THIRTY-SEVEN.
all because of him
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About Five Years Ago...
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'Where is he..?'
I took very quiet and careful steps forward, making sure not to make a sound. I firmly held onto my lightsaber's hilt to the point where my knuckles turned white. My breathing was stable, but it felt as though my heart was beating out of my chest.
I cautiously walked through the DS-2 Death Star's halls; aware of all my surroundings. That's when I heard stormtroopers approaching the area. I quickly hid behind a wall, hoping that they wouldn't notice me as I deactivated my lightsaber. But, unfortunately, they saw me.
"Trespasser! Drop your weapon and put your hands in the air..!"
I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, turning to face the troopers. In one swift movement, I waved my hand towards their helmets. I stared at them, "You do not need me."
Almost immediately, the stormtroopers replied in unison, ".. We do not need you."
"I can go on my way, and you'll leave me be."
"You can go on your way, and we'll leave you be." The stormtroopers said, marching away in a straight line. I sighed once again in relief, wiping the sweat off my forehead.
Suddenly, I felt someone's firm hand grab a hold of my wrist. I gasped and my eyes widened. I turned around sharply and faced the person behind me. He was just the man I was looking for..
Derek.
"That was quite the show," He whispered in my ear. "Too bad I have to cut it short."
Before I could protest and fight, he placed his free hand over my mouth as he shook his head in disapproval. I struggled to get out of his strong grasp. He began to drag me out of the halls and into his division.. away from the prying eyes of the officers walking by.
The hatch to the room closed as he finally let go and threw me onto the ground. I glared, holding on to my lightsaber and activating its bright and dangerous blue light. Derek stared at me before clicking his tongue in disappointment.
"You really have changed, Adalyn. Stronger, I may say," He smirked, taking out his own lightsaber. The red light illuminated out of its hilt. "Maybe even more.. cold-blooded."
"I can say the same about you." I scoffed, getting off of the ground and getting into a defensive position. My eyes suddenly filled with sadness, "What happened to you? Why are you like this--?"
"Haven't I made it obvious?" He laughed, hiding the pain in his voice. He watched as I shuffled around on my feet through the silence. He raised an eyebrow, "So you really don't know?"
I clenched my teeth, "Don't--"
"I guess I need to remind you then," He scowled, inching towards me. "You abandoned me; everyone did! But Lord Palpatine was there to snap me back to reality. He told me everything. I should've known the Jedi were evil--"
"Derek, look at you!" I said as my shoulders tensed. "You're remorseless. The Emperor has blinded you with his lies! Trust me, you don't want this..!"
"Oh, and how would you know that?" He smirked. "Because while you were training and having a good old time with your Master, I was suffering and hurting 'cause of you. Turns out, you forgot I even existed."
"That's not true--"
"And ever since then, I've wanted to kill you so bad.. get the revenge I've always wanted. But now that you're finally here, I feel.. empty." He paused for a moment before continuing, "So that's why, I came up with an even better idea," He laughed, pointing his lightsaber at me. I shook my head, holding back my tears. He grinned, "Why don't you join me?"
".. What?" I froze in place, biting my lower lip. He stared at me with an evil smile.
"Join me in to the Dark Side. Together we can be free," He said, sighing. "Just you and me."
"No, I can't.. I won't," I replied, tightening my grasp on my lightsaber. "I won't ever lose myself to the Dark Side. Never."
"Why not?!" He shouted, walking towards me with resounding steps. I stumbled backwards with no response as I just kept my eyes on his facial features. He stopped a few feet away from me, our lightsabers illuminating each other's faces. He growled, "Oh, I see.. it's all because of that scoundrel, Luke, isn't it?"
I snarled, "Leave him out of this."
"I guess I'm right," He scoffed, turning his back on me. He slowly took a few steps forward then stopped to speak. "You see, I cherished you more than anything in this whole damn galaxy. In my disgusting past, after I had lost everything, you found me and became the one good thing in my life. I wanted you, but guess who was always in the way? Luke. You left me behind for who? Luke. Every night I'd lie awake, feeling daggers in my chest, as I'm reminded of how you aren't mine. It's all because of him that you never--!"
"I said, leave him out of this!" I screamed, running towards Derek and swinging my lightsaber towards his head. He blocked my attack, and it was obvious that he was much stronger than me.
He caught me off guard and threw my lightsaber over to the side, kicking it away from me. He pushed me down and grabbed me by the neck, holding me up off the ground. His grasp was powerful, but he wasn't choking me.
"It's all his fault, don't you understand?!" He breathed in. "It's a shame he's not here to save you. I guess he's too busy worrying about himself and his father. But unlike him.. my eyes are on you," He said furiously. I caught glimpse of his eyes and saw tiny tears forming in them. He chuckled, "You were never destined to choose me. I guess that really made me realize that.. maybe I chose the wrong side."
He threw me aside, slamming me into a sharp wall full of weaponry. I groaned in pain, struggling to stand up. Daggers fell and pierced my skin. I looked at my left shoulder and noticed large cuts everywhere.
Derek walked over to me with a grim look on his face. He stepped on my shoulder with his foot, deeping the cuts on my skin. I winced in pain.
"I'm giving you another chance, Adalyn. Make your choice," He smirked, slowly taking his foot off my wounds. He extended his right hand out to me while the other held his lightsaber. "I see the hate flowing through you. Your lust for blood is much stronger than you know.. which is perfect for the Dark Side's use. Deep down, you know you want this.."
I felt a strong power overcome my body with a strange force. I closed my eyes, then re-opened them with a new feeling -- evil feeling.
I growled and clenched my teeth. I aimed my hands towards my lightsaber all the way across the room. I focused all my energy on the weapon. It was taking longer than I had expected it to. The lightsaber was shaking, but the Force wasn't helping me at all.
"I know everything about you and your past, Adalyn," Derek smiled, looking into my eyes. "Once a murderer, always a--"
I swung my leg around and tripped him. To my surprise, he only staggered backwards and didn't fall. I gathered up all the remaining strength within me and used the Force. My lightsaber had finally listened to my command and came flying towards me. I quickly activated it.
I didn't know what came over me, but it was my true self that I'd hid for a long time.. the hidden shadow within me.
"You don't know anything about me."
He was clearly shocked, but it wasn't long until that emotion had turned into anger. "How dare you--"
That's when I noticed that his right arm wasn't protected. Within a blink of an eye, I slashed my lightsaber towards the arm. His eyes widened as my lightsaber sliced through his shoulder and ripped it apart from the rest of his body. He yelled in pain, stumbling backwards. He glared.
"I won't let you get away with this!" He coughed up blood, rushing towards me with his lightsaber. I dodged his attacks with grace. "I'll kill you!"
I laughed, watching his arm continue to bleed. I felt nothing but anger.. and amusement. It was as if someone was taking over my body. This wasn't me anymore. I smirked, "And you'll only lose more blood if you keep this up."
We fought and fought until we both had finally reached our limits. We paused, staring at each other with hate in our eyes.
As if on cue, the sounds of stormtroopers' footsteps began to approach the room. Derek grinned, a hint of victory spreading across his face.
"This is it, my princess."
I tightened the grasp on my lightsaber. The stormtroopers' steps were only getting closer. I cursed under my breath, facing the heartless man in front of me.
"Derek, I.." I muttered softly. I felt the ruinous side of me slowly begin to fade away. I shook all the hatred out of my eyes and stared into Derek's. ".. I promise we'll meet again."
That's when I quickly cut through the room's walls with my lightsaber and left. I heard Derek yell out my name as the stormtroopers' footsteps chased after me. I ran, tears fogging up my vision.
I had made a promise to meet him again.. but I wasn't sure if I'd want to keep it. I wanted to forget all about him -- his name, our friendship, everything.
But my first mission as a Jedi failed.. and that's when I left everything behind. I thought that the only way I could cope through this whole thing was to start a new life: as a bounty hunter.
Even though I had tried to erase all those memories of him, Derek's hatred and my hidden shadow still lingered in my mind. It was as if something was holding me back from everything.. from moving on.
And it was all because of him.
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Present Day...
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".. Derek."
He chuckled deeply, "I haven't heard that name in ages. Everyone knows me as Leongar now."
"Doesn't suit you at all." I rolled my eyes, pushing his hand away from my face.
I quickly glanced behind at my teammates inside the cantina. From what I could tell, they seemed to be planning out an escape route.
I placed my attention back on Derek.. then at his right arm. He seemed to have replaced it with a mechanical arm.
"We were bound to meet again by these marks.." He said, grazing his fingers against the scars on my left shoulder. ".. and your promise."
Just then, a group of stormtroopers began assembling an E-Web heavy repeating blaster. My eyes widened, "What are they doing?"
"Hmm, how should I put this lightly?" He thought aloud to himself, placing a hand under his chin. He smirked, "If none of your friends decide to surrender, let's say.. they won't be coming out of this alive."
I growled, placing a hand on my lightsaber. I was about to take it out and fight, but Derek held his hand up, signaling me to stop. He shook his head.
"That won't be necessary," He announced, gesturing at all the stormtroopers. "You don't wanna fight all of us at once, do you?"
I glared, "Try me."
Before he could respond, we heard someone firing their blaster from inside the cantina. I suspected that my teammates were trying to break open something.
Derek and Moff Gideon looked at one another, raising an eyebrow. I turned to face the cantina with a concerned look on my face.
"Your astute panic suggests that you understand your situation." Moff Gideon said to my teammates confidently. I clenched my fists. Derek placed a hand on my shoulder, pulling me in closer to him.
He whispered in my ear, sending a chill up my spine. "Watch.. and enjoy the show."
"I would prefer to avoid any further violence and encourage a moment of consideration. Members of my escort have completed an assembly of an E-Web heavy repeating blaster." Moff Gideon stated, pointing a finger at the large blaster. Moff Gideon didn't hesitate to continue:
"If you are unfamiliar with this weapon, I am sure Republican Shock Trooper Carasynthia Dune of Alderaan will advise you that she has witnessed many of her ranks vaporize mid-descent, facing the predecessor of this particular model."
My eyes widen when I heard Alderaan. It had been destroyed.. but Cara had escaped. I stared at Moff Gideon as he exposed each and every one of my teammates' backgrounds. But I had never felt more weak when he started talking about.. Mando.
"Or perhaps the decommissioned Mandalorian hunter. Din Djarin has heard the songs of the Siege of Mandalore, when gunships outfitted with similar ordnance laid waste to fieldwork of Mandalorian recruits in The Night of a Thousand Tears."
'Din.. Djarin?'
"I advise disgraced Magistrate Greef Karga to search the wisdom of his years and urge you to lay down your arms and come outside."
I tried running towards the building, but Derek's strong hands held me back. I clenched my teeth and yelled at the top of my lungs, "Don't do it..! Don't listen to him! Get out of here now!!"
"Oh, and how could I forget.." Moff Gideon turned towards me. The next few words that came out of his mouth paralyzed me. I stared at Moff Gideon in horror.
I had never told anyone my full name -- not even my closest friends and family, like Luke, Master Yoda, or Kuiil. My last name wasn't a blessing.. it was a curse.
"The infamous Jedi.. Adalyn Varyk."