The Sands of Time: 500 Years after Return of the Jedi

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The air sizzled as Keiran's green blade crashed against the Sith's red one. The dark warrior growled as it blocked the strike, and Keiran felt himself shoved backwards. A ferocious series of blows followed. The young Jedi moved his saber in a swift pattern to deflect each one. He backpedaled further as he did so, then felt another body behind him. Andiell gasped, and Keiran could sense her stumbling briefly for control. She regained it quickly, and Keiran returned his full attention to the creature who advanced on him. Another deadly combination came in rapid fashion. Keiran could feel his pulse racing as he struggled to keep up with the vicious blows.

The Sith monster he fought had a very different fighting style from its Master's. Keiran had observed it dueling Master Kenobi during the attack on the Academy, but that experience had not fully prepared him for the unrelenting assault he now faced. The Sith slashed down toward Keiran, followed this up with a pair of low swings, then pulled back for a moment. It spun its crimson blade once, then thrust it straight at Keiran.

He sidestepped quickly, pushed his opponent's blade aside, then found himself forced into a half-turn. Another blade sliced in at his side; he pulled back his own and caught it. As he moved to face the second Sith apprentice, he caught sight of Andiell agilely rolling and coming up to take on the snarling, furred menace. Keiran exchanged blows with his new foe, breathing hard with the expended effort. *These guys are good!* he thought.

*If we work together,* replied Andiell through the Force, *we can defeat them.*

* * *

The Dark Lord finally made a move when Obi-Wan had come within three saber-lengths of him. He slowly came out of his seat, looking disdainfully toward the Jedi as he stood. Then the Sith drew and ignited his lightsaber. It glowed--black, a strange sight indeed.

"Jedi Kenobi," he said, a malevolent grin on his wrinkled face. "I will enjoy this immensely." The Sith Master took one step forward; then, instead of striking with his lightsaber, he raised his free left hand. A white-hot bolt of lightning shot from it. Obi-Wan easily caught the blast on his blade.

"Very well," cackled the dark former Jedi. Then he took another step forward and attacked.

 

kick ass!

 

They had almost reached the nearby docking bay, and the means of escape contained there, when another four troopers charged down the hall. The attackers opened fire immediately, spraying red blaster bolts at Varian and her two companions. The Jedi were forced to a halt as she and Cilian brought up their lightsabers to block. Master Kah stood behind them and took up her own method of defense.

Varian blocked a shot to her head, then brought down her saber and deflected another one. The returning bolt knocked out one of the black-armored soldiers. Beside her, Cilian's silver blade flashed across the paths of more incoming fire, scattering it in all directions. As she had before, Master Kah used the Force to one by one remove the trooper's weapons. It was not long before the new obstacle in their path had been deal with--but, Varian noticed with a frown, it was long enough. More soldiers, many more in fact, were already rushing in, and a quick glance behind her confirmed her feeling that just as many were approaching from the other direction. The docking bay was in sight, but there was no way to get there. Within seconds, they were completely surrounded.

Varian took a deep breath and went back into her guard position as a barrage heavier than she had ever faced began.

* * *

By now, the Sith's command cruiser had become the focal point of the battle. A wide array of Republic and Coruscantian vessels attacked the massive cruiser from all sides, blasting away with their energy weapons and warheads. Numerous Sith craft had come to their flag's aid, however, and were fighting back with a ferocity that High Admiral Serra Harsekk's crews did not seem to be matching. She watched as ship after friendly ship raced in at the target, only to turn into another bright, expanding fireball.

The Alderaan VII, her own flagship, was near the center of the fray. Most of its powerful weapons had been brought to bear on the Sith cruiser, and that ship was beginning to show signs of damage. Yet it did not seem to be ready to go down any time soon. Smaller Sith vessels maneuvered their way into attacks on the Alderaan, and several alarms lit up on the Peacekeeper-class cruiser's bridge.

"Shields back down to ten percent," reported one of her officers.

"Redirect energy at fifteen percent," Serra ordered, knowing it would cut back slightly on her ability to do damage, but at the same time realizing that she had to survive if the Republic fleet stood a chance of holding together. Many of her top subordinates had already met their ends in this bloody battle.

Serra shifted her gaze to a tactical readout. "Warhorse, go to intercept enemy ships at point six," she told a frigate. "Frierin and Pacer, move to attack their flagship." She watched for a few seconds as the icons followed her commands, then turned her eyes to a display of the Alderaan's shield power.

And the steadily dropping numbers that glowed there.

 

The first few blows of the duel were tentative. Obi-Wan and his opponent moved their blades in basic patterns, each testing the other's abilities. It was quickly obvious that this would not be an easy battle.

The Dark Master was not as agile as the female Sith Obi-Wan had fought on Tatooine, nor as physically strong as the creature he had faced on Yavin IV. But he possessed surprising amounts of both qualities for one who appeared so old, and he easily surpassed his apprentices in Force power. That was expected, of course. Obi-Wan had known exactly what he was getting himself into when he came here. His mission was to put an end to this evil.

*All right,* he decided after perhaps a minute had gone by. *Let's get down to business.*

The Jedi took a step back, then surged forward with a rapid high-low combination. He followed this up with a pair of strikes at his foe's middle, then a quick upward swing. The Sith Lord backed off a few meters, parrying the blows, then counterattacked with a swing at Obi-Wan's thighs. This was turned aside, and then Obi-Wan unleashed another combination. His blue blade intersected the Sith's dark saber over and over, searching for an opening but not finding it. As they continued to trade blows, the two combatants slowly circled each other. Obi-Wan found himself with his back to the massive throne that stood at the room's center. He hesitated a moment, then called on the Force and leapt backwards to land behind the chair. He could feel the Sith honing in on him, and within moments Obi-Wan went into a forward roll past the chair and came up swinging at his opponent's side. The Dark Lord barely managed to deflect the azure blade; then he jumped back to avoid the next strike. Obi-Wan pressed his attack, raining down blows on his enemy, and the Sith was forced further and further back across the room. The Jedi aimed a particularly swift blow at his foe's chest, but this was blocked, and the counterstrike by the black blade pushed Obi-Wan away.

The Sith Master paused a moment, then leered at the Jedi. Obi-Wan frowned. He sensed a disturbance in the Force . . .

He spun around just in time to see a barrage of small rocks flying toward him. Debris from where the giant statue had crashed to the floor--he brought his saber up, at the same time calling on the Force to protect him. A large chunk was bisected on his blade, while the other pieces rushed past on either side. Obi-Wan, unscathed by the surprise attack, ran forward and then executed a twisting roll to face his opponent once more. He brought up a Force-built protective bubble, anticipating the second rock barrage. Again he was unharmed--but more and more of the sharp pieces began to swirl through the air.

This Sith Lord was extremely powerful, that was for sure. And the location of the duel, Obi-Wan realized as he struggled to keep up his defenses, gave the dark sider a definite advantage.

 

I just discovered your thread. Great concept! I've really enjoyed reading the story and can't wait for more.

 

Thanks! Two readers who both have usernames ending in 336, hmm...

 

great post again.
FYI: greencat and myself aren't the same.

 

<I didn't think you were, but it's an interesting coincidence. Now on with the story!>


Keiran found himself again squaring off with the monstrous Sith creature. The two traded strikes and counterstrikes, now at a pace a bit slower than it had been at the battle's beginning. The dark warrior showed less signs of fatigue than Keiran felt, however. The young Jedi's breath came in gasps. If it were not for the Force and his bond to Andiell, he would already have succumbed to exhaustion. Now he felt that that might happen anyway, before the fight went on too much longer.

Keiran scrambled to parry a vicious, slashing combination, then attempted to turn the tables on his foe. He feinted a high strike, then moved his blade into a quick downward arc. This was blocked, but Keiran was already shifting gears for the next blow, toward the creature's thick neck. The Sith managed to duck--and in the blink of an eye its bright red blade was about to cleave through Keiran's knees.

The Jedi's only option was to jump, and he did so. But as he reached the top of his leap, the Sith gestured with its clawed hand, and a sudden, invisible force smashed into Keiran's chest. He was thrown backwards, his arms flailing--then a sharp pain raced through his backside as his flying body was halted by the unforgiving surface of a stone pillar. The jolt knocked Keiran's green lightsaber from his hands, and he slumped down against the black pillar. He recovered quickly, reaching out to retrieve his weapon with the Force. But he was not quick enough. Keiran groaned as he felt a vise clamp down on his extended arm. His gaze shot away from his fallen saber to look straight ahead. Straight into a pair of angry red eyes.

The Sith tightened its grip, holding Keiran with an obviously mechanical hand that must have replaced the one it had lost to Master Kenobi. No attempt had been made to hide the device's artifical nature. The creature's hot breath hit Keiran like the stench of a decaying bantha corpse, and as those fiery eyes bore into his the Jedi could feel his innards convulsing. The Sith raised its lightsaber, still glaring down at Keiran. There was no way to break the monster's hold, no way to escape . . .

*Andiell!* he cried out silently. *Help!*

 

*Keiran!*

At the same time that Andiell received the desperate cry from her fellow Jedi, she felt a wave of pain rush over her through the Force. Keiran was in grave danger; he could be brutally slain at any moment. She had to act immediately.

Redoubling her effort, Andiell attacked the young human Sith Lord with decidedly inhuman speed. Left, right, up, down, her deep blue blade was a blur as it tore into her opponent's defenses. The Sith rapidly retreated, and she could see the fear in his eyes as he desperately tried to stop her. Andiell executed a forehand swing, then repeated the move with greater force. The Sith's red blade was pushed aside, and Andiell let her momentum carry her into a spinning kick that connected solidly with the dark warrior's abdomen. The Sith apprentice was sent sprawling to the ground.

All this had taken mere seconds, but those seconds were precious ones indeed. Without pausing to catch her breath, Andiell hopped backwards, then did a high backflip and landed a meter from Keiran's assailant. In one fluid motion, she swung her saber around and slashed down across the creature's muscular back. The deep wound froze the Sith for a moment; then it roared in pain and fell in a heap.

Keiran looked stunned for a few seconds. His unblinking eyes moved back and forth between Andiell and the fallen Sith Lord. At last they rested on Andiell. "Th--thanks," he managed, his voice hoarse.

"You'd've done the same for me," replied Andiell, grinning. This brought a smile to Keiran's face, but Andiell knew that she could not take time to enjoy it right now. The other Sith apprentice was behind her, and surely had plenty of fight left. She turned to face him, but the dark young man had made no move to approach the two Jedi. He had gotten to his feet, but he could only stand there, quaking with apparent fear.

"Help," exclaimed a weak voice. Andiell looked down. The other Sith was speaking! She stepped back from the heavily wounded creature, as did Keiran, who now held his green lightsaber in his hands.

The monstrous Sith extended its natural hand toward the standing dark sider. The sight was a bit pathetic, very different from the vision of the menacing, red-eyed beast that had first attacked them. "I could have killed you once, but . . . saved you. You owe . . . life to me . . ."

The other Sith looked at his comrade, but his feet seemed rooted in place. "Please!" gasped the fallen creature, a very strange word to hear from a Dark Lord's mouth. The human Sith hesitated, took a step forward--then dashed away in the opposite direction.

His crimson blade glowed in the darkness as Andiell's foe raced toward an exit. If he escaped, she realized, the Sith order could go on, even if she and her companions were victorious today. She glanced to Keiran, and the two began forward in pursuit. . . .

But what was that? Andiell thought she sensed a familiar presence. What could it--

Suddenly, a radiant violet blade burst out of one of the side passages. H'tashi Taurin! The Togorian Jedi emerged right in the fleeing Sith's path, swinging her saber toward him. In her excitement, however, the first blow went wide, and the Sith connected with a glancing hit on her shoulder. H'tashi growled, then came on with a vicious series of blows. She quickly found an opening, and just like that the Sith's torso was separated from his legs.

Andiell and Keiran rushed toward their injured fellow Jedi. H'tashi clipped her deactivated lightsaber to her belt and pawed at the wound on her shoulder. She did not seem to desire aid, however. "No," spoke the Togorian, slipping into a meditative position. "I will be fine. Go to Master Kenobi; I sense he needs you."

* * *

Obi-Wan was surrounded by a whirling, dark-side-generated vortex. Rushing air whipped against his body, and tiny rocks spun all around him. He moved his lightsaber to pick off those he could, calling on the Force to deflect the rest. The task was becoming exponentially more difficult with time.

The dar

 

This story rules!!!! You have done a fantastic job with it Jeff. Far beyond anything I had ever dreamed of it going. But now Obi's in trouble. Hopefully he'll be able to pull himself out in time. I can't wait for the conclusion.

 

The only way to reach Master Kenobi was through the arched doorway connecting the cavernous chamber Keiran and Andiell were in to the adjoining circular room where their teacher battled the Sith Master. Unfortunately, the giant fallen statue created a major obstacle in the two Jedi Knights' path. They quickly began to carve into the huge sculpture with their lightsabers, but the stone was thick, and cutting their way through would take some time.

Keiran could sense Master Kenobi's presence weakening as he was assaulted by dark power. He glanced over at Andiell. The young woman wore a worried expression on her face as she bore into the rock. But before long, her countenance had shifted to one of determination, and Keiran found himself again thinking how glad he was to have her by his side. Andiell had saved him from the monstrous Sith creature. Now, together, they might have to save their teacher from that dark warrior's Master.

Keiran moved his focus to his green blade as it melted away the dense, black stone. It was a fairly menial task, not even requiring any skills in the Force, and his eyes soon began to wander upward. There were some markings above the doorway. Writing, Keiran quickly realized, in an ancient-looking script but still legible. And one passage jumped out at him almost immediately.

*A Jedi will fall, and the Sith will rise again.*

"Look up there," said Keiran in an excited whisper. Andiell glanced at him, then up to where his free hand was pointing.

"A Jedi will fall, and the Sith . . . Master Nonen's apprentice!" she exclaimed, echoing Keiran's thoughts. "In the story you told us, he . . ."

"Fell to his death from one of Coruscant's tall buildings, or so Master Nonen believed," finished Keiran. The mention of his deceased Master still hurt Keiran a bit, but the pain was tempered by the knowledge that success here would make Nonen's sacrifice worthwhile. "He must have found this place, somehow, and used the dark side energy here to revive himself. And then he was corrupted, and over time became a master of evil."

"And those beings?" wondered Andiell, gesturing back to the decayed corpses scattered across the room's floor. Two recently deceased bodies had just been added to the large count.

Keiran pondered this for a moment. "Acolytes of the dark side, perhaps, waiting here and keeping up their temple. Maybe they even brought Master Nonen's apprentice here in the hopes that he would fulfill the Sith prophecy!"

"And look at what it got them," said Andiell, shaking her head.

"The poor fools." Keiran returned his gaze to the fallen stone statue, and found that they had nearly gotten all the way through. Molten rock sizzled as the two glowing blades cut into it. The pair of Jedi had carved out a roughly circular hole in the rock, and now Keiran felt that the end of his saber had gone through into the space on the other side of the statue. He slowly moved the weapon to take out the last few decimeters of dark stone. Very soon, now, they could break through and come to Master Kenobi's aid. . . .

As if their minds were on the same wavelength, Keiran and Andiell simultaneously turned to each other and locked lips in a passionate kiss. It was so wonderful, to taste the sweet sensation of their shared love--but by necessity, the kiss was a brief one. The glowing green and blue lightsabers sliced away the last of the stone obstacle. Seconds later, the two Jedi were charging into the next chamber.

 

Sarn was about to begin another assault on the seemingly impenetrable shields of the Sith flagship when he felt a sudden sense of danger. His eyes shot to his cockpit displays, but no enemy craft had their weapons locked onto him. The danger was not directed at Sarn himself, then, but at--

Out of the corner of his eye, the young pilot caught sight of a freighter flying a wild pattern through space. He quickly saw why; the brightly colored vessel was being pursued by a trio of starfighters. Their lasers chased it across the vacuum, most sailing wide but a few impacting against the ship's shielding. The freighter looked like a YT-series, and was identified on sensors as a friendly.

And Sarn got the distinct impression that the Force was telling him to help that ship.

He banked his X-81 into a hard turn to starboard, then throttled up and quickly got the enemy fighters into his sights. The Bothan pilot squeezed down on his firing triggers, and red lasers flashed out into space. The first enemy craft was caught completely off guard; it was quickly consumed by an explosion in its engines. The other two began evasive maneuvers as they continued to follow the freighter. Sarn took out another within a few seconds. The friendly ship took a hit, then another; then Sarn eliminated the final threat to it and the freighter was in the clear.

"Thanks, Iota Leader," a human voice came over Sarn's comm as the red and orange vessel swooped in toward the enemy command ship.

* * *

"No problem, Firebird," the Republic pilot replied.

Tae Sorian was indeed thankful for the assistance. Without it, his YT-4300 might have been destroyed within the next minute. "All right," he said, peering out through his main viewport at the massive warship before him. "Let's set up for a run on their bridge shield generators."

"Copy," replied the Firebird's Aqualish gunner. Tae vectored his craft in toward the appropriate location on the enormous cruiser. Scattered turbolaser fire tried to convince the Coruscantian that he would be best off not messing with this target. Tae dodged the blasts instead, while keeping his basic course dead on toward the enemy's bridge.

They came into range, and the Firebird opened up with its quad- and turbolaser arrays. The energy they sent at their target was merely absorbed by the shields. "Keep it up," muttered Tae, clenching his teeth as he flew in a bit closer than he was comfortable with. The dark Sith cruiser now filled almost his entire viewport. He fired over and over with the cockpit-mounted turbolaser, while on the other end of the ship his gunner did likewise with the quad lasers. Sensors showed the shield beginning to weaken. . . .

"Shavit!" exclaimed Tae as a green turbolaser shot lanced straight at him--and the Firebird was rocked as the heavy blast impacted the freighter. Tae did not see any immediate damage, but shield readings had plummeted, and--

*No . . .* A flashing red display signified a breach in the freighter's hull. Even worse, it was directly over the gunner's bubble-shaped compartment. It couldn't be!

"Still with me there?" Tae asked, his voice shaky. Silence was the reply. The freighter quickly went into automatic repair sequences, but his gunner--not to mention about half of his ship's firepower--was gone. And the Firebird was losing power. As the turbolaser barrages around him intensified, Tae realized that there was little hope of escape.

His course had taken him quite near the Sith flagship's bridge. Perhaps he could slip in and . . .

Tae had never intended to sacrifice himself when he got into this whole mess. The Sith had started it, taking away his most prized possession, the YT-4200 freighter Corusca's Chance. But now, with little chance of survival, there was an opportunity for revenge.

"This is for the Chance," Tae said aloud. Then his thoughts, unbidden, turned to the planet that, despite its myriad troubles, was his home. "And for Coruscant," added Tae. He pushed his throttle to the max as the Firebird plummet

 

Looking forward to more.

 

A cacophony of alarms filled Serra Harsekk's ears. Red lights flashed throughout the Alderaan VII's bridge, as damage reports lit up nearly every display screen visible. The Republic flagship had suffered the loss of its forward shielding, along with multiple breaches in its thick metal sides. Schematics of the Peacekeeper showed more and more compartments turning crimson to signify loss of hull integrity--and, perhaps, to symbolize the blood of those unfortunate beings who had been inside when those vacuum-exposed sections of the ship were hit. Things were not looking good, not at all.

Serra had her eyes on the Sith flagship, and the complete lack of visible damage there, when an explosion appeared on the giant cruiser. A pyre of flame shot up into space an instant later. *Finally,* Serra thought--and then one of her bridge officers let out a loud cheer.

She was about to question the over-exuberance of her subordinate, when she realized that the outburst was completely appropriate. The explosion had taken out the Sith cruiser's bridge!

"They've stopped firing, Ma'am," reported another excited officer. The enemy flagship guns had indeed fallen silent. The deadly warship floated slowly through space, still looking almost pristine save for the blasted-out hole where its bridge had been.

"Republic fleet, attempt to disable rather than destroy enemy command ship," Serra ordered. "Shift focus to other attacking craft."

The many other ships of the Sith fleet were still coming on, but their attack seemed to have lost all semblance of organization in the moments following the destruction of their flag's bridge. The enemy vessels had fallen completely out of their formations. It appeared now that their fighting skills had even dropped below the less-than-admirable capabilities of the Republic fleet.

Alarms slowly ceased on the Alderaan's bridge as the damage was brought under control. The tactical displays before Serra showed her a battle whose tide was beginning to turn. *We can win this thing yet.*

* * *

Keiran was shocked by what he saw when he burst through the hole in the fallen statue. He had known the duel was going badly, but he had not expected to see Master Kenobi's form writhing on the floor. Keiran leapt forward just in time to extend his green blade and catch a lightning bolt directed at his teacher. Andiell was beside him instantly, and the two Jedi Knights stood over their fallen comrade, lightsabers pointed at their enemy. "Keiran, Andiell," choked out Master Kenobi, looking up at the pair.

"Ah, so Jedi Kenobi's little *students* have arrived," the Sith Master said, turning his attention toward the newcomers. He wore a malicious grin on his face as he regarded the saber-wielding Knights. After a few moments of silence, the Dark Lord's eyes bore in on Keiran's, and he spoke once more. "Jedi Foranoll, you are still following the teachings of this fool? You know that the dark side is where the true power lies; I can feel it. Just imagine how strong you would be if you set aside your pathetic Jedi ways. Feel the power, give in to it, join me!" The Sith stretched his arms up and outward on either side of his body. With the eerie black lightsaber pointing from his right hand and the long, pale fingers of his left, his gesture encompassed the whole of the chamber that he stood at the center of. The huge statues rising up into the shadows, the twisted throne, the darkness resonating through it all. . . .

Perhaps the dark side *was* more powerful, Keiran realized as he looked all around the vast, circular chamber. *But I can't give in!* screamed another voice in his mind. And what was that? The old fear again, creeping up through his bones. . . .

Then Keiran's gaze came to rest on the beautiful woman who stood beside him. "No," he said, his voice strong. "I fight out of love, not hatred." Andiell smiled at Keiran, and her blue eyes sparkled in the darkness. The power of the dark side was nothing next to what he had!

"Love," the Sith Master echoed in a

 

<Sorry about the delay with this post. I blame the NCAA basketball tournament. >


The air sizzled with energy as countless blaster bolts shot through it and two lightsabers arced across their paths. Judu Kah was at the center of it all, trying desperately to reduce the intensity of the attack. But with each weapon that she pulled out of a trooper's hands with the Force, it seemed that another of the black-armored soldiers came in to take up the assault. There was no telling when the enemy's reserves would run out, and the relentless barrage was clearly wearing down the valiant defensive efforts of Varian and Cilian. *I have to do something else to help them,* the Jedi Master decided.

The hot red bursts of energy continued to pour in. . . . *Energy.* Judu could manipulate it through the Force, perhaps. Provide a shield of some sort. It was worth a try; if she did nothing the Jedi might soon be struck down by the blasterfire. Judu closed her eyes and breathed deeply as she drew on the Force. She could feel the strange, murderous presences of the black-armored Sith troopers. The fatiguing presences of the two Jedi Knights who fought on either side of her. Focusing on the points in space just beyond Varian and Cilian, she began to concentrate her Force energy. She brought up walls there, not made of any tangible substance but powerful nonetheless. She could feel blaster bolts absorbed, and allowed herself a brief feeling of satisfaction. It had worked.

Judu opened her eyes. The Sith troopers were still firing, but most of their shots now dissipated into thin air before reaching their targets. The few that got through were easily turned aside by Varian and Cilian's glowing lightsabers. The two Knights moved smoothly, gracefully, deflecting each blast with no apparent effort. For Judu, however, the effort was extreme. Keeping up the shields was not easy.

She could feel her power slowly but surely draining. She could not hold on to these defenses forever! And right now, it seemed like forever was the length of time that this attack would last.

The untiring troopers blasted away. Already, Judu could feel her defenses beginning to slip. How long had she lasted? A minute, maybe two? She had tried her hardest, but that was not enough here. Her whole array of powers was basically insignificant in a heated battle such as this.

More shots got past the failing shields. Judu reached out to the Force to reinforce them, but could barely touch it, she was so worn out. Varian and Cilian still had not let any shots through to her--

The Jedi Master's eyes fell on the two young Knights, with their bright weapons, and at that moment a realization came. They truly looked like Jedi. Varian and Cilian were a picture of what the Jedi should be. Theirs was the way of the future, and it had been the way of the past as well. Obi-Wan Kenobi had been right all along. And Judu Kah's way would not exist in the Jedi order from now on.

*My time has come,* Judu decided. She closed her eyes once more, fell to her knees, and drew all the energy that she possibly could into her body. Then, with a final outburst of strength, everything was released.

* * *

Varian blocked another incoming shot, yet another after that--and then her hands faltered. Time seemed to freeze as the red blaster bolt bore down on her. She could see it was going to impact her chest, burn horribly through her robes and her skin, but there was nothing she could do about it. She was too exhausted; the assault had gone on too long, and now--

Suddenly, an expanding wave of pure energy washed over her. Varian was stunned to see the bolt disappear completely. Then the wave reached the enemy soldiers. Their firing stopped immediately, and one by one they collapsed to the ground, unconscious, in a pile of black armor. *By the Force, what has just happened?* Varian wondered incredulously.

She turned slowly to see Cilian looking at her, the Mon Calamari wearing an expression that mirrored her disbelief. Behind him was

 

awesome.

 

[I'm working on the last post of the story right now! It's a long one, and I want it to be extra good, so it won't be up before tomorrow.]

 

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

looking forward to it

 

Obi-Wan regarded his opponent coolly, a grim smile creeping upward on the Jedi?s face. Moments ago, he had been near defeat. Now, thanks to Keiran and Andiell, he felt just as strong as he had when the battle first commenced. The two young Knights, standing slightly behind and to either side of Obi-Wan, sent a steady stream of Force energy toward him. It invigorated him, made him ready to take down his foe. The Sith Master, alone, had no such assistance, but he could draw power of his own from the very room they stood in. . . .

The Sith smiled back at the Jedi, then raised his weaponless left hand. Obi-Wan could feel dark energy pooling there, swelling to the breaking point?then, with a gesture, a tremendous bolt of white-hot lightning was sent crackling toward him. Obi-Wan reached out to the Force, raised his blade, but how could he possibly deflect such an enormous blast? He prepared himself for the painful impact?

A wall of light side energy pushed forward from behind Obi-Wan, slamming into the lightning bolt, knocking it back to where it had come from. The shocked Sith Master was hurled backwards, and his black throne was shattered into a thousand pieces as the energy tore into it. Obi-Wan backed away from the explosion for a moment as shards of rock were sent in all directions. He glanced from side to side at Keiran and Andiell, amazed at the power they had sent forth. Both gave Obi-Wan looks that seemed to say *Now take him.* He nodded, then stepped forward toward where the Sith Master had gotten to his feet and waited, holding his black saber at the ready.

As Obi-Wan?s feet hit the stone floor where the destroyed throne had been, he noticed a pair of words there. *Darth Bane.* The burial place of an ancient Sith Lord? In fact, the lingering presence of this Bane could be the source of the temple?s evil power. . . .

Obi-Wan was upon his enemy in an instant, slashing his azure blade downward. The Sith parried the blow, tried for a counterstrike?but Obi-Wan easily turned it aside, then went for an attack at his opponent?s middle. He followed this up with a left-right-left combination, then a quick pair of low blows. The Sith slowly backed away as he blocked each one of the strikes. Obi-Wan continued on with an upward swing that barely missed the Dark Lord?s head. The Jedi dodged the counterattack, feinted low, then went for the other?s chest. The Sith managed to push him back, opening up some distance between the two combatants. Then the dark sider raised his free hand and made a whirling movement.

Obi-Wan spun around, slashing through a good-sized chunk of the smashed throne that had been aimed at his head. He followed through by going right into another series of strikes on his opponent. The two blades, black and blue, intersected repeatedly. Obi-Wan let loose with a fierce combination, but found he had over-extended himself slightly. The Sith swung hard at his abdomen. Obi-Wan leapt upward and flipped over the other?s deadly weapon, then landed behind his opponent. Both combatants turned as one to lock blades again. Obi-Wan caught a glimpse of Keiran and Andiell now. Both were completely caught up in the ongoing battle. They continued to send in refreshing energy, counteracting the horrible darkness that still surrounded Obi-Wan.

The Jedi unleashed another vicious series of attacks, going high to low and then slashing four times at his enemy?s middle. The Sith Master was now forced back to the middle of the room. *Keiran, Andiell,* sent Obi-Wan through the Force. The two Knights quickly picked up on his plan. Side by side, they began to move quietly toward the duel, and the Sith?s unguarded back. The dark sider, not surprisingly, sensed this, and shifted toward Obi-Wan?s left. After blocking one of the Jedi?s blows, he reached out with his free hand and sent a heavy barrage of lightning toward Keiran and Andiell, stopping their advance almost ten meters away. As the Sith continued his sideways motion around Obi-Wan, his eerie eyes locked back onto the Jedi?s

 

[Well, that's the end. I have to thank Old Juan for creating this awesome story, as well as Nanai Akira (who unfortunately no longer comes here) and JadeSkywalker (also known as Raissa Baiard) for their great contributions. I would love to hear people's thoughts on the story.]

 

Jeff, you did a great job. Quite possibly the best fan fiction I've ever read. Like I said before, you took it furthur than I ever thought it would go. This definately deserves a larger audience. If I knew how to make a website I would definately make one for this story. Well thanks for the awesome ride!

 

Well, I'm planning to eventually put this story on some sites like fanfiction.net and fanfix.com. Compiling and editing the whole thing will take a while, though.

 

To the top with you.