Mistaken Identity Chapter 74 - The Lord of Hunger (21k words) (Patreon)

(AN: so I crashed out a bit while writing this and got pretty frustrated, but anyway most of it is done. There is about 21,000 words in this chapter. I’m gonna finish the rest of it tomorrow. Shouldn’t be that much maybe 5k more. Anyway hope you enjoy.)

"SD8 bring up the main temple compound again, maybe there is something we missed," Jaden asked as he stared at the holographic projection before him. He'd landed on the planet an entire day ago and had fully scouted out the compound that Eislo was hiding in, yet he was not any close to coming up with a full proof plan that would get him in there and allow him to take out Eislo. The walls started to tremor under Jadens power; despite his calm demeanour Jaden was unhinged, he was angry, he wanted to kill and kill and punish those responsible. Everytime he thought about Eislo he thought he might explode, every waking moment was spent dreaming about how he was going to kill him. He'd even been doing some special training in his spare time in order to make sure Eislo did not have an easy death.

Jaden looked down and realised his hands were bleeding. He'd clenched his fists so tightly that he'd drawn blood with his nails. Jaden channeled his anger and hate, and sparks emitted from his hands burning away the blood. He'd experienced force lightning a few times before, so it hadn't taken him too long to figure out how to recreate it; though his was noticeably weaker than the ones he experienced. But at this level it should work as a much more effective torture device than anything Jaden had on him.

'But first I need to get to him,' Jaden thought as he looked over the compound once more. Every single entrance was sealed tight and had multiple turrent placements as well as dozens of mercenaries and droids. They even had some heavy armour on them, a tank of some sort that Jaden didn't recognise. Each entrance had also been cleared of any obstructions so in each direction an enemy could be seen coming for a few miles. While Jaden could use his cloaking device they had a sensor that initiated a sensor sweep every minute. It was looking more and more that Jaden would have to fight his way through. He didn't want to do that, not because he didn't want to kill anyone, but because he didn't want to alert Eislo to his presence.

There was also the issue of Eislos time stopping ability. While Jaden had thought he'd have to kill him in one strike he decided against that. In the end what would it matter if a man could stop time if he has no arms or legs. Jaden just needed to get a good hit in before he realised he was there, then Eislo was his.

Looking back to the compound his frustration started to build up, each of his plans to infiltrate became less and less viable the more he thought about it. Even if they were no longer being supplied by their capital ship they seemed to have a decent stock of supplies down here, so he couldn't wait them out—though even if he could he wouldn't. There was also the massive shield dome that they'd set up, it meant using the vengeance redundant, none of the weapons he had on board would be able to pierce that shield, plus they had a large anti-air artillery placement in the temple; he believed his shields would hold should it come down to it but he had to be careful.

Things weren't looking good, it was looking more and more like he would need to directly assault the temple and hope for the best. He had a decent stock of weapons, so he could outfit himself well, but even he was dubious about taking on so many people out in the open.

*Crack*

The metal cracked and bent under the power of his rage. SD8 moved back as it even started to warp the metal making up his chassis. Seeing this Jaden stopped. "I'm sorry..." he said before he looked back up at the map. 'Full frontal assault it is...' he thought to himself before he turned around and walked directly out of the cockpit. He walked through the corridor, his ears picking up the sound of talking as he approached the lounge.

"When are we leaving?!"

"Why are we on this dastardly planet?!"

"Do you know who my father is!?"

"Let me speak to the Captain right now!"

Jaden was starting to regret saving these people, they had been nothing but a problem since he landed on the planet. In a way he could understand; they'd been prisoners for who knows how long and wanted to go home. They couldn't. It was as simple as that. He was here to kill Collan Eislo and not even they would be safe if they tried to get in his way.

Luckily Vaylin had taken it upon herself to deal with the prisoners on his behalf; her experience as Padmè's assistant really shone through here—dealing with people who think they're the most important thing in the galaxy.

"Please calm down," Vaylin said, holding her hands up as she tried to speak over the numerous shouting people. "Jaden is here on an extremely important mission."

"What kind of mission?" One of the crowd asked. An old man dressed in fine clothes that seemed to be ragged and dirty now—suggesting he'd not changed in a long time.

"I'm afraid I can't say," Vaylin said.

"What!?"

"Come on!!!"

"Tell us now we deserve to know!"

"All I can say is that it's important to republic security!" Vaylin said once again attempting to speak over the crowd. "We can't leave the planet until the mission is complete, the very war could hinge on its success!" Despite Vaylin trying to appeal to their patriotism, she underestimated their ego and own self preservation.

"If it's so important then there must be other republic ships in the area willing to continue the mission!"

"You can't expect us to stay here!"

"I won't have this I won't!"

Vaylin was at a loss, she didn't know what else to say that might appease them. They'd just been rescued from near sure death, and yet they showed no gratitude at all; they just wanted more. Vaylin tried to be understanding, they'd just been rescued from a prison cell and wanted to go home. But even she—who had been tortured and broken—didn't push Jaden to take her home, she understood how important this was to him so she wouldn't get in the way.

Before Vaylin had the opportunity to say anything else she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, but relaxed when she smelled the familiar scent of Jaden. Her heart fluttered slightly at the contact, but she quickly composed herself. Though it was hard not to keep the smile off her face when she saw him, especially when he went out of his way to save the prisoners—though admittedly she was starting to regret asking him to do that.

"I'll handle them," he said in a blank tone.

This wasn't going to be good.

Jaden strode towards the group of people half of whom were gorging themselves on his rations; while the other half were shouting at Vaylin, and now him.

"Are you the captain?! Your officer here has been entirely unhelpful in accommodating—"

"Shut up," Jaden said blankly to the man.

The man was taken aback, clearly he was not someone who was used to being spoken to this way—despite being a prisoner until recently.

"Excuse me! I won't take such—"

"Shut up," Jaden repeated, this time backed up with a slap to the man's face. The sound of his hand hitting his cheek echoed out through the lounge and silenced everyone who'd just been complaining. Everyone stared at Jaden with concerned expressions on their faces; some even started to believe that perhaps they were not rescued at all.

"I am sure all of you have things you want to say," he said looking around at everyone in the lounge. "I'm sure all of you are very important people," he added, specifically looking at the man who had tried to speak to him. "I'm sure you're all wealthy and I'm sure you have powerful friends in the capital."

"I don't care," he then said abruptly. "I don't care who your friends are I don't care how many credits you have, I don't even care what your names are."

"I don't want to hear anymore complaining, I don't want to hear anyone talk about wanting to go home," he said, his anger dripping into his voice. "We are staying on this planet until I have finished my business here, and during that time I expect total silence from everyone here, is that clear!?"

"You can't treat us this way!" A woman cried out.

"You're more than welcome to leave my ship, or better yet I'll drop you off where I found you, though I think you'll have a bit of trouble breathing," he said before walking past them.

"Listen here you!" A man said as he grabbed Jadens shoulder.

Jaden turned around, his hand clenched, lifting the man off the floor with the force. "No you listen here! I didn't have to save you and if you keep getting in my way I won't have any problem killing you!" He spat

The man flailed his legs and clawed at his throat as he gagged and sputtered. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry!" The man stuttered out as the unseen force continued to put pressure on his neck. Jaden continued to glare at him as he tightened his grip and the man started to shake. The temptation to kill this ungrateful waste of air was ever rising inside of him. He had saved them and they complained he couldn't take them home faster? 'Maybe he'll never reach home again,' Jaden thought as he watched the man spit and drool all over himself.

"Jaden!" Vaylin said as she grabbed his arm. "He's had enough, you're about to kill him!" She tried to push his arm down, but being unsuccessful in doing so.

Jaden looked at Vaylin and then the man one last time before letting go of him. He plopped to the floor the man's rolls of fat bouncing upwards as he hit the deck. A few of the other prisoners went to check on them as he regained his breath Jaden just walked past them and continued down into the cargo bay.

"All of you need to be more grateful, Jaden didn't need to save you and he certainly doesn't need to take you home, he could just as easily leave you on this planet with a transponder and a few rations," she said, which made a few of them go pale. "Don't provoke him anymore... just stay out of the way," she added before following Jaden down into the cargo bay.

When she got down into the cargo bay she saw Jaden was already arming himself with various blaster rifles, pistols and numerous other gadgets and grenades; he even readied up an actual rotary blaster canon. When she stepped into the room he didn't indicate that he'd taken any notice of her, but Vaylin knew that he did. "Jaden... are you okay?" She asked tentatively as she walked closer to him.

"You don't need to talk to me like I'm a bomb about to go off," he said with slight annoyance.

"I'm sorry..." she said tilting her head down as she rubbed her arms.

Jaden looked over to her and sighed. "I'm sorry for shouting at you..." he said as he out down a Heavy repeater. "I'm grateful to you for dealing with all those spoiled shits... I don't think I would've been able to handle it... well obviously not," he said thinking back to the moment he'd nearly snapped that man's neck.

Vaylin smiled sweetly at him as she continued to rub her arm. "I'm sorry I couldn't do more to help... people like them are quite hard to deal with even in the best of circumstances."

Jaden nodded as he continued to get his equipment ready, if he was going to go with a full frontal assault on the temple then he'd need to use everything in his arsenal. Vaylin saw this and was able to infer what his plan was just from the equipment alone. Worry started to flood through her; she'd thought that Jaden had an actual plan for getting into Collans base. He was an honest to gods war hero who defeated the separatists on Jabiim. "Jaden... what are you doing?" She asked tentatively.

Jaden looked up to her. "Getting my equipment ready, I'll be moving out in a few minutes," he said with a grunt as he lifted a heavy blaster cannon from a crate. "I've got to scout out which checkpoint is the weakest before I attack," he added.

His words only confirmed her fears, he was going to attack a heavily defended base full of hundreds of mercenaries and droids. Probably even more. 'Maybe it would be better to just leave,' she thought to herself. Jaden would hate it but at least he wouldn't be throwing his life away like this. 

"Jaden?" Vaylin said as she moved closer towards him.

"Yeah?" He replied as he strapped the heavy repeater to the magnetic holster on his back.

"I'm worried about you..." she said.

Jadens expression lightened slightly. "Don't worry, I have enough equipment here to attack the senate, I'll be fine," he said.

Vaylin looked at him for a moment before shaking her head. "It's not just that..." she said a little awkwardly.

Jaden frowned. "What is it then?" He asked as he looked at her. He could see she was tense, he could even feel it through the force. She moved from one foot to the other as if trying to find the words to say.

"You're not yourself Jaden!" she abruptly said before pausing once again. However before Jaden could reply she spoke again. "You've been completely different from the person I met... and I know there is a reason behind it..." she said.

"Vaylin..." Jaden said warningly.

"I know Velea... meant a lot to you, but she wouldn't want to see you like this," Velea said, her crystal blue eyes staring up at his.

"Like what..." Jaden said almost growling.

"So suicidal!" she cried.

"The Jaden I remember... the Jaden that saved everyone on Jabiim wouldn't run headfirst into a fight he couldn't win," she said. "He'd find another way, he would wait for back up he wouldn't just do something so reckless..." Vaylin knew it was low of her to bring up Velea, but at the moment she wasn't thinking clearly. Whether Vaylin realised it or not what happened to her at the republic prison had changed her deeply; at the moment it was merely suppressed, but sooner or later the realisation of the sheer horror she had experienced there would erupt. Subconsciously she might know this which was why she desperately wanted Jaden not to put himself in any danger. He was her anchor, her saviour, someone who kept her safe.

She needed him.

Jaden almost scowled at her as he turned away. "Don't ever bring her up again..." he said in a voice so low, so rage filled, that Vaylin felt all the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. "There is no other way, I've already tried to find one," he added.

Jaden got the rest of his things ready before activating a small speeder he'd fixed up and loading his equipment onto it. "Collan won't escape from me... even if it kills me!" He said as he turned back to her, only this time his eyes glowed a sickly yellow.

"Jaden... you can't," Vaylin said as her eyes started to tear up.

Jaden activated the speeder and pressed the console that lowered the hanger door.

"Jaden please!" Vaylin said desperately. But he just got onto the speeder and zoomed out the hanger doors into the jungle ahead.

Vaylin stood there helplessly, he was gone, he wasn't going to come back. Vaylin wanted to run after him tell him to come back, that she needed him, that she'd do anything. But in the end all she could do was stand there. "Jaden..." her voice croaked out, as she started to pant. Her breath quickly started to get faster and her heart started to beat out of control.

He was gone.

Vaylin turned and started walking back through the ship, her vision starting to blur.

No one is here to protect her.

'No no no no no!' She thought as she kept walking.

She's going to be found.

She's going to be taken back.

'Come on Vaylin... smile for me,'

'Aww don't cry, it was only a finger... now smile for me,'

'Maybe me and the boys will come in later and have a little fun with you... you'd like that wouldn't you? Now smile for me,'

'Shame... the warden doesn't want us fucking you... said he wants the first taste for himself, after that though you're ours... that make you happy? No? I guess I could get out the special tools again? Hehehe that's a good girl, now smile for me.'

Vaylin fell against the corridor wall as she almost ran back towards her room. She had to get there, she had to get somewhere safe she couldn't stay out in the open. Of course this path took her into the lounge with everyone still inside. Vaylin almost threw up in her mouth when she saw everyone; in her state of panic they were all merely enemies, people who might hurt her or try to take her back to that horrible place. She did her best to ignore them and quickly move through them.

"Miss Vaylin I've spoken with everyone and I believe we, as you say 'got off on the wrong foot' and I would like to take the chance to rectify that mistake," the Fat man who Jaden had joked said as he approached her.

Vaylin merely ignored him and continued walking towards her room muttering to herself. "Miss Vaylin?" the man said once again only to he ignored again. Feeling indignant the man stepped forward and grabbed her shoulder. "Listen here woman—"

Vaylins eyes widened, a well of fear and anger and pain erupted from within her. "DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" She screamed at him. Accompanied by that scream was a wave of force so powerful that it knocked down everyone in the room onto their backs. Despite being shocked Vaylin didn't stick around to try and understand what happened she just ran back to her room and locked the door behind her.

Sinking into her bed she tucked her knees into her chest and started to cry.

___________________________

Back on Coruscant Aubrie and the others were still reeling from their interaction with Jaden, Aubrie most of all. It was like the man they had once known was gone and in its place appeared a stranger. They'd thought the bonds they'd made during the war unbreakable. Aubrie had helped him save Jabiim and prepared to die with him to destroy the separatist super weapon.

Zule also felt like her heart was in pieces though she did a lot better job of hiding it. Most of all she suffered the most out of the three; she had not only lost Velea; someone who had done much to bring her out of her shell, but now she'd lost Jaden. She felt completely alone and spent most days in her room, not even getting dressed.

Scout had been away at the temple for the past few hours, something she didn't want to do but considering the ruckus she caused when she'd escaped last time she needed to at least talk to them—both to apologise and to let them know that she wouldn't be returning to the temple. Meanwhile Aubrie sat in the main room on one of the comfortable sofas; she'd been waiting for her since she left. While she wanted nothing more to stay in her room under the safety of her blanket, she knew how much leaving the Jedi order affected someone. It was your whole life, and while she felt conviction in doing so because of Jaden, not everyone had that.

It was a few more hours wait until she got the notification that a shuttle from the temple was arriving on the landing pad outside. Aubrie got up and crossed through the corridors of the apartment to greet Scout, at least that was her plan. Little did she know said girl was already bursting through the door to the landing pad, a wild look in her eye.

"Aubrie!" She shouted as she rushed towards the older girl.

"Jedi! Collan! Planet!" Scout shouted nonsensically as she grabbed onto her arms.

"Calm down Scout, take a breath," she said guiding the younger girl. Scout did as instructed and calmed herself down with a few deep inhales.

"Now tell me what is it?" Aubrie asked.

Scout took another breath before looking up. "While I was at the temple I overheard one of the Jedi Masters talking," she said, the look of panic still etched into her face. "They were talking about a transponder signal that was being sent from a ship."

Aubrie gave her a look with a slightly raised brow, not seeing the reason for panic.

"Belonging to Collan Eislo."

That look soon disappeared as pieces began to fall into place. Had Jaden received the signal somehow? Is that why he was distant? He was preparing to go after Collan and didn't want them in the way. 'What if he's in danger...' she thought to himself. Collan likely had an entire army; she trusted in Jadens ability but there were limits.

Unless...

'He doesn't plan to come home...' Aubrie thought as her heart hurt so much she thought it might burst. Her eyes snapped back to Scout. "Did they say anything else?!"

Scout nodded her head. "The Jedi are mobilising, every available Knight and Master Padawan are going after him!"

Aubrie frowned. "That seems excessive does it not? Despite being dangerous he is still only one man, albeit with a few hundred men at his command."

Scout shook her head. "No! It's because of what he stole, they believe that his actions are somehow going to bring Darth Nihilus back!"

Aubries eyes widened and she felt her heart skip a beat. Darth Nihilus was a scary story that initiates told each other, that he was one of the most dangerous Sith Lords to ever plague the galaxy and that he was still alive somewhere and would take and drain unsuspecting Jedi.

Wait!

Does Jaden know this? If he doesn't then he'd be walking into certain death. There was no way that Jaden could know what he was about to face. They had to help him or at least help him. Aubrie stepped back, her hands tightening into fists as the weight of Scout's words sank in. She needed to move—now.

"Where's the ship the Jedi are using?" she asked, the desperation clear in her voice.

Scout blinked. "I don't know. They never said."

Aubrie turned without another word and headed toward the main room, Scout following close behind. "Then we'll find out." The living room lights flickered on as they entered. Aubrie moved straight to the holoterminal embedded in the center table and dropped into the seat, her fingers already flying across the panel. She turned to Scout. "Splice into the Jedi Temple network. We need the ship name and launch pad."

Scout grinned despite the tension. "Easy."

She dropped to her knees in front of the terminal, fingers working with a speed and comfort that Aubrie had never seen anyone match, not even Jaden. Lines of code scrolled across the display as Scout tapped into backdoor access protocols and piggybacked off security clearance routes she clearly shouldn't have known. Aubrie hovered over her shoulder, arms crossed, teeth biting into her lip as the seconds dragged. "Anything?"

Scout waved her off. "I said I got it, give me a sec—" Her eyes flicked. "Wait... got it."

Aubrie leaned in as Scout expanded the readout. "It's the Valorant. Old diplomatic cruiser—recently retrofitted for combat deployment. Launch pad C6 at the senate hangar, departing in thirty minutes."

Scout looked up. "Do you really think they'll let us on? I mean, we aren't even with the temple anymore?"

"If it's as bad as they say it is," Aubrie said, already getting to her feet, "then they won't argue."

She didn't waste a second, heading straight for Zule's room. Though Zule already stood at the entrance to the main room. Zule stood there, arms limp at her sides. Her face was pale, eyes shadowed, hair unkempt, and she wore the same oversized tunic she'd been in for days. She looked exhausted—like she hadn't slept, like her soul had been hollowed out.

But her voice still had the same power to it that it usuallly had .

"Let's go," she said. "We can't afford to wait any longer."

___________________________

Jaden who was crouched in a tree right at the edge of the security zone lifted his binoculars again. Nearly a hundred people, and droids were at this checkpoint; there were likely more inside. Once he started attacking they'd likely all converge on his position. Multiple turrent placements, high elevation positions that had multiple sniper units. Even some heavy artillery, Jaden zoomed in and looked at it; TX-130 Saber-Class tank. Not the best firepower, but they made up for that with its manoeuvrability.

This wouldn't be easy.

The main issue was the two miles of scorched earth he'd have to clear to reach the temple. Whoever was in charge had ordered the jungle surrounding the temple to be burned and blown away—a smart move—but made things a lot more difficult for him. Between that and the sensor bursts he wouldn't be getting in there stealthily.

Putting down the binoculars again Jadens mind started racing on how he was going to do this; he went over the equipment he had, and while he had enough to take on a small army it wouldn't matter if he couldn't reach it. Jaden's eyes moved quickly across the encampment again, mentally cataloguing every position, every blind spot, every possible weak point. His brain was going faster than his heartbeat—calculating distances, reaction times, response patterns. They really were too well-coordinated for a direct approach, in any other situation Jaden would applauded their commander but now it was just frustrating; and even if he got lucky with the first few seconds, they'd box him in before he got within five hundred feet. He needed chaos. A distraction. Something they wouldn't expect.

Then it clicked.

He dropped from the branch and landed silently in the underbrush, moving toward one of the thicker trees just behind him. He ignited his lightsaber, the violet blade casting a faint glow across the jungle floor. With wuick strokes he began carving into the vines hanging from the branches above, severing thick strands and letting them coil down onto the mossy ground. He grabbed the nearest one and began wrapping it tight, knotting the ends until he had a series of makeshift tethers. He then moved to a fallen branch, split the bark with two quick swings, and began slicing off jagged edges and smoothing it into a flat, curved plank. It wasn't pretty, but it didn't have to be.

Ten minutes later, a crude raft sat next to his speeder. Just big enough to fit him. He tied the raft to the back of the speeder with the vines, tested the connection with a few hard tugs, then stood back and looked at it.

This might work. It also might blow up in his face.

He stood there for a long moment, one hand resting on the speeder's handlebar, the other clenched into a fist at his side. The wind shifted slightly, brushing through his hair.

He didn't want to die.

He didn't want this to be the last thing he ever did. He didn't want his final memory to be of this. He wanted to see Aubrie again. Zule. Scout. He wanted to go back to them. He wanted to feel something other than hate.

But he couldn't live... Not while Collan was still alive.

He clenched his jaw, gripped the speeder, and pushed. The front of the speeder passed through the blue ripple of the bubble shield, and within seconds the crude raft followed.

He wasn't turning back.

...

At the checkpoint in front of the temple. Three guards stood near the primary sensor relay, leaned against a half-melted durasteel crate, helmets off, rifles slung lazily across their backs.

"Listen, I'm telling you," said the first one, a broad-shouldered man with half his armor undone. "You can deep-fry nerf nuggets in engine fluid. You just gotta swirl it fast enough and take it out quickly."

The second, skinnier and perpetually irritated, pinched the bridge of his nose. "That's not how physics works, Thragg. That's how third-degree burns and explosive diarrhea work. You can't fry anything in something that melts armor plating."

Thragg frowned. "Yeah, but you can if you do it real fast. The outside gets crisp, the inside stays chewy, perfect right?."

The third guard, leaning with his boots kicked up on a crate, chimed in without opening his eyes. "Are you two seriously arguing about this again? Last week it was whether or not you could make toast with a blaster set to stun. Next week it'll be boiling noodles in a lava pit."

"I never said you should boil noodles in a lava pit," Thragg shot back. "I said if you had to, you could. Emergency ration logic. Warzone cooking."

Skinny raised a hand. "Okay, so let's pretend, just for a second, that you're not a complete lunatic. Let's say somehow you do manage to swirl nerf nuggets in liquid coolant without losing all ten fingers and your last three brain cells. You still wouldn't get a good sear! You'd get radiation poisoning and an early grave."

Thragg crossed his arms. "You'd have perfectly cooked nuggets."

"You're literally the worst person I've ever met in my life..." Skinny said face palming.

The third guard opened one eye, finally annoyed enough to engage. "If we're talking field cooking, the best method's always been wrapping your food in foil and sticking it under the repulsorlift. Adds a nice crisp to it."

All three nodded slowly. That actually didn't sound too bad.

Then the console in front of them beeped.

Skinny leaned forward and tapped the screen. "Uh... what's that?"

Thragg squinted at the flickering image. "Looks like... a raft? On wheels? No—wait, that's a speeder dragging something?"

"Why's it bouncing like that?" the third asked. "Is it possessed?"

The raft suddenly rocketed forward on the sensor screen.

"Okay, now it's definitely possessed," Thragg muttered.

Then came the sound. A distant, high-pitched whirr followed by a sharp pew.

And then another. And another.

Blaster bolts ripped through the air—dozens in perfect succession—slamming into each of their chests before any of them could reach for their weapons. They all staggered back, clutching at the smoking holes in their armor. As they crumpled in unison, all three managed to gasp the same words.

"Son of a bitch..."

On the back of that raft was Jaden who had used the force to turn the speeder on and was now on the makeshift raft he'd built with a rotary blaster canon fixed on the back of the speeder. As he rocketed forward he shot dozens of blaster bolts every second hitting numerous droids and mercenaries. Sadly the element of surprise didn't last and the rest of them managed to get into cover but that didn't stop Jaden from continuing to fire until his weapo.

They tried to fire back at him, but between him being an extremely fast target and him peppering them with numerous blaster bolts they didn't have much of a chance. In the end Jaden mostly took out the droids who were designed not to take cover but to keep firing. He fired until his weapon overheated, The moment it did overheat Jaden moved it back onto the raft; he'd crossed just over half the distance until the checkpoint, any closer would be too risky. 

The next stage of his plan involved slapping the device he'd attached to the back of his speeder and watching it disappear. It was his cloaking device. He'd put it on the speeder so that they couldn't shoot it down. Why? Because of this.

Jaden ignited his saber and cut the vines holding the raft to the speeder and watched as it sped off. For a moment Jaden had to deal with hundreds if not thousands of blaster bolts all being directed to him.  He deflected them with his lightsaber before channelling the force through his body and bursting forward. Staying in the same spot was suicide so he needed to keep going; besides he'd need to take advantage of the distraction that was about to—

*BOOOM*

Jaden watched as a massive exposition emanated from the checkpoint destroying the sensor and even disabling the tank. Jaden had attached nearly every single thermal detonator and explosive device to the speeder; with the speeder invisible they couldn't shoot it and now it had created a massive opening. One he planned to take full advantage of. He surged forward, he focused everything—every thought, every painful memory, every shard of anger—into the Force and pushed. The ground blurred beneath his boots as he sprinted through the blackened path, eyes locked on the figures staggering through the haze.

The first mercenary wasn't ready. He stumbled sideways, half-blind, clutching his ears. Jaden's blade ignited with a hiss and came up in an arc, carving clean through the man's torso from hip to shoulder. The body fell in two halves, steam rising where the blade seared through flesh and armor.

Jaden didn't stop.

Another came up with his blaster shaking, he couldn't even hear himself scream. Jaden swerved low under the barrel, planted his palm on the man's chest, and drove the lightsaber up through his jaw and out the top of his skull. A flash of purple, then the body crumpled like dropped meat.

He turned and parried a bolt from behind, the saber twisting in his grip as the energy bounced into a fuel canister and ignited it in a secondary explosion. The shockwave knocked two mercs off their feet. Jaden pounced on them before they could recover. He slashed downward, severing the first man's arm at the elbow before plunging the blade straight into his chest. The second tried to roll away, but Jaden leapt after him and brought his foot down on the man's knee, shattering it with a sickening crack. The scream never came—the lightsaber ran through his throat an instant later.

Blaster fire started to pick up again—more organized this time. Jaden deflected one, then two, before vaulting off a broken crate. In midair, he hurled his saber like a disc; it spun horizontally, the violet blade slicing through the rifle of one shooter before continuing into his gut. Jaden landed, yanked the saber back with a sharp pull of his hand, and caught it just in time to block a vibroaxe aimed for his head.

The merc wielding it was a giant, at least a head taller and covered in heavy plating. Jaden ducked under a second swing, then rolled behind the man's flank. He gripped the saber in both hands and drove it through the side of the armor, wrenching it back out with a flare of sparks. The man bellowed and twisted around—Jaden responded by jumping, twisting midair, and slashing the blade across his neck in a single motion.

A group of droids and mercenaries started filing down the stairs of the temple. They raised their weapons and began to fire, one of them hit Jaden in the shoulder. He growled and then roared as he raised before hands and then yanked them off their feet and down the stairs. Rushing forward he made quick work of them before he cleared the staircase in a single jump.

Deflecting more blaster shots he then rushed towards a merc and impaled him through the stomach. He grabbed him by the collar and turned him, blocking the blaster fire of someone who tried to get the jump on him. He then drew the dead Mercs blaster pistol out before firing and hitting the other in the head.

Jaden kept moving up the temple, it was massive so he had to go quickly before reinforcements arrived. Slashing through another droid he then thrust his hand forward and sent two men into the temple wall, shattering their body on impact.

"Reinforcement we need reinforcements!" He heard one of the mercenaries cry over the comms.

He didn't give him a chance to speak again and crushed the device in the mercs hand using the force. He then grabbed the man in a force choke. "Where is Eislo!" Jaden spat his eyes glowing the same sickly yellow that afflicted all Sith.

"I don't know!" The merc cried out.

Jaden channeled more pain and anger through him before it erupted from his hands as Force Lightning. The mercenary screamed and cried as his body convulsed. "Tell me now!" Jaden shouted.

"H-He's I-In the main b-building..." the main stuttered badly as his body continued to convulse. "P-Please don't h-hurt—"

Jaden snapped his neck before dropping his body to the ground. He had a destination he needed to go there. He stepped over the twitching corpse, smoke rising from the charred flesh beneath the man's armor. The scent of ozone and burnt skin clung to the air, thick as smoke. He could hear boots stomping inside the main temple—new bodies, more guns, reinforcements scrambling to contain what none of them could. His blood ran hot. His shoulder throbbed, but the pain faded under the power swelling in his gut.

Rage.

Hate.

Pain.

He stormed through the shattered entrance of the temple. The main chamber was wide, open, but flanked by large archways that led deeper in. Jaden barely had time to register it before two droids opened fire from the left side of the upper balcony.

He raised his left hand and clenched it into a fist.

The droids were yanked forward mid-blast, crashing down with a sickening clang onto the stone below. One of them tried to get up; Jaden finished it with a shot to the power core using the blaster pistol still in his grip.

A mercenary charged in from the right, vibroblade in hand. Jaden holstered the pistol, turned to meet him, and caught the downward swing with his lightsaber. Sparks flew. The merc reared back to strike again, but Jaden stepped forward and slammed his elbow into the man's throat, crushing his windpipe. The merc dropped the blade, gasping, but Jaden grabbed him by the vest and dragged him forward into a brutal headbutt. Bone cracked. The lightsaber pierced him through the chest a moment later.

Another merc behind him raised a rifle. Jaden dropped the dying body, spun around, and threw the lightsaber at the shooter. It spun like a wheel of fire, cleaving through the weapon and searing into the man's shoulder. Before the man could scream, Jaden was already moving, he jumped and delivered a spinning knee to the merc's temple, knocking him cold.

The lightsaber returned to his hand mid-step.

A heavy droid came lumbering down the opposite corridor, its rotary cannon already whirring. Jaden didn't slow down. He dove to the side, rolled under a stream of red bolts, and landed beside a fallen vibroaxe. He grabbed it with the Force and hurled it through the droid, it ended up slashing through the barrel making the gun explode, Jaden then shot forward and carved a deep diagonal slash across its chassis. After which he continued rushing down the corridor until three mercs rushed him from the right, one firing while the others tried to flank. Jaden blocked two shots, and redirected the third into the lead attacker's face. He moved in a blur and grabbed the nearest attacker by the collar, drove his lightsaber into the man's gut, twisted behind him, and shot the second one in the kneecap with the pistol. As the man dropped screaming, Jaden yanked the lightsaber free from the first kill and spun it behind him in a reverse grip, dragging it up through the last merc's spine. As he walked past the second man he slashed his lightsaber out and cut the man's head off.

The corridor echoed with screams, boots, and blaster fire. Jaden had more of an advantage in here as he couldn't easily be surrounded, as long as he kept moving that was.

And take advantage of that he did.

He brutalised and killed anyone that came in his path, even going out of his way to cause them more pain before their death. He twisted the legs of a mercenary until the bones popped from his skin; his screams echoed out through the corridor until Jaden silenced them with his lightsaber. Using the force to amplify his senses he could feel an ambush waiting for him up ahead. And sure enough, two droids dropped from the ceiling, landing on either side of him. One went for his leg, the other raised its wrist blaster. Jaden pivoted— though it was too slow. A bolt grazed his left side, burning straight through the fabric and into the flesh beneath. He grunted, pain flashing through him, but used it. He reached with the Force, grabbed the first droid's head, and crushed it mid-lunge. The second tried to retreat backwards to gain some space , but Jaden sprinted forward and drop-kicked it into a stone pillar. The droid shattered on impact.

His breathing was getting heavier. His wounds were stacking. His muscles burned and ached bbut the dark side numbed the pain and continued to empower him. It poured into him like fire through his veins. Another wave of guards poured in, four mercs, two droids. Jaden raised his left hand and unleashed a savage burst of Force lightning. The blue energy crackled through the air and hit the lead droid first, then forked out into the two mercenaries behind it. They screamed and convulsed, muscles locking up before they collapsed, smoking. The remaining merc fired in panic—Jaden deflected the bolt with his saber, closed the gap, and drove a punch into the man's ribs. He heard something break. The follow-up was a savage uppercut that lifted the man into the air. He stabbed him through the chest before he landed.

The last droid tried to run.

Jaden yanked it back with the Force, slamming it into the ground so hard its limbs snapped off.

He was getting close now, he could feel it, he could hear a lot of activity ahead; likely the reinforcements trying to set up a trap for him. It wouldn't work. He would kill them all. As he entered the central hall, alarms started to blare. Reinforcements were coming fast and like he suspected they set up a trap for him. Jaden could see the far side; another corridor leading to the main buildingbut the hall in front of it was filling with enemies. At least a few dozen: mercenaries, droids, and two armored soldiers with energy shields and heavy stun batons.

They came at him all at once.

Jaden pushed his pain down—using it as power— and ran forward. He leapt into the air and slammed into one of the droids feet-first, sending it crashing into two mercs behind it. He rolled with the landing, lashed out with the Force, and slammed another pair of mercs into opposite walls, their spines snapping like twigs. He turned and deflected a bolt aimed for his head, redirected it into a droid's neck, and then dashed into a low slide beneath another's legs. Coming up behind one of the riot troopers, he grabbed the man's helmet and ripped it off, then smashed it into his face before driving the lightsaber up under his chin.

The other trooper came at him hard, swinging with the stun baton. Jaden dodged left, took a glancing blow to the shoulder, and roared in pain as he felt his muscles convulsing. He dropped low, planted his hand on the ground, and kicked out the man's legs. The riot trooper fell, but Jaden caught his arm mid-fall and twisted until the bone snapped. The scream was deafening. He finished it with a pistol shot to the back of the head.

He launched a widespread force lightning that caught a good number of them. Channelling more and more power into it his own hands started to burn and his finger tips blacken.

He was slowing now. His breath came ragged. A fresh burn sizzled across his leg from a missed dodge. A merc grabbed him from behind—Jaden elbowed him in the jaw, turned, and forced the saber into his gut, but another came at him from the side.

Too slow.

The second attacker tackled him into the wall. Jaden grunted as his back hit the stone. He dropped the pistol and his lightsaber. The merc raised his blade, but Jaden caught it with his hand—which carved up his palm—and redirected the swing, and headbutted the man hard enough to draw blood from his own nose.

He used the force to get his lightsaber back and ignited it before he stabbed forward, ending it.

He stood there, hunched over, body shaking.

Jaden's boots dragged slightly as he approached the towering doors at the end of the corridor, the pain in his side worsening with every breath. His robes were slashed, soaked in blood, charred from fire and plasma. His left hand hung limp at his side, he could still use it but it hurt unbearably. His jaw clenched as he stood before the entrance.

There was no going back.

He lifted his good hand, reached out with the Force, and the massive stone doors groaned open.

The chamber beyond was massive—an ancient circular hall filled with dark banners, statues of long-forgotten Sith lords, and flickering braziers casting shadows across the floor..

And surrounding it hundreds.

Mercenaries stood at attention along the upper balconies, rifles raised. Droids lined the walls like statues, motionless each with their ownn weapons. Dozens of Sith cultists in dark robes waited at the base of the stairs, and behind them, twelve acolytes, each draped in black and crimson, each with a lightsaber hanging at their side. And at the center of it all, standing on a raised platform beneath a colossal statue of a forgotten emperor, was Collan Eislo.

He stood with his arms behind his back, flanked by two guards, the smirk already carved deep across his face.

"Well," Collan said, his voice echoing through the chamber. "I never thought I'd see you again."

Jaden said nothing. He stood at the base of the stairs, blood running down his jaw, his breathing ragged. His eyes didn't blink. They were locked on him. Eislo.

"I must say, I'm impressed," Collan continued, descending a step. "I thought you'd learned your lesson the last time we fought. But here you are again. Bleeding. Broken. And still just a foolish child."

He sighed theatrically and shook his head.

"I assume it was you who destroyed the Oberon?" He looked almost amused. "Quite inconvenient. She was custom-built. But no matter... I have plenty more." The chamber echoed with laughter. Dozens of mercenaries and cultists chuckled from the balconies and along the walls. Collan waited for the laughter to die before speaking again.

"Tell me, Jaden, why? Why even come here?" He stepped closer now. "Did the last fight scar your pride that deeply? Did I hit a nerve you couldn't handle?"

Jaden finally spoke.

"I'm here to kill you."

His lightsaber ignited with a sharp snap-hiss, bathing the bloodied floor around him in purple light. The humming filled the air. Every weapon in the room was raised in an instant. Dozens of rifles locked onto him. The red blades of the acolytes ignited like wildfire, casting the room in an eerie red glow.

Jaden didn't move. He simply shifted his stance, settling into Form III. His feet planted. Saber held low and angled forward, body curled slightly inward to minimize his target.

He was unshaken.

Collan raised a single hand, and instantly, the others halted.

"No," he said.

He stepped down to the main floor, circling Jaden slowly. His eyes didn't leave him.

"I'm still unsure of why you've bothered to come, You've served your purpose," he said almost gently. "You delievered what I neeeded and now you will be disposed of."

Jaden's saber tightened in his hand. His knuckles whitened.

"You took the Holocron," he growled.

"Yes." Collan smiled. "I did."

"Where is it?" Jaden growled, stepping forward.

"You won't find any use for it," Collan said, his voice laced with smug satisfaction. "Satele Shan is no longer on the Holocron."

Jaden froze.

"She's been destroyed."

The words hit harder than any blade. Jaden felt the wind leave his lungs. Something inside him cracked.

"No..." he breathed.

"Oh yes," Collan said, stepping closer again. "Wiped clean. Erased. All that knowledge, her spirit, everything gone."

The ground trembled beneath Jaden's feet. His body tensed as raw fury tore through him. The Force around him shrieked. The stone cracked. Dust drifted from the ceiling. Statues rattled.

"I heard about your little Twi'lek friend too," Collan continued, his tone venomous and mocking. "What was her name again? Velea?"

Jaden's head lifted slowly.

"Yes... Velea. Beautiful, wasn't she?" Collan's grin widened. "Shame what happened to her. Must've been agonizing, dying all alone, waiting for someone to save her. But you didn't did you?"

Jaden's teeth bared. The tremors grew. Cracks split the stone floor beneath him. Dust spiraled in the air as Force pressure bled from his skin like heat. His lightsaber screamed in his grip.

"You couldn't save her," he mocked again. "Just like you couldn't save Satele."

"You couldn't save anyone..."

"ENOUGH!" Jaden roared.

The shout exploded through the hall, rattling walls, snuffing braziers, shaking the weapons from the hands of several nearby soldiers. His scream wasn't just sound, it was rage made manifest, dark side energy pulsing with such fury that even the air seemed to convulse around him.

Collan looked at him with amused curiosity.

"You want a fight?" he asked softly.

Jaden didn't answer. His saber was already raised.

Collan extended one hand to the side, palm open.

One of his guards stepped forward and placed a long, black-hilted lightsaber into his palm.

Collan took it slowly. He looked down at the weapon, then back up at Jaden.

"Then I'll indulge you," he said. "Let's do this the savage way you Jedi like to fight."

He ignited the blade.

Jaden didn't move. His lightsaber remained steady in his grip. He watched Collan's stance, his posture, the way he held the saber, it was almost laughable; wrong grip, he held it too toght and there was form at all. But Collan wasn't a duelist. He was a manipulator, a monster in human skin who'd never fought a battle in his life.

And yet Jaden stayed still.

Because he knew the truth.

Collan had an artifact. And the moment Jaden stepped into irs range he would activate it. He would stop time and Jaden would be at his mercy just like he was before. Except a lightsaber would do a hell of a lot more damage than a dagger.

Nine seconds.

That's what Jaden theorised was the limit was based on the previous attack. If he could do it forever then he would've killed all of them on the Eternal Horizon. He didn't. He needed to know more about the limits before he gave into his anger.

Collan saw the hesitation. He grinned, lips parting just slightly as his eyes glinted under the red haze of his blade.

"What's wrong?" he said, voice rising loud enough for all in the chamber to hear. "Is this it? All that rage... all that screaming... was it just bluster?"

Jaden stayed quiet, but the grip on his saber tightened.

"No wonder you let your little friends died," Collan said, circling slowly. "You couldn't stop me then. You can't now. All this strength, and nothing to show for it."

Jaden's fingers trembled.

A breath. A blink. Then the rage overtook him.

He roared and lunged forward, his lightsaber raised high. The dark side flooded through his veins like fire as he stepped in fast, cutting downward in a powerful arc aimed straight for Collan's throat.

But Collan didn't even flinch.

The moment Jaden's blade neared, everything around him shifted.

Time snapped to a stop.

The world froze. Jaden's body locked mid-strike, trapped in its momentum. Collan moved easily out of the way, walking calmly behind him. His expression was smug as he turned and let the moment pass.

Jaden's saber cleaved through empty air.

He whipped around and struck again—another miss.

He tried to grab him with the Force—nothing.

He hurled his saber only for it to hit nothing.

Again. Again. Again. Nothing but air.

Collan danced around each strike like a phantom. Each time Jaden committed to a motion, Collan simply vanished from that spot and reappeared somewhere new, untouched and unfazed; simply laughing at him like it was all a joke.

Jaden's breathing turned ragged.

Then the pain started.

The first slash tore across his back, he didn't even feel the lightsaber hit, the pain just suddenly appeared there. The second went deeper, across his upper arm, singeing his skin black. Jaden turned, but Collan was already gone again.

Another wound followed, his thigh this time, slicing through muscle.

"You look tired," Collan mocked, the man's voice echoing behind him. "Is this where your journey as brought you, all of it to end like this?"

Jaden growled, his chest rising and falling in unsteady rhythm. He spun with his saber in a full arc, trying to catch him mid-step. But again, Collan vanished. Then another cut. Another sting. His right bicep, then his ribs, his hips, his shoulder. Every few hits Collan would pause to mock him only to start again.

"You'll die as you lived, as nothing," Collan said with a laugh.

Jaden's jaw clenched. He reached for his belt.

There was one card left.

He rushed again, screaming, his saber dragging behind him as he surged forward. His body burned with pain, but he didn't stop. He slammed his foot down on the ground and channeled the force through it smashing it and kicking up debris. He then rushed forward and closed the gap fast, closing into a full-body lunge.

Collan saw him coming. His grin widened. Time stopped.

He slashed sideways, straight through Jaden's abdomen. The blow was clean. As soon as time resumed he would be disembowelled; Collan hoped that he'd be able to see his guts spill out, but with the intense heat produced by a lightsaber he doubted it.

"Game over..." Collan stepped back with confidence, savoring the feel of victory.

Then time resumed.

And his smile disappeared.

Because Jaden didn't fall with his midsection cut open like a tauntaun. No. His midsection just shimmered revealing it wasn't Jaden but a mere hologram that he had placed half a foot in front of him when he'd kicked up the debris.

As he wasn't injured Jadens momentum continued to carry him forward through the hologram.

Collan's eyes widened. He tried to retreat, but it was too late.

Jaden sliced diagonally struck clean through his torso, shoulder to waist. The saber bit deep and tore through layers of fine silks and flesh, slicing straight across his midsection and out through his hip. Jaden cursed as he could feel it wasn't a lethal hit; when Collan had scrambled backwards he moved just out of his range.

Collan screamed.

The pain ripped out of his throat as he stumbled backwards, his fine robes split open, he dropped his lightsaber as he clutched at the wound, tears streaming down his face as he fell onto the ground. Jaden advanced, his chest heaving, looking positively murderous as he approached Collan with his lightsaber drawn up, poised to finish the job.

"You bastard!" Collan spat, crawling away. "You'll die for that!"

Jaden thrust forward hoping to end his life once and for all, but Collan activated the artifact again, vanishing from the flow of time, and scrambled backward. When the moment returned, he was already with his guards at the top of the steps, one hand still gripping his open wound.

"How dare you!" he screamed. "You filthy mongrel! You think this changes anything?! I'll kill you!"

Jaden didn't care.

He kept walking. He was no longer thinking, the injuries, the use of the dark side. What walked towards Collan now was more beast than man.

Five guards rushed towards him with vibroswords and stun batons, and all of them the moment they stepped to close were crushed and deformed by the force; they entire bodies exploded into a bloody misty as their bones erupted through their skin and they resembled more of a sack of meat than a person.

Jaden continued onwards to Collan his boots dragged through blood and dust. His body swayed slightly with each step, but he didn't stop. He stared at Collan with eyes that burned like a star.

That scared Collan.

No one had ever broken through his power.

Collan's hand snapped to his hip. He pulled out a massive blaster pistol, heavy and black, with glowing blue coils down its side. He gripped it in both hands and raised it toward Jaden.

"I'm ending this!" he shouted. "I hope you like it. This is a very special blaster."

He pulled the trigger.

The bolt that emerged wasn't normal. It was massive, brighter and denser than anything Jaden had ever seen. The bolt was lined with a ripple of unstable plasma, crackling with energy as it screamed through the air toward him.

Jaden moved to deflect it.

He raised his saber and angled it just right.

The bolt hit, but unlike every other bolt he'd deflected until that point, it wasn't deflected. Jaden was launched backwards, the sheer force of the blast blasting his feet off the ground. He flew across the chamber like a ragdoll, crashing through the first stone wall behind him. The impact shattered his ribs.

The second wall broke his shoulder.

The third fractured his leg and almost knocked his saber loose from his grip.

The fourth sent him bouncing across the floor before he slammed into the far wall and collapsed with a ragged cough. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he tried to move. His arm failed him. His leg refused to bend. The bolt had been redirected upwards in the final second, leaving a glowing gash in the ceiling of the temple, but the damage had been done.

He dropped to his knees.

Then fell forward. The saber lay out of reach. His vision blurred. His breath came shallow. Every bone felt broken.

Heavy boots closed in around him. Mercenaries. Cultists. Acolytes. They surrounded him in a wide circle.

"Put him with the senator... he won't have an easy death for his crimes."

That was the last thing Jaden heard before he passed out.

...

Collan screamed like a child as the medical droid dragged the gel wand over the open wound that stretched from his right shoulder down across his ribs. The acrid scent of burned flesh filled the private infirmary chamber, just off the main central chamber m. He writhed in place, hands clawing at the edge of the table, spittle forming at the corner of his mouth as the droid ignored his protests and continued the procedure.

"Pain levels exceeding tolerance," the droid noted in a dull monotone, pressing a long needle into Collan's neck before he could protest again. "Administering sedative."

"Damn you, not too much!" Collan hissed. "I need to be conscious—do you even know what I am about to do, you worthless pile of scrap?!"

Collan screamed again as the gel wand dragged across the length of his torso, his hands clenched into fists so tight his nails dug into his palms. The wound, deep and blackened from Jaden's saber, stretched from shoulder to hip and was still hurting inmensely beneath the medical droid's stabilizing gel. The table beneath him rattled with every violent spasm of pain.

"I swear to the Core, if you keep putting that gel on me—!" he shouted,  his voice cracking.

"Silence is advised," the droid responded without looking at him. "Interruption will delay healing."

Across the room, behind a pane of tinted glass, two figures watched in cold silence. Senator Nyla Verris stood with her arms crossed over her chest, lips drawn in a tight line. She wore the dark cloak that all acolytes wore. Next to her was General Tyran Vox, Supreme Commander of Republic Special Projects, a veteran with graying temples and a chest full of commendations that he refuse to take off so he wore them under his cloak.. He stood with his hands behind his back as he watched the scene.

"Looks like your visionary's bleeding out," Vox muttered. "I warned you. He's reckless."

Nyla didn't look away from the table. "He wanted to prove he could fight them as he is."

"And all he proved is that he's a liability," Vox said. "The boy should've been eliminated the moment he breached the outer perimeter."

Vox exhaled slowly. "The Oberon is gone. Checkpoint Delta wiped out. Two hundred dead. Our location compromised. And yet the boy is still breathing."

"All because Collan wanted a show," Vox said. "He got one. And a scar to remember it by."

Below them, Collan shouted again, then slammed his fist against the side of the table, the sharp clang echoing against the chamber walls.

Vox turned away from the window and looked at Nyla. "We both know what we should be discussing."

Her eyes flicked toward him. "Not now."

"We're too close to pull the foundation out from under him," Nyla said. "Whether we like it or not, everything's tied to him."

Vox narrowed his eyes. "Tied too tightly for my liking."

She didn't respond.

After a moment, Vox stepped closer to the doorway. "When the opportunity presents itself," he said, "someone will need to handle Jaden properly. No more theatrics. No more near-deaths. Just an end."

Nyla remained by the window, watching as the droid carefully bandaged Collan's torso.

"Yes," she said. "When the time is right."

___________________________

Jaden was floating, weightless, drifting across a sky that never ended. There was no pain, no hate, no burning in his chest or pressure behind his eyes. The wounds were gone. His body felt whole again. For the first time in what felt like years, he was calm. The air around him was warm and endless. He looked out to the horizon where stars shimmered and twisted like they were painted in motion. There, in the distance, was something else. A shoreline. A field. A city. He didn't know. But it was golden and bright and impossibly beautiful. He saw figures standing in the glow, and one of them stepped forward.

She was laughing.

He knew that sound. It was etched into his soul.

"Velea," he said.

She turned toward him, smiling like nothing had ever gone wrong. She reached out for him, her hand open as if waiting for him to take it. Her lips moved like she was about to say something.

Jaden moved to reach her.

Then everything pulled.

His body jerked. The sky fractured. The warmth vanished.

He was being dragged back.

The golden light collapsed into blackness.

He woke up choking.

"Come on, Jaden. Please," Padmè said, her voice shaking.

She pressed down again—one, two, three—and leaned in again for another breath. His lungs fought against it, but the air took. His whole body shuddered, and jolted, his back arching as he coughed and spat black blood onto the ground beside him. His chest burned. His eyes snapped open to flickering light above. Padmè gasped. Her hands flew to his shoulders and she dropped her forehead against his chest, letting out a quiet sob.

"I thought you were dead," she whispered. "They just threw you in here like garbage, and when I tried to wake you, I couldn't... then I felt your heart and it wasn't beating."

Jaden didn't speak. He couldn't. His throat burned and his ribs felt like they were ground into powder. His arms refused to move. Everything hurt. Padmè sat beside him now, breathing hard, brushing the blood from his mouth with trembling fingers.

Jaden lay there in silence.

The pain was coming back now. It crawled up his spine and into his head. His shoulder throbbed. His back screamed. His chest cracked with every breath.

He remembered.

He'd fought Collan.

He'd lost.

He'd failed.

The anger was still there, buried somewhere beneath the bruises and the bone-deep ache, but it felt thin now, like smoke trying to hold shape. Jaden could feel it flickering, twitching in the hollow where rage once filled him to the brim, but it wasn't strong enough to push back the weight of failure. He'd given everything. Pushed further than he ever had before. He'd let the dark side tear through his body and mind and soul... and it still wasn't enough.

He'd lost.

All the power he had, and he still couldn't stop Collan.

What was the point if it couldn't even help him win?

Why was he even alive? Why didn't they just kill him?

Jaden lay there, his back pressed to the cold stone wall of the cell, one leg pulled in, the other stretched out uselessly. Padmè was still talking, sitting close beside him, her knees tucked up to her chest. He caught pieces of her voice, bits about how she'd been taken, what they'd done, how she'd ended up in the prison block, but it all blurred into a dull sound. He wasn't listening. He didn't care.

She shifted beside him and gently placed a small metal cup at his lips.

"Here," she said. "Water. You need it."

He turned his head away.

Padmè frowned and tried again. "Please."

He shook his head, barely moving.

She exhaled and placed the cup beside him anyway.

"Was anyone else with you?" she asked quietly. "Aubrie? Zule?"

He didn't answer right away.

She leaned in closer. "Jaden."

He finally shook his head.

Padmè cursed under her breath and ran a hand down her face. "Damn it," she muttered, then looked up at the narrow ceiling. "They might've gotten the signal, though. If they did, they'll come."

"They won't," Jaden muttered.

"They will," she replied.

"They won't make it in time," he said again, his voice dry and cracked. "The journey through hyperspace will be a long one, especially in these regions."

Padmè stared at him.

He didn't move.

"He's gone mad, Jaden," she said after a long silence. "Collan... h-he thinks he can turn himself into a god. He told me himself. It's some ritual. He's going to sacrifice hundreds. If we don't stop him,."

Jaden didn't look up.

Padmè frowned, her voice tightening. "Did you hear me? We need to get out of here."

"We can't," Jaden said.

"We have to—"

"No." His voice was hollow. "We lost. He won."

Padmè's lips pressed together. She turned away from him, stood up, and crossed the room. She paced for a moment, her fists clenched at her sides.

"I'm not giving up," she said finally. "I don't know what happened to you out there... but right now I need the Jaden who stayed behind on a doomed planet to save everyone."

Jaden didn't answer, he just continued to lay back against the wall, his eyes half closed. He then closed them fully, breathing slowly as he slipped into himself. He reached inward, trying to shut out the noise, the pain, the failure. He focused on what little strength he had left and began meditating, calling what he could of the Force to try and speed the healing. Not because he wanted to fight. Not because he had hope.

Because he didn't know what else to do.

___________________________

*BANG*

*BANG*

*BANG*

Vaylin sat on the bed, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, her fingernails digging into her sleeves. Her shoulders trembled with each shallow breath she took. She wanted to be small. She wanted to disappear into the mattress and vanish. Her chest ached from holding the sobs in. Every time she let one out, it felt like another piece of her soul was being torn free.

And then there was the banging.

It was faint at first. A dull thud somewhere far down the corridor. It echoed in her ears like it was traveling through water. She lifted her head.

Bang.

Again. Louder this time. Closer.

Bang. Bang.

She flinched. Her eyes widened. Her breath caught in her throat.

Bang!

She scrambled back into the corner of the bed, clutching her knees to her chest. She stared at the door. The metal groaned in her ears like it was about to bend inward. The sound triggered something deep in her mind. She was back in the cell. She was back on the table. She could feel the collar around her neck again, smell the burning meat of someone who had just occupied the cell before her.

"They're coming," she whispered to herself.

Bang!

'Come on Vaylin... smile for me.'

Her vision shook. Her teeth clenched so hard her jaw began to ache. Her eyes darted to the wall, to the faint shimmer in the corner where she saw her.

Velea.

Velea stood there only this wasn't the beautiful Twi'lek with vibrant purple skin that she remembered. No she was covered head to toe in radiation burns; numerous throbbing pustules burst on her skin as she started to walk towards the bed.  

"It isn't real," Vaylin whispered. "It isn't real, Vaylin. You're safe. You're not there anymore."

Vaylin xloses her eyes for a moment and when she opened them Velea was gone. The sound was gone. Just for a moment.

She looked back at the door. It was still closed. Still locked.

Her heart pounded in her ears.

She slid off the bed slowly. She walked barefoot across the cold floor and entered the bathroom. She turned the tap and splashed cold water on her face. She bent over the sink and tried to control her breathing. She tried to remind herself it was over.

She looked up.

It wasn't her in the mirror.

The face staring back at her had the same features. The same nose. The same cheekbones. But the skin was pale. Sickly. The eyes glowed yellow. Black veins crawled up from the neck and across the cheeks like roots choking the life out of her. The lips were curled into a smile too cruel to be her own.

"Hello, little girl," the reflection said.

Vaylin stumbled back. Her foot caught the edge of the toilet. She hit the wall hard. The air left her lungs.

"No," she said. "You're not real."

The reflection tilted her head.

"Oh, I'm real," it said. "More real than you. You're just a shell. Holding all the worst parts of me, all of my weakness."

Vaylin clutched her head. "No. You're not real. You're not real!"

"You're weak," the reflection hissed. "You're just a frightened girl pretending to be strong, all so you can impress daddy Jaden."

"Shut up," Vaylin said as she backed away from the mirror.

"You don't deserve this body," the reflection said. "You don't deserve his protection. You don't deserve anything."

Vaylin screamed and ran out of the bathroom. Her breath came in short panicked bursts. She looked at the wall panel. Her doppelgänger looked back, the smirk still present on her face.

The communicator clicked on.

"You've failed," it said in her voice.

Vaylin covered her ears.

"Every time I reach out it gets easier."

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?!" Vaylin screamed.

The voice answered.

"Free me."

Vaylin's knees buckled.

"Free?" she whispered.

"Yes," the voice said. "We share the same mind. I've just been locked away. I've been here since the beginning. Forced to watch you stumble and fail."

Vaylin shook her head again and again. "No. No no no."

"I fought Jaden," the voice said. "All those dreams. All those deaths. That was me."

Vaylin screamed and slammed her fist into the wall. "Shut up!"

"You can't hold me back anymore," the voice said. "You're breaking. Your mind is shattering and the cracks are letting me through."

"No—"

"I'm never leaving," the voice said. "I'll be with you until you finally give up and let me take over. You're almost there, Vaylin. One more slip and you'll be gone."

Vaylin pressed her back to the door and slid down it. Her breath was shaking. Her heart raced.

"What will you do...?" she whispered.

The reflection appeared in the small screen again. It was smiling.

"I'll kill Jaden," the voice said. "Finish what our master wanted. You fulfill the purpose you were made for."

Vaylin looked up. "No. I won't let you."

The voice laughed again. "You already are."

Vaylin screamed and grabbed the edge of the bed to pull herself up. She staggered out of her room and opened the door. A group of the rescued civilians were outside. They jumped back as the door opened violently.

"We heard screaming—"

"Miss Vaylin are you alright—"

She shoved past them. Her body trembled but she moved holding herself up against the wall as she ran. Her bare feet slammed against the deck plating as she rushed through the corridor. The whispers were behind her now. The voices. The breathing. The laughter.

She needed help.

She burst into the medbay.

The medical droid rotated toward her.

"State your emergency," it said.

Vaylin grabbed the edge of the table to steady herself. "The treatment," she said. "Give me the full range. Everything. Every cognitive stabiliser. Every neuro-suppressant. I don't care I want all of it."

The droid's lens focused. "That is not recommended. Treatment protocols must be administered separately, it is unknown how each treatment will interact with each other."

"I don't care," she said. "Override."

The droid paused. "You are requesting full-spectrum psychological therapy in a single session. This includes synaptic realignment, force-neutral inhibitor therapy, neuroelectric modulation, and experimental cortical re-stimulation. The results are unknown."

"I said override," Vaylin said again as she pulled herself onto the table. Her hands trembled as she gripped the edge. "Just do it."

The droid paused for three seconds. Then the restraints locked in.

"Commencing full-spectrum therapy," the droid said. "Please remain still."

The lights dimmed. A series of small nozzles extended from the ceiling. Injectors locked into her arms. A visor lowered onto her head.

Vaylin's heart thundered. The last thing she saw before the light hit her eyes was her reflection in the medbay glass.

It was smiling.

"AAAHHHHHHHHHH—!"

The scream tore through the medbay like a blade as soon as the treatment started. Vaylin's back arched as the injectors flooded her bloodstream with raw stimulants, chemical inhibitors, neural shocks, and cerebral-dampening serum all at once. The machine buzzed and whirred above her. The visor locked to her skull pulsed with brilliant white light as pulses of electromagnetic energy surged through her cerebral cortex.

Her scream became a howl.

"GRAAAGHHHHHHHHHHHH—!"

The restraint on her left wrist snapped with a metallic snap-clack as her entire arm twisted unnaturally against the metal. Blood ran down her bicep as she convulsed. The table shook beneath her. Her bare feet kicked violently against the edge. One of her toenails cracked against the steel.

The droid did not react.

"Treatment underway. Please remain still," it said calmly.

Her body kept thrashing. Veins pulsed in her neck. Her back slammed again and again into the bed as wave after wave of neural redirection electrocuted her synapses. Her eyes were wide open. Her mouth locked in a silent scream between gasps.

Time became meaningless.

It could've been an hour. It could've been five. The drugs kept pumping into her system. The visor kept flashing. Her one free hand gripped the table until her fingernails snapped off against the metal. At one point she bit into her own arm just to stop screaming.

And then she stopped moving.

Her head fell to the side. The veins in her face no longer pulsed. Her chest barely rose.

The lights dimmed. The machines slowly shut down.

"Treatment complete," the droid said.

Outside the medbay, the crowd of rescued civilians stood in tight silence around the glass window. Most of them had remained silent through the screaming, too afraid to speak. One of the men; Stocky, early thirties, face scarred from old age finally stepped forward.

"We need to leave," he said desperately. "We need to get off this ship. Every single person on this vessel is crazy. They're going to kill us eventually."

A younger man standing nearby frowned. "What are you talking about? Jaden saved us."

"Yeah? And now he's off assaulting a full fortress alone," the first man snapped. "You think that's normal? You think that's the work of someone sane?"

Another woman chimed in. She was older, wearing a fine jacket. "Jaden didn't hurt any of us."

"No," the first man said, pointing at the medbay. "But she did." His finger jabbed toward the motionless form of Vaylin, still strapped to the medical table. "She attacked everyone in the lounge. Launched half the room into the walls. One guy had his ribs broken."

"She was clearly not herself," someone muttered. "She wasn't trying to hurt anyone."

"Tell that to the guy with the collapsed lung," the man shot back. "No. I'm done. I'm not dying because some psycho with powers has a meltdown mid-flight."

He turned to the others. "We take the ship. We go back to Republic space. We report this madness. That's it." There was silence again. Then another man nodded. Then two more. The older woman hesitated. But eventually, even she raised her hand.

It was a vote. Unanimous.

They moved quickly. Five of them armed themselves with what tools they could find in the cargo bay—plasma cutters, torque wrenches, a few scavenged pistols. Two of them grabbed the explosive charges from the emergency supply crates. The leader carried one.

They moved to the cockpit door.

Locked.

The transparisteel slid down, revealing SD-8 seated in the pilot's chair. His stubby arms were folded across his round torso. The screen lit up with the text: Authorization denied.

"SD-8," one of them said, stepping up. "This is a civilian override. We are claiming emergency authority and demanding that you relinquish control of the ship."

The droid's eye rotated once.

Then muted them.

The cockpit door remained sealed. SD-8 turned back to his console and resumed typing. Loudly. Every ping of his tiny metal fingers against the keys felt like mockery. They tried to use a cutter. The metal barely burnt. They slammed the panel. Still nothing. Finally, the leader placed the charge against the side of the door.

"Back up," he said.

He activated the fuse.

A sharp click.

A few seconds passed.

Then the light on the detonator went dark.

"What the hell?" he said.

The charge lifted into the air.

They all stepped back as it slowly hovered away from the wall. It floated past the group. They turned as it passed them. One of them screamed.

It landed softly in the palm of someone standing in the corridor behind them.

Vaylin.

She stood barefoot, her gown still draped around her shoulder though revealing more collarbone. Her hair was wild, and matted with sweat. Her eyes glowed faint yellow. She stared at them, not blinking, her lips pulled back into a wide grin. "You weren't about to do something incredibly naughty, were you?" she said.

The charge floated above her hand. She spun it in the air with a slow twist of her fingers, the tiny explosive rolling gently around her wrist like a toy.

No one moved.

No one spoke.

The air was still. The charge clicked once. Vaylin reactivated it.

She smiled wider.

"Now... which one of you would like to explain yourselves first?"

___________________________

Inside the main war room aboard the Republic assault cruiser, the most senior members of the Jedi temple stood around the central projection table. Volik rotated in the center of the display, a green and blue sphere marked with terrain overlays and orbital schematics. Surrounding it were data streams translated from the transponder signature of Collan Eislo's flagship. The signal was traced directly to Volik.

Mace Windu was the first to speak. "Volik. Located deep in the Unknown Regions. We have little cartographic data and no formal records of civilization."

Shaak Ti studied the planetary readouts. "But the few survey reports that exist describe it as lush. Unspoiled. Forests, freshwater seas, and natural structures unlike any seen on known worlds."

Eeth Koth folded his arms. "A perfect place to hide something."

Cin Drallig nodded. "The transponder was clear. The Oberon is there."

Fay narrowed her eyes on the projection. "He didn't choose it for beauty. He chose it because that is where the Holocron led him. If he succeeds in whatever ritual he is doing, Darth Nihilus will return."

The table fell silent for a moment.

Mace turned to her. "What exactly can we expect when we arrive?"

"Heavy resistance," said Eeth Koth. "If Eislo has the Oberon he will have numerous resources, the moment we arrive we will be in a direct engagement. If that occurs, the cruiser will not last in prolonged combat."

Mace nodded. "If our cruiser draws their fire, we'll need to enter the drop ships immediately. No matter what happens to the ship, we continue on foot."

"Nothing must distract us from Eislo," said Yoda. "The ritual, stop we must. Delay, and all lost will be."

Shaak Ti's voice sharpened. "If Darth Nihilus returns, we face a threat we are not prepared for."

Cin Drallig looked to the others. "His feeding can kill every Jedi on a planet. What do we do if he manifests fully?"

Master Fay stepped forward. "We have studied that question. Myself, Master Yoda, and Master Nu believe we may have found a temporary answer."

She closed her eyes and raised her hands.

The Force condensed around her.

The air thickened. Light burst from her skin in slow pulses. It was not blinding, but bright enough for everyone to wince. A ring of white-gold encircled her, holding for several seconds before fading.

"The Force," she said, opening her eyes. "Drawn around the body and condensed into a protective layer and anchored to the self. It does not repel the drain. But it appears to delay it, before the drain starts to truly affect you."

Shaak Ti stepped forward. "And you believe this technique can be taught to everyone? Even the Padawans?"

"I believe it can," Fay said. "It will not grant immunity. But it may allow one Jedi to resist the drain long enough to either escape or distract Nihilus so that others may strike."

Mace Windu glanced at Yoda.

Yoda closed his eyes and nodded once. "True, it is. Risk, there is. But hope also."

Mace looked at each master in the room. "Then the remainder of this journey will be used to instruct every Jedi on this technique. Whether it works or not, we go prepared. If Nihilus awakens, we strike as one."

Cin Drallig gave a firm nod. "We will teach it quickly."

Eeth Koth stepped forward. "We'll master it before we reach orbit."

Shaak Ti placed her hand on the console. "He must not rise. Not again."

Master Windu looked around the table.

Every master nodded.

"Then this session is adjourned," Master Windu said. After which every master started to file out of the room. All except one.

Master Fay stayed inside the room, her eyes gazing up to one of the ventilation shafts that ran across the room. "You can come out now," she said loudly. Master Fay kept her gaze fixed on the upper ventilation shaft. The metal grille quivered slightly, then fell open with a soft clatter. A second later, three young figures dropped from the ceiling one after the other and landed on the floor in silence.

Scout landed lightly and stepped back in embarrassment, her shoulders hunched slightly as she tried to disappear into the background. Aubrie caught herself with one hand and straightened up quickly, brushing her robes as if to look presentable. Zule landed last, her arms already crossed before her boots even touched the ground. She said nothing and looked at Master Fay without shame or hesitation.

Master Fay slowly turned to face them fully. She folded her hands in front of her and tilted her head. "You could have asked to sit in. If you had, I would have let you. There was no need for this."

Scout rubbed the back of her neck and offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry, Master Fay. We didn't mean any harm."

Aubrie stepped forward with a sincere look on her face. "I only wanted to know if there was any word about Jaden. We've all been worried."

Scout nodded immediately. "That's why we came. We didn't mean to intrude."

Zule remained where she was. She didn't nod or look away. Her arms stayed crossed as she spoke. "I didn't come to listen to Council talk. I came to hear whether he's still alive."

Master Fay's expression softened slightly. "I understand," she said. "I am worried about Jaden as well. We all are. But fear helps no one. Have hope. He is not lost yet."

Zule's eyes narrowed. "Hope doesn't tell us where he is."

Master Fay exhaled quietly. "No. It doesn't..."

"When exactly will we arrive on planet Volik?" Zule asked impatiently.

Master Fay sighed. "The Unknown Regions are chaotic. There are gravitational anomalies, unexplained currents in hyperspace, and gaps in our mapping data. Our astrogation team has to recalculate with nearly every jump. We do not know exactly when we'll reach Volik. We must continue adjusting course to remain on trajectory."

Zule's lips tightened. "So even getting there is a guessing game."

"A dangerous one," Fay said. "It's why the unknown regions are just that."

Zule's arms remained crossed but her shoulders had stiffened. She didn't speak again.

Fay took a step closer. "The others have gone to prepare. And so should you. That technique you just saw... it may be the only thing that stands between you and death, should Nihilus return."

Aubrie straightened, and nodded eagerly. "We're ready. Please teach us."

Scout stepped forward too. "We'll learn it. Whatever it takes."

Even Zule gave a small nod, though she didn't speak.

"Then let us begin," Master Fay said. She gestured toward the open corridor. "The meditation chambers will give us quiet. Follow me."

___________________________

Jaden opened his eyes as he looked to Padmè again attempting to get out of the cell. He didn't know how many times she'd attempted to do so, but he had already healed most of his critical injuries and she was still going. The broken bones would take a lot longer to heal, but Jaden was able to force them into place and hold them together with the force—a little trick he learnt on Jabiim.

"EAHH!" Padmè grunted as she once again tried to hit the stone door open. Something Jaden knew to be a useless endeavour; these walls were strong, but not just that, whatever Sith sorcery were carved into the walls stopped him from effectively using the force. While he could focus it internally whenever he tried to interact with the environment he felt his control get zapped away, or perhaps drained.

Either way they wouldn't be getting out of here.

"Jaden you can't just give up!" Padmè cried out. "There are people that need us, if what Collan says is really true then he will truly be a threat to everyone..."

"I tried to stop him Padmè," Jaden said in a quiet voice. "I gave it my everything and I failed..."

"That doesn't mean you should give up!" Padmè said as she came to kneel next to him putting her hands on his knees. "We can stop him I know we can, there has to be others coming I can feel it."

No one else was coming; Jaden destroyed the ship and that's where the signal was coming from. And it wasn't like the prisoners he rescued were going to come in armed to the teeth to fight for him. They wouldn't even fight for themselves if they had to.

Jaden didn't say anything more. His eyes remained fixed on the floor, his body half-slumped against the wall. The strain of holding his shattered bones in place with the Force was beginning to wear on him, he'd already exhausted his mind so continuing to use the force was difficult.. Every moment spent focusing was a moment further drained.

He glanced toward Padmè. She was still pounding at the door. The skin on her knuckles had reddened, and her shoulder movements had become slower and stiffer with every attempt. Jaden had stopped counting how many times she tried. It wasn't just physical determination. He saw it in her expression—she had to do something, even if it was pointless. He admired that part of her. It reminded him of how she had taken his case despite everyone who was against it. She'd done it because she truly believed in the right thing to do.

Such people were rare in the galaxy.

"EAHH!" she cried out again, slamming her shoulder into the frame. The stone didn't even creak. Her breath came in short bursts, her forehead damp with sweat.

They weren't getting out. Not unless someone opened the door from the other side. And no one was going to do that.

Padmè gave a final half-hearted punch to the door before pulling back with a sigh. She stepped to the corner of the room, picked up the water flask they had been left with, and drank deeply. Then she sat, cross-legged, her breath steadying again. For several minutes, she said nothing. Then she looked over at him. "How are the others?" she asked softly. "Did... did everyone get off the Eternal Horizon alright?"

The question hit him harder than he expected. Jaden's hands curled slightly, and he stared ahead for a moment without blinking. His throat felt tight. The words came, but they scraped on the way out.

"Most of us did," he said.

Padmè's head tilted. Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Jaden looked away. He didn't want to say it. He couldn't say it without reliving the moment. He hoped he'd never have to speak about it again yet he knew that Padmè wouldn't drop the subject.

"Velea," he said. "She didn't make it."

Padmè froze. Her lips parted slightly. "No," she said. "No, that's not... how?"

Jaden's jaw clenched. He could still see it, like a recording on loop. Her fingers on the hatch. Her eyes through the glass. His hand pounding against it.

"It was Vaylin," he said. "She was the Sith Lord who was hunting me in the undercity. The one who attacked us during the escape. The one who was always just out of reach."

Padmè blinked slowly. "Vaylin? That's not possible. She... she was my assistant. She's—"

"It was her," Jaden insisted. "It was her. I didn't see it until it was too late. She waited for the right moment. Someone had rigged the ship's power system to overload. Velea and I went to fix it. We were in the core chamber. Then Vaylin showed up. I tried to fight her off but I couldn't do both. I couldn't stop her and help Velea."

Padmè listened, but she looked like she wanted to disappear.

"Velea had to go into the reactor core manually. The hatch sealed behind her to contain the radiation. She knew it would kill her, and she did it anyway."

Padmè covered her mouth with her hand. "I'm so sorry, Jaden," she whispered, and without thinking, she scooted closer and wrapped her arms gently around his side. "I'm so, so sorry."

He didn't respond right away. His hand twitched once, and for a second he looked like he might push her away. But he didn't. He let her hold him. They sat that way for a while. Then Padmè pulled back slightly, though she didn't move far.

"What happened to Vaylin?" she asked.

Jaden stared at the door. "I found her," he said. "She was sent to Republic prison. I went there to kill her. I was sure she was working with Eislo."

Padmè's eyes widened. She leaned back a little, searching his face.

"I didn't kill her," he said quickly. "When I found her, I discovered... it's not that simple. Her mind had been tampered with. Warped. Whatever person did it, they created a second self—another identity. The Vaylin you know is real. That's who she is. But she's sharing her body with a Sith Lord."

Padmè stared at him in disbelief. "That's..."

"I didn't want to believe it either," Jaden said. "But I've seen it. First hand. Her mind has been broken, split in two."

Padmè looked down. She didn't speak right away. She looked like she was trying to piece together everything she had heard. Vaylin, who had served her loyally. Vaylin, who had brought her coffee and held her datapad and checked her calendar. Vaylin, who was one of the sweetest kindest people, she held such a weight on her shoulders.

Their conversation was interrupted when a low hiss echoed through the cell. The stone door, unmoved for days, shifted slightly and began to grind open. The mechanisms behind it groaned to life. Dust fell from the seams. A sliver of light bled through the crack. The moment that it opened a person stepped through, though neither Jaden nor Padmè could see their faces as their hood hid their identity.

"The ritual is almost ready, Lord Eislo wishes for you to be present, to witness him ascend," they said while pointing at Padmè.

"I'm not interested in anything to do with that psycho!" Padmè spat out, her fists clenched so tightly that her palms nearly bled.

"It was not an offer," they said before gesturing to some guards who came inside and lifted her up, all while another guard had a rifle trained on Jaden.

"Let go of me! Let go!" Padmè screamed as she fought their grip, but she was unable to fight back and she was dragged out of the cell while Jaden watched.

He felt the slight stirring of his anger return, though with his numerous injuries and the cell draining whatever force he could use; he was helpless to do anything. The moment Padmè was dragged through the door, her screams still echoing down the corridor, the man in the cloak turned back toward Jaden. The light from the hallway caught the edge of his cowl, but his face remained in shadow. He stood there for a moment, quiet, the hem of his robes swaying gently as if stirred by the wind. Then he laughed.

"So," he said, "has Lord Eislo broken your spirit now, as thoroughly as he has broken your body?"

Jaden didn't reply. He didn't even look at him. He just sat there, his legs folded, his back pressed against the cold stone. There was no point in speaking. The man stepped closer, as he did Jaden could see the smile etched across his face. "You Jedi never learn," he said. "Always clinging to the past. Always worshipping a force that never cared for you."

He took another step. His hand drifted down to his belt.

"But that time is over. The age of prophecy, the age of chosen ones, of balance and imbalance, that is finished. The Force will no longer pick its favorites. We will pick. This is our era now. Those strong enough to seize power will wield it. No more temples. No more councils. Only will."

Jaden remained still. The anger and annoyance within him started to grow, his fists started to clench.

The man nodded as if satisfied with Jaden's silence.

"Collan wanted you to witness his ascension," the man said. "He thought it poetic. You would see the future unfold and then duel you again with his new power. But I can't risk you interfering. We're too close. And you're too dangerous."

He reached down and unclipped his lightsaber. A crimson blade burst to life with a snap-hiss. The red glow lit up the dark folds of his hood and revealed a young face marked with tattoos—symbols Jaden didn't recognize.

The man stepped forward and thrust the blade toward Jaden's chest.

Jaden rolled to the side. The tip of the saber plunged into the stone where he had been sitting, sending a wave of sparks up the wall. Pain shot through his side as he hit the floor, but he bit down on his lip and forced himself upright. His vision blurred, but he ignored it. The moment he stood, another slash came for his neck. He ducked. The blade passed inches over his head. He stepped in close, and drove his fist into the man's gut. The blow landed. The man grunted and staggered back, but recovered quickly. He slashed again. Then again. Jaden weaved. The second slash nicked his side, but he didn't stop. He lunged in and slammed his palm down onto the man's wrist. There was a crack. The saber tumbled free.

Jaden caught it before it hit the ground.

Without hesitation, he swung the crimson blade in an arc across the man's abdomen. The lightsaber passed cleanly through flesh and bone. The man gasped. His legs buckled. Jaden reversed the grip and slashed upward, finishing the cut. The top half of his body slid sideways and crumpled to the floor. The bottom followed a heartbeat later.

For a few seconds, the only sound was Jaden's heavy breathing. He stood over the body, blood dripping from a reopened wound near his shoulder, the red saber still humming in his hand. Jaden extinguished the blade and walked out of the cell in time to see two guards rushing towards him, with a gesture both of them were slammed against the wall before they could even raise their blasters.

Despite how hopeless he felt about the situation Jaden decided he wouldn't let himself abandon Padmè. She had done too much for him to leave her to her fate. After that Jaden didn't know. He'd given it his all to fight Collan and he'd failed. Jaden breathed heavily as he walked down the corridor, he ran into several more guards and those guards were just as easily dispatched as the first. Jaden didn't know where he was going, he had been brought deep into the temple; he kept on walking and hoped that the force would guide him to Padmè.

He continued deeper, passing through more corridors lit only by pale, dimly glowing lights along the walls. There was something oppressive about this place; each step felt heavier than the last, as though the temple itself sought to drain the strength from him. Eventually, Jaden stepped into a room that was different from the others. It wasn't a cell or an armory, but a private chamber of sorts. There was a simple bed pushed against one wall, a desk scattered with datapads and strange Sith markings, and a table covered in various relics and artefacts.

Jaden glanced around briefly before his eyes widened, his heart suddenly racing. Among the relics lay a small, glowing cube, a Holocron. But not just any Holocron.

It was his.

He rushed forward, nearly stumbling in his haste, and picked it up. His hands trembled slightly as he held it tightly, feeling the cool metal beneath his fingers. Without hesitation, Jaden tried to activate it, focusing all of his energy and concentration.

The Holocron glowed faintly but did not display Satele. Instead, it projected only a map, flickering softly as though its power was fading.

"No...no no no please," Jaden whispered desperately, trying again and again to activate it properly, to reach her. He twisted the cube, adjusted his grip, called upon the Force, but nothing changed.

Jaden's legs buckled, and he sank slowly to his knees. His breaths were ragged, his fingers clutching the Holocron as he tried again, desperately pushing all the strength he could muster into reaching her. Each failure struck him deeper, and the panic of losing Satele again began to rise in his chest.

Then, faintly, he heard it.

"Jaden."

His head snapped up instantly, eyes wide, breath caught in his throat. In front of him, flickering in and out of clarity, was a hologram, Satele Shan. Her image shimmered weakly, distorted, but unmistakably her.

"Satele..." Jaden said, his voice barely above a whisper, relief flooding through him. A small smile crossed his face despite everything.

Satele's image flickered again, but she returned his smile gently. "It's good to see you, Jaden," she said softly. "I worried when it was not you who activated me."

Her voice wavered, her form distorting badly before reforming. Jaden wiped his eyes, blinking away the tears that had gathered there, and forced himself to his feet.

"What...what's wrong with you?" he asked with a strained voice.

Satele's expression became pained. "Collan used a Sith artefact, one capable of hurting my essence. It has corrupted me within the Holocron."

Jaden took a step closer, his heart pounding with sudden dread. "Can it be fixed?"

Satele didn't answer and instead offered him a sad, gentle smile. "You look as though you've been through so much, Jaden."

Jaden paused briefly, eyes lowering, and nodded. His voice shook slightly. "I fought Collan. I tried so hard, Satele. I let the dark side in completely; I gave it everything I had, but it still wasn't enough. He has an artefact capable of stopping time, I couldn't beat him, even with all that power."

His shoulders trembled slightly as he took a ragged breath. "I don't know what to do. I want to save everyone I want to save Padmè, I want to kill Eislo, but I can't. I just...I can't."

Satele's expression softened even more, her eyes filled with compassion. "I must be a very bad teacher indeed, if my student believes power is the only way forward."

Jaden looked up sharply, confusion crossing his face. "What other way is there?"

Her form flickered again, briefly distorting her words. "You know the way, Jaden. All the trust you place in the power you have, instead, place it in yourself. Be the Jaden that knew he was weak but overcame that weakness anyway."

Frustration flared briefly in Jaden's chest. He opened his mouth, but before he could argue, she continued, "Jaden...your own doubt is what holds you back. You believe too much that the problem lies in what you lack, when you already have everything you need."

Her hologram began flickering badly now, her image almost lost entirely. "Every artefact Collan has uses the Force. And what are we but conduits able to speak to the Force itself?"

"I don't understand," Jaden said, his voice filled with desperation.

"The Force is alive, Jaden," she explained gently. "Open your heart fully, and it will listen."

"The force connects all things, from life to death and beyond..." Her form suddenly spasmed violently, words becoming distorted and unreadable. Jaden's panic returned fiercely.

"Please, don't go," Jaden begged, voice cracking, tears now freely streaming down his cheeks. "There is still so much I want to say..."

Satele's fading image smiled at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Jaden...I wish...I wish I could've seen you grow for a little longer."

Desperate, Jaden tried frantically to stabilize her, pushing whatever strength remained within him into the Holocron, hoping to hold onto her essence. But nothing worked; her form kept fading away.

"I am so proud of you..." Satele whispered softly. "You're my legacy, Jaden. Don't hide that anymore."

And with those final words, she vanished completely.

"Satele!" Jaden shouted, his voice filled with anguish, trying over and over to reactivate the Holocron. But its glow had vanished, and it was inert in his hands.

Devastation gripped him, crushing and heavy. Jaden fell to his knees once more, clutching the silent Holocron tightly to his chest. He hunched over, letting the grief overwhelm him, sobbing openly for the loss of the closest thing he had ever known to family. He remained there for some time, lost to the sorrow. But eventually, he drew a slow, shuddering breath, wiped his eyes roughly, and rose to his feet once more. He held the Holocron firmly, determination now mixing with his grief. He stared down at it, a new resolve filling his chest.

"I'll save everyone, I promise," Jaden whispered firmly. "Then I'll fix you."

Carefully, he placed the Holocron in his pocket and turned back toward the doorway, ready to face whatever waited beyond.

___________________________

Collan Eislo stood at the center of the grand chamber, his robes torn and stained with burnt silk, the wound inflicted by Jaden's lightsaber still raw beneath layers of bandages. Despite his injuries, he smiled widely. Everything was finally in place. He gazed around at the dozens of circles carved into the temple floor, each lined with ancient Sith runes.

Around him, a hundred prisoners stood grouped in tight circles of ten, each cluster guarded closely by mercenaries whose weapons promised death if any dared to move. At evenly spaced points throughout the chamber stood tall stone pillars. On each pillar rested priceless Sith artefacts, crystalline amulets, holocrons glowing dimly with sinister whispers, ancient daggers carved from obsidian, and intricate lines drawn on the stone floor connected each artifact directly to a single, massive central circle.

In the center of that circle, set reverently atop a black marble pedestal, lay the Mask of Darth Nihilus. Its surface gleamed faintly, the empty eyes of the mask almost seeming alive, watching silently as events unfolded. Collan turned to Padmè, who struggled uselessly against the grip of two large mercenaries restraining her. He stepped closer, a smug, triumphant expression filling his face.

"The time has finally come, Lady Amidala," he said mockingly. "You're about to witness my ascension firsthand. The old order is about to be buried under the weight of a new era. An era without Jedi, without Sith... only me. The age of Eislo begins now."

Padmè's eyes burned with defiance, and she strained against the grip of her captors. "You're insane, Collan!"

Collan chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "No, Padmè. I'm about to become immortal, what sane man wouldn't want that."

He turned his attention away from her and raised his hand sharply. "Begin the ritual."

Immediately, twelve acolytes stepped forward to surround the central circle. They raised their arms, palms outward, and began chanting in a low Sith dialect. Several extended their hands toward the etched lines on the ground, channeling the Force into the pattern. Almost immediately, dark crimson energy flooded through the markings, illuminating them brightly. The glowing lines surged outward, enveloping every prisoner, eliciting frightened murmurs and sobs as the prisoners watched helplessly.

Padmè twisted violently, desperately attempting to break free. "Let go of me!" she shouted, kicking out her legs, but the mercenaries' grip was too strong.

Suddenly, a tremendous explosion echoed through the temple. The walls trembled, and a wave of dust fell from the ceiling.

Collan spun around, his face contorted with fury. "What the hell was that?"

One of the guards quickly activated his comm unit, anxiously speaking into it. His face went pale. "Sir, we're being attacked by the Jedi! Dozens of them! They have a cruiser providing support fire from orbit, the shield dome is collapsing!"

Collan let out a furious curse before gesturing angrily at most of the guards. "Go! Support the defense! Stop them now!" Nearly all the mercenaries ran out of the chamber toward the battle outside, leaving only a handful behind.

Padmè felt relief surge through her chest. Reinforcements had arrived. This was their chance. Summoning her strength, she slammed her foot down onto her captor's toes. The mercenary grunted in pain, his grip loosening for a brief moment. She ducked swiftly as he swung a fist toward her head, reached quickly around his waist, and pulled his blaster free. She fired into his back at point-blank range, and he fell forward onto the stone floor.

Without hesitation, she spun and aimed at Collan, pulling the trigger, but the shot narrowly missed. Before she could fire again, a massive hand grabbed her from behind, lifted her off her feet, and slammed her onto the ground. The world spun as she was thrown violently across the room, skidding painfully across the stone.

Collan's voice hissed with rage. "Enough! Just kill her!"

Panting and in pain, Padmè scrambled backward on her hands as the huge mercenary advanced toward her slowly, a vicious grin spread across his face. She kept retreating until suddenly she bumped into someone standing behind her. Her heart skipped, and she looked upward, panic flooding her mind, only to see Jaden looking down at her with a calm, reassuring smile.

"Jaden!" she gasped in relief.

Jaden quickly raised his hand, and the mercenary charging forward was hurled backward, crashing hard against a nearby wall. Jaden then reached down, gently helping Padmè to her feet.

"I knew you'd come," she said breathlessly, her eyes shining with gratitude and relief.

"I just needed someone to knock some sense back into me," Jaden replied gently, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. His expression quickly grew serious as several remaining guards opened fire. Jaden immediately ignited his lightsaber—one he luckily found before coming here—the bright purple blade spinning rapidly, deflecting the blaster bolts expertly back at their sources, swiftly eliminating the threat.

He turned to Padmè urgently. "Go meet up with the Jedi outside. Lead them back here."

Padmè shook her head, determination in her eyes. "I want to help you."

Jaden smiled warmly. "You are helping, Padmè. I need you to bring them here. We have to finish this once and for all."

She hesitated for a brief moment, then nodded firmly. "Alright. I'll be back soon... be careful."

She ran toward the exit, disappearing into the hallway, trusting Jaden to finish what had started long ago.

Jaden turned sharply, advancing swiftly into the ritual circle. A dark-robed acolyte rushed forward, his red lightsaber raised, intent on stopping him. Their blades clashed in a rapid exchange of blows, but Jaden moved swiftly, and easily bypassed the acolyte's guard and drove his blade through his opponent's chest. With the immediate threat dispatched, Jaden reached out his hand toward Collan, who stood frantically completing the ritual incantations. Jaden summoned the Force, gripping Collan with an invisible strength and yanking him violently from the circle. Collan crashed heavily onto the ground with a pained shout, skidding across the polished stone floor.

But Jaden wasn't finished. He clenched his fist tighter, lifting Collan once more, throwing him powerfully across the chamber until he collided with one of the stone pillars, crashing through a collection of dark relics scattered around it.

Collan rose slowly, blood dripping from his mouth, his eyes wild with fury. "I'll destroy you for this, Jaden! Was your defeat last time not enough?" he spat viciously, murderous intent clear in every word.

Jaden faced him calmly, standing straight, centering himself deeply within the Force. For the first time in a long while, he felt clarity instead of rage.

"Not this time, Collan," he replied softly but firmly. "This ends here."

Collan rose slowly from the shattered relics and scattered debris around him, blood trickling down his chin, staining his already torn robes. His eyes were feral, murderous, filled with absolute hatred.

"I'll annihilate you," Collan hissed, reaching down and removing his lightsaber from his belt. With a sharp snap-hiss, the crimson blade surged to life, bathing his wounded face in a malevolent glow. "And then everyone you've ever cared about will follow."

Jaden didn't flinch. He didn't allow himself the anger or fear that once had so easily consumed him. Instead, he calmly ignited his own purple lightsaber, taking a defensive stance and studying Collan carefully. He knew the threat of Collan's artifact that could stop time, and the memory of their last encounter remained vividly fresh. He needed a way to counter it, but first, he had to understand it. He opened his senses to the force and reached out; the force surrounding Collan was angry and hateful, but it didn't come from him it came form within him. Inside his body, that's where the artefact lay.

Jaden focused on it, he could feel the pain and suffering that came from within, it was almost too much to bear. But he had to go deeper he had to understand this artefact if he wanted to counter it.

Though he was interrupted from doing that when Collan lunged forward flashing from one point to the other as if he was teleporting, he appeared in front of Jaden his blade slashing violently toward Jaden's chest. Jaden pivoted away swiftly, avoiding direct contact, maintaining careful distance. Collan snarled and swung again, his movements were aggressive but they were just common swings. Each blow was meant to kill, but there was little grace or skill behind them.

Jaden jumped back clearing a large distance. Collan wasn't force sensitive, he wasn't even an athletic human, so Jaden was able to dance around him easily and keep out of the range of his timestop. Though having Collan zip around and try to close the distance was annoying.

With a swift gesture, Jaden reached out with the Force and hurled pieces of rubble and broken stone toward Collan. Just as the debris closed in, Collan activated the artifact, instantly vanishing, causing the rubble to pass harmlessly through the empty air. He reappeared several feet away, a cruel smile on his face. "You can't beat me Jaden, I am invincible!" He shouted before he stopped time and rushed towards him. Reappearing closer to him with his saber held high, poised to strike.

Jaden circled back again, his mind racing. He tested the artifact again, grasping for Collan with the Force, only to have him vanish again and reappear behind him, forcing Jaden to swiftly dodge an unexpected strike. Yet as their battle continued, Jaden began noticing something subtle. Every time Collan used the artifact to vanish, it lasted exactly nine seconds, after which he had a brief but noticeable delay before he could activate it again . In these short intervals, Collan was forced to rely on physical evasion rather than simply stopping time. He was also coming close to be able to sense when Jaden was activating the artefact and what it was actually doing.

Jaden had found his opening.

Jaden hurled a crate with the Force and launched into a sprint just behind it, using the distraction to close the gap. Collan vanished again and the crate hit nothing but air. Jaden skidded to a stop, eyes darting, trying to track his movement. Collan reappeared at his flank with a raised saber, but Jaden was already moving—he twisted, dropped low, and blasted a shockwave from both palms that cracked the stone flooring and threw debris in every direction.

Jaden didn't pause. He seized a pair of shattered conduits and flung them like spears. Collan blinked again and they clattered harmlessly behind him.

Four seconds.

Jaden leapt onto a toppled support beam and used it as a springboard, flipping high, twisting mid-air. He hurled his saber in a tight arc as he fell. The blade spun low toward Collan's knees. For an instant, Collan didn't move. Jaden's heart jumped—then time halted. Collan blinked at the last second and sidestepped the saber; it clanged off a wall. It ricocheted back toward Jaden who used the force, but he didn't catch it yet. He landed, planted one foot, and hurled a telekinetic blast that sent a ring of stoneand debris forward like shrapnel.

Collan shimmered. Time stop. The debris passed through empty space.

Seven seconds.

Jaden caught the returning saber and ignited it in a reverse grip. He dashed forward again, slashing horizontally, but it was a feint. As Collan phased to dodge, Jaden slammed his fist into the ground. A shockwave ripped outward, lifting stone slabs and bending a steel pillar backward. Collan who was being overwhelmed by the sheer power hadn't been taking the opportunities to attack as the moment he did he would be blasted away.

Eight.

Jaden struck again, he moved his hands like a conductor creating a powerful wind current that whipped around debris and shrapnel. Collan struggled to dodge them by himself and once again blinked out of normal time.

Nine.

There, Collan reappeared and Jaden threw more shrapnel.

Collan didn't blink out this time.

Certainly of his victory Jaden went to finish Collan off. But just as Jaden lunged, certain the artifact had drained, Collan's mouth twisted into a vicious grin and he vanished. The air snapped. Time buckled. Jaden's strike cut through empty space.

His feet hit the floor harder than he expected, his forward momentum thrown off. His boots scraped the durasteel as he twisted to recover, but Collan was already behind him. Jaden turned—

Too slow.

Collan dropped from above, both hands locked on his saber. Jaden looked up into the red glow. He moved to raise his weapon, but there was no time. He had miscalculated. The artifact didn't drain with use linearly. After every use it would recharge regardless of if 9 seconds had passed.

He had been wrong.

Collan impaled him through the stomach with his lightsaber as he landed. "You lose again Jaden," Collan said with a massive grin stretched access his face, Jaden force pushed him back and managed to stumble backwards. "Time to finish you," he said.

Reality shattered. All sound vanished. Even the hum of the sabers disappeared. The colors around him faded to stillness, suspended in unnatural silence. Time had stopped.

Collan stood in front of him, his mouth was curled into a snarl. His eyes were wide and gleaming with bloodlust. There was nothing between them now. No defense. No help. No escape.

Jaden was frozen, knees bent, his saber held low in his grip, his mouth still open from the breath he never finished drawing.

Collan approached him a smile on his face as he drew his a lightsaber inline with his neck ready to end him. However before he could he noticed something.

Movement.

Jadens right foot scraped forward. Just half an inch. At least that's what Collan saw. His face twisted into shock. His blade stopped inches from Jaden's face. Jaden stepped again. His left shoulder turned. Jaden brought his saber up with both hands and drove it diagonally toward Collan's exposed ribs.

Collan screamed—not in pain, but in confusion—as he threw himself backward. The strike missed, but barely. He crashed into the ground, rolling once before planting his boots and launching off the floor and crawling away.Collan's eyes widened in sheer terror as he looked back at Jaden, shock and confusion flooding his features. "How did you do that?!" he screamed.

Jaden smirked slightly, regaining his footing. "Do what?"

Collan's shock quickly dissolved back into fury. Roaring, he lunged again, slashing wildly. But this time, Jaden was certain the artifact was now truly on cooldown. Jaden rushed forward, he deflected Collan's reckless blows, parrying him and easily slicing through Collan's upper arm, causing his lightsaber to spin from his hand, clattering to the floor far away.

Desperate, Collan activated the artifact again, screaming in frustration. Time halted, but now Jaden clearly moved within this suspended state, grabbing Collan firmly by the throat before freezing again in place.

When time resumed, Collan staggered backward, gasping and clutching at his throat. "How? How? HOW?!" he shrieked, panic overtaking him.

Jaden's expression was calm, almost peaceful. "I reached out to the artefact in you," he explained. "In a way, I spoke to the artifact. I understood its nature."

Collan stared in disbelief, horror dawning on his face.

"The artifact manipulates the Force itself," Jaden continued calmly. "It uses it to phase space around it between realities, creating the illusion of frozen time. It tunes the user into that alternate phased space. And once I realized that, I simply did the same."

Collan shook his head furiously, disbelief and desperation clear in his eyes.

"It's difficult," Jaden admitted. "I can only manage a few seconds myself. But that's more than enough."

"No!" Collan wailed like a spoiled child. He spun around frantically, pleading with his acolytes. "Help me! Finish him!"

But none of them responded. Collan's eyes widened in stunned horror as he saw that someone else had taken his position in the ritual circle. His acolytes had betrayed him, abandoning him to his fate. "No! NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" Collan shrieked, trembling uncontrollably. "I was supposed to become a god! This is MY destiny!"

He tried once more to stop time, but before he could, Jaden's outstretched hand clamped down on him through the Force, freezing him in place.

"It's over, Collan," Jaden said softly. His eyes closed briefly as he focused deeply, reaching into the artifact embedded within Collan's body through the Force. In one swift pull, Jaden ripped the artifact free.

Collan collapsed, screaming in agony as blood spilled from the wound, pooling beneath him. Jaden carefully held the artifact in his palm, feeling a rush of sorrow wash over him. "So much suffering is bound in this," he whispered, gazing sadly at the small device. "You powered this with the life force of other Force-sensitives. I can still feel them... trapped inside, in pain."

Jaden closed his eyes again, allowing the Force to guide him fully, gently unraveling the dark threads woven into the artifact. Slowly, carefully, he purified it, releasing the trapped essences within, setting their spirits free. Collan lay sobbing on the ground, broken and humiliated—a pitiable sight. Jaden stood over him, lightsaber still ignited. His grip tightened instinctively around the hilt. The urge to end him was strong.

But then he exhaled slowly, releasing his anger. "You're not worth it... I'm better than you" Jaden finally said aloud, stepping carefully past him toward the ritual circle.

As Jaden approached the center to stop the ritual, seven of Collan's acolytes swiftly surrounded him, their blades ignited, ready to strike. Jaden prepared himself for the fight, his lightsaber raised defensively. But at that moment, the ceiling above burst apart in a brilliant explosion, and a host of Jedi descended gracefully into the chamber, landing confidently beside him.

Jaden smiled as reinforcements had finally come.

(AN: Hope you enjoyed it will do the rest tomorrow, peace out.)

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