CHAPTER TWELVE
Dax awoke to see a play of lights occurring before him. After clearing his bleary eyes, he saw that it was Jaden Korr facing off against the pretender "Master Baran". The latter wielded a double-bladed lightsaber and seemed to be dominating over Jaden in their duel. His wide, "madman" grin showed that he was clearly enjoying it.
Dax snorted. "Not for long."
He reached behind his back, bringing out his modified baster rifle, and aimed it at the false Baran's head. He then grinned as he squeezed the trigger.
"Light's out, phony."
* * *
For Jaden, it happened all too quick.
One moment, the Watcher, in control of Master Baran's body, moved without sanity with his saberstaff. The next, Baran's body laid crumpled on the floor, bleeding at the temple. In spite of the being who had just been possessing the body, Jaden reflexively knelt beside the man who had been like a grandfatherly figure to him.
The Watcher looked up at him, his grin having turned into a frown. "How anti-climatic."
The golden glow then faded from his eyes and his head fell to the steel floor.
"Master?" Jaden did not want to believe it. He shook the Grand Master's body. "Master Baran?"
He then checked the man's arm for a pulse. There was none.
Grief swelled his heart. He hung his head in sorrow, not even noticing Dax's hand fall onto his shoulder until he spoke.
"I'm... sorry about that," Dax murmured. "He... he was trying to kill you."
Jaden sighed. "It's not your fault. For all I know, Master Baran could've already been dead."
"Can't you Jedi, like, feel another's death?"
"It's possible, but the Force feels clouded as it is already."
Suddenly, the floor beneath them began to shake. Jaden then felt as if there was more happening to the Force than just clouding.
"Looks like someone pressed a self-destruct button," Dax said. "We should get out of here."
As much as Jaden wanted to investigate what he had felt in the Force, he had no choice but to agree.
"Good idea. Let's go."
* * *
Eclipse and the others had not noticed Revan's freedom, instead staring in awe at the portal the Staff of Valtheran had created. Now was his chance. Moving as quietly as a wolf, Revan approached Eclipse from behind, his blade poised to impale the Glorian agent. Just as he was about to move in for the kill, he froze.
Through the portal, he saw a pair of large, blood-red eyes, staring directly at him. A deep, baritone voice shuddered the walls of the room.
Speaking to Eclipse, it said, "You require an extra pair of eyes."
The six agents turned in unison, each bringing out a blade which crackled with energy. Revan prepared himself to face them when yet another strange event occurred.
His mouth opened, but it was not his voice that spoke.
"A job well done, my friends," Waru said.
Revan intended to blink, but his body did not. It was then that he realized that he was staring at his body; not from it....
"Shall we begin?"
The Revanchist's scrams soon joined the one of Waru's body's only other occupant, though they were drowned out by the Watcher's cackling laughter.
* * *
Something wasn't right.
Sitting at a table with fellow Jedi Natia Dorn and Alliance trooper Arek Cobalt, Anakin Solo rubbed his forehead.
"What's wrong?" Natia asked.
"I don't know," Anakin said. "I feel... a disturbance in the Force."
"I feel it, too."
The three of them turned to see Kyle Katarn, who was sitting in the same room as them. The Jedi Master got up from his seat. "I'm going to go see Captain Jaon."
Anakin decided to follow Kyle to the bridge, where they found Animus speaking with the captain as well.
"Well, we can't turn back now," Jaon was saying. "We have to drop out at Coruscant."
"We're walking into a trap," Animus said, more to himself than Jaon. "I know it. I can feel it...."
"What's going on?" Kyle asked.
Jaon gestured at Animus, clearly flustered. "He's babbling on about us flying into a trap."
Before Kyle could inquire the Exile, the Forge Seeker dropped out of hyperspace and the Core World of Coruscant appeared, protected by a fleet of Alliance ships.
Jaon sighed in relief. "See? Coruscant is just as we left it."
Anakin turned to Animus, hoping to see if the Exile was relieved as well.
Far from it. In fact, he actually looked petrified.
"They're here."
* * *
The Aqualish dock worker struggled to keep awake as he watched Cal Omas deliver his resignation speech on the HoloNet. Thanks to the Defense Force's blockade, hardly any non-GA ships were allowed to land on Coruscant, in the fear of them being Glorian spies.
Suddenly, his intercom chimed and his co-worker spoke through it. "Hey, Blorb. We've got a CR90 corvette coming in."
Blorb scratched his head. The only CR90 he knew of that was exempted to land on Coruscant was the Forge Seeker, which, as far as he knew, was not supposed to return for a while.
He stepped out into the hangar bay and watched as said corvette descended through Coruscant's sky. As he wondered why it was here earlier than expected, his partner spoke again via comlink.
"Er, Blorb? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think these ships are cleared for landing...."
Blorb brought out a pair of macrobinoculars, which were modified to be used by his two pair of eyes, and raised them to his face. He instantly dropped them when he saw what his co-worker had been talking about.
Over a thousand Glorian ships had entered the system, and were now headed straight for Coruscant.
The end had begun.
EPILOGUE
All around him, the galaxy seemed to stop.
Through the Far Wanderer's intercom, he faintly heard Dax say, "That station's pretty screwed up, isn't it, Jaden?"
Jaden Korr did not reply, instead staring at the crystal star which Crseih Station orbited. There was a wound in the Force; he could feel it, and it felt quite painful.
"Jaden? You there?"
"I'm fine," Jaden lied. "I'm heading for Coruscant."
"Why?"
"I'm not a hundred-percent sure. You're welcome to accompany me, if you'd like."
There was a pause before Dax said, "Sure, why not? I'd say we make a pretty good team."
Jaden smiled, through he felt no mirth. "Then set your navigation board for the Core. I fear that we're in for a nasty surprise."
* * *
"You are Waru."
Waru, via the Revanchist's body, grinned at the incorporeal being hovering before him. "Correct. And you must be the Sith god Valtheran."
The spirit snorted. "While my name is indeed Valtheran, I refuse to go by the moniker my followers bestowed onto me. I am more than just a god."
"Fair enough," Waru said. "Our deal still stands, nonetheless. I have chosen to free you, and now...."
"Ah, yes." Valtheran smiled. "This 'Star Forge' of yours. Shall we get on with it, then?"
Waru gave a mock bow. "It awaits you near Lehon, my lord."
The Sith god snorted again. "Save your mockery for another day. You will soon see why the Sith have been regarded with fear for so long."
Waru smirked. "Oh, I have no doubt about that."
TO BE CONCLUDED
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