"Collan wanted you to witness his ascension," the man said. "He thought it poetic. You would see the future unfold and then duel you again with his new power. But I can't risk you interfering. We're too close. And you're too dangerous."
He reached down and unclipped his lightsaber. A crimson blade burst to life with a snap-hiss. The red glow lit up the dark folds of his hood and revealed a young face marked with tattoos—symbols Jaden didn't recognize.
The man stepped forward and thrust the blade toward Jaden's chest.
Jaden rolled to the side. The tip of the saber plunged into the stone where he had been sitting, sending a wave of sparks up the wall. Pain shot through his side as he hit the floor, but he bit down on his lip and forced himself upright. His vision blurred, but he ignored it. The moment he stood, another slash came for his neck. He ducked. The blade passed inches over his head. He stepped in close, and drove his fist into the man's gut. The blow landed. The man grunted and staggered back, but recovered quickly. He slashed again. Then again. Jaden weaved. The second slash nicked his side, but he didn't stop. He lunged in and slammed his palm down onto the man's wrist. There was a crack. The saber tumbled free.
Jaden caught it before it hit the ground.
Without hesitation, he swung the crimson blade in an arc across the man's abdomen. The lightsaber passed cleanly through flesh and bone. The man gasped. His legs buckled. Jaden reversed the grip and slashed upward, finishing the cut. The top half of his body slid sideways and crumpled to the floor. The bottom followed a heartbeat later.
For a few seconds, the only sound was Jaden's heavy breathing. He stood over the body, blood dripping from a reopened wound near his shoulder, the red saber still humming in his hand. Jaden extinguished the blade and walked out of the cell in time to see two guards rushing towards him, with a gesture both of them were slammed against the wall before they could even raise their blasters.
Despite how hopeless he felt about the situation Jaden decided he wouldn't let himself abandon Padmè. She had done too much for him to leave her to her fate. After that Jaden didn't know. He'd given it his all to fight Collan and he'd failed. Jaden breathed heavily as he walked down the corridor, he ran into several more guards and those guards were just as easily dispatched as the first. Jaden didn't know where he was going, he had been brought deep into the temple; he kept on walking and hoped that the force would guide him to Padmè.
He continued deeper, passing through more corridors lit only by pale, dimly glowing lights along the walls. There was something oppressive about this place; each step felt heavier than the last, as though the temple itself sought to drain the strength from him. Eventually, Jaden stepped into a room that was different from the others. It wasn't a cell or an armory, but a private chamber of sorts. There was a simple bed pushed against one wall, a desk scattered with datapads and strange Sith markings, and a table covered in various relics and artefacts.
Jaden glanced around briefly before his eyes widened, his heart suddenly racing. Among the relics lay a small, glowing cube, a Holocron. But not just any Holocron.
It was his.
He rushed forward, nearly stumbling in his haste, and picked it up. His hands trembled slightly as he held it tightly, feeling the cool metal beneath his fingers. Without hesitation, Jaden tried to activate it, focusing all of his energy and concentration.
The Holocron glowed faintly but did not display Satele. Instead, it projected only a map, flickering softly as though its power was fading.
"No...no no no please," Jaden whispered desperately, trying again and again to activate it properly, to reach her. He twisted the cube, adjusted his grip, called upon the Force, but nothing changed.
Jaden's legs buckled, and he sank slowly to his knees. His breaths were ragged, his fingers clutching the Holocron as he tried again, desperately pushing all the strength he could muster into reaching her. Each failure struck him deeper, and the panic of losing Satele again began to rise in his chest.
Then, faintly, he heard it.
"Jaden."
His head snapped up instantly, eyes wide, breath caught in his throat. In front of him, flickering in and out of clarity, was a hologram, Satele Shan. Her image shimmered weakly, distorted, but unmistakably her.
"Satele..." Jaden said, his voice barely above a whisper, relief flooding through him. A small smile crossed his face despite everything.
Satele's image flickered again, but she returned his smile gently. "It's good to see you, Jaden," she said softly. "I worried when it was not you who activated me."
Her voice wavered, her form distorting badly before reforming. Jaden wiped his eyes, blinking away the tears that had gathered there, and forced himself to his feet.
"What...what's wrong with you?" he asked with a strained voice.
Satele's expression became pained. "Collan used a Sith artefact, one capable of hurting my essence. It has corrupted me within the Holocron."
Jaden took a step closer, his heart pounding with sudden dread. "Can it be fixed?"
Satele didn't answer and instead offered him a sad, gentle smile. "You look as though you've been through so much, Jaden."
Jaden paused briefly, eyes lowering, and nodded. His voice shook slightly. "I fought Collan. I tried so hard, Satele. I let the dark side in completely; I gave it everything I had, but it still wasn't enough. He has an artefact capable of stopping time, I couldn't beat him, even with all that power."
His shoulders trembled slightly as he took a ragged breath. "I don't know what to do. I want to save everyone I want to save Padmè, I want to kill Eislo, but I can't. I just...I can't."
Satele's expression softened even more, her eyes filled with compassion. "I must be a very bad teacher indeed, if my student believes power is the only way forward."
Jaden looked up sharply, confusion crossing his face. "What other way is there?"
Her form flickered again, briefly distorting her words. "You know the way, Jaden. All the trust you place in the power you have, instead, place it in yourself. Be the Jaden that knew he was weak but overcame that weakness anyway."
Frustration flared briefly in Jaden's chest. He opened his mouth, but before he could argue, she continued, "Jaden...your own doubt is what holds you back. You believe too much that the problem lies in what you lack, when you already have everything you need."
Her hologram began flickering badly now, her image almost lost entirely. "Every artefact Collan has uses the Force. And what are we but conduits able to speak to the Force itself?"
"I don't understand," Jaden said, his voice filled with desperation.
"The Force is alive, Jaden," she explained gently. "Open your heart fully, and it will listen."
"The force connects all things, from life to death and beyond..." Her form suddenly spasmed violently, words becoming distorted and unreadable. Jaden's panic returned fiercely.
"Please, don't go," Jaden begged, voice cracking, tears now freely streaming down his cheeks. "There is still so much I want to say..."
Satele's fading image smiled at him sadly. "I'm sorry, Jaden...I wish...I wish I could've seen you grow for a little longer."
Desperate, Jaden tried frantically to stabilize her, pushing whatever strength remained within him into the Holocron, hoping to hold onto her essence. But nothing worked; her form kept fading away.
"I am so proud of you..." Satele whispered softly. "You're my legacy, Jaden. Don't hide that anymore."
And with those final words, she vanished completely.
"Satele!" Jaden shouted, his voice filled with anguish, trying over and over to reactivate the Holocron. But its glow had vanished, and it was inert in his hands.
Devastation gripped him, crushing and heavy. Jaden fell to his knees once more, clutching the silent Holocron tightly to his chest. He hunched over, letting the grief overwhelm him, sobbing openly for the loss of the closest thing he had ever known to family. He remained there for some time, lost to the sorrow. But eventually, he drew a slow, shuddering breath, wiped his eyes roughly, and rose to his feet once more. He held the Holocron firmly, determination now mixing with his grief. He stared down at it, a new resolve filling his chest.
"I'll save everyone, I promise," Jaden whispered firmly. "Then I'll fix you."
Carefully, he placed the Holocron in his pocket and turned back toward the doorway, ready to face whatever waited beyond.
___________________________
Collan Eislo stood at the center of the grand chamber, his robes torn and stained with burnt silk, the wound inflicted by Jaden's lightsaber still raw beneath layers of bandages. Despite his injuries, he smiled widely. Everything was finally in place. He gazed around at the dozens of circles carved into the temple floor, each lined with ancient Sith runes.
Around him, a hundred prisoners stood grouped in tight circles of ten, each cluster guarded closely by mercenaries whose weapons promised death if any dared to move. At evenly spaced points throughout the chamber stood tall stone pillars. On each pillar rested priceless Sith artefacts, crystalline amulets, holocrons glowing dimly with sinister whispers, ancient daggers carved from obsidian, and intricate lines drawn on the stone floor connected each artifact directly to a single, massive central circle.
In the center of that circle, set reverently atop a black marble pedestal, lay the Mask of Darth Nihilus. Its surface gleamed faintly, the empty eyes of the mask almost seeming alive, watching silently as events unfolded. Collan turned to Padmè, who struggled uselessly against the grip of two large mercenaries restraining her. He stepped closer, a smug, triumphant expression filling his face.
"The time has finally come, Lady Amidala," he said mockingly. "You're about to witness my ascension firsthand. The old order is about to be buried under the weight of a new era. An era without Jedi, without Sith... only me. The age of Eislo begins now."
Padmè's eyes burned with defiance, and she strained against the grip of her captors. "You're insane, Collan!"
Collan chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "No, Padmè. I'm about to become immortal, what sane man wouldn't want that."
He turned his attention away from her and raised his hand sharply. "Begin the ritual."
Immediately, twelve acolytes stepped forward to surround the central circle. They raised their arms, palms outward, and began chanting in a low Sith dialect. Several extended their hands toward the etched lines on the ground, channeling the Force into the pattern. Almost immediately, dark crimson energy flooded through the markings, illuminating them brightly. The glowing lines surged outward, enveloping every prisoner, eliciting frightened murmurs and sobs as the prisoners watched helplessly.
Padmè twisted violently, desperately attempting to break free. "Let go of me!" she shouted, kicking out her legs, but the mercenaries' grip was too strong.
Suddenly, a tremendous explosion echoed through the temple. The walls trembled, and a wave of dust fell from the ceiling.
Collan spun around, his face contorted with fury. "What the hell was that?"
One of the guards quickly activated his comm unit, anxiously speaking into it. His face went pale. "Sir, we're being attacked by the Jedi! Dozens of them! They have a cruiser providing support fire from orbit, the shield dome is collapsing!"
(AN: Poor Jaden, losing his mentor and one of the first friends he ever had and his great great great great grandma. Pretty tough old boy. I'm sure things will work out. Anyway hope you enjoyed.)
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