The turbolift doors parted open to a wall of red lightsabers that awaited them, ready to clamp down on the Jedi. Fane used the Force to push the Sith away; Shadie sent an onslaught of lightning towards them; Knarf stomped his good foot on the ground, before performing a barrel roll, using the Force to shake the ground, further bringing Sith to the floor. He came up in a low crouch and slashed at several legs. It didn’t bring him joy to do so; every time he thought he felt a stinging pain in his leg right where it had been severed. He slashed about, killing several Sith.

Shadie sent more lightning, and it danced across multiple blades. One of the Sith hit Knarf’s beskar armoured head. The armour protected him from the hit, but the lightning on it shot through his body and he trembled from the shock. Fane pushed the Sith away from him. Shadie stopped the lightning.

‘Sorry!’ she said.

Knarf looked up at her. His helmet hid his smile of reassurance, but he knew Shadie could feel it. Knarf rolled again and jumped high into the air, landing on one of the Sith. He used the Force to push him towards another. Their blades melted into each other.

‘Heh! I just killed two Sith with one…’ he searched for the word. He saw Fane smile slightly. ‘We’re making progress,’ he told him. Fane nodded.

Fane drove his aqua blade into a Sith, and Knarf used a similar tactic, pushing another Sith towards the protruding blade, and then another. Fane pulled out his lightsaber from the three Sith, who fell dead on the floor.

Shadie thus far had had her lightsaber ignited as a single blade; she extended the other half, killing a Sith in the process. She twirled her lightsaber about, and with a flurry, brought down the last of the Sith warriors.

The three of them stood, looking at the dead Sith before them.

‘Does Relsor not care at all about his followers?’ said Fane.

‘Followers of Kromus, my eye,’ said Shadie. ‘Kromus may have been a monster, but he was a calculated one. He selected a few who would be willing to sacrifice themselves for him, but he knew the importance of numbers. You remember how when we assaulted his flagship the Sith retreated? Their mission had been to isolate Knarf with the holocron, and then to ensure we reached Kromus. They retreated every time they either achieved their goal or saw they would not survive.’

‘Same thing happened with Gourd’s Sith,’ said Fane. ‘When they assaulted Coruscant, they retreated there as well.’

‘I can’t believe that Relsor would be so trivial with his uncle’s Sith,’ said Knarf. ‘Somehow I don’t see Relsor allowing his Sith to die so easily. These are clearly acolytes and trainees, but still, it doesn’t make sense.’

Someone coughed somewhere. Knarf’s eyes shot to a corner in the room. There was a Sith moving, trying to get up. He pointed towards him. Shadie walked to him and used the Force to lift him, without choking him.

‘Speak to me, Sith, and tell me, who is the lord you serve?’

‘I serve the one and only Emperor,’ replied the Sith.

‘Who is your Emperor?’

‘We do not know his name.’ The Sith acolyte winced in pain. ‘Nor does the Dark Council.’

Shadie scowled confused. ‘Dark Council?’

‘I serve the Sith Empire,’ the injured Sith told them.

‘Then what are you doing here?’ asked Knarf.

‘The alliance with the True Sith.’

‘Do you realise,’ said Fane, ‘that Relsor is using you and doesn’t care if you die? Are all these Sith whom we killed here from the Empire too?’

The Sith nodded. There was something oddly familiar about him, but Knarf couldn’t quite place where he could have possibly seen this Sith before.

‘I am sorry,’ said Shadie, setting the Sith back down. ‘I have few enemies in the Sith Empire. They leave me alone and I leave them alone. I have no desire to kill the Empire’s Sith. My enemy is Relsor and his followers.’ Shadie shook her head. Knarf knew she preferred to keep her opponents alive if and when she could. ‘You are injured.’ She passed a hand over his wounds. ‘They are not fatal. You will survive.’

‘Why, one would think you were going to let me live.’ The Sith grinned, hopeful.

‘I am. But in return you must do something for me.’

The Sith studied her for a moment. ‘What can I do for you?’

‘Find a way to contact the Dark Council and tell your masters that Darth Shadie, who is now Jedi Master Eidahs, has no qualms with the Empire as of yet, and as long as they stay away from the Republic and from Mandalore, we will not pursue battle with them. However, if the Empire is now part of the True Sith, then we will have a problem and I will be forced to retaliate.’

The Sith nodded. ‘Consider it a deal.’ And with that he hobbled away.

‘I’m confused,’ said Fane.

Shadie looked at him. ‘If there is dissent between the Sith Empire and the True Sith, then the alliance will crack. Relsor will not care for the Empire’s resources as long as they provide for him. We get the Empire to walk away from their alliance and Relsor is not as strong and powerful as he thinks he is.’

Knarf smiled. That was his Lady all right, thinking strategically towards the future.

Shadie looked ahead and pointed. ‘That way,’ she said.

Continue reading Chapter Nine

Read the Epilogue

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Shadie story series.

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Everyone was quiet as they all sat in the Krayt Dragon‘s cockpit, staring at the blue lines of hyperspace.
‘Much rests in your hands now, Fane,’ said Shadie. She took his hand. ‘Should anything happen to me, to us, you are the only one who can be in charge of this mission. Now and later. You are the Mandalorian liaison; you are also now the one who is to be in contact with Supreme Chancellor Emain. He knows to expect you to contact him. Hopefully, Knarf can slice something somewhere on Relsor’s ship that can help Emain trace his armada.’

‘I guess I should give him the coordinates to where we are “meeting” Relsor,’ said Fane.

‘It will prove a good point of reference to begin attempting jumps and tracings,’ said Knarf.

Fane looked over at the man and nodded. He quickly sent the coordinates via his datapad, knowing Emain would receive them instantly. Shadie took both Fane’s hands and he turned his attention back to her.

‘If anything should happen while we are in captivity, regardless of our new powers, you will be the only one with those powers. If I should die…’

‘Don’t think that way!’ said Fane.

‘Okay, if anything should go wrong, then you are the only one with the power of the Crypt, you are the only one who will not be in captivity with the power to be Master of the Crypt, or as good as.’

‘I can’t do that, I can’t take it away from you, Master,’ said Fane.

‘First of all, you will not be taking it away from me, and secondly, I am no longer your master.’

‘What?’ Fane was shocked. He didn’t understand. ‘Have I done…’ Shadie shook her head, causing him to pause.

‘You don’t need me anymore. Not as a master. You are a Jedi. I’ve already asked Master Herl’unik to recognise you as such. He already granted you the title of Jedi Knight, but now you are a full Knight who no longer needs his master. You are not a boy, nor the young man I met who was trying to kill me when he was still lost and searching himself. You are a man, a grown man, Talyc’s man, and he is so lucky to have you. I am so proud of you. I love you, Fane, in a sisterly sort of way, you know.’

‘Yeah, I know.’ Fane smiled. ‘Thank you, for everything. I’ll miss you. I’ll miss all of you.’

‘We love you too,’ said Brenum.

‘I just… I’ve never shared with anyone anything like I’ve shared with all of you,’ said Fane. ‘Promise me you’ll do everything in your power to stay alive.’

‘Oh, of course,’ said Shadie. I’m Master of the Crypt. I’m not going to delegate that privilege to you that easily.’ Fane heard the humour in her voice and laughed.

‘We’re approaching vector,’ said Brenum, as they dropped out of hyperspace. ‘I’m going to miss this ship.’

‘She’ll be waiting for you, eager for your return,’ said Lian.

‘You can try to sound less sarcastic,’ said Brenum.

‘Who’s being sarcastic? I mean it.’ Lian smiled. ‘I’ll have her mostly on autopilot as I work on keeping Relsor’s powers in check.’ He turned to face Fane. ‘Good luck in there. I’ll see you shortly. The rest of you, I wish you the best of luck, I truly mean that. Stay alive and may the Force serve you.’

They nodded. Fane felt excitement, he was eager to get the mission over with, anticipating the moment he would reunite with Talyc, yet dreading the moment he would leave his friends behind.

* * *

            ‘They approach,’ said Relsor, his face grim. He looked at the looming image of the Krayt Dragon as it approached the docking port. ‘And they are not alone.’

‘Oh, good,’ said Perce, ‘they brought the whole group of friends. The more the merrier, I say.’

‘No, not them,’ said Relsor. ‘Yes, they are present, but he is here. Jedi Master Lian, the one who can thwart and avert my abilities.’ Relsor shook his head.

‘Our little failed Sith lied to us,’ said Perce. ‘Is it any surprise? We knew it was a possibility.’

‘Indeed it seems he has. They mean to make this a rescue mission,’ said Relsor.

‘Then we must do everything in our power to ensure that they fail,’ said Perce.

Continue reading Chapter Eight

Catch up on previous Star Wars Fan-Fiction from the Shadie story series.

Perhaps you’ll also enjoy Stardust Destinies I: Variate Facing; fantasy action-adventure taking place in a realm strong with magic where prophecies are dictated by dragons. https://binkyproductions.com/stardustdestinies