Star Wars Endgame: Finale, Chapter Six

CHAPTER SIX

--Dromund Kaas--

    Paxis let out a wail as he was sent flying by a Force push from his former apprentice. Sedriss then lunged and swung her two blades one after the other at Varon, who deflected them both with his.

    "Your vision of the Sith was flawed from the beginning," Varon said, tightening his hold on his weapon. "It was naive of you to believe both Jedi and Sith could exist together in perfect unison."

    "Oh, I don't know," Sedriss said, splaying her twin sabers apart in an open stance. "Everything was going well until you started this uprising of yours."

    "You simply fail to understand." Snarling, Varon moved in to attack again. His tactics and fighting style were brutal yet swift, his blade moving in quick wisps of red as it clashed against Sedriss'. The Dark Lady was far more graceful in comparison, sharply reacting and responding to each move he made. Her experience in Jar'Kai provided her some leverage, but Varon's prowess in Form VI countered it effectively.

    As the two Sith dueled, Paxis returned to his feet and moved in to rejoin the fight. Just as Varon swung his blade in a maneuver that could have beheaded Sedriss, Paxis reached out with the Force and took a hold of his apprentice's arms, stopping him mid-swing.

    Varon turned his head to his former master, breathing heavily with built-up anger. While he was momentarily distracted, Sedriss got out of the way and raised her blades to disarm him. Just as the blades came down, Varon broke free from Paxis' hold on him and sprinted towards his master, belting out a rage-filled battle cry.

    The apprentice's lightsaber moved like a wave of crimson, clashing hard against Paxis' blade. As the master struggled to counter each one of his student's moves, he called out to Sedriss, who was getting ready to strike from behind.

    "Go, my lady! I'll hold him off!"

    "I'm not leaving you," Sedriss said firmly.

    "Please," Paxis said, Varon's attacks pushing him back. "The future of the Sith depends on you."

    Sedriss stood there for a pressing moment, debating over which action to take. Ultimately, she knew Paxis was right; she would be no use to her order dead.

    Sheathing her blades, Sedriss made a dash back for the temple. Varon briefly broke off from his fight with Paxis to try and stop her, but a slash across his back bought her the time she needed.

    Once inside the temple, she made for the hangar, where her personal ship awaited. A modified V-wing stealth fighter, it would hopefully get her past the Star Destroyer in the sky.

    As she got into the cockpit and readied the ship for take off, Sedriss took out her comlink to send an emergency broadcast. "Lord Kallus, Lord Serpriss, I'll be joining you shortly on Ossus."

    "Why?" Kallus asked. "What happened?"

    "I don't have time to explain. Just be ready for my arrival."

    Ending the call, Sedriss took a hold of the fighter's controls and shot out of the hangar as soon as the doors were open.

*  *  *

    The dark side was all that was holding Paxis together. All over his body he could feel his muscles failing, his bones weakening under the relentless attacks Varon brought down onto him. The boy he had once trained was gone now, replaced by a raging armored beast.

    Eventually, Varon's blade came down and Paxis didn't have time to react to it. His weapon arm was gone before he knew it and soon he was on the ground, clutching his severed bicep in agony. 

    Varon stood over him, his crimson blade still burning bright. "It needn't have come to this, master," he said coldly. "You could have joined me, had you so desired."

    "I will never join you," Paxis spat, glaring up at the masked menace. "I'd sooner die than betray my beliefs."

    Varon shrugged. "So be it then."

    He then raised his lightsaber and brought it down. Just as Paxis' body had gone limp, Varon looked up to see a sleek starfighter emerging from the temple and shooting off into the sky, activating a cloaking device as it went.

    Varon immediately raised the Resurgent on the comlink built into his helmet. "Captain, there is a V-wing starfighter headed your way. It's under a cloaking device."

    "Copy that. Do you want us to take it in or destroy it?"

    Varon was silent only for a moment before he replied. "Destroy it."

*  *  *

    Green lines lit up space as Sedriss maneuvered her ship through the hail of turbolaser fire that greeted her. One blast struck the fighter, disabling the cloaking shield and exposing her to the enemy. Cursing under her breath, Sedriss banked a hard left as the blaster fire increased.

    A squadron of TIE fighters started pouring out of the Star Destroyer's underbelly and headed straight for her. Not wanting to take any chances by engaging them, Sedriss hit the acceleration and sped for the hyperdrive docking ring that was her only means of escape.

    Emerald lasers shot across the canopy, narrowly missing her. One of the TIEs scored a hit on her right wing but she managed to keep her ship steady. The hyperspace ring was already in view; if she could hold them off for a little bit longer...

   Two TIE fighters shot directly over her, headed straight for the ring. Before she had time to react, both of them released a pair of proton torpedoes, which blew the docking unit to pieces. Shaken by this unforeseen change of events, Sedriss barely sensed the TIE fighters shooting behind her, and by then, it was too late. Before she knew it, her engine was gone and she was spiraling out of control....

--Mandalore--

    "So this is our wild card?" Danjus asked, gesturing at Kadar. "This aruetii?"

    "Kadar is no traitor," Orde said defensively. "His reputation may be an ill one, but he is still Mandalorian at heart."

    "I wouldn't go so far as to say that," Kadar muttered. "But for the sake of the matter at hand, I am willing to become one again to do what is necessary."

    Goran nodded curtly as he glared at Danjus. "Any further objections?"

    The Pantoran slumped in his seat as he looked away, folding his arms. "No."

    "Good. In that case--"

    Before Goran could continue, Benor Sardan abruptly got up from his chair, taking his helmet off the table. As he put it on, Medrit voiced the concern everyone else was showing. 

    "Benor? Are you all right?"

    "I'm fine," Benor murmured. "I just... need to get back to Keldabe. There's something I need to do. Go ahead and start without me."

    Before anyone could protest, Benor was already out the door, leaving the others to sit in silence.

    Orde cleared his throat to break the tension. "Well... that's one less asset."

    "We can't just let him leave," Danjus said, already standing up. "He could be going to Atinar and telling him about our activities."

    "Settle down, Danjus," Goran said. "I already have an agent in Keldabe to keep an eye or ear out for anyone who tattles on us. Besides, I don't think Benor is that type."

    "Who is he, anyway?" Mirta asked. "I know he only became Mando'a recently, when you and Medrit came back with him from Sicemon."

    "We don't know anymore than you," Medrit said. "He came to us claiming to have been a Protector left for dead by the Glorians. Beyond that, we don't know a thing about him."

    Kadar was staring at the door Benor had just went through. He then turned to Goran and asked, "What did you say his name was?"

    "Benor Sardan. Why?"

    "I knew a Benor Sardan, before I left the Mandalorians," Kadar muttered, almost to himself.

    "Oh? What can you tell us about him?"

    "He was born on Concord Dawn same year as I was. We used to play together as kids." He then affixed Goran with a hard stare. "He died fifteen years ago on Sicemon. And trust me, there is no way in Malachor he can still be alive."