Brenum darted towards Relsor who leapt at Trylia, as she blocked and turned around to strike at him. Brenum was suddenly caught in a Force grip, and unable to advance any further.
            Trylia bent low, blocking, and came back up with a flurry. Relsor struck with each of his two blades, alternating; Trylia kept blocking, batting her staff from angle to angle. She twirled and slashed at the mid; Relsor jumped, flipped in the air, and landed behind her. Trylia lunged, Relsor bent sideways, avoiding the purple blade. Relsor went to strike with both his blades at the same time and Trylia barely managed to duck in time.
            Brenum could only watch in horror as Relsor seemed to be gaining the upper hand, unable to go to Trylia’s aid. Relsor powered off one lightsaber and clipped it to his belt while slashing and lunging frantically, yet calculatedly. Trylia dodged a hit and spun around, bringing her staff at a more vertical angle. Relsor cast lightning towards her and she screamed, her lightsaber flying out of her hands.
            Brenum tried to move, reflexively wanting to run forward, yet he was still unable to move; only his fingers and head moved, while the rest of his body was stuck in a strange limbo.
            Relsor ran closer to Trylia, his blade up. He plunged the blade deep inside her abdomen. 
            ‘TRYLIA!’ Brenum shouted long and loud, and harshly.
            Trylia shrieked a shrill cry of pain and fell backwards. Relsor caught her as she fell, holding her in his arms. Her back dipping backwards, he leaned down to her face, his lightsaber still inside her body. He leaned in and kissed her lips, then looked up smirking at Brenum. He powered off his lightsaber and let Trylia fall to the floor.
            ‘No!’ shouted Brenum. ‘No, this can’t be happening!’
            Relsor began to laugh as he slowly backed away, closer to the viewport, watching. Brenum looked at him, feeling the fire in his own eyes. Then he looked back at Trylia, who lay motionless.
            Suddenly, the Force grip on him was gone; Brenum landed on the permacrete floor. He stared, his heart sinking deeper and deeper, lower and lower. He dropped one lightsaber, and then the other, each of them powering off as they hit the floor. Anger swelled inside him; he wanted to kill Relsor. Instead, he only stared at Trylia, before deciding what he wanted to do, what he needed to do. He ran to Trylia, just so that he could hold her one final time.

* * *

            The red blade came up so suddenly as lightning still crackled about, and bore a hole and sizzled through flesh. Trylia felt cold inside of her and let out a shrill cry.
            ‘BRENUM!’
            Brenum dropped his lightsabers. Relsor pulled out his blade from inside Brenum’s body. Relsor looked at her and smirked. Brenum fell to the floor, his knees buckling under him, falling on his back.
            ‘NO!’ Trylia cried out. He could not die, not now, not without knowing…
            The Force grip that held her in place was released.
            Relsor began laughing as he slowly backed towards the viewport and then stood, watching, holding his two weapons, one of them lit, the other powered off. Trylia dropped her lightsaber; it extinguished as it hit the floor. She felt rage inside and glared at Relsor. Her chest heaved; thinking back, Brenum had been so sweet, so honest, so sincere. She looked back at Brenum. Trylia ran towards him; he would know before he was completely gone, he would know how she truly felt.
            Before she could reach him, she felt as though she hit a wall and bounced backwards. She ran forwards again, and bumped into something; someone was there. She felt through the Force and then she could see.
            ‘No, this can’t be?’ said Brenum. She looked at him wide-eyed. ‘Trylia, how is this possible?’
            ‘Oh, Brenum.’ She put a hand to his chest. ‘Your wound is gone!’
            ‘What wound? You… You were dying. Relsor killed you.’
            Trylia frowned, feeling disbelief and relief at the same time; this made no sense. ‘What are you on about? You were dying,’ she said.
            ‘He stabbed you!’ they both said at the same time.
            Then realisation dawned on her and she saw on Brenum’s face the same understanding come to him. Brenum whirled on their assailant angrily, as did she.
            ‘YOU!’ they both exclaimed.
            ‘No! No!’ said Relsor. ‘No-no-NO! My illusions never fail! How is this even possible?’
            ‘What were you hoping to accomplish?’ said Brenum sternly.
            ‘You were supposed to attack me, you were supposed to avenge the other’s death. You were supposed to give in to your innermost darkest emotions, and then the dark side would have made you my slaves.’
            ‘Well, you were wrong there, weren’t you?’ said Brenum. ‘Your mind trick torture didn’t work.’
            ‘It should have! It always does.’
            Trylia glared at Relsor. ‘You want to know why you have failed, Relsor?’
            ‘Tell me, then, why has my illusion broken when I had you both so anchored within it?’
            ‘Because,’ started Trylia, she took Brenum’s hand and held it tightly, ‘love is more powerful than the dark side can ever be.’
            Relsor took a breath and began nodding angrily, slowly.
            Trylia called her lightsaber to her hand, though she kept it powered off. Brenum did the same, calling his two blades, one at a time. He clipped one to his belt and then held the other alotf. In unison, as though he knew to follow her cue, they ignited their lightsabers and stood facing Relsor, holding each other’s hands, as their lightsabers, blue and purple, hummed in the silence.
            ‘Do you think you can defeat me?’ proclaimed Relsor.
            He lifted his arms up in the air and the ground began to shake, lightning hit them from all around like a storm of pain and fury. Brenum and Trylia were pushed backwards as Relsor broke the transpasristeel and jumped out the viewport.

Continue reading Chapter Twelve

Read the Epilogue

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

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Talyc stood holding the assault canon, shooting at oncoming Sith, desecrating the ground before him. He cried out something in Mando’a.
            ‘You’re having way too much fun with that thing!’ said Kelbourn.
            ‘Damn right, I am!’ Talyc shouted out over the noise.
            When he’d had enough, he passed the heavy weapon back to the others. Kelbourn took out his vibrosword and swirled it about.
            ‘Those Sith are Darth Gourd’s.’
            ‘Is there a different between Darth Gourd’s and Darth Perce’s?’ asked Talyc. ‘They all look the same to me.’
            ‘Fighting style, fighting stance,’ said Kelbourn. ‘Shall we to the group over there?’
            Talyc looked back at the Temple from the distance.
            ‘I hope our Jedi friends are all right,’ he said, feeling worry.
            ‘We can always go help Shadie defeat the Sith inside the Temple,’ said Kelbourn.
            ‘Can we, though?’
            The Mandalore’s wife approached. ‘The resistance fighters seem to have things under control for the moment. Many of the Sith returned to the Temple. If we attack them from behind, while Shadie and the others fight from the front, they’ll be overwhelmed.’
            ‘Excellent idea,’ said Kelbourn. He began towards the Temple as eagerly as Talyc felt.

* * *

            When Shadie found the other Jedi, Lian hurried towards her.
            ‘Shadie, Knarf, Fane, it’s good to see you alive.’
            ‘Same here, Lian,’ replied Fane.
            Shadie had a look around. The Jedi had taken a defensive formation near the entrance; others had rounded up their dead friends in one corner of the room. As though knowing her thoughts, Lian led her to where Master Salah and Ruther’s bodies lay.
            ‘Lian, I’m so sorry,’ she said.
            ‘I know.’ Lian paused. ‘He knew. Ruther knew he was going to die.’ Lian showed Shadie the datapad. ‘He also knew that if he was killed, Coruscant would be saved and I would likely survive this war.’
            Fane crouched next to the dead Jedi.
            ‘So many of my companions, so many who trained with either Master Salah or Master Juun Kloh, or both.’ Fane balled his hands into fists a few times, loosening them up every time. ‘If I didn’t have the discipline, I think I might be tempted by the dark side right now.’
            ‘I feel the same way,’ said Lian. ‘That’s why I’ve stayed here. We’re protecting the younger ones.’ He pointed at the other end of the room where several Jedi, including Josur stood protectively around a group of younglings and apprentices. ‘Brenum and Trylia went after Gourd and Perce. No news from them yet. Many of the Masters are missing. I’d like to lead a team to search for them. I’m assuming you’ll attempt to join Brenum and Trylia in the search for Gourd?’
            ‘Yes,’ Shadie nodded. She looked back at Lian. ‘There is a secret hatch under the rug in the Council Chamber. Only masters know about it. It is seldom used. There is a tunnel that leads to a hidden area of the Temple. I’ve never been, but I know it’s there. It’s possible the Masters have gone in to find some relics that might help us. You’ll need the Force to enter.’
            Lian nodded.
            ‘If the Masters were having a meeting when the Temple was overrun, it would make sense for them to attempt to regroup in a hidden area and plan a counter attack,’ said Fane.
            ‘I’ve been hoping they had found a safe place to hide in,’ said Lian.  ‘I’ll take a handful of Jedi with me. I’ll contact you when I have news.’ Shadie nodded. Lian left at a rapid pace.
            Shadie took out her comlink. ‘Brenum? Trylia?’
            ‘Shadie! It’s good to hear your voice,’ said Trylia. The sound of lightsabers sizzling through the air could be heard.
            ‘I’ve arrived at the Temple,’ Shadie told them. ‘Lian has gone in search of the Masters. Any news on Gourd or Perce?’
            ‘No, we haven’t found them yet,’ said Brenum. ‘Only their Sith. We’re searching the Temple.’
            ‘What’s your location? Knarf, Fane and I will join you.’
            ‘We’re on he upper level, near the grand hall,’ said Trylia.
            ‘Got it. On our way.’
            Shadie reached out in the Force to sense her friends’ location more precisely and realised that she couldn’t. Something in the Force was fluctuating and it was difficult to get a read on anyone. She looked at Fane.
            ‘I feel it too,’ he said. ‘Looks like we’re going to have to find them without the Force, if ever they are forced change location.’
            ‘Then let’s hurry,’ said Knarf.

* * *

Continue reading Chapter Eleven

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