed to this.
To bring humans of an enemy kingdom into her home...it was practically treason. Sure, these humans were honorable in some way. The one who spoke with her hands had saved her, and the others hadn't tried to torture her for information—for the most part. The sunfire elf was starting to think being trapped alone with the strange pink woman who never shut up was a form of torture.
She originally had thought that being guarded by the strange pig-like beings and interrogated by elf-like and pink-skinned people was some sort of trick to make her let down her guard. The sunfire elf wouldn't have put it past the humans to pull such a trick.
However, once she had been released, she was surprised to find she couldn't have been more wrong. Janai was used to seeing different beings, elves differed from one another in a variety of ways, but seeing so many different kinds in one place. It was almost unheard of. It had even been more shocking to see the human soldiers easily getting along with them all.
Some small part of her couldn't help but think it was still some trick to get her to lead them to her home. However, a part that was now growing larger, couldn't help but admit these humans had a point. She'd seen firsthand how humans could live alongside different species. And, if there really was a chance to end this war, it wasn't an opportunity to be wasted.
She only hoped her sisters could see things the same way.