The Shadows of the Past Trilogy
Episode 9: Nemesis of the Force Part 17
In the temple, Amelia is surrounded by the creatures as the dragon descends on her, jaws wide for the kill. One of the smaller creatures then rushes to pounce on her, but it is suddenly thrown into the air and right into the dragon’s mouth, causing the dragon’s jaws to snap shut too early. Amelia is surprised by this, but she leaps away in time to avoid being pinned beneath the hulking dragon and the wall. She rolls to her feet just as another creature comes at her.
A massive arc of lightning slams into the creature, sending it flying backwards into the dragon. This lightning acts as a chain and begins to leap from the first creature to the dragon and then to another and another until many of them are convulsing from the blasts.
All of the creatures turn to see Darth Saydra who simply walks out of the darkness while still hitting them with the lightning spray from her left hand. Laser beams then fire upon a few other creatures that aren’t hit by lightning as she moves to stand near Amelia.
Furious, the dragon fights against the blasts, struggling to shift its massive girth about to face Saydra head on. As its face comes into view, the dragon roars defiantly at the unrelenting power of the current, true Dark Lord of the Sith.
In the dark passages of the underground, Snoke’s vile laugh can be heard, echoing everywhere. “There is no hope of success. I have been preparing for this moment for a LONG time.”
“I wish he’d just shut up,” remarks Jacen as he removes his helmet and tosses it away from him as if it is a vile serpent.
Rey smiles at him. “Glad to see you’ve decided to stay with us.”
Jacen gives her a sideways grin, similar to Han’s, or at least his best attempt at it. “Don’t get all mushy on me.”
And then, all at once, Snoke is standing before them, even as he was on the Supremacy. For a moment, they are about to attack, but Aritra points out, “He’s an illusion. Don’t let your guard down. Sala-tzar is an expert at mind tricks.”
He cackles at them, however. “You were in such a rush to stop me,” says Snoke. “You forgot your beloved friend, didn’t you, Rey?” He mocks her with his tone and his laughter.
Rey suddenly gasps. “Finn!”
On the surface of the planet, molten lava begins to eat away at the entire landscape around the temple fortress, pouring into cracks and crevasses and cascading towards where Finn had fallen. Finn is seen still laying where he fell on the battlefield. Fortunately, where he is laying has been thrust upward, rising above the cooling molten lake.
“Yes!” says Snoke, cutting back to the scene in the tunnels. “Now your friend will die, and it’s all because you left him there. Some friend you are.”
Rey is suddenly filled with rage. She charges at him.
A massive blade swings out from a side passage; a trap. Jacen leaps at Rey and tackles her. The two fly through the image of Snoke as it vanishes, and the blade narrowly misses them. Snoke’s laughter continues echoing around them. “Good, Little Jedi! Way to control your anger!” His sarcasm is thick, and his cackling continues.
“Rey, please! You must control your anger. We can’t beat him that way,” says her mother.
Then Snoke’s voice and image turn on her. “Oh? You are not one who should be teaching anything, My Dear.” There is a pause as Rey and Jacen recover their footing. Rey looks at her mother as Snoke’s voice continues. “After all, YOU helped lure them all to me, didn’t you, My Dear - as per our agreement? Very good of you to do that for me.” He then cackles again.
Rey’s eyes widen. She is unsure whether she should believe this or not. “What?”
“Yessss!” says Snoke. “In order to save your father, whom I have here in my dungeons, she agreed to bring her own daughter to me.” He cackles. “Just as in the past, Rey, both of your parents would rather sacrifice YOU in order to save each other.” He cackles wildly. “And I thought Solo, Organa, and Skywalker were awful.”
“Don’t listen to him, Rey,” says Jacen, trying to help her fight it. "He knows how to incite the Dark Side within people."
She, however, ignores his attempt to help her. She doesn’t take her eyes off of her mother for a moment.
Her mother, looking guilty, says quickly, “It’s not like that, Rey. Yes, he told me your father was here. He said he would torture your father unspeakably for the rest of his life, and he could “extend it for a long time”. But that…that’s not why I did this. I knew we could defeat him if we worked together. Don’t you see? In an attempt to lure us here to kill us, he has exposed himself so that we can defeat HIM.”
“Lies,” Rey growls, barely able to contain her pain and fury. The Dark Side wells up physically within her. “I can FEEL it. How could you do this? I’m your DAUGHTER!”
“Rey!” Jacen says, trying to snap her out of it. “Snoke’s just trying to…”
“SHUT UP!” And with more fury than she’s ever unleashed in her life, Rey flings Jacen down the passage like a bullet, smashing him into rock walls on the way and then hurling him off a cliff at the far end. Unconscious, Jacen vanishes into the darkness of the pit he has been flung into.
“Rey! No!” Aritra cries, but her voice is mingled with that of Luke’s.
Too late, unleashing her pain and rage and fury, Rey leaps at her mother with a vengeance. Her mother barely blocks her daughter’s blows. "All my life," says Rey, "lies! People pretend to be my friends or family, but in the end they die or betray me." She shakes with rage. "You and Father, Unkar, Han, Luke..."
"...Rose..." Snoke's voice can be heard in a whisper.
"...Rose!" Rey says as she strikes her mother's weapon harder. "She just wants Finn. She's jealous of me. I know she hates me. She pretends to be my friend, but she's not. If she had the chance, she'd kill me herself!"
"...Kylo..." Snoke's voice again whispers.
"And Jacen? Hah! He's been trying to kill me for years. He's just pretending - biding his time. He's using me. EVERYONE betrays me or dies. EVERYONE! I'm so sick and tired of being alone!"
On the surface, Finn begins to stir as the lava begins to surround him on all sides, leaving him with no escape. Looking around, mystified, Finn searches the battlefield forlornly as the heat and steam threaten to consume him. He is now fortunately on a broken pedestal of land, the lava pouring into cracks and crevasses around it. Still, he has nowhere to go.
“R…Rey? Rey!” He jumps to his feet, then staggers, dazedly. Collecting himself, he cries out again. “Rey! Where are you? Rey!” The last is shouted at the top of his lungs.
It is as if Rey hears Finn’s voice. She then withdraws, allowing her mother to recover. Her mother is panting from the exertion, but she maintains her footing. Rey faces her warily, but her rage has abated a little. Still, she is shaking and staring at her mother, unable to determine the next course of action.
Her mother's eyes are still pleading. “Rey, listen to me. I’m sorry. I should have told you. It’s just…I thought it was for the best. I thought you’d never trust me if I told you Snoke had your father and had told me to bring you. Would you have really trusted me if I’d told you I’d made a deal with him? I did all this so that we could work together - you and I - to kill him. I know better than anyone that I can’t trust a person like Snoke. I can’t believe anything he has to say. Lying is his native tongue. I would NEVER actually work with him.”
Rey shakes her head, wiping tears from her eyes. “And lying is apparently your native tongue as well. You should have told me. I would have believed you if you’d been honest with me. Now…” Anger and bitterness continue to shake her entire body as she steps towards her mother in a threatening manner, as if she is going to attack her again. Aritra backs away from her, watching her closely. “Now I can’t believe anything you’ve ever told me.”
“Rey, please,” Aritra says in reply. “Everything I told you is true. I just kept this from you because of how it would have seemed. Would anyone have helped us get here if they had known this? And Sala-tzar stopped torturing your father because I agreed to this. There are fates worse than death, Rey. Endless torture is one of them.”
Back out on the molten battlefield, Finn reaches out still. “Rey, I don’t understand what’s happening, but you can’t do this.” He closes his eyes, sweat pouring down his face as he staggers. “Hear me, Rey. Please hear me. Don't give up. Don't do something you'll regret.”
Rey seems shaken again as Finn's words reach her. She is torn for a moment between the Light and Dark Sides. Then Snoke's words whisper in the darkness. "Everyone is dying because I trusted you.”
Rey echoes his words, darkness overshadowing her features again. "Everyone is dying because I trusted you." But then, it seems she has won in her struggle. The darkness abates. She turns the lightsaber off and begins to back away. Setting her jaw, she says, “We’ll rescue my father and kill Snoke, but then…I don’t want to see you again. Understand?”
Aritra continues to look up at her with heartbreak in her eyes. “No, Rey. Please. I’m sorry. I… REY!” Suddenly, Aritra’s voice is full of panic.
Sala-tzar appears behind Rey and runs her through with his sword. It is glowing like a lightsaber, and there is no blood, so it is a bit less harsh for younger audiences to see. Not hesitating, he pulls the weapon out quickly and throws Rey forward to the ground before her mother’s feet. In this way, you know what basically happened, but the moment is over quickly - similar to Darth Maul getting sliced in half.
“REY!” Finn cries as if he feels the pain in his own back and stomach He slumps to the ground, clutching his abdomen. “Rey!” he gasps and chokes as the steam engulfs him.
Aritra screams in horror. “NOOOOOOOOOooooo!” She then unleashes a powerful, invisible blast of the Force at Sala-tzar with both hands extended forward at him. He flies down the passage even as Jacen had. However, instead of sending Sala-tzar plummeting into the pit, Aritra balls her left hand into a fist and thrusts it violently upwards. As she does, Sala-tzar’s body slams into several stalactites, and though you don’t see him impaled, you get the idea.
Aritra drops down next to Rey, scooping her up in her arms. “No! Rey! No! Don’t die! You can’t die! I won’t let you! Stay with me."
And then, holding Rey close, Aritra shuts her eyes. An intense moment of strain is seen upon her face as she pours every last ounce of strength she has into her daughter. Rey’s eyes flutter open, and much to her surprise, she is alone in the tunnel, resting on her back on the floor and staring up at the ceiling. Shifting quickly, as if realizing what has happened, Rey finds her mother’s clothes laying there on the floor next to her weapon. Her mother is gone, and her own wounds are completely healed.
The scene returns abruptly to Finn. He is lying on his back, close to unconsciousness. His whole body is drenched with sweat and hot steam. With everything he has left in him, he fights to stay awake. “Rose! Help me!”
Aboard the Falcon, which is on a hill in the distance, Rose is frantically working, oblivious to everything that is happening around the ship. All of a sudden, she stops and rises to her feet. “Finn?” she gasps. And then, she races through the ship to where Chewie and the droids are. “Quick,” she says. “Finn’s in trouble. We have to save him.”
And with that, the Wookiee and mechanic race to the cockpit. With Rose in the pilot’s seat and Chewie in the co-pilot’s seat, they fight to get the Falcon off the ground. Sparking and fizzling, the Falcon seems like it is about to drop again back to the ground, but at last it manages to stay aloft, limping its way across the battlefield through the raging storm over the cooling lava.
“Holy…What happened out here?” Rose asks as she sees nothing but the steam rising in walls of cloud. Chewie and Kuranraha both give a mournful response.
“There is a very slim chance we’re going to find him amidst all of this…” 3P0 begins as he comes up from behind, but Rose cuts him off.
“Over there!” she shouts, pointing at a signature on the Falcon's display screen. “I think that's him. Quick! R2, let's see if the ramp will lower. Hurry!" And the two race out of the cockpit.
Sweating profusely, Finn fights to get to his knees. He refuses to give up, even though he's near passing out. The Falcon comes looming into view, and the ramp lowers just at Finn’s level. R2 is there, and he fires a grappling cable down near Finn. A moment later, Rose snags the rope and slides down it to land right next to Finn. She then yanks R2's line free, hugs Finn, wraps the line around both of them, and calls, "R2, reel us back up."
R2's magnetic feet clamp down on the ramp. He then leans back as his line withdraws, pulling them up and over. As soon as they are clear, the droid maneuvers over to the switch, and the ramp closes, allowing the cooler air of the ship to refresh them.
“Thanks, Rose” says Finn, breathing heavily. “I owe you.”
She smiles and kisses him. "Don't mention it." She then hurries to her feet. "Come on. We have to see if we can find any other survivors out there.”
Finn forces himself up to follow her, staggering towards the cockpit as he yells, “I doubt you will find any, and we need to make our way to the temple. We have to get inside. Rey and the others are already there. They need us." At this, he pauses as if realizing he has no idea how he knows this. "I think.” He says this last bit as he enters the cockpit.
Rose looks back at him and nods. “Fine. In we go, if we can, but I'm still looking for survivors on the way." Then the Falcon speeds towards the temple. “We’ll land on part of the roof, maybe, or blast a hole in the ceiling. There! There's a flatter section on the east side.”
Finn nods. “Sounds good. Chewie, you’ll have to stay with the Falcon and make sure it can get us out of here when all this is over. Rose, you’re with me. R2 and 3P0 too. I have an idea.”
“Wait!” says 3P0. “Sir! What is that?” Chewie growls as well and points out the window. Kuranraha copies Chewie.
On the ground, surrounded by the cooling lava, Golrit stands amidst a large number of New Republic and Zyn clone survivors atop a shelf of land. Golrit has his eyes closed, and it seems that a strong wind is whipping the steaming rain and heat away from them. He alone is keeping them alive.
In space, the Zyn Darts, Hapes fighters and the remaining New Republic fighters swarm all over the Star Destroyers and remaining TIEs. Fifteen larger, cylindrical war ships blast at the Destroyers with all of their turbolasers. Only two Zyn capital ships are left, as well as the two New Republic battle cruisers, but all four of them are heavily damaged. And yet, they still attack the group of Star Destroyers from various sides. Another Star Destroyer explodes, followed by a second, leaving only six of them remaining.
Aboard one of the remaining Star Destroyers, the Vindicator, Admiral Zelthen is trying to assume command of the fleet without much success. He is obviously very anxious and barely keeping it together. He snaps, “No! What are they doing? I said, "Concentrate all firepower on the remaining Zyn and Resistance ships to clear a path to make the jump to lightspeed." They're the weakest! Why are we still trying to attack the Consortium?”
“Sir,” an officer replies, "The other captains are just trying to keep the enemy off of them."
"Well, in the meantime, we're being torn apart," Zelthen says. "Get the other captains on the line."
"Yes sir." And a moment later, holographic images appear.
"Admiral, we're..."
"Shut up and listen to me," Zelthen roars with desperation in his voice. "I'm assuming command. Do you copy? If you want to live, do exactly as I say. Focus all firepower on the remaining New Republic and Zyn ships to try to clear a path to make the jump to lightspeed. We'll rendezvous on Trammas. Do you understand?"
The other officers salute. "Sir." And in space, the six Destroyers begin to twist about, firing on the last two Zyn capital ships, the Restoration, and the only other surviving New Republic battle cruiser. A Zyn ship explodes in a plume of fire almost immediately. However, a moment later, from the Hapes Consortium side of space, another Star Destroyer explodes.
Aboard the Restoration, Hera is alone on the bridge. "Ensign. Status."
"Evacuation almost complete, Admiral. Your shuttle is still waiting. Please hurry."
Hera flips a few more switches and presses a few buttons. "Please hold on a bit longer." Then she hastens out of the bridge. The scene cuts to a convoy of ships pouring out of the Restoration and the other New Republic capital ship as they make their way towards open space. Just in time, Hera's shuttle departs as both battle cruisers explode; one right after the other.
In the temple, the krayt dragon continues to push against the lighting towards Saydra. Amelia spots several of the dragon’s dog and cat-like minions coming around to pounce on her from the side. So Amelia rushes towards them, lightsabers swinging and cutting them down, leaving Saydra alone to face the dreaded Krayt.
And then, in Saydra’s right hand, a tri-bladed lightsaber ignites. A beam of red, a beam of blue and a beam of purple all intertwine with one another, criss-crossing and looping intricately to what appears to be a single point at the end. In reality, the beams crisscross and then loop back, each to their own crystal. The size of the three blades combined makes the lightsaber appear to have a much thicker blade. Saydra clenches the handle with her cybernetic fingers, gripping it as if the hilt is one with her hand.
In that moment, the dragon makes a final lurch to snap down on her. Saydra leaps from her perch just as the dragon’s jaws snap down in the space she had been in. She lands on the bridge of the dragon’s nose and slides down it as it jerks its head back to try to throw her off. Too late, she lands between its eyes, and her tri-blade slams right through the skull. She then continues sliding over and back along the skull, spinning around so she is falling feet first towards the creature's tail. She continues her slide down the top of the creature, and the lightsaber’s blade slices a line over the top of the skull and down the back of the creature’s neck even as Saydra pulls it along behind her. She lands on the ground like a cat as the blade shuts off, and the dragon rears in its death throws behind her.
Not hesitating, Saydra charges to Amelia's side, igniting her blade again and unleashing volleys of her shoulder laser’s fire at her enemies. The dragon crashes to the ground, dead, in the background as Saydra and Amelia cut their way through the remainder of their foes and escape out of the chamber.
“I don’t suppose we can leave now,” Saydra says to Amelia as they come to a halt in the adjoining hallway.
Amelia huffs for air but shakes her head. “We’re so close. We must destroy the Gateway of the Whills.”
Saydra sighs and closes her eye, a look of total exasperation flooding her face. She becomes human for a moment. It doesn’t last, however, and her face becomes cold again. She then makes her way into the darkness, her lightsaber lighting the way. “You are never allowed to say that I have never done anything to prove my love for you EVER again.”
Amelia smiles at her and follows her into the darkness. “Yes, Mother.”
Deep in the pit he was tossed into, Jacen Solo emerges from a basin of water. He gasps for air and struggles to pull himself out onto a rocky shore that is slippery and has no handholds. Still, he manages to achieve his goal, and for several moments he sits there with his back against the wall, breathing heavily and gingerly touching his head. After a few moments of gathering his wits, he ignites his lightsaber to light his way and forces himself to rise. He then staggers his way along down another tunnel.
He then finds himself in the inner-most sanctum of the temple. He glances around him wearily, holding the back of his head still with his gloved left hand. There are the four pedestals with the flames burning on them, and there is the Gateway, the flame that burns over the central dais. He then sees a frail and sick-looking man chained to a wall in the far shadows.
Suddenly, Gnoza and Altaria appear, standing between him and the Gateway.
“It’s good to see you again, Master,” says Altaria with a sneer and deep sarcasm. “So glad you could join us.”
Jacen nods at her and even brandishes a smug grin. “You too, Altaria…Gnoza. So glad you could be here. Happy reunion for all.” His sarcasm is practically visible, it is so thick.
“Sala-tzar’s form has been slain,” says Gnoza as if reporting a petty crime. “Which means we just need to hold you off for a short time until he is able to respawn.”
“Don’t make us kill you, Kylo,” says Altaria. “You’re too exhausted and weak to continue. You can’t win.”
“I’m just here for... him,” says Jacen with a smile as he points at the man on the wall. “Who is he, anyway?"
Gnoza laughs. "The girl Rey’s father, I guess.”
The two chuckle. “Sure. Here. Take him,” says Altaria. They step aside and gesture to where Rey's father is hanging. He looks as if he has been sorely mistreated and is likely unconscious.
“If you can,” adds Gnoza, and as he says this, more shadowy creatures begin to move out of hiding, surrounding Jacen and cutting off his escape.
Jacen sighs in annoyance, but then he jerks his hand out towards Rey's father, clenches his fist, and tears him off the wall - shattering the chains as if they were made of paper. The father drops to the floor somewhat roughly, but not hard enough to kill him, and at the same time Jacen hurls the broken fragments of the chains across the room and into a cluster of the shadowy creatures on his left. They are like bullets, and the creatures scream in pain as they hold their injuries.
The battle begins as Gnoza, Altaria and the creatures, more Massassi, charge at him. He leaps and spins and clashes with Gnoza and Altaria, then cuts down a few creatures and spins and twists again to slip out from the midst of them.
In that moment, Saydra and Amelia burst into the room from another entrance, and seeing Jacen outnumbered, Amelia rushes to his aid. Saydra seems bored and ignores the fight. Walking towards the Gateway instead. Any Massassi that get in her way are cut down by her lightsaber as if they are hardly a threat to her.
She smiles at the Gateway triumphantly when she reaches it. “Finally,” she says. “I can purge the galaxy of your stench, Sala-tzar. I suppose this WAS worth it after all.”
But a hulking monstrosity lumbers up behind Saydra out of the entrance she and Amelia had just come through. It pounces immediately. It is like a large insect with six limbs, all ending in pincers. Its mouth mandibles attempt to clip Saydra’s head off as she ducks and spins away from it. As soon as this occurs, the flame at the center of the dais begins to pulsate.
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