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stephanie_ficsTitle: Destiny Can Wait
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
stephanie_fics
Time Frame: RotS
Characters: Darth Sidious, Darth Avel, Anakin, Asajj Ventress.
Genre: AU, Drama, Romance, Action
Rating: Teen
Summary: Darth Sidious has a mission for his apprentice, Darth Avel.
Chapter list
Thanks for the betarentsgirl
Chapter 9 – The Massassi Temple
But it’s too late to say you’re sorry
How would I know?
Why should I care?
Please don’t bother trying to find her
She’s not there
-X-
“Move in now!” an Imperial stormtrooper ordered. The sewer cover had been sliced around its seam by a crimson lightsaber and pushed back with the use of the Force. For the stormtroopers it happened in a flash second and before they could process what happened their training kicked in and they repelled down into the rebels’ hide out.
“You are all under arrest for treason,” one of the troopers called out, just for formality. None of these traitors were going to make it out alive and the ones who did would be sent to Kessel. The rebels were caught off guard by the Imperial intrusion and now they picked up their weapons to defending themselves. Confusion quickly settled in as smoke from a small explosion filled the space and everyone’s vision was obscured, yet blaster shots were still fired.
Darth Avel lifted his hands and commanded the Force to clear the smoke. It danced out the from the blasted sewer cap in seductive waves to join the familiar fog of the underworld of Coruscant. They were so far down they reached the crust of the planet where an ocean used to exist centuries ago.
With the smoke clear the rebels and troopers continued to fire at each other, only now they could see their targets. One by one rebels were killed till the ones alive saw it was a losing fight and surrendered their weapons.
After the shooting stopped Avel descended and looked around the room finding dead rebels and some of his own stormtroopers on the floor. The air was filled with an acidic stench that brought back memories of Vjun.
“Bring me their leaders.” Avel ordered his troopers.
As Avel stepped over the dead bodies one nearly dead but bold rebel lifted his blaster to shoot the dark lord from behind. Sensing the attack before it happened Avel deflected the shot with his hand and sent it back to his shooter. The victim was dead before he could be surprised by the Sith Lord’s trick.
Avel had been anticipating this moment for three months. These rebels had been causing enough trouble on Coruscant by planting bugs in government offices and raiding weapons from military posts that Palpatine postponed Avel’s trip to Yavin IV’s Massassi Temple till they were taken care of. Finally, an Imperial spy exposed the rebels’ names and their headquarters, a sewer control center that suppressed the ocean water below the crust through a high tech pipe system.
Stormtroopers began clearing out the dead bodies and checking their computer system for information. In the middle of this chaos Lord Avel was presented with the leaders.
“Here they are, my Lord.” The troopers threw the five small time rebel leaders to the ground face down, one bothan, two sullustans and two humans. Each trooper kept his blaster pointed to each prisoner's back. Avel signaled his for his men to step away before he ignited his lightsaber and walked down the execution line severing their heads off. One by one they rolled away, the wolf like bothan, the mouse eared sullustans, the spiky haired male human, all in a flash with no dramatic pause. With each slice Avel drew from the power of their extinguished life force until he got to the final rebel. The second human who was bald with tribal tattoos lifted her head and looked into her killer’s eyes. Her stare made the Sith Lord hesitate. Time felt like it stopped but a moment later the dark lord closed his eyes and beheaded the woman.
-X-
Sidious was not in his best mood. His meditation left him with unease and uncertainty. His apprentice had been doing his job well but this wasn’t the first time since his training began that he sensed ties to Avel’s past resurface and then be disregarded. Those painful memories were meant to fuel his anger and hate. Make his strength in the dark side grow.
Drawing the blinds open the vacant Jedi Temple came into view. Sidious at times enjoyed or cursed this view in his meditation room. Tonight he was cursing both Skywalker and the Force for ruining what he took him years to plan. Avel was filling his role as his enforcer efficiently, but he was no Anakin Skywalker when it came to his strength in the Force.
Although, Lord Avel did have his own talents with the dark side of the Force. When the time came for him to fight Anakin he would be a worthy opponent and the one who triumphed would be the man worthy to be his apprentice.
The Sith Master thought out loud, “I’ll be damned if my plans fail again.”
The intercom beeped and its speaker informed the Emperor that Avel had just arrived. The young apprentice entered the meditation room and came down on one knee before his master.
“The rebels have been taken care of, my master.”
“Good.” Sidious answered and motioned for him to rise. “Now the time has come for you to go to the Massassi Temple.”
Avel hid his excitement. “I’m pleased to hear that. What will be my mission while I am there?”
He watched his hooded master walk over to a table by the wall and pick up an ancient and valuable Sith chalice part of his private art collection.
Sidious handed the chalice to his apprentice and instructed, “This was uncovered from the Massassi Temple. Take it with you to the temple and you will use it during your mediation there.”
Avel furrowed his dark brows making his hard features look more like stone. He took the chalice. “That is my mission? Meditate?”
“Part of it,” the master answered, “during an expedition of the temple the archaeologists discovered a high amount of energy emitting from a tomb,” he paused. “The tomb of Exar Kun. The source of the energy could not be explained. Use the incense and your meditation skills to discover what the source of the energy is.”
Avel had heard of the name of the Sith Lord and felt he could relate to him. Exar Kun was a talented Jedi Apprentice who fell to the dark side.
“What am I to do when I discover the source?” Avel asked.
“Report back to me before you do anything.”
“As you wish, my master.” Avel said with a bow.
-X-
Avel left immediately in his customized fighter. It was a full day’s journey to Yavin IV. The Massassi Temple held much history when it came to Sith Lords of the past. He hoped this trip would be about the discovery of one of the Sith Lords’ ancient teachings. A forgotten knowledge that he could learn and use to show he was a more worthy apprentice than Skywalker.
His hesitation with that rebel woman was still bothering him. In the end he did kill her and he did so when he detached himself from the memory of his former lover.
Asajj Ventress has been dead for some time and nothing could change that but Avel could get his revenge on Skywalker and thus kill two mynocks with one stone.
He landed his fighter on the temple grounds. The lush jungle hid his ship from sight. Stretching out with the Force he sensed the presence of the wildlife creatures native to the moon’s jungle. He also observed that the excavation team left the temple and grounds around it look untouched. The only way anyone would know they were here would be to notice that relics and artifacts were missing.
Stepping down from his ship and grabbing the chalice, he began to walk the grounds toward the tomb. This place felt different from the last time he visited, when he found Asajj’s broken body in a hibernation state at one of the temple’s base.
The jungle felt darker and awakened. As he neared the tomb he felt as if his body was being pulled toward it. Avel stopped walking. Gathering the Force he hid his presence. But this task became harder as he came closer to the tomb. Lord Avel, a mere Sith Apprentice, was beginning to feel his strength in the Force would not hold up against this power. It was a great disturbance.
Avel stopped when he approached the tomb of Exar Kun. He ran his eyes along the top of the building looking at each of the black and green granite pillars placed around the statue in the middle. The grandness of the sight could make the powerless feel even more inferior and insignificant. But Avel felt an invitation to a challenge with great temptation. There was no need to meditate to discover the source of what the archaeologists called “a mysterious energy field,” because Avel knew the presence of another Force user when he felt one.
A spirit strong in the Force was trapped within and called to Avel to be unleashed. And this being the tomb of Exar Kun, a Sith Lord, it was his spirit who was trapped.
Releasing him was the last thing Avel needed right now. Besides, night was falling and the planet Yavin was rising in the sky. As Avel turned on his heals he heard the echo of a tumbling stone. He looked across the ground to see he accidentally kicked not a stone since it was a perfect pyramid shape with symbols and hieroglyphs engraved on each side.
Avel picked up the device. It was a Sith holocron. Strange that it was left on the ground and not collected with all the other artifacts. On the other hand he was glad he found it here instead of in his master’s private collection.
Activating it could be dangerous. If it belonged to Kun and came from the tomb itself it could release his suspended spirit. Turning away and distancing himself from the tomb he felt the spirit’s anger grow as well as his own tempting curiosity. The same temptation he gave into when he joined Dooku’s Separatist movement.
However, Avel continued to walk away. If he learned anything from the Sith it was never to trust one. A Sith who was strong enough and had the knowledge to keep his spirit alive was not to be trusted. Avel could feel a very threat to his own life if he gave into his curiosity.
-X-
“Lord Avel, what have you discovered?”
The apprentice answered the transmitting image of his master, “The imprisoned spirit of Exar Kun.”
“Just as I suspected.”
“Master, I feel he’s too dangerous to release or allow him to linger within his tomb for someone to discover. He must be destroyed. Besides, ‘Two there should be, no more, no less. One to embody the power; the other to crave it.’” he smiled as he quoted the rule of two.
The image gave a sinister smile. “I agree. I will meet you on Yavin IV as soon as I can. Until then stay away from that tomb and prepare for a battle with the undead.”
“As you wish.”
-X-
The Dark Lord decided to spend the night in the temple’s Grand Audience Chamber. Located on the highest level it was a massive room and the warmest one during the cold night. After a small dinner and many hours alone Avel’s mind wondered back to Asajj.
He knew he had to let go of her. Her haunting presence in his mind was a weakness. Their attraction for one another stemmed from a desire to overpower the other to become Dooku’s best acolyte. After he rescued her from Yavin IV things shifted. While the competition was always there, becoming the only two Sith was their ultimate goal.
Eliminating anyone who was threat to that goal was necessary. And still is.
Opening the chalice Avel lit the incense he made and carried with him. The scent filled the chamber and drew Avel into a meditative state commanding the Force to prepare him for victory.
Eliminating Exar Kun, a spirit from the beyond, was only one step to ensure his survival. Skywalker was the next. The Dark Side of the Force was embraced and called upon. Deep in meditation time and space were irrelevant.
Avel found himself back on Coruscant, in the Industrial Sector. But none of it felt real. Only his mind was transported.
Parked on an iron beam beneath a bridge was a speeder and sitting on the hood was a light haired man with his back turned to him. A small holo image of a woman rested in his hands.
“Ani I’m sorry to leave you this message and not speak with you in person. There’s an urgent meeting and I don’t know when I’ll be back. I miss you so much. I know we both have our duties and, now that you’re a knight,” A KNIGHT! He now recognized it was Skywalker. Avel continued to listen to the woman, “less time for ourselves. I do love you, Ani.”
The woman was interrupted as the device flew from Skywalker’s hands. He turned and screamed, “Hey!”
Avel laid his eyes on Asajj, who came from nowhere. She turned on the recording. “I do love you, Ani.”
She then switched it off and spoke with a sly smile, “Senator Padmé Naberrie of Naboo, I believe. Pretty – for a Jedi toy. Do your masters know? Not that it matters. I came to Coruscant seeking Vos but he and Kenobi are not accessible at the moment. You, however, I can reach and we will start with pain. First I will kill the thing you love. Then I will kill you.” Asajj crushed the recorder between her fingers and ignited her lightsabers.
In turn Skywalker ignited his and filled with rage said, “No, first I will kill you!”
It was impossible for Avel to get involved. This was a vision of the past playing before him like a theater show. He watched intently from the sideline. They both dueled aggressively and relentlessly across the beam, hundreds of miles above the depths of Coruscant.
Asajj kicked Skywalker down, “Pitiful.” He fell with a grunt and grabbed his chest. He clenched his jaw and slashed his weapon as Asajj back flipped away from him, landing gracefully on the ledge. “Why am I wasting my time here with you? It shouldn’t be that hard to find your beloved. The Senator dies first.”
Asajj Force jumped through the air to a beam across the way.
Skywalker leapt to follow, “No…stay away from her!” He then pursued and attacked with anger and rage. Asajj had no choice but to back away in defense. She crossed her blades to take off Skywalker’s head. He turned and the tips scratched his left cheek.
“Ugh!” he screamed as he brought his hand to his face.
“I could have taken your head off that time boy. Maybe with my next stroke I will. But first I wanted you to know that I could.”
With a flip she brought herself over him and attacked. Skywalker distracted by blocking one of her blades missed the other till the tip grazed his right eye, leaving a permanent scar. “Ah!”
“The last time we fought, you got lucky. This time I am the master. You don’t truly comprehend the power of the dark side of the Force, but I will teach it to you. A last lesson before you die.” Asajj said with spite.
Skywalker lifted his head and glared at his enemy. “How little you know of me or my understanding of power!”
Their fight continued across the beam, lightsabers clashing against each other and the iron beams making sparks fly. Skywalker was like a caged animal now on the attack pushing Asajj to the edge. With a kick he made her fall to her death. He looked above and raised his hands. A screeching metallic sound echoed through the city as electrical circuits and wire lines wrapped around the falling Dark Jedi, suspending her in air. Her entire body was wrapped, her hands and legs bound.
Tightening his fists an electrical current surged through her body. Asajj screamed in pain, “So you will kill me now Skywalker? Just let me fall to my death? I don’t think so. That is not the way Jedi do things, is it? It’s too dark, isn’t it? Do not pretend you are what you are not!”
The look on Skywalkers face didn’t match the cold, detached indifference in his voice. “Good bye, Asajj.” He released his fists and watched her fall to the depths of Coruscant. When she disappeared he walked away with no remorse.
Avel came out of his vision full of hate and anger but with answers. He finally knew how Asajj died. He never asked Dooku the details, not wanting to know. Feeling her pain in the Force was enough.
The best answer of all was knowing how to get Skywalker out of exile. The former Senator was the bait he needed to trap and kill the Jedi. Skywalker tortured and killed Asajj and Avel planned to do the same to Padmé Naberrie.
Author’s Note: The flashback scene is from Star Wars: Republic Series 71.
Lyrics are from the song ‘About Her’ by Malcolm McLaren.
Chapter 10 - Coruscant
Author:
stephanie_ficsTime Frame: RotS
Characters: Darth Sidious, Darth Avel, Anakin, Asajj Ventress.
Genre: AU, Drama, Romance, Action
Rating: Teen
Summary: Darth Sidious has a mission for his apprentice, Darth Avel.
Chapter list
Thanks for the beta
rentsgirlChapter 9 – The Massassi Temple
But it’s too late to say you’re sorry
How would I know?
Why should I care?
Please don’t bother trying to find her
She’s not there
“Move in now!” an Imperial stormtrooper ordered. The sewer cover had been sliced around its seam by a crimson lightsaber and pushed back with the use of the Force. For the stormtroopers it happened in a flash second and before they could process what happened their training kicked in and they repelled down into the rebels’ hide out.
“You are all under arrest for treason,” one of the troopers called out, just for formality. None of these traitors were going to make it out alive and the ones who did would be sent to Kessel. The rebels were caught off guard by the Imperial intrusion and now they picked up their weapons to defending themselves. Confusion quickly settled in as smoke from a small explosion filled the space and everyone’s vision was obscured, yet blaster shots were still fired.
Darth Avel lifted his hands and commanded the Force to clear the smoke. It danced out the from the blasted sewer cap in seductive waves to join the familiar fog of the underworld of Coruscant. They were so far down they reached the crust of the planet where an ocean used to exist centuries ago.
With the smoke clear the rebels and troopers continued to fire at each other, only now they could see their targets. One by one rebels were killed till the ones alive saw it was a losing fight and surrendered their weapons.
After the shooting stopped Avel descended and looked around the room finding dead rebels and some of his own stormtroopers on the floor. The air was filled with an acidic stench that brought back memories of Vjun.
“Bring me their leaders.” Avel ordered his troopers.
As Avel stepped over the dead bodies one nearly dead but bold rebel lifted his blaster to shoot the dark lord from behind. Sensing the attack before it happened Avel deflected the shot with his hand and sent it back to his shooter. The victim was dead before he could be surprised by the Sith Lord’s trick.
Avel had been anticipating this moment for three months. These rebels had been causing enough trouble on Coruscant by planting bugs in government offices and raiding weapons from military posts that Palpatine postponed Avel’s trip to Yavin IV’s Massassi Temple till they were taken care of. Finally, an Imperial spy exposed the rebels’ names and their headquarters, a sewer control center that suppressed the ocean water below the crust through a high tech pipe system.
Stormtroopers began clearing out the dead bodies and checking their computer system for information. In the middle of this chaos Lord Avel was presented with the leaders.
“Here they are, my Lord.” The troopers threw the five small time rebel leaders to the ground face down, one bothan, two sullustans and two humans. Each trooper kept his blaster pointed to each prisoner's back. Avel signaled his for his men to step away before he ignited his lightsaber and walked down the execution line severing their heads off. One by one they rolled away, the wolf like bothan, the mouse eared sullustans, the spiky haired male human, all in a flash with no dramatic pause. With each slice Avel drew from the power of their extinguished life force until he got to the final rebel. The second human who was bald with tribal tattoos lifted her head and looked into her killer’s eyes. Her stare made the Sith Lord hesitate. Time felt like it stopped but a moment later the dark lord closed his eyes and beheaded the woman.
Sidious was not in his best mood. His meditation left him with unease and uncertainty. His apprentice had been doing his job well but this wasn’t the first time since his training began that he sensed ties to Avel’s past resurface and then be disregarded. Those painful memories were meant to fuel his anger and hate. Make his strength in the dark side grow.
Drawing the blinds open the vacant Jedi Temple came into view. Sidious at times enjoyed or cursed this view in his meditation room. Tonight he was cursing both Skywalker and the Force for ruining what he took him years to plan. Avel was filling his role as his enforcer efficiently, but he was no Anakin Skywalker when it came to his strength in the Force.
Although, Lord Avel did have his own talents with the dark side of the Force. When the time came for him to fight Anakin he would be a worthy opponent and the one who triumphed would be the man worthy to be his apprentice.
The Sith Master thought out loud, “I’ll be damned if my plans fail again.”
The intercom beeped and its speaker informed the Emperor that Avel had just arrived. The young apprentice entered the meditation room and came down on one knee before his master.
“The rebels have been taken care of, my master.”
“Good.” Sidious answered and motioned for him to rise. “Now the time has come for you to go to the Massassi Temple.”
Avel hid his excitement. “I’m pleased to hear that. What will be my mission while I am there?”
He watched his hooded master walk over to a table by the wall and pick up an ancient and valuable Sith chalice part of his private art collection.
Sidious handed the chalice to his apprentice and instructed, “This was uncovered from the Massassi Temple. Take it with you to the temple and you will use it during your mediation there.”
Avel furrowed his dark brows making his hard features look more like stone. He took the chalice. “That is my mission? Meditate?”
“Part of it,” the master answered, “during an expedition of the temple the archaeologists discovered a high amount of energy emitting from a tomb,” he paused. “The tomb of Exar Kun. The source of the energy could not be explained. Use the incense and your meditation skills to discover what the source of the energy is.”
Avel had heard of the name of the Sith Lord and felt he could relate to him. Exar Kun was a talented Jedi Apprentice who fell to the dark side.
“What am I to do when I discover the source?” Avel asked.
“Report back to me before you do anything.”
“As you wish, my master.” Avel said with a bow.
Avel left immediately in his customized fighter. It was a full day’s journey to Yavin IV. The Massassi Temple held much history when it came to Sith Lords of the past. He hoped this trip would be about the discovery of one of the Sith Lords’ ancient teachings. A forgotten knowledge that he could learn and use to show he was a more worthy apprentice than Skywalker.
His hesitation with that rebel woman was still bothering him. In the end he did kill her and he did so when he detached himself from the memory of his former lover.
Asajj Ventress has been dead for some time and nothing could change that but Avel could get his revenge on Skywalker and thus kill two mynocks with one stone.
He landed his fighter on the temple grounds. The lush jungle hid his ship from sight. Stretching out with the Force he sensed the presence of the wildlife creatures native to the moon’s jungle. He also observed that the excavation team left the temple and grounds around it look untouched. The only way anyone would know they were here would be to notice that relics and artifacts were missing.
Stepping down from his ship and grabbing the chalice, he began to walk the grounds toward the tomb. This place felt different from the last time he visited, when he found Asajj’s broken body in a hibernation state at one of the temple’s base.
The jungle felt darker and awakened. As he neared the tomb he felt as if his body was being pulled toward it. Avel stopped walking. Gathering the Force he hid his presence. But this task became harder as he came closer to the tomb. Lord Avel, a mere Sith Apprentice, was beginning to feel his strength in the Force would not hold up against this power. It was a great disturbance.
Avel stopped when he approached the tomb of Exar Kun. He ran his eyes along the top of the building looking at each of the black and green granite pillars placed around the statue in the middle. The grandness of the sight could make the powerless feel even more inferior and insignificant. But Avel felt an invitation to a challenge with great temptation. There was no need to meditate to discover the source of what the archaeologists called “a mysterious energy field,” because Avel knew the presence of another Force user when he felt one.
A spirit strong in the Force was trapped within and called to Avel to be unleashed. And this being the tomb of Exar Kun, a Sith Lord, it was his spirit who was trapped.
Releasing him was the last thing Avel needed right now. Besides, night was falling and the planet Yavin was rising in the sky. As Avel turned on his heals he heard the echo of a tumbling stone. He looked across the ground to see he accidentally kicked not a stone since it was a perfect pyramid shape with symbols and hieroglyphs engraved on each side.
Avel picked up the device. It was a Sith holocron. Strange that it was left on the ground and not collected with all the other artifacts. On the other hand he was glad he found it here instead of in his master’s private collection.
Activating it could be dangerous. If it belonged to Kun and came from the tomb itself it could release his suspended spirit. Turning away and distancing himself from the tomb he felt the spirit’s anger grow as well as his own tempting curiosity. The same temptation he gave into when he joined Dooku’s Separatist movement.
However, Avel continued to walk away. If he learned anything from the Sith it was never to trust one. A Sith who was strong enough and had the knowledge to keep his spirit alive was not to be trusted. Avel could feel a very threat to his own life if he gave into his curiosity.
“Lord Avel, what have you discovered?”
The apprentice answered the transmitting image of his master, “The imprisoned spirit of Exar Kun.”
“Just as I suspected.”
“Master, I feel he’s too dangerous to release or allow him to linger within his tomb for someone to discover. He must be destroyed. Besides, ‘Two there should be, no more, no less. One to embody the power; the other to crave it.’” he smiled as he quoted the rule of two.
The image gave a sinister smile. “I agree. I will meet you on Yavin IV as soon as I can. Until then stay away from that tomb and prepare for a battle with the undead.”
“As you wish.”
The Dark Lord decided to spend the night in the temple’s Grand Audience Chamber. Located on the highest level it was a massive room and the warmest one during the cold night. After a small dinner and many hours alone Avel’s mind wondered back to Asajj.
He knew he had to let go of her. Her haunting presence in his mind was a weakness. Their attraction for one another stemmed from a desire to overpower the other to become Dooku’s best acolyte. After he rescued her from Yavin IV things shifted. While the competition was always there, becoming the only two Sith was their ultimate goal.
Eliminating anyone who was threat to that goal was necessary. And still is.
Opening the chalice Avel lit the incense he made and carried with him. The scent filled the chamber and drew Avel into a meditative state commanding the Force to prepare him for victory.
Eliminating Exar Kun, a spirit from the beyond, was only one step to ensure his survival. Skywalker was the next. The Dark Side of the Force was embraced and called upon. Deep in meditation time and space were irrelevant.
Avel found himself back on Coruscant, in the Industrial Sector. But none of it felt real. Only his mind was transported.
Parked on an iron beam beneath a bridge was a speeder and sitting on the hood was a light haired man with his back turned to him. A small holo image of a woman rested in his hands.
“Ani I’m sorry to leave you this message and not speak with you in person. There’s an urgent meeting and I don’t know when I’ll be back. I miss you so much. I know we both have our duties and, now that you’re a knight,” A KNIGHT! He now recognized it was Skywalker. Avel continued to listen to the woman, “less time for ourselves. I do love you, Ani.”
The woman was interrupted as the device flew from Skywalker’s hands. He turned and screamed, “Hey!”
Avel laid his eyes on Asajj, who came from nowhere. She turned on the recording. “I do love you, Ani.”
She then switched it off and spoke with a sly smile, “Senator Padmé Naberrie of Naboo, I believe. Pretty – for a Jedi toy. Do your masters know? Not that it matters. I came to Coruscant seeking Vos but he and Kenobi are not accessible at the moment. You, however, I can reach and we will start with pain. First I will kill the thing you love. Then I will kill you.” Asajj crushed the recorder between her fingers and ignited her lightsabers.
In turn Skywalker ignited his and filled with rage said, “No, first I will kill you!”
It was impossible for Avel to get involved. This was a vision of the past playing before him like a theater show. He watched intently from the sideline. They both dueled aggressively and relentlessly across the beam, hundreds of miles above the depths of Coruscant.
Asajj kicked Skywalker down, “Pitiful.” He fell with a grunt and grabbed his chest. He clenched his jaw and slashed his weapon as Asajj back flipped away from him, landing gracefully on the ledge. “Why am I wasting my time here with you? It shouldn’t be that hard to find your beloved. The Senator dies first.”
Asajj Force jumped through the air to a beam across the way.
Skywalker leapt to follow, “No…stay away from her!” He then pursued and attacked with anger and rage. Asajj had no choice but to back away in defense. She crossed her blades to take off Skywalker’s head. He turned and the tips scratched his left cheek.
“Ugh!” he screamed as he brought his hand to his face.
“I could have taken your head off that time boy. Maybe with my next stroke I will. But first I wanted you to know that I could.”
With a flip she brought herself over him and attacked. Skywalker distracted by blocking one of her blades missed the other till the tip grazed his right eye, leaving a permanent scar. “Ah!”
“The last time we fought, you got lucky. This time I am the master. You don’t truly comprehend the power of the dark side of the Force, but I will teach it to you. A last lesson before you die.” Asajj said with spite.
Skywalker lifted his head and glared at his enemy. “How little you know of me or my understanding of power!”
Their fight continued across the beam, lightsabers clashing against each other and the iron beams making sparks fly. Skywalker was like a caged animal now on the attack pushing Asajj to the edge. With a kick he made her fall to her death. He looked above and raised his hands. A screeching metallic sound echoed through the city as electrical circuits and wire lines wrapped around the falling Dark Jedi, suspending her in air. Her entire body was wrapped, her hands and legs bound.
Tightening his fists an electrical current surged through her body. Asajj screamed in pain, “So you will kill me now Skywalker? Just let me fall to my death? I don’t think so. That is not the way Jedi do things, is it? It’s too dark, isn’t it? Do not pretend you are what you are not!”
The look on Skywalkers face didn’t match the cold, detached indifference in his voice. “Good bye, Asajj.” He released his fists and watched her fall to the depths of Coruscant. When she disappeared he walked away with no remorse.
Avel came out of his vision full of hate and anger but with answers. He finally knew how Asajj died. He never asked Dooku the details, not wanting to know. Feeling her pain in the Force was enough.
The best answer of all was knowing how to get Skywalker out of exile. The former Senator was the bait he needed to trap and kill the Jedi. Skywalker tortured and killed Asajj and Avel planned to do the same to Padmé Naberrie.
Author’s Note: The flashback scene is from Star Wars: Republic Series 71.
Lyrics are from the song ‘About Her’ by Malcolm McLaren.
Chapter 10 - Coruscant
