Before - Legends [SWTOR] Enantiodromia

Part 12

Yuli staggered toward a particularly tall and ancient looking tree, the great, grasping roots of which formed a woody cage around a cavity in the soil just large enough to fit a man. Apologizing profusely, he shoved Vir through a narrow gap in the roots. The senior Jedi grunted in pain and began to weakly protest, but Yuli did not linger long enough to hear him.

He had to move!

The terentatek bore down on the padawan like a phalanx of angry warriors, its armored, spiky hide dappled with patchy forest light. The beast swiped at Yuli with its paw, attempting to snatch him up, but the Jedi juked and leapt, evading the monster’s fatal grip. His lightsaber flashed to life, and Yuli began cutting through the younger trees as he ran, toppling them in cracking, rustling green sheets onto the terentatek, which stumbled and roared in frustration as it ran, but did not halt its pursuit.

Despite Yuli’s efforts, the terentatek was rapidly gaining on him. He glanced over his shoulder, saw the creature mere meters away, one clawed hand outstretched, frantically grasping. He locked eyes with the beast, saw the feral delight in the hooded black orbs as it anticipated its next meal.

Yuli felt his boot strike something hard. A rock, or perhaps a root – it mattered little. The Jedi lost his footing and hurtled forward, crashing headlong into a patch of ferns. His lightsaber, knocked from his hand by the sudden impact, clattered against a tree several meters away.

The terentatek was instantly upon him.

The beast grabbed Yuli about the torso with its hard, unyielding fingers, crushing the air from his lungs. Yuli gasped at the incredible pain suffusing his body, felt something snap in his side as he was lifted like a doll from the forest floor. Darkness clawed at the edge of his vision; at the center, a great, gaping maw, full of glistening teeth. Hot, rancid breath washed across Yuli’s face. Not like this, he thought as the life ebbed from him. Not like this.

Something struck the terentatek hard in the back, and the creature staggered, nearly dropping Yuli. As the beast dazedly shook its head, a crooked tusk protruding from its slavering jaw errantly slashed Yuli across his face and shoulder. The Jedi’s bloodcurdling scream resounded through the forest.

A second blow. The terentatek buckled under the impact, dropping to one knee and releasing its grip on Yuli as it braced itself with both hands against the forest floor.

Instinctually, Yuli rolled away from the hunching creature, clutching his face with fingers slick with his own gushing blood.

A third blow. From his new vantage, Yuli dimly noted a tree – one of those he’d felled moments before – strike the terentatek like a battering ram on the back of its squat head. The creature actually yelped in startlement, confused by the unexpected assault. It turned to face the direction from which the tree had flown, and a fourth struck the glacis of its sloping forehead, knocking the creature onto its back, where it thrashed in growing alarm.

Yuli watched as though through a haze, as a darkly-robed figure – Maphis! – vaulted high into the air, and with a savage thrust from a lightsaber – the one that moments before had flown from Yuli’s hand – drove the weapon to the very hilt down into the terentatek’s chest. The monster screamed – an actual cry of fear and pain, quite distinct from its usual ferocious roars – and swatted at the Sith, who jumped aside, opening a smoldering gash in the terentatek’s thorax as the flashing blade tore free of the creature’s flesh.

The terentatek staggered to its feet, clutching one hand to its wound, and glowering at Maphis with its beady, hateful eyes. It bellowed a warning, but warily avoided drawing closer to the Sith, suddenly cognizant of the danger he posed.

Alina rushed up beside Maphis, blaster in hand. Unhesitatingly, she steadied herself, took aim, and fired. Several bolts threw sparks off the terentatek’s armor. The beast grunted in protest, but seemed otherwise unharmed by the barrage. The final shot, however, struck the creature in its soft, slick eye, which sizzled and smoked horribly as the beast howled and clawed at its own face.

Maphis instantly seized the opportunity created by Alina’s well-placed shot and sprang toward the terentatek, lightsaber arcing in a vicious slash aimed at the creature’s midsection. Though himself sunk into a well of agony, Yuli sensed the moment also, reached out with the Force and yanked hard on the terentatek, spread-eagling the beast as Maphis’ blade connected with its abdomen.

There was a terrible, ear-splitting scream, followed by a loathsome sluicing sound as wet, steaming viscera spilled onto the forest floor. Yuli released the terentatek, which crumpled to the ground, spasmed, exhaled, and was still.

Alina rushed to Yuli’s side, saw the red ruin of his face, and stifled an anguished cry.

“He’s wounded!” Alina shouted to Maphis, who was prodding the terentatek with his boot.

Maphis raised his eyes from the fallen terentatek to glance at Yuli. “Grife,” he quietly muttered, taking in the entirety of the dismal scene. “This is very bad,” he added, more loudly.

“Yes, it’s bad,” Alina shouted back. “Very bad, dammit! Now help me. He’s dying!”

Yuli tried to speak, coppery blood bubbling from between his split lips. He looked up emploringly at Alina, but his vision was oddly distorted. Alina stifled another cry as the socket where Yuli’s left eye had sat oozed blood and bits of tissue – remnants of the obliterated organ, which would never see again.

Maphis shook his head, his face uncharacteristically grim. “He’s dead already,” Maphis explained. “Terentatek saliva is highly poisonous. That tusk was undoubtedly dripping with the stuff.” He pondered a moment. “The creature must have recently come out of hibernation and was ravenous. If it had already eaten, the claws would be coated as well, and I’d have died convulsing in the cave.”

Alina dumbly stared at the Sith, then looked at Yuli, tears welling in her eyes. “No,” she whispered, pitiably.

Yuli’s mouth opened and closed wordlessly, like that of a fish plucked from the water.

“I’m sorry,” Maphis gently intoned. “Truly, I am. Unfortunately, there’s no time to mourn. This creature–” He pointed to the still form of the terentatek. “–is not the beast that drove us into the cave.”

“What?” Alina replied, disbelievingly.

“Look here,” Maphis directed. “This terentatek still has all its fingers.” He pointed in turn at both of the creature’s outstretched arms, noting the intact digits at their extremities. “It probably smelled our blood, arrived at the rock face, and drove the other, injured terentatek away while we slept. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were many more lurking in these woods.”

As if to confirm his hypothesis, a faint and distant roar resounded through the forest. Moments later, another answered.

Alina looked around at the hushed and huddled trees, aghast.

“Come,” Maphis said. “If we hurry, we can reach my ship and leave this place while the beasts are distracted.” He offered his hand to Alina. “They’ll smell the Jedi’s blood and come looking to fee–”

Alina grabbed Maphis by the wrist, kicked at his injured leg with her boot, and knocked the Sith prone. Maphis cursed in surprise as Alina roughly flipped him over into a supine position and straddled him, the muzzle of her blaster pressed between his eyes.

Maphis, quickly recovering his composure, looked up at Alina and cocked an eyebrow. “Really, love,” he chided, “I know I’m hard to resist, but this is hardly the time–”

Alina struck him with the pistol grip.

"Gah!" Maphis objected, irritatedly. "Will you please stop doing that!"

“Shut your filthy mouth, Sith,” Alina vehemently replied, “or I’ll burn a new hole in your face.” Maphis stared up at her and saw rage and despair battling behind blue-gray eyes twisted by an ugly, miserable grimace that made him wince. Hot tears patted against his cheeks, and he could feel her trembling as she dug the muzzle deeper into his forehead.

“You promised,” Alina choked out the words. She was visibly struggling now not to weep, and Maphis could feel the torrent of emotion pouring off of her. “You promised that you’d help the Jedi.”

“I did,” Maphis objected. “It wasn’t enough.”

“You promised,” she continued, not hearing him, “and now they’re both going to die!” A dam seemed to break, and the sobs spilled out, unchecked.

Maphis blinked as a thought came to him. “Maybe not both,” he interjected.

Alina glared at Maphis. “What do you mean?” she cautiously inquired, sniffling.

“There’s something I can try,” he cryptically responded. “Something I’ve witnessed only once, and long ago.” He fixed Alina with a serious look. “The risk is high, though, and the cost dear. Are you prepared to pay it?”

Alina leaned down until her nose nearly touched Maphis’. “Do it,” she rasped, her eyes hard and unwavering. “The cost be damned.”

 

I'm really enjoying this story! Clicked on it because of the title - I didn't know what enantiodromia referred to, but after looking it up, I was even more intrigued. (And I'm looking forward to seeing how this principle plays out... I suspect we're already seeing it at work...)

Right away I was really struck by the vividness of this scene, and throughout the story I've continually been impressed by your ability to set the scene in a way that instantly puts me in the middle of the action.

I do enjoy a good frame story, and I'm very interested to see how the farmer and his family are ultimately connected to the tale being told. (I have my own guess as to who they are, but I'll keep that to myself for now, in case I'm wrong. )

In addition to your knack for setting the scene, it's your action writing that really drew me into the story. This whole space battle is quite impressive, as are the descriptions of how the Jedi use the Force to maneuver through the ship as it's being decimated. There's so much I could quote, but I'll just say how easy it was for me to picture everything that was happening. Often when it comes to written space battles, I have a tendency to skim because it all becomes a bit too abstract for me to imagine. But yours are very accessible, and I'm really enjoying the fast-paced narrative.

Love this section for two reasons. One, because of the creative battle tactics, with Maphis lodging the lightsaber in the stone to get the drop on Yuli. There are several instances like this throughout the story, with the characters using their surroundings in ways I wouldn't have thought of. It really helps the characters feel like real people I can connect with, even though I've only been reading about them for a short time.

The other reason I love this section is Maphis himself. He's such a jerk, and I love it. (I think my preference for irreverent, clever Sith Lords is well-documented at this point, so it's really no surprise that he's emerged as my favorite so far.)

Again, the description of this scene was excellent. The whole thing was great, but this bit, about the arena resembling a drum head... such an impressive visual. I could feel Yuli's frustration and rage here.

Wow. What a way to sum up so many of the lessons about the Force that we've heard from Jedi in the various movies, books, video games...

And I loved the detail of Yuli refusing to open his eyes, knowing his failure and afraid to see the damage he'd done. I also loved how you used the dream to segue into what was happening in the waking world. Very nice touch!

Isn't that the truth? I do enjoy seeing enemies forced into a situation where they're fighting a common enemy or a force of nature (or a terentatek )

This whole conversation between Maphis and Yuli is excellent. In some ways, Maphis makes a valid point, and I imagine that's very frustrating for Yuli to deal with, on top of everything else he's dealing with in this moment. I also just really like the phrasing of Maphis's argument itself. It felt like something a Sith would actually say.

And here I'm wondering again just how that principle of enantiodromia will play out...

Enemies teaming up is right up my alley, so I love everything about this scene and the one that follows.

So yeah, I'm really loving this story and am fully invested in your OCs and am very much looking forward to seeing what happens next! Very nicely done!

 

Thank you, @Findswoman, for sticking with the story. I'm glad you're enjoying the twists and turns so far, and I appreciate your ongoing encouragement. It's really nice to have someone consistently offering feedback and prodding me to keep going. That last part in particular is a big help, truly.

 

Thank you, @ViariSkywalker! I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far. The title was carefully chosen (for reasons you may have already guessed), and it seems to have paid off, as others have indicated it caught their attention as well.

This is good to hear. I try to engage as many of the senses as I can when I write fiction, especially in the lulls between (or in this case, before) the action, in order to evoke a certain tone and mood, and so that the story isn't just a long sequence of "Character A does X, Character B does Y; a bit of dialogue; then they fight. The end." I'm glad that the descriptions succeed at pulling you into the world.

I can at this time neither confirm nor deny the identities of the persons in question.

I think it's a common temptation when writing battles (space or otherwise) to either become preoccupied with the minutiae of equipment and tactics, or focus on sweeping (and as you say, abstract) battlefield developments, to the exclusion of the human element. Unless they are generals or admirals, the protagonists really have no way of seeing the big picture. All they know is what is going on in their immediate surroundings: the dangers and obstacles that present themselves from one moment to another. I try to focus on those, while only hinting at the larger play of forces around them. It's gratifying to hear that, in your estimation, I struck a good balance with the space battle sequence.

I've encountered some really wicked -- in the sense of both "awesome" and "nefarious" -- uses of the Force in Star Wars fiction over the years, and I wanted to play up both the Force's creative and destructive potential. Not just because it's cool and entertaining, but also for reasons tied to the theme of the story (as hinted at by the title).

Sith are often depicted as dour, brooding, sinister. In Maphis, I wanted to portray a Sith whose joie de vivre is unmistakable. Maphis loves what he does, and he is unabashedly forthright about it. He revels in the Force and fervently believes that through it he can accomplish terrible and wondrous things. And yes, he is a total jerk.

Phew. This was one of the segments I worried would get too wordy and philosophical. There is philosophy embedded in the story, to be sure, but I want it to emerge organically from the depiction of events, rather than as a collection of tedious expositions. I'm glad it didn't come across to you as heavy-handed.

And this was the other segment I worried about. Especially as it constitutes a major shift in pacing and tone, taking place entirely within the confined space of the cavelet, after a protracted series of fights and flights.

Indeed.

Again, thank you.

 

Part 13a

Preetas Vir silently, distantly meditated in his hole, striped by the shadows of enclosing tree roots. All his strength and will focused on sustaining his body against the grievous wounds that threatened to undo his mortal frame. He had been so engaged for what seemed like a small eternity, his consciousness only occasionally, blurrily surfacing to connect with the larger world. When it did so, he was inundated with fear and pain, anger and strife: the disorganized thoughts and feelings of young souls plunged into terrifying circumstances and wholly absorbed with the business of survival.

The inflowing qualia threatened to overwhelm him, and Vir feared that some part of him was acting autonomously, unthinkingly, carrying out deeply ingrained directives without concern for their long-term consequences.

The Jedi felt great sadness. For his confused and distraught apprentice, Yuli, whom he desperately wished to counsel and console. For the hapless pilot, whose emotions seethed and flowed like crusted lava beneath a veneer of professional discipline. For the dark one, the lonely one – the Sith – who feverishly flexed and strove for things he did not comprehend.

Vir’s quietude was broken by a veridian flash, incense smell of burning wood as roots parted and ripe forest light poured into the musty cavity where he lay. Strong hands, touched by violence yet surprisingly gentle, reached for him, drew him out. Carried him apace to a small clearing, laid him beside a ruined creature gasping and straining for life.

Yuli! By the Force, my poor boy! What has happened to you?

Vir willed his eyes open and stared up at a green-shrouded sky, through a thousand thousand needles and leaves to the white-smeared azure firmament beyond. He heard voices nearby: a man’s and a woman’s.

“When I was a stripling apprentice,” the man commenced, “I fought alongside my Master against a company of schismatic Mandalorians. We were victorious that day, but my Master was mortally wounded.” The man paused, conjuring old memories. “His lover, a powerful sorceress, would not countenance his death, however. She had the surviving Mandalorian commander brought before her, and with ancient and terrible arts, tore his life’s essence from his body and transferred it to my Master.”

“Sith-spit,” the woman disgustedly hissed.

“The ritual restored my Master to full health and vigor, but–” The man hesitated, reflecting. “He was forever changed. Some part of the Mandalorian’s psyche passed into him that day, and he was thereafter strangely stubborn and rebellious, in a way that thoroughly alienated his peers and led ultimately to his downfall. The sorceress likewise was affected by the Mandalorian’s taint. She defected to the Republic and was hunted down and killed by Imperial assassins.” He laughed, though his amusement was tinged with the faintest whiff of sorrow. “Her love for him destroyed her in the end. And the apprentice– Well, things were very difficult for him for quite a while afterward.”

“What are you saying?” the woman asked.

“I’m saying,” the man replied, “that there is a choice to be made. One Jedi must die so the other may live. And the survivors will forever be burdened with the thoughts, feelings, memories – in short, the essence – of the sacrificial victim.”

"Survivors?" Alina inquired, noting the plural.

"There is risk to the procedure, as I mentioned, and not only for the beneficiary." Maphis locked eyes with Alina, and she was surprised by what she saw there, hiding behind the shadows.

Vir wearily let the lids slide shut over his eyes. This, he thought. This is the moment. This is what I’ve been holding out for.

“Me,” the elder Jedi croaked.

Maphis and Alina looked up, startled by the sudden interruption.

“It must–be me,” Vir forcefully and deliberately enunciated the words. “I will be the sacrifice.”

He felt slender fingers cradle his head.

“Master Vir!” Alina hoarsely exclaimed. “You’re awake. How do you feel?”

“Horrible,” Vir replied, something between a smile and a grimace creasing his face. He weakly reached up with one hand, touched the cheek of the pilot, whose tearful eyes welled and glistened above him. “Must move on soon,” he added. “But not before–” He glanced at Yuli, then at Maphis. The Sith unflinchingly met his eyes, nodded.

Alina, comprehending Vir’s meaning, briefly sputtered and sniffled, steadied herself, wiped her eyes with her uniform sleeve. “Okay,” she exhaled, affirmatively shaking her head. “Okay.” She slowly, reluctantly lowered the Jedi to the ground and kissed him on the forehead. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Maphis looked on, quiet and serious, his eyes oddly pinched.

Vir fixed the Sith with a serene gaze. “Do it,” he commanded, simply.

“I’ve only ever attempted this on animals,” Maphis responded. “My Master wished me to be a warrior, not a sorcerer.”

“Do it,” Vir repeated.

“Very well,” Maphis replied, stepping betwixt Master and padawan and kneeling. He placed a hand on Yuli, another on Vir, closed his eyes. “You may wish to make some distance,” he spoke to the air. Alina uncertainly stepped back a pace. Then another.

Maphis began to chant, a low, dark, dirge-like incantation that rumbled from deep within his belly. Though he only dimly recalled the words and had not uttered them in years, they poured from his lips like puss from a ruptured boil and fell upon the Jedi, who stiffened and turned gray and damp with fever-sweat.

The forest receded from thought and perception, and Maphis found himself kneeling in a featureless gray void outside conscious awareness.

Suddenly, unexpectedly, Preetas Vir, translucent and glowing with a faint blue aura, stood before him.

“Finally,” the Jedi stated, unperturbedly. “I would speak with you. Alone.”

 

Part 13b

“A trap?” Maphis hissed, leaping to his feet and stepping back. He instinctively reached for his lightsaber, but found it distressingly absent. “Perfidious Jedi, I should have known! Of course you would martyr yourself to preserve the illusion of nobility. Of course you would secretly twist your sacrifice into a weapon.”

Vir disappointedly shook his head. “Be still, Sith,” he admonished. “The only ‘weapons’ I wield here are words. If those are enough to topple you, you are not as formidable as you think.”

Maphis only glared, and Vir began to chuckle.

“What’s so funny?” Maphis angrily inquired.

“You,” Vir replied. “You ridiculous creature.”

The Sith bristled. “Explain!” he demanded.

“I heard you,” Vir replied, “in the cave, as you toyed with my apprentice.” Vir frowned. “Yuli lacked the wisdom and conviction to meet you on even ground, but I am not so easily overawed.” Vir stepped forward, prompting Maphis to retreat still farther. The Sith caught himself mid-stride and harshly swore, defiantly straightened as he glowered at the Jedi.

"You accuse the Jedi of being pathologically selfless," Vir continued. "But you Sith are no different: You seek power to achieve your goals, which may initially even be noble in their intent. Power, however, soon becomes an end in itself, which totally eclipses whatever objective you had at the outset and consumes you every waking thought. You become a slave to power: you lose yourself to its pursuit, as surely as you might argue a Jedi loses himself to the rejection of its pursuit." Vir became gravely serious. "The Force exacts a toll on all who wield it. The price–" Vir paused to let the revelation sink in. "–is our very humanity."

Maphis stared, shocked at the Jedi's words, which crawled beneath his skin and tore at the heart of his identity.

Vir continued, ruthlessly following his reasoning through to its logical conclusion. "You programmed your own ship to betray you. You were so afraid of losing the advantage it conferred that you knowingly jeopardized your own survival to deny its use to your enemies. You were willing to sacrifice yourself for spite. How is that any better than a Jedi sacrificing himself for compassion?"

Maphis stood, transfixed by the Jedi's words. Slowly, deliberately, he sat down upon the gray, featureless ground and placed his head in his hands.

The beautiful young sorceress who saved his Master was indelibly changed by the ritual. Maphis had always assumed she was somehow tainted by the victim’s spirit as it passed through her to her beloved. He never imagined that she might simply have spoken with the man in his dying moment, and learned something about herself that she could not easily disregard.

The Jedi ruefully smiled at the Sith as he faded from view. "Think on what I've said," Vir's disembodied voice echoed in the void. "And ask yourself if the price is one you're willing to pay. I accepted it for myself long ago. My apprentice, though–I cannot and will not speak for him. His path, like yours, may lead down an entirely different route. Neither of you will know, however, if you die here on this planet."

Maphis felt ill. This was surely very bad, he thought, as the gray veil parted and the forest rushed back in upon him. Very bad, indeed.

 

Part 13c

Alina warily observed the Sith as he sat and chanted his baleful song. The air became heavy and sour, and she glanced about trepidatiously as the light seemed to dim around him. Eerie tendrils of blue and red vapor wafted up from the Sith and Jedi and interwove. The green growth around the trio withered into brittle brown, and Alina found herself retreating as the circle of decay inexorably spread outward. When it reached the terentatek, she became alarmed. The monster, still warm as its lifeblood oozed into the dark soil, subtly shimmered and shook, armor cracking and flesh shriveling, until nought remained but a dessicated husk.

How far will this spread? Alina wondered.

Maphis’ countenance twisted in concentration and– Something else. Alarm? Suspicion? Confusion? Shock? Alina watched as a half-dozen emotions swept across the Sith’s troubled visage in rapid succession. Beside him, Master Vir’s body withered like that of the terentatek corpse, while Yuli’s miraculously mended, rent flesh knitting into milky scar tissue as color returned to the padawan’s neck and cheeks. Yuli abruptly arched his back and inhaled sharply, blood evaporating like water from his skin, eye rolling beneath its lid as if engrossed in a violent dream.

Alina gasped, but dared not approach closer.

Vir and the terentatek presently began to collapse, their bones crumbling under their own weight and lazily drifting away on a barely perceptible forest breeze. Soon, only the Master Jedi’s deflated robes remained, sunk into a disheveled pile on the barren earth.

Tears streamed down Alina’s face, but still she kept her distance, terrified of the malignant energies swirling around the Sith.

Maphis suddenly choked – a small, pitiful sound – and slumped over into the dust. His skin was frightfully pale and etched with purple-black capillary tracings. Yuli’s, contrastingly, was flushed pink, and veritably glowed as the padawan’s breathing regularized and his eye stopped fluttering. The circle of decay ceased to spread, and Alina warily stood and edged toward the center. When nothing unnatural happened to her, she dashed to Yuli’s side, pressing her ear to his chest, confirming with growing elation that he was alive and stable.

She then turned to Maphis, who lay helpless beside her. Alina considered the Sith for a long time, the awareness of his profound vulnerability plaguing her conscience. She reached down to her boot and withdrew the knife sheathed there, held it to the Sith’s undefended throat, pressed it to the skin until a trickle of blood flowed.

It’s the easiest thing in the world, echoed Maphis' voice in her head. Press forward but another step and I am done for.

You can watch me die.

Alina shook with fury at the man who had tormented her and her comrades since their arrival on Kalthis.

Lieutenant Thrain. Vir’s voice. Alina, please.

Hatred comes easy, forgiveness less so.

“Alina?” Yuli stirred and groaned. “Alina, what happened?”

Without it, we mortals are truly lost. In ignorance and despair, we are lost.

“The Sith saved your life,” Alina answered, her voice quavering as she slid the knife back into its sheath. “But the cost was high.” She looked at Yuli, then back at Maphis. "So damnably high."

 

Part 13d

Yuli sat up, pressed a hand to his head, which ached terribly. Felt the puckered smoothness of the long, jagged scar that bisected his face. The place where his left eye had been was sunken and shriveled, the lid welded shut. His nose hurt. His mouth and chin hurt. The clavicle opposite his suddenly absent eye hurt.

With his present eye, he glanced about. Saw Alina, smaller than he remembered, staring blankly down at the collapsed and stricken form of the Sith, Maphis, who lay beside a bundle of dun-colored cloth. Yuli studied the fabric, recognized the weft of Vir’s robes.

“Master!” he agonizedly exclaimed, grabbing up the clothes and clutching them to his face. Tears from his intact eye soaked the dusty cloth, and he heard Alina stir nearby.

“He gave his life for yours,” she said, hoping to console the young Jedi.

Yuli wept for a long while. When he resurfaced from his grief, he opened his eye and glared at the Sith.

“How do you feel?” Alina inquired.

Yuli considered her question for a long while. There were two overwhelming sensations that occupied him at that moment. The first was intense fury at the death of his Master, which he struggled mightily to suppress. The other was a powerful hunger, the likes of which he’d never before known. He felt utterly famished, as if his stomach were a black and bottomless pit, crying out for sustenance. The latter actually disturbed him far more than the former, since while he could process anger as an understandable reaction to the death of a mentor and friend, the hunger struck him as alien, bestial.

Where is this coming from? Yuli wondered, as he smelled the blood pulsing through the Sith’s veins.

Smelled? Yes, there was a distinct odor. Sweet and intoxicating and delicious. Suffused with a power that Yuli only dimly, after much concentration, recognized.

The Force! Yuli’s mind reeled. I can smell it on him. A sense of dread slowly welled up inside the young Jedi. Oh, no! This was surely very bad, Yuli thought, as the scent persistently tugged at his consciousness. Very bad indeed.

 

Ah! I knew there was a story I meant to return to and leave feedback for! Thanks @Findswoman for bumping this back up to the top.

Well now, weren't those some terribly devastating and interesting developments? I'm loving it all, I have to say. I'll admit, when Maphis was saying that his master and the sorceress were changed because they took on some of the Mandalorian's psyche, I was a little surprised. Not that there couldn't be some consciousness-altering phenomenon occurring here, but I thought it seemed a bit too easy considering where I think things may be headed, thematically... but then Vir appeared to Maphis in that plane beyond consciousness, and I went, "Oh, I get it!" (Or at least, I think I get it - I suppose I could still be wrong. )

And now for some parts I liked in particular:

I enjoyed reading Vir's observations about the three young people with him, but this one struck me most of all. Especially since - as you pointed out and have shown repeatedly in this story - Maphis loves what he does and has a zest for life, even if it is the dark life of a Sith. But, the lonely one... now that is interesting, that Vir picks up on that. I can definitely see it, and I appreciate the added depth you've given Maphis with just those few words.

This was an incredibly poignant moment, and surprising in a way. It's not as though Alina and Vir have known each other all that long, but the caring they shows toward one another here was very touching. So well done.

Heh, much as I love a snarky, jerk of a Sith Lord totally dominating others in verbal combat, it was still very satisfying to see Vir cut Maphis down to size with just a few words.

Yep, this. Maphis made some good points in his argument with Yuli, but Vir has wisdom and experience enough to more than match the Sith's confidence and disdain. And I loved the image of Maphis retreating from Vir, if only for half a step. I'm glad that in his dying moments, Vir got to show just how formidable a Jedi can be - and he did it through words alone.

Wouldn't it be impressive if a few well-chosen words from Vir were enough to sway Maphis from the course he's chosen for his life? Obviously the story isn't over, and we'll see whether he can actually learn anything from the Jedi's sacrifice... but I dare to hope?

I really liked this whole scene, not just for this section, but also because of the focus on Alina and how she can learn from Vir's wisdom. Sure, she's not a Jedi, but that doesn't mean it's okay to just straight-up murder an unarmed and unconscious person. The lessons Vir wanted to instill in Yuli are just as valid for her, even if she doesn't wield enormous supernatural powers.

And then I also enjoyed this part because of the back-and-forth between Alina and Maphis throughout the story, and seeing that culminate in this moment where she has to decide whether to kill him or not.

My first thought was that this bottomless hunger is an extension of the darkness Yuli has been trying to suppress for so long, and that his master's death and his own fury have sort of unlocked that feeling in him; but I'm also not ruling out a more supernatural cause related to the ritual Maphis performed. I'm so interested to see how it all plays out!

Color me intrigued. Again, is this a side effect of the ritual, or is it related to the darkness Yuli has been struggling with since before he arrived on this planet, as we saw in his dream/vision? I'm very eager to learn more!

Great job with this chapter, and I look forward to the next one!

 

Part 14

“Gah!” Maphis woke with an alarmed shout and sat up, ramrod straight, panicked eyes scanning his surroundings. He sat at the middle of a perfect circle of ruined growth, brown and dry and dead, the air thick with a strange scent, like fruit on the verge of spoiling.

Alina stepped into view, staring down at Maphis with wary eyes.

“What happened?” Maphis rasped, surprised at the effort it took to enunciate the words. He raised a hand to his throat, which ached and burned, felt dampness, withdrew fingers dabbed with blood. His brows drew together and his eyes lanced accusingly at Alina.

The pilot unflinchingly met Maphis’ glare, her blue-gray eyes tight and guarded.

“Vir is gone,” she curtly replied. “Yuli is recovered.”

Maphis slowly turned his head, fighting against the pain in his neck, and saw the young Jedi sitting, back turned to Alina and the Sith, a short distance away. The padawan seemed strangely drawn in upon himself, though Maphis was too muddled yet to decipher the reason. A tepid smile flickered across Maphis’ face. “Well,” he weakly observed, “I was successful after all.”

Unsmiling, Alina continued to lock eyes with the Sith. “That’s one way to put it,” she tautly replied.

Maphis attempted to stand, felt his body revolt, fell back hard to the dusty earth. “Oof!” he exhaled, his head suddenly swimming. “Ugh, I feel like death,” he added.

“You look like death,” Alina observed.

Maphis extended one hand. “Help me up, love?” he jauntily requested.

Alina didn’t move.

Sighing, Maphis braced himself, collected his strength, and slowly, carefully stood up. Once on his feet, he quietly considered his hand for a long moment. Dust-clotted blood clung to the fingers, evidence of a murder averted.

“I wouldn’t have blamed you, you know,” Maphis suddenly spoke, addressing Alina without looking at her. “It’s–”

“–the easiest thing in the world?” the pilot interrupted.

Surprised, Maphis didn’t immediately respond. Alina’s voice had retained its queerly guarded tone. “Yes,” he finally replied.

“Not everyone is like you, Sith,” Alina answered.

“Hah!” Maphis barked, startling the pilot, who flinched, breaking her intense stare. “I should think not. And thank the Force for that. I doubt the galaxy could accommodate many such as me.” Though he’d intended the words in sardonic jest, they felt unexpectedly hollow on his tongue. Maphis briefly glanced at Vir’s crumpled robes, then at Yuli, contemplating the Jedi’s hunched back for a long while.

Yuli began to shudder. Moments later, roars issued from the forest from several directions at once: the reports of multiple stalking terentatek.

Warily scanning the trees, Maphis turned to Alina. “I think it’s time we got moving,” he suggested.

Alina, eyes nervously shifting, nodded agreement; stepped away from Maphis, not turning her back until she was closer to Yuli than to the Sith. She knelt down and moved to place her hands on the young Jedi’s shoulders.

“Don’t touch me!” Yuli hissed, the violence in his voice taking Alina aback. She withdrew her hands.

“Yuli?” Alina inquired, uncertainly.

“I said don’t touch me!” Yuli shouted in reply. His shoulders began to heave as the rate and intensity of his breathing increased. Alina could see the muscles stand out on Yuli’s neck as his jaw clenched and his face flushed red. She stood and stepped back in confusion and growing alarm.

“Yuli!” Alina exclaimed. “What’s wrong?”

The padawan leapt to his feet and rounded on the pilot. Head downcast, eyes boring into the earth, Yuli spoke through gritted teeth. “You mustn’t come near me,” he warned. “It isn’t safe.”

“But–” Alina began to object.

Maphis interjected. “I think you’d best do what he says.” The Sith’s eyes were fixed on the Jedi. “There’s a strange–” He paused, curiously, his nostrils flaring. “–odor about him.”

Yuli’s head jerked up and toward the Sith. “What do you know of it?!” he demanded.

Maphis warily eyed Yuli, sensing a great commotion from the padawan. The Jedi’s thoughts were disordered, hostile. Not like a man’s, it seemed, but like a wounded animal’s.

“Alina,” Maphis warned, “step away from us both, slowly.”

“But–” Alina again began to object.

“Do as I say, lieutenant!” Maphis commanded, sternly and finally. His hand drifted toward the lightsaber at his belt. Alina, shocked, stepped away.

Yuli glanced at Alina, his eyes briefly pinching in a look of dismay, before refocusing on the Sith. He glowered at Maphis with ferocious intensity.

“I promised the pilot I would do my best to help you,” Maphis explained, “and I did.”

“You killed my Master!” Yuli shouted back.

“I did not!” Maphis objected. “He sacrificed himself willingly.”

“His ‘sacrifice’ wouldn’t have been necessary had you not ruthlessly pursued us!”

Maphis winced, unable to dodge the Jedi’s accusation. “Yes,” he conceded. “That is true.” More roars resounded through the forest, and Maphis gestured expansively at the trees. “But we have more pressing concerns at the moment, and–” He paused, wondering at the words pouring from his mouth. “–if we do not work together, we shall surely die here. Don’t let your Master’s sacrifice be in vain!”

At this appeal, Yuli seemed to relent a bit, and Maphis hazarded a step forward, a hand outstretched in conciliation. His leading foot fell near Vir’s robes.

Yuli tensed.

Glancing down, Maphis spotted the metalic glint of a lightsaber peeking from the tangle of abandoned cloth. Thinking to make a peace offering, he slowly knelt down and retrieved the weapon from its bed.

His mind addled by alien emotions, Yuli misinterpreted the gesture and bristled. “Bastard!” he howled. Drawing the only weapon still in his possession, a crimson lightsaber shrieked to life as he hurled himself at Maphis.

Surprised, Maphis fell back, Vir’s lightsaber in hand. Instinctively, he activated the weapon, its green blade thrumming to life. A moment later, a second lightsaber – Yuli’s, which Maphis still possessed – flashed vivid blue, mingling with the green to form a brilliant varicolored cross, which caught the arc of Yuli’s attack.

Maphis dropped to his knees, his injured leg buckling beneath the impact of the Jedi’s assault. Yuli beat upon the Sith’s crossed blades again and again, as if trying to cut through them with the sheer force of his blows. The Jedi screamed insensibly as he attacked, and a pall of genuine fear fell over Maphis as each stroke brought the lines of magnetically-contained plasma closer and closer to his face.

The Jedi has gone mad!, Maphis thought as Yuli raised his lightsaber for what the Sith imagined was the finishing blow.

A terentatek exploded from the forest amid a storm of whirling foliage. It bellowed and charged directly at the battling Force-wielders, streaks of spittle trailing from its gaping maw.

Yuli unhesitatingly spun and flung himself at the terentatek, vaulting at the last possible moment over the creature’s head and plunging his lightsaber into its back as he descended behind it. The red blade skittered and sparked along the carapace, scoring it with glowing gashes, and the terentatek howled in anger and pain and spun to face the Jedi. Rearing up, it flung wide its wickedly barbed arms and clawed hands and moved to strike at Yuli, but the padawan simply held out his free hand and levitated the terentatek off the forest floor. His body strained and shook from the exertion, but he nevertheless persisted, heedlessly pouring all his strength into the effort.

Haplessly, helplessly, the startled creature yelped, then screamed as Yuli spread his fingers and the terentatek’s limbs involuntarily splayed outward. Ominous creaks issued from the monster’s joints as it writhed and shrieked in midair, carrying on for long, torturous moments as Maphis, amazed to still be alive, stared dumbly at the unfolding spectacle.

The terentatek exploded in a torrent of gore, its ruptured members abruptly flying off into the underbrush, accompanied by a sickening cracking sound, like the splitting of a great crustacean’s shell. The head and trunk flopped to the ground, and Yuli set upon it with his lightsaber, furiously ripping at the corpse. After gouging a cavity in the creature’s chest, Yuli tore into the exposed innards with his bare hands. Maphis watched, stunned, as Yuli paused, glanced curiously at fingers slick with terentatek blood – and then experimentally licked the vile fluid from the tips! The Jedi closed his eyes and shuddered.

“Yuli!” a shrill female voice shattered the bloody reverie. Alina stood, trembling, near the ruin of the terentatek corpse, staring aghast at the young Jedi.

Yuli ceased lapping at his fingers and opened his eyes; looked at his hands, suddenly horrified; rolled off the terentatek and vomited bile and blood into the duff.

“Yuli,” Alina repeated, her anguished voice catching in her throat.

The Jedi, his stomach empty, continued to retch.

Alina took a step forward. A hand gripped her tightly by the wrist. Maphis. She snarled at the Sith, but he calmly met her glare and ruefully shook his head.

“There are too many monsters about,” he explained, simply. “We can’t stay here.”

Alina pleaded with her eyes, but Maphis didn’t relent. “Come,” he insisted. Alina turned back to the terentatek corpse, saw that Yuli was suddenly gone, a trail of blood leading into the forest.

“No!” she cried as Maphis hurried her away. “Nooo!”

 

Hmm. It might help to consider who or what else was present during the ritual, beside the Sith and Jedi.

 

Boy, that escalated quickly.

I'm short on time, so more specific feedback will have to wait, but for now... wow, what an update. I'm loving the interactions between everyone, and definitely looking forward to seeing what happens next!

 

That was my first thought, too, but now I'm wondering if it has something to do with the terentatek corpse that was lying within the circle of decay? Its body withered away like Vir's did, so maybe Vir's essence wasn't the only thing that passed into Yuli...

 

I realized that I made a continuity error regarding the disposition of lightsabers, and I'm kicking myself for not catching it sooner, because sorting out who possesses which weapon(s) – which I have now done in the relevant parts – adds immeasurably to the symbolism of the post-ritual fight. Yuli now has Maphis' lightsaber (which was given to him by Alina in Part 9), while Maphis has Yuli's and Vir's. I feel stupid.

 

Part 15a

Alina vaguely noted a long streak of greens and browns, a heavy trail of humusy odors, as Maphis led her pell-mell through the forest. All around, monsters shrieked and howled, growing sometimes closer, sometimes farther away. The cacophony should have terrified her, yet her reeling mind came back again and again to the horror of Yuli’s predatory turn. She saw the padawan, gore-bespattered, hands dripping blood. The momentary look of ecstasy as tongue touched fingers, followed presently by a paroxysm of wretched disgust.

Yuli, Alina despondently thought. I’m so sorry.

Distant, muffled voice, as if heard through a heavy hood. Slap to the face, startling. What?!

“Snap out of it, damn you!” Maphis gripped Alina’s chin with iron fingers, forced her to look him directly in the eyes. Hard almond eyes bestride an aquiline nose, set in a bronzed face, framed by black hair. It would have been handsome, but for the harshness written on its features. “Hear my words, lieutenant,” Maphis barked. “Focus!”

Alina focused. The forest screamed and shook.

“All approaches to my fighter are blocked,” Maphis agitatedly explained. “It’s as if the beasts know it’s a means of escape and are purposely heading us off.” He nervously glanced about. “What’s more, we’re running out of time. The craft is programmed to self-destruct in a matter of hours.”

Alina’s eyes wandered.

Maphis tightened his grip. “On me!” he demanded. “Listen, carefully.” He pointed at some distant landmark. “There’s a great tree, larger than all the others hereabout, only a few score meters that way. Something about it–resonates. With the Force. I can’t explain it, but I think we can seek refuge there, until I can devise a plan to deal with the terentatek.”

Alina began to shake, the strain of all that had befallen her since coming to Kalthis threatening to overthrow her reason.

Maphis frowned, felt the urge to slap the woman a second time, but suddenly, unexpectedly, mellowed. The pilot was clearly overwrought. Looking at her face, Maphis could see the fear and grief and bewilderment swimming behind her eyes like squid in an inky sea. This enemy of the Empire had continuously impressed him with her strength and resourcefulness and grit, but now he saw her at her wits end, and it filled him with deep unease. “Lieutenant Thrain,” Maphis softly intoned. He loosened his grip on her chin. “Alina,” he continued, gently. “I need you.” Her eyes ceased their shifting. “Here, with me, now.” Blue-gray pools, staring. “Together. We can make it.” Alina was preternaturally still. “Do you understand?”

Alina nodded, affirmatively.

“Good,” Maphis continued. “This way.” He took her by the hand and led her in the direction he’d previously pointed, toward a great tree that loomed above all others in the forest.

 

Part 15b

Yuli stumbled and fell, stood, lurched, stumbled again. And again and again. Staggering bit by bit into the yawning forest. All around him wafted luring smells, a banquet of fruits so ripe, they burst within his mind like swollen grapes. Each one a roaring and stamping thing pressing on his consciousness, calling to him. To meet and fight and triumph and feed. He surged ahead, seeking battle. He craved it, yearned for it. His will given over to animal fury.

The monster reared and howled, leapt and thrust. Yuli was quicker, and the beast fell beneath his blade. Once, twice, thrice. Sparks and steam and guts and blood. Yuli awoke, mandible in hand. The tusk cut his skin and he did not convulse. The poison could no longer touch him.

Yuli screamed in horror and crumpled to the ground. “Master!” he cried. “What’s happened to me?” He shook and wept. “I am fallen! A creature of the Dark Side, I am lost!” Blood-stench all around. Robes sodden and limp. He lay there for a long while. Though the forest continued to echo with the sounds of prowling terentatek, none dared approach the marauding Jedi. For the time being.

“Yuli.” A familiar voice.

Yuli looked up, tears and mucus streaming from his scarred face.

“My poor apprentice.” An apparition of Preetas Vir stood before Yuli. “I failed you, lad, and I am sorry.”

Yuli stared at the specter, uncomprehending. “What do you mean?” he inquired.

Vir shifted, uncomfortably. “I thought that if I gave my life for yours, it would buy you time and experience enough to sort out your feelings regarding the rigors of the Jedi path.” The elder Jedi’s ghostly visage took on a pained expression. “But my conviction blinded me to an unobvious danger.”

“What. Do. You. Mean?” Yuli repeated, his words forceful and insistent.

“There was something present at the time of your resuscitation,” Vir replied. “Something that I fear has blackened your spirit. I did not see it beforehand because some part of me did not want to see it.”

There was a sudden, ferocious roar – familiar, but also different, in that it seemed to well up from within Yuli’s mind, rather than issue from the surrounding forest. Vir’s apparition flinched, and the Jedi fearfully glanced about. “I cannot linger,” Vir announced. “If the dark presence finds me, I will be permanently extinguished.” He looked pitiably at Yuli. “Try to hold onto that part of yourself that most cherishes the Light, dear apprentice. In the end, it may yet be what saves you.”

Vir’s image wavered and vanished as the roaring in Yuli’s mind crescendoed.

 

Part 15c

Maphis neared the base of the giant tree, Alina in tow. Looking up at the towering plant, he saw branches high above that could conceivably proffer refuge from the swarming terentatek.

A strange energy emanated from the tree. Maphis knew that, as life created the Force, so strong concentrations of life shaped the Force in particular ways. The tree was influential by virtue of its tremendous size and vitality – could in some ways be thought to have a personality of its own – and that personality was in this case beneficent. Maphis was not inclined to quibble with the friendly tree. He’d accept its protection, if that’s what it offered, and would do so gladly.

A terentatek irrupted onto the scene, charging headlong at the Sith and pilot. Alina, thought still somewhat dazed, had the wherewithal to recognize the danger and drew her blaster, firing at the charging beast. As her shots ricocheted off the creature’s carapace, she screamed defiantly, ready to die, but intent on taking the monster with her, if such should be her fate. She briefly glanced around, searching for Maphis. Cursed when she realized he’d disappeared.

“Damn you, bleeding Sith!” Alina shouted, as the terentatek drew menacingly close. “Come on, you poxy vrabnakh!” she added, refocusing on the charging monster and peppering it with blaster bolts. “Eat hot plasma and die!” The terentatek reached out to grab her, and she gave one last, inchoate scream–then yelped in startlement as she lifted bodily off the ground and shot upward into the canopy, alighting moments later on a high branch, far beyond the terentatek’s reach.

Clumsily straddling the narrow branch, Alina nearly fell off. Strong hands firmly gripped her about the waste and pulled her into a stable sitting position. Maphis! Alina squirmed in his grip, cursing the Sith for abandoning her.

“Calm down!” Maphis exclaimed. “I wasn’t about to let you die, but I first had to concentrate on reaching this vantage!” Alina reluctantly ceased squirming, looked down at the terentatek that had nearly eaten her. The creature hesitated at the base of the tree, stepped back several paces, looked up at its human quarry, angrily roared, and then retreated back into the forest.

“Huh,” Alina bluntly observed.

“Indeed,” Maphis wryly replied.

Sith and pilot sat in silence for what felt like several hours, perched on the high branch, hunkered against the great tree’s massive trunk. The sun slowly arced past its zenith and the shadows grew steadily longer. Monstrous roars continued to issue from the forest below, but none grew close to the protecting tree.

Finally, Alina turned to face Maphis, as best she could on the perilous branch. She silently studied him for a long while.

"Why did you kiss me?" she asked, suddenly thoughtful. "Back in the cave?"

Maphis considered his reply only briefly. "I was rushing toward what very likely could have been my imminent and gruesome demise. There was a fiercely attractive woman standing in front of me." He grinned impishly at the pilot. "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

Alina blinked. "You what?!" Her face flushed pink with embarrassment, and she elbowed the Sith in his ribs.

Maphis grunted from the impact, then chuckled. "That's exactly what I'm talking about!" he exclaimed. "Can you blame me? I said you had fire, woman, and I meant it. I'd kiss you again if I thought I could get away with it." His face grew suddenly serious, his eyes searching the pilot's face. Alina was instantly aware of the Sith's proximity, of the intensity of his stare. She tensed, sensing a marked changed in the man's demeanor. "For my trouble, though," Maphis continued, "I might find a blade at my throat, rather than teeth on my lips."

Alina felt a pang of guilt and looked away. "Not a blade," she whispered.

"So teeth, then?" Maphis inquired.

"Yes," Alina replied, glancing sideways at the Sith with a quizzical expression on her face. "If I thought you deserved it."

"Good," Maphis responded. "Until I deserve something better, teeth it must be." And without further delay, he leaned in, cupped Alina's cheek with his hand, and kissed her. Her eyes went wide at the impertinence, but then closed as, to her surprise, she allowed his lips to linger on hers for several moments. She tasted Maphis, felt his warmth, briefly enjoyed the sensation of his fingers curling beneath her ear and coming to rest on the nape of her neck. Then she bit him. Not hard enough to draw blood this time, but hard enough to make her point felt.

"Hah!" Maphis laughed, withdrawing as quickly as he'd approached. "That is what I'd call progress!"

 

Part 16a

Yuli hunched between two dead terentatek, the latest victims of what had become a self-feeding rampage. Their mangled corpses steamed and stank in the clean forest air. They were smaller than the ones he had previously fought – juveniles, probably. It mattered little. The padawan tasted their blood and breathed deeply their sickly-sweet odor. Even as he shuddered with the pleasure it brought him, Yuli loathed himself.

This was wrong. Yuli knew it. Everything the Jedi had taught him militated against such horrific indulgence, yet Yuli could not stop himself. It was like a dam had burst inside the furthest recesses of his mind, and years of deeply buried feelings were pouring forth all at once in a torrent of ravenous desire. Desire for life unfettered by codes and duties, but also – a glimmer of indignation entered Yuli’s eye – for death. For the ruthless extermination of enemies that threatened his survival. The terentatek threatened his survival. The terentatek had to die. All of them. The brutes, bred for war and mayhem, deserved nothing less, and Yuli would scour the entire planet of their taint and feed upon their essence, growing stronger with each kill, until even the greatest of the monsters could not stand against him. And then–

A beast howled, and Yuli grinned, his blood-smeared face twisting into a baleful leer of anticipation.

And then.