Star Wars Endgame: Finale, Chapter Thirty-Nine

CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE

--Jakku--

    "End of the road, Atha," Toah Jarsan said as he, Jacen Solo, and Xemer disembarked from Shadow's Mandallian Giant form and landed before Atha Prime, Jaden Korr, and Rey. "Whatever it is you're up to, it stops now."

    "Why, Toah," Atha said in mock defensiveness. "I am hurt that you think I would do anything of malicious intent."

    "Then explain this." Jacen gestured at the device behind Atha.

    "Oh, this?" Atha patted the rotund surface with a crimson-clad hand. "I was just about to summon some friends of mine. No harm in a little get-together, is there?"

    "Depends on who these 'friends' of yours are," Toah said grimly. "And if the reputations of past Athas are anything to go by, I doubt they're the kind I wish to meet."

    "But Toah, I'm not anything like the past Athas. I'm still the sweet and kind Mammon Hoole you know."

    "Then explain why you knocked me and the others out cold," Xemer said. "Explain why you lashed out at me back on Coruscant. Explain why you've been muttering names to yourself, chanting things like 'I am Mammon Hoole.' Explain why you've been a total nutcase since Toah got us to work."

    "A nutcase?" Atha repeated, sounding genuinely affronted by the remark. "I beg to differ. If anything, I am more of a genius -- a mastermind that's been working behind the scenes from day one."

    "What do you mean?" Jacen asked.

    Atha did not answer him, instead turning to Jaden Korr, who was watching everything in bemusement. "You. Tell us, why are you here? What interest do you have in this girl?"

    Jaden hesitated to respond, looking between Atha, Rey, and the others. He then exhaled loudly as he bowed his head. "Because Abeloth sent me."

    Toah's brow furrowed. "Who's Abeloth?"

    Atha waved a dismissive hand. "An accomplice. She fancies herself a deity but she's nothing more than a tool for me to utilize." He then turned back to Jaden. "Tell me, what did she offer you in return for your services?"

    Again Jaden seemed to stall in answering, his eyes briefly meeting Toah's, before sighing. "She said she had the answers to who I was, where I came from... whether or not I was a clone of Darth Vorath."

    Toah and the others all stared at him in shock while Atha threw his head back and laughed maniacally.

    "Is that all? How disappointing -- I was hoping for a more compelling reason. No matter...." Atha reached into his armor and produced a small device -- an open handle with two prongs on either side. "Do you know what this is?"

    "It's a Mindspear," Xemer murmured. "An ancient Rakatan device."

    "Correct. It allows one to transfer the memories from one being into another. A very useful tool when you're trying to preserve the life of a Dark Lord of the Sith."

    "Vorath," Toah muttered.

    "Very perceptive." Atha chuckled darkly. "You see, for all his grandeur and boastfulness, Lord Vorath was still aware of his own mortality and crafted a contingency plan should he be vanquished. I was one of the only ones aware of this and he entrusted me in overseeing it.

    "The first thing he required was an heir. Since he himself was too old to conceive a child, he instead created a clone of himself that would then father a child with Lumiya, a Dark Side Adept of Sidious'. That child, once of age, would then serve as a new vessel for Vorath's consciousness.

    "In the meantime however, Vorath needed a more immediate option should he be prematurely vanquished. Luckily, it was by this time that word got around of the Jedi who had prevented the second coming of Marka Ragnos. Vorath instantly took an interest to Jaden Korr and had me monitor his growth as a Jedi Knight."

    Jaden blew out his breath. "So I'm not his clone or something like that."

    "Now I didn't say that," Atha said. "You could very well be another clone he created at some point. All I know is that the Empire had an interest in you for as long as you've been alive. But none of that matters now. You're here and I have everything that makes up Darth Vorath here in my hands. All I need you to do is hold still."

    The snap-hiss of three lightsabers activating preluded the room being filled with blue, green, and yellow light.

    Atha looked from one Jedi to the other. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I say 'turn on all of your lightsabers in a threatening manner?' Must've been a slip of the tongue."

    "We can't let you to do this, Atha," Toah said sternly.

    "Oh yes, you can," Atha said, fiddling with his right gauntlet. "Here, I'll make it easy for you."

    From the gauntlet, Atha released a gas and directed it at Toah, Jacen, Xemer, and Shadow. The three of them recoiled and fell to their knees as drowsiness started to overcome them.

    Pivoting on his feet, Atha then whirled around and struck Jaden across the face with the back of his hand, knocking him down. His lightsaber loose in his hand, Atha kicked his arm to send it flying before wrapping an arm around his neck.

    "This may hurt a lot," Atha said softly as he started to place the Mindspear over Jaden's head. "I'll forgive you if you scream."

    However, before he could properly slide the device into place, something struck him across the back of his head, disorienting him as he dropped the Mindspear. Atha turned around to see Rey standing before him, staff readily in hand.

    "Ah, I had forgotten about you," he said. "Decided to take a shot at being the hero?"

    Rey's eyes blazed at him. "I don't know who any of you are, but I know a bad person when I see one."

    "Good. I'm pleased that you are more perceptive of people than most." Atha raised his right arm again, preparing another dose of his sedative. "But right now, I need you to get some rest."

    Just as he was about to release the dosage, Jaden lunged at him from behind, lightsaber flaring, and slashed him across the back. Crying out, Atha spun around and seized Jaden by the neck, hoisting the Jedi off his feet. The yellow lightsaber fell from Jaden's hand and clattered at Atha's foot. He kicked it away without a second thought.

    "You know, I won't refrain from killing you if you push me far enough," Atha growled. "I can always find another vessel for Vorath. Just about anyone in this room would suffice: Jarsan, Solo...."

    The hiss of a lightsaber igniting came from behind him. Atha looked over his shoulder to see Rey standing with Jaden's saber in her hands, shaking slightly as his eyes fell on her.

    "...The girl."

    Absent-mindedly, he released Jaden from his grip and turned to fully face Rey, staring at her with a look of fascination.

    "It would appear Abeloth was not wrong about you," he murmured. "Indeed you are as powerful as she had foreseen."

    "What are you talking about?" Rey asked, her voice shaking.

    Atha said nothing as he walked past her and up to the Ravager's device. Rey remained rooted in place, finding herself unable to move, while Jaden laid where he was, weakened by Atha's hold on him.

    "I suppose now is good a time as any to summon them," Atha murmured, entering a hailing code into the computer. "They will take care of you and the others while I handle Korr. Soon, Darth Vorath shall rise again, the Prophets of the Dark Side shall reign supreme, and--"

    The mad scientist went silent as the computer screen went red, its light reflecting off his masked face. His eyes dimmed as they read the words displayed before them.

    Invalid frequency. Please try again.

    Atha's breathing quickened as he reentered the code. The same message was returned. He tried it again. Same message.

    Again. Same.

    Again. Same.

    Gloved hands rolled up into fists. Shoulders shook with building rage. Heavy breathing emitted from a crimson mask.

    "He changed it. That blasted fool changed it."

    Atha slammed down hard on the device, creating a huge dent in its surface. Growing frantic, he scanned the floor for the Mindspear. Even if he couldn't summon his allies, he could still bring back Vorath and--

    "Looking for this?"

    The scientist froze, slowly turning around to see Shadow standing before him, having returned to his natural state, holding the Mindspear. Shocked, Atha began to sputter profusely.

    "How did--? You--? The gas--!"

    "Didn't last long," Shadow said, shrugging. "Might want to work on that. Maybe make it work better on Shi'ido."

    Atha no longer had any words to convey how he felt. Instead, he let out a feral yell as he lunged at Shadow, diving for the Mindspear....

    ...Then a blue blade appeared from nowhere and cleaved through his forearms.

    "And Jedi."

    Atha stared in silent fury as his hands landed at his feet, wires and cauterized flesh exposed to him. He then turned to see Toah Jarsan putting away his weapon before putting a hand on Atha's shoulder.

    "That'll do, friend," Toah said softly. "That'll do."

    Defeated, Atha Prime dropped down to the floor, staring at empty space. Rey mimicked him, dropping Jaden's saber as she sat with her knees to her chest.

    "I really want to go home now."